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Quick Answer: Who’S Opening For Luke Bryan 2019?
Who’s opening for Luke Bryan 2020?
Who’s opening for Luke Combs 2019?
Why wasnt Luke Bryan at the CMAS?
Is Morgan Wallen touring with Jason Aldean?
Did Luke Bryan cancel his tour 2020?
How long does a Jason Aldean concert last?
How long does the Luke Combs concert last?
Who is opening for Luke Bryan at Blossom?
Is Luke Bryan still touring in 2020?
What songs does Jason Aldean sing tour?
When was Luke Bryan in Detroit?
Who is Luke Combs touring with 2020?
How long is a concert?
Who’s touring with Luke Bryan 2019?
Who is touring with Jason Aldean 2020?
How much is Luke Bryan tickets?
Is Luke Bryan coming to Canada?
Morgan WallenJoining Bryan on his 2020 Proud to Be Right Here Tour will be Morgan Wallen and, at alternate points in the year, Runaway June and Caylee Hammack..
Center. Tickets for the five new dates go on sale July 19 at 10:00 a.m. local time. Combs has a versatile set of openers throughout the remainder of the year. His tour support includes Cody Johnson and Ray Fulcher on select dates, as well as The Cadillac Three, Morgan Wallen, Jameson Rodgers and Flatland Calvary.
It’s possible that Luke didn’t come to the show because he wasn’t nominated for any awards this year, or he might have just been busy with his five kids. Though he hasn’t commented on why they didn’t attend, Caroline today posted stories from an event supporting her family’s The Brett Boyer Foundation.
Jason Aldean Announces “We Back Tour” With Morgan Wallen, Riley Green & More. Jason Aldean announced he will hit the road in 2020 for his headlining We Back Tour. The 20-date trek, which kicks off on Jan. … Morgan Wallen, Riley Green and Dee Jay Silver will serve as support.
According to a press release, out of an abundance of caution for the safety and health of his fans, a portion of the remainder of Bryan’s 2020 tour dates have been cancelled. … His tour openers — Morgan Wallen, Caylee Hammack and Runaway June — remain the same.
1.75 hoursHow long are Jason Aldean concerts? Most concerts last about 2-3 hours but can run shorter or longer depending on the artist, opening acts, encore, etc. Jason Aldean concerts typically last 1.75 hours.
1.25 hoursLuke Combs concerts typically last 1.25 hours.
Cole SwindellAfter writing songs for country stars, Cole Swindell is in the process of becoming one himself. Cole Swindell is one of the operns on country star Luke Bryan’s tour, which is at Blossom Music Center this weekend.
Luke Bryan’s 2020 tour plans are the latest to fall to the novel coronavirus. The star’s Proud to Be Right Here Tour is being pushed back in response to the pandemic declared due to the virus’ spread. Bryan’s 2020 Proud to Be Right Here Tour was originally scheduled to begin on May 28 in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Jason Aldean 2020 We Back Tour SetlistTake a Little Ride.Tattoos on This Town.Fly Over States.A Little More Summertime.Crazy Town.Amarillo Sky.Rearview Town.Burnin’ It Down.More items…•
Luke Bryan has announced the final date of his 2019 Sunset Repeat Tour. The country superstar will wrap the massive road trek with a date at Ford Field in Detroit on Oct. 25.
Luke Combs Announces Headlining “What You See Is What You Get Tour” in 2020 With Ashley McBryde & Drew Parker. Luke Combs announced he will hit the road in 2020 for his headlining What You See Is What You Get Tour.
Expect a concert to last anything from 90 minutes to two hours, and that is a pretty good guide. There is often a 15-20 minute interval too. However, with artists being very much in control of their music, it’s also correct to say that a concert can last much longer, from two and a half hours to three hours.
Cole SwindellLuke Bryan will be hitting the road this summer with his Sunset Repeat Tour, which will begin in late spring. Bryan will be joined by Cole Swindell, newcomer Jon Langston, and DJ Rock. The tour will begin on May 31 in Philadelphia, PA and come to a close on Oct.
Jason Aldean announced details today for his 2020 We Back Tour launching January 30th in Columbia, SC. The tour will feature special guests Morgan Wallen, Riley Green, and Dee Jay Silver and span 20 cities throughout the US.
Typically, Luke Bryan tickets can be found for as low as $63.00, with an average price of $181.00.
We got wind that Luke Bryan will be hitting the Canadian Tire Center this May. …
Quick Answer: How Much Does It Cost To Rent MetLife Stadium For A Night?
How much does a new football stadium cost?
Question: Is There Such A Thing As Black Eyes?
Can you permanently change your eye color?
What Is Gene Watson’S Wife’S Name?
Is Gene Watson still married to Mattie? It was a lot
Which Rappers Are Related?
Is Dr Dre a billionaire? Dr. Dre’s Net Worth
Quick Answer: Can You Move Seats At A Concert?
What happens if you sneak into a concert?
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Shemar Moore & Bill Bellamy Reveal The Craziest Things They’ve Ever Done For Love
These seasoned men are romantic on and off the screen.
Keyaira Kelly
Source: CJ Rivera / Getty
We know actor Shemar Moore for his smooth, sleek roles in ‘Young & The Restless’ and ‘Criminal Minds,’ and Bill Bellamy has been making us laugh since Def Comedy Jam, but did you know these guys are utter romantics?
The duo is teaming up again for their first film together since ‘The Brothers’ in ‘The Bounceback.’
Shemar plays a relationship guru with relationship issues (ironic) and Bill Bellamy reprises the role of ‘the best friend’ who has all the answers.
But when it comes to love in real life, these guys seem to have it figured out. HelloBeautiful caught up with these gents on the red carpet screening of ‘The Bounce Back’ in New York, and they revealed the craziest thing they’ve ever done for love.
“In college, I wrote this dope a** poem for this chick, and she wasn’t even feeling my poem. But it was fire, it was crazy. There were metaphors everywhere, I had bars.”
Unfortunately, Bellamy admitted his “bars” didn’t get him the date.
Shemar, on the other hand, has been a little more successful with his romantic pursuits.
“When you’re in love, it isn’t crazy,” he started, beaming through his sunglasses.
“I have written letters. I have got on airplanes to Cancun to surprise her. I did a scavenger hunt weekend, of notes and ‘go here’ ‘go there’ ‘enjoy this’ and ‘enjoy that.’ And she didn’t know where she was going to end up. When you are in love, and you get that little stupid tingly sensation, and butterflies and all your swag just goes out the window, it doesn’t matter, because it’s just a fun feeling. And it doesn’t happen all the time, but it’s something we all hope for.”
*Swoons**
You can catch more of Shemar’s relationship advice when he stars as Matthew Taylor in ‘The Bounce Back’ premiering in theaters on December 9th.
More Sex & Love
Shemar Moore Stars As A Sexy, Relationship Guru In New Film ‘The Bounce Back’
The Science Behind The Bearded Bae Craze: Study Shows Bearded Men Preferred For Relationships
Advice For Women In A Sexless Marriage
Shemar Moore & Bill Bellamy Reveal The Craziest Things They’ve Ever Done For Love was originally published on hellobeautiful.com
bill belay
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Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives - Season 32 Episode 6
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives - Season 32 Episode 6 - Episode 6
Genre: Documentary , Reality-TV
Episode: 420/589 eps
Season 33 - Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
1 "Episode 1"
170 "Episode 170"
99 "Episode 99"
2 "Family Meals"
"Guy Fieri is embracing family-run spots on this trip. In Ottawa, Canada, two brothers-in-law carryin' on a decades-long seafood tradition. In Richmond, Va., a mother-son duo running a breakfast, lunch and dinner joint in honor of their Pop. And in Reno, Nev., father-son meat masters firing up killer "char-becue.""
1 "Guy's All - Star Guests"
"Guy Fieri has a rock-star lineup kickin' it with him in the kitchen. First, in Kansas City, Mo., Chiefs' head coach Andy Reid tackles pigskin at a joint meticulous about their meat. Then, in Waltham, Mass., rocker Sammy Hagar rolls into a spot servin' a crazy burger and pumpkin-bread French toast. And in Boston, Chef Ken Oringer is divin' into a seriously unbelievable lobster roll."
9 "Seafood and Savory"
"This trip, Guy Fieri's grabbin' some off-the-hook seafood and savory sensations. In Miami, Fla., a funky joint putting oxtails on their pizza and crab in their pasta. In Lansing, Mich., a fantastic food truck dishin' out shrimp burgers and a unique potato popper. Plus, in Wilmington, N.C., a down-home Southern seafood spot cooking up clam chowder and frying up favorites."
8 "Pizza, Pork and Peru"
"On this trip, Guy Fieri's digging into all kinds of killer grub. In Lansing, Mich., an out-of-this-world pizza joint where the pie comes with a surprise, and in Wilmington, N.C., standout sandwiches bring a taste of Philly to the South. Plus, in Tucson, Ariz., a unique spot cookin' up real deal Peruvian specialties."
7 "Lights-Out Latin"
"This trip, Guy Fieri's diving into all kinds of amazing Latin specialties. In Miami, Fla., a husband-and-wife team dishing out primo Peruvian sandwiches. In Wilmington, N.C., a funky joint cooking up the flavors of Panama. And in Tucson, Ariz., a funky fresh spin on tacos and carne asada."
6 "International Intrigue"
"Guy Fieri's crisscrossing the nation to grab some international grub. In Dallas, a funky Thai joint serving up noodles, curry and green papaya salad. In Miami, Fla., a Latin place dealing in empanadas and a unique plantain sandwich. Plus, in Tucson, Ariz., a killer spot dishin' out real-deal Ethiopian favorites."
5 "Rollin' in the Dough"
"On this trip, Guy Fieri is diggin' into dishes featuring some dynamite dough. In Mesa, Ariz., a legit Hawaiian joint serving island specialties, including a meaty bun, and in Tucson, Ariz., a place cookin' up a big-time saucy sandwich and spinach dip calzone. Plus, in Miami, Fla., a funky shop making sweet artisan doughnuts and turning their pastries into savory sandwiches."
4 "All Kinds of Comfort"
"This trip, Guy Fieri's diving into all kinds of comfort cooking. In Phoenix, a funky joint stackin' up barbecue fries and a new spin on chilaquiles. In Boulder, Colo., a pizza place loading up the pies and their meatball grinder. Plus, a Dallas spot cranking out all kinds of off-the-chain chicken."
3 "Bird and Beef"
"Guy Fieri's traveling the country, digging into awesome bird and beef. In Longmont, Colo., a fried chicken emporium servin' up their specialty along with unique chicharrones. In Dallas, a meaty spot smoking up the duck and piling up the brisket. And in Phoenix, a legit Mexican joint dishin' out off-the-hook barbacoa and gorditas."
2 "Delicious Discoveries"
"This trip, Guy Fieri uncovers some surprising culinary discoveries. In Columbus, Ohio, a hidden gem tucked away in a grocery store serves out-of-bounds Nepalese-Tibetan specialties. In Dallas, a Mexican spot serves standout seafood tacos and unique mole fries. Plus, another Dallas joint cooks up lights-out dishes straight from Afghanistan."
1 "Mom's Kitchen"
"This trip, Guy Fieri's hitting the road and grabbing grub straight out of Mom's kitchen. In Boulder, Colo., a mother-son team servin' up Chinese specialties like dan dan noodles and steamed buns. In Columbus, Ohio, a Jamaican joint dishin' out jerk chicken, red snapper and other island favorites. And in Mesa, Ariz., a family spot cooking lights-out Latin cuisine, from a Cubano empanada to arroz con pollo."
11 "Poutine, Pizza and Pork"
"This trip, Guy Fieri travels the country diving into some meaty masterpieces starting at a spot in Longmont, Colorado, that serves craft beer and primo pub grub like their piled-high poutine burger. In Dallas, a funky joint mashes up Texas barbecue with pizza to create combos like their potato chip pie. And in Phoenix, a legit Vietnamese spot cooks up specialties like killer clay-pot chicken."
10 "Breakfast, Brisket and Belly"
"Guy Fieri is traveling the country on this trip, diggin' into all kinds of dishes. In Los Angeles, a late-night spot all about breakfast with a twist, like drunken French toast. In Columbus, Ohio, a funky joint serving creative combos like brisket on corn cakes. And in Phoenix, a barbecue stop smokin' up prime rib and pork belly dumplings."
9 "College-Town Champs"
"This trip, Guy Fieri's rolling into college towns in search of A+ cuisine. In Columbus, Ohio, a pierogi paradise dishin' out their specialties where you'd least expect it and a barbecue truck smokin' premiere pork. And in Boulder, Colo., a legit Thai joint serving knockout noodles and off-the-chain chicken."
8 "Sammies and Spice"
"On this trip, Guy Fieri's grabbing standout sandwiches and diving into some serious spice. In Longmont, Colo., a spot putting out a primo pork burger and going crazy with cauliflower. In Columbus, Ohio, a Chicago-style joint killin' it with Italian beef and real deal gyros. And Food Network's Aarti Sequeira and Jet Tila join Guy in Los Angeles, where a champion chef dishes out fiery Thai specialties that will get your taste buds hoppin'!"
7 "From Pied to Fried"
"This trip, Guy Fieri's traveling the nation, digging into all kinds of killer grub. In St. Petersburg, Fla., a lights-out spot loadin' up the righteous ramen. In Lansing, Mich., a funky joint frying up everything from wings to pig skins to chicken gizzards. Plus, a New Orleans smokehouse puttin' out Big Easy favorites like sausage meat pies and spicy shrimp boudin."
6 "Old Faces, New Places"
"This trip, Guy Fieri's visiting some familiar Triple D faces and checking out their new places. First, a primo pizza joint in Flagstaff, Ariz. firin' up pies with not-your-everyday toppings. Plus in Fairhope, Ala., a killer waterfront spot serving up serious seafood, like snapper collars and the bomb bouillabaisse. And in Miami, a chef dialin' up the funk factor with his spin on Chinese specialties like dandan noodles."
5 "A Passport of Flavor"
"This trip, Guy Fieri's cruising from Texas to Michigan to dive into some gangster grub. In San Antonio, a real-deal Mexican bakery goin' old school with their sandwich sourdough and tequila croissants. Then, he's doubling up in Lansing, Mich., with two off-the-hook joints puttin' out dynamite dishes."
4 "Ocean Coasts and Great Lakes"
"This trip, Guy Fieri's going from coast to coast and to the Great Lakes to dig up some dynamite dishes. In Los Angeles, a Mexican joint in Grand Central Market servin' outrageous octopus tostadas and their lights-out spin on a burger. Then, in Norfolk, Va., a bistro turning out grown-up, gourmet grilled cheese. Plus, a righteous stop in Lansing, Mich. doin' it up right."
3 "Barbecue, Batter and Beer Can Chicken"
"This trip, Guy Fieri's grabbing all kinds of outrageous grub. In Maui, Hawaii, a funky joint puttin' out ridiculous ramen and the bomb beer can chicken. In Los Angeles, an off-the-hook food truck putting a twist on fish and chips. Plus, a downtown barbecue spot smokin' up the belly and frying up the chicken."
2 "Flavor Adventure"
"This trip, Guy Fieri's taking a culinary trip filled with adventurous flavor. In Los Angeles, a funky spot all about filling bowls with eclectic eats. In Norfolk, Va., a market and restaurant with Mexican specialties that you probably haven't seen before. Plus, a farm-to-table food truck in Maui, Hawaii serving up all kinds of global greats"
1 "Sandwiches, Spaetzle and Sticky Wings"
"This trip, Guy Fieri's caught up in a whirlwind of flavors. In Norfolk, Va., a two-for-one spot where a bomb butcher stacks sandwiches by day and a chef firing up ramen and sticky wings takes over at night. Then, a German-Swiss joint smack in the middle of Maui, Hawaii serving rouladen and old-fashioned apple strudel."
3 "Creole, Cold Cuts and Crepes"
"This trip, Guy Fieri's cookin' up everything from creole to cold cuts to crazy Asian crepes. First, a multi-generational joint bringing New Orleans to Los Angeles with off-the-hook gumbo and etouffee. In Minneapolis, a unique deli stacking sandwiches with vegan turkey, vegan cheese and Italian meat-free "meats." And in Maui, Hawaii, a noodle spot dishin' out righteous ramen and off-the-chain Vietnamese crepes."
2 "Asia, Africa and India"
"This trip, Guy Fieri's going international with flavors from Asia, Africa and India. In Los Angeles, a funky fast Filipino joint spicin' up house-made hot dogs and piling pork adobo onto grilled cheese. In San Francisco, a Triple-G competitor adding Ethiopian flair to chicken jambalaya and fresh catch. And in Minneapolis, a lights-out Indian joint killin' it with classics like tikka masala and naan."
1 "Soakin' Up Maui"
"This trip, Guy Fieri's cruisin' the islands with his buddy, Chef Reno Henriques, on a culinary tour of Maui, Hawaii. First, a real-deal taste of regional favorites like loco moco and kalbi ribs. Then, a legit barbecue joint smoking up St. Louis-style ribs and the bomb burnt ends, and a food truck dishin' out the freshest catch served raw, baked and even deep-fried."
8 "Hot Meat and Cool Veg"
"This trip, Guy Fieri's firing up meaty meals and veggie specialties. In Modesto, Calif., a funky spot servin' up Portuguese sausage and a lights-out lamb burger. In Oakland, a vegan joint with outrageous okra gumbo and a meatless spin on succulent sandwiches. And in Islamorada, Fla., a carnivore's paradise dishin' out wicked wings and righteous pork rinds."
7 "Succulent Sandwiches"
"This trip, Guy Fieri's diggin' into succulent sandwiches! In Oakland, a real-deal butchery stacking up killer cheesesteak and off-the-chain chicken. In Modesto, Calif., a funky food truck putting pastrami on pretzel bread and cooking pulled pork in root beer. And in Key Largo, Fla., a seafood staple servin' up a sandwich that's become a local legend."
6 "Tacos, Turtles and Tri-Tip"
"This trip, Guy Fieri's crossing the country eatin' up an eclectic mix. In Oakland, a real-deal Mexican joint piling up pork belly tacos and carne adovada in a high-energy marketplace. In Islamorada, Fla., a local landmark that's been dishin' out their trademark turtle soup for decades. And in Stockton, Calif., a New Orleans-inspired spot serving savory crepes and a saucy twist on traditional beignets."
5 "International Appeal"
"This trip, Guy's going on an international flavorfest. In Key Largo, Fla., a real-deal Italian joint cookin' up outrageous veal and hearty truffle mac and cheese. In Stockton, Calif., a funky food truck dishing out a taste of Southeast Asia with their homemade rice noodle soup. And in San Francisco, a neighborhood legend servin' up Puerto Rican and Cuban favorites."
4 "Smoke and Seafood"
"This trip, Guy's firin' up the smoker and divin' into seafood. In Baltimore, a barbecue food truck dishing out killer pulled pork and righteous ribs. In Islamorada, Fla., a seaside shack serving standout shrimp fritters and doctoring up Guy's own fresh catch. And nearby in Key Largo, a market and restaurant smokin' up fantastic fish dip and putting out their own savory seafood specialty."
3 "Between the Bread"
"This trip, Guy's grabbin' grub piled high on bread and buns. In Colorado Springs, a funky joint going scratch-made and local with their Pueblo chili burger and a hangover specialty. In Washington D.C., the family-run sandwich shop servin' up a killer corned beef hoagie and lights-out porchetta. And in Atlantic City, a neighborhood pub with knockout grub like a pork and brisket sandwich and savory tequila shrimp."
2 "Family Legacies"
"This trip, Guy's visiting spots keepin' up with their family ties. In Pleasantville, N.J., a wife carries on her husband's legacy with his down-home chicken and waffles and righteous ribs. In Baltimore, an inherited breakfast-lunch joint still servin' their noteworthy coconut cream French toast and crab cake po' boys. And in Colorado Springs, southern family recipes mark a barbecue spot piling up a "sloppy pig" sandwich and scratch-made meatloaf."
1 "All Kinds of Meat"
"This trip, Guy's digging into a meat lover's paradise. In Colorado Springs, a Jamaican joint dishing out killer curry goat and jammin' jerk chicken. In Baltimore, a funky beer bar serving up wild boar sliders and outrageous pork belly mac and cheese fries. And in Washington D.C., an uber-deli carvin' up homemade pastrami and rolling out a meat-filled Moroccan specialty."
3 "Old Standards, New Styles"
"This trip, Guy's hittin' up some spots serving comfort food kicked up a notch. In Long Beach, Calif., the old school diner with a new school chef, cooking up home-style favorites like pot roast and scones with a twist. In Jackson, Wyo., the pizza joint slicing up mouthwatering pies topped with everything from pesto and chicken to spicy sausage and marinara. And in Monterey, Calif., the brewhouse crankin' out big time bar food like parmesan pretzels and short rib grilled cheese."
2 "Stuffed and Twisted"
"This trip, Guy's checkin' out all kinds of funky foods from coast to coast. In Monterey, Calif., the second-generation Italian joint serving mom's time-tested recipes like meaty lasagna and real deal minestrone. In Boston, the funky little sandwich shop pressing panini that satisfy both meat and veggie lovers. And in Jackson, Wyo., the ex-Marine bringing Americana to the small town with dishes like chicken pot pie and homemade soups and pretzels."
1 "California Cruisin'"
"This trip, Guy's cruisin' the west coast for a taste of California. In Culver City, Gene Simmons from Kiss makes a surprise visit to the neighborhood hangout dishing out real deal Hawaiian. Nearby in Garden Grove, the family-run Mexican joint serving up standout tamales and traditional beef chamorro. And up the coast in Monterey, the funky fish house grillin' up fresh-caught oysters and a full-flavored pasta-seafood medley."
12 "Righteous Bites"
"In Los Angeles, the Fat Jerry sammie; in Monterey, Calif., abalone sliders; in Aiea, Hawaii, oxtail soups and grilled turkey sandwich."
11 "Grillin', Chillin' and Huli Huli Chicken"
"This trip, Guy's steppin' up to unique grills on the mainland and beyond. In Miami, Fla., the husband/wife duo serving up classic Americana with a 21st century twist like the smoky fried chicken and Buffalo-style pig wings. In Long Beach, Calif., the anything-but-average taco truck grilling steaks for the drunken torta and deep frying green chicken chilaquiles. And on Oahu, Hawaii, Guy's favorite rotisserie chicken joint cranking out the island's signature huli huli chicken."
10 "Island Flavor"
"This trip, Guy's cruisin' through Hawaii for an authentic taste of Oahu. In Waipahu, the family-run Filipino joint serving up scratch-made favorites straight outta mama's cookbook like the lechon special and pork adobo fried rice. In Aiea, the double-duty bowling alley/restaurant is keeping it funky with one of DDD's best-ever oxtail soups and the flavorful grilled turkey sandwich. And on the windward side of the island, in Kaneohe, the tiny authentic Hawaiian drive-in where a world-class chef is crankin' out crazy fresh fish like pan-fried ono and signature ahi cakes."
9 "International Family Style"
"This trip, Guy's taking his place at the family table. In Holladay, Utah, the sibling-run Vietnamese joint serving up mom's legendary recipes for authentic dishes like pho and bahn mi, plus the wildly flavorful honey glazed pork vermicelli noodle buns. In Kailua, Hawaii, the brothers dedicating their lives to fulfilling dad's lifelong dream of having his own restaurant, and crankin' out island favorites like Hawaiian-style kalbi ribs and mochiko chicken. And in Salt Lake City, the Greek joint drawing inspiration from the family playbook and sourcing fresh ingredients straight from Greece for dishes like grilled octopus and righteous lamb tacos."
7 "From Meatballs to Lollipops"
"This trip, Guy's getting into a festival of flavorful faves. In Miami, Fla., the local watering hole puttin' a unique spin on standard bar food with the loaded chimi burrito and lobster lollipops. In Sandy, Utah, the mountain town favorite scratch-makin' everything from breads to smoked meats and a creative combos like Canadian bacon and potato croquettes and white bean and steak pizza. And in Salt Lake City, the New Jersey native serving up authentic Italian family recipes like the larger than life ten ounce meatball."
6 "Kickin' It in Key West"
"This trip, Guy's checking out some of the awesome eats of the island — Key West, Fla., that is. From a funky little shack servin' up New England seafood with coastal twists to a husband/wife team dishing up standout fish tacos just down the street. And a trip to this eclectic oasis wouldn't be complete without a stop to the teeny tiny food cart crankin' out hundreds of Asian/Caribbean fusion dishes a day."
5 "Dynamite Duos"
"This trip, Guy's checking out some spots keepin' it all in the family. In New York's Lower East Side, the sibling spot starting at the very beginning — pickling, smoking, curing and fermenting, everything from the goat necks to chicken wings to pig ears. In Eureka, California the husband and wife team cranking out Mediterranean favorites like the lamb plate alongside bar standards like the pulled pork po' boy. And in Miami, Fla., the Southern-bred brother/sister duo servin' up grandma's lowcountry recipes with unique touches on favorites like whole fried snapper and beer braised baby back ribs."
4 "Keepin' It Real"
"This trip, Guy's gettin' into the heart of some long-standing traditions. In Miami, Fla., the Asian fusion spot delivering the bomb dot com Brussels sprouts and going all out ducky on the sous vide sammie. In Eureka, Calif., the soul food spot takin' a page out of grandma's cookbook with down home favorites like jerk fried chicken and shrimp and crawfish etouffee. And in midtown New York, the Italian pizza maker schooling Guy and Iron Chef Geoffrey Zakarian on the authentic Neapolitan technique behind standout pizzas like pistacchio e salsiccia and montanara starita."
3 "Big Time Bites"
"This trip, Guy's rolling up to some joints pullin' out all the stops. In New York's East Village, the neighborhood spot plating up a standout burger worthy of a four star review. In Eureka, Calif., the popular hangout servin' up all kinds of local favorites fired up in the righteous oven, from roasted oysters to wild mushroom cobbler. And in Ridgewood, N.Y., the rocking Vietnamese joint in an obscure industrial park kickin' out authentic dishes like banh xeo and suon nuong xa."
2 "All Things New York"
"This trip, Guy's gettin' a taste of New York in and out of the Big Apple. In Eureka, Calif., the Bronx-bred pizza maker bringing unique Neapolitan-style pies to northern California. In Queens, N.Y., the filmmaker turned chef making a huge proposal and kickin' out killer dishes like the spicy atomic fireballs. And in New York's Lower East Side, the farm to table spot taking fresh and local to a whole new level, servin' up standout seasonal sammies like the winter pig."
1 "Guy's Hometown Tour"
"On this special, hourlong trip, Guy's taking us on a tour of Ferndale, Calif., which is not only his hometown, but one of many small towns in Humboldt County with righteous food and a whole lotta flair. There's the generations-old apple orchard with a special place in Guy's heart, to the local's watering hole where Guy first experienced work life in the kitchen; the old-school butcher and the artisan cheese maker. This is a super chef's hometown tour you won't wanna miss!"
12 "Family Time"
"Guy visits several family-owned restaurants. Included: A husband and wife in Nashville run a gourmet food truck specializing in grilled cheese; and a nearby Italian spot serves grandma's recipes for lasagna and lamb shanks. Also: Siblings in Kansas City embrace their Chinese heritage by making firebird chicken and chili pepper wontons."
11 "Tennessee Holiday Traditions"
"This trip, Guy's digging into the unique holiday traditions in Tennessee. In Hendersonville, the barbecue joint with a storied past serving up the traditional shoulder pull and a holiday ham with a fiery finish. And in Nashville, the tiny taco joint wrappin' up traditional Mexican tamales and unique quinoa sweet potato tacos."
10 "South of the Border"
"Guy travels to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and visits a taco joint that serves octopus and Guadalajara-style sauces. Also: stuffed fish with lobster sauce and a unique take on French toast; taquito trifecta and a Mexican twist on sushi."
9 "Pork, Pasta and Barbecue"
"This trip, Guy's checking out some tried and true local faves. In Kansas City, Mo., the neighborhood favorite killin' it with their scratch-made standouts like pork hash with black beans. Down the road in Kansas City, right on the Missouri/Kansas border, the former chef to the President of Italy dishing up authentic homemade pastas straight out of the family recipe book. And in Albuquerque, N.M., the southern pride joint situated on Route 66, serving up a smorgasbord of dishes from smoked barbecue chicken to specialty hot dogs."
8 "Comfort and Soul"
"This trip, Guy's hittin' up some joints that'll warm the palate and the soul. In Portland, Ore., the funky neighborhood cafe cranking out comfort foods like the heartless artichoke sandwich and a curried lentil dish that hits all the right notes. In Albuquerque, N.M., a double duty brewery is serving up soul food with a New Mexico twist, like southern fried chicken and crackling cornbread. And in Kansas City, Mo., the barbecue and blues joint with a die-hard barbecue competitor dishing up regional favorites like burnt ends and battered fries and a local NASCAR hero to boot."
7 "All Kinds of Gobble Gobble"
"This trip, Guy's gettin' a variety of Thanksgiving tastes and treasures. From traditional turkey wild rice soup and pumpkin pie in Santa Fe, N.M., to a totally unique take on the Thanksgiving bird, this is the kind of holiday food extravaganza only a dude in a red Camaro could drum up."
6 "Sammies and Stew"
"This trip, Guy's diggin' into some super sandwiches and savory stew. In Santa Fe, N.M., the cafe with a native Kenyan in the kitchen serving up totally fresh fish, like island spiced banana leaf mahi mahi and a killer Caribbean goat stew. And in Albuquerque, N.M., the school lunch maven crankin' out creative sammies like turkey avocado with green apple chile chutney and a totally unique Duke City reuben."
5 "Aces of Authenticity"
"This trip, Guy's hittin' up some joints that are authentic to the bone. In Santa Fe, N.M., the farm-raised Chimayan owner turnin' out traditional dishes like blue corn enchiladas with red chile sauce and chile en nogada. In Portland, Ore., the noodle house cranking out mom's recipes for all kinds of authentic Chinese dishes like won ton soup. And in Albuquerque, N.M., the Italian joint with a native Frenchman at the helm, serving up totally fresh pastas like beef cheek manicotti and squid ink black pasta with calamari."
4 "Cannoli, Fritters and Wings"
"This trip, Guy's rollin' out for a festival of flavors. In Portland, Ore., the Guamanian food truck serving up righteous shrimp fritters and a unique spin on chicken salad. In Wheat Ridge, Colo., the family-run comfort food joint crankin' out killer cannoli and kraut burgers. And in San Francisco, the fusion food truck combining Filipino and Latin traditions in adobo buffalo wings and grandpa's recipe for pork tacos."
3 "Servin' Up San Francisco"
"This trip, Guy's cruisin' the San Francisco coast for a diverse culinary road trip. First, Guy swings by the repurposed garage in the Mission District for some southern hospitality served up in braised beef short ribs and spicy shrimp and gravy. Then he's off to the NY-style deli crankin' out old-fashioned chicken noodle with matzo ball soup and potato latkes. And the food extravaganza ends at San Fran's food truck park, where the reinvented Japanese/Korean truck hooks Guy up with a totally unique take on Asian-fusion in the pork belly and short rib kojas."
2 "Meat Lover's Paradise"
"This trip, Guy's signing up for a meat-crazed master class. In Portland, Ore., the craft-cooking family joint with a chef who butchers, cures, preserves and smokes everything in-house, from headcheese to great-grandma's fried chicken recipe. In San Carlos, Calif., the pastrami-crazed neighborhood spot crankin' out burgers, cheesesteaks and signature sammies."
1 "Neighborhood Knockouts"
"This trip, Guy's traveling up and down the west coast in search of funky neighborhood joints. In San Diego, the "everybody knows your name" all-day breakfast joint servin' up a decadent creme brulee French toast. In Portland, Ore., a husband and wife team are cranking out good ol' Americana with dishes like corned beef hash and chipped beef. And in San Francisco, the hot dog spot holding the block down with unique selections like the lamb merguez dog and fried chicken sandwich."
13 "That's Fresh"
"This trip, Guy's stopping by some joints that are keepin' it fresh. In San Francisco, the Venezuelan joint servin' up a totally gluten-free menu of authentic standbys like arepas and empanadas. And in Portland, Ore., the family-run sausage spot cranking out dozens of homemade meats like Italian red wine dry cured salami and roasted garlic and rosemary bologna."
12 "From the Heart"
"This trip, Guy's hittin' up some spots putting their heart and soul into everything they do. In Carlsbad, Calif., the family-owned Italian joint staying true to a long-standing ravioli recipe. In Troutdale, Ore., the ages-old riverside tavern crankin' out killer sloppy joes. And in San Francisco, the Mexican joint with a real deal chef servin' up authentic Mexican dishes like quesadillas, tortas and pozole rojo."
11 "All San Diego, All the Time"
"This trip, Guy's heading to San Diego for some favorites, old and new. In Ocean Beach, Calif., Guy's hittin' up a legendary surfer spot for some righteous burgers with an old buddy. Just up the block, the brother-owned noodle joint with fried rice, pho, a story to tell. And in North Park, Calif., an all-time favorite pizza joint gets a second look as Guy swings by for a slice."
10 "L.A. Eats"
"This trip Guy's got visitors — a whole cast of 'em! In this comedy-filled, star-studded episode, Guy gets a visit from Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Kevin James and David Spade, the stars of the film Grown Ups 2, and invites them along for the Los Angeles ride. First, the Filipino barbecue joint that's got everyone going bonkers over the cornbread and the coconut beef. Then they're off to a decades-old family-run Italian joint, where they're piling up monster sandwiches and some meatball madness."
9 "From Pound Cake to Pot Pie"
"This trip Guy's pullin' in for a mishmash of comfort food. In Philadelphia, the low country joint dishing out unique North African chicken and sour cream pound cake. In Wheat Ridge, Colo., the family spot mixing up a dynamite dinner cannoli and a killer kraut burger. And in Phoenix, the boxing gym slash restaurant servin' up mac-and-cheese muffins and chicken pot pie in glass mugs."
8 "Timeless Traditions"
"This trip Guy gets the lowdown on some longstanding traditions. In Philadelphia, the Jamaican joint going all out authentic with the jerk chicken. In Scottsdale, Ariz., the decades-old family joint servin' all kinds of sandwiches, and a time-tested sausage recipe. And in Denver, Guy's diving into some serious soul food for rabbit and chitlings."
7 "A Festival of Flavor"
"This trip Guy's pullin' over for the bounty of the county. In Denver, the throwback bar going gangster on a short rib burger and a savory apple strudel. In Tempe, Ariz., the Pakistani spot serving up authentic goat and Tandoori chicken. And in Philadelphia, a local's joint crankin' out chicken pie without the pot and awesome grilled octopus."
6 "Kings and Queens of 'Cue"
"This trip Guy's meeting some masters of meat. In Compton, Calif., the Texas-inspired barbecue joint smokin' pork ribs and putting smoked turkey necks in the collard greens. In Denver the beer and pizza joint whipping up a unique bowl of mac 'n cheese and topping pizzas with beer braised brisket. And in Philadelphia a restaurant veteran serving up all kinds of fresh 'cue, from the chopped brisket sandwich to a Vietnamese-inspired pork belly sandwich."
5 "Peppers, Pork and Poutine"
"This trip triple "D" goes triple "P" with some standout veggie and meat dishes. In Phoenix the tattooed, trained chef putting her spin on chiles and a regional pork dish. And in Toronto the decades-old bohemian joint servin' up sticky Asian pork ribs and a Canadian staple."
4 "Traditional Gone Wild"
"This trip Guy's digging into some dishes like mama made, if she had a wild imagination. In Philadelphia a very special guest hits the kitchen with Guy for fried PB&Js and tacos that start with the head of a pig. In Phoenix the farm-to-table spot dishin' out a dynamite pork sammie, and cooking everything from pizzas to pancakes to meatballs in its wood-fired oven."
3 "Dynamic Duos"
"This trip Guy's checkin' out the combos that make some local hangouts a hit. In Denver the double-duty corner bar smoking pork for its biscuits and topping pizzas with the bounty of the county. And in Scottsdale, Ariz., the husband-and-wife team fusing their Mexican and Mediterranean roots for some standout Southwest dishes, like breakfast enchiladas and french toast with red wine rosemary syrup."
2 "Chicken, Chili and Chowder"
"This trip Guy's hittin' the road for some scratch-made comfort food. In Burbank, Calif., the family-owned chili-serving spot with a name dating back a century. In Philadelphia the three-story gourmet bar food joint crankin' out clam chowder with gnocchi and a regional fry favorite. And in Toronto the smokehouse kicking burgers and fried chicken up a notch and turning a traditional BLT on its head."
1 "Tacos and Tots"
"This trip Guy's hitting the road for joints taking childhood favorites to a gourmet level. In Denver the old-time bar going all-out homemade on the tater tots, the pork rinds and a monster pastrami sandwich. And in Tacoma the neighborhood spot turning out pork shoulder tacos, elk sliders and tater tots stuffed with parmesan cheese."
13 "Real Deal Roots"
"A Jewish deli in Toronto takes an old-school approach to smoking meats and preparing knish; and in Los Angeles, a food truck infuses Singaporean flavors into their chili crab cake and lamb burger."
12 "Layers of Flavor"
"A restored diner in Toronto is celebrated for its pork belly, mac-and-cheese burger and Christmas burger. Also: Guy visits a surfer hangout in Nags Head, N.C., where Jamaican jerk chicken and Caribbean pork chops are served."
11 "Unlikely Partners"
"Unique combos are highlighted by Guy, beginning in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Koreatown, where he visits a place known for its craft beer and recipes for French dip and fries. Also: a Toronto diner that serves stuffed French toast, a Corn Flakes chicken club and pie milkshakes."
10 "Hittin' the Grill"
"Guy turns his attention to foods that are grilled, beginning with a trip to a Los Angeles joint, where he tries a hot-pork sandwich and a lamb burger. Also: kabobs and beet salad are on the menu at a pub in Tacoma, Wash."
9 "Eurocentric"
"Feasting on European flavors in Tacoma, Wash., where Guy tries a hangover soup and a dish called Frikadelle. Also: a Toronto place that only serves meatballs; and a Polish family restaurant in Syracuse known for potato pancakes and stew."
8 "Decadent Dishes"
"This trip, Guy's goin' coast to coast for decadent dishes. In Brooklyn, the southern-inspired spot crankin' out fried chicken and waffles, a spicy pulled pork sandwich and a daily donut to die for. And in Puyallup, Wash., the local's joint serving up homemade meatballs and fire grilled artichokes."
7 "Land to Sea"
"This trip, Guy's sampling from the land and the sea. In Syracuse, N.Y., the underground joint servin' up scratch made chicken caesar sandwiches and spicy sweet sausage fajitas. In Kitty Hawk, N.C., the ages-old seaside restaurant firing up fisherman's risotto and citrus chicken. And in Olympia, Wash., the brewpub combining beer with bangers and mash and crab stuffed cannelloni."
6 "Hometown Haunts"
"This trip, Guy's takin' a spin through the town favorites. In Chatham, N.J., the real deal Italian joint bakin' up some righteous fried chicken, arancini balls, and the decadent sacred swine sandwich. And in Olympia, Wash., the homestyle spot cranking out creole oyster benedict, a colorful winter squash and apple hash and a unique blueberry crunch roller."
5 "Savory Sensations"
"This trip, Guy's warming up with some standout specialties. In Brooklyn, N.Y., the mom and pop diner flipping a skillet apple waffle with pancetta and deep-frying breakfast empanadas. In Olympia, Wash., the brew house cranking out crab cannelloni and bangers and mash. And in Grandy, N.C., the farm to table German joint rolling out the ruebens and a cheesy baked potato soup."
4 "Matches Made in Heaven"
"This trip, Guy's meeting up with credible combos. In Brooklyn, N.Y., the barbecue joint mashin' up a variety of styles for their unique wings and their big time beef ribs. And in Manteo, N.C., the husband and wife tag-teaming in the kitchen to deliver on soft shell crab quesadilla, tuna tacos, and shrimp and chorizo."
3 "Far Out"
"This trip, Guy's honing in on spots doing it different. In Syracuse, N.Y., the basement joint rockin' out waffles with their fried chicken, and with a full blown Thanksgiving dinner. In Hoboken, N.J., the Cuban joint goin' deep into the repertoire with a salt cured beef dish and all kinds of classic Cuban appetizers. And in Duck, N.C., the gas station turned gourmet seafood stand grilling up scallops and packin' a crab boil to-go."
2 "Fully Focused"
"This trip, Guy's visiting restaurants with a definite direction. In Syracuse, N.Y., the longtime pasta institution makin' a tomato sauce just for dipping, spicy chicken wiggies and duck and cheese pizza. And in Nags Head, N.C., the local food-focused joint using funky techniques on deep fried pickles and soft shell crab."
1 "Authentic Eats"
"This trip, Guy's finding real deal authentic eats in unusual spots. In St. Louis, the n'awlins roadhouse serving up rice and beans, cajun potstickers and a pulled pork pasta. And in Syracuse, N.Y., the tiny Mediterranean cafe crankin' out first-class falafel and baklava."
13 "Coast to Coast Chow"
"This trip, Guy's culinary quest is covering the country. In Charleston, S.C., the breakfast hangout doing a chicken fried biscuit and a shrimp BLT. In Chicago, the 40-year-old institution bustin' out traditional German specialties. And in Honolulu, a food truck cranking out chimichurri beef tacos and mango pies."
12 "Dynamic Dishes"
"This trip, Guy's taking on some truly unique eats. In Honolulu, there's a Jamaican joint servin' up jerk chicken wings and some wicked goat curry. In Arlington, Texas, Guy takes on the Russian spot flipping a potato pancake stuffed with beef. And in Las Vegas, check out a taco stand fillin' up tortillas with some worldly flavors."
11 "Belly Up"
"This trip, Guy's getting up close to some serious gourmet grub. In Chicago, the brewhouse serving up beer to go with mussels, a mega brisket sandwich and their version of headcheese. And in Austin, Texas, the open kitchen kickin' out cheesy popovers and tasty shellfish."
10 "International Eats"
"This trip, Guy's got his sight set on food with international influence. In Richardson, Texas, the Lebanese joint going big when it comes to stacking the schwarma. In Las Vegas, the burger spot mixing up meat with an Asian twist. And in New York City, the Druze way of perfecting the pita."
9 "Serious Sandwiches"
"This trip, Guy's got a line on some righteous sammies. In Austin, Texas, the gourmet sandwich shop slicin' up duck pastrami and a knuckle sandwich. In Las Vegas, the roast beef po boy done the Cajun way. And in St. Paul, Minnesota, the burger joint reborn after a tragedy, grillin' up a new series of stuffed burgers."
8 "All Vegas, All the Time"
"This trip, Guy's going off the strip and digging into Las Vegas. There's the dive bar dishing out real deal food from Buffalo, N.Y. Then, a Bulgarian tapas joint serving up layers and layers of European comfort food. Plus, a visit to Guy's alma mater, UNLV, that has him back in class cooking with the school's newest crop of culinary talent."
7 "BBQ Road Show"
"This trip, Guy's tucking in the napkin and gettin' into some righteous barbecue. In Dallas, the barbecue stand tucked into a farmers' market, dishing out classic beef brisket and Carolina pork. And outside Las Vegas, the longtime meat market turning its knives on fresh sausage and slow-cooked ribs."
6 "Unexpected Eats"
"This trip, Guy's going for some unique chow. In Stillwater, Minn., get a pirate's take on barbecue and a sadist twist on hot wings. In Santa Rosa, Calif., Guy's own joint serves up his twist on Asian, Mexican and Italian. And in Portsmouth, Va., check out an epic hot dog joint turning its attention on chicken dumplings."
5 "Big Time Flavor"
"This trip, Guy's hittin' the road looking for plates packin' a punch. In Dallas, a Neapolitan pizza place spreading bacon jam on pizza and fresh pancetta on the pasta. In Minneapolis, the Caribbean joint cranking out spicy chickpea and blazing oxtail stews. And in Austin, Texas, the tiny cafe dishing out scratch-made chicken burgers and quail."
4 "Passin' The Baton"
"This trip, Guy's hittin' the road and chowin' down on some long-standing traditions. In Ventura, Calif., one Pete passes another Pete a rockin' breakfast joint servin' up pancake burritos and fiery-hot sandwiches. And in Baltimore, check out the Greek spot where two cooking families come together to serve up age-old family recipes."
3 "Crankin' Up the Classics"
"This trip, Guy's checkin' out some joints that are kickin' the staples up a notch. In Minneapolis, there's a family-run Italian deli crankin' out what the locals love - pizza and totally fresh pasta. And in Dallas, Guy's all-time favorite football player, Earl Campbell, joins Guy for real deal gumbo and burgers with brisket."
2 "Streamlined Sammies"
"This trip, Guy's pullin' right up to the window and digging in. In Austin, Texas, there's a tiny trailer serving up scratch-made sammies to customers on the street and in the bar next door. In Minneapolis, a food truck cranks out fresh lobster rolls that do double duty in a dive bar. And in Dallas, a side-of-the-road joint focuses on one thing only: burgers."
1 "Triple D All Stars"
"This trip, Guy's hittin' the road with a couple of his A-list friends. In Georgetown, Texas, Guy hooks up with Matthew McConaughey at a massive diner serving up righteous ham and waffles. And in Minneapolis, Guy's trying all sorts of new things at a neighborhood pizza joint that's a favorite of his fellow foodie Andrew Zimmern."
12 "Time Tested Treasures"
"This trip, Guy's teaming up with local legends. Outside Baltimore, Maryland, Guy and Super Bowl champ Joe Theismann head to the kitchen for all types of tacos. In Minneapolis, Minnesota, a nationally-acclaimed bar known for its eclectic mix of polka and pierogies. And in Virginia Beach, Virginia, a decades-old fried chicken joint crankin' out their original recipe."
11 "Long Standing Legacies"
"This trip, Guy discovers a slice of history all over the country. In Annapolis, Maryland, two Irish brothers servin' up food from their homeland with a twist, like Guinness fried oysters with homemade coleslaw. In Brooklyn, New York, the ages-old, family run sandwich joint crankin' out tons of fresh sammies, like the steak pizzaiola with homemade gravy. And in Charleston, South Carolina, a couple of fine dining chefs are turnin' out low country classics like crispy chicken legs and the smoked pork loin po boy."
10 "Old Faves, New Craves"
"This trip, Guy explores some traditional eats alongside unique newcomers. In Santa Barbara, California, the neighborhood deli pulling in locals and celebrities for pastrami crammed into the pastrami dog and a PLT. In Charleston, South Carolina, a young chef bringin' a Caribbean twist to an old gas station with favorites like braised pork tacos and jerk chicken sandwich. And in Vancouver, British Columbia, the sandwich joint scratch makin' everything on the line, from the porchetta sandwich to the unique bacon maple ice cream sandwich."
9 "Family Matters"
"This trip, Guy's steppin' into some family kitchens. In Vancouver, British Columbia, the Chinese joint hand-pulling noodles and using ages-old family recipes for dishes like beef rolls. In Virginia Beach, Virginia, the whole gang's chipping in to crank out coastal classics like barbecued fish tacos. And in Brooklyn, New York, a team of brothers kick traditional bar food up a notch with their homemade brandade with escabeche and a unique Cuban sandwich."
8 "Multitaskers"
"In Dundalk, Maryland, the Greek diner decked out in neon and servin' up family recipes like Yia Yia's grape leaves. In Oxnard, California, the jack of all trades joint is baking, brewing, and cooking all in the same restaurant and servin' up some creative burgers like lamb burger with red pepper relish. And in Charleston, South Carolina, southern heritage meets culinary creativity at this mom and pop joint, with favorites like deep fried pork chops with sweet and spicy pepper jelly."
7 "Global Traditions"
"This trip, Guy's tasting all kinds of international comfort classics. In Santa Barbara, California, the authentic British fish 'n chips joint known for keepin' it real - from the haggis to the toad in the hole. And in Manhattan, New York, the legendary century-old red sauce joint servin' up Italian staples like meat sauce with homemade pappardelle."
6 "Meat Madness"
"This trip, Guy goes all animal. In Charleston, South Carolina, the husband and wife duo flying high for all things bird, like a duck club with homemade garlic mayo. In Queens, New York, a Cuban family crankin' out totally traditional steak and chicken dishes, like ropa vieja and arroz con pollo. And in Vancouver, British Columbia, the bar turned sausage joint stuffing, casing, and serving up links like the Thai chicken sausage."
4 "Southern Staples"
"This trip, Guy's traveling all over the country searching for a taste of the South. In Vancouver, British Columbia, Southern staples are served with a twist, like the pulled pork pancakes with a side of Jack Daniels syrup. In Charleston, South Carolina, the local football legend is cranking out some real deal comfort food with favorites like sweet tea-marinated pork chops and deep-fried hot dogs topped with chili. And in New York City, the South heads north for scratch-made fried chicken and homemade peach cobbler."
3 "Kid Rock's Detroit Tour"
"This trip, Guy's taking Kid Rock's lead on a tour through D-town. Just outside of Detroit in Clarkston, Michigan, Guy tries one of Kid Rock's favorites, the mackinest mac 'n cheese, in a renovated church. On the same block, Guy and Kid Rock check out a neighborhood favorite scratch making bacon and hot links for one mammoth sandwich. And in Webberville, Michigan, Kid Rock shows Guy the secret behind his own unique brew."
2 "Coast to Coast Classics"
"This trip, Guy's driving the Camaro all over the nation for some real deal eats. In Tampa Bay, Florida, chili and burgers are the long-standing stars at a roadside shack, and Guy invents a new half pounder for the menu - the Triple D Triple Play. And in Vancouver, British Columbia, the old-school nostalgia joint's roasting beef and servin' it up with Yorkshire pudding and a killer french dip, plus stuffing steak and mushrooms into the perfect pie."
1 "Seafood & Sammies"
"This trip, Guy's going for surf and turf between the slices. In Vancouver, British Columbia, a food truck shuckin' and frying oysters for a po boy and topping crispy fries with a mean seafood chowder. In Detroit, Michigan, the 18,000 foot joint giving savory brisket a beer batter bath and a place on a fresh panini. And in Chicago, Illinois, the Italian market scratch making meats for the meatball hero and the crispy porchetta sandwich"
13 "Old to New"
"This trip, Guy's in for some old school favorites and new school stunners. In Detroit, Michigan, a Polish joint that's been around for decades, servin' up old standards like Hungarian pancakes with goulash. In Virginia Beach, Virginia, the little gift shop and cafe puttin' out totally homemade favorites like mama used to make, from chicken salad sandwiches to beef tenderloin. And in Vancouver, British Columbia, the innovative diner run by a couple of rockin' new wave chefs, servin' up homemade pulled pork with slaw."
12 "Pizza, Pancakes, and Pork"
"This trip, triple D is all over the triple P. In Detroit, Michigan, a pizza joint crankin' out pies with totally homemade toppings, and a unique crepe-filled lasagna. In Virginia Beach, Virginia, a beachside breakfast favorite the locals come running to for their citrus orange glazed pancakes and innovative benedicts. And in Chicago, Illinois, the tiny dive servin' up flavor in massive proportions, like the melt-in-your-mouth pork belly sandwich."
11 "Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner"
"This trip, Guy's tasting his way through the day. In Tampa Bay, Florida, authentic Mexican street food for the lunch crowd is served out of bus, crankin' out favorites like butternut squash tostadas. In Virginia Beach, Virginia, dinner at this popular seafood joint includes totally fresh oysters Rockefeller. And in San Antonio, Texas, a breakfast joint servin' up waffles filled with bacon and an old school pfannekuchen from a decades-old recipe."
10 "Global Comfort"
"This trip, Guy's travelin' the world of feel good food. In San Antonio, Texas, a native Puerto Rican cranks out one of Guy's all time favorites - mofongo. In Virgnia Beach, Virginia, an Italian mother/daughter duo treats everyone like family, servin' up family recipes for classics like homemade focaccia and stuffed meatballs. And in Chicago, Illinois, a bbq joint brings southern cookin' to the locals with favorites like cajun meatloaf and chicken fried chicken."
9 "Slammin' Sammies"
"This trip, Guy's goin' for the meat in the middle. In Virginia Beach, Virginia, a real deal bbq joint serves up burnt ends on a bun with homemade rub and bbq sauce. In San Antonio, Texas, a Greek owner hand rolls tortillas for Mexican favorites like fried puffy tacos stuffed with chicken. And in Chicago, Illinois, a gourmet restaurant vet brings fine dining to the bar with innovative burgers like bison with blueberry bbq sauce."
8 "Latin Street Food"
"This trip, Guy's taste buds are dancing as he digs into all kinds of Latin favorites. In Chicago, Illinois, a mother/son duo serve up Costa Rican classics like chicharron with pico de gallo and Pepito sandwich with steak and black beans. In San Antonio, Texas, a modern take on Mexican empanadas, with fourteen varieties like chicken poblano with tomatillo sauce. And in Queens, New York, a local Mexican joint cranks out homemade Mexican masa tortillas for their authentic al pastor tacos."
6 "Gettin' Fresh"
"This trip Guy's rolling in for farm-to-table cooking. In Boulder, Colorado, a college town favorite since the 1920's, where they're flipping grass-fed beef burgers. In Chicago, a family-run restaurant putting a twist on biscuits and gravy - with free-range duck. And in Norfolk, Virginia, a bunch of Triple D fans take us to a spot at a farmer's market, where everything in the meatloaf comes market fresh."
5 "Southern Flavor"
"This trip Guy's heading all over the country for a taste of the south. In San Francisco, a whisky bar putting their own spin on a po' boy with avocado and fresh crab mayo. In Bradenton, Florida, a Cuban place where the classic holiday roast comes stuffed with chorizo. And in Denver, an old Victorian home turned restaurant, where they're scratch making southern favorites from peach cobbler to gumbo with cornbread."
4 "Grillin' and Smokin'"
"This trip Guy's rolling out for something new from the grill - and more. In San Antonio, Texas, a 60-year-old drive-in where the owners are putting a Thai twist on classic Texas bar-b-que. In Denver, a Native American joint turning folks on to grilled, braised bison ribs topped with blueberry sauce. And in St. Petersburg, Florida, an old-school sundry shop and restaurant smoking chicken for their own Texas hash."
3 "You Can Only Get it Here"
"Guy Fieri visits a fusion eatery in San Francisco that serves Korean spicy-pork burritos with homemade kimchee. Other stops include a Mexican joint in Indianapolis; and a Belizean restaurant in Chicago."
2 "From Kraut to Cous Cous"
"Global eats are sampled in Brighton, Colo., San Antonio and Tampa. Included: homemade German kraut; Moroccan couscous; Baja fish tacos."
1 "Bar Food and Bon Bons"
"This trip Guy's rolling coast to coast for flavor. In Astoria, New York, a dive bar cranking out slow roasted lamb ribs with fresh tzatziki. In Geyserville, California, a third-generation Italian restaurant serving up the family meatball recipe in a slider. And in Indianapolis, a catering kitchen turned restaurant where something called tomato bon bons have become a local favorite."
13 "Porktastic"
"This trip, Guy's rolling north to south for pork every way. Near Indianapolis, a Cajun joint with a chef straight out of New Orleans doing his own smoked tasso and Southwest Louisiana boudin sausage. In San Antonio, Texas, a certified Napoletana pizza place, topping pies with everything from homemade sausage to prosciutto. And in Denver, Colorado, Triple D fans show us their favorite diner for green chili burritos with a Greek twist."
12 "Signature Twists"
"This trip, Guy's rolling out for comfort food done right. In Indianapolis, a dog-friendly neighborhood joint doing their Barking Lard BLT with homemade bacon. In New Orleans, a place from the 1890s where they're still reinventing classics like jambalaya and green bean casserole. And in Winters, California, a little spot off the beaten path doing wood fired pizza."
11 "From Mozz to Matzo Balls"
"Hildebrandt's (Williston Park, NY), Sunflower Caffe (Sonoma, CA), The Bagel Delicatessen & Restaurant (Denver, CO) This trip, Guy's pulling up to some longtime favorites. In Williston Park, New York, the 1920's candy and ice cream place that's added mozzarella sticks and rigatoni to an old school fountain menu. In Sonoma, California, a spot in a historic downtown building doing a lamb burger with an African twist and scratch made borscht. And in Denver, Colorado, a 2nd-generation, Jewish deli serving up grandma's matzo ball recipe."
10 "Fully Loaded"
"Jersey Cafe (Carmel, IN), Katie's Restaurant (New Orleans, LA), Merritt Canteen (Bridgeport, CT) This trip, Guy's pulling in for some big flavor. In New Orleans, Louisiana, a corner restaurant and bar where the local seafood sandwich is so large they call it The Barge. In Carmel, Indiana, a joint serving Jersey cheese steaks topped 33 different ways. And in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Triple D fans show us their favorite spot for burgers, dogs and seafood."
9 "From Crepes to Kreplach"
"Ben's Best Deli (Rego Park, NY), Foolish Craig's Cafe (Boulder, CO), Waddell's Pub and Grille (Spokane, WA) This trip, Guy's rolling out for a little bit of everything. In Boulder, Colorado, a crepe joint stacking them 21-high in a butter rum caramel cake. In Rego Park, New York, a Jewish deli cooking up third-generation recipes for stuffed cabbage and kreplach. And in Spokane, Washington, a pub brewing up a stout-braised lamb cheese steak."
7 "Favorites With A Twist"
"Aunt Mary's Cafe (Oakland, CA), Corey's Catsup and Mustard (Manchester, CT), Jimmy's Down the Street (Coer d'Alene, ID)"
5 "A Little Twisted"
"Anchor Bar (Superior, WI), Gatsby's Diner (Sacramento, CA), The Pit Stop (Merrick, NY) This trip Guy's checking out the unexpected. In Merrick, New York, Italian family recipes -- in an old fast food joint. In Sacramento, California, a former Japanese grill turned diner where they're doing vegetarian beet sliders along with European classics like old school Rouladen. And in Superior, Wisconsin, a bunch of Triple D fans take us to their favorite burger place, that even they call a dive."
4 "Quirky Classics"
"Honey's Sit-N-Eat (Philadelphia, PA), Louie & the Red Head Lady (Mandeville, LA), Picabu Neighborhood Bistro (Spokane, WA) This trip Guy's pulling up for some one-of-a-kind meals. In Spokane, Washington, a joint in a shopping center slathering burgers with a remoulade they call "Goo." In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a Southern/Jewish fusion restaurant serving Bubby's brisket with beans and rice. And in Mandeville, Louisiana, a family-style favorite putting a Cajun spin on Oysters Rockefeller."
3 "Funky Finds"
"Quahog's Seafood Shack (Stone Harbor, NJ), Sage General Store (Long Island City, NY), Worth Our Weight (Santa Rosa, CA) This trip Guy discovers some hidden gems. In Stone Harbor, New Jersey, a fish shack flying in Paco Paco fish from the Amazon for a Brazilian specialty. In Long Island City, New York, a 14-seat joint doing everything from wood oven pizza to a lunch counter with all kinds of sides. And in Santa Rosa, California, a volunteer-run brunch spot where kids are cooking up huevos rancheros with roasted pork."
1 "From Pork to Tofu"
"Memphis Taproom (Philadelphia, PA), The Golden Bear (Sacramento, CA), Tortilla Cafe (Washington DC) This trip Guy's pulling in for pork and a little tofu, too. In Sacramento, California, a pub where the chef's doing a pork sausage pizza his way - hold the cheese, hold the sauce. In Washington, DC, a Mexican-Salvadoran joint where the big seller is a Salvadoran papusa - scratch made dough stuffed with shredded pork and cheese. And in Philadelphia, a local favorite serving a vegan club sandwich with deep fried tofu and smoked coconut."
13 "Sandwiches Plus"
"Colossal Cafe (Minneapolis, MN), Elk Public House (Spokane, WA), Maui's Dog House (Wildwood, NJ) This trip Guy's pulling up for all kinds of sandwiches. In Minneapolis, Minnesota, a tiny breakfast and lunch spot serving up a scratch made meatloaf sandwich topped with cranberry compote. In Spokane, Washington, a pub putting their spin on a Reuben with homemade sauerkraut. And in North Wildwood, New Jersey, a whole bunch of Triple D fans show Guy their favorite hot dog joint."
12 "Wings 'n Things"
"10th Ave Burrito (Belmar, NJ), Capone's Pub (Coeur d'Alene, ID), Jamaica Way (Nashville, TN) This trip Guy's rolling out for a Triple-D take on chicken. In Belmar, New Jersey, a Mexican joint tossing wings with scratch made adobo sauce. In Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, a sports bar doing a roasted garlic chicken pizza, with a scratch made crust from an old Sicilian family recipe. And at the farmer's market in Nashville, Tennessee, a Jamaican cafeteria serving authentic mango chutney chicken."
11 "Sweet 'n Savory"
"Duluth Grill (Duluth, MN), Meal Ticket (Berkeley, CA), Metro 29 Diner (Arlington, VA) This trip Guy's rolling out for all kinds of flavor. In Duluth, Minnesota, a local favorite, where they're scratch baking banana cream pie and serving grass-fed, bison pot roast. In Arlington, Virginia, a diner home-cooking the classics from French toast to leg of lamb. And in Berkeley, California, a neighborhood café seasoning pork with coconut curry and making pie with apples and grapes."
10 "A Triple D Thanksgiving"
"Becky's Diner (Portland, ME), George's Place (Cape May, NJ), Sammy's Food Service & Deli (New Orleans, LA) This trip Guy's chasing down the holiday meal every which way. In Portland, Maine, a family-run joint where stuffed turkey and stuffed lobster are Thanksgiving traditions. In Cape May, New Jersey, a Greek restaurant where two brothers are serving up a classic Greek holiday lamb and their own take on roast turkey. And in New Orleans, Louisiana, a butcher shop turned restaurant doing a whole turkey stuffed with Louisiana oyster dressing."
9 "Gone Global"
"Brats Brothers (Sherman Oaks, CA), La Carquena (Falls Church, VA), Savarino's Cucina (Nashville, TN) This trip Guy's pulling in for a world of flavor. In Falls Church, Virginia, a South American joint attached to a motel where the Venezuelan sandwich comes loaded with shredded beef, black beans and cheese, or chicken salad. In Nashville, Tennessee, an Italian place where the chef and his wife compete to roll the thinnest fettuccini, then serve it up with home made vodka sauce. And in Sherman Oaks, California, some hard-core Triple-D fans show Guy their favorite spot for real deal German bratwurst."
8 "Fresh, Filled and Fried"
"Chaps Coffee Co (Spokane, WA), Good Dog Bar and Restaurant (Philadelphia, PA), Porthole Restaurant (Portland, ME) This trip Guy's crossing the country for scratch cooking done right. In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a pub where they're deep-frying hand made empanadas loaded with a Philly favorite. In Spokane, Washington, a 1912 farmhouse turned restaurant throwing a spin on stuffed pork chops with goat cheese, pine nuts and sun dried tomatoes. And in Portland, Maine, an 80-year-old, waterfront joint where the lobster's boat-to-table fresh and served up on a house baked brioche."
7 "Made to Order"
"Bayway Diner (Linden, NJ), Rino's Place (East Boston, MA), The Blue Door Pub (St. Paul, MN) This trip Guy's rolling in for scratch made done right. In East Boston, Massachusetts, a second-generation Italian joint doing lobster ravioli with home made pasta and fresh New England lobster. In Saint Paul, Minnesota, a burger joint stuffing double patties with everything from cheese to short ribs. And in Linden, New Jersey, the little diner that more than could."
6 "Sauced and Spiced"
"At Sara's Table Chester Creek Cafe (Duluth, MN), Cafe Rakka (Hendersonville, TN), J.J. McBrewster's (Lexington, KY) This trip Guy's heading out for big flavor. In Hendersonville, Tennessee, a Mediterranean place serving lamb with a traditional Syrian spiced tomato sauce. In Duluth, Minnesota, an all day café topping wild rice French toast with a beer and cinnamon syrup. And in Lexington, Kentucky, a Western Kentucky-style bar-b-que joint doing smoked turkey with their signature Melon sauce."
5 "Wings, Dogs and Claws"
"Oohhs & Aahhs Gourmet Deli (Washington DC), The Brick (Kansas City, MO), The Lobster Shanty (Salem, MA) This trip Guy checks out some serious scratch cooking. In Washington, DC, a soul food joint serving up chicken wings smothered in house made buffalo sauce. In Kansas City, Missouri, a live music spot cranking out a bacon-wrapped, beer-battered, deep-fried hot dog. And in Salem, Massachusetts, a seafood shack doing a lobster martini ... and yes, it comes with a claw. The Lobster Shanty 25 Front St Salem, MA (978) 745-5449 www.lobstershantysalem.com The Brick 1727 McGee St Kansas City, MO 64108 (816) 421-1634 thebrickkcmo.com Oohhs & Aahhs Gourmet Deli 1005 U St NW Washington, DC (202) 667-7142 www.oohhsnaahhs.com"
4 "You Found 'Em"
"Metro Diner (Jacksonville, FL), Parkette Drive In (Lexington, KY) This trip Guy's going where viewers sent him. In Lexington, Kentucky, a restored 1951 drive-in that's still serving the same double burger that made it famous. In Jacksonville, Florida, a diner in an old soda shop, scratch-making a menu that goes from meatloaf to stuffed French toast. And in Minneapolis, Minnesota, a breakfast joint celebrates 60 years as a neighborhood favorite."
3 "Timeless"
"Bro's Cajun Cuisine (Nashville, TN), Greek Corner Restaurant (Cambridge, MA), The General Store (Silver Spring, MD) This trip Guy's rolling out for some timeless traditions. In Cambridge, Massachusetts, a Greek joint where two brothers are serving the same spit-roasted lamb they loved growing up. In Nashville, Tennessee, a Cajun joint doing a classic bayou crawfish boil with house smoked sausage. And in Silver Spring, Maryland, a 19th century post office turned restaurant cranking out American standards like corndogs and chicken 'n waffles."
2 "Tried and True"
"Bob's Clam Hut (Kittery, ME), Mama Cozza's (Anaheim, CA), Tune Inn Restaurant & Bar (Washington DC) This trip Guy's pulling up for favorites the way they've always been done. In Kittery, Maine, a roadside shack serving the same fried clam recipe since 1956. In Washington, DC, a self-proclaimed dive that's been a go to burger spot on Capitol Hill since '47. And in Anaheim, California, a 45-year-old, third-generation, Italian joint doing sauces, pizzas and parmesans ... all from scratch."
1 "Family Joints"
"Happy Gillis Cafe & Hangout (Kansas City, MO), Kramarczuk's (Minneapolis, MN) This trip Guy's heading out for some family cooking. In Minneapolis, Minnesota, a cafeteria/deli where the third generation's still cranking out the family's original, Eastern European sausage. In Kansas City, Missouri, a soup 'n sandwich joint where a husband and wife are putting a twist on old favorites, like a red wine and cola marinated flank steak sandwich. And at a hot dog shack in West Virginia, two "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" enthusiasts make their 100th Triple D visit."
Season 9 - Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
13 "Old Time Attitude"
"Arnold's Country Kitchen (Nashville, TN), Maine Diner (Wells, ME), Southern Soul Barbecue (St. Simons Island, GA) This trip, Guy's rolling out for some longtime traditions. In, Nashville, Tenn., a family-style restaurant is doing its James Beard Award-winning take on an old-school Southern classic - meat and three sides. On Saint Simons Island, Ga., see a barbecue joint where the pit master's smoking the old way - at a 1940s gas station. And in Wells, Maine, check out a local favorite from the ‘50s dishing up New England comfort food like Seafood Chowder and Lobster Pie."
12 "You Called It"
"Gordy's Hi-Hat (Cloquet, MN), Paul's Coffee Shop (Fountain Valley, CA), Rick's White Light Diner (Frankfort, KY) Guy Fieri checks out eateries suggested by viewers, including an old diner in Frankfort, Ky.; a burger joint in Cloquet, Minn.; and a coffee shop in Fountain Valley, Cal."
11 "Burgers 'N More"
"Athens Family Restaurant (Nashville, TN), Burger Me (Truckee, CA), Swagger Fine Spirits and Food (Kansas City, MO) Unique burgers are spotlighted. Included: tempura burgers; lamb burgers; burgers topped with cold cuts and chili."
10 "Kansas City Barbecue Tour"
"Johnny's Bar-B-Q (Mission, KS), RJ's Bob-Be-Que Shack (Mission, KS), Smokin' Guns BBQ (North Kansas City, MO), Woodyard Bar-B-Que (Kansas City, KS) This trip Guy's on the inside track to Kansas City barbeque. In an industrial neighborhood, an award winning pit master serving up the KC specialty, burnt ends. In a southern suburb, a classically trained chef putting his spin on smoked pork. Then just down the street, a joint where they're taking barbequed chicken to the deep fryer. And at an old wood yard, mixing up a one-of-a kind rub for baby back ribs."
9 "Farm To Table"
"Blackwater Grill (St. Simons Island, GA), Comet Ping Pong (Washington DC), Wallace Station (Versailles, KY) This trip Guy's getting it straight from the farm ... and the ocean. In Midway, Kentucky, a sandwich joint putting local flavor into their home made bread. On Saint Simons Island, Georgia, a vacation hot spot serving the low-country catch and Cajun coastal favorites. And in Washington, DC, a pizza joint/ping pong parlor where folks can hit the tables for a quick game and order pizza with red sauce that's straight off the vine."
8 "Fast Food Their Way"
"Northern Waters Smokehaus (Diluth, MN), Rainbow Drive-in (Honolulu, HI) This trip Guy's pulling up for a different kind of fast food. In Honolulu, Hawaii, a 48-year-old drive-in where burgers and dogs come with rice and macaroni salad. In Nashville, Tennessee, a Jamaican cafeteria at the farmer's market serving mango chutney chicken and curried goat. And in parking lots all over Los Angeles, California, a taco truck doing Chinese-Mexican fusion."
7 "Comfort Food With Attitude"
"Blue Ash Chili Restaurant (Cincinnati, OH), Culhane's Irish Pub (Atlantic Beach, FL), Jax at the Tracks (Truckee, CA) This trip Guy's rolling out for a new take on old favorites. In Truckee, California, a vintage diner taking meatloaf to a whole new level. In Cincinnati, Ohio, a chili parlor taking the local favorite to the next level; And in Atlantic Beach, Florida, an Irish pub making a Guinness Beef stew recipe straight from the Emerald Isle."
6 "Grilled, Smoked and Sauced"
"Jake's Good Eats (Charlotte, NC), Schellville Grill (Sonoma, CA), Terry's Surf Club (Cincinnati, OH) This trip Guy's crossing the country for all kinds of flavor. In Charlotte, North Carolina, a converted gas station grilling a maple-glazed pork chop. In Cincinnati, Ohio, a burger joint topping them with scratch made burgundy mushroom and mango curry sauces. And outside Sonoma, California, a local grill where the tri tip's smoked over wine-soaked wood."
5 "Porkapalooza"
"At Last Cafe (Long Beach, CA), Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint (Nolensville, TN), Virgil's Cafe (Bellevue, KY) This trip Guy hits the road for pork from coast to coast. On Saint Simons Island, Georgia, a barbeque joint where the pit master's been perfecting pulled pork since he was a kid. In Bellevue, Kentucky, a local cafe making Andouille sausage from scratch. And in Long Beach, California, a neighborhood favorite where they're stuffing honey-marinated pork chops with granny smiths and cranberries."
4 "Bringin' It Home"
"Cabo Fish Taco (Charlotte, NC), Cafe Citti (Kenwood, CA), Murphy's Bar & Grill (Honolulu, HI) This trip Guy visits local joints doing favorites from someplace else. In Kenwood, California, a family restaurant cooking up home made, Tuscan-style Italian. In Charlotte, North Carolina, a neighborhood favorite serving California fish tacos. And in Honolulu, Hawaii, the local bar turned Irish pub where the stout's poured right and the Shepherd's Pie is scratch-made."
3 "Globetrottin'"
"13 Gypsies (Jacksonville, FL), Gloria's Cafe (Los Angeles, CA), Louis' Basque Corner (Reno, NV) This trip Guy pulls in for a world of taste. In Los Angeles, California, an El Salvadoran place making traditional stuffed tortillas and a pork stew called Adobada. In Reno, Nevada, a Basque joint serving oxtail bourguignon family style. And in Jacksonville, FL, a tapas café doing scratch made Spanish chorizo with honey sautéed pears."
2 "Homegrown and Homemade"
"Mulberry Cafe (Lackawanna, NY), Poke Stop at Mililani Mauka (Mililani, HI), The Farmer's Shed (Lexington, SC) Guy hits the road for some local flavor. In Lexington, South Carolina, a farmer's market/restaurant, where the collard greens are right off the farm. In Lackawanna, New York, an Italian joint serving scratch made lasagna loaded with stuffed peppers. And in Honolulu, Hawaii, a local favorite where the chef is putting a fresh spin on a Hawaiian fish classic called poke."
1 "Surf 'n Turf"
"Gold 'N Silver Inn (Reno, NV), North End Caffe (Manhattan Beach, CA), Singleton's Seafood Shack (Atlantic Beach, FL) Guy checks out his own take on surf and turf.In Mayport, Florida, a 40-year-old fish shack getting shrimp fresh off the boat every day, and serving it nine different ways. In Manhattan Beach, California, a surf town cafe where the homemade menu goes from Italian pasta to Kahlua Pig Egg Rolls. And in Reno, Nevada, a 54-year-old western diner doing beef-burgers by the pound."
11 "Triple D Goes Hawaiian"
"Highway Inn & Ho'okipa Catering (Waipahu, HI), Hank's Haute Dogs (Honolulu, HI), Nico's At Pier 38 (Honolulu, HI), Germaine's Luau (Kapolei, HI) Guy checks out the hot spots in Hawaii. A third-generation, family-run joint doing plate-lunch Hawaiian style. A restaurant by the water, where the daily special really is the catch of the day. A hot dog place serving everything from Chicago dogs to homemade lobster dogs. And an authentic luau, where the centerpiece of the full Hawaiian spread is a whole roasted pig."
10 "Fresh And Funky"
9 "Twists and Traditions"
"Earl's Drive-In (Chaffee, NY), Aldo's Harbor Restaurant (Santa Cruz, CA), Momocho (Cleveland, OH) This trip Guys rolls in for old school classics and something a little different. In Chaffee, New York, a 42-year-old restaurant next to a farm field, where they're still doing chicken a la king from scratch. In Santa Cruz, California, a bait and tackle shop turned sit-down restaurant that's been serving home made Italian favorites and fresh calamari for more than 30 years. And in Cleveland, Ohio, the Mod Mex joint making tuna tacos with blood orange marmalade and guacamole with house smoked trout."
8 "Comfort Food Classics"
"Dish Cafe & Catering (Reno, NV), Landmark Restaurant Diner (Charlotte, NC), Pier 23 Cafe (San Francisco, CA) Guy rolls in for food done fresh and a little different. In San Francisco, California, one of Guy Fieri's favorite ocean-side spots serving up fresh Dungeness crab. In Reno, Nevada, the neighborhood café doing scratch made granola. And in Charlotte, North Carolina, whole turkeys ... not roasted, but boiled."
7 "And The Kicker Is…"
"The Liberty Elm (Providence, RI), Naglee Park Garage (San Jose, CA), Dish 9Charlotte, NC) Guy Fieri travels the whole country for home made comfort food: In Charlotte, North Carolina, a neighborhood favorite doing chicken and dumplings; In Providence, Rhode Island, a diner doing a local classic called a Johnnycake. And in San Jose, California, a garage turned restaurant making burgers, ketchup, and fries from scratch."
6 "By Request"
"Guy Fieri rolls in for things done a little differently: In Columbia, South Carolina, a burger place doing hand made patties with a southern kicker ... fried green tomatoes; In Buffalo, New York, a corner diner serving everything with a side of home made bread, baked fresh daily; And in Berkeley, California, a diner that's redefining scrapple."
5 "Home And Away"
"Guy Fieri checks out some viewer favorites. In Charlotte, North Carolina, a fast food joint where the big hit's a double burger called the Super Boy; In Lakewood, Ohio, a neighborhood favorite for grilled cheese sandwiches ... dozens of them; And in Houston, Texas, a British Pub serving scratch made shepherd's pie."
4 "Triple D Goes Tailgatin’"
"Guy Fieri tries out favorites from around the corner and around the globe. In Chicago, a Peruvian joint serving classic lomo saltado (sautéed rib eye with French fries mixed right in)-- and beef heart; In Oklahoma City, a local institution where the bread's baked fresh daily and the schnitzel's done like back in Germany; And in South Buffalo, a pub making the home town favorite: a sandwich called 'beef on weck.'"
3 "Stacked, Stuffed and Loaded"
"Guy Fieri hits a Raiders home game for tailgating with chefs from three local joints. They're bringing the kitchen to the blacktop and cranking out chicken and waffles; double chili cheeseburgers; steak sandwiches with jalapeno pesto; and smoked pork chops with applesauce."
2 "Pizza, Pork And Paprikash"
"Guy Fieri heads out for serious fast food. He visits a Naraganset, R.I., joint with more than 20 burgers on the menu; a place in Eagle Rock, Calif., slow-smoking barbequed pork; a family-run taqueria in Rosenberg, Texas, where dessert is something called a "snoball.""
1 "Burgers, Steaks, and Chops"
"Bartley's Burger Cottage (Cambridge, MA), T-Bone Tom's Steakhouse (Kemah, TX), Tee Off Bar & Grill (San Francisco, CA) Guy Fieri rolls out for medium rare done right. In San Francisco, a dive bar cranking out high end, home made dishes like apricot relish on a double pork chop; In Cambridge, Massachusetts, a Harvard Square institution serving burgers piled high; And in Kemah, Texas, a meat market turned restaurant grilling up great house-cut steaks."
13 "Legacies"
"Lake Effect Diner (Buffalo, NY), Geraci's Restaurant (Cleveland, OH), Morin's Diner (Attleboro, MA) Guy Fieri checks out some longtime favorites. In Cleveland, Ohio, an Italian joint where the same family has been making pizza, meatballs and chicken parmesan for more than 50 years; In Buffalo, New York, a 50-year old diner where they're smoking their own bacon and making ham and red-eye gravy from scratch; And in Attleboro, Massachusetts, a local landmark since 1911, serving New England classics like French meat pie and Fisherman's stew."
12 "Diners Times Three"
"The Little Depot Diner (Peabody, MA), Santa Cruz Diner (Santa Cruz, CA), Diner (Norman, OK) Guy Fieri hits nothing but diners on this trip. In Santa Cruz, California, where east coast diner meets Vietnamese cooking for everything from Reubens to spring rolls; In Peabody, Massachusetts, an old lunch car turned diner where the locals pile in for home made favorites like Boston Baked Beans; And in Norman, Oklahoma, a beloved local landmark serving award winning chili on everything from fries to burgers and hot dogs."
11 "Family Style"
"Louie's Restaurant (Providence, RI), Cafe Pita + (Houston, TX), Mambo's Cafe (Glendale, CA) Guy Fieri rolls in for real family cooking. In Providence, Rhode Island, an old family place where a couple of brothers are putting a spin on the family tradition, like stuffing Dad's ravioli with barbequed chicken. In Houston, Texas, a joint in a strip mall where a couple of guys from Bosnia are serving the classics their moms made them; And in Glendale, California, a joint where one family's making their own Cuban favorites, from pork to ceviche."
10 "Dives Worth a Drive"
"Parkview Niteclub (Cleveland, OH), The Shanty (Wadsworth, IL), Grovers Bar & Grill (East Amherst, NY) Guy Fieri hunts down some killer dives. In between Chicago and Milwaukee, a joint topping bacon-wrapped filet mignon with a hot conch salsa; In Cleveland, an old nightclub fresh smoking salmon - for a salmon BLT; And in East Amherst, New York, a local favorite doing all kinds of burgers - even cheeseburger soup."
9 "Blast From the Past"
"Cattlemen's Steak House (Oklahoma City, OK), Sam LaGrassa's (Boston, MA), Nickel Diner (Los Angeles, CA) Guy Fieri checks out some joints where things are still done the old-fashioned way. In Oklahoma City, a steak house that's been serving the same steaks, desserts and even salad dressing for more than 80 years; In Los Angeles, a 1940s diner brought back to life by a chef doing mac and cheese, fried catfish, and donuts ... her way; And in Boston, three brothers carry on 40-year-old family tradition - making clam chowder like Dad - and chipotle/pastrami sandwiches."
8 "Barbequed, Baked and Brined"
"Honky Tonk BBQ (Chicago, IL), Pizzalchik (Boise, ID), Lucky's Cafe (Cleveland, OH) Guy Fieri finds three local joints doing scratch cooking their way. In Boise, Idaho, a family restaurant doing this trifecta: brick oven pizza, remarkable salads, and roasted chicken; In Cleveland, Ohio, a coffee shop turned restaurant where the bread's from scratch, the corned beef is house-brined, and veggies are grown out back; And in Chicago, a barbeque joint doing Memphis style dry rub for everything from brisket to beef tips and ribs."
7 "You Can Say That Again"
"Tap Tap Haitian Restaurant (Miami Beach, FL), Pok Pok (Portland, OR), Niko Niko's (Houston, TX) Guy Fieri hits three joints with the same name twice - Pok Pok, Tap Tap and Niko Nikos. In Houston, Texas, an old gas station serving up authentic Greek specialties including moussaka, gyros and honey-drenched donut holes called loukoumades; In Miami Beach, a Haitian restaurant doing a classic marinated pork and a one-of-a kind watercress sauce - all from scratch; And in Portland, Oregon, a walk-up or dine-in place where they're making all kinds of Asian, from Thai marinated boar to Vietnamese chicken wings."
6 "You Picked 'Em"
"Eischen's Bar (Okarche, OK), Mom's Tamales (Los Angeles, CA), Kenny & Ziggy's (Houston, TX) Guy Fieri heads out for some great places viewers asked him to visit. In Okarche, Oklahoma, a family restaurant serving fried chicken the exact same way for more than 40 years - dozens of you wrote in about that one; A viewer's favorite in downtown LA -- a Mexican joint doing 500 hand made tamales a day; And a favorite suggested by viewers in Houston - a deli in a strip mall making corned beef and kreplach like they do back in New York."
5 "Only At This Joint"
"Podnah's Pit (Portland, OR), Donnie Mac's Roadside Cuisine (Boise, ID), Whale's Rib (Deerfield Beach, FL) Guy Fieri checks out joints doing one-of-a-kind favorites from coast to coast; In Portland, a BBQ place smoking trout and lamb ribs; In Deerfield Beach, Florida, a beach town pub doing a new twist on Oysters Rockefeller; And in Boise, Idaho, a tire store turned diner where they'll put just about anything on their mac and cheese."
4 "Global Grub"
"Prince Lebanese Grill (Arlington, TX), Tre Kronor (Chicago, IL), La Texanita (Santa Rosa, CA) Guy Fieri rolls out for great foreign flavors: Scandinavian cooking at a place in Chicago - from meatballs with lingonberries to house-cured gravlax; Middle Eastern favorites at an old drive-in in Arlington, Texas - from falafel to pilaf; And authentic Mexican cooking in Guy's home town, Santa Rosa, California - from home made tacos to sopas."
3 "Name That Cook"
"Rick's Press Room (Meridan, ID), Nic's Grill (Oklahoma City, OK), Pam's Kitchen (Seattle, WA) Guy Fieri checks out three local namesake favorites: Rick's in Idaho for pork chops with polenta; Nic's In Oklahoma City, a local legend for onion burgers; and Pam's in Seattle, serving classics from Trinidad."
2 "Burgers, Tacos and Dogs"
"Lankford Grocery (Houston, TX), Fab Hot Dogs (Reseda, CA), Cempazuchi (Milwaukee, WI) Guy Fieri samples fast food done right; In Houston, TX a joint in an old grocery store for wild burger toppings; In Milwaukee, a corner café putting a twist on classic; And in Reseda, CA, hot dogs deep fried, wrapped in bacon and even in burritos."
1 "Upper Crust"
"Bunk Sandwiches (Portland, OR), Sonny's Famous Steak Hogies (Hollywood, FL), The Depot Diner (Chicago, IL) Guy Fieri rolls in for serious sandwiches; In Hollywood, FL, a hoagie shop with home made rolls; Portland, OR, a cafe serving house-cured pork belly; And in Chicago, a diner doing Sunday pot roast on a bun."
13 "Mama's Cookin'"
"Mama E's Wings & Waffles (Oklahoma City, OK), Polka (Los Angeles, CA), Avila's (Dallas, TX) Guy Fieri rolls out to places still doin' it mama's way: In Oklahoma City, a couple doing wings & waffles soul food style; In Dallas, a family home turned family restaurant; and in LA, a Polish joint in a strip mall serving pierogis & stuffed cabbage."
12 "Comfort Cookin'"
"Dottie's (San Francisco, CA), Over Easy (Phoenix, AZ), Comet Cafe (Milwaukee, WI) Guy Fieri catches some comfort food in Arizona, where a Paris-trained chef is doing ham steak with red eye gravy; In San Francisco, folks line up for chili cheddar cornbread & pumpkin oatmeal pancakes; And in Milwaukee, try bacon wrapped meatloaf, and a deep fried ball of turkey, stuffing & mashed potatoes."
11 "Old Time Favorites"
"Blueplate Lunch Counter (Portland, OR), Donn's Hilltop-Kodiak Grill (Boise, ID), LA Camaronera (Miami, FL) Guy Fieri checks out some places keeping the feel of the past alive: In Idaho, the local landmark brought back to life, where they're dishing up big plates; In Portland, the old-time lunch counter where folks love the grilled cheese and home made tomato soup; And in Miami, the family joint doing seafood the way their grandparents did back in Cuba."
10 "All Over the Map"
"Georgia's Greek Restaurant & Deli (Seattle, WA), Los Taquitos (Phoeniz, AZ), Rocco's Cafe (San Francisco, CA) Guy Fieri rolls in for a world of flavor: In Phoenix, a family-owned joint where five sisters are cranking out authentic Mexican tacos; In Seattle, an auto shop turned Greek restaurant serving leg of lamb; And in San Francisco, a little Italian place making grandpa's Bolognese & clams."
9 "All Kinds of Classics"
"Blue Marlin Fish House (North Miami Beach, FL), Fred's Texas Cafe (Fort Worth, TX), Pine State Biscuits (Portland, OR) Guy Fieri samples some classics from coast to coast: In Portland, a neighborhood restaurant serving up Southernstyle biscuits; In Fort Worth, TX, a roadside joint putting some heat in their standards; And in North Miami Beach, FL, a shack in a state park making all kinds of smoked fish."
8 "Homestyle"
"Giuseppe's on 28th (Phoenix, AZ), Southern Kitchen (Tacoma, WA), Zia Diner (Santa Fe, NM) Guy Fieri checks out homestyle cooking in Seattle, where a southern chef is bringing southern classics to the northwest; In Arizona,aclassical musician who is serving up native Italian recipes; And in Santa Fe, the adobe diner where corned beef hash gets a southwestern spin."
7 "Go-To Joints"
"Black Duck Cafe (Westport, CT), Otto's Sausage Kitchen (Portland, OR), Sol Food Puerto Rican Cuisine (San Rafael, CA) Guy Fieri checks out some beloved local places: In San Rafael, CA, a Puerto Rican restaurant serving an adobo steak sandwich; In CT, a pub located on a beached barge and in Portland, a family-owned meat market and deli where they're making hot dogs from scratch."
6 "Who'Da Thunk It?"
"Backroad Pizza (Santa Fe, NM), Jamaica Gates Caribbean Cuisine (Arlington, TX), Westside Drive-In (Boise, ID) Guy Fieri uncovers some unexpected joints the locals love: In Boise, ID, a 50-year-old drive-in where you can order prime rib; In Santa Fe, NM, a pizza joint where they'll top your pie with green chilis and Jamaican cooking in Forth Worth,TX."
5 "Biscuits, Bagels & BLT's"
"Arleta Library Bakery Cafe (Portland, OR), Bubba's Diner (San Anselmo, CA), Flakowitz of Boynton (Boynton Beach, FL) Guy Fieri checks out some serious scratch cooking: In Portland, a breakfast joint where they're making buttermilk biscuits with sweet potatoes; In San Anselmo, CA, a diner where the BLT comes with softshell crab; And in Boynton Beach, FL, a deli making all kinds of east coast classics from bagels to matzoh ball soup."
4 "A Burger, A Bowl and a Slice"
"La Piazza Al Forno (Glendale, AZ), Slim's Last Chance Chili Shack (Seattle, WA), Twisted Root Burger Co (Dallas, TX) Guy Fieri checks out some places doing America's favorites: Burgers done every which way at a joint run by culinary school grads in Dallas; An Arizona pizza joint serving up family recipes; Plus a Seattle chili shack."
3 "A Little Bit of Everywhere"
"Bar Gernika (Boise, ID), Cafe Rolle (Sacramento, CA), Havana Hideout (Lake Worth, FL) Guy Fieri rolls out to great joints with international favorites including a Sacramento storefront where a French chef is serving home made pate'; Basque specialties at a local place in Idaho; And near Palm Beach, FL, Latin-infused favorites cooked up in a converted truck."
2 "Their Own Way"
"Blue Water Seafood (San Diego, CA), Brandy's Restaurant & Bakery (Flagstaff, AZ), Kuma's Corner (Chicago, IL) Guy Fieri meets cooks doing things their own way: In Flagstaff, AZ, a family place where the beef stew is made from tenderloin; In San Diego, a restaurant in a fish market run by two brothers, and in Chicago, a dive bar serving nearly two dozen different burgers named for rock bands."
1 "Funky Joints"
"Bizzarro Italian Cafe (Seattle, WA), Chef Point Cafe (Wautaga, TX), Jamie's Bar & Grill (Sacramento, CA) Guy Fieri chases down some funky joints doing serious cooking: Near Fort Worth, a gas station with a menu includes duck l'orange; In Seattle, a café where former circus performers are serving up home made pasta with elk; And in Sacramento, a dive bar doing prime rib - in a smoker."
13 "All Kinds of Fast Foods"
"Giusti's (walnut Grove, CA), Haus Murphy's (Glendale, AZ), Louie's (Dallas, TX) Guy Fieri takes a seat at the family table; In Glendale, Arizona, a German restaurant making sauerbraten from scratch; In Northern California, an old saloon serving lamb shanks; And in Fort Worth, a Texas institution dishing up all the classics."
12 "Family Favorites"
"Super Duper Weenie (Firfield, CT), California Tacos (Omaha, NE), Bert's Burger Bowl (Santa Fe, NM) Guy Fieri tracks down fast food done right: In NM, a 54 year old drive-in that s legendary for Green Chile Cheeseburgers; In Omaha, a taqueria where they re deep frying tacos; And in CT, the hot dog joint that started as a truck, with all kinds of scratch made combo dogs."
11 "Regional Classics"
"Cecilia's Cafe (Albuquerque, NM), Joey K's Restaurant & Bar (New Orleans, LA), Kelly O's Diner (Pittsburgh, PA) Guy Fieri drives in for a taste of what the locals love; In New Orleans, a family restaurant serving specials named after neighborhood streets; In Pittsburgh, a strip mall joint making Polish Haluski; And in Albuquerque, a local dive serving authentic New Mexican cooking."
10 "Smokin' BBQ"
"Green Mesquite (Austin, TX), Gorilla Barbeque (Pacifica, CA), Wilson's Holy Smoke BBQ (Fairfield, CT) Guy Fieri heads all over the country for barbeque; In Austin, Texas, green mesquite smoked classics. In Northern California, a railroad car turned barbeque shack making Philly Cheese Steaks. And in Connecticut, a regional celebration of barbeque."
9 "Return to Route 66"
"Standard Diner (Albuquerque, NM), Dell Rhea's Chicken Basket (Willowbrook, IL), Salsa Brava (Flagstaff, AZ) Guy Fieri takes an eastward tour of Route 66. In Flagstaff, Arizona, a family style restaurant serving scratch made southwest favorites; In Albuquerque an old gas station turned diner making classics. And in Chicago, a joint that s been serving fried chicken on Route 66 since the 30's."
8 "Just Like Yesterday"
"Hob Nob Hill (San Diego, CA), Tufano's Vernon Park Tap (Chicago, IL), The Silver Skillet (Atlanta, GA) Guy Fieri visits some joints that feel like they ve been there forever; In San Diego, an overgrown coffee shop serving chicken & dumplings for 60 years; A bar turned restaurant in Chicago s Little Italy and in Atlanta, a diner legendary for southern breakfasts for more than 50 years."
7 "Neighborhood Favorites"
"Pat's BBQ (Salt Lake City, UT), Blow Fly Inn (Gulfport, MS), Tune-Up Cafe (Santa Fe, NM) Guy Fieri uncovers some places the regulars keep piling into: In Santa Fe, a little café serving El Salvadoran specialties; In Salt Lake City, a barbeque joint where folks line up for the house special -- burnt ends. And on the Mississippi coast, a joint on stilts where they re doing Creole favorites."
6 "Something from Everywhere"
"Valencia Luncheria (Norwalk, CT), The Original Vito & Nick's Pizzeria (Chicago, IL), Emily's Lebanese Delicatessen (MNinneapolis, MN) Guy Fieri discovers real deal dishes born elsewhere: In Norwalk, CT , a small place making authentic Venezuelan fast food; In Minneapolis, a Lebanese restaurant serving all of Moms favorites like lamb tongue; And in Chicago, a pizza joint famous for its thin crust pies."
5 "Long Time Legends"
"Tommy's Joynt (San Francisco, CA), Joe Tess Place (Omaha, NE), Big Jim's (Pittsburgh, PA) Guy Fieri checks out places the locals have been loving for decades: In San Francisco, a classic joint that's made fresh-carved hot meat sandwiches for more than 60 years; in Omaha, an 80-year-old tavern turned fish market and in Pittsburgh, a family place making Italian American favorites for more than 40 years."
4 "Places You Sent Me"
"Ruth's Diner (Salt Lake City, UT), O'Rourke's Diner (Middletown, CT), Parasol's Restaurant & Bar (New Orleans, LA) Guy Fieri hits some spots viewers recommended including: In Salt Lake City, a 79-year-old diner serving Mile High biscuits and gravy; in New Orleans, a neighborhood dive puttin' out roast beef po' boys; And in Middletown, CT., a historic diner serving unexpected favorites that was rebuilt after a fire."
3 "Not What You'd Expect"
"Sophia's Place (Albuquerque, NM), Magnolia Cafe (Austin, TX), Glenn's Diner (Chicago, IL) Guy Fieri discovers outrageous food at some unlikely joints: an Austin, TX., Diner puttin' gingerbread in their pancakes, a Chicago neighborhood place servin' homemade Szechuan sauce on chicken wings; and in Albuquerque, a little shack makin' duck enchiladas."
2 "Real Deal Italian"
"Pizzeria Luigi (San Diego, CA), Di Pasquale's (Baltimore, MD), Lo Bello's (Coraoplis, PA) Guy Fieri checks out classic Italian joints including a Baltimore deli making lasagna from scratch, in San Diego, a pizza joint where the dough's handmade and in Pittsburgh, a spaghetti house that's been cookin' up classic family recipes for 60 years."
1 "What's For Breakfast"
"Harry's Roadhouse (Santa Fe, NM), Dor-Stop Restaurant (Pittsburgh, PA), Surrey's Cafe (New Orleans, LA) Guy Fieri checks out breakfast from east to southwest: In New Orleans, a juice bar makin' bagels from scratch; a New Mexico roadhouse mixin' Philly food with Southwestern favorites; and in Pittsburg, a family joint scratch-making pancakes with everything from peanut butter to pumpkin."
13 "Doin' Their Own Thing"
"Lone Star Taqueria (Salt Lake City, UT), Modern Cafe (Minneapolis, MN), Brewburger's (Omaha, NE) Guy Fieri uncovers joints doin' things their own unique way; Near Salt Lake City, a retro joint makin' Mexican specialties like shark tacos; and in Omaha, a chef from Montreal is doing the Canadian take on Jewish deli."
12 "Traditional Dishes"
"Donatelli's (White Bear Lake, MN), Stoney Creek Inn (Baltimore, MD), Alcenia's (Memphis, TN) Guy Fieri rolls in for classic meals done right: In Baltimore, a shack steamin' crabs with corn on the cob; in Memphis, the little place with classic southern favorites; and in Minnesota, a strip mall joint doin' homemade Italian."
11 "Grabbin' a Sandwich"
"Moochie's Meatballs & More (Salt Lake City, UT), Cemita's Puebla (Chicago, IL), Tioli's Crazee Burger (San Diego, CA) Guy Fieri pulls up for a sandwich: In Salt Lake City, a old pottery school making homemade meatball subs and a cheesesteak done Philly-style; in San Diego, 30 kinds of burgers including ostrich, alligator and Angus beef and in Chicago, a one-of-a-kind Mexican sandwich."
10 "Cookin' It Old School"
"Nadine's Restaurant (Pittsburgh, PA), Casamento's Restaurant (New Orleans, LA), Big Mama's Kitchen & Catering (Omaha, NE) Guy Fieri uncovers three joints puttin' a piece of history on the table: In New Orleans, an oyster bar where nothin's changed since 1919 and the deep fried oysters are still hand-shucked; in Pittsburg, a neighborhood 'dive' where Mama Nadine's dishin' up roast beef smothered in gravy and in Nebraska, Big Mama's cookin' her Grandma's soul food in an old school cafeteria."
9 "Big Flavor"
"Darwell's Cafe (Long Beach, MS), Brick Oven Pizza (Baltimore, MD), Victor's 1959 Cafe (Minneapolis, MN) Guy Fieri hunts down some seriously good food with visits to Baltimore for real, brick oven, thin crust pizza, Minnesota for a little blue shack turnin' out real deal Cuban like spicy flank and in Mississippi, a wrestler-turned-chef servin' up homemade Shrimp Creole."
8 "Better Than Ever"
"Colonnade (Atlanta, GA), Manci's Antique Club (Daphne, Al), Amato's (Omaha, NE) Guy Fieri rolls out to longtime local favorites including an eight-decades-old Alabama spot legendary for soft shell crab sandwich, an Italian favorite in Omaha and one of the oldest restaurants in Atlanta."
7 "A Taste of Everywhere"
"Jamaica Kitchen (Kendall LAkes, AZ), Crystal Restaurant (Pittsburgh, PA), Red Iguana (Salt Lake City, UT) Guy Fieri tracks down international dishes done Triple-D style: A combination Jamaican/Chinese joint in Florida; homemade Polish pierogi at a basic bar in Pittsburgh; and a Mexican restaurant in Utah where the specialty is seven kinds of mole."
6 "Totally Unexpected"
"Cabbage Town Market (Atlanta, GA), The Cove (San Antonio, TX), Bryant-Lake Bowl (Minneapolis, MN) Guy Fieri discovers great food at some unexpected places including a Minneapolis bowling alley serving up bison hash, an Austin, Tx., car wash and laundromat with a classically trained chef and a historic neighborhood grocery store in Atlanta with fried quail."
5 "Where the Locals Eat"
"The Wienery (Minneapolis, MN), Casino El Camino (Austin, TX), G&A Restaurant (Baltimore, MD) Guy Fieri visits classic joints doing burgers and dogs including a Baltimore spot for Coney dogs from an 80-year-old recipe; Austin, Tx. for Serrano peppers and hot buffalo sauce burgers; and a Minneapolis dog and burger dive."
4 "Burgers and Dogs"
"The Highlander (Atlanta, GA), Gumbo Shack (Fairhope, Al), Starlite Lounge (Blawnox, PA) Guy Fieri visits some watering holes with more than basic bar food, including a Fairhope, Ala., bar serving up live music, homemade gumbo and a super spicy crawfish boil; an Atlanta dive- bar scratch-making Jamaican jerk chili and jalapeno corn fritters; and the half-century old Pittsburgh tavern where the menu includes pierogis and stuffed green pepper soup."
3 "Bar Food"
"Town Talk Diner (Minneapolis, MN), Blue Plate Diner (Salt Lake City, UT), Broadway Diner (Baltimore, MD) Guy Fieri heads for three great diners recommended by viewer e-mail, including a Baltimore family-run place with a huge menu, a Salt Lake City diner that's heavy on tattoos and 1940s décor and in Minneapolis, the diner run by a CIA trained chef"
2 "Diners You Sent Me To"
"Doumar's (Norfolk, VA), Auny Lena's Creamery (Now Closed), The Creole Creamery (New Orleans, LA) Guy Fieri rolls out for ice cream, Triple D style: With visits to a Norfolk, Va. drive-in for an original waffle cone, an Arizona creamery making Italian gelato in all flavors and a New Orleans favorite doing huge sundaes with 400 flavors."
1 "Brain Freeze"
"Uncle Lou's (Memphis, TN), Captain Chuck A Mucks (Rescue, VA), Dixie Quicks (Omaha, NE) Guy Fieri discovers great local favorites including a Memphis joint where whole chickens are deep fried; in Virginia, near the Chesapeake, a place where a former boat captain serves classic crab cakes and in Omaha, a casual joint with serious food."
12 "All Kinds of BBQ"
"Benny's Seafood Restaurant (South Miami, FL), Chaps Pit Beef (Baltimore, MD), Burger Bar (Roy, UT) Guy Fieri checks out some great family-run joints including a Baltimore favorite for pit beef with Ace of Cakes Duff Goldman. Next in Miami, visit a stop with recipes all the way from Puerto Rico and in Salt Lake City, a classic drive in burger joint."
11 "Where the Locals Go"
"Matthews Cafeteria (Tucker, GA), The Rivershack Tavern (Jefferson, LA), Monte Carlo Steak House (Albuquerque, NM) Guy Fieri finds local favorites from a third generation cafeteria outside Atlanta that serves Southern favorites, a Louisiana bar with a culinary school grad who's making everything from rabbit to turtle soup; and the Albuquerque, N.M. steakhouse you can enter through the liquor store."
10 "Comfort Food"
"Tip Top Cafe (San Antonio, TX), Grampa's Bakery & Restaurant (Dania Beach, FL), Blue Moon Cafe (Baltimore, MD), Central City Cafe (Huntington, WV) Guy Fieri uncovers some of America's greatest comfort food including a Baltimore cafe with a variety of French Toast, a third-generation family place in San Antonio with comfort food Texas style, a bakery-turned-restaurant in south Florida and a Huntington, W.V. cafe with home made cornbread"
9 "American Classics"
"Tom's Bar-B-Q (Memphis, TN), Marlowe's Ribs (Memphis, TN), Leonard's BBQ (Memphis, TN), Cozy Corner (Memphis, TN) Guy Fieri rolls through Memphis, one of America's greatest barbecue towns. He checks out an 86-year old legend with the killer pulled pork sandwich and a true local favorite, barbecue spaghetti plus a tiny joint where the specialty is barbecued Cornish hen and serious ribs at a joint with its own fleet of pink Cadillacs."
8 "Real Deal Fast Food"
"Joe's Farm Grill (Gilbert, AZ), Maria's Taco Express (Austin, TX), Panini Pete's (Fairhope, AL) Guy Fieri tracks down some great places that prove fast food can also be great food. In Fairhope, Ala., pressed panini sandwiches, filled with everything homemade; in Austin, Tx., homemade tacos done every which way; and in Gilbert, Az., a fast food joint right on the farm."
7 "The Memphis BBQ Tour"
"11th Street Diner (Miami Beach, FL), Bobo Drive In (Topeka, KS), Little Tea Shop (Memphis, TN) Guy Fieri searches out some classic joints including a 60-year-old Pennsylvania Diner transplanted to South Beach; in Topeka, Kan., a drive-in straight out of the 50s; and the oldest restaurant in Memphis, a classic southern tea room from 1918."
6 "Something Different"
"Dot's Back Inn (Richmond, VA), Scully's Tavern (Miami, FL), Hillbilly Hotdogs (Lesage, WV) Guy Fieri rolls out to find some places doing great food their own unique way: The West Virginia joint built into a couple of old busses, where they’re serving one pound deep fried hot dogs – and three pound burgers; The Florida bar that’s doing classic French escargot and fresh mahi mahi sandwiches; and in Virginia, what looks like just another café’, but with a classically trained chef who’s making it all from scratch – from chicken with feta, white wine and artichokes, to home made pesto."
5 "A World of Flavors"
"Y J's Snack Bar (Kansas City, KS), Chino Bandido (Phoenix, AZ), Marietta Diner (Marietta, GA) Guy features a veritable smorgasbord of international flavor this week. Greek specialties in Atlanta, and Phoenix stop that serves a multitude of cultural dishes."
4 "Neighborhood Joints"
"Iron Barley (St. Louis, MO), The Village Café (Richmond, VA), Thee Pits Again (Glendale, AZ), Daddypops (Hatboro, PA) Guy visits Philly for some scrapple, St. Louis for spaetzle, and a cafe in Virginia for calzones."
3 "Regional Favorites"
"Charlie Parker's (Springfield, IL), Virginia Diner (Wakefield, VA), Tecolote Cafe (Santa Fe, NM) Guy Fieri journeys from the East Coast to the southwest for regional specialties including classic Southern cooking at a landmark diner in Virginia; the Horseshoe Sandwich at a steel Quonset hut in Springfield, Ill; and red and green chili, the signature dishes of New Mexico at a joint in Santa Fe."
2 "Like Mama Made"
"Sweetie Pie's (St. Louis, MO), Smokey Valley Truck Stop (Olive Hill, KY), Roberto's Mexican Food (Phoenix, AZ) Guy Fieri goes where the recipes really do come from mama: A St. Louis landmark where a former backup singer is dishing up real deal soul food; the Phoenix gas station where everything's Mexican authentic and the Kentucky truck stop with real country cookin'."
1 "Big Breakfast"
"Brownstone Diner (Jersey City, NJ), 39th Street Mama's (Kansas City, MO), Matt's Big Breakfast (Phoenix, AZ) Guy kicks off season three in search of the best breakfast joints in America. From Jersey, to Phoneix, to Kansas City, Guy samples the best in Breakfast."
13 "The New Jersey Diner Tour"
"Mustache Bill's (Barnegat Light, NJ), Tick Tock Diner (Clifton, NJ), White Manna Hamburgers (Hackensack, NJ), The Ritz Diner (Livingston, NJ), Hightstown Diner (Hightstown, NJ), Skylark Diner (Edison, NJ), Jefferson Diner (Lake Hopatcong, NJ) Guy skips the country-wide tour this week to focus on the highlights of Jersey."
12 "Burgers, Rings and Fries"
"Joe's Cable Car (San Francisco, CA), The Nook (St. Paul, MN), Krazy Jim's Blimpy Burger (Ann Arbor, MI) The best burgers in the country, huge fries, and legendary onion rings. What more could you ask for? Guy travels this week to find the all-american meal."
11 "Off the Hook Specials"
"Schooner or Later (Long Beach, CA), Grinder's (Kansas City, MO), The Fly Trap (Ferndale, MI), Gailwood Cook Shack (Chicago, IL) Guy visits places where the specials are totally off the hook. Ever have a chili and tater-tot pizza?"
10 "Open 24/7"
"Studio Diner (San Diego, CA), White Palace Grill (Chicago, IL), The Dining Car & Market (Philadelphia, PA) Guy visits places where you can order great food around the clock."
9 "Family Owned"
"El Indio (San Diego, CA), Charlie's Diner (Spencer, MA), Paradise Pup (Des Plaines, IL) Stops include a Mexican restaurant and tortilla factory in San Diego where father and daughter work side-by-side. A Massachusetts diner where father and son have been working together for 20 years. And a legendary Chicago burger joint where two brothers turn out for char-burgers and three-layer fries."
8 "Viewer's Choice"
"Jay Bee's Bar-B-Que (Gardena, CA), Smoque (Chicago, IL), BBQ Shack (Paola, KS) Guy travels to LA, Chicago, and Kansas City for some real BBQ."
7 "Talkin' Turkey"
"Mike's City Diner (Boston, MA), Willie Bird's Restaurant (Santa Rosa, CA), Alpine Steakhouse (Sarasota, FL) The turkey dinner, an American classic. Join Guy at a Boston joint where it's Thanksgiving every single day of the year. Also in Northern California, where Turkey is not only on the menu, it is the menu. Finally in Florida, where turducken is served."
6 "Seaside Eats"
"JT Farnham's Seafood & Grill (South Essex, MA), Joe's Gizzard City (Potterville, MI), Grubstake Diner (San Francisco, CA), Los Tapatios (San Jose, CA) Belly clams in Massachusetts, chicken gizzards in Michigan, Mexican food from a lunch truck, and Portuguese food in San Francisco. Guy travels to these locations this week for some one of a kind specialties."
5 "Real Deal BBQ"
"Evelyn's Drive-In (Tiverton, RI), Hodad's (Ocean Beach, CA), Keegan's Seafood Grille (Indian Rocks Beach, FL) Guy enjoys some fried clams and lobster chow-mien in Rhode Island, burgers in California, and Mediterranean food in Florida."
4 "Local Flavor"
"Clanton's Cafe (Vinita, OK), Mike's Chili Parlor (Seattle, WA), Duarte's Tavern (Pescadero, CA) Local favorites are sampled in this episode. Visits include a seafood stop in Massachusetts, and a California diner that's more than 100 years old."
3 "One of a Kind"
"Bobby's Hawaiian Style Restaurant (Everett, WA), Ted Peters Famous Smoked Fish (South Pasadena, FL), Psycho Suzie's Motor Lounge (Minneapolis, MN) Guy visits viewer suggested restaurants this week. Including a Hawaiian stop in Seattle, a tiki bar in Minneapolis, and a 60 year old diner in Florida."
2 "Route 66"
"Emma Jean's Holland Burger Cafe (Victorville, CA), The Rock Cafe (Stroud, OK), Cafe on the Route (Baxter Springs, KS) Hop in for a ride down historic Route 66. Enjoy some homemade biscuits, German spaetzle, and pecan-crusted catfish."
1 "Totally Fried"
"Falafel's Drive-In (San Jose, CA), Ramona Cafe (Ramona, CA), Silk City Diner (Philadelphia, PA) Guy stops into a Philly diner for some fried spring rolls, a diner in Cali for deep-fried falafel, and a small town diner for fried chicken cordon bleu."
12 "American Cookin'"
"Dari-ette Drive-In (St. Paul, MN), Al's Breakfast (Minneapolis, MN), Rosie's Diner (Rockford, MI), The Russian River Pub (Forestville, CA) These places are time-tested and community driven. Guy enjoys some good ole American Cooking."
11 "Diners A-Plenty"
"Kelly's Diner (Somerville, MA), Bay Way Diner (Linden, NJ), Beacon Drive-In (Spartanburg, SC) Lobster rolls, Philly cheesesteaks, and a meal covered in French Frys. How can you go wrong?"
10 "Worth the Trip"
"Big Star Diner (Bainbridge Island, WA), Mo Gridders BBQ (Bronx, NY), Harold's Café (Gaffney, SC) Guy visits three places this week that, as the title states, are definitely worth the trip. Ribs in the Bronx, a choriso scramble with salmon hash in Washington state, and pinto beans fried in fatback in South Carolina"
9 "Retro"
"Southside Soda Shop and Diner (Goshen, IN), Byways Café (Portland, OR), Taylor's Automatic Refresher (St. Helena, CA) Guy goes back in time this week, to visit some of the top retro-style diners."
8 "House Specials"
"Red Arrow Diner (Manchester, NH), Voula's Offshore Café (Seattle, WA), Hank's Creekside Restaurant (Santa Rosa, CA) This week, Guy searches the country for the most unique house specials."
7 "Burgers"
"Triple X Restaurant (West Lafayette, IN), Hackney's (Glenview, IL), Squeeze Inn (Sacramento, CA) Guy takes to the road this week visiting classic burger joints across America."
6 "Local Legends"
"Eveready Diner (Hyde Park, NY), Leo's BBQ (Oklahoma City, OK), A1 Diner (Gardiner, ME) The emphasis of the show shifts slightly when Guy investigates the love and attention aimed at three culinary icons beloved by their clientele."
5 "BBQ"
"Louie Mueller BBQ (Taylor, TX), Baby Blues BBQ (Venice, CA), Barbecue King Drive-In (Charlotte, NC) Guy travels the country this week in search of the best barbecue in America."
4 "Breakfast"
"The Coffee Cup (Boulder City, NV), Frank's Diner (Kenosha, WI), Gaffey Street Diner (San Pedro, CA) Join Guy this week, as he focuses on the most important meal of the day, Breakfast. Dig into the "Garbage Plate" at a local hangout in Wisconsin, check out killer omelettes in a Nevada diner, and have a breakfast fit for The Duke in California."
3 "Blue Plate Special"
"The Penguin (Charlotte, NC), Patrick's Roadhouse (Santa Monica, CA), Frosted Mug (Alsip, IL) Guy goes coast to coast this week in search of some amazing specials: Fried pickles and homemade corn dogs in North Carolina; The secret to great Italian beef at a Chicago drive-in, and "The Governator's special" in an old hangout in LA."
2 "That's Italian"
"Four Kegs Sports Pub (Las Vegas, NV), Hullabaloo Diner (Wellborn, TX), Pizza Palace (Knoxville, TN) This week Guy sets out to find great Italian food in places that you would never expect: Pasta and meat sauce at a Tennessee drive-in; Italian sausage and peppers in a diner in Texas; and a Las Vegas bar that serves the best Stromboli that Guy has ever had."
1 "Classics"
"Mac & Ernie's (Tarpley, TX), Brint's Diner (Wichita, KS), Mad Greek's Diner (Baker, CA) Guy Fieri sets out this week to find a secret burger recipe in Tarpley, Texas; making a perfect over-easy egg in a Kansas diner; and a Mediterranean cuisine hot spot in the middle of nowhere between Los Angeles and Las Vegas."
Fight for First Excel Esports
Rich Holiday, Poor Holiday
90 Day Diaries
Love & Hip Hop: Secrets Unlocked
Lost Relics of the Knights Templar
Nazi War Machines: Secrets Uncovered
Cakealikes
Last Woman on Earth with Sara Pascoe
Trailer: Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
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Florence All Destinations
Explore Florence
All Florence Tours
Belly Dance Shows
Tango Dance Shows
Things to do in Florence
Uffizi Galleries (Gallerie degli Uffizi)
Florence Duomo (Cattedrale di Santa Maria dei Fiori)
Boboli Gardens (Giardino di Boboli)
Accademia Gallery (Galleria dell'Accademia)
San Lorenzo Market (Mercato di San Lorenzo)
Medici Family Sites in Florence
Romantic Things To Do in Florence
Don't-Miss Dishes in Florence
Florence on Vintage Wheels
How to Spend 2 Days in Florence
Where to Find the Best Views in Florence
Galileo's Florence
Top Florence Opera
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6 Florence Opera | All Florence Tours
Florence Dinner with Concert or Opera: authentic Italian Evening Experience
Soak up Florentine food and culture during a traditional dinner and concert experience. Settle into a charming restaurant in Florence's Oltrarno district and feast on a Tuscan meal, with your choice of an à la carte menu including traditional dishes or a set menu served with Chianti wine. After satiating your taste buds, head to St Mark’s Anglican Church for an opera performance or concert, and enjoy a reserved front-row seat.
The Three Tenors in Concert Nessun Dorma
Prebook your admission tickets to see the Three Tenors live in concert at Italy’s Auditorium of Santo Stefano al Ponte, and guarantee your preferred day and seating arrangement at the venue. Plus, you’ll enjoy a beautiful show of opera arias accompanied by a mandolin, cello, and grand piano by the famous trio.
Italian Opera in Santa Monaca Church with Dinner
Enjoy an elegant evening of Italian opera and Tuscan cuisine with this perfectly paired combo in the heart of Florence. Take the guesswork out of picking a restaurant and head to your reserved table at an authentic trattoria before the show. A short walk leads to the medieval Santa Monaca church, where ancient stones and rich acoustics set the scene for a performance of classic arias by Italy’s greatest composers.
New Year's Eve Opera Gala
Celebrate the start of the new year with an evening of famous Italian opera arias in a spectacular setting with a lyric concert in the 15th century "Santa Monaca" church in Florence. Listen to professional singers perform selections from "The Marriage of Figaro", "Tosca", "The Barber of Seville", "La Bohème", "La Traviata" amd Neapolitan song.
Opera Del Duomo Museum & Baptistery
Over 750 works, the greatest concentration of Florentine monumental sculpture in the world: statues and medieval and Renaissance reliefs in marble, bronze and silver of the greatest artists of the time. Masterpieces made for the exteriors and interiors of the Baptistery of San Giovanni, the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore and Giotto's Bell Tower. You will be astonished by the hall of Paradise where the original golden door by Ghiberti stands right in front of the medieval façade of the cathedral, entirely reconstructed in 1:1 scale; it is in this room that a young Michelangelo carved the DAVID on commission of the bishop. You will have the chance to be in front of the PIETA’ by Michelangelo, the sole masterpiece of sculpture made by the artist for himself: its memorial. Your guide will leave you at the Brunelleschi terrace, just in front of the CUPOLA, a perfect pick for your memory of Florence.
A Night At The Opera Saint Marks Florence
Treat yourself to a night of Italian opera in the historic setting of St. Mark’s Church, a former Medici Palace in the heart of Florence. Absorb the drama, music, and lavish costumes of classics like ‘La Traviata’ and ‘The Marriage of Figaro’ accompanied by a virtuoso pianist. Every seat gets you up close to action in this intimate venue, which boasts perfect acoustics worthy of Italy's finest composers.
What are the best Opera in Florence?
The best Opera in Florence according to Viator travelers are:
See all Opera in Florence on Viator.
What Opera in Florence are taking additional safety precautions?
These Florence experiences are providing additional COVID-19 safety measures:
More Tours in Florence
Attractions in Florence
Florence Santa Croce Basilica (Basilica di Santa Croce)
Galileo Museum (Museo Galileo)
San Miniato al Monte
Basilica of Santa Maria Novella (Basilica di Santa Maria Novella)
Palazzo Strozzi
Piazza di Santa Maria Novella
Auditorium Santo Stefano al Ponte Vecchio
Sant'Ambrogio Market (Mercato di Sant'Ambrogio)
Vasari Corridor (Corridoio Vasariano)
Bardini Gardens (Giardino Bardini)
Buontalenti Grotto (Grotta del Buontalenti)
Oltrarno
Basilica of Santa Maria Novella
Basilica of San Lorenzo (Basilica di San Lorenzo)
Florence Central Market (Mercato Centrale)
Leonardo da Vinci Museum (Museo Leonardiano di Vinci)
Florence American Cemetery and Memorial
Arno River
Things to do near Florence
Things to do in San Gimignano
Things to do in Siena
Things to do in Pisa
Things to do in Bologna
Things to do in Modena
Things to do in Ravenna
Things to do in Perugia
Things to do in Venice
Things to do in Rome
Things to do in Emilia-Romagna
Things to do in Umbria
Recommended for Florence
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Tag Archives: The Bootleg Series 1-3
Bob Dylan, Bob Dylans's best songs
Bob Dylan’s best songs: Angelina
March 26, 2018 Egil 13 Comments
Drammen, Norway – 1981
Well, it’s always been my nature to take chances
My right hand drawing back while my left hand advances
Where the current is strong and the monkey dances
To the tune of a concertina
~from “Angelina”
…. there were some real songs on this album that we recorded, a couple of really long songs, like there was one I did – do you remember Visions Of Johanna?…. Well, there was one like that. I’d never done anything like it before. It’s got that same kind of thing to it. It seems to be very sensitive and gentle on one level, then on another level the lyrics aren’t sensitive and gentle at all. We left that off the album.
~Bob Dylan (to Neil Spencer – July 1981)
How to comment on this extraordinary piece of writing? Recorded at the ‘Shot of Love’ sessions of April-May 1980, Angelina is unlike anything else Bob Dylan has ever written – part Cocteau film, part Braque painting, totally surreal, it defies logic and heads off for the deepest, darkest parts of poetic mystery. Though Dylan has never commented about the song in public, chances are that he’d confess that it was as much mystery to him as to anyone else.
~John Bauldie (TBS1-3 booklet)
@ number 80 on my list of Dylan’s 200 best songs.
Angelina is credited as being recorded on May 4, 1981 on “The Bootleg Series, Vol. 1-3”. According to “Krogsgaard” & “Olof’s – Still on the Road“, this is not true, as it were mixed on that day, but recorded March 26:
Continue reading Bob Dylan’s best songs: Angelina →
1981AngelinaBob DylanShot of LoveThe best songsThe Bootleg Series 1-3
Bob Dylan, Bob Dylans's best songs, The Best Songs
Bob Dylan: “When The Night Comes Falling From The Sky”
July 17, 2017 Egil 16 Comments
Composing it [When The Night Comes Falling From The Sky], yeah. Um… you know, it was bits and pieces of different places that went into writing that. Lines overheard here and there, you know, strung together over a long period of time, resulted in that particular piece.
~Bob Dylan (to Eliot Mintz – March 1991)
…Dylan sings wonderfully. The songs seems capable of kicking itself into even-higher gear, and as the band recognizes it, so does Dylan, who gets audibly more and more excited as the song progresses
~John Bauldie (about the TBS 1-3 version)
@ #113 on my list of Dylan’s 200 best songs.. and this is the “Bootleg Series 1-3” version…. the Empire Burlesque version is nowhere near my top 200…
This version was recorded @
The Power Station
Empire Burlesque recording session
The band included 2 “E-streeter’s”: Roy Bittan & Little “Stevie” Van Zandt..
Bob Dylan (guitar, vocal)
Roy Bittan (piano)
Robbie Shakespeare (bass)
Sly Dunbar (drums)
Queen Ester Marrow, Debra Byrd, Carolyn Dennis (backing vocals).
Steve van Zandt (guitar)
Continue reading Bob Dylan: “When The Night Comes Falling From The Sky” →
1985Bob DylanClinton HeylinJohn BauldieLittle Steven Van ZandtRobbie ShakespeareRoy BittanSly DunbarThe Bootleg Series 1-3When The Night Comes Falling From The Sky
March 23, 1989 Bob Dylan Recorded “Series of Dreams”
Dreams can tell us a lot about ourselves, if we can remember them. We can see what’s coming around the corner sometimes without actually going to the corner..
~Bob Dylan (to Bill Flanagan in 2009)
“Series of Dreams” is a major Dylan song and an important statement.
~Paul Williams (Bob Dylan: Performing Artist Volume 3: Mind Out Of Time 1986 And Beyond )
@ #62 on my list of Dylan’s 200 best songs. First recorded on March 23, 1989 during the recording sessions for Oh Mercy. It was overdubbed and first released in 1991 as the final song on “The Bootleg Series 1-3”. It is a great haunting song.. with fascinating lyrics.
1991 version:
Continue reading March 23, 1989 Bob Dylan Recorded “Series of Dreams” →
1989. 1991Bob DylanClinton HeylinCyril NevilleDaniel LanoisGlen FukunagaMason RuffnerOh MercyPaul WilliamsRoddy ColonnaSeries Of DreamsTell Tale SignsThe Bootleg Series 1-3
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Humber, Coast and Vale and Care Partnership secures £500,000 investment
The Humber, Coast and Vale Health and Care Partnership is one of just seven health and care partnerships in the country to secure £500,000 as part of a two-year national scheme aimed at helping the mental wellbeing of communities hardest hit by coronavirus.
The ‘green social prescribing’ project has been established by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, NHS England and NHS Improvement, and partner organisations to examine how health and care services, working with communities and local organisations, can connect more people with nature and nature-based activities to improve their mental health and wellbeing.
The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of being outdoors to people’s mental and physical health, as well as the inequality of access to green space. Social prescribing can provide much-needed support by connecting people to community groups and local initiatives for practical and emotional support and to improve their health and wellbeing.
Green social prescribing is about connecting people with nature and their local environments. This could include a wide range of activities, such as walking or cycling groups, gardening or community allotments, conservation tasks, such as tree planting, and creative activities.
Connecting with nature has a huge range of physical and mental health benefits. Evidence, including from Natural England, shows that the NHS could save more than £2billion in treatment costs if everyone in England had equal access to good quality green space.
Across the Humber, Coast and Vale region hundreds of local nature-based initiatives, community activities and eco-therapy projects are already working to improve lives and provide support by connecting people with nature and local green spaces. These projects help to support those who are least able to connect with nature, because of where they live, their income or other barriers they may face.
Securing the investment and a place on the national programme will enable partners to expand the offer to our communities and help more people to improve their mental health and wellbeing by getting out and exploring the amazing green spaces that the Humber, Coast and Vale region has to offer.
Andy Barber, Chief Executive, Smile Foundation and Social Prescribing Lead for the Humber, Coast and Vale VCSE Steering Group, said: “The Covid-19 pandemic has turned many lives upside down and has had a significant impact on many peoples’ mental health and wellbeing. It has also highlighted the close links between our own health and the environment around us and the benefits that getting outside and connecting with nature can have.
“I am delighted that we have been able to secure this extra funding and resources for our area. This will enable our local projects to support more people and ensure the NHS and other health and care services are better connected and aware of the fantastic work that voluntary and community sector organisations are already doing across our region.”
Professor Stephen Eames, Independent Chair and System Lead for the Humber, Coast and Vale Health and Care Partnership, said: “The voluntary, community and social enterprise sector is a vitally important part of our Partnership: they play a critical role in connecting with and supporting our communities. I am delighted that their leadership and collaboration has helped to secure this additional investment that will help improve the lives of people across our region. I am really excited to see the difference this project will make.”
© 2021 Active Humber
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Linda Baker
Susan Dwyer Associate Professor, Philosophy
Now Executive Director of Honors College and Professor at the University of Maryland, College Park
Penny Rheingans
Now Professor and Director at University of Maine -School of Computing and Information Science
Julia Ross
Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering
Now Paul and Dorothea Torgersen Dean of Engineering at Virginia Tech
Phyllis Robinson
Now Professor, Co-Chair of the ADVANCE Executive Committee, and Robert and Jane Meyerhoff Chair
Carolyn Seaman
Now Director of the Center for Women and Technology
Cohort II Background
In January 2007, a second leadership cohort was created to provide a new group of women with a similar experience as that of Leadership Cohort I. Leadership Cohort II is comprised of one full professor and five associate professors, including three department chairs. Two of the associate professors were promoted to full professor during academic year 2006-2007. Four of the women are from STEM departments and two are from non- STEM departments (Psychology and Philosophy).
Cohort II Goals
The goal of Cohort II has been to explore different leadership styles with an emphasis on using leadership to change existing departmental climates as well as to explore leadership roles in scientific research centers. Cohort II activities have included most of the activities pursued by Cohort I, but with an emphasis on non-administrative leadership.
Cohort II Activities
Work with a career coach for career mapping – the group spent several meetings exploring career mapping as well as identifying individual leadership traits.
Interviews with several UMBC campus leaders.
Biweekly meetings to discuss barriers and strategies to overcome barriers for career advancement. Participation in ADVANCE Leadership Development Conference for STEM women.
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Displaying items by tag: boat
Castleconnell Boat Club Reacts to Shannon Incident
Castleconnell Boat Club has released a statement regarding the capsize on the Shannon:
Early this morning (Thursday 4th February) Castleconnell Boat Club was informed that a number of individuals had entered the club grounds at World’s End at approximately 4am. The club was only recently accessible after weeks of total flooding, and much of the surrounding area had been under water, or damaged. Four men removed one of the club safety launches, which was without an engine, and put it on the water.
With flooding still an issue the water was very high, and the water extremely fast. We have been told that the men got into difficulty very quickly, and we believe they capsized nearby. Early news reports say that that emergency services spent several hours rescuing them and that they are being treated in Limerick Hospital.
Safety is always the top of CCBC agenda and the thoughts of anyone on such dangerous water especially at that time of night, and without means to propel the boat is frightening in the extreme. No members have been permitted on the water for over two months, due to safety concerns.
The dangers of water cannot be over emphasised and we commend the bravery and the professionalism of the Coast Guard, and the Emergency Services.
Our thoughts and best wishes are with the individuals and their families at this terrible time.
Yours in rowing,
Francis Moloney
Club President CCBC
Published in News Update
Castleconnell
Ireland's Invisible Boat Builders
#boatbuilders – In the good old days of bespoke boat-building, regular visits to the boatyard by the prospective owners were a sociable part of the process, regarded as normal and mutually instructive. And as most boats were built in waterfront premises beside slipways, or at the very least on a quayside, the first immersion was much more than just an informal splash from a convenient travel-hoist or a crane. On the contrary, it was the Launching Ceremony, a carefully choreographed festive event complete with the breaking of a bottle and sometimes even including the proper blessing of the new boat.
But nowadays, while such events can to some extent be staged, inevitably they have a certain artificiality. With transportation vehicles and roads improved out of all recognition, most production boats are now being built in factories at some distance from the sea - waterfront property is much too valuable to be used for basic industrial purposes.
As for seeing "your" boat being factory-built, you have to be up towards the top of the product range to be allowed that, and even then you mustn't bother the builders by talking to them. So the "launching" is simply a practical task carried out by professional marina staff with a minimum of fuss, for it has always been the case that when you just want to get on with a launching in a businesslike way, the last person you need around the place is the fretful owner.
Thus today's marine industry aspires to be the waterfront version of the car trade. Smooth, clean and impressive premises. Ready-to-go immaculate vehicles. And no hint at all of the need to get deep down and dirty in the building and maintenance of boats. But not every sailing and boat enthusiast is content with accepting such production-line techniques. W M Nixon takes a look at some of Ireland's invisible boat builders who cater for those owners who are different, and sometimes are doing it entirely for themselves. He also reveals the revolutionary Clontarf Contrivance, a Boon for Boatbuilders in classic style.
There are two Gods in the pantheon of Ireland's invisible boat-builders. One is Jimmy Furey, who creates exquisite classic clinker-built beauties to order in his tiny workshop in County Roscommon near the west shore of Lough Ree. And the other is Roy Dickson, who is incapable of sailing any boat without thinking of some way he'd like to improve it, and was a pioneer of the DIY dinghy-building movement in Ireland a very long time ago.
They're the Gods of our pantheon as both are now well into their eighties, and their influence has spread far beyond the shores of Ireland despite the fact that both are unassuming men who like nothing better than quietly getting on with the job.
But while Jimmy Furey is part of a long and distinguished Shannon tradition in that his innate talents emerged from working with his boat-builder brother Paddy, and are in turn being passed on to other master craftsmen such as Dougal MacMahon of Belmont on the western stretches of the Grand Canal, Roy Dickson is a complete one-off who is an inspiration to many, but you couldn't really say that there is a Roy Dickson School of Boat Re-Configuration.
Jimmy Furey quietly in action in his remote workshop in County Roscommon on the west shore of Lough Ree. Photo: Cathy McAleavey
The detail is a joy to behold. One of the transom knees in a Jimmy Furey Water Wag. Photo: Cathy McAleavey
The joy of Jimmy Furey's work is in the detail, so it's no surprise to learn that he turns his hand from time to time to being an award-winning model maker. But the beauty of his boats, whether they be Shannon One Designs or Water Wags, is of such a high order that you could say they're of international classic model boat standard while happening to be full size boats which can give a good account of themselves on the race course.
There is only so much work that any one man, however talented, can do, so it's encouraging to know that Dougal MacMahon is following the Furey way, his most recent job being restoration work with new planks and gunwhale, and re-installation of the centreplate casing, in Ian & Judith Malcolm's hundred-year-old Dublin Bay Water Wag in order for the boat to be fit to take part in next month's massive migration of the Wags to the big Morbihan festival in south Brittany. There, they will link up for the first time with the new French-built Water Wag, the product of Skol ar Mor which has been bought by Adam Winkelmann of Dun Laoghaire.
Dougal MacMahon of Belmont in County Offaly at the midway stage of this month's project to put a hundred-year-old Water Wag back into full health. Photo: Ian Malcolm
Having been looking at the new work on the Malcolms' Centenarian Barbara yesterday morning, rest assured that the Levinge/Furey style and quality is being upheld by Dougal MacMahon. Any good clinker-built racing boat will have a certain suppleness – indeed, it's said that one of the skinny Shannon One Designs will turn round and look at you when being driven to the utmost in a hard breeze. But with the Barbara, suppleness had deteriorated into sogginess. Yet less than two weeks of very concentrated work down in Belmont, with Dougal MacMahon as the master craftsman and Ian Malcolm as the gofer, has transformed the boat - there's new life in Barbara.
These days, Roy Dickson of Sutton is the doyen of boat building and modification through the use of modern materials. But as a recent celebratory lunch organized by his many shipmates past and present in Howth YC reminded us, in his astonishingly long career he did his duty and more by wood before bringing in various modern exotics. In fact, he started around 1950 with a Snipe called Bambi sailing out of the now defunct Kilbarrack SC on the north shore of Dublin Bay, whose demise began with its sailing waters inside the Bull Island being divided and made prone to silting by the construction of the fixed causeway across to the middle of the island.
Until that happened, KSC had a wonderful sheltered sailing area towards high water, as they'd a huge saltwater lake all the way to the Wooden Bridge. So they could get sailing even when conditions in Dublin Bay ruled out sailing at Sutton Dinghy Club itself. But soon enough, the young Roy Dickson had himself moved to Sutton, where he was Commodore in 1954, and he'd changed boats, building himself two Jack Holt-designed 16ft Yachting World Hornets – complete with International Canoe-style sliding seats for the crew - between 1954 and 1959, and racing them with success.
But as the best racing in Sutton was in the IDRA 14s, he built himself one of them in 1960, and then in 1961 he and Bunny Conn were in the forefront of the introduction of the Enterprise class, so that was his next command.
However, it wasn't until 1963 that all the Dickson stars came into alignment – the Fireball appeared. He was in there from the start – his first Fireball was No 38 – and with the class's flexible measurement system, the Dickson imperative for innovation had free range. And what he did was noticed by others. It's said that in his dozen or so years with the Fireballs, if some mod he made to his boat of the day proved beneficial, it would be done on every boat in Ireland within a week, and on every competitive boat in the world within a month.
As for Roy's sailing, he was competitive right up to world level, doing an early Fireball worlds in America with success with a youthful David Lovegrove, now President of the Irish Sailing Association, on the wire, with another Worlds in the Lebanon – God be with the days when you'd think of having a world sailing championship there – seeing one Bob Fisher as Roy's wireman.
Eventually, the Dickson campaigning moved into offshore racing with a succession of boats which, when combined with the possibilities provided by a variety of measurement rules, provided the artist with an enormous canvas to work with, and he was busy for decades. Most recently he has been best known for his stellar campaigns with the Corby 40 Cracklin Rosie and the Corby 36 Rosie, but we have to remember that by the time the boats left Roy's ownership, they were hugely different from the plans presented by John Corby.
The Corby 36 Rosie was the last boat to be campaigned offshore by Roy Dickson in a remarkable career which has included several Fastnets and Round Ireland races in addition to success in Cork, on the Irish Sea, and in the Clyde. He now races the Corby 25 Rosie in club events. Photo: Brian Mathews
Each winter, the boats would be trailed back to a special spot beside Roy's house, and unless you were in constant attendance you'd no idea of just how much tweaking and surgery was taking place. He brings his brilliant engineer's brain to the challenges of boat performance enhancement, and many are the specialists who experienced that special thrill of anticipation when they got a Monday morning phone call from Roy which simply opened with the statement: "I've got an idea".
For as sure as God made little apples, an utterly fascinating project would follow, and even if it involved hours of brutal hard work by volunteers – such as the shifting of the weight configuration in the keel-bulb on Cracklin Rosie – well, Roy is the kind of leader who inspires people to loyal service way over and above the call of duty.
These days at age 83, Roy's sailing wings are slightly trimmed as he campaigns his Corby 25 Rosie in club events, but the mark he made in sailing inevitably makes you wonder if there's any modern equivalent to the innovations of Roy Dickson in his prime, and your only conclusion can be that the modern version would have to be a marine industry professional. And at the sharp end of Irish sailing development, there's no doubt that Chris Allen of Bray is the man to go to if you want thinking and work way outside the normal box.
Yet though he works with completely state-of-the-art composites, Chris is in the finest tradition of the invisible boat-builder. Bray may be a seaside town, but his workshop is well away from the harbour, in fact it's alongside a rather pleasant little residential development in the heart of Bray beside the River Dargle. But the workshop itself is a decidedly basic and utilitarian sort of place where the space is shared with a car restorer, and as the car-fixer works with a giant oven while Chris works with a small one in order to achieve the temperatures their composites require to cure, the fact that the shed was freezing – and that on a sunny April day – was neither here nor there.
Graeme Grant and Chris Allen, the hidden boat-builders of Bray. Photo: W M Nixon
Chris's current project – on which he's working with Graeme Grant, Irish boat–building's favourite Scotsman – is building the very latest in the International Moths, complete with foils and a proven speed potential for normally competent dinghy sailors of thirty knots, while the sky's the limit speed-wise if you're a true ace.
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They've the tiny hulls and decks ready to go, but are being held up on completion by the late arrival of special components from various manufacturers. Meanwhile, they're busy with refining ever further the moulding of the struts which support the whole crazy caboodle of trampoline and rig and daggerplate and rudder and foil control, which means they're utterly absorbed in the sort of time-consuming task which would give any formal company financial controller the heeby jeebies.
The carbon hull of a Chris Allen Moth is exceptionally light........Photo: W M Nixon
.....and we mean REALLY light. Photo: W M Nixon
Chris Allen with moulds for the ultra-light struts for the International Moth. Photo: W M Nixon
But then Chris Allen's career path is scarcely along orthodox lines. He started his sailing on Lough Muckno in northeast Monaghan where his father – Dun Laoghaire sailor Hugh Allen, who had crewed with Alf Delany in the two-handed Swallow Class in the 1948 Olympics – had been posted as the Bank Manager in Castleblaney. Hugh Allen wasn't going to let the little dark hills of Monaghan end his sailing, so he built a Mirror and founded the White Island Sailing Club to race on the local lake, as he rightly reckoned that a Lough Muckno Yacht Club wouldn't quite do the business.
Subsequently he was posted to Moville in Donegal, and by this time he'd moved up to GP 14s, so we could argue that the current pre-eminence of Moville in Irish GP 14 racing goes right back to a former Olympic sailor being in the town. And it goes further than that, as the Allens' GP 14 was subsequently sold to a rising star in Dundalk sailing, one Pat Murphy......
Meanwhile, like many another young fellow, Chris Allen gave up sailing for ten years from the age of 18. He was into the music business, which isn't a sports-friendly way of life. But by the age of 28, sailing had hauled him back in again by way of Bray Sailing Club, and he was soon bring technical expertise to boats. Somehow or other, he ended up in New Zealand, and while his musical abilities were useful, his primary occupation was working with the innovative boatbuilder Cookson's, whose many successful creations have included Ireland's 2007 Fastnet Race winner Chieftain (Ger O'Rourke), a canting keel Farr 50.
For high tech boatbuilders, a spell working with Cookson's is the equivalent of a Harvard MBA for anyone who wants to rise in the corporate executive officer ladder. But back in Ireland, the corporate world is slightly more developed than the marine industry, and in hoping to use his skills honed in New Zealand, Chris Allen found he was building the hugely successful Velvet Glove for Colm Barrington in a shed in Enniskerry, and then when he came to build the arguably even more successful Ker 32 Voodoo Chile for Eamonn Crosbie, he'd found his current hidden premises in Bray.
The glassfibre Mermaid Dolly (right) was a lovely piece of work by Chris Allen, but in the end the class decided to stay with timber construction.
His enthusiasm remains undimmed, as too does his readiness to express firmly-held opinions on boat-building of all kinds. But his skill in his specialist area is unrivalled, and he can be as versatile as any boatbuilder. Thus he was the man to go to in the days when the SB3 – then in its first incarnation as the SB20 – was experiencing a certain amount of teething problems. But equally, when Roger Bannon wanted to experiment with a GRP version of the Mermaid, he quite rightly reckoned that Chris Allen was the man to go to, and the result was one of the sweetest clinker GRP boats you'll ever see, even if the class in its wisdom decided eventually to stick doggedly with wood.
As we were in Bray, there'd been a hope of going on to see the two new Bray Droleens as they near completion, but in this case the invisible boat-building remained utterly invisible. The project is currently on hold while the workshop undergoes a renovation project, and the pair of little boats are temporarily in store in a shed whose key-keeper happened to be in the other end of County Wicklow. But nevertheless it's good to know that Anthony Finnegan and his team have continued the fine work started by the late Frank de Groot, and congratulations to Jim Horgan of Furbo on the south Galway coast, whose re-creation of a Droleen was recently awarded one of the Classic Boat Trophies in London.
Jim Horgan sailing his award-winning Bray Droleen in Connemara
It was far from the world of classic boats that the next item on our North Wicklow agenda lay, as we were working on the ancient Chinese principle that seeing something once is worth hearing about it a hundred times, and we were determined to see for ourselves if the new multi-functional maritime clubhouse really is being built beside the re-developed harbour and marina in Greystones.
So, having been immersed for the morning in the hidden marine industry, that afternoon we had the modern marine industry in its most visible form. For although the new clubhouse is as yet barely above ground, it is definitely being built. And nearby at the marina, James Kirwan and the team in BJ Marine were in hospitable form on a perfect sunny day with a steady stream of seriously interested visitors coming to see fully finished yachts in showroom condition. It was like a different planet, and we much enjoyed a conducted tour of a spanking new Oceanis 38 which has been prepared and laid out for a Dun Laoghaire owner who is quite clear in his own mind that he only intends to use the boat for day-sailing and hospitality purposes.
The way we live now.....James Kirwan of BJ Marine with a new ready-to-go Oceanis 38 in Greystones Marina. Photo: W M Nixon
Believe me, with the sun shining down and James Kirwan enthusing about the success of the new BJ Marine linkup to the Snowdonia Riviera on Tremadoc Bay with their latest office in Pwllheli in North Wales, you could be very easily seduced into availing of all the ready accessibility of today's front-line marine industry if you just happen to have the magic ingredient of enough money. But for most of us still spluttering our way out of the deluge which was the recession, it's a matter of making do as best we can.
And for others, the shiny new boats are not the way to go at all. On the contrary, they want to experience traditional hands-on lovingly crafted boat-building for personal fulfillment as much as having a boat at the end of it, and out the back of Clontarf Yacht & Boat Club there's a kind of Men's Shed operation convened by Ronan Melling which has been building a classic IDRA 14 for quite some time now, but the results show that they're willing to learn, and nothing is too much trouble to achieve perfection.
And now the tricky bit.....a spot of concentrated thinking under way last November as the Clontarf team grapple with the challenge of steaming and installing the frames in their new IDRA 14. Photo: W M Nixon
It's also the very essence of the invisible boat-building spirit, as they're only in action on specific nights for work spells of set duration. But on a first visit last November when you could already see that the planking work was of the highest quality, they'd got to the crucial stage of putting in the first steamed frame, which with all the hassle of keeping a steamer up to heat, is quite a step for an amateur team.
But they persevered despite having problems with several types of steam boxes, and then somebody had the wonderful idea for the Clontarf Contrivance. Somehow they made the leap from thinking how steaming a frame is a matter of keeping up pressure to the notion that a bicycle tyre is also a matter of keeping up pressure. The inner tube from a bicycle tyre, with a bit of another inner tube added for the required length, will neatly accommodate the complete frame for an IDRA 14. All you need to do is put the steam into it under the optimum amount of pressure. It has worked, for as the most recent photos show, the task so tentatively begun last November is now complete with as neat a framing jib as you could hope for.
As neat a job as you could wish. The new IDRA 14 with the frames in place.
The secret weapon. We all know what a bicyle inner tube looks like, but have you ever thought of it as the Clontarf Contrivance for steaming frames for clinker-built boats?
The spirit of doing it for yourself is if anything even stronger along Ireland's western seaboard, and back in SailSat for the 29th March 2014 we featured – among many other boats – the Atkins schooner which the great Jarlath Cunnane was building for himself in Mayo in anticipation of the eventual sale of his Arctic Circle-girdling Northabout.
Well, Northabout has now been sold and will be going to the Antarctic as an expedition boat, but meanwhile last Autumn I grabbed a quick photo of the new schooner finally out of the building shed (which for once actually is a waterside shed), and we look forward to seeing her afloat and in action.
Shaping up nicely. Jarlath Cunnnane's new alloy-built schooner. Photo: W M Nixon
Far to the south along the Atlantic seaboard, and up the winding Ilen River above Baltimore you'll find Oldcourt and the Old Corn Store where the restoration of the Conor O'Brien ketch Ilen is moving steadily along. But as the Ilen project is ultimately Limerick based, the fine premises in Limerick where Gary MacMahon and his team built both the traditional gandelows and the CityOne dinghies provides an excellent workshop for building the more detailed parts of Ilen, and this week Gary circulated a photo of the deckhouse which will go above the engine room, and very well it looks too.
Ilen's new engine room deckhouse, workshop-built in Limerick. Photo: Gary MacMahon
For in winter, there is nothing more conducive to getting jobs completed than having adequate resources and a clean and comfortable workshop where you've a bit of space to go about the project, which so often is not the case for Ireland's hidden boat-builders.
But they do things differently in other places. Back in SailSat of February 7th this year, we ran a piece which included news about a restoration project which is under way with a specialist company in Palma in Mallorca, giving new life to the 37ft Fife-designed Belfast Lough One Design Tern of 1897 vintage. We published a photo of Tern as she was in July 2014, striped off and ready for the work. On Thursday, I received two photos of Tern being launched on Wednesday after nine months work. Just to show what has been achieved, we start with that photo of Tern in July 2014. Further comment is superfluous.
Tern as she was in July 2014.
Tern as she was last Wednesday, test launching in Palma.
Work of the ultimate quality. Tern's new bronze deck fittings are probably worth more than the boat herself was when she was built to a fairly basic specification by John Hilditch of Carrickfergus in 1897.
Published in W M Nixon
W M Nixon
Baltimore Harbour Landing Pontoon & Gangway to Aid Boating Visitors & Aquatic tourism
#baltimore – First pictures from Baltimore Sea Safari marine company show the West Cork village's smart new central pontoon and gangway being put in place in the inner harbour. The new Baltimore harbour facility will be beneficial as a landing place for visiting boats.
And it's sure to be useful to the Optimist dinghy class when 160 gather at Baltimore Sailing Club for the mid–term school break next week.
More on the sailing and boating wonders of West Cork in WM Nixon's blog here.
Published in Coastal Notes
Baltimore Sailing Club
Wales Boat Show Moves to Pwllheli in 2015
#pwllheli – Wales' biggest boat show moves to Pwllheli in 2015 - Wales' deputy tourism minister welcomes news of show's return
A boating and watersports show will return to North Wales next year thanks to growing interest in the event, it was announced today.
The All Wales Boat Show 2015 will take place in Pwllheli as one of the first events at Plas Heli, the new Welsh National Sailing Academy and Events Centre.
It follows two highly successful years in Conwy where it gained considerable interest from the marine and tourism sectors and attracted thousands of visitors over several days.
Organisers believe the All Wales Boat Show plugs a hole in the market and helps highlight the huge potential in Wales, where the marine leisure industry still only accounts for 2.4% of the UK as a whole, according to the British Marine Federation (BMF).
Ken Skates, Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism welcomed the news. He said: "Building on the previous successes of this event, I am delighted that Pwllheli will be hosting the 2015 All Wales Boat Show. It is a wonderful opportunity to showcase Plas Heli, the town's £8.3m sailing academy and events centre.
"The marine leisure industry in Wales is a major player in terms of economic development and the Welsh Government is determined to see the marine leisure industry grow and endeavour to ensure that coastal communities will benefit from this expanding market."
The 2015 All Wales Boat Show will take place from Friday May 8th to Sunday 10th May.
Davina Carey-Evans, Managing Director of Wales Watersports International which operates the All Wales Boat Show, said opportunities were now open for sponsors, exhibitors and supporters.
Those already onboard include marine specialists GJW Insurance, Royal Yachting Association (RYA) Wales/Cymru, and marine law experts Hill Dickinson.
Davina said the show was indebted to Conwy and Deganwy Quay marinas for establishing the spectacle as an annual event.
"We have enjoyed two great years in Conwy but such was the success of this year's event we simply need more space for 2015," she said.
"Pwllheli offers this but keeps the event in Wales, close to some of this country's best coastline and inland waters, and to local economies which this sector supports.
2015 will be a big year for Pwllheli and the Llyn Peninsula with the opening of Plas Heli, the new Welsh National Sailing Academy and Events Centre, which has received an £8.3 million investment from the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government and Gwynedd Council.
Davina added: "Wales has a spectacular, scenic coastline of natural beauty with many safe anchorages, harbours and marinas. The capacity for growth is recognised and if nurtured sensitively will provide excellent potential to stimulate the economies of coastal communities.
"We believe the show can be a big success, and put down a real marker for the huge potential of the marine sector in Wales and the positive impact it can have on our economy as a whole."
The All Wales Boat Show is designed to appeal to local, regional and international visitors.
In 2014 thousands flocked to the three-day event at Conwy Quay marina, which featured luxury yachts through to power boats, coracles and even bath tubs.
Boats were on show from Fairline Wales, Hanse, Jeanneau, Beneteaeu, Robalo, Chapparal, Quicksilver, Sunseeker and Bayliner, plus over 100 used vessels. The first boat was sold within minutes of the event opening its doors to the public.
According to the BMF, the marine leisure sector supported 7,600 full time-equivalent jobs in Wales in 2013.
With events such as the All Wales Boat Show, developments such as Plas Heli and marina expansions, these numbers are set to increase.
In addition to the All Wales Boat Show website at www.allwalesboatshow.com a new site, www.waleswatersports.com has been launched by the show organisers to act as a major portal for the marine and watersports sector in Wales.
Classic Boats Kept Going By High Fashion – With Literary Studies Thrown In
#classicboat – In the summer of 2014, the RNLI in Crosshaven received an unexpected cheque from an unusual source. As ever with lifeboat fund-raising, it was very welcome. But it's not every day you get €1500 out of the blue from a high fashion magazine like Vogue Netherlands. W M Nixon unravels the tale of how this came about, and ponders the various challenges facing the enthusiasts who try to keep classic boats in full sailing commission.
Once upon a time, on a pure early summer day of clear sunshine in Connemara, the demands of the day job caused us to head up the driveway of one of the pleasantest country house hotels in all Connacht. But the bright mood of the morning was soon dispelled by finding the place full of bad tempered if beautiful people from Italy.
It turned out they were the complete creative team – photographers, models, directors, editors and all – from a leading Milan fashion magazine. They were in Ireland for a long-planned and lengthy photo-shoot of the coming season's trendy tweeds. They'd reckoned the Irish climate would guarantee they'd be up to their ears in ideal conditions to provide moody shots of even moodier models in ultra-fashionable tweeds on an extraordinarily moody bog with unbelievably moody Irish mountains beyond, the whole thing recorded under an uber-moody grey Irish sky.
But for day after day, the sun had shone from a cloudless sky, the breezes blew only very gently from a blue Atlantic, the fabulous range of the Twelve Bens could quite reasonably have been re-named the Twelve Benigns, while the great swathes of bog glowed in friendliness in the sun. Moodiness was out. All was sweetness and light. And the forecast was for more to come.
So after another day of screaming frustration, they upped and left, screeching that they could find more suitable conditions back home, just down the road in the Valley of the Po. Doubtless they could. But back in Connemara everyone simply relaxed and enjoyed it, for the Italians' bill had been paid in full, they maybe could even re-let some of the rooms in the hotel in the few days remaining of the booking, and sure wasn't the weather just wonderful anyway, and had we ever seen the garden looking so well?
If you think fashion people are out on a limb in relation to the rest of us, take time to reflect that for most of humanity, boat people are odd too. Even with the newest craft, we still think of them as living beings, whereas the rest of the world thinks that, regardless of their age, they're no more than vehicles, and uncomfortable, awkward, dangerous and expensive vehicles at that.
Roundstone in Connemara on a gentle day with a sublime view towards the Twelve Bens in the evening sunshine – totally unsuitable conditions for a mood-laden fashion shoot. Photo: W M Nixon
So when you get some sailing person whose pulse is quickened only by classic or traditional boats – anything unusual so long as it is full of character, and preferably old - then you get someone who scores a double negative with the ordinary run of boat-loathing humanity.
And though high fashion may be comprehensible to a larger proportion of mankind than is enthusiasm for old boats, nevertheless it too is still a rather peculiar or at least very specialist interest with which to dominate one's life.
Thus it's just possible that when high fashion and dedicated classic boat fans link up, an unexpected bond can be formed. Certainly it seems to have happened when Vogue Netherlands got together in Crosshaven during the summer for a photo-shoot with Darryl Hughes' superbly-restored 1937 Tyrrell-built 43ft ketch Maybird.
And the successful outcome of it all, with a useful cheque being presented to Crosshaven RNLI afterwards, was a reminder that while boat restoration projects can indeed be brought to a successful conclusion, once the job is done, you then have to move on to the next stage of finding imaginative and useful things for the boat to do, as there's nothing worse for the wellbeing of any boat than doing nothing.
After two good day's work afloat out of Crosshaven, a cheque for €1500 is handed over by Zoe Rosielle of Vogue Netherlands to Patsy Fegan, RNLI Deputy Launch Officer Crosshaven, with Shore Crewmember Robbie O'Riordan in support. Also in the picture are the rest of the Vogue Netherlands team, with three of Maybird's crew – Pat Barrett, Marie Keohane, and Darryl Hughes – top left, while fourth crewmember Joeleen Cronin took this photo
The story of Maybird has been told in snippets here before. She's a very near sister of the 16-ton ketch Aideen which was built by Jack Tyrrell of Arklow in 1934 for Billy Mooney, who in those days was Howth-based, but he later became a leading figure in Dun Laoghaire. Aideen was built to a Fred Shepherd design, but it's said that Shepherd had only been brought in to put manners on numerous very detailed drawings by Billy Mooney himself, including the layout – unusual at the time - of a centre cockpit.
Very conservatively rigged as a gaff ketch, Aideen was no slouch – she won her class in the 1947 Fastnet Race. Soon after, she was sold to Canada, where she was last heard of in 1974. Mooney claimed he'd to sell her because he could no longer afford to buy his crew dinner every time they won a race, and they were winning too often. That was a very Billy Mooney kind of remark, but certainly he almost immediately down-sized to the excellent little 6-ton John Kearney Bermudan yawl Evora of 1936 vintage, and with her he continued winning offshore until, with his retirement from work, he also swallowed the deep sea anchor and took up Dragon racing in Dublin Bay.
Meanwhile, during the mid 1930s an admirer of Aideen had been a keen sailing man originally from Cork, one W C W Hawkes, an officer in the Indian Army who commissioned Maybird, a near sister-ship of Aideen, from the Fred Shepherd-Jack Tyrrell team in 1937. Hawkes retired from India in the late 1930s to live in Restronguet on Falmouth Harbour in southwest England, but he was to have little enough use of Maybird with the intervention of World War II from 1939 to 1945, and his death in the late 1940s.
The first-born. Billy Mooney's Aideen was built by Tyrrell's of Arklow in 1934. Her younger sister Maybird, built in 1937, had a slightly longer canoe stern. Maybird's modern accommodation layout is also different, with the galley moved aft to the starboard side at the foot of the companionway
Maybird under her Bermudan rig in the late 1950s. Her restoration has included this rig's replacement by the original gaff configuration for the mainsail.
Subsequently, the 43ft ketch led a varied career, acquiring a Bermudan rig and an RORC rating for racing, and then in 1972 she was sailed out to New Zealand. Darryl Hughes came upon her there in 1990, and was smitten. Quite why some boats speak so eloquently to some people at certain times is sometimes difficult enough to understand, but the great project he has since completed with Maybird suggests that in this case it was the one very special boat for one very special person, and at just the right time.
He comes from a community in North Wales where there was no local tradition of industry or high-powered commerce, yet education at the local grammar school and a degree from Manchester University saw him moving into international companies, and by his thirties he was a rising star in general management in global organisations with a later emphasis on marine electronics.
This in turn fostered his interest in sailing, and he was learning the ropes with his own Nicholson 32 when a working spell in New Zealand led to his first sight of Maybird in the Bay of Islands. By 2007, with an early and well-funded retirement beckoning, he had her shipped back to England with a restoration in mind.
But the quotes he had for the job from established yards were horrendous, so he decided to do it himself as his own Project Manager. Sensibly, it was done in the heart of the English marine industry, where he could call on a diversity of talents to make progress with this project, which was soon well under way in Southampton in a temporary shed he'd created with tarps over a proper scaffolding structure.
The owner-managed restoration project on Maybird under way in the temporary shed in Southampton. Photo: Darryl Hughes
Mission accomplished – the restored Maybird emerges from the project workshop. Photo: Darryl Hughes
His long experience in international industry stood well to him, for the work went steadily ahead, and after two years the restored Maybird emerged as good as new, in fact better. And the project was completed for around a quarter of a million pounds sterling, about half of the most reasonable quote he'd received from the established yacht restoration yards.
For many people, such a restoration would be enough in itself, but Darryl Hughes showed his calibre by progressing on to keep Maybird as active as possible. She was raced in the classics in the 2011 Fastnet, and finished in a slightly better time than that recorded by Aideen in 1947. As well, she has been cruising extensively, sometimes on a semi-commercial charter basis, while also taking part in classic yacht regattas.
When it all becomes worthwhile. The restored Maybird sails again, re-rigged as a gaff ketch to the original design.......
.....and she turns in an encouraging performance, with a better time in the Fastnet Race of 2011 than Aideen had in the Fastnet of 1947.
An underlying theme has been his growing interest in Ireland and things Irish, thus he has based the boat for lengthy periods in Crosshaven while researching the history of the Hawkes family in Cork and in Cork Harbour sailing. But as well he has extensively cruised the Irish coast, and with his developing interest in literature he has twice taken a full part in the Yeats Summer School in Sligo in late July. The new pontoon just below the bridge in Sligo port might have been installed for Maybird's convenience, but Darryl Hughes is still the only person who is known to have sailed to the Yeats School as a matter of course.
In 2011, Maybird returns to her birthplace of Arklow, where she was built in 1937. Photo: W M Nixon
Immaculate workmanship. The beautiful restoration of Maybird's deck and coachroof, seen in Arklow in 2011, contrasts with the rough and ready beer keg pressed into use to aid boarding. Photo: W M Nixon
Currently, Maybird is based in friendly Poolbeg Marina in Dublin Port, and her owner has spread his wings even further with a course of study in Trinity College, while living on the boat and pondering the production of the required 15,000-word dissertation on Irish writing. Last winter, however, was spent in the congenial surroundings of the Salve Marina in Crosshaven, and thanks to that there was the involvement with Vogue Netherlands – we let Darryl take up the story:
"Vogue Netherlands wanted to organise a fashion shoot in SW Ireland, and their location scout came across Maybird wintering at Crosshaven in Cork harbour back in February 2014. I agreed that they could use her as long as they made a contribution to the Crosshaven RNLI station, and the shoot took place in early June over two days.
The entire Vogue contingent consisted of eight people - three models, photographer, photographer's assistant, make-up/hair stylist, wardrobe assistant and overall fashion director, together with three huge suitcases of clothes for the models plus extra camera gear, lenses etc etc. To sail Maybird we had a crew of three plus myself, the other sailors being Pat Barrett, Marie Keohane, and Joeleen Cronin, the daughter of the house in Cronin's pub. As you can imagine, my major concern was the safety of all aboard as the majority were not sailors.
We met the day before onboard and worked out that Maybird's aft cabin would do as the changing area for the models and the huge suitcases were manhandled down the companionway and through the galley. The aft cabin was then transformed into a Vogue changing room/hairdresser's salon. The plethora of laptops, lenses and spare cameras plus the film banks – yes, film, not all that digital malarkey I'm pleased to say- were stowed in the saloon. The saloon became the studio, but we had access to all of Maybird's chart table and instruments if required. Fortunately, all of the chart-table electronics are duplicated in the doghouse, which also has the 15" plotter screen.
The aft cabin, luxurious by the standards of 1937, made for a rather cramped changing room/hairdressers salon during the Vogue Netherlands photoshoot. Photo: W M Nixon
The galley and the chart-table together amidships at the foot of the companionway may seem a tight fit to modern sailors, but it would have seemed the height of comfort to cruising folk in the 1930s. Photo: W M Nixon
Once the stowage was sorted, we agreed that unless people were required on deck they stayed below. Everybody wore life-jackets and the only people that were allowed to take them off were the three models when the camera was rolling. Once the camera was silent the models donned their life-jackets again. We had a support RIB so that the cameraman could take pictures of Maybird sailing, so to an extent we had our own lifeboat with us, but my job was to keep all twelve "crew" on board.
We were blessed with gentle sailing conditions for the first day - wind max F3. The director wanted all Maybird's sails hoisted, and so we agreed set courses to sail. The crew set Maybird up, we chose courses that we could hold for as long a time as depth/traffic/hazards allowed, and then the photographer got to work with the models. We had an excellent rapport with the photographer, who understood that the skipper has the final say, and would stop shooting when we made the call "30 seconds to tack". Each of our legs or boards had to be agreed with the photographer in terms of where the sun was, the effect of shadows, background etc..
One of the models was starting to experience the early stages of sea-sickness as we approached the harbour entrance abeam of Roche's Point lighthouse, so we headed back inshore. Recovery was more or less instantaneous when back in flattish water.
Given the largely clement conditions we were out for some seven hours on the first day. But Day 2 was different. Wind was up to F5 gusting F6 and the sky overcast. The sea state was no longer smooth but more moderate to lumpy. I agreed with the director that we would go out, but we would not put up the mainsail - we would sail with jib, staysail and mizzen. I just wanted to keep things as simple as possible from a sail-handling viewpoint.
The cameraman wore his safety harness as well as his lifejacket as he was leaning over the bowsprit and over guardrails to take many of the shots that day, so I made sure he was clipped on. We agreed the models would not lean over the guardrails or do any poses that could lead to them falling off the boat. For this day, we were only on the water for some three hours.
Interestingly, the only pictures from Day 2 used were a black and white one with the female model standing on the foredeck. The sky really was nasty. No Photoshopping used there!
Despite Maybird's complexity in terms of numbers of sails and ropes, as she has a long keel she will sail on her own and hold her course when the sails are balanced so it was easy for her sailing crew to set her up and then crouch down out of the cameras way whilst the models did their stuff.
Both the photographer and his assistant were sailors back in the Netherlands, so that helped a great deal. The Maybird crew of four for one day, three on the other, really kept an eagle eye on the Vogue crew in terms of safety - that was the challenge, not sailing the boat. We tacked rather than gybed and as I say, when the wind did pick up, we sailed without the main - one of the great advantages of the ketch rig.
We managed to stay out of trouble, so our only dealings with the Crosshaven RNLI was to hand over a cheque to them".
That was only part of the good work done by Maybird in 2014. She was signed on to play a key role in an Irish Coastguard exercise in Dungarvan Bay later in the summer. Then once again the skipper's participation in the Yeats Summer School in Sligo resulted in a round Ireland cruise, with bits of Scotland thrown into the mix. And now she's a study centre in Dublin, helping to absorb the multi-facetted culture of our unique city. Truly, a busy ship is a happy ship.
Maybird as seen from the S&R helicopter during an exercise in Dungarvan Bay. Photo courtesy Irish Coastguard.
Sailing on Saturday
Are you Towing your Boat with the Correct Driving Licence?
#towing – Laws about towing boats and trailers in Ireland has been considered a bit of a grey area by some sailors who hope for the best every time they hitch up but now the Road Safety Authority has announced that a person who held a full driving licence for a car before 13 November 1989 and who did not then avail of the car and trailer licence option may now do so.
A car licence allows you tow up to 750kgs but if you tow a bigger weight without the correct licence you could be driving uninsured.
To establish whether a driver is entitled to apply for the car and trailer licence the Road Safety Authority (RSA) must be satisfied that the driver held the car licence before 13 November 1989 and this initial assessment is being carried out by the RSA. You must have been born before 13 November 1972 and have held a full driving licence for a car before 13 November 1989 in order to apply.
A person who believes that s/he is now entitled to the car and trailer licence should now take the following steps-
Complete an Initial Assessment Form.
Once completed, you can return the form to the Road Safety Authority, Ballina, Co. Mayo.
The RSA will carry out its assessment and advise you of the outcome. If the initial assessment is positive you must then formally apply for the licence. Any person who wishes to be considered must complete the Initial Assessment Form here and return it to the RSA by Friday 8 November 2013.
Published in Marine Warning
Boatyard Bliss, Where Owners Can Work On Their Craft
#boatyards – The interface between sea and land is infinite in its variety, and attractive to modern man as somewhere interesting to live. So if you set up a little coastal boatyard almost anywhere, very soon you'll be told that the property would be much more valuable if it was re-developed for residential use. Thus in Dublin, while we're more than happy to go along with the ancient north-south Liffey divide (Vikings to the north, Normans to the south, and the Irish somewhere out in Kildare), the reality is that in terms of property values, the divide is east-west, though admittedly with added north-south undertones.
This is fine and dandy for real estate theorists and the happy owners of desirable property near the coast. But with layup time and winterising schedules upon us, it makes life increasingly difficult for the dwindling band of boat owners who try to do their own boat maintenance and modification, and may even have built their boat from scratch in the first place, or at least from a bare hull.
Such people – and I'm one of them – operate in a different world. We amateurs working on boats, we barely qualify as a genuine economic activity. Our wives (very few of whom get directly involved) quite rightly dismiss it all as foostering. As for the rest of the community, we amateur bodgers are an embarrassment. We're out of sync with the new reality. These days, we live in an increasingly specialised society, where the preferred location for boat-building is in a purpose-built factory many miles inland where the land is cheaper, while waterfront servicing and repairs are swiftly executed in state-of-the-art units, where throughput has to be rapid and efficient.
Delays are anathema to people running these successful waterfront businesses. But delays and leisurely contemplation are essential for the DIY boat bodger, as he may eventually think of a much better way of coping with a problem which would have been dismissed as intractable by the professional, whose solution would have been the complete replacement of the troublesome item, and probably the complete replacement of the entire boat, all done before close of business that day.
The boat bodger doesn't think in terms of days, let alone close of business. All he needs is all the time in the world, and his own little space. In most modern coastal communities, neither is available. So we wax nostalgic about traditional yards where the boats came up a slip (at least a day's work in itself), and the work schedule stretched gently into the infinite beyond.
Every so often we still come across such places, and if we're on other business in the area, I am expressly forbidden from going near these paradises for boat nuts, as they're very heaven, and I'd be lost for the rest of the day But you won't find any in Dublin, where boat life now is all travel hoists and cranes and strictly scheduled throughput, while people think a slip is something that happens on a banana skin. However, if you get way from the big urban centres, there's more chance of finding yards which somehow retain enough of the traditional mood to relax the stressed boat owner, while at the same time embracing enough of the present to stay in business. And they're filled with boats which are themselves a living history of yacht design.
Perhaps the most remarkable boatyard place in Ireland is around Oldcourt in West Cork, where the Ilen River comes conveniently near the road as it meanders on its way down from Skibbereen to Baltimore. Several marine-related businesses seem to overlap here, there are boats of all shapes and sizes, and there are certainly some craft for which this is the final port of call. But as Spring arrives, somehow the numbers ashore get less, the number of emptied cradles increases, and despite the unhurried atmosphere, a lot gets done.
Oldcourt achievement. The Cill Airne restaurant ship in Dublin was successfully converted for her new function at Oldcourt on the River Ilen in West Cork. Photo: W M Nixon
A remarkable Oldcourt achievement was the conversion of the Cill Airne, the restaurant ship now berthed in the heart of Dublin. Originally, she was Cork Harbour's tender to take passengers out from Cobh to great liners, and then she was a training ship for the marine academy. Her active seagoing career finished, she still had plenty of life in her for a new existence as a restaurant boat, but a conversion job in an orthodox dockyard would have been prohibitively expensive. Somehow they managed to get her up the river and alongside at Oldcourt, and once there, were able to take their time for a very fine job. In all, 132 different tradesmen, recruited mostly in West Cork, worked on the Cill Airne in the Ilen River. This past summer, when she was the focal point for the Riverfest during the Old Gaffers Golden Jubilee visit to Dublin, the boat-bodging gaffers were completely charmed to learn that this fine conversion had been done at an old-fashioned boatyard, just like the kind of place they dream of locating their own boats, if only they could find it in their area.
The heart and soul of Oldcourt, the warm spirit of the place, is embodied by the continuing restoration of the Ilen, the Conor O'Brien ketch which Gary MacMahon brought home from the Falklands quite a few years ago now. Her gentle restoration is an end in itself, and a balm for the soul. Love of wood is inherent in most of us, as an affinity for wood and an instinct to do something useful with it was a key survival mechanism at an important stage of human evolution. So it is still part of our makeup, and the Ilen restoration shed is a place of healing and mental comfort.
Sweet work. The restoration of Ilen has been a reassuring feature of life in Oldcourt for some time. Photo: W M Nixon
An early stage of the Ilen's restoration. Photo: W M Nixon
Up in the northeast of Ireland, hidden away behind the islands along the west side of Strangford Lough, is Billy Smyth's boatyard at Whiterock. If you were a film producer and requested your location scouts to find the classic traditional small boatyard to make a movie about sailing in times past, they would become ecstatic about Billy Smyth's. It's very basic yet remarkably efficient, while the quality of the work done by Kenny Smyth and his team is first class. And inevitably, there's the usual small quota of boats whose owners don't seem to want them launched now and again, and some from one year to the next. For some time, I'd been trying to trace a John B Kearney-designed 1936-built 6-ton yawl, the Rosalind, which had last been reported in the Poole area in the south of England many years ago. She'd gone under the radar, but she turned up this past summer in Billy Smyth's, where she has been under a cover for years in a corner of the yard, her owner's intention unfathomable.
Just another boat under a cover in the corner of a boatyard...Photo: W M Nixon
....but as the cover was hauled back......Photo: W M Nixon
.....the 1936 John B Kearney 6-tonner Rosalind was revealed. Photo: W M Nixon
You may well think that it's only in Ireland that you can still find these gems of living boatyard history, but in the summer we were at the head of the Helford River in Cornwall, and found ourselves in the midst of the easygoing maritime mayhem which is Gweek.
At the head of the Helford River estuary in Cornwall, Gweek Quay is a place of promise and fascination. Photo W M Nixon.
Gweek is renowned as the birthplace of several Luke Powell pilot cutters. This is the Agnes, built in 2002 and based on a Scillonian pilot cutter of 1841. Photo: W M Nixon
In recent years, Gweek has been best known as the place where Luke Powell built his renowned Pilot Cutters, whose lines are unchanged from the mid-19th Century. But there's much more to Gweek than that. If your perception of England is of an over-regulated place where nothing much can happen without some peak-capped official's say-so, Gweek is an eye opener. Basically it's a creekhead boatyard, where the yard is filled with an astonishing variety of craft, many of them character boats, and some of which haven't been launched for a very long time.
Serious work. GRP gigs emerge from the moulding shop at Gweek. Photo: W M Nixon
There's an unmistakable air of amiable anarchy, yet with underlying purpose. Some sheds were busy while we were there, finishing GRP double-ended gigs. Nearby was a large pop-up tent of a boatshed, and a looksee inside revealed it held the famous classic offshore yawl Lutine, restored recently at Gweek and taking a season off from seafaring. And all around another part of the creek, there were the houseboats.
A pop-up boatshed invited a look inside.....Photo: W M Nixon
...and we weren't disappointed. It was the classic offshore racing yawl Lutine. Photo: W M Nixon
At Gweek, classic yachts share space with more humble craft....Photo: W M Nixon
....and the owners are determined to have domestic comfort while in port. Photo: W M Nixon
Clearly, the houseboats, both in their location and appearance, are subject to no planning requirements whatever. Ancient hulls had their upperworks extended in stratospheric style. What looked like a former River Thames lighter in beside the trees had a three storey structure atop it like a Missisippi riverboat. And yet they weren't the last resort of people desperate for somewhere to live. Judging by the cars parked about the place, living in houseboats – however odd - was a lifestyle choice made by people who could well afford to live ashore.
The houseboats in Gweek are a study in themselves. Note the "office & facilities block" on right, complete with public phone Photo: W M Nixon
With no apparent planning restrictions, the Gweek houseboats can go for height........Photo: W M Nixon
....even on boats where you wouldn't expect it. Photo: W M Nixon
So it's all of a piece that for some glorious years, the yard in Gweek was where Luke Powell built his cutters. They're arguably of an even older design type than the Galway Hookers, yet like the Connemara boats, they attract a passionate following, people who would sail on no other boats, and in a contemporary anchorage, a Powell cutter will certainly stand out, a glorious blast from the past.
Not all Gweek projects are showing signs of progress. This may have been an International 6 Metre once upon a time, but she needs a lot of attention. Photo: W M Nixon
Blasts from the past were the theme of another boatyard visit, this time to Gloucester where the Severn winds its way between the Malvern and Cotswold hills. If you follow the doings of the tall ships, you'll know that T. Nielsen & Co's yard at Gloucester is the place to get sailing ship problems put right, and the yard in the midst of the historic docks in Gloucester has deservedly acquired a high reputation for serious work.
Gloucester's historic docks provide a home for the Nielsen company, specializing in work on tall ships. Photo: W M Nixon
There's always something of interest in the Nielsen corner in Gloucester, in this case a Victorian yacht awaiting restoration beside a Baltic ketch, while in the foreground is a narrowboat from the English canals. Photo: W M Nixon
This is big boy's territory – you get an appreciation of the scale of the Nielsen operation by realizing that one of the smallest craft they've worked on in Gloucester recently was the 52ft 1911-built Bristol Channel Pilot cutter Hirta, which had a complete re-build to emerge as new, and under her original name of Cornubia. A long time ago, Hirta was owned by Tom Cunliffe, who bought her in Scotland in 1982 and called into Howth on his way south at the beginning of a very productive partnership which included a Transatlantic cruise by the northern route. But pilot cutters, like Galway Hookers, weren't built of materials which were expected to last for ever, so it's good news that the Cornubia had this re-build completed in 2010, and is now based at Plymouth under the ownership of the Bristol Channel Pilot Cutter Trust.
The 52ft pilot cutter Hirta in Howth in 1982. She has recently been re-built in Gloucester, and now sails under her original name of Cornubia. Photo: W M Nixon
Tom Cunliffe, distinguished maritime writer and former President of the Old Gaffers Association, aboard Hirta in Howth in 1982. Photo: W M Nixon
The Nielsen people were in more familiar size territory when they did the lofting and made the rig for the Jeanie Johnston, and when we were there, they were busy with a major restoration on the Kaskelot, the three-masted 153ft Danish-built barque which was in one of the two dry docks, while other interesting craft at various stages of work were afloat in the dock.
Gloucester is where the heart of the country interacts with the sea, but in order to reach it from the Bristol Channel, vessels have to transit the long ship canal along the Severn valley up from Sharpness, which means that when you reach Gloucester, there's no question of people being impatient to nip out for a day sail – this is a place for working at seagoing ships. Yet Gloucester is also a port on England's myriad of inland waterways, in fact for a period it was an unrivalled entrepot for waterborne trade. But the historic docks are so perfect in their completeness that you get the feeling the burghers of Gloucester must have been on the very cusp of finishing this state-of-the-art waterways centre just as the railways were beginning to make such places redundant, and subsequent generations must have been tempted to flatten the impressive warehouses and fill in the basin.
The three-masted barque Kaskelot undergoing major work in one of the Gloucester dry docks. Photo: W M Nixon
Even on a Saturday morning, there's plenty of work going on for tourists to watch.....Photo: W M Nixon
.....and there's a helpful information board to give you the dimensions of the ship in the dry dock.......Photo: W M Nixon
....and there's even a photo to show you what she'll look like when the job is finished. Photo: W M Nixon
But miraculously Gloucester docks have survived, and not least of the elements in their current regeneration is the interest and energy of the Nielsen yard. We were there on a Saturday morning, yet they were busy on the Kaskelot. I didn't dare ask if it was a stipulation of their contract for having the use of the quayside and the dry docks, that they should continue working through the weekend when visitors are about. No doubt about it, the public loves work – they could watch it all day. And what used to be demanding and sometimes dangerous work is now a matter of recreational viewing. Who knows, but some time in the distant future, the government of Bangladesh may think it sensible to pay grants to the families who currently break up ships by hand on the shore of the Indian Ocean, in order to encourage them to continue their lethal but fascinating work for the edification of tourists.
Buying a Boat? Here's a Checklist Before Choosing Your New Craft
#BOATS FOR SALE – It's definitely that time of year again when thoughts turn to getting on the water. If you're buying a boat for the first time, it's probably because you've spent a bit of time on one and like the whole idea. One thing we can guarantee: being on the water is great fun, but it's more than that – it's a way of life. If you take to it, you will begin to see the the world from a different perspective and your leisure time will take on a whole new meaning.
Find a boat that Suits You and Your Pocket
The first and most important consideration is that the boat you buy matches your lifestyle, so you need to know what you want on the water.
So, establish what it is that you most want to do with your boat: the size, how far – or how near – you want to travel, how many people you want to accommodate, what sports events you plan to enter, and whether you'll be inland or offshore.
"A good dealer will ask these questions of a prospective client, and find out exactly what it is they expect from their time on the water," says Tadhg Foley of Marine Action Boats in Tipperary. "Forcing an unsuitable boat onto a client will just backfire on the dealer, as they won't come back for their second – or third – boat, so it's best to be definite about your requirements so the dealer can match boat with buyer. Do you want to ski? Are you going fishing? All these things make a big difference in the type of craft you'll need."
Martin Salmon of MGM Boats says it's important that the buyer gets good value from his boat, in that they get to use it often and well. "We'll often include tuition in a boat-buyer's package," he says, "or make sure that there's an engineer and skipper on board when a new boat owner takes delivery – a 'comprehensive handover', because the more the boat is used, the better."
"If a prospective client has been referred to us by an existing client, we'll often show them a selection of craft and suggest they discuss it with the experienced sailor who referred them to us in the first place," says Hugh Mockler of HM Yachts in Crosshaven. "If they're reluctant to join a sailing school, individual tuition on the new boat can easily be arranged, and joining a club is an excellent way to get into the 'time on the water' way of life. With an active social side and maybe the odd cruise-in-company with like-minded companions, the new boater will soon see the benefits", says Hugh.
Brand New or Pre-Owned
Budget is a big consideration, of course, but there are other factors that will affect whether you buy a new or pre-owned boat.
New boats may suit those who are planning to keep their craft for some time, have been on the water before and know exactly what they want.
However, a five-year-old model could be as much as half the price of a new one, giving you a whole lot more boat for your money. Even a year-old boat will have depreciated by between 20-25% since it left the 'showroom'. There's also the possibility that any snags will be have been ironed out by the previous owner, particularly if they're a careful boater. Martin Salmon of MGM says if you're worred about depreciation, then "buying a used boat can be a good investment if you choose carefully. They don't depreciate as much from the purchase price."
As for the type of boat to buy, the choice is very wide – there are over 40 types out there, and one of them will fit you. Again, it's very much dependant on what you want from your water-based experience. See our 'What's on Offer' guide to boat types and uses.
Brokerage or Private Sale?
As with any big purchase, if you're buying a new boat it's recommended you either buy direct from the manufacturing boatyard or from one of their officially-appointed dealers. Any boat advertised as new that does not appear to originate from either of these sources should be checked out carefully with the boat builder.
There are several routes to buying used boats: from a dealer who has boats in stock as part-exchange; from a broker who sells the boat on behalf of the owner; or from the owners themselves, in a private sale.
Donal McClement of Crosshaven Boatyard in Cork recommends the use of a reputable broker for advice. "The vendor pays the broker's fees, not the buyer, and you have the advantage of the years of experience a broker can bring to the transaction. It's well worth it."
All the necessary paperwork and checks should be in place when buying from dealers and brokers, and their reputation and future business success depends on making their clients happy.
The majority of private sellers are genuine. However, there's a possibility that you're being offered a boat for sale that's stolen, or there's a fraudulent transaction going on. This is the risk taken when not buying from an established business. However, there are precautions you can take to protect yourself and your boating future.
Set the Conditions Before You View
It's a good idea to decide before viewing any boat that you will not buy the first boat you see, or even on the same day you see it. The initial viewing should be part one of a sequence of events to ensure the boat you fancy is really the one for you.
The first view – If it's a new boat, your first visit will be to look over the boat and others in the same range, probably. You'll want to find out about optional extras, colours, delivery lead times, warranty, part exchange (if applicable) and payment terms, as well as price.
A used boat should be checked out for condition; identify any rectification, repairs or improvement work that might need to be done, confirm the asking price and payment terms, and decide if, having examined the boat, you want a sea trial.
The sea trial – If you can take the boat out the first day you see it, so much the better. If not, arrange another time for a sea trial – you have to know how the boat handles on the water.
If it's a power boat, it's good if the engine is cold and not already warmed up when you're taking it out. It could be that it's difficult to start or it may smoke a lot from cold, and with an already-warm engine it's impossible to tell.
Check the boat's steering and handling capabilities at slow speeds, in confined situations. If it's a sea-going boat, see how much it rolls and pitches, taking waves of different sizes at alternative angles; and if it's a planing boat, check how quickly and easily it gets on the plane. Make a mental note of the sea conditions – a boat's performance is relative to the sea condition in which it's operating.
If it's a sailing boat, try different points of sail, sailing into and away from the wind and check the boat's manoeuvrability, stability and performance of the sails and rigging under load. And also check how the boat performs on the engine. At the end of the sea trial, re-examine the bilges, engine compartment and the boat generally for any evidence of oil or water leaks.
Remember also to check used boats for title, charges and theft. "The single most important thing you need, if your boat is a post-1985 model, is proof of payment of VAT," says Donal McClement. "If VAT is paid in one member state, it is considered paid in all member states." Proof of VAT payment can take the form of the original invoice or VAT receipt: "It's unlikely that people would have the VAT receipt, though, as it would come from the original dealer," says Donal. "However, liability rests with the buyer if no proof of payment is provided."
With a used boat there are some checks and information gathering that you should carry out. These checks concern EU RCD compliance, validation of Hull Indentification Number (HIN) number, Declaration of Conformity, the aforementioned evidence of VAT compliance and searches for finance outstanding.
Again, according to Donal at Crosshaven, the CE plate/stamp on the boat is vitally important, so make sure it's there.
When you've seen evidence of build and VAT compliance, and have all of the information that you need to carry out your basic security checks, you should take some time to 'think about it' and get these checks done.
Assuming the boat passes your essential security checks, and that this boat is definitely the one for you, arrange for a professional surveyor to examine the boat. Use a reputable surveyor.
Cutting the Middleman
Bernard Gallagher of Dublin's BJ Marine believes purchasers get the best value from their local dealer: "Most Irish boatyards are dealing direct with the manufacturer, so there's no middle man." Gallagher says the larger manufacturers are offering very good value to their dealers; "We've never bought better, so we can pass on those savings to our customers." He also says it's never been easier to check the value of boats, with access to the internet and boating publications.
So, before entering into negotiations with a seller, you need to decide what price you're prepared to offer and at what price you're prepared to settle.
With a new boat, it's quite rare to pay the brochure price. What you may be offered as a discount depends on many factors such as availability, demand, and model age – it's all down to timing and negotiation.
With used boats, it's less straightforward. The simplest way is to compare the boat you're interested in with other boats for sale of the same make and model. But be sure you're comparing like with like. Age, condition and specification make a difference as well as the ancillary equipment that's included in the sale, so make allowances for any differences in these.
New boats – Timing is important when buying a new boat. Special deals are often available during boat shows, towards the financial year-end of the boat builder or dealer, and when a model is due to be superseded by an updated version. So do all your research, be aware of model cycles, decide what you want to buy and then try to negotiate at the best time.
If discounts aren't on offer or are lower than you would wish, you might do better to negotiate the inclusion of ancillary equipment in the price; items such as ropes, fenders, lifejackets, GPS, depth sounders, chart plotters and even deck cushions, a CD system or a cooler bag. The value to you is higher than it costs the dealer to supply these items, so having some of them 'thrown in' can be a good compromise.
Used boats – With used boats, the selling price might represent great value as it is, but then again it might not: only your research will tell you which way round it is.
However, any combination of the following should help you to persuade the seller that there is room for negotiation:
• Ancillary equipment that is missing, in poor condition, not working, out of date or not included in the sale;
• Faults and rectification work required and identified by you or your boat surveyor;
• Lack of documentation such as:
– Original sales invoice and evidence of VAT compliance
– Builders certificate and CE declaration of conformity
– Boat manual
– Service history
– Current safety certificate on a canal boat
– VHF radio licence (if applicable). Note: Donal McClement of Crosshaven Boatyard reminded us that the VHF radio licence stays with the craft, "it used to stay with the owner, but now belongs to the boat."
When buying through a dealer or broker, expect to be asked for a deposit, which may be non-refundable if you back out of the transaction. So be sure that you want to buy and have the funds available before you commit.
If you require finance, dealer and brokers may be able to introduce you to alternative sources of borrowing (for which they may receive a commission, so bear this in mind when negotiating).
MGM waiver their commission in lots of cases, according to Salmon. "In the current fiscal climate where finance companies are looking at every detail, it's more important to have the client get finance for the boat they want."
With a marine mortgage, you can normally obtain up to 80% of the purchase price secured against your boat. Before granting a marine mortgage the finance house will require a full, out-of-water survey and valuation on boats other than brand new boats. The lender will also check that there is no finance outstanding on a new boat.
Dealing with a private individual is slightly more complex. They are not professional sellers and will not necessarily know how to formalise the transaction to help protect not only themselves but you as well. So it is as much in your interests as theirs to ensure all potential purchasing disasters are avoided.
Inland Boats
Canal and narrowboats – Usually built of steel, the hulls can last a lifetime if minded. Ideal for pottering peacefully about the canals and less tidal rivers at about 4mph, for days or even weeks at a time. These boats are low maintenance, very economic on fuel and often include most home comforts.
River boats – Usually built of GRP and lighter than their steel counterparts, they're more powerful than narrowboats so can be used comfortably in tidal rivers as well as the odd excursion out to sea in calm conditions. They are, however, more expensive to operate and maintain.
Sea-going boats
Bowriders, cuddy boats, dinghies, dorys and ribs – All different types of day boats that are the ultimate in flexibility whether it's usage, power, speed, manoeuvrability or access to land, coves and beaches. They can be comfortable in calm and slight seas as well as a pleasure to cruise at the appropriate speed up rivers. These boats can usually be trailed and so can be towed to different locations throughout the country, as well as abroad, providing access to a multitude of sea, lake and river locations.
Speedboats, sports boats and sport fishers – These are high-powered, high-speed boats, great at riding the waves out at sea and delivering the thrills and spills of watersports, whether it's waterskiing, wakeboarding, keeping up with the fish or simply the excitement of speed.
Motor boats and motor sailors – These are the motor boats that are built more for the sea than the river, and are typically the boats you'd find moored in marinas around the coast. Generally, they fall into three categories:
Planing Boats are designed to rise up and ride on top of the water, ideally operating at a high speed. They are perfect for transporting people from marina to marina and to stay overnight on, whether it's along the coast of Ireland or over to the UK, the Channel Islands or maybe even to France. They're also great for day use to find those calm bays from which to anchor off by a quiet beach or lunch and a swim, or maybe a visit on land, using a small on-board dinghy.
Displacement Boats are designed to glide through the water at slow speeds, moving the water out of the way, pushing it sideways and down. They are very stable and comfortable in moderate or rough seas. Built for overnight and sometimes 'live-aboard' use, whether in a marina, ashore, or on a buoy, these boats are ideal for those who wish to travel distances economically and have plenty of time to get there.
Semi-displacement boats fall between the planing and displacement boats. They're comfortable, stable, with less tendency to roll than the steel displacement boats, the semi-displacement is intended to give you the best of both worlds – higher top speed with comfort at the lower speed. Having a smaller draft, this type of boat is often designed for river use as well as for offshore.
Sailing Yachts – These boats obtain their power from the wind with the use of sails and normally have a small engine to navigate rivers (for use if 'sailing' is restricted or not allowed) or manoeuvre in harbours and marinas. There are many types of sailing boat but what they have in common is that they provide a comfortable, peaceful yet exhilarating experience on the water that is also comparatively economic.
However, sailing requires you to understand and deal with many of the elements – wind, tide, prevailing currents – and means you must plan your journeys carefully to ensure that you don't get caught out by the weather and tidal gates, not to mention navigation skills, or a lack of them.
However, for those who want to be at one with the sea and have the time to acquire the skills needed to get out in a sailboat, there's nothing more wonderful.
Putting your boat up for sale
Clean it, start it and check it
There are lots of boats for sale and probably quite a few like yours on the market at the same time you want to sell yours, so if you want to sell your boat more quickly than the rest, then it needs to stand out from others. That requires effort and a little investment.
Your boat needs to be clean. For example, the hull, the superstructure, the decks, rails, windows, carpets, curtains, galley surfaces, toilet, bilges, engine compartment, fenders, canvas covers and sails need to look as clean and tidy as possible while it is up for sale.
Check in particular that the engine(s) start easily from cold, as well as from warm, that rigging and sails operate smoothly, and that the navigation lights work, as should the horn, bilge pumps, internal lights, winches, heating, gas appliances, generator, cooking facilities, taps, and toilets.
Check the engine oil and water levels, and check for worn hoses, connectors and fuel lines that would be better replaced. Also, if there is any ancillary equipment that you plan not to include in the sale of your boat, remove it, at least when the boat is being viewed. Within reason, replace or refurbish anything that simply won't clean up, is badly worn, or is not working.
Paperwork you need to sell
To obtain top price for your boat, you should ensure that all your boat documents are in order.
Documents of compliance If your boat was manufactured after June 16th 1998 you should have a 'Declaration of Conformity', stating that your boat complies with the EU Recreational Craft Directive. If you've lost this piece of paper, there should be the boat builder's CE plate inside your boat; the original manufacturer will be shown on the plate and you can contact them for a duplicate declaration.
The more service and maintenance records that you possess, the more you can justify a top price for your boat.
Additionally you should have your boat's original sales invoice which shows that the VAT on your boat was accounted for. Once more, if you have lost this, contact the boat builder. If they didn't sell the boat directly themselves, they should know who did. When you know who sold the boat originally, you can contact them for a copy of the original sales invoice.
Assessing what it's worth
To decide what price at which to sell your boat, do what the buyers do – research the current market. This means looking through magazines like Afloat and noting what prices are being asked by brokers and dealers – and private advertisers – for your type of boat. Remember that your boat may well be worth more than those you've seen advertised, depending on several factors including specification and condition.
Once you've carried out your assessment, then you can decide at what price to advertise.
If you sell through a broker, they'll be able to advise you. If you're selling privately, you should aim to set your price just below that advertised by brokers for an identical boat, leaving you room for negotiation, to end up with a satisfactory price. However, if you want to sell it quickly, then you may have to think again. It's up to you.
Go for broker?
When selling your boat, you do have a choice: to let a professional do it for you by using a dealer or independent broker, or whether to handle the sale yourself. There are benefits and drawbacks to both – and the decision can only be made by you.
Choosing a broker or dealer
The benefit of using either a dealer or a broker is that they make the job of selling your boat comparatively easy and worry-free for you. They'll manage the sale from beginning to end.
They'll deal with the advertising, sea or river trials, liaise with surveyors, rectification work contractors employed on your behalf, assist with negotiations and deal with all the paperwork. And, in some cases, they'll even berth or store your boat in their yard free of charge, to enhance their display of boats for sale and make it easier to show potential buyers your boat.
But this comes at a cost. You can expect to pay a sales commission of between 6% and 10% of your boat's selling price, plus VAT. The percentage charged principally depends upon your boat's value; the lower the boat value, the higher the percentage charged.
Additionally, you may incur charges for storage, cleaning, maintenance, a contribution towards advertising, sea or river trials as well as underwrite surveyor and rectification costs. All of this, together with the sales commission percentage, needs to be negotiated and agreed to in writing with the broker or dealer concerned.
Selling your Boat Privately
If you choose to sell your boat privately, you'll get the benefit of saving the costs of a dealer or broker, but you'll need to get organised.
If you've followed this guide so far, you'll already have assembled the paperwork that will not only enhance the value of your boat but makes it easier to sell.
Your Advertising Campaign
Now you need to plan your advertising campaign. Check local press to see what your options are and how much they cost. Afloat, for instance, would include your ad on their website as well as their printed magazine, so it's not just paper advertising but high-profile internet promotion.
Decide what size of ad and what duration you wish. It's a good idea to take some good quality photographs of your boat and, in the text of your advert, include all of those items that will help set your boat apart from the rest, justify your sales price and attract potential buyers. Don't forget to include full details of your boat's description and specification.
Also ensure to include full contact details and make sure they're correct. If possible, supply both daytime and evening contact numbers, mobile and landline, as well as an email address if possible.
Dealing with Enquiries
Make a list of potential dates and times that buyers can view and test your boat so that when the telephone rings, you have all of that information to hand and can deal with the enquiry professionally.
The secret to sales negotiation is to be well prepared.
If you've followed the steps contained in this guide, you will already know how a potential buyer is going to try to dive the price down. So work out either how you plan to counter this or by how much – if anything – you're prepared to adjust your price for any items that may be spotted by a potential buyer.
Also, think abut whether there is anything that you can 'trade' with, that has less of a value to you than money off the selling price. This may satisfy the buyer's need to obtain a discount and at the same time be acceptable to you.
With boats, the first offer you receive can often be the best offer, so think carefully before turning down an offer that falls just short of your asking price or the price that you were originally prepared to accept. It may be some while before you receive another.
Unfortunately, cheques or banker's drafts are no longer totally secure methods of receiving payment.
With a banker's draft, you should ensure that your bank has honoured the draft before signing the boat over to the buyer, as payment is no longer guaranteed. This method helps protect you legally in the event of a cheque or draft not being honoured. To ensure that a cheque is going to be honoured, ask your bank for an express clearance. A charge will likely apply for this service.
Also, do not accept a cheque for an amount more than your asking price! Some sellers have actually accepted a cheque made payable to a third party for more than their asking price and then issued 'change' for the difference – and been surprised that they lost both boat and money.
Even cash could be counterfeit – unlikely, but possible – so when accepting cash as settlement, it'll be for you to make the judgment as to the trustworthiness of your purchaser.
Minimizing Your Risk
To reduce the chance of losing boat and/or money, always get the full name, address, telephone number/s and email address of a prospective buyer, and check them out as best you can before agreeing to anything. For instance, find a reason to send an email that needs a reply, and yet another reason to telephone the prospect and check how the telephone is answered.
If the purchaser lives near you, carry out a 'drive by' to see if the car that they drove to come view your boat is the one in the driveway. And if they're buying your boat 'blind' – that is, they've never been to view your boat – alarm bells should be ringing loudly. Have you ever bought a boat blind? Would you ever? If you wouldn't, why should they? Exactly.
Published in Afloat Guide
buying a boat
New Yachts and Motorboats Added to Afloat's Boats for Sale Site
#BOATS FOR SALE – A 1995 Nauticat 32 that the broker says is 'a really good example of this quality pilot-house cruising yacht', a 1984 Jeanneau Arcadia 29 designed by Tony Castro, a 2005 Beneteau First 36.7 with a rig replacement and a Princess 415 motorboat that 'must be sold' have been added to the Afloat Boats for sale site over the last 24 hours. Check out over 286 boats for sale here
Published in Boat Sales
Lakeside Marina is Venue for First Powerboat Run of 2012
#POWERBOAT – Lakeside Marina on the river Shannon is the venue for first power boat event of the season and if it's a chilly one there's a good chance the event will end in Sean's Bar for a 'warmer upper'. That's according to organiser Cormac Smith who intends to run the first Powerboat run of the year 201 on February 11th at Lakeside Marina in Athlone.
The aim is to launch boats at 10.45am but plans will be very dependent on weather and size/ type of boats that turn up. All welcome. The schedule is as follows:
Meeting @ Lakeside Marina From 10.30
Launch ing from 10.45
Run up or down the lake (weather dependent)
Lunch In Lecarrow or Hodson Bay Hotel
Return trip on Lake
Recover Boats 4.30-5.00 ish
Published in Inland Waterways
Lakeside Marina
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Gloria Petyarre - BUSH MEDICINE LEAVES GP1872
Artist: Gloria Petyarre
Title: Bush Medicine Leaves
The provenance of works of fine art is of great significance, especially to their owner. There are a number of reasons why painting provenance is important. A good provenance increases the value of a painting, and establishing provenance may help confirm the date, artist and the subject of a painting. It may confirm whether a painting is genuinely of the period it seems to date from. Documented evidence of provenance for an object can help to establish that it has not been altered and is not a forgery, a reproduction, stolen or looted art. Provenance helps assign the work to a known artist, and a documented history can be of use in helping to prove ownership.
All artworks of our Gallery come with a AAA Gallery Certificate of Authenticity and where possible, working photographs and/or a photo of the artist with the artwork and/or video of an artist in working process of creating an artwork.
Lay-by is a system of paying a deposit to secure an article for later purchase. AAA Gallery offers you a four-month lay-by option on all artworks, allowing you to make regular payments towards that artwork you like.
A 25% initial deposit is required with the balance paid over a maximum of four months. You will not be penalised if you prefer to pay your purchase sooner. Once you finalise the payments the goods will be dispatched immediately.
If this payment method is chosen when you checkout, we will email you a lay-by agreement to organise first instalment and subsequent the other three equal payments.
STORY OF THE ARTWORK
Skin Name: Pwerle (Pwerl)
Born: c.1945
Region: Utopia
Language: Anmatyerre
Subjects and Themes(Dreaming): Mountain Devil Lizard, Arnkerrthe Dreaming (Swirls), Bush Medicine Leaves.
Gloria was born in about 1945 at Atnangkere Soakage in the Northern Territory. She is an Anmatyerre speaker and has 6 sisters: Ada Bird, Violet, Myrtle, Kathleen, Nancy and Jeannie.
Her dreamings include Mountain Devil Lizard, Bean, Emu, Pencil Yam, Grass Seed, Small Brown Grass, Wild Flowers, Bush Flowers and Bush Medicine. Currently, she lives at Mulga Bore (Akaye Soakage) Utopia. Gloria Petyarre has participated in both group and solo exhibitions since the 1980's. She has travelled to Ireland, London, Paris, USA, Singapore, Malaysia and other countries exhibiting her works. Her work is included in the collections of the Australian National State Galleries including the National Gallery of Australia, the Powerhouse Museum -Sydney, Westpac New York, Holmes Court and many other private collections. In 1999 Gloria won the prestigious art award, the Wynne Prize, for the Best Australian landscape. Gloria first gained recognition in silk batik which began at Utopia in 1978 with exhibitions held nationally and internationally. In 1988 Gloria was part of the very first group to experiment with canvas, called the Summer Project, and Gloria has since continued to work in this medium. Awelye, the women's ceremonial body paint designs, was the subject of Gloria's very first painting, she recalls. Over the years Gloria has applied many methods of enhancing the simple linear work in her Awelye paintings, including using sponges, hand work and even a toilet brush. One of Gloria's most important Dreamtime stories is that of Arnkerrthe, the Mountain Devil Lizard. Arnkerrthe travelled over Gloria's land creating all of the people, sacred sites, songs and other Dreamtime stories. In its neck it holds a sac of ochre that Gloria and her people use for ceremonies. Gloria has developed a very popular style for Arnkerrthe Dreaming that she calls the 'swirly ones'. A unique design by Gloria, these swirls represent the thorny skin on the back of this gentle little lizard. By far the most well known of all Gloria's paintings is Leaves. In April 1994 at Mosquito Bore in Utopia, Gloria began doing something new on her canvas. "That first one. I was looking, looking. Looks like leaf, and I been put another one and another one and 'ah yeah'. First leaf." (Gloria Petyarre). Throughout the years this design has become more refined, leaves aren't just scattered on the ground but rather picked up in swift passing zephyrs, entangled in whirls of wind and swept across the landscape. This life energy attributed to the success of Leaves, winning Gloria the very prestigious Wynne Prize in 1999, and highly recommended in 2004. The Wynne prize is awarded annually for the best landscape painting of Australian scenery or for the best example of figure sculpture by Australian artists.
1985, 1986, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996 Araluen Arts Centre, Alice Springs
1989 Utopia Women's Paintings. The First Works on Canvas. A Summer Project, SH Ervin Gallery, Sydney. Australia.
1989-91 Utopia A Picture Story. Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute, Adelaide. Australia.
1989-93 8th National Aboriginal Art Awards, Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin. Australia
1998 Utopia and Balgo Hills, Aboriginal Art Galerie Baehr, Speyer, Germany
1998 Culture Store, Art Gallery, Rotterdam, Netherlands
1998, 2000, 2003 Chapel off Chapel Gallery, Melbourne
1998 Dreamings, Spazio Pitti Arte, Florenz. Italy.
1999 Alliance Francaise de Canberra and French Embassy, Australia
1999 Gallery Gondwana, Alice Springs. Australia.
1999 Mbantua Gallery, Alice Springs, Australia.
1999 My Country Journey of our Ancestors, Ancient Earth Indigenous Art, Cairns
2000 Kunst der Aborigines, Leverkusen, Germany
2000 Mosquito Bore The Art of the Minimalist, Ancient Earth Indigenous Art, Australia.
2001 Francaise de Canberra. Canberra. Australia
2001 The Unseen in Scene. Staedfische Galerie Wolfsburg. Germany.
2001-02 Recounting the Essence of Life. Art from Australia. Kunstforum HDZ, Bad Oeynhausen, Germany.
2002 Land is Life, Art from Australia. Jagdschloss Granitz, Binz, Ruegen, Germany
2002 Kult (o) urnacht, Aboriginal Art Galerie Baer, Seyer, Germany
Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide
Queensland Art Gallery Brisbane
Slaughter and May International Law Collection, London, U.K.
National Gallery of Australia (Canberra)
Museum and Art Gallery Northern Territory (Darwin)
Art Bank (Sydney)
National Gallery of Victoria (Melbourne)
Art Gallery of Western Australia (Perth)
Homes a Court Gallery and gallery Collection (Perth)
SOURCE: Birnberg, M & Kreczmanski, JB 2004, Aboriginal artists dictionary of biographies: Western Desert, Central Desert and Kimberley Region, 1st edn., JB Publishing, Marleston.
This painting represents the Leaves that were traditionally used for medicine. This practice was used long before western medicine was introdused to the aboriginal people.
The bush medicine leaves are collected by the women and are highly prized for their restorative powers as part of traditional health practices.
Bush medicine leaves derive from a particular native shrub which grows abundantly in the desert regions of Utopia, north-east of Alice Springs. During the life of the plant, the leaves change colour and exhibit different medicinal properties. The artists who paint this story represent the leaves as they float to the ground, and they employ a range of brush strokes and colours to represent the leaves at different times of the year.
When the leaves of the shrub are green they are gathered by the women and ground up using a stone. Then the medicine leaf compound is mixed with water to form a milky solution, which can be used to cure coughs, colds and flu-like symptoms.
Also the medicine leaves can be collected and boiled to extract the resin, which is then mixed together with kangaroo fat. The paste that is created can be stored for six months in bush conditions. This resulting medicine can then be used to heal cuts, wounds, bites, rashes and spread as an insect repellent.
The bush medicine leaves can also be made into a mixture to apply to aching joints or to place on the temples to cure headaches. Like all aspects of traditional Aboriginal culture, knowledge of bush medicine has been passed down from generation to generation over thousands of years, and is still being used today by the people of Utopia.
In painting the Bush Medicine Leaf story, the artist pays homage to the spirit of the medicinal plant. By creating its image the artist encourages the regeneration of the bush medicine plant, so that her people can continue to benefit from its healing powers.
MORE ARTWORKS BY THE ARTIST
Name Price Date Rating Popular
BUSH MEDICINE LEAVES GP1883
MOUNTAIN DEVIL LIZARD GP1726
Title: Mountain Devil Lizard
Size: 152 x91 cm
6 12 24 36 48 96 204 504 All
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Storm preparations underway in recent burn areas of Santa Clarita amid flash-flood warning
By John Gregory and ABC7.com staff
SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (KABC) -- As a major storm system made its way toward Southern California on Thursday, preparations continued in Santa Clarita amid a flash-flood warning for recent burn areas.
Sand and sandbags were available to residents at Los Angeles County Fire Department station No. 104, where the Sand Fire in July charred more than 41,000 acres in the Angeles National Forest and left nearby hillsides barren.
With the winter storm expected to bring 1-to-2 inches of rain to the area, firefighters and the National Weather Service warned of the possibility of debris flows.
Several ranches are located in the area, and fire officials have cautioned against potential dangers to horses and other animals.
"We want to make sure people are prepared with sandbags, make sure they have a plan, make sure that they have an evacuation route," said fire Inspector Joey Marron. "If they have big, large animals, make sure they have somewhere for them to go."
Residents were reminded to position sandbags in such a way that diverts water away from structures to avoid pooling. Christmas ornaments and outdoor furniture should also be secured.
Gusty winds of up to 60 mph are also expected as part of the storm, especially in the mountain areas and passes. Drivers of high-profile vehicles were urged to use caution amid blustery conditions.
Download the free ABC7 Los Angeles app for breaking news, weather and local stories on-the-go
weathersanta claritalos angeles countywinter stormstorm
Cajon Valley residents prepare for potential storm problems
SoCal weather: Pleasant conditions expected Thursday before weekend rain
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Local business reaps rewards of H1N1 flu
There is no shortage of hands to wipe or wipes for hands at EO Products in Corte Madera. Not a lot of sick calls, either. In no small part because they will never run out of hand wipes or sanitizers there. The company makes them; roughly one million units this year alone.
Brad Black and Susan Griffin-Black are the co-CEOs of EO.
"Our idea wasn't ever to score big," said Grififn-Black.
"Are we making a little bit more money now? Yes. Do we need to be profitable to stay in the business? Yes," said Black.
The company offers 110 products -- all natural, all organic, featuring essential oils, hence the name, EO.
"I think luck has a lot to do with it," said Black.
But luck won't do a company any good at all if it isn't ready to capitalize. The company was already making three hand sanitizers. When the /*H1N1*/ flu hit, they were ready. Sales of their products increased by 500 percent.
"It's better to be good, and then if you get lucky, you get lucky," said Griffin-Black.
In 2009, luck took the form of fear and muted pandemic pandemonium. Nobody at the company expects the flu season to last forever, but it does present opportunities for a small company building a brand name and making organic hand wipes that smell like peppermint, eucalyptus, and lavender.
"Gels, sprays, and wipes... it's for different parts of your life," explained Black. "You want one for your purse, you want one for the kids," said Black.
Their only worry now is that the suppliers for their wipes keep pace with our flu.
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Departmental Accessibility Resource Coordinators
ACCESS-ed DARC Partners
A major goal of the ACCESS-ed Project is to replicate the DARC system on other campuses.
The University of Wisconsin in Madison and the UW - LaCrosse campus were pioneers in setting up representatives amidst departments on their campuses. Their term for these representatives was and remains AARC, which stands for Access and Accommodation Resource Coordinators. It was in the advent of the ADA that these AARC representatives were chosen or appointed on their respective campuses. Their purpose was to be a resource to their department regarding individualized accommodations, which became mandated with the passing of ADA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
Each UW Colleges campus offers the essential freshman and sophomore curriculum to prepare for transferring to a bachelor's degree program with a major in almost any field. UW Colleges specializes in general education and foundation courses for over 200 college majors.
Our partners include UW System 4-year campuses with graduate programs and 2-year college campuses in both rural and urban settings.
The Teaching Excellence Center at UW-Platteville
The Teaching Excellence Center (TEC) was established in the fall of 1990 at the University of Wisconsin - Platteville. The TEC mission is to provide shared leadership in the pursuit of effective and innovative teaching to enhance student learning. The TEC provides a "center" where faculty focused on student learning can find human, technological, universal design and other resources to meet their needs. Faculty development is the key to the TEC's work. Special emphasis is on instructional development; namely programs that have instructional delivery and assessment as their focus.
The University of Wisconsin - Parkside
The University of Wisconsin-Parkside is committed to high-quality educational programs, creative and scholarly activities, and services responsive to its diverse student population, and its local, national and global communities. To fulfill this mission, Disability Services recognizes disability as an aspect of diversity and appreciates disability as an integral part of society.
The University of Wisconsin Colleges
ACCESS-ed DARCs
Campus Organization
DARC Training
DARC Resources
DARC Partners
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by Mary Roberts Rinehart
The Circular Staircase (1908) by Mary Roberts Rinehart is credited as the first "Had-I-But-Known" mystery book. It was adapted as a Broadway play, "The Bat" which premiered on August 23, 1920, and inspired Bob Kane's character "The Batman." We feature Rinehart's work in Mystery Stories.
CHAPTER XXVI
CHAPTER XXVII
CHAPTER XXVIII
CHAPTER XXIX
CHAPTER XXX
CHAPTER XXXI
CHAPTER XXXII
CHAPTER XXXIII
CHAPTER XXXIV
Return to the Mary Roberts Rinehart library.
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Israthoum/Channeling Death & Devil/Altare Productions/2017 Full Length Review
Israthoum are a band originally from Portugal but now re-located to the Netherlands that has been featured before in this zine and plays an occult form of black metal and this is a review of their 2017 album "Channeling Death & Devil" which will be released in July by Altare Productions.
A very dark and heavy sound along with some melodic guitar leads start off the album along with some grim black metal screams a few seconds later and melodic yet ritualistic chanting is also used at times along with the riffs also using a decent amount of melody and blast beats are utilized when the music speeds up.
During the faster sections of the songs a great amount of tremolo picking can be heard which also gives the music a more raw black metal feeling and the tracks also bring in a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts while also having a perfect balance between both old school and modern influences and as the album progresses a brief use of synths and clean guitars can be heard along with one of the later tracks being very long and epic in length.
Israthoum creates another recording that remains true to the occult black metal style of previous releases, the production sounds very powerful while the lyrics cover the left hand path, darkness and death themes.
In my opinion this is another great sounding recording from Israthoum and if you are a fan of occult black metal, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Channeling Death And Devil" "Drudges Of Ruination" "Well Of Bitterness" and "Turn Stone To Ash". 8 out of 10.
Source : http://occultblackmetalzine.blogspot.com/2017/06/israthoumchanneling-death-devilaltare.html
Through Chaos & Solitude/The Thawing Winds Of The Morning Sun/Bound By Modern Age Records/2017 EP Review
Through Chaos & Solitude are a duo from Germany that plays a very melodic and atmospheric form of black metal and this is a review of their 2017 ep "The Thawing Winds Of The Morning Sun" which was released by Bound By Modern Age Records.
Nature sounds along with some acoustic guitars start off the ep and they also add in a touch of folk music and after awhile the music goes into more of a heavier and atmospheric direction and after awhile grim yet high pitched black metal screams make their presence known.
One of the tracks is very long and epic in length while both the riffs and solos utilize a great amount of melody and growls are also utilized at times along with a small amount of melodic singing and all of the musical instruments have a very powerful sound to them and when the music speeds up a small amount of tremolo picking and blast beats can be heard and they also give the recording a more raw edge and spoken word parts are added onto the closing track.
Through Chaos & Solitude plays a style of black metal that is very atmospheric and melodic sounding with a touch of folk, the production sounds very professional while the lyrics cover darkness and nature themes.
In my opinion Through Chaos & Solitude are a very great sounding atmospheric and melodic black metal duo and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this ep. RECOMMENDED TRACK "The Intransigence Of The Soul". 8 out of 10.
Source : http://occultblackmetalzine.blogspot.com/2017/06/through-chaos-solitudethe-thawing-winds.html
Irdorath/Denial Of Creation/WormHoleDeath Records/2017 CD Review
Irdorath are a band from Austria that has been featured before in this zine and plays black metal with touches of death and thrash metal and this is a review of their 2017 album "Denial Of Creation" which was released by WormHoleDeath Records.
A very heavy sound starts off the album along with some elements of thrash and death metal and when the music speeds up a great amount of blast beats can be heard while the vocals bring in a mixture of black metal screams and growls while the solos and leads are done in a very melodic fashion.
All of the musical instruments on the recording have a very powerful sound to them and the songs also bring in a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts and you can also hear a great amount of melody in the guitar riffing while the tremolo picking also gives the songs a more raw feeling and as the album progresses a brief use of acoustic guitars and spoken word parts can be heard on a few songs and a couple of the tracks are long and epic in length.
On this recording Irdorath plays a musical style that takes a modern style of black metal and mixes it in with a great amount of thrash and death metal elements to create a very heavy sounding album, the production sounds very professional while the lyrics cover death, damnation, feelings and anti religion themes.
In my opinion this is another great sounding recording from Irdorath and if you are a fan of black, death and thrash metal, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Devoured By Greed" "The Curse That Haunts The Earth" "Blessings From Above" and "Denial Of Creation". 8 out of 10.
Source : http://occultblackmetalzine.blogspot.com/2017/06/irdorathdenial-of-creationwormholedeath.html
Khmer/Larga Sombra/WOOAAAARGH/2017 CD Review
Spain's Khmer have returned with a new recording that continues the black metal and crust mixture of previous releases and this is a review of their 2017 album "Larga Sombra" which will be released in August by WOOAAAARGH.
A very heavy and melodic sound starts off the album along with some black metal screams and d beats a few seconds later and the music also mixes in touches of post hardcore at times and you can also hear all of the musical instruments that are present on the recording.
Throughout the recording you can hear a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts and as the album progresses a brief use of acoustic guitars along with a very short instrumental can be heard before returning back to a heavier direction and the songs also mix in a great amount of crust influences.
Khmer creates another recording that remains true to the black metal and crust mixture of previous releases, the production sounds very raw and heavy while the lyrics are written in Spanish and cover angst, rage, corruption, and introspection themes.
In my opinion this is another great sounding album from Khmer and if you are a fan of black metal and crust, you should check out this recording. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Larga Sombra" "El Ardor De La Luna" and "Soledad". 8 out of 10.
Source : http://occultblackmetalzine.blogspot.com/2017/06/khmerlarga-sombrawooaaaargh2017-cd.html
Birkenwald/MDD/2017 Full Length Review
Birkenwald are a band from Italy that plays a very atmospheric and depressive form of post black metal and this is a review of their self released 2017 album "MDD" which will be released on June 22nd.
Tragic sounding keyboards along with some melodic post rock style guitar leads start off the album as well as some heavy riffs that also use a great amount of melody and clean playing is also used at times and clear vocals are also used briefly and when the music speeds up a decent amount of blast beats can be heard.
Vocals are mostly high pitched black metal screams and the songs also bring in a great mixture of slow, mid paced and fast parts while the tremolo picking also gives the songs a more raw feeling while you can also hear all of the musical instruments that are present on the recording and a great portion of the tracks are very long and epic in length and one of the tracks is all instrumental while a later also brings in a brief use of spoken word parts.
Birkenwald plays a musical style that takes atmospheric black metal and mixes it with depressive post rock to create a sound of their own, the production sounds very dark ad heavy while the lyrics cover dark and depressive themes.
In my opinion Birkenwald are a very great sounding atmospheric and depressive post black metal band and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this album. RECOMMEMDED TRACKS INCLUDE "When Solitude Shines On Its Own" and "The Ghosts Left Behind". 8 out of 10.
Source : http://occultblackmetalzine.blogspot.com/2017/06/birkenwaldmdd2017-full-length-review.html
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SB20s
Squibs
Etchells
J24s
Laser Sailing
Water Wag
Half Tonners
Mixed Offshore Keelboat
Howth 17
Dublin Bay 21
Displaying items by tag: Laser
Dublin Bay Laser Dinghy Fleet Plans Another Record Season
2020 was a record season for the Dublin Bay Laser Class, and by all accounts, they’re expecting an even bigger season in 2021.
While continuous sailing has been difficult for all fleets since the start of the pandemic, the single-handed Laser fleet has fared better than most, and as a result, its popularity has surged. For the 2020 Dublin Bay Sailing Club (DBSC) summer series, the Laser had the highest number of entries compared with any other fleet, with over 90 boats registered. Entries were split across the Standard, Radial and 4.7 rigs with both adult and junior sailors taking part.
Lasers are proving to be a very versatile boat, especially in these turbulent times. Local active sailors range in age from teenagers as young as 13 right through to adults in their 50s and 60s. The fleet is also very well balanced between female and male sailors with both genders across the ages competing as equals, particularly in the Radial and 4.7 rigs.
"with the constant changes in COVID restrictions, the Laser is providing a more consistent sailing experience"
Local class captain Brendan Hughes explained why there is an expectation of even bigger numbers in 2021; “We’ve seen interest in the fleet continue to grow especially amongst adults. Many of these already sail cruisers but with the constant changes in restrictions, the Laser is providing a more consistent sailing experience. We’re the only large fleet that has been able to get out on the water in nearly all levels of lockdown.”
As a competitive single-hander, Hughes acknowledges that the Laser can be perceived by some as a challenging boat to sail. “In 20 knots, the Laser can be a challenge for sure! However, there has been a lot of effort put into training across Dun Laoghaire. Right throughout the year, there is coaching taking place for beginners and competitive sailors at both junior and adult level.” The increase in coaching availability over the past number of years is acknowledged by many new sailors as being critical in making this class more accessible.
Dublin Bay's new Laser dinghy Class Captain Brendan Hughes
In addition, constant adjustments to racing formats have helped to ensure the Laser fleet remains vibrant. During 2020, the DBSC dinghy race officers introduced Saturday racing in addition to Tuesday evening racing for the Laser fleet. This proved to be extremely popular and the Laser fleet was eager to see this continued in 2021. The club has confirmed that the format will continue for the new season of the AIB DBSC Summer Series with the entry fee covering both Tuesdays and Saturdays for all sailors.
A number of headline events in 2021 taking place in Dublin Bay are expected to drive continued interest from new sailors. The Irish Laser Master Nationals event will be hosted in Dun Laoghaire’s Royal St George Yacht Club from 12th -13th June. This event is open to all sailors over the age of 35 and the organisers expect to have 50+ boats from across the country participate.
A recent survey of local Laser sailors revealed that over 120 boats intend to participate in the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta One Design Championship taking place 2nd - 4th July. “If even two-thirds of that number participate in this new format, it would be the largest one-design fleet on the water at this year’s event, which is very exciting.” says Hughes.
August sees the International Laser Class Association (ILCA) 4.7 World Championship coming to Dublin Bay. Local organisers are expecting several hundred youth sailors from across the globe to participate in this event. This event will be one of the biggest sailing events to take place in Ireland this year and is a great opportunity for our younger sailors to participate on the world stage.
Afloat also hears that planning has begun amongst the Masters fleet to send a delegation to Malta in November. EurILCA, the European Laser organisation is holding its Euro Masters Regatta at Royal Malta Yacht Club from 4th - 7th November.
With a mix of local, national and international Laser events taking place in Dublin Bay this summer, it sounds like another big year for the fleet. More information on Laser sailing in Dun Laoghaire is available by emailing [email protected]
Published in DBSC
DBSC
Howth Laser Sailor Ewan McMahon Battles on Towards Olympic Qualifier
In Japan, public opinion may be divided as to whether this summer’s already postponed Tokyo Olympics should be postponed even further, or indeed completely cancelled. But completely focused athletes such as Laser sailor Ewan McMahon of Howth have no choice other than to keep battling on to see if they and Ireland can secure a place in Tokyo in July, and this week he has been in high-powered action off Malta in some seriously big waves.
The plan is to go on to Lanzarote in the Canaries at the end of the month for more competition, and then there’s further diversion for a challenge on Croatia in the buildup to the final Olympic qualifier in Hyeres in April.
Published in Tokyo 2020
Ewan McMahon
Olympic Sailor Mark Lyttle Pays Tribute to Laser Legend Bill O'Hara OBE
2018 Laser Grand Master World Champion and 1996 Olympian Mark Lyttle reflects on a lifetime sailing against his old rival and great friend Bill O'Hara, who was awarded an OBE in the Queen's New Year's Honours List 2021.
I first recall Bill at the 1978 Pimm's Irish Lasers Nationals at Lough Ree Yacht Club (actually sailed from Hodson Bay and yes, they did sponsor the Irish Laser class) but it wasn't on the race course. As a 15-year-old sailing what we now call a Standard rig as that's all there was, I was nowhere near the front of the fleet especially as a hurricane passed through during the regatta. But I do remember Bill was the centre of social activities ashore as a young university student.
Over the next couple of seasons, Bill emerged as one of the top Lasers sailors along with Gordon Maguire (turned professional skipper), Dave Cummins (twice all Ireland champion) and Colin Galavan. Following a fifth place in the light air Kinsale Nationals (1979) and the curtailed (with another gale) Dun Laoghaire Nationals (1981), Bill took the Irish titles in Ballyholme (1981 where I recall driving to the event in a Renault 5 with three Lasers) and Galway Bay (1982 with Australian and NZL visitors following us home after our extensive continental European tours).
But I remember the 1982 season as my first Laser Europeans, in Athens, where I stayed with Bill and Simon Brien (Dragon Edinburgh Cup winner from Royal North of Ireland YC) and was supported and encouraged all the way by Bill – a true mentor figure.
Bill sailed a brilliant regatta, coming second overall behind the even more brilliant Peter Vilby, a result that has never been beaten by an Irish Laser (Standard) sailor. Consistent with many other Laser sailors across the world in that era, Bill had to realise his Olympic dreams away from Lasers, in his case in the single-hander Finn class.
Some of the 1982 Irish Laser Class supremos, with their mentor Ron Huthcieson on right, are (left to right) Simon Brien (later multiple Edinburgh Cup winner and other majors), multiple champion Charlie Taylor (still at it in the Laser Masters), Olympian Bill O'Hara, and Dave Cummins, All-Ireland Helmsmans Champion 1981 and 1982
I recall stories of him campaigning the Finn with Terry Nielsen (1982 Laser World Champion and eventual Bronze Medal winner) in 1983 in North America in the build-up to the Los Angeles Games in 1984.
Like many Olympic campaigners he returned for the Laser Worlds in Gulfport, Mississippi in October 1983 along with Frank Glynn, Con Murphy (better known now as Annalise's dad), John Simms and me. Most of us Irish stayed with nuns in a convent nearby but that is not what we most remember of the regatta. It was a no discard 14 race series in which Bill was doing brilliantly until a protest by the Jury for his boom allegedly hitting a NZL boat on his outside at the gybe mark. Both were disqualified and Bill ended the regatta knowing he would have been World Champion but for that.
It is often said that Juries stopped protesting boat on boat incidents because of that.
Bill went on to race at the Olympics and recorded a 4th, 10th, 9th and 8th in the first four of seven races and finished 13th overall in a very competitive fleet with sailing legends Russell Coutts and John Bertrand winning Gold and Silver. But Bill affirmed his status as role model and great supporter of Irish dinghy sailing by returning from the glories of the Olympics to race in the Irish Laser Nationals at the end of that summer.
These days Bill O'Hara is an international race judge and race officer
Of course, he was the man we all strived to beat at that event and subsequent seasons in the Laser (he didn't win that one but did win the Irish title three times in the nineties). I remember many great battles around the race course with Bill often ahead at the windward mark with his superior upwind speed and me trying to overtake him by the leeward mark with my superior downwind speed. Bill continued to combine his Laser and Finn sailing through the 1988 Games in Seoul, where he was joined by Peter Kennedy, the 1986 Irish Laser Champion, as David Wilkin's Flying Dutchman crew.
Afloat's 1983 Laser World's report from Gulfport, Mississippi
Many of us were envious of that given the limited opportunities to access Olympic sailing in those days but that changed with the introduction of the Laser in the 1996 Olympics. Although Bill started off as a competitor in the search for the single Irish place in Atlanta, he still provided advice and encouragement to me all the way. That is the thing about Bill, a fearsome competitor afloat but a true friend ashore. Nothing supports that more than in the 1994 Irish Laser Nationals when going into the deciding last race where I had a slender lead over Gary McCarthy, I had broken my tiller extension and Bill offered me his with the words "this title needs to be earned not won by default" - sorry Gary. Bill went to the 1996 Games as a coach and provided me with vital advice and encouragement throughout the Games.
Although our interaction has been more social than on the race course in recent years, I look back and say he has been a true motivator and influencer on my sailing journey but more importantly a true friend, which like many friendships based on so many years of shared experiences and the ups and downs of competition, will remain despite the passing of time. Bill is a man who knows loyalty and integrity and I am proud to be his friend. Well done, Bill on your OBE.
Published in Laser
Bill O'Hara
Mark Lyttle
Irish Laser Class Put Their Proposed 2021 Events Calendar on Display
The Irish Laser class would remind you of a murmuration of starlings. They major in highly flexible shape-changing formations in which the actual moving around of the fleet is a matter of independent individual units somehow sweeping together with apparently telepathic communication and little hassle. A Laser skipper has no crew problems, and all they need to be part of the countrywide circus is a driving licence and a sufficiently robust car to take the boat and launching trailer on a roof rack.
Admittedly with some very talented juniors such as Eve McMahon making an impact before they’ve even got to the age of 16, the driving licence requirement may need an element of family and older friends support. But either way the class’s approach seems as modern as tomorrow, and it takes an effort to remember that these timeless classics have been in Ireland for nearly fifty years.
With their flexibility of fleet movement, they were sufficiently confident to publish their outline 2021 Events Calendar early in the weekend, and though any fixed post-pandemic programme planning must be in the balance with the developments of the past two days, at least it reminds us that as soon as there’s any possibility of sailing resumption, they’ll be ready and willing for a leaping of Lasers.
IRISH LASER ASSOCIATION 2021 EVENTS
2/4 April – Munster Championship: Baltimore SC
8/11 April – Irish Sailing Youth Nationals: Royal Cork YC
Dates TBC – Leinster Championship: Venue TBC
12/13 June - Masters National Championship: Roya St George YC
26/27th June – Ulster Championship: County Antrim YC, Whitehead
17/18 July – Connacht Championship: Wexford Harbour BC
19/22 August – National Championship, Royal Cork YC
2/3 October - End–of-Season Event (new): Kinsale YC
Date Fixed for Irish Laser Men Aiming for Final Olympic Place Next April in Hyeres
As Ireland tries to boost its Olympic sailing team from currently one dinghy (Annalise Murphy in the Radial) with two more (a men's Laser and a 49er), the final Olympic qualifier for the men's Laser class has been confirmed for France in April 2021 (French Olympic Week, April 17-24 in Hyeres).
There are still two nation places up for grabs and three Irish men are chasing a final berth. Ireland is up against Italy, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands so it is likely to go right down to the wire before we know who ultimately claims the place.
Finn Lynch, Liam Glynn and Ewan McMahon are all looking for the single berth and whoever finishes on top in the Cote D'Azur will be deemed to have been selected.
Since late summer performance sailing has been back in regatta mode with the team competing across Europe in Poland and Italy.
After training from the Irish Sailing Performance HQ in Dun Laoghaire all summer, once restrictions lifted the Lasers and Laser Radials headed to Lake Garda in Italy for training, and then on to the Italian National Championships – the first time the team had competed since Covid restrictions began. Murphy won this competition overall and from there the team headed to the European Championships in Gdansk, Poland.
As Afloat reported previously, Finn Lynch had a great regatta finishing in 13th position in Gdansk, a personal best for the Dun Laoghaire ace but there was a disappointment overall for Tokyo qualified Murphy. There was another personal best for Lynch's rival Glynn too, who finished 43 from 126.
Howth's Eve McMahon at only 16-years-old had her first senior European championships, qualifying for the Gold Fleet and finishing in 45th - a great marker of future potential.
More on Finn Lynch's plans here
Finn Lynch
Howth's November Sunshine Plays Tricks with Aoife Hopkins Laser Coaching Course
November sunshine plays tricks with how we see things. Maybe it's because it's so rare. But at the weekend at Howth – with just a month to go to the shortest day of the year – a special coaching course being run in Lasers by international champion Aoife Hopkins was taking place with a low-slung sun so powerful – under a sky of a blue so utterly blue that it hasn't got a name yet – that an educational circuit of Ireland's Eye under the watchful Hopkins' eye did strange things to vision.
Be careful in looking at this photo – when you get hold of the thought that the boat is going away and the sail is coming back again, the brain just won't let itself be re-set correctly
Maybe it's just us, and maybe it's time we re-visited the pioneering HYC Brass Monkey Winter Series creator Pat Connolly in his day job as an optician. But if you look at the pic above of the trainee flotilla of Abby Kinsella, Una Connel, Fiachra Farrelly and Charlie Keating heading eastward towards the Martello tower and the cliffs along the north coast of Ireland's Eye, there's no doubt that the nearest boat is going away, but the strong low light somehow makes it look as though the sail is coming back again…….
Either way, in the idyllic circumstances a circuit of Ireland's Eye provided an ideal opportunity for a multi-layered day of training, as there was pilotage, navigation and useful wildlife observation added to the mix, even if The Stack on the northeast corner – a summertime Gannet Central since 1989 – was winter silent, with just one gannet watchman left behind.
Closing in on The Stack on Ireland's Eye. In summer, it's Gannet Central...
……..but off season, just one lone gannet has drawn the short straw to be The Winter Watchbird
It was difficult to imagine the place in a harsh grey easterly, which in some Novembers is the default weather condition around Ireland's Eye. But in Howth, nothing is allowed to go to waste – as Aoife observed after winning the Laser U21 Euros 2017 at Douarnenez in Brittany in a week of extra-fresh westerlies, determined days of sailing in strong easterlies off Howth will set you up for anything, Breton westerlies included…..
Aoife Hopkins winning the Laser Euro U21s in strong westerlies at Douarnenez in Brittany
Aoife Hopkins
Howth Yacht Club
Irish Laser Champion Mark Lyttle on Podcast
Ireland's 2018 Laser Grand Master World Champion Mark Lyttle reveals the depth of his ambitions in the solo Laser class when he interviewed for a UK Laser Class podcast recently.
One of the most fascinating statistics in the hour-long chat with Ben Flower of the UK Laser class is that in 1996, Laser sailing had the most nations competing of any sport at the Atlanta Olympics.
As long time Afloat readers will know, Savannah is where the Laser made its Olympic debut and where Lyttle was a race winner, a result that led him to the inaugural Afloat Sailor of the Year award
It's not the only blast from the past contained in the podcast either where Lyttle gives plenty of anecdotes about the 2018 Worlds on Dublin Bay and his homecoming win. A really nice progression in his sailing career from Olympics into masters.
The London based sailor gives some great description of laser campaigning in the 80s; no coaches, just a bunch of lads taking their Lasers off to Europe for the Summer.
There's an interesting account of how old long races have given way to shorter races and how this puts huge emphasis on the run and downwind technique, since the run can be straight after the first beat and so fleet stays so compressed compared to old big triangles when the run was at the end (I assume they did triangle, sausage or triangle, triangle, sausage)
Significantly, as a former chairman of the UK Optimist class, and the architect of the modern Irish Olympic programme, Lyttle speaks about his experiences with youth burnout in sailing.
Listen in to the podcast below:
Laser Sailor Finn Lynch Aiming to Take One of Last Two Qualification Places for Tokyo 2021
2016 Irish Rio representative Finn Lynch believes that he can take one of the final two qualification spots for Tokyo 2021 in the Men's Laser class if he focuses on improving areas that prevented him from doing so at the last two qualification regattas.
"There’s a bunch of good people who still haven’t qualified. There are five or six nations with guys who can have regattas in the top ten but I’m not really focusing on that. I’m focussing on trying to improve on the things that held me back on the last two qualification regattas. And If I can do that, there’s no reason that I cannot get a spot", he told the Irish Laer Class AGM last week.
Lynch gave his online interview coming off the back of the European Championships in Poland last month where he showed the depth of his Olympic ambitions and secured a personal best of 13th from a fleet of 126. It's a highly creditable result that will boost the 24-year-old's confidence in his race for one of the final Olympic berths.
Finn Lynch took a 13th overall - and a personal best - at the 2020 Laser Europeans
Presumably, Lynch's training will focus on some uneven performances where the Irish ace has shown himself well able to win world championship races but, unfortunately, just not managed to string together a consistent series to seize one of the prized Olympic berths.
As Afloat reported previously, the World Sailing Championships at Aarhus, Denmark, in August 2018 was the first opportunity to qualify for Tokyo, but Irish crews in three events did not pass the test then. Despite winning Race 7 in the Gold fleet, Lynch missed qualification by about 20 points as he carried two mid-forties results after he was disqualified from Race 8 for a premature start. Yet, in all this, his score sheet showed three top ten results, an otherwise very positive result. At the next qualification opportunity, the 2019 World Championships in Japan, Lynch ended the championship in 40th overall in the 148-boat fleet, 11th unqualified country and some 56-points off the tally required.
Prior to that, in the early part of 2019, the dedicated Olympic solo sailor had overall placings within the top ten at three major international events, and at Genoa 2019 he was an overall leader at one stage, and a slight turn of fortune would have seen him in the medals. His solid Laser performance moved him up to 15th in the world rankings in April 2019, so Lynch really does have the turn of speed required.
Fast forward to today and the scenario is that Slovenia, Switzerland, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium and Ireland are in the running for the final places with Ireland finishing behind all of these at the 2019 World Championships, so the race is well and truly on to take one of these final European places.
Portuguese winter training camp
During the special AGM interview section, Lynch also gave details by Zoom of his planned extended training camp in Portugal under coach three-time Olympic medallist Vasilij Žbogar.
Lynch says he is 'really excited' about the plan for this winter. The National Yacht Club sailor will be training with the Norwegian team and aims to stay in warmer climes until the final Tokyo qualification regatta, the venue for which is as yet unconfirmed due to COVID-19.
"It's just a rumour but it could now be Hyeres Regatta next April or it could be Palma or Hyeres or maybe a different World Cup," he told Jim McMahon, Secretary of the Irish Laser Class during the online Q & A.
Also looking to secure Ireland's place in the forthcoming regatta are trialists Bangor's Liam Glynn and Howth's Ewan McMahon and whoever can secure the place at next Spring's Regatta automatically becomes the Irish nominee for Tokyo.
Olympic Federation Updates on Irish Sailors Looking to Qualify in 49er & Laser for Tokyo 2021
The Olympic Federation of Ireland (OFI) say in an update that Irish athletes across most sports are still on the qualification journey for the Tokyo Olympic Games which now take place next year from 23 July to 8 August 2021. Sailing is no different with only one of a possible three confirmed so far.
To date, there are 52 confirmed athlete spots for Tokyo, with many more athletes and teams sitting inside qualification status.
Eleven sports to date will enjoy Irish representation in Tokyo, and the current tracking of the team could see Team Ireland travelling next summer to Tokyo with the largest Olympic team to date.
In sailing, Ireland has already qualified one boat for Tokyo – the Women’s Laser Radial, which was achieved via Aisling Keller at the World Championships in 2019 – this position is set to be filled by Annalise Murphy, who has been nominated by Irish Sailing after a cut-short trial that left both Keller and Howth rival Aoife Hopkins 'devastated'.
'Selection', say the OFI, will be made once the process has been completed.
Seafra Guilfoyle (left) and Ryan Seaton are one of two Irish 49er campaigns looking for the last nation berth for Tokyo 2021
There are still limited opportunities for Ireland to qualify another boat – the 49er can still qualify at the planned European Sailing Cup where one spot is available. As Afloat reported earlier, Ireland is vying with Belgium, Sweden and Italy for the one remaining European place. Form at the 2020 Worlds suggested that Irish sailors would be favourites having finished ahead of the other three candidates.
Laser sailor Finn Lynch, one of three Irish helmsmen seeking a final nation berth for Tokyo 2021
In the Men’s Laser, there are two spots available at the planned European Sailing Cup. Up to six countries are in the running – Slovenia, Switzerland, Spain, Netherlands and Belgium and Ireland with Ireland finishing behind all of these at the latest World Championships.
In both of these events, the majority of spots were available at the World Championships in 2019 but unfortunately, Ireland missed out.
As Afloat reported in back in March the IOC, in their determination to maintain normality – or to return to normality as soon as possible – have issued a position update on the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and the potential changes to the qualification process disrupted by the spread of Covid-19.
Many sports, including sailing, have had to cancel qualifying events and the IOC has asked International Federations to consider revising the qualification process which may include ranking or historical results. More on this here.
Annalise Murphy
COVID Outbreak at Laser European Championships in Poland, Danish Radial Silver Medalist Tests Positive
An outbreak of COVID-19 at the European Championships in Poland a fortnight ago has led organisers to contact all 300 competitors alerting them to the outbreak of the virus at the event.
Sailors competing in Gdansk received an email communication from organisers, Eurilca, that a male Portuguese competitor tested positive for Covid-19 and is still in quarantine in Poland.
Last night, Irish Olympic team manager James O'Callaghan told Afloat, it was a case of 'all good' for the seven-boat Team IRL who finish their quarantine period after travelling to the Polish event today.
Some competitors were reported as feeling unwell as soon as they returned home.
The championships drew competitors from as many as 40 countries in the men's and women's divisions of the Tokyo Olympic class.
In Denmark, the championship silver medalist, Anne Marie Rindom is reported to have tested positive by national media.
Rindom, the 2016 Olympic bronze medalist, is said to be recovering from 'some hard days with covid-19'.
“It has gotten a little better over the last few days, but I have had a high fever, pain in my head and all over my body,” she told Denmark's TV2 Sport.
During the course of the Gdansk event, the Polish government moved to put the country into a ‘yellow zone’ in a bid to curtail the spread of COVID, according to the organisers who provided health checks as part of the regatta set-up.
The championships were heralded as the 'first opportunity since the pandemic outbreak for Olympic campaigners to race again in such a big fleet', so it will be very disappointing news for all concerned that despite measures taken - including onsite testing - that the virus has had such an impact on the international sailing circuit.
A copy of the email received by the sailors is below.
Senior Europeans 2020 In Poland: Very important information
Dear Sailor,
We have been informed later this morming that a sailor from the portuguese was tested positive to covid-19 and is still in quarantine in Poland.
His portuguese roomate in the room during the event is back in Portugal and has been also tested positive.
The rest of the portuguese team has been now tested and waiting for the results of the test in Portugal.
The organizing committte and EurILCA wanted to inform you of that situation and if you have been in contact with them suggest to be testing.
Please follow the procedures with the medical authorities in your country and contact them as they will advise you how to proceed.
We know some people were tested arriving at their airport destination if they were flying.
But it could not the case for all and for the ones who travel by car or van.
We suggest to extremely carefull and we will update you if any more news. [SIC].
Irish sailors say there has been no further follow-up by organisers since the event.
The Half Ton Class was created by the Offshore Racing Council for boats within the racing band not exceeding 22'-0". The ORC decided that the rule should "....permit the development of seaworthy offshore racing yachts...The Council will endeavour to protect the majority of the existing IOR fleet from rapid obsolescence caused by ....developments which produce increased performance without corresponding changes in ratings..."
When first introduced the IOR rule was perfectly adequate for rating boats in existence at that time. However yacht designers naturally examined the rule to seize upon any advantage they could find, the most noticeable of which has been a reduction in displacement and a return to fractional rigs.
After 1993, when the IOR Mk.III rule reached it termination due to lack of people building new boats, the rule was replaced by the CHS (Channel) Handicap system which in turn developed into the IRC system now used.
The IRC handicap system operates by a secret formula which tries to develop boats which are 'Cruising type' of relatively heavy boats with good internal accommodation. It tends to penalise boats with excessive stability or excessive sail area.
The most significant events for the Half Ton Class has been the annual Half Ton Cup which was sailed under the IOR rules until 1993. More recently this has been replaced with the Half Ton Classics Cup. The venue of the event moved from continent to continent with over-representation on French or British ports. In later years the event is held biennially. Initially, it was proposed to hold events in Ireland, Britain and France by rotation. However, it was the Belgians who took the ball and ran with it. The Class is now managed from Belgium.
At A Glance – Half Ton Classics Cup Winners
2017 – Kinsale – Swuzzlebubble – Phil Plumtree – Farr 1977
2016 – Falmouth – Swuzzlebubble – Greg Peck – Farr 1977
2015 – Nieuwport – Checkmate XV – David Cullen – Humphreys 1985
2014 – St Quay Portrieux – Swuzzlebubble – Peter Morton – Farr 1977
2013 – Boulogne – Checkmate XV – Nigel Biggs – Humphreys 1985
2011 – Cowes – Chimp – Michael Kershaw – Berret 1978
2009 – Nieuwpoort – Général Tapioca – Philippe Pilate – Berret 1978
2007 – Dun Laoghaire – Henri-Lloyd Harmony – Nigel Biggs – Humphreys 1980~
2005 – Dinard – Gingko – Patrick Lobrichon – Mauric 1968
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Woman sues Apple for hosting 'gambling apps' after spending thousands on in-game currency
By Mike Peterson | 2 months ago
Apple has been hit with a lawsuit alleging that free-to-play games on the App Store that feature in-game currency constitute illegal gambling.
The lawsuit, lodged Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut, claims that Apple "promotes, enables, and profits" from gambling games on the App Store.
For example, the plaintiff in the case, Karen Workman, says she downloaded an app called "Jackpot Mania" in 2017, and "began purchasing coins through the app so he/she could continue to play for a chance to win free coins that would enable him/her to enjoy the game(s) for a longer period of time."
In the six months before filing the suit, Workman spent $3,312.19 on in-game coins, the lawsuit adds.
Although gambling apps are banned on the App Store, the complaint argues that apps with in-game currency still fall under the "gambling" category because users "have the ability to win and therefore acquire more playing time."
Furthermore, it argues that credits which are "recorded and allow one to extend play" are a thing of value. "The apps at issue record credits and allow the player to save them up and play later," the complaint reads, before accusing the App Store of hosting apps that violate Connecticut's gambling statutes.
"Apple is not some minor or incidental participant in these illegal gambling games. It is the principal promoter and facilitator of the illegal activity. Apple maintains dictatorial control over what apps can be downloaded from the App Store, and the payment method to purchase in-app items," the complaint reads.
The lawsuit, which is seeking class status, also asks for a refund of "all money paid through the illegal gambling games described herein," attorneys' fees; and an award for the plaintiff for "his/her services in this case on behalf of the class."
Joe Piervincenti Said:
Man, love how it becomes their fault that puppy can’t control your own spending.. people are ridiculous!
DAalseth Said:
I guess whe wanted to throw the dice one more time.
mattinoz Said:
Might cause a few changes to IAP rules that would hammer a lot of poor quality business models make game makers look for game play reasons for people to pay them money.
maestro64 Said:
This is the problem with this country more and more people no longer want take responsibility for their own actions and want to blame others and some lawyer agreed to take this person case.
22july2013 Said:
China has a huge list of banned apps for the App Store in China and Apple complies with China without complaint. I presume Apple would not complain if US governments banned certain kinds of apps in the US. More realistically, a limit of ten times the original product price seems like a good limit to me for in app purchases. Any app which exceeds a factor of ten probably isn't "an app" but more like "a service." Maybe Apple should stop calling them apps and start calling them "interactive services." I think Apple could do this on its own rather than let governments set rules for their App Store.
I bought at least one app on the Mac App Store. I can't remember the price but it was likely around $70 and I see some expansion packs which seem to add up to $250. To me that seems expensive so I ignore the expansions. But at least $250 is in the same approximate ballpark as the original purchase, not 10 or 100 times the original price.
By Malcolm Owen | 12 minutes ago
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Dead Man's Draw 17+
4.6 • 357 Ratings
Stand on the knife’s edge between risk and reward. The turn of a single card can win bags of treasure or lose it all in this simple and strategic game of chance and skill.
Every card you draw could be your last, but the right mix of wit and courage wins the booty.
“Creative card game that starts out simple and layers on the strategy”
Gamezebo – 9/10
“If you're after a polished and fun card game, this should be your first port of call.”
PocketGamer – 8/10
“‘baller x-treme’ (that is a compliment)”
Tycho of Penny-Arcade
“You’re not just getting a nifty card game; you’re getting a long steady feed of new ways to play.”
Quarter to Three – 4/5 stars
“Best New Games” and “What We’re Playing”
-Apple
Dead Man’s Draw combines luck and strategy in a simple card-drawing format. Pulling the wrong card could bust your entire hand, but choosing the right target for a cannon blast or following a treasure map to the best destination can turn the tides in your favor more than any blind luck ever could.
Draw if you dare!
● Easy to learn, challenging to master
● Chain together card combos to rack up points
● Win gold and unlock new treasures
● Exploit unique powers granted by mystic jewels
● Earn special rewards with high scores
● Test your skills in 50+ distinct tournaments, with more to come
Follow us on Twitter: @DeadMansDraw
● Bug fixes and performance improvements
zen7ype , 04/28/2017
Arrriginal card game
I've played a lot of good card games on mobiles. Spent money to support the decks where they deserved it (mtg, ascension, hearthstone) I didn't expect much from this game but the reviews got me curious and now I see why it's rated so highly. It's original, polished has a great play mechanic that evolves as you progress. When I need a break from the stress and frustration from the (sometimes not so) occasional mana screw (I'm talking to you magic duels) I'll come back to this game. Just goes to show you that there's still some great game ideas out there that involve nothing more than a deck of specialized pirate cards.
Gaaarrreat game all around.
And yes they've definitely earned some of my coin.
Junu3 , 08/31/2016
Simple card game with fun twists, but one con.
This is a simple card game where you try to collect the most points each round. You draw cards until you either collect them for points, or draw a duplicate suit and lose all of the ones you just drew. So it's a gamble, but it's very fun. Each card also has its own ability that changes the game up a lot, which is what I think makes this game fun. If not for that, it would probably be pretty boring. There are also tokens that beef up the cards, making the abilities of the cards more potent.
One con: it doesn't stay in game if I exit to my home screen or switch applications. It completely exits out, so I lose whatever game I had been playing and have to start over and create a new game. If they fixed this so I could continue the game I had been playing, I would definitely give it five stars. As it is, four stars is what it gets.
MonkeyFist87 , 05/31/2017
Bust What Bust
My observation about the game. I play the game at a high level. I notice the computer will bust very rarely. You will suffer quick bust multiple time in each games. The kraken card will only be successful 20% of the time for you compare to the computer 90% success rate with this card. The computer will match your score. If you score a lot of points the computer will counter against you matching or surpassing your score. If you bleed the deck using up the cards quickly and keep the score low the computer's score will be low as well. This strategy can bring some comical moments and laughter. It's amazing to see the computer pull out the win at the end of the game. In fact I have become like Criss Angel and predict which card will appear. Overall the game can be beat but you must be willing to suffer multiple failures. Also I do not use any traits more of a challenge to acquire the three stars for each tournament.
The developer, Stardock, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below.
Data Not Collected
The developer does not collect any data from this app.
Stardock Entertainment, Inc.
English, Catalan, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian Bokmål, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Slovak, Spanish, Swedish, Traditional Chinese, Turkish
Frequent/Intense Simulated Gambling
© 2013 Stardock Corporation
3,000 Gold $0.99
Gold Multiplier $4.99
Onirim - Solitaire Card Game
Jaipur: the board game
Friday - by Friedemann Friese
WizKids Games Companion
Cat Lady - The Card Game
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Home General Nasri: “We were the best team”
Nasri: “We were the best team”
Samir Nasri says Arsenal were the best team last season even though they finished the season 4th and without a trophy for the sixth season.
Speaking to the Arsenal Magazine, Nasri said “We had everything to be champions, but if you look at it, every time we played to go top of the league, we never did. In terms of talent, I feel we had the best squad of the whole league. We played the best football. We were the best team, even if Manchester United had a good season too”.
The Frenchman put Arsenal’s now almost traditional end of season collapse down to making mistakes out of a desire to win but says new additions could bring the good times back.
“As a team, we all realise now what we need to do to win a trophy. We have improved so much. If the boss adds some good players, I really believes a trophy will be won”.
Nasri also spoke about his contract situation but stopped short of making any assurances about his future, saying “There is not much to say apart from don’t listen to all the rumours and everything that is written or said. Earlier in the season I spoke with the boss and we said we would talk during the summer, which is what we are going to do.”
Arseblog News is aware that Nasri has been offered a number of lucrative contract extensions over the last 6 months but none of these have been deemed acceptable to either the player or his agent. However, Nasri’s representative spoke earlier in the week about imminent talks with Arsenal.
With just 12 months left on his contract Nasri could move on a Bosman next summer, a situation the club are not willing to face. A deadline of July 1st has been set – if Nasri fails to agree new terms by then he will be made available for transfer so Arsenal do not lose a valuable asset for free.
Subscribe to the Arsenal Magazine
samir nasri
Previous articleGunners start with a Toon
Next articleBarcelona in touch with Arsenal over Cesc
Alex Kirk rewarded with professional contract
Coyle and Medley recalled; Arsenal loanees round-up
Ballard and John-Jules set to face Premier League sides in FA Cup fourth round
Junichi B
Who hold the good information. I do remember Wengersaying that they were focusing on competitions and that that situation would be sorted out in summer. Now we are in summer. Nasri says the same today. So who we need to believe ? Arseblog which make an amazing work but does it basing on what it “heard”. Or those who are clearly involved in the situation. That’s not a rethorical question, it’s a true wondering.
dan werren
In arseblog we trust
Double '71
Yeah, Arseblog knows best!
These quotes are from the Arsenal magazines which comes out every month. This is probably quotes from the May addition magazine.
Stevep72
I like nasri as player and hope we keep him. However I think we should save blowing our own trumpets until we have some silverware to decorate the band stand. Otherwise you can look a bit foolish …. The best teams generally end up winning at the end of the day.
Johnny Massacre
I like turtles.
Arseblog … an Arsenal blog | Thoughts on fixtures + Saturday round-up
[…] Speaking to the Arsenal Magazine this month he said fans should not listen to rumour about his future and confirmed that he’d be talking to the boss in the summer about his situation. However, he made no assurances about a new deal and while he might well want to stay so far he’s turned down all the offers made to him. I also wonder if he might be a bit mad, seeing as he seemed to believe we were the best team last season. […]
Bergkamp number 1
I like….I like lamp!
matebie
unless wenger keep nasiri , another trophyless season will arrive soon.
Liveinhope
I should be chief negotiator at Arsenal. Me – do you want to stay or not Sammi and form a dynamic partnership with Joey Barton, and how much more a week do you want? Sammi – Er, £20k more a week then your predecessor in these negotiations were willing to offer. And I want all the blue ones picked our of my smarties. otherwise I do one for nothing next year. Me- done and done. Sammi – (two thumbs up, cheeky grin) there is my signature on a five year contract. Me – Ta muchly. You are with that signature… Read more »
Rudy zarsoff
Bring in Barton!!
Arseblog … an Arsenal blog | Players start to return, Arsene has work to do
[…] space of a few years, that he’s changed his position from a couple of weeks ago where he said we were the best team to one that’s not good enough for him, and it doesn’t buy the bit about it not being […]
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> Figurines, sculptures>* Egon Schiele
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Born in Tulln on June 12, 1890 and attended the Vienna Art Academy between 1906 and 1909.In 1909 he co-founded the artists' association "Neukunstgruppe" and was inspired by the works of Van Gogh, Toulouse-Lautrec, Munch and Hodler.Friendship with Klimt also influences Schiele's paintings.He broke with the Jugenstil and developed his own style in...
Born in Tulln on June 12, 1890 and attended the Vienna Art Academy between 1906 and 1909.In 1909 he co-founded the artists' association "Neukunstgruppe" and was inspired by the works of Van Gogh, Toulouse-Lautrec, Munch and Hodler.Friendship with Klimt also influences Schiele's paintings.He broke with the Jugenstil and developed his own style in which he portrayed people in their daily activities, which came to his enormous criticism.He died at the age of 28 on October 31, 1918, just two days after his wife from the Spanish flu.
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Heigth figurine 30 cm. In this beautiful, modest portrait of his sister Gerti, style aspects of both the Sezession and of Schiele’s later, harsh expressionist work can be recognized. Heigth figurine 30 cm. In this...
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Expo Pantalla 2020: Miembros de ASC se unen a eventos en línea
August 13, 2020 ASC Staff
La Expo Pantalla online se lleva a cabo del 18 al 20 de agosto y ofrece tres oportunidades para participar con miembros de la Sociedad a través de Zoom, incluidos Fernando Argüelles, Gonzalo Amat y Checco Varese.
Todas las discusiones se llevarán a cabo en español.
AUGUST 18, 3:00PM CT
ASC Presenta: Preproduccion, Producción y Postproduction PARTE I
Cómo las tres partes del proceso son igualmente importantes y están inter relacionadas en la corrección de colores y resultado final. Enfasis en series de tv.
Moderador: Fernando Argüelles ASC, AEC; con Gonzalo Amat, ASC y Juan Ignacio Cabrera colorist y propietario de Lightbender en Santa Monica, California.
ASC Presenta: Preproduccion, Producción y Postproduction PARTE II
Incluye parte del día anterior añadiendo: streaming services, new media, colorimetria, LUT, ACEs, espacio de colores y HDR.
Moderador: Fernando Argüelles, ASC, AEC; con Gonzalo Amat, ASC y Juan Ignacio Cabrera colorist y propietario de Lightbender en Santa Monica, California.
ASC Presenta: ASC Directores de Fotografía Hispanos en Hollywood, (comienzos, experiencia y trayectoria profesional internacional).
Experiencia y trayectoria profesional. Fotógrafos internacionales.
Moderador: Fernando Argüelles, ASC, AEC; con Checco Varese, ASC y Gonzalo Amat, ASC.
Aquí encontrará los detalles completos del registro y la programación del evento. Todas las discusiones se llevarán a cabo en español.
Fernando Argüelles, ASC, AEC was born in the Asturias region of Spain and moved to Madrid at a young age to pursue a career in film. While there, he co-founded the production company Los Films del Oasis (Oasis Films), which produced numerous films, including Best Seller — his first feature.
Fernando Argüelles, ASC, AEC
Argüelles graduated from Centro de Instruccion Comercial e Industrial with a specialty in image and sound and also attended the University of Image Sciences and Universidad Complutense de Madrid. He was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship and attended the American Film Institute to study cinematography.
During his time at AFI, Argüelles received the Joseph and Olga Auerbach Scholarship for European students with exceptional abilities and was selected as one of the cinematographers to shoot a half-hour featurette.
Following his graduation and shooting several films, Argüelles moved into television. His body of work consists of television series, miniseries and movies of the week, and his credits include Prison Break, Grimm, Hemlock Grove, Second Chance, Scorpion andSwamp Thing. He has worked for Netflix, USA, A&E, Fox, CBS, CW and ABC, among others.
In addition to his ASC membership, Argüelles is a member of the Spanish Society of Cinematographers (AEC), associate member of the Society of Camera Operators (SOC) and member of the Actors Fund. Argüelles has served as a judge for the LA Emmy Awards Spanish-language programs and was a blue-ribbon panelist for the Emmy Awards — hosted by the Cinematography Peer Group — as well as a panelist for the Television Academy Cinematography Internship Program.
Gonzalo Amat, ASC (Photo by Matt Lankes)
Gonzalo Amat, ASC was born in Mexico to parents who were Spanish immigrants. Growing up between Mexico and Spain, the young man was fueled by two great passions: still photography and reading. Amat’s father spent a great deal of time when he was young in a cinema owned by his own father in rural Spain, and therefore, a love of film was instilled in Amat at a young age. But it was right before he entered college, he says, that a teacher first gave him a copy of American Cinematographer — which was at the time hard to come by in Mexico City — and told the young man that he could combine his two passions in film.
“I wasn’t sure how to, so I worked a bit on set and saw that the cinematographer was really the gatekeeper and the person in charge of executing the film language of each setup. So I knew then that I had to become one,” he says.
Amat attended Centro Cultural Arte Contemporáneo in Mexico City, where he studied fine art photography. After graduation, he worked as a producer for companies including HBO Ole. But a continued pull toward cinematography brought him to London to study at the London Film School. Most of his classmates wanted to direct, he says, which allowed him to shoot more than 20 short films and documentaries.
Subsequently, he was accepted into the American Film Institute, where he earned a Master of Fine Arts in cinematography. His thesis film, Fueling the Fire, was accepted into more than 40 festivals, and won awards in 15.
His early work includes the features 7 Días and El Estudiante — both of which earned him best cinematography nominations at the Gabriel Figueroa Awards — as well as The Devil Inside. His other feature work includes Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones and Carrie Pilby.
His television work includes Believe — created by Alfonso Cuarón and Mark Friedman — as well as Person of Interest, SEAL Team, Happy! and Outer Banks. For his work in the Amazon Studios sci-fi alternate-history drama The Man in the High Castle, Amat was nominated for two ASC Awards as well as an Emmy Award.
Checco Varese, ASC
Born in Peru, Checco Varese, ASC got his start as a news cameraman before moving into music videos, commercials, television and features.
Starting in the mid-1980s, he spent nearly a decade shooting news coverage and documentaries in major zones of conflict: Latin America (Chiapas Uprising, Salvador and Nicaragua Wars, Panama Invasion, Colombia Drug War, Shining Path, Chile's Military Junta); The Caribbean (Haiti Crisis); Europe (Bosnia Crisis, Chechnya Crisis); the Middle East (Gulf War, West Bank and Gaza Strip Crisis) and Africa (South African Riots and the Rwanda Crisis).
In the mid-1990s, Varese established himself as a leading director of photography, shooting hundreds of music videos, including Dave Matthew's Band's “Crash” and Prince’s “Black Sweat,” for which he was nominated for Best Cinematography at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards.
His notable narrative credits include the television projects Reign, True Blood, Fidel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, Proven Innocent and the pilot for Jane the Novela.
His feature work includes El Aura, 5 Days of War, Prom Night (2008), Miracles From Heaven, The 33 and It: Chapter Two.
Juan Ignacio Cabrera
Juan Ignacio Cabrera started his career in Madrid, Spain, 24 years ago, working as a visual effects supervisor and animator on everything from commercials, to music videos, to feature films. After 10 years in the VFX industry, he evolved his career towards color and finishing, working in companies like El Ranchito, Molinare Madrid and Infinia. His background in visual effects helped him immensely on the technical side of color grading and color science, and he often blends both worlds when needed.
Since moving to Los Angeles in 2011, he has worked as colorist and stereographer on projects including Prometheus; The Amazing Spiderman; Star Trek: Into Darkness; Transformers: Age of Extinction; and Star Wars: The Force Awakens (for which he won two AIS Awards). On the television side, he has worked on shows including StartUp (Sony), Quantum Break (Microsoft), and, more recently, The Alienist: Angel of Darkness, for TNT (Paramount Television Studios)
His mixed background allowed him to jump very early into new technologies such as ACES, stereography, HDR and HFR, among others, and incorporate ideas from all of them into more standard workflows. He is a firm believer in “postproduction starts in pre-production” and enjoys developing new workflows or optimizing existing ones for projects that might present new challenges, like flexible color re-conform, large VFX assets handling, multiple color versioning, multiple-format and multiple-aspect ratio deliverables.
In 2014, Cabrera founded his own company in Santa Monica, LightBender, to provide color and mastering services, as well as custom workflows for challenging productions, and research of special processes for postproduction and digital cinematography.
Tagged: Expo Pantalla, Fernando Argüelles , Gonzalo Amat, Checco Varese, Juan Ignacio Cabrera , Lightbender
Entendiendo los filtros polarizados
Usando reflexiones especulares
Hablando sobre autos
Charlando de Cinematografía: Julio Macat, ASC y Natasha Braier, ASC, ADF
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an NFSA website
home : titles : sponsored films : South-west Pacific
South-west Pacific (1943)
I thought you might be interested in this clip which is on the australianscreen website (https://aso.gov.au/). South-west Pacific 1943 http://aso.gov.au/titles/sponsored-films/south-west-pacific/clip2/
Women join the war effort clip 1, 2
This clip chosen to be G
Education notes
Clip description
Gwennie (Muriel Steinbeck) is just one of the thousands of women who have joined the war effort – she works in a munitions factory putting trinitrotoluene, or TNT, into shells. She explains that in the last war women 'couldn’t do a lot’. When she heard that one in four factory workers had to be female, she joined up because everyone has someone in the army or navy … a brother, a husband, or a boyfriend.
This then segues into her boyfriend Bill’s story. The couple are seated in a restaurant as he tells her of his experience in the United States, which gave him an opportunity to tell New Yorkers just what the Australian Navy were doing to help win the war. Throughout both of these acted sequences, actuality footage is used to support their statements including footage of women working in war factories, women who have joined the services, and Australian naval ships in battle at sea.
by Poppy De Souza
Gwennie and her boyfriend Bill could be any young couple, and that’s precisely the reason their situation is used to illustrate how everyone can help fight the war. Muriel Steinbeck’s character used to work in a beauty parlour – a job no longer important (since all the beauty parlours have closed down) in the larger context of the war. She works in the munitions factory for two reasons – because women are now given opportunities to contribute in a way that women in the past weren’t; and, in her own words, because ‘it’s not much good having a boyfriend in destroyers if the navy hasn’t got enough shells to fire at the Japs’. Bill’s story is important for the overseas audiences as it reiterated that Australia, despite being a small nation, was participating in important ways.
This scripted scenario and staged scene is supported with actuality footage (noticeably more grainy) which was most likely shot by camera operators posted overseas by the Department of Information. Hall would have built his story around the available stock footage. The intention in combining the staged and actuality footage is to present an emotional 'truth’ with which the audience can empathise.
This black-and-white clip is from a 1943 Australian Government-sponsored film from the Second World War. It combines the stories of a young woman working in a munitions factory on the home front and her serviceman boyfriend, who is posted overseas. The woman talks to camera about the efforts of women workers and servicewomen towards an Allied victory. Her boyfriend describes battles of the Australian Navy in different theatres of the War. The clip is intercut with actual wartime footage.
Educational value points
This clip conveys the message of a strong relationship between the home front and active service by depicting the sacrifices to the Australian war effort made by women production workers such as Gwennie and servicemen such as Bill. In 1943 the Japanese advance in the Pacific was pressuring Australia to increase production of essential war supplies, requiring more workers – mainly women, as men were required for active service.
Women both volunteered and were directed to perform a variety of roles in the war effort, and were often required to make personal sacrifices. Brought into factories by the Government to perform essential work, they often undertook the same tasks as men, such as making munitions and assembling engines, driving trucks and working on farms. Many women undertook war work while raising families and maintaining households, often with partners in active service.
Women enlisted in all branches of the armed services, providing essential support and performing a variety of military tasks such as intelligence work, operating searchlights, fixing planes and driving trucks. While precautions were taken to prevent women from fighting and to keep them from the dangers of active service, a number of nurses in particular were caught in battle, killed in action or captured as prisoners of war, especially during the Malaya campaign (Dec 1941 – Feb 1942).
Contrary to Gwennie’s carefree approach in the clip, the reality of working in a munitions factory involved intense concentration and awareness of the volatility of the materials used to make explosive devices. Gwennie is presented talking to camera in a tailored suit and hat, casually pouring TNT into canisters. In reality, the uniformed women on the factory assembly lines worked with the dangerous materials in silence and with precision.
Bill is used in the clip to emphasise the significant involvement of the Royal Australian Navy in the Mediterranean and other areas of conflict in the War. His enthusiastic description of the heroism displayed in famous battles includes descriptions of the sinking of HMAS Waterhen and HMAS Sydney, whose entire crew was lost – perhaps inadvertently presenting a message that the Government did not intend at the time.
Different film techniques are used to elicit the viewer’s appreciation of the civilian war effort and the valiant battles of the Australian Navy by showing Gwennie making the shells that Bill may fire. Gwen’s face-to-camera narration is intercut with actuality footage of women working on factory assembly lines, showing their important war work. Her romantic interlude with Bill, supported by actual footage of naval battles, highlights the Navy’s bravery and sacrifice.
Thanks to the generosity of the rights holders, we are able to offer Women join the war effort from the sponsored film South-west Pacific as a high quality video download.
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Home » Business » Economy
World needs more equality, says IMF
Source: Shanghai Daily | October 7, 2016, Friday | Print Edition
GLOBALIZATION has largely benefited the world but must be “different” in the future, with world governments working more to prevent persistent inequality, IMF chief Christine Lagarde said yesterday.
“We know that globalization has worked over the years that it has delivered great benefits to many people,” Lagarde, the International Monetary Fund’s managing director, said at the opening of joint annual meetings with the World Bank.
“We don’t think it’s time to push against it,” said Lagarde, pointing specifically to the rising debate over free trade.
“It needs to be slightly different, it cannot be that push for trade as we have seen it historically.”
Both the IMF and the World Bank, longtime supporters of free trade, face a political climate in which trade liberalization is increasingly unpopular.
The failure to support displaced workers and others affected by globalization has encouraged protectionist sentiment in the developed world, according to the IMF. Last June Britain voted to secede from the European Union and both US presidential nominees have said they oppose the White House’s Pacific Rim trade pact.
Lagarde called on member states to make the forces of economic globalization “work for all and to pay attention to those that are at risk of being left out, whether it is as result of technology digital economy or international trade.”
Also addressing reporters yesterday, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim likewise acknowledged the need for inclusive economic development.
“Our research shows that inequality is still far too high, both globally and within countries, constraining growth and breeding instability,” he said.
“We need to focus on growth and continue to reduce inequality — and we have to make growth more equitable, and more sustainable,” he said.
Lagarde called yesterday for action around the world to revive growth and tackle inequality, singling out Germany, Canada and South Korea to provide stimulus.
The IMF this week forecast “subdued” global growth of 3.1 percent this year, rising to 3.4 percent next year, with the developing world expected to outpace advanced economies.
“My hope at the end of the annual meeting is that each finance minister, each governor of a central bank, will go back home thinking, ‘What can I do in order to propel that growth which is currently too low, for too long benefiting too few?’” said Lagarde.
Lagarde pointed to three leading economies as examples of states that have the financial wherewithal to spend more to accelerate growth.
“We believe that some countries have fiscal space. Well if so, the should use it,” she said.
“We are certainly including in that category countries like Canada, like Germany, like (South) Korea.”
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Rockies 11 - 1 Angels
Rockies beat Angels 11-1
Jun 23, 2009 - 6:23 AM ANAHEIM, Calif.(AP) -- The Colorado Rockies don't appear to need much help from their opponents these days to win. Yet, the Los Angeles Angels gift-wrapped a couple of runs with two of their club record-tying six wild pitches.
Brad Hawpe celebrated his 30th birthday with a three-run homer, Seth Smith also went deep and the Rockies beat the Angels 11-1 on Monday night for their 17th victory in 18 games and club-record ninth straight on the road.
Colorado is 19-5 since firing Clint Hurdle as manager on May 29 and replaced him with bench coach Jim Tracy.
"I don't know if it's a case of what he's told us, or what he hasn't told us that's been the biggest thing," first baseman Todd Helton said. "But we know that when we show up, in his mind and our minds, today is the most important day and we're going to do everything we can to win that game that day, and worry about the next game tomorrow."
The Rockies, who were last in the NL West and 14 games off the pace change was made, now trail second-place San Francisco by one game and the division-leading Dodgers by nine. Their sixth straight victory put them a season-best four-games over .500.
"I think we just started playing up to our potential and doing a lot of the little things it takes to win games," Helton said. "Obviously, it starts with starting pitching. Even when a guy hasn't pitched his best game - which guys have been doing a lot lately - they've stayed away from big innings and we've been able to bounce back."
Aaron Cook (7-3) allowed a run and three hits over seven innings and struck out four, helping send 30-year-old rookie Matt Palmer to his first loss in the big leagues.
Cook became the franchise's all-time leader in victories with his 59th, surpassing Jason Jennings, and also broke Pedro Astacio's team record for road wins with his 30th.
"The Rockies have shown a lot of confidence in me over the years, supported me through ups and downs, and signed me to two contracts," Cook said. "To be here and be able to accomplish this is something I am going to look back on enjoy. But I don't want it to end here."
The right-hander had only 12 big league wins to his credit when his career - and his life - were threatened because of blood clots that forced him out of a game he started at Coors Field on Aug. 7, 2004, and traveled from his pitching shoulder to both lungs. Cook made it all the way back from surgery four months into the 2005 campaign, and emerged as the Rockies' opening day starter in 2007 after Jennings was traded to Houston in the offseason.
"He's a warrior," Tracy said. "When you talk about some of the better starting pitching in either league, you have to bring his name up. Not only has he persevered, but this guy is a big-game performer. And once you get to know this guy, there isn't anybody in the world who wouldn't root for him."
All six wild pitches by the Angels came with Mike Napoli behind the plate. The Halos also had six on April 13, 1991 at Minnesota.
"It was a tough night for Mike," said manager Mike Scioscia, a former All-Star catcher. "Some balls he didn't quite get in front of, and others he blocked well and guys got good reads on the bases. The fastballs that got by him, I think he was a little open on his right side and he didn't get an angle on them."
Palmer (6-1) set the tone in the second inning, throwing two wild pitches with Troy Tulowitzki at the plate. It enabled Hawpe to advance to third, and he scored the first run on Ian Stewart's single during a three-run rally.
"It was pretty frustrating," Napoli said. "The second inning was just on me, not getting down and blocking the ball like I know how to and keep it in front of me."
The Angels have lost three straight following a season-best seven-game winning streak.
NOTES: The Angels and Rockies met for the first time in the regular season since 2006 - although they won three of four meetings in spring training this year and outscored them 39-23. In the last one on March 25, Colorado's Jeff Baker had an inside-the-park homer on a ball that struck CF Torii Hunter in the face as he attempted a leaping catch. ... Angels DH Vladimir Guerrero has not homered in 25 consecutive games, five shy of his longest career drought two seasons ago. He remains seven shy of 400.
COLORADO 0 3 0 0 3 2 1 0 2 11 13 0
LA ANGELS 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0 (FINAL)
BATTERIES: COL - AARON COOK, JUAN RINCON (8TH), MATT DALEY (9TH) AND CHRIS
IANNETTA
LAA - MATT PALMER, RICH THOMPSON (5TH), RAFAEL
RODRIGUEZ (6TH), JASON BULGER (9TH) AND MIK
Jun 23 1:05 AM
AT LA ANGELS - SCORING UPDATE
SACRIFICE FLY BY SETH SMITH SCORED CHRIS IANNETTA.
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: COLORADO 11
LA ANGELS 1 TOP, 9TH
DUE UP FOR COLORADO: D FOWLER (.268, 2-FOR-4, BB)
Rockies 11, Angels 1 Top 9, 0 OutsJun 23 12:54 AM
WILD PITCH BY JASON BULGER ALLOWED IAN STEWART TO SCORE.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, C IANNETTA ON SECOND, 1 OUT
DUE UP FOR COLORADO: S SMITH (.298, 2-FOR-4, HR, 3 RBI)
WILD PITCH BY RAFAEL RODRIGUEZ ALLOWED TROY TULOWITZKI TO
SCORE.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, NONE ON, 1 OUT
DUE UP FOR COLORADO: C GONZALEZ (.205, 0-FOR-3)
Rockies 9, Angels 1 Top 7, 0 OutsJun 23 12:12 AM
DOUBLE BY TODD HELTON SCORED DEXTER FOWLER.
SITUATION: 2 RUNS IN, T HELTON ON SECOND, 2 OUT
DUE UP FOR COLORADO: B HAWPE (.336, 2-FOR-3, HR, 3 RBI)
Rockies 8, Angels 1 Top 6, 0 OutsJun 22 11:56 PM
SOLO HOME RUN BY SETH SMITH (5) TO RIGHT CENTER WITH 1 OUT
IN THE 6TH OFF RICH THOMPSON.
CURRENT SCORE: COLORADO 7, LA ANGELS 1
THREE-RUN HOME RUN BY BRAD HAWPE (11) TO CENTER WITH 2 OUT
IN THE 5TH OFF MATT PALMER SCORED DEXTER FOWLER AND TODD HELTON.
DUE UP FOR COLORADO: T TULOWITZKI (.255, 0-FOR-1, BB)
SOLO HOME RUN BY KENDRY MORALES (12) TO RIGHT WITH 2 OUT IN
THE 4TH OFF AARON COOK.
Rockies 3, Angels 1 Bot 4, 0 OutsJun 22 11:17 PM
SINGLE BY SETH SMITH SCORED TROY TULOWITZKI AND IAN
STEWART.
SITUATION: 3 RUNS IN, S SMITH ON SECOND, C IANNETTA ON THIRD, 1 OUT
LA ANGELS 0 TOP, 2ND
SINGLE BY IAN STEWART SCORED BRAD HAWPE.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, I STEWART ON FIRST, T TULOWITZKI ON SECOND, 0 OUT
DUE UP FOR COLORADO: C GONZALEZ (.220, 1 HR, 3 RBI)
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Angels 5 - 2 Rangers
Angels make it 6 in a row with 5-2 win at Texas
Jun 30, 2009 - 4:07 AM By STEPHEN HAWKINS AP Sports Writer
ARLINGTON, Texas(AP) -- Sean O'Sullivan threw the pitch Marlon Byrd was expecting. And the Los Angeles Angels rookie starter still prevailed.
Byrd, who had already doubled and homered to help Texas to a one-run lead, was too far ahead of a changeup and grounded into a double play to end the Rangers' fifth inning.
"That was a big momentum shift," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said.
The first five Los Angeles hitters then reached to start the sixth, including back-to-back homers by Juan Rivera and Kendry Morales, and the AL West-leading Angles won their sixth straight game, 5-2 over the struggling Rangers on Monday night.
O'Sullivan (2-0) allowed consecutive homers to David Murphy and Byrd in the third. The Rangers were still up 2-1 when Byrd came up again with two runners on.
Byrd hit a grounder to third baseman Chone Figgins, who started the inning-ending double play.
"I believe it changed the game. ... I've got to get those runs in, at least one," Byrd said. "They came back out and do what they do. They just capitalize on mistakes and they don't make many mistakes."
After Vladimir Guerrero's leadoff single in the sixth, Rivera and Morales homered to put Los Angeles up 4-2 against Vicente Padilla (6-4). Figgins drove in another run with a sacrifice fly.
The Rangers have lost eight of 11, a slide that cost them the division lead they had held since May 5 - by 5 1/2 games four weeks ago. Los Angeles, which has won 13 of 16 overall, took over first place Saturday and now leads by 2 1/2 games.
Brian Fuentes worked the ninth for his major league-best 22nd save in 25 chances.
After being swept in a three-game series at Texas in mid-May, the Angels were 4 1/2 games back. But that was when they were still without Guerrero, and the Rangers were still hitting.
"Over the last month, we've been playing better defense, our pitchers have been getting the job done and timely hitting," Torii Hunter said. "We're on all cylinders right now."
Texas is 10-15 in June and has scored two runs or less in 10 of those games. The Rangers had one hit in a 2-0 loss to San Diego on Sunday night, the second time they have been one-hit this season.
The Rangers doubled that total in the first against the Angels with hits from Michael Young and Byrd, but didn't capitalize. Nelson Cruz was intentionally walked to load the bases with two outs and Julio Borbon struck out in his first major league at-bat hours after being called up.
Murphy and Byrd hit 400-foot homers with two outs in the third. After Murphy homered to straightaway center, Byrd hobbled out of the batter's box when he fouled a pitch off his left knee. Byrd got a visit from manager Ron Washington and a team trainer before stepping back in and hitting the next pitch into the left-center seats.
"I didn't feel like I was doing my job to keep our team in it," O'Sullivan said. "I was a little frustrated with that, and really had to bear down."
O'Sullivan, in his third major league start since coming up when Ervin Santana went on the disabled list for the second time this season, struck out five and walked two. The right-hander has allowed six runs over 18 innings (3.00 ERA) and could remain in the rotation even when Santana, an All-Star last season, returns to the rotation.
"He's a young kid who pitched like a vet," Scioscia said.
Santana, out since June 12 with an inflamed right triceps, had no problems during a 45-pitch rehab assignment Sunday night in the Arizona Summer League. Scioscia said the right-hander will throw a bullpen session Wednesday and could return as early as Friday.
Padilla gave up five runs and 10 hits in five-plus innings, with five strikeouts and two walks. The right-hander had allowed only six runs over 19 innings in his previous three home starts.
NOTES: Rangers CF Josh Hamilton, recovering from abdominal surgery, was 1 for 4 in a rehab assignment at Double-A Frisco. He had an RBI single, a stolen base and a run scored. ... Guerrero, who missed 35 games with a torn pectoral muscle, is closer to returning to the outfield. He is making longer throws from the outfield during pregame drills, and made some before Monday's game. He has been limited to DH duties since being activated May 25. ... The Rangers agreed to contract terms with 3B Tommy Mendonca from Fresno State, their second-round draft pick earlier this month. ... Morales has extra-base hits in 11 of his last 13 starts.
Angels 5, Rangers 2 FinalJun 30 5:30 AM
#1 Cards Fan Added 10 roots
LA ANGELS 0 0 0 1 0 4 0 0 0 5 12 1
TEXAS 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 8 0 (FINAL)
BATTERIES: LAA - SEAN O'SULLIVAN, DARREN OLIVER (7TH), JUSTIN SPEIER (8TH),
BRIAN FUENTES (9TH) AND MIKE NAPOLI
TEX - VICENTE PADILLA, JASON JENNINGS (6TH), JASON
GRILLI (8TH
Jun 29 10:55 PM
SACRIFICE FLY BY CHONE FIGGINS SCORED MAICER IZTURIS.
SITUATION: 4 RUNS IN, M NAPOLI ON THIRD, 2 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: LA ANGELS 5
TEXAS 2 TOP, 6TH
DUE UP FOR LA ANGELS: B ABREU (.297, 1-FOR-2, BB)
Angels 5, Rangers 2 Top 6, 0 OutsJun 29 9:57 PM
SOLO HOME RUN BY KENDRY MORALES (13) TO CENTER WITH 0 OUT
IN THE 6TH OFF VICENTE PADILLA.
CURRENT SCORE: LA ANGELS 4, TEXAS 2
TWO-RUN HOME RUN BY JUAN RIVERA (13) TO CENTER WITH 0 OUT
IN THE 6TH OFF VICENTE PADILLA SCORED VLADIMIR GUERRERO.
DUE UP FOR LA ANGELS: K MORALES (.278, 1-FOR-2, RBI)
DOUBLE BY KENDRY MORALES SCORED VLADIMIR GUERRERO.
SITUATION: 1 RUN IN, K MORALES ON SECOND, J RIVERA ON THIRD, 2 OUT
SOLO HOME RUN BY MARLON BYRD (5) TO LEFT CENTER WITH 2 OUT
IN THE 3RD OFF SEAN O'SULLIVAN.
DUE UP FOR TEXAS: N CRUZ (.258, 0-FOR-0, BB)
Angels 0, Rangers 2 Bot 3, 0 OutsJun 29 8:55 PM
SOLO HOME RUN BY DAVID MURPHY (6) TO CENTER WITH 2 OUT IN
THE 3RD OFF SEAN O'SULLIVAN.
DUE UP FOR TEXAS: M BYRD (.279, 1-FOR-1)
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Australia Awards South and West Asia
Aishath Neelam Rasheed: Policing in the Maldives
Maldives, Experience, Impact,
How a degree in Development Studies is making change in the Maldives police service.
Aishath Neelam Rasheed (Nee) completed a Master of Development Studies at the University of Melbourne in December 2016. Back at home now and working as a lecturer at the Institute of Security and Law Enforcement Studies College for the Maldives Police Service, Nee develops educational programs for police officers. She teaches psychological wellbeing, sociology, anger and stress management, and communication skills.
Nee speaks highly of her time in Australia, saying the academic skills learnt have made her more proficient and equipped to deal with all aspects of her job, from writing technical reports and assessing law enforcement trends, to embedding gender awareness in the police service. But it’s not just about the academic and research skills: “studying in Australia has allowed me to broaden the horizon of my knowledge in the social world and it has allowed me to observe problems using wider social perspectives.”
And the skills Nee has gained are being passed on and making a difference:
“I believe that spending two years at the University of Melbourne has allowed me to grow as a person academically and personally – it has also given me the confidence and expertise that I utilise every day to make the life of my students better.”
Staff and students at the Institute of Security and Law Enforcement Studies College
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Copyright © 2021 Australia Awards
Quick link to: South and West Asia Afghanistan Bangladesh Bhutan India Maldives Nepal Pakistan Sri Lanka
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Chris Faraone
Editor: @DigBoston | Author of books incl. '99 Nights w/the 99%' | Co-Founder: @BINJreports
Select date rangeJun 2, 2005 – Jan 21, 2021
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Greater Bostonians, you deserve this much content every week—not only on special occasions. Dear Reader, We are not retreating into hibernation. DigBoston and the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism will march into 2021 and through whatever…
THE WORLD IS WATCHING “TRIAL 4.” SO SHOULD YOU
They built the broken system still in place today, and they have the nerve to praise it. Among all of the insipid selfies and recycled memes shared in your small slice of the social sphere this past week, I hope that some of your friends recommended…
FEATURE INTERVIEW: JOHNNY HICKEY AND THE CREATURES OF “HABITUAL”
Director Johnny Hickey drops new psychological drug thriller despite pandemic hurdles. There aren’t many newspapers or magazines remaining that have followed the same story for more than a decade. In a modern media consumed by empty calorie reporting…
ONE THING YOU CAN COUNT ON: YOUR DUMB RELATIVES WON’T APOLOGIZE
“One thing that I know for sure, is that few people, if any, will ever say sorry.” As knuckleheaded and amateurish as it typically is to paint whole generations with hunches and generalizations, it’s impossible for me to ignore one thing about…
MEAKA BROWN: MEET THE FIRST BLACK WOMAN TO MANAGE A MASS DISPENSARY
“There’s no one else who looks like me and walks into the room as a virtual unknown who is late to cannabis.” Pure Oasis, the first recreational dispensary in Boston and the state’s first such cannabis operation that is minority-owned, is bound to…
INTERVIEW: THE PEOPLE’S MEMORIAL PROJECT
Shining light on the future and potential of public pedestals With statues of slaveholders dropping like confederate soldiers across the country, many communities and individuals are having robust discussions about how and when to replace many…
C-CHANGE: IF THERE WAS EVER A CHANCE FOR BPD REFORM, IT IS NOW
With follow-through, Boston could have a BPD that resembles the force that officials have always pretended we have. There are two public personas of the Boston Police Department. First, five o’clock news watchers will recognize the lionized guardians…
EDITORIAL: FAKE LEFT AND BREAK RIGHT
We understand why so many Massachusetts voters are frantic for Joe Biden to win the presidential election. Donald Trump is a train wreck to be sure. A greedy and racist failed businessman trying to play the messianic strongman he most certainly is…
CHARLES GIULIANO: ON GETTING LAID AND HIGH WHILE DOCUMENTING BOSTON COUNTERCULTURE
“If you’re living the life, you don’t need to go see how someone else is interpreting it.” “I suppose you plan to run the interview after I’m dead.” That’s what Charles Giuliano emailed me a few months ago about this interview, which I conducted last…
DIG 22.39 – 11/19/20 "If you’re living the life, you don’t need to go see how someone else is interpreting it." DIG Member 1.9 – 11/26/20
DEAR READER: HOW I MANAGED TO NOT GET TOTALLY SCREWED ON THE CAR LOT
Driving is a privilege, sure, but less so when your goal is simply to secure wheels that will get you from Point A to Point B. Dear Reader, I didn’t want to write a column about buying a car for the same reason that I don’t post ballerific selfies on…
BOSTON BETTER BEER BUREAU: COPPER LEGEND OCTOBERFEST
Copper Legend Octoberfest Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers (Framingham, MA) First of all, let’s be sure to never confuse or conflate Octoberfest beers with pumpkin selections. I don’t say that to trash the latter, but rather to highlight the integrity that…
DERRELL BLACK: MEET THE MASS CHAPTER PRES OF MINORITIES FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA
“I’m giving that to my people—the right information about starting a business.” On the Bay State’s still-budding but rather huge recreational cannabis scene, Derrell Black is a face that you might have seen, a voice you may have heard. From excelling…
ESH & THE ISOLATIONS: PUSHING HIP-HOP SIDEWAYS WHILE PREDICTING THE PANDEMIC
“I may step out here and do some wild shit, but that backbone is very important to me.” For some creatives, the silver living of a massive horror show like the current pandemic is that isolation can foster prolific activity. For others, albeit a rare…
DEAR READER: WHAT BURNING WEED IN CALI MEANS FOR MASS
“Sooner or later, we’re all going to have to settle on legal suppliers.” Dear Reader, As if the early frost in Colorado wasn’t bad enough. Now, terrifying wildfires have incinerated the West Coast, including throughout Northern California’s gorgeous…
BOSTON BETTER BEER BUREAU: INCLUSION RECORDS IPA
Inclusion Records IPA Stellwagen Beer Company (Marshfield, MA) Named after the South Shore vinyl destination under Technical Skateshop in Norwell, this outrageously delicious selection uses the Rancid font on the can, which makes for a save-worthy…
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Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 Episode 4 Episode 5 Episode 6 Episode 7 Episode 8 Episode 9
Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 Episode 4 Episode 5 Episode 6
Watch Tin Star Online
Watch Tin Star Full Series Online. The story of Jim Worth, an expat British police officer starting a new life with his family as police chief in Little Big Bear, an idyllic town near the Rocky Mountains. When his small town is overrun by migrant workers from a massive new oil refinery – the wave of drugs, prostitution and organised crime that follows them threatens to sweep away everything in its wake.
Director: Rowan Joffe
Actors: Abigail Lawrie, Christina Hendricks, Christopher Heyerdahl, Genevieve O'Reilly, Ian Puleston-Davies, Oliver Coopersmith, Ryan Kennedy, Sarah Podemski, Stephen Walters, Tim Roth, Tobi Bamtefa
Studio: Kudos
Networks: Sky Atlantic
Tags:Returning Series 2017
Watch Travelers Full Series Online. Hundreds of years from now, the last surviving humans discover the means of sending consciousness back through time, directly into people in the 21st century….
Watch Scandal (US) Full Series Online. Everyone has secrets and Olivia Pope has dedicated her life to protecting and defending the public images of the elite by keeping those secrets…
Watch Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists Full Series Online. In Beacon Heights, a seemingly perfect town, a group of three college friends struggle with the stress of being overachievers. In…
Watch Avenue 5 Full Series Online. 40 years in the future, space captain Ryan Clark and the crew of the luxury space cruise ship Avenue 5 navigate disgruntled passengers and…
Genre: Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
A Perfect Planet
A unique fusion of blue chip natural history and earth science that explains how our living planet operates. This five-part series shows how the forces of nature drive, shape and…
Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue!
Watch Shaggy and Scooby-Doo Get a Clue! Full Series Online for Free. Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get a Clue! is the tenth incarnation of Hanna-Barbera’s Scooby-Doo series of Friday night cartoons….
Genre: Animation, Comedy, Family, Kids, Mystery
Watch Lab Rats Full Series Online. Leo is an ordinary teenager who has moved into a high-tech “smart” house with his mother, inventor stepfather and Eddy, the computer that runs…
Watch Twin Peaks Full Series Online. The body of Laura Palmer is washed up on a beach near the small Washington state town of Twin Peaks. FBI Special Agent Dale…
Watch Siesta Key Full Series Online. Docuseries following a group of young adults confronting issues of love, heartbreak, betrayal, class, and looming adulthood as they spend the summer together in…
Star Trek: The Animated Series
Watch Star Trek: The Animated Series Full Series Online. The animated adventures of Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock and the crew of the Starship Enterprise.
Genre: Animation, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
55,45,60,50 min
Watch Homeland Full Series Online. CIA officer Carrie Mathison is tops in her field despite being bipolar, which makes her volatile and unpredictable. With the help of her long-time mentor…
Watch The Good Wife Full Series Online. Alicia Florrick boldly assumes full responsibility for her family and re-enters the workforce after her husband’s very public sex and political corruption scandal…
Trailer: Tin Star
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Baca County History
Celebrating the Colorful History of Baca County Colorado
Lonesome Prairie Publications
Order Signed Copies
Orville Ewing’s Odyssey Begins
Kent Brooks
Orville Ewing called himself an “artist from the Old West”. He crisscrossed the United States in his covered wagon/trailer with his menagerie for about 30 years, selling literally thousands upon thousands of different postcards of himself over the years and described in my previous post “Orville Ewing’s Postcards” A sample is shown below:
Orville’s own words on many of his postcards state,
I was an artist until 1937 when too much paint got into my system and I was forced to give up this work. In 1938 I started out for the San Francisco World’s Fair, arriving in 1939. Soon after my arrival I shipped my outfit back to Colorado and then started for the New York World’s Fair. I arrived in New York in 1940 and was back again in Colorado in 1941.
This language is common on many of the postcards without much more being told. Therefore, I am going to rewind a bit to 1938 to document a bit more of his story. On the same day that newspapers throughout the U.S. reported that Hitler’s Germany invaded Austria and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs were Shattering Week -Day Attendance Records there was also a tiny article titled “Colorado Ox Starts Long Pull to S.F.” on page 7 of the March 11, 1938 edition of the The Fresno Bee The Republican (Fresno, California)reporting that Orville Ewing of Pritchett Colorado was starting a trip to San Francisco.
Traveling from Pritchett to San Francisco today by car would be a serious road trip even by current standards. Any route would be in the range of 1500 miles as shown in the Google Map below, however, imagine for a moment taking the trip via a wagon pulled by oxen.
Oxen may have been the the norm in the days of the Oregon Trail, but Orville began this adventure…no let’s call it an odyssey, in 1938. This was not just any trip. It was going to be an estimated 15 month trip, as described by Ewing, to deliver a letter of greeting from Pritchett mayor Earl Deeds to officials of the Golden Gate Exposition, which was a World’s Fair celebrating the opening of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge opened in 1936 and the Golden Gate Bridge in 1937. It was also the beginning a 30 year odyssey .
Source: Merriam Webster
The beginnings of this trip were described in the Fresno paper “an ox drawn stagecoach equipped with a radio and a nanny goat which will provide his dairy en route to the 1938 Worlds fair”. Little did the writer of this this article know that the 1500 mile journey was the beginning of a more than 30 year trek back and forth across America with this strange menagerie.
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Home All Articles Five reasons why Daniel Ricciardo should stay at Red Bull
Five reasons why Daniel Ricciardo should stay at Red Bull
Fern Lock
Silly season is currently in full swing and the driver on everyone’s radar is the fans’ favourite Daniel Ricciardo. The question on everyone’s lips is whether he will stay put at Red Bull?
He could pack his bags and head off to Ferrari or even surprise everyone and start afresh somewhere else.
Fern Lock gives us five reasons why Ricciardo should put pen to paper and sign that contract extension with Red Bull.
Who wants to be a number two driver anyway?
Let’s face it – if Daniel Ricciardo moved to Ferrari or Mercedes he would be classed as a number two driver. Why would he want to sit in someone else’s shadow, especially Lewis Hamilton or Sebastian Vettel, when the reason he’s there in the first place is to win?
This season Ricciardo has certainly upped his game and proven why he deserves to be classed as a number one driver.
Image: Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
Max Verstappen hasn’t exactly helped himself either this season with a plethora of mistakes. Ricciardo has outclassed him completely. Red Bull have always suggested that their drivers are equal but that isn’t always the case.
If he keeps on producing the results, then we may see team orders come into play during the latter part of the season in favour of the Aussie driver, making him technically in the number one seat.
Bid farewell to the Shoey
This has become a trademarked podium tradition for Ricciardo, it may be a revolting concept but the shoey is the perfect way to celebrate a win.
If he made the move to Ferrari the thought of drinking from a shoe could be frowned upon. The team is a rather old-school one and, dare I say it, the drivers are usually kept in line.
Why risk losing out on this tradition when you can stay at Red Bull?
The name’s Ricciardo, Daniel Ricciardo
The title partnership between Red Bull and the luxury sports car manufacturer certainly has its perks. Who doesn’t like the idea of donning the James Bond look and cruising around in an Aston Martin?
Ricciardo not only gets the pleasure of pulling up to work in one of these beauties, he’s also had the chance to graffiti one during a media day in the build-up to his home race.
In this unusual event, he was given permission to spray paint his driver number on a vehicle worth more than most people earn in a year, how awesome is that?
Verstappen would lose his big brother
This season, more than ever, Ricciardo has been the perfect role model for his teammate Max Verstappen. If the Australian was to leave, who would fill his shoes in the role of Big Brother?
Verstappen still has a lot to learn and has a proven record of making mistakes. But it’s always great to have a mentor within the team and working alongside the experienced driver can only be a good thing.
Little brothers can be a pain in the neck but Ricciardo knows exactly how to hold himself in these situations. The battles on track can get a little scrappy at times, like at this year’s race in Baku, but at the end of the day, they do actually make a great team.
Winner, winner, chicken dinner
There’s a possibility Ricciardo could be crowned world champion at the end of this season. With performances like China and Monaco then I believe he can finish ahead of his rivals Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel.
He’s finally in a position where his car is capable of winning a world championship, so why move on when he has just as much chance in a team he’s built up a relationship with over the years? Watch this space, because I believe the best is yet to come for Ricciardo and the team.
My personal prediction is that he knows the grass isn’t always greener and he’ll stay for another year. There’s still chance he could make the surprise move elsewhere, but I hope he’ll make the right decision and end all the silly season rumours soon.
Let us know why you think Ricciardo should stay at Red Bull or why you think he’s better off elsewhere via our social network channels.
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Paystone secures $69 million as company chases acquisitive growth strategy
By Jessica Galang Canadian Startup News October 17, 2017
Lightspeed raises $207 million Series D as company preps for IPO
Montreal-based Lightspeed has raised $207 million Series D round.
The round was led by Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (la Caisse) with an investment of $170 million. Investissement Québec (IQ), iNovia Capital, and Silicon Valley Bank also participated in providing funding.
Speaking with BetaKit, CEO Dax Dasilva said he’s excited about the large Canadian presence in the round — and being part of a larger story of Canadian tech’s momentum. “There are many exits and outcomes and options for companies at our stage, and we wanted to stay independent and we wanted to double down on Canadian ownership, as well as achieve greatness as a company,” said Dasilva. “We wanted to stay independent, and this round allows us to reach potential and control our destiny.”
“I always tell young entrepreneurs to bootstrap and to build a real identity with their companies.”
CEO Dax Dasilva said that the company took a credit facility from SVB — which has been doubling down on Canada recently — in case Lightspeed wanted to make acquisitions without drawing down its own equity right away. The company raised its last round of funding in 2015, when it raised $76 million.
Lightspeed plans to use the funding for international expansion; it currently has eight offices around the world, including in Europe, the US, Canada, and Australia. Dasilva said that since its Europe offices opened, 50 percent of its revenue have come from North America while 40 percent have come from Europe.
He anticipates the latter number growing as European regulatory bodies — looking to increase tax revenue — are requiring fiscal reporting in POS systems. The company is eyeing France next year as the country has deadlines for merchants to meet these standards.
Lightspeed’s Restaurant offering
“Merchants are taking that opportunity to upgrade their business to a cloud-based platform, to real-time data; if they’re retail, [they want] to go online and have a single system that managers in-store and online sales,” said Dasilva. “In the case of restaurants, online is also driving foot traffic to physical locations.”
Lightspeed, which originally launched to provide POS solutions for independent businesses, likes to make acquisitions based on features they start to see increasing demand for; in the past, the company has made acquisitions like Belgium-based Posios to break into the restaurant business, and Amsterdam-based SEOShop to power a new ecommerce platform.
The company operates in over 100 countries and processes over $15 billion USD in transactions annually. With that number, Dasilva anticipates that the company can enter the financial services space for customers.
Down the road, Dasilva says they’re looking at an IPO. “We’re looking at 2019 as sort of a goal for having our metrics in place for IPO preparedness.”
After its 2008 launch, the company didn’t seek outside funding until seven years into their lifespan. Dasilva says this was time spent building out their mission.
“I always tell young entrepreneurs to bootstrap and to build a real identity with their companies and not just exit too early,” said Dasilva. “It’s part of the reason why we’ve been able to grow so fast in the five years since we took our first investment, because we had really clear identity and strong DNA, and we could bring in other cultures from acquired companies into our family. I would never trade those years of really understanding what we stand for and what we’re building.”
fundingMontrealretail
Jessica Galang
Freelance tech writer. Former BetaKit News Editor.
Today in company updates: StackAdapt launches Unbiasify, Kik co-founder launches news subscription startup
CanCon Podcast Ep. 89: Is Canada ready for the Singularity?
R|T: The Retail Times – From novel to normal
Note Social Launches Receipt Storage Platform for Consumers and Merchants
Today New York City-based Note Social launched its platform in private beta to help consumers keep, store and organize receipts from both offline and…
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Home News & Notes Industry News Digital Alcohol Delivery Service Thirstie Partners with VEEV Spirits
Digital Alcohol Delivery Service Thirstie Partners with VEEV Spirits
Thirstie — a national on-demand wine, beer and spirits delivery service — today announced a partnership with VEEV, a carbon neutral spirit.
This partnership will be the first of many in Thirstie’s Brand Partnership Program, the company said, as an initiative to continuously evolve the way consumers discover new spirit brands.
The Brand Partnership Program will be featured on The Craft, an editorial platform featured on Thirstie’s website that brings original content to users. The program will give Thirstie users the ability to discover new spirits, wine and beer through featured articles such as a cocktail recipe or a how-to video, the company said.
All the content will be linked to allow users to instantly purchase these products in available regions.
Thirstie will feature VEEV and VitaFrute Organic Cocktails by VEEV in margarita and coconut colada flavors available for users in the New York City, Los Angeles and Miami markets. Users will be able to purchase the 70 proof acaí-infused VEEV Spirit, or choose from two low-calorie, pre-mixed and ready-to-drink VitaFrute Organic Cocktails.
“By partnering with Thirstie, we’re reaching new consumers in our key markets,” said Carter Reum, of VEEV Spirits LLC. “We’re confident that we will see significant sales growth as a result of this partnership and create new, loyal fans of VEEV and VitaFrute.”
Partnering with more than 130 liquor retailers in major cities, Thirstie is a discovery, shopping, and delivery tool, available NYC, LA, SF, Miami, Chicago, Houston, Dallas, Hoboken, New Haven and other cities across America.
For more information visit The Craft, or download the Thirstie mobile app on the iTunes and Google Play storefronts.
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Election Leaves Need for Safe Spaces
Filed under: 2016 Elections,2020 Election,24/7 News Reporting,Administration,Apocalypse,Appointment,Cabinet,Civil Disobedience,Civilization,College,College Campus,Congress,Consequences,Demonstrations,Donald Trump,Elections,Equal Responsibility,Equal Rights,Equal Treatment,Equality,Extreme Leftist,Facebook,Fascism,Free Speech,Government,Hate,Hillary Clinton,House of Representatives,Human Rights Activists,International Politics,Israel,Leftist Pressures,Liberals,Mainstream Media,Media,Media Bias,Multiculturalism,Political Identity,Politically Correct,Politically Incorrect,Politicized Findings,Politics,President,Protests,Republican,Riots,Secular Interests,Senate,The Donald,Tribe,United States,World Media,World Opinion — qwertster @ 3:27 AM
Tags: Apocalypse, College Students, Coloring Books, Demonstration, Donald Trump, Election, Hillary Clinton, President, Puppy Cuddling, Really, Riots, Safe Spaces, Shock Therapy, United States
This election of Donald Trump to be the next President of the United States has really stressed me out. I am reeling and in dire need of a series of safe spaces in near every place which I visit. I go get coffee at my usual place and there it is in my face, Donald Trump will be President come January 20, 2017. Dinner out, more Trump is pushed in my face. Where are my safe spaces like all those lucky college children have access to while their professors cancel exams and hold weep-ins instead of lectures. Even going to the grocery store and you pass the newsstand where you are reminded about President elect Trump and all that entails and there will always be somebody who just has to discuss the election and if unlucky the checkout person who might just decide to want to speak about the election knowing I blog on politics. There is absolutely no way to run to a safe place when at the checkout counters. One cannot escape waiters, especially those who know you blog politics, from their asking your take on Donald Trump. Where are my safe spaces from these people who insist on knowing what my advice is to survive the coming apocalypse known as the Trump Presidency? Where do I go to escape these hurt feeling leftists who automatically believe because I appear intelligent (and who knows, I might actually be intelligent, but that is not for me to claim) I must be appalled by Trump winning the election. Honestly, we who actually are glad that Trump won need safe places from these leftists who believe that Trump won without anybody actually supporting his candidacy. They even believe that there cannot be anybody in their lives who might support Trump. Then, lastly, why am I being so silly as everybody knows that supporters of Trump are not allowed in safe places. Trump supporters are evil and must be shrieked at in a fashion eerily resembling the pod people from Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
Then there are the ongoing horrors on the faces when these mind-numbed people finally figure out the bored and fed up look on your face is not your traumatized look due to Trump being elected but your growing impatience with people assuming you could never have supported such a person. Funny, that is how I feel about people who voted for Hillary Clinton. These infantile people think that if they continually bombard you with question on how you can explain how each appointee can be explained or even pretend to have any experience which would qualify them for each position. Really? Like how can a retired general who commanded military intelligence could ever be considered qualified to be security advisor since he did not take the right elective courses, attend Columbia, Harvard or Yale, and obviously does not possess the sensitivity to feel the right direction and how to softly apply American presence in such a manner as to not upset any snowflakes who are currently coloring books, playing with play-dough, cuddling puppies and sipping herbal teas hoping to continue at these projects until somebody sensitive is elected to the Presidency.
There has to be a way to permit those so taken out-of-sorts by a simple election not agreeing with their perceived correct choice, to opt out of any future election. As their ability to understand any differing opinion than their own is to opt out of any activity within the real world and allow them to continue with their puppy cuddling, coloring-book coloring, tea sipping and joint primal screaming sessions insulated from the real world so it does not hurt them and their influence does not harm the rest of us. There are those who chose Hillary Clinton for actual reasoning and who can actually explain why they did so and also explain why the idea of a President Trump is troubling to them rather than simply repeating the accusations of Trump is a racist, hater, idiot, fascist, not nice, evil, the devil, scary or any of any number of one to three word slogans which can be seen on the vast majority of protest signs. Mind you, the signs with the big red hearts followed by Trumps Hate or Love Trumps Hate are so intelligent except how do they apply to the election of Donald Trump? Are they implying that Love is Trump or that Trump Hates or are they simply using a phrase they saw and thought was like way kewl and just so smart that it had to be the thing. Bad news for these brilliant minds, it is absolutely meaningless as we all wish that Love Trumps Hate and do not see where that implies anything about the President elect except that the word Trumps contains the letters T-R-U-M-P in the sign and thus might imply something about the President elect, but sorry, it doesn’t really mean anything obvious and definitely that Trump Hates as the chant which has accompanied these signs implies. Signs are supposed to be intuitively obvious and not confusing or vague as you are conveying a message and not a trite saying which everybody would love to actually describe an actual truth in life. We all hope that Love (or big heart) Trumps Hate but we do not automatically equate that with Trump Hates as we do not just take the last words from the sign and move the ‘s’ from Trump to hate and feel so smug and smart.
Safe Space with Puppy Cuddle
Now here is some advice for these people who are all bent and forlorn. Start looking for a candidate who can garner the support of more people than Hillary Clinton was capable of snaring. Hint, Elizabeth Warren might be a better candidate as would Bernie but they are both very extreme in their beliefs and many Americans do not share their beliefs. Many Americans do not agree with everything Trump has said but many believed that the one thing Donald Trump would be capable of doing is choosing solid and qualified people to advise him and be responsible for the different areas and Cabinet posts. Work to find candidates for position less lofty than President and see if during the next elections you can win back the House of Representatives or the Senate and then work with a President Trump to assist in the recovery necessary in both the economy and in the United States international standing. Democrats should be seen as desiring a better America rather than striving for an extremist agenda which does not function, and candidates who believe the United States is a necessary force for good and what is right in the world and forges a greater peace. The exit from the world over the past eight years or so has brought disaster down on many parts of the world including many allies in Europe, Asia, Africa and elsewhere. Work toward a constructive presence and not simply choose to find reasons to tear the nation apart and complain that things are not going just as you desire because you need to take effort and compromise in order to make friends and win elections. Ideologues usually find their way difficult and opposition strong while those willing to listen to others and work together accomplish far more. The last though, let us all work to make a President Trump as successful taking America forward and improving all our lives and making the United States important again as when America acts with means which prove important, the world usually wins. America has been one of the greatest forces for good and it would be horrific if America ever became a force for evil, and Donald Trump does not desire an evil future for America no matter what you may have heard. At least wait and see what he does and judge him on his actions and policies and not on hearsay from people who refuse to even grant the man any chance to prove he is not the bringer of the Apocalypse.
Republican Disarray After Trump, Only if They Blow It
Filed under: 2016 Elections,Abortion,Administration,Adoption,American People,Appeasement,Civilization,Communist,Congress,Consequences,Coverup,Ditherer in Chief,Education,Equality,Government,Government Control,Gun Control,Guns,House of Representatives,Human Rights Activists,International Politics,Israel,Leftist Pressures,Media,Muslim World,NATO,Party Platform,Politically Correct,Politicized Findings,Politics,President Obama,Privatization,Religion,Republican,Secularist Socialism,Socialism,Threat to Israel,United States,War on Religion,World Opinion,World Pressures — qwertster @ 3:24 AM
Tags: All Cultures Equal, Beyond the Cusp, Both Parents Working, Busy Parents, Government, Inflated Grades, Judeo Christian Inferior, Judeo-Christian Ethics, Keep Up With the Jones, LGBT, Multiculturalism, Narrow Path, Oppression, Schools, The Void, United States
There have been numerous articles attempting to discern exactly what the Republican Party will be like after its foray with the Donald. They try to figure what effects he is going to have on the candidates for the House of Representatives and the Senate as well as State races for legislatures and governorships. There are all different levels of panic to excitement. Some are excited thinking that the increased voters may mean a stronger voter turnout which will raise all candidates as these voters are most likely to vote for the party ticket rather than only voting for Donald Trump as that is the easiest path and these are lower information voters who are more likely to just pull the single lever for the Trump party rather than voting for each office individually, an occurrence the Democrat Party is more familiar with than are the Republicans. This is a new and untested ground for the Republican Party and more so than most will ever know. Has anybody actually bothered to ask the Donald if he is really willing to surrender control of all his companies and real estate interests for four or possibly eight years placing them in a trust where he will not be managing his holdings? I mean seriously now folks, can anybody see Donald Trump walking away from his wheeling dealing which is really what he lives for. Does he in the end really want to be President, or are we watching the dog caught the car by the rear wheel and now is stuck driving the car? He will be the center of attention between now and the end of his term should he actually prevail, something looking more certain as the clock ticks down to Tuesday. There is where the drama will peak and Trump will do the unthinkable and still hold the future of the Republican Party in his hands and he will play it for maximum exposure of the Donald before he makes the final fateful step which will astound most of the pundits, the media and the entirety of the Republican Party, win the day carrying the House of Representatives comfortably and give the Republicans a minimum of fifty-seven and possibly as high as 62 in the Senate. Yes, Donald Trump could be sitting in the catbird seat with a filibuster-proof Congress if the Republicans can find their way to work with him. Not to worry, they won’t.
Of course all this is pure conjecture but in one manner it would be wonderful to see a true and total Republican Congress with the same theoretical license to do whatever they can agree upon just as was the case for the Democrats for the initial two years under President Obama. Thankfully the wheels came off of that cart fairly quickly and before the world ended and the destructiveness was mostly repairable with Obamacare needing the largest repair, removal and replaced with a completely open system countrywide for all insurers with take and carry benefit for all plans. There could be options for tax breaks for companies paying percentages of employee chosen plans giving everybody total control. Returning to major medical plans with a basic plan required for any insurance that would cover Emergency Room, Trauma Center and major surgeries with rate of coverage set by a board of major hospital directors chosen every five years by the top five-hundred hospitals by some pre-set formula which would include their accepting Medicare and Medicaid pricing as set by the board and approved by Health and Human Services and the Senate also voting as if this were an actual treaty requiring a super-majority. This would guarantee bipartisan agreement. This base pricing could be used for a national defined plan which all insurers could use as their guideline for a general basic coverage plan.
The one part of such unilateral Republican control is there would no longer be the excuse by the Republican leadership of, we did not have the complete control of the House, the Senate, power to end filibusters or, their favorite, we did not have the White House. No more excuses and just let the Congress show the world what plan the Republicans really got! Turn them loose and let the legislation fly. Not to worry folks, they will hit a log jam within weeks, more likely days and even within hours or minutes. They would, in a word, choke. The main problem the Republicans suffer is the one thing Trump offers to teach them, bravado. The Republicans are afraid to lead, timid and only comfortable pointing out what is broken in their opinion and then lamenting their inability to do anything about the problems. Given total control they would continue to shuffle their feet, looking at the ground, mumbling senselessly, wandering around lost in the wilderness of their own making. They have no dynamic leadership. They did once under Newt Gingrich and the Contract with America, a plan. Imagine that, an actual plan laid out, defined and actually almost followed. Eventually the Republicans did what they do best and shot down their leader because the media picked him apart while they watched on playing the helpless damsel in distress sobbing over her miseries as their presumed White Knight was pounded into the mud by professional muckrakers. What leadership has the Republican leadership or the rank and file shown with their control of Congress as they have handed President Obama victory after victory with budgets including every item with every dollar as requested? One would have at the very least thought they might have, at the very least, demanded more money spent investing in improved care through privatization of the Veterans’ Administration’s healthcare system changing it to an insurance plan open to any and all insurers with guaranteed rates equal to Medicare system rates. This would have freed the veterans to receive care locally, virtually anywhere other than living in a log cabin in Nowhere, Montana. They might have fought to end the downward spiral in defense spending when compared with all the increases in Welfare, Food Stamps and Unemployment costs or demanded that $15.00/hr. minimum wage for military personnel and their pay scale to be based on a forty hour week plus ten hours overtime pay (trust this infantry veteran, most soldiers, especially the privates, work at least an average of well over fifty hour weeks with extra duties such as guard duty, going to the field, weapon training plus yearly qualifying, physical training plus annual testing and a myriad other additional often busy work). These would have been easy initiatives and would have placed a spotlight on some actual problem situations and not on men who claim to be women using any bathroom that fits their life-choices.
A complete Republican victory with Donald Trump as President would not necessarily be the disaster the media has painted. Remember, this is a media which has gone step-for-step with every single idea the Democrats have suggested and even initially carried the water for Obamacare and are now backing the Democrat plan of government run healthcare exactly the same that the following countries found to be impossible to afford; Britain, France, Canada, Germany, Russia and any other where the tax rate is under 80% of income with allowances for food, housing, clothing and transportation. When the government allows refunds for food, housing, clothing and transportation; they are dictating how you live and all but defining what you are permitted to spend on food, housing, clothing and transportation. Does such a system sound good to any regular-work-hard American? That is the European Plan that President Obama and a President Hillary Clinton are targeting for America and with a European level military unable to afford ammunition to train with. When we read articles reporting that NATO national military personnel are required to run around in training exercises yelling, “Bang, I shot you, you’re dead,” and that passes for training, we worry what is wrong with these countries. What is wrong is they are not responsible for their defense, the United States is responsible because as NATO defines itself it goes something like this; from each nation as they can provide, from the United States whatever is required to complete the task any NATO nation leaves hanging in the wind. Force the United States to train yelling, “bang bang, you’re dead,” will leave the Western World vulnerable to conquest using swords as swords are a superior weapon to a rifle without bullets, and any invader will have real rifles with real bullets and will not react by claiming, “you got me,” after a NATO soldier screams, “bang bang, you’re dead.” Trust us on this one, really.
The choice comes Tuesday, the counting will take the rest of the week unless the victory is definitive, the lawsuits another month or two and the appeals even longer. There is a possibility that the inauguration just might take place on the perfect Saturday, April 1, 2017, April Fool’s Day, and it will be the biggest joke, bet nobody will be laughing, they will be too darned sick and tired. Sick and tired of the wasted time, money and credibility. Sick and tired as the American Representative Constitutional Republic will have been assassinated and lying next to death’s door in desperate need of some serious reckoning. So sick and tired that it is doubtful she will receive the necessary attentions and restoration of faith in the system, the leaders, the nation any time soon. That is the saddest thing about this fiasco disguised as an election. The disgust may be made more palpable by the apparent lack of decency, competence, qualifications and general revulsion one or both candidates elicit from each member of the electorate, but they are not the source of the revulsion, just one more product of the end of America.
This was not the original target for the end of this piece, but we rarely end where we started. The disarray coming after this election will encompass both parties. They have each been laid bare for all to see the rotted core filled with the diseases of hatred for the other, distrust of all, the required demand for the lowest expectations, the lowest denominator as the norm and the lack of desire, nay, even ability to repair that which has been left to fall into disrepair. People will ask how things got here and the answer is an easy one. Just open your eyes and look around you and for all that is holy take off the rose colored glasses, the beer goggles, the fractured lensed party glasses and put down the weed, booze, drugs, sexting, or whatever consumes you that is in that little box you so feverishly share everything that amounts to the nothing that is your current life. Too many of us are lost and are too busy becoming even further lost to notice. We started down this road when our materialism surpassed our reason and replaced our faith, well, became our religion. Hashem, The Big Guy who made all of it, or so we used to believe, was put aside for just a short while as we worked harder for that new car. After the car we moved for a bigger house, then that little vacation cottage, those new computers, stood all night in the rain for that next must have gadget, the newest i-Phone, and on and on endlessly until we forgot completely about Hashem.
I was right there with many and got lost in living for the now and for the me. Sure, we all peeked up every so often, glanced around, did the traditionally right thing and then dove back in. We lost religion because we had science and a new religion, human rights, animal rights, right to anything and everything while forbidding others from deviating from our chosen things because we, our group knew better than any other group. We pressed for laws which made our cause the right, moral and now legally enforceable right. There were a few hiccups as differing views clashed. The big issues were such as but not limited to abortion, guns, marijuana, free healthcare, free college, minimum wage, military size, military weapons systems, war and peace. The eventuality due to high demand lives and higher taxes both parents worked and in some families one parent worked two jobs, had to keep up the old image, you know. Flat screen television, fifty-two inch display, 3-D, 7.1 surround sound, build on a theater room for the next party, it was never going to end and then we wondered why we had a coronary.
Meanwhile, who had time to assist with homework, providing we ever made time for having a family? Time and interest in the children’s schooling also fell by the wayside and the PTA became the teacher’s union more so than a shared parent-teacher relationship. The schools gave us what we wanted, good grades though often so inflated as to be meaningless. They left real schooling somewhere back a ways and replaced it with social programming of our youth who now knew of the evils of capitalism but were unable to define it, global climate change, racial inequality, gender inequality, LGBT life choices, and the new relativity, not Einstein’s but moral, gender and ethnic amongst others. Multiculturalism became the watchword where no single culture was preferable to any other and that included the tribes of cannibals and headhunters, communists and socialists, anything but that one dreadful, awful, despicable culture, Judeo-Christian culture, the old ways that built Western Civilization. No, we had to move beyond our little corner and our petty ways and go and try those other cultures which were all equal while all were preferable to the old way, that demanded far too much civility and culture need not be civil in order to have a civilization.
The Narrow Path
The new multicultural civilization would embrace everything different than our past, that civilization was built on faith and decency, or so it claimed. Faith was long dead; humiliated from the town square and who was it that got to define decency. Assuredly we could each define decency for ourselves, provided it was not defined in the morality based on that old book we had presumably discarded long ago. The children were prepared to forge that new world whose foundation was firmly planted in shifting sands which were so undefined and meaningless that everything was near collapse. We were approaching the cusp and beyond the cusp was a great and bottomless void. The edge had watched many a great civilization fall beyond the cusp to fall into the darkness never to return. This was how greatness of civilizations died, not from withering attacks but from withering within. They first hollowed out the principles upon which they were built and then with the inner structure destroyed, they simply collapsed from their own weight. They all died from their internal injuries, one after the other marching straight into the abyss awaiting their eventual arrival as they passed beyond the cusp. They all had lost their way and strayed from the narrow path turning right or left, it matters not as the cliffs of ruin line both sides and one can pass beyond the cusp going either way, right with dictatorial systems controlled by a single lunatic or left where a horde of self-proclaimed wise men act just as need of an asylum as the single loon and who rush beyond the cusp into the void with equal abandon. The path is as pictured above, narrow and perilous for any who lose their compass and stray from the good path, the narrow way.
The Leftist Conspiracy, Israel, Europe, the United States, and Beyond
Filed under: 2012 Elections,24/7 News Reporting,Absolutism,Administration,Amalekites,Anti-Capitalists,Anti-Israel,Anti-Semitism,Anti-Zionist,Appease Islamic Interests,Appeasement,Appointment,Arab Appeasement,Arab Authority,Arab League,Arab World,Arabs,Ariel Sharon,Benyamin Netanyahu,Blood Libel,Cabinet,Calaphate,Caliphate,Campaign Contributions,Civilization,Condemning Israel,Corruption,Covert Actions,Coverup,Democracy,Elections,Elections,Equal Outcome,Equal Rights,Equality,Europe,European Council,European Governments,European Union,Executive Order,Extreme Leftist,Failed State,Foreign Funding,Foreign NGOs,Germany,Government,Government Control,Greece,Green Line,Hatnua,Herzog,History,Human Rights Activists,Humanist,Inflation,International Politics,International Socialism,Islam,Islamists,Israel,Israeli Capital City,Israeli Media,Jerusalem,Jewish State,Jihad,Jobs,Jordan River,Judea,Judean Hills,Kadima,Keynesian Economics,Knesset,Labor Party,Land for Peace,Leftist Pressures,Leftist Propaganda,Likud,Livable Wage,Maccabees,Mahmoud Abbas,Main Stream Media,Mainstream Media,Media,Media Bias,Media Censorship,Media Intimidation,Mediterranean Sea,Middle East,Minimum Wage,Ministers,Mitt Romney,Multiculturalism,Muslim World,Naftali Bennett,National Socialism,Netanyahu,New World Order,New York Times,Nobel Prize,Norway,Obama,Occupy Wall Sreet,Old City,Omission,OneVoice,Palestinian Authority,Palestinian Media,Parliament,Parliamentary Government,Peace Prize,Peace Process,Political Talk Shows,Politically Correct,Politicized Findings,Politics,Post Modernist,President Obama,Prime Minister,Promised Land,Proportional Representation,Protests,Quantitative Easing,Reserve Currency,Right of Return,Samaria,Satirical Magazine,Shared Currency,Socialism,Socialism,Talking Heads,Taxes,Temple Mount,Tzipi Livni,Under Employment,Unemployment,United Nations Presures,V15,V2015,Vote of No Confidence,War on Religion,Wealth,Wealth Redistribution,West Bank,Worker's Strike,World Government,World Government,World Media,World Opinion,World Pressures,Yair Lapid,Yesh Atid Party,Yisrael Beiteinu,Zionism,Zionist — qwertster @ 3:15 AM
Tags: Anybody but Bibi, Avigdor Liberman, Benyamin Netanyahu, Campaign Finance, Election, Eli Yishai, Foreign Intervention, Hatnua, Israel, Jeremy Bird, Jewish Home, Labor Party, Leftists, Likud, Moshe Gafni, Naftali Bennett, Obama’s Campaign Managers, OneVoice, Post-Zionist, President Obama, Secular Humanists, Socialists, State Department Funding, Tzipi Livni, United States, United Torah Judaism, V15, V2015, Yaakov Litzman, Yachad Otzma, Yisrael Beiteinu, Yitzhak Hertzog, Zionist Camp
Elections, media hype, political mass rallies, press control, universal currency and world governance are all leftist fronts where the extreme leftists are pushing the implementation of their socialist humanism ideals no matter the cost or the great dangers of potential dire results. The initial target in the West is the redefinition of religion from Judeo-Christian to Secular Socialist Humanism which seeks to establish a new world religion that will serve their aims to make a better world. This has led in many Jewish congregations in the United States and Europe to the redefining of Tikkun Olam from being a form of self-improvement first and having a communal accomplishment of improving each member leading to a more righteous community and thus making a more fair and caring world instead to improving the world which is designed as a socialist paradise where income inequality has been reduced, providing it does not impinge on the level of luxury of the leftists lives who are implementing this new equality of incomes, and the setting of a livable minimum wage instead of an actual simple minimum wage. They often demand that there be green areas set where there can be no building, limits on the heights for buildings and building freezes within cities and at the same time rent controls and affordable housing and rent subsidy housing but usually not near their neighborhoods. They pass completely meaningless nuclear free zone laws despite the fact that there have been absolutely no intentions to construct any such power plants. Sometimes they also pass zoning restrictions against coal or other carbon based power plants despite there being no power generation plants placed or proposed to ever be placed within their neighborhoods. There is a perfect example representing the nuclear free zone concept exists straddling the border between Montgomery County, Maryland and Washington D.C. in the Nuclear Free Tacoma Park which was declared a nuclear-free zone in 1983 by then-mayor Sam Abbott. Unfortunately for the Takoma Park library which had purchased new computers to replace their relics in June of 2012 they realized they had made an unforgivable error, the computers were Hewlett-Packard computers and Hewlett-Packard had been contracted to work on nuclear weapons thus making these computers not kosher for use within their nuclear-free zone. The city council gave the library a waver after a couple of months of severe hand-wringing. Strange but true. Another classical case of leftists hoisted with their own petard.
What I have noticed is that more and more as time passes is that leftists will use the world media, which they largely control, and other resources even to the point of populating rallies paid for by leftist groups or even other government agencies under leftist influence or from nations already under leftist control in order to influence elections in other Western nations in order to assist leftist parties to win elections. This has become very evident in the current Israeli elections and has an interesting twist which proves that this has been set-up and planned for quite some time leaving only exactly how deep this conspiracy had reached. First off to get back to the front end of this what very well might be a mad and crazed conspiracy theory we need to get back to the reelection campaign of President Obama. Throughout the campaign there was a theme that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu was actively supporting Republican Mitt Romney in an attempt to unseat President Obama by instructing the Jews and supporters of Israel to put Romney into the Presidency because Prime Minister Netanyahu could not get along with President Obama. This little theme kept creeping into the campaign despite repeated denials in interview after interview by Netanyahu. Reality did not interfere with the story as it was just a given that Prime Minister Netanyahu personally could not get along with President Obama no matter how much President Obama gave in to Israel on, how much he worked to protect Israel, often even from herself and specifically from Prime Minister Netanyahu’s own extremist demands and attitudes which will only destroy Israel and lose her all the nations which used to be her friends. Nobody could quite understand this false conspiracy between Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Obama.
Move back a bit before going on to the Israeli elections in 2013 to the government of Prime Minister Sharon in its post-Likud Kadima mode when the disengagement from Gaza was imminent and it was not until the last possible moment and only after great amounts of needless debate and hemming and hawing before leaving the government. This caused many to question which Netanyahu valued higher, his friendships especially when being called into question and his Zionist views which he claims are so central to his political life. Then came his winning the Prime Ministership in 2009 and his appointing of Ehud Barak as his Minister of Defense which led to some to question how deep Ehud Barak’s influence was being felt in cabinet decisions and how far the fact that Ehud Barak was Bibi’s commander in the IDF. This came to a head when President Obama demanded an extended building freeze beyond the Green Line which ended up being enforced for ten months despite support by the public to resist making such a sacrifice. Then came the elections in 2013 which returned Benyamin Netanyahu to Prime Minister and his first move was to include Tzipi Livni and her new Party’s paltry six mandates and appointed her to be Minister of Justice and made her the lead negotiator with Mahmoud Abbas and the Arab Authority government in Area A of Judea and Samaria. There have been rumors and even some unconfirmed reporting that there was another building freeze put in place to please President Obama and to placate Mahmoud Abbas and company. Now we are entering the last stretch of another election which this time places Tzipi Livni in direct opposition to Prime Minister Netanyahu as she has allied herself with the Labor Party and Yitzhak Hertzog.
It seems to be almost a theme in Prime Minister Netanyahu’s political career to have former Likudniks who have drifted, some even fled, away from Likud and the Zionist and right leaning camps to post-Zionist, and in Tzipi Livnis’s case, far leftist camp about as far as one could get from their Likud beginnings as they possibly could. This election has become a three ring circus with every ring and every act being some version of the theme, “Anybody but Bibi.” This has been the theme from Yair Lapid, Tzipi Livni, Yitzhak Hertzog, Zahava Gal-On and who knows how many other party leaders and NGOs. Where this Israeli election has the normal interference from the European Union and numerous European governments but there is a repeat of the Netanyahu opposition in 1999 when President Clinton sent James Carville and company to do everything possible and funded their efforts against Bibi. This election it is President Obama who sent Jeremy Bird and a group called either V15 or V2015 which is organizing as massive a grassroots door knocking army and has virtually unlimited funding as OneVoice which was recently awarded $200,000 for future projects by the United States State Department. This may be the first time that the United States State Department has financed the efforts to unseat a sitting Prime Minister of an ally in his nation’s elections. The efforts being put forth to beat Prime Minister Netanyahu is code-named “Anybody but Bibi” but is all about electing Tzipi Livni and Yitzhak Hertzog and prevent the formation of a Zionist or right wing government. This has gotten to the point where even President Reuven Rivlin has come and spoken of his desire if the election appears to be close and no clear victory is won to bring the two main parties, Labor/Hatnua and Likud together to form a so-called unity government with the intended design to formulate some new manner of electing the Israeli governance which will make it more difficult to topple a government and force the government to function with the elected people rather than holding elections every year to year and a half as so many Parliamentary governance like all those dysfunctional across all of Europe, or that is how it is being sold. All of these different packages are all designed to assure that there not be another Bibi dominated government and to prevent the formation of a Zionist and right wing government which will not cooperate with President Obama which is the result most sought by the leftist interference from the United States and Europe.
The really odd thing about the V15/OneVoice campaign theme is based on a simple word, “Change,” just change without the pairing with hope. Maybe the campaign genii from the Obama reelection campaign and also veterans from the 2008 initial election of President Obama using the mantra of “Hope and Change” and the so very rhythmic chanting of, “Yes We Can!” was just too easily recognized so instead they decided to go with something appropriate and simple but definitely unrecognizable, new, fresh and completely original so they came up with, “Change.” No hope included, just change, not even yes we might, just change, but everybody knows the real chant is anyone but Bibi. The V15 people necessarily never mention OneVoice and try not to allude to President Obama or overtly that they are campaigning for Hertzog and Livni, they just stick with the change of government and anybody but Bibi though everybody knows what that means, and it does not mean Deri from Shas, Bennett from Jewish Home or any of the others though most would be acceptable as long as they would not include Bibi in their coalition. But the truth is if you are attempting to defeat Bibi Netanyahu then you are campaigning for Hertzog and Livni. Further, if anyone cares to listen to what Hertzog and Livni were screaming about for the weeks leading up to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s recent addressing of the United States joint session of Congress then you heard their entire campaign platform. Their plan is to repair the relations between Israel and President Obama by dutifully obeying any and everything that President Obama demands from them.
This means that they will gladly withdraw all Jewish Israelis from all of Judea and Samaria as well as East Jerusalem and pull back behind the Green Line even without meeting with Mahmoud Abbas. This they will perform so as to allow President Obama to force Abbas to then agree to take the lands and hopefully accept them and agree to end his demands and make peace. Perhaps this is when the hope enters the formulas. Thus far nobody has addressed one little potentially troubling scenario, what happens should Mahmoud Abbas take the now purged lands which have been made Judenrein as he demands and refuse to make peace demanding instead that Israel accept some five-million Arab refugees within their now truncated borders and even then he actually says that he will still not make peace until all the Jews have been removed from his greater Palestine from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. Is this where the Hopeless Changes would be enforced and Israel made to accept every last Arab claiming to be a refugee regardless of their ancestral history? As I said, nobody has addressed this and I can assure you this will be exactly what will occur should Livni and Hertzog be given the opportunity to form and coalition and they succeed in forming a government predicated on accessing to every wish of President Obama in his mad quest for peace in the Middle East and his winning another Nobel Peace Prize.
If this interference in the Israeli election works for the international forces of the socialist extreme leftists then all of the Western nations can expect a full court press to place leftist government into power wherever it proves possible and then the attempt to impose a One World universal currency, a deal that the Russians have been very strongly proposing and supporting and have run into a singular blockade, the Chinese thus far are refusing to accept such a currency and are willing to continue using the dollar as their currency is defined as a set value against the dollar so it behooves them to retain the dollar as the petro-dollar and the reserve currency of the world. If for a moment anyone believes that the making of a universal currency will work please take a long and hard look at Europe and the Euro. The same problems that Greece is facing as their economic plans did not fare well when compared to Germany or any other Euro nation. One cannot have a common currency unless every nation using that currency agrees to centralize their economic governance. That simply means if there is a world currency then there must be a world governance. That is the desire of the leftists and is why they are allying themselves currently with the forces of Islam as they view their militancy as the fastest route to a single governance over the world except the leftists believe they will be able to redefine Islam to transform it into their secular social humanist governance and have overlooked the slightest of problems, the Islamists will be so very busy murdering these very same extreme leftists for their beliefs, especially for their liberal views over women, abortion, same sex marriage, alternate lifestyles, drinking of alcohol and virtually everything else they accept even to the way they dress. The misadventure starts with the election coming within two weeks in Israel, March 17, 2015 to be exact, and if in any way Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu is not chosen to form a Zionist coalition, or if he does not choose a Zionist coalition, then there will be endless interference and meddling in every election coming for the foreseeable future.
In some manners and ways even should Netanyahu be chosen to form the next government that is far from guaranteeing that he will form the kind of government required from him if Israel is to survive the calamities coming in the next few years. Obeying every dictation out of Washington, the White House in particular, would be a recipe for disaster and could very possibly signal the end of the Jewish People. In some ways it might be better for the survival of the free world and the Jewish People if one of the following were to be chosen though all are a longshot but are probably necessary for Netanyahu to choose in forming his government and the parties and their leaders are Jewish Home and Naftali Bennett, United Torah Judaism and Yaakov Litzman with Moshe Gafni, Yachad – Otzma and Eli Yishai and finally Yisrael Beiteinu and Avigdor Liberman. As things appear currently the polls are showing the race too close to call and in many ways it appears that whichever side between Netanyahu and Livni/Hertzog is given the nod to form a coalition will very probably succeed. Should Netanyahu allow his seeming personal problems with Naftali Bennett force him to refuse to bring Jewish Home in at all then he would be faced with accepting either a unity government which will cause problems and lead to a short-lived governing coalition which could easily be brought down. If the fears that some have expressed that Netanyahu’s Zionist streak may not be as wide or as deeply held as many have been led to believe and that his wavering on that point might cause him to make a unity government to honestly address the election processes and make a new and less fragile manner of governance might mean more to him. Additionally, there have been reports of some difficulties between President Rivlin and Prime Minister Netanyahu which also could come into play. Thankfully we have only a matter of days to scrutinize the elections and then all will be revealed and the die cast and our fates determined.
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Entry of corporates into banking “credit negative” for incumbents and governance: Moody’s
Moody’s in its assessment said “High nonperforming loans in the corporate segment over the past few years partly reflect weak governance at both banks and corporates.
Moody’s Investor Services has said that the RBI’s Internal Working Group (IWG)’s report, which recommended changes, including allowing NBFCs to be converted to banks, would be ‘credit positive’ whilst however increasing competition for current players. Moody’s also said that the proposal to allow corporates to own lenders, would have a ‘credit negative’ implication for governance.
“The report recommends that NBFCs with more than INR500 billion of assets, including those owned by a corporate entity, be eligible to convert to a bank on meeting certain criteria, such as solvency metrics being above a threshold and regulatory due diligence,” said Moody’s in its report, adding further “A tighter bank like regulatory framework for large NBFCs is also recommended. If implemented, this would incentivize conversion to banks because of reduced opportunity for regulatory arbitrage.”
The move was said to be ‘credit positive’ for NBFCs largely as they would be allowed to accept deposits, thereby increasing funding whilst also having to comply with liquidity requirements of the regulator. “Funding and liquidity are the key credit weaknesses of NBFCs,” noted Moody’s.
The entry of Corporates into the lending space was deemed ‘credit negative’ not only for current banking players but also for corporate governance, largely due to existing conflict of interest. Moody’s in its assessment said “High nonperforming loans in the corporate segment over the past few years partly reflect weak governance at both banks and corporates. Given this track record, the more direct involvement of corporates in the banking space will increase risks to the sector.”
On the IWG’s recommendation to allow bank promoters to increase their stake from 15% to 26%, Moody’s said this be deemed as ‘credit negative’ largely due to conflict of interest risks that would arise, whilst however noting that capital raising exercises, specifically during difficulties would ease on account of higher ownership interest.
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Microsoft promises embedded AI in WIndows 10
Tags: #ai #artificial-intelligence #kam-vedbrat #machine-intelligence #machine-learning #mi #microsoft #ml #windows-10 #windows-ml
Companies: #amd #intel #microsoft #nvidia #qualcomm
Microsoft has confirmed that it is baking machine learning and artificial intelligence (ML and AI) capabilities directly into its Windows operating system, and has partnered with Intel to provide low-power acceleration hardware.
Announced at the Windows Developer Day late last night, Microsoft's Windows ML platform bakes artificial intelligence directly into the company's Windows 10 operating system family - and it will be live on consumer devices as of the next feature update. 'Every developer that builds apps on Windows 10 will be able to use AI to deliver more powerful and engaging experiences,' claims Microsoft's Kam VedBrat of the move in the announcement blog post. 'The AI platform in Windows 10 enables developers to use pre-trained machine learning models in their Apps on Windows devices. This offers developers a number of benefits: Low latency, real-time results; reduced operational costs; Flexibility. Developers can choose to perform AI tasks on device or in the cloud based on what their customers & scenarios need. AI processing can happen on the device if it becomes disconnected, or in scenarios where data cannot be sent to the cloud due to cost, size, policy or customer preference.'
The platform isn't exclusively software-driven, however. AI tasks typically require considerable computational resources, and it's here that Microsoft has announced a range of partnerships - including one with Intel which will see the company's Myriad Vision Processing Unit (VPU) low-power accelerator hardware used to reduce the load of the Windows ML platform on client devices. Microsoft has also confirmed partnerships on the project with Nvidia and AMD for GPU-based acceleration as well as Qualcomm, which will support Windows ML acceleration on its Snapdragon 835 system-on-chip (SoC) design.
'For consumers, this is just the beginning,' promises VedBrat. 'You'll see more intelligence in every day experiences on Windows devices. Developers can build AI powered apps that help you inspire and communicate in 3d, keep track of tasks and commitments more easily, and listen to music from playlists made just right for you.'
Amazon announces high-performance Inferentia ML chip
Up to 512 TOPS, it claims.
Microsoft pulls Windows 10 October 2018 Update
Those with missing files should contact support.
Windows 10 October 2018 Update hit by apparent data loss bug
Users losing files on upgrade.
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Chinese Government’s Crackdown on Muslims in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region
South China Morning Post reports about the Chinese Government’s campaign to rid the northwestern Ningxia Hui autonomous region of what it regards as a worrying trend of Islamisation and Arabisation. The clampdown is part of a push to “Sinicise religion” – a policy introduced by President Xi Jinping in 2015 to bring religions into line with Chinese culture and the absolute authority of the party.
Throughout Ningxia, Islamic decor and Arabic signs are being taken off the streets and no new ‘Arab style’ mosques are allowed to be built. The Government plans to convert some of the existing mosques to look like Chinese temples. Calls to prayer are now banned in Yinchuan on the grounds of noise pollution, books on Islam and copies of the Koran have been taken off the shelves in souvenir shops, some mosques were forced to cancel public Arabic classes and a number of private Arabic schools have been told to shut down.
Unease is growing among more than 10 million members of Hui community who are the descendants of Arab and Central Asian Silk Road traders. For decades, Hui Muslims have largely been left in peace to practice their faith.
As the authorities tighten their grip in Ningxia, scholars are concerned that the region could soon be subject to the same repressive measures as the Uygur Muslims in Xinjiang. They fear that Beijing could be using Ningxia as a testing ground for its Xinjiang policies before they start them elsewhere.
How the CCP Manipulated the “War on Terror” for Its Own “War on the Uyghurs”
Genocide in Xinjiang: The Word is No Longer Taboo
How Jews Celebrated Hanukkah with Uyghurs in Mind
After proofs emerged that the Chinese company developed tools for facial recognition of Uyghurs, the French world champion walked away of its advertising contract.
Ten Chinese agents were arrested and quietly expelled after trying to establish a false branch of the defunct East Turkestan Islamic Movement.
Students from Xinjiang Subjected to Disproportionate Control
Muslim students who attend universities in inland China are continuously monitored, barred from exhibiting ethnic and religious characteristics.
Akida’s Story: The Desperate Cry of a Uyghur Woman
“Dear world, please help!” The heartrending plea of a daughter who has been searching in vain for her mother, folklorist Rahile Dawut, for the past three years.
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TJMS25
Cleveland Mother Gets 25-Year Sentence in Son’s Death
Source: NA / Getty
CLEVELAND, OH (WOIO) –
Larissa Rodriguez pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, felonious assault, endangering children and gross abuse of a corpse for the death of her 5-year-old son, Jordan Rodriguez on Thursday.
She was sentenced to 25 years in prison burying her 5-year-old son in the backyard.
Christopher Rodriguez, Larissa Rodriguez’s boyfriend also pleaded guilty on charges of burying 5-year-old Jordan in the backyard.
The judge sentenced him to 28 years in prison.
Investigators say Jordan’s mom buried him in the backyard on West 80th Street. A tip from Christopher’s brother led investigators to the boy’s remains in Dec. 2017, several months after Jordan was last seen.
Jordan, who had developmental disabilities, couldn’t speak. The case prosecutor said his mother “failed to get him medical treatment.”
READ MORE: Cleveland19.com
Article Courtesy of WOIO Cleveland 19 News
First Picture Courtesy of Joe Raedle and Getty Images
Second Picture Courtesy of NA and Getty Images
PHOTOS: Beyonce, Cardi B & More Kill It At Coachella
1. 2018 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival - Weekend 1 - Day 2
5. ENTERTAINMENT-COACHELLA-US-entertainment-music
10. 2018 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival - Weekend 1 - Day 2
15. ENTERTAINMENT-COACHELLA-US-entertainment-music
47. US-ENTERTAINMENT-MUSIC-FESTIVAL-COACHELLA
Continue reading PHOTOS: Beyonce, Cardi B & More Kill It At Coachella
Cleveland Mother Gets 25-Year Sentence in Son’s Death was originally published on wzakcleveland.com
Arrest Made in Shooting Outside Big Sean-J. Cole Concert
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70 illegals [Ethiopians]escape through hole in jail wall; 25 rearrested
In this November 9, 2013 file photo shows members of Saudi security forces detain Ethiopian workers during a riot in Manfouha, southern Riyadh. (Reuters)
Around 70 Ethiopians escaped from a detention center in Riyadh.
“We have arrested 25 of them and the security authorities are in hot pursuit of the remaining detainees,” said Capt. Abdullah Al-Harbi, general director of prisons.
According to police, the detention centers are heavily monitored by surveillance cameras.
Col. Fawaz Al-Maiman, official spokesman for Riyadh police, said that the detention facilities are subjected to stringent security procedures. “The Ethiopians escaped from the Al-Murabba police station,” he said.
Police have been cracking down on illegal migrants since the expiration in November of a seven-month amnesty during which they had to regularize their status or leave the country, in operations that have sparked deadly clashes.
According to one newspaper, the inmates dug a hole into the wall of their cell and escaped early on Thursday.
Nearly one million foreign migrants took advantage of last year’s amnesty to leave voluntarily, while another four million were able to find employers to sponsor them.
Since the start of this year, the authorities have deported nearly 574,000 illegals.
More than 13,000 illegals are still being held at detention centers across the Kingdom awaiting completion of their deportation procedures.
Al-Murabba police station, escape through hole in jail wal, Ethiopia, Ethiopias, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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Film Review: Fisheye (dir. Szcześniak, 2020)
There's nothing novel about a kidnapping plot as the basis for a thriller. But from such a familiar premise Michał Szcześniak fashions something fresh in Fisheye. The writer-director's first fiction feature follows his acclaimed work in documentary and shorts, and was the winner of two prizes at this year's Młodzi i Film festival: one for Agata Kurzyk's score and the other for Julia Kijowska's lead performance. While the film's theatrical life now seems uncertain - it was to have opened in Polish cinemas on 13 November but that was before the government's announcement of the latest restrictions - it's worth seeking out this engaging thriller whenever and wherever you can.
When we first meet Kijowska's Anna she's the epitome of prickly professional competence: a scientist preoccupied at her microscope in a lab, responding to an interloper with a brusque "Not now! I'm busy!" Making a possibly revelatory (and lucrative) discovery, Anna drives home to tell the news to her handsome boyfriend Janek (Wojciech Zieliński), who's up for celebratory sex and eager to make a baby. Shunning that idea, Anna heads out to buy food - only to be grabbed in the doorway of her building (rendered in a wonderfully effective long-shot and abrupt cut), and to awaken in a blue-pannelled, soundproofed room, certain that she's been the victim of a case of mistaken identity.
And, in a very particular way, she has. Reliant upon several narrative twists, Fisheye is the kind of picture that only a churl would "spoil." Suffice it to say that what starts out with indications of being a medical / corporate genre thriller exercise, with added echoes of Panic Room and 10 Cloverfield Lane, gradually delves into more psychological territory by using the abduction premise to give Anna a unique, unsettling perspective on her life and identity.
Much concerned, as its title suggests, with issues of distorted perception, the film has the right kind of claustrophobic ambience but never feels static. Szcześniak and his collaborators - including DP Paweł Dyllus, editors Magdalena Chowańska and Ireneusz Grzyb, and brilliant sound designer Radosław Ochnio (of Baby Bump and 11 Minutes among many other credits) - give an exciting visual and aural dissonance to the piece, the better to put us into Anna's headspace as she interacts with her elusive captor (Piotr Adamczyk, in an effective performance reliant on voice work more than anything else) and finds layers of the repressed past peeled away.
The invariably striking Kijowska gives a committed, highly physical performance that charts every step on Anna's journey from disbelief to despair to a catharsis that's as tentative as it is hard-won, holding the film together through some uncertain moments. The picture supplies the surprises and suspense you might anticipate, but it's as an exploration of a woman belatedly coming to terms with her past that Fisheye achieves its more lasting, haunting power.
Labels: Fisheye
Film Review: Mangrove (Sight & Sound: December 2020)
My review of Steve McQueen's Mangrove is in the new December issue of Sight & Sound. You can order the issue here.
Blu-ray/DVD Review: Mademoiselle (dir. Richardson, 1966)
My piece on Tony Richardson 's Mademoiselle, which is just out in a new Blu-ray/DVD edition, is up at BFI. You can read it here.
Film Review: Eternal Beauty (dir. Roberts, 2019)
My review of Craig Roberts' Eternal Beauty is up at Sight & Sound. You can read it here.
Film Review: Summer of '85 (dir. Ozon, 2020)
My piece on Summer of '85 is up at Sight & Sound. You can read it here.
Film Review: I'm Thinking of Ending Things (dir. Kaufman, 2020)
*spoilers*
By turns passive and direct, open and opaque, poet, physicist, painter and Pauline Kael (!!!), Jessie Buckley's protean performance provides a fascinating, spiralling human centre to Charlie Kaufman's studiously brainy and beserk latest, I'm Thinking of Ending Things.
Those of us who saw Buckley's not-always-stellar work on the London stage some years ago (she was due to return to it this year in Romeo and Juliet with Josh O'Connor before Covid's intervention) would never have suspected the range of her skill and talent on film. But Beast (though overrated) tipped us off and Wild Rose (absolutely lovely) fully confirmed her potential as a major cinema actress. (Then there was the shrewd, watchful, sensitive quality she brought to her scenes in Judy; a perfectly modulated supporting performance.) As the great Steve Vineberg writes of her in Wild Rose: "Buckley has a fresh, totally unaffected camera presence and the instinct to hold the camera, sometimes for medium-long, pensive reaction takes that transport us directly into the character’s complicated feelings."
Buckley does that and a whole lot more in I'm Thinking of Ending Things, pulling us completely into the dilemma of a woman who is contemplating breaking up with Jake (Jesse Plemons), her boyfriend of six weeks (or is it longer ….?) even as she undertakes a road trip with him to meet his parents at their farmhouse for the first time.
Adapting Iain Reid's acclaimed 2016 novel, Kaufman - who, as we're well aware, knows a thing or two about the problematics of adaptation - takes the text into areas that mesh with his own thematic concerns, in particular, issues of identity, ageing, and time, which gets fragmented and fractured from the pair's arrival at the farmhouse. Here wild temporal shifts, and Toni Collette and David Thewlis's ripe performances as Jake's parents, suggest Guess Who's Coming to Dinner filtered through the funny-sick existential domestic horror of mother!.
The nightmarish family dinner party is a stage staple, of course. And in a period in which US cinema has lost (much to its detriment) the strong connections it once had to the stage, Kaufman remains one of the most theatrically-inclined of American writers and filmmakers. Part of the subversive quality of I'm Thinking of Ending Things is its bracing commitment to talk, with two long car journey discussions, superbly performed by Buckley and Plemons, constituting the bulk of the film.
While Kaufman's excellent Synecdoche, New York focused on a play going on for its creator's entire existence (and God knows, some can feel like they do), the new film might be viewed as riffing on general aspects of US theatre history, beginning as a vaguely Annie Baker-ish piece and circling back to climax with an elaborate Oklahoma! homage. (Did anyone really want to watch a - yikes - "dream ballet" when Oklahoma! came out? Does anyone really want to watch one in 2020? Well, Charlie's gonna make you.)
Allusive to a fault, I'm Thinking of Ending Things is, in Roland Barthes's terms, "a tissue of quotations," incorporating citations from or nods to Eva H.D's poem "Bonedog," Guy Debord, Pauline Kael's great review of A Woman Under the Influence, Forget Paris (!), a (fake) Robert Zemeckis film, and much more. At its best the film achieves the kind of disorientation that Leos Carax did when dialogue from The Portrait of a Lady was suddenly woven into Holy Motors. At other times, - a too on-the-nose discussion of the sexual politics of "Baby, It's Cold Outside," for one - Kaufman appears to be grasping at anything to hand. (As one cynical wag nicely puts it: "I think we’ve reached peak Kaufman self-parody when characters who are the fantasy of a janitor argue about critical theory.")
Still, as a film that's very much about how the absorption of books, essays, films and musicals impacts upon one's perceptions, expectations and fantasies - about how layers of pop culture filter into the psyche - most of the inclusions can be justified. Where the film comes unstuck, for me, is in its incremental revelation of just whose fantasy we're in. Trevor Johnston remarks that it’s "refreshing to hear a female narrator" in Kaufman's work rather than the usual "guys [who] should just get over themselves and spare us the self-indulgence." Yet such a statement seems decidedly ironic when said female narrator's interior life and relationship doubts turn out to be merely the projected fears of a male character.
While the reveal doesn't negate the strength of Buckley's performance, it certainly proves detrimental to the emotional involvement created, yanking us into the consciousness of a figure in whom we're much less invested and turning the film into another extended act of male fantasising.
The final 20 minutes are as ambitious in concept as they are disastrous in execution; with Buckley now relegated to the periphery, the spell is gone and involvement violated, with an animated talking piggy, an Oklahoma! interlude and an A Beautiful Mind homage the best that we are offered. From Łukasz Zal's excellent cinematography - so different from his studiedly artistic work for Pawlikowski - to Buckley's great performance, to many memorable moments of unease, I'm Thinking of Ending Things has marvellous elements. It ranks, without a doubt, as one of the most distinctive American films of the year. Its impact is hampered by a frustrating conclusion that, at least as Kaufman has at once over-scaled and under-cooked it, ends up feeling a lot like a betrayal. Still, having just embarked on Antkind (I'm on page 11 and already laughed out loud three times) the movie clearly leaves me with the appetite for a further foray into Kaufman-land.
I'm Thinking of Ending Things is in cinemas and on Netflix now.
Labels: Charlie Kaufman, Jessie Buckley, Review
Body / Memory/ History - A Report on Retroperspektywy Festival 2020, Łódź
The organisation of a theatre festival - particularly one as audience-inclusive and interactive as Teatr CHOREA's Retroperspektywy was when I attended it for the first time last year - seems a challenging, not to say a foolhardy, endeavour in the current climate.
Festival Opening (Fot. Polecam się-Piotr Wdówka)
"Social distance" is the antithesis of the ethos of most live events. And it's certainly so at this festival, where performers make close contact with audience members not just during the intense, highly physical shows, but also at Q&A discussion panels, and other events held at the converted factory buildings that make up the great Fabryka Sztuki complex in Łódź.
But this most creative of companies pulled off the daunting challenge of this year's Festival in a grand manner, with a rich and diverse programme made up of a mixture of online events, recorded shows, film screenings, VR spectacles and live performances. Audience contact details were taken before each event; masks were mandatory; hand sanitiser provided; and if social distancing was not strictly adhered to at every moment, the Festival still provided a solid model for how to go about the creation and execution of such an event in the disturbing, disruptive times of Coronavirus.
Schulz: Skrawki (Fot. Polecam się-Piotr Wdówka)
The title of this year's edition - Body, Memory, History - set the tone. The body is always central to the work of the Grotowski-influenced CHOREA, which mobilises the physicality of the performers on stage in totally distinctive, dynamic ways. Teamwork is key to the group's process and output, which seeks to draw on the power of collective expression while never sacrificing each performer's individuality.
The premiere of the company's Schulz: Skrawki (Schulz: Scraps) proved a superb opener. The writer Bruno Schulz (1892-1942) is probably best known outside of Poland for Street of Crocodiles (itself adapted for the stage to much acclaim by Complicite and the NT in 1992), and a selection of his stories provide the inspiration for this new work. A combination of installation and physical theatre, the piece presents its six performers - Janusz Adam Biedrzycki, Joanna Chmielecka, Michał Jóźwik, Majka Justyna, Małgorzata Lipczyńska, and Tomasz Rodowicz - occupying separate spaces (including a bath, a chair, and a table) as the audience enters a silent, darkened auditorium. In stillness to start, the six gradually stir into movement, each engaged in a separate task or overlapping action, as director Konrad Dworakowski intones Schulz's prose live.
A thematic concern with the transgression of matter and the human body emerged, and was vividly evoked thanks to Dworakowski's background in puppet theatre, with strings, wires and sticks integrated into the performers' movements. Enhanced by a perfectly tailored score composed by Paweł Odorowicz, the effect was thrilling and hypnotic: all the more so for being the first encounter with live performance for many months for most audience members.
In a generous gesture, Schulz: Skrawki was filmed by Hollybaba / Rami Shaya and made available on YouTube for some days after the live premiere. The same was true for all the other shows, including Warsaw STUDIO Teatrgaleria's Więcej niż jedno zwierzę (More than One Animal), a hilarious parody of the anthropomorphising tendencies of certain nature documentaries.
Więcej niż jedno zwierzę (Fot. Polecam się-Piotr Wdówka)
At times coming off as a wryly avant garde take on Cats, the show presented the antics and behaviour patterns of its indeterminate creatures with the aid of a deadpan voiceover delievered by Agnieszka Podsiadlik (the tricky matriarch of Kuba Czekaj's Baby Bump) and wonderful physical work by the cast: Sonia Roszczuk, Vira Hres, Błażej Stencel, and Agata Tragarz.
A ludic, absurdist tone - accentuated by some brilliantly funny songs delivered by the duo of Robert Wasiewicz and Marcin Miętus - was sustained. But the show also makes serious and subversive points on issues from community to climate change, while a poetic visual flourish at the mid-point was a beautiful surprise.
iGeneration? (Fot. Polecam się-Piotr Wdówka)
Also exploring the issue of community, but within the context of young people's engagement with online culture, was iGeneration?, directed by Janusz Adam Biedrzycki, which was presented in a filmed version. The influence of Mariusz Grzegorzek's unforgettable student-developed extravaganza Pomysłowe Mebelki z Gąbki (Fever) was felt here, with dance, direct address, phantasmagoric sci fi elements, and songs by the band Mojo Pin incorporated into the show.
iGeneration? discussion (Fot. Polecam się-Piotr Wdówka)
Like the Biedrzycki-directed recent piece Rój. Sekretne życie społeczne ("The Hive: Secret Social Life"), iGeneration? doesn't fear didacticism in its explicit critique of over-consumption and technology's detrimental effects on human connection. But the messages are conveyed via theatrical means that are exciting and surprising, such as the presentation of the web as a seething mass of bodies and masks called "the Great Tangle." In defiance of the numbing and dehumanising effects of the Internet, the show ends with a vivid and invigorating defence of emotion delivered by its excellent young cast.
W zawieszeniu (Fot Polecam się-Piotr Wdówka)
Mortality was a theme in several shows, including Ukrainian company Golden Gate Theatre's Did You Love Me, Dad?, which was presented in a video performance, and the dynamic dance piece Salto Mortale by Majka Justyna and Joanna Jaworska-Maciaszek. Another powerful solo female production on the topic was Monika Wachowicz and Arti Grabowski's W zawieszeniu (Suspended), in which Wachowicz gave an astonishing, exposing emotional and physical performance as a cancer sufferer coming to terms (or not) with her prognosis. The apparent effortlessness with which Wachowicz moved from heightened emotional states - one minute crawling across the stage, gurning and grimacing - to casual, relaxed audience address was prodigious.
Based on the words and real life experience of theatre practitioner Marta Paradecka, who died of cancer in 2018, age just 39, and also taking inspiration from Sontag's Illness as Metaphor and the philosophy of Karl Jaspers, the show was an unsettlingly intimate experience, with some haunting sequences. One such made use of Full Metal Jacket's version of the "Mickey Mouse March" on repeat, as the protagonist, caught in shafts of light, used a baton as a series of weapons, first to combat the illness and then to turn against herself. Yet, for all its demanding intensity, the piece was not, finally, a depressing experience. Ending with a toast, and with an angelic apparition scored to the sounds of David Bowie's "Blackstar," this show that looks dying squarely in the face proved a genuinely cathartic experience.
William's Things (Fot. Polecam się-Piotr Wdówka)
Two outdoor concerts also stood out in the Festival's diverse programme. On the first night, the trio William's Things, comprising Sean Palmer on vocals, Michał Górczyński on contrabass clarinet and Tomasz Wiracki on piano, transformed poetry by William Blake and Henry David Thoreau into a set of stunning jazz punk jams that captivated and confounded in equal measure in their creative approach to the original texts.
Combining folk troubadour sensitivity with theatrical, jazzman attitude and, at times, a Tom Waits-ish growl, charismatic vocalist Palmer also unleashed the most spectacular array of animal noises since Percy Edwards while still keeping every single word he sang crystal clear. From the moment he leapt up to initiate an audience singalong during the band's take on Blake's "The Blossom," the show sustained a great, cleansing energy.
NeoKlez
Meanwhile, on the penultimate evening of the Festival, the band NeoKlez - Stanisław Leszczyński (violin), Damian Szymczak (clarinet), Piotr Tomala (accordion / guitar), Kacper Bardzki (bass guitar / double bass), and Kamil Wróblewski (drums, percussion) - delivered a similarly exhilarating set combining Klezmer tradition with rock, funk and techno modernity. A moving moment came when Leszczyński and Szymczak spontaneously wrapped their arms around each other as they paused briefly to watch their colleagues play, transported by the magic of the music. For the audience, the entire Festival felt like just such an embrace, and a vibrant reminder of the power of performance to transform, unite, challenge and enlighten.
Body / Memory / History - Retroperspektywy Festival 2020 took place at Fabryka Sztuki, Łódź, between 21-30 August. Full details of the Festival programme can be found here.
Labels: 2020, Festival, Łódź, Retroperspektywy, Review
Blu-ray/DVD Review: Mademoiselle (dir. Richardson,...
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COVID-19 will change the way we buy cars forever. Here's how
Jamie L. LaReau / Detroit Free Press
May 27, 2020 at 10:37 AM May 28, 2020 at 6:51 AM
At some point, we've all felt like a chump in a car dealership showroom, waiting for the salesperson sales person to emerge from a shrouded back office where they presumably spent the last 20 minutes pushing a hard-nosed manager to chip another hundred bucks off the price of that car you're haggling over.
After hours at the dealership, it feels like an endless game that you're destined to lose.
But that exhausting and enigmatic car-buying process at bricks-and-mortar stores will be a relic of the past in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic, industry experts predict. Mandated stay-home orders have forced car buyers and dealers to adopt a new 'bricks-and-clicks' model instead.
"I can order my groceries to my door, I can order new running shoes to my door ... every part of our life right now is delivered," said Jessica Stafford, general manager of Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book. "Our studies have shown that in the COVID-19 world, I want to be able to have a virtual walk around the car and be able to talk to the dealer. You bring it to my house, it’s clean and I can test it. If I do buy it, you bring it back to my house for final delivery."
Many dealers already do some sales online, but few had offered home delivery prior to the pandemic. The emerging car buying model puts the buyer in the driver's seat with transparent pricing and more options. Those dealers who can't adapt to it will die, industry observers said.
Jonathan Winingham, 34, of Cartersville, Virginia, likes being in control when he's buying a car.
Winingham knew he wanted a 2020 Honda Pilot SUV to replace his 9-year-old Toyota Sienna minivan.
So in early May, Winingham, a firefighter and paramedic who works 72 hours a week, shopped online and found a Pilot in silvery blue. He closed the deal largely online and was prepared to drive nearly two hours to Carter Myers Automotive’s Valley Honda in Staunton, Virginia, to get his new car. But he didn't have to.
"They offered to deliver it and they showed up with gloves and masks on to my home and everything was sanitized," Winingham said. "They let me test drive it at my house and it was perfect. We signed the paperwork and that was it.”
For Winingham, price is the determining factor in a purchase. He has used online shopping in the past to find the best deal, once saving $4,000 on a past purchase, then driving to a Kentucky dealership to take delivery.
But this experience, with home delivery, has convinced Winingham there's no other way to buy a car in the future.
"I can sit in my home," Winingham said. "I don’t have to go to a dealership and go through that eight-hour process and then wait to sign the paperwork."
Winingham secured a 60-month loan at 0.9% interest from Honda and he got a $500 discount as a first -responder and $1,000 off on another promotion. Valley Honda accepted the most deals, he said.
“Because of the coronavirus, the deals are very good,” Winingham said. “I searched Honda’s website and I looked at different websites and what dealers priced it at. You have to do your homework. Just because there’s a deal out there doesn’t mean you have to rush out and make a purchase.”
That's also why he likes home shopping. He has control over the purchase process as well as a stronger knowledge about prices and deals.
"I can send an email or a text message to a dealer, go back to mowing my yard and when I have time, I can look at the response," Winingham said. "I have time to then review and consider my purchase. It’s less pressure.”
Traditional salesmen gone
Carter Myers Automotive in Charlottesville, Virginia, which has 15 stores throughout the state, has seen its online vehicle purchasing steadily grow since mid-March.
Its home deliveries have shot up from less than 5% of new-vehicle sales to nearly a quarter of all sales, said Liza Borches is CEO of Carter Myers Automotive.
Borches said she expects online buying and home delivery to proliferate.
"We are marketing it to our customers," Borches said. "Our customers are used to ordering products and having them delivered to their home in other areas of their lives. We have a three-day return policy."
No one has asked for a refund for an online car purchase yet, she said.
The biggest change Borches expects after coronavirus for her is in hiring. Gone are the traditional car salesmen. They are being replaced by product experts who are well-versed at communicating across all mediums.
"The sales associate sitting in the showroom waiting for the customer to come in won’t exist past COVID," Borches said. "They need to create relationships in person and online.”
Ease and speed
On the other side of the country, online sales fit the Del Grande Dealer Group in San Jose, California. The group already offers no-haggle used-car pricing. It has competitively priced new vehicles to require little negotiation, said Jeremy Beaver, president of Del Grande.
But before the pandemic, the group did zero home deliveries. That changed in April when it delivered all the cars it sold "because we had to," Beaver said referring to the lockdown.
He sees home delivery as the new normal now. It offers dealers a chance to win new customers by providing stellar service.
"Right now, it’s due to safety, because people don’t want to leave their house," Beaver said. "In the future, it'll be the ease of the transaction and the speed. There is no waiting, if you do have to come to the dealership, you just have to check a couple of boxes and you’re done.”
'Ahead of the herd'
Dimmitt Chevrolet Inc. in Clearwater, Florida, has done a "handful" of home deliveries since March, but online transactions have "increased dramatically," owner Larry Dimmitt said. The buyers still come to the store to get the vehicle, where he has outdoor desks set up.
A third-generation dealer who has run his store since 1972, Dimmitt knows how to survive. He said online sales and home delivery are the future.
"The harder and quicker we adapt to that, the further out ahead of the herd we will be," Dimmitt said. "It’ll deal a bit of blow to some of the weaker, more remote stores. There’s more necessity to generate more gross profit than relying on fixed operations. And, we’ll have to do a real inventory of personnel and face the new reality of combining jobs or let people find something else."
For consumers, he said, online shopping makes the buying process less onerous because of price transparency. But this old-school car guy can't help but wonder if it takes the thrill out a car purchase, making it just another transaction.
"Some of our products are becoming only commodities. It doesn’t look to be as much fun as it used to be," Dimmitt said. "Something like a white, four-door Malibu, there’s not a lot of emotion there, it’s like a Maytag.”
Contact Jamie L. LaReau: 313-222-2149 or jlareau@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @jlareauan. Read more on General Motors and sign up for our autos newsletter.
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beggars teeth
Painting,performance,art project glasgow.
beggarsteeth
Thank you to all who came along to view the Exhibition and participate in the Performance Discussions.Here is some documentation from the events at T
The Project Room…
Artists Talk in the Gallery 2pm Wednesday 3rd May -Fiona Robertson will give an informal talk about her painting Exhibition and the Project.
Performances and Panel Discussion – Thursday 4th of May
Carrie Skinner – Performance throughout gallery opening hours
Steven Anderson – Performance will be at 6.15pm
A Panel Discussion with the three Artists and Panel Discussion will be from 7.00pm-8.00 pm chaired by Professor Carl Lavery
‘Beggars Teeth’ is a project The Glasgow Project Room during the week 29th April – 6th May 2017. The event will culminate in a panel discussion on Thursday night, preceded by two performances and an exhibition of paintings during the week. This site will document the conversations of the three Artists involved – Steven Anderson, Carrie Skinner, and Fiona Robertson, in the lead up to the Exhibition, Performance and Discussion.
Expressionistic, neo-expressionist and surrealist themes and figures have been consistently influential in Glasgow art over the past 40 years; this influence has, however, been overshadowed by the emergence of a post-modern critique of Expressionism and related movements. In the 1980s and 1990s there was a significant, international trend away from expressive and romantic art and towards neo conceptualism, relational aesthetics, abstraction, decoration and process based painting. In recent years, with metaphysical questions about originality, subjectivity and spiritual transcendence reemerging in an increasingly digital culture, a number of artists have begun to re-engage with the expressionistic and neo-expressionistic lexicon. It is within this revivified debate and engagement with expressionism and related movements, in Glasgow and internationally, that ‘Beggar’s Teeth’ aims to situate itself.
The writings and work of Antonin Artaud are heavily influential within this discourse, and constitute the most significant theoretical source for the project. The title ‘Beggars Teeth’ is a quotation of his, referring to the limits of spoken word. Looming large in Artaud’s life was the distinction between art as what he terms “the esthetic simulation of reality” and art as “…the scrapings of the soul” These distinctions and relations between artifice and art, the representation and the expression of reality – the nature of and limits of expression – are themes key to the project.
Remembering a meeting 2 weeks ago;
Something about hands, disembodied.
Something about film, and its time.
Something about paintings, and their durational display.
Something about duration, and layering of time.
Something about the invigilator, and their vigil.
Something about amateurism, and its economy of means.
Something about cheap tricks.
Something about space, the enclosed strange space of a painting.
Something about space, the enclosed strange space of a performance.
References and Links;
Realist Magic, Timothy Morton
The entire text is interesting, p24. jumps out after another skim read following the meeting:
Paintings have always been made of more things than humans. They have
been made of paint, which is powdered crystals in some medium such as egg
white or oil. Now when you put the painting on the wall, it also relates to the
wall. A fly lands on it. Dust settles on it. Slowly the pigment changes despite
your artistic intentions. We could think of all these nonhuman interventions
as themselves a kind of art or design. Then we realize that nonhumans
are also doing art all the time, it’s just that we call it causality. But when
calcium crystals coat a Paleolithic cave painting, they are also designing, also
painting. Quite simply then, the aesthetic dimension is the causal dimension,
which in turn means that it is also the vast nonlocal mesh that floats “in
front of” objects (ontologically, not physically “in front of”).
Themes that emerged from our initial conversation were absence and presence and trace and time, the documentation of time passing. There is hermetic aspect of the painting, that it exists always in the past, that it is “dead” its meaning sealed. Yet on the other hand it is infinitely indexical in its history that relates to photography image screen, the bodily fluid, performance of making.
In collaboration I am hoping to test the limitations of this. How does Carries sending footage of the original renaissance painting being viewed, reinvigorate the relationship to painting? This notion of the painting existing as an entity has come to the fore and is something that I was playing with in my most recent work Ventilator, where the painting is animated and has a voodoo power over the girl.
Dead Christ Supported by Mary and Saint John Evangelista
An inspiration for my film work is the Italian experimental theatre collective Socìetas Raffaello Sanzio (SRS).The Theatre of Societas Raffaella Sanzio is a collection of production notes and interviews and notes reflections on process and is an inspiration to using this blog toward a publication rather than more conventional commentary.
The Theatre of Societas Raffaello Sanzio Paperback – 6 Nov 2007by Joe Kelleher (Author), Nicholas Ridout (Author), Claudia Castellucci (Author), Chiara Guidi (Author), Romeo Castellucci
Examples of their sets…
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=romeo+castellucci+societas+raffaello+sanzio&client=safari&sa=X&channel=mac_bm&biw=1393&bih=762&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&ved=0ahUKEwjHuKjIuqnSAhXpLMAKHZS6Dt4Q7AkIOA
A photograph from On the Concept of the Face, Regarding the Son of God with renaissance portrait Antonello da Messina https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2011/apr/19/romeo-castellucci-concept-face-son
Stills from VENTILATOR,there is an animation sequence in film I made a painting for this was the inspiration for ‘beggarsteeth’
Ventilator 6min 35 secs – Synopsis
Ventilator is set in two locations in Scotland; a derelict ventilation system on a rooftop in the city of Glasgow and a beach on the Ayrshire coast. This short experimental video comprises of a mixture of animation and filmed work, with the two protagonists- a woman and a masked, distorted man, encountering and being encountered by a variety of objects, mundane and foreign, many with motive-force of their own. The film is edited to be fragmentary and non-linear, with scenes dissolving and elements collapsing and bleeding into one another. Land art, totemic heads, and the repeated emergence and disintegration of masks throughout the piece represents not a cryptography for the audience to decipher, but an invitation to engage within the ‘logic of sensation’.
This is a link to view Green Head the spoken text is from Artaud’s 50 Drawings to Murder Magic.greenhead
Studio meeting 05.03.17
We talked about a sense of ‘presence’ in the paintings. In a Steven’s work the performance will literally make a live experiment-a living painting . He will implicate the viewer in the paintings, positioning the audience ‘inside’ the painting by using their own clothes to replicate the predicament of the painted figures shrouded in paint.This reminded me of how De Kooning talked about no- environments for the woman paintings, he asked are they spaces for the sculptures to inhabit. The figures as swaddled in the space, I see them as trapped. This sense of metaphysical and existential space is really core, trapped by the gesture, brush stroke or squidgy, fragmented bodies un able to move.
http://www.artnews.com/2012/11/12/de-kooning-paints-a-picture/ link to DeKooning article talks about no-environment .
No-environment
Where is the woman sitting; what is behind her; what are the names of her appurtenances?
At first Woman was sitting indoors in a chair. Then a window-shape at the upper right established a wall and distance—but she could have been outside a house as well as inside, or in an inside-outside porch space. This state of anonymous simultaneity (not no-specific-place but several no-specific-places) is seen more clearly in the few “objects” which appeared, then disappeared around the seated figure. De Kooning claims that the modern scene is “no-environment” and presents it as such. To make his point, he opened a tabloid newspaper and leafed through its illustrations. There was a politician standing next to an arched doorway and rusticated wall, but remove the return of the arch—the wall might be a pile of shoe boxes in a department store, or “nothing.” The outdoor crowd scene with orators on the roof of a sound truck could be the interior of Madison Square Garden during a prize-fight. The modern image is without distinct character probably because of the tremendous proliferation of visual sensations which causes duplicates to appear among unlikes. The Renaissance man saw and visualized, let us say n things. Today, fed by still, cinema and television cameras, we experience n to the 100th power, and, of course, the ns become similar because our brains become numb to their differences. Distinctions weaken. Finally the environment of the modern artist—the objects which he names in his pictures—appertains to the pictures only. The decision is neither one of purification or narcissism—it is, in its way, social comment.
But note that the reasoned lack of identity of objects adds another major ambiguity to the painting—each object is purposefully shown as liable to many interpretations.
‘The Renaissance man saw and visualized, let us say n things. Today, fed by still, cinema and television cameras, we experience n to the 100th power, and, of course, the ns become similar because our brains become numb to their differences. Distinctions weaken. Finally, the environment of the modern artist—the objects which he names in his pictures—appertains to the pictures only. The decision is neither one of purification or narcissism—it is, in its way, social comment.’
We discussed how thought of paintings as sound. What sound would the yellow one make?
A couple of articles related to Artaud’s sound work and ideas…
The first focuses on his late radio play. To Have done with the judgement of God
https://archive.org/details/ToHaveDoneWithTheJudgmentOfGodWrittenAndReadByAntoninArtaud
Artaud’s last work was an audio piece called To Have Done With The Judgment Of God (Pour en Finir avec le Jugement de dieu), and it proved to be equally unpopular, at least with some very important people. Commissioned by Ferdinand Pouey, head of the dramatic and literary broadcasts for French Radio in 1947, the work was written by Artaud after he spent the better part of WWII interned in an asylum where he endured the worst of his treatment. The piece is as raw and emotionally naked as you might expect –an anguished rant against society. A raving screed filled with scatological imagery, screams, nonsense words, anti-American invectives and anti-Catholic pronouncements.
The piece (above) was slated to air on January 2, 1948 but station director Vladimir Porché yanked it at the last moment. Apparently, he wasn’t terribly fond of the copious references to poop and semen nor the anti-American vitriol. Porché’s rejection caused a cause célèbre among Parisian intellectuals. René Clair, Jean Cocteau and Paul Éluard among others loudly protested the decision, and Pouey even resigned from his job in protest, but to no avail. It never aired. Artaud, who reportedly took the rejection very personally, died a month later. You can listen to the broadcast above. And, in case your French isn’t up to snuff, you can still appreciate its theatrical elements, maybe while reading an English translation of the radio play script here.
The second PDF a_cruel_sound_part_1_antonin_artauds_son A Cruel Sound: Part 1, Antonin Artaud’s sonic iconography by Kristian Derek Ball doesn’t really start discussing sound till the 3rd page.
Thinking about the painting as both live and dead.
Talked about the activity of painyting as performance ,painting as trace.
The limitations of the frame as pictorial space, beginning end exist in the same place.
Representation and presentation, performing, concealing, illusion the limitation of surface
Paintings are dead? The live action captured dies.
I am interested in Artaud’s duality and applying this to the paintings, all happen simultaneously.
Concealing and Revealing
Dry brush and high gloss
Fast and Slow
Gesture and control
Close and far
Body, whole and fragmented
Alive and dead
The problems of representation of history we talked about It lead me back to thinking of some familiar problems with painting, it’s seductive nature and the inevitable entanglement in its histories. Forced into game of representing and illusions.
The language of these histories from Renaissance restaging of reality in staged portraits and religious scenes.
Revisiting Derek Jarman’s Caravaggio .
A bit about control, schism balance of control and letting go improvisation links in painting and music
We talked about the audience experiencing the painting in a new way through the performance, as if they are in the painting.
10.03.2017, Gemäldegalerie Berlin
the walking, the rhythm,the glossy parquet, the a-tonal hum, the bench, the pause.
they loop, they relay, they cough, they pass time.
password: beggarsteeth
The painting and all videos reminded me of two books I enjoyed Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch and How to be Both by Ali Smith; in both books the narrative evolves around painting. How to be Both is split into interchangeable halves – I was most reminded of the half that begins with a disembodied spirit being wrenched up through the earth to find itself, invisible and inaudible, in a museum gallery, staring at the back of a boy looking at a painting. The painting is the work of the spirit itself, made back when it was Francesco del Cossa, an artist in 15th-century Ferrara. The “boy”, reappears about 150 pages later, and is intact a girl named George living in present-day Cambridge.
In the painting the head is cut, inducing the sensation of being watched from within the painting.The surface of the painting is heavily varnished. It makes the painting appear somewhat 3 dimensional, with the more organic visceral paint encapsulated in a solid glossy block; this further emphasized my feeling of a non-corporeal spectatorship.This idea/sensation is carried through in the first two videos that follow.
There is a strong sense of framing and flattening /distortion of space achieved through in the compositions. An awareness of time passing is heightened by the almost still images.
The overall affect is that the viewer is a disembodied figure hovering in the gallery space. This sensation conveyed in the videos is reminiscent of flying in a dream or treading water. In the first video. Confronted by head on, there is a sense that the painting – and in some ways, the viewer themselves – is a live, fluid matter, enclosed and restricted by the multiple frames.
The paintings have a powerful presence in the videos, there is a sense of slow and fast time and of the paintings as “alive” within and between these contexts. The material of the painting seems in contrast to the architecture of the space. Even the people, depicted as generic body parts, look flat and digital in the film, with the paintings themselves seeming more alive. The videos foreground the idea of the gallery audience as being choreographed by the positioning of the paintings, the sparse gallery setting and furniture. In the video and photo, it appears that the paintings are watching the spectators as much as the audience are viewing the paintings. The audience behaviour seems controlled or restricted; almost as if the audience is performing to the artwork, rather than vice-versa.
I see the long time of the artist’s intensely looking to make an illusion of intensely looking that is uncanny and disturbing and challenges me to see. A portrait bust held in an architecture of shapes from the dark triangle pointing down to the top of the dark angled cylinder is such a precise geometric composition. And it is framed and framed and framed.
I see echoes of body position and white collars modelled by, painting one, invigilator, painting two. What do the white collars and the white painted woodwork stand for beyond a compositional device. While the collar and the skirting is fresh, it is visual evidence that the flesh is not decomposing; the bodily material is optimum and will remain for as long as we value it.
I see patterns of behaviour, an action repeated to make a balanced geometry with a purposeful finish. Angles of moving bodies at a pace tentatively steadier than the rate of doing anything, but faster than passive or waiting to receive something. The movement is dictated by prescribed behaviour and I wonder if the static bodies in the paintings ask us to be like them or with them in a delusion of immortality.
07.04.2017 – VIVISECTION, Berlin
the long time of the artist’s intensely looking
I remembered it takes time. Intensely looking for the thing to surface.
an action repeated
I remembered I’ve been here before. In this space. Had I forgotten? I performed here. What was there? There was a box, there was a magician, there was a glass of water, there was another magician, there was another glass of water. And there was a disco track. It was a trick. So now an iteration? What are the differences? “how different differences get made, what gets excluded, and how those exclusions matter.” (Barad, Meeting the Universe Halfway)
the movement is dictated by prescribed behaviour
I remembered to look for the fixed circumstances. You forgot it is only ever reaches something you might call successful when it comes out of what you perceive to be the specifities of the situation. (of course now you’re reading Karan Barad on Niels Bohr is improving and complicating an understanding that the entanglements of agencies and empiricism of the objects of investigation, in this case-) What are the specificities of the situation?
Temporal conditions of the painting/temporal conditions of a performance.
Duration cannot become about endurance (that is not my road). “no singular point marks the beginning and the end” (Barad, Meeting the Universe Halfway)
A place where I’ve done something before.
I’m already a ghost.
a disembodied spirit being wrenched up through the earth to find itself, invisible and inaudible
I had not forgotten about ghosts. What if I get in the box? What if I perform to an audience I don’t know are there? What if I perform to an audience that don’t know I’m there. An absent presence. Enclosing and burying myself. (being watched from within the painting)
“I waken out of this forgetfulness very quickly. In great haste, I reconstitute a memory, a confusion. A (classic) word comes from the body, which expresses the emotion of absence: to sigh: “to sigh for the bodily presence”: the two halves of the androgyne sigh for each other, as if each breath. being incomplete, sought to mingle with the other: the image of the embrace, in that it melts the two images into a single one: in amorous absence, I am, sadly, an unglued image that dries, yellows, shrivels.”
(on the absent object and the active practice of absence, from Roland Barthes, ‘A Lover’s Discourse: Fragments’ p13-17)
I see layers of atmospheres
drama of bound absorption
architectural structures precariously built and superseded
skins holding just
toxic gases and gases of disintegrated skins
thick air
agent acid yellow
liquid become reluctant solid as illusion of distance on a surface
archeology of moving to make a release
material components resisting and submitting to painting
people unformed not actualised and fading
the negative of a refracted light from sun moon lighthouse
the belly of the land mother of a goddess cult
The painting being multilayered brings embedded evidence of people bound by internal conflict as a result of external conflict, emotionally withdrawn and atmospheric, consumed by human construction.
The possibility of expression within this multiple layered binding is uncertain.
Where do we go from here with the people whose physical emotional trace is gathered together and held by the world created by the artist.
Do we go with them, as implicated to acknowledge them with empathy, but as with the two figures who try to kiss or who hold a dramatic almost mouth connection for the cinematographer’s eyes.
If it wasn’t for the material skins and airs of the paint we could take the compositional perspective of the camera person but instead our own dermal layer and inner surface of the lungs see it clearer.
Link for video of agent orange
https://www.vietnam.ttu.edu/virtualarchive/items.php?item=987VI0672
Link to Margaret Curtis archeologist and expert on Callanish
http://www.geo.org/callan.htm
An imagined performance score based on the yellow painting with three faces.
reduction of performance score using yellow painting as topography
Translation from Demofilo (excerpt)
In the translation, the author of the poem, regarding a flamenco dancer, recounts a series of overlapping, contradictory impressions; love, death, unity, separation, and the defining lines between artist and audience. The classic symbolism in the piece – with the author regarding himself alternately as a bull, or a vessel- is juxtaposed with the introduction of oddly modern themes; as the poem goes on, the author seems to question not only his own emotions, but the nature of performance, and even personhood itself.
This is of evident relevance to the project, and raises interesting questions about the historicity of our subject matter; whilst existing as concrete movements and practices, expressionism and surrealism arguable existed long before the 20th century, insofar as the themes and issues they confront are questions for the whole process of art itself. The contradictions of, and within, mimesis is in the poem laid bare through a bucolic, almost idyllic scene – traditional dance, trees, tea, a lover regarding his beloved. But the movement of the piece trends towards conclusions posed by some of the most harshly ‘modern’ of artists – is expression ever possible? Is the most we can hope for in approaching expressionistic art, like the author of Flamenco, a successful transference of our own expression onto the art we view? Is art truly a process through which individuals are united, or is that unity simply a shallow reflection of the internal dynamics at work in the mind of the viewer?
Another aspect of this is the role of the translator him/herself. This quote from Walter Benjamin’s The Task of the Translator seems apt in considering both the translation of the text and also the performance that could be perceived as a type of translation.
‘so that just as language and revelation are joined without tension in the original, the translation must write literalness with freedom in the shape of an interlinear version’
Even if all these – challenging- questions are true, however, does it alter the significance or importance of expression – a force we can still feel eight centuries on from the genesis of the piece in question.
Notes on seeing paintings – statements of meaning
the ‘figures’ exist trapped between the painted space
the paint in thin layers without oil making a surface of dry atmospheres
paintings of copies of photos of films of people start in representing impulse to present a platform for improvisation
to create an atmosphere kin to the environment painted
to put the person in the place of an actor or
Anyway, a painting is a score from a particular perspective, left to right or bottom to top for potential sound to surround in dry thin layers and scratches
An idea – Dry obscured air as visual obstruction – a well of sound, layered in yellow with blue scratches and red
nauman
13.04.-20.03.2017, SITUATIONS, Berlin
SITUATION 1
One chair, not quite in the middle of the room
Portable hi-fi (playing –?)
Carrie, dancing (a specific routine? Something more like marking out or blocking steps)
Costume, two piece dinner suit and bow tie (tap shoes?)
Lighting, disco light (–? constantly on)
Music playing (1 song, looped)
Carrie is dancing around the room
Someone enters
The music stops (Carrie holds remote control discreetly)
Carrie runs to the chair, sits and remains there
They look at the exhibition
They exit
The music starts
Carrie stands and continues to dance
What do you do when they look at you and wait for you to do something?
Eyes on the door? Eyes on the music? Make eye contact? Tempting to ‘do’ something when seated, like speak a text etc. but the thing’s clarity is its action/no action and must be kept distinguished.
What do you do if/when someone else enters the room?
Stay in the chair and fix the ‘rule’ to the person that came in first, so if the second person is still in the room when the first person exits they will see dancing. Resetting the ‘rule’ so the music stops when the third person comes in and so on.
OR never dance when anyone in the room, this could mean a lot of sitting later in the day when it is busier. But the disco light, the costume and the visibility of the Portable hi-fi should hold the scene in suspense/retain energy?
OR find another audience related trigger not entrance/exit but still about thresholds/transitions, eg. When someone stands in front of a specific painting…?
What do you do if they turn around and come back in?
Start/stop, this will be a lot of fun.
What if it is a cardboard box and not a chair?
The chair is still linked to the gallery space (the invigilator) but the box is…concealment/revelation/transformation? Would you close over the lid of the box? Would you put out a hand and wave when they leave? Would you open and get out of the box with a ‘show’ something like a party popper, that leaves a mark and will build up and layer.
What if you don’t wear a ‘costume’ or wear another costume?
Why have you chosen a dinner suit? Something from another situation of transition? No costume but one item/accessory? The ghost again?
What if there is no music?
Just the action/trigger between performer and audience.
OR replacing the music with something else – tap dancing rhythm/telephone ringing/field recording (from preview?)
OR still music but inverted – dancing to silence, sitting to music
OR not a whole song but a looped section of a song
OR lots of songs (more fun for me)
OR a field recording playing constantly through another source, and the music starts/stops over this, adding to the scene in suspense with disco light and costume.
OR a song from another genre, getting away from disco.
SONGS (about waiting/time/something is going to happen/transform)
Pointer Sisters, I’m So Excited
Gloria Gaynor, I Will Survive (could be amazing but TOO much about doors?)
Gloria Gaynor, Never Can Say Goodbye
Bee Gees, Night Fever
Donna Summer, Hot Stuff
Cardboard box, almost middle but slightly closer to the door
Carrie in the box, lid closed
Someone enters the room
Carrie’s hand comes through top of box, waves
SITUATION 2.1
Carrie in the box, lid closed with hi-fi, light machine and party poppers
Carrie’s hand comes through top of box, set off party popper
Music and lights start and continues until end or until someone new comes in (– stop music, set off popper, start music)
Carrie in the box, lid closed with hi-fi, light machine and balloons/helium canister
Music and lights start
White balloon on a string and Carrie’s hand comes through top of box
Music continues until end then letting go of balloon or until someone new comes in (– stop music, let go of balloon, start music)
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The Wheal Owles disaster of 1893
bwdeacon mining January 12, 2021 January 12, 2021 2 Minutes
Early in the morning of January 10th, 1893, young Johnny Grenfell left his cottage at Tregeseal just north of St Just, to walk up the hill towards the sea and his work at Wheal Owles. He must have been day-dreaming that morning as, on his arrival, he realised he’d left some of his underground clothes behind. Hurrying back, his mother was horrified to see him. Everyone knew it was bad luck for a miner to return home from the bal before starting work.
Johnny must have tried to calm her fears but may have felt a little uneasy, recalling that another miner at Wheal Owles, Thomas Henry Lutey, had had a premonition a few days earlier. He had thoroughly alarmed his comrades by running through a level screaming ‘Water! Water!’
The pumping house at Cargodna shaft
Nevertheless, both Johnny and Thomas Lutey joined 38 other underground miners on the 8am core, or shift. They descended, some singing carols as they did, to five working levels spaced ten fathoms, or 60 feet apart, from 45 to 85 fathoms below adit. This was at the Cargodna section of the mine. The neighbouring, but unconnected part of the mine to the south and east, known as Wheal Drea, had been abandoned in 1884.
Around 8.45 the tributers at the 65-fathom level blasted the rockface. It’s unlikely they survived for long as a huge volume of water immediately poured through the rock and flooded the level. They had accidentally broken through to the flooded Wheal Drea section. Reaching the shaft, the water cascaded down to the lower levels. All those working at the 85-fathom level were drowned. The rush of air had extinguished their candles and the torrent of water filled the shaft before they had a chance to grope their way to it.
Four miners at the 75-fathom level who were closer to the shaft amazingly managed to fight their way up the ladders to eventual safety. As the waters rapidly rose – it’s been estimated by 95 fathoms or 570 feet in just 30 minutes, those miners working in the 55-fathom level above the breach heard the loud roaring and felt the rush of air. In the dark, they began to negotiate their way back through the level to the shaft. Quick thinking by an experienced miner – James (Farmer) Hall – saved their lives. Hall told some to jump into an empty tram wagon, which he and others pushed along, knowing the rails would lead them to the shaft.
Once there, despite the ladders shaking violently as the waters rose, they made it to the surface. Twenty miners, or half the core, had lost their lives. Thomas Lutey, who had had the premonition, and Johnny Grenfell were both among the survivors. Lutey was one of those who escaped the 75-fathom level and Grenfell got out of the 55-fathom level. Lutey never worked in a mine again, preferring to make a precarious but safer living hawking oranges around the district.
Apparently, the mine plans had been faulty, indicating that the workings at Cargodna and Drea were separated by 18 or 19 fathoms of rock when they were in fact very close and working the same lode, not two parallel lodes, as had been thought. Wheal Owles never re-opened.
Lutey
St Just
Wheal Owles
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Home » Lifestyle » The man who saves our locks when the salons shut: Josh Wood
The man who saves our locks when the salons shut: Josh Wood
The man who saves our locks when the salons shut: He’s the hairdresser who has celebrities fighting for £1,000 appointments. But this year his £10 root retoucher has made Josh Wood a hero for midlife women everywhere
Josh Wood’s celebrity clients include Kylie Minogue and Elle Macpherson
Hairdresser who lives in Oxfordshire, has been colouring hair for over 30 years
Reveals how his team adapted to the lockdown offering video consultations
There are many things we’ve learned in 2020, but one of the most abiding lessons is that the state of our hair is intricately connected to our psychological wellbeing. Frazzled tips are no trivial matter.
This is something Josh Wood understands better than most. ‘Hair is everything,’ he declares from the attic of his cottage in Oxfordshire, where he has decamped with his partner, Jonathan, and their rescue dog, Gandalf.
Wood has been colouring hair for more than 30 years. He maintains the resplendent manes of celebrities such as Kylie Minogue, Elle Macpherson and Saoirse Ronan from his boutique salon in Holland Park, where an appointment with him can cost £1,000. Or, if you are in Monte Carlo or Beijing and in need of primping, £10,000 will get him on a private jet.
But from the very first lockdown, with salons shut, Wood turned his attention to us normal folk. His top-quality £14 permanent colour packs and ingenious £10 marker pen for touching up greying roots have become 2020’s cult products, word of mouth recommendations ensuring blanket success.
Josh Wood (pictured) who lives in Oxfordshire, launched a video consultation service during lockdown and his permanent colour packs became a cult product in 2020
Sales of the Root Marker pen for lighter blondes (the most popular shade) increased by a staggering 24,353 per cent during lockdown. Meanwhile, the permanent colour range saw a 4,000 per cent rise in sales (shade 7 — deep mid-blonde — being the most popular).
Almost all the colours sold out on his website and sales doubled in Boots, resulting in a nail-biting wait for stock to be replenished from the factory in Italy.
Josh Wood’s isn’t the only retoucher to take off this year — Colour Wow Root Cover Up, L’Oreal Paris Magic Retouch and Batiste’s Hint of Colour range all saw a huge spike in sales too.
But Wood was the only hairdresser savvy enough to share a breadth of home-dyeing advice via videos from his team of experts.
‘We’d been planning to launch the video consultation service this Christmas,’ says Wood, his Barnsley accent still strong despite moving to London aged 19. ‘Then when lockdown happened in March, I gave the team three weeks to turn it around. We did nearly 4,000 video consultations, each lasting about 20 minutes, from March to July.’
It was an all-hands-on-deck moment, as colour packs were sent out to clients old and new — ‘there are household names who were touching up their own roots’ — and Wood himself was giving free online tutorials, along with a number of the salon’s 80 staff (although Wood did furlough some).
‘I would be talking to people who were saying, “I have three kids, I am trying to home-school, I have a husband in the attic working. If I can just keep my roots going I can cope with anything.” It became so much more fundamental.’
Wood was well-placed to step into the breach. He launched his Josh Wood Colour range in 2018, with 12 shades, as well as his Root Markers, to try to bridge the vast gulf between at-home hair colour and the salon experience.
Josh revealed his products are aimed at improving at-home hair colouring, as seventy per cent of all hair colour is done at home. Pictured: Kylie Minogue
‘Seventy per cent of all hair colour is done at home, but the experience some people reported was that it was smelly, messy and they ended up with hair that looked like Lego hair. I knew the parameters I had to deal with.’
Another thing people worry about with prolonged use of at-home colour is damage to the condition of hair and thinning.
Wood wanted to solve these problems, too. So this winter, he launched a new product — aptly named the Miracle Shot (sold as part of the Miracle System, £29) — just in time for Tier Four.
Miracle Shot is a cocktail of vitamins and omega oils, which is combined with permanent colour just before application to condition hair. ‘The people testing it said they have never had their hair feeling this way, so soft and hydrated,’ he says.
It might seem ironic that a man so associated with high-end exclusivity (he’s also the go-to catwalk show hairdresser for fashion houses including Prada and Alexander McQueen) should seek to make his mark in a market more associated with cheesy pile-em-high brands. (Remember Just For Men?)
‘I came from a council flat in Barnsley, I’ve worked very hard for a very long time,’ says Wood.
Josh who grew up in Barnsley, said he always knew that he wanted to do something creative. Pictured: Elle Macpherson
‘I have a lot of knowledge and with that comes value. But if I have done all that work and I can only see one person every 90 minutes, it feels a bit futile. It should be bigger than that. I want to share this expertise to a wider community, to democratise it.’
His father died when he was five, and he was raised by his mother in Yorkshire at a time defined by the miners’ strike.
‘In Barnsley in 1986 there wasn’t much choice, but I always knew I wanted to do something creative.’
At 17 he went to art college and got a Saturday job sweeping floors at a salon. He quickly realised hairdressing might be the answer. However, after a year on the Youth Training Scheme, he was informed he wasn’t being kept on and that hairdressing wasn’t for him.
‘That devastated me. But I thought, sod ’em, I’m going to Leeds.’ He worked in Vidal Sassoon and then came to London.
By the time he was 25, he was doing David Bowie’s hair. ‘He was such an amazing person, I was so fortunate to work with him and call him a friend.’ Although Wood didn’t realise quite how famous Bowie was. ‘I was rather naive, I was busy getting out of Yorkshire.’
Wood says he has never been star-struck. ‘Not really, I have been so focused on my career.’ He opened his own salon in 1999 and was driven by a powerful work ethic. ‘I pressed on; I always pressed on. I always used to be the first in and the last out of the salon.’
Josh closed operations in Liberty and Soho House in order to focus on his brand and product range, when they first launched. Pictured: Saoirse Ronan
No doubt it helps that he is an astute businessman — his profits have been steadily growing in the past few years.
The future, it seems, really could lie with the mass-market and not the upmarket salon. He even closed operations he had started in Liberty and posh members’ club Soho House in order to focus on his brand and retail products when they first launched.
‘I hire the best people I can. I need a brilliant accountant, the best operations person, blue-sky thinker, tech person . . . because I can’t do those things.
‘I do have a good intuition, though. When something feels right, I won’t let go until someone convinces me deeply that it is a bad business decision.’
But ultimately, he insists, hairdressing is about personal connection. A good hairdresser is a psychologist, confessor and confidante, as well as the person who makes sure you look wonderful (and tells you so).
‘I love a good chat. Both my parents died when I was very young. I left my home town when I was very young. I view the people I work with as family. I love the idea of community, of being there and sharing.’
Wood has been seeing some of his clients for more than 30 years. ‘Some clients realised this year that I see more of them than they see of their partners, so there was separation anxiety on both sides. One can’t underestimate these relationships. I have seen my clients have kids and grandkids, in some cases, lose loved ones and suffer illness.
Josh (pictured) revealed his salon Atelier was busier than ever, when they reopened in July and some of his clients were overwhelmed with emotion
‘I never take the salon chit-chat for granted as quite often we are talking about things that are very personal and important both to the client and me. It’s a relationship I’m grateful for.’
When his salon Atelier reopened in July, some of his clients were overwhelmed with emotion. ‘There was a big outpouring, I had a couple of clients sit in the chair and sob.’
He was also busier than ever, with new clients who had been using the video service coming into the salon to experience the real deal.
And the second lockdown? ‘When we got the news we moved quickly: we opened on Sunday, and I worked all day Monday and Tuesday. When I got home on Tuesday night I had to ice my feet, because I’d been standing from 8am to 8.45pm.’
The move to Tier Four for large swathes of the country has been even more challenging, with Christmas the busiest time of year for hairdressers.
Wood is keen for his new product to launch, but money is not the force that compels him.
‘If you are successful in creating a product people like, you presume you’re going to benefit financially, but that’s not the driver for me.
‘For me it is making the product in the first place, taking the risks, being the first.’
He also wants to give us all the swish and confidence that comes with really great hair, whether our budget is £1,000 or £14.
‘Colour isn’t a utility that has to be topped up every month to hide grey. It’s an important part of how we appear to the outside world,’ he says, whether that is in real life, or over Zoom.
Josh Wood’s guide to the ultimate no- hairdresser hair
1. HYDRATE AND CONDITION
This is a moment to focus on the condition of your hair and really hydrate it in a way you probably don’t on a normal day.
Use a mask once a week (try the Everything Mask, £19, joshwoodcolour.com). If you don’t need to see (or video call) people, slick your hair back with a conditioner or a mask and keep it in all day.
Alternatively, treat with the mask at night, wrapping it with an Aquis Turban (£30, aquishair.co.uk) and go to bed for an overnight deep condition.
2. ALWAYS COMB BEFORE HOME-DYEING
If you do want to do your roots at home, use a good wide-toothed comb, such as Re-comb (£16, re-comb.com) or my other favourite, a Tangle Teezer (£12, tangleteezer.com), to brush out your hair beforehand, then you won’t get clumps of colour or missed patches.
Pictured: Josh Wood Colour Gloss
I think the dotting method works best — applying multiple small dots of colour — and in this case, more is really more. Pack on the product to ensure greys are completely covered
3. EXPERIMENT WITH DIFFERENT SHADES
Have fun! Given that most of us are now working from home and events are on hold, this could be a moment for experimentation with new styles and semi-permanent colours.
This is much easier if you have highlights or balayage, as you can use a temporary or semi-permanent colour over the blonde and it will wash out over time. Changing the tone of brunette hair, going a bit warmer or cooler depending on skin tone, can be another way to switch things up (try Josh Wood Colour Gloss in Cherry, pictured, £19).
4. OR RETURN TO YOUR NATURAL HAIR COLOUR
Use this opportunity to think about what you do with your hair, and whether you have got stuck in a cul-de-sac.
After the first lockdown, many people returned to a more natural colour that didn’t require so much upkeep, partly because they don’t want to be caught out again, and partly because they realised they’d been doing the same thing for years without thinking.
Begin this process by building up a mood board of things you like and things you don’t like. Also think about how often you want to maintain the colour and get advice on skin tone: cool or warm? Ask how the colour can be nuanced seasonally.
We often recommend that clients send us an image of their hair from a time in their life when they absolutely loved it.
5. . . . EVEN IF THAT MEANS GOING GREY!
This could be the perfect time to make that transition. But when you decide you want to start to grow out the grey, you’ve got to be committed.
The first step is to leave a little bit of grey around the hairline, so it starts to break up that harsh regrowth. It looks a bit more natural and helps to introduce a bit of grey gradually.
Then, once you can get back in to the salon, you should talk to your colourist about having a lighter tint around the hairline for a few weeks, then introduce some kind of highlights or balayage.
6. TREAT YOURSELF TO A SCALP MASSAGE
The hair grows from inside the scalp, so nourishing that is very important for healthy hair.
I often ask my clients to think of their scalp as they would their face. A healthy scalp in general leads to healthy hair. Dandruff, psoriasis, greasy hair, or a dry, itchy scalp are indicators that it is in need of some attention.
Regular massage of the scalp is a great way to boost the blood supply — and it’s relaxing.
Your scalp produces natural oils that are essential for keeping the skin moisturised. The more we wash our hair the more we strip these away.
I recommend using the En-Root Scalp Treatment (£36, weare centred.com), which is like a facial for your scalp.
7. LAST-MINUTE CHRISTMAS ZOOM
If you haven’t washed your hair but need to get on a Zoom call and look like you have ‘done, undone’ hair, Sam McKnight Cool Girl Barely There Texture Mist (£25, sam mcknight.com) is the product for you. It’s a very light texturising hair spray that can quickly create a natural tousled look — just spray and scrunch.
'Manlocksoursavesthewhwho
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TriplePoints of Interest – Week of July 25
Three weeks later, Pokémon GO continues to generate massive headlines! This week we’ve highlighted notable coverage about Pokémon GO’s San Diego Comic-Con takeover, Mark Zuckerberg’s love for Pokémon GO, and an recent report on Pokémon GO app downloads. Also worth a look: Twitter is streaming esports, Dota 2 adds VR spectator mode, and Doom: The Board Game is coming to a tabletop near you.
Pokémon GO topped 75 million downloads worldwide, reported USA Today. The app reached 50 million downloads in 19 days, making it the fastest to meet the mark by a landslide. Currently Pokémon GO is available in 32 of the 100 markets, leaving a lot of room for more growth. With more launches to come — as well as new features like trading — the momentum for Pokémon GO will continue to soar.
Pokémon GO received honorable praise from several high-profile tech figures: Apple CEO Tim Cook, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Variety says that the execs showed Pokémon GO some love and mentioned the app during their company’s respective earning calls. Mentioning Pokémon GO was not just an attempt to look current and relevant; it validated their strategic investments to grow in future technologies like VR and AR.
At the annual San Diego Comic-Con, Pokémon GO was the inescapable fixation of the year, says CNET. All throughout the week you couldn’t walk any distance without hearing someone talking about Pokémon GO. People stopped in the middle of the show floor to catch monsters, attendees sought out areas to pick up a GPS signal to play, and there was an abundance of lures. Additionally, at 2016’s Comic-Con there was an increased presence of Pokémon merchandise at booths. Of all places, Comic-Con was undoubtedly the perfect environment to play the game.
Twitter to live stream esports tournament finals
BBC reported that esports organizer Eleague partnered with Twitter to live stream one of its main events. The Counter-Strike: Global Offensive finals will be broadcast live on Twitter for the first time on July 30. Eleague hopes that this will make top esports tournaments and make esports more accessible to a wider audience.
DOTA 2 Adds CR Spectator Mode
Valve is changing the way users spectate matches in Dota 2, says Polygon. The Dota 2 VR Hub is a free download, available under the game’s DLC menu, that allows you to launch the game in virtual reality. Not only can fans watch live matches or replays, but they can also move around in the lobby and talk to other players who are virtually present through voice chat. The spectator hub lets users watch overhead or in the trenches of the fog of war with Dota heroes and minions.
Doom is becoming a board game
Fantasy Flight Games reimagines the long-running first-person shooter series Doom in the form of a board game. The developers describe it as a “tactical combat experience” and will be playable by two to five players. Players take part in missions as either a highly trained marine or a hellish demon, each side working toward its own objectives. According to GameSpot, Doom: The Board Game is due out by the end of this year.
Until next week!
TriplePoints of Interest – Week of July 11 – Featuring Pokémon GO!!!
TriplePoints of Interest – Week of July 6
July 29, 2016 August 26, 2016 Cassandra Reynoso
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Quarantining and Board Games
March 31, 2020 unboxboardom
Games come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, colors, languages and themes, but one constant variable stretches across them all: Players must be in the same room as one another while playing. Our current world circumstances, plagued with the possibility of COVID-19 infection, renders this one prerequisite for gaming nearly impossible to fulfill—not to mention the inability to wipe down every single piece between rounds. Rather than feel discouraged, take comfort in the fact that modern gaming can stretch across households if you get a little inventive. Here are a few ways to try:
Bust out your Photoshop skills
Current video chat technology allows for the sharing of computer screens, and this feature opens the possibility that multiple friends can view your makeshift Trivial Pursuit board, crafted in Adobe Photoshop, no matter where they’re located. The creation of a game board doesn’t require an extensive knowledge of design software. Simply snap a photo of a board—or better yet scan, if you have access—and create a few little colored circles to serve as pieces, each of which can be moved around the board using your cursor. The host can move for others and players can roll their own dice from the comfort of their own homes; likely everyone has one or two lying around. As long as one of the players has the game itself, they can hold up cards to the camera for others to read. This whole process gives off the impression of a homespun game night without leaving the house, and leaves little room for players to only half pay attention.
Head online
While there’s no true substitute for playing a board game on an actual board, some websites are doing their part to spread gaming across the internet by making their own virtual versions of games. Board Game Arena, for example, offers players the chance at a round of Puerto Rico or Carcassone without the added hassle of remembering all the rules or tracking each of the cards. Their graphic interface isn’t the most intuitive of its kind but the rules are embedded in the software, meaning no player can make an illegal move or otherwise cheat in any way. Playing on sites like this is a unifying experience: All the pertinent statistics of the other players, like how many victory points they’ve accrued thus far, are always displayed. Some games even include timers and alerts to notify players when it’s their turn, simulating your nagging and bothering from across the world wide web.
Now feels like a great time to make progress on whatever pet project you’ve been dreaming about, and game creation promises to fill the gaming void lost by quarantine. Friends may not be available to arrive at your house ready to game, but they can certainly provide feedback on written rules for a game of your own making or talk you through the visual design of the characters. Working on a game also affords you an excuse to reach out to people and work independently in the interim, much like a group of writers would motivate each other to complete their tasks via accountability. Plus, while it’s nearly impossible to plow through every game in your library when gathering a group of friends in real life—schedules can be a nightmare—it’s very manageable to play each one on your own, pull some of your favorite concepts and repurpose them into something you can share when this is all over and social distancing walls come down. Also: Use this time to make some inroads with local board game design groups so they’ll be pumped to try your game at a later date.
How are you surviving your quarantine? Let us know in the comments below!
board game quarantine board gaming at home social distancing games
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Splinter Cell VR Might Be Possible
Ian Kane / July 24, 2019
Photo Source: Steam.com
Splinter Cell might be developed for VR, thanks to Facebook. That was according to a new report that stated that the social media giant has signed deals to bring some of Ubisoft’s best games to Oculus VR. These include games like Assassin’s Creed and Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell.
The move was a part of Facebook’s plan to expand its reach into the gaming industry. It could also be possible that Facebook will go with its plan to acquire video game studios for itself. There has been a report from The Information that Facebook is looking for opportunities to beef up its gaming business. In fact, Facebook just announced its partnership with other major developers like Respawn Entertainment.
Mark Zuckerberg has also been personally involved with this strategy for the company to get video game franchises on the Oculus VR platform.
There has been news that the deal to bring Splinter Cell and Assassin’s Creed to VR has been closed already. But both parties haven’t released any statement as of now about the deal.
Facebook’s steps are to further improve the experience on the Oculus VR platform. If you remember, they just released Oculus Quest this year at $399. It is a fully wireless headset that can run without the user having to hook up to a gaming PC.
Although the interest for developing VR games in 2019 has fallen, Facebook’s sales grew up to 54.1% thanks to Oculus Quest. This can further explain their strategy in acquiring studios and inkling exclusives to make the Oculus VR more appealing to the customers.
July 24, 2019 in Games, News. Tags: Assassin's Creed VR, assassins creed, Facebook, Oculus Quest, oculus vr, Splinter Cell, Splinter Cell VR, ubisoft
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Home Environment/Energy Fracking Brings Employment
Fracking Brings Employment
written by Paul Driessen August 7, 2013
Paul Driessen is a senior fellow with the Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow and Center for the Defense of Free Enterprise, nonprofit public policy institutes that focus on energy, the environment, economic development and international affairs. He is the author of "Green Power, Black Death" (Merril Press, 2010) and coauthor of "Energy Keepers, Energy Killers" (Merril Press, 2008).
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Signs of pride and prosperity were evident all over Williamsport and the gorgeous northern Pennsylvania countryside around it. Friendly, happy people greeted us. New cars, trucks, hotels and restaurants sparkled in a clean, bustling downtown. New roofs topped barns and houses, while late model tractors worked the fields. Formerly dirt roads are now paved.
Men and women again have high-paying jobs, young people are coming back instead of moving away, their salaries are supporting other businesses and jobs, and many are taking college programs in oilfield technical and business specialties, Vince Matteo told me. As president and CEO of the Williamsport/Lycoming County Chamber of Commerce, he’s witnessed the transformation.
“98 percent of the change has been positive,” he says. Contributions to United Way are increasing each year, county infrastructure has improved enormously, and environmental impacts are minimal.
Visits to several Anadarko Petroleum drilling and fracking sites explained why. The operations are far more high-tech than what I had seen previously on rigs in the Rocky Mountains, off the Louisiana and California coasts, and last fall in Alberta’s oil sands region. Hydraulic fracturing was first employed in Kansas in 1947. But steadily improved fracking technology is now combined with computers, down-hole sensors and microseismic instruments. Drilling equipment, lets crews send a bit 6,000 feet down and 8,000 feet laterally into Marcellus Shale formations – and end up within three feet of their intended target!
The operations are conducted from atop a multi-layered felt and impermeable plastic pad, surrounded by a berm, to keep unlikely spills from contaminating farm and forest land. Multiple wells are drilled from a single pad and “kicked out” horizontally in various directions. The drilling rig is skidded a short distance to four or five more locations around the pad, the entire array is fractured at high pressure, and short wellheads are installed to collect natural gas, and send it to local and interstate pipeline networks.
A nearby impoundment is also lined with plastic to hold water for fracturing operations. Topsoil removed to prepare the pad and pond is stored nearby. As operations are finished, the land is reclaimed, topsoil is replaced, and local grasses, flowers and shrubs are planted, to create meadows for deer and wild turkeys – or anything else the landowners prefer. To launch 20-40 years of hydrocarbon production from a 15,000-acre (23-square-mile) area requires barely 2% surface disturbance, most of it for just a few months.
Once the work is completed, the area quietly and unobtrusively produces decades of energy – and revenue for farmers, wildlife organizations, hunting groups, and local, state and federal treasuries.
Hydraulic fracturing takes place some 5,500 feet (almost four Empire State Buildings) below the water table. To prevent groundwater contamination, pipe penetrating the first seven hundred feet is surrounded by layers of steel casing and specialized cement. During the drilling and fracturing process, even rainwater collected from the drill pad is saved and used. Some of the water used to fracture the shale is also recovered during gas production; this “flowback” water itself is filtered, treated and reused.
The hydraulic fracturing process requires some 2.0-4.2 million gallons of water per well, but fresh or brackish water works equally well. A 2013 Ceres study concluded that hydraulic fracturing consumed 75 billion gallons of water per year on average nationwide, in 2011 and 2012. EPA says fracking consumes 70-140 billion gallons a year nationally, and the Texas Water Resources Board estimates that Lone Star State oil and natural gas companies used 27 billion gallons of water for fracking statewide in 2011. However, Texas homeowners used 495 billion gallons for lawns and gardens, the TWRB found (18 times what fracking consumed), and household landscape irrigation nationwide consumes nearly 3 trillion gallons of water annually, according to EPA (21-43 times the EPA and Ceres estimates for hydraulic fracturing).
Even more revealing, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, fracking requires just 0.6 to 5.8 gallons of water per million Btu of energy produced. By comparison, “renewable” and “sustainable” corn-based ethanol requires 2,510 to 29,100 gallons per million Btu of usable energy – and biodiesel from soybeans consumes an astounding and unsustainable 14,000 to 75,000 gallons of water per million Btu!
As to chemical contamination, fracturing fluids are 99.5% water and sand. Moreover, the 0.5% chemicals portion is increasingly basic, nontoxic household or kitchen stuff. Anadarko’s chemicals today are only “slickeners” (to help the sand get further into cracks created by the pressurized water) and “biocides” that prevent bacterial buildup in the well pipes. Which chemicals are used for any single well in the United States can be determined by going to www.FracFocus.org – and every EPA, DOE and other study conducted to date has concluded that fracking has never contaminated a single US well.
Hydraulic fracturing has created 1.7 million new direct and indirect jobs in the United States, with the total likely to rise to 3 million jobs over the next seven years, IHS Global Insight reports. It has injected billions into North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Texas and other state economies. It’s added $62 billion to federal and state treasuries, with that total expected to rise to $111 billion by 2020. By 2035, U.S. oil and natural gas operations could provide over $5 trillion in cumulative capital expenditures into the economy, while generating over $2.5 trillion in cumulative additional government revenues.
In the process, fracking has revived America’s petrochemical, steel and other manufacturing industries, and reinvigorated American ingenuity and economic competitiveness. One shudders to think how awful the US unemployment, part-time employment and economic picture would be in its absence.
This game-changing technology has also transformed US, EU and global political equations and power structures. With the United States, Argentina, Britain, China, Israel and many other countries collectively sitting atop centuries’ worth of now economically producible oil and natural gas, OPEC and Russia can no longer control prices and threaten customer nations. For poor developing countries, natural gas from shale provides fuel to generate abundant, affordable electricity that will transform lives.
Then why do Hollywood and radical greens celebrate misleading films like Gasland and Promised Land – even after Phelim McAleer and Ann McElhinney’s documentary FrackNation completely demolished Gasland‘s lies and half-truths? Why do outfits like Food and Water Watch and the Sierra Club, and ill-informed activists like Yoko Ono, continue to scream hysterical nonsense about the process?
Follow the money – and the ideology. Big Eco is big business, and big egos. It seeks ever more power and every greater control over our lives. Fracking threatens all of that.
“What you get in your mailbox is a never-ending stream of crisis-related shrill material designed to evoke emotions,” former National Audubon Society COO Dan Beard once admitted, “so that you will sit down and write a check” – or click the “Donate Now” button. This multi-billion-dollar-per-year industry would collapse without the crisis du jour it conjures up, with help from the news media, politicians and regulators.
Deep Ecology adherents view fossil fuels as evil incarnate, and believe fervently in “peak oil” and Climate Armageddon. They are frustrated that fracking guarantees a hydrocarbon renaissance and predominance for decades to come, and helps reduce carbon dioxide emissions without massive economic sacrifice.
They also tend to be well-off, and clueless about the true sources of modern living standards. They have disturbingly callous attitudes about people who have lost their jobs because of Mr. Obama’s war on coal and cheap energy – and about poor rural New York families that are barely hanging onto their farms, unable to tap the Marcellus Shale riches beneath their land, because Governor Cuomo refuses to lift his moratorium on fracking. Many don’t give a spotted owl hoot about the world’s impoverished billions, whose hope for better lives depends on the reliable, affordable electricity that “frack gas” can help bring.
These shameful attitudes hurt people and planet. We need to frack for a better, cleaner, happier world!
Paul Driessen is senior policy analyst for the Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow and Congress of Racial Equality, and author or Eco-Imperialism: Green power – Black death.
Fracking Brings Employment was last modified: August 7th, 2013 by Paul Driessen
Anadarko PetroleumAnn McElhinneyChamber of CommerceDepartment of Energyeconomic boomemploymentenviromentenvironmental protection agencyEPAfrackingFrackNationGaslandHydraulic fracturingIHS Global InsightLycoming CountyMarcellus Shale formationObamapennsylvaniaPhelim McAleerPromised LandSierra ClubunemploymentVince MatteoWilliamsportYoko Ono
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Newfield’s New York
Jack Newfield, Somebody’s Gotta Tell It! The Upbeat Memoir of a Working-Class Journalist (St. Martin’s Press, April 2002) $30 hardcover.
Toward the end of his excellent new memoir, Jack Newfield serves up a Brooklyn reverie. His 1950s Brooklyn was that of the Dodgers, or “the Brooklyn of hope, inclusion and cohesion.” Though familiar, such nostalgia is hardly cliché. The borough’s idealism, symbolized by Jackie Robinson’s play at Ebbets field, sprang from everyday life on its working class streets. “I have forgotten the values of my old Bed-Stuy neighborhood,” Newfield writes, “the code of honor, unity, loyalty, fair play, and no surrender.”
New York, however, is a city where self-interest, division, betrayal, and unfair advantage usually win out, and giving in is the easiest option. All of which have made figures like Newfield that much more necessary. Political commentator, popular scholar, investigative journalist and sports writer, for over forty years Newfield has never let those in power become complacent. Idiosyncratic as his own politics may be, Newfield, to paraphrase Mencken, has never stopped “afflicting the comfortable.”
As he began his reflections, the question for Newfield lay in which phases of his long and varied career to emphasize: New Left journalist and participant; tireless investigative reporter and inveterate foe of Ed Koch; crusader against Don King and the corrupt boxing world; and, most recently, the last left-wing populist in the tabloid press. Newfield fives us plenty of good stuff about his four main identities, which are all of a piece to him. Yet throughout the work, one repeatedly wonders whether his perspective has changed a bit more than he’d care to admit.
Newfield’s story begins with a series of snapshot recollections of “a state of mind called Brooklyn.” Until he was ten, his Bed-Stuy neighborhood was mostly Jewish and Italian, but by the time he was eighteen (in the mid-1950s). it was largely black. Other white families took advantage of the government housing loans that sanctioned White Flight, or were scared into moving due to real-estate blockbusting. But Newfield stayed behind with his widowed mother, who scraped together a living as a department store saleswoman. Like other postwar Brooklyn teenagers, he found solace, and pleasure, in the interracial worlds of Ebbets field and the Paramount Theater.
Jackie Robinson, Newfield says, personified Brooklyn’s integrationist idealism. For a ten-year-old boy like Newfield, the lesson of Jackie’s first season (1947) was simple: “give everyone a shot, and the whole team—or city, or society—will flourish.” That he considered himself a “child of Jackie Robinson” made it doubly disappointing for Newfield when Robinson endorsed Richard Nixon rather than JFK in 1960. Yet part of growing up, Newfield notes later in the book, is realizing that everybody makes mistakes, including one’s heroes. And, though as flawed as the rest of us, Robinson clearly inspired a generation toward a collective goal.
It wasn’t only Robinson’s seminal struggle and exciting play that inspired Newfield, however. It was also the way that some legendary sportswriters wrote Robinson’s heroic efforts that pushed Newfield to become a reporter. Less bound to journalistic conventions than the rest of the paper, the sports pages of the 1940s and 1950s provided a home for some of the era’s more distinct popular voices. Jimmy Cannon, sentimental but gritty (and later a crank), showed Newfield the way. “Baseball should be grateful to you,” rather than vice versa, Cannon once wrote in a column about Robinson Cannon, who has also grown up poor, instinctively knew “what was real and what was bogus,” and by high school, Newfield was ready to pursue the same journalistic calling.
Newfield’s Brooklyn idealism would stick with him as he ventured across the river and into the fire. As editor of the Hunter College Arrow in the late 1950s, Newfield first became acquainted with the civil rights movement, and soon fell in within the anticommunist left. It was from democratic socialists like Michael Harrington, Bayard Rustin, and A. Philip Randolph that he learned “the evils of Stalinism.” Newfield’s “lifelong vehement antagonism to authoritarians of the left” derived from these three figures’ influence, and later from that of Irving Howe and Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. Meanwhile, after first hearing Martin Luther King, Jr. speak, Newfield knew that political reporting, not sports writing, was what really “mattered.”
Thus began Newfield’s wholesale immersion into the dynamic-political movements of the early 1960s. He joined the Young People’s Socialist League, and got arrested in sit-ins organized by SNCC. Mentored by Michael Harrington, Newfield merged his activism with politically charged reporting. Newfield soon became an early member of SDS, and, unlike Harrington, fully believed in the group’s—and the New Left’s—innovation of placing students, not workers, at the forefront of radicalism. “The idea that the campuses would be the catalyst of social change,” Newfield says in hindsight, “now seems self-important and elitist.” But he still feels that it was right at the time, and with good reason: the ossified nature of both the era’s union leadership and its political parties, as well as the raw numbers yielded by the baby boom, all made students likely radicals.
It was after he fully joined the Voice in mid-1964 that Newfield began to establish his name as a leading “New Journalist.: His early pieces quickly showed that his brand of left politics could not easily be pegged. As he drives home throughout the memoir, he was anti-communist, pro-integration, and a partisan of the early New Left. However, in stressing such a familiar combination, Newfield ends up making his politics sound far more conventional than they actually were. Just on example from his early Voice pieces tells a different story. In covering a 1964 forum on a race relations held between white liberals and black radical artists (Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, and Lorraine Hansberry), Newfield first called some of the panelists “Soviet apologists” and “cultural Mau-Maus,” but then finished by approvingly quoting Lenin’s notion of “infantile leftism” – a vanguard intellectual perspective, to be sure.
As the New Left tuened towards violence and began to embrace Black Power, Newfield continued to cast a critical eye, but once again in a far more complex way that he prefers to recall here. The late 60s left was indeed full of “lunacy,” as he repeatedly says now. In a 1970 essay, though, Newfield sought to place violence the left’s embrace of violence in context. Both “morally insupportable and politically counterproductive,” such militance reduced activists to the level of their foe, for whom violence was “dropping napalm on civilians or clubbing an unarmed sixteen-year-old demonstrator into unconsciousness.” Eager to throw his own metaphorical bombs at the late 60s left, specifically by highlighting Tom Hayden’s dubious role as an incendiary, Newfield also completely softens his views of the Chicago ’68 convention. What he now calls his “spare, apolitical, Maileresque narrative of the event, was in face anything but. His memoir excerpts only the descriptive middle section of his original story, but leaves out the piece’s intro”—on the streets of Daleyland, pigs became a precise description”—and its conclusion—“Humphrey’s Nomination should not be accepted as legitimate.” What gives, Jack?
Something is indeed happening here, you might day, but what that is ain’t exactly clear. Throughout the book, Newfield is a revisionist, but he’s far from a David Horowitz-type left apostate. As he’s done throughout his career, he continues to attack orthodoxies held by both the right and the left. What different these days is Newfield’s tendency to look at politics solely through the lives of influential people. His almost obsessively biographical approach leads him to judge entire movements based on his views of the people at the top. This trend stands in sharp contrast to his writings of the 1960s, in which the struggles were always collective, never singular.
The shortcomings of such an approach surface most clearly in Newfield’s discussion of two figures whom, after Jackie Robinson, he most lionizes, namely Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy. Newfield repeatedly holds King up as a model of “virtue in action” and thus a necessary counterpoint to what he sees as the “gangsterism of Huey Newton and the Black Panthers.” To bolster his case, he credits King with achievements that no on person could single-handedly accomplish: “he transformed the South, ended legal segregation, and empowered millions of blacks through nonviolence.” King, to be sure, was a great leader, but only because he had a powerful movement made up of ordinary men and women that supported him. To say that he alone overturned nearly a century of segregation is as unrealistic as the contemporary idea that one person alone deserves credit for bringing a city of eight million people back from ruins.
Newfield devotes more space to his views of, and experiences with, Robert Kennedy, whom he also wrote a full book about in the 1960s. The integrity of RFK’s conversion from cold warrior to left-wing figure-head has been challenged in some recent accounts, like gore Vidal’s. But Newfield remains a firm believer, and his stirring portrayal makes it difficult to disputer that by 1968 RFK had truly become a man of the people. Still the question remains why, and her Newfield’s answers remain largely personal ones. Bobby, he says, uniquely saw the folly of Vietnam, and was moved to action by the poverty he witnessed firsthand in the black ghettoes and the migrant fields. True, but what of the antiwar movement, the black freedom struggle, or the farmworkers’ campaign? Such group efforts may be less sexy to write about, but good politicians are most definitely made, not born.
Together the portrayal of the greatness of both King and Kennedy leaves us little hope for our political future. “I never got over it,” Max Roach said of Clifford Brown’s death to Pete Hamill; to which Newfield adds, “a lot of us feel that way about RFK.” King’s integrationist, non-violent “space,” meanwhile, “has remained vacant for more than twenty years.” Yet figures such as King and MILK were manifestly products of their times, and what is needed today are more movements for quality that start from the ground up, rather than wait for new messiahs. Surely Al Gore, who Newfield says he voted for, is not the best that any generation has to offer.
Whether Newfield’s shift in focus from collective struggles to individual ones reflects a change in his career identity – from New Journalist to investigative reporter to tabloid columnist—is a key question. Newfield here casts both these directional shifts in a heroic light. He took up investigative reporting in the late 11960s because “localism seemed more manageable than railing against the Vietnam War and Nixon’s election. I wanted to dig into New York City—its neighborhoods, its institutions, its history, and its power elite.” And that he most certainly did, writing hundreds of groundbreaking articles for the Voice and co-authoring two important works on city politics during the Koch years.
Yet after two decades of muckraking for the Voice, Newfield says, he decided that it was time to go back to his roots. When the Daily News, “a tabloid with a working-class base,” offered to pull him away from the “liberal” Voice, he “decided to find out if I could reach this whole, diverse, fantastic city, not just readers who already agreed with me.” Besides, he says, the Voice had become a “dreary” bastion of “political correctness”; in what ways he thinks the Daily News or later the Post contradicted such “propagandistic predictability” is not at all clear. Shamelessly placing himself in the tradition of Steinbeck, Guthrie, and Springsteen, as well as that of other hard-nosed columnists like Mike Royko and Jimmy Breslin, Newfield soldiered into the tabloid battle for the hearts and minds of the common man.
In the tabloids, Newfield continued his good fight, positioning himself as an everyman with a ringside seat. Like politics, boxing, “his guilty pleasure,” became a symbolic contest between good and evil. For incarnation of the latter he needed to look no further than Don King. Comparing his own perspective to that of Joe Frazier, the archetypal blue-collar fighter, Newfield takes shots at King, Mike Tyson, and to a lesser extent, Muhammad Ali. An underdog heavyweight fighting for respect in an unjust world is an appealing self-image, yet has boxing ever been anything other than corrupt? Indeed, Newfield’s account would be far more surprising if it found that Don King was a fair-minded businessman or that Mike Tyson was actually a nice guy. His pursuits of workers’ rights and journalistic integrity in the world of tabloids are as noble, but clearly as doomed, as his efforts to promote boxing reform.
Newfield’s travels thus end at an uncertain place. He’s still a crusader, but his ultimate cause—to preserve working class dignity in Wall Street’s town—may be even more quixotic than the goals of the New Left. The book calls itself as an “upbeat memoir of a working class journalist,” but as it closes, Robinson, King and Kennedy are dead, New York is a white-collar town, and Newfield himself is no longer a regular columnist anywhere. Just 65, Newfield is surely good for another career chapter or two, and New York will never run out of dirt in need of digging. These days the city’s future hopes lie in its immigrant communities, in the aspirations of its youth and in a collective re-definition of what it means to be part of the working class – issues outside of the scope of everyday journalism. Still no matter where Newfield goes from here, his spirited reflections remind us that we are all in his debt for his four decades of work trying to keep the city a more honest, and more just, place to live.
INCONVERSATION
Verdant Voices: The Women of Green Writers Press
By Emma Irving
MAR 2019 | Books
When Dede Cummings founded Green Writers Press (GWP) in April 2014, she sought to use her twenty-five plus years of publishing experience to do something about the growing climate crisis.
Sam Lavigne and Tega Brain: New York Apartment
By Simon Wu
In its sparest incarnations, in new developments and renos, all we see are the sanitized appeasement of rented furniture, stock art, and stainless steel appliances. In this way, New York Apartment evokes the disturbing logic of gentrification in what its pictures hide: the displaced.
Rehearsing a Self: David Adjmi on Lot Six, A New Memoir and An Outsider's Anthem
By Sarah Lunnie
OCT 2020 | Theater
Award-winning playwright David Adjmi (Stunning, Marie Antoinette) has gifted the literary and theatrical communities with a bracing new memoir rich with insights into not so much his creative process, but instead a more personal one: the process of unraveling and restitching his tapestry of selfhood. Dramaturg Sarah Lunnie interviews her peer in this honest recount of what it took to craft a memoir over ten years.
Power & Punk: New York's Avant Garde Lifers
By Sara Farrington
DEC 19-JAN 20 | Theater
My inaugural interview is with Kate Valk, who has worked with the legendary Wooster Group since 1979. Valk and founding director Elizabeth LeCompte are New York's avant garde elder stateswomen, defining and redefining experimental theater for a generation.
Judge Not…A Viewers’ Guide to the Kings County Courthouse Scandal
By Jonas Salganik
New Skool Journalism
By Anne Donlon, Libby Gills, Yasmine Farhang, Claire Jimenez, Dean Mejia, and Meghan McDermott
The Brooklyn Tabernacle Moves On Up
By Emily Votruba
New York City, LLC
By Theodore Hamm and Williams Cole
Economy: That Kenny Boy, He Sure Is Good People!
WIM DELVOYE Cloaca
By Cathy Nan Quinlan
My Vagina Says Hey
By Coleman Hough
The Starry Skies Above
By Naomi Foyle
Slice: A Question of Style
By Josh Franklin
A Poor Man's Chateanuef
By Neil Rosen
Are You a Grand Old Flag?
By Patricia J. Chui
Letter from Buenos Aires, part 3: Now & Then: Argentina chokes on neoliberal economics
Save the School Boards!
By Miriam Thompson and Julie Thompson Keane
Saying No to “Culture”
By David Vine
The Depot: Letters and Announcements
War’s Future? Destiny’s Child: A Coming U.S.-China Confrontation?
By Howard Harrington
War’s Past: The Teeth of War
By William Rossa Cole
Breakthroughs in Light: The Work of Tony Martin
By Ellen Pearlman
Gerhard Richter: Forty Years of Painting
By Daniel Baird
In Conversation with Robert C. Morgan
Notes on Albert Pinkham Ryder
By Bill Jensen
In Conversation with Robert Storr
Tim Wilson: PG-13
By Peter Eleey
Marek Cecula: Interface
By Suzanne De Vegh
Wim Delvoye: Cloaca
Ruth Miller
By Deborah Everett
Making China
By Megan Heuer
Kim Jones: "New Work"
By John Hawke
Judith Rothschild: Image and Abstraction
By Rachel Youens
Claude Carone
By Rex Auchincloss
Angela Wyman and Leslie Roberts: Eyewash
Andrea Claire, Karen Dow, Kirsten Hassenfeld: Frigid; Adam Cvijanovic: Disko Bay
A Matter of Conscience
By Tim Marchman
A Story for Big Girls
By Laura Bradford
In Conversation with D. Nurkse
By Margot Farrington
The Art of Booklyn
By Cricket Heinze
The Race of Architecture
By Tia Blassingame
There’s Still Hope for Utopia
With Us, Without Us: In Memoriam W.G. Sebald
Exiting Purgatory
Moving on Gravity’s Rainbow
Cusp at A.I.R Gallery, Written and directed by Ruth Sergel
Moms Just Want to Have Fun
By Joe Maggio
Outtakes: On Movies: Australians and a Southerner are Pulling Hollywood Through
By Golden Williams
Paul Verhoeven: A Tribute
By John Woods
In Dialogue: A Dream of Making Plays
Love is Colder Than Death: Wax Factory at the New York Center for Media Arts
By Karyn Riegel
Non-Stop Foreman
Death in the Wasteland
By Nikolai Bokov
Excerpt from: The Golden Triangle
The Most Beautiful Word
By Linh Dinh
The Fox Hole
By Patrick Oliver
DESTINY for FL, for VH
By Angelo Verga
Fear as a Machine
By Mónica de la Torre
Omens at Fajardo (1993)
By Sandy Florian
Rendezvous in Providence
By D. Nurkse
We Believed in the End of the World
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Weapons Classes in West Chester
Ancient Weapons Arts
It is a common belief and popular story that Okinawan farming tools evolved into weapons due to restrictions placed upon peasants by the Satsuma samurai clan in 1609 when the island was made part of Japan. The Okinawans were forbidden to carry arms. As a result, the Okinawans were defenseless and developed a fighting system around their traditional farming implements. It was this atmosphere that enabled the Okinawans to hone their early karate-like arts and conduct a guerrilla type war with the Japanese that lasted into the late 1800's.
The most common of these farming tools/weapons are:
Bo: The Bo evolved from a pole lanced across the shoulders to carry water or other loads. As a fighting instrument, it allowed blocking and striking against a range of weapons.
Sai The Sai is believed to originated from a pitchfork. As a weapon, it was used in conjunction with various karate techniques, and defense against sword attacks.
Kama The Kama was originally used for cutting grass or sugar cane. In close range fighting, the sickle could be used to trap an opponent's weapon or for striking.
Tonfa Originally a bean or rice grinder handle, the Tonfa's circular movements as a farm implement, evolved into rotating strikes as a weapon. The side of the Tonfa was used for blocking and the ends for direct punching.
Nunchaku The Nunchaku was originally an agricultural tool used for threshing grain. As a weapon, the two sticks connected at one end by rope, could be used for spearing or striking and the horse hair rope could choke, block or trap.
Iai-Do
The art of drawing the sword
The way of mental presence and immediate reaction
Iaido is a modern Japanese martial art associated with the smooth, controlled movements of the drawing the sword from it's scabbard, striking or cutting an opponent, removing the blood from the blade, and replacing the sword in the scabbard.
Practioners of iaido are referred to as "iaidoka". Because iaido is practiced with a weapon, it is almost entirely practiced using forms or kata.
Iaido does include competition in form of kata but does not use sparring. Because of this non-fighting aspect and iaido's emphasis on precise, controlled, fluid motion, it is sometimes referred to as "moving zen".
An important part of iaido is "nukitsuke" or the life of iaido. This is a very quick draw of the sword, accomplished by simultaneously drawing the sword from the saya and also moving the saya back into saya biki.
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Faculty Group Practice Medical Assistant-Medicine (Departmental Floater)
NYU Grossman School of Medicine is one of the nation's top-ranked medical schools. For 175 years, NYU Grossman School of Medicine has trained thousands of physicians and scientists who have helped to shape the course of medical history and enrich the lives of countless people. An integral part of NYU Langone Health, the Grossman School of Medicine at its core is committed to improving the human condition through medical education, scientific research, and direct patient care. For more information, go to med.nyu.edu, and interact with us on LinkedIn, Glassdoor, Indeed, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
We have an exciting opportunity to join our team as a Faculty Group Practice Medical Assistant.
In this role, the successful candidate will be responsible for assisting physicians and nurses in providing patient care.
Obtains vital signs, weights, and EKGs when needed, and all other tests within the scope of the practice. Assist with blood collection/phlebotomy as needed.
Assist with maintaining patient flow to and from exam rooms and treatment areas. Assists in escorting patients and specimens throughout the facility.
Ensures chart is available, with relevant lab work and test reports if indicated, for the physician when the physician sees the patient.
Stocks exam room/treatment rooms with medical supplies, linen, and designated chart forms. Notify the Office Manager when supplies are low.
Ensures exam rooms and treatment areas are cleaned after each patient leaves and prepared for the next patient. Assists with light housekeeping duties which include spills.
Assures completion of patient charges as per policy.
Assists patient with obtaining food, toileting, ambulating and maintaining comfort.
Assists physicians with procedures (e.g. GI procedures, all medical exams).
Cleans and sterilizes designated equipment after use.
Answers telephone in treatment area and assists staff in scheduling treatments.
Assists patients and communicate with Physicians to obtain prescription renewals as needed.
To qualify you must have a High School Diploma or the equivalent. Completion of a Medical Assistant Program from an accredited institution OR upon hire hold a current medical assistant Certification from a Nationally Recognized accredited institution (such as American Association of Medical Assistant(AAMA); American Medical Technologies (AMT); National Center for Competency Testing (NCCT); National Healthcare Association (NHA)).
MA experience preferred. EKG and/or Spirometry experience preferred. Second language mastery.
Qualified candidates must be able to effectively communicate with all levels of the organization.
NYU Grossman School of Medicine provides its staff with far more than just a place to work. Rather, we are an institution you can be proud of, an institution where you'll feel good about devoting your time and your talents.
NYU Grossman School of Medicine is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer committed to diversity and inclusion in all aspects of recruiting and employment. All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration without regard to race, color, gender, gender identity or expression, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender dysphoria, national origin, age, religion, disability, military and veteran status, marital or parental status, citizenship status, genetic information or any other factor which cannot lawfully be used as a basis for an employment decision. We require applications to be completed online.
If you wish to view NYU Grossman School of Medicine's EEO policies, please click here. Please click here to view the Federal 'EEO is the law' poster or visit https://www.dol.gov/ofccp/regs/compliance/posters/ofccpost.htm for more information. To view the Pay Transparency Notice, please click here.
Please See Above
Connections working at NYU Langone Medical Center
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Search Our Jobs or View All Jobs
Join Our Engineering Team!
Windstream is a leading technology company that is looking for top talent for several Engineering disciplines from Draftsmen to Sr. Engineer’s. The terms “cutting edge”, “5th largest” are all words we use daily and are proud to say. Join our WINning team and you too will be bragging about where you work.
“As we transform into a digital age company, where software is the product, increasingly the Engineering and Development teams will need to evolve into well-rounded engineers with an in-depth knowledge of many of these technologies as well. It's exciting to think how much different this industry is now and will be in 5 years, and how great of an opportunity we have to leverage the best and brightest talent to help drive that change internally.”
Art Nichols, VP-Engineering Network Architecture and Technology
What it is like to be a broadband engineer?
As a Broadband Engineer, Stephen Murphy provides standardization to processes to make sure all customers are receiving the best services. He enjoys working at Windstream because of the career opportunities he has experienced and the community feel of Windstream’s headquarters in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Hobbs, NM (1) >> Hobbs, NM (1) x
Construction Manager I/II-OSP ^company_name^
Hobbs, NM
320 North Shipp Street
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How Much Money Would Colonial Gunsmiths Get Paid?
Fraser Sherman
High School Teachers $59,170/year /> 2012-2016 +5.9%
Small Engine ... $36,336/year /> 2012-2016 +10.4%
Assembly lines didn't exist in the 1600s and 1700s. Gunsmiths were skilled craftsmen who made weapons one at a time. While gun prices seem cheap by today's standards, they represented a much larger investment at the time. Historians have debated the colonial gunsmith's income and whether it would be possible for an American to make a living as a gunsmith.
Colonial gunsmiths were independent businessmen who earned money per gun, rather than a regular salary. Exact prices varied depending on location, the customers and whether the weapon was a flintlock pistol or a longbore rifle. A pair of pistols in mid-1700s Virginia, for example, could cost £3 15s or so. One rifle sale to an Indian tribe a century earlier earned the seller 20 beaver pelts. Gunsmiths also made money by repairing damaged guns -- a more affordable choice for most gun owners than buying a new one.
Translating gun sales from the 1600s and 1700s into a modern equivalent is a challenge. Hard cash was scarce in colonial times, so colonists did a lot of business by barter. When they did pay cash it could just as easily be a French sous or Spanish coins as British pounds. The £3 pound pair of pistols would have cost around $340 in 21st century money; because the colonial era had no income tax, we have few records that would show gunsmiths' total annual income.
Historian Michael Bellesiles argues that guns were a luxury item in colonial America: They were expensive enough that few colonists could afford one, and gunsmiths could barely make a living. Legal scholars James Lindgren and Justin Lee Heather, on the other hand, make the counterargument that the evidence shows gun ownership was widespread: While not something a poor man could afford, middle and upper class colonists included many gun owners.
One historian estimates that perhaps 1 percent of the colonists were primarily professional gunsmiths, but smiths who specialized in other fields of metalwork may have had the skills to carry out gun-making or repair as well. Likewise, many expert gunsmiths probably accepted nongun jobs to make ends meet, making an income estimate even harder. One gunsmith, for example also worked as an inventory clerk, an executor and drafted legal documents on the side.
What Kind of Things Did Blacksmiths Make?→
What Are the Benefits of the Steel Plow?→
Definition of Tools of Trade→
What Types of Jobs Did Irish Immigrants Get?→
Who Invented the First Spray Bottle?→
How to Become a Gunsmith in Virginia→
Colonial Williamsburg; How Much Is That in Today's Money?; Ed Crews; Summer 2002
"Arms Makers of Colonial America"; James B. Whisker; May 1993
Northwestern University; "Counting Guns in Early America"; James T. Lindgren et al; 2001
"Shotgun News"; Counting Gunsmiths in Early Aermica; Clayton Cramer; May 2005
Over the course of his career, Fraser Sherman has reported on local governments, written about how to start a business and profiled professionals in a variety of career fields.. He lives in Durham NC with his awesome wife and two wonderful dogs. His website is frasersherman.com
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Home / Poker / PokerStars plead patience for hardware fault; UFC star shines in Panama
PokerStars plead patience for hardware fault; UFC star shines in Panama
By Lee Davy
Tags: PokerStars, PokerStars Championship, Tito Ortiz
PokerStars has asked their players to be patient after a hardware failure affected people for two hours on Tuesday night and UFC star Tito Ortiz shines at Day 1A of the PokerStars Championship Main Event in Panama.
I created a Mind Map, the headline read “How to earn $45,000 through poker in 12-months,” and in the left-hand corner of the Map was a bubble that read “Bucket List”, with a little arrow pointing towards ‘World Series of Poker Bracelet (WSOP)’.
But you can’t win a WSOP bracelet unless you play in a WSOP event and Ogmore Vale seemed a galaxy away from Las Vegas. But I was lucky. The World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) was about to begin at the Empire Casino in London’s Leicester Square. That would have to do.
Betfair were the sponsors, and I opened an account and entered a satellite to qualify for a £1,000 No-Limit Hold’em side event. I reached heads-up with a 5:1 chip lead and I started to think this Mind Map business was the key to my life ambitions.
Then.
Died.
When losing internet connectivity, it returns seconds later. In the worse case scenarios, you turn the router on and off and hey presto! But this time it was fucked. I was swearing, shouting, screaming, and then it came back on.
I was hoping my opponent was a gentleman. He wasn’t. By the time the match resumed, he had eaten me alive. I was down to less than 10bb. I swore, screamed, and shouted some more. And then I kept doubling up. I beat the dude. I went to London to chase my dream. I got to share a table with Chris Ferguson, John Juanda, Liv Boeree, and Davidi Kitai. And all I could think about was the bastard who nearly spoiled my dream by stealing my chips when I had to sit out.
And I bet that’s what was going through the minds of the players who lost connectivity with their PokerStars client on Tuesday night for two hours between 18:10 and 20:10 Eastern Daylight Time.
PokerStars Plead for Patience
PokerStars Head of All Things Innovative, Severin Rasset, wrote a blog titled How PokerStars Deals With Unexpected Hardware Failures to explain…well you get the point.
The reason players were cut loose for two hours was a hardware issue that required ‘replacement’, and during this time a lot of people playing tournaments had their noses put out of joint.
Rasset explains that during a period of crisis like this they have two options, (a) roll the tournament forward and split the prize money between the remaining players, or (b) roll it back, cancel it and return buy-ins. In this instance, they have decided to roll forward 90% of events and roll back the remaining 10%.
But they are asking players to be patient.
The break in play didn’t affect everyone. Just like that tosser who stole all of my chips and tried to take my dream, PokerStars now have to figure out who was owed what at the time of the outage as players continued to seek to win the tournament while everyone else did their very best impression of Roy Orbison.
“We need to look into hand histories on a case by case basis,” wrote Rasset.
So be patient with them.
PokerStars have said there is no need to bombard their support with emails. They have you covered. The last time this happened, it took Stars a week to sort the mess out so expect something similar this time around.
Ben Tollerene Wins PokerStars Championships Panama High Roller; Tito Ortiz Stars in Main Event
Online star, Ben “Bttech86” Tollerene, has won the $50,000 PokerStars Championship High Roller in Panama. Tollerene topped a field of 27 entrants in the star-studded event, beating fellow High Roller reg, Daniel Dvoress, in heads-up action to take the first prize of $538,715.
Six players made money.
1. Ben Tollerene – $538,715
2. Daniel Dvoress – $372,360
3. Justin Bonomo – $237,680
4. Steve O’Dwyers – $182,220
5. Orpen Kisacikoglu – $142,600
6. Timothy Adams – $110,920
We all know that online poker rooms like to wheel out their celebrities to promote their events and brands, but let’s be honest, most of them are about as much use at the poker table as seasickness pills in the hook of Captain Hook. But maybe PokerStars has unearthed someone different?
UFC legend Tito Ortiz has appeared at a few PokerStars events and surprised everyone by finishing second in chips at the end of Day 1A of the Main Event with only Igor Yaroshevskyy bagging up more. Jason Koon, Steve O’Dwyer, and the Global Poker Index (GPI) Player of the Year, David Peters, also finished well.
Ortiz has never cashed in a live tournament.
Are we going to see another run like the one Ronaldo had during the PCA a few years back?
What is it really like to quit your job and become a professional poker player?
Joao Vieira wins PokerStars blowout high roller for $123,068
Timothy Adams wins PokerStars blowout PKO high roller for $167,591
Chris quits, but is this the end of the Moneymaker Effect?
Flutter reels as Kentucky reinstates $870m judgment v. PokerStars
Neymar “excited” to return to PokerStars as ambassador
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Canada Creek Ranch offers a wide variety of amenities and activities for all ages that are available for our members and their guests to use and enjoy while staying at the Ranch. Events and activities are posted in our monthly newsletter, our monthly online calendar, our Facebook page, and our email communications for all members to review.
Canada Creek Ranch has multiple Shooting Ranges: An Archery Range, Trap Range, Skeet Range, Pistol Range, and Long Gun Range up to 300 yards. Our Shooting Committee Members do an outstanding job running all our Shooting Ranges. Their special care, training and enthusiasm are second to none.
Sign The CCR Waiver
Canada Creek Ranch is blessed with natural habitat offering a wide variety of wildlife viewing all across our property. Whether from land, water or in the air; our ranch is home to numerous wildlife species for all to see. Experiencing the natural world that exists all around the property can make you feel “in touch” with nature, and offer a memorable and rewarding experience through observation. Wildlife viewing is a fun learning experience for people of all ages and offers the opportunity for some exceptional pictures to preserve the experience. The wildlife list is seemingly endless.
One of our Members favorite gathering places is the Beach at Canada Creek Ranch. Residing on the sandy shores of the picturesque Lake Geneva, the beach is a favorite place to be and with all its amenities, it’s easy to see why it ranks as one of the favorite locations on the Ranch.
Our members always enjoy our hunting area once it is closed down to wheeled traffic. We groom a majority of our hunting area trails that allow for a great, liesurly ride. We also work hand-in-hand with the State of Michian by grooming most of the Atlanta area snowmobile trails. We start at the Montmorency / Presque Isle county line south to almost Lewiston. We do all the trails east of M33 towards Hillman.
View Trail Reports
Our club encompasses over 13,500 of acres, most of it avaialble for you to explore. Below is a list of trails available for everything but motorized vehicles. They can be utilized for Hiking, Biking, Snowshoeing, Cross-Country Skiing and more.
High Country Pathway Map Download
Aspen Trail Map Download
Cedar Swamp Trail Map Download
Jack Pine Trail Map Download
Northern Hardwoods Trail Map Download
Northern Pin Oak Trail Map Download
Northern Red Oak Trail Map Download
The Sandhill
The Sand Hill, located just past Wilson Bridge, is a tall steep “sand” hill that has been a favored place by Members for generations. Members of all ages (yes, kids through adults) have experienced the thrill of climbing up and racing down the Sand Hill. The views on top of the hill are simply awesome, and the experience and thrill of running down through the sand is a cherished memory of many Members. In winter, it’s a favored spot for downhill sledding! Plenty of memorable photos have been taken here, and we’re sure many more will follow.
Tibbits Landing
Named after one of our early Ranch Managers, Vern Tibbits, Tibbits Landing is located across from the Beach on Lake Geneva. Members can launch non-motorized boats, canoes and kayaks from here onto Lake Geneva with ease. Row boat rentals are kept here at Tibbits Landing and are free for all Members to use. Members can also use Tibbits for their personal boat storage --including canoe racks – that are available free to our Members as well. The views are spectacular, the experience is both calming and refreshing, and the gentle sounds of resident loons are a favorite on Lake Geneva.
Gathering Places
The Ranch offers many places for friends and family to gather. We offer a great Tribute Fire Circle in the Ranch House front lawn, multiple pavilions, and more.
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35% of CBD Study Participants Abstained from Cigarette Smoking
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Cannabidiol, more commonly called CBD is a compound derived from the cannabis Sativa plant. Cannabis has been around for centuries. CBD is different, it has many healing properties and does not act like its stepbrother, THC. In other words, CBD doesn’t get you high.
The health benefits of CBD are numerous. It has been approved by the FDA for some forms of epilepsy. Other benefits include curbing addiction, relieving depression, and reducing anxiety. Studies confirm that the reduction in anxiety is a major factor why people take up cigarette smoking which is why CBD is being promoted as an aide to stop smoking.
Here’s why. Nicotine is reported to reduce anxiety. But with nicotine, the effect only lasts while the cigarette is being inhaled. Unlike CBD, nicotine causes a dependency. The smoker only enjoys the calming benefit while smoking. When not smoking withdrawal sets in and the reduction of anxiety disappears. CBD’s benefits have been reported to last 2 to 3 days. There is no dependency and therefore there is not an addiction. In fact, thwarting the nicotine habit is believed to be one of the potential benefits of CBD.
The potential of using CBD to kick the butt has been of interest to smokers for quite some time. Recently we conducted a study to determine the effectiveness of CBD when it came to smoking cessation. There were 199 participants in the study who were recruited via social media. The participants ranged in age from 25 to 55 years old. Both women and men took part in the study.
Out of these 199 smokers who took part in this study, 35% were able to abstain from smoking. Upon reviewing the results, it was noted that the percentages of those who succeeded varied among the age groups and genders.
Since this was a 1-month study, we were able to analyze the long-term effect of CBD on smoking cessation. We found a significant difference between the studied age groups.
The difference in usage between the age groups was more prevalent among the younger demographic. But the oldest demographic we surveyed also had a significant decrease in smoking after a month. In fact, they were closed on par with the youngest demo. The middle demo, 36 to 45-year olds fared the worst.
There was also a variance among men and women. There were 73 women who took part in the CBD study. The 126 men who took part were shown to be more successful when it came to quitting tobacco usage. In fact, in some age brackets, there was a 2 to 1 success rate on the part of the men. For instance, women 25 to 35 had a 25% success rate while men 25 to 35 had a 52% success rate.
The statistical reason why there were more men in the CBD study than women is based on the percentages of average tobacco usage among the genders. One billion people, or 20% of the world’s population 18 and over smoke. Most of these smokers are men. There are 800 million men smoking in the world. In the U.S. 13.7% of adults 18 and older smoke. And in the UK, where this study took place, 15% of the adult population smoke.
The percentage of men smoking in the UK is 18% while women only make up 12% of smokers. This would account for the discrepancy in the number of women vs men who volunteered to take part in the CBD study.
Should CBD Be Studied for Smoking Cessation
We previously discussed the calming benefits of CBD compared to nicotine. But the main reason to pursue studies using CBD to abstain from smoking is the lack of addiction. CBD is known to relax an individual and reduce anxiety. Reducing anxiety and relaxing is the main motivation for why people use tobacco products. Giving a smoker the option to inhale CBD when the “urge” hits may be a viable alternative to smoking a dangerous item like a cigarette. Tobacco kills 7 million people a year in the world. That figure is expected to jump to 8 million by 2030 according to the U.S Center for Disease Control.
CBD should be studied to give smokers a viable alternative to the addictive nature and the harmful carbon monoxide that cigarettes produce. Preliminary results from our CBD smoking study show that positive results are not only possible but likely.
35% of CBD Study Participants Abstained from Smoking
The study took place for one month. Participants were permitted to inhale the CBD. After a month of using CBD 35% of participants between the ages of 25 and 55 abstained from smoking. This far outperforms traditional cigarette cessation methods. According to the US Center for Disease Control, less than 10% of smokers were able to quit using traditional methods last year. Considering that 70% of smokers expressed the desire to quit, this number is dismal. Inhaling CBD helped those who wanted to abstain from smoking. CBD greatly increased the chance of success. Although considered controversial from some naysayers, CBD has already shown itself to be a viable option to use when kicking the butt.
An Impressive 40% of 25 to 35-Year-Olds Abstained from Smoking While On CBD
There was a discrepancy in ages when it came to kicking the habit. The study was divided into three age brackets; adults 25 to 35, 36 to 45, and 46 to 55 years old. The youngest demographic of 25 to 35 had the most success when it came to quitting cigarettes. In this same age bracket, 40% of the people using CBD were able to abstain after one month. This was much higher than with traditional methods.
When looking at these results, one would think that the middle age group, 36 to 45, would be the next in line to succeed when it came to quitting. But this was not the case. This age group came in last. The surprise factor hit us when we looked at the older demographic. It’s interesting to note that the 46 to 55-year-old age bracket was almost even with the youngest group. This oldest age bracket had a 38% abstinence rate. The younger and older demographics were more likely to abstain from smoking when taking CBD. This contrasts remarkably with the middle group of 36 to 45-year-olds. Abstinence with this age bracket was only 24%. That is a stunning 2 to 1 difference in tobacco usage compared to the two other age groups.
The total number of people participating in the groups was a little more skewed toward the 25 to 35-year olds. There were 77 in this group. The 35 to 45-year olds had 57 and the 46 to 55-year olds had 65. Overall, the breakout of the number of adults participating in the CBD study was pretty consistent.
CBD Responsible for 41% of Men Abstaining from Smoking in the Study
There was a major difference between men and women in long term tobacco usage over the course of the month. In the overall demographic of 25 to 55 adults, 41% of the men were able to abstain by using CBD as a replacement for smoking. The percentage of women was slightly lower. Using CBD, 30% of women were able to refrain from smoking during that same month.
The most remarkable difference between the genders was in the 25 to 35 age group. While taking CBD, 25% of women in this age bracket didn’t smoke after a month. This is above the US national average in quitting. But the amazing result was with the 25 to 35-year-old men. In this age group, 52% of participants did not smoke after taking CBD for one month. Clearly, CBD was a major factor in smoking abstinence. The success rate of using CBD was 5 times greater than the traditional methods for these men.
In the 36 to 45 age group, the men dipped down slightly in comparison to women. In this group, 26% of men were able to abstain from smoking versus 31% of the women who abstained. These numbers were reversed considerably for the older demographic. In the 46 to 55 age bracket, 42% of men were able to abstain from smoking and 34% of women were able to abstain after one month. Inhaling CBD instead of smoking cigarettes clearly had an impact on both men and women.
Long Term Use of CBD Shows Stronger Results
As part of this CBD study, we measured weekly results with all genders and age groups. We tracked what percentage of smokers picked up a cigarette weekly during the study. The first two weeks had numbers that fluctuated greatly in all age and gender groups.
For instance, in women 25 to 35, the first week showed 45% of participants smoking again. But the second week only showed 16% smoking again. Finally, the third week had only 12% of volunteers picking up a cigarette. This may be due to the need to have CBD used long term. The longer the women inhaled CBD, the more it worked in their smoking abstinence. The results were similar for the 26 to 45-year-old group. The first week 42% resumed smoking and the second week only 10% smoked again. Finally, the third week found that 15% of the volunteers picked up a cigarette. The older female age group compared similarly to the first two. The 46 to 55 demographic had 39% smoking again in the first week with 13% smoking in the second week. This age group reached a plateau the third week and once again only 13% of this faction smoked. It appears that the longer CBD is used by women, the more beneficial and long-lasting the treatment.
The male results were quite interesting. Although positive, they fluctuated based on the age bracket. Over a three week period, the results for men 25 to 35 were flat when it came to picking up a cigarette. The first week men resumed smoking at a rate of 17%. The second week it went down to 13% and rebounded to 17% in the third week. The interesting part was the consistency of the numbers over the study weeks.
Moving onto the next age group, it was not a surprise to see the erratic numbers of the 36 to a 45-year-old age group based on prior data. In the first week, men in this age bracket started smoking at a 47% rate. However, the drop was substantial for the second week. Only 5% of men used tobacco again in the second week. This was a major drop from the previous week. And finally, 21% of men started smoking again after the third week. Based on the overall findings of this age bracket, more studies will need to be done on this demographic to determine the nature of these disparities.
With the older male group, 46 to 55, there was an erratic up and down cycle. The first week 26% picked up a cigarette, while the second week only 7% resumed smoking. Interestingly, it jumped again the third week with 23% of men starting to smoke again.
Clearly, the large overall number of men who kicked the cigarette habit was due to the younger male age bracket’s participation. They apparently embraced the usage of CBD.
Men 132% More likely to Abstain from Smoking with CBD Than Women
The study showed that men were more likely than women to abstain from smoking when taking CBD. After four weeks, 41% of the men had abstained from smoking. And although the percentage for women was double-digit, it was still less than men. By the fourth week, 30% of women had put down cigarettes. That’s a 132% difference.
In the 25 to 35 age group, 52% of men had abstained whereas in the same group 25% of women had abstained. That’s a significant difference. But it must be noted that in the erratic 36 to 45 age bracket, 26% of men abstained as opposed to 31% of women abstaining. And finally, after 4 weeks in the 46 to 55 age faction, the men were back on top with 42% abstaining. 34% of women in that age group kicking the habit.
CBD A Viable Alternative to Smoking
Compared to traditional methods of smoking cessation, in this study CBD shows itself to be the more effective vehicle to abstain from smoking. CBD significantly reduced smoking in all three age groups that were studied. Both women and men benefitted by using CBD. These results combined with the popularity of CBD establishes it as a viable alternative to smoking. More CBD studies are necessary to determine not only its effectiveness but its long term effect on smokers.
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Copyright © 2019 Cannabis Herald
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Ideas fade. Experiences sustain.
We are a strategy-driven, hospitality-oriented concept and design firm.
We empower businesses and individuals to create unforgettable customer experiences through the conceptualization, design, and optimization of bespoke hospitality experiences.
From ground-up retail hospitality design to revamping brands over a century old, the Syndicate team has successfully managed over 300 diverse projects across a broad range of sectors, geographies, and industries.
Our work has brought us in touch with individuals and businesses from 17 different countries across four continents, informing our perspective and contributing to our open and integrated approach.
Our agency is founded on ten years of inspired work across a diverse range of projects, industries and clients. We’ve spent a decade learning, growing, and evolving to deliver cutting edge experiences. And we’re just getting started.
Syndicate sets itself apart through its unique approach to concept design and creative problem-solving. Encompassing a broad range of disciplines, Syndicate weaves together innovative concepts, thoughtful design, and proven systems to create provocative and standout projects.
Experience Focused
Life happens in moments. If you’re not actively managing your customer experience, brand, or business model you are putting the long-term success of your company at risk. People’s lives, stories, and memories are shaped by strong, distinctive multi-sensory experiences.
We care deeply about these experiences and their potential to unlock new opportunities for growth and engagement. Syndicate prides itself on its ability to craft immersive experiences for customers that are unique, inviting and memorable. With every new project, we seek to create a sustained emotional connection that will translate into long-term relationships and enable our clients to realize their vision while retaining the flexibility necessary to grow and adjust as necessary.
Boundary Pushing
We pride ourselves on going above and beyond expectations by challenging ourselves to continue learning and establishing new watermarks for excellence. Ground-breaking ventures don’t simply stand out, they reverberate with a distinct identity that attracts people like a moth to a brilliant flame. At Syndicate walks the fine line between classic, consistent planning, and development, paired with new-fangled, modern technology and design.
With a deep understanding of design and building trends, we work with our clients to launch leading-edge projects that capture customer imagination and set new precedents in their sectors. While some are content to follow the status quo, we love breaking barriers and existing paradigms with energy and excitement.
Masterfully Planned
From the particular shade of color in a logo to the choice of flatware in a dining room, every design decision receives our full attention. The projects we develop are organized, planned, and crafted to function well and achieve a specific purpose while retaining the flexibility required in a dynamic and changing world. Details matter, plain and simple.
We work with clients to deliver final concepts that are truly realized. No matter what stage or state we begin with, we chart a clear path forward through to completion. A polished end product is the only option.
Designed with Soul
An idea is more than just a notion or concept. It has life. It has purpose. It has meaning. We breathe energy and direction into emerging concepts and imbue each project we develop with intention, spirit, and most of all: love.
No matter the project size, we maintain a personal commitment to ensuring we leave nothing on the table when it comes to our work. We create, design, and optimize with heart and soul.
Growth is never by chance. It is the result of a continuous, concentrated effort to move forward with singular purpose and direction.
Syndicate launches as a solo operation: a media and website agency focused on supporting entrepreneurs and small businesses.
First employees are brought on board to support a growing client roster and expand services to branding and graphic design.
The agency grows to include a comprehensive selection of digital marketing services including application development and advanced analytics.
Syndicate launches its first consumer-facing experience is launched in Calgary, a black box cooking competition, featuring six leading restaurants.
Construction begins on Syndicate’s first, firm-owned retail hospitality project: a European-inspired craft cocktail bar named Shelter.
Shelter launches, marking Syndicate’s first end-to-end project, from branding to management.
Syndicate’s second in-house concept, Orchard, a Modern Mediterranean restaurant concept is launched during the peak of the pandemic.
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The Blog of Cafe Dissensus Magazine – we DISSENT
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Why we should not support ‘this’ Gaza
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By Mahmood Kooria
On the night of Eid al-Fitr, while having dinner at McDonalds in Kuala Lumpur, a friend murmured that we shouldn’t have eaten here. I asked him, why? He replied that it belongs to Jews. And since Jews are the root cause of all problems in Palestine, McDi is also part of the problem. I said: ‘Let me ask you then one thing: how do you react, if I say, as most of the mainstream media do, that all Muslims are terrorists and they are troublemakers everywhere.’ His answer was that he would feel offended as that was not true. I asked: ‘Then how do you make such a statement about the Jews, which is also not true?! All the Jews are not problematic. Only some Jews are problems as much as some Muslims are. But that cannot be judged on the basis of religion.’
It is true that in Gaza, many war-crimes and inhumane massacres are happening. Innocent children and women are being murdered on an everyday basis. Most powerful political authorities are either silent about these or are wrongly supporting Israel’s rights for ‘defending’ itself. But, here I am concerned with a couple of other issues:
Since my childhood, I have been hearing about the Palestine-Israel problem and constant reports about the peace-talks and negotiations. Whenever an attack on Palestine took place, the rhetoric and procedures were repeated again and again. Nothing changed much: children and women were killed, Israel got stronger, the major western capitalist powers supported them, and other powerful authorities kept silent. After childhood and teenage years, now at my youth, I find the scene and story to be the same. No one is listening to anybody. Everyone is talking, no matter what others say. Even the silences have been turned into deepest political stands. As a bystander/outsider, I am not interested in these repetitions. Something good should happen. Why doesn’t this issue have a happy ending even after six decades of tragic experiences with many lives being sacrificed?
While everyone is talking, I hear the voices of those who speak in support of Palestine and against Israel or vice versa. These are the voices I have been hearing from most of my friends on social networking sites and from South and Southeast Asian spaces that I inhabit these months. While I scrutinize such voices, I cannot help but notice the deep tone of hatred and anti-Semitism filled in such comments.
Quoting many Nazi extremist statements against the Jews such as (the one ascribed to Hitler), ‘I would have annihilated all the Jews of the world, but I kept some to show the world why I killed them,’ have been spreading around widely. Hitler and holocaust have been indirectly venerated by such so-called supporters of Palestine from the Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia; in the latter region, this expression is more explicit.
On the other hand, those who have been genuinely raising the human-rights violations and possible war-crimes in Gaza were countered by the supporters of Israel with the news of ISIS-dramas from Iraq, such as ISIS asking (though such news are baseless) the women to undergo female genital mutilation, burning down cathedrals and raiding the bank. Sharing and reposting such news were mostly followed by a comment: ‘If you are doing these, of course, Gaza will happen.’
Wait a minute! This is what I don’t understand. The long Jewish sufferings throughout the world history until the end of World War II are beyond any doubt. But how could someone justify the oppressors and psychopathic murderers like Hitler in order to question the activities and decisions of a contemporary Israeli state? And, how would the innocent children and women in Gaza be responsible for the terrorist activities of some cowards in a distant land? Only because of their religious affiliation?
Many have written how dehumanized and divided the mentalities of both Jews and Arabs are in and around the region called Israel/Palestine. I would say that it is not only the people inside those geographical boundaries that are being dehumanized with the Israel-Palestine conflict. Rather, the people in the outside world, who are wrongly influenced by their educational systems or biased media, are getting more and more dehumanized, too. In their responses to such controversial issues, you can see that inhumanity deepening its roots faster. The hatred and disdain towards the ‘other’ are growing day by day. For those who support Israel, Palestinians, and the Arabs are just enemies; those who support Palestine, Israel and all Jews are nothing but devilish enemies.
These days, I am trying to understand the way world-history and politics are being taught at the Asian primary schools. The history of religion and politics seems to be rather limited into certain themes and periods and are far biased when it comes to writing about particularly controversial events: be it the way Israel is characterized in the Arab primary curricula and vice versa, or Pakistan in Indian syllabus and the opposite, etc. Not only the textbooks or curricula are biased, the way primary educational system functions also generate a biased sentiment of constructing an enemy or the ‘other’ in the young minds. Eventually, these kids grow up with far-reaching judgments and sentiments fuelled by the sensational reports of mainstream media. Their identity-consciousness is circumscribed by the utmost feeling of encountering the enemy.
The extremely offensive responses we see these days in the social networking spaces and comments-sections of online newspapers/magazines explicate the outcomes of a syllabus, based on biases that have been existent for decades. The youth, who frequent such virtual spaces, burst out with their sentimental responses against ‘the enemy’. Those with only a primary knowledge of the controversial issues and with little or no developed awareness about the ‘other’, apart from the scanty ones at school and, later, from mass-media, quickly react to the problems armed with their biases. At times, even the academics fail to get out of such immediate emotional responses on the political issues that fall outside their expertise. The young school kids in them mark his/her presence through a sophisticated complication of things with a far prejudiced argument. They all are doing nothing but fuelling this culture of hatred at large.
How can we live with this culture of enmity in a longer time? Why should we waste our energy invoking futile hatred towards others? For me, Prophet Muhammad offers a telling statement in this matter. The Prophet had once said: ‘Help your brother even if he is the oppressor or oppressed’. His companions asked: ‘O, the Messenger of God, I can help him if he is the oppressed. But, tell me, how would I help him if he is the oppressor? ‘ The Prophet replied: ‘You prevent and block him from the oppression, that’s how you would help him.’
In the current volatile situation, should we stand only with Palestine and not with Israel as well? If you are spreading a wrong message and creating an enemy for yourself, you are merely stimulating a division between the followers of two Abrahamic religions. As much as we oppose the killings of innocent civilians in Gaza, we should also stand against the conscious or unconscious spreading of hatred towards any other community.
Photo-credit: Here
Mahmood Kooria is a doctoral candidate at the Institute of History, Leiden University, the Netherlands. His research focuses on the historical developments of ulama-networks in the inter-regional maritime cultural interactions through the Indian Ocean world. Currently, he is conducting archival research in Indonesia and Malaysia. Email: mahmoodpana@gmail.com.
Cafe Dissensus Everyday is the blog of Cafe Dissensus magazine, based in New York City, USA. All materials on the site are protected under Creative Commons License.
Read the latest issue of Cafe Dissensus Magazine, “Here and There: The Diaspora Universe”. Edited by Bhaswati Ghosh, author & translator, Canada. Read and discover a group of extremely talented writers sharing their experiences of living in-between multiple worlds.
Categories: Israel, Palestine, Politics, Violence
Tagged: Israel, Palestine, Politics, Violence
Book Review: ‘Between the Map and the Memory’
Enough: The cyclical nature of conflict between Israelis & Palestinians
13 Responses to “Why we should not support ‘this’ Gaza”
Abdurahman KC August 1, 2014
It’s easy to say theory.
John August 1, 2014
One doesn’t really know where to start to respond to this piece…He obviously thinks that he is taking a morally balanced a consistent position, but in so doing, he distorts history, ethics, logic, and even the message of the Prophet Muhammad to whom he refers.
kp SHAREEF August 1, 2014
Maxwell August 1, 2014
Speaking of that sin of generalization: “Hitler and holocaust have been indirectly venerated by such so-called supporters of Palestine from the Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia; in the latter region, this expression is more explicit.” Glad the author reacts to contemporary anti-semitism around him, but to project it onto billions of people, associate it with Islam, in what appears as an introspective account reiterates the racism it seeks to address. In this particular moment of failure of the international order as we know it and genocidal Zionism this particular author seems at best naive and at worst complicit.
alawi abusalman August 1, 2014
the article seems to be…full baseless conclusions.
I strongly advise the writer to go through the book “Zionism” by dr. Raja Garodi to see who are the true ambassadors of hatred and enmity.
വിരോധാഭാസങ്ങളോട് വിരോധാഭാസം August 1, 2014
ട്രാഫിക് കൂട്ടാന് ഇത്രത്തോളം തറ ആകരുത്
Kunhi Kasargod August 1, 2014
I don’t want to say that Kooria is wrong here, indeed he has many valid points even though it is not new. But I just want to say that he has a lot of misunderstandings too. Let me try to point out some of them here.
1. He believes that all the Muslims who support Gaza hate Jews and Jewish state-Israel, and they promote a culture of hatred.
2. He believes that all the Muslims who support Gaza, where the Hamas-extremists work, essentially support all the extremist political mobilizations in the name of Islam.
3. He believe that those who criticize Israel just forgets what Europe, not just Hitler or Germany, had been doing to Jews till the end of the Second World War and formation of the State of Israel.
4. He believes that boycotting particular corporate product in the name of Gaza is also becomes part of the culture of hatred and this too targets a community.
5. He believes that generally all Muslims thinks in the same way.
1. It is wrong to generalize that all those who support Gaza hate Jews and Israel. Certainly there are people who hate Jews and Israel because of Gaza. There are people who say that what Hitler have done to Jews was not wrong, and they deserve it. There are people who pray for the absolute destruction of Israel and Jews. But essentially they all minority. You can’t generalize these minority voices as the voice or thought of the Muslims. What I see in Gaza is not a religious issue, but a political one. Therefore, for me and (I believe) for many, the question of hatred in the name of religion is meaningless here. I’m not concerned about my identity while I support Gaza. What I’m supporting is a people’s ‘wish’ for resistance against brutal human right violation. What I’m supporting is a people’s cry for letting them live in peace in their own land. What I’m supporting is Human and Political right of a society. While I support Gaza, I don’t believe that Israel is my enemy, and I don’t hate Jews. I believe that what state of Israel is doing against the people of Gaza is wrong in any sense and I should criticize that without considering the so called binary problem as it is a brutal human right violation from one side.
2. The support to Gaza does not mean support to Hamas. Gaza is not just Hamas, as Afghanistan is not just Taliban. Support to Gaza means support to the people of Gaza, to their resistance and to their right to live peacefully. Therefore, you don’t have to worry that supporting people’s resistance in Gaza will turn as a support to all the extremist political mobilizations in the name of Islam.
3. As I already mentioned, those who believe that what Hitler and Europe have done to Jews was right is a minority. It is totally wrong to believe that all those who support Gaza share the same perception. For me and many who support Gaza has clear understanding of how Jewish diaspora have begun and what Europe has done to Jewish people for centuries.
4. I don’t think that all those who want to boycott American and Israeli products are targeting particular community and they promoting a culture of hatred. The target here is state, not any community.
5. You have begun your article by criticizing a kind of generalization. But essentially your article is a sum of many generalizations. It is undoubtedly generalized the view of those who support Gaza and the so called view of Muslim.
Dear Mahmood, the culture of hatred is definitely a problematic thing and we can never support that. But here the question is different. Think about it once more…
Dear Mahmood, the culture of hatred is definitely a problematic thing and we can never support that. But here question is different. Think about it once more…
Muhammed Madappalli August 2, 2014
1) articulation is spicy and tasty to academics only and not timely appropriate… but everybody (both respondents and writer) should realize that it is not the time for ‘advising’ OR ‘helping’ any country whose 80% support “periodical genocide” which has been clearly pre-planned agenda of Zionism
2) If 80% of people do not support it, such brutalities wont happen (and the supporting US whose foreign policy is totally made for supporting Zionist country (as the 100 s of veto has been used by them in favor of Zionist terror & Israel retreated once in the history from attack when US just not supported them)..
3) Now what is needed is very outrightly to tell we hate Jews and Jewish country which is behind curtain in all clashes of the world (because, Mosad need it as the weaponry is their primary income source). Because, they don’t hear ‘anybody’, they do not value ‘human life’ (only because that they are Muslims).
Muneer K August 2, 2014
I can’t understand how the author reaches in this baseless generalization. It’s very clear that all who support Gaza do not think jews are their enemies. In spite they realise a majority of jewish community is not backing israel state in this brutal genocide, but they support the people of palestine in their fight for the right of living. I think no one except some fanatics has a doubt in it. It’s why we can see many jews from inside and outside israel make protests against this state sponsored terrorism and the supporters of Gaza from all over the world appreciate this stand of jewish people and share its pictures and videos in social networks.
Another fraud this article omits is that the movement of boycotting multi-national companies who support israel is an anti jewish or anti semitic one. Do this author lacks the basic knowledge that mcdonalds is not a jewish or israeli company, but an american one. Then why it is boycotted? It’s not for other than its limitless financial support for israel state.
This article is an outcome of a prejudice by the so-called intelligentia that all muslims or religious people are fanatical or sensitively motivated. I can’t understand how the author reaches in this baseless generalization. It’s very clear that all who support Gaza do not think jews are their enemies. But they realise that a majority of jewish community is not backing israel state in this brutal genocide, but they support the people of palestine in their fight for the right of living. I don’t think anyone has a doubt in it. It’s why we can see many jews from inside and outside israel make protests against this state sponsored terrorism and the supporters of Gaza from all over the world appreciate this stand of jewish people and share its pictures and videos in social networks.
If all these frauds are agreed, i don’t know why the auther opposes (as the very title of the article indicates) supporting gaza in name of humanity.
Joyce Yarrow August 24, 2014
After reading the article closely, I see not one generalization about how all Muslims are anti-Semitic or hate Jews. However, the comments below the article seem to accuse the writer of being biased in this way.
As I see it, the writer does talk about hate-filled comments he has seen on social media and how some schools are educating children to hate Jews. This is not a generalization – it is a reality that no one here has addressed. He also mentions how the mainstream press often demonizes Muslims. His point, as I take it, is that spreading hatred – whether this is done by those who support either side of this ongoing conflict – accomplishes nothing.
The writer also mentions how those who oppose Israel’s terrible oppression of Palestine and are in support of a Palestinian state are often wrongly accused of being anti-Semitic. This is accurate too, yet no one has given him credit for his balanced point of view.
I applaud this writer for holding up a mirror. What we see there is up to us.
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NEC Display: Latitude Chicago
NEC’s color-critical displays bring needed accuracy to nonprofit digital arts lab in Chicago
Facility: Latitude
Vertical: Photography
Challenges: Replace aging color-accurate equipment for print matching
Solution: NEC MultiSync PA271W 27" desktop displays with SpectraViewII color calibration
Result: Serving the arts and photography community with a high-end production space
When the '90s-era monitors at a digital arts lab in Chicago began to fail, the staff knew they had to find a replacement that met standards for color correction and soft proofing while also being affordable for the nonprofit facility.
Latitude is a volunteer-run, 501(c)3 organization located in Chicago’s West Town neighborhood and supported by a number of arts grants and public support. Its mission is to provide access to high-end digital media equipment, a professional production space, and a curriculum dedicated to real-world workflows and contemporary art theory.
To meet Latitude’s goals, its small staff runs an artist-in-residence program and organizes ongoing arts programming for the community. Serving as an educational and arts production facility for hundreds of artists each year, its digital lab houses high-end scanning and printing equipment, and is open to the public for both DIY and full-service production. The digital lab space includes a print production room, a scanning room and a viewing area that allows both daylight and gallery lighting conditions.
For several years, Latitude depended on decades-old CRT monitors to soft proof and color correct digital images for printing output.
"The CRTs were great at the beginning, but eventually they logged enough hours that they were beyond even the help of our X-Rite calibrator," said Executive Director, James Pepper Kelly. "Our old monitors were failing, and we really needed new ones to maintain our commitment to high-quality editing."
Latitude required displays that covered as much of the Adobe RGB color gamut as possible but were also reasonably priced for this small, donation-dependent lab.
Staff and users print very large files, so large, ultra-high resolution monitors that were also very accurate were a must to ensure digital images accurately translated into printed proofs, saving time, money and paper on corrections.
In addition, displays needed to be capable of reaching a 250:1 contrast ratio while maintaining 90 cd/m2, allowing true hardware calibration to achieve the best possible color and contrast accuracy.
"The tech specs and the affordability were the most important factors," said Kelly. "This was a big deal for us. It was the first time we had purchased completely new equipment."
The Latitude staff began to research options, compare specs and talk to colleagues in the field, and received positive feedback about NEC Display Solutions. When Kelly learned about NEC PA271W monitors, it seemed the lab had found a fit.
The 27-inch, 2560-by-1440-pixel monitors can display 1.07 billion colors out of a palette of 4.3 trillion when using the 10-bit DisplayPort input, and cover more than 97 percent of Adobe RGB. The PA271W has a a 1000:1 contrast ratio and up to 360 cd/m2 of brightness – more than meeting Latitude’s minimum requirements. Latitude also chose the NEC SpectraViewII color calibration software to ensure that their calibrations were accurate, and it also worked well with their existing X-Rite color sensor
"The ability to have the profiles embedded into the display was great for our older systems, which didn’t allow SpectraViewII to be used," said Lab Coordinator, Xander Fischer. "We really need to make sure that our delta E, black level and white level are all in place when we run calibrations and SpectraViewII software works much better and gives more detailed readouts than [another profiler]."
Kelly discussed his find with Latitude’s then lab coordinator, Tom Dryjanski, and Latitude founder Walker Blackwell. Everyone was in agreement, so the team moved forward with an order.
A 27-inch PA271W NEC display was installed at all four work stations in the lab. The NEC displays joined digital lab equipment that included flatbed, Imacon and classic drum scanners; printers ranging from 17 to 60 inches in width; a specialty black and white Piezography printer; and several large-scale print trimmers.
The NEC displays have integrated well with the rest of the equipment and a fifth monitor, a newer NECPA272W display was added in February 2016, bringing the digital lab to five work stations and allowing it to continue to meet its goal of serving the arts and photography community with a high-end production space.
"It was like Christmas [when they were installed]," said Fischer. "[The NEC monitors] are the best tools for helping our users accurately match what’s on the screen to what comes out of the printer."
To learn more about Latitude Chicago visit: www.latitudechicago.org
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chaoticsstrategies.com
Quick Answer: Can You Sleep In A Storage Unit?
Are you allowed to sleep in your storage unit?
What should not be stored in a storage unit?
Does Public Storage have 24 hour access?
How late can you access Public Storage?
What can store energy?
Do storage units have electrical outlets in them?
How much stuff fits in a 5×5 storage unit?
How do I keep bugs out of my storage unit?
Why is it illegal to live in a storage unit?
Can police search storage unit?
Is it legal to run a business from a storage unit?
Can I store paint in a storage unit?
How big is a 5×10 storage unit?
Can you build a gym in a storage unit?
Can a car be stored in a storage unit?
No matter how bleak their living situation or how nice the tenant is, as a manager, you cannot permit or allow tenants to live or spend the night in their storage unit.
It’s illegal, dangerous, and could lead to life-threatening situations for other tenants..
We’ll explain more about storage unit rules and regulations below, but here are some things you can’t stow away in a storage unit:Flammable or combustible items.Hazardous materials.Items that will attract pests.Items that are susceptible to mold or mildew.Anything living (e.g., plants, animals, people)
Accessing Your Things Once you’re moved in, you can access your stuff anytime during gate access hours, which vary by location. Make sure to allow yourself enough time to finish during gate hours so you’re able to exit.
You can access your unit from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. at most locations.
Some forms of storage that produce electricity include pumped-storage hydroelectric dams, rechargeable batteries, thermal storage including molten salts which can efficiently store and release very large quantities of heat energy, and compressed air energy storage, flywheels, cryogenic systems and superconducting …
Although electrical outlets are not common for most storage units, some facilities offer them as an amenity for select units. Storage units with electrical outlets will have “Electricity” listed under the “Features / Amenities” section of their SpareFoot listing.
A 5×5 storage unit is the size of a small closet. It fits a dresser, a small mattress set, and several small to medium-sized boxes. This space is also perfect for garden tools, seasonal décor and sports equipment.
You can spray the unit down with bug spray to create a barrier. If you want to go the non-toxic way, a few drops of peppermint oil on cotton balls can serve as a pest deterrent. Plug any holes or crevices with cotton — remember only a few drops of peppermint oil is needed!
Living in a storage unit is prohibited by various local and federal housing laws. Storage facilities must evict any person they find living on the premises to stay in compliance with the law and most insurance policies. There are good reasons why this restriction is in place.
You have to make certain the search warrant allows the officer to do what he says he wants to do. That is, if the search warrant says the officer has the right to search unit 48A, all you can do is give him access to unit 48A, even if the tenant has other units in his name.
But remember, unless you rent an office, retail or commercial space specifically, you’re not allowed to work or conduct business inside a storage unit. Units that are not permitted for occupancy and business activity are usually limited to storage and order fulfillment only.
Some painting and craft supplies can’t be safely stored in a storage unit, even if the unit is climate-controlled. Some chemicals used in painting, such as turpentine and paint thinner, are highly flammable and should not be stored in an enclosed space.
50 square feetA 5×10 self storage unit is a 5 feet wide and 10 feet long small storage solution, totaling 50 square feet. For comparison, a 5×10 space is a small storage unit that’s about the size of an average walk-in closet.
Storage units get built to house inanimate objects, not living things, and they’re not designed as mini-apartments or offices. Likewise, setting up a gym in a storage unit could run afoul of federal and state laws, local zoning regulations, and the policies of the storage facility.
Can you store a car in a storage unit? Yes, you can! Drive-up storage units provide an indoor, garage-like storage space for cars. With varying unit sizes available at Extra Space Storage locations, anything from a compact car to a large pickup truck or commercial cargo van can be stored in these units.
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Salem State University Twitter Hacked, Wildly Racist Posts Published & Deleted
Brian Dunlop | May 20, 2017 5:02 pm | Sep 30, 2020 5:24 pm
https://www.instagram.com/p/BT4OO2_gCXX/?taken-by=salemstate
https://www.instagram.com/p/BTrQMQ5gdy0/?taken-by=salemstate
https://www.instagram.com/p/BTUMjTvAllY/?taken-by=salemstate
https://www.instagram.com/p/BTuVICGgsjx/?taken-by=salemstate
https://www.instagram.com/p/BTnK0ZFAbAq/?taken-by=salemstate
https://www.instagram.com/p/BTb3XLdAJK1/?taken-by=salemstate
Someone apparently hacked Salem State University’s Twitter page and littered the account with numerous controversial and racist comments. This Massachusetts college is currently investigating the matter, and they have already apologized for the incident, despite saying that these posts were written by an unknown hacker.
Campus police said that this university’s Twitter account was hacked on Friday. These Tweets conveyed disparaging remarks against immigrants, the Black Lives Matter movement, and racist language directed at former President Barrack Obama. However, the account did speak positively about current US President Donald J. Trump.
Every last controversial Tweet was deleted early Saturday morning. But a screenshot was recovered. Here’s a look at just how racist and offensive this hacker/troll really is…
Well, just how offensive was this hacker? “Trump has done nothing but great things for our country during his presidency and will fix all the wrong that (N-word) president did,” one tweet said. Yikes!
Another tweet attacked immigrant communities. The hacker wrote, “Our education revolves around white working americans, we don’t need you immigrant thieves in our school we are better than this.”
Then the hacker went on the attack against the BLM movement. This guy is relentlessly racist. “All that black lives matter sh*t is unneeded and unnecessary in our community.”
The official Salem State University Twitter account has been hacked by unknown miscreant(s) and will be shut down forthwith.
— Salem State Police (@SSUPolice) May 20, 2017
Officials at Salem State University erased those posts as fast as they could. By Midnight, all those messages were deleted from their Twitter page, but unfortunately the internet still has them. The school sent out a statement condemning the hack and apologizing for the messages published on their Twitter account.
“We are appalled by the hateful nature of these tweets, which in no way represent the views of Salem State University. We have notified our social media followers of this compromise and are working with IT to implement additional security safeguards,” the school said in a Saturday statement. “It is incredibly unfortunate that such a hateful incident occurred on the eve of our commencement, and we hope to move forward as a community and not let it detract attention from the incredible accomplishments of more than 1,400 students graduating today.”
The school’s commencement is set for today. But right before that special day, one racist hacker/troll had to share some bullsh*t.
June Chu: Yale Dean Culturally Insensitive Yelp Reviews
WATCH: President Donald Trump Arrives In Saudi Arabia And He Receives A Freakin' Medal
College,Cultureracism
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Advertising health products online? Check FTC endorsement guides for dos and don’ts
Advertising health products online?
Check FTC endorsements guides on testimonials and endorsements, as FTC enforcement action can come with huge penalties.
FTC Endorsement Guides Apply to Online and Mobile Health Advertising
The basic principle of FTC action is that advertising – whether in print, online, or mobile – cannot be false or misleading.
Unfortunately, many companies naively insert product testimonials, not realizing that in the health and wellness space, claims must be support by “competent and reliable scientific evidence.” Testimonials and endorsements can be considered as part of the claims companies make for their products. If these are not crafted carefully, they can trigger FTC enforcement action.
The best way to gauge the extent to which endorsement and testimonials are legally compliant, or legally risky, is to review the FTC guidance and look to both the principles and the examples.
A new, modern FTC guidance document
FTC has now updated its endorsement guides to include online and social media, such as You Tube.
FTC explains in The FTC Endorsement Guides: What People are Asking that endorsements:
at their core, reflect the basic truth-in-advertising principle that endorsements must be honest and not misleading. An endorsement must reflect the honest opinion of the endorser and can’t be used to make a claim that the product’s marketer couldn’t legally make.
This requires total transparency in terms of informing the consumer about connections between the endorsement and the company (which FTC refers to as “the marketer”).
For example, if a blogger gets paid to market a vacation to Dubai, that financial interest should be disclosed in a way that is clear and conspicuous to the viewer.
FTC makes clear in its Q&A that the Endorsement Guides apply to “all media, whether they have been around for decades (like, television and magazines) or are relatively new (like, blogs and social media).” The guidance “is the same as for websites or blogs.”
As to whether FTC will go after the company or the blogger, FTC says that it typically goes after the company; however, FTC retains discretion to take enforcement action against an individual endorser.
Some of “2.0” points FTC makes include:
If an association hires you to be its “ambassador” and you promote the association online, you must disclose the financial connection. (FTC goes into specifics such as saying that if you post the conference’s badge on your Twitter profile, a disclosure on your profile page isn’t sufficient to inform consumers of your financial interest.)
You can be engaged in promoting a product whether you use words, images, or otherwise communicate that you like and approve of the product.
Think common sense. Even if your Facebook page shows your employment, you should make the disclosure if you promote one of your company’s products on the page.
If you’re a celebrity, you may or may not need to post your financial affiliation on every Tweet. FTC says that making the call could be “tricky” so FTC recommends disclosure.
Good news for bloggers
Some limited good news:
“If you write about how much you like something you bought on your own and you’re not being rewarded, you don’t have to worry.”
But there are situations where you should disclose – for example, if you’re getting a discount on a future purchase as consideration for making the mention, that’s a reward.
The “Like” Button: An FTC hot button
FTC even addresses use of the LIKE button.
LIKING something is not as innocent as it seems. FTC believes that using the LIKE feature to endorse a company’s products or services “probably requires a disclosure.” FTC recognizes that some LIKE buttons do not allow a disclosure, so FTC encourages companies to develop LIKE buttons that allow disclosures.
FTC Guides incorporate general principles of advertising law
As to the disclosure itself, what FTC cares about is the fact of disclosure. The words can be very simple, such as “Company X gave me this product to try….”
Also, remember that disclosures, even if couched in simple language, must be clear and conspicuous. This means disclosures must be:
close to the claims to which they relate;
in a font that is easy to read;
in a shade that stands out against the background;
for video ads, on the screen long enough to be noticed, read, and understood;
for audio disclosures, read at a cadence that is easy for consumers to follow and in words consumers will understand.
Another general principle that FTC emphasizes here is that an endorsement must represent the accurate experience and opinion of the endorser. (Think, for example, about Linked In endorsements. How many people mindlessly click when asked to endorse someone they don’t know for something that is associated with that person due to an algorithm?).
FTC also covers such things as:
online review programs
soliciting endorsements
an advertiser’s responsibilities for what others say in social media – especially, others who are members of a company’s “network”
an advertiser’s responsibility for what its PR firm says about the advertiser online
intermediaries and “influencers”
affiliate or network marketing (for example, a “buy now” button is not a disclosure
expert endorsers who make claims outside of traditional advertisements (for example, on a television show)
employee endorsements
“Results not Typical” isn’t good enough anymore
‘Added to the list is an endorsement that many health and wellness companies utilize: testimonials “that don’t reflect the typical consumer experience.”
Here, “results not typical” or individual results may vary” is not sufficient. The advertiser must:
have adequate proof to back up the claim that the results shown in the ad are typical, or
clearly and conspicuously disclose the generally expected performance in the circumstances shown in the ad.
For example, if an ad shows a woman touting that she lost 50 pounds in 6 months with WeightAway, and consumers can’t generally expect to get those results, FTC says that the ad should say how much weight most consumers can expect to lose in similar circumstances.
More to review
The FTC FAQs above are only part of the picture. It’s also important to read the guides, as they contain concrete examples of common scenarios that get healthcare companies in compliance trouble. The WeightAway example showcases how precise FTC can be around language.
We regularly counsel companies on marketing language and ways to reduce legal risks during a careful websites review. Call us for an in-depth review or more streamlined spot-check of your testimonials and endorsements.
FDA medical device guidance - substantial equivalence
Avoid common FDA mistakes marketing health products
Hoping to Take Advantage of the New Medical Possibilities with Stem Cell Therapies? Be Informed.
Federal Trade Commission Slams Homeopathic Drugs
Advertising health products online? Check FTC endorsement guides for dos and don’ts2015-08-152019-03-24https://cohenhealthcarelaw.com/michaelhcohen/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/cohen-healthcare-horizontal-web.pngCohen Healthcare Law Group | Healthcare Lawyers | FDA & FTC Lawhttps://cohenhealthcarelaw.com/michaelhcohen/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/bigstock-paper-sheet-with-text-marketin-186666424.jpg200px200px
The Next Healthcare Revolution is Inside You: Wearable Health Tech Legal & Regulatory Issues Will Astound UsFDA & FTC Law, General, Healthcare Law
Which disruptive healthcare innovations will push medical frontiers in the next 5 years?FDA & FTC Law, Healthcare Law
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Sam Bourgi
PayPal CEO: Our platform will 'significantly bolster the utility of cryptocurrencies'
PayPal's new crypto services will streamline business adoption of digital assets, says CEO Dan Schulman.
235 Total shares
PayPal’s chief executive believes cryptocurrencies are on the verge of mainstream adoption as more businesses and consumers flock to “digital payments and digital forms of currency.”
In an interview with CNBC, PayPal CEO Dan Schulman said the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the shift to digital forms of payments. PayPal wants to be at the forefront of the ongoing digital transformation.
Schulman said the “use of cash has declined precipitously” amid the pandemic, adding that “40 to 70% of consumers no longer want to handle cash.”
PayPal is not just making it easier for people to buy and hold cryptocurrencies; the service will integrate with existing merchant payments platforms, allowing businesses to accept digital forms of payment.
The PayPal executive said:
“One of the things that we allowed is not just making it easy to buy, sell and hold cryptocurrencies, but very importantly, early next year, we’re going to allow cryptocurrencies to be a funding source for any transaction happening on all 28 million of our merchants. And that will significantly bolster the utility of cryptocurrencies.”
PayPal consulted with global regulators and central banks before launching its crypto service. Schulman said it’s only a matter of time before these monetary authorities release their own central bank digital currencies, or CBDCs:
“It’s a matter of not if but when and how we’ll start to see more and more central banks issue forms of digital currencies. I think you’ll have more and more utility happen with cryptocurrency.”
PayPal launched its crypto trading services in the United States earlier this month, mere weeks after first announcing the new initiative. The services will be rolled out globally early next year.
The global payments merchant, which has over 300 million active users, has been buying up Bitcoin (BTC) and other cryptocurrencies at a rapid pace. As Cointelegraph recently reported, PayPal has bought nearly 70% of all the new Bitcoin in circulation. The supply shortage has been cited as a major reason for Bitcoin's rapid appreciation over the past month.
Some of Bitcoin’s most ardent detractors claim that the digital currency lacks inherent value. To that, Schulman said:
“All forms of money are based on trust and set values that come from that trust.”
#Adoption
#Bitcoin Payments
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Local Photos & Video
Cassius Stanley Tre Jones Vernon Carey Isaiah Stevens Alex O'Connell David Roddy Wendell Moore Kendle Moore Sports College basketball Basketball College sports Men's basketball Men's sports Men's college basketball
Colorado State Mountain West Duke ACC Colorado
Jones leads No. 4 Duke past Colorado State 89-55
By JOEDY McCREARY - Nov. 08, 2019 10:24 PM EST
Colorado State guard Kris Martin (1) handles the ball while Duke forward Wendell Moore Jr. (0) attempts to steal during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Durham, N.C., Friday, Nov. 8, 2019. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Those freshmen at No. 4 Duke are figuring out how to score at this level. It helps that they have a veteran sophomore getting them the ball.
Tre Jones had 15 points and eight assists in the Blue Devils' 89-55 rout of Colorado State on Friday night.
Alex O'Connell had 14 points while three freshmen also reached double figures — Cassius Stanley led the way with 19 points, Vernon Carey had 11 before fouling out and Wendell Moore Jr. finished with 10 — for the Blue Devils (2-0).
"That's going to be our team — we're going to play a lot of guys and see what works," coach Mike Krzyzewski said.
They shot 54% and dominated the paint, hitting 70% of their shots inside the arc to win their 38th consecutive home opener.
Wearing gray uniforms trimmed in gold to honor Krzyzewski — who led the U.S. national team to three consecutive Olympic gold medals from 2008-16 — the Blue Devils pulled away by closing the first half on a 10-0 run, then outscored the Rams 47-29 in the final 20 minutes.
"We know that that'll come — we're still learning a lot of things about ourselves," Jones said. "We're really focused on defense right now, and that can lead to easy offense. We're still figuring out our offense, bit by bit, and always keep learning."
Duke improved to 19-1 when Jones — the only member of last season's star-studded freshman class to return for his sophomore season — scores in double figures. He followed his 15-point, seven-assist performance in the opening victory over No. 3 Kansas in the Champions Classic with another strong game.
He had a hand in 11 of Duke's first 21 field goals — hitting seven, assisting on four — and his reverse layup with 17½ minutes left pushed the lead into the 20s.
Isaiah Stevens and David Roddy had 12 points apiece for the Rams (1-1). They shot 33% with as many turnovers (18) as field goals.
Colorado State: The Rams were trying for their first win over a power-conference opponent (not including instate rival Colorado) since they beat Missouri in the 2013 NCAA Tournament, but Cameron Indoor Stadium is a tough place to make that happen. Colorado State never led but kept this one competitive for about 15 minutes, giving second-year coach Niko Medved some positives to build upon as Mountain West play draws closer.
"This will help them a lot more than they realize," Medved said.
Duke: The Blue Devils simply don't lose nonconference home games — this was their 148th consecutive victory against a non-ACC opponent at Cameron — but there were plenty of teachable moments for Krzyzewski's young team. The Duke players aside from Jones combined for six assists, and the Blue Devils were just 4 of 22 from 3-point range.
"We can improve a lot. There's no ceiling on any kid because ... none of them are in complementary roles," Krzyzewski said. "When you're playing with Zion (Williamson) and RJ (Barrett), (Marvin) Bagley and (Wendell) Carter, (Jayson) Tatum. ... It's like a musical. When you have two guys (at a time) like that, they sing most of the songs and do most of the dances. Ours is more like a cabaret."
PLAY OF THE NIGHT
The highlight-reel dunks didn't leave Duke just because Williamson did. O'Connell stole it from Kendle Moore near midcourt and passed upcourt to Stanley, whose tomahawk jam put the Blue Devils up 46-28 with just over 18 minutes left.
Just your ordinary night at Cameron: Jerry Seinfeld sat next to David Robinson in the second row under Duke's second-half basket. Seinfeld's daughter is a Duke freshman while Robinson's son Justin was selected as the team's fourth captain earlier in the week.
Colorado State: Plays host to Omaha on Wednesday night.
Duke: Plays host to Central Arkansas on Tuesday night.
For more AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/Collegebasketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
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RFA 20’s Stephanie Skinner: You Have to Fall Before You Can Rise
Amber Boone November 5, 2014
Do Fans Really Want Fedor Emelianenko in the UFC?
Vince Carey June 29, 2016
World Series of Fighting 28 Preview and Predictions
John Franklin February 17, 2016
WSOF 19 Results: Gaethje Finishes Palomino, Holder Stuns Silva
Rob Tatum March 28, 2015
UFC on ESPN+ 10: Dos Anjos vs. Lee Weigh-in Results
Damon Jackson (Andy Hemingway/Sherdog)
Out of Obscurity: LFA 47, Rebel FC 9 and Road to M-1 USA 2
Bryan Henderson August 9, 2018
Bryan Henderson Editor-in-Chief
Every week, Combat Press takes a look at three regional, developmental and international cards from the upcoming weekend, previewing from each a single fight to which people should pay close attention. We will also list other significant bouts from the card, as well as information on how to follow each promotion and watch the events.
Let’s discover those prospects that fight in the obscurity of the regional, developmental and international circuits, waiting for their shot at the bright lights and big stage of the UFC, and those veterans looking for one more chance at stardom.
It all begins here, in the small convention centers and high school gymnasiums. It all begins with promotions such as these…
Legacy Fighting Alliance 47
The Bomb Factory in Dallas
Event Date: Aug. 10
Website: lfafighting.com
Watch Event: AXS TV
Twitter: @LFAfighting
Spotlight Fight:
Damon Jackson (15-2-1) vs. Nate Jennerman (12-3)
The 47th venture from the Legacy Fighting Alliance seems to have more UFC veterans than usual for the promotion, even if that number is just three. In the cases of supporting cast members William Macário and Sean Spencer, these fights count as a significant step on their way back from long periods of little to no activity. In the case of headliner Damon Jackson, it’s the next step in a long run with the LFA since he was jettisoned from the UFC in 2016. Jackson gets a crack at interim gold after compiling a 6-1 mark inside the confines of the LFA. He’ll clash with Nate Jennerman for the LFA featherweight strap.
Jackson’s one recent LFA loss came to Kevin Aguilar, who factors into this bout. How so? Well, Aguilar made his first successful defense of Legacy’s featherweight crown against Jackson, whom he stopped via strikes in the third round at LFA 4 after the merger of the Resurrection Fighting Alliance and the Legacy Fighting Championship promotion, where Aguilar initially won his title. After two more defenses, Aguilar made an appearance on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series. He didn’t earn a contract, but LFA head Ed Soares still opted to move forward by crowning an interim champion just in case Aguilar never returns to defend his belt.
This brings us to Jackson. The 29-year-old debuted in 2012 and ran up an undefeated mark through eight fights, including two under the Bellator banner and two with Legacy FC, before challenging Leonard Garcia for the Legacy belt. Jackson claimed the prize and then signed on the dotted line with the UFC. His run inside the Octagon proved far less fruitful. He was submitted by Yancy Medeiros, initially fell via submission to Rony Jason before the fight was overturned to a no-contest following a positive drug test result from Jason, and then fought to a majority draw against Levan Makashvili. With no victories through three UFC outings, Jackson was handed his pink slip. He returned to the familiar stomping grounds of Legacy and was set to fight the aforementioned Aguilar in his return, but Aguilar withdrew and was replaced by Levi Mowles. Jackson defeated Mowles and went on to notch a victory over Charles Cheeks III, but he then lost to Aguilar. “The Leech” has bounced back with a vengeance. Jackson has scored submission wins in all four of his subsequent bouts, including an LFA 40 encounter with Jeremy Spoon.
Jennerman’s career highlights pale in comparison to those of his upcoming foe. The 25-year-old put together a disappointing 6-6 mark as an amateur before turning pro in 2013. He stumbled immediately out of the gates and dropped a decision to Dwight Anderson, a sub-.500 fighter. He recovered to the tune of five straight victories before once again coming up short on the scorecards against Alex Gilpin. Another four wins, including a submission finish of Damion Hill in his LFA debut, landed the Roufusport product in a co-headlining spot opposite Bobby Moffett, who handed Jennerman his third decision loss. “Nasty” Nate made an impressive comeback, however, when he notched submission victories over established veterans Sam Toomer, John DeVall and Kevin Croom.
Prior to Jennerman’s recent streak, it would have been easy to dismiss him as little more than enhancement talent for Jackson, a fighter who remains a borderline UFC talent. Through his 18 fights, Jackson has a head-turning 12 submission victories. However, Jennerman has suddenly turned into a spoiler for veterans. Toomer wasn’t exactly prolific on the mat, but DeVall had 11 previous submission wins and Croom entered with nine submissions on his resume. Neither man could finish Jennerman, and instead ended up tapping to him instead. Moffett, Gilpin and Anderson all preferred submissions as well, and the best they could do was to outpoint Jennerman on the scorecards.
The big difference between Jackson and all of those other fighters on Jennerman’s record is that Jackson has been the only one to reach the UFC. He’s a tough opponent, but he can be submitted, which does leave a true opening for Jennerman. However, this might be another one of those fights where Jennerman’s opponent can’t score the finish but still hands Jennerman a loss when the scorecards are read.
Other key bouts: Levi Mowles (9-3) vs. Charles Cheeks III (13-6), Sean Spencer (12-6) vs. Bilal Williams (8-7), Evan Cutts (9-3) vs. William Macário (9-3), Ramiz Brahimaj (6-1) vs. Justin Patterson (10-4), Elijah Johns (2-0) vs. Eddie Brown (4-1), Devin Miller (3-0) vs. Evers Anderson (1-0)
Rebel Fighting Championship 9: Battle for the Kingdom
Olympic Sports Centre Stadium in Beijing, China
Website: rebelfightingchampionship.com
Watch Event: Fite TV free stream via Combat Press
Twitter: @rebelfcmma
Sai Wang (23-6-1) vs. Adriano Balby (16-3)
The theme of UFC veterans continues halfway around the world in Beijing with the ninth effort from Rebel Fighting Championship. At the top of the bill, former UFC heavyweight title challenger Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva returns to action for the first time in more than a year. Bigfoot will attempt to end a five-fight skid when he collides with Wenbo Liu, a fighter with a fair share of knockouts on his record. Further down the card, in the co-main event, fans will spot another face that’s graced the inside of the Octagon. The Ultimate Fighter: China alum and UFC veteran Sai Wang is on the hunt for Rebel’s middleweight crown, but he’ll have to go through former welterweight Adriano Balby to get to the strap.
Wang put together a healthy run on TUF, where he knocked out Qize Wu and submitted Anying Wang to land in the finals. However, “The Fire Kylin” was not good enough to get past Lipeng Zhang, who edged him via split decision. Wang, who debuted in 2009, stuck around for one additional UFC bout — a win over Danny Mitchell — but then migrated to Kunlun Fight before falling into a pattern of promotion-hopping. Since his brief stay in the UFC, Wang has gone on to add 15 wins in 16 total fights. Unfortunately, he’s been fed a large dose of rookies, inexperienced fighters and .500-ish vets. The 32-year-old sanda specialist is a finisher who has logged eight knockout victories and 11 submissions.
The 38-year-old Balby is likely nearing the end of his career, but he’s still a handful. The Brazilian has been around since 2005, but early career losses to future UFC fighter Francimar Barroso and journeyman Roberto Bispo were enough to keep him on the regional circuit despite an otherwise stellar beginning that included eight knockout finishes within his first 10 fights. “The Rock” finally landed in Jungle Fight by 2015 and won both fights in the organization, plus another outside of it, before challenging Paulo Costa for the middleweight belt. Costa, now a legitimate UFC middleweight contender, stopped Balby in the first round. Balby has since rebounded with five victories, including a decision nods over UFC castoff Edilberto de Oliveira, TUF 5 alum Andy Wang and Japanese MMA legend Akihiro Gono.
Balby should not be overlooked. His recent stretch of victories includes some savvy veterans, albeit not the cream of the UFC castoff crop. Two of his three losses came to fighters who have had a taste of the big show, including one who is within shouting distance of a title shot. Wang, meanwhile, has gone largely untested. How much can we trust a fighter who hasn’t seen a fighter more than two wins above the .500 mark since his loss to the 19-16 Artem Shokalo. Yes, Wang departed the UFC on the heels of a victory, but that win came against a British opponent who was released by the UFC and has only managed a 6-3 record in his subsequent bouts. Maybe Wang can outwork Balby and rely on favorable judging in his particular part of the globe, but Balby is capable of keeping the judges out of this one and scoring the knockout finish.
Other key bouts: Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva (19-12) vs. Wenbo Liu (11-7-1), Takeya Mizugaki (22-13-2) vs. Guangyou Ning (5-4-1), Hacran Dias (24-6-1) vs. Gadzhi Rabadanov (8-3-2), Gazavat Suleymanov (8-1) vs. Reydon Romero (12-7), Kai Tang (8-2) vs. Vikas Dahiya (4-2), Shuhei Sakano (11-3-4) vs. Yayong Wang (7-5) for the bantamweight title, Maria Silva (2-0) vs. Jie Liu (1-0), Felipe Masoni (9-3) vs. Anvar Alizhanov (7-2)
Road to M-1 USA 2
Global Mall Nashville in Nashville, Tenn.
Website: m1globalusa.com
Watch Event: Pay-per-view
Twitter: @M1GlobalNews
Tony Gravely (13-5) vs. Saidyokub Kakhramonov (5-0)
The U.S. subsidiary for M-1 Global is on its second show. The lineup isn’t overwhelming — even most hardcore fans won’t recognize many names beyond Yoislandy Izquierdo and Tony Gravely — but it does have one up-and-comer who will be tested. Saidyokub Kakhramonov is undefeated through five pro fights, but now he’s tasked with a bantamweight affair against the aforementioned 18-fight veteran Gravely.
Kakhramonov is just 22 years old. While his name suggests foreign origins, the young fighter was born in the United States. The Team Top Notch disciple registered three amateur wins, including a submission and a knockout, before making his pro debut in 2017. He knocked out a fellow rookie in the first round and went on to score submissions in his second and third outings. The upstart had to settle for decisions in his two most recent affairs, including one against a sub-.500 fighter. Kakhramonov was a decorated high school wrestler.
The 26-year-old Gravely hasn’t enjoyed quite the same spectacular run. The Virginia-based fighter did go 6-1 as an amateur between late 2014 and late 2015 before turning pro in October 2015. The Tech MMA and Fitness Academy export won his debut bout, but he lost his sophomore outing. He compiled a six-fight winning streak before suffering another loss, but that loss signalled the beginning of a rough 1-3 stretch. Gravely finally recovered and has now won five of his last six fights. He has three finishes via strikes and two submission victories, but he has also been submitted on four occasions.
This isn’t just a step up in competition for Kakhramonov. It’s a springboard leap. Gravely hasn’t been a world-beater by any means, but he’s had extensive experience in a very short time in the sport, and he’s even fought some opponents who have entered the Bellator or UFC cage. Gravely is a grinder who can outpoint opponents en route to the scorecards, but he’s also vulnerable to submissions.
Kakhramonov has a lot to prove here. If he gets past Gravely, he should draw attention from the M-1 parent company or promotions like ONE Championship and the LFA. If he loses, then there’s no shame either — Kakhramonov is a very young fighter who might be biting off more than he can chew this early in his career. That would be the reasoning if he loses, anyhow. However, Gravely’s weak submission defense and Kakhramonov’s strong wrestling could combine to give the up-and-coming undefeated prospect a chance to put a very big win on his record. The youngster might just surprise with a submission finish.
Other key bouts: David Mundell (9-3) vs. Doug Usher (9-3), Yoislandy Izquierdo (11-4) vs. Vadim Ogar (6-3), Cee Jay Hamilton (12-6) vs. Abdiel Velazquez (9-5), Jacob McClintock (9-2) vs. Brandon Bell (8-6), James Conway (3-0) vs. P.J. Cajigas (6-7)
Last Week’s Scorecard
Fight Prediction Outcome
Will Brooks vs. Robert Watley at PFL 5 Watley by decision Brooks by decision
Nate Andrews vs. D’Juan Owens at CES 51 Andrews by submission Andrews by submission
Marcus Paulo Amaral vs. Ryo Hatta at Pancrase 298 Amaral by knockout Hatta by submission
Adriano BalbyDamon JacksonLegacy Fighting AllianceLFA 47M-1 GlobalNate JennermanRebel Fighting ChampionshipSai WangSaidyokub KakhramonovTony Gravely
Out of Obscurity: LFA 97, Brave CF 46 and UAE Warriors 15
Bryan Henderson January 13, 2021
Dan Kuhl January 13, 2021
Shootin’ the Shit Podcast Ep. 33: Lupita ‘Loopy’ Godinez
Riley Kontek December 8, 2020
Out of Obscurity: GFC 30, LFA 96 and Oktagon 19
Bryan Henderson December 3, 2020
Out of Obscurity: LFA 95, RCC Intro 10 and Titan FC 65
Bryan Henderson November 18, 2020
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The Nintendo Nomad
My Switch Setup
My name’s Chris. I’m a 47-year-old who’s on the spectrum and has been living with mental health issues nearly all my life. Videogames became an escape for me at a very young age. I’ve been playing videogames since the age of 6 when I was given an Atari 2600. What started as something to do when I was bored or trying to get through an especially difficult day, grew into an obsession when I received a Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) for a birthday/Christmas gift. I instantly became a lifelong fan of Nintendo and their way of approaching game development.
I’ve now found what I think is the perfect gaming platform (for me) in the Nintendo Switch. It’s hybrid nature allows me to play my favorite games whenever the urge strikes. I also don’t have the luxury of sitting on a couch, in front of a big-screen TV, for hours at a time.
I’ve decided to begin sharing my thoughts by starting this blog. I’ll be sharing my (sometimes controversial) opinions on the world of Nintendo gaming. (You’ll find that I’m not a fanboy who thinks Nintendo can do no wrong.) A lot of what I write is opinion pieces or features. I also do some reviews. I’m not trying to be a news source, so I don’t attempt to post every single news item, there are more than enough media outlets doing that. I’m just a passionate gamer sharing his views. I really hope you enjoy your time here. I would love to hear your thoughts and opinions as well, so be sure to leave a comment or hit me up on social media.
I’ve recently started a Ko-Fi page to try and help myself move out and away from my current living situation. Even if you can’t afford to donate, a quick share on your social media account would help me get some exposure and hopefully help me work towards my goal. In any case, thank you for taking the time to read this.
Horizon Shift 81 Review
How To: Create Your Own Custom Game Cases
My View of Blue Rider
Bleed 2 Review (by Adam from Switch Indie Fix)
Who is The Nintendo Nomad?
ChrisUnseen View Profile
I'm a mature gamer (48). I can be opinionated and sarcastic, but I'm very laid back. And I love Nintendo more than any forty-something probably should. (They did help raise me.) I'm also the Editor-in-chief, here at The Nintendo Nomad. Hit me up anywhere you can find me on social media. I'm open to talking about almost any topic (because, politics...).
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ChrisUnseen on 4 Games You Shouldn’t Overlook For Your Nintendo Switch
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Sarah Houbolt’s casting in Reflections in the Dust is “a major win for inclusiveness in our industry”
Cinema Australia / May 8, 2018
Sarah Houbolt in Reflections in the Dust. Image courtesy of Sonder Pictures.
by Matthew Eeles
Luke Sullivan’s Reflections in the Dust will be the first Australian feature film to star a disabled lead actress according to the director.
Former swimming Paralympian, circus performer and internationally renowned icon for artistic diversity and inclusion, Sarah Houbolt stars in Sullivan’s fantasy drama as Freckles alongside Robin Royce Queree (Australia) who plays The Clown. This is Houbolt’s first on-screen acting role.
The synopsis for the film reads: An ageing clown and a blind girl reflect on their lives in a vacant studio. Unearthing trauma and heartbreak, they imagine themselves as a father and daughter struggling to live in a broken world, their bond tested by paranoia, fear and the unknown.
Treading the line between documentary and fiction, Reflections in the Dust is said to be an unforgettable experience anchored by a revolutionary, courageous and groundbreaking lead performance from Sarah Houbolt, who is blind and suffers from the incredibly rare Hallermann Streiff Syndrome, a condition which affects around 200 people worldwide.
As well as being an accomplished swimmer and international circus star, Houbolt has experience in theatre having performed a one-woman show KooKoo to both Australian and New Zealand audiences. Houbolt is also an Equity and Diversity Officer (Disability) at the University of Technology Sydney.
“I think it’s really counter-intuitive in the arts to think you need eyesight to do physical performance,” Houbolt recently told SBS’s The Feed. “That’s not right, that’s wrong.”
“Having Sarah onboard is a major win for inclusiveness in our industry,” Sullivan told Cinema Australia. “It was an honour to work with her.”
Sullivan is an exciting independent filmmaker who previously directed You’re Not Thinking Straight (2016), an eerie, atmospheric and often unsettling drama. You’re Not Thinking Straight gave us a glimpse at a bold and daring director, and we’ve been anticipating his next film ever since.
The Backlot Films recently acquired Reflections in the Dust for national release following a festival run. An offical release date is yet to be confirmed.
*UPDATE*: It has since been brought to our attention that Rolf de Heer’s Dance Me to My Song (2019) featured lead actress Heather Rose. Heather suffered severe cerebral palsy. If you know of any more Australian feature films to feature a disabled lead actress, get in contact. We’d love to know.
*UPDATE*: Stacey Copas is a wheelchair user and a motivational speaker who stars in Pearl Tan’s The Casting Game (2017).
ADVERTISEMENT – Click for Details
ADVERTISEMENT – Watch it Now!
May 8, 2018 in News. Tags: Luke Sullivan, NEW, Reflections in the Dust, Robin Royce Queree, Sarah Houbolt
New trailer revealed for groundbreaking Australian film Reflections in the Dust
SBS World Movies pick up Reflections in the Dust
NEW TRAILER! Luke Sullivan’s Reflections in the Dust looks to be a truly original piece of Australian cinema
← Composer Ronnie Minder announces directing debut
Raven Banner and Bonsai Films set to release Pimped – See the brutal new trailer here! →
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CounterPsyOps
A new hole in the propaganda matrix
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1984 World Bank Report already contemplates ‘Sterilization Vans’ and ‘Camps’
By Jurriaan Maessen at Infowars.com
In its 1984 World Development Report, the World Bank suggests using “sterilization vans” and “camps” to facilitate its sterilization policies for the third world. The report also threatens nations who are slow in implementing the bank’s population policies with “drastic steps, less compatible with individual choice and freedom.”
The report, literally saturated with dehumanizing proposals, is devoted entirely to the World Bank’s long-term strategies in regards to population control and does not shy away from proposing the most draconian methods in order to depopulate the planet:
“Male and female sterilization and IUDs can be made more readily available through mobile facilities (such as sterilization vans in Thailand) or periodic “camps” (such as vasectomy and tubectomy-camps in India and IUD “safaris” in Indonesia).”
To illustrate how serious the World Bank is in achieving the overall strategy objectives on population control, the report makes use of outright threats:
“Population policy has a long lead time; other development policies must adapt in the meantime. Inaction today forecloses options tomorrow, in overall development strategy and in future population policy. Worst of all, inaction today could mean that more drastic steps, less compatible with individual choice and freedom, will seem necessary tomorrow to slow population growth.”
In the preface, then President of the World Bank and 1985 Bilderberg attendee, A.W. Clausen stated:
“(…) although the direct costs of The World Bank programs to reduce population growth are not large, a greater commitment by the international community is sorely needed to assist developing countries in the great challenge of slowing population growth.”
“(…) governments can use incentives and disincentives to signal their policy on family size”, the report continues. “Through incentives, society as a whole compensates those couples willing to forgo the private benefits of an additional child, helping to close the gap between private and social gains to high fertility.”
To give an adequate illustration of the World Bank’s preference for all-out government control over the people, and their intent on meddling in people’s personal decisions, the following quote will suffice (page 107):
“By taxing and spending in ways that provide couples with specific incentives and disincentives to limit their fertility, government policy can also affect fertility in the short run. Government can offer “rewards” for women who defer pregnancy; it can compensate people who undergo sterilization for loss of work and travel costs; and it can provide insurance and old-age security schemes for parents who restrict the size of their families. Each of these public policies works through signals which influence individual and family decisions- when to marry, whether to use contraception, how long to send children to school, and life expectancy, and whether and how much family members work.”
Under the header “Incentives and disincentives” (page 121), the World Bank proposes several more examples of government interference in the affairs of free humanity:
“To complement family planning services and social programs that help to reduce fertility, governments may want to consider financial and other incentives and disincentives as additional ways of encouraging parents to have fewer children. Incentives may be defined as payments given to an individual, couple, or group to delay or limit child-bearing or to use contraceptives. (…). Disincentives are the withholding of social benefits from those whose family size exceeds a desired norm.”
The report uses the example of China to make clear such measures can be highly successful if governments would only be willing to implement them:
“With the possible exception of China, efforts to raise the age at marriage by persuasion and edict have not been particularly successful.”
“In China the birth rate at the end of 1982 was estimated to be nineteen per 1,000 people, down from forty in the 1960s. The current figure, based on birth registrations rather than on a census, may slightly understate the actual birth rate; but it would still be well below current rates in South Asia, Africa, and most of Latin America.”
On page 124, the World Bank report further marvels at the Chinese government’s accomplishments:
“China has the most comprehensive set of incentives and disincentives, designed (most recently) to promote the one-child family. Since the early 1970s women undergoing various types of fertility-related operations have been entitled to paid leave: in urban areas fourteen days for induced abortion; ten days for tubal ligation; two to three days for insertion or removal of an IUD; and in the case of postnatal sterilization, seven extra days over the normal fifty-six of paid maternity leave.”
Making clear that the overall World Bank population reduction strategy must be implemented in a country-specific manner, the report states:
“The specific policy agenda for each country depends on its political culture, on the nature of the problem it faces, and on what it has already accomplished.”
What does have to be global, according to the World Bank, is continuing urbanization: people nicely locked up in massive townships. The report explains:
“Living in small towns does less to reduce fertility than does living in larger cities. That many of these changes take time to have an effect only underlines the need to begin them now. At the same time, other measures that complement and speed socioeconomic change can hasten a decline in fertility.”
This report is completely in step with the strategies outlined by the UN, the Rockefeller Foundation, Ford Foundation, World Health Organization and IMF as they move to depopulate the earth in a consorted global effort. The pretexts for fertility reduction given throughout the report are “sustainable development” and “poverty reduction”. The truth is, so states the World Bank itself, to introduce and further develop “policy measures to increase people’s welfare as well as (and as a means) to reduce fertility.”
By thomasmantell • Posted in Other CounterPsyOps Topics, USA • Tagged Agenda 21, Depopulation, Globalists, NWO, World Bank
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Tag: Sex
10 Things You Should Know About Mae West
Here are 10 things you should know about Mae West, born 126 years ago today. She did it all in show business: actress, singer, playwright, screenwriter, comedian and sex symbol.
Times Square Tintypes: Mae West
In this chapter from his 1932 book, Times Square Tintypes, Broadway columnist Sidney Skolsky profiles actress Mae West.
GO EAST, YOUNG MAN, GO EAST
MAE WEST. She was born in Brooklyn, August 17, 1900, according to her life insurance policy and the record on the police blotter at Blackwell’s Island. Several acquaintances claims to have known her before that date.
She uses a floral perfume in the morning. In the evening she changes to a heavy Oriental perfume.
Years ago she played the Palace in “Songs, Dances and Witty Sayings.” She is the originator of the shimmy. Discarded it before Gilda Gray and Bee Palmer took up the sway.
All her leading men have been six footers. She prefers the “he-man” type.
Doesn’t smoke. The cigarettes she smokes on the stage are denicotinized.
Her conversation bubbles with slang. Will often invent certain phrases and expressions all her own. Also will render an original pronunciation of a word. When talking she covers a world of territory by continually saying: “Know what I mean.”
Her ears are really beautiful.
She has a brother and a sister. Her father was a prize fighter. Later a bouncer at Fox’s Folly Theater.
Besides English, she speaks German, French and Jewish.
Her first big rôle was with Ed Wynn in Sometime. Later she appeared in Ziegfeld and Shubert revues. In one of these she was Cleopatra and shimmied in a number called “Shakespeare’s Garden of Love.”
She always wears a pendant in the shape of a champagne bottle.
She has the same mannerisms offstage as on. When acting, however, her voice is three times lower than usual.
In writing a play she needs only an idea. After making a few rough notes she calls a rehearsal. A script is not essential. She writes the dialogue and works out the situations during rehearsals to fit the cast she has hired. Will often ask the actors if they like a certain line. If they don’t she will change it. Reading a part, she believes, makes an actor self-conscious. Before she wrote plays for herself she learned her rôles by having them read to her.
As a kid she was dressed in Little Lord Fauntleroy clothing.
Her favorite dish is kippered herring.
She likes everything massive. Her furniture, bed, even her car is larger than the average. The swan bed used in Diamond Lil was taken from her home. Formerly it belonged to Diamond Jim Brady.
She has never tried to reduce.
Seldom reads. When a public event like the Ruth Snyder case interests her she has it read to her. When she does read, it is an ancient history book.
Is of the opinion that Sex will become a classic. That in time it will be revived likes Ghosts or Hamlet.
She sleeps in a black lace nightgown. Lying flat on her back with her right arm over her eyes.
Some day she hopes to own leopard for a pet.
Her ambition is to write a Pulitzer Prize play.
She receives at least four proposals of marriage a week. And from some of the town’s best blue blood.
When dressing she first puts on her shoes and stockings. Then combs her hair and puts on her hat. Then she puts on her dress. All her dresses are made to order with special slits to enable her to do this. They are all cut very low about the neck.
In vaudeville she also worked in an acrobatic act. She can lift a 500-pound weight. She can support three men each weighing 150 pounds.
She kisses on the stage with all the fervor that she does off. During an intense love scene in the play her pulse will jump twenty-eight beats.
Her pet aversion is a man who wears white socks.
She has a colored maid who is a dead ringer for her. She will color her own photograph to show a visitor the likeness.
She believes virtue always triumphs over vice.
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SLOTS BONUS HUNTERS EVERYMATRIX
pays. It is not live and raw like live streaming, but a production of highlights. You don’t need to watch the spins leading up to the bonus feature, but instead enjoy those features that you look forward to when playing slots yourself. Watching back-to-back paydays, what’s not to like?
Stian Enger Pettersen, CEO, Casino Unit, EveryMatrix
Why do you think people enjoy watching bonus hunt videos online?
I believe the answer is multi-faceted.
First off, Bonus Hunts originate from live streaming, a type of entertainment that has exploded alongside with more people gaining access to more bandwidth over the past decade or so. Twitch, the biggest streaming platform is a billion-dollar business. While computer and console games dominate the streaming space, there are also channels targeting people playing casino games. People enjoy watching and listening to other people playing games.
Secondly, while you can test almost all RNG casino games in a ‘demo mode’ yourself without spending any real money, watching actual stakes being placed and actual wins being cashed in offers something different. It is not your money being bet and won, but you will still sweat it with the person pushing the spin button. You root for them, and you get excited when they hit big.
Furthermore, the edited Bonus Hunt format offers fast-paced action with frequent and large
Do streamers play an important role in how games are showcased and are perceived by players?
Absolutely. First off, the best streamers are professional. Listening to them alone is entertaining, and good commentary can be fun even if the streamers are not familiar with a game. However, when they do know a game well, they tend to point out, as an example, where they really want that next sticky wild to appear. Tis can familiarize the viewers with the game mechanics.
To avoid any confusion, you will not win more money by fully understanding a game’s mechanics, but you will undoubtedly have more fun playing it. And then it is the no-brainer - if you watch someone win big on a game, you want to give that very game a shot as well.
How do bonuses help engage players?
While a base game in a slot can be fun and offer big wins, I think it is fair to say that the majority of players that play games with a bonus feature is awaiting those scatters to appear more than anything else. And I don’t think this is purely about the potential win, though that is of course important. A bonus feature offers a build-up that a single win in the base game doesn’t. It lasts longer, and if done right there are different or more elements in the game mechanics, audio and visual presentation that elevate the experience.
Are there any new bonus features which are particularly striking and innovative? Could you tell us more about them? Could you describe the bonus features?
Te most visually striking examples would probably be the bonus features that completely stand out from the base game. Completely different minigame(s) wrapped inside the slot.
However, with a few exceptions of course, the winning formula for a blockbuster bonus feature has been free spins. Tat said, it is not enough to reward the player with x spins free of charge when they trigger the feature in the base game.
To be successful, the free spins bonus feature must offer something different, and something more. Tere are many success stories, and they differ. It is not always specific features that stand out as better than others, but the full package. Te success factor of evergreen Book of Ra is a random symbol that expands in the bonus feature. A more recent release is Razor Shark, which has great multipliers in the bonus feature. Very different features, both work exceptionally well.
A good package needs good wrapping though. When the bonus feature is triggered, the look and feel plays a big part. Shifts in the soundtrack and presentation of a bonus feature and its wins make a difference.
Te game must also offer the right balance between the RTP and bonus feature trigger frequency in the base game, and the RTP of the bonus game. Te player must trigger it often enough to not run out of patience, and the feature itself must be rewarding enough to be worth waiting for.
What have been the most important developments in the design of bonus features of late? How have bonuses changed and evolved over the years?
If we go way back, land-based mechanical slots had no bonus features simply because the technology was not there. Bonus features came with the video slots, online and offline. Te bonus features have evolved ever since, just like the base game mechanics have.
One direction video slots have evolved in is the bonus features that the player builds up towards by playing the base game, which is truly a
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What is the Difference Between Rack and Blade Servers?
Business Process Automation: Emerging As Its Own Market
Why is Data Center Cleaning Relevant for current Data C...
Data Center Hawk – Data Center Map
Infrapedia
Temperature Costs: Savings Can Outweigh Initial Investments
Jul 26, 2010 | Data Center Temperature
– Herman Chan, Director of Raritan’s Power Management Solutions Group (www.raritan.com), says:
Does raising the temperature as a way to lower costs increase costs in other areas? Yes, it could add incremental upfront costs with the purchase of environment monitoring equipment; however, in Raritan’s view, environmental monitoring equipment ought to be part of any data center. Over time, the savings will outweigh the initial investment. Plus, without a monitoring system, it becomes very difficult to drive efficiencies while minimizing risks. For example, data center managers, who are chartered to provide maximum availability in data centers, may be hesitant to make changes, such as increasing temperature set points, without the support of these monitoring tools.
One thing to be mindful of is that raising the temperature too high may cause IT device fans to run faster and more often, which may negate some of the energy savings. The ideal is to monitor both cooling system and IT device power consumption to determine the most energy efficient temperature settings.
As data center temperatures are raised, less cooling capacity may be needed. Air conditioning equipment operates most efficiently at its maximum cooling output. To ensure the greatest efficiency, the equipment may need to be reconfigured. For example, if less cooling is required it is better to have two CRAC units operating near their maximum, rather than have three CRAC units operating at 60% of maximum.
PreviousData Center Temperature and Humidity
NextData Center Temperature: ASHRAE’s Perspective
The Independent Data Center Alliance Heads to Hawaii – Virtually – for PTC’21
VIRTUS DATA CENTRES APPOINTS DOMINIC FULFORD AS SVP OF TECHNICAL OPERATIONS
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Science Fiction and Dystopia
Business and current affairs
Parenting and education
Politics and environment
Why BookBongo?
Book Bongo
Get the latest free and promoted books here.
Dystopia: A Brexit Thriller with a twist. Part 1 by Jason Chapman
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When a series of devastating terror attacks rock the nation’s capital, a beleaguered government struggles to cope under pressure to restore order. As key systems are hacked and shut down, violence begins to erupt across the country.
In a bid to stop a terror group known as Dystopia, Detective Sergeant Samantha Drake is engaged in a deadly race against time. With the help of a computer hacker, Sam travels the length of the country to track down the terror group. Pursued by ruthless and vicious gunmen Sam must do everything in her power to stay alive and stop Dystopia from releasing a sophisticated virus infecting the population.
For journalist Alan Manning of the London Evening Examiner, his journey is just beginning. As he pieces together the evidence, he discovers the terrifying truth behind the attacks. An advanced microchip with the ability to control a person. A top-secret project stretching back nearly fifty years. A mysterious stranger with knowledge of Alan’s family legacy.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Tessa Mayflower is engaged in a desperate bid to keep the country calm. Surrounded by enemies on all fronts she must deal with the latest threats and political backstabbers in her own government.
Dystopia is a fast-paced action thriller set in present day over a seventy-two hour period. Told from several different angles, Government, a police detective, a journalist, a radio show host and the news media.
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Juvenile Books
Contemporary Books
The Bridge to Terabithia
By Paterson Katherine
Window Douglas’s
Katherine Paterson was born to Christian Missionaries in China in 1932. Her parents did not push their religion on others, but were rather quite liberal and sought to educate others about faith. During World War II, the family moved back to the United States though they did not stay in one place, they moved around between several states on the East coast before settling in Winchester, Virginia. In Virginia, Paterson learned English which was a difficult transition for her but which offered her many more opportunities in life. She attended King College where she studied literature and then took graduate studies in Christian and Bible education, as she planned to become a missionary. While exploring the culture in Japan she met Reverend John Paterson, and they moved to New York where she began to get serious about her writing career.
In 1977, Paterson was inspired to write “Bridge to Terabithia” after her eight-year-old son David suffered the loss of his best friend, Lisa Hill, who had been struck by lightning. Paterson realized that her worries about David having such a close friendship with a girl were insignificant in the scheme of things, and she wrote the novel to help them both work through their grief. The liberal religious upbringing that Paterson’s parents practiced is also evidenced in the novel, which is something that caused some criticism and concern amongst critics, parents, and members of the church. “Bridge to Terabithia” earned Paterson the Newberry Award in 1978 and has been one of her most successful forays.
Jess Aarons is an eight-year-old boy from a poor farming family. He works hard at his chores, despite feeling underappreciated by his family. He dreams of being the faster runner when he returns to school in the fall and he practices every day. One day when he is practicing he meets a girl his age named Leslie Burke who has just moved in next door and who wants to be his friend, though he has little interest. When school begins, Leslie proves herself as the fastest runner, and Jess decides that he wants to be friends with her. Plus, she is sort of “beautiful”. Jess and Leslie spend all of their free time together, despite Jess’ parents not quite approving of their relationship and all of the kids at school teasing them. Leslie creates the world of Terabithia, on the other side of the creek, as a special land for her and Jess to spend their time in and to be the rulers of.
One day, after it had been raining for weeks, Jess goes to Washington with one of his teachers to visit an art museum and forgets to invite Leslie. When he returns home he finds that Leslie had tried to cross the treacherous creek, which had risen considerably with the rain, and she had fallen in and drowned. Jess is in denial about the loss of his friend, and when he finally accepts it, he is mad at her for introducing him to a new life and then leaving him. When Leslie’s parents move away, Jess finds some lumber at their house and uses it to build a bridge across the creek and into Terabithia.
The friendship between Jess and Leslie is the cornerstone of the novel. Jess was feeling alone in his family at the time Leslie moved in next door. He finds that Jess is the only person he truly feels he fits in with. It is as though she is part of his family, only he got to choose her. He did not get stuck with her as he did with his other sisters. Jess and Leslie have a truly healthy and growing relationship; they teach each other things and support one another’s interests and ambitions. Leslie opened Jess up to a world he never knew existed.
Fantasy is a means of escaping the boredom and monotony of everyday life for Jess and Leslie, and it also becomes their reality, in a way. Everyday Jess looks forward to spending time in Terabithia with Leslie where they will make up stories and pretend they are rulers. The fantasy land of Terabithia opens Jess’ mind to the possibilities of life and the wonder of adventures. When Leslie dies Jess is forced to live in reality but feels as though he must go back to Terabithia to honor Leslie’s memory.
Jess, Leslie, and May Belle get into a discussion about death after the Easter services because Leslie does not necessarily believe the teachings of the Bible and May Belle worries that Leslie will be damned to hell when she dies. Little does May Belle know that Leslie will die only a short time after. Jess is in denial about Leslie’s death when it first happens, and then when he hears she is being cremated he wonders if she will go to hell. He decides that he must live life to the fullest because Leslie cannot.
Ignorance/Innocence
Some instances within this novel can be seen as marks of innocence or ignorance. Jess’ mother is extremely gullible and not well educated, so she often falls for lies her daughters tell her. Leslie does not have a television, and she does not realize that revealing this fact in school will make her an outsider. Ellie and Brenda think they know everything and do not need to experience anything else. Jess, however, realizes there are many things he does not know and longs to know more; this is probably why he enjoyed his trip to the museum so much.
Before meeting Leslie, Jess is uncomfortable with his interests and with revealing his artwork to his family because it is not seen as a manly activity and they are not terribly supportive. After meeting Leslie, who is proud to be unique, Jess embraces his artistic side and individuality. His family wants him to conform to societal norms, but Leslie’s parents are hippies who encourage her to use free will and make personal choices. Leslie inspires Jess to be himself and consider all of the possibilities that are open to him in life.
Neither Jess nor Leslie fit into the stereotypical gender roles of society. Jess’ family pushes him to forget about art, which is a “girls’ activity.” He’s also supposed to be more interested in masculine activities and be strong, stoic, and responsible. According to Jess’ superficial family, Leslie does not fit the role of what a girl should be either. She looks like a boy, does not dress in girlie clothing, and is athletic. At Leslie’s inspiration, Jess realizes that he does not need to fit into a certain mold; he is free to be himself.
Courage is one of the qualities of Leslie that inspires Jess the most, though it is what also ends Leslie’s life. Leslie is not scared of anything because she was raised to be an individual. However, Jess is scared of many things, because he has been raised to fit into a certain acceptable mold and always has a fear of disappointing others. Jess draws his courage from Leslie, and he finds a way to stand up to a bully, cross a creek that keeps rising, and deal with Leslie’s death. Jess is brave enough to admit when he is scared, and Leslie was brave enough to take chances and be herself.
This novel is about having ambition in life to do better things. At first Jess’ ambition is to be the fastest runner at school and create the best drawings, but when he meets Leslie his ambitions become greater. Leslie inspires Jess to strive toward whatever makes him happy, regardless of what others think he should do. After Leslie dies, Jess’ new ambition is to live his life the way Leslie would have lived hers and the way she would have wanted him to live his.
Jess and Leslie both undergo radical transformations within the novel, and it is because, as friends, they each bring out the best in the other. Jess is a truly compassionate person, who always wants others to be happy, and Leslie is remarkably free and imaginative. Jess teaches Leslie how to think more of others and be considerate, while Leslie creates the world of Terabithia to allow Jess’ imagination to run wild while also exercising his own. Jess and Leslie each become better people through what they learned from one another and the experiences they shared.
Within the context of this novel family, to Jess, is Leslie rather than his actual family. Jess feels left out and alone within his own family. His mother is mentally vacant, his father is never around, his older sisters are shallow, and May Belle seems too young to be a real friend. When Jess meets Leslie he finally feels as though he belongs to something and Leslie becomes his family. When Leslie dies Jess has a void to fill because he has lost the only person he truly relates to. His act of bringing May Belle into Terabithia shows that he is willing to share his world and his interests with her.
Jess Oliver Aarons, Jr.
Jess is the protagonist of the novel; he is in fifth grade and he dreams of being the fastest runner in the school. Jess likes to draw and enjoys music class but his family feels as though he should be more masculine. Jess feels as though he does not fit in with his family; he is surrounded by girls and his father is rarely home. Jess becomes friends with a girl named Leslie Burke who supports Jess’ interests and encourages him to expand his imagination. Jess learns a lot from Leslie and becomes determined to live his life the way she would want him to, after she dies.
Leslie Burke
Leslie is a young girl who moves into the house next door to Jess and she is in his class at school. Leslie looks like a boy and likes to play outdoors and do athletic things. Jess’ mother and sisters think that Leslie is not what a girl should be and do not approve of her. Leslie is intelligent and has a creative imagination, which leads her to create the fantasy-land of Terabithia where she and Jess spend their time. Leslie is unique has been raised by liberal parents who encouraged her to exercise her free will and imagination.
May Belle Aarons
May Belle is the six-year-old sister of Jess. May Belle is the person in the family that Jess is closest to, though he feels she is too young to be his friend. May Belle wants nothing more than a best friend to feel close to because no one in the family wants to play with her. May Belle often tries to spend time with Jess and Leslie, but they do not include her; despite pushing her away, Jess feels guilty that May Belle is left out all the time. When Leslie dies Jess finally takes May Belle to Terabithia and names her as the new queen.
Mrs. Aarons
Mrs. Aarons is Jess’ mother. She is extremely tired, worn, and a bit mentally vacant after trying to support a family of seven people on remarkably little income, especially after Mr. Aarons loses his job. She is constantly on Jess about doing the chores, more so than she is with his sisters though her short temper is likely from being overworked and stressed. She does not seem to be an extraordinarily compassionate woman nor does she seem interested in her son’s life, though when Leslie dies she appears to be seriously concerned with how Jess handles it and is pained by his loss.
Mr. Aarons
Mr. Aarons is Jess’ father. Being the only other male in the house Jess wishes his father was around more but he is not able to be, as Mr. Aarons provides the sole income for their family of seven. Mr Aarons attempts to be a part of Jess’ life, but he does not seem to know how, and for that Jess feels as though he cannot make his father happy. Mr. Aarons wants Jess to be interested in more masculine things like trucks and football and is confused by Jess’ interest in art. He shows his love and concern for his son in the way he supports Jess after Leslie dies.
Brenda Aarons
Brenda is one of Jess’ older sisters. She is the second oldest and is probably about fourteen-years-old. She is incredibly annoying, vain, and shallow and she spends most of her time whining or complaining. Brenda often harasses Jess about anything she can think of and she often does not know when enough is enough. After Leslie dies, Brenda continues to tease her brother showing just how immature and self-absorbed she is.
Ellie Aarons
Ellie is Jess’ oldest sister; she is probably about fifteen or sixteen-years-old. Ellie, like Brenda, is utterly selfish, spoiled, and self-absorbed. Ellie is extremely annoying to Jess and often teases him about his friendship with Leslie whom she believes looks like a boy. Ellie is concerned with clothing and her appearance, which is why she is so shallow about Leslie’s appearance. People often like Ellie more than Brenda because, while they are a lot alike, Ellie hides her selfishness better than Brenda does and tends to act more appropriately.
Joyce Ann Aarons
Joyce Ann is the baby of the Aarons family at four-years-old. May Belle refuses to take Joyce Ann on as a friend because she thinks of her as just a baby which makes Joyce Ann cry. She is not much of a character. She mainly just whines and cries because no one wants to play with her, but then again she is just a little girl. Jess seems to have a bit of a soft spot for Joyce Ann, suggesting that she and May Belle play more and also suggesting that someday Joyce Ann can come to Terabithia and be a princess.
Miss Edmunds
Miss Edmunds is the music teacher at Jess’ school. Jess likes her a lot because she is always interested in hearing about his artwork and he has a lot of fun in her class. The other teachers, however, are not as fond of Miss Edmunds because she is a “hippie” and she wears pants to work which many of the other women see as inappropriate. Miss Edmunds shows Jess the sort of support that he needs from an adult but does not get at home. Miss Edmunds even takes Jess with her to Washington to visit an art museum, which is a perfect day to him until he learns Leslie died while he was gone.
Mr. Burke
Mr. Burke is Leslie’s father. He works as a political writer and is an extraordinarily intelligent man, though his thoughts are not always organized so he tends to be a bit scatterbrained. Leslie spends a lot of time with her father when they are painting the house and Jess comes over to help them as well, developing a sort of friendship with Mr. Burke. After Leslie dies Mr. Burke thanks Jess for being such a good friend to her, and he considers allowing Jess to keep Leslie’s dog but then decides he cannot part with it.
Mrs. Burke
Mrs. Burke is Leslie’s mother. Like her husband she is also a writer, though she is a writer of novels. Mrs. Burke spends a lot of time holed up in her room on her typewriter though occasionally she will wander around the house seemingly in her own little world while she searches for inspiration. Mrs. Burke, though not entirely present, obviously shows her daughter a lot of love and affection, as does Mr. Burke, which is something that Jess appreciates because he does not see that in his own home.
Mrs. Myers
Mrs. Myers is Jess and Leslie’s fifth grade teacher. She has a reputation for only being nice on the first and last days of school and Leslie often makes up mean stories about the teacher outside of the classroom to pick on her. Mrs. Myers, however, seems to like Leslie a lot and appreciates the quality of work that she turns in. When Leslie dies Jess is surprised to find out how compassionate Mrs. Myers is. She pulls him out of the classroom and tells him about losing her husband and how it is important that Jess never forget Leslie and how special she was.
Janice Avery
Janice Avery is a seventh-grader who rides the same bus as Jess and Leslie and who is quite the bully. When she picks on May Belle, Jess and Leslie decide to get back at her by writing her a fake love note from her crush. Later Leslie finds out that Janice is abused at home and that her friends who learned her secret told everyone, which embarrassed her. Leslie shows Janice compassion at the urging of Jess and the two become unlikely friends.
Prince Terrien
Prince Terrien, also known as P.T., is Leslie’s puppy. Jess tried to think of the perfect gift to give Leslie’s for Christmas with the very limited funds that he had; one day on the way home from school he saw a sign for free puppies and he got one for Leslie. Leslie named the puppy Prince Terrien and the dog accompanied the duo everywhere. Jess cares for P.T. when Leslie’s parents have to go to Pittsburg and Mr. Burke almost lets Jess keep the puppy for good but he cannot give up that piece of his daughter.
Guy Fulcher
Guy is one of Jess and Leslie’s classmates. Guy is Jess’ biggest competition in footraces until Leslie moves into town and beats all of the boys. Guy is bossy and rude and often picks fights with Jess though they are sort of friends anyway. When Jess suggests that Leslie be allowed to race against the boys Guy is not sure how he feels about it, especially after she beats all of them.
Jess Aarons lives on a country farm with his parents and his four sisters. His big dream is to be the fastest runner in fifth grade when school starts again in the fall. One morning he wakes and puts his overalls on, but no shoes, and makes to leave the house. Jess’ sister May Belle asks Jess where he is going and he says that he is going for a run, and to be quiet. He wants to leave the house without waking his mother or his other three sisters. May Belle looks up to Jess which is nice most of the time but sometimes it can be annoying. Jess leaves the house and walks by the family’s cow, Miss Bessie. He squats at the “starting line” and makes a “bang” sound like the starter pistols on television; he runs with poor technique but a lot of heart. At school Jess races with the other students often because his school is low on financial resources so the kids must entertain themselves. The year before he had won a race and all that day he was called the “fastest kid” which is something he wants to be repeated this coming year.
Jess tires of running but he is determined to keep practicing until May Belle calls to him that it is time for breakfast. When he goes back inside his sisters Ellie and Brenda tease him for being sweaty and stinky and his mother makes him go wash up before he sits down to eat and to put on a shirt, which he asks May Belle to get for him. Jess and the girls are told that there are many chores to be done but the older girls manage to get out of it by convincing their mother that she told them they could go shopping that day; they also get five dollars out of her by telling her their father said it was okay. She gets upset with the girls when they push for more money, so Brenda tells Ellie to do the dishes. Jess knows that he will have to do all of the chores which he is upset about because he is tired; he is amused when his mother tells him he is lazy. Later that day May Belle tells Jesse that new neighbors will be moving in to the Perkins’ old house.
That night Jess is tired after doing all of the chores, including canning beans and making peanut butter sandwiches for dinner; his older sisters still have not returned from shopping. Jess, May Belle, and Joyce Ann eat outside and look at the neighbors’ house; May Belle hopes that there will be a girl her age to play with. Joyce Ann cries when Jess suggests May Belle play with her because May Belle calls her a baby, but she stops when Jess gives her part of his sandwich. Jess goes inside to draw a picture which he thinks will make May Belle happy. He wishes he could show his father but he is scared because his father does not approve of Jess’ love for art. He thinks that the school should be turning Jess into a man rather than teaching him about art. The only person who really supports Jess’ love for art is his music teacher, Miss Edmunds, who the other teachers do not approve of because she is a “hippie” and wears pants to work. She calls Jess a “diamond in the rough”.
Jess’ mom tells him to milk the cow and while he is doing so he wonders about what his sisters bought at the mall. He hears them come home and they go right to see their mother which makes Jess feel very alone. May Belle comes outside to tell Jess that Elli bought a see-through shirt and their mother is not happy about it. Their dad pulls up just then and May Belle runs to give him a hug; Jess is jealous because he feels he is not allowed to do the same. The next day Jess is very tired but decides to practice running anyway. Jess hears someone ask what he is doing, and he sees a person who could either be a boy or a girl standing there. When the person says “hi” and asks Jess if they can be friends he realizes it is a girl and her name is Leslie Burke. Jess tells her he is busy and walks away, thinking she would be a loyal friend for May Belle.
The next week Jess meets Leslie again; she is in his class at school. Everyone in the class is dressed in formal clothing except Leslie who is dressed casually. She is agreeable to everyone, but they all just stare at her. Jess tries to ignore Leslie and wonders who wrote the initials on his desk, and he also thinks about how their teacher Mrs. Myers is not supposed to be exceptionally friendly. Leslie tries to make eye contact with Jess when he is helping to pass out books, but he avoids her gaze. A boy named Guy asks Jess if he will be racing that day, and Jess is tremendously excited for recess, so he can show off. Jess starts doodling and Guy tries to look over his shoulder, which results in a minor scuffle between the two boys.
At lunchtime, Jess hears two girls talking about Leslie and making fun of her for eating yogurt, so he starts slurping his milk loudly to distract them. When it comes time for recess the boys split into four heats of runners and Jess is set to go last. Leslie comes over to talk to Jess, and Jess suggests that she be able to run in his heat though he is disappointed when she beats him. In the final race, Leslie beats all of the boys and wins easily; she thanks Jess for being the only person who has been “OK” to her. On the way home, Jess sits with May Belle on the bus instead of Leslie, but when she runs toward her house, she thinks she is almost “beautiful”.
By the end of the first week of school, Leslie has continued to dominate the races and Jess has given up his dream of being the best. It is Friday, so Jess is excited to be in Miss Edmunds music class; he smiles at Leslie during class and decides he will be her friend. On the bus ride home, Leslie and Jess sit together and Leslie talks about her old school and how hard moving has been on her. Jess talks about how hard farming is, both physically and financially, and Leslie tries to tell him delicately that her family is wealthy. Back at school, Leslie is praised for the essay she wrote about scuba diving, the idea of which terrified Jess, and Mrs. Myers assigns homework inspired by the essay. She tells everyone in class to watch a program about Jacques Cousteau and write about it; Leslie tells Mrs. Myers she does not have a television and the other students tease her about this at recess.
On the bus that day, Leslie accidentally sits in a spot reserved for seventh graders and comes face to face with Janice Avery. Jess saves her by calling Janice fat, but he knows that she has made an enemy. After getting off the bus, Leslie and Jess go to play on the rope swing in the woods behind their houses. They decide they need a specific place to go to that would be their own secret country, and they could be the rulers. Leslie decides the place will be called Terabithia and it will be just inside the woods; they even make their own language which Leslie is better at but Jess builds a strong fort. The next day, Jess gets kicked off the bus because of Janice, and when he gets to Terabithia Leslie is angry and thinks they need to start standing up for themselves. As they become better friends they are teased at school but seeing Leslie is Jess’ favorite part of the day; she likes to make up stories about the teachers and encourages Jess to do it too. When it gets too cold to spend a lot of time in Terabithia, Jess spends more time with Leslie and her parents who are writers and who Leslie calls by their first names. Jess’ parents do not approve of their friendship, but Leslie makes him happy. She brings him to a special part of Terabithia in the pine trees and tells Jess that it is “sacred”.
In Terabithia Jess and Leslie have many imaginary enemies but in real life they still have to deal with Janice Avery. One day, when May Belle brings Twinkies from her father onto the bus, Janice steals them from her. May Belle gets upset with Jess for not defending her but Leslie explains that Jess could not have beaten Janice if he tried; she vows to find a way to get revenge. At Terabithia Leslie decides that they need to find a way to make Janice look like a fool because that is the best way to get revenge. She decides that they will write Janice a letter supposedly from a boy named Willard, who she has a crush on. Then when Janice tells people, and they find out it is not true, she will be embarrassed. Leslie tells Jess the story of “Hamlet” and Jess thinks about painting. The next day Leslie distracts Mrs. Pierce, and Jess finds which desk belongs to Janice and leaves the letter there. That day on the bus Janice’s friend Wilma tells everyone Janice has a date with Willard but a boy named Billy says that is not true. In Terabithia Jess and Leslie are proud of themselves and so is May Belle when she finds out, despite the fact that no one can know what Jess and Leslie did.
Christmas is coming up, and everyone is excited; Jess’ sisters tease him about getting Leslie a present. They also pick on Leslie for looking like a boy and Jess gets upset. Jess feels like he does not belong in his family, and Leslie is the only one who he actually fits in with. He wonders what he should get Leslie for Christmas, because he does not have very much money, and the little money he does have he needs to spend on presents for his family. He thinks that if he were rich, he would get Leslie a television. When he is riding the bus, he sees a sign for free puppies and gets off even though it is not his stop. Jess takes care of the puppy until he can meet with Leslie in Terabithia on Christmas Eve, and when it pees on him, he does not even get mad because he is excited. Leslie loves the puppy, and she names him Prince Terrien. Leslie bought Jess some art supplies, which he thinks are terrific, but she thinks the puppy is better. Jess is in a good mood for the rest of the night. The next day Jess got a cheap racecar set from his father; he is upset that his father does not feel right about the presents he was able to buy his children, and no one else is happy either. Jess’ mother makes him milk Miss Bessie and when he goes outside he sees Leslie and is happy again.
Leslie is not able to spend as much time with Jess because she is busy helping her father fix up their house. Jess is bored without Leslie and does not find Terabithia to be exciting without her there. Jess spends some time with his sisters and does chores, and sometimes he walks P.T. (Leslie’s dog), but he becomes jealous of the time Leslie spends with her father. Leslie tells Jess to come over and help her and her father; he is hesitant at first but soon finds that he has fun there painting and singing. After painting, Jess and Leslie go to Terabithia, where they have not been in a month. They make up a story about having been at war and create new enemies to defeat.
When Jess and Leslie go back to school, Leslie finds Janice Avery crying in the bathroom. Jess encourages Leslie to talk to Janice and try to make her feel better. At the end of recess, they are still in the bathroom, and Jess has to wait until they are in Terabithia later that day to find out what was wrong with Janice. When they get there Leslie tells Jess that Janice has a hard life at home and is beaten by her father; when she told some friends they told everyone, and she was embarrassed. Leslie told Janice to pretend like it never happened and soon everyone would forget about it. Now she of friends with Janice, but Jess is happy that he is still Leslie’s best friend. Later that night May Belle tells Jess she knows where his and Leslie’s secret place is, and he threatens her to keep her mouth shut.
As Easter approaches it has been raining quite a lot and the river that Jess and Leslie have to cross to get to Terabithia begins flowing remarkably quickly; Jess crosses with care because he worries P.T. will fall in and die. Jess’ sisters discuss what they will wear to church on Easter, which is the only day they go, and hope they will be able to buy new clothes. When their father gets home, he announces he has been fired from his job and the girls stop arguing about new clothes. Jess leaves the house to milk Miss Bessie and get away from everything; when he sees Leslie he does not want to get into what is going on, but he gives her the basic rundown. Leslie asks Jess if she can go to church with him on Easter. Jess and Leslie hang out a while longer, and when Jess’ dad comes outside he says nothing to them.
Jess is able to bring Leslie with him to church, despite his mother’s worries that Leslie will not look neat enough to be there. Jess thinks that Leslie looks much nicer than his snobby older sisters whose behavior he is embarrassed of. Jess is happy to be accompanied by Leslie and does not pay any attention during the service. Afterward Jess, Leslie, and the younger girls wait outside for everyone else. Leslie thinks that the service was “interesting” but Jess and May Belle think it was scary. Leslie says she does not have to believe what is written in the Bible and May Belle tells her that she has to, or God will damn her when she dies. Reluctantly, Jess agrees with May Belle and Leslie still disagrees. May Belle wonders what would happen to Leslie if she died.
The next week it is still raining quite hard, but Leslie insists on going to Terabithia anyway. The two of them dress in raincoats and hats, but Leslie does not have any boots for them, so they go barefoot. They take P.T. and go to the edge of the creek, but they stop because the water is getting extremely high and fast-moving. Jess wants to wait to go some other time but Leslie insists that they go now. She takes P.T. because he will not fit in Jess’ coat and she makes it across the creek just fine. Jess is scared, but follows anyway; he does not fall to the end but then he is in Terabithia, so it is okay. Over the next couple of days, they continue to visit Terabithia, despite the creek getting higher and Jess getting more and more scared. On Wednesday, it rains harder than ever, and Leslie feels as though they are cursed to have lousy weather. She suggests that they go to the grove where they can pray to the spirits for good weather, and they do, though Jess feels decidedly uncomfortable. Jess wants to stay inside and watch TV and is glad when Leslie agrees. That night Jess worries about further visits to Terabithia because he is too scared to go anymore. He thinks that Leslie will understand that he cannot go anymore, and he wishes that he was born with a gene for courage.
Jess wakes up when he hears the sound of his dad’s truck; he must be looking for work. He goes out to milk Miss Bessie, and he thinks that, in the summertime, he will ask Leslie to teach him how to swim, so he can face his fear of the water. He is thinking of how to tell Leslie that he does not want to cross the water into Terabithia that day, when May Belle tells him that he has a phone call. Miss Edmunds is on the phone and wants to know if Jess would like to go to an art museum with her that day. Jess asks his sleepy mother for permission, and when he and Miss Edmunds are on their way, Jess thinks that he should have asked Leslie to go too. Jess has fun hanging out with his teacher and he finds the artwork and buildings particularly appealing; he thinks that Leslie would appreciate the capital buildings and would find them familiar. When he realizes how momentous the museum is, he thinks about Terabithia. Jess worries that he does not have any money to eat lunch, but Miss Edmunds pays for him; he decides to ask Leslie later whether he should have allowed her to do that or not. When they are leaving the city, the sun comes out, and Jess thinks that he had the best day ever. He thanks Miss Edmunds and runs home excited about his day. When he gets home the mood is somber, and his mother is crying; Brenda tells Jess that Leslie is dead.
Jess does not believe the news when he hears it. He learns that Leslie drowned in the creek, and he insists that she was a strong swimmer, and that would be impossible. His father tells him that the rope swing broke, and she hit her head. Jess continues to deny the news and starts yelling at everyone; he leaves the house and takes off running down the road. Jess hears his father following him in the truck until finally his father pulls past him and picks him up. Jess falls asleep and when he wakes from a dreadful dream he thinks that he must have dreamed Leslie’s death. He feels like he should go to her house and get her and they should go to Terabithia even though it is late. He wants to apologize for not inviting her to the museum, and tell her all about his day. He has a terrible feeling but tries to shake it off. He tries not to think about anything that will make him sad and instead thinks about his day in Washington until he falls asleep. When he wakes again, Jess realizes he did not milk Miss Bessie, but his mother tells him that his father did it, and she makes him pancakes. He wolfs the pancakes down, thinking hunger must have been the unpleasant feeling he had, and his sisters think he is being heartless and unfeeling. Jess’ dad comes in and says they should go see the Burkes, but Jess still denies anything happened. Jess’ dad tells him again that Leslie has died; when they leave to see the Burkes May Belle wants to come, but she is not allowed.
When they get to the Burkes’ house, P.T. is supremely happy to see Jess, and other people are there too. Jess goes right into the gold room that he and Leslie helped paint, and Leslie’s grandmother comes in, but she cannot speak to Jess she just cries. Jess does not like seeing everyone crying because he is not crying. Jess wonders if he will be treated different at school because his friend died and he wonders what clothes Leslie will be buried in. Leslie’s dad comes in and hugs Jess; he tells Jess that Leslie loved him, and he was a good friend. Jess thinks that Leslie would find this whole thing utterly ridiculous. He gets upset when he finds out Leslie will be cremated and he feels as though the whole situation is a lot more real with that news. He gets mad at Leslie for introducing him to Terabithia and then leaving him, and he runs home. When May Belle asks if Jess saw the body, he hits her and grabs the presents that Leslie gave him for Christmas. Jess runs to the creek with the presents, sees the rope swing, and throws the art supplies into the water. Jess’ father comes out to make him feel better, and Jess tells his father that he hates Leslie for leaving him; he also worries that Leslie is going to end up in hell though his father assures him that this is not the case. When Jess gets home everyone is agreeable to him, though May Belle is still a bit upset. Mr. Burke comes by and asks if Jess can watch P.T. while they are in Pittsburg, and Jess feels better when he is with the dog.
That Saturday Jess goes about business as usual, pretending that nothing happened. He takes P.T. with him to the creek to try to recover the paints he threw in. The creek is not scary anymore now that it has calmed down, and Jess finds himself wondering whether it is still Terabithia on the other side. He crosses with the aid of a tree branch, and P.T. follows him by swimming. Once he is on the other side, Jess thinks that he should do something nice there for Leslie, but he does not know what; he wishes that she were there to help him decide on what to do. He decides to make her a funeral wreath, and he takes it to the sacred grove where she liked to pray. Jess feels like he is at peace, when suddenly he hears May Belle screaming and he runs to the creek where he finds that she is stuck. Jess calms May Belle down and helps her to get across the creek; she tells him that she only came there to make him feel less lonely.
At school, Jess is sad to see that Leslie’s desk has been removed from the classroom; this is a sign that she is gone and is not coming back. When the class is doing the Pledge of Allegiance, Mrs. Myers pulls Jess out of the room and talks to him about Leslie. She tells him that Leslie was a truly remarkable girl and that he must always remember her. Jess feels guilty for all the mean things he and Leslie said about Mrs. Myers because now she is helping him deal with Leslie’s death. Jess realizes that he must keep living life for Leslie because she is not able to anymore. When Leslie’s parents get back to town, they pack their things and move again. They give Jess all of Leslie’s art supplies and tell him that he can have anything that they left behind in their house. Mr. Burke wanted Jess to have P.T. but found that he could not give him up. Jess finds some lumber left at the Burkes house, and he uses it to build a bridge across the creek. He walks May Belle across the bridge and into Terabithia where she will be the new queen.
Matt finishes reading “Robinson Crusoe” to Attean, and both boys are sad to see the story come to an end. Attean admits to Matt that every day after their lesson he tells the stories from the book to his people around the campfire. Matt thinks about what stories he can tell Attean now and realizes that he does have one other book, the Bible. He remembers that some of the stories in the Bible are pretty action-packed, and he decides to read some of them to Attean. The first story he reads the Indian boy is the story of Noah and his ark. When Matt is done reading the story, Attean tells him that the Indians have a similar story; he tries to tell Matt the story as well as he can using white man’s language. Matt is amazed at how similar the stories are to one another, and he wonders how many other Indian stories are similar to the stories of the white man. He also wonders how the Indians could possibly know about the massive flood when they live way out in the woods.
The boys are about to embark on their most adventurous day, though they do not know it. Matt manages to kill her first rabbit with his bow and arrow and is extremely excited as he walks through the woods swinging it by the ears. While the boys are walking, a bear cub comes out of nowhere which startles them, so they stop moving until the mother bear appears and charges at them. Matt, overcome with fear, throws his rabbit right at the mother. The mother stops for a second and then keeps charging, but she stalled long enough for Attean to load his bow and shoot an arrow right in between the bear’s eyes; he does not even miss a beat before he loads another arrow and shoots her in the chest then lunges forward to finish her off with the knife. He apologizes to the bear for having to kill her because Indians do not hunt mother bears with cubs. Matt is glad that Attean saved them from the bear, and Attean compliments Matt for thinking so quickly with the rabbit, as an Indian would think. The boys leave the bear for the squaws to take care of, and Matt is upset that he will not get any to show his father, but he is still riding high on the compliment from Attean.
Matt is terribly lonely when he is left by himself later that day and he wonders when his family will return. He sees a figure coming out of the woods and realizes that it is Attean, and he appears to be covered in war paint, though he says he is dressed for the feast of the bear and Saknis told him to invite Matt. Matt follows Attean through the woods and across the river until he sees cabins, wigwams, and Indian people dressed in their finest preparing for the celebration. Saknis walks toward Attean dressed in a long red robe, and he’s looking like a king. He and the other Indians welcome Matt to their feast, and he responds “Kweh!” which is the traditional Indian greeting. Matt is pleased to be so welcomed, but is also a bit overwhelmed; he sits down and is given a pleasant, sweet drink to sip on. Attean stands and tells a story which Matt recognizes as their own story from earlier that day and everyone laughs when he gets to the part about Matt throwing the rabbit, which Matt enjoys. The Indians and Matt all begin to dance when the story is over and then sit down for some stew. Matt notices that Attean is not eating any and Attean says that as he killed the bear he will not eat it. There are many more stories and laughter that night and Matt becomes exceedingly tired. Attean takes him to a comfortable wigwam and as Matt drifts off to sleep he notices that the party is still going strong.
When Matt wakes in the morning, he notices that the hut he slept in is in a bit of disarray, and the fire is dying out, so the smoke is a bit overwhelming. Matt leaves the tent and looks around the environment; he finds that the magical atmosphere from the night before is gone and the Indians live in shambles and do not wear fashionable clothes, or sometimes any clothes, on a daily basis. Attean finds Matt, and he looks upset; Matt learns that the men are hunting, and Attean cannot go with them because he does not have a gun, and cannot afford one. The Indian money used to be good to buy supplies with, but it is not anymore. Attean’s grandmother did not want Matt at the celebration the night before but eventually allowed it because she hates the white man; Attean’s parents were both killed by white men when they began to take over the Indian land. Matt realizes that there are many differences between their cultures, and he feels sorry for the Indian people that the white man has treated them so poorly. Matt wonders if it is safe for his mother to be brought to their new home. The boys reach a split in the trail, and Matt realizes that he could find his way back to Attean’s village if he wanted to, but he can tell by the look on Attean’s face that he is not welcome unless invited.
More time passes and Matt’s family is still not back; he can see that fall weather is coming, and he becomes worried. He notices that Attean seems to be in a dark mood as of late as well and has been coming around less. One day when Matt is exploring in the woods alone, confident in the knowledge that Attean has imparted on him, he finds himself in the land claimed by the people of the turtle. He sees that Attean’s dog is stuck in a trap, and he tries to free it, though he knows he should not. The dog will not allow Matt near it so he knows he must run to Attean’s village and find him. When he gets there, he asks for Attean, but is told he is not there, so he asks to see Attean’s grandmother. He tries to explain to the proud old woman about the dog, but she does not speak English, as Matt learns from Attean’s sister Marie. Marie accompanies Matt to the trap where they manage to free the dog, which bounds off through the woods when he is set free. They meet up with Attean, who again calls the dog worthless, but he seems pleased that Marie and Matt rescued it.
Two days later Attean invites Matt back to the village at the request of his grandmother. Matt feels at east in the village where he has some fish and corn stew and learns how to the daily chores of the Indian women; he learns skills that will be immensely valuable to him. Matt and Attean play a gambling game with the other boys and Matt loses so he has to give up a personal possession; he gives up his only shirt. After this, the boys all play in the water together and horse around. Matt feels like he is a little kid playing in the ocean again. He is happy to have been accepted by the Indian people. When he goes to say goodbye to Attean’s grandmother she asks where his shirt is and Attean gives it back to him, telling him that taking it was only a joke. Attean brings Matt home in the canoe and the dog comes with them; the dog curls up next to Matt and allows Matt to pet him. Matt and Attean note that the dog seems to remember him. Matt is tired after playing around all day, but he is happy to have been accepted and to not have embarrassed Attean.
It is a week before Attean arrives back at Matt’s cabin. Matt has been sure to complete all of his chores early in the morning so that if Attean invites him back to the village he will be ready to go. When Attean arrives he brings Matt some surprising news. The men of Attean’s village are going off on a caribou hunting trip but Attean will not be going with them as it is time for him to find his Manitou, or spirit. Attean will have to go deep into the woods by himself for a few days and build a wigwam where he will stay with no food until he receives a sign; the sign can be a vision, a dream, or some sound. Attean does not know what the sign will be, but he will know when he receives it. After he receives the sign, he will be given a new name and be treated like a man in his tribe. If he does not receive the sign, then he will have to go back to his village a failure. Matt worries about Attean because the nights are getting seriously cold and he will not be able to eat. Attean tells Matt that he will come and see again when and if he completes his mission.
Attean returns a few days later accompanied by Saknis and Matt can tell right away that Attean has completed his task. He is walking taller, with pride, and his head has been shaved. Matt congratulates his friend, and Attean says little but is supremely happy. Saknis looks at Matt gravely, and tells him that winter is coming, and their entire village will be moving up north to go hunting; he would like Matt to join them as Attean’s white brother because it will be dangerous for him to live in the cabin alone. Matt tells Saknis that his father may be returning soon, but Saknis points out that he may not; Matt does not want to think about the possibility that his father will never come back. Matt decides to decline Saknis’ offer, politely, and the two Indians leave. As Matt chops wood, he hopes that he made the right choice and did not offend his friend. Saknis had offered Matt a handshake and a goodbye, but Attean did not say anything. Matt worries that he may have embarrassed Attean by refusing the offer to be his white brother.
Matt waits several days for Attean to return to the cabin and eventually he does, accompanied by his dog. Attean asks if Matt has changed his mind and Matt tells him that he has not because he must be faithful to his father. Attean tells Matt that he and his grandfather both understand and find honor in his choice. Matt is given a pair of snowshoes as a gift from Saknis and a basket of maple sugar as a gift from Attean’s grandmother. Matt tells Attean to thank his grandparents, and to tell his grandmother he will help them collect maple in the spring. Matt is surprised when Attean tells him that they will not ever be returning; they are a hunting village and must move to a place where the white man will not come onto their land. Matt wonders if Saknis ever owned the land his cabin is on but Attean tells him that man cannot own land, as land is for everyone to live on. Matt thinks that Attean sees things in the proper way. Before Attean leaves, he gives Matt his dog, as he will not be of any use on the hunt and the dog likes Matt; Attean also refers to Matt as his medabe, or white brother. Matt feels he must give Attean something in return, and he knows the book will not do him any good, so he gives Attean his father’s watch. Matt shows Attean how to wind the watch and Attean seems impressed by the gift and the gesture. Attean says goodbye and shakes his friend’s hand before he walks away for the last time.
Matt continues on with his daily chores just as he did before meeting Attean. He fills cracks in the home with mud, he shucks corn rather than watering it, and he uses some of the new skills that the Indians have taught him. He finds berries that he can use as food, he makes insulation for his moccasins and a fur hat, and he constantly strives to stay warm. Matt thinks of his mother often, as he is doing many chores, which are usually the job of a woman. He eagerly anticipates the arrival of his family and spends time making them gifts. For his mother, he makes dishes out of wood, for the baby he makes a cradle, and, for his sister Sarah, he makes a doll out of corn husks. Matt is surprised by how much he has missed Sarah because he did not expect to at all. He thinks about Attean’s sister Marie, and he wishes that both families could be introduced and get to know one another.
It is approaching Christmas time and the thought of the holiday makes Matt happy, but he is also sad. He thinks of his family, and his mother’s plum pudding, though he is sad that he will not be able to share the holiday with them. He knows Christmas will just be another day, and he will have to rely on his memories for companionship. When the first heavy snowfall comes Matt is almost trapped in the cabin because he cannot open the door, but he makes himself a shovel out of firewood and manages to coax it open. He tries out his snowshoes and finds that he is clumsy with them at first, though he catches on quickly and finds that he enjoys being out in the snow. Matt has always feared winter, but now he finds that he does not anymore, and he is happy for the first time in a awful long time. That night he curls up by the fire to stay warm and read “Robinson Crusoe”.
A few days later Matt is collecting firewood when the dog starts barking toward the creek. Matt looks in the direction and sees a figure pulling a sled; it is his father, along with his sister and mother. Matt is so happy to see his family and tearfully reunites with them. Matt’s father tells him that they were determined to make it to the cabin by Christmas, and the reason they took so long is because they were infected with typhus and could not travel for a couple months. Matt learns that the baby only lived for five days. Matt’s father immediately senses all of the signs of Indians on the property and he is pleased that Matt has done the job of a grown man. Matt is given new boots, a wool jacket, and breeches and is happy to see all of the belongings his parents have brought that make their cabin look like a home. Matt feels extremely lucky and rich. Sarah does not seem to like the dog, but Matt tells her that they will all grow to love it. Matt’s mother cannot believe how much he has grown and how dark his skin as become, like an Indian; he thinks that she has no idea how close he came to becoming an Indian. Matt learns that more families are coming and soon they will have neighbors, and a town will be formed. As Matt goes outside into the snow, he realizes that he will not have to eat alone anymore, and the Indians were smart to have left, because this land will no longer be for hunting.
Davos is being held in a cell underneath Dragonstone. He had been sick when they first brought him to the cell, and he got even sicker still. However, not long after that, the Maester of Dragonstone, Maester Pylos, comes to tend to him. The young maester’s treatments and remedies greatly help in Davos’ recovery and the Onion Knight soon finds that his strength has returned.
There is no way to tell time in the darkness of the dungeon, so Davos marks down the passage of time by the meals his guards brought. There were two of them tending to him, and since neither of them spoke so much as a word to him, he decides to call them Porridge and Lamprey, named after the meals they brought him.
One night, Melisandre comes to visit him. She states that the dungeons are a bad place, without light, and then she mentions that she is like the torch in the wall sconce by Davos’ cell – that both she and the torch are instruments of her god, R’hllor, and made with the single purpose of keeping darkness at bay. Davos, however, vehemently disagrees, calling her a mother of darkness in light of the fact that he saw her give birth to a creature of shadow and darkness under Storm’s End. Melisandre scoffs then, telling him that shadows only live when birthed by light; she also mentions that because the king’s life force is currently too weak, she dares not draw upon it again to create another shadow.
Melisandre then tells Davos to open his eyes and see the truth surrounding them: there is only one war out there that matters, and in that war, there are only two sides. On one side is the god Melisandre worships, R’hllor, the Lord of Light. On the other side is the Great Other whose name may not be spoken, the Lord of Darkness. Melisandre says that everyone has to choose which side to stand on; she asks Davos whether he stands in the light of R’hllor, or in darkness. Davos answers truthfully: he does not know where he truly stands. Melisandre tells him that it is good that he spoke the truth, for R’hllor gives all his priests the power to see through lies and falsehood.
Melisandre then asks Davos why he wanted to kill her. Davos says that he will tell her his reasons in return for telling him who revealed his plan to her. Melisandre laughs and tells Davos that no one betrayed him – she saw his plan in her flames. Davos argues that if she can see the future, why did Stannis lose the Battle of the Blackwater. Melisandre replies that Stannis’ loss and the wildfire were not her doing, that Stannis lost because his pride was stronger than his faith and that he has since learned his lesson.
She then steers the conversation towards its end by stating that, while Davos may see Stannis as a king, she sees him as R’hllor’s chosen – Azor Ahai, the warrior of fire, reborn. She mentions that there is a prophecy that points toward Stannis being the chosen one – “When the red star bleeds and the darkness gathers, Azor Ahai shall be born again amidst smoke and salt to wake dragons out of stone.” Melisandre then states that the red comet has already showed up in the sky and that since Dragonstone is a place of smoke and salt, then Stannis Baratheon is definitely Azor Ahai reborn. Before she leaves she makes one final statement: that even though Davos doubts the truth of R’hllor, he has served the Lord of Light all his life, and will serve him once again.
Three days later, Ser Axell Florent, the castellan of Dragonstone, throws another man into the cell with Davos. The newly-arrived prisoner protests his innocence, banging at the bars and yelling out that he is no traitor. With Ser Axell and his guards already leaving, the man shouts out to them, shouting that they can’t leave him in the cell because he is the King’s Hand. At the mention that the man is Stannis Baratheon’s Hand, Davos realizes that he knows the man – it is Lord Alester Florent.
Lord Alester turns out to be a man who has been utterly and thoroughly crushed by Stannis’ defeat in the Battle of the Blackwater; when Davos mentions that Stannis will never yield his claim to the Iron Throne, Alester says that it is pure folly for Stannis to continue fighting. Alester proceeds to cites reasons as to why Stannis cannot possibly win: many of the lords sworn to Dragonstone either died in the Battle of the Blackwater, or they were captured and bent the knee to King Joffrey. This has severely weakened Stannis’ forces – he now only has the strength of House Florent to rely on, a stark contrast compared to the many noble houses fighting under King Joffrey’s banners. Alester then mentions that everyone has deemed what he did an act of treason, but he defends what he did by stating that he had to do it in order to stop the war and the loss of lives.
When Davos presses further, Alester reveals the things he had done that caused him to be branded a traitor. He wrote a letter to Tywin, offering the following peace terms: Stannis will be accepted back into the king’s peace and confirmed as Lord of Dragonstone and Storm’s End if he gives up his claim to the Iron Throne, retracts all mention of Joffrey being the product of incest between Cersei and Jaime Lannister and wed his daughter Shireen to Joffrey’s younger brother Tommen.
Davos agrees that the terms are favorable for Joffrey. He then asks Alester on what Stannis had to say about the terms; Alester replies that he never presented the terms to Stannis, on account of Stannis always being locked away with the red priestess Melisandre. Alester tries to justify his actions of sending the peace terms of Joffrey without first presenting them to Stannis by the fact that it was Stannis who appointed him as Hand and him the King’s seal and that the King’s Hand speaks with the king’s voice.
Davos bluntly tells Alester that Stannis would never have allowed such peace terms to go through – it is against Stannis’ nature to yield a claim he knows is just or to unsay words he believes to be truths. And Stannis would rather see Shireen dead then wed to a child of incest like Tommen. Although Davos, like Alester, has no wish to die in a futile war against Joffrey, he states that he is loyal to the king, and will make no peace without Stannis’ leave.
Jon has been traveling south with Styr, Jarl and a small group of wildlings as part of a scouting expedition to examine the Wall’s defenses. The night before they go over the Wall, Jon tells his direwolf, Ghost, that there is no way for Ghost to follow them over the Wall; he tells Ghost that they have to part for now and instructs Ghost to head for Castle Black, where the two of them can meet once more. Whether the direwolf truly understands Jon or not, it lopes away into the trees and is soon gone from sight.
Not long later, one of the Magnar’s men comes to tell Jon that Styr wishes to see him. Jon returns to the cave where the small force is making camp for the night and makes his way to Styr. The Magnar of Thenn is with Jarl – the two share joint command over the small scouting force. When Styr asks Jon to tell them all he knows about the patrols on the Wall, Jon is reluctant to tell them, but he knows that Styr will have both him and Ygritte killed if he doesn’t tell them what they want to know, so he reveals a significant amount of information to the Magnar and Jarl. However, when asked how many men of the Night’s Watch remain in the castles along the Wall, Jon adds three hundred to the real figure. Jarl, who has gone over the Wall a dozen times, is not fooled by Jon’s deception and, after a warning to Jon that he will cut out Jon’s tongue if Jon is lying, Styr sends Jon away.
Jon goes to look for Ygritte, and he finds her in a small cave nearly hidden at the back of the cavern. In the cave, there is a little waterfall that falls into a wide dark pool. Ygritte tells Jon that there are hundreds of caves in these hills and that they all connect to each other. She tells him the story of Gendel, who was brother to a King-beyond-the-Wall by the name of Gorne. In her story, Gorne and Gendel brought their army of wildlings down into these caves and came out past the Wall. As soon as they came out of the tunnels, they were set upon by the men of the North. Gorne was slain, and Gendel led the surviving wildlings back into the tunnel. However, Gendel did not know the caves as Gorne had, and took a wrong turn. They descended deeper and deeper, until their torches started to fail and there was nothing but darkness. Ygritte ends the story by saying that Gendel’s folk were never seen again, but sometimes, you can hear their descendants sobbing under the hills, still looking for a way up.
After telling the story, Ygritte starts taking her clothes off and implores Jon to do the same. Jon, despite already making love to Ygritte many times before, still feels guilty for having broken the vow of the Night’s Watch (specifically, the vow of fathering no children), but once again, his passion overcomes his honor, and the two of them make love in the cave. After the deed, they start to get dressed, but when Ygritte stumbles into the pool, she drags Jon in with her, and the two of them are soon making love again. As they finish, Ygritte pleads with Jon to not to go back up to Styr and Jarl; she says that she just wants to stay in the cave with Jon, and never leave.
Daenerys is standing before the rulers of Astapor, collectively known as the Good Masters of Astapor. The eight men are all slave-masters of the highest status; Kraznys mo Naklaz is one of the eight. Daenerys notes that four of them are named Grazdan, after Grazdan the Great who founded Old Ghis; the oldest of the Grazdans is the highest ranking and thus most powerful slave-master in Astapor. While the Good Masters have their slaves to attend to them, Daenerys has brought her own band of attendants consisting of her two handmaidens, her bloodriders, Strong Belwas, Arstan Whitebeard and Ser Jorah.
Daenerys has just told the Good Masters that she wants to buy all the Unsullied. Kraznys tells her that they have eight thousand and six hundred Unsullied, and there are another four hundred in training, whom, once their training is complete, will make it nine thousand in total. Daenerys says she will take all nine thousand Unsullied. The Good Masters discuss the matter among themselves and soon come to a decision: they cannot sell the four hundred half-trained boys, since they are not yet Unsullied and would shame the Good Masters if they fail in battle – Daenerys can only have the eight thousand and six hundred Unsullied. They offer her another two thousand Unsullied if she comes back in a year’s time.
Daenerys rejects the Good Masters’ offer, stating that in a year’s time, she would be in Westeros; she needs the Unsullied today. She then proposes a counter-offer: she will take the eight thousand and six hundred Unsullied, the four hundred still in training, and all the little boys who have yet to begin their brutal training.
The Good Masters reject her offer. Daenerys offers to pay them double, as long as she gets all the Unsullied. Some of the Good Masters drool at the offer, but one of the Grazdans informs Daenerys that their men have gone through her gold and trading goods and that she only has enough to buy one thousand Unsullied; and since Daenerys offered to pay double, she can now only afford five hundred Unsullied.
Daenerys throws in all three of the ships that were supposed to take her and her Dothraki band back to Pentos – the Good Masters tell her that, for her, all gold and trading goods and all three ships, she can get two thousand of the Unsullied.
Frustrated that she doesn’t have enough to buy all the Unsullied, Daenerys does something that she’s thought long and hard about, something that she truly hates doing but is forced to do so because she knows she has no other choice: she offers the Good Masters one of her three dragons.
The Good Masters are besides themselves with greed. Arstan Whitebeard starts to protest, but Daenerys quickly orders Ser Jorah to remove the old squire from her presence; she then tells the Good Masters that she awaits their answer.
The Good Masters do not take long to make their decision: they agree to the new terms. Daenerys is to get all the Unsullied in exchange for her gold, her trading goods, the three ships, and Drogon, her largest and healthiest dragon. Both Daenerys and the Good Masters agree to the trade; the Good Masters also decide to make a gift of the slave girl who has done all the translating for them, Missandei, as a token of a bargain well struck.
Daenerys and her small band begin their journey back to the ship. Daenerys tells Arstan that he is free to speak his mind to her in private, but he should never question her in public. Next, she offers Missandei her freedom, but the soft-spoken girl, without any family or place to go, makes the decision to continuing staying on as one of Daenerys’ handmaids. Daenerys then starts asking Missandei questions about the Unsullied, chief among them regarding their obedience. Missandei replies that the Unsullied know only obedience, and she confirms what Daenerys wants to know: yes, should Daenerys resell any surviving Unsullied after she has conquered Westeros, those Unsullied will still attack her if commanded to do so by their new masters – the eunuchs obey without ever questioning. Therefore, in order to avoid the possibility of such a situation happening, Missandei suggests that Daenerys could instruct the Unsullied to fall upon their swords when she is done with them. The girl later confesses that she hopes that it doesn’t come to that though – three of the Unsullied Daenerys is about to buy were once her brothers.
Later that night, Daenerys awakes from a dream, only to realize that there is someone in the cabin with her. She sees only the faintest outline of a shape, but the shadow speaks with a woman’s voice. The woman reminds Daenerys to head for Asshai; it is then that Daenerys realizes the woman must be Quaithe of the Shadow, whom she met in Qarth and who had advised her then of the same thing. But the woman who would be Quaithe is no longer there when Daenerys springs out of bed.
The next day, Daenerys and her small band return to Astapor, and this time, they bring with the three dragons and all eighty-three of the Dothraki who have followed them thus far. The streets of the city are crowded with slaves and servants alike, all wanting to glimpse Daenerys’ dragons. The Good Masters have gathered all the Unsullied at the Plaza of Punishment fronting Astapor’s front gate; when Daenerys points out the racked and flayed bodies that were hanging from wooden platforms, Missandei tells her that the Good Masters placed the bodies there so new slaves can see them first thing upon entering the city.
All the Good Masters are there to greet her. Daenerys’ people start to stack all her trading goods before the slavers, and while the payment is being made, Kraznys offers her a little advice: he tells her that the Unsullied she is buying are still inexperienced, so he suggests that she bloods them early by sacking a few cities between Astapor and her eventual destination of Westeros.
When the all the trade goods had been piled up in front of the Good Masters, Daenerys tells them that the rest of the trading goods were too heavy to carry and are on the ships, and of course, the Good Masters get the three ships, as well. Daenerys then passes the final payment to the Good Masters – Drogon, her black dragon.
As soon as Kraznys mentions that the Unsullied are now hers, Daenerys mounts her silver horse and gallops among the ranks of her new army. She shouts at the top of the lungs that that they have been bought and paid for and now belong to her. She then rides back to the slavers, where she sees Kraznys is having some difficulty with Drogon – the black dragon will not budge, no matter how many time he tugs its leash.
Daenerys mentions that the reason Kraznys can’t get Drogon to move is because dragons are not slaves. She then sings out the command, “dracarys”, and Drogon starts spewing out fire, with the first person to go up in flames being Kraznys himself.
Daenerys’ handmaids release her two other dragons, Viserion and Rhaegal, and then, all three dragons are in the air, breathing fire down upon the slavers. Her bloodriders and Strong Belwas are by her side, there to deal with Astapor’s city guards. One of the Good Masters, the oldest Grazdan, shouts out a command to the Unsullied, ordering them to protect all the Good Masters. The Unsullied do not so much as move, which is the thing Daenerys had hoped for – the Unsullied are now hers.
She rides out among them once again, and orders them to kill every Good Master, soldier and slaver in the city, but to harm no children and to strike off the chains off every slave they see. She shouts out the word “Dracarys” at the end of her command and repeats it several times more.
The Unsullied take up her battle cry and are soon carrying out her orders.
Sansa is being fitted into her new gown while Cersei looks on. Sansa is enjoying herself until a maiden’s cloak is fastened about her neck, but by then it is already too late – Cersei announces that that the septon and wedding guests are waiting for them, to witness Sansa’s marriage to Tyrion. Sansa is in a state of shock; she had been expecting the Tyrells to bring her to Highgarden to marry Willas. Cersei has two of the Kingsguard, Ser Meryn Trant and Ser Osmund Kettleblack escort Sansa to the sept; Sansa, seeing that there is nothing she can do to stop the wedding, meekly go along with the two Kingsguard.
Upon reaching the sept, Tyrion, handsomely dressed, speaks with Sansa privately. He apologizes for the wedding being so sudden and secret; his father, Tywin, felt that it was necessary for reasons of state. He reveals that, like Sansa, he did not ask for this marriage, but that Tywin would have wed her to Lancel Lannister had Tyrion refused to marry her. In a moment of kindness, Tyrion asks Sansa whether she would prefer to marry Lancel instead, stating that Lancel is more comely and closer to Sansa’s age. Sansa, meanwhile, has come to the conclusion that it doesn’t really matter whether it is a Tyrell or Lannister she marries because all anyone is interested in is her claim to Winterfell. Upon hearing Tyrion’s offer for her to marry Lancel instead, Sansa, resigned to her fate, says that she is a ward of the throne and as such, it is her duty to marry whoever the king commands. Tyrion mentions that he might not be the man young girls like Sansa dream of marrying, but he is also not a monster like Joffrey.
To Sansa, the wedding ceremony seems to pass by quickly, almost as if it were a dream; soon the septon proclaims Tyrion and Sansa man and wife. A small wedding feast is held, and among the fifty or so guests who attend are Margaery Tyrell and Lady Olenna; Margaery gives Sansa a look of sadness, but the Queen of Thorns does not so much as look at her.
Tyrion drinks heavily but eats little during the feast. Sansa desperately wants to seek some solace in dancing, but when she tries to get Tyrion to dance with her, he declines her invitation. Ser Garlan Tyrell comes to the rescue, however, and asks Sansa for a dance; Tyrion gives his consent and both Ser Garlan and Sansa proceed to dance and sway to the music. During their dance, Ser Garlan offers her some comfort and a word of advice: that her new husband is not a bad husband, that Tyrion is a bigger man than he seems. The dance continues and Sansa dances with a slew of partners, including Mace Tyrell, Ser Kevan Lannister, Prince Tommen and King Joffrey.
Soon, the dance is over, and Joffrey announces that the time of the bedding is upon them. The bedding is a ritual where the men at the feast would carry the newly-wed lady up to her wedding bed, undressing her along the way while making crude jokes as to the fate that awaits her; the women do the same with the newly-wed lord. Tyrion tells Joffrey that he wants to dispense with the bedding. When Joffrey insists that the bedding takes place, Tyrion threatens to geld Joffrey. Lord Tywin resolves the situation before it can escalate further, granting Tyrion permission to dispense with the bedding, and mollifying Joffrey’s petulance by stating that Tyrion’s threat is not to be taken seriously seeing as how Tyrion is heavily drunk. Tyrion admits that he is drunk and leaves the hall with Sansa, but not before mentioning in front of everyone that he is going to be bringing Sansa back to their wedding bed for a private bedding.
Later in the bedchamber, Tyrion tells Sansa to undress; when she does, Tyrion admires her beauty and admits that he wants to make love to her. He tries to comfort her by saying that he will treat Sansa well, but Sansa remains quiet throughout. Tyrion then tells her to get onto the bed, and then he proceeds to undress himself. However, after getting onto the bed with her, Tyrion confesses that he cannot proceed with the bedding – he says that the two of them will wait, for however long it takes for Sansa to get to know him better and to trust him, even if just a little. He promises that he will not touch her until Sansa wants him to. When Sansa then asks Tyrion what would happen should she never want him to touch her, Tyrion climbs off the bed, saying that such a situation would be the reason why the gods made whores for people like him.
Arya and Gendry, along with their traveling companions, Harwin, Lem, Anguy, Tom and the rest of the outlaws, find themselves in the town of Stony Sept. It is the biggest town Arya has seen since King’s Landing, and the town looked as if it’s seen some fighting recently; the town appears to be well-defended.
When the group enters Stoney Sept, they learn that the townsfolk have adequate food supplies; in fact, the town has suffered a few attacks exactly because there are those who want to steal what they have. The town also reports that, outside the town’s walls, there seem to be many men who roam the countryside, scavenging, plundering and even raping. There is even talk of men searching the Riverlands for Jamie Lannister; the rumors are that he escaped from Riverrun and is making his way to King’s Landing. One of the townsfolk, known by the moniker “The Huntsman” has taken his dogs to join in the hunt for the Kingslayer.
They make their way to the market square, where they see several men being held inside iron cages that hung from creaking wooden posts; three of the men are on the brink of death, but most are already dead. The townsfolk tell them that these men are northmen who committed rape and murder in one of the Riverlands towns. The men who are still clinging on to life call out for water, and Arya complies, an act of mercy for these men who hail from the North, like her. Lem says that the townsfolk should have hanged the men – Lord Beric frowns on leaving caged men to die of thirst. Anguy settles the issue by firing his arrows, killing all three northmen.
The group then make their way to an inn, the Peach, where they are greeted warmly by a red-haired female innkeeper by the name of Tansy. Tansy appears to know the men quite well; she offers them beds for the night and sends them for baths while she prepares a meal for them.
After the meal, Arya notices that there are a lot of serving girls in the inn. When evening comes around, a lot of men start to come and go at the Peach, and the men do not stay in the common room for long; instead, they would choose a girl and take her upstairs. With these two observations, Arya surmises that the Peach is actually a brothel.
During the night, Arya overhears Lem and Harwin talking to Tansy, about how Lady Catelyn Stark freed Jamie Lannister from the dungeon at Riverrun. An old man starts taking an interest in Arya, but hurriedly backs off after Gendry steps in and claims that Arya is his sister. After the old man leaves, Arya asks Gendry why he would say such a thing, since he is not her brother; Gendry angrily replies that he’s too lowborn to be related to her and tells her to go away. Arya, furious at Gendry’s reaction, leaves, heading straight for bed.
During her sleep, Arya dreams that she is her direwolf, Nymeria, hunting in the forest with her pack brothers and sisters.
Morning comes around, and Arya is woken up from her sleep by the barking of dogs. Gendry, Lem and Tom were also sleeping in the large bed, so Arya hops her way to the window by the bed. Outside, down in the square, she sees a tied-up prisoner surrounded by many dogs; the man’s captor taunts the prisoner, telling him that they are going to put him into one of the cages, to leave him to rot.
Tom goes to the window, and when Lem asks as to what’s going on down in the square, Tom says that the Huntsman has returned, with another man for the hanging cages. Arya hears the captor mention the name Lannister, but when she finally catches sight of the prisoner’s face, she realizes that he is not Jaime Lannister. It is, however, one of the men whose name she has been reciting every night before she sleeps.
Chapter 30 – Jon
The small wildling raiding force, numbering some hundred and twenty men, are beginning their preparations to scale the Wall. Jarl, an experienced raider who has already gone over the Wall more than a dozen times in the past, picks a advantageous spot to scale the Wall – along the edge of a long granite ridgeline where the dense woodland not only provided substantial concealment from the eyes of any of the Watch’s patrols but also allowed the raiders to get ascend the first few hundred feet via the trees instead of risking it on the icy surface of the Wall.
Jarl is one of the twelve raiders who have been chosen to go over the Wall. They divide themselves into three teams of four; Jarl leads one of the teams while the others are led by a blonde-haired raider called Grigg the Goat and a thin man named Errok. Before they start climbing, Jarl mentions that Mance has offered them a great incentive: every man in the first team to reach the top will get a sword, a weapon rarely found amongst the wildlings due their inability to forge steel weapons.
Jarl’s well-chosen spot, with its strategically-placed trees, gives them a significant head-start in the race to the top. They are well-ahead till noon, whereupon they then come across a patch of bad ice and experience a set-back, allowing Grigg’s team to almost draw even with them. However, after recovering from the unexpected set-back, Jarl’s team is soon up ahead again, with the gap between his team and Grigg’s widening.
Disaster strikes in the sixth hour: a huge chunk of ice breaks off from the Wall, tumbling down the icy surface and sweeping all before it. After he and Ygritte narrowly avoid being hit by the ice chunks, Jon looks up at the Wall again – Jarl and his team are no longer on the Wall. Jon, Ygritte, Styr and his Thenns go look for Jarl and find the young raider impaled upon a tree branch. One of Jarl’s men survived the fall but broke his legs, spine and most of his ribs during the fall; one of the Thenns gives the man the gift of mercy by smashing the injured man’s head with his stone mace.
Grigg and his men reach the top of the Wall, and Errok’s team soon join them. Each of the climbers had brought up long coils of hemp with them, and they tie all the hemp together into a long rope and toss it down to the raiders below. The raiders tie a whopping woven hemp ladder to the climbers’ rope, and the climbers haul it up again and staked it to the top. The raiders have four more ladders, so the entire process is repeated four more times.
After all the ladders have been staked, everyone below starts the long climb to the top. Two of Styr’s men fall from the ladder to their deaths, but there are no further casualties during the climb. By the time Jon and Ygritte finally reach the top, it is close to midnight. Ygritte has tears in her eyes, saying that she nearly fell on three occasions during the long climb. When Jon tells her that she doesn’t need to be frightened because the worst is already behind them, Ygritte tells him that she isn’t crying because she was frightened during the climb, but because Mance never found the Horn of Winter in the Frostfangs. Mance and the wildlings had opened up many graves and released many of the wights in the process, but yet they did not find the fabled artifact. Ygritte mentions that if they did have the Horn of Winter with them, then they wouldn’t have to waste so many hours and lose so many lives climbing the Wall – they could have just used the Horn to bring the entire Wall crashing down.
The Brave Companions are taking Jaime and Brienne to Harrenhal. Jaime has been in a world of pain ever since the Companions cut off his right hand; he is suffering from a fever, blood and pus is seeping from his stump, and he feels agony where his hand used to be.
One morning, an opportunity presents itself and Jaime manages to get his hands on a sword; his attempt to fight, however, is pathetic, given his illness and inability to wield the sword properly with his left hand. One of the mercenaries flings him aside and kicks the sword from his hand. Vargo Hoat warns Jaime that he may just cut off another hand, or foot, if Jaime tries to escape again.
The loss of his right hand and consequently, the loss of his fighting skills, sends Jaime into a spiral of depression. Feeling utterly useless, he is about to give up on life when Brienne rouses his stubborn side by calling him a craven for wanting to die. Shocked by the accusation that he is a coward, something that no one has ever accused him of being, he asks her what else can he do but give up and die. Brienne tells him that he should continue living and continue fighting so that he can one day take his revenge.
Jaime, emboldened by her words, decides to do just that. He starts finishing all the food the Companions feed him and does his best to make it through every day, despite the constant dull throbbing and pain.
A few nights later, it is Jaime’s turn to save Brienne. Several of the Companions come and approach a bound up Brienne, with the intention of raping her. Brienne intends to fight back, a move that Jaime knows will get her killed. So he quickly shouts out the word “sapphires”, and sure enough, Urswyck and Vargo Hoat himself arrive at the scene, warning the others not to so much as touch Brienne; they believe Jaime’s earlier bluff that raping her will mean they cannot get her weight in sapphires when they ransom her to her father. After that night, they put guards around Jaime and Brienne, to protect them from their own men.
Finally, they arrive at Harrenhal. Vargo Hoat forces Jaime and Brienne to enter the huge castle on foot, parading the both of them for all to see. Brienne points out the banners that hang from the castle wall to Jaime – it is the Boltons, bannermen to House Stark, who now hold Harrenhal. Vargo Hoat starts leading them to see the current Lord of Harrenhal and the head of House Bolton, Roose Bolton.
Along the way, they come across a group of Frey knights. When Brienne tries to get their attention by saying that she is sworn to House Stark just as they are, they spit at her feet, claiming that Robb Stark has betrayed their faith in him.
Just then, Roose Bolton appears. He shares some of the latest news of events taking place in the kingdom, most of them in regards to the Battle of the Blackwater and its aftermath. Roose Bolton then admonishes Vargo Hoat for cutting off Jaime’s hand and the attempted rape of Brienne; Vargo Hoat wisely keeps silent. Roose Bolton then tells Brienne that she is a guest in Harrenhal, under his protection, and has one of the servants lead her to her quarters. He has one of his soldiers escort Jaime to Qyburn.
Qyburn is an ex-Maester who is also a Brave Companion. Having served with Vargo Hoat, Qyburn is no stranger to stumps – he looks at the rotting flesh and pus and advices Jaime to take the whole arm off. Jaime warns Qyburn that if he saws off any more of his arm, he’ll strangle Qyburn. Qyburn relents, going with Jaime’s intention of only cleaning the stump and sewing it up, although he says that if anything goes wrong, it would be on Jaime’s head. Jaime insists on not taking painkillers, but due to the intense pain and agony during the operation, he eventually loses consciousness. When he comes to, he discovers that Qyburn kept his word – his stump has been cleaned and sewn up, nothing more.
Tyrion and Bronn are inspecting the riverfront at King’s Landing; nothing remains after the Battle of the Blackwater but already there are people living in ramshackle houses near the city walls. Bronn suggests taking a few of the City Watch and going down there to kill all the poor folks who have decided to make the waterfront their new home. Tyrion tells Bronn to leave the waterfront folk alone; however, should they decided to throw up their hovels and huts against the wall again, like they did before the Battle of the Blackwater, then Bronn must pull all of it down. The task of rebuilding the docks and reopening the river and port was supposed to have gone to Ser Kevan Lannister, but Tyrion’s uncle is grieving over the loss of his son, Willem, who was brutally murdered by Lord Rickard Karstark and his men after being taken captive by Robb Stark. Kevan’s other son, Martyn is a captive of Robb’s as well, while the elder brother, Lancel, is still recovering from a wound he received during the Battle of the Blackwater.
Tyrion’s recent moods have been black, with the main cause stemming from his marriage to Sansa Stark – half the castle appear to know that he has yet to claim his young wife’s maidenhood. Sansa is ever courteous when they sleep, but he can see the revulsion in her eyes when she looks at his naked body. Even his whore, Shae, is not too concerned about Sansa, saying that Tyrion will impregnate Sansa sooner or later and come back to her; Tyrion had hoped for less indifference from Shae, but he is starting to wonder whether he can ever find true love.
The inspection of the riverfront is not the sole reason Tyrion and Bronn are out on the streets; after the inspection, they make their way to the poorer part of the city. Bronn halts at the mouth of an alley, and tells Tyrion that the wine sink he is looking for is nearby. Tyrion tells Bronn to stay where he is and make sure that no one enters or leaves the alley till he returns.
Tyrion makes his way to the wine sink, to meet the singer called Symon Silver Tongue. Symon has entertained Shae on occasion, and because of that, Tyrion knows that Symon’s tongue and woodharp is deadlier than any sword: should his father get wind of Tyrion’s relationship with Shae, he would hang her without an ounce of hesitation. And that is why Tyrion has thirty gold coins with him – he tells Symon that the singer should ply his skills in the Free Cities, saying that a year in each of the nine cities will suffice and that he would be happy to pay for Symon’s passage.
Symon, however, has other ideas. He sings a new song that he has composed, and Tyrion realizes that the song is about his relationship with Shae. Symon subtly threatens Tyrion by saying that he might be singing the song to Cersei or Tywin. Tyrion says that Symon has more to gain from being silent than from singing his songs. The singer smiles and tells Tyrion his price – Cersei is organizing a tournament of singers at King Joffrey’s wedding feast, but Symon hasn’t received an invitation to the tournament. Tyrion gets the hint and tells Symon that he will arrange for an opening at the tournament for Symon. Tyrion then leaves the wine sink.
When he rejoins Bronn outside, he tells the mercenary that three days from now, Bronn will go to meet Symon and inform him that he is to replace another singer in the tournament. When Symon follows Bronn to be fitted for new clothes for the tournament, Bronn is to kill Symon and make sure that his body is never found.
Tyrion returns to his chambers, only to discover that his father has summoned him. When he enters his father’s solar, he discovers his father has had the master armorer make two new swords. Both swords are magnificent and made from Valyrian steel. The lighter and more ornate sword is to be Tywin’s wedding gift to Joffrey while the larger and heavier of the two swords is to be given to Jaime.
After admiring the swords, Tywin and Tyrion get down to business. Tywin starts by asking Tyrion for a report on the riverfront. When Tyrion replies that he will need quite a lot of gold in order to rebuild the docks and reopen the port again, Tywin says that Tyrion will find the gold that is required. When Tyrion points out that the treasury is empty and that the crown is paying half of all the expenses for Joff’s incredibly extravagant wedding, Tywin points out that the wedding needs to be extravagant to demonstrate the power and wealth of Casterly Rock and that if Tyrion cannot find the coin for both the wedding and the waterfront, he will be replaced by a new master of coin who can. Tyrion, unwilling to be dismissed after so short a period of time as the master of coin, acquiesces to Tywin’s request.
Tywin then moves on to the issue of Tyrion not consummating his marriage with Sansa Stark; he reminds Tyrion that a marriage that has not be consummated can legally be set aside. Tyrion, angry that his father has raised the issue, demands to know why the focus is on his marriage and not Cersei’s impending one. Tywin then reveals to Tyrion that Mace Tyrell has refused his offer to marry Cersei to Mace’s eldest son, Willas Tyrell. Tywin seems to think that Lady Olenna, also known as the Queen of Thorns, was the one who convinced Mace Tyrell to turn down Tywin’s offer. Tyrion is feeling much better after hearing the news, but Tywin reminds him that Cersei must never know of it and that everyone will be much better off by forgetting that the offer was ever made.
Just then, Maester Pycelle enters, bearing a letter from Castle Black. The letter is from Bowen Marsh, castellan of Castle Black. Bowen tells of how he has received a letter from Lord Mormont, telling of an attack on the group of men who went on the ranging north of the Wall. No men from the ranging has yet to return to the Wall, so Bowen fears that the wildlings have killed all the men who went North; and that means the Night’s Watch has too little men to defend the Wall against the wildlings, whom Bowen expects to attack the Wall next. In his letter, Bowen makes a plea for all the five kings of the realms to send as many men as they can to the Night’s Watch.
Pycelle wonders whether they should convene the King’s council to address the issue of sending men to the Wall, but Tywin mentions there is no need to do so. Tywin states that the men who make up the Night’s Watch are all thieves and killers, but the order of sworn brothers could prove useful to the Crown if the new Lord Commander, the one who replaces Lord Mormont, was loyal to King Joffrey. Tywin orders Pycelle to write a letter back to Bowen Marsh, stating that Joffrey is unable to send any men at the moment, not until he clears the battlefield of rebels and usurpers – however, once the throne is secure, Joffrey might send some men to the Night’s Watch, provided he has full confidence in the order’s leadership. Tywin tells Pycelle that the letter should close with a subtle hint that Joffrey’s sending of men to the Night’s Watch would hinge on the order electing Janos Slynt as the new Lord Commander.
Samwell
Lord Mormont, Samwell Tarly and the rest of the survivors from the Fist of the First Men have made it to Craster’s Keep. Several of the men are suffering from severe wounds, but their sworn brothers can do little for them – the medicines and herbs they had brought along with them for the expedition had been left behind during their escape from the Fist.
Craster’s Keep has proven to be a safe haven for them to rest: there have been no attacks from either the wights or the Others. Craster has provided food, fire and shelter for the men of the Night’s Watch. However, some of the men are complaining about just how little food Craster gives them; some even complain about the harsh, brutal way he treats his many wives. But none of them do so within Lord Commander Mormont’s hearing; the senior rangers also remind them of the fact that Craster has always been a friend to the Night’s Watch and that since they are taking shelter under his roof, they have to follow his rules. And all the men know that means they are not to touch Craster’s wives and to speak to them as little as possible.
Some of the sworn brothers have taken to calling Sam by a new moniker – instead of Ser Piggy, they now call him Sam the Slayer, on account of Sam retelling his tale of how he killed one of the Others with his dragonglass dagger. Most of the men doubt his story, but Mormont is too wise to throw away what could be an advantage – he asks Sam to gather all the dragonglass weapons he has. Sam does so, and they come up with two daggers, a spearhead, an old broken horn, and nineteen arrowheads. The spearhead they attach to a hardwood shaft to create a spear, which is passed from watch to watch, while the nineteen arrows made from the dragonglass arrowheads are divided among the best bowmen.
Mormont talks to Sam about the dragonglass – he laments the fact that the current Night’s Watch knows next to nothing about dragonglass and how it could be used against the wights and Others. He says that the order must have known about it in the past, and that the Wall was meant to guard the realms of men, not from other men, which the wildlings are, but from creatures like the wights and Others. Mormont asks Sam where they can find more dragonglass, but when Sam replies that the children of the forest will know, Mormont scoffs and tells Sam that the children of the forest are all dead.
Before Mormont and Sam can take their discussion any further, Craster emerges from his hall and tells them that his young wife, Gilly, has just given birth to a baby boy. When Mormont grudgingly offers his congratulations, Craster mentions that he’ll feel better too if Mormont and the rest of the survivors could move on as well, as he feels that they’ve overstayed their welcome, and he can no longer feed them now that he had a new mouth to feed. Sam mentions that if Craster doesn’t want the baby, the men could take it with them when they leave. Sam knows what happens with the sons – Craster’s wife, Gilly, has been telling Sam that Craster leaves his newborn sons in the woods, sacrificing them to the cold, and that is why there were no boys or young men at Craster’s Keep, only wives, and daughters who grow up to become his wives.
Craster is angered by Sam’s suggestion, but Mormont leads Sam back into the hall before he can say anymore. Inside the hall, Mormont admonishes Sam, telling him that even if they did take the baby with them, it would be dead before they could reach the Wall. Mormont sends Sam away, to tend to one of the wounded rangers, but when Sam gets there, he discovers that the man has already died.
Later that evening, the sworn brothers have a small funeral service for the dead man; they burn his corpse and Mormont says the order’s ceremonial rites. Sam is so hungry, and he begins to salivate when he realizes that the burning corpse smells like roast pork. However, the idea of eating one of his brothers causes him to throw up. He is later informed by one of the stewards that Mormont has called for all of them to ride out tomorrow morning.
Craster, upon hearing the news that the men of the Night’s Watch will be leaving with the morning, is immediately in a better mood and even calls for a small feast for the night. However, when the feast begins, there is some horsemeat, and onions, but several of the men are angry when they find out that they are only getting two loaves of bread for the entire meal. They start to behave rudely towards Craster, accusing him of being niggardly and withholding food from them; several of the men point out that Craster must have a lot of food hidden somewhere, otherwise he and his wives would never make it through the winter. Mormont gets angry and calls for the men to be silent, but one of the men replies with a rude remark instead. This further infuriates Mormont and he reminds them that he is the Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, and he gives them a command to sit down and shut up.
There is silence, and it looks as if the men are about to obey Mormont’s command, but Craster stands up, axe in his hand, and tells every single man who called him niggardly to leave the hall, for he will not feed them or let them sleep under his roof tonight.
One of the men calls Craster a bastard. A furious Craster lifts up his axe and moves with surprising speed towards the man; however, one of the rangers manages to grab Craster by the hair, yanks the wildling’s hair back and opens up his throat from ear to ear. Craster’s wives start wailing and cursing. Lord Commander Mormont stands over Craster’s body, fuming, saying that they have committed the foulest of crime by killing a host who has given them shelter and food.
The ranger who killed Craster grabs one of Craster’s wives, and threatens to kills her unless she shows him where Craster has hidden all the food. Mormont commands the ranger to let the woman go, but finds his way barred by two other rangers who have drawn their swords. They warn him to back off, but when Mormont reaches for his dagger, one of the rangers moves with lightning speed to shove a knife into Mormont’s belly.
Chaos ensues. Sam cannot remember what happens next; it is only much later that he finds himself on the floor, cradling Mormont’s head in his lap. The men who were loyal to Mormont have fled; the men who incited the mutiny were still in the hall, either eating or raping Craster’s wives.
Mormont is about to breathe his last, but he one last order for Sam: he tells Sam to ride for the Wall, and tell the remaining Night’s Watch about everything that has happened so far – the battle at the Fist, the army of wildlings, the dragonglass, Craster’s murder and everything else. He adds on a dying wish: he wants Sam to tell his son, Jorah that he forgives him and to tell Jorah to join the Night’s Watch.
Two of Craster’s older wives approach Sam, with Gilly between them; Gilly is bundled up in skins and cradling her baby. The two older wives tells him to take Mormont’s sword, fur cloak and his horse, and to take Gilly away; they tell him that they know he promised to take Gilly away when he had been here earlier, before Mormont had taken them to the Fist. When Sam asks where should he take her, both wives say they should take him to someplace warm. Gilly cries and tells him that her baby is a boy, and if Sam doesn’t take the both of them away, they will come and take him instead. When Sam asks who Gilly is referring to, the two older wives say that it is Craster’s sons who will come for the boy.
Arya and Gendry are being taken by the outlaws to one of their secret hideouts. The outlaws have placed hoods over both their heads, and they only take the hoods off upon reaching the hideout. Arya and Gendry discover that they are in a large cave that is part of an underground tunnel system. The outlaws are all there, and they point out the red priest, Thoros of Myr, to her. However, this is not the fat, bald priest Arya remembers – the man she sees is a thin man with droopy folds of skin, with a full head of shaggy grey hair. When the Huntsman and his captive appear, Thoros makes his way towards both men.
The red priest welcomes the captive by pulling off the hood over the man’s head. The Huntman’s captive is Sandor Clegane; the Huntsman caught him while Sandor was sleeping off a drunk spell under a tree. Sandor recognizes Thoros but remarks on how the priest’s appearance has changed; Thoros says that the year he spent in the wild has melted off all his fat and, as for the hair, it was because he lost his razor in the woods.
Thoros mentions that he is no longer a false priest – he worships the Lord of Light now. Sandor makes a caustic comment regarding the company Thoros keeps, saying that the group of outlaws resemble swineherds more than they do soldiers.
A man who had been sitting on a stairway made from weirwood roots on the far side of the cave begins to speak, and as he does so, he descends the tangle of steps towards the cavern floor. He tells the story of how a hundred and twenty men had rode out of King’s Landing, on a mission to arrest Sandor’s brother, Ser Gregor Clegane. However, they fell into an ambush laid out by Gregor. In the ensuing battle, eighty of the men lost their lives, and the rest barely escaped. All was not lost; other men soon began to join the survivors’ ranks. With the assistance of the new men, the brotherhood without banners continues fighting, loyal to Robert Baratheon.
When Sandor mentions that Robert Baratheon has is long since dead, the man says that while Robert might have died, the brotherhood continue to defend Robert’s realm.
The man who has been speaking finally becomes visible, and Arya sees that one of his eye sockets is empty and there is a dark black ring all around his neck. Sandor calls the man by his name: Dondarrion. It is then that Arya knows who the scarred man is: Beric Dondarrion. This is the man that Ser Gregor Clegane and his men have been scouring the Riverlands in search of. The man that Gregor has killed twice already, but who has cheated death many times.
The outlaws call themselves the brotherhood without banners. And Tom says that they also call themselves knights of the hollow hill. Sandor laughs at the fact that the outlaws call themselves knights, for only Dondarrion is a true knight. Dondarrion replies by saying that a knight can make other knights, and he has knighted every man in the cave. Sandor scoffs at the idea and says that if they want to murder him, they better do it quickly, because he can’t stand to listen to any more of the outlaws’ ridiculous preaching.
Thoros tells Sandor that they are not going to murder him, but he’ll be dead soon enough anyway. Thoros and the outlaws begin reciting a litany of names, and it goes on for some while until Sandor gets angry and tells them that the names mean nothing to him. The outlaws tell him that the names belong to the people who have killed by men from House Lannister. Sandor gets even more angry and says that he did not kill any of the people mentioned, that other men who served the Lannisters murdered those people. He continues by saying that he shouldn’t be guilty of the crimes other men committed. He tells the outlaws that they have no right to call him a murderer when they themselves have killed before, as well.
Arya screams out that Sandor is indeed a murderer – it was he who killed her friend, the butcher boy named Mycah. Sandor is surprised to find Arya alive, but he replies by telling her he had to kill Mycah because the butcher’s boy attacked Joffrey, who was then a prince of the crown. Arya shouts out that Sandor is lying, because she was the one who had hit Joffrey, not Mycah. When Lord Beric Dondarrion asks Sandor whether he actually saw the butcher’s boy attack Prince Joffrey, Sandor replied that he hadn’t and that he had taken Prince Joffrey’s account of what happened as truth – it was not his place to question Prince Joffrey.
Thoros draws Lord Beric aside, and they confer briefly before Beric announces the verdict: Sandor stands accused of murder, but since no one in the cave knows the truth or falsehood of the charge, only the Lord of Light can judge Sandor and hence, Sandor is to be sentenced to a trial by battle. Sandor is to battle Beric himself – if Sandor manages to kill Beric, he is free to leave.
Sandor and Beric then equip themselves with swords and shields. Sandor wants armor, but Beric says that Sandor’s innocence must he his armor. Beric is just, however. when Sandor complains that this gives Beric an unfair advantage, Beric removes his own breastplate. Arya and Gendry both see the crater scar on his chest and the matching one upon his back – the point where Gregor’s lance went through him.
The outlaws say a prayer to the Lord of Light and the trial of battle begins. Sandor taunts Beric, but Beric replies by drawing the edge of his longsword against the palm of his left hand, drawing out blood, which washes over the steel. And which then sets the entire blade on fire. Sandor curses – he has always been deathly afraid of fire ever since his brother Gregor shoved his face into a brazier when they were children. There is fear on his face, but Sandor charges in anyway.
Dondarrion proves to be a capable fighter, matching the Hound in speed and skill. Beric has an edge with his burning sword, however. After a few rounds of savage hacking and slashing, Dondarrion lands so powerful a blow on Sandor’s shield that it sets the entire shield on fire. Sandor hacks down on his shield, destroying it. But some pieces still cling to his arm; his efforts to free himself only fans the flames and soon his entire left arm is on fire, as well. The outlaws shout out for Dondarrion to finish the Hound, and the scarred knight rushes in to deliver the coup de grace.
The Hound screams and launches a wild, desperate attack, raising his sword with both hands and bringing it crashing down upon Lord Beric. The scarred knight blocks the cut easily but the Hound has placed all of his strength into his last, reckless attack, and his strength is such that it snaps Dondarrion’s sword in two and sends Sandor’s blade burrowing into Dondarrion’s flesh, right where the shoulder joins the neck. The blow is so savage that it cleaves Dondarrion down to the breastbone.
Lord Beric falls to his knee and topples forward into the dirt. Sandor however, flings away any remnants of his shield and is rolling on the ground, trying to put out the fire that is running down his entire left arm; he is crying piteously, begging for someone to help him. Thoros sends a woman to see to Sandor’s burns; the outlaws drag Lord Beric’s body into one of the dark tunnels and Thoros follows thereafter.
Arya is growing increasingly frustrated with Sandor’s escape from death; she had hoped that Lord Beric would kill the Hound in combat but now it seems like Sandor will be free to leave the hideout. Unwilling to let that happen, Arya nimbly grabs one of the outlaws’ daggers from out of its sheath and rushes in to stab the Hound.
Sandor’s eyes meet her and he tells to kill him if she actually wants to that badly; he would rather die a quick death than to suffer the agony caused by his burns. Before Arya can shove the dagger into the Hound, Lem manages to grab her wrist and wrench the dagger away. Angry that the Hound will live, she screams at Sandor, cursing him to go to hell.
A voice behind her tells her that Sandor is already in hell. When Arya turns around, she sees Lord Beric standing behind her.
Catelyn
Lord Hoster has finally passed on; Catelyn watches as the men and women of Riverrun prepare her father for his final send-off. They place his body in a wooden boat, clad in his armor and the finest of clothes. Seven men have been chosen to push Lord Hoster’s funeral boat into the river; Robb is one of them.
However, among the seven chosen for the task is Lame Lothar Frey; Lord Walder Frey sent Lothar and Walder Rivers, the eldest of his bastard-born children, to Riverrun within hours of Lord Hoster’s passing. Despite being fully aware of the enmity between Robb and House Frey, Edmure is furious that Lord Walder has sent a cripple and a bastard to treat with them. Robb, on the other hand, treats both the Freys with the utmost of respect and courtesy.
The seven men push the boat out into the Tumblestone River, and it sails serenely into the rising sun. Edmure, who is now Lord of Riverrun, is given the task of shooting a flaming arrow at his father’s boat, but misses. He tries another two times but both attempts fall shy of the mark. Disgusted at himself, he hands the bow over to his uncle, Ser Brynden.
Ser Brynden swiftly nocks, draws and releases the flaming arrow; the arrow finds its mark, and sets the sails on fire. Together they watch as the fire spread and the flames caused the fog to glow pink and orange; the fire grows smaller as the burning boat recedes in the distance, and soon the boat and its fire are gone.
Edmure walks off as soon as the burning boat vanishes from sight. Ser Brynden escorts Catelyn to where Robb and his bannermen are. The men are offering Robb their consolations but Catelyn pays special attention when Lothar Frey approaches Robb. Lothar apologizes for intruding upon Robb’s grief and follows this with a polite request for an audience with Robb later in the evening. Robb agrees to the audience, stating that he never intended to sow hatred between his host and the Freys. Lothar says that he understands and that his father, Lord Walder Frey, was young once and remembers what it is to lose one’s heart to beauty, as Robb lost his own heart to Jeyne Westerling’s; Catelyn highly doubts that Lord Walder has said any such thing, but she keeps silent in the face of the compliment.
After Robb has spoken to each of the men who wanted a word with him, he asks Catelyn to walk with him. As they walk, Catelyn can see the fatigue and frustration in Robb’s face and body language – a lot of things had happened lately, and almost all of them has been bad news for Robb. He lost a third of his infantry soldiers in the battle at Duskendale; one of his loyal bannermen, Robett Glover, had survived the battle but was captured shortly thereafter. Robb intends to offer the Lannisters Ser Kevan Lannister’s son, Martyn Lannister, in exchange for Robett’s release.
There had been more dire news: the Greyjoys have taken over Winterfell and Moat Caitlin, and Theon Greyjoy has killed Bran and Rickon.
And Robb shares another piece of bad news, one that Catelyn hears about for the first time: the Lannisters have wed Sansa to Tyrion. The news is a big shock to Catelyn, who mentions that Tyrion promised to return both her daughters if they returned his brother Jaime to the Lannisters. She laments on Sansa’s fate, wondering how the Lannisters could be so cruel as to force her to wed Tyrion. Robb says that the Lannisters did so because they knew that Sansa will be heir to Winterfell should Robb fall in battle.
Robb’s statement fills Catelyn with dread; she begs him to bend the knee to Joffrey. She says that the Lannisters will not want to conquer or rule the North, so if Robb bends the knee to Joffrey, that would allow Robb to drive the Greyjoys out of the North without having to worry about the Lannisters attacking his host from behind. Robb refuses to entertain the idea, saying he will never bend the knee to those who killed his father. Seeing that she cannot convince Robb, Catelyn takes her leave.
Later in the evening, Catelyn attends supper. She notes that Robb is cool and her brother Edmure, the new Lord of Riverrun, is in a surly mood; Lame Lothar however, is the model of courtesy.
After the supper is over, Robb holds his audience with Lothar and Walder Rivers. Before Lothar mentions the business that brings both himself and Walder Rivers to Riverrun, he shares yet more bad news with Robb: Winterfell has been burned to the ground. Theon Greyjoy burned the Starks’ ancestral castle when he saw that it was impossible for him to hold on to Winterfell against the host of northmen who were marching north to reclaim it. The ironmen killed many of the castle-folk, but some women and children escaped, along with Lothar’s nephews, the two Frey boys who were wards of Winterfell. It was Lord Bolton’s bastard, Ramsay Snow, who rescued the women and children; they remain safe at the Dreadfort, the seat of House Bolton. Lothar has no news on Theon, but says that Lord Bolton might know what happened to Theon.
Lothar then goes on to apologize for bringing such bad news, and suggest that they might continue their audience tomorrow morning. Robb declines however and urges Lothar to continue.
Lothar gets on with business and announces that Lord Walder Frey will consent to a new marriage alliance between House Stark and House Frey with two conditions: the first is that Robb must apologize to Lord Walder Frey in person, and the second is that Edmure must immediately wed Lady Roslin, one of Lord Walder’s daughters. Robb is wary but tells Lothar that he will make the face-to-face apology. Edmure, however, is reluctant to marry Lady Roslin without first meeting her. Walder Rivers tells Edmure that he must accept Lady Roslin as his wife now and that the marriage is to take place immediately, otherwise Lord Walder’s offer of a marriage alliance will be withdrawn.
Robb dismisses Lothar and Walder Rivers and then convenes with Catelyn, Edmure and Brynden to discuss Lord Walder’s terms. Edmure is furious and says that he is now Lord Walder’s liege lord and that, like Robb, he should have been given a choice to choose his bride from among Lord Walder’s daughters. He insists on sending Lothar back to House Frey with the term changed so that it allows him to choose his own bride. Robb says that he cannot be sitting idly by, waiting for a wedding that might or might not happen – he has to march north immediately. Catelyn and Brynden agree, with Brynden adding that Edmure did mention earlier that he was willing to make amends for attacking the Lannister army in the Battle of the Fords, which went counter to what Robb ordered him to do.
Edmure curses, and finally gives in.
Ser Axell Florent makes his way to Davos and Lord Alester Florent’s cell. Alester immediately asks Axel whether he has been summoned by the King or the Queen – but Axell says that it is Davos who has been summoned. Axel releases Davos; when Davos asks whether he is being taken to Melisandre, Axell tells him that it is King Stannis himself who summoned Davos.
They make their way up the stairs, and are soon out of the dungeons. Before taking Davos to meet with Stannis, Axell stops to have a few quick words with the Onion Knight. He tells Davos that if it were up to him, he’d burn both Alester and Davos because he considers them both traitors. He goes on to say that, like Melisandre, he can now see the future when he looks into fire, and in his visions, Stannis Baratheon sits on the Iron Throne. Axell says that he knows what has to be done – he has to be made King Stannis’ Hand, and orders Davos to tell Stannis the same thing. He goes on to state that the Queen and the pirate Salladhor Saan are behind his appointment as King Stannis’ new Hand. Axell then gives Davos two choices: if Davos tells King Stannis to name Axell as the new Hand of the King, Axell will give him a new ship when they set sail; however, if Davos chooses to betray Axell instead, then Axell will get one of the men from the garrison to kill him when he least expects it, and the whole thing will look like an accident because Axell is the castellan of Dragonstone.
Ser Axell and Davos then go to meet Stannis. Davos’ surprise upon seeing the King, is immediate: Stannis looks as if he has aged ten years since Davos last saw him. Stannis greeting is friendly, and he tells Davos that he has missed Davos’ honest counsel – and he immediately asks for it by asking Davos to tell him the penalty for treason.
Davos wonders whether Stannis is asking him to condemn himself or Lord Alester Florent. He replies honestly, stating that the penalty for treason is death. Stannis states that he is not a cruel man but a just one, and then goes on to list several cases in the past, where those who committed treason against their rightful kings were executed for their crimes. Davos realizes then and there that Stannis is referring to Lord Alester’s actions, not his.
Stannis then reminisces about his late brother, Robert. He states that Robert had a gift for inspiring loyalty, even in his foes, and laments the fact that he can only inspire betrayal in his own allies, as in the case of Lord Alester.
Ser Axell, who is brother to Lord Alester, requests that Stannis gives him a chance to prove that not all Florents are so weak-minded. Stannis tells Davos that Axell has come up with plans for battle, and then tells Axel to tell Davos about those plans, because he wants to hear Davos’ counsel on Axell’s plans.
Axell lays out his plan, a plan that both he and Salladhor Saan have devised. They will take a fleet consisting of Salladhor’s fleet and those men who had survived the Battle of the Blackwater, and then proceed to sail to Claw Isle, the seat of House Celtigar. After dealing with the measly garrison, they will then sack Claw Isle, then put the castle to torch and the people of Claw Isle to the sword. The reason for doing this is to punish the head of House Celtigar, Lord Ardrian Celtigar – Lord Celtigar under King Stannis’ banner at the Battle of the Blackwater, but when he was captured, he immediately bent the knee to King Joffrey and even now remains in King’s Landing. Axell’s reasoning is that the sacking and burning down of Claw Isle will serve as a warning to those who serve under Stannis – to warn them of what will happen if they ally themselves with Joffrey and House Lannister.
Stannis then speaks. He mentions that Ser Axell’s plan could be carried out, with little risk. The plunder from the attack will keep Salladhor Saan satisfied while the fall of Claw Isle will serve as a notice to Tywin Lannister that Stannis was not done fighting. Stannis then asks for Davos’ honest thoughts on Ser Axell’s proposal.
Davos speaks the only way he knows how: honestly. He tells Stannis that Axell’s plans reeks of folly and cowardice. Ser Axell’s is fuming at Davos’ answer but Stannis tells the Onion Knight to continue.
Davos reminds Stannis that Lord Celtigar came to serve Stannis when Stannis called for an army, that he even stood by Stannis’ side at Storm’s End when they were facing the far superior numbers of Lord Renly’s host. Davos says that Celtigar’s men had fought in the Battle of the Blackwater, with many of them being burned alive by the Lannisters’ wildfire – and that is the reason why only women, children and old men hold Claw Isle now. He goes on to state that it would be cowardice to attack women and children – why should they be punished when they have done no treason.
Ser Axell counters this by saying that not all of Lord Celtigar’s men died on the Blackwater – hundreds were captured along with Lord Celtigar, and they all bent their knees to King Joffrey when Celtigar did. And that means the men’s women and children are traitors, as well. Davos replies by saying that Celtigar’s men bent the knee only because their own lord did. They were after all his sworn men – what could they have done differently?
Stannis disagrees, stating that it is the duty of every man to remain loyal to his rightful king.
A recklessness suddenly takes hold of Davos, and he blurts out that Stannis did not remain loyal to his king, King Aerys Targaryen, but instead fought on his brother’s side when Robert raised his banners to overthrow King Aerys’ rule.
Ser Axell is furious and draws his weapon but Stannis commands Axell to remove himself from the hall. Axell reluctantly obeys; Stannis orders Axell to send Melisandre to the hall.
Stannis, alone with Davos, then speaks of the Iron Throne, how it was a hard decision to choose between remaining loyal to King Aerys or fighting under Robert’s banners, and wondering aloud why his brothers had wanted to sit on the Iron Throne so badly when it is such an uncomfortable throne to sit on. When Davos asks him why he wants to sit on the Iron Throne just as badly, Stannis replies that it is not a question of wanting, but of the law: the Iron Throne belongs to him since he was Robert’s heir. He mentions that to sit on the Iron Throne is his duty and that once he has won the throne, he intends to start his reign by serving justice to Cersei and her children, Lord Varys and Jaime Lannister; he intends to scour the court clean.
Stannis then turns to the Onion Knight and asks Davos why he had planned to murder Melisandre. Davos says that four of his sons died in the Battle of the Blackwater – Melisandre took their lives with her flames.
Stannis replies by saying that Davos has wronged Melisandre, that the wildfire was not her work but that of Tyrion Lannister and the pyromancers of King’s Landing. He goes on to state that it was Melisandre herself who asked for Davos’ release.
Stannis then takes the conversation to an altogether different turn: Edric Storm, Robert’s bastard whom they have since moved from Storm’s End to Dragonstone. Edric is sick, but Maester Pylos is tending to him; Stannis states that Edric is important to his plans because, being Robert’s bastard, king’s blood flows in the boy’s veins – and Melisandre has mentioned that there is power in king’s blood.
Stannis then brings the conversation back to Ser Axell’s plans. He declares that he shall bring justice to Westeros, and Ser Axell’s war-plans held no justice in it; it was an evil thing of revenge, exactly as Davos had mentioned. Stannis then does something that completely stuns Davos – for providing him with honest counsel, Stannis wants to make the Onion Knight his new Hand. Davos protests but Stannis commands Davos to kneel; after touching Davos’ shoulder with the glowing sword, Lightbringer, Stannis then commands Davos to rise and announces him as Lord of the Rainwood, Admiral of the Narrow Sea, and Hand of the King.
Davos is at a loss for words; he says that he is content being one of Stannis’ knights, that there surely must be other men who are far more worthy to be Stannis’ Hand. He confesses that he is only an upjumped smuggler, that he can’t even read and right and that surely one of Stannis’ bannermen would make for a better Hand. Stannis mentions that there are a few good men who could possibly be his new Hand – but he trusts none of them like he trusts Davos. He wants Davos to be the one who stands beside him for the battle.
Davos, thinking Stannis is talking about another battle with the Lannisters, counsels against this, stating that Stannis lacks the strength for another battle with them.
It is at this moment that Melisandre glides into the hall; she is carrying a covered silver dish. She tells Davos that Stannis is not talking about battling the Lannisters – he is talking about the great battle between the Lord of Light and the Great Other. Stannis then confesses to Davos that he had seen it in Melisandre’s flames: he had seen a high hill in a forest, with snow everywhere, and men in black fighting shapes that were moving in the snow. Melisandre announces that the great battle has already begun, and that Stannis is the Lord of Light’s Chosen, and that all of Westeros must unite behind him.
Stannis questions whether he is worthy to be the Lord of Light’s Chosen, when Robert and even Renly might have been more suited to the role. Melisandre mentions that it is because Stannis is a righteous man.
Stannis then touches the covered silver dish Melisandre is carrying and says that he is a righteous man who makes use of leeches. Melisandre tells him that the magic she is about to perform with the leeches might not work properly; she tells him that the surer way would be to hand over Edric Storm to her and to make a sacrifice of the boy to the Lord of Light for the king’s blood that flows in the boy’s body is the only way to wake the stone dragons. Stannis refuses to give up Edric Storm, saying that the boy is his own blood; he also says that dragons are gone from the world and even the Targaryens failed to bring them back.
Melisandre resigns herself to what is coming up next. She lifts the lid of the silver dish to reveal three large black leeches underneath, each engorged with blood. As soon as he sees it, Davos knows that the leeches are fat with Edric Storm’s blood.
Melisandre tells Stannis to say the names. Stannis then tosses each of the three leeches into a brazier, mentioning a name before he tosses them in. The names he mentions are: Joffrey Baratheon, Balon Greyjoy and Robb Stark.
Lord Bolton has invited Jaime to have dinner with him. Jaime heads to Harrenhal’s bathhouse to have a bath in order to look presentable. He finds Brienne in the bathhouse and decides to hop into the same bath with her. Brienne protests but Jaime says that he’s only interested in bathing. While scrubbing himself, he shoots a vitriolic comment at Brienne: she should be pleased he has lost the hand that killed King Aerys. He then adds another hurtful comment, saying that it was no surprise that Renly Baratheon died since she was the one in charge of guarding him, thus implying that Jaime lost his hand because Brienne failed in her duty to protect him.
Jaime’s accusation is like a slap to Brienne and she is at a loss for words. However, Jaime has a change of heart and sincerely apologizes to Brienne saying that his remark was the result of him being bitter over the loss of his hand and that she protected him as well as any man could have, and better than most. Jaime says he is tired of fighting with her all the time, so he suggest that he and Brienne make a truce. Brienne has misgivings, however, and says that she finds it hard to trust Jaime, considering he killed King Aerys.
Jaime sighs, lamenting on how his act of killing King Aerys Targaryen earned him the reputation of being an oathbreaker. He asks why no one calls Robert Baratheon an oathbreaker since Robert tore the realm apart during his rebellion against the Targaryens.
Brienne says that Robert did all he did for love; Jaime scoffs at the idea, saying that Robert started his uprising because of pride.
Jaime then reveals the full story behind King Aerys’ death.
After losing several battles to Robert Baratheon’s forces, King Aerys finally realized that Robert was no mere outlaw but the greatest threat to the Targaryen dynasty. Aerys called upon House Lannister, who had always been loyal to the Targaryens, but received no reply. Suspecting that all his allies were about to betray him, fear started gripping his heart and he commanded his cadre of alchemists to place caches of wildfire all over King’s Landing.
When Aerys’ son and heir, Rhaegar Targaryen, the Prince of Dragonstone, was killed by Robert at the Battle of the Trident, Jaime overhears Aerys revealing the truth behind his wildfire plan to Rossart, his pet alchemist- Aerys would rather burn the city to the ground than let Robert have it.
Injured at the Battle of the Trident, Robert sent his vanguard, with Eddard Stark in command, racing down south to King’s Landing.
But it was the Lannisters who arrived first. The King called for the gates to be opened, convinced that Tywin Lannister, his Warden of the West, was there to help him defend the city. But that was a mistake on Aerys’ part – his Warden of the West had been brooding during the war, wondering whether he should fight for his king, or join in Robert’s Rebellion; Tywin was determined that House Lannister would be on the winning side. The Battle of the Trident decided Tywin and House Lannister switched sides.
Jaime knew that he could not hold King’s Landing against his father’s forces, so he requested for Aerys to make terms. Aerys refuses to yield and tells Jaime to slay Tywin. Jaime, knowing full-well that Aerys had already ordered his pet alchemist Rossart to execute his desperate wildfire plan, decides to go against Aerys’ orders; instead, he betrays his king, slaying both Aerys and Rossart in order to prevent them from setting the city on fire.
When Jaime finishes the telling of the tale, Brienne asks him why, if the tale is true, does no one know about it. Jaime tells her that since he is a knight of the Kingsguard, he is sworn to keep Aerys’ secret. He also states that Eddard Stark would not have been interested in his reasons for slaying Aerys anyway.
When Jaime tries to climb out of the bath, he experiences a bout of dizziness and accidentally smashes his stump against the rim of the bath. Brienne catches him before he falls and the guards hurriedly leave to fetch Qyburn. The Bloody Maester tends to Jaime, saying that there’s still some poison in Jaime’s blood and that the Kingslayer is a little malnourished. Qyburn then leaves to fetch clean clothing for their dinner with Lord Bolton; Brienne finishes cleaning Jaime. Qyburn returns shortly thereafter, with a strengthening licorice potion for Jaime and the fresh clothing for both the Kingslayer and Brienne. A half-hour passes before Jaime feels stronger again, and they both head off to the great hall for dinner.
Lord Bolton welcomes them to dinner; he is a gracious host, offering them food and drink. As they eat and drink, Lord Bolton shares some news with them: Lord Edmure Tully’s offer of a thousand gold coins for Jaime’s recapture, Lord Karstark’s promise of the hand of his daughter to anyone who brings him Jaime’s head, Robb Stark marrying Jeyne Westerling and Edmure’s subsequent marriage to Lady Roslin Frey, and Arya Stark being found and being sent back to the north.
Lord Bolton then arrives at the question of just what to do with Jaime. Brienne insists that Lord Bolton allow her to continue with her quest to bring Jaime to King’s Landing in order to exchange him for Lady Catelyn’s two daughters. Lord Bolton assures Brienne that he means to send Jaime on.
But Bolton then mentions that Lord Vargo Hoat has created one small problem for him. Vargo abandoned House Lannister because Lord Bolton had offered him Harrenhal, a prize greater than any he could hope to get from Tywin. Vargo hoped that Stannis would go on to win the Battle of the Blackwater for then Stannis would be able to confirm Vargo’s possession of Harrenhal. However, because Stannis lost the Battle of the Blackwater, Vargo realized that only a Stark victory can save him from Lord Tywin’s vengeance. Now, Vargo intends to bring Jaime to Lord Karstark, to take up Lord Karstark ‘s offer of marriage to his daughter, and to ask for safe refuge – Karhold might be smaller, but it lies further north, well beyond the reach of House Lannister. But the Riverlands had been full of men searching for Jaime, so Vargo had to return to Harrenhal to hold Jaime safely. But in Harrenhal, Vargo and his Brave Companions are outnumbered by Lord Bolton’s men and he feared that Lord Bolton would send Jaime either back to Riverrun or back to Tywin Lannister.
Therefore, Vargo cut off Jaime’s sword hand – in order to diminish Jaime’s value to Lord Bolton, and to ensure that Jaime wouldn’t exact vengeance on him. Since Vargo now serves Lord Bolton, his crime of cutting off Jaime’s hand has thus become Lord Bolton’s crimes, or may seem so, to Lord Tywin. And that, is where Lord Bolton’s predicament lies.
Jaime knows that there is only one answer he can give to prevent Lord Bolton from giving him back to Vargo Hoat: he says that when he gets sent back to the Lannisters, he will absolve Lord Bolton of any blame. Lord Bolton says that he will trust Jaime’s word and send him off to King’s Landing when Qyburn says he is strong enough to travel.
Brienne thanks Lord Bolton and states that Lady Catelyn’s daughters will be under her protection when she exchanges Jaime for them in King’s Landing. Lord Roose Bolton then turns to Brienne and tells her that he will not be depriving Lord Vargo Hoat of both his prizes: Jaime will continue on to King’s Landing, but Brienne will continue being Vargo’s prisoner.
Tyrion is standing on the banks of the Blackwater, waiting for Prince Doran Martell and his entourage to arrive. With him are Podrick, Bronn, a small number of guards from the City Watch, and a small contingent of courtiers from King Joffrey’s court; they are all gathered there to escort Prince Doran and his entourage across the river.
Tyrion soon spots Prince Doran and his delegation in the distance. The first thing that catches his attention is the number of banners: there are far more than he expected. With Bronn’s sharp eyesight, and Podrick’s knowledge of Dornish heraldry, Tyrion surmises that Doran has brought with him formidable companions – all nine of the banners represent the greatest Houses in all of Dorne.
Just then, Pod spots something else that gives Tyrion pause: the delegation from Dorne travel without a litter. This disturbs Tyrion: Prince Doran is a man of fifty and suffers from gout. Tyrion tries to come up with reasons as to why Prince Doran might not have traveled in his litter, but the waiting gets to him and he signals for Podrick, Bronn and the rest of his party to follow him as he rides forward to meet the Dornish delegation.
When they finally come face-to-face, Tyrion recognizes the Dornish leader: it is Prince Oberyn Martell, Doran’s younger brother. Oberyn informs Tyrion that Doran has sent him to join King Joffrey’s council in his stead. He then introduces the Dornish delegation to Tyrion – Oberyn’s paramour, Ellaria Sand, is part of the delegation as well. Tyrion introduces his own contingent as well, although he knows that it is not as distinguished or formidable as Oberyn’s – and that Oberyn knows it as well.
As all of them head towards King’s Landing, Tyrion tries to figure out what to do with Oberyn, for the Red Viper of Dorne is a different creature altogether compared to his elder brother Doran. The Red Viper has a fearsome reputation; he is said to have traveled the Free Cities, is knowledgeable in the dark art of poison, formed his own mercenary company, sleeps with both men and women, and he has fathered bastard daughters all over Dorne. And Tyrion is certain that Oberyn’s arrival at court will be met with an icy reception from the Tyrells as it was Oberyn who had accidentally crippled Mace Tyrell’s eldest son and heir, Willas Tyrell, in a jousting tourney.
During their ride, Oberyn tells Tyrion that the two of them have met before. Oberyn had been around fourteen or fifteen, and his sister, Elia, a year older; the two of them had gone with their mother to visit Casterly Rock. Tyrion had just been born. However, Tyrion’s mother, Lady Joanna, had died giving birth to him, which saw Casterly Rock in mourning. Tywin Lannister had been hit especially hard by the death of his wife, so it was Kevan Lannister who entertained the Martells.
It was the talk of the town, that Lady Joanna had given birth to a monster before she died, that it was an omen that foretold of Lord Tywin’s fall. However, when a young Jaime and Cersei Lannister showed their new brother to the Martell siblings, Oberyn says that he was mightily disappointed, as Tyrion only turned out to be an ugly baby with stunted legs, not the horrible monstrosity the talk of the town had made him out to be.
Oberyn then turns the discussion to the recent tax Tyrion has placed on whoring; Tyrion confirms that he did indeed implement such a tax but questions as to why Oberyn would want to frequent whores when he had his paramour Ellaria traveling with him. Oberyn’s answer is that both he and Ellaria intend to find and share a beautiful blonde whore between the two of them.
Oberyn’s next change of topic comes abruptly: he starts by telling Tyrion that he’s heard there are seventy-seven dishes being served at Joffrey’s wedding feast – but he hungers for justice instead of food. He then asks Tyrion when justice will be served.
Tyrion knows what Oberyn means – the Red Viper wants vengeance for death of his sister, Elia Martell, and her two children, all three brutally murdered by Ser Gregor Clegane during Robert’s Rebellion. Oberyn intends to deliver justice upon Gregor, but vows to gets some answers out of Gregor before he kills him, mainly the answer to the question of who gave Gregor the orders to kill Elia and her children in the first place.
Tyrion responds to Oberyn’s thinly-veiled threat by saying that Oberyn might have brought three hundred men in his retinue, but King’s Landing had many times that number behind its wall, and part of that number includes at least fifty thousand Tyrell men-at-arms. He then rides past Oberyn.
Lord Beric and his band of outlaws ambush a group of Brave Companions at a septry, striking just before dawn. Arya and Gendry watch the ambush from a distance, guarded by two of Beric’s men.
The outlaws make use of flaming arrows during their ambush; the walls of the septry are wooden so the ensuing smoke successfully draws the Brave Companions out. With the advantage of surprise and darkness on their side, the outlaws score a resounding victory and the battle is soon over. Many of the Brave Companion have been killed in the battle, and those that are still alive are men who have thrown down their weapons in surrender. Lord Beric has allowed two of the mercenaries to escape, however, to carry word of the ambush to Harrenhal; Beric hopes that the news will drive a little fear into both Lord Roose Bolton and Vargo Hoat.
The outlaws manage to save eight brown brothers from the burning septry. The brown brothers are septons who have chosen to live a monastic lifestyle; there were originally forty-four of them, but after Lannister soldiers and mercenaries like the Brave Companions attacked and raided their quiet community, only eight remain.
Lord Beric commands his men to prepare the captive Brave Companions for trial. When the trials commence, they go by swiftly, with the outlaws coming forward to tell of the mercenaries’ many crimes. All of the surviving Brave Companions are judged guilty; the outlaws hang them one by one.
The septry has collapsed due to the fire, so the outlaws take shelter with the brown brothers in a brewhouse beside the river. The brothers have a cache of food hidden in the stables, which they share with Beric and his men.
During the meal, Beric notices that Arya is looking at him warily, so he calls her to come closer and asks whether the sight of him frightens her so much. Arya says that she thought Sandor Clegane had killed Beric during the trial by combat and is wondering how Beric is still alive. Beric tells her that Thoros healed his wound; Thoros humbly responds by saying that it was really the Lord of Light, R’hllor who brought Beric back to life and that he, Thoros, is just an instrument. Thoros also reveals that he has brought Beric back to life six times; Beric mentions that he can hardly remember anything of the life he lead before his many deaths.
When Arya subtly asks Thoros whether he can resurrect her father, the red priest tells her that he cannot resurrect the dead – it is the Lord of Light who appears to have brought Lord Beric back to life, in order to fulfill some purpose known only to R’hllor himself.
Beric sympathizes with Arya’s grief for her father. He tells her that Eddard Stark was a good man, but that he and his outlaws will still demand ransom for her return to her brother, the King in the North, Robb Stark; the outlaws need money for food, weapons and steeds.
Later in the evening, Gendry makes an announcement that catches Arya and the outlaws by surprise: he wants to smith for the outlaws. Beric tells Gendry that they cannot pay him for his services while Lem warns him that an outlaw’s life is short and dangerous. Gendry listens but is still insists on joining; the other outlaws support his joining because they badly need a smith to help them repair armor and weapons.
Beric agrees to let Gendry join and, as part of the initiation ritual for all of the men who follow him, knights Gendry with his sword.
Just at that moment, Sandor Clegane appears, mocking Beric for knighting yet another outlaw. When Beric asks him why he has followed them, Sandor replies that after his trial by combat with Beric, the outlaws took all his gold and now he has come to get his gold back. Lord Beric mentions that he has already given Sandor a promissory note, but Sandor says he considers the note worthless. Beric reveals that he has already given Sandor’s gold to some of his men who are traveling south to buy grain and seed. Sandor insists that he is not leaving without his gold but when the outlaws start drawing their weapons, he changes his mind and leaves.
Beric tells Anguy that he and another outlaw by the name of Beardless Dick are to take rear duty tomorrow and if they see Sandor following them, they are to kill his horse. Some of the outlaws say they should kill Sandor instead, but both Thoros mentions that Sandor won his life in the trial by combat, which means that the Lord of Light is not yet done with Sandor Clegane.
The next morning, the outlaws continue on their way to Riverrun.
Bran, Summer, Meera, Jojen and Hodor are out of the mountain. The terrain changes to open grasslands and Bran knows the terrain remain flat and open until they reach the Wall. As they come upon their first village since leaving the foothills, they startle a few deer and Summer quickly chases after the fleeing beasts.
As the remaining four members of the party walk into the village, they see a tower standing upon an island located in the centre of a lake. Jojen asks Bran to whom the piece of land belonged to. Bran says that the village and the surrounding land belongs to the Night’s Watch: all the land fifty leagues south of the Wall belongs to the Night’s Watch. Those fifty leagues are called the Gift, the first twenty five being a gift from Brandon the Builder and the second twenty five a gift from the Good Queen Alysanne.
But they soon discover that the village is abandoned. When Jojen enquiries as to why the villagers would leave such good land behind, Bran says that the Night’s Watch isn’t as strong as it used to be and places nearest the Wall get raided so much that the villagers decided to move into the lands further south of the Gift.
Jojen, seeming to use some form of weather sense, announces that a storm is coming their way. Seeing that most of the buildings are in ruins, Bran suggest that they take shelter in the tower on the lake; when Meera points out that they have no boat, Bran says that there is a secret stone causeway hidden just under the water. When asked how he knows this, Bran says that he learned of the causes from Old Nan, the old woman at Winterfell who used to take care of the Stark children and would reach them all sorts of wild stories from beyond the Wall.
True enough, there turns out to be a causeway just under the water. The four of them slowly make their way towards the island. They enter the tower’s unlocked strongroom, but discover that the stairs upwards are blocked by iron grates. Hodor tries to smash the grates open but they do not budge even under his strong blows. They discover another way to up the tower when Brian manages to remove a rusty iron grating Bran from one of the murder holes in the ceiling. They then boost themselves to the next level and explore the upper levels of the tower.
As they stand upon the roof, Bran asks Jojen how all of them were going to get past the Wall in order for them to start looking for the three-eyed crow. Jojen says that there are many abandoned castles along the Wall and that one of these castles may give them a way through. When Bran mentions that his Uncle Benjen told him that the gates of the abandoned castle are sealed with ice and stone, Meera says that they will just have to open those sealed gates again. Bran protests, worried that bad things might come through from the other side; he suggests that they head for Castle Black instead, and ask the Lord Commander to let them pass. Jojen disagrees, saying that they should avoid Castle Black because the men there will be sure to recognize them, and some might even forswear their oaths to sell the secret of Bran’s continued existence to either the ironmen or Ramsay Snow.
Just as Bran is about to put forth another argument for going to Castle Black, Jojen points out across the lake, towards the setting sun – it is a man on a horse, making for the village. At that moment, a heavy rain begins to pour, and the four of them retreat back into the tower. Meera later goes to the balcony to check on the lone horseman; when she returns, she tells the others that the man has taken shelter in the ruins of the inn.
The heavy rain poured well past dusk. Lightning begins to flash across the sky; the thunder that follows scares Hodor and causes the big man to yell out his name repeatedly. At the moment, Jojen looks out across the lake and sees that there are now many men in the village, not just the lone horseman. They start to worry about the men in the village, afraid that they might make their way to the tower.
As the thunder gets stronger, Hodor starts roaring and moaning. They try to get him to calm down, but all to no avail. Scared that Hodor’s shouting will reveal their hiding place to the men in the village, Bran reaches for Hodor the same way he reaches for Summer, and for half a heartbeat, he actually manages to control and be Hodor. The experience leaves him shaken, but it has managed to calm Hodor.
Bran then realizes that the men who were gathering in the village couldn’t get to them, not unless they had a boat or knew about the causeway hidden under the water. Meera and Jojen are relieved but Jojen warns that the men might stay until morning, with the danger of the men being able to spot the causeway left unsaid.
Bran feels Summer’s fear. He opens up his third eye and enters Summer’s body, essentially becoming Summer. The direwolf has kept out of sight and is moving silently around the underbrush, cautiously studying the group of men. Summer hears them talking, and also smells the sharp stench of fear.
The small wildling raiding force that Mance Rayder has sent to examine the Wall’s defenses have descended the south face of the Wall. They did so at Greyguard, one of the Castles on the Wall long since abandoned by the Night’s Watch. In order to avoid the Watch’s patrols, the Magnar has marched them deep into the Gift; they have avoided the few inhabited villages that remain and now march in the hills and plains.
The Magnar and his Thenns intend to attack Castle Black; at the end of each day’s march, the Magnar summons Jon and questions him about Castle Black’s garrison and defenses. Jon has tried lying and feigning ignorance, but he is sparing with both, knowing full well that getting caught in a lie will reveal his true allegiance. But, Jon knows the real truth behind the matter – Castle Black has no defenses, and of the four hundred men that remain, most are builders or stewards, not rangers. The Magnar and his Thenns, on the other hand, are disciplined and seasoned warriors – Jon concludes that if Styr and his men take Castle Black unawares, it will be a bloody massacre. He knows that the lives of his sworn brothers depends on his reaching Castle Black before the Magnar, but with Styr and his men watching him so closely, an opportunity to escape has not yet presented itself.
As they travel through the Gift, Ygritte is awed by the roundtowers she sees, as are most of the wildlings, who mistake them for castles. When Ygritte mentions that it seems strange that there seem to be so little people living off the land, Jon tells her that most of the people who once lived in the Gift have gone further south to avoid the constant wildling raids. Ygritte is enraged at Jon’s accusation that it is the wildings who steal; she says that it is the kings South of the Wall who steal – they came and built the Wall and claimed all the land south of it as theirs, and only those who kneel before them can live off of it.
As they each continue justifying the ways of their own people to the other, Jon realizes that, despite having spent a considerable amount of time together with Ygritte, the two of them ultimately come from different worlds.
Ygritte continues arguing with Jon, claiming that men cannot own the land, no more than they can own the sea or the sky, and that Mance Rayder will come and teach all of Jon and his people this lesson. Jon replies by saying that Mance cannot win the war because, while the wildlings may be brave, they lack the discipline of the men of the Seven Kingdoms – he warns her that all of the wildlings will die, including her.
Ygritte’s reply comes in the form of a fiery kiss, saying that Jon was one of the wildlings now and that death comes to all men so they must first live. Jon kisses her back, thinking of how he has come to love her but how she is also wildling to the core. He wonders how Ygritte will react if she knew that he was still a man of the Night’s Watch in his heart. Jon realizes that the fact that he has come to not only love Ygritte but gotten to know some of the wildlings he traveled with will make betraying them all that much harder.
As the sun is about to set, a wildling with the gift of foretelling the weather warns the Magnar that a bad storm is coming. Styr takes up Grigg the Goat’s advice that they find shelter at a nearby village.
By the time they arrive at the village, it is already night time and the storm is raging fiercely. The village appears to have been abandoned a long time ago. The wildlings proceed to scout the surrounding area, and discover an old man and his horse in the ruins of the village’s inn. The old man’s fire had given away his position; Styr and his men easily capture the old man and began looting his saddlebags.
Jon decides to walk away from the scene, not wanting to stay and watch because he knows that the Magnar will kill the old man. He walks towards the edge of the village, where there is a lake and a roundtower on an island in the middle of the lake. When Ygritte comes upon him, she finds him staring at the tower. She tells him that some of the Magnar’s Thenns heard shouting coming from the tower. Jon tells her that he knows where they are and that they should make their way to the tower and investigate. When Ygritte laughs at the notion of swimming in the storm, Jon tells her that they need not swim – they can get to the tower by walking. He tells her that this village is called Queenscrown and is telling her about the history behind the village’s name when one of the Magnar’s Thenns comes and tells Jon that the Magnar has summoned him.
Jon and Ygritte find the Magnar at the inn, along with his captive. Styr tells Jon that the old man must die, and commands Jon to do the deed. Jon draws his sword, but cannot bring himself to kill the old man. Ygritte urges him to do the deed in order to prove to the wildlings that he was no longer a man of the Night’s Watch. When Jon refuses to kill the old man, Styr calls Jon a “crow”, a derogatory term the wildlings call the men of the Night’s Watch; he calls Ygritte a “crow wife” as well. The insult infuriates Ygritte, who then draws out her own knife and slits the old man’s throat; she then throws the blade down at Jon’s feet in anger.
Styr shouts out a command in the Old Tongue; Jon wonders whether the Magnar has commanded the Thenns to kill him but before he can find out, a wolf leaps in among them the wildlings, killing two men within seconds. Jon thinks that Ghost has returned, but when the lightning flashes, he sees that the direwolf attacking the wildlings is grey, not white.
With death all around him, Jon realizes that he will never have a better chance to escape. He grabs the old man’s horse, cutting down two wildlings in the process; he then sends the horse galloping away, and it is all he can do to hold on.
Hours later, Jon finds an arrow in his right thigh. He stops the horse and proceeds to pull the arrow out, then binds the wound with a strip of cloth torn from his cloak. He rests for a while, and then gets back on the horse. Using the stars to guide him, Jon sends the horse north, towards the Wall and Castle Black.
Daenerys and her army stand before Yunkai, a slave-trading city just like Astapor. And she intends to do the same thing she did in Astapor – take the city and free the slaves. Standing between her and the city, however, is the five-thousand strong Yunkai host. The Yunkish hold the center, while two mercenary companies hold the flank – the Stormcrows and the Second Sons. Ser Jorah mentions that Daenerys’ forces can easily defeat the army that stands before them, but Daenerys says that the victory might come at such a cost that they won’t have enough men to take city after the battle.
Daenerys considers the Yunkai host before her. She notes that the sellswords from the two mercenary companies are ahorse – having lived among the Dothraki, she knows that the mounted warriors could prove a sizeable threat to her Unsullied. She formulates a plan in her mind and commands Ser Jorah to send word out to the Yunkai and the captains of the mercenary companies that she will like to meet with them to talk, but tells Jorah that he is to invite them separately.
Daenerys then rides back to her own host, where she meets with one of the Unsullied by the name of Grey Worm; when she had instructed the Unsullied to choose officers form amongst themselves, Grey Worm had been their overwhelming favorite for the highest rank. When she mentions that the Wise Masters of Yunkai have assembled a slave army, Grey Worm tells her that the slaves of Yunkai are trained in the arts of lovemaking while the Unsullied master the way of the spears. Daenerys tells Grey Worm to spare any of the Yunkai slaves who run or throw down their weapons; she also asks him to be at her tent when she treats with the mercenary captains and the Yunkai.
Daenerys then looks out at the second encampment that lies beyond her own – tens of thousands of former slaves from Astapor, now free men and women. Daenerys left Astapor in the hands of a council made up of former slaves, led by wise and just men. But even then, many of the now-free men and women chose to follow her to Yunkai rather than remain behind in Astapor. Few of them are skilled in battle and they eat the land bare, but Daenerys could bring herself to abandon them, despite being urged to do so by Ser Jorah and her bloodriders.
An hour later, three captains of the Stormcrows arrive at Daenerys’ tent; the three men claim they are of equal rank. There is a thickset Ghiscari, a man with a twisting scar on his cheek, and a flamboyantly dressed Tyroshi. Daenerys tries to convince them to change sides, stating that she has greater number than the Yunkai host, but the thickset Ghiscari turns down her offer and all three captains then get up to leave; however, the Tyroshi, Daario Naharis, glances back at her as he leaves.
Next to arrive is the commander of the Second Sons, a towering Braavosi named Mero, but who calls himself the Titan’s Bastard. Mero immediately makes sexual overtures towards Daenerys, but she quickly takes control of the situation, offering to pay him coin if he switches sides. Mero appears to give it some thought, subtly suggesting that he might switch sides if Daenerys gives him a kiss and sleep with him. Daenerys’ reply is suggestive – she says that Mero might just get his wish. She then asks him to think of her offer and give her an answer tomorrow; she sends him off with an entire wagon of wine as a gift.
The envoys from Yunkai arrive at the end of the day. Their leader is Grazdan mo Eraz, who warns Daenerys that Yunkai will not be an easy conquest. As a gesture of conciliation, he presents Daenerys with a chest containing fifty thousand gold marks and offers it as a gift in exchange for her leaving Yunkai alone. Daenerys refuses to accept the gift; instead, she tells them have three days to fulfill her request – all of the slaves in the city are to be freed and her Unsullied will be allowed to enter the city to make certain that no more slaves remain in bondage. If the Yunkai do this, Daenerys promises them that she will leave the city alone.
Grazdan says that she is mad, whereupon Daenerys commands one of her three dragons to spit flame at the envoy, singeing his clothes. She then tells Grazdan to take his gold and leave, reminding him to take her message to the Wise Masters of Yunkai. She also gives him one final warning: the Wise Masters have three days to acquiesce to her request – she states that she will be in Yunkai, whether they open the gates for her or not.
After the envoys from Yunkai leave, Daenerys tells Ser Jorah and her bloodriders that they are to mount an attack against Yunkai host an hour past midnight. When Ser Jorah is surprised by her sudden decision to attack, Daenerys says it is the best time to attack because they will take the enemy by surprise – the Stormcrows will be arguing about her offer, the Seconds Sons will be drunk on the wine she gave them, and the Yunkai’i believe they have three days to come to a decision. Ser Jorah and Arstan Whitebeard applaud her strategy and they begin working out the finer details of the attack.
Before midnight comes about, Daenerys learns that one of the sellswords was caught trying to sneak into the camp – it is one of the three captains of the Stormcrows, the Tyroshi, Daario Naharis. When Daenerys confronts Daario, the flamboyant Tyroshi declares that the Stormcrows will now fight on her side, as will he. Daenerys expresses doubt and asks Daario what the two other captains had to say about her offer. Daario replies by opening the sack that he carries with him, and the heads of the two other captains spill out – he offers their heads as a gift to her. Daenerys is pleased with Daario’s gift and accepts the Tyroshi into her service. Despite Ser Jorah’s objections about Daario’s loyalty, Daenerys sends Daario back to the host with a mission: the Stormcrows are to strike the Yunkish rear when Daenerys’ attack begins.
After Daario leaves, Ser Jorah still voices out his objections against giving Daario Naharis any role to play in the forthcoming battle. Daenerys starts getting angry, and reveals that she is weary of Jorah trying to push every other man in the world away from her just so that she has to rely on him only. She tells him that she respects and cherishes him, but she does not desire him and that sending away every other man will not make her love him any better. Ser Jorah reacts stiffly to the rebuke and leaves soon thereafter to lead Daenerys’ army into battle.
Midnight comes and Daenerys tries to sleep, but she grows increasingly restless, knowing that her men have already launched into battle against the Yunkai host. She summons Arstan to her pavilion and asks him to tell her more about the elder brother she never knew – Rhaegar Targaryen. She says that her now deceased brother, Viserys, mentioned that Rhaegar had won many jousting tournaments.
Arstan reveals that, although Rhaegar’s fighting prowess was unquestioned, he did not love battle like some of his peers, and he seldom entered tournaments; Arstan adds that men used to say Rhaegar loved his harp more than his lance. When Daenerys presses Arstan on whether Rhaegar actually won any of his tourneys, he tells her that Rhaegar did indeed win one – the tourney of Harrenhal, the greatest tourney of them all. Daenerys is surprised by that as she states that the tourney of Harrenhal was the tourney in which Rhaegar crowned Lyanna Stark as the queen of love and beauty, rather than his own lady wife, Elia Martell. She goes on to state that Rhaegar must have been unhappy with his wife since he later went on to steal Lyanna from her betrothed, Daenerys states that if she had been born earlier, closer to Rhaegar’s age, then Rhaegar could have wed her, as per the Targaryen practice of marrying sisters to their brothers – she could have made Rhaegar happy and things might have worked out differently.
Arstan, however, voices out his reservations regarding Daenerys’ statement. He mentions that Prince Rhaegar never seemed truly happy; there was always a melancholy about Rhaegar, and Arstan surmises that it had something to do with the tragic event of a place called Summerhall.
Just then, Ser Jorah enters the tent. He brings good news: they have won the battle. The Stormcrows turned their cloaks, as Daario mentioned they would, the Yunkai’i slaves threw down their spears and ran, and the Second Sons were too drunk to fight. The number of casualties for the enemy number two hundred, with most of that being the Yunkai’i slaves; they also have several thousand captives. Their own losses number only about a dozen or less. Ser Jorah also adds that Grazdan was bringing Daenerys message regarding the freeing of the Yunkai’i slaves to the Wise Masters, and Mero, the leader of the Second Sons, managed to escape the battle.
The next day, Daenerys and her army marched to the doorsteps of Yunkai; she has Ser Jorah and Grey Worm deploy her men, and then she sits down and waits.
On the morning of the third day, the city gates swung open and all the slaves of Yunkai begin streaming out. As they pass, Missandei tells them that they owe their freedom to Daenerys. The newly-freed slaves begin shouting out one word, over and over again: “Mhysa”. Missandei tells Daenerys that is the Ghiscari word for ‘Mother’.
They run towards her; Ser Jorah advices her to retreat for her own safety, but Daenerys says that the newly-freed slaves will not hurt her because they are all her children. She rides out to them and they part before her, calling out to her, brushing their fingers against her legs.
Arya, Gendry and the outlaws have returned to High Heart, the high hill with the ring of weirwood stumps at its peak. They reach the top of the hill by sunset and make camp for the night. The outlaws build a great fire atop the hill. Arya notices Thoros gazing deep into the flames, and asks Lord Beric’s squire, Ned, as to what Thoros saw in the flames. Ned replies that when the red priest looks into the flames, he can see both the past and future, and things that are happening far away. When Arya then asks Thoros on whether he can truly see the future in the flames, the red priest says that on some days he can, but not this time.
Gendry, dubious, points out that his master, the master-armorer Tobho Mott, used to say that Thoros is a fraud. Thoros is amused at the accusation, and tells them a little about his origins, of how he was the youngest of eight and his father had given him over to the Red Temple. He had proven to have a gift for seeing things in the flames, but the Red Temple eventually decided to send him to King’s Landing to bring the Lord of the Light’s teaching to Westeros. Thoros states that he did indeed buy swords from Tobho Mott and then set them on fire so that he could wield a flaming sword in the melee tournaments, and he admits that doing so destroyed the swords. Just then, Lord Beric mentions that fire consumes, until there is nothing left, and mentions that six times is too many, alluding to the fact that Thoros has brought him back from the dead that many times.
Later that night, when most of the other outlaws were fast asleep, Arya spots a small, old woman with thin white hair entering the camp. The outlaws that are not sleeping, which include, Anguy, Lem, Tom, Thoros and Lord Beric himself, seem to know the old woman and they are soon conversing with her by the fire. In exchange for wine and a song from Tom, the tiny old woman share her portents and dreams with the outlaws. She tells them that the kraken king is dead and so too is Lord Hoster Tully. She speaks of a few other things as well: (1) of a goat sitting alone in the hall of kings while the great dog descends on it (2) a wolf howling in the rain without anyone around to hear its grief (3) a clangor of drums and horns and pipes and screams interspersed with the sad sound of little bells (4) a maiden with purple snakes in her hair attending a feast and (5) the same maiden later slaying a savage giant within a castle made of snow.
After mentioning these dreams, portents and visions, the old woman turn towards Arya, spotting the young girl in the darkness of the night. She studies Arya for a moment before beginning to sob in fear, saying that Arya smells of death and bids Arya to leave. Lord Beric assure the old woman that Arya will be leaving with the outlaws the next day for they are taking her to Riverrun. The old woman tells them that Ser Brynden, the Blackfish, holds Riverrun now, and that if they want to find Arya’s mother, they should head to the Twins, where a wedding is to take place. She then requests for her payment and Tom complies by singing her a song.
It rains throughout the night and continues to pour all the way into the morning. The outlaws break camp and head for an abandoned village half a day’s ride to the north. As they ride, Arya and Ned, Lord Beric’s quire, get into a conversation. As they talk, Arya discovers that Ned and her own half-brother, Jon Snow, are milk brothers; Ned says that when he was little, his own mother had no milk for him, so he was instead nursed by a woman named Wylla, who served Ned’s family and whom Ned states is Jon Snow’s mother. Curious, Arya presses Ned to tell her who he really is; Ned reveals that he is Edric Dayne, Lord of Starfall and Head of House Dayne.
Arya says that she know of Arthur Dayne, remembered by all as one of the finest Kingsguard in history. Ned states that he is Ser Arthur’s nephew and the Lady Ashara Dayne was his aunt; he then reveals that he never got to know his aunt because she threw herself into the sea before he was born. When Arya asks Ned as to the reason Lady Ashara would want to kill herself, Ned says that it is because his aunt’s heart had been broken by a lover, revealed by Ned to be Eddard Stark, Arya’s father. Arya gets visibly upset at the mention of her father loving another woman besides her mother, and rides off in a huff.
Harwin eventually catches up to her and asks her what is bothering her and she is about to repeat what Ned told her but Harwin immediately tells her that he knows of the tale. Harwin doubts the truth of the story but goes on to say that, even if the tale were true, there is no stain on her father’s honor – because when Eddard met Ashara, Eddard’s elder brother, Brandon Stark, was still alive and betrothed to Lady Catelyn. When Arya points out Ashara’s death, Harwin says that Ashara could have given in to the grief she felt after losing her brother, Arthur Dayne. Harwin then pleads to Arya to let the story lie, for all of the people in the story have already died.
The outlaws finally reach the abandoned village and they immediately make camp. Thoros builds a fire and is soon looking into the flames, as he did atop High Heart. This time, however, he sees a vision in his flames, and he hurriedly shares it with Lord Beric and the other outlaws: an island in a sea of fire, and the flames were leaping lions with crimson claws, and they had roared mightily. Thoros believes the island to be Riverrun and the lions to be the Lannisters, who will soon have Riverrun under siege. He also mentions that he did not see either Robb or Catelyn stark in the flames and surmises that they are probably attending the wedding at the Twins, as mentioned by the old woman at High Heart.
Lord Beric then asks Arya whether her uncle, Ser Brynden Tully, who currently holds Riverrun, knows her by sight. Arya can only shake her head, having never met her uncle before. Lem says that they should go to Riverrun to try and get the gold from Brynden for Arya’s ransom, just so that that can be done with her. Tom interjects by saying that the Lannisters might catch all of them if they do decide to enter Riverrun.
Lord Beric says that they will head for Riverrun, but not before their scouts have gathered sufficient information regarding the location of both the Lannister and Stark armies; in the meantime, he tells the outlaws that they are to head to the Acorn Hall once again, to seek shelter under Lady Smallwood’s roof.
Arya’s emotions are in turmoil. She doesn’t want to go to Acorn Hall; she wants to go to Riverrun to see her mother and brother. She runs off out into the rain, and runs as fast as she can. She is soon soaked to the bone and tries to find shelter from the rain – but instead she finds Sandor Clegane, disguised as one of the outlaws’ sentries. He tells her that she now belongs to him, and drags her back to his horse.
Jaime’s stump has been healing well so Roose Bolton makes the decision to send Jaime on to King’s Landing. He sends Qyburn along in order to look after Jaime’s wound during their journey to the capital. Roose Bolton gives the command of Jaime’s escort to one of his soldiers, Steelshanks Walton.
Roose Bolton and his host are also setting out. One of the Freys who had been at Harrenhal, a Ser Aenys Frey, departed three days before, heading for the Twins – Roose Bolton intends to follow after Ser Aenys. Lord Bolton asks Jaime to give his warm regards to Tywin Lannister. Jaime agrees as long as Lord Bolton delivers his regards to Robb Stark; Bolton says that he will.
A small group of Brave Companions gather in the yard to watch them leave. Jaime tells them that he will be back to settle matters with them.
Jaime and his 200-strong escort follow Roose Bolton’s host about six miles away from Harrenhal, turning south to follow the lake road. Walton says that he intends to avoid the Kingsroad on their journey to King’s Landing. He tells Jaime that while following the tracks and game trails along God’s Eye may be slower, he intends to bring Jaime back to the capital safely, without risking being attacked on the more open Kingsroad.
Qyburn falls in besides Jaime and enquires as to whether Jaime enjoyed his visitor last night. In truth, Jaime had sent the girl away, but he doesn’t mention this and merely asks Qyburn whether he sent girls to all those that he had leeched. Qyburn then mentions that it is Vargo Hoat who sends the girls to him, to examine them for diseases. He mentions that the girl he had sent to Jaime was healthy; he also mentions that Brienne of Tarth had been sent to him for examination and she turned out to be a maiden. When Jaime presses Qyburn further, he mentions that Lord Vargo had sent Brienne of Tarth to him. Vargo had received a bird from Lord Selwyn offering him three hundred gold dragons for Brienne’s safe return, but Vargo feels that Selwyn is holding out on him.
The road leads them to a burned village. Walton wants to stop for a rest and some food but Jaime says that he mislikes the place and that they should ride on. By evening, they have left the lake behind and make camp in a wood of oak and elm.
As Jaime sleeps, he finds himself caught up in a vivid dream. In his dream, he has his right hand again; he also finds himself deep within the bowels of Casterly Rock. Cersei and Tywin appear, but they act coldly towards him and soon leave him all alone in the darkness of a watery cavern. However, when he turns around, he finds Brienne of Tarth next to him. Like him, she has a sword as well. They move forward slowly and cautiously. Suddenly, six riders appear out of the darkness. Jaime recognizes all six of them; they have all died, but still they ride towards him. Five of them had been his brothers, his fellow Kingsguard. And the sixth rider is Rhaegar Targaryen. The riders each accuse Jaime of abandoning his oaths, of killing a king that he had sworn to protect. They advance upon Jaime and Brienne, at which point Jaime wakes up, to find Qyburn and Walton standing over him, concerned as to why he cried out in his sleep.
Jaime tells them that it was only a dream. He then tells Walton that he has left something back at Harrenhal and that he wants to go back there immediately. Walton is at first reluctant to return, stating that Lord Vargo and the Bloody Mummers now hold Harrenhal, but he finally agrees to go when Jaime promises that he’ll be getting a sizeable amount of gold when they eventually reach King’s Landing.
They reach Harrenhal by noon; the guards take a while to open the gates for them but eventually they enter the castle. Jaime hears cheering and sends his horse galloping into the yard only to see that the Bloody Mummers have placed Brienne in the castle’s bear pit. She is unarmored and has a wound on her left arm. Jaime also notices that although the Mummers have given her a sword, she appears afraid to get in close to attack the bear.
Jaime spots Vargo Hoat and commands Vargo to pull Brienne out of the pit. Vargo tells Jaime to stay out of it and that Brienne is in the pit because she bit his ear. Jaime looks on as the fight goes on in the pit and he sees Brienne strike a clean blow – but there is no blood. He then realizes that the Mummers have armed Brienne with a blunted tourney sword. Jaime offers to pay Vargo whatever he wants, but Vargo tells Jaime to go and pull Brienne out of the pit if he wants her.
And Jaime does just that. He tells Brienne to get behind him and kicks her legs out from under her when she doesn’t listen. Just then, the bear charges the two of them – but Walton and his men have arrived just in time and quickly bring the bear down with a barrage of crossbow bolts.
Vargo Hoat and his men are furious, but Walton threatens to shoot them as well if they give him trouble. Jaime tells Vargo that he will still pay Brienne’s ransom, and, even though some of the Bloody Mummers are raring for a fight, Vargo knows he is outnumbered and acquiesces to Jaime’s request.
Brienne thanks Jaime for rescuing her, but wonders why he came back, considering that he was already well away. Jaime shrugs and tells her that he dreamt of her.
Robb and his host are leaving Riverrun and setting out for the Twins; Catelyn, Edmure and Lame Lothar are part of his party. His new queen, Jeyne, tries to come along as well, but Robb sends her back to Riverrun. It had been Catelyn who insisted that Jeyne remain at Riverrun; Lord Walder might construe the presence of Robb’s new bride at Edmure’s wedding as an insult.
Only one of the six Westerlings are in Robb’s party, and that is Ser Raynald, Jeyne’s brother, the royal banner-bearer; the rest, like Jeyne, remain at Riverrun, with the exception of Rolph Spicer. Under Catelyn’s earlier suggestion to send Ser Rolph on an errand, Robb has dispatched Ser Rolph to deliver Martyn Lannister back to the Lannisters in exchange for Robett Glover. And with Rolph Spicer gone, Grey Wind is once more at Robb’s side.
Ser Brynden remains behind at Riverrun; Robb has made him the Warden of the Southern Marches and believes him to the best man to hold the Trident.
Robb has thirty-five hundred men in his host, all of whom have survived the many battles that Robb has won.
It is drizzling when they leave Riverrun and the rain only gets heavier as they travel to the Twins. Along the way, Edmure worries about whether his bride-to-be, Lady Roslin Frey, is attractive; Catelyn, fed-up with Edmure’s constant worrying, scolds him by saying that he should be worrying more about whether Roslin has a healthy body, a wise mind and a loyal heart instead. Edmure does not take that well and starts avoiding her for the duration of the journey.
Five days later, the scouts return and warn them that the bridge at Fairmarket has been washed out by the rising waters. Robb sends the host to Oldstones and they reach the ruined stronghold of the ancient river kings eight days later.
Later in the evening, Catelyn finds Robb, standing with Grey Wind in the ruined castle’s yard, studying the sepulcher resting there. He asked her whose grave it was; Catelyn tells her that it is the grave of Tristifer, the Fourth of His Name. Tristifer was the King of the Rivers and Hills thousands of years ago. He won all of his battles, but died in his hundredth battle. The Fifth Tristifer was not his equal, and soon the entire kingdom was lost.
Robb mentions that the Fourth Tristifere’s heir failed him. He then moves on to the topic of his own heir; he reveals that he and Jeyne have been trying to conceive a child, but have not succeeded yet thus far. He goes on to state that a king must have an heir, and says that, should he fall in battle, Winterfell and the North will pass to Sansa. He refuses to let that happen, because if it passes to Sansa, it will also pass to her husband, Tyrion Lannister, and he will never allow Tyrion to have Winterfell and the North.
Catelyn agrees with him and says that Robb should name another heir until such time Jeyne gives him a son. She goes on to say that there are several young lordlings from the Vale who are related to Robb through his great grandfather. Robb cuts her off before she can finish; he says that his father had four sons.
Catelyn knows who Robb is referring to and states that a Snow is not a Stark. Robb counters by saying that Jon is more of a Stark than lordlings from the Vale who have never set foot in Winterfell. Catelyn then states that Jon is now a brother of the Night’s Watch, sworn to take no wife and hold no lands, and those who take the black serve for life. Robb counters again by saying the same thing could be said of the Kingsguard but the Lannisters still stripped Ser Barristan Selmy of his white cloak when they no longer had any use for him. Robb says that the Night’s Watch will find some way to release Jon from his vows if he sends them a hundred men in Jon’s place.
Catelyn states that a bastard cannot inherit; Robb says that a bastard can be legitimized by a royal decree and that there is precedent for such a case. Catelyn concedes that while Robb can make Jon a legitimate heir, there is no way to make him a bastard again and any son Robb may have will never be safe. Robb says that Jon would not harm any son of his. Catelyn mentions Theon Greyjoy killed Bran and Rickon; Robb answers coldly that Jon is no Theon.
Catelyn then asks Robb why he does not consider his sisters. She agrees that the North must not pass to Tyrion, but then mentions Arya as the next trueborn heir after Sansa. Robb states that Arya is dead as no one has seen or heard of her since their father was executed; he says that he wants Jon to succeed as King in the North and had been hoping that Catelyn would support his choice. Catelyn says that she will support him in everything, but not in this matter. Robb leaves, saying that he doesn’t need to ask for her support – because he is King.
After leaving Oldstones, they ride up the Blue Fork and through Hag’s Mire, where the bogs and mires slow them down considerably.
Lord Jason Mallister soon catches up with them; when Catelyn enters Robb’s tent, she discovers that Lord Jason has brought with him the captain of the Myraham, a trading galley from Oldtown. The captain brings good news for Robb and his men: Balon Greyjoy, who had crowned himself King, is dead. He tells Robb and his men that Balon fell off a bridge; he also mentions that Balon’s younger brother, Euron Crow’s Eye is back in the Iron Isles, sitting in the Seastone Chair.
After the captain leaves, Robb and his men discuss the implications of the new they have just heard. They agree that, Victarion, another of Balon’s younger brother, who now holds Moat Cailin with the strength of the Iron Fleet, has to return home to the Iron Islands to contest for the Seastone Chair. And Balon’s daughter, Asha, will most likely sail home to oust her uncle as well, and thus will take more of her men away from Deepwood Motte.
Robb states that securing Moat Cailin will be the key to winning back the North. He believes that Victarion will leave most of his men at Moat Cailin in order to hold it. But Robb has a plan in mind. He tells Lord Jason to give him two longships; Lady Maege Mormont will be on one, while Galbart Glover will be on the other. The two ships will ride upriver into the Neck to find Howland Reed in his ancestral seat of Greywater Watch.
Robb intends to divide his host into three divisions. The Greatjon will lead the attack from the expected south of the Moat, while Roose Bolton will lead the attack from the west. With Howland Reed’s help, Robb intends to the rest of the men through the Neck and then take the ironmen by surprise from the rear.
Robb states that, if they move quickly after Edmure’s wedding, they should all be in position by the end of the year. He then states that Catelyn is to be kept safe at Seagard before the battle. Catelyn protests, saying that she would much rather return to Riverrun. Robb says that Jeyne is in Riverrun, and he doesn’t want his mother and his wife to be in the same place.
Lastly, he has his lords witness his royal decree in which he names his heir. The heir’s name is not mentioned, but it is presumably Jon Snow.
Sam and Gilly step foot into one of the abandoned wildling villages. Sam is hoping that the village is Whitetree; he drew Whitetree upon his map when the Night’s Watch expedition had been making their way north and if the village was indeed Whitetree, then he would be able to work out exactly where they were. Sam tries studying the huge weirwood tree that stands in the center of this village, but he cannot tell whether it is the same one he saw earlier.
Sam and Gilly left Craster’s Keep with two horses, but one of them died three days after that. Sam has taken to walking since then, as Gilly, still weak from childbirth and now carrying her newborn bay, needed the horse more.
They take shelter in the village’s longhall. Gilly prepares a fire while Sam goes out to look for food in the empty hovels; he finds none. When he studies the weirwood once again, he admits that tree isn’t half as big as the one he had seen at Whitetree. He gets on his knees and says a quick prayer to the old gods of the North before returning to the longhall.
Sam warms himself by the fire, then, upon Gilly’s request, sings a song to the newborn baby. They then eat a measly supper and Sam leads the horse into the longhall before retiring for the night.
Sam has a dream that night. In his dream, he has inherited Horn Hill from his father and is holding a feast for all the brothers of the Night’s Watch; however, the men wore bright colors instead of black. He has also inherited his father’s Valyrian greatsword, Heartsbane. And Gilly is now his wife.
Sam is awoken from his dream by an extreme coldness in the longhall. There are many shadows in the longhall. One of the shadows by the door moves; it belongs to a large man. Gilly weeps, saying that the shadow has come for her newborn baby. The shadow stumbles forward, and Sam recognizes it: it is Small Paul.
Sam is deathly afraid, but he gathers his nerves and tells Gilly to go to the horse and lead it outside. He then unsheathes his dragonglass dagger and confronts Small Paul. The wight doesn’t recognize Sam and advances towards him but turns the other way when it hears the horse rearing and lashing out at the air. Sam takes advantage of the distraction and plunges the dragonglass dagger into Small Paul’s back. However, the dragonglass dagger proves useless against the wight and soon shatters. Before Sam can draw his steel dagger, Small Paul’s hands tighten around his throat and begins twisting. In pain, Sam lurches forward; he is heavier than the wight and his heavier weight sends the wight staggering backwards and the two of them go down together.
Small Paul still manages to get both his hands around Sam’s throat again. Sam desperately looks around for a weapon, and sees embers and ashes, all that remains of the fire. His fingers close around a chunk of still-smoldering charred wood, and he smashes it into the wight’s face. The dead man’s face bursts into flames. The wight’s hands released its hold on Sam’s throat and the wight started to burn.
Sam creeps to the door, only to see Gilly with her back against the weirwood, clutching the newborn baby in her arms. A dozen or more wights surround her; they have killed the horse. As Sam looks at the wights, he recognizes their faces; many of them had once been the men of the Night’s Watch that he had marched northwards with.
Suddenly, a raven lands on Sam’s shoulder. He then notices that there are thousands of ravens perching on the nearby trees. The ravens spread their wings and descend on the wights, attacking the dead men with fury. The raven on Sam’s shoulder tells Sam to go.
Sam runs up to Gilly and takes her by the hand. As they are discussing where to run to, a shout cuts through the night air, calling out to Sam as a brother. Beneath the trees, a man dressed in black and grey sits astride and elk and he calls for them to approach him; the hood he is wearing conceals his face.
Sam assumes that the man is a fellow member of the Night’s Watch due to his black clothes and he urges Gilly towards the man. The elk sinks to its knees to let them mount and the rider helps Gilly up, then Sam. Upon touching the rider’s offered hand, Sam notices that the man does not wear a glove, and that the hand is black and cold and hard as stone.
Arya is now Sandor Clegane’s captive. It is raining heavily. She rides in the saddle with him and has been warned not to scream or run off. They reach a large river, which Arya does not recognize. She asks Sandor whether the river is the Blackwater Rush, but the only thing Sandor tells her is that they have to cross the river. Arya thinks that the river is the Blackwater Rush because she assumes that Sandor is bringing her back to King’s Landing to hand her over to Joffrey and Cersei. However, the more she studies the river, the more she realizes that the Blackwater Rush was not quite as wide as this river.
The Hound tells her that the fords along the river are all gone and it would be perilous to try and swim across. He says that they are heading to Harroway town so that they can ride across the river instead.
Upon reaching Harroway, Sandor curses – the rising waters has flooded the entire town. However, the ferry that he is looking for is still there. He tells the ferrymen that he needs them to take him across the river. They say that they can carry him, Arya and the horse, for three gold pieces. Sandor balks at the price, saying that he can buy a ferry for that price. The ferrymen say that the price is as it is because of the river’s current treacherous condition, which also means they have had to hire more men as extra hands on the poles and oars. Sandor eventually agrees to their price, on the condition that they will receive the gold coins only when they successfully bring him to the north bank. When the ferrymen insist on being paid before they take him, Sandor threatens them by subtly implying that he would kill them right then if they refuse to take him. He tells them that he is good for the money, swearing falsely on his honor as a knight; the ferrymen reluctantly agree to take him across.
It is a wild ride; a huge uprooted tree in the river nearly rams into the ferry, and they lose one man to the river after he falls over the railing after one of the tree’s branches strikes the ferry a glancing blow.
When they finally reach the north bank, the ferrymen tells Sandor that he now owes them six gold pieces – three for their original agreement, and another three for the man they lost to the river. Sandor hands them the promissory note Beric gave him and tells them that the note is good for nine thousand gold pieces. He then tells the ferrymen that they can have ten gold pieces, and that he’ll be back for the rest one day.
The ferrymen curse Sandor as he leaves. Sandor then says to Arya that the ferrymen will not take promissory notes in the future, so if Beric and the rest of the outlaws are chasing after the both of them, they’d have to swim across the river instead.
Arya is shivering and sneezing badly so Sandor decides to call for a halt and make camp for the night. As they eat their measly supper, Sandor and Arya trade insults. During their heated conversation, Sandor is surprised to learn from Arya that she had once been a captive of his brother, Ser Gregor; he is even more delighted to learn that Gregor never knew that he had Arya Stark in his hands.
Sandor then tells Arya that he actually saved Sansa’s life in King’s Landing, and that Sansa sang a sweet song for him. When Arya calls him a liar, Sandor scoffs and says that Arya doesn’t know half as much as she think she does. He heaps scorn on Arya’s earlier guessing that the river they crossed was the Blackwater; he tells her that he would never go back to King’s Landing or the Lannisters.
Sandor then reveals to Arya that the river they crossed was The Trident – he is heading for the Twins. He intends to ransom her back to her mother and brother.
Despite his injured leg, Jon pushes his mare hard; he is determined to reach the Wall before the Magnar. He soon spots the kingsroad and has the mare follow the road until they eventually reach Mole’s Town, the closest village to Castle Black. Jon gets the villagers to give him a fresh mount and warns them that wildlings are now south of the Wall and that the villagers need to gather their goods and make for Castle Black. He then continues his journey, heading further North.
When Jon finally arrives at Castle Black, he notes that the entire place appears to be deserted. But he spots smoke rising from the armory so he makes his way there. Opening the door, he finds the one-armed smith, Donal Noye inside. Noye is surprised to see him, telling him they have all heard that he’d gone over to Mance Rayder. Jon asks who told Noye about that; Noye tells Jon that one of the senior rangers spotted him travelling with the wildlings. Jon tells Noye that it is true, but he says that he was acting on Qhorin Halfhand’s last orders.
He then asks Noye as to the whereabouts of Castle Black’s garrison. Noye replies that the men are everywhere along the entire length of the Wall – they’ve spotted the wildlings near the other castles along the Wall. He mentions that the wildlings disappear once they spot the defenders and reappear somewhere else along the Wall the next day. Jon tells Noye that the wildling appearances all along the Wall are feints, to spread Castle Black’s garrison thin; their real target is Castle Black and there are around a hundred and twenty wildlings headed for Castle Black right then.
Donal Noye suddenly notices that Jon’s leg is wounded and he helps support Jon as they both make their way towards Maester Aemon’s quarters.
As they walk, the discuss the situation at Castle Black. Donal Noye reveals that there are forty men left at Castle Black, with most of them being the crippled and infirm and some boys that are still in training. Noye also reveals that although Bowen Marsh named Ser Wynton as Castle Black’s castellan, Ser Wynton was too old and senile to give orders, so Donal Noye is the actual commander of Castle Black.
Noye then asks Jon where his direwolf is and Jon tells him that he parted with Ghost when he had to climb the Wall and had hoped that the direwolf would have made its way to Castle Black. Noye says that he has seen no signs of Ghost.
They finally reach Maester Aemon’s quarters. Aemon immediately begins treating Jon’s arrow wound. As he works, Aemon fills Jon in on what has been happening at Castle Black. Jon is filled with grief when he hears about Lord Commander Mormont’s murder at the hand of several of his own Sworn Brothers at Craster’s Keep. He is surprised to learn that only a dozen of the two hundred men that went North with Mormont have returned to Castle Black. Aemon confirms that Bowen Marsh is the current Lord Commander until the Night’s Watch can hold a choosing. Jon in turn tells Aemon that Mance was searching for the Horn of Winter in the Frostfangs but never found it.
Maester Aemon begins fixing Jon’s wound, and Jon soon passes out from the pain.
When he comes to, Jon is greeted by two of his closest friends, Pyp and Grenn. He asks Grenn whether Sam was one of the dozen men who managed to find their way back to Castle Black. Grenn starts off by telling Jon that Sam killed one of the Others with the dragonglass knife that Jon had given to him, but when Jon presses him, Grenn says that they left Sam back at Craster’s Keep. He tells Jon that Sam just curled up on the ground and lay there without moving and they were not strong enough to drag Sam to his feet, so they left.
Jon tries to sit up but the pain is excruciating. Grenn calls upon Maester Aemon; when the old Maester arrives, he tells Jon to rest in order to heal. Jon asks Maester Aemon whether word of the imminent wildling attack has been sent to Winterfell.
Maester Aemon then breaks the bad news to Jon, telling him about Theon Greyjoy taking Winterfell, then having both Bran and Rickon executed and finally, putting Winterfell to the torch and the Starks’ bannermen tried to retake it. Grenn tries to ease Jon’s grief by saying that Roose Bolton’s son killed all the ironmen and is currently flaying Theon Greyjoy alive for his crimes.
Jon, still in pain and disbelief, mumbles that he saw a grey direwolf at Queenscrown and that it knew him. He wonders to himself whether some part of Bran is living on in his direwolf. Grenn hands Jon a drink to help with the pain and Jon falls asleep soon thereafter.
Robb and his host arrive at the Twins. Catelyn cautions Robb to tread lightly when dealing with Lord Walder Frey. She also tells him that he should not refuse any food that the Freys offer him and if they do not offer him food, he must ask for some. Catelyn explains that, once Robb has eaten of Lord Walder’s food, he will have guest right, with the laws of hospitality protecting Robb while he is beneath Lord Walder’s roof.
Ser Ryman Frey, son of the late Ser Stevron who had been Lord Walder’s firstborn, rides out to meet them. He is accompanied by his three sons. When the Freys are within a half-dozen yards of Robb, Grey Wind growls and leaps forwards. Robb starts calling the direwolf to him, but Grey Wind does not appear to hear him. It is only after Catelyn interposes herself between both direwolf and the Freys does Grey Wind stop its attack, veering away as it appears to finally have heard Robb’s command.
The Freys are none too pleased and treat with Robb in a cold and aloof manner. However, Robb remains the picture of courtesy. The Freys tell Robb that his lords bannermen are welcome to join them inside the Twins; the castles cannot hold so great a host, however, so the rest of Robb’s men will have to take shelter under the feast tents on the far bank.
As they about to enter the Twins, Grey Wind starts to howl and refuses to pass beneath the portcullis. It is only after Robb speaks softly to it does the direwolf enter. The Freys suggest that Robb give Grey Wind over to the Twins’ master of hounds, but instead, Robb charges Ser Raynald Westerling to stay with the direwolf.
When they enter the hall, Lord Walder Frey is there with the many members of his family. Catelyn notes that there is a Frey in the hall that she has never seen before: a man about fifty who looks like a younger version of Lord Walder and wears a fool’s crown. Walder tells them that this is Aegon Frey, the halfwit son of Lord Frey’s now deceased firstborn son, the late Stevron Frey; the Freys call him Jinglebell.
When Edmure expresses an interest in seeing his bride-to-be, Walder sends one of Roslin’s brothers, Ser Benfrey, to fetch her.
He then turns his attention to Robb. As expected, Walder shoots mean-spirited verbal jabs at Robb for breaking his promise of marrying one of Walder’s many daughters. Walder says that Robb is to make his apology to all Walder’s daughters. He wiggles his finger and all of Walder’s daughters, grand-daughters and great grand-daughters flock to the center of the hall. Robb is uncomfortable, but he makes a sincere apology to all the ladies and girls gathered in the hall.
Lord Walder is satisfied with the apology.
Ser Benfrey then returns with his sister Roslin. Much to Edmure’s relief, Lady Roslin Frey turns out to be quite beautiful, more that he had hoped for. Catelyn does note, however, that Roslin has a petite and delicate frame, which might make childbirth a painful ordeal for the girl.
Lord Walder then has Ser Benfrey send Roslin back to her chamber. He then tells Lothar Frey to show Robb and his party to their quarters.
Catelyn, having almost forgotten it, calls out for some food. Lord Walder complies and Robb and his party partake in the meal. Catelyn eats, feeling relieved and safer as they have all now secured guest right under Lord Walder’s roof.
When they are in their quarters, Edmure expresses his happiness of Roslin to Catelyn. Still, he wonders aloud why Lord Walder haven’t given him a choice in the matter of his bride- Edmure asks Catelyn whether there is a possibility that Roslin could be infertile. Catelyn admits that it is possible, but she sees no reason to believe Roslin is infertile. She then retreats to her own room.
After a change of clothes, Catelyn goes to discuss a certain matter with the Twins’ maester. She shares Edmure’s concern about Roslin’s fertility with Maester Brenett. Brenett assures Catelyn that Roslin has no fertility issues, and goes on to state that Roslin’s mother was petite like her, but gave Lord Walder a child every year and had five children who lived past infancy.
Catelyn then goes in search of Robb. She finds him talking to his lord bannermen, and she sees that they have been joined by Lord Roose Bolton. Lord Bolton is brings them word of Winterfell. He tells them that the ironmen burned the castle and the surrounding town but his bastard son, Ramsay Snow, managed to lead some of the Winterfell folk back to Dreadfort, Lord Bolton’s fortress. Catelyn reminds Lord Bolton that Ramsay has been accused of grievous crimes; Lord Bolton agrees with her but also admits that Ramsay can do some good by rooting out any surviving Greyjoy in the North.
When Robb asks whether Theon Greyjoy had fled or been slain, Lord Bolton removes a strip of leather from the pouch at his belt and presents it as a gift to Lady Catelyn. He states that the strip of leather is actually the skin from Theon Greyjoy’s little finger, and is a small token of revenge for what Theon did to Bran and Rickon. Catelyn urges Lord Bolton to put the grisly trophy away.
Robb says that he wants Theon’s head, not Theon’s skin. Lord Bolton says that Theon is worth more as a prisoner, because with Balon Greyjoy’s death, Theon was now the rightful King of the Iron Islands and thus has considerable value as a hostage. He then mentions that whoever won the Iron Islands’ Seastone chair would pay them a handsome amount to execute Theon. Robb reluctantly agrees with Lord Bolton’s decision.
Lord Bolton also tells of his encounter with Gregor Clegane on the Trident. By the time Lord Bolton left Harrenhal, the Trident was already well-flooded. They crossed in boats, but before the last third of Lord Bolton’s army could cross, they were set upon by Gregor and his men; many of the men were cut down or drowned. Lord Bolton mentions that he has left a force of six hundred men at the ford, and as long as the Trident continues running high, Ser Gregor will not cross.
Robb congratulates him for holding off Gregor but Lord Bolton says that he suffered grievous losses, and that Glover and Tallhart suffered worse at Duskendale.
Catelyn then asks Roose Bolton about the number of soldiers that he has brought Robb. Lord Bolton replies that he has five hundred cavalry and three thousand infantrymen, with most of them being his own men from the Dreadfort.
Robb says that Roose Bolton’s men should be enough and that he wants Roose Bolton to have command of his rear guard. Robb adds that he means to start for the Neck immediately after Edmure’s wedding.
Sandor and Arya are traveling on a wagon pulled by two draft horses. Sandor’s warhorse, Stranger, follows from behind, tied to the wagon and wearing no barding or harness. Both Sandor and Arya are dressed as farmers. In the wagon are casks of food. By chance, they had crossed paths with a farmer while traveling the kingsroad. Sandor had bared his sword and forced the farmer to hand over the wagon, draft horses, clothes and casks of food. Sandor tells Arya that, while he wants to hand her over to Robb, he doesn’t want to be dragged in chains or have to cut through men to get to Robb. So the goods he stole from the farmer would allow them to disguise themselves and fool Robb’s men into thinking they were indeed farmers.
As they ride up the Green Fork, heading towards the Twins, a knight and his squires ride towards them. Sandor keeps his eyes down, his face hidden under his hood. When the knight asks him his reason for heading towards the Twins, Sandor answers back politely, saying that he is bringing salt pork for the wedding feast. The knight takes a long and hard look at Stranger, for the warhorse is clearly no draft horse. When asked where he got the warhorse from, Sandor tells the knight that the warhorse is a gift from Lady Whent. The knight waves them on.
It is night when they finally approach the Twins. They see thousands of men, most of them crowding around the three great feast tents facing the castle gates. Even from outside, they can hear the music being played from the two castles. Arya notes that the musicians in the nearer castle are playing a different song than the ones in the castle on the far bank, and comments that the musicians can’t be good. Sandor agrees.
As they get closer to the castle, they are stopped by a band of guards. Sandor tells them the same thing he told the knight but the sergeant in charge state that the castle is closed and that Sandor can unload his casks of food by the feast tents instead. Sandor obeys and sends the horses off towards the tents.
When they reach the tents, Sandor doesn’t stop but instead spurs the horses forward. Arya asks Sandor why they aren’t stopping; she had caught a glimpse of the men inside the feast tents and she tells Sandor that there are northmen in the tents, and most likely Winterfell men. Sandor tells Arya that it is her brother that he wants and whips the horses to spur them onwards.
Catelyn sits inside the Twins, observing the activities going on around the hall as the wedding feast celebration gets underway. The music is too loud and the hall seems too small for the large number of guests. The food is mediocre, poor fare to serve before a king, but Robb eats it without complaining. Edmure is thoroughly enchanted with Roslin, his newlywed wife. Catelyn notes that Roslin’s smile is stiff and appears to be fixed onto her face – she attributes this to Roslin being nervous about the bedding that is to come.
Robb has danced with all of Lord Walder’s daughters and granddaughters as per Lord Walder’s request, giving no room for the Lord of the Crossing to complain. Catelyn notes that, although the food being served is mediocre, Lord Walder is not stingy with the ale, wine and mead; there is a freeflow of drink, and most of the guests are well into their cups. Catelyn sees the Greatjon roaring drunk as he has a drinking contest with one of Lord Walder’s son. She is relieved however, when she sees that the four who are guarding Robb tonight – Smalljon Umber, Robin Flint, Patrek Mallister and Dacey Mormont – are not drinking.
Lord Roose Bolton’s new wife, Lady Walda Frey, also known as Fat Walda, is chatting with Ser Wendel Manderly. She is retelling how, when Lord Walder Frey offered Roose Bolton his bride’s weight in silver as a dowry, Roose Bolton had chosen her. Lord Roose Bolton is seated next to Catelyn and pays the chatter no mind; he sips his drink but eats little.
The sight of two dogs snapping at each other over a scrap of meat reminds Catelyn that Grey Wind was not in the hall with Robb. Robb had wanted the direwolf at his side, but Lord Walder had been adamant that the direwolf was not to be allowed in the hall during the feast. Robb had been furious, but, fully aware that he was at the Twins to make amends, acquiesced to Lord Walder’s request.
The Greatjon outdrinks yet another Frey. Roose Bolton excuses himself as he goes in search of a privy. Robb takes Roose Bolton’s vacant seat and asks Ser Ryman Frey, who sits on Catelyn’s other side, where he could find Olyvar Frey – he has not seen the young Frey the whole night. Olyvar Frey had once squired for Robb. When the Freys learned of Robb’s marriage to Jeyne Westerling and subsequently left Robb’s host in anger, they had taken Olyvar with them, despite the young Frey wanting to remain with Robb. Robb states that he hopes to take Olyvar with him when they head north. Ser Ryman tells Robb that Olyvar is not at the Twins, that the young Frey was away on some duty. Robb does not believe Ser Ryman’s tale, but says nothing and leaves to dance with more of the Frey girls.
A while later, Lord Walder calls out to Robb, saying that they should start the bedding ceremony. Robb voices his agreement, which is greeted by a roar of approval from the guests. The women in the hall start to gather around Edmure and pull at his clothes, while the men and boys did the same with Roslin, with both groups cracking bawdy jokes at the newlyweds. The Greatjon shoves through the other men and throws Roslin over one shoulder, and, with clothes coming off both bride and groom, the small procession leads the newlyweds from the hall. Catelyn notices that Roslin is stiff with terror; she silently hopes that Edmure will be gentle with his bride.
Catelyn sees that Robb and several of his men have not left the hall. Dacey Mormont, who appears to be the only woman left in the hall besides Catelyn, approaches Edwyn Frey and with a light touch on his arm, says something softly in his ear. Edwyn violently wrenches himself away from Dacey, saying loudly that he no longer wishes to dance.
Catelyn, upon witnessing the scene, senses that something is wrong. Not knowing why she is suddenly filled with fear, Catelyn goes after Edwyn Frey. Just at that moment, the musicians in the gallery start playing a more ominous tune – “The Rains of Castamere”, a song about Lord Tywin Lannister’s complete destruction of House Reyne of Castamere and House Tarbeck of Tarbeck Hall when the two Houses dared to rebel against House Lannister.
Catelyn catches up with Edywn and grabs him by the arm; her fear becomes real when she feels the iron rings of the armor he is wearing beneath his clothes. She realizes the danger that Robb and all his men are in – the Freys have betrayed them. All the clues start adding up: how Olyvar and some of the other Freys are absent from the feast, and how Roslin had wept during the bedding ceremony.
Edwyn shoves Catelyn aside. Robb moves to block Edwyn’s way, but is hit in quick succession by two crossbow bolts, fired by the musicians in the gallery, half of whom have switched their instruments for crossbows. Catelyn runs towards Robb, but a crossbow bolt punches her in the back, and she crashes to the floor. Smalljon Umber wrestles a table off its trestles then flings it down on top of Robb. Ser Wendel Manderly rises to his feet, but is killed by a quarrel that enters his mouth and comes out the back of his neck. Smalljon Umber reaches for his sword but a crossbow bolt drives him to his knees. Almost all of Robb’s men are dead, some killed by the Freys in the hall while others fall victim to the deadly quarrels from the crossbowmen in the gallery above. Dacey Mormont escapes the clutches of Young Ser Benfrey Frey and makes a run for the door, but Ser Ryman Frey comes through the door before she can reach it, followed by a dozen Frey men-at-arms; Ryman buries the head of his axe in Dacey’s stomach.
Men were starting to pour in from the other doors, dressed in mail and shaggy fur cloaks. Catelyn’s hope that the northmen are finally here to rescue Robb are quickly dashed to bits when one of them decapitates Smalljon Umber.
Catelyn sees a dagger on the floor and crawls towards it.
Robb struggles to his knees; he has been hit by a third crossbow bolt, this one going through his chest. Lord Walder signals for the musicians to stop playing. Catelyn hears the sound of distant battle, and the wild howling of a wolf that she knows is Grey Wind. Lord Walder proceeds to mock Robb by saying that he’s killed some of Robb’s men but that he will mend the situation by apologizing for it, thus alluding that the insult done to him by Robb not marrying one of his daughters/granddaughters had been too deep to be done away with by Robb’s apology.
Catelyn grabs Jinglebell, the halfwit son of Lord Frey’s now deceased firstborn son, the late Stevron Frey, and presses the dagger to the halfwit’s throat. She calls out to Lord Walder, pleading to the Lord of the Crossing to let Robb go; in return, she swears by the old and new gods that they will not seek vengeance upon House Frey. Lord Walder says that he is not foolish enough to believe Catelyn’s word. Catelyn, growing desperate, offers both herself and Edmure as hostages in return for letting Robb go. She tells Robb to walk out of the hall and to find Grey Wind.
When Lord Walder makes no move to acquiesce to her plea, Catelyn presses the blade deeper into Jinglebell’s throat and swears upon her honor as a Tully and a Stark, that if Lord Walder releases Robb, she will do the same for Jinglebell, with the implied threat that if Lord Walder kills Robb, she will kill Jinglebell as well.
Lord Walder’s reply is filled with disdain, saying that Jinglebell is a grandson and that the halfwit has never been of much use.
Lord Roose Bolton suddenly appears, now in full armor, and steps up to Robb. The Lord of the Dreadfort says that Jaime Lannister sends his regards, and thrusts his longsword through Robb’s heart.
Catelyn keeps her promises and saws through Jinglebell’s throat. As blood spurts everywhere, she goes insane and rakes her own face with her nails. She begins crying, but soon starts laughing and finally her laughs change to screams. Catelyn then hears someone saying that she has lost her wits and calls for an end. Another person then grabs her scalp, and slits her throat.
Arya and Sandor are nearly upon the gates of the Twins. Although the sergeant they encountered earlier had mentioned that the castle would be closed, Arya notes that this is not the case, as the portcullis is drawn upward and the drawbridge has been lowered.
Suddenly, Sandor curses and pushes Arya off the wagon. He then leaps down and arms himself with the sword he’d hidden underneath the wagon seat.
It is only then that Arya sees the riders pouring out of the castle gate, men who are well-armored and carrying weapons, with every one in ten carrying a torch. Arya hears a wolf howling somewhere far off, but she feels rather than hears the rage and grief in the animal’s howl.
The Frey riders knock down the three feast tents and the tents collapse on the men beneath. Using flaming arrows, the riders set all the tents alight. Arya notices that, unlike before, the music being played from both of the Twins’ castles are now the same.
Three riders leave the main column and head towards the wagon. Sandor cuts his warhorse, Stranger, loose from the wagon and leaps onto its back. He engages two of the riders, but the third goes for Arya.
Arya does not understand why the Frey riders are attacking Robb’s men. Since her uncle, Edmure, was marrying one of Lord Frey’s daughters, the Freys should have been friends with Robb. She throws a rock at the third rider but the stone only lands a glancing blow off the rider’s temple. She then runs as quick as she can, putting the wagon between her and the rider then proceeds to run around the wagon three times as the rider chases her. The Frey rider curses but then Sandor arrives and sends the knight flying from his steed with a powerful blow to the back of the knight’s head. Arya notices that Sandor is now carrying an axe; when she looks around, she sees a foot of Sandor’s broken sword jutting from beneath one of the dead riders’ chin.
Sandor then tells Arya to get him his snarling dog’s helm and Arya obeys. Sandor puts it on and states that Arya’s brother is dead, pointing to the carnage going around them as proof, stating that the Freys wouldn’t leave Robb alive if they were out here slaughtering all his men.
Sandor tells Arya that they have to get away from the Twins as fast as possible but Arya responds by saying that both Robb and her mother are in the castle and Arya and Sandor should ride in to get them. Sandor curses and states that if Arya enters the Twins, she will not come out. Arya insists and when Sandor reaches down to grab, she spins away and runs towards the gate.
Sandor rides after her. He soon catches up with her and hits her in the back of the head with his axe.
Sansa and Tyrion are having a quiet supper together. Tyrion is feeling angry and frustrated at Prince Oberyn and his Dornishmen. There has already been a fight between Tyrell men-at-arms and the Dornishmen and an ugly confrontation when the Queen of Thorns, Lady Olenna insulted Prince Oberyn’s paramour, Ellaria Sand, by calling her “the serpent’s whore”. In addition to that, Prince Oberyn is always asking Tyrion when justice will be served every time the two catch sight of each other.
After supper, Sansa asks for Tyrion’s leave to visit the godswood. Tyrion grants it and proceeds to spend the next few hours going through Petyr Baelish’s ledgers. As the new Master of Coin, Tyrion is in charge of finding more money for the crown, but finds making sense of Littlefinger’s accounts a frustrating affair; it seems Littlefinger has been involved in several shady ventures.
Tyrion later get a summons from his father. He enters the Hand’s solar to find Cersei, Ser Kevan Lannister and Grand Maester Pycelle gathering next to Lord Tywin and King Joffrey. Both Joffrey and Cersei seem to be extremely pleased. Tywin passes a rolled parchment to Tyrion. The parchment bears the seals of House Frey and the message from Lord Walder Frey inside states that Roslin has captured Edmure Tully while Roslin’s brothers have given her a pair of wolf pelts for her wedding. Joffrey announces that Robb Stark is dead while Tywin reports that, while Riverrun might still be under Ser Brynden Tully’s control, the Blackfish would not dare mount an attack as long as Lord Walder holds Edmure Tully. Tywin also states that with Robb dead, the river lords cannot hold off the might of the Lannister army for long; he also adds that any castle that yields to them will be spared. Tywin does make one exception, however: he has instructed Ser Gregor Clegane to put Harrenhal to the sword, for he seeks to be rid of Vargo Hoat’s Brave Companions once and for all.
Joffrey begins one of his tirades, declaring that they should execute all of the riverlords instead of allowing them to bend the knee. Tywin tells Joffrey that he should attack his enemies when they defy him but help them back to their feet once they surrender; Tywin says that this is a lesson Aerys Targaryen never learned. Joffrey then escalates the situation further by stating that Tywin had been scared of Aerys Targaryen. Joffrey further insults Tywin by stating that the late King Robert Baratheon, whom Joffrey still takes as his father (as he does not know about Jaime being his father), acted boldly during Robert’s Rebellion, unlike Tywin, who hid under Casterly Rock.
Tywin coldly dismisses Joffrey and assigns Ser Kevan to see the king back to his bedchamber. He also commands Pycelle to go and prepare some dreamwine for Joffrey.
When only Cersei and Tyrion remain in the room, Tywin chastises Cersei for Joff’s behavior and then dismisses her as well.
Alone with Tyrion, Tywin discusses the matter of Prince Oberyn; Tywin has been considering how best to appease Oberyn and the rest of his entourage. Tyrion says that Prince Oberyn might not be satisfied with Ser Gregor’s head alone. Tywin agrees and says that is why he is going to keep Ser Gregor far away as long as Oberyn remains in King’s Landing; instead, he is going to offer Ser Amory Lorch as the murderer of Elia and her children. Tyrion says that Ser Amory Lorch is already dead, Vargo Hoat having fed him to a bear at Harrenhal after Lord Roose Bolton took the castle. And with Amory dead, Tyrion foresees that Oberyn will enquire further, as to who gave Amory the orders to kill Elia and her children. Tywin responds by saying he will tell Oberyn that Ser Amory acted on his own, in the hope of winning favor from Robert Baratheon; after all, with Elia’s children dead, Robert’s throne would be more secure.
Tywin then admits that the death of Elia and her children were done with needless brutality; he says that Elia herself should not have been harmed because by herself she was no threat to Robert. Tywin says that Gregor probably killed Elia because he had not given Gregor express orders to spare her. He also reveals that it was Ser Amory who killed Elia’s daughter but Gregor who killed Elia and her son.
Tyrion then shifts the conversation back to the Freys and the wedding. He states that the Freys, by killing guests who have eaten food under their roof, have violated the ancient and sacred tradition of guest right. Tywin retorts by saying that it is Lord Walder Frey who violated the tradition, and that the blood is on the Lord of the Crossing’s hands, not his own.
Tyrion then states that there is no way Lord Walder Frey would have dared to orchestrate such a thing without the promise of Tywin’s protection. Tywin confesses that the price for the Frey betrayal was cheap: Ser Emmon Frey will get Riverrun once Ser Brynden yields, Ser Kevan Lannister’s elder son and the late Ser Stafford Lannister’s only son will marry Frey girls, while the only daughter of Lord Tywin’s now-deceased youngest brother will wed one of Lord Walder’s natural sons.
Also, for taking part in the Frey betrayal, Lord Roose Bolton will become Warden of the North and the Lannisters will hand over Arya Stark to him so that he can wed Arya to his bastard son, Ramsay Snow. When Tyrion mentions that Arya Stark has been missing for more than half a year and likely dead, Tywin mentions that the same was to be said of Renly, at least until the Battle of the Blackwater. Tyrion asks for further clarification, only to be told that Littlefinger succeeded in finding Arya where Tywin and Varys failed, thus subtly hinting that the Arya Stark to be given to Lord Roose Bolton is an impostor. Tywin goes on to state that he intends for Lord Roose Bolton to fight the Greyjoys for a few years and bring all the northmen to heel. He ends by saying the North will eventually go to Tyrion and Sansa’s son, but cruelly mocks Tyrion for having not yet slept with Sansa, much less gotten her with child.
Stannis is in the chamber of the Painted Table together with Melisandre, Davos, Queen Selyse and Ser Axell Florent. Salladhor Saan is there as well, and he is reporting on what he has heard of Robb’s death. The smallfolk are calling it The Red Wedding; they also mention that Catelyn Stark was killed as well.
Queen Selyse and Ser Axell Florent attribute Robb Stark’s death to the hand of R’hllor. Stannis however, says that the act of killing guests has more the stench of Lord Walder Frey than any god, to which Melisandre replies that R’hllor works in mysterious ways.
Stannis then mentions that he intends to pardon any Northmen or ironmen who swears fealty to him but Melisandre says they will not do so because, through her flames, she has seen that more usurpers to the throne will appear, to replace Robb Stark and Balon Greyjoy.
Melisandre goes on to add that Stannis must now give the realm a sign of his power and that he can do that by handing over Edric Storm to her; in return, she will sacrifice the boy and wake the stone dragons, fulfilling an ancient prophecy in which Azor Ahai, whom Melisandre believes Stannis to be, wakes dragons out of stone. Queen Selyse and Ser Axell Florent sing the same song, agreeing that Edric Storm must die for the greater good of the realm.
Only Davos provides a dissenting voice; he states that no man is as cursed as the kinslayer and goes on to ask Melisandre how she intends to use Edric to wake the stone dragons. Melisandre says that she intends to sacrifice Edric and that despite Edric being Robert Baratheon’s bastard, kings’ blood flows in the boy’s veins. She mentions that Davos has already seen how potent even a little kings’ blood can be, referring to the three leeches that she had burned, each one filled with Edric’s blood. Davos questions the efficacy of Melisandre’s magic, saying that only two kings have died so far, not three. Melisandre says that once Joffrey dies, then it will surely prove the true power of R’hllor.
Stannis dismisses all of them, and they leave, except for Davos, who remains in the chamber. Davos proceeds to plead with the king, calling upon Stannis to spare Edric Storm’s life, for the boy has done no wrong. Stannis starts to get defensive and angry, saying that he doesn’t want the boy to be sacrificed but his first duty is to the realm. He says that Melisandre might call the flaming sword that she has given him by the name of Lightbringer, the fabled sword wielded by Azor Ahai, but during the Battle of the Blackwater, it served him no better than any common sword. He says that Melisandre’s stone dragons would be what they need to win the battle. Stannis then mentions that he knows the cost of sacrificing Edric, that he has been looking into the flames, and saw a king with a crown of fire, burned to ashes. When Stannis asks what is the life of one bastard boy when weighed against an entire Kingdom, Davos replies that it is worth everything. Angered by Davos’ reply, Stannis promptly dismisses him.
Outside, Salladhor Saan approaches Davos. The Lyseni pirate says that he has forgiven Davos for advising Stannis against the attack on House Celtigar. Salladhor also mentions that he has heard Davos has been befriending the men of Dragonstone who still worshipped the Seven instead of taking R’hllor as their new god. He says that he is going back to sea, to catch smugglers sailing across Blackwater Bay. Salladhor warns Davos that Davos had best be careful, because men who reach great heights like Davos have further to fall.
Davos then proceeds to climb the steps to Masters Pylos’ chambers. When Davos had been raised to Hand, he had raised his doubts about his own abilities to counsel Stannis. One of Davos’ concerns was that he was unable to read. Master Pylos offered to teach Davos the art of reading and so Davos has been visiting the Maester every day since.
When Davos arrives at Pylos’ chambers, he sees that Pylos is still having a lesson with the three children. The three in this case is Davos’ own son, Devan, along with Shireen Baratheon and Edric Storm. Pylos tells Davos that the children’s lesson has just finished and sends them off.
Alone with Pylos, Davos asks whether he could practice reading a letter. Pylos hands him an old letter and Davos tries his best to read it. He struggles at first, but makes good progress. As Davos continues reading, he is surprised by what he is reading. The letter comes from the Night’s Watch. It is addressed to “the five kings” of the realm. It states that the King beyond the Wall is marching south with his vast wildling host, heading towards the Wall; Lord Commander Mormont has sent a raven from the haunted forest, warning of the attack to come. The Night’s Watch fear that Mormont and the men he led North of the Wall has been slain.
Davos asks Pylos whether Stannis has seen this letter. Pylos says that he took the letter to Lord Alester Florent, who had been the Hand when the letter reach Dragonstone. Alester Florent had not deigned to send a reply, telling Pylos that Stannis barely had enough men to pit against the Lannisters what more to send to the Night’s Watch.
When Davos asks whether Melisandre has seen the letter, Pylos says that she has not. Pylos then asks Davos whether he should bring the letter to Stannis and Melisandre; Davos says that Pylos doesn’t need to do it, saying that the young Maester did his duty when he presented it to Alester Florent. Davos secretly worries about what Melisandre might do if she reads the letter – he wonders whether Melisandre will advice Stannis to go North to fight the wildlings since it had been Melisandre who had mentioned that the only war out there that matters is the one between R’hllor and the Great Other.
Worried about what the letter may portent for the future, Davos asks Pylos to give him another letter to read instead.
The men of Castle Black wake to the smoke of Mole’s Town burning. Jon’s leg still hurts. Despite Donal Noye insisting that Jon needs to rest in order for his leg to heal, Jon is adamant about taking part in Castle Black’s defense. Noye confesses that they will need every man who can fight; he assigns Jon to the top of King’s Tower, to provide missile fire in the upcoming battle.
Jon finds himself stationed atop the King’s Tower with Deaf Dick Follard and a new boy by the name of Satin. Six scarecrows share the roof with them. The scarecrows had been Maester Aemon’s notion; the hope is that the Magnar and his Thenns might mistake the scarecrows for men of the Night’s Watch when seen from afar, giving Castle Black the illusion that it had far more men defending it and thus make Magnar and his men think twice about attacking the castle.
Standing atop the tower, Jon scans Castle Black’s defenses. The castle has no walls. Jon knows that the reason why the castle has no walls is because the Night’s Watch is pledged to take no part in the quarrels of the realm. In the past, some of the Lord Commanders forgot this pledge and threatened to destroy the Night’s Watch with their ambition. However, the lords and kings of the Seven Kingdoms have always been easily able to quell such ambitions due to the fact that the Night’s Watch’s castles have no walls and are thus indefensible. The Night’s Watch have survived as an order only because the Seven Kingdoms know that the order poses no threat to them. The Night’s Watch’s only foes are those that lie to the north, and to the north of the castles, they have the Wall.
Jon reflects on the fact that now, however, their enemies were coming from the south.
With no walls, Donal Noye has made a crude barricade around the two structures most worth defending: the gate to the north, and the foot of the great wooden switchback stair that leads up to the face of the Wall, supported by wooden beams as big as tree trunks driven deep into the ice.
Three quarters of the Mole’s Town villagers had taken Jon’s warning to heart, making their way to Castle Black for refuge. The villagers are still making the long climb up the Wall. Noye has armed the village men who were fit enough for battle while the women and children were put to work as well. Castle Black’s garrison had yet to return; Jon accepts the fact that the garrison will not return in time.
Midday comes about and still the men catch no sight of the Magnar and his Thenns. As he eats his meal, Jon reflects on the fact that Maester Aemon has sent a lot of ravens out, asking the realm for help against the wildling attack. Jon knows that even if the lords and kings of the realm have sent men to aid the Night’s Watch, they would not arrive that day.
When evening comes about, they share one last meal. Jon then goes downstairs to bar the tower’s door.
The wilding attack comes in the night. Jon, Satin and Deaf Dick Follard take up their positions; Jon is equipped with a longbow while the other two use crossbows. Within moments, the main strength of the wildling army is within sight, and all three of them begin shooting at the moving targets below them.
Sometime later, Deaf Dick Follard yells out to Jon that the wildlings are on the armory roof, with one of the wildlings carrying a torch. Dick hops up onto the crenel for a better shot, but misses. A wildling archer from below manages to hit Dick, however, and Dick falls over the parapet, to his death. Jon looks down and sees that the archer is Ygritte. He tries to but he cannot bring himself to fire at her; Ygritte vanishes into the fray.
By then, the Magnar’s Thenns have joined the battle and Jon sees that the Thenns are storming Noye’s barricade. Jon gets Satin to join him, and they fire down upon the Thenns, who make easy targets since the Thenns have their backs to the King’s Tower when they charge the barricade.
Jon runs out of arrows and goes to get more when he sees the rooftop’s trap door slamming open three feet in front of him. Jon draws Longclaw and drives the sword down on the first head to pop out; the Valyrian blade shears through the bronze helm and the first man crashes back down. Jon calls out to Satin and the second man who comes up drops back down, a quarrel through his cheek. Jon and Satin lift the heavy kettle of boiling oil on the rooftop, placed there before the battle for just such a situation, and poured it down the hole. They hear the screams; Jon kicks the trapdoor shut and places the heavy kettle on top of it.
When they get back to the parapets, Jon and Satin see that the Thenns have now broken through the barricade and fighting with black brothers and villagers alike. There are too few black brothers to hold off the Thenns and they soon lose control of the gate. The Thenns’ bloodlust is up and they charge towards the stairs; the villagers stationed there lose their nerves and start fleeing up the stairs. There are three black brothers on the fourth landing, but they soon fall to the wildling tide.
Jon then tells Satin to bring the torches. Satin goes and brings back four torches – one lit – and a dozen fire arrows.
Styr finally appears, climbing over the barricade. Jon takes pleasure in the fact that the Magnar is too late to save his men, for they have already fallen into the trap.
From the ninth landing, a warhorn sounds. Jon lights up a fire arrow and sends it speeding towards the casks, kegs and sacks that Donal Noye has piled up beneath the steps, casks, kegs, and sacks that are filled with flammable food and material. Jon continues firing all the fire arrows and so too do the other longbowmen from atop all the other tower roofs in range. When Jon runs out of fire arrows, he and Satin start throwing the torches.
The conflagration grows and grows; Donal Noye had drenched the wooden steps with oil, all the way from the ninth landing down to the seventh. The steps feed the fire and the wind does the rest. The wildlings are trapped on the stairs. The casks below have given birth to fire, and so too do the oil-drenched steps above them. The wildlings who go upward or downward die. Some jump from the steps, but the fall kills them. Some stay where they are and die as well. About twenty-odd Thenns remain on the steps when the whole lower third of the stairs breaks off, sending several tons of ice crashing down to the ground below; that is the last Jon Snow sees of Styr, Magnar of Thenn.
With the battle over, Jon leaves the tower and searches for Ygritte. He finds her beneath one of the towers, an arrow between her breasts. Ygritte asks Jon whether Castle Black is a real castle and when Jon tells her that it is, she says that she is happy she got to see a real castle before she dies. Jon tells her that she can see a hundred more castles because she’s not going to die. Ygritte smiles and tells him that he knows nothing and sighs just before she dies.
Bran, Meera, Jojen, Hodor and Summer have arrived at the Nightfort, one of the abandoned castles along the Wall. Bran is afraid, not only because the Nightfort had been the setting for some of Old Nan’s scariest stories but because he has had a dream in which Robb and Grey Wind are dead. The dream scares him but he tries not to think about it; he has not even shared the dream with the Reeds.
Bran had told them that the Nightfort would be abandoned; he remembers his uncle Benjen once telling him that the Night’s Watch had abandoned the Nightfort two hundred years ago. Bran had also previously told them that when the Night’s Watch abandoned a castle, they sealed the gate with ice and stone, and thus, they would find no way through at the Nightfort. Jojen had insisted on seeing for himself, however, saying that his green dream had showed him a way through the Wall and it was there at the Nightfort.
True enough, they discover that the Nighfort’s gate has been sealed. Bran mentions then that they should have followed Jon to Castle Black, but Jojen says that he has already told Bran as to why that would not be a good idea. Bran says that the hundred or so band of wildlings they saw pose a threat to the Wall and the folk south of the Wall. Jojen gently reminds Bran that there are only four of them, and that even helping Jon back at Queenscrown had nearly cost him Summer. The direwolf had been hit by a wildling arrow, in the back leg. The wildlings left the next morning, going north by east, the same direction Jon had taken during his escape. Not long after that, Summer had made his way back to the group and Meera treated the wound, which has been healing well ever since.
Meera suggest that they could find another castle, one where the gate is not sealed. Bran tells her that all the gates are sealed, except for those at the castles where the Night’s Watch currently occupy, namely, Castle Black, Eastwatch and the Shadow Tower.
Upon hearing Bran’s answer, Meera considers and then says that she is going to climb up the Wall to see what she can see from the top. She climbs the icy steps and disappears from sight. Jojen mentions that Meera will have a good look at the top while he and Bran should do the same around the Nightfort.
They spend half the day exploring the abandoned castle but fail to find a way through the Wall. When Meera returns in the evening, she tells them that she did not see a way down the other side of the Wall. She asks Jojen again whether this is the castle he saw in his dreams, and he replies that it is and that there is a gate somewhere in the castle, one that will let them through the Wall.
As night approaches, they decide to take shelter in the castle’s kitchens. The kitchens still have enough roof to keep them dry should it rain, but Bran feels apprehensive about the kitchens’ huge central well. They note that the well has steps built into its side, and goes so deep that none of them could see water at the bottom.
After supper, Jojen says that they should go to sleep. He also hopes that he will have another green dream to show them the way through the castle.
Bran tries to sleep, but his recollections of Old Nan’s ghost stories about the Nightfort keep him awake. Suddenly, he hears a noise; after a while, Bran realizes that that the sound is that of heavy footfalls and that it is coming from the well. He wakes Meera who proceeds to arm herself with her spear and net before movingly silently to the well.
Bran, unwilling to let Meera fight whatever comes out of the well, uses his shapechanger abilities and wargs into Hodor, just like he did in Queenscrown. Hodor is far more difficult to control than Summer, but Bran manages to make Hodor pick up his long sword.
There is a loud wail from the well and a huge black shape heaves itself out from the well; Bran is so fearful that he totally loses control of Hodor and slips back into his own body. Meera, however, keeps her wits about her and throws her net over the black shape, entangling it. She then pokes the black shape with her spear, causing it to stagger and fall.
The black thing begs them not to attack him and says that his name is Sam. Jojen has now woken up and lit a fire, and they see a figure by the well, a pale girl bundled up in skins and fur beneath a black cloak, trying to shush the screaming baby that is the cause of the wailing. Bran studies the black thing caught in Meera’s net and tells them that they are looking at a man of the Night’s Watch.
The black brother tells them that his name is Samwell Tarly. The girl with the baby introduces herself as Gilly and when Jojen asks her where she comes from she mentions that she comes from Craster’s. She then asks Jojen whether he is the one that Coldhands is looking for. Sam, having been freed from the net by Meera, gets up and tells them that Coldhands mentioned that there would be people in the castle.
Jojen demands to know how Sam managed to get through the Wall. Sam’s tells them that he came through a hidden gate, as old as the Wall itself, called The Black Gate. The Reeds realize that Sam’s Black Gate must be the gate that Jojen saw in his dream and they ask him whether they will find the gate at the bottom of the well. Sam tells them that they won’t find the gate, that only he can take them to the gate – because Coldhands told him that only a man of the Night’s Watch can open the Black Gate.
When Jojen, Meera and Bran question him about Coldhands, Sam tells them about how Coldhands saved Gilly and him from the wights with his ravens, and how Coldhands had then brought them to the Nightfort on his elk. Sam says that the man’s name isn’t really Coldhands but Gilly and him called the man that because the man’s hands were as cold as ice. When Bran asks whether Coldhands could be a green man, Sam says that Coldhands had been dressed like a man of the Night’s Watch, and that while he at first thought that Coldhands might have been a wight due to his cold hands, the man actually spoke to them and did not possess blue eyes. When Meera asks why Coldhands had not followed Sam through the Black Gate and up the well, Sam says that Coldhands had told both of them that he cannot pass beyond the Wall because of the powerful old spells woven into the ice and stone.
Jojen then says that Bran is the one they are looking for, the one they were told to bring with them to Coldhands. Sam stares at Bran and then realizes who he is looking at, saying that Bran must be Jon Snow’s brother, the one who fell and broke his legs. Jojen states that Sam is wrong because Bran Stark is dead while Bran warns Sam not to tell anyone. Sam promises that he won’t unveil Bran’s secret. Meera then introduces herself and Summer appears. Seeing that Summer likes Sam, Bran decides that they will all go and meet Coldhands. Sam decides to leave Gilly and the baby in the Nightfort and promises Gilly that he will return for her.
They make their way down the well, their eyes eventually adjusting to the darkness. After many turns, they arrive at the door. The door is made from white weirwood and has an old and pale face on it. When the door asks Sam who he is, Sam replies by reciting the oath of the Night’s Watch. The face on the door then says that they may pass and its mouth opens wide until there is a sizeable hole in the door. As Bran, sitting on top of Hodor, passes through the open mouth, he feels a warm drop of water fall on his head and run down his nose – it is salty, like a tear.
Daenerys and her host stand outside Meeren, another slave-trading city but as big as Astapor and Yunkai combined. Meeren’s defensive structures are formidable and the city’s forces have retreated into the city to take full advantage of that fact. However, a lone rider wearing a pink-and-white cape remains outside the city gates, taunting Daenerys’ host and challenging Daenerys to send a champion to meet him in single combat.
Daenerys’ bloodriders are fighting over who gets to challenge the lone hero but Daenerys is of the opinion that her bloodriders are too valuable to risk so she tells them to ignore the lone hero. Ser Jorah approves of her decision, believing the hero’s challenge to be of no consequence. Arstan Whitebeard, however, disagrees, saying that by allowing the lone hero to taunt them, Daenerys’ troops will suffer a drop in morale while that of Meeren’s forces will enjoy a boost.
The Great Masters of Meeren had withdrawn before her advance, harvesting all they can and burning what they could not. They have also nailed a slave child up on every milepost along the coast road from Yunkai, and the dead children numbered one hundred and sixty-three in total. The sight alone has toughened Daenerys’ resolve and she has pledged to conquer Meeren.
Daenerys convenes a war council. Brown Ben Plumm is the new commander of the Second Sons, the mercenary group Daenerys encountered in Yunkai, and he tells them that the lone hero is Oznak zo Pahl, the nephew of the richest man in Meeren. Ben knows this because he had once served in Meeren and Oznak killed one of Ben’s friends.
Daario Naharis offers to take up Oznak’s challenge but Daenerys declines his offer because she knows that she needs Daario in order to hold on to the Stormcrows. When Arstan insists that Oznak’s challenge needs to be met, Daenerys agrees and finally calls upon Strong Belwas. Unlike Ser Jorah, Daario, Brown Ben and her three bloodriders, the eunuch leads no troops, nor does he plan battles or gives Daenerys counsel; Belwas is the man that she can most easily spare.
Belwas approaches Meeren’s gate, armed with his arakh but wearing no armor. Oznak lowers his lance and charges at the eunuch but Belwas dances aside. Oznak tries the same tactic again, and Belwas dodges it easily. Oznak then charges a third time, but riding past Belwas instead of at him; he swings his lance sideways at the last second to catch Belwas but Belwas anticipates the attack and drops down instead of spinning sideways. Belwas then rolls and brings his arakh around, cutting into the horses’ legs with the blade. The horse falls and takes Oznak with it. Belwas immediately pounces on Oznak, who manages to draw his sword before the attack. After a quick flurry of blows, Belwas’ has a bleeding slash below his breasts while Oznak has an arakh planted on the top of his head. Belwas wrenches his arakh free and proceeds to decapitate Oznak. Belwas returns to Daenerys’ camp to the raucous cheer of the besiegers and Daenerys sends a healer to tend to Belwas’ wound.
The war council continues inside Daenerys’ pavilion. Daenerys mentions that she must take Meeren; she says that the city’s granaries are bursting with food. Ser Jorah says that the landward walls have no apparent points of weakness and that it would take a long while for the men to mine beneath a tower to make a breach, and by that time they would have run out of food. Daenerys asks about the seaward walls but Ser Jorah tells her that it cannot be done because she only has three ships.
Daenerys then asks about the possibility of building siege towers or trebuchets but Jorah tells her that there is no wood to build them because Meeren has burnt every tree within twenty leagues. Ben Plumm adds that it would be difficult to storm the gates with axes as well, because the Meeren men can pour boiling oil down on them from the harpy heads located right above the gates. Daario suggests that the Unsullied wield the axes, saying that he has heard that boiling oil feels like no more than a warm bath to the Unsullied. Grey Worm says that what Daario has heard is wrong, because while the Unsullied might not feel the pain, they can die just like normal men. He then says that the Unsullied are not afraid to die and asks Daenerys to give the Unsullied a ram to batter down the gates. Daenerys decides against it, saying that she does not want to throw away Unsullied.
She then asks about the possibility of starving the city out but Ser Jorah tells her that the city has far more food than her own host and can be resupplied with water. When Daenerys asks Ser Jorah for his advice, he tells her that she will not like it, but when she insists, he says that they should just let Meeren be because Daenerys’ real war lies in Westeros.
Daenerys’ bloodriders all agree, as the Dothraki see all men who hide behind great walls as defeated cowards. Daenerys, however, is determined to conquer Meeren. She says that since Ser Jorah has mentioned they have no food left, her people will die if they march away from Meeren.
Ben Plumm then speaks up, saying that he knows of a way into the city: the sewers. He reveals that when Oznak killed his friend and came after him, he escaped out of Meeren via the sewers. Ben then says that he has no intention of going down in the sewers again, but any man who wants to try is welcome to it. Her bloodriders and Grey Worm all try to speak at once, but Daenerys silences them; she thinks them unsuited for the task. She says she will think about it then dismisses all of them.
Ben Plumm is the last to make his way out of the pavilion but as he is leaving, Daenerys’ white dragon hatchling, Viserion, lands on Ben’s head. Daenerys mentions that Viserion seems to like Ben and Ben says that it might have something to do with his Targaryen blood. When Daenerys presses further, Ben says that somewhere way back in his lineage, during King Aegon’s day, there was a Plumm who married a Targaryen princess. Daenerys, curious, asks which King Aegon Ben is referring to, stating that there has been five Aegons who have ruled Westeros. Ben admits that he doesn’t know and leaves to see to the Second Sons.
After Ben leaves, Daenerys starts thinking about her dragons: she has three, but wonders who would ride the other two when they grew large enough. Her mind starts to wander to Daario; he has been kind to her and makes her laugh. She even wonders what it would be like to sleep with the Tyroshi mercenary.
After a while, Daenerys decides that she needs some fresh air. She decides to ride around the camp and takes Missandei and Arstan along with her. She first rides past the encampment of the Unsullied, seeing them train and bathe with sand. She then looks out and sees her three ships standing out to sea. Daenerys then heads to encampment of the former slaves who follow her, or as she now calls them, freedmen.
As she is smiling and talking to the freedmen, a tall ragged man with a shaved head pulls her off her horse and she falls to the ground. When she tries to get up, she recognizes the man; he has shaved his head and beard but she knows that he is Mero, the ex-commander of the Second Sons who fled from the battle in Yunkai. He is about to kill her but Arstan leaps to her protection. Mero warns Arstan to stay away but Arstan immediately launches attack after attack on Mero and within seconds, breaks one of Mero’s legs. Mero falls and the freedmen are all over him, stabbing, smashing and punching the dying mercenary. Arstan takes Daenerys back to her pavilion.
When Ser Jorah arrives at her pavilion, he says that he has had a closer look at the river wall and is about to make his report when Daenerys cuts him off and tells him about Mero. Daenerys announces that she wants to knight Arstan for his brave deed, but Jorah says no, and, to her surprise, so too does Arstan. Ser Jorah draws his sword and tells Arstan to reveal his true identity, explaining that Mero was quite good at killing but yet Arstan, an old squire with a stick, managed to slay him. Arstan reveals that he is already a knight and when Daenerys accuses him of lying to her when he had told her he is a squire, Arstan says that he has never lied to her, merely withheld some truths, for indeed, he had once squired for Lord Swann in his youth. But he admits that before serving Strong Belwas, he was a knight in Westeros.
Ser Jorah finally recognizes Arstan, saying that while Mero shaved his beard, Arstan had grown one instead. He then announces that Arstan is actually Ser Barristan Selmy, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard. Jorah also adds that Barristan betrayed House Targaryen to serve Robert Baratheon. Barristan says that Jorah has no right to speak to him of betrayal.
Daenerys, confused, demands to know why Barristan is here and whether he served her or Robert Baratheon. Barristan says that he would serve her, if she lets him. He then tells her that he took Robert’s pardon after the rebellion, and had been a member of King Joffrey’s kingsguard until Joffrey dismissed him and sent men to kill him on the same day. Barristan says that after being dismissed, he knew he had to go in search of his true king.
Barristan then begins to reveal another matter to Daenerys. He says that he has kept his true identity from Daenerys because he does not want the Lannisters to know that he has now joined Daenerys. He mentions that Daenerys is being watched, just like her late brother, Viserys, had been watched. Barristan adds that he heard all the reports about her during his time in Joffrey’s small council, reports given to the council by an informer by Daenerys’ side, one who worked with Lord Varys.
Daenerys is caught by surprise and her initial reaction is to ask Ser Jorah to deny Barristan’s accusation, but Ser Jorah curses Barristan and tells Daenerys that he did it only during the beginning, before he truly knew her.
Daenerys reacts by yelling at Jorah and asking him what he had been promised for being Lord Varys’ informant. Jorah replies that Varys had promised Jorah that he would be able to go back to Westeros.
Daenerys is hurt that both Jorah and Barristan has lied to her. She is also furious, and for a second, almost wishes that she can have her dragons roast them alive. She orders both of them to leave immediately. Barristan asks her where they should go. Daenerys is at a loss as to where to send the two knights. But then she knows.
Tyrion is dressing himself in the darkness, observing his wife sleeping on their shared bed. He reflects on the fact that while they share a bed, that is all that they do. He has already told her of the Red Wedding and her brother’s death. However, she never shares her grief with him, preferring instead to cry when she is alone. He has spared her the more gruesome details of the Red Wedding though, for he has no wish to see her suffer more nightmares.
After his marriage to Sansa, Tywin decided that Tyrion needed a larger living space so he had Tyrion and Sansa moved to larger apartments atop the Kitchen Keep. The move takes Tyrion further away from Cersei’s own apartments, something which makes him happy.
Tyrion leaves his apartments, taking the stairs to go down, until he emerges in a cellar. He waddles along a long dark passageway until he finds the door he wants. Tyrion pushes the door open and enters into a room where the crown keeps the Targaryen’s dragon skulls.
Shae is waiting there for him and they immediately have sex. It is Varys who reluctantly arranged for Shae to be hired as one of Sansa’s maids so that Tyrion could continue seeing Tyrion. Varys has warned Tyrion however, that Cersei might see through the false history he made up for Shae. He also warns Tyrion that if Cersei were to question him regarding Shae, he will tell her the truth because he will not lie to the queen. Varys has also asked Tyrion why a clever man such as Tyrion would risk bringing a whore to King’s Landing with him when Tyrion’s father had expressly forbid it.
After they have sex, Tyrion is wracked with guilt over the danger Shae would be in should her real identity be discovered. He briefly considers telling Sansa about Shae but dismisses the idea because he thinks Sansa cannot be trusted with such knowledge. He then reflects on what he should do with Shae to put her out of harm’s way. He considers sending her to Chataya’s brothel, where she would have all the silks and gems she could wish for. He also considers arranging a marriage for her, with either Bronn, who has now been knighted, or a knight by the name of Ser Tallad, whom Tyrion has seen looking upon Shae wistfully on more than one occasion.
As they both finish putting their clothes back on, the first light of the morning is slowly creeping into the room. It is the first day of the new year, and the first year of a new century. Tyrion knows that there is a long day ahead of him, but he vows to survive King Joffrey’s wedding.
Sansa wakes from a pleasant dream, one in which she is back at Winterfell and her entire family is warm and safe. When she is fully awake, Sansa remembers that all her family members are now dead and that she is all alone in the world now.
She notices that Tyrion is not beside her but she is used to that, having learned that Tyrion is a bad sleeper and often rose before dawn.
Sansa calls for her two new maids, Brella and Shae. The two of them then help to bathe Sansa. Sansa is tempted to drink a cup of wine to calm her nerves. Joffrey’s wedding is to take place at midday in the Great Sept of Baelor. The wedding feast is in the evening, held in the throne room; there will be a thousand guests and seventy-seven courses and much entertainment to be had. But first Sansa has to brave the breakfast in the Queen’s Ballroom. The breakfast in the Queen’s Ballroom is for King Joffrey, the Lannisters and Tyrell men; Margaery and the Tyrell women have their own breakfast gathering.
As the two maids are dressing Sansa, Tyrion and Podrick Payne appear. Tyrion compliments Sansa then goes to change out of his soiled and unkempt clothes. When he returns, both he and Podrick have changed into more handsome clothes. They then make their way to the Queen’s Ballroom to break their fast.
Sansa nibbles at her food while Tyrion barely touches his, preferring to down several cups of wine instead. After the food has been cleared away, Cersei presents Joff with the wife’s cloak that he will drape over Margaery’s shoulders; it is the same cloak Robert Baratheon draped on her and the same cloak Tywin draped on his wife.
After that, the gift-giving starts. It is a tradition from the Reach, where both the bride and groom receive gifts on the morning of their wedding, and the gifts would be for their separate persons; the gifts they receive the day after the wedding would be gifts for them as a couple.
Joffrey starts getting a handful of fantastic gifts, the most notable being a two-hundred-oar war galley from Lord Paxter Redwyne, which Lord Paxter tells Joffrey is currently being built on the Arbor and which will be called King Joffrey’s Valor.
When it is his turn, Tyrion presents Joffrey with a huge old leather-bound with the title Lives of Four Kings. Joffrey is not pleased with Tyrion’s gift, saying that his father the late Robert Baratheon had no time for books and tells Tyrion that if Tyrion didn’t read so much, Sansa would be pregnant by now. Tyrion remains silent and continues drinking.
Lord Mace Tyrell presents Joffrey with a three-feet tall golden chalice, with each of its seven faces glittering with gemstones and each face’s gemstones laid out to form the sigil of the Houses that control the seven kingdoms of Westeros.
Lord Tywin is the last to present his gift. He presents Joffrey with a magnificent longsword; the blade is made from Valyrian steels with red and black ripples all along the blade. Joffrey is ecstatic with Tywin’s gift and starts asking the guests for possible names for his new sword. He eventually settles on Widow’s Wail.
Ser Addam Marbrand warns Joffrey that Valyrian steel is extremely sharp. Joffrey says that he knows and that he is no stranger to Valyrian steel and brings his new sword down on Tyrion’s leather-bound book; half a dozen more cuts and the thick book has been hacked to pieces.
Joffrey tells Tyrion that Tyrion and Sansa owes him a better present. Tyrion stares at Joffrey with his mismatches eyes and then suggest that Joffrey might like a dagger to match Widow’s Wail, made from the same fine Valyrian steel, with a dragonbone hilt. Tyrion mentions this dagger because it is the very same dagger that the assassin who tried to kill Bran Stark wielded – and he has just thought of something in regards to who hired the assassin in the first place.
Joffrey gives Tyrion a sharp look and agrees that the dagger would make for a good gift, but tells Tyrion to have it made with a gold hilt with rubies in it, stating that dragonbone is too plain.
When the time to leave comes, Tyrion takes Sansa by the hand and they leave together. On their way back, they run into Prince Oberyn and his paramour, Ellaria Sand. Oberyn and Tyrion talk briefly about the Lives of Four Kings before Tyrion excuses himself and Sansa.
Tyrion and Sansa get in their litter and there is awkward silence. Sansa then says that she is sorry about what happened to Tyrion’s book but hopes that the dagger will be able to better please Joffrey. Tyrion appears to be distracted, but then turns to Sansa and asks her whether there had been any ill feelings between Bran Stark and Joffrey during Robert Baratheon’s visit to Winterfell. Sansa is confused by the question and says that everyone loved Bran.
Tyrion then asks Sansa whether she knew what happened to Bran at Winterfell. Sansa says that Bran had always been climbing things and that he finally fell; she also states that Theon Greyjoy killed Bran. Tyrion sighs and tells Sansa that her mother had once accused him of wanting to harm Bran. He then states that he never harmed Bran and that he means Sansa no harm as well.
Tyrion then asks Sansa why she has never asked him about the details of Robb or her mother’s death. Sansa says that she would rather not know as the knowing of it might give her bad dreams. Tyrion promises that he will then say no more about the matter.
Tyrion and Sansa are in the Great Sept of Baelor, watching as the High Septon conducts Joffrey and Margaery’s extravagant wedding ceremony. Tyrion had just realized during the morning’s gift-giving ceremony, that Joffrey was the one who sent the assassin to kill Bran Stark, and as the afternoon’s wedding ceremony proceeds, he starts mentally putting all the pieces together.
The biggest clue would be when Joffrey had mentioned that he was no stranger to Valyrian steel. He had considered Jaime and Cersei previously, but realizes that Jaime would never send another man to do his killing while Cersei is too cunning to use a dagger that could be traced to her. But Joffrey – Tyrion thinks that Joffrey is arrogant and stupid enough to have been the one to hire the assassin.
He remembers being in Winterfell, and hearing Joffrey joke about sending a dog to kill a wolf, the dog referring to his sworn shield, Sandor Clegane. However, even Joffrey would not have been foolish enough to send Sandor to kill Bran Stark, as Sandor would have gone directly to Cersei instead. Joffrey must have realized this and thus sought his assassin from among the freeriders and camp followers that followed Robert to Winterfell.
Joffrey would not have been so stupid as to have given his own rather distinctive dagger to the assassin, so he must have gone poking among Robert’s weapons and taken what he wanted. Joffrey would have guessed that the dagger was made out of Valyrian steel; he would not have known, however, that the Valyrian dagger once belonged to Littlefinger.
Tyrion is still at a loss as to why Joffrey would want to kill Bran, but he guesses that Joffrey did the deed simply because of his cruel nature. Tyrion also begins worrying that since he mentioned the dagger at breakfast, Joffrey might now suspect that he knows something about the assassin sent to kill Bran.
When the wedding ceremony ends, Tyrion and Sansa get in their litter to begin their journey back to the castle. Tyrion tries to makes conversation with his wife but Sansa’s replies are short and dutiful and soon the two of them lapse into silence. Upon arriving back at the Kitchen Keep, Tyrion reminds Sansa that the wedding feast will start in an hour. Tyrion retreats to his chambers to drink by the window seat. A while later, Podrick arrives and they both enter the bedchamber. Tyrion sees Shae helping Sansa with her hair; Shae is arranging Sansa’s hair in a delicate silver net winking with dark purple gemstones. Shae asks whether she can go to the wedding feast to serve at the table, but Sansa says that Cersei has already chosen all the servers. Tyrion also adds that the throne hall will be too crowded, but there will be tables in the outer ward with food and drink. Tyrion then proceeds to change into new clothes, with the help of Podrick; once he is done, he leads Sansa to the throne room.
Along the way, they meet many of the other guests. Lady Olenna Tyrell, whom everyone also knows as The Queen of Thorns, totters up to Sansa and tells her that she looks beautiful. She says that the wind has messed Sansa’s hair however, and proceeds to reach up and fuss with the loose strands, tucking them back into place and straightening Sansa’s hair net. Lady Olenna tells Sansa that she is leaving for Highgarden the day after tomorrow and asks whether Sansa would like to come along for a visit.
Sansa declines politely, saying that her place is with her husband. Tyrion then excuses Sansa and himself and they enter the throne room to look for their seats.
They have been seated far to the king’s right, beside Ser Garlan Tyrell and his wife. Joffrey calls for the cups to be filled; his own cupbearer fills the three-feet tall golden wedding chalice that Lord Mace Tyrell presented to him this morning. Joffrey uses two hands to lift it up and when a thousand cups rings together, the wedding feast truly begins.
The first of seventy-seven dishes arrives. Feeling the effects of the wine after drinking a lot of it and not eating enough during breakfast, Tyrion is famished and digs into his food. Sansa however, fiddles nervously with her hair, barely eating.
When the second course is being served, the tournament of singers begins. As the first singer begins singing for, Tyrion muses that the singing tournament is the reason behind Symon Silver-Tongue’s death; his instructions to Bronn were to make sure that no one would ever find the singer’s body.
The entertainment for the feast are many and varied. There are the seven singers of the tournament, a troupe of Pentoshi tumblers, four master pyromancers, a juggler and dancers from the Summer Isles.
After the dancers finish with their performance, Joffrey, now drunk, gets up and calls for his royal jousters.
The jousters turn out to be a pair of dwarves, clad in painted wooden armor, carrying lances and shields bigger than they are. One rides a dog while the other rides a pig. One of the jousters is dressed in the colors of House Baratheon while the other wears the colors of House Stark; their mounts are barded likewise.
After a ludicrous attempt at jousting, one of the dwarves yields to the other. Joffrey declares the winner as the champion, but then says that the winner is not a true champion, because a true champion defeats all challengers. Joffrey jumps up on the table and calls on Tyrion to joust with the dwarf, saying that Tyrion can ride the pig. Tyrion jumps up on the table as well and says that he’ll ride the pig if Joffrey rides the dog. Joffrey scowls, confused, then asks why him, since he is no dwarf. Tyrion says that it is because Joffrey is the only man in the hall that he is certain of defeating. There is a moment of shocked silence followed by a gale of laughter from the guests and a look of blind rage on Joffrey’s face, both of which delight Tyrion.
The musicians begin to play and the guests return to their food. But minutes later, Joffrey is making his way to Tyrion, carrying the three-feet tall golden wedding chalice in both hands. He upends the chalice over Tyrion’s head, drenching Tyrion in red wine. Tyrion keeps his wits about him and says that Joffrey merely spilled the wine while attempting to serve him. Margaery comes over and tries to get Joffrey to return to her seat, saying that there is another singer waiting to perform; Lady Olenna says that the singer is Alaric of Eysen. Joffrey demands that Tyrion refill his chalice and Tyrion calmly agrees to. Tyrion picks up the chalice, grabs a flagon from a serving girl and fills the chalice three-quarters full before handing it to Joffrey. Joffrey drinks from the chalice then sets it on the table. When Lord Tywin calls out that the pie is being served and that Joffrey’s sword is needed, Joffrey returns to his seat, taking Margaery with him.
As Jeff is about to draw his own sword to cut the pie, Margaery says that Widow’s Wail was not meant for slicing pies. Joffrey agrees then orders Ser Ilyn Payne to hand his sword for the pie-cutting. When Ser Illyn Payne offers his greatsword to Joffrey, Sansa stirs in her seat. Tyrion looks at the sword as well, and realizes why Sansa is looking at it strangely: Ser Ilyn’s greatsword resembles Eddard Stark’s greatsword in length and width, but the blade is now too silvery-bright to be Valyrian steel. Sansa clutches Tyrion’s hand and wonders aloud what Ser Ilyn has done with her father’s sword. Tyrion looks at his father; he knows what has happened to Ice, Eddard Stark’s Valyrian steel greatsword. The two swords his father had shown him previously, one which is now Joffrey’s Widow’s Wail and the other which would go to Jaime – the Valyrian steel used to make the blades for those two swords had come from Eddard Stark’s sword.
Joffrey and Margaery join hands to lift the greatsword and cut the piecrust, whereupon doves start bursting forth from the pie. Meanwhile, the servers start serving hot pigeon pie to the guests. Tyrion notes that Sansa is deathly pale; he tells her that he needs to change into fresh clothes and offers her his hand. However, Joffrey is now back and demands that Tyrion serve him his wine. Tyrion reaches for the chalice and offers it to Joffrey who yanks it from Tyrion’s hands and proceeds to drink deeply. Joffrey then reaches for Tyrion’s pie. He tells Tyrion that not eating the pie brings bad luck and proceeds to eat Tyrion’s slice of pie.
Joffrey comments that the pie is dry and starts coughing. His coughs turn more violent. He tries to take another drink of wine but all the wine comes spewing back out. His face starts turning red, whereupon Queen Margaery shouts out that Joffrey is coughing while Lady Olenna screeches out to the men to help their king.
Ser Garlan, Ser Osmund Kettleblack, Lord Mace Tyrell, Ser Meryn Trant and Grand Maester Pycelle try to help Joffrey, but it is no use. Joffrey’s eye meets Tyrion’s and the boy king lifts his hand, reaching for Tyrion. Tyrion’s eyes falls on the wedding chalice, now lying on the floor. He scoops it up. Seeing that there is still a half-inch of deep purple wine in the bottom, Tyrion considers it for a moment then pours it onto the floor.
Tyrion hears Cersei’s scream, and he knows that Joffrey is now dead.
The High Septon starts praying over Joffrey’s body. Margaery’s mother, Lady Alerie, tries to comfort her, saying that Joffrey choked on his pie and that it had nothing to do with Margaery.
Cersei states that her son did not choke to death – no, she says that her son had been poisoned. She calls upon the Kingsguard to arrest Tyrion, claiming that it was Tyrion and Sansa who had killed Joffrey.
Sansa has fled the throne room. Across the city, bells begin to toll, a sign that the king has died. Sansa arrives at the godswood and finds the clothes she had hidden there the night before last; Ser Dontos had advised her to dress warmly and to wear dark clothes. Sansa slips her gown off and begins putting on a wool dress, cloak and flat heels. When she pulls off the delicate silver hair net, she notices that one of the black amethysts is missing from its silver socket. A sudden terror grips her heart as she wonders whether the missing amethyst has something to do with Joffrey’s death; she remembers Ser Dontos telling her that the hair net was magic and that it will help take her home.
Dontos arrives, completely drunk. Sansa accuses him of taking the black amethyst from her hair net to poison Joffrey. Dontos denies it, then tells Sansa that they must be away because the City Watch is looking for her and that her husband Tyrion has already been arrested. Sansa realizes that if they think Tyrion did it, then they must think that, by virtue of being Tyrion’s wife, she had a part to play in the murder as well.
Dontos takes her back to castle, and they descend the stairs until they reach a long gallery. He brings her along that gallery, down another flight of stairs and then finally stops at an oaken door. When Dontos opens the door and Sansa steps outside, she finds herself outside the castle, standing at the top of a cliff, with the Blackwater down below.
Ser Dontos shows her a secret ladder carved into the cliff. Sansa tells him to go first, which Dontos does. Sansa follows him down, forcing herself not to stop or look down. The descent is long and tiring, but eventually they reach the ground.
Dontos leads her to a spot fifty yards downriver, where an old man by the name of Oswell waits for them in a small skiff. They get in and Oswell takes them downstream. When they are finally out in Blackwater Bay, Sansa tries to ask Oswell how much further they had to go, but Oswells warns both her and Dontos to be silent as sound carries over water. Oswell continues rowing the skiff and it is only when the first hint of dawn starts to appear in the sky that they reach a trading galley.
The galley drops a rope and both Sansa and Oswell go up; Ser Dontos remains in the boat. When she reaches the deck, she comes face-to-face with two sailors. She recognizes both of them – Lord Petyr Baelish, and Ser Lothar Brune. She wonders what Lord Petyr is doing in King’s Landing since he is supposed to be in the Vale.
Ser Dontos calls out from the boat, saying that he needs to row back before the City Watch decide to look for him. When Dontos says that he would like the reward of ten thousand gold coins, Petyr Baelish tells Ser Lothar to hand over the reward to Dontos. Lothar Brune does so by dipping his torch; three crossbowmen appear and fire upon Dontos, killing the fool. Lothar then tosses the torch down on Dontos and the little boat starts to burn.
Sansa is horrified that Littlefinger had Dontos killed but Littlefinger tells her not to waste her grief on a man who would sell her for the promise of ten thousand gold coins. He tells her that all Dontos has done for her has been at his behest; the reason he went through Dontos was because he could not be seen to befriend her so openly. Littlefinger also reveals that it was he who sent Sansa the note, the one that told her to come to the godswood if she wanted to go home; he tells her that the godswood was the only place that was safe from Lord Varys’ spies.
He then shows her to her cabin. On the way there, Littlefinger reveals another bit of information: it was he who had hired the two dwarves for Joffrey’s wedding feast. Joffrey hadn’t been keen on the idea until Littlefinger told him that having the dwarves at the wedding feast will annoy Tyrion. Thinking of her husband, Sansa says that Ser Dontos told her that the City Watch has seized Tyrion. Littlefinger only smiles to that and says that widowhood will make Sansa more beautiful.
When they reach the cabin, Sansa realizes that Littlefinger had planned everything in advance and decides to ask Littlefinger why he wanted Joffrey dead since Joffrey did bequeath Harrenhal upon him and even made him Lord Paramount of the Trident.
Littlefinger shrugs, saying that he had no motive for wanting Joffrey dead, that he planned the whole thing merely to keep his foes confused over his next move. He tells her that sometimes the best way to baffle one’s enemies is to make moves that have no purpose.
He then goes on to talk about Sansa’s mother. He tells her that there was once a time when all he had wanted was Catelyn, but her being Lord Hoster Tully’s daughter meant that she was never going to be his wife. Littlefinger then mentions that Catelyn gave him something more precious instead – her maidenhood. He ends by saying that he could not turn his back upon Catelyn’s daughter, and tells her that she is safe with him now, and that they are sailing home.
The chapter opens with Jaime in an inn, listening to the talk of the patrons around him. No one recognizes Jaime so they speak freely. They talk of how Joffrey is dead, but differ on how he died and who killed him.
The next day, Jaime and the men who guard him ride hard towards King’s Landing. They arrive in the late evening. As Jaime enters the city, he finds himself curiously calm; with Joffrey being his son, he had expected to go mad with grief upon learning of Joffrey’s death. He asks himself why he hardly feels anything over his son’s death, then comes to the conclusion that Joffrey had lived and died believing that Robert Baratheon was his father.
Jaime decides to gallop to the back of the party to speak to Brienne. On their journey to King’s Landing, they met a knight by the name of Ser Bertram at Brindlewood who had spoken to them about the Red Wedding. After learning of Robb and Catelyn’s death, Brienne has become listless and miserable. Jaime rides up to her and tells her that she has fulfilled her vow of bringing him safely to King’s Landing. She says that bringing Jaime to the capital was only half of the vows; the other half was that she would bring Catelyn’s daughters back to her, or at least Sansa. But now that Catelyn is dead, Brienne is not sure what to do next. Jaime tells her that he will talk to his father about returning her to Tarth, or if she would rather stay, he might be able to find a place for her at court, perhaps a post with the City Watch. Brienne immediately dismisses the City Watch offer, saying that she will not serve with oathbreakers and murderers.
They continue riding the streets of the capital. Everything is familiar to Jaime, but he begins to realize that no one recognizes him. Steelshanks say that it is because Jaime’s face has changed and he isn’t wearing Lannister arms.
When they reach the Red Keep, they come across three knights of the Kingsguard. Jaime recognizes Ser Meryn Trant, but the other two had not worn white cloaks when he was last in King’s Landing. One is Ser Loras Tyrell, the other is Ser Balon Swann. Ser Balon is the first to notice Jaime’s stump but Jaime just smiles and asks for the whereabouts of his father. Balon says that Lord Tywin is in the solar with Lord Mace Tyrell and Prince Oberyn. When Jaime asks whether Cersei is with his father, Balon says that Cersei is in the sept, praying over King Joffrey’s body.
By then, Loras has spotted Brienne. He immediately confronts her and demands to know why she killed Renly Baratheon. Brienne denies the accusation but Loras presses the attack, saying that there was no one with Renly at the time of his death except for Brienne and Catelyn Stark, and Catelyn Stark was an old woman who couldn’t have cut through Renly’s gorget. Brienne then repeats what she has told Jaime, that there had been a shadow in the tent, a shadow that belonged to Stannis Baratheon, and that it was the shadow that killed Renly. Loras thinks that Brienne is lying and becomes incensed; he draws his sword and demands that Brienne draw hers as well. Jaime steps between them and commands Loras to sheathe his sword. When Loras ignores him, Jaime grabs Loras and repeats the command, saying that he, Jaime, is Lord Commander of the Kingsguard and Loras’ direct superior.
Loras reluctantly sheathes his sword and says that he wants Brienne to be arrested, charging her with the murder of Lord Renly Baratheon. Jaime complies with Loras’ request and orders Ser Balon to escort Brienne to a tower cell and hold her there under guard. He also tells Balon to find quarters for Steelshanks and the rest of the northmen, until such time Tywin can see them. Jaime then heads for the royal sept.
Guarding the sept’s door is yet another knight in white armor who had not been a member of the Kingsguard when Jaime was last in the capital. The knight is Ser Osmund Kettleblack and he treats Jaime rudely until Jaime reveals his identity, whereupon he apologizes and opens the door.
Jaime finds Cersei praying over Joffrey’s bier. Cersei is surprised to see Jaime and is shocked when she sees his stump. She then tells him that Tyrion killed Joffrey and asks Jaime to kill Tyrion. Jaime says that Tyrion is his brother and that he has to first know more about Joffrey’s death. Cersei promises Jaime that he will, telling him that there will be a trial, and that when Jaime has heard all the evidence, he will want Tyrion dead as well.
Cersei kisses Jaime and it leads to the two of them making love right there in the sept. After the deed, Cersei warns Jaime that they have to be more careful because their lord father is in the castle. Jaime says that he is sick of being careful and that if the Targaryens could wed brother to sister, why can’t the Lannisters do the same. He says they can have their own wedding feast and make another son to replace Joffrey.
Cersei scolds Jaime then tells him not to speak as he did. She says that Jaime has changed, somehow. She then says that the two of them will talk again tomorrow because she now has to go question Sansa Stark’s maids; she suggest that Jaime goes to see their father.
Jaime does as Cersei commands, making his way to his father’s solar. Tywin is not surprised to see Jaime, saying that Lord Bolton had sent word that Jaime was heading towards King’s Landing and Lord Varys had earlier informed him of Jaime’s escape from Riverrun. However, when Jaime shows his father his stump, Tywin is shocked and furious. Tywin is quick to lay the blame on Catelyn Stark but Jaime corrects his father, telling Tywin that it was Vargo Hoat and his Bloody Mummers who cut his right hand off. Tywin reports that Vargo Hoat is no longer the Lord of Harrenhal; he has sent Gregor Clegane to take the castle and put all the Bloody Mummers to the sword. When Jaime asks whether Vargo is dead, Tywin reveals that Vargo’s hands and feet have been cut off but Gregor was keeping him alive for a bit because Gregor finds Vargo’s slobbering amusing.
Tywin then asks whether Jaime can wield a sword with his left hand. In reality, Jaime is having difficulty with even the most mundane of tasks, but he tells his father that his left hand works just fine. Tywin is satisfied with Jaime’s answer and is about to present him with a gift but Jaime cuts his father off, turning the conversation to Joffrey’s death instead. He asks how Joffrey died. Tywin replies that the boy died from poison, for he had Joffrey’s throat slit open and the maesters found no obstruction in it.
Jaime then tells his father that Cersei has accused Tyrion of killing Joffrey. Tywin says that Tyrion served Joffrey the poisoned wine with all the guests looking on and that he has since taken Podrick Payne and Sansa’s maids into custody. The City Watch, meanwhile, is searching for Sansa Stark. When Jaime asks Tywin whether he would indeed execute his own son, Tywin says that Tywin has nothing to fear if he is innocent – but first they must consider the evidence for and against Tyrion.
Tywin then starts to steer the conversation towards Jaime leaving the Kingsguard, to take his rightful place as the heir of Casterly Rock. When Jaime counters by saying that Kingsguard serve for life, Tywin says that Cersei replacing Ser Barristan on grounds of age has set a precedent, and that he is sure that a suitable gift to the faith will persuade the High Septon to release Jaime from his vows. Jaime does not waiver, saying that as Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, he has a duty to perform.
Tywin interjects, saying that Jaime does indeed have a duty – to House Lannister, as heir to Casterly Rock. He wants Jaime to return to Casterly Rock and assign Tommen as his squire and ward. Tywin also states that he is thinking of wedding Cersei to Oberyn Martell and perhaps offering Jaime himself to wed Margaery, even though the Tyrells are insisting on Tommen being Margaery’s new husband.
Jaime cannot take it anymore and launches into an angry outburst, saying that he doesn’t want anything to do with Tywin’s plans. He states that he is the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard and that is all he wants to be.
Tywin doesn’t speak and the silence stretches on for a long while. Finally, Tywin states that Jaime is not his son, and since Jaime insists on being the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard and only that, then Jaime had best be off and do his duty.
Davos looks on from the castle as Melisandre leads the nightly prayers to R’hllor down in the yard below. Queen Selyse and Ser Axell Florent are among the devotees, as are Princess Shireen and Devan. Stannis is there as well, although Davos notices that the king is not as fervent in his faith as the rest of the devotees.
Davos’ focus on the nightly prayers is broken when Ser Andrew Estermont touches him on the elbow and tells him that it is time for them to begin their plan. Davos estimates that Stannis and Melisandre will be at the prayers for another hour or more.
His companions for the night’s plan are the men whom he has secretly been meeting and befriending, men who still worship the Seven. They are Ser Andrew Estermont, Ser Gerald Gower and the Bastard of Nightsong. He has warned them that Melisandre might have seen the future in her flames, and thus has been forewarned about their plans. They had suggested killing Melisandre, but Davos told them about how Melisandre seems quick to know any threat to her own person, like how she knew Maester Cressen had tried to poison her. Therefore, his suggestion had been to just ignore Melisandre, since it was surely not possible for her to see everything.
The small group of men head for Maester Pylos’ chambers, where they find the master going through some sums with Edric Storm. Pylos breaks off from the lesson and tells Edric to get his cloak and go with Davos. Edric complies and Davos takes the boy with him.
When Edric asks Davos where they are going, Davos says that he is taking Edric to one of Salladhor Saan’s ships; Ser Andrew Estermont says that he will be going with Edric and that there is nothing to be afraid of. Edric asks why Stannis is sending him away from Dragonstone; he says that he has never displeased uncle Stannis. He then insists on seeing Stannis. Davos says that there is no time and that he, Davos, was the King’s Hand, and thus he speaks with the King’s voice; he says that if Edric did not do as told, he would have to tell Stannis that Edric disobeyed an order and that will make Stannis quite angry. Davos then shows Edric the four fingers that Stannis has shortened, saying that he has seen Stannis’ anger first hand. The threat works and Edric then follows Davos without complaint.
They make their way to the postern gate where another two of Davos’ allies are waiting, two bound and trussed up guards at their feet. They tell Davos that the boat is there, and ready to transport Edric to one of Salladhor Saan’s galley, named Mad Prendos. Davos says his goodbyes to Edric, telling Edric that he is Robert Baratheon’s son and that he knows Edric will be brave. Ser Andrew then leads Edric out of the postern gate, and the rest of the men follow them, all except the Bastard of Nightsong and Davos. Davos then tells the Bastard of Nightsong to place the two guards in a cellar and free them when Edric is safely under way.
Davos then makes his way to the Chamber of the Painted Table, where he then patiently waits. He tries looking out of the north window to see whether he can see Mad Prendos raising sail, but night was already upon them and he sees nothing.
Sometime later, Davos hears Melisandre and Stannis approaching; he hears them discussing Joffrey’s death, with Melisandre insisting that Joffrey is indeed dead. When the two of them step into the chamber, Davos announces his presence by greeting them and saying that what Melisandre mentioned is true: Joffrey is indeed dead. Davos says that Joffrey had either choked on a morsel of food or been poisoned during his wedding feast. Stannis asks Davos whether he knows who the poisoner was, and Davos mentions that it has been said to be Tyrion. Stannis questions the source of Davos’ report and Davos replies by saying that Salladhor Saan still trades in King’s Landing and it was the Lyseni pirate who had reported the news to him.
Stannis says that the Iron Throne is now his but Melisandre says that Joffrey has a brother and the Lannisters will crown Joffrey’s younger brother instead. Stannis says that Tommen might be gentler than Joffrey, but like his brother Joffrey, a product of incest between Cersei and Jaime Lannister. Melisandre then tells Stannis that he can save the people of Westeros by giving her Edric Storm.
It is then that Davos announces that Stannis cannot hand over Edric Storm to Melisandre because Edric is no longer in Dragonstone but aboard a Lyseni galley, safely out to sea. Davos catches the flicker in Melisandre’s eyes and he knows then that Melisandre had not predicted his plan to send Edric away.
Stannis’ initial reaction is to lay the blame on Salladhor Saan, but Melisandre tells him that it is Davos who planned the whole thing. Davos says that Edric is out of Melisandre’s reach. When she asks him whether he knows what he’s done, Davos say that yes, he has done his duty.
Stannis mentions that some might label what Davos has done as treason but Davos is firm in his stand, stating that he has done his duty, because part of the Hand’s duties is to protect Stannis’ people. He says that Edric Storm is one of Stannis’ people and thus deserves protection.
Melisandre chastises Davos, saying that he is meddling in matters he does not understand. Davos admits that there is much that he doesn’t understand and that he has never pretended otherwise, but he states that he knows a king protects his people.
Stannis is starting to getting angry and accuses Davos of mocking him, of being an onion smuggler who is trying to teach kingly duty to the king himself.
Davos says that Stannis may have him executed if he, Davos, has offended Stannis. But he pleads to the king to hear him out first. Stannis brandishes Lightbringer and tells Davos to say what he has to say and to do it quickly.
Davos draws out a letter from his cloak and begins to read. The letter is the one that Maester Pylos had shown him previously; it is the letter from the Night’s Watch that pleads to the kings of the realm to send more men to the Wall in order to help the Watch defend the realm against the King beyond the Wall and his vast host of wildlings.
Jon wakes up from a bad dream; in the dream, he had been in Winterfell’s royal crypt and the statues of the long-dead Stark kings were telling him that he didn’t belong there because he is not a Stark. He had also seen a grey direwolf in the crypt, but it was at that point that he wakes from his sleep.
Jon is in the steward’s cell, located beneath what had once been Lord Commander Mormont’s chambers. Jon had thought that being back in his cell would bring him sweeter dreams, but now all he feels is loneliness, for both Ghost and Ygritte are no longer with him. He burned Ygritte himself and wonders where Ghost currently is.
Jon hears two horn blasts, the signal for a wildling sighting. He straps on his armor, arms himself with Longclaw, finds his crutch and descends down the steps.
It is night outside. Jon walks to the Wall and joins the group of men who are waiting for the cage to descend. The battle with the Magnar’s Thenns had destroyed the stairs below the Wall so the only way to ascend to the top is by taking the cage. When the cage finally comes down, Jon and the men squeeze in and wait as the cage slowly ascends to take them to the top of the Wall.
When Jon reaches the top, he sees that all the weapons and supplies are ready. He reflects on the fact that Castle Black is well supplied in everything except men – the garrison has yet to return. Donal Noye approaches Jon and asks Jon whether he hears something in the darkness down below. Jon says that he hears a mammoth. He also sees the glimmer of distant fires. Jon knows then that they are dealing with wildlings; the Others or wights do not light torches.
One of the brothers wonders aloud how they are to fight the wildings if they can’t see them in the darkness. Donal Noye responds by giving the orders for the men to load the trebuchets with barrels of flaming pitch and send them crashing upon the wildlings below. The burning pitch casts a flickering light upon the ground below, giving Jon a glimpse of slow-moving mammoths; he estimates that there might be a dozen mammoths, maybe more. Noye repeats the order again, and one of the barrels strikes a tree, enveloping it in flames. Jon sees that his earlier guess had been wildly incorrect – the wildlings have at least a hundred mammoths.
Pyp cries out to the men that the wildlings are at the gate.
Hearing Pyp’s cry, Jon reflects on their defenses. The Wall is much too big to be stormed by conventional means like ladders, siege towers, battering rams or catapults. Climbing would prove too perilous, especially in the heat of battle.
But there is the matter of the gate. The gate is the only well for the wildlings to pass through the wall. The gate itself is a small and narrow tunnel through the ice. Three iron grates close the inner passage, and each of the grates are locked and chained and protected by a murder hole. The outer door is made from old oak, nine inches thick and studded with iron; the wildlings will need to assault this outer door, but it will be hard for them to breakthrough. But Jon realizes that Mance Rayder’s mammoths and giants might have an easier time breaking the door.
Noye gives the order and the men start throwing a dozen flaming jars of lamp oil at the wildling force. This is quickly followed by a barrel of pitch, which hits the fires below and kills many wildlings.
Noye follows this with an order to the archers to loose their arrows upon the wildings. When one of the archers complains that he can’t see the wildlings due to the darkness, Noye points north and tells the archers to loose the arrows in that direction; even if the arrows don’t hit, they’ll make the wildlings fretful.
Noye then calls for two bowmen and two spearmen to join him in holding the tunnel down below. Ten men volunteer and Noye chooses his four. Noye then assigns command of the entire Wall to Jon. Jon is caught by surprise but accepts Noye’s decision.
Jon and his men launch arrows, crossbow bolts and rocks against the darkness. They gulp down onion broth during short breaks of rest or between arrows. One of the two trebuchets breaks down from the wear and tear of battle. Donal Noye and the four men who went with him do not return. Jon is firing arrow after arrow from his longbow, barely resting through the battle or the pain in his leg.
When dawn finally comes, Jon and his men look down upon the battleground. They see the corpses. But they also see a vast horde of wildlings standing before the Wall. Jon realizes then that the night attack had just been a tiny portion of the entire might of Mance Rayder’s wildling host, that it had been a probe to see whether the men of the Night’s Watch were prepared for battle. He realizes that the real battle is just starting.
Jon sees the entire fury of the wild coming towards the Wall. He sees a hundred or more mammoths with giants on their backs. He spots a group of giants pushing a battering ram forward and realizes that the ram can easily break through the gate with a few swings. Horsemen, archers, footmen and bone chariots make up the rest of Mance’s wildling army.
Seeing the great host before them, the men begin to despair. Jon knows that he has to say something to the men, so he rallies them together with a rousing speech that focuses on the fact that Mance’s wildlings cannot pass as long as the Night’s Watch holds the gate. By the end of the speech, the men’s morale have been lifted and Jon calls for the battle to begin.
Jon orders the archers to target the giants who are carrying the ram, but they are to shoot only upon his command and not before.
The wildlings’ lack of discipline causes their formation to fall apart as they advance towards the Wall. The wildling archers also shoot as they advanced, but their arrows fall woefully short. When the ram and the giants come within range, Jon gives the command and he and his archers let loose their arrows. They fire volley after volley and soon the giants who were carrying the ram are all dead or dying. One of the men shouts that a mammoth is at the gate, to which Jon replies by ordering Grenn and Pyp to throw flaming barrels of oil over the edge of the Wall. They send three barrels over and the resulting smoke and flames drives the wildlings into chaos – the mammoths start fleeing, followed by the giants, the rest of the wildlings and finally, seeing that they were being abandoned, the horsemen and chariots as well. Jon checks for casualties on his side but there are none.
Jon finally starts to feel the agony in his leg. He decides to inspect the gate and gets Pyp to help him to the cage; he passes the command of the Wall to Grenn. When the reach the ground, Pyp goes in search of Maester Aemon to get the spare key to the gate. He returns later, but Maester Aemon has decided to come as well.
They open the inner gate and make their way into the narrow tunnel. They pass through the iron gates inside and continue along the tunnel; they soon see a faint light ahead, which Jon immediately realizes is bad news. They last twenty feet of the tunnel is a scene of carnage; it is the place where Donal Noye and his men made their stand, and died horribly for it. The outer door has been hacked and broken and torn off its hinges, and one of the giants managed to crawl into the tunnel. The giant had managed to wrench the bars apart from the first iron gate and killed all the men, including Noye. However, Noye managed to kill the giant – they find the big man locked in the giant’s arm, his spine crushed, but his sword lodged deep into the giant’s throat. Jon studies the giant and realizes that he is looking at Mag the Mighty, king of the giants.
Jon walks on, to see what lies beyond the splintered door. He sees that the way into the tunnel is partially blocked by a dead mammoth and three dead giants. Jon then walks back to where the others are waiting and says that they will have to repair the outer gate as best as they can and then block up the tunnel, all the way to the second gate. Jon knows that with Noye dead, command of Castle Black will fall back on Ser Wynton, and so he says that Ser Wynton will need to take command immediately.
Maester Aemon says that Ser Wynton has gone senile and that Jon knows that as well as Donal Noye. Jon knows it is true, so he says that Maester Aemon should be the one to give the orders and lead them. Aemon declines, however, saying that his role as a maester is to give counsel, and not commands. He then says that Jon must lead the men. Jon protests but Aemon says that Jon is the most suitable candidate to lead the rest of the men, and that Jon need not command for long, only until the garrison returns to Castle Black.
Now that her parents and brothers are dead, Arya finds that she has an emptiness inside of her that does not go away. She wants to sleep all day and all night, but Sandor Clegane keeps on pushing her on. The only escape from the pain and loneliness are at night, when she dreams. In her dreams, she slips into Nymeria’s body and leads a large pack of wolves.
Sandor and Arya now travel with two horses, Stranger and a palfrey that they found in a field a day after departing from the Twins. Arya named the horse Craven after Sandor said that the palfrey must have run off from the Twins, just like them. Sandor no longer seems interesting in watching over her as he once did; he doesn’t seem to care whether Arya stays or runs away. Arya briefly considers running off, but with Winterfell now gone, she cannot think of any place to go and so decides to stay with Sandor.
She asks Sandor where they were headed but Sandor doesn’t tell her their destination, only that they are heading away from the Twins. During their journey, Arya and Sandor rarely talk; she observes that Sandor seems to be furious, though at what she couldn’t say. From time to time, they see bands of Frey horsemen riding through the countryside; Sandor tells her that the Freys are hunting stray northmen.
One day, they come across a dying man. The man tells them that he is a northman and that he serves Ser Marq Piper, one of Edmure Tully’s bannermen. He then goes on to tell how he had been at the Twins, celebrating Edmure and Roslin’s wedding. He had been drinking and toasting with another man-at-arms, one who served Lord Roose Bolton; the Bolton man had then attacked him during the wedding, inflicting a grievous wound. Sandor offers the man some water and a merciful death; the man accepts both. After the man drinks the water, Sandor slides a dagger into the man’s heart; he then tells Arya that that is how she is supposed to kill a man, by sending a blade through his heart.
They travel on and after a while, find themselves in the Vale, in the foothills of the mountains of the Moon. Arya asks again where Sandor was taking her, and this time Sandor tells her that he is bringing her to her aunt, Lysa Arryn, in the Eyrie; it is his hope that Lysa will pay Arya’s ransom. Thinking of her aunt, Arya realizes that she doesn’t know her aunt any better than her uncle Brynden. She then tells Sandor that the two of them should go back to the Twins to rescue her mother. Sandor says that he has considered the possibility that Lord Walder Frey might have kept her mother alive to ransom her later, but states that he is not going to rescue her mother by himself. He tells her firmly that they are heading for the Vale.
That night, Arya dreams her wolfdreams again. She slips into Nymeria’s body and finds herself at the edge of a river, with her pack of brothers and sisters. There are dead men floating down the river and bodies on the riverbanks, washed up by the river. The wolves are devouring the dead bodies, as well as any crow that dares to come too near. Arya smells a faint but familiar scent: it is the scent of her mother. The scent is getting stronger. Arya pads down into the river and chases after the scent. When she finally finds it, she drags the pale white body up the muddy bank. Her mother lies there, blood trickling from her throat. She picks up the sudden sound of horses and men approaching and decides to run away, leaving the body where it is.
In the morning, Sandor starts talking about Arya’s mother, but she cuts him off, saying that she saw her mother in a dream and that she finally accepts that her mother is dead. Sandor doesn’t say anything but nods and they ride on towards the mountains.
They reach a tiny isolated village, and Sandor decides to go in, saying that they needed food and a roof over their heads and that the villagers were unlikely to know what had happened at the Twins or know who he is. Sandor goes in and finds the villagers building a wooden palisade around their homes; when they see his size, they offer Sandor and Arya food, shelter and coin in exchange for work.
After the villagers tell him of the frost and snow waiting for them in the highpasses, as well as the shadowcats, cavebears and armed mountain-men, Sandor decides to abandon his plans of bringing Arya to the Eyrie.
Sandor and Arya spend several weeks at the village, but when the wooden palisade was finished, the village elder subtly tells them that they had to leave, with the reason that the villagers are uncomfortable with a man who deals in blood and death like Sandor. Sandor is surprised that they know who he is and tells them that they might appreciate having him around when the mountain clans come raiding and pillaging. The village elder hesitates, saying that he’s heard Sandor has lost his belly for fighting after what happened during the Battle of the Blackwater. Sandor gets angry and tells the elder village that he and Arya will leave once they get paid.
Sandor leaves the village with a pouch of copper coins, and a new sword that he had exchanged for the longaxe he taken back at the Twins. They head back towards the Trident. Sandor tells Arya that they will make their way to Riverrun; he is hoping that Ser Brynden will pay Arya’s ransom. Arya says that her uncle doesn’t know her nor will he know what she looks like; she then suggests that they go to the Wall instead. Sandor laughs at that, asking her whether she intends to join the Night’s Watch but Arya says that her half-brother Jon Snow is on the Wall. Sandor laughs and says that to get to the Wall they’d have to go through the Freys, the ironmen and thousands of northmen. Arya asks whether Sandor is scared of them and whether he has lost his belly for fighting. Sandor says that there’s nothing wrong with his belly and he doesn’t care about what she wants or her brother on the Wall.
Tyrion, having been accused by Cersei of killing Joffrey, is kept locked up in a tower room. His uncle, Ser Kevan Lannister, is telling Tyrion that if indeed Tyrion is innocent, then he wouldn’t have any difficulty proving it at trial. When Tyrion asks, Kevan tells him that the three judges will be Tywin, Mace Tyrell and Prince Oberyn. Tyrion then asks whether he would be allowed to demand trial by battle, to choose a champion to prove his innocence. Kevan advices Tyrion not to go down that route because Cersei intends to name Ser Gregor Clegane as her champion in the event of such a trial.
Tyrion then asks Kevan whether his sister has any witnesses against him; Kevan replies that Cersei has more and more witnesses by the day. When Tyrion mentions that he should have witnesses as well, Kevan tells him that Tyrion can write down the names of his witnesses and Ser Addam Marbrand, Commander of the City Watch, will send his men to find the witnesses and bring them to the trial. Tyrion has another request for his uncle: that he send Podrick Payne to him immediately. Kevan agrees to then leaves.
Tyrion tries to think of witnesses who will for him during the trial, but he cannot think of anyone. When Podrick appears, Tyrion tells him to go find Bronn and bring him to Tyrion’s cell at once. Tyrion then pens down Sansa’s name on parchment as one of his witnesses.
The next day, Tyrion hands over the parchment to Kevan. His uncle is surprised that Tyrion only has one witness and tells Tyrion that the trial is to begin in three days and that Ser Addam is still searching for Sansa Stark.
It is only the next morning before Podrick returns with Bronn. Bronn reveals that he is going to marry Lolly Stokeworth, the lackwit daughter of Lady Tanda. Tyrion realizes that the whole thing smells of one of Cersei’s schemes. He tries to convince Bronn to be his champion, promising to reward Bronn lavishly with gold, but Bronn doesn’t jump for the bait, saying he already has gold to spend. Tyrion goes for a different tack, revealing to Bronn that Gregor has been wounded in his recent battles and that he will be slower due to his wounds. Bronn considers the threat that Gregor poses, saying that while Gregor had never been fast, he is faster than a man you’d expect of his size. He also adds that Gregor has a monstrous reach and doesn’t seem to feel blows the way a normal man would. Bronn then states that the best strategy to use against Gregor would be to dance around the big man and avoiding the man’s blows until he grew tired, then get him off his feet somehow. Bronn is brutally honest and admits that it will be a difficult task, and that he will lose either way since even if kills Gregor, Cersei will snatch his marriage to Lady Lollys Stokeworth away. Tyrion gives up on Bronn and wishes Bronn a happy marriage.
Ser Kevan pays him another visit later in the day and again the day after, but both visits are the same: Kevan says that Sansa has not yet been found, nor has Ser Dontos who vanished the same night, and Tyrion says he had no other witnesses that he wishes to summon. The night before the trial, Tyrion finds it difficult to sleep.
The next day, the trial begins. Tywin, Lord Tyrell and Prince Oberyn sit in judgment. Tywin goes straight for the question, asking whether Tyrion killed Joffrey. Tyrion denies that he did. When asked whether Sansa had done the deed, Tyrion denies that his wife had anything to do with Joffrey’s death.
Lord Tywin calls for Cersei’s witnesses and tells Tyrion that Tyrion’s witnesses can speak after Cersei’s.
The first witness to be called to the stand is Ser Balon Swann. Balon says that he fought with Tyrion during the Battle of the Blackwater and that Tyrion is a brave man. He then says that he simply will not believe Tyrion murdered Joffrey. Tyrion is puzzled by Cersei’s choice, as Balon’s testimony points towards Tyrion being innocent. But then Balon speaks reluctantly of how Tyrion had struck Joffrey on the day of the riot. And then Tyrion begins to comprehends his sister’s plan: Cersei intends to begin the trial by calling upon a man known to be honest, but every witness after Balon will tell a worse tale until Tyrion ends up looking thoroughly guilty.
As the witnesses take the stand, Tyrion sees that he is right about his sister’s plan. Ser Meryn Trant mentions how Tyrion had stopped Joffrey’s chastisement of Sansa Stark and threatened to have Ser Boros Blount killed when Boros spoke up in defense of Joffrey. Next is Ser Boros Blount, who repeats the same story. Then comes the Kettleblack brothers, Osney, Ofryd and Osmund. Osney and Osfryd tell of Tyrion’s supper with Cersei before the Battle of the Blackwater, and of the threats he made to Cersei then. Ser Osmund’s tale is an outright lie, saying that Joffrey had warned him on the day he became a member of the Kingsguard that his uncle Tyrion meant to have Joffrey killed and then replace Joffrey as king.
The trial ends for the day.
Later that night, Kevan visits Tyrion in his tower cell. Tyrion asks his uncle to send for Lord Varys.
On the second days of the trial, Maesters Ballabar and Frenken both confirm that they discovered no pigeon pie or other food lodged in Joffrey’s throat; both also believe that Joffrey died from poison. The next witness is Maester Pycelle, who brings with him a number of small jars, which he proceeds to identify; all of them are poisons. He then claims that Tyrion stole the jars of poison from his chambers when Tyrion had him falsely imprisoned. Tyrion calls out to Pycelle, demanding to know whether any of the poison he had shown could choke off a man’s breath. Pycelle admits that none of the jars of poison could do that; he states that only a rarer poison called “the strangler” could do that. Tyrion then points out Pycelle didn’t find “the strangler” but Pycelle counters by saying that the rare poison hadn’t been found because Tyrion already used all of it to kill Joffrey. Tyrion releases a furious outburst but Tywin threatens to gag and chain him if he speaks up again.
The rest of the witnesses turn out to be men and women, both highborn and humble alike, who had been present at the wedding feast. Their testimonies include seeing Tyrion threaten the king, filling the wedding chalice then dropping something into Joffrey’s wine, and picking up the chalice as Joffrey was dying to pour out the last of the poisoned wine onto the floor.
Later that night Ser Kevan once again visits Tyrion. Tyrion says that he has not thought of any witnesses other than Sansa and then asks Kevan why Varys has yet to visit him. Kevan reveals that Varys plans to testify against Tyrion the next day. Tyrion, curious, asks what convinced Kevan that Tyrion was guilty. Kevan says it was because Tyrion had stolen Pycelle’s poisons, and Tyrion wouldn’t have stolen the poisons if he hadn’t intended to use them. Kevan then advices Tyrion to confess his crimes. He tells Tyrion that Tyrion’s father had sent him with an offer – if Tyrion will confess to murdering Joffrey before the throne and repent for his crimes, his father will not have him executed but instead permit him to join the Night’s Watch.
Tyrion laughs, saying that the terms are the same ones that got offered to Eddard Stark, who had then been executed despite confessing his crimes. Kevan says that Eddard’s execution was Joffrey’s decision and that Tywin had no part in it. Tyrion still declines the offer, saying that he is not going to confess. Ser Kevan reminds Tyrion that he has no witnesses. He then says that whatever the outcome of the trial, Tyrion is better with Tywin’s offer: if he is judged guilty, then going to the Wall will be a better fate then execution and if he is judged innocent, the North will be a much safer place for him than King’s Landing since the common folk, already convinced that Tyrion is guilty, would tear him apart if he dared set foot outside the castle.
Kevan then begins talking passionately about his brother Tywin, saying that while Tyrion might think of his father as a hard man, Tywin is no harsher than he has had to be in order to restore House Lannister’s glory, something that Tywin and Kevan’s father had squandered in the many years before Tyrion was born. Kevan speaks of Tywin with such passion that Tyrion is taken aback. Before Kevan leaves, Tyrion tells him that he will think about his father’s offer.
Tyrion spends the night thinking about it, but he come morning, he still doesn’t trust his father’s offer.
The third day of the trial sees Varys taking to the stand to testify against Tyrion. Tyrion realizes Varys’ testimonial contain half-truths rather than outright lies; the eunuch mentions many things that are taken slightly out of context. He tells of how Tyrion had schemed to part Joffrey from Sandor’s protection and spoken to Bronn about how Tommen would make a better king. Varys also confirms that Tyrion visited Grand Master Pycelle’s chambers at midnight and stole Pycelle’s poisons and potions and that he’d made a threat to Cersei the night where both of them supped together. Unlike the previous witnesses, Varys has documents and parchments filled with notes, details, dates and even whole conversations. And he recites all of them, which take the entire day.
After Varys finishes, Lord Tywin asks Cersei whether they have heard from all her witnesses. Cersei tells them that she has one more witness, whom she intends to bring out on the next day.
That night, Tyrion expects another visit from Ser Kevan, but he receives a most unexpected visitor: Prince Oberyn Martell.
Oberyn tells Tyrion that Cersei has hinted at marriage between Cersei and himself if he condemns Tyrion. However, Oberyn says that Cersei is too ambitious and scheming for him to be interested in her proposition. He does say that he is thankful that Cersei accused him of Joffrey’s murder because otherwise he might have been arrested in Tyrion’s place – after all, he is knowledgeable in poisons, he has reasons to keep the Tyrells far from the crown and by Dornish law, with Joffrey dead, the Iron Throne would pass to the next-eldest child in line, who would be Myrcella Baratheon, who is married to Oberyn’s nephew, Trystane Martell.
Tyrion says that Dornish law does not apply in King’s Landing and that Tywin will certainly crown Tommen. Oberyn then says that he may indeed marry Cersei if she supports Myrcella over Tommen. Tyrion says that Tywin will give Cersei no choice in the matter but Oberyn responds by saying that Tyrion’s father might not live forever.
Oberyn then reveals that Mace Tyrell is quite convinced that Tywin is guilty but that he himself was not as convinced. He then coyly mentions that perhaps Joffrey’s killer had been eaten by a bear, subtly insinuating that he does not believe Tywin’s earlier claim that it had been Ser Amory Lorch who had killed Elia and her children. Tywin then decides that he has nothing to lose by telling Oberyn the truth so he says that while Ser Amory Lorch had indeed been killed by a bear, Amory only killed Rhaenys, while Elia and Aegon were killed by Ser Gregor Clegane. However, when Oberyn presses Tyrion on whether it was Tywin who had given Gregor the orders, Tyrion denies it. Oberyn sees through the lie and calls Tyrion out on it, and Tyrion responds by saying that Oberyn should speak to Tywin about the matter. Oberyn says that Tyrion’s innocence cannot save him, nor can Tywin. He reveals that he can save Tyrion – as Tyrion’s champion in a trial of combat.
Jaime is in the Round Room, which forms the first floor of the White Sword Tower, waiting for his Sworn brothers. He has since moved his belongings to the topmost floor, which has traditionally been the Lord Commander’s apartments. He has been spending his days at his brother’s trials, although always standing at the back of the hall. Few seem to recognize him. His father had disowned him and even Cersei seems to be avoiding him.
Jaime goes through the White Book, a massive book that details the history of the Kingsguard; every knight who had ever served had a page, with their names and deeds recorded for all time. It has always been the duty of the Lord Commander to keep the entries up to date; Jaime realizes that it is his duty now.
Ser Barristan Selmy had been the previous Lord Commander; Jaime finds Barristan’s page, and goes through the old knight’s lost list of accomplishments. Jaime’s own page is scant by comparison.
The door to the Round Room opens and Jaime receives his Sworn Brothers. Jaime goes through a formality, asking them the names of the men who are currently guarding the King while the Kingsguard are having a meeting. Ser Osmund says that his brothers, Ser Osney and Ser Osfryd are guarding Tommen. Loras adds that his elder brother, Ser Garlan is guarding the king as well. The meeting then starts.
Including Jaime, six of the seven Kingsguard are in the room; the seventh, Ser Arys Oakheart, is in Dorne, to guard Princess Myrcella. Jaime studies his Sworn Brothers. He has served with Meryn Trant and Boros Blaunt, both adequate fighters but lacking good character. Ser Balon Swann is well-suited to his white cloak, and Ser Loras is supposedly everything a knight should be. But he knows next to nothing about Ser Osmund Kettleblack.
He first chastises the five for failing to keep Joffrey alive. Jaime then asks whether it’s true that Tyrion poisoned Joffrey. Meryn and Boros are convinced that it was Tyrion, since Tyrion had filled Joffrey’s chalice with wine then emptied the dregs on the floor. Ser Balon is uncertain, saying that there were others who had been just as near to the King as Tyrion and it could have easily been one of them who had poisoned Joffrey’s wine. Loras is sure that the poisoner is Sansa Stark, with the reason that Margaery drank from the same chalice as well and that Sansa was the only person in the hall who could have wanted both Joffrey and Margaery dead. Jaime find Loras’ reasoning sound; he considers looking into Sansa’s disappearance personally at a later time.
Jaime then states that Joffrey is now dead but he intends for Tommen to live a long, long life. He proceeds to address each of the Kingsguard in turn.
Seeing that Boros has grown stout over the years, he assigns Boros the role of Tommen’s food taster. Boros is insulted by the assignment and counters by saying that Jaime should be the food taster instead since Jaime is now a cripple. Jaime only smiles and challenges Boros to a duel, but Boros refuses to take up the challenge and leaves in disgust. Jaime is secretly relieved that Boros is too much of a coward, because he knows that, with his right hand gone, Boros would have made short work of him.
Next Jaime addresses Ser Osmund Kettleblack. He says that he does not know anything about Osmund and asks Osmund where he has served before. Osmund is evasive at first but reveals that he has served in the Stepstone, the Disputed Lands and was once part of a mercenary company called the Gallant Men, who fought Lys and Tyrosh. He also reveals that he was knighted by a Ser Robert Stone, who has since died. Jaime suspects that Ser Osmund’s Robert Stone is made-up but proceeds to dismiss Osmund.
He next turns his attention to Ser Meryn. Jaime says that he has heard of Meryn obeying Joffrey’s order to chastise Sansa; he then states that nowhere in the vows of the Kingsguard do they swear to beat women and children. Meryn defends himself by saying that he was just following King Joffrey’s orders. Jaime replies by saying that going forward, Meryn is to temper his obedience with common sense and that there will be times when he will need to consult either Cersei, Tywin or Jaime himself in order to protect Tommen from himself. Jaime then dismisses Meryn.
Jaime then turns towards Ser Balon. He praises Balon’s valor and calls Balon a welcome addition to the Kingsguard. But he also remarks on how Balon’s brother, Ser Donnel, once rode with Renly, then for Stannis, then for Joffrey and now for Tommen. He then asks what Balon would do if one day Donnel switches allegiance. Balon hesitates but then states that, unlike what Jaime did to Aerys, he would do his duty. Jaime likes Balon’s answer and dismisses him.
Then there is only Jaime and Loras Tyrell in the room. They trade words and Jaime realizes that Tyrell is exactly how Jaime used to be when he had just entered the ranks of the Kingsguard – exceptional but arrogant. He decides to focus the conversation on Renly’s death instead, questioning Loras’ insistence that it was Brienne who had murdered Renly. He says that Brienne mentioned that a shadow had killed Renly; he also states that Brienne is not sly or quick-witted enough to come up with such a strange story, and that Brienne appears to be person who takes her oaths seriously. Loras states that Brienne had fled, with Catelyn Stark, and why would she have done such a thing if she had not murdered Renly. But doubt begins to creep into his voice, and he reveals to Jaime that Renly’s gorget had been cut clean through – he admits that no one could have done that with a sword, not even Brienne, despite her strength.
Jaime tells Loras to go and visit Brienne in her cell, to ask her questions and listen to her answers. If Loras is still convinced that she is guilty, then Jaime will make sure she answers for it. He says that the choice is with Loras and that the only thing he asks of Loras is that Loras judges her fairly. Loras vows that he will and leaves.
Jaime sits in the room, and considers getting himself a gold hand to replace his right hand. He decides that the gold hand can wait, however, for he has other things to do first.
The Merling King has stopped at the Fingers, a rocky coastline located north of the Vale so named because it just out into the sea like slim, slender fingers. Arya, still seasick and has been for most of the voyage, finds the Fingers, with its bleak grey sky, many rocks and forlorn little flint tower, a dismal place. She has thought all along that Petyr Baelish is bringing her back to Winterfell, since he did mention that he would be bringing her home. So she is surprised when Petyr tells her that the ship is sailing off to the east, headed for Braavos, without them. Knowing that Sansa might have expected him to bring her back to Winterfell, Petyr says that Winterfell has burned and sacked; instead, they will be staying at the Fingers, inside the unnamed flint tower that is the seat of House Baelish. Petyr, knowing that Sansa finds the Fingers bleak and dreary, tells her not to worry, as they will be staying there for no more than a fortnight – Lysa Arryn is riding to meet them at the Fingers and that he and Lysa are to be wed, whereupon they will then head for the Eyrie.
They take a boat ashore, accompanied by Lothor Brune and old Oswell. Petyr’s servants come out from the tower to meet them and Petyr proceeds to introduce every one of them to Sansa though he is careful not to mention Sansa’s name. Everyone then makes their way to the flint tower.
The tower turns out to be small, with only three floors to it. The servants live in the kitchen located on the ground level. The next floor up holds a small hall while the bedchambers are located on the topmost floor. Sansa studies a shield that is hanging in the hall, the device being a grey stone head on a light green field. Petyr tells her that it is his grandfather’s shield; he then reveals that his grandfather’s father was born in Braavos and came to the Vale as a sellsword to one of Vale lords, and his grandfather had taken the head of the Titan as his sigil when he was knighted.
When Sansa and Petyr are alone, he tells Sansa that she has to assume a new identity because if word of Sansa Stark being seen in the Vale got out, Lord Varys will hear of it and it would cause all kinds of complications. Petyr decides that Sansa will go by the name Alayne, which had been the name of Petyr’s mother, and that she will be his bastard daughter with the reason being that it is considered rude to pry into the origins of a man’s bastard children. Petyr then concocts Alayne’s history, saying that her mother was a gentlewoman of Braavos who died giving birth to Alayne; Alayne was then entrusted to men and women of the Faith, but started searching for Petyr after deciding that she did not wish to be a septa.
The servants then bring them a small meal, and as they eat, Petyr shifts the conversation to the game of thrones, stating that in King’s Landing, there are two sorts of people: the players and the pieces. Sansa then asks whether Ser Dontos was the piece Petyr had used to poison Joffrey. Petyr laughs and tells her that Dontos could never have been trusted with a task of such enormity. Sansa then asks if Petyr has other pieces in the capital. Petyr responds by summoning old Oswell and asks Sansa whether she knows him. There is something familiar about Oswell, but she says that she hasn’t seen him before. Oswell himself then says that Sansa might not have met him before but that she might have met his three sons. Sansa is caught by surprise as she realizes that she has indeed seen the man’s three sons; she realizes she is looking at father of the Kettleblack brothers. After Petyr dismisses old Oswell, Sansa asks Petyr whether it had been one of the Kettleblacks who poisoned Joffrey. Petyr says that the Kettleblacks are far too treacherous to be of any such scheme and that Ser Osmund Kettleblack has become unreliable since the man joined the Kingsguard.
Seeing that Sansa cannot come up with any more guesses, Petyr reveals that the person who did it is the one who straightened Sansa’s hairnet sometime during the feast. Sansa is caught by surprise, as the Queen of Thorns was the one who did exactly that. Petyr then explains that when he had gone to Highgarden with the marriage proposal that Margaery be wed to Joffrey, Lady Olenna begin asking questions about Joffrey’s character. Meanwhile, Petyr had his own men spreading disturbing tales about Joffrey amongst the Tyrells’ servants. Lady Olenna soon came to realize one thing: her son Mace Tyrell wanted to make Margaery a Queen by marrying a king. But Olenna had figured that although Margaery would need to be married to a king, it didn’t have to be Joffrey – it could just as easily be Tommen.
Sansa starts her new life on the Fingers. Lysa Arryn arrives after eight days. When she finally looks at her aunt, Sansa thinks that Lysa looks ten year older than her mother had looked, even though Lysa is two years younger than Catelyn. Lysa is also plump and clumsy. Petyr introduces Sansa, but as Alayne Stone. He mentions that he hopes to Alayne to the Eyrie but then quickly changes the subject, asking Lysa when both she and he can be wed. Lysa says that she has brought her own septon and singer and that they can be wed right then. Petyr isn’t too pleased, saying that he’d rather wed her at the Eyrie, with her whole court in attendance. Lysa, however, insists that they be married right then and there, and Petyr, not wanting to push the issue too much, gives in. They are married within the hour.
After the small feast, they proceed with the bedding ceremony and soon, the whole tower can hear Lady Lysa’s loud screams as she and Petyr make love on the topmost floor. Sansa goes out of the tower for a while, reminiscing about her own wedding with Tyrion. When she returns to the tower, there are no more screams coming from the bedchambers. Sansa tries to sleep but she is harassed by Lysa’s singer, Marillion. The singer tries to force Sansa to have sex with him, but Lothor Brune suddenly appears and drives the singer away.
In the morning, Sansa gets summoned to the bedchambers. Lady Lysa is still abed but Petyr is getting dressed. He tells Sansa that Lysa wants to speak with her and that he has already told Lysa who Sansa really is. Petyr also adds that they will leave for the Eyrie in the afternoon, and then leaves the room, leaving Sansa alone with Lysa.
The first thing that Lysa says is that Sansa looks too much like Catelyn. She says that Sansa will have to darken her hair before they bring her back to the Eyrie; she does not want word of Sansa’s presence reaching King’s Landing. Lysa then mentions Sansa’s unfortunate marriage to Tyrion, which she compares to her own forced marriage to Jon Arryn. She then asks whether Sansa is pregnant with Tyrion’s child, and when Sansa tells her that she is not, Lysa is relieved. She says that Sansa can get married again once Tyrion has been executed for his crimes – and the man she suggest to Sansa is none other than her own son, Robert Arryn. Sansa is not keen on marrying Robert, but she lies anyway and tells her aunt that she’d love to meet Robert. Lysa then mentions that once Tyrion has been executed, Sansa can wed Robert, but the wedding will be a secret wedding, as she doesn’t want others to know that Robert wed a bastard girl like Alayne. Lysa ends by saying that although Sansa comes from House Stark, Winterfell has fallen and now Sansa is no more than a beggar, and that she will have to be a grateful and obedient wife to Robert.
It is morning and Jon is already awake. He has been having difficulty sleeping, and one contributor to that has been the noise from the continual cutting of trees by Mance Rayder’s wildings. Jon and most of the other men have been sleeping in the warming shed on top of the Wall; it took too long a time to ride up and down in the cage. The ones who remained in Castle Black itself were Maester Aemon, Ser Wynton and men who are too old or ill to fight.
Jon steps out onto the Wall and sees that the wildling archers are already coming towards the Wall. The archers have been doing the same thing for days: they advance forward, hiding behind slanted wooden shields big enough to for five of them to hide behind. The wildlings then fire their arrows through slits in the wood. The first time the wildling archers employed this tactic, Jon had sent fire arrows their way, setting the shields on fire. However, Mance has countered this by covering the shields with raw hides, which makes it impossible for the fire arrows to catch. Due to the long range and the angle being bad, the arrows do not pose much risk, with most of them ending up catching on the scarecrows.
Jon and the men now have the use of Maester Aemon’s brass telescope. Jon peers through it to study his foes. He doesn’t see Mance but does spy Mance’s woman, Dalla, who is heavily pregnant and Dalla’s sister, Val. He then studies the contraption the wildlings have been building, the reason behind them cutting down the surrounding trees. It is the turtle, a wooden contraption that consists of a rounded top, a stout wooden frame and eight huge wheels. The wildlings have lashed the raw bloody hide of a mammoth over the top, yet another layer on top of the sheepskins and pelts.
The turtle is nearly done so Jon figures that the wildlings will bring out the turtle later in the day. He asks Grenn whether the barrels are ready; when Grenn says that they are, he sends Grenn off to get some sleep.
Jon then tries to eat some breakfast but he is too worried to eat much. The men have no more oil or barrels of pitch. They will soon run out of arrows as well. And he has received a raven from Ser Denys Mallister, commander of the Shadow Tower. The raven brings bad news: Castle Black’s garrison has chased the roving wildlings all the way to the Shadow Tower and down into the Gorge, where they had then fought a battle with the wildlings. They killed three hundred wildlings, but paid a costly price by losing a hundred of their own. Bowen Marsh was injured and it will be some time before he and the remainder of the garrison return to Castle Black.
Jon is trying to eat his breakfast but is interrupted by his men telling him that the wildlings are approaching the Wall with their turtle. He gets the men to sound the warhorns to wake Grenn and all the other brothers who are sleeping; Jon knows he needs every men on the Wall in order to destroy the turtle before it can breach the outer gate.
Jon first tries flaming arrows, but the wet hides protects the turtle. Next he tries scorpion bolts and rocks, but both do little damage. Jon sees that the turtle is coming closer and closer; he knows that once the turtle is at the gate, the wildlings will start using their axes to crash through the hastily-repaired outer gates, and once they reached inside the tunnel, it would only take a few hours to clear the loose rubble. Jon realizes that the only way they could destroy the turtle is by dropping boulders on it when it reached the Wall.
They have no boulders, but Jon has devised something just as heavy and effective: barrels filled with gravel, with the water poured into them left to freeze solid overnight. They heavy barrels are the closest things to boulders that Jon and his men can get.
Jon gets Grenn and two other black brothers to line four of the big oak barrels above the gate. When the turtle finally reaches the gate, Jon gives the command to drop the barrels. The four barrels completely destroy the turtle and the wildlings who survive retreat back to their camp. Jon realizes that he is extremely tired. He gives command of the Wall to Pyp then takes the cage down and heads for the King’s Tower in order to catch up on some sleep.
When he wakes up, it is already night. There are four men standing over him, all four wearing the black of the Night’s Watch. They pull Jon from the bed and lead him up to Mormont’s solar. Upon entering, Jon sees Maester Aemon, Septon Cellador and Ser Wynton Stout, who is asleep in a chair. There were other black brothers there as well, but he recognized none of them, except for one – Ser Alliser Thorne.
There is big and jowly man sitting in Mormont’s chair whom Ser Alliser speaks to. Ser Alliser calls Jon a turncloak but Jon denies it. The big, jowly man says that Jon has been charged with oathbreaking, cowardice, and desertion and then asks whether Jon denies that he abandoned his black brothers to die on the First of the First Men and later joined Mance Rayder’s host. Maester Aemon steps in and says that he and Donal Noye had discussed the issues with Jon when Jon first returned to Castle Black and that they were well-satisfied with Jon’s explanations. The big, jowly says that he is not satisfied and wants to hear those explanations for himself. Jon swallows his anger and claims that he abandoned no one, that he left the First with Qhorin Halfhand to scout the Skirling Pass, that he then joined the wildling army under Qhorin’s orders.
The big, jowly man is annoyed that Jon does not address Alliser as Ser Alliser and calls Jon out on it. He then reveals that he is Janos Slynt, Lord of Harrenhal, and that he will be the commander at Castle Black until Bowen Marsh returns with the castle’s garrison. Janos then presses Jon further, trying to get Jon to admit that he is an oathbreaker and turncloak. Jon says that he did indeed ride with the wildlings and slept with a wildling woman, but swears that he never turned his cloak, that he escaped the Magnar as soon as he could and never once took up arms against a black brother or the realm.
Janos studies Jon then gets his men to bring a prisoner into the solar. Jon doesn’t recognize the prisoner at first, but he suddenly realizes that the prisoner looks different without his armor – it is Rattleshirt. Janos asks Rattleshirt to repeat what he has told him, and Rattleshirt tells of how Jon had begged for his life and offered to join the wildlings if they would have him, and of how Ghost had been involved in Qhorin’s death.
Janos and Alliser start to launch more accusations unto Jon, dismissing Jon’s furious protests. Maester Aemon comes to Jon’s defense, saying that Jon Snow held the Wall against the full fury of the huge wildling host, and that Jon was chosen to be Lord Mormont’s own steward and squire because Mormont had seen much promise in his, as had Aemon himself.
Janos refuses to change his mind and provokes Jon by saying that Jon’s father, Eddard Stark, died as a traitor. He says that Eddard died by the sword due to his being a highborn noble, but a noose will serve for Jon; he then orders Ser Alliser to take Jon to an ice cell.
Ser Alliser seizes Jon by the arm but Jon, furious at Janos’ lies about his father, grabs Ser Alliser’s neck with such ferocity that he lifts the knight off the floor. The black brothers in the room come to Ser Alliser’s rescue and pulls Jon off. Ser Alliser then loudly accuses Jon, by dint of his actions, to be a wildling.
Dawn breaks and Tyrion is in his cell, deep in thought. He is still unsure of what action to take once Cersei has called her final witness. He has been considering his father’s offer, of going to the Wall if he confesses to poisoning Joffrey. Tyrion finds that it isn’t the thought of being in the Night’s Watch that angers him, but that he has to confess to a crime he did not commit.
When the trial finally begins and the last witness is called to their testimony, Tyrion is shocked to discover that Cersei’s last witness is Shae. His shock soon turns to anger, however, when Shae proceeds to tell outright lies. Her first lie is saying that Tyrion plotted Joffrey’s murder with Sansa, that Sansa wanted revenge for her brother’s death and that Tyrion was going to kill his father, his sister and then Prince Tommen so that he could be king himself. Her second lie is saying that Tyrion forced her to be his whore after her own lover, a squire, died when Tyrion purposely placed him in the front ranks of Tyrion’s vanguard. She then tells how Tyrion had forced her to call him her giant of Lannister.
Everyone in the throne room starts laughing – except for Tywin. Tyrion calls out to the judge and tells them that he will give them his confession once they dismiss the whore out of his sight. Once Shae is gone, Tyrion admits that he is guilty. When Oberyn asks whether Tyrion is admitting to poisoning Joffrey, Tyrion says that he is innocent of that crime; instead, his admission of guilt was for being a dwarf. Tywin is irritated and tells Tyrion that he is not on trial for being a dwarf, but Tyrion disagrees, saying that he has been on trial for being a dwarf his entire life. He then demands trial by battle.
Tywin is angry with Tyrion’s decision but Cersei is overjoyed, saying that Ser Gregor Clegane will stand for Joffrey in the trial by battle. When Prince Oberyn rises to his feet and announces that he will Tyrion’s champion, there is an uproar in the throne room and even Cersei appears to have doubts. Furious, Tywin calls an end to the trial and says that the verdict will be decided the next day.
Later, back in his cell, Tyrion starts drinking and is in a much better mood. He is happy that he has dashed his father’s plans. If Oberyn wins, Mace Tyrell will see the man who had crippled his son helping the dwarf who almost poisoned his daughter escape his punishment, thus throwing more bad blood between Highgarden and the Dornish. If Gregor Clegane triumphs, then Doran Martell would want to know why his brother had been served with death instead of the justice promised him; Dorne might even crown Myrcella.
Tyrion has a good sleep and in the morning, after a hearty breakfast, he attends to his champion. He finds Oberyn already drinking before combat, and seeks to impress upon the Prince how big and fearsome Ser Gregor is. Oberyn is unimpressed, saying that he has killed large men before and that the trick is to get them on their feet in order to kill them. Tyrion is reassured, until he sees that Oberyn will be fighting with a spear. Oberyn says that using the spear helps him counter Gregor’s longer reach. He lets Tyrion look at the spear’s tip. Tyrion notes that the edges are incredibly sharp and glisten with a black substance – he wonders whether it is poison but does not ask. Oberyn says that there are places where Gregor’s armor doesn’t protect, and he intends to find those places.
Oberyn then tells the story of how his mother had brought both him and Elia to Casterly Rock when they had been children. He says that he has already told Tyrion about his visit previously, but states that his mother had a reason for going to Casterly Rock: she wanted to marry Oberyn and Elia to Cersei and Jaime respectively. Years later, on her deathbed, Oberyn’s mother had told Oberyn that Lord Tywin had refused the offer, saying that Cersei was meant for Prince Rhaegar and offered Tyrion instead of Jaime for Elia. Oberyn then says that when Prince Rhaegar married Elia instead, Tywin took it as an insult and repaid the Martells by having Elia and her children killed. Oberyn then says that Elia and her children have been waiting years for justice and that today would be the day that they get it.
The fight takes place in the outer ward and thousands of people have come to witness the event. Ser Gregor is fully armored, wearing plate over chainmail, employs a huge shield and wields his huge greatsword. In contrast, Oberyn is lightly armored and carries a brightly polished shield in addition to his spear. When the fight begins, Oberyn manages to land many hits, but all of them slide off Gregor’s heavy armor. Meanwhile, Gregor’s sword doesn’t come close to catching the faster and more dexterous Oberyn. As they fight, Oberyn continuously mentions that Gregor raped and murdered his sister Elia and killed her children. Gregor is annoyed by Oberyn’s accusations, but remains silent.
At one point in the fight, the sun comes out from behind the clouds, and Oberyn uses this to his advantage by tilting his metal shield, which causes a shaft of sunlight to reflect off the polished surface straight into the narrow slit of Gregor’s helm. Gregor lifts his own shield against the glare, giving Oberyn the opening he is waiting for; Oberyn sends his spearhead into the gap under the arm, and it punches through mail and boiled leather, wounding Gregor. Oberyn then yanks his spear free and circles behind Gregor. Gregor falls to one knee and Oberyn seizes the opportunity, driving his spearhead into the back of the knee, inflicting yet another deep wound. Gregor collapses face first, then rolls onto his back.
Oberyn, seeing his chance to finish Gregor, falls back to get some distance between him and his fallen foe, then runs at Gregor, driving the spear down with the whole weight of his body. The momentum and force breaks the spear in half and the spearhead now pins Gregor to the ground. Gregor is severely injured and cannot pull the shaft out.
Oberyn grabs Gregor’s greatsword and approaches Gregor’s body, demanding that Gregor says Elia’s name. Gregor responds by shooting out his hand and grabbing Oberyn behind the knee, then pulling Oberyn down on top of him. Gregor then manages to wrap on arm around Oberyn, drawing the Prince tight to his own chest. It is then that Gregor calls out Elia’s name, saying that he killed her son, then raped her, and finally killed her. After Gregor says that, he smashes his huge fist into Oberyn’s head, killing the Prince.
Tyrion retches his breakfast. He is condemned by Tywin and the guards of the City Watch escort him to the black cells.
Daenerys stands on top of Meeren’s Great Pyramid, gazing out at both the city below and the sea and hills beyond the city walls. She is proud to have taken Meeren in less than a day.
She sacrificed her three ships, commanding their captains to drive the ships ashore, where her men then turned the masts into battering rams and tore the hulls apart to build mantlets, turtles, catapults and ladders. Protected by the turtles and making full use of the battering rams, her men had successfully broken through the eastern gate. Even though Daenerys had not joined in the attack, as advised by all her captains, but even from the rear, half a league away, she could hear the defenders’ shouts of defiance changing to cries of fear, and she knew then that the small group of men that she had sent to enter Meeren via the sewers had freed the city’s fighting slaves.
When all resistance had been crushed and the sacking had run its course, Daenerys had entered Meeren. She saw bodies everywhere, but the slaves had cheered and called her “Mother”. In the plaza before the Great Pyramid, she came face to face with the Great Masters of Meeren. Meting out justice for the one hundred and sixty three children that they had nailed to wooden posts all along the cost road from Yunkai, she has the same number of Great Masters nailed to wooden posts around the plaza, sparing the rest.
Although she felt the punishment justified at the time she gave the command, Daenerys is now having doubts; she tries to reassure herself by telling herself that the punishment was just and that she did it for the children.
After breakfast and a bath, Daenerys makes her to the audience chamber, which is one level below. Her bloodriders, handmaidens and Missandei are there, along with Grey Worm, Daario and Brown Ben Plumm. She starts out by asking Ben whether the night has been quiet and he says that it has. Daenerys is pleased with the answer; after the city was well and truly hers, she was determined that the sacking stop so she decreed that murderers are to be hanged, looters are to lose and hand and rapists their manhood. Eight had been hanged, and there was a basket containing hands and manhoods, but Meeren is calm once again.
Daenerys then mentions that there seems to be too many flies in the city and orders Grey Worm and the Unsullied to get rid of the corpses, starting with those in the plaza. Missandei tells Daenerys that the Ghiscari inter their honored dead in crypts below their manses and that it would be a kindness if she returned the bones to their kin. Daenerys agrees and says that it will be done.
Daenerys then turns to Daario and asks him how many are seeking audience with her. Daario replies that there are two. He brings in the first one, an envoy from King Cleon of Astapor. Daenerys is surprised, since she left a council to rule Astapor but the envoy tells her that the council were scheming to restore Astapor’s Great Masters to power and the people back to slavery; Great Cleon exposed their plots and killed the council, whereupon the people of Astapor then crowned him king. Missandei recognizes Cleon’s name and tells Daenerys that Cleon was once a slave butcher and that he could slaughter a pig faster than any man in Astapor. Daenerys feels ill that Astapor is now in the hands of a butcher king but tries not to show it; she then asks the envoy what he wants of her. The envoy says that the Great Cleon wants to propose a pact between Astapor and Meeren, against the Yunkai’i. Daenerys says that since Yunkai has released its slaves, she has promised that the city will come to no harm. The envoy scoffs at this, saying that the Yunkai’i are even now plotting against her. He then says that the Great Cleon and Astapor will not forsake her and that Cleon offers to seal their alliance by marrying Daenerys. Daenerys doesn’t give an answer and tells the envoy that she will think about it.
The second person to seek an audience is the captain who brought the envoy to Meeren aboard his trading ship, the Indigo Star. The captain says that he is looking for slaves, and that he will trade the goods on his ship in return. Daenerys mentions that she has no slaves to sell but Daario steps in and says that the riverside is full of Meereneese who are begging to be allowed to sell themselves to the captain. Daenerys is shocked that these Meereneese actually want to be slaves but Daario says that the ones who want to be slaves are well-spoken and learned, and that they will have a more comfortable life as slaves in the Free Cities than they will in Meeren. Daenerys decides that any man or woman who wishes to sell themselves into slavery can do so, but they cannot sell children or their spouse. Missandei then tells Daenerys that in Astapor, the city took a tenth part of the price each time a slave changed hands. Daenerys agrees to do the same, but says that the tenth part be paid to her in gold or silver only; she assigns Daario’s Stormcrows to the task of collecting the money.
The audience with both the envoy and the captain done, Daenerys dreads the next business at hand. All the same, she commands Strong Belwas to bring in her knights. Ser Barristan has shaved his beard and looks ten years younger; Ser Jorah meanwhile looks guilty and older than his years.
Daenerys tells the two knights that part of her had hoped that she’d seen the last of them when they had gone down into the sewers as part of the small group of men she had tasked with sneaking into the city via the sewers to free Meeren’s fighting slaves. She also recounts the times in the past when they had saved her.
She first turns to Ser Barristan, asking him why he betrayed the Targaryens by abandoning Viserys and bent his knee to Robert Baratheon the Usurper instead. She warns him to tell the truth.
Ser Barristan says that Robert was a good knight and spared the lives of many other men as well. In contrast, her brother Viserys was beginning to show the same madness that was in Daenerys’ father, Aerys, also known as the Mad King. Barristan says that he had used a false name with Daenerys, not only so that the Lannisters wouldn’t catch wind of him joining her, but he wanted to see whether Daenerys has the same madness within her before pledging his sword. Daenerys bristles at the mention of madness in the Targaryen bloodline but Barristan tells her that her own grandfather, King Jaehaerys, once told him that Targaryens are fated to be either great or mad. Barristan then says that Daenerys is the trueborn heir of Westeros and that, if she finds him worthy to bear a sword again, he will serve her to the end of his days. After hearing all that Barristan has said, Daenerys agrees; she hands Barristan’s sword back to him and accepts him into her service.
She then turns to Ser Jorah, knowing that Jorah will be harder to deal with. And sure enough, Jorah starts off by being defensive and unapologetic about his actions. He mentions that he used to send reports to Varys but stopped after a while. Daenerys however, is angry when she learns that he only stopped sending the reports after Qarth. Daenerys gets increasingly furious with Ser Jorah’s attitude and after Ser Jorah mentions that Daenerys has to forgive him, she finally makes her decision and declares that she cannot forgive him. Ignoring his pleas, Daenerys banishes him from her camp, saying that he has until dawn to leave Meeren and that she will have him killed if he does not leave by then. Strong Belwas then drags Ser Jorah away.
Daario immediately approaches Daenerys, saying that she has a kind heart but that Ser Jorah is extremely dangerous. He offers to kill Jorah for her, but Daenerys declines, saying that things are even now.
Later that night, Daenerys tries to lose herself in reading, but she finds that she cannot concentrate, so she walks out onto the terrace to admire her dragons. Ser Barristan approaches her, saying that her father’s secrets now belong to her by right, as is the Iron Throne, and asks her whether she might have any questions for him. She blurts out a question that has been in her head: had her father truly been mad. She says that Viserys had once mentioned that the talk of madness in the Targaryen bloodline was one of Robert’s ploys. Barristan says that Aerys always had a little madness in him but could be charming and generous as well. He then mentions that the madness got worse as the years passes, whereupon Daenerys stops him, saying that she doesn’t want to hear about her father’s madness at the moment, that perhaps it could wait another day. She kisses him on the cheek then dismisses him.
In the morning, she summons her captains and commanders. She tells them that she has been more a horselord than a queen, smashing and plundering the cities in Slaver’s Bay, giving them death and ruin before moving on. She then says that she cannot rule the seven kingdoms of Westeros if she cannot even rule a single city. Turning to her captains and commanders, she tells them that she will stay in Meeren for some time, and rule the city as a queen.
Jaime is in the council chamber, watching as Ser Kevan hands over document after document for Tommen to sign. Jaime is bored and his body is sore, courtesy of the beating that Ser Addam Marbrand has given him in their training session. Jaime had wanted to see whether he could fight with his left hand and chose Adam because he had known Adam since Addam had been a boy, serving as a page at Casterly Rock. Addam gave him a severe beating and Jamie is dismayed at how poorly he performed with his left hand. He starts to doubt whether Addam might have been the best choice, given the risk of Addam boasting about his thumping Jaime should he get drunk during his drinking sessions. Jaime thinks that he should have gone to Ser Illyn Payne instead, since the headsman had no tongue and thus would not be able to tell anyone about it.
Jaime goes up to Kevan and says that his uncle appears to have matters well in hand and with that, he will leave Tommen to Kevan. Kevan agrees but tries to convince Jaime to visit his father, but Jaime says that the breach between his father and him is Tywin’s doing and that Tywin can’t mend it by sending him a mocking gift. Ser Kevan protests, saying that Tywin’s gift was heartfelt, but Jaime doesn’t want to hear anymore and leaves. He walks out from the council chamber and passes responsibility of guarding Tommen to Ser Meryn Trant.
Walking to the outer ward, Jaime catches sight of Walton Steelshanks and his band of northmen saddling their horses. Jaime greets them and Walton says that Lord Bolton is expecting them and that they leave as soon as the lady is mounted. The lady turns out to be a skinny hollow-eyed girl with long brown hair with a pretty face but sad and wary eyes. The girl greets him and Jaime is surprised to learn that she knows him. He is even more surprised when she introduces herself as Arya Stark; Jaime thinks to himself that the girl his father is sending to Bolton looks slightly older than the real Arya Stark. The girl says that she is to marry Ramsay Snow, Lord Roose Bolton’s bastard, whom Roose Bolton has now legitimized; Jaime wishes her well. Once Arya is mounted, the northmen ride out of the castle gate.
Jaime notices that the horses are still avoiding the dark splotch on the ground where the stableboy’s blood had seeped into the earth. He reflects on the fact that Gregor is paying for his cruelty now. It had been Grand Maester Pycelle who had mentioned to the king’s council that the poison coursing through Gregor’s body was extremely virulent, killing even the leeches Pycelle had administered. Pycelle had wanted to detain the rest of the Dornishmen to learn of the substance Oberyn had coated on his spearhead but Tywin forbade it, saying that he doesn’t want relations with Dorne to get any worse. Tywin had then commanded Pycelle to heal Gregor, so that they can deliver the King’s justice upon Gregor, and send his head to Dorne, rather than letting it be known that a poisoned spear killed Gregor. Tywin had even mentioned that Lord Varys’ spies have reported that Stannis and his men have left Dragonstone, and that Stannis might be in Dorne right now, trying to win the Martells over to his cause. That is why Tywin had stressed that they must not doing anything to offense the Martells.
Jaime returns to White Sword Tower, only to find that Cersei is waiting for him in his apartments. Cersei starts telling Jaime about how Tywin is going to send her back to Casterly Rock and how he wants to wed Margaery to Tommen. Jaime is unmoved, and states that Tommen marrying Margaery is a good idea as Tommen has been lonely ever since Myrcella left for Dorne. Cersei pleads with Jaime, asking him to talk to their father, for the sake of Tommen, who is Jaime’s son. Jaime protests, saying that Cersei is the one who told him to take no undue interests in their children. Cersei says that she told Jaime that so that Robert wouldn’t get suspicious but Jaime replies by saying that he should have killed Robert, that he has never been ashamed of loving his sister, just the things that he has done to hide it, liking throwing Bran Stark down the tower window at Winterfell.
Jaime suddenly remembers something that is troubling him about the whole incident at Winterfell; he says that while he had been a prisoner in Riverrun, Catelyn Stark had seemed convinced that Jaime had sent a footpad to slit Bran’s throat, that Jaime had given the footpad a dagger in order to carrying out his job. Cersei scoffs at the subject , and mentions that Tyrion has been asking about that as well. Jaime says that he has seen the scars on Catelyn Stark’s hands and starts asking whether Cersei had indeed done it, but Cersei ridicules the notion, saying that she had only hoped that the boy would die from his fall off the tower and saying that even Robert Baratheon had mentioned how merciful it would be if the Starks just killed Bran instead. Cersei then compares the notion of her sending the assassin to the equally foolish notion of Myrcella being the one who hired the assassin. As soon as Cersei says that, Jaime sees the truth: that it was Joffrey who had done it, all in order to earn some measure of respect from the man he thought of as his father – Robert Baratheon. Jaime reasons out that Tyrion had learned about Joffrey’s involvement in Bran Stark’s assassination, and since he had been accused of the deed by Catelyn Stark and nearly been executed by Lysa Arryn for it, Tyrion had wanted to exact revenge upon Joffrey,
Cersei says that she doesn’t care why Tyrion had wanted Joffrey dead. She then pleads with Jaime once again to convince their father not to part her and Tommen and not to let their father marry her off. She states that Jaime is the only one that she wants in her bed and she says she wants to prove it to him and proceeds to undress him. Jaime feels the lust rising up in him, but steadfastly refuses her advances, saying that he doesn’t want to have sex with her in the White Tower. Spurned, Cersei becomes furious, and says that she regrets coming to see Jaime due to his indifference towards avenging Joffrey. Jaime says that he doesn’t believe that Tyrion killed Joffrey and asks her to leave.
Once Cersei has left, Jaime goes downstairs and orders Ser Boros Blount to fetch Ser Loras and Brienne. When they finally arrive a few hours later, Jaime asks what Ser Loras thinks about Renly’s death now that he has spoken to Brienne. Loras admits that Brienne could be right, that Stannis had something to do with Renly’s death. Jaime then tells Loras that he will speak more of this with him later then dismisses the Knight of Flowers.
When Jaime is alone with Brienne, he tells her that Steelshanks is heading back north, to deliver Arya Stark to Roose Bolton. But he tells her that the Arya Stark that rides with Steelshanks is actually some northern girl dressed up as Arya. He says that he is telling Brienne so that she doesn’t go rushing off to rescue the girl since even Brienne can’t fight two hundred men by herself. Brienne is surprised and says that Lord Bolton will be furious when he discovers that Lord Tywin has sent him a fake Arya Stark. Jaime tells her that Lord Bolton actually knows that Tywin’s Arya Stark is a fake, but no one else would know because everyone the girl had been close with is dead, and even her sister Sansa has disappeared.
Jaime then mentions that Cersei is convinced that Sansa had helped Tyrion murder Joffrey but Brienne says that she does not believe that a gentle girl like Sansa could be a poisoner and insists that it must have been Tyrion. Jaime insists that Tyrion would never have joined him in the art of kingslaying and that Tyrion was keeping silent in order to protect Sansa. Brienne refuses to believe that Sansa is guilty.
Sighing at the impasse, Jaime ends the conversation regarding Tyrion and Sansa and tells Brienne that he has a gift for her. The gift he presents to her is none other than the beautiful Valyrian steel sword that Tywin had made for him. Jaime says that he would be pleased if Brienne could name the sword Oathkeeper. He tells Brienne that he wants her to find Sansa first and to get Sansa to somewhere safe, so that both he and Brienne can make good on their vows to the late Lady Catelyn. He also tells her that his father had Eddard Stark’s greatsword Ice melted down and reforged, and there was enough Valyrian steel from Ice to create two new swords and that Oathkeeper is one of those two swords; so Brienne would be using Eddard Stark’s own sword to defend Eddard’s daughter.
Jaime then asks Brienne to leave, telling her a horse has already been prepared for her. Brienne thanks him for his gift, and vows to keep Sansa self once she finds her, for Lady Catelyn’s sake, and also Jaime’s. She then leaves.
Jaime , sitting alone, opens the White Book and begins writing on his page. He writes of his defeat to Robb Stark, of the time he spent as a captive at Riverrun, of how he had been captured by the Brave Companions and his right hand cut off, and finally of how he had been returned safely to King’s Landing by Brienne. After he is done writing, more than three quarters of his page still remains empty. He gazes at the page, and realizes that going forward, he could write whatever he chooses.
Jon is in a heavy cage, being lowered down the northern side of the Wall.
Janos Slynt, believing Jon to be a turncloak, had consigned Jon to one of the ice cells in the Wall. Jon had truly believed that he would die inside the cell, but after four days, he was pulled out and sent to stand before Janos Slynt once again. Janos revealed that Master Aemon had sent a letter to Cotter Pyke in Eastwatch, protesting Jon’s wrongful imprisonment and because of that Janos could no longer hang Jon. However, both he and Ser Alliser have cooked up another way to be rid of Jon. Mance Rayder has requested a parley with the Night’s Watch, at his own wildling camp, and Janos and Alliser have decided to send Jon. Jon knows that Janos and Alliser are sending Jon in the hopes that Mance and his wildlings will kill Jon when they see him. He tells them that it is a lousy idea to send him as an envoy to Mance because he betrayed Mance. But Ser Alliser says that they are sending Jon not to talk with Mance, but to kill him.
When Jon reaches the ground, he starts walking towards the wildling camp and soon a horseman comes riding out to meet him. Jon recognizes the wildling – it is Tormund Giantsbane. Tormund is surprised to see Jon but treats Jon like a friend despite being on different sides of the battle; they walk back towards the wildling camp. Tormund gives grudging respect to how Jon and his men had defended the Wall and how Mag the Mighty had gone into the gate but never came out. Jon tells him that Mag was slain by Donal Noye. Tormund is amused that Mag the Mighty was slain by a one-armed blacksmith and he and Jon drink to Mag and Donal Noye’s memory. Jon also tells Tormund about Ygritte’s death and they take another drink of mead.
They are soon at the wildling camp and make their way to Mance Rayder’s tent. Mace stands outside his tent, along with Harma Dogshead and Varamyr Sixskins. None of them are pleased to see Jon. Varamyr says that he has taken control of the eagle that once belonged to Orell, another skinchanger that Jon had ambushed and killed at Skirling Pass. Mance continues the conversation by saying that through the eyes of Varamyr’s eagle, they have seen how few brothers of the Night’s Watch are actually defending the Wall, how many black brothers came from Eastwatch, how their supplies had dwindled and how even the stair is now gone and they have to resort to getting on top of the Wall with the cage. Mance then invites Jon inside his tent, telling Harma, Varamyr and Tormund to wait outside.
When Jon enters the tent, he sees Dalla, pregnant with Mance’s child, and her sister, Val. He also sees something that shocks him: a huge warhorn. Mance knows that Jon recognizes the warhorn and confirms that the warhorn is indeed the Horn of Winter, that Joramun once blew to wake giants from the earth. Jon then says that Ygritte had previously mentioned that Mance and the wildlings never found the horn. Mance admits that he never trusted Jon to tell him the truth. Jon then asks Mance why he hasn’t yet used the horn; if indeed the horn is the Horn of Winter, then why did Mance bother with all the battles?
Mance then reveals that he could have sent his man all along the Wall, and taken Eastwatch and the Shadow Tower, or just have his men go to the abandoned castles and use the mammoths to dig out the sealed gates. But he hasn’t done any of that because the Night’s Watch will bleed his host even if he does win the battle and that the wildlings have bled enough. Jon is puzzled and says that Mance’s losses haven’t been that heavy. Mance then reveals that he has lost many men, but not to the Night’s Watch – he has lost men to the Others and their wights, and none of his wildling troops can stand against them. Mance bitterly admits that unlike previous Kings beyond the Wall, he has come to hide behind the Wall. Dalla continues, pointing out that if they did indeed blow the Horn of Winter and the Wall comes crashing down, then they would have no protection against the Others.
Mance then gives his offer to Jon: Jon is to go back to the Wall and tell the men of the Night’s Watch to open their gates and let Mance and his wildling host pass through, and in return, Mance will hand over the Horn of Winter, ensure that the Wall will continue standing until the end of time.
Jon’s next question is blunt: he asks whether Mance can make the wildlings keep the king’s peace and obey the laws should the Night’s Watch allow them to pass. Mance scoffs at Jon’s question, saying that his offer is for the wildlings to pass through the Wall in exchange for the Horn, not to kneel to the Night’s Watch or follow the laws of Winterfell or King’s Landing. Jon’s next question is even more blunt: he asks Mance what would happen if the Night’s Watch did not let them pass. Mance says that if the Night’s Watch turns down their offer, he will have Tormund Giantsbane blow the Horn of Winter three days from then.
Their conversation is interrupted by the sound of warhorns. Mance and Jon leave the tent; outside, the wildling camp is stirring. Varamyr’s eagle is flying high overhead, and he reports that his eagle sees movement coming from the east. Jon asks whether it is the Others but Mance says that the Others never come out while the sun is still up. Mance calls for his horse and armor and sends Harma and Tormund off to prepare for battle.
Varamyr then imparts new information that his eagle has gleaned: that the movement in the east were from men on horses, men who wear steel and men who are dressed in black.
A thin line of rangers emerge from the fringes of the wood three hundred yards away; they are dressed in the black of the Night’s Watch. Mance draws his sword and accuses Jon of knowing about the attack; Jon firmly denies knowing anything about the attack. Mance observes Harma and her raiders smashing into the rangers and he comes to the conclusion that perhaps Jon is telling the truth; he states that the rangers don’t seem to ride well, that they appear to come from Eastwatch. Mance is about to say that Cotter Pyke, the commander of Eastwatch is a fool to attack them because Eastwatch doesn’t have enough men, when suddenly a shout comes from the battle, saying that more men are coming from the forest, a whole host of men in steel armor. Cursing, Mance swings up on his horse, ordering Varamyr to take care of Dalla and to kill Jon if Jon decides to run. He then leads his men into battle.
Varamyr says he sees many golden banners and is about to continue when suddenly he throws back his head and screams. Jon sees the reason for the skinchanger’s screaming: up in the eastern sky, Varamyr’s eagle is burning, wreathed in flames.
Hearing the scream, Val comes out of the tent. She immediately asks for Mance; Jon tells her that Mance has joined the battle. Val then says that Mance can’t be gone now because Dalla’s delivery has just started. Jon tells Val to get back inside the tent and that he will stay there until Mance returns.
More and more men are pouring out of the trees, and Jon observes that there are not only knights, but freeriders, mounted bowmen and men-at-arms. He sees bands of wildlings attempting to stand and fight; the wildlings have the numbers, but the attackers wear steel armor and ride on heavy horses. He sees a wedge of knights smash into Mance’s band, killing Mance’s horse.
Within seconds, the wildlings break and start to flee. Jon has lost sight of Mance but sees someone waving Harma’s head on a pole and that Tormund’s line has broken. The tents in the wildling camp have caught fire. Through the smoke comes another wedge of armored riders on barded horses; they carry large banners. One of the banners is yellow, with long pointed tongues that show a flaming heart, while the other shows a black stag against a field of beaten gold.
Jon recognizes the banners with the black stag against gold -it is the sigil for House Baratheon. Jon’s first thought is that the late King Robert has somehow sent his men to the Wall, but when the trumpets blow again and the armored knights charged forward, they cry out Stannis’ name.
Arya and Sandor stop at an inn. Sandor tells Arya that he is going in for a drink and to learn who holds the ruby ford. Arya briefly thinks about staying with the horses and riding off with them but she changes her mind and enters the inn with Sandor.
In the inn, Arya is shocked to see two of Gregor Clegane’s men: Polliver and The Tickler. There is a boy with them, and from his young age and dress, Arya guesses that he is a squire. Polliver and the Tickler recognize Sandor immediately; Polliver asks whether Sandor is looking for his brother Gregor. The squire boy then starts mocking Sandor, saying that Gregor had mentioned Sandor fleeing King’s Landing when the Battle of the Blackwater got too hot. The boy finally shuts up only after the Tickler twists his ear.
Polliver shares some news with Sandor. He says that Gregor is no longer at Harrenhal, that he has been summoned to King’s Landing by Queen Cersei. He also tells Sandor that Joffrey is dead, with the killer thought to be Tyrion and his wife, Sansa Stark, although he also says that Sansa has fled King’s Landing, leaving Tyrion to take the blame. Arya is surprised to hear about her sister, but doesn’t believe that Sansa married Tyrion. Sandor asks whether Gregor did take Harrenhal and Polliver says that it had been an easy battle as one of the cooks opened a postern gate for them; Polliver also adds that Gregor is keeping Vargo Hoat alive for entertainment.
Sandor continues drinking deeply and changes the conversation to Sansa, saying that it is good that Sansa fled the capital after stirring up trouble for Tyrion. Sandor, knowing that Arya is listening to the entire conversation and that only he and Arya herself knew who she was, jokes that Sansa was a proper lady, not like her little sister. Polliver says that the Lannisters will find Sansa and that they’ve already found Arya, whom is to be wed to Lord Roose Bolton’s bastard. Sandor laughs aloud, knowing that Arya is right there in the inn with him. Polliver asks Sandor as to why he is laughing but Sandor ignores the question and asks one of his own instead: he asks Polliver whether there are any ship at Saltpans. Polliver says that he doesn’t know, as he has heard nothing about Saltpans.
The Tickler then leans forward and asks whether Sandor is indeed leaving without first bidding farewell to Gregor. And then he inserts a subtle warning by mentioning that Gregor would rather Sandor return to Harrenhal or King’s Landing instead. Sandor refuses.
The Tickler shrugs then launches a sneak attack by flinging a knife at Sandor. Sandor gets to his feet in time and the knife ends up buried in the wall. Polliver has drawn his sword and so has Sandor and the two of them begin to fight. Polliver is a good fighter and inflicts several wounds on Sandor as they trade cuts; Arya, seeing that Sandor’s cuts are less precise, realizes that the Hound is drunk. She also sees the Tickler sliding around the room to get behind Sandor. Once the Tickler is in position, he joins the fray and both he and Polliver start ruthlessly attacking Sandor.
Arya is about to help Sandor by throwing the heavy stone flagon on the table, but the young squire grabs a hold of her arm. Arya reacts by reaching for the squire’s knife tied around his belt and sheathing the blade into the boy’s belly. The boy is not wearing armor, so the knife goes right in. Arya then wrenches the Tickler’s knife from the wall.
Sandor has been driven into a corner of the room, behind a bench. He is breathing heavily and bleeding from his wounds. Polliver demands that Sandor throw down his sword and surrender so that they can bring him back to Harrenhal. Sandor tells them to come and get him if they want him. When Polliver attempts to close the distance, Sandor kicks the bench into Polliver’s shins. Polliver just keeps his feet but Sandor dodges his clumsy blow and kills Polliver with a vicious backhand cut.
The Tickler starts backing away in fear, but Arya backstabs him from behind with his own knife. She stabs the Tickler repeatedly until Sandor has to drag her off the man’s dead body. Sandor tells Arya to finish off the boy. Arya goes to Polliver’s body and grabbed the sheathed blade she had seen earlier; it is Needle, the sword given to her by her father, and which Polliver had taken from her when she had first been captured by Gregor’s men. Arya takes Needle and slips it into the boy’s heart, killing him.
Sandor, now exhausted and in pain from his wounds, says that since Polliver and Tickler were drinking at the inn, it must mean that Gregor holds the ruby ford as well. Knowing that, Sandor decides that they will head for the Saltpans instead of Riverrun. At the Saltpans, he says they can take hire a ship to take them to the Vale. He then tells Arya to grab some wine and whatever coins the dead men carried.
They then ride off but angled away from the kingsroad in order to avoid running into the men holding the ruby ford. When they make camp for the night, Sandor gets Arya to help him dress his wounds, using the wine they had taken from inn. Arya disinfects the wounds by pouring the wine over them; Sandor faints when she pours the wine on the raw red flesh where Polliver had cut off most of his ear. She then dresses up his wounds and goes to sleep.
In the morning, they continue their journey; Arya notices that Sandor is still weak and clumsy. Sandor stops riding long before noon, saying that he needs to rest. He falls off his horses and crawls weakly under a tree. Arya brings him some water and sniffs at his bandages; the wound on his thigh smells funny to her.
Arya then decides to draw Needle. She is relieved that Polliver has polished it and kept it sharp. Sandor sees her wielding Needle and asks her to kill him and tries to further provoke her into doing so. Arya says that he doesn’t deserve the gift of mercy and rides off with Craven.
Six days later, Arya arrives at Saltpans. Most of the town has been burned but the port is still there. Arya spots three boats in port; two are small riverboats, but the third boat is a bigger sea-trading galley. Looking at the sea-trading boat, Arya realizes that she needs silver in order to buy her passage; Sandor hadn’t given her any of the coins they had taken from Polliver, the Tickler and the squire boy. So she decides to sell Craven. She manages to find a trader willing to buy Craven, but the woman thinks that Arya has stolen the horse so she gives Arya a purse of silver for far less than what Craven is worth.
Arya then walks back to the port and speaks to the trading galley’s captain. She tells him that she wants to buy passage to the Wall, Eastwatch specifically. The captain counts her silver but Arya can see from the expression on his face that it is not enough. She offers to work for her passage but the captain tells her that he has recently seen a dozen pirate ships heading north and is not risking a trip to the Wall; he says they will be sailing for home.
Arya is at a loss where to go next, but decides to ask the captain the name of the ship. The captain tells her that his ship is called Titan’s Daughter, and that it comes from Braavos. Hearing the origins of the ship, Arya realizes that she has something that she can use to buy her passage. She digs out a coin from her smallclothes, the small iron coin that Jaqen H’ghar has given to her. The captain is surprised to see the coin, but when Arya says “valar morghulis”, the captain responds by saying “valar dohaeris” and tells her that she can have a cabin onboard the galley.
Sam, Jon and Val are looking as Gilly feed Mance’s baby with her own milk. The boy does not have a name yet, and neither does Gilly’s son, as the wildlings only name their children in their third year of life.
Sam is glad to see Jon smiling and reflects on his and Gilly’s journey since they left the Nightfort. From the Nightfort, they had walked to the other abandoned castles, first Deep Lake then Queensgate. A day and a half from Castle Black, they ran into Ser Denys Mallister and his men from the Shadow Tower, along with a wounded Bowen Marsh and Dolorous Edd. It was from them that he had learned about Stannis’ attack. Stannis landed his knights at Eastwatch, and the commander of Eastwatch, Cotter Pyke, led him and his knights through the ranger’s roads to catch the wildling unawares.
When the group finally reached Castle Black, Sam had been devastated to see the damage the battle with the wildings had inflicted on the castle and the surrounding buildings. Sam was however surprised to see so many men in the castle, the large majority of them Stannis’ soldiers. He knew all of the sigils the men wore, save one: a fiery heart. He soon learned that the soldiers who wore that were Queen’s men, except that the Queen in question wasn’t Stannis’ wife, but his sorceress, Melisandre of Asshai. He learned that Stannis had left his wife, daughter and fleet at Eastwatch, but he brought Melisandre of Asshai to Castle Black. He also learned that Stannis has a magic sword called Lightbringer.
Jon had greeted him warmly, proud that Sam has come back and that he managed to bring Gilly with him. But Sam soon learned that even though he captured the Horn of Winter, Ser Alliser Thorne still considers Jon a turncloak. Sam sees that Jon is still grieving for his wildling woman and for his Stark brothers.
Back in the present, Val tells Jon and Sam that she’s heard from the queen’s men that Melisandre intends to burn Mance as soon as he gets well. Jon says that Mance is Stannis’ captive now, and no one know what Stannis will do to Mance except for Melisandre. Val then says that she wants to see Mance, to show Mance his son, and she wants to do this before Melisandre kills Mance. Sam says that no one is permitted to see Mance except for Maester Aemon and Jon says that the best he can promise her is to ask about the possibility of her seeing Mance.
Jon and Sam then leave. As they walk, Jon turns to Sam and says that Sam appears to be in love with Gilly. Sam blushes and admits that he is. Jon replies by saying that Sam cannot keep Gilly as Sam has sworn his vows as a man of the Night’s Watch. Sam says that he is thinking of sending Gilly to his father’s castle, Horn Hill, and having her tell his family that her baby is Sam’s bastard child; he is sure that his mother will find some kind of service in the castle that Gilly can carry out while his father might be pleased to hear that Sam is actually man enough to father a bastard on some wildling girl. Jon says that Sam’s plan could work, but Gilly would have to be able to be consistent with her story and her answers to any questions Sam’s father might ask her.
Sam then asks whether Jon is going to practice yard to train. Jon says that there is nothing for him to do since Bowen Marsh removed him from duty for fear that he is still a turncloak. Sam tries to assure Jon that only Ser Alliser and his friends think Jon a turncloak and that everyone knows just what sort of man Ser Alliser is. Jon says that at least everyone knows that Ser Alliser is a trueborn knight, from a noble line, whereas he, Jon, is the bastard that killed Qhorin Halfhand and who happens to be a warg. Jon is amused, saying that he can’t be a warg since he doesn’t have a wolf now. He then admits that he no longer dreams of Ghost, that his dreams are full of Winterfell’s crypts, where he sometimes hears the voice of his dead father and half-brothers.
Hearing Jon say that, Sam keeps his silence, even though it tears at his heart to do so. He wants to tell Jon that Bran is still alive, that Bran is with his friends and that they are heading north on giant elk to find a three-eyed crow in the depths of the haunted forest. He wants to tell Jon – but he has already given his word to Bran, Jojen and Coldhands, that he not tell anyone about having seen Bran.
Sam tries to comfort Jon by saying that Lord Janos will never be chosen as the Lord Commander. Jon calls Sam a sweet fool and say that’s exactly what’s been happening for days; he then leaves for the practice yard. Sam reflects on the fact that no one had been interested to take up the post of Castle Black’s master-at-arms, so Jon had taken it on himself to train some of the new recruits. And sometimes he would just train alone, for hours on end.
Sam then starts thinking about the choosing of the Lord Commander. To become the Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, a man needs two-thirds of his Sworn Brothers’ votes. However, after nine days of voting, no one has come close to that. Of the night before, only seven candidates remained. Ser Denys Mallister remains in the lead, with Cotter Pyke at a close second and Janos Slynt a distant third. However, Ser Denys and Cotter Pykes’ votes have been falling since the third day while the votes for Janos Slynt seems to be climbing a little higher each day.
Sam goes to the rookery to feed the ravens. He is happy when he hears them repeating the word he has been teaching them – “snow”. Sam reflects on the fact that of all the ravens Maester Aemon had sent out to the kings of Westeros, only Stannis had taken his duty as a king to heart.
During supper time, Sam tries to look for Jon but cannot find Jon anywhere; there is to be a another voting after supper. When supper is done, Maester Aemon asks if any of the men would like to speak before they all cast their votes. Bowen Marsh steps up and says that he is withdrawing his name from the choosing, saying that being Lord Commander is too challenging for him, then encourages the rest of the men to throw their support for the more experienced Lord Janos Slynt.
The time of voting comes, and the men of the Night’s Watch cast their votes by going behind a heavy drape, and throwing tokens into a big iron kettle; each candidate is represented by a different token, so if a man wants to vote for a particular candidate, he takes the token associated with that candidate and throws it into the kettle.
When the hall is finally empty, Maester Aemon, Sam and Clydas, another steward, start counting the tokens. The final result is that Ser Denys still leads the pack but has fallen to two hundred and three votes, while Cotter Pyke has fallen as well to one hundred and sixty nine. But Janos Slynt seems to have absorbed Bowen Marsh’s votes into his own, and now is just behind Cotter Pyke with one hundred and thirty seven votes. Maester Aemon says that no one is close to two-thirds needed to win.
Later that night, Pyp, Green and Sam are drinking together. Sam says that Cotter Pyke and Ser Denys might have lost ground, but between the two of them they almost have two-thirds of the votes; he goes on to say that someone should convince one of them to withdraw and support the other. Grenn says that it will be difficult as Cotter Pyke and Ser Denys do not like each other. Pyp then points out that he and Green are ill-suited for the task, then states that Sam is the best person to convince Ser Denys and Cotter Pyke since his father is a lord, he is Maester Aemon’s steward and he has killed an Other. Sam says that he could do it, if only he wasn’t so afraid to face both men.
Jon is training with Satin in the practice yard, but Satin suddenly takes a step backward, and when Jon looks around, he sees Melisandre. She tells him that Stannis wishes to speak with him and that they will wait for him atop the Wall. Jon goes to change into a fresh set of clothes and finds Melisandre waiting for him at the base of the Wall. They ride the cage to the top of the Wall, during which Jon notices that Melisandre is only dressed in her red robes. He asks her whether she feels no cold, and she laughs, saying that R’hllor’s fire burns within her; she touches his cheek and he feels how warm she is.
They find Stannis standing alone on top of the Wall. Stannis turns to study Jon and says he has heard a lot about him. Jon says he know what Stannis has heard: how Jon had slain Qhorin Halfhand so that the wildlings would spare his life, how he rode with Mance Rayder and even took a wildling wife. Stannis says that he has heard all that and even talk that Jon is a skinchanger who walks as a wolf at night; he then smiles as ask whether any of it true. Jon says that he did have a direwolf once, but left Ghost when he climbed the Wall near Greyguard and hasn’t seen the direwolf since. Jon also reveals that it was Qhorin Halfhand who had ordered Jon to join the wildlings, and Qhorin had known that the wildlings would have made Jon kill him. Jon then admits that he indeed broke his vows of chastity with Ygritte, but swears in his father’s name that he never betrayed his sworn brothers.
Stannis says that he believes Jon.
Jon is taken aback, as the answer wasn’t what he expected; he asks why Stannis believes him. Stannis states that he knows what sort of man Janos Slynt is, and that he knew Jon’s father, Eddard Stark, a man whose honor or honesty was beyond doubt.
He then says that he also knows that it had been Jon who found the dragonglass dagger than Samwell Tarly used to slay the Other; Jon says that it was Ghost who found the cache of dragonglass weapons.
Stannis then says that he knows Jon held the gate at Castle Black, otherwise he and his men would have arrived too late. Jon demurs, saying that it was Donal Noye who held the gate and killed the king of the giants. Stannis grimaces and reveals that Donal Noye made his sword for him and opines that Noye would have made a better Lord Commander than any of the current candidates. Jon objects, saying that Cotter Pyke and Ser Denys Mallister are good men who are capable of taking up the position.
Stannis steers the conversation back to Jon, saying that he has not forgotten that it was Jon who brought them the magic horn and captured Mance Rayder’s wife and son. Jon says that Dalla died during the birthing, and that Val and newborn baby did not require much capturing. He then mentions that the wildlings had been too busy fleeing to attack him and the skinchanger Varamyr who had been guarding him had gone mad after his eagle burned; he turns to Melisandre and says that he has heard the burning eagle had been her doing. Melisandre smiles and gives a cryptic reply, saying that R’hllor has fiery talons.
Jon turns back to Stannis and tells him of Val’s request to bring Mance his son before Mance is killed. Stannis calls Mance a deserter of the Night’s Watch and asks why he should do Mance a kindness. Jon has no answer, but says that if Stannis cannot do it for Mance, at least do it for Val, and Dalla’s memory.
Stannis then asks Jon whether there the wildlings have any honor in them. Jon says that the wildlings can be honorable, but in their own way. Stannis asks Jon about some of the wildlings, to find out whether Jon thinks them honorable. Jon says that Mance and Tormund are honorable, in their own way, but he does not think the same about Rattleshirt.
Stannis nods and reveals what he truly intends to tell Jon: that the war with the Others and the one plaguing the realm might be Jon’s war as well, and that he needs Jon’s help. Jon is wary about Stannis’ intention, and says that he has pledged his sword to the Night’s Watch. Stannis says that he needs more from Jon than a sword – he tells Jon that he needs a loyal Lord of Winterfell, one who can unite the north and win over the northmen to his own banner.
Jon realizes that Stannis is offering to make him the Lord of Winterfell. He states that he is a bastard, not a Stark trueborn. Melisandre tells Jon that a king has the power to legitimize a bastard. Jon is hesitant, saying that while that may be true, he has already sworn himself to the Night’s Watch, before a heart tree, and that means he can hold no lands and father no children. Melisandre replies by saying that R’hllor is the only one true god and that swearing vows before a heart tree has no more power than swearing vows to Jon’s own shoes. She tells him to take R’hllor as his god, burn the weirwood trees and accept Winterfell as a gift from R’hllor.
Stannis then tells Jon that he intends to let the wildlings pass through the Wall, as long as they swore fealty to him, pledge to keep the king’s peace and the king’s laws and take R’hllor as their god. He says he intends to settle them on the Gift after he has wrested it from the hands of the new Lord Commander. Stannis then adds that they need to form an alliance with the wildlings in order to face their common foe, the Others. He then reveals that he intends to seal the alliance with the wildlings by marrying the new Lord of Winterfell to Val, the wildling princess.
Jon laughs, saying that Val will not simply be given away as Stannis proposes. Stannis replies by saying that marrying Val will be the price that Jon has to pay if Jon wants the Stark name and Winterfell. He then asks whether Jon is refusing his offer to make him the new Lord of Winterfell.
Jon is still too confused to make a decision, so he tells Stannis that he needs some time to consider the offer. Stannis warns him to think quickly, because he is not a patient man. He also warns Jon not to tell anyone about the offer he has made Jon. He ends by saying that all Jon needs to do is return to him, bend the knee and pledge service to him, and Jon will then be able to rise as Jon Stark, the Lord of Winterfell.
Tyrion is in his black cell, waiting for his death sentence to be carried out. He hears noises through the door of his cell and wonders whether he will simply be executed in his cell. Keys rattle and the door to his cell is pushed open, to reveal a man with a torch in his hand – it is his brother, Jaime.
Jaime shows Tyrion the stump where his right hand had been and Tyrion starts laughing, the hilarity ensuing from the fact that both he and his brother are now disfigured in some way – while Jaime has lost his hand, Tyrion has lost most of his nose.
Tyrion then asks whether Jaime is there to kill him. Jaime says he is there to rescue Tyrion. When Tyrion asks whether it is day or night up in the city, Jaime says that it is three hours past midnight.
As they walk along the corridor, Tyrion nearly stumbles on the guard lying on the stone floor. He turns to Jaime and asks whether the man is dead. Jaime says that all of the guards he had to get through to get at Tyrion’s cells are asleep, courtesy of Lord Varys dosing the guards’ wine with a sleeping drug. He then says that Varys is waiting for Tyrion at the back of the stairs, dressed up in a septon’s robe; Tyrion will then go down into the sewers and from there, to the river, where a galley waits in the bay. Jaime tells Tyrion that Varys has agents in the Free Cities who will see to Tyrion’s funds, but also mentions that Cersei will certainly send men to kill Tyrion.
Jaime then bends down and kisses Tyrion on the cheek. Tyrion thanks Jaime for rescuing him to which Jaime replies that he did so because he owed Tyrion a debt. Tyrion is curious about the debt and tells Jaime to elaborate. Jaime is hesitant to do so but finally caves in when Tyrion insists. Jaime reveals that Tyrion’s first wife, Tysha, was not a whore as he had told Tyrion, that he never bought her. Jaime says that it was actually their father who had forced him to say that Tysha had been a whore; in reality, she was a crofter’s daughter that Jaime happened to meet on the road. Jaime confesses that he did what he had been told to do by their father, that Tywin had claimed that Tyrion needed a sharp lesson, and that Tyrion would thank Jaime for it later. Tyrion is furious at learning the truth, pointing out to Jaime that their father gave Tysha to the Lannister guards, who had then raped her while Tyrion watched. Jaime says that he never knew Tywin would do that.
Tyrion slaps Jaime in anger, but Jaime only feels remorse for having kept the truth from Tyrion for so long. Tyrion then says that he is no longer going to follow Jaime; he asks for the keys and says that he will find Varys on his own. Jaime hands over the keys; he then says that he has already told Tyrion the truth, and that now Tyrion owes him the same. He then asks the question: had Tyrion killed Joffrey.
Tyrion says that Joffrey would have been a worse king than Aerys and mentions that Joffrey even stole Robert’s dagger and gave it to the assassin to kill Bran Stark. Jaime says he had suspected that Joffrey had been the one who hired the assassin. He reminds Tyrion that his question has yet to be answered. Exasperated, Tyrion says that Cersei has been sleeping with Lancel and Osmund Kettleblack and that he had indeed killed Joffrey, Jaime’s son.
Jaime turns without a word and walks away. Tyrion immediately feels like calling out to his brother, to tell Jaime that what he had said wasn’t true, but then he remembers what Jaime said about Tysha and continues walking on.
Tyrion finds Varys waiting for him near a flight of stairs. Varys leads him down the stairs, to the fourth level of the dungeons, then through an arched doorway into a small round chamber with five other doors. Tyrion notices that there are rungs on one side of the wall that leads upwards, through an opening in the ceiling. Tyrion realizes that they are below the Tower of the Hand; Varys confirms that he is right. Tyrion looks up the ladder and tells Varys that he has business to settle. He asks Varys for directions to his previous bedchamber, which now belonged to his father. Varys reluctantly tells him and tries to get Tyrion to change his mind, but Tyrion insists that he is going up and tells Varys to wait for him.
During his climb up the shaft, he hears two of his father’s guards chatting about his execution; Tyrion realizes that Varys uses the shaft to spy on others. He follows Varys instructions and soon finds himself coming out from the hearth of what had once been his bedchambers when he had been Hand. He hears a female voice calling out, and it one that he recognizes; he pulls the draperies and finds Shae on the bed. She is naked, with his father’s golden chain of linked hands, the Hand’s chain, about her throat. Shae is fearful of Tyrion and tells him that Tywin would be back soon. Tyrion proceeds to strangle her with his father’s golden chain. After she is dead, he grabs a crossbow from the wall.
Tyrion then walks to the privy tower, where, as he had expected, he finds his father. Tywin is surprised to see that Tyrion has escaped but is unconcerned with the fact that Tyrion is holding a loaded crossbow. He then tells Tyrion that the escape from his black cell is foolish; he says that Tyrion will not be executed, that Tyrion will be sent to the Wall instead as per his original offer. Tyrion then says that he has only one question to ask Tywin, after which he will be on his way. His question: what did Tywin do with Tysha. Tywin doesn’t seem to recognize the name so Tyrion reminds his father that Tysha had been his first wife. Tywin then recalls who Tysha is, saying that she was Tyrion’s first whore. Tyrion warns Tywin that if he says the word “whore” again, Tyrion will shoot him with the crossbow. He asks his father whether he had Tysha killed but Tywin says that there was no reason for that – he says that the steward probably sent the girl on her way. When Tyrion asks for the whereabouts of the place the steward had send Tysha, Tywin claims he does not know and says that the girl probably went wherever whores go. Tyrion keeps to his word and shoots Tywin with the crossbow. Tywin is shocked that Tyrion actually shot him. Tywin quickly dies and at the moment of his death, his bowels loosen, filling the privy with a stink that proves that Tywin Lannister did not shit gold.
Stannis has summoned all the candidates still in the running for the Lord Commander’s seat. Melisandre is by Stannis’ side while the non-candidates from the Night’s Watch side are Maester Aemon and Sam, and Bowen Marsh, who sits as Lord Steward of the Night’s Watch after withdrawing his name from the choosing.
Janos Slynt attempts to curry favor by fawning all over Stannis, but Stannis rebuffs Janos’ effort. Stannis then tells the men gathered in the room that he is displeased over how long it is taking for the Night’s Watch to elect their new Lord Commander. Janos tries to win over Stannis again by saying that perhaps the Night’s Watch could use some guidance from King Stannis in regards to who to elect for their new Lord Commander. The other men are outraged by Janos’ words and Maester Aemon says that the Night’s Watch has always chosen their own leaders, ever since the Wall was built. Stannis says that he doesn’t wish to tamper with the brothers’ rights and traditions. He also berates Janos’ attempt to gain favor with him, saying that Janos might be the first commander of the City Watch to sell promotions to his men. Janos is furious, claiming that all the stories about him are lies. Maester Aemon then states that the past crimes and transgressions of any men who join the Night’s Watch are wiped clean when he swears his vows. Stannis says that he is well aware of that, that it doesn’t matter which man becomes Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, as long as they make the choice soon, because they all have a war to fight.
When Ser Denys Mallister asks whether Stannis is referring to the war with the wildlings, Stannis says he is not; he is referring to the war with the Others and the wights. Ser Denys says that although they are thankful that he came to their aid against Mance Rayder and his wildling host, the Night’s Watch can take no part in helping Stannis gain the Iron Throne. Stannis states that he wouldn’t ask the Night’s Watch to help him claim his throne; he expects them to continue defending the Wall.
Stannis then states that he requires certain things from the Night’s Watch in exchange for his alliance with them – he wants to claim the Gift and all the abandoned castles on the Wall. He tells them that he intends to have all of the abandoned castles garrisoned again within the year, with nightfires burning before their gates. Melisandre then speaks up, saying that the war Stannis has come to fight is not a war for land or honors but for life itself, and that if they fail, the world will die with them. The men do not know what to make of Melisandre’s words, but Maester Aemon speaks up, seemingly aware what Melisandre speaks of: he asks her where is the prince that is promised. Melisandre declares that the prince in the prophecy is none other than Stannis. Sam notices that Melisandre’s words seem to make Stannis uncomfortable. Stannis then dismisses all of them except for Sam and Maester Aemon.
When only Stannis, Melisandre, Aemon and Sam remain, Stannis states that he knows that Sam is the one who killed an Other, and that Sam had done so with an obsidian dagger. Sam confirms that he had slain the Other using the obsidian dagger given to him by Jon. Stannis then mentions that large amounts of obsidian can be found in the old tunnels beneath the mountains of Dragonstone; he says that he has sent word to his castellan at Dragonstone to begin mining as much of the obsidian as he can before the Lannisters seize Dragonstone. Sam reveals that the obsidian dagger shattered when he used it to stab a wight. Melisandre smiles and says that steel and fire are enough to destroy the wights.
When Stannis says that he has heard about Sam and Gilly passing beneath the Wall through a magic gate, Sam reveals that the gate in question was the Black Gate and that it lay below the Nightfort. Stannis reveals that he will be taking the Nightfort as his seat while he fights the war against the Others, and that he will get Sam to show him the way to the Black Gate when the time comes.
Maester Aemon smiles and asks whether he could see Stannis’ magical sword. Stannis is surprised that Aemon wishes to see the sword since the maester is blind, but he agrees to the request and unsheathes Lightbringer. Maester Aemon asks Sam to describe the sword and Sam does so, stating that the sword glows as if it were on fire but there are no flames, yet somehow the steel is yellow and red and orange and flashes and glimmers like sunshine. Aemon thanks Stannis for showing him the sword whereupon Stannis sheathes it and dismisses them, with the warning that they must choose a Lord Commander by that night, otherwise he would make them wish they had.
As Sam is helping to walk Aemon back to the maester’s chambers, Aemon says that he felt no heat from the sword and when he asks Sam whether Stannis’ wood and leather scabbard had been burned and scorched, Sam admits that it had not.
When they each Aemon’s chambers, Sam asks whether there is any way that Aemon can stop Janos from being elected as the Lord Commander. Aemon says that he is a maester, that his duty is to counsel the Lord Commander and that it would not be proper for him to be seen to favor one candidate over another. Hearing this, Sam realizes that even though Maester Aemon couldn’t be seen to show preference for one candidate over another, Sam himself was no maester, so unlike Aemon, he could do something to stop Janos.
Sam first goes to Cotter Pyke. He tells Pyke that he had just come from Maester Aemon’s chambers so that it would seem that Aemon himself was sending a message to Pyke.
He then begins pleading with Pyke to withdraw his name so that the votes to Pyke can go to Ser Denys Mallister and thus give Mallister the two-thirds majority needed to be elected the Lord Commander. Pyke cuts him off, flat-out refusing to stand aside in order to support Mallister. Pyke says that Mallister might be a lordling and a knight, but he is too old and not a fighter, which is what Pyke says the Wall needs at the moment, what with Stannis Baratheon on top of the Night’s Watch. Pyke says he doesn’t want to be Lord Commander and never did, but he refuses to hand over the Night’s Watch to Mallister. Pyke also says that the other candidates are not suitable for the task as well. Defeated, Sam leaves.
He next goes to Ser Denys Mallister, who treats him more kindly than Pyke. The old knight mentions that Sam must have surely come from Maester Aemon’s chambers then asks whether Aemon has any counsel to offer him. Sam plays the same strategy as he had with Pyke, saying that it would not be proper for a maester to be seen influencing the choice of Lord Commander to which Ser Denys smiles and says that that it is the reason why Aemon has not visited him but sends Sam instead. He then tells Sam to say what he has come to say.
After listening to Sam’s plea, however, Ser Denys shakes his head and says that he cannot stand aside to support Cotter Pyke; he says that Pyke should be the one who withdraws instead, since he has less votes. Sam then says what Cotter Pyke had mentioned earlier, that Pyke has proven himself in battle many times. Ser Denys agrees that it is true, but other men of the Night’s Watch have proven themselves in battle as well. He says that a Lord Commander is a lord first and foremost and must be able to treat with other lords, and with kings as well – and that Cotter Pyke is not that sort of man.
Sam is ready this time, and asks whether Ser Denys might support someone else if that someone is more suitable for the task.
Ser Denys says that he has never desired the honor of being Lord Commander for its own sake, that he has always stepped aside gratefully in the past when others were more capable and worthy. He opines however, that the other candidates in the choosing are not equal to the task of being Lord Commander.
Sam then throws out his idea then and there, saying that there is another man who might be well-suited to the task, a man whom Lord Commander trusted, as did Donal Noye and Qhorin Halfhand. A man who might not be as highly born as Ser Denys himself, but who comes from old blood. A man who was castle-bon and castle-raised, learned sword and lance from a knight and letters from a master of the Citadel. A man whose father was a lord and whose brother was a king.
Ser Denys realizes that Sam is talking about Jon Snow and says that Jon might make a good candidate for Lord Commander despite his young age. He does say however, that he himself would be the wiser choice.
Sam then tells a lie, justifying doing so because it is for the right reason. He tells Ser Denys that earlier in the morning, after all of them had left, Stannis had mentioned to Maester Aemon that if a Lord Commander is not chosen later that night, he will name Cotter Pyke as Lord Commander.
Ser Denys says that he has to think about this and thanks Sam, telling him to give his thanks to Maester Aemon as well.
Sam then returns to Cotter Pyke and employs the same strategy. He starts off by first saying that Pyke does not want to withdraw for Ser Denys Mallister, but there is someone else that he might considering withdrawing for. He then says that the person in question is a fighter, that Donal Noye gave this man the Wall when the wildlings came and that he had been Mormont’s squire, and that he is a bastard. Cotter Pyke knows Sam is talking about Jon Snow and he laughs, saying that Jon might not be a bad choice and that it was worth it just to see Ser Denys Mallister getting flustered that a bastard had risen to Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch. Cotter Pyke says the himself would be better choice though.
Sam lies again, revealing that earlier in the morning, after all of them had left, Stannis had mentioned to Maester Aemon that if a Lord Commander is not chosen later that night, he will name Ser Denys Mallister as Lord Commander.
Jon is training with Iron Emmett, a young ranger who is one of Eastwatch’s best swordsman. Having not had much sleep the night before, Jon is getting a beating from Iron Emmett. When Emmet lands a staggering blow against Jon’s helm, Jon’s memory flashes back to when he and Robb had been young boys in Winterfell; every morning they had trained together, shouting out the names of famous knights that they wanted to be. He remembers one particular morning, where he had called out proclaiming himself the Lord of Winterfell, as he had a hundred times before, but Robb had replied by saying that that he cannot be the Lord of Winterfell because he is bastard born and because Catelyn Stark had said so. The memory drives Jon to anger and he proceeds to give Iron Emmett a thrashing.
Frustrated, Jon leaves the practice yard, and heads to the bathhouse where he loses himself in his thoughts. He is still undecided over whether to accept Stannis’ offer. While bathing, he overhears the conversation between Ser Alliser Thorne, Bowen Marsh and Othell Yarwyck. Ser Alliser and Bowen Marsh are trying to convince Othell to pull out from the choosing to be Lord Commander in order to support Janos Slynt. Othell expresses his doubts on doing so, saying that he does not know Janos well and that Lord Stannis doesn’t seem to like Janos. Ser Alliser says that Lord Tywin will win the war of the kings in the end and Bowen Marsh shows Othell the letter from Tywin that subtly points out that Tywin favors Lord Janos Slynt as the next Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch.
Jon leaves the bathhouse and, without having a destination in mind, starts walking, eventually going through the tunnel of the inner gate and ends up on the outer side of the Wall. As the afternoon passes into evening, Jon considers his choice. He thinks it likely that Alliser and Bowen Marsh will convince Othell to support Janos Slynt, which will give Slynt two-thirds of the votes and make him Lord Commander; when Janos come into power, he will have Jon hanged for a turncloak. The other option would be to let Stannis legitimize him, marry Val and become the Lord of Winterfell. It seemed an easy choice to make and Jon realizes that he has always hungered and is still hungering for Winterfell. The more he thinks about it, the hungrier he gets, until he starts thinking about chasing deer and elks and filing his belly with fresh meat. It takes Jon a while to understand what is happening but he finally realizes that the thoughts of hunting animals and feeding on them had entered his mind because his direwolf, Ghost, is nearby. He calls out to Ghost and the white direwolf soon comes bounding towards him. Jon is happy to see Ghost again, and as he hugs Ghost, he realizes that the direwolf’s red eyes, red mouth and white fur are akin to the face and body of a weirwood tree and that Ghost must belong to the old gods of the North. He also remembers that out of the six direwolf pups that had been found, Ghost alone was white; the other five pups were meant for the five Stark children, and the white one had been meant for him, the bastard Snow. Jon realizes then that Winterfell is not for him.
He sees Melisandre emerging from the tunnel, with Stannis beside her, to lead the prayers around the nightfire. He leads Ghost around the nightfire to avoid being seen. When Jon is inside, her sees Val standing in her tower window and says inwardly that he won’t be the man to steal Val out of there. When Jon enters the common hall, he is greeted by the sight of chaos. Most of his sworn brothers are standing and shouting. No one is eating because there is no food being served. Janos is shouting about turncloaks and treason, Iron Emmet is standing on top of a table with a naked sword in his fist and a brother from the Eastwatch was trying to restore order but failing miserably.
Pyp whistles to get the men’s attention. As Jon walks towards the tables, a hush falls across the hall. Janos Slynt gasps and calls Jon a warg and says that Jon is not fit to lead them. Confused, Jon asks what has happened. Maester Aemon speaks up from the other end of the hall, telling Jon that his name has been put forth as a candidate for the Lord Commander’s seat. Dolorous Edd admits that he was the one who put forth Jon’s name.
Janos protests, saying that Jon should be hanged for being a warg and for joining Mance Rayder’s wildling host. Cotter Pyke and Ser Denys Mallister both state that Jon’s name was properly put forth as per the Watch’s traditions and rules. The men start talking and shouting again until Ser Alliser Thorne jumps up on the table to tell them Stannis has posted his men at all of the hall’s doors to ensure that the men of the Night’s Watch do not eat or leave until a Lord Commander has been selected. He urges them to vote, and to vote again if needed to, until they have a new Lord Commander. Alliser then calls upon Othell Yarwyck to say something to the men.
Othell gets up and announces that he is withdrawing his name. He then admits that he had thought about asking all those who had voted for him to vote for Janos Slynt instead. Othell then goes on to say that standing up in front of all of them has made him realize that Janos Slynt might not be a good choice since Stannis did not like Janos. He admits that Jon might make for a better choice since Jon has been on the wall longer than Janos has, and Jon Stark is Benjen Stark’s nephew and had once been Lord Commander Mormont’s personal steward.
Janos Slynt is furious at Othell’s words and Ser Alliser has gone pale. The men are soon crying out for the kettle to be brought to the center of the room so that they can throw their votes into it. Sam and Clydas drag the kettle to the table. When Clydas takes the lid off, a huge raven bursts out of the kettle. Sam shouts that he recognizes the bird – it is Lord Commander Jeor Mormont’s raven. The raven lands on the table nearest to Jon and repeats the word “Snow” several times, making it seems as if it is calling for the men to vote for Jon Snow; it then flies to Jon’s shoulder. Ser Alliser laughs mockingly, saying that Sam is playing a trick on them all; he says that Sam has taught all the ravens in the rookery to say “snow”. Alliser says that Mormont’s bird knew more words than just “snow”.
Right after Ser Alliser says that, the raven cocks its head and looks at Jon, then says the word “corn”, a question to see whether Jon had any corn to give it. When Jon gave no answer nor corn, the raven repeats the word “kettle” several times.
Seeing that the raven indeed knows more than just one word, which proves that it is indeed Mormont’s raven, the overwhelming majority of the men vote for Jon Snow. When Jon is announced as the new Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, his close friends and many of the men come to congratulate him. Even Bowen Marsh comes up to him, saying that he would be glad to continue as Lord Steward if Jon so wishes. Cotter Pyke and Ser Denys Mallister are more reserved but both express their hope that Jon will do a good job leading the Night’s Watch.
Jon walks across the castle, with Ghost at his heels and Pyp, Green and Sam following as well. Pyp and Grenn are amazed that Sam orchestrated the whole thing to ensure that the Lord Commander’s seat goes to Jon and not Janos Slynt, but they wonder when Sam had hidden the raven in the kettle and how could Sam have been sure that the raven would have flown to Jon rather than Janos. Sam insists that he had nothing to do with Mormont’s raven.
Jon laughs and calls them fools. He then takes a swallow of wine, knowing that he can only drink that much, because the Wall is his and he now has to face Stannis.
Sansa is dreaming about her childhood in Winterfell when she suddenly wakes up, and realizes that she is not in Winterfell but in her bedchamber in the Eyrie.
She had dreamed of home, and the Eyrie is not that; there was no place to go, and little to do. Aside from her maid, Sansa’s only companion is the sickly Lord Robert Arryn, a boy eight years of age. Lysa’s singer, Marillion, is at the Eyrie as well, and makes Sansa uncomfortable with his inappropriate remarks. Petyr, on the other hand, is rarely at the Eyrie – he spends most of this time meeting with the lords of the Vale, trying to assert his authority as Lord Protector of the Vale over them. Many of House Arryn’s bannermen resent Lysa’s marriage to Petyr – the Vale is not as idyllic as Lady Lysa had made it out to be.
Sansa realizes that she will not be able to go back to sleep so she gets dressed and walks out into the Eyrie’s garden. The garden is covered with snow and dawn is about to come. Sansa starts shaping the snow on the ground, and before she realizes it, she is building a snow castle, and the castle is Winterfell.
When dawn comes, Sansa is still building Winterfell. She is having trouble keeping the bridges from collapsing, but Petyr appears and tells her to pack the snow around a stick. Petyr then joins Sansa in the snow, helping her with the trickier parts of the snow castle. However, after making progress with the snow castle, Petyr pulls Sansa into her arms and kisses her. Sansa yields to the kiss for a moment but then turns her face away and wrenches free. When Sansa asks Petyr his reason for kissing her, he tells her that he is kissing a snow maid and that she is beautiful. When Sansa points out to Petyr that he should be kissing his wife, Petyr says that he has been kissing Lysa and given her no cause for complaint.
As Sansa protests over Petyr’s words, little Lord Robert Arryn enters the garden. The boy is carrying the cloth doll that he carries everywhere. Robert sees the castle and decides that his doll is to be a giant, and proceeds to swing the doll by the legs, knocking the top off one gatehouse tower after another. Sansa tries to stop Robert by grabbing his hand, but she catches the doll instead and the force rips the doll’s head from its body. The boy begins to wail but this soon develops into violent shakes; Petyr rushes to the boy’s aid and calls for Maester Coleman, the Eyrie’s maester. When Maester Coleman finally arrives, he has the guards lead Robert to his chambers in order to be leeched.
Sansa returns to her bedchambers and considers the consequences of her actions. She has no doubts that her aunt Lysa will soon summon her in order to answer for Lord Robert’s fit. Sansa actually hopes that her aunt will banish her, for the Gates of the Moon far below in the valley seemed a more exciting place than the Eyrie. She decides that she will tell her aunt that she had no wish to marry little Lord Robert. She knows that Lysa will banish her for that, but Sansa doesn’t think that a bad thing as she would be getting away from little Lord Robert’s pouts and shaking sickness, from Marillion’s lingering looks and from Petyr’s kisses.
Later that afternoon, Marillion comes to escort Sansa to the High Hall, where her aunt Lysa waits for her. Upon reaching the carved wooden doors of the High Hall, Marillion tells the guards that no one is to be allowed entry as long as Alayne is with Lady Sansa (Marillion only knows Sansa as Alayne, a bastard girl). Marillion then leads Sansa into the High Hall, bars the door shut from the inside, and waits at the foot of the hall, telling Sansa that Lady Lysa is waiting for her at the back of the hall.
Sansa walks all the way to the back of the hall where she finds her aunt Lysa sitting in the high seat. Lysa says that she knows what Sansa has done. Sansa begins apologizing for ripping the head off little Lord Robert’s doll but Lysa stops Sansa from speaking any further and tells Sansa that she is speaking of Sansa kissing Petyr, not Robert’s doll.
Sansa says that it was Petyr who had kissed her to which Lysa expresses her disbelief and demands that Sansa confess that she threw herself at Petyr. Sansa refuses to confess to the falsehood and insists it was Petyr who had kissed her. Lysa gets increasingly angry and says that many others have tried to take Petyr from her, including her father, Jon Arryn, and most of all, Sansa’s mother. Lysa goes on to elaborate, saying that when she and Catelyn had been girls in Riverrun, Catelyn had toyed with Petyr’s feelings, that she had enticed Petyr with her looks and glances but, during a night of dance and song, had pushed him away when he had tried to kiss her. Petyr had been so hurt that he gotten himself drunk and Ser Brynden had to carry him up to his bed. Lysa had then sneaked into Petyr’s bed to provide some comfort to him in the form of lovemaking. Petyr had taken Lysa’s maidenhead but had erroneously called her by Catelyn’s name before he fell back to sleep; despite that, Lysa had stayed with Petyr in his bed until dawn.
Sansa, starting to feel fear in the face of her aunt’s tirade, begs for Lysa’s leave to go, but Lysa denies it.
Lysa then goes on to tell about how her father, Lord Hoster, sent Petyr away once it was revealed that she was pregnant with Petyr’s child. Lord Hoster had forced Lysa to drink a concoction that killed the baby before it could be born. Her father then had her wedded to Jon Arryn, telling her that she was lucky Jon still wanted her as a wife despite Petyr taking her maidenhood, but Lysa says that she knew Jon Arryn only wanted to marry her in order to win her father’s men for Robert’s Rebellion. Lysa then states that she will never let Sansa steal Petyr.
Sansa, having grown increasingly fearful of her aunt’s wrath, decides to say what her aunt wants to hear: that she won’t kiss Petyr again.
Lysa seizes upon Sansa’s words as her admittance that she had indeed enticed Petyr. She grabs Sansa’s arm, calls out to Marillion to play a song titled ‘The False and the Fair’, and proceeds to lead Sansa to the Moon Door, a white weirwood door halfway down the hall, barred firmly close with three heavy bronze bars. Lysa forces Sansa to open the door and Sansa obeys, hoping that her aunt will let her go if she does as ordered.
When Sansa has yanked all three bars loose, the Moon Door flies open and Sansa sees that beyond the door is nothing but white sky and falling snow.
Lysa pushes Sansa forcefully towards the door, mocking her by asking whether Sansa still wants her leave to go. Lysa pushes Sansa so far to the edge until one of Sansa’s feet slipped out over the void. Desperate, Sansa grabs a hold of her aunt’s hair and both women end up teetering on the edge. Sansa can hear the guards pounding on the door with their spears.
Petyr appears suddenly, having come in through the lord’s entrance located behind the high seat. He demands to know what Lysa is doing, which causes Lysa to turn around and loosen her grip on Sansa. Lysa says that she was going to marry Sansa to her son but that Sansa has now proven that she has no gratitude for the marriage to Little Robert. She then says that Petyr cannot love Sansa because Sansa does not love Petyr the way that she does. Lysa goes on to say that she has always loved Petyr.
Petyr takes another step towards Lysa, telling her that he is there for her and that there is no cause for tears. Lysa states that Petyr had not said the same thing in King’s Landing; he had her put the Tears of Lys, a lethal poison that leaves no trace, in Jon’s wine. She had done it for her son’s sake, and for both Petyr and her’s. And she had written to Catelyn to tell her sister that the Lannisters had killed her husband Jon, just as Petyr had asked. Lysa gets more and more hysterical and keeps on asking why Petyr kissed Sansa.
Petyr sighs and tells Lysa that she has to trust him a little more. He then swears that he will never leave her side again. Petyr then pleads with her to unhand Sansa so that both he and Lysa can share a kiss. Lysa does so happily. Petyr hugs her and then kisses her gently, saying that he has only ever loved one woman. Lysa smiles and think Petyr is talking about her – until he says that the woman in question is Catelyn. Petyr then pushes Lysa out of the Moon Door. Marillion is in shock at what Petyr has done but Petyr merely responds by telling Sansa to let the guards in so that they can report that it was Marillion who killed Lysa.
Merrett Frey is riding for Oldstones; he has been charged by Lord Walder Frey to pay the ransom for Petyr Pimple, who has been captured by outlaws after wandering off with a camp follower. The message from the outlaws stated that they would wait in the ruined castle atop Oldstones and release Petyr Pimple once they receive the ransom amount of one hundred gold pieces. Lord Walder’s disdain for Merrett, his ninth son, is such that Merrett had to beg his father to entrust him with the task of paying Petyr’s ransom. Merrett had once been a squire and was supposed to go on to become a knight, but a vicious blow by a mace to his helm had injured him so badly that he had been forced to give up his dreams of knighthood; he had been sent back to the Twins, thus earning Lord Walder’s disdain.
When Lord Bolton married his daughter, Fat Walda, Merrett had hoped that his luck would finally change, since the Bolton alliance is important to House Frey. However, Lord Walder had disabused him of this notion, saying that Lord Roose Bolton had picked Merrett’s Fat Walda not because she is Merrett’s daughter but because she was fat – Lord Walder had promised Roose Bolton his bride’s weight in silver as a dowry.
Merrett had been handed the opportunity to distinguish himself during the Red Wedding but he had failed in his given task: to get Greatjon Umber drunk. With his reputation as the biggest drinker in the Twins, Merrett had thought that it would be an easy task. However, the Greatjon Umber had drunk enough wine to kill any three normal men and still managed to leave two men wounded, one dead and one who lost half his ear to the Greatjon Umber’s teeth.
The reason Merrett volunteered to be the one to deliver Petyr’s ransom to the outlaws is because he wishes to curry favor with Ser Ryman Frey. With Ser Stevron Frey having been killed while campaigning for the late Robb Stark, Ser Ryman now stands to inherit the Twins after Lord Walder’s death. Petyr Pimple is Ser Ryman Frey’s youngest son, so by bringing Petyr back, Merrett hopes that Ser Ryman will see him as a loyal man worth having about when he inherits the Twins.
Merrett arrives at the ruined castle at the appointed time. He spots the singer, Tom Sevenstrings, sitting above a stone sepulcher. Suddenly, the rest of the outlaws step out from the bushes and surround Merrett; he spots at least a dozen men, and there is a woman as well, wearing a hooded cloak three times her size. Lem, a big man wearing a yellow lemon-colored cloak, asks Merrett whether he has brought the ransom; Merrett tells him that the gold is in his saddlebag. One of the outlaws, a one-eyed man, opens the saddlebag, bites into the coin and tells the other outlaws that the gold is real.
Merrett then asks which of the outlaws is Beric Dondarrion; he hopes to speak to Dondarrion, knowing that Dondarrion had been a lord before becoming an outlaw and thus Merrett hopes that Beric is a man of honor. Tom Sevenstrings says that Lord Beric is not with them as he was needed elsewhere. Merrett then asks the outlaws to hand over Petyr to him. Lem tells Merrett that Petyr is in the godswood and offers to take Merrett there. Merrett reluctantly goes along, walking in silence.
When they reach the godswood, Merrett sees Petyr Pimple’s body hanging from the limb of an oak. His first thought is that he had come too late, but he realizes that he had indeed arrived at the appointed time. And then he realizes something else – that the outlaws had just decided to kill Petyr anyway. Before he can think to act, the outlaws have already bound his arms behind his back and tied a rope around his neck.
Realizing that they are about to hang him, Merrett tries to play on their greed by telling them that Lord Walder Frey will pay for his ransom and that he is worth more in ransom than Petyr Pimple. Tom Sevenstrings says that Lord Walder Frey won’t be fooled twice and will next send a hundred men after them instead of a hundred gold coins. Tom then offers Merrett a way out: he says that if Merrett answers a question, he’ll tell the outlaws to let Merrett go. Desperate to save his life, Merrett agrees.
Tom then asks Merrett whether he saw Sandor Clegane at the Red Wedding; the outlaws have been looking for him and they have learned that Sandor had made his way towards the Twins, with a skinny girl of about ten years of age in tow. Merrett gives an honest answer, saying that he did not see Sandor during the wedding. Tom does not release him and Merrett starts to protest, claiming that Tom had promised to let him go after he answered Tom’s question. Tom says that his actual words were that he would tell the other outlaws to let him go, which he then does, but Lem does not comply, to which Tom shrugs indifferently and proceeds to play a song on his woodharp.
Merrett is growing increasingly desperate and tells them that he has children. The one-eyed outlaw says that Robb Stark will never have children. Merrett then realizes that the outlaws are hanging him due to his participation in the Red Wedding; he shouts out that the Red Wedding was not murder, but vengeance, something House Frey had a right to since Robb dishonored them. Merrett then goes on to state that all he did during the Red Wedding was drink. He then brings Lord Beric into the picture by saying that he’s heard that Lord Beric is a just man and wouldn’t kill a man unless something’s been proven against him; Merrett says that the outlaws have no proof against him, that they have no witnesses.
Tom says that they do indeed have a witness and turns to the hooded woman, the one that Merrett had seen earlier. The woman lowers her hood, and to Merrett’s horror, he sees that the woman in the hooded cloak is none other than Catelyn Stark. He wonders how Catelyn Stark can be alive, since Ser Raymund Frey had slit her throat and they had then thrown her dead body into the river. The Catelyn Stark standing amongst the outlaws resembles a drowned corpse more than a living woman, but she stares at Merrett with hate-filled eyes all the same.
Lem says that Catelyn doesn’t speak since Merrett and his kin had slit her throat. But he adds that she does remember. He turns to the dead woman and asks whether Merrett had a part to play in the Red Wedding. The woman that had once been Catelyn nods and the outlaws proceed to hang Merrett Frey.
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Luke Pisano Is This Month's CBS4 Future Leader
Program: CBS4 News Top StoryCategories: News, Local News, KCNCTV, Top Story
Every month, CBS4 and PDC Energy honor a high school student who excels in STEM subjects.
The Swearing In Of Vice President Kamala Harris Was A Historic Moment For Many ReasonsFor South Asians in the U.S. the swearing in finally gives them representation.
‘A Battle Every Single Day’: CU Senior Paralyzed After Rare Spinal StrokeA student at the University of Colorado Boulder is spending his senior year at home in Fort Collins, fighting to walk again.
Capitol Hill Residents & CSP Prepare For Possible Inauguration Day UnrestDenver's Capitol Hill residents and businesses are bracing for the unknown following reports of possible armed protests at all 50 state capitols around the U.S.
100's Of Denver High School Students Prepare To Return To SchoolStarting next week high school students that have chosen to return to in person learning will head back to the classroom.
A Special COVID-19 Memorial Was Held In D.C. & Across The Country TonightA local Denver woman helped to organize the memorial as a member of the presidential inaugural committee.
FBI: Patrick Montgomery, 5th Coloradan Charged In Capitol Insurrection, Bragged On Social Media 'We Stormed The Senate'The fifth Coloradan charged in the Capitol insurrection from earlier this month bragged about it on social media, according to the FBI.
The Denver City & County Building Will Be Lit In Amber To Honor Those We Have Lost Due To COVIDThe Denver City & County Building will be lit in amber as part of a ceremony to mark how different the inauguration will be due to the pandemic.
Many Students On Colorado's Front Range Head Back To The Classroom This WeekAfter months of at-home learning, students across the Front Range are heading back to classrooms on Tuesday morning. It couldn’t come sooner for some.
4 Colorado Men Face Charges For Alleged Roles In Insurrection At Capitol In D.C.Arrests continue to stack up nearly two weeks after the violent raid at the U.S. Capitol.
Robert Gieswein From Woodland Park Surrenders After Facing Federal Charges For U.S. Capitol RiotA 24-year-old Coloradan turned himself in on Monday for multiple charges, including assaulting a federal officer and destruction of government property.
Woodland Park Man, Robert Gieswein, Accused Of Assaulting Officer During Riot At U.S. CapitolA 24-year-old Coloradan is facing multiple charges, including assaulting a federal officer and destruction of government property.
Virtual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Events Take Place In ColoradoThere will be MLK events all across Colorado all day long.
Virtual Events Set To Take Place In Colorado For Martin Luther King Jr. DayThe MLK Colorado Holiday Commission will still follow through on traditions like the laying of the wreath, the invocation and the passing of the Dr. Martin Luther King unity torch. But this year, they’ll be virtual.
Golden Man Says He Was Evicted Because Of Issues Getting Pandemic Unemployment BenefitsIt's a nightmare situation for many who are still waiting for pandemic unemployment benefits -- they have to wait until the end of the month to apply.
Colorado State Capitol Sees Small, Uneventful Weekend GatheringsThere weren't any issues at the Colorado State Capitol, with a few people demonstrating on the west steps in support of President Trump and challenges of the 2020 presidential election.
Law Enforcement Standby For Protests At Colorado State CapitolA handful of people showed up on the west steps of the State Capitol building on Sunday, but overall, the scene remained quiet.
Polis Visits & Thanks Colorado National Guard Members As They Deploy To Washington, D.C.Gov. Jared Polis visited with Colorado Army and Air National Guard members before they deployed for Washington, D.C.
Denver Residents 'Remaining Vigilant' Ahead Of Planned Capitol ProtestsResidents in the Capitol Hill neighborhood in Denver say they are concerned about their safety just days before a presidential inauguration which has put state capitols on alert across the country.
Groups Honor Dr. Martin Luther King's Message Virtually Amid COVID PandemicMartin Luther King, Jr. Day celebrations go virtual this year.
Downtown Denver Businesses Brace For Potential ProtestsThere is a possibility of potentially violent protests leading up to Inauguration Day on Jan. 20 and businesses are preparing for the worst.
Future Vaccine Clinics Uncertain After COVID Vaccine Supply DiminishesCommunity-based vaccine clinics are unsure of just how many coronavirus vaccine doses they will receive to complete vaccination goals.
Gov. Jared Polis Doesn't Hide Frustration Over Absence Of Federal Reserves Of COVID VaccineNow second doses that were supposed to come from the federal reserves will have to come from the supply chain in progress.
Denver Slam Poets Admire Amanda Gorman's Inauguration Performance
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Design & Culture by Ed
SS21 Collages
AW20 Collages
Who I Meet
Dress Up With Ease. Proenza Schouler Pre-Fall 2021
January 13, 2021 | Design & Culture by Ed
My first ever “live” collage, which I’ve created having TikTok on my mind… just playing around and checking out the app everybody’s buzzing about! Search @designandculturebyed, because I might stay there for good! Still, I think I will always feel much more confident on Instagram.
Proenza Schouler boys continue to work with soft minimalism in the era of WFH. But for pre-fall 2021, Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough try to elevate the stay-at-home style. According to McCollough, the line-up “celebrates the joy of dressing up, while injecting a strong sense of ease.” A halter dress in fine gauge crochet with graphic stripes tracing the neckline captures the vibe. Other hands-on touches include the deep lengths of fringe on knit skirts and asymmetrically placed mismatched buttons on closely fitted, unstructured blazers worn with puddling bell-bottom pants. In another look, the designers used a gold chain to gather the hem of a dress to its midriff, looping the fabric through hoops to create a decorative slimming detail at the waist. It’s all good, but I wish most of it didn’t feel like a moodboard filled with Phoebe Philo’s Céline and new Bottega. In a normal year, these maxi, tank-dresses would be destined for summer weddings and other special occasions. Nobody knows if those dates will hold, if the vaccine will be widely available by then or if we’ll still be waiting. That’s a lot of uncertainty to wrestle with for pretty much everybody in the industry, going forward into 2021. Still, dressing up for an attitude boost is never a bad idea, even while staying at home, so why not stay hopeful.
Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
The Row’s Vintage Selection
It’s no news that vintage is taking over the fashion industry. Sites like Vestiaire Collective and The Real Real are growing competitors for the big on-line empires like Net-A-Porter or Farfetch, while vintage Westwoods and Muglers are historically (and aesthetically) worth more than any trendy, “new season” arrival. Even some brands are opening up to the possibilities of vintage. Dries Van Noten’s Los Angeles store has an expansive section of the label’s archives, all available to buy. And now, The Row is the latest to join the conversation with their newly opened, on-line “Galerie“. I’m pretty much sure that those are Ashley and Mary Kate Olsen‘s personal treasures: an Issey Miyake trench coat from 1979, Chanel haute couture navy total-look from the 70s, John Galliano’s black kimono dress from his iconic spring-summer 1995 collection, some Comme Des Garçons singular items from the 80s and 90s… all items are upon request, but I guess they won’t sit there for long. Hope the Olsens are planning to update their vintage selection from time to time with new, unique garments! Oh… and just imagine wearing those gems with The Row’s investment pieces (maybe even from the second hand?).
Photos via therow.com
Refined and Personal. Marina Moscone Pre-Fall 2021
January 9, 2021 | Design & Culture by Ed
I’ve been following Marina Moscone‘s work since her first line-ups in 2018, but to be honest, pre-fall 2021 collection is the first time I’m truly convinced. There’s something spontaneous, truly artful, yet absolutely refined about it. Moscone has always liked the idea of a uniform, yet she doesn’t wear the same thing every day. It’s more about figuring out the foundation of her style so she can build upon it. For the designer herself that often starts with a shirtdress over trousers, or maybe a curvy suit with flat sandals, and she’ll experiment from there. Pre-fall found her thinking more literally, though, with familiar nods to school uniforms: pleated kilts, rugby shirts, shrunken blazers. The opening look was a twist on her signature overcoat, now spliced with box pleats at the hem (and styled with socks and loafers). Other tunics and blazers had plaid panels tacked to the hips, like trompe l’oeil skirts. What you can’t glean from the lookbook is that those collaged items were all cut from the same material: The olive wool tunic, for instance, was backed with the same emerald and yellow plaid that appears on its “skirt.” Moscone created those double-sided wools in spite of the fact that most people won’t notice their detail on an iPhone; more importantly, it’s the kind of refined touch her customer appreciates. Another detail will be more obvious: the patches and embroidered quotes on a blazer and a duvet-like “art coat” in ivory satin. There’s a bird of paradise flower, Moscone’s favorite South African bloom; an elephant, symbolizing wisdom and persistence; a honeysuckle rose flower, which Moscone’s grandmother used to call her; and two portraits of a little boy and girl, Moscone’s parents as kids. The coat is quilted over in places and has scribble-like printing and fringe, as if a child went crazy with a box of art supplies. Moscone hopes it will offer both comfort and uplift – a combination also found in her new crinkly tops and pajama pants, a welcome WFH update. Look forward to this collection once it hits the stores!
The Ultimate Show. Tom Ford SS11
I’m currently reading André Leon Talley’s phenomenal “The Chiffon Trenches: A Memoir“, and I came across his account of Tom Ford‘s first runway collection coming from his own, name-sake label. The author recalled the event in the most ethereal way. And as it happened about ten years ago (and this is the reason why it’s the first proper post of 2021!), I was surprised I didn’t really have any image in my mind from that spectacular line-up, until Talley noted the whole event was kept mostly in a secret, and the only photographer allowed was Terry Richardson. Thankfully, some photos and this delightful video coverage are present on the web. So, spring-summer 2011 was Ford’s first big come-back to runway after his days at Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent. At the beginning of September, 2010, under the cloak of secrecy, he hosted an intimate cocktail party-slah-fashion-show at his menswear store on Madison Avenue. Luminary friends such as Julianne Moore, Lisa Eisner, Rita Wilson, Marisa Berenson, Daphne Guinness and Lou Doillon all sashayed down the runway, as did Ford model favorites Daria Werbowy, Liya Kebede (who Ford made a supermodel), Amber Valletta and the late Stella Tennant. Somehow, he even got Beyoncé to shimmy down the runway in a body-clinging, sparkle-laden gown. “Beyoncé in real life is actually quite quiet and very sweet,” Ford told Harper’s Bazaar back in the day. “But she can really turn it on.” Ford controlled the entire presentation, as in the days of intimate salon presentations, right down to the music volume, introducing every girl by name and describing her outfit in detail. For added amusement, he catcalled a few of them, teased Eisner for walking too quickly, told model Joan Smalls she might have turned him straight, and then told Beyoncé she definitely did. While many thought the show was a flashback to Parisian couture shows, Ford said the impetus for the show’s format was much more curious and much more camp. “I was on the train from London to Paris, and all of a sudden it just popped into my head: I’m going to do the Don Loper fashion show from ‘I Love Lucy’,” Ford explained. That particular episode, shot in Los Angeles with real Hollywood wives (Dean Martin’s and William Holden’s among them), is a classic: Lucy wants a covetable Don Loper dress she can’t afford. But lo and behold, Loper is doing a fashion show (which he narrates himself) and asks Lucy to model. She sits by the pool too long in hopes of achieving a perfect California bronze but ends up badly sunburned, “and she gets a tweed outfit and she can barely walk. It’s all very cute and everyone claps,” explains Ford. Of course, his 2010 version was more sexy than cute, and instead of claps he got a standing ovation. The casting was intentional. “I chose these models because I knew them. I designed these things thinking of them,” he explains. Following the Oscars, he thrust himself into designing the collection, using a mental list of about 30 women he would love to dress: “women I find inspirational and who are archetypes,” Ford says. “My collection each season should have something that a woman in her 60s, who is still stylish and lived through the Charlie era, could wear, so Lauren Hutton gets that look. There’s something someone of Rachel Feinstein’s size should wear and something for someone who is extravagant and shops at a bunch of vintage stores, like Lisa Eisner, should wear.” The incredible, magnetic Tom Ford.
Domestic Chic. Batsheva Pre-Fall 2021
December 19, 2020 | Design & Culture by Ed
Many brands that start with one, sharp, distinct, signature piece, quickly reach its peak popularity… and equally fast fall down the cliff of oblivion. Just think of all the bag labels that had that singular “it bag” and couldn’t maintain the momentum. But Batsheva is a different story. First, Batsheva Hay‘s dresses just don’t get boring – how can such versatile must-have ever become outdated?! – and second, the designer gradually expands her universe, making old clients come back and new ones feel attracted. And the brand’s pre-fall 2021 look-book makes it even more relatable and relevant to our lockdown lives and habits. In her work, Hay has taken the symbols of femininity, domesticity, and intimacy and made them things for women to be proud of, not ashamed of. Typically, the industry rewards designers who offer more modern, minimalist takes on female style or versions of womanhood that are so fantastical and exaggerated they can only be described as “whimsical” or “dreamy.” Hay’s work is neither: it’s quirky, messy, funny, and embraces the chaos of a woman’s life. And in the new season, the Batsheva woman even cooks in Batsheva. The collection’s fantastic look-book stars real women, from club legend Susanne Bartsch to actress Gretchen Mol, wearing her latest wares in their own kitchens. Hay and her husband, Alexei, the photographer, traveled around New York taking the portraits, discussing the recipes with each woman, and eating each meal. The results will be published in a cookbook next year. “Seeing the way other people wear the pieces is so important,” Hay says, stressing that each piece must feel like “a wanted garment.” If it doesn’t elicit love from her ladies, it doesn’t get made. The garments that did get made continue to recast the possibilities for ruffles and floral prints. Hay is leaning into big 1980s graphics and piecrust collars à la Princess Diana. Those developments, she explains, were designed with an eye to Zoom routine. From the waist up, she’s offering a new bolero jacket, added embroideries and details on yokes, and expanded her offering of gorgeous crocheted tanks and hooded pullovers. Pants, skirts, and a new wrap dress round out the offering. “When I started, I thought I would run out of things to do with ruffles on dresses pretty quickly,” she told Vogue with a smirk. But trying to define what it means to be a woman in this world is an endless journey – and one of constant reinvention.
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Malloy’s tenure reforms get major rewrite by committee
by Jacqueline Rabe Thomas
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s plans for education reform got a dramatic rewrite Monday by the legislature’s Education Committee, but the changes are only one step in a process that some leaders say will end with high-level negotiations by top lawmakers and the administration.
Clerks for the Education Committee head into a closed-door meeting with the substitute language to Malloy’s bill in tow.
“The bill the Education Committee appears set to approve represents just one step in the legislative process. Gov. Malloy has made it clear that he’s determined to begin fixing what’s broken in our public schools, no matter how long it takes,” said Roy Occhiogrosso, the governor’s senior adviser. “In the coming weeks, members of this administration will continue to work with legislators and other key stakeholders until there is a bill that represents meaningful education reform.”
Occhiogrosso made that statement before the Education Committee voted 28-5 for extensive substitute language.
The version approved by the committee Monday night after an all-day closed-door caucus would relegate Malloy’s teacher tenure reforms to a study to be completed by next year.
It also would minimize his efforts to increase funding for charter schools. The revisions would cut his $2,600-per-pupil increase for students in charter schools to $1,100. A $1,000 local contribution for each student that heads to a charter school would become optional.
Copies of the revised language became available at midday, leaving lobbyists, reporters and even some legislators to scramble to see what is still in the bill, which Malloy has designated as his top priority in 2012.
“We’re punting on all the important stuff,” said Rep. Gary Holder Winfield, D-New Haven, and a leader of the Black and Puerto Rican Caucus. “Tenure, collective bargaining, everything.” He would prefer for a decision to be made, not start another study or task force.
Rep. Andy Fleischmann, D-West Hartford, co-chairman of the Education Committee, called language negotiated over the weeked “version 2.” He said the caucus of Democratic committee members would last until every member’s question was answered.
Other notable changes:
• Small school districts with expensive per/student price tags would have been forced to cut spending or lose state funding. The committee’s bill will require the State Department of Education to complete a study first.
• Any new state funding for the state’s 30 lowest performing districts would have been directed to the state’s education commissioner to be spent on necessary reforms. The committee’s bill will require “key stakeholders” to first come to an argreement of which reforms to finance.
• Allow local school districts to include the results of local charter school students when reporting their districts’ standardized test results and graduation rates.
• Malloy’s plans would have allowed the education commissioner and the State Board of Education to assume responsibility of the state’s lowest-performing schools, which would have been about 25 schools. Instead, the committee bill has the education commissioner study the plan for a year and report back to the committee by next year.
• The bill completely strips out tying teacher performance evaluations to earning tenure or earning their certifications to teach. Instead, the University of Connecticut’s education college will run a pilot in 10 districts to see how well the evaluations work before linking it to certification, tenure or pay.
These changes did not sit well with some.
“It’s really hard to change schools. It’s even harder when you ask school officials to do it under the current existing rules that have already failed them for decades,” said Pat Riccards, the leader of the New Haven education reform group ConnCAN.
Leaders of the Republican minority, Sen. John McKinney of Fairfield and Rep. Lawrence F. Cafero Jr. of Norwalk, called the closed-door talks with the unions an affront to the process. Absent from the talks were Republicans and rank-and-file Democrats.
At midday Monday, Cafero pulled Fleischmann aside in the atrium of the Legislative Office Building. The conversation appeared intense, but cordial.
“What we’re seeing is substitute language here that appears to be signficiantly different from the bill that the governor had proposed, and, quite frankly, we are very troubled the process,” McKinney said.
The GOP leaders focused their anger on the Democratic co-chairs, not the Malloy administration.
But even they said that the bill will continue to evolve, with the administration promising them a seat at the table.
“I think this is just a step in the process. There will be a lot of work left on the education bill to go,” McKinney said. “Education’s a critically important issue. We don’t need more studies and more testing and more evaluation. We need more action, and we need that action now.”
Malloy, who was in Washington, D.C., is expected to take the same stance as McKinney.
Jacqueline Rabe Thomas
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Shawbrook is adding desktop valuations to its underwriting process to extend the types of properties it can lend on.
The lender is also resuming lending in Scotland which it was forced to pause earlier this month due to the coronavirus restrictions.
Shawbrook will be using the desktop valuations process to support its existing automated valuation model (AVM) usage which allows it to lend at up to 75 per cent loan to value on single dwellings.
It will build desktop commentary into case applications that may not meet AVM requirements, allowing more cases to be considered.
“Shawbrook has also issued documentation disclosing the full split of their approach to valuations across all application types, along with a detailed fee scale in support of its panel of professional broker partners,” it said.
“This allows property investors and landlords to benefit in spite of the current restriction in valuation instructions, and helps to move applications forward in support of funding requirements.
“Given the ongoing uncertainty, having a set fee scale also manages any cost expectations on day one which provides additional comfort for both broker and client,” it added.
Desktop Assessment will be restricted to an upper value of £1m within the M25, and £500,000 for all other locations.
For a residential flat, up to four floors the lender will use an AVM and desktop. If these are satisfactory, there will be no further valuation requirements.
For small houses in multiple occupation (HMO) or semi-commercial property it will only use the desktop valuation and a formal offer will be issued subject to physical re-inspection.
For a large HMO, multi-unit block, commercial property, HMO conversion or flat over four storeys a formal offer will be subject to a full valuation in future.
Important issue
Shawbrook head of sales Gavin Seaholme said valuation was an important issue regardless of the current challenges, and building desktop commentary to support AVM applications was a straightforward solution to cater for this situation.
“The key is allowing both AVMs and/or desktop valuations in order to arrive at a completion,” he said.
“The fact that brokers can instruct the desktop day one and have the comfort of one set fee inclusive of the reinspection, is the level transparency we look to apply across the board.
“In terms of our stance around lending into Scotland, this was always something that was to be a temporary measure, and we are delighted to be able to support this region moving forward.”
Fleet Mortgages Introduced a New Five-Year HMO Pay-Rate Deal
in "Mortgage"
LendInvest Enhances Five-Year-Fixed Maximum Loan Size
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Technologie & Technik
2011 Facts and Figures
phard2345
Speichern2011 Facts and Figures für später speichern
redemption-manual.pdf
WHO Nutrition
IIMSAM-INDIA-2011-2012
decade nutrition submission 26 feb 2017
LexisNexis®; 1976 Copyright Act
Irs Criminal Investigation
Underweight and Malnutrition
conclusn
Affidavit of Expert Witness W.F. Todd in Bank One v Harshavardhan re: Securitization & Federal Reserve
198 - The Dick Act Cannot Be Repealed
Key Words of Power and Law a.I
Admirality Remedy With Executor of Estate Evidence
Criminal Procedure (chapter 1)
The Controversial Person
FMCS-150
LetterRogatory-ServiceForm
209200699-Creditors-and-Their-Bonds-Retyped.txt
The Meaning of Property “Rights:” Law vs. Economics?
Notice of Disposition of Collateral
Ibrahim Forum 2011 African Agriculture: From Meeting Needs To Creating Wealth
African Agriculture: From Meeting Needs To Creating Wealth
Tunis, November 2011 Revised Edition
Biofuels Technology Rural Infrastructure Maputo Declaration Seeds Fertiliser Capital Intra-African trade Su Nutrition River basins Crops Livestock Hunger Research Arable Food loss Smallholder Green Revolution AGRA Supply Rural Commodities Land power Supply Women Youth Exp Conflicts Land NEPAD African Union Equity Governance Precipitation REC NEPAD Food security Ex LAquila Purchasing power CAADP Exports t rade Agribusiness Malnutrition
Agriculture Africa
2.4 billion more people to feed by 2050 one tractor per 320 people economically active in agriculture 79% of Africas arable land remains uncultivated 1.2 billion more African citizens by 2050 27 African countries have signed CAAdP compacts Annual post-harvest grain losses in sub-Saharan Africa average $4 billion 15,500 litres of water are required to produce 1kg of beef 40% of the unemployed in Africa are young people 16% of Africas land is arable, the largest share in the world rate of youth inactivity is 62% in North Africa and 42% in sub-Saharan Africa the Congo basin is shared by 11 countries and discharges 40,000 m3 of water into the Atlantic ocean every second only nine African countries have reached the Maputo target Biofuel production could require 35 million hectares of land by 2030 Population of 30 African countries will more than double by 2050 half the population on every continent will be living in cities by 2050 3.5 million more tractors are needed to put Africa on a par with other regions 227 million hectares of developing countries land has been sold, leased or licensed since 2001 It takes eight times more water to produce coffee than tea Nine of the top 20 economies in the world also feature in the 10 countries with largest agricultural output Africas transboundary river basins contain 93% of its total surface water resources global production of ethanol more than tripled between 2000 and 2010 It takes one litre of water to grow one calorie of food Worlds top five agribusinesses have a combined turnover of $285 billion, equal to the gdP of Columbia Women grow 80% - 90% of the food in sub-Saharan Africa but own less than 2% of all land
INCreASINg deMANd: A MArKet WIth hIgh PoteNtIAL
MORE PEOPLE TO FEED MORE PEOPLE LIVING IN CITIES WHATS IN STORE FOR AFRICA? MORE MONEY FOR FOOD? TOWARDS SECURE FOOD? FOCUS: HOW MANY HUNGRY PEOPLE? CHANGING NUTRITION MODELS CONFLICTING DEMANDS SPOTLIGHT: THE WATER-ENERGY-FOOD NEXUS
deCreASINg SuPPLY: eVerYWhere But AFrICA?
AGRICULTURE: THE NEW PATH TO GROWTH? AFRICAN LAND: WORLDS GREATEST RESERVES LAND ACQUISITIONS: DRIVERS, OPPORTUNITIES, THREATS SPOTLIGHT: LAND DEALS IN WHOSE INTEREST? AFRICAN WATER: MAKING GOOD CHOICES SPOTLIGHT: WATER PRINTS AND FOOD CHOICES
groWINg IMBALANCeS: A NeW geoStrAtegIC ISSue
RISING PRICES, GROWING VOLATILITY A NEW SPECULATION BUBBLE? FOOD INSECURITY AND INFLATION: TRIGGERS FOR SOCIAL UNREST AND REGIONAL CONFLICTS? SPOTLIGHT: IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE
FroM Food SeCurItY to CreAtINg WeALth: hoW to MAKe It hAPPeN IN AFrICA
COUNTING ASSETS FILLING THE GAPS RESEARCH: TOO MANY INSTITUTIONS, NOT ENOUGH RESOURCES SPOTLIGHT: A GREEN REVOLUTION IN AFRICA?
AgrICuLture ANd Food: doINg BuSINeSS, AttrACtINg INVeStMeNt
MAKING MONEY FROM AGRICULTURE AGRIBUSINESS IN AFRICA A NEW FRONTIER FOR PRIVATE FINANCE SPOTLIGHT: INTRA-AFRICAN TRADE
FroM CoMMItMeNtS to IMPLeMeNtAtIoN: SettINg AN AgeNdA
PROMOTING AGRICULTURE ON THE INTERNATIONAL AGENDA MAKING AGRICULTURE A PUBLIC PRIORITY IN AFRICA SPOTLIGHT: EUROPEAN COMMON AGRICULTURAL POLICY
ANNEX: REGIONAL ECONOMIC COMMUNITY - FACTCARDS REFERENCES ACRONYMS
A large range of sources have been used in the creation of this document - see References at the end of the report. Where significant amounts of data have been drawn from a single source, citations are provided as footnotes. The Mo Ibrahim Foundation is committed to making data freely available and accessible to all citizens of the continent and interested stakeholders. We welcome and encourage any accurate reproduction, translation and dissemination of this material. The material must be attributed to Mo Ibrahim Foundation. The Mo Ibrahim Foundation gives special thanks to Vimbai Mutandwa, and to Liz Wilson and Katy Wilson from Agriculture for Impact, Imperial College London, for contributing their time and knowledge to this research.
Ibrahim Forum 2011 | African Agriculture
More PeoPLe to Feed
FroM 2000 to 2050: 2.4 BILLIoN More PeoPLe global Population growth
10 billion 8 6 4 2 0 2000 World 2005 2010 Africa 2015 Asia 2020 2025 2030 2035 Europe 2040 2045 2050 Latin America & Caribbean Northern America
Projected Population Change (%)
2000-2010 World Africa Asia Latin America & Caribbean Europe Northern America 12.6 26.0 12.0 13.2 1.6 10.0 2010-2020 11.0 25.0 9.6 10.5 0.8 8.7 2020-2030 8.7 22.2 6.6 7.6 -0.4 7.3 2030-2040 6.6 19.7 4.0 4.7 -1.3 5.9 2040-2050 4.9 17.2 1.6 2.2 -1.7 5.0
Population growth 2010-2050
2050 2020 2010 WORLD 6.9 billion WORLD 7.7 billion 2030 WORLD 8.3 billion 2040 WORLD 8.9 billion WORLD 9.3 billion
AFRICA 1.0
Mo Ibrahim Foundation Source: UN, World Population Prospects: The 2010 Revision
BY 2050: hALF the PoPuLAtIoN oN eVerY CoNtINeNt WILL Be LIVINg IN CItIeS
Urbanisation brings major changes in demand for agricultural and food products. Urban expansion requires more food to be transported and distributed within cities and increases demand for water. The rate of global urbanisation is expected to increase to 70% by 2050. Africa and Asia are projected to experience the largest growth in their urban populations.
urban Population as % of total Population
100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
2010 World Africa
2020 Asia
2030 Latin America & Caribbean
2050 Northern America
Source: UN, World Population Prospects: The 2010 Revision
Between 2010 and 2025, 16 of the top 20 fastest growing cities in the world will be in Africa. The population of five of the fastest growing cities will double.
Biggest Cities in the World
20 Most Populated Cities in 2010 City Tokyo Delhi So Paulo Mumbai Mexico City New York-Newark Shanghai Kolkata Dhaka Karachi Buenos Aires Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana Beijing Rio de Janeiro Manila Osaka-Kobe Cairo Lagos Moscow Istanbul
* Only cities with population above 750,000 are considered. Source: UN, World Urbanisation Prospects: The 2009 Revision
20 Fastest growing Cities* 2010 - 2025 City Ouagadougou Lilongwe Blantyre-Limbe Yamoussoukro Niamey Kampala Dar es Salaam Kathmandu Kabul Sana'a Vientiane Kananga Kigali Kisangani Mombasa Mbuji-Mayi Lubumbashi Nairobi Conakry Bamako % change 127.1 106.4 106.2 103.0 101.0 99.5 85.2 84.7 84.6 83.4 80.6 80.3 79.9 79.8 79.0 78.6 77.8 77.3 75.8 74.9 36.7 22.2 20.3 20.0 19.5 19.4 16.6 15.6 14.6 13.1 13.1 12.8 12.4 11.9 11.6 11.3 11.0 10.6 10.5 10.5
Population (millions)
More PeoPLe LIVINg IN CItIeS
BIggeSt ANd FASteSt groWINg CItIeS
New York-Newark Istanbul Kabul Cairo Karachi Ouagadougou Mumbai Niamey Lagos Yamoussoukro Kisangani Kigali Nairobi Mombasa Dar es Salaam Lilongwe Blantyre-Limbe Kananga Mbuji-Mayi Lubumbashi Kampala Sana'a Bamako Conakry Delhi Kathmandu Dhaka Kolkata Vientiane Manila Beijing Osaka-Kobe Shanghai Tokyo
Sao Paulo Rio de Janeiro Buenos Aires
20 Most Populated Cities in 2010
(millions)
20 Fastest Growing Cities 2010 - 2025
> 110%
105.1 - 110%
95.1 - 100%
90.1 - 95%
Mo Ibrahim Foundation
Source: UN Population Division, World Urbanisation Prospects, The 2009 Revision
% change 100 150 200 250 300 50 0 450 millions 400 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0
WhAtS IN Store For AFrICA?
2000 2010 2020 Rural Population
Sources: UN, World Population Prospects: The 2010 Revision and WDI
1.2 Billion More African Citizens
30 African Countries Will More than double their Populations
half of Africa's Population Will Be Living In Cities By 2030
Urban Population
Niger Zambia Malawi Tanzania Somalia Burkina Faso Uganda Mali Madagascar Nigeria Benin Rwanda Chad Liberia Kenya Gambia Comoros Guinea Senegal Congo, DR. Angola Eritrea Congo Mozambique Equatorial Guinea Guinea-Bissau Sudan Cte d'Ivoire Mauritania Ghana Cameroon Central African Rep. Sierra Leone Gabon Togo Djibouti So Tom & Prncipe Ethiopia Zimbabwe Burundi Namibia Egypt Swaziland Libya Algeria Lesotho Cape Verde Botswana Morocco Tunisia South Africa Seychelles Mauritius
Algeria Angola Benin Botswana Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Cape Verde Central African Rep. Chad Comoros Congo Cte d'Ivoire Congo, DR. Djibouti Egypt Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Ethiopia Gabon Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau Kenya Lesotho Liberia Libya Madagascar Malawi Mali Mauritania Mauritius Morocco Mozambique Namibia Niger Nigeria Rwanda So Tom & Prncipe Senegal Seychelles Sierra Leone Somalia South Africa Sudan Swaziland Togo Tunisia Uganda Tanzania Western Sahara Zambia Zimbabwe
More MoNeY For Food?
Purchasing power has increased since 1990, with growing middle classes in emerging economies. In Africa, GDP per capita has been growing steadily since 2000. In 2000 about 59 million African households earned at least $5,000, the point at which families begin to spend half of their income on non-food items. With increasing numbers of Africans living in urban areas, the number of households with discretionary income is projected to increase by 50% to 128 million over the next decade. By 2030, 18 African cities could have a combined spending power of $1.3 trillion1.
Countries Showing Consistent growth in Annual gdP per Capita (%)
Sierra Leone Mozambique Cape Verde Tanzania Nigeria So Tom & Prncipe Uganda Tunisia Morocco Egypt Ghana Zambia Mali WorLd
Source: EIU CountryData
2001 13.8 9.0 2.0 3.3 0.6 . 1.9 3.7 6.2 1.7 1.5 2.4 8.8
2002 21.8 5.9 2.8 4.4 -0.9 9.8 5.3 0.5 2.1 0.5 2.0 0.9 1.0
2003 4.1 3.2 4.5 4.0 7.6 3.8 3.1 4.9 5.1 1.3 2.7 2.7 4.2
2004 2.7 5.1 -2.1 5.0 7.9 5.0 3.4 5.1 3.6 2.2 3.1 3.0 -1.0
2005 3.0 5.7 10.4 4.5 2.8 4.1 2.9 3.0 1.9 2.6 3.4 2.9 2.8
2010 2.7 4.8 4.5 3.9 5.2 2.7 1.9 2.6 2.2 3.4 4.1 5.9 1.4 3.1
Africas Population growth 2010-2050
TUNISIA MOROCCO
LIBYA EGYPT
MAURITANIA CAPE VERDE SENEGAL GAMBIA GUINEA-BISSAU GUINEA SIERRA LEONE LIBERIA MALI BURKINA FASO COTE D'IVOIRE GHANA NIGER BENIN SUDAN CHAD ERITREA DJIBOUTI SOUTH SUDAN UGANDA CONGO RWANDA BURUNDI DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO TANZANIA MALAWI ANGOLA NAMIBIA ZAMBIA MOZAMBIQUE ZIMBABWE BOTSWANA MADAGASCAR COMOROS
NIGERIA CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC CAMEROON GABON
Average Growth 2010 - 2050
> 160% 141 - 160% 121 - 140% 101 - 120% 81 - 100% 61 - 80% 41 - 60% 21 - 40% 0 - 20% Total Population
SWAZILAND LESOTHO SOUTH AFRICA MAURITIUS
Mo Ibrahim Foundation Source: United Nations, World Population Prospects: The 2010 Revision. 1 McKinsey Global Institute, 2010
Food security exists when all people at all times have access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life2. It encompasses: Food availability: sufficient quantities of food available on a consistent basis. Food access: sufficient resources to obtain appropriate food for a nutritious diet. Food use: appropriate use based on knowledge of basic nutrition and care, as well as adequate water and sanitation.
eAtINg eNough?
hunger There are 925 million undernourished people in the world, equivalent to the population of Africa or the population of North America and Europe combined. 240 million of them live in sub-Saharan Africa. Five million children under five die each year from undernutrition. One in four children - approximately 146 million - in developing countries are underweight. the cost of hunger to developing nations is estimated to be $450 billion per year. In Africa the greatest levels of hunger are found in Burundi, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo and Eritrea: more than half of the populations of these four countries are undernourished3. Between 1990 and 2010, Democratic Republic of Congo has experienced the greatest deterioration in food security. Three out of four of its population are now undernourished3. In Burundi, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Malawi and Rwanda, more than half of children are stunted (low height for their age). Angola, Ethiopia, Ghana and Mozambique have made the most absolute progress in Global Hunger Indices between 1990 and 2010. Focus: how Many hungry People? In 2010 the World had 6.9 billion people, 3.5 billion city dwellers and over 900 million hungry people... Africa had 1 billion people, 400 million city dwellers and over 240 million hungry In 2050 the World will have 2.4 billion more people, 2.8 billion more city dwellersHow many more hungry? Africa will have 1.2 billion more people, approximately 800 million more city dwellersHow many more hungry?
eAtINg WeLL?
Malnutrition Good nutrition requires more than having enough to eat. This means: Knowledge of basic nutrition. Essential nutrients in appropriate amounts. Equitable access to nutritious foods. Malnutrition during the first 1000 days of life is largely irreversible. Child malnutrition leads to poor growth, poor physical and mental development and increased morbidity. Iron deficiency affects an estimated two billion people. eradicating iron deficiency can improve productivity levels by as much as 20%. Iodine deficiency is the greatest single cause of mental retardation and brain damage, affecting 1.9 billion people. It can easily and cheaply be prevented by adding iodine to salt. Malnutrition is a major contributor to the burden and cost of diseases. Malnutrition worsens the cases of people affected by HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) deaths are projected to increase by 15% between 2010 and 2020, with the greatest increases in Africa. NCDs are estimated to cause more than 3.9 million deaths in Africa by 2020. The prevalence of raised blood pressure is highest in Africa, 46% for both sexes combined. obesity is a growing disease in Africa, in line with hIV and malnutrition. Malnutrition and obesity can co-exist at the same time and in the same country. In South Africa, of men and more than of women are overweight or obese. In Morocco 40% of the population are overweight and in Kenya 12%. Somalia has the 12th highest number of cardiovascular disease deaths in the world, 601 per 100,000 population. Sudan and egypt are ranked 16th and 18th respectively. type II diabetes is becoming increasingly prevalent and concerning in Africa. In 2009 17% of the population (20-79) of Mauritius had diabetes, the highest proportion in the world.
2 World Food Summit, 1996 3 Measured by the Global Hunger Index
toWArdS SeCure Food?
ChANgINg NutrItIoN ModeLS
Increased wealth and purchasing power implies increased demand for meat, chicken, fruit and vegetables. Increased urbanisation implies increased demand for convenience and fast foods that are high in fat, low in sugar and nutritious value.
MeAt ANd dAIrY: Not NeCeSSArILY A SIgN oF WeALth
13 African countries consume more bovine meat than the world average. 19 African countries consume more sheep and goat meat than the world average. 13 African countries consume more milk than the world average.
Average daily Consumption (kcal/person/day)
TUNISIA MOROCCO ALGERIA LIBYA EGYPT
MAURITANIA CAPE VERDE SENEGAL BURKINA FASO SOMALIA CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC KENYA MALI NIGER CHAD SUDAN ERITREA
WORLD AVERAGE
Milk Sheep and Goat Meat Bovine Meat
Average Consumption
(kcal/person/day)
MAURITIUS NAMIBIA BOTSWANA SWAZILAND SOUTH AFRICA LESOTHO
Mo Ibrahim Foundation Source: FAO Statistical Yearbook. Data are for 2008.
The global biofuel sector has grown considerably since 2000, driven primarily by concerns about fossil fuel prices and availability, a renewed quest by many countries for energy independence and widespread awareness of the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Global production of ethanol4 has more than tripled, increasing from 11 million TOE (tonnes of oil equivalent) in 2000 to 38.4 million in 2010. By 2030, growth in biofuel production will require 35 million hectares of land, approximately equal to the combined areas of France and Spain. The bioenergy market puts increasing pressure on land, water, food stocks and, subsequently, food security. The shift in land use away from food production poses a dilemma: food production versus monetary gains from bioenergy/biofuels.
global ethanol Production by Feedstock usage
160 billion 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 2008-2010
g Other
g Sugarbeet
g Wheat
g Biomass-based
g Non-agricultural feedstock
g Molasse
g Sugarcane
g Coarsegrains
global Biodiesel Production by Feedstock usage
40 billion 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 2008-2010
g Jatropha
Source: OECD-FAO
g Vegetable oil
The Renewable Energy subsidiary of Addax and oryx group, a Swiss based energy corporation, has leased 10,000 hectares for 50 years in Sierra Leone (Bombali district) to grow sugar cane to produce ethanol for export to Europe and electricity from the byproducts to be sold in Sierra Leone. Deal: 258 million (2011) Partners: AfDB, FMO (Netherlands Development Agency), DEG (German Development Agency) Petrotech FFN Mali, linked with GMW Holdings, has leased 10,000 hectares for 30 years in Mali (Kareni district) to grow Jatropha. Deal: No price available.
4 Ethanol is distilled from corn and sugar and used as a substitute for petrol. Other crops such as soya, palm oil and rape seed are refined to produce a substitute for diesel. Plant materials, wood, wood chippings and straw are classified as biomass which can be burned in power stations.
CoNFLICtINg deMANdS
groWINg drug CroPS?
Africa ranks among the regions with the highest number and volume of annual local cannabis seizures. It is estimated that Africa accounts for of global cannabis production. There are 14 major producers in Africa: Benin, Cte dIvoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Guinea, Malawi, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo and Zambia.
SPotLIght: the WAter-eNergY-Food NexuS
Production of food requires water and energy, and is sensitive to the cost of energy inputs. Water extraction and distribution requires energy. Energy production requires water and food.
Energy Crisis Chronic Shortages
Economic Damage Social Unrest
Population and Economic Growth
Environmental Pressures
Chronic Shortages
Geopolitical Con ict
Mo Ibrahim Foundation Source: WEF, 2011
WorLdS LArgeSt eCoNoMIeS Are ALSo LArge AgrICuLturAL ProduCerS
Of the 20 largest economies in the world, nine also rank in the ten countries with the largest agricultural output. gdP (US$billions) 14,093 4,911 4,327 2,857 1,679 1,575 1,159 735 511 Agricultural output (US$billions) 183 [3rd] 63 [8th] 489 [1st] 57 [9th] 84 [5th] 106 [4th] 202 [2nd] 64 [7th] 74 [6th]
United States Japan China France Russia Brazil India Turkey Indonesia
[Rank in the world] Agricultural output refers to current growth production value. Source: EIU, 2010. Data are for 2008.
hIgh groWth IN AgrICuLture ANd hIgh eCoNoMIC groWth...
Of the 17 countries that had the highest growth in agriculture between 2000 and 2008, 11 also ranked among the 50 countries in the world with the highest economic growth between 1998 and 2008. Of these 17 countries, seven are African. Of the 20 countries that relied most on agriculture (% of GDP) in 2010, 17 are African5 seven of these rank among the top 50 in terms of economic growth (GDP) since 1998. highest growth in Agriculture (% annual increase in real terms, 2000-2008) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 15 15 Angola Guinea Eritrea Jordan Tajikistan Mozambique Romania Armenia Nigeria Ethiopia Uzbekistan Burkina Faso Iran Paraguay Cambodia Chile Mongolia 13.6 9.9 9.3 8.5 8.3 7.8 7.5 7.3 7.0 6.8 6.6 6.2 5.9 5.8 5.6 5.6 5.6 highest economic growth (% annual increase in real GDP, 1998-2008) 10.9 [5th] 6.4 [34th] 8.1 [12th] 8.3 [11th] 10.3 [6th] 7.9 [15th] 7.3 [20th] 6.1 [37th] 5.5 [46th] 9.5 [9th] 6.4 [34th]
[Rank in the world] Source: EIU, 2010
5 Benin, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Togo.
decreasing Supply: everywhere but in Africa?
AgrICuLture: the NeW PAth to groWth?
... WhILe AgrICuLture MAKeS uP LeSS thAN 2% oF gdP IN MANY deVeLoPed CouNtrIeS
Agriculture as % of gdP (2010)
Bottom 20 countries 1 1 3 3 5 6 6 8 9 9 10 10 13 14 15 16 17 17 19 20 Hong Kong Singapore Qatar Macau Kuwait Luxembourg Trinidad and Tobago Bahrain Belgium United Kingdom UAE Germany Puerto Rico United States Denmark Switzerland Japan Taiwan Austria Oman 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.7 0.7 0.9 0.9 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.4 1.5 1.6 top 20 countries 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Liberia Somalia Chad* Guinea Bissau Central African Republic Sierra Leone* Ethiopia* Togo Sudan* Burma Comoros Mali Democratic Republic of Congo Niger Benin Nigeria* Burkina Faso* Rwanda* Cambodia Nepal 76.9 60.2 56.0 55.2 53.8 50.9 50.0 46.1 44.6 43.1 41.8 39.0 38.7 37.0 35.9 35.6 34.1 33.6 33.4 32.8
*African countries ranking among 50 with highest economic growth in real GDP (1998 2008). Only countries with population above 500,000 are considered. Source: EIU CountryData and CIA World Factbook. Data for Puerto Rico are from 2005; Luxembourg from 2007 and Cambodia from 2009.
Africa has the largest share of arable land in the world (16%)6
and the largest share of uncultivated arable land (79%)7
Availability of Arable and Cultivated Land (millions of ha)
1400 1200 1000 800 600 400 200 0 Africa Central & eastern Asia Latin America Northern America europe (inc. russia) oceania South & South east Asia Middle east
g Arable Land
g Cultivated Land
uncultivated
South & South east Asia
g Uncultivated Arable Land
Source: Atlas des Futurs du Monde, 2010
6 FAO Statistical Yearbook, 2010 7 Atlas des Futurs du Monde, 2010
AFrICAN LANd: WorLdS greAteSt reSerVeS
Africas Land distribution
(1000 ha) % of Africa % of national land
Arable Land
% of % of continental continental land arable land
Permanent Crops
% of national land % of continental perm. crops
Pastoral land
% of % of national continental land pastural land
Algeria Sudan Congo, DR. Libya Niger Chad Angola Mali South Africa Mauritania Ethiopia Egypt Nigeria Tanzania Namibia Mozambique Zambia Somalia Central African Rep. Madagascar Kenya Botswana Cameroon Morocco Zimbabwe Congo Cte d'Ivoire Burkina Faso Gabon Guinea Ghana Uganda Senegal Tunisia Benin Eritrea Liberia Malawi Sierra Leone Togo Lesotho Guinea-Bissau Equatorial Guinea Burundi Rwanda Swaziland Gambia Cape Verde Mauritius Comoros So Tom & Prncipe Seychelles
238,174 237,600 226,705 175,954 126,670 125,920 124,670 122,019 121,447 103,070 100,000 99,545 91,077 88,580 82,329 78,638 74,339 62,734 62,298 58,154 56,914 56,673 47,271 44,630 38,685 34,150 31,800 27,360 25,767 24,572 22,754 19,710 19,253 15,536 11,062 10,100 9,632 9,408 7,162 5,439 3,036 2,812 2,805 2,568 2,467 1,720 1,000 403 203 186 96 46
8.1 8.1 7.7 6.0 4.3 4.3 4.2 4.2 4.1 3.5 3.4 3.4 3.1 3.0 2.8 2.7 2.5 2.1 2.1 2.0 1.9 1.9 1.6 1.5 1.3 1.2 1.1 0.9 0.9 0.8 0.8 0.7 0.7 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1
3.1 8.7 3.0 1.0 11.4 3.4 2.7 4.0 11.9 0.4 13.6 2.8 41.2 10.8 1.0 5.7 3.2 1.6 3.1 5.1 9.3 0.4 12.6 18.0 9.6 1.4 8.8 23.0 1.3 9.8 19.3 28.7 18.2 18.2 23.1 6.6 4.2 37.2 25.1 45.2 11.7 10.7 4.7 35.0 52.3 10.3 39.0 16.1 42.9 43.0 9.4 2.2
0.3 0.7 0.2 0.1 0.5 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.5 0.0 0.5 0.1 1.3 0.3 0.0 0.2 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.0 0.2 0.3 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.2 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
3.4 9.3 3.0 0.8 6.5 1.9 1.5 2.2 6.5 0.2 6.1 1.2 16.8 4.3 0.4 2.0 1.1 0.4 0.9 1.3 2.4 0.1 2.7 3.6 1.7 0.2 1.3 2.8 0.1 1.1 2.0 2.5 1.6 1.3 1.1 0.3 0.2 1.6 0.8 1.1 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.4 0.6 0.1 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
0.4 0.1 0.3 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.1 0.8 0.0 0.9 0.8 3.3 1.5 0.0 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.1 1.0 0.9 0.0 2.5 2.1 0.3 0.2 13.4 0.2 0.6 2.8 12.5 11.4 0.3 14.2 2.7 0.0 2.3 1.3 1.9 3.1 0.1 8.9 2.7 15.2 11.3 0.8 0.5 0.7 2.0 29.6 46.9 6.5
3.3 0.7 2.7 1.1 0.2 0.1 1.0 0.5 3.4 0.0 3.2 2.7 10.7 4.8 0.0 0.9 0.1 0.1 0.3 2.1 1.8 0.0 4.3 3.3 0.4 0.2 15.2 0.2 0.5 2.5 10.2 8.0 0.2 7.9 1.1 0.0 0.8 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.0 0.9 0.3 1.4 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.2 0.0
13.8 49.3 6.6 7.7 22.7 35.7 43.3 28.4 69.1 38.1 20.0 . 41.7 27.1 46.2 56.0 26.9 68.5 5.1 64.1 37.4 45.2 4.2 47.1 31.3 29.3 41.5 21.9 18.1 43.5 36.7 25.9 29.1 31.2 5.0 68.3 20.8 19.7 30.7 18.4 65.9 38.4 3.7 35.0 18.2 60.0 26.0 6.2 3.4 8.1 1.0 .
3.6 13.0 1.7 1.5 3.2 5.0 6.0 3.8 9.3 4.3 2.2 . 4.2 2.7 4.2 4.9 2.2 4.8 0.4 4.1 2.4 2.8 0.2 2.3 1.3 1.1 1.5 0.7 0.5 1.2 0.9 0.6 0.6 0.5 0.1 0.8 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 .
Source: FAO Statistical Yearbook, 2010. Data are for 2008.
LANd PoteNtIAL: AFrICAS toP teN
MOROCCO 47.1% pastoral land
MAURITANIA MALI GAMBIA 39% arable land SIERRA LEONE 25.1% arable land TOGO 45.2% arable land NIGER CHAD
SUDAN 49.3% pastoral land ERITREA 68.3% pastoral land SOMALIA 68.5% pastoral land
NIGERIA 41.2% arable land
UGANDA 28.7% arable land
RWANDA 52.3% arable land BURUNDI 35% arable land
COMOROS 43% arable land
MALAWI 37.2% pastoral land MOZAMBIQUE 56% pastoral land MADAGASCAR 64.1% pastoral land
Largest 10 countries by land area Largest 10 countries by proportion of pastoral land
NAMIBIA 46.2% pastoral land
Countries with largest land area and proportion of pastoral land Largest 10 countries by proportion of arable land SOUTH AFRICA 69.1% pastoral land
SWAZILAND 60% pastoral land LESOTHO 65.9% pastoral land MAURITIUS 42.9% arable land
AgrICuLturAL AFrICA: LIVeStoCK, FArMINg ANd FIShINg
Les ditions du Jaguar/The Africa Atlas
AgrICuLturAL AFrICA: AgrICuLture ANd CoMMerCIAL CroPS
AgrICuLturAL AFrICA: SeLeCted CouNtrIeS
Sudan and South Sudan
Cte dIvoire
LANd ACquISItIoNS: drIVerS, oPPortuNItIeS, threAtS
227 million hectares of developing countries land have been sold, leased and licensed to international investors in large scale land deals since 2001. In 2009 alone 60 million hectares were purchased or leased in Africa8.
Securing Food Supply Due to sky-rocketing prices in 2008 that increased import bills and inflation rates; harsh climatic conditions; poor soils; and scarce land and water. Securing New Financial Investments Investments in farmland are promising and secure in terms of rising demand for food and fuel. Private equity groups have established farmland funds, buying up portfolios of land in numerous countries and promising their clients returns of 30% per annum over a five-year period. Securing Fuel Supply Surging demand for agro-fuels, including biofuels produced from ethanol and sugarcane, are being driven by energy and manufacturing.
PoteNtIAL oPPortuNItIeS Macro economic benefits GDP growth and increased government revenues. Increased agricultural productivity. Employment opportunities creation of on-farm and off-farm jobs. Development of rural infrastructure. Resources for new agricultural technologies and practices. Poverty reduction construction of schools, training facilities and health centres.
PoteNtIAL threAtS Bargaining power in negotiations is often on the side of the foreign firms especially when supported by host state or local elites. Traditional rights of local communities over the land are often overlooked and many countries do not have legal or procedural mechanisms to protect these rights. Lack of transparency in negotiations of land deals can foster corruption. Women and pastoralists are often not included in land deals. Reduced likelihood of achieving food self-sufficiency as governments outsource the means for food production. Threats to biodiversity, carbon stocks and land and water resources from intensive agriculture production. environmental conflicts from incentives offered to encourage investment, or inappropriate resource-intensive farming practices. Land banking - Speculative purchases of land which is left idle9.
tirana declaration, Albania, May 2011 Approved by more than 45 countries, the declaration reiterates the need to promote secure and equitable access to and control of land for the poor to reduce poverty, promote sustainable development and contribute to identity, dignity and inclusion, and denounces the growing practice of land grabbing, and includes a commonly agreed upon definition: Land grabbing refers to land acquisitions which either violate human rights, flout the principle of free, prior and informed consent of the affected land users; ignore the impacts on social and economic and gender relations and on the environment; avoid transparent contracts with clear and binding commitments on employment and benefit sharing; are not based on democratic planning, independent oversight and meaningful participation.
8 Oxfam, 2011; Oakland Institute, 2011. 9 Analysis of 56 million hectares of large scale deals concluded nothing had been done with 80% of the land involved (Oakland Institute, 2011).
International Acquisitions of Agricultural Land in Africa Investor Country
Arable land Acquired land (millions of ha) 108.6 2.8 158.1 1.6 3.4 0.1 108.6 1.8 <0.1 0.1 2.8 1.8 3.4 108.6 as % of investor arable land 2.6 31.0 0.5 45.1 14.5 581.5 0.1 5.7 307.7 16.7 0.7 1.0 0.3 <0.1 Total land (millions of ha) 932.7 99.5 297.3 9.7 215.0 8.4 932.7 176.0 1.2 8.8 99.5 176.0 215.0 932.7 Acquired land as % of investor land 0.3 0.9 0.3 7.2 0.2 4.5 <0.1 0.1 3.5 0.3 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 1338.3 81.1 1170.9 48.9 27.4 7.5 1338.3 6.4 1.8 6.0 81.1 6.4 27.4 1338.3 Population (millions) (millions of ha) China* Egypt India South Korea Saudi Arabia UAE China Libya Qatar Jordan Egypt Libya Saudi Arabia China 2.80 0.86 0.77 0.70 0.50 0.38 0.10 0.10 0.04 0.03 0.02 0.02 0.01 0.01 DRC Uganda Ethiopia Sudan Tanzania Sudan Zimbabwe Mali Kenya Sudan Ethiopia Liberia Sudan Cameroon
Land investment
Investor target
Arable Land Acquired land (millions of ha) 6.7 5.7 13.6 20.7 9.6 20.7 3.7 4.9 5.3 20.7 13.6 0.4 20.7 6.0 as % of target arable land 41.8 15.2 5.6 3.4 5.2 1.8 2.7 2.1 0.8 0.1 0.1 4.3 <0.1 0.2 Total land (millions of ha) 226.7 19.7 100.0 237.6 88.6 237.6 38.7 122.0 56.9 237.6 100.0 9.6 237.6 47.3 Acquired land as % of target land 1.2 4.4 0.8 0.3 0.6 0.2 0.3 0.1 0.1 <0.1 <0.1 0.2 <0.1 <0.1 66.0 33.4 82.9 43.6 44.8 43.6 12.6 15.4 40.5 43.6 82.9 4.0 43.6 19.6 Population (millions)
25,000 ha 378,000 ha
SOUTH SUDAN SOUTH DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO UGANDA
10,000 ha 860,100 ha 40,000 ha
2.8 million ha
500,000 ha EGYPT
Mo Ibrahim Foundation Data for land area are from 2008 and for population from 2010. Information on investment deals refers to 2007 to 2009 and includes leased and purchased land. *Refers to ZTE International, a publicly owned Chinese corporation. Sources: Atlas des Futurs du Monde, 2010; IFPRI, 2009; FAOSTAT and WDI
SPotLIght: LANd deALS - IN WhoSe INtereSt?
the NeW hotSPot |South Sudan
The World Bank estimates that the Government of Sudan transferred nearly 4 million hectares of land to private investors from 2004 to 2009, mostly in southern Sudan. Between 2007 and 2010 in South Sudan, various actors have sought or acquired at least 2.64 million hectares of land, an area larger than rwanda, for agricultural projects, biofuel development and forestry10. Investor Nile Trading and Development (USA) Canadian Economic Development Assistance for Southern Sudan Citadel Capital, Sudan Egyptian Agricultural Company (Egypt), Concord Agriculture (Australia) Prince Budr Bin Sultan (Saudi Arabia)
Source: Deng, 2011
Location Lainya
Focus Biofuels, Carbon Credits Agriculture Agriculture, Carbon Credits Agriculture
Juba Gwit, Pariang
Land and Lease 600,000 ha (plus extension up to 1million ha); community owned land; 49 year lease; $25,000 in fees for state government; 40-50% of profits for local co-ops. 12,200 ha (trial planting on 105 ha); government owned land; No lease. 105,000 ha; community owned land; 25 year lease; $125,000 for state government. 105,000 ha; community owned land; 25 year lease; $125,000 for state government.
Gwit
PoLItICAL CrISIS trIgger | Madagascar
Investor Daewoo Logistics (South Korea) Focus Maize and palm oil production. Land and Lease 1.3 million ha (over half of Madagascars arable land); Lease: unknown. Issues Deal fuelled protests against the President, who was forced out of office in 2008. The deal was cancelled.
LANd For Free? | ethiopia, Mali, Mozambique11
Investor Libyan Africa Investment Portfolio Saudi Star Agriculture Development PLC Location Mali (Office du Niger) Ethiopia (Gambella) Land and Lease 100,000 ha free of charge for 50 years. Projected 1 million 10,000 ha, free of land rent tons of rice, maize, for 60 years. teff, sugarcane and oilseed. Mozambique Irrigation of virgin 2000 ha at nominal cost (Matuba) land to develop for 50 years (plus additional into arable land fiscal incentives for Emvest). for food production. Focus Rice and cattle. Issues - Lack of governance and transparency - Risk of agricultural output being exported - Forests and farmland lost - Forced relocation of people in villages - No land tenure security over ancestral lands - Community members forced to release farmland - Failure to deliver well-being to community; - Lack of transparency
Emvest Asset Management
Source: Oakland Institute, 2011
WeSterN uNIVerSItIeS INVeStINg | tanzania
Investor Iowa State University with Summit Group and Global Agricultural Financial Fund of the Pharos Group with AgriSOL Energy LLC Focus Large scale crop cultivation, beef and poultry production and biofuel production Land and Lease Issues Approx. 325,117 ha. - Closing down of two of the Iowa State University will conduct the feasibility settlements that are being studies including soil sampling and climate, acquired, that hold 162,000 rainfall and landscape analysis. Also proposes a people farmer outreach and agricultural extension - Economic independence of programme with Tanzanias Sokoine University local smallholders of Agriculture.
10 Deng, 2011 (Norwegian Peoples Aid) 11 Data refers to 2008, 2010, 2011 respectively.
geNuINe CoNCerN: uNCertAIN rAINS...
Africa only has approximately 9% of global freshwater resources for 15% of the global population. More than 40% of Africas population live in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas. Highly variable and unpredictable rainfall in Africa is characterised by high evaporation losses and low runoff. Africas annual per capita water availability of 4,008m3 in 2009 is well below other world regions. egypt and Libya rank in the top five countries in the world most exposed to overall risk with regards to water stress according to the Water Stress Index. By 2025, water availability in nine countries12 is projected to be less than 1,000 m3 per capita per year. 12 countries13 would be limited to 1,0001,700 m3 per capita per year, and the population at risk of water stress could be up to 460 million people.
region % of African total renewable Water resources14 (actual) (km3/yr) renewable Water resources 50.0 2777.9 Central Africa 23.5 1306.1 West Africa 16.8 Southern Africa 934.8 7.6 424.0 East Africa 2.1 114.6 North Africa 5557.4 Africa Max. Precipitation (avg. depth) in region (mm/yr) 2156 [Equatorial Guinea] 3200 [So Tom & Prncipe] 2041 [Mauritius] 2330 [Seychelles] 346 [Morocco] Min. Precipitation (avg. depth) in region (mm/yr) 322 [Chad] 151 [Niger] 285 [Namibia] 220 [Djibouti] 51 [Egypt]
Source: FAO AQUASTAT. Data are for 2008.
3500 3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0
Depth mm/yy
But huge rIVer BASINS
Africas transboundary river basins contain 93% of its total surface water resources. They are also home to approximately 77% of Africas population. Africa has more rivers shared by three or more countries than any other continent. the Congo basin is shared by 11 countries and discharges 40,000 m3 of water into the Atlantic ocean every second.
12 Burundi, Cape Verde, Djibouti, Egypt, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa. 13 Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nigeria, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zimbabwe. 14 Sum of internal renewable water resources (IRWR) and external actual renewable water resources. It corresponds to the max. theoretical yearly amount of water actually available for a country at a given moment.
So Tom and Prncipe Sierra Leone Liberia Seychelles Equatorial Guinea Mauritius Gabon Guinea Congo Cameroon Guinea-Bissau Congo, DR Madagascar Cte d'Ivoire Central African Republic Burundi Rwanda Ghana Malawi Uganda Togo Nigeria Tanzania Benin Mozambique Zambia Angola Comoros Ethiopia Gambia Lesotho Swaziland Burkina Faso Senegal Zimbabwe Kenya South Africa Botswana Sudan Eritrea Morocco Chad Namibia Mali Somalia Cape Verde Djibouti Tunisia Niger Mauritania Algeria Libya Egypt
AFrICAN WAter: MAKINg good ChoICeS
A greAt regIoNAL PoteNtIAL: the 13 rIVer BASINS
4. Lake Chad Basin
Riparian Countries (8): Algeria, Central African Republic, Cameroon, Chad, Libya, Niger, Nigeria, Sudan Regional Body: Lake Chad Basin Commission (1964) - All riparian countries except Algeria, Libya, Sudan
1. Senegal River Basin
Riparian Countries (4): Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal Regional Body: Organization for the Development of the Senegal River basin (OMVS) - All riparian countries except Guinea % of Africa's surface area: Over 1.6% Population: Approximately 3.5 million
% of Africa's surface area: Over 8% Population: Approximately 46 million
5. Nile River Basin
Riparian Countries (9): Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda Regional Body: Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) (1999) - All riparian countries Eritrea is as an observer.
ALGERIA LIBYA
% of Africa's surface area: Approx 10%
Population: Approximately 360 million
MAURITANIA MALI
NIGER ERITREA SENEGAL GAMBIA GUINEA-BISSAU GUINEA NIGERIA SIERRA LEONE COTE D'IVOIRE BENIN LIBERIA GHANA CAMEROON TOGO DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO UGANDA EQUATORIAL GUINEA KENYA CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC SOUTH SUDAN ETHOPIA BURKINA FASO DJIBOUTI SOMALIA CHAD SUDAN
GABON RWANDA BURUNDI CONGO TANZANIA
7. Congo River Basin
Riparian Countries (10): Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia Regional Body: Commission Internationale du Bassin Congo-Oubangui-Sangha (CICOS) (1999) - All riparian countries except Angola, Burundi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia % of Africa's surface area: Over 12% Population: Approximately 100 million
ZIMBABWE MADAGASCAR NAMIBIA
ANGOLA MALAWI ZAMBIA MOZAMBIQUE
11. Okavango Delta Basin
Riparian Countries (3): Angola, Botswana, Namibia Regional Body: The Permanent Okavango River Basin Water Commission (OKACOM) (1994)- All riparian countries % of Africa's surface area: Approximately 1% Population: Less than 1.5 million
LESOTHO BOTSWANA
10. Zambezi River Basin
Riparian Countries (8): Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe Regional Body: Zambezi Watercourse Commission (ZAMCOM) (2004) - All riparian countries % of Africa's surface area: 4.5% Population: Approximately 40 million
13. Orange River Basin
Riparian Countries (4): Bostwana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa Regional Body: Orange-Senqu River Commission (ORASECOM) (2000)- All riparian countries % of Africa's surface area: Approx 3% Population: Approximately 15.7 million
KEY Transboundary River Basin Lakes Rivers
Africas River Basins
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. Senegal Volta Niger Chad Nile Ogooue Congo Turkana Jubashabelle Zambezi Okavango Limpopo Orange
Mo Ibrahim Foundation Source: UNEP, 2010 and respective Regional Body websites
WAter MANAgeMeNt: MAKINg good ChoICeS
Agriculture accounts for approximately 3,100 billion m3 or 71% of water withdrawals today in the world - without efficiency gain this will increase to 4,500 billion m3 by 2030. It is estimated to take one litre of water to grow one calorie of food. Food production needs to increase to meet the demands of a growing, increasingly urbanised population. Countries need to ensure water is used intelligently, and that increased food production is based on a sensible and sustainable water management strategy to make the best use out of a resource that is in high demand.
rain-fed Agriculture
Covers 82% of cropland worldwide and produces 60% of the crops. Accounts for nearly 96% of the cropland in Africa. With reliable rainfall and productive soils it can have some of the highest yields. However, in dry and tropical, arid and semi-arid regions, yields are often low. Climate change is an additional threat. Greenwater efficiency is very low - only 15 % of the terrestrial rainwater is used by plants for the production of food, fodder and fibre in sub-Saharan Africa, partly due to excessive losses caused by poor land management practices. The IPCC estimates that if global average temperatures rise by 3C, yields from rain-fed agriculture could be reduced by up to 50% in Africa. Yields can be increased by improving, and investing in, water management.
Covers 18% of cropland worldwide and produces 40% of the crops. Irrigated land in Africa is 4% of cropland. two thirds of Africa's irrigated land is found in 3 countries: Madagascar, South Africa and Sudan. Irrigation increases yields of most crops by 100% to 400%. Sub-Saharan Africa extracts less than 2% of available water for all uses. Irrigation and drainage will be an important source of productivity growth especially in sub-Saharan Africa where there are untapped water resources. Lack of investment in irrigation contributes to expansion of rain-fed agriculture on to marginal lands with unreliable rainfall.
Water harvesting, supplemental irrigation, conservation tillage and the use of small scale technologies e.g. motorised and treadle pumps. Improving soil and land management practices. Enhancing ecosystems by improving agricultural practices and raising awareness of the value of ecosystems and biodiversity as agricultural inputs. Building capacity to develop rainwater management strategies and equipping farmers with the knowledge and skills to exploit rainwater and improve water productivity.
SPotLIght: WAter PrINtS ANd Food ChoICeS
Water Prints
litres 21,600
6,100 5,000 3,920 3,400 2,800 2,400 1,500 1,300 1,000 200
Litres of Water
1 kg of commodity
The Water Footprint of a product (a commodity, good or service) is the total volume of freshwater used to produce the product, summed over the various steps of the production chain. The water footprint of a product refers not only to the total volume of water used; it also refers to where and when the water is used. (www.waterfootprint.org)
Mo Ibrahim Foundation Source: Atlas des Futurs du Monde, 2010; Water Footprint.
growth in per Capita Consumption of Food Products (%, 2008 to 2020)
16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 -2 Sugar Poultry Veg. oils Milk Sheep Pork Coarse grains rice Fish Beef Wheat
Source: OECD-FAO, 2011
PrICeS: hIgher ANd More VoLAtILe
Of the 20 highest increases in commodity prices between 2000 and 2009, 12 were agricultural commodities. Commodity 4th 6th 7th 9th 11th 14th 15th 16th 17th 18th 19th 20th
Source: EIU, 2010
% change +283.9 +202.7 +180.2 +156.5 +147.3 +110.2 +108.2 +100.3 +85.7 +74.1 +70.5 +68.5
Cocoa Sugar Rice Palm oil Soya oil Wheat Soybeans Corn Soybean meal Lamb Coconut oil Tea
Agricultural Commodity Price Changes since 2000
450% 400% 350% 300% 250% 200% 150% 100% 50% 0% -50% 2001 2002 2003 Cocoa beans
Source: IMF
2005 Sugar
2006 Rice
2008 Palm oil
Jan 11 Aug 11
Agricultural Commodity Indices (2000 = 100)
450 400 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Jan 11 Sep 11 Food Price Index Cereals Price Index
Source: FAOSTAT
Meat Price Index Oils Price Index
Dairy Price Index Sugar Price Index
rISINg PrICeS, groWINg VoLAtILItY
eNergY PrICeS IMPACt heAVILY oN Food ProduCtIoN CoStS
The cost of food production is directly linked to oil prices since fuel, including natural gas, is used in all stages of the agricultural production cycle - from sowing and fertilising, to harvesting and distribution. Biofuels have strengthened this link. Crude oil15 prices in January 2011 were over 280% higher than in 2000 and 26% higher than in January 2010. The cost of fertilisers rose 40% on average in the past year. Trade value of fertilisers has soared since 2003. Fuel prices in Bujumbura, Harare, Kinshasa, Mogadishu and Nairobi increased by more than 20% between July 2010 and July 2011. In Addis Ababa over the same period, they rose by approximately 70%.
Fertiliser trade Values (uS$ millions)
35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Fertilisers manufactured Phosphate fertilisers
Natural phosphates Potash fertilisers
Nitrogenous fertilisers
ALL AgrICuLturAL CoMModItY PrICeS WILL Be hIgher oN AVerAge IN the Next deCAde Change in Average Nominal Prices in 2011 (% relative to 2001-2010 base period)
100 80 60 40 20 0 Ethanol
Veg. Oils
Pigmeat
15 Crude Oil (petroleum), dated Brent, light blend 38 API, US$ per barrel - IMF, 2011.
A growing number of experts now link the rising volatility of agricultural commodities since 2006 to financial intermediation and speculation by banks and hedge funds on futures markets, triggering heated debate. Between 2003 and 2008, there was 250 times more investment in commodity index funds, which rose from $13 billion to $317 billion. The World Bank now recognises the role played by the financialisation of commodities in price surges and declines and notes that price variability has overwhelmed price trends for important commodities16. By exempting commodity futures trading from regulatory oversight, the Commodity Futures Modernization Act of 2000 (CFMA) has made this type of speculation possible. Although the Dodd-Frank Act has since included reforms to regulate commodity futures, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has so far failed to reach agreement on implementation. The French G20 Presidency placed this issue on the global agenda, and the European Commission, under Commissioner Michel Barniers direction, has recently initiated measures to regulate derivative markets and short selling. Index speculators have bought more commodities futures contracts in the last five years than any other group of market participant and are now the single most dominant force in commodity futures markets17. Between September 2010 and September 2011, the average daily volume for Corn Calendar Swaps rose by 249%. Over the same period the average daily volume for Oilseed complex futures was 90% higher and for Grain and Oilseed futures was 34% higher.
Average daily Volume of grain and oilseed Combined Futures and options (contracts)
1,400,000 1,200,000 1,000,000 800,000 600,000 400,000 200,000 0
09 7 08 08 09 0 1 Nov 05 00 01 01 02 04 06 07 Aug 0 Dec 0 Feb 0 Mar May Dec Feb 1 Apr 0 Jan 0 Jul 0 Oct Jul 1 Aug Mar May Sep Sep Oct Jun Jan 11 2 0 3 4 5
g Futures g Options
Average daily Volume of Corn, Soybean and Wheat options (contracts)
300,000 250,000 200,000 150,000 100,000 50,000 0
09 7 08 08 09 0 1 05 Nov 05 00 01 01 02 Jul 0 3 00 04 06 07 Aug 0 Dec 0 Feb 0 Mar May Dec Feb 1 Oct Jul 1 Aug Mar May Sep Sep Apr Oct Jun Jan Jan 11 2 4
g Corn g Soybean Complex g Wheat
Source: CME, 2011
16 Baffis and Haniotis, 2010 17 IATP, 2011
A NeW SPeCuLAtIoN BuBBLe?
Food INSeCurItY ANd INFLAtIoN: A trIgger For SoCIAL uNreSt ANd regIoNAL CoNFLICtS?
Food PrICeS ANd INFLAtIoN: A StroNg LINK IN deVeLoPINg CouNtrIeS
Sustained increases in domestic food prices are driving up inflation in several countries. As poor families in developing countries spend between 50% and 80% of their incomes on food, high food prices have the greatest impact on the poorest, who have few coping strategies to deal with these shocks.18 Prolonged periods of high prices could make the achievement of global food security goals more difficult, putting low-income consumers at a higher risk of malnutrition.
Consumer Price Index: World and Africa (2000 = 100)
900 800 700 600 500 400 300 200 100 0 2005 World: CPI
Sources: FAO and IMF
2006 World: Food CPI
2007 Africa: CPI
2008 Africa: Food CPI
Many countries are struggling with the implications of high food prices, given their effects on poverty, inflation and, for importing countries, the balance of payments. The 2008 food price crisis has resulted in a seven-fold increase in certain central commodity prices, driven 110 million people into poverty and added 44 million more to the undernourished population19.
Food INSeCurItY ANd PoLItICAL INStABILItY: A VICIouS CYCLe
Food insecurity can increase the risk of governance failures and lead to protests, violence and civil conflict, while violent conflicts can in turn create food insecurity, malnutrition and famine. Thus food insecurity can perpetuate conflict and these links are strengthened in states with existing fragile markets and weak political institutions. Food price volatility caused much civil unrest in 2007 and 2008 when the prices of wheat doubled and rice tripled, especially in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cte dIvoire, Egypt, Mozambique and Senegal. Prolonged food insecurity damages livelihoods and forces an adjustment of production strategies. Immature crop consumption leads to consumption of alternative crops, which might cause a shift in production systems. Resulting migrations can in turn induce changes in mobility patterns and foster regional instability.
18 IMF, 2011 19 UNEP, 2009
the trIgger eFFeCt: SoMe exAMPLeS tunisia
Among the issues Tunisians faced, including high unemployment, corruption, lack of political freedom and poor living conditions, food prices were a significant trigger for protests and the political uprising that ensued in 2011. Unrest continued despite former President Ben Ali belatedly vowing to reduce the price of staple foods such as sugar, milk and bread. Food price inflation has been gradual in Tunisia. Between 2000 and 2009, the price of broad beans doubled. Chicken meat and potatoes were 62% more expensive, cows milk and green peas 52% more expensive, and leguminous vegetables over 50% more expensive than in 2000. At the same time, growth in average Tunisian wages slowed down between 2008 and 2009, and 2010 and 2011 from 5% to 3% and 4% to 3.6% respectively. Growth in real private consumption fell significantly from 6.4% in 2009 to 1% in 2010 and negative growth of 1.6% is expected by the end of 2011.
Consumer prices Producer prices
Average annual % change
12 10 8 6 4 2 0 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Changing Food Prices
g Broadbeans, horsebeans g Peas, green g Chick peas g Potatoes g Chicken meat g Sheep meat g Citrus fruit
g Almonds g Cows milk
8000 7000 6000 5000 4000 3000 200 100 0 1991
Producer price in dinas/tonne
g Chicken meat g Wheat
g Broadbeans, horsebeans g Peas, green
g Chick peas g Sheep meat
280 260 240 220 200 180 160 140 120 100 80 1991 1995 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
1991 = 100
South Sudan| Food security deteriorated in 2010 after conflict and displacements from a mix of inter-ethnic/tribal tensions, historical hostilities, revenge attacks and cattle raiding. Continuous dry spells throughout 2010 led to consumption of early maturing crops, which has impacted prices into 2011. In the border region of Malakal, the price of the main staple, sorghum, increased by over 17% in one month (June to July 2011). As a result of restricted trade with Sudan, food prices range between 7% and 67% higher than a year earlier. darfur | The food crisis in Darfur is a result of the conflict that began as a communal resource conflict over land and water and is also a legacy of the devastating north-south civil war. In Malakal and Darfur, food crises are still looming. Food availability has been significantly reduced due to on-going violence. Added to this, erratic rainfall threatens the harvest season and the prices of staple foods are set to increase steeply. The further disruption that this may cause to seasonal migration could re-fuel tensions between nomadic herders and farmers over water and land resources, in addition to the possibility of an outbreak of livestock disease.
Once again, following a familiar pattern, the Horn of Africa is facing an on-going food crisis following the failure of the late 2010 rains. The combination of devastating drought in the arid and semi-arid areas of the region alongside lack of governance on food security issues, conflict, civil unrest and heavy displacements has affected all countries of the region. The number of severely affected people is now estimated at 4.8 million in Ethiopia, 3.7 million in Somalia and Kenya, and 200,000 in Djibouti. The current emergency status is not expected to improve to less severe crisis status until the end of 2011. The acute malnutrition rate has exceeded 40% in some areas of Somalia among children less than five years of age.20 Preceding these crisis levels, poor secondary season crops meant that domestic prices of key staple foods were soaring, fuel prices were increasing and stock levels were at a record low. High cereal prices are being sustained because of negative expectations over the outcome of the 2011 main season harvests and high international prices of wheat. The price of maize doubled between June 2010 and 2011 in Kampala, Kigali and Mogadishu. Cereal prices are now at record levels. In Kenya, cereal price levels in August remained up to three times higher than 2010, exacerbated by high fuel prices and an export ban imposed by Tanzania. In Tanzania, the price of maize in August was more than 50% higher than a year earlier. Somalia | The upward trend in cereal prices since August 2010 reflects the drought-reduced output, failure of the Deyr season crop (harvested in February), and sharply increased fuel prices, as well as hyperinflation, local currency depreciation and persistent insecurity. Prices of red sorghum and white maize have increased by 240% and 154% respectively in the last year and prices of imported commodities (rice, sugar, vegetable oil, wheat flour) are much higher than a year ago. Famine has now been declared in six areas. However, famine is not the result of soaring prices alone. Aside from the failed Deyr rains and below average primary season rains (April to June 2011) causing crop and livestock losses, internal displacement, civil unrest, and instability have all played crucial roles. Food security crises have been historically recurrent. In 1992 the same elements of drought and war set off a famine that killed hundreds of thousands of people and started a cycle of international intervention.
20 Food Price Watch, 2011
Global climate change may impact food production in numerous ways: changing overall growing conditions due to rainfall distribution and temperature changes, reducing crop yields and agricultural productivity, increasing the incidence of pest attacks, decreasing availability of water and through extreme weather conditions (droughts, floods and storms). temperature Change 0C Food +1C +2C +3C +4C +5C +6C
Falling crop yields in many areas Possible rising yields in some high latitude areas Falling yields in many developed regions
Small mountain glaciers disappear, impacting water supply
decrease in water availabilty in many areas rise in sea levels threatens major cities
rising intensity of storms, forest fires, droughts, flooding and heat waves
risk of irreversible changes
Source: Adapted from Stern Review, 2008
Increasing risk of dangerous feedbacks and abrupt, large-scale shifts in the climate system
In Africa, between 75 and 250 million more people will be exposed to increased water stress by 2020 due to climate change. For smallholder farmers, climate change means they cannot rely on traditional patterns for agricultural production, such as rainy seasons and predicting temperatures. The frequency and intensity of floods and droughts lessen recovery time and place, further importance on accumulation of knowledge and skills for climate change adaptation. Changes in rainfall also mean changes in growing seasons and crops.
how to reverse the Impacts
Adaptation activities that enable people and ecosystems to adjust and reduce their vulnerability to the impact of climate change. Mitigation measures taken to reduce or eliminate greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere including: energy efficiency and conservation; switching to cleaner and renewable energy sources; capturing methane from coal mines and landfill sites; and changing land-use practices. technologies cleaner and more advanced tools and plants that can tolerate climate variability better. Research and development, information exchange and training that create farming systems more resilient to climate change. Financing ensuring policies encourage private and public investment into more climate friendly alternative technologies and spread the risk across the private and public sectors.
SPotLIght: IMPACt oF CLIMAte ChANge
CouNtINg ASSetS
A rurAL CoNtINeNt
In 2020, Africa's rural population as % of total population will still be higher than the world average and over twice that of europe. rural population (%) 2010 2020 60.0 55.4 57.8 52.8 27.2 24.6 20.4 17.4 17.9 15.4 49.5 45.6
Africa Asia Europe Latin America and the Caribbean Northern America World
MAINLY SMALLhoLderS
Small-scale producers contribute over 90% of Africas agricultural production. More than of Africans depend on small or micro-scale farming as their primary source of livelihood. 80% of smallholders own less than two hectares of land. Developing smallholder farming means ensuring food security, alleviating poverty and preventing unruly urbanisation.
Maximising smallholders potential Increase their access to finance and business, marketing and technical skills, as well as ICTs. Increase their influence on, and incorporate local knowledge and skills into, agricultural research agendas. Increase their access to natural resources and inputs, such as fertilisers, improved seeds and planting material. Share information about markets and strengthen vulnerability to economic stresses, particularly to commodity price volatility. Mitigate risks and promote adaptation to increase security in the face of weather shocks and climate change.
A YouNg MAJorItY
Two thirds of Africa's population are aged under 25 years Youth aged 15-24 make up 20% of the total population of Africa. 70% of Africas youth live in rural areas. Youth inactivity rates in North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa are 62% and 42%. Youth make up 40% of the total unemployed in Africa. They account for 60% of total employment in agriculture in Africa. By 2040 Africa will be home to one in five of the worlds young, and will have the largest working age population.
WorKINg WoMeN
Women comprise over 50% of the agricultural labour force in sub-Saharan Africa. In sub-Saharan Africa, women grow 80-90% of the food. Women own less than 2% of all land in Africa. They receive less than 10% of all credit going to small farmers and have access to only 5% of the resources provided through extension services. Giving women the same access as men to agricultural inputs could increase yields by 20-30%, reducing the number of hungry people in the world by 100-150 million.
SeCurINg LANd rIghtS
More than 90% of land remains outside any formal legal system in Africa. Inheritance laws and customary practices in some countries exclude individuals, specifically women and orphaned children, from inheriting property. With the increasing trend in land acquisitions, there is significant risk of marginalisation of the land rights of African communities.
Framework and guidelines on Land Policy in Africa (2009) Launched by the AU, AfDB and UNECA, this framework was endorsed by the Joint Conference of Ministers of Agriculture, Land and Livestock held in April 2009 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The AU21 followed this with the adoption of the Declaration on Land Issues and Challenges in Africa. Principles which should inform land policies in African member states include: - Offering a basis for commitment by member states to the formulation and operationalisation of land policies - Promoting consensus for shared principles as the basis for securing access to land for all users - Emphasising the need for popular participation in land policy formulation and implementation - Proposing standards for best practices for land policy reforms and benchmarks for performance - Articulating a policy framework for addressing emerging issues and trends relating to land resources - Providing a basis for more coherent partnership between states, citizens and development partners in land policy formulation and implementation - Establishing general principles to engage partners to mobilise resources to build capacity for land policy reform processes - Developing guidelines for regional convergence on the sustainable management and utilisation of land and related resources
Best Practice: the Land tenure reform Act (2007) in Burkina Faso A new policy, adopted in 2007, and a specific law for rural land tenure in 2009, have given communities the opportunity to draw on local custom to develop a land tenure charter that regulates their use of common resources. These new laws provide distinctive programmes to allocate developed land to the youth, women, and herders. The law emphasises the importance of conflict resolution with regards to land tenure, making negotiation mandatory before any dispute can undergo legal proceedings.
MeChANISINg ProduCtIoN
World: 200
Source: Kormawa, 2011
Average tractors per 100km2 of arable land South Asia: 129
Africa: 13
In 2007 there were approximately 626,000 tractors in Africa, for over 200 million people economically active in agriculture22, which represents approximately one tractor per 320 people economically active in agriculture. Currently, it is estimated that 3.5 million tractors would be needed to bring Africa up to the level of other regions.23 Mechanisation on Some National Agendas Farmers cooperatives for pooling agricultural machinery - Benin: A system of cooperatives was launched in 1995. At end of 2009, 116 of these were highly active. training for technicians and users of agricultural equipment - Congo: Government is subsidising training of youth to drive farm vehicles at the Institute of Rural Development. - Cameroon: 2000 drivers and mechanics are being trained on the fringe of an assembly plant at Ebolowa. - Madagascar: Agricultural machinery centre at Antsirabe is establishing a training institute for engineers in agri-mechanisation. Local manufacturing and assembly of machinery - Mali: In 2009 an assembly plant for tractors and accessories was opened at Samanko, in partnership with an Indian company. - Chad: An industrial plant for assembling tractors has started operations in NDjamena.
21 13th Ordinary Session of the African Union Assembly of Heads of State and Government, July 2009, Sirte, Libya. 22 FAO Statistical Yearbook, 2010 23 SPORE, 2011
FILLINg the gAPS
PreVeNtINg Food LoSSeS
In developing countries more than 40% of food losses occur at post-harvest and processing stages. Post-harvest losses of food cereals in sub-Saharan Africa are estimated at 25% of the total crop harvested.
Food Losses in developing Countries Causes Solutions Failure to comply with minimum food safety standards; poor and Development of knowledge and the capacity of food chain unhygienic handling and storage conditions; and lack of adequate operators to apply safe food handling practices and storage hygiene. temperature control cause food to become unsafe for consumption. Funds and loans to facilitate the diffusion of better storage containers. Lack of infrastructure for adequate transportation, storage, cooling and selling put fresh products like fruits, vegetables, meat and fish at risk of being spoilt due to climatic conditions. Lack of facilities with the capacity to process and preserve fresh farm produce. Improvement of infrastructure - roads, energy and markets. Private sector investments can also improve storage, cold chain facilities and transportation. Creation of a better investment climate to stimulate private sector investment in the food industry and to work more closely with farmers to address supply issues. Introduction of more marketing cooperatives, that provide a point for assembling produce from small farmers and preparing commodities for transportation to markets and other distribution channels.
Inadequate market systems and an insufficient number of wholesale, supermarket and retail facilities providing suitable storage and sales conditions for food products.
grain Losses in Sub-Saharan Africa Physical grain losses, prior to processing, can range from 10% to 20%. Post-harvest grain losses in sub-Saharan Africa could total $4 billion per year. this lost food: could meet the minimum annual food requirements of at least 48 million people is on a par with the value of annual cereal imports24 It is estimated that with a 1% reduction in post-harvest losses, annual gains of $40 million are possible.
24 Annual cereal imports of sub-Saharan Africa had a value of $3 to $7 billion between 2000 and 2007.
CoNNeCtINg FArMerS
technology Monitoring world food supply, production and shortages Monitoring agriculture and soil remote sensing infrastructure including high resolution radiometers, Stand-alone sensors which measure air temperature, and imaging spectrometers (on satellites and aircraft). atmospheric pressure and humidity. ICt equipment including PCs, PDAs, servers, mainframes, network databases and software for food security analysis. geographic Information Systems (GIS) to store and analyse statistical data and integrate varying databases. ubiquitous Sensor Networks (USN) whose sensor nodes are placed in the field. telemetry units transmitting air temperature, humidity and solar radiation using cellular networks.
Potential for e-Agriculture rural radio achieves wide coverage and is relatively inexpensive, e.g. FAO Rural Radio in Africa. SMS technology mobile phone and web-based services that help farmers achieve better yields and secure better prices by sharing knowledge regarding weather forecasts and local price information direct to their phones, e.g. Esoko (formally Tradenet). telecentres provide rural populations with access to the internet, telephone and fax services and enhance communication with potential buyers, e.g. Buwama Community Multimedia Centre in Uganda and the regional Southern Africa Telecentre Network in Zambia. e-learning rural education and online toolkits to train individuals and support institutions and networks in the effective management of agricultural information e.g. Information Management Resource Kit (IMARK), led by the FAO in partnership with organisations such as the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU.
Best Practice: esoko Established in Ghana under the name Tradenet, Esoko works with partners in over 15 countries, offering businesses and farmers the opportunity to cost-effectively share information. The Esoko software offers many services including SMS alerts regarding food prices and weather forecasts to field polling via SMS. The platform is available in English, French, Arabic and Portuguese. Success is demonstrated in ghana where the use of the esoko SMS alert service has improved revenue of grain and fruit farmers by 40%. USAID has recently begun working with Esoko to integrate Malawian smallholder famers into more efficient national and regional markets, though the distribution of prices of commodities via SMS.
early Warning Systems Designed to alert different actors to potential food security related problems. Systems already in operation include:
global regional gIeWS Global Information and Early Warning System (FAO) gMFS Global Monitoring for Food Security (ESA) FeWS Net Famine Early Warning Systems Network (USAID) reWS Regional Early Warning System (REWS) (SADC) VAM Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping (WFP) ICPAC IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (IGAD) MArS Monitoring Agriculture Resources Unit FOODSEC action (EC/JRC)
reSeArCh: too MANY INStItutIoNS, Not eNough reSourCeS
global Forum on Agricultural research (gFAr) Established in 1996, GFAR is a stakeholder-led initiative that serves as a forum for discussion and action on critical issues related to agricultural research for development. Financial support is provided through a multi-donor trust fund maintained at the FAO. GFAR operates through six independently managed regional fora, with Africa represented through FARA. Forum for Agricultural research in Africa (FArA) Established in 2001, FARAs three founding members are ASARECA (Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in East and Central Africa), WECARD (West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development) and SADC-FANR (Southern African Development Community-Food Agriculture and Natural Resources). Its responsibilities include advocacy and resource mobilisation, supporting networking for the implementation of CAADP Pillar IV, promoting compliance with FAAP principles and engaging with the global community, especially with GFAR and CGIAR. regional universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (ruForuM) Established in 2004, RUFORUM is a consortium of 29 universities in Eastern, Central and Southern Africa. Its mandate is to oversee graduate training and networks of specialisation in COMESA countries and it operates through research and training programmes. The RUFORUM postgraduate training programme is designed to augment the pool of agricultural researchers and policy professionals in sub-Saharan Africa by supporting graduate studies in agriculture and related fields and by enhancing capabilities in member universities. RUFORUM offers regional MSc/M.Phil programmes, PhD programmes, Student Field Attachment Programmes and short targeted courses. universities, Businesses, and research in Agricultural Innovation (uniBrAIN) UniBRAIN aims to address African universities insufficient capacity to meet the needs of industry, by promoting agricultural innovation and improving tertiary agribusiness education on the continent. The initiative is being implemented by a consortium led by FARA. It promotes innovation by improving the flow of technology and knowledge, by removing barriers between actors in the value chains, and linking university education, research and business in sustainable agriculture. African Women in Agricultural research and development (AWArd) Established in 2008, AWARD aims to help women increase their contributions in the fight against hunger and poverty in sub-Saharan Africa. It is a professional development program offering fellowships that strengthen the research and leadership skills of African women in agricultural science, thus empowering them to contribute more effectively to poverty alleviation and food security. Fellows remain in their place of employment or study, while benefiting from mentoring partnerships, building science skills, developing leadership capacity and having their learning tracked, monitored and evaluated.
Best Practice: Brazil and China | Between u$1 - 2 billion on Agriculture research The Brazilian Research Institution Embrapa has an agricultural research and development budget of approximately $1.1 billion. Chinas agricultural research budget has increased by nearly 10% since 2001, totalling $1.8 billion in 2007.
dAtA ANd StAtIStICS: A huge gAP
Agro-sectors need information regarding land use, commodity prices, climatic changes and natural forecasts. Strengthening capacity at the country level Developing capacity and increasing human capital within the units responsible for collection, compilation, analysis and dissemination of agricultural statistics. Improving capacity to appropriately analyse data for use in policy formulation. Increasing the allocation of funds from development partners and national budgets for agricultural statistics. Facilitating institutional coordination to ensure harmonisation of data sources. Increasing access to adequate technical tools, statistical methodology and survey framework. Encouraging respondents to engage with questionnaires used by institutions to collect data. Encouraging ministries of agriculture and related organisations responsible for sectors such as land, water use and fisheries to liaise with each other. Sharing capacity at the regional level African Commission on Agricultural Statistics (AFCAS) brings together statistics officials from FAO member countries in Africa, who are responsible for the development of agricultural statistics in their respective countries. Through bi-annual meetings, ideas on the state of food and agricultural statistics are reviewed and exchanged and member countries are advised on the development of their agricultural statistical systems.
Key Aspects of a green revolution for Africa
Scale up proven techniques in small-scale irrigation and water harvesting to provide more crop per drop. Develop improved food crops through publicly-funded research focused specifically on Africa. Restore soil health through agroforestry techniques and organic and mineral fertilisers. Electrification and access to information technologies, such as cell phones, to increase rural productivity. Home-grown school feeding programs to provide nutritionally balanced meals, further stimulating demand from local farmers. Social safety nets, from grain reserves to early warning systems, to protect the most vulnerable.25
Alliance for a green revolution in Africa (AgrA)
Established in 2006 through a partnership between The Rockefeller Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation with additional funding from DFID. Three main goals to be achieved by 2020: Reduce food insecurity by 50% in at least 20 countries. Double the incomes of 20 million smallholder families. Put 15 countries on track for attaining and sustaining a uniquely African Green Revolution; one which supports smallholder farmers, protects the environment, and helps farmers adapt to climate change. AgrAs Integrated Approach Five Pillars: Seeds Programme - supports the breeding of improved seeds and works to ensure access to quality seeds. Soil health Programme - improves farm productivity by increasing access to locally appropriate soil nutrients and encouraging soil and water management. Market Access Programme - aims to expand market access for smallholder farmers. Policy and Partnerships Programme - aims to ensure support for smallholder farmers on a national, regional and global level and establish effective partnerships to organise resources and expertise. Initiative on Innovative Finance - works with Africa's financial institutions and other partners to increase access to low interest loans for smallholders and agribusinesses.
Best Practice: Agricultural Input Subsidy Programme (AISP), Malawi After a severe drought in 2005, the government of Malawi introduced an input subsidy programme. With a state coupon the price of a bag of fertiliser fell from 6,500 kwacha to 900 kwacha and a 2kg bag of hybrid maize seed from 600 kwacha to 30 kwacha. Despite donor reluctance to support the programme, it was a huge success. It is estimated to have raised national maize production from 26% to 60%. Per capita maize output increased from 145kg in 2004 to 258kg in 2007. The programme has contributed to wider economic growth and poverty reduction through increased food availability and higher real wages.
25 2004 meeting of a group of African Heads of State and Government.
SPotLIght: A greeN reVoLutIoN IN AFrICA?
the greeN reVoLutIoN IN ASIA: MIxed IMPACtS?
In response to widespread malnutrition and hunger and severe climatic conditions in Asia by the mid-1960s, the Rockefeller and Ford Foundations led the way in developing technology that increased agricultural productivity. Improvements in productivity were facilitated by the introduction of high yielding crop varieties (HYVs), enhanced management techniques and increased use of pesticides and fertilisers. The breeding of improved varieties of rice and wheat led to dramatic yield increases: by 1970, 20% of wheat area and 30% of rice area in Asian countries were planted with HYVs and by 1990 the share had increased to about 70% for both crops. Between 1970 and 1995, cereal and calorie availability per capita in the region increased by nearly 30%.
Doubling of rice and wheat yields increased farmers' incomes. Increased farmers incomes led to a general increase in demand for goods and services and stimulated rural non-farm economy which generated higher returns and employment. Real per capita incomes doubled in Asia. Absolute number of people in poverty fell from 1.2 billion in 1975 to 825 million in 1995, despite 60% increase in population. Smallholder farmers benefitted from increased production, greater employment opportunities and higher wages.
Smallholder farmers lagged behind larger farm holders, and were negatively affected by lower product prices, higher input prices and efforts to increase rents and force tenants off land. Unnecessary mechanisation pushed down rural wages and employment. The Green Revolution only spread in irrigated and high potential rain fed areas. Regions without sufficient water were excluded. Environmental damage from excessive use of fertilisers and pesticides polluted waterways, poisoned agricultural workers and killed wildlife. Increased irrigation led to salt build up and abandonment of best farming lands. Groundwater levels retreated in areas where more water was being pumped for irrigation than could be renewed by rainfall. Heavy dependence on a few major cereal varieties resulted in loss of biodiversity on farms. Researchers found that cumulative global emissions since 1850 would have been one third as much without the Green Revolutions higher yields.
Sources: IFPRI, 2002 and BBC, 2010
Potential Impacts for Africa26
Learning from this experience, Africa could increase the value of its agricultural output from $280 billion to approximately $500 billion by 2020 and $880 billion by 2030. The value of the continents agricultural production could grow twice as fast over the next 20 years as it has over the last decade. Nearly three quarters of the absolute increase in output could occur in the 11 countries with the largest commercial farming opportunities: Angola, Cameroon, Cte dIvoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Nigeria, Sudan, and Tanzania.
26 McKinsey Global Institute, 2011
Worlds top 10 Agricultural Producers
Country (global rank in gdP) World rank for select commodities Agriculture production value (uS$ billions) gdP from agriculture (%) Population active in agriculture (%)
1st Wheat, Rice, Tea, Cotton 2nd Coarse grains 3rd Major oil seeds, Raw sugar 1st Sorghum, Maize, Cows milk 2nd Tomatoes, Hens eggs 3rd Wheat, Onions, Sugar beet 1st Papayas, Mangoes, Millet 2nd Wheat, Rice, Sugar cane, Tea 3rd Tobacco, Hens eggs 1st Oranges, Sugar cane, Coffee 2nd Soya beans, Papayas, Tobacco 3rd Castor oil seed, Gums natural, Pepper 2nd Onions (green) 3rd Spinach, Persimmons 4th Hens eggs, Tangerines 1st Cloves, Palm oil, Coconuts 2nd Cocoa beans, Pepper, Nuts 3rd Rice (paddy), Ginger, Avocados 1st Barley, Raspberries, Gooseberries 2nd Carrots and turnips, Peas (dry), 3rd Pumpkins, Potatoes, Rye 1st Sugar beet, Mixed grain 2nd String beans, Hempseed, Duck meat 3rd Mixed grain, Barley, Broad beans 1st Melonseed, Yams, Cassava 2nd Citrus fruit, Okra, Sweet potatoes 3rd Palm oil, Maize, Goat meat 1st Apricots, Hazelnuts, Cherries 2nd Chick peas, Watermelons, Strawberries 3rd Walnuts (with shell), Chillies, Honey
Sources: FAOSTAT, WDI and CIA World Factbook. Data are for 2008 and 2009, except for % GDP from agriculture, which are from 2010.
MAKINg MoNeY FroM AgrICuLture
Worlds top 5 Agribusinesses
turnover Market employees (uS$bn) Capitalisation (uS$bn) Cargill (USA) 119.5 138,000 Activities
Buying, processing and distributing grains, oilseeds and other commodities; providing crop and livestock producers with products and services; and providing food and beverage manufacturers with ingredients. Africa Presence | Algeria, Cte dIvoire, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Morocco, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe. Transporting, storing and processing corn, oilseeds, wheat and cocoa into products for food, animal feed and chemical and energy uses. Africa Presence | Cameroon, Cte d'Ivoire and Ghana. Originating oilseeds and grains; crushing oilseeds and sugarcane for food and energy; milling wheat and corn for food processors, bakeries, breweries; and selling fertiliser to farmers. Africa Presence | Egypt, Morocco, South Africa. Cultivating oil palm; crushing oilseeds, refining edible oils; manufacturing sugar, speciality fats, oleochemicals and biodiesel; and processing grains. Africa Presence | Cameroon, Congo, Cte d'Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, Togo. Processing, trading and merchandising of agriculture and energy commodities. Africa Presence | Angola, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cte d'Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda.
Archer Daniels Midland (USA)
Bunge (Bermuda)
Wilmar International 30 (Singapore)
Louis Dreyfus 20 Commodities (France)
Sources: Financial Times, 2010; Forbes, 2011 and Yahoo Finance
Worlds top 10 Food Processing Companies
rank 26th 103rd 105th 198th 218th 269th 373rd 410th 517th 567th Nestl (Switzerland) Unilever (Netherlands) Kraft Foods (USA) Archer Daniels (USA) Danone (France) Wilmar International (Singapore) Bunge (Bermuda) General Mills (USA) Kelloggs (USA) Association British Foods (UK) turnover (uS$bn) 112 59 49 69 23 30 46 15 12 16 Market Capitalisation (uS$bn) 196 103 63 20 33 34 9 25 20 20 employees 163,000 30,000 100,995 88,000 32,000 35,000 30,645 97,000
Rankings based on profits in the Worlds top 2000 companies. Sources: Bloomberg; Forbes, 2011 and Yahoo Finance
AFrICAS toP Agro-INduStrIeS
Compagnie Sucriere Marocaine de Ra nage ($0.7) Centrale Laitiere ($0.7) Altadis Maroc ($1.6) Samir ($3.4)
Lyonnaise des Eaux de Casablance ($0.6)
Societe Tunisienne des Industries de Ra nage ($1.7) MOROCCO Cevital ($1.8) TUNISIA Egyptian Sugar and Intergrated Industries ($0.8) Middle East Oil Re neries ($1.5) EGYPT Eastern Co. ($0.7)
Veolia Environnement ($0.6)
Flour Mills Nigeria ($1.2) Nigerian Bottling Co. ($0.6) Sifca (Group) ($0.6) Cargill ($0.7) Societe Ivoirienne de Ra nage ($1.8) COTE D'IVOIRE Guinness Nigeria ($0.6) Nigerian Breweries ($1.1) NIGERIA CAMEROON Societe Nationale de Ra nage ($1.0)
No. of Businesses Ranked in Africas Top 500 >6 4-5 2-3 1 0
Clover Holdings ($0.8) Rainbow Chicken ($0.9)
Refinery (Vegatable oils) Beverages Water Tobacco Paper
Astral Foods ($1.2) Illovo Sugar ($1.1) Tongaat - Hulett Group ($1.5)
Afgri ($1.2) Anglovaal Industries ($1.0) SAB Miller ($4.2) Distell Group ($1.5)
Pioneer Foods Group ($2.2)
Mondi Group South Africa ($1.5) Sappi ($5.4)
Tiger Brands ($2.8)
Rand Water ($0.6)
Mo Ibrahim Foundation Values displayed represent turnover (US$ billions) Source: The Africa Report, 2011
AgrIBuSINeSS IN AFrICA
Africas top 20 Agribusinesses
rank Name 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th tiger Brands Pioneer Foods group Cvital tongaat-hulett Astral Food AFgrI Flour Mills Nigeria Illovo Sugar Anglovaal Industries Country South Africa South Africa Algeria South Africa South Africa South Africa Nigeria South Africa South Africa South Africa South Africa turnover(uS$bn) Activities 2.8 2.2 1.8 1.5 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.1 1.0 0.9 0.8 0.8 0.7 0.7 Manufactures, processes and distributes food products. Manufactures cereals and juice products. Manufactures sugar, margarine and vegetable oil; and manages franchises. Produces food products, bio-fuel production and electricity co-generation. Produces animal feeds, broiler chick genetic breeding, and broiler chick operations. Handles, stores and markets grain and livestock; finances grain; processes agricultural products. Produces flours, produces fertiliser, and sells bagged cement through wholly-owned subsidiaries. Operates in all areas of sugar production and manufactures downstream by-products. Manufactures, processes, markets and distributes branded consumer products in food, beverage and fashion categories. Operates integrated farming facilities that produce, process and market broiler chickens, and produces animal feed. Processes, manufactures and markets dairy products. Produces and manufactures sugar, sweeteners, juice, and produces animal feed. Produces dairy products. Produces, packages, and markets sugar as well as by-products, such as molasses and bagasse. Produces cocoa products. Cultivates, processes and markets vegetable oil, natural rubber and cane sugar. Produces, refines, packages, and sells granulated raw white sugar. Produces vegetable oils, soap products and livestock feed. Manufactures, markets and distributes food product; and manufactures hydrolysed plant protein mix. Interests in fishing, cold storage and shipping; catches pelagic fish and rock lobster. 5,500 + 7,900 + 6,500 + 7,700 + 4,000 + employees 14,000 11,000 + 12,500
10th rainbow Chicken 11th Clover holdings
12th egyptian Sugar and Egypt International Industries 13th Centrale Laitire 14th Compagnie Sucrire Marocaine de raffinage 15th Cargill Cte dIvoire 16th SIFCA (groupe) 17th dangote Sugar refinery 18th Lesieur Cristal 19th Nestle Nigeria 20th oceana group Morocco Morocco
Cte dIvoire Cte dIvoire Nigeria Morocco Nigeria South Africa
25,000 + 2,000 +
Sources: The Africa Report 2011 and Bloomberg. Financial data refers to 2009 or 2009/2010.
Continental Business Integration
tiger Brands (South Africa) has bought Deli Foods, a Nigerian biscuit maker, and a 49% stake in a joint venture with the food business of UAC of Nigeria in November, 2010. It has also agreed to form a joint venture with Ethiopias East African Group to manufacture and sell food, flour, pasta, biscuits and personal goods. Bidco (Kenya) , manufacturer of edible oils, fats and hygiene products, have expanded their activities in the East African market through the help of the COMESA free trade area and zero tariff regime among five nations of the community. dangote Sugar (Nigeria) has recently established a refinery in Algeria, bringing it closer to European markets.
Agriculture in developing countries is becoming an attractive frontier market for private sector finance, with several key players now present, including private equity funds, hedge funds, commodity funds, pension funds and banks.
rurAL BANKINg
Foreign banking services are increasingly present in rural regions Barclays Bank operates over 35 branches in Zambia. guaranty trust Bank is in over 35 locations in Nigeria. Banco Comercial Portugus in Mozambique. Citibank in Senegal. the success of M-Banking (Mobile Banking) Mobile phone subscribers have increased from less than two million in 1998 to over 400 million in 2009. Only 20% of African families had a bank account in 2010. Mobile banking reaches the unbanked. M-PESA mobile transfer service in Kenya has seen an increase in subscribers of over 1,000% in three years: - 2007: 900,000 subscribers - 2010: 11.8 million subscribers % growth of rural Branches (2004 2009) Ethiopia 8219% Rwanda 2826% Algeria 357% Sierra Leone 158% Comoros 84% Kenya 81% Tanzania 45% Mauritius 44% Madagascar 36% Bostwana 27%
Source: AfDB, 2010
rABoBANK grouP Committed to food and agribusiness Dutch-based cooperative financial services provider established in 1898 as a collection of small rural banks in the Netherlands. Now a leader in rural and agribusiness services, providing customised lending and financial services in various food and agribusiness sectors, including food and agribusiness research. Rabo Development: holdings in partner banks in Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia. Rabo Sustainable Agricultural Guarantee Fund: enhances the access to working capital for selected small- and medium-sized producers of sustainable agricultural products in developing countries. Countries include Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Mali, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda.
PeNSIoN FuNdS, PrIVAte FINANCe ANd hedge FuNdS
PeNSIoN FuNdS Some of the biggest investors in farmland in developing countries are US and European pension funds. Global farmland investment27 APg (Netherlands) Ascension health (uSA) CalPerS (uSA) dow Chemical (uSA) New Zealand Superannuation Fund Pension Fund for Care and Well-Being (PggM) (Netherlands) Pensionskassernes Administration (PKA) (denmark) $1.4 billion $1.1 billion $50 million not disclosed $407 million not disclosed $370 million hedge FuNdS BlackRock Agricultural Fund
- Launched in 2010 - Expected maximum size: $1 billion; Actual size: $587m - Geographical allocation in Africa: 9% - Top three sectors: Food producers (44.3%); Chemicals (35%); Industrial Engineering (15%)
27 Grain, 2011
A NeW FroNtIer For PrIVAte FINANCe
Actis Africa Agribusiness Fund (AAAF) Launched in 2006. $100 million. Focus: Investments in tea and coffee processing, forestry, agro-infrastructure, agro-processing and biofuel sub-sectors in sub-Saharan Africa. Launched in May 2008. $100 million. Focus: Entrepreneurs in the agribusiness value chain in sub-Saharan Africa. Investors: Development Bank of South Africa (DBSA), AfDB, Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), Kellogg Foundation. Launched in 2008. Target of $3 billion. Focus: Buying agricultural land and managing agricultural projects across 14 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Administered by Emergent Asset Management. Launched in 2009 by AGRA and AAC. Focus: Invest in 20 SME seed companies in Southern and Eastern Africa (2008-2013) to jump-start a well-capitalised, competitive and efficient regional seed industry. Administered by AAC. Launched in October 2009 by AGRA, IFAD, AfDB and others. Target of $300 million (already closed $151 million). Focus: Food production, targeting primary, secondary and tertiary subsectors. Investors: $100 million from Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) and $40 million from AfDB Administered by Phatisa Group (Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, South Africa, Zambia). Launched in 2010. Focus: Indigenous seed production companies. Investors: Initial investors were AGRA and Lundin for Africa Society. Launched in September 2011. $25 million. Focus: Growth of SMEs in the agricultural sector in East Africa. Investors: USAID, JP Morgan, Gatsby, Rockefeller Foundation, Gates Foundation. Administered by Pearl Capital Partners (Uganda).
Agri-Vie Fund
African Agricultural Land Fund
African Seed Investment Fund (ASIF)
African Agriculture Fund
West African Agricultural Investment Fund (WAAIF)
African Agricultural Capital Fund (AACF)
LoWer the Food BILL oF AFrICA
over of African countries are net importers of agricultural products. only 14 countries are net exporters: Burundi, Cameroon, Cte d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. On average between 2000 and 2005, the annual food trade bill of the continent was $17.3 billion of exports and $24 billion of imports, leading to an average annual deficit of $6.6 billion.28 There was a steep rise in the food import bill between 2001 and 2006 from nearly $20 billion to more than $33 billion. It is estimated that Africa imports about 28% of its calorie requirements. the major imports are wheat (58%), rice (41%) and oils (54%).
Net Agricultural trade (US$, millions)
Algeria Egypt Morocco Nigeria Angola Libya Senegal Sudan Tunisia Congo, DR. Somalia Botswana Mauritania Congo Mauritius Benin Gabon Mozambique Niger Madagascar Guinea Cape Verde Sierra Leone Lesotho Namibia Liberia Gambia Zimbabwe Seychelles Equatorial Guinea Mali Eritrea Chad Comoros Togo So Tom and Prncipe Burkina Faso Central African Rep. Ethiopia Burundi Guinea-Bissau Swaziland Zambia Rwanda Ghana Uganda Tanzania Cameroon Malawi South Africa Kenya Cte d'Ivoire
-3,238 -2,544 -2,363 -2,258 -1,541 -1,087 -1,002 -903 -460 -459 -446 -402 -375 -341 -310 -287 -238 -207 -206 -193 -185 -137 -132 -120 -95 -93 -85 -82 -66 -64 -56 -47 -25 -23 -21 -10
4 8 29 32 64 112 221 249 311 338 503 565 0
Source: FAO Statistical Yearbook, 2010. Data are for 2008. 28 UNECA, 2009
SPotLIght: INtrA-AFrICAN trAde
BooSt INtrA-AFrICAN trAde
African trade tariffs are among the highest in the world, on average 50% higher than comparable tariffs in Latin America and Asia. Intra-African trade remains low at approximately 12% of Africas total exports and imports. This is less than half of the level in other emerging market regions. Over half of Africas intra-regional trade occurs within SADC. Intra-regional trade as % of Africas trade SADC 51% ECOWAS 28% COMESA 12% AMU 6% ECCAS 3 %
Source: McKinsey, Global Institute, 2010
economic Partnership Agreements (ePAs)
EPAs are trade and cooperation agreements aimed at establishing a free trade area between the European Union (EU) and African, Caribbean and Pacific states (ACP). They replace the preferential trade agreements offered by the EU, which were incompatible with WTO rules. They aim to create WTO-compatible, development-oriented reciprocal trading arrangements between Europe and its traditional developing country trading partners, while also encouraging regional integration, improved trade capacity building and other aid interventions into partner regions. The extent to which trade must be liberalised is still widely contested.
Negotiating region
trade with eu total: 43 bn Primary exports: Oil, gas, cocoa, iron. Primary imports: Oil, mechanical and electrical machinery, vehicles. total: 13.9 bn Primary exports: Oil, wood, cocoa, diamonds. Primary imports: Mechanical and electrical machinery, vehicles, iron and steel.
West Africa Cte d'Ivoire (signed); (members of ECOWAS and Mauritania) Ghana (initialled)
Central Africa (Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, So Tom and Prncipe) Eastern and Southern Africa (Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Seychelles, Somalia, Sudan, Zambia, and Zimbabwe) EAC (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda)
Cameroon (signed)
Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Zimbabwe (signed); Comoros, Zambia (pending)
total: 58.2 bn Primary exports: Textiles, sugar, fish products, coffee, tea and spices. Primary imports: Mechanical and electrical machinery, vehicles, cereals.
EAC countries (signed)
total: 4.8 bn Primary exports: Coffee, tea, spices, plants and flowers, fish products, vegetables. Primary imports: Mechanical and electrical machinery, pharmaceutical products, vehicles. total: 59.3 bn Primary exports: Fuels, mining and agricultural products, semi-manufactures, machine and transport equipment. Primary imports: Machine and transport equipment, chemicals, semimanufactures, agricultural products.
SADC29 (Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, South Africa)
Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique and Swaziland (signed); Namibia (pending)
Source: European Commission. Trade data are for 2008 except for SADC region, which are for 2010.
29 Other members of SADC (Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Zambia, Zimbabwe) are negotiating within other groups.
AgrICuLture CoNStItuteS At BeSt oNLY 5% oF oeCd doNor AId odA to Africa from oeCd Countries and Multilateral Institutions (disbursements)
US$ billions
g Total ODA g ODA allocated to Agriculture
1,650 US$ millions
1,450 1,250 1,050 850 650 ODA to Agriculture from DAC countries ODA to Agriculture from Multilaterals
Source: OECD DAC Creditor Reporting System
LeSS thAN oF LAquILA CoMMItMeNtS hAVe BeeN Met
At the LAquila g8 Summit in 2009, G8 and five other donor countries committed to mobilise $22 billion, of which $6 billion was new money, to finance agriculture and food security. LAquila commitments were adopted at the World Summit on Food Security, resulting in the creation of the LAquila Food Security Initiative (AFSI). So far donors have only met 22% of total financial pledges and many have not reported how they plan to reach the full pledge amount. Pledge (uS$ bn) disbursement to date Canada 1.0 88.9% Italy 0.4 81.6% UK 1.7 29.6% France 2.2 28.1% USA 3.5 2.1% European Commission 3.8 NOT REPORTED Germany 3.0 NOT REPORTED Japan 3.0 NOT REPORTED
Source: ONE, 2011
Following the g20 Agriculture Ministerial Meeting (Paris, June 2011) the g20 Leaders Summit in November discussed key issues regarding agriculture and food security, and committed to: - Act in the framework of the Action Plan on Food Price Volatility and Agriculture agreed in June 2011. - Develop appropriate risk management instruments and humanitarian emergency tools to improve food security. - Not subject food purchased for non-commercial humanitarian purposes by the WFP to export restrictions or extraordinary taxes. The meeting also: - Stressed the need to complete the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) mandate and to create new approaches to further negotiations in 2012. - Supported the initiatives in the Cannes final Declaration, with view to fostering investments in agriculture and mitigate the impact of price volatility. - Welcomed ECOWAS initiative to set up a targeted regional emergency humanitarian food reserve system as a pilot project and the ASEAN+3 emergency rice reserve initiative. - Welcomed the creation of a Rapid Response Forum, which will improve the international communitys capacity to coordinate policies and develop common responses in time of market crises. - Agreed that aid commitments made by developed countries should be met and new sources of funding need to be found to address development needs and climate change . the Montpellier Panel: - Established to enable better links between European governments and food security issues in sub-Saharan Africa. - A group of ten experts31 from the fields of agriculture, sustainable development, trade, policy, and global development, chaired by Sir Gordon Conway. - The Panel is working to make recommendations to enable better European government support of national and regional agricultural development and food security priorities in sub-Saharan Africa. - The Panel first convened at the Global Conference on Agricultural Research for Development (GCARD) in Montpellier in March 2010, their first report 'Africa and Europe: Partnerships for Agricultural Development', highlighting African priorities in agriculture and nutrition. - Recommendations were made for ensuring global food price stability and strengthening partnerships between Europe and Africa. - A second Montpellier Panel Report is currently in development.
30 Total ODA refers to total sector-allocable aid. It does not include budget support, humanitarian assistance, debt relief, etc. Earliest available data are from 2002. Multilaterals refer to ADF, EU Institutions, IDA and UNDP. Earliest available data are from 2002. 31 Tom Arnold, Henri Carsalade, Louise Fresco, Peter Hazell, Namanga Ngongi, Joachim von Braun, Lindiwe Majele Sibanda, Ramadjita Tabo, David Radcliffe, Prabhu Pingali.
ProMotINg AgrICuLture oN the INterNAtIoNAL AgeNdA
CoMMItMeNtS, CoMMItMeNtS Agricultural Agricultural Investment trade & Production Food Security
the rIght PrIorItIeS
2000 x x x x
environmental Agriculture & degradation & Biotechnology Natural resource Management x x x x x x x
x x x x x x x x x x
x x x x x x x x x
x x x x x x
x x x x x x x x x x x x
x x x x x x x
Cairo Plan of Action, Africa-eu Summit, April EU Cotonou ACP-eu Agreement, June EU uN Millennium declaration, September UN New Partnership for Africas development (NePAd), October AU uN Commission on Sustainable development: report on the 9th Session, April UN g8 genoa Plan for Africa, July G8 g8 genoa Communiqu, July G8 World Food Summit rome - declaration of the World Food Summit: Five Years Later, June FAO g8 Kananaskis Africa Action Plan, June G8 Comprehensive Africa Agriculture development Programme (CAAdP) AU g8 evian Action Against Famine, especially in Africa: A g8 Action Plan, June G8 g8 evian Chair's Summary, June G8 Assembly of the African union, 2nd ordinary Session, Maputo, July AU Southern African development Community declaration on hIV/AIdS, Maseru, July SADC Protocol to the African Charter on human and Peoples' rights on the rights of Women in Africa, Maputo, July AU Sirte declaration on the Challenges of Implementing Integrated and Sustainable development on Agriculture and Water in Africa, Assembly of the African union, February AU g8 Sea Island ending the Cycle of Famine In the horn of Africa, raising Agricultural Productivity, and Promoting rural development In Food Insecure Countries: Action Plan, June G8 Millennium development goals: eu Contribution to the review of the Mdgs at the uN 2005 high Level event, May EU Assembly of the African union, 5th ordinary Session, Sirte, July AU g8 gleneagles Africa Statement, July G8 uN World Summit outcome, New York, September UN eu Strategy For Africa: towards a euro-African pact to accelerate Africas development, Brussels, October EU the european Consensus on development, Brussels, November EU Abuja Call for Accelerated Action towards universal Access to hIV/Aids, tuberculosis and Malaria Services in Africa, May AU India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) 1st Summit Joint declaration, Brasilia, September Other Abuja declaration on Fertilizer for the African green revolution, Au Africa Fertilizer Summit, December AU Au resolution of the Abuja Food Security Summit, December AU uN general Assembly high Level Meeting - Political declaration on hIV/AIdS UN g8 heiligendamm Summit declaration on growth and responsibility in Africa, June G8 India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) 2nd Summit Joint declaration, tshwane, October Other the Africa-eu Partnership - A Joint eu Strategy, Lisbon, December EU x x x x x x
2008 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x
2010 x x x
India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) dialogue Forum, Somerset West Ministerial Communiqu, May Other declaration of the high-Level Conference on World Food Security: the Challenges of Climate Change and Bioenergy, June FAO Brussels european Council - Presidency Conclusions, June EU g8 hokkaido Leader Statement on global Food Security, June G8 Assembly of the African union 11th ordinary Session, Sharm el-Sheikh, 30 June-1 July AU India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) dialogue Forum, 3rd Summit Joint declaration, New delhi, October Other g20 Washington declaration of the Summit on Financial Markets and the World economy, Nov G20 Windhoek high-Level Ministerial declaration on African Agriculture in the 21st Century: Meeting the Challenges, Making a Sustainable green revolution, February UN g20 London global Plan for recovery and reform, April G20 Council Conclusions on Supporting developing Countries in Coping with the Crisis, Brussels, May EU Assembly of the African union 13th ordinary Session, Sirte, July AU g8 L'Aquila Chair's Summary, July G8 g8 LAquila Joint Statement on global Food Security, July G8 g8 L'Aquila Promoting the global Agenda: Statement, July G8 g8 L'Aquila responsible Leadership for a Sustainable Future: Statement, July G8 g20 London Meeting of Finance Ministers and Central Bank governors: Communiqu, September G20 g20 Pittsburgh Summit Leaders' Statement, September G20 Brussels european Council Presidency Conclusions, October EU eu-uS Summit declaration, November EU 5th CAddP Partnership Platform meeting, Communiqu, Abuja, November AU World Summit on Food Security, rome: declaration, November FAO Assembly of the African union, 14th ordinary Session, Addis Ababa, 31 January-2 February AU g8 development Ministers Meeting Chairs Summary, halifax, April G8 g20 Communiqu Meeting of Finance Ministers and Central Bank governors, Busan, June G20 g20 toronto Summit declaration, June G20 g8 Muskoka declaration: recovery and New Beginnings, June G8 uN Summit: Millennium development goals high Level Plenary Meeting of the general Assembly 65th Session: outcome document, New York, September UN g20 Seoul Summit Leaders declaration, November G20 g20 Seoul development Consensus for Shared growth (Annex I), November G20 g20 Seoul Multi-Year Action Plan on development (Annex II), November G20 g20 Seoul Summit document: Framework for Strong, Sustainable and Balanced growth, Nov G20 3rd Africa-eu Summit, tripoli declaration, November EU uN Climate Change Conference, CoP-16, outcome of the work of the Ad hoc Working group on long-term Cooperative Action under the Convention, Cancun, 29 November-10 December UN executive Council of the African union, 18th ordinary Session, Addis Ababa, January AU g8 deauville, g8/Africa Joint declaration Shared Values, Shared responsibilities, May G8
no. of mentions:
Source: Commit4Africa
MAKINg AgrICuLture A PuBLIC PrIorItY IN AFrICA
StreNgtheN the FoCuS oN AgrICuLture oN NAtIoNAL AgeNdAS
Public expenditure allocated to agriculture in Africa accounted for 7.3% on average, in 200732. More countries have reduced their expenditure allocations to agriculture since 1990 than have increased them, with the greatest reductions in Botswana, Egypt, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Tunisia33.
Proportion of total Public expenditure in Agriculture (%)
Source: SPEED
Botswana Egypt Kenya Lesotho Malawi Mauritius Tunisia
Some countries nonetheless have increased the proportion of public expenditure directed towards agriculture over this period. Between 1990 and 2007, public expenditure for agriculture increased by 37% in Zimbabwe, 7.5% in Ethiopia, 5.5% in Zambia and 1.7% in Uganda.
Proportion of total Public expenditure in Agriculture in 200733 (%)
a isi
nd ila
ala wi
da Ug an
Ke ny a
o th so
yp t Eg
a Bo tsw an
ius rit
co or oc
ria Ni ge
Gh an a
bw e
Za m
Et h
Tu n
Sw az
au M
10% oF NAtIoNAL BudgetArY reSourCeS: AN uNMet CoNtINeNtAL CoMMItMeNt?
Maputo declaration on Agriculture and Food Security in Africa (July 2003) At the 2nd Ordinary Assembly of the African Union, African Heads of State and Government committed to allocate at least 10 % of national budgets to agriculture and rural development policy implementation within five years (2008). In 2011, three years after the deadline only nine countries have reached that target Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Malawi, Mali, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal Comprehensive Africa Agriculture development Programme (CAAdP) Launched by the New Partnership for Africas Development (NEPAD) in 2003, CAADP Compacts endorse the Maputo Declaration and focus on improving food security and nutrition, and increasing incomes. Countries are targeted to increase agricultural productivity by at least 6% annually. To benefit from donor funding each country is required to develop its own project and ensure that it aligns with the CAADP programme. 27 countries have signed CAAdP Compacts Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cape Verde, Cte dIvoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Malawi, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Swaziland, Togo, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia
32 Based on 15 countries for which data are available. Most recent data are for 2007 33 Data available for 15 countries: Botswana, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Morocco, Nigeria, Swaziland, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Best Practice: rwandas CAAdP Commitment
Rwanda was the first country to sign a CAADP Compact. Agricultural spending by the government has gone from 3% in 2005 to 7% in 2010. To implement the Compact, the government developed the Strategic Plan for the Transformation of Agriculture (PSTA) II, which aligns development partners with the governments strategies and tactics. PSTA II consists of four programmes ($847.5 million): 1. Program 1 ($658 million): intensification of sustainable production systems. 2. Program II ($42 million): support for the professional development of producers. 3. Program III ($128 million): promoting commodity chain and agribusiness development. 4. Program IV (19.5 million): support for institutional development.
Source: Montpellier Panel Report, 2010
AFrICAN INStItutIoNS ANd NetWorKS regional economic Communities: the Agricultural Factcard
AgrICuLturAL total Youth Youth as PoLICY population population proportion functioning (15-24) of total not functioning population
millions millions %
urban population growth
annual %
Arable Agriculture Agriculture Agriculture Labour land as proportion imports exports force in of gdP agriculture
% total % total exports % total ha, millions annual % imports
US$, billions
ha, millions
AMu CeNSAd
87.8 549.8 443.4
577.4 1497.2 1114.3
CoMeSA Agricultural Policy (CAP) eAC
Agricultural and 137.8 Rural Development Policy (ARDP) Agricultural Policy 135.1 for Central Africa
eCCAS
eCoWAS Action Plan on 300.8 Agricultural Policy for West Africa (ECOWAP) IgAd Regional Food Security Strategy 210.7
Regional 273.4 Agricultural Policy (RAP)
For further information, refer to individual REC Factcards (Annex) and Technical Notes (References).
regional Farmers Networks
union Maghrbine des Agriculteurs (uMAgrI) 1989 - Based in Tunis, includes the five national agricultural organisations in the region (Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia). - Aims to integrate agricultural development policies of member countries, improve trade, and encourage scientific research. Southern African Confederation of Agricultural unions (SACAu) 1992 - Aims to strengthen the capabilities of farmers organisations on regional and international matters. - Membership is open to national farmers unions and regional commodity associations in Southern Africa. - Granted observer status for CoP17. rseau des organisations Paysannes et de Producteurs de lAfrique de louest (roPPA) 2000 Pretoria declaration (2004) - Launched in Benin and based in Burkina Faso. established by 5 regional organisations - Aims to promote and defend the values of competitive and sustainable agriculture and promote An agriculture sector favourable to partnerships between low income rural farmers organisations and agricultural producers. family farmers is: - Initially comprised of the ten Francophone countries of West Africa then opened to all ECOWAS - One that guarantees food, countries. employment and revenue to the family farmers in a sustainable east Africa Farmers Federation (eAFF) 2001 manner - Aims to develop a prosperous and cohesive farming community in East Africa. - One that provides and adds value to - Organises farming concerns and interests in order to achieve regional cohesiveness and products for industrial purpose improve their status. - One that generates solidarity and social security Plateforme rgionale des organisations Paysannes dAfrique Centrale (ProrAC) 2005 - One that adds value to our - Launched in Cameroon. traditional experiences - Aims to promote and defend smallholder farmers by building institutional capacity and - One that ensures equitable access supporting peasant organisations at local, national and regional levels. to production resources and - Particular focus on youth employment and encouraging women leaders. sustainable management of natural resources Pan African Farmers Forum (PAFFo) 2010 Launched in Lilongwe, Malawi by the five regional farmers organisations: Rseau des Organisations Paysannes et de Producteurs de lAfrique de lOuest (ROPPA) Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions (SACAU) Eastern Africa Farmers Federation (EAFF) Union Maghrbine des Agriculteurs (UMAGRI) Plateforme rgionale des organisations Paysannes dAfrique Centrale (PROPAC) Aims to represent farmers and involve them in the review and formulation of public policy at regional and continental levels. Southern African Cotton Producers Association (SACP) 2011 Launched under the auspices of SACAU. Aims to stimulate the production of cotton; act as a government advisory body and as an industry forum; and develop small-scale cotton farming. Partners eight national cotton producer countries: Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe. Best Practice: Cape Verde - From Famine to Food Security Cape Verde is arid and mineral deficient, with a poor resource base. Despite being mostly rural, agriculture accounts for only 9% of GDP. 16% of land is arable and less than 11% is suitable for crop production. Pastoral land makes up 6% of Cape Verdes land area and permanent crops less than 1%. Water shortages are exacerbated by cycles of long-term drought. To ensure Cape Verdes history of famine is firmly in the past, food security is embedded as a core element of the national agenda: Support to Food Security and School Nutrition (supported by FAO, UNICEF, WFP and WHO). Aims to help the Government of Cape Verde and Cape Verdean Foundation for Social and Educational Action (FICASE) to achieve the MDGs and ensure the quality of child education and the food and nutritional security of children. Promotes nutritional security through the education system through the diversification of school meals with local produce and school gardens. Sustains economic opportunities for domestic producers. National Strategy for Food Security (eNSA) 2002 - 2005 Aims to assure the population access to health services and food through enabling conditions for sustainable food security and nutrition.
The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) was originally established to improve agricultural productivity to enable a stable supply of affordable food and to ensure that the European Union (EU) had a viable agricultural sector. CAP aims to promote agriculture throughout the EU by increasing farmers incomes and supporting the provision of public goods. It is funded by the European Commission (EC) budget. represents 40% of the total eC budget and around 0.5% of the EU regions GDP. Approximately 7.7 billion is spent annually on rural development. Costs approximately 55 billion annually. The cost has remained at around 50 billion over the past 15 years. Budget for 2010 = 43.8 billion. It has been reduced by 3% for 2011. Cereals, beef/veal and dairy products account for a high proportion of CAP funding. Is twice the value of African exports of agricultural goods. Germany is the largest net contributor to the EU budget. Greece, Portugal and Spain are the biggest beneficiaries. Nearly of eu farmers have an annual income under 5,000. Incomes in the agricultural sector are just 50% of the average in other sectors.
The creation of CAP followed the signing of the Treaty of Rome in 1957. CAP began operating in 1962 when market unity, community preference and financial solidarity had been established. The six member states individually intervened strongly in their agricultural sectors, which posed an obstacle to free trade in goods.
Import levies Set at a level to raise the world market price up to the EU target price. (Target price is chosen as the maximum desirable price for those goods within the EU). Import quotas Used to restrict the quantity of food being imported into the EU. Certain non-members, who have negotiated quotas, are able to sell certain goods within the area without tariffs. Internal intervention price If the internal market price falls below the intervention level then the EU will buy up goods to raise the price to the intervention level. direct subsidies Paid to farmers, originally intended to encourage them to choose to grow crops attracting subsidies and maintain homesourced supplies. Production quotas Introduced to prevent overproduction of some foods that attracted subsidies in excess of market prices. The need to store and dispose of excess produce was wasteful of resources and brought CAP into disrepute. A secondary market evolved especially in the sale of milk quotas. Set-aside Farmers paid to leave land fallow. Currently suspended following rising prices for some commodities and increasing interest in biofuel crops. Land which was set-aside was often difficult to farm.
Benefits for european Farmers
CAP supplements farmer incomes to ensure they make a suitable living, in order to guarantee the survival of rural communities. Open public debate and consultations which are taken into consideration through constant reforms. Provides research budgets that stimulate innovation and development for productivity improvements. Farmers are guaranteed prices for certain commodities. For example, the price for European sugar is three times higher than the world price.
threats for Africa34
The surplus goods that are a production outcome of CAP are often dumped in developing countries. Local farmers are prevented from selling their own goods because European produce is sold at a lower price. Thousands of tonnes of surplus powdered milk from the EU are dumped in West African countries at a cheaper price than local cattle owners can sell for. European preferences for chicken breasts and legs means that thighs and wings are often frozen and exported to Africa, where they are sold at discounted prices. Chicken farmers in Senegal and Ghana which previously supplied most of their countrys demand saw their market share shrink to 11% in 2006 because subsidised imports were 50% cheaper. Mozambique loses more than 70 million a year due to restrictions on importing into Europe and with cheap European exports being dumped in the country. A reported 12,000 workers in Swaziland have lost their jobs because of the inability of local industry to compete.
34 The Independent, 2006
SPotLIght: euroPeAN CoMMoN AgrICuLturAL PoLICY: 55 billion per year, 40% of overall budget
Annex: regIoNAL eCoNoMIC CoMMuNItY - FACtCArdS
Community of Sahel-Saharan States CeN-SAd
total Population Youth Population (age 15 24) gdP (current US$) urban Population growth (annual) Land Area (ha) Arable Land (ha) Agriculture Contribution to gdP (annual) Agricultural Imports (% of total) Agricultural exports (% of total) Labour Force in Agriculture (% of total) Agricultural resources 549.8 million 108.2 million (19.7% of total population) 830.6 billion 3.4% 1497.2 million 133.9 million 31.9% 22.6% 24.0% 66.4%35 Cassava, cattle meat, cotton, cocoa beans, fruits and vegetables, groundnuts, gum arabic, maize, millet, palm oil, peanuts, rice, roots and tubers, sorghum, sugar, wheat Signed: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cte dIvoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Kenya, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo Succeeded: Burkina Faso, Eritrea, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Nigeria, Senegal Burkina Faso, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Niger and Senegal None
Country implementation of CAAdP (16/28)
Country commitment to Maputo (6/28) regional agricultural policy
28 member states: Benin, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Cte dIvoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, So Tom and Prncipe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Togo, Tunisia.
Common Market for eastern and Southern Africa CoMeSA
total Population Youth Population (age 15 24) gdP (current US$) urban Population growth (annual) Land Area (ha) Arable Land (ha) Agriculture Contribution to gdP (annual) Agricultural Imports (% of total) Agricultural exports (% of total) Labour Force in Agriculture (% of total) Agricultural resources 443.4 million 90.5 million (20.4% of total population) 497.3 billion 3.2% 1114.3 million 72.2 million 22.9% 15.5% 31.5% 64.8%36 Cotton, fruits and vegetables, gum arabic, maize, millet, palm oil, peanuts, rice, roots and tubers, sorghum, sugar, wheat Signed: Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Seychelles, Swaziland, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia Succeeded: Eritrea Ethiopia, Malawi and Rwanda CoMeSA Agricultural Policy (CAP) supports national to regional approach to regional food security issues and is based on opening up the region to free flowing agricultural trade and establishing policies and systems that allow for conducive trade environment. The CoMeSA Agricultural Programmes aim to position the region as a supplier of primary and processed agricultural goods to global markets.
19 member states: Burundi, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sudan, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
35 Labour force participation in agriculture average calculation does not include data for Benin, Central African Republic, Djibouti, So Tom and Prncipe, Sierra Leone. 36 Labour force participation in agriculture average calculation does not include data for Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti and Madagascar.
east African Community eAC
total Population Youth Population (age 15 24) gdP (current US$) urban Population growth (annual) Land Area (ha) Arable Land (ha) Agriculture Contribution to gdP (annual) Agricultural Imports (% of total) Agricultural exports (% of total) Labour Force in Agriculture (% of total) Agricultural resources 137.8 million 28.2 million (20.4% of total population) 78.7 billion 4.6% 170.2 million 22.7 million 27.8% 11.6% 57.7% 84% Cassava, cattle meat, cashew nuts, coffee, cotton, flowers, palm oil, peanuts, pyrethrum, rice, sisal, sugar cane, tea Signed: All Succeeded: Tanzania Rwanda eAC Agriculture and rural development Policy (eACArdP) aims at accelerating agricultural sector development through improving food security; accelerating irrigation development; strengthening early warning systems and research and training; increasing trade; and improving physical infrastructure. The Food Security Action Plan (2011 2015) February, 2011 was developed to guide implementation of programmes emanating from the EAC Treaty to achieve food security and rational agricultural production.
Country implementation of CAAdP (5/5) Country commitment to Maputo (1/5) regional agricultural policy
Five member states: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda.
economic Community of Central African States eCCAS (CeeAC)
total Population Youth Population (age 15 24) gdP (current US$) urban Population growth (annual) Land Area (ha) Arable Land (ha) Agriculture Contribution to gdP (annual) Agricultural Imports (% of total) Agricultural exports (% of total) Labour Force in Agriculture (% of total) Agricultural resources 135.1 million 27.4 million (20.3% of total population) 170.3 billion 3.6% 652.3 million 24.1 million 23.7% 13.4% 16.8% 77.6%37 Cacao, cattle, cassava, cocoa, coffee, corn, cotton, groundnuts, gum arabic, maize, millet, sawmill, sorghum, palm oil, rice, rubber Signed: Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo Succeeded: Angola, Congo None Agricultural policy for Central Africa (CAP-eCCAS) and regional Programme for food security are reference frameworks for agricultural policies and address the pillars of CAADP. Aim to support and harmonise national agricultural policies and emphasises the potential for production and capacity for trade in the region. Not yet finalised.
Country implementation of CAAdP (2/10) Country commitment to Maputo (0/10) regional agricultural policy
10 member states: Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, So Tom and Prncipe.
37 Labour force participation in agriculture average calculation does not include data for Central African Republic, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea and So Tom and Prncipe.
economic Community of West African States eCoWAS (CedeAo)
total Population Youth Population (age 15 24) gdP (current US$) urban Population growth (annual) Land Area (ha) Arable Land (ha) Agriculture Contribution to gdP (annual) Agricultural Imports (% of total) Agricultural exports (% of total) Labour Force in Agriculture (% of total) Agricultural resources 300.8 million 59.2 million (19.7% of total population) 304.9 billion 3.7% 503.0 million 84.2 million 35.9% 24.1% 29.5% 75%38 Cattle meat, cacao, cashew nuts, cassava, cattle, cocoa, cotton, maize, millet, rubber, sesame seeds, sorghum, sugar cane, palm oil, yams Signed: All Succeeded: Burkina Faso, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Nigeria, Senegal Burkina Faso, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Niger and Senegal Action Plan on Agricultural Policy for West Africa (eCoWAP) was adopted in 2005 to contribute to food security, socio-economic development and poverty reduction by increasing the productivity and competitiveness of regional agriculture, implementing trade regimes and focusing on water management (small-scale irrigation, restoration of large irrigated areas and cross-border management of resources).
Country implementation of CAAdP (15/15) Country commitment to Maputo (6/15) regional agricultural policy
15 member states: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cte dIvoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo.
Intergovernmental Authority on development IgAd
total Population Youth Population (age 15 24) gdP (current US$) urban Population growth (annual) Land Area (ha) Arable Land (ha) Agriculture Contribution to gdP (annual) Agricultural Imports (% of total) Agricultural exports (% of total) Labour Force in Agriculture (% of total) Agricultural resources Country implementation of CAAdP (3/6) Country commitment to Maputo (1/6) regional agricultural policy 210.7 million 43 million (20.4% of total population) 141.2 billion 3.8% 477.0 million 46.3 million 33.9% 24.9% 38.7% 78.6% Cassava, cattle meat, coffee, cotton, gum arabic, maize, sorghum, sisal, sugar cane, rice Signed: Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda Succeeded: Ethiopia Ethiopia regional Food Security Strategy outlines regional actions for boosting food production (through agriculture, livestock and fish production), improving the efficiency of marketing and providing safety nets for vulnerable populations. The founding objective of IGAD was to harness a regional approach for development and drought control. It broadened in 1995 to food and environmental security, maintaining peace and security and ensuring economic cooperation and integration between member states.
Six member states: Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda.
38 Labour force participation in agriculture average calculation does not include data for Cape Verde and Sierra Leone.
Southern African development Community SAdC
total Population Youth Population (age 15 24) gdP (current US$) urban Population growth (annual) Land Area (ha) Arable Land (ha) Agriculture Contribution to gdP (annual) Agricultural Imports (% of total) Agricultural exports (% of total) Labour Force in Agriculture (% of total) Agricultural resources 273.4 million 55.5 million (20.3% of total population) 574.8 billion 3.1% 964.6 million 52.9 million 16% 11.9% 15.3% 56.7%39 Cattle meat, cotton, fruit and vegetables, maize, peanuts, soybeans, sugar cane, tea, wheat Signed: Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Seychelles, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia Succeeded: Angola, Tanzania Malawi regional Agricultural Policy (rAP) defines common agreed objectives to support actions in the agricultural sector at national and regional levels, in support of regional integration and in order to contribute to the attainment of the SADC Customs Union. Intended to implement existing declarations and frameworks of the common market. Commenced in March 2008. Not yet finalised.
15 member states: Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Arab Maghreb union AMu (uMA) INACtIVe
total Population Youth Population (age 15 24) gdP (current US$) urban Population growth (annual) Land Area (ha) Arable Land (ha) Agriculture Contribution to gdP (annual) Agricultural Imports (% of total) Agricultural exports (% of total) Labour Force in Agriculture (% of total) Agricultural resources 87.8 million 17.4 million (19.8% of total population) 360.9 billion 2.1 % 577.4 million 20.5 million 9.2% 18.8% 3.8% 28.8% Almonds, cereals, fruits and vegetables, hides and skins, oils (olive, soybean, sunflower), sorghum, sugar cane, vineyards, wheat Signed: Mauritania Succeeded: None None None
Five member states: Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia.
39 Labour force participation in agriculture average calculation does not include data for Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo and Madagascar
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Brinkman, H. and Hendrix, C. (2011) Food Insecurity and Violent Conflict: Causes, Consequences and Addressing the Challenges, World Food Programme. CAADP (2009) How are countries measuring up to the Maputo Declaration? June, CAADP Policy Brief. Chalmin, P. (Ed.) (2011) Les Marchs Mondiaux: le printemps des peuples et la maldiction des matires premires, Economica. Cline, W. R. (2007) Global Warming and Agriculture, Impact Estimates by Country, Centre for Global Development. CoDA, AfDB, UNECA, AU (2011) Land Policy and FDI in Africa, 7 June, Policy Forum in Lisbon. Collier, P. and Dercon, S. (2009) African Agriculture in 50 years: Smallholders in a Rapidly Changing World?, Expert Meeting on How to Feed the World in 2050, FAO. Concern Worldwide, IFPRI and Welthungerhilfe (2011) Global Hunger Index, The challenge of hunger: Taming price spikes and excessive food price volatility, IFPRI. Cotula, L. 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UNEP (2010) Africa Water Atlas, Division of Early Warning and Assessment (DEWA). UNEP (2010) Africa Water Atlas: Improving the Quantity, Quality and Use of Africas Water. UNODC (2011) World Drugs Report 2011. USAID (2011) Achieving Nutritional Impact and Food Security through Agriculture: resources for linking agricultural food security and nutrition, Infant and Young Child Nutrition Project. Wiggins, S. (2009) Can the Smallholder Model Delivery Poverty Reduction and Food Security for a Rapidly Growing Population in Africa? Expert Meeting on How to Feed the World in 2050, FAO. World Bank (2010) Can Africa Trade with Africa? Yes, but, 10 October, available at: http://go.worldbank.org/FB44RAJU90 World Bank (2011) Food Price Watch, Poverty Reduction and Equity, August. World Economic Forum (2011) Water Security, The Water-Food-Energy-Climate Nexus, World Economic Forum Water Initiative. other ArtICLeS ANd WeBSIteS All Africa News (2010) AfDB Commits Usd 40 Million in the African Agriculture Fund, 19 May, available at: http://allafrica.com/ stories/201005191015.html Association for Progressive Communications (2010) Telecentres in Uganda do not appeal to rural women, 21 January, available at: http://www.apc.org/en/node/9815 BBC News (2004) Obesity epidemic 'out of control', 31 October, available at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1 /hi/world/africa/3969693.stm BBC News (2010) Green Revolutions diet of big carbon savings, 14 June, available at: http://www.bbc. co.uk/news/10314458 Bunge Annual Report (2010) Growing World. Cargill Annual Report (2011) Working to Feed the World. 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Making It (2011) Agribusiness: Africas way out of poverty, 15 June, available at: http://www.makingitmagazine.net/?p=3464 Maplecroft (2010) Key economies of Australia, India, China and USA at high risk from water stress, 11 November, Maplecroft News, available at: http://maplecroft.com/about/news/water-stress.html NEPAD, Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP): http://www.nepad-caadp.net/ Nestle Annual Report (2010). Private Equity Africa (2011) Phatisa gets $100m from OPIC, 1 July, available at: http://www.privateequityafrica.com/ funds/phatisa-gets-100m-from-opic/ Share4Dev (2008) Telecentre: knowledge sharing in rural Africa, June, available at: http://www.share4dev.info/ kb/documents/4344.pdf Spore (2011) Agricultural mechanisation: energy of hope, December 2010/January No. 150. Spore (2011) Modernising farms: paths to success, August/September Special Issue No. 154. The Africa Report (2011) Top 500 African Companies, February, Issue No. 27. The Economist (2011) A Special Report on Feeding the World, 24 February. The Independent (2008) Malawi's farming revolution sets the pace in Africa, 5 May. Thompson Reuters Foundation (2011) Climate Conversations - Enticing Africas youth to agriculture, 7 October, available at: http://www.trust.org/alertnet/blogs/climate-conversations/enticing-africas-youth-to-agriculture/ Water Footprint Network: www.waterfootprint.org WorldCrops (2011) Fertiliser prices nearing 2008 levels, 28 June, available at: http://www.worldcrops.com/6009-worldcrops-fertiliser-prices-nearing-2008-levels/ dAtABASeS Bloomberg: www.bloomberg.com CIA World Factbook: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/ EIU Country Data: http://eiu.com FAO AQUASTAT: http://www.fao.org/nr/water/aquastat/data/query/index.html FAO Statistical Yearbook 2010: http://www.fao.org/economic/ess/ess-publications/ess-yearbook/ess-yearbook2010/en/ FAOSTAT: http://faostat.fao.org/ ILO Key Indicators of the Labour Market (KILM) http://kilm.ilo.org/KILMnet/ IFPRI SPEED: http://www.ifpri.org/book-39/ourwork/programs/priorities-public-investment/speed-database IMF (for commodity prices): http://www.imf.org/external/np/res/commod/index.aspx OECD.stat OECD DAC Creditor Reporting: http://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx WB WDI: http://databank.worldbank.org/ddp/home.do?Step=12&id=4&CNO=2 Yahoo Finance: http://uk.finance.yahoo.com/ teChNICAL NoteS For reC FACtCArdS Data expressed as the combined total for member states within a Regional Economic Community (population, land area, arable land, GDP, agricultural resources) or the average (urban population growth, agricultural contribution to GDP, imports, exports, labour force in agriculture). Land area, population and urbanisation data refer to 2010. No data for South Sudan. GDP data in current US$ refer to 2010, except for Djibouti and Libya which refer to 2009. No data for Somalia and South Sudan. Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators Youth population data refer to 2010. No data for Djibouti, So Tom and Prncipe, Seychelles and South Sudan. Source: International Labour Organisation, Key Indicators of the Labour Market (KILM) database. Agriculture output data refer to 2010. No data for South Sudan. Source: EIU Country Data Tool; CIA World Factbook. Arable land and agriculture import and export data refer to 2008. No data for Djibouti and South Sudan. Source: FAO Statistical Yearbook 2010 Labour force participation in agriculture data are for the latest available year which varies for each country. No data for Benin, Botswana, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Madagascar, So Tom and Prncipe, Sierra Leone and South Sudan. Source: CIA World Factbook. Agricultural resources data are from 2010 or the latest available year. Source: Atlas de lAfrique, Les ditions du Jaguar; FAOSTAT Respective REC websites and ARIA IV, 2010, were also used. 61
ACroNYMS AAAF AAC ACP ADF AFCAS AfDB AGRA AMU ASARECA ASIF AU AWARD CAADP CAP CEN-SAD CGIAR CIA DAC DEWA DFID EAC EAFF EC ECCAS ECOWAS EIU EPA EU FAO FARA FANRPAN G8 G20 GCARD IATP ICT IDA IFAD IFPRI IIED ILO IMF IPCC ITU NEPAD OECD PAFFO PROPAC REC ROPPA RUFORUM SACAU SACP SADC SADC-FANR SPEED UMAGRI UN UNCTAD UNDP UNECA UNEP UNFPA UNHLTF UNiBRAIN UNIDO UNODC USAID WAAIF WEF WECARD WFP WDI WHO WTO
Actis Africa Agribusiness Fund African Agricultural Capital African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States African Development Fund African Commission on Agricultural Statistics African Development Bank Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa Arab Maghreb Union Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa African Seed Investment Fund African Union African Women in Agricultural Research and Development Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme Common Agricultural Policy Community of Sahel-Saharan States Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research Central Intelligence Agency Development Assistance Committee Division of Early Warning Assessment Department for International Development East African Community Eastern Africa Farmers Federation European Commission Economic Community of Central African States Economic Community of West African States Economist Intelligence Unit Economic Partnership Agreement European Union Food and Agriculture Organization Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa Food Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network Group of Eight (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, UK, USA) Group of Twenty (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, EU, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, UK, USA) Global Conferences on Agricultural Research for Development Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy Information and communication technology International Development Association International Fund for Agricultural Development International Food Policy Research Institute International Institute for Environment and Development International Labour Organization International Monetary Fund Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change International Telecommunication Union New Partnership for Africa's Development Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Pan-African Farmers Forum Plateforme Rgionale des Organisations Paysannes dAfrique Centrale Regional Economic Community Rseau des Organisations Paysannes et de Producteurs de lAfrique de lOuest Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions Southern African Cotton Producers Association Southern African Development Community Southern African Development Community Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Statistics of Public Expenditure for Economic Development Union Maghrbine des Agriculteurs United Nations United Nations Conference on Trade and Development United Nations Development Programme United Nations Economic Commission for Africa United Nations Environment Programme United Nations Population Fund United Nations High Level Task Force Universities, Business and Research in Agricultural Innovation United Nations Industrial Development Organization United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime United States Agency for International Development West African Agricultural Investment Fund World Economic Forum West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development World Food Programme World Development Indicators World Health Organization World Trade Organization 62
one in seven people are hungry in the world 12 of the 20 highest commodity price increases since 2000 are agricultural commodities Small or micro-scale farming is the primary source of livelihood for over of Africans 60 million hectares of land was purchased or leased to foreign entities in Africa in 2009 80% of smallholders in Africa own less than two hectares of land Small-scale farmers contribute over 90% of Africas agricultural production the cost of fertilisers rose 40% on average in the past year half of Africa's population will be living in cities by 2030 one in five of the worlds young people will be African in 2040 70% of Africas youth live in rural areas 18 African cities could have a combined spending power of $1.3 trillion by 2030 Less than 5% of oeCd donor aid has been allocated to agriculture since 2002 Youth make up 60% of all employment in African agriculture More than 90% of African land remains outside the formal legal system Sub-Saharan Africas post-harvest grain losses could total $4 billion a year Women represent over 50% of the agricultural labour force in sub-Saharan Africa In sub-Saharan Africa 25% of food cereal harvests are lost post-harvest Somalia has the 12th highest cardiovascular disease deaths in the world and consumes more meat and dairy than the global average top 20 African agribusinesses have a combined turnover of $21.6 billion, equal to the gdP of Cameroon the African food import bill rose from $20 billion to over $33 billion between 2001 and 2006 250 times more investment in commodity index funds between 2003 and 2008 european Common Agricultural Policy uses 40% of european Commission budget 13 African countries are consuming more meat than the global average 16 of the worlds fastest growing cities in the next 15 years will be African Africa will have the largest working age population in the world by 2040 over of African countries are net importers of agricultural products Africa imports approximately 28% of its calorie requirements there are over 925 million hungry people in the world 249% increase in average daily volume for Corn Calendar Swaps since 2010 the value of post grain losses in sub-Saharan Africa is equivalent to the value of annual cereal imports in the region Less than of LAquila commitments have been met African trade tariffs are the highest in the world and 50% higher on average than comparable tariffs in Latin America and Asia China and Brazil spend $1.8 billion and $1.1 billion respectively per year on agricultural research
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Sean Bean ‘Broken’ For BBC One; Sky’s ‘Delicious’ Adds Iain Glen & More – Global Briefs
By Nancy Tartaglione
Nancy Tartaglione
International Box Office Editor/Senior Contributor
@DeadlineNancy
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Sean Bean has been set to lead the cast of Broken, a six-part BBC One drama created by Jimmy McGovern. This marks a reteam for Bean and McGovern after the former starred in McGovern’s series Accused in 2012 and scored a Best Actor BAFTA TV Award nomination. In Broken, Bean will play Father Michael Kerrigan, a Catholic priest presiding over a Northern urban parish. Modern and maverick, yet flawed, Father Michael, like his congretation, struggles to reconcile his beliefs with the hypocrisies demanded by contemporary Britain. LA Productions is making the series for BBC One. Colin McKeown and Donna Molloy are producing for LA. Bean will exec produce as will Lucy Richer for the BBC. Bean also stars in ITV and A&E’s The Frankenstein Chronicles and is coming up in feature thriller Drone.
Written by Mr Selfridge‘s Dan Sefton, Sky’s four-part event drama, Delicious, has rounded out its cast. Joining comedienne Dawn French are Emilia Fox (The Tunnel), Iain Glen (Game Of Thrones) and Sheila Hancock (The Boy In The Striped Pajamas). Fox and French play two women who go head-to-head after being betrayed by the same man. Endemol Shine Group’s Bandit Television is producing for Sky 1. French is passionate cook Gina, who was once married to Leo (Glen), a successful entrepreneur, chef and hotel owner in Cornwall. Leo owes much of his success to Gina’s exceptional cooking, but while he’s left her for the glamorous Sam (Fox), his business continues to thrive. When Sam suspects Leo is having an affair, she confides in Gina — only to later discover that it’s Gina herself who is the other woman. Phillippa Giles is exec producer for Bandit and Anna Ferguson for Sky. Endemol Shine International is handling world rights. This is part of a Sky’s large upcoming drama slate which includes the epic Roman invasion event series Britannia on which it is partnered with Amazon.
Keshet International has closed deals for BBC One drama The A Word with Canada’s CBC and Australia’s BBC First. This follows the recent announcement at TCA that SundanceTV has committed to the second season. The first is currently airing in the U.S. Season 2 was greenlit by BBC One after S1 attracted a consolidated average audience of 5.5M and a 22 share. Morven Christie and Lee Ingleby star in the story of the Hughes family whose youngest son is diagnosed with autism. Further deals have been closed with Finland’s YLE, Iceland’s RUV, Croatia’s HRT and Slovenia’s RTV. It will also air on Israel’s YES. A local format deal was recently sealed with Greek broadcaster Alpha TV. Based on Keshet’s original series Yellow Peppers, The A Word is a co-production of Fifty Fathoms and Keshet UK.
This article was printed from https://deadline.com/2016/08/sean-bean-broken-bbc-delicious-iain-glen-emilia-fox-cast-1201798345/
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Social Media - Connect With Us
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2020 release. Daylight Savings is the follow-up to the group's debut album All News Is Good News. That album earned the band a much-deserved following across the world and triumphantly marked their arrival onto the international stage. Daylight Savings was recorded in Spring 2019, almost exactly a year after they recorded All News Is Good News. It was the weekend that daylight savings time started in Australia, and the studio was filled with the smell of the towering Jasmine bush on the exterior back wall of the house. The record is subsequently filled with the optimism that comes with the impending warmer months and longer days in Australia. Recorded in their own home studio in Melbourne, the production approach for Daylight Savings is a big step up from their debut. Engineer, Henry Jenkins, created enormous-sounding space within this record, using a great deal of creative analogue recording techniques and working in an expansive recording environment. The results are a sound that emulates the massiveness of the late-60s Capitol Records.
https://dearbornmusic.net 7119691267524
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10. The Limp
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drwilda
About Dr. Wilda
University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry study: Pet exposure may reduce allergy and obesity
University of California Irvine study: Roots of schizophrenia: Excess of methionine during pregnancy?
Landmark California case regarding teacher tenure: Vergara v. California
People become teachers for many reasons. Among the top ten reasons to become a teacher are:
1. Student Potential
2. Student Successes
3. Teaching a Subject Helps You Learn a Subject
4. Daily Humor
5. Affecting the Future
6. Staying Younger
7. Autonomy in the Classroom
8. Conducive to Family Life
9. Job Security
10. Summers Off
http://712educators.about.com/od/teacherresources/tp/teachergood.htm
Because of the recession, many are turning to teaching as a career that might have employment possibilities. Although there may be job cuts as states and some locales cope with diminishing tax revenue, the education sector still looks good in comparison with other sectors. Information about teaching requirements can be found at Education Week Career Community http://resources.topschooljobs.org/tsj/states/
The issue of teacher tenure is important because:
There is no shortage of data that show a significant percentage of teachers leave just when they are becoming consistently effective. However, at the same time, too many teachers who have not become consistently effective achieve permanent status, also referred to as tenure.
The question surrounding teacher tenure is how to protect quality teachers from unfair termination?
What is Teacher Tenure?
A good basic description of teacher tenure as found at teacher tenure. http://www.ericdigests.org/pre-925/tenure.htm James gives the following definition:
WHAT IS TENURE?
Tenure is a form of job security for teachers who have successfully completed a probationary period. Its primary purpose is to protect competent teachers from arbitrary nonrenewal of contract for reasons unrelated to the educational process — personal beliefs, personality conflicts with administrators or school board members, and the like.
WHAT PROTECTION DOES TENURE OFFER THE PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER?
The type and amount of protection vary from state to state and — depending on agreements with teachers’ unions — may even vary from school district to school district. In general, a tenured teacher is entitled to due process when he or she is threatened with dismissal or nonrenewal of contract for cause: that is, for failure to maintain some clearly defined standard that serves an educational purpose.
Time has a good summary of the history of teacher tenure at A Brief History of Tenure
http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1859505,00.html?artId=1859505?contType=article?chn=us
What are the Pros and Cons of Teacher Tenure?
One of the best concise defenses of K-12 teacher tenure is from Cleolaf’s blog at Why K12 Teachers Need Tenure The reasons are:
A) The teacher shortage is not evenly distributed. High performing schools don’t have the same problems attracting teacher. High paying district don’t have the same problems attracting teachers….
B) This really comes down to the question of why principals might want to be rid of a teacher. I would suggest that any manager would want to be rid of any employee who makes his/her job or life harder. Ideally, this would only be low performing teachers, but that is a fantasy view.
Any kind of rabble rouser can make a principal’s job harder. …Obviously, union activists are already protected by other labor laws.
C) Academic freedom in K12 is not like in higher education, that’s true. But it is still an issue.
A teacher who tries to raise the bar in his/her classes can create no end of problems for a principal. If standards in school have been too low, and a teacher demands more than students are accustomed to, students and their parents can demand enormous amounts of principal’s time. This is a different form of rocking the boat, but can still be enough for a principal to wish to be rid of the teacher.
Principals cannot be experts on everything. Once, when teaching high school English, my principal as a former middle school math teacher. He insisted that I as an English teacher, “not worry about critical and analytical thinking” and “just teach English.” Though he had no training or experience with high school English, he had ideas about what it meant. He did not approve of the fact that I was spending as much time on teaching my student how to reason as on the mechanics of writing. …
Another principal might be an old school traditionalist and insist that English classes only be about books. He might not approve of using film or video to teach about theme, plot, symbolism, character development, story arcs, allegory and any of the rest. But a teacher might feel that this would be the best way for students to learn these lessons….
No, we don’t need tenure if principals can be counted on to make good decisions in the best interests of children. But they are human, and therefore often make decisions in their own interests. Moreover, we have a real shortage of high quality principals, even as we are breaking up large schools into multiple small schools and opening up charter schools….
I do not suggest that there are not problems with our tenure system. A lot falls to principals, perhaps too much. Teacher observation and evaluation is not easy, and the tenure process in dependent on principals making good decisions about teachers during those first three years. …And that is why we still need tenure. It takes a series of bad decisions over a number of years for a poor teacher to get tenure. But without tenure, it only takes one bad decision for a good to be dismissed. http://ceolaf.blogspot.com/2008/04/why-k12-teachers-need-tenure.html
Cleolaf points toward insufficient teacher assessment and evaluation as a prime cause of problems with teacher tenure. Research confirms that good principals are key to high performing schools. Good principals are also the key in Cleolaf’s view to making a tenure system work. Vergara v. California is a California case about teacher tenure.
Jennifer Medina reported in the New York Times article, Fight Over Effective Teachers Shifts to Courtroom:
In a small, wood-paneled courtroom here this week, nine public school students are challenging California’s ironclad tenure system, arguing that their right to a good education is violated by job protections that make it too difficult to fire bad instructors. But behind the students stand a Silicon Valley technology magnate who is financing the case and an all-star cast of lawyers that includes Theodore B. Olson, the former solicitor general of the United States, who recently won the Supreme Court case that effectively overturned the state’s ban on same-sex marriage….
At issue is a set of rules that grant permanent employment status to California teachers after 18 months on the job, require a lengthy procedure to dismiss a teacher, and set up a seniority system in which the teachers most recently hired must be the first to lose their jobs when layoffs occur, as they have regularly in recent years.
Teachers’ unions, which hold powerful sway among lawmakers here, contend that the protections are necessary to ensure that teachers are not fired unfairly. Without these safeguards, the unions say, the profession will not attract new teachers….
The month long trial promises to be a closely watched national test case on employment laws for teachers, one of the most contentious debates in education. Many school superintendents and advocates across the country call such laws detrimental and anachronistic, and have pressed for the past decade for changes, with mixed success. Tenure for teachers has been eliminated in three states and in Washington, D.C., and a handful of states prohibit seniority as a factor in teacher layoffs. But in many large states with urban school districts, including California and New York, efforts to push through such changes in the legislature have repeatedly failed.
While several lawsuits demanding more money for schools have succeeded across the country, the California case is the most sweeping legal challenge claiming that students are hurt by employment laws for teachers. The case also relies on a civil rights argument that so far is untested: that poor and minority students are denied equal access to education because they are more likely to have “grossly ineffective” teachers.
Judge Rolf Michael Treu, of Los Angeles County Superior Court, will decide the nonjury trial. His ruling will almost certainly be appealed to the State Supreme Court…
The first witness for the plaintiffs was John E. Deasy, the superintendent of Los Angeles Unified School District and a staunch opponent of tenure rules and “last in, first out” seniority for teachers. Mr. Deasy testified that attempts to dismiss ineffective teachers can cost $250,000 to $450,000 and include years of appeals and legal proceedings. Often, he said, the district is forced to decide that the time and money would be too much to spend on a case with an unclear outcome, in part because a separate governing board can reinstate the teachers. Such rules make it impossible not to place ineffective teachers at schools with high poverty rates, he told the court….
Teachers’ unions contend that such job protections help schools keep the best teachers and recruit new ones to a job that is often exhausting, challenging and low paid. Mr. Finberg, the lawyer for the unions, said in court that the fact that Mr. Deasy has increased the number of ineffective teachers dismissed from the classroom — to about 100 of the district’s 30,000 teachers — suggests that the laws are working.
The plaintiffs’ legal team, from the firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, includes not only Mr. Olson, who served as solicitor general under President George W. Bush, but also Theodore J. Boutrous Jr., a lawyer for Apple in its antitrust case on e-book pricing. The lawyers and public relations firm behind Students Matter previously teamed to overturn the California ballot measure against same-sex marriage and say this case could have a similar ripple effect across the country. Among the boldface names siding publicly with the plaintiffs is Antonio R. Villaraigosa, the former mayor of Los Angeles, who joined them in a news conference outside the courthouse this week….
Teachers’ unions nationwide have fought changes in employment laws, contending that their members must be protected from capricious or vengeful administrators. In Colorado, where a sweeping law in 2010 created a new system to evaluate teachers, the unions are suing over a provision that lets principals decide whether to hire veteran teachers who lost jobs because of budget cuts or drops in enrollment.
Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, said in a telephone interview that the California case echoes the fights she had when she led the teachers’ union in New York, and called the lawsuit “worse than troubling….”
State education laws across the country are changing. School districts in 29 states use poor effectiveness as grounds for dismissal, according to a report released Thursday by the National Council on Teacher Quality, a Washington-based think tank that tracks teacher policies. Just five years ago, no states allowed student performance to be considered in teachers’ evaluations, said Kate Walsh, the executive director of the center. Now, 20 states require such data.
“We have really seen mountains move in some places — the trend in the country has been toward meaningful ways to evaluate teachers and to use that evaluation to make tenure decisions,” Ms. Walsh said in an interview. “But I don’t think anyone has figured out how to implement them particularly well yet.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/01/education/fight-over-effective-teachers-shifts-to-courtroom.html?ref=education&_r=0
See, Students Matter http://studentsmatter.org/
Here is the case summary for Vergara v. California:
Vergara v. California Case Summary: Californians shouldn’t have to choose: we can create an education system that gives every child a passionate, motivating and effective teacher and gives effective teachers the respect and rewarding careers they deserve. We believe every child, everywhere, deserves great teachers, and so does the California Supreme Court and the California Constitution. The California Supreme Court has long recognized that equal opportunity to access quality education is every child’s fundamental constitutional right.
With the help of Students Matter, nine California public school children filed the statewide lawsuit Vergara v. California against the State of California in May 2012 to strike down the laws handcuffing schools from doing what’s best for kids when it comes to teachers. Meet the Plaintiffs.
We think it’s simple: reward and retain passionate, motivating, effective teachers and hold those accountable who are failing our children. By striking down the following laws, Vergara v. California will create an opportunity for lawmakers, teachers, administrators and community leaders to design a system that’s good for teachers and students. Because when it comes to educating our kids, there should only be winners.
Permanent Employment Statute: The permanent employment law forces administrators to either grant or deny permanent employment to teachers after only 18 months—before new teachers even complete their beginner teacher programs and before administrators are able to assess whether a teacher will be effective long-term.
Dismissal Statutes: The process for dismissing a single ineffective teacher involves a borderline infinite number of steps, requires years of documentation, costs hundreds of thousands of dollars and still, rarely ever works. In the past 10 years in the entire state of California, only 91 teachers have been dismissed, and the vast majority of those dismissals were for egregious conduct. Only 19 dismissals were based, in whole or in part, on unsatisfactory performance.
“Last-In, First-Out” Layoff Statute: The LIFO law reduces teachers to faceless seniority numbers. The LIFO law forces administrators to let go of passionate and motivating newer teachers and keep ineffective teachers instead, just because they have seniority.
In May 2013, the state’s two largest teachers unions, the California Teachers Association and the California Federation of Teachers, intervened in the case to defend these statutes alongside the State. The 20-day trial for Vergara v. California begins on January 27, 2014.
View the full Vergara v. California case timeline and read about what happens if we win.
http://studentsmatter.org/our-case/vergara-v-california-case-status/timeline/
http://studentsmatter.org/our-case/vergara-v-california-case-summary/if-we-win/
Also, view and download a one-pager on Students Matter and the Vergara v. California lawsuit.
Click to access SM_One-Pager-FINAL_01.25.14.pdf
http://studentsmatter.org/our-case/vergara-v-california-case-summary/
Another view of teacher tenure is found at Teacher Tenure: A Life Sentence for Kids This paper begins with the following case:
In 1986, after school administrators in the El Cajon School District in California spent years documenting the more than 400 reasons for why high school English teacher Juliet Ellory was an unfit teacher, the district finally succeeded in firing her. It cost the district more than $300,000 and eight years of preparing and litigating the case. According to the overwhelming evidence against her, Ms. Ellory “hardly ever lectured,gave baffling assignments, belittled students and ignored repeated efforts by the high school principal to get her to improve.”1 Ellory’s tenure status had protected her from automatic dismissal. Though stories such as this one do not depict the average K-12 teacher, they are sufficiently widespread to provoke criticism and concern about the state of our public schools, as well as skepticism regarding the actual benefits of teacher tenure. http://www.luc.edu/media/lucedu/law/centers/childlaw/childed/pdfs/2009studentpapers/roulbet_teacher_tenure.pdf
A key component of reforming teacher tenure is an improved evaluation system for teachers, which focuses on improving traits that produce student achievement.
The Center has produced a report, which focuses on teacher evaluation. Teacher Evaluation Proper evaluation seems to be key to both addressing many problems teacher tenure was developed to protect from faulty evaluation of a teacher and to improve the quality of those in the teaching profession. Evaluation is just one component, however. New teachers need a proper induction into the profession and mentors to help them hone their skills and methods of teaching. If problems emerge, teachers need proper training and coaching to progress.
No matter where a teacher is in their career lifecycle, they will be confronting the issues of elimination of teacher tenure and more rigorous teacher evaluation. Increasingly, one component of teacher evaluation will focus on whether students are showing academic achievement gains. The point of contention, which may provoke disagreement between the evaluator and the teacher is how student achievement is measured.
In times of recession, all jobs become more difficult to find and often job seekers do not have the luxury of finding the perfect job. New teachers may find jobs in schools often considered less desirable or schools led by principals who are not considered to be leaders or supporters of their staff. Not all learning occurs during the academic portion of your life’s journey. If one finds that the first job is not the perfect opportunity, then prepare for the time you will find the perfect opportunity. Look for a teacher(s) you admire and who are successful and model what has made them successful. People who are skilled and become expert at their craft or profession will weather whatever change comes along, whether it is an elimination or modification of tenure and changes to the way evaluations are conducted.
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Tags: A Brief History of Tenure, Education Reform, Fight Over Effective Teachers Shifts to Courtroom, Landmark California case regarding teacher tenure: Vergara v. California, Pros and Cons of Teacher Tenure?, Students Matter, Teacher Evaluation, Teacher Evalutation, Teacher Quality, Teacher Tenure, Vergara v. California
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One Response to “Landmark California case regarding teacher tenure: Vergara v. California”
Gallup report: American teachers stressed and it may be affecting students | drwilda - April 10, 2014
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writings from a black perspective
Space Is Our Place: Notes on Southern Electronics
by Ryan Clarke
A tweet from a dear friend kickstarted so much thought in my head for how to give context to concepts I had in mind for my thoughts on Southern Electronics. The tweet is in response to someone longing for the powerhouse vocals we once heard on the radio decades past; “ …it’s bc nobody go to church and everybody has 6 roommates, so we just gotta whisper now”. On its surface, this perfect comment alludes to the new stream of Black soul that has all but branded this mood-vibe-kickback generation of Black people but also speaks to a ruthless stripping of space and a culture for where we have to make do with what little space we have left. I’m no hater of the whisper singers, but it’s a perfect analogy of just how much space dictates the art we in turn value so much. In the past, there was enough leeway for the Black diaspora to create their own spaces with churches and the like. Even prior to this, as we continued to labor in bondage, Black folk created transcendence in the cotton field. What was done to help to pass the time for our elders became the spaces in which most popular music around the world bases itself off of.
As time went on, we later found space outside of rural areas and into cities. These metropolitan areas of yore allowed for spaces for black creatives to trail-blaze sounds unheard. In New Orleans, proto-jazz was documented to be in Congo Square, an area where slaves were allowed to convene and dance to various percussions and hand-me-down brass instruments every Sunday. Later on in the Treme, Jazz proper was crafted by brass players playing late club night riffing alongside sex workers and dancers in these bars. It is from these seeds of which Black music (see: soul) propagated upriver alongside coastlines, and into northern industrial cities. Gospel, RnB, Soul, Funk, gave turn to Disco, House, Techno, Bounce, and Garage.
And as much devotion we lend towards these genres, we must also give respect for the spaces in which they inhabit. Black ownership of the Church lent itself for its true exaltation; one without worries of being too loud or hoping a landlord wouldn’t peek their head in and ask not-so politely to turn it down a little. Barry Gordon of Motown fame owned Hitsville, USA outright and could bring whomever he so pleased into the studio to begin working on whatever they wanted to. Robert Williams, owner of US Studios, colloquially known as ‘The Warehouse’ thrived not only due to the legendary DJ’s like Frankie Knuckles having residency there but because they felt safe enough to call it that space home in the first place. Detroit techno ballooned into its worldwide machine it is today from due to shells of automotive production warehouses. Places like the Packard was a petri dish to cultivate experimental sciences and sounds that those into the techno scene now still use as a blueprint for the culture today. The Packard contained so much space (even a bomb shelter two levels below the surface; enough space to play raves from sunrise to set to rise.) where multiple DJs can bounce energies off of each other for hours without worry. White people in Berlin did something similar with Tresor but they bought the property outright, therefore still being able to play many a show there, unlike in Detroit. Once those in power saw the value they had once willingly exiled in their own great migration of white flight, these properties were stripped from us under the guise of imminent domain only to sit as lifeless brick shells once again. Reggae as a movement became what it is today not only due to the forerunners that created the sound and soundsystems, but had a whole island to experiment on.
The northern-most Caribbean city, New Orleans, bled experiments through project walls across the wards citywide that, for better or for worse, white people wanted nothing to do with. After Katrina, demolition, speculation, and the gentrification that followed collapsed all the monuments that can now only be heard on the songs of the 80’s and 90’s (Calliope Projects, Magnolia Projects, and streets like Melpomene are now overrun by too expensive art galleries. The density of the UK cityscape forced musicians to escape into the forest for night raves where in 1992 concluded in a laundry list of electronic genres still being spoken about 30 years later. Soon this was taken away from us with the crackdown on electronic music in the 90’s. Even intangible space can be taken by those in power by looking at Pirate Radio as an example. Boats offshore spread the revolutionary notion of free music being signaled into homes. Space, even airwaves, have the innate ability to breed culture and if the space can be taken and rewritten, so can our culture.
The slow cancellation of the future Mark Fisher now legendarily wrote on in his seminal writings on Hauntology are inherently connected to the introduction of late stage capitalism. Land acquisitions, predatory building zonation, gentrification in cities, land loss, sea level rise, water toxicity, flooding and resource rationing are functions of a system that could care less about the cultivation of culture. The banning or shuttering of, pirate radio, warehouse raves, and clubs that provide a space for people who feel like they can’t be themselves or a community in any other capacity are shining examples of this bleak future we’re in. These clubs are our churches and the parasitic virality of capitalism builds the walls to separate us— turning our powerhouse vocals back into whispers.
But we have the ability to wreck these walls and find ourselves in an open hall once again to yell as much as we want to. This future can be in front if you choose it to be. To continue to take note from Mark Fisher, his ideology of Acid Communism can guide us into the coming days now increasingly becoming more unsure. Acid Communism is a mindset in which to imagine new ways to imagine our future. To begin to think of ways of finally moving past of the dreadful dead end of capitalism and all the poison that spawns from it. To disregard what capitalism as done for what we believe to be the path ahead. We can no longer imagine our future as a dystopic repetition of cultures past, but something wholly new and unseen. To break past how we even view what a future looks like. In many ways, our current moment is a ripe breeding ground to imagine new Black futures. We have the to ability to imagine something better for ourselves than this present moment and we must commune into a power strong enough to build our own possibilities.
And as Black people we have so much reason to fight. Southern Electronics is the overarching theory that recontextualizes the past, present, future as being completely dictated by the creation of Black art. Black people are the dependent variable in the progression of civilization, not a function of it. Turntablism in the 80’s, instrumentation across time, recording equipment, sound-systems have found advancement solely due to fervor and demand as Black people create the necessity for these products. Japanese products such as the direct drive Technic’s turntables, Pioneer CDJ’s, and Roland drum machines have no reason to exist and/or improve without us. They want we have. Building actual speakers that resemble the function of Jamaican sound systems, improvement on vinyl from wax cylinders to 78 rpm to 33 rpm to better hear the jazz better we made, technology is most in dialog with black people. So for our future we should connect with this technology to find a space where we can prepare for futures unknown.
DeForrest Brown Jr.’s ‘Assembling A Black Counter Culture’ speak directly to need of imagining a black future disconnection from the overwhelming weight of capitalism, using Techno and its elders as astronomical guideposts in the discovery of what it means to consolidate our power into a better future unavoidable. We hope that this platform can stoke that ember in you and be yet another sire in the fog to call more people into this Black acid future. Join Us. Help us capture the ephemeral yet again. Help us remember what we’ve always known.
Louisiana-born Ryan Clarke is based in Louisiana. He’s currently studying for his doctorate in coastal geology at Tulane University. Knowing intimately the ways in his home is at great risk of physical and cultural erasure, he finds way to not only quantitatively document this loss in his research, but also qualitatively with works that try to personally unpack the plethoric connections Black people have with the Mississippi Delta and its tributaries. Through the lens of Jazz, New Orleans Bounce, Detroit Techno, and Chicago House, he views the progression of technology and culture at-large as byproduct of Black innovation under the theory known as “Southern Electronics”.
Categories musicTagswriting3 Comments
3 thoughts on “Space Is Our Place: Notes on Southern Electronics”
Chloe N Fourte says:
Yooo, thank you Ryan. This was beautifully written 🙌🏾✨
I’m currently reading Alvin toffler’s the third wave and have had ideas of black futurism swimming in my head. I think you make an amazing point about the intersection of black autonomy, space, innovation and technology. We are the future no doubt.
This made me think of WEB Dubois data visualizations “Visualizing Black America”. At the beginning of the book they touch on his short story “The Princess Steel” in which he imagines a telescope like machine able to view the “Great Near”. Blackness, the Future, and Tech seem to be inseperable though
the system keeps trying its to keep black people from participating in the proliferation of the future and out of the economy of new tech. We aren’t going anywhere though:)
just not seeing these messages! still getting into wordpress as you can see. To your point on “we are the future no doubt” im happy to take that a step further and we’re the structure on which the past, present, and future is dependent upon to progress. Before our common concept towards what we consider technology, we were technology! definitely the first humans to experience a post environment/modernity/humanity. and theres so many cases to say that we still are the technology. a bunch to say on that but black futurism/accelerationism is all too real…
ill have to dive into those books sometime soon
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Prostaglandin E2 stimulates adaptive IL-22 production and promotes allergic contact dermatitis
Calum T. Robb, Henry J. McSorley, Jinju Lee, Tomohiro Aoki, Cunjing Yu, Siobhan Crittenden, Anne Astier, Jennifer M. Felton, Nicholas Parkinson, Adane Ayele, Richard M. Breyer, Stephen M. Anderton, Shuh Narumiya, Adriano G. Rossi, Sarah E. Howie, Emma Guttman-Yassky, Richard B. Weller, Chengcan Yao
Cell Signalling and Immunology
Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) and allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) are both forms of eczema and are common inflammatory skin diseases with a central role of T cell-derived IL-22 in their pathogenesis. Although prostaglandin (PG) E 2 is known to promote inflammation, little is known about its role in processes related to AD and ACD development, including IL-22 upregulation.
Objectives: We sought to investigate whether PGE 2 has a role in IL-22 induction and development of ACD, which has increased prevalence in patients with AD.
Methods: T-cell cultures and in vivo sensitization of mice with haptens were used to assess the role of PGE 2 in IL-22 production. The involvement of PGE 2 receptors and their downstream signals was also examined. The effects of PGE 2 were evaluated by using the oxazolone-induced ACD mouse model. The relationship of PGE 2 and IL-22 signaling pathways in skin inflammation were also investigated by using genomic profiling in human lesional AD skin.
Results: PGE 2 induces IL-22 from T cells through its receptors, E prostanoid receptor (EP) 2 and EP4, and involves cyclic AMP signaling. Selective deletion of EP4 in T cells prevents hapten-induced IL-22 production in vivo, and limits atopic-like skin inflammation in the oxazolone-induced ACD model. Moreover, both PGE 2 and IL-22 pathway genes were coordinately upregulated in human AD lesional skin but were at less than significant detection levels after corticosteroid or UVB treatments.
Conclusions: Our results define a crucial role for PGE 2 in promoting ACD by facilitating IL-22 production from T cells.
Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaci.2017.04.045
Allergic contact dermatitis
CD4 T cells
prostaglandin E
T 17 cells
10.1016/j.jaci.2017.04.045
Fingerprint Dive into the research topics of 'Prostaglandin E<sub>2</sub> stimulates adaptive IL-22 production and promotes allergic contact dermatitis'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.
interleukin-22 Medicine & Life Sciences
Allergic Contact Dermatitis Medicine & Life Sciences
Prostaglandins E Medicine & Life Sciences
Dinoprostone Medicine & Life Sciences
Atopic Dermatitis Medicine & Life Sciences
T-Lymphocytes Medicine & Life Sciences
Oxazolone Medicine & Life Sciences
Haptens Medicine & Life Sciences
Robb, C. T., McSorley, H. J., Lee, J., Aoki, T., Yu, C., Crittenden, S., Astier, A., Felton, J. M., Parkinson, N., Ayele, A., Breyer, R. M., Anderton, S. M., Narumiya, S., Rossi, A. G., Howie, S. E., Guttman-Yassky, E., Weller, R. B., & Yao, C. (2018). Prostaglandin E2 stimulates adaptive IL-22 production and promotes allergic contact dermatitis. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 141(1), 152-162. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaci.2017.04.045
Robb, Calum T. ; McSorley, Henry J. ; Lee, Jinju ; Aoki, Tomohiro ; Yu, Cunjing ; Crittenden, Siobhan ; Astier, Anne ; Felton, Jennifer M. ; Parkinson, Nicholas ; Ayele, Adane ; Breyer, Richard M. ; Anderton, Stephen M. ; Narumiya, Shuh ; Rossi, Adriano G. ; Howie, Sarah E. ; Guttman-Yassky, Emma ; Weller, Richard B. ; Yao, Chengcan. / Prostaglandin E2 stimulates adaptive IL-22 production and promotes allergic contact dermatitis. In: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2018 ; Vol. 141, No. 1. pp. 152-162.
@article{baf294649f89420090c0c1f1127b8c3c,
title = "Prostaglandin E2 stimulates adaptive IL-22 production and promotes allergic contact dermatitis",
abstract = " Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) and allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) are both forms of eczema and are common inflammatory skin diseases with a central role of T cell-derived IL-22 in their pathogenesis. Although prostaglandin (PG) E 2 is known to promote inflammation, little is known about its role in processes related to AD and ACD development, including IL-22 upregulation.Objectives: We sought to investigate whether PGE 2 has a role in IL-22 induction and development of ACD, which has increased prevalence in patients with AD.Methods: T-cell cultures and in vivo sensitization of mice with haptens were used to assess the role of PGE 2 in IL-22 production. The involvement of PGE 2 receptors and their downstream signals was also examined. The effects of PGE 2 were evaluated by using the oxazolone-induced ACD mouse model. The relationship of PGE 2 and IL-22 signaling pathways in skin inflammation were also investigated by using genomic profiling in human lesional AD skin.Results: PGE 2 induces IL-22 from T cells through its receptors, E prostanoid receptor (EP) 2 and EP4, and involves cyclic AMP signaling. Selective deletion of EP4 in T cells prevents hapten-induced IL-22 production in vivo, and limits atopic-like skin inflammation in the oxazolone-induced ACD model. Moreover, both PGE 2 and IL-22 pathway genes were coordinately upregulated in human AD lesional skin but were at less than significant detection levels after corticosteroid or UVB treatments.Conclusions: Our results define a crucial role for PGE 2 in promoting ACD by facilitating IL-22 production from T cells. ",
keywords = "Allergic contact dermatitis, atopic dermatitis, CD4 T cells, IL-22, prostaglandin E, T 17 cells, T 22 cells",
author = "Robb, {Calum T.} and McSorley, {Henry J.} and Jinju Lee and Tomohiro Aoki and Cunjing Yu and Siobhan Crittenden and Anne Astier and Felton, {Jennifer M.} and Nicholas Parkinson and Adane Ayele and Breyer, {Richard M.} and Anderton, {Stephen M.} and Shuh Narumiya and Rossi, {Adriano G.} and Howie, {Sarah E.} and Emma Guttman-Yassky and Weller, {Richard B.} and Chengcan Yao",
doi = "10.1016/j.jaci.2017.04.045",
journal = "Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology",
Robb, CT, McSorley, HJ, Lee, J, Aoki, T, Yu, C, Crittenden, S, Astier, A, Felton, JM, Parkinson, N, Ayele, A, Breyer, RM, Anderton, SM, Narumiya, S, Rossi, AG, Howie, SE, Guttman-Yassky, E, Weller, RB & Yao, C 2018, 'Prostaglandin E2 stimulates adaptive IL-22 production and promotes allergic contact dermatitis', Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, vol. 141, no. 1, pp. 152-162. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaci.2017.04.045
Prostaglandin E2 stimulates adaptive IL-22 production and promotes allergic contact dermatitis. / Robb, Calum T.; McSorley, Henry J.; Lee, Jinju; Aoki, Tomohiro; Yu, Cunjing; Crittenden, Siobhan; Astier, Anne; Felton, Jennifer M.; Parkinson, Nicholas; Ayele, Adane; Breyer, Richard M.; Anderton, Stephen M.; Narumiya, Shuh; Rossi, Adriano G.; Howie, Sarah E.; Guttman-Yassky, Emma; Weller, Richard B.; Yao, Chengcan.
In: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Vol. 141, No. 1, 01.2018, p. 152-162.
T1 - Prostaglandin E2 stimulates adaptive IL-22 production and promotes allergic contact dermatitis
AU - Robb, Calum T.
AU - McSorley, Henry J.
AU - Lee, Jinju
AU - Aoki, Tomohiro
AU - Yu, Cunjing
AU - Crittenden, Siobhan
AU - Astier, Anne
AU - Felton, Jennifer M.
AU - Parkinson, Nicholas
AU - Ayele, Adane
AU - Breyer, Richard M.
AU - Anderton, Stephen M.
AU - Narumiya, Shuh
AU - Rossi, Adriano G.
AU - Howie, Sarah E.
AU - Guttman-Yassky, Emma
AU - Weller, Richard B.
AU - Yao, Chengcan
N2 - Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) and allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) are both forms of eczema and are common inflammatory skin diseases with a central role of T cell-derived IL-22 in their pathogenesis. Although prostaglandin (PG) E 2 is known to promote inflammation, little is known about its role in processes related to AD and ACD development, including IL-22 upregulation.Objectives: We sought to investigate whether PGE 2 has a role in IL-22 induction and development of ACD, which has increased prevalence in patients with AD.Methods: T-cell cultures and in vivo sensitization of mice with haptens were used to assess the role of PGE 2 in IL-22 production. The involvement of PGE 2 receptors and their downstream signals was also examined. The effects of PGE 2 were evaluated by using the oxazolone-induced ACD mouse model. The relationship of PGE 2 and IL-22 signaling pathways in skin inflammation were also investigated by using genomic profiling in human lesional AD skin.Results: PGE 2 induces IL-22 from T cells through its receptors, E prostanoid receptor (EP) 2 and EP4, and involves cyclic AMP signaling. Selective deletion of EP4 in T cells prevents hapten-induced IL-22 production in vivo, and limits atopic-like skin inflammation in the oxazolone-induced ACD model. Moreover, both PGE 2 and IL-22 pathway genes were coordinately upregulated in human AD lesional skin but were at less than significant detection levels after corticosteroid or UVB treatments.Conclusions: Our results define a crucial role for PGE 2 in promoting ACD by facilitating IL-22 production from T cells.
AB - Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) and allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) are both forms of eczema and are common inflammatory skin diseases with a central role of T cell-derived IL-22 in their pathogenesis. Although prostaglandin (PG) E 2 is known to promote inflammation, little is known about its role in processes related to AD and ACD development, including IL-22 upregulation.Objectives: We sought to investigate whether PGE 2 has a role in IL-22 induction and development of ACD, which has increased prevalence in patients with AD.Methods: T-cell cultures and in vivo sensitization of mice with haptens were used to assess the role of PGE 2 in IL-22 production. The involvement of PGE 2 receptors and their downstream signals was also examined. The effects of PGE 2 were evaluated by using the oxazolone-induced ACD mouse model. The relationship of PGE 2 and IL-22 signaling pathways in skin inflammation were also investigated by using genomic profiling in human lesional AD skin.Results: PGE 2 induces IL-22 from T cells through its receptors, E prostanoid receptor (EP) 2 and EP4, and involves cyclic AMP signaling. Selective deletion of EP4 in T cells prevents hapten-induced IL-22 production in vivo, and limits atopic-like skin inflammation in the oxazolone-induced ACD model. Moreover, both PGE 2 and IL-22 pathway genes were coordinately upregulated in human AD lesional skin but were at less than significant detection levels after corticosteroid or UVB treatments.Conclusions: Our results define a crucial role for PGE 2 in promoting ACD by facilitating IL-22 production from T cells.
KW - Allergic contact dermatitis
KW - atopic dermatitis
KW - CD4 T cells
KW - IL-22
KW - prostaglandin E
KW - T 17 cells
U2 - 10.1016/j.jaci.2017.04.045
DO - 10.1016/j.jaci.2017.04.045
JO - Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
JF - Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
Robb CT, McSorley HJ, Lee J, Aoki T, Yu C, Crittenden S et al. Prostaglandin E2 stimulates adaptive IL-22 production and promotes allergic contact dermatitis. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2018 Jan;141(1):152-162. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaci.2017.04.045
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Introduction Highlights of the Asthma Summit 2009: Beyond the Guidelines Michael A. Kaliner, MD,1 and Judith R. Farrar, PhD2
sthma affects more than 22 million persons in the United States, including more than 6 million children. In the past 2 decades, the gap between science and clinical practice has been narrowed by better understanding of asthma pathophysiology and improvements in therapeutic approaches, which have been well described in national and international management guidelines.1,2 Nonetheless, the disease remains a substantial burden for patients, families, and health-care systems. Current guidelines call for treatment decisions to be based on assessments of disease severity.1,2 These assessments must be regular, as asthma is not a stable or static disease. Furthermore, assessment questions must be specific and address the 2 components of disease severity. One is impairment, which is characterized by symptoms, nighttime awakenings, changes in normal activities, lung function, and use of short-acting -agonists for symptom control. The second is risk, defined as the propensity for exacerbations, treatment-related side effects, and progressive loss of lung function over a period of time. Although impairment can be quantified effectively and is well addressed by current treatment approaches, the same cannot be said for risk. However, risk will have a more profound effect on patients’ disease over time. There are differences among the major asthma guidelines, and whether the differences can be (or need to be) reconciled is not yet clear. If so, the next question is whether guidelines should be universal and standardized internationally. These questions were the focus of interesting, and sometimes controversial, dialogue at the inaugural Asthma From the 1Institute for Asthma and Allergy, Wheaton and Chevy Chase, MD, and George Washington University School of Medicine, Washington, DC; and 2LifeSciences Press, Canandaigua, NY. These Proceedings are sponsored by LifeSciences Press, LLC, and supported by an unrestricted educational grant from Sepracor, Inc. All content has been derived from the Asthma Summit 2009, which was sponsored by SRxA Institute for Professional Education and Medical Education Resources and funded by unrestricted educational grants from Sepracor, Inc.; Abbot Laboratories; Graceway Pharmaceuticals; Strategic BioSciences; and the TREAT Foundation. Correspondence to: Judith R. Farrar, PhD, Editor-in-Chief, LifeSciences Press, 4385 Recreation Drive, #206, Canandaigua, NY 14424. Telephone: 585-905-0839. Fax: 866-876-2340. E-mail: [email protected] Copyright © 2010 by World Allergy Organization
WAO Journal ●
Summit held in Baltimore, MD, in February, 2009. International key opinion leaders, physicians, and scientists convened to discuss state-of-the-art issues in asthma genetics, pharmacotherapeutics, and clinical management. Entitled, Beyond the Guidelines, the Summit explored how to “operationalize” the concepts of asthma control, dosing flexibility, and heterogeneity of disease to help clinicians improve patient care. Chaired by William Busse, MD, a distinguished faculty of international prestige, including Jean Bousquet, MD; Chris Brightling, MD; William Calhoun, MD; G. Walter Canonica, MD; Gene Colice, MD; Frederick Hargreave, MD; Erwin Gelfand, MD; and Stephen Lazarus, MD, presented the most current clinical aspects of their research. The research presentations were followed by interactive panels, workshops, and debates with the goal of applying the findings to everyday patient issues. The program was developed by a steering committee that included Bradley Chipps, MD; Peter Dicpinigaitis, MD; Michael Kaliner, MD; Allan Luskin, MD; Sheldon Spector, MD; and William Storms, MD. It is evident that many patients with asthma want to reduce their medications, but whether treatment can be flexible has been a matter of debate. In addition, new treatment approaches, such as those that address early life events, multiphase aspects of inflammation, or allergic factors, have not been explored fully. Consideration of these questions and further improvement of asthma management will require a view of asthma not as a single disease, but as one with many ramifications and end points. Furthermore, although guidelines provide direction on how to treat patients with asthma, it is likely that treatments will have to become more patient specific. These are some of the issues discussed by faculty and attendees at the Asthma Summit, which are captured in the following articles and discussion. REFERENCES 1. National Asthma Education and Prevention Program and National Heart, LaBI. Expert Panel Report 3: Guidelines for the diagnosis and management of asthma. National Institutes of Health Publication No. 07– 4051; 2007. 2. Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA). Global strategy for asthma management and prevention; 2008. Available at: http://www.ginasthma.org. Accessed January 2009.
Summary and recommendations: highlights of the asthma summit 2009: beyond the guidelines.
Section 3. A discussion of flexible dosing and patient-centered therapy: highlights of the asthma summit 2009: beyond the guidelines.
Section 2. Exercise-Induced Bronchospasm: Albuterol versus Montelukast: Highlights of the Asthma Summit 2009: Beyond the Guidelines.
Section 1. EPR-3 versus GINA 2008 Guidelines - Asthma Control and Step 3 Care: Highlights of the Asthma Summit 2009: Beyond the Guidelines.
Section 4. What the guidelines have missed: a general discussion of the faculty: highlights of the asthma summit 2009: beyond the guidelines.
Introduction to the proceedings of the summit.
July 2009: This Month's Highlights.
AHA guidelines for the management of ST-elevation myocardial infarction and beyond.
Introduction: clinical ethics beyond the urban hospital.
WONCA Europe 2009: reflections and personal highlights.
Research highlights: cell separation at the bench and beyond.
Recombinant DNA research: beyond the NIH guidelines.
Beyond the Guidelines: Practical lessons for monitoring.
Haemophilia care - beyond the treatment guidelines.
Asthma guidelines: the Global Initiative for Asthma in relation to national guidelines.
Recommendations of the summit.
Introduction: Beyond bulk semen parameters.
[Review of the latest guidelines of cardiometabolic disease. Introduction].
Beyond the guidelines of paediatric septic shock: A focused review.
Management of hypertension in CKD: beyond the guidelines.
Guidelines for management of asthma.
The power of the summit.
The use of anti-IgE therapy beyond allergic asthma.
ESCF care guidelines beyond Europe.
Introduction highlights of the asthma summit 2009: beyond the guidelines.
Introduction highlights of the asthma summit 2009: beyond the guidelines. - PDF Download Free
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Sparkbound by C.R. Barlow
Author:C.R. Barlow [Barlow, C.R.] , Date: January 14, 2021 ,Views: 19
Author:C.R. Barlow [Barlow, C.R.]
Publisher: UNKNOWN
"It's not your fault."
Ingrid shrugged, not looking at her friend. Ashley could say whatever she liked, but the fact remained that Lolita had wanted to see her and she hadn't gone.
Maybe if she had, Lolita wouldn't have been there to open the gates for the elves. Wouldn't have sent out a magical shockwave to aid in their escape. Maybe those three hundred people would still be alive. Maybe if she hadn't pushed Lolita away so cruelly, she would never have gotten mixed up with the elves in the first place.
Ashley stood and shook her head, putting her hands on her hips. "The events leading to the massacre were in play for months, maybe even years, before it actually happened. Whatever you did or did not do on that day wouldn't have changed anything. And, for that matter, if Lolita wanted you to meet her were the massacre took place, she was planning on kidnapping or killing you."
Ingrid flinched and shook her head. "We weren't going to be anywhere near there."
"Then she either had no intention of showing up, or was going to use you as an alibi. You have nothing to feel guilty about."
"Words only give me so much peace," Ingrid whispered, her eyes filling with tears. "I loved her, Ashley. She was⦠she was my best friend. I thought I could trust her with everything."
Ashley studied her. Ingrid stared back, but her friend had always been impossible to read. She was trained to keep a rein on her emotions and she didâa tight rein that never slipped. Even when they were both just entering puberty and all the emotions that came with it, Ashley was always calm and in control of herself.
"Did you sleep with her?"
Ingrid's cheeks flushed as memories of being wrapped in Lolita's arms flashed through her mind. "I told you we were lovers."
"That doesn't necessarily mean sex."
Ingrid sighed. "Yes. We slept together. It was so cold on Pluto that often it was the only way to keep warm, to⦠share body heat."
And most of the time that was all they did. They combined their blankets and slept with their arms around each other, the soft rise and falls of their chests in unison. There was something so intimate about sleeping next to another warm body, depending on that warmth to keep yourself warm. More intimate than sex with Edan in the comfort of the palace had been.
"Okay, because I don't like how you're splitting hairs; did you two have sex?"
Ingrid's face went crimson. She nodded. "She was my first."
Ashley's face remained impassive. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I'm over her. She and I are the past andâ"
"I meant when you first came back to Earth. Why didn't you tell me then? Why have you waited all these years to tell me something so important?" A note of hurt slipped into Ashley's usually perfectly controlled voice. "Didn't you trust me?"
"I was ashamed."
Ashley's brow furrowed. "What for? I knew you were bisexual. It's not like there is anything to be ashamed ofâ"
"Because I was technically still with Edan when I slept with her.
Sparkbound by C.R. Barlow.epub
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Main > News > The British Virgin Islands’ Government has signed new legislation regarding Beneficial Ownership
The British Virgin Islands’ Government has signed new legislation regarding Beneficial Ownership
By adminin News
The British Virgin Islands’ Government has signed new legislation regarding Beneficial Ownership & Technical Protocol with the UK which will come into force in June later this year, which is hoped to improve the exchange of beneficial ownership information between the UK & BVI law enforcement for taxation rulings.
As per the agreement, the UK Government will treat the BVI’s Corporate Service Provider Model as a legitimate equivalent to the UK’s public registry of beneficial ownership. BVI’s model will also incorporate an online platform called BOSSs (Beneficial Ownership Secure Search System) in an attempt to modernise and innovate the current systems and processes.
The launch of the platform is scheduled for June and will allow all beneficial ownership information to be shared with the UK within a 24 hour period. It will also provide BVI authorities immediate access to verified beneficial ownership information on any company registered in the British Virgin Islands.
Information to be submitted on the BOSS platform will include:
Company name.
Incorporation number.
Registered Office Address.
Incorporation date.
Beneficial Owner details will include the following:
Beneficial Owner name.
Beneficial Owner date of birth.
Beneficial Owner Particulars such as passport number.
Status of Entity (whether active or inactive etc.).
Date Liquidation commenced & completed (where applicable).
Reasons as to why any information is incomplete or not provided.
Each agent registered with the system will have their own user profile and secured space to store the required information (as listed above).
Each user profile will be:
Unique, secure and totally separate to any other registered agent on the platform.
Encrypted by the registered agent and inline with industry standards (at AES-256 bits) to prevent data being accessed through spyware.
Can be accessed only by a registered user using a registered computer in order to ensure full confidentiality.
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Retiree suspects burglars in his shed, installs hidden camera and cannot believe the footage
Stephen Mckears, a 72 year old from south Gloucestershire in England, began to question his mind when he noticed objects had been moved in his storage shed overnight.
Could it be burglars? Could it be a ghost?
He noticed tools moved around and screws placed in different boxes over again and wondered what or who the culprit could be.
To ease his mind and get to the bottom of this strange phenomena he installed a camera and couldn’t believe his eyes when he viewed the footage.
“I didn’t know what it was at first. The kids were saying it was a ghost,” Stephen told the Daily Mail.
“One day I emptied the tub out and spread the contents on the side – and the next day they were all back in again. I thought I was going mad.”
He decided to borrow his friend’s camera and install it in his storage shed to find out who was responsible for all this nightly movement.
Facebook / Stephen Mckears
The 72-year-old asked his friend and neighbor Rodney Holbrook for help.When he viewed the footage he couldn’t believe the two hours of activity he saw. The video has been shared around the world.
The culprit was revealed as a mouse, who managed to lift objects twice his size as he worked for two hours every night tidying Stephen’s shed.
“I’ve been calling him Brexit Mouse because he’s been stockpiling for Brexit.,” says Stephen Mckears, according to the boredpanda site.
Describing how strong the mouse is Stephen added, “The heaviest thing was the plastic attachment at the end of a hose pipe – and the chain of an electric drill.”
Neighbor Rodney Holbrook, a keen wildlife photographer, was delighted with the discovery.
“I’ve been calling him Metal Mickey but some people have been saying he’s just mouse proud,” he said.
“I was quite amazed to see it – it is an amazing mouse.”
It seems that the mouse mainly works between midnight and 02.30 a.m. and has stuck to this routine for about a month.
People who have seen the incredible video are as shocked as Stephen and Rodney.
“I am willing to pay the mouse any amount of cheese it wants if it comes and shows my kids how to tidy up,” writes Facebook user Rowan Stokes.
“Where is this mouse and does he want to live with me? ”Fleur de Carteret wrote.
Check out the mouse’s cleaning routine in the video below!
What an incredible little creature! Hit Like or Share if you agree.
It’s hard not to smile when you see this tidy mouse in action!
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HOMEPAGE DOCUMENTATION 21 – 23 November 2020 HRFT Documentation Center Daily Human Rights Report
21 – 23 November 2020 HRFT Documentation Center Daily Human Rights Report
21 – 23 November 2020 Daily Human Rights Report
(11/237) Operations and Attacks in Southeast…
It is learned from the news coverage of November 20, 2020 that, 1 TKP/ML TİKKO militant (Ferdi Tosun) died in an air operation of Turkish armed Forces to rural areas of Tunceli on October 30, 2020.
It is learned from the news coverage of November 20, 2020 that, 1 militant died in a clash between Turkish Armed Forces units and HPG militants in Zap area of Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government on November 15, 2020.
(11/238) Person Died in Van…
It is learned from the news coverage of November 21, 2020 that, a person named Adnan Karahan lost his life after falling into a ditch dug by security forces at the Iranian border in rural areas of Kurucan village of Saray district of Van. It is reported that Adnan Karahan’s body is taken to Provincial Forensic Institution for investigation.
(11/239) Torture and Ill-Treatment in Prison…
It is learned from the news coverage of November 20, 2020 that, prisoners in Diyarbakır Women’s Prison are asked translation fee for their letters in Kurdish.
It is learned from the news coverage of November 21, 2020 that, in some wards of Kocaeli Gebze Women’s Prison, some prisoners have to sleep on the floor because of over-capacity.
It is learned from the news coverage of November 21, 2020 that, in Denizli T Type Prison 30 people are kept in wards for 20 prisoners, and some prisoners have to sleep on the floors.
It is learned from the news coverage of November 21, 2020 that, a colouring book and crayons sent for a one-year-old baby (A. H.) who is kept in Kocaeli Kandıra F Type Prison with her mother, were not given by prison administration on the grounds that “a baby cannot hold crayons”.
(11/240) People Subjected to Physical Violence of Soldiers in Van…
It is learned from the news coverage of November 20, 2020 that, 2 people (Lokman Orhan and Mehmer Şakir) who were detained by soldiers in Gevaş district of Van on November 16, 2020, were subjected to physical violence of soldiers.
It is reported that Gevaş District Prosecutor’s Office initiated an investigation against 4 soldiers.
(11/241) Person Subjected to Torture and Ill-Treatment in a Police Raid in Mersin…
It is learned from the news coverage of November 20, 2020 that, a person named Osman Alkış was forced to wait lying face-down and with a gun held to his head for 6 hours, during his house was searched by the police raiding the house in Akdeniz district of Mersin on November 19, 2020. It is reported that Osman Alkış was not detained.
(11/242) Detained Human Rights Defenders, Lawyers and Members of Associations in Diyarbakır…
On November 20, 2020, 72 people including human rights defenders, politicians, lawyers; members and executives of trade unions, foundations and associations were detained on the warrant issued by Diyarbakır Public Prosecutor’s Office issued a warrant through the investigation against Democratic Society Congress (DTK). 22 lawyers who were detained are released after statement procedures at the police on the same day.
Released lawyers are: Bünyamin Şeker, Abdulkadir Güleç, Ahmet Kalpak, Cemile Turhallı Balsak, Devrim Barış Baran, Diyar Çetedir, Eshat Aktaş, Feride Laçin, Gamze Yalçın, İmran Gökdere, Edip Yiğit, Resul Tamur, Sedat Aydın, Serdar Talay, Aydın Kesmez, Sernet Akten, Tevfik Karahan, Edip Yiğit, Pirozhan Karaali, Serhat Karaşin, Mahsum Batı, Şivan Cemil Özen.
(11/243) Detained People in Bursa…
On November 20, 2020, 6 people (Ercan Gökçe, Sinan Gökçe, Süleyman Saydam, Mehmet Kılınç, Cem and Hüseyin with unknown surnames) are detained in house raids in Bursa. It is learned that these 6 people were detained for participating in the hunger strike in 2019, which was staged in several prisons to demand an end to isolation of PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan.
It is reported that 2 people (Ercan Gökçe and Sinan Gökçe) were released for they receive treatment for Covid-19.
(11/244) Detained People in Urfa…
5 people (Mahmut Sefer, Mehmet Parsak, Adnan Parsak, İsmail Koştu and 1 more person) of 10 people who were detained in Suruç district of Urfa on November 14, 2020, are released by the court on November 20, 2020. It is learned that 5 people are still under custody.
(11/245) Detained DBP Executive in Diyarbakır…
It is learned from the news coverage of November 22, 2020 that, İhsan Çapan, Silvan district executive of Democratic Regions Party (DBP), was detained at Silvan District Security Directorate, where he went to make his official statement in relation to the quarrel with the people having a sit-in protest in front of Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Diyarbakır office.
(11/246) Police Raid to Cemevi in Istanbul…
It is learned that Armutlu Cemevi (an Alevi place of worship) in Sarıyer district of Istanbul is raided by the police on November 20, 2020. It is reported that 5 people in Cemevi are detained. Detained people are: Beyhan Gün, Eser Çelik, Halil Yakut, Emircan Yazı, Rezzan Şengül.
It is learned that the house where lawyer Aytaç Ünsal is receiving treatment and care after the death fast he had to demand a fair trial, was also raided, but nobody in this house was detained.
(11/247) Police Intervention to a Protest in Istanbul…
The police intervened the press declaration of HDP in Beyoğlu district of Istanbul on November 21, 2020, to protest detention of human rights defenders, politicians and lawyers in Diyarbakır; and detained 22 people including HDP’s provincial co-chairs.
It is learned that 21 people were released after statement procedures at the police on the same day, while 1 person is still under custody in relation to another investigation.
Names of detained people learned so far are: HDP Istanbul co-chairs Erdal Avcı and Elif Bulut, provincial executives Pınar Türk, Atilla Özdoğan, Beser Çelik, Erkan Tepeli, Zekine Türkeri, Eylem Doğan, HDP Ümraniye district co-chair Kadriye Doğan, Şişli district co-chair Ani Kalk, İsmail Türkmen, Koray Türkay, Vedat Güneşçi, Turgut Uyar, Ramazan Tutku, Cahit Tunar, Bayram Tecer, Oruç Karacık, Oktay Urak, Ürün Karaca.
(11/248) Former HDP Co-Chair on Trial…
The first trial of the case against HDP’s former co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş, for his declaration about the chief prosecutor of Ankara, is held at Ankara Heavy Penal Court No 25 on November 20, 2020.
The indictment demands jail sentence from 3 years to 8 years for Selahattin Demirtaş, on the charges of ‘targeting a public officer assigned in anti-terrorism’ and ‘threat’.
Selahattin Demirtaş joined the trial from prison via sound and vision system. The court rejected Selahattin Demirtaş’s demand to participate in trials in person, and adjourned the trial to February 5, 2021.
(11/249) Former Mayor on Trial…
The final trial of the case against Edibe Şahin, former Tunceli mayor, is held at Diyarbakır Heavy Penal Court No 10 on November 20, 2020. Edibe Şahin is charged with ‘making propaganda for an illegal organisation’ and ‘participating in unlawful meetings and demonstrations and not dispersing despite of warning’. Edibe Şahin joined the trial from prison via sound and vision system. The court acquitted Edibe Şahin.
(11/250) Children on Trial in Van…
It is learned that the indictment of Van Public Prosecutor’s Office against 3 children (Ö. S. [14, m], Ş. Y. [16, m] and O. D. [17, m]) is accepted by Van Heavy Penal Court No 6 and the first trial will be held on February 25, 2021.
The indictment demands jail sentence from 10 years to 26 years for 3 children, on the charges of ‘being an illegal organisation member’, ‘making propaganda for an illegal organisation’, ‘resisting a public officer to prevent his duty’, ‘possession or exchange of hazardous substances without permission’ and ‘insult’. 3 children were detained in İpekyolu district of Van on February 15, 2019 and they were subjected to torture and ill-treatment under custody.
It is learned that the investigation which started upon the criminal complaint of Van Bar Association in relation to torture and ill-treatment to these 3 children, is still in process.
(11/251) Ban of Access to Web Contents…
It is learned that the news reports about the criminal complaint to the Supreme Council of Judges and Prosecutors, made by lawyers of HDP’s former co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş, which were published on https://www.demokrathaber.org/ and https://www.tr724.com/ websites in 2016 and 2019, are banned to access on the grounds violation of personal rights, by Konya Penal Court of Peace No 2 on November 13, 2020.
It is learned that the news reports about the gold mining company which uses cyanide in Erbaa district of Tokat, which were published on https://www.gercekgundem.com/ and https://www.birgun.net/ websites are banned to access on the grounds violation of personal rights, by Istanbul Penal Court of Peace No 10 on November 17, 2020.
It is learned that the news reports and entries about high school students who were locked in dormitory room of the school by the principal in Bursa, which were published on https://www.birgun.net/ and https://eksisozluk.com/ websites are banned on the grounds of violation of personal rights, by Access Providers Association on November 17, 2020.
It is learned that the news reports about allegations of bribery of former AKP mayor of Şefaatli district of Yozgat, which were published on https://www.sozcu.com.tr/ and https://dokuz8haber.net/ websites are banned to access on the grounds violation of personal rights, by Yozgat Penal Court of Peace on November 18, 2020.
It is learned that Jinnews news agency’s website https://jinnews11.xyz is banned to access by Diyarbakır Penal Court of Peace on November 20, 2020. It is reported that websites of Jinnews are banned to access for 3 times in the last month.
It is learned from the news coverage of November 22, 2020 that, 272 websites are banned to access by Diyarbakır Penal Court of Peace upon criminal complaint of Department of Cyber Crime of Diyarbakır Gendarmerie Command.
(11/252) Ban of Events in Kocaeli…
Kocaeli Governorate made a declaration on November 22, 2020 and banned demonstrations and open-door meetings in the city for 30 days as of November 22, 2020.
On November 21, 2020, 39 people are detained in operations covering 7 cities through an Istanbul based investigation.
The Ministry of Health declared that 141 people died due to Covid-19 pandemic and 5,103 new Covid-19 ill patients were diagnosed on November 20, 2020.
The death toll from Covid-19 in Turkey increased to 12,358 and total number of confirmed ill patients is 446,822 as of November 22, 2020.
It is learned that 5 health workers (Professor Asım Cenani in Istanbul, pharmacy technician Abdulaziz Umuç in Urfa, nurse Nuran Arslan in Kütahya, driver Mahmut Kara in Osmaniye Provincial Directorate of Health, sanitation worker Medeni Güler in Bingöl Maternity Hospital) died from Covid-19 on November 21, 2020.
It is learned that 2 health workers (driver Yakup Tunga in Sungurlu District Community Health Center in Çorum and Cuma Kaşık in Maraş Provincial Directorate of Health) died from Covid-19 on November 22, 2020.
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Glycyrrhiza glabra | Article about glycyrrhiza glabra by The Free Dictionary
https://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/glycyrrhiza+glabra
Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Medical, Wikipedia.
wild licorice
Has over 400 phytochemicals, which all have healing qualities. Can grow up to 9 ft tall. Leaf stems have up to 15 thin leaves on them. Small whitish flowers. Seed pods are prickly with curved spines. Similar to the famous Asian licorice root, a very common medicinal plant. Roots are sweet. Great sweetener for tea. Raw licorice root and flowers have been historically used to treat hormone imbalances in men and just about every female problem known, giving women a sense of well being and control. Licorice is a source of DHEA and contains phytoestrogens which help reduce the adverse effects of estrogen on the prostate and reduces prostate enlargement in men. It blocks the formation of DHT from testosterone so it helps stop hair loss. Stimulates aldosterone, a key adrenal hormone. It’s an immunestimulating steroidal anti-allergy, antiviral, antibacterial, anti-tumor, antioxidant, adaptogen, antiseptic, antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory with chemical components similar to cortisone (without the bad side effects) Used for respiratory/lung conditions like bronchitis, asthma, coughs, sore throat, hoarseness. Also bladder infections, stomach and duodenal ulcers, gastritis, allergies. Helps detox poisons, Chew fruit for toothaches and gum disease (antibacterial). Balances blood sugar. Helps pancreas of people with diabetes cut down on insulin. If used too much, can raise blood pressure, hypertension and sodium retention. Use only one month at a time. Complete B complex (except B12), A, C, E, calcium, chromium, copper, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, silicon, sodium, zinc, lecithin, coumarins, fatty acids (caprylic, hexonic, and palmitic), bioflavonoids, saponins, phytoestrogens, salicylic acid (aspirin). Used as an liver and kidney tonic, increases bile flow from liver, builds nerve tissue, removes arterial plaque, reduces body fat, treats hypoglycemia, ulcers, laxative, expectorant, regulates intestinal flora, helps alleviate foot cramps, boosts interferon to help fight bacteria and viruses, helps build strong muscle tissue, healthy heart function. Recommended to take for a month, then stop for a week or two before starting again. (or two weeks on and 4 days off) Licorice is not recommended for people with history of renal failure (kidneys), liver disease or who take heart medication or steroid drugs. Do not take if pregnant. The natural plant is good for you, but avoid the store-bought standardized form that can dangerously raise blood pressure. Used externally for herpes, eczema and shingles.
Edible Plant Guide © 2012 Markus Rothkranz
<a href="https://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/glycyrrhiza+glabra">glycyrrhiza glabra</a>
Phreatophyte
In one study, rabbits were treated orally with a preparation of Glycyrrhiza glabra for 30 days and in parallel were exposed to vibration stress for 30 days (Oganesyan 2002).
The role of adaptogens in stress management
Selvaraj, Anti-Inflammatory and Antibacterial Activities of Glycyrrhiza glabra, J.
Evaluation of Antioxidant Effects and Inhibitory Activity of Medicinal Plants against Lipid Peroxidation Induced by Iron and Sodium Nitroprusside in the Mouse Brain
The major active components in this formulation are vasicine in the aerial parts of Adhatoda vasica and glycyrrhizin in roots of Glycyrrhiza glabra that are responsible for its several activities.
HPTLC methods for the Rapid Determination of Adhatoda vasica L. Glycyrrhiza glabbra L., Phyllanthus embelica L. and Camellia sinensis L. in a polyherbal formulation (INSTY)
Isoliquiritigenin from Glycyrrhiza glabra [35] and Shao Fu Zhu Yu decoction [50] were also proven to inhibit NO production.
A review of in vitro and in vivo studies on the efficacy of herbal medicines for primary dysmenorrhea
Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) was used as the glycyrrhizin inhibits viral growth and inactivates viral particles (Jeong & Kim, 2002, Asl & Hosseinzadeh, 2008).
Five-year-old presenting with Molluscum contagiosum
Roots of Glycyrrhiza glabra (Fabaceae/Papilionaceae), also known as licorice and sweet root has been used medicinally for the past 4000 years (Duval et al., 2007; Iritani, 1992).
Antiobesity and lipid lowering effects of Glycyrrhiza chalcones: experimental and computational studies
I the explants of Glycyrrhiza glabra on MS medium free of growth regulators, no calli were induced but When 2,4-D was used into MS medium, all explants formed white callus and induction rates increased with the increase of concentration of 2,4-D.
Producing friable callus for suspension culture in Glycyrrhiza glabra
The Latin name for the most popular variety of licorice, Glycyrrhiza glabra, derives from the Greek words for "sweet root" and "smooth."
Licorice: Sweet Candy, Soothing Remedy, But Easy to Overdo
Ahmad, Evaluation of antioxidant and urease inhibition activities of roots of of Glycyrrhiza glabra, Pak.
Antioxidant Potential of Cyclopeptide Alkaloids Isolated from Zizyphus oxyphylla
Glycyrrhiza glabra and Glycyrrhiza uralensis are the most common sources of licorice used in herbal medicine.
Licorice looks promising for treatment of periodontal diseases
Glycyrrhiza glabra and its phytoconstituents have been known to possess widespread pharmacological properties as an anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, antitumour and hepatoprotective drug.
Dual inhibitory effect of Glycyrrhiza glabra (GutGard [TM]) on COX and LOX products
Friedman profiles several adaptogenic herbs including Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), Licorice, (Glycyrrhiza glabra), Siberian Ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus), Golden Root (Rhodiola rosea), North American Ginseng (Panax quinquefolius), and Astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus) in this text.
glyconeogenesis
glycopeptide
glycophyte
Glycophytes
Glycoproteins
glycose
glycosidase
Glycosides
glycosphingolipid
glycosyl
glycosyl glyceride
glycosyl phosphatidylinositol
glycotropic
glycuresis
glycuronic acid
glycuronidase
glycuronide
glycyl
glycyl alcohol
Glyndebourne Festival Opera
Glyndebourne Festivals
Glynn County
Glyoxal
glyoxalase
glyoxalic acid
glyoxylate cycle
glyoxysome
Glyphocyphidae
glyphosine
Glypnir
glyptal resin
Glyptic
Glyptocrinina
Glyptodonts
Glyptogenesis
glyptolith
glyptopleura marginata
glyptotheca
glycuronate
glycuronuria
Glycylcycline
Glycylcyclines
Glycylglycyl-L-Histidyl-Glycine
glycyltryptophan
Glycyrrhetinic Acid-Like Factor
Glycyrrhetyl Monoglucuronide
Glycyrrhiza echinata
glycyrrhiza fluidextract
Glycyrrhiza lepidota
Glycyrrhiza uralensis
Glycyrrhizic acid
Glycyrrhizimic
Glycyrrhizin
Glycyrrhizinic acid
GLYDSA
GLYDSAA
Glyfada Golf Club of Athens
GLYHA
GLYI
glymidine
Glyn Ebwy
Glyn Ward North Residents' Association
Glynase
Glynase PresTab
Glyndeborne
Glyndebourn
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JOHANNESBURG, SA: KFC STOP USING SINGLE-USE PLASTIC
With a total of 840 stores nationwide...its time you Keep Fingers Clean. A look around the polluted environment surrounding any KFC branch is all that is needed to understand why it is important for your business to become single-use plastic free. For far too long, big corporations have forced plastic packaging into our lives when we buy their products. We have been told that recycling and better waste management are the answers. But, we know that over 90% of plastic has not been recycled. It’s time for corporations to move away from single-use plastic. The disgusting state of our streets and neighbourhoods is one blaring example of why. Tonnes of plastic end up in trash bins and parks all over the city which lead to extremely unhealthy and unhygienic environment for conducive healthy living. The plastic cups, straws and plastic sachets are non recycable and end up as litter and pollution all over the country which eventually finds its way in the ocean.
Created by Hasina Kooreyshi
CAPE TOWN, SA: WOOLWORTHS SA STOP USING SINGLE-USE PLASTIC
For far too long, big corporations have forced plastic packaging into our lives when we buy their products. We have been told that recycling and better waste management are the answers. But, we know that over 90% of plastic has not been recycled. It’s time for corporations to move away from single-use plastic. WE ASK YOU TO CUT YOUR USAGE TO STOP THE DEMAND FOR THESE ITEMS! The more that businesses move toward biodegradable or reusable alternatives, the cheaper they will become, and the less plastic makes its way into the environment.
Created by Janine Tilley
NAIROBI, KE: KFC, COMMIT ALL THE WAY! STOP SINGLE-USE PLASTIC.
KFC may make use of several alternatives to plastic, but we want you to go all the way plastic-free! Plastic is a public nuisance and environmental nightmare - blocking Nairobi drainage, filling landfill sites, and making our surroundings look ugly and unpleasant. Even our government is taken bold steps against it, and we want you to follow suit. For far too long, big corporations have forced plastic packaging into our lives when we buy their products. We have been told that recycling and better waste management are the answers. But, we know that over 90% of plastic has not been recycled. It’s time for corporations to move away from single-use plastic. WE ASK YOU TO CUT YOUR USAGE TO STOP THE DEMAND FOR THESE ITEMS! The more that businesses move toward biodegradable or reusable alternatives, the cheaper they will become, and the less plastic makes its way into the environment.
Created by Iman Bashir
NAIROBI, KE: DASANI STOP USING SINGLE-USE PLASTIC
As one of the leading bottled water company in Kenya, we would like Dasani to diverse from using plastic bottles as they are a menace not only to our environment but to also to every citizen who has to suffer from the effects of plastic pollution. Don't be among the companies that contribute to the blockage of our drainage system especially during the rainy season causing floods in the city. We have been told that recycling and better waste management are the answers.But, we know that over 90% of plastic has not been recycled. WE ASK YOU TO CUT YOUR USAGE TO STOP THE DEMAND FOR THESE ITEMS! The more that businesses move toward biodegradable or reusable alternatives, the cheaper they will become, and the less plastic makes its way into the environment.
Created by Erastus Wayne
DURBAN, SA: NANDOS STOP USING SINGLE-USE PLASTIC
Created by Caz Karssing
PRINGLE BAY, SA: PRNGLE BAY BUSINESSES STOP USING SINGLE-USE PLASTIC
Created by Julia Smith
SOUTH AFRICA: SAVE OUPA FATS WETLAND AND HAND IT OVER TO CITY PARKS
Oupa Fats Wetland is strategically situated in the middle of the South Western Townships, 30km from Johannesburg. (Soweto on the North, Eldorado Park / Klipspruit on the East, Lenasia on the South and Zuurbekom on the West). Wetlands are an important ecological resource, equivalent to a rainforest. Wetlands enjoy protection as a Protected Conservation area as per the RAMSAR Convention (1998). They are the lungs of the planet and perform the following important functions: 🐝 It prevents flooding in the surrounding areas 🐝 It purifies water 🐝 It purifies Air by depositing large amounts of carbon in its soil. 🐝 It is a Bird Sanctuary of note with blue cranes being some of its dwindling residents. Sadly, this Wetland is in danger of becoming a wasteland. It has been held hostage for the last 20+ years by criminals. Illegal theft of eco-sensitive soil, illegal dumping, illegal fishing with nets, hijacking and even burning of electrical cables for extracting coppers have prevented the local community from enjoying this pristine eco wonderland. Compounding the challenges which this Wetland faces is the anomally of "ownership" of several erfs which comprises this area. For some dubious reasons, ownership rests with National Housing instead of City Parks where it rightfully belongs. This was to facilitate the unlawful sale or lease of this land to private developers. The community has made several efforts over several years to save the Wetland, including meetings with and visits by several government departments and local councillors - but seems to be fighting a losing battle. We have continued to preserve the area as best as we can through private donations from the community; this has cost us in excess of R30 000 thus far. The transfer of these erfs to City Parks will rightfully place the preservation of the area in their hands.
975 of 1,000 Signatures
Created by Oupa Fats Wetlenz Management Committee
DURBAN, SA: THE DAILY STOP USING SINGLE-USE PLASTIC
While we commend The Daily Coffee Café in Hillcrest for not providing a few single-use plastic items, we do note that plastic straws are given with your smoothies, that although are served in paper cups, already have a polystyrene sip lid on them, and that meals purchased that don't need cutlery are being supplied this regardless too. We feel these practises are unnecessary, and ask that The Daily commits to extending your healthy, real and wholesome principals to the planet too, by stopping these practises and extending this to all the single-use plastic used in Café in addition. For far too long, big corporations have forced plastic packaging into our lives when we buy their products. We have been told that recycling and better waste management are the answers. But, we know that over 90% of plastic has not been recycled. It’s time for corporations to move away from single-use plastic. The disgusting state of our coastline is one blaring example of why. Months have passed since the nurdle spill at Durban harbour, yet bits of plastic still end up on our beaches – we’re talking about a 3,000 km radius! These plastic pellets, used to create other plastic items, would not have been at our harbour in the first place had there not been a demand for plastic. WE ASK YOU TO CUT YOUR USAGE TO STOP THE DEMAND FOR THESE ITEMS! The more that businesses move toward biodegradable or reusable alternatives, the cheaper they will become, and the less plastic makes its way into the environment.
DURBAN, SA: CIRCUS CIRCUS BEACH CAFE STOP USING PLASTIC
Given Circus Circus Beach Cafe's proximity to the Durban Beach Front, we expect that you are well aware of the impact plastic pollution has had on the environment. For far too long, big corporations have forced plastic packaging into our lives when we buy their products. We have been told that recycling and better waste management are the answers. But, we know that over 90% of plastic has not been recycled. It’s time for corporations to move away from single-use plastic. The disgusting state of our coastline is one blaring example of why. Months have passed since the nurdle spill at Durban harbour, yet bits of plastic still end up on our beaches – we’re talking about a 3,000 km radius! These plastic pellets, used to create other plastic items, would not have been at our harbour in the first place had there not been a demand for plastic. WE ASK YOU TO CUT YOUR USAGE TO STOP THE DEMAND FOR THESE ITEMS! The more that businesses move toward biodegradable or reusable alternatives, the cheaper they will become, and the less plastic makes its way into the environment. Be part of the solution by RETHINKING PLASTIC. * More than 8 million tons of plastic are dumped in our oceans every year. * 1 in 3 species of marine mammals have been found entangled in marine litter * Over 90% of all seabirds have plastic pieces in their stomachs -- plasticoceans.org
Created by Johanne Pillay
DURBAN, SA: WIMPY STOP USING SINGLE-USE PLASTIC
While we commend Wimpy to for slowly phasing out a few single-used plastic items, we want to make a bigger commitment by opting to abandon the rest of your single-use plastic. For far too long, big corporations have forced plastic packaging into our lives when we buy their products. We have been told that recycling and better waste management are the answers. But, we know that over 90% of plastic has not been recycled. It’s time for corporations to move away from single-use plastic. The disgusting state of our coastline is one blaring example of why. Months have passed since the nurdle spill at Durban harbour, yet bits of plastic still end up on our beaches – we’re talking about a 3,000 km radius! These plastic pellets, used to create other plastic items, would not have been at our harbour in the first place had there not been a demand for plastic. WE ASK YOU TO CUT YOUR USAGE TO STOP THE DEMAND FOR THESE ITEMS! The more that businesses move toward biodegradable or reusable alternatives, the cheaper they will become, and the less plastic makes its way into the environment.
DURBAN, SA: KAUAI STOP USING SINGLE-USE PLASTIC
Despite jumping onto the #StrawsSuck bandwagon, Kauai still continues to offer single-use plastic straws to customers. We want you to make a genuine effort to phase out plastic completely. For far too long, big corporations have forced plastic packaging into our lives when we buy their products. We have been told that recycling and better waste management are the answers. But, we know that over 90% of plastic has not been recycled. It’s time for corporations to move away from single-use plastic. The disgusting state of our coastline is one blaring example of why. Months have passed since the nurdle spill at Durban harbour, yet bits of plastic still end up on our beaches – we’re talking about a 3,000 km radius! These plastic pellets, used to create other plastic items, would not have been at our harbour in the first place had there not been a demand for plastic. WE ASK YOU TO CUT YOUR USAGE TO STOP THE DEMAND FOR THESE ITEMS! The more that businesses move toward biodegradable or reusable alternatives, the cheaper they will become, and the less plastic makes its way into the environment.
Created by Judy Baikie
DURBAN, SA: ZACK'S STOP USING SINGLE-USE PLASTIC
A look around the polluted environment surrounding Zack's branches is all that is needed to understand why it is important for your business to become single-use plastic free. For far too long, big corporations have forced plastic packaging into our lives when we buy their products. We have been told that recycling and better waste management are the answers. But, we know that over 90% of plastic has not been recycled. It’s time for corporations to move away from single-use plastic. The disgusting state of our coastline is one blaring example of why. Months have passed since the nurdle spill at Durban harbour, yet bits of plastic still end up on our beaches – we’re talking about a 3,000 km radius! These plastic pellets, used to create other plastic items, would not have been at our harbour in the first place had there not been a demand for plastic. WE ASK YOU TO CUT YOUR USAGE TO STOP THE DEMAND FOR THESE ITEMS! The more that businesses move toward biodegradable or reusable alternatives, the cheaper they will become, and the less plastic makes its way into the environment.
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Blacklist of scam sites
Scamalert
Forex Traiding
Best Projects
Joe Biden ordered to freeze tightening of crypto regulation in the USA for now
By Alen Woid
One of Joe Biden’s first orders after taking office as President of the United States was to freeze all “new or pending” rules under Donald Trump’s rule pending their consideration by the new administration. This includes an initiative by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) launched under previous Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on December 18. Under its…
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Neurotypical Personality Disorder
My ex called me up to make sure I watched Law&Order:Criminal Intent today, titled "Probability". This episode was about a man who is an Aspy, someone with Asperger's Syndrome. Many of my family are Aspy-ish, to a lesser or greater extent. Including me.
The portrayal was good, but stereotypical. By stereotypical, I mean the writers and the actor looked up the clinical criteria list for a diagnosis, and turned them all up to 11.
But as extreme as this character was, I could feel echos of him in myself. Right down to the piano playing, the desire for keeping comfortable things the same, and the divorce. He was even cynical about one of the same things I'm cynical about:
"Women like money."
"Men like money too."
"That's because they know that women like men who have money."
At least my ex didn't immediately marry a much richer man, like his did.
But Goren's partner's reactions to and belittling of this man really grating on my nerves. He was smart, more capable in his field as she is in hers, decently attractive, but because he kept messing up her comfortable field of social cuing, she could do nothing but belittle him. In other words, she was expressing the condition that AS's refer to, only partially tongue-in-cheek as "Neurotypical Personality Disorder", or "NT".
The world would be a better and happier and less unpleasant and dangerous place if the relative proportions of NTs and AS's were flipped.
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Why Fanfiction Scares Me
fanofacertainage 1st Aug 2019 1st Aug 2019 fandom, fanfiction
Content warning: this essay focuses on depictions of sex in fanfiction, and as such refers to topics such as kink, fetish, BDSM and various sex acts.
There’s a lot of debate about how much fan works can impact on people’s perceptions of the world, especially in regards to sex and violence. For those of us who consume a lot of fanfiction, on a par with the amount of professionally produced media we read or watch, I think there definitely is an argument to be made for those works influencing us. Certainly, there are sex acts I first learned about in fanfiction. I know it’s not the sole source of sex education for anyone, but when it comes to learning about the…shall we call it, ‘fun’ side of sex rather than the basic biology and ‘what goes where’, for a lot of young people, it’s an eye-opener if nothing else.
Transformative works can be a great opportunity for readers and writers alike to explore sexuality and relationships in a safe way that is mostly about hypotheticals and fantasies. Reading or writing about a particular relationship dynamic or act can allow someone to test it out alone and in relative safety, to decide if it appeals.
At the same time, though, I think fanfiction should be regarded in much the same way as any other erotica or pornography, and that means careful consideration of its effects on both readers and writers when consumed regularly or in large quantities. Especially when it comes to depictions of unusual or ‘non-vanilla’ acts, i.e. kinks and fetishes.
Please bear in mind that I have absolutely no objection to either kink or fetish play between consenting adults, or accurate depictions of such in media (including fan works). What concerns me is the growing trend in fanfiction for including kink and fetish as a standard, expected part of adult relationships. Particularly when these depictions are unresearched (and therefore lacking awareness of the full implications) or are present because fandom has replicated the idea that kink, power-play, humiliation and violence are the standard for adult relationships.
For the purposes of this essay, I’m defining ‘kink’ and ‘fetish’ thusly:
Kink – an ostensibly non-sexual thing that someone finds arousing, e.g. wearing a particular fabric or shoe, using particular language, non-sexual acts such as urination or eating, or non-sexual objects such as knives or guns.
Fetish – when a kink becomes either a necessary part of sex (the person cannot become aroused or climax without it) or it replaces sex altogether.
I’ve mentioned, in other posts here, that smut-fics aren’t something that I especially seek out when reading fanfiction, but I have over the past twenty years read a substantial amount of fanfiction, much of which featured sex scenes. This increasing trend for the ‘standardisation’ of kink, fetish and BDSM (I’m reluctant to use the word ‘normalisation’ because normal is subjective and has connotations of acceptability and ‘good vs. bad’ which I don’t agree with) is something that I’ve noticed happening over the course of several years. I can’t say for certain either when it started or the exact moment that I first noticed it, but the fanfiction landscape certainly feels different than it did ten years ago.
It started relatively small, with a noticeable number of stories featuring the use of sex toys, by both couples and individuals for solo play. Now, again I need to reiterate that I have no objection to sex toys and don’t see their use as anything unusual or bad. But what I noticed was a tendency to write about sex toys as a standard – the idea that all queer couples owned and used sex toys regularly, that single queer people always owned a collection of dildoes, plugs and vibrators, or (most startlingly) that teenage queer characters bought and used sex toys. This was why I first really started to think about how some writers replicated ideas about sex based on media consumption rather than personal experience; the idea of someone still in school being able to buy sex toys, when they would not be able to enter a sex shop and would be unlikely to have a debit or credit card to make online purchases that would go unnoticed by their family. Also, sex toys are pretty expensive! Few school-age people would be able to afford the collections that some characters are given in fics. There was never any mention of toy care or cleaning, and I often encountered stories which featured characters imitating fellatio on toys for personal pleasure, which seemed odd.
Not that all depictions of sex should be realistic; I just find noticable lack of realism pulls me out of a story and makes me stop to question if the writer really knows what they’re writing about, and why they chose to include something. Were writers using these tropes because they genuinely enjoyed them, or because they had ‘learned’ what was sexy from their own media consumption and were replicating what other writers did?
From there, I started noticing a trend for writing sex scenes that included spanking. I understand the enjoyment of pain-play as a means of varying sensations during sex, but it’s never presented that way. It’s almost always written as a spontaneous act without a request for consent. It’s often accompanied by either violent or degrading language, and not once have I ever read a fic where someone spanks their partner and the act is questioned or rejected. It’s become standardised, as though it’s something all sex-partners do as a matter of course.
Scenes where a character ejaculates on their partner’s face are equally common. It feels like it’s an act that’s been replicated, without thought, from straight pornography; as if people have assumed that, if it’s in porn, it must be sexy. Admittedly, I’m writing this from the perspective of an asexual person, but even then, I’ve heard enough allosexual friends complain about eyes stinging from badly aimed ejaculate and absolutely zero real people talk about how much they want their partner to come on their face (did you know you can contract STIs from getting semen in your eye?). Do people actually enjoy getting their partner’s bodily fluids on their face? I feel like it’s an act that’s included because of an assumption that it’s viewed as sexy, rather than because so many writers actually enjoy it in real life. After all, so many anime fans feel uneasy about images of the act’s aftermath on ahegao shirts. What pleasure would the fictional ejaculater get from seeing their bodily fluids on their partner’s face? Quite often, these scenes include language suggesting the ejaculater enjoys seeing their partner ‘dirty’ or ‘messed up’, implying an enjoyment of degradation and humiliation.
There’s also been a noticeable rise in the number of stories tagged with ‘daddy kink’, where characters engage in a Sub/dom relationship with elements of age-play and incestuous role-play. Some of these stories feature caring relationships, while some see the kink come out during sex, with little prior negotiation or aftercare. There’s often a hint of a power-imbalance, and occasional moments of ‘punishment’, usually spanking.
This inclusion of kinks in fanfiction, in itself, isn’t necessarily a problem (a concern, definitely, but it’s not one unique to fanfiction). After all, most of us feel fairly secure in knowing the difference between fiction and reality. Although I find it telling that there is a lack of knowledge and awareness of the subject, easily seen in the number of writers who confuse kink and fetish, and who assume that all fetish play is done with the goal of sexual climax, which is not the case for many real life fetishists.
What concerns me more is the recent prevalence for including more dangerous acts in a way that presents them as a common and expected part of sexual relationships. Acts such as choking (sometimes called ‘breath play’), bondage, or verbal humiliation, which create a power imbalance but are often written in without characters discussing the act or seeking consent. They sit alongside an increase in fics which depict other taboos such as incest, or adults in sexual relationships with minors, and sometimes it’s difficult to establish the line between ‘exploring boundaries’ and ‘fetishising or normalising illegal acts’. Some things are taboo for very good reasons.
Again, this by itself is not the entirety of the issue; fictional sex is not real sex, and there is nothing wrong with glossing over the unglamorous aspects of sex to make the prose more titilating. But, having worked with teenagers and taught sex ed in schools, I know first hand that young people gather as muc, if not more information from their peers and other informal sources than from anyone trained to teach honest and factual sex ed. Where might one learn, for example, about the importance of cleaning prior to analingus, which I think I’ve seen precisely once in fic – I cringe (and sometimes even close the tab) if characters jump straight to eating ass without caring to wash first.
The choking stories are the ones that worry me the most. They almost always happen spontaneously, without prior discussion, and without any indication that characters are concerned for each other’s safety. They also don’t make any attempt to describe how the submissive partner actually feels during the act, or why they enjoy it (whether it’s the physical sensations or the power-play that prompts the act). This is what makes me think that these writers are replicating other people’s ideas of ‘sexy’ rather than writing their own personal fantasies or fantasies appropriate to the characters.
This is not fandom’s fault; fandom is not responsible for educating anyone. But without reliable and healthy education at timely points in their lives, I can’t help wondering how many young people are learning about the fun and romantic aspects of sex from fanfiction and seeing these acts as standard and expected? We already know that young people often encounter pornography before their first sexual encounters, and that seeing violent or mysoginstic acts in porn can affect how young people feel they should behave in sexual situations.
I don’t intend to imply blame on the part of any fanfiction writer, or expect anyone to change what they write; so many writers will themselves simply be reproducing what fandom has told them is sexy in order to figure out whether they really do like those things, just as some young people (and adults) experiment with things they have seen in porgography.
It’s concerning, though, especially when considered against recent cases of alleged ‘sex games gone wrong’ in which women have been choked by their partners during sex, and have actually died as a result. This piece from The Guardian poses the question: why are potentially dangerous sex acts becoming more commonplace? One only has to look at mainstream media’s changing attitudes to sex and relationship roles; we still have music videos where men spank the behinds of half-naked women as a show of power and domincance, placing the women alongside their material posessions like cars and jewellery.
We know that there are trends when it comes to sex. ‘Fifty Shades Of Grey (not only initially a transformative work, but also one with an infamously inaccurate portrayal of BDSM) inspired not just a slew of copycat novels, but also a push on a toned-down, marketable version of BDSM, with fluffy handcuffs, blindfolds and riding crops making their way into high street shops like Ann Summers, typically seen as the giggly, girly, non-threatening side of sex. In just a few months, BDSM was suddenly something that all couples were supposed to try, to stave off bedroom boredom and avoid the dreaded ‘vanilla’ label, as though regular romantic sex wasn’t enough anymore. Every newspaper and glossy magazine ran articles about introducing BDSM into the bedroom. ‘The Office’ featured a (brief) scene with a character becoming aroused listening to a FSOG audio book while at work. What once was a topic kept for bedrooms and age-restricted parts of the Internet was suddenly on prime time TV, on the high street, and in our daily newspapers.
Equally, fanfiction has trends, both in formats and in topics and themes. I remember fandom before A/B/O stories were a thing. When most m/m scenes started with frotting instead of jumping straight to anal. I’d never heard of intercrural sex until it became a fanfic fad a few years back.
So what does it mean if more and more fan writers are including dangerous or violent acts in their work? Honestly, I can’t say. I don’t have the research or statistics. I can only comment on current feelings in the fandom culture. As an older fan who’s been around for a while and seen a lot of trends come and go, it feels like young writers replicate what they’ve seen and read, both in fandoms and other media, in order to make their work appeal to readers filtering by particular tags or seeking out specific kinks. And it feels like fandom depictions of sex are becoming more like imitations of straight porn and other provocative media made for men. There’s more emphasis on penetrative sex in slash fiction instead of things like frottage, mutual masturbation or oral. There’s more degradation in acts like verbal humiliation and ejaculating on faces. More demeaning language, and men referring to each other as ‘sluts’ and ‘whores’ and ‘bitches’. There’s more violence, in acts like spanking and choking. There is also, and this is the thing I frankly find more confusing, a strange insistence on feminising gay and bi men, dressing gay male characters in lingerie, giving them the role of the omega ‘bitch in heat’, or giving them ‘embarrassing’ hormonal episodes in mpreg fic.
Again, it should be noted here that I have no objections to any men who choose to dress in lingerie, and I see nothing wrong or degrading in typically feminine traits or behaviours. But when female writers put gay or bi men in these roles for the purposes of entertainment, that is crossing the line into fetishisation, a different but equally concerning issues. It also implies a huge misunderstanding of gay men in general, suggesting that writers feel gay men are aroused by the same things straight men are; lacy lingerie, ‘feminine’ posing and behaviour, and submissiveness.
My point here is not to condemn any of this or to suggest a solution. Mostly, I simply want to draw attention to the issue, to this large-scale recycling of other people’s ideas of ‘sexiness’ and the ongoing shift in what constitutes expected or healthy behaviour in sexual relationships.
I do wonder if, perhaps, there is worth in some experienced fic writers making an effort to include more blatant kink negotiation and consent-seeking in our writing (including scenes of boundary-setting). In recent years I’ve seen more writers showcasing condom use in their stories (no dental dams, though!) along with the tag ‘consent is sexy’. How about more stories involving researching kinks, more characters discussing what they do and don’t find sexy, and more depictions of aftercare? I can envisage whole fic events devoted to stories that show kink negotiation and conversations about sex. The question, though, is how well they would be received and how widely their reach would be. I’ve written kink exploration and negotiation myself, and felt those two particular stories were some of the best written and most romantic works I’ve produced. But they received few hits and fewer comments and kudos, despite being centred on a popular pairing. Instead, smut and PWP seem to get the hits and the attention.
So are writers actually reproducing other people’s ideas of eroticism for hits and comments? That might be slightly more reassuring than the possibility that they’re recycling tropes for personal interest, but on the whole, it still all adds to this culture of presenting violence, degradation and lack of consent as part of common, everyday sex. And while this is in no way exclusive to fandom, as stated above, transformative works when consumed regularly or in sufficient quantities can have as much impact on a reader as any other medium. It’s why we push so much for positive representation of marginalised groups in all media; representation matters, whether it’s representation of people or of behaviour.
I have no intention of attempting to censor anyone’s work, or of discouraging people from reading such stories. Rather, I feel somewhat like a time-traveller wondering how a society reached this point, and trying to guess what will come next. Perhaps there will be a push back from kink-positive writers who will produce more works with overt kink negotiation and consent-seeking. Perhaps fandom will just move on to the next trend, whatever that is. Perhaps we’ll see another round of mass account purges of any depictions of sexual violence (not from AO3, where anything goes, but anywhere that hosts art depicting bondage such as shibari, or perhaps those artists and writers will create a new adults-only space for such material)? Who knows?
But it cannot be denied that, just as with professionally produced content (both niche and mainstream), fandom’s attitudes to sex and relationships are ever changing, and what once felt risqué or taboo has now become the standard, to the point that it feels like we’re running out of taboos. I’m always pleased to see a writer taking care to show their characters giving consent and practising safe sex (more dental dams, please!), but if I read one more “choke me, daddy,” I might just have to call it a day.
fandom, fanfiction, sex
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Published by fanofacertainage
Active in online fandom for almost 20 years. Fanfiction writer, geek-crafter, con panellist, anime fan. They/them. View all posts by fanofacertainage
jyvurentropy says:
1st Aug 2019 at 9:05 pm
This is such a well-written post. I completely agree that more fiction should include couples talking about their wants and needs, and even some sexual requests being rejected or negotiated. And yeah, BDSM ins’t something people should just be jumping into without talking, especially risky acts like choking.
fanofacertainage says:
3rd Aug 2019 at 10:13 pm
Thank you for your comment! I think there’s a lot of potential for making kink negotiation (or even just couples talking about sex) romantic and a key part of relationships and bonding, and I wish more writers would include such scenes, not just when it comes to things like BDSM.
3rd Aug 2019 at 1:34 am
This was a seriously good discussion of the topic! Even-handed, insightful, and thorough.
“There was never any mention of toy care or cleaning,”
Did you ever see the original CSI series on CBS? The first time I ever came across the topic in fiction was in one of their episodes. It involved a dish washer.
“allosexual”
I am not too proud to admit that this is the first time I came across the word, so I had to look it up. Learning has occurred!
“implying an enjoyment of degradation and humiliation.”
Maybe it’s coincidental, or maybe the trends are related, but I see some segments of our population (at least in the US) openly embracing humiliation as a tool of statecraft and of relations with other segments of the population. In my experience, the acceptance of humiliation as such a tool in one context seems to green-light it in other situations, too.
Maybe it’s part of something deeply hard-wired in humans, but I don’t think encouraging it is healthy or safe — to individuals or larger-scale populations.
“The choking stories are the ones that worry me the most. ”
This is going to sound like “sure, research!” but I went to kind [dot] com to research behaviors for something I ended up not writing. What struck me as interesting was that they were quite serious about teaching people to practice caution — that trying to simply replicate what they saw in front of the camera could result in injury or worse. I was impressed that they were so up-front and honest about it; looks like that attitude hasn’t translated into fanfic.
“Mostly, I simply want to draw attention to the issue, to this large-scale recycling of other people’s ideas of ‘sexiness’ and the ongoing shift in what constitutes expected or healthy behaviour in sexual relationships.”
As I mentioned above, I tend to relate local behaviors to larger societal behaviors. Your question here literally haunts me. Speaking just as a US citizen, where the heck do we go from here? Once destructive behaviors appear to a certain percentage of the citizenry as acceptable, how does one shove the genie back in the bottle?
“there is worth in some experienced fic writers making an effort to include more blatant kink negotiation and consent-seeking in our writing (including scenes of boundary-setting).”
It sounds to me like you’re asking for such scenes to be written — gasp! — with more realism. Honestly, shouldn’t that be the goal of any aspiring or established writer? To write scenes, characters, and plots that are realistic?
I’ve only dabbled in fanfiction, but you’re starting to convince me I should writer more. Not so I can be “I’ll Save You” writer, but just to offer an alternative. I’m to the point in my career where raw popularity is completely uninteresting, so risking a lower level of popularity to achieve a higher level of realism sounds like a good thing to me.
“So are writers actually reproducing other people’s ideas of eroticism for hits and comments?”
Honestly, and this probably sounds counter-intuitive, I think this is hugely hopeful. If it’s true, then it means that the biggest problem is that the rewards system is skewed and needs fixed. In other words, the problem isn’t a larger scale societal retrograde motion. It’s just that writers are chasing the current definition of success, which is counted by hits.
Thanks for such a thoughtful treatment of this topic!
“In my experience, the acceptance of humiliation as such a tool in one context seems to green-light it in other situations, too.”
Like so many things, once one person does it publicly, it legitimises it for anyone else who might have been thinking about it. Sometimes for good (posting positive things or pushing negative social boundaries), sometimes for bad (being open about something that really should be kept taboo).
I don’t necessarily have a problem with writers glossing over the messy bits to make something titillating, but I think there’s a difference between purposely skipping the messy bits and doing so out of ignorance. There was a lot about sex I had no idea about until I actually had sex, because nowhere – not sex ed, not films, not books, not fanfiction – ever mentioned them. I think there’s value in honest portrayals of sex – it can be done in a lighthearted way, to show characters being open and real with each other, without making a scene off-putting. The only fic I’ve ever read which included cleaning prior to analingus actually included it as foreplay, which makes me wonder why no one else ever bothers to write it.
After writing this piece, I’m seriously considering participating in Kinktober with the purpose of writing honest, healthy kink negotiation stuff. I doubt it will get much traction, but I think it makes for a valid writing project.
aeroz000 says:
7th Aug 2019 at 10:35 pm
Re: fanfiction authors copying what other people think is sexy – for a while, after a popular single-strip comic came out talking about one person’s form of consent during bondage and impact play being ‘green, yellow, red’ meaning ‘I like this, not sure if into this, and stop that’, EVERY BDSM fic was like reading traffic signals lmao. I think people, so caught up in the ‘right’ way to present kink and sex in a way that appeals to the most people, are not willing to be vulnerable about writing what appeals to them personally all the way, and simply go for whatever is trendy and making their smutfic pander to ‘socially acceptable kink trends’ of the time.
I think it would be more productive to everyone to examine -why- something is sexy and write things about that, given that they first start to be willing to show what they personally find sexy rather than bend to trendy kinks. The biggest weakness people on the internet around my age have is oversharing and yet not being genuine about how they really feel about any of it. Like those Relatable Depressed But It’s Still Funny So You Don’t Have To Feel Bad For The Creator comics.
It’s false intimacy, and I think it comes with all the parasocial relationships we’re used to from being connected yet so far from people online. So when sex fics are just trendy BDSM, blindfolds and spanking or ‘let’s fuck a horny demon version of Popular Character AU’, it makes more sense when you think about the attitudes and validation that prompted the authors to write such things, producing mediocre-at-best smut and less-than-convincing character intimacy. You write what you know – If you’re not being genuine, people can tell, plain and simple.
Some passionate people are out there, of course. That doesn’t make it any less disappointing when you’re looking for a quality fic and you see whats obviously Like-bait though lmao.
RisefromAshes says:
15th Aug 2019 at 9:25 am
Not gonna lie, I think along with why fanfiction is scary, a think a lot of the reasons you listed above are why I stopped reading fanfic all together. Occasionally, if a particular fanfiction is recommended to me by friends/other bloggers I might give it a peak. I read a few My Hero Academia fics that way surprisingly that weren’t awful.
It does bother me how much people just write what they think other people find sexy, verses their own material. A lot of my old fanfics that had sex, depicted what I personally, found attractive or craved in real life. Some of it was inspired by porn, other fanfic, but a lot of it was grounded in myself. Which did give me the benefits of exploring sex in that manner. I missed elements of consent, properly caring/cleaning materials, but I also educated myself on that outside my fics. It’s kinda a shame that it’s drifted to this.
I think a point you mentioned above, about comments/clicks/kudos really rings true. Having a quick pwp, or sexy fic is rather easy to get some views on. I think it points to an issue of a lot of fanfiction writers seem to have which is that they don’t know how to write fanfiction that DOESN’T have sex in it. I use to be part of fandoms where the works were largely non-sexual in nature, and most of the fanfics were similar in that sense of non-sexual stuff. Those stories were creative and compelling just like the original work! I haven’t heard of a fanfiction author as of late that is recommended for non-sexual works. Sure they might write a romance (minus sex) but that’s not the recommended title from them. With the seeming (I haven’t write or wrote in awhile so maybe I’m completely wrong) oversaturation of sexual fanfiction, I would think the person not writing those would be more praised. Alas, I’m probably in the minority camp on that.
Really appreicate your thoughts on the subject as always!
I find your post super interesting and have had it open in my browser for actual months. Even so, my experience of fanfic has been different, which is only fair, I suppose: these are personal choices, the way we select (or wander around…) the abundant reading material!
For example, fanfic has been pretty instrumental for me in learning about boundary setting, safe kink and what consent discussions should look like. I do have a tendency to stick by the same authors who explore those topics, so that gives me a reading bias. I have also encountered a lot of stories that explore trauma – in particular, trauma caused by prejudice (it’s a “submissive orientation” thing, which correlates pretty well with sexual orientation and gender both) as well as trauma of a bad sexual experience. Frankly, I wish I could encouter this topic explored in fiction more (cough) (not like it’s personally relevant) (cough), but it is the vaguely taboo streets of fanfic that offer those experiences. In general, reading feels better than certain kinds of visual porn that caters to a very particular idealised straight male viewer!
I am in no way saying that what you wrote isn’t valid. I’m simply chiming in with different experience. But then, I have very particular preferences and get pretty choosy about stuff I read. I wish there was better sex ed for hopeful fanfic writers out there – hell, I wish emotional management and trauma were topics in school as much as maths and science. Perhaps that’s something to think of if we get to change the world somehow. … 🙂
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Please reopen What does “mode” mean in “modal verb”?
Why was https://english.stackexchange.com/q/186168/50720 closed as off-topic by members of the community? Maybe different members have a different view on this.
My trouble is summarised by Professor Lawler's instructive comment below it. 'Commonly-available references' don't answer it. Please reopen?
support closed-questions
NNOX AppsNNOX Apps
While the question might be worth reopening, it's still problematic. I don't think it makes sense to ask which sense of mode applies in modal verb. Further more asking about auxiliaries is asking too many things for one question. – curiousdannii Jul 28 '14 at 11:00
You state a number of questions there, but all of them seem to be elementary. "What does 'mode' mean in 'modal'?" - look up the definition of 'modal' and see if 'mode' is mentioned. "How do you relate modal to auxiliary?" Again, look them both up; a modal is a kind of auxiliary. – Mitch Jul 28 '14 at 12:24
@curiousdannii Please explain 'I don't think it makes sense to ask which sense of mode applies in modal verb.' ? – NNOX Apps Jul 28 '14 at 13:36
@Mitch I did; 'mode' does appear there. – NNOX Apps Jul 28 '14 at 13:37
One definition out of many is pretty self-explanatory - "Grammar : noting or pertaining to mood." The interesting question here, if any, is why the derivation isn't 'moodal'. Are you asking that? – Mitch Jul 28 '14 at 13:55
Because it comes from Latin modus 'measure'. The double O is just an English spelling variant. That's why mood has a meaning associated with emotion as well as grammar; it's been around a long time; all of them are just O-grade versions of the PIE root *med-. – John Lawler Aug 7 '14 at 22:32
Just so you know, I voted to reopen the question. It seems similar to my own What exactly is an “adverb”?, which came perilously close to being closed as General Reference before gaining traction and becoming my second most upvoted question.
Apropos which, I'm still a bit piqued that my Where does “Don't bogart that joint” come from? remains closed as GR. Okay - it's obvious once it's pointed out. But I couldn't easily satisfy my curiosity anywhere else online at the time, and I generally consider my google-fu to be pretty good.
As John Lawler says (and he should know! :),...
Modality is a very complex subject. It's the source of the grammatical term mood (as in "subjunctive mood"), and it also uses a special variety of logic called Modal Logic. It's precisely on target here.
Some folk here seem to think I habitually closevote questions as Too Basic, but I reject that. Mostly I think there are no dumb questions, only dumb answers. I often closevote ELU questions because I think they're not suitable for this site, and should have been asked on English Language Learners.
I've no doubt entire books could be written about linguistic moods, modality, modal verbs, etc. I don't want to see an incredibly long answer on ELU trying to cover every aspect of the concept, but it would be nice if someone could post a relatively short (but authoritative) answer. Which can't happen while the question remains closed.
FumbleFingersFumbleFingers
Modality may be a complex subject, but the question doesn't ask about modality. The question asks what modal means, not what modal is. There is a gigantic difference there. – Kit Z. Fox♦ Jul 28 '14 at 18:20
@KitFox: I utterly reject that position. You're just splitting hairs about whether the OP was asking about the (contextless?) meaning of the word modal, as opposed to asking what exactly we're talking about when we use any of these terms on ELU. I don't have the faintest idea how to distinguish a modal verb from an auxiliary verb. Without doing some (probably taxing) research, I don't even know whether or to what extent those two terms overlap - and I'm a competent speaker with my tertiary education primarily focussed on language. So I fully expect and wish the question to be reopened. – FumbleFingers Jul 28 '14 at 18:46
(I also have no idea whether grammatical mood and mode are the same or different things. These are potentially interesting points which might reasonably be addressed by a decent answer once the question is reopened.) – FumbleFingers Jul 28 '14 at 18:50
I have every reason to believe my interpretation of the situation is correct. I invite you to edit the question to reflect your expectation of how it could generate good answers. It would very likely contribute to it being re-opened. – Kit Z. Fox♦ Jul 28 '14 at 18:51
@KitFox: I think the problem here is simply that the OP has raised a few hackles by asking so many questions that people think are fairly pointless (and the ill-advised use of brook in this particular question probably didn't help). I remain of the opinion that the question as originally framed should not have been closed, and it shouldn't be necessary for someone like me to supplement that question with an outline of what a good answer might look like in order to get it reopened. All it needs is for people to think more objectively about the situation and change their minds. – FumbleFingers Jul 28 '14 at 18:59
That's as may be; but shouldn't everyone who wants the question re-opened be trying to change people's minds? – Andrew Leach♦ Jul 28 '14 at 20:22
@Andrew: I really do think this one is akin to the initial reaction to my "adverb" question - there's a predisposition to close it, and that has unfortunately carried the day. It seems defeatist to say the question might be okay if re-worded, or that it would only become okay if someone sketched out the gist of a possibly stellar answer. Sure - I want people to change their minds (or others to overrule the original closevote). But I think that's because the decision was wrong in the first place, not because it's not presented well (lots of much worse questions remain sanctioned). – FumbleFingers Jul 28 '14 at 21:33
Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged support closed-questions .
Could you please reopen my question?
Why is this question locked?
Why is this question off-topic?
How much research is needed?
This misnegation question should not have been closed
Can moderators change a close reason from 'Please show your research…' to 'Duplicate of…'?
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BJP MP : Jagan will dump Amaravati, plans four capitals for Andhra Pradesh
Amaravati will not be the capital city of Andhra Pradesh in the near future. According to Rajya Sabha MP TG Venkatesh, who defected from the Telugu Desam to the BJP in June, Jaganmohan Reddy has arrived at this decision. Amaravati will be reduced to a mere regional office, claims Venkatesh, adding Jagan has shared this plan with the BJP central leadership, who disclosed it to him.
Speaking to mediapersons in Kurnool on Sunday, Venkatesh said Jagan’s plan is to set up planning boards for all the four regions in Andhra Pradesh – Rayalaseema, south coastal Andhra, Krishna and Godavari districts and north-coastal Andhra. If one goes by Venkatesh-speak, Jagan will appoint four deputy chief ministers, one from each region. The intention would be to decentralise the administration and be seen as doing justice to all regions.
A city in each of the four regions would then be developed as capital cities. These are likely to be Vizianagaran, Kakinada, Guntur and Kadapa. It is possible they could be christened as regional Secretariats.
Venkatesh said the decision to dump Amaravati was taken because Jagan is not in favour of building a concrete jungle in place of fertile Krishna delta land.
“People will be happy with the decision. Hailing from Rayalaseema, I can tell you we will be happy,” said Venkatesh.
The sensational comments come at a time when Municipal Administration minister Botsa Satyanarayana had spoken of Amaravati as a flood-prone area as a result of which too much investment would be needed to keep it safe from inundation. There has also been talk of the possibility of a referendum on the capital issue, to make it seem that YSRCP was going by the wishes of the people instead of taking a unilateral decision. People in Rayalaseema and north-coastal Andhra have always resented the extra attention showered on Amaravati.
TG Venkatesh (extreme left) with Amit Shah and JP Nadda
Categories: Andhra Pradesh, Political Pickle
Tagged as: amaravati, Andhra Pradesh, bjp mp, botsa satyanarayana, floods, Jaganmohan Reddy, rayalaseema, tdp, tg venkatesh, ysrcp
TDP elated over Jagan reference in Chidambaram case
Badminton : PV Sindhu on top of the world. So is India
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Alt Remedies
Breathe Fit
Self-Care in a Pandemic: How Do You Be Kind to Yourself?
This Mental Health Day, give yourself a pat on the back. You deserve it.
Saakhi Chadha
Updated: 12 Oct 2020, 12:04 PM IST
Mind It
“What does self-care mean to you?”
Chances are, you may not have had a clear answer to this seemingly-uncomplicated question six months ago. But today, as I ask around, this inquiry is met with an almost intuitive, top-of-the-head response.
“The entire concept of ‘self-care’ seemed alien to me until this year. But now, it centres my days and life,” a friend replies.
The silver lining in the dark, dark cloud we have been living in for the past few months, has been a heightened sense of awareness about our mental health needs.
The work from home routine, the blurring of the work-life boundaries, and the constant pressure of being productive, have practically pushed us to recognize when to stop, and to just breathe.
This Mental Health Day, FIT sought to understand the need for self-care in a constantly changing environment, and how it means different things to different people.
World Mental Health Day 2020: Talking Mental Health & Kindness
Step One | Redefining Productivity: ‘You Can’t Pour From an Empty Cup’
(Photo: FIT)
With the pandemic and the many significant upheavals it has brought upon, the standards we set for ourselves in terms of our work goals, productivity, and the dreadfully long to-do lists need to be looked at again.
Ritika Aggarwal, Consultant Psychologist at Jaslok Hospital and Research Centre shares that there is no universal definition of 'productivity’ - especially right now. Some individuals may be able to cope better by doing more work, while others might need to take a little bit more downtime to deal with their emotions.
“Neither is right or wrong, but we need to understand what works best for us. When we figure that out, we should communicate this to those around us.”
Ritika Aggarwal
Commenting on the same, Dr Raj Kumar Srivastava, Senior Consultant and Head, Department of Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences, Max Super Speciality Hospital, New Delhi, says, “One should not take the pressure to be productive all day. If you are being productive, it is better, yes, but even if you are not, it's alright. The most crucial thing during this pandemic is to keep yourself happy whether you are productive or not.”
Once we accept these changes, it is essential to redefine and create new, personal goals for ourselves, which may not necessarily be the same as someone else’s.
And with each goal you accomplish, make it a point to celebrate your achievements, Aggarwal says. “Congratulate yourself for doing what you set out to do and celebrate every little milestone. But also, forgive yourself for the times when you may not have the emotional bandwidth to complete the tasks.”
Mental Health Day: How I Won the Smaller Battles With Anxiety
Step Two: Know Where to Draw the Line
Where do we draw the line?
“That’s a very hard question because again, the line differs for each individual. The basic objective is to not let yourself burn out. That wouldn’t do you any good,” Aggarwal explains.
“Remember, you cannot pour from an empty cup. When you can sense the exhaustion, and feel incapable of processing new information, pause. Taking care of your health is the most important sustaining factor at this point, and fortunately, we have the time and opportunity to do so now.”
Start with the basics and get some good sleep, she suggests. Make sure you create a sleep routine, use the time before bed to do something relaxing, unplug electronic devices 30 minutes to an hour before sleeping, avoid reading the news at night, do not have large meals, caffeine or alcohol before bedtime, and create an overall conducive bedroom environment.
Second, find time to do the things you enjoy. Read a book, paint, music, start a hobby, sing, spend time with families and just engage in activities that help you relax.
“You must make use of this time to connect with yourself. Over time, we have missed out on that because we’ve been so busy socialising and building connections with others. This is an opportunity to understand and help ourselves,” Aggarwal says.
In addition, she reminds us to be kind towards our own self, just like we would be towards others. “We tend to blame ourselves for things that we would forgive others for. Tell yourself what you would tell a friend: It happens. We are human. We can make mistakes.”
“How we deal with this pandemic is different for all of us. We need to recognize that and be kind towards ourselves. Tell yourself that it is okay to feel worried or low, it is okay to miss your friends. It is all normal and you will be fine. Give yourself these reminders.”
Making a journal could be a way to allow your thoughts to flow onto the paper and help raise self-awareness. It’s also important to focus on the things you can control - like wearing your mask and following physical distancing. Doomscrolling and incessantly reading about dismal COVID updates would not be of any help.
It is also important to practice gratitude, she says. “We are so used to being thankful for big events like a promotion, marriages, or having a baby, that we tend to overlook the smaller day-to-day things we are blessed with. For instance, feel grateful for the friend who called up to check on you, or for the colleague who offered help when you didn’t even ask for it. These little things need to be noticed. If it helps, keep a gratitude jar or journal and try reading it at the end of the day.”
Deep breathing exercises, mindfulness and meditation could help relieve stress and reduce anxiety. Aggarwal suggests the 54321 grounding technique, where you focus and observe five things you can see, four you can touch, three sounds you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste.
“Do whatever works for you. Nothing, and I repeat, nothing is more important than looking after ourselves and our families right now,” she says.
How Do You Take Care of Your Mental Health During a Recession?
To Me, Self-Care Means...
From recognizing its importance, to tips on how to practice it, we move on to what self-care means to different individuals, and how they attain the calm, peace and stability in this ever-spiralling world.
Sonya Jain, a budding Sociologist: “I guess the idea of self-care is very contingent for me. The Covid-19 pandemic and the consequent lockdown have impacted my mental and physical health in ways that I had never imagined before. So, instead of setting long term goals, I focus on my self on a day-to-day basis.”
“Dance and theatre - the two forms of art that are dearest to me - have played a huge part in preventing me from spiraling into an abyss of uncertainty and despair. With more time on my hands, I have been able to look at these art forms and experience them in a very different way. Looking forward to engaging with them gives me a sense of purpose, it re-instates my sense of self. In other words, it is like meditating.”
Sonya Jain
(Photo: Sonya Jain)
Shivangi Gupta, an educationist and an entrepreneur: “Self-care for me is giving myself a window to escape from the web of negative thoughts that I tend to slip in if I overthink. That window, for me, has been indulging into art. Astraying my mind into a creative direction not only distracts me, but also helps me live a childhood hobby that was lost in the busy schedules of my daily life.”
(Illustration: Shivangi Gupta)
Nishad Ahuja, a lawyer: “Self-care to me is spending time with my dog. Before the pandemic, I was working in another city and living away from my family. But now, I get to spend hours with Jordan, and that, for me, is the best form of therapy. When I feel frustrated or low, I take him for a walk, play with him, or just cuddle with him. He brings me joy.”
(Photo: Nishad Ahuja)
Manvi Duggal, filmmaker and Ad director: “The very first step for me was to accept that there lies a mental health problem that needs to be addressed. Once I did that, my journey began. I started with exploring the things that I loved the most, and dedicated myself fully to learning them. Being a passionate dancer, I realized dance brought me happiness and peace. I also focused more on enhancing my skills as a filmmaker, and got my mind to think of new ideas that could be brought to life through my lenses. All this kept me occupied, and brought calm and stability to my life.”
(Photo: Manvi Duggal)
During such unprecedented and stressful times, it is crucial to understand yourself and to know what works for you and what doesn’t. As Aggarwal puts it, “You truly cannot help others if you don't help yourself. Be kind to the person you see in the mirror. They’ve been through a lot.”
Has The Pandemic Turned You Into A Home Gardener?
(Subscribe to FIT on Telegram)
Published: 10 Oct 2020, 7:01 AM IST
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Church Avenue Sessions
YOSHIE FRUCHTER & THE FLATBUSH JEWISH CENTER present
*A Monthly Music Series in Kensington, Brooklyn*
at Flatbush Jewish Center
327 East 5th Street (@ Church Avenue), Brooklyn, NY 11218
Thursday, May 30th at 7:30pm
Bop Kabbalah + Voices & Marty Ehrlich Lineage Trio
BOP KABBALAH+VOICES
Guitarist/composer Ty Citerman teams up with the dynamic singers Judith Berkson and Sara Serpa for his latest project Bop Kabbalah+Voices. They will perform the complete song cycle “Es Rirt Zikh (It’s Moving): New Yiddish Liberation Songs” (2019), which sets century-old labor song texts to Citerman’s contemporary original music. The piece sheds light on the relevance today of the words of the early labor movement. English translations of the Yiddish will be provided and woven into the program.
Citerman’s first solo album as a leader is entitled “Bop Kabbalah” and was released on Tzadik Records in 2014, hailed by “JazzTimes” as “…one of the year’s most arresting recordings…” He is a co-founder of the eclectic chamber jazz quartet Gutbucket, which celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2019. He has shared the stage and performed with artists such as John Zorn, the American Composers Orchestra, Ethel, James Ilgenfritz, Frank London, Anti-Social Music, Rhys Chatham and Glenn Branca. He is also the recipient of a 2018 Brooklyn Arts Council grant in support of his work with Yiddish labor songs.
MARTY EHRLICH LINEAGE TRIO
Marty Ehrlich – clarinets, saxophones, flutes
Jerome Harris – guitar, voice
Michael Bates – bass
One of my expressive goals with this trio is to explore compositions that I love, weaving a path through lineages, which have shaped me. The tributaries opening up ahead, that lead forward or back over time. One is the
great vision and gift of the African-American musical lineage, created against inordinate odds of survival. Another is the depth of Hebraic chant. The freedom we all need to create the new within a field of questions. So we join in the responsibility and joy of keeping this field open on all sides, alive for all.
A monthly music series has sprung up in Kensington, Brooklyn called Church Avenue Sessions. Founded by guitarist and composer Yoshie Fruchter and hosted by the Flatbush Jewish Center, the series is focused on showcasing the amazing artistry of Brooklyn based musicians, regardless of genre. All ages are welcome! As a recent transplant to Kensington from Prospect Heights, Yoshie was inspired to start CAS from other peers who have run music series’ in synagogues around the city, including The Sixth Street Synagogue in the East Village, Kane Street synagogue in Cobble Hill, Temple Beth Emeth in Ditmas Park, and the Stephen Wise synagogue on the upper west side.
As community spaces, synagogues are many ways perfect venues to present art and music, and Flatbush Jewish Center is no exception. With a beautiful and spacious sanctuary, and a downstairs event room, there is opportunity to present both sensitive acoustic music, as well as bands that utilize drums and electric instruments.
Flatbush Jewish Center (FJC) is a Conservative synagogue offering programming and services for families, adults, and children. We serve the Windsor Terrace and Kensington, Brooklyn communities and offer traditional egalitarian services.
Yoshie Fruchter is a guitar, bass, oud player and composer whose band, Pitom (Tzadik Records), has received critical acclaim from JazzTimes magazine, the Wall Street Journal and Guitar Player Magazine, among others. The unique blend of rock, jazz, experimental and jewish styles in his playing and composing is a defining characteristic of his music. He has toured the US and Europe with Pitom and other groups, playing the Atlantique Jazz Festival in France, the Krakow Jewish Culture Festival, Saalfelden Jazz Festival in Austria and others. He recently released a record of post-rock arrangements of old cantorial recordings entitled Schizophonia, and leads a new project called Sandcatchers featuring oud, lap steel and cello. In addition, Yoshie is a sought-after freelance musician in New York City in bands ranging in style from acoustic world music to heavy metal and has performed with John Zorn, Cyro Baptista and Frank London, among many others.
We are fortunate to have Yoshie and his family as members of Flatbush Jewish Center and our Kensington community at large! Please come join us!
Stay tuned for the schedule of upcoming performances!
ALL PRESS INQUIRIES & INTERVIEWS FOR YOSHIE OR FJC, PLEASE CONTACT KIM SMITH
Bo January 23, 2021
Morning Services with Rabbi Lev Meirowitz Nelson January 23, 2021 at 10:00 am – 11:00 am https://zoom.us/j/96884804443?pwd=cUQrZlluSmVuK0pabHVxUmRib253dz09
Mincha on FJC patio January 23, 2021 at 4:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Havdalah & Storytime January 23, 2021 at 5:45 pm – 3:12 pm https://zoom.us/j/96884804443?pwd=cUQrZlluSmVuK0pabHVxUmRib253dz09
Board Meeting January 24, 2021 at 10:00 am – 11:00 am
327 East 5th, Brooklyn NY 11218
Office Open M-Th 9-5, Fri 9-1
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ETNO welcomes the Austrian Presidency’s approach to ePrivacy, asks Member States to support future-oriented rules
Brussels, 13 July 2018 – ETNO, the Association representing Europe’s leading telecom operators, welcome proposals to ensure that the ePrivacy Regulation is better fit for global digital competition, ensuring trust and consistency across legal instruments.
ETNO applauds the incoming Austrian Presidency’s approach to the draft Regulation and urges Member States to stand behind the Presidency’s robust recommendations. This will allow Council to be better positioned in view of finalising talks with the European Parliament before the end of its term.
ETNO believes any law should establish general principles that can apply to specific cases, take full account of a risk-based approach and evolve according to technological developments. Unless we embrace this approach, the future ePrivacy Regulation risks becoming obsolete even before being applicable. Therefore, ETNO warmly welcomes, in particular, the inclusion of the principle of compatible further processing of communication metadata, in line with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Our Association has long called for legislators to embrace this principle also in the ePrivacy Regulation, as it strikes a good balance between the protection of privacy and confidentiality for citizens and creating benefits for the society through innovation.
In an ever faster-evolving digital market, it is impossible to foretell how consumer preferences, technology and business models will change in the coming years. For this reason, ETNO has consistently cautioned against a short-sighted list of exceptions to the overarching ban on metadata processing, exclusively based on the use cases and the needs of today.
Compatible further processing is a future-oriented mechanism that would grant telecommunication operators and other players the required flexibility in using metadata to develop new high-quality offerings for European consumers, standing the test of time and of technological change for the years to come. Strong safeguards like pseudonymisation, and adherence to the key tenets of the GDPR, will guarantee that the fundamental rights to privacy and confidentiality are fully protected.
ETNO Director General Lise Fuhr said: “The Austrian Presidency’s proposal is a strong signal that a better alignment of the proposed ePrivacy Regulation with the horizontal regime of the GDPR is necessary. The telecom industry fully supports the Presidency in its endeavour and hopes the proposed improvements will help make the regulation truly fit for the digital age and for strong European players in today’s global markets”.
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ETNO is the European Telecommunications Network Operators’ Association. We proudly represent Europe’s main telecom operators, who innovate and invest in the continent's digital backbone. Our companies are the providers of Europe's most advanced digital networks and services. ETNO's mission is to develop a positive policy and regulatory environment empowering the delivery of world-class services for European citizens and businesses.
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NBA and La Française des Jeux announce multiyear partnership expansion in France
The National Basketball Association (NBA) and La Française des Jeux (FDJ) – the operator of France’s national lottery and one of the world’s largest sports betting companies – announced a new multiyear expansion of their partnership in France.
Under the partnership, ParionsSport will continue to use official NBA betting data and branding across its digital and retail offerings. French NBA fans will be provided with exclusive benefits and authentic experiences, including access to NBA games in the U.S., official NBA merchandise and engaging products through FDJ’s betting platforms, with over 100 bets available per game. Building on their support of the NBA’s first-ever regular season game in France, as Associate Partner of The NBA Paris Game 2020 presented by beIN SPORTS, ParionsSport will also partner on future NBA games in France.
The partnership sees the continued collaboration on the popular, localised free-to-play prediction game “NBA Pick‘Em Weekly 6 presented by ParionsSport”. This gaming experience offers French fans the chance to win prizes by predicting the result of six NBA games each week during the regular season at nba.com/pickem.
“We are delighted to expand our partnership with La Française des Jeux, an industry leader in the French sports betting landscape,” said Kuljeet Sindhar, Senior Director, International Fantasy & Gaming, NBA. “With the 2020-21 NBA season about to tip off on December 22, the league is looking forward to uniting millions of NBA fans and FDJ customers across France, providing another touchpoint for those fans who choose to engage with the NBA through betting.”
“We are thrilled to continue our partnership with the NBA, the world’s most iconic basketball league,” said Head of Sports betting for FDJ, Richard Courtois. “The NBA is synonymous with basketball and represents the pinnacle of the sport. Through this partnership, our sports betting portfolio will gain even more visibility, with our customers and NBA fans alike able to enjoy unique experiences. This partnership will be key to the growth of the ParionsSport brand over the next few years.”
beIN SPORTS presenter Mary Patrux will continue in her role as ParionsSport ambassador, providing weekly predictions and tips on ParionsSport social media channels, with popular NBA YouTubers and social media influencers TrashTalk also joining the ParionsSport team.
The expanded partnership will be promoted in 27,000 retail locations in France and across ParionsSport and the NBA’s digital assets, including NBA.com, the NBA App and NBA France social media platforms.
Sports betting continues to be a growth area for FDJ, representing 21% of FDJ’s total stakes in 2019. FDJ saw an increase of more than 40% in bets on the NBA since 2019.
Related Topics:EuropeFDJFranceHead of Sports betting for FDJ Richard CourtoisLa Française des JeuxNational Basketball AssociationNBAParionsSport
A luxurious Christmas adventure – Chance Machine 5!
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Fruit Million, a traditional-style fruit slot released in the middle of December, has quickly become one of the most successful games in BGaming’s line-up.
It has become one of the top eight slots of a major casino in just 10 days. The slot with 100 paylines and features such as extended wilds and a gamble round surprises casino lovers with its simplicity and generosity. Furthermore, it is designed in a way that keeps players involved and entertained.
Thousands of players all over the world have plunged into the festive Christmas atmosphere of the Fruit Million slot, but it is now time to revert its skin to the standard look. Its attractive design and convenient interface will also excite both newcomers and experienced players.
Stats Perform has become the first betting data provider to be awarded the International Betting Integrity Association’s (IBIA) independently audited Data Standards Accreditation for the collection and distribution of sports event data for betting.
The award represents the highest mark of betting data quality and integrity available and is assessed by expert independent auditors, eCOGRA.
“I am delighted to announce that Stats Perform is the first company to meet the data standards protocols IBIA published in October 2020. In passing the independent auditing process, Stats Perform has demonstrated secure and robust internal procedures for the collation of sporting event data for betting and may now utilise the Data Standards Kitemark,” Khalid Ali, CEO of IBIA, said.
“Stats Perform met every requirement set out in the data standards protocols. The company was well-prepared for the auditing process, and the evidence that was reviewed was representative of a company culture that is in line with the core principles of IBIA’s data integrity standards and committed to continually improving upon them,” Shaun McCallaghan, CEO of eCOGRA, said.
“This accreditation is thanks to tireless quality and integrity efforts from our sports data operations teams over the past 15 years and, whilst we’re grateful for the recognition, we know our efforts don’t stop here. We continuously search for new threats and assess opportunities to improve our sports data processes, people and technology,” Andrew Ashenden, Chief Betting Officer at Stats Perform, said.
“Stats Perform’s RunningBall and Opta sports data is chosen by the world’s leading rights holders, sportsbooks and pricing providers to power exceptional in-play betting experiences for millions of global sports bettors,” Andrew Ashenden added.
“Our priority at Stats Perform is the integrity of the betting markets and of the competitions upon which they rely. Effective risk management of our data supply chain involves ongoing investment, collaboration and commitment across numerous expert teams who live and breathe the quality of our product. We are very proud to be recognised by the IBIA for our dedication to quality and integrity,” Jake Marsh, Global Head of Integrity at Stats Perform, said.
Innovative UK based sportsbetting technology company Algosport are pleased to announce that they have signed an agreement to provide Bet Builder products to industry giant INTRALOT.
Under the terms of the deal, current and future INTRALOT customers will benefit from market-leading Bet Builder products initially for pre-match football, but with the ability to expand to include In:Play betting options across a wide variety of sports, with Cashout supported as standard. Unlike some other providers, Algosports proprietary technology will be housed within INTRALOT’s current platform infrastructure, increasing accuracy and robustness, plus reducing the latency and other problems seen with some API or feed-based solutions.
Leigh Herdman, CEO at Algosport, said, “This is a really exciting deal for Algosport, and we are really pleased to be working with INTRALOT, who are one of the biggest names in betting and gaming”
Alongside traditional same game multiples for sports such as soccer and basketball, Algosport are also continually enhancing the service and recently added innovative products for handball and snooker betting markets. In addition,
Algosport recently became one of the first providers to offer Bet Builder products for eSports titles such as FIFA 2020. These innovations have proved incredibly popular with operators, as eSports betting replaced some of the revenue lost due to Covid-related reductions in the sporting calendar.
Leigh Herdman, CEO at Algosport, concluded: ‘The signing of this deal, alongside the recently announced supplier agreement with EveryMatrix, makes for a really exciting time at Algosport and we look forward to providing INTRALOT clients around the world with our innovative products. 2020 has obviously been a particularly challenging year for the gambling industry, however we have big plans for Algosport in 2021 that will see the launch of exciting new products and services for our existing customers, as well as bringing aboard numerous new clients”
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Work type: Staff Full-Time
Location: Main Campus (Gainesville, FL)
Categories: Communications/Public Relations/Marketing
Department:23010000 - CJC-JOURNALISM/COMMUNICA-DEAN
Classification Title:
Marketing and Comm Specialist
The College of Journalism and Communications at the University of Florida is looking for a creative and self-motivating Marketing Analyst who takes pride in his/her work and is ready to promote strategic partnerships for employers and students.
The Marketing Analyst for the Office of Careers and Corporate Partnerships (OCCP) in the UF College of Journalism and Communications is responsible for gathering, entering, interpreting, analyzing, disseminating and managing data critical to expanding the college’s employer network and cultivating internship and job placement opportunities. This position assists in the development of marketing materials and coordinates OCCP events and programs. This position is time limited.
To learn more about the OCCP, please click on the link: https://www.jou.ufl.edu/home/about/careers-and-corporate-partnerships/occp-about/
Tracks and collects data around employer partners, internship and job opportunities, and campus engagement activities using CRM systems, databases or other data collection tools. Manages the OCCP job/internship database. Creates and manages mailing lists for organizational mailings.
Prepares reports of findings, illustrating data graphically and translating complex findings into written text. Analyzes and reports on job market trends, including current market conditions, in-demand occupations and companies’ recruitment processes.
Collaborates with OCCP Director and campus career staff to generate employer leads and build on existing system-level relationships. Identify creative, strategic methods to help OCCP engage prospective employers.
Devises and evaluates methods and procedures for collecting data, such as surveys, opinion polls or questionnaires, or arrange to obtain existing data.
Coordinates the Gator to Gator Coaching Program and the OCCP Virtual Career Day Program.
Assists in the creation of promotional communications and logistics for events, employer recruiting initiatives, newsletters, OCCP website and other office communication channels.
Assists with projects as needed.
The College of Journalism and Communications understands the importance of diversity as a contribution to the industries of journalism and communication in our increasingly multicultural nation and globalized marketplace. We value diversity and the development of competence in intercultural communication and behavior for all who are a part of our College, industry and society. We are committed to incorporating diversity and inclusiveness in our faculty, staff, students, curriculum, research, immersion properties and culture.
For more information about our Inclusion, Diversity and Equity commitments, please click on the links:
https://www.jou.ufl.edu/diversity-and-inclusion/
https://www.jou.ufl.edu/we-are-cjc-1/
$45,000 - $50,000 annually
Bachelor's degree and three years of relevant experience; or an associate degree and five years of relevant experience.
Experience with CRM programs, WordPress, databases and business research tools.
Knowledge of data collection methods (polls, focus groups, surveys etc.).
Excellent analytical, communication and presentation skills. Superior spelling, punctuation and grammatical skills; proficiency in Associated Press style.
Experience with Microsoft Office, Adobe InDesign and Photoshop.
Ability to plan, organize and coordinate work assignments independently and to work as part of a team toward organizational objectives.
Must have strong interpersonal skills.
Must be able to multi-task, organize, prioritize, and work within deadlines.
Must be professional and able to communicate information accurately and effectively.
Must display independent judgment, initiative and sound decision making.
In order to be considered, you must upload your cover letter and resume.
Application must be submitted by 11:55 p.m. (ET) of the posting end date.
Health Assessment Required:
Advertised: 07 Jan 2021 Eastern Standard Time
Applications close: 21 Jan 2021 Eastern Standard Time
Back to search results Apply nowRefer a friend
Marketing Analyst 23010000 - CJC-JOURNALISM/COMMUNICA-DEAN Main Campus (Gainesville, FL) 21 Jan 2021
The Office of Careers and Corporate Partnerships (OCCP) is a new and exciting addition to the College of Journalism and Communications. Its primary focus is to provide recruiting services and partnership opportunities to employers looking to connect with CJC students. These partnerships are the gateways to jobs and internships. The College of Journalism and Communications understands the importance of diversity as a contribution to the industries of journalism and communication in our increasingly multicultural nation and globalized marketplace. We value diversity and the development of competence in intercultural communication and behavior for all who are a part of our College, industry and society. We are committed to incorporating diversity and inclusiveness in our faculty, staff, students, curriculum, research, immersion properties and culture. For more information about our Inclusion, Diversity and Equity commitments, please click on the links: • https://www.jou.ufl.edu/diversity-and-inclusion/ • https://www.jou.ufl.edu/we-are-cjc-1/
Staff Full-Time 1
Main Campus (Gainesville, FL) 1
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Message to Obama: Please Fix the USDA’s Organic Mess
Feb 24, 2009 - 3:00:52 PM
Contact: Mark A. Kastel 608-625-2042
Overhaul of Management and Culture Needed
Appointment of Kathleen Merrigan as Deputy Secretary: First Sign of "Change"
Cornucopia, WI – President Obama and new USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack are being urged to take immediate action to repair the USDA’s increasingly dysfunctional National Organic Program (NOP). Suspect imports of grains, nuts, and vegetables from China and other countries, questionable organic milk, beef, and eggs from giant factory farms, and the erosion of opportunity for family farmers are plaguing the organic sector.
Consumer demand for organic production has skyrocketed in recent years, propelling organics into an over $20 billion dollar a year business. That same hunger for organics has encouraged some large corporations, factory farms, and foreign producers to move into the U.S. organic business—but without upholding federal organic production standards.
On February 12, The Cornucopia Institute, a national organic watchdog representing family famers, sent a formal letter and briefing paper to President Obama and Secretary Vilsack specifically asking that they take “a very strong and proactive posture in turning around management at the National Organic Program,” which they described as being “Katrina-ed” by the Bush administration.
“The stewardship of the organic program at the USDA has been an absolute abomination,” said Mark A. Kastel, Cornucopia’s senior farm policy analyst. “It was not just management by neglect—it was an intentional monkeywrenching of the Department's oversight of the industry.”
In the last several years, audits prepared by the American National Standards Institute and the Inspector General's office have blasted the NOP for failing to ensure that independent certification agencies, which verify organic farming and production practices, are competent and properly performing their jobs. A Peer Review Panel—fundamental to ensuring competent certification—has never been established.
Technical Advisory Panels, crucial to the evaluation of specific materials and ingredients used in organic food and agriculture, remain underfunded or unused. Furthermore, dozens of policy resolutions adopted by the National Organic Standards Board, the expert citizen advisory panel to the NOP, have never been reviewed or implemented. “ In addition to starving the organic program for adequate funding, the political environment at the USDA has always been hostile to the industry, ” said Kastel.
During the Bush administration political appointees at the USDA had also significantly softened penalties for organic lawbreakers, overruling stiff enforcement actions recommended by career civil servants, for factory farms that were found willfully violating federal organic standards. Other complaints detailing abuses on factory farms were quashed or went uninvestigated.
“ If organic food production and eating had not caught on so well, we wouldn't see these scofflaws doing their thing,” observed Merrill Clark, a certified organic livestock farmer from Michigan and former member of the National Organic Standards Board. Clark added, “It’s time to change the culture at the USDA.”
The Cornucopia Institute has launched a “[email protected]” campaign and is helping stakeholders in the organic community to unite for rehabilitation of the NOP. The farm group intends to hand-deliver letters to both Mr. Obama and Secretary Vilsack from farmers and consumers supporting a sweeping management shakeup at the National Organic Program.
In the first sign that the new administration at the USDA is taking the concerns of organic and sustainable farming interests to heart, yesterday [on February 23], Secretary Vilsack announced the appointment of Dr. Kathleen Merrigan, a Tufts University assistant professor, as USDA Deputy Secretary. “I cannot think of a more qualified public policy expert to take on this important role at what Abraham Lincoln referred to as the ‘people's department, ’” Kastel affirmed. The Cornucopia Institute, and many other farm organizations, lobbied hard for Merrigan's appointment. “I hope this is representative of President Obama and Secretary Vilsack subscribing to the old adage that, ‘good government equals good politics,’” he added.
However, with sectors of the organic industry in crisis, stakeholders are hoping the new appointees at the USDA take swift action. “The certified organic label belongs to the thousands of ethical organic family farmers, and their consumer allies and patrons, who have built the vibrant organic agricultural and food market,” said Peter Wiesner, General Manager at the Hungry Hollow Co-op in Chestnut Ridge, New York. “We need new management at the National Organic Program if we are to reclaim the organic label,” Wiesner said.
As questions swirl around the handling of organics by the NOP, a true crisis is unfolding in the organic dairy sector. Ethical organic dairy farmers, and the co-ops and family-owned businesses they partner with for processing and marketing, are getting hammered by cheap, phony "organic" milk from giant factory farms and alleged predatory pricing by the $11 billion agribusiness behemoth, Dean Foods.
Dean Foods, owner of 50 different milk brands including the nation’s leading organic dairy label, Horizon Organic, has heavily discounted their retail pricing, driving down market prices for all competitors. Dean/Horizon gets a large percentage of their milk from their 8000-cow industrial dairy and from many other mega-farms they contract with.
The majority of the bogus private-label, or store-brand, milk (which is usually cheaper than branded organic milk) marketed by Wal-Mart, Costco, Safeway, Target, and other grocery chains comes from the controversial Aurora Dairy, operator of five giant factory farms in Texas and Colorado.
“These unethical competitors are squeezing and undercutting other brands and the family farms that supply them,” stated Cornucopia’s Kastel. Kastel added that “Stonyfield, Organic Valley, and other smaller markers have had to let some of their family farmers go and/or cut prices paid to them.”
Despite their rhetoric supporting family farmers, Dean/Horizon has used strong-arm tactics in attempting to terminate ties with some of its farmers—this, sadly, as the company continues to expand its use of industrial-scale dairy operations.
Don Halverson, a family-scale organic dairy farmer near Rupert, Idaho, recently saw Dean refuse to buy his milk. “We thought we were dealing with ethical people,” said Halverson, who milks about 50 cows. “My family and I hitched our wagon's future to the commitments we received from the Horizon folks.” His family now faces financial ruin without a market for his organic milk.
Cornucopia is calling on the USDA to enforce federal organic regulations that would control abuses occurring in the organic dairy sector. Enforcement has been spotty, at best, at the USDA. A number of legal complaints filed by Cornucopia documenting alleged violations of organic law on factory dairies were never investigated by the Agency.
EDITOR’S NOTE : More specifics on Cornucopia’s [email protected] campaign can be found at this link or under the action alerts tab at www.cornuocpia.org.
Other graphic images available include: [email protected] button (in color or black and white), Cornucopia logo, a head shot of Mr. Kastel and photos of "organic" factory farms or, as a juxtaposition, beautiful grass-based organic dairies.
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Norwich 0-0 Chelsea: 5 Things We Learned
Antonio Conte may have shrugged his shoulders but his face told the real story when asked whether he was happy to have another fixture added to Chelsea's busy schedule.
The Blues will have to do it all over again in the FA Cup third round after they were held to a 0-0 draw by Championship side Norwich City. And they only have theirselves to blame.
From the first whistle to the last, Chelsea were simply not good enough. Conte rung the changes to freshen up his side but perhaps he shouldn't have bothered. The players who started the game, barring Willian were lethargic and seemingly unmotivated.
It all culminated in a poor performance, a goalless draw and another game to play. As disappointing evenings go, this was certainly up there and we have picked up the five things we learned from the match at Carrow Road.
1 Kenedy has stagnated, he needs a loan move
2 Luiz won't dislodge Christensen anytime soon
3 Drinkwater Is Proving To Be A Shrewd Signing
4 No Hazard, no invention
5 Batshuayi doesn't look like making the grade
Kenedy has stagnated, he needs a loan move
Chelsea beat a number of clubs to the signing of the then 19-year-old in the summer of 2015 and his first season at Stamford Bridge was a promising one. He made 20 appearances in all competitions, scoring two goals.
However, his career has faltered since. A season-long loan move to Watford last term was cut short after he made just one appearance and his professionalism was questioned. He ended up playing just two further games after returning to West London.
In the summer Kenedy was sent home from Chelsea's pre-season tour of the Far East after making disrespectful comments on social media about a security guard in China. But he was kept at the club with the Blues unable to sign another left wing-back.
He has since managed just five appearances, the latest coming at Carrow Road, and hasn't convinced in any. He is being played out of position but there is no doubt Kenedy remains talented but very raw.
Far too often he makes the wrong decision when in possession. He'll shoot from distance instead of playing a simple pass or will attempt to beat a man instead of finding a teammate.
It's why the Brazilian needs to leave the club and play regular football. With experience comes better judgement and that is when Kenedy is currently lacking.
Newcastle United are hopeful of taking him on loan for the remainder of the season and it's a deal Chelsea should sanction. They've got other options, such as Dujon Sterling, they can turn to at wing-back if required.
There's no point keeping Kenedy around just to make up the numbers.
Luiz won't dislodge Christensen anytime soon
The floppy-haired Brazilian was handed his first Chelsea appearance since November 22 at Carrow Road.
His absence has, officially, been down to a knee problem but his omission from the first-team is more likely to be because he questioned Antonio Conte's tactics after the Champions League defeat to Roma.
So this game was an opportunity for Luiz to prove he is worthy of returning to the Chelsea side, unfortunately he was inconsistent throughout the 90 minutes.
In the first half he was guilty of losing possession cheaply, including one instance when he was tackled on the edge of the Blues penalty area. Fortunately for the visitors, the ball squirmed out of play.
He was also booked for a rash and unnecessary challenge James Maddison in what was a rusty opening 45 minutes.
Luiz did improve in the second period and his passing from the back was crisper. But he didn't look totally at ease after so long out of the starting XI and won't be displacing Andreas Christensen anytime soon in the heart of the Chelsea back three.
Drinkwater Is Proving To Be A Shrewd Signing
When the midfielder joined Chelsea from Leicester City on transfer deadline day in the summer, his signing was met with indifference by the majority of Blues supporters.
It was important the club brought in players to bolster their squad but, having been linked with a number of big-name midfielders in the summer, Drinkwater wasn't deemed as being the calibre of player Chelsea should be spending £35million on.
The fact he then immediately suffered an injury which kept him out for two months didn't help matters. However, since making his debut as a late substitute against Bournemouth in October, Drinkwater has quickly established himself as an important cog in the Blues squad.
He has now featured in 15 games for Chelsea and has only been involved in one defeat, which was against Roma in the Champions League, a game in which the Blues were losing 3-0 when he came off the bench.
There are no great frills to Drinkwater's game but he is efficient and effective. He carries out Conte's instructions to the letter and has already played in several differing roles.
Earlier in the season at against Liverpool at Anfield, he was charged with getting forward and causing the Reds defence problems. Against Newcastle last month he was breaking up play alongside N'Golo Kanté while at Carrow Road he had the same brief.
As usual, Drinkwater got on with the job at hand. His discipline allowed Tiemoué Bakayoko to play a box-to-box role – one that he looked far more comfortable win – while his ability to win back possession was evident, no player made more tackles than the 27-year-old (6).
He isn't the most glamorous player in the Chelsea squad but Drinkwater is quickly proving to be one of the most important and reliable.
No Hazard, no invention
Chelsea's brilliant Belgian was absent at Carrow Road as he nursed a calf injury sustained during the draw with Arsenal in midweek. But how Conte must have wished he could've called upon the Blues No.10.
Throughout the 90 minutes the visitors were too sluggish when in possession. There was no urgency to their attacks and no player willing to commit opposition defenders, especially in the first half.
This season Hazard is averaging 4.5 dribbles and 3.4 key passes per game in the Premier League. Against Norwich, a Championship side, only Willian could better those figures.
He completed an impressive ten dribbles and made four key passes, but he was often running with the ball in deeper positions and didn't glide past defenders often enough.
With no Hazard, and Cesc Fabregas for that matter, Chelsea don't have the intricacy to unlock stubborn defences. That will be a huge concern for Conte and one that perhaps Ross Barkley's arrival will change.
Batshuayi doesn't look like making the grade
Before this game it would've been hard to find a Chelsea fan who didn't like Michy Batshuayi.
The striker is incredible likeable – he has an infectious smile and is very amusing on social media. It's why there has been huge desire to see him succeed at Stamford Bridge since he joined the club from Marseille.
However, he hasn't won over Conte during his 18 months at the club and after his display against Norwich, Blues fans have seemingly run out of patience with the Belgian.
His performance was simply not good enough against a side struggling in the Championship. Far too often Batshuayi was bullied out of possession and when he did have the ball, he often gave it away.
No Chelsea player that started the game had a worse passing accuracy than Batshuayi, he attempted 29 passes and completed just 65.5 percent of them. For context the second worse accurate passer was Davide Zappacosta who completed 75 percent.
Sadly Batshuayi doesn't look like ever making the grade at Chelsea. He could rightly claim he's never had a real opportunity to prove himself, but in the rare starts he's been afforded the 24-year-old has never convinced.
He lasted 73 minutes against Norwich before being hauled off and replaced by Álvaro Morata. There was a smattering of applause from the Chelsea travelling support but it seems the love he earned by scoring the goal which won the title has faded.
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