pred_label
stringclasses 2
values | pred_label_prob
float64 0.5
1
| wiki_prob
float64 0.25
1
| text
stringlengths 112
978k
| source
stringlengths 37
43
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
__label__cc
| 0.551088
| 0.448912
|
Trump uses anti-Semitic themes to close out campaign
Washington, D.C. – Yesterday, the Donald Trump campaign released an ad, highlighting his closing arguments for the American people. In the ad, the Trump campaign once again employed anti-Semitic stereotypes, except this time, the words were matched to images of respected Jewish leaders such as Janet Yellen, George Soros, and Lloyd Blankfein. The ADL’s Jonathan Greenblatt condemned the ad in a statement, and Talking Points Memo appropriately called the ad “anti-Semitic.”
The National Jewish Democratic Council issued the following statement, imploring the American people to recognize that Trump’s comfort using this language is unacceptable:
"Trump's casual use of anti-Semitic memes and stereotypes in this campaign has been shocking and dangerous. What has become increasingly clear as the election is coming to a close, especially with this latest ad, is that Trump has made a strategic choice to continue employing themes long used by anti-Semites. Let's not forget that this is the man the KKK enthusiastically supports for president of the United States. If this is how Trump campaigns, when still faced with the possibility of turning off swing voters, imagine what a Trump White House would look like. Every undecided voter -- in all communities, not just the Jewish community -- must take a close look at this ad and internalize what it means. Normally, we’d request an apology. However, we’ve asked in the past and, true to form, have only heard silence on the other end. We ask instead that the American people reject Trump’s bigotry. This ad proves once and for all that he is too dangerous to sit in the Oval Office. Donald Trump cannot become president of the United States."
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3804
|
__label__wiki
| 0.722264
| 0.722264
|
BROOKLYN MADE
In the winter of 1981, a scrawny, Brooklyn-born twelve-year-old kid by the name of Michael McLeer hung from the beam of an elevated B train. Spray can in hand, sneaker against steel, he felt spraypaint adorn the surface of an MTA train car for the first time. When he wrote the name KAVES, he penned the beginning of a folklore that spanned New York City's restless, crumbling, hip-hop fueled 1980s and 90s. Over the era, Kaves, a "Brooklyn boy who makes good" took paintings from traincars to museums and galleries. He took hip-hop from the crackle of his boom box radio into the unwelcome lap of the neighborhood he loved. Eventually, McLeer and his brother pushed things a step further and created the pioneering rap/punk-rock group Lordz of Brooklyn. Fueled by the same incessant need to create and influence that brought him to the tunnel of a train track, McLeer brought hip-hop culture into a prominently Italian-Irish Southwest Brooklyn. In the years to come, the group would gain critical acclaim and respect from the neighborhood and from the world. From Bay Ridge to Japan, Kaves left his mark in paint and lyric, going against the grain without pause.
Fifteen years ago, McLeer began to veer his prodigal career as a graffiti artist, fine artist and musician into the realm of tattooing. It didn't take long before Kaves was transferring artworks on canvas and concrete into artworks on skin in the heart of Brooklyn's Bay Ridge. The rest is history. After owning and operating a number of growing tattoo parlors in his home neighborhood, Kaves finally planted the flag in the ground of 312 93rd Street- creating Brooklyn Made Tattoo, which is his most beloved shop. Since 2008, Brooklyn Made has become more than a tattoo shop. Proudly tucked around the corner of Bay Ridge's bustling 3rd Ave, BMT has become a local staple and a hub for artists, creatives, friends, neighbors, comedians, eccentrics and celebrities alike.
Never at rest, Kaves utilized his boundless energy and well-oiled savvy over the years to knock down the doors of several major brands, becoming their go-to street artist and trend forecaster. Kaves has designed exclusive visuals for Jaguar, NIKE, Rockstar Games, WWE, PONY, MTV, ADIDAS, Van’s Warped Tour, Georges Duboeuf- for whom he created the label for 2011 Beaujolais Nouveau- and many others. Kaves has also created logos and graphics for world-renowned artists such as the Beastie Boys, Metallica and House of Pain’s Everlast.
His images have been published in books including Henry Chalfant’s pioneering 1984 chronicle Spraycan Art, Burning New York, Mascots & Mugs: The Characters and Cartoons of Subway Graffiti, Fresh Paint NYC, Graffiti Planet 2 and Piecebook: The Secret Drawings of Graffiti Writers. His own premier book, Skin Graf: Masters of Graffiti Tattoo, was released on April 25, 2013 through Prestel Publishing. Kaves’ paintings have been shown everywhere from the MTV Real World: Brooklyn loft, as well as the Gunter Sachs Museum of Fine Arts in Germany, The Blackstone Hotel in Chicago, Illinois and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. His first-ever New York City solo show during the summer of 2011 at the Hionas Gallery garnered overwhelming critical acclaim and saw collectors clamoring for works by the former vandal.
Kaves' energy and thirst for creative expression took him to the world of acting and filmmaking. In 2006, Kaves created, produced and directed The Brooklyn Way, a multi-episode docu-series about his family’s life. The show incited a remarkable regional groundswell during its first season on Madison Square Garden’s MSG Network, and was then picked up by FUSE for national distribution. Wasting no time, he dove into writing the screenplay for a romance between a starry-eyed shoemaker and a taxi dancer in 1950s Brooklyn. The Shoemaker- which starred big-league actors Burt Young and Peter Greene- came to win Best Short at The Art of Brooklyn Film Festival and was an official selection in the New Hampshire Film Festival. From 2011 to present day, Kaves has been starring in short and feature films including The Humdinger, Donnybrook, Star, and The Eulogy.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3813
|
__label__wiki
| 0.968387
| 0.968387
|
Enrique Iglesias Gets Women Swooning At Tour Kickoff
Singer launched U.S. tour outside of Boston on Saturday.
archive-Paul-Robicheau 09/09/2002
MANSFIELD, Massachusetts — The tide came in for Enrique Iglesias as he launched his U.S. tour at the Tweeter Center outside Boston Saturday — in the form of excited women who washed forward into the aisles every time the crooning heartthrob approached the stage platforms which jutted into the crowd.
When the vocalist returned to center stage, the tide would calmly retreat until the next cycle. But the screams rarely waned in the largely female audience of 8,000 which greeted Iglesias' fall foray into U.S. amphitheaters and arenas.
The screeching began as soon as the house lights went down and silhouettes appeared on a white scrim hiding the stage. The guitarists were most noticeable at first, posing with their instruments lifted over their heads. But before he sang a note, the women spotted Iglesias emerging from behind the drum riser.
Soon the 27-year-old singer parted the curtain with a sly smile, sporting a tan knit skull cap, a white T-shirt and distressed brown leather pants. He rolled his fingers and pointed skyward, goading fans to take their energy higher, and broke into such instant crowd-pleasers as "Love 4 Fun" and "Bailamos," singing "Let the rhythm take you over ..."
Fans screamed louder when Iglesias' hand drifted low on the skirt of one of his three backup singers during a semi-duet of "Could I Have This Kiss Forever." And when he invited a fan onstage for an encore of his hit ballad "Hero" and first touched her hands, thousands of women reacted as if it were their hands he had just touched.
"This is the best concert I've ever been to," said Katie Fillion, 16, of Norton, Massachusetts. Sarah Baker, 22, of Boston, added, "All his songs, they're romantic. They make me either want to be with my boyfriend or be with him."
Iglesias concentrated on his English repertoire during the 105-minute show, though he dipped into Spanish for a mid-set acoustic segment where he sat on a stool, flanked by the two guitarists in his seven-piece band and backed by candles on a video screen. At that point, with the reverb tempered in the sound mix, he seemed more focused on his phrasing, and confidently hum-scatted a few choruses in falsetto, including a climactic snippet of Prince's "Purple Rain."
Jeanette Bombiela, 29, a Boston fan whose parents listened to Enrique's father, Julio Iglesias, said, "I think there's more meaning when he sings in Spanish. You can feel it more. There's more soul. But his English is really good also."
Iglesias continued to work the tide after the acoustic break with uptempo set-closers "Don't Turn Off the Lights" and "Escape." The band was well-rehearsed (even though Iglesias chided one of his guitarists twice about his tuning during the acoustic break). And the encore was rounded out with the '80s feel of "Be With You" and Depeche Mode's "Just Can't Get Enough," which ended with a blizzard of white confetti.
Rick Torres, 37, of Swansea, Massachusetts, playfully rolled his eyes during the encore. "My wife went to the Stones with me Tuesday night, so I'm going to Enrique tonight."
For more sights and stories from concerts around the country, check out MTV News Tour Reports.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3816
|
__label__wiki
| 0.691517
| 0.691517
|
The New York Times - The Comeback 12min
The great dash men of recent history have been overtaken by the specter of doping. Four of the five fastest men ever, whose records were all set in the last eight years, have tested positive for steroids or stimulants. The preceding generation of sprinters, like Ben Johnson and Carl Lewis, was no less defined by doping. Gatlin won a 2004 Olympic gold medal in the 100 meters when he was coached by Trevor Graham, a former Olympian who later received a lifetime ban from track for helping his athletes obtain the drugs they used to dope. Graham’s best runners, including the Olympic sprinters Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery, tested positive for banned substances. Gatlin’s current coach, Dennis Mitchell, also a former Olympic sprinter, was suspended after a positive test in the late 1990s. ... The pressure to seek chemical advantages in a sport where the margins of victory are so small cannot be overstated. Gatlin finished first at the United States Olympic trials earlier this month. Michael Rodgers finished two-tenths of a second behind him, in fourth place, and did not qualify for the Olympics in that event. ... An industry has popped up to certify which supplements are clean of banned substances. A no-less-vigorous underground industry of pharmacists and endocrinologists boasts to athletes and coaches of being able to increase muscle mass and endurance and speed the healing of injuries while evading ever more sophisticated tests. Anonymous surveys suggest that significantly more athletes dope, often in microdoses, than are caught.
Tags: Olympics, Sports, Track & Field, Sprinting, Justin Gatlin, Doping, Michael Powell
ESPN - The Waiting Games 13min
Olympic officials and anti-doping advocates tout the ever-lengthening frontier of drug testing as a deterrent and an assurance that they will pursue athletes who dope, even years after the fact and right up to the statute of limitations. But the system for disqualifying those athletes, reshuffling results and reallocating medals is so cumbersome and prolonged that, by the time it plays out, economic and psychic payoffs for the new recipients have long since evaporated. ... "The reality is that the only people to get punished in the sport from doping [are] the clean athletes." ... Delayed medals never quite add up to full gratification for athletes. Instead, they symbolize the butterfly effect of an altered trajectory. The difference between gold and silver alone can swell to seven figures over a career. Prize money can sometimes be restored, but that's generally a pittance compared to the contractual and commercial opportunities that vanish, impossible to re-create. And there's no way to reconstitute the pomp and emotion of the moment. ... Only half of the summer sports medalists disqualified over that period had positive drug tests during Olympic competition. The other medals were stripped based on retests up to eight years after the fact, or evidence unearthed by law enforcement (such as in the BALCO investigation) or the scrubbing of a sanctioned athlete's results over a period of time, as was done in Lance Armstrong's case. WADA's statute of limitations is now 10 years.
Tags: Competition, Olympics, Doping, Drugs, WADA, Sports, Bonnie D. Ford
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3818
|
__label__cc
| 0.521751
| 0.478249
|
“Swamp Thing Winter Special”
By Elias Rosner | February 9th, 2018
Posted in Reviews | % Comments
Even though it has only been around a year and a half since Swamp Thing’s last major appearance, it feels like he has been missing for years. He left after going on grand missions and then returning to his roots as a monster of the swamp. How fitting, then, are the stories contained within this special. Spoilers from here on out, although I will do my best to keep them to a minimum.
Cover by Jason Fabok
Written by Tom King and Len Wein
Illustrated by Jason Fabok and Kelley Jones
Colored by Brad Anderson and Michelle Madsen
Lettered by Deron Bennett
Tom King and Jason Fabok pay tribute to the legendary creators of Swamp Thing, writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson, as they join forces for an earth-shattering Swamp Thing passion project!
In this new, squarebound one-shot, Swamp Thing is out of his element as he shepherds a lost boy through a blinding blizzard and other hazards of a strange, frozen tundra. In this touching and harrowing tale of survival, the pair must navigate countless threats throughout a bewildering terrain—with a bloodthirsty snow monster hot on their heels. But how long can they rely on each other? Separated from the Green and stripped of his powers in this dead world, Swamp Thing struggles to fight for their lives and deliver the boy to safety. Disoriented and decaying, Swamp Thing’s fading understanding of his surroundings forces the duo to confront their desperation and uncover the true identity of the snow monster that hunts them.
In addition, this special features the final Swamp Thing story from the monster’s co-creator, Len Wein. Originally intended as the start of a new series, it is presented here both in its original script form and with art by Kelley Jones.
There are two halves to this special: the main story and the two halves of the first issue to a new, although now forever incomplete, Swamp Thing mini-series. The main story, by King and Fabok, does most of the heavy lifting of the issue, as the second half is more of a look into what could have been as well as a tribute to the late Len Wein. I’ll get to that later in the review but for now, suffice it to say that I found the tribute touching and also the kind of thing I love about comics – the peek behind the curtain and the different processes with which every creator participates in.
But enough waxing poetic. Swamp Thing. Monster or Man? Does it matter? What is a monster anyway? These are the question that Fabok and King concern themselves with in the “The Talk of the Saints.” As with most of King’s writings, the dialogue, and narrative captions, and the art act as compliments of each other. His dialogue, as is apparent here, is oftentimes choppy, punctuated with many pauses and repetitions and inflections of hesitation. In short, the dialogue mimics our speech patterns, it is a cornerstone of realism in a world of swamp monsters and sudden winters.
Whether or not this works for you depends on your philosophy on what the dialogue of an issue should do. Should it clarify the events of the art? Mirror it without ever directly addressing the actions of the characters? Or should it be the driving force of the narrative, with the art acting as subordinate to the words? For King, across all of his books, he chooses to let the dialogue sit on its own, to feel realistic, to feel partially empty. He chooses to let the art do the work and as such, his stories oftentimes hinge on the strength of the artist to sync up with the tone of the story and his dialogue.
That is certainly the case here and Fabok delivers an issue rife with slow, somber, morose imagery, harkening back to the early days of Swamp Thing, of the question of whether or not he is a monster and what it means to be a monster. What we get, though, is not a heady, philosophical look at what makes a monster but instead a tale focusing on two people, Swamp Thing and the Child, trying to survive in a wasteland that seems to have robbed Swamp Thing of his ability to make and retain memories.
As I said before, this is a slow story. Fabok slows down time for us, making events that other artists would show in one panel take two pages and eight panels to show. This tone is set from the opening pages as we follow a leaf fall across four panels on the first page, bathed in the sunlight streaming through the trees, before coming to rest upon the floor of the swamp. Then, on the next page, we see the sun soften and start to disappear from panel one to two as fleks of snow begin to fall. By panel three, the swamp and the leaf and the radio speech bubbles are covered in a layer of snow. By panel four, all we can see is the top of the leaf and two half covered speech bubbles from the radio.
Then, on the next page, Fabok and Anderson paint four panels, in much the same way that the leaf fell, of Swamp Thing walking through the harsh snow and wind, hunched over, as if he’s carrying something precious. They could have just shown us a pure white panel, repeating with short lines and circles to represent the snow but instead we get four panels of shifting wind patterns, of blues and blacks and whites all mixing to give depth to this storm. To convey just how bad it is. You can feel the cold in your bones just reading these pages. The storm is both sudden and gradual, harsh and unforgiving yet not without remorse.
As with the dialogue, there is a repetition to the art and the sequences that accompany it. It rhymes, as George Lucas was fond of saying, with each new iteration of the boy saying the snow monster is coming and Swamp Thing saying he will protect him from a thing he cannot remember fighting or seeing before asking us to question what is different this time. What has changed or, perhaps more importantly, what has not.
Fabok’s art skills go beyond just the paneling and careful control of pacing but to the visuals themselves. Everything is clear and highly detailed. Even when the snow is meant to obscure our vision, we can always make out just enough details to feel like we are there, standing in the snow, watching as Swamp Thing struggles to save this boy from the never seen monster. He has a control of clarity that makes this story a joy to read and to follow.
If Jason Fabok were to be given a Swamp Thing ongoing, I would not object in the slightest.
I have spoken at length about the opening pages now and, while I said there would be spoilers, I feel like this is a story that should be experienced. There is no great twist, even though there is a mystery, as it is simple to figure out if you pay attention early on and if you know the lesson of the Swamp Thing. That is not what the story is about, the twist. It is about monsters and what it means to be one.
While I have spent a lot of time praising this story, I do have a problem with the narrative trajectory that King sets and the concluding frame. We never learn the identity of the snow monster, why it was there or what it wanted. We have bits and pieces, crumbs that come together to paint a fuzzy picture. All we know is that by the end, the monster has been vanquished. But then we get this frame of the radio sports commentator and it doesn’t quite gel with the story we’ve just been given.
Maybe it’s because I don’t understand football too much or maybe I just need to read it a few more times. Maybe the attempts at realism in the dialogue obscured the meaning too much. King tries to juxtapose the announcer saying there is no monster that takes over and makes you do bad things, in this case lose a game. Instead, there is only the monster inside us all, the one who makes us falter is ourselves. I don’t know if I buy it and I don’t know if Swamp Thing’s story is meant to negate this radio announcer or to bolster his opinion.
That lack of clarity of intention holds this story back from achieving its full potential. That being said, this is a story that is a near pitch perfect Swamp Thing story. Contemplative, morose and while it is not infused with the horror of Wrightston or Kelley’s art, it has a tone all its own.
I’ve talked a lot about the main story so let’s quickly touch on the thing that boosts the page count, and the price, of this issue: Len Wein’s final script. I, personally, find this addition to be worth the price increase and added page count but I can see why others would disagree. We get the full art for the first issue of a continuation of Len Wein and Kelley Jones’ previous Swamp Thing mini-series as well as the complete script for that issue.
I love process stuff so getting to see how Len Wein constructed his issues is wonderful. This is a man who had been in comics for many, many years and it shows in his scripting method. While he was a writer, his scripts show that he relied heavily on his artist collaborators but not for a lack of skill. He trusted the artists to do what was necessary to create the pages that reflect what he wanted to show.
That is also why the art has no lettering, no dialogue, no narration – they simply weren’t written yet. Len Wein died before he could fully articulate Swamp Thing’s thoughts for his follow up series but Jones and Madsen capture the dark, horrific tone he was going for perfectly. Without dialogue, the art is gorgeous and, while the details and minutiae of the story are lost, the overall story is not. A testament to Kelley Jones’ artistry as well as Wein’s clear scripting. There is much to love about the wordless art, not least of which is a splash page featuring chunky Swamp Thing and long eared, huge, billowy caped Batman. Even if it is missing what makes it narratively complete, this is one Swamp Thing story I won’t be forgetting anytime soon.
So, is this worth it? If you only want the King and Fabok story, maybe not for the $8. I would argue that it is still worth it, even if you don’t care for Kelley Jones’ art or Wein’s scripting. Fabok’s art is strong enough on its own to make this worth your while. If you are into Jones’ art, Madsen’s coloring, Wein’s scripting, 100% pick this up. It is a worthy send off and a feast for the eyes.
Final Verdict: 8.9. I cannot, in good conscience give this a 9.0 or higher due to the incomplete nature of the second story and the narrative flaws of the first. However, this is a special that made me WANT to reread it, not out of confusion but just to take in the storytelling. Do with that what you will.
More from Multiversity Comics
Len Wein and Kelley Jones Return For A Spooky “Swamp Thing” #1 [Review]
“The Tomorrows” #1 Is Sci-Fi That Feels Both Fresh and Lived In [Review]
“DC Nuclear Winter Special” #1
Wrapping Wednesday: Micro Reviews for the Week of 7/8/15
Elias Rosner
Elias is a lover of stories who, when he isn't writing reviews for Mulitversity, is hiding in the stacks of his library. He can be found on twitter (for mostly comics stuff) here and has finally updated his photo to be a hair nicer than before.
EMAIL | ARTICLES
Review Rubric
All content on this site copyright © 2009 - 2019 Multiversity Comics // Site Designed by JLotharius
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3819
|
__label__wiki
| 0.961638
| 0.961638
|
Trditional Marriage News
by JOHN NOLTE 10 Apr 2013
It begins.
There is no question that rank-and-file gay couples of all political stripes are sincere in their desire to enjoy the benefits and status that come with marriage. There is no sinister agenda at work in the issue of same-sex marriage among the masses. But the same cannot be said of the organized left who have always intended to use the issue of gay marriage as a vehicle to destroy the Christian Church and marginalize Christians.
Faithfulness to the Bible and the Christian faith will very soon be declared bigotry by the media and a de facto civil rights violation by the State.
What is currently happening to the Boy Scouts of America at the hands of the organized left is nothing more than a trial run for what is surely coming next against the Church. The small ball has already begun: lawsuits, harassment, and media campaigns against those who preach what the Bible says. The Big Leagues, however, don't launch until the State lights the torchfor the witch hunt, and that has already happened in the state of Washington.
Although America's most protected right is freedom of religion, that didn't stop the state attorney general from filing a suit against Baronelle Stutzman, a florist who said it was a "violation of conscience" to service a same-sex wedding.
JD Bristol, attorney for Arlene’s, said his client has many customers and employees who are gay and the claim that she is “discriminating on the basis on sexual orientation is nonsense.”
“This is about gay marriage, it’s not about a person being gay,” Bristol said. “She has a conscientious objection to homosexual marriage, not homosexuality. It violates her conscience.”
According to the florist, in response to standing by her Christian beliefs, she has received hate mail and threats to burn down her business.
This is not an isolated incident, either. Back in February a baker who wouldn't provide a cake for a lesbian wedding not only faced protesters but is (or was) under investigation by the Oregon Attorney General. Back in 2006, a Catholic adoption service in Boston had to shut down after the government demanded the religious entity service same-sex couples.
For those skeptical of the organized left's desire to destroy the Church; one question: is it really a leap to believe that the same government currently attempting to force the Church and other religious business-owners to pay for the abortion pill will soon use the same arguments and precedents to force same sex marriage on these institutions?
Hat tip to Dan Riehl by way of Rush Limbaugh.
By JOSH GERSTEIN |
The Obama Administration filed a brief Thursday evening urging the Supreme Court to declare unconstitutional Proposition 8, California’s voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage.
But the brief stopped short of explicitly endorsing a federal constitutional right to same-sex marriage — an unqualified endorsement some gay rights advocates had hoped the Obama administration would use the case to make.
“Proposition 8’s denial of marriage to same-sex couples, particularly where California at the same time grants same-sex partners all the substantive rights of marriage, violates equal protection,” the Justice Department brief declares. “Prejudice may not…be the basis for differential treatment under the law.”
This marks a remarkable turnaround for President Barack Obama, who opposed same-sex-marriage during his first run for the presidency while insisting that the issue should be up to each state to decide. By asking the Supreme Court to invalidate California’s action on the subject, he has clearly abandoned the view that states should be free to chart their own course.
The brief filed by Solicitor General Donald Verrilli mentions bans on same-sex marriage in seven other states that grant broad domestic partnership rights and suggests they are also unconstitutional, but the Justice Department did not directly attack same-sex marriage bans on the books in states without comprehensive rights for same-sex couples.
The Obama Administration appears to have calculated that the challenge to Prop. 8 stands a better chance of prevailing with an argument that doesn’t directly challenge same-sex marriage bans in all 29 states where they’re on the books.
The brief may also reflect a focus on winning the vote of Justice Anthony Kennedy, who has shown an openness to gay rights but who is also a staunch defender of state sovereignty.
Still, gay rights advocates said Thursday night that the legal arguments in the brief — if adopted by the Supreme Court — would eventually result in the demise of same-sex marriage bans nationwide.
”If the court accepts the reasoning that the White House has put forward every state’s anti-gay-marriage amendment will fall quickly,” said Richard Socarides, an adviser to President Bill Clinton on gay and lesbian issues. “Make no mistake about it, the brief is a very bold endorsement of full equality…. This is fantastic.”
One of the lawyers defending Prop. 8 said he also saw the administration’s brief as a fairly robust embrace of a national same-sex marriage right, though not couched in quite those words.
”It essentially appears that president has taken the position that traditional marriage laws should be subject to extra scrutiny by the courts and that all of the justifications for Prop. 8 fail that test,” attorney Andrew Pugno of Folsom, Calif. said. “It does appear that this urges the court to federalize the redefinition of marriage. That’s the inescapable conclusion that that’s the president’s position.”
According to legal sources, administration lawyers portrayed their decision not to assert an overarching federal right to same sex marriage as a strategic move aimed at buttressing the administration’s view in another same-sex marriage case the court is to take up next month on the Defense of Marriage Act, the 1996 law that denies federal benefits and recognition to same-sex marriages.
“It was clever. There is definitely a logic and strategy for why they chose to go the way they did,” said one prominent gay rights advocate who asked not to be named. “The reason they did that is because of their position on DOMA. This frame is consistent with that.”
“Some of the commentary is missing the fact that this president and this Justice Department are very careful about what they don’t say,” said Evan Wolfson, founder and president of Freedom to Marry. “People rush to fill in what they don’t say with their own conjecture. This brief doesn’t deny there is a fundamental freedom to marry. It does not withhold anything and it will be helpful in making the case to bring down marriage discrimination nationwide.”
The federal government was not a party to the California case and was under no obligation to file a brief. However, gay rights groups had urged the administration to use the case to publicly embrace a federal constitutional right to same-sex marriage.
While the new brief doesn’t discuss such a right in those terms, it is also careful not to rule out that notion. For instance, while the brief says that California’s treatment of same-sex domestic partners “particularly undermines the justifications for Proposition 8,” that language hints that the justifications may have little merit in any event.
The Prop. 8 case goes before the justices on March 26. The next day the court will consider the case testing the constitutionality of DOMA, the 1996 federal law that bans same-sex spouses from received a wide array of benefits including federal employee insurance and filing of joint tax returns.
The Obama administration announced two years ago that it believes DOMA is unconstitutional and stopped defending the law, which is being defended at the high court by a lawyer retained by the House of Representatives. However, the constitutionality of the federal law is a different question than whether states, which have traditionally regulated marriage, should be compelled to recognize same-sex unions.
During the 2008 campaign, Obama said he was against same-sex marriage. However, he also opposed gay-marriage bans like Prop. 8, saying neither the states nor the federal government should use their constitutions to enshrine a ban on the practice.
Last year, shortly after kicking off his re-election campaign, Obama declared that he’d changed his mind on the issue. “I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married,” he told ABC News last May.
Despite Obama’s personal evolution on the subject, White House officials have dodged questions for more than a year on whether Obama believed that the U.S. Constitution guarantees same-sex couples the right to marry.
At a briefing for reporters Thursday, White House press secretary Jay Carney declined to discuss Obama’s involvement in the preparation of the brief.
“The president obviously has expressed an opinion in the past on this issue as a matter of policy. But when it comes to legal and constitutional issues around it, that’s a jurisdiction that resides at the Department of Justice. So I don’t have anything for you on it,” Carney said.
While White House officials have been cagey about the role of the president and other officials in the government’s brief on the Prop. 8 case, there is no doubt they have been under pressure from gay rights advocates to weigh in.
On Jan. 30, two leaders of the fight against Prop. 8, David Boies and Chad Griffin, visited the White House to meet with White House Counsel Kathy Ruemmler. Boies, a prominent Democratic lawyer, was co-counsel with Republican Ted Olson in the challenge to Prop. 8. Griffin is head of the gay rights group Human Rights Campaign and is a founder of the group that bankrolled the litigation, the American Foundation for Equal Rights.
Lawyers on both sides of the case also met with Justice Department officials to urge them to respect Obama’s previous decisions that the issue should be left to the states.
The White House declined to comment on the lobbying effort. However, it’s a matter of record Obama has had a direct hand in the administration’s previous legal decisions on same-sex marriage.
When Attorney General Eric Holder announced two years ago that the Justice Department would no longer defend DOMA, the attorney general said he was acting at Obama’s direction.
California voters approved Prop. 8, 52 percent to 48 percent, in the same election that lifted Obama to the presidency. Obama won 61 percent of the vote in the Golden State that year.
The brief Obama’s Justice Department filed Thursday argues that the fact that voters approved California’s same-sex marriage ban should not entitle it to special deference from the courts.
”Promoting democratic self-governance and accountability is a laudable governmental interest, but it is not one that can justify a law that would otherwise violate the Constitution,” the brief says. “If use of a voter initiative could itself provide a sufficient justification….for a suspect classification, it would render the equal protection clause nugatory in that context.”
In August 2010, following a trial with live testimony held over three weeks, U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker declared Prop. 8 unconstitutional. In a sweeping ruling, he said there was no rational basis to deny marriage licenses to same-sex couples and he found the ban appeared to be motivated solely by “moral disapprobation” for gays and lesbians.
Last February, a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit upheld Walker’s ruling on somewhat different grounds. The 9th Circuit opinion, by Judge Stephen Reinhardt, found Prop. 8 unconstitutional because it stripped same-sex couples of a right to marry without adequate justification. The carefully-crafted decision did not assert a right for gay couples to marry in states where such unions were never recognized, but rejected the California ban because some same-sex marriages had already gone forward there.
Some analysts said Reinhardt’s ruling appeared to have been written to give the Supreme Court an opportunity to strike down Prop. 8 and restore same-sex marriage rights in California without squarely addressing the issue of whether other states had to recognize such unions.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/02/pro-gay-marriage-obama-brief-expected-88266_Page3.html#ixzz2MIkiAxKF
By Joe Kimball | 02/27/13
While supporters rallied at the state Capitol Wednesday and prepared to introduce a bill legalizing gay marriage, opponents are making their own plans to fight the legislation.
That includes a Minnesota March for Marriage rally and lobby day at the Capitol March 7. It runs from 2 to 5 p.m., with the rally on the Capitol steps from 2:30 to 3 p.m.
It's sponsored by Minnesota for Marriage — a coalition that supports the definition of marriage as the union of one man and one woman and supported last year's failed effort to put the current ban on gay marriage into the state Constitution.
The group says it wants the current state laws regarding marriage to stay on the books.
Scheduled speakers at the rally include Brian Brown, president of the National Organization for Marriage, and Teresa Collett, a professor of law at the University of St. Thomas.
The group is urging its supporters to meet with their legislators that day, said Crystal Crocker, director of grassroots and messaging for Minnesota for Marriage. She's quoted in the Catholic Spirit newspaper:
“We’re gathering together and energizing ourselves for this effort, but the most important point of the day is to go in and actually meet with your legislators,” she said. “They work for us and they should be meeting with us.”
Jason Adkins, executive director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference, part of the Minnesota for Marriage coalition, said supporters of traditional marriage need to spread the word. He told the paper:
"We’ve got to get the people of Minnesota to say, "Keep marriage the way it is,' " he said. "Our message is: Don’t mess with marriage."
BY PETER SMITH
February 11, 2013 (Mercatornet.com) - David Cameron’s same-sex marriage bill was voted on for the first time in the British Parliament on Tuesday. Confusingly, the debate and vote were called the “second” reading, as the first “reading” took place when the draft bill was laid before Parliament, giving members and everyone else their first opportunity to read the proposed legislation.
At 50-odd pages long, the bill amends dozens of acts of Parliament stretching back to 1533. One would have thought that, for such a complex document with profound legislative consequences and social effects, not least for the established Church of England, parliamentarians would have had plenty of time to comment on the proposals, but no: it only came out on January 25. The usual process of green paper and white paper consultations were short-circuited by a Government bent on pushing through the creation of same-sex marriage.
Probably for a quick win. Cameron is guaranteed to get it through the House of Commons because most MPs are socially liberal city-dwellers who take what they see to be a Whiggish interpretation of history (the House of Lords will be a different matter). It is likely too that Cameron sees same-sex marriage as being a way of “detoxifying” or “decontaminating” the Tory brand, whereby he stares down the traditionalist Taliban of backbench social conservatives and what Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, a Liberal Democrat, thinks of as petty-minded religious bigots in the Shires, in an effort to show that the Conservative Party has “really changed” to become a trendy group of chilled-out mates who are down with the Tweeting Facebook masses.
Matthew d’Ancona, an “arch-moderniser” pro-Cameron journalist, chided Tory opponents of gay marriage for failing to grasp the historic moment, and for pulling the party away from “openness, equality… and ‘the centre of gravity of social attitudes’.” And finally, Cameron – to his credit – believes in the justice of his actions, and is acting in accordance with his conscience.
I won’t quote from MPs’ speeches here, but suffice to say, the supporters of gay marriage cited equality and love whilst its opponents pointed out the meaning of marriage rooted in complementarity of the sexes and the creation and raising of children.
The Catholic Voices website has a good selection of the views of some traditional marriage supporters from across the political parties. A friend summarised the positions thus on Twitter: the pros had an adult- and wedding-centric view of marriage; the antis, a child- and family-oriented view.
Two interesting aspects of the vote stand out. First, 400 MPs voted for the measure and 175 against it. Of the opponents, 136 were Tories. In contrast, only 127 Conservatives voted for same-sex marriage. This marks a substantial split in the Conservative Party. It isn’t just about the nature of marriage, but also about the direction in which David Cameron and his faction are taking the Party. Newspapers in the weekend before the vote were full of talk of a coup against Cameron, as the economy remains in the doldrums. Cameron did not have a clear mandate for his actions either. A black MP, Adam Afriyie, the representative for well-heeled Windsor electorate, was named as a potential contender. The scuttlebutt has gone as fast as it came, but it didn’t hurt his chances for Afriyie to oppose gay marriage prominently.
With the problems over legal protections for teachers and clergy still in the air, some expect a bigger revolt at the third reading. What I will be interested to see is, by that stage, whether the voting habits of Catholic MPs from across the parties have changed. The liberal British Catholic publication, The Tablet,analysed their votes: out of the 82 Catholic MPs, 47 – almost 60 per cent – were in favour of same-sex marriage. Of these, 32 were Labour members, which indicates that they likely chose the party line over faith to some degree (Labour MPs would have delighted in Cameron’s motion being defeated by his own party). Tory Ministers Iain Duncan-Smith and Patrick McLoughlin, the Work and Pensions Secretary and Transport Secretary respectively, voted with the Government; the best they could have hoped to do was abstain, given the three-line whip imposed by the Conservative whips.
What makes this surprising is that the Catholic Church usually influences the votes of its confessional parliamentarians quite well. As the Church was the principal opponent to same-sex marriage, this should have been especially true in this case. By the third reading, expect some quite pointed words to be spoken softly into the ears of supporters of the Government plan.
Now the bill goes to a committee of MPs who will go through it, line by line, for a number of weeks. It then comes back to Parliament for its third reading in the Commons for a final set-piece battle. Then the process moves to the House of Lords. As they say in Hollywood, stay tuned, folks.
Peter Smith is a lawyer living and working in London.
'Sister Wives' lawsuit back in Utah courtroom
By By PAUL FOY, Associated Press – 4 days ago
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A federal judge holding a hearing on a lawsuit by the stars of the reality show "Sister Wives" heard arguments Thursday on whether Utah can prohibit plural marriage, but issued no immediate ruling.
Kody Brown and his four wives claim the law is unconstitutional. The family fled Utah for Las Vegas last year under the threat of prosecution. They did not attend the hearing in Salt Lake City, leaving arguments to a constitutional law professor.
"The Browns wanted to show people that a plural family is not a monstrosity," said Jonathan Turley of The George Washington University. "They don't commit collateral problems."
Turley said the Browns' only sin was opening their family to the TLC hit series, which drew the attention of Utah authorities.
"The state is saying if you didn't do this TV show, you wouldn't have a problem," he said. "They have a right to free speech and are being prosecuted for it."
The hearing dealt with the legalities of due process and freedom of association.
U.S. District Judge Clark Waddoups peppered a state lawyer on why he shouldn't throw out Utah's bigamy law. It's stricter than the laws in 49 other states — most of them prohibit people from having multiple marriage licenses. Utah makes it illegal to even purport to be married to multiple partners or live together.
What if Kody Brown kept separate households for each wife, or was just having affairs, the judge asked.
"That would not be polygamy," said Assistant Utah Attorney General Jerrold Jensen.
Yet Jensen argued Utah's unique history of polygamy for more than 100 years has made victims of thousands of girls forced to marry as young as 13, and caused rampant child abuse, with boys "kicked out on the street" to reduce competition for older men seeking multiple brides. He said the state has an interest in preventing social harm.
Waddoups said the Browns' 17 children are irrelevant to the case, and Turley argued that sex and child abuse was just as common in monogamous families.
Waddoups challenged Jensen on whether Utah was cracking down on a religion. Most polygamists in the state call themselves fundamentalist Mormons, although The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints renounced polygamy more than a century ago.
"Every state in the nation has these laws — and not every state has Mormon polygamists," replied Jensen, who argued that bigamy was not merely adultery. "I'll tell you what makes it different — the harm to women and children coming out of a polygamous relationship. We have a history of it in Utah — stories in the thousands."
Turley said Utah has to prove the harm of polygamy, not assert general statements. He argued the exile of young boys was a myth and that Utah was trying to enforce morality.
"We're asking for what Justice Brandeis called the most important constitutional right, the right to be left alone," Turley said, referring to Louis Brandeis, who served on the U.S. Supreme Court from 1916 to 1939.
Despite our grief over the slaughter of innocent children in Newtown, Connecticut, despite the re-election of the most pro-abortion administration in our country’s history, and despite the dark economic outlook, what keeps us full of hope and prevents despair is that a baby was born two-thousand years ago, and that this baby is mankind’s Savior.
From A Merry Pro-Life Christmas to You and Your Family | LifeNews.com
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3824
|
__label__wiki
| 0.743777
| 0.743777
|
A new General Manager, People and Culture has been appointed to the MidCentral District Health Board.
Chief Executive Kathryn Cook said she was delighted to announce the appointment of Mr Keyur Anjaria to the role.
He replaces Janine Hearn who left last month.
Ms Cook said: “Keyur has over 14 years’ experience in human resource management and is currently the Executive Director, Human Resources for the Open Polytechnic of New Zealand where he has been closely involved in a transformational change programme.
He has post graduate qualifications in HR management and holds a Master in Business Administration. Keyur and his family plan to relocate to Palmerston North from Wellington.
“Keyur will take up the role in three months’ and in the meantime will be looking to spend some time with us ahead of this so that he hits the ground running. He is very excited about our Organisational Development Plan and leading its implementation.”
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3828
|
__label__cc
| 0.641555
| 0.358445
|
Chief Justice John Roberts
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
And what a performance it was! Roberts versus Ginsburg plus Kagan, Sotomayor, & Breyer versus the Three Amigos plus Kennedy!
Not being much of a Supreme Court expert, as an attorney I still feel the urge to jump in with my views on the Health Care (Obamacare) decision, National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius, 567 U.S. ___ (2012). You can find it here. At least I have read it, which is more than can be said for many pontificators especially those who get their talking points from Fox News or silly little bites of cuteness on Facebook. I’ve even skimmed through the Act myself. But as a federal attorney, I’m used to that sort of thing.
First of all, it is a very complex and interesting alignment of Justices explaining, perhaps, why some of the initial reports were confused on the mandate being upheld. Chief Justice Roberts wrote the majority opinion sort of on his own. He was joined by Justices Breyer and Kagan and in a Concurrence from Justices Ginsburg with Justice Sotomayor upholding the individual mandate, specifically; the penalty for not purchasing insurance, under Congress’s general taxing authority. The anonymously written dissent of Kennedy, Scalia, Thomas, and Alito, joined with the Chief Justice in striking down the individual mandate under the Commerce Clause, but as it was upheld by five Justices under the taxing authority, the mandate survives. The expansion of Medicaid was defeated for complexities I won’t go into. Justice Thomas wrote his own little two-page dissent reiterating his view that the Commerce Clause is being interpreted too broadly in modern times.
It is most interesting that Chief Justice Roberts created a majority to uphold Obamacare at least on Congress’s taxing authority. Contrary to the partisan rhetoric from the crowd on the right, the whole complex concept of Health Care Reform in the Act is not considered a tax. Roberts is very clear that it is only the penalty for not purchasing health insurance that is a tax as it is administered through the IRS as a penalty on individual income tax. The mandate itself is not a tax, only the penalty for not complying. If you already have health insurance like all those who work for the great and mighty federal contractors like those President Eisenhower warned us about, there is no need to worry about a tax.
It is the fact that Roberts created a majority to uphold the Act that is most interesting. There are reports that he switched his position [h/t Bentley!]. It may be, and this is pure speculation on my part, that he is happy to create non-traditional coalitions among the Justices rather than the partisan four conservatives against four liberals with Kennedy being the swing vote. It was an interesting coalition on the Arizona Immigration law just like on Obamacare.. I wonder if the Chief Justice might even have had a meeting with Justice Kennedy to trade some votes. Any meeting with Scalia, Thomas, and Alito would have been much colder. And maybe Roberts was just trying to make up for blowing the President’s Oath of Office from the Constitution in his First Inaugural.
Back to the decision itself, there is confirmation for my proposition that you can mine the Founders to support whatever conclusion you want to draw. Both Roberts and Ginsburg do it. Roberts even calls on the famous quip of Benjamin Franklin that nothing is certain than death and taxes* missing the irony that so many who don’t have health insurance may have the certainty of death much more forcefully than those who have health insurance coverage. It would be nice, though, if we could all forestall the Grim Reaper a little by being able to engage in the market of health insurance to promote good health and address potential physical calamity that could happen to any one of us, at any moment.
Roberts’s opinion with regard to the Commerce Clause reads like he has Ginsburg on his tail as he keeps trying to dismiss her in footnotes. She does the same with him in direct language as a concurrence on the taxing authority and disputing the Chief Justice’s interpretation of the Commerce Clause. I just find her to make more sense. Not only is she able to find a sure foundation for her judicial philosophy in the Founders, she recognizes that U.S. History, including Constitutional History did not end with the administration of John Adams as Justice Scalia would have us believe. She also dispenses with the broccoli argument.
The broccoli thing has become a touchstone for the Right. The idea being that if the government can make us buy health insurance to keep us healthy, then there is no limit which could include a mandate to purchase broccoli to make us healthy. My argument is that any broccoli mandate is unlikely because it would be a silly exercise. Any such mandate would have to be enacted by the will of the people through their elected representatives in Congress. Obamacare made it just barely after all. (Well, maybe I should withdraw that argument as Congress does a lot of silly things some even worse than Obamacare or broccoli mandates.)
Justice Ginsburg helps me out with much better logic. She says that the purchase of broccoli does not have a direct impact on improved health unlike the direct impact of having health insurance does on the interstate health care market as all need medical care at some point in time. She says that the mere purchase of broccoli does not meet the direct purpose of good health because there is no guarantee that the purchase of broccoli will be put to that purpose. The purchase does not guarantee that the purchase will eat it. They could also use it in a counterproductive way by deep frying instead of steaming. In my mind, maybe the extreme case is that the government could mandate force-feeding, but so far it is only southern states who generally force physical bodily intrusion on women with regard to reproductive activities. (Dare I say, “vaginal probes?”)
Ginsburg also argues that it is the Chief Justice who is creating a new standard of law that really isn’t that new as it goes back to the Court’s overly technical decisions up through the first part of the 20th Century when the Court limited the Commerce Clause to the benefit of the moneyed interests. The Court eventually broadened its interpretation to allow for a more expansive reading of the Commerce Clause to deal with the reality and complexities of a more robust and modern economy. Ginsburg references the Court’s eventual approval of much of the New Deal legislation. I suppose some Conservatives think the Court, certainly FDR, and maybe the progress of society in general were all in serious error and they would be perfectly happy to return to those idealized days before modern economies. But is it possible to go back to that society when women didn’t vote, child labor was the norm, and Jim Crow still ruled? Maybe it could work philosophically, but not in any historical or present day reality. I wouldn’t be so concerned except that it seems to me that the same conservative/libertarian philosophy was opposed to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 in my lifetime.
The Three Amigos plus Kennedy in their anonymously authored dissent argued well – so it was probably with heavy input from Kennedy. We can’t forget that he is a conservative at heart. I could never be a judge as I tend to be swayed by the last argument I hear. They were making a lot of sense until they revealed themselves as stuck on “states’ rights” doctrine sparsely clothed in the terms of constitutional federalism. While I said I wouldn’t go into the mire of the Medicare portion of the decision, it was there that I figured out why Ginsburg was saying what she did to counter these guys. They argued that the states would have a heavy tax burden to pay if they dropped out of Medicare and had to subsidize the rest of the states staying in the program. The problem with that, as Ginsburg noted, is that states don’t pay taxes -- people do.
The essence of their argument, and a good expression of the conservative view of structural federalism being more important than individual freedoms (don’t forget the historical facts of constitutional slavery and segregation!), is summarized here:
The Constitution, though it dates from the founding of the Republic, has powerful meaning and vital relevance to our own times. The constitutional protections that this case involves are protections of structure. Structural protections—notably, the restraints imposed by federalism and separation of powers—are less romantic and have less obvious connection to personal freedom than the provisions of the Bill of Rights or the Civil War Amendments. Hence they tend to be undervalued or even forgotten by our citizens. It should be the responsibility of the Court to teach otherwise, to remind our people that the Framers considered structural protections of freedom the most important ones, for which reason they alone were embodied in the original Constitution and not left to later amendment. The fragmentation of power produced by the structure of our Government is central to liberty, and when we destroy it, we place liberty at peril. Today’s decision should have vindicated, should have taught, this truth; instead our judgment today has disregarded it. Joint Dissent at 65.
You can make your own judgment and choices. For me, I much prefer the Bill of Rights and Civil War Amendments over structural federalism. I think I’m with Brother Joseph on this one. The rest of you can have Romney and the modern Republican Party.
*According to this website, the quote Roberts cites was originally in French:
“Notre constitution nouvelle est actuellement établie, tout paraît nous promettre qu’elle sera durable; mais, dans ce monde, il n’y a rien d’assure que la mort et les impôts.”
And it was somewhat of a repeated theme with Franklin that may not have even originated with him - making it somewhat of an 18th Century cliché rather than an expression of the profound wisdom of the Founders.
Labels: ACA, civil war, constitution, founders, health care, obama, obamacare, romney, supreme court
Mandates resemble dictatorship. When we force people to do something we are seeking self serving principles....choice is the foundation of the constitution. Take it away and all else crumbles....signs of the times!
Passionate Moderate Mormon July 10, 2012 at 5:33 PM
I respectfully disagree, Mr. or Ms. Anonymous. My reasons are adequately set out throughout this blog.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3832
|
__label__cc
| 0.718235
| 0.281765
|
Multi-State Study of Monetary Sanctions
A mixed methods study of state, county and municipal legal financial obligations
Second Year Research Report
Our monetary sanctions research team has completed year 2 of our five year project. We have conducted over 380 interviews across eight states with people who have been sentenced to legal debt as a result of municipal and felony convictions. In this report we outline our preliminary findings from these interviews. We found that many people have difficulty navigating the legal process, they have varying legal and economic experiences across the jurisdictions studied and have a range of abilities to pay off their legal debt. All of which leads to difficult social, legal, health and financial consequences. This coming year we will be conducting further systematic analyses of our transcripts. We are also continuing our data collection in the eight states, including observations of court hearings and interviews with judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, clerks and probation officers.
This entry was posted in News, Policy, Research on January 4, 2018 by bsarge.
Research team tracks complex web of monetary sanctions in 9 states
Monetary Sanctions Legal Review
The phrase “criminal justice system” may conjure images of courtrooms, juries and prison. But “when justice is doled out, it increasingly impacts the pocketbook,” according to Alexes Harris, a professor of sociology at the University of Washington.
Harris leads a team of researchers at nine universities who are exploring the role of monetary sanctions in the criminal justice system. They recently completed a review of financial punishments in the laws of each of their home states. Based on their preliminary findings, the impact to a person’s pocketbook depends largely on his or her location on a map.
“There is an extreme amount of variation – both between states and within states – on how, when and where monetary sanctions are imposed by court officials,” said Harris. “It’s a mess, and there are few guidelines and no national framework governing the use of monetary sanctions.”
Monetary sanctions include fines, court fees, restitution, surcharges and even interest on unpaid sanctions. They are imposed for offenses ranging from traffic violations and misdemeanors to felony convictions. Though these types of financial punishments have a long history in the United States, state and local governments have been imposing monetary sanctions with increasing frequency over the past 30 years. The result is a national patchwork of financial punishments, which Harris and her team are working to blueprint as part of a five-year grant from the Laura and John Arnold Foundation.
On April 20th, 2017, the group released a detailed report of the first year of their work, which was a comprehensive review of financial punishments, law and policy across nine states: California (Bryan Sykes), Georgia (Sarah Shannon), Illinois (Mary Pattillo), Minnesota (Chris Uggen), Missouri (Beth Huebner), New York (Karin Martin), North Carolina (April Fernandes), Texas (Becky Pettit) and Washington. These states account for more than one-third of the nation’s 2.2 million incarcerated people. These nine states also are home to more than 40 percent of people in the U.S. who are under community-based supervision.
In general, the researchers found wide variation on the fine and fee amounts sentenced to rule breakers, the circumstances in which they’re imposed and even when courts allow people to pay their financial obligations. But all nine states impose monetary sanctions on a routine basis. In some states, the fines are specific: Washington, North Carolina and Georgia have detailed lists of mandatory fees for each offense.
Usually, the offense, rather than the person’s ability to pay, determines the amount of the monetary sanction. Harris and her colleagues found that judges and other officers of the court often have little leeway in imposing monetary sanctions. In Washington, judges can waive interest payments on certain fines once the principal has been paid. Missouri courts are advised to consider a person’s ability to pay when imposing certain fines. But these are exceptions. In general, these sanctions cannot be revoked – only paid.
“There are few ways to find relief from a sanction once it has been imposed,” said Harris.
The researchers also found variation among states and municipalities not just in the size of the monetary fines and the crimes for which they are imposed, but also the consequences for failure to pay. Though debtors’ prisons have long been abolished, courts can still issue warrants for persistent non-payment or impose other penalties. Since people in the criminal justice system are more likely to be poor, the consequences for falling behind in payments can be far-reaching.
“In many states or jurisdictions, non-payment of any legal fine can lead to suspension of a driver’s license, which can affect a person’s ability to get to a job,” said Harris. “In other states, persistent non-payment leads to a suspension of voting rights.”
The absence of a national framework governing monetary sanctions ultimately led to this variation, Harris said. But in 2016, the U.S. Department of Justice went so far as to issue a “Dear Colleague” letter on fines and fees. In 2015, Missouri’s Ferguson Commission noted how monetary sanctions can contribute to inequality in the justice system. As these and other efforts draw attention to the disparate monetary sanction policies across states, they may prompt states to revisit those policies.
“On paper, monetary sanctions make sense. If you commit a crime – and are duly convicted – then you pay,” said Harris. “But is it fair to set up a sanction that a person has no ability to pay? What is the true purpose of this punishment? These are the underlying issues states must ultimately confront as they consider reforms to monetary sanction laws and statutes.”
Harris and her colleagues are building on this initial review by conducting analyses in nine states of fines and fees from state court data, observing court proceedings and interviewing court officers and debtors. Harris’ previous work in A Pound of Flesh: Monetary Sanctions as a Permanent Punishment suggests that these sanctions have expanded as a result of another modern trend in the criminal justice system.
“Since the 1970s, there has been a massive, 500 percent increase in incarceration rates, and states have had to look for ways to fund that,” said Harris. “And starting in the 1990s, states have created statutes to increase fines and fees or create new ones.”
The national research team’s endeavors will help resolve the details of monetary sanctions and how they differ among states. They will also examine, among other questions, the underlying question of why monetary sanctions have become such a prominent part of the modern criminal justice system nationally.
For more information, contact Harris at yharris@uw.edu
This entry was posted in News, Policy, Research on April 20, 2017 by bsarge.
What are Monetary Sanctions?
“Do the crime, pay the fine.” A little different, right? Many are unaware that when convicted of breaking the law, not only do people “pay” for their crimes by doing time, but they are also forced to pay up financially. The costs include court processing, defense attorneys, paper work, and anything else associated with their incarceration and supervision. In fact, anyone convicted of any type of criminal offense is subject to fiscal penalties or monetary sanctions. (If you have ever paid a traffic ticket, for example, you have paid a monetary sanction.) Further, the base fine of, say, a speeding ticket or even a major criminal conviction is just a small portion of the total cost. There are fines, fees, interest, surcharges, per payment and collection charges, and restitution. Until these debts are paid in full, individuals who have otherwise “done their time” remain under judicial supervision and are subject to court summons, warrants, and even jail stays.
As a result of interest and surcharges that accumulate on these financial penalties, this portion of a person’s sentence becomes permanent legal debt, carried for the remainder of their lives. And because so many who are arrested and convicted are poor, unemployed, homeless, or suffer from mental or physical illnesses, the fines just pile up—unable to be erased through bankruptcy—and tie them, indefinitely, to the criminal justice system. For them, debt is a life sentence.
Read more at The Society Pages
This entry was posted in Policy, Research on October 1, 2015 by fedwards.
Policy Paper: California Conference of State Court Administrators
The California Conference of State Court Administrators recently released a policy paper focused on policy and practice recommendations that courts can adopt to mitigate the negative impact of legal financial obligations on people who are unable to pay.
The paper covers the growth of the system of monetary sanctions and the associated collateral consequences, namely, incarceration. It also discusses the impact of relying on revenue from legal financial obligations to fund the court system and using private collection agencies.
This entry was posted in Uncategorized on October 12, 2016 by Emmi Obara.
Using disability payments to pay financial obligations
The Tri-City Herald of Washington State published a story describing a State Supreme court case that ruled a woman should not have been ordered to use her federal disability payments to pay toward a criminal case.
This entry was posted in News on September 22, 2016 by Emmi Obara.
5 States Receive DOJ Price of Justice Grants
The Office of Justice Programs (OJP) within the U.S. Department of Justice awarded about $3 million to five states under a new grant program called “The Price of Justice: Rethinking the Consequences of Justice Fines and Fees,” which supports reforms in the justice system’s responses to individuals’ inability to pay fines, fees and other monetary sanctions.
The five state recipients are the Judicial Council of California, the Judiciary Courts of the State of Louisiana, the Missouri Office of State Courts Administration, the Texas Office of Court Administration, and the Washington Minority and Justice Commission of the Washington State Courts. The Fund for the City of New York, Center for Court Innovation, will provide technical assistance to the grant recipients.
Collaboration project on criminal justice debt reform releases three reports
Confronting Criminal Justice Debt: A Comprehensive Project for Reform is a collaboration of the Criminal Justice Policy Program and the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC). The initiative aims to bring together and provide tools to criminal justice advocates and civil justice advocates working towards reforming the challenges posed by criminal justice debt. This initiative released three reports today.
The Urgent Need for Comprehensive Reform
An overview of the collaboration project.
A Guide for Litigation
This guide is geared toward attorneys protecting clients from the problems posed by criminal justice debt practices.
A Guide for Policy Reform
This guide provides an overview of various areas of law regarding harmful criminal justice debt practices as well as detailed policy reform strategies.
For more information on this collaboration, visit their site here.
This entry was posted in Policy on September 8, 2016 by Emmi Obara.
The Juvenile Law Center, a Philadelphia public interest law firm for children and teens, released a report on Thursday on the issue of monetary sanctions in the juvenile justice system. It provides an overview of the problem, information on eight types of fines and fees, and potential ramifications for youth and their families.
This entry was posted in Uncategorized on September 2, 2016 by Emmi Obara.
New multi-state report on fines and fees in the juvenile justice system
The Juvenile Law Center released a multi-state report on the costs of fines and fees in the juvenile justice system. The report describes the types of financial obligations youth and families face, including the legal and economic consequences of failure to pay.
This entry was posted in Policy on August 31, 2016 by Emmi Obara.
History of the “new debtors’ prison”
The Boston Review published an article describing the system of monetary sanctions in the criminal justice system and the historical roots of these practices.
This entry was posted in News on August 2, 2016 by Emmi Obara.
Louisiana judge faces lawsuit for running debtor’s prison
The Nation published a story about a lawsuit charging a judge in Bogalusa, Louisiana for running a debtor’s prison. With support from the Southern Poverty Law Center, residents filed a federal lawsuit against a city court judge for extracting financial penalties from poor defendants to finance city budgets, including the court itself.
This entry was posted in News on July 7, 2016 by Emmi Obara.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3833
|
__label__wiki
| 0.583955
| 0.583955
|
Pitt United Girls Volleyball
PITT UNITED
Calendar/Doc’s
Home > Coaches
Coach Amanda Mullen- Club Director, 17s Coach
Nickname: Coach O
Coach Amanda Mullen (Cranberry Twp., PA) is Pitt United Girls Volleyball Club Director and the 17 and Under Coach for the 2019 season. She resides in the North Hills, but works as a Family and Consumer Sciences teacher at Moon Area School District. At Moon, Coach Amanda teaches Mastery of Cooking, an advanced cooking class at the High school and Middle School Family and Consumer Sciences. She loves teaching 7th grade sewing and foods and 8th grade foods and Child development. She has a eight year old Yorkshire Terrier named Molleigh-Meatball and a four year old rescue Doberman/Hound from Animal friends named Bucco. In addition to work and volleyball, Coach Mullen loves to hang out with her friends, family, her husband Ryan and of course her furbabies. She enjoys singing Karaoke, reading chick flick books in her backyard and going shopping at TJ MaXX and Homegoods and tailgating. She attended Indiana University of Pennsylvania from 2004-2008, graduated Magna Cum Laude with her Bachelors of Science Degree in Family and Consumer Sciences Education with a minor of Child Development and Family Relation Studies.
Amanda Mullen has 12 years coaching experience ranging from the Middle School, Junior Varsity and Varsity level. Seven years ago, she started Pitt United Girls Volleyball Club knowing she could provide a more private and exclusive opportunity for young female athletes to be trained in the sport. Before finding her niche in coaching, Amanda played at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, for Renaissance Volleyball Club and for Seneca Valley High School. While participating in volleyball, she was a Middle Hitter, 3 year Varsity letter winner at Seneca Valley High School and Captain of her volleyball team.
Email: pittunitedvolleyball@gmail.com
Phone: 724-766-3180 (3:00pm-8:00pm M-F)
Coach Alex Ceschini- 14 and Under Coach
Alex Ceschini (Amrbidge, PA) is the Pitt United Girls Volleyball Club 14s and Under Coach for the 2019 season. She resides in Ambridge, but works as a Geologist for Arcadis US Inc. in Wexford PA. In addition to work and volleyball Alex enjoys traveling and exploring new places. She loves spending time with her family/friends, fiance and two kitties.
Alex started playing volleyball when she was 12. She went to Leechburg High School where she played outside hitter, setter and libero and lettered all 4 years. Throughout her high school years she also played club volleyball for Odyssey. Alex attended Allegheny College where she played as a defensive specialist until her junior year. Alex has been the JV volleyball coach at Quaker Valley for three seasons and served as the 14s Red Coach at Pitt United last year.
Coach Morgan Ceschini- 15 and Under Coach
Coach Morgan Ceschini (Pittsburgh, PA) is the Pitt United Girls Volleyball Club Coach for the 15 and Under team for the 2018-2019 season. She resides in the City of Pittsburgh, but works as a Special Events and Development Coordinator at a local non-profit called HEARTH. At HEARTH, Coach Morgan plans all major events to raise over $200,000.00 a year towards their mission to support women and children who are victims of domestic abuse. She feels passionate to be a part of a mission which supports women and helping them get back on their feet. She has a three year old black lab named Dexter and a one year old all black cat named Mayo. In addition to work and volleyball, Coach Morgan loves to hang out with her friends, family, and her fiance Doug. She enjoys practicing photography, watching Netflix and playing volleyball. She attended Waynesburg University for a year before transferring to Penn State University from 2014-2016. She graduated with her Bachelors of Arts Degree in Communications with a specialization in Media and Film Studies.
Morgan Ceschini has four years of coaching experience ranging from the Middle School and Junior Varsity levels. Before finding her niche in coaching, Morgan played at Leechburg Area High School, for Odyssey Volleyball Club, and for Waynesburg University. While participating in volleyball she was a Setter, four year Varsity letter winner at Leechburg Area High School, and Captain of her volleyball team for three years. She also was a defensive specialist throughout her club and collegiate years.
Why she coaches: Morgan coaches so she can instill the same love she has for volleyball into the next generation. She believes that organized sports like volleyball teach important life skills that education alone, cannot. Morgan believes that she wouldn’t be as successful as she is today, if she didn’t play volleyball.
Email: ceschinim14@gmail.com
Coach Shannon Locke- 16 and Under Coach
Coach Shannon Locke (Cranberry Twp.,) is in her 5th year as a full time head coach with Pitt United. Coach Shannon is a graduate of Seneca Valley High School. She played club volleyball with Penn Juniors (currently Renaissance) Volleyball Club. She has over 15 years of volleyball coaching and playing experience. Coach Shannon played collegiate volleyball at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. Throughout her playing career she played various positions, mainly as a Right Side Hitter and Defensive Specialist. She graduated from Marshall University in 2004 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business and Economics and again in 2006 with a Master’s in Business Administration.
Coach Shannon works at Covestro LLC in Pittsburgh as a Senior Trade Compliance Specialist. She currently resides in Cranberry Twp. with her husband Doug, daughter Layla, and fur-baby Sophie. She enjoys all sports- especially biking, rowing and anything outdoors, but most of all spending time with family!
Coach Haley Dake- 18 and Under Coach
Coach Haley Dake (Pleasant Hills, PA.) is the Pitt United 18s and Under Coach for the 2019 season. She lives in the South Hills, but is originally from Cleveland, OH and just moved to Pittsburgh in January 18’. She attends Duquesne University as a full time graduate student in the MAT PreK-4 program. Coach Haley did her undergrad work at Ohio University, where she studied Journalism, Social Media Studies, and Political Science. At OU Haley played club volleyball for 4 years, served as a club officer, and played for a DI AAA National Championship in 2017.
Coach Haley has a 2 year old pup named Otis. He is a dachshund/terrier mix and she treats him like her son. She also lives with her boyfriend of 3 years, who she met playing club ball at OU. Vance, is a setter and Haley’s permanent volunteer assistant coach. In her free time, Coach Haley likes to play volleyball and coach private lessons. She also enjoys painting, attending concerts and sports games, and watching movies or Netflix.
Haley Dake began playing volleyball 10 years ago. In that time she played for her middle and high school as a setter, middle hitter, and opposite. She earned her varsity letter 4 times and was a 2-time team captain. During this time she played club ball for GaREAT Volleyball Club and Spire Institute and qualified for AAU Nationals on her 15s team. Coach Haley began coaching in the 2016 season, and since then she has coached two middle school teams, one high school varsity team, and two 14s clubs teams. As a varsity coach, Haley was awarded Section Coach of the Year and District Coach of the Year Runner Up. Her team went undefeated in section, with an overall record of 19-5. Coach Haley is looking forward to coaching her first 18s team and is excited for the opportunity to work with the other Pitt United coaches.
Email: dakeh@nhsd.net
Phone: 440.344.1507 (Text first)
Coach Vicky Danko- Assistant Coach to all teams
Webmaster Login.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3835
|
__label__wiki
| 0.682887
| 0.682887
|
Profile: Mr. Randal Robinson
Randal Robinson
An everyday Grenadian, striving to lift his country and most importantly his neighbourhood; so it can become a better place for the present and future generations.
Randal Robinson was born on a blissful day in the year 1963 to Robert and Inez Robinson and raised in the village of Creighton St. Paul’s, alongside his brother Alan and sister Heather.
As a youth; he played an active role in the development of his community, joining several village groups. Randal took the forefront for many village activities such as neighbourhood clean ups and sporting events.
Mr. Robinson remained the same intuitive person throughout his teens and early adulthood, always taking time to look out for the less fortunate.
Blessed with musical talent, his vocals stood out from a young age. An active member of the Methodist Church during his youth, he became the lead singer in its choir in a short period of time. In fact, it is his musical talent that has made him into man that he is today.
He is a bass baritone classical soloist with the famous Lydian Singers of Trinidad & Tobago where he was Manager for 5 years.
Randal has sung the lead roles in three operas and many other classical works, besides being a soloist. His great singing talent led to him being invited to perform for the Heads of Government as well at the 5th Summit of the Americas held in Port of Spain, Trinidad in April of 2009.
A man of many talents, Mr. Robinson can be described as the complete package due to his leadership and entrepreneurial skills.
Following in his parents footsteps, Randal has been an active member of trade unions both in Trinidad & Tobago -T&TEC Northern Branch Vice President – Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union (OWTU) and Grenada — 1st Vice President — Commercial and Industrial Workers Union (CIWU).
This man from St. Paul’s is also playing an active role in the tourism sector. Mr. Robinson is the Managing Director of the highly acclaimed Adventure Jeep and Adventure River tubing tours. Adventure River tubing has been voted Princess Cruise Lines High Volume Tour of the year 2010–2011. This is the second time Adventure River tubing has won this prestigious award.
Community focused, Randal considers himself fortunate to be called upon to serve at a higher level in his community. He is presently the Assistant District Co-ordinator for NADMA in the St. George South East Constituency. His mentor Pat Bishop (now deceased) has always reminded him of the famous quote from Luke 12:48 “…to whom much is given, much is required…” Now, more than ever before, Grenada needs citizens with integrity and skills to offer themselves for public office to help the nation to fulfil its promise.
Confirming his status as one of the hardest working individual on the island, Mr. Robinson is also well known within the cultural field in Grenada.
He has been championing local culture for a number of years, and has stated in the past that he intends on living to see the day when Grenada is considered the most culturally diverse island within the Western Hemisphere. Furthermore he is a respected calypso judge, and currently serves as the PRO of the calypso judges association.
Recently, in a bid to bring much needed change to his beloved nation, Mr. Randal Robinson decided to put his hat into the mix for the Grenadian election of 2013. He stated that his old choir Mistress Dr Pat Bishop (PC) motivated him to get involved in politics because she noticed that he had great relationship with people. Mr. Robinson further stated that getting involved in politics was an easy decision for him to make as he was motivated by persons such as Anthony Parke, Pauline Stewart, Valisca Edwards, Phillip Telesford, Dorothy Lessey, Wilfred Baptiste, and Ingrid Scantlebury, who helped to get him off the ground.
A candidate for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), in the St. George South East Constituency in the recent elections, Mr. Robinson lost the seat to Mr. Gregory Bowen of the New National Party (NNP), whose party won all 15 constituencies.
In an interview conducted with Mr. Anthony Parke, a former Teacher and Principal of J.W. Fletcher Primary School and Chairman of the NDC St.George South East Constituency Branch, when asked the question of whether he believed that Mr. Robinson would make a good representative for SGSE he stated the following “Absolutely, I think he was a perfect pick as representative for the constituency of SGSE. Mr. Robinson is a people’s person and likes community work, his record is clear. He is relative young, very energetic and academically inclined to do so”. Many community persons share similar sentiments as Mr. Parke, as Randal has portrayed himself as a man of great character, one the younger generation can emulate.
Mr. Robinson’s love for his community; was laid out in what can be referred to as his vision for his community, “ Our St. George South East constituency is the proud and stable home to many generations of people of faith and family. We have provided Grenada with some of its best tradesmen and women of stature, farmers, professionals, teachers and steel bandsmen. Today, our young people are being anchored and re-enforced in the good old-fashioned values of their parents and grandparents. They must all embrace that which is good and healthy in order for them to be the best that they can be in a modern Grenada. Together, we can achieve great things for St. George South East. Our constituency must be a place of prosperity, community energy, social enlightenment, enterprise and production.”
Mr. Robinson whose election plans for the constituency included:
Providing leadership by consensus and with full participation of constituents.
Putting mechanisms in place to enable/encourage youth, women’s, and men’s groups to participate in governance of the constituency.
Providing support for entrepreneurship development by matching skills with demand and exploiting the community’s resources to train people to create their own opportunities.
Creating a job bank for the constituency to match skills with opportunities.
Mr. Robinson stated that despite his defeat at the poll in 2013 general elections, he will strive to deliver most of his plans to the constituents of St. George South East.
Simply put, Mr. Randal Robinson can only be described as a once in a generation individual, determined to create a brighter future for all, within this lovely island of ours.
Written by Valisca Edwards
MST-221
TAMCC – Media Studies
Tags: adventurebiocommunitycultureelectionleadndcprofilesingtalentunion
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3837
|
__label__wiki
| 0.837138
| 0.837138
|
Living Reviews
Introducing and expanding the concept of regularly updated journal articles
The Living Reviews editorial team
www.livingreviews.org
Living Reviews is a family of five journals, covering physics, environmental and political science. Each journal features review articles that are regularly updated by experts to incorporate the latest developments in the field.
Founded in 1998, Living Reviews in Relativity was the first journal of this kind, followed by Living Reviews in Solar Physics, Living Reviews in European Governance, Living Reviews in Landscape Research and Living Reviews in Democracy.
The defining feature of Living Reviews is the concept of a living article. Authors revise articles when important new research developments occur and these updates are either treated as new publications, subjected to peer review and published with a new publication number (a major update) or, in the case of errata or small but important additions, are added directly to the original review and marked throughout the article (a fast-track revision).
The review articles offer surveys of recent work, summaries and evaluations of the importance and interconnectedness of results, entry points into the essential literature, assessments of where progress is needed, and links to websites and databases.
“The founders set out with the goal for the journal to become one of the first places a scientist looks for information about work in the field of gravitational physics. And we are delighted to have reached the goal of providing this service,” Bernard Schutz, director of the Albert Einstein Institute and the journal’s editor-in-chief, summed up the first 10 years of Living Reviews in Relativity in 2008. He added, “the successful adaptation of the concept in other scientific fields is an additional confirmation of our idea.”
Living Reviews in Relativity hit the benchmark of 100 review articles in March 2011. It may not sound like a huge number, but the articles tend to be long – some are more than 130 pages – and the field is relatively small. According to Frank Schulz, managing editor of Living Reviews, “After nearly 15 years, we have covered many of the big topics. Now the share of article updates is increasing, of course depending on how the field evolves. The dynamics of scientific research puts different emphasis on various theories over time – for example, gravitational wave detection is a current hot topic – and new developments occur.”
For Schulz, the success of Living Reviews lies in three areas: the concept, the numbers, and the authority.
“A good third of articles have been updated now. Originally, we expected an update every two years, but we learnt by doing that authors do not want to edit their articles constantly. So, while some we get updates for and others not, we can say in principle that the concept of updating articles, of living reviews, has been successful.”
As far as the numbers are concerned, Living Reviews in Relativity has around 2500 PDF downloads a month and more than 7,000 citations in peer reviewed journals (2011). In June 2012, the journal led the category Physics, Particles and Fields in the Thomson Reuters 2011 Journal Citation Reports. With an impact factor of 17.462 it rose to number 54 in JCR’s complete list of about 8000 indexed journals. In the same rankings, Living Reviews in Solar Physics received its very first impact factor (12.500) and ranks among the top three in the category Astronomy and Astrophysics.
In terms of reach, Living Reviews in Relativity has a readership that is fairly evenly balanced between Europe and the United States but it also has an extensive audience in India. Users come from the entire physics community, from graduate students and researchers to lecturers.
“We know from our institute and our contact with other institutes that PhD students use the journal and the website really heavily,” says Schulz. “They read our articles and they look up references. It’s obviously very useful for them and it is likely that every student who writes a dissertation in our field uses our journal. We are one of the sources that everyone in the field knows and uses.”
“If we invite authors to write for us we don’t need to negotiate a lot – they know it is a very good journal and they really want to write for us. There is no author charge but also no money in it for the authors,” Schulz adds.
Schulz is also proud of the fact that Living Reviews is a name to be reckoned with in the open access movement. “If you go to conferences and talk to people a lot of people will have heard of the concept because we have been there from the beginning,” he comments. “Of course, we are helped by the fact that our editor-in-chief, Bernard Schutz, is also one of the people who set up the Berlin Declaration on Open Access so we are well-known and people benefit from using the name and the platform.”
Living Reviews uses its own processing software and content management system because there was little on the market at the time it started, and, as a public institution – the physics journals are funded by the Max Planck Society – having open source software was a priority.
One area where, perhaps surprisingly, the journals see less activity is article comments and questions. The feature is built into the software, but rarely used. “This could be partly due to the fact that review articles are very balanced already, or that only a few people have the interest to use these kinds of commenting services to communicate,” speculates Schulz.
Looking to the future, Schulz is hoping to expand by adding new journals to the family, with a new astrophysics journal likely in the coming year.
Author, Germany, International, Journal, Journals, Users, Visibility
− four = four
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3840
|
__label__wiki
| 0.685954
| 0.685954
|
KTFC
Terrace Talk
BSP 2011-12
Nick Platnauer
Kettering Town manager from November 2003 to December 2003.
The sacking of Dominic Genovese led to Nicky Platnauer being asked to take over as caretaker manager of Kettering Town, until the club could properly go through the process of finding a permanent replacement manager. With Kettering Town lying in 10th place, Nick’s first match in charge was an away fixture at Hendon, and following true to the team’s good away form, the Poppies came from behind to win 2-1, with goals from Jason Turner and Eliot Paschalis.
However, the team still suffered the same poor performance problem at home matches and duly went down 1-0 to Sutton Utd, before returning to Hendon to play in the FA Trophy Second Round fixture. A 1-1 draw meant a replay back at Rockingham Road and with 90 minutes already on the clock, Kettering pulled off a last gasp equalizer through Paul Fewings and then went through 5-4 on penalties.
Now lying in 7th position, Kettering’s next home match was against struggling Aylesbury Utd. The Ducks twice came from behind to force a 2-2 draw, the second equalizer coming from Aylesbury striker Darren Lynch, who ironically was soon destined to become a Kettering Town player. A mid-week League Cup match proved a fruitless journey to the South Coast after Kettering lost 2-0 to Worthing.
Kettering’s good away form continued in their next league match, a narrow 2-1 win at Northwood with goals from Ian King and Paul Fewings saw the club remain in 7th position in the Ryman League Premier Division table. A waterlogged pitch denied the Poppies their next home fixture and on Boxing Day they travelled the short distance to Bedford Town to take on the Eagles at the New Eyrie.
Strikes by Gary Butterworth and Paul Fewings gave the Poppies an early 2-0 lead, before the dismissal of Ian King reduced them to ten men for the whole of the second-half. Brett Solkhon increased their lead to 3-0 before the home side hit back, scoring twice to produce a nail-biting finish that saw the Poppies hold on to record another away victory.
The 3-2 win was bitter-sweet for Poppies caretaker manager Platnauer, as directly after the match the players were introduced to their new manager, newly appointed ex-Bedford and Aylesbury boss, Kevin Wilson. Nicky Platnauer, who had previously excluded himself from the list of possible applicants for the Kettering Town manager’s post, took over at the New Eyrie as manager of Bedford Town.
Southern League Premier Division Central
1 AFC Telford
2 Alfreton Town
3 Altrincham
4 Blyth Spartans
5 Boston Utd
6 Brackley Town
7 Bradford (Park Ave)
8 Chester
9 Curzon Ashton
10 Darlington
11 Farsley Celtic
12 Gateshead
13 Gloucester City
14 Guiseley
15 Hereford
16 Kettering Town
17 Kidderminster Harriers
18 King’s Lynn Town
19 Leamington
20 Southport
21 Spennymoor Town
22 York City
Premier Division 2018-19 Season
AFC R & Diamonds 1 Leiston 1
Alvechurch 2 Biggleswade Town 1
Barwell 0 Hitchin Town 1
Coalville Town 1 Tamworth 2
King’s Lynn Town 2 Redditch Utd 0
Lowestoft Town 1 Banbury Utd 0
Needham Market 0 Royston Town 2
Rushall Olympic 0 Bedworth Utd 0
St Ives Town 1 Kettering Town 2
Stourbridge 1 St Neots Town 0
Stratford Town 2 Halesown Town 1
June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003 August 2003 July 2003 June 2003
© 2019 Poppies Fans | Powered by WordPress | Entries (RSS) | Comments (RSS) | Mimbo theme
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3843
|
__label__cc
| 0.580429
| 0.419571
|
The history of estate taxes in America has been a long and winding road. Careful estate planning is still one of the most important ways to manage and protect your assets for your heirs.
The Stamp Act of 1797 was the first federal estate tax in the United States and was passed to help fund an undeclared war with France; it was repealed in 1802. The Revenue Act of 1862 reinstated the estate tax in order to fund the Civil War; it was abolished in 1870. To finance the Spanish American War, the War Revenue Act of 1898 was passed, and subsequently abolished in 1902. Due to the costs of World War I, the Revenue Act of 1916 reinstated an estate tax that, in some form or other, has been in effect ever since.
The Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 gradually increased the federal estate tax exemption, until finally repealing the federal estate tax altogether for the 2010 tax year only. The Tax Relief Act of 2010 reinstated the federal estate tax with a $5 million exemption, indexing the exemption for inflation after 2011. The provisions of the Tax Relief Act of 2010 expired on December 31, 2012.
The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 increased the federal estate tax rate from 35% to 40%, but left in place the higher exemption level, which reached $5.49 million in 2017 (up from $5.45 million in 2016); both provisions are now permanent. It also left in place the “portability” of any unused exemption between spouses.
The latest major piece of tax legislation is the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which was signed into law on December 22, 2017. This Act doubled the federal estate tax exclusion to $11.18 million in 2018 (indexed annually for inflation) while retaining the 40% tax rate. The 2019 federal estate tax exclusion is $11.4 million. In 2026, the exclusion is scheduled to revert to its pre-2018 level.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3844
|
__label__wiki
| 0.767633
| 0.767633
|
Gallery : www.visitwallpapers.com Keyword Album: brother brother relationship
Keyword Album: brother brother relationship
Thor-The-Dark-World_14
Thor: The Dark World (2013) High-Res Poster Coming to theaters November 8, 2013!
Keywords: Thor: The Dark World, Thor, The Dark World, Loki, Odin, Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Marvel, Marvel comics, superhero, Anthony Hopkins, Alan Taylor, sequel, brother brother relationship, Christopher Eccleston, Malekith, based on comic, movie, second
Keywords: Thor: The Dark World, Thor, The Dark World, Loki, Odin, Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Marvel, Marvel comics, superhero, Anthony Hopkins, Alan Taylor, sequel, brother brother relationship, Christopher Eccleston, Malekith, based on comic, Jane Foster, m
Keywords: Thor The Dark World, Thor, The Dark World, Loki, Odin, Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Marvel, Marvel comics, superhero, Anthony Hopkins, Alan Taylor, sequel, brother brother relationship, Tom Hiddleston, Christopher Eccleston, Malekith, based on comic,
Keywords: Thor The Dark World, Thor, The Dark World, Loki, Odin, Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Marvel, Marvel comics, superhero, Anthony Hopkins, Alan Taylor, sequel, brother brother relationship, Tom Hiddleston, Christopher Eccleston, Malekith, based on comics
Thor-The-Dark-World_7
Thor: The Dark World (2013) Poster Coming to theaters November 8, 2013!
Keywords: Thor: The Dark World, Thor, The Dark World, Loki, Odin, Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Marvel, Marvel comics, superhero, Anthony Hopkins, Alan Taylor, sequel, brother brother relationship, Action, Adventure, Fantasy, based on comic, movie, second part,
Thor: The Dark World 2013 Movie Wallpaper Thor: The Dark World is a 2013 American superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character Thor, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is the second Thor film
Thor: The Dark World 2013 Movie Wallpaper
Keywords: Thor: The Dark World, Thor, The Dark World, Loki, Odin, Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Marvel, Marvel comics, superhero, Anthony Hopkins, Alan Taylor, sequel, brother brother relationship, Action, Adventure, Fantasy, based on comic, movie, second part
Thor: The Dark World WallpaperComing to theaters November 8, 2013!
Thor: The Dark World 2013 Movie Wallpaper, Malekith Wallpaper Thor: The Dark World is an upcoming American superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character Thor, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.
Keywords: Thor The Dark World, Thor, The Dark World, Loki, Odin, Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Marvel, Marvel comics, superhero, Anthony Hopkins, Alan Taylor, sequel, brother brother relationship, Christopher Eccleston, Malekith Wallpaper, based on comic, movie
Thor: The Dark World 2013 Movie Wallpaper, Thor: The Dark World is an upcoming American superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character Thor, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture.
Keywords: Thor The Dark World, Thor, The Dark World, Loki, Odin, Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Marvel, Marvel comics, superhero, Anthony Hopkins, Alan Taylor, sequel, brother brother relationship, Christopher Eccleston, Malekith, Idris Elba, based on comic, mov
Thor: The Dark World 2013 Movie Wallpaper, Malekith Wallpaper Thor: The Dark World is an upcoming American superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character Thor, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is
Keywords: Thor: The Dark World, Thor, The Dark World, Loki, Odin, Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Marvel, Marvel comics, superhero, Anthony Hopkins, Alan Taylor, sequel, brother brother relationship, Christopher Eccleston, Malekith Wallpaper, based on comic book,
Thor: The Dark World 2013 Movie Wallpaper Thor: The Dark World is an upcoming American superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character Thor, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is intended to be
Keywords: Thor: The Dark World, Thor, The Dark World, Loki, Odin, Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Marvel, Marvel comics, superhero, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Alan Taylor, sequel, brother brother relationship, Thor Wallpaper, based on comic, wallpaper, Thor
Thor: The Dark World 2013 Movie Wallpaper Thor: The Dark World is an upcoming American superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character Thor, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is intended to be t
Keywords: Thor: The Dark World, Thor, The Dark World, Loki, Odin, Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Marvel, Marvel comics, superhero, Anthony Hopkins, Alan Taylor, sequel, brother brother relationship, Christopher Eccleston, Malekith Wallpaper, based on comic, movi
Keywords: Thor: The Dark World, Thor, The Dark World, Loki, Odin, Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Marvel, Marvel comics, superhero, Anthony Hopkins, Alan Taylor, sequel, brother brother relationship, Thor Wallpaper, based on comic, movie, second part, Thor 2, act
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3848
|
__label__wiki
| 0.752865
| 0.752865
|
Op-ed in PA daily: Trump is “racist, the copy of Hitler”
Official PA daily, Al-Hayat Al-Jadida - June 3, 2018
Excerpt of an op-ed by Muwaffaq Matar, regular columnist for the official PA daily
Headline: “Trump’s veto is fitting, because the dictator does not defend the victim”
“[US President Donald] Trump’s representative at the [UN] Security Council [US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley] was completely honest and coordinated with her master and president’s policy when she said: ‘Of course we will vote against a resolution to defend the Palestinians’ (sic., PMW found no record of such a statement in Haley’s condemnation of a Kuwaiti resolution calling for “international protection” for Gaza; see note below –Ed.). This is because this racist [Trump], the copy of Hitler, does not want to see us free but rather dead, uprooted, expelled, and captive. He is happy to see us hungry, chasing the American sack of flour and leaving the principle of freedom thousands of miles behind us.”
The US vetoed a Kuwaiti resolution at the UN Security Council on June 1, 2018, which called for “international protection” for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip given the Israeli response to the violent March of Return riots and the escalation of rocket and mortar attacks by terrorists in Gaza. The resolution did not mention Hamas’ rule over the Gaza Strip or the escalation of rocket fire from the area into Israel. Explaining the US veto, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said: “When the United Nations sides with terrorists over Israel, as the Kuwait resolution does, it only makes a peaceful resolution to this conflict harder to reach. It is resolutions like this one that undermine the UN's credibility in dealing with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict." [United States Mission to the United Nations, Office of Press and Public Diplomacy, June 1, 2018]
"The March of Return" refers to massive violent riots in Gaza in which thousands of Palestinians are rioting on the border with Israel and attempting to cut through the security fence, attacking with firebombs, flaming kites, and gunfire. The riots began on March 30, 2018, and were scheduled to last for 6 weeks until Palestinian "Nakba" Day on May 15. On the day the US embassy opened in Jerusalem, May 14, 2018, the Palestinian attacks escalated and 62 Palestinians were killed. A senior official of the terror organization Hamas, Salah Bardawil, stated that 50 of the 62 belonged to Hamas, while Islamic Jihad identified 3 others as belonging to it.
The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, an Israeli research institute, published research documenting that from the start of the riots on March 30 until May 15, 93 of the 112 Palestinians killed in the riots (approximately 83%) were members of terrorist organizations.
Petitions against the IDF's use of live fire to combat the rioting submitted by organizations that advocate for Palestinian rights were rejected by Israel's Supreme Court on May 24, 2018. The court accepted the state's argument that the riots were "organized and directed" by Hamas, a terrorist organization, and thereby rejecting the claim that the riots were peaceful and civilian in nature. PMW reports were referred to in the Supreme Court's decision.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3849
|
__label__wiki
| 0.559232
| 0.559232
|
Marvel Movie Mashup
Costs: N/A
Frequency: One per week/Every three days
Email: StrawberryRock88@yahoo.com
URL: https://groups.yahoo.com/group/MarvelMovieMashup/info
Type: superhero
Last-Update: 2009Oct16
Keywords: free, open-ended, email, human, fantasy, modern, rpg
A PBeM RPG that's based on the current Marvel movies, though storylines, characters, and history are another story. Comic and cartoon inspired plotlines will take place
The year is 2010. The Earth's children, for the first time in over 50 years, are finally experiencing peace between humans, mutants, and super-powered beings. Thanks to the on-going efforts of such notable figures as mutant pacifist Professor Charles Xavier, futurist Tony Stark, and world-renowned scientist Reed Richards, the World Leaders and United Nations have reopened discussion on a number of fragile topics, such as the Super Human and Mutant Registration Act. With luck on their side, the mutants and super-powered may be able to turn the public opinion around... if all goes according to plan.
CURRENT PLOT:
Unbeknownst to all, Magneto has finally and quietly realized his own personal dream: Genosha. Located in the middle of the South Pacific ocean, the Master of Magnetism has slowly built his Brotherhood of Mutants into a formidable group. With a massive World Conference on the horizon, time will only tell what Magneto has been planning.
In New York City, Tony Stark has been commissioned with a top-secret SHIELD project, codename: Avengers. With the help of the current head of SHIELD, Col. Nick Fury, Tony's mission is to gather the 'best of the best' of the super-powered world, and to take down a big, green, self-aware menace that has been evading SHIELD's forces for over a year.
At the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, Headmaster Charles Xavier has his hands full dealing with the constant string of government officials and state politicians parading around his mansion, not to mention the new slew of mutants arriving at his doorstep everyday. With more than enough to keep him busy, Xavier is relying on his X-Men to investigate Magneto, and to bring in a few rogue mutants to help.
This game is 18+, please have your age visible. A writing sample will also be asked for prior to joining.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3850
|
__label__cc
| 0.653106
| 0.346894
|
Andy Carl
working for social change
Useful Networks
Political Settlements Research Programme
New Information & News Stream
A new news and information feed (in English) on peace processes
This is new source of news and information about peacebuilding, mediation and peace processes around the world. This app (designed by Factr.com) has enabled our Co-Curators to draw on more than 500 sources (and growing) of published news. It is available free (just follow the site on your browser) or to have as an app (Factr) on you iPhone. This is a resource for anyone engaged or interested in the practical work of mediation and peacebuilding. It is premised on the idea that relevant comparative experiences are are rich source of ideas and inspiration – and it provides a steady flow. of these. Normally buried in the relative obscurity particular geographies and under the preponderance of news on violence and war, these selected articles make the case for the clear and transparent value of efforts to prevent, resolve and transform organised armed conflicts. Unlike other sites related to peace, Peace Talks is focussed on news and information on building peace by peaceful means.
What is in and what is out (*and why)
Using 150 words (and growing *see below), we have sought to create a broad and inclusive filter that, together, broadly defines applied peacebuilding. It is as broad as a list of words that describe all kinds of interventions (by many people and many types of organisations) that are purposefully designed to sustain peace.
Of course there are no clear boundaries, but editorially we are seeking to prioritise deliberate interventions and significant positive changes in conflict contexts and exclude most diplomatic statements, visits and handshakes (articles about which are large in number) and also more indirect educational events like workshops and publications. Here are the criteria we are using in our inclusive approach: Peace_Talks_Search_Criteria. While we have not listed it here, we also have an even larger number of exclusion terms that help the stream run clean and these mostly relate to violence, sport and commerce.
We are very eager to have feedback on whether we should include additional search terms (please send them in), and your views on whether this focus is a legitimate and useful one.
Where are the stories of civil society/NGO/community peacebuilding?
As we have a special interest in uncovering experiences and perspectives that are otherwise hard to find or distinguish, we admit to being proactive in our approach to ensuring diversity of both sources and subjects. We are aware of the vital and creative roles in mediation and peacebuilding played by community leaders and local and international community and nongovernmental organisations, but we struggle to ensure their fair representation in this stream. We are actively looking for sources, including organisational websites – as close as possible to their sources, and would appreciate the suggestion of our readers. Of course, there are many reasons why many intervenors make an active choice to keep their stories out of the media, but if people and policy makers are going to better understand and value the interventions of peacebuilders these stories will need to be made public.
Sign-up as a Contributor
While anyone can have the access of a Viewer, if you would like to be a Contributor (which permissions that enable to you to post up new materials or highlight articles at any time), just send an email to andy@peacebuilding.co.uk
Join us as a Co-curator
Our ideal is that this resource flows as a reader co-curated stream. We aim to have a minim of ten Co-curators, with the full access privileges to post new content, add new (RSS) sources, add new filter (inclusion/exclusion) terms, and to help keep the stream running focussed and relevant by ‘hiding’ irrelevant stories. This requires a commitment to visit the site at least one or more times a week.
While the site has a search function, if you have a particular geographic or thematic interest, articles can be tagged and the App has a great facility for generating bespoke and shareable reports. The site would make a very useful data source for students with an interest in peace journalism.
Please take a minute to give us feedback
This is still in development stage so we need to know if you are encountering any glitches of finding anything difficult to navigate or whether you are finding it useful. (send an email to andy@peacebuilding.co.uk
Please help us to promote the availability of the site through your networks and social media contacts. It was made to be used. The designers at Factr have also created a widget if you would be interested in adding this feed to your website please get in touch.
Thank you and we hope you find it useful,
/The Co-Curators
Author AndyPosted on 10th December 2017 10th December 2017 Categories Building peace and preventing conflict, Innovation in responding to conflict, Recommended resources1 Comment on New Information & News Stream
The Conflict Within the UK Labour Party and the Need for Mediation
The Labour Party has a conflict that runs deeper than a leadership contest, and it is going to take more than rhetorical punches or another election to get over it. We are at the stage where everyone is being invited to take a side, if you have not done so already. Language is being emptied of its normal meanings with calls for a confrontation and resignations alongside calls to ‘come together’ and ‘work together’ to find an ‘inclusive way forward’. In the end both, sides are left with a kind of childish self-righteousness of “I’m right and you’re wrong and there is nothing you can do about it.”
As a rule, conflicts are not only complicated, they are complex. One of the challenges with dealing with complex problems is that they just keep generating so much information, information from so many sources, information that is contradictory, and information that rather than adding up – piles up – leaving us none the wiser – and probably more confused.
At risk of reading like a line in a leaflet, the first step towards dealing with such a conflict is acknowledging that you have one. Is this just a natural expression of a fierce political competition within the party, or does that conclusion mask genuine disagreements within the party, its parliamentarians and its membership? Is it only a matter of the right/wrong person in the job? Is this an interpersonal conflict between people with incompatible character traits?
The second step in ending any conflict is to try to understand it. To really understand it, to engage with its complexity – and to see it from outside the lens of one’s own experience and opinions. Things tended to work in the Labour party, like in most groups and organisations, but then something got in the way. Are those factors understood?
There is an opportunity here but it is not an easy one. An opportunity to commit to processes to work towards really understanding the problem(s), why they are happening, what are the factors that have led up to them, and what sustains them? This is a moment to deal with the issues and move beyond them. The challenge is that to put out this fire you have to engage with it directly and constructively.
No one goes into a conflict to negotiate. Sacrifices are made and risks are taken because we are “in it to win it”. But are we – winning? Do we? Have we?
When does irony become tragedy? Anyone working on international development, human rights and conflict issues in parliament for the last two and more decades will remember the unwavering solidarity of the former back benchers Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell. Though the Labour party did not have a monopoly commitment to human rights their patience and solidarity with the victims of war, authoritarianism and conflict has been unwavering.
So why not learn from these experiences? Invest your trust in a good process – trust your colleagues – trust your members and supporters – and commit to understanding what is going on – together, finding options out of the impasse – out of this conflict. Of course these will involve compromises on all sides, and these will be hard to make. Finding that common ground is what is needed for contemporary party politics to work – or not. Break the party up, but be sure to do that on the basis of irreconcilable differences of policy – anything less would be confusing for us all. A significant number of people in the UK seem to have an appetite for doing things differently now, and tearing down long established political institutions with all the risks that that entails, though not everyone is in the mood of holding a ‘fire-sale’.
The thing is that we know how to handle and prevent conflict – everyone does. When it gets serious, institutional and intractable, we have professionals – mediators, coaches, advisors, facilitators. Britain is even one of the world leaders in deploying support to peace and mediation processes worldwide – look behind the peace talks in Syria, Yemen, and Colombia you will see hardworking and talented British professionals, working with the UN and NGOs working directly with the people and the conflict parties
It is difficult to engage in such a process if you are feeling insecure or unsure or stressed – which then becomes part of the problem. Politicians are no different than the rest of us in needing to have clear roles and the trust and confidence of those around them if they are going to face their daily challenges. Take any of these away, and any of us is less able to lead, and less willing to take the risks of engaging with those holding strong views different from our own.
Corbyn and McDonnell are deeply familiar with the knowledge that you resolve differences, not with your friends, but with those who disagree with you. So what can be done?
Democracy may be “the worst form of government except for all those other forms that have been tried” but elections are a really poor conflict resolution mechanism, and as we have just seen. Perversely, they can have a conflict generating effect, creating clear winners and equally clear losers where such distinctions did not exist before. When conducted in environments of insecurity and uncertainty they can bring a certain order, but always at a price for the losers, and always with consequences. We know this, we have just experienced this, but nevertheless policy makers are quick to reach for elections and referenda as the political tool of choice for getting out of conflicts.
Labour’s leadership and their allies can choose to battle it out with their opposition within the parliamentary party, and there will be victors and vanquished and perhaps a diminished party will hold together or not, and we will see the political equivalent of a divorce and a new alignment of political parties. Other options are available.
The leadership could seek and accept some form of mediation or facilitation. The difference being traditionally understood as when the parties appoint a mediator they give that person or office the authority for the process, whereas a facilitator is there as someone to help, but the parties agree, or not, the agenda and the terms. Such third parties may be independent or may (like Len McCluskey, General Secretary of Unite) have a declared interest. There are pros and cons of both, and true neutrality in any conflict is rare and difficult for lots of good reasons. What matters at the end of the day is that they have enabled the parties to reach their own agreements.
There are, of course, problems with this model. One question will be who has the legitimacy and the authority to represent those in the parliamentary Labour Party who have lost confidence in Corbyn’s leadership. And, can the elected leadership afford to take the risks of such a process? And how to handle such a process under the spotlight of a febrile media. Who is “in” and who is “out”?
There is also the question of whether we are expecting too much of the ‘leaders’ and not drawing enough on the social and intellectual capital and experience of the whole of the party, especially it’s elected members who have both the legitimacy and the broader capabilities of identifying creative ways forward.
One approach developed in response to intractable political conflicts around the world has been to convene facilitated dialogues to analyse and problem solve. These have come to be called “Track II” dialogues referring to the fact that they are not roundtables of decision-takers but of groups of people with influence and integrity and the ability and interest to explore ideas and freely ‘talk to the other side”.
In both approaches there is a ‘success risk’ – that is of their identifying a way forward, but it not having the essential support of leadership or their constituencies to put it into practice
Perhaps the most creative, if also most idealist processes around the world today are where such traditionally elite models of doing diplomacy and resolving conflicts are themselves democratised. Where people are finding ways to get involved. We all know that politics, democratic or otherwise, does not make much of a spectator sport.
Constituency parties could do so much more. They could each take on the challenge of being a convenor and a facilitator of localised dialogue processes. Call on the skills locally available and hold their own workshops – agree their own ground rules and set their own agendas to help members to better understand what the conflict is (and is not) about, and see if they can generate ideas for the way forward that could be useful.
Or we could just watch them fight it out, cast our ballots and hope for the best.
Author AndyPosted on 7th July 2016 8th July 2016 Categories Innovation in responding to conflictLeave a comment on The Conflict Within the UK Labour Party and the Need for Mediation
The Unconventional Peace Process in the Basque Country
A Meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Conflict Issues
Here is a copy of my remarks:
My name is Andy Carl. I have been working in the field of mediation, dialogue and peacebuilding for the last 25 years. Until recently I have been the Executive Director of Conciliation Resources which I co-founded 21 years ago. Before setting up CR I help to establish another international NGO, International Alert. So I have had a front row seat in the development of this peacebuilding sector.
The four lessons that I would like to highlight today from what I have learned about effectiveness in international mediation & dialogue work are the following:
1. The importance of following and supporting the lead of people living with their conflict;
2. That transformation starts with enquiry – and that in order to deal with their conflicts, people needed understand them better;
3. That you need to pay attention to power, exclusion, asymmetry & inclusion, gender; and
4. The importance of taking the initiative – be proactive – work to prevent violence & be creative.
I have been part of a series of mediators and peacebuilding professionals engaging in the Basque country over the last two decades which reads like a WHO’S WHO of our field (perhaps starting with Fr. Alex Reid (the insider mediator in Northern Ireland) to, more recently, the South African head of the ICG who has spoken at this forum in the past, Brian Currin).
Like Northern Ireland, the conflict in the Basque Country – has long been a point of reference, a kind of touch-stone for this developing field. Fifteen years ago we published an issue in the Accord series on the peace process in N. Ireland – and with a local organisation, had it translated into Spanish and distributed around the Basque country to help them have access to and learn from the experience. Since then I have taken part in an international peace conference organised by Elkarri and the Autonomous government. With CR, in 2010, we drew on the Basque experience in our workshops and publications looking at peacebuilding across borders (based on the idea that conflicts don’t stop at borders why should peacebuilding?) CR facilitated workshops on public participation. We were invited to part of history, in co-sponsoring and taking part in the Aiete Peace conference in 2011. Since then I have been part of the civil society initiative called the Social Forum organised Lokarri & Bake Bidea to define the popular agenda of how to move from the absence of violence to winning a real peace.
I am honoured to share this platform with one of the great champions of peace and social change in the Basque country, Arnaldo Otegi. The headline challenge and lesson that I would like to share with you today is an idea that is relevant whether you are working on (or concerned with) the Spanish-Basque conflict or the Turkish-Kurdish conflict or the Syrian conflict or the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, or any of the many ongoing and unresolved conflicts around the world.
How do we pursue our agenda for peace if the conflict cannot be resolved on the battlefield – through hard power alone? What options do we have if there are no prospects for a negotiated and comprehensive political solution? All over the world today conflicts are “stuck” in these cycles of violence and unresolved conflict – often with relatively low levels of insurgency and counterinsurgency.
I heard a quote from a young Kashmiri militant – who said that his group first took up violence as a tactic of resistance, but overtime it became a culture, without an alternative. What Arnaldo Otegi and the Basque peace process have shown is how alternatives can be built through a mix of politics and creative initiatives, harnessing the power and influence of people and their organisations, their communities and political parties. Not only have they shown us that it is possible to pursue peace and justice in times of violence, but also that these alternatives are not only constructed by independent mediators and peacebuilding professionals. Yes – such organisations have essential roles to play. Yes – we have many effective tools and approaches for conflict resolution. But what the Abertzale Left have to tell us is of the roles and potentials for peacebuilding from communities historically criminalised for their close association and proximity to the armed actors.
Teresa Whitfield – (author of the book: Endgame for ETA) wrote that there was a concentration of factors that led to ETA’s decision to abandon violence – a perfect storm – of a sustained campaign from the Spanish and French states (police, intelligence and the legal system) plus a clear rejection and revulsion of violence by the large swathes of civil society. But these were not enough. It needed a third wave What Otegi and his colleagues did is that they made determined efforts to have an open debate about how to pursue the goals of the nationalist left. Which resulted in their decision to call for pursuing these aspirations through exclusively peaceful and democratic means. To do this involved the persuasion of their movement’s social and political base as well as politically challenging ETA itself.
I had the opportunity to witness the historic moment in Aiete when the stage was set for the dramatic call on ETA to end its violence and support the pursuit of peace and justice by exclusively peaceful means. The tragedy is that the Spanish state, in its wisdom, decided to put Mr Otegi in prison for having such powerful and peaceful influence, and we have had to wait this long to hear from the man himself.
I think this Basque example – of how to move towards peace – matters to us all because without the smart power (not the “soft power”) of public peacebuilding, we really are stuck living with our unfinished business of armed conflicts and the inhumane levels of violence and trauma. Of course it matters most for all those whose lives who have been touched by the Basque conflict and its violence – who live with its legacy and trauma every day.
I think that is the whole of Basque society – which is still a wonderfully intact and egalitarian society – but it means everybody knows somebody who is still suffering from the conflict. Of course it also continues to cast a shadow on the lives of many people in the wider Spain and France who have also been affected.
Yes, it is a beautiful country (and a fantastic place to visit), but we need to remember the survivors of the violence and acts of ETA’s terrorism. And without drawing parallel lines, we need to remember family members of prisoners like Mr Otegi here who, every week are visiting their relatives dispersed in the four corners of the Iberian Peninsula – they are all survivors of the trauma and repression.
At a time when refugees are drowning in the Mediterranean driven by exactly these kinds of unresolved conflicts. I appreciate it is difficult to sustain compassion for all those who suffer from war and armed conflict – but that is exactly what we need to do.
One of the effective things peace activists in the Basque country have done has been to insist on framing the problem as a complex conflict – and framing the many efforts to transform it collectively and over time as a peace process. For lots of reasons governments tend to be enormously resistant to this language. We hear about this context as a contentious Basque “Problem”. The Kurdish Question? The Irish Troubles? Even in referring to formal peace processes we hear of the Turkish “Solution process”, the government’s preferred name for the Thai–Pataani peace process is a “Happiness process”. Why do they bother? Why is it that so important how it is referred to?
Our meeting today is part of this “re-framing”. Basque peace activists have successfully asserted that ETA’s violence was one expression of the conflict but should not be misunderstood or misrepresented as the whole of the conflict (and visa-versa). In doing so they sustained the idea that the problem was not just complicated, it is a complex one and responding to complexity requires a different kind of thinking and strategy.
Complex problems have four characteristics. They are:
Emergent: the events that you see are not predictable with a high degree of accuracy and sometimes fast changing;
Information Generating: including multiple and contradicting perceptions of the problem and the solutions;
Adaptive: Actors and stakeholders are constantly and autonomously adapting their behavior and making elastic demands;
Interconnected: and does not respect man-made boundaries – like the French and Spanish borders.
I think it is common in situations of unequal and asymmetric power, where more often than not, the state determines what the problem will be called (terrorism, extremism). This closes down thinking. One of the achievements of those working for peace in the Basque country has been to shift this public discourse – to build the legitimacy of an idea – the idea that ETA’s violence was a part of a wider Basque problem and that problem was a complex conflict – with many stakeholders – and that radical idea of the need to transform that conflict with a peace process.
How did they do it? How are they doing it? Answering this question helps us to understand why the interest and involvement of internationals was so important. And why the involvement of mediators, peacebuilding NGOs, academics and members of former liberation movements mattered. There is another important aspect of this example – with relevance for many if not all other conflicts and contexts of “terrorism” – that is the role and power of committed constituencies.
Arnaldo Otegi does not come from a peace NGO. He is a leader of a political, nationalist and progressive party and movement of Abertzale Left who are supported by more than 25% of the Basque population. I think the most important story in this complex narrative of the Basque peace process is how they (and he) asserted the voice of that part of the Basque community for pursing their agenda through exclusively peaceful means.
It is not uncommon in the ways we talk about war and conflict to overlook differences and pluralities – and to fall on simple binaries:
• You are either with us or against us?
• Choose “iraultza ala hil” / revolution or death; • Right or wrong:
• Help the heroes or be an apologist for terrorism.
What room is left for compromise and negotiation? It evaporates.
I recently heard a US Ambassador (Richard Haas) say that one of the important lessons they learned from their intervention in Afghanistan was, as he said “the enemy of my enemy is not necessarily my friend.” Traditional Diplomacy doesn’t do pluralism and diversity very well.
Civilians communities living with armed groups and perhaps sharing part or all of their political & national aspirations and perhaps their animosities with state authorities – are quick to be criminalised. Quick to be perceived by state authorities as apologists, sympathisers or supporters of their sworn enemies – tarred with the same brush – these civilians tend to indiscriminately receive the same harsh treatments. Whether it is nationalist Tamils in Sri Lanka, Kurds in Turkey, Acholi in Uganda, or conservative Muslims in Brussels and here in the UK, I think we all recognise these phenomena. They can be communities of resistance and communities of resilience – and such groups live in dangerous neighbourhoods.
In what has been described as the “polarised pluralism” of Basque politics and society, what I think is the real headline story in the Basque peace process, is how leaders of this associated community of progressive nationalists were able to exercise their insider roles and influence and change the course of the conflict. I think this is the still largely untold story. How it was possible to make the space and create the opportunity for a diverse community – in a time of violence and repression – to deeply reflect on the question of how to move their agenda forward, and whether and how to challenge the tactics of violence.
This is what happened in the period leading up to the Aiete conference of 2011. It is a story of not only countering violent extremism – but one of building pathways out of it. Part of the spectrum of Countering Violent Extremism – like conflict resolution itself – that is just not getting enough policy air time. So what are the potential lessons from these experiences?
a. Every peace process builds on a combination of the ashes of failed efforts from the past – and from the foundations of its successful milestones.
b. We know that peacebuilding is not an event but a process. Look at Northern Ireland. The process did not stop with the Good Friday Agreement. How many agreements have been reached since then? How many challenges remain outstanding?
c. Whether it is the example of the peace conferences, the debates and discussion and reflections on the tactics of violence that took place inside, but importantly also outside of ETA, or it is the example of the Aiete Conference itself, or the initiatives like the Social Forum and the unofficial International Verification Commission that followed.
d. None of these initiatives in themselves have brought peace – but together they point the direction and answer the question of What Works in Responding to Conflict
e. So the Basques do not have a roadmap but they do have a track record.
And some significant things have changed since the ETA’s declaration to end their violence:
i. There have been no further acts of ETA violence;
ii. EH BILDU is a legal party enjoying a healthy slice of public support;
iii. The conflict is not so much of a neuralgic issue for Spanish politics (*a sharp pain that is felt along the length of a nerve);
iv. Some exiles have been allowed to return; v. Some prisoners have been released;
vi. People will have their own measure of the change – but many live with less fear and anxiety;
vii. The private security sector has its been “demobilised”;
viii. Self-determination and constitutional change have a new momentum across Spain and within the EU (and even here in the UK) .
And I know they will continue to look for ideas, inspiration and assistance in meeting their challenges. This is important – not just for the transforming the conflict in the Basque Country – but also for all those working to prevent new acts of violence, end long-standing and seemingly intractable conflicts, to build legitimate, capable and accountable governments, and peaceful, just and prosperous societies.
I think that Basque experiences are relevant where there may be a military outcome, or where there might be a negotiated one – but I think they are especially inspirational for those contexts where neither of these seems likely or even possible. Where peace is truly elusive. For Palestinians, Kurds, Somalis, Kashmiris and so many others.
I encourage you to study and unpick the Basque peacemaking experience. While we have yet to see a new political settlement – we are seeing conflict transformation achieved through a series of unilateral steps, incremental agreements, and truly innovative initiatives. Of course they have enormous challenges and unfinished business ahead:
1. The Prisoners (dispersion);
2. Their exiles/refugees;
3. The continuation of arrests & criminalisation of political leaders;
4. ETA still exists/ disarmament is incomplete;
5. They have yet to deal with the traumatic legacies of their past;
6. And of course they have not negotiated their right to self-determination (to name a few).
We look forward to seeing new strategies for peaceful social change that tap into Basque social resilience – ones that are more sustainable than the historic vicious cycles of violence, and more effective! I hope that people and organisations here in the UK can continue to learn from and importantly – find ways to support your peace process. Conflicts do not resolve themselves – and winning the peace requires collective and concerted efforts. I hope that people, organisations and parliamentarians here will be able to make that commitment to supporting you in transforming yours – I know I will.
Author AndyPosted on 23rd April 2016 7th July 2016 Categories Building peace and preventing conflict, Innovation in responding to conflict, What works in conflict transformation?Leave a comment on The Unconventional Peace Process in the Basque Country
My Leaving Speech at The Prince Albert
Wednesday 17 February, 2016
The Prince Albert, Camden Town
“I want to say thank you to you all – for coming out tonight – but more importantly for your friendship over all these years, for your trust and for confidence.
And for those of you who worked with CR – for your willingness to make sacrifices and take the risks, to work hard together, and to try – and keep trying, to support people living with violent conflict in making a difference. I know that my colleagues have poured their life and soul into this work – and for everyone it is much more than a day job – and that you have done it for lots of reasons and for lots of people, but in as much as you also did it support me and CR – thank you.
It has been an amazing 21 years
One of the many challenges in peacebuilding work, and also in getting older – is not forgetting. You all know that we were one of the first NGOs to focus on documenting and learning from peace processes. We had the idea of publishing peace agreements – on the ‘World Wide Web’ – and to capture people’s stories of how their conflicts were transformed. We went to work to work on our first issue of Accord on peacemaking in Liberia. It was 1994.
Nelson Mandela was elected President in South Africa’s first inter-racial election – and we all were given hope. Later, we worked with talented people from South Africa and published many articles on different dimensions of that peace process – and one of the challenges was getting South African authors to look through their timeline telescopes backwards – and not only to share their brilliant peacebuilding innovations (of which there were many)– but to remember and to remind us of how they worked for peace at a time when apartheid seemed here to stay and that real or significant change seemed impossible. And then it was: possible.
So I reckon that is one of the challenges of our nostalgia – that is not only to reflect back over all we have achieved – but to remember how unlikely or even impossible some changes seemed to be.
When we started, Captain Valentine Strasser was President in Sierra Leone – when the expression of SOBELs was coined (where combatants were both soldiers and rebels).
There were peacebuilders but no peacebuilding field per se.
There was not yet even a DFID.
We started with a vision – and we were forward thinking
Many – if not all of you – know the story that Conciliation Resources was dreamt up by a small nonviolent rebel group from within International Alert – our sister organisation across the river, where I started my peacebuilding career, and where I was one of the first staff. We thought there was a clear and unmet global need to do more, to support what we called “Community Peacebuilding”. Unlike in(the recently departed) Boutros Boutros-Gali’s definition we thought Peacebuilding was relevant at “all stages in a conflict. As it develops and threatens to degenerated into widespread violence, when violence has taken hold, and when a suspension or a peace settlement has been negotiated between warring parties”
Our big idea was to “help provide safe spaces in which local organisations can discuss and develop responses to imminent or ongoing violence”
We thought at the heart of the work we should focus creating trust and confidence – and everything else would follow.
We flagged four things that would define us:
1. That we should “follow and support the lead of local people” – sharing solidarity to sustain local leadership; offering new perspectives; and helping to unblock impasses.
2. That in order to deal with their conflicts, people needed understand them –they needed information and to have a process of enquiry.
3. Pay attention to power, exclusion, inclusion, how gender relations work, discrimination, and we would work with groups from across the conflict spectrum
4. Finally – our focus was to support conflict transformation that was proactive and preventive
CR was not set up by David Lord and myself alone – this was always a collective and seriously globally networked effort.
Yes it is true that we still owe thanks to Tony Borden and the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) for giving us the space and a real organisational home in which we got started in their offices in Lancaster House in the Angel, Islington.
But with our earliest work in Sierra Leone & Liberia, Fiji, Somaliland, and Ukraine – we were never alone. We were always a group of people – this was never an ego trip. We started with volunteers and associates including Stephanie Loomis, Bruce Jones, Davin Bremner, Dylan Hendrickson and Diana Francis. We also had trustees and advisers – including Mark Hoffman, Theo Sowa and Christina Sganga and Guus Meijer. Our first staff included Francis Fortune, Jeremy Armon and Abi Onadipe. (and some of you are with us tonight).
20 years ago we had an income of just over 200K with 20 donors from the UK, Japan, EU, Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, the US and Mauritius!
Looking at the world today you might think that we have made little difference and we are only seeing the repeated and depressing cycles of war and peace followed by war. Coups followed by painstaking pro-democracy processes followed by another coup in Fiji, the glacial processes of change and reversal in the South Caucasus and in West and East Africa have been our bread and butter.
But all the messages I have had since announcing my leaving, all the emails and film clips have all brought home for me – if I ever doubted it that we have – Conciliation Resources has – touched people’s lives whether:
Lewis Alexis of JUPEDEC, who wrote thanking for the help to get him out of prison in Central African Republic when he was supporting young people fleeing the LRA,
Or our good friend and partner Paata Balian, who went from being courageous NGO leader to a courageous Minister in the Georgian government.
Ruairi O’Connell, who went from being our young Project Officer on the Balkans to the British Ambassador to Kosovo.
Lucy Akello in Northern Uganda, from NGO partner to MP
Or the lives of communities in Abkhazia, Fiji, Northern Uganda, Liberia, Sierra Leone and the Philippines –
In working on conflict, we see trends and counter-trends, currents and counter currents – but we are not just guided by hope and wishful thinking. We know the media entertains and sells the news with graphic stories of violence. You have to look hard to see the stories of people preventing and transforming armed conflict. You could miss the fact that what we do matters – and what we do actually works.
I read recently an article by Andy Mack who is working on the international agreement on what governments will track to follow progress on the new Global Development Goal on Peaceful Societies. He wrote:
“Back in the 1990s, it was widely assumed, including by the UN, that the level of political violence around the world was increasing.
This was not surprising since about twice as many conflicts started in the 1990s as the 1980s. But few noticed that even more conflicts ended than started in this period—creating a substantial net decline in conflict numbers.
In fact it wasn’t until the early 2000s when access to the new conflict data became available, that researchers were able to demonstrate just how effective peacebuilding and peace negotiations had become in stopping wars.
Over the past decade, researchers have shown that while some agreements break down – if or when conflicts restart they are significantly less violent, so even “failed” peace agreements can save large numbers of lives.
Sadly – CR is needed now more than ever.
But you have the people, the experience, the knowledge, the relations with others, the reputation and the vision to go on doing extraordinary work that will touch the lives of millions of people and those of our closest partners.
I am very proud of what we have achieved together. It genuinely gives me even greater pride and a sense deep respect to see what it is that you all can, are and will go on to achieve. I know it will be creative, courageous and deeply impressive.
I will miss working with all of you, the banter, the downloads, the flipcharts, our travels, our starting and ending ever day together.
Thanks for making it possible for me to have twenty-one full and exciting years that seem to have gone by in a flash – and for enabling me to start out again – on another curve in my working life.
Thank you to all of you outside of CR – who have been just as much part of my life and part the changes we are working for. This has always been about connecting with others and being part of processes that are bigger than all of us – but only happen because of the good relations that we have.
And thank you to my family, Lucy, Sam and Molly – who if you ever wondered – are obviously at the heart of what made this all possible for me.
Thank you all for this wonderful send off. My kids have grown up, Conciliation Resources has long ago grown up and found its own life and will find its own future. I hope I will always be a part of CR and I know that it will always be part of me and my life.
Thanks for the dancing, the music and the words – thank you everyone and enjoy yourself!
/AC
Author AndyPosted on 2nd March 2016 7th July 2016 Categories Building peace and preventing conflict, What works in conflict transformation?Leave a comment on My Leaving Speech at The Prince Albert
Reflections on DFID’s Recent Conflict Research Programme Tender
Probably most organisations with links to DFID and to the field of practice of peacebuilding will know of their recent call for a consortium to undertake a four-year(+) and six million pound project to explore two big questions to inform future UK government decision making:
“What works in addressing violent conflict?”, and
“How do complex and persistent violent conflicts evolve?”
It is one of the unintended consequences of DFID’s decision to rely on a commercial tendering process that they have discouraged organisations and individuals from coming together to, build on the thinking that has gone before, creating a true global talent pool. Instead a great deal of time will have been wasted in this highly competitive process.
This is an opportunity for all those applying themselves to DFID’s Big Questions to revisit two milestone pieces of work, each by leading organisation in field of peacebuilding, which sought to address these two questions. The first, by the OECD DAC with substantial forward thinking from the team at CDA, Collaborative Learning Projects in the US, and the second by the very thoughtful Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation
OECD/DAC Guidance on “Evaluating Peacebuilding”
This important, if rather dry, piece of work doesn’t answer DFID’s question of ‘What Works?’ but does give extremely useful guidance on how you might find out whether and how a peacebuilding intervention has (or has not) worked, and why. I particularly like their useful table ‘B.1.’ (on page) which I see as an important draft typology of ‘domains of change’ relevant to peacebuilding. I would also recommend reading the earlier paper that lead to this guidance from CDA. I think it’s interesting to ask, if this does not adequately answer DFID’s question (and it clearly doesn’t) why not and what does that say about the enquiry?
A synthesised report of their “Violence and Transition” Project
This is a fascinating and important paper which explores the question of what are “the factors that influence the relationship between violence and transition and their significance for processes of democratisation”? Their multi-disciplinary approach was groundbreaking, and they came up with a fascinating framework of “different fault-lines and factors of violence in a trajectory over time”. They identify, what they called, a number of “conceptual lessons” about the relationship between violence and democratic transition.
I think both their methods and their findings are relevant for the consortium that seeks to help DFID explore their on evolution conflicts away from violence.
I’d be interested to hear from others what they think of are key resources which help us all to answer the question of how to be more discerning and more effective in our work to prevent and address:
” the innumerable possible substantive occasions of war.” (Adam Curle)
Good luck to DFID on shortlisting the bidder, and to everyone seeking to be the winning consortium.
Author AndyPosted on 29th February 2016 29th February 2016 Categories Building peace and preventing conflict, Recommended resources, What works in conflict transformation?Leave a comment on Reflections on DFID’s Recent Conflict Research Programme Tender
Borja Paladini Adell on New Information & News Stream
Building peace and preventing conflict
Innovation in responding to conflict
What works in conflict transformation?
Andy Carl Proudly powered by WordPress
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3851
|
__label__wiki
| 0.973305
| 0.973305
|
When The Machines Rock
Top/ Technique (Factory Records) is the fifth original album by New Order, released in 1989. Partly recorded on the island of Ibiza, it incorporates balearic and acid house influences into the group's techno-rock sound. New Order were an English musical group formed in 1980 by Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook and Stephen Morris. New Order were formed in the wake of the demise of their previous group Joy Division, following the suicide of vocalist Ian Curtis. They were soon joined by additional keyboardist Gillian Gilbert. New Order combined post-punk and electronic dance, and became one of the most critically acclaimed and highly influential bands of the 1980s. The band's 1983 hit "Blue Monday" saw them fully embrace dance music and synthesized instruments, and became the best-selling independent 12" single of all time in the UK. New Order were the flagship band for the Manchester based British independent label Factory Records, and their minimalist album sleeves and non-image reflected the label's aesthetics. Like the label 4AD Records, Factory Records used a creative team (most notably record producer Martin Hannett and graphic designer Peter Saville) which gave the label, and the artists recording for it, a particular sound and image. New Order's music has trodden the line between the rock and dance genres, which can be seen on signature tracks such as "True Faith" and "Temptation". They have heavily influenced techno, rock, and pop musicians including Pet Shop Boys, The Killers, and Moby and were themselves influenced by the likes of David Bowie, Neu!, Kraftwerk, Cabaret Voltaire and Giorgio Moroder. They have also significantly influenced electro, freestyle and house. In June 2009, it was announced that Bernard Sumner had formed Bad Lieutenant, and that they had completed an album, Never Cry Another Tear. Middle/ "World (The Price of Love)" (London Records) was a 1993 single taken from the album Republic, New Order's first album after the demise of Factory Records, and their last for eight years. Bottom/ "Ruined in a Day" was released as the second single from Republic.
Mercedes-Benz by Sonic Nurse
That Voodoo That You Do
Vortical Phonoteque
Psychic Karaoke
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3852
|
__label__wiki
| 0.911415
| 0.911415
|
News: The Orchard Acquires Australian Psychological Thriller Rabbit
The Orchard has acquired the North American distribution rights to the Australian psychological thriller Rabbit. Instrum International has also boarded worldwide sales for the film and is introducing to buyers at Cannes. The Orchard plans to release Rabbit sometime later this year.
It was written and directed by Luke Shanahan in his feature debut, and stars Adelaide Clemens (The Great Gatsby), Alex Russell (Unbroken, Chronicle) and Veerle Baetens (The Broken Circle Breakdown).
"Rabbit centers on medical student Maude Ashton (Clemens) who is haunted by dreams of her missing sister Cleo and convinced, against all available evidence, that she is still alive. Maude returns to their childhood home determined to find her. With the help of Cleo’s fiancé, Ralph (Russell), Maude tracks her twin to a hidden commune where she learns that their fates are intrinsically intertwined."
The film had its world premiere at the Melbourne International Film Festival and is currently traveling the circuit, having played at Sitges and Fantastic Fest earlier this year.
“We’re very excited to be releasing the film with The Orchard,” said producer David Ngo. “Rabbit is a very unique film, filled with tension and great performances, and we can’t wait to release it to genre fans in North America and work with Instrum to get it out to the world.”
Tags: Adelaide Clemens, Alex Russell, australian, cannes, horror, horror movies, Luke Shanahan, movie, movies, news, psychological thriller, rabbit, the orchard at 5/10/2018
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3856
|
__label__wiki
| 0.839864
| 0.839864
|
2000 Yamaha YZF-R1 - Added by Born2Ride.nospam.netzero.com on 09-Jul-2012
Uploaded for: Born2Ride - 2000 Yamaha YZF-R1
More Information on the Yamaha YZF-R1
The Yamaha YZF-R1, or R1, is an open class sport bike, or superbike, motorcycle manufactured by Yamaha Motor Company since 1998.
Yamaha launched the YZF-R1 after redesigning the Genesis engine to create a more compact engine by raising the gearbox input shaft and allowing the gearbox output shaft to be placed beneath it. This design feature was revolutionary, called a 'stacked gearbox', it has set a precedent for other manufacturers to follow. This "compacting" of the engine made the total engine length much shorter overall, thereby, allowing the wheelbase of the motorcycle to be shortened significantly. This, in turn, allowed the frame design to place the weight of the engine in the frame to aid handling because of an optimized center of gravity. The swingarm was able to be made longer without compromising the overall wheelbase, which was a short 1385mm. Four 40mm Keihin CV carburetors fed fuel to the engine; 140 bhp was claimed by the factory. USD 41mm front forks supplied by KYB mounted 300mm semi-floating disk brakes. The instrument panel was electrical with a self diagnosis system and digital speed readout. The exhaust system utilized an EXUP valve, which controlled the exhaust gas flow to maximize engine power production at all revs. This created a high powered and high torque engine. The Yamaha YZF-R6 was introduced in 1999 as the 600 cc version of the R1 super bike.
The 1999 R1 saw only minor changes, apart from paint and graphics. More improvements were a redesigned gear change linkage and the gear change shaft length being increased. Fuel tank reserve capacity was reduced from 5.5 to 4.0 litres (1.2 to 0.9 imp gal or 1.5 to 1.1 US gal), while the total fuel tank capacity was unchanged at 18 l (4.0 imp gal; 4.8 US gal).
Motorcycle Consumer News tests of the 1998 model year YZF-R1 yielded a 0 to 60 mph (0 to 97 km/h) time of 2.96 seconds and 0 to 100 mph (0 to 161 km/h) of 5.93 seconds, a ?1/4-mile (400 m) time of 10.19 seconds at 131.40 mph (211.47 km/h), and a top speed of 168 mph (270 km/h), with deceleration from 60 to 0 mph (97 to 0 km/h) of 113.9 ft (34.7 m). For the 1999 model year, Cycle World tests found a 0 to 60 mph time of 3.0 seconds, ?1/4-mile time of 10.31 seconds at 139.55 mph (224.58 km/h), and a top speed of 170 mph (270 km/h).
In 2000, Yamaha introduced a series of changes to improve the bike, and minor changes to the bodywork to allow for better long duration ride handling. Yamaha's main design goal was to sharpen the pre-existing bike and not to redesign it. The dry weight was reduced five pounds to 414 pounds (188 kg).
At 127.8 horsepower (95.3 kW) at the rear wheel, top-end output remained the same, but changes to the engine management system were intended to result in a smoother, broader distribution of power. The bodywork was still unmistakably R1, although a few changes were made resulting in a 3% reduction in the drag coefficient. The headlight housing's profile was sharpened, the side panels were made more aerodynamic and slippery, and the windscreen was reshaped for better rider protection.
The seating area was also updated. The fuel tank was reshaped, with a more relaxed rear angle and deeper leg recesses to provide for a better rider feel. The seat extended further towards the rear of the tank and the new, steeper, seating position put additional weight on the front end. All of this was aimed at improving weight bias and offering sharper cornering and more stability.
Mechanically, the carburetors were re-jetted in an effort to improve throttle response, especially in the low end, all the way up to the bike's 11,750 rpm redline. The redesigned camshafts were lightened and used internal oil ways to lubricate journals that, when combined with reduced tappet clearance, provided less friction and created less engine noise. The gearbox received a taller first gear, a hollow chrome-moly shift-shaft with an additional bearing and a completely redesigned shift linkage and foot pedal. These changes were aimed at eliminating problems with the transmission in earlier models, and to help to seamlessly transfer the bike's power to the road.
A new fuel injection system was introduced for the 2002 year, which worked like a carburetor by employing a CV carburetor slide controlled by vacuum created by the engine. With a similar power output to the 2000-2001 bike, the engine remained largely the same. One notable improvement was the use of new cylinder sleeves of a high silicon content alloy containing magnesium that minimized heat induced distortion, reducing oil consumption. Also in 2002, Yamaha released the newly developed Deltabox frame, which, with its hydro formed construction, reduced the total number of frame welds. These changes improved the frame's rigidity by 30%. The cooling system was redesigned for better performance and compactness. The exhaust system was changed from a 4-into-1 to a new titanium 4-into-2-into-1 design. The rear end of the motorcycle was updated and streamlined with a LED taillight. This allowed for very clean rear body lines when choosing one of several common after market modifications, such as removal of the turn signal stalks and stock license plate bracket; and replacing them with assorted available replacements that "hug" the body or frame. Also, front end lighting was improved in 2002, between the higher definition headlights and also side "parking" lights within the twin-headlight panel, giving a more angular appearance. This also gave additional after market possibilities, such as to remove the front turn signals and use these front lights as directional or hazard markers while stopped. For 2003, the only change was fitted hazard warning lights and dipped headlights, which stay on all the time the engine is running.
In 2002, Cycle World reported fuel mileage of 38 mpg-US (6.2 L/100 km; 46 mpg-imp), a 0 to 60 mph (0 to 97 km/h) time of 2.9 seconds, a ?1/4-mile (400 m) time of 10.32 seconds at 137.60 mph (221.45 km/h), and a top speed of 167 mph (269 km/h).
With the competition advancing, Yamaha made some major changes to the model. This included style updates, like an under seat twin exhaust, and performance upgrades including radial brakes, and, for the first time an R1 Ram-air intake. Furthermore, the tendency for wheelies by earlier productions was reduced by changing the geometry of the frame and weight distribution. The all-new engine was no longer used as a stressed member of the chassis, and had a separate top crankcase and cylinder block.
The 2004 R1 weighs 172 kilograms (379 lb) dry. The conventional front brake calipers were replaced by radially mounted calipers, activated by a radial master cylinder. A factory-installed steering damper was also added this year. Combined with the changes to the frame, this helped to eliminate the tendency of the handlebars to shake violently during rapid acceleration or deceleration on less-than-perfect surfaces, a phenomenon known as a speed wobble or tank slapper.
Motorcycle Consumer News tests of the 2004 model year YZF-R1S yielded a 0 to 60 mph (0 to 97 km/h) time of 3.04 seconds and 0 to 100 mph (0 to 161 km/h) of 5.42 seconds, a quarter-mile time of 9.90 seconds at 144.98 mph (233.32 km/h), and a top speed of 179 mph (288 km/h).
John McGuinness won the senior race at the 2005 Isle of Man TT.
For 2006, the swingarm was extended by 20 millimetres (0.79 in) to reduce acceleration instability. In this year, Yamaha also released a limited edition version in original Yamaha racing colors to celebrate its 50th anniversary. The model (LE/SP) had a Kenny Roberts front and rear custom Öhlins suspension units developed by the same team as the YZR-M1 MotoGP bike. Custom forged aluminum Marchesini wheels specifically designed for the LE shaved nearly a pound off the unsprung weight. A back torque-limiting slipper clutch, and an integrated lap timer rounded out the package, making the LE virtually a production racer. Only 500 units were made for the United States with another 500 units for Europe.
An all-new YZF-R1 for the 2007 model year was announced on 8 October 2006. It had an all-new inline four-cylinder engine, going back to a more conventional four-valves per cylinder, rather than Yamaha's trade mark five-valve Genesis layout. It also had the Yamaha Chip Control Intake (YCC-I) electronic variable-length intake funnel system, Yamaha Chip Control Throttle (YCC-T) fly-by-wire throttle system, slipper-type clutch, all-new aluminum Deltabox frame and swingarm, six-piston radial-mount front brake calipers with 310 mm discs, a wider radiator, and M1 styling on the new large ram-air ports in the front fairing. There were no major changes for 2008. Power at the rear wheel was 156.7 horsepower (116.9 kW) @ 10,160 rpm.
Motorcycle Consumer News tests of the 2007 model year YZF-R1 yielded a 0 to 60 mph (0 to 97 km/h) time of 2.94 seconds and 0 to 100 mph (0 to 161 km/h) of 5.46 seconds, a ¼ mile time of 9.88 seconds at 145.50 mph (234.16 km/h).
In late 2008, Yamaha announced they would release an all new R1 for 2009. The new R1 takes engine technology from the M1 MotoGP bike with its cross plane crankshaft. Crossplane technology puts each connecting rod 90° from the next, with an uneven firing interval of 270°- 180°- 90°- 180°. The 2009 R1 was the first production sportbike to use a crossplane crankshaft and big-bang firing order. The power delivery is the same as a 90° V4 with a 180° crank, such as the Honda VFR800 and very similar to the Yamaha V-Max which has been lauded for its exhaust sound. Yamaha claims the bike would give the rider 'two engines in one', the low end torque of a twin and the pace of an inline four. As with previous incarnations of the R1, the 2009 model keeps its Yamaha Chip Controlled Throttle (YCC-T).
Another advancement included on the 2009 model was D-Mode Throttle Control Valve Mapping, which allows a rider to choose between three distinct maps depending on the rider’s environment. Each mode of operation controls YCC-T characteristics, changing how the R1 reacts to rider input. The first mode is Standard Mode, which delivers performance for a wide variety of driving conditions. The second mode is "A" mode which will give a rider more available power in the lower to mid RPM range. The third mode is "B" mode, which is a dial back of the previous mode, designed to soften throttle response in inclement weather and heavy traffic. D-Mode throttle control is controlled by the rider through a forward mode button near the throttle. The instrument panel is more comprehensive than previous models, and the 2009/2010 Yamaha YZF-R1 model had a gear indicator as standard.
Overall handling of the R1 was improved through changes to frame and suspension. A new sub frame was designed for the 2009 R1, cast from magnesium giving lower weight aiding mass centralisation. The rear shock absorber on the 2009 offers variable speed damping, as well as an easy to tweak pre-load via a screw adjustment. The rear shock now connects underneath the swing arm through a different linkage; a change from previous years' models. To improve overall handling and safety, Yamaha included an electronic steering damper.
The front has the same classic R1 shape, though the air intake location and headlamp design have been revamped on the 2009 model; using only projector lamps, and using the new-found design space within the nose cone to reroute ram air tubes next to the lights.
Testing the 2010 model year in the confines of a tri-oval racetrack, Motorcyclist magazine reported a ?1/4-mile (400 m) time of 10.02 seconds @ 144.23 mph (232.12 km/h), and fuel consumption of 25 miles per US gallon (9.4 L/100 km; 30 mpg-imp). Motorcycle Consumer News reported a tested top speed of 176.7 mph (284.4 km/h).
In 2012 the Yamaha YZF-R1 received traction control, redesigned upper cowl (nose of bike), and a special edition 50th Anniversary R1 was released. The special edition color is inspired from Assen TT-winning MotoGP bike. The special edition commemorates the participation of Yamaha in MotoGP. Only 2000 units of this edition were made.
At the centennial EICMA motorcycle show, Yamaha officially unveiled a new generation of R1. It is similar to MotoGP's 2005–Present YZR M1. Yamaha claims a wet weight of 199 kg (439 lb) The new bike has an electronics package that includes a sophisticated Traction Control (TCS) and Slide Control System (SCS), antiwheelie Lift Control System (LIF), linked antilock brakes, Launch Control System (LCS), Quick Shift System (QSS), and selectable power modes. The Slide Control System on the Yamaha YZF-R1 is the first on a production motorcycle. Information is fed to the bike through a six-axis gyro (Inertial measurement unit) and other sensors over 100 times a second. Power delivery is tapered through manipulation of the throttle butterfly and ignition and fuel cuts. Engine changes include shortened bore-to-stroke ratio, larger airbox, a finger-follower valve system, and fracture split titanium conrods. It comes standard with magnesium wheels. Information is presented to the rider through a user-customizable thin-film display.
A second higher-spec, limited production model is also produced called the R1M, and is differentiated from the standard model by having more expensive components such as electronic semi-active Öhlins suspension, carbon fiber bodywork, Yamaha’s Communication Control Unit (CCU), Y-TRAC data logging system, and stickier Bridgestone tires with larger rear 200/55-size. A third model starting in 2016 is also offered a lower-spec R1S.
Includes oil and full fuel tank.
The bike had 5 wins in the Macau Grand Prix between 1999 and 2013. Lorenzo Alfonsi won the 2004 FIM Superstock 1000 Cup, followed by Didier Van Keymeulen in 2005. Yamaha World Superbike riders Troy Corser and Noriyuki Haga finished 2nd and 3rd respectively in the 2008 Superbike World Championship season. Yamaha World Superbike rider Ben Spies won the 2009 Superbike World Championship season title recording 14 wins and 11 poles in his one season in WSBK. The Yamaha Factory Racing Team with riders N. Nakasuga, P. Espargaro, and B. Smith won the 2015 Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race. Katsuyuki Nakasuga, Alex Lowes, Pol Espargaro won the 2016 Suzuka 8 Hours endurance Race. Tommy Hill won the British Superbike title in 2011 on board a YZF-R1. Yamaha rider Josh Brookes won the 2015 British Superbike series title.
List of fastest production motorcycles by acceleration
http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/news/2009-yamaha-r1-reported-slower-2007-r1/
http://www.britishsuperbike.com/
http://www.cycleworld.com/2015/02/21/2015-yamaha-yzf-r1-and-yzf-r1m-superbike-motorcycle-review-first-ride-photos//
http://www.cycleworld.com/2015/06/22/2015-yamaha-yzf-r1-superbike-road-test-motorcycle-review-photos-specifications//
http://www.cycleworld.com/2015/06/24/yamaha-yzf-r1-by-the-numbers-performance-and-weight-comparison-review//
http://www.cycleworld.com/2016-yamaha-yzf-r1m-vs-yzf-r1s-sportbike-motorcycle-comparison-test-review//
http://www.cycleworld.com/aprilia-rsv4-rr-vs-ducati-959-panigale-vs-kawasaki-zx-10r-vs-yamaha-yzf-r1-sportbike-comparison-test-review//
http://www.fimewc.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Offcial-Race-Results1.pdf
http://www.mcnews.com/mcn/technical/2012JanPerfIndx.pdf
http://www.motorcycle.com/manufacturer/2009-star-motorcycles-vmax-full-review-86751.html
The photo 2000-Yamaha-YZF-R1-571582.jpg (2000 Yamaha YZF-R1 - Uploaded for: Born2Ride
2000 Yamaha YZF-R1) was uploaded by: Born2Ride.nospam@netzero.com.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3857
|
__label__cc
| 0.73651
| 0.26349
|
Please mind the (wage) gap
by Tiani Grosso
Wednesday, June 20, 2018 1:33pm
Women first started entering the workforce in large numbers during World War II, with the need for workers and the rise of the “Rosie the Riveter” image, and the number of women in the workplace has grown since then.
At first, women had to fight against stereotypes and the belief that women should be in the home, but now as views of working women have changed, they face a wage gap instead. Women are at a disadvantage from the minute they start working, even today.
In Washington, women are paid about 80 cents for every $1.00 that men are paid, according to the Women’s Funding Alliance.
This would mean that a women working a full-time, year-round job would earn approximately $41,000 while a man with a full-time, year-round job would earn approximately $53,000.
“If employed women in Washington were paid the same as comparable men, their poverty rate would be reduced by more than half and poverty among employed single mothers would also drop by more than half,” the Washington factsheet from the Status of Women in the States report said.
According to the WFA, at the current rate of change, the wage gap in Washington will not close until 2070.
While this may seem a thing of the past or not a local issue, the suit by three women of Microsoft for discrimination in pay and promotion in 2015 shows otherwise.
King County, while housing large companies such as Amazon, Microsoft and Boeing, still has a large wage gap, at 78.6 cents to the $1.00 that men earn, according to the WFA. Many employers still believe, albeit unconsciously, that women are less capable than men, especially in technology, engineering, and science, which would explain the huge gap in King County despite its big industries in those fields.
“In particular, King County boasts a higher percentage of women in the workforce than Washington state or the nation, but has a wider gender wage gap than either the state or country as a whole. If King County was a state, its wage gap would be worse than 41 other states,” the WFA’s 100% Talent website said.
A women working in a computer, engineering or science occupation in Washington would earn $65,000 a year to the $91,000 that a man would earn in those fields each year, according to the WFA’s 2015 report, The Status of Women in Washington. Women are doing the same job as men in those fields, but are still being paid less. Even in more female-dominated fields such as the service industry, women are still paid less than men, making $27,000 a year compared to the $36,000 that men make a year.
Women of color face an even bigger gap in Washington.
According to 2016 data from the Status of Women in the States Washington factsheet, a Black woman would earn 61.7 percent, a Hispanic woman would earn 46.8 percent, an Asian woman would earn 77 percent and a Native American woman would earn 62.9 percent of a white man’s earnings.
One reason women face a wage gap is because of assumptions about motherhood. Employers often assume that a woman will be less committed, flexible, and focused because of her responsibilities at home. They believe that women will not be willing to work long hours and will ask for more time off to take care of their children. Men, on the other hand, are more focused on their career and believed to be more committed, resulting in higher pay.
This issue needs to be addressed and workplaces should be willing to work with women who have children and focus more on quality of work rather than number of hours and flexibility. Employers need to examine their assumptions about the commitment of women. Some workplaces provide childcare or have created child-friendly spaces to help working mothers. The U.S. is the only wealthy country that does not give women legal entitlement to maternity leave, and that needs to change.
Many organizations are working to bring wage equality for women nationally and locally. The Women’s Funding Alliance has worked to raise awareness and empower women in Washington. For one of their initiatives, “100% Talent,” they partner with local companies to create equitable practices and close the wage gap. Several of King County’s largest companies, including Microsoft, Amazon and T-Mobile, have agreed to partner with the WFA. The wage gap has been closed by 3 cents through this initiative, according to the WFA’s website.
Legislation was signed by Gov. Jay Inslee on March 21, effective June 7, which addressed workplace practices in regard to gender pay equality. It will ensure that women can approach their employers about this issue without fear of being fired, be compensated for less pay, and have equal opportunity for promotion.
Instead of being held back by our assumptions about women in the workplace, we need to realize the impact that the wage gap has on these women’s families and take action. Because of this wage gap, women are disadvantaged from their first day on the job.
Countless women have proven they can do the same jobs as men and are equally capable. They should be paid the same as men, not be held back by the beliefs of the people who decide their salaries. We need to examine our own beliefs and help others see the need to change their perspective on this issue.
Progress is being made due to people speaking out and working together, but we need more people to join the fight for wage equality. As citizens of the United States and residents of Washington, we can work to educate others about this issue and push for change.
Supreme Court resets the playing field on LGBTQ rights | Our Corner
2020 Census and the importance of being counted
Census affects everything from government representation to federal funding.
Letters to the editor for the week of July 12
Reader disagrees with The Reporter’s choice to publish Dear editor, I am… Continue reading
Don’t throw in the trowel, some suffering plants can be saved
Marianne Binetti will be speaking at the Auburn’s Farmers Market at noon… Continue reading
Letters to the editor for the week of June 21
Keep it simple! Dear editor, In regards to the 20 mph limit,… Continue reading
Standing up to sexual assault – A letter to our Renton community
Earlier this month, we all learned about a sexual assault that took… Continue reading
Separate the rotten from the ripe
Community pages can do better to spread information, and not libel
Reader responds to other reader about leaded fuel Dear editor, I would… Continue reading
Legislature: History, investigations and new laws
The 2019 session of the Legislature included controversy, compromise, surprise, new law and more.
Get the garden ready for longer, hotter days
The longer days mean plants are having a growth spurt, so be… Continue reading
Readers discuss the real affect of lead and traffic in downtown Renton
Letters to the editor for the week of June 7, 2019
Come on reader, light my fire
Great conversations at coffee event inspire us to do better for readers
Letters to the editor for the week of Friday, May 31
Why isn’t the city asking for federal funding? Dear editor, I read… Continue reading
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3862
|
__label__wiki
| 0.897184
| 0.897184
|
« The grand hotels
Leaving home »
The Albert Pike and the Sam Peck
It was 1929, the year the Great Depression began, when the Albert Pike Hotel opened in downtown Little Rock.
As it turned out, that wasn’t the best time to be opening a hotel, but the Albert Pike would reign as one of the state’s best-known hotels for decades. In 1971, Little Rock’s Second Baptist Church bought the hotel for $740,000 and transformed it into a residence hotel. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. Now in private hands, it remains a residential facility for those ages 55 and older.
The block on which the hotel was built once had been occupied by a house constructed in 1827 for Robert Crittenden, the secretary of the Arkansas Territory. The Crittenden House was among the first brick residences in Little Rock. Facing financial problems, Crittenden attempted to trade the house for 10 sections of undeveloped land, hoping the brick home would become the site of the territorial capitol. Foreclosure followed Crittenden’s death in 1834, and the house was sold to Judge Benjamin Johnson, whose heirs later sold it to Dr. E.V. Dewell.
Dewell, in turn, sold the house to Gov. James P. Eagle, and it was the official governor’s residence from 1889-93. The Crittenden House was razed in 1920.
The 175-room Albert Pike was constructed at a cost of almost $1 million. The hotel was built in the Spanish Revival style, which was popular in California. It featured tiled roofs, exposed beams, decorative tile, iron work and stained-glass windows. The building is Little Rock’s only remaining major example of Spanish Revival architecture.
At the time the Farrell Hotel Co. opened it, the Albert Pike was considered to be among the finest hotels in the South. Architect Eugene John Stern designed two main wings of eight stories each that extended toward Scott Street and were connected across the back by a 10-story section. Above the entries were terra-cotta medallions with heraldic shields and the initials “AP.”
The two-story main lobby was overlooked by a mezzanine that featured a custom-made Hazelton Brothers grand piano designed to match the building’s interior features. Hazelton Brothers Piano Co., established in 1840 by brothers Henry and Fredrick Hazelton in New York City, was one of the premier piano manufacturers of the period.
The owners decided to name the hotel after Albert Pike, a prominent lawyer who had died in 1891. Pike, a central figure in the development of Freemasonry in the state, was a poet, a writer and a Confederate commander in the Indian Territory during the Civil War.
In 1976, the residence hotel received a $2.4 million loan from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development for infrastructure improvements. The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in November 1978. In late 1985, it was purchased by a privately held corporation based in Jonesboro. The new owners continued upgrades to the interior, including restoration of what’s known as the North Lounge in 1994.
In May 2013, BSR Trust of Little Rock and Montgomery, Ala., completed the purchase of the 130-unit apartment building. Empire Corp. of Knoxville, Tenn., was hired to perform additional renovations.
The Arkansas Historic Preservation Program notes: “The main significance of the Albert Pike Hotel lies not in the site on which it stands nor in the man for whom it was named; rather the real significance lies in its vivid reflections of a bygone time and an architecture appropriate for that time. The Albert Pike was built in the year of the great crash, but as near as the crash and Great Depression were, the time was still the Roaring Twenties when the hotel was built. It was still a time of spending, speculation and naïve economic optimism. The lavishness of the hotel’s architecture is a kind of social art reflecting that time of high living so soon to end.”
By the time the Albert Pike was built in 1929, the Hotel Frederica had been going strong for more than a decade. Businessman Fred Allsopp chose the corner of Capitol Avenue and Gaines Street in downtown Little Rock to construct a five-story building in 1913 with one bathroom on each floor. The rates were $2 per night for a room, $20 per month and 50 cents for meals.
Allsopp had been born in 1867 in England (the country, not the town in Lonoke County). His family moved to Arkansas — Prescott to be exact — when he was 12. He began selling newspapers and by age 16 was setting type for the Nevada County Picayune. He applied for a job at the Arkansas Gazette in Little Rock when he was just 17 and was hired. Allsopp started work in the mailroom but was ambitious and quickly moved up the ladder. After learning shorthand and typing, he was transferred to the business office as a stenographer and subscription clerk. Allsopp would write letters, keep files in order and take dictation. He later moved to the newsroom. After several bad experiences as a reporter, he returned to the business department.
James Newton Smithee became the majority owner of the Gazette in May 1896 and appointed Allsopp as the newspaper’s secretary and assistant business manager. Allsopp moved up to business manager and was asked to stay on when a new group of owners came along in 1899. Judge Carrick Heiskell of Memphis bought the newspaper in 1902 along with sons John and Fred. Allsopp became a minor stockholder, though the Heiskell family later would buy back his shares.
“Allsopp developed a reputation for his penny-pinching ways,” Dennis Schick wrote for the Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture. “He insisted on keeping advertisements on the front page long after that went out of style. He dragged his feet on virtually every new proposal, from daily and color comics to going to a seven-day publication. But in 1906, the newspaper added a Monday edition, becoming a seven-day-a-week publication, and the newspaper added color comics in 1908, a first in the state.
“A lifelong lover of books, Allsopp recognized that he had a book-publishing opportunity within easy grasp with his newspaper’s printing department and bindery. In addition to publishing books, he collected them and opened a bookstore, Allsopp & Chapple, the leading bookstore in Little Rock.”
Allsopp also wrote five books.
In 1935, Sam and Henrietta Peck bought the Hotel Frederica and immediately began to make changes. Bathrooms were added, as was a sixth floor of suites. The Pecks lived on the fifth floor, and the hotel’s name was changed to the Sam Peck Hotel.
In 1938, the Pecks hired architect Edward Durrell Stone to design an art deco annex. Stone, who had been born at Fayetteville in 1902, would go on to become one of the most famous architects of the 20th century.
“The youngest of three children, Stone attended Fayetteville’s public schools but was not a serious student,” Robert Skolmen wrote for the Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture. “His mother encouraged his talents for drawing and building things and allowed him to have a home carpentry shop. At age 14, he won first prize in the countywide birdhouse competition, the judges of which included an architect and the president of the University of Arkansas.”
Stone attended the University of Arkansas from 1920-23 and then moved to Boston, where his brother was an architect. Stone was hired as a draftsman by Henry Shepley, one of the city’s leading architects. Stone later attended the Harvard Architectural School and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, though he never graduated. He headed to Europe for two years in 1927. When Stone returned to the United States, he settled in New York, working on projects such as the Museum of Modern Art and the Goodyear House. He was the chief of the planning and design section of the U.S. Army Air Forces in World War II.
Stone returned to Arkansas after the war, designing buildings such as the University Hospital in Little Rock and the Sigma Nu house on the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville. Childhood friend J. William Fulbright even asked him to design a line of furniture, which was manufactured by Fulbright Industries of Fayetteville in the 1950s.
Stone would go on to design such well-known structures as the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, the General Motors building in New York City, the National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, the El Panama Hotel in Panama City, Panama, and the Stanford University Medical Center in Palo Alto, Calif.
When Winthrop Rockefeller fled New York in 1953 for Arkansas, the Sam Peck Hotel was the first place he called home. Rockefeller, who was among the world’s richest men, was in a sense a refugee from a highly publicized divorce and the constant scrutiny that anyone with the name Rockefeller was forced to live under in Manhattan. He was a far different man than his brothers. He had withdrawn from Yale University after three years and gone to the oil fields of Texas to serve as an apprentice roughneck. Rockefeller later would tell friends that it was one of the happiest periods of his life.
In 1937, at age 25, the man who later would become known in our state simply as WR returned to New York and went to work for the family’s Socony-Vacuum oil company. He didn’t like it. Another happy period would be Rockefeller’s Army career during World War II. He had enlisted as a private more than 10 months before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. By the end of the war, Rockefeller was a lieutenant colonel who had seen action at Guam and Okinawa.
“Rockefeller’s years after World War II were not happy ones,” Arkansas historian Tom Dillard wrote for the Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture. “Still working at Socony-Vacuum, he chaffed at the restrictive lifestyle expected of him and his siblings. A heavy drinker known for his playboy lifestyle, Rockefeller often frequented chic cafes late at night with a movie star on his arm. He abruptly married an attractive blonde divorcee named Barbara ‘Bobo’ Sears on Valentine’s Day in 1948. Soon they were the parents of a son, Winthrop Paul Rockefeller, but the marriage dissolved within a year.”
So he fled to Arkansas and the Sam Peck at the invitation of an old Army friend who was from Arkansas, Frank Newell. His arrival date was June 9, 1953. Within a year, Rockefeller had purchased a large tract of land atop Petit Jean Mountain and set out to create a model ranch. Ultimately, he would change an entire state.
The third and final section of the Sam Peck Hotel was built in 1960. The 49-room addition was designed in the fashion of the motor inns of the era and was intended to capture some of the business that had been lost to the motels being built on the roads leading in and out of Little Rock. Downtown Little Rock was about to begin a long, slow decline, and the Sam Peck declined with it.
The original five-story hotel was renovated in 1984, and the hotel reopened as the Legacy. A number of owners would be involved during the years that followed, and the hotel closed for a time in 1996. Another group of owners performed renovations in 2003. They enclosed the exterior corridor of the motor inn portion and connected it to the original hotel.
I was there with Gov. Mike Huckabee on that June day in 2003 when Lt. Gov. Winthrop Paul Rockefeller re-enacted his father checking into the hotel on the 50th anniversary of that important date in Arkansas history. The lieutenant governor even used the suitcase that his father had carried on that day.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 10th, 2015 at 11:14 am and is filed under Favorite Arkansans, Little Rock. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Last reply was June 10, 2015
Tom Larimer
View June 10, 2015
Great stuff Rex! Brings back a lot of memories. Growing up my family always stayed at the Albert Pike on frequent visits to Little Rock, and I recall as a young boy being taken with that wonderful facility. I would continue to stay there on into my high school years when I would come to town for ball games or concerts, and while it lost some of its sparkle over the years, that wonderful architecture and decor provided delightful surroundings for the occasional stay. Some of the hotel staff, from the elevator operators to the bellmen to the waiters in starched white jackets in the restaurant, remained the same from the first time I stayed there until the last time in the mid-60s. It became like staying with old friends. Thanks for the stroll down memory lane.
As the Albert Pike Hotel is across the street from the Albert Pike Masonic Temple, I had always wondered if there was a Masonic connection to its construction and naming, perhaps as a place for visiting Masons to stay when attending events across the street.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3863
|
__label__wiki
| 0.866669
| 0.866669
|
Will Kimbrough
Website: http://www.willkimbrough.com/
You wouldn't know it to look at him, but Will Kimbrough's been on the road singing his songs for 25 years now, well over half his life. He started young and he's stayed that way. He's one of the hardest working men in show-business (and we'll get to some of the many hats he wears) but first and foremost he's a songwriter, gifted with turns of phrase that should be on T-shirts, and melodies that can evoke dusty Americana with traces of deep and catchy melody that keeps things spare but not numbing. Just recently, he's played his songs alongside Rodney Crowell, Lyle Lovett, Guy Clark, Joe Ely, Todd Snider and many others. Jimmy Buffett recorded Will's "Piece of Work" and has made it a staple of his live shows. Jack Ingram recorded "Goodnight Moon", Little Feat has recorded "Champion of the World" and the list goes on. Will's new record, his fourth as a solo artist, "Americanitis", is a politically-charged broadside to the madness of our post-9/11 world, and his most accomplished work yet. Now that we've established the most important aspect of Will Kimbrough - as an artist of world-class talent - let's touch on some of his other hats, firstly an aspect of Will that everyone notices at live shows, a mixed blessing which has frankly gotten in the way and obscured who he really is. Will is one of the finest guitarists and singers alive. His six-string prowess is legendary. He's capable of calling up unholy bombast or sweet-toned delicacy at the drop of a hat. He plays leads that tell stories and leave packed houses whooping and hollering their approval. His voice is also a thing of wonder, with a range from ethereal falsetto to full barrel-chested wails that blow your hair back. His amazing technical abilities as a guitarist and vocalist inspired one fan to start a line of T-shirts that say "Will Kimbrough is an Alien." And in 2004 he was awarded the Americana Music Association Instrumentalist of the Year award. But Will's too smart, and too talented as a songwriter, to cruise on mere technical ability. "Americanitis", while packed with wonderful playing, is not a hot-shot guitar showcase. That's not what Will's about. His amazing chops have made him popular in Nashville studios and on the road with other artists, giving him gigs that pay better than solo shows, but chops are just that, chops, and nothing more without a good song to hang them on. That's where Will Kimbrough, in the end, shines the most, as a craftsman of beautifully knitted melodies and words that grow deeper and better with each listening. Speaking of smart, Will is very smart, and walking encyclopedia of American music and recording studio technique. This has given him another hat to wear, as an in-demand producer. He's recently produced records for Todd Snider (including Todd's breakthrough comeback "East Nashville Skyline"), Adrienne Young and Kate Campbell. A native of Mobile, Alabama and a Nashville resident for the last 20 years, Will first came to national prominence as leader of Will& the Bushmen, who burned away many miles in the eighties. In the early nineties, he was a member of the legendary bis-quits, who made one classic record that still gets talked about. Recently, he started the band Daddy with longtime friend and collaborator Tommy Womack, and in 2005 they released the well-received "Daddy At the Women's Club". Will, when he's home - which is rare - lives in Nashville with his wife Jessica and two daughters, Emma and Sadie. His new record, "Americanitis" hits the streets on July 25th, 2006.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3866
|
__label__wiki
| 0.954782
| 0.954782
|
East Metro 506732142
Edward Doyle "Pete" Zimmer, Control Data computing pioneer, dies at 93
The last survivor of that earliest group, Zimmer had a badge number of 13.
By Patrick Kennedy Star Tribune
March 5, 2019 — 11:13pm
Edward Doyle “Pete” Zimmer, among the scientists and engineers and veterans from WWII who started the computer industry in Minnesota, died last month in Roseville at age 93.
Zimmer started his career at the pioneering computer company Engineering Research Associates (ERA). That St. Paul-based company was acquired by Remington Rand and later became Sperry Rand, and each were giants in the postwar days of the early computer industry here and elsewhere.
Frustrated with some of the autonomy they’d lost under new corporate owners, many of those employees who first worked at ERA left to form a technology startup company, Control Data Corp., in 1957.
Under the leadership of William Norris and the technical expertise of Seymour Cray, Control Data grew into one of the largest and most influential companies in Minnesota. Those earliest employees included sales, finance and support staff but also key technical people like Frank Mullaney, Bill Keye, Bob Kisch, Howard Sheckels and Robert Perkins. Zimmer joined in September of 1957 and his badge number was 13. He was the last survivor of that earliest group.
The company would eventually employ 65,000, including 5,000 part-time workers. Control Data’s success attracted talented people to the region and influenced other computer, technology and financial companies in Minnesota. And a number of other successful startup companies grew out of their association with Control Data.
Zimmer grew up in Rapid City and Onida, S.D. His parents owned and operated the city newspaper in Onida. Zimmer’s son Bill said his father enlisted in the Navy the day before his 18th birthday because it had the best electronics program.
He served in the Navy from 1943 to 1946 and earned a B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Minnesota in 1950. He joined ERA and eventually became a vice president and chief engineer at Control Data.
Zimmer oversaw several important projects at Control Data, according to Doug Larson, another early employee. He was the computer guidance project engineer for the submarine-launched Polaris ballistic missile system and was in charge of Control Data’s 3300 line of computers. After Cray developed the 6600 computer at his lab in Chippewa Falls, Wis., it was Zimmer and his team that put it into production at Control Data’s Arden Hills manufacturing plant. “He was a crackerjack of an engineer,” Larson said.
Norb Berg, Control Data’s first human resources director who rose to deputy chairman, recalled Zimmer. “He was one of the rocks the company was founded on,” Berg said. “Pete was a good engineer and well-respected leader.”
By 1966, Control Data was no longer a small startup, and several early employees resigned that year, including Zimmer.
Zimmer then formed his own consulting company and served on the board of directors of three technology companies, said his son Bill. “He was a technology adopter. We always had the first of everything,” Bill Zimmer said.
He taught his kids coding and BASIC programming at home and was a technology futurist. “He told people, way before anybody thought it made any sense, there are going to be computers in everybody’s home,” Bill Zimmer said. “As people started getting them he was especially helpful with his peer group. … He kind of became the IT guy for a lot of seniors, neighbors and friends.”
Zimmer is survived by his wife, Marjorie, whom he married in 1954; children Jon, Debra, Bill and Peter; and five grandchildren.
A memorial service is planned for 1 p.m. March 23 at Cherrywood Pointe of Roseville at Lexington.
Business reporter Patrick Kennedy covers executive compensation and public companies. He has reported on the Minnesota business community for more than 20 years.
Patrick.Kennedy@startribune.com 612-673-7926 PKennedyStrib
9 days already served is sentence for Lino Lakes man who shot and killed 2 trumpeter swans
The 25-year-old man sat in a kayak while shooting the federally protected birds.
Minnesota's medical pot program working for PTSD
Medical cannabis is reducing anxiety and improving sleep in patients with post-traumatic stress.
9 days already served is sentence for Lino Lakes man who shot and killed 2 trumpeter swans • East Metro
Stillwater prison newspaper sheds light on life behind bars • East Metro
Thanks to social media, food trucks are headed back to vacant St. Paul lot • East Metro
Cannon is fodder for war debate • East Metro
Minnesota is in 'very deep hole' when it comes to teachers of color • East Metro
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3876
|
__label__cc
| 0.566456
| 0.433544
|
V.O.I.C.E. (Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement)
VOICE is a non-partisan coalition of almost 50 faith communities and civic organizations in Northern Virginia working together to build power in middle and low-income communities.
See how you can get involved below!
Upcoming VOICE Meetings
V.O.I.C.E. typically meets on the first Sunday of the month from 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m. in the Br. Juniper Room.
Voice Assembly October 21st
Join St Francis V.O.I.C.E. Members
When: October 21st
Where: Fairfax High School
View Flyer #1 View Flyer #2
VOICE Website
Founded in 2008, VOICE (Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement) is a coalition of almost 50 faith communities and civic organizations in Northern Virginia working together to build power in middle and low-income communities. They organize in Prince William, Fairfax, and Arlington counties, as well as the City of Alexandria uniting people across lines of race, class, religion, political party and geography to take action on key issues in our community including but not limited to affordable housing, access to health and dental care, and immigrant rights.
VOICE is affiliated with the Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF), the nation’s first and largest network of multi-faith citizen organizations, which has seven decades of experience winning tough battles on housing, health care, education, and other issues across the nation. VOICE works most closely with Metro IAF affiliates in the East, Midwest and Southeast.
For more information on VOICE, please contact Michelle Nicolai:
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3879
|
__label__wiki
| 0.697112
| 0.697112
|
A Big and Rousing Call for Ambition: the Most Significant Media Item of 2018
Christmas Special: Gary Owen , Chippy Lane Productions , December-22-18
The seventh podcast from Chippy Lane is billed as a Christmas special although recorded in May. It is topped and tailed with a Christmas message with a dedication: “to the great Frank Vickery, the people's playwright.”
This is an important item of media for the theatre in Wales, the most significant of 2018. It contains biography and reminiscence but its critical core is a rallying cry for ambition. A small group of people has responsibility for making cultural policy; it should be listened to.
As previously the tone is informal. Episodes are recalled from the life, including work on the Ty Glyn Davies Trust building in the Aeron Valley, times in Snowdonia and Jutland, the unexpected contribution to a film festival in Aberystwyth, the revelatory impact of Sarah Kane in performance.
The second half is devoted to television and film. It is revealing in its own right on budget decisions by the BBC since 2008. There is pointed, and accurate, comment on the speaking of Welsh accents by actors not of Wales.
The critical centre is compressed in the first quarter of the 57 minute podcast.
11:00: Recapitulation of the history of new writing- Made in Wales, Dalier Sylw onward.
12:45: Jordan Bernarde: “Do you know why we haven't succeeded?”
The response, given that it is spoken and presumably unprepared, is a masterly summation that lasts several minutes.
14:28: “Too often we have been shy of making work that will pull in big audiences.”
15:22: The difference with Scotland and Ireland is made to the demerit of Wales. “It is entirely normal for writers in Ireland and Scotland to write big plays that open on main stages that connect with a much wider audience.”
Jordan Bernarde: “Here is that down to the attitude of us, the creatives, to the infrastructure of writing, or the Council, the Arts Council?”
Gary Owen: “It's all those things. The audience is here...There's a sort of cycle that has taken taken hold of us. Because we have not connected to audiences on that scale [“the Weir”] we don't aspire to, we don't see that as theatre's job...continue to do work that will only appeal to a small number of people...A healthy sector is an ecology....If we are going to truly connect and truly serve a purpose as public artists, in the sense of publicly funded artists, we need to take on subjects that are going to pull people in and we need to be gripping and thrilling and suspenseful and funny.”
“...thirty or forty people...that's a failure in a 100-seat studio..Frank Vickery can do it and we pretend he doesn't exist.”
45:00: National Theatre Wales enters along with the Festival of Voice and the current standing of the Sherman with theatres in England. “Killology” has played, it is revealed, in Istanbul and Seoul. The genesis of “Iphigenia...” has a rich deliciousness of hindsight to it.
This is the most significant media item of the year on the theatre of Wales. There is a parable in that it comes courtesy of a self-organised group from a new generation determined to make a difference.
Theatre in Wales: Comment- reviewed by Adam Somerset (18 October 2016)
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3880
|
__label__cc
| 0.736005
| 0.263995
|
JR Williamson
E-cigarette Advertising to Young Adults Jumps 321%
In the absence of the kind of federal regulations that apply to tobacco cigarettes, advertising for e-cigarettes has increased dramatically in the U.S. in the past several years, especially during programs most likely to be watched by adolescents and young adults, according to a study in the July 2014 Pediatrics.
The study, “Exposure to Electronic Cigarette Television Advertisements Among Youth and Young Adults,” published online June 2, found exposure of young people ages 12 to 17 to e-cigarette ads on TV increased 256 percent from 2011 to 2013.
Young adult (ages 18 to 24) exposure increased 321 percent over the same period. More than 75 percent of the e-cigarette ad exposure to youth occurred on cable networks, including AMC, Country Music Television, Comedy Central, WGN America, TV Land, and VH1. Researchers found that e-cigarette ads appeared on programs like “The Bachelor,” “Big Brother,” and “Survivor” that were among the 100 highest-rated youth programs for the 2012-2013 TV season. More than 80 percent of the advertisements were for a single brand, blu eCigs.
According to the authors, in the absence of evidence-based public health messages regarding the health risks of e-cigarettes, television advertising may be promoting beliefs and behaviors that pose harm.
Source: http://www.healthychildren.org/English/News/Pages/E-cigarette-Advertising-to-Young-Adults-Jumps-321.aspx
Newer PostObesity Rate for Young Children Plummets 43% in a Decade
Older Post Cognitive and Verbal Skills Needed for Toilet Training
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3882
|
__label__cc
| 0.70707
| 0.29293
|
Overview for Walton Dornisch
Walton Dornisch
FOR Walton Dornisch YOU CAN
Birth Place: Profession: Post Production ...
Producer (feature film)
Purgatory (1999)
An outlaw band of desperadoes descends upon a defenseless western outpost and come to question their path when they discover that the town's ghostly inhabitants are not who they appear to be.
Editing (feature film)
Windy City (1984)
Lookin' to Get Out (1982)
Alex Kovas lost $10,000 to thugs Joey and Harry in New York City during a poker game. Unable to pay up, Alex hits the road with his friend Jerry Feldman, and the two go to Las Vegas in the hope of winning big. In fact, they do get lucky in the casino, but when word of this gets back to New York, Joey and Harry head for Vegas.
Post Production (feature film)
Serpent's Lair (1996)
A young couple buys their first home, a spacious apartment, at an incredible price, unaware that the building is haunted by a murderous succubus who literally "sexes" men to death.
Grave, The (1996) as Post-Production Supervisor
A black comedy parable about two convicts who escape from prison and set their sights on unearthing a mysterious treasure hidden in the grave of a long-dead millionaire.
Jane Withersteen is a widow on the American frontier, at odds with her surroundings and her community. Left only with her home and ranch she is desperately trying to hold onto, Jane finds herself threatened by men who want to take her land away. When a mysterious drifter finds his way into her life, Jane is provided with her strongest ally and her best hope of keeping her ranch.
White Mile (1994)
A white-water rafting trip by a group of leading advertising executives results in tragedy and a legal controversy. Based on a true story.
Geronimo (1993)
A television movie about the Apache war chief Geronimo''s early years and the origins of his vendetta against the white European settlers. Part of a series of telefilms with Native American themes.
Guilty of Innocence: The Lenell Geter Story (1987)
A young black engineer is given a life sentence in prison for a crime he did not commit. Lenell Geter's life is running smoothly, but suddenly things fall apart when he and his roommate, a fellow engineer, are arrested and charged with armed robbery. Even though he steadfastly believes that the just
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3888
|
__label__cc
| 0.705039
| 0.294961
|
The PC and Mobiles Tech
Speculations on the Development of Self-Identity
Without a doubt everybody sooner or later in their life has set the inquiry "Who am I?" This, alongside "What am I doing here?", "What is the reason forever?", and other apparently transient inquiries, has been a question that has perplexed scholars all through the ages. People and societies alike have attempted to render a decision for the confirmation that has been introduced. In spite of the fact that the overabundance of answers that has been given all through history has changed enormously both in degree and nature, they would all be able to be dense into two essential perspectives: skeptical and mystical. In the skeptical view, which has a tendency to be the inclining of most current logicians, is that we are here, much the same as everything else - unintentionally. Throughout billions of long periods of advancement, people, some place in the last couple of million years have built up a still, small voice - a self-acknowledgment. What it is truly, is impossible to say, however it by one means or another puts us a little over the plants and blooms, which despite the fact that are alive, developing, and repeating, have in themselves no understanding of being; they basically exist, and nothing more. Neither do they give it a second thought. In this situation, we truly have no presence or reason throughout everyday life; we simply have a couple of overdeveloped mind cells that are terminating unpredictably making us briefly turn out to be to some degree mindful of our reality. When we kick the bucket, it is all finished and we, aware of our being or not, just stop to exist. Then again, in the mystical view, people were made by God with a set reason throughout everyday life. We are made with a brain, a body, and a spirit. Following are brief abstracts of three unmistakable sociologists.
Charles Horton Cooley was a teacher at the University of Michigan from 1892 until his demise in 1929. Dr. Cooley set out to conjecture human mindfulness by proposing three components that characterize our mindfulness in view of our associations with everyone around us. He trusted that we initially envision how we appear to everyone around us, at that point we decipher the responses of others in view of their impression of us, lastly we build up a self-idea in light of how we translate the responses of others. He called this hypothesis the "mirror self". He felt that we see in our psyches what we look like or appear to people around us. Despite how we feel about ourselves, we frequently stress over how others respect us. In center school, we as a whole expectation that everybody will think we are cool. In secondary school we can't understand the possibility that we won't be discovered alluring. In school and all through life we continually stress that others will look down on us for some obscure reason. We regularly assess the reactions we get from everyone around us to decide how they feel about us in light of how they see us. Do they think we are feeble on the grounds that we are decent? Maybe they consider us to be cool since we talk condescendingly to others. On the off chance that we are calm by nature, do they see us as shrewd, or just unpleasant? After we have assessed the responses of our companions and associates, we will start to create thoughts regarding ourselves. He trusted that the possibility of self was a deep rooted, continually evolving, process.
George Herbert Mead additionally utilized a three-advance procedure to clarify the improvement of self, be that as it may, his means varied from those proposed by Dr. Cooley. The first of his means was what he called impersonation. In this stage, which starts at an early age, we start to mimic the activities and expressions of everyone around us. We don't generally have a genuine feeling of being; we just view ourselves as an augmentation of people around us. In the second stage, called play, we start the way toward taking in our self-personality by never again just copying others, yet rather by professing to be them. Despite the fact that we haven't completely acknowledged ourselves similar to an aggregate and separate substance, we are understanding a stage toward that path by demonstrating that we comprehend that others are people who are unique in relation to each other. In the last stage we start to go up against the parts of others when we play group activities. In these circumstances we should figure out how to play as a group by having our influence, as well as knowing the parts that other individuals play so we may envision their moves. Now and again we may likewise be required to effectively go up against their part, for example, when a player is harmed and we should substitute for them. It is in these three stages, as per Dr. Mead, that we each build up our own particular individual personality.
Jean Piaget was a Swiss therapist who saw that youngsters regularly mention a similar wrong objective facts in comparable circumstances. He found that all youngsters utilized a similar thinking when given an issue, paying little respect to their experience. At the finish of long periods of contemplating them, Dr. Piaget verified that youngsters experience four phases in the advancement of thinking abilities. The main stage, which he called the sensorimotor stage, keeps going until about the age of two in generally youngsters. The greater part of our thoughts regarding self are constrained to coordinate physical touch. We still can't seem to build up theoretical idea or the capacity to understand that activities have outcomes. The preoperational arrange, which keeps going from about age two to age seven, is the timeframe where we start to find out about what he called images. That is, anything that we use to speak to something different. This wording not just applies to solid images, for example, the male/female outlines on restroom entryways, yet additionally to more extract images, for example, dialect and tallying. In spite of the fact that youngsters start to utilize and understand the utilization of these images, they don't generally completely comprehend their total importance. For instance, a tyke might have the capacity to understand the distinction between one treat and two treats, however they would have no understanding of the contrast between an auto that cost $400 and another that cost $40,000. In the third stage, the solid operational stage which endures from around 7-12 years old, more seasoned youngsters are starting to get a handle on the general implications of solid images, for example, numbers (regardless of whether they are substantial numbers), yet still experience issues understanding conceptual thoughts, for example, love and genuineness. In the fourth and last phase of our improvement, the formal operational stage, we currently are starting to comprehend theoretical thoughts. We would now be able to answer not just inquiries regarding who, what, where, and when, yet we can likewise start to answer questions identified with why something is correct, wrong, excellent, kind, and so on.
Despite the fact that Charles Cooley and George Mead contrasted in their way to deal with the advancement of self (Cooley's was more mental in perspective, while Mead's was more physical), their thoughts were the same in that their approach was the possibility that we look to others to decide our concept of self. Despite whether it is our contemplations or activities that depend on those of others, we can't build up the possibility of self without the nearness of others. On a similar hand however, those we are taking a gander at are likewise glancing back at us to make their own judgments about them selves. What we end up with then is an instance of the visually impaired driving the visually impaired. Jean Piaget then again tended to consider us to be depending on images that assistance us clarify and distinguish those things around us that thus are our manual for the advancement of self-character. These all, obviously, vary from the mystical view which expresses that we should look to God (Hebrews 12:2, KJV). The Bible relates an account of the Apostle Paul debating with the savants in Athens. In a nutshell Paul says to them, "... as I cruised by, and viewed your commitments, I found a holy place with this engraving, To The Unknown God. Whom along these lines ye unconsciously revere, him announce I unto you. God that made the world and all things in that... nor is revered with men's hands... he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things... they should look for the Lord, if haply they may feel after him, and discover him, however he be not a long way from each one of us... for in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain likewise of your own artists have said... " (Acts 17:15-34)
Why Culture Matters
The meaning of culture in the Merriam-Webster word reference is: the convictions, traditions, expressions, and so on., of a specific culture, gathering, place, or time. Albeit precise, I discover this definition lacking, as it doesn't start to uncover the extent of its significance or effect on those inside it. My meaning of culture would be something like this: The ground-breaking and frequently concealed deterministic power that drives the conduct of those inside it.
Regardless, the way of life we possess have a tendency to impact what we do, as, and progress toward becoming than we understand. We as a whole get a kick out of the chance to consider ourselves people represented by our own considerations and wants, however in all actuality, outside powers are affecting us each moment of ordinary, and normally outside of our own cognizant mindfulness.
We jump at the chance to think 'we are our identity' and that we can anticipate how we would carry on in any arrangement of co…
An Adult Child's Definition of Perspective
There were ordinarily in my life when somebody stated, "Don't lose your viewpoint on this." As a then-unrecovered grown-up kid, I think about whether I at any point had it.
How a man characterizes "point of view," well, relies on his viewpoint, and for the individuals who persevered brokenness and mishandle, it might not have the importance you figure it does. By and by, it is a specific disposition toward or a method for with respect to something, somebody, an occasion, a situation, what a man says, and even how he says it. It is a perspective and for the individuals who have continued affliction, it might be both a one of a kind and twisted one.
On the off chance that I went into a room, for example, and said to somebody, "Kid, it's extremely chilly today," he could hypothetically react, "That is the thing that you figure." Depending upon my point of view, I could get this as an announcement, an inquiry, or even a trigger of a past occas…
Expectation As Defined by an Adult Child
Expectation, a craving with a desire for satisfaction and the pivot whereupon life's potential outcomes rotate, is frequently supplanted with lose hope by grown-up kids who persevered through shaky and here and there hazardous alcoholic, useless, and oppressive childhoods, abandoning them, as the assignment infers, formatively captured between the kid and grown-up stages.
"Liquor addiction is a hoodlum," as indicated by a tribute in Al-Anon's "Promise for Today" content (Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc., 2002, p. 12). "It denies us of our friends and family. It pickpockets openings for work, cozy connections, and physical wellbeing. In my mom's case, it in the long run stole her life. Liquor abuse looted my youth of trust and security. I grew up feeling like a fake grown-up composed outwardly, yet lost and alarmed within."
Like the individuals who get this season's flu virus through introduction to it in a collaborator or companion, e…
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3889
|
__label__cc
| 0.576568
| 0.423432
|
UniControls participated in the European research and development project Roll2Rail. Wireless control technology will be used in the pilot implementation of the Spanish carrier
The final conference held on 17 October 2017 in Munich, Bavaria, ended the three-year European project Roll2Rail, which focused on the development of key technologies and the overcoming of barriers to innovation in the development of rail vehicles. Within the project, UniControls a.s. was a member of the Work Group on Wireless Train Communications, which explored possible solutions of train control without requiring a physical wiring between vehicles, both within the train set and in connection with ground systems. By its know-how of train data networks and cybersecurity, UniControls has contributed to successful completion of the project finished by laboratory validation of the LTE communication. UniControls has delivered the ETBN communication node to the test environment, including implementation of algorithms for dynamic coupling of the train sets.
The project was a pilot project of the Shift2Rail initiative, bringing together the largest European carriers and manufacturers of rolling stock. Its goal is to double the capacity of the European railway system, increase reliability and comfort while reducing operational costs by half, through the development of new technologies and innovative products. The project is co-funded by the European Commission under the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. "The project results will be further used in the pilot implementation in real train sets operated on regional lines in Spain by the Spanish carrier under the Shift2Rail initiative,” says Ing. Tomáš Tichý, who was a member of the UniControls work group.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3892
|
__label__wiki
| 0.88135
| 0.88135
|
Universes Beckon . . .
Opinions and observations about pop culture, spoken loudly.
Horror with a Heart: The Universal Monsters.
Hey, it’s October! That means you should expect a lot of Halloween-y content.
I have to tell you though, I’m not your typical horror fan. In fact, most hardcore horror fans wouldn’t think of me as a horror fan at all. Generally because I’ve never watched any slasher films, watched very few zombie films, don’t see gore effects as an appealing feature and really don’t like jump scares. Heck, while I like the supernatural fantasy aspects, I’m not all that fond of being scared. So, I’m either a really picky, particular horror fan or not one at all.
But I do love the Universal Monsters.
The Universal Monsters refers to a collection of horror and sci-fi movies that Universal Pictures made from the ‘20s to the ‘50s and the monster characters from them. Among the movies in question, are Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, The Phantom of the Opera, The Mummy, The Invisible Man and The Creature from the Black Lagoon as well as the assorted sequels of such movies. Many of these movies featured notable actors like Lon Chaney, Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney Jr., Claude Rains, Elsa Lanchester, Dwight Frye and Edward Van Sloan among a number of others I just can’t seem to remember at the moment.
Now, for a little history. The Universal Monsters films are a part of Universal’s horror output from the 1920s silent era until the mid-to-late ‘40s when horror fell out of favor. Universal’s menagerie of monsters would then get a bit of a boost in a decade when they started making ‘50s sci-fi movies.
Now, the age when Universal was the undisputed king of horror didn’t last long, but these movies found a new fanbase particularly among children in the ‘60s when the shows would be aired on local Saturday afternoon or late night horror movie shows. These would be shows like Creature Feature, Svengoolie, and a number of others across the country (you know, the kind of movie shows that MysteryScience Theater 3000 parodied). This led to the various monster characters being merchandised as plastic model kits, toys, board games, etc. Sometime around the 1990s, the Universal Monsters became an actual brand. As a brand, Universal Monsters is like . . . how do I put this? It’s kind of like a spookier Disney Princess with a dash of Marvel Superheroes. No, really. Just like the Disney Princess brand, it’s a brand based around a bunch of characters from a number of movies that are pretty much unrelated aside from genre and the company that made them. The only thing that makes Universal Monsters different are a few sequels that cross over the characters of Dracula, Frankenstein’s monster and the Wolf Man. Otherwise, characters like the Phantom, the Invisible Man and the Mummy have nothing to do with any of the other characters. Heck, The Creature from the Black Lagoon was produced a good 20 years after most of the other movies. So, it’s like the Disney Princess franchise if there were a handful of those straight-to-DVD sequels that teamed up Snow White, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty.
Dodgy branding aside, they’re genuinely good and entertaining movies which is why they’re largely recognized as classics. It’s not just because of the way they defined horror cinema either. Horror, at least on the visceral level, has a way of losing its effectiveness over time. However, what makes them last is their approach to character. Universal Monsters fans always talk about the “sympathetic monsters” of these movies. What they mean is that all the monsters have some sort of basic human need or quality that drives them. The Wolf Man is a man who has a darker side that he can’t control. The Frankenstein monster is misunderstood and wants acceptance. The Mummy is driven by a love that’s turned toxic. And the Gill-Man from Creature from the Black Lagoon is the last of his kind looking for companionship. The one major deviation from this is Dracula, who is not sympathetic but was changed into an alluring, seductive presence that offers eternal life (honestly, this would have been very hard to pull off if it weren’t for Bela Lugosi’s screen presence. Much props to him). In other words, all the monsters have something that draws you to them and makes you invested in them beyond how many people they kill. On some level, we can all relate to Frankenstein’s monster as the world starts to turn against him. We all can relate to the Wolf Man’s alter ego Larry Talbot because we all have negative (even monstrous) parts of ourselves that we’d rather keep to ourselves. And by and large, since the monster in horror movies is almost guaranteed to die at the end, what was on one level a horror movie gains another level as a supernatural tale of tragedy. It’s kind of like how Marvel revolutionized the superhero genre by creating superheroes that were more flawed and human. In fact, I’m pretty sure the Universal Monsters are the inspiration for a lot of the tragic qualities in the Marvel superheroes. The Thing and the Hulk especially share qualities with the Frankenstein monster and the Wolf Man.
Now, they’re not perfect films and there are issues with them and their legacy. They were revolutionary but they also created tropes that, when you looked at the greater Universal Horror canon, they repeated constantly. Mad doctors seemed to be a dime a dozen in those days. They also tend to overshadow older interpretations of the same concepts and stories. The movies Werewolf of London and The Wolf Man pretty much reinvented werewolf lore wholesale. Also, the cinematic versions of Dracula and Frankenstein were very different from the books by Bram Stoker and Mary Shelley respectively. Though, there may have been a reason for that. You see, both Dracula and Frankenstein weren’t actually based on the books. They were based on plays that were popular at the time those movies were made. It actually says so right in the opening credits for both films. Dracula was based on a play by Hamilton Deane and John L. Balderston. Frankenstein was adapted from a play by Peggy Webling. So, the films were already a couple of degrees away from the novels anyway. It makes sense at the time, because in the 1930s, filming a movie was a lot like staging a play on camera. Comparing these movies to the original novels is kind of like comparing L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz to a stage production of Wicked. Probably the most faithful of the movies is The Invisible Man. This is largely because H.G. Wells was alive at the time it was released. Even then, Wells didn’t like the end product. Though, probably the biggest problem is how many actors got typecast in the roles from these movies. Actors like Bela Lugosi and Lon Chaney Jr. struggled to define themselves away from the horror genre and never really managed to do it.
But I should probably talk about something that’s been on people’s minds since this past summer. Universal, not content to just merchandise the monsters and let the movies stand on their own, keeps trying to bring them back.
The truth is, it was never going to be an easy return for the Universal Monsters. Despite what icons they are, they’re from another time. Remember how I said horror tends to lose its efficacy? Well, that’s true. Horror as a genre is obliged to keep pushing the envelope in terms of how shocking it can be. The Universal Monsters come from a time when they didn’t need to show a single drop of blood to be scary. Not only that, but they weren’t allowed to show any because of the Hayes Code. You would think that maybe they’d try to aim a bit younger because of how the Universal Monsters found a second audience among kids. But even that isn’t such a great bet because horror stories for children have evolved too. Since the ‘80s and ‘90s, horror for kids has worked to include kids as the main characters and incorporate the anxieties and experiences of their lives (for examples, see: The Willies, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Goosebumps, Deadtime Stories and The Haunting Hour). So, what did Universal try to do? Well, one time out of four they tried to make them into adult horror again. But usually, probably in an attempt to court audiences of both kids and adults, they tried to turn them into action franchises.
It started innocuously enough. It was a kids’ cartoon called Monster Force released in the early ‘90s. The show was about a professor named Dr. Reed Crawley and his students who use high tech weaponry and equipment to hunt and study monsters. Despite looking like a strange combination of Universal Monsters, G.I. Joe and ‘90s X-Men, it was actually a fun little show. Despite this, the show only lasted one season and only got half that season released on DVD. The next big attempt came with director Stephen Sommers when he directed a remake of The Mummy. Under Sommers, The Mummy was transformed from an atmospheric horror film to an action adventure comedy starring Brendan Fraser. It was a popular take, even spawning a couple of sequels, a spin-off and a cartoon series. The real downfall came when Sommers tried to take the same approach to Dracula, Frankenstein and the Wolf Man in Van Helsing. Van Helsing proved to be a messy, cluttered movie with a convoluted plot. It wasn’t a hit with critics or audiences. Next, they tried to go back to horror with an R-rated remake of The Wolf Man. I’ve watched it and I’m not sure I should be the one to comment on this film seeing as I don’t watch a lot of R-rated horror films. But I will say that while it definitely felt different than the original Wolf Man, it didn’t really feel like anything new or fresh. This could possibly be because of the choice to set the film during the 19th Century. Last but not least, we have the newest approach with the attempt to create the Dark Universe of interconnected films. I won’t go into it much but the first entry, another remake of The Mummy, was not good owing to tone and story problems. And that’s about it in terms of revival attempts in film or TV, other than odd stuff like those DVD movies where monsters got paired up with Alvin and the Chipmunks (no, really. One nice thing about those is we got a couple of fun songs out of it).
Now, it’s not to say that combining action with horror can’t work. It’s worked for Hellboy, Blade, Underworld, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and a whole lot of other movies and TV shows. Like I said, Monster Force was actually a fun kids’ action cartoon. I think the problem with both Van Helsing and The Dark Universe is that both tried to do too much all at once. Van Helsing struggled because it had to have a plot that utilized Dracula, Frankenstein’s monster and a Wolf Man all at once and explore the hero as well. The plot ended up being a mess and none of the characters really got a chance to develop or shine. The new Mummy film also tries way too hard to put the mechanisms of its shared universe front and center rather than focusing on the story at hand. In the process they fail to give the new Mummy the sympathetic pathos that her predecessor was known for. And the truth is, I wanted it to work. I wanted The Dark Universe to find a way but it didn’t. I still think a horror action property based on the Universal Monsters has potential. Granted, it probably has far more potential as a comic book with the right publisher than a movie series.
Luckily, no amount of dodgy branding and failed revivals can take away the originals. Personally, I have them all on DVD and new editions seem to be released all the time. Not only that, Turner Classic Movies seems to air all of them every October.
Well, that should be all I have to say about that. Except I’m still in a Universal Horror mood. How about a deep dive into the Universal catalog next week? I think it’s time to spotlight a horror franchise that has almost been forgotten completely.
Posted by Adam Hoffman at 7:25 PM
Fairy Tale Fandom
Adam Hoffman
Ghoul Days
Gorilla My Dreams: Universal Horror's Forgotten Fr...
Simple theme. Theme images by lishenjun. Powered by Blogger.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3893
|
__label__wiki
| 0.844857
| 0.844857
|
Chris Donovan
Chris Donovan, Adjunct Instructor of Theater Arts
[Acting I, Introduction to Theater Arts, Playmaking for Children]
Chris is an alum of Western Connecticut State University’s Theater Department with a BA in Theater (Performance) where he has performed in A View From the Bridge, The Glass Menagerie, Fiddler on the Roof, MacBeth 2000 (Edinburgh Fringe, NYC), The Cherry Orchard (NYC), The Will of Love (NYC) and City of Angels (KCACTF Region 1 Irene Ryan Semi Finalist).
Chris has studied Musical Theater at Circle in the Square Theater School as well as receiving his MFA in Acting from Brooklyn College. Additionally, Chris has trained with New York Movement Studio (Physical Theater Institute- LeCoq), Speaking Shakespeare- Andrew Wade (Royal Shakespeare Company), Audition Technique- Heidi Griffiths (The Public Theater), and has completed the Arts Education Program at Circle in the Square where he assisted Daniel Judah Sklar (author of Playmaking: Children Writing and Performing Their Own Plays) with the 3rd grade at PS 11 in NYC.
Chris is a proud member of Actors Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA and has been seen professionally as the Senator/Mayor in The National Tour of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Damn Yankees (The River Rep), A Flea in Her Ear (The River Rep), Midnight Clear (Riverside Theater), Shakespeare in Space (The Mint Theater), Cymbeline (The Brick Theater), Delilah (Midtown Festival), Pride and Prejudice (Theater for the New City), along with many others. Chris has served as the Artistic Director of Owtava Hat Ensemble producing and performing in King John (The Producers Club II) and Twelfth Night (Todo Con Nada 45) as well as Associate Producer/Performer in the Gi60: International One-Minute Play Festival.
On film, Chris has been seen on Rescue Me (FX), The Iceman and the Psychiatrist (HBO), 30 Rock (NBC), Saturday Night Live (NBC), White Collar (USA), Under New Management (The Movie Channel) as well as being featured in dozens of television, film and commercial spots.
Chris is currently on the Theater and Speech faculty at The City College of New York, Borough of Manhattan Community College and William E. Macaulay Honors College.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3898
|
__label__wiki
| 0.741923
| 0.741923
|
Valhalla—also the name of a heavenly paradise for slain warriors in Norse mythology—is a hamlet within the town of Mount Pleasant. The origins of Valhalla’s namesake are quite fitting, given that the village is home to the Kensico Cemetery, which serves as the resting place for many notable figures such as Lou Gehrig.
The village area of Valhalla is relatively small in area, with a strip of restaurants and stores, but on the outskirts are some of Westchester’s largest destinations. The county’s park-goers flock to the beloved Kensico Dam, which often hosts outdoor movie screenings and cultural heritage festivals. Other major county institutions include the Westchester Medical Center and Westchester Community College’s main campus.
A central dining spot is the Valhalla Crossing restaurant, which is located within the historic train-station building adjacent to the village’s Metro North station. With close access to the Taconic State Parkway, Valhalla residents can easily visit some of the county’s acclaimed cultural and artistic hotspots, such as the Neuberger Museum of Art in nearby Purchase.
Our Guide to Memorial Day Events in Westchester
Parades, ceremonies, and family activities abound in the county to mark our nation's day of remembrance.
Westchester Medical Center's New Ambulatory Care Pavilion Is a Huge Step Forward for Patient Care
The largest healthcare construction project for the county in decades, the new facilities are set to open as early as this month.
Westchester Takes Another Step Toward Becoming a World-Class Biotech Hub
At a Westchester County Association breakfast yesterday, County Executive George Latimer signed a 99-year lease of the North 60 project, which will ultimately bring to the county some 3 million sq. ft. of new space for biotech and medical use.
Valhalla School District Suddenly Suspends Superintendent
Administrator Christina Howe has been named Acting Superintendent of Schools while Karen Geelan is suspended with pay.
7 Holiday Events You Won’t Want to Miss This Weekend
Usher in the Christmas spirit with these fun, joyful, sometimes hilarious festivities going down in Westchester.
Scarsdale Eyes Downtown Redevelopment
Plus, Serendipity Labs moves into Westchester One, Leros Point to Point acquires Royal Coachman Worldwide, and other local business news.
Not Beer? Doesn’t Matter. It’s Still on Tap
Something besides suds could appear on your bar’s tap.
Help Westchester Honor the Heroes and Victims of 9/11
Ceremonies, services, and charitable organizations are helping Westchester residents give solemn remembrance.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3900
|
__label__wiki
| 0.771889
| 0.771889
|
Search in web contents
Adding value to spanish exports
19 July de 2019
Destacados - En Portada
Interviews and Reports
In Good Taste
Pascual returns to its roots
VidalMaté. @trigo_limpioVM
During the final decades of the last century, Pascual comfortably held on to its leading position in the milk industry. The company, from Aranda de Duero, was a fixture during the process during that period to create a large dairy group in Spain with Puleva and Central Lechera Asturiana as partners. It never happened, and everyone went their separate ways, while the French companies in Lactalis become the leader, acquiring Puleva, and the Asturian cooperative grew through the Corporación Alimentaria Peñasanta, of which it's a majority shareholder.
In the case of Pascual, the performance of the distribution sector, with its focus on cheap private label milks, and progress by other manufacturers' brands and the group's own diversification strategy led milk to loose some of its steam within Pascual, and its presence on supermarket shares and its market share declined.
Today, Calidad Pascual aims to turn the page and remedy the current situation, going back in time by relaunching Leche Pascual so as to position its product as a market leader once again. The goal is for consumers to again associate Pascual with milk by means of a strategy based on quality at origin, from animal wellbeing on farms through to supermarket shelves, and on price, with a sustainability policy throughout the food chain, from field to table.
The inception and performance of Pascual can't be understood without the Tetra Pak manufacturer.
It was the '60s when the Caja de Ahorros Municipal de Burgos offered the Pascual siblings, whose parents owned a corner store in Aranda de Duero, the chance to purchase a small dairy cooperative in a poor situation called Industrias Lácteas PascuaI. A few years later, in 1971, Tomás Pascual—a strong proponent of innovation—singlehandedly launched the first cartons of shelf-stable pasteurized milk together with Tetra Pack. As a company, that led to unstoppable growth until it became the market leader while changing Spain's milk sector scene, possibly forever, boosting the culture of shelf-stable products compared with fresh milk which, until then, dominated the scene.
In the milk sector, the company became a market leader with a share of more than 15% in the high-price segment, producing more than 900 million liters, with plants in Galicia, Cantabria, Catalonia and Burgos. Good results in the milk segment, boosted by the chairman's initiative and interest in innovation, gave rise to a broad policy of diversification in other food sectors, such as juice, omelets, grains, pasteurized yogurts and egg products. This strategy enabled the group to obtain sales of almost 1 billion euros in 2007, as well as a large debt of 300 million euros (which today stands at 192 million) and the need to compete in certain sectors with global leaders, which required the group to exit them either entirely or partially.
In the case of fresh milk, and notwithstanding the group's diversification policy, the division was not affected at first due to the decline in general demand, which slipped by an average of 100 liters per person per year in 2000, to 70 liters at present. Leche Pascual, which was positioned at the higher end in terms of price under its own brand, suffered also from domination by sales of cheap milk from distribution brands and other cheap manufacturers' brands. Pascual operated for a while with its second brand, PMI.
This led, in the last few years, to a decline in collection to 412 million liters and a market share of 9.6%, the same figure as Puleva, which today is owned by multinational French company Lactalis, and a long ways away from Central Lechera Asturiana's 14%.
At this point, while maintaining a diversification policy with Bezoya water, Café Mocay, Biofrutas, Vivesoy, yogurts, egg products and Diversia in distribution, Pascual has undertaken a new milk strategy today that stretches from field to table. "We have a balanced and diversified portfolio where all of our brands are leaders in their categories," said Tomás Pascual. "In short, we are more focused than we were a few years ago, and our success depends on the balance between all of our brands."
This plan doesn't imply strictly returning to milk, but it does involve going back in time to its roots and reinforcing it as the pillar of its business, positioning itself more visually vis-à-vis consumers with a quality product, with the goal of achieving growth in the dairy segment that exceeds average growth of the market and, as a result, gradually recovering its market share.
At the source, there's the possibility of having a very controlled quality offer based on production by the 348 cattle farms with which the group has been working for years and whose farms comply with the four requirements for obtaining the Animal Welfare Certification: good feeding, good housing, good health and appropriate behavior. Farms certified as suppliers are located in natural areas and house around 90,000 cows, with a census of 850,000 heads of cattle. With a focus on the sustainability of the producing sector, since 2000 the group has applied the Productive Efficiency Program, which also seeks to ensure farms' profitability.
As a result, Calidad Pascual's farms with an average production of 1,040 tons and those that are part of the Productive Efficiency Program obtain an average of 1,312 tons, compared with the state average of 470 tons. Production per animal on farms in the Program is 10,972 liters, compared with the national average, which is 8,178 liters. Food is one of the four basic principles of animal welfare, and that includes a balanced diet based on fodder, around 50 kilos per day, together with concentrated feed, which is basically corn, wheat, barley, soy, rape or sunflower and the availability of around 100 liters of water per animal.
As for the environment, since 2008 the farms have applied these criteria to water, from usage to waste management, to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, with farms located as close as possible to the primary processing plants.
With regard to packaging, the most ergonomic, manageable cartons will be used, with a simple closure and different capacities depending on the point of sale: supermarkets or through the catering segment. Also with the environment in mind, there are plans to develop new ways to use recycled material or replace the retractable machine with a box so as to better protect packages when they reach the consumer.
The company will maintain and expand its milk offer in accordance with demand and consumer needs, including whole, fat-free, skim and lactose-free with seeds, which has grown by 27%. Pascual does not stray from its principles when it comes to sales prices, and believes that quality and sustainability throughout the entire chain have a price. The group won't get involved in milks on special offer or in the sale of fresh, unpasteurized milk, in line with its longstanding policy of selling products that do not require refrigeration.
Along these lines, dairy products will remain in a high-end segment, with 0.89 euros/liter for classic milk and 1.23 euros for a liter and a half bottle; lactose-free milk for 1.39 euros/liter and 1.65 for a liter and a half bottle, and milk with calcium for 1.43 euros/carton. The group has no plans to sell a private label milk either.
And all of these plans are based on a powerful advertising campaign, just like in the past.
Wikispanishfood does not take responsibility or necessarily identify with the opinions expressed by its collaborators, limiting itself to becoming a transmitting channel of the same
!_cabcfcook
wikispanishfood © 2019 | All rights reserved
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3902
|
__label__wiki
| 0.951384
| 0.951384
|
Judge orders man accused of raping teen he met at college bar to stand trial
Nov 22, 2017 - 7:22pm
photo by: Mike Yoder
In this file photo from August 2014, patrons line up to enter the Jayhawk Cafe, more commonly known as "The Hawk," at 1340 Ohio St.
After hearing a teen tearfully describe the “blur” of a night on which she said she was led away from a Lawrence bar and raped, a judge ordered the accused man to stand trial on not one but two counts of rape.
The incident happened in September 2016, and 21-year-old Albert N. Wilson of Lawrence was charged Oct. 11 in Douglas County District Court.
On Tuesday, following Wilson’s preliminary hearing, Judge Sally Pokorny ordered him bound over for trial on two counts of rape — the original count, from the allegation that he raped the teen at his home, and an additional count, from the allegation that he lifted her skirt and assaulted her inside the bar without consent.
Evidence showed the teen was intoxicated enough that she was unable to consent, and such inability would have been apparent to Wilson, the judge ruled.
The teen repeatedly said “no” to Wilson, the judge said. Based on the teen’s level of intoxication and Wilson being larger than her, “she had no way to actively resist, or to get away from him,” the judge said.
Wilson, through his appointed attorney Forrest Lowry, pleaded not guilty.
The judge scheduled a jury trial for April 30.
The alleged victim — 17 then, 18 now — was the only person who testified at Tuesday’s preliminary hearing.
She said she lived in the Kansas City area and was in high school at the time. She was in Lawrence visiting her cousin, a University of Kansas student.
That night, she went with her cousin and some of her sorority sisters to a fraternity house — she didn’t know which one — and drank for a couple hours before going to the Jayhawk Cafe, 1340 Ohio St.
At the bar, she didn’t get carded, she said. She said she went in with a group of women and thought maybe one of them knew someone who worked there.
At the bar, someone handed her a drink, she said. She said she took a couple sips and gave it away, because she realized she was already too drunk. She said she couldn’t stand up very well, was stumbling and didn’t have “control” of herself.
When asked by the prosecutor whether she’d ever been drunk before, the teen answered, “not like that.”
Inside the bar, Wilson approached her, and they started talking and moved to another area, she said. He kissed her and then assaulted her, she said.
“I never said yes, or that I wanted that,” she said. “I was really drunk. I just, kind of, was there.”
Prosecutor Amy McGowan asked the teen to describe where in the bar she encountered Wilson, and the teen said it was hard for her to say exactly. She’d never been there before.
“Is it the Boom Boom Room?” she said. “It’s the really dark room … really, really dark.”
The teen said Wilson asked her if she wanted to come to his place and spend the night. The teen said no, that she needed to find her cousin, but that Wilson persisted and convinced her to come with him outside to call the cousin, and then to come to his home.
“I think I realized that the intentions weren’t to get me help,” she said. “I just started saying, ‘No, I’m too drunk, I can’t do this, I’m too drunk, I can’t do this.'”
Previous coverage
Nov. 9, 2017 — Affidavit allegation: Man raped drunken teen after leading her away from Lawrence college bar; Chain of policework identified suspect
Outside the bar, feeling panicked, she reunited with her cousin, she said. She spent the night in the dorm with her cousin.
Home the next day, she said she told her mother what happened and went to a hospital for a sexual assault exam, which included photos of bruising to her thighs.
In asking the judge to dismiss the charges against his client, Lowry said, “There’s no evidence that she was forced to do this.”
Lowry said the teen continued to stay with Wilson in the bar and to his home, and had the presence of mind to communicate with him.
In cross-examining the teen, Lowry asked her whether Wilson “forced” or threatened her.
“I’d said no multiple times, I’d made it very clear,” she said. “I didn’t think I could do anything.”
• Jan. 9, 2019– Defendant at trial: ‘She didn’t seem intoxicated at all … I didn’t rape her’
• Jan. 8, 2019– At trial of Lawrence man, woman describes being raped as teen, devastation that followed
• Jan. 7, 2019– Rape trial begins for man accused of leading intoxicated high school girl away from Lawrence college bar
• Nov. 22, 2017– Judge orders man accused of raping teen he met at college bar to stand trial
• Nov. 9, 2017– Affidavit allegation: Man raped drunken teen after leading her away from Lawrence college bar
In this file photo from August 2014, patrons line up to enter the Jayhawk Cafe, more commonly known as “The Hawk,” at 1340 Ohio St.
Water rescue underway at Clinton Lake
Douglas County Sheriff's Office deputies were called to a water rescue shortly before 6 p.m. Thursday near the ...
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3903
|
__label__wiki
| 0.886944
| 0.886944
|
Long trek from Itsoseng to Riverland for Buffaloes vice captain
Thursday, July 28 2005 @ 09:11 am ACST
Sport often generates great stories of people rising above adversity. This is one such story, following the journey of a young South African from a dead-end path on the streets of Itsoseng to a scholarship in the South Australian Riverland and representing his country in Melbourne at the Australian Football International Cup.
Tefo Benjamin Motuba, or Benji, grew up in South Africa's North West Province at a time when the apartheid era was coming to an end, but although freedom brought hope to many, the people did not receive economic salvation and the mission to raise the standard of living for all of the country's people will be long and difficult. Born in the small town of Itsoseng, where opportunities were few, Benji was the youngest in his family, and his mother supported them all as well as members of the extended family. Despite this she found herself homeless and for a time raising her children with only trees for shelter. After a short stay in Klerksdorp they returned to Itsoseng in 1990 and Benji began school. By just eight years of age he was skipping class and found himself mixed up in drugs and crime. It would be fair to say that his life was headed for oblivion. The one thing that saved Benji was sport.
In his own words: "One day it happened that I found myself in the stadium when it was the school athletics. The teachers were calling the names of the schools in the tracks and one of the schools were not having a representative and I notice that and I get in the track with other children for 100m run. And I became first in that race and the teachers wanted to write my name and I told them that I don’t attend any school. They advise me to go to school because I have the great future and the only thing that can make my dream and future be successful is to attend the school".
Benji's mother desperately wanted to see him get a good education, and he convinced her that he would do that if he could go to another school. In 1996 he started at Maokaneng primary and "from that day I told myself that I will educate myself and help my family". He soon began representing his school and province in running, but it was in 1998 when an Australian Defence Force group toured the area, introducing Australian Rules football, that the young South African found his calling. Soon the best players had been selected and were flown to Canberra for the Jim Stynes Cup, an Aussie Rules tournament to promote the game amongst juniors around the world (it has since become the Barassi International Australian Football Youth Tournament). To travel to Australia was an opportunity that the young boy from Itsoseng could not have dreamed of, yet two more trips would follow.
With the help of the Sporting Coaches' Outreach program (SCORE), Tattersals and the AFL, Australian football has continued to grow through the AFL South Africa. In 2002 the inaugural International Cup was held in Melbourne, featuring eleven sides from around the world. Benji was selected and made his second international journey, representing "the Buffaloes" with pride. Ireland defeated Papua New Guinea in the final, while Australia did not compete as the other countries are still in the early development phase. Although the Africans went without a win, it was clear that bigger and better things were being planned. The Aussie Rules program has since been expanded to include Gauteng Province (which includes the large cities of Johannesburg and Pretoria) and plans are being made for Western Cape (the most well known city being Cape Town). As the development focuses on children, it may be a few more years before the results of this work is seen at senior level.
Dreaming of Africa
A world away in country South Australia, Betty Lloyd's family worked a citrus orchard. She had visited South Africa many years earlier and it was well known that she dreamed of returning to make a difference, perhaps working in an orphanage. Betty and her husband Ray raised a family and also fostered many other children for varying periods. When Ray passed away Betty's friends assumed she would be inextricably drawn back to Africa, but instead she took over the farm to secure her family's future. All the while she was wondering how she could fulfill her African dream. Actively involved with her local footy club, the Lyrup Lions, one day Betty was surfing the net for graphics to help with the club's promotions, when she stumbled across the London Lions and San Diego Lions - Australian Rules football clubs in England and the US. Like many, she had no idea that the game she loved was now widely played overseas. So began her interest in footy beyond Australia's shores.
In early 2005 a team of amateur footballers toured South Africa, and Betty joined the squad, videoing their three matches and three Auskick clinics. Originally one of her sons was to play, but the tour date moved and as irrigation manager he was needed on the family farm. Fortunately Betty still chose to go on the tour. "The Convicts" played against sides representing North West and Gauteng Provinces, and finished against the South African national side in Soweto. Upon returning to Australia Betty heard that AFL South Africa were trying to send a player to Australia on a scholarship. She contacted CEO Steve Harrison and offered to host a player and Steve was delighted to begin a selection process. After visa delays and much hard work by Steve and AFL South Africa Chairman (and former Melbourne player and Victorian Minister) Brian Dixon, Benji Motuba was selected as an excellent candidate and was headed for Australia.
Benji arrived in Adelaide in late June and travelled to Lyrup with Betty for the three month scholarship. He was quickly training and has begun playing for the Lions in the Riverland Football League. In his first game he played on the wing and was named fourth best in a narrow loss. The rollercoaster ride continues, as in his short stay he has also been to see Port Power defeat Melbourne before a crowd of 28000 at AAMI Stadium and attended the after match function where Port coach Mark Williams offered him the chance to experience a training run with the club. Benji has already watched an Adelaide Crows session, and will be involved in Auskick clinics and learning about the day to day running of the Lyrup club. He's pictured at left with his favourite player, the Power's Byron Pickett.
With the second International Cup to take place in Melbourne in early August, Benji has been named vice captain, behind Mtutuzeli Hlomela, another player with South Aussie connections. "Mtutu" spent a season with SANFL club Sturt in the under 19s back in 1998, also on a scholarship. From this contribution by the Double Blues 7 years ago, Mtutu has gone on to develop silky skills, founded a club in Soweto, and will take over as national coach for the Buffaloes when Steve Harrison finishes his work with AFL South Africa after the International Cup.
If you think all the aforementioned achievements and experiences would be overwhelming for Benji, think again. Still only 21 years old, what was most obvious when meeting him in Adelaide were his clear goals and sharp attention to every detail of football. He was anxious for feedback on the style of games played during the Convicts tour, and had spent his time at the Port Adelaide match analysing the play - obviously he is the modern day footballer, where tactics are seen as important as the physical skills of the sport.
From Roots to Fruits
Benji has many hopes for the future. Firstly he is determined to ensure that South Africa break through for their first international win at the upcoming Cup. He will then return to Lyrup (he's pictured at right with the team) for the remainder of the season, before heading home with plans to complete his final year of schooling. His dream then is to pursue sports management, with the hope of continuing the development of Aussie Rules, netball, handball and hockey. "The reason why I am choosing sports as my first priority is because sports has saved my life out of the streets". In fact this impressive young man goes so far as to say that the AIDS problem, devastating whole communities in his homeland, would be better fought with sport than the condoms which are now routinely handed out in a belated attempt to stop the disease (obviously both have a role). Benji sees sport as giving people hope and direction and as a key to encouraging healthier lifestyles and keeping kids away from dangers. He wants to develop sport from grassroots to fruits, that is give young boys and girls the chance to reach their full potential.
It's an ambitious dream, and will need support from many people. One wonders how many other clubs out there like Sturt and Lyrup can help fast track the development of a young Australian Rules footballer from another country? How many Betty Lloyds might come forward to ensure the sport has an international future, while doing something positive to help struggling communities abroad?
More by Brett Northey
More from Africa
Long trek from Itsoseng to Riverland for Buffaloes vice captain | 0 comments | Create New Account
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3904
|
__label__cc
| 0.731561
| 0.268439
|
A. No. There are three power authorities in New York State: the Power Authority of the State of New York (NYPA); the Green Island Power Authority; and the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA). The statute expressly provides that all three authorities are subject to the provisions of the Article 10 siting process for major electric generating facilities which they build or cause to be built.
A. The hearings will be conducted by a presiding examiner designated by the Department of Public Service. An associate examiner shall be designated by the Department of Environmental Conservation. The associate examiner will assist the presiding examiner in inquiring into and calling for testimony concerning relevant and material matters, and the conclusions and recommendations of the associate examiner will be incorporated in the recommended decision of the presiding examiner.
A. Yes. All proceedings on an application including a final decision by the Siting Board must be completed within 12 months from the date of a determination by the Chairperson that an application complies, except that the Siting Board may extend the deadline in extraordinary circumstances by no more than 6 months in order to give consideration to specific issues necessary to develop an adequate record. The board must render a final decision on the application by the aforementioned deadlines unless the deadlines are waived by the applicant.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3908
|
__label__wiki
| 0.570514
| 0.570514
|
CD of the Day, 10/31/06: Champagne Francis-I Start to Daydream
From the first hooky chorus of "Old Vampires", the leadoff track from Champagne Francis' sophomore release I Start to Daydream, you know you're in for power pop goodness, and the rest of it doesn't disappoint. CF are from New York City, but they sound like they hail from somewhere more sunny like California or Georgia, as they have kind of a west coast pop meets Athens, GA jangle feel. Although neither are from California or Georgia, the closest analog I hear is a combination of The Merrymakers and The Connells.
The first five tracks on this disc are as good as any you'll hear this year, capped off by the rocking "Burned to the Ground". The rest aren't exactly chopped liver either, especially "High Comedy" and the jangly "Walter". Listen at myspace here, sample more tracks at CD Baby, and buy it at Not Lame. You'll definitely get a kick from this Champagne.
Posted by Steve at 11:05 AM No comments:
The Damnwells are Damn Good.
I'm not going to write a full-blown review here, but I just want to point out The Damnwells' latest disc, Air Stereo, is really, really good. Damn good, I would say. Allmusic's review of the disc describes their sound as "somewhere between alternative country and alternative rock", and it's an apt description. The songs on this disc, which has grown on me over the last few weeks on random iPod play, are almost uniformly melodic, and I'd say they'd appeal greatly to fans of Del Amitri, Guster and The Gin Blossoms.
Since it's on a well-distributed (if not major) label, the disc can be found pretty cheaply used ($5-$6) on the Amazon marketplace. Four tracks from the disc are streaming at their myspace page. They're on tour right now with The Fray, so check em out when they come to town.
Posted by Steve at 1:53 PM 1 comment:
CD of the Day: 10/20/06: Lolas-Doctor Apache
Yes, boys and girls, the new Lolas disc is out, and Tim Boykin & Co. are back with another instant classic power pop album. When I saw the disc appear on CD Baby recently, I clicked on "add to cart" without even listening to the samples, so confident I am in this band to deliver the goods, and they didn't let me down.
Things start off with near-perfect jangle and harmonies of "Eye Eye". I should be comparing other bands to the Lolas than vice-versa, but this track might be the best Teenage Fanclub track they'll never record. "The Laurie Song" sounds like it could have come right off Revolver; "Me and Barbara Stanwyck" hails from Tories/Jellyfish territory (and I love its Disco Tex & The Sex-O-Lettes name drop); "Staying Inside" is 2:46 of textbook power pop; "The Selfish Song" effectively adds some new wave synths to the mix, and while "Nobodeh" may serve as the obligatory ballad, it's a damn good one. The disc closes as it begins, with the title track another perfect jangler, although a bit slower and contemplative in the Dylan/McGuinn mode.
The only place I'm seeing this disc for sale now is at CD Baby, although the Not Lames and Kool Kats of the world will surely have it soon. Sample it there as well (if you're not quite ready to buy on spec like I was), and you can stream "Eye Eye", "Barbara Stanwyck" and "Staying Inside" at their (somewhat hard-to-find) myspace page. Expect to see this fairly high on my next update of the top 33 1/3 of the year (which might just be my year-end top 100 since we're late into October).
Posted by Steve at 10:19 AM 1 comment:
Labels: Lolas
The Alpacas are Orgling on eMusic.
The LEO disc, which hits the street today, is also on eMusic as of this morning, along with an extra bonus track ("Money & Music").
Posted by Steve at 8:02 AM 7 comments:
We'll start the work week off with a handful of discs that are worth checking out:
The Lava Province-Strangeway. The Lava Province is actually SoCal's Laurens Vernot; the assumed name is probably a good idea, since the actual one sounds like a wine ("Yes, I'll have a bottle of your Laurens Vernot"). But perhaps it's appropriate, as his debut disc Strangeway will warm the palate of any power pop connoisseur, as it contains some vintage-sounding rock and pop tunes. It's not purely power pop, but it's not purely rock either. Standouts include the title track, "Back Here Again", "Let It Go On" and "Can't Keep Me Away". CD Baby | MySpace
The Atlantics-The Atlantics. The other day, we told you about The Ladies & Gentlemen, and about how they skillfully recreated the late 70s new wave/power pop sound. Well, here's the genuine article in the form of The Atlantics, who rocked the Boston area from 1976-1983. This disc is a collection of 13 tracks they committed to tape at the time, which finally get a proper CD release. It's high-quality material, and a great lost treasure. CD Baby | Not Lame | MySpace
Almost Charlie-Loving Counterclockwise. This German band certainly has an interesting backstory, which explains the band name:
To this day, musician/composer Dirk Homuth and lyricist Charlie Mason have never met. Yet they have still developed a successful creative songwriting collaboration via the Internet.
Gimmicks aside, this is a strong collection of dreampop in the vein of Belle & Sebastian, Kings of Convenience and others with a similar sound. Apparently, they've formed a more proper band and have a new disc coming out early next year, tracks from which are the ones featured at myspace. CD Baby | MySpace
Posted by Steve at 1:31 PM No comments:
Brewing up some good tunes.
Walter Clevenger probably needs no introduction to most of you (and for those of you who don't know him, that's what Google is for), and he runs the Brewery Records imprint. Brewery has two new discs out: The Tickets, and Sugar Mountain's In The Raw. The former is a lost power pop band from the late 80s and early 90s, and it's just great stuff, while the former is a new band who bring the rock in the tradition of the Stones, Faces, Crowes and Georgia Satellites. Not Lame has a super special on both, complete with full streaming of both discs. I know I can't stop listening.
"New" Mike Viola & Candy Butchers at Not Lame.
Two new Mike Viola-related releases are being featured over at Not Lame for pre-order. One is "Making Up Time", a collection of ten unreleased Candy Butchers tracks, and the other is a CD release of Viola's "Just Before Dark", an acoustic live gig that was released only on vinyl last year.
Both discs are streaming in their entirety, so head on over and listen. Personally, I can take or leave the acoustic disc, but the Candy Butchers disc really sounds good.
Video of the Day: Sloan-The Rest of My Life
While I continue to try to digest the 30 tracks on their brand new release Never Hear The End of It (in random rotation on my ipod, nothing has really jumped out at me yet), here's a video for "The Rest of My Life", the standout track from their previous release, 2003's Action Pact:
Posted by Steve at 12:53 PM 1 comment:
CD of the Day, 10/13/06: The Ladies & Gentlemen-Ladies and Gentlemen...
Chicago may be dealing with an early season snowstorm at the moment, but they've had their own blizzard of rocking new-wavy power pop to deal with for a while now, in the form of The Ladies & Gentlemen and their debut album Ladies and Gentlemen....The Ladies & Gentlemen (at least we know they spend more time on their music than titling their albums).
These guys have the classic high-energy new wave/power pop sound down just right, always sounding like they're ready to party like it's 1979. The Cars come to mind as an obvious antecedent, but they're a bit rawer and less stylized than Ocasek & Co. Standouts on the disc include "I Wanna Thank U", which has a "Stacy's Mom"-ish feel to it, in the same manner FoW were influenced by the Cars on that track; the opener "Nobody Home"; "Had Me at Hello", which takes a 90s catchphrase and adds some 60s harmonies to their late-70s sound; and the melodic "I Luv U, I Hate U".
The best thing about all of this is that you can listen to the entire album streaming at their site (click on "music"), so you don't have to take my word for it. And if you like it, it's ready for the buying at CD Baby.
Posted by Steve at 12:25 PM No comments:
Major label stuff I'm enjoying.
About 99.9% of the posts on this blog are focused on independent power pop; my primary focus is discovery of new or underpublicized acts, not as a review of all things power pop-related. Nevertheless, once in a while I feel compelled to tout some label releases of people you've probably heard of.
First off is Sean Lennon's Friendly Fire. I thought his first solo release, Into The Sun, was pretty mediocre, but I've consistently enjoyed this one. The sound here is somewhere between Jeff Hanson ("Elliott Smith on helium") and Elliott Smith himself. Of course since Elliott Smith's sound is derived in large part from solo John Lennon, you could just say that Sean is imitating his daddy. Regardless, the songs for the most part are really good, especially "Dead Meat" and "Parachutes".
Next is Ta-Dah, the sophomore (and somewhat sophomoric, but in a good way) effort from The Scissor Sisters. If "Take Your Mama Out" was one of your favorite songs of 2004 (it was for me), you'll like almost all of this disc, as the implied Elton John influence of the debut becomes an overt Elton influence (he helped pen one of the disc's standouts, the hit "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'", and "She's My Man" is a close cousin to "I'm Still Standing"). If you came of age in the late 70s (or even if you didn't), and didn't hate disco but appreciated some of its better efforts, then the Scissors are for you.
Finally, like many I thought that the Strokes' 2001 debut, Is This It, was a great disc despite all its affectations, and like many I've thought their subsequent two discs were largely crap. So it was with some trepdiation that I listened to Yours to Keep, the solo debut of bassist Albert Hammond Jr. But it was a pleasant surprise, much more in the power pop vein than the "new wave" influence in (what was at one point) the Strokes' sound. Right now, it's UK-only, but it's worth seeking out.
Comfies on eMusic!
Well, that didn't take long. The Comfies EP which I raved about a few days ago is now on eMusic. Great chance to snap it up for the equivalent of $1.75.
Posted by Steve at 8:30 AM No comments:
New at eMusic.
Nothing earthshattering this morning, but a couple to mention:
El Goodo-S/T. I mentioned this one way back in the first few days of the site when it appeared on Not Lame. It's very retro-sounding, with kind of a Mamas & Papas-type feel. There were links to a few free mp3s in my original post, so check those out first if you're interested.
And Normal Happiness, the latest from Robert Pollard (who seems to put out a new album every month), is available, although eMu isn't a great outlet for Pollard, since his 1:15 tracks cost you one download just the same as someone else's 4-5 minute song.
The Alpacas are Orgling at Not Lame.
It's almost time for the unleashing of one of the top power pop albums of the year: L.E.O.'s Alpacas Orgling, the "supergroup" Bleu has put together to record a "lost" ELO album. I don't have much more to add from my previous posts on the album from earlier in the year when it was slowly unveiled on myspace, but now that I have a promo copy of the disc (rather than captured myspace streams), I can tell you that it's a sonic delight as well, fitting for the densely produced Jeff Lynne sound it pays homage to.
So what I'm essentially saying here is "BUY IT!", and now you have a place to plunk down your cash: Not Lame, who has one of their patented ultrasupermegaextravanganva bonus offers in connection with the disc, which of course features a media player streaming the entire album. Best $14 + shipping you're going to spend this year. The pre-sale offer ends October 17, the street date of the disc, so don't waste any time pulling the trigger.
EP of the Day: The Comfies-Close to Me
We're all about follow-up here at Absolute Powerpop, and some of you may remember a few months ago I touted a band called The Comfies, but they had only released a couple of tracks on a compilation disc (when they were known as Harper) and hadn't had their own disc out yet.
Well, as you can tell from the title of this post and the pretty picture above, they do now, the EP Close to Me, which has an official street date of this Tuesday, October 10. Only two of the tracks ("Medicine", "Your Sunshine") were familiar from their earlier myspace offerings, so I'll highlight the "new" stuff. The title track is a great slice of power pop, and I emphasize the "power". I threw the Superdrag comparison around quite a bit in the previous post, and it continues to apply. They're also reminiscent of their label mates The Rewinds, and just might be joining them and bands like Edmund's Crown in the burgeoning subgenre of "Southern power pop". "That's What She Gets" follows the title track, and it's another melodic gem, a midtempo number rocks yet has a Posies/Teenage Fanclub to it. "In My Room" isn't a cover of the Beach Boys classic and doesn't sound like Brian Wilson at all, but it's yet another great midtempo track (that rocks in the middle eight), and features some nice female harmonies. There's really not a bad track on this EP, and the acoustic one-and-a-half minute track "Dear Miss Anderson" is a nice coda.
Check out "Close to Me" as well as the two older tracks at their myspace page, and you can order it here for the reasonable price of $6.98. I won't be surprised to see it popping up at Not Lame and Kool Kat before long as well. It's gratifying to see that my instincts on these guys were right, and they've come through with a true EP of the Year candidate.
Posted by Steve at 12:59 PM 2 comments:
New release Tuesday on eMusic.
A few notables added this morning:
Pernice Brothers-Live a Little. You know where we stand on this one. Download it.
Also added were two Rainbow Quartz releases, one from an old standby and another from a new band. The vets are psych-poppers Outrageous Cherry, and Stay Happy is their new one.
The other is the self-titled debut of The Summer Wardrobe, who describe their sound as "ambient Southern rock" and who have "been compared to bands such as Pink Floyd, the Church, Mercury Rev and Luna", "yet has its own unique sound that draws from a diverse panoply of influences".
CD of the Day, 10/31/06: Champagne Francis-I Start...
CD of the Day, 10/13/06: The Ladies & Gentlemen-La...
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3910
|
__label__wiki
| 0.655417
| 0.655417
|
Search by discipline, school, or person.
The London School of Economics (officially The London School of Economics and Political Science, often referred to as LSE) is a public research university located in London, England, and a constituent college of the federal University of London. Founded in 1895 by Fabian Society members Sidney Webb, Beatrice Webb, Graham Wallas, and George Bernard Shaw for the betterment of society, LSE joined the University of London in 1900 and established its first degree courses under the auspices of the University in 1901. The LSE started awarding its own degrees in 2008, prior to which it awarded degrees of the University of London.(source)
InfluenceRank™ (about)
Influence Over Time
George Soros (73.86)
Bertrand Russell (71.12)
Lionel Robbins, Baron Robbins (68.81)
Friedrich Hayek (65.12)
Beatrice Webb (64.88)
John Richard Hicks (63.79)
A. V. Dicey (63.20)
Karl Popper (61.66)
Harold Laski (60.88)
David Harvey (60.58)
economics (75.33) #4 (Worldwide)
econometrics (21.06) #10 (Worldwide)
agricultural economics (20.68) #4 (Worldwide)
social choice theory (19.27) #2 (Worldwide)
keynesian economics (19.19) #3 (Worldwide)
welfare economics (19.17) #4 (Worldwide)
financial economics (19.15) #4 (Worldwide)
environmental economics (19.13) #2 (Worldwide)
classical economics (19.11) #3 (Worldwide)
international economics (19.11) #5 (Worldwide)
neoclassical economics (19.10) #3 (Worldwide)
information economics (19.09) #5 (Worldwide)
feminist economics (19.09) #1 (Worldwide)
public finance (19.09) #3 (Worldwide)
anarchist economics (19.09) #4 (Worldwide)
macroeconomics (19.06) #7 (Worldwide)
monetary economics (19.05) #6 (Worldwide)
socialist economics (19.04) #5 (Worldwide)
marxian economics (19.04) #4 (Worldwide)
entrepreneurial economics (19.04) #8 (Worldwide)
microeconomics (19.04) #7 (Worldwide)
austrian economics (19.03) #5 (Worldwide)
labor economics (19.01) #8 (Worldwide)
behavioral economics (18.99) #8 (Worldwide)
consumer economics (18.99) #8 (Worldwide)
mathematical economics (18.96) #10 (Worldwide)
managerial economics (18.93) #14 (Worldwide)
energy economics (18.92) #11 (Worldwide)
socioeconomics (18.92) #14 (Worldwide)
neuroeconomics (18.91) #17 (Worldwide)
history (64.81) #15 (Worldwide)
modern history (38.76) #11 (Worldwide)
economic history (34.35) #7 (Worldwide)
european history (23.23) #10 (Worldwide)
medieval studies (20.26) #83 (Worldwide)
asian history (19.05) #4 (Worldwide)
world history (18.88) #12 (Worldwide)
russian history (18.88) #14 (Worldwide)
political history (18.86) #14 (Worldwide)
environmental history (18.83) #28 (Worldwide)
australian history (18.82) #22 (Worldwide)
intellectual history (18.81) #37 (Worldwide)
indian history (18.80) #44 (Worldwide)
ancient history (18.80) #41 (Worldwide)
american history (18.80) #46 (Worldwide)
african history (18.79) #60 (Worldwide)
ecclesiastical history (18.79) #39 (Worldwide)
biblical history (18.78) #151 (Worldwide)
sociology (61.39) #5 (Worldwide)
sexology (25.05) #20 (Worldwide)
sociobiology (20.55) #4 (Worldwide)
feminist sociology (19.09) #5 (Worldwide)
social engineering (19.01) #8 (Worldwide)
women's studies (19.01) #4 (Worldwide)
leisure studies (19.01) #17 (Worldwide)
organizational studies (18.98) #7 (Worldwide)
comparative sociology (18.98) #11 (Worldwide)
environmental sociology (18.97) #10 (Worldwide)
conflict theory (18.96) #10 (Worldwide)
ethnic studies (18.94) #11 (Worldwide)
mathematical sociology (18.94) #13 (Worldwide)
cultural sociology (18.92) #11 (Worldwide)
digital sociology (18.90) #18 (Worldwide)
applied sociology (18.90) #13 (Worldwide)
urban studies (18.88) #13 (Worldwide)
analytical sociology (18.88) #18 (Worldwide)
gender studies (18.86) #13 (Worldwide)
victimology (18.84) #32 (Worldwide)
law (61.04) #39 (Worldwide)
jurisprudence (32.45) #77 (Worldwide)
international law (18.92) #15 (Worldwide)
administrative law (18.91) #8 (Worldwide)
substantive law (18.88) #12 (Worldwide)
sharia law (18.83) #25 (Worldwide)
constitutional law (18.82) #28 (Worldwide)
labor law (18.81) #29 (Worldwide)
common law (18.81) #18 (Worldwide)
jewish law (18.81) #38 (Worldwide)
tax law (18.80) #66 (Worldwide)
family law (18.80) #53 (Worldwide)
criminal procedure (18.80) #67 (Worldwide)
criminal law (18.80) #68 (Worldwide)
contract law (18.79) #52 (Worldwide)
canon law (18.79) #52 (Worldwide)
civil law (18.79) #82 (Worldwide)
property law (18.79) #106 (Worldwide)
corporate law (18.79) #119 (Worldwide)
environmental law (18.78) #119 (Worldwide)
tort law (18.78) #102 (Worldwide)
procedural law (18.78) #143 (Worldwide)
anthropology (58.65) #8 (Worldwide)
ethnography (29.83) #8 (Worldwide)
archeology (27.82) #59 (Worldwide)
cultural anthropology (19.93) #8 (Worldwide)
population geography (19.56) #1 (Worldwide)
social anthropology (19.15) #2 (Worldwide)
religion and geography (18.98) #10 (Worldwide)
biological anthropology (18.94) #9 (Worldwide)
linguistic anthropology (18.87) #19 (Worldwide)
physical anthropology (18.85) #20 (Worldwide)
business (57.25) #18 (Worldwide)
management (41.47) #14 (Worldwide)
finance (37.53) #5 (Worldwide)
entrepreneurship (32.61) #39 (Worldwide)
accounting (29.28) #30 (Worldwide)
sales (21.04) #40 (Worldwide)
marketing (19.11) #39 (Worldwide)
risk management (18.88) #13 (Worldwide)
international business (18.85) #11 (Worldwide)
logistics (18.83) #9 (Worldwide)
supply chain management (18.83) #30 (Worldwide)
philosophy (55.68) #21 (Worldwide)
anarchism (22.20) #32 (Worldwide)
ethics (21.90) #29 (Worldwide)
epistemology (21.39) #19 (Worldwide)
analytic philosophy (20.25) #16 (Worldwide)
animal rights (20.15) #28 (Worldwide)
metaphysics (19.23) #27 (Worldwide)
mathematical logic (18.87) #15 (Worldwide)
social philosophy (18.87) #14 (Worldwide)
environmental ethics (18.84) #26 (Worldwide)
normative ethics (18.84) #23 (Worldwide)
marxism (18.83) #23 (Worldwide)
libertarianism (18.83) #20 (Worldwide)
consequentialism (18.83) #25 (Worldwide)
continental philosophy (18.83) #32 (Worldwide)
applied ethics (18.82) #29 (Worldwide)
ontology (18.82) #30 (Worldwide)
bioethics (18.82) #35 (Worldwide)
virtue ethics (18.82) #28 (Worldwide)
aristotelianism (18.81) #22 (Worldwide)
modern philosophy (18.81) #33 (Worldwide)
aesthetics (18.81) #49 (Worldwide)
metaethics (18.81) #41 (Worldwide)
teleology (18.81) #44 (Worldwide)
platonism (18.80) #37 (Worldwide)
eastern philosophy (18.80) #47 (Worldwide)
scholasticism (18.79) #67 (Worldwide)
medieval philosophy (18.78) #82 (Worldwide)
ancient philosophy (18.78) #61 (Worldwide)
feminist philosophy (18.77) #337 (Worldwide)
political science (53.75) #7 (Worldwide)
human rights (41.83) #9 (Worldwide)
asian studies (21.04) #22 (Worldwide)
military geography (19.43) #2 (Worldwide)
political geography (19.15) #3 (Worldwide)
international affairs (19.03) #6 (Worldwide)
social justice (18.99) #3 (Worldwide)
political economy (18.99) #7 (Worldwide)
global studies (18.96) #13 (Worldwide)
public policy (18.95) #7 (Worldwide)
russian studies (18.94) #8 (Worldwide)
government (18.91) #5 (Worldwide)
policing (18.91) #14 (Worldwide)
mathematics (52.13) #52 (Worldwide)
statistics (40.83) #15 (Worldwide)
logic (23.97) #22 (Worldwide)
topology (20.21) #153 (Worldwide)
actuarial science (19.35) #141 (Worldwide)
geometry (18.84) #90 (Worldwide)
set theory (18.83) #37 (Worldwide)
game theory (18.82) #34 (Worldwide)
algebra (18.80) #124 (Worldwide)
combinatorics (18.79) #76 (Worldwide)
applied mathematics (18.79) #76 (Worldwide)
operations research (18.79) #85 (Worldwide)
probability theory (18.79) #72 (Worldwide)
real analysis (18.79) #86 (Worldwide)
graph theory (18.79) #103 (Worldwide)
systems analysis (18.79) #79 (Worldwide)
ring theory (18.78) #102 (Worldwide)
complexity theory (18.78) #96 (Worldwide)
linear algebra (18.78) #128 (Worldwide)
number theory (18.78) #120 (Worldwide)
functional analysis (18.78) #142 (Worldwide)
measure theory (18.78) #123 (Worldwide)
differential geometry (18.78) #144 (Worldwide)
differential topology (18.78) #144 (Worldwide)
mathematical physics (18.78) #165 (Worldwide)
algebraic topology (18.78) #152 (Worldwide)
group theory (18.78) #152 (Worldwide)
chaos theory (18.78) #127 (Worldwide)
complex analysis (18.78) #193 (Worldwide)
mathematical finance (18.78) #171 (Worldwide)
differential equations (18.78) #236 (Worldwide)
field theory (18.78) #183 (Worldwide)
algebraic geometry (18.77) #235 (Worldwide)
harmonic analysis (18.77) #284 (Worldwide)
psychology (44.20) #58 (Worldwide)
psychoanalysis (26.81) #44 (Worldwide)
social psychology (22.45) #19 (Worldwide)
parapsychology (19.54) #75 (Worldwide)
educational psychology (19.13) #123 (Worldwide)
clinical psychology (18.94) #270 (Worldwide)
evolutionary psychology (18.91) #12 (Worldwide)
criminal psychology (18.82) #32 (Worldwide)
cognitive psychology (18.81) #50 (Worldwide)
psychometrics (18.80) #55 (Worldwide)
personality psychology (18.80) #67 (Worldwide)
positive psychology (18.80) #50 (Worldwide)
developmental psychology (18.79) #88 (Worldwide)
neuropsychology (18.78) #112 (Worldwide)
abnormal psychology (18.78) #113 (Worldwide)
counseling (18.78) #127 (Worldwide)
applied psychology (18.78) #144 (Worldwide)
experimental psychology (18.78) #158 (Worldwide)
behavioral neuroscience (18.78) #170 (Worldwide)
industrial and organizational psychology (18.77) #206 (Worldwide)
computer science (36.93) #111 (Worldwide)
artificial intelligence (26.85) #26 (Worldwide)
programming (20.88) #240 (Worldwide)
software engineering (20.51) #96 (Worldwide)
cognitive science (19.56) #71 (Worldwide)
information systems (19.02) #2 (Worldwide)
data science (19.01) #53 (Worldwide)
game development (18.97) #241 (Worldwide)
information technology (18.82) #24 (Worldwide)
computational neuroscience (18.81) #47 (Worldwide)
computational intelligence (18.81) #48 (Worldwide)
cloud computing (18.80) #51 (Worldwide)
informatics (18.79) #108 (Worldwide)
internet of things (18.79) #86 (Worldwide)
neural networks (18.79) #90 (Worldwide)
automated reasoning (18.78) #84 (Worldwide)
big data (18.78) #99 (Worldwide)
machine learning (18.78) #109 (Worldwide)
information security (18.78) #112 (Worldwide)
internet security (18.78) #109 (Worldwide)
data mining (18.78) #134 (Worldwide)
fuzzy logic (18.78) #68 (Worldwide)
algorithms (18.78) #166 (Worldwide)
information theory (18.78) #126 (Worldwide)
human-computer interaction (18.78) #169 (Worldwide)
database (18.78) #233 (Worldwide)
information management (18.78) #212 (Worldwide)
compilers (18.78) #200 (Worldwide)
networking (18.78) #258 (Worldwide)
object-oriented programming (18.77) #196 (Worldwide)
computer engineering (18.77) #248 (Worldwide)
network security (18.77) #205 (Worldwide)
parallel computing (18.77) #245 (Worldwide)
theoretical computer science (18.77) #326 (Worldwide)
operating systems (18.77) #345 (Worldwide)
computer graphics (18.77) #411 (Worldwide)
engineering (31.84) #458 (Worldwide)
mechanical engineering (20.42) #411 (Worldwide)
civil engineering (20.39) #429 (Worldwide)
aerospace engineering (20.26) #183 (Worldwide)
aviation (20.07) #451 (Worldwide)
electrical engineering (19.27) #639 (Worldwide)
metallurgy (19.13) #426 (Worldwide)
crystallography (18.86) #223 (Worldwide)
cybernetics (18.83) #164 (Worldwide)
robotics (18.81) #435 (Worldwide)
systems engineering (18.80) #281 (Worldwide)
bioengineering (18.77) #380 (Worldwide)
quality control (18.77) #444 (Worldwide)
biology (29.65) #243 (Worldwide)
neuroscience (28.54) #80 (Worldwide)
zoology (27.95) #292 (Worldwide)
genetics (24.49) #190 (Worldwide)
ecology (22.56) #209 (Worldwide)
paleontology (22.43) #301 (Worldwide)
parasitology (22.43) #111 (Worldwide)
physiology (20.88) #308 (Worldwide)
evolutionary biology (20.75) #63 (Worldwide)
molecular biology (20.54) #208 (Worldwide)
microbiology (20.50) #408 (Worldwide)
botany (20.48) #721 (Worldwide)
anatomy (20.24) #310 (Worldwide)
endocrinology (19.63) #178 (Worldwide)
biochemistry (19.58) #758 (Worldwide)
pathology (19.37) #560 (Worldwide)
developmental biology (18.98) #90 (Worldwide)
virology (18.98) #503 (Worldwide)
bioinformatics (18.94) #398 (Worldwide)
immunology (18.91) #637 (Worldwide)
cell biology (18.90) #359 (Worldwide)
biotechnology (18.79) #802 (Worldwide)
origin of life (18.78) #175 (Worldwide)
systems biology (18.77) #230 (Worldwide)
systematics (18.77) #365 (Worldwide)
earth sciences (26.14) #10 (Worldwide)
geography (52.86) #7 (Worldwide)
geodesy (23.06) #68 (Worldwide)
meteorology (22.91) #181 (Worldwide)
hydrology (19.90) #98 (Worldwide)
glaciology (19.74) #105 (Worldwide)
soil science (19.35) #104 (Worldwide)
environmental science (19.11) #107 (Worldwide)
petrology (18.93) #123 (Worldwide)
physical geography (18.86) #26 (Worldwide)
tectonics (18.77) #191 (Worldwide)
chemistry (20.81) #1,030 (Worldwide)
oenology (23.10) #3 (Worldwide)
physics (20.45) #1,103 (Worldwide)
astronomy (19.77) #763 (Worldwide)
astrophysics (18.97) #723 (Worldwide)
nuclear physics (18.80) #677 (Worldwide)
cosmology (18.77) #906 (Worldwide)
religious studies (19.04) #226 (Worldwide)
theology (37.29) #173 (Worldwide)
ministry (18.77) #236 (Worldwide)
aramaic (18.77) #256 (Worldwide)
christian theology (18.77) #626 (Worldwide)
criminal justice (19.02) #2 (Worldwide)
criminology (42.64) #2 (Worldwide)
communication (18.81) #23 (Worldwide)
journalism (60.05) #17 (Worldwide)
public speaking (22.52) #34 (Worldwide)
rhetoric (19.76) #91 (Worldwide)
literature (18.78) #76 (Worldwide)
writing (65.29) #61 (Worldwide)
literary criticism (35.44) #120 (Worldwide)
philology (28.27) #170 (Worldwide)
grammar (21.64) #50 (Worldwide)
classical studies (21.57) #118 (Worldwide)
literary theory (19.80) #130 (Worldwide)
etymology (18.98) #71 (Worldwide)
psycholinguistics (18.98) #91 (Worldwide)
mythology (18.81) #98 (Worldwide)
health (18.77) #724 (Worldwide)
neurology (19.85) #320 (Worldwide)
neurosurgery (19.27) #280 (Worldwide)
surgery (19.21) #889 (Worldwide)
mental health (18.78) #101 (Worldwide)
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3912
|
__label__wiki
| 0.78536
| 0.78536
|
Returning Molyneux Hungrier Than Ever
New Stanley signing Lee Molyneux isn’t worried about any potential expectations on him as he makes his return to the Store First Stadium.
The 24-year-old scored eight goals in the last 12 games of last season to help the Reds stay in the Football League but isn’t getting too concerned about supporters wanting more of the same from his loan spell.
“I don’t mind a bit of pressure and some expectations,” explained the midfielder. “Pressure on me to score goals is a good, positive pressure and shows that people believe in my ability to put the ball in the net. Grabbing a few like I got last season would definitely be nice!
“I’ll have to work hard to get into the team but if I can I know the qualities I have and hopefully I can turn them into good performances and points for the team. Some things will happen, some won’t but I’ll be giving it everything on the pitch to make things happen.
“I hope that the supporters also remember the times last season when it wasn’t just about the goals. I think I had good performances when I didn’t score and I made things happen from on the wing, getting crosses in and assists for other people to score.”
Molyneux last started a game for parent club Crewe in October and admits that things haven’t gone to plan at Gresty Road but feels that could be a positive omen for his time at Stanley.
“It’s been tough to go from playing so regularly last year, especially towards the back end of the season, to being in and out. I just feel like I need a run of games and that’ll build some confidence and hopefully good performances on the pitch.
“Not playing does make you hungrier. Ultimately a player trains from Monday to Friday but the main day of the week is game day and that’s what you look forward to and prepare for. The night before you’re building yourself up for the game and I’ve missed that. It’s been tough but hopefully I’ll get some games here and get that feeling back.”
But don’t expect to see a different Lee Molyneux should he be given the nod against Bury at the weekend despite his experiences away from the club.
“Nothing has changed with me,” he said. “If the ball drops to me 30 yards out, I’ll be having a go! I did score a lot from range last season and I don’t think that’s a coincidence because I work hard on my shooting and my set pieces. I’m still working hard on them and hopefully there are more to come.”
There’s a full length interview with Lee Molyneux in Saturday’s edition of the official match day programme.
◂ Get the Shirt Off Molyneux’s Back
Preview: Bury Home ▸
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3913
|
__label__wiki
| 0.691142
| 0.691142
|
Gilbert House Children's Museum
Inspiring children to learn through creative play!
Hours + Admission
Plan a Kid-Friendly Trip to Salem, Oregon
Donate to Gilbert House
The Inventor’s Yard
Community Cooperation Membership
Homeschool Adventures
Coding For Kids Club
Summer Block Party
Gilbert House for Grown-ups
Discover the Wonder
Halloween at Gilbert House
“Noon” Year’s Eve Party!
Legacy of Play Day
About A.C. Gilbert
Coming up at Gilbert House Children’s Museum
Month January February March April May June July August September October November December Day 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Year 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
This project has been funded in part by a grant from Willamette Valley Visitor Association in utilization of Travel Oregon Regional Cooperative Tourism Program funds.
General: $8
Seniors (60+): $7
Military: $7
116 Marion St NE
Salem, OR, 97301
Getting to the Museum
We're located between Salem's Riverfront Park and Union Street! Click the map for directions.
Copyright © 2019 · Gilbert House Genesis on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in
Open 7 days a week for summer fun!
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3914
|
__label__wiki
| 0.858105
| 0.858105
|
Survey to Detect Corruption Levels...
Survey to Detect Corruption Levels
By SELAMAWIT MENGESAHA( FORTUNE STAFF WRITER )
The government will conduct a national survey in July to identify the most corruption-prone institutions and the overall level of corruption in the country.
The Federal Ethics & Anti-Corruption Commission will be conducting the third National Corruption Perception Survey with financing secured from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) under the Governance & Democratic Participation Programme (GDPP), a multi-year and multi-stakeholder programme launched in July 2017.
The survey will help the Commission measure the population’s experiences and attitudes on the nature and extent of corruption to identify how severe the problem is and to determine which institutions are highly susceptible, according to Tesfaye Shambo, director of reform and good governance at the Commission.
Expected to take half a year to complete, the survey is scheduled to commence on July 8, 2019, across all of the nine regional states and the two city administrations.
An international tender is underway jointly by the Commission and UNDP to hire a company to conduct the survey, which is in its final stages of completion, according to Tesfaye.
“We expect the hiring process to take up two months,” he said.
Once a company is hired, it will collect the information from six interviewee bases: public servants, religious leaders, workers at the non-governmental organisations, business leaders, job seekers and the business community, according to the Term of Reference (TOR) prepared by the Commission.
“No less than 10,000 people will be interviewed for the survey,” said Tesfaye. “We’ll prepare the sample survey based on a data we will obtain from the Central Statistical Agency.”
So far, the country had two similar surveys conducted by Addis Abeba University and Kilimanjaro Clinical Research Institute, a Tanzanian company. The World Bank Group financed both studies.
The last survey was conducted six years ago by Kilimanjaro with 10 million Br funding and showed that corruption was the third most severe problem in the country.
The survey has also revealed that the maximum level of corruption involved bribery of 2,000 Br and the justice system including the police and the courts were a major corruption-prone area followed by services providers at wereda and district levels, as well as the state electric power provider.
Ameha Mekonnen, a lawyer by profession and the board chairperson of the Ethiopian Human Rights Council, applauds the survey saying it could potentially show the level of the corruption in Ethiopia, which is known for grand corruption.
The 2018 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) released by Transparency International placed Ethiopia at 114 out of 180 countries. The report that ranks countries on a scale of zero for highly corrupt to 100 for the least corrupt awarded Ethiopia a score of 34.
“The most important thing is the actions to be taken based on the findings of the research,” he said. “All the necessary actions and remedies have to be taken to rectify the problem. “The Commission is a federal agency first established in 2001 with a mandate of running the gamut of prevention, investigation and prosecution of all forms of corruption in Ethiopia and prepares a national report on anti-corruption efforts across the country. But a significant portion of the power and responsibility of the Commission involving investigation and prosecution of all forms of corruption were stripped from its authority four years ago.
Currently, it works on advisory lable, preparing reports and receives complaints on government institutions to investigates cases and forward recommendations.
In the past nine months of the current fiscal year, the Commission has conducted 31 assessments and forwarded recommendations and is currently conducting 21 evaluations, according to Commissioner Ayelegn Mulualem.
Ministry Operationalises E-Payment System
PUBLISHED ON May 11,2019 [ VOL 20 , NO 993]
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3917
|
__label__wiki
| 0.988904
| 0.988904
|
U18s Premier Division
U18s Division 1
Information arrow-right Created with Sketch.
RFL Club Locator
http://www.therfl.co.uk/clubfinder/
Awards for All
http://www.awardsforall.org.uk/
Barclay's Spaces for Sport
http://www.barclays.com/community/spacesforsports/index.html
Biffaward
http://www.biffaward.org/
http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/
Cash4Clubs
http://www.cash-4-clubs.com/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/pudsey/
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/casc/
Foundation for Sports & Arts
http://www.thefsa.net/
Hull Youth Opportunities Fund
http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/portal/page?_pageid=221,283456&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL
Humberside Criminal Justice Board
http://lcjb.cjsonline.gov.uk/Humberside/home.html
Leeds Community Foundation
http://www.leedscommunityfoundation.org.uk/
National Council for Voluntary Organisations
http://www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/
Peope's Postcode Trust
http://www.postcodetrust.org.uk/
SPONSORBANK
http://www.sponsorbank.org.uk/
http://www.sportengland.org/
SportsAid
http://www.sportsaid.org.uk/
VC Train
http://www.vc-train.co.uk/index.php?doc_id=11
WREN Waste Recycling Environmental Limited
http://www.wren.org.uk/
BARLA
http://www.barla.org.uk/Splash.asp
BARLA On Tour
http://www.barlaontour.co.uk/
Hull & District Youth Rugby League Association
http://www.hullrugbyleague.com
RFL - Club Tour Information
http://www.therfl.co.uk/community_clubs/touring
Rugby Football League
http://www.therfl.co.uk/
West Riding Youth League (PITCHERO)
http://www.pitchero.com/rugby-league/leagues/west-riding-youth-league-297/
West Riding Youth Rugby League Association
http://www.westridingyouthamateurrugbyleague.btik.com/p_Home.ikml
Yorkshire Juniors Rugby League Associations
http://www.yorkshirejuniorsarl.co.uk/
Yorkshire Open Age
http://www.yorkshirearl.co.uk
Castleford & Featherstone Referees Society
http://www.bebo.com/Profile.jsp?MemberId=6673402717
Dewsbury & Batley Referees Society
http://www.freewebs.com/dewsburyandbatleyrefs/index.htm
East Yorkshire Referee Society
http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/eastyorkshirereffereessociety/
Halifax Referees Society
http://www.halifaxrlrefs.co.uk/home.php
Hull Referees Society
http://hullrlrefs.com/default.aspx
Leeds Referee Society
http://www.leedsrugbyrefs.com/
Wakefield Referees Society
http://www.wakefieldreferees.co.uk/
RL News
HOTSHOTS - Youth Rugby League
http://www.sporthull.co.uk/hotshots/rugbyleague/news
http://www.leaguenews.co.uk/
http://www.mpldigital.com/login-paid
Rugby League Dot Com
http://www.rugbyleague.com
TotalRL.com
http://www.totalrl.com/home/index.php
Hull Schools Rugby
http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/hullschoolsrugbyleague/
Hull & East Yorkshire's Sporting Heroes and Champions
http://www.heysportsawards.co.uk/index.php
Yorkshire Youth Rugby League newsletter
Keep up-to-date with our exclusive email newsletters.
Yorkshire Youth Rugby League
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3918
|
__label__wiki
| 0.734641
| 0.734641
|
Latest News » Arts
Notre Dame Theater Performance Explores Disability
Author: Chris Milazzo
Categories: Faculty News, Arts, and General News
Electronic music roars and pulsates throughout the theatre. On stage, a blind man paces, struggling to escape the ring of steel bars that confine him. Meanwhile, a stern figure in a sleek suit and sunglasses stands guard. When the lights dim and dialogue begins to flash above the stage from an overhead projector, one thing is clear: This production of John Milton’s Samson Agonistes is far from ordinary.
Notre Dame to Celebrate International Education Week Nov. 14 to 18
Author: McKenna Pencak
Categories: Faculty News, Arts, Internationalism, Centers and Institutes, and General News
Each year, International Student Services & Activities (ISSA), in conjunction with other campus departments and organizations, hosts International Education Week (IEW) at the University of Notre Dame. IEW is a national event that is coordinated by the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education to celebrate and promote global exchange between the United States and other countries. This year, IEW will take place November 14 to 18 (Monday to Friday).
Graphic Designer Robert Sedlack Wins Pair of National Awards
Author: Kate Cohorst
Categories: Faculty News, Arts, Alumni, and General News
Robert Sedlack, an associate professor in Notre Dame’s Department of Art, Art History and Design, recently won two American Graphic Design Awards for University-related projects. Graphic Design USA magazine honored Sedlack ’89 for his work on the Parallel Currents exhibition catalogue for the University’s Snite Museum of Art and for Words for Painting, an artist’s monograph showcasing the work of Notre Dame Assistant Professor Jason Lahr.
Playwright and Theatre Scholar Gives Voice to Lost Stories
Categories: Faculty News, Arts, Centers and Institutes, and General News
Intersecting cultures. Family heritage. Art. Love. Money. All these themes work their way onstage in Provenance, a new play by Anne García-Romero, a Moreau Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Notre Dame’s Department of Film, Television and Theatre (FTT).
Shakespeare a “Fakespeare”? Notre Dame Expert Says Idea “Pitifully Silly”
Is the Bard a fraud? Is someone other than William Shakespeare the true author of the some of the most revered works of English literature, as the upcoming movie Anonymous suggests? “Absolutely not,” according to University of Notre Dame Shakespeare expert Peter Holland, the McMeel Family Chair in Shakespeare Studies and Associate Dean for the Arts.
Student Documentaries Continue Winning After Graduation
Categories: Arts, Alumni, Undergraduate News, and General News
A pair of documentaries by 2011 graduates of Notre Dame’s Department of Film, Television, and Theatre are “cleaning up” on the film festival circuit.
Notre Dame Band Wins Sudler Trophy
Author: Notre Dame News
The University of Notre Dame Band will be presented with the prestigious Sudler Trophy at halftime of the Notre Dame vs. Air Force game on Saturday, October 8 in Notre Dame Stadium. The Sudler Trophy is considered the Heisman trophy of college bands.
Olivier Morel Shares Veteran Stories in Class and on Film
Author: Sara Burnett
Olivier Morel was in his car one day when a story came on the radio about suicide among veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. According to the report, eight to 10 veterans were taking their own lives each day. The news was like a punch in the stomach for Morel, a Notre Dame faculty member whose research focuses on fiction and trauma. “I was trembling,” he recalls. “I was angry, and I felt helpless … I was thinking, ‘This is unacceptable.’”
New Graduate Minor Focuses on Screen Culture
Author: Susan Love Loughmiller
There is growing recognition in academia that “screen literacy” is a valuable asset for many scholars—especially those who teach language and literature. To help develop this skill set, the University of Notre Dame’s Department of Film, Television, and Theatre (FTT) has created a new graduate minor in screen cultures. It is open to students in any Notre Dame graduate program.
Notre Dame 2011-12 Theatre Season Opens Sept. 30
Author: Paul Murphy
The University of Notre Dame’s Department of Film, Television, and Theatre (FTT) will present four plays in its 2011-12 season, beginning Thursday, September 29, with The Secret in the Wings by Mary Zimmerman.
FTT Internships Offer Inside Look at Industry Careers
Author: Joanna Basile
Categories: Arts, Alumni, and General News
Meet the Press. Steppenwolf Theatre Company. NBCUniversal. MTV. National Geographic. The Jimmy Kimmel Show. CNN. Entertainment One. NFL Films. Television stations from coast to coast. These are just some of the places where students in the Department of Film, Television, and Theatre (FTT) intern as undergraduates, developing industry experience, making invaluable contacts, and getting exposure to a wide variety of career opportunities.
Alumnus Choreographs Own Career
Author: Andrew Vanden Bossche
Jason Laws is a man who writes his own story. When the job he wanted didn’t exist, he created it. Since receiving his political science degree from the University of Notre Dame in 2007, Laws has built a successful career in Chicago as a commercial choreographer, creative director and producer. He’s also carved a niche for himself creating flash mobs—a concept that wasn’t even invented until 2003.
Design Alumnus Turns Artists’ Visions Into Reality
Author: Aaron Smith
Categories: Arts, Internationalism, Alumni, and General News
At this summer’s Venice Biennale—often called the Olympics of the contemporary art world—the U.S. pavilion features a musical ATM, a treadmill atop an upside-down World War II tank, and gymnasts performing routines on airline seats. It was Notre Dame graduate David Hunt’s job to turn the unusual visions of Puerto Rico-based artists Jennifer Allora and Guillermo Calzadilla into reality.
Christine Becker Book on Film Stars Wins International Prize
Categories: Faculty News, Arts, Internationalism, and General News
Christine Becker, an associate professor in the University of Notre Dame’s Department of Film, Television, and Theatre, has received the 2011 Michael Nelson Prize from the International Association for Media and History for her book It’s the Pictures that Got Small: Hollywood Film Stars on 1950’s Television.
Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival to Perform at International Event
Author: Christine Sopczynski
The Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival (NDSF) will present Pericles by William Shakespeare as part of the 2011 International Youth Arts Festival from July 3 through 11, 2011. Directed by NDSF Ryan Producing Artistic Director Jay Paul Skelton, the production features an international cast and crew that includes two students from the Department of Film, Television, and Theatre.
Senior’s Interactive Toy Design May Aid Children with Autism
Author: Kate Garry
Categories: Arts, Research, Undergraduate News, and General News
When Notre Dame senior Dan Jacobs signed up for an elective while studying in London last year, he wasn’t expecting that his course selection—seemingly unrelated to his industrial design major—would spark the idea for his B.F.A. thesis project, or potentially help thousands of children.
Two Notre Dame Seniors Research Fan Influence and Pop Culture
Categories: Arts, Research, and General News
To explore the interplay between one television director’s work and the fan culture it inspires, Notre Dame seniors Stephanie DePrez and Ellie Hall traveled to Southern California on Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program grants from the College of Arts and Letters’ Institute for Scholarship in the Liberal Arts.
"Proof" of Participation: Students Take Big Roles Behind the Scenes
Raise the curtain, cue the lights, and enter our scene: an actress who discovers a hidden passion for costume design, a dedicated designer who seizes a prime opportunity, and the department where it all happens. This is the true story of seniors Lucy Lavely and Robert Jenista, theatre students in the Department of Film, Television, and Theatre (FTT), who played major design roles in the spring 2011 production of Proof.
Student Film Selected for Los Angeles Film Festival
Author: Chris Sopczynski
Categories: Arts, Undergraduate News, and General News
The Elect, a documentary by University of Notre Dame undergraduates Erin Zacek and Dan Moore, has been selected to screen at the prestigious Los Angeles Film Festival.
Film Student Shines Internationally and at Home
Filming in and around 8,000 sheep, directing first-time actors who also happen to be immediate family, and scrambling across badger-ravaged fields on dark December nights—it’s all part of the movie-making process for senior Film, Television, and Theatre student Javi Zubizarreta.
Notre Dame Chorale Prepares for Papal Audience
Author: Kevin Clarke
Categories: Arts, Catholicism, Internationalism, and General News
“Toi, toi, toi” is a superstitious invocation of opera singers, meant to encourage a winning performance before taking the stage. “We don’t say, ‘Break a leg,’” fifth-year senior and University of Notre Dame Chorale member Joshua Diaz explains. Diaz might be hearing that old stage charm at an extraordinary venue later this month—the Basilica of St. Peter in Rome—where he and about 50 other members of the Notre Dame Chorale are scheduled to perform for Pope Benedict XVI and the bishops and pilgrims in attendance at a general audience on May 25, 2011.
Senior Poses Triple Threat in Music, Theatre, and Design
It has been “a blessing and a journey”—and one that happened almost by chance, says Notre Dame senior Ryan Belock, whose passion for the arts led him to pursue majors in music and graphic design and theatre.
Students Honored in National Poster Design Contest
Categories: Faculty News, Arts, Undergraduate News, and General News
In the Department of Art, Art History, and Design, graphic design students learn to combine visual arts and technology in a way that transcends words and pictures. Recently, several of those students flexed their technical and creative muscles in the Poster Clash contest hosted by the American Institute of Graphic Arts. The results were impressive.
Design Students Develop Luggage for Kenneth Cole
A group of advanced industrial and graphic design students at Notre Dame dove into commercial design this semester, working with Kenneth Cole and Heritage Travelware to develop new luggage concepts, many of which will be put into production for retail sale.
Notre Dame Hosts Undergraduate Film and Television Conference
The University of Notre Dame Department of Film, Television, and Theatre will host the fifth annual Notre Dame Undergraduate Film and Television Conference (formerly the Midwest Undergraduate Film and Television Conference) April 1 and 2 (Friday and Saturday) in the Browning Cinema of the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center.
FTT to Present Shakespeare's The Two Gentlemen of Verona
The University of Notre Dame Department of Film, Television and Theatre (FTT), in partnership with the Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival, will present William Shakespeare’s The Two Gentlemen of Verona April 5 to 10 (Tuesday to Sunday) in the Decio Mainstage Theatre of the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center.
2011 Asian Film Festival Focuses on Japanese Anime
Categories: Arts, Internationalism, Centers and Institutes, and General News
Ninjas, mysterious dream worlds, and evil social-networking sites are among the themes that will play out on the big screen this weekend during the University of Notre Dame’s seventh annual Asian Film Festival and Conference. Presented by the Kellogg Institute for International Studies and the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center March 25-26, the festival will showcase five recent animated films from Japan, including two from internationally acclaimed director Satoshi Kon.
First Year a Success for Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study
Author: Renee Hochstetler
Categories: General News, Research, Centers and Institutes, Internationalism, Catholicism, and Arts
What must we change in order to help us bridge the gap between the world as it is, and the world as it should be? In its first year, the Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study (NDIAS)—inspired by the classical values of beauty, goodness and truth—began transforming the academic landscape through an annual conference, lecture series and fellowships.
The Art Bulletin Names Kathleen Pyne Essay Among Century’s Best
According to The Art Bulletin’s recent centennial anthology, Kathleen Pyne’s 1996 article on Charles Freer is one of the top 32 essays “that made a difference to us as art historians and as people”—considered among the “greatest hits” since the journal’s debut.
Previous 1 … 5 6 7 8 9 Next
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3920
|
__label__cc
| 0.712405
| 0.287595
|
Distribution / Circulation
Letter from the Publisher
Submit Editorial Content
Advertising Overview
Natural Awakenings New York Capital District
Healing Ways
Fit Body
Look for Us
Natural Directory
Home / Uncategorized / Massage Provides an Array of Career Options
Massage Provides an Array of Career Options
by Erin Lehn Floresca
The Center For Natural Wellness School of Massage Therapy (CNW), in Albany, offers a comprehensive program of study which carefully balances the art and science of therapeutic massage. “We believe that a dynamic therapist is one who combines knowledge and excellent bodywork, while honoring the transformation energy of loving touch,” explains Admissions Director Alexandra J. Joseph. “I think we’re an ideal match for anybody seeking a healthy lifestyle career in bodywork, and we love helping them get started on this journey.”
According to Joseph, most of the students in their massage program leave an unfulfilling job or have a strong life event that changed their thoughts about the ways they could serve others. “They needed to help in a way that felt nourishing to them, and helping people can mean so many things. Do you want to help people recover from sports injuries, or are you called to help babies in NICU? End of life patients? Oncology patients? Stressed moms with postpartum depression? All of these are possibilities as a massage therapist, and we highly encourage our students spend time exploring all possible options.”
CNW’s mission, in addition to preparing students to meet and exceed the requirements of the New York state licensing exam for massage therapy, is to help promote health and wellness in the community. They accomplish that goal in a variety of ways. “We have both a full-time and part-time massage therapy program, along with an onsite massage therapy student clinic. One-hour massages are just $40, and we have discounts available for veterans, seniors and students,” says Joseph.
In addition, the school hosts classes and other events to promote a healthy lifestyle. “We focus a lot on preventative and self-care, while stressing the importance of taking care of yourself—especially if you’re injured,” notes Joseph. “We want people to realize it is okay to take care of themselves. For instance, is your back chronically hurting you? Why is that? Do you sit too long at work? Our classes promote light stretching, self-massage techniques and other ways to care for our bodies while we’re at work, home or play.”
She points out that many of us don’t think about making helpful accommodations in the way we perform a routine task or function such as sitting at our desk at work or doing dishes at home until it becomes a problem. “It’s rarely a consideration until you’re stuck in it. Once you’re in it, you need to figure out how to manage it. And we can help you discover ways to feel more comfortable and at ease doing the things you need to do,” says Joseph. “We highly encourage self-nourishing behaviors. We believe that the most effective bodyworkers and healers are the ones that are the most self-aware.”
Joseph affirms that there is a lot to love about the school, and she enjoys sharing the CNW story with the community, noting, “With our strong focus on self-care, the open environment where we’re constantly learning new things, the amazing staff and students, it’s just a wonderful environment.”
The school’s bimonthly Massage Exploration Evenings are popular events. “Did you know there are over 60 different recognized modalities of massage therapy? During these classes, we go into more detail about the style and philosophy of a particular modality, as each have their own benefits,” says Joseph. “Shiatsu, for instance, is a wonderful therapy for anybody managing injuries, as it works with the body’s meridians, helping to clear energy blocks and restore overall balance.”
CNW School of Massage Therapy will be co-hosting A Day of Natural Beauty with Natural Awakenings on November 4. “It’s just another wonderful way we can connect with the community and promote wellness,” says Joseph. “Our goal is that everybody who we meet leads a more healthy, positive life for themselves. Our busy lives can take a toll, and it’s time we turned the tables and made it acceptable to practice self-care. We only have one body! Let’s take care of it.”
The Center For Natural Wellness School of Massage Therapy is located at 3 Cerone Commercial Dr., in Albany. For more information, visit cnwsmt.com.
Previous Massage Makes the Perfect Holiday Gift
Next Free Natural Beauty Day
Find Us, Like Us, Follow Us
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3922
|
__label__wiki
| 0.709315
| 0.709315
|
Category Archives: Witchfinder General
Witchfinder General – Death Penalty (1982)
Posted on October 20, 2018 by allerlei2013riffmaster
Witchfinder General was a heavy metal band from Stourbridge, England. They were part of the new wave of British heavy metal scene and have been cited as a major influence on the doom metal genre. They were named after the 1968 British horror film Witchfinder General.
Witchfinder General formed in 1979 by Zeeb Parkes & Phil Cope in Stourbridge, England, as part of the new wave of British heavy metal movement during the early 1980s. They were strongly influenced by Black Sabbath, and are widely recognised today as one of the pioneers of the doom metal style. The band’s importance became acknowledged mostly after they disbanded.
The band (minus vocalist & writer Zeeb Parkes) reformed in November 2006, with new vocalist Gary Martin. In 2007 the band released Buried Amongst the Ruins, a compilation CD featuring the “Burning a Sinner” single, the Soviet Invasion EP, and four live tracks including a live version of the unreleased track “Phantasmagorical”. Whilst stating they would not perform live again, the band released their third full-length album, entitled Resurrected, in 2008.
Death Penalty is the debut studio album by British heavy metal band Witchfinder General. It was released in 1982 on Heavy Metal Records. The album received some criticism for the cover photograph, which featured topless model Joanne Latham. The photograph had been taken in the yard of St Mary the Blessed Virgin Church in Enville, Staffordshire, without the permission of the local Reverend. The album was originally released on LP and picture disc and was later reissued on CD. Pictured on the cover is Phil Cope, Zeeb Parkes, Graham Ditchfield and a member otheir road crew. While Peter Hinton is credited with producing this recording, the writers Phil Cope and Zeeb Parkes always felt the credit should have gone to the engineer Robin George. (by wikipedia)
Unlike many of their New Wave of British Heavy Metal peers who injected their music with a certain punk attitude, Witchfinder General drank strictly from the Black Sabbath fountain. Their 1982 debut, Death Penalty, is a celebration of all things Sabbath — from the plodding rhythms of “Burning a Sinner” and “R.I.P.” to the early-Sabs intro of “No Stayer,” and even the band’s rocking “Paranoid” knock-off, “Free Country.” Singer Zeeb Parkes’ range is rather limited, but that never stopped Ozzy Osbourne, and his mostly satanic lyrics are especially amusing on the cryptic-sounding opener “Invisible Hate,” which eventually resorts to shouts of “more beer.” Despite similarly silly lyrics, the song that bears the band’s name is definitely the album’s highlight, thanks to its engagingly ferocious main riff. (by Eduardo Rivadavia)
HeavPersonnel:
Phil Cope (guitar, bass (bass credited as Woolfy Trope)
Graham Ditchfield (drums)
Zeeb Parkes (vocals)
01. Invisible Hate 6.06
02. Free Country 3.11
03. Death Penalty 5.35
04. No Stayer 4.26
05. Witchfinder General 3.52
06. Burning A Sinner 3.29
07. R.I.P. 4.04
All songs written by Zeeb Parkes and Phil Cope
A backcover like this is not really necessary !
Posted in Heavy Metal, Rock, Witchfinder General, Year Of Recording: 1982 | 2 Replies
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3924
|
__label__cc
| 0.742507
| 0.257493
|
African Development Bank approves USD 24.7 million for Water and Sanitation Development in South Sudan
Source: African Development Bank Group (AfDB) | Jun 25, 2019
The Strategic Water Supply and Sanitation Improvement Project will support the rehabilitation of approximately 50km of the Juba town distribution network and related works
Since 2012, the Bank has contributed more than $136.79 million in development aid across various sectors in South Sudan
ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, June 25, 2019/APO Group/ --
The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) on June 20, 2019, approved a proposal to commit $24.7 million to finance the South Sudan Strategic Water Supply and Sanitation Improvement Project.
The Strategic Water Supply and Sanitation Improvement Project will support the rehabilitation of approximately 50km of the Juba town distribution network and related works, including metering and public water collections outlets. The project will also cover feasibility and engineering design for two other towns under the jurisdiction of South Sudan Urban Water Corporation. The project will additionally cover the development of solar powered water distributions systems and sanitation and hygiene promotion in high-density rural communities surrounding Juba, as well as capacity development in the relevant water institutions.
Implementation will commence during the 2019/2020 financial year, with the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation and the South Sudan Urban Water Corporation serving as the executing and implementing agencies, respectively.
South Sudan’s capital city of Juba, like many urban centers in the country, suffers from the effects of years of armed conflict and under-investment in the development and maintenance of basic water infrastructure. Increased numbers of displaced people and rapid urbanization have placed considerable strain on existing urban water supply infrastructure and the illegal supply of untreated water drawn from river Nile by private water tanker operators is common in the city and its suburbs.
On completion, the project will directly benefit 300,000 people in Juba and the surrounding rural Jubek state. The nearly $2 million grant will ensure that schools and communities in eight targeted rural areas of Jubek state, will benefit from 40 public/institutional latrines blocks to be constructed, as well as hygiene education.
“The incorporation of a rural water and sanitation component in areas that are relatively safe to reach indicates that the project opens a pathway for more support for rural WaSH going forward,” said Osward Chanda, Manager for the Water Security and Sanitation Division at the Department of Water Development and Sanitation.
“By helping to improve the quality and delivery of urban water supply services in Juba city and strengthening rural water supply and sanitation services, the project will greatly assist its target population,” said Bank Country Manager for South Sudan, Benedict Kanu. He added that it will help in combatting diseases, reducing health costs, improving quality of life, as well as helping women save time and increased convenience due to closer water supply outlets.
Since 2012, the Bank has contributed more than $136.79 million in development aid across various sectors in South Sudan. Bank support has focused on capacity building, infrastructure development, and creating conditions for promoting peace, stability and state building, among the Bank’s strategic priorities.
The project aligns with South Sudan’s National Development Strategy (2018-21) and the orientation of the Bank’s 2012-18 Country Strategy Paper, which was extended in May 2019 to 2021. Both strategies emphasize nation building through capacity building and infrastructure development.
Email: a.mpoke-bigg@afdb.org
Technical Contact:
Andrew Mbiro
Water and Sanitation Specialist
The African Development Bank Group (www.AfDB.org) is Africa’s premier development finance institution. It comprises three distinct entities: the African Development Bank, the African Development Fund (ADF) and the Nigeria Trust Fund (NTF). On the ground in 37 African countries with an external office in Japan, the Bank contributes to the economic development and the social progress of its 54 regional member states.
For more information: www.AfDB.org
Justice/Legal issues
Water/Sanitation
African Development Bank approves USD 24.7 million for Water and Sanitation Development in South Sudan The Strategic Water Supply and Sanitation Improvement Project will support the rehabilitation of approximately 50km of the Juba town distribution network and related works ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, June 25, 2019/APO Group/ -- The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) on June 20, 2019, approved a proposal to commit $24.7 million to finance the South Sudan Strategic Water Supply and Sanitation Improvement Project. The Strategic Water Supply and Sanitation Improvement Project will support the rehabilitation of approximately 50km of the Juba town distribution network and related works, including metering and public water collections outlets. The project will also cover feasibility and engineering design for two other towns under the jurisdiction of South Sudan Urban Water Corporation. The project will additionally cover the development of solar powered water distributions systems and sanitation and hygiene promotion in high-density rural communities surrounding Juba, as well as capacity development in the relevant water institutions. Implementation will commence during the 2019/2020 financial year, with the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation and the South Sudan Urban Water Corporation serving as the executing and implementing agencies, respectively. South Sudan’s capital city of Juba, like many urban centers in the country, suffers from the effects of years of armed conflict and under-investment in the development and maintenance of basic water infrastructure. Increased numbers of displaced people and rapid urbanization have placed considerable strain on existing urban water supply infrastructure and the illegal supply of untreated water drawn from river Nile by private water tanker operators is common in the city and its suburbs. On completion, the project will directly benefit 300,000 people in Juba and the surrounding rural Jubek state. The nearly $2 million grant will ensure that schools and communities in eight targeted rural areas of Jubek state, will benefit from 40 public/institutional latrines blocks to be constructed, as well as hygiene education. “The incorporation of a rural water and sanitation component in areas that are relatively safe to reach indicates that the project opens a pathway for more support for rural WaSH going forward,” said Osward Chanda, Manager for the Water Security and Sanitation Division at the Department of Water Development and Sanitation. “By helping to improve the quality and delivery of urban water supply services in Juba city and strengthening rural water supply and sanitation services, the project will greatly assist its target population,” said Bank Country Manager for South Sudan, Benedict Kanu. He added that it will help in combatting diseases, reducing health costs, improving quality of life, as well as helping women save time and increased convenience due to closer water supply outlets. Since 2012, the Bank has contributed more than $136.79 million in development aid across various sectors in South Sudan. Bank support has focused on capacity building, infrastructure development, and creating conditions for promoting peace, stability and state building, among the Bank’s strategic priorities. The project aligns with South Sudan’s National Development Strategy (2018-21) and the orientation of the Bank’s 2012-18 Country Strategy Paper, which was extended in May 2019 to 2021. Both strategies emphasize nation building through capacity building and infrastructure development. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3927
|
__label__cc
| 0.668304
| 0.331696
|
First-Class Service
Peerless Craftsmanship
Expert Consultation
Historical Room Design: Gothic
Historical Room Design: French
Historical Room Design: Neoclassical
Historical Room Design: Art Nouveau
Cast Bronze Ornaments
Carved Wood Mouldings
The School of Classical Woodcarving
Shop Our Product Line
Research Your Next Project
Press and Links
New School of Classical Woodcarving dates for 2017
Case Study: Library inspired by Prague’s Strahov Monastery
Case Study: Restoration of Bishop Sherlock’s room, Fulham Palace
Case Study: Restoration of the Hermitage Museum
School of Classical Woodcarving: Extra dates added this fall!
A woodcarver works on an angel for the Cathedral of St. Paul, Minn.
Published March 2, 2016 at dimensions 788 × 1200 in A woodcarver works on an angel for the Cathedral of St. Paul, Minn..
https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Stairs-featuring-Jacobean-style-woodcarving-by-Agrell-Architectural-Carving-1300x600.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/fulham-palace_slideshow-1300x600.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Agrell-Architectural-Carving-header-logo_1230x100_cropped.png https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/agrell_favicon.png https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Agrell-Architectural-Carving-header-logo_1230x100-3.png https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Agrell-Architectural-Carving-header-logo_1230x100_smaller.png https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Agrell-Architectural-Carving-header-logo_1230x100.png https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Agrell-Architectural-Carving-header-logo_1230x100_cropped-1.png https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Renaissance-panel-woodcarving-by-Agrell-Architectural-Carving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Hand-carved-Renaissance-style-panel-by-Agrell-Architectural-Carving-e1455133143196.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Detail-from-private-bar-designed-by-Mark-Cravotta-and-hand-carved-by-Agrell-Architectural-Carving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/detail-of-hand-carved-versailles-style-corinthian-capital-by-agrell-archiectural-carving-1170x500_insta.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/detail-of-hand-carved-rococo-fireplace-by-agrell-architectural-carving-1170x500_insta.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/ionic-capital-hand-carved-by-agrell-architectural-carving-2_1170x500.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/ionic-capital-hand-carved-by-agrell-architectural-carving-3_1170x500_insta.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/ionic-capital-hand-carved-by-agrell-architectural-carving_1170x500.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/a-woodcarver-for-agrell-architectural-carving-works-on-a-component-for-an-art-nouveau-bed-1170x500.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/detail-of-french-versailles-style-bracket-hand-carved-by-agrell-architectural-carving-1170x500.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/detail-of-art-nouveau-bracket-hand-carved-by-agrell-architectural-carving-1170x500.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/art-nouveau-style-bracket-hand-carved-by-agrell-architectural-carving-1170x500.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/french-room-design-by-adam-thorpe-1170x500.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/pediment-inspired-by-thomas-sheraton-and-hand-carved-by-agrell-architectural-carving-2-1170x500.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/pediment-inspired-by-thomas-sheraton-and-hand-carved-by-agrell-architectural-carving-1170x500.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/detail-of-a-capital-woodcarving-hand-carved-by-agrell-architectural-carving_270x250.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Rococo-style-ho-ho-bird-woodcarving-by-agrell-architectural-carving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/renaissance-woodcarving-being-hand-carved-by-agrell-architectural-carving-1300x600.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/art-nouveau-bed-hand-carved-by-agrell-architectural-carving-768x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/baroque-library-with-millwork-by-artichoke-ltd-of-england-1300x600.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/18th-century-Fulham-palace-fire-surround-1300x600.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/french-style-panel-designed-by-adam-thorpe.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/a-gothic-screen-for-the-cathedral-of-the-madeleine-hand-carved-by-agrell-architectural-carving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/acanthus-scroll-design-for-hampton-court-palace-by-adam-thorpe.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/acanthus-scroll-drawn-by-adam-thorpe-250x270.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/acanthus-frieze-drawn-by-adam-thorpe-250x270.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/AAC-18th-century-acanthus-leaf-designed-by-Thomas-Sheraton-hand-carved-by-Agrell-Architectural-Carving-1.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/AAC-18th-century-acanthus-leaf-designed-by-Thomas-Sheraton-hand-carved-by-Agrell-Architectural-Carving-2.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/AAC-18th-century-acanthus-leaf-designed-by-Thomas-Sheraton-hand-carved-by-Agrell-Architectural-Carving-3.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/AAC-18th-century-acanthus-leaf-designed-by-Thomas-Sheraton-hand-carved-by-Agrell-Architectural-Carving-4.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/AAC-18th-century-acanthus-leaf-designed-by-Thomas-Sheraton-hand-carved-by-Agrell-Architectural-Carving-5.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/AAC-18th-century-acanthus-leaf-designed-by-Thomas-Sheraton-hand-carved-by-Agrell-Architectural-Carving-6.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/AAC-18th-century-rosel-eaves-designed-by-Thomas-Sheraton-hand-carved-by-Agrell-Architectural-Carving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/AAC-18th-century-roses-designed-by-Thomas-Sheraton-hand-carved-by-Agrell-Architectural-Carving--1300x327.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/AAC-Acanthus-example-by-Agrell-Architectural-Carving-800x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/AAC-Appliques-Acanthus-2-Agrell-Architectural-Carving-860x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/AAC-Appliques-Acanthus-Byzantine-Agrell-Architectural-Carving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/AAC-Appliques-Acanthus-French-Agrell-Architectural-Carving-463x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/AAC-Appliques-Acanthus-Gothic-Agrell-Architectural-Carving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/AAC-Appliques-Acanthus-Greek-Temple-of-the-winds-capital-correct-detail-of-leaf-Agrell-Architectural-Carving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/AAC-Appliques-Acanthus-Greek-Agrell-Architectural-Carving-2.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/AAC-Appliques-Acanthus-Greek-Agrell-Architectural-Carving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/AAC-Appliques-Acanthus-Roman-1-Agrell-Architectural-Carving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/AAC-Appliques-Acanthus-Roman-2-Agrell-Architectural-Carving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/AAC-Appliques-Acanthus-Roman-3-Agrell-Architectural-Carving-526x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/AAC-Appliques-Acanthus-Roman-4-Agrell-Architectural-Carving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/AAC-Appliques-Acanthus-Romanesque-Agrell-Architectural-Carving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/AAC-Baroque-Acanthus-examples-of-leaves-from-the-cornice-of-The-philosophical-Hall-Strahov-Abbey-1797-Prague-The-czech-Republic-by-Agrell-Architectural-Carving-808x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/AAC-Rococo-appliques-acanthus-from-Claydon-House-Luke-Lightfoot-Agrell-Architectural-Carving--361x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/AAC-Rococo-appliques-acanthus-Agrell-Architectural-Carving-1--544x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/AAC-Rococo-appliques-acanthus-Agrell-Architectural-Carving-2-522x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/AAC-Scrolls-Appliques-Acanthus-1-Agrell-Architectural-Carving-2.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/AAC-Scrolls-Appliques-Acanthus-1-Agrell-Architectural-Carving-1201x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/cathedral-of-saint-paul.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/cathedral-of-saint-paul_bracket-detail.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-M-Example-18th-Century-Fulham-Palace-egg-and-dart-brackets-1-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving-768x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Capitals-Corinthian-Fulham-Palace-Entablature-Cartouch-colour-color-Agrell-woodcarving-7203-1-768x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Capitals-Corinthian-Fulham-Palace-Colour-Color-split-pediment-cartouch-doors-Agrell-woodcarving-full-7203-634x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Fire-Surrounds-18th-Century-Fulham-Palace-Coloured-Colored-Agrell-woodcarving-648x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Fire-Surrounds-18th-Century-Fulham-Palace-Coloured-Colored-Acanthus-4-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Fire-Surrounds-18th-Century-Fulham-Palace-Coloured-Colored-Acanthus-3-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Fire-Surrounds-18th-Century-Fulham-Palace-Coloured-Colored-Acanthus-1-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Cartouches-Fulham-Palace-1-applique-onlay-heraldry-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/fulham-palace.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Furniture-Chairs-Throne-Pope-Saint-John-Paul-2-Agrell-woodcarving-1-930x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Furniture-Chairs-Throne-Pope-Saint-John-Paul-1-Agrell-woodcarving-1300x883.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Installation-of-the-organ-case-at-the-Cathedral-of-St-Paul-Minnesota.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/a-woodcarver-for-agrell-architectural-carving-works-on-an-angel-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/an-angel-woodcarving-at-the-cathedral-of-st-paul-minnesota-by-agrell-architectural-carving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/angel-woodcarving-for-St-Pauls-Cathedral-Minnesota.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Artists-rendition-of-the-organ-case-at-St-Pauls-Cathedral-Minnesota.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/detail-of-a-dome-for-the-organ-case-at-the-cathedral-of-st-paul-minnesota.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/detail-of-an-angel-woodcarving-by-agrell-architectural-carving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Detail-of-the-organ-case-at-the-cathedral-of-St-Paul-Minnesota.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Duncan-Stroik-designed-the-organ-case-for-cathedral-of-st-paul-Minnesota.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/gilders-cover-woodcarvings-in-gold-leaf-for-the-cathedral-of-st-paul-minnesota.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/hand-carved-brackets-on-the-organ-case-of-the-cathedral-of-st-paul-minnesota-by-agrell-architectural-carving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/ian-agrell-meets-with-architect-duncan-stroik.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/installation-of-an-organ-case-for-the-Cathedral-of-St-Paul-Minnesota.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/installation-of-the-organ-case-at-the-cathedral-of-st-paul-minnesota.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Organ-case-for-St-Pauls-Cathedral-Minnesota.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/sketches-models-and-final-woodcarvings-of-angels-for-the-cathedral-of-st-paul-minnesota.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/transporting-the-parts-of-the-organ-case-for-the-cathedral-of-st-paul-minnesota.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/walnut-bracket-woodcarvings-for-the-cathedral-of-st-paul-minnesota-by-agrell-architectural-carving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/walnut-swag-woodcarvings-for-the-cathedral-of-st-paul-minnesota-by-agrell-architectural-carving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/woodcarver-ian-agrell-2.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/cathedral-of-st-paul-minnesota.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/1-English-Rococo-fire-surround-and-overmantle-woodcarving-by-agrell-architectural-carving-801x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/3-a-woodcarver-for-agrell-architectural-carving-works-on-a-sketch-for-an-english-rococo-fire-surround-752x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/4-a-sketch-study-of-a-rococo-fireplace-686x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/5-a-sketch-of-a-rococo-overmantle-by-adam-thorpe.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/6-a-clay-model-of-a-rococo-fireplace.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/7-roughed-out-rococo-fire-surround-woodcarving-by-agrell-architectural-carving-.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/8-a-woodcarver-for-agrell-architectural-carving-works-on-a-rococo-fireplace-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/11-detail-of-a-gilded-rococo-overmantle-by-agrell-architectural-carving-.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/12-detail-of-a-gilded-rococo-overmantle-by-agrell-architectural-carving-2.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/2-inspiration-sketch-for-English-Rococo-fire-surround-and-overmantle-woodcarving-1-648x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/9-a-rococo-overmantle-woodcarving-by-agrell-architectural-carving-1.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/10-detail-of-a-gilded-rococo-fire-surround-by-agrell-architectural-carving-1.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/1-Gothic-screen-woodcarving-restoration-Hermitage-Museum.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MC-2-Cyma-0453-Romanesque-frieze-citadel-Munszenberg-unfinished-Mouldings-Moldings-acanthus-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MT-2-Torus-1926-Gothic-Salisbury-Cathedral-originally-stone-in-hollows-between-shafts-stiff-leafed-English-Mouldings-religious-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-M-Example-18th-Century-Fulham-Palace-2-restoration-wall-frame-acanthus-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-M-Example-Corners-1-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-M-Example-acanthus-and-egg-and-dart-corners-simple-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-M-Example-carving-Door-surround-restoration-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MB-Gothic-Panel-grape-vine-Notra-Dame-1806-Frames-Mouldings-Moldings-Band-religious-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MT-3-Torus-2804-laurel-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MP-1-Pierced-2644-Mouldings-Moldings-Shell-acanthus-Torus-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MC-2-Cyma-1204-Mouldings-Moldings-acanthus-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MC-2-Cyma-1989-reverse-grape-vine-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MC-3-Cyma-4248-reverse-Mouldings-Moldings-shell-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MC-3-Cyma-0543-Mouldings-Moldings-acanthus-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MC-2-Cyma-1967-Mouldings-Moldings-acanthus-flute-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MC-2-Cyma-2644-Mouldings-Moldings-acanthus-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MCV-3-Cavetto-2648-Texture-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-M-Example-pilaster-cap-Egg-and-dart-fluting-lambs-tongue-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MCV-1-Cavetto-Neoclassical-Mouldings-Moldings-acanthus-Agrell-woodcarving-1593.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MO-1-Ovolo-2709-Egg-and-dart-complete-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MB-Greek-Key-Panel-0639-Mouldings-Moldings-Band-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MB-fluting-and-leaf-2-1269-Mouldings-Moldings-Band-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-M-Example-acanthus-2-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MT-7-Torus-0505-Mouldings-Moldings-carbochon-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MT-1-Torus-astragal-0605-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MT-1-Torus-astragal-0279-2-beads-per-Mouldings-Moldings-sausage-and-bead-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MO-1-Ovolo-1477-Egg-and-dart-Greek-Acropolis-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MO-1-Ovolo-1566-Egg-and-dart-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MO-1-Ovolo-0888-Egg-and-dart-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MC-2-Cyma-0513-Baroque-Mouldings-Moldings-acanthus-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MC-2-Cyma-0402-reverse-Neoclassical-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MC-2-Cyma-0202-reverse-Mouldings-Moldings-simple-acanthus-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MC-1-Cyma-1269-reverse-Lambs-tongue-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MC-1-Cyma-0962-reverse-lambs-tongue-Greek-Acropolis-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MO-1-Ovolo-Egg-and-dart-Example-simple-corner-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MO-1-Ovolo-1757-Egg-and-dart-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MP-2-Pierced-1062-Gothic-Tracery-Cathedral-of-the-Madeleine-SLC-Utah-frame-Mouldings-Moldings-religious-religious-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MP-1-Pierced-2889-Mouldings-Moldings-acanthus-scroll-frame-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MO-3-Ovolo-1688-Mouldings-Moldings-bead-ribbon-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MO-2-Ovolo-1827-Neoclassical-1827-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MO-2-Ovolo-1899-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MO-2-Ovolo-1617-Neoclassical-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MO-2-Ovolo-1506-Neoclassical-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MO-2-Ovolo-0917-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving-copy.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MO-2-Ovolo-0819-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MO-1-Ovolo-1127-Egg-and-dart-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MO-1-Ovolo-1044-Egg-and-dart-Roman-egg-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MO-1-Ovolo-0602-Egg-and-dart-Fulham-Palace-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MO-1-Ovolo-0924-Egg-and-dart-French-2-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MO-1-Ovolo-0633-Egg-and-dart-French-1-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MO-1-Ovolo-0808-Egg-and-dart-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MO-1-Ovolo-1719-Egg-and-dart-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MO-1-Ovolo-1547-Egg-and-dart-Mouldings-moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MO-1-Ovolo-0648-Egg-and-dart-low-relief-15mm-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.png https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MC-2-Cyma-2488-Mouldings-Moldings-acanthus-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MC-2-Cyma-0393-reverse-Mouldings-Moldings-acanthus-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MC-2-Cyma-2259-Mouldings-Moldings-acanthus-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MC-2-Cyma-1566-Mouldings-Moldings-acanthus-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MC-2-Cyma-1448-Mouldings-Moldings-acanthus-Agrell-woodcarving-1.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MC-2-Cyma-1086-reverse-Mouldings-Moldings-acanthus-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MC-2-Cyma-1083-reverse-Mouldings-Moldings-acanthus-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MC-2-Cyma-0999-Mouldings-Moldings-acanthus-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MC-2-Cyma-0847-reverse-Mouldings-Moldings-acanthus-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MC-2-Cyma-0693-reverse-Mouldings-Moldings-acanthus-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MC-2-Cyma-0546-reverse-w-reed-0488-wo-reed-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MC-2-Cyma-0537-reverse-Mouldings-Moldings-acanthus-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MC-2-Cyma-0655-reverse-complete-Mouldings-Moldings-acanthus-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MC-2-Cyma-0273-reverse-Mouldings-Moldings-acanthus-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MC-1-Cyma-2105-reverse-lambs-tongue-Tomb-of-Alexander-from-Sidon-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MC-1-Cyma-2755-reverse-complete-Roman-Temple-of-Mars-Roman-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MC-1-Cyma-1305-reverse-lambs-tongue-Mouldings-Moldings-Cyma-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MC-1-Cyma-1293-reverse-complete-Syon-house-England-Britain-Cyma-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MC-1-Cyma-0917-reverse-lambs-tongue-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MC-1-Cyma-0844-reverse-lambs-tongue-Mouldings-Moldings-unfinised-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MC-1-Cyma-0843-reverse-lambs-tongue-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MC-1-Cyma-0303-reverse-Forum-of-Trajan-Roman-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MB-Renaissance-Panel-Italian-complete-6486-Mouldings-Moldings-Frame-acanthus-Band-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MB-Interlace-2255-Mouldings-Moldings-Band-guilloche-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MB-Interlace-1809-Mouldings-Moldings-Band-guilloche-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MB-Interlace-1002-Mouldings-Moldings-Band-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MCV-4-Cavetto-1986-Italian-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MC-2-Cyma-1293-complete-Italian-Giacomo-Albertolli-Ducal-Palace-Milan-Mouldings-Moldings-acanthus-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MT-3-Torus-1805-oak-and-ribbon-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MT-5-Torus-1233-Mouldings-Moldings-reed-acanthus-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MT-5-Torus-1566-Mouldings-Moldings-acanthus-reed-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MT-5-Torus-1688-Mouldings-Moldings-Ribbon-reed-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MT-6-Torus-0262-Mouldings-Moldings-Twist-Rope-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MT-6-Torus-0655-Mouldings-Moldings-Ribbon-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MT-6-Torus-0724-Mouldings-Moldings-flower-Ribbon-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MT-6-Torus-0996-Mouldings-Moldings-Ribbon-pin-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MT-6-Torus-1055-Mouldings-Moldings-acanthus-twist-rope-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MT-6-Torus-1146-Mouldings-Moldings-strap-flower-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MT-6-Torus-1757-Mouldings-Moldings-beads-twist-rope-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MT-6-Torus-2107-Mouldings-Moldings-acanthus-Ribbon-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MT-6-Torus-2168-Gothic-decoration-originally-on-a-communion-cup-at-Tarnow-Cathedral-Galicia-Mouldings-Moldings-twist-bead-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MT-7-Torus-0966-Mouldings-Moldings-carbochon-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MT-7-Torus-0987-Mouldings-Moldings-carbochon-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MT-7-Torus-0999-Mouldings-Moldings-carbochon-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MT-5-Torus-1555-corner-example-Mouldings-Moldings-acanthus-reed-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MT-9-Torus-4888-Hampton-Court-Gibbons-Mouldings-Moldings-acanthus-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MT-5-Torus-1688-corner-example-Mouldings-Moldings-Ribbon-reed-Agrell-woodcarving-1.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MT-3-Torus-1803-Arch-of-Titus-Roman-laurel-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MT-4-Torus-4869-Nouveau-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MT-3-Torus-0459-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MT-1-Torus-astragal-0408-Temple-of-Concord-Roman-sausage-and-reel-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-M-Example-French-Louis-XIV-Port-dun-Salon-Maison-Rue-Severes-No-11-Paris-Door-Mouldings-Moldings-acanthus-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MB-Baroque-Panel-1404-Mouldings-Moldings-Band-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-M-Example-detail-Mona-Lisa-frame-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-M-Example-Simple-mouldings-and-corners-Egg-and-Dart-and-acanthus-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-M-Example-assorted-moulding-molding-by-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-M-Example-corner-Mouldings-Moldings-Ovolo-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-M-Example-column-base-simple-laurel-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-M-Example-Egg-and-dart-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-M-Example-Entabalture-1-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-M-Example-torus-English-18th-Century-pine-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MB-Gothic-Panel-early-complete-3486-Mouldings-Moldings-Band-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MB-Chinoiserie-2737-chinese-frames-Mouldings-Moldings-Band-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MO-1-Ovolo-1324-Egg-and-dart-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MO-1-Ovolo-1157-Egg-and-dart-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MCV-1-Cavetto-1503-Neoclassical-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MC-2-Cyma-1983-complete-Mouldings-moldings-acanthus-Leeds-castle-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MC-2-Cyma-2648-Gothic-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MC-2-Cyma-1899-a-Nouveau-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodacrving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MC-2-Cyma-1905-V-and-A-door-casing-Moulding-molding-acanthus-Victoria-and-Albert-museum-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MB-Texture-Moulding-Molding-1506-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MB-Texture-Moulding-Molding-1757-Agrell-woodcarving-.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MT-8-Torus-3505-French-Versailles-interwoven-complete-Mouldings-Molding-Torus-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MT-6-Torus-4806-French-Versailles-Mouldings-Molding-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MT-6-Torus-1503-French-Versailles-acanthus-reed-Mouldings-Moldings-acanthus-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MT-6-Torus-1089-Gudrooning-Mouldings-Molding-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MT-6-Torus-0602-French-Mouldings-moldings-unfinished-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MT-3-Torus-4509-Laurel-18th-Century-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MT-3-Torus-7209-Temple-of-Rome-and-Augustus-Ankara-oak-ribbon-Mouldings-Moldings-religious-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MT-3-Torus-2457-laurel-Mouldings-moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MT-3-Torus-2404-Mouldings-moldings-oak-and-ribbon-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MT-2-Torus-2005-Gothic-grape-vine-Mouldings-Moldings-religious-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MT-2-Torus-1655-Gothic-original-from-a-carved-oak-choir-stallin-a-church-in-Sindelfingen-Germany-unfinished-frame-Mouldings-Moldings-by-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MP-4-Pierced-7749-Chippendale-English-British-valance-pelmet-frame-Mouldings-Moldings-acanthus-rococo-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MP-2-Pierced-2947-Gothic-Torus-Southwell-minster-Nottingham-Grape-vine-Mouldings-Moldings-religious-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MP-2-Pierced-0524-Gothic-Tracery-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MP-2-Pierced-3429-Gothic-Tracery-Cathedral-of-the-Madeleine-SLC-Utah-Mouldings-Moldings-religious-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MP-2-Pierced-0642-Gothic-Tracery-Cathedral-of-the-Madeleine-SLC-UtahGrape-vines-frame-Mouldings-Moldings-religious-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MCV-1-Cavetto-1803-Neoclassical-Mouldings-Moldings-acanthus-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MO-2-Ovolo-0783-Neoclassical-Moulding-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MO-1-Ovolo-Egg-and-dart-Examples-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MCV-1-Cavetto-3606-Neoclassical-Mouldings-Moldings-acanthus-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MP-2-Pierced-1928-Gothic-Cathedral-of-the-Madeleine-SLC-Utah-frame-Mouldings-Moldings-religious-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MC-2-Cyma-1146-reverse-complete-Mouldings-Moldings-acanthus-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MC-2-Cyma-1288-reverse-Mouldings-Moldings-acanthus-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MC-2-Cyma-1026-reverse-Mouldings-Moldings-acanthus-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MC-2-Cyma-0655-reverse-Mouldings-Moldings-acanthus-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MT-6-Torus-0602-French-Mouldings-moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MT-2-Torus-1655-Gothic-original-from-a-carved-oak-choir-stall-in-a-church-in-Sindelfingen-Germany-unfinished-frame-Mouldings-Moldings-by-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MC-1-Cyma-0363-reverse-lambs-tongue-Moulding-molding-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MT-1-Torus-astragal-moulding-molding-with-bead-on-a-string-hand-carved-by-Agrell-Architectural-Woodcarving-0222.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-M-Example-18th-Century-Baseboard-skirting-sample-for-18th-Century-Getty-music-room-hand-carved-in-pine-with-acanthus-and-pin-moulding-molding-by-Agrell-Architectural-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MB-Interlace-1124-Mouldings-Moldings-Band-Torus-guilloche-Agrell-Architectural-woodcarving-.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MT-2-Torus-Gothic-style-pierced-torus-moulding-molding-of-spiraling-leaves-embedded-in-an-half-circle-moulding-hand-carved-by-Agrell-Architectural-woodcarving-4689.-.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MT-2-Torus-Gothic-style-pierced-torus-moulding-molding-of-spiraling-leaves-embedded-in-an-half-circle-moulding-hand-carved-by-Agrell-Architectural-Woodcarving-2084..jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MT-2-Torus-Gothic-style-pierced-torus-moulding-molding-of-spiraling-grape-leaves-around-a-stork-embedded-in-an-half-circle-moulding-hand-carved-by-Agrell-Architectural-Woodcarving-1102..jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MT-6-Torus-1989-Moulding-molding-leaf-pin.-Agrell-Architectural-woodcarving-JPG.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MT-7-torus-1054-Mouldings-moldings-tongue-and-flower-Agrell-Architectural-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-M-Example-Roman-Entablature-50-cm-high-example-from-the-Basilica-Ulpia-Roman-Trajan-hand-carved-by-Agrell-Architectural-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MT-5-Torus-2889-Ribbon-and-reed-moulding-mouldings-molding-Agrell-Architectural-Woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MC-1-Cyma-0644-reverse-acanthus-mouldings-moulding-molding-Agrell-Architectural-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MT-3-Torus-1293-Laurel-leaf-moulding-mouldings-molding-with-applique-joint-cover-Agrell-Archirtectural-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Head-of-Jesus-from-statue-of-Mary-Joseph-and-Jesus-aprox-1.5-metres-high-by-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Head-of-Joseph-from-statue-of-Mary-Joseph-and-Jesus-aprox-1.5-metres-high-by-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Head-of-Mary-from-statue-of-Mary-Joseph-and-Jesus-aprox-1.5-metres-high-by-Agrell-woodcarving-1.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Head-of-Mary-from-statue-of-Mary-Joseph-and-Jesus-aprox-1.5-metres-high-by-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Angels-St-Pauls-Cathedral-organ-case-MN-Unfinished-by-Agrell-woodcarving-3.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Angels-St-Pauls-Cathedral-organ-case-MN-Unfinished-by-Agrell-woodcarving-5.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Angels-St-Pauls-Cathedral-organ-case-MN-Unfinished-by-Agrell-woodcarving-1.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Angels-St-Pauls-Cathedral-organ-case-MN-Unfinished-by-Agrell-woodcarving-2.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Angels-St-Pauls-Cathedral-organ-case-MN-St-Cecilia-Unfinished-by-Agrell-woodcarving-1.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Angels-by-Agrell-woodcarving-3.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Angels-by-Agrell-woodcarving-4.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Statue-of-Mary-Joseph-and-Jesus-aprox-1.5-metres-high-by-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/sketches-models-and-final-woodcarvings-of-angels-for-the-cathedral-of-st-paul-minnesota-1-1130x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Animals-Bird-Nouveau-cartouche-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Animals-Bird-Nouveau-panel-M.P.-Verneuil-painted-colour-color-2-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Animals-Bird-Panel-Nouveau-M.P.-Verneuil-painted-colour-color-3-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Animals-Dragon-fly-Nouveau-Verneuil-bed-headboard-detail-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Beds-Furniture-Nouveau-Marjorelle-1-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Beds-Furniture-Nouveau-Marjorelle-2-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Beds-Furniture-Nouveau-Marjorelle-3-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Beds-Furniture-Nouveau-Marjorelle-4-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Beds-Furniture-Nouveau-Marjorelle-6-Side-table-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Beds-Furniture-Nouveau-Marjorelle-11-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Beds-Furniture-Nouveau-Marjorelle-14-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Beds-Furniture-Nouveau-Marjorelle-adapted-3-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Beds-Furniture-Nouveau-Verneuil-Headboard-Panel-1-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Beds-Furniture-Nouveau-Verneuil-Headboard-Panel-Painted-2-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Brackets-Nouveau-Horta-Corbels-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Brackets-Nouveau-Horta-gilt-colour-color-1-Corbels-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Bronze-Capital-Pilaster-Art-Nouveau-Agrell-Architectural-carving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Bronze-Door-Trim-Art-Nouveau-Agrell-Architectural-carving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Bronze-Sconce-drawing-Art-Nouveau-Agrell-Architectural-carving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Doors-Nouveau-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Drawings-Nouveau-room-east-elevation-bookcase-chairs-cornice-capitals-sconces-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Drawings-Nouveau-room-north-elevation-cabinet-doors-chairs-cornice-capitals-sconce-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Drawings-Nouveau-room-south-elevation-settee-sofa-capitals-stained-glass-cornice-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Drawings-Nouveau-room-west-elevation-fire-surround-overmantel-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-fire-Surrounds-Nouveau-12-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Fire-Surrounds-Nouveau-13-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Fire-Surrounds-Nouveau-14-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Fire-Surrounds-Nouveau-15-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Fire-Surrounds-Nouveau-16-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Furniture-Bookcase-Nouveau-1-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Furniture-Bookcase-Nouveau-3-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Furniture-Bookcase-Nouveau-Drawing-6-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Furniture-Cabinet-Nouveau-bureau-by-Agrell-woodcarving-IMG_0067.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Furniture-Cabinet-Nouveau-bureau-by-Agrell-woodcarving-MG_0070.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Furniture-Cabinet-Nouveau-bureau-by-Agrell-woodcarving-MG_0071.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Furniture-Cabinet-Nouveau-bureau-by-Agrell-woodcarving-MG_0092.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Furniture-Cabinet-Nouveau-bureau-by-Agrell-woodcarving-MG_0294.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Furniture-Cabinet-Nouveau-chest-of-draws-dresser-bureau-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Furniture-Cabinet-Nouveau-dresser-chest-of-Draws-Bureau-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Furniture-Chairs-Nouveau-Agrell-Architectural-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Furniture-Chairs-Nouveau-Horta-drawing-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-M-Example-Nouveau-moulding-molding-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MB-Nouveau-Panel-painted-Colour-color-3284-M.P.-Verneuil-Frames-Mouldings-Moldings-Band-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MB-Nouveau-Panel-painted-colour-color-6648-M.P.-Verneuil-Frames-Mouldings-Moldings-Band-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MB-Nouveau-Panel-painted-lizards-colour-color-2755-M.P.-Verneuil-Frames-Mouldings-Moldings-Band-Agrell-woodcarving-1300x354.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MC-2-Cyma-0764-reverse-Nouveau-drawing-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MC-2-Cyma-1899-a-Nouveau-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodacrving-1.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MC-2-Cyma-1899-b-Nouveau-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-MT-4-Torus-4869-Nouveau-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving-1.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Panels-Modern-Nouveau_-design-for-draw-face-by-Adam-Thorpe-hand-carved-by-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Panels-Nouveau-1-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Panels-Nouveau-Human-Form-1-Appliques-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Panels-Nouveau-Human-Form-2-Agrell-woodcarving-1.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Panels-Nouveau-Human-Form-3-Agrell-woodcarving-1.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Panels-Nouveau-M.P.-Verneuil-Fish-and-seaweed-design-hand-carved-by-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Panels-Nouveau-Verneuil-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/nouveau_design1.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/nouveau_design2.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/nouveau_design3.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/nouveau_design4.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/nouveau_design5.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/nouveau_design6.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/nouveau_design7.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Animals-Ram-capital-fire-surround-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Brackets-Byzantine-Fire-surround-Corbels-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Doors-Neoclassical-Fire-Surrounds-Federal-Thomas-Sheraton-pediment-cornice-18th-Century-Agrell-woodcarving-2.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Drawings-Gothic-fire-surround-capital-spandrel-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Drawings-Gothic-room-East-elevation-overmantel-Frames-fire-surround-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Drawings-Neoclassical-room-west-elevation-panels-fire-surround-overmantel-stools-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Fire-Surrounds-18th-Century-Fulham-Palace-Coloured-Colored-Acanthus-1-Agrell-woodcarving-1.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Fire-Surrounds-18th-Century-Fulham-Palace-Coloured-Colored-Acanthus-5-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Fire-Surrounds-18th-Century-Fulham-Palace-Coloured-Colored-Agrell-woodcarving-1.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Fire-Surrounds-Byzantine-2-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Fire-Surrounds-Deco-Rateau-Capital-Flowers-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Fire-Surrounds-Deco-Rateau-Capital-Flowers-pierced-MP-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Fire-Surrounds-Deco-Rateau-Mirror-Frame-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Fire-Surrounds-Gothic-40-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Fire-Surrounds-Gothic-41-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Fire-Surrounds-Governors-Mansion-Utah-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Fire-Surrounds-Governors-Mansion-Utah-Oak-Capitals-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Fire-Surrounds-Lion-African-theme-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Fire-Surrounds-Neoclassical-Federal-Adam-8-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Fire-Surrounds-Nouveau-13-Agrell-woodcarving-1.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Fire-Surrounds-Nouveau-14-Agrell-woodcarving-1.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Fire-Surrounds-Nouveau-15-Agrell-woodcarving-1.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Fire-Surrounds-Nouveau-16-Agrell-woodcarving-1.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Fire-Surrounds-Nouveau-Coloured-Colored-1-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Fire-Surrounds-Rococo-Coloured-Colored-gild-60-Agrell-woodcarving.png https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Fire-Surrounds-Rococo-Coloured-Colored-Gild-61-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Fire-Surrounds-Rococo-Coloured-Colored-Gild-62-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Fire-Surrounds-Rococo-Coloured-Colored-Gild-67-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Jacobean-Fire-surround-.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-M-Example-18th-Century-Fulham-palace-Fire-surround-2-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-M-Example-Fire-surround-Adam-style-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-M-Example-fire-surround-band-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-M-Example-fire-surround-egg-and-dart-Mouldings-Moldings-acanthus-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Panels-18th-Centrury-English-British-Fire-surround-drops-Appliques-Agrell-woodcarving-copy.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Panels-18th-Century-English-British-Rose-swag-fire-surround-centre-motif-Appliques-Agrell-woodcarving-copy.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Panels-18th-Century-Neoclassical-Federal-Fire-Surround-Scrool-frieze-drawing-Appliques-Agrell-carving-copy.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Panels-Neoclassical-18th-century-fire-surround-acanthus-scroll-Appliques-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Room-French-Louis-XIV-West-elevation-with-carved-panels-and-fire-chimney-piece-in-wood-or-stone-designed-by-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Shells-Appliques-Governors-mansion-Utah-Fire-surround-Agrell-woodcarving-25.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AAC-Drawings-Nouveau-room-west-elevation-fire-surround-overmantel-Agrell-woodcarving-1.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/dont_6.gif https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/dont_5.gif https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/dont_4.gif https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/dont_3.gif https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/dont_2.gif https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/dont_1.gif https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Tony-working-on-his-egg-and-dart-moulding-.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/school-of-classical-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/school.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/AAC-Panels-Deco-Armand-Rateau-Unfinished-Animals-insetcts-Appliques-Agrell-wodcarving-copy-684x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/AAC-Panels-Deco-Armand-Rateau-inspired-Appliques-moulding-molding-Agrell-woodcarving-copy-1300x515.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/AAC-MP-3-Pierced-9247-Armand-Rateau-inspired-Fire-surround-frame-Mouldings-Moldings-caveto-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/AAC-M-Example-Armand-Rateau-Frames-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/AAC-Lighting-floor-lamp-Armand-Rateau-detail-bowl-Agrell-woodcarving-768x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/AAC-Furniture-legs-table-Armand-Rateau-Agrell-Woodcarving-752x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/AAC-Furniture-legs-Armand-Rateau-11-Agrell-Woodcarving-505x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/AAC-Furniture-Chairs-Deco-table-Dining-Armand-Rateau-inspired-1-legs-Agrell-woodcarving-1300x716.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/AAC-Furniture-Chairs-Deco-Dining-Armand-Rateau-inspired-legs-Agrell-woodcarving-643x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/AAC-Furniture-Chairs-Deco-Bar-stool-Armand-Rateau-inspired-legs-Agrell-woodcarving-534x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/AAC-Furniture-Chairs-Deco-Armand-Rateau-Design-by-Agrell-woodcarving-728x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/AAC-Furniture-Chairs-Deco-Arm-Chair-Detail-Armand-Rateau-inspired-legs-2-Agrell-woodcarving-669x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/AAC-Animals-Bird-Armand-Rateau-inspired-valance-pelmet-bracket-deco-5-Agrell-woodcarving-768x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/AAC-Beds-Furniture-Deco-Armand-Rateau-Sleigh-1-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/AAC-Bronze-Animals-cats-Deco-Rateau-Agrell-2.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/AAC-Bronze-Animals-cats-Deco-Rateau-Agrell-3.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/AAC-Capitals-Generic-Governors-Mansion-Utah-Fire-Damage-Stairs-detail-Agrell-woodcarving-full-1524-.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/AAC-Columns-base-Muses-Governors-Mansion-Utah-replaced-after-fire-damge-by-Agrell-woodcarving-Human-form8-Human-form-684x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/AAC-Fire-Surrounds-Governors-Mansion-Utah-Oak-Capitals-Agrell-woodcarving-687x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/AAC-Furniture-Chairs-Bench-Ends-Lion-Governors-Mansion-Utah-legs-1-Agrell-woodcarving-703x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/AAC-M-Example-Egg-and-Dart-ceiling-cornice-Governors-Mansion-Utah-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/AAC-Stairs-balusters-governors-mansion-Utah-66-Agrell-Woodcarving-700x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/AAC-Stairs-newel-swags-plants-flowers-rose-governors-mansion-Utah-column-5-Agrell-Woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/AAC-Stairs-newel-swags-plants-flowers-rose-governors-mansion-Utah-column-Agrell-Woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Governors-Mansion-Utah-fire-damage-6-composite-678x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/AAC-Panels-Renaissance-style-round-swags-Governors-Mansion-Utah-Stairs-Agrell-woodcarving-751x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Governors-Mansion-Utah-fire-damage-18--699x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Governors-Mansion-Utah-fire-damage-5--697x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/AAC-Columns-pilaster-base-Rape-of-the-Sabine-for-Governors-Mansion-Utah.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/pediment-inspired-by-thomas-sheraton-and-hand-carved-by-agrell-architectural-carving-button.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/acanthus-scroll-design-for-hampton-court-palace-by-adam-thorpe-cropped.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/AAC-Frames-Mona-Lisa-1-for-Andy-Schoneberg-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/AAC-Frames-Mona-Lisa-Andy-Schoneburg-Agrell-woodcarving-.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/AAC-M-Example-profile-mona-lisa-frame-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/malinard-manor-bar-1300x866.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/malinard-manor-stairs-675x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/c_Malinard-Manor-Gargoyle.png https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/malinard-manor-lion-675x1024.png https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/malinard-manor-fireplace-detail-674x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/AAC-Furniture-Bookcase-Split-pediment-oak-Sultan-of-Brunei-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/AAC-Heraldry-Sultan-of-Brunei-gild-colour-color-1-Agrell-woodcarving-1149x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/AAC-Heraldry-Sultan-of-Brunei-gild-colour-color-2-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/AAC-MB-Chinoiserie-2737-chinese-frames-Mouldings-Moldings-Band-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/AAC-Animals-Bear-California-State-capitol-stairs-1-Agrell-woodcarving-.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/AAC-Animals-Bear-California-State-Capitol-stairs-2-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/AAC-Animals-Bear-California-State-Capitol-stairs-3-Agrell-woodcarving-1300x975.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/AAC-Animals-Bear-California-State-Capitol-stairs-4-Agrell-woodcarving-768x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/AAC-Drawings-Neoclassical-room-west-elevation-panels-fire-surround-overmantel-stools-Frames-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/AAC-Brackets-18th-Century-neoclassical-gild-colour-color-4-Corbels-Agrell-woodcarving-756x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/AAC-Brackets-Neoclassical-1-Corbels-Agrell-woodcarving-325x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/AAC-Doors-Neoclassical-Over-Door-cornice-pediment-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/AAC-MCV-1-Cavetto-4417-Neoclassical-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/AAC-MCV-1-Cavetto-3606-Neoclassical-Mouldings-Moldings-acanthus-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/AAC-Animals-Bird-hoho-getty-18th-Century-fire-surround-English-rococo-gilded-6-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/AAC-Doors-18th-Century-English-rococo-Gettys-music-room-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/AAC-Fire-Surrounds-Rococo-Coloured-Colored-Gild-61-Agrell-woodcarving-814x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/AAC-Frames-18th-Century-English-rococo-Frame-detail-Agrell-Architectural-Woodcarving-908x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/8-a-woodcarver-for-agrell-architectural-carving-works-on-a-rococo-fireplace-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/1-English-Rococo-fire-surround-and-overmantle-woodcarving-by-agrell-architectural-carving-801x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/AAC-Baroque-Acanthus-examples-of-leaves-from-the-cornice-of-The-philosophical-Hall-Strahov-Abbey-1797-Prague-The-czech-Republic-by-Agrell-woodcarving-808x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/AAC-Baroque-acanthus-to-the-column-bases-of-The-philosophical-Hall-Strahov-Abbey1797-Prague-The-czech-Republic-by-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/AAC-Baroque-swag-example-from-The-philosophical-Hall-Strahov-Abbey-1797-Prague-The-Czech-Republic-by-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/AAC-Furniture-Bookcase-Baroque-Construction-1-Agrell-woodcarving-630x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/AAC-Panels-Baroque-Acanthus-Scroll-Appliques-Agrell-woodcarvingDSCN0210-copy.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/AAC-MB-Baroque-style-foliage-with-interwoven-moulding-by-Agrell-Architectural-Woodcarving-molding-band-panel-applique-4005-.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/gothic-bathroom-2-1.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/gothic-bathroom-1.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/BB-gothic-tracery-1.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/BB-gothic-cresting-1.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/BBMSGothic-2_finial-1.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/BBMSGothic-3-1.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/philosophical-hall-at-strahov-monastery-prague.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/woodcarving-for-a-bespoke-library-1.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/woodcarving-for-a-bespoke-library-2.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/woodcarving-for-a-bespoke-library-3-768x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/woodcarving-for-a-bespoke-library-4-962x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/woodcarving-for-a-bespoke-library-5.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/woodcarving-for-a-bespoke-library-7-768x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/woodcarving-for-a-bespoke-library-9-768x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/woodcarving-for-a-bespoke-library-10.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/woodcarving-for-a-bespoke-library-11-708x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/woodcarving-for-a-bespoke-library-12-768x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/woodcarving-for-a-bespoke-library-13.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/woodcarving-for-a-bespoke-library-14-956x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/woodcarving-for-a-bespoke-library-8-1-768x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/AAC-Stairs-Drawing-10-Agrell-Woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/AAC-Panels-French-Drawing-1-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/AAC-Drawings-sketches-for-Gothic-room-by-Agrell-Architectural-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Rococo-style-woodcarving-rendered-in-pencil-charcoal-and-chalk-by-Adam-Thorpe.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Cathedral-of-the-Madeleine-Salt-Lake-City-Utah-Screen-Agrell-Woodworking-3.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Cathedral-of-the-Madeleine-Salt-Lake-City-Utah-Screen-and-taberacle-by-Agrell-Woodworking-.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Cathedral-of-the-Madeleine-Salt-Lake-City-Utah-Screen-and-taberacle-by-Agrell-Woodworking-54.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Cathedral-of-the-Madeleine-Salt-Lake-City-Utah-Screen-Agrell-Woodworking-5_2-663x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Cathedral-of-the-Madeleine-Salt-Lake-City-Utah-Screen-Agrell-Woodworking-22-660x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Green-Man-atop-columns-for-the-screen-of-the-Cathedral-of-the-Madeleine-Salt-Lake-City-by-Agrell-Woodcarving-7.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Heraldry-Cathedral-of-the-Madeleine-Utah-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Cathedral-of-the-Madeleine-Salt-Lake-City-Utah-Tabernacle-Agrell-Woodworking-9-678x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Cathedral-of-the-Madeleine-Salt-Lake-City-Utah-extension-and-restoration-to-confessionals-Agrell-Woodworking-5_4.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Capitals-Byzantine-St-Sofia-Padua-Religious-Agrell-woodcarving-full-2433-.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Capitals-Corinthian-Fulham-Palace-Entablature-Cartouch-colour-color-Agrell-woodcarving-7203-768x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Capitals-Egyptian-Temple-at-Philae-Religious-Agrell-woodcarving-full-1684jpeg.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Capitals-French-Versailles-unfinished-Agrell-woodcarving-full-1505.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Capitals-Generic-Acanthus-Egg-and-Dart-round-top-Agrell-woodcarving-full-4329.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Capitals-Generic-Acanthus-Square-top-Agrell-woodcarving-full-3955.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Capitals-Generic-Acanthus-Volutes-Square-top-Agrell-woodcarving-full-2164.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Capitals-Gothic-Ely-Cathedral-1-Religious-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Capitals-Gothic-Ely-Cathedral-2-Religious-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Capitals-Gothic-Finials-Pilaster-York-Minster-Religious-Agrell-woodcarving-921x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Capitals-Gothic-Pilaster-Wells-Cathedral-Stiff-leaf-English-1-Religious-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Capitals-Gothic-Pilaster-Wells-Cathedral-Stiffed-leafed-English-2-Religious-Agrellwoodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Capitals-Gothic-St-Albans-Abby-adapted-1-Religious-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Capitals-Gothic-Tracery-Spandrels-Agrell-woodcarving-683x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Capitals-Greek-Temple-of-the-Winds-1443-Religious-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Capitals-Ionic-5-pilaster-Temple-of-Macellus-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Capitals-Ionic-6-pilaster-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Capitals-Ionic-8-Governors-mansion-Utah-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Capitals-Ionic-pilaster-in-oak-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Capitals-Ionic-Pilaster-Allan-Greenburg-CA-residence-7-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Capitals-Ionic-Pilaster-Italian-Renaissance-with-drops-simple-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Capitals-Ionic-Pilaster-Simple-2-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Capitals-Ionic-Roman-2-Governors-mansion-Utah-detail-2402-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Capitals-Ionic-Theatre-of-Marcellus-Rome-Round-4804-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Capitals-Ionic-Theatre-of-Marcellus-Rome-Square-2883-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Capitals-Jacobean-Pilaster-Tudor-1-Agrell-woodcarving-pilaster-2526.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Capitals-Modern-1-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Capitals-Modern-4-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Capitals-Modern-Generic-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Capitals-Renaissance-1-Governors-mansion-Utah-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Capitals-Renaissance-Medici-Throne-1-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Capitals-Renaissance-pilaster-Governors-mansion-Utah-2-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Capitals-Roman-Composite-1-Governors-mansion-Utah-Fire-surround-4806-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Capitals-Roman-Corinthian-3-7203-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Capitals-Romanesque-Aschaffenburg-2-Religious-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Capitals-Romanesque-Unique-2-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Capitals-round-Agrell-Architectural-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Capitals-round-simple-acanthus-staires-Agrell-Architectural-woodcarving--1300x570.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Capitals-simple-egg-and-dart-round-Agrell-Arechitectural-woodcarving-1300x903.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Capitals-simple-egg-and-dart-square-Agrell-Arechitectural-woodcarving-1056x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Capitals-square-simple-acanthus-staires-Agrell-Architectural-woodcarving--1300x390.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Capitals-temple-of-the-winds-hand-carved-on-oak-by-Agrell-Architectural-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Columns-and-capital-Renaissance-private-theatre-for-a-TX-residence-Cravotta-Scott-by-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Columns-Gothic-with-tracery-and-stiff-leafed-English-capital-Agrell-woodcarving-700x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Seattle-library-project-Bronze-Capital-with-interwoven-wood-1.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Seattle-library-project-Capital-720x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Animals-Bird-Armand-Rateau-inspired-parrot-deco-bracket-10-Agrell-woodcarving-482x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Animals-Bird-Armand-Rateau-inspired-valance-pelmet-bracket-deco-5-Agrell-woodcarving-768x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Animals-Bird-Hoho-Bracket-18th-Century-English-rococo-gilded-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Animals-Bird-Robin-brackets-painted-colour-color19-Agrell-woodcarving-704x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Animals-Deco-Bird-parrot-bracket-design-by-Armand-Rateau-hand-carved-by-Agrell-woodcarving-768x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Animals-Monkey-painted-bracket-Agrell-woodcarving-728x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Brackets-St-Pauls-cathedral-MN-organ-case-gilding-colour-color-acanthus-Corbels-Religious-Agrell-woodcarving.png https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Brackets-6-Corbels-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Brackets-11-Corbels-Agrell-woodcarving-463x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Brackets-13-Corbels-Agrell-woodcarving-228x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Brackets-15-Corbels-Agrell-woodcarving-618x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Brackets-18th-Century-gild-colour-color-3-Corbels-Agrell-woodcarving-853x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Brackets-18th-Century-gild-colour-color-6-Corbels-Agrell-woodcarving-697x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Brackets-18th-Century-neoclassical-gild-colour-color-4-Corbels-Agrell-woodcarving-756x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Brackets-24-Corbels-Agrell-woodcarving-578x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Brackets-25-Corbels-Agrell-woodcarving-442x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Brackets-26-Corbels-Agrell-woodcarving-692x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Brackets-28-Corbels-Agrell-woodcarving-461x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Brackets-33-Corbels-Agrell-woodcarving-689x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Brackets-35-Corbels-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Brackets-36-Corbels-Agrell-woodcarving.png https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Brackets-acnthus-unfinished-Corbels-Agrell-woodcarving-768x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Brackets-Blenheim-Palace-Corbels-20-Agrell-woodcarving-420x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-brackets-Corbels-Baroque-key-stone-4-Agrell-woodcarving-780x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Brackets-Deco-22-Corbels-Agrell-woodcarving-655x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Brackets-French-Versailles-rose-Corbels-Agrell-woodcarving-581x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Brackets-French-Versailles_-Corbels-2-Agrell-woodcarving-470x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Brackets-Furniture-legs-Corbels-Agrell-woodcarving-456x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Brackets-Gothic-colour-color-Corbels-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Brackets-Greek-The-Erechtheion-bracket-1203-Corbels-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Brackets-laurel-2-Corbels-Agrell-woodcarving-653x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Brackets-Nouveau-Horta-Corbels-Agrell-woodcarving-548x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Brackets-Nouveau-Horta-gilt-colour-color-1-Corbels-Agrell-woodcarving-538x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Brackets-Roman-Turkey-Temple-of-Rome-and-Augustus-at-Ancyra-gild-colour-color-5-Corbels-Religious-Agrell-woodcarving-670x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Brackets-St-Pauls-cathedral-MN-organ-case-gilding-colour-color-acanthus-Corbels-Religious-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Brackets-St-Pauls-cathedral-MN-Organ-Case-Mock-up-Corbels-Religious-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Furniture-legs-table-Roman-Pompeii-Brackets-Corbels-Agrell-Woodcarving-695x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Green-Man-original-stone-bracket-from-York-Minster-hand-carved-in-wood-by-Agrell-Woodcarving-5.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Green-Man-with-acanthus-leaves-original-stone-corbel-suporting-the-Bamberg-Horsman-13th-Century-hand-carved-in-wood-by-Agrell-Woodcarving-3-683x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-M-Example-18th-Century-Fulham-Palace-egg-and-dart-brackets-1-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving-768x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/CHS-NEO-312_top-753x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/CLN-NEO-312_top-753x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/CSH-ACA-312_top-753x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/CSR-ARC-312_top-753x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/CSR-TON-312_top-753x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/CST-ACA-312_top-753x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/CST-FLO-312_detail-753x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/CST-FLO-312_top-753x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/CST-FOR-312_top-753x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/CST-SAC-312_top-753x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/CST-TON-312_top-753x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Seattle-library-project-original-prototypes-bracket-678x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-18th-Century-English-acanthus-Scroll-ire-surround-frieze-Appliques-1-Agrell-woodcarving-copy-1186x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/CST-ACD-312_top-753x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Furniture-legs-table-Brackets-Corbels-Kensington-Palace-Agrell-Woodcarving-1256x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Brackets-21-Corbels-Agrell-woodcarving-904x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/CST-ARC-312_top-753x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Capitals-Egyptian-Temple-at-Isna-Religious-Agrell-woodcarving-full-1293-1.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-Gothic-1-Agrell-woodcarving-malinard-manor.png https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-Gothic-2-Agrell-woodcarving-malinard-manor.png https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-Gothic-3-Agrell-woodcarving-malinard-manor.png https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Animals-Fish-Panel-Nouveau-M.P.-Verneuil-table-top-1-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-MB-Gothic-Panel-5747-1-Figures-taken-from-French-misericords-Mouldings-Moldings-Band-religious-Agrell-woodcarving-1300x614.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-MB-Jacobean-Panel-1353-unfinished-moulding-molding-strapwork-Agrell-woodcarving-copy.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-18th-Century-Italian-ceiling-Palace-Duke-of-Milan-Giacomo-Albertolli-Appliques-Example-mouldng-molding-Agrell-woodcarving-copy.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-18th-Century-Symbol-Grapes-ribbon-wheat-Palace-Solitude-Stuttgart-Germany-Agrell-woodcarving-copy-345x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-Acanthus-Scroll-V-and-A-Victoria-and-Albert-Museum-unfinished-Agrell-woodcaving-copy-768x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-Arts-and-Crafts-2-Appliques-Agrell-woodcarving-copy.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-Baroque-Acanthus-Scroll-Appliques-Agrell-woodcarvingDSCN0210-copy.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-Barrel-end-Grape-vine-1-Agrell-woodcarving-copy-2.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-barrel-end-grape-vine-2-Agrell-woodcarving-copy-2.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-Deco-Armand-Rateau-Unfinished-Animals-insetcts-Appliques-Agrell-wodcarving-copy-684x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-Deco-Joel-and-Jan-Martel-Appliques-Agrell-woodcarving-copy.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-Deco-Joel-and-Jan-Martel-Island-of-Avalon-Human-form-Appliques-Agrell-woodcarving-copy-665x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-French-2-Appliques-colour-color-100-Park-Lane-Ballroom-london-Agrell-woodcarving-507x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-French-4-Appliques-door-corner-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-French-5-Appliques-Agrell-woodcarving-630x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-French-6-Appliques-Agrell-woodcarving--205x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-French-7-Appliques-Laurel-ribbon-Appliques-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-French-10-Appliques-Lilly-ribbon-Appliques-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-French-13-Appliques-Scrolls-Appliques-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-French-14-Appliques-Scrolls-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-French-16-Appliques-Versailles-Shell-scrolls-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-French-17-Appliques-Versailles-beast-dolphin-Agrell-woodcarving-738x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-French-18-Appliques-plants-rose-Agrell-woodcarving-750x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-French-19-Appliques-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-French-21-Appliques-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-French-22-Appliques-door-7-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-French-gild-oak-colour-color-Appliques-2-Agrell-woodcarving-691x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-French-Louis-16th-style-acanthus-detail-hand-carved-by-Agrell-Architectural-Woodcarving-applique-jpg-800x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-French-Louis-XIV-Door-Port-dun-Salon-Maison-Rue-De-Sevres-No-11-Paris-Appliques-7-Agrell-woodcarving-414x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-French-Louis-XV-Chamber-a-Coucher-Hotel-Soubise-Paris-Door-Port-26-Appliques-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-French-Louis-XV-Chamber-a-Coucher-Hotel-Soubise-Paris-Door-Port-Appliques-13-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-French-Louis-XV-Chamber-a-Coucher-Hotel-Soubise-Paris-Door-Port-Appliques-16-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-French-Louis-XV-Chamber-a-coucher-Hotel-Soubise-Paris-Door-Port-Appliques-unfinished-12-Agrell-woodcarving-768x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-French-Louis-XV-Chamber-a-coucher-Hotel-Soubise-Paris-Door-Port-Appliques14-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-French-Louis-XV-Chamber-A-Coucher-Hotel-Soubise-Paris-wall-Appliques-15-Agrell-woodcarving-639x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-French-Louis-XV-Chamber-a-Coucher-Hotel-Soubise-Paris-wall-Appliques-18-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-French-panel-copy-from-Versailles-by-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-French-Versailles-unfinished-Fruit-rose-Agrell-woodcarving-Appliques-jpeg.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-Gothic-British-Bishop-Swinefield-tomb-Hereford-Cathedral-grape-plants-Appliques-Religious-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-Gothic-British-boss-Winchester-Cathedral-grape-Appliques-Religious-Agrell-woodcarving-1035x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-Gothic-British-human-form-Green-man-Religious-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-Gothic-face-of-an-Arch-of-the-Otto-Heinrich-section-of-the-Heidelberg-castle-1556-1559-hand-carved-in-wood-by-Agrell-woodcarving-710x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-Gothic-German-door-unfinished-grape-Appliques-Religious-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-Gothic-German-pew-end-rafters-Uberlinen-Appliques-scroll-Religious-Agrell-woodcarving-434x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-Gothic-Linenfold-3-Agrell-woodcarving--401x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-Gothic-Panel-From-Choir-Stalls-in-the-Cathedral-of-Tarno-Galicia-15th-Century-copy-by-Agrell-woodcarving.-626x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-Gothic-Tracery-3-Religious-Agrell-woodcarving-522x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-Gothic-tracery-panel-original-is-French-unfinished-Agrell-woodcarving--768x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-Islamic-Arabic-Mosque-of-Sultan-Hassan-Cairo-Appliques-Religious-Religious-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-Islamic-Moorish-Alhambra-14th-Century-Religious-Agrell-woodcarving-1300x594.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-Jacobean-heraldry-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-Jacobean-Renissance-Agrell-woodcarving-686x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-Modern-Nouveau_-design-for-draw-face-by-Adam-Thorpe-hand-carved-by-Agrell-woodcarving-1300x392.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-Nouveau-Human-Form-1-Appliques-Agrell-woodcarving-1300x886.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-Nouveau-Human-Form-2-Agrell-woodcarving-1.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-Renaissance-design-by-Adam-Thorpe-for-Hampton-Court-Palace-hand-carved-by-Agrell-Architectural-woodcarving-3159-applique-moulding-molding-pierced-band-applique.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-Renaissance-design-by-Adam-Thorpe-for-Hampton-Court-Palace-hand-carved-by-Agrell-Architectural-woodcarving-4005-moulding-molding-pierced-band-applique-.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-Renaissance-design-with-acanthus-scrolls-and-eagle-hand-carved-by-Agrell-Architectural-woodcarving-2642-.jpg-moulding-molding-pierced-band-applique.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-Renaissance-German-Door-Brodhaus-in-Dinkelsbuh-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-Renaissance-Italian-2-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-Renaissance-panel-of-acanthus-with-eagle-head-Pierced-unfinished-Agrell-woodcarving-eagles.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-Renaissance-panel-with-scrolls-of-acanthus-eminating-from-two-beasts-hand-carved-bty-Agrell-Architectural-Woodcarving-applique--622x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-Renaissance-Plants-Olive-branch-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-Renaissance-Plants-wheat-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-Renaissance-style-Governors-Masion-Utah-Ceiling-stairs-rosette-Agrell-woodcarving-1.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-Renaissance-style-round-swags-Governors-Mansion-Utah-Stairs-Agrell-woodcarving-751x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-Romanesque-modern-design-detail-by-Adam-Thorpe-hand-carved-by-Agrell-woodcarving-1300x289.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AAC-Panels-Rose-Thistle-Shamrock-Agrell-woodcarving-866x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Seattle-library-project-Panel-435x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-MB-Nouveau-Panel-painted-dragon-fly-colour-color-5117-M.P.-Verneuil-Frames-Mouldings-Moldings-Band-Agrell-woodcarving-1295x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-MB-Gothic-Panel-grape-vine-Notra-Dame-1806-Frames-Mouldings-Moldings-Band-religious-Agrell-woodcarving-1300x372.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-MB-Nouveau-Panel-painted-birds-pheasants-colour-color-5706-M.P.-Verneuil-Frames-Mouldings-Moldings-Band-Agrell-woodcarving-1300x522.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-MB-Renaissance-Italian-Panel-Medici-throne-4506-Mouldings-Moldings-Band-Agrell-woodcarving-1300x347.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-MB-Gothic-Master-Cuonrat-of-Ravensburg-Panel-3157-grape-vine-Mouldings-Moldings-Band-Agrell-woodcarving-1300x409.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-MB-Romanesque-12th-Century-Panel-4207-Mouldings-Moldings-Band-Agrell-woodcarving-1300x621.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-MB-Gothic-Panel-Master-Cuonrat-of-Ravensburg-1955-Mouldings-Moldings-Band-acanthus-Agrell-woodcarving-1300x420.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Panels-Renaissance-style-moulding-molding-of-an-interwoven-guilloche-drop-band-with-flowers-and-bells-by-Agrell-Architectural-Woodcarving-291x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-MB-Romanesque-German-Panel-from-the-portal-of-the-collegiate-church-in-Aschaffenburg-1203-Mouldings-Moldings-Band-hand-carved-in-wood-by-Agrell-woodcarving-334x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-MB-Gothic-Panel-3159-Notra-Dame-Paris-Mouldings-Moldings-Band-religious-Agrell-woodcarving-1300x621.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-MB-Nouveau-Panel-painted-birds-colour-color-1102-M.P.-Verneuil-Frames-Mouldings-Moldings-Band-Agrell-woodcarving-1300x524.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-MB-Islamic-Panel-2524-Arabic-13th-Century-mosque-Cairo-Mouldings-Moldings-Band-religious-Agrell-woodcarving-1300x376.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Panels-Deco-Armand-Rateau-inspired-Appliques-moulding-molding-Agrell-woodcarving-copy-1300x515.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-MB-Renaissance-Panel-Italian-8648-St-Pietro-Perugia-16th-Century-Mouldings-Moldings-Band-religious-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Panels-Islamic-Arabic-Mosque-of-Sultan-Hassan-Cairo-Appliques-moulding-molding-Religious-Agrell-woodcarving-1300x600.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Panels-Deco-Pollin-Plants-corn-Appliques-moulding-molding-Agrell-woodcarving-copy.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Panels-Deco-over-door-Camille-Garnier-Appliques-Plants-moulding-molding-Agrell-woodcarving-copy-1300x388.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-MB-18th-Century-Thomas-Sheraton-Foliage-English-Panel-4105-Mouldings-Moldings-acanthus-Band-Agrell-woodcarving-1300x360.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-MB-Nouveau-Panel-painted-lizards-colour-color-2755-M.P.-Verneuil-Frames-Mouldings-Moldings-Band-Agrell-woodcarving-1300x354.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-MB-Jacobean-Panel-1806-moulding-molding-strapwork-Agrell-woodcarving-copy-710x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-MB-Roman-Panel-3507-The-Blasilica-Ulpia-Mouldings-Moldings-Band-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-MB-Gothic-Panel-early-3066-Mouldings-Moldings-Band-grape-vine-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Panels-Roman-Freize-scroll-acanthus-Appliques-Religious-moulding-molding-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Panels-Gothic-British-Tracery-4-moulding-Religious-molding-Agrell-woodcarving-322x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-MB-French-Versailles-plants-flowers-Panel-8808-Mouldings-Moldings-Band-appliques-acanthus-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-MB-Gothic-Tracery-Panel-2255-Mouldings-Moldings-Band-religious-Agrell-woodcarving-1300x409.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-MB-Neoclassiocal-Empire-Panel-1503-Frames-Mouldings-Band-Moldings-oak-drops-Agrell-woodcarving-427x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-MB-Deco-Panel-4604-Overdoor-Camille-Gairnier-Mouldings-Moldings-Band-Agrell-woodcarving-1300x394.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-MB-Gothic-Panel-6309-From-columns-of-Abbey-of-Larchand-Torus-Mouldings-Moldings-acanthus-Band-religious-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-MB-18th-Century-Italian-Panel-swags-laurel-Oak-appliques-4328-Giacomo-Albertolli-Ceiling-Palace-of-the-Duke-of-Milan-18th-Century-Moulding-moldings-Band-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-MB-Neoclassical-Panel-3668-Mouldings-Moldings-Band-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-MB-Gothic-hem-of-robe-of-wooden-Statue-alter-of-St-Kiians-in-Heilbronn-Panel-2807-Frames-Mouldings-Moldings-Band-religious-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-MB-Islamic-Panel-3005-Arabic-Mosque-of-Sultan-Hassan-Cairo-Mouldings-Moldings-Band-religious-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-MB-Baroque-Panel-3448-Mouldings-Moldings-Band-acanthius-dolphin-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-MB-18th-Century-style-panel-moulding-with-erect-acanthus-leaves-and-interwoven-guilloche-encasing-flowers-hand-carved-by-Agrell-Architectural-Woodcarving-3303-applique-molding-band-.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-MB-Gothic-Panel-7688-oak-Master-Cuonrat-of-Ravensburg-Frames-Mouldings-Moldings-Band-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Panels-18th-Century-Italian-Frieze-Ducal-Palace-Giacomo-Albertolli-Scroll-moulding-molding-Agrell-woodcarving-copy.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Panels-Gothic-British-Westminster-Abby-Henry-7ths-chapel-scroll-Appliques-Moulding-molding-Religious-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Panels-Baroque-acanthus-Scroll-moulding-molding-Appliques-Agrell-woodcarving-copy.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Panels-Islamic-13th-Century-Cairo-scroll-Appliques-molding-moulding-Religious-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-MB-Baroque-style-foliage-with-interwoven-moulding-by-Agrell-Architectural-Woodcarving-molding-band-panel-applique-4005-.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-MB-18th-Century-Thomas-Sheraton-Foliage-English-Panel-1942-Mouldings-Moldings-acanthus-Band-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-MB-Byzantine-Panel-2405-St-Marks-Venice-Mouldings-Moldings-Band-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Panels-French-moulding-molding-interlace-Agrell-woodcarving-Appliques-337x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Panels-Deco-1-Appliques-moulding-molding-Agrell-woodcarving-copy-1300x226.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-MB-Gothic-Panel-2889-Original-stone-Henry-VII-chapel-Westminster-Abbey-Mouldings-Moldings-Band-religious-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-MB-Deco-Panel-3339-original-Sevres-procelain-Mouldings-Moldings-Band-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-MB-Sri-Lanka-Asian-Panel-3606-Mouldings-Moldings-Band-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Panels-18th-Century-English-British-acanthus-fire-surround-frieze-Appliques-Victoria-and-Albert-Museum-V-and-A-Scroll-moulding-molding-Agrell-woodcarving-copy-2-1300x183.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-MB-Baroque-panel-1506-Mouldings-Moldings-Band-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Panels-Renaissance-Italian-Church-of-the-Eremitani-in-Padua-moulding-molding-Religious-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Panels-Baroque-Jacques-Stells-moulding-molding-1-Agrell-woodcarving-copy-334x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-MB-Baroque-Panel-6759-Mouldings-Moldings-acantrhus-scroll-Band-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-MB-Baroque-Panel-1404-Mouldings-Moldings-Band-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-MB-Renaissance-Panel-German-0862-Mouldings-Moldings-acanthus-Band-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-MB-Grape-vine-Panel-modern-0993-Frames-Mouldings-Moldings-Band-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Panels-French-11-Appliques-Versailles-Freize-Scroll-Appliques-moulding-molding-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-MB-Baroque-style-panel-moulding-of-shell-like-leaves-and-unferlling-ferns-Agrell-Architectural-Woodcarving-4408-molding-band-applique.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-MB-Baroque-Panel-0543-Mouldings-Moldings-Band-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-MB-Baroque-Panel-3249-Mouldings-Moldings-Band-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-MB-Renaissance-Panel-German-3699-Mouldings-Moldings-acanthus-Band-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Panels-Jacobean-strapwork-grapes-moulding-molding-Agrell-woodcarving-1300x322.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-MB-Neoclassical-Panel-0381-grape-vines-Frames-Mouldings-Moldings-Band-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-MB-Baroque-panel-0843-Mouldings-Moldings-acanthus-scroll-Band-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Panels-Gothic-Spanish-Tarnow-Galicia-unfinished-moulding-molding-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Panels-Romanesque-12-Century-moulding-molding-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-MB-Byzantine-Panel-0241-Hormisdas-Monestery-Agios-Sergios-Istanbul-Mouldings-Moldings-acanthus-scroll-Band-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/25.-pouring-bronze.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-18th-Century-style-bronze-swag-cast-from-a-carved-master-by-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Animals-Lion-Agrell-Bronze.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Art-Nouveau-lizards-in-bronze-designed-by-MP.-Verneuil-of-France-cast-from-a-carved-master-by-Agrell-woodcarving.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Bronze-Acanthus-1-Agrell-907x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Bronze-acanthus-leaf-30-cms-high-from-a-hand-carved-wood-master-by-Agrell-Architectural-Carving-casting-and-patina-by-Steve-Murray-837x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Bronze-Animals-Bird-Deco-Magpie-by-Joel-and-Jan-Martel-Agrell-.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Bronze-Animals-Cats-Deco-Rateau-20-Agrell-1300x573.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Bronze-Animals-cats-Deco-Rateau-Agrell-2.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Bronze-Animals-cats-Deco-Rateau-Agrell-3.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Bronze-Animals-Deco-Bird-Bracket-Rateau-Agrell-768x1024.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Bronze-Animals-Lion-1-Agrell.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Bronze-Bracket-2-Agrell-525x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Bronze-Cartouch-Agrell-Architectural-carving-1042x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Bronze-copy-of-a-rosette-from-The-Forum-of-Nerva-AD97-Bronze-casting-from-woodcarving-by-Agrell-woodcarving-1047x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Bronze-Drop-Flowers-rose-Green-Agrell-Architectural-carving-208x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Bronze-Flowers-Deco-Rateau-Agrell-Architectural-carving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-bronze-garland-of-roses-31-cms-high-from-a-hand-carved-wood-master-by-Agrell-Architectural-Carving-casting-and-patina-by-Steve-Murray.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Bronze-renaissance-panel-30-cms-square-from-a-hand-carved-wood-master-by-Agrell-Architectural-Carving-casting-and-patina-by-Steve-Murray.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Bronze-Ribbon-2-Agrell-Architectural-carving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Bronze-spandrel-with-carved-wood-original-Agrell-woodcarving-1061x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Bronze-Swag-Laurel-Green-Agrell-Architectural-Carving-JPG-823x1024.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Bronze-swag-of-flowers-held-by-acanthus-eagles-335-mm-wide-French-from-a-door-in-Aix-en-Provence-from-a-hand-carved-wood-master-by-Agrell-Architectural-Carving-casting-and-patina-by-Steve-Murray.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Seattle-library-project-Bronze-Capital-with-interwoven-wood-1.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/12-15-14-2nd-Dip-Dried.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/12-11-14-Spruing-2-Peacock-Shields.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/12-17-14-Zircon-Stucco-Coat.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Bronze-Art-Nouveau-draw-handle-Agrell-Architectural-carving-.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Drawings-Gothic-room-South-elevation-bookcases-valance-pelmet-stained-glass-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Drawings-Gothic-room-elevation-doors-linenfold-mirror-Agrell-woodcarving-.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Doors-Gothic-drawing-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Drawings-Gothic-room-East-elevation-overmantel-Frames-fire-surround-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Drawings-Gothic-bookcase-detail-cresting-tracery-crocket-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Drawings-Gothic-bracket-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Drawings-Gothic-valance-pelmet-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Drawings-Gothic-mirror-detail-crockets-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Drawings-Gothic-tracery-overmantel-tracery-crockets-finial-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Drawings-Gothic-bookcase-detail-spandrel-tracery-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Drawings-Gothic-tracery-panel-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Drawings-Gothic-fire-surround-capital-spandrel-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Drawings-Gothic-doors-detail-tracery-cresting-Frames-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Drawings-Gothic-panel-linenfold-Agrell-woodcarving-woodcarving-.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Drawings-Gothic-linelfold-panel-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-drawings-Gothic-room-South-elevation-tables-furniture-mirror-Frames-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Drawings-Gothic-room-elevation-armoire-doors-tracery-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Drawings-sketches-for-Gothic-room-by-Agrell-Architectural-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Drawings-Neoclassical-room-south-elevation-table-mirror-stools-valance-pelmet-cornice-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Drawings-Neoclassical-room-north-elevation-doors-mirror-table-cornice-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Drawings-Neoclassical-room-west-elevation-panels-fire-surround-overmantel-stools-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Panels-18th-Century-Neoclassical-Federal-Fire-Surround-Scrool-frieze-drawing-Appliques-Agrell-carving-copy.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Drawings-Neoclassical-18th-Century-Federal-mirror-frame-detail-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Drawings-Neoclassical-room-east-elevation-bookcase-brakets-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Drawings-Neoclassical-18th-Century-Federal-mirror-frame-detail-griffens-skull-Frames-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Drawings-Neoclassical-18th-Century-Federal-cresting-cornice-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Drawings-Neoclassical-18th-Century-Federal-valance-pelmet-detail-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Drawings-Neoclassical-18th-Century-Federal-consol-table-mirror-Frames-detail-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Drawings-Neoclassical-18th-Century-Federal-panel-detail-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Drawings-Neoclassical-18th-Century-Federal-acanthus-detail-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Drawings-Neoclassical-18th-Century-Federal-consol-table-by-Agrell-woodcarvingjpg.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Brackets-29-Corbels-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Room-French-Louis-XIV-North-elevation-with-carved-paneled-doors-paneled-wall-mirror-and-cornice-designed-by-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Room-French-Louis-XIV-East-elevation-with-bookcases-table-and-carved-panels-designed-by-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Room-French-Louis-XIV-West-elevation-with-carved-panels-and-fire-chimney-piece-in-wood-or-stone-designed-by-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Drawings-French-sketches-for-French-room-by-Agrell-Architectural-woodcarving-louisIV_north.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Drawings-French-sketches-for-French-room-by-Agrell-Architectural-woodcarving-louisIV_east.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Drawings-French-sketches-for-French-room-by-Agrell-Architectural-woodcarving-louis-IV_west.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Drawings-French-Frames-3-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Drawings-French-Frames-French-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Shells-Appliques-French-Agrell-woodcarving-32.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Shells-Appliques-French-Agrell-woodcarving-31.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Drawings-French-Appliques-Acanthus-Agrell-Woodcarving-23.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Room-French-Louis-XIV-South-elevation-with-two-draped-windows-table-carved-panels-and-mirror-designed-by-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/french-console-table-apron.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Drawings-french-console-table-detail-Appliques-Acanthus-Agrell-Woodcarving-22.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Drawings-Nouveau-room-east-elevation-bookcase-chairs-cornice-capitals-sconces-Agrell-woodcarving-copy.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Drawings-Nouveau-room-north-elevation-cabinet-doors-chairs-cornice-capitals-sconce-Agrell-woodcarving-copy.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Drawings-Nouveau-room-south-elevation-settee-sofa-capitals-stained-glass-cornice-Agrell-woodcarving-copy.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Drawings-Nouveau-room-west-elevation-fire-surround-overmantel-Frames-Agrell-woodcarving-copy.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Bronze-Capital-Pilaster-Art-Nouveau-Agrell-Architectural-carving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Bronze-Sconce-drawing-Art-Nouveau-Agrell-Architectural-carving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Bronze-Door-Trim-Art-Nouveau-Agrell-Architectural-carving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-MC-2-Cyma-0764-reverse-Nouveau-drawing-Mouldings-Moldings-Agrell-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/AAC-Furniture-Chairs-Nouveau-Horta-drawing-Agrell-woodcarving-e1468498981795.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/nouveau_design3.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/nouveau_design4.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/nouveau_design1.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/french-panel-woodcarving-boiserie.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/detail-of-linenfold-panel-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/detail-of-art-nouveau-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/detail-of-neoclassical-woodcarving.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/carved-wood-mouldings.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/bronze-rosette-applique.jpg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/12-11-14-Spruing-2-Peacock-Shields-1.jpeg https://agrellcarving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/12-17-14-Zircon-Stucco-Coat-1.jpeg
Watch: Our Philosophy
Case Study: Utah Governor’s Mansion Fire
Case Study: Building an award-winning organ case
Adam Thorpe wins ICAA Julia Morgan Award
Case Study: Carving a masterpiece Rococo fire surround
Ancient Egyptian capitals have a contemporary look
We produce the finest ornamental woodcarving for architecture, luxury interiors, and furniture. Discuss your ideas with a project manager or send us photos and sketches via email and we'll provide a timely proposal. You can also contact us or subscribe to our mailing list here.
• info@agrellcarving.com
UK/Europe/Rest of World
• 01233-500252
• kate@agrellcarving.co.uk
· © 2016 Agrell Architectural Carving · Legal Notice ·
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3930
|
__label__wiki
| 0.714078
| 0.714078
|
Anat Hoffman: World’s 5th Most Influential Jew
The list is in and, according to the Jerusalem Post, Anat Hoffman is the 5th most influential Jew in the world. Hoffman, the Executive Director of the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC), trails only MK Yair Lapid, Jack Lew, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres. She comes in above Jon Stewart (#7), Rep. Debbi Wasserman Schultz (#10) and Justice Elana Kagan (#12), just to name a few. Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, comes in at #26.
Hoffman’s high ranking is in part a result of her leadership in Women of the Wall, which has made remarkable strides over the past year advancing pluralism and women’s rights at theKotel. Just this past week, Women of the Wall made headlines when thousands of Haredi Jews violently protested the group’s Rosh Kodesh service by launching rocks, spit and verbal abuse.
Unlike at previous services, for the first time in over two decades the police protected the Women of the Wall and arrested some of the perpetrators who threatened them. Such a dramatic turn in official treatment stems from a recent court ruling defending the right of women to pray at the Kotel.
The battle over women’s rights at the Kotel has now spread to the Knesset, where Naftali Bennet and Tzipi Livni are publically sparring. Countering recent court decisions, Benner seeks to regulate prayer at the Kotel and to limit the Women of the Wall’s practice. Livni has expressed her opposition to any such limitations, which require her approval.
While the status of the Western Wall now dominates Israeli media (so much so that Women of the Wall is even a subject heading on Haartetz), its newfound fame is symptomatic of greater religious tensions in Israel. As the battles over religious pluralism, women’s rights and the rights of the non-Orthodox are on-going in Israel, we are proud to have Anat Hoffman at the helm.
Mikey Pasek is an Eisendrath Legislative Assistant at the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3932
|
__label__cc
| 0.591446
| 0.408554
|
Ex-wrestler Snuka pleads not guilty in '83 death of mistress
ALLENTOWN, Pa. -- Former professional wrestling star Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka has pleaded not guilty to third-degree murder charges in the death of his mistress more than three decades ago.
Snuka was arraigned Monday in Lehigh County Court in Allentown. His girlfriend, 23-year-old Nancy Argentino of New York, was found dead in May 1983 after authorities were called to a Whitehall Township hotel room she was sharing with Snuka. Defense attorney Robert Kirwan II has called her death an "unfortunate accident."
At his court appearance, Snuka did not appear to know the day of the week or the location of the courthouse. His attorney said the 72-year-old has early-onset dementia and post-concussion syndrome. Snuka told the judge he can't read or write English.
The judge issued a gag order in the case.
allentownpa. newsmurder
Copyright © 2019 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
AccuWeather: Evening Thunderstorms, Downpours
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3937
|
__label__cc
| 0.732337
| 0.267663
|
Patriots Lead The Rams 3-0 At Halftime In A Defensive Struggle
posted by Matthew Demeke - Feb 3, 2019
If you like high scoring offensive games, the first two quarters of Super Bowl LIII isn't something you would be very impressed with.
Stephen Gostowski kicked a 42-yard field goal to give New England a 3-0 lead over the Los Angeles Rams with 10:29 left in the first half.
The problem for the Rams in this game, was that the Rams defense had no answer for Julian Edelman. They got a big boost at the end of the half, though, when the Patriots were stopped on a fourth-down play and they’ll get another when the second half starts and they get the ball first. It will be very crucial that they come out and get off to a fast start to set the tone.
The Patriots extended their 3-point lead, but on a 4th-and-1 from the Rams' 32 yard line a pass from Tom Brady went off the finger tips Rob Gronkowski, which gave the ball back to the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams, however, again could not do much before punting away to the Patriots with 16 seconds left in the half.
This 3-0 game is the second-lowest scoring Super Bowl in history after the first 30 minutes
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3938
|
__label__cc
| 0.590211
| 0.409789
|
July 7, 2019 · Leave a Comment
Here’s an informative video that inspired a spirited conversation in my household:
I can understand the overwhelming temptation to appease and filter for THE ALGORITHM when you’re making a living off your YouTube and online efforts. But there’s a loss of voice, akin to the loss of agency that casual listening creates. Rather than choosing we’re being chosen.
There’s an SEO plug-in installed on my blog, and it tells me that I should optimize my titles and my content for traffic-catching metrics. I was paying attention to its demands for a while, changing snappy short titles to longer (less fun) ones that complied with SEO-recommended character limits. I was told to insert keywords into the content and always attach eye-catching featured images (I was never good at that aspect). I’d get stressed out when the plug-in told me that I wasn’t adhering to the internet’s mysterious ordinances.
But, here’s the thing: there are many blogs and newsletters that I love, and none of these follow the rules. Some of these authors have a voice that flies in the face of these rules — one-word titles, blog posts with only a few sentences, the minimalist of minimal site layouts. I frequent these outlets for the voice of the author, not any click-worthy title or high search rank. I fear that if we all follow the SEO or algorithmic guidelines, then these voices would disappear. Pleasing the SEO computer is trying to please everyone, and we all know the cliché about what happens when you try to please everyone. But it’s more than ending up not pleasing anybody — it’s about not connecting with your people, to not have a flag on the map of your territory, to be invisible from your tribe.
There are those who are going for mass and, according to their goals, choose to follow the rules. That’s cool. Derek Muller, in the video above, is doing so grudgingly but he’s in the machine where 5 million vs. 10 million views have a direct impact on his project’s budget. Veritasium is a channel with — at the least — staff and travel requirements, so there’s a good reason to keep the views and funding high.1And it’s a well-done science channel, worth your subscription in my opinion. But my needs — and the needs of the bloggers and channels I follow — are different. We’re looking for that longterm connection and an audience that’s on board because of our way of saying things. It’s not that Derek doesn’t want that — it’s evident from his video that his voice and point of view are essential and he’s struggling with maintaining these — but the success of his platform is affected by more important things. On the other hand, at this point, I measure my success by people enjoying what I do and, to paraphrase Seth Godin, missing me when I’ve gone quiet.
I’m thinking about the direction of this blog all of the time. I change my mind about it constantly. But what always sticks is that I want it to be fun for you and — most importantly, if I’m honest — fun for me. I’m using this to find my people, to have conversations, and make those connections. And I’m using it to find potential friends, collaborators, clients, and employers. An SEO plug-in’s suggestions won’t be much help there. I see these imposed guidelines as a detriment and I’m happy to resist. So expect the blog to get more personal, more specialized, and obtuse — my private-made-public playground. No holding back the freak flag.
Filed Under: Commentary Tagged With: Algorithms, Navel-Gazing, SEO, Seth Godin, Veritasium, Video, YouTube
Sound-Alikes: Litigating the AI Mimic
April 29, 2019 · Leave a Comment
Dani Deahl in The Verge:
The word “human” does not appear at all in US copyright law, and there’s not much existing litigation around the word’s absence. This has created a giant gray area and left AI’s place in copyright unclear. It also means the law doesn’t account for AI’s unique abilities, like its potential to work endlessly and mimic the sound of a specific artist. Depending on how legal decisions shake out, AI systems could become a valuable tool to assist creativity, a nuisance ripping off hard-working human musicians, or both. […]
If [an AI] system then makes music that sounds like Beyoncé, is Beyoncé owed anything? Several legal experts believe the answer is “no.” […] “There’s nothing legally requiring you to give her any profits from it unless you’re directly sampling,” [Public Knowledge policy counsel Meredith] Rose says. There’s room for debate, she says, over whether this is good for musicians. “I think courts and our general instinct would say, ‘Well, if an algorithm is only fed Beyoncé songs and the output is a piece of music, it’s a robot. It clearly couldn’t have added anything to this, and there’s nothing original there.’”
I’m not so sure. It could turn out that the controversial “Blurred Lines” ruling laid the groundwork for litigating AI-mimicry.
🔗→ We’ve been warned about AI and music for over 50 years, but no one’s prepared
Filed Under: Commentary Tagged With: Algorithms, Artificial Intelligence, Beyoncé, Blurred Lines, Copyright
The Music We Dislike: Calculated or Cultural?
From an insightful piece by Philip Cosores in Uproxx:
From track lengths to chord progressions to song structures, the amount of math involved in what sounds good to the ears is the least sexy aspect of music, right up there with the language of recording contracts and the cleanliness of tour buses. But it wasn’t until the rise of services like Spotify and Apple Music that the mathematics of music felt so dangerous. Namely, the math involved in streaming. […]
It’s been music critics who have been beating the drum about the dangers of streaming algorithms lately … but most of the time the criticism is less about well-researched investigations and more about gut feeling call outs, directed at music that is often simultaneously commercially successful and critically derided. Over the course of the last year, you’d be hardpressed to find a negative album review that didn’t at some point evoke the idea of The Algorithm being to blame for the music’s perceived lack of quality — it has become this specter hovering above popular music, ready to sink its talons into anything that finds commercial success. […]
Of course, the music world has changed because of streaming, and many artists and labels will always look to trends when creating their own strategies and aesthetics. But blaming streaming for the music that you don’t like feels increasingly closed off from reality, where streaming is, in fact, influencing most of the music that is being consumed, regardless of quality. This is no better or worse than it has ever been, it’s just a recent mode of consumption that musicians are learning how to work with.
It’s impossible to argue that in the history of commercial music — even before recording technology — there was a time when the means of delivery wasn’t an influence on songcraft. Whether it’s writing an opera with intentionally dramatic moments to enthrall a packed theater, to keeping the perfect pop song under three-and-a-half minutes for the best fidelity on a 7” single, to Brian Eno realizing his “Thursday Afternoon” around the amount of time available on a compact disc — format has always held sway on the music.
Of course, there are artists creating music specifically to exploit Spotify as a platform — the ‘poop song’ guy immediately comes to mind — but I agree with the thesis of this piece. It’s easy to accuse music we don’t like of solely catering to ‘the algorithm’ just as we once derided songs made specifically for pop radio or albums in the ‘70s that seemed so serendipitous they were obviously capitalizing on a trend.
The favored target of the music critic is ever-changing (and I love music criticism and feel it’s necessary, so don’t take this as a slam). The identity of that target is a gauge of where music stands and the ways we, as music fans, feel uncertain in its progress. Emerging trends create a widening feedback loop, making it increasingly difficult for the critic to separate the calculated from the cultural. Yesterday’s disparaged made-for-MTV band is today’s algorithm-friendly artist. And, soon enough, probably tomorrow’s A.I. assisted songwriter.
🔗→ Stop Blaming Streaming Services For The Music You Don’t Like
Filed Under: Commentary Tagged With: Algorithms, Brian Eno, Culture, Popular Music, Trends
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3940
|
__label__cc
| 0.550103
| 0.449897
|
AC/DC Magazine Ads Through the Years: 1975-2016
Matthew Wilkening
This collection of 40 years' worth of AC/DC magazine ads reveals the band's not-so-secret marketing strategy: Put Angus Young front and center.
Nearly half of the ads, retail posters and other promotional items displayed below feature the band's schoolboy outfit-wearing lead guitarist all by himself. Other times, he's joined by his bandmates or replaced by cannons, amplifiers, brass balls or even Iron Man. The poster for 1990's The Razor's Edge displays the band's logo via some extremely creatively hair trimming.
Bon Scott shares the spotlight with Young on the album cover and magazine ads for 1997's Bonfire, a box set dedicated to the late singer. The promotional materials for 1980's Back in Black, the first album AC/DC released after Scott's death, prominently display the plain black artwork the still-mourning group used as the LP's cover art.
Otherwise, just like at the band's live shows, it's pretty much all Angus all the time. You'll see the 5' 2" guitar hero breaking through huge TV screens, getting electrocuted, stabbed, immortalized as a gigantic statue or tearing up stages all over the world. Just as they've done with their music over the past four decades, AC/DC have found a winning formula and stuck to it.
Further AC/DC Reading:
Top 50 AC/DC Songs
AC/DC Albums Ranked Worst to Best
Top 10 Malcolm Young AC/DC Songs
Top 10 Bon Scott AC/DC Songs
Top 10 Angus Young Guitar Solos
Revisiting Brian Johnson's First AC/DC Show
24 Chaotic Moments From AC/DC's 'Rock or Bust' Tour
Next: Van Halen Magazine Ads Through the Years
Source: AC/DC Magazine Ads Through the Years: 1975-2016
Filed Under: AC-DC
Categories: Humor
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3941
|
__label__wiki
| 0.947739
| 0.947739
|
Vince Neil Says ‘The Dirt’ Movie is Better Than He Expected
Motley Crue frontman Vince Neil admitted he’d worried that the band’s biopic The Dirt would turn out to be a low-budget affair, but says that it turned out better than he’d expected.
It will premiere on Netflix on March 22, accompanied by four new tracks recorded by the band as tie-in material. In the movie, Neil is played by Daniel Webber.
“I was really pleasantly surprised, because I didn’t know if it was gonna be this really low-budget film,” Neil told Kaaos TV in a new interview (via Blabbermouth). “Because you can make really bad films very easily. But after the first 10 minutes of watching the movie, I forgot it was about us and I just was enjoying a really good film.”
He said of Webber: “It wasn't me that was nervous; it was actually the guy that played me who was nervous. He wanted to make sure he did a really good job. And he did. I think each guy that played each of the band members pulled it off — I mean, exact. You get everybody's personalities right there on film. It's pretty neat to watch.”
You can listen to the full interview below:
Meanwhile, bassist Nikki Sixx explained why so much debauched behavior is seen in the movie represented a “cautionary tale.” He told Virgin Radio (via Blabbermouth): “It's been over 30 years since I was a heroin addict. That time was unbelievable… it was like, more is more, and we just kind of lived that life, but there are repercussions from that. That, I think, might be the cautionary tale in the movie.” He continued: “The movie really does a great job of giving each individual band member's back story, so you sort of understand.”
Asked about when the band began running out of control, Sixx said it would have been around 1986, by which time they’d been selling out arenas and stadiums for several years. “[E]very time we did something wrong, we got, like, a cookie for it,” he said. “It was like, 'Hey, good job – you guys rolled a car. Your album sales went up. You just threw more televisions out of the window.’ As a young kid, you're like, ‘This is great.’”
He added: “You would hear things, I remember, about a lot of the guys I was drawn to – more of the outlaw-type artists – and that's where drugs came into play for me. When I was first introduced to heroin, I thought, ‘Well, Johnny Thunders does heroin. He's super-cool, so I'll give it a shot.’ That's how it starts.”
Everything You Need to Know About Motley Crue's 'The Dirt' Movie
Next: Motley Crue Albums Ranked
Source: Vince Neil Says ‘The Dirt’ Movie is Better Than He Expected
Filed Under: Motley Crue, Nikki Sixx, The Dirt, Vince Neil
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3942
|
__label__wiki
| 0.722838
| 0.722838
|
Artist and filmmaker Steven Rodney McQueen III was born in London on October 9, 1969. His critically-acclaimed directorial debut, Hunger, won the Camera d‘Or at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival. He followed that up with the incendiary offering Shame, a well-received, thought-provoking drama about addiction and secrecy in the modern world.
In 1996, McQueen was the recipient of an ICA Futures Award. A couple of years later, he won a DAAD artist‘s scholarship to Berlin. Besides exhibiting at the ICA and at the Kunsthalle in Zürich, he also won the coveted Turner Prize. He has exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Musee d‘Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, Documenta, and at the 53rd Venice Biennale as a representative of Great Britain.
His artwork can be found in museum collections around the world like the Tate, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Centre Pompidou. In 2003, he was appointed Official War Artist for the Iraq War by the Imperial War Museum and he subsequently produced the poignant and controversial project Queen and Country commemorating the deaths of British soldiers who perished in the conflict by presenting their portraits as a sheet of stamps.
Steve and his wife, cultural critic Bianca Stigter, live and work in Amsterdam which is where they are raising their son, Dexter, and daughter, Alex. Here, he talks about his latest film, 12 Years a Slave, which recently won the People‘s Choice Awards for Best Film and Best Director at the Toronto Film Festival.
Steve McQueen The “12 Years a Slave” Interview
with Kam Williams
Kam Williams: Hi Steve. Thanks for honoring me with the opportunity to interview you.
Steve McQueen: Thanks so much for the interest, Kam.
KW: I‘ve loved all three of your feature films, this new one, and Hunger and Shame as well. They are so different from each other and yet quite remarkable and memorable, each in their own way.
SM: Thank you. Well, I do my best. I‘m just happy that people are responding to the films as positively as they are. To be honest with you, it‘s one of those things where we‘re just happy to get them made. When you get to make something, you always hope people will go and see it. And we‘re very, very pleased by the response to 12 Years a Slave. It‘s kind of humbling and remarkable.
KW: Your work reminds me of Ang Lee‘s in terms of its quality and versatility in the way that his movies are each phenomenal yet so very different from each other.
SM: Wow! That‘s a huge compliment. What can I say? He‘s a master. Ang Lee is a person I really admire and look up to. I love so many of his films, especially Ride with the Devil, Sense and Sensibility, and The Ice Storm.
KW: Editor/Legist Patricia Turnier asks: What does it mean to you to be in charge of adapting Solomon Northup‘s memoir? How do you explain that his autobiography was buried for around a hundred years contrary to those of some of his contemporaries like Frederick Douglass?
by Solomon Northup (July 1808 – c. 1864-1875) kidnapped into slavery in 1851 The original edition was published by Derby and Miller in 1853
SM: I feel tremendously honored but I also feel a tremendous responsibility because through this film we can bring Solomon Northrup‘s memory to the surface. His story was buried for so long. When the book first came out in 1853, it was a phenomenal best seller for its time, and sold 27,000 copies in 18 months. But what happened was Uncle Tom‘s Cabin was published the following year, and that was it for Twelve Years a Slave. It fell into obscurity. Academics knew about the memoir but it otherwise became lost. To me, it was always like the American equivalent of The Diary of Anne Frank. That‘s why it became my passion to get this film made.
KW: Harriet Pakula-Teweles asks: In a film described as a historical drama, how do you establish a healthy balance between history and drama?
SM: By relying on the book. As a filmmaker I was interested in illustrating the history of what slavery was about, which was slave labor. In the background of one frame, for example, you see sugar cane. In the second plantation, you see logging. And on the third location, we see corn. So, at the same time you‘re following Solomon‘s adventure of trying to get home, in the background you simultaneously see the horrors and pains of what slavery was about.
KW: Fellow director Rel Dowdell asks: Do you feel that the great success of Django Unchained improves your very visceral film‘s chances for a warm reception?
SM: I think that film was very helpful, of course, in making people aware by getting the subject-matter on film. So, I couldn‘t say it didn‘t help.
KW: What interested you as a Brit in an African-American story?
SM: The story‘s not just an African-American story. It‘s a universal story. It‘s a world story. My parents are from the West Indies. My father‘s from Grenada which is where Malcolm X‘s mother was born. My mother was born in Trinidad which is where Stokely Carmichael, the man who coined the phrase “Black Power!” was born. Sidney Poitier was born in the Bahamas. I‘m part of that diaspora of people displaced by the slave trades. I‘m part of that family. It‘s our story. It‘s a global story.
KW: My grandparents were born St. Croix, St. Kitts and Barbados. Do you eat any West Indian food like curried goat, callaloo or roti?
SM: Yeah, all of that. And then, when you go to New Orleans, you find similar dishes. We‘re all family!
KW: How did you settle on Chiwetel as Solomon Northrup?
SM: Chiwetel was always the one I wanted to make the movie with because there‘s a certain humanity and gentility about him that I needed for the lead role. Solomon was a person who maintained his humanity whatever his circumstances, and I needed someone of that same caliber, because he would be tested to the breaking point. I needed an actor who could hold up during those moments of extreme stress.
KW: Why did you use the great Michael Fassbender in each of your films?
SM: I think Michael is the most influential actor of his generation. He‘s like a Mickey Rourke or a Gary Oldman. People want to be him. Actors want to act with him. Students choose to pursue acting because of him. I was very fortunate to land him for Hunger. We‘ve been close friends ever since. He‘s an amazing actor I willl always want to work with.
KW: How did you assemble such a top-flight cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Giamatti, Brad Pitt, Quvenzhane Wallis, Paaul Dano, and newcomer Lupita Nyong‘o.
SM: I had huge help from the casting director, Francine Maisler. She did an incredible job. We auditioned over a thousand girls for the role of Patsey. And we ended up with Lupita who hadn‘t even graduated from acting school yet. But she auditioned for us, and that was it. A star was born!
KW: The bookworm Troy Johnson question: What was the last book you read?
SM: The last one I actually read was a children‘s book I read to my son last night called something like “Teacher Goes to School.”
KW: What is your favorite dish to cook?
SM: Pasta, because it‘s easy.
KW: When you look in the mirror, what do you see?
SM: I see all the lines in my face from tiredness.
KW: The Ling-Ju Yen question: What is your earliest childhood memory?
SM: Borrowing roller skates from a next-door neighbor when I was about 3 or 4 years-old.
KW: The Mike Pittman question: What was your best career decision?
SM: Meeting my wife.
KW: If you could have one wish instantly granted, what would that be for?
SM: World peace. It might sound corny, but that‘s the truth.
KW: The Jamie Foxx question: If you only had 24 hours left to live, how would you spend the time?
SM: With the people I love.
KW: The Kerry Washington question: If you could be another animal, which one would you choose?
SM: A dolphin.
KW: The Melissa Harris-Perry question: How did your first big heartbreak impact who you are as a person?
SM: I learned that life is a long and difficult road, but you have to keep going, or you‘ll fall by the wayside.
KW: The Anthony Mackie question: Is there something that you promised to do if you became famous, that you still haven‘t done yet?
SM: Am I famous?
KW: The Tavis Smiley question: How do you want to be remembered?
SM: As a person who tried.
KW: Thanks again for the time, Steve, and best of luck with the film.
SM: Thank you. Take care, Kam.
AALBC.com's comments powered by Disqus
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3944
|
__label__cc
| 0.572897
| 0.427103
|
Back You are here: Home News Jakubi Return Home For Aussie Shows
Jakubi Return Home For Aussie Shows
Written by Rita Braby
Melbourne’s very own funk/R&B lads Jakubi have just returned from the US and boy did they have a good time. They sold out shows in New York, San Francisco, and Chicago and have just announced a few Australian shows on the back of their new release Couch Potato.
The five-piece have gone from strength to strength with their blend of R&B, hip-hop, jazz and pop, all with a definite American vibe, so it’s no wonder they have done so well in the US. Their new track Couch Potato is a funky and smooth track, with a lot of different influences thrown in, and confident vocals from lead singer Jerome.
The group released their first singles in 2013 and quickly reached number 1 on Hype Machine with Can’t Afford It All and Holiday. Since then Jakubi have caught the attention of fans here and overseas, with cultural commentator (and gossip queen) Perez Hilton giving them a nod on his notorious website.
They have announced performances in Melbourne for December this year, and will also be playing at Beyond The Valley Festival, with more tour dates to be announced. Make sure you catch them while they’re here.
Australian Tour dates (so far):
Max Watts, Melbourne VIC
TUES-FRI 29 Dec- 1 JAN 2016
Beyond The Valley Festival, Lardner VIC
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3951
|
__label__wiki
| 0.896185
| 0.896185
|
The Altamont Enterprise
Log In/Subscribe
Hilltowns
New Scotland
Candidate profiles for New York State Assembly District 109
Thursday, October 4, 2018 - 19:32
by Melissa Hale-Spencer
Candidates for New York State’s Assembly and Senate were asked about relevant background, their reasons for running, and what they hope to achieve if elected. They were also asked to give their views on each of these issues:
— Single-payer health insurance: This would be a system financed by taxes that covers the costs of essential health care for all New Yorkers with costs borne by taxpayers. Medicare is a federal single-payer health-care system but just for people over 65. Should New York adopt such a system? If so, why? If not, what system should the state use and why?
— Codifying Roe v. Wade: Last year, Governor Andrew Cuomo proposed an amendment to the New York State Constitution that would codify the rights established by the 1973 United States Supreme Court decision — protecting the right of a woman to choose to terminate her pregnancy — regardless of what happens on the federal level. The New York Health Act would expand New York’s 1970 law, allowing a health-care provider to abort a fetus at any time if it were not viable or if its mother’s life or health were at risk. Do you support this initiative? Why or why not?
— Fair taxes: Residents on the edges of Guilderland were hit with huge tax hikes last year becauses the town’s equalization rate had plummeted and they lived in other school districts. A stopgap measure was passed to readjust the rate more fairly for one year. Westerlo has not revalued properties townwide for decades and the state-set equalization rate for the town is less than 1 percent of full-market value, leaving newcomers with an unfair tax burden.
The state’s Office of Real Property Tax Service has to deal with 1,000 jurisdictions, each setting their own assessment standard and so relies on sampling and trends, which can often go awry. Also there is no enforcement mechanism to make towns like Westerlo with badly skewed assessment rolls comply.
Should New York follow the lead of most states and have a single assessment standard? Why or why not?
— LLC loophole: Individuals are capped in making campaign contributions but they can form a Limited Liability Company to donate more. A decision by the United States Supreme Court, brought by Citizens United, allowed corporations to spend money on “electioneering communications” and to advocate for the election or defeat of candidates. Most of the hundreds of millions of dollars this ruling unleashed, largely from a small number of billionaires, have come through super PACs or political action committees. Should New York close the LLC loophole? Why or why not?
— Legalizing cannabis: This is a two-part question: The first part concerns legalizing marijuana for recreational use for adults; the second part is about expanding rights to grow hemp. Both hemp and marijuana are cannabis but hemp has little THC — tetrahydrocannabinol, the mind-altering constituent of marijuana.
Medical marijuana became legal in New York in 2016. A report requested by the governor, released in July, concluded that benefits of a regulated marijuana market outweigh any drawbacks. Should New York legalize recreational marijuana for adults? Why or why not?
After the federal Agricultural Act of 2014 allowed colleges to grow and conduct research on hemp, New York State passed a law to do likewise and has since expanded the program to include 115 licensed growers. Should New York allow farmers to grow hemp if the federal government removes non-psychoactive cannabis from the definition of marijuana in the Controlled Substance Act. Why or why not?
— Opioid crisis: According to the state’s health department, the rate of all opioid overdose deaths per 100,000 population in New York State doubled between 2010 (5.4) and 2015 (10.8). New York has placed restrictions on opioid prescriptions and has set up educational programs for health-care providers on safe prescribing practices. The state is working to expand the availability of the overdose prevention drug naloxone, and buprenorphine, a kind of medication-assisted treatment. What more, if anything, should the state do?
— Gun safety: The Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act was hurriedly passed in 2013 after the school shootings in Newtown, Connecticut. The SAFE Act bans private citizens from owning assault weapons unless they were owned before the act. State law requires a permit for pistol ownership but does not require a license to own long guns. What changes, if any, should be made to New York’s gun laws?
Patricia A. Fahy
Patricia A. Fahy says one of the initiatives she’s most proud of backing this year is the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion program, known as LEAD.
“It allows police officers to divert [from arrest] three categories of people: the homeless, people with drug issues, and people with mental-health issues,” she said.
The program in Albany, she said, partners with Catholic Charities to have two or three social workers on call at all times. “In one years, over 100 individuals were diverted in Albany,” Fahy said. “My bill is to find more funding sources to help replicate it across the state.”
Fahy is also pleased that she helped reduce taxes for Guilderland residents who live on the outskirts of town, in other school districts; they saw huge tax hikes last year as the town’s equalization rate fell.
Fahy said homeowners in Weatherfield, Guilderland residents in the Voorheesville School District, had seen reductions of $1,200 and even $2,500 in their school taxes this year.
“We’ve changed the laws so that won’t happen again; town boards will be notified when there’s a big change,” she said.
Fahy has described herself as a first-generation American whose parents “came to this country for a better life,” where education was key. Fahy has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Northern Illinois University and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Before moving to Albany two decades ago, Fahy spent many years in Washington, D.C., working on Capitol Hill with labor committees and employment subcommittees, drafting legislation.
In New York State, she had worked as an associate commissioner at the labor department and for the state legislature. She also served on Albany’s school board; her children attended city schools.
Fahy has voted “yes” on the bills the Assembly passed for single-payer health insurance but says her support is not a matter of “a simple yes or no.”
“Yes, we need to look at a new system,” she said. “This year, we’ll drill down to make sure the costs are manageable. … Cost estimates are coming back extremely high. We have to make sure we’re finding savings for taxpayers and businesses.”
She went on, “Generally, I’m a ‘yes’ on the concept and principle … It would be easier if we had a national conversation. I want to really pin down costs.”
Fahy said of starting her Assembly tenure in 2013, “I came in just after the state was beginning to recover from the recession. I want to be fiscally responsible.”
On codifying Roe v. Wade, Fahy said, “Yes, I fully support it. Unfortunately, the issue has taken on a life of its own.”
Fahy said it’s important to take the matter of abortion “out of the criminal code and into the health code where it belongs.”
In 2017, Fahy voted ‘yes’ for the Reproductive Health Act that would have allowed a health-care provider to abort a fetus at any time if it were not viable or if its mother’s life or health were at risk. The measure passed in the Democrat-dominated Assembly but not in the Republican-controlled Senate.
On fair taxes, Fahy said, “It would help to begin to standardize assessment. Because of local resistance, we have not seen it. We’d have to move in a way that is respectful of localities that have tried to work in a fiscally responsible way.”
Commenting on the resistance to a single standard, Fahy said, “It’s just the politics of it.” In Bethlehem, she noted, there was “massive fallout” because of town-wide revaluation.
She of the effects on taxpayers, “No matter what you do, some will win and some will lose.”
Fahy concluded, “You need some state assistance or guidelines to step in.”
Fahy said she “absolutely” wants the state to close the LLC loophole. “It’s one of my top campaign-finance issues.”
She went on, “I’m hoping next year, if things do change with the Senate that it will be possible.” Fahy was alluding to the recent Democratic primary victories where several members of the Independent Democratic Caucus, who had voted with the Republicans, were ousted.
Fahy concluded of closing the LLC loophole, “It’s long overdue.”
On legalizing marijuana for adult recreational use, Fahy said, “I’m not a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’ yet.”
She went on, “We need to do this in a sequenced approach.” Fahy said she fully supports decriminalization for possession of small amounts of marijuana. And she also fully supports expunging records of such arrests.
“Lives were dramatically changed by jail time,” she said. “It’s a racial justice issue and an economic justice issue. The poor have been unfairly harmed.”
But, she said, “Research is all over the map.” So, before Fahy commits to legalization, she says there are several serious concerns and questions that need to be answered.
One is driving while impaired. “There is no blood test like with alcohol,” Fahy said, adding that a high can last a long time.
Second, she said, she is concerned about youth access to marijuana if it’s legalized for adults. “Early studies are showing an increase of use by teenagers,” she said of states where marijuana is legal.
Third, Fahy is concerned about the “cash economy” it would create because the federal government hasn’t legalized marijuana, so all transactions are in cash. “They’ve seen spikes in crime, particularly in Colorado,” Fahy said.
Summarizing both her “yes” and “no” reasons, Fahy said, “I am open to it because of increased health benefits and because of problems with the underground market … At a time when we are not on top of the opioid crisis, it sends the wrong message.”
Fahy also said, “With Washington, California, and Colorado, the regulation is incredibly expensive. They still have a black market because of the costs. People portray it [legalization] as a tax revenue raiser but that is open to question.”
Through her last newsletter, Fahy conducted an informal survey of the citizens she represents. From 60 to 66 percent supported legalization of marijuana for recreational use, she said. “The district was generally supportive,” Fahy said. “There was a healthy spit … I’m not closing the door; that’s why we did the survey.”
Fahy believes legislators should take their time to get it right. “It’s like the Uber conversation,” Fahy said. “We spent three years on that rather than just rubber-stamping a template. We ended up with the best law in the country with protections for the drivers and the passengers. We need to do this right.”
On hemp, Fahy said, “I’m open. I don’t know enough.” She noted that hemp has “so many multiple uses.”
On the opioid crisis, Fahy said, “There’s always more to be done. We’re not on top of this yet. For those who want to go into rehab, we need to make it more easily accessible with insurance.”
She went on, “We’ve made great progress with education and awareness, slowing down prescriptions. While we’ve made good progress on the supply side, we still need more prevention. … People are still struggling for beds and treatment. People cycle in and out,” she said of rehab. “Long-term treatment is needed.”
Fahy says it’s not enough to do background checks on the people buying guns; the people selling guns also need to be checked.
In the wake of the Las Vegas shooting a year ago, Fahy proposed a bill that would make possession and sale of bump fire stocks a misdemeanor while the manufacturing or transport of them would be a felony. The gunstocks are designed to make bump firing easier, allowing semi-automatic firearms to mimic the firing speed of fully automatic weapons. That bill has not passed.
Fahy is also interested in the sort of database that California has, which tracks ammunition sales with the goal of keeping it out of the hands of felons.
Fahy notes, “I passed the parity bill for sports men and women to give them parity … I believe in legitimate rights of responsible gun owners.”
Fahy also said, “The research is profound here: States with the strongest gun control have the lowest crime rates and lowest gun-related fatalities.”
She concluded, “The more we do, the safer we are.”
Robert G. Porter
Robert G. Porter says that many Americans, if they vote at all, vote for “the lesser of two evils.” He wants to change that and so is running on the Republican line to represent the 109th Assembly District.
Porter, who is 52, grew up in Guilderland, attending Farnsworth Middle School and Guilderland High School.
He left high school in 1984 to join the United States Marines Corps, earning his GED along the way. He served in the Marines for 21 years, in law enforcement and as an investigator. He was stationed abroad in Korea; Okinawa, Japan; the Philippines; and did a tour in Iraq in 2006 and 2007, training Iraqi police.
Porter retired in 2007 and is active in several organizations for veterans and motorcycle rights. He escorts veterans to the airport for trips to Washington D.C. as one of the Patriot Guard Riders, and he places flags for Memorial Day and wreaths for Christmas at the Saratoga National Cemetery.
“Last year, for the first time, we had a wreath for each one of the 12,000 markers,” Porter said. “It was a sight to see.”
Porter is frustrated that sometimes voters have no choice at the polls, when a candidate is endorsed by multiple parties.
“Having been in the military,” he said, “that’s like countries where you’re told, this is your candidate. That’s not America.”
He believes, “First and foremost, Americans should vote.” Beyond that, he said, “They should vote for the best person for the job, regardless of party.”
Two years ago, Porter ran on the Republican line in Albany’s heavily Democratic 9th Ward. “I got 17 percent of the vote, which was more than the enrollment,” he said of Republicans in the 9th Ward.
Asked if it’s tough to take on a popular Democratic incumbent in a heavily Democratic district, Porter said, “Tough is being in Iraq where someone is trying to kill you.”
He believes that politicians “get elected over and over again” — even though, he says, “People are frustrated they’re taking our money and not doing what we want” — because no one is willing to oppose them.
Porter, who is divorced with no children, lives by himself in Albany near Albany Medical Center where he can walk to the Veterans Affairs Hospital for his health care. He said he has disabilities from his service and named arthritis, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, and tinnitus or ringing in his ears.
“Every Marine year is seven human years,” he said. “You carry 100 pounds of personal equipment and a 100-pounds pack on your back.”
Porter’s father, a doctor at Albany Med, died two years ago. His mother is also a doctor. She ran the infirmary at the University at Albany and she was a cellist for the Albany Symphony Orchestra. Now, at 87, she works half-days as a doctor at a retirement home in Guilderland and teaches cello to high school students.
Porter likened his military career to being a politician. “My job in the Marine Corps is defending the United States,” he said. “The people want us to defend against terrorist attacks ... I implement those tactics. In effect, I’ve been a politician for 21 years, following those orders …
“As a Marine, I followed what the voters wanted, whether Democrat or Republican … I did that honorably for 21 years. If elected, I’d do the same thing for the people of New York.”
Porter concluded, “I’m going to do what the people want me to do, as long as it’s legal … Politicians agree with who has the most money. I haven’t taken any campaign funding.” Porter said he’d be working solely for the people.
“I’m not going to go against the people to make money,” said Porter. “If I wanted to make money, I wouldn’t have joined the Marine Corps.”
Porter is against single-payer health insurance. “Anybody who wants single-payer health insurance, please take a visit to the VA … In Arizona, vets died waiting for health care.”
Porter went on, “When the government takes over, it doesn’t work. For example, we had a robust railroad and now we have Amtrak, going bankrupt … Private enterprise gives you the best care and services.”
On codifying Roe v. Wade, Porter said, “It’s detrimental to an embryo to have the mother drink alcohol or if a woman is addicted to narcotics.” He said these effects are highly publicized.
“We then turn around and say an embryo doesn’t have any rights when a woman wants to terminate it. We need to say when and where an infant’s rights end and a woman’s rights begin.”
Porter said that, after a traumatic injury, “The doctors tell us, when the patient is brain dead, we pull the plug.” He asked, “When does a person’s life begin and when does a person’s life end? We need to look at this a a whole picture.”
Asked if that should be decided by laws or through courts, Porter said, “Nobody’s been able to spontaneously create life outside of two human beings. It takes an egg and a sperm. But that life comes from somewhere else. If ‘no brain’ decides the end of life, let’s go to the beginning, see when the embryo has brain activity.”
Asked if New York State should have a single assessment standard, Porter said, “I own the house I live in. If I was to redo my roof, the city will reassess my property and raise the value … Why is that acceptable? Why am I burdened with higher taxes for maintaining my property when someone next door brings down property values by not maintaining it.”
Porter went on to liken this to the state charging more to register a car with new tires. “I should be rewarded for maintaining my property, not penalized,” said Porter.
He went on, “It sounds like Westerlo is not punishing people for keeping up their properties.”
Porter also said that he had bought property in Albany at an auction of foreclosed properties. “The land bank now wants full market value. It’s prohibitive,” Porter said.
“I was able to buy a parcel listed at $10,000 for $1,000. I looked at the land bank for a nearby property to combine them and develop them. I would lose money to spend the full $10,000.”
On the LLC loophole, Porter said, “A corporation is not a person no matter how you look at it … When corporations were allowed, then I was opposed to that.”
“That skews the whole one person, one vote. It should be stopped. The question is: What’s going to take its place?”
Porter concluded, “Politicians are bought and sold by these corporations. The underlying question is: How do we get this out of politics?”
Asked if he wants to legalize marijuana for adult recreational use, Porter asked, “Why was marijuana made illegal in the United States? A lot of people say it goes back to the movie “Reefer Madness,” which showed the American public how awful this substance was. No research was possible on its benefits. People say it should be used medically based on research out of the U.S.”
Porter also said, “People using it were immigrants. By making marijuana illegal, it made using it a crime, leading to immigrant arrests, so they could not vote or run for office.”
Porter said drug laws are enforced unfairly. He said that if he, as a middle-class caucasian was caught using a small amount of powdered cocaine “nothing much would happen.” But, he went on, “If I were a minority with rock cocaine, I’d be thrown in prison.”
Porter said, “It hasn’t been a war on drugs; it’s been a war on minorities, disenfranchising them. They can’t get a job; they can’t vote. This destroyed families and whole swaths of society.”
Porter concluded, “Marijuana shouldn’t be treated differently than cigarettes or alcohol … Tobacco is hundreds of times more destructive on the body. Marijuana shouldn’t be illegal.”
On growing hemp in New York State, Porter said, “The federal government, under Title 10, has a set of rules and regulations for the United States. If a state wants to allow a product within that state, the federal government has no say.
“If New York State decides to allow people to grow hemp used here, it’s all right. The problem is looking at the federal government as the authority on everything.”
Porter likened the current opioid crisis to the heroin crisis of the 1960s. “The military was fighting the Golden Triangle in Vietnam,” he said. “Now our military is fighting the Golden Crescent, a Muslim symbol, in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Now we have a crisis again …
“We look at our troops in Afghanistan, and they are not destroying opium poppies because we don’t want to alienate the people we’re trying to help.”
Porter also said, “We have a pharmaceutical giant machine in the United States that operates with impunity … They tell patients there are no side effects … I go into the VA and they give me 20 days [of prescription drugs] now rather than a mong but it doesn’t keep me from being an addict,” he said, speaking in the first person by way of example.
Government restrictions are not the answer, Porter said. “When we limited access to alcohol during Prohibition, we put it in the hands of criminals. We’re now turning people from doctors to drug pushers. We have to identify if a person has become addicted …
“Then, instead of cutting them off, they should be turned into a rehab program to wean them off, instead of pushing them to the streets where drugs are abundant and they could get heroin laced with fentanyl, which then kills them.”
Porter concluded, “It’s not an easy solution to say that anyone who takes illegal drugs is a criminal; we have some responsibility.”
On gun safety, Porter said, “In Iraq, unlike the United States, it is a requirement, highly recommended that every adult male has an AK-47 and two magazines. Yet, I came back to the U.S. and the same government is telling me, as a veteran, I can’t have an AK-47 and two magazines — it’s against the law.”
Porter went on, “Manufacturers figure out ways around the law to sell their product. Or people disobey the law; criminals don’t obey the law. The law should be: If you are a criminal and you create a crime with a weapon, you should be severely punished. A law-abiding person shouldn’t be restricted. You shouldn’t punish all the law-abiding people who aren’t breaking the law.”
Porter concluded that, in his 21 years in the Marine Corps, “I had a weapon on me half the time.”
He said of his job, “I’m trying to maintain order over people trained to kill.”
In all that time in the military police, he said, “I never had to draw a weapon.”
Joseph P. Sullivan
Joseph P. Sullivan is a perennial Conservative candidate who keeps on running because, he says, he wants to provide voters with a choice.
He’s 81. “If people want term limits, here I am,” he said. “I have no illusions. I give people a choice.”
Over the last few decades, Sullivan has run for office a dozen times — for Congress, the state legislature, Albany mayor and common council, and the county legislature.
Sullivan has lived on New Scotland Avenue in Albany for half a century. “It used to be quiet,” he said. “Now, with hospital expansion, its a regular commuter thoroughfare.”
He sued the city’s zoning board for violating Albany’s zoning code when a vacant parsonage across the street from his home was turned into a center to help homeless people. He won at the Supreme Court level, the lowest rung in the state’s three-tiered system, but lost at the Appellate level.
The area, which had allowed just single-family homes or houses of worship, has since been rezoned.
Sullivan joined the United States Navy at 17 and, after his service, went to the University of Wisconsin for a bachelor’s degree in geography, followed by a master’s degree, also in geography, from the University of Minnesota.
He came to New York State to work for the Farmlands Preservation Program and then worked in the Hugh Carey administration, directing the Agricultural Resources Commission. Sullivan then worked, under Carey, as a legislative affairs officer for the superintendent of insurance.
After that, he worked as chief of staff for State Senator Howard C. Nolan, and finished his state service as an analyst for the Senate minority, working in the field of agriculture, land, and veterans issues.
“I had good relationships on both sides of the aisle,” said Sullivan.
Sullivan left the Democratic Party to become a Conservative after he lost a close ward election in 1993, he said. He is the founder and president of the Buckingham Pond-Crestwood neighborhood association; the neighborhood spans the 14th and 8th wards.
“I don’t play the game,” Sullivan said of political elections. “I don’t raise money. I stress issues.”
He termed the incumbent assemblymember, Patricia A. Fahy, as “a handmaiden to New York City interests,” describing her as “left” and “liberal.”
“I’m pro-life. She’s pro-choice, which is really infanticide,” Sullivan said.
“America is a lifeboat adrift in a sea of world poverty. We cannot solve the poverty problems of the world,” said Sullivan.
Continuing his metaphor, he went on, “Overload Lifeboat America with tens millions of uneducated, unskilled, non-English-speaking people who do not share our history, culture, and constitutional republican form of government ... it capsizes. We must secure our national borders; enforce and reform our existing immigration law; end sanctuary status for our local communities, cities, counties and states.”
He concluded, “We have to look out for ourselves. We’re deeply divided as a nation. That’s the Democrats’ legacy ... They played the race card; they pitted men against women … If the United States goes down, they’ll go down with it.”
Sullivan is opposed to single-payer health insurance, calling it “unsustainable.”
“The Congressional Budget Office warns that, in less than six years, Medicare will be gone,” said Sullivan. He asked, “How can people expect Medicaid to survive? We don’t have the wherewithal. It’s a health crisis …
“The federal government has to get on the ball. Congress is sidestepping these important issues and kicking the can down the road,” said Sullivan, adding, “Part of the problem is with the economy. We need to get people off the welfare rolls. We’ve got to reform our immigration [policies]. We’re killing ourselves, bringing in uneducated refugees … They are a burden to schools and hospitals. We have to secure our borders. The president is right on track with that.”
Sullivan concluded, “People have to be more responsible for their own health with better lifestyles — eating and exercising properly.”
Sullivan termed Roe v. Wade “unconstitutional,” and said, “It will be struck down when the balance of power changes on the Supreme Court.”
He also said, “the Supreme Court has nationalized social issues, which are not constitutional.” He cited same-sex marriage as another example and said, “these should be left to the people and the states.”
Sullivan went on about Roe v. Wade, “It’s a national tragedy. I can’t see how a woman can kill her flesh and blood. It’s not choice; it’s infanticide. A lot of women lament it later. Some don’t care but others have pangs of conscience.”
Sullivan also said of the right to end a pregnancy, “It’s a nation killer without a replacement population … If there’s an unwanted pregnancy, adoption is a much better choice. There are always people begging for children and they have to turn to other countries to get them.”
Sullivan believes New York should follow the lead of most states and have a single assessment standard. “The state legislature should be addressing it, and it’s not, “ said Sullivan. “In the city of Albany, there are a lot of unequal assessments. It should be a top priority.”
Sullivan said the United States Supreme Court was correct in its Citizens United decision, stating, “It’s a constitutional question.”
But he also said, “At the same time, we have to get this excess money out of politics somehow.”
Sullivan went on, “Voter turnout locally is going down, down, down. People tune out … We need election reform with shorter elections where candidates get equal time.”
He concluded, “Let the people decide and damn the money.”
On legalizing marijuana for adult recreational use, Sullivan said, “You’ve got two sides to the coin. Some argue it’s the gateway to worse drugs … We need to look at penalties and not send people away for a long time.”
He also said, “It’s a health problem if you smoke more joints than you should. It’s like alcohol: People drink more and more to get the buzz.”
Sullivan went on, “We need to encourage people to take better care of themselves and point out dangers, teaching kids in school. The Democrats are brainwashing kids in school, not teaching history any more.”
He concluded that choices, such as whether or not to smoke marijuana, are personal choices. “We should not expect society to pick up all the tabs,” he said.
Sullivan favors New York State allowing farmers to grow hemp. “It’s a great versatile product with a lot of uses,” he said, naming clothing and rope among them.
Sullivan said he favors “anything that will help our farmers” and added, “The governor is going a good job promoting microbreweries.”
Sullivan also said, “Hemp oil appears to be very helpful.”
On solving the opioid crisis, Sullivan said, “We’re on the right track.” Referring to fentanyl, Sullivan said, “A Chinese drug is at the root of this crisis. We need to crack down on borders. This should be a part of trade pacts.”
He went on, “Drugs are pouring in. Our southern border is wide open. And more is coming in from Canada It’s a scourge, doing much to harm America.”
On gun safety, Sullivan said, “Repeal the so-called SAFE Act, which really doesn’t keep us safe. It’s a farce.”
He went on, “Look at the Second Amendment. We have to control what people do with guns … Look at how we raise kids,” said Sullivan, stating that many are “immersed in destructive video games.”
Sullivan said he is in favor of background checks. “I’ve given them background checks for long guns; that’s reasonable.” He said it makes sense to screen out people with mental illnesses.
Sullivan also said, “Most mass shootings are by younger white males with psychological problems.”
He concluded, “The Second Amendment keeps us safe; it’s self-protection. There have been 13 murders in Albany this year. Those people were not checked,” he said, asserting they got guns illegally.
“Criminal elements are not obeying the law,” said Sullivan. He said it makes no sense to “take away guns from law-abiding citizens.”
The Second Amendment, he concluded, protects citizens from a “tyrannical government.”
“People have to fight back … The Democratic Party is now the Socialist Democratic Party. They would take away our rights under the Constitution.
With absentee ballots in, Ackerman gets Democratic line
More than 1,500 absentee ballots were counted on July 2 to determine the winners of the Democratic primary for Albany County Court Judge.
e-Connect quickly links arrested teens at risk for suicide with the services they need
“It’s a no-brainer to me,” said Dr. Gail Wasserman. “You want to identify risk systematically … That’s not the end game. The point is to get the needed services.”
The Altamont Enterprise is focused on hyper-local, high-quality journalism. We produce free election guides, curate readers' opinion pieces, and engage with important local issues. Subscriptions open full access to our work and make it possible.
Consider a subscription.
Copyright © 2013 The Altamont Enterprise.
Albany County, New York
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3952
|
__label__wiki
| 0.919586
| 0.919586
|
← On the game: How an India-Pak cricket cup came to be played … in Canada
Physical fitness and sports accessible to all Cubans →
August 26, 2004 · 11:45 pm
‘Foul play’ ahead of Olympics – wanted: talented foreign athletes
By MARIO De QUEIROZ LISBON
JOHANNESBURG (26 August 2004) IPS – ANY ANONYMOUS foreign national seeking a better life in the European Union (EU) endures nightmarish situations just to obtain a temporary residency permit. But if they show great talent in sports, the barriers disappear as if by magic.
The heavy gates of “Fortress Europe” open wide if an immigrant is a talented athlete, and the countless bureaucratic hurdles abruptly turn into mere trifles that are easily overcome by a battalion of specialised lawyers.
The nightmare thus becomes a sweet dream, including the promising future of European citizenship, granted in the shortest interval permitted by law.
Several recent cases bear witness to this phenomenon, such as that of Nigerian-born Francis Obikwelu, who set a new European record for the men’s 100-metre sprint in the Olympic Games in Athens, winning the silver medal for Portugal.
The Nigerian immigrant, who was mistreated and exploited for years by unscrupulous employers in Portugal’s construction industry, showed enormous talent in sports, which plucked him out of the obscure life of an African immigrant trying to survive in Europe.
Obikwelu obtained Portuguese citizenship without any hassles and today is the country’s biggest hero in the world of sports.
By contrast, Angolan gardener José Charuto has not been granted the Portuguese nationality even though he has lived in Portugal legally for 14 years. He has turned to a local rights group, SOS-Racismo, for assistance, to get his case moving again through the red tape and bureaucratic machinery of the government Aliens and Frontiers Service (SEF).
But like Obikwelu, Brazilian-born Anderson Luiz de Sousa “Deco”, the leading goal scorer of the FC Porto football club, also received special treatment.
He became a naturalised Portuguese citizen practically overnight, which enabled him to wear the Portuguese team’s shirt, despite the loud opposition of Portugal’s star midfielder Luís Figo who, in an ultra-nationalist outburst, protested that “national hymns aren’t learned, they’re felt.”
Confronted by IPS on the glaring inconsistencies between the cases of Charuto and Deco, SEF officials admitted that the paperwork for the Brazilian immigrant was given fast-track treatment “due to the high level of national interest” in the footballer.
The growing number of nationality changes, mainly from poor countries to rich nations, has begun to worry the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which have set up working groups to study the phenomenon.
Obikwelu is just one of hundreds of professional athletes competing this month in Athens under the flags of countries whose languages, history and cultures are unfamiliar to them in many cases.
Under IAAF rules, athletes who switch nationality must wait three years before competing for another country. However, a clause allows that period to be cut to one year if both countries agree.
Gloria Aloize, who won the silver medal for Nigeria in the women’s 100-metre sprint in Sydney in 2000, is now a Spanish citizen competing in Athens. She says she adopted her new nationality due to the poor training conditions in her home country.
Until recently, the predominant trend was for athletes from the developing world to seek the nationality of former colonial powers like Britain, France, the Netherlands, Portugal or Spain.
Since the early 1980s, there have been few footballers of French or Dutch ethnic origin on the national teams of France and the Netherlands. The immense majority of the players are either of African origin in the case of the French team or from the Dutch Antilles in the case of the Netherlands.
However, the new phenomenon of “athletic globalisation” now includes nations whose history has little or nothing to do with the developing South, like Denmark, Slovenia, Hungary and Israel.
Here, the case of Jamaican-born Merlene Ottey stands out. In Athens she is wearing the colours of Slovenia, where she has lived since 1998.
And the men’s handball team from Hungary includes three former Cuban athletes: Carlos Pérez, Reinaldo Hernández and Ivo Díaz, who have been Hungarian citizens for three years.
Because Britain was inflexible and did not grant former Cuban athlete Yamile Aldama citizenship because she failed to strictly meet the requirements, she accepted a passport from Sudan to compete in Athens in the women’s triple jump.
The largest proportion of naturalised citizens is found in the Israeli delegation, half of whose members come from the former Soviet Union.
The growing economic decline of the former Soviet republics has led to an exodus of athletes in search of citizenship in wealthy nations. They have especially swelled the ranks of the delegations from Australia, Denmark, the United States and Spain.
But the United States, Canada, Australia and the EU are not the only destinations of today’s “athlete immigrants.”
The recent exodus of African middle-distance runners to rich oil-producing nations in the Middle East gained visibility in the August 2003 IAAF World Championships in Paris, when at least 10 Kenyans ran under flags from Arab principalities and emirates.
The highest-profile case is that of Stephen Cherono who, under his new name Saif Saaeed Shaheen, won the 3,000-metre steeplechase in 2003, for Qatar.
But it is not always monetary temptations that lure athletes to switch nationalities.
Former Greek javelin world record holder Sofia Sakorafa tried to form part of the Palestinian team in Athens. But her political gesture was frustrated by the IOC, which refused her request, even though she holds a Palestinian passport.
Inter Press Service (Johannesburg)
European footballers declare support for Palestine
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3955
|
__label__wiki
| 0.578603
| 0.578603
|
Not Recommended: A MONSTER LIKE ME by Wendy S. Swore
Earlier this week, a reader wrote to ask me about A Monster Like Me by Wendy S. Swore. I was able to get a copy from NetGalley. Published by Shadow Mountain Press, it is due out on March 6. Here's the description:
Sophie is a monster expert. Thanks to her Big Book of Monsters and her vivid imagination, Sophie can identify the monsters in her school and neighborhood. Clearly, the bullies are trolls and goblins. Her nice neighbor must be a good witch, and Sophie’s new best friend is obviously a fairy. But what about Sophie? She’s convinced she is definitely a monster because of the “monster mark” on her face. At least that’s what she calls it. The doctors call it a blood tumor. Sophie tries to hide it but it covers almost half her face. And if she’s a monster on the outside, then she must be a monster on the inside, too.
Being the new kid at school is hard. Being called a monster is even harder. Sophie knows that it’s only a matter of time before the other kids, the doctors, and even her mom figure it out. And then her mom will probably leave—just like her dad did.
Because who would want to live with a real monster?
The description of A Monster Like Me is kind of awkward. We're told that Sophie can identify monsters. Some are "bullies and trolls and goblins" but does the mention of "fairies" within that framework tell us that she thinks they, too, are monsters?
I'm going to go along with the use of the word, but doing so is unsettling when the monsters are Native characters. Equally unsettling is that A Monster Like Me got a starred review from Booklist.
Sophie has a hemangioma on her face. The author, Wendy S. Swore, had one on her forehead, which is why some of the promotional materials say the story is inspired by real events in the author's life.
The story is set in Portland, Oregon. Most people know that there are many Native nations in the place currently known as Oregon.
In chapter thirteen, "Ghostly Falls," Sophie, her friend Autumn, and her mom are at Multnomah Falls. As they walk on the trail, Sophie sees something in a puddle and picks it up (p. 127):
A picture of a beautiful Native American girl in a white dress stares back at me from the soggy flier with the headline Princess of Multnomah Falls. Gently I turn it over, but the print is dirty and hard to read.
"What did you find?" Mom peeks over my shoulder. "Oh, the legend of the falls. I always liked that one."
"The paper says something about a princess?" Autumn points to the faded image. "I didn't even know there was a king here."
"No king," laughs Mom. "She was the Multnomah chieftain's daughter."
With a gasp, Autumn claps her hands. "A princess and a chief? How romantic!"
Her mom goes on to tell her that people were dying of a "great sickness." The "chief" called his council and "best warriors" together to find a cure (p. 127).
"Then, an old medicine man told them the only way to save the tribe was to sacrifice a young woman by throwing her off the mountain to appease the Great Spirit."
Sophie's mom tells her that at that time, there was no waterfall there. The chief didn't want to sacrifice any of the girls, but then, his daughter's betrothed got sick. The daughter/princess decided to save him and everyone. So, she jumped. Sad, the chief asked the Great Spirit for a sign that his daughter was (p. 128):
"safe in the land of the spirits. That's when water started flowing over the top of the cliff."
Sophie has the story of the princess in her mind as they walk on the trail. At the top, she holds to the railing and peers over (p. 129):
Someone walks up beside me and thin white gauze brushes my face. I brush it away and scoot over so the lady's dress doesn't blow into me again. Then I freeze as I take in her wispy white dress and long black hair. Her face looks different than it does in the picture, but the ghost of a Native American princess can probably look however she wants to look.
The woman starts talking to Sophie, pointing with her chin, telling her that she had fought alongside fireman when the lodge was on fire. Sophie wonders if the fireman knew that "the spirit of a Native American princess was standing beside them, adding her magic to the fight that night." She wonders if her mom and Autumn can see the woman. The woman is wearing a pendant that is a crystal nestled in gold leaves. Sophie asks if it is magic. The woman says it is, to her, because she had made it herself, and that the magic worked for her. When the woman touches Sophie, she feels a jolt of electricity. She's never been touched by a ghost before. Autumn and her mom rush up beside her, looking over the railing, too. Sophie asks Autumn (p. 131):
"Did you see her?" I whisper in her ear.
"See who?"
"The princess!" I point down the trail and gasp.
The path is empty.
Debbie's comments:
"The path is empty." is the last sentence in that chapter. So--one question is this one: Is that "Princess of Multnomah Falls" a story that Native people told/tell? Or is it a White Man's Indian? I use that phrase from time to time, borrowing it from Berkhofer's book (that's the cover on the right side of this paragraph). It is an "account of the self-serving stereotypes Europeans and white Americans have concocted about the “Indian” [...] and manipulated to its [western civilizations] benefit."
I've spent the afternoon looking through my sources but can't find anything (other than a sketchy website) that says it is a Native story. A "medicine man" telling his people they have to sacrifice a young girl to appease a wrathful "Great spirit"---that doesn't ring true to me as a Native story.
I did find a site that has a detailed history of the dedication of The Vista House--and information about "Chief Multnomah." The person who wrote it, Dr. David Gene Lewis, worked for several years for the Confederated Tribes of the Grande Ronde Community of Oregon and is a member of that nation. He wrote:
On June 7th, 1918 the state of Oregon dedicated the Vista House built between 1916 and 1918, at the crest of Crown Point overlooking the Columbia River. The opening of the house, really a scenic vista wayside and pioneer memorial, commemorated and called attention to the opening of the Columbia River Highway. The House was to be the memorial to the spirit and grit of the pioneers who first came down the Columbia to the Oregon Territory.
Dr. Lewis has several historical photos on his site along with the research he's done. The Oregonian (newspaper) published a narrative of the dedication ceremony. The ceremony and narrative, too, were created by "the Rosarians." Lewis writes that the Rosarians were a romantic cultural organization with a king and a queen. In their ceremony, they meet a "redskin" called "Chief Multnomah" who realizes that "his days of rule are over." So, he lays down his bow and arrow and leaves, disappearing near the base of the falls (go read the whole thing).
I include Dr. Lewis's account here because the Rosarians wrote about the Native man as being "a ruler" much like kings and queens of Europe. Characterizing him as a "ruler" (king) creates the space for a daughter who would be a "princess" like the one that Swore wrote into her story. Sophie's mom rebuts the "king" part of the "legend" but doesn't tell Autumn that her use of "princess" is wrong, too. Sophie and Autumn's thinking of a Native American "princess" remains intact--and so does the reader who holds that wrong idea of Native princesses!
In the rest of that legend, we're expected to believe in a wrathful "Great Spirit." That doesn't work for me. It sounds far more like a white writer--maybe a Christian one--creating a legend. Indeed, in the twitter thread I started on March 1, an individual pointed me to "The Legend of Multnomah Falls" written in 1905 by Susan Williamson Smith. You can see the digitized copy online. It lines up with my thinking that this whole princess story is a White Man's Indian.
Moving to the woman Sophie meets at the rail... the spirit, we're told, of that princess. I took care to include the way Swore has her pointing: with her chin. I did that because she seems to have a bit of info about Native gestures. Many Native people do that and I've seen some White writers use it. To them it might seem to lend authenticity to their writing but within the larger picture of what they've written, it is a #fail. This princess is wearing a crystal that the wearer (and Sophie) think has magical power.
That crystal is a significant problem. It fits right in with the New Age writings. It is important to the arc of Swore's story and how Sophie deals with the hemangioma, but tying it to this "princess" is a major problem.
In chapter sixteen, "Zoos Are for the Birds," Sophie, Autumn, and Sophie's mom are at the zoo. There's a totem pole there, with an eagle at the top. In her pocket is the crystal necklace she found in chapter 15. Sophie thinks (p. 156):
"...it was a normal thunderbird who got tired of throwing lightning bolts and decided to sit up there and rest, but then got stuck and couldn't leave."
A crow lands on the totem pole. Sophie thinks it is a Crow God who can see that she is a monster. She stares back at it and says (p. 156):
"No tricks, Chulyen." I've got enough trouble without a Native American trickster god running amok.
I don't like the flip and dismissive tone Sophie has about the totem pole and I don't like the tone she has towards what she's imagining as a trickster, either. I can't put my finger on why it is bothering me. I do wonder why she thinks this god is named Chulyen, and, I definitely don't like the generic "Native American" attribute Sophie/Swore is using there. Looking around a bit, I see "Chulyen" in a "Fantastic Fest" that took place in 2015. It was, I gather, a short film and it seems to fit within this "monster" framework that Swore developed for this story. There are--in fact--Alaskan Dena'ina stories about Chulyen (a raven) but they're not like Swore's Chulyen.
As Sophie and Autumn move on into the zoo exhibits, Sophie is so absorbed in looking at a woman she thinks is Medusa (the woman has green ribbons woven through her dreadlocks, and long green nails that are more like talons than fingernails) that she almost bumps into an elk. She grab's Autumn's hand to stop her, too, but there's no elk there (p. 156):
...there's only a man in a worn cowboy hat with feathers tucked into the band on both sides.
This man has a dusky tan face, a million wrinkles ("like the inside of a walnut"), wisps of gray hair, braids, and
...a thick beaded string with a clasp hangs around his neck like a tie, and a leather pouch dangles dead center on his chest.
He winks at her when he sees her looking. Chulyen caws overhead and lands in a tree behind the old man who seems to understand what the bird is saying. Chulyen follows Sophie, her mom, and Autumn through the zoo. They get to the Birds of Prey outdoor show and settle down on the grass to watch.
Sophie pulls her crystal out of her pocket and is holding it in her hand. Suddenly, Chulyen swoops in and takes it. He sits on a nearby pole. Sophie goes to the pole and tells him to give it back. She's startled when she hears "He doesn't give things back." It is the old Native American man with the feathered cowboy hat. First, he tosses popcorn to entice Chulyen but that doesn't work. Then, he tells her to look away. "As long as you're watching, he'll hang onto his prize only because you want it." She watches the bird show for awhile. The man tosses more popcorn around. Then, the crow is at her feet to get some of the popcorn. Her crystal falls by her feet. She grabs it, tears try to leak from her eyes.
"That necklace is special to you, eh?" he asks.
She nods and he says his is special, too. His is that leather pouch. She asks if it is magic. He nods and tells her it is his medicine bag. She asks how he knows what to put in it.
"Many things have power, but some things call to you so strong, they make powerful medicine for you."
"They say your name?" How weird would that be if a rock started calling for me? Hey Sophie! Over here! But then, the crystal kind of called to me, didn't it?
"Not in words." The man taps his heart. "They'll call to you in here. It could be anything. A pinecone. A bead. A carving. A stone. Each person's medicine is different."
"And it heals you?"
"It heals my heart, my spirit."
Sophie's mom calls to her; she rejoins her and Autumn. She looks back to the man and sees he is walking away, with Chulyen on his shoulder. They seem to be talking.
Just before he turns the corner, he casts a shadow on the wall of a building and I see the shadow of an elk.
No. Not an elk, a caribou.
I'd spoken face to face with the Caribou Man.
She wonders what to tell Autumn about Caribou Man. He's a leader for all animals. When he speaks, they listen.
That the tribes feared and revered him so much, they were careful to treat all their hunts with great respect so he didn't get angry.
She realizes that he's very powerful, but he chose to speak to her. She feels a warm bubble at that thought. As they get to their car Chulyen and some more black birds appear. They tumble about in the air, and then glide away. Something white flutters down. It is part of a white peacock feather. It is, she thinks, a gift of healing medicine from Chulyen. It has power. (In the next chapter, we read that she has attached the peacock feather to the crystal.)
Debbie's comments
So... Caribou man isn't a real person. He's a figure in the book of monsters that Sophie carries around. He, like the princess, appears in this story, to help Sophie.
The way that Swore depicts this man, works, for a white audience. He's got some wisdom and some teachings that whiteness fawns over. As Caribou man, he has power and if you don't treat him right, well, it won't go well. There... again, is the depiction of wrath. As with the "Great Spirit" at the falls, I think this is more White Man's Indian.
Swore's book is introducing stereotypes to readers who aren't aware that they're stereotypes. For those who open her book with stereotypical ways of thinking about Native people, her words affirm their "knowledge." That, ultimately, is harmful to what they grow up "knowing" about Native people.
It is also, of course, harmful to Native readers who know this is all nonsense. If they've picked up the book on their own accord, they can set it down but if a teacher assigns the book, they're in a difficult position. Some will be unsettled by the nonsense. The impact can be unsettling in the moment, but later, too, when they're supposed to be doing other schoolwork.
Published in 2019, I do not recommend Wendy S. Swore's A Monster Like Me.
Labels: A Monster Like Me, not recommended, Pub Year 2019, Wendy S. Swore
Not Recommended: A MONSTER LIKE ME by Wendy S. Swo...
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3956
|
__label__wiki
| 0.724002
| 0.724002
|
Law firm enlists AT&T customers to fight merger with T-Mobile
Bursor & Fisher, a law firm with a history of class action cases, is working …
Kyle Johnson - Jul 25, 2011 8:35 pm UTC
Bursor & Fisher, P.A., a New York-based law firm with a history of taking on telecoms, has launched Fight The Merger, an initiative opposing the proposed $39 billion merger between AT&T and T-Mobile. Merger opponents argue that a successful block of the merger will prevent a duopoly between AT&T and Verizon, and preserve competition in the wireless market.
Bursor & Fisher—which has represented customers in cases against both AT&T and T-Mobile in the past—has signed up a few dozen AT&T customers to oppose the unpopular merger. The Fight The Merger site notes that a successful takeover would leave AT&T and Verizon controlling 80 percent of the market, which it argues would result in hindered innovation and little consumer protection from high prices. Sprint, which has struggled lately, would be the only nationwide competition to AT&T and Verizon, and it has vocally opposed the merger.
Bursor & Fisher will attempt to thwart the merger through arbitration via the Clayton Antitrust Act. The law firm interprets the Act as allowing those who would be affected by a merger with monopolistic implication to prevent the merger from being completed. Bursor & Fisher is confident in its ability to use AT&T’s own Arbitration Agreement to stop the merger, despite a customer agreement that keeps individual customers from suing AT&T. If AT&T does not cease and desist within 30 days, Bursor & Fisher will file a demand for arbitration with the American Arbitration Association.
AT&T has dismissed Fight The Merger. “The claims made by the Bursor & Fisher Law Firm are completely without merit," an AT&T spokesperson told Ars. "An arbitrator has no authority to block the merger or affect the merger process in any way. Our arbitration provision allows customers to resolve their individual disputes with AT&T in a prompt and consumer-friendly manner.”
AT&T also made its merger plans available to the public. As the company indicated in its second-quarter earnings call last week, the telecom believes the merger remains on track for regulatory approval.
Bursor & Fisher is no stranger to the wireless industry, having represented customers of Verizon, AT&T, Cingular, Sprint and T-Mobile in past legal actions. Victories include a $299 million verdict against Sprint in 2008, representing 1.9 million Californians charged with early termination fees.
Only AT&T Wireless account holders with a billing address in the United States are eligible to sign up with Fight The Merger.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3958
|
__label__cc
| 0.729279
| 0.270721
|
Allan Curran Architects Ltd: Project profile – Henry Street, Enniskillen
Allan Curran Architects Ltd profile their completed residential refurbishment project:
Henry Street, Enniskillen
We were engaged to refurbish a 1970’s timber frame building set on a blockwork base on a piled foundation, in the centre of Enniskillen. The site came with its own private jetty and a water frontage to die for. The upper level had the dreaded “beauty board” throughout and the biggest room in the house was just 3.5m x 4.3m. The entire lower level of 143 sq.m was vacant, with the exception of a large oil tank.
The timber frame and roof structure had to be strengthened, a pumping station installed to allow full development of the lower level and some major damp proofing of the existing balcony was required. To improve the aesthetics of this “scout hut” the entire external fabric had to be upgraded. Our Client has requested a contemporary look to match his internal furnishings and fittings but one that would reflect the buildings location on the water’s edge. A metal deck roof, painted treatment to the timber boarding on the upper level, and a stone finish to the lower level were implemented. Rusting steel railings were replaced with glass and stainless steel and the entire building was upgraded in terms of insulation, air tightness and heating/ventilation.
The entire lower level was opened for development and accommodates three bedrooms and a bathroom. Two of the bedrooms have ensuite shower rooms and dressing rooms. The central area at the base of the stairs acts as a “chill” area which, with the bedrooms, all to lead out onto the water’s edge. The upper level features an open plan kitchen, dining, living and study area with the master bedroom at the northern gable and a Utility room at the southern gable.
In order to reduce the noise levels from the adjacent busy road a sound absorbing plasterboard was used on the inside of the elevation facing the road and in addition two of the larger windows where closed up. However, in order that the elevation to the road would not become too bland it was decided to make a feature of the closing of the windows by adding timber slatted shutters, running at 90 degrees to the main boarding, painted in a contrasting dark grey to match the new triple glazed window frames.
Check out Allan Curran Architects Ltd for more projects and visit their profile on the Find An Architect page to book.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3961
|
__label__wiki
| 0.775509
| 0.775509
|
Tag: atacama large millimeter/submillimeter array
Our Supermassive Black Hole Is Slurping Down a Cool Hydrogen Smoothie
The world’s most powerful radio telescope is getting intimate with Sagittarius A*, revealing a never-before-seen component of its accretion flow
Artist impression of ring of cool, interstellar gas surrounding the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way [NRAO/AUI/NSF; S. Dagnello]
As we patiently wait for the first direct image of the event horizon surrounding the supermassive black hole living in the core of our galaxy some 25,000 light-years away, the Atacama Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) has been busy checking out a previously unseen component of Sagittarius A*’s accretion flow.
Whereas the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) will soon deliver the first image of our supermassive black hole’s event horizon, ALMA’s attention has recently been on a cool flow of gas that is orbiting just outside the event horizon, before being consumed. (The EHT delivered its first historic image on April 10, not of the supermassive black hole in our galaxy, but of the gargantuan six-billion solar mass monster in the heart of the giant elliptical galaxy, Messier 87, 50 million light-years away.)
While this may not grab the headlines like the EHT’s first image (of which ALMA played a key role), it remains a huge mystery as to how supermassive black holes pile on so much mass and how they consume the matter surrounding them. So, by zooming in on the reservoir of material that accumulates near Sagittarius A* (or Sgr A*), astronomers can glean new insights as to how supermassive black holes get so, well, massive, and how their growth relates to galactic evolution.
While Sgr A* isn’t the most active of black holes, it is feeding off limited rations of interstellar matter. It gets its sustenance from a disk of plasma, called an accretion disk, starting immediately outside its event horizon—the point at which nothing, not even light, can escape a black hole’s gravitational grasp—and ending a few tenths of a light-year beyond. The tenuous, yet extremely hot plasma (with searing temperatures of up to 10 million degrees Kelvin) close to the black hole has been well studied by astronomers as these gases generate powerful X-ray radiation that can be studied by space-based X-ray observatories, like NASA’s Chandra. However, the flow of this plasma is roughly spherical and doesn’t appear to be rotating around the black hole as an accretion disk should.
Cue a cloud of “cool” hydrogen gas: at a temperature of around 10,000K, this cloud surrounds the black hole at a distance of a few light-years. Until now, it’s been unknown how this hydrogen reservoir interacts with the black hole’s hypothetical accretion disk and accretion flow, if at all.
ALMA is sensitive to the radio wave emissions that are generated by this cooler hydrogen gas, and has now been able to see how Sgr. A* is slurping matter from this vast hydrogen reservoir and pulling the cooler gas into its accretion disk—a feature that has, until now, been elusive to our telescopes. ALMA has basically used these faint radio emissions to act as a tracer as the cool gas mingles with the accretion disk, revealing its rotation and the location of the disk itself.
“We were the first to image this elusive disk and study its rotation,” said Elena Murchikova, a member in astrophysics at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, in a statement. “We are also probing accretion onto the black hole. This is important because this is our closest supermassive black hole. Even so, we still have no good understanding of how its accretion works. We hope these new ALMA observations will help the black hole give up some of its secrets.” Murchikova is the lead author of the study published in Nature on June 6.
ALMA image of the disk of cool hydrogen gas flowing around the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy. The colors represent the motion of the gas relative to Earth: the red portion is moving away, so the radio waves detected by ALMA are slightly stretched, or shifted, to the “redder” portion of the spectrum; the blue color represents gas moving toward Earth, so the radio waves are slightly scrunched, or shifted, to the “bluer” portion of the spectrum. Crosshairs indicate location of black hole [ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), E.M. Murchikova; NRAO/AUI/NSF, S. Dagnello]
Located in the Chilean Atacama Desert, ALMA is comprised of 66 individual antennae that work as one interferometer to deliver observations of incredible precision. This is a bonus for these kinds of accretion studies, as ALMA has now probed right up to the edge of Sgr A*’s event horizon, only a hundredth of a light-year (or a few light-days) from the point of no return, providing incredible detail to the rotation of this cool disk of accreting matter. What’s more, the researchers estimate that ALMA is tracking only a minute quantity of cool gas, coming in at a total only a tenth of the mass of Jupiter.
A small quantity this may be (on galactic scales, at least), but it’s enough to allow the researchers to measure the Doppler shift of this dynamic flow, where some is blue-shifted (and therefore moving toward us) and some is red-shifted (as it moves away), allowing them to clock its orbital speed around the relentless maw of Sgr A*.
“We were able to shed new light on the accretion process around Sagittarius A*, which is a typical example of a class of black holes that have little to eat,” added Murchikova in a second statement. “The accretion behavior of these black holes is quite complex and, so far, not well understood.
“Our result is potentially important not only for our galaxy, but to any galaxy which has this type of underfed black hole in its heart. We hope that this cool disk will help us uncover more secrets of black holes and their behavior.”
Author Ian O'NeillPosted on June 9, 2019 Categories Astronomy, Black Holes, Galaxies, PhysicsTags accretion disk, alma, astrophysics, atacama large millimeter/submillimeter array, Black Holes, Milky Way, Physics, Sagittarius A*, supermassive black holes1 Comment on Our Supermassive Black Hole Is Slurping Down a Cool Hydrogen Smoothie
This Weird Star System Is Flipping Awesome
The binary system observed by ALMA isn’t wonky, it’s the first example of a polar protoplanetary disk
Artwork of the system HD 98000. This is a binary star comprising two sun-like components, surrounded by a thick disk of material. What’s different about this system is that the plane of the stars’ orbits is inclined at almost 90 degrees to the plane of the disk. Here is a view from the surface of an imagined planet orbiting in the inner edge of the disk [University of Warwick/Mark Garlick].
Some star systems simply don’t like conforming to cosmic norms. Take HD 98000, for example: It’s a binary system consisting of two sun-like stars and it also sports a beautiful protoplanetary disk of gas and dust. So far, so good; sounds pretty “normal” to me. But that’s only part of the story.
When a star is born, it will form a disk of dust and gas — basically the leftovers of the molecular cloud the star itself formed in — creating an environment in which planets can accrete and evolve. Around a single star (like our solar system) the protoplanetary disk is fairly well behaved and will create a relatively flat disk around the star’s spin axis. For the solar system, this flat disk would have formed close to the plane of the ecliptic, an imaginary flat surface that projects out from the sun’s equator where all the planets, more or less, occupy. There are “wonky” exceptions to this rule (as, let’s face it, cosmic rules are there to be broken), but the textbook descriptions of a star system in its infancy will usually include a single star and a flat, boring disk of swirling material primed to build planets.
Cue HD 98000, a star system that has flipped this textbook description on its head, literally. As a binary, this is very different to what we’re used to with our single, lonely star. Binary stars are very common throughout the galaxy, but HD 98000 has a little something extra that made astronomers take special note. As observed by the Atacama Large Millimeter/sub-millimeter Array (ALMA), its protoplanetary disk doesn’t occupy the same plane as the binary orbit; it’s been flipped by 90 degrees over the orbital plane of the binary pair. Although such systems have been long believed to be theoretically possible, this is the first example that has been found.
“Discs rich in gas and dust are seen around nearly all young stars, and we know that at least a third of the ones orbiting single stars form planets,” said Grant M. Kennedy, of the University of Warwick and lead author of the study published today in the journal Nature Astronomy, in a statement. “Some of these planets end up being misaligned with the spin of the star, so we’ve been wondering whether a similar thing might be possible for circumbinary planets. A quirk of the dynamics means that a so-called polar misalignment should be possible, but until now we had no evidence of misaligned discs in which these planets might form.”
Artwork of the system HD 98000. This is a binary star comprising two sun-like components, surrounded by a thick disc of material [University of Warwick/Mark Garlick]
This star system makes for some rather interesting visuals, as shown in the artist’s impression at the top of the page. Should there be a planetary body orbiting the stars on the inner edge of the disk, an observer would be met with a dramatic pillar of gas and dust towering into space with the two stars either side of it in the distance. As they orbit one another, the planetary observer would see them switch positions to either side of the pillar. It goes without saying that any planet orbiting two stars would have very different seasons than Earth. It will even have two different shadows cast across the surface.
“We used to think other solar systems would form just like ours, with the planets all orbiting in the same direction around a single sun,” added co-author Daniel Price of Monash University. “But with the new images we see a swirling disc of gas and dust orbiting around two stars. It was quite surprising to also find that that disc orbits at right angles to the orbit of the two stars.”
Interestingly, the researchers note that there are another two stars orbiting beyond the disk, meaning that our hypothetical observer would have four suns of different brightnesses in the sky.
The most exciting thing to come out of this study, however, is that ALMA has detected signatures that hint at dust growth in the disk, meaning that material is in the process of clumping together. Planetary formation theories suggest that accreting dust will go on to form small asteroids and planetoids, creating a fertile enviornment in which planets can evolve.
“We take this to mean planet formation can at least get started in these polar circumbinary discs,” said Kennedy. “If the rest of the planet formation process can happen, there might be a whole population of misaligned circumbinary planets that we have yet to discover, and things like weird seasonal variations to consider.”
What was that I was saying about “cosmic norms”? When it comes to star system formation, there doesn’t appear to be any.
Reference: https://warwick.ac.uk/newsandevents/pressreleases/double_star_system
Paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-018-0667-x
Author Ian O'NeillPosted on January 14, 2019 Categories Astronomy, Exoplanets, Solar System, Stellar PhysicsTags alma, Astronomy, atacama large millimeter/submillimeter array, Binary stars, protoplanetary disk, Radio Astronomy1 Comment on This Weird Star System Is Flipping Awesome
Two Exoplanets Are Whipping-Up a Pretty Protoplanetary Gas Spiral
ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/Tang et al.
Using the awesome power of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile, astronomers have probed the protoplanetary disk of a young star system — with a twist.
ALMA is no stranger to protoplanetary disks; the array of 66 radio antennae in the Atacama desert is extremely sensitive to the emissions from the gas and dust surrounding stars. But this observation has revealed something more — there are two obvious dusty rings (orange) that are being sculpted by the presence of massive worlds, but between them (in blue) is a spiral gas structure. If there’s one thing I love it’s space spirals!
When comparing these observations with theoretical modeling of the system — called AB Aurigae, located about 470 light-years away — for that gas spiral to exist, there must be some interplanetary interplay between two exoplanets orbiting the star at 30 and 80 AU (astronomical units, where 1 AU is the average distance that Earth orbits the sun). The spiral is following the direction of rotation of the disk.
Besides looking really pretty, studies of these spiral structures help astronomers identify the presence of exoplanets and build a better understanding of the nature of protoplanetary disks.
Author Ian O'NeillPosted on May 16, 2017 Categories Astronomy, Stellar PhysicsTags alma, atacama large millimeter/submillimeter array, baby planets, ESO, Exoplanets, protoplanetary disks, Radio Astronomy, star systemsLeave a comment on Two Exoplanets Are Whipping-Up a Pretty Protoplanetary Gas Spiral
ALMA Reveals the True Nature of Hubble’s Enigmatic Ghost Spiral
Appearing as a ghostly apparition in deep space, the LL Pegasi spiral nebula signals the death of a star — and the world’s most powerful radio observatory has delved into its deeper meaning.
Left: HST image of LL Pegasi publicized in 2010. Credit: ESA/NASA & R. Sahai. Right: ALMA image of LL Pegasi. Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO) / Hyosun Kim et al.
When the Hubble Space Telescope revealed the stunning LL Pegasi spiral for the first time, its ghostly appearance captivated the world.
Known to be an ancient, massive star, LL Pegasi is dying and shedding huge quantities of gas and dust into space. But this is no ordinary dying star, this is a binary system that is going out in style.
The concentric rings in the star system’s nebula are spiraling outwards, like the streams of water being ejected from a lawn sprinkler’s head. On initial inspection of the Hubble observation, it was assumed that the spiral must be caused by the near-circular orbit of two stars, one of which is generating the flood of gas. Judging by the symmetry of the rings, this system must be pointing roughly face-on, from our perspective.
Though these assumptions generally hold true, new follow-up observations by the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) on the 5,000 meter-high Chajnantor plateau in Chile has added extra depth to the initial Hubble observations. Astronomers have used the incredible power of ALMA to see a pattern in the rings, revealing the complex orbital dynamics at play deep in the center of the spiral.
“It is exciting to see such a beautiful spiral-shell pattern in the sky. Our observations have revealed the exquisitely ordered three-dimensional geometry of this spiral-shell pattern, and we have produced a very satisfying theory to account for its details,” said Hyosun Kim, of the Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics (ASIAA) in Taiwan and lead researcher of this work.
Just as we read tree rings to understand the history of seasonal tree growth and climatic conditions, Kim’s team used the rings of LL Pegasi to learn about the nature of the binary star’s 800 year orbit. One of the key findings was the ALMA imaging of bifurcation in the rings; after comparing with theoretical models, they found that these features are an indicator that the central stars’ orbit is not circular — it’s in fact highly elliptical.
ALMA observation of the molecular gas around LL Pegasi. By comparing this gas distribution with theoretical simulations, the team concluded that the bifurcation of the spiral-shell pattern (indicated by a white box) is resulted from a highly elliptical binary system. Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO) / Hyosun Kim et al.
Probably most striking, however, was that Hubble was only able to image the 2D projection of what is in fact a 3D object, something that ALMA could investigate. By measuring the line-of-sight velocities of gas being ejected from the central star, ALMA was able to create a three-dimensional view of the nebula, with the help of numerical modeling. Watch the animation below:
“While the [Hubble Space Telescope] image shows us the beautiful spiral structure, it is a 2D projection of a 3D shape, which becomes fully revealed in the ALMA data,” added co-author Raghvendra Sahai, of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., in a statement.
This research is a showcase of the power of combining observations from different telescopes. Hubble was able to produce a dazzling (2D) picture of the side-on structure of LL Pegasi’s spirals, but ALMA’s precision measurements of gas outflow speed added (3D) depth, helping us “see” an otherwise hidden structure, while revealing the orbital dynamics of two distant stars.
A special thanks to Hyosun Kim for sending me the video of the LL Pegasi visualization!
Author Ian O'NeillPosted on March 3, 2017 March 3, 2017 Categories Astronomy, Stellar PhysicsTags alma, atacama large millimeter/submillimeter array, current events, Nebula, StarsLeave a comment on ALMA Reveals the True Nature of Hubble’s Enigmatic Ghost Spiral
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3963
|
__label__wiki
| 0.95811
| 0.95811
|
Is Lady Gaga Dating Jeremy Renner?
posted by Peyton Blakemore - Mar 21, 2019
Lady Gaga is single and possibly mingling with a Hollywood star.
According to Us Weekly, the 32-year-old singer has been "hanging out" with Jeremy Renner. A source told the mag they don't "believe it’s romantic at this point,” but said Gaga has “been spending a lot of time” with the 48-year-old Avengers star and his six-year-old daughter, Ava, who he shares with his ex Sonni Pacheco.
News of Gaga's possible new romance comes a month after she called off her engagement to Christian Carino. "It just didn’t work out. Relationships sometimes end," a source told People at the time. "There’s no long dramatic story."
The former couple, who began dating in early 2017, reportedly got engaged in Summer 2017. However, the A Star Is Born didn't announce their engagement until October when she revealed the news while being honored at Elle's 25th Annual Women in Hollywood Celebration. "Thank you to all the loved ones in my life," she said on stage. "[My manager] Bobby [Campbell], I love you. Everyone at table five. My fiancé, Christian. All the loved ones in my life who take care of me every day."
Gaga was previously engaged to actor Taylor Kinney, but the couple called it quits in July 2016 after five years together.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3965
|
__label__wiki
| 0.726597
| 0.726597
|
A Flourishing Scourge
A Flourishing Scourge » Audio » Insatiable
album: A Flourishing Scourge
genre: Extreme Progressive Metal
streams: 284
02/07/19 08:40:54PM @fopddes:
Insatiable is the one word title for the readers and all the readers will enjoy this blog. I am sutre about the creativity of this https://www.australian-writings.net/ site whixh is shared through this blog. I just like this blog so much. I am sure about it.
11/25/17 12:13:30PM @diction:
Another great song. At this rate, they'll dominate the blackened death metal scene in no time. Little beginnings...
About A Flourishing Scourge
A Flourishing Scourge is an all-original extreme progressive metal outfit hailing from the gloomy metropolis of Seattle, Washington. Inspired by a degrading society and the destructive negligence of man, AFS is a pummeling force of misanthropic visions and apocalyptic consequences while still finding rare, intimate moments of solace and hope amidst the carnage.
AFS began in 2013 under the original moniker Begotten, when Tye Jones and Josh Keifer discovered a shared taste in musical expression. They quickly began writing and recording demo material and were soon ready to seek out other members. Kevin Carbrey joined in 2014 and the band officially became A Flourishing Scourge. By 2015 Andrew Dennis completed the lineup and the band began establishing itself in the Seattle scene.
The band’s first EP, As Beauty Fades Away, was released in September 2015 on their own independent label, Begotten Records. The EP consists of the band’s four original demo tracks, re-recorded and performed by its full lineup.
In June of 2016, following the departure of original drummer Josh Keifer, the band entered Gojira’s Silver Cord Studio to record their full-length, eponymous debut “A Flourishing Scourge.” Engineered and mixed by Jamie Uertz (Gojira, Anthrax), the album features 8 original songs with drums recorded by Samus Paulicelli (Decrepit Birth, Former Abigail Williams). The album was mastered by Jens Bogren (Opeth, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Amon Amarth) of Fascination Street Studios in Stockholm, Sweden, and was again released on the band’s own imprint, Begotten Records, on June 9, 2017, to critical acclaim.
Following a successful West Coast tour in 2016, Portland-based drummer Elijah Losch has permanently joined the band, and will again helm the throne for A Flourishing Scourge's 2017 and 2018 tour cycles.
www.aflourishingscourge.com
www.facebook.com/aflourishingscourge
Influences:
Opeth, Enslaved, Behemoth, Rush, Tool, Metallica, Pink Floyd, Fleshgod Apocalypse
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3966
|
__label__wiki
| 0.617442
| 0.617442
|
Posted on September 24, 2009 July 8, 2016 by Jonathan Bautts
Frontman Max Bemis opens up about the band’s self-titled record, God and religion, his transparent songwriting, and what it’s like to finally be healthy and married.
So I was able to hear the new record yesterday and it’s really good.
Oh, thank you.
It seemed like you were able to throw a couple curveballs on there. How was the writing for that?
It was amazing. We try to always pitch a curveball once in a while. I kind of wanted this record to be a nonstop joyride. I wanted it just to be like, “Oh, you’re over here. Then you’re over here. I really don’t have to sit here patiently and dig to get the moments.” I just wanted them to pop out to you, or at least that was my intention.
You’ve been playing a couple new songs acoustically, like “Crush’d” and “Eloise,” and it was interesting to hear how they turned out on the album. Do a lot of the songs start out acoustically at the beginning like that?
They always do, yeah.
Coming off the double album the last one was, did that have any influence on how this one turned out?
Of course. All of our records together are so personal that in a way you can listen to them in sequence and it would be the story of my life, starting when I was 14. You know what I mean? We had a few self-released records and EPs, and they’re the same way with that. With the real official first record started out when I was like 19 and told the story of my life when I was about 18 to 20. Then the next, In Defense, which was a long one, told the story of 20 to 23. This one tells 24 to 25.
Does that kind of go along with why you self-titled the record?
Yeah, but the reason it’s self-titled is because I really think there’s something about being this age, and especially in my particular life, where the early 20s and your teens are such a defining time that by the time you get to my age you should at least have some idea of who you are. 24 to 25, it’s like I know who I am and now I have to face the world. That’s the understanding that’s reached within the story that’s told on this record.
Does the cover art and its idea of the mental superhero play into that as well?
Yes. The kid on the record is like this adorable, geeky kid. His imaginary world that he creates is in the art, which will later be revealed for the record itself. You have to be your own hero and find something beautiful in the world before you can make a difference in the world. This record is about that step. It’s about self-empowerment and then finally setting your sights on who the real enemy is, but that doesn’t happen till later in the record.
Earlier this year you wrote on one of the Say Anything boards how this record is also about God and how we relate to Him. How does that play a part in the record?
One thing I really want to clarify, and it’s very important, although I don’t like to censor myself, is that I use the word God definitely to describe what people who traditionally think of God describe as God, but I also use it to describe a force that atheists can connect to as well. It’s not necessarily a religious idea exclusively. It’s sort of the uniting power, the uniting reality, of everything all put together. To me, that’s God. Finding my place in that and finding my respect for it, letting go of me thinking I was more important than it, is an essential development in my personality that is chronicled on this record.
On the other records there’s a lot of really important, cool ideas being thrown around, but a lot of it is kind of complaining and thinking woe is me. Why is the world doing this to me? I’m angry because of, you know, when in reality you kind of have to be serious. Everything put together is noble, and positive and good. It’s just human beings and physics, and all these things encapsulated in it, that cause unrest and chaos, but everything all put together, even including chaos, is good in my opinion.
There is an order to it, and to respect it – that’s God. That’s what I was referring to. I would never want to alienate fans of Say Anything that aren’t religious, but I do think it’s very important for them to have that same realization, whether you choose to identify it as God or not.
Would you call yourself religious or a Christian, or anything like that then?
I would, yeah, both those things. However, I’m very modern in my spiritual thought. I’m very liberal. The main tenant of my beliefs, in terms of humanity, is that people should listen to each other more. People of all different religions, people who don’t even believe in God – everyone should talk more. Everyone should be more respectful of each other. It’s kind of a very classic, hippy mindset, with a little bit of the punk rock thing thrown in.
I have no problem identifying myself as religious or Christian because I’m not ashamed of either of those things. It’s very important to me because I have so many people who look up to me who aren’t Christian or aren’t religious. I don’t think I’m any better than them, and what I’m going through is something they’re going through also, with or without this specific understanding of God.
One of my favorite songs from the new record is “Ahhh… Men,” which I thought ended the record on a really strong note. What’s the story behind that song?
Thank you, man. It’s very related to the last question you asked. As someone who believes in an afterlife and someone who believes in God, I tried to sum up how can you think of that in politic terms that aren’t specific to being religious. How can someone who isn’t religious understand where my heart is, what my main core beliefs are, and what I can do over the course of this process that’s chronicled on the record? All these things happened during the story on the record – me falling in love, me letting go of the past, all these things – and it leads me to this inner peace.
How can I best communicate this inner peace? That’s what “Ahhh… Men” is. It’s sort of a distillation of what is important to me, and what’s always been important to me my entire life. I have to let go of all these false ideals, and go through all this pain and all this joy, to really become so aware of it that I can actually write a song about it. You know what I mean?
You’ve heard glimmers of hope. This ideal has been held throughout the years of Say Anything. Even on the darkest times of …Is A Real Boy and In Defense, it’s been there. There’s songs like “Alive with the Glory of Love” and “Admit It!!!” However, it’s masked. There’s so much pain and so much darkness over it that I never got to write a song about, hey, let’s take a breath. It’s like a song to meditate to, even though it’s kind of loud.
Your lyrics are pretty transparent and oftentimes you point the lens at yourself, despite whatever consequences result from that. Is that hard for you to do?
To me, the hard part isn’t writing the songs, or performing them or recording them, or the knowledge that people are hearing such personal things about me, it’s the fact that Say Anything becomes such an extension of myself, although it isn’t me. I have so much more to me that isn’t Say Anything. It’s like if Say Anything ended, I would continue to go on as a person.
However, all my artistic ambition, all my poetry – a plaintive diary of what I go through as a person – is put out there for all these people. So the one thing I will cop to is getting sometimes hurt when, it isn’t necessarily when people say they don’t like the band, but when people who do like the band start to make speculations about my personality that are false based on what I write. That’s the only difficulty.
Everything else to me is easy. I love singing. I love playing. I love writing it, but once in a while you get somebody who goes, “Oh, he clearly hates all hipsters. What an asshole.” It’s like, “No! No, no, no! That’s not what I meant at all. That’s really not the truth.” You’re allowed to interpret it that way. I’m not trying to stop anyone from expressing their opinion, but it is a slightly frustrating thing. It’s like going out there, walking up to someone, and being like, “Hey, dude. How you doing? I love you. You’re a cool person.” And then me going, “How can you say that to me? What do you think? I’m not hipster cool? You’re just so cool that you think what does that mean? You think I’m trying to be cool?”
Some people overthink what I’m trying to write. I’m like, “No, man. I didn’t mean that at all.” It’s like experiencing a miscommunication or a misunderstanding with a person on this level where I’ve seen it thousands of times now. So you have to go through this process of forgiving them and being like, whatever. It’s just some person. I don’t have to get too mad about this, or I don’t have to get too upset.
Some people find a way to disconnect. I know enough people in bands that don’t care, but I care. I really do. I want people to at least get what I’m trying to say. They don’t have to love it, but if I feel like they don’t really get what I’m trying to say, it’s frustrating. It turns into like, could I have communicated this in a better way?
You start to question yourself a little bit, but ultimately, like I said, I’ve become a pretty confident and centered guy. These days it’s easier to deal with that, although the initial feeling that you get, I think that’s ultimately the most difficult thing for me.
Your past struggles have become fairly well known, so what does it feel like now to be able to experience the positive side of life, to be healthy and be married? What’s that like?
It’s a whole other adventure. It’s really weird. I was just talking about this with my mom and my best friend, who’s in town right now. This is actually the most stressful and seemingly dramatic period that I think I’ve ever experienced, and I am the most happily married, centered, faithful guy I’ll probably be at this point. I know that’s an exaggeration, obviously, but I’m very centered.
I have this amazing wife and I have this amazing life, so what comes after this Say Anything record? Although it’s chronicled that I’ve developed to become this new person and have these great things to hold on to, this self-love or connection to something bigger, or this amazing love of my life that I have, it doesn’t end there. You know what I mean? The human struggle is until the day you die you’re struggling.
I still have things to write about, even more things to write about. One thing I’ve talked a lot in interviews about this record is one thing people really appreciate about Say Anything is the social critique and social commentary. I feel like I am more able to do that again now that I’m not just focused on my problems. I’m able to look around at society and be like, “OK, here’s something that I wish we could do something about. Or here’s something I identify as an issue, or a threat or something I would want to make a change in.”
That’s why it’s a self-titled record. It’s like the parts of me and Say Anything that I think people connect to are now going to be the things that are distilled. I’ve sort of let go of the parts that might be considered gimmicky or negative.
I heard you’re doing a musical project with Sherri called Perma. What’s that going to be like?
Me and Sherri started talking over the Internet and on the phone. We started writing to each other because we were fans of each other’s bands. We had such good conversations online and on the phone that we kind of fell for each other, basically. So, we started writing each other songs and sending them to each other. The first few Perma songs were those.
Eventually, we were like, “We should be in a band together. If we meet and we fall in love the way we think we’re going to when we see each other, which we did, we need to start a band. That’d be so fun, and it’d be cool to encapsulate what’s the happiest thing in both of our lives and write about it.”
Does it sound like either one of your two bands at all?
It sounds like the softer side of both of our bands, but it’s definitely not free of emotion. It’s very emotionally charged, but it’s prettier than even Eisley. It’s more gentle.
Last year you set up the whole song shop thing, and then you also did Two Tongues earlier this year. How are you able to be such a prolific writer and keep that creativity going?
I don’t know. Songwriting itself comes pretty easy for me. I could write a million songs, but writing a Say Anything record is a little harder. To me, Say Anything becomes something that’s not just me. It’s Coby, and it’s Alex. It stands for certain political things, and it stands for certain spiritual things. So that’s why there’s not a million Say Anything records, but there’s tons of Max Bemis written songs. That was another reason why I started Two Tongues, not just because I really wanted to work with Chris, that was the main reason, but because there’s a whole other style of writing.
Songwriting is a habit that’s become very easy for me. I’m not saying they’re the best songs in the world or anything, or that I’m that good at it. It’s just to actually pump them out, I’ve discovered some kind of mathematical thing about it where I could literally just sit in a room and write songs all day and never stop. Writer’s block comes and goes. It’s not like I haven’t experienced that, but it’s mostly related to Say Anything because there’s such a specific purpose to it. Not any song can become a Say Anything song.
Originally appeared on Mammoth Press
Posted in InterviewsTagged Max Bemis, Say Anything
Alice in Chains: Come Together
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3969
|
__label__wiki
| 0.526445
| 0.526445
|
Rocky Point QLD
The northern shore of North Stradbroke Island faces essentially due north and runs for 13 km from low, sandy Amity Point to 25 m high Point Lookout, the north-east tip of the island. In between are four sandy beaches, the eastern three bordered by rocks and headlands, together with the... Read more
The northern shore of North Stradbroke Island faces essentially due north and runs for 13 km from low, sandy Amity Point to 25 m high Point Lookout, the north-east tip of the island. In between are four sandy beaches, the eastern three bordered by rocks and headlands, together with the growing town of Point Lookout, which now backs about 3 km of the north-eastern corner of the island.Rocky Point beach (1582) begins on the east side of the point and extends for 1.7 km to a vegetated, 30 m high headland capped by the Point Lookout hotel. The beach faces north-north-east toward Shag Rock, 1.5 km offshore. It receives waves averaging 0.5 m, but these can be considerably higher during big swell. It has a wide, low gradient high tide beach fronted by a continuous low tide bar, with slowly moving sand waves extending up to 200 m offshore. As the sand waves change over time, so too does the nature of the shoreline, bars and surf. There is access to the beach at Rocky Point, with some access tracks along the beach, and in the east below the hotel.
The north shore beaches offer generally low to moderate waves along a dynamic beachfront. The safest swimming is at the patrolled Cylinder Beach. Be careful off all the beaches as there is highly variable bar and trough topography associated with the migrating sand waves, together with often strong westerly drift and rips, when waves exceed 1 m.
There are several excellent surfing spots along this section of coast, all of which usually require a larger swell to operate and also a suitable configuration of the sand bars. The main locations are Cylinders, off the headland, Point Lookout off Deadmans and, during bigger swell, at Rocky Point. All can offer low right-handers.
The north side is very accessible for beach fishing, usually with a range of holes and gutters associated with the bars and sand waves, as well as a few small creek mouths.
The northern sun-drenched side of North Stradbroke and site of the largest settlement at Point Lookout offers north facing beaches of low to moderate energy, with good access to all and accommodation and facilities nearby.
Unpatrolled Change Day
Point Lookout, QLD 4183
Cylinder Beach
Deadmans Beach
Frenchmans Bay
Fri, 28 Jun 04:45
Marine Wind Warning Summary for Queensland
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3971
|
__label__wiki
| 0.826713
| 0.826713
|
« McCain-Palin 2008 Launches New TV Ad: "Folks" | Main | Barack Obama: The Next Day Debate Reviews »
Ancestry.com Reveals Who Would Be King Of America And Candidate Roots As Presidential Election Approaches
What If America Had King Paul Instead Of President McCain or Obama?
What Family Ties Do Obama/Biden and McCain/Palin Have in Key Election Battleground States and to Royalty?
PROVO, Utah, Oct. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- If George Washington had been America's king instead of its first president, an 82-year-old retired regional manager from San Antonio, Texas would be King of America today. As red and blue battleground states emerge in the upcoming presidential election, Americans may be interested to know that Senator Barack Obama has deep roots in Ohio or that Senator John McCain has family members from North Carolina on both sides of his family tree. And research into Governor Sarah Palin's family history revealed she is the 10th cousin to Lady Diana Spencer, Britain's beloved Princess Di, as well as a distant cousin to Franklin D. Roosevelt, one of the country's most popular presidents.
As the country prepares to elect the 44th U.S. president, genealogy experts at Ancestry.com, the world's largest online family history resource, researched answers to some interesting questions surrounding this year's landmark presidential election. From the lineage of the first president, to the family roots of today's presidential and vice presidential candidates, the findings may evoke an interesting debate.
KING OF AMERICA
Many Americans are fascinated by the British royal family -- but what if America had its own Royal family? The experts at Ancestry.com asked, "Who would be sitting on America's throne today if George Washington had become the king instead of the first U.S. president?" After countless hours of research to trace Washington's family lineage, the following facts emerged to determine which of his descendents would likely be King of America today had the U.S. become a monarchy rather than a democracy in 1789:
-- King George? - According to sources, Washington's leadership during and after the Revolutionary War was held in such high esteem, there were those who suggested he become America's first king.
-- Wading Through the Washingtons - George Washington had no children, so researching the descendants through all of his half- and full-siblings meant approximately 8,000 people could factor into the succession equation, with less than 200 of them bearing the Washington surname.
-- Would-be Royal - Since George Washington had an older half brother and a younger full brother, ultimately there were four possible succession paths. Two of the four paths, with male-only heirs, converge into one heir -- Paul Emery Washington, 82, of San Antonio, Texas -- making him the strongest candidate for king today. Paul Emery Washington also has a son, Bill, who he affectionately calls "Prince William."
-- Valley Forge Connection - Paul Emery Washington was a regional manager at Certain-Teed Corp., a manufacturer and distributor of wholesale building materials for 40 years. The company was headquartered in Valley Forge, Pa., where coincidentally General Washington and his army camped during the difficult winter of 1778-79.
In every presidential election, certain U.S. states emerge as critical battleground states key to winning the White House. The experts at Ancestry.com researched the family history of the presidential and vice presidential candidates to learn which of the often referred to battleground states could claim the candidates as their own, with some surprising discoveries.
-- Senator John McCain - McCain has North Carolina roots on both sides of his family tree, extending to the mid 1700s. He is also connected to the state of Arkansas through his paternal grandmother, Katherine Vaulx, a teacher who was born in Arkansas. Katherine's parents, James Vaulx and Margaret Garside, were long-time residents of Arkansas where James was a minister. Family members in his tree served in both the military and the financial sector: his father and grandfather both had careers in the U.S. Navy and great grandfather John S. McCain is documented in the 1900 U.S. Census as the treasurer of Carroll County, Mississippi.
-- Senator Barack Obama - Obama has deep roots in the state of Ohio that go back to 1850. Obama's heritage can be traced back to Ireland, to the small towns of Moneygall and Shinrone in County Offaly, Ireland. Obama's third great-grandfather, Falmouth Kearney, immigrated to the U.S. at age 19, landing in New York harbor on March 20, 1850 and then settling in Fayette County, Ohio among Irish relatives. In addition, Obama has roots extending into the swing states of Virginia, Indiana and Missouri.
-- Senator Joe Biden - Biden also has a strong Irish heritage; his ancestors arrived in the U.S. within six months of Obama's Irish family. Both Obama's and Biden's Irish relatives were shoemakers by trade. Biden has deep Pennsylvania ties: Patrick and Catherine Blewett, Biden's 2nd great-grandparents, settled in Scranton, Pennsylvania, around 1860, where Patrick worked as a surveyor and a civil engineer.
-- Governor Sarah Palin - Palin has roots in several battleground states, including Ohio, Minnesota and Virginia, however, most of her roots are planted in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Palin descends from three consecutive generations of Michael Sheerans, who originate in Ireland; her great-great-grandfather Sheeran ran a firm called Sheeran & Filler Bottling Company, which shipped products across the Northwest. According to published family and local histories -- through a common ancestor, Rev. John Lothrop who arrived in Massachusetts colony in 1634 -- Palin is a distant cousin to Franklin D. Roosevelt, who is touted in history as one of the country's most popular presidents. Gov. Palin is also a 10th cousin to Lady Diana Spencer, Britain's beloved Princess Di, through common ancestors John Strong and Abigail Ford.
According to a recent independent survey from Ancestry.com, Americans would choose to be a member of the Obama family more than any of four other prominent political families.(1) When asked which family they would like to join most, 21 percent chose the Obamas, followed by 15 percent for the Palins and 15 percent for the Clintons, 14 percent for the McCains and 3 percent for the Biden family. Nearly one-third of Americans surveyed (30 percent), however, said they wouldn't want to become a member of any of these political families.
"Most presidential elections bring up issues about where we've come from and where we're headed as a nation, and this election year is no different," said Megan Smolenyak, Chief Family Historian for Ancestry.com. "This is an ideal time for our family history experts to play historical what-ifs and conduct research to answer intriguing questions, as well as look into the family trees of our candidates to learn about where they come from and the ties they have in our great country."
To learn more about how to start researching your family history, log on to Ancestry.com and sign up for a free two-week trial. It's possible that a famous ancestor or past presidential or vice presidential candidate is in your family tree and waiting to be discovered.
Posted by Mike on October 08, 2008 | Permalink
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3976
|
__label__wiki
| 0.821111
| 0.821111
|
Through Tamarack Swamps
Indigenous Histories by Margery Fee
Stories of Oka: Land, Film, and Literature by Isabelle St-Amand Keetsahnak / Our Missing and Murdered Indigenous Sisters by Kim Anderson, Maria Campbell and Christi Belcourt Tracing Ochre: Changing Perspectives on the Beothuk by Fiona Polack
“There’s so much more to be seen . . . “ by Evangeline Holtz
Undiscovered Country by Al Rempel Dear Current Occupant: A Memoir by Chelene Knight
Rethinking the Break-Up by Mandy Catron
Hard To Do: The Surprising, Feminist History of Breaking-Up by Kelli Maria Korducki
Black Canadian Archives by Paul Barrett
Locating Home: The First African-Canadian Novel and Verse Collections by George Elliott Clarke
Narratives of Loss and Mourning by Saghar Najafi
Minerva's Owl: The Bereavement Phase of My Marriage by Carol Matthews Deep Salt Water by Marianne Apostolides
Alden Nowlan and Brian Bartlett (Editor)
Collected Poems of Alden Nowlan. icehouse poetry (purchase at Amazon.ca)
Brian Bartlett
All Manner of Tackle: Living with Poetry. Palimpsest Press (purchase at Amazon.ca)
Reviewed by Nicholas Bradley
The massive Collected Poems is a nearly seven-hundred-page-long testament to Alden Nowlan’s genius. He wrote a stupefying number of poems, and he was also a prolific writer of fiction, drama, essays, and local history. Several years passed between two early volumes of verse, The Things Which Are (1962) and Bread, Wine and Salt (1967), but in the late 1960s and after, he published books with a frequency that rivalled even that of Al Purdy. The Mysterious Naked Man (1969) was followed by Playing the Jesus Game (1970), Between Tears and Laughter (1971), I’m a Stranger Here Myself (1974), Smoked Glass (1977), and I Might Not Tell Everybody This (1982). The Collected Poems includes the poetry from Nowlan’s chapbooks—The Rose and the Puritan (1958), A Darkness in the Earth (1959), and Wind in a Rocky Country (1960)—and from his mature volumes, which range from Under the Ice (1961) to the posthumously issued An Exchange of Gifts (1985). Brian Bartlett, the editor of the Collected Poems and a capable poet himself, notes that the “[p]oems that appeared only in periodicals or exist only in manuscript” are left to be gathered elsewhere. Thus Nowlan’s Poems are now Collected but not yet Complete. Bartlett’s volume does not replace the much shorter Selected Poems (1996, 2013) edited by Patrick Lane and Lorna Crozier—the books serve different purposes—but it will be the standard edition of Nowlan’s poetry for some time to come, and it should both renew appreciation for his achievement and spark scholarly interest.
Although he enjoyed national prominence, the poet from Stanley, Nova Scotia—and later Hartland and Fredericton, New Brunswick—was bound to a specific culture and geography. His works attend to an isolated, impoverished, conservative world that in certain respects was Victorian even in the middle of the twentieth century. Hugh MacLennan wrote in Seven Rivers of Canada (1961) that “[t]he old Maritime Provinces have changed less than any part of North America. What they have lost in prosperity, they have gained in coherence, and on the whole the life there is the quietest and happiest in the country.” Perhaps so, but Nowlan’s poems typically furnish a less sanguine view. He was born in 1933, and the Depression remained with him until he died of respiratory failure in 1983. His short life was constrained by poverty, poor health, and alcoholism. He was uneducated and debilitatingly shy. As Bartlett writes, Nowlan was “a great poet of fear. Again and again his poetry recalls the fears found in childhood.” The titular phrase Under the Ice conveys a psychological interest, while the phrase Smoked Glass suggests partial obscurity. Somehow Nowlan transformed severe hardship into art. In “Beginning,” from Under the Ice, he imagined his own moment of origin, the birth of the poet: “From that they found most lovely, most abhorred, / my parents made me.” As Bartlett observes, however, Nowlan also “takes us from nightmarish precincts of fear and loneliness to the embraces of friendship and family.” He wrote of love in marriage and fatherly devotion, and expressed enormous sympathy for the salt of the earth.
Although Nowlan was a regionalist of the Maritimes, his poems are rarely maritime in nature. Deeply rooted in New Brunswick’s landscapes, and not besotted with seascapes, they depict farms and farmers, forests and millworkers, and sometimes the Saint John River, along which, in MacLennan’s words again, “a growing boy can still experience the simple things, and learn without thinking the fabric of a coherent society.” In Under the Ice, Nowlan drew largely sympathetic (but at times caustic) portraits of local figures: “Jack Stringer,” “Rosemary Jensen,” “Sheilah Smith,” “Andy Shaw,” “Warren Pryor,” “Patricia Grey.” He was not oblivious to the occasional ironies and humour of rural life. In “Alex Duncan,” he poked fun at the eponymous farmer’s colonial mindset, his desire to return to a prelapsarian world: “Four decades away from home / his Scottish tongue / grows broader every year.” In his last interview, as Bartlett mentions in the introduction to the Collected Poems, Nowlan listed his influences, many of whom were rural poets: “‘I’ve borrowed from everybody, I suppose. D. H. Lawrence, Thomas Hardy, William Carlos Williams, Sherwood Anderson, Robert Frost, Wordsworth, Chekhov, Robinson Jeffers, Whitman—and most of all, the King James Version of the Bible.’” A. E. Housman’s A Shropshire Lad (1896) is another obvious point of comparison, while such early poems as “About Death They Were Wrong” (from A Darkness in the Earth) are conspicuously Audenesque. Nowlan’s poetry also calls to mind James Wright, whose first books, The Green Wall (1957) and Saint Judas (1959), belong to the same milieu as Nowlan’s works despite their geographical differences. The Canadian poet and the American were comparably preoccupied by guilt, disgrace, and bursts of rustic beauty.
His poems in their assorted modes—portraits, wry anecdotes, mournful reflections, pastoral and counter-pastoral scenes, childhood recollections, and excoriations of the self—are consistently interesting. Despite its length, the Collected Poems is an accessible, highly readable volume. But if Nowlan is an engaging observer, his poetic language is often flat, and its plainness becomes enervating over the long course of the Collected Poems. Individual poems are memorable, but rarely phrases thereof. Despite what Sandra Djwa once called “the conversational ripple . . . of his best lines,” a general monotony besets the poetry, especially the later writing. Verbal dazzle, compression, verve—these were not Nowlan’s virtues. But there are worse fates for a poet than to be compassionate and wise, and Nowlan’s particular talents can be admired and understood on their own terms. With the Collected Poems, Bartlett has made a substantial contribution to Canadian letters. The edition is a tribute to Nowlan himself and a gift to readers and critics.
The essays in Bartlett’s All Manner of Tackle have a strong Atlantic bias. The poets they examine include Nowlan, Fred Cogswell, Don Domanski, Robert Gibbs, M. Travis Lane, Ross Leckie, Dorothy Roberts, Joseph Sherman, and Sue Sinclair, as well as others with less palpable or persistent ties to the East Coast, such as Tim Bowling, Tim Lilburn, Don McKay, P. K. Page, and Jan Zwicky. The book brings together studies, reviews, and occasional essays first published between 1993 and 2016. Her connections to Nova Scotia drag Elizabeth Bishop into Bartlett’s bailiwick, and although he stops short of claiming her as a Canadian author, he emphasizes her fondness for the province of her early years and later travels. His preferred subjects now represent the old guard of Canadian poetry, but Bartlett reliably shows that the poetry warrants attention. He is a generous reader; in his own terms, an “explorer, appreciator, student, broadcaster of good news.” The dog-eared pages in my copy of All Manner of Tackle confirm my appreciation of his criticism, although I must close with a quibble: the book has no index, a frustrating omission for readers keen to return to these astute and passionate essays.
This review “Through Tamarack Swamps” originally appeared in Canadian Literature , 26 Nov. 2018. Web.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3981
|
__label__wiki
| 0.599146
| 0.599146
|
November 11, 2015 / 2:06 PM / 4 years ago
OpenText unveils major upgrade to suite of data tools
Alastair Sharp
TORONTO (Reuters) - OpenText Corp OTC.TO, one of Canada’s most valuable technology companies, unveiled a major upgrade to its suite of data management tools on Wednesday, a simplification it hopes will harness a growing reliance on digital tools within companies.
The Waterloo-based business software maker said it has spent more than $300 million to develop the product suite, code named “Project Blue Carbon,” over the last 18 months as its corporate, government and other large customers seek more control, improved engagement and better insight from their data.
The products, launched together as “OpenText Suite 16” and “OpenText Cloud 16” mark the first time the company has upgraded its entire offering in one go, rather than updating as many as 300 discrete products over the course of a year.
“We’ve been an acquisitive company over the years, we’ve had different product lines on different version-numbering schemes,” said Adam Howatson, OpenText’s chief marketing officer. “We’re aligning them all to drive simplicity for customers.”
One of those acquisitions from earlier this year, Actuate, has boosted predictive analytics across the new product line, Howatson said, while the upgrade also makes collaboration and customization easier and makes it possible to set automatic self-destruct functions on sensitive information.
The services can be delivered from OpenText servers or those that sit on the premises of their customers, or a combination of both, and work with software from a range of other suppliers.
OpenText says that its customers include 90 percent of Fortune 500 companies and that it has 10 percent of a $25-billion market for enterprise information management.
It competes most directly with International Business Machines Corp (IBM.N), as well as EMC Corp EMC.N, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE.N) and others to sell software to companies to automate their business processes.
Reporting by Alastair Sharp; Editing by Sandra Maler
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3984
|
__label__wiki
| 0.648277
| 0.648277
|
Editors Letter: Tribute to Wiley Sword • Action at Dalton, GA
by Admin on January 7, 2016
Tribute to Wiley Sword
Wiley Sword
Wiley Sword was a good friend and confidant, and I am proud to have been his editor and publisher on numerous projects. His passing in November was a shock and surprise. Recent heart surgery had been successful and he said he felt the subsequent complications had been resolved. I figured a brief lapse in communication was because he was back on the golf course, or writing, collecting war letters, and just enjoying life. He will be missed.
Wiley’s first “General’s Tour” feature for Blue & Gray was in 1993 on the Battle of Nashville. There were two other features by him, on Lookout Mountain and, more recently, during the Civil War’s 150th commemorations, a feature on the Battle of Missionary Ridge. Collecting guns was a passion early in Wiley’s Civil War interest. He also became a collector of Civil War correspondence—not just by well known figures, but also poignant letters by common soldiers. His “War Letters” series for Blue & Gray is a very popular column and we have published nearly 50 of them.
In Wiley’s Missionary Ridge feature in 2013, I included an anecdote of his remarkable career in my Editor’s Letter. He had told me that when he was writing his book, now a classic, Shiloh: Bloody April (1974), he met combat historian Brig. Gen. S. L. A. Marshall by chance on a Michigan golf course. The general thought his name was too perfect—surely a pen name—and asked what his real name was. Wiley assured him it was his name.
In the Foreword to Wiley’s book, Gen-eral Marshall wrote, “Though it is said that the pen is mightier than the sword, that is not a whole truth. All depends on who is wielding either. In this novel instance, however, in which the Sword wields the pen, much comes forth that military professionals and scholars, and probably the critics, should delight to ponder.”
It was an honor to reprint Wiley’s book on the 1864 Tennessee Campaign, Embrace An Angry Wind: The Confederacy’s Last Hurrah—Spring Hill, Franklin, and Nashville, in 1995. His “War Letter” by Maj. Henry Rathbone, who shared the Ford’s Theatre box with the Lincolns that fateful night in April 1865, and the description of the Deringer in Wiley’s possession that is “almost an exact duplicate” of the one used to kill the President, was a fitting topper for our 1865 Commemorative Issue, and I am grateful to him for preparing it especially for us.
I will miss Wiley’s friendship, his easy way of speaking, advising, and assisting on projects, and his valuable contributions to Blue & Gray over many years. I also extend my condolences to his wife Marianne and the Sword family.
Action at Dalton, Georgia
Robert D. Jenkins, Sr., author of this issue’s “General’s Tour” feature, is making a name for himself in Civil War circles. His first book, The Battle of Peach Tree Creek: Hood’s First Sortie, 20 July 1864, was published in 2013. His second book, To the Gates of Atlanta: From Kennesaw Mountain to Peach Tree Creek, 1-19 July 1864, was published in 2015, and also received good reviews. Now he’s working on the part of the Atlanta Campaign that started, literally, in his own back yard (Union troops had set up camp there).
Bob, an attorney by profession, is a longtime Civil War history devotee; his office is virtually next door to Joe Johnston’s Dalton headquarters. Bob enjoys the speaking circuit and is an entertaining fellow in multiple roles and venues. He portrays General Johnston (above), a Union infantry soldier, even Elvis, and has a fine singing voice and writes his own songs.
Bob is very active in preservation. His important message on preserving Dalton’s battlefields and other historic sites in the area is on Pg. 18. There are many sites on Rocky Face Ridge that are so pristine they could have been erected yesterday. This is because they are rock fortifications built by the Confederates over the winter of 1863-1864, after their debacle at Missionary Ridge in late November 1863. That setback led to the concentration of the Army of Tennessee moving from the Chattanooga area to Dalton in North Georgia.
Access to the Rocky Face Ridge earthworks currently is limited to an appointment basis, but Bob and his fellow preservationists remain highly accessible and are anxious to share the historic ground they have worked hard to save. Use the phone number and email address Bob included in his preservation message.
Other area Civil War sites are also accessible by appointment. At Mill Creek Gap, the sites include one of the culverts the Confederates used to dam the creek in order to flood the gap as Sherman approached Dalton, and the site of a post-battle Block House built along Mill Creek to protect the railroad. Sites on the east side of Rocky Face Ridge and in Crow Valley can also be viewed with a guide by making an appointment. A donation to the Save the Dalton Battlefield’s ongoing preservation efforts would surely be appreciated.
David E. Roth
From: Current Issue, Editor's Letter
← Dalton • Beginning the Georgia Campaign
Sneak Preview →
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3989
|
__label__wiki
| 0.5822
| 0.5822
|
Socially isolated individuals are more prone to have newly diagnosed and prevalent type 2 diabetes mellitus - the Maastricht study –
Stephanie Brinkhues1, 2, 3,
Nicole H. T. M. Dukers-Muijrers1, 2, 3,
Christian J. P. A. Hoebe1, 2, 3,
Carla J. H. van der Kallen4, 5,
Pieter C. Dagnelie3, 5, 6,
Annemarie Koster3, 7,
Ronald M. A. Henry4, 5,
Simone J. S. Sep4, 5,
Nicolaas C. Schaper3, 4, 5,
Coen D. A. Stehouwer4, 5,
Hans Bosma3, 7,
Paul H. M. Savelkoul1, 3, 8 and
Miranda T. Schram4, 5, 9Email author
BMC Public HealthBMC series – open, inclusive and trusted201717:955
Social isolation is associated with type 2 diabetes (T2DM), but it is unclear which elements play a crucial role in this association. Therefore, we assessed the associations of a broad range of structural and functional social network characteristics with normal glucose metabolism, pre-diabetes, newly diagnosed T2DM and previously diagnosed T2DM.
Participants originated from The Maastricht Study, a population-based cohort study (n = 2861, mean age 60.0 ± 8.2 years, 49% female, 28.8% T2DM (oversampled)). Social network characteristics were assessed through a name generator questionnaire. Diabetes status was determined by an oral glucose tolerance test. We used multinomial regression analyses to investigate the associations between social network characteristics and diabetes status, stratified by sex.
More socially isolated individuals (smaller social network size) more frequently had newly diagnosed and previously diagnosed T2DM, while this association was not observed with pre-diabetes. In women, proximity and the type of relationship was associated with newly diagnosed and previously diagnosed T2DM. A lack of social participation was associated with pre-diabetes as well as with previously diagnosed T2DM in women, and with previously diagnosed T2DM in men. Living alone was associated with higher odds of previously diagnosed T2DM in men, but not in women. Less emotional support related to important decisions, less practical support related to jobs, and less practical support for sickness were associated with newly diagnosed and previously diagnosed T2DM in men and women, but not in pre-diabetes.
This study shows that several aspects of structural and functional characteristics of the social network were associated with newly and previously diagnosed T2DM, partially different for men and women. These results may provide useful targets for T2DM prevention efforts.
Pre-diabetes
The growing number of people with chronic conditions, such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), is a rising problem in health care. An estimated 171 million individuals worldwide had T2DM in 2000, and this number is expected to increase to 366 million individuals in 2030, with a higher prevalence in men [1]. Because T2DM leads to severe complications and significantly reduces life expectancy [2], and multiborbidity is common [3], these figures underline the need for interventions that can prevent the development of T2DM. Several environmental and lifestyle factors, as well as psychosocial factors such as depression and stress, have been identified as relevant for the development of T2DM [4–7]. Recently, there is raising interest for the role of social network characteristics in the development of T2DM [7–14]. Prevention strategies that promote social integration and participation may prove promising [15–18]. Among individuals with T2DM, beneficial effects of social support have been reported on diabetes care [19], activation for self-management [20], and health/health-related behaviors [21].
Given the results of previous research, a more detailed and conjoint investigation of a broad range of social network characteristics is essential. Previous studies on social network characteristics have typically focused on either structural or functional characteristics, while both have been found to associate with T2DM risk [7–14]. For example, the single indicator low emotional support is associated with a doubled risk of T2DM in women [7], while prevalent T2DM is also related to lower emotional support [8]. Negative friend support increases the odds of T2DM by 30% in both men and women [14]. In addition, poor structural support has been shown to increase the risk of T2DM in men by 50%, particularly evident among those with a low education level [9]. Furthermore, several studies have found that living alone was an independent predictor of T2DM in men, but not in women [7, 11, 12]. In contrast, one study reported that high social integration increased the odds of T2DM in men [12]. However, the associations of social network characteristics with pre-diabetes or newly diagnosed T2DM were less clear, studies accounting for pre-diabetes and newly diagnosed T2DM are rare [12, 13].
In light of these considerations, the aim of the present study was to assess the associations of a broad range of social network characteristics with diabetes status. Specifically, we assessed whether structural characteristics such as social network size, contact frequency, type of relationship, living alone and social participation are associated with pre-diabetes and newly diagnosed and previously diagnosed T2DM. Next, we addressed the question of whether functional characteristics of the social network (social support) are associated with pre-diabetes, newly diagnosed T2DM and previously diagnosed T2DM. To investigate the differences between men and women, all analyses were stratified by sex.
We used data from The Maastricht Study, an observational prospective population-based cohort study. The rationale and methodology have been described previously [22]. In brief, the study focuses on the etiology, pathophysiology, complications and comorbidities of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and is characterized by an extensive phenotyping approach. The study uses state-of-the-art imaging techniques and extensive biobanking to determine both determinants and clinical outcomes of health status.
Eligible for participation were all individuals aged between 40 and 75 years and living in the southern part of the Netherlands. Participants with and without diabetes were recruited through mass media campaigns and from the municipal registries and the regional Diabetes Patient Registry via mailings. Recruitment was stratified according to known T2DM status, with an oversampling of individuals with T2DM, for reasons of efficiency. Enrollment started in November 2010 and is still ongoing, aiming to include 10.000 participants. The present report includes cross-sectional data from the first 3451 participants, who completed the baseline survey between November 2010 and September 2013. The examinations of each participant were performed within a time window of 3 months. Further information on The Maastricht study can be found elsewhere [22].
After excluding participants who did not provide data on their social network (n = 447 (12.9%), the main reason for missing data was incomplete questionnaires), participants with type 1 diabetes (n = 33), and other types of diabetes (n = 4), and participants with missing information on covariates (n = 106), a total of 2861 participants were included in the present analyses. The participants without social network data did not differ from those with these data with respect to diabetes status, sex, educational level, or body mass index (BMI). However, the participants who did not provide social network data were slightly younger than those who did (mean age 59 versus 60 years, (p < 0.001)).
Glucose metabolism status
To determine glucose metabolism status, all participants (except those who used insulin) underwent a standardized 75 g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) after an overnight fast [22]. Glucose metabolism was defined according to the World Health Organization 2006 criteria as normal glucose metabolism (NGM), impaired fasting glucose (IFG), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), or T2DM [23]. Individuals on diabetes medication were classified as having T2DM. We defined pre-diabetes as having either IFG or IGT and newly diagnosed (unaware) T2DM as negative self-reported T2DM with a positive OGTT.
Data on individual social networks were collected through a questionnaire using a name generator method [24, 25]. A detailed description of this questionnaire can be found in the additional file (see Additional file 1). The name generator first requires a respondent to identify actual persons, and then several additional questions about these individuals are asked (sex, age, type of relationship, geographic distance, and the number of members who provided informational, practical or emotional support).
Structural characteristics of the social network
The structural network characteristics were computed from the questionnaire. In brief, network size was defined as the total number of unique network members (alters) mentioned in the questionnaire. Total contacts per half year was defined as the sum of all contacts per half year. In addition, the percentage of network members that the participant (ego) had daily/weekly contact with, that were household members, that lived within walking distance, and the percentage of network members that were family members or friends was computed. Those social network constructs of percentages within the network were defined in steps of 10%. Based on an average network size of 10 network members, a change in one network member corresponds to 10%.
Living alone was defined as a person who lived alone in his household. Social participation was defined as membership in, for instance, a sports club, religious group, volunteer organization, discussion group, self-support group, internet club, or other organization. Additional information on structural social network characteristics used in the present study can be found in Table 1.
Variable descriptions of the structural and functional social network characteristics
Variable name
Unit of measurement (possible range)
Network size
The total number of unique network members mentioned in the questionnaire. Participants with a smaller social network size were considered as more socially isolated.
N (0–40)
Contact frequency
Total contacts per half year
A contact was defined as an interaction between persons. Total contacts (interactions between persons) per half year were computed as follows. We used the highest contact frequency (e.g., daily contact) for every network member as an indicator of the actual contact frequency. Second, we recoded the answer categories of the questionnaire to an estimated number of contacts per half year. For example, “half-yearly” was assumed to comprise one contact, “quarterly” two contacts, “monthly” 6 contacts and “daily or weekly” 48 contacts. Third, we computed the sum of all contacts per half year as the total contact frequency.
Percentage of daily-weekly contact
We calculated the percentage of network members that the participant had daily or weekly contact with as the number of daily/weekly contacts divided by network size.
% (0–100)
Percentage of network members living within walking distance
We considered geographic proximity as the percentage of all network members who lived within walking distance, calculated as the number of network members living within walking distance divided by network size.
Type of relationship
Percentage household members
We calculated the percentage of household members as the number of network members living in the same household divided by network size.
Percentage family members
We calculated the percentage of family members within the network as the number of family members divided by the network size.
Percentage friends
We calculated the percentage of friends within the network as the number of friends divided by the network size.
Living alone was defined as a person who lived alone in his/ her household.
(yes/no)
Social participation was defined as membership in, for instance, a sports club, religious group, volunteer organization, discussion group, self-support group, internet club, or other organization.
Functional characteristics of the social network
Informational support
Informational support was defined as the number of network members that give advice on problems
Emotional support (discomfort)
Emotional support related to discomfort was defined as the number of network members that provide emotional support when participants were feeling unwell
Emotional support (important decisions)
Emotional support related to important decisions was defined as the number of network members that provide the opportunity to discuss important matters
Practical support (jobs)
Practical support related to jobs was defined as the number of network members that help with small and larger jobs around the house
Practical support (sickness)
Practical support related to sickness was defined as the number of network members that provide practical help when participants were sick
Functional characteristics of the social network (social support)
Participants were asked to indicate the number of members who provided informational support, emotional support related to discomfort, emotional support related to important decisions, practical support related to jobs, and practical support related to sickness. For every type of support, participants could name a maximum of 5 network members. This results in a possible range of 0 to 5 for the functional characteristics of the social network. Additional information on functional social network characteristics used in the present study can be found in Table 1.
General measurements
Self-administered questionnaires were used to assess educational level, employment status, smoking status, alcohol consumption, history of cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes medication use and diabetes duration. Body mass index (BMI) and hypertension were measured at the study centre [22]. General health was assessed with the SF-36 Health Survey and transformed scale scores were calculated according to Ware et al. (1994) [26].
Descriptive analyses were performed to examine the characteristics of the study population, and the results were presented as the mean and standard deviation (SD) or percentages and numbers. To assess the differences between participants with NGM, pre-diabetes, newly diagnosed T2DM and previously diagnosed T2DM, we performed chi-square, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Kruskal-Wallis tests, as appropriate. We conducted multinomial logistic regression analyses to examine the association of the social network variables with diabetes status, using NGM as reference. For every network variable, odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) were reported. For descriptive purposes, social network variables were reversed, i.e., multiplied by −1 (lower values on social network variables indicated risk factor). Every network variable was assessed separately, risk estimates were adjusted for age, BMI, educational level, employment status, alcohol consumption, smoking status, hypertension, prior CVD and general health status (SF36). As previous research has shown different associations between social network and diabetes status between men and women [7, 9, 11, 12], we tested for statistical interactions (effect modification) of the network variables with sex. Because the majority of the social network variables showed an interaction with sex (p < 0.1), all analyses were stratified by sex. All analyses were conducted using IBM SPSS software version 21.0 (IBM Corp. Armonk, NY, USA). Associations with p ≤ 0.05 were considered statistically significant.
The overall study population consisted of 2861 participants with a mean age of 60.0 ± 8.2 years, of whom slightly less than half were women (49%). Table 2 presents descriptive characteristics according to diabetes status. A total of 1623 (56.7%) participants had a normal glucose metabolism status (NGM), 430 (15.0%) had pre-diabetes, 111 (3.9%) were newly diagnosed as T2DM at study entry, and 697 (24.4%) had previously diagnosed T2DM. Participants with T2DM were older, more often men, had a higher BMI, were lower educated, were more often retired, were more often current smokers, were less often high alcohol consumers, and had prior CVD and hypertension more often than participants with NGM or pre-diabetes. In participants with previously diagnosed T2DM, the median self-reported diabetes duration was 7 years (IQR 3.0–12.0). Participants with newly diagnosed T2DM were more often higher educated, less often obese, less often current smokers, more often high alcohol consumers and had prior CVD and hypertension less often than participants with previously diagnosed T2DM.
General and social network characteristics of the study population
NGM (n = 1623)
Pre-diabetes (n = 430)
Newly diagnosed T2DM (n = 111)
Previously diagnosed T2DM (n = 697)
P-value1
58.1 ± 8.1
Male sex (%)
Body mass index (kg/m2)
Educational level (%)
- low2
- intermediate3
- high4
Employment status (%)
- employed
- retired
- no paid job
- not known
Smoking status (%)
- never
- former
- current
Alcohol consumption, glasses per week
7.3 ± 7.1
9.1 ± 10.6
Prior CVD (%)
Hypertension (%)
Diabetes medication use (%)
Diabetes duration (years; median, Q1-Q3; n = 567)
7.0 (3.0–12.0)
11.00 ± 5.15
7.68 ± 4.59
249.33 ± 144.09
46.29 ± 24.41
Living alone (%)
Social participation (%)
Informational supporta
Emotional support (discomfort) a
Emotional support (important decisions) a
Practical support (jobs)a
Practical support (sickness) a
Total study population n = 2861, NGM Normal glucose metabolism, T2DM Type 2 diabetes mellitus (newly or previously diagnosed)
1 p–values were obtained from ANOVA (p for trend)/ Kruskal-Wallis/ Chi-Square tests
2 low education (no education, primary education, and lower vocational education). 3 intermediate education (intermediate vocational education, higher secondary education, and vocational education). 4 high education (higher professional education, university)
a Social support variables have a range from 0 to 5. Values are means (SD), unless stated otherwise
Description of structural characteristics of the social network
Figure 1 shows a simplified representation of the social network size, contact frequency, geographic distance, and proportions of family members and friends according to diabetes status for both men and women. In summary, the network size was 12, 11, 9, and 8 in women with NGM, pre-diabetes, newly diagnosed T2DM and previously diagnosed T2DM, respectively. In men, the network size was 10 in NGM and pre-diabetes and 7 in newly diagnosed and previously diagnosed T2DM. The total number of contacts per half year was 268, 252, 224, 212 in women with NGM, pre-diabetes, newly diagnosed T2DM and previously diagnosed T2DM, respectively, and 224, 216, 175, 189 for men, respectively. The percentage of daily/weekly contacts was 46.3% in NGM and 54.2% in previously diagnosed T2DM. The percentage of family members was 55.9% in the NGM group and 64.7% in the previously diagnosed T2DM group. The percentage of friends was 30.0% in NGM and 21.4% in previously diagnosed T2DM (Table 2).
Structural network characteristics stratified by diabetes status among women and men
The prevalence of living alone was 14.7%, 17.4%, 17.1% and 20.2% and the prevalence of social participation was 71.6%, 64.2%, 61.1%, and 56.4% in NGM, pre-diabetes, newly diagnosed T2DM and previously diagnosed T2DM, respectively (Table 2).
Description of functional characteristics of the social network
Participants with newly diagnosed and previously diagnosed T2DM reported lower levels of informational support related to advice on problems, emotional support related to discomfort and related to important decisions and practical support related to jobs around the house and related to sickness than participants with NGM or pre-diabetes (Table 2).
Association of structural characteristics of the social network with diabetes status
Table 3 shows that each fewer network member reported (smaller network size) was associated with 12% higher odds of newly diagnosed T2DM and a 8% higher odds of previously diagnosed T2DM in women and an 10% and 5% higher odds of newly diagnosed T2DM and previously diagnosed T2DM in men, respectively, compared to NGM. Each 10% drop in network members living within walking distance was associated with an 21% higher odds of newly diagnosed T2DM and with an 9% higher odds of previously diagnosed T2DM in women. Every additional 10% of the network that was a household member was associated with a 25% higher odds of newly diagnosed T2DM and an 15% higher odds of previously diagnosed T2DM in women and a 29% higher odds of newly diagnosed T2DM in men. Each 10% drop in network members who were friends was associated with a 14% higher odds of previously diagnosed T2DM in women.
Associations of social network characteristics with diabetes status stratified by sex
Outcome variables stratified by sex
Reference category; NGM
Newly diagnosed T2DM (n = 41)
OR (95% CI)
Explanatory variables
Smaller network size (for every fewer network member)
1.02 (0.99–1.06)
1.12** (1.03–1.22)
1.08*** (1.04–1.13)
1.10** `(1.03–1.18)
Total contacts per half year (for every 10 additional contacts)
0.98* (0.97–1.00)
0.98# (0.96–1.00)
0.99(0.98–1.02)
Percentage of daily-weekly contact (for every additional 10%)
Percentage of network members living within walking distance (for every fewer 10%)
Percentage household members (for every additional 10%)
Percentage family members (for every additional 10%)
Percentage friends (for every 10% less)
1.94**(1.29–2.93)
Lack of social participation
Less informational supporta
Less emotional support (discomfort) a
Less emotional support (important decisions) a
Less practical support (jobs)a
Less practical support (sickness) a
All analyses were adjusted for age, body mass index, educational level, employment status, alcohol consumption, smoking status, Hypertension, prior CVD and general health (SF36). NGM Normal glucose metabolism; T2DM Type 2 diabetes mellitus. a Social support variables have a range from 0 to 5. OR; Odds ratio, 95% CI; 95% Confidence interval. #p ≤ 0.1 *p ≤ 0.05 **p ≤ 0.01 ***p ≤ 0.001
In women, no significant associations between living alone and diabetes were observed. In men, living alone was associated with a 59% higher odds of pre-diabetes (borderline significant), a 84% higher odds of newly diagnosed T2DM (borderline significant), and a 94% higher odds of previously diagnosed T2DM compared to NGM (Table 3). A lack of social participation was associated with a 60% higher odds of pre-diabetes and a 112% higher odds of previously diagnosed T2DM in women, compared to NGM (Table 3). In men, lack of social participation was associated with a 42% higher odds of having previously diagnosed T2DM. In Fig. 2, ORs for social participation and living alone were depicted.
Associations of structural and functional characteristics of the social network with diabetes status stratified by sex, presented on a base-10 logarithmic scale
Association of functional characteristics of the social network with diabetes status
One unit less emotional support on important decisions was associated with a 34% higher odds of newly diagnosed T2DM in women. One unit less practical support with small jobs was associated with a 16% higher odds of previously diagnosed T2DM in women. One unit less practical support with sickness was associated with a 45% higher odds of newly diagnosed T2DM and a 21% higher odds of previously diagnosed T2DM in women, compared to NGM. In men, one unit less emotional support on important decisions was associated with a 19% higher odds of newly diagnosed T2DM and a 11% higher odds of previously diagnosed T2DM. One unit less practical support with small jobs was associated with a 21% higher odds of newly diagnosed T2DM in men. One unit less practical support with sickness was associated with a 25% higher odds of newly diagnosed T2DM and a 13% higher odds of previously diagnosed T2DM in men, compared to NGM.
This study is the first to assess the associations between T2DM and a broad range of functional and structural network characteristics in adults. The study shows that more socially isolated individuals (smaller social network size) more frequently had newly diagnosed and previously diagnosed T2DM, while this association was not observed with pre-diabetes. In women, proximity and the type of relationship was associated with newly diagnosed and previously diagnosed T2DM. A lack of social participation was associated with pre-diabetes as well as with previously diagnosed T2DM in women, and with previously diagnosed T2DM in men. Living alone was associated with higher odds of previously diagnosed T2DM in men, but not in women. Less emotional support related to important decisions was associated with newly diagnosed T2DM in women, and both newly and previously diagnosed T2DM in men. Less practical support related to jobs was associated with previously diagnosed T2DM in women and newly diagnosed T2DM in men. Less practical support for sickness was associated with newly diagnosed and previously diagnosed T2DM in men and women. These associations were not observed in pre-diabetes.
All associations between social network characteristics and diabetes status were independent of BMI, educational level, employment status, alcohol consumption, smoking status, general health status and chronic conditions as prior CVD and hypertension.
Structural social network characteristics
The present study showed that social isolation, indicated by a smaller social network size, was associated with higher odds of newly diagnosed and previously diagnosed T2DM in men and women. This finding is in line with longitudinal analyses conducted by Altevers et al. (2015), and Lukaschek et al. (2017) who found that poor structural support (measured by Social Network index [SNI], including a measure of social network size) increased the risk of T2DM [9, 27]. In addition, our data show that a smaller social network size was only associated with T2DM, not with pre-diabetes. This is also consistent with longitudinal data, which did not find significant associations of social integration, including structural characteristics, with pre-diabetes [12]. Furthermore, we as well as Gallo et al. (2015) observed associations between structural network characteristics and T2DM among both sexes [13], while Altevers et al. (2015) found this association among men, but not among women [9]. A possible explanation for this discrepancy is that Altevers et al. (2015) limited the variability in their sample by dichotomizing the Social Network Index (SNI), while we and Gallo et al. (2015) used a continuous scale. Therefore, their non-significant findings in women may be attributable to low power [9].
In women, higher percentages of network members living within walking distance and higher percentages household members were associated with newly and previously diagnosed T2DM. Similarly, a network composed of fewer friends was associated with higher odds of previously diagnosed T2DM in women, suggesting that the smaller network size in T2DM is largely attributable to having less friends than those with NGM. The associations of proximity and the type of relationship with T2DM in women indicate that a network that is centralized to those with the closest relationships, with less network members at a social and geographical distance, is associated with T2DM. In men, we observed that higher percentages of household members were associated with newly diagnosed T2DM. Furthermore, these associations were again not observed in pre-diabetes.
As we are the first to address the composition of the social network in terms of proximity and type of relationship in relation to T2DM, and as significant associations have mostly been observed for women, further research is needed to corroborate our findings.
Living alone was associated with higher odds of newly diagnosed and previously diagnosed T2DM in men, but not in women. This finding is consistent with previous longitudinal studies that identified living alone as a risk factor for T2DM [11, 27], while having a partner decreases the risk for T2DM [12] in men but not in women. Moreover, similar to Hilding et al. (2015), we only found borderline significant associations between living alone and pre-diabetes [12]. However, these non-significant risk estimates may be attributable to a low power, as we had a relatively small sample to address this association (less than 40 men with pre-diabetes were living alone).
The lack of social participation was associated with pre-diabetes in women and with previously diagnosed T2DM in both men and women. In longitudinal research, participation in social activities has been shown to decrease the risk of pre-diabetes and T2DM in women and the risk of pre-diabetes in men [12]. However, in this cross-sectional study, we cannot exclude the possibility that early changes in glucose metabolism may cause non-specific complaints such as tiredness and feeling unwell, which may explain why individuals chose to limit their social participation. In either scenario, social participation may serve as a target for intervention or an indicator suitable for diabetes prevention strategies.
Functional social network characteristics
In the present study, we observed that less emotional support with important decisions was associated with newly diagnosed T2DM in women, and both newly and previously diagnosed T2DM in men. Less practical support with small jobs was associated with previously diagnosed T2DM in women and newly diagnosed T2DM in men. Less practical support for sickness was associated with newly diagnosed and previously diagnosed T2DM in men and women. Both Norberg et al. (2007) and Jones et al. (2015) showed that low emotional support was associated with T2DM in women [7] and older adults [8], although their methods used to assess functional support were less detailed. The longitudinal results from Norberg et al. (2007) suggest that low functional support increases the risk of T2DM [7].
To our knowledge, this study is the first to assess the association of a broad range of functional support measures with pre-diabetes, newly diagnosed T2DM and previously diagnosed T2DM. Our results indicate that emotional support in important decisions, and practical support with small jobs and in sickness were important characteristics that should be addressed in T2DM prevention strategies. However, in this cross-sectional study, we cannot assess whether participants received an absolutely lower level of functional support, or whether they perceive it as less adequate to their needs (that means relatively lower), and therefore, their satisfaction with functional support is lower. Recently, it has been shown that low social network satisfaction is associated with increased risk of T2DM [27].
Strengths & Limitations
A major strength of the current study was the measurement of structural and functional characteristics with the use of a name generator, one of the best known, most detailed and most widely used instruments to examine ego-centered network data [28]. This resulted in a much broader range of structural and functional social network characteristics than assessed in previous studies. Next, we were able to examine the associations of structural and functional network characteristics in individuals with pre-diabetes, newly diagnosed and previously diagnosed T2DM compared to those with NGM. The associations of pre-diabetes and newly diagnosed T2DM have rarely been studied before. Moreover, we adjusted the analyses for several different variables, i.e. age, body mass index, educational level, employment status, smoking status, alcohol consumption, general health and chronic medical conditions, showing robust results, which makes residual confounding unlikely. Finally, the population-based design of The Maastricht Study and its size were key assets [22].
A few limitations should also be mentioned. The study is cross-sectional in nature, and therefore, the possibility of reverse causality cannot be excluded. Furthermore, as we performed multiple statistical tests, our analyses may include false positive results. However, the majority of significant associations had a p-value ≤0.01 or even ≤0.001, limiting the chance of false positive findings. Additionally, the present study population consisted of relatively healthy participants, as is common in population-based cohort studies, and it is possible that we did not include those in the population who were the most socially isolated. Therefore, we may have underestimated the effect sizes.
Targeting social network characteristics may prove a promising prevention strategy for T2DM. More socially isolated individuals (smaller network size) more often had T2DM. Broadening their network should be encouraged, as we have shown that a smaller social network size was associated with T2DM in both men and women. Moreover, social participation was associated with pre-diabetes and previously diagnosed T2DM, stimulating participants to became members of a club may also be considered in future intervention development. In addition, social participation may be used as an indicator in diabetes prevention strategies. Moreover, interventions aiming to generate behavioral change (e.g., physical activity) may also tailor to the social network of the participant, as it has been shown that network targeting can be used to increase the adoption of specific public health interventions [17]. In addition, as men living alone seem to be at a higher risk for the development of T2DM, they should be indicated as high-risk group.
Moreover, targeting social network characteristics may also have benefits for other chronic conditions, as it has been shown that most of those with a long-term disorder are multimorbid [3], and social network characteristics have been found to associate with cardiovascular, endocrine, and immune function [29]. In addition, social isolation and living alone have been found to increase the likelihood of mortality [30].
To conclude, this study was the first to assess a broad range of structural and functional social network characteristics and their associations with normal glucose metabolism, pre-diabetes, newly diagnosed T2DM and previously diagnosed T2DM in a large sample of 40- to 75-year-old adults. These results were independent of BMI, educational level, employment status, alcohol consumption, smoking status, general health status and chronic conditions as prior CVD and hypertension. Men and women who were more socially isolated, and who received less emotional and practical support, more frequently had newly and previously diagnosed T2DM, while this was not observed in individuals with pre-diabetes. In women, proximity and the type of relationship was associated with newly and previously diagnosed T2DM. A lack of social participation was associated with pre-diabetes in women, as well as with previously diagnosed T2DM in both sexes. Living alone was associated with higher odds of previously diagnosed T2DM in men, but not in women. This study shows that several aspects of structural and functional characteristics of the social network were associated with newly and previously diagnosed T2DM, partially different for men and women. These results may provide useful targets for T2DM prevention efforts.
T2DM:
This study was supported by the European Regional Development Fund via OP-Zuid, the Province of Limburg, the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs (grant 31O.041), Stichting De Weijerhorst (Maastricht, the Netherlands), the Pearl String Initiative Diabetes (Amsterdam, the Netherlands), the Cardiovascular Center (CVC, Maastricht, the Netherlands), Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM, Maastricht, the Netherlands), School for Public Health and Primary Care (CAPHRI, Maastricht, the Netherlands), School for Nutrition, Toxicology and Metabolism (NUTRIM, Maastricht, the Netherlands), Stichting Annadal (Maastricht, the Netherlands), Health Foundation Limburg (Maastricht, the Netherlands) and by unrestricted grants from Janssen-Cilag B.V. (Tilburg, the Netherlands), Novo Nordisk Farma B.V. (Alphen aan den Rijn, the Netherlands) and Sanofi-Aventis Netherlands B.V. (Gouda, the Netherlands). The funders had no role in study design, collection, analysis and interpretation of data, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Data are unsuitable for public deposition due to ethical restriction and privacy of participant data. Data are available from The Maastricht Study on reasonable request for any interested researcher who meets the criteria for access to confidential data. The Maastricht Study Management Team (research.dms@mumc.nl) and the corresponding author (M.T. Schram) may be contacted to request data.
S.B. contributed to conception and design, participated in acquisition of data, analyzed and interpreted data, drafted the manuscript, revised the manuscript critically for important intellectual content, and provided final approval of the version to be published. C.D.A.S., S.J.S.S., A.K., C.J.H.K., R.M.A.H., P.C.D., N.C.S., H.B. contributed to conception and design, revised the manuscript critically for important intellectual content, and provided final approval of the version to be published. M.T.S., N.H.T.M.D.-M., C.J.P.A.H. and P.H.M.S. contributed to conception and design, contributed to analyses and interpretation of data, revised the manuscript critically for important intellectual content. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
The study has been approved by the medical ethical committee of the Maastricht University Medical Center (NL31329.068.10/ MEC 10–2-023) and the Netherlands Health Council under the Dutch “Law for Population Studies” (Permit 131,088–105,234- PG). All participants gave written informed consent.
Additional file 1: A detailed description of the social network questionnaire and the structural characteristics of the social network. Includes a detailed description of the social network questionnaire used in the present report. (DOCX 18 kb)
Department of Medical Microbiology, Maastricht University Medical Centre, P.O. Box 5800, 6202 AZ Maastricht, the Netherlands
Department of Sexual Health, Infectious Diseases and Environmental Health, Public Health Service South Limburg, P.O. Box 33, 6400 AA Heerlen, the Netherlands
CAPHRI Care and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, the Netherlands
Department of Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Centre, P.O. Box 5800, 6202 AZ Maastricht, the Netherlands
CARIM Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht, Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, the Netherlands
Department of Epidemiology, Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, the Netherlands
Department of Social Medicine, Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, the Netherlands
Department of Medical Microbiology & Infection Control, VU University Medical Centre, P.O. Box 7057, 1007 MB Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Heart and Vascular Centre, Maastricht University Medical Centre, P.O. Box 5800, 6202 AZ Maastricht, the Netherlands
Wild S, Roglic G, Green A, Sicree R, King H. Global prevalence of diabetes estimates for the year 2000 and projections for 2030. Diabetes Care. 2004;27(5):1047–53.View ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Seshasai SR, Kaptoge S, Thompson A, Di Angelantonio E, Gao P, Sarwar N, Whincup PH, Mukamal KJ, Gillum RF, Holme I, et al. Diabetes mellitus, fasting glucose, and risk of cause-specific death. N Engl J Med. 2011;364(9):829–41.View ArticleGoogle Scholar
Barnett K, Mercer SW, Norbury M, Watt G, Wyke S, Guthrie B. Epidemiology of multimorbidity and implications for health care, research, and medical education: a cross-sectional study. Lancet. 2012;380(9836):37–43.View ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Kahn SE, Hull RL, Utzschneider KM. Mechanisms linking obesity to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Nature. 2006;444(7121):840–6.View ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Sigal RJ, Kenny GP, Wasserman DH, Castaneda-Sceppa C, White RD. Physical activity/exercise and type 2 diabetes a consensus statement from the American Diabetes Association. Diabetes Care. 2006;29(6):1433–8.View ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Knol M, Twisk J, Beekman A, Heine R, Snoek F, Pouwer F: Depression as a risk factor for the onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus. A meta-analysis Diabetologia 2006, 49(5):837-845.Google Scholar
Norberg M, Stenlund H, Lindahl B, Andersson C, Eriksson JW, Weinehall L. Work stress and low emotional support is associated with increased risk of future type 2 diabetes in women. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2007;76(3):368–77.View ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Jones SM, Amtmann D, Gell NM. A psychometric examination of multimorbidity and mental health in older adults. Aging Ment Health. 2016;20(3):309-17.Google Scholar
Altevers J, Lukaschek K, Baumert J, Kruse J, Meisinger C, Emeny R, Ladwig K. Poor structural social support is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus: findings from the MONICA/KORA Augsburg cohort study. Diabet Med. 2016;33(1):47–54.View ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Lidfeldt J, Nerbrand C, Samsioe G, Agardh C-D. Women living alone have an increased risk to develop diabetes, which is explained mainly by lifestyle factors. Diabetes Care. 2005;28(10):2531–6.View ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Meisinger C, Kandler U, Ladwig K-H. Living alone is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus in men but not women from the general population: the MONICA/KORA Augsburg cohort study. Psychosom Med. 2009;71(7):784–8.View ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Hilding A, Shen C, Östenson C-G. Social network and development of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes in middle-aged Swedish women and men. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2015;107(1):166–77.View ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Gallo LC, Fortmann AL, McCurley JL, Isasi CR, Penedo FJ, Daviglus ML, Roesch SC, Talavera GA, Gouskova N, Gonzalez F 2nd, et al. Associations of structural and functional social support with diabetes prevalence in U.S. Hispanics/Latinos: results from the HCHS/SOL Sociocultural ancillary study. J Behav Med. 2015;38(1):160–70.View ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Hill PL, Weston SJ, Jackson JJ. Connecting social environment variables to the onset of major specific health outcomes. Psychol Health. 2014;29(7):753–67.View ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Heaney CA, Israel BA. Social networks and social support. Health behav health educ. 2008;4:189–210.Google Scholar
Valente TW. Social networks and health: models, methods, and applications. New York: Oxford; 2010.View ArticleGoogle Scholar
Kim DA, Hwong AR, Stafford D, Hughes DA, O'Malley AJ, Fowler JH, Christakis NA. Social network targeting to maximise population behaviour change: a cluster randomised controlled trial. Lancet. 2015;386(9989):145–53.View ArticlePubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Shaya FT, Chirikov VV, Howard D, Foster C, Costas J, Snitker S, Frimpter J, Kucharski K. Effect of social networks intervention in type 2 diabetes: a partial randomised study. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2014;68(4):326–32.View ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
van Dam HA, van der Horst FG, Knoops L, Ryckman RM, Crebolder HF, van den Borne BH. Social support in diabetes: a systematic review of controlled intervention studies. Patient Educ Couns. 2005;59(1):1–12.View ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Bos-Touwen I, Schuurmans M, Monninkhof EM, Korpershoek Y, Spruit-Bentvelzen L, Ertugrul-van der Graaf I, de Wit N, Trappenburg J. Patient and disease characteristics associated with activation for self-Management in Patients with diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic heart failure and chronic renal disease: a cross-sectional survey study. PLoS One. 2015:10(5).Google Scholar
Koetsenruijter J, van Lieshout J, Lionis C, Portillo MC, Vassilev I, Todorova E, Foss C, Gil MS, Knutsen IR, Angelaki A. Social support and health in diabetes patients: an observational study in six European countries in an era of austerity. PLoS One. 2015;10(8):e0135079.View ArticlePubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Schram MT, Sep SJ, van der Kallen CJ, Dagnelie PC, Koster A, Schaper N, Henry RM, Stehouwer CD. The Maastricht study: an extensive phenotyping study on determinants of type 2 diabetes, its complications and its comorbidities. Eur J Epidemiol. 2014;29(6):439–51.View ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
World Health Organization. Definition and Diagnosis of Diabetes Mellitus and Intermediate Hyperglycaemia. Geneva: WHO; 2006.Google Scholar
McCallister LFC. A procedure for surveying personal networks. Sociol Methods Res. 1978;7(2):131–48.View ArticleGoogle Scholar
van der Gaag M. Measurement of individual social capital. In. ICS dissertation: Groningen; 2005.Google Scholar
Ware JE, Koskinski M, Keller SD. SF-36 physical and mental health summary scales: a user's manual 2nd ed. Boston MA: The Health Institute; 1994.Google Scholar
Lukaschek K, Baumert J, Kruse J, Meisinger C, Ladwig KH. Sex differences in the association of social network satisfaction and the risk for type 2 diabetes. BMC Public Health. 2017;17(1):379.View ArticlePubMedPubMed CentralGoogle Scholar
Marin A. Are respondents more likely to list alters with certain characteristics?: implications for name generator data. Soc Networks. 2004;26(4):289–307.View ArticleGoogle Scholar
Uchino BN, Cacioppo JT, Kiecolt-Glaser JK. The relationship between social support and physiological processes: a review with emphasis on underlying mechanisms and implications for health. Psychol Bull. 1996;119(3):488–531.View ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
Holt-Lunstad J, Smith TB, Baker M, Harris T, Stephenson D. Loneliness and social isolation as risk factors for mortality: a meta-analytic review. Perspect psychol sci. 2015;10(2):227–37.View ArticlePubMedGoogle Scholar
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3990
|
__label__cc
| 0.720402
| 0.279598
|
Noah Smith: Buddha Was Wrong About Desire
May 17, 2014 by Miles Kimball
In this image, the one on the elephant represents Noah Smith.
I am pleased to be able to publish another guest religion post by Noah Smith. Noah's other guest religion posts on supplysideliberal.com are
God and SuperGod
You Are Already in the Afterlife
Go Ahead and Believe in God
Mom in Hell
My favorite of Noah’s religion posts is still “God and SuperGod,” but Noah’s personal favorite is this one, right here. Here is Noah’s tussle with classic Buddhism:
“Sun/ Felt numb” – Nirvana
One of the central tenets of Buddhism is that tanha, or desire, leads to dukkha, or suffering. Much of Buddhism, as it was originally conceived, is about eliminating suffering, in part by eliminating desire. If you extinguish all suffering, you reach Nirvana. This idea has appealed to many in the West in recent decades, especially among those who are looking to make a break with Christianity, Judaism, and other traditional Western religions. It dovetails with the idea that consumerism is a “hedonic treadmill” - that our modern society encourages us to buy more stuff, which just makes us want more stuff. It also seems to promise a relief from the stress of capitalist competition. Wouldn’t it be great if we could just leave all these cravings behind?
No, it would not. How do I know that? Because I’ve been there. I have achieved Nirvana. And let me tell you, it was a lot more like the band than the Buddhist state of enlightenment.
I’m talking, of course, about clinical depression. Most people think of depression as a very severe sad mood, or some other form of negative emotion. But mostly, it’s not like that. Mostly, it’s a feeling of emptiness that is unlike any emotion that non-depressed people experience. But it’s not an enlightened emptiness, or a neutral, robotic emptiness - it’s an awful emptiness. Here is a pretty good (and grimly entertaining) description of what it’s like by Allie, the writer of the blog Hyperbole and a Half. Here was my briefer, less colorful attempt. Though I hadn’t read her post when I wrote mine, you’ll quickly see that we’re describing exactly the same thing. Depression, basically, is a total lack of volition and desire. And it’s the worst thing that it’s possible to experience.
Now, I’m sure Buddha didn’t intend for people to eliminate their desires by becoming clinically depressed! But he probably simply did not understand how human desire works. Now, with the help of modern science, we know a few things. For example, we’ve learned that the nucleus accumbens is responsible for many of our feelings of pleasure and happiness. But it’s also responsible for our feelings of desire! From Wikipedia:
The activation of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens is central to forming desire for something. Dopamine release in the accumbens occurs in anticipation of reward, and facilitates many kinds of approach and goal-oriented behaviors like exploration, affiliation, aggression, sexual behavior, and food hoarding. Lesions to the nucleus accumbens reduce the motivation to work for reward.
This sort of desire is exactly the “tanha” that Buddhism tells us we should get rid of. But in experiments, this kind of desire is essentially indistinguishable from pleasure:
Rats in Skinner boxes with metal electrodes implanted into their nucleus accumbens will repeatedly press a lever which activates this region, and will do so in preference over food and water, eventually dying from exhaustion.
In other words, desire is not the cause of suffering; it is the opposite of suffering. Desire is what feels good. And so it’s no surprise that stimulating the nucleus accumbens is an incredibly effective treatment for depression. Anyone who has been depressed will not be surprised in the slightest to hear that result.
The truth is, desire is good. Desire is what keeps us going in life. It’s not getting stuff that makes us happy, it's wanting stuff, hoping for stuff, dreaming of stuff - stuff like love, success, adventure, or meaning. Desire itself is the payoff!
Sure, sometimes we’re frustrated. Sometimes we get what we want, only to find out that it’s not as great as we thought. But to try to eliminate the central feature of a good human life just because of these stumbling blocks is to throw the baby out with the bathwater. These stumbling blocks are a necessary cost of leading a good human life.
So I think that the main tenet of classic Buddhism is totally wrongheaded, and reflects a deep lack of understanding of what constitutes human happiness. But like all religions - maybe more than other religions! - Buddhism is fluid, and subject to revision, interpretation, and improvement. So it pleases me to report that Soka Gakkai, a Japanese form of Buddhism, has this to say about desire:
But can such desires and attachments really be eliminated? Attachments are, after all, natural human feelings, and desires are a vital and necessary aspect of life. The desire, for example, to protect oneself and one’s loved ones has been the inspiration for a wide range of advances–from the creation of supportive social groupings to the development of housing and heating. Likewise, the desire to understand humanity’s place in the cosmos has driven the development of philosophy, literature and religious thought. Desires are integral to who we are and who we seek to become.
In this sense, the elimination of all desire is neither possible nor, in fact, desirable. Were we to completely rid ourselves of desire, we would end up undermining our individual and collective will to live.
The teachings of Nichiren thus stress the transformation, rather than the elimination, of desire. Desires and attachments are seen as fueling the quest for enlightenment.
Damn straight.
May 17, 2014 /Miles Kimball
religionhumanitiesscience
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line3997
|
__label__cc
| 0.555081
| 0.444919
|
Planning your World Cup Holiday
Louise Wood explains how to plan your holiday to watch the Football World Cup matches.
The World Cup has officially begun, and football fans are gearing up for a month of football madness, even those jetting off on holiday can keep a close eye on the games, especially the 31% of UK fans that choose their holiday locations and hotels based on whether or not they screen the football matches.
According to new research conducted by online travel agent Travel Republic, almost half of the UK are certainly not willing to miss a game, and base their travel plans around the World Cup, with a quarter of people admitting that they have even gone to another country to watch a game at a more sociable hour, proving just how seriously we take football in the UK.
More often than not, there is only one football fanatic in the family, meaning the non-football fans in the family have to put up with a whole month of over the top yelling and non-stop football talk. The research discovered that 25% of football fans actually go out of their way to research local things to do, in order to occupy the rest of the family during the 90 minutes the games are on, a third, however, will not even book a holiday until the World Cup is over!
Unfortunately for some, whether they like the football or not, they are roped into it one way or another with a third of non-football fans having to make room in their suitcase for football paraphernalia and 50% being made to arrive at the pub early to secure the best seats to watch the game.
The research revealed that 45% of people actually use most of their annual leave to watch the games from the comfort of their home or the local pub, and a whopping 50% admitted to pulling a sickie from work in a drastic bid to catch a game they would have otherwise missed.
When it comes to booking a holiday around this time, it seems to be causing a lot of unnecessary stress, when in fact there is no need. The World Cup is a globally celebrated event, so you can be sure, wherever you end up, you will never be too far away from a bustling bar screening the big game.
Wesley Marley, Head of Sales at Travel Republic and self-confessed football fan said, "For many of our customers, the World Cup is an important event that cannot be missed.
Luckily many popular holiday destinations, take the World Cup just as seriously as in the UK, making it easy to enjoy the World Cup and also provide entertainment for the non-football fans in the family."
To make your life easier, Travel Republic has created a series of location guides, detailing some of the best bars and restaurants to watch the football, in some of the most popular holiday destinations, so can plan your holiday worry-free. And for those in the family who do not plan on watching the football, the guides list a number of local sites to see and things to do to, to keep fill your time and get away from the football mayhem.
WOOD, L. (2018) Planning your World Cup holiday [WWW] Available from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/articles/article351.htm [Accessed
Louise Wood is an experienced journalist and blogger with a thirst for knowledge and a passion for writing.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line4000
|
__label__cc
| 0.566857
| 0.433143
|
Spread Of Christianity Among People Groups
From the very beginning times of Christianity, its message has identified with and transformed communities of people. Christianity itself grew out of a people group who had an identity that stretches back in time thousands of years. The worship of Yahweh, geographically born in ancient Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq) has spread through history to the farthest islands of the seas.
Born into the people of Israel, Jesus gathered a small group of followers living and working with them until his ascension to heaven. From these few, the Christian faith spread to other Jews in Israel and the further reaches of the Roman Empire, including parts of southern Europe and Southwest Asia. As Christianity was later adopted by the Roman Empire, much of Europe became the focus of conquest for Roman Christianity, though much of this was due in part to the fall of Western Rome.
Rome and beyond
Justo L. Gonzalez documents this spread of Christianity into Europe through the avenue of Rome’s influence. He quotes from a Roman Citizen, Paulus Orosius who condenses this historical phenomenon into his own words. He thoughtfully writes, "If only to this end have the barbarians been sent within Roman borders,…that the church of Christ might be filled with Huns and Suevi, with Vandals and Burgundians, with diverse and innumerable peoples of believers, then let God’s mercy be praised…even if this has taken place through our own destruction."(1, p231)
The various people groups documented by Gonzalez are primarily groups who claim a common ethnic and political identity in the form of a kingdom. These were at times conversions of coercion through political structures and at times conversions of convenience and at times conversions of the heart. The varying nature of these happenings is reflected in divergent growth and development and at times the inharmonious history of these groups. Among the groups that might be included in this history are the Vandals, Visigoths, Burgundians, Franks, Ostrogoths and the Lombards.
A pattern begins
Ralph D. Winter comments on the ‘barbarian conversion,’ which took place in the midst of Rome’s decline. He states that, "as the Barbarian tribes people became Christianized, they became a greater and greater threat to Rome." He also notes that as the Barbarian tribes encroached on Rome they held high regard for the Christian faith and avoided the desecration of church properties. This respect was a result of what Winter calls a faith of at least ‘superficial’ proportions on the part of the Barbarians.
Winter explains that they received this faith through the missionary efforts of the Eastern church in Rome rather than the Western church. He conjectures that, "Perhaps a little more Christianity might have prevented the complete collapse of the governmental structure of the Roman Empire in the West." Perhaps this lack of effort on the part of the Western church in Rome to reach...
Find Another Essay On Spread of Christianity Among People Groups
The Rise And Spread Of Christianity
1484 words - 6 pages and documented by the accounts and lives of Christ's apostles. After Jesus died, the apostles traveled across Europe and the Middle East to spread Christianity. There was little written about the work of the disciples and their sacrifices, but their fates did not go unknown. They endured difficult lives and faced great persecution in an effort to spread Jesus' message and call attention to the virtues of Christianity. They all suffered greatly
Reduce the Spread of HIV among IUDs
647 words - 3 pages understand their needs, wants, values, and motivations. During this planning stage, focus groups and face-to-face interviews can be conducted in order to identify barriers to adopting safer injecting behaviors that reduce the spread of HIV. Additionally, researchers gather information regarding what would make it easier, more convenient, and more rewarding to engage in practices that help reduce the spread of HIV. Words used by the IUD participants
Controlling the Spread HIV and AIDS of Sexually Active People
746 words - 3 pages HIV is a well-known sexually transmitted disease that should be taken seriously when it comes to a sexually active person. Sex is natural parts of life so take steps to make sure you and your partner are safe. The first step for a sexually active person that would like to protect him or herself from obtaining HIV or AIDS disease is to learn about the disease in more detail. Knowing how the disease is spread and the symptoms could
The Existence of Crime Culture Among Certain Social Groups
3554 words - 14 pages , deviant role models, threats of war and the confusion in values which produce unstable feelings and distorted ideas, probably all contribute to aggravate violence among youth. One view is that delinquent behavior develops when a youngster's rewards in terms of money and goods, excitement, fellowship or revenge outstrip the costs of getting caught. Cohen’s theory people states juveniles are under a great deal of strain. Strain
The Negative Effects of Making Generalizations About Groups of People
752 words - 3 pages separate in such a society. In fact, work and family can never really be completely separate because if anything goes wrong on the job it can easily affect the family no matter what social class they belong to. Overall, generalizations of groups such as the upper-class, middle-class, and working-class are present everywhere in the world now-a-days. Such generalizations are completely useless and simply a waste of time. If we judge a group of people
What are the main ways in which groups of people draw distinctions between themselves and other groups of people?
1570 words - 6 pages There are many different ways in which groups of people draw distinctions between themselves and other groups of people. Throughout my essay I am going to look at the factors that allow these distinctions to be made and how they are made. The general term used to describe the way in which groups of people draw distinctions between themselves and other groups of people is called 'social stratification'. "Sociologists use the concept social
To What extent did the spread of Christianity violate Human Rights and Freedom in Africa? By Walubo Jude Tadeo
1919 words - 8 pages the use of the lingua franca, the colonial governments to which Christian missionaries were party, created a state of illiteracy among the African people (Boahen, Ajayi, and Tidy 1986, 133). Where once the people had thrived in the valued traditions of their culture, they were now transformed into a state of deprivation.In the economic spheres of life, the spread of Christianity impoverished African because of the numerous church demands such as
Causes of Drug Use Among Young People" by Jill Nicholson
1438 words - 6 pages first place. One reason why young people take the drugs they do is because it lets them forget or escape their problems. At the teenagers home, there may be a lot of screaming and yelling, or there is too much stress in their life or maybe that teen is being forced to do something they do not want to do and they see no way out of it. As it is said in "Causes of Drug Use Among Young People" by Jill Nicholson: “Teens do drugs because drugs give them
The Correlation between the Advertising of Junkfood and the Growing Rate of Obesity among Young People
2139 words - 9 pages From the past to the present day, concern is steadily rising in regards to the conspicuous correlation between the advertising of junk food and the growing rate of obesity among young people. An analysis and discussion will take place in the first section of this essay which will consist of an overview on this issue. Secondly, a more detailed discussion will occur which will identify the link between advertising and increasing obesity among the
The Basis of Framing A case study of how Framing within Politics uses the mechanisms by which information spreads among people
1517 words - 7 pages 1. The loophole of communication The only step ahead that humans have, in comparison to animals, is communication. Of which the basis can be found in cooperation. Our desire to help one and other without personal gain in the short term is what sets us apart from animals, proclaims Tomasello. He states that communication can be divided into three groups, namely; requesting, informing and sharing. But these three function of communication only
A Comparative Study of Suicide among the Elderly People and Students in Japan and South Korea
97 words - 0 pages 2014年11月 第五届京都地区留学生歌合戦A= 邱旭元 B=高鹏。 C=李家幸 D=万天云确认事项：介绍主持人的所属？要流程，来宾名单（as soon
The Spread Of Christianity Essay
1153 words - 5 pages consequences. No one wanted to be burnt alive at the stake, or tortured. They felt forced to convert, and feared the consequences, so the people of Spain converted. Christianity spread tremendously during this time due to the fact people did not want to leave Spain, nor did they want to be tortured and killed. The spread of Christianity was also helped by the Roman Empire. During the Roman Empire, the Pax Romana helped with the spread of
The Spread And Adaptation Of Christianity
854 words - 4 pages Boniface and his frustration with the unbelieving peoples of Germany. Boniface and other missionaries often "cut down sacred trees, destroy idols and pagan temples" as they spread Christianity in Germany (Christianity and Paganism, 169). This was done in order to prove to the native people that their pagan gods did not punish the destroyers. This logic continued in the ministry of Boniface as suggested by Bishop Daniel who recommended undermining
The Spread Of Christianity And Islam
1373 words - 5 pages . Many such distinctions made the spread of Christianity and the spread of Islam extremely different.Perhaps the most significant difference between the first two centuries of the expansion of Christianity and Islam was between the methods used to spread their messages. These methods stemmed from the beliefs of each religion. While Christians recognized the truth that God loves all people and wants them to have a personal relationship with Him
The Spread Of Buddhism And Christianity
1545 words - 6 pages Goddess, and this helped spread the religion because now women could achieve Nirvana and become Buddhas, something that didn?t happen in Theravada Buddhism. Allowing women to become Bodhisattvas attracted many more people to the religion, and helped make it spread that much faster. Christianity originated from Jesus of Nazareth, who was believed to be born from the Virgin Mary and was the son of God. It is believed that he was put here to redeem
Infant Mortality Within the United States
Evolution and The Island of Doctor Moreau
The Titles of Dr. Jekyll in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
19th-Century Surgery Essay
How the Media Distorts Male Self-Perception
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Essay
The Media During Times of War
The Terrorist Attacks and the Cherokee Theory of Violence
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line4001
|
__label__cc
| 0.719594
| 0.280406
|
The Ethics Of Abortion Essay
2864 words - 11 pages
Abortion is the termination of pregnancy and expulsion of an embryo or of a fetus that is incapable of survival. Surrounding this practice is passionate debate and heated controversy as to whether a mother has the right to take away the life of a potentially viable human being. Those for abortion take the stance of Pro-Choice, as they believe that the matter falls into the hands of the mother and thus is entirely her decision, or choice. Those against abortion are collectively known as being Pro-Life, because abortion takes away the life of the fetus. I agree with the latter, that abortion is immoral because you are taking the life of a potentially viable human being. The argument against abortion can be structured in a premise-conclusion format. 1st Premise- The fetus is an innocent person. 2nd Premise- It is morally wrong to end the life of an innocent person. Conclusion- It is morally wrong to end the life of a fetus. At conception life is started, and just as murder is generally accepted to be immoral, so too is abortion. The bottom line is that a person's right to life is stronger and more stringent than the mother's right to decide what happens in and to her body, and so outweighs it.Abortion raises two issues, first is the moral status of the fetus. Is it, as some have suggested, no more valuable than any other piece of human tissue, such as a tonsil? The second question involves women's rights and the question of political domination. Can a pregnant woman legitimately get an abortion, based on her right to control her body, even if there is another person inside her? I feel the answer to both questions is no. As for whether a fetus is no more valuable than any other piece of human tissue such as a tonsil, I not only disagree but am amazed that such a comparison could possibly be made. A fetus is not just a piece of human tissue, such as a tonsil, it is a partially formed human being and as such retains moral status beyond that of a tonsil that the mother can remove from the body when it becomes an irritant. As for the question of whether a pregnant woman can legitimately get an abortion, based on her right to control her body, if there is another person inside her, I would say that the mother's ability to make the decision in the matter does not trump the fetus's right to life.Anyone that believes that murder is immoral because it involves taking the life of another human being must also hold the belief that taking the life of a fetus is immoral and murderous. A baby is no more than a born fetus, and birth in essence amounts to no more than a change of location and the start of respiration and digestion. Therefore, since it is generally accepted that taking the life of a baby is murder, taking the life of a fetus is murder as well. It's contradictory to believe that one type of murder is ok but not the other. There is nothing else that occurs after conception that could possibly justify saying that before it occurred the human organism...
Find Another Essay On The Ethics of Abortion
Ethics and Morals of Abortion Essay
1549 words - 7 pages Did you know that abortion has taken the lives of over forty-million potential babies since Roe v. Wade made abortion legal (Wilson)? Abortion has been one of the more controversial topics in America since it was legalized in 1973. Nobody denies that abortion definitely has many varying ethical and moral arguments both for and against. Although many believe that it is okay to terminate life in the womb, life should be protected and everyone
Title:Jewish Ethics on Abortion Author: Brett Novick It answers the question: "Is abortion allowed in Jewish law?" and under what conditions it is allowed. 837 words 3 pages
875 words - 4 pages Brett Novick11-27-03MW Jewish ThoughtMr. MorganJewish Ethics on AbortionThere is a problem going on not only in the Jewish world but in America, too. That problem is whether or not it is ethical for a mother to have an abortion. In America there are two different popular concepts. They are pro-life and pro-choice. Pro-life is the campaign that says that you shouldn't abort no matter what and pro-choice says that it is your choice whether or not
The Issue of Abortion
870 words - 3 pages The Issue of Abortion People all over the world, especially those in American society, do not take the issue of abortion lightly. Dealing with ethics, religious beliefs and the law, it is one of the most controversial subjects of this time. Abortion poses a moral, social and medical dilemma that forces many individuals to react in very strong and unfortunately, opposing ways. Forty percent of the American people believe that the decision
The Meaning of Abortion
1462 words - 6 pages The Meaning of Abortion Abortion is an apparition to end a pregnancy through the expulsion of the foetus from the womb .In the UK it is illegal to have an abortion after twenty four weeks apart from life threatening circumstances. Abortion is a very complex moral issue with huge diversity of opinion, even in the Christian church. What biblical teachings might be used in a discussion about abortion? Different
The Situation of Abortion
1021 words - 5 pages all over the world are having the procedure done either legally or illegally, at times they do not weigh the risks and benefits of having an abortion. “Until the late 1800s, women healers in Western Europe and the U.S. provided abortions and trained other women to do so, without legal prohibitions.” (History of Abortion). In the nineteenth century where it was banned to protect women from surgical interventions, in the only situation in which this
The History of Abortion
2845 words - 12 pages Abortion is the process of intentionally ending a pregnancy. Abortion touches the hearts of many because its consequences result in the loss of a human life. Its controversy stems from the fact that people’s opinions on this matter are rooted in their value systems, religious beliefs, and political socialization. Its prominence in political discussions today is likely to continue given the relationship between unwanted pregnancies and
The cons of abortion
525 words - 2 pages a distinct organism. At 3 weeks of pregnancy nerve growth begins, the spinal cord begins to develop and at the end of the spinal cord is a small mass that will be formed into the brain. At 6 weeks, the heart of a fetus is already formed and will begin to beat and pump blood. Do to these scientific facts, if you have an abortion you are committing murder.Secondly, the vast majority of children that are born in the United States will be wanted
The Issues of Abortion
4867 words - 19 pages The Issues of Abortion Let me take you to a typical hospital in Britain and we can look around. Here's a room. Can't you just sense the happiness as you approach? If you glance through the doorway and look to your right you'll see the Gibson family. Look, there's Lucy running around and dancing ecstatically, but can you blame her? She's just become a big sister! And look at Rachel to your left, yawning as her mother
The wrongfulness of abortion
801 words - 3 pages /pBri Connors English Communications Sermon First of all, before a person makes a decision about abortions, they should know exactly what it is. The dictionary defines Abortion as: The termination of a pregnancy and expulsion of an embryo or of a fetus that is incapable of survival. Years ago when a women would get pregnant she would have a baby. Today accidental pregnancies are solved by an abortion. With this the newly formed fetus is
The morality of abortion
1398 words - 6 pages On the question of abortion being moral, the answer is clearly that terminating a fetus' life under certain circumstances is not only moral, but it is also our responsibility to terminate it if the quality of life is in question for the fetus. A second major reason is that to declare abortion immoral would mean that we would have to consider the factor of how the conception came about. This cannot and should not be done.Quality is a major factor
The Real Tragedy of Abortion
1632 words - 7 pages Abortion is a very popular trend around the world, it has been going on since the beginning of time. Many people would agree that abortion is very bad and unethical. Nearly 700,000 babies have been killed in the United States since 1973, with the right lies and planning all of those babies could have been saved. Abortion is a negative of society as shown by the torturing of a life, self harm, and the message it sends to others. There is no
1316 words - 5 pages whether or not a fetus is the sort of being whose life is seriously wrong to end." (Readings in Health Care Ethics, 241) This assumption allows Marquis to set up his thesis which states "that abortion is, except possibly in rare cases, seriously immoral, that it is in the same moral category as killing innocent adult human beings." (ibid)Marquis's arguments are set up in a dialectical essay format. He first argues from his anti-abortion
1640 words - 7 pages The Ethics of Abortion The Ethics Of Abortion is a very controversial subject that has been continually argued over for the past few years and probably many more years to come. The main controversy is should abortion remain legalized? Before we get into the many sides of abortion we must first define abortion. Abortion is the destruction of the fetus or unborn child while the child is still in the mother’s womb. This can be done by almost
2774 words - 12 pages they are mothers. Kantian ethics Kant operates on the principle of universal law, which states that you should ‘act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that is should become a universal law’ (Denis, 2007). This establishes morality as a categorical imperative, which means we must act on the principles deemed moral regardless of the ends or any personal beliefs (Denis, 2007). In applying this to abortion, if a woman
2669 words - 11 pages Abortion is a very controversial subject that has been continually argued over for the past few years and probably many years to come. The main controversy is should abortion be legalized?First before we get into the many sides of abortion we must first define abortion. Abortion is the destruction of the fetus or unborn child while the child is still in the mothers womb. This can be done by almost anyone from the mother herself to back alley
Who Really Wrote Shakespeare? Shakespeare Did
Analysis of the Proscenium Arch, Arena, Thrust, Traverse and Open stages
Why Home-school education is better than public education.
Songs Relating to "Things Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe
"To Joy My Freedom" by Tera Hunter: Does the public/private dichotomy pertains to the lives of newly...
SWOT analysis for Compoint Australia
Explain why Akhenaten moved his capital to Amarna (including analysis of historians)
Profit and Shareholder Wealth Comparison Paper: General Electric and Tyco
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line4002
|
__label__wiki
| 0.697293
| 0.697293
|
Suicide bombers follow Quran, concludes Pentagon briefing
September 29, 2006 Tasked with pinpointing motivation, analysts find
terrorists ‘rational actors’ following ‘holy book’With suicide bombings spreading from Iraq to Afghanistan, the Pentagon has tasked intelligence analysts to pinpoint what’s driving Muslim after Muslim to do the unthinkable.Their preliminary finding is politically explosive: it’s their “holy book” the Quran after all, according to intelligence briefings obtained by WND.
In public, the U.S. government has made an effort to avoid linking the terrorist threat to Islam and the Quran while dismissing suicide terrorists as crazed heretics who pervert Islamic teachings.
“The terrorists distort the idea of jihad into a call for violence and murder,” the White House maintains in its recently released “National Strategy for Combating Terrorism” report.
But internal Pentagon briefings show intelligence analysts have reached a wholly different conclusion after studying Islamic scripture and the backgrounds of suicide terrorists. They’ve found that most Muslim suicide bombers are in fact students of the Quran who are motivated by its violent commands – making them, as strange as it sounds to the West, “rational actors” on the Islamic stage.
Palestinian child pretends he’s a suicide bomber
In Islam, it is not how one lives one’s life that guarantees spiritual salvation, but how one dies, according to the briefings. There are great advantages to becoming a martyr. Dying while fighting the infidels in the cause of Allah reserves a special place and honor in Paradise. And it earns special favor with Allah.
“Suicide in defense of Islam is permitted, and the Islamic suicide bomber is, in the main, a rational actor,” concludes a recent Pentagon briefing paper titled, “Motivations of Muslim Suicide Bombers.”
Suicide for Allah a ‘win-win’
“His actions provide a win-win scenario for himself, his family, his faith and his God,” the document explains. “The bomber secures salvation and the pleasures of Paradise. He earns a degree of financial security and a place for his family in Paradise. He defends his faith and takes his place in a long line of martyrs to be memorialized as a valorous fighter.
“And finally, because of the manner of his death, he is assured that he will find favor with Allah,” the briefing adds. “Against these considerations, the selfless sacrifice by the individual Muslim to destroy Islam’s enemies becomes a suitable, feasible and acceptable course of action.”
The briefing – produced by a little-known Pentagon intelligence unit called the Counterintelligence Field Activity, or CIFA – cites a number of passages from the Quran dealing with jihad, or “holy” warfare, martyrdom and Paradise, where “beautiful mansions” and “maidens” await martyr heroes. In preparation for attacks, suicide terrorists typically recite passages from six surahs, or chapters, of the Quran: Baqura (Surah 2), Al Imran (3), Anfal (8), Tawba (9), Rahman (55) and Asr (103).
CIFA staffs hundreds of investigators and analysts to help coordinate Pentagon security efforts at U.S. military installations at home and abroad.
The Pentagon unit is especially concerned about a new wave of suicide bombings hitting Afghanistan.
Suicide bombings have killed more than 200 people in Afghanistan this year, up from single digits two years ago. On Tuesday, a suicide bomber detonated his explosive vest and killed 18 outside an Afghan government compound. Last week, a suicide bomber riding a bike killed at least four NATO soldiers. And earlier this month, a suicide car bomber rammed into a U.S. military convoy near the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, killing 16 people, including two American soldiers.
500 suicide bombers in reserve
The U.S. command in Afghanistan now warns that a suicide bombing cell is operating inside the Afghan capital. Meanwhile, the Taliban’s top military commander told ABC News he has 500 suicide bombers at his disposal.
“We have so many of them that it is difficult to accommodate and arm and equip them,” Mullah Dadullah Akhund said. “Some of them have been waiting for a year or more for their turn to be sent to the battlefield.”
The emergence of a suicide cell in Kabul troubles military analysts because suicide attacks are the most effective weapon Muslim terrorists can use against the West. The Rand Corp. predicts they’ll pose a serious and constant threat to the U.S. for years to come.
The U.S. intelligence community is growing increasingly worried, as well.
“Most jihadist groups will use suicide attacks focused primarily on soft targets to implement asymmetric warfare strategy,” warns the just-declassified executive summary of the National Intelligence Estimate on the global terror threat. “Fighters with experience in Iraq are a potential source of leadership for jihadists pursuing these tactics.”
Many scholars and media pundits, however, insist Muslim suicide bombers are not driven by religion.
“Beneath the religious rhetoric with which [such terror] is perpetrated, it occurs largely in the service of secular aims,” claims Professor Robert A. Pape of the University of Chicago. “Suicide terrorism is mainly a response to foreign occupation rather than a product of Islamic fundamentalism.”
He says U.S. foreign policy is more a factor than faith.
“Though it speaks of Americans as infidels, al-Qaida is less concerned with converting us to Islam than removing us from Arab and Muslim lands,” Pape said.
But what about the recent video by Adam Gadahn, the American al-Qaida, warning fellow Americans to convert to Islam before al-Qaida attacks again?
“He never mentions virgins or the benefits Islamic martyrs receive in Heaven,” Pape asserted.
In fact, Gadahn notes 36 minutes into his speech that Allah reserves the highest rewards – “honors and delights” – for martyrs in Paradise.
“[He] promised the martyr in his path the reward over and above the reward of the believer,” Gadahn said. “He has promised them honors and delights too numerous to go into here.”
The 9/11 hijackers and the London bombers made martyrdom videos. In their last testaments, they recite the Quran while talking of their “love of death” and “sacrificing life for Allah.” Seven martyrdom videotapes also were recovered by British authorities in the foiled transatlantic sky terror plot.
Before the 9/11 attacks, the hijackers shaved and doused themselves with flower water in preparation for their weddings with the beautiful virgins in Paradise. “Know that the women of Paradise are waiting, calling out ‘Come hither, friend of Allah,'” according to a four-page letter circulated among them titled “THE LAST NIGHT.” “They have dressed in their most beautiful clothing.”
But are the virgins scriptural or apocryphal? French documentarian Pierre Rehov, who interviewed the families of suicide bombers and would-be bombers in an attempt to find out why they do it, says it’s not a myth or fantasy of heretics.
He says there’s no doubt the Quran “promises virgins” to Muslim men who die while fighting infidels in jihad, and it’s a key motivating factor behind suicide terrorism.
“It’s obviously connected to religion,” said Rehov, who features his interviews with Muslims in a recently released film, “Suicide Killers.” “They really believe they are going to get the virgins.”
He says would-be Muslim suicide bombers he’s interviewed have shown him passages in the Quran “in which it’s absolutely written that they’re going to get the girls in the afterlife.”
Muslim clerics do not disavow the virgins-for-martyrs reward as a perverted interpretation of the Quran.
And even Muslim leaders in the West condone suicide bombings. British scholar Azzam Tamimi recently told 8,000 Muslims in Manchester, England, that dying while fighting “George Bush and Tony Blair” is “just” and “the greatest act of martyrdom.” Earlier, he said it’s “the straight way to pleasing Allah.”
And the founder of an allegedly mainstream Muslim group in Washington – the Council on American-Islamic Relations – also has given his blessing to suicide bombings.
Addressing a youth session at the 1999 Islamic Association for Palestine’s annual convention in Chicago, CAIR founder Omar Ahmad praised suicide bombers who “kill themselves for Islam,” according to a transcript provided by terror expert Steve Emerson’s Investigative Project.
“Fighting for freedom, fighting for Islam, that is not suicide,” Ahmad asserted. “They kill themselves for Islam.”
Osama bin Laden has encouraged “Muslims brothers” to defeat the U.S. and U.K. with suicide attacks.
“I tell you to act upon the orders of Allah,” he said in 2003, “be united against Bush and Blair and defeat them through suicide attacks so that you may be successful before Allah.”
Posted in CAIR, extremists, Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah, Hizbollah, Homeland Security, In The News, Iran, Islam, islam fundamentalist, Islamists, Jihad, Koran, Lebanon, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Martyrdom, Mullah Dadullah Akhund, muslim, muslim clerics, muslim extremist, muslim schools, News, Pentagon, Prophet Mohammed, Quran, Terrorism, USA, virgins-for-martyrs. Leave a Comment »
Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abd Al-‘Aziz: We Will Cut Off Tongues of Those Who Try to Distort Islam With Reform and Progress – They Are Serving the West — These are our allies??????
Special Dispatch Series – No. 1305
October 4, 2006 No.1305
Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abd Al-‘Aziz: We Will Cut Off Tongues of Those Who Try to Distort Islam With Reform and Progress – They Are Serving the West
The following are excerpts from a speech by Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abd Al-‘Aziz, which aired on Al-Majd TV on September 25, 2006.
TO VIEW THIS CLIP, VISIT: http://www.memritv.org/search.asp?ACT=S9&P1=1283.
Prince Nayef bin Abd Al-‘Aziz: “Brothers, we are not alone in this world. We are not living on a planet of our own. We are living in the center of this world, with all its good and evil. I say clearly that the evil of this generation is far worse than that of other generations. Everybody should know that our country – because it is the country of Islam, and because it is a country that implements the Koran and the Sunna – is the primary target for the things that are happening in the world.”
“We are being targeted from many directions. I say, with the utmost pain and sorrow, that we are being targeted by those who claim to be Muslims. These people have become preachers, instruments, and implementers of the will of the enemies of Islam, whether knowingly or unknowingly.”
“Jihad is here. We must wage jihad against the enemies of Allah here. The enemies of Allah are in our midst. They claim to be Muslims, although they are as far as can be from Islam. They call themselves ‘reformists’ or ‘preachers,’ and say that we support the West. They are hostile to us on these grounds. Yet at the same time, the Westerners and others claim that we are the birthplace of these people. Where are we? Why don’t we tell these people who we are? Why don’t we argue with them, discuss things with them? Why don’t we respond to everything they say? Why don’t we restrict the ignorant among us, or even those who think they are Islamic scholars?”
“The enemies of the Muslims have used Muslims and Arabs to corrupt Islam and the Arabs. I don’t think any of you present denies this fact.”
“Is it not an insult to Islam in general that someone so plain and worthless like Osama bin Laden is considered important? Does anyone accept this? Not only is he worthless, but he is an agent. He was an agent of foreign intelligence agencies, and he still is – him and those who support him. Who established Al-Qaeda?”
“Al-Qaeda has taken advantage of bin Laden’s money, and they put him in the forefront, because he is affiliated with the Saudi kingdom. Even though he is from another country, he received Saudi citizenship. Who is Al-Zawahiri? We must ask ourselves, Who is Abdallah ‘Azzam, the spiritual father of these people?”
“My brothers, the danger is even greater. Even those people have become tools in the hands of the enemies. Unless we face reality with truth, courage, and evidence, and if we do not stop all the transgressors who are trying to distort Islam with their claims of reform and their corrupt progress – this will be dangerous. These people have been tempted by the West, and have been employed in its service. We are familiar with their relations with foreign elements. We are fighting them and will continue to fight them, and we will cut off their tongues.”
Posted in Islam, islam fundamentalist, Islamists, Saudi Arabia. Leave a Comment »
Turkish hijacking not Pope Rage
“I am a Christian and don’t want to serve a Muslim army,” one of the Turkish hijackers wrote to Pope Benedict. Now it appears they are seeking asylum. This is, of course, completely contrary to previous reports from AP and others that the hijacking was fueled by Pope Rage. “Passengers safe as hijacking ends,” from CNN:
BRINDISI, Italy (CNN) — A hijacking episode that began over Greek airspace has ended in Italy with all 113 people aboard released and both unarmed Turkish hijackers in the custody of Italian aviation authorities, Italian officials said.Earlier reports on Tuesday that the hijackers were protesting Pope Benedict XVI’s planned visit to Turkey were apparently incorrect; authorities now say that the hijackers have requested political asylum.
Turkish officials said one of the hijackers, identified as Hasan Ekinci, wrote a letter to the pope in August asking for help in avoiding service in the Turkish army.
“I am a Christian and don’t want to serve a Muslim army,” he wrote, adding that he had been attending church since 1998….
Albanian member of parliament Sabri Abazi, spoke to ANSA news agency by telephone from the hijacked airline. “They haven’t heard us talking,” he said, according to Reuters.
Abazi said there was one hijacker in the cockpit and another in the cabin. “Up to now we have seen no weapons or use of violence
Posted in pope, Pope Benedict XVI, Turkey, Turkey and the Middle East. Leave a Comment »
The Arab world is subject to genocide, it is true. It’s just that it’s mostly self-inflicted, and Israel has nothing to do with any of it. An article by Ben Dror Yemini, Ma’ariv correspondent
Posted in Cleric, Dictators, extremists, Gaza, hamas, Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah, historical amnesia, Hizbollah, In The News, Iran, iraq, Islam, islam fundamentalist, Islamists, Israel, Jerusalem, Lebanon, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Maylasia, Media Bias, Mullahs, muslim, muslim charities, muslim clerics, muslim extremist, News, Prophet Mohammed, Saudi Arabia, Shaira, shiite militia, Somali, Somalia, Sunni, Syria, Syria-Lebanon, Taliban, Terrorism. Leave a Comment »
Did Democrats Page Mark Foley?
Mon Oct 2, 7:00 PM ET Scandal:
Right after Mark Foley was revealed to have had inappropriate e-mail conversations with a 16-year-old page, he resigned and checked into rehab. Now, what did Democrats know, and when did they know it?Yes, you read that right: the Democrats. It’s of course clear that Foley, a Republican representative from Florida, resigned for good cause. We don’t defend him or his inexcusable behavior — good riddance.But it didn’t take long at all after Foley’s resignation for the Democrats to call for an investigation of the entire Republican leadership in the House, charging that GOP stalwarts knew early on that Foley, as they like to say in the rehab business, had a “problem.”Democrats have begun losing their once-significant lead in the polls, and a mere five weeks remain until the midterm elections. Is this scandal the Democrats’ own “October Surprise,” meant to throw the GOP into a tailspin shortly before the vote?Recent polls show Democrats aren’t doing very well on several key issues. What better way than a good, old-fashioned sex scandal to get people’s minds off such things as the importance of winning the war in Iraq, our ongoing vulnerability to terrorist attack and the necessity of keeping the Bush economic boom going?As it is, Republicans deny knowing about the explicit text messages that Foley sent to a 16-year-old congressional page back in 2003. In repudiating Foley, House Speaker Dennis Hastert called the messages “vile and repulsive.”Despite this, the immediate take by Democrats and much of the mainstream media was that this was a classic example of Republican hypocrisy — talking “morals” and “values” while all the time shielding a child predator. But it was nothing of the kind.If anything, the episode reveals the Democrats’ hypocrisy about their own behavior. The fact that Foley resigned virtually within minutes of being told that ABC News had copies of his salacious e-mails and text messages indicates he at least felt shame for his actions. Can the same be said for Democrats?Sadly, it doesn’t seem so. How else can you explain the following?In 1983, then-Democratic Rep. Gerry Studds of Massachusetts was caught in a similar situation. In his case, Studds had sex with a male teenage page — something Foley hasn’t been charged with.Did Studds express contrition? Resign? Quite the contrary. He rejected Congress’ censure of him and continued to represent his district until his retirement in 1996.In 1989, Rep. Barney Frank (news, bio, voting record), also of Massachusetts, admitted he’d lived with Steve Gobie, a male prostitute who ran a gay sex-for-hire ring out of Frank’s apartment. Frank, it was later discovered, used his position to fix 33 parking tickets for Gobie.What happened to Frank? The House voted 408-18 to reprimand him — a slap on the wrist. Today he’s an honored Democratic member of Congress, much in demand as a speaker and “conscience of the party.”In 2001, President Clinton, who had his own intern problem, commuted the prison sentence of Illinois Rep. Mel Reynolds, who had sex with a 16-year-old campaign volunteer and pressured her to lie about it. (Reynolds also was convicted of campaign spending violations.)You get the idea. Democrats not only seem OK with the kind of behavior for which Foley is charged, but also they protect and excuse it. Only when it’s a Republican do they proclaim themselves shocked — shocked! — when it comes to light.We have a lot more questions about this whole affair. The timing of the revelations, as we noted, couldn’t be more propitious for the Democrats. Turns out both the Democrats and several newspapers seem to have known about Foley’s problem as far back as November, according to research by several enterprising blogs.Why didn’t they come forward then? Who dredged up these e-mails — and why did they hold them until now? This reeks of political trickery.We’re glad Foley’s gone. He betrayed Congress, his party and the trust of the 33 pages who serve in Congress, and their parents. He behaved immorally, and we won’t be surprised at new revelations. That said, if this scandal is the Democrats’ answer to their problems at the polls, it’s pretty pathetic. It shows a base contempt for the voters.
Posted in Democrats, Democrats being stupid, News, USA. Leave a Comment »
North Korea says will conduct nuclear test
Oct 3, 8:31 AM (ET) By Jonathan ThatcherSEOUL (Reuters) – An increasingly isolated North Korea said on Tuesday it would conduct its first-ever nuclear test, blaming a U.S. “threat of nuclear war and sanctions” for forcing its hand.The statement by North Korea’s foreign ministry, carried on the official KCNA news agency, was condemned by neighboring Japan as “unacceptable” and caused South Korea to increase its security alert.The announcement confirms weeks of rumors the communist state was planning a test and came amid increasingly sour relations with the outside world after it test-fired missiles in July.“The U.S. extreme threat of a nuclear war and sanctions and pressure compel the DPRK (North Korea) to conduct a nuclear test, an essential process for bolstering nuclear deterrent, as a corresponding measure for defense,” the statement said.But it added that North Korea would never use nuclear weapons first and would “do its utmost to realize the denuclearization of the peninsula and give impetus to the world-wide nuclear disarmament and the ultimate elimination of nuclear weapons.”Analysts say North Korea probably has enough fissile material to make six to eight nuclear bombs but probably does not have the technology to make one small enough to mount on a missile.Pyongyang’s latest and, to date, most extreme saber-rattling was most probably aimed at trying to force the United States into direct talks and end a painful financial crackdown on impoverished North Korean offshore bank accounts, analysts said.Japan’s new prime minister, Shinzo Abe, said any nuclear test by North Korea would be unacceptable.“North Korea needs to realize that unless it responds to the concerns of international society, its situation will only worsen,” he told reporters. DANGEROUSThe North Korean statement comes as Abe readies for talks with leaders in China and South Korea from this weekend.Officials in China — North Korea’s main suppliers of aid — gave no immediate official response to the report.Top South Korean security officials met and issued a statement outlining the increased security alert, the presidential Blue House said.Both Koreas, China and Japan are members of six-nation talks trying to end Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program. The two other members are Russia and the United States.North Korea walked out of the talks almost a year ago and has refused to return until the United States ends its financial squeeze.“Pyongyang has been increasingly controlled by hardliners in the past months and its policies and words have become more and more extreme. The situation is really dangerous,” said Shi Yinhong, professor of International Relations at Renmin University in Beijing.“I think by the statement they want to show their resolve to conduct a nuclear test. It’s not that they will do that this month or next month. Technological preparations take time. But they want to tell the world that a political decision has been made and they will just do it.”North Korea has a long history of triggering diplomatic crises to get itself heard.A nuclear test is certain to be seen as another attempt by North Korea to force the United States into direct negotiations, something it has long pushed for but which Washington has rejected until Pyongyang returns to the six-party talks.“North Korea thinks it has no other option but to press the United States to have bilateral negotiations with them. North Korea has nothing to lose by conducting a nuclear test,” Chang Myung-soon, an expert on North Korea’s military, said.“It wouldn’t care if its people will starve due to toughened economic sanctions, and a military attack on North Korea will be really difficult considering opposition from South Korea, China and Russia,” he said. INCREASING THREATNorth Korea blamed the United States for the latest ratcheting up of tension on the Korean peninsula, which has been divided for more than 50 years after a war for which no formal peace treaty has ever been signed.It accused Washington of trying to topple its government with the financial crackdown. The United States said the measures are aimed at curbing illicit activity, such as counterfeiting.“The U.S. daily increasing threat of a nuclear war and its vicious sanctions and pressure have caused a grave situation on the Korean peninsula in which the supreme interests and security of our state are seriously infringed upon and the Korean nation stands at the crossroads of life and death,” the North Korean statement said.Renmin University’s Shi said: “They are also using this as a means to scare the United States and its allies to ease the sanctions and pressures imposed on it. Their primary concern is the financial sanctions.”John Swensen-Wright, associate professor at the Chatham House think tank in London, said the announcement appeared to be timed for the upcoming congressional elections in the United States.“The mid-term elections are only five or six weeks away. I don’t think it’s any coincidence that the North Korean leadership has chosen this time to put maximum pressure on Washington,” he said.(Additional reporting by Jack Kim and Kim So-young in Seoul, Linda Sieg in Tokyo, Chris Buckley in Beijing and Gideon Long in London)
Posted in Dictators, extremists, Kim Jong-Il, Korea, USA. Leave a Comment »
Video: Wafa Sultan on the Mohammed cartoons; Update: Interview with Bassam Tibi
Where are the Islamic men with this kind of courage ?????
http://hotair.com/archives/2006/10/02/video-wafa-sultan-on-the-mohammed-cartoons/
Posted in extremists, Hezbollah, Hizbollah, Iran, Islam, islam fundamentalist, Israel, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Maylasia, Mohammed cartoons, Mullahs, muslim, muslim clerics, muslim extremist, Syria, Syria-Lebanon, Taliban, Terrorism. Leave a Comment »
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line4005
|
__label__cc
| 0.668466
| 0.331534
|
H.R. 45: Here Comes Gun Control
I said it several times, it wasn’t Obama you had to worry about, but Nancy Pelosi’s House, when it came to gun control. Sure, Obama will easily sign it, unlike what Bush would have done, but, here we go!
H.R. 45: Blair Holt’s Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009 (Introduced in House)
Say, where’s the ACLU when you need them to stand up and say “Nyet!” to a clear violation of the 2nd Amendment?
I found this while perusing the Democratic Underground, but, Say Uncle provides some great information
1. Require licensing for anybody that owns a gun.
2. Would require photographs and a thumbprint
3. Would require passage of a test that covers:
(A) the safe storage of firearms, particularly in the vicinity of persons who have not attained 18 years of age;
(B) the safe handling of firearms;
(C) the use of firearms in the home and the risks associated with such use;
(D) the legal responsibilities of firearms owners, including Federal, State, and local laws relating to requirements for the possession and storage of firearms, and relating to reporting requirements with respect to firearms; and
(E) any other subjects, as the Attorney General determines to be appropriate;
Say Uncle also points to Snowflakes In Hell, which has some great information. Sebastion states
Normally, I’d tell everyone not to worry too much, because it’s probably not going anywhere, but we can’t take anything for granted in this Congress. Right now the bill has no co-sponsors, and has not been scheduled for a committee hearing, so it is no threat right now. But we should keep an eye on it.
Some other interesting points of the Bill
Section 102 (a) (1) a current, passport-sized photograph of the applicant that provides a clear, accurate likeness of the applicant; (what is wrong with a DL?)
Section 102 (a) (8) an authorization by the applicant to release to the Attorney General or an authorized representative of the Attorney General any mental health records pertaining to the applicant; (that sounds rather intrusive)
Section 103 (c) looks to be creating a federal firearms card, with your picture and information. This from the Party that goes ballistic over a national ID card.
Section 104 makes it seem as if all renewals go through the AG of the USA. Does this mean that I have to go to a Federal office to reapply, rather then the Wake Country Sheriff’s office?
That’s all for now, a more in depth look if it manages to get farther in the House.
» Filed Under 2nd Amendment, ACLU, Bill Of Rights, Congress, Constitution, Democrats, Dems In Charge: Now What?, Domestic Enemies, Government ethics/corruption, Gun Control, Nancy Pelosi, News, Politics As Usual, Supreme Court, U.S. Constitution, U.S. House, liberalism
Posted in B Hussein Obama, Barack Hussein Obama, Barack Obama, democrat muslim, Gun ban, Gun Laws, gun owners, Hussein Obama, Islam, islam fundamentalist, Islam sympathizers, Islamic immigration, NRA, Obama. Leave a Comment »
America’s Seven Faith Tribes Hold the Key to National Restoration
Apart from the current economic woes of the nation, bestselling author and researcher George Barna warns that the United States is immersed in a serious decline that shows no signs of reversal – and that it is not politicians but the country’s dominant faith communities that hold the key to restoring the nation to strength and stability.
Citing statistics that underscore the demise of the U.S. in its fundamental institutions – such as families, schools, media, churches, and government – Barna shared research results from his analysis of more than 30,000 personal interviews with Americans that outlined the identity, nature and restoration potential of the seven dominant religious groups – which he entitled “faith tribes” – in America.
The Impetus for Demise
Asked why the nation is in a downward spiral, the author of more than 40 books about American culture, faith and leadership noted the dramatic shift in goals and values that has redefined the United States in the past three decades.
“We have shifted our energy from a willingness to work hard toward achieving significant outcomes to an attitude of entitlement,” Barna noted. “Instead of merely accumulating and enjoying leisure time to get refreshed, we now use it to express ill-formed, narrow-minded opinions that preclude dialogue and personal learning. We expect the market to pander to our needs in customized and personalized ways, producing a fragmented marketplace. We have transitioned from having a commitment to the common good based on shared values to an emphasis on personal good and individual values.
“In the midst of all these – and other – transitions,” Barna continued, “our religious communities have not adapted well to the challenges of the day. Rather than facilitate people’s commitment to positive, life-affirming values and dedication to serving others, and living a balanced and moral life, churches and other ministries have fallen prey to the competitive spirit of the American system. Many of our religious organizations have focused on competing for bodies, dollars and talent rather than upholding core values such as service, obedience, simplicity, purpose, responsibility, accountability, humility, compassion and community. Without our faith tribes playing their historic role as the moral and spiritual leaders of the nation, we have taken our values cues from the political and business sectors. That has lowered the bar on character and vision. That, in turn, has led the nation to deteriorate from a place on unity amidst diversity to a place of individualism amidst competition for personal comfort and supremacy.”
Barna indicated that by ignoring the foundational values that built America has produced five dangerous outcomes:
•the absence of a shared vision of the future
•confusion regarding appropriate values for decision-making
•the elimination of a sense of the common good
•the deterioration of respectful dialogue and the fruitful exchange of competing ideas
•and the abandonment of moral character and personal decency
The Seven Tribes
Citing his research, Barna indicated that the United States has seven dominant faith tribes that hold the key to the restoration of the nation. “We must recover the values that made this nation great and that must be firmly in place for order, reason, freedom and unity to prevail,” the researcher explained. “Our faith tribes are central to the development and application of people’s worldviews, which in turn produce the values on which we base our daily decisions. It is on the basis of such values that a nation rises to greatness or plummets to oblivion. The choice is ours. And it is up to our faith tribes to demonstrate the courageous leadership necessary to facilitate a national restoration of the mind, heart and soul. Without a nationwide commitment to this process, we are destined to become a country of historical significance and present-day insignificance.”
Drawing from the research, Barna identified the seven faith tribes as:
•Casual Christians – 66% of the adult population
•Captive Christians – 16% of the adult population
•Jews – 2% of the adult population
•Mormons – 2% of the adult population
•Pantheists – 2% of the adult population
•Muslims – one-half of 1% of the adult population
•Skeptics – 11% of the adult population
In his new book, The Seven Faith Tribes, Barna goes into considerable detail describing each of those seven tribes – their religious beliefs and practices, their primary lifestyles and attitudes, their political inclinations and recent voting history, and the values that characterize them.
Interested in The Seven Faith Tribes?
For more information about George Barna’s new, ground-breaking book about the condition of the United States and how the nation’s seven faith tribes must help restore the country to viability, click here.
Returning to Our Shared Values
In the course of Barna’s research, he discovered that while the seven faith tribes have vastly divergent theological and doctrinal positions, they share 20 common values. Those values, he contends, have historically served as the basis of the nation’s consensus about how to be a great nation and achieve the common good.
Those twenty values are expressed differently in the various tribes, Barna discovered, but essentially provide common ground across all of the faith groups in the nation. This is not a call for some kind of watered-down ecumenism, though; Barna stated that each faith has important spiritual distinctives that cannot be compromised, but sufficient overlap in ideology and life principles that a clear and meaningful sense of shared purposes can be jointly embraced and pursued.
In addition to describing the 20 shared values in his book, Barna provides a strategy for converting the latent energy of each faith tribe into a means of mobilizing Americans to action that will get the United States back on track. That restoration strategy involves specific and significant action by families, leaders, those who empower leaders, and the media, as well as the faith tribes. “The symptom of the ills plaguing the United States are most clearly seen in our political process. The fundamental disease, however, is a loss of moral and spiritual equilibrium – a decay of our character,” Barna commented. “If those who are mostly responsible for developing and reinforcing our values can focus on the elements most integral to the restoration process, we can return to national health and growth, as well as positive global influence.”
The Seven Faith Tribes, published by Tyndale, is scheduled to release on May 1, 2009. Advance copies may be ordered from The Barna Group or from booksellers across the nation.
Take advantage of an introductory sale price for The Seven Faith Tribes. Online, you may order a discounted copy of this new, hardback book from George Barna for just $17 – that’s $8 off the $25 retail price, a 32% discount. click here.
The Barna Group, Ltd. (which includes its research division, The Barna Research Group) is a private, non-partisan, for-profit organization that conducts primary research on a wide range of issues and products, produces resources pertaining to cultural change, leadership and spiritual development, and facilitates the healthy spiritual growth of leaders, children, families and Christian ministries. Located in Ventura, California, Barna has been conducting and analyzing primary research to understand cultural trends related to values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors since 1984. If you would like to receive free e-mail notification of the release of each new, bi-monthly update on the latest research findings from The Barna Group, you may subscribe to this free service at the Barna website (www.barna.org). Additional research-based resources, both free and at discounted prices, are also available through that website.
© The Barna Group, Ltd, 2009.
Posted in B Hussein Obama, Barack Hussein Obama, Barack Obama, democrat muslim, Hussein Obama, Islam, islam fundamentalist, Islamic immigration, Obama. Leave a Comment »
We can’t have a secret intelligence service if we keep giving away secrets
By Porter J. Goss, Washington Post
Attorney General Eric Holder testifies as protestors behind him hold signs against torture during a hearing at the House Appropriations Subcommittee on April 23. Reuters/Yuri Gripas
Since leaving my post as CIA director almost three years ago, I have remained largely silent on the public stage. I am speaking out now because I feel our government has crossed the red line between properly protecting our national security and trying to gain partisan political advantage. We can’t have a secret intelligence service if we keep giving away all the secrets. Americans have to decide now.
A disturbing epidemic of amnesia seems to be plaguing my former colleagues on Capitol Hill. After the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, members of the committees charged with overseeing our nation’s intelligence services had no higher priority than stopping al-Qaeda. In the fall of 2002, while I was chairman of the House intelligence committee, senior members of Congress were briefed on the CIA’s “High Value Terrorist Program,” including the development of “enhanced interrogation techniques” and what those techniques were. This was not a one-time briefing but an ongoing subject with lots of back and forth between those members and the briefers.
Today, I am slack-jawed to read that members claim to have not understood that the techniques on which they were briefed were to actually be employed; or that specific techniques such as “waterboarding” were never mentioned. It must be hard for most Americans of common sense to imagine how a member of Congress can forget being told about the interrogations of Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed. In that case, though, perhaps it is not amnesia but political expedience.
Let me be clear. It is my recollection that:
The chairs and the ranking minority members of the House and Senate intelligence committees, known as the Gang of Four, were briefed that the CIA was holding and interrogating high-value terrorists.
We understood what the CIA was doing.
We gave the CIA our bipartisan support.
We gave the CIA funding to carry out its activities.
On a bipartisan basis, we asked if the CIA needed more support from Congress to carry out its mission against al-Qaeda.
I do not recall a single objection from my colleagues. They did not vote to stop authorizing CIA funding. And for those who now reveal filed “memorandums for the record” suggesting concern, real concern should have been expressed immediately — to the committee chairs, the briefers, the House speaker or minority leader, the CIA director or the president’s national security adviser — and not quietly filed away in case the day came when the political winds shifted. And shifted they have.
Circuses are not new in Washington, and I can see preparations being made for tents from the Capitol straight down Pennsylvania Avenue. The CIA has been pulled into the center ring before. The result this time will be the same: a hollowed-out service of diminished capabilities. After Sept. 11, the general outcry was, “Why don’t we have better overseas capabilities?” I fear that in the years to come this refrain will be heard again: once a threat — or God forbid, another successful attack — captures our attention and sends the pendulum swinging back. There is only one person who can shut down this dangerous show: President Obama.
Unfortunately, much of the damage to our capabilities has already been done. It is certainly not trust that is fostered when intelligence officers are told one day “I have your back” only to learn a day later that a knife is being held to it. After the events of this week, morale at the CIA has been shaken to its foundation.
We must not forget: Our intelligence allies overseas view our inability to maintain secrecy as a reason to question our worthiness as a partner. These allies have been vital in almost every capture of a terrorist. Full Text . . . .
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line4006
|
__label__cc
| 0.598471
| 0.401529
|
Everybody’s Asking ‘Is Obama Mentally Present?’
M Catharine Evans
Conservatives aren’t the only ones befuddled
by the President’s Gridiron dinner antics, March madness picks and his strange
Saturday radio address focusing on the Paycheck Fairness Act when a government
shutdown has been looming for weeks.
Mail’s Max Hastings calls Barack Obama “cool, cold, cerebral, and arrogant”
in a March 14 lament.
Hastings, like millions of Europeans, fell in lust
with the U.S President back in 2008 and now that the bloom is off the stem, he
wants to break up. Like most of Obama’s star-struck groupies he’s racking his
brain trying to understand what happened to the knight “mantled in a glittering
white cloak…the great speechmaker.”
On the Mideast, Afghanistan, the
debt, unemployment, and myriad domestic and international crises the One appears
“remote” displaying “a curious lack of interest.” Curiously, Hastings cites
Obama’s post-massacre Arizona speech when he “rose to extraordinary heights of
rhetoric” as the single exception to the president’s otherwise glaring
indifference in the face of so much turmoil.
Hastings contention that
Obama is “missing in action” makes us wonder whether the President was ever ‘in
the action’ to begin with. By now, those paying attention know the Chicago
trained community organizer did not come to lead but to act as a mouthpiece for
those who desire to change the founding fathers’ vision of America. And he needs
four more years to finish the job. Hastings all but admits this may be the
While the world welcomed Obama as a transformational figure, he
shows no sign of wishing to fulfil any such grand role.
Indeed, the White
House is obsessed with a single issue: how to get its man re-elected in November
A Washingtonian who has studied the President at close quarters
said to me: ‘I think I understand him now. He’s a “pol” – a politico – who
learned his business in the Chicago machine.
In trying to
make sense of it all Hastings, being a good liberal Brit, scapegoats the
American people as “nutters” and dutifully bashes Sarah Palin as that “moose
hunting air-headed vice presidential candidate” whose “hick followers still
love” her, but “Lord, be thanked, the White House now seems safe from her.”
The reporter insists that the majority of Americans who live in the real
world reject the “Republican excesses,” and appreciate a “brilliant man” who
never says or acts “irrationally.”
Hastings refuses to speak ill of his
former idol, but by the end of the piece he expresses frustration at the
President’s refusal to man up and “fight tough fights.” But it can’t be the
President’s fault; he “was bound to succumb to the sordid demands of machine
politics.” Was that before 2008 or after?
The reporter can’t seem to
bring himself to admit he was powerless over the Obama machine, taken in by the
phony Axelrodian reality. Instead Hastings blames the “hicks” that did their
homework. Weren’t they the ones who googled ‘Alinsky;’ were aghast when they
listened to Reverend Wright’s anti-American, anti-Semitic, anti-white speeches;
and who discovered the “brilliant man” voted ‘present’ 129 times in the Illinois
State Senate?
A “Washington admirer” urges Hastings to “not lose faith”
in Barack Obama, that he “may still lay claim to greatness.” What a twisted and
doomed love story this presidency is turning out to be.
more M.Catharine Evans at www.potterwilliamsreport.com
Posted in anti-American, Anti-God, Appeasing Terrorists, Arabs & Muslims, B Hussein Obama, Barack Hussein Obama, Barack Obama, democrat muslim, Hussein Obama, Islam, Islam sympathizers, Islamic immigration, Manchurian Candidate, Obama. Leave a Comment »
Thoughts from a conservative in hiding (Not Me)
Thoughts from a conservative in hiding
Neil Braithwaite
I try my best to get my conservative friends to stand up for the cause; unfortunately, the one with the best writing skills lives among the liberals in the great Pacific Northwest and actually fears that being outed may cause him and his family irreparable harm.So, under his alias, Dave McGuire, I present to you his conservative words of wisdom:
“Since someone broached the subject of Obama’s recent comments about his Christianity I am compelled to offer the following comment on that subject.
Obama and his wife spent 20 plus years at the feet of a guy that is as hate filled as any man can be. The Rev. Wright vented his vile spirit every Sunday but our president thinks he can regale throngs of potential voters with lip service and half-truths about his desire to be a Christian. Don’t make me laugh – I’m not in the mood.
The United Church of Christ, of which Mr. Obama was a member, does not hold to any form of the traditional view of Jesus. The organization as a whole is nearly agnostic in terms of a belief in a higher power. Truth be known, the organization across America is merely a liberal political movement masquerading as a church – not unlike so many other progressive liberal and so called Christian churches in America. These are the type of spiritual groups that Lenin or Stalin, if they were alive, would hail as the perfect State Sanctioned Church; and the only church anyone would be allowed to attend.
Beyond that fact, the notion that Mr. Obama wants to be his sister’s and brother’s keeper is laughable and at the same time just a little concerning. You see, after Cain killed his brother God asked him where his brother Able was. Cain replied, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Now, I don’t care one way or the other how you feel about the veracity of the story, but taken in its context the answer Cain gave was conceived by a guilty conscience and smacked of insolence – or at best disingenuousness.
Now, consider that the concept of being your brother’s keeper is not mentioned again in either the Old or New Testament. That fact begs the question – just whose voice was calling out to Obama and whose precepts were ringing in his ears?
To make the point one more time: there are no other references to a command or inference to suggest that anyone need be another’s keeper. Think about it, why would there be and who would want to be kept if there were? I suppose Karl Marx might enjoin the idea given his view of life, after all, the governments his ideology spawned are all about keeping people, aren’t they?
As for doing unto others as you would have them do unto you, – this president has been heading off in the wrong direction and dragging the country along with him. If Obama really cared about our lives he would not be running the country into the ground – wasting our money doing it – and promising more of the same if we give him what he wants. Given the ground we’ve covered thus far, with our leader at the wheel, I am certain that given the opportunity Obama will continue to take us to the ultimate destination to a land of hopelessness and despair.
As he stands now, the best you can say about Obama is: he may not have provided the transparency in government he promised – but he certainly is a man that is easily seen through – if you have eyes to see that is.”
Excellent job Dave.
Neil Braithwaite writes political commentary and satire.
Page Printed from: http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2010/09/thoughts_from_a_conservative_i.html at September 30, 2010 – 11:43:55 AM CDT
Posted in Anti Zionist, anti-American, Anti-God, Anti-Semitic, B Hussein Obama, Barack Hussein Obama, Barack Obama, democrat muslim, Hussein Obama, Islam, islam fundamentalist, Islam sympathizers, Islamic immigration, Jeremiah Wright, Obama. Tags: Barack Obama Traitor, Crony Capitalism, Obama anti-semitic, Obama arrogant. Leave a Comment »
Liberal Narcissism and Anti-Christian Phobia
By Deborah C. Tyler
Americans have always expected national television broadcasters to steer clear of degrading epithets. On April 14, 2009, CNN’s Anderson Cooper established a new low in television journalism when he labeled millions of Americans in the Tea Party movement with a vulgar sexual term. Other mainstream media journalists and personalities gleefully followed suit. There was no outcry from the “anti-hate community.” Many liberals do not merely tolerate contumelies against conservatives, but they delight in them.
In the years after World War II, psychologists (many of whom were European Jews who had escaped Nazism) intensively studied how fascist and authoritarian states could bring ordinary people to commit extraordinary crimes against minorities. The two dominant personality theories of the twentieth century, the Freudian and Adlerian psychoanalytic models, provided theoretical frameworks for understanding bigotry and fascism as forms of individual and collective neurotic delusions. The Freudian model attributed these neuroses to a frustrated “will to pleasure,” while Adler pointed to an unhealthy expression of the “will to power” over others.
For the most part, psychologists today deny or ignore anti-Christian prejudice in the American conversation. This is because psychologists are overwhelming politically liberal and spiritually humanist. In social science, bias in is bias out. In addition, America’s dominant psychological model, behaviorism, has always been anti-theoretical and has not produced an integrated theory of personality equal in influence to either Freud or Adler.
Although Freud and Adler agreed on the existence of unconscious fear as the core of neurotic anxiety, they had different explanations for it. Freud posited that bigotry arises when a child internalizes the prejudices of the father in order to resolve unconscious sexual conflicts in the process of superego formation. This thwarted “will to pleasure” is projected as hatred onto a scapegoat minority. Culturally, fear becomes fascistic, involving rigid group conformity against a common enemy. Freud’s model is obsolete. Anderson Cooper, and the Manhattan micro-niche he typifies, is not anxiously reacting to an overbearing father-figure. It is the extreme opposite. Mr. Cooper is the son of a fantastically permissive brand of humanism. The only thing he has to feel guilty about is guilt itself.
But the Freudian model does have utility in one dimension. The aggression resulting from thwarted narcissism is gratified when projected onto a devalued minority — e.g., Tea Party participants. The core phobia is that non-approving conservatives are thwarting the “will to pleasure.” The need for perfect admiration and approval is the hallmark of narcissism, which is by definition insatiable. Narcissistic pleasure is the precursor to inevitable narcissistic rage. In the narcissistic liberal imagination, Christian conservatives stand in the way of a human heaven of sexual freedom.
Alfred Adler coined the term “inferiority complex.” He held that the neurotic complex arises from harm inherent in the “will to power” over others. His model explains liberal prejudice as an overreaction against unconscious self-doubt that projects intellectual, moral, and cultural inferiority onto others. Uppity and unmanageable conservatives, who, oblivious to their own stupidity, doggedly stand up for their inferior beliefs anger the narcissistic liberal.
Applying either Freudian or Adlerian analysis to liberal phobic structure requires updating the concept of individual anxiety, or neurosis, to the contemporary concept of group-based social phobia. Both Freud and Adler were middle-class Jewish men who assumed that neurosis developed in reaction to imbalances in the paternalistic nuclear family — the only normative child-rearing form either had ever seen.
In 1980, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders III dropped neurosis as a diagnosis and replaced it with culturally based phobias. The father-led nuclear family was no longer the social structure for incorporating values, morals, and role expectations. “Inadequacy adjustment” in relation to that family system was no longer the source of mental imbalance. Values, norms, and the power of social conditioning were moving outside the home and into the hands of “experts,” government schools, universities, and mass media — in other words, liberals.
Liberal phobic structure is a fascinating innovation in the history of prejudice and cultural fascism. It is a dread of specific forms of sin-cognizant religious belief.
Both anti-Christian phobia and narcissism result from the humanist denial of sin, heaven, and hell. Liberals believe the narcissogenic idea that they create their own heaven or hell on earth. The denial of God-defined sin leads to self-deification and the anxious business of high-stakes, self-directed life-styling. Liberals live with their eyes glued to mass media to learn what is and isn’t sin this season. People who believe that such behavior can lead to a nasty outcome beyond this life are detested. Although liberals accuse Christians of being homophobic, true Christians are hellphobic. Regardless of religious self-identification, people who are betting their immortal souls on a denial of sin and its effects beyond this life have to be crazy not to be phobic.
Every permanent theistic religion of the last seven thousand years — Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam — provides an understanding that spiritual wastefulness is sin. These religions seek to protect people from the consequences of sin beyond this life. Traditions that assume reincarnation, such as Hinduism and Buddhism, teach that sinfulness in one life leads to suffering in the next. Religions that do not incorporate reincarnation, such as Judaism, Christianity and Islam, explain life as a fleeting preparation before divine judgment.
The pathognomic sign that the liberal reaction to sin-cognizant belief systems is a symptom of phobic complex is that it selectively rejects the teachings of its own traditions — Judaism and especially Christianity. These cultural heritages pose a threat to the liberal wills to pleasure and power. Liberal phobia includes a complex delusional system that exempts some sin-cognizant religions. For example, liberals adore their own version of a morally permissive, designer Buddhism. Nor are they phobic toward Islam, which is based on fiercely sin-cognizant scripture. Liberals maintain mechanisms of denial regarding Islam that rise to the level of psychotic dissociation.
G.K. Chesterton wrote, “Bigots are people who have no convictions at all.” Screaming-meemies like Keith Olbermann, Rosie O’Donnell, Sean Penn, Janeane Garofalo, and all the porn-thumping preachers railing against the sin of sin-cognizance are the voices of the new cultural fascists, spittle-flinging celebrities unconsciously raging against their own fear.
I recently evaluated a 53-year-old man who has been unable to recover psychologically or physically from what appeared to be a minor accident. He was born into a devout Christian family in a small Midwestern town. He was also born gay. At about 30, he adopted a gay mode of life. His family continued to love him, but they did not alter their religious beliefs. When he discovered in 1990 that both he and his partner had contracted HIV, his family took this as a sign of the sinfulness of his lifestyle. This man’s friends, counselors, therapists, and humanistic-Christian pastors have for twenty years encouraged him to believe that his family is bigoted. His family has visited him through the years. They sit in the front room and do not stay the night. He acquired a settled resentment toward his people and never went home again. By the grace of God, he and his partner have survived for twenty years, while all of their friends have died. Ironically, he believes that this is because his family back home is praying for him. This man moved from an unyielding belief system based in divine forgiveness to a man-made culture that does not seem to value it.
Dr. Tyler can be reached at deborahtyler@intylergence.com.
Posted in Anti-God, Anti-Semitic, Antichrist, B Hussein Obama, Barack Hussein Obama, Barack Obama, democrat muslim, democrat scandals, Democratic socialism, Democratic Socialists of America, Democratic traitors, Democrats & The Left, Democrats and labor unions, Hussein Obama, Islam, islam fundamentalist, Islam sympathizers, Islamic immigration, Liberal, Liberal and Left Wing Political Blogs, liberal bias, Liberal Churches, liberal jihad, liberal media, liberal preachers, liberal professors, Obama. Leave a Comment »
Obama Removes Jesus from Easter Message?
April 6, 2010 — budsimmons
President Obama literally edited Christ out of his “holiday greeting” today when he excerpted a sermon given by a military chaplain on Iwo Jima on Easter Sunday 1945.
Below is the relevant paragraph from Obama’s holiday greeting today:
The rites of Passover, and the traditions of Easter, have been marked by people in every corner of the planet for thousands of years. They have been marked in times of peace, in times of upheaval, in times of war.
One such war-time service was held on the black sands of Iwo Jima more than sixty years ago. There, in the wake of some of the fiercest fighting of World War II, a chaplain rose to deliver an Easter sermon, consecrating the memory, he said “of American dead – Catholic, Protestant, Jew. Together,” he said, “they huddled in foxholes or crouched in the bloody sands…Together they practiced virtue, patriotism, love of country, love of you and of me.” The chaplain continued, “The heritage they have left us, the vision of a new world, [was] made possible by the common bond that united them…their only hope that this unity will endure.”
Their only hope that this unity will endure.
Now read below the same paragraph again, but this time note the additional bolded language that comes from the original audio of the 1945 sermon and its context, but which President Obama decided not to include:
There, in the wake of some of the fiercest fighting of World War II, a chaplain rose to deliver an Easter sermon, consecrating the memory, he said:
He has risen. With all due reverence, we apply these words to our beloved dead.
There are too many air call wings encrusted with the stain of their owners’ life blood, too many marine trousers upon the graves, too many symbols of American dead – Catholic, Protestant, Jew. Together,” he said, “they huddled in foxholes or crouched in the bloody sands under the fury of enemy guns here on Iwo Jima. Together they practiced virtue, patriotism, love of country, love of you and of me. Together they stand before the greatest soldier of them all – Jesus Christ, to receive the token of our triumph. For Christ has said: “Greater love than this no man hath then that he lay down his life for his friends.”
And so our beloved dead have gone from the world of hate to the world of eternal love.
The chaplain continued, “The heritage they have left us, the vision of a new world, [was] made possible by the common bond that united them in the drudgery of recruit training or here in the chaos of bursting shouts. Their only hope: that this unity will endure.”
And so our dead have risen to glory.
The American President is president of all the people, believers and non-believers alike. So when presidential messages are delivered to mark the special observances of major religious groups, it is understandable that a president will strive to provide some measure of explanation of how a particular religious observance honors values that all Americans can share.
But there are limits. A president cannot possibly hope to be a grand synthesizer of all religious traditions in the United States. Despite his skills, it is above President Obama’s pay grade to construct some kind of civic religion that stands above traditional religions and which should guide Americans going forward.
Instead of providing separate messages to Jews and Christians on the observance of Passover and Easter, President Obama said in this holiday greeting that “while we worship in different ways, we also remember the shared spirit of humanity that inhabits us all – Jews and Christians, Muslims and Hindus, believers and nonbelievers alike.”
Obama then went on to say that “on this Easter weekend, let us hold fast to those aspirations we hold in common as brothers and sisters, as members of the same family – the family of man.”
The problem is that when you start to water down what people actually believe in an attempt to construct a religion of the “family of man”, you start to misrepresent fundamentally the nature of the hope that is at the center of lives of believers.
In the case of Christians, Christ is our hope. Our hope is in the risen Christ, which we celebrate on Easter Sunday.
But if a president wants to water down religious beliefs in an attempt to find a synthesized religion of the ‘family of man’, you end up removing Christ from Easter, which is, strangely, exactly what President Obama did today in his Easter message.
Is this the first American president to dechristianize Easter?
Vince Haley is vice president for policy at American Solutions. The observations made herein are personal
Posted in Anti Zionist, Anti-God, Anti-Semitic, Antichrist, B Hussein Obama, Barack Hussein Obama, Barack Obama, democrat muslim, Hussein Obama, Islam, islam fundamentalist, Islam sympathizers, Islamic immigration, Obama. Leave a Comment »
Obama’s Victim: The “Peace Process”
Posted By Alan M. Dershowitz On April 5, 2010 @ 12:07 am In FrontPage | 5 Comments
The apparently escalating conflict between the US and Israel did not have to occur. It must be resolved now, before it does irreparable harm to prospects for peace.
The conflict was largely contrived by people with agendas. The initial impetus for the brouhaha was an ill-timed announcement that permits had been issued for building 1,600 additional residences in a part of Jerusalem that had been captured by Israel in the 1967 war. The Netanyahu government had been praised by President Obama for agreeing to a freeze on building permits on the West Bank, despite the fact that the freeze did not extend to any part of Jerusalem. Thus the announcement of new building permits did not violate any agreement by Israel. Nonetheless, the timing of the announcement embarrassed Vice President Joe Biden who was in Israel at the time. The timing was neither an accident nor was it purposely done by Prime Minister Netanyahu to embarrass Biden. Many believe that the announcement was purposely timed by opponents of the peace process in order to embarrass Netanyahu. Whatever the motivation, the announcement deserved a rebuke from Vice President Biden. It also warranted an apology and explanation from the Israeli government, which immediately came from Netanyahu. That should have ended the contretemps.
But some in the Obama Administration apparently decided that they too had an agenda beyond responding to the ill-timed announcement, and they decided to take advantage of Israel’s gaffe. They began to pile on and on and on. Instead of it being a one day story, the controversy continues to escalate and harden positions on all sides to this day and perhaps beyond. The real victim is the peace process and the winners are those–like Iran, Hamas and extremist Israelis–who oppose the two-state solution.
The building permits themselves were for residences not in East Jerusalem, but rather in North Jerusalem, and not in an Arab section, but rather in an entirely Jewish neighborhood. This neighborhood, Ramat Shlomo, is part of the area that everybody acknowledges should and will remain part of Israel even if an agreement for a two state solution and the division of Jerusalem is eventually reached. In that respect, it is much like the ancient Jewish quarter of Jerusalem, which was illegally captured from the Jewish residents by the Jordanian army in the 1948 war. The Jordanians then desecrated Jewish holy places during its illegal occupation, and the Israelis legally recaptured it during the defensive war of 1967. No one in their right mind believes that Israel has any obligation to give up the Jewish quarter of Jerusalem, including the Western Wall, the holiest Jewish site in the world, despite the fact that it was recaptured during the 1967 war.
Because the Palestinians understand and acknowledge that these entirely Jewish areas of Jerusalem will remain part of the Jewish state even after an agreement, the ill-timed announcement of building permits during the Biden visit generated a relatively mild and routine complaint, rather than a bellicose response, from the Palestinian Authority leadership. The bellicose response came from the American leadership, which refused to let the issue go. Once this piling on occurred, the Palestinian leadership had no choice but to join the chorus of condemnation, lest they be perceived as being less Palestinian than the Obama Administration.
Now positions have hardened on both sides, due largely to the public and persistent nature of the American condemnation. This rebuke culminated in the very public dissing of Prime Minister Netanyahu by President Obama during their recent White House meeting. Obama treated Netanyahu far worse than he treated Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who is corrupt to the core and who had invited Iranian dictator Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to deliver an anti-American tirade inside Afghanistan’s presidential palace. According to a high ranking Afghan source, Karzai “invited Ahmadinejad to spite the Americans.” Nonetheless, President Obama flew to Afghanistan and had a very public dinner with Karzai, according him the red carpet treatment, thus granting him legitimacy following his fraudulent re-election.
Prime Minister Netanyahu, on the other hand, has been treated with disrespect in what many Israelis see as an effort to delegitimize him in the eyes of Israeli voters who know how important the US-Israeli relationship is in the Jewish state.
The shabby treatment accorded Israel’s duly elected leader has also stimulated an ugly campaign by some of Israel’s enemies to delegitimize the US-Israeli strategic relationship, and indeed the Jewish nation itself, in the eyes of American voters. The newest, and most dangerous, argument being offered by those who seek to damage the US-Israel alliance is that Israeli actions, such as issuing building permits in Jerusalem, endanger the lives of American troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
This phony argument–originally attributed to Vice President Biden and General David Petraeus but categorically denied by both of them–has now taken on a life of its own in the media. A CNN headline on the Rick Sanchez Show blared “Israel a danger to US Troops.” Other headlines conveyed a similar message: “US Tells Israel: ‘You’re undermining America, endangering troops.’” Variations on this dangerous and false argument have been picked up by commentators such as Joe Klein in Time Magazine, Roger Cohen in The New York Times, DeWayne Wickham in USA Today and not surprisingly, Patrick Buchanan and Professors Stephen Walt and John Mearsheimer.
It is a dangerous and false argument. It is dangerous because its goal is to reduce support for Israel among mainstream Americans who understandably worry about our troops fighting abroad. This is ironic since the major pillar of Israel’s policy with regard to US troops is that Israel never wants to endanger our troops. That’s why it has never asked US soldiers to fight for Israel, as other allies have asked our soldiers to fight for them. By seeking to scapegoat Israel for the death of American troops at the hands of Islamic terrorists, this argument blames those who love America for deaths caused by those who hate America.
Most of all, it is an entirely false argument. There is absolutely no correlation between Israeli actions and the safety of American troops–none.
No one has ever shown any relationship between what Israel does and the rate of American casualties, because there is no such relationship–none
Consider two significant time periods. The first is the end of 2000 and the beginning of 2001, when Israel offered the Palestinians virtually everything they could have wanted: a state on 100% of the Gaza and 97% of the West Bank, a capital in a divided Jerusalem and a $35 billion reparation package for refugees. Virtually the entire Arab world urged Arafat to accept this generous offer, but he declined it. During the very months that Israel was doing everything possible to promote peace with the Palestinians, Al Queda was planning its devastating attack on the World Trade Center. No correlation between Israeli actions and American casualties.
Then consider the end of 2008 and the beginning of 2009 when Israel was engaged in Operation Cast Lead, which caused significant Palestinian casualties. During that difficult period, there was no increase in American casualties. Again, no correlation.
Those offering up this phony empirical argument have an obligation to present evidence in support of this fallacious correlation, or else to stop making this bigoted argument.
The reason there is no correlation is because extremist Muslims who kill American troops are not outraged at what Israel does, but rather at what Israel is–a secular Jewish, democratic state. As long as Israel exists, there will be Islamic extremists who regard that fact as a provocation. The same is true of the United States: as long we continue to exist as a secular democracy with equal rights for women, Christians and Jews, the Osama Bin Laden’s of the world will seek our destruction. Certainly as long as American troops remain in any part of the Arab world–whether it be Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Iraq or Afghanistan–Muslim fanatics will try to kill our soldiers. Blame for the murder of American troops should be placed on those who kill them, rather than on those who stand for the same values of democracy and equality as America does.
In considering the relationship between the United states and Israel, several points must be kept in mind. First and foremost, the US and Israel are on the same side in the continuing struggle against Islamic extremists who endanger the lives of American troops and American civilians. Second, Israel is one of America’s most important strategic allies, providing us with essential intelligence, research and developments and other important assets. Third, there is nothing that Israel or the United States can do that will turn these extremist enemies into friends. It is what we are, rather than what we do, that enrages those who wish to turn the entire world into an Islamic caliphate and subject us all to Islamic Sharia law. Fourth, any weakening of the alliance between the United States and Israel will make it far less likely that Israelis–who get to vote on these matters–will take significant risks for peace. Fifth, the Obama Administration’s public attacks on Israel will harden Palestinian demand and make it less likely that they will accept a compromise peace. Sixth, if Israel’s enemies were to lay down their arms and stop terrorist and rocket attacks against Israel, there would be peace. Seventh, if Israel were to lay down its arms, there would be genocide. And eighth, when the Palestinian leadership and population want their own state more than they want there not to be a Jewish state, there will be a two-state solution.
It is in the best interest of the United States, of the peace process and of Israel for disagreements between allies to be resolved quietly and constructively, so that progress can be made toward achieving a two-state solution that assures Israel’s security and Palestinian statehood.
Posted in Anti Zionist, anti-American, Anti-God, Anti-Semitic, B Hussein Obama, Barack Hussein Obama, Barack Obama, democrat muslim, Hussein Obama, Islam, islam fundamentalist, Islam sympathizers, Islamic immigration, Israel, Jewish Israel, Jewish Vote, Jews, Netanyahu, Obama. Leave a Comment »
Obama’s Hardened Heart
Posted By Moshe Dann On March 30, 2010 @ 12:01 am In FrontPage | 6 Comments
As if Jews needed a reminder about what a modern rendition of “Pharaoh’s heart hardened,” President Obama is providing an example, emphasizing an important lesson: the Egyptian dictator/king was part of the process of liberation and, ultimately, of God’s will and the destiny of the Jewish People.
Despite Obama’s nasty treatment of Israel’s Prime Minister and unreasonable demands, Hillary Clinton’s condemnations and suggestions that Israel is responsible for war crimes, human rights violations and hindering America’s war efforts in Pakistan and Afghanistan; despite Israel’s demonization at the UN and Arab/Muslim boycott and isolation, the Israeli government and the Jewish People are stronger and more united.
In Egypt, three millennia ago, Hebrews (as Jews were then called) not only suffered as slaves, but believed that slavery was their lot. Not yet a people, they had descended to the lowest rung of human existence, spiritually as well as physically; they lived in a state of unconsciousness.
Moses and Aaron awakened Jewish awareness; but it took ten plagues to convince Pharaoh to allow the Jews to leave, a process of realization that involved suffering and destruction, especially for the Egyptians. Had Pharaoh allowed the Jews to leave immediately, there would not have been a revelation of divine power, in contrast to Pharaoh’s phony ego-trip.
Not only was it necessary for Jews to understand that Pharaoh was not God, it was also important for Egyptians. Only when the Egyptian army was engulfed and destroyed was the meaning of The Exodus revealed. But that was only the beginning of freedom.
The great Jewish Liberation Movement that inspired countless others to resist subjugation and oppression was connected to two objectives: the Covenant at Sinai, which was the beginning of the Jewish People, and the conquest and settlement of the Land of Israel as the fulfillment of divine commandments, the struggle towards Jewish destiny.
Galut (exile) is part of Geulah (redemption); both are necessary parts of the process of developing consciousness. Without a vision of Geulah, Galut is meaningless tragedy.
Obama’s hard-heartedness towards Israel and the Jewish People is now obvious to all. As difficult as that seems, however, it is yet another omen of good things to come. That does not mean that there won’t be hard times; there will be – for sure. But this is only a test.
It would have been more comfortable if Obama and Pharaoh had treated the Jewish People more kindly. But that would have obstructed the process of spiritual awareness.
Jewish liberation is not only physical, but is a creative process of self-discovery, as an individual, as part of a family, a nation and a People. The historical episodes are markers on a path towards a grander purpose. With miracles and tragedies along the way, we need to be attuned to both.
Pharaoh became obsessed with destroying the Jews, and, in the process destroyed his own country; many other tyrants followed his example. And the Jewish People are still around.
The story of The Exodus reminds us that there are no easy roads to self-discovery – as individuals and as a People. We eat “the bread of affliction” in comfort, thinking we are free and independent, yet, hesitant to be committed; full of accomplishments, we are paupers of responsibility.
Obama puts it to us: what rightfully belongs to the Jewish People in the Land of Israel?
Obama and his friends may not like Israel, and it’s disappointing, but it may also be a way of clarifying what is important for us, and for finding our integrity.
Passover/Pesach – the celebration of freedom – begins with an act, but evolves into an ongoing drama of immense proportions. Obama’s wrath turns us back to meaning of The Exodus: we are in God’s hands.
The author is a writer and journalist living in Jerusalem.
Posted in Anti Zionist, Anti-God, Anti-Semitic, B Hussein Obama, Barack Hussein Obama, Barack Obama, democrat muslim, Hussein Obama, Islam, islam fundamentalist, Islam sympathizers, Islamic immigration, Israel, Jewish Israel, Jewish Vote, Jews, Obama. Leave a Comment »
Obama’s Ire, Not U.S. Interests, Direct Israel Policy
By Jonathan F. Keiler
It is now beyond cavil that Barak Obama personally dislikes Israel and harbors an affinity for the Muslim/Arab world, to include the so-called Palestinian Arabs. This is no surprise given Obama’s background and associations, which range from school days in Muslim Indonesia to close friendships with Palestinian militants, radical leftists, and his conversion to the idiosyncratic anti-American and anti-Zionist Christianity of the Reverend Jeremiah Wright.
Obama, like any American, is entitled to his personal preferences and prejudices. He was elected by the American people in spite of them, and for some of his supporters, particularly on the hard-core left, because of them.
However, President Obama has a duty to act in the best interests of the American people, regardless of his personal prejudices. In the case of his administration’s relations with Israel, the Arabs, and Iran, these prejudices are damaging American interests and indeed, putting the American people and military personnel in harms way.
Obama is not the first president to have differences with Israel. For example, supporters of Obama point to President Eisenhower’s intervention in the 1956 Suez Crisis to justify the Administration’s recent hard line with the Jewish state. The comparison is, however, unjustified. In 1956 America faced simultaneous crises in Hungary and Suez, and in an increasingly bi-polar world Eisenhower saw the multilateral Anglo-French-Israeli action as interfering with American prerogatives in the Middle East and vis-à-vis the Soviet Union. Eisenhower pressured the Anglo-French to abandon Suez, which they did promptly. It took a year of American threats, guarantees of Israeli access to the Straits of Tiran, and the demilitarization of the Sinai, force Israel to withdraw.
Even so, this American “success” only resulted in eventual disaster. Nasser, instead of being grateful for American intervention, fell even further into the Soviet camp, dragging Syria and much of the Arab world with him. Eleven years later Nasser made a hash out of Eisenhower’s guarantees by booting U.N. peacekeepers from Sinai and blockading the Straits of Tiran. In 1967, with little or no help from America, Israel retook Sinai from Egypt and expelled hostile Syrian and Jordanian forces from the Golan and the West Bank. The Johnson and Nixon administrations, seeing the error of Eisenhower’s policies, allied the United States with Israel for the first time, and replaced France as its principle supporter and arms supplier.
Still, Eisenhower acted against Israel not out of any personal animosity but from the sincere, if mistaken, belief that American interests required a return to the status quo in the area. Since 1967, other American presidents have had occasional policy differences with Israel, as one would expect when an ally in a tough, dangerous neighborhood vital to U.S. interests, must sometimes act in its own interests. Nonetheless, U.S. presidents have for the most part, pressured or confronted Israel only when international circumstances and important American interests seemed at stake.
Nixon and Ford got tough at times in the context of the Cold War and 1973 oil crisis. Carter, no friend of Israel, acted (mostly) to secure the critical peace agreement between Egypt and Israel, aggrandize himself, and (however incompetently) in the context of the Soviet Afghan invasion and the 1979 oil shock — venting his full anti-Israel animosities after leaving office. Reagan initially condemned Israel for its strike on the Osirik reactor in Iraq, although he privately recognized (“boys will be boys”) it was a boon to the free world. Reagan also mistakenly got drawn into the aftermath of the first Lebanon War following the hysterical international reaction to the Christian Phalangist attack on the Palestinian camps of Sabra and Shatila that also caused U.S.-Israel tensions.
Neither George H.W. Bush nor his principal advisors were personally inclined toward the Jewish state, but pressured her (justifiably) to stay out of the Gulf War, and thereafter in the mistaken belief (Madrid) that after America’s Gulf victory, a comprehensive Middle East peace beckoned.
Clinton, like Carter, sought to finalize accords (Oslo) negotiated outside American ambit and glorify himself, but in so doing critically misjudged (as did many Israelis) the true intentions of Yasser Arafat.
Finally, George W. Bush, the president most personally sympathetic to Israel, nonetheless balanced American interests in the region and became the first American president to publicly call for the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Obama, on the other hand, came into office at a time of relative quiescence in the area. The two most radical Arab forces (Hezb’allah and Hamas) were at least temporarily cowed by Israeli offensives, as was Syria thanks to an Israeli strike on a clandestine nuclear facility. The somewhat less radical Palestinian Authority was making strides toward establishing a functioning proto-state and talking directly to Jerusalem. Only Iran posed a real threat to stability in the area and rationally Obama should have directed American pressure and wrath against Tehran.
But Obama’s personal prejudices and desires direct policy. Instead of focusing on Iran, Obama almost immediately called for a freeze on Israeli construction in the West Bank, without making corresponding demands on the Palestinians. The Palestinians predictably sat back — as they do still — anticipating American pressure against Israel will allow them to pocket gains without giving anything in return. The resulting stalemate irked Obama and his largely amateur and often buffoonish coterie of close advisors who, following the leader, blamed Israel for the impasse.
Obama struck over the silly issue of Jerusalem housing permits, a matter over which no great power ought care one whit, never mind the fact that the construction was perfectly legal and aligned with mutually articulated understandings and promises between the two countries.
No critical American interests were at stake, so Obama and his crew invented a blood libel. First, Vice President Biden accused Israel of putting American servicemen in harms way via apartment construction — a charge he now unconvincingly denies.
In addition the White House stood idly by when a blogger for Foreign Policy incorrectly claimed that General David Petraeus said something similar during a classified Pentagon briefing in January that was forwarded to the White House. Testimony by Petraeus before the Senate Armed Services committee was also widely mischaracterized in the tumult. But when close Obama advisor and political hack David Axelrod was asked directly on ABC’s “This Week” whether the libel concerning danger to U.S. personnel was true, he did not deny it, and heaped more calumny on Israel.
The White House allowed Petraeus to dangle in the wind for several days while critics from the left and right assailed him for comments he never made. He clarified the situation in a press briefing, phoned Israel’s friendly and cooperative Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi, and even sent Ashkenazi a supportive blog post by writer Max Boot.
The only fair way to describe the affair is malfeasance on the part of the White House. Obama deliberately created a severe crisis with a close and key ally where no vital American interests were at stake. He compounded the wrongdoing by knowingly and falsely implying that such interests were at risk, most notably a direct danger to American service personnel. And finally, he exposed the country’s most decorated and important Army general to unwarranted attack because it served his own narrow, personal prejudices.
Posted in Anti Zionist, Anti-God, Anti-Semitic, B Hussein Obama, Barack Hussein Obama, Barack Obama, democrat muslim, Hussein Obama, Islam, islam fundamentalist, Islam sympathizers, Islamic immigration, Israel, Jeremiah Wright, Jewish Israel, Jewish leftists, Jewish Vote, Jews, Netanyahu, Obama. Leave a Comment »
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line4007
|
__label__wiki
| 0.842715
| 0.842715
|
Sammy Watkins could be eased back; still setting team's bar high
By Tyler Dunne|Published Wed, Jul 29, 2015
PITTSFORD --- After a rookie season hampered by injuries and offseason hip surgery, don't expect Sammy Watkins to go full speed when the Buffalo Bills start training camp at St. John Fisher College on Friday.
Watkins does view himself as "100 percent healthy." But that doesn't mean he'll be doing everything on the practice field.
“I’ll definitely be out there," Watkins said Wednesday as players reported to their dorms. "I don’t know what circumstance with the staff, what I’ll be doing, how limited I’ll be. But I’m definitely going to be practicing.”
The team mortgaged plenty to draft Watkins, after all. Caution has been the key for the former fourth overall pick.
In February, he had surgery on the torn labrum in his hip. So Watkins has mostly let his body heal this offseason, while learning the nuances of the position from new wide receivers coach Sanjay Lal.
He'll have a better idea of where he's at physically drill to drill, competing against the likes of Stephon Gilmore and Leodis McKelvin.
"I just have to go out there and see," Watkins said. "It starts with competing. Once I get to competing, I can tell where I’m at. ... I can’t wait. I can’t wait to go out and compete and get in 1-on-1’s to see where I’m at to measure the injury."
As for his personal expectations, Watkins isn't throwing out any numbers, saying that Robert Woods or Percy Harvin could go for 1,000 yards or LeSean McCoy might have 1,600 rushing yards.
As for as the team's expectations? Watkins is setting the bar high. He's well aware that the Bills set an all-time record for season ticket sales. Off a 9-7 postseason-less season, the Bills were bold in the offseason.
Now, bold must transfer to results.
“We have to show up. We have to win. Win games," Watkins said. "That’s the biggest thing. Everybody’s buying tickets and everybody’s got this Super Bowl thing on us. We’ve got to come out here and win. Coming in Friday for practice, we’ve got to start it up. We’re not going to just go out there and win games because we have all these players. It starts in practice, in training camp. I think if we handle our business in practice, we definitely have a shot at the playoffs.
"We have to win now. We can’t win next year or the following year and say we don’t have the team. We’ve got the team. We’ve got the coaches."
Watkins didn't back down from his comments that there's "no way we shouldn’t be in the playoffs or win a championship."
"We’ve just got to put the work in with ourselves and come together as a whole team," Watkins said. "Once we build that chemistry up this training camp, we’ll definitely win a lot of games and make the playoffs.”
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line4008
|
__label__wiki
| 0.765571
| 0.765571
|
Building industry groups agree to streamline green building tool coordination and development
By bdeditor On Aug 21, 2014
The International Code Council (ICC), ASHRAE, the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IES) and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announce the signing of a memorandum to collaborate on the development of Standard 189.1, the International Green Construction Code (IgCC) and the LEED green building program.
The cooperation aims to create a comprehensive framework for jurisdictions looking to implement and adopt green building regulations and codes and/or provide incentives for voluntary leadership programs such as LEED.
The agreement outlines the development, maintenance and implementation of new versions of ANSI/ASHRAE/IES/USGBC Standard 189.1, Standard for the Design of High-Performance, Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings and the IgCC, which will be combined into one regulatory tool. This agreement also endeavors to align the LEED program with the new code to ensure a streamlined, effective set of regulatory and above-code options for jurisdictions across the country.
“Architects have become the leaders in employing green building techniques, and the IgCC, a valuable regulatory tool, provides support leading to the creation of a sustainable, resilient built environment,” said AIA CEO Robert Ivy. “This agreement, which underscores the AIA’s dedication to sustainable design and construction, should lead to more rapid adoption of responsible approaches by designers, builders, developers and a host of other building industry groups.”
“ASHRAE see this as a move forward in green building, reducing fragmentation of compliance documents for users who are pressing toward a more sustainable environment,” ASHRAE president Tom Phoenix said.
“Working collaboratively with our industry partners is producing real results that will help improve building performance, streamline regulation, reduce cost and allow us to focus our resources on goals we have in common,” said Dominic Sims, CBO, ICC CEO. “This agreement continues the partnership we began in 2012 and assures that our Members and partners have a meaningful role in shaping the future of the built environment.”
“The Illuminating Engineering Society of North America is pleased to partner with the other organizations in this important collaborative effort in the development of a new standard and green code for the design and construction industry,” said Rita Harrold, IES Director of Technology. “IES members will benefit from this alignment of both regulatory and voluntary tools, and we look forward to participating in delivering technical provisions for code intended adoption.”
“This landmark agreement will leverage the unique strengths of each of the five partner organizations to deliver a coordinated, integrated suite of green building tools: an ANSI standard as the basis of a regulatory code to push the market and a rating system to pull the market higher,” said Brendan Owens, Vice President, LEED, and U.S. Green Building Council. “We are collectively dedicated to advancing green building practices and to advancing the broader industry’s understanding about the importance of green building goals and how to achieve them.”
EnvironmentMarket
New professional and medical centre development planned for York West neighbourhood of Toronto
WEB EXCLUSIVE: Sticks and stones
The Embassy of Canada in China Earns BOMA BEST Silver
Buildings, coastlines, northerners: Report identifies top Canadian climate risks
Sunny future: Alberta town becomes solar powered ‘net zero’ community
Government of Canada invests in Urban Climate Centre in in Greater Toronto-Hamilton
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line4009
|
__label__cc
| 0.656243
| 0.343757
|
Japanese Automotive Supplier Investing Over $56M In Indiana
Fukai Toyotetsu Indiana Corporation will double its footprint in Jamestown, IN, creating up to 103 new jobs by 2020.
https://businessfacilities.com/2017/06/japanese-automotive-supplier-investing-56m-indiana/
Home » Blog » Industry News » Automotive » Japanese Automotive Supplier Investing Over $56M In Indiana
Fukai Toyotetsu Indiana Corporation (FTIC), an automotive supplier, will invest $56.9 million to expand its operations in Jamestown, IN creating up to 103 new jobs by 2020.
The company, a Japan-based joint venture between Fukai Mfg. Co., Ltd. (Fukai) and Toyotetsu, will double its current 125,000-square-foot facility to 250,000 square feet. The new facility, which will house one new blank/progressive press and two transfer presses, will allow the company to nearly double production of stamping and welding body structural automotive parts for Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc (SIA).
“FTIC selected Jamestown, Indiana, to be close to our main customer, Subaru of Indiana Automotive,” said FTIC president Satoru Fukai. “Indiana has a long-term sister relationship with Tochigi Prefecture, which is a location for Fukai Manufacturing. Indiana is very competitive with labor, education and logistics, which provides future business opportunities.”
FTIC plans to begin hiring next spring, ramping up its hiring in areas including welding, stamping, quality assurance, machine maintenance, die maintenance, conveyance and engineering.
“Indiana is home to the highest concentration of manufacturing jobs in the country, and the impact of Subaru’s historic investment in Lafayette is benefiting Hoosier companies across the state,” said Indiana Secretary of Commerce Jim Schellinger. “Indiana is home to more than 500 automotive suppliers like FTIC, helping assemble more than 1 million cars each year. We look forward to FTIC’s continued growth in Indiana.”
The Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) offered FTIC up to $900,000 in conditional tax credits and up to $200,000 in training grants based on the company’s job creation plans. These incentives are performance based, so until employees are hired, the company is not eligible to claim incentives. Jamestown and Boone County will consider additional incentives at the request of the Boone County Economic Development Corporation.
“We are honored that FTIC has chosen to expand its operations in Jamestown,” said Boone County Commissioner Jeff Wolfe. “FTIC is a strong community partner, and we look forward to seeing their continued growth here in Boone County.”
FTIC is one of more than 260 Japanese establishments in Indiana that together employ more than 53,000 workers. Among all U.S. states, Indiana has the largest amount of Japanese investment per capita. With more the than 1 million cars assembled in Indiana each year, the state is home to the second-largest automotive industry in the nation.
Indiana Lands Kimura Foundry’s First U.S. Manufacturing Facility The Japan-based company will invest $8 million in its new operations in Shelbyville, which will house high-tech 3D printing equipment.
Japan-Based Auto Supplier Creating 200 Jobs In Indiana NTK Precision Axle Corporation will invest more than $100M in a new manufacturing facility in Madison County, IN.
automotive supplier
FTIC
Previous articleCyber Security Company Expands Chicago Headquarters
Next articleStanley Black & Decker Investing Over $29M In Tennessee
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line4011
|
__label__cc
| 0.538255
| 0.461745
|
WHO issues guidelines on melamine-contaminated food
6:08 pm September 30, 2008| Last Modified: 6:08 pm September 30, 2008
Geneva, Switzerland (BBN) – With the crisis of contaminated milk products in China having driven over 54,000 children to seek medical treatment, the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) has issued preliminary guidance to help authorities decide on the health concerns of melamine levels in food.
Kidney stones and renal failure has been reported in children in China, where three have died and a further 13,000 hospitalized, believed to be associated with the ingestion of melamine-contaminated infant formula.
Melamine was deliberately added to raw milk for several months to boost its apparent protein content, the WHO said in a press statement.
Commonly used in such materials as containers and labels, melamine can also be found in agricultural products such as fertilizer. Alone, it is of low toxicity, but animal studies have suggested that kidney problems occur when combined with cyanuric acid.
The new WHO guidelines – “Melamine and Cyanuric acid: Toxicity, Preliminary Risk Assessment and Guidance on Levels in Food” – seek to help national authorities assess the risks of melamine levels in food.
But the agency cautioned that this is only a preliminary assessment with more data needed, adding that it is currently working towards a more thorough assessment through meetings with scientists from around the world.
BBN/SI/SS/AD-01October08-12:19 AM (BST)
PreviousWorld Bank, IDB hail Americas free trade initiative
NextADB to provide $50 million to cut poverty in Indonesia
Scientists discover last unknown structure of HIV virus
Hormone that can prevent pneumonia identified
Liberia to be declared Ebola-free, ending world outbreak
Depression damage parts of the brain: Researchers
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line4012
|
__label__wiki
| 0.971579
| 0.971579
|
Home > Volume 82 Issue 24 > RECALIBRATING CONTRACT FIRMS
Volume 82 Issue 24 | pp. 20-22
RECALIBRATING CONTRACT FIRMS
Speed, agility, and know-how rule in the capricious world of nonpharma custom processing
By RICK MULLIN, C&EN NORTHEAST BUREAU
Department: Business
SHAPING UP
Contract firms are consolidating operations and pushing for efficiency gains.
Credit: DEGUSSA PHOTO
The nonpharmaceutical contract manufacturing sector has, like its drug-targeting counterpart, fallen on hard times. The economy, energy prices, Asian competition, and the shrinking market for agricultural chemicals in recent years have led to consolidation and a refocusing as companies pursue growth markets such as specialty polymers.
Custom processing of industrial chemicals is a diverse field. It includes small, independent firms such as Dixie Chemical and KMCO, as well as the contract manufacturing units of large, diversified chemical companies such as Dow Chemical, Degussa, and Clariant. Many have operations in major chemical centers such as Houston, while others operate in more remote areas like Galena, Kan.
They all, however, operate in the same economic environment as the customer base they share. For the past three years, that environment has been harsh.
"We are glad that 2003 is in the history books," says Philip A. Johnson, senior vice president and general manager of Dixie, which operates in Pasadena, Texas. Although sales were up more than 6% last year, Johnson says natural gas prices and raw material costs erased this gain from the bottom line. The firm is optimistic about continued growth in revenue this year, and has launched an efficiency campaign to mitigate the rising costs, he says.
Meanwhile, Houston-based KMCO saw a solid recovery in 2003 following unusually tough times beginning in 2001. Richard T. McDill, regional manager of custom processing, credits improvement in the economy and a general movement of the chemical industry out of its slump. KMCO invested in two large reactors last year.
Similar stories can be heard across the sector. Although the timing may differ from company to company, producers uniformly speak of good indications for improvement following a surprisingly severe downturn in business over the past three years. Consolidation, reorganization, and efficiency improvement measures--as well as some investment in capacity expansion--are under way to maximize profitability going forward.
"We didn't meet our targets for growth last year," says Simon Upfill-Brown, business director of Dow Haltermann Custom Processing, Dow's nonpharma contract business. "We were targeting 8% growth, but we achieved only 2%. You can say we were too optimistic. This year, we are targeting 5 to 6% growth."
Upfill-Brown says energy prices, the economy, and Asia factored into last year's performance, but the fate of a handful of important contracts also figured heavily. "We've had one or two projects in the last year in which we were expecting higher volumes and, for whatever reason, it didn't happen."
That phenomenon, according to Edward E. Greene, Dow Haltermann's commercial director, can have a big impact. "It's a project-driven business. The difference between 2% and 8% growth may come down to a couple of projects you thought you would land but you didn't."
TIMING AND SPEED are crucial in nonpharma contract work, Greene explains. "A lot has to come together for our customers ultimately to sell a product that we would make for them," he says. "And the speed with which things develop is very much different than with pharmaceutical work. You have to go from initial trials to 20 million lb in 90 days." Repeat business is also important, he says. It is best for the contractor if customers have several projects in the pipeline, so that there is work coming up behind anything that drops off.
Dow Haltermann sees an uptick at its large-scale processing operations, which include a plant in Antwerp, Belgium.
Credit: DOW HALTERMANN PHOTO
During the past two years, Dow Haltermann has consolidated operations, closing down its phosgene joint venture with SNPE and dismantling the plant. Assets that had been interspersed with Dow's fuel additives business in Houston were consolidated into one area of the facility.
Like many players in the field, Dow is separating pharma and nonpharma custom manufacturing assets. In January, the firm disbanded its custom and fine chemicals division, moving Dow Haltermann into specialty chemicals and Dowpharma into its Dow Ventures group.
Upfill-Brown says he is optimistic about business this year, noting an uptick in large-scale production in Houston and in Antwerp, Belgium, the firm's other large-volume production facility. "We have very rigorous pipeline management, and we are optimistic that a number of things in the pipeline will come through."
At Ruetgers Organics, the nonpharma contract unit of Ruetgers AG, speed and flexibility are highly prized. The company's competence in these areas has recently been put to the test, according to John Wetzel, director of fine chemicals.
As part of a project to cut capacity by 50%, Ruetgers consolidated operations this year at a 20-year-old plant in Augusta, Ga. In doing so, the firm closed its 47-year-old manufacturing operations in State College, Pa., transferring equipment and ongoing projects to the Augusta site, which was originally built to produce 2-chloro-pyridine but was converted to contract work in the 1980s.
"The downcycle of the business certainly figured into the decision to shut down the State College plant," Wetzel says. "We now have a plant in Augusta running at better than 85% capacity."
Wetzel says the company is hoping to limit its exposure to swings in the agchem market by growing other parts of the business, such as high-tech and specialty polymers. In recent years, he says, agricultural chemicals have accounted for as much as 85% of the company's business. They are now down to about 50%.
One of the company's key strengths, Wetzel says, is process development. The firm has landed several contracts because of its ability to design and build processes that cut time and cost out of production or that eliminate dangerous solvents, he says. A key component of Ruetger's processing toolbox is phase-transfer catalysis, Wetzel says. This year, the company added new high-pressure and high-temperature reaction capability with equipment that can handle up to 3,000 gal at a pressure as high as 600 psi.
Last year, the division introduced its first catalog product, polyphosphazene, a temperature-resistant, flexible material with aerospace and military applications. Ruetgers developed the product in partnership with Pennsylvania State University, according to Wetzel.
Georg Weichselbaumer, general manager of Clariant's nonpharma custom synthesis unit in Germany, says contract business has been stagnant if not declining in recent years. But things are picking up. And despite the fact that Clariant, like Ruetgers, is working to decrease its dependence on agricultural chemicals, part of the uptick is in agchem, Weichselbaumer says.
Still, agchem is a difficult business to rely on. "There are only three innovators left in Germany," he says, "Syngenta, Bayer, and BASF." Customers are also beginning to "in-source," according to Weichselbaumer. And while business is up this year--part of the "good news" is an outbreak of Asian rust fungus in South America--pricing is under constant pressure.
Clariant has also downsized, closing a facility in Rock Hill, S.C., and mothballing operations in Elgin, S.C. The company also consolidated its plants in Griesheim, Germany. Overall, Clariant cut staff in this area by 200 in 2003, a 20% reduction.
All of this has taken place as Clariant took on the task of integrating the contract manufacturing assets of British fine chemicals producer BTP, most of which are in the pharmaceutical arena. Clariant's custom synthesis business currently consists of three units--pharmaceutical, nonpharma custom synthesis, and specialty fine chemicals.
Weichselbaumer says the company contemplated setting up an operation in China as a means of competing against low-cost Asian suppliers. "We decided we were too late to establish something new there," he says. "There is enough steel in the ground in China."
Instead, India is Clariant's primary front line in dealing with Asia, and the company is planning to nearly double the size of its plant in Roha. Although the Indian plant is run to Clariant standards, Weichselbaumer acknowledges that customers concerned with "intellectual property, reliability, and cooperation" tend to prefer to work with the firm in the U.S. and Germany.
Korell
Cooperation is extremely important in nonpharmaceutical contract manufacturing, Weichselbaumer says. "Agchem is an especially cost-driven business. There is a huge effort on the part of the customer and supplier to jointly identify the potential for savings. Pharmaceutical customers are more focused on regulatory issues, and don't work as closely on the cost factor of the final molecule."
Wetzel
Credit: RUETGERS ORGANICS PHOTO
Upfill-Brown
DEGUSSA ESTABLISHED separate businesses for pharma and nonpharma contract work last year. According to Michael Korell, business development manager for the company's new Building Blocks business unit, the move can be viewed in the context of integrating Hüls, SKW Trostberg, and Laporte--all major acquisitions of the past four years, each with a contract manufacturing component. But ultimately, he says, splitting pharma and nonpharma contract work was a conscious decision on the part of Degussa to break up two businesses that had been managed as one.
In November, the firm announced the formation of the $1 billion nonpharma Building Blocks unit and a pharmaceutical contract chemical division half the size called Exclusive Synthesis & Catalysts. The new structure will allow the nonpharma group to concentrate on a business operation that is ultimately quite different from pharma contract work, Korell says.
"There are very few pharmaceutical products that reach a scale of 1,000 tons or more. This is not uncommon in the industrial field," he says. Speed to commercialization is also a major difference--drug products can take six to eight years to reach the market, while in the industrial area many products are commercialized in two to three years. "As a supplier to the industrial market, you have to be able to keep up with the pace of your customers," Korell says.
Agility must be matched with comprehensive reaction expertise, Korell adds, "but you also have to be selective. You have to decide which technologies make sense from an economic perspective. Not every technology that looks attractive from a scientific perspective will be suitable because of the costs associated with it."
Korell says Degussa focuses on areas where technological strength is matched with back integration and secure raw materials supply. These include malonates, cyanoacetates, orthoesters, cyanamids, and downstream derivatives.
Agricultural chemicals make up a small part of the Building Blocks portfolio, and Korell does not expect significant growth. Major markets are polymers and polymer additives for adhesives and coatings, textile chemicals, and flavor and fragrance ingredients. Electronic chemicals are also a growing part of the portfolio. "But the growth push is in materials--polymers and modification of polymers," Korell says. "That is where most of the growth in the industrial market will be in the future."
Degussa's Building Blocks division manufactures in Germany, the U.K., Spain, Belgium, and the U.S. Although Exclusive Synthesis shuttered a plant in Germany over the past year, Korell says Building Blocks has not had to close any facilities. There is, however, a steady process of consolidation within the plants, whereby the company evaluates the relative benefits of filling idle capacity or shutting it down and pushing for efficiency improvements to accommodate new work.
Korell says results fell below expectations in 2003, largely because of energy and related raw materials costs. On the other hand, the recent slump has had a positive effect because of its impact on customers. "There is steady business from companies that are having a tough time getting the funding to start new [manufacturing] projects," he says. "Some of the projects we are currently discussing with people are driven by the intention to consolidate and shut down facilities, to hold tight, or by the lack of funds for investment in new capabilities."
Ultimately, sources agree that the business of contract manufacturing is fraught with this kind of contradiction. Although fortunes are to some extent tied to the economy, project management and sheer chance can pull business in the opposite direction. "One thing in our business that I am absolutely sure about is that what we think is going to happen won't," Dow Haltermann's Upfill-Brown says. "Then something else comes through. That's very much the nature of the business. You have to be extremely flexible."
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line4015
|
__label__wiki
| 0.719307
| 0.719307
|
The Case for Civility, Class, and Not Being a Deliberate Jerk All the Time
November 14, 2018 By The Central Standard Times in Politics Tags: apologies, Boomer, Donald Trump, eyepatch, jet fighter pilot, John McCain, Krysten Sinema, Martha McSally, Pete Davidson, political discourse, Saturday Night Live, Sept. 11 1 Comment
In this ugly age of political discourse we’ve been heartened in the past week by one Republican candidate’s magnanimity in victory and another’s graciousness in defeat, and thus we temporarily hold out hope for our once Grand Old Party.
The first touching moment came during the National Broadcasting Company’s “Saturday Night Live” program, of all places. The show has satirically skewered even the most unobjectionable sorts of Republicans since it ridiculed the famously athletic and conventionally wise President Gerald Ford as a stumbling fool, and on the previous Saturday cast member Pete Davidson went on its “Weekend Update” segment to ridicule Republican Texas congressional nominee Dan Crenshaw’s eyepatch, saying that “he looks like a hit man in a porno movie.” It might be a good line if the eyepatch were a mere fashion statement, but as Davidson briefly acknowledged during the joke it was because former Navy Seal and Lt. Commander Crenshaw had lost an eye to an improvised explosive device during his third combat tour in Afghanistan, which killed a couple of his friends and fellow American warriors, and we were heartened to see that commentators on both the left and right agreed that the joke was in poor taste.
To his credit, and to the credit of the show, the smart-assed Davidson showed up on the “Weekend Update” segment of the past “Saturday Night Live” to offer an apparently sincere and quite fulsome apology on behalf of himself and the show. Davidson’s often amusing comic persona is that of an admittedly neurotic New Yorker, and he started by saying that “It will come as a huge shock to no one who knows me that I made a poor choice last week.” He also apologized to his mom for offending almost everyone in America, which led t9 one of the “Weekend Update” hosts getting a big laugh by agreeing that it must suck to be Davidson’s mom. Davidson then hoped that “if any good came of this, maybe it’s that for one day the left and right finally came together to agree on something, that I’m a dick.”
At that point Crenshaw himself sat down next to Davidson and said “D’ya think?,” which was probably the show’s biggest laugh line of the year. Davidson then introduced Crenshaw as a Naval Lt. Commander Navy Seal and congressman-elect and acknowledged his undeniable war heroism, then offered a personal and live-on-air apology, and Crenshaw then shook his hand and accepted the apology and told him that “we’re good.” Davidson and “Saturday Night Live” generously allowed Crenshaw a couple of jokes about Davidson’s looks, which Crenshaw took well advantage of in a good-natured way. Crenshaw then acknowledged the heroism of that smart-assed Davidson’s father, a New York City firefighter who died trying to save others in the September 11th terror attacks on the Twin Towers, and gave a nice brief talk about Americans coming together despite their differences.
The reviews were boffo from both the left and the right, and the YouTube video of the segment had more than seven million viewers the last time we checked, and thus a new Republican star was born. Crenshaw’s a pretty-hard line Republican on taxes and regulation and the military and the rest of the traditional Republican agenda as far we can tell, but he’s also distanced himself from Trump’s rhetoric about Muslims and Democrats and other scary Others, and he’s a telegenically handsome fellow with a manly beard and Navy Seal physique who could clearly whip Davidson or even Trump in a fair bar fight even with one eye, and that eyepatch only enhances his sensitive machismo appeal, so given his good-natured sense of humor he might just be the template for a Republican renaissance.
We were also impressed by the performance of Arizona’s Republican Senate candidate Martha McSally, who has some pretty impressive military credentials of her own as one of America’s first female combat jet pilots and a challenger in the courts to America’s policy of making American servicewomen obey Sharia law regarding women’s dress in Muslim countries, but nonetheless was defeated by a centrist Democratic woman with her own compelling autobiography of childhood homelessness and overcoming odds.
That race was exceedingly close and hotly contested, but when Arizona’s Republican establishment followed the law and the vote counts and declared Democratic nominee Krysten Sinema the winner McSally and her dog Boomer gave such a gracious concession speech that it became a YouTube hit and put her in good position to win the seat of dearly departed maverick Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain in just two years. The formerly centrist McSally’s belated and obviously insincere attempts to align herself with Trump didn’t serve her well in this election in usually Republican Arizona, when she was trying to replacing retiring incumbent and Trump critic Sen. Jeff Flake, but we have hope that she’ll do well in a couple of years when she tries to replace the recently deceased but bona fide war hero and outspoken Trump critic and “guy who got caught” McCain in that reliably old-fashioned Republican state of Arizona.
In the meantime, the take-no-prisoners and shoot-the-stragglers and never concede defeat or admit a mistake style of Trump’s Republican party will probably prevail. That party’s not lately getting any boffo reviews from both the left and right, though, and it seems to have taken a licking in the past midterm elections, but its fans are satisfied that at least it never concedes defeat or acknowledges a mistake. They’re currently spinning conspiracy theories about the inevitably close races down in wacky Florida, even though a scrupulously legal counting of the votes will probably yield Republican victories there, which would be all the more impressive without all the conspiracy theories.
In the long run, though, we believe the Grand Old Party would probably do better with magnanimity in victory and graciousness in defeat and a good-natured sense of humor along the way.
« What’s Happened Since Last Tuesday
A “First Step Act” Towards Justice »
M Norris says:
Like! Like! Like! So very refreshing! Reminiscent of the CST of years ago.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line4016
|
__label__wiki
| 0.803729
| 0.803729
|
Who is Patricia Krenwinkel?
Patricia Krenwinkel is an American criminal and former member of Charles Manson’s murderous cult, known as the “Family.” Patricia Krenwinkel who was convicted of murder in the first degree for her involvement in the Tate and LaBianca murders.
Patricia Krenwinkel was born in Los Angeles, California to a middle-class family. She attended High School in the Los Angeles area where she was routinely bullied and teased for being overweight and for an excessive growth of body hair precipitated by an endocrine condition. When her parents divorced she strongly considered becoming a nun and even enrolled at a Jesuit College in Mobile, Alabama. Within one semester; however, Patricia Krenwinkel dropped out and moved back to California where she lived in her step-sister’s apartment.
Patricia Krenwinkel involvement with Charles Manson
Patricia Krenwinkel first met Charles Manson in Manhattan Beach, California in 1967. Mesmerized by Manson’s charisma and charmed by his complements, Patricia Krenwinkel decided to move to San Francisco with Manson and two other girls, known as “Charlie’s Girls”.
As the Manson family grew, Patricia Krenwinkel and the other members went on a drug and sex-filled tour of the American west in an old school bus. When the hippie movement dissipated in 1969, Patricia Krenwinkel and the rest of the Family members opted to live in isolation from the rest of society. The eventually convinced a blind and elderly man, George Spahn, to allow them to love on his property. While the family converged and lived on Spahn’s ranch, Patricia Krenwinkel acted as a mother figure to the Family’s several illegitimate children.
Patricia Krenwinkel’s participation in the Family’s Murders:
Patricia Krenwinkel was a fundamental participant in the infamous murders that took place on August 9, 1969 at the home of actress Sharon Tate and director Roman Polanski. The murders began when a fellow Family member murdered teenager Steven Parent who was parked in a car in the estate’s driveway. After the murder, Patricia Krenwinkel and two other family members entered the house where mayhem ensued.
After entering, Patricia Krenwinkel dragged coffee heiress Abigail Folger from her bedroom to the living room, where she violently stabbed her. Folger escaped outside following the first bout of stabbing, only to be caught by Patricia Krenwinkel. When caught, Folger was brutally murdered by Patricia Krenwinkel on the front lawn of the estate.
After the Tate murder took place, Patricia Krenwinkel was a willing participant in the murders that occurred the following night. Along with Manson and a number of Family members, Patricia Krenwinkel went to the home of Southern California grocer Leno LaBianca and his wife, Rosemary. Manson tied the couple up and left the brutal slayings to Patricia Krenwinkel and two other members of the Family. After killing the couple, the killers stayed in the LaBianca’s home for a few hours where they ate and played with the deceased couple’s dogs, while Manson and the other Family members drove around Los Angeles looking for their next victim.
Patricia Krenwinkel’s Arrest and Trial:
After dodging numerous attempts by police to investigate the ranch (law enforcement officers initially brought the Family up on charges of auto theft) former Family member, Susan Atkins, who was in police custody, told her cellmate gruesome details revolving around the Tate and LaBianca murders. As a result of Atkins’ confessions, Patricia Krenwinkel was arrested near her aunt’s home in Mobile, Alabama on December 1, 1969. The following day, Patricia Krenwinkel was indicted for seven counts of first-degree murder and one count conspiracy to commit murder.
Following a nine month trial, Patricia Krenwinkel was convicted of all counts and sentenced to death on March 29, 1971. The death sentence imposed on Patricia Krenwinkel; however, was commuted to life in prison following the California Supreme Court’s decision which invalidated all death sentences imposed in California prior to 1972.
While in prison, Patricia Krenwinkel distanced herself from Manson and the family; she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Human Sciences and remains an active participant in the prison’s rehabilitative programs. Patricia Krenwinkel has been imprisoned longer than any woman in the history of California’s prison system.
The Case Profile of the Menendez Brothers Trial
Roth v. United States
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line4020
|
__label__wiki
| 0.535012
| 0.535012
|
CARA Search
A.I. document search
Search Techniques Toggle Dropdown
All State & Fed.JX
§FeaturesPricing
Greenman v. Yuba Power Products, Inc.
59 Cal. 2d 57 (Cal. 1963)
Copy Cite
ReadReadAttorney AnalysesAnalyses3Citing BriefsBriefs27Citing CasesCiting Cases803
Greenmanv.Yuba Power Products, Inc.
Check if overturned
Citing cases
Supreme Court of CaliforniaJan 24, 1963
59 Cal. 2d 57•377 P.2d 897•27 Cal. Rptr. 697•
Docket No. L.A. 26976.
January 24, 1963.
APPEALS from a judgment of the Superior Court of San Diego County. Robert W. Conyers, Judge. Affirmed.
Reed, Brockway Ruffin and William F. Reed for Plaintiff and Appellant.
Holt, Macomber, Graham Baugh and William H. Macomber for Defendant and Appellant.
Moss, Lyon Dunn, Gerold C. Dunn and Henry F. Walker as Amici Curiae on behalf of Defendant and Appellant.
No appearance for Defendant and Respondent.
TRAYNOR, J.
Plaintiff brought this action for damages against the retailer and the manufacturer of a Shopsmith, a combination power tool that could be used as a saw, drill, and wood lathe. He saw a Shopsmith demonstrated by the retailer and studied a brochure prepared by the manufacturer. He decided he wanted a Shopsmith for his home workshop, and his wife bought and gave him one for Christmas in 1955. In 1957 he bought the necessary attachments to use the Shopsmith as a lathe for turning a large piece of wood he wished to make into a chalice. After he had worked on the piece of wood several times without difficulty, it suddenly flew out of the machine and struck him on the forehead, inflicting serious injuries. About 10 1/2 months later, he gave the retailer and the manufacturer written notice of claimed breaches of warranties and filed a complaint against them alleging such breaches and negligence.
After a trial before a jury, the court ruled that there was no evidence that the retailer was negligent or had breached any express warranty and that the manufacturer was not liable for the breach of any implied warranty. Accordingly, it submitted to the jury only the cause of action alleging breach of implied warranties against the retailer and the causes of action alleging negligence and breach of express warranties against the manufacturer. The jury returned a verdict for the retailer against plaintiff and for plaintiff against the manufacturer in the amount of $65,000. The trial court denied the manufacturer's motion for a new trial and entered judgment on the verdict. The manufacturer and plaintiff appeal. Plaintiff seeks a reversal of the part of the judgment in favor of the retailer, however, only in the event that the part of the judgment against the manufacturer is reversed.
Plaintiff introduced substantial evidence that his injuries were caused by defective design and construction of the Shopsmith. His expert witnesses testified that inadequate set screws were used to hold parts of the machine together so that normal vibration caused the tailstock of the lathe to move away from the piece of wood being turned permitting it to fly out of the lathe. They also testified that there were other more positive ways of fastening the parts of the machine together, the use of which would have prevented the accident. The jury could therefore reasonably have concluded that the manufacturer negligently constructed the Shopsmith. The jury could also reasonably have concluded that statements in the manufacturer's brochure were untrue, that they constituted express warranties, and that plaintiff's injuries were caused by their breach.
In this respect the trial court limited the jury to a consideration of two statements in the manufacturer's brochure. (1) "When Shopsmith Is in Horizonal Position — Rugged construction of frame provides rigid support from end to end. Heavy centerless-ground steel tubing insurers perfect alignment of components." (2) "Shopsmith maintains its accuracy because every component has positive locks that hold adjustments through rough or precision work."
The manufacturer contends, however, that plaintiff did not give it notice of breach of warranty within a reasonable time and that therefore his cause of action for breach of warranty is barred by section 1769 of the Civil Code. Since it cannot be determined whether the verdict against it was based on the negligence or warranty cause of action or both, the manufacturer concludes that the error in presenting the warranty cause of action to the jury was prejudicial.
Section 1769 of the Civil Code provides: "In the absence of express or implied agreement of the parties, acceptance of the goods by the buyer shall not discharge the seller from liability in damages or other legal remedy for breach of any promise or warranty in the contract to sell or the sale. But, if, after acceptance of the goods, the buyer fails to give notice to the seller of the breach of any promise or warranty within a reasonable time after the buyer knows, or ought to know of such breach, the seller shall not be liable therefor."
[1] Like other provisions of the Uniform Sales Act (Civ. Code, §§ 1721-1800), section 1769 deals with the rights of the parties to a contract of sale or a sale. It does not provide that notice must be given of the breach of a warranty that arises independently of a contract of sale between the parties. [2] Such warranties are not imposed by the sales act, but are the product of common-law decisions that have recognized them in a variety of situations. (See Gagne v. Bertran, 43 Cal.2d 481, 486-487 [ 275 P.2d 15], and authorities cited; Peterson v. Lamb Rubber Co., 54 Cal.2d 339, 348 [ 5 Cal.Rptr. 863, 353 P.2d 575]; Klein v. Duchess Sandwich Co., Ltd., 14 Cal.2d 272, 276-283 [ 93 P.2d 799]; Burr v. Sherwin Williams Co., 42 Cal.2d 682, 695-696 [ 268 P.2d 1041]; Souza McCue Constr. Co., Inc. v. Superior Court, 57 Cal.2d 508, 510-511 [ 20 Cal.Rptr. 634, 370 P.2d 338].) It is true that in many of these situations the court has invoked the sales act definitions of warranties (Civ. Code, §§ 1732, 1735) in defining the defendant's liability, but it has done so, not because the statutes so required, but because they provided appropriate standards for the court to adopt under the circumstances presented. (See Clinkscales v. Carver, 22 Cal.2d 72, 75 [ 136 P.2d 777]; Dana v. Sutton Motor Sales, 56 Cal.2d 284, 287 [ 14 Cal.Rptr. 649, 363 P.2d 881].)
[3] The notice requirement of section 1769, however, is not an appropriate one for the court to adopt in actions by injured consumers against manufacturers with whom they have not dealt. ( La Hue v. Coca-Cola Bottling, Inc., 50 Wn.2d 645 [ 314 P.2d 421, 422]; Chapman v. Brown, 198 F. Supp. 78, 85, affd. Brown v. Chapman, 304 F.2d 149.) [4] "As between the immediate parties to the sale [the notice requirement] is a sound commercial rule, designed to protect the seller against unduly delayed claims for damages. As applied to personal injuries, and notice to a remote seller, it becomes a booby-trap for the unwary. The injured consumer is seldom `steeped in the business practice which justifies the rule,' [James, Product Liability, 34 Texas L. Rev. 44, 192, 197] and at least until he has had legal advice it will not occur to him to give notice to one with whom he has had no dealings." (Prosser, Strict Liability to the Consumer, 69 Yale L.J. 1099, 1130, footnotes omitted.) It is true that in Jones v. Burgermeister Brewing Corp., 198 Cal.App.2d 198, 202-203 [ 18 Cal.Rptr. 311], Perry v. Thrifty Drug Co., 186 Cal.App.2d 410, 411 [ 9 Cal.Rptr. 50], Arata v. Tonegato, 152 Cal.App.2d 837, 841 [ 314 P.2d 130], and Maecherlein v. Sealy Mattress Co., 145 Cal.App.2d 275, 278 [ 302 P.2d 331], the court assumed that notice of breach of warranty must be given in an action by a consumer against a manufacturer. Since in those cases, however, the court did not consider the question whether a distinction exists between a warranty based on a contract between the parties and one imposed on a manufacturer not in privity with the consumer, the decisions are not authority for rejecting the rule of the La Hue and Chapman cases, supra. ( Peterson v. Lamb Rubber Co., 54 Cal.2d 339, 343 [ 5 Cal.Rptr. 863, 353 P.2d 575]; People v. Banks, 53 Cal.2d 370, 389 [ 1 Cal.Rptr. 669, 348 P.2d 102].) [5] We conclude, therefore, that even if plaintiff did not give timely notice of breach of warranty to the manufacturer, his cause of action based on the representations contained in the brochure was not barred.
Moreover, to impose strict liability on the manufacturer under the circumstances of this case, it was not necessary for plaintiff to establish an express warranty as defined in section 1732 of the Civil Code. [6] A manufacturer is strictly liable in tort when an article he places on the market, knowing that it is to be used without inspection for defeets, proves to have a defect that causes injury to a human being. Recognized first in the case of unwholesome food products, such liability has now been extended to a variety of other products that create as great or greater hazards if defective. ( Peterson v. Lamb Rubber Co., 54 Cal.2d 339, 347 [ 5 Cal.Rptr. 863, 353 P.2d 575] [grinding wheel]; Vallis v. Canada Dry Ginger Ale, Inc., 190 Cal.App.2d 35, 42-44 [ 11 Cal.Rptr. 823] [bottle]; Jones v. Burgermeister Brewing Corp., 198 Cal.App.2d 198, 204 [ 18 Cal.Rptr. 311] [bottle]; Gottsdanker v. Cutter Laboratories, 182 Cal.App.2d 602, 607 [ 6 Cal.Rptr. 320] [vaccine]; McQuaide v. Bridgeport Brass Co., 190 F. Supp. 252, 254 [insect spray]; Bowles v. Zimmer Manufacturing Co., 277 F.2d 868, 875 [surgical pin]; Thompson v. Reedman, 199 F. Supp. 120, 121 [automobile]; Chapman v. Brown, 198 F. Supp. 78, 118, 119, affd. Brown v. Chapman, 304 F.2d 149 [skirt]; B.F. Goodrich Co. v. Hammond, 269 F.2d 501, 504 [automobile tire]; Markovich v. McKesson Robbins, Inc., 106 Ohio App. 265 [ 149 N.E.2d 181, 186-188] [home permanent]; Graham v. Bottenfield's, Inc., 176 Kan. 68 [ 269 P.2d 413, 418] [hair dye]; General Motors Corp. v. Dodson, 47 Tenn. App. 438 [ 338 S.W.2d 655, 661] [automobile]; Henningsen v. Bloomfield Motors, Inc., 32 N.J. 358 [ 161 A.2d 69, 76-84, 75 A.L.R. 2d 1] [automobile]; Hinton v. Republic Aviation Corp., 180 F. Supp. 31, 33 [airplane].)
"Any affirmation of fact or any promise by the seller relating to the goods is an express warranty if the natural tendency of such affirmation or promise is to induce the buyer to purchase the goods, and if the buyer purchases the goods relying thereon. No affirmation of the value of the goods, nor any statement purporting to be a statement of the seller's opinion only shall be construed as a warranty."
[7] Although in these cases strict liability has usually been based on the theory of an express or implied warranty running from the manufacturer to the plaintiff, the abandonment of the requirement of a contract between them, the recognition that the liability is not assumed by agreement but imposed by law (see e.g., Graham v. Bottenfield's, Inc., 176 Kan. 68 [ 269 P.2d 413, 418]; Rogers v. Toni Home Permanent Co., 167 Ohio St. 244 [ 147 N.E.2d 612, 614, 75 A.L.R. 2d 103]; Decker Sons v. Capps, 139 Tex. 609, 617 [ 164 S.W.2d 828, 142 A.L.R. 1479]), and the refusal to permit the manufacturer to define the scope of its own responsibility for defective products ( Henningsen v. Bloomfield Motors, Inc., 32 N.J. 358 [ 161 A.2d 69, 84-96, 75 A.L.R. 2d 1]; General Motors Corp. v. Dodson, 47 Tenn. App. 438 [ 338 S.W.2d 655, 658-661]; State Farm Mut. Auto Ins. Co. v. Anderson-Weber, Inc., 252 Iowa 1289 [ 110 N.W.2d 449, 455-456]; Pabon v. Hackensack Auto Sales, Inc., 63 N.J. Super. 476 [ 164 A.2d 773, 778]; Linn v. Radio Center Delicatessen, 169 Misc. 879 [6 N.Y.S.2d 110, 112]) make clear that the liability is not one governed by the law of contract warranties but by the law of strict liability in tort. [8] Accordingly, rules defining and governing warranties that were developed to meet the needs of commercial transactions cannot properly be invoked to govern the manufacturer's liability to those injured by its defective products unless those rules also serve the purposes for which such liability is imposed.
We need not recanvass the reasons for imposing strict liability on the manufacturer. They have been fully articulated in the cases cited above. (See also 2 Harper and James, Torts, §§ 28.15-28.16, pp. 1569-1574; Prosser, Strict Liability to the Consumer, 69 Yale L.J. 1099; Escola v. Coca Cola Bottling Co., 24 Cal.2d 453, 461 [ 150 P.2d 436], concurring opinion.) [9] The purpose of such liability is to insure that the costs of injuries resulting from defective products are borne by the manufacturers that put such products on the market rather than by the injured persons who are powerless to protect themselves. Sales warranties serve this purpose fitfully at best. (See Prosser, Strict Liability to the Consumer, 69 Yale L.J. 1099, 1124-1134.) [10] In the present case, for example, plaintiff was able to plead and prove an express warranty only because he read and relied on the representations of the Shopsmith's ruggedness contained in the manufacturer's brochure. Implicit in the machine's presence on the market, however, was a representation that it would safely do the jobs for which it was built. Under these circumstances, it should not be controlling whether plaintiff selected the machine because of the statements in the brochure, or because of the machine's own appearance of excellence that belied the defect lurking beneath the surface, or because he merely assumed that it would safely do the jobs it was built to do. It should not be controlling whether the details of the sales from manufacturer to retailer and from retailer to plaintiff's wife were such that one or more of the implied warranties of the sales act arose. (Civ. Code, § 1735) "The remedies of injured consumers ought not to be made to depend upon the intricacies of the law of sales." ( Ketterer v. Armour Co., 200 F. 322, 323; Klein v. Duchess Sandwich Co., Ltd., 14 Cal.2d 272, 282 [ 93 P.2d 799].) [11] To establish the manufacturer's liability it was sufficient that plaintiff proved that he was injured while using the Shopsmith in a way it was intended to be used as a result of a defect in design and manufacture of which plaintiff was not aware that made the Shopsmith unsafe for its intended use.
The manufacturer contends that the trial court erred in refusing to give three instructions requested by it. It appears from the record, however, that the substance of two of the requested instructions was adequately covered by the instructions given and that the third instruction was not supported by the evidence.
Gibson, C.J., Schauer, J., McComb, J., Peters, J., Tobriner, J., and Peek, J., concurred.
Copy with citation
Copy as parenthetical citation
Make your practice more effective and efficient with Casetext’s legal research suite.
Big firm
SmartCite
Law school access
© 2019 Casetext Inc.
Casetext, Inc. and Casetext are not a law firm and do not provide legal advice.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line4021
|
__label__wiki
| 0.978868
| 0.978868
|
COV News
Nigredo Hotel
Opera Canada review
The Lost Operas of Mozart
View Programme
About the Opera
Artist's Notes
Tobin Stokes
Curlew River / Sumidagawa
Emperor of Atlantis
The Librettist
The Cast and Company
The Presenters
Cast Bios
Production Team Bios
Sing-Along Carmina Burana
Soloists and Musicians
Concert and Recital Series
About City Opera
What is Chamber Opera?
Support City Opera
Other Opera Companies
The official piano of
City Opera Vancouver
Dr Charles Barber
Conductor & Artistic Director
Charles began piano at six, violin and trumpet at ten, at age 14 wrote a piano concerto, and at 15 conducted an orchestra. The following year he wrote his first film score, and his first musical.
He has since earned a Bachelor of Music, University of Victoria; Master of Arts, Stanford; and, Doctor of Musical Arts, Stanford. His graduate work concentrated on KPE Bach, Ziloti, Rachmaninoff, and Messiaen.
Dr Barber’s teachers include Carlos Kleiber, Andor Toth, George Corwin (conducting); Jaroslav Karlovsky, Bernard Zaslav (viola); Boris Zarry, Paul Kling (violin); Frona Colquhoun (piano); Leonard Ratner, Leland Smith (analysis); George Houle (early music); and Marty Paich (arranging).
Carlos Kleiber was among the greatest conductors of the century. Dr Barber studied with him from 1989 to Mr Kleiber’s death in 2004, receiving more than 200 letters, faxes, postcards and cartoons from him during the course of their 15-year correspondence.
In 2009 he participated in a BBC Radio 3 essay on the life and art of Carlos Kleiber, together with Plácido Domingo, Christine Lemke-Matvey, and Sir Peter Jonas, available at www.mediafire.com/?wn4lnykyqkk With Dame Felicity Lott, Thomas Hampson, Sir Peter Jonas, and Sir John Tooley, he was heard in a documentary about Kleiber produced by Jon Tolansky in 2014. It appears in 'Carlos Kleiber Complete Orchestral Recordings' with the Vienna Philharmonic (Deutsche Grammophon).
Dr Barber’s operatic and concert repertoire numbers some 230 works, and includes music of Verdi, Puccini, Mozart, Gilbert & Sullivan, Bernstein, Haydn, Handel, Messaien, Ravel, and principal composers of the Silver Age in Russia. Barber’s mentors in opera were Carlos Kleiber and Sir Charles Mackerras; his apprenticeship included Semele and Der Rosenkavalier (San Francisco Opera), and Makropoulos Case and Otello (Metropolitan Opera).
Barber has conducted in Canada and the United States, and on tour in South Korea, Singapore, Japan, Morocco and Spain. His popular repertoire includes Fledermaus, Merry Widow, Countess Maritza, Guys and Dolls, West Side Story, Most Happy Fella, Fanny, Merrily We Roll Along, Orpheus in the Underworld, Man of La Mancha, Crazy for You, and Kiss Me Kate.
For ten years he was assistant to Los Angeles composer and arranger Marty Paich on recording projects with Linda Ronstadt, Carly Simon and Mel Tormé, and on the films Prince of Tides, Alive, Flatliners, Grand Canyon, Dave, The Fugitive, and Wyatt Earp. Barber has also conducted for Stan Getz, Dan Hicks, Weslia Whitfield, Francis Ford Coppola, and Sarah Vaughn.
He has been published by Oxford University Press, Cambridge UP, Yale UP, Greenwood Press, and Carnegie Hall, and authored or co-authored 90 entries in New Grove. His book Lost in the Stars: The Forgotten Musical Life of Alexander Siloti, was published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2002. Through Carl Fischer, he released The Alexander Siloti Collection: Editions, Transcriptions, and Arrangements. Marking the 150th anniversary of its founding, Lost in the Stars was translated and published in Russian by the Moscow Conservatory of Music in June 2016.
Barber's book, Corresponding With Carlos: A Biography of Carlos Kleiber, released by Rowman & Littlefield in 2011, appeared in paperback in 2014. In 2015 it was published in Korean, with a German edition now being translated. The Guardian called the book "astonishing", and BBC Music Magazine "fascinating".
Dr Barber served as Music Advisor to the BBC in its award-winning film documentary set, The Art of Conducting. While a Visiting Assistant Professor at Stanford, he launched the Stanford Archive of Conductors on Film: over 2000 hours of film of 300 conductors in rehearsal, concert and opera, from 1896 to the present.
He has also served as producer for Naxos Records. In 1997 he created American Classics, a series that now has over 300 CDs in release. Ten years later he created Canadian Classics, a series that launched in 2011 and surveys Canadian art music from 1800 to the present.
Barber has been involved in the invention of nine new operas. In 2012 he conducted the world premiere of Fallujah, with music by Tobin Stokes and libretto by Heather Raffo. It has now also received three American productions. Barber conceived City Opera’s first commission, Pauline, with an original story and libretto by Margaret Atwood. In 2014 he led its first performance in a run of five sold-out nights at the York Theatre in Vancouver, and in 2015 its first performance in Québec. He led construction and premiere of The Lost Operas of Mozart (2016), the commission of Missing (2017), and the Vancouver premiere of Nigredo Hotel (2018).
“I never write letters of recommendation, so this is an exception. Charles Barber is a scholar and a conductor who adores and understands music. We have become friends, and he pretends to believe that I have taught him something.”
~~~ Carlos Kleiber, 1997
“I will go quite far around the block for Charles, because he works for nothing,” remarks Atwood, explaining why she decided to collaborate with a little-known organization based on the other side of the country. “He’s completely dedicated to making operas. You rarely encounter anybody quite like that.”
~~~ Margaret Atwood, 2014
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line4023
|
__label__cc
| 0.600834
| 0.399166
|
Uchiwa Quilt Lounge Chair
from Hay
FREE delivery to United Kingdom in 10 - 12 weeks.
Download Technical sheet (pdf)
Uchiwa is a capacious armchair, taking its soft and open shape from the traditional Japanese hand fan.
Back upholstery
Linara FR Abelia 2494/415
Wood Black Oak
Solid oak
Front upholstery
Package depth
Package height
Polypropylene with moulded polyurethane foam
Generous and inviting, new and familiar at the same time, the armchair comes in two upholstered versions: in a softer quilted model for a more domestic environment and in moulded foam for a more demanding contract context. The base is available in natural or stained oak.
Doshi Levien
Doshi Levien is a London based design studio founded in 2000 by Nipa Doshi (b. 1971) and Jonathan Levien (b. 1972). Doshi grew up in India and studied at the National Institute of Design, while Jonathan, who is from Scotland, trained in fine cabinet making followed by industrial design. They met while studying at the Royal College of Art. They have established a strong reputation for creating design that is both technically advanced and imbued with cultural resonance. They have been internationally acclaimed for their work and in 2008 were awarded the prestigious Future Legends of Design by the Cooper Hewitt National Museum of Design in New York. Together, they bring to bear a complimentary set of skills to the projects they work on. Doshi is primarily concerned with visual culture, an aesthetic understanding of the world and the materiality of things, while Levien is more focused on industrial precision and technique. They have worked on projects for industry leading companies and institutions in the fields of furniture, fashion, homewares, technology and lighting. For HAY, they have created the Uchiwa Lounge Chair.
Danish inspired furniture and accessories for modern living
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line4026
|
__label__wiki
| 0.861555
| 0.861555
|
Weekend Estimates: 'The Boss' ($23.48M) & 'Batman v Superman' ($23.44M) in Tight Race for First Place; 'Hardcore Henry' ($5.10M) Arrives SoftlyApril 10, 2016 09:42 AM
It was an extremely close race between Universal's The Boss and Warner's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice for first place this weekend. The Boss is currently estimated to come out ahead with $23.48 million, but with an estimated lead of only $45,000, either film could ultimately end up in first place this weekend.
Regardless of whether or not it ends up in first place this weekend, The Boss outpaced expectations and performed well with its modest price tag in mind. The Melissa McCarthy led R-rated comedy also proved to be critic-proof this weekend. The film's opening weekend performance was 9 percent ahead of the $21.58 million opening weekend of 2014's Tammy (though it should be noted that Tammy's opening weekend take was softened by a Wednesday debut) and 19 percent below the $29.09 million debut of last year's Spy (it should be noted that The Boss had been widely expected to open below Spy). With this weekend's performance of The Boss, McCarthy continues to remain one of the more consistent box office draws in recent years. McCarthy will next appear in Sony's Ghostbusters, which arrives on July 15.
The Boss started out with $8.11 million on Friday (which included an estimated $985,000 from Thursday night shows), increased a healthy 20 percent on Saturday to take in $9.73 million and is estimated to decline 42 percent on Sunday to gross $5.64 million. That gave the film an estimated opening weekend to Friday ratio of 2.90 to 1. The Boss skewed heavily toward female moviegoers (67 percent) and slightly towards moviegoers under the age of 35 (51 percent). Audience reception to The Boss appears to be lackluster as the film received a C+ rating on CinemaScore and current has a Flixster audience score of just 50 percent. With that in mind, it's quite possible that The Boss won't hold up as well going forward as McCarthy's previous hits have. On the other hand, the film's mentioned strong Saturday hold is an early encouraging sign.
After leading the box office for the past two weeks Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice fell to a close second place this weekend with an estimated $23.44 million. The blockbuster 3D superhero film starring Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill continued to fall off sharply, as the film was down 54 percent from last weekend. Batman v Superman is now on the verge of reaching the $300 million domestic mark with a 17-day take of $296.69 million. However, as a result of its soft holding power thus far, Batman v Superman is now running just 1 percent ahead of the $294.51 million 17-day take of last year's Furious 7 (which fell 51 percent in its third weekend to gross $29.16 million). With that in mind, Batman v Superman will soon fall behind the pace of Furious 7, especially with Disney's highly anticipated The Jungle Book entering the marketplace this coming Friday.
While Batman v Superman continued to decline sharply this weekend, Disney's Zootopia continued to display strong holding power with an estimated third place take of $14.35 million. The blockbuster 3D computer animated film was down just 26 percent from last weekend. Without taking into account ticket price inflation, Zootopia registered the eighth largest sixth weekend gross of all-time. Zootopia is also on the verge of reaching the $300 million domestic mark with a 38-day take of $296.01 million. The film is now running just 8 percent behind the $320.39 million 38-day take of last year's Inside Out and will continue to make up ground in that comparison going forward. Zootopia already has a current total gross to opening weekend ratio of 3.94 to 1.
Universal's My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 placed in fourth with an estimated $6.42 million. The PG-13 rated comedy sequel starring and written by Nia Vardalos was down 43 percent, as the film took a hit from the debut The Boss this weekend. My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 continues to perform towards the higher end of expectations with a 17-day take of $46.75 million. That places the film 6 percent behind the $49.59 million 17-day gross of last year's The Intern (which fell just 26 percent in its third weekend to take in $8.68 million). My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 will hope to re-stabilize next weekend with the debut of The Boss behind it.
Hardcore Henry rounded out the weekend's top five with an estimated $5.10 million. The low-budget action film from STX Entertainment opened below pre-release expectations and delivered a lackluster per-location average of $1,690 from just 3,015 locations. The trailer for Hardcore Henry had gone over well, especially online, but that reception ultimately failed to get moviegoers to see the film this weekend. Hardcore Henry delivered the lowest debut for STX Entertainment to date in the distributor's young history. The film opened with $2.01 million on Friday (which included an estimated $380,000 from Thursday night shows), declined a concerning 7 percent on Saturday to gross $1.87 million and is estimated to slide 35 percent on Sunday to take in $1.22 million. That places the film's estimated opening weekend to Friday ratio at a fairly front-loaded 2.54 to 1. Much like The Boss, Hardcore Henry doesn't appear to be going over all that well with moviegoers. Hardcore Henry also received a C+ rating on CinemaScore and has a respectable current Flixster audience score of 66 percent.
Faith-based films Miracles from Heaven and God's Not Dead 2 claimed sixth and seventh place with respective estimated takes of $4.80 million and $4.05 million. Sony's Miracles from Heaven was down a very solid 34 percent this weekend, while God's Not Dead 2 was down a sizable 47 percent. Miracles from Heaven passed the $50 million mark this weekend and continues to perform nicely with $53.81 million in 26 days. God's Not Dead 2 has been far less impressive with $13.84 million in ten days and clearly isn't duplicating the word of mouth or the performance of its predecessor, 2014's God's Not Dead, which grossed $21.75 million in its first ten days after falling just 4.5 percent in its second weekend to take in $8.80 million.
Daily Domestic Gross Fri, Mar. 16 2012
Wide (1000+)
Fri, Mar. 16 2012
Wks.
1 21 Jump Street $13,239,489 -- 3,121 -- $4,242 $13,239,489 1 Sony / Columbia
2 Dr. Seuss' The Lorax $6,784,200 98% 3,769 23 $1,800 $142,407,215 3 Universal
3 John Carter $3,968,487 89% 3,749 0 $1,059 $43,625,940 2 Disney
4 Project X (2012) $1,545,145 60% 2,922 -133 $529 $45,670,991 3 Warner Bros.
5 Act of Valor $1,143,216 81% 2,765 -186 $413 $59,863,585 4 Relativity Media
6 A Thousand Words $1,130,794 120% 1,895 5 $597 $9,483,615 2 Paramount
7 Safe House $825,600 83% 1,920 -224 $430 $118,318,695 6 Universal
8 The Vow $760,355 88% 2,175 -303 $350 $119,823,610 6 Sony / Screen Gems
9 This Means War $760,279 99% 1,660 -289 $458 $49,160,061 5 Fox
10 Silent House (2012) $733,221 85% 2,124 0 $345 $9,224,965 2 Open Road
11 Journey 2: The Mysterious Island $717,764 46% 1,935 -590 $371 $93,323,450 6 Warner Bros. / New Line
12 Tyler Perry's Good Deeds $401,346 83% 1,016 -500 $395 $31,757,679 4 Lionsgate
13 The Artist $306,795 47% 1,155 -350 $266 $41,372,214 17 Weinstein Company
14 Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance $268,125 29% 1,024 -780 $262 $49,150,517 5 Sony / Columbia
Limited (100 — 999)
1 Casa de mi Padre $780,056 -- 382 -- $2,042 $780,056 1 Lionsgate / Pantelion
2 Friends With Kids $457,287 163% 640 271 $715 $3,187,269 2 Roadside Attractions
3 Jeff Who Lives at Home $269,351 -- 254 -- $1,060 $269,351 1 Paramount Vantage
4 Wanderlust $171,025 0% 698 -522 $245 $16,395,125 4 Universal
5 Chronicle $153,093 51% 432 -163 $354 $62,823,054 7 Fox
6 Hugo $135,770 124% 383 70 $354 $72,642,450 17 Paramount
7 The Iron Lady $119,530 82% 456 9 $262 $28,308,801 12 Weinstein Company
8 Gone $101,005 8% 476 -668 $212 $11,193,099 4 Summit
9 The Descendants $88,328 46% 347 -170 $255 $81,793,139 18 Fox Searchlight
10 The Woman in Black $84,214 60% 305 -128 $276 $53,316,373 7 CBS Films
11 Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked $81,583 68% 286 -1 $285 $131,453,535 14 Fox
12 Seeking Justice $75,712 -- 231 -- $328 $75,712 1 Anchor Bay Films
13 Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol $71,351 83% 229 0 $312 $208,616,662 14 Paramount
14 The Grey $44,823 213% 219 68 $205 $51,062,105 8 Open Road
15 Big Miracle $42,480 124% 236 -2 $180 $19,703,930 7 Universal
16 We Bought a Zoo $41,566 66% 188 -40 $221 $74,808,372 13 Fox
17 Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace 3D $35,351 1% 156 -102 $227 $43,005,592 6 Fox
18 Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows $28,556 57% 125 -83 $228 $186,620,169 14 Warner Bros.
19 Red Tails $25,734 118% 152 -26 $169 $49,414,783 9 Fox
20 The Adventures of Tintin $24,822 1% 123 -30 $202 $77,508,585 13 Paramount
21 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) $21,401 -- 108 -103 $198 $102,465,227 13 Sony / Columbia
22 One For the Money $20,713 539% 112 48 $185 $26,153,582 8 Lionsgate
23 Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close $12,638 7% 105 -97 $120 $31,769,973 13 Warner Bros.
Platform (1 — 99)
1 Salmon Fishing in the Yemen $120,444 486% 62 44 $1,943 $428,844 2 CBS Films
2 Joyful Noise $89,689 1245% 65 -38 $1,380 $30,899,358 10 Warner Bros.
3 Born to Be Wild 3D $54,228 48% 40 0 $1,356 $17,185,818 50 Warner Bros. / IMAX
4 Being Flynn $41,767 805% 88 76 $475 $161,753 3 Focus
5 Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy $29,286 49% 86 -23 $341 $24,031,027 15 Focus
6 Undefeated $13,713 153% 21 8 $653 $291,772 5 Weinstein Company
7 The Devil Inside $11,207 3587% 77 67 $146 $53,217,743 11 Paramount
8 Coriolanus $10,039 71% 21 2 $478 $507,517 9 Weinstein Company
9 Albert Nobbs $8,759 40% 48 3 $182 $2,823,142 8 Roadside Attractions
10 My Week with Marilyn $8,237 -13% 50 -70 $165 $14,536,675 17 Weinstein Company
11 W.E. $7,146 62% 20 -4 $357 $409,409 7 Weinstein Company
12 Haywire $4,347 -26% 69 -13 $63 $18,924,942 9 Relativity Media
13 Paan Singh Tomar $866 65% 5 0 $173 $36,303 3 UTV Communications
14 Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya $254 -76% 3 -7 $85 $176,422 4 UTV Communications
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line4029
|
__label__cc
| 0.655865
| 0.344135
|
Level The Field
About Charity Ball
Charity Ball Founder
Recipient Map
Ball Request Application
The More Beautiful Fund
Giving Back: 500 Soccer Balls to Kids in Brazil
By CharityBall Ball Deliveries, Uncategorized
Two weeks ago I hopped a plane and flew to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, one of the recent host cities for the 2014 World Cup. Without a doubt, Rio is one of the coolest cities I’ve ever visited. The style, the people, the vibe, the love of soccer/football – it’s all amazing. So much of the culture resonates with who I am as a person. I hope to get back there in the near future for an extended period of time to explore and learn more about the Brazilian way of life.
I learned that there two stereotypical perceptions of Rio; a exotic beach-city, or an illegitimate slum city. A majority of the people who live in the favelas are operating below the national poverty line and make less than $2,000 a year. While there definitely is a discrepancy between the metropolitan city, right off Copacabana beach, and the favelas on the outskirts, the truth is they’re both full of beautiful people who all have the same love & passion for the Beautiful Game.
Shortly after arriving we met up with our film crew. Brian Sewell was the production manager and a really great guy to work with. We loaded up a few vans and headed to the famous Salaron Steps to take some photos and shoot some B-roll for a video that will be released by Johnson & Johnson very soon. My bro, Jade, and I juggled and passed the ball around on top of the steps while the crew grabbed some footage. The steps were super-cool and a neat little enclave in the maze of city streets.
After finishing up at the steps, we traveled to a small bay area across from Sugar Loaf Mountain. This is one of the well-known landmarks in Rio. We shot some more footage and then headed over to Copacabana beach. Copacabana is awesome. It’s lined with sand soccer fields as far as the eye can see, as well as soccer-volleyball nets. I remember seeing glimpses of it on TV during the World Cup. We shot a few more scenes and called it a day.
The next morning was the main event. We got up early and headed to the center of the city. Charity Ball, Johnson & Johnson and Saúde Criança, (a local NGO that helps families break the cycle of poverty) hosted a special event for kids where we hand-delivered new Charity Balls. 500 kids who live in favelas received their own new soccer ball. I was really impressed with the collaboration and how the event was organized. It was excellent.
However, the best part was meeting the kids and seeing the anticipation on their faces as they arrived and waited to receive their new ball. The event was sweet. There was music, laughter, games, celebration, and I even got to dance with some of the Brazilian teenage girls. Not too bad.
The event wrapped up around 3pm and we headed over to see the Christ The Redeemer Statue. Apart from delivering the soccer balls to the kids, this had to be one of the coolest moments of the trip. Looking out across the skyline, seeing the city, the beach, the favelas, and the Maracana World Cup stadium was fantastic.
The real eye-opener came on the final day. We were able to connect with a guy by the name of Zezinho who actually lives in Rocinha, the largest mountain-side favela in Rio.
We all jumped on a bus and headed to the top. This time we chose a different tactic for hand-delivering balls. Zezinho knows a lot of the kids in Rocinha and helped us identify which ones would truly benefit from a gift like this. The first boy we gave a ball to couldn’t believe it. His name was Felipe. When I asked him if he wanted a new soccer ball, I could tell he didn’t think I was serious. I smiled, reached inside my case and grabbed a new Adidas soccer ball. As I began to inflate it, his face lit up with excitement. When I had finished and handed him the ball, his jaw dropped to the ground. He kept saying thank you over and over. I was personally moved by how grateful he was. It’s one of the moments where the power of generosity effects the person giving as much as the person who is receiving.
We hand-delivered 27 balls that day. 527 in all.
Special thanks to: Katie Couric, Johnson & Johnson, Alex Holland, Kelly Planer, Brian Walker, our friends at Saúde Criança, Wade Berger, Zezinho and The Dress Code Family in New York.
The Huffington Post invited me to write a an article about “What I learned about Love through Giving.” You can catch it here.
Campaign Login
Charity Ball is a soccer charity that provides new, quality soccer balls to kids in poverty-stricken communities around the world.
© 2019 Charity Ball. All Rights Reserved. Charity Ball is a 501(c)(3) organization based in the United States. Privacy Policy
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line4030
|
__label__wiki
| 0.778078
| 0.778078
|
Sam Middleton and others gather for Land Report Magazine article on T. D. Kelsey.
Eric O’Keefe, Henry Chappell, T.D. Kelsey and Sam Middleton gather for an upcoming Land Report Magazine article at Kelsey’s Ranch in his art gallery. Photo by Wyman Meinzer.
Sam Middleton along with other ranching names gathered together at T.D. Kelsey’s home for a future featured article for Land Report Magazine. Eric O’Keefe, editor for the Land Report Magazine, will be covering Kelsey’s life, ranch and artwork in the article set to run in the upcoming April issue. In his ranch home near Guthrie, Texas, Kelsey boasts an impressive gallery of his work.
Sam Middleton, owner and broker of Chas S Middleton and Son, sold Kelsey his ranch in King County, Texas. Middleton, who proudly displays two of Kelsey’s sculptures in his office, made the introductions between Kelsey, O’Keefe and Henry Chappell, a writer for Land Report Magazine, and well known nature photographer, Wyman Meinzer.
Meinzer also has his own ties with Middleton, doing photography and videography for several high end properties listed with the company. As a writing and photography pair, Meinzer and Chappell have partnered on several occasions including Under One Fence: The Waggoner Ranch legacy. The Waggoner Ranch is a historic ranching property also connected to Middleton who jointly brokered the sale of the ranch back in 2016 at a listed price of $725,000,000, which remains the largest contiguous ranch property sale in the United States. The property encompasses approximately 535,000 acres. Eric O’Keefe’s Land Report Magazine describes the Waggoner Ranch sale as the “Deal of the Century”.
T.D. Kelsey sculptures at Chas S Middleton and Son offices.
T.D. Kelsey
T.D. Kelsey is known for his intense, impressionistic sculptures that capture the spirit of his subjects. Since 1979, Kelsey has been devoted full time to his art work. An avid traveler, T.D. has visited many countries on every continent except Antarctica, drawing and sculpting people and animals from all corners of the world in addition to his western subjects. Kelsey’s work is found in private and public collections worldwide. He is a member emeritus of the Cowboy Artists of America, fellow of the National Sculpture Society and was honored with a one-man show at the Thomas Gilcrease Museum where he has work on permanent display. He also has sculptures on permanent display at the ProRodeo Hall of Champions Museum, the C.M. Russell Museum, the National Museum of Wildlife Art, The Colorado Historical Museum, The Texas Interpretive Center, the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, the Briscoe Museum, the Old Town Museum in Elk City, Oklahoma, Owensboro of Fine Art and two museums in Spain.
Eric O’Keefe
Eric O’Keefe is the co-founder and editor of the American Landowner, Land Report Magazine and LandReport.com. He is a frequent contributor to The New York Times. His analysis and opinions have been chronicled in The Times, The Wall Street Journal, Investor’s Business Daily and on such programs as Entertainment Tonight and Fox Business, among others.
Henry Chappell
Henry Chappell is a prolific and award-winning outdoors and wildlife author who serves as a contributing writer for Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine. He also regularly writes for Texas Wildlife and has authored two novels, The Callings and Blood Kin.
Wyman Meinzer
Wyman Meinzer is a nature photographer who boasts the title of the official State Photographer of Texas. He has published 17 photography books as well as having over 250 published magazine covers to his name.
Sam Middleton
Sam Middleton is the owner of Chas S Middleton and Son, a farm and ranch real estate firm founded by his grandfather in 1920. The company represents both buyers and sellers in land purchases as well as rural appraisals covering a wide geography in Texas, New Mexico, Kansas, Colorado and Oklahoma. Sam Middleton has enjoyed a 48-year career and is now grooming his son Charlie to take over as the fourth generation.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line4031
|
__label__cc
| 0.615557
| 0.384443
|
Home Chicago-Pulse LeBron James agrees to four-year, $153.3 million deal with Lakers
LeBron James agrees to four-year, $153.3 million deal with Lakers
By Ohm Youngmisuk, ESPN
LeBron James’ next NBA chapter will be set on the West Coast.
James will be playing for the Los Angeles Lakers on a four-year, $153.3 million contract. He will try to bring the storied franchise another championship.
The announcement was made through his agency, Klutch Sports Group, which announced the deal as $154 million.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported that the fourth year is a player option. It is the longest deal James has signed since inking a six-year contract with the Miami Heat in 2010. His previous three deals were three years or shorter.
Read more at http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/23967725/lebron-james-joining-los-angeles-lakers-4-year-1533-million-deal
Previous articleThe shrinking and growth of Black media
Next articleJoe Jackson raised a family of pop stars, but he didn’t die rich. Here’s what we know about his money.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line4034
|
__label__cc
| 0.695986
| 0.304014
|
Tax Reform’s Impact On Businesses
February 28, 2018 by Haik Chilingaryan Business Planning, Tax Planning
Prior to tax reform, the C-corporation tax rates ranged from 15 to 35 percent. Under the new law, there is a 21% flat rate. Also under the new law, there is this new deduction known as the Qualified Business Income deduction that is available for Pass-Through Businesses.
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, otherwise known as the GOP tax reform bill, largely went into effect on January 1, 2018. If utilized properly, the new law can be significantly beneficial for business owners. To understand how the new laws can be beneficial for business owners, it’s important to be familiar with the two types of businesses that can have an impact on the taxation of a business entity.
Taxation of a Business Entity
One way is for the entity to be structured as a C-corporation, in which case the income generated from the business may be taxed twice. For example, the corporation gets taxed at the corporate level upon earning a profit, then after the corporation makes a distribution to the shareholders, the shareholders also pay taxes on their individual tax returns. This concept is known as double-taxation. Under the new law, all the C-corporations will pay a 21% tax on their corporate profits.
The second way businesses are taxed is that instead of the tax being paid at the business level and then again at the individual level, the profits and losses pass through and get taxed at the individual level only. This is especially significant now since the individual rates are set to expire on December 31, 2025, but the 21% rate for C-corporations is permanent.
“Qualified Business Income” Deduction for Pass-Through Businesses
Under the new code, there is a special provision which allows the owners of pass-through entities to benefit from additional tax breaks that are afforded to pass-through entities.
For purposes of the tax law, the following entities qualify as pass-through businesses: sole proprietorships, partnerships, S-corporations, LLCs, trusts, and estates. However, there are different tax consequences for disregarded entities. For these types of business owners, all of their income may be considered as qualified business income.
In essence, what the new law says is that if you have a pass-through entity, you may generally receive a 20% deduction on the Qualified Business Income (QBI). For pass-through entities, the portion of the profits that the business owner is entitled to after he receives a reasonable compensation for his services is deemed as qualified business income. For example, you may consider the portion of the income that comes in the form of W-2s, meaning wages, and the portion of the profits that qualify as business income, such as in the form of K-1. The portion of the income that represents the wages does not fall within the realm of QBI; whereas the portion of the business income that is in the form of K-1 may fall within the realm of the QBI.
QBI Requirements
In order to qualify for the QBI discount and to determine the extent to which the QBI deduction will save the taxpayer on the discount, we must first determine the nature of the underlying business. There are two categories of businesses that qualify for this discount: specified service businesses and all other businesses that are not classified as specified service businesses.
What is a Specified Service Businesses?
For purposes of this tax code, a specified service business is any business – involving performance of the services in the fields of health, law, accounting, actuarial science, performing arts, consulting, athletics, financial services, brokerage services – or any trade or service where the main asset of the business is the reputation or skill of one or more of its employees. Note, however, that architects and engineers are exempt from this category.
The Three-Tier System
For married couples who file their taxes jointly, to fall within the first Tier, the threshold for the married couple’s total taxable income may not exceed $315,000; Tier 2 is between $315,001 and $415,000; Tier 3 is any amount that is in excess of $415,000.
For single filers to fall within the first Tier, the threshold for the single filer’s total taxable income may not exceed $157,500; Tier 2 is between $157,501 and $207,500; Tier 3 is any amount that is in excess of $207,500.
How Do You Qualify for the QBI Deduction?
If your total taxable income falls in Tier 1, regardless of whether you’re a specified service business or not, you may receive a deduction. If your business falls in Tier 2, the amount of the deduction you get is generally reduced. If you are in Tier 3, depending on whether you are a specified service business or not, your deduction is either limited or you don’t get a deduction at all.
How Does the QBI Deduction Apply?
Assuming that the taxpayer qualifies for the discount and he falls within Tier 1, then the 20% discount would apply on the portion of the business income. This means that the taxpayer who earns $100,000 on his business income may pay tax only on the $80,000 of such profits. If we assume that the taxpayer falls within the 24% tax bracket, then the taxpayer would pay the 24% rate on the $80,000, not the $100,000. As such, instead of paying $24,000, the taxpayer would now pay $19,200 on the portion of the business income.
Important Note: Chilingaryan Law or its affiliates are not rendering legal, financial, or tax advice by providing the content above. No attorney-client relationship is formed based on the information provided above. The above content is designated only for educational use. Accordingly, Chilingaryan Law assumes no liability whatsoever in reliance to its use. Additionally, certain changes in law may affect on the legality of the information provided above, and certain circumstances of the reader may vary the applicability of the above content to his or her situation.
by Haik ChilingaryanDecember 17, 2017
Sell Your Property And Pay Taxes Later
Tax Planning Is More Than Just Tax Filing
by Haik ChilingaryanMay 15, 2018
Another Blow Delivered To Business Owners By California, This Time On The Classification Of Independent Contractors
by Haik ChilingaryanSeptember 30, 2018
New Deduction For Pass-Through Entities
Tax Planning Is More Than Just Tax FilingPrevious Post
Income Shifting StrategiesNext Post
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line4035
|
__label__cc
| 0.675792
| 0.324208
|
Podcast Episode 50 - Our First Visit to Liberty University
Blog Article
We are publishing this podcast out of our regular schedule (and order) to update you about our trip to Liberty University.
It was a whirlwind of an exciting trip! We were so blown away by so many things about that university- the campus, but especially the students, their professionalism, and their passion to serve the church. It seems like sometimes you meet people that have learned to conduct themselves well and are invested in a great mission, but it was outstanding to see it spread across the entire student body, almost universally.
We got to introduce some students to the concept that they can do tech work in churches - it felt like we ambassadors for churches to introduce this concept to them. And it was intresting that when we talked about sacrifices you might sometimes have to work to be in the nonprofit or church space, their interest level actually seemed to increase, not decrease.
Letʼs recap what we did:
We talked at a "TEC Club". This was our first interaction to students outside of the students we are working with on their capstone projects. They got so comfortable when we started talking about the spiritual parts of the job, it was almost like talking at a church. That really changed the conversation- to be able to challenge them to think about "Why WOULDN'T you work with a church and work to draw people closer to Christ" at a computer club and watch them engage and conenct with that, was unexpected and wonderful. Jon drew the parallel for them of the Roman Empire Roads - at the time, that was the height of technology. And God through the Church leveraged that technology to really spread the Gospel in ways not possible to that date. Connect that to today and the availability of the Internet and the ability to spread the Gospel that way, and we really think that churches should be taking advantage of all of the tools at our disposal.
The first night we met with the executives of the University in a small setting. Many of the other attendees were from secular companies, so there were some interesting aspects of what they were sharing as well. But the contrast was stark- they still had the "take" mentality whereas we were sitting there wondering, "how else can we help you"? Obviously thereʼs a little of each on both sides, but the approach was really different.
The next day we got to get inside the actual classroom. They invited several different programs (majors) to come and sit in on the session, meaning that other professors were willing to give up their class time for their students to listen to the "Rock Team" for 90 minutes. And that was an experience- the students are so thoughtful and well-intentioned.
Then we went to a career fair where students could come up to our booth (and other vendors') and engage with us. And that engagement was at a really high level; they were very articulate, prepared with questions, and in most cases had already researched the companies. It was like talking to the cream of the crop at most other universities. We left with a huge list of people who were interested; in tech, but also in HR, in accounting, in project management, in marketing, in social media, in business communications, and the students are already remarkably experienced in "real world" jobs.
Finally, we were able to connect with some of the students one-on-one in an interview setting.
This trip gave us some unusual experiences as well- usually we have to sell people on why the Rock model (donation-based) works, but they really grasped the intent and found it very logical. And that excited us, because itʼs very hard to "convert" people from the "take" model and train them on the model that we use, but these students are ready for it, almost native to it.
And this model is one thatʼs hard to build at this point, even though we believe it will be mainstream in the future. The IRS doesn't know how to deal with it. Churches don't even know how to do deal with it. But itʼs what going to allow Rock and Spark to grow in the future, so we're really glad we're putting in the effort to build it this way from the beginning. Itʼs even better for efficiency: with our consulting work, most of that work gets put into core, which is great. But even if it doesn't, the profit stays in the community. It doesn't walk out the door- it goes right back to funding the nonprofit and core.
This university is committed to integrating their faith, their work, and their skill set in creative ways, and these students are coming out really poised to contribute to something like the Rock community.
So, where do we go from here?
We went with some ideas of what we wanted to do with these relationships, but we're really able to refine those now. We want to connect students and their awesome skill sets with the organizations that need them, in a way that will boost the whole Rock community.
We're getting ready to put out a survey to churches, about what their needs are. So please consider that- do you need a business analyst? A project manager? A web developer? Someone in infrastructure? We were able to make some incredible connections, and we want to help get these students in touch with you!
Also, we're going back to all of the student contacts and getting their information- where they want to be located, what their skills are, etc, and then we can help pair them up in a place that they're looking for.
We also want to make this a sustainable program- our community is growing and so these needed positions is only going to grow. So we are looking at the future of this program as a fee-based program to place these students in the correct positions. We have a heavy investment in the whole process and we want it to be sustainable and ongoing. Think of it like a headhunting service, although we're just trying to meet costs so our fee will be significantly lower. We want the service to be as accessible to our churches as possible. Please do fill this survey out soon- the student interest is peaked right now before they start their last semester and start looking on their own.
Also, please remember that these students are considering options in the corporate world and the church world. And they know that they will have to make some sacrifices in order to work in the church world, but we want to underscore to churches that when you're hiring for a technically skilled position, you need to be offering compensation in the right way. If you're offering a position with a salary more in line with unskilled positions, they're probably just not going to be able to take the position. And honestly, these students are worth it, for what they can bring to your organization. Think about what you would offer an experienced person, not someone new to the field also- their curriculum is really good and they do have a lot of experience - more than you might expect for new college graduates.
...Now, because one idea leads to another:
We have some concepts that we think will be an even better fit for the community in the future, and even more help in raising the level of Rock knowledge inside the community. We are thinking of a training boot camp, kind of a crash course in using Rock. This would be something that new hires with tech experience could go through to understand how Rock is designed and used. This would be a tiered experience, depending on the level of training and understanding that they need - developers versus business analysts, for instance. This is still a concept, but we're working on multi-week plans. Our existing Master Class would probably be a part of that program, but we're looking at what else we can do.
We've heard from a lot of churches that want really deep training on a specific subject, so that would fit in as well. These will probably include assessments, certifications, and other things you'd expect from professional level trainings.
We're looking at Salesforce, Microsoft, and even coding boot camps to figure out what the programs look like, how things are priced, etc. And this is a huge investment- just our existing Master Class program took months to develop. So although this is still very much a concept, itʼs something we're working on.
How can churches help with these items?
Well, besides telling us about your needs (thereʼs nothing to lose- no cost for interviewing and considering these students for your church), some churches might consider helping us fund these efforts. We have assessments, certifications, and classes to create, so additional funding lets us bring in additional help for creating these items. Right now, we have to do this as a side project in our spare time- kind of like this is getting our scraps. It takes time to onboard people as you know, but if we were able to do that it would let us get this up and running much more quickly. Itʼs a great investment. Our community is on fire, and this is like pouring gasoline on it- this would be a huge infusion of talent, effort and knowledge for the community.
This episode of Rockcast is brought to you by our Gold Level Donors. Spark Development Network depends on the generosity of the churches using Rock. Our Gold Level Rock Church Donors are crucial to the success of the Rock community, contributing above the suggested donation level. By generously giving more than the $1.50 per average attendee per year, these churches are investing in our mission to make innovative technology accessible for ministries of all sizes. See the list of our 70+ Gold Donors on https://www.rockrms.com/organizations, and join this high-impact group yourself by adjusting your investment at https://www.rockrms.com/donate
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line4037
|
__label__cc
| 0.723593
| 0.276407
|
Say No to Nonsense
Filed Under compliance officers, examination, MSB, objectivity, rationality, regulator
[Reading time: 5 minutes]
It has been over ten years since the enactment of the USA PATRIOT Act shone the spotlight over all financial institutions and their AML, BSA, CFT and regulatory compliance programs.
Throughout this time much has been written about the rules and regulations that apply and do not apply to each type of financial institution, the perceived and real threats of non-complying with them, and the dozens of cases in which institutions have failed to meet the expected standards and suffered the consequences. In the case of MSBs, a lot has also been written about the difficulties they have faced in obtaining and retaining banking relationships, which continue to this day. Very little, however, has been written by compliance officers about what the world looks like from within their organizations. Understandably so, one might say, given that it may be inappropriate or, if one believes that there might be adverse personal consequences in doing so, simply foolish.
I do not subscribe to the latter. I believe the best way to fully understand and resolve the issues is to bring them to light, as respectfully and objectively as possible, of course. That is what I intend to do on this blog.
On this occasion, I would like to talk about money transmitter state regulators and some of their enforcement practices. I am a strong believer in reasonable regulation (especially, self-regulation), and I am a stronger believer in its sound and fair enforcement and in the ever elusive risk-based approach. I have been wondering for years when (or whether) the risk-based approach will ever be adopted in the United States of America. Why my skepticism? For a multitude of reasons, among which is one that will transpire from the following real incident, which the following letter makes self-explanatory:
Dear Mr. Regulator,
I’m writing to you to express my bafflement at something that just does not make sense to us. As you know, Ms. Examiner recently scheduled an examination of our company for the week before Christmas. For a number of reasons that I will expound below, we requested that she kindly accept conducting the examination remotely, as other states where we are not operational have done, or that she reschedule for a non-peak time, but she refused to do either on the grounds that, “because there is a schedule, an examination of our company by the XYZ State Banking Department was overdue.” Furthermore, it is now too late because “travel arrangements have already been made.”
If there is an examination schedule that needs to be met, that is fine. However, I take issue with the facts that (a) the exam was scheduled with less than a month’s notice, (b) it was scheduled for a time in the year when we are extremely busy and short-staffed due to the year-end holidays, (c) in spite of having been licensed for years, our company has not yet launched operations in XYZ state.
We understand that the purpose of state money transmitter regulation is primarily to protect the rights of XYZ state consumers of the money transmission service. Other purposes include the safety and soundness of the regulated entity and the protection of the financial system from criminal abuse such as money laundering and terrorist financing. We could argue that no XYZ state consumer rights are being jeopardized by our company’s operations because we have no business in XYZ state. There simple is zero risk for XYZ state citizens. So why conduct an examination?
Assuming it makes sense to conduct an examination because your Department needs to establish our safety and soundness, as is statutorily mandated, why then does it have to be in person and at such an inconvenient (and expensive for travel purposes) season? In the last MTRA meeting in Jacksonville, Florida, I heard many industry members complain about the unreasonableness of certain states’ practices, including what seems to be, quoting one of the speakers, “paid vacations for examiners.” Don’t you think that Ms. Examiner’s New York visit on the week before Christmas may be deemed as such, and reflect negatively on your Department?
For the reasons above, I kindly request to you that you reconsider (a) conducting the examination remotely, or (b) rescheduling it for a non-peak time of the year.
I hope you understand our point of view. We are a group of responsible, rational entrepreneurs who are highly committed to the highest possible operational and compliance standards. My intent with this communication and request is nothing more than applying common sense and reasonableness for the mutual benefit of our institutions and for the ultimate benefit of our constituents –our customers.
Juan Llanos
After three weeks of silence, the regulatory agency accepted conducting the exam remotely. Of course, upon its conclusion, we received an invoice detailing the expenses, which amounted to several thousand dollars but were considerably lower given that there were no travel expenses.
I wonder how widespread this is among the thousands of money transmitters who are licensed by dozens of jurisdictions in the United States.
I already hear some voices of sympathy with the state regulators, and public servants in general -always under-resourced, under-appreciated and underpaid. I agree with them to some extent, but not as far as to allow their circumstances, like anybody else’s, to justify anything they do or fail to do.
MSB Compliance Officers often work in high-pressure environments, in circumstances not dissimilar to those in which public servants work. Both of them, allow me to say, owe their existence to the laws and regulations one complies with and the other enforces. Why would they and the businesses they protect have to tolerate the reprehensible, especially when it is the private sector that sustains the public bureaucracies through the payment of taxes and fees? One difference, however, is that if compliance officers fall short of discharging their duties in a professional and effective way, they lose their job. Does that ever happen in the public sector?
I encourage compliance professionals to stand up, armed with objectivity and rationality, against whatever runs counter to their noble mission, whether it comes from regulators, examiners, bankers or even colleagues or superiors. If they do not, they will be partially responsible for the corrosion of ethical and professional standards, and the worst possible thing that could happen to us all -the loss of common sense.
« Ten Years of Futility?
How Not To Run an AML Department »
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line4038
|
__label__cc
| 0.683256
| 0.316744
|
coelsblog
Defending Scientism
Scientism
Did life happen “by chance”? Yes! Chance is not randomness
It is said that General Montgomery kept a picture of Field Marshal Rommel on his desk. In order to outwit Rommel he had to understand how he thought. Arguing against creationists is an on-going battle, and to persuade effectively we need to understand how creationists think. Creationists will commonly refuse to believe that the living world we see around us “arose by chance”, and the scientist will reply: But you misunderstand evolution, yes mutations happen by chance, but evolution overall is not a random process.
I was reminded of this by Tweets by science broadcaster Brian Cox, the particle physicist who is enthusing large swathes of British teenagers about science, and managing the near impossible, getting actual science content onto prime-time BBC television. Professor Cox was annoyed by a misunderstanding promulgated on BBC Radio 4’s Thought for the Day religious slot.
First, what does a scientist mean by the above terms? The mutations that are the raw material for evolution are “random”. In statistics “random” means that different outcomes have the same probability, and in this specific context “random” means that the mutations occur regardless of whether they are harmful or beneficial to the organism. There is nothing that “knows” which mutations would be harmful or beneficial, and so there is nothing that can bias the mutations towards one or the other.
Natural selection, however, is the opposite of random, it is a sieve that preferentially selects the mutations that are beneficial (organisms with these mutations leave more descendents) and preferentially rejects the mutations that are harmful (organisms with them leave fewer descendents). As Professor Cox tweeted, natural selection is non-random. The combination of random mutations and non-random selection of those mutations is the engine of evolution, the engine that adapts an organism to its environment, leading to the whole wonderful panoply of life. As summarised by Richard Dawkins: “Life results from the non-random survival of randomly varying replicators”.
If “chance” were a synonym of “random” then the complexity of today’s life would not have originated “by chance”, since it results from the highly directional process of Darwinian evolution, which is a one-way ratchet continually selecting organisms that better fit their environment.
But is that really what people mean by “chance”? Well, no. In common parlance, “chance” is not a statement about probability, it is statement about intent and design. A “chance outcome” is one that no-one intended. The most salient aspect of a “game of chance” is not so much randomness but that crucial elements are not under conscious control, in contrast to, say, chess. If you say “I bumped into my friend Alex by chance”, you are not making a statement about the probability of your meeting, you are saying that neither of you had planned or intended it.
Thus the primary definition of “chance” is (e.g. from Oxford Dictionaries) “the occurrence of events in the absence of any intention or design”. Does life result from a process without any intention or design? The scientific answer is “Yes”! To a scientist life’s complexity does occur “by chance”!
Replying to a creationist who refuses to accept that life arose “by chance” by talking about random and non-random process is missing the point. The creationist makes a much more profound rejection of the idea. After all, the creationist has no problem with processes that lack intelligent intervention but are still non-random and directional. For example rain water running downwards and eventually running into the sea is directional, but such processes (the creationist thinks) don’t produce complexity, they don’t produce life.
The creationist is a vitalist, he doesn’t accept that something living can arise from non-living material or from merely physical processes, whether directional or not. To him life can only arise from previous life, and ultimately from a god. “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Dust alone would not have sufficed.
The creationist doesn’t accept Darwin’s Dangerous Idea that life can arise from non-life, that both living and non-living matter are physical material, obeying only physical processes, and that the difference between them is just the result of replication, replication after replication, with random variation and non-random selection of the variants.
The idea that, over vast eons of time, over billions of generations, such a process could generate complexity, is unfathomable to a creationist. It is unfathomable because his brain is a product of that process, produced to do a job of promoting more replication, and thus his brain’s intuition is tuned to understanding changes that can occur within human lifetimes, not to understanding the eons of Earth’s deep time.
Thus the creationist intuitively rejects the idea that Darwinian evolution can produce complexity, when in truth it is the only process that can produce complexity of the degree seen to dazzling magnificence in Earth’s life. To a creationist such complexity could only have arisen by intelligent purpose.
In saying that “life could not have arisen by chance” it is not the presence of randomness that the creationist is complaining about, it is the absence of intention and purpose. And thus a response about random and non-random processes can only be a small part of the reply.
This entry was posted in Religion, Science and tagged Brian Cox, chance, creationism, Darwinism on February 4, 2013 by Coel.
← On sexism, Ophelia Benson, Michael Shermer, hyperbole, and my stumbles into the Rift Britain’s 10 worst violations of religious equality →
58 thoughts on “Did life happen “by chance”? Yes! Chance is not randomness”
oarubio February 4, 2013 at 3:08 pm
The neat thing about all of this is that a rational combination of God and evolution answers everything. Wish more could realize that an evolutionary process designed by, started by and moderated by Him and His laws (plus interevention when He chooses!) is very reasonable.
Ferdinand (@StFerdinandIII) May 8, 2016 at 1:52 pm
Evolution is not a science but a cult. The chance of a single protein self organizing is not only impossible but 20 to the power of 300, meaning that in the Darwin fable there is not enough time or story telling for 1 single protein to self create. Your body has more than 2 million…..Evolution fails basic bio chemistry and math. It is truly uneducated. Fiction and rhetoric are not science.
Gary Hill February 4, 2013 at 4:16 pm
Excellent description of the random-chance difference. Just a few comments if I may.
“The creationist doesn’t accept Darwin’s Dangerous Idea that life can arise from non-life”
Well, creationists wouldn’t, of course, but this wasn’t actually Darwin’s idea. He famously steered well clear of making any claims of abiogenesis apart from some very brief speculation about warm ponds.
“…..the highly directional process of Darwinian evolution, which is a one-way ratchet continually selecting organisms that better fit their environment”.
I’m not sure that you can so easily equate directionality with fit and by doing so you (unwittingly I’m sure) play into the hands of the theistic evolution crowd. Natural selection has no inevitable direction in which to go as you correctly point out. But the most successful organisms on this planet (those with the best fit to environment, in terms of their endurance) are definitely not the more complex. I discount Homo sapiens here, as we are a comparatively recent species that conceivably may not last any longer than some of our Homo forebears).
“thus his brain’s intuition is tuned to understanding changes that can occur within human lifetimes”
At the less educated end of the creationist market, this hits the nail on the head. In my experience one of the major stumbling blocks between a scientific mind-set and a literal Biblical or Koranic mind-set is their fundamental inability to envisage or even consider longer periods of time than scripture alludes to. Only the other day I was told that the best evidence us ‘evolutionists’ have is our claim that the universe is billions of years old. Well, yes……if we are ever lucky enough to observe a universe less than, say, 5 billion years old, there may well be no natural selection to observe. Similarly, if the universe really is 6000 years old then natural selection would be considerably harder to detect. Yet we have abundant evidence that……
Anton Szautner February 5, 2013 at 10:08 pm
oarubio: Pardon, but I am not at all persuaded that a conclusion of compatibility existing between evidence acquired from outside the mind (strongly indicating absence), and an unsubstantiated figment manufactured inside it (a claim that wants verification), is either rational or reasonable. It is, at best, a wishful opinion and a choice which expressly requires the suspension of reason and rationality.
Evolution posits abiogenesis – an impossibility, and information being created from nothing – another impossibility. It ignores the physical laws of thermodynamics and offers up fairy tales of scales to feathers [impossible], or scum to scientist [impossible]. It is basically a cult which offers the besmirched name of ‘science’ to Atheists who like the Nazis and Communists, can use it to murder others and enforce their cult’s control.
oarubio May 9, 2016 at 9:06 pm
Just like the Rockies, things of the world as we see them haven’t always been this way. Climate isn’t the only thing to experience ongoing change.
There logical reasons why the current supply of evolution theories don’t quite add up. It’s because we can never understand completely the process God used to create us or the rest of the universe. Most importantly, we’ll never discover how He put the first souls into us. Only He knows that.
We can try to figure how God worked within His universe to create what He did — so long as we never lose sight of the fact that HE did it and we’re the beneficiaries of it, not the creators.
Steve March 1, 2013 at 1:47 am
Some problems I would appreciate clarification on.. It does not seem feasible that chemicaLS COULD ARRANGE THEMSELVES IN SUCH A WAY AS TO PRODUCE LIFE. A single cell has golgi apparatus, a cell membrane, endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, etc. Enzymes(which are proteins) are neede to make proteins, at least quickly enough for an organism to stay alive.
Too many coincidences would have to happen at the same time for a cell to form. DNA is an amazing information storing device, but that information can’t program itself, can it? We all started as a single cell. Mitosis occurs, producing replicas. How can that one cell “know” to start making muscle cells, bone cells, nerve cells, etc? Then how does your spleen, liver, heart, lungs, etc go in exactly the right spot? Not mention your brain, miles of blood vessels, and the ability to repair and replace cells( we lose about 3oo million per minute).
I also get that natural selection and evolution occur. How many trillions of bacteria are studied?
There is certain evidence of beneficial mutations, for example antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria. But, in all these studies the bacteria produce, you guessed it, more bacteria, not a new type of organism.
Any clarifications are welcomed. I may have misconceptions, but true evolution theory if traced back, says we all have a common ancestor( all life, not just humans). I see blue whales, ants, dogs, clams, monkeys and humans. For humans it is claimed we and chimps once had a common ancestor, which is hard enough to believe. But if you keep tracing back, ALL life originated with simple single cell organisms. It doe not seem possible we would see the diversity we do today no matter how much time has elapsed.
Coel Post author March 1, 2013 at 10:13 am
Too many coincidences would have to happen at the same time for a cell to form.
Creationists are wrong to think that something like the modern cell is the simplest life form that could exist, and thus that life would have had to start by jumping straight to a cell. The cells we see are highly evolved, the first replicators would have been much, much simpler.
DNA is an amazing information storing device, but that information can’t program itself, can it?
The programming came from natural selection.
How can that one cell “know” to start making muscle cells, bone cells, nerve cells, etc?
The information to make all of those is encoded in the genes. That’s what they are there for.
Then how does your spleen, liver, heart, lungs, etc go in exactly the right spot?
That is determined by a series of chemical gradients in the developing embyro. Chemical gradients mean that different genes are triggered in different places.
But, in all these studies the bacteria produce, you guessed it, more bacteria, not a new type of organism.
Human studies usually last a few years, and are thus vastly shorter than the billions of years that life on earth has evolved. You wouldn’t expect to see hundreds of millions of years worth of change in just a few years.
For humans it is claimed we and chimps once had a common ancestor, which is hard enough to believe.
I find it easy enough to believe — and the evidence for it is clear and copious.
But if you keep tracing back, ALL life originated with simple single cell organisms.
It doe not seem possible we would see the diversity we do today no matter how much time has elapsed.
Arguments from mere Personal Incredulity are not convincing.
oarubio March 1, 2013 at 3:59 pm
Wisdom must also consider the possibility that God created evolution. We can believe in just science, just creationism or look at the REALLY big picture which results in both. Science on its own, doesn’t necessarily care or want a “who did it?” Religion/faith can’t be restricted so that it limits God’s creativity.
It is impossible for Science to prove or disprove the existence of God. Religion was never meant to be a purely technical or historical handbook. Or as Mrs. Anna said in “The King and I:” “Your Majesty, the Bible is not a book of science, it’s a book of faith.”
It’s wonderful to have God and the science He created.
Coel Post author March 1, 2013 at 4:24 pm
Wisdom must also consider the possibility that God created evolution.
Sure, but wisdom also says that the way to evaluate that possbilility is on the scientific evidence.
Science on its own, doesn’t necessarily care or want a “who did it?”
But if there were a “who” who had done it then science would be the best tool to find that out. It is revealling that science produces no evidence for any gods.
It is impossible for Science to prove or disprove the existence of God.
That’s simply not true, and is merely an excuse put forward by those who want to believe in god but have no evidence. If there was a god then science could find the evidence and prove it. And science could disprove the existence of any god who amounts to something, any god who actually affects the universe. The only gods which can’t be proved or disproved are apophatic gods that are indistinguishable from non-existent gods.
Tony March 2, 2013 at 7:06 am
Last thought: science is limited to what is detectable within the universe, not outside. If I don’t mess my life life up, I’ll look forward to seeing you in the afterlife 🙂
rasheed larney March 6, 2018 at 8:44 am
Coel’s reply: “The programming came from natural selection.”
This one short sentence reply is woefully inadequate to explain away what is probably the central and biggest question in origin of life studies today; ie. the origin of specified information in DNA.
The reply is also just simply incorrect:
1. Natural selection is a process that works on already existing living organisms (to “determine” which of the organism’s offspring will survive). So for natural selection to occur, there must first be a living organism.
2. But a ‘living’ organism is so defined because of it’s ability to reproduce, and genetic information (the “programming”) drives this reproduction. So for reproduction to occur, there must already be genetic information.
You can’t use something that came after (natural selection) to explain something that came before (genetic information).
If, instead of natural selection, you meant to say that the programming came from some other unguided, undirected process, then merely stating this emphatically as if it was the standard, prevailing consensus is “not convincing”. In fact the opposite is true: Despite many attempts since the 1950’s, there hasn’t been a single scientific hypothesis that adequately explains the origin of functional, sequence specific DNA information from some undirected, natural process.
“Specified” information is a weasel phrase that creationists use. The problem is they have no real definition of “specified” information.
The reality is that the information in DNA is not “specified”, it arises from a combination of random mutations, followed by those mutations that are beneficial for survival then propagating and becoming “fixed” in the genome. That’s all there is to it, and Darwinian accounts explain it well enough.
So for natural selection to occur, there must first be a living organism.
So which are you talking about? The information content of the DNA in today’s organisms did indeed come from mutation and natural selection. The information content of the first replicator did not, that would have been a chance process, but then the information content of the first replicator would have been vastly less and vastly more crude. It would not have been anything like the “functional, sequence specific DNA information” in today’s organisms and may not have involved DNA at all.
rasheed larney March 6, 2018 at 3:02 pm
First, the point about the inadequacy of your reply stands even if you take out the word “specified”. The origin of information is in no way settled and, in fact, studies over the last decade or so have raised even more challenges to natural, random explanations. Respectfully, I think it’s dishonest to not acknowledge that.
I also don’t think it’s helpful to lump everyone we don’t agree with into “creationist” or “evolutionist” categories. To find out what is meant by “specified” we should enquire from scientists in the field, not from “creationists”. I imagine you’d be familiar with Crick’s Sequence Hypothesis which says precisely that the “specific” arrangement of parts is crucial. I’d also recommend chapter 4 of “Signature In The Cell” by Stephen Meyer, but if I may offer a summary:
DNA doesn’t JUST contain highly complex Shannon information (which is what most people think of when discussing DNA), but this information is also functionally specific on several levels:
The specific arrangement of nucleotide bases in DNA DETERMINES the specific arrangement of amino acids in a protein chain. If this nucleotide base arrangement is wrong, then the arrangement of amino acids is wrong.
The specific sequence or arrangement of amino acids in a protein chain DETERMINES the specific shape of the chain. If this sequence is wrong, then the protein shape is wrong.
The specific 3 dimensional shape of a protein DETERMINES it’s specific function. If the shape is wrong, it cannot perform the function.
So, the function of the whole system DEPENDS on the specific arrangement of the parts, and DNA doesn’t just exhibit mere (Shannon) complexity, but also specified complexity (which is synonymous with information content). Such specified complexity doesn’t occur anywhere else in the natural world.
“…it arises from a combination of random mutations, followed by those mutations that are beneficial for survival then propagating and becoming “fixed” in the genome. That’s all there is to it, and Darwinian accounts explain it well enough.”
The pattern or specific SEQUENCE of base pairs in DNA is the code (the information at question here).” There is an important difference between the message and the medium. The molecule itself is the medium, but the ordering of the base pairs defines the code. Also, the information in DNA is independent of the communication medium insofar as every strand of DNA in your body represents a complete plan for your body; even though the DNA strand itself is NOT your body but only a sequence of symbols made up of chemicals (A, G, C, T). A book represents more than paper and ink, because it contains plans and ideas and instructions via coded information. “Darwinian” accounts may have explained where the molecules and chemicals came from, but not where the code came from.
Also, regarding mutations: All designed communication systems are subject to mutations, following the laws of probability. That’s why they have error correction and redundancy features. DNA has error correction and redundancy features as well. Mutation, noise and entropy are all the exact same thing in communication theory.
“The information content of the DNA in today’s organisms did indeed come from mutation and natural selection.”
No, not at all. See above.
“The information content of the first replicator did not, that would have been a chance process, but then the information content of the first replicator would have been vastly less and vastly more crude.”
You’re just speculating, I’m afraid. For the first replicator It may be possible, though not easy, to explain the origin of mere complex information by chance, but most scientists have already abandoned chance hypotheses for the origin of functionally specified biological information.
“A single, freak, highly improbable event can conceivably happen. Many highly improbable events – drawing a winning lottery number or the distribution of playing cards in a hand of bridge – happen all the time. But a string (my insertion: sequence) of [such] improbable events – drawing the same lottery number twice, or the same bridge hand twice in a row – does not happen naturally.” – Christian de Duve, winner of 1974 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
To find out what is meant by “specified” we should enquire from scientists in the field, not from “creationists”. […] I’d also recommend chapter 4 of “Signature In The Cell” by Stephen Meyer, …
But Stephen Meye is a creationist not a scientist. On Crick:
DNA doesn’t JUST contain highly complex Shannon information […] but this information is also functionally specific on several levels:
Why sure, agreed. But putting things together in a *functional* way is exactly that natural selection explains! If by “specified” information you mean particular arrangements of DNA that make it *functional*, then yes, agreed. But this is exactly what natural selection can indeed explain and does explain very well.
Such specified complexity doesn’t occur anywhere else in the natural world.
If you mean that such “functional” complexity only occurs as down-stream products of natural selection, then yes, agreed, that’s because natural selection is the mechanism that produces it.
“Darwinian” accounts may have explained where the molecules and chemicals came from, but not where the code came from.
No, completely wrong, explaining the “code” (the arranging in a sequence that produces function) is exactly that Darwinian natural selection does.
, but most scientists have already abandoned chance hypotheses for the origin of functionally specified biological information.
Sure, if by that you mean the hugely complex “functionally specified information” of *today’s* biology. But nobody supposes that the first replicator would be anything remotely like that complicated.
“But Stephen Meye is a creationist not a scientist.”
Actually, according to Meyer himself, he isn’t a creationist, but he is a proponent of Intelligent Design (as are other scientists). He’s a former geophysicist and college professor. The chapter I mentioned is not so much HE’s argument for ID, but rather a detailing of the history of the information problem in DNA as experienced by scientists in the relevant fields.
“If by “specified” information you mean particular arrangements of DNA that make it *functional*, then yes, agreed. But this is exactly what natural selection can indeed explain and does explain very well.”
Again, I have to say that this isn’t a convincing response.
Merely insisting that natural selection does explain it (without giving or citing that explanation) doesn’t make it so.
Saying that natural selection has not adequately explained the origin of genetic information is based on a brute and easily refutable fact: there is no single universally accepted paper, treatise or theory that gives such an explanation.
In fact, there certainly is no consensus among scientists about the origin of information. Some propose the “RNA world” MODEL, some suggest Metabolism First MODELS, Dawkins has discussed several HYPOTHESES, Shapiro favoured a Metabolism First over an RNA World MODEL, etc. All of these MODELS attempt to account for the origin of information. You even suggested yourself that information in the first replicator MAY not have involved DNA.
So, the fact that there is no scientific consensus, and that there are multiple suggestions/models/hypotheses, means that your statement that natural selection adequately explains information isn’t a statement of scientific fact, but rather it’s an opinion. Perhaps it’s a hypothesis (that you haven’t shown yet).
Actually, according to Meyer himself, he isn’t a creationist, but he is a proponent of Intelligent Design …
The pretence that intelligent design is not creationism is a device designed to get round the First Amendment prohibition on US schools promoting religion. It didn’t fool the judge in Dover, it doesn’t fool anyone (except, perhaps, creationists who want to be fooled).
… (as are other scientists).
He’s not a scientist, and nearly all the “scientists” who advocate intelligent design just happen to be — surprise, surprise — religious.
He’s a former geophysicist …
He did an undergraduate degree in geophysics and then worked for company for a while. That doesn’t make him a research scientist; he has no track record of publishing actual scientific research and he’s never been employed by any actual scientific research institute.
… and college professor.
Only at Christian colleges. He’s never had an academic post at a recognised research university.
Natural selection produces functional information like this:
Step 1 is mutation, which produces non-functional (Shannon) information. Step 2 is the sieve of natural selection, which, over time, sorts the information into a functional sequence. There are oodles of books explaining the elements of Darwinian evolution.
In fact, there certainly is no consensus among scientists about the origin of information. Some propose the “RNA world” MODEL, some suggest Metabolism First MODELS, …
You seem to have a big misunderstanding, thinking that specified/functional information arrived all in one go with the first life form, and has not increased since. This is wrong. Functional information is generated and produced gradually by evolution (by the above process). It’s ongoing. Thus all the information in *today’s* biology was indeed produced by natural selection.
The information needed for the first replicator would have been vastly, vastly less and vastly cruder, *That* information (a tiny amount compared to that in biological DNA today) likely arose by a chance process.
It is true that there is no consensus of how that first abiogenesis step arose, since there is no fossil information from that time. But that is not the same thing as explaining the functional information in today’s biology.
“The pretence that intelligent design is not creationism…”
I’m actually not interested in any of that, but you are, of course, free to have that opinion.
“He’s not a scientist, and nearly all the “scientists” who advocate intelligent design just happen to be — surprise, surprise — religious…”
Are you suggesting that being “religious” disqualifies someone from being a scientist?
As I said before, I suggested the chapter in his book for an elaboration on “specified information” because you complained that “they have no real definition”. So, his status as a scientist is actually irrelevant in that regard.
You can read it (following your own advice that “…to persuade effectively we need to understand how creationists think.”), or you can choose to ignore it because he’s a “creationist”, or whatever other reason you want.
“Step 1 is mutation…”
This is grossly simplistic and there’s nothing new here to respond to.
“There are oodles of books explaining the elements of Darwinian evolution.”
Agreed. Now, which of these books provide an adequate, universally accepted explanation for the origin of functionally specific information from natural selection. There are also oodles of books that say otherwise.
“You seem to have a big misunderstanding, thinking that specified/functional information arrived all in one go…”
I think you’re projecting. I can fully appreciate the possibility that genetic material in “today’s” biology may have evolved, but that isn’t the same as claiming that the details of this has been decided, or that natural selection is sufficient as a cause for “all the information”.
“The information needed for the first replicator would have been vastly, vastly less and vastly cruder”
I don’t know what you mean by “vastly, vastly less and vastly cruder”.
“But that is not the same thing as explaining the functional information in today’s biology.”
This is the crux of it. I think it is well accepted that in order to adequately explain the functional information in “today’s biology” one has to explain the origin of information at the origin of life. That is was probably all scientists accept.
To be clear, the main claim I’ve made in these comments is that the statement that the information/programming is fully explained by, and came from natural selection, is simply wrong.
Here are some extracts from the conclusion of the scientific article “Origin and evolution of the genetic code: the universal enigma” – by Eugene V. Koonin* and Artem S. Novozhilov
(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3293468/)
“…In our opinion, despite extensive and, in many cases, elaborate attempts to model code optimization, ingenious theorizing along the lines of the coevolution theory, and considerable experimentation, very little definitive progress has been made…”
[Vast quote snipped — since the link is given just above and people can go and read it, there is no need for a very lengthy quote. — Coel]
If they put their religious ideology ahead of what the evidence tells us, then yes. (And that’s what religious IDers do.)
I suggested the chapter in his book for an elaboration on “specified information” because you complained that “they have no real definition”.
Yes, and the idea of “specified” information by such as Meyers has been pretty well rebutted, which is why I say that have no real definition of it.
It’s also true and explains where functional information comes from. That’s what you asked for.
Now, which of these books provide an adequate, universally accepted explanation for the origin of functionally specific information from natural selection.
All of them. This is exactly what evolution is all about.
I think it is well accepted that in order to adequately explain the functional information in “today’s biology” one has to explain the origin of information at the origin of life.
Nope, wrong. See my previous comment for why those are very different things.
And just saying things like “I don’t know what you mean by “vastly, vastly less and vastly cruder”.” is not a rebuttal. I’m confident that most people would readily realise what I mean.
rasheed larney March 7, 2018 at 12:03 am
We seem to be going in circles, so before this devolves into a never-ending back and forth, I’ll yield the last comment to you.
I note that you haven’t even attempted to respond to the scientific article (by a recognised expert in the field of evolutionary and computational biology) and that actually flies in the face of your claims with conclusions like:
“…it stands to reason that any scenario of the code origin and evolution will remain vacuous if not combined with understanding of the origin of the coding principle itself and the translation system that embodies it. At the heart of this problem is a dreary vicious circle: what would be the selective force behind the evolution of the extremely complex translation system before there were functional proteins? And, of course, there could be no proteins without a sufficiently effective translation system. A variety of hypotheses have been proposed in attempts to break the circle…but so far none of these seems to be sufficiently coherent or enjoys sufficient support to claim the status of a real theory. “
“It seems that the two-pronged fundamental question: “why is the genetic code the way it is and how did it come to be?”, that was asked over 50 years ago, at the dawn of molecular biology, might remain pertinent even in another 50 years. Our consolation is that we cannot think of a more fundamental problem in biology.” – [in other words, why “today’s” code is the way it is, and how it came to be so, is currently unknown]
“If they put their religious ideology ahead of what the evidence tells us, then yes.”
I suppose that is reasonable (if you don’t mean “disqualify” in some legally enforceable way). But this also goes for anyone who puts any philosophical, idealogical beliefs ahead of the evidence, including Neo-Darwinists/evolutionists. They could justifiably say the same thing about you.
“And that’s what religious IDers do.”
This is just a generalisation. I’m sorry, but I think such an attitude is narrow-minded, intellectually immature, and quite puzzling considering that the first paragraph of your blog post says: “to persuade effectively we need to understand how creationists think”. But you do you Boo.
“…the idea of “specified” information by such as Meyers has been pretty well rebutted…”
What are you talking about? The idea of specified information that we were talking about isn’t something that Meyers owns or proposed, and it’s not something that needs rebuttal. In fact, you agreed to it and used it in your previous comments (see “Why sure, agreed.”).
“It’s also true and explains where functional information comes from.“
Saying “It’s also” acknowledges that it’s grossly simplistic, which makes it inadequate as a scientific explanation, and therefore not accepted as true. What you’ve done is just give a minor elaboration of your previous repetitions that natural selection produces information, without giving any evidence to show how. And this despite the fact that no serious scholar today would make this claim (see article as just one example), and the further brute fact that there isn’t a single example in the entire natural universe where a random, undirected process produced functionally specific complex information that maps 1:1 to Shannon’s Information Model.
Same as above. The onus is on you to prove your claim.
Same as above. And again, saying so don’t make it so.
Perhaps only people who already agree with you, but to others your statement is ill-defined and unscientific.
The idea of specified information that we were talking about isn’t something that Meyers owns or proposed, …
Yes it is. The idea of “specified” information is something invented by “inteligent design” advocates such as Dembski and Meyers.
The idea of *function* information is well accepted, and *that* is readily explained by Darwinian evolution. Explaining that is exactly what Darwinian evolution does best.
IDers need “specified” information to be something different from “functional” information, and it is that that they have never had a proper definition of.
In fact, you agreed to it and used it in your previous comments (see “Why sure, agreed.”).
That was agreement about *functional* information. This is not in any way a difficulty for Darwinian evolution. That’s why IDers need “specified” information to be something different.
See, e,g., https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specified_complexity and
https://schneider.ncifcrf.gov/paper/ev/dembski/specified.complexity.html
Saying “It’s also” acknowledges that it’s grossly simplistic, which makes it inadequate as a scientific explanation, and therefore not accepted as true. What you’ve done is just give a minor elaboration of your previous repetitions that natural selection produces information, without giving any evidence to show how.
All you’re going is sticking your fingers in your ears and saying “la la la” whenver someone points out that producing *functional* information is exactly what Darwinian evolution does. As I said:
“Step 1 is mutation, which produces non-functional (Shannon) information. Step 2 is the sieve of natural selection, which, over time, sorts the information into a functional sequence.”
That really is all there is to it.
rasheed larney March 7, 2018 at 11:53 pm
“The reality is that the information in DNA is not “specified”” – Coel
“explaining the “code” (the arranging in a sequence that produces function) is exactly that Darwinian natural selection does.” – Coel
“You seem to…thinking that specified/functional information arrived all in one go…” – Coel
“The idea of “specified” information is something invented by “inteligent design” advocates…” – Coel
You seem to be confused and contradicting yourself, and I’m not sure what you’re objecting to regarding specified information. Nevertheless, regardless of whether or not you think this idea was invented by ID’ers (or anyone else), you either accept it, or not. If you don’t accept it (ie. that the ‘meat of the matter’, the message, the information, the code, the plans for an entire body, resides not just in any random string of nucleotides or amino acids, but in the specific sequence of those nucleotides or amino acids), then you should take that up with scientists.
“The sequences of nucleotides or amino acids that carry a genetic message have explicit specificity. (Otherwise how does the organism live?) Of course, the genetic message, when expressed as a sequence of symbols, is nonmaterial but must be recorded in matter or energy.” – Information Theory, Evolution, and the Origin of Life (Hubert Yockey, p. 7)
“…DNA carries genetic specificity. This structure immediately suggests that genetic specificity, the “information” that distinguishes one gene from another, resides in the sequence of nucleotides.” -The Way of the Cell (Franklin M. Harold, Oxford University Press, 2001)
It seems to me you’re not appreciating the import of this sequence specificity, and instead you’re conflating or reducing “specified arrangement” into “functional arrangement” to suit your personal, unsubstantiated theory:
Step 1 is mutation, which produces non-functional (Shannon) information. Step 2 is the sieve of natural selection, which, over time, sorts the information into a functional sequence. That really is all there is to it,” – Coel
So, some questions:
1. Mutation of what? Pre-existing “functional information”? And where did that come from? (Repeat this formula all the way back to the first replicator)
2. If step 1 produces non-functional (Shannon) information then, by definition (a) this information specifies nothing, and (b) performs no function. So why and how would it then be “sorted” into functional information?
3. As apposed to countless possible random sequences, how did the specific sequence of nucleotides or amino acids (that expresses the genetic message) come about? (refer to the Yockey quote above). Your personal theory doesn’t address this.
4. How did the “nonmaterial” genetic message (that is expressed in the specific sequence of nucleotides or amino acids) come about? (refer to the Yockey quote above). Your personal theory doesn’t address this.
You seem to be confused and contradicting yourself, and I’m not sure what you’re objecting to regarding specified information.
The reason for the confusion is that there is no definition of “specified” information. You are taking it to mean “functional” information, but “functional” information is exactly what natural selection explains, so IDers need “specified” information to be something else.
… the ‘meat of the matter’, the message, the information, the code, the plans for an entire body, resides not just in any random string of nucleotides or amino acids, but in the specific sequence of those nucleotides or amino acids …
That I entirely accept. That is functional information. That is what natural selection explains.
Mutations can *increase* information by duplicating lengths of the DNA string. That happens a lot. DNA copying machinery often produces extra copies. Mutations in the extra copies then increase the total amount of (Shannon) information.
Thus the total amount of (Shannon) information increases a lot over evolutionary time (owing to copying errors, duplications and mutations), and the amount of functional information also increases, owing to the “sieve” of natural selection operating on the Shannon information.
The amount of information in the first replicator will have been vastly, vastly less, and *that* small amount of information likely arose as a random chance.
It then gets sorted into functional information by step 2, natural selection.
3. As apposed to countless possible random sequences, how did the specific sequence of nucleotides or amino acids (that expresses the genetic message) come about?
Through natural selection creating a functional sequence.
Your personal theory doesn’t address this.
Natural selection is not my personal theory, and yes it does answer your question.
4. How did the “nonmaterial” genetic message (that is expressed in the specific sequence of nucleotides or amino acids) come about?
rasheed larney March 10, 2018 at 2:37 am
“Natural selection is not my personal theory…”
Agreed, natural selection is not your theory. But making the following emphatic claims, without providing evidence, citations, sources, quotations, etc. to substantiate them, means that these claims amount to nothing else but your own personal theory.
Step 1 is mutation, which produces non-functional (Shannon) information. Step 2 is the sieve of natural selection, which, over time, sorts the information into a functional sequence. That really is all there is to it,”
Waving a wand and shouting “natural selection” doesn’t magically turn any mumbo jumbo into a credible representation of what natural selection is.
Regarding your suggestions that the matter of the origin of DNA information is solved, that the case is closed, that the answer is natural selection and that is all there is to it:
“Explaining the origins of life remains one of the biggest challenges of science, and one essential aspect of this challenge is to explain the origin of the standard genetic code. Any theory of why the standard genetic code is the way it is and how it came to be must address three key facts: (1) the code’s regularity as expressed in non-random amino acid assignments, (2) its optimality as expressed in its robustness against errors in translation from code sequences to proteins and in replication of genetic material, and (3) its near universality across extant biological systems…Yet a current review of over 50 years of research concluded that despite much progress in this field we do not seem to be much closer to such a theory.”
“The theory that the standard genetic code was shaped by natural selection…is most widely accepted because it can explain the code’s regularity and optimality. Nevertheless, this theory takes vertical descent as its starting point, and thus to some extent assumes as given that which it sets out to explain. Moreover, this theory sits uneasily with the finding that standard genetic code is actually not that optimal, at least according to some measures, and that better codes can be found when specifically selected for robustness…” -Tom Froese, Jorge I. Campos, Kosuke Fujishima, Daisuke Kiga, Nathaniel Virgo (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5824800/)
“…The main question related to the organization of the genetic code is why exactly the canonical code was selected among this huge number of possible genetic codes. Many researchers argue that the organization of the canonical code is a product of natural selection and that the code’s robustness against mutations would support this hypothesis.” – de Oliveira LL, de Oliveira PS, Tinós R (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25879480)
“Theories of the origin of the genetic code typically appeal to natural selection and/or mutation of hereditable traits to explain its regularities and error robustness, yet the present translation system presupposes high-fidelity replication.” -Tom Froese, Jorge I. Campos, Kosuke Fujishima, Daisuke Kiga, Nathaniel Virgo (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5824800/)
“…the question is, what kind of interplay of chemical constraints, historical accidents, and evolutionary forces could have produced the standard amino acid assignment, which displays many remarkable properties.” – Eugene V. Koonin and Artem S. Novozhilov (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3293468/)
“Indeed, it has been shown in several studies that the standard code is more robust than a substantial majority of random codes. However, it remains unclear how much evolution the standard code underwent, what is the level of optimization, and what is the likely starting point.” – Novozhilov AS, Wolf YI, Koonin EV (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17956616)
“,,,despite a long history of research and accumulation of considerable circumstantial evidence, none of the three major theories on the nature and evolution of the genetic code is unequivocally supported by the currently available data.” – Eugene V. Koonin and Artem S. Novozhilov (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3293468/)
“In our opinion, despite extensive and, in many cases, elaborate attempts to model code optimization, ingenious theorizing along the lines of the coevolution theory, and considerable experimentation, very little definitive progress has been made.” – Eugene V. Koonin and Artem S. Novozhilov (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3293468/)
“The origin of the translation system is, arguably, the central and the hardest problem in the study of the origin of life, and one of the hardest in all evolutionary biology. The problem has a clear catch-22 aspect: high translation fidelity hardly can be achieved without a complex, highly evolved set of RNAs and proteins but an elaborate protein machinery could not evolve without an accurate translation system. The origin of the genetic code and whether it evolved on the basis of a stereochemical correspondence between amino acids and their cognate codons (or anticodons), through selectional optimization of the code vocabulary, as a “frozen accident” or via a combination of all these routes is another wide open problem despite extensive theoretical and experimental studies.” – Wolf YI, Koonin EV (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17540026)
Coel Post author March 10, 2018 at 10:04 am
Expositions of natural selection are given in many textbooks.
On your quotes, all of them are about the origin of the “genetic code”, meaning the particular mapping of particular codons (three-letter chunks of DNA) map to particular amino acids. The details of how that evolved are indeed unknown (being way in the past with no fossil information about it), but again, that genetic mechanism would have evolved by natural selection, and the functional-information content of it would have come from natural selection. Saying (correctly) that we don’t know all the details of how things evolved at that time is not the same as doubting the basic mechanism.
Regarding your pontification that the true explanation for the origin of genetic information is obtained by arbitrarily distinguishing between “today’s” DNA information, which is caused by natural selection, and that of the first replicator, which is caused by random chance:
“…scenarios for the code evolution are based on formal schemes whose relevance to the actual primordial evolution is uncertain. A real understanding of the code origin and evolution is likely to be attainable only in conjunction with a credible scenario for the evolution of the coding principle itself and the translation system.” – Eugene V. Koonin and Artem S. Novozhilov (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3293468/)
Regarding your apparent evangelical belief in Neo-Darwinian evolution, and particularly in natural selection as the sufficient and unique ‘force’ of evolution, and your implied claim (implied in what you’ve said and what you haven’t said) that this is a settled matter in science and there is no dissent, I refer you to:
James A. Shapiro Evolution: A View from the 21st Century (FT Press Science, 2011, ISBN 978-0-13-278093-3)
Sonia Sultan, Eva Jablonka, Kevin Laland, Alex Mesoudi, Stuart Newman, Massimo Pigliucci, Kim Sterelny, John Odling-Smee, Tobias Uller, as well as Denis Noble and others.
The Royal Society: New Trends In Evolutionary Biology scientific discussion meeting (7-9 November 2016) organised in partnership with the British Academy by Professor Denis Noble CBE FMedSci FRS, Professor Nancy Cartwright FBA, Professor Sir Patrick Bateson FRS, Professor John Dupré and Professor Kevin Laland.
Gerd B. Müller, Why an extended evolutionary synthesis is necessary, 18 August 2017, http://rsfs.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/7/5/20170015
Here’s some of what Müller has to say:
“A rising number of publications argue for a major revision or even a replacement of the standard theory of evolution, indicating that this cannot be dismissed as a minority view but rather is a widespread feeling among scientists and philosophers alike.”
“Indeed, a growing number of challenges to the classical model of evolution have emerged over the past few years, such as from evolutionary developmental biology, epigenetics, physiology, genomics, ecology, plasticity research, population genetics, regulatory evolution, network approaches, novelty research, behavioural biology, microbiology and systems biology, further supported by arguments from the cultural and social sciences, as well as by philosophical treatments. None of these contentions are unscientific, all rest firmly on evolutionary principles and all are backed by substantial empirical evidence.”
“Natural selection, the cornerstone of the MS theory so intimately linked to both gradualism and adaptationism, has itself been the subject of a fair share of critical debate. In this case, it is not so much the principle itself that is contested, but the uniqueness of the causal agency that has been ascribed to it. Are all features of biological organisms necessarily the result of natural selection, and is it the only factor in the evolutionary process that provides directionality to organismal change? Numerous authors have challenged the pervasiveness of natural selection as a unique ‘force’ of evolution, whereas others have questioned whether the individual is the sole and appropriate ‘target’ of selection or whether other levels of selection at supra- and infra-individual levels also need to be included in selectionist scenarios. Again we are confronted with a classical criticism that stood at the centre of multiple debates in the past, but the issue is as unresolved as ever.”
“Despite the fact that substantial challenges to these positions have arisen in the past decades from a host of different areas of biology…All the extensive discussions, led over decades, seem not to have altered the preponderant stance to hold on to the classical prerequisites of gradualism, adaptationism, selectionism and gene-centrism.”
Coel Post author March 10, 2018 at 9:54 am
Regarding your pontification that the true explanation for the origin of genetic information is obtained by arbitrarily distinguishing between “today’s” DNA information, which is caused by natural selection, and that of the first replicator, which is caused by random chance
It’s not an “arbitrary” distinction, it is a very real and pertinent distinction between most information being the product of natural selection and the much smaller amount of information in the first replicator likely arising from chance.
“… scenarios for the code evolution are based on formal schemes whose …”
That is talking about something else again, namely the origin of the “code” as to which codons in the DNA code for which amino acids. (That codon-to-amino-acid mechanism will have been a product of natural selection, well downstream of the first replicator; the details are unknown since there is no fossil information about it.)
Here’s some of what Müller has to say …
Yes, a minority of biologists are pushing an “extended” evolutionary synthesis (while the mainstream see it as just variations on normal Darwinian evolution). But in any case, nothing in the ESS overturns the basics of natural selection, nor does it change the answers I’m giving you as to where the functional information in today’s DNA comes from.
rasheed larney March 20, 2018 at 12:21 am
“That is talking about something else again, namely the origin of the “code”…”
Actually you’ve missed the point.
“…scenarios for the code evolution are based on formal schemes whose relevance to the actual primordial evolution is uncertain…”
What is being said here is that natural selection based theories for how the code evolved “downstream” don’t have the required proven relevance to the actual primordial (first replicator). In other words, Koonin & Novozhilov are saying that you can’t understand how the code evolved “downstream” if you don’t know how the coding principle and the translation system arose in the first replicator. In other words, your distinction between the code in the first replicator and the standard code today, is unhelpful and irrelevant.
“On your quotes, all of them are about the origin of the “genetic code”…”
Apparently you haven’t read the quotes you’re responding to. They say precisely that NONE of the theories that propose that the genetic code/the “genetic mechanism”/the “functional information” evolved by natural selection, are supported by evidence, NONE of them settle the problem.
“The theory that the standard genetic code was shaped by NATURAL SELECTION…to some extent ASSUMES as given THAT WHICH IT SETS OUT TO EXPLAIN…this theory SITS UNEASILY WITH the finding that standard genetic code is actually not that optimal…and that better codes can be found when specifically selected for robustness…” -Tom Froese, Jorge I. Campos, Kosuke Fujishima, Daisuke Kiga, Nathaniel Virgo.
“Theories of the origin of the genetic code typically appeal to NATURAL SELECTION and/or mutation of hereditable traits…YET the present translation system presupposes high-fidelity replication.” -Tom Froese, Jorge I. Campos, Kosuke Fujishima, Daisuke Kiga, Nathaniel Virgo
“…NONE of the three major theories on the nature and evolution of the genetic code…” (ie. including natural selection based theories) “…IS UNEQUIVOCALLY SUPPORTED by the currently available data.” – Eugene V. Koonin and Artem S. Novozhilov
“The origin of the genetic code and whether it evolved on the basis of…SELECTIONAL optimization of the code vocabulary, as a “frozen accident” or via a combination of all these routes IS ANOTHER WIDE OPEN PROBLEM…” – Wolf YI, Koonin EV
And here are some more experts who disagree with you:
“Moreover, we do not actually know where the genetic information of all living cells originates, how the first replicable polynucleotides (nucleic acids) evolved, or how the extremely complex structure-function relationships in modern cells came into existence.” Klaus Dose [Director, Institute for Biochemistry, Gutenberg University, Germany], “The Origin of Life: More Questions Than Answers,” Interdisciplinary Science Reviews, Vol. 13 (4): 348 (1988).)
“We must concede that there are presently no detailed Darwinian accounts of the evolution of any biochemical or cellular system, only a variety of wishful speculations.” (Franklin M. Harold, The Way of the Cell: Molecules, Organisms and the Order of Life, page 205 (Oxford University Press, 2001).)
Regarding your claim that “We don’t know all the details…but we don’t doubt the basic mechanism.”:
“We do not yet understand EVEN THE GENERAL FEATURES of the origin of the genetic code. The origin of the genetic code is the most baffling aspect of the problem of the origins of life and a major conceptual or experimental breakthrough may be needed before we can make any substantial progress.” (Leslie E. Orgel [Adjunct Professor, University of California-San Diego, Resident Fellow, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, California], “Darwinism at the very beginning of life,” New Scientist, page 151 (April 15, 1982).)
“But THE MOST SWEEPING EVOLUTIONARY QUESTIONS at the level of biochemical genetics are still unanswered. How the genetic code first appeared AND THEN EVOLVED…remain for the future to resolve…” (Caryl P. Haskins, “Advances and Challenges in Science in 1970,” American Scientist, Vol. 59: 305 (May-June, 1971).)
“So it is disappointing, but not surprising, that the origin of the genetic code is still AS OBSCURE AS THE ORIGIN OF LIFE itself.” (John Maddox, “The Genesis Code by Numbers,” Nature, Vol. 367 (January 13, 1994).)
“We hypothesize that the origin of life, that is, the origin of the first cell, CANNOT BE EXPLAINED BY NATURAL SELECTION among self-replicating molecules…” (M. Vaneechoutte, “The Scientific Origin of Life: Considerations on the Evolution of Information, Leading to an Alternative Proposal for Explaining the Origin of the Cell, a Semantically Closed System,” Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, Vol. 901: 139 (2000).)
“… Having spent a year or two researching the field, I am now of the opinion that there remains a huge gulf in our understanding …This gulf’s NOT MERELY IGNORANCE ABOUT CERTAIN TECHNICAL DETAILS, it is a MAJOR CONCEPTUAL LACUNA.” (Paul Davies, The Fifth Miracle: The Search for the Origin and Meaning of Life)
“…But how much of this neat tale is firmly established, and how much remains hopeful speculation? In truth, the mechanism of ALMOST EVERY MAJOR STEP, from chemical precursors up to the first recognizable cells, is the subject of either CONTROVERSY OR COMPLETE BEWILDERMENT.” (Andrew Scott, “Update on Genesis”, New Scientist, Vol. 106: 30 (May 2nd, 1985).)
Regarding your claim that Information content in today’s DNA came from random mutations and that it has since increased:
“No currently existing formal language can tolerate random changes in the symbol sequences which express its sentences. Meaning is invariably destroyed.” (M. Eden, “Inadequacies of Neo-Darwinian Evolution as a Scientific Theory”, from “Mathematical Challenges to the Neo-Darwinian Interpretation of Evolution,” at the Wistar Institute Symposium, page 11 (Philadelphia, Wistar Institute Press, 1967), Cited by Wysong, ref [7], p. 107.)
“There is no known law of nature, no known process and no known sequence of events which can cause information to originate by itself in matter.” (Werner Gitt, In the Beginning Was Information, page 107, 141 (Bielefeld, Germany, CLV).)
“mutations have a very limited ‘constructive capacity’” because “no matter how numerous they may be, mutations do not produce any kind of evolution.” (Pierre-Paul Grass, Evolution of Living Organisms: Evidence for a New Theory of Transformation(Academic Press: New York NY, 1977)
“…it remains a mystery how the undirected process of mutation, combined with natural selection, has resulted in the creation of thousands of new proteins with extraordinarily diverse and well optimized functions. This problem is particularly acute for tightly integrated molecular systems that consist of many interacting parts…” (Joseph W. Thornton and Rob DeSalle, “Gene Family Evolution and Homology: Genomics Meets Phylogenetics,” Annual Review of Genomics and Human Genetics, 1:41-73 (2000).
Regarding your claim that the information in the first replicator “LIKELY” arose by random chance:
“The more statistically improbable a thing is, the less we can believe that it just happened by blind chance. Superficially the obvious alternative to chance is an intelligent Designer.” (Dr. Richard Dawkins [Department of Zoology, Oxford University, UK], “The necessity of Darwinism”, New Scientist, Vol. 94: 130 (April 15, 1982).)
“The origin of life appears to be almost a miracle, so many are the conditions which would have had to be satisfied to get it going.” (Francis Crick [first to resolve the structure of DNA], in John Horgan, “In the Beginning,” Scientific American (February 1991).)
“… Life cannot have had a random beginning …there are about two thousand enzymes, and the chance of obtaining them all in a random trial is only one part in 10 to the power of 40,000, an outrageously small probability that could not be faced even if the whole universe consisted of organic soup…this simple calculation wipes the idea entirely out of court …” (Fred Hoyle and Chandra Wickramasinghe, Evolution from Space)
“…the probability of the formation of a protein and a nucleic acid (DNA-RNA) is a probability way beyond estimate. Furthermore, the chance of the emergence of a certain protein chain is so slight as to be called astronomic.” (Ali Demirsoy, Kalitim ve Evrim (Inheritance and Evolution), page 39 (Ankara: Meteksan Publishing Co., 1984).)
“…it appears unlikely that a self-replicating ribozyme [an RNA molecule having some enzyme activity] could arise, but without some form of self-replication there is no way to conduct an evolutionary search for the first, primitive self-replicating ribozyme.” (G.F. Joyce and L.E. Orgel, Prospects for Understanding the Origin of the RNA World, in R.F. Gesteland and J.F. Atkins, The RNA World, page 19 (Cold Spring Harbor, NY: Cold Spring Harbor Press, 1993).)
“The likelihood of the formation of life from inanimate matter is one to a number with 40,000 noughts after it…It is big enough to bury Darwin and the whole theory of evolution…” (Sir Fred Hoyle, [Astronomer, Cosmologist, and Mathematician, Cambridge University])
“There is no chance (< 10^-1000) to see this mechanism [mutation-selection] appear spontaneously and, if it did, even less for it to remain…Thus, to conclude, we believe there is a considerable gap in the neo-Darwinian theory of evolution, and we believe this gap to be of such a nature that it cannot be bridged within the current conception of biology." (Marcel P. Schutzenberger, [formerly with University of Paris], "Algorithms and the Neo-Darwinian Theory of Evolution", page 75, at the symposium, "Mathematical Challenges to the Neo-Darwinian Interpretation")
"Contrary to the popular notion that only creationism relies on the supernatural, evolutionism must as well, since the probabilities of random formation of life are so tiny as to require a 'miracle' for spontaneous generation tantamount to a theological argument." (Chandra Wickramasinge)
“…I find it curious how little this problem-which I call the start-up problem-is addressed in conventional presentations…the first paper of the present symposium (Michod, 1982) addressed this topic: theory of first replicators. I find it curious that…this defect of evolutionary theory receives little mention. I surmise that the reason is that we have almost no ideas." (Oscar Kempthorne, "Evaluation of Current Population Genetics Theory", American Zoologist, Vol. 23: 111-121 (1983).)
"To insist, even with Olympian assurance, that life appeared quite by chance and evolved in this fashion, is an unfounded supposition which I believe to be wrong and not in accordance with the facts." (Pierre-Paul Grasse [Editor of the 28-volume "Traite de Zoologie", former Chair of Evolution, Sorbonne University, and ex-president of the French Academie des Sciences], Evolution of Living Organisms Evidence for a New Theory of Transformation, page 107 (New York, NY: Academic Press, 1977).)
"The spontaneous formation of a polypeptide of the size of the smallest known proteins seems beyond all probability." (W. R. Bird, The Origin of Species Revisited, page 304 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Co., 1991).)
Gary Hill March 1, 2013 at 6:33 pm
“Wisdom must also consider the possibility that God created evolution”
It is of course possible that God created evolution but if so, we would need to ask ourselves what sort of an intelligent entity would let 99% of his creation become extinct in the most gruesome of circumstances and allowed the currently living species, including humans, to suffer so much from pathogens, predation, congenital malformities, natural disasters, gene replication errors etc.
Science isn’t bothering to find out. When science first started out it was conducted first by Islamic scholars and later by Christian scholars who all believed in God and used science explicitly to find out more about God and the creation. As we accumulated knowledge science changed it’s collective mind about God as it was realised that there were naturalistic explanations for all the phenomena investigated. Not a single scientific investigation has uncovered any evidence of a non-naturalistic explanation for anything. It’s not as if we don’t have the methodology. It would only take one observable unexplainable variation in physical laws to make science sit up very abruptly. If there were any unpredicted variation that showed some pattern that we could not attribute to any natural cause then science would be it’s steering it’s research endeavours in that direction, if only for the funding opportunities that would become available.
But after centuries of looking, using ever-increasing sensitive instruments there’s nothing. No sign at all. If there is a God he doesn’t seem to interact with the universe at all. Which means he’s of no consequence to us. And theology has faired no better. Far older than science and it hasn’t even come up with even a logical argument for his existence which can’t be demolished by empirical evidence or a keener philosophical mind. Indeed, theologians can’t even come up with a definition of God they can all agree on. And when it comes to explanations for the hard bits like the problem of evil…..let’s be honest, it’s not even off the starting blocks.
As far as science is concerned God has gone the way of leprechauns. It is impossible for Science to prove or disprove the existence of leprechauns. Of course they might live in some other dimension, beyond space and time, and ….etc etc
You’ve probably had personal experience of God or something you might describe as ‘spiritual’. I have too. But I wouldn’t hesitate to place my bets that the cause was to do with the way my neurons were firing and nothing more. Doesn’t mean it’s not a buzz though and shouldn’t be explored, but let’s not use that as an excuse to spend all our waking moments veering away from reality.
Tony March 2, 2013 at 5:40 pm
We have reached an impasse! Best wishes to all of us and our finite “little gray cells” as Poirot liked to call them.
Ron Murphy March 13, 2013 at 6:33 pm
Hi Coel,
I’d like to nit pick a little. In what way is natural selection ‘directed’? Directed towards what?
There is no evidence whatsoever that any of this is directed at all. There is a suspicion that the process of evolution may indeed follow some statistically significant law that ensures species become more complex, and that complexity, in some organs, such as brains, become intelligent, as we understand that term. But none of it was directed specifically towards us or any other species. There is no way to predict, ahead of time, what ‘direction’ evolution will take. In that sense we are here by accident. Even though each survival outcome, each fitness for survival to reproduce, is somewhat deterministic, it is not overall anything but chance.
The overall ‘directedness’ is only a post hoc rationalisation of what actually happened. At any point in evolution we can look back and say, well species A survived because it had these traits, and species B became extinct because it had these other traits – but that does not make the process of evolution directional in any reasonable sense.
The point that is being made when evolutionary biologists say that mutations might be random but natural selection is not, is the following. The anti-evolutionists object that a singular random event could not produce a whole human, or any other of the less complex organisms. And that’s right. But any specific random event contributes to survival, to extinction, or is neutral, according to the environment in which it occurs. Deterministic events act on the mutated organisms, the individuals to which the mutation has spread through inheritance; but only at a point-by-point basis in space and time.
A mutation may be contribute to survival if it occurs in one environment, and to extinction in another. It may be beneficial if it occurs at one time and detrimental at another. The coming together of all these events, changes in the inanimate environment, biological mutations and changes in other animals and plants in the environment, are collectively a chance coincidental coming together.
The meteorite that contributed to the extinction of the dinosaurs was just as much a chance occurrence as any mutation is. There might be intelligent dinosaurs or birds having some online debate right now, had mammals not managed to find themselves in the accidental position of becoming dominant. And then of course it is an accident that of all the mammals we find ourselves here now in charge. Some other mammalian animal might just have well become dominant. Any of the other hominids may have got here instead of us. It’s is quite feasible that there could have been no technology and no internet debates at all at this point in Earth’s history, had some other species been dominant instead of our ancestors. Or for that matter some other species might have had descendants that would have surpassed our abilities, had their ancestors only, by chance, become dominant instead of our ancestors.
My response to any thesitic claims to evolution as part of God’s plan is as follows.
Evolution completely destroys the myth of human specialness, and all the theology that claims specialness.
What it does not do is tell us anything about how the universe began and what processes made it come about: something like a god, or multiple gods, good gods, evil gods, or of course any number of no theistic causes. The issue that atheist science proponents have with theism is not that it is a totally implausible hypothesis, but that it is one that has no more going for it than any other non-theistic explanation. All claims to a personal good God that cares about us humans is just pie in the sky fantasy. There’s nothing to back it up. All claims to revelation can just as easily be explained as neurologically determined brain experiences; because there’s plenty of science to illustrate those.
If theists want to claim that evolution is itslef God’s process, they first have to give some reason to presuppose there is a God pulling the strings.
Science is a really difficult business. Delving into the makeup of the universe demands fantastic collaborative efforts and amazing equipment to investigate the greater cosmos and the makeup of atoms, as Coel no doubt will attest. Do you really think a bunch of theists day dreaming about an imagined God can tell us anything whatsoever useful about reality? It’s totally crazy. Whenever a theists wants to tell us about the limitations of science he should note that the limitations of discovery apply even more so to some dude sat in an armchair introspectively contemplating the nature of God that was imagined by some ancient tribes that had very little access to the science we have now. If contemplative prayer worked at all it would have been put to practical use. There is nothing ever predicted from religion that has come close to what science has discovered. Scientific fact is heck of a lot stranger than any theistic fiction.
So, oarubio’s, “a rational combination of God and evolution” has to start with a rational contemplation of God. Why do you even think there is a God? What could possibly persuade you? Where does your belief begin? I get that once you believe you might want to start affirming that belief, having ‘faith’ in it, committing yourself to it. But why start? I’d be interested to know.
Coel Post author March 13, 2013 at 8:13 pm
Selection of mutations is directed towards an individual being better at surviving/procreating, and thus there is direction towards an individual being a better fit to its ecological niche. This makes natural selection very different from a random process, and is the mechanism producing complex adaptation.
But I do agree with you that there is no direction towards particular species, and that random processes such as meteorite strikes can be highly influential in determining what species evolve.
Ron Murphy March 21, 2013 at 8:04 am
In what way is the ‘random’ occurrence of a meteorite any less ‘random’ that a particular mutation just happening to coincide with an environment which lets it survive? And remember here that for DNA the ‘environment’ consists of everything around the mutation in the cell at the time of the mutation, whether the change will be repaired or not, whether the change will propagate into the next generation, whether the change is consistent with events in the environment outside the organism. Put this into perspective with all the chance events that make these organisms meet with prey or predator that might influence survival – and not forgetting that prey and predators have random changes going on inside them too.
Here’s another condition. Fur coat colour can vary. Let’s start with brown animals in a desert environment. Light coats occur in some statistical variation, but any statistically significant persistence of a tendency to very light coats is selected against. The environment begins to change to a wintery one and the lighter coats become advantageous and eventually persist so that white coats become the norm. It’s the coincidental coming together of a particular variety and the environment that causes selection at that point. It is coincidental and not directed.
It is coincidental that a mutation results in a benefit, that will contribute to survival, or a detriment, that will inhibit survival. It is the sheer number of mutations that are happening all the time that make some of them coincidentally beneficial changes that are likely to increase survival chances in the current environment. It is selection, but coincidental selection and not directed.
The only sense in which the term ‘directed’ would be meaningful in this context is if the mutation was intended to match the current environment in some way, in order to ensure survival, or extinction. Or if the selection process was guided to favour outcomes that lead somewhere, to some target species. Given that Intelligent Design proponents are claiming this very ‘directedness’ I think it an inappropriate word that doesn’t convey the coincidental nature of natural selection.
The term ‘selection’, in ‘natural selection’ has to be understood in an entirely passive and coincidental sense, in opposition to artificial selection in animals, whereby humans are also observing the physiological outcomes of many mutations and deciding which to keep. In this latter sense artificial selection is ‘directed’ by the purposeful elimination of unwanted mutational changes. In natural selection whether a change is beneficial or not is pure luck, because the same change could be beneficial in some circumstances and not in others, according to the chance coincidental occurrence of organism change and environmental state.
If you ‘randomly’ fire a cue ball at a ‘randomly’ placed set of snooker balls on a table, some may well end up in pockets. There is a trivial sense in which we could say that the conditions on the table, the paths of the balls, ‘directed’ some balls into pockets; and yet we would still put the pocketing down to luck, chance, because in this example the relationship between un-directed, un-planned ball position, ball collisions, ball tracks, is to us epistemologically indeterminate. We are happy to attribute deterministic laws, models, to the individual collisions, but overall the outcome of which balls end up in which pockets is not directed by anything other than the unfolding of physical interactions.
This is the sense in which I think you are using the term ‘directed’ with regard to natural selection; but the micro scale deterministic events of molecular activity that causes the mutation, and those that act at a larger scale on the mutation, to copy it or not, and up higher to whether billions of other factors allow the organism to reproduce that may have no direct and immediate relationship to what changes the mutation might cause – all this is an accumulation of chance outcomes, or chaotic outcomes from micro scale deterministic events, a massive collection of independent events.
Evolution is the coming together of snooker balls, randomly, at all levels, and it’s the constraints of the laws of physical interaction, which determines chemical interaction, which determines biology, which determines behaviour, which determines interaction with the environment, including other behavioural systems, …
It may appear directed to us because of the hidden quantity of mutations of different sorts can result in a species apparently tracking changes in the environment. We see, in the unfolding changes in a species, only the ‘successful’ changes – or, those changes that we deem to be successful by virtue of their current presence in the genome. The attribution of success is a label imposed after the outcome of the undirected events have occurred.
First, we may be talking slightly at cross-purposes in using two somewhat different words. I didn’t call natural selection “directed” in the OP, I called it “directional”. I agree with you that “directed” (with connotations of a goal) is not an appropriate word to use about natural selection. However, I still maintain that “directional” (with connotations simply of having a direction) is indeed appropriate — and indeed that being directional is a necessary part of the process, necessary to produce adaptation.
Mutations are entirely random; then there is selection of the mutations. That selection is not random, but is biased in a particular direction, namely towards a better fit to the local environment. As you say:
Fur coat colour can vary. Let’s start with brown animals in a desert environment. Light coats occur in some statistical variation, but any statistically significant persistence of a tendency to very light coats is selected against. The environment begins to change to a wintery one and the lighter coats become advantageous and eventually persist so that white coats become the norm.
The selection — at all times — is towards a better fit to the local environment, towards adaptation. The selection of the mutations causes the coat-colour to track the environment (whatever the environment does).
That is surely a directional process. Suppose we define the “fitness function” of “coat-environment difference” as zero when the coat and environment have the same colour and shade, and increasingly positive as they differ. If we plot the population of genes against that function then the “natural selection” would produce a direction, namely “downhill” (towards zero) of that function. You would never get *selection* for uphill (though changes in environment could cause the function to increase).
You are entirely right that all this is merely “the unfolding of physical interactions”, in the same way that water running downhill is also just the unfolding of physical interactions, but is also directional (though not directed!).
That’s the sense in which I’m using the terms “direction” and “directional” (though not the term “directed”), and surely that’s the engine that leads to adaptation.
Fair enough. I’ll stop picking this particular nit.
Edward Jones March 27, 2013 at 8:14 pm
Beyond, over against, all the nit-picking details, selection: random v/s directed, an historical incongruity the secular critic must take into account:
The world’s greatest physicists, the founders and grand theorists of modern quantum and relativity physics: Einstein, Schreodinger, Heisenberg, Bohr, Eddington, Pauli, de Brogue, Jeans, and Plank wrote extensively about their mystical convictions – all confirmed theists, while making the claim: The great difference between the old and the new physics: both were dealing with shadows and symbols, but the new physics was forced to be aware of the fact — forced to be aware that it was dealing with shadows and symbols – not Reality. Still in Plato’s cave looking at the shadows on the wall discovering no clue that the sole cause of the shadows was the fire outside.
You are welcome to present evidence that those physicists were all theists, believing in a personal god. For that matter you are welcome to provide evidence that modern physics is “forced to be aware of the fact” that it is not dealing with “reality” but only with “shadows”.
Gary Hill March 27, 2013 at 9:34 pm
Of the physicists you mention only Eddington (a Quaker) and perhaps Heisenberg (Lutheran) could be considered ‘confirmed theists’.
According to Schrodinger’s biographer Walter Moore, he was atheist with an interest in eastern philosophy and had definitely no belief in a personal God. Pauli very publicly denounced his Catholicism in 1929 and never resumed any religious activity. De Broglie was widely considered to be areligious. J. L. Heilbron, Planck’s biographer states that he was a deist. According to Jan Faye, Bohr’s biographer, he was atheist. James Jeans believed in some vague concept of a ‘great architect’.
As for Einstein:
“The word god is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honourable, but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish. No interpretation no matter how subtle can (for me) change this”. (1954).
“It was, of course, a lie what you read about my religious convictions, a lie which is being systematically repeated. I do not believe in a personal God and I have never denied this but have expressed it clearly.” (1954).
In any case having mystical convictions does not make one a theist by any stretch of the imagination. It’s also interesting that all the physicists you mentioned are now dead and did their work between 50-100 years ago. We know far more about the universe now (this includes reality). I wonder how many of their modern equivalents, armed with this expanded knowledge, consider themselves to be ‘confirmed theists’. Very few I’m sure.
Erich October 8, 2013 at 1:38 pm
“Some think that God is an imaginary being that people believe on faith to make them feel good. However, it also takes faith to be an atheist. An atheist must believe that DNA is the result of chance. The DNA molecule is like a very complicated computer program.
Nobody would believe that Windows 7 is the result of chance, but many believe that the human brain that created Windows 7 is the result of chance.
Below is a picture of Mount Rushmore. Four faces were carved out of solid rock. It was caused by a process of time and chance. Over the course of many years, wind, rain and blowing sand carved the faces in the rock:
That sounds ridiculous to claim that erosion carved the faces into the rock, right? But, many people believe that the men who are depicted in the rock carving and the people who carved the rock are a result of a process of time and chance. I myself believed it for many years. A living thing is much more complex that a rock. It should sound just as ridiculous to say that life began by a process of time and chance.”
[Very long comment, including extensive Bible verses, reduced to the above — moderator]
Coel Post author October 8, 2013 at 1:57 pm
I reduced the above comment since it was hugely long. To reply:
It does not require “faith” to suppose that DNA arose by chance, since there is lots of evidence for it. If you see complexity and design, the educated and wise person says “there, that is the product of natural selection”.
Darwinian natural selection is the only mechanism we know of for producing very complex outcomes — either directly, as complex lifeforms, or as designs produced by the lifeforms that evolution produces.
Thus people and all lifeforms and (indirectly) Windows 7 and Mt Rushmore are all products of evolution by natural selection. That is what the evidence overwhelmingly tells us.
Gary Hill October 8, 2013 at 4:03 pm
“An atheist must believe that DNA is the result of chance. The DNA molecule is like a very complicated computer program.”
Your view of biology is highly erroneous.
First, DNA is not the simplest form of self-replicating molecule. It has evolved from simpler biochemical forms. That’s why it appears to be so complex.
Second, the analogy of genomes to computer programs is strained, to say the least. Program code provides the entirety of the information necessary for software to run. Any input from sources external to the program can only be dealt with in a specific manner that is already written into the program’s code. The source code is deliberately designed to be not malleable. If this were not so, your version of Windows 7 might start out the same as everyone else’s but would, over time, evolve into a different kind of operating system according to the demands that you place on it. It might eventually no longer be compatible with other versions of Windows 7. Furthermore, Windows 7 does not ship with the bulk of its code redundant, simply left there by programmers from previous versions of Windows. The size of a program’s source code should correlate with what can be achieved with the program – simple programs require simple coding and vice-versa.
DNA is clearly the opposite, it is highly malleable; additional information is available to it to which it responds and so develops novelty (from e.g., ontogeny, random mutation, biogeographical factors, genetic drift, and a host of other environmental influences). Natural organisms ‘ship’ with large portions of their genome redundant, littered with the remnant DNA and pseudogenes from ancestor species. And the size of the genome bears no resemblance to the complexity of the ‘program’. The marbled lungfish, for example, has a genome 40x larger than human beings.
DNA has created Windows 7, as Coel pointed out; they are not analogous.
Ron Murphy October 8, 2013 at 5:28 pm
Analogues don’t have to be the same in every respect. Often an analogy will contain both aspects that are similar and those that are specifically different. The difference may be the uninteresting aspect which is only incidental, or, it may be important to the function of the analogy.
So, God v FSM – the similarity is that they are human invented concepts about deities that can be shown to exist by the same methodology, but with zero evidence, and they can both be believed in, or have the potential to be believed in. There difference is only when and how they were invented and the amount of history and tradition. To an atheist this is supposed to imply that if the FSM is ridiculous then so might God, since they are similar in supportive evidence. This, and the teapot and fairy analogies are usually lost on theists.
The DNA v program analogy helps to illustrate that the human is programmed in some way. It also helps show that if the analogy holds then the human is as mechanistic as a programmed computer. This might also be lost on theists, since rather than focus on the blind watchmaker programming by evolution they might prefer that both computer programs and DNA were designed by a designer.
Sometimes analogies work for you but not for the person you are trying to persuade.
But analogies need not be used to persuade in an argumentative sense (they are not arguments so don’t stand as arguments – something else often lost on theists using them) but may be mere aids to understanding.
The DNA v program analogy is fine in this respect. Programs are not complete usually. First, programs are themselves data. A compiler compiling source code, an interpreter interpreting source or intermediate code, or a hard-wire processor running macine (native) code, are all examples of one program running another. Further, programs ate often broken into parts: main program plus DLL files, under windows; and a single program may share DLL files, or may used multiple versions. Operating systems co-ordinate many programs to acieve a programmed task. HTML is data, but it encodes a program of presentation which many browsers can run.
Many chunks of code may be pieced together to program computers in different ways – so a single piece of HTML might look very diffetent on a desktop and phone – much like a gene might be expressed differently in two different animals.
There are many ways in which the analogy works. The trick is to take from it what the user/author intended and not to impose one’s own selection of the diffetences. Of course some analogies do fail to make a point and it is fair to criticise them when they do. But some generosity is required occasionally.
And so is yours, I’m afraid.
DNA’s definition as a literal program (not just a figurative one) is nearly universal in the entire body of biological literature since the 1960’s.
“Information, transcription, translation, code, redundancy, synonymous, messenger, editing, and proofreading are all appropriate terms in biology. They take their meaning from information theory (Shannon, 1948) and are not synonyms, metaphors, or analogies.” (Hubert P. Yockey, Information Theory, Evolution, and the Origin of Life, Cambridge University Press, 2005)
Ron, your précis of the FSM analogy demonstrates why Erich’s analogy is so bad.
“analogies need not be used to persuade in an argumentative sense………..The DNA v program analogy is fine in this respect”
Agree. And I acknowledge your point about taking what the author intended and not imposing one’s own selection of the differences. But Erich’s intention was to liken DNA to a computer program in order to infer a designer for both. The analogy doesn’t work IMO precisely because the similarities (in this regard) are so few.
“Operating systems co-ordinate many programs to achieve a programmed task………..much like a gene might be expressed differently in two different animals”.
Completely disagree. A gene (or a group of genes) is not an operating system running a predetermined program, or programmed tasks, nor is it a blueprint. It’s a means of replicating and expanding genetic information in the absence of any overriding program.
“Of course some analogies do fail to make a point and it is fair to criticise them when they do.”
If Erich had made an analogy between computer programs and DNA being means of disseminating information, I might well have agreed with him, but his analogy as it stands is strained. So I criticised.
Erich October 9, 2013 at 3:53 am
You guys are off the chain! This is like an insanely intense arm-wrestling match of genius minds! Aahaha!
I feel like a little kid who jumped into a fight of highly skilled ninjas, threw one punch, and now the entire fight has turned towards me. Ninja Ron Murphy takes pity on this wannabe-warrior and knows that he too was once a passionate young man trying to find his feet in the world of Ninjitsu and tries to soften the blows. He appreciates Ninjitsu for what it is and likes to see the heart in any warrior, whether extremely skilled or not so much… Ninja Gary Hill is offended by this young shmuck and wants to annihilate him and his silly and wild right-hook off the face of the planet. All the while Ninja Coel is relentlessly droning forward like a robot-ninja that has only one prime directive: Advance Evolution at any and all costs and coldly deny anything to the contrary!
Anyone care to comment on that analogy? 🙂
I wish you guys could have read my entire post, though. That DNA stuff was actually just something I came across on the net. I just threw it in cos it made sense to my uneducated (compared to you guys) mind. Can I maybe mail my entire post to you guys individually? You could leave me you e-mail addresses if you like? Is that allowed Ninja Coel?
Have a great day guys!
Ron Murphy October 9, 2013 at 8:11 am
Erich: ronmurp at gmail. Looking forward to it.
Oh, and the analogy was fine, if it expresses what you feel. Do you think it did the job you intended?
Gary Hill October 9, 2013 at 10:55 am
Erich, re the Ninja analogy, I can see how you might think that. From my perspective, however, I suspect you’re mistaking reasoned argumentation and passionate debate (common in secular circles) for animosity. I apologise if my passion for the subject appeared aggressive to you.
I’ll give your full email a read: seicolegwr (at) btinternet (dot) com
GEORGE JOHN February 26, 2017 at 1:04 am
A scientific law should be able to encapsulate past experience and be able to predict. Newton’s laws can explain the motion of planets in the past as well as predict future eclipses. Quantum theory does this on the basis of probablistic models. The evolutionary theory gives an explanation as to the past but cannot predict the future … in this sense it does not become a full scientific theory but in the realm of a “narrative”. Narratives give a form to the past without being able to predict the future.
In this context, mathematically, chance refers to a set of events following a probability distribution.
Non random events are those which cannot be compressed to an algorithm shorter than the list of outcome events (see Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy for a detailed and interesting discussion on these terms).
Coel Post author February 27, 2017 at 11:23 am
I don’t accept that there is a requirement for a scientific law or theory to be able to predict, it merely needs to be an explanatory framework that (as far as we know) is true. For pragmatic reasons to do with complex and chaotic systems, and to do with historical contingency, in some areas of science it is very hard to make accurate predictions. Forecasting next year’s weather is an example.
The foundations of science is based on experimental proof. This is based on testable hypothesis. However, if a theory cannot predict, it cannot be experimentally proven (by using a null hypothesis) – and any such reasoning is therefore devoid of experimental evidence which is the bedrock of science. Within this constraint, genetics is a science while evolutionary theory is not.
This is not to state that truth is obtained only though science…there are truths which are known through other modes. Geometrical proofs lead to truth but are not experimentally derived – geometry is not classified as science.
If we change the meaning of words used in a discussion, we are in the same boat as Humpty Dumpty in Alice in Wonderland: “When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.” “The question is,” said Alice, “whether you can make words mean so many different things.”
Concepts may then become like hot air balloons which we conveniently use for credibility in order to cross the banks of the sea of our ignorance but they would be concepts without content – like balloons they will contain nothing when pricked.
The foundations of science is based on experimental proof.
I think that it is too narrow a view of science to require experimental proof. Many areas of science are not experimental but observational, either because the timescales are too long (e.g. geology) or because the subject matter is too far away or too big to experiment on (e.g. astrophysics). Science is pragmatic, and is about doing the best one can. If one can do experiments then good, but if one can’t then that doesn’t mean it is not science. As I see it, evolution is indeed scientific and is a fully fledged scientific theory.
Fadi Khoury July 29, 2017 at 2:44 pm
Interesting description. Especially about the randomness of mutation. However, the events occurrence leading to a situation that requires a mutation are considered random. There’s no doubt that systems would settle in the best possible way. But the events that disturbed their initial state have no specific order. I have recently published a short ebook discussing Randomness in life https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074CT7CPF
I find this topic extremely interesting, and was on my mind since i was a teenager. I’m looking for your feedback on my thoughts. Thanks 🙂
Pingback: 1 – Did life happen “by chance”?
Ronoelz June 19, 2019 at 8:10 pm
I actually enjoyed the article. But after reading the author’s comments below, it seems the person has a very militant perspective to the point of having a mental illness. Not interesting in discussing these topics in way similar to a dialectic, where people can take aim at trying to get a better sense of the matter from various perspectives….rather the author wants to debate and convert everyone to his belief. When the author disagrees or feels threatened by someone else’s views, they lash out.
Coel Post author June 21, 2019 at 12:47 pm
But after reading the author’s comments below, it seems the person has a very militant perspective to the point of having a mental illness.
Let me guess, you’re a creationist?
When the author disagrees or feels threatened by someone else’s views, they lash out.
Such as by suggesting that presenting mainstream science amounts to a “mental illness”?
Nazi racial ideology was religious, creationist and opposed to Darwinism
Six reasons why objective morality is nonsense
Britain’s 10 worst violations of religious equality
A fine-tuned universe argues for atheism
Einstein the atheist on religion and God
Science can answer morality questions
Moral realism versus hypothetical imperatives
Science Unlimited, Part Two: The Humanities
The European Court guts free-speech protections
Science Unlimited, Part One: Pseudoscience
Does the problem of induction defeat scientism?
Theos Think Tank have been polling about religious violence
On Michael Shermer’s defence of moral realism
Darwinism
empirical reality
empiricism
falsifiability
fine tuning
Jerry Coyne
laws of physics
moral realism
Rabbi Sacks
religious privilege
Richard Carrier
@RabbiRomain It’s still a violation of their right to choose. 15 hours ago
Follow @coelhellier
Archives Select Month April 2019 (1) January 2019 (1) October 2018 (1) September 2018 (1) August 2018 (1) July 2018 (1) May 2018 (1) April 2018 (1) February 2018 (1) January 2018 (2) December 2017 (1) November 2017 (2) October 2017 (2) September 2017 (2) August 2017 (1) July 2017 (1) June 2017 (2) March 2017 (2) February 2017 (2) January 2017 (1) December 2016 (1) November 2016 (1) October 2016 (1) June 2016 (2) March 2016 (5) February 2016 (2) January 2016 (2) December 2015 (3) November 2015 (1) October 2015 (2) September 2015 (4) July 2015 (3) June 2015 (3) April 2015 (1) March 2015 (1) February 2015 (3) January 2015 (2) December 2014 (2) November 2014 (2) September 2014 (3) August 2014 (1) July 2014 (3) June 2014 (2) May 2014 (1) April 2014 (1) February 2014 (4) January 2014 (6) December 2013 (2) November 2013 (1) October 2013 (3) September 2013 (7) August 2013 (2) July 2013 (1) June 2013 (4) April 2013 (1) February 2013 (3) January 2013 (4) October 2012 (4) September 2012 (2) July 2012 (1) February 2012 (1) January 2012 (1) December 2011 (2) November 2011 (2)
Equality, Deism and Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence
The Religious Freedom Restoration Act establishes religious privilege
Your freedom to impose your religion ends where your child begins
Why the non-religious are getting “overheated” about British “faith” schools
Dear Muslims, about Muhammed cartoons
What is wrong with Channel 4′s censorship of Jesus and Mo?
Mainstream Islam is not moderate
Why are British Student Unions imposing Islamic rules?
Burqa bans made easy: properly understanding religious freedom
Britain needs to value free speech
Why are we allowing student unions to veto speech?
Religious freedom and equality in a nutshell
Christians don’t understand religious freedom
Religions are entitled to tolerance, but not to respect
Three cheers for religious toleration
Massimo Pigliucci’s critique of New Atheism and scientism
William Tyndale, hero of atheism
Hitler despised atheism as much as Pope Benedict does
Militant Fundamentalist Agnostics and the meaning of atheism
There is nothing wrong with morality being subjective!
Lacking “free will” does not negate moral responsibility
My entry for Sam Harris’s Moral Landscape Challenge
Basics of scientism: the web of knowledge
What does “science” in “scientism” mean?
Nagel’s bat doesn’t demonstrate incompleteness in materialist science
Tools of science: Induction and Occam’s razor
Scientism and questions science cannot answer
A scientism defence of Logical Positivism
Defending scientism: mathematics is a part of science
A scientific response to the Brain in a Vat
Compatibilism for incompatibilists: free will in five steps
What does “existence” mean?
Science can indeed answer “why” questions
What are “laws of physics”?
Water in the atmosphere of extra-solar planets
Science can deal with the supernatural
William Lane Craig’s eight Special-Pleading arguments for God’s existence
Catholic theology facilitated the child abuse
Assisted dying: Whose life is it anyway?
Carl Zimmer
Larry Moran
Matt Strassler
Michael Nugent
RichardDawkins.net
Skeptic Ink
Stephen Law
WASP planets
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line4040
|
__label__wiki
| 0.653921
| 0.653921
|
More in Academic Awards & Fellowships (AAF)
Academic Awards & Fellowships (AAF)
Ford Foundation Fellowships
Through its Fellowship Programs, the Ford Foundation seeks to increase the diversity of the nation’s college and university faculties by increasing their ethnic and racial diversity, to maximize the educational benefits of diversity, and to increase the number of professors who can and will use diversity as a resource for enriching the education of all students. Each year, the Ford Foundation offers predoctoral fellowships, as well as dissertation and postdoctoral fellowships. Fellowships are awarded to students who demonstrate excellence, commitment to diversity, and the desire to teach at the college or university level.
Typical Deadline
Candidates must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, U.S. permanent resident, or individual granted official DACA, political asylum, or refugee status. Candidates must be committed to a career in teaching at the college or university level. They must be enrolled or plan to enroll in an eligible research-based program leading to a Ph.D or Sc.D at a US institution and must not have previously earned a doctoral degree. May apply as undergraduates in their senior year simultaneous with applications to graduate programs.
Award Website
http://sites.nationalacademies.org/PGA/FordFellowships
Advice for Applicants
email kegross@lclark.edu
Fellowships Advisor
Karen Gross
Academic Awards & Fellowships
Academic Awards & Fellowships Lewis & Clark 0615 S.W. Palatine Hill Road Portland OR 97219
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line4041
|
__label__cc
| 0.694735
| 0.305265
|
Cook County Government Passes Budget - 4:36
Timothy Schneider, Timothy O. Schneider, Cook County Commissioner, 15th District
Posted Dec 13, 2017
https://comcastnewsmakers.com/Videos/2017/12/13/Cook-County-Government-Passes-Budget
Currently serving his third term on the Cook County Board of Commissioners, Timothy O. Schneider (R-15) has distinguished himself as a steadfast voice for reform and accountability at the County level. Representing the 15th District (Arlington Heights, Barrington, Barrington Hills, Bartlett, Elgin, Elk Grove Village, Hanover Park, Hoffman Estates, Inverness, Mount Prospect, Rolling Meadows, Roselle, Schaumburg, South Barrington, and Streamwood). Tim has lead the fight against increased taxes and spending, fiscal responsibility, and transparency in government. As Chairman of the Finance Subcommittee on Workers Compensation, Tim championed legislation that combats workers compensation fraud by requiring injured employees to submit to recorded interviews detailing each workplace accident.
Hosted by: Paul Lisnek Produced by: Greater Chicago Newsmakers Team
#Illinois #Government
Other videos hosted by Paul Lisnek
Accessing Technology With Disabilities
Accessing Technology With Disabilities - 4:33
Donka, Inc., teaches those with disabilities how to access computers through adaptive equipment. Ann Bryne joins the discussion on how these technologies can adapt an individual’s way of life.
https://comcastnewsmakers.com/Videos/2019/4/22/Ann-Byrne
Examining Equality: LGBTQ Pride Month Highlights
Examining Equality: LGBTQ Pride Month Highlights - 1:00
Fifty years following the historic Stonewall Riots, Comcast Newsmakers spotlights America's diverse LGBTQ community with an in-depth exploration into the state of equality. Watch now at Comcast Newsmakers' Pride Month 2019 destination.
https://comcastnewsmakers.com/Videos/2019/6/12/Pride-Month-Sizzle-Reel-2019
Confronting LGBTQ Youth Suicide in America
Confronting LGBTQ Youth Suicide in America - 6:24
For LGBTQ people ages 10 to 24, suicide is a leading cause of death. David Johns, Executive Director of the National Black Justice Coalition, sheds light on efforts to advance acceptance and empowerment of black LGBTQ students.
https://comcastnewsmakers.com/Videos/2019/5/29/Confronting-LGBTQ-Youth-Suicide-in-America
Advancing LGBTQ Businesses
Advancing LGBTQ Businesses - 5:49
LGBTQ businesses contribute more than $1.7 trillion to the U.S. economy, creating thousands of jobs every year. Sabrina Kent of the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce discusses how the Chamber advocates for the economic empowerment of America’s 1.4 million LGBTQ-owned businesses.
https://comcastnewsmakers.com/Videos/2019/5/30/Advancing-LGBTQ-Businesses
Journey Toward LGBTQ Acceptance: Families and Allies at the Forefront
Journey Toward LGBTQ Acceptance: Families and Allies at the Forefront - 6:39
According to the National Association for Mental Illness, members of the LGBTQ community are approximately three times more likely than the general population to experience depression, generalized anxiety disorder, and other mental health conditions. Brian Bond, Executive Director of PFLAG National, joins host Paul Lisnek to discuss how fostering LGBTQ acceptance at home is vital to improving mental health in the community.
https://comcastnewsmakers.com/Videos/2019/5/29/Families-and-Allies-at-the-Forefront
The Equality Act - 5:54
In 2012, Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., became the first openly gay person elected to the U.S. Senate. Baldwin is co-sponsor of the Equality Act of 2019, pending legislation that aims to curb discrimination and extend civil rights protections to the LGBTQ community.
https://comcastnewsmakers.com/Videos/2019/5/29/The-Equality-Act
Mentoring and Motivation
Mentoring and Motivation - 4:35
City Year Chicago volunteers tutor and mentor youths in at risk communities. Their academic and social-emotional support to students grades 3-9, push and motivate students to achieve any goals they may have.
https://comcastnewsmakers.com/Videos/2019/4/22/Kiara-Clark
Creating a Community Identity
Creating a Community Identity - 6:16
The Village of Machesney Park is easier to find with new signage on the tollway. The village is experiencing industrial growth with a new truck hub, new stores and restaurants and community events like movie night and toy drives.
https://comcastnewsmakers.com/Videos/2018/9/21/Steve-Johnson
Narrowing the Cybersecurity Industry’s Gender Gap
Narrowing the Cybersecurity Industry’s Gender Gap - 4:33
Cybersecurity professionals are in high demand and the need keeps growing. Estimates show that there are 35,000 open cybersecurity positions in the United States, but women only make up 20% of the workforce.
https://comcastnewsmakers.com/Videos/2019/4/22/Alisha-Wenc
Community Led Master Plan
Community Led Master Plan - 5:20
Rockford Park District surveyed citizens for 6 months to ensure they are meeting the needs of the community. Overall, residents want neighborhood parks, hiking, biking and walking trails and to re-invest in infrastructure.
https://comcastnewsmakers.com/Videos/2018/9/21/Laura-Gibbs-Green
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line4042
|
__label__cc
| 0.609417
| 0.390583
|
Does Humanism and Christianity share any common beliefs?
Lamb & Lion Ministries conducts a number of Bible conferences in the Dallas, Texas area each year. Our June 2011 conference theme was Christianity Under Attack.
One of our speakers was Dr. Ron Rhodes, the president of Reasoning from the Scriptures Ministries. He’s a prolific author of more than 50 books. He holds a doctorate in systematic theology from Dallas Theological Seminary, and he specializes in the field of Apologetics. He also serves as an adjunct professor at several seminaries. Dr. Rhodes’ topic at our conference was “The Challenge of Humanism and Atheism” (watch).
Humanism’s Belief For Humanity
In Humanism there is no divine purpose for humanity.
Listen to these words from the Humanist Manifesto II: “We can discover no divine purpose or providence for the human species. While there is much that we do not know, humans are responsible for what we are or will become. No deity will save us. We must save ourselves. We are all alone in this great big universe. No ultimate purpose whatsoever.”
In keeping with this, Paul Kurtz who is a very famous Humanist who wrote a book called Forbidden Fruit, the Ethics of Humanism put it this way. Notice the derogatory terms that he uses to describe the Christian belief. “The Theist world is only a dream world. It is a feeble escape into a future that will never come.” He goes on, “Promises of a mortal salvation or fear of eternal damnation are both illusory and harmful. They distract humans from present concerns, from self-actualization, and from rectifying social injustices. There is no credible evidence that life survives the death of the body. We continue to exist in our progeny and in the way our lives have influenced others in our culture.”
Notice how this concern about eternal damnation is said to interfere with self-actualization. I almost find it comical. A judge before whom we must appear in the afterlife to give an account for our actions, yes, that might interfere a little bit with your present, sinful lifestyle. That’s really what he’s saying. It’s all about relativistic ethics.
Humanism’s Source for Moral Values
In terms of ethics, Humanists affirm that moral values derive their source from human experience. Ethics are autonomous and situational, needing no theological or ideological sanction.
When I was over in London I rode a lot of those double-decker buses, and on one of those buses there was a sign that read, “There is probably no God, now stop worrying and enjoy your life.” The timing was kind of interesting because I was over in London when bombs went off there resulting in one of those buses getting blown to smithereens. I don’t know if that billboard was on that particular bus, but it makes me wonder.
The bottom line is that Christianity and Humanism are diametrically different from each other. In terms of source of moral values, Christianity is based on the Bible, whereas in Secular Humanism it’s based really upon Humanist Manifesto I, II, and III.
Christianity vs. Humanism
Theology — Christianity teaches theism which is the idea of a personal Creator God. Whereas, Secular Humanism believes in Atheism.
Philosophy — Christianity holds to supernaturalism which is the idea that there is a supernatural God who can do miracles and intervene in a miraculous way in our lives. Whereas, Secular Humanism believes in naturalism which is the idea that nature accounts for everything in our universe.
Ethics — Christianity believes in moral absolutes. In other words, ethics that are true for all people and in all ages. Whereas, in terms of Secular Humanism, they believe in moral relativism. Humanistic ethics basically says you can have your own ethics and I can have mine. What works for you is fine. What works for me is fine. We are a law unto ourselves is basically their system of thought.
Biology — Christianity teaches Creationism. Whereas, in Secular Humanism we find Evolution.
Truth — In Christianity the modus operandi is faith and reason. Yes, we have faith in the Bible, but God gave us reason to read it. “Come let us reason,” God says. Whereas, in Secular Humanism they say that they are only interested in human rationalization.
By the way, does human rationalization alone produce a Humanist’s view of truth? I don’t think so. In fact, I think that Evolution and Naturalization involves a whole lot more faith. That’s why one of my good friends Norman Geisler wrote a book called I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist. So, whether they want to admit it or not, Humanists do have a faith system. There’s a whole lot more evidence that supports the Christian viewpoint than their viewpoint. Our faith has evidence to support it, but their faith does not.
Education — Christianity is value based, whereas Secular Humanism is valueless.
In the last part on this series with Dr. Rhodes concerning the challenge of Humanism, we’ll look at its origins and then how Humanism fits into end time Bible prophecy.
Christianity Under Attack 2011 Conference DVD Album
The Christianity Under Attack 2011 Bible Conference takes an in-depth look at some of the attacks on Christianity. Learn how to counter these attacks in this 6-part conference album!
“The Challenge of Islam” – Kerby Anderson
“The Challenge of Humanism and Atheism” – Ron Rhodes
“The Challenge of Evolution” – John Morris
“The Challenge of Apostasy” – James Walker
“The Challenge of Government” – Frank Wright
“The Promise of Victory” – David Reagan
Apologetics False Prophets God
Previous PostThe Challenge of Humanism: Faith in the Anti-Supernatural
Next PostThe Challenge of Humanism: Ancient Origins To Prophetic Fulfillment
Have done much reading on the subject of humanism and it is my understanding that America's form of government is based upon secular humanist tradition which was introduced during the "enlightenment" period of human history. The so-called "founding fathers" were well educated in this false tradition, as were many of the leaders of their day. Christianity today has been compromised by those who hold to the teachings of the enlightenment era. They have long been introducing destructive heresey. It comes as no surprise that true Christians are rapidly dissappearing.
joe myers says:
America’s form of government is based upon Christian principals based in scripture.
Our government mirrors God. Legislative, Executive and Judicial.
Isaiah 33:22 King James Version (KJV)
22 For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; he will save us.
|
cc/2019-30/en_head_0049.json.gz/line4045
|
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.