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One Degree MMM / Uncategorized / Budweiser Launches ‘Made for Music’ with JAY Z and Rihanna
Budweiser Launches ‘Made for Music’ with JAY Z and Rihanna
Following the acclaimed 2012 Budweiser Made in America festival, Budweiser announces ‘Made for Music’ in more than 85 countries.
In 2012 JAY Z curated Budweiser’s Made in America festival in support of United Way. The new campaign will celebrate artists, makers and creators that leave an unforgettable mark on pop culture and the spirit that drives them to greatness, bringing the inspirational power of music to millions of fans around the world. This will be Budweiser’s global celebration of music’s unique power and influence in bringing people together.
MADE will also bring fans closer to Rihanna through a series of collaborations to be announced later this year. Budweiser is currently on the road with Rihanna in support of her Diamonds World Tour. The global campaign featuring JAY Z and Rihanna will run in more than 85 countries around the world where fans can enjoy a Budweiser, including 2 television spots entitled “Dreams are Made” directed by award winning film director Mark Romanek.
Fans will be able to stay connected via Budweiser’s Global YouTube Channel, Budweisermusic.com, and Facebook among other social networks.
Budweiser. (2013). Budweiser Launces ‘MADE for Music’ with JAY Z and Rihanna. [Press Release]. Retrieved from http://prn.to/1do4x37
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"North and Central America"
Singers (Musicians) 32
United States--History--1969-2001 26
Track and field 24
Photographs 168
Clippings (information artifacts) 28
78 rpm records 20
Sheet music 20
Oral histories (document genres) 14
Video recordings 14
Dresses (garments) 13
Lobby cards 11
Correspondence 8
Pins (fasteners) 5
Los Angeles 102
Alameda County 58
Sonora 52
Tuolumne County 50
Los Angeles County 47
Sugg McDonald House 41
Oakland 36
Fillmore 23
Berkeley 20
Compton 14
Culver City 11
Albrier, Frances M. 68
National Council of Negro Women 54
San Francisco Chapter of the National Council of Negro Women 53
McDonald, Vernon Sugg 50
Sugg, Mary Elizabeth 43
Black Panther Party 34
Jackson, Steve 34
Schwartz, Joe 30
Jimbo's Bop City 23
Lyons, Roderick J. 22
Lewis, Carl 16
Civil Rights History Project 14
Williams, Serena Jameka 14
Williams, Venus Ebony Starr 14
Allen, Floyd Green 13
Cox Studio 12
Palm Press 12
The Sun-Reporter 12
Victor Talking Machine Company 11
Photograph of young women practicing first aid
Joseph, E. F., American, 1900 - 1979
Albrier, Frances M., American, 1898 - 1987
American Red Cross, American, founded 1881
paper (fiber product)
H x W: 8 1/8 x 10 in. (20.6 x 25.4 cm)
Berkeley, Alameda County, California, United States, North and Central America
A black-and-white photograph of Frances Albrier teaching first aid to young women in Berkeley, California.
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Frances Albrier Collection
© E.F. Joseph
Photograph of Frances Albrier teaching a first aid class
A black-and-white photograph of Frances Albrier teaching first aid to young women in Berkeley, California. Many of the women have bandages on them from practicing.
A black-and-white photograph of Frances Albrier in a Red Cross uniform teaching first aid to a group of young women in Berkeley, California. Many of the women have their heads wrapped in bandages or their arms in a sling.
© 1951 Photo by E. F. Joseph
Photograph of Frances Albrier instructing a first aid class
A black-and-white photograph of Frances Albrier overseeing a first aid class in Berkeley, California, where five young women are practicing on a sixth, who is laying on a table.
Photograph of a Black History Week display in Oakland, CA
Cohen, Moses L., American, 1884 - 1975
H x W: 10 x 8 1/8 in. (25.4 x 20.6 cm)
Oakland, Alameda County, California, United States, North and Central America
A black-and-white photograph of a Black History Week display window arranged by Frances Albrier. The display includes books, issues of Time, Ebony, and Life magazines, records, and a quilt depicting Frederick Douglass.
© Estate of Moses L. Cohen. Permission required for use.
Black Panther demonstration, Alameda Co. Court House, Oakland, California, during Huey Newton's trial, #71
Jones, Pirkle, American, 1914 - 2009
Palm Press, American, founded 1977
Black Panther Party, American, 1966 - 1982
silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper with mat board
H x W (Image): 14 × 14 in. (35.6 × 35.6 cm)
H x W (Sheet): 19 7/8 × 15 7/8 in. (50.5 × 40.3 cm)
H x W (Mat): 28 x 22 in. (71.1 x 55.9 cm)
July 30, 1968, printed 2011
A black-and-white image of three African American men wearing leather jackets and berets and carrying Free Huey banners on the court house steps.
© 2011 Pirkle Jones Foundation
Portfolio/Series
A Photo Essay on The Black Panthers, 1968
Serving Barbecue at the Free Huey Rally, De Fremery Park, Oakland, California, #34
Baruch, Ruth-Marion, German American, 1922 - 1997
H x W (Image): 16 x 20 in. (40.6 x 50.8 cm)
A black-and-white image of three African American women gathered around a table of food, with plates in hand.
©2011 Pirkle Jones Foundation
Portrait of Captain David Hilliard, Chief of Staff of the Black Panther Party, at Bobby Hutton Memorial Park, Oakland, California, No. 152
Hilliard, David, American, born 1942
September 22, 1968, printed 2012
A black-and-white image of a man, David Hilliard, surrounded by his wife, three sons and a daughter
Couple listening at Free Huey Rally, De Fremery Park, Oakland, CA, No. 15
August 25, 1968; printed 2012
A black-and-white image of a young African American couple. The woman wears a striped shirt and pearl earrings and the man wears a [Free Black Panther Prisoners] button on his jacket lapel. A white man operates a camera just behind them.
Collection of the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Pirkle Jones Foundation
Black Panther couple listening, Free Huey Rally, De Fremery Park, Oakland, CA, No. 20
H x W (Image): 17 7/8 x 11 7/8 in. (45.5 x 30.2 cm)
July 14, 1968; printed 2010
A black-and-white image of young African American couple standing in a crowd. Man wears a leather jacket and beret with four buttons. Woman wears a Black Panther shirt.
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Pirkle Jones Foundation
Black Panther guards at Free Huey Rally, Bobby Hutton Memorial Park, Oakland, CA, No. 21
A black-and-white image of two young, African American male Black Panther guards, in berets and leather jackets. One man faces ahead, while the other looks over his shoulder.
Children cutting bread which was brought to the Free Huey Rally by the Diggers, De Fremery Park, Oakland, CA, No. 35
Unidentified Child or Children
A black-and-white image of five young African American boys sitting on the grass cutting loaves of bread.
Black Panthers from Sacramento, Free Huey Rally, Bobby Hutton Memorial Park, Oakland, CA, No. 62
Carlton, Mary Ann, American, born 1951
Henderson, Delores, American
Lee, Joyce, American
Means, Joyce, American
Hill, Paula, American
H x W (Image): 11 7/8 × 17 7/8 in. (30.2 × 45.4 cm)
H x W (Sheet): 16 × 19 7/8 in. (40.6 × 50.5 cm)
H x W (Mat): 22 × 28 1/8 in. (55.9 × 71.4 cm)
A black and white photograph of six African American women at a Black Panther rally. The women are pictured with their left fists raised in the air. The women pictured are, from left to right, unidentified, Mary Ann Carlton, Delores Henderson, Joyce Lee, Joyce Means, and Paula Hill.
Costume worn by Terry Ellis in “My Lovin’ (You’re Never Gonna Get It)” video
Flynn, Danny
Ellis, Terry Lynn, American, born 1963
En Vogue, American, founded 1989
Dress: aluminum mesh
Bra: Polyester fiber, polyurethane and metal (underwire)
Bikini briefs: nylon and spandex
Shoes: leather, plastic, rubber, metal and glittered mesh
H x W (.1, Dress, flat): 28 1/2 × 16 in. (72.4 × 40.6 cm)
H x W x D (.1, Dress, on form): 27 × 12 3/4 × 10 in. (68.6 × 32.4 × 25.4 cm)
H x W (.2, Bra, flat): 9 3/4 × 12 1/2 in. (24.8 × 31.8 cm)
H x W x D (.2, Bra, on form): 9 1/2 × 10 × 9 in. (24.1 × 25.4 × 22.9 cm)
H x W (.3, Bikini briefs, flat): 8 × 12 1/4 in. (20.3 × 31.1 cm)
H x W x D (.3, Bikini briefs, on form): 8 1/2 × 12 1/2 × 8 in. (21.6 × 31.8 × 20.3 cm)
H x W x D (.4a, Shoe (left)): 5 1/2 × 3 1/4 × 10 in. (14 × 8.3 × 25.4 cm)
H x W x D (.4b, Shoe (right)): 5 1/2 × 3 1/4 × 10 in. (14 × 8.3 × 25.4 cm)
bikinis (underwear)
pumps (shoes)
A costume worn by Terry Ellis of En Vogue for the music video “My Lovin’ (You’re Never Gonna Get It)” (1992) comprised of a dress (.1), a bra (.2), a pair of bikini briefs (.3), and a pair of shoes (.4ab).
Dress (.1): Mini-length shift dress made of small (1/4-inch) interlocking silver metal octagonal discs. The dress is sleeveless, with a deep v-neck front and a low-cut straight back bodice. The dress is not lined.
Bra (.2): Metallic silver bra in an underwire demi cup style with adjustable straps and an adjustable hook-and-eye back closure. The bra is not lined.
Bikini briefs (.3): Metallic silver bikini style briefs. The briefs are not lined.
Shoes (.4ab): Pair of metallic silver close-toed high-heeled shoes. The shoes have a pointed silver toe cap attached to a vamp made of silver glittered mesh. Two silver straps border the back edge of the vamp and cross at the top of the vamp, continuing across the top of the foot and attached to the sole just in front of the heel. A silver heel strap is attached to the front straps. The curved heels have a tan rubber bottom. A black non-slip rubber pad is adhered to the front half of the soles with a logo of a cat punching above the words "CAT'S PAW."
Singers (Musicians)
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of En Vogue
2014.189.10.1-.4ab
Clothing-Costume
Costume worn by Cindy Herron in “My Lovin’ (You’re Never Gonna Get It)” video
Herron, Cindy, American, born 1961
H x W (.1, Dress, flat): 30 × 16 1/2 in. (76.2 × 41.9 cm)
H x W (.2, Bra, flat): 10 × 13 3/4 in. (25.4 × 34.9 cm)
H x W (.3, Bikini briefs, flat): 8 1/4 × 12 in. (21 × 30.5 cm)
H x W x D (.4a, Shoe (left)): 5 × 3 3/8 × 10 3/8 in. (12.7 × 8.6 × 26.4 cm)
H x W x D (.4b, Shoe (right)): 5 × 3 3/8 × 10 3/8 in. (12.7 × 8.6 × 26.4 cm)
A costume worn by Cindy Herron of En Vogue for the music video “My Lovin’ (You’re Never Gonna Get It)” (1992) comprised of a dress (.1), a bra (.2), a pair of bikini briefs (.3), and a pair of shoes (.4ab).
Dress (.1): Mini-length shift dress made of small (1/4-inch) interlocking silver metal octagonal discs. The dress is sleeveless, with a scoop neck front bodice. The straps are crossed to form an "x" at the center back bodice. The dress is not lined.
Costume worn by Dawn Robinson in “My Lovin’ (You’re Never Gonna Get It)” video
Robinson, Dawn Sherrese, American, born 1965
Shoes: leather, plastic, rubber and metal
H x W (.1, Dress, flat): 30 × 18 in. (76.2 × 45.7 cm)
H x W (.2, Bra, flat): 10 × 12 in. (25.4 × 30.5 cm)
H x W (.3, Bikini briefs, flat): 7 3/4 × 10 1/2 in. (19.7 × 26.7 cm)
H x W x D (.4a, Shoe (left)): 5 1/4 × 3 3/8 × 9 3/8 in. (13.3 × 8.6 × 23.8 cm)
H x W x D (.4b, Shoe (right)): 5 1/4 × 3 1/8 × 9 3/8 in. (13.3 × 7.9 × 23.8 cm)
A costume worn by Dawn Robinson of En Vogue for the music video “My Lovin’ (You’re Never Gonna Get It)” (1992) comprised of a dress (.1), a bra (.2), a pair of bikini briefs (.3), and a pair of shoes (.4ab).
Dress (.1): Mini-length shift dress made of small (1/4-inch) interlocking silver metal octagonal discs. The dress is sleeveless, with a deep v-neck front bodice. The back bodice is open, with one (1) straight 2-inch strap running horizontally across the mid-back above a triangular cut-out. The dress is not lined.
Shoes (.4ab): Pair of metallic silver open-toed high-heeled shoes. The vamp has a crisscrossing swirled pattern over the top of the front of the foot. A t-strap style closure connects the vamp to the heel cap. The straps close with a metal snap and have a decorative silver buckle. The curved heels have a black rubber bottom. A cream non-slip rubber pad is adhered to the front half of the soles.
2014.189.8.1-.4ab
Costume worn by Maxine Jones in “My Lovin’ (You’re Never Gonna Get It)” video
Jones, Maxine, American, born 1962
H x W (.2, Bra, flat): 10 1/4 × 14 in. (26 × 35.6 cm)
A costume worn by Maxine Jones of En Vogue for the music video “My Lovin’ (You’re Never Gonna Get It)” (1992) comprised of a dress (.1), a bra (.2), a pair of bikini briefs (.3), and a pair of shoes (.4ab).
Dress (.1): Mini-length shift dress made of small (1/4-inch) interlocking silver metal octagonal discs. The dress is sleeveless, with a v-neck front and back bodice. The dress is not lined.
Shoes (.4ab): Pair of metallic silver open-toed high-heeled shoes. The vamp has a crisscrossing swirled pattern over the top of the front of the foot. A t-strap style closure connects the vamp to the heel cap. The straps close with a metal snap and have a decorative silver buckle. The curved heels are a dark tan and have a black rubber bottom. A cream non-slip rubber pad is adhered to the front half of the soles. Thin foam padding is adhered to the insoles of the toes.
He's Up Against The Real Thing Now
Williams, Bert, American, 1874 - 1922
George Walker, American, 1873 - 1911
Furber, Edward
Jos. W. Stern & Co., American
McDonald, Vernon Sugg, American, 1906 - 1982
Sugg, Mary Elizabeth, American, 1839 - 1915
H x W: 14 × 11 in. (35.6 × 27.9 cm)
Sonora, Tuolumne County, California, United States, North and Central America
New York City, New York County, New York, United States, North and Central America
Sheet music for the song He's Up Against The Real Thing Now. The front cover features three photographs. The photograph on left side of cover depicts an African American man in a suit with white type at bottom of the photograph that reads: [Williams]. The photograph on right side depicts an African American man in a suit with white type at bottom of photograph that reads: [Walker]. The photograph in the center features the two men in the other photographs dressed in costume, Walker is in blackface and Williams has an exaggerated collar. A plant-like design, in green ink, surrounds the photographs. Red type on front cover reads: [WILLIAMS AND WALKER'S Latest Comic Coon Craze / HE'S UP AGAINST / THE REAL THING NOW / WORDS BY / Edward Furber / MUSIC BY BERT A. WILLIAMS]. Underneath the photographs a text block contains a logo for Jos. W. Stern & Co. On the bottom of the cover there is an ink stamp that reads: [The Model, / Music Store / Washington St. Sonora, Cal.]. The interior of the sheet music contains five pages of music bars and notes in black ink. The music is for several songs. The back cover contains additional songs in red ink.
Minstrel (Music)
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Sylvia Alden Roberts
Documents and Published Materials-Sheet music
Lobby card for the film Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., founded 1919
Poitier, Sidney, American, born 1927
Katharine Hepburn, American, 1907 - 2003
Houghton, Katharine, American, born 1945
Kramer, Stanley, 1913 - 2001
Culver City, Los Angeles County, California, United States, North and Central America
Lobby card features a color still from the film Guess Who's Coming to Dinner The image depicts Katharine Hepburn and Katharine Houghton seated at a table looking up at Spencer Tracy to the right of the frame. Sidney Poitier is shown standing next to the table, facing Tracy. A white box with blue and red text in the bottom left corner reads, [Columbia Pictures presents a / Stanley Kramer / production / Spencer / Tracy / Sidney / Poitier / Katharine / Hepburn / guess who's / coming to dinner / and introducing / Katharine Houghton / Music by DeVol · Written by William Rose / Produced and directed by Stanley Kramer · Technicolor®]. Black type in BL corner of lobby card reads, [Copyright ©1967 by Columbia Pictures Corporation. All Rights Reserved].
Hollywood (Film)
© 1967 Columbia Pictures Corporation. All rights reserved. Permission required for use.
Memorabilia and Ephemera-Advertisements
Taking the Stage
NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Culture/Fourth Floor, 4 054
Lobby card for the film Guess Who’s Come to Dinner?
Lobby card features a color still from the film Guess Who's Coming to Dinner Sidney Poitier, Katharine Houghton, Katharine Hepburn, and Spencer Tracy are seated around a table in what appears to be an exterior shot with a lake and trees featured in the background. Tracy, seated to Poitier's right, reaches out to adjust a smiling Poitier's tie. Houghton's back is to the camera; seated to her left is Hepburn, who faces Poitier over r a plate of sandwiches. A white box with blue and red text in the bottom left corner reads, [Columbia Pictures presents a / Stanley Kramer / production / Spencer / Tracy / Sidney / Poitier / Katharine / Hepburn / guess who's / coming to dinner / and introducing / Katharine Houghton / Music by DeVol · Written by William Rose / Produced and directed by Stanley Kramer · Technicolor®]. Black type in the bottom left corner of the lobby card reads, [Copyright ©1967 by Columbia Pictures Corporation. All Rights Reserved].
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The Sestak Pseudo-Scandal
Any meaningful political scandal must have one of three elements. The highest level of scandal involves some breaking of a law. The next-highest involves breaking some well-established behavioral norm. The lowest level involves a public official lying. The odd thing about the "scandal" of whether the White House offered a job to Joe Sestak is that it involves no credible charge of any of the three. Yet it has inspired scandal-like fulmination from the news media.
Here, for instance, is how NBC's Mark Murray attempts to define the charge:
A direct offer of employment could be illegal under U.S. Code. Republicans point to three statutes that make it a misdemeanor to solicit or receive employment in exchange for political activity or to use one’s official government authority to interfere in an election.
So the accusation is some kind of quid pro quo in which Sestak would receive a job in return for quitting the Pennsylvania Democratic primary. This is ridiculous. You can't offer a Senator, or prospective Senator, a job in exchange for them abandoning the Senate, because accepting the job inherently means leaving the Senate. You can't be both a Senator and an executive branch employee. Last year, the White House offered a cabinet job to Senator Judd Gregg. This was not "in exchange" for him leaving the Senate, because he had to leave the Senate to take the job. Moreover, Gregg briefly accepted the job in exchange for a promise that New Hampshire's Democratic governor would appoint his Republican chief of staff, not a Democrat, to replace him. But nobody suggested that this deal was illegal or unethical.
Most of the fulminations abandon any pretense of charging illegal or unethical behavior. Instead they accuse of the Obama administration of... well, it's not clear, either. Here's Peter Baker's thunderous New York Times article:
the White House wants everyone who suspects that something untoward, or even illegal, might have happened to rest easy: though it still will not reveal what happened, the White House is reassuring skeptics that it has examined its own actions and decided it did nothing wrong. Whatever it was that it did.
What is the charge? Baker does not say. He presumes guilt, and the burden is on the White House to refute the charge of illegal behavior even though none of the critics have defined what such behavior could be. Indeed, later in the article, Baker essentially concedes that nothing illegal or unethical transpired, but changes to accusation to a "lack of transparency":
Even if the conversations were perfectly legal, as the White House claims, the situation challenges President Obama’s efforts to present himself as a reformer who will fix a town of dirty politics. And the refusal to even discuss what was discussed does not advance the White House’s well-worn claim to being “the most transparent” in history.
The Washington Post editorial page makes the same point, essentially conceding that nothing illegal or unusual transpired but demanding that it be exposed anyway:
Still, the White House position that everyone should just trust it and go away is unacceptable from any administration; it is especially hypocritical coming from this one.
So wait. The argument here is that the public has a right to know the details of any conversation the White House had, barring, presumably, national security secrets? I'm generally on the side of transparency here. The administration should have to come clean on any matter where there's a credible charge of illegal or unethical behavior. But just because Obama (like every post-Nixon presidential candidate) promised an ethical and transparent administration, should the media hold him to the absurd standard that it has the duty to reveal any private conversation? Any time a member of the White House speaks with an elected official -- or, heck, anybody -- behind closed doors, the public has a right to know what was said? Obama never promised anything like that. And if such a standard were imposed, politics would cease to function. The whole pseudo-scandal is madness.
NBC, New York Times, Jonathan Chait, The Washington Post, Joe Sestak, Mark Murray, Judd Gregg, Peter Baker, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Senate, pseudo, White House
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El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. Announces Second Quarter 2018 Financial Results
COSTA MESA, Calif., Aug. 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: LOCO) today announced financial results for the 13-week period ended June 27, 2018.
Highlights for the second quarter ended June 27, 2018, compared to the second quarter ended June 28, 2017 were as follows:
Total revenue, excluding franchise advertising fee revenue, increased 0.6% to $106.2 million compared to $105.6 million in the same period of 2017. Including $5.5 million of franchise advertising fee revenue related to franchise advertising fund contributions, required as part of new accounting guidance implementation, total revenue increased 5.7% to $111.6 million.
System-wide comparable restaurant sales decreased 0.9%, including a 1.6% decrease for company-operated restaurants, and a 0.3% decrease for franchised restaurants.
Net income was $5.1 million, or $0.13 per diluted share, a decrease compared to net income of $7.8 million, or $0.20 per diluted share in the same period of 2017. Second quarter of 2018 included a $4.0 million pre-tax expense related to the full impairment of the assets of one restaurant in Arizona and the closure of two restaurants in Texas.
Pro forma net income(1) was $8.6 million, or $0.22 per diluted share, compared to $8.2 million, or $0.21 per diluted share in the same period of 2017.
Adjusted EBITDA(1) was $17.5 million, compared to $19.7 million in the same period of 2017.
(1) Pro forma net income and adjusted EBITDA are non-GAAP measures. A reconciliation of GAAP net income to each of these measures is included in the accompanying financial data. See also “Non-GAAP Financial Measures.”
Bernard Acoca, President and Chief Executive Officer of El Pollo Loco Holdings, Inc., stated, “Results in the second quarter were in line with our expectations leading us to reaffirm our full-year guidance. While our results match our guidance, it is important to call out that we are not satisfied with them and are working hard to drive performance in the second-half of the year. During the quarter, we made progress on many facets of our Transformational Agenda, which is focused on: developing a people-first culture, differentiating the brand by accentuating and building upon our strengths, and growing the business responsibly and profitably for the long term. Within this framework, we launched our Heart-Centered Leadership program, a cornerstone of our new culture, which teaches team members how to lead with authenticity, humility, and transparency; and we made significant progress on the codification of our brand architecture, which further clarifies what we want to stand for and what makes our brand so unique. We also made strides to provide “frictionless convenience” to our customers by expanding our delivery capabilities and continuing to grow our loyalty program. We are confident that the successful execution of our Transformational Agenda will allow us to take El Pollo Loco to the next level.”
Company-operated restaurant revenue in the second quarter of 2018 increased 0.8% to $99.6 million, compared to $98.9 million in the same period last year. The growth in company-operated restaurant revenue was largely driven by the 14 new restaurants opened during and subsequent to the second quarter of 2017, partially offset by a 1.6% decline in company-operated comparable sales, and seven restaurant closures during the same time period.
Comparable company-operated restaurant sales in the second quarter decreased 1.6%, driven by a 2.5% decrease in transactions, partially offset by a 0.9% increase in average check.
Franchise revenue in the second quarter of 2018 decreased 2.0% to $6.6 million, compared to $6.7 million in the second quarter of 2017. This decrease was primarily due to lower franchise fees received from franchised restaurants related to their use of our point-of-sales system, and franchise comparable restaurant sales decline of 0.3%. This was partially offset by seven new franchised restaurants opened during or after the prior year quarter.
In the first quarter of 2018 the Company implemented new accounting guidance, which in part requires the inclusion of franchisee advertising fund contributions as franchise advertising fee revenue. For the second quarter of 2018, franchise advertising fee revenue was $5.5 million.
Restaurant contribution was $20.2 million or 20.3% of company-operated restaurant revenue, compared to $21.6 million, or 21.8% of company-operated restaurant revenue in the second quarter of 2017. The decrease in restaurant contribution margin was primarily the result of higher labor costs, largely due to increased minimum wage, and occupancy and other operating expense in relation to sales volume.
During the second quarter of 2018, the Company recorded a $4.0 million pre-tax expense related to the full impairment of the assets of one restaurant in Arizona and the closure of two restaurants in Texas.
Net income for the second quarter of 2018 was $5.1 million, or $0.13 per diluted share, compared to net income of $7.8 million, or $0.20 per diluted share in the second quarter of 2017. Pro forma net income was $8.6 million, or $0.22 per diluted share during the second quarter of 2018, compared to $8.2 million, or $0.21 per diluted share during the second quarter of 2017. A reconciliation between GAAP net income and pro forma net income is included in the accompanying financial data.
Subsequent Events
Subsequent to the end of the second quarter, on July 30, 2018, the Company’s Board of Directors, as part of the Company’s focus on shareholder returns, approved a share repurchase program under which it authorized the Company, at its discretion, to repurchase up to $20.0 million of its common stock outstanding through June 26, 2019. Repurchases of the Company’s outstanding common stock will be made in accordance with applicable securities laws and may be made at management’s discretion from time to time in the open market, through privately negotiated transactions or otherwise, including pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 trading plans. There is no guarantee as to the exact number of shares to be repurchased by the Company. The timing and extent of repurchases will depend upon several factors, including market and business conditions, regulatory requirements and other corporate considerations, and repurchases may be discontinued at any time.
Based on current information, the Company is maintaining its earnings guidance for the fiscal year 2018.
Excluding the impact of potential share repurchases, the Company expects 2018 pro forma diluted net income per share ranging from $0.68 to $0.73. This compares to pro forma diluted net income per share of $0.63 in 2017. Pro forma net income guidance for fiscal year 2018 is based, in part, on the following updated annual assumptions:
System-wide comparable restaurant sales growth of approximately flat;
The opening of 7-8 new company-owned restaurants and 8-10 new franchised restaurants;
Restaurant contribution margin of 18.7% to 19.3%;
G&A expenses of between 8.2% and 8.4% of total revenue excluding CEO transition costs and legal fees related to securities related litigation, and reflecting our change in accounting for franchise advertising fees;
Pro forma income tax rate of 26.5%; and
Adjusted EBITDA of between $61.0 and $64.0 million.
The following definitions apply to these terms as used in this release:
Comparable restaurant sales reflect the change in year-over-year sales for the comparable company, franchised and total system restaurant base. The comparable restaurant base is defined to include those restaurants open for 15 months or longer. At June 27, 2018, there were 194 restaurants in our comparable company-operated restaurant base and 447 restaurants in our comparable system restaurant base.
Restaurant contribution and restaurant contribution margin are neither required by, nor presented in accordance with, GAAP. Restaurant contribution is defined as company-operated restaurant revenue less company restaurant expenses, which are food and paper costs, labor and related expenses and occupancy and other operating expenses. Restaurant contribution margin is defined as restaurant contribution as a percentage of net company-operated restaurant revenue. See also “Non-GAAP Financial Measures.”
EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA are neither required by, nor presented in accordance with, GAAP. EBITDA represents net income before interest expense, provision for income taxes, depreciation, and amortization, and adjusted EBITDA represents EBITDA before items that we do not consider representative of our ongoing operating performance, as identified in the GAAP reconciliation in the accompanying financial data. See also “Non-GAAP Financial Measures.”
Pro forma net income is neither required by, nor presented in accordance with, GAAP. Pro forma net income represents net income adjusted for (i) costs (or gains) related to loss (or gains) on disposal of assets and asset impairment and closed store costs, (ii) amortization expense and other estimate adjustments (whether expense or income) incurred on the Tax Receivable Agreement (“TRA”) completed at the time of our IPO, (iii) legal costs associated with a securities class action lawsuit, (iv) insurance proceeds received related to securities class action legal expenses, (v) costs associated with the transition of our CEO and (vi) provision for income taxes at a normalized tax rate of 26.5% and 39.5% for the thirteen and twenty-six weeks ended June 27, 2018 and June 28, 2017, respectively, which reflects our estimated long-term effective tax rate, including both federal and state income taxes. See the GAAP reconciliation in the accompanying financial data and “Non-GAAP Financial Measures.”
The Company will host a conference call to discuss financial results for the second quarter of 2018 today at 5:00 PM Eastern Time. Bernard Acoca, President and Chief Executive Officer and Larry Roberts, Chief Financial Officer will host the call.
The conference call can be accessed live over the phone by dialing 877-407-3982 or for international callers by dialing 201-493-6780. A replay will be available after the call and can be accessed by dialing 844-512-2921 or for international callers by dialing 412-317-6671; the passcode is 13680547. The replay will be available until Thursday, August 16, 2018. The conference call will also be webcast live from the Company’s corporate website at investor.elpolloloco.com under the “Events & Presentations” page. An archive of the webcast will be available at the same location on the corporate website shortly after the call has concluded.
El Pollo Loco (Nasdaq:LOCO) is the nation’s leading fire-grilled chicken restaurant chain renowned for its masterfully citrus-marinated, fire-grilled chicken and handcrafted entrees using fresh ingredients inspired by Mexican recipes. With more than 475 company-owned and franchised restaurants in Arizona, California, Nevada, Texas, Utah, and Louisiana. El Pollo Loco is expanding its presence in key markets through a combination of company and existing and new franchisee development. Visit us on our website at ElPolloLoco.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this press release are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements discuss our current expectations and projections relating to our financial condition, results of operations, plans, objectives, future performance and business. You can identify forward-looking statements because they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. These statements may include words such as “aim,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “outlook,” “potential,” “project,” “projection,” “plan,” “intend,” “seek,” “may,” “could,” “would,” “will,” “should,” “can,” “can have,” “likely,” the negatives thereof and other words and terms of similar meaning in connection with any discussion of the timing or nature of future operating or financial performance or other events. They appear in a number of places throughout this press release and include statements regarding our intentions, beliefs or current expectations concerning, among other things, our results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, prospects, growth, strategies and the industry in which we operate. All forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those that we expected.
While we believe that our assumptions are reasonable, we caution that it is very difficult to predict the impact of known factors, and it is impossible for us to anticipate all factors that could affect our actual results. All forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. You should evaluate all forward-looking statements made in this press release in the context of the risks and uncertainties disclosed in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 27, 2017, file number 001-36556, including the sections thereof captioned “Forward-Looking Statements” and “Risk Factors,” as those sections may be updated in our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. Those and other filings are available online at www.sec.gov, at www.elpolloloco.com or upon request from El Pollo Loco.
We caution you that the important factors referenced above may not contain all of the factors that are important to you. In addition, we cannot assure you that we will realize the results or developments we expect or anticipate or, even if substantially realized, that they will result in the consequences we anticipate or affect us or our operations in the ways that we expect. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are made only as of the date hereof. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. If we do update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be made that we will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements. We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements.
To supplement our consolidated financial statements, which are prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP, we use non-GAAP financial measures including those indicated above. These measures are not intended to be considered in isolation or as substitutes for, or superior to, financial measures prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP. We use non-GAAP financial measures for financial and operational decision-making and as a means to evaluate period-to-period comparisons. We believe that they provide useful information about operating results, enhance understanding of past performance and future prospects, and allow for greater transparency with respect to key metrics used by management in its financial and operational decision making. The non-GAAP measures used in this press release may be different from the measures used by other companies.
Fitzhugh Taylor, ICR
fitzhugh.taylor@icrinc.com
Alecia Pulman, ICR
loco@icrinc.com
EL POLLO LOCO HOLDINGS, INC.
UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME
(in thousands, except share data)
Thirteen Weeks Ended Twenty-Six Weeks Ended
June 27, 2018 June 28, 2017 June 27, 2018 June 28, 2017
$ % $ % $ % $ %
Company-operated restaurant revenue $ 99,627 89.2 $ 98,885 93.7 $ 194,180 89.3 $ 192,334 93.7
Franchise revenue 6,553 5.9 6,688 6.3 12,659 5.8 13,010 6.3
Franchise advertising fee revenue 5,453 4.9 — — 10,550 4.9 — —
Total revenue 111,633 100.0 105,573 100.0 217,389 100.0 205,344 100.0
Costs of operations:
Food and paper cost (1) 28,681 28.8 29,146 29.5 55,916 28.8 56,218 29.2
Labor and related expenses (1) 27,856 28.0 26,592 26.9 55,518 28.6 53,425 27.8
Occupancy and other operating expenses (1) 22,913 23.0 21,574 21.8 44,832 23.1 42,116 21.9
Company restaurant expenses (1) 79,450 79.7 77,312 78.2 156,266 80.5 151,759 78.9
General and administrative expenses 12,474 11.2 9,576 9.1 25,676 11.8 19,309 9.4
Franchise expenses 6,250 5.6 1,006 1.0 12,082 5.6 1,823 0.9
Depreciation and amortization 4,344 3.9 4,632 4.4 8,556 3.9 8,949 4.4
(Gain) loss on disposal of assets (8 ) — 434 0.4 53 — 659 0.3
Recovery of securities lawsuits related legal expenses (2,429 ) (2.2 ) (511 ) (0.5 ) (4,063 ) (1.9 ) (511 ) (0.2 )
Asset impairment and closed-store reserves 3,963 3.6 384 0.4 6,782 3.1 1,255 0.6
Total expenses 104,044 93.2 92,833 87.9 205,352 94.5 183,243 89.2
Income from operations 7,589 6.8 12,740 12.1 12,037 5.5 22,101 10.8
Interest expense, net of interest income 960 0.9 778 0.7 1,848 0.9 1,568 0.8
Income tax receivable agreement expense (income) 712 0.6 (101 ) (0.1 ) (206 ) (0.1 ) 126 0.1
Income before provision for income taxes 5,917 5.3 12,063 11.4 10,395 4.8 20,407 9.9
Provision for income taxes 865 0.8 4,244 4.0 2,814 1.3 7,711 3.8
Net income $ 5,052 4.5 $ 7,819 7.4 $ 7,581 3.5 $ 12,696 6.2
Net income per share:
Basic $ 0.13 $ 0.20 $ 0.20 $ 0.33
Diluted $ 0.13 $ 0.20 $ 0.19 $ 0.32
Weighted average shares used in computing net income per share:
Basic 38,482,074 38,449,240 38,473,641 38,443,130
Diluted 39,043,434 39,123,961 39,015,259 39,102,501
(1) As a percentage of restaurant revenue.
UNAUDITED SELECTED BALANCE SHEETS AND SELECTED OPERATING DATA
(dollar amounts in thousands)
Selected Balance Sheet Data:
Total assets 448,648 442,711
Total debt 86,252 93,316
Twenty-Six Weeks Ended
Selected Operating Data:
Company-operated restaurants at end of period 211 208
Franchised restaurants at end of period 269 264
Company-operated:
Comparable restaurant sales growth (1.8 )% 2.4 %
Restaurants in the comparable base 194 178
UNAUDITED RECONCILIATION OF NET INCOME TO EBITDA AND ADJUSTED EBITDA
Net income, as reported $ 5,052 $ 7,819 $ 7,581 $ 12,696
Provision for income taxes 865 4,244 2,814 7,711
Interest expense, net 960 778 1,848 1,568
Depreciation and amortization 4,344 4,632 8,556 8,949
EBITDA 11,221 17,473 20,799 30,924
Stock-based compensation expense 298 272 443 414
(Gain) loss on disposal of assets (8 ) 434 53 659
Recovery of securities lawsuits related legal expenses (2,429 ) (511 ) (4,063 ) (511 )
Asset impairment and closed-store reserves 3,963 384 6,782 1,255
Pre-opening costs 211 470 423 1,097
Income tax receivable agreement expense (income) 712 (101 ) (206 ) 126
Securities lawsuits related legal expense 3,169 1,057 6,873 1,408
Executive transition costs 373 179 1,019 271
Adjusted EBITDA $ 17,510 $ 19,657 $ 32,123 $ 35,643
UNAUDITED RECONCILIATION OF NET INCOME TO PRO FORMA NET INCOME
(dollar amounts in thousands, except share data)
Pro forma net income:
Provision for taxes, as reported 865 4,244 2,814 7,711
Securities lawsuits related legal expenses 3,169 1,057 6,873 1,408
Provision for income taxes (3,100 ) (5,334 ) (5,526 ) (9,328 )
Pro forma net income $ 8,597 $ 8,171 $ 15,327 $ 14,287
Pro forma weighted-average share and per share data:
Pro forma net income per share
Weighted-average shares used in computing pro forma net income per share
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Professor to present at colloquium
Image: provided by Furness
Zack Furness, associate professor of communications at Penn State Greater Allegheny, will present “Warring Representations of the NFL, Football Masculinity & Broken Bodies” from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Friday, April 21, in 276K Rec Hall on Penn State's University Park campus.
Furness says that “one hardly has to be a sports fan to know that the NFL recently settled a landmark class action lawsuit filed against it on behalf of thousands of professional football veterans suffering from football-related head injuries and brain disease.
What is arguably more historic than the lawsuit itself is the way in which the so-called ‘concussion crisis’ has transformed public consciousness about the safety of football and also threatened to permanently tarnish the image of the NFL as America’s Game.
This is a significant turn of events for an organization that spent decades strategically and successfully crafting its own televisual image while simultaneously cultivating a durable mythology of pro football within the broader popular culture. While such images and discourses helped to propel the NFL to incomparable popularity in the U.S., they are now being actively challenged by representations of pro football that call into question not only the NFL’s practices, but the broader media façade that masks the political, economic and corporeal realities of the game.”
His talk examines this process in detail by exploring how recent documentaries and fictional films – most notably “League of Denial” and “Concussion” – are contesting the dominant cultural meanings of pro football, as well as the NFL’s latest attempts to manage both its brand and the fallout from the concussion crisis.
Furness is author of the book, "One Less Car: Bicycling and the Politics of Automobility" (Temple University Press, 2010). He also is editor of Punkademics (Minor Compositions / Autonomedia, 2012), co-editor of "The NFL: Critical/Cultural Perspectives" (Temple University Press, 2013), and contributor to several edited collections, journals, and nonacademic publications including Bitch, Souciant, and Punk Planet. Furness was a longtime editor and contributor to Bad Subjects, one of the pioneering publications on the Internet, and has played in punk bands since 1997. He currently sings in BARONS, a punk band based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Linda Curinga
lmc16@psu.edu
http://www.ga.psu.edu/
The Medical Minute: Understand the danger of concussion as winter sports begin
Professor published interview with head of Lookout Records
Dyslexia gene may predict concussion susceptibility among football players
concussions, football injuries, football related head injuries, Furness, head injuries, NFL, Zach furness
Faculty and Staff, Lectures, News of Record
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Yankees Concerned with Mark Teixeira's Neck
Yankees Concerned with Mark Teixeira’s Neck
First baseman Mark Teixeira has had a slow start to the 2016 season, hitting just .195 with three home runs, but the New York Yankees are nevertheless concerned with the neck spasms that have kept Teixeira from playing on multiple occasions this year. On Wednesday, Teixeira received a cortisone shot and an MRI in hopes of both easing the pain and finding the root of the problem.
New York manager Joe Girardi said the MRI did not show anything different than one taken last season when Teixeira missed time for similar reasons. The team will re-evaluate him on Thursday, but it’s unlikely he’ll return to the lineup after missing Wednesday’s loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.
“There’s a chance we won’t have him for a few days here. We’ll have to see. Obviously, I’ll talk to the doctors more when we go in, but it’s better than them saying there were big changes in the MRI. It’s something I believe we can get through,” Girardi said. He added that a trip to the DL for Teixeira is not being considered at the moment, but that Teixeira’s absence “concerns me because we don’t want to be without him.”
Teixeira did not speak to the media on Wednesday, but he’s said in the past that he believes the neck trouble is related to a series earlier this month in which he dove on the infield dirt several times trying to make a defensive play. At the end of that series, Teixeira was hitting .225, but since then his average has dropped by 30 points. “If you can’t move your neck the way you need to, it’s kind of hard as a hitter,” Girardi says, blaming Teixeira’s poor performance at least in part on his neck trouble.
Despite Teixeira’s nearly season-long slump, the Yankees aren’t thrilled with the idea of being without their first baseman for very long. Dustin Ackley should be the top option for the time being, but he’s hitting just .154 on the season. Girardi also says catchers Austin Romine and Brian McCann may be able to handle first base if necessary. If Teixeira does eventually land on the DL, which is unlikely at the moment, the Yankees could look to Nick Swisher, who is currently playing for New York’s triple-A affiliate.
Mark Teixeira, New York Yankees
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ORCP 61 – VERDICTS, GENERAL AND SPECIAL
VERDICTS, GENERAL AND SPECIAL
A General verdict.
A(1) A general verdict is that by which the jury pronounces generally upon all or any of the issues either in favor of the plaintiff or defendant.
A(2) When a general verdict is found in favor of a party asserting a claim for the recovery of money, the jury shall also assess the amount of recovery. A specific designation by a jury that no amount of recovery shall be had complies with this subsection.
B Special verdict. The court may require a jury to return only a special verdict in the form of a special written finding upon each issue of fact. In that event the court may submit to the jury written questions susceptible of categorical or other brief answer or may submit written forms of the several special findings which might properly be made under the pleadings and evidence; or it may use such other method of submitting the issues and requiring the written findings thereon as it deems most appropriate. The court shall give to the jury such explanation and instruction concerning the matter thus submitted as may be necessary to enable the jury to make its findings upon each issue. If in so doing the court omits any issue of fact raised by the pleadings or by the evidence, each party waives the right to a trial by jury of the issue so omitted unless before the jury retires such party demands its submission to the jury. As to an issue omitted without such demand, the court may make a finding; or, if it fails to do so, it shall be deemed to have made a finding in accord with the judgment on the special verdict.
C General verdict accompanied by answer to interrogatories. The court may submit to the jury, together with appropriate forms for a general verdict, written interrogatories upon one or more issues of fact the decision of which is necessary to a verdict. The court shall give such explanation or instruction as may be necessary to enable the jury both to make answers to the interrogatories and to render a general verdict, and the court shall direct the jury both to make written answers and to render a general verdict. When the general verdict and the answers are harmonious, the appropriate judgment upon the verdict and the answers shall be entered. When the answers are consistent with each other but one or more is inconsistent with the general verdict, judgment may be entered in accordance with the answers, notwithstanding the general verdict, or the court may return the jury for further consideration of its answers and verdict or may order a new trial. When the answers are inconsistent with each other and one or more is likewise inconsistent with the general verdict, judgment shall not be entered, but the court shall return the jury for further consideration of its answers and verdict or shall order a new trial.
D Action for specific personal property. In an action for the recovery of specific personal property, where any party who alleges a right to possession of such property is not in possession at the time of trial, in addition to any general verdict or other special verdict, the court shall require the jury to return a special verdict in the form of (1) a special written finding on the issue of the right to possession of any party alleging a right to possession, and (2) an assessment of the value of the property.
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4 People Shout 'F--- Donald Trump' and 'F-- White People' While Assaulting White Special Needs Man
'F--- Trump, F--- White People': 4 People Arrested for Assaulting Man with Special Needs
By Walter Hudson 2017-01-05T01:50:05
If it were fiction, you might not believe it. A live-streamed video showed an act so inhuman, so despicable, it proves difficult to comprehend. From CNN:
A young woman who broadcast the beating of a man on Facebook Live has been arrested with three others in connection with the gruesome attack, Chicago Police said Wednesday.
The disturbing 30-minute video shows a man tied up and his mouth covered, cowering in the corner of a room. His attackers laugh and shout "f*ck Donald Trump" and "f*ck white people" as they kick and punch him and and cut into his forehead with a knife.
Police described the victim as an 18-year-old with special needs who was taken from the suburbs. Patrol officers found the disoriented young man wandering the street "in crisis" Tuesday afternoon and brought him to a hospital.
He was so traumatized that it took most of the night for him to calm down to the point that he was able to talk to police, 11th District Captain Steven Sesso said. It's unclear how long he was missing, but it could have been between 24 to 48 hours.
If that's not enough to get your blood boiling, consider that authorities remain uncertain whether to treat the assault as a hate crime.
Because the victim was white and the people in the video are black, police are investigating whether hate crime charges are appropriate, Duffin said in response to reporters' questions about the possibility of a bias attack.
"Although they are adults, they're 18. Kids make stupid decisions -- I shouldn't call them kids, they're legally adults, but they're young adults and they make stupid decisions," Duffin said. "That certainly will be part of whether or not... we seek a hate crime, to determine whether or not this is sincere or just stupid ranting and raving."
It's possible the racially charged statements were little more than people "ranting about something they think might make a headline," Johnson added. He said he did not believe the attack was politically motivated.
If four white thugs kidnapped and assaulted a black man with special needs while shouting "f--- Obama, f--- blacks," there would be no hesitation to call it a hate crime.
This highlights the inherent flaw in the concept of a hate crime: its subjectivity. Did the perpetrators mean what they said, or were they just "ranting and raving"? Should it matter? Isn't the important point that they assaulted an innocent person? Isn't the action our primary concern?
While motive can stand as evidence of guilt, it should not be a crime in its own right. Motive is thought, and we're not supposed to have thought crimes. The point of concern is the action which motive prompts.
Warning: Graphic Video
https://pjmedia.com/trending/2017/01/05/f-trump-f-white-people-4-people-arrested-for-assaulting-man-with-special-needs/
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Reviews Home » Compassion for Annie: A Healthy Response to Mental Disorders
Compassion for Annie: A Healthy Response to Mental Disorders
Book author: Marilyn R. Dowell
Reviewed by: Nicholette Leanza, M.Ed, PCC-S
Compassion for Annie: A Healthy Response to Mental Disorders is a user-friendly book aimed at individuals suffering from borderline personality disorder (BPD) and those who love them. Dowell writes from the layperson’s perspective and covers many issues that affect those with the disorder, such as anger, boundaries, codependence and dissociation. It is a unique perspective that encourages compassion toward persons struggling with BPD.
The book explores the challenges of BPD through the interactions of a fictional married couple, Annie and Fred. Dowell uses them to educate the reader about BPD as well as to offer helpful suggestions in its management. Dowell stresses that BPD is “an affliction that can be healed.” She further emphasizes that knowledge and the assistance of trained mental health professionals is important to that healing.
Dowell formats her book in a simple, understandable way. Each chapter is dedicated to a particular facet of BPD such as emptiness, identity, or narcissistic tendencies. She covers sixteen topics in all and follows the same format for each topic or chapter. She begins each chapter with a relevant quote and then uses a sample interaction by Annie and Fred to act out the topic. She then leads her readers to a more in-depth understanding of the issue and summarizes what was covered. For those who enjoy a touch of spirituality, she also includes a prayer at the end of each section. Each chapter concludes with a thorough list of pertinent books on the topic that she entitles “Bibliotherapy.”
In the introduction, Dowell explains the use of Annie and Fred as a way “to illustrate the unstable relationships of borderline personalities.” For example, in Chapter 5, Annie and Fred demonstrate “emptiness.”
Because of her borderline personality disorder, Annie struggles with unbearable feelings of emptiness as in this episode.
Annie: “I’m sick of our boring lives, we never do anything.”
Fred: “What would you like to do? Want to go to a movie?”
Annie: “No, I’m tired of movies.”
Fred: “How about a football game?”
Annie: “No, football is boring.”
Fred: “Then what would you like to do, Annie?”
Annie: “I’m going shopping, see you later.”
Three hours later, Annie comes back laden with packages. Fred, while going over the receipts, discovers that she has spent $2,000 — far more than they can afford.
Dowell then defines emptiness and how it connects to other maladaptive feelings and behaviors displayed in individuals with BPD. She also dissects the interaction between the characters and offers suggestions for how they could manage Annie’s BPD in a healthy manner.
Readers may find Dowell’s use of the DSM helpful to describe and break down the relevant topic. For example, Chapter 15 covers “splitting” and Dowell begins her discussion by quoting the DSM-IV:
The Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders describes splitting as: A pattern of unstable and intense interpersonal relationships characterized by alternating between extremes of idealization and devaluation.
Dowell continues to describe the concept in more detail:
“Splitting” is a defense mechanism, a pattern of extreme thinking: all-or-nothing, 100–percent-good-or-100-percent-bad, no-shades-of-gray, black-or-white, for-me-or against-me, heroes-or-villains, good-or-evil, love-or-hate, 100-percent–in or 100-percent-out of relationships. Splitting bounces from love to hate, and there is no middle ground.
The book generally achieves its purpose “to encourage compassion … for those who suffer severe mental anguish.” However, in my opinion, the book is better suited for persons struggling with mild to moderate BPD, not suffering from severe symptoms such as ongoing suicidal gestures and self-mutilating behaviors.
In regard to Dowell’s use of the fictional characters to represent interactions that might occur with BPD symptomatology, the dialogue between her characters is a bit stiff and sometimes inauthentic. Nonetheless, Dowell still achieves her objective in using the characters as an example for the overall themes and issues that characterize the disorder.
Overall, Compassion for Annie: A Healthy Response to Mental Disorders is a book I would recommend to a general audience looking for more information on Borderline Personality Disorder. It is an easy guide to the basics of the disorder but I do not believe it gives mental health professionals any added insight into BPD. On the other hand, I do feel that it reminds mental health professionals to continue to be compassionate and patient with individuals struggling with this disorder. Most important, it offers a much-needed hope toward the healing of a very difficult and complex disorder.
By Marilyn R. Dowell
Langdon Street Press: October 4, 2011
Nicholette Leanza, M.Ed, PCC-S
Nicholette Leanza, M.Ed, LPCC-S is a licensed psychotherapist with a great deal of experience working with children, adolescents, and adults in a variety of treatment settings. She is a native of Cleveland and works as an adjunct instructor of Psychology and Sociology at the University of Phoenix, Cleveland Campus. She is a wife and a mother of two wonderful children and in her free time she enjoys yoga, reading, and traveling.
Leanza, N. (2016). Compassion for Annie: A Healthy Response to Mental Disorders. Psych Central. Retrieved on July 18, 2019, from https://psychcentralreviews.com/2016/compassion-for-annie-a-healthy-response-to-mental-disorders/
Last reviewed: By a member of our scientific advisory board on 17 May 2016
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atWar is a free browser-based multiplayer strategy game. In the best traditions of Risk and Civilization, you fight against other players for world domination on a real world map and a multitude of user-created maps, with hundreds of countries and cities.
atWar is a free browser-based multiplayer strategy game. In the best traditions of Risk and Civilization, you fight against other players for world domination on a real world map and a multitude of user-created maps, with hundreds of countries and cities. The game features unique free unit movement, battles on a massive scale with up to 20 players involved, dozens of units, in-game alliances and coalitions (clans) - and much more. At the moment, the game has over 400000 registered players and is growing rapidly.
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38. Four Centuries of Furniture in Portsmouth
with the New Hampshire Furniture Masters
Softcover, 88 pgs, full color, 8.5 x 9, ISBN: 978-0-915819-45-4. $24.95
For many years, the early furniture of Portsmouth and the New Hampshire Seacoast has been of interest to collectors and connoisseurs. This catalogue, featuring about sixty works from many public and private collections, re-visits some of the classic pieces of Portsmouth furniture, including works by Robert Harrold and the firm of Judkins and Senter.
It also brings to light newly discovered seventeenth-century objects and others attributed to Joseph Davis and his fellow artisans of the eighteenth century. In addition, the catalogue includes several objects, made elsewhere, that are associated with significant aspects of Seacoast history and culture. These include a constellation of furniture associated with the Portsmouth Peace Treaty negotiations of 1905; an arts and crafts rocker used at Rock Rest in Kittery Point, Maine, an important site in African American history; and “Molly’s Table” of ca. 1750, an ordinary object made extraordinary by having been owned by Molly Miles, an enslaved person. Everyday, vernacular objects are also a focus of this work, including a silversmith’s chest of drawers, a French and Indian war soldier’s “foot locker,” a sailmaker’s bench used at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, and several examples of children’s furniture.
The result is a snapshot in miniature of four hundred years of Seacoast history as embodied in the furniture made and used in the region.
The catalogue also includes a picture portfolio of contemporary studio furniture created by members of the New Hampshire Furniture Masters Association. These modern masterpieces in a variety of styles indicate the ongoing vitality of fine furniture making in New Hampshire and New England.
Gerald W.R. Ward is the consulting curator, Portsmouth Historical Society, and the Katharine Lane Weems Senior Curator of American Decorative Arts and Sculpture Emeritus, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Hollis Brodrick, a member of the New Hampshire Antiques Dealers Association, is an experienced specialist in the decorative arts and artifacts of the American colonial period, particularly of the Seacoast region. He is a Life Member of the New Hampshire Historical Society and lives in Portsmouth.
Lainey McCartney is the Curatorial Associate of the Portsmouth Historical Society.
The New Hampshire Furniture Masters are committed to promoting the art of fine furniture making. Founded in 1993 as a means of continuing the state’s legacy of fine furniture making, the association now includes about two dozen artists. Although many of the masters are from the Granite State, some hail from other New England states. For them all, “building furniture is not simply a job, it is a way of life.” Their outstanding work, known for its variety of traditional and innovative designs always expressed through excellent craftsmanship, is now in many museum and private collections. For more information, see www.furnituremasters.org.
Portsmouth Marine Society Books
1. John Haley Bellamy, Carver of Eagles
2. The Prescott Story
3. The Piscataqua Gundalow
4. The Checkered Career of Tobias Lear
5. Clippers of the Port of Portsmouth
6. Portsmouth-Built: Submarines of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
7. Atlantic Heights: A World War I Shipbuilders’ Community
8. There are No Victors Here: A Local Perspective on the Treaty of Portsmouth
9. The Diary of the Portsmouth, Kittery, and York Electric Railroad
10. Port of Portsmouth Ships and the Cotton Trade 1783-1829
11. Port of Dover: Two Centuries of Shipping on the Cochecho
12. Wealth and Honour: Privateering, 1775-1815
13. The Sarah Mildred Long Bridge
14. The Isles of Shoals, A Visual History
15. Tall Ships of the Piscataqua, 1830-1877
16. George Washington in New Hampshire
17. Montgomery and the Portsmouth
18. Tugboats on the Piscataqua
19. Rambles About Portsmouth
20. John Paul Jones and the Ranger
21. Constructing Munitions of War, 1861-1865
22. In Female Worth and Elegance: Sampler and Needlework 1741-1840
23. Gosport Remembered: Isles of Shoals
24. Heavy Weather and Hard Luck: Portsmouth Goes Whaling
25. U.S.S. Albacore
26. “Do Your Job!” Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, 1800-2000
27. Jenny Lind, Clipper Nightingale Figurehead
28. Portsmouth’s Heyday in Shipbuilding
29. Just Rye Harbor
30. Friendly Edifices: Piscataqua Lighthouses 1771-1939
31. Maritime Portsmouth: Sawtelle Collection
32. Under the Isles of Shoals: Archaeology and Discovery on Smuttynose Island
33. “A Race of Shipbuilders,” The Hanscoms of Eliot, Maine
34. American Eagle: John Haley Bellamy
35. Illuminating Tarbell
36. Wendy Turner, Island Light
37. Lives of Consequence
39. Gertrude Fiske: American Master
Famous Piscataqua-Built Ships
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Madeline Jazz Harvey
February 22, 2019 Jane E. Werle
Photo by Jamie Kraus Photography
“Human connection and the beauty of our vulnerability drive my artistic practice. Through my teaching, performance, choreography, and daily interactions I strive to inspire openness, creativity, and collaboration.” —Madeline Jazz Harvey
Featured choreographer Madeline Jazz Harvey’s connection to dance started early and runs deep. “According to my older sisters, it was reggae artist Eek-A-Mouse who first inspired me to dance– in utero– when he pulled my then pregnant mother onstage at a concert they had begged her to attend. My mother says I was 2 years old when, after watching a video of The Nutcracker, I first proclaimed to her that I wanted to become a choreographer. I began taking ballet lessons at age 5 and was instantly drawn to the generosity of dance. [Dance is] the marriage of body, mind, and spirit; [it joins] the physical, intellectual, and emotional.”
The articulate and engaging Harvey is originally from Charlotte, North Carolina, but makes her home in Fort Collins, Colorado, where she is an Assistant Professor of Dance at Colorado State University. She and her husband enjoy their evenings together cooking dinner and listening to music. They are joined by toy poodle Momo and boxer Appa, and are excited to be expanding their family with a baby girl due in April.
Due to the repetitive nature of the sound score Harvey chose for her Wine & Works-in-Progress Feedback Session piece, she has felt “challenged to strive [to keep] the movement and choreographic design [continually] engaging.” Of the choreography, she says, “My pregnancy has greatly influenced my desire to investigate themes of fragility, bravery, curiosity and relationship.” Harvey is driven to choreograph by the creative process: “the time spent exploring, communicating, and playing in the studio, and being able to share ideas with audience members.”
You could be among the lucky audience members to experience Harvey’s work during Wine & Works-in-Progress Feedback Session at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts’ Conservatory Theater at the Robert and Judi Newman Center for Theatre Education on March 8, 2019.
Jane E. Werle: As an infant Jane E. Werle, unable to protest, was removed from Colorado by her well-meaning parents. In 2004 she was able to rectify this error when she relocated from Massachusetts to Boulder for graduate school. One M.F.A. and a husband later, Jane works to further the arts in the Front Range as a writer/editor and dance enthusiast (no-shame, first-on-the-floor amateur– despite some training– dancer). Jane is also a longtime nanny and a visual artist, taking one of these very seriously and the other as a growth experience. Every child she’s cared for has experienced some form of the SDP: Spontaneous Dance Party.
Categories:In The Spotlight 2019
By Presenting Denver in The Hub on February 22, 2019
Classic Made New
By Maggie Ramseur in The Commentary Corner on February 22, 2019
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Ukraine has had:
How Prepared Is Ukraine?
Ukraine has not volunteered to have an external, transparent evaluation of its ability to find, stop and prevent health threats. Without this transparent assessment, we cannot be certain they are ready to find, stop and prevent epidemics. Without this, we have no independent way of knowing their level of preparedness.
Ukraine has not committed to a JEE.
Epidemic preparedness is not just about your country; it’s a global issue. Right now Ukraine is not ready for an epidemic. What happens when an epidemic breaks out in Belarus, Hungary, Republic of Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovakia and Turkey?
neighbor Share Ukraine and neighbor's status via Facebook
See Ukraine's Data
Take Action in Ukraine
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5 Overlooked Destinations for Fun in Los Angeles
Los Angeles is a very big city. Its growing population isn’t the only thing that makes it big. Los Angeles is a sprawling place compared to cities like New York or Chicago. Greater L.A. has oceanfront, hills, riverfront, rich farmland and deserts. There are dozens of definable neighborhoods that have their own particular vibe. If doesn’t matter if you’re a Los Angeles native or a visitor, it would be hard to run out of things to do and see. Los Angeles makes it easy to accommodate extended trips to the area. You’ll find affordable car rental, lodging for all budgets, and a foodie culture that suits any taste or budget.
Even though the weather’s almost always pleasant, Los Angeles is very in tune to the calendar as well. You can find exciting and interesting events during most any time of the year. In fact, there are so many things to do in the city that it’s easy to overlook places that would be essential destinations in a less diverse city. Here’s a list of five of the most overlooked destinations for fun when you’re in Los Angeles:
The Los Angeles Philharmonic
Los Angeles has a long history, but it can seem brand new compared to east coast cities. The city also is associated with the movie industry, which is also constantly re-inventing itself. Don’t let that fool you into thinking there’s nothing cultural to do in the city. The Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Los Angeles Master Chorale are world class performers, and they hold court in the astonishing Walt Disney Concert Hall.
Many visitors to the city only take pictures of the exterior of the Walt Disney concert hall. Don’t miss out! The Frank Gehry design is as iconic as the Sydney Opera House in Australia. Step inside, and you’ll find out that the sound is as amazing as the architecture.
The Derby Dolls
Looking for something a little less sedate to do? Los Angeles has its very own roller derby team, the Derby Dolls. The all female squad has charming stage names like Thora Zeen, Amber Alert, and Carmen Monoxide. They deliver lots of action and laughs at their new location, the Dolloseum on Alhambra Avenue in Los Angeles.
The Derby Dolls aren’t really just one team. They’re a league with over 150 skaters and other volunteers, and they field five full roller derby teams on their banked track. The whole organization is run by volunteers, and the teams rely on the local community and the fans to keep the doors open. If you’re looking for 100% fun, with real spills and thrills, you can’t go wrong with a trip to the derby dolls. The Dolloseum is handy to the 101 freeway, and you’ll find plenty of affordable car rental places, hotels and motels, and eateries in the area.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a hot team again. They were sort of an afterthought in decades past while the Lakers reigned supreme. Their stadium wasn’t considered a baseball cathedral like Wrigley Field or Fenway Park. Even though the stadium is close to downtown L. A., it seems a bit out of the way in the middle of Elysian Park. Don’t let that fool you. Dodger Stadium is one of the best places in the country to watch an MLB game.
The stadium has aged well since it opened in 1962, and over the decades it’s hosted eight World Series. There’s plenty of nightlife and restaurants in the area, so the stadium makes a great place for an excursion while you’re in town.
The Los Angeles Dodgers
The Santa Monica Pier
Los Angeles is famous for its great beaches. Don’t restrict visits to the beach to sunbathing and swimming. There’s lots to do and see along the waterfront. The Santa Monica Pier is a great place to take the whole family, and there’s enough activities to keep you busy all day and night.
Sadly, most people just take Instagram pictures outside the gate that leads to the pier without entering. They’re all missing out. One of the most memorable rides in the world is at the end of the pier. It’s a blast to ride the world’s only solar powered Ferris wheel and look out over the ocean. If heights aren’t your thing, you can always stick to riding the carousel from the famous ’70s movie The Sting.
The OUE Skyspace
Most people wouldn’t expect to find any fun in a bank building. The US Bank Tower in Los Angeles is an exception. The top of this tower has a breathtaking 360-degree view of the city, plus a very unusual twist. The building has a transparent slide on its exterior that lets you experience the city from midair. It’s a blast to test your bravery in the glass chute that makes it appear you’re flying between floors. There’s plenty of other activities and shopping destinations in the downtown area when you’re done with your thrill ride and sightseeing.
Photo of the Walt Disney Concert Hall courtesy of the Carol M. Highsmith Archive, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.
Author Value Rental CarPosted on September 22, 2017 September 22, 2017 Categories Local Attractions
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Notre Dame Research
Researchers Use Light to Manipulate Mosquitoes
Author: Jessica Sieff
Scientists at the University of Notre Dame have found that exposure to just 10 minutes of light at night suppresses biting and manipulates flight behavior in the Anopheles gambiae mosquito, the major vector for transmission of malaria in Africa, according to new research published in the journal Parasites and Vectors.
Critical behaviors exhibited by the species, such as feeding, egg laying and flying, are time-of-day specific, including a greater propensity for nighttime biting. A recent report from the World Health Organization stated an estimated 212 million people worldwide are infected with the disease, resulting in 429,000 deaths – mostly children.
Insecticide-treated bed nets and walls have helped prevent bites and reduce malaria, but researchers say mosquitoes are adapting to preventive conditions, leaving adults and children vulnerable in the early evening and early morning hours – when they are not under the nets or in the house.
“Anopheline mosquitoes are adapting to these current methods by developing resistance to insecticides and by shifting feeding to earlier in the evening or later into the early morning, times of the day when people are not in bed and therefore not protected by a net. So what used to be an efficient method is becoming less effective,” said Giles Duffield, associate professor of biology in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Notre Dame and the Eck Institute for Global Health, who specializes in the molecular biology of circadian rhythms and photobiology in mammals and mosquitoes. “We need to discover new methods to address mosquito control and prevention. The systems and tools we currently have including global distribution and usage of insecticide-treated bed nets and spraying are not enough.”
For the study, Duffield and his team tested the mosquitoes’ preference to bite during their active host-seeking period by separating them into multiple control and test batches. Control mosquitoes were kept in the dark, while test batches were exposed to a pulse of white light for 10 minutes. Researchers then tested the propensity of the mosquitoes to bite immediately after the pulse and every two hours throughout the night, holding their arms to a mesh lining that allowed uninfected mosquitoes to feed while remaining contained. Results indicated a significant suppression. In another experiment, mosquitoes were pulsed with light every two hours, and using this multiple pulse approach the team found that biting could be suppressed during a large portion of the 12-hour night.
“Most remarkable is the prolonged effect a short light treatment has on their preference to bite, with suppression lasting as long as four hours after the pulse,” Duffield said. “This may prove to be an effective tool that complements established control methods used to reduce disease transmission.”
Pulses of light would probably be more effective than constant exposure, Duffield said, as the mosquitoes would be less likely to adapt to light presented in periodic doses. The research team is testing the effectiveness of different wavelengths of light, such as red light, that would be less disturbing to adults and children while they sleep, with an aim toward developing field-applicable solutions.
The work was funded by grants from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences and the University of Notre Dame’s Eck Institute for Global Health.
Contact: Giles Duffield, 574-631-1834, Duffield.2@nd.edu
Originally published by Jessica Sieff at news.nd.edu on June 16, 2017.
“A great Catholic university for the 21st century, one of the preeminent research institutions in the world.”
–Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C
Notre Dame Research 317 Main Building, Notre Dame, IN 46556 USA Phone 574-631-7432 research@nd.edu @undresearch
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Soundtrack | Actor | Composer
Known for Footloose (1984), Caddyshack (1980), Top Gun (1986), A Cure for Wellness (2016)
Jan 7, 1948 (age 71) | 6' 4" (1.93m)
@kennyloggins (twitter.com) | 10 official web sites & 11 more links
Nominated for 1 Oscar Award. Another 7 wins & 5 nominations
Soundtrack (270)
Composer (16)
Music Department (4)
Self (108)
Icizzle Presents Dog IDS Vol 2
(Short) - Associate Producer Associate Producer See fewer
Bank Job (2018)
(Short) - Composer Composer See fewer
Mr. X (2018)
(Video) - Pawnshop Guy Pawnshop Guy See fewer
Brodies (2017)
(Short) - Performer ("Playing with the Boys"), Writer ("Playing with the Boys") Performer ("Playing with the Boys"), Writer ("Playing with the Boys") See fewer
A Cure for Wellness (2016)
Writer ("Danny's Song") Writer ("Danny's Song") See fewer
Performer ("FOOTLOOSE"), Writer ("FOOTLOOSE") Performer ("FOOTLOOSE"), Writer ("FOOTLOOSE") See fewer
A House Undivided (2015)
(Short) - Special Thanks Special Thanks See fewer
Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead: The Story of the National Lampoon (2015)
Performer ("I'm Alright"), Writer ("I'm Alright") Performer ("I'm Alright"), Writer ("I'm Alright") See fewer
Justin Hayward: Spirits... Live (2014)
(Video) - Writer ("On The Road To Love") Writer ("On The Road To Love") See fewer
Ed (2014)
Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon (2013)
Performer ("This Is It"), Writer ("This Is It") (as Kenneth C. Loggins) Performer ("This Is It"), Writer ("This Is It") (as Kenneth C. Loggins) See fewer
Back to the 80s (2013)
(Short) - Writer ("Footloose") Writer ("Footloose") See fewer
Bagman (2012)
(Short) - Ethan's Dad Ethan's Dad See fewer
Footloose (2011)
Performer ("Footloose"), Producer ("Footloose"), Writer ("Footloose") Performer ("Footloose"), Producer ("Footloose"), Writer ("Footloose") See fewer
Our Footloose Remake (2011)
Writer ("Footloose") Writer ("Footloose") See fewer
The Coconut (2011)
(Short) - Writer ("Your Mama Don't Dance") Writer ("Your Mama Don't Dance") See fewer
CAD 12K
The Rebirth of ICIZZLE (2010)
(Video) - Executive Producer Executive Producer See fewer
Stay Cool (2009)
Performer ("This Is It") Performer ("This Is It") See fewer
Becoming Icizzle (2009)
(Video) - Director Director See fewer
Renegade Live @ the House of Blues (2009)
(Video) - Special Thanks Special Thanks See fewer
The Boys: The Sherman Brothers' Story (2009)
Himself, Lyrics ("Your Heart Will Lead You Home"), Music ("Your Heart Will Lead You Home"), Performer ("Your Heart Will Lead You Home") Himself, Lyrics ("Your Heart Will Lead You Home"), Music ("Your Heart Will Lead You Home"), Performer ("Your Heart Will Lead You Home") See fewer
17 Again (2009)
Performer ("Danger Zone") Performer ("Danger Zone") See fewer
Tigger & Pooh and a Musical Too (2009)
(Video) - Performer ("Underneath the Same Sky") Performer ("Underneath the Same Sky") See fewer
Kenny Loggins: Underneath the Same Sky (2009)
(Video) - Kenny Loggins Kenny Loggins See fewer
Sex Drive (2008)
Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008)
Performer ("Danger Zone"), Writer ("Danger Zone") Performer ("Danger Zone"), Writer ("Danger Zone") See fewer
Razzle Dazzle (2007)
RV (2006)
Writer ("Your Mama Don't Dance") Writer ("Your Mama Don't Dance") See fewer
King and Queen of Hearts (2005)
(Video) - Writer ("Footloose", "Forever", "Heart To Heart") Writer ("Footloose", "Forever", "Heart To Heart") See fewer
Not Another Teen Movie (2001)
Wet Hot American Summer (2001)
The Tigger Movie (2000)
Lyrics ("Your Heart Will Lead You Home"), Music ("Your Heart Will Lead You Home"), Performer ("Your Heart Will Lead You Home"), Producer ("Your Heart Will Lead You Home") Lyrics ("Your Heart Will Lead You Home"), Music ("Your Heart Will Lead You Home"), Performer ("Your Heart Will Lead You Home"), Producer ("Your Heart Will Lead You Home") See fewer
Kenny Loggins: Always, in All Ways (2000)
(Video) - Kenny Loggins, Composer Kenny Loggins, Composer See fewer
Kenny Loggins: Your Heart Will Lead You Home (2000)
Boob (1999)
(Video) - Performer ("Danger Zone") Performer ("Danger Zone") See fewer
Bring Me the Head of Mavis Davis (1997)
Lyrics ("I'm Alright"), Writer ("I'm Alright") Lyrics ("I'm Alright"), Writer ("I'm Alright") See fewer
Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997)
Kenny Loggins: For the First Time (1997)
One Fine Day (1996)
Performer ("For the First Time") Performer ("For the First Time") See fewer
Safe (1995)
Performer ("Whenever I Call You Friend"), Writer ("Whenever I Call You Friend") Performer ("Whenever I Call You Friend"), Writer ("Whenever I Call You Friend") See fewer
Arranger ("Two Different Worlds"), Performer ("Two Different Worlds"), Producer ("Two Different Worlds") Arranger ("Two Different Worlds"), Performer ("Two Different Worlds"), Producer ("Two Different Worlds") See fewer
Frankie and Johnny (1991)
Writer ("What a Fool Believes") Writer ("What a Fool Believes") See fewer
Writer ("No Lookin' Back") Writer ("No Lookin' Back") See fewer
Kenny Loggins: Conviction of the Heart (1991)
Side Out (1990)
Performer ("PLAYING WITH THE BOYS"), Writer ("PLAYING WITH THE BOYS") Performer ("PLAYING WITH THE BOYS"), Writer ("PLAYING WITH THE BOYS") See fewer
Poison: Your Mamma Don't Dance (1989)
(Video) - Composer Composer See fewer
Fresh Horses (1988)
Writer ("No Tomorrow") Writer ("No Tomorrow") See fewer
Caddyshack II (1988)
Performer ("Nobody's Fool"), Writer ("Nobody's Fool") Performer ("Nobody's Fool"), Writer ("Nobody's Fool") See fewer
Kenny Loggins: Nobody's Fool (1988)
Kenny Loggins: I'm Gonna Miss You (1988)
Kenny Loggins: Meet Me Halfway (1987)
Performer ("Meet Me Half Way") Performer ("Meet Me Half Way") See fewer
Kenny Loggins: Playing with the Boys (1986)
Soundtrack ("Playing With The Boys"), Performer ("Danger Zone", "Playing With The Boys") Soundtrack ("Playing With The Boys"), Performer ("Danger Zone", "Playing With The Boys") See fewer
Kenny Loggins: Danger Zone (1986)
(Video) - Kenny Loggins, Composer (music by) Kenny Loggins, Composer (music by) See fewer
Taipei Story (1985)
Performer ("Footloose") (uncredited) Performer ("Footloose") (uncredited) See fewer
Rocky IV (1985)
Performer ("Double Or Nothing") Performer ("Double Or Nothing") See fewer
Tears Are Not Enough (1985)
Soundtrack ("We Are the World") (uncredited) Soundtrack ("We Are the World") (uncredited) See fewer
Summer Rental (1985)
Michael McDonald: No Lookin' Back (1985)
Kenny Loggins: Forever (1985)
Kenny Loggins: Vox Humana (1985)
Kenny Loggins: I'm Free (Heaven Helps the Man) (1984)
Performer ("Footloose", "I'm Free"), Writer ("Footloose", "I'm Free") Performer ("Footloose", "I'm Free"), Writer ("Footloose", "I'm Free") See fewer
Kenny Loggins: Footloose (1984)
(Video) - Kenny Loggins (voice), Composer, Music Producer Kenny Loggins (voice), Composer, Music Producer See fewer
Kenny Loggins: Welcome to Heartlight (1983)
Kenny Loggins: Swear Your Love (1982)
Kenny Loggins: Heart to Heart (1982)
Writer ("Never Surrender") Writer ("Never Surrender") See fewer
Personal Best (1982)
Performer ("You Don't Know Me"), Writer ("What a Fool Believes") Performer ("You Don't Know Me"), Writer ("What a Fool Believes") See fewer
Caddyshack (1980)
Music Coordinator, Soundtrack ("I'm Alright", "Lead the Way", "Mr. Night"), Lyrics ("I'm Alright", "Lead the Way", "Mr. Night"), Music ("I'm Alright", "Lead the Way", "Mr. Night") Music Coordinator, Soundtrack ("I'm Alright", "Lead the Way", "Mr. Night"), Lyrics ("I'm Alright", "Lead the Way", "Mr. Night"), Music ("I'm Alright", "Lead the Way", "Mr. Night") See fewer
The Main Event (1979)
Soundtrack ("Angry Eyes") (as Loggins), Writer ("Angry Eyes") Soundtrack ("Angry Eyes") (as Loggins), Writer ("Angry Eyes") See fewer
Music ("I BELIEVE IN LOVE") Music ("I BELIEVE IN LOVE") See fewer
Final Space (2019)
(TV Series) - Writer ("Footloose") (1 episode, 2019) Writer ("Footloose") (1 episode, 2019) See fewer
The Other Side (Jul 15, 2019) Season 2, Episode 4 - Writer ("Footloose") Writer ("Footloose") See fewer
Lucifer (2019)
(TV Series) - Performer ("I'm Alright") (1 episode, 2019) Performer ("I'm Alright") (1 episode, 2019) See fewer
Who's da New King of Hell? (May 8, 2019) Season 4, Episode 10 - Performer ("I'm Alright") Performer ("I'm Alright") See fewer
Britain's Got More Talent (2015–2019)
(TV Series) - Performer ("Danger Zone") (2 episodes, 2018), Performer ("Footloose") (1 episode, 2015), Writer ("Footloose") (1 episode, 2015) Performer ("Danger Zone") (2 episodes, 2018), Performer ("Footloose") (1 episode, 2015), Writer ("Footloose") (1 episode, 2015) See fewer
2019: Auditions 2 (Apr 13, 2019) Season 13, Episode 2 - Performer ("Danger Zone") (uncredited) Performer ("Danger Zone") (uncredited) See fewer
Lip Sync Battle Philippines (2018)
Kate Valdez, Mika Dela Cruz vs Inah de Belen, Mikee Quintos (Jun 23, 2018) Season 3, Episode 13 - Writer ("Footloose") Writer ("Footloose") See fewer
Suits (2018)
(TV Series) - Performer ("Danger Zone") (1 episode, 2018) Performer ("Danger Zone") (1 episode, 2018) See fewer
Bad Man (Apr 4, 2018) Season 7, Episode 12 - Performer ("Danger Zone") (uncredited) Performer ("Danger Zone") (uncredited) See fewer
(TV Series) - Kenny Loggins (1 episode, 2018), Lyrics ("I'm Free (Heaven Helps the Man)") (1 episode, 2006), Music ("Mr. Night") (1 episode, 2007), Performer ("Danger Zone") (1 episode, 2015), Writer ("Playing with the Boys") (1 episode, 2018), … See more Kenny Loggins (1 episode, 2018), Lyrics ("I'm Free (Heaven Helps the Man)") (1 episode, 2006), Music ("Mr. Night") (1 episode, 2007), Performer ("Danger Zone") (1 episode, 2015), Writer ("Playing with the Boys") (1 episode, 2018), Performer ("Danger Zone", "Playing with the Boys") (1 episode, 2018), Music ("I'm Free (Heaven Helps the Man)") (1 episode, 2006) See fewer
Veteran Guy (Apr 1, 2018) Season 16, Episode 14 - Kenny Loggins (voice), Performer ("Danger Zone", "Playing with the Boys"), Writer ("Playing with the Boys") Kenny Loggins (voice), Performer ("Danger Zone", "Playing with the Boys"), Writer ("Playing with the Boys") See fewer
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (2014–2018)
(TV Series) - Writer ("Footloose") (2 episodes, 2014), Writer ("What a Fool Believes") (2 episodes, 2015), Performer ("Footloose") (1 episode, 2014), Writer ("Show You the Way") (1 episode, 2017), Writer ("This Is It") (1 episode, 2018), … See more Writer ("Footloose") (2 episodes, 2014), Writer ("What a Fool Believes") (2 episodes, 2015), Performer ("Footloose") (1 episode, 2014), Writer ("Show You the Way") (1 episode, 2017), Writer ("This Is It") (1 episode, 2018), Himself - Musical Guest (1 episode, 2017), Performer ("Show You the Way") (1 episode, 2017) See fewer
Blake Shelton/Scott Eastwood (Mar 19, 2018) Season 5, Episode 107 - Writer ("Footloose") Writer ("Footloose") See fewer
¿Dónde estabas entonces? (2018)
(TV Series) - Performer ("Footloose") (1 episode, 2018), Writer ("Footloose") (1 episode, 2018) Performer ("Footloose") (1 episode, 2018), Writer ("Footloose") (1 episode, 2018) See fewer
1984 (Jan 25, 2018) Season 1, Episode 8 - Performer ("Footloose") (uncredited), Writer ("Footloose") (uncredited) Performer ("Footloose") (uncredited), Writer ("Footloose") (uncredited) See fewer
The 25 Songs of Christmas (2017)
(TV Movie) - Lyrics ("Celebrate Me Home (1977)"), Music ("Celebrate Me Home (1977)"), Performer ("Celebrate Me Home (1977)") Lyrics ("Celebrate Me Home (1977)"), Music ("Celebrate Me Home (1977)"), Performer ("Celebrate Me Home (1977)") See fewer
My Music: The '80s (2017)
(TV Special) - Himself (archive footage), Performer ("Footloose") Himself (archive footage), Performer ("Footloose") See fewer
Future Man (2017)
(TV Series) - Performer ("Playing with the Boys") (1 episode, 2017), Writer ("Playing with the Boys") (1 episode, 2017) Performer ("Playing with the Boys") (1 episode, 2017), Writer ("Playing with the Boys") (1 episode, 2017) See fewer
Operation: Fatal Attraction (Nov 14, 2017) Season 1, Episode 9 - Performer ("Playing with the Boys"), Writer ("Playing with the Boys") Performer ("Playing with the Boys"), Writer ("Playing with the Boys") See fewer
Cannonball (2017)
Episode #1.4 (Sep 23, 2017) Season 1, Episode 4 - Performer ("Danger Zone") (uncredited) Performer ("Danger Zone") (uncredited) See fewer
Tattoo Fixers on Holiday (2017)
Episode #2.2 (Aug 1, 2017) Season 2, Episode 2 - Performer ("Footloose") (uncredited), Writer ("Footloose") (uncredited) Performer ("Footloose") (uncredited), Writer ("Footloose") (uncredited) See fewer
Bloodline (2017)
Part 30 (May 26, 2017) Season 3, Episode 7 - Writer ("Footloose") Writer ("Footloose") See fewer
Tracy Morgan: Staying Alive (2017)
(TV Special) - Writer ("What a Fool Believes") (as Kenny Clark Loggins) Writer ("What a Fool Believes") (as Kenny Clark Loggins) See fewer
Good Morning Britain (2016–2017)
(TV Series) - Performer ("Footloose") (1 episode, 2017), Performer ("Danger Zone") (1 episode, 2016), Writer ("Footloose") (1 episode, 2017) Performer ("Footloose") (1 episode, 2017), Performer ("Danger Zone") (1 episode, 2016), Writer ("Footloose") (1 episode, 2017) See fewer
Episode dated 5 May 2017 (May 5, 2017) Performer ("Footloose") (uncredited), Writer ("Footloose") (uncredited) Performer ("Footloose") (uncredited), Writer ("Footloose") (uncredited) See fewer
Episode dated 21 October 2016 (Oct 21, 2016) Performer ("Danger Zone") (uncredited) Performer ("Danger Zone") (uncredited) See fewer
Lip Sync Battle (2017)
Kate Upton vs. Ricky Martin (Apr 20, 2017) Season 3, Episode 13 - Performer ("Footloose"), Writer ("Footloose") Performer ("Footloose"), Writer ("Footloose") See fewer
Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return (2017)
(TV Series) - Writer ("What a Fool Believes") (1 episode, 2017) Writer ("What a Fool Believes") (1 episode, 2017) See fewer
Cry Wilderness (Apr 14, 2017) Season 1, Episode 2 - Writer ("What a Fool Believes") (uncredited) Writer ("What a Fool Believes") (uncredited) See fewer
Grace and Frankie (2016–2017)
(TV Series) - Kenny Loggins (1 episode, 2017), Writer ("Footloose" ) (1 episode, 2016) Kenny Loggins (1 episode, 2017), Writer ("Footloose" ) (1 episode, 2016) See fewer
The Art Show (Mar 24, 2017) Season 3, Episode 1 - Kenny Loggins Kenny Loggins See fewer
The Coup (May 6, 2016) Season 2, Episode 13 - Writer ("Footloose" ) Writer ("Footloose" ) See fewer
Jennifer Nettles: 'Tis the Season (2016)
(TV Movie) - Writer ("Celebrate Me Home") Writer ("Celebrate Me Home") See fewer
UK Championship Snooker (2016)
2016: Semi-Final - Part 1 (Dec 3, 2016) Season 40, Episode 29 - Performer ("Danger Zone") (uncredited) Performer ("Danger Zone") (uncredited) See fewer
The View (2016)
Lin-Manuel Miranda (Nov 16, 2016) Season 20, Episode 52 - Writer ("Footloose") Writer ("Footloose") See fewer
The X Factor (2016)
Live Results Show 6 (Nov 13, 2016) Season 13, Episode 24 - Performer ("Footloose") (uncredited), Writer ("Footloose") (uncredited) Performer ("Footloose") (uncredited), Writer ("Footloose") (uncredited) See fewer
Legends of Tomorrow (2016)
Compromised (Nov 10, 2016) Season 2, Episode 5 - Performer ("Danger Zone") Performer ("Danger Zone") See fewer
One Hit Wonderland (2014–2016)
(TV Series) - Writer ("Danny's Song") (1 episode, 2016), Performer ("Footloose", "Playing with the Boys") (1 episode, 2014), Writer ("Footloose", "Playing with the Boys") (1 episode, 2014) Writer ("Danny's Song") (1 episode, 2016), Performer ("Footloose", "Playing with the Boys") (1 episode, 2014), Writer ("Footloose", "Playing with the Boys") (1 episode, 2014) See fewer
"One Tin Soldier" by Coven (Oct 29, 2016) Season 5, Episode 9 - Writer ("Danny's Song") Writer ("Danny's Song") See fewer
Maniac by Michael Sembello (Oct 30, 2014) Season 3, Episode 10 - Performer ("Footloose", "Playing with the Boys"), Writer ("Footloose", "Playing with the Boys") Performer ("Footloose", "Playing with the Boys"), Writer ("Footloose", "Playing with the Boys") See fewer
Who's Doing the Dishes? (2016)
Lesley Garrett (Oct 4, 2016) Season 3, Episode 22 - Writer ("Footloose") (uncredited) Writer ("Footloose") (uncredited) See fewer
The Irresistible Blueberry Farm (2016)
(TV Movie) - Writer ("Footloose") Writer ("Footloose") See fewer
Go for It (2016)
(TV Series) - Writer ("Danny's Song") (1 episode, 2016) Writer ("Danny's Song") (1 episode, 2016) See fewer
Whispered Secrets (Feb 28, 2016) Season 1, Episode 3 - Writer ("Danny's Song") Writer ("Danny's Song") See fewer
Donald Trump's The Art of the Deal: The Movie (2016)
(TV Movie) - Musician (theme music), Performer (theme music), Performer ("The Art of the Deal") Musician (theme music), Performer (theme music), Performer ("The Art of the Deal") See fewer
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2013–2016)
(TV Series) - Performer ("Footloose") (1 episode, 2016), Performer ("Playing With The Boys") (1 episode, 2013), Performer ("Danger Zone") (1 episode, 2015), Writer ("Footloose") (1 episode, 2016), Writer ("Playing With The Boys") (1 episode, 2013) Performer ("Footloose") (1 episode, 2016), Performer ("Playing With The Boys") (1 episode, 2013), Performer ("Danger Zone") (1 episode, 2015), Writer ("Footloose") (1 episode, 2016), Writer ("Playing With The Boys") (1 episode, 2013) See fewer
The Gang Hits the Slopes (Jan 20, 2016) Season 11, Episode 3 - Performer ("Footloose") (uncredited), Writer ("Footloose") (uncredited) Performer ("Footloose") (uncredited), Writer ("Footloose") (uncredited) See fewer
Documentary Now! (2015)
(TV Series) - Kenny Loggins (2 episodes, 2015) Kenny Loggins (2 episodes, 2015) See fewer
Gentle and Soft: The Story of the Blue Jean Committee Part 2 (Sep 24, 2015) Season 1, Episode 7 - Kenny Loggins Kenny Loggins See fewer
Playing House (2014–2015)
(TV Series) - Performer ("Celebrate Me Home") (2 episodes, 2014), Writer ("Celebrate Me Home") (2 episodes, 2014), Kenny Loggins (1 episode, 2015), Writer ("Footloose", "Celebrate Me Home") (1 episode, 2015), Performer ("Footloose", "Danger Zone", "Celebrate Me Home") (1 episode, 2015) Performer ("Celebrate Me Home") (2 episodes, 2014), Writer ("Celebrate Me Home") (2 episodes, 2014), Kenny Loggins (1 episode, 2015), Writer ("Footloose", "Celebrate Me Home") (1 episode, 2015), Performer ("Footloose", "Danger Zone", "Celebrate Me Home") (1 episode, 2015) See fewer
Celebrate Me Scones (Sep 8, 2015) Season 2, Episode 8 - Kenny Loggins, Performer ("Footloose", "Danger Zone", "Celebrate Me Home"), Writer ("Footloose", "Celebrate Me Home") Kenny Loggins, Performer ("Footloose", "Danger Zone", "Celebrate Me Home"), Writer ("Footloose", "Celebrate Me Home") See fewer
Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero (2015)
(TV Series) - Montage Singer (1 episode, 2015) Montage Singer (1 episode, 2015) See fewer
Where Dragons Dare (Jul 20, 2015) Season 1, Episode 27 - Montage Singer (singing voice) Montage Singer (singing voice) See fewer
Dancing with the Stars (2005–2015)
(TV Series) - Writer ("Footloose") (4 episodes, 2005), Soundtrack (2 episodes, 2005) Writer ("Footloose") (4 episodes, 2005), Soundtrack (2 episodes, 2005) See fewer
The Finals (May 18, 2015) Season 20, Episode 12 - Writer ("Footloose") Writer ("Footloose") See fewer
Atop the Fourth Wall (2010–2015)
(TV Series) - Soundtrack (6 episodes, 2010) Soundtrack (6 episodes, 2010) See fewer
Titans: Scissors, Paper, Stone (Apr 13, 2015) Season 8, Episode 15 - Soundtrack ("Hooked on Polkas") Soundtrack ("Hooked on Polkas") See fewer
American Idol: The Search for a Superstar (2003–2015)
(TV Series) - Writer ("Footloose") (2 episodes, 2003), Performer ("Danger Zone") (1 episode, 2007) Writer ("Footloose") (2 episodes, 2003), Performer ("Danger Zone") (1 episode, 2007) See fewer
Episode #14.19 (Mar 11, 2015) Season 14, Episode 19 - Writer ("Footloose") Writer ("Footloose") See fewer
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (2015)
Kimmy Kisses a Boy! (Mar 6, 2015) Season 1, Episode 5 - Performer ("Footloose") (uncredited), Writer ("Footloose") (uncredited) Performer ("Footloose") (uncredited), Writer ("Footloose") (uncredited) See fewer
Stone Quackers (2015)
Stone Quackers II (Jan 23, 2015) Season 1, Episode 3 - Writer ("What a Fool Believes") (uncredited) Writer ("What a Fool Believes") (uncredited) See fewer
Phineas and Ferb (2014)
(TV Series) - Performer ("They Left Me Standing Outside") (1 episode, 2014) Performer ("They Left Me Standing Outside") (1 episode, 2014) See fewer
The O.W.C.A. Files (Nov 9, 2015) Season 4, Episode 31 - Performer ("They Left Me Standing Outside") (uncredited) Performer ("They Left Me Standing Outside") (uncredited) See fewer
Strictly Come Dancing (2014)
Week 3: Movie Special (Oct 11, 2014) Season 12, Episode 6 - Writer ("Footloose") (uncredited) Writer ("Footloose") (uncredited) See fewer
Tu cara me suena - Argentina (2014)
(TV Series) - Producer ("Footloose") (1 episode, 2014), Writer ("Footloose") (1 episode, 2014) Producer ("Footloose") (1 episode, 2014), Writer ("Footloose") (1 episode, 2014) See fewer
Episode #2.21 (Sep 7, 2014) Season 2, Episode 21 - Producer ("Footloose"), Writer ("Footloose") Producer ("Footloose"), Writer ("Footloose") See fewer
Raising Hope (2014)
(TV Series) - Himself (1 episode, 2014), Writer ("Footloose", "Danny's Song") (1 episode, 2014), Performer ("Danny's Song") (1 episode, 2014) Himself (1 episode, 2014), Writer ("Footloose", "Danny's Song") (1 episode, 2014), Performer ("Danny's Song") (1 episode, 2014) See fewer
The Father Daughter Dance (Apr 4, 2014) Season 4, Episode 22 - Himself, Performer ("Danny's Song") (uncredited), Writer ("Footloose", "Danny's Song") (uncredited) Himself, Performer ("Danny's Song") (uncredited), Writer ("Footloose", "Danny's Song") (uncredited) See fewer
The Block (2014)
(TV Series) - Performer ("Footloose", "Danger Zone") (1 episode, 2014), Writer ("Footloose") (1 episode, 2014) Performer ("Footloose", "Danger Zone") (1 episode, 2014), Writer ("Footloose") (1 episode, 2014) See fewer
Beach Volleyball Tournament (Mar 26, 2014) Season 8, Episode 49 - Performer ("Footloose", "Danger Zone") (uncredited), Writer ("Footloose") (uncredited) Performer ("Footloose", "Danger Zone") (uncredited), Writer ("Footloose") (uncredited) See fewer
Glee (2013–2014)
(TV Series) - Writer ("Danny's Song") (1 episode, 2014), Writer ("Whenever I Call You Friend") (1 episode, 2014), Writer ("Footloose") (1 episode, 2013) Writer ("Danny's Song") (1 episode, 2014), Writer ("Whenever I Call You Friend") (1 episode, 2014), Writer ("Footloose") (1 episode, 2013) See fewer
Trio (Mar 4, 2014) Season 5, Episode 10 - Writer ("Danny's Song") (uncredited) Writer ("Danny's Song") (uncredited) See fewer
Archer (2014)
(TV Series) - Kenny Loggins (1 episode, 2014), Performer ("Danger Zone") (1 episode, 2014) Kenny Loggins (1 episode, 2014), Performer ("Danger Zone") (1 episode, 2014) See fewer
Archer Vice: Baby Shower (Mar 3, 2014) Season 5, Episode 6 - Kenny Loggins (voice), Performer ("Danger Zone") Kenny Loggins (voice), Performer ("Danger Zone") See fewer
Rude Tube (2013)
Internet Incredibles (Oct 13, 2013) Season 7, Episode 6 - Performer ("Danger Zone") (uncredited) Performer ("Danger Zone") (uncredited) See fewer
Cinematic Excrement (2013)
Desert Thunder (Aug 31, 2013) Season 4, Episode 8 - Performer ("Danger Zone") Performer ("Danger Zone") See fewer
The Voice of the Philippines (2013)
Episode #1.22 (Aug 25, 2013) Season 1, Episode 22 - Writer ("Danny's Song") Writer ("Danny's Song") See fewer
Clear History (2013)
(TV Movie) - Writer ("What a Fool Believes") (as Kenneth C. Loggins) Writer ("What a Fool Believes") (as Kenneth C. Loggins) See fewer
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (2010–2013)
(TV Series) - Writer ("Footloose") (9 episodes, 2010), Performer ("Feelin' Brave") (1 episode, 2013), Writer ("Feelin' Brave") (1 episode, 2013), Himself - Musical Guest (1 episode, 2013) Writer ("Footloose") (9 episodes, 2010), Performer ("Feelin' Brave") (1 episode, 2013), Writer ("Feelin' Brave") (1 episode, 2013), Himself - Musical Guest (1 episode, 2013) See fewer
Episode #21.146 (May 14, 2013) Season 21, Episode 146 - Writer ("Footloose") (uncredited) Writer ("Footloose") (uncredited) See fewer
Some Jerk with a Camera (2012)
(TV Series) - Performer ("I'm Alright (Theme from Caddyshack)") (1 episode, 2012), Writer ("I'm Alright (Theme from Caddyshack)") (1 episode, 2012) Performer ("I'm Alright (Theme from Caddyshack)") (1 episode, 2012), Writer ("I'm Alright (Theme from Caddyshack)") (1 episode, 2012) See fewer
Thirty Years of Epcot Part One: Concept and Opening (Oct 24, 2012) Season 2, Episode 3 - Performer ("I'm Alright (Theme from Caddyshack)"), Writer ("I'm Alright (Theme from Caddyshack)") Performer ("I'm Alright (Theme from Caddyshack)"), Writer ("I'm Alright (Theme from Caddyshack)") See fewer
Never Mind the Buzzcocks (2012)
Episode #26.5 (Oct 22, 2012) Season 26, Episode 5 - Performer ("Danger Zone") (uncredited) Performer ("Danger Zone") (uncredited) See fewer
New Tricks (2012)
Love Means Nothing in Tennis (Oct 1, 2012) Season 9, Episode 6 - Writer ("Footloose") (uncredited) Writer ("Footloose") (uncredited) See fewer
Live Show 2 (Sep 25, 2012) Season 4, Episode 15 - Writer ("Footloose") Writer ("Footloose") See fewer
The X Factor Philippines (2012)
(TV Series) - Writer ("Forever") (1 episode, 2012), Writer ("Footloose") (1 episode, 2012) Writer ("Forever") (1 episode, 2012), Writer ("Footloose") (1 episode, 2012) See fewer
Top 7 Performance Night (Sep 8, 2012) Season 1, Episode 23 - Writer ("Forever") Writer ("Forever") See fewer
Top 10 Performance Night (Aug 18, 2012) Season 1, Episode 17 - Writer ("Footloose") Writer ("Footloose") See fewer
Welcome to the Basement (2012)
(TV Series) - Soundtrack (1 episode, 2012), Performer ("Danger Zone", "Playing With The Boys") (1 episode, 2012) Soundtrack (1 episode, 2012), Performer ("Danger Zone", "Playing With The Boys") (1 episode, 2012) See fewer
Top Gun (Jul 27, 2012) Soundtrack ("Playing With The Boys"), Performer ("Danger Zone", "Playing With The Boys") Soundtrack ("Playing With The Boys"), Performer ("Danger Zone", "Playing With The Boys") See fewer
Take Me Out (2012)
Episode #1.7 (Jul 19, 2012) Season 1, Episode 7 - Performer ("Danger Zone") (uncredited) Performer ("Danger Zone") (uncredited) See fewer
The Voice (2012)
The Blind Auditions, Part 3 (Apr 17, 2012) Season 1, Episode 3 - Writer ("What a Fool Believes") Writer ("What a Fool Believes") See fewer
Up All Night (2012)
(TV Series) - Writer ("Whenever I Call You Friend") (1 episode, 2012) Writer ("Whenever I Call You Friend") (1 episode, 2012) See fewer
Letting Go (Mar 29, 2012) Season 1, Episode 22 - Writer ("Whenever I Call You Friend") (uncredited) Writer ("Whenever I Call You Friend") (uncredited) See fewer
Dancing Stars (2012)
Episode #7.3 (Mar 23, 2012) Season 7, Episode 3 - Writer ("Footloose") Writer ("Footloose") See fewer
The Office (2012)
Jury Duty (Feb 2, 2012) Season 8, Episode 13 - Performer ("Footloose"), Writer ("Footloose") Performer ("Footloose"), Writer ("Footloose") See fewer
The Dukes of September Live at Lincoln Center (2012)
(TV Movie) - Writer ("What A Fool Believes") Writer ("What A Fool Believes") See fewer
Regular Show (2011)
(TV Series) - Writer ("I'm Alright") (1 episode, 2011), Writer ("Footloose") (1 episode, 2011), Performer ("I'm Alright") (1 episode, 2011) Writer ("I'm Alright") (1 episode, 2011), Writer ("Footloose") (1 episode, 2011), Performer ("I'm Alright") (1 episode, 2011) See fewer
Karaoke Video (Aug 1, 2011) Season 2, Episode 28 - Writer ("Footloose") Writer ("Footloose") See fewer
First Day (Jul 11, 2011) Season 2, Episode 25 - Performer ("I'm Alright"), Writer ("I'm Alright") Performer ("I'm Alright"), Writer ("I'm Alright") See fewer
Formula 1: BBC Sport (2011)
(TV Series) - Performer ("Danger Zone") (2 episodes, 2011) Performer ("Danger Zone") (2 episodes, 2011) See fewer
The Canadian Grand Prix: Highlights (Jun 12, 2011) Season 3, Episode 21 - Performer ("Danger Zone") (uncredited) Performer ("Danger Zone") (uncredited) See fewer
The Canadian Grand Prix (Jun 12, 2011) Season 3, Episode 20 - Performer ("Danger Zone") (uncredited) Performer ("Danger Zone") (uncredited) See fewer
Mongrels (2010)
Kali the Genetic Engineer (Jul 20, 2010) Season 1, Episode 5 - Performer ("Danger Zone") (uncredited) Performer ("Danger Zone") (uncredited) See fewer
So You Think You Can Dance (2006–2010)
(TV Series) - Performer ("Footloose") (3 episodes, 2006), Writer ("Footloose") (3 episodes, 2006) Performer ("Footloose") (3 episodes, 2006), Writer ("Footloose") (3 episodes, 2006) See fewer
Top 11 Perform (Jun 16, 2010) Season 7, Episode 6 - Performer ("Footloose"), Writer ("Footloose") Performer ("Footloose"), Writer ("Footloose") See fewer
Caddyshack: The Inside Story (2009)
(TV Movie) - Himself, Performer ("I'm Alright") (uncredited) Himself, Performer ("I'm Alright") (uncredited) See fewer
Cougar Town (2009)
Here Comes My Girl (Nov 25, 2009) Season 1, Episode 9 - Performer ("Playing With The Boys") (uncredited), Writer ("Playing With The Boys") (uncredited) Performer ("Playing With The Boys") (uncredited), Writer ("Playing With The Boys") (uncredited) See fewer
Dancing with the Stars (2009)
Episode #9.7 (Aug 15, 2009) Season 9, Episode 7 - Writer ("Footloose") (uncredited) Writer ("Footloose") (uncredited) See fewer
The Simpsons (1999–2009)
(TV Series) - Performer ("Footloose") (1 episode, 2009), Performer ("Danger Zone") (1 episode, 1999), Writer ("Footloose") (1 episode, 2009), Writer ("What a Fool Believes") (1 episode, 2006) Performer ("Footloose") (1 episode, 2009), Performer ("Danger Zone") (1 episode, 1999), Writer ("Footloose") (1 episode, 2009), Writer ("What a Fool Believes") (1 episode, 2006) See fewer
How the Test Was Won (Mar 1, 2009) Season 20, Episode 11 - Performer ("Footloose") (uncredited), Writer ("Footloose") (uncredited) Performer ("Footloose") (uncredited), Writer ("Footloose") (uncredited) See fewer
Postcards (2008)
Episode #10.24 (Jul 27, 2008) Season 10, Episode 24 - Performer ("Danger Zone") (uncredited) Performer ("Danger Zone") (uncredited) See fewer
Idols! (2007)
Liveshow #2 - 80's (Dec 29, 2007) Season 4, Episode 13 - Writer ("Footloose") Writer ("Footloose") See fewer
Idols (2007)
Top 24: Top 12 Boys (Sep 16, 2007) Season 4, Episode 5 - Writer ("Footloose") Writer ("Footloose") See fewer
Star Stories (2006–2007)
(TV Series) - Writer ("I'm Alright") (2 episodes, 2006), Performer ("Danger Zone", "I'm Alright") (1 episode, 2007), Performer ("I'm Alright") (1 episode, 2006) Writer ("I'm Alright") (2 episodes, 2006), Performer ("Danger Zone", "I'm Alright") (1 episode, 2007), Performer ("I'm Alright") (1 episode, 2006) See fewer
The Church of Scientology Presents... Being Tom Cruise: Why Scientology Isn't in Any Way Mental (Aug 3, 2007) Season 2, Episode 2 - Performer ("Danger Zone", "I'm Alright") (uncredited), Writer ("I'm Alright") (uncredited) Performer ("Danger Zone", "I'm Alright") (uncredited), Writer ("I'm Alright") (uncredited) See fewer
Jennifer Aniston: The One Where Jen's Husband Dumps Her for a Total Bitch (Oct 27, 2006) Season 1, Episode 6 - Performer ("I'm Alright") (uncredited), Writer ("I'm Alright") (uncredited) Performer ("I'm Alright") (uncredited), Writer ("I'm Alright") (uncredited) See fewer
30 Rock (2007)
Cleveland (Apr 19, 2007) Season 1, Episode 20 - Writer ("What a Fool Believes") (uncredited) Writer ("What a Fool Believes") (uncredited) See fewer
(TV Series) - Performer ("Footloose") (1 episode, 2007), Soundtrack (1 episode, 2005), Writer ("I'm Alright") (1 episode, 2005), Writer ("Footloose") (1 episode, 2007) Performer ("Footloose") (1 episode, 2007), Soundtrack (1 episode, 2005), Writer ("I'm Alright") (1 episode, 2005), Writer ("Footloose") (1 episode, 2007) See fewer
Four Little Words (Apr 1, 2007) Season 2, Episode 15 - Performer ("Footloose"), Writer ("Footloose") Performer ("Footloose"), Writer ("Footloose") See fewer
Francine's Flashback (May 15, 2005) Season 1, Episode 4 - Soundtrack ("I'm Alright"), Writer ("I'm Alright") Soundtrack ("I'm Alright"), Writer ("I'm Alright") See fewer
(TV Series) - Performer ("I'm Free (Heaven Helps the Man)") (1 episode, 2007), Writer ("I'm Free (Heaven Helps the Man)") (1 episode, 2007) Performer ("I'm Free (Heaven Helps the Man)") (1 episode, 2007), Writer ("I'm Free (Heaven Helps the Man)") (1 episode, 2007) See fewer
Shuffle, Ball Change (Mar 11, 2007) Season 4, Episode 17 - Performer ("I'm Free (Heaven Helps the Man)"), Writer ("I'm Free (Heaven Helps the Man)") Performer ("I'm Free (Heaven Helps the Man)"), Writer ("I'm Free (Heaven Helps the Man)") See fewer
Saturday Night Live (1999–2007)
(TV Series) - Writer ("Danny's Song") (1 episode, 2007), Writer ("Footloose") (1 episode, 1999) Writer ("Danny's Song") (1 episode, 2007), Writer ("Footloose") (1 episode, 1999) See fewer
Rainn Wilson/Arcade Fire (Feb 24, 2007) Season 32, Episode 14 - Writer ("Danny's Song") Writer ("Danny's Song") See fewer
Bill Murray/Lucinda Williams (Feb 20, 1999) Season 24, Episode 14 - Writer ("Footloose") (uncredited) Writer ("Footloose") (uncredited) See fewer
Home Boy (2006)
(TV Series) - Writer ("Forever") (1 episode, 2006) Writer ("Forever") (1 episode, 2006) See fewer
Merry Martin Christmas (Nov 28, 2006) Writer ("Forever") Writer ("Forever") See fewer
Everybody Hates Chris (2006)
Everybody Hates Promises (Nov 13, 2006) Season 2, Episode 7 - Performer ("Footloose"), Writer ("Footloose") Performer ("Footloose"), Writer ("Footloose") See fewer
The Angry Video Game Nerd (2006)
Top Gun (Sep 15, 2006) Season 1, Episode 10 - Performer ("Danger Zone") (uncredited) Performer ("Danger Zone") (uncredited) See fewer
How I Met Your Mother (2005)
The Slutty Pumpkin (Oct 24, 2005) Season 1, Episode 6 - Performer ("Danger Zone") (uncredited) Performer ("Danger Zone") (uncredited) See fewer
Idool 2004 (2004)
Liveshow 4 - Filmmuziek (Nov 7, 2004) Season 2, Episode 13 - Writer ("Footloose") Writer ("Footloose") See fewer
Australian Idol (2004)
Top 5 Performance Show: RnB Soul (Oct 24, 2004) Season 2, Episode 30 - Writer ("What a Fool Believes") Writer ("What a Fool Believes") See fewer
High Chaparall (2004)
Lorenzo Lamas (Apr 19, 2004) Season 2, Episode 6 - Performer ("Danger Zone") (uncredited) Performer ("Danger Zone") (uncredited) See fewer
Idol stjörnuleit (2004)
Episode #1.9 (Jan 2, 2004) Season 1, Episode 9 - Writer ("Footloose") Writer ("Footloose") See fewer
(TV Series) - Writer ("Footloose") (2 episodes, 2003) Writer ("Footloose") (2 episodes, 2003) See fewer
Finalen (Dec 17, 2003) Season 1, Episode 19 - Writer ("Footloose") Writer ("Footloose") See fewer
Episode #1.11 (Oct 22, 2003) Season 1, Episode 11 - Writer ("Footloose") Writer ("Footloose") See fewer
Everwood (2003)
(TV Series) - Writer ("A Love Song") (1 episode, 2003) Writer ("A Love Song") (1 episode, 2003) See fewer
Just Like in the Movies (Nov 17, 2003) Season 2, Episode 9 - Writer ("A Love Song") (uncredited) Writer ("A Love Song") (uncredited) See fewer
Futurama (2003)
(TV Series) - Writer ("I'm Alright") (1 episode, 2003), Performer ("I'm Alright") (1 episode, 2003) Writer ("I'm Alright") (1 episode, 2003), Performer ("I'm Alright") (1 episode, 2003) See fewer
Obsoletely Fabulous (Jul 23, 2003) Season 5, Episode 14 - Performer ("I'm Alright"), Writer ("I'm Alright") Performer ("I'm Alright"), Writer ("I'm Alright") See fewer
Will & Grace (2002)
Bacon and Eggs (Oct 3, 2002) Season 5, Episode 2 - Writer ("Footloose") (uncredited) Writer ("Footloose") (uncredited) See fewer
That '80s Show (2002)
Punk Club (Apr 17, 2002) Season 1, Episode 10 - Performer ("Footloose"), Writer ("Footloose") Performer ("Footloose"), Writer ("Footloose") See fewer
Crazy Time (Oct 31, 2001) Season 2, Episode 4 - Writer ("What A Fool Believes") Writer ("What A Fool Believes") See fewer
The Oblongs... (2001)
(TV Series) - Music ("Footloose") (1 episode, 2001), Lyrics ("Footloose") (1 episode, 2001) Music ("Footloose") (1 episode, 2001), Lyrics ("Footloose") (1 episode, 2001) See fewer
The Golden Child (May 6, 2001) Season 1, Episode 6 - Lyrics ("Footloose") (uncredited), Music ("Footloose") (uncredited) Lyrics ("Footloose") (uncredited), Music ("Footloose") (uncredited) See fewer
(TV Series) - Writer ("House at Pooh Corner") (1 episode, 1999) Writer ("House at Pooh Corner") (1 episode, 1999) See fewer
The Last Day of the Rest of Your Life (Oct 10, 1999) Season 6, Episode 3 - Writer ("House at Pooh Corner") Writer ("House at Pooh Corner") See fewer
Freaks and Geeks (1999)
Pilot (Sep 25, 1999) Season 1, Episode 1 - Performer ("I'm Alright") Performer ("I'm Alright") See fewer
3rd Rock from the Sun (1999)
Dick's Big Giant Headache: Part 1 (May 25, 1999) Season 4, Episode 23 - Performer ("Footloose") (uncredited), Writer ("Footloose") (uncredited) Performer ("Footloose") (uncredited), Writer ("Footloose") (uncredited) See fewer
South Park (1998)
Roger Ebert Should Lay Off the Fatty Foods (Sep 2, 1998) Season 2, Episode 11 - Performer ("Footloose"), Writer ("Footloose") Performer ("Footloose"), Writer ("Footloose") See fewer
Pop Up Video (1998)
(TV Series) - Producer ("Danger Zone") (1 episode, 1998), Performer ("Danger Zone") (1 episode, 1998) Producer ("Danger Zone") (1 episode, 1998), Performer ("Danger Zone") (1 episode, 1998) See fewer
Movie Magic 1: Movie Theme Songs (Aug 28, 1998) Season 2, Episode 59 - Performer ("Danger Zone"), Producer ("Danger Zone") Performer ("Danger Zone"), Producer ("Danger Zone") See fewer
Elmopalooza! (1998)
(TV Movie) - Himself, Performer ("One Small Voice") Himself, Performer ("One Small Voice") See fewer
The 69th Annual Academy Awards (1997)
(TV Special) - Himself - Performer, Performer ("For the First Time") Himself - Performer, Performer ("For the First Time") See fewer
Mystery Science Theater 3000 (1993)
The Painted Hills (Sep 26, 1993) Season 6, Episode 10 - Writer ("What a Fool Believes") Writer ("What a Fool Believes") See fewer
Doogie Howser, M.D. (1992)
(TV Series) - Performer ("Let There Be Love") (1 episode, 1992) Performer ("Let There Be Love") (1 episode, 1992) See fewer
Doogie, Can You Hear Me? (Nov 5, 1992) Season 4, Episode 7 - Performer ("Let There Be Love") (uncredited) Performer ("Let There Be Love") (uncredited) See fewer
This Island Earth (1992)
(TV Movie) - Himself, Performer ("This Island Earth"), Writer ("This Island Earth") Himself, Performer ("This Island Earth"), Writer ("This Island Earth") See fewer
Vamp (1991–1992)
(TV Series) - Performer ("Will of the Wind"), Writer ("Will of the Wind") Performer ("Will of the Wind"), Writer ("Will of the Wind") See fewer
Beverly Hills, 90210 (1991)
(TV Series) - Performer ("Celebrate Me Home") (1 episode, 1991), Writer ("Celebrate Me Home") (1 episode, 1991) Performer ("Celebrate Me Home") (1 episode, 1991), Writer ("Celebrate Me Home") (1 episode, 1991) See fewer
Home Again (May 9, 1991) Season 1, Episode 21 - Performer ("Celebrate Me Home") (uncredited), Writer ("Celebrate Me Home") (uncredited) Performer ("Celebrate Me Home") (uncredited), Writer ("Celebrate Me Home") (uncredited) See fewer
Quantum Leap (1991)
Piano Man - November 10, 1985 (Mar 27, 1991) Season 3, Episode 15 - Writer ("Footloose") (uncredited) Writer ("Footloose") (uncredited) See fewer
Alvin & the Chipmunks (1990)
(TV Series) - Soundtrack (1 episode, 1990) Soundtrack (1 episode, 1990) See fewer
Batmunk (Sep 29, 1990) Season 8, Episode 4 - Soundtrack ("Danger Zone") Soundtrack ("Danger Zone") See fewer
The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! (1989)
Cher's Poochie/Brooklyn Bound (Sep 21, 1989) Season 1, Episode 14 - Performer ("Danger Zone") Performer ("Danger Zone") See fewer
Dolly (1988)
Episode #1.12 (Jan 13, 1988) Season 1, Episode 12 - Writer ("Footloose") Writer ("Footloose") See fewer
The Magic of David Copperfield IX: The Escape from Alcatraz (1987)
(TV Special) - Writer ("No Lookin' Back") Writer ("No Lookin' Back") See fewer
Photon (1986)
The Recruit (Sep 20, 1986) Season 1, Episode 1 - Soundtrack ("Danger Zone") Soundtrack ("Danger Zone") See fewer
(TV Special) - Performer ("Footlose"), Writer ("Footlose") Performer ("Footlose"), Writer ("Footlose") See fewer
Emu's All Live Pink Windmill Show (1985)
Episode #2.13 (Jul 5, 1985) Season 2, Episode 13 - Writer ("Footloose") (uncredited) Writer ("Footloose") (uncredited) See fewer
Episode #2.1 (Apr 12, 1985) Season 2, Episode 1 - Writer ("Footloose") (uncredited) Writer ("Footloose") (uncredited) See fewer
(TV Special) - Himself - Nominee, Writer ("Footloose") Himself - Nominee, Writer ("Footloose") See fewer
We Are The World: The Story Behind The Song (1985)
(TV Movie) - Himself, Soundtrack ("We Are the World") (uncredited) Himself, Soundtrack ("We Are the World") (uncredited) See fewer
Street Hawk (1985)
Pilot (Jan 4, 1985) Season 1, Episode 1 - Writer ("Footloose") Writer ("Footloose") See fewer
Fame (1984)
The Heart of Rock 'N' Roll (Oct 26, 1984) Season 4, Episode 5 - Writer ("Footloose") Writer ("Footloose") See fewer
Masquerade (1984)
Caribbean Holiday (Jan 12, 1984) Season 1, Episode 5 - Writer ("Whenever I Call You Friend") Writer ("Whenever I Call You Friend") See fewer
Roller Revolution (1980)
(TV Movie) - Writer ("I Believe In Love") Writer ("I Believe In Love") See fewer
WKRP in Cincinnati (1980)
(TV Series) - Writer ("This Is It") (1 episode, 1980), Performer ("This Is It") (1 episode, 1980) Writer ("This Is It") (1 episode, 1980), Performer ("This Is It") (1 episode, 1980) See fewer
Venus Rising (Mar 10, 1980) Season 2, Episode 23 - Performer ("This Is It") (uncredited), Writer ("This Is It") (uncredited) Performer ("This Is It") (uncredited), Writer ("This Is It") (uncredited) See fewer
Donny and Marie (1977)
(TV Series) - Writer ("My Music") (1 episode, 1977) Writer ("My Music") (1 episode, 1977) See fewer
Episode #3.2 (Sep 30, 1977) Season 3, Episode 2 - Writer ("My Music") (as Loggins) Writer ("My Music") (as Loggins) See fewer
The Sonny and Cher Show (1977)
Episode #2.22 (Mar 11, 1977) Season 2, Episode 22 - Writer ("Danny's Song") Writer ("Danny's Song") See fewer
The Ernie Sigley Show (1974–1975)
(TV Series) - Writer ("Rock and roll medley: 'Blue Suede Shoes' / 'Hound Dog' / 'Tutti Frutti' / 'Heartbreak Hotel' / '(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear' / 'Little Darlin' / 'Only You' / 'Jailhouse Rock' / 'Shake, Rattle and Roll' / 'See You Later, Alligator' / 'Rock Around the Clock' / 'Your Mama Don't Dance' / 'Johnny B. Goode' / 'Twilight Time' / 'You Need Hands' / 'Blue Suede Shoes' reprise / 'Bye Bye Love' / 'Great Balls of Fire' / 'Shake, Rattle and Roll' reprise / 'Rock Around the Clock' reprise / 'Razzle Dazzle' ") (2 episodes, 1974), Writer ("Danny's Song") (1 episode, 1974) Writer ("Rock and roll medley: 'Blue Suede Shoes' / 'Hound Dog' / 'Tutti Frutti' / 'Heartbreak Hotel' / '(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear' / 'Little Darlin' / 'Only You' / 'Jailhouse Rock' / 'Shake, Rattle and Roll' / 'See You Later, Alligator' / 'Rock Around the Clock' / 'Your Mama Don't Dance' / 'Johnny B. Goode' / 'Twilight Time' / 'You Need Hands' / 'Blue Suede Shoes' reprise / 'Bye Bye Love' / 'Great Balls of Fire' / 'Shake, Rattle and Roll' reprise / 'Rock Around the Clock' reprise / 'Razzle Dazzle' ") (2 episodes, 1974), Writer ("Danny's Song") (1 episode, 1974) See fewer
Episode dated 3 June 1975 (Jun 3, 1975) Writer ("Rock and roll medley: 'Blue Suede Shoes' / 'Hound Dog' / 'Tutti Frutti' / 'Heartbreak Hotel' / '(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear' / 'Little Darlin' / 'Only You' / 'Jailhouse Rock' / 'Shake, Rattle and Roll' / 'See You Later, Alligator' / 'Rock Around the Clock' / 'Your Mama Don't Dance' / 'Johnny B. Goode' / 'Twilight Time' / 'You Need Hands' / 'Blue Suede Shoes' reprise / 'Bye Bye Love' / 'Great Balls of Fire' / 'Shake, Rattle and Roll' reprise / 'Rock Around the Clock' reprise / 'Razzle Dazzle' ") Writer ("Rock and roll medley: 'Blue Suede Shoes' / 'Hound Dog' / 'Tutti Frutti' / 'Heartbreak Hotel' / '(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear' / 'Little Darlin' / 'Only You' / 'Jailhouse Rock' / 'Shake, Rattle and Roll' / 'See You Later, Alligator' / 'Rock Around the Clock' / 'Your Mama Don't Dance' / 'Johnny B. Goode' / 'Twilight Time' / 'You Need Hands' / 'Blue Suede Shoes' reprise / 'Bye Bye Love' / 'Great Balls of Fire' / 'Shake, Rattle and Roll' reprise / 'Rock Around the Clock' reprise / 'Razzle Dazzle' ") See fewer
Switch (1975)
Las Vegas Roundabout (Mar 21, 1975) Season 1, Episode 0 - Soundtrack ("Your Mama Don't Dance") Soundtrack ("Your Mama Don't Dance") See fewer
She Lives! (1973)
(TV Movie) - Writer ("Rock and Roll Mood") (as Ken Loggins) Writer ("Rock and Roll Mood") (as Ken Loggins) See fewer
The Graham Kennedy Show (1973)
(TV Series) - Writer ("Rock and roll medley: 'Blue Suede Shoes' / 'Hound Dog' / 'Tutti Frutti' / 'Heartbreak Hotel' / '(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear' / 'Little Darlin' / 'Only You' / 'Jailhouse Rock' / 'Shake, Rattle and Roll' / 'See You Later, Alligator' / 'Rock Around the Clock' / 'Your Mama Don't Dance' / 'Johnny B. Goode' / 'Twilight Time' / 'You Need Hands' / 'Blue Suede Shoes' reprise / 'Bye Bye Love' / 'Great Balls of Fire' / 'Shake, Rattle and Roll' reprise / 'Rock Around the Clock' reprise / 'Razzle Dazzle' ") (1 episode, 1973) Writer ("Rock and roll medley: 'Blue Suede Shoes' / 'Hound Dog' / 'Tutti Frutti' / 'Heartbreak Hotel' / '(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear' / 'Little Darlin' / 'Only You' / 'Jailhouse Rock' / 'Shake, Rattle and Roll' / 'See You Later, Alligator' / 'Rock Around the Clock' / 'Your Mama Don't Dance' / 'Johnny B. Goode' / 'Twilight Time' / 'You Need Hands' / 'Blue Suede Shoes' reprise / 'Bye Bye Love' / 'Great Balls of Fire' / 'Shake, Rattle and Roll' reprise / 'Rock Around the Clock' reprise / 'Razzle Dazzle' ") (1 episode, 1973) See fewer
Episode dated 17 April 1973 (Apr 17, 1973) Writer ("Rock and roll medley: 'Blue Suede Shoes' / 'Hound Dog' / 'Tutti Frutti' / 'Heartbreak Hotel' / '(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear' / 'Little Darlin' / 'Only You' / 'Jailhouse Rock' / 'Shake, Rattle and Roll' / 'See You Later, Alligator' / 'Rock Around the Clock' / 'Your Mama Don't Dance' / 'Johnny B. Goode' / 'Twilight Time' / 'You Need Hands' / 'Blue Suede Shoes' reprise / 'Bye Bye Love' / 'Great Balls of Fire' / 'Shake, Rattle and Roll' reprise / 'Rock Around the Clock' reprise / 'Razzle Dazzle' ") Writer ("Rock and roll medley: 'Blue Suede Shoes' / 'Hound Dog' / 'Tutti Frutti' / 'Heartbreak Hotel' / '(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear' / 'Little Darlin' / 'Only You' / 'Jailhouse Rock' / 'Shake, Rattle and Roll' / 'See You Later, Alligator' / 'Rock Around the Clock' / 'Your Mama Don't Dance' / 'Johnny B. Goode' / 'Twilight Time' / 'You Need Hands' / 'Blue Suede Shoes' reprise / 'Bye Bye Love' / 'Great Balls of Fire' / 'Shake, Rattle and Roll' reprise / 'Rock Around the Clock' reprise / 'Razzle Dazzle' ") See fewer
Sesame Street (1969– )
(TV Series) - Performer ("Yakety Yak - Take it Back") Performer ("Yakety Yak - Take it Back") See fewer
Self (97 titles)
The Kick Ash Bash Concert Film (2018)
The Big Interview with Dan Rather (2018)
Kenny Loggins (Dec 11, 2018) Season 8, Episode 11 - Himself Himself See fewer
(TV Series) - Himself - Special Guest (1 episode, 2018) Himself - Special Guest (1 episode, 2018) See fewer
San Diego Int'l Film Festival (Oct 20, 2018) Season 9, Episode 3 - Himself - Special Guest Himself - Special Guest See fewer
The Guild of Music Supervisors Awards (2018)
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (2017)
(TV Series) - Himself - Musical Guest (1 episode, 2017) Himself - Musical Guest (1 episode, 2017) See fewer
John Lithgow/Riley Keough/Giles Martin/Thundercat ft. Michael McDonald & Kenny Loggins (Jun 5, 2017) Season 4, Episode 159 - Himself - Musical Guest Himself - Musical Guest See fewer
Kenny Loggins and Friends (2017)
(TV Movie) - Himself - Vocals, Guitar Himself - Vocals, Guitar See fewer
WGN Morning News (2017)
Episode dated 15 March 2017 (Mar 15, 2017) Himself Himself See fewer
Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2017)
Kenny Loggins/Jameela Jamil/Rich Roll (Oct 24, 2016) Season 5, Episode 31 - Himself - Musical Guest Himself - Musical Guest See fewer
Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2016)
Tom Cruise/Tilda Swinton/X Ambassadors & Tom Morello/Kenny Loggins (Oct 18, 2016) Season 14, Episode 147 - Himself - Musical Guest Himself - Musical Guest See fewer
Fox and Friends (2013–2016)
(TV Series) - Himself - Musical Guest / Himself (2 episodes, 2013) Himself - Musical Guest / Himself (2 episodes, 2013) See fewer
Episode dated 15 October 2016 (Oct 15, 2016) Himself - Musical Guest Himself - Musical Guest See fewer
Episode dated 19 November 2013 (Nov 19, 2013) Himself Himself See fewer
Greatest Hits (2016)
Greatest Hits: 2000-2005 (Jul 28, 2016) Season 1, Episode 5 - Himself - Musical Guest Himself - Musical Guest See fewer
Music City USA (2015)
Nathan East: For the Record (2014)
Today (2008–2014)
(TV Series) - Himself (2 episodes, 2008) Himself (2 episodes, 2008) See fewer
Episode dated 4 August 2014 (Aug 4, 2014) Himself Himself See fewer
Episode dated 12 September 2008 (Sep 12, 2008) Himself Himself See fewer
Addicted (2014)
The Father Daughter Dance (Apr 4, 2014) Season 4, Episode 22 - Himself Himself See fewer
Oprah: Where Are They Now? (2014)
Ralph Macchio/Tia and Tamera Mowry/Kenny Loggins/Peter Scolari (Jan 10, 2014) Season 3, Episode 2 - Himself Himself See fewer
Tavis Smiley (2013)
Episode dated 23 December 2013 (Dec 23, 2013) Himself - Guest Himself - Guest See fewer
Rachael Ray (2007–2013)
(TV Series) - Himself - performer / Himself (2 episodes, 2007) Himself - performer / Himself (2 episodes, 2007) See fewer
Avoid Your Past Style Mistakes: Clinton Kelly Is Turning Holiday Disasters Into Holiday Hits! Then, the Sisters of TLC's 'Cake Boss' Buddy Valastro (Dec 6, 2013) Season 8, Episode 60 - Himself - performer Himself - performer See fewer
Episode #1.127 (Apr 2, 2007) Season 1, Episode 127 - Himself Himself See fewer
82nd Annual Hollywood Christmas Parade (2013)
Good Day L.A. (2013)
MDA Show of Strength Telethon (2013)
Episode #21.79 (Jan 24, 2013) Season 21, Episode 79 - Himself - Musical Guest Himself - Musical Guest See fewer
Duke & The King (2012)
The 45th Annual CMA Awards (2011)
(TV Special) - Self Self See fewer
Kenny Loggins Is Footloose (2011)
(Short) - Himself Himself See fewer
The Greatest Duets: Kenny Loggins (2011)
(TV Movie) - Himself Himself See fewer
Hit Man Returns: David Foster & Friends (2011)
Pickin' & Grinnin' (2010)
Legends & Lyrics (2009– )
(TV Series) - Himself Himself See fewer
Entertainment Tonight (2008)
Episode dated 25 December 2008 (Dec 25, 2008) Himself Himself See fewer
Frosted Pink with a Twist (2008)
Rock the Cradle (2008– )
Celebrity Duets (2006)
Episode #1.2 (Sep 7, 2006) Season 1, Episode 2 - Himself Himself See fewer
Episode dated 15 June 2005 (Jun 15, 2005) Himself Himself See fewer
American Idol: The Search for a Superstar (2005)
(TV Series) - Himself - Guest Judge (1 episode, 2005) Himself - Guest Judge (1 episode, 2005) See fewer
Auditions: Las Vegas (Jan 26, 2005) Season 4, Episode 4 - Himself - Guest Judge Himself - Guest Judge See fewer
Ellen: The Ellen DeGeneres Show (2005)
Episode dated 26 April 2005 (Apr 26, 2005) Himself Himself See fewer
Loggins & Messina: Sittin' in Again (2005)
(Video) - Himself Himself See fewer
Danger Zone: The Making of 'Top Gun' (2004)
SoapTalk (2004)
Episode dated 12 August 2004 (Aug 12, 2004) Himself Himself See fewer
Method & Red (2004)
Well, Well, Well (Jun 30, 2004) Season 1, Episode 3 - Himself Himself See fewer
The Nick at Nite Holiday Special (2003)
Women Rock! Concert: Songs from the Movies (2003)
(TV Special) - Performer Performer See fewer
Michael McDonald: A Gathering of Friends (2001)
The 43rd Annual Grammy Awards (2001)
VH-1 Where Are They Now? (2000)
Viewer's Choice (Nov 14, 2000) Season 2, Episode 22 - Himself Himself See fewer
Disneyland 2000: 45 Years of Magic (2000)
Dharma & Greg (1999)
Tie-Dying the Knot (Nov 9, 1999) Season 3, Episode 8 - Himself Himself See fewer
Believe (1999)
Christmas in Washington (1998)
The 1998 Soul Train Christmas Starfest (1998)
Live by Request: Kenny Loggins (1997)
(TV Special) - Himself - Performer Himself - Performer See fewer
The 1995 NCLR Bravo Awards (1995)
We Are the World: A 10th Anniversary Tribute (1995)
Kenny Loggins: Outside from the Redwoods (1994)
A Gala for the President at Ford's Theatre (1993)
The Chevy Chase Show (1993)
Episode #1.10 (Sep 20, 1993) Season 1, Episode 10 - Himself Himself See fewer
Kenny Loggins: Live from the Grand Canyon (1992)
USA Up All Night (1992)
Porky's/Howling IV: The Original Nightmare (Jul 3, 1992) Season 4, Episode 53 - Himself Himself See fewer
What About Me? I'm Only 3! (1992)
One on One with John Tesh (1992)
Episode #1.119 (Mar 6, 1992) Season 1, Episode 119 - Himself Himself See fewer
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1988–1992)
(TV Series) - Himself / Himself - Musical Guest (3 episodes, 1988) Himself / Himself - Musical Guest (3 episodes, 1988) See fewer
Episode #30.52 (Jan 14, 1992) Season 30, Episode 52 - Himself Himself See fewer
The 13th Annual CableACE Awards (1992)
Yakety Yak, Take It Back (1991)
The Chipmunks: Rockin' Through the Decades (1990)
(TV Short) - Himself Himself See fewer
The 17th Annual American Music Awards (1990)
Late Night with David Letterman (1988)
Episode dated 3 November 1988 (Nov 3, 1988) Himself Himself See fewer
Top of the Pops (1987)
A Very Special Christmas (Dec 23, 1987) Season 1, Episode 14 - Himself Himself See fewer
The 29th Annual Grammy Awards (1987)
(TV Special) - Himself - Presenter Himself - Presenter See fewer
All-Star Tribute to General Jimmy Doolittle (1986)
Disneyland's Summer Vacation Party (1986)
Solid Gold (1986)
(TV Series) - Musical guest (1 episode, 1986) Musical guest (1 episode, 1986) See fewer
Dionne and Christopher Cross (Feb 1, 1986) Season 6, Episode 19 - Musical guest Musical guest See fewer
An All-Star Celebration Honoring Martin Luther King Jr. (1986)
American Bandstand's 33 1/3 Celebration (1985)
USA for Africa: We Are the World (1985)
The War to Settle the Score (1985)
Saturday Night Live (1982)
Robert Blake/Kenny Loggins (Nov 13, 1982) Season 8, Episode 6 - Himself - Musical Guest Himself - Musical Guest See fewer
Numéro un (1981)
Spécial Festival de Monte-Carlo (Feb 21, 1981) Season 7, Episode 5 - Himself Himself See fewer
Les nouveaux rendez-vous (1981)
Episode dated 15 February 1981 (Feb 15, 1981) Himself Himself See fewer
The 8th Annual American Music Awards (1981)
Fridays (1980)
Episode #1.1 (Apr 11, 1980) Season 1, Episode 1 - Himself - Musical Guest Himself - Musical Guest See fewer
The 22nd Annual Grammy Awards (1980)
The Mike Douglas Show (1979)
(TV Series) - Himself - Vocalist (1 episode, 1979) Himself - Vocalist (1 episode, 1979) See fewer
Episode #19.64 (Nov 29, 1979) Season 19, Episode 64 - Himself - Vocalist Himself - Vocalist See fewer
The Mac Davis Show (1975)
Episode #2.7 (Feb 6, 1975) Season 2, Episode 7 - Himself Himself See fewer
Sandy in Disneyland (1974)
Bandstand (1972)
Episode #15.43 (Jul 22, 1972) Season 15, Episode 43 - Himself (as Loggins & Messina) Himself (as Loggins & Messina) See fewer
Find Your Groove
See all self
Episode #1.7 (Mar 17, 1979) Season 1, Episode 7 - Himself (archive footage) (uncredited) Himself (archive footage) (uncredited) See fewer
Other (2 titles)
Just Dance 2018 (2017)
(Video Game) - Writer ("Footloose") Writer ("Footloose") See fewer
Grand Theft Auto V (2013)
(Video Game) - Los Santos Rock Radio DJ / Los Santos Rock Radio Imaging (voice), Soundtrack ("I'm Free (Heaven Helps The Man)", "What A Fool Believes", "Danger Zone") (as Ken Loggins) Los Santos Rock Radio DJ / Los Santos Rock Radio Imaging (voice), Soundtrack ("I'm Free (Heaven Helps The Man)", "What A Fool Believes", "Danger Zone") (as Ken Loggins) See fewer
Erin Gray
Linda Kozlowski
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Blake Sewell
Known for The 19th Hole (II) (2015-2016), Attack of the Face Melters! (2017), Southern Hospitality (2015-2016), Deceive (II) (2015)
Miscellaneous Crew (1)
Mr. Smiles (2018)
(Short) - Mr. Smiles Mr. Smiles See fewer
Thank You for Your Service (2017)
Soldier Brother (uncredited) Soldier Brother (uncredited) See fewer
Associated Press (uncredited) Associated Press (uncredited) See fewer
Attack of the Face Melters! (2017)
(Short) - Dale, Co Director, Writer Dale, Co Director, Writer See fewer
The Book (2017)
(Short) - Declaration Signer Declaration Signer See fewer
Football Jock (uncredited) Football Jock (uncredited) See fewer
The Fundamentals of Caring (2016)
Diner Patron (uncredited) Diner Patron (uncredited) See fewer
College Drug Dealer (uncredited) College Drug Dealer (uncredited) See fewer
The Nice Guys (2016)
Bar Patron (uncredited) Bar Patron (uncredited) See fewer
Term Life (2016)
Fair Patron (uncredited) Fair Patron (uncredited) See fewer
Church Cowboy (uncredited) Church Cowboy (uncredited) See fewer
Ride Along 2 (2016)
Party Patron (uncredited) Party Patron (uncredited) See fewer
The Night Before (2015)
Street Peddler (uncredited) Street Peddler (uncredited) See fewer
Vacation (2015)
Firefighter (uncredited) Firefighter (uncredited) See fewer
Prisoner (uncredited) Prisoner (uncredited) See fewer
Deceive (2015)
(Short) - Maitre d' Maitre d' See fewer
Divergent (2014)
Homeless Factionless (uncredited) Homeless Factionless (uncredited) See fewer
Stranger Things (2017)
(TV Series) - Basketball Player (1 episode, 2017) Basketball Player (1 episode, 2017) See fewer
Chapter Three: The Pollywog (Oct 27, 2017) Season 2, Episode 3 - Basketball Player (uncredited) Basketball Player (uncredited) See fewer
The 19th Hole (2015–2016)
(TV Series) - John McCurdy (7 episodes, 2015), Writer (story) (4 episodes, 2015), Executive Producer (4 episodes, 2015), Writer (creator) (2 episodes, 2015), Show Runner (1 episode, 2016) John McCurdy (7 episodes, 2015), Writer (story) (4 episodes, 2015), Executive Producer (4 episodes, 2015), Writer (creator) (2 episodes, 2015), Show Runner (1 episode, 2016) See fewer
Episode #2.4 (Apr 15, 2016) Season 2, Episode 4 - John McCurdy John McCurdy See fewer
Southern Hospitality (2015–2016)
(TV Mini-series) - Tommy (3 episodes, 2015), Producer (3 episodes, 2015) Tommy (3 episodes, 2015), Producer (3 episodes, 2015) See fewer
Little League Jobs (Feb 19, 2016) Season 1, Episode 3 - Tommy, Producer Tommy, Producer See fewer
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Roger Goodell Mark Murphy Kurt Warner Bart Starr Nick Saban Brett Favre John Kuhn Troy Aikman Mason Crosby Sports Obituaries Professional football Football Athlete injuries Athlete health NFL football
Reaction to the death of Hall of Fame quarterback Bart Starr
FILE - In this Thursday, Nov. 26, 2015, file photo, Brett Favre, right, smiles at Bart Starr during a ceremony at halftime of an NFL football game between the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears in Green Bay, Wis. Starr, the Green Bay Packers quarterback and catalyst of Vince Lombardi's powerhouse teams of the 1960s, has died. He was 85. The Packers announced Sunday, May 26, 2019, that Starr had died, citing his family. He had been in failing health since suffering a serious stroke in 2014. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer, File)
FILE - In this Jan. 26, 1967, file photo, Green Bay Packers quarterback Bart Starr is shown. Starr, the Green Bay Packers quarterback and catalyst of Vince Lombardi's powerhouse teams of the 1960s, has died. He was 85. The Packers announced Sunday, May 26, 2019, that Starr had died, citing his family. He had been in failing health since suffering a serious stroke in 2014. (AP Photo/File)
FILE - In this Feb. 2, 2011, file photo, NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Bart Starr smiles during an NFL football news conference in Dallas. Starr, the Green Bay Packers quarterback and catalyst of Vince Lombardi's powerhouse teams of the 1960s, has died. He was 85. The Packers announced Sunday, May 26, 2019, that Starr had died, citing his family. He had been in failing health since suffering a serious stroke in 2014. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)
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Doug Marrone Alex McGough Nick Foles Tanner Lee Gardner Minshew A.J. Bouye Sports Athlete contracts Sports transactions Sports business NFL football Professional football Football
By MARK LONG - May. 28, 2019 03:24 PM EDT
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Nick Foles (7) looks for a receiver during an NFL football practice, Tuesday, May 21, 2019, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Nick Foles is skipping organized team activities for what the club called "a personal reason."
Coach Doug Marrone said "our thoughts and prayers are with Nick and his family." Marrone offered no other details, and the team said Tuesday there is no timetable for Foles' return.
"He knows, like anything else, that we're here for him," Marrone said. "The football part, we'll just figure that out. ... My mind is on more so of what's going on on the outside, making sure I'm doing the best job I can for the player."
Foles led the Philadelphia Eagles to four playoff victories over the last two seasons, including the franchise's first NFL title since 1960. He earned 2018 Super Bowl MVP honors and made himself the league's premier quarterback commodity.
Foles signed a four-year, $88 million contract with Jacksonville in March that included a franchise-record $50.125 million guaranteed. He and his wife, Tori, bought a home in Jacksonville in April and finished moving earlier this month.
The 30-year-old Foles took the field for the first time with the entire team last week, participating in all three voluntary OTAs and showing the kind of poise at the position that the Jaguars have been missing for nearly a decade.
"There are certain plays that you were making in past years and you're there — you make the right breaks and everything — but the ball is only where the receiver can catch it," veteran cornerback A.J. Bouye said.
Foles has started 44 games in seven NFL seasons with Philadelphia, Kansas City and St. Louis, totaling 68 touchdown passes and 33 interceptions.
Without him, rookie Gardner Minshew, a sixth-round draft pick from Washington State, and first-year quarterbacks Tanner Lee and Alex McGough shared snaps with the Jaguars' first-team offense Tuesday.
"That's an easy part," Marrone said. "We'll split it up and go out there and take reps and rotate them around."
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by Jordan de Lugo August 23, 20161:54 pm August 23, 2016
The Top 16 Jaguars of 2016: #6 Telvin Smith
I will start this by stating that I do not think Telvin Smith is a better player right now than Allen Hurns, who was number seven on the list. I would consider them equals at this point. Both players have shown their worth through two seasons in the NFL, but Telvin gets the sixth spot because he is slightly more important to the Jaguars right now. Hurns is wonderful, and adds a great dynamic to the Jaguars offense, but without Telvin Smith on the field over the past two years the Jaguars would have lost even more. With that said, let’s get to it!
Telvin Smith was a fifth round pick in 2014 despite being a leader on one of the best defenses in college football and helping guide his Florida State Seminoles to a national title. This was partially due to a failed drug test and partially due to him not being able to add any weight to his sub 220 pound frame. All that is a thing of the past now as Telvin has burst onto the NFL scene. In his first two years with the Jaguars, Smith racked up 232 total tackles, despite starting only nine games his rookie season. In his addition to his penchant for piling up the tackles, Smith also contributes several game changing plays every year, including 4.5 sacks, two interceptions, three forced fumbles, and a touchdown over the first two seasons of his career.
Perhaps Smith’s greatest attribute is his speed. Telvin could be the fastest player on the defensive side of the ball for the Jaguars despite being a linebacker. His speed converts to power well and he is able to bring down tacklers at or behind the line of scrimmage game in and game out. Where Smith struggles is with covering tight ends and slot receivers down the middle of the field. This is something that should be somewhat corrected with offseason film work, an improved secondary behind him, and a much improved pass rush.
Beyond his stellar play on the field he has also become a team leader both vocally and in his actions. At the young age of 25, it appears that the sky is the limit for this weakside linebacker.
The Bottom Line: Smith is already an above average player at his position and is only getting better. He will always struggle to shed big blockers, but his freakish athleticism at the linebacker position makes him a rare find and one of the most important pieces to the puzzle in the Jaguars defense.
Tagged with: Football jacksonville Jacksonville Jaguars Jaguars NFL Sports
Jordan de Lugo
Jordan has an extreme passion for writing and digital media. A UNF graduate, who majored in English, Jordan has a keen eye for digital style and a writing method that is narrative driven. He enjoys spending time with his family and friends, a good craft beer, and a relaxing day at the beach. But most of all he enjoys a Sunday spent tailgating with friends that is followed by a Jags victory!
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Check out Generation Jaguar, the #1 local Jaguars Blog, and the newest Jaguars Fan Group!
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Tag: Pat Tuccio
Family-style restaurant in the works for West Main
TIM GANNON PHOTO | Property manager Tom Mielnicki of Riverhead hopes to convert this vacant building on West Main Street in Riverhead into a restaurant called Simple Table.
A new restaurant is in the works for West Main Street in Riverhead and the hope is that it opens in May.
The Riverhead Planning Board held a public hearing Thursday night on plans for Simple Table, a proposed 40-seat eatery that Riverhead property manager Tom Mielnicki hopes to create in a vacant building at 305 West Main Street that last housed an auto shop about eight years ago.
“It’s about trying to do something positive with that part of town,” Mr. Mielnicki said of his plans.
Mr. Mielnicki, who is also vice president of the Polish Town Civic Association, said he will serve as executive chef. His daughter, a culinary student, will also work at the eatery, which he said will offer comfort food — served family-style.
Mr. Mielnicki said he also plans to build an outdoor patio with outdoor seating.
In an interview after the Planning Board meeting, Mr. Mielnicki said he purchased the property from Pat Tuccio for $243,000 in June. The property, which is a third of an acre, includes three buildings, including the space for the proposed restaurant. One of the smaller structures on the property is currently used as an office, Mr. Mielnicki said.
Mr. Mielnicki said he plans to build a small addition to combine two buildings that are just eight inches apart from each other, giving the restaurant a total square footage of roughly 2,300 square feet, with the a third building remaining free standing.
Sixteen gravel parking spaces will also be added, he said.
Lisa Cuomo, Mr. Mielnicki’s business partner, said Simple Table will offer reasonably-priced meals, something she said is “kind of lacking right now in downtown Riverhead, from a family’s standpoint.”
“We’re hoping we get the approval to go forward with this because it’s something that could be beneficial and encourage foot traffic,” she said.
The property is located west of the existing Citibank building.
business, Pat Tuccio, Riverhead, Riverhead Planning Board, Simple Table
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‘DOGS WALKED OFF IN SIOUX FALLS
SIOUX FALLS, South Dakota – Curt Smith had three hits and two runs scored, but the ‘Dogs gave up game-tying grand slam and a two-run homer in a 7-5, walk-off loss to the Sioux Falls Canaries at Sioux Falls Stadium on Saturday night.
Smith’s three hits gave him his 14th multi-hit game of the year – more than any other ‘Dog – and Lincoln broke out for 12 hits altogether.
Lincoln took a 5-1 lead into the 9th before Jose Ortega walked two batters and hit another to load the bases with nobody out. Jake Hohensee came on and Adrian Nieto tied the game with a grand slam before Alay Lago singled to set up Clint Coulter for a walk-off, two-run homer.
The loss was Lincoln’s first in 13 games when leading after eight innings this year, and the ‘Dogs have lost four consecutive games on the roadtrip.
Lincoln scored four times in the 1st inning. Christian Ibarra led off the game with his fourth homer of the year, Cody Regis hit a two-run shot and Tyler Moore later singled in another.
The Canaries struck for a run in the 6th when Jordan Ebert singled in Nieto, but John Sansone clubbed a two-out double down the left-field line to score Curt Smith and extend the lead back to four in the 8th.
The ‘Dogs loaded the bases with nobody out in the 9th, but couldn’t convert before the Canaries scored six to win for the 11th time in 13 games in June.
Kyle Kinman worked five scoreless innings, and has allowed just one unearned run over his last 25 innings. Austin Boyle gave up one run over one inning, while Cam McVey and Austin Pettibone both posted scoreless frames.
The ‘Dogs wrap up the series and seven-game roadtrip at 1:05 p.m. on Sunday afternoon. Pregame coverage will begin at 12:35 on ESPN Lincoln 101.5 FM/1480 AM.
The Saltdogs are playing their 19th season in Lincoln. All ticket and promo information can be found at saltdogs.com, and follow the ‘Dogs on Twitter/Instagram @saltdogsball.
Michael Dixon2019-06-15T21:49:12-05:00June 15th, 2019|
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Is WordPress Censoring My Post Entitled: An Affront and Threat To The American People–The Ground Zero Mosque–Remembering 9/11 and The Unknown Falling Man–Videos
Posted on March 9, 2011. Filed under: American History, Blogroll, Communications, Crime, Culture, Education, Federal Government, government, government spending, history, Immigration, Language, Law, liberty, Life, Links, media, People, Philosophy, Politics, Programming, Psychology, Rants, Raves, Regulations, Technology, Video, Wealth | Tags: 2011, American Airlines Flight 11, American Airlines Flight 77, and Michael Savage, Andrew C. McCarthy, Associated Press, Barack Obama, Bill Bennett, Bill Whittle, Fitna, Frank Gaffney, free speech, Geert Wilders, Glenn Beck, Ground Zero Mosque, Imam Rauf, Islam, Jihad Watch, Laura Ingraham, liberty, Mark Levin, May 1, Militant Islam, Newt Gingrich, Osama bin Laden, Osama bin Laden Killed, President George W. Bush, President Obama, Richard Drew, Robert Spencer, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, September 11 Attacks, Shia, Steven Emerson, Sunni, Terrorists, The Falling Man, The Grand Jihad: How Islam and the Left Sabotage America, Tom Junod, Winston Churchill, Wordpress, world trade center, World Trade Center Towers |
First let me say I am a big fan and promoter of WordPress and actually teach college students blogging and the use of WordPress.
When one of my past blog posts suddenly gets ten or more hits, I usually look at the post to see what I wrote and what videos I included.
I do this because over time a number of videos that I embed in the page may have been removed by YouTube and appear as a black sceen. I usually delete them.
Also, I may want to update and expand the post and add new tags and/or categories.
Unfortunately, something very odd is happening with one of my post pertaining to the so-called Ground Zero Mosque, September 11, 2011, Islam–it is not being displayed!
An Affront and Threat To The American People–The Ground Zero Mosque–Remembering 9/11 and The Unknown Falling Man
While I can still view what I posted in edit view, you cannot view the post on WordPress except for the title of the post.
Apparently, someone at WordPress has censored my post by not allowing visitors to my blog to see the entire blog post.
Did some group put pressure on WordPress to do this?
I for one want to know exactly what is going on here?
I strongly suspect the inclusion of–Fitna – The Geert Wilders Movie– was the reason why the entire post was censored by WordPress.
YouTube did remove the two Fitna clips that I had embedded in the blog post and they are displayed as a black screen.
However, you can still view one of the clips on YouTube provided you sign in.
I have included the first part of the video below:
Fitna – The Geert Wilders Movie
Shame on WordPress for not displaying the entire post.
Therefore, I am going to repost the entire post again below and I have added a number of new tags or keywords.
UPDATED AND EXPANDED
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:911_-_FEMA_-_WTC_impacts_%28graphic%29.png
Fitna (English) Part 1/2 (Full 16min version)
Bill Whittle: Ground Zero Mosque Reality Check
A “Real” Commencement Speech
“O ye who believe! Fight those of the disbelievers who are near to you, and let them find harshness in you, and know that Allah is with those who keep their duty (unto Him).”
~Quran, 9:123
“If you will not fight for right when you can easily win without blood shed; if you will not fight when your victory is sure and not too costly; you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a precarious chance of survival. There may even be a worse case. You may have to fight when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than to live as slaves.”
American Airlines flight number 11 left gate B32 and took off from Boston’s Logan International airport at 7:59 a.m bound for Los Angeles.
At about 8:46:40 local time, all 92 passengers and crew including five Al-Qaeda Islamic Wahhabi terrorist hijackers aboard American Airlines Flight 11 were killed as it crashed into the North Tower (Tower 1) of the World Trade Center.
Then at 9:03 a.m. United Airlines Flight 175 bound from Boston’s Logan International Airport to Los Angeles International Airport crashes into the South Tower (Tower 2) killing 65 passengers and crew including five Al-Qaeda Islamic Wahhabi terrorist hijackers.
Shortly thereafter at 9:35 a.m. American Airlines Flight 77 crashes into the Pentagon killing all 64 passengers and crew including five Al-Qaeda Islamic Wahhabi terrorist hijackers aboard as well as 125 in the Pentagon.
The only aircraft that did not reach its intended target, the United States Capital building in Washington D.C., was United Airlines Flight 93 bound from Newark International Airport to San Francisco International Airport.
Four Al-Qaeda Islamic Wahhabi terrorists hijacked the plane about forty minutes into the flight. However, several passengers tried to take back the aircraft from the terrorists.
All 44 passengers and crew including the 4 Al-Qaeda Islamic Wahhabi terrorists died at about 10:03 a.m.when the plane crashed into a field near Shanksville in Somerset County, Pennsylvania.
Several hundred people choose to jump to their deaths from both towers to escape from the intense fire and choking smoke in both buildings captured in the “Falling Man” photo and recounted in the 9/11 The Falling Man documentary on YouTube and “The Falling Man” online article in Esquire Magazine:
Credit: The Falling Man, a photograph by Richard Drew for the Associated Press.
9/11 The Falling Man
By Tom Junod
“…They began jumping not long after the first plane hit the North Tower, not long after the fire started. They kept jumping until the tower fell. They jumped through windows already broken and then, later, through windows they broke themselves. They jumped to escape the smoke and the fire; they jumped when the ceilings fell and the floors collapsed; they jumped just to breathe once more before they died. They jumped continually, from all four sides of the building, and from all floors above and around the building’s fatal wound. They jumped from the offices of Marsh & McLennan, the insurance company; from the offices of Cantor Fitzgerald, the bond-trading company; from Windows on the World, the restaurant on the 106th and 107th floors — the top. For more than an hour and a half, they streamed from the building, one after another, consecutively rather than en masse, as if each individual required the sight of another individual jumping before mustering the courage to jump himself or herself. …”
Read more: http://www.esquire.com/features/ESQ0903-SEP_FALLINGMAN#ixzz0xXdfVMZa
http://www.esquire.com/features/ESQ0903-SEP_FALLINGMAN
People watching the burning towers from surrounding streets were horrified at what they were witnessing as hundreds from all sides of the two towers jumped to their certain deaths to escape the flames and smoke.
After burning for fifty-six minutes the South Tower of the World Trade Center fell at 9:58.
Thirty minutes later the North Tower fell.
Less than two hours from the time the two jet passenger airliners crashed into World Trade Center towers, both buildings had collapsed.
Killed that day were nearly three thousand people from over 70 countries that were in and around the buildings that were destroyed or damaged including over three hundred New York City fireman and policemen who responded to the explosions and fires in the buildings.
Al-Qaeda’s Islamic Wahhabi jihad or struggle by the sword arrived with a vengeance in the United States on September 11, 2001.
Al-Qaeda is a radical network of militants who call for a global jihad or armed struggle with those not of the Islamic faith, including Christians, Jews, Buddhists and Hindus.
Most Al-Qaeda jihadists are from the Sunni branch of Islam and from the fundamentalist Wahhabi sect established in Saudi Arabia. Al-Qaeda wants to establish a new Islamic Caliphate or leader for the Muslim community or Ummah under Sharia or Islamic law. However, Muslims differ as to the interpretation of Sharia or Islamic law.
The two main branches of Islam are Sunni and Shia. The largest branch of Islam is Sunni who comprise between 87% to 90% of all Muslems worldwide according to the Mapping the Global Muslim Population: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World’s Muslim Population, a new study by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life. The smaller Shia branch of Islam comprises between 10% and 13% of the all Muslims worldwide and who are are primarily located in Iran, Pakistan, Iraq, and India. Arabs are primarily Sunni and Iranians or Persians are primarily Shia. There are both Sunni and Shia jihadists who use suicide bombers to attack infidels or those of another religious faith mainly Christians, Jews and Hindus.
However, neither Arabs nor Iranians are the largest populations of Muslims. The countries with the largest Muslim populations include Indonesia, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Egypt, and Turkey. In 2010 the world’s population is nearly 7 billion of which nearly 1.6 billion are Muslims or over 22% of the world’s population. There are over 50 countries with a Muslim majority and 57 countries comprising the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) .
The United States with a population of 310 million has a relatively small Muslim population of about 3 million or roughly 1% of the total population of the United States in 2010. The Al-qaeda attackers came primarily from Saudi Arabia with a Muslim population of about 25 million or less than 2% of the world’s Muslim population.
The nineteen Al-Qaeda terrorists were religious fanatics of the Sunni Islam Wahhabi sect, including fifteen Saudi nationals. The Al-Qaeda jihadists had hijacked four commercial airline passenger jets in a coordinated attack on the American people and the United States of America.
The death toll from the Islamic Wahhabi jihad attack on America on September 11, 2001 was 2,995 including the nineteen al-Qaeda terrorist hijackers. There were more deaths on September 11, 2001, than the 2350 deaths, mostly members of the United States Navy and Army, from the surprise Imperial Japanese Navy attack on the United States Navy Pacific fleet docked at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
Nearly nine years later a so-called “moderate” Muslem cleric, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, wants to build a thirteen story Islamic community center and mosque less than three blocks from ground zero, the site of the destroyed World Trade Center towers.
The planned site for the Islamic community center and mosque is 45-51 Park Place, called Park 51, is two and half block north and 560 feet from the northern boundary of the World Trade Center site at Vesey street.
Credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:WTC_Building_Arrangement_and_Site_Plan.svg
Few Americans dispute the property owners’ right to construct such a building provided all city, state and Federal laws are complied with including local zoning laws and receipt of the necessary building permits.
Few Americans dispute the rights of all Americans to practice their religious faith.
Few Americans oppose the exercise of free speech.
The vast majority of Americans, however, consider the proposed community center and mosque to be an insulting affront to the families and friends of those who died on September 11, 2001.
Just because you can do something, does not mean you should.
In fact the Islamic religion considers such an action to be mischief-making or a fitna, a deliberate provocation against the infidels, those not of the Islamic faith including Christians and Jews.
The site of the World Trade Center and the immediate surrounding area is considered hallowed ground for it is the final resting place or cemetery for many of those who died on September 11, 2001 and whose remains were never found.
The American people demand that this Islamic community center and mosque be moved to another location in New York City.
Otherwise, those behind the building of such an insulting affront to the American people will only receive the rightful indignation and shunning they justly deserve and will soon be exposed for who and what they are–stealth jihadists.
Extreme jidahists can be Sunni or Shia and overt militarist jihadists like those of September 11, 2010 or covert stealth jihadists that want to replace the United States Constitution and American law with Sharia or Islamic law and our representative republic with a theocracy.
Stealth jihadists speak of toleration when speaking to infidels or non-believers in Islam
When the jihadists speak to their fellow Muslims, they speak of Islamic global supremacy and return of the Caliphate under Sharia or Islamic law.
Religious toleration has it limits even in the United States. Toleration should be a two-way street. Toleration does not extend to evil. Toleration is not a suicide pact. Yet Saudi Arabia has zero toleration or an absolute ban for any church, temple or synagogue being built in Saudi Arabia and bans all non-believers in Islam from the city of Mecca.
Sharia is a direct and immediate threat to liberty of the American people. The jihadists seek to replace American law and the United States Constitution with Sharia or Islamic law.
Sharia or Islamic law should be banned from the United States and those immigrants advocating it should be deported to their country of origin.
Saudi Arabia funds Islamic community centers and mosques throughout the United States where both militarist and stealth jihadists are cultivated and supported. The majority of terrorist attacks in the last decade have come from extreme Islamic jihadists, from both the Sunni and Shia branches of Islam and with support and encouragement of local mosques and their Imam.
Authors, journalists, politicians and television and talk radio show hosts such as Steven Emerson, Robert Spencer, Geert Wilders, Andrew C. McCarthy, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Bill Bennett, Rush Limbaugh, Laura Ingraham, Mark Levin, and Michael Savage are among those who expose the threat posed by the militarist and stealth jihadists. However, those commenting upon the threat posed by the jihadists are quickly labeled by the jihadists, their supporters and mainstream media as engaging in hate speech and accused of being racists and Islamophobes, having prejudice or bias against those of the Islam faith or Moslems. This is especially true when the Quran and actual speeches and words of the jihadists are quoted or made available for viewing on the Internet at such sites as YouTube.
The American people will remember September 11, 2001 and never forget the fallen. The American people will honor their memories by stopping the ground zero mosque and the militant and stealth jihadists of the sword whether they be Sunni or Shia. The American people will defend their country and their liberty.
Imam Rauf Exposed, Elimination of Israel, Terrorist Supporting, N’ Word
Newt Gingrich: No Ground Zero Mosque
Newt Gingrich: Ban Sharia – It is” totally abhorrent to the Western World”
ADDED And UPDATED March 3, 2011
Frank Gaffney: Jihad By Other Means
“…At fifteen seconds after 9:41 a.m., on September 11, 2001, a photographer named Richard Drew took a picture of a man falling through the sky — falling through time as well as through space. The picture went all around the world, and then disappeared, as if we willed it away. One of the most famous photographs in human history became an unmarked grave, and the man buried inside its frame — the Falling Man — became the Unknown Soldier in a war whose end we have not yet seen. …”
Read more: http://www.esquire.com/features/ESQ0903-SEP_FALLINGMAN#ixzz0xXepMmJc
REVISED AND EXPANDED ON MAY 1 and 5, 2011
Pronk Pops Show 26:May 5, 2011
On May 1, 2011 the President of The United States of America made the following announcement:
President Obama FULL Speech – Osama Bin Laden DEAD – Complete
Osama Bin Laden is Killed in Pakistan – 1st May 2011
CNN: How U.S. found, killed Osama bin Laden
“The fight against terror goes on, but tonight America has sent an unmistakable message: No matter how long it takes, justice will be done,”
NYC reacts to Osama bin Laden’s death
CNN: Big crowds cheer at White House
Osama Bin Laden Is Dead – What Was Pakistan’s Part – 1st May 2011
US kills Osama bin Laden decade after 9/11 attacks
“…Osama bin Laden, the face of global terrorism and architect of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, was killed in a firefight with elite American forces Monday, then quickly buried at sea in a stunning finale to a furtive decade on the run.
Long believed to be hiding in caves, bin Laden was tracked down in a costly, custom-built hideout not far from a Pakistani military academy. The stunning news of his death prompted relief and euphoria outside the White House and around the globe, yet also deepening fears of terrorist reprisals against the United States and its allies.
“Justice has been done,” President Barack Obama said late Sunday from the White House in an announcement that seemed sure to lift his own political standing.
The military operation took mere minutes, and there were no U.S. casualties.
U.S. Blackhawk helicopters ferried about two dozen troops from Navy SEAL Team Six, a top military counter-terrorism unit, into the compound identified by the CIA as bin Laden’s hideout — and back out again in less than 40 minutes. Bin Laden was shot in the head, officials said, after he and his bodyguards resisted the assault.
Three adult males were also killed in the raid, including one of bin Laden’s sons, whom officials did not name. One of bin Laden’s sons, Hamza, is a senior member of al-Qaida. U.S. officials also said one woman was killed when she was used as a shield by a male combatant, and two other women were injured.
The U.S. official who disclosed the burial at sea said it would have been difficult to find a country willing to accept the remains. Obama said the remains had been handled in accordance with Islamic custom, which requires speedy burial. …”
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110502/ap_on_re_us/us_bin_laden
Bitter Debate at Ground Zero
Added March 9, 2011
Dueling Protests over Ground Zero Mosque
Leader of Ground Zero Mosque Refuses To Disclose Source Of Funding
Ground Zero Mosque 9/11 Liars for Islam, Muhammad said you can lie: Taqiyya
Radical Islam: Saudi Wahhabism responsible for worldwide terror
Robert Spencer on Hannity exposes Imam Rauf on Ground Zero Mosque
Robert Spencer Jihad Watch
Jihad on Campus – Saudis’ Multi-Million Dollar PR Agenda]
Militant Islam in the US – Steven Emerson (1 of 7)
Robert Spencer: Stealth Jihad (1 of 6)
Andy McCarthy Discusses The Ground Zero Mosque
Andy McCarthy – The Grand Jihad (5.24.10)
Andrew McCarthy: “The Grand Jihad: How Islam and the Left Sabotage America”
Law & Jihad with Andrew McCarthy
Andy McCarthy: “What We Call Terrorism, They Don’t”
First Friday – Andrew C. McCarthy – America’s War on Terror…or is It?
Michael Savage Gets Pissed Off About Jihadists and Terrorism
annity 05/04/2010 w/ Mark Levin
REVISED AND EXPANDED ON MAY 1, 2011
Steve Coll on The Bin Ladens: An Arabian Family in the American Century
The history of the Bin Laden Family-good!-1/6
Conversations with History: Steve Coll
September 11 Attacks
The September 11 attacks (often referred to as September 11th or 9/11) were a series of coordinated suicide attacks by al-Qaeda upon the United States on September 11, 2001. On that morning, 19 al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial passenger jet airliners.[1][2] The hijackers intentionally crashed two of the airliners into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, killing everyone on board and many others working in the buildings. Both buildings collapsed within two hours, destroying nearby buildings and damaging others. The hijackers crashed a third airliner into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C. The fourth plane crashed into a field near Shanksville in rural Pennsylvania after some of its passengers and flight crew attempted to retake control of the plane, which the hijackers had redirected toward Washington, D.C. There were no survivors from any of the flights.
The death toll of the attacks was 2,995, including the 19 hijackers.[3] The overwhelming majority of casualties were civilians, including nationals of over 70 countries.[4] In addition, there is at least one secondary death – one person was ruled by a medical examiner to have died from lung disease due to exposure to dust from the World Trade Center’s collapse.[5]
The United States responded to the attacks by launching the War on Terrorism. It invaded Afghanistan to depose the Taliban, who had harbored al-Qaeda terrorists. The United States also enacted the USA PATRIOT Act. Many other countries also strengthened their anti-terrorism legislation and expanded law enforcement powers. Some American stock exchanges stayed closed for the rest of the week following the attack and posted enormous losses upon reopening, especially in the airline and insurance industries. The destruction of billions of dollars worth of office space caused serious damage to the economy of Lower Manhattan.
The damage to the Pentagon was cleared and repaired within a year, and the Pentagon Memorial was built adjacent to the building. The rebuilding process has started on the World Trade Center site. In 2006 a new office tower was completed on the site of 7 World Trade Center. 1 World Trade Center is currently under construction at the site and, at 1,776 ft (541 m) upon completion in 2013, it will become one of the tallest buildings in North America. Three more towers were originally expected to be built between 2007 and 2012 on the site. Ground was broken for the Flight 93 National Memorial on November 8, 2009, and the first phase of construction is expected to be ready for the 10th anniversary of the attacks on September 11, 2011.[6] …”
American Airlines Flight 11
American Airlines Flight 11 was a scheduled U.S. domestic passenger flight from Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts to Los Angeles International Airport. It was hijacked by five al-Qaedan terrorists and deliberately crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City as part of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Fifteen minutes into the flight, the hijackers injured at least three people, forcefully breached the cockpit, and overpowered the pilot and first officer. Mohamed Atta, a known member of al-Qaeda,[1][2] and trained as a pilot, took over the controls. Air traffic controllers noticed the flight was in distress when the crew stopped responding to them. They realized the flight had been hijacked when Atta mistakenly transmitted announcements for passengers to air traffic control. On board, two flight attendants contacted American Airlines, and provided information about the hijackers and injuries to passengers and crew.
The aircraft crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center at 8:46 local time; the impact killed all 92 people aboard, including the hijackers, plus an unconfirmed number of people in the buildings impact zone. Many people in the streets witnessed the collision, and the Naudet brothers captured the impact on video, as did Pavel Hlava. Mark Burnback and Wolfgang Staehle had a webcam set up that captured the impact through a series of photographs. Before the hijacking was confirmed, news agencies began to report on the incident and speculated that the crash had been an accident. The impact and subsequent fire caused the North Tower to collapse, which resulted in thousands of additional casualties. During the recovery effort at the World Trade Center site, workers recovered and identified dozens of remains from Flight 11 victims (see section Aftermath below), but many other body fragments could not be identified. …”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Airlines_Flight_11
“…American Airlines Flight 77 was the third flight hijacked as part of the September 11 attacks. It was deliberately crashed into the Pentagon. The flight from Washington Dulles International Airport to Los Angeles International Airport was hijacked by five Islamic extremists less than 35 minutes into the flight. The hijackers stormed the cockpit and forced the passengers to the rear of the aircraft. Hani Hanjour, one of the hijackers who was trained as a pilot, assumed control of the flight. Unknown to the hijackers, passengers aboard were able to make calls to loved ones and relay information on the hijacking.
The aircraft crashed into the western side of the Pentagon at 09:37am EDT. All 64 people on board the aircraft, including the hijackers, and 125 in the building were killed. Dozens of people witnessed the crash and news sources began reporting on the incident within minutes. The impact severely damaged an area of the Pentagon and ignited a large fire. A portion of the Pentagon collapsed and firefighters spent days trying to fully extinguish the blaze. The damaged sections of the Pentagon were rebuilt in 2002, with occupants moving back into the completed areas on August 15, 2002.
The 184 victims of the attack are memorialized in the Pentagon Memorial adjacent to the Pentagon. The 1.93-acre (7,800 m2) park consists of 184 benches, one for each of the victims, arranged according to the year of birth, ranging from 1930 (age 71) to 1998 (age 3). Flight 77’s cuts directly through the park. …”
United Airlines Flight 175
“… United Airlines Flight 175 was a scheduled U.S. domestic passenger flight from Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts to Los Angeles International Airport, in California. On the morning of September 11, 2001, the flight was hijacked by five al-Qaeda-associated Islamist terrorists, and flown into the South Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City as part of the September 11 attacks. Approximately thirty minutes into the flight, the hijackers forcefully breached the cockpit, and overpowered the pilot and first officer, allowing lead hijacker and trained pilot Marwan al-Shehhi to take over the controls. The aircraft’s transponder was turned off and the aircraft deviated from the assigned flight path for four minutes, before air traffic controllers noticed at 08:51. They made several unsuccessful attempts to contact the cockpit. Several passengers and crew aboard made phone calls from the plane and provided information about the hijackers and injuries to passengers and crew.
The Boeing 767 operating as Flight 175 crashed into the South Tower of the World Trade Center at 09:03, killing all 65 people aboard, including the hijackers. The Flight 175 hijacking was coordinated with that of American Airlines Flight 11, which had struck the top of the North Tower eighteen minutes earlier. The crash of Flight 175 into the South Tower was the only impact seen live on television around the world as it happened. It was upon the loss of Flight 175 that the world realized that the crashes of both aircraft at the World Trade Center were in fact deliberate. The impact and subsequent fire caused the South Tower to collapse, 56 minutes later, resulting in hundreds of additional casualties. During the recovery effort at the World Trade Center site, workers recovered and identified remains from Flight 175 victims (see chapter Aftermath, below), but many other body fragments could not be identified. …”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Airlines_Flight_175
United Airlines Flight 93
“…United Airlines Flight 93 was a United States domestic passenger flight from Newark International Airport in Newark, NJ to San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, CA that was hijacked on September 11, 2001. Approximately 40 minutes into the flight the hijackers breached the cockpit, overpowered the pilots and took control of the aircraft, diverting it toward Washington, D.C. Several passengers and crew members made telephone calls aboard the flight and learned about the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. As a result of this knowledge, the passengers decided to mount an assault against the hijackers in an attempt to regain control of the aircraft.
The plane crashed in a field in Stonycreek Township, near Shanksville, in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, about 80 miles (130 km) southeast of Pittsburgh and 150 miles (240 km) northwest of Washington, D.C., killing all on board including the four hijackers. Many witnessed the impact from the ground and news agencies began reporting on the event within an hour. The plane fragmented upon impact, leaving a crater, and some debris was blown miles from the crash site. The remains of everyone on board the aircraft were later identified. Subsequent analysis of the flight recorders revealed how the actions taken by the passengers prevented the aircraft from reaching the hijackers’ intended target, thought to be either the White House or the United States Capitol. A permanent memorial is planned for construction on the crash site, with dedication scheduled for 2011, though it has been the subject of criticism.
Of the four aircraft hijacked on September 11 (the others were American Airlines Flight 11, American Airlines Flight 77 and United Airlines Flight 175), United Airlines Flight 93 was the only one that failed to reach its intended target. …”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_11_attacks
“…Al-Qaeda (pronounced /ælˈkaɪdə/ al-KYE-də or /ælˈkeɪdə/ al-KAY-də; Arabic: القاعدة, al-qāʿidah, “the base”), alternatively spelled al-Qaida and sometimes al-Qa’ida, is a militant Islamist group founded sometime between August 1988[6] and late 1989.[7] It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army[8] and a fundamentalist Sunni movement calling for global Jihad. It is considered a terrorist organization.
Al-Qaeda has attacked civilian and military targets in various countries, most notably the September 11 attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C. in 2001. The U.S. government responded by launching the War on Terror.
Characteristic techniques include suicide attacks and simultaneous bombings of different targets.[9] Activities ascribed to it may involve members of the movement, who have taken a pledge of loyalty to Osama bin Laden, or the much more numerous “al-Qaeda-linked” individuals who have undergone training in one of its camps in Afghanistan, Iraq or Sudan, but not taken any pledge.[10]
Al-Qaeda ideologues envision a complete break from the foreign influences in Muslim countries, and the creation of a new Islamic caliphate. Reported beliefs include that a Christian-Jewish alliance is conspiring to destroy Islam,[11] which is largely embodied in the U.S.-Israel alliance, and that the killing of bystanders and civilians is religiously justified in jihad. …”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Qaeda
“…Jihad (pronounced /dʒɪˈhɑːd/; Arabic: جهاد [dʒiˈhæːd]), an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. In Arabic, the word jihād is a noun meaning “struggle.” Jihad appears frequently in the Qur’an and common usage as the idiomatic expression “striving in the way of Allah (al-jihad fi sabil Allah)“.[1][2] A person engaged in jihad is called a mujahid; the plural is mujahideen. Jihad is an important religious duty for Muslims. A minority among the Sunni scholars sometimes refer to this duty as the sixth pillar of Islam, though it occupies no such official status.[3] In Twelver Shi’a Islam, however, Jihad is one of the 10 Practices of the Religion.
A wide range of opinions exist about the exact meaning of jihad. Muslims use the word in a religious context to refer to three types of struggles: an internal struggle to maintain faith, the struggle to improve the Muslim society, or the struggle in a holy war.[4] The differences of opinion are the result of different interpretation of the two most important sources in Islam, the Qur’an and the ahadith (singular: hadith). For example, the prominent orientalist Bernard Lewis argues that, in the Qur’an and the ahadith jihad implies warfare in the large majority of cases.[5] In a commentary of the hadith Sahih Muslim, entitled al-Minhaj, the medieval Islamic scholar Yahya ibn Sharaf al-Nawawi stated that “one of the collective duties of the community as a whole (fard kifaya) is to lodge a valid protest, to solve problems of religion, to have knowledge of Divine Law, to command what is right and forbid wrong conduct”.[6]
In western societies the term jihad is often translated as “holy war”.[7] Muslim authors tend to reject such an approach, stressing non-militant connotations of the word.[8] In technical literature, the term “holy war” is often used to describe jihad.[9] However, scholars of Islamic studies often stress that both words are not synonymous.[10]
“…Sunni view of Jihad
See also: Opinion of Islamic scholars on Jihad
Jihad has been classified either as al-jihād al-akbar (the greater jihad), the struggle against one’s soul (nafs), or al-jihād al-asghar (the lesser jihad), the external, physical effort, often implying fighting (this is similar to the shiite view of jihad as well).
Gibril Haddad has analyzed the basis for the belief that internal jihad is the “greater jihad”, Jihad al-akbar. Haddad identifies the primary historical basis for this belief in a pair of similarly worded hadith, in which Mohammed is reported to have told warriors returning home that they had returned from the lesser jihad of struggle against non-Muslims to a greater jihad of struggle against lust. Although Haddad notes that the authenticity of both hadeeth is questionable, he nevertheless concludes that the underlying principle of superiority internal jihad does have a reliable basis in the Qur’an and other writings.[31][32]
In contrast, the Hanbali scholar Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya did believe that “internal Jihad” is important[33] but he suggests those hadith as weak which consider “Jihad of the heart/soul” to be more important than “Jihad by the sword”.[34] Contemporary Islamic scholar Abdullah Yusuf Azzam has argued the hadith is not just weak but “is in fact a false, fabricated hadith which has no basis. It is only a saying of Ibrahim Ibn Abi `Abalah, one of the Successors, and it contradicts textual evidence and reality.”[35]
Muslim jurists explained there are four kinds of jihad fi sabilillah (struggle in the cause of God):[36]
Jihad of the heart (jihad bil qalb/nafs) is concerned with combatting the devil and in the attempt to escape his persuasion to evil. This type of Jihad was regarded as the greater jihad (al-jihad al-akbar).
Jihad by the tongue (jihad bil lisan) is concerned with speaking the truth and spreading the word of Islam with one’s tongue.
Jihad by the hand (jihad bil yad) refers to choosing to do what is right and to combat injustice and what is wrong with action.
Jihad by the sword (jihad bis saif) refers to qital fi sabilillah (armed fighting in the way of God, or holy war), the most common usage by Salafi Muslims and offshoots of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Some contemporary Islamists have succeeded in replacing the greater jihad, the fight against desires, with the lesser jihad, the holy war to establish, defend and extend the Islamic state.[37]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jihad
The Saudi 911 hijackers were Wahhabi
“…Most Americans continue to be puzzled by the Saudis. 15 or the 19 hijackers on Sept 11th were Saudia Arabian. Not Taliban. Not Libyan. Not Palestinian. Why? They don’t like our military presence in the country, our culture, our policies, in general they just don’t like us and want us dead. What’s more they’re increasingly unhappy with the ruling Al Saud Family, who a decade ago cut a deal with us for military protection. The Key to understanding the vicious attack on America is in understanding “Wahhabism.”
Wahhabi Clerics control education in Saudi Arabia. They teach that all who do not believe exactly as they do are “enemies.” They also teach holy war against enemies (Die fighting a jihad and you die a martyr with special rewards afterlife.)
The Saudi hijackers were Wahhabi. When they crashed the planes into the World Trade Center and Pentagon they believed they were doing a holy act and ensuring martyrdom. This twisted thinking is a perversion of Islam. The Wahhabis use their wealth to export their twisted message. They target the poor and illiterate with the promise of an education, only to teach religious INTOLERANCE, the oppression of women and terrorist warfare.
The Al Saud Family is worried about civil war. It has been Osama Bin Ladens main objective has ben to terrorize the U.S. out of Saudia Arabia and then incite the Saudi people to help him seize the kingdom and it’s vast oil reserves.
The Al Saud Family regularly pays off the Wahhabi Clerics and Islamic charities simply to avoid civil war. A lot of the money has been funnelled to Osama Bin Laden and the Al Queda network.
If Islamic terrorists were to seize control of Saudia Arabia and its 260 billion barrels of crude oil reserves, they would be ten times more powerful than Iran or Iraq.
While Kuwait is the only Arab Democracy in the Middle East, the Islamic Fundamentalist Party is the fastest growing party there. The Middle East is a ticking time bomb. Islamic extremism is rapidly growing. …”
http://www.warriorsfortruth.com/saudi-wahabbi-religion.html
List of countries by Muslim population
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_Muslim_population
Mapping the Global Muslim Population
A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World’s Muslim Population
ANALYSIS October 7, 2009
Executve Summary
“..A comprehensive demographic study of more than 200 countries finds that there are 1.57 billion Muslims of all ages living in the world today, representing 23% of an estimated 2009 world population of 6.8 billion.
While Muslims are found on all five inhabited continents, more than 60% of the global Muslim population is in Asia and about 20% is in the Middle East and North Africa. However, the Middle East-North Africa region has the highest percentage of Muslim-majority countries. Indeed, more than half of the 20 countries and territories1 in that region have populations that are approximately 95% Muslim or greater.
More than 300 million Muslims, or one-fifth of the world’s Muslim population, live in countries where Islam is not the majority religion. These minority Muslim populations are often quite large. India, for example, has the third-largest population of Muslims worldwide. China has more Muslims than Syria, while Russia is home to more Muslims than Jordan and Libya combined.
Of the total Muslim population, 10-13% are Shia Muslims and 87-90% are Sunni Muslims. Most Shias (between 68% and 80%) live in just four countries: Iran, Pakistan, India and Iraq.
These are some of the key findings of Mapping the Global Muslim Population: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World’s Muslim Population, a new study by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life. The report offers the most up-to-date and fully sourced estimates of the size and distribution of the worldwide Muslim population, including sectarian identity.
Previously published estimates of the size of the global Muslim population have ranged widely, from 1 billion to 1.8 billion.2 But these commonly quoted estimates often have appeared without citations to specific sources or explanations of how the figures were generated.
The Pew Forum report is based on the best available data for 232 countries and territories. Pew Forum researchers, in consultation with nearly 50 demographers and social scientists at universities and research centers around the world, acquired and analyzed about 1,500 sources, including census reports, demographic studies and general population surveys, to arrive at these figures – the largest project of its kind to date. (See Methodology for more detail.)
The Pew Forum’s estimate of the Shia population (10-13%) is in keeping with previous estimates, which generally have been in the range of 10-15%. Some previous estimates, however, have placed the number of Shias at nearly 20% of the world’s Muslim population.3 Readers should bear in mind that the figures given in this report for the Sunni and Shia populations are less precise than the figures for the overall Muslim population. Data on sectarian affiliation have been infrequently collected or, in many countries, not collected at all. Therefore, the Sunni and Shia numbers reported here are expressed as broad ranges and should be treated as approximate. …”
http://pewforum.org/Mapping-the-Global-Muslim-Population.aspx
How Many Muslims in the United States?
by Daniel Pipes
“…Islam is widely touted as “the fastest growing religion in the United States,” so how does one explain that The World Almanac and Book of Facts has these figures for Muslims in the United States:
1997 edition (p. 644) says 5.1 million
No, the population did not actually decrease; to understand this reduction in the estimate, see my October 2001 analysis, “How Many U.S. Muslims?” In it, I report on two recent surveys, by the American Religious Identification Survey 2001 and Tom Smith of the University of Chicago, which found the number of U.S. Muslims to be under two million. So, it appears that the almanac’s editors stopped accepting the overblown Islamist estimates as accurate and instead relied on scholarly and reliable work. A good round estimate is that Muslims make up just under 1 percent of the U.S. population. (April 22, 2003) …”
http://www.danielpipes.org/blog/2003/04/how-many-muslims-in-the-united-states
Organisation of the Islamic Conference
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organisation_of_the_Islamic_Conference
THE FOUNDATION OF THE NEW TERRORISM
Islam (a word that literally means “surrender to the will of God”) arose in Arabia with what Muslims believe are a series of revelations to the Prophet Mohammed from the one and only God, the God of Abraham and of Jesus. These revelations, conveyed by the angel Gabriel, are recorded in the Qur’an. Muslims believe that these revelations, given to the greatest and last of a chain of prophets stretching from Abraham through Jesus, complete God’s message to humanity. The Hadith, which recount Mohammed’s sayings and deeds as recorded by his contemporaries, are another fundamental source. A third key element is the Sharia, the code of law derived from the Qur’an and the Hadith.
Islam is divided into two main branches, Sunni and Shia. Soon after the Prophet’s death, the question of choosing a new leader, or caliph, for the Muslim community, or Ummah, arose. Initially, his successors could be drawn from the Prophet’s contemporaries, but with time, this was no longer possible. Those who became the Shia held that any leader of the Ummah must be a direct descendant of the Prophet; those who became the Sunni argued that lineal descent was not required if the candidate met other standards of faith and knowledge. After bloody struggles, the Sunni became (and remain) the majority sect. (The Shia are dominant in Iran.) The Caliphate-the institutionalized leadership of the Ummah-thus was a Sunni institution that continued until 1924, first under Arab and eventually under Ottoman Turkish control.
Many Muslims look back at the century after the revelations to the Prophet Mohammed as a golden age. Its memory is strongest among the Arabs. What happened then-the spread of Islam from the Arabian Peninsula throughout the Middle East, North Africa, and even into Europe within less than a century-seemed, and seems, miraculous.6 Nostalgia for Islam’s past glory remains a powerful force.
Islam is both a faith and a code of conduct for all aspects of life. For many Muslims, a good government would be one guided by the moral principles of their faith. This does not necessarily translate into a desire for clerical rule and the abolition of a secular state. It does mean that some Muslims tend to be uncomfortable with distinctions between religion and state, though Muslim rulers throughout history have readily separated the two.
To extremists, however, such divisions, as well as the existence of parliaments and legislation, only prove these rulers to be false Muslims usurping God’s authority over all aspects of life. Periodically, the Islamic world has seen surges of what, for want of a better term, is often labeled “fundamentalism.”7 Denouncing waywardness among the faithful, some clerics have appealed for a return to observance of the literal teachings of the Qur’an and Hadith. One scholar from the fourteenth century from whom Bin Ladin selectively quotes, Ibn Taimiyyah, condemned both corrupt rulers and the clerics who failed to criticize them. He urged Muslims to read the Qur’an and the Hadith for themselves, not to depend solely on learned interpreters like himself but to hold one another to account for the quality of their observance.8
The extreme Islamist version of history blames the decline from Islam’s golden age on the rulers and people who turned away from the true path of their religion, thereby leaving Islam vulnerable to encroaching foreign powers eager to steal their land, wealth, and even their souls.
Bin Ladin’s Worldview
Despite his claims to universal leadership, Bin Ladin offers an extreme view of Islamic history designed to appeal mainly to Arabs and Sunnis. He draws on fundamentalists who blame the eventual destruction of the Caliphate on leaders who abandoned the pure path of religious devotion.9 He repeatedly calls on his followers to embrace martyrdom since “the walls of oppression and humiliation cannot be demolished except in a rain of bullets.”10 For those yearning for a lost sense of order in an older, more tranquil world, he offers his “Caliphate” as an imagined alternative to today’s uncertainty. For others, he offers simplistic conspiracies to explain their world.
Bin Ladin also relies heavily on the Egyptian writer Sayyid Qutb. A member of the Muslim Brotherhood11 executed in 1966 on charges of attempting to overthrow the government, Qutb mixed Islamic scholarship with a very superficial acquaintance with Western history and thought. Sent by the Egyptian government to study in the United States in the late 1940s, Qutb returned with an enormous loathing of Western society and history. He dismissed Western achievements as entirely material, arguing that Western society possesses “nothing that will satisfy its own conscience and justify its existence.”12
Three basic themes emerge from Qutb’s writings. First, he claimed that the world was beset with barbarism, licentiousness, and unbelief (a condition he called jahiliyya, the religious term for the period of ignorance prior to the revelations given to the Prophet Mohammed). Qutb argued that humans can choose only between Islam and jahiliyya. Second, he warned that more people, including Muslims, were attracted to jahiliyya and its material comforts than to his view of Islam; jahiliyya could therefore triumph over Islam. Third, no middle ground exists in what Qutb conceived as a struggle between God and Satan.All Muslims-as he defined them-therefore must take up arms in this fight.Any Muslim who rejects his ideas is just one more nonbeliever worthy of destruction.13
Bin Ladin shares Qutb’s stark view, permitting him and his followers to rationalize even unprovoked mass murder as righteous defense of an embattled faith. Many Americans have wondered, “Why do ‘they’ hate us?” Some also ask, “What can we do to stop these attacks?”
Bin Ladin and al Qaeda have given answers to both these questions. To the first, they say that America had attacked Islam; America is responsible for all conflicts involving Muslims. Thus Americans are blamed when Israelis fight with Palestinians, when Russians fight with Chechens, when Indians fight with Kashmiri Muslims, and when the Philippine government fights ethnic Muslims in its southern islands. America is also held responsible for the governments of Muslim countries, derided by al Qaeda as “your agents.” Bin Ladin has stated flatly, “Our fight against these governments is not separate from our fight against you.”14 These charges found a ready audience among millions of Arabs and Muslims angry at the United States because of issues ranging from Iraq to Palestine to America’s support for their countries’ repressive rulers.
Bin Ladin’s grievance with the United States may have started in reaction to specific U.S. policies but it quickly became far deeper. To the second question, what America could do, al Qaeda’s answer was that America should abandon the Middle East, convert to Islam, and end the immorality and godlessness of its society and culture: “It is saddening to tell you that you are the worst civilization witnessed by the history of mankind.” If the United States did not comply, it would be at war with the Islamic nation, a nation that al Qaeda’s leaders said “desires death more than you desire life.”15 …”
http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911Report_Ch2.htm
Mosque of Mischief, Mundus Volt Decipi
“…We keep hearing that the only issue at hand is whether building the Ground Zero Mosque is legal or not. We keep hearing that opposing this mosque is un-American and makes us just like the enemy. In short, those who oppose a mosque are bigots.
This is, of course, a tactic employed by the left to narrow the debate, a tactic used to deny the very existence of Jihad. It’s also a way of smearing those who want to know more about the ideology of Imam Rauf and to find out if this mosque is terror-financed.
Questions: If Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf is revealed as an Islamist supremacist and the financing as dirty money, would it make a difference to those who support the building of the mosque?
If it makes no difference that Rauf is an Islamist who wants America to become Sharia compliant, then you are enabling Salafist Islam, an ideology that is, at the core, dedicated to the eradication of Western civilization.
If it does make a difference then we should exercise due diligence and investigate Rauf and the already murky financing behind the mosque? …”
http://www.seraphicpress.com/archives/2010/08/mosque_of_misch.php
“…Sharia (شريعة Šarīʿa; [ʃaˈriːʕa], “way” or “path”) is the sacred law of Islam. All Muslims believe Sharia is God’s law, but they have differences among themselves as to exactly what it entails.[1] Modernists, traditionalists and fundamentalists all hold different views of Sharia, as do adherents to different schools of Islamic thought and scholarship. Different countries and cultures have varying interpretations of Sharia as well.
Muslims believe all Sharia is derived from two primary sources, the divine revelations set forth in the Qur’an, and the sayings and example set by the Islamic Prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh, or “jurisprudence,” interprets and extends the application of Sharia to questions not directly addressed in the primary sources, by including secondary sources. These secondary sources usually include the consensus of the religious scholars embodied in ijma, and analogy from the Qur’an and Sunnah through qiyas. Shia jurists replace qiyas analogy with ‘aql, or “reason”. Where it enjoys official status, Sharia is applied by Islamic judges, or qadis. The imam has varying responsibilities depending on the interpretation of Sharia. While the term is commonly used to refer to the leader of communal prayers, the imam may also be a scholar, religious leader or political leader. Sharia deals with many topics addressed by secular law, including crime, politics and economics, as well as personal matters such as sexuality, hygiene, diet, prayer, and fasting.
Introduction (or reintroduction) of Sharia is a longstanding goal for Islamist movements in Muslim countries. Some Muslim minorities in Asia (e.g. India) have attained institutional recognition of Sharia to adjudicate their personal and community affairs. In Western countries, where Muslim immigration is more recent, Muslim minorities have introduced Sharia family law, for use in their own disputes, with varying degrees of success (e.g. Britain’s Muslim Arbitration Tribunal). Attempts to impose Sharia have been accompanied by controversy,[2][3][4][5] violence,[6][7][8][9][10][11] and even warfare (cf. Second Sudanese Civil War) [12][13][14][15].
“…Pearl Harbor, or Pu’uloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. The attack on Pearl Harbor by the Empire of Japan on December 7, 1941, brought the United States into World War II. …”
“…Aircraft and midget submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy began an attack on the U.S. The Americans had deciphered Japan’s code earlier and knew about a planned attack before it actually occurred. However, due to difficulty in deciphering intercepted messages, the Americans failed to discover Japan’s target location before the attack occurred.[6] Under the command of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, the attack was devastating in loss of life and damage to the U.S. fleet. At 06:05 on December 7, the six Japanese carriers launched a first wave of 183 planes composed mainly of dive bombers, horizontal bombers and fighters.[7] The Japanese hit American ships and military installations at 07:51. The first wave attacked military airfields of Ford Island. At 08:30, a second wave of 170 Japanese planes, mostly torpedo bombers, attacked the fleet anchored in Pearl Harbor. The battleship Arizona was hit with an armor piercing bomb which penetrated the forward ammunition compartment, blowing the ship apart and sinking it within seconds. Overall, nine ships of the U.S. fleet were sunk and 21 ships were severely damaged. Three of the 21 would be irreparable. The overall death toll reached 2,350, including 68 civilians, and 1,178 injured. Of the military personnel lost at Pearl Harbor, 1,177 were from the Arizona. The first shots fired were from the destroyer Ward on a midget submarine that surfaced outside of Pearl Harbor; Ward sank the midget sub at approximately 06:55, about an hour before the assault on Pearl Harbor. Japan would lose 29 out of the 350 planes they attacked with. …”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_Harbor
“…In Pearl Harbor were 96 vessels, the bulk of the United States Pacific Fleet. Eight battleships of the Fleet were there, but the aircraft carriers were all at sea. The Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet (CINCPAC) was Admiral Husband E. Kimmel. Army forces in Hawaii, including the 24th and 25th Infantry Divisions, were under the command of Lt. Gen. Walter C. Short, Commanding General of the Hawaiian Department. On the several airfields were a total of about 390 Navy and Army planes of all types, of which less than 300 were available for combat or observation purposes.
The Japanese air attack on Pearl Harbor and on the airfields of Oahu began at 0755 on December 7, 1941 and ended shortly before 1000. Quickly recovering from the initial shock of surprise, the Americans fought back vigorously with antiaircraft fire. Devastation of the airfields was so quick and thorough that only a few American planes were able to participate in the counterattack. The Japanese were successful in accomplishing their principal mission, which was to cripple the Pacific Fleet. They sunk three battleships, caused another to capsize, and severely damaged the other four.
All together the Japanese sank or severely damaged 18 ships, including the 8 battleships, three light cruisers, and three destroyers. On the airfields the Japanese destroyed 161 American planes (Army 74, Navy 87) and seriously damaged 102 (Army 71, Navy 31).
The Navy and Marine Corps suffered a total of 2,896 casualties of which 2,117 were deaths (Navy 2,008, Marines 109) and 779 wounded (Navy 710, Marines 69). The Army (as of midnight, 10 December) lost 228 killed or died of wounds, 113 seriously wounded and 346 slightly wounded. In addition, at least 57 civilians were killed and nearly as many seriously injured.
The Japanese lost 29 planes over Oahu, one large submarine (on 10 December), and all five of the midget submarines. Their personnel losses (according to Japanese sources) were 55 airmen, nine crewmen on the midget submarines, and an unknown number on the large submarines. The Japanese carrier task force sailed away undetected and unscathed.
On December 8, 1941, within less than an hour after a stirring, six-minute address by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Congress voted, with only one member dissenting, that a state of war existed between the United States and Japan, and empowered the President to wage war with all the resources of the country.
Four days after Pearl Harbor, December 11, 1941, Germany and Italy declared war on the United States. Congress, this time without a dissenting vote, immediately recognized the existence of a state of war with Germany and Italy, and also rescinded an article of the Selective Service Act prohibiting the use of American armed forces beyond the Western Hemisphere. …”
http://www.worldwar2history.info/Pearl-Harbor/
Wahhabi
“…Wahhabi (Arabic: Al-Wahhābīyya الوهابية) or Wahhabism is a conservative Sunni Islamic sect based on the teachings of Muhammad ibn Abd-al-Wahhab, an 18th century scholar from what is today known as Saudi Arabia, who advocated to purge Islam of what he considered innovations in Islam. Wahhabism is the dominant form of Islam in Saudi Arabia.[1] It is often referred to as a “sect”[1] or “branch”[2] of Islam, though both its supporters and its opponents[3] reject such designations. It has developed considerable influence in the Muslim world through the funding of mosques, schools and other means from Persian Gulf oil wealth.[4]
The primary doctrine of Wahhabi is Tawhid, or the uniqueness and unity of God.[5] Ibn Abdul Wahhab was influenced by the writings of Ibn Taymiyya and questioned medieval interpretations of Islam, claiming to rely on the Qur’an and the Hadith.[5] He preached against a “perceived moral decline and political weakness” in the Arabian Peninsula and condemned idolatry, the popular cult of saints, and shrine and tomb visitation.[5]
The term “Wahhabi” (Wahhābīya) was first used by opponents of ibn Abdul Wahhab.[2] It is considered derogatory by the people it is used to describe, who prefer to be called “unitarians” (Muwahiddun).[6]
The terms “Wahhabi”, “Salafi” (and also sometimes Ahle Hadith) are often used interchangeably, but Wahhabi has also been called “a particular orientation within Salafism”, [2] an orientation some consider ultra-conservative. [7][8] …”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wahhabi
DAY OF INFAMY 2001
Ground Zero mosque modeled after notorious 9/11 mosque?
Founder of hijackers’ D.C. worship center partners with N.Y. imam pushing shariah
“…The New York imam behind the Ground Zero mosque has struck a partnership with the founder of the so-called 9/11 mosque in the Washington suburbs that gave aid and comfort to some of the 9/11 hijackers, WND has learned.
Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf counts the lead trustee of the Dar al-Hijrah Islamic Center among partners in his Cordoba Initiative, which features a 13-story mosque and a “cultural center” for his project to bring shariah, or Islamic law, to America.
Families of 9/11 victims oppose construction of the proposed site so close to Ground Zero.
Jamal Barzinji, one of the founders of the radical Muslim Brotherhood in America, also founded Dar al-Hijrah in Falls Church, Va., which is run by the pro-jihad Brotherhood. The mosque has been tied to numerous terrorism plots, including the 9/11 attacks.
The dots are finally being connected! Find out what Islam has planned for you: Get “Muslim Mafia: Inside the Secret Underworld That’s Conspiring to Islamize America.”
In December 2008, the Brotherhood’s U.S. think tank — the International Institute of Islamic Thought, or IIIT – hosted Rauf. During their meeting, IIIT’s leadership, including Barzinji, “pledged cooperation and support” for Rauf’s project, according to this screenshot of the description of the event from IIIT’s scrubbed Web archives.
Rauf’s partner Barzinji is a founder and director of IIIT, which is under active federal investigation for funneling funds to Palestinian terrorists. Its Herndon, Va., offices were raided by federal agents after 9/11.
The U.S. government has accused Barzinji of being “closely associated” with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hamas and other terrorist organizations. He has not been charged with a crime, however. …”
SAUDI ARABIA’S EXPORT OF RADICAL ISLAM
by Adrian Morgan
http://www.sullivan-county.com/x/fox_imm.htm
Ground Zero mosque debate swirls in world capitals
The Ground Zero mosque debate is garnering increased attention in the world press, with Muslims coming down on both sides of the proposed center two blocks from the former World Trade Center.
“…Abd Al-Rahman Al-Rashed, general manager of Al-Arabiya television, also criticized the project in a column titled “A House of Worship or a Symbol of Destruction?” in the Arab daily A-Sharq Al-Awsat on Sunday.
“Muslims do not aspire for a mosque next to the September 11 cemetery,” Mr. Al-Rashed wrote. He added that “the mosque is not an issue for Muslims, and they have not heard of it until the shouting became loud between the supporters and the objectors, which is mostly an argument between non-Muslim US citizens!”
Shakib Bin-Makhlouf, president of the Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe, told Arab News that he supports the proposed Islamic center and appreciated President Obama coming out in support of it. “Islam has nothing to do with the events that happened on 9/11,” Mr. Bin-Makhlouf told the agency. “Unfortunately, the media has contributed in tying terrorism to Islam. When a non-Muslim commits an act of terror, no one refers to his religion.”
As the so-called “Ground Zero Mosque” has turned into a political debating ground, it’s also become a barometer for the world to assess how America treats Muslims. One British blogger suggested that the mosque is evidence that America is experiencing the same “Islamitization” allegedly happening in Europe, where many Europeans worry that Muslims are gaining undue influence. In a pointed summary of the project, Qatar-based newspaper Al Jazeera writes:
Critics say it would be inappropriate to build a mosque on the “hallowed ground” of Ground Zero.
Yet there is already a mosque two blocks north of the Cordoba House site, Masjid Manhattan, which has been open since 1970.
As several commentators have pointed out, there is also a strip club – New York Dolls – just one block north of the mosque site. No one has complained about that profaning of the sacred. …”
Timeline: Osama bin Laden, over the years
http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/05/02/bin.laden.timeline/index.html
Andrew McCarthy–The Grand Jihad: How Islam and the Left Sabotaged America–Videos
Steve Coll– The Bin Ladens: An Arabian Family in the American Century; Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001 –Videos
Stealth Jihad–Terror From Within–Videos
Steve Emerson, Executive Director of The Investigative Project on Terrorism Will Release Explosive Information of Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf,The Promoter of The Ground Zero Mosque, Where He Supports Extreme Radical Religious Fanatics Including Moslem Brotherhood and Saudi Wahhabi Islam!
Steve Emerson–American Jihad: The Terrorist Living Among Us–Videos
Robert Spencer–Stealth Jihad–Videos
Robert Spencer–The Truth About Muhammad–Videos
Terrorists Among Us: Jihad in America–Videos
Obsession: Radical Islams War Against the West–Videos
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Learning to lighten up: Nursing Notes, June 1929
Posted by RCOG Heritage Collections Blog on June 12, 2014 November 6, 2017
A current theme in today’s employment relations is the mandatory establishment of pensions by businesses, and in 1929 this is exactly the issue which was taxing the midwifery profession.
The Midwives’ Institute, together with the editorial team of Nursing Notes, had joined forces to implement a pension scheme to fill the gap left by the few schemes at that time. The National Insurance Act of 1911 was one of a number of measures introduced by Prime Minister Herbert Asquith’s Labour Party between 1906 and 1914, but the Act was hardly universal in scope, favouring the ‘deserving sick and unemployed’, in other words, those who had previously been in regular employment in a recognised profession.
The journal explains that midwives were unable to join other schemes for various reasons, and were barred from National Insurance as they were not classed as ‘Employed Persons’. Midwives also needed a scheme they could join at any age of their working life, given the nature of their profession. Full details of the new scheme are included in this journal to be communicated to midwives around the country, bearing fruit to the promise made by the Midwives’ Institute to work to improve conditions for midwives in all aspects of their working lives.
Nursing Notes were evidently anxious to deliver a journal which was fit for purpose, and, not being in possession of the tools we have today to conduct surveys, they urged readers to submit postcards with comments on what they would like to see in the journal. Did they want ‘lighter, illustrated articles’? Did they feel that too much space was given to medical laws and regulations? These are just two of the questions asked of the readers. The journal was beginning to lighten it’s tone at any rate, and a fixed feature during the late 1920s were the English History questions – how many of these would you know?
What Queen of England is supposed to have died of puerperal fever, and what happened to the infant?
What heiress apparent to the throne of Great Britain died in childbirth?
Which English Queen had a very large number of children, and lost them all in babyhood?
What Queen is supposed to have suffered from a ‘phantom tumour’?
Another recent Act which had significance for midwives was the 1922 Infanticide Act. Previous to this, the killing of a child was a capital offence, and this Act sought to differentiate between murder and manslaughter, in particular where the mother was suffering from postnatal depression (or as the journal put it ‘mentally deranged by recent childbirth’). Annual crime statistics issued by the Home Office in 1927 revealed that inquests on 276 children suffocated while in bed with their parents, returned 22 open verdicts, with the remainder a verdict of accidental death.
I will end with a recent initiative by Guy’s Hospital introduced for nurses on night duty – ‘sun baths’ given three times a week – an early version of sunbeds perhaps?
Advertisement from June 1929 issue of Nursing Notes.
midwiferyNursing Notessocial historytrade union
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Culture › Arts
By Ashlee Bagnell April 2019
Photos Jason Huynh
If anyone has spent any significant amount of time in Cartersville, Ga. they are bound to notice something unusual about this community.
The arts community is very active in Bartow. The theater community is large and also very active, and there are at least four dance studios open to those who wish to learn the tango. This doesn’t include the arts programs in the middle and high schools. One of the staples in the arts community is the Grand Theatre where many of these programs come together on one stage.
The theatre is located in the heart of Downtown Cartersville. The landmark is difficult to miss and like a second home to many who have worked and performed there. For the last 20 years, this theatre has been a home to the wonderful artist and educator Terri Cox.
Cox works as the Program Director and the head of the education program. In March of this year, Terri Cox will retire and pass the torch. While the people of the Grand are sad to see her go, there are two decades of remarkable achievements to reflect on and a legacy to live up to.
She began her career as a teacher at Cloverleaf Elementary for ten years. When she transitioned into her position at the Grand Theatre, Cox says that she created the position for herself. “The Grand was managed by the Etowah Foundation and they were in charge of the Bartow History Center, what used to be the TRC science center and the Weinman Mineral Museum which later became the Tellus Museum,” Cox says. “They would have educational programs for the schools to participate in. They also managed the Grand Theatre and they didn’t really have an educational component like the other entities did. So, they decided that they wanted to develop a program [at the Grand].”
When she learned of the opportunity from the program director at the time, the late Don Kordecki, Cox realized that she wanted to return to her creative roots and utilize her degree in music education. When the program proved to be different than she imagined, she was given the opportunity to pitch her ideas to the Board at the Etowah Foundation. Cox was successful, and the Community in Bartow has benefited from her influence ever since.
"I can see that it is time for a younger person to get involved who is involved with the social media, technology and all of the changes that come with progress. Because of that, I really want someone to take us to the next level and into the future.”
While there is no routine or set schedule for her, she says days are full of planning and executing arts-centered educational experiences for the children in the community. “We work with the Bartow History Museum,” explains Cox. “We have field trip programs and students come from elementary school classrooms to visit us. They spend an hour at the Bartow History Museum and an hour at the Grand. We will take something from the curriculum, and we teach it to the students using drama, music, dancing, instruments, all of the performing arts. We hope that that will meet the needs of many different learning styles of many different children.”
The children who witness this program will never forget their experience at the theatre because it is unique, and they interact with the people in their history books. The program that Cox has created is designed so that each child will get to ask the actors something about their historical character. Cox loves sharing the experience with the students and allowing them to be a star in the theatre for a day. But running this program is not all that Cox has accomplished in her 20 years at the Grand.
Since she started in 1999, she has also been directing the Summer Theatre Camps. The theatre camp followed the Cartersville Opera Company when the need arose for an outlet in the performing arts for younger people. The camp became so popular that it split into a junior and senior level and then when Cox took the lead, they split into three groups: Elementary, Middle, and High school camps. Cox picks the shows and acts a manager for the camps. The stage directors, musical directors, and choreographers are hired and the Grand’s technical director, Stevie Roushdi and her staff handle all the lights, sets and effects. The highly-anticipated camp lasts two weeks and is an excellent challenge for the young artists in the area.
With all the hard work that Terri Cox has put in over the years, retirement is well deserved. She wants more time for herself, but she also says that many of the programs and the people keep her wanting to do more. “Working with these young directors,” she smiles, “like Kimberly Human and Kristy Montgomery, I can see that it is time for a younger person to get involved who is involved with the social media, technology and all of the changes that come with progress. Because of that, I really want someone to take us to the next level and into the future.”
She plans to travel with her husband, Chip Cox, and become more involved with her church and the programs that she was missing due to work. She has always loved to sing in her church choir and can’t wait to be more involved in the ministry. Cox announced that she is also working to publish a book. The book is titled “How to Drive Like a Christian.”
She classifies the book as Christian humor and explores issues that people have while driving and making parallels to “the road of life.”
In other exciting news, she plans to celebrate 37 years with her husband on May 1, 2019. Her daughter Megan recently got married and her son Josh, a two-time cancer survivor, is totally in remission and living his life. She is definitely looking forward to spending more time with them all.
While Cox is retiring, the Grand is not. The theater has a very interesting history. Cox shares that the building was built in 1910. It was a hotel that was converted into a Vaudeville Theatre and then to a motion picture theatre.
However, in 1923 the whole block of buildings burned. They rebuilt the theater the same year and it was operational by 1924. It was a movie theater until 1977 when it was renovated to become a stage theater once again.
In 1988 the theater was purchased by the foundation that owns it today and it was once again renovated. In 2003, they had to refinish the floors and found trenches underneath the building. Cox explained that they put a time capsule in one of the trenches before replacing the floor for the next renovators to find. They also added the concession area and the Encore Room during the recent work to the building.
Now, Terri Cox will be added to the history of the Grand Theatre and her legacy will live on through the evidence in her programs and in the many children she influenced. It is the end of a class act but never the show. Play on!
Terri Cox
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Five things learned from West…
David Rogers/Getty Images Sport
Five things learned from West Brom’s 2018/19 season
Aston Villa ended West Brom’s season on Tuesday as they beat the Baggies on penalties in the semi-final of the play-offs.
West Brom won the second leg 1-0, taking the tie to extra-time and then penalties, which Villa, unfortunately, won.
It was West Brom’s first season back in the Championship after being relegated from the Premier League in 2018.
Darren Moore started the season in charge, before he was sacked in March following a string of poor performances and results, leaving James Shan in charge for the final few months of the campaign – including the play-offs.
West Brom are now tasked with appointing a permanent manager with the hope of mounting another promotion push next season.
But to do that, they will need to learn some important lessons from the 2018/19 season. What have they learned, though? Here are five things West Brom can take the season going into next year…
The defence needs sorting
Quite simply, West Brom were far from good enough defensively over the course of the season. Too many goals were let in, with most of them being very avoidable. A focus needs to be placed on the defence next season.
Energy over experience
West Brom’s midfield often looked tired and laboured in big games, and that is down to the lack of energy and youthfulness in the side. There are far too many “experienced” players not pulling their weight in the side. An injection of energy is needed in West Brom’s midfield.
A way of playing
West Brom lacked identity in their attacking play during the season. Look at Daniel Farke’s Norwich, Chris Wilder’s Sheffield United and Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds. They all have their unique styles of play and they stick to it. West Brom need that.
Gayle needs to be signed up
West Brom need to sign Dwight Gayle on a permanent basis. The on-loan Newcastle forward netted 24 goals for the Baggies over the course of the season and was named as the fans’ Player of the Season. He simply has to stay.
West Brom need a creative midfielder
The decline in West Brom’s forward after Harvey Barnes left the club in January was all too telling. He was the heart of West Brom’s attacking play and they need to sign someone to take over his role, albeit six months too late, for next season.
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A Failure To Communicate In The World Of IoT, Part 2
mark brooks / 09 Feb 2016 / Code
This is Part 2 of a two-part Q&A with Linden Tibbets, CEO and co-founder of IFTTT. For Part 1, click here.
This post also appears on Wearable.ai, which interviews the innovators in wearable computing, IoT and AR. For inquiries, please email publisher Mark Brooks.
IFTTT is an automation service that hopes to bridge the gap between connected devices to create a more seamless experience. IFTTT (which stands for “if this, then that” and rhymes with “gift”) allows users of connected devices and digital services to easily integrate them across platforms to better suit their needs.
IFTTT CEO, Linden Tibbets, explains how the newest developments to the platform hope to enhance their experience for both developers and the average Joe.
Mark Brooks: In February 2015, IFTTT split into two apps: IF, which focuses on automation, and DO, an app that allows users to easily trigger an action with the press of a button. How’s this division helped simplify things? LT: We see this as the first step of many towards a more rich experience around recipes. The idea of recipes has always been that it could be much, much more than “if this, then that.” It could be much richer and at the same time, for the user, it could be much easier to think about. They just need to think about if they want to do this thing or not; whether that uses 2 channel or 200 channels should really be up to the developer to decide what that recipe can do.
That split between DO and IF allowed us to experiment with another type of recipe, a recipe that involves just a press of a button, and we have been really blown away by what people have been able to do with the DO button and DO apps.
It has really enforced that these apps themselves aren’t necessarily where all the interaction is. In fact, almost 40% of the button presses that happen within the DO apps happen on the Android Widget and the iOS Today Stream Widget. That was a little bit surprising, but also really in line with the way we thought about the world, and that not everything was going to need to have an app. The way of thinking that you need an app for every single connected device and every single service is really going to be extinct here really soon, and we’re going to start looking at new modes of interaction and new ways of making things happen in our world outside of just traditional apps.
MB: Are you finding DO is attracting more users that may feel intimidated by programming? Could this be a gateway app to IF?
LT: Yes, DO certainly has been more attractive to folks who may be a bit intimidated by programming. In fact, we are not setting out to build a programming language for consumers. We think that the idea of a recipe, at the same time it gets richer and more complex, can also get simpler for our general audience.
So we think people with a developer mindset that aren’t intimidated by programming are going to continue to build increasingly richer experiences that recipes can represent, and most folk can just decide, Do I want to do this thing? Yes or No.
The Future is Bright
MB: You currently have hundreds of existing channels and recipes, with users publishing more every day, with so many new connected devices being introduced all the time, and no end in sight, how do you expect IFTTT to evolve to accommodate everyone? LT: This a problem that we are uniquely set up to really tackle. We want to keep things really simple and continue to streamline what using IFTTT and using recipes really means. We want to make it incredibly personal. As we have more and more channels and integrations on IFTTT, there is a better and better chance that those channels can represent the type of devices and services you uniquely use, that are different from someone else.
Our platform is well on its way to allowing developers to really understand what people are doing with their service and create recipes that meet some of those needs that people are trying to express today with simple versions of recipes. We are allowing developers to really go above and beyond IFTTT and DO to address those needs.
MB: There has to be a lot of coding and work that goes into keeping the various APIs working so these recipes will continue to work. This is obviously not cheap, but I don’t see advertising on your site or even in the free software that you provide. How does IF currently monetize or plan to monetize in the future? LT: It’s actually not a lot of work because of the platform that we’ve built. We have a developer platform that is still in private Beta, and developers are effectively building and maintaining those integrations for us. So we have really taken a corner on an exciting development, that developers have seen enough value out of being part of the IFTTT ecosystem that now they are doing that work and electing to really build and maintain and improve their integration on IFTTT over time.
That points directly to how we want to monetize. That developer platform is still in its infancy. We plan on heavily investing and making that platform the platform of the future. Not just the way that developers plug into and represent their brand on IFTTT, but really a way for developers to build seamless experiences across services, platforms, and devices.
MB: What is your vision for the future and IOT and IFTTT’s role in it? Where would you like to see IFTTT in 5 years time? In 10 years time?
LT: It’s no longer profound to say that every single thing in the room you are in right now is going to be connected to the Internet in some way. How that’s going to work and what that’s going to look like is still anyone’s guess, but it will happen. The Internet is going to jump out of our browser and into the real world sooner than we think.
What that represents is that each one of these connected devices and the services built around them is going to be built by a different company or some subset of different companies. The old way of thinking about software was to think about these vertical silos, and we’ve essentially surrounded ourselves with vertical silos. Some of those silos grew to encompass many vertical silos (like Google, Apple, and Microsoft), and what IFTTT is all about and the part we’d like to play is to allow developers to cut across those silos horizontally and integrate with both the data and the capabilities that each one of those vertical silos represents.
So when we talk about this idea of seamless computing and seamless experiences in the platform that IFTTT is working on, this is going to enable developers to build those seamless experiences and that’s what we think the future is all about. A way for everyone to experience a future in which the Internet is both pervasive and friendly and works the way that people want it to.
Our team is incredibly excited about bringing the future about, and I think we are working on some really big and bold new ideas for that platform, for recipes, and for how it all fits together so that in 2016 we are going to deliver in a big way.
For interviews with the innovators in Wearable Computing, IoT & AR, subscribe to the Wearable.ai newsletter.
#connected things
#wearables
Building a Workplace for the Next 100 Years
How IoT Affects The Future Of Web Developments
AI-Based Framework for Agile Project Management
Not All Integrations Are Created Equal
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richardmitnick 8:27 am on April 2, 2016 Permalink Reply
Tags: Applied Research & Technology ( 5,648 ), Geologists To Drill Into Heart of Dinosaur-Killing Impact, Geophysics ( 8 ), Scientific American ( 110 )
From SA: “Geologists To Drill Into Heart of Dinosaur-Killing Impact”
Alexandra Witze
The asteroid that created Chicxulub crater reshaped life on Earth. Science Photo Library via Getty Images
http://www.meteoritecollector.org/
Geophysicists are returning to Earth’s most famous cosmic bullseye. Around April 7, from a drill-ship off the coast of Yucatán, Mexico, they will start to penetrate the 200-kilometre-wide Chicxulub crater, which formed 66 million years ago when an enormous asteroid smashed into the planet. The aftermath of the impact obliterated most life on Earth, including the dinosaurs.
The expedition is the first to directly probe one of Chicxulub’s most striking features—its ‘peak ring’, a circle of mountains that rises within the crater floor. Scientists have yet to fully explain how peak rings form, even though they are common in big impact craters across the Solar System.
An illustration of the Chicxulub impact crater in the Yucatán Peninsula. Illustration by Detlev van Ravenswaay, Science Source
At Chicxulub, researchers will look for evidence to explain how a 14-kilometre-wide asteroid could have punched a hole that pushed rocks from the surface down some 20–30 kilometres. Flowing like liquid, the rocks then rebounded towards the sky—reaching as far as 10 kilometres above the original ground level—and finally splattered down to form a peak ring.
All of this happened in the span of several devastating minutes, says Joanna Morgan, a geophysicist at Imperial College London and the project’s co-chief scientist. “It’s astounding.”
If the 2-month expedition goes as planned, it will bore 1,500 metres into sea-floor rocks. The drill will first pass through carbonate rocks that make up the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico (see map), and eventually reach the fractured ‘impact breccias’ that represent the obliterating impact.
At least a dozen other boreholes and several oil-exploration wells have already penetrated the parts of Chicxulub that lie on land. They include a 1,511-metre-long core drilled near the crater rim in 2001–02 by a large international scientific consortium. When combined with seismic surveys, analyses of existing cores reveal a complex picture of nested rings of shattered rock, all created on a very bad day for life on Earth.
The latest project will be the first to drill offshore at Chicxulub, and the first to target its peak ring. “We don’t really know what this material will look like,” says Jaime Urrutia-Fucugauchi, a geophysicist at the National Autonomous University of Mexico in Mexico City. “It could be a real surprise.”
The US$10-million project is funded primarily by the European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling, and involves researchers from Europe, Mexico, the United States and elsewhere. The water at the drill site—about 30 kilometres offshore from the port of Progreso—is too shallow to accommodate conventional ocean-drilling vessels, so the project has hired LB Myrtle, a ‘lift boat’ that will drop three enormous pillars to the sea floor, then jack itself up to form a temporary drilling platform.
Chicxulub is the only impact crater on Earth both big enough and well-preserved enough to still have a peak ring. Finding out exactly how the rocks are layered in the core will help researchers to evaluate several competing models of peak-ring formation, says David Kring, a geologist at the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston, Texas. He and his colleagues studied the peak ring inside the lunar crater Schrödinger to predict what sorts of rock might exist in the Chicxulub core.
Drillers will quickly bore their way through the top 500 metres of sediments, and then collect core samples more carefully as they go deeper. “At every level you’ll get a win,” says Sean Gulick, a geophysicist at the University of Texas at Austin and the expedition’s other co-chief scientist. At about 600 metres, the core will pass through rock from the Palaeocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum, when temperatures spiked about 55 million years ago, creating a greenhouse world. At 650 metres the core should hit the peak ring.
Primordial ooze
Perhaps the biggest question about the peak ring is where its rocks came from. If the rocks within the ring are relatively light in colour, they probably came from the topmost 5–10 kilometres of Earth’s crust. Darker rocks are likely to be rich in elements such as iron and magnesium, and probably came from greater depths—perhaps 10–15 kilometres down. Confirming the depth of the peak-ring rocks will help modellers to understand how the crust fractures and flows during a giant impact.
The core could also reveal whether the impact fostered life even while destroying it. When the asteroid shattered Earth’s crust, heat and water began flowing through the fragmented rocks. Microbes may have thrived in that warm, watery habitat, so microbiologists will test the cores for ancient DNA and other signatures of living organisms. “By looking directly at ground zero, we can watch life recover,” says Gulick.
From the drill rig, the cores will be sent to Bremen, Germany, for more detailed study later this year. Urrutia-Fucugauchi hopes that some of the most dramatic samples will eventually return to Mexico, perhaps to a new core laboratory at the Yucatán Science and Technology Park on the outskirts of Mérida.
Scientific American, the oldest continuously published magazine in the U.S., has been bringing its readers unique insights about developments in science and technology for more than 160 years.
← From Ethan Siegel: “Why do the tiniest galaxies have the most dark matter?”
From Times Of India: “Ladakh to get world’s largest telescope?” →
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SDG in Action
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Dr. Bruce Judd has more than 40 years of experience as a consultant and educator in strategic decision-making. A partner and managing director based in the firm’s San Mateo, Calif., office, he founded and directs Strategic Decision Group’s Executive Education Program, which helps clients develop internal capabilities to enhance the quality of their decision-making. As an educator, Dr. Judd works with senior executives, internal consultants, facilitators, and analysts involved in making strategic decisions through a combination of on-the-job coaching, professional development and classroom work.
Dr. Judd joined the firm in 1987. His consulting assignments have included transforming the decision-making culture in a Fortune 50 company; developing strategies to revitalize telecommunications, medical devices, automotive, office products, and printing and publishing companies; evaluating capital investment decisions in the energy industry; determining foreign compliance with arms-control treaties; and prioritizing scientific research.
At Stanford University, Dr. Judd was on the faculty of the Graduate School of Business for 14 years, and is currently the course developer and lead instructor for several of the programs offered as part of the Stanford Certificate Program in Strategic Decision and Risk Management. He also served on the faculty of the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University from 2004-2010.
Dr. Judd holds PhD and MS degrees in decision analysis from Stanford University and an undergraduate degree in science engineering from Northwestern University.
What I valued most from our working relationship, as distinguished from the typical consulting encounter, is that in each instance, not only did we benefit from the actions of the experienced personnel assigned to our projects, but also from what our own people, who participated directly with SDG, learned and then practiced in improving the manner in which decisions were made.
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Major Auto Manufacturer
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Singapore a "third world" country in every way.
How does one judge a country as "first world"?. I suppose, a country that upholds the rule of law, a country with free and fair elections, a country that upholds human rights of free speech and expression, a country that has a free press, a country that does not discriminate against any section of it's people, a government that is accountable to the people, a government that does not engage in corruption by calling the money a salary; these are some of signs of a civilized first world country.
Not forgetting of course the foremost of signs of a free country, a country with a free press; Singapore being ranked one of the countries with the least free press in the world. All the newspapers there are both owned and controlled by Lee Kuan Yew and his family. The internationally respected free press monitor, Reporters Sans Frontieres of France has placed the island so far down the list, next to Sudan and Eritrea!
Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore Island's strongman had not too far back written a book claiming in it that the country is first world. It is true that he has managed to build a number of skyscrapers along the waterfront like in Hong Kong, an excellent infra structure of roads and supplied clean water and electricity to households. In addition he has managed to make it free of litter by imposing harsh laws for the slightest indiscretion and criminalized the chewing of gum, which the outside world erroneously thinks is punishable with caning! But are these any indication it is a developed 'first world" country? hardly.
You have to have lived in Singapore to know what it is like I do. It is a country with no rule of law, where it is routinely abused to punish the government's critics. A country without free and fair elections where Lee Kuan Yew and his party has been continuously returned to power at every single election without interruption for the last 50 years since 1959! Same as Cuba! Any potential parliamentary candidate critical of the government or Lee Kuan Yew is sent to jail through willing judges. It is a country where the judges, all of them, have no shame at all; shamelessly using their position to please Lee by punishing his opponents.
Singapore is a country not run by rule of law but by law. That is, whenever the government feels the slightest threatened by their people, they pass a law to criminalize it, like what they have done recently under the Public Order Act where all protests, even peaceful ones are criminalized. Singapore's recently appointed Tamil Minister of Law, K Shanmugam and Wong Kan Seng, Minister for Home Affairs, Lee Kuan Yew's cousin, willingly abuse the law to please him.
It is a country that has no laws against racial discrimination, which means the Chinese majority in the country blatantly discriminate the Malays and Indians in jobs, benefits and every other way possible. Even the government itself openly discriminates them by denying jobs in the public sector, positions in the armed forces and security sensitive occupations.
It is a country, despite having only 4.5 million people, with a land area of less than one third the size of New York City but yet pays their leaders salaries that are, believe it or not, five times the salary of the US President. They do it openly and shamelessly. In any other country, it would be called by it's correct name, "corruption"; but in Singapore, an island that is in essence owned by Lee Kuan Yew and his family, it is called "salaries".
And none of these grievances can be openly challenged by the people, because, as you correctly guessed it, Lee Kuan Yew will punish you if you did!
Tell me, what sort of a country is that? First world?
39737 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite A1
Fremont, CA 94538, USA
Blog: http://singaporedissident.blogspot.com/
Your letters are welcome. We reserve the right to publish your letters. Please Email your letters to nair.gopalan@yahoo.com And if you like what I write, please tell your friends. You will be helping democracy by distributing this widely. This blog not only gives information, it dispels government propaganda put out by this dictatorial regime.
Posted by Gopalan Nair at 1:51 PM
It's a first world fascist country.
Mr Gopalan please take a look at David widjaja case. He was murdered. David was a foreign student studying in NTU. Another example of the rule of lee at work.
Renaldi
Sun Jul 12, 06:07:00 PM PDT
It is a sad to know that great talent yourself have to VOICE out political beliefs outside of Singapore instead of on Singapore soil.
As I am living in the land. I guess my choices are limited.
Fri Jul 31, 07:46:00 PM PDT
To Anonymous of July 31 0746pm,
Truly you could do the same. It takes only a bit of courage with a price to pay. Depending on the value you place on the right to speak your mind. I wish you luck in finding that judgement.
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Lee Kuan Yew's enemies, Singaporeans themselves.
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« Gig for Strummerville Sunday 22 December | Main | The quiet of Christmas »
We Don't Want No Segregation
My partner and I were once travelling on the eastern side of Turkey. That is noticeably more conservative than the western side, and we followed the Lonely Planet's advice. He changed his shorts for trousers and I put on a long skirt. On mini-buses if there was a spare seat next to me and a man got on he would not sit next to me, so my partner and I would swap seats If a woman came on, it was vice versa. We were trying our best to be culturally sensitive, and though we found this particular custom absurd, there's plenty to admire about the people in eastern Turkey.
Note, though, how inconvenient it was. The bloke who got on looked tired, and had probably been working all day in the fields. But a cultural practice prevented him from taking a little ease for half an hour. Also, countries where women are segregated usually mean the women stay at home. These are not just Muslim countries. When a woman friend and I travelled around Greece in about 1979 it looked like a virus had wiped out the female population. The corollary of the local women being kept apart is that we visiting women were harassed constantly. It was a relief to get back to Britain and be treated as a normal human being.
This is working up to segregation at universities which has made big news recently.
Over at Loonwatch, an Islamophobia watch site, they are puzzled that people should get so upset about men and women being segregated at meetings at universities that they, the complainers, are very unlikely to attend. They also think it's hypocritical, given the amount of gender segregation there is in our society.
Of course our society has a fair amount of informal segregation. Hen parties (which are yukky from other points of view) and stag parties for instance. However, the woman who goes on a girls' night out or to a women's networking event would be appalled to be segregated at a public meeting. It was the formal connivance of the UUK to segregation that made everyone so angry.
There are times when a woman is a female body. In a changing room, in a toilet, in a hospital ward, giving birth, flirting at a party wearing a low-cut dress and having sex. But that at a meeting she should be regarded as a female body rather than another citizen, another listener, questioner, point-putter or heckler is insulting to every suffragette and every feminist who fought for women's equal rights in the public sphere.
Here are some of the arguments set out by Tehmina Kazi, the Director of British Muslims for Secular Democracy. The full piece is here.
Aspects of the gender segregation debate that have annoyed and perplexed me
Denial that gender segregation even exists in universities.
Downplaying of the discrimination and shoddy treatment faced by women who have experienced it, which goes back many years.
Those who are unable to see why it is problematic for a public body like Universities UK to prioritise the whims of external speakers over university public sector equality duties, and THE SPIRIT of equalities law.
No-one has given me a GOOD reason as to WHY gender segregation it is practiced in the first place, in either civic or theological terms. "Because we've done it for years..." does NOT count.
Women who turn around and say, "But I've never had a problem with being segregated." Fair enough, but where is the empathy for people who HAVE suffered as a result?
[An old feminist recognises "I've always got on very well with men. as an argument for anti-feminism.]
The endless comparisons with toilets. Since when did the privacy issues of taking a dump compare to those of engaging one's brain and listening to a speaker as part of an audience?
The endless comparisons with single-sex educational establishments, which people actively CHOOSE to attend. Even if the choice was made for them by their parents, you'd think they would be able to enjoy such freedom of choice themselves at the age of 18, SHOULD they decide to attend university. What people effectively have NO choice over is attending a public event at a MIXED university - either as a guest or student - where the arrangements inhibit them from sitting or entering alongside the opposite gender.
(As for the single-sex colleges at Cambridge University, they were originally set up to help redress the gender imbalance in higher education. As I understand it, at least one of the Cambridge colleges in question intends to become co-educational when the proportion of women at Cambridge reaches 50%).
Confusion over the distinction between discretionary segregation (where people randomly sit where they wish, perhaps in same-sex clusters) and organised segregation (which is either enforced by the event organisers, or requested by the student societies in question). [See above for my point on the informal and formal.]
Complaints that the issue is receiving disproportionate public attention NOW. Where were these complainants when women's rights activists were raising these issues within the community for YEARS? Keeping schtum and not upsetting the apple cart, yes?
Complaints that those who raise this issue MUST have an Islamophobic agenda, when many of them are actually Muslims whose concerns have been brushed aside for years. (As an aside, many of these same Muslim activists have ALSO done a lot to challenge GENUINE anti-Muslim sentiment).
Assumptions that those who campaign against gender segregation in university events MUST also automatically oppose it in congregational prayers. This is not about acts of worship, as Equality and Human Rights Commission Chief Executive Mark Hammond made clear: "Universities can also provide facilities for religious meetings and associations based on faith, as in the rest of society. Equality law permits gender segregation in premises that are permanently or temporarily being used for the purposes of an organised religion where its doctrines require it. However, in an academic meeting or in a lecture open to the public it is not, in the Commission's view, permissible to segregate by gender."
This issue will come up again in another guise, and again will have to be slapped down. It is a waste of everyone's time and energy.
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Former NBA rebounding great Charles Barkley:
"I was a Republican until they lost their minds,"
Barkley has long claimed an interest in running for governor of Alabama. However, in recent weeks, Barkley has clarified his party ID:
"What I've said is I'm rich like a Republican. But I'm not one."
Barkley as populist? He is certainly blunt about his home (red) state's quality of life:
"If it wasn't for Arkansas and Mississippi, we'd be dead last in everything," Barkley said. "I think we can do better."
This is perhaps something to watch.
Filed as: Charles Barkley
Posted by Rodger A. Payne at Friday, July 28, 2006 No comments: Links to this post
Is the US winning in Iraq?
Is the US winning in Iraq? The LA Times, July 15:
During a Capitol Hill briefing for an audience mostly of congressional aides, [Gen. Peter J.] Schoomaker [the Army chief of staff] paused for more than 10 seconds after he was asked the question — lips pursed and brow furrowed — before venturing:
"I think I would answer that by telling you I don't think we're losing."
A few minutes later, he added:
"The challenge … is becoming more complex, and it's going to continue to be," Schoomaker mused. "That's why I'll tell you I think we're closer to the beginning than we are to the end of all this...
"I think we are making significant progress; I think the challenges continue to come," he concluded. "I do not believe that we are losing, but where I think we are on the scale of winning is very difficult, and time's going to tell."
Truthiness, eh?
Filed as: Iraq
Posted by Rodger A. Payne at Wednesday, July 26, 2006 No comments: Links to this post
Who owns your cable connection?
I learned something new and interesting in the July 21 Louisville Courier Journal. My cable TV company was purchased last year by the Carlyle Group:
Insight accepted a $710 million buyout offer last year from its co-founders and investment firm Carlyle Group, a move that took the company private.
Why is this interesting?
Well, newshounds might remember the publicity Carlyle received in fall 2001 when it was revealed that the multi-billion dollar company (apparently the "largest private equity firm in the world") included former President George H.W. Bush, his Secretary of State James Baker, and many other politicians among its Board of Directors and employees.
Moreover, Saudi members of Osama bin Laden's family were among the company's smaller investors -- at least until October 2001 when the connection was revealed. G.H.W. Bush reportedly twice visited the Bin Ladens in Saudi Arabia to represent the company's interests. Bush, however, apparently left the Board of Directors in fall 2003.
Some stories made it sound as if Carlyle was a sinister Republican profit-machine highly motivated to push a war agenda.
Bush and bin Laden, in cahoots, don't you see?
It was sometimes reported during the buildup to war in Afghanistan and Iraq that Carlyle is a defense contractor, but that is inaccurate. Rather, the equity firm owns controlling -- or sometimes partial -- interests in a number of defense contractors.
The always-controversial George Soros is also an investor. As I've noted before, these global elites tend to be networked together.
Indeed, if one reads some press reports about Carlyle, the journalists always come off like name-droppers. The company has hired former British Prime Minister John Major, AOL founder Steve Case, Colin Powell, Reagan-era defense secretary Frank Carlucci, etc.
Apparently, the Insight cable deal wasn't Carlyle's first move into media. A July 18 Business Wire press release summarized its activity:
The Carlyle Group is a global private equity firm with $41.9 billion under management. Carlyle invests in buyouts, venture & growth capital, real estate and leveraged finance in Asia, Europe and North America, focusing on telecommunications & media, industrial, automotive & transportation, aerospace, consumer & retail, energy & power, technology & business services and healthcare. Since 1987, the firm has invested $19.7 billion of equity in 500 transactions for a total purchase price of $79.7 billion. The Carlyle Group employs more than 670 people in 15 countries. In the aggregate, Carlyle portfolio companies have more than $46 billion in revenue and employ more than 184,000 people around the world. Significant telecom and media investments include Comhem, Insight, Taiwan Broadband, Willcom, PanAmSat, Hawai Telecom and VNU.
According to the Wikipedia article, over 30% of Carlyle's investments are in media and telecommunications.
As I've written before, much more needs to be explored about large corporate ownership of mass media.
Marshall McLuhan used to say that the "medium is the message." What message is Carlyle sending by acquiring so many media companies?
Is this just about profit?
Or, are media critics right? Large, private, corporate ownership of media reduces the number and variety of voices with access to the public sphere. This particularly limits audience access to local and minority perspectives. Ultimately, it also constricts competition and thereby reduces innovation and increases prices.
Maybe Carlyle's move into media explains why there doesn't seem to be as many negative stories about the firm as there were in 2001.
Filed as: Carlyle
Posted by Rodger A. Payne at Tuesday, July 25, 2006 No comments: Links to this post
Labels: Saudi Arabia
Sam Myers, RIP
I first saw Sam Myers sing and play the blues on his harmonica back in 1988. It was a relatively small club in Mountain View, California, and Myers was the featured performer fronting Anson Funderburgh & the Rockets. If you ever saw the band, you'd remember.
Funderburgh is a technically skilled Texas blues guitar player, and looks a little like a grownup Eddie Haskell from "Leave it to Beaver."
Myers, a traditional Mississippi bluesman, suffered from cataracts as a child and was nearly blind. Consequently, he wore dark sunglasses even while performing -- kind of like John Lee Hooker, only Myers would mostly stand throughout a show, belting out the blues and playing his harmonica. He added tremendous warmth to Funderburgh's cool playing.
That year, 1988, Myers won a W.C. Handy Award for best harmonica player, which many describe as the blues equivalent of a Grammy. Myers, Funderburgh & the Rockets won 8 or 9 Handy awards after they teamed up in 1986 (I've seen both figures reported).
In other words, when I first saw Myers and the band perform, he was a living legend. He had already been performing for more than two decades and had played with many of the most famous blues musicians.
Unfortunately, last Monday, Myers died of throat cancer at age 70.
Ultimately, I saw Myers, Funderburgh & the Rockets a number of times -- at the Kentucky State Fair and at another local venue that I cannot currently recall. As it happens, a friend roomed with someone who knew Funderburgh well. I never really got to meet anyone in the band, but the connection provided an extra reason to check out their local performances.
Anyway, I hope Myers rests in peace.
Filed as: Sam Myers
Posted by Rodger A. Payne at Monday, July 24, 2006 No comments: Links to this post
Labels: arts and leisure, music
For some time, I've been meaning to post about the idea of "Islamo-fascism." As recently as June 9, President Bush referenced this threat in the context of the "war on terror."
it's really important for the American people to understand that al Qaeda has got an ideology and a strategy to impose that ideology. And part of the strategy is to create turmoil in moderate Muslim nations. And they want to overthrow moderate Muslim nations. They want to have their view of the world. I call it totalitarian, Islamo-fascism. Whatever you want to call it, it is extreme and it's real.
At various times, Bush uses this phrase as a synonym for Islamic radicalism (sometimes evil Islamic radicalism) and militant Jihadism.
According to Bush, Islamo-facism
exploits Islam to serve a violent, political vision: the establishment by terrorism, subversion and insurgency of a totalitarian empire that denies all political and religious freedom.
Clearly, Bush implicitly assumes that terrorist ideology and motives matter a great deal in world politics. Note that he does NOT say that these evil Jihadists have the power to accomplish their goals and implement their strategy.
For Bush and his followers, the radical ideas themselves serve as prima facie evidence of a threat.
I think this simplification explains why many on the left worry that the "war on terror" will resemble prior ideological struggles, used as a sledgehammer to pound domestic political enemies defined as soft on war. The enemy tries to be invisible, after all, which practically demands and obviously justifies absolute vigilence. Some dare call it treason when foes of the administration challenge its war strategies.
As I've noted elsewhere, both constructivist and realist scholars of international relations have argued that states cannot truly know the motives of other states. For this reason, realists argue that states have to focus on the material capabilities of potential foes.
The same standard should be applied to non-state actors as well. Joe Stalin once asked of the Pope: "How many divisions has he got?" Security analysts should demand the administration to answer a similar question about al Qaeda. Just how serious is the material threat?
Of course, President Bush claims that the war in Iraq is designed to keep Islamo-facists from acquiring a state base:
They want to use the vacuum that would be created by an American retreat to gain control of a country, to build a base from which to launch attacks on America and to conduct their war against non-radical Muslim governments.
Over the past few decades, radicals have specifically targeted Egypt and Saudi Arabia and Pakistan and Jordan for potential takeovers. And for a time, they achieved their goal in Afghanistan, until they came face to face with the men and women of the United States military. (Applause.)
In Afghanistan, we put the terrorists on the run, and now they've set their sights on another country -- they're trying to turn Iraq into what Afghanistan was under the Taliban, a terrorist sanctuary from which they can plan and launch attacks against our people.
The question, however, is whether evil, radical, Islamic terrorists have the ability -- not merely the wish -- to capture a state, hold it, and use it not only as a training site, but also as a base of operations.
Consider me a strong skeptic. Conservatives spent years trumpeting the fact that the mighty US had defeated the powerful Soviet state and empire. The Soviets had an advanced industrial economy, millions of men under arms, 1000s of long-range ballistic missiles capable of inflicting tremendous nuclear destruction, and control over a ring of satellite states.
For the right to trumpet al Qaeda as any kind of similar threat is simply outrageous. Even the most hawkish counter-terror experts recognize that al Qaeda's forces are measured in the small number of thousands. It almost certainly does not have a nuclear arsenal and likely does not have a significant chemical or biological capability.
It is time for opponents of the administration to stand up and demand a reality check. Otherwise, I fear that the world's democracies will veer aimlessly from one alert to another over the next months and years, wasting tremendous national resources, ignoring many more serious problems and (re)electing foolish hawks.
Filed as: Islamo-facism
Duck snorts
Over at Duck of Minerva, I've somewhat quietly posted a couple of recent blog entries that might interest my readers:
July 14: "Mumbai" about the implications of the recent terror attacks in India on that state's relations with Pakistan.
July 17: "The ladder of escalation" about the prospect of world war growing out of the current crises in the Middle East and south Asia.
Filed as: Duck snorts
Labels: quacks
From the Louisville Courier-Journal, July 14:
The University of Louisville joined college football's big spenders club yesterday. It now is paying its coach more than those at Oklahoma, Florida, Tennessee, Florida State and other national powers.
For that reason, U of L athletic director Tom Jurich said Bobby Petrino's new 10-year contract worth at least $25.5 million means more to the football program than simply having a better chance to hang on to one of the nation's hottest coaches.
"I think this says to the country and to everybody involved in college football that we're serious about being a major player," Jurich said. "A lot of people talk a good game. We've put our money where our mouth is.
Professors at Louisville get paid less than faculty members at Harvard, Yale and Columbia.
Wouldn't the Provost and Deans be saying, "we're serious about being a major academic institution" if they raised faculty salaries to a level above Harvard's?
Keep that $26 million figure in mind when you consider this fact: the entire College of Arts and Sciences budget at University of Louisville was $41 million (p. 39) in the fiscal year that just ended.
Here's another number to consider. The football stadium has 42,000 seats. Generously figure 7 home games per season over a 10 year period. Do the math and that's 2.94 million fans in attendance.
Petrino is going to be paid $8.67 per seat per game for the next decade, assuming they don't increase the size of the stadium (they want to do that, however).
One more number. I direct the Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World Order, which gives away $200,000 annually. There are also awards in Psychology, Music, Education and Religion, all giving away the same amount, totaling $1 million annually.
Petrino will be pulling in more than two and a half times the total awards of all 50 Grawemeyer winners over the next decade.
That's good work if you can get it.
Filed as: Petrino
Posted by Rodger A. Payne at Sunday, July 16, 2006 No comments: Links to this post
Labels: university of Louisville
Iraq: ethnic partition?
I've not been posting much here, nor at my other home, the Duck of Minerva group international relations blog. Never fear, however, as my colleagues at the Duck have been quite busy following world affairs.
Dan Nexon has been particularly innovative. He's video-blogging! Check out his latest discussion about the possible ethnic partitioning of Iraq.
Dan is against it, pointing out that most victims of civil war die as a result of displacement from their homes. They lose their jobs, property, and social networks and make themselves vulnerable to famine and disease. Most victims of civil conflict, in other words, are not directly killed by violence.
His 6 plus minutes are well worth your viewing.
Having just watched "Hotel Rwanda" in preparation for my fall film class, however, I wonder if his advice has universal applicability. In that case, it does seem as if nearly a million corpses were created from brutal violence at the hands of machete-wielding thugs.
Filed as: ethnic violence
Labels: civil war, Iraq war
A Jewish barber's Closing Address
This fall, I'm teaching "Politics Through Film" for the first time (good seats are still available). My colleague who used to teach the course retired and I will focus the course on global politics.
While I'll be loading up on some of my favorite war movies, I'm also looking for a few great comedies to add -- especially those comedies that make a distinct political point.
Charlie Chaplin's "The Great Dictator" seems like a prime candidate.
Chaplin plays multiple roles in the film, including an ordinary Jewish Barber and the title character. The barber is eventually taken for the dictator and has an opportunity at the end of the film to give a speech that would have been delivered by the dictator. I'd encourage you to read the entire speech, but I'm going to include a couple of excerpts. This is the beginning:
I'm sorry, but I don't want to be an Emperor - that's not my business. I don't want to rule or conquer anyone. I should like to help everyone, if possible -- Jew, gentile, black man, white. We all want to help one another; human beings are like that. We want to live by each other's happiness, not by each other's misery. We don't want to hate and despise one another. In this world there's room for everyone and the good earth is rich and can provide for everyone.
The way of life can be free and beautiful.
But we have lost the way.
And this is towards the end:
Let us all unite!! Let us fight for a new world, a decent world that will give men a chance to work, that will give you the future and old age a security. By the promise of these things, brutes have risen to power, but they lie! They do not fulfill their promise; they never will. Dictators free themselves, but they enslave the people!! Now, let us fight to fulfill that promise!! Let us fight to free the world, to do away with national barriers, to do away with greed, with hate and intolerance. Let us fight for a world of reason, a world where science and progress will lead to all men's happiness.
Readers: any film suggestions? I already have a pretty good list and may discuss the ones I select over the next few months.
Potential students: this is going to be a fun course and you will definitely see some great movies that may not be familiar to you. I'm really looking forward to the class and have no plans to deliver any lectures. Students will write some film criticism, but the workload should not be too onerous.
Filed as: comedy of IR
Labels: comedy, film
Catching up on the news
Well, I'm back from a long vacation. It was hotter than expected out west, but we found ways to cool off. The only rain of any significance came on the day we tried to take in a baseball game. Oh, it also rained a little while we waited for Old Faithful to erupt.
I want to thank Avery for filling in here.
Who knew I'd miss so much?
North Korea fired 6 (or 7?) missiles on the 4th of July. Thankfully, the long-range missile failed about 40 seconds into its flight. Others have made fun of the right for using this test to scare Americans; I was reminded of the failed US Vanguard test on December 6, 1957, which was launched in response to the Soviet Sputnik. A dud is a dud, regardless of how "evil" the state launching it.
Mexico had an election that very nearly ended in a tie. The apparent president-elect may be a conservative...but his stance on immigration isn't going to endear him to Republicans.
The "war on terror" took some prisoners -- and casualties. Once again, thankfully, the US arrested suspects who had no weapons or concrete plans -- reflecting solid police and intelligence work, not post-9/11 thinking.
In sports, the World Cup ended and Italy won -- though not without some controversy, of course. Hey, the US tied the Italians 1-1 a couple of weeks ago and therefore must be as good, eh?
The All Star game rosters were announced and KC's representative is Mark Redman, a 32-year old journeyman pitcher who will hopefully be traded before season's end. This was an odd selection, especially since KC actually has a deserving player -- a centerfielder with an OPS of .881. Well, he was a centerfielder until KC traded for Otix Nixon reincarnate.
Filed as: news
National aspirations
Believe it or not, my world cup post and my two posts on the Israeli-Palestinian situation are connected in an important way.
They give little (actually, no) weight to national identification or aspirations as a legitimate source of motivations. My world cup rooting rules are explicitly anti-patriotic, and reject team loyalty from one game to the next. It all depends on single-game matchups. This seems to me to be the right attitude; whether I could sustain it in the event that Canada were playing, I'm not quite sure, but that's a question about moral motivation, not about moral rightness. (I deny, as should you, that the two are related in a simple way.)
Similarly, my first post on Israel supported the Palestinians' national aspirations on grounds that the Palestinians are living under the Occupation, not because national aspirations are in themselves worthy of respect. This approach, again, meshes with what I take to be the right motivation in each case; I argued for this in an article (pdf behind a paywall) published in the Journal of Political Philosophy last year.
But having just passed Canada Day and US Independence Day, and especially given that throughout those two long posts I said nothing about Israelis' putative right to their own national homeland, I thought I owed some explanation of my views on national aspirations.
I grew up simply assuming the rightness of the Israeli cause, broadly speaking. My mother is Israeli and traces her roots there back to the expulsion from Spain in 1492. Pretty much her whole family is still there; she left in 1966 and I was born in Canada in 1972. We were not hardcore, but I do remember, as a kid, sending my cousin little drawings of maps of Israel with her house in Haifa on the map, and the maps always included the West Bank and Gaza as though they were unproblematically part of Israel. When I went to camp in 1984 it was a camp run by Hashomer Hatzair, the Young Guard, a leftist Zionist youth group. In my high school newspaper, in 1991, I published an article called "Can Israel's position be justified?" in which I tried to justify Israel's response to the First Intifada by going through some Whiggish history of the previous century. In college I was part of the Progressive Zionist Caucus and even co-chaired the Campus Israel Coalition one year. While studying in Cairo in 1994 I got into a heated argument on the subway with one of my peers regarding whether Zionism was dead. (I was arguing the negative.) Another friend of ours got very stern and said, "there are some things you just don't talk about in public here." I was in the process of a long evolution.
I always considered myself a Zionist, though in recent years I endorsed only the weak sense--the idea that the national aspirations of the Jewish people are no less legitimate than those of other nations, and hence the State of Israel has a right to exist. Zionism in this sense does not seem to me to entail chauvinism. To the contrary, I have long thought that any defensible form of Zionism is compatible with--indeed, under the current circumstances, requires--commitment to a just resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through the establishment of two coequal states on the land of the 1947 partition.
Eventually, I ceased to believe in the viability of the two-state solution. Part of this had to do with genuine revulsion at Israeli policy ever since the beginning of the Second Intifada. Former Prime Ministers Barak and Sharon made Israel very hard to love, even for those of us for whom love for Israel is second nature. (Half of us have gone into denial, the other half into guilt. The third half have just stopped identifying.)
But part of it was based on longer-term considerations. On the one hand, the non-contiguity of the two Palestinian territories is a concern, but may not be as serious as some people think. Part of it is water, which is already a major problem and does not seem to have much prospect of getting simpler, although maybe large-scale desalination really would be viable. Part of it is the settlers. I kind of think that they shouldn't be forced to move, that if they want to be a minority in Palestine they should be allowed to stay as a minority. Of course things would change around them; but no state, including Palestine, has a right to be ethnically pure. (Indeed, one often hears a parallel drawn between Israel and apartheid South Africa; without commenting on the analogy, I would just observe that, once free, South Africa did not evict all the white people, and would have been wrong to try.) Nor do the settlers have a right to live under the jurisdiction of the Israeli government if they are residents of another state. Finally, part of it is Jerusalem. If Jerusalem has to be under shared sovereignty, then clearly shared sovereignty is possible; so there's no need to pretend that exclusivity is a necessary condition.
But for the most part it's the demographics that do it for me, and the fact that the demographics threaten to undermine Zionism anyway. The so-called "demographic time bomb" that Israel faces is that given birth rates, Palestinians will outnumber Jewish Israelis within a generation. But it is even possible that within several generations Israel proper will have more Palestinians than Jews--especially if Palestinian refugees return to their ancestral homes after a permanent peace deal. At that time, Israel will face a dilemma. It must either adopt a written constitution that gives special status to Jews--the Fiji option--or accept that the Jews no longer have a state in the sense that Zionism intended--the "liberal utopia". The liberal utopia obviously means the end of Zionism, even in the weak sense. What of the Fiji option? Even though Joseph Carens' book convinced me that this might be justifiable, it is not much better. For under the Fiji option, Israel would be a state where Jews were a specially protected minority. Again, the exact situation from which Jews hoped Zionism would deliver them.
At any rate, the demography is going to force Israelis to start thinking existentially about the nature of the relationship between the Jewish people and the State of Israel. Given that they're thinking existentially anyway, here's a solution they should consider.(Please take what follows as a thought-in-progress. Note that in its general outlines it's not original with me.)
I think the best bet is a confederation covering all the land partitioned in 1947. Some of the provinces might be explicitly religious or ethnic in orientation, whether Muslim, Palestinian, Jewish, Mizrahi, etc.; some would be undifferentiated. The national government would be constitutionally committed to the principle that the state has two coequal founding peoples, but at the same time would permit special treatment, within bounds, in particular provinces. How to arrange this specifically is not simple. But it could avoid many of the problems raised earlier--water would be a domestic concern rather than an international one; demographic shifts over the generations would not force a choice between democracy and a Jewish national homeland; Jewish settlers would not have to be removed from settlements and the settlements would not have to be destroyed; Jews would not need to fear a Palestinian right of return. On the other side, Palestinians would be equal participants in a state on their own territory. They would give up no more, and perhaps less, than they propose to give up under a two-state solution.
At any rate, if you don't get bogged down in the identity politics--the fact that, under this proposal, there would not be a unitary state of Israel controlled exclusively by Jews, or of Palestine controlled exclusively by Palestinians--this solution seems to me to respect and uphold the national aspirations of the Jewish people and so to be Zionist in that sense.
Does this mean that I really think national aspirations are okay? Would I have rooted for Israel in the World Cup? It should now be clear where the two issues differ. I don't endorse national aspirations, but unlike "liberal utopians," I don't want to pretend that they'll just go away if you wish hard enough. And the fact that a just solution accommodates national aspirations that aren't about to go away--for instance, by giving people someone to cheer for at the World Cup--is not in itself a reason to reject that solution.
Filed as: Israel, Palestine
Posted by Avery at Wednesday, July 05, 2006 No comments: Links to this post
Enron and PUD update
My friend Eric Christensen is in the news again. Enron, already stung by the guilty verdicts handed down to its former leadership, isn't going to be collecting more cash from the Snohomish PUD of Washington:
Snohomish County electricity users got a hard-won break Wednesday when a federal agency excused their utility from paying millions in contract penalties to bankrupt energy giant Enron Corp.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission determined that Snohomish County Public Utility District need not pay termination fees on a contract it broke with Enron, because Enron used financial fraud to induce the utility to enter the contract.
With interest, the penalty could have topped $120 million.
Eric is the assistant general counsel for the Seattle-area PUD and is the guy who unearthed "Grandma Millie" and other famous lines from the infamous Enron tapes.
Eric is quoted in the article and the tapes are mentioned, but one has to dig back a bit in the local news to find the extensive coverage praising Eric's hard work. I've blogged about my pal and the tapes several times -- just follow the links included in that last article.
Filed as: Enron
The Israeli invasion of Gaza
My overlong post on Reuven Kaminer the other day suddenly seems like a case of denial. Currently, the Israeli military (Israel Defense Force, or IDF) is engaged in an incursion into Gaza that has knocked out power, terrorized the population, and created a serious risk of a humanitarian catastrophe as water cannot be purified.
Counterpunch has one take; the New York Times (login required) has another in the Sunday paper. The Observer reports that a deal is near.
Which raises the question, a deal on what? As readers probably know, this incursion--which has included attacks on the offices of (Hamas) Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh and the capture of Hamas MPs--is ostensibly about freeing a single captured Israeli soldier.
It's possible that this is true. Ron Arad, an Israeli pilot captured in Lebanon in 1986, became a household name. Like the US right wing, the Israeli right needs to perceive itself as holding the moral high ground, and the willingness to sacrifice greatly to rescue a single Israeli captive feeds this need. Prisoner exchanges of years past involved hundreds of Palestinians for one or two Israelis, and rather than ask themselves why they were holding hundreds of Palestinians whom they were willing to free for such strategically trivial reasons, Israelis (and Zionists elsewhere, such as Canada, where I grew up) congratulated themselves on their respect for human life (in contrast to the Palestinians', of course). It looks like the same sort of trade is in the offing this time, and no doubt Israel and its allies will congratulate themselves again.
The likelihood that this is the real motivation would be enhanced if there were growing internal dissension in the IDF. This is very possible. The refusenik movement, which I mentioned in the Kaminer post, is growing--albeit mostly under the radar due to convenient overuse of psychiatric discharges and other administrative tricks, rather than courts-martial, for anyone who refuses to support the Occupation. On the other side, IDF members know that, should the settlements ever be abandoned, the IDF will be the ones quite literally dragging settlers kicking and screaming from their homes in the West Bank. So if political and moral opposition to the Occupation, on one side, combined with political and moral opposition to ending the Occupation, on the other, now has added to it genuine fear of capture and possibly torture in Hamas's hands, the IDF might be afraid of losing the capacity to act at all.
So it is, then, possible that Israel is doing this for the very reason it claims; that this is a mess of its own making is just a bitter irony for which the people of Gaza are suffering.
Nonetheless, I think that freeing the captive is at most a secondary aim. What I'm about to suggest is conjecture; judge it with that in mind.
The Times article quotes, without comment, a Palestinian who claims that Israel's real reasons are to make Palestinians blame their own government and return to the Fatah fold. The person quoted to this effect, Omar Areny, says that this is backfiring, because Palestinians are supporting Hamas against this attack. So the Israelis are dense; as the Times paraphrases,
Even after so many years of fighting, Mr. Areny said, Israel had again misunderstood the Palestinian mind.
This strikes me as actually self-serving and, if anything, evidence that both The Times and Omar Areny have gotten Israel's real motivations completely backward in a way that makes Israel's motives look better than they are.
The Times-Areny explanation supposes that Israel wants to strengthen Fatah and Mahmoud Abbas against Hamas, perhaps so that Israel can have a negotiating partner for the next stages of the peace process. But the Olmert government has given no real indication that it wants a negotiating partner. To the contrary, Olmert is committed to a position of unilateralism if necessary, negotiation if possible. If he can ensure that negotiation is impossible, then he can act unilaterally.
Why would Olmert want to act unilaterally?
If there is no negotiating partner, Israel sets its own boundaries.
If there is no negotiating partner, Israel withdraws how it wants, when it wants, and from where it wants, leaving and destroying what it wants.
If there is no negotiating partner, Jerusalem doesn't get divided and the Palestinian right of return is never acknowledged or recognized. Refugees can be told to shove off.
If there is no negotiating partner, in other words, Israel gets to torpedo every single one of the 3 fundamental aspects of any viable solution, as laid out by Reuven Kaminer--return of all the land captured from Jordan and Egypt in 1967 (except by swap), shared capital in Jerusalem, and some improvement in the condition of the refugees. And it does so in a way that will convince most Israeli citizens and, perhaps more importantly, most Americans, that Israel has been the only reasonable "partner for peace" in the region. If Palestine becomes a failed state, that will just provide that much more opportunity for self-congratulation and crocodile tears from Israel and its allies.
Kaminer suggested that the Occupation will destroy Israel if it continues. Facing this prospect of destruction, Israel and its allies can choose either of two ways ahead. I fear the Gaza invasion indicates which way Olmert has chosen. I'm pessimistic that he can be forced back off this road and onto the path of negotiation. Indeed, it may well have been Hamas's incipient willingness to recognize Israel and come to the table that spurred this invasion in the first place.
Posted by Avery at Sunday, July 02, 2006 No comments: Links to this post
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Native Americans and Industrial Hemp Farming
Updated on November 25, 2016
Ezria Copper
The Crop
The Farm Bill
In 2014 President Obama signed the Agricultural Act of 2014 or the 2014 Farm Bill which included Section 7206 that allowed universities and state departments of agriculture to start growing industrial hemp for research purposes. A bipartisan group of U.S. Senators introduced the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2015. This would allow farmers to produce and cultivate Industrial Hemp. It would also mean that hemp would be removed from the list of controlled substances list as long as it contained no more than .3% of T.H.C. On August 12, 2016, the Drug Enforcement Agency (D.E.A.), U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and U.S. Department of Agriculture released a statement of Principles on Industrial Hemp that informed the general public of their decisions related to hemp starting with the 2014 Farm Bill. Legislation was passed by 30 different states in regard to the productions of industrial hemp.
Industrial Hemp Farming
Pine Ridge Reservation
One of the groups of farmers that would benefit from the legalization of industrial hemp is the Native Americans living in the Pine Ridge Reservation. The Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota is by far the poorest county in the United States. As of 2007 the unemployment rate of the people was 80 to 90 percent and the per capita income was $4,000 a year. The people have eight times the rate of diabetes and five times the rate of cervical cancer. They also have twice the rate of heart disease and eight times the rate of Tuberculosis. The rate of alcoholism is estimated to be around eighty percent. The number of people who commit suicide is twice that of the national rate. The life expectancy of the people on Pine Ridge is the lowest in the United States and second lowest in the Western hemisphere coming behind Haiti as having the lowest rate. Due to their extreme poverty, the Lakota wanted to start growing industrial hemp.
Government Intervened
Helping the planet is a cause very close to the Native Americans, which is one of the reasons why they wanted to grow a crop that was good for the environment like industrial hemp. On August 24th, 2000, the D.E.A. cut down the first industrial hemp crop on Pine Ridge in a highly public raid. It was conducted under the auspices of the C.S.A. At the time of the Fort Laramie Treaty in 1868, the Lakota Indian Nations were allowed to grow food and fiber crops which changed their culture from nomadic hunters and gatherers to one that survives on subsistence farming. Hemp was very commonly grown at the time of this treaty. In the Controlled Substance Act of 1970 the production, manufacture, and distribution of controlled substances including marijuana were criminalized. Industrial hemp was defined as the same as marijuana despite the fact that the T.H.C. content in industrial hemp is not high enough to be used as a drug.
Tribe verses the Government
The states of Nebraska, Kentucky, the Dakotas, and Hawaii among others tried to distinguish between industrial hemp and cannabis used as a psychoactive drug based on the content of T.H.C. The Lakota nation passed an ordinance that distinguished industrial hemp as Cannabis sativa plants containing less than one percent T.H.C. by weight which was exactly how other states distinguished the crop in an attempt to legalize it. Yet, this ordinance did not go against the existing status of marijuana being illegal in the Oglala Lakota Nation. The Native Americans felt that they did not have to abide by the laws of the C.S.A. and that they had the right to grow the crop under the Fort Laramie Treaty. The United States government said that anyone growing hemp on the Pine Ridge reservation would be prosecuted with a minimum of ten years to life in prison.
What is Your Opinion
Do you think that the Native Americans should have been allowed to grow Industrial Hemp?
Industrial Hemp is Good for the Environment
The U.S. Department of Agriculture said that one acre of hemp can produce four times more paper than one acre of trees. Hemp can produce newsprint, computer paper, stationary, card board, envelopes, toilet paper, and feminine products.
Trees must grow for twenty to fifty years after planting before they can be harvested for commercial use while after four months hemp grows ten to twenty feet tall and is ready for harvesting. This means that growing hemp would save rain forests, wildlife habitats, and would eliminate erosion of topsoil due to logging. By reducing topsoil erosion, there would be a reduction in the pollution of lakes, rivers, and streams.
Fewer caustic and toxic chemicals are used to make paper from hemp than are used to make paper from trees.
Hemp fiber is ten times stronger than cotton and can be used to make clothes.
The hemp repels the growth of weeds and has few insect enemies.
A More Renewable Product
Hemp would decrease pesticides being used because 50 % of all pesticides in the U.S. are used on cotton.
Hemp can make building materials that are stronger than wood. The manufacturing of these products would be cheaper than wood that comes from trees.
With hemp being non-intoxicating, it is a source of nutritious high protein oil that could be used for both human and animal consumption while being less expensive than extracting proteins from soy beans.
The majority of hemp-derived products are nontoxic, biodegradable, and renewable.
Industrial hemp would help create less water pollution because it requires only moderate amount of fertilizer, which runs off into the water ways and ground water.
In conclusion, the Obama administration started changing the laws that would allow the growing of industrial hemp and not the hemp used for psychoactive drug use. This would be very beneficial for the planet as well as the people of the world considering it is far more of an environmentally friendly crop and and produces far more durable products. It would also give people like the ones on Pine Ridge Reservation jobs and an economic base in which to support a community. As we go into 2017, these laws may or may not be changed under a new administration. It's time to make our voices heard. The laws need to be changed to support economic growth and infrastructure especially for the Native Americans in the United States.
Do you think that the American government should legalize the growing of industrial hemp?
Why Factory Farming Is (Still) the Worst
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Leaving the Indian Reservation in Pursuit of a Hopeful Future
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Moral Values for Students: A Necessary Part of the Curriculum
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10+ Independent Online News Sources and Why America Needs More of Them
by Gemini Fox157
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A State of Nature
Evan Kent
"A State of Nature" is an audio documentary project that I am working on concerning my sonic experience in the Southern United States. My hope is to make a work that is versatile enough to work as a radioplay, a sound installation, or as a concert experience. These sounds are here as a way for me to allow others to experience the sounds in roughly the same timeline as I do. The sounds here are mostly unaltered field recordings from Arkansas and nearby states.
A State of Nature’s tracks
7 Continents (Bicentennial Mall, Nashville, TN) by A State of Nature
Party With Bottle Rockets (Shreveport, LA) by A State of Nature
Water on Levee (Bywater New Orleans, LA) by A State of Nature
Under the I-30 Bridge (Riverfront Little Rock, AR) by A State of Nature
Peabody Park Spray Pad (Downtown Little Rock, AR) by A State of Nature
Garage, Birds, People, Train (Argenta North Little Rock, Arkansas) by A State of Nature
Rain Dripping on Front Porch (Argenta North Little Rock, Arkansas) by A State of Nature
Pine Grove at 2 Rivers Park (Little Rock, Arkansas) by A State of Nature
Cadron Creek (Greenbrier, AR) by A State of Nature
William E. “Bill” Clark Presidential Park Wetlands (Little Rock, AR) by A State of Nature
A State of Nature's likes
A State of Nature's playlists
A State of Nature's tracks
A State of Nature's comments
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Tag Archives: Terry Connor
Who will be the next Swansea manager?
Swansea City are looking for a new manager after Brendan Rodgers decided to leave for Liverpool and will be hoping their new man can continue the good work of Rodgers.
Swansea finished 11th in the Premier League
It was a bit of a shock to me how well Swansea did in the Premier League this year and the problem with success is that your best players will get linked with moves away from the club and on some occasions like this, the manager also gets offered new jobs. Liverpool must have been difficult for the Northern Irish man to turn down and I’m sure all the Swansea fans will wish him every success but personally I believe he has took the job too early and could be yet another flop at Anfield. He should have stayed with the Welsh side and tried to keep them up for another season because of a few reasons. One being they gave him a chance in the Championship and Premier League after he failed at Reading and another reason being second season syndrome. Towards the end of last season, Swansea were getting found out and teams knew how to beat them for example Newcastle United set a blueprint of how to beat them when they won at the Liberty Stadium 2-0 and they may struggle next season.
So I think the next manager has to get it right and not only continue the work that Rodgers has started but also develop a little bit more of a plan B. Graeme Jones has been made the favourite, this seems strange to me as he has no experience of managing in the Premier League and even though he is a very good assistant we have seen recently that it doesn’t always mean you will be a good manager. Terry Connor failed to win a single game when he was appointed Wolves manager and a few years ago when Sammy Lee took over from Sam Allardyce at Bolton he ultimately failed. So I think this would be very risky and they should look elsewhere.
Personally, I think they should try and get Ian Holloway, he has proved he can overachieve with teams in the past and it was very impressive the way he has got Blackpool challenging for promotion again after losing many key players in the summer. However, he has only managed one season in the Premier League and it obviously ended in relegation which would be quite worrying for the fans. Holloway, would follow the same style of football as Rodgers and may even make them more adventurous which would add something to their game.
Gus Poyet, is also linked with the job and he also likes to play a passing game at his current club Brighton so it would be easy for him to adapt his tactics to the way Swansea already play. At Brighton he has won 46.15% of his games which is quite impressive considering they only just gained promotion to the Championship and were close to getting into the playoffs last season. It may be too early in his career to get a Premier League job like this but he could still succeed as I think he will become a very good Premier League manager in the future so could just need a chance.
Dave Jones is also one of the favourites for the job and I just think this is a very strange one as he has just got Sheffield Wednesday promoted and will not want to leave them so soon and I cannot imagine the fans taking too kindly to a former Cardiff manager being in charge. He does have Premier League experience and does like to play good short passing football but other than that, I don’t see why he is even linked with the job.
This could be one of the most important managerial decisions Swansea will have to make as staying in the Premier League is a must not only for them, but for English football, as more teams that get promoted will feel that playing football can keep them up, instead of long ball tactics as a lot of teams revert to when they gain promotion.
Posted in Football, Soccer, Sport, Sports, Uncategorized | Tagged Anfield, Blackpool, bolton wanderers, Brendan Rodgers, Brighton, Cardiff City, Championship, Davbe Jones, Graeme Jones, Gus Poyet, Ian Holloway, irish man, liberty stadium, Liverpool, Newcastle United, Northern Irish, Premier League, Reading, Sam Allardyce, Sammy Lee, Sheffield Wednesday, Swansea City, Terry Connor, welsh side, Wolves | 4 Replies
Can Wolves bounce straight back to the Premier League?
Posted on April 29, 2012 by patto1992
Wolves will be playing in the Championship next season but at least away to Swansea they gave their fans something to shout about.
When they were 4-1 down they must have thought could this season get any worse but the players have done the club proud and managed to salvage a point which seemed very unlikely after the Danny Graham goal. Out of the three goal scorers for Wolves I only expect one of them to be there next season. Steven Fletcher has got 11 goals in the Premier League this season and in a struggling side that is enough to convince someone to take a chance on him, Fletcher is one of the best in the air and a lot of teams will be interested in the summer and unfortunately for Wolves he will probably be sold quite cheaply. Matt Jarvis scored two of the goals in the game and he is another that should be in the Premier League because he has a lot of ability and can take players on, occasionally though his final delivery can let him down. The other goal scorer on the day was Dave Edwards who has actually had an ok season in my opinion although I don’t think he is that great. He has only managed to get three goals this season and maybe he should have contributed more.
But now it is time to look into the future and the team seem pretty set to challenge for promotion next year because they have a lot of players that are very good in the Championship but have been unable to show their talents in the Premier League. In goal they will have Dorus De Vries who proved at Swansea that he is very good and kept a lot of clean sheets when he was at the club, he will probably be first choice as Wayne Hennessey is injured and could even be sold in the summer. It is in front of the goalkeeper that has been the problem, they have looked awful at times and Roger Johnson is clearly not happy at the club which hasn’t helped his performances and may have even disrupted the dressing room. But Stephen Ward has performed admirably at left back and will continue in that position next season and probably be a lot more effective. In the middle of the back four though they need some changes, Richard Stearman and Christophe Berra are lucky to be Championship defenders never mind first choice in the Premier League with them playing 31 and 33 games each.
At least they have some potential in the midfield with youngster David Davis who has been quite impressive in recent weeks and should be a first team regular next season. In my opinion Jamie O’Hara and Michael Kightly should also stay as they have had injury problems and the club have stuck by them so they should show some loyalty to the club. However, loyalty goes out the window sometimes when it comes to relegation. One player I do think they should get rid of is Karl Henry because he isn’t very good and it isn’t surprising that the team has struggled every year when he is their main midfielder, he is poor on the ball and dives into stupid tackles and picks up needless bookings.
Up front with the expected departure of Steven Fletcher they may struggle especially if Kevin Doyle also gets a move away but he is another that I think should show some loyalty as hasn’t really shown his best during his time at Molineux only scoring 21 goals in 102 games. One positive is that Sylvan Ebanks-Blake can score goals in the Championship and will perform a lot better than he has done in recent seasons. He only has one goal in the Premier League this year but has scored a lot of goals in the division below.
I believe whoever the manager is next year, I think they do need more experience than Terry Connor but he could still do a decent job, needs to bring in a few players especially in key areas such as centre back and centre forward but other than that I expect Wolves to be knocking on the door of the Premier League at this stage next year.
Posted in Football, Soccer, Sport, Sports, Uncategorized | Tagged Championship, Christophe Berra, clean sheets, Danny Graham, Dave Edwards, David Davis, Dorus De Vries, goal scorer, goal scorers, hennessey, Jamie O'Hara, Karl Henry, Kevin Doyle, Matt Jarvis, Michael Kightly, Premier League, Richard Stearman, Roger Johnson, Stephen Ward, Steven Fletcher, Swansea City, Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, Terry Connor, Wayne Hennessey, Wolves | Leave a reply
Who will be relegated from the Premier League?
The battle at the bottom is going to be one of the best ever with five teams all struggling to string together a set of results that will pull them away from the danger zone.
Wigan Athletic, Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers, QPR and Wolves are the five teams and it will probably go to the last day to decide who is going to play Championship football next season. With only four points separating them, it could even be decided by goal difference. So who is the most likely to stay up.
Let’s start with bottom of the table Wigan. Out of the five teams they are the favourites to go down because they are the smallest club and have always struggled in the Premier League. However, this could work to their advantage as some teams may not take them as seriously as they should. They also have some good players and have been in this situation before and survived, it was only a few seasons ago they stayed up on the last day which shows when it comes down to it they can hold their nerve. They have a good goalkeeper in Ali Al-Habsi and he should be playing for a better team as he has performed brilliantly for the club and it wouldn’t surprise me if he left in the summer even if they did stay up. Wigan play some good football and probably only need a proven goal scorer but these are difficult to find. Hugo Rodallega is a decent player but he will not score enough goals, Victor Moses, another very good player but he will not be a consistent goal scorer.
Blackburn have just beaten Wolves and this shows that when it comes down to it, they are up for the fight. Their manager Steve Kean has been written off multiple times this season but the players seem to be playing for him and are very much behind him. They also have some very good players and what maybe the other teams don’t have is a proven goal scorer. Yakubu has arguably been the signing of the season and if they stay up he should receive a lot of praise. They also have Morten Gamst Pedersen and Junior Hoilett in their midfield and these two can change a game in the blink of an eye, they both have fantastic technique and have also got a few goals in them.
Bolton also secured a massive three points when they beat QPR with a very late goal from Ivan Klasnic. They shouldn’t really be in this position but most teams in the league will struggle when they have their two best players out injured for most of the season. Lee Chung Yong and Stuart Holden give the team so much quality and it would be difficult to replace them especially when they don’t have the biggest budgets. However, they do have Nigel Reo Coker and Mark Davies in their midfield and if Bolton go down then surely these two will still be Premier League players after the summer because they can control a game from the middle of the park.
Wolves are in real danger in my opinion because they have given Terry Connor the responsibility of guiding the club away from the danger zone. I am not slating him but in a situation like this you want a manger with experience. Also, putting in the assistant to me is a bad choice because it is like the old regime is still in the club and maybe something new would have given everyone a lift. Steven Fletcher has had a good season for the club but he has lacked the support, Kevin Doyle works hard but has not scored enough goals, and Sylvain Ebanks Blake is not a Premier League striker at all. The problem with Wolves is that they cannot defend and concede some very sloppy goals, Wayne Hennessey deserves praise this season because he has gained the team points and also kept the score lines down which could prove vital at the end of the season.
QPR have a good team, a good manger and the backing of the board so it seems that everything should be going well at the club but for some reason it hasn’t actually worked out. If QPR do go down there will be a lot of what ifs asked, for example what if Warnock stayed in charge would we have stayed up? The signings they made in January should have kept them up safely with Djibril Cisse and Bobby Zamora coming in to provide some much needed firepower. The defence is still a worry though as Clint Hill is still first choice, and he is not a Premier League defender. In the Bolton game they didn’t have much luck but you don’t get much at the bottom anyway.
I am not sure on who will go down and my opinion will change now on a weekly basis, but looking at QPR’s fixture list they seem to be in a lot of trouble but football is a strange game and anything can happen so it will be enjoyable for all the neutrals but for the fans involved it will be agony.
Posted in Football, Soccer, Sport, Sports, Uncategorized | Tagged Ali Al Habsi, Blackburn Rovers, blackburn rovers bolton, Bobby Zamora, bolton wanderers, Championship, championship football, Clint Hill, consistent goal, Djibril Cisse, goal scorer, Hugo Rodallega, Ivan Klasnic, Junior Hoilett, Kevin Doyle, Lee Chung Yong, Mark Davies, Morten Gamst Pedersen, Neil Warnock, Nigel Reo Coker, Premier League, QPR, soccer, sports, Steve Kean, Steven Fletcher, Stuart Holden, Sylvain Ebanks Blake, Terry Connor, Victor Moses, Wigan Athletic, Wolves, Yakubu | 4 Replies
Should Roger Johnson and Lee Cattermole step down as captains of Wolves and Sunderland
Two club captains this week have been told that even though their behaviour has not been the best they will be keeping the armband.
Sunderland skipper Lee Cattermole was sent off after the final whistle in the game against Newcastle and Roger Johnson allegedly turned up for training drunk. The Wolves captain issued an apology straightaway which was the right thing to do but this is not the type of behaviour young fans should be seeing from their heroes.
Lee Cattermole was an absolute disgrace and even his manager Martin O’Neill could not defend his actions and if he should have taken away the armband because he has not ever shown the qualities of a real captain anyway. Yes he has the passion and the drive to succeed for his club but he takes it too far and picks up needless bookings and gets sent off. In the Newcastle game he got booked in the first 40 seconds for a tackle that may on another day have resulted in a red with the way football is at the moment and he probably only got saved because it was so early in the game. How can you justify him? Gets booked 40 seconds into the game and sent off 60 seconds after the final whistle and the manager expects the rest of the players to follow his example.
Cattermole has now seen red six times in his career
You could say the occasion got to him but this is not a one off, I believe that if he stays in the Premier League his whole career he will eventually get sent off more than any other player in the history of the league unless he calms down a lot. This, however does not seem likely and the manager needs to stop this and maybe if he took away the armband he would learn.
Roger Johnson is arguably worse because you cannot turn up for work drunk so why does he, a professional footballer think it is acceptable to do it. There is a thing with footballers that they all have really big egos and this is just more evidence that they do, it shows a lack of respect for the club and a lack of respect for the new man in charge. He has no defence for what he did, but at least he apologised and this is where I think he may deserve another chance unlike Cattermole because he knows he did wrong and he had a pretty clean slate before this incidence so I am hoping that it is just a one off.
All players are going to make mistakes but these two need to look at themselves more than the others because everyone at the club looks up to the captains and this includes everyone from teammates to youth team players to fans. The manager uses the captain to deliver his messages to the rest of the team and if they can’t be trusted then they need replacing. Both of these players are valuable to their clubs but maybe as recent weeks have shown not as captain.
Posted in Football, Soccer, Sport, Sports, Uncategorized | Tagged Lee Cattermole, martin o neill, Martin O'Neill, Newcastle United, Roger Johnson, soccer, sports, Sunderland, Terry Connor, transportation, Wolves | 5 Replies
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Honorary Member Nasrin Sotoudeh Released from Prison
By PEN Canada | September 23, 2013 at 2:23 pm | 2 comments | News | Tags: Iran, Nasrin Sotoudeh, One Humanity
The early release from prison on September 18, 2013 of Iranian lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, is a welcome first indication that the Iranian authorities may be addressing the dire state of freedom of expression in the country, said PEN International. Sotoudeh is the recipient of the 2011 American PEN Centre’s Barbara Goldsmith award, PEN Canada’s 2011 One Humanity award and the 2012 Sakharov prize for Freedom of Thought. The grounds on which she was released from her six-year prison term remain unclear, according to her husband, Reza Khandan, in reports carried by news agencies.
As news spread of the unexpected release, Marian Botsford Fraser, Chair of PEN International’s Writers in Prison Committee said, “A fearless defender of the human rights of people in Iran is freed. In prison, she remained fiercely committed to human rights; she suffered solitary confinement for her hunger strike to protest the travel ban on her daughter; and the conditions of her incarceration were abysmal. We welcome this wonderful news, about a woman who has been an inspiration to so many.”
“I have just returned from PEN International’s 79th World Congress in Iceland, where delegates discussed the very serious restrictions on freedom of expression in Iran,” Botsford Fraser added, “We are calling on the Iranian authorities to match the steps they have taken today by releasing all other writers currently imprisoned in Iran solely for exercising their right to legitimate freedom of expression”.
It remains unclear whether Sotoudeh continues to be subject to a 10-year ban on travel abroad and practising as a lawyer. PEN International has long been concerned at the situation of freedom of expression in Iran and currently is aware of over 20 other writers, journalists and bloggers detained solely on account of their peaceful expression of their opinions or advocacy of others’ rights.
Nasrin Sotoudeh is an honorary member of the Canadian, Scottish, Finnish and Swedish PEN centres.
Egypt: 500 Days Since Arrest of Poet Galal El-Behairy
Writing the Future in Indigenous Languages
Kazakhstan: Impunity Following Crackdown on Peaceful Protests
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Unions and the allocation of teacher quality in public schools
Report • By Emma García and Lawrence Mishel • April 7, 2016
A renowned California court decision in 2014 declaring that teacher tenure laws violated the state constitution has highlighted the issue of tenure and its relationship to the allocation of teachers across schools (Vergara v. State of California 2014). This debate is rooted in a deeper discussion about whether disadvantaged children are taught by less-credentialed, less-effective teachers; whether this misallocation might vary across states and/or districts; and whether it could partly explain socioeconomic achievement gaps (Adamson and Darling-Hammond 2012; Clotfelter et al. 2006; Isenberg et al. 2013; Reardon 2011). Moreover, the question has been raised as to whether teachers’ unions, through collective bargaining or legislation, could to some extent be responsible for this misallocation (Moe 2011; Vergara v. State of California 2014; Whitehurst, West, Chingos, and Dynarski 2015).
This paper explores these issues using nationally representative data on schools and teachers from the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). First, it examines the extent to which there is a misallocation of teachers in terms of a gap between the qualifications of teachers in schools in general versus the qualifications of teachers in high-poverty schools, defined as schools in which over half of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. The observable credentials of interest are the teacher’s years of experience, educational background in the subject taught, and certification. We selected these variables based on evidence of their association with more effective teaching (Darling-Hammond 1999; Ladd and Sorensen 2014). Also, they match with the federal definition of “highly qualified” teachers (see the U.S. Department of Education’s Educator Equity Profiles).
Second, the paper examines whether a relationship exists between the strength of teachers’ unions in a state and the allocation of teacher quality across schools. Our analyses rely on a simple bivariate relationship—are unions strong or weak, and qualified teachers evenly allocated or misallocated—and so we cannot assess any causal relationship between union strength and resource allocations. Nevertheless, the analyses provide information on the extent, if any, to which unions and collective bargaining are associated with the misallocation of teachers in schools with high proportions of students eligible for free/reduced-price lunch, relative to all schools, across states.1
Our analyses find that there is no relationship between union strength and a misallocation of teachers that disadvantages students in high-poverty schools. In other words, the misallocations are not more nor less severe or prevalent in states with stronger unions. Specifically, the results of regressions run using two measures of union strength (each measured in two ways, continuous and categorical) and three teacher quality credentials for four grade and subject combinations (reading/math, 4th/8th grades) consistently show that misallocations of teacher quality are not more nor less severe in states with stronger teachers unions. Specific findings include the following:
Almost half (47.7 percent) of U.S. public schools are high-poverty schools. The share is over two-thirds in Mississippi, Washington, D.C., New Mexico, Louisiana, Arkansas, Alabama, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Florida, and less than 20 percent in Nebraska, Utah, Iowa, Minnesota, Wyoming, North Dakota, and New Hampshire (it is only 5 percent in the last state).
The credentials of teachers in schools overall are better than the credentials of teachers in high-poverty schools. The misallocation in terms of teacher experience is greatest in Connecticut, Virginia, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Maryland, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and New York. In terms of educational background, the gaps are largest in New Hampshire, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Ohio, and North Dakota. In terms of certification, the gaps are largest in Virginia, South Dakota, and Maryland.
In some states high-poverty schools have more experienced teachers (for example, New Jersey, Ohio, Rhode Island, Wyoming, and North Dakota), more certificated teachers (such as Hawaii and New Jersey), and more teachers with an educational background in the subject taught (such as Iowa, in math).
The density of teachers unions has no apparent connection to either of these allocations. We see teacher misallocation problems in states with high teacher-union density (for example, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and New York) and in states with low union density (such as Virginia, Arkansas, and Arizona). Credentials of teachers in high-poverty schools are better than average in some states with high teacher-union density (such as New Jersey and Rhode Island) but also in some states with low union density (for example, Wyoming and South Dakota). Some states with high union density (such as Hawaii and Wisconsin) and some with low union density (such as South Carolina and Tennessee) experience no significant misallocations in terms of credentials. (States above are listed according to values from highest to lowest.)
The contention that unions play a role in misallocating resources, sending them away from where they are most needed, is a distraction from efforts to address the persistent nature of achievement gaps between advantaged and disadvantaged students. Disentangling the relative importance of individual, school, community, institutional, and contextual factors in explaining these inequalities should be a primary step in guiding policy. With this goal, we should pursue research that provides further insights on why teachers sort the way they do, which other aspects of school finance and school quality (e.g., facilities, access to advanced classes, curriculum, climate, etc.) differ between high-poverty schools and others, and how these resources influence student performance gaps.
The relationship between children’s performance in school and their socioeconomic status (SES) is among the most widely documented in the empirical research into the economics of education. There is evidence of economic disadvantage affecting children’s development at the individual and group level (first documented by Coleman et al. 1966), as well as evidence of the persistence of SES gaps across cohorts (Reardon 2011) and through time (Duncan and Brooks-Gunn 1997; Nores 2006; Papay, Murnane, and Willett 2014). The research community has attempted to find the mechanisms that underlie these disadvantages, and in the last two decades numerous studies have highlighted the different circumstances that could in part explain the gaps. (For a comprehensive discussion of some of the factors, see Rothstein 2004 and Morsy and Rothstein 2015.)
Some studies have examined whether disadvantaged students attend schools that are not equal to those of their advantaged peers in terms of financing and access to education resources (teachers and school quality). In particular, the literature has suggested that children who are economically disadvantaged or who are racial minorities are taught by less-credentialed and/or less-effective teachers (Adamson and Darling-Hammond 2012; Clotfelter et al. 2006; Darling-Hammond 2004; Isenberg et al. 2013), and that this teacher misallocation could potentially drive some of the achievement gaps (Reardon 2011; Sass et al. 2012).
Several studies illustrate these points. In an examination of New York State schools, Lankford, Loeb, and Wyckoff (2002) found that low-income, low-achieving, and nonwhite students, especially those in urban areas, were more likely than higher-SES, higher-achieving, white students to be taught by teachers with no teaching experience (12 percent versus 10 percent), teachers not certified in any subject taught (21 percent versus 16 percent), and teachers who had failed the general knowledge or liberal arts exam (28 percent versus 20 percent). Loeb, Darling-Hammond, and Luczak (2005) found that in California higher proportions of low-income and minority students in a school increased the odds of high teacher turnover, and these students received slightly larger proportions of first-year teachers. Clotfelter, Ladd, and Vigdor (2005) found that in North Carolina black students were more likely than white students—54 percent more likely in math and 38 percent in English—to be instructed by a novice teacher. Goldhaber, Lavery, and Theobald (2014) found in Washington State that all measures of teacher quality (teacher experience, licensure exam score) were inequitably distributed by socioeconomic status, minority status, and prior academic performance at all educational levels (with the exception of licensure exam scores in high school math classrooms).2
In addition to differences in observable credentials, another way to estimate misallocation of teacher quality is to examine measures of teacher effectiveness, mostly associated with teacher value-added estimates. These studies tend to indicate that teachers’ average effectiveness in high-poverty schools is lower than in low-poverty schools (Goldhaber, Lavery, and Theobald 2014; Isenberg et al. 2013; Sass et al. 2012). In a study of teacher quality in Florida and North Carolina, the authors estimated that the differences in average teacher quality across high-poverty schools (defined in the study as those in which 70 percent or more of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches) and low-poverty schools vary from 1 percent to 7 percent of a standard deviation in Florida and from 1 percent to 2 percent of a standard deviation in North Carolina (Sass et al. 2012). The evidence also suggests that there is greater variation in teacher quality among high-poverty schools themselves (Sass et al. 2012). However, when trying to reconcile the two available estimates of teacher quality, two important caveats arise. On the one hand differences in credentials—teachers’ experience, certification status, and educational attainment—“explain at most one-fourth of the difference in teacher quality across high and lower-poverty schools” (Sass et al. 2012, 105). On the other hand, value-added estimates are sensitive to the model specification, especially to the inclusion of peer effects (Isenberg et al. 2013, 38–39) or to effects of unmeasured school characteristics (Sass et al. 2012, 110).
Overall, these studies support three main findings. One, even though most of the estimates refer to particular districts or states (and thus an average estimate of the misallocation of teacher quality across states is not shown), the evidence consistently points out statistically significant differences in the quality of teachers serving disadvantaged and other students. Second, while there is complete agreement and evidence about the importance of teachers for student learning (Rivkin, Hanushek, and Kain 2005), there is less agreement on how to measure teacher quality, how it contributes to student learning, whether such a contribution is the same for all types of students, and whether it could close achievement gaps.3 Third, the empirical studies point to unequal allocation of resources besides teacher quality, such as access to advanced-placement classes, safety, etc., that can also affect achievement gaps (Office of Civil Rights 2014).
Less clear from existing studies is what factors determine the misallocation of teacher quality and the resulting impact on achievement gaps. These factors could include both teacher preferences and a variety of institutional factors.4 It has been frequently claimed that tenure laws and the transfer rights and seniority provisions in teachers’ collective bargaining contracts drive the teacher quality problems faced by disadvantaged students. This claim, however, has not been examined in depth empirically, either directly or indirectly. For instance, various analysts contend that teacher tenure laws—or, in general, a union’s protection of the teaching profession—cause systemic problems, including “teacher quality issues and persistent achievement gaps” (as synthesized in D’Amico 2014), are “practically the sole causes of underperforming schools,” or are “impeding quality schools” (as mentioned in Goldstein 2014, loc.123 and 2559). This view is represented in research by Moe (2011), by Whitehurst et al. (2015), and by various voices in policymaking and advocacy.5 The reasoning behind this argument is that contracts grant teachers the option to transfer from schools with less-agreeable conditions to schools with more-agreeable conditions on the basis of seniority (not tenure). This option would facilitate or somehow induce a redistribution of teachers away from high-poverty schools, where presumably the working conditions are relatively tougher, and thus facilitate or somehow induce unequal sorting and misallocation of teacher quality. Ravitch (2006) dismisses this argument by noting that teacher tenure laws were not invented by unions and never really protected teachers, nor, as D’Amico (2014) points out, were they supposed to. Indeed, teacher tenure provisions, which predate teachers unions, exist in states without collective bargaining rights. As Ravitch (2006) notes, tenure policies do not ease or necessarily even cover transfers, and seniority does not always play a role in teacher transfer rights.6 Moreover, as Moore-Johnson et al. (2007) argue, some unions, in collaboration with management, may play a significant role in promoting teaching quality via teacher dismissal policies, promotion of the use of rigorous evaluation of teachers, and encouragement of staffing in hard-to-attract schools. Examples include initiatives such as peer assistance and review to observe and increase teacher quality, and strategies that pursue adequate staffing in hard-to-staff schools (Moore-Johnson et al. 2007; NEA Foundation 2012).7 Empirical work along these lines includes Baker (2012) and Koski and Horng (2007), among others.
The available empirical research on the impact of teachers unions on teacher quality allocation is neither robust nor conclusive. One challenge is that most of the research focuses on specific districts or states. Another challenge is that specific policies such as tenure or seniority that are part of collective bargaining agreements (or collective bargaining in general) vary from district to district or from state to state, based on the specific contract. Both things make it hard to make general statements about how unions affect teacher quality. A number of studies illustrating these challenges are mentioned below. For example, New York City recently modified teacher tenure regulations. An evaluation of that policy found that low-performing and less-qualified teachers were more likely to be denied tenure—instead, most had their probationary periods extended (Loeb, Miller, and Wickoff 2014). Also, teachers in schools with a disproportionately large share of black students were more likely to have their probationary periods extended (although this reflected uneven distribution of less-effective teachers). Regarding seniority provisions in collective bargaining agreements, recent research looking at within-district teacher transfers in Washington State (Goldhaber, Lavery, and Theobald 2015) found that seniority was rarely the only factor in transfer decisions (just 5 percent of agreements used seniority as the single factor in voluntary transfer decisions; 12 percent used it as the single factor in involuntary transfers); 40 percent of agreements did not address the role of seniority for transfer decisions at all. In terms of whether transfer rates to schools with lower proportions of disadvantaged students varied by seniority and the seniority transfer protections accorded in the bargaining agreements across districts, the study found that within-district teacher mobility patterns varied depending on the transfer provisions in the bargaining agreement: “the interaction between teacher experience and school disadvantage in teacher transfer decisions is consistently more extreme [more senior teachers are even more likely to leave disadvantaged schools, and novice teachers are even more likely to stay in disadvantaged schools] in districts with strong seniority transfer protections” (p. 29). However, the study did not find evidence that the overall rates of teacher transfers varied across districts with different transfer provisions in the bargaining agreements,8 but it concluded that the contribution of CBA [collective bargaining agreement] transfer provisions to teacher inequities between advantaged and disadvantaged schools “is likely to be small but meaningful.”9
A detailed commentary by Baker (2012) dismissed any relationship between union strength on the one hand and funding levels and equity on the other. The correlations (it is worth emphasizing that, like ours, Baker’s paper does not tackle the causality question) show that states with stronger teachers unions tend to have more adequate and equitable funding levels than states with weaker unions. His findings also suggest that income-adjusted performance for nonpoor students in states with weak unions is lower than in states with strong unions, and that there is no adverse relationship between the strength of unions and achievement gaps between poor and nonpoor students in the states. But Hoxby (1996) came to the opposite conclusion, finding that teachers unions raise school budgets and inputs but lower student achievement by decreasing the productivity of inputs. Lott and Kenny (2013), who used statewide teachers union dues and spending to identify states with strong unions, concluded likewise; they found that students in states with strong unions had lower test scores than students in states with low dues and spending.
In this paper we add to this literature by using basic analytic methods to examine whether disadvantaged children are taught by less-credentialed teachers and, if so, whether there is any variation in this trend across states. We also examine whether teachers unions, through either collective bargaining or legislation, are associated with an allocation of teachers that disadvantages students in high-poverty schools.
The empirical analyses rely on teacher credential data from the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and on two measures of teachers union strength, one computed from the Current Population Survey (2009–2013) and the other based on the Fordham Institute’s ranking of union strength (Winkler, Scull, and Zeehandelaar 2012).
From NAEP, using a sample of public (noncharter) schools, we obtain the distribution of schools based on the proportion of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch (FRL) in the school. High-poverty schools are considered to be those in which over 50 percent of students are FRL-eligible. We distinguish them from low-poverty schools (up to 25 percent eligible) and moderate-poverty schools (26–50 percent eligible).
Also using NAEP, we calculate the credentials of teachers of mathematics and reading in both the 4th and 8th grades in public schools. The credentials of interest include years of experience, educational background, and type of teaching certificate. Specifically, teachers are considered experienced if they have five or more years of experience. They are considered subject experts if they have educational background in the subject taught (for math, if the teacher has a major or minor in math as an undergraduate or graduate; for reading, if the teacher has a major or minor as undergraduate or graduate in reading, language arts/English, other language arts, or English-language learning). And they are considered certified if they have a regular/standard teaching certificate. We focus on three measures of teacher quality—the proportion of teachers with at least five years’ experience, with certification, and with a major or minor in their subject matter—and examine teachers in each of the four grade/subject combinations (math 4th and 8th; reading 4th and 8th).
In order to assess whether teachers are misallocated in high-poverty schools, we compare the proportion of teachers having each of the three quality measures (experience, credentials, major or minor in field) in high-poverty schools relative to the average proportion across all schools in the state. We refer to these differences as “gaps” and focus our analysis on the relationship between teachers union strength and these gaps across the states.
We use two different measures of the strength of unions in each state, and the measures are highly correlated (see Figure A).10 In particular, the collective bargaining coverage (CBC) rate from the Current Population Survey measures the proportion of teachers covered by collective bargaining, as opposed to having actual union membership. (Specifically, the sample is from the CPS ORG data on full-time public K-12 teachers with at least a bachelor’s degree and with imputed or nonimputed positive weekly earnings, for a pooled sample from 2009–2013.) Fordham’s index reflects an assessment of a wide variety of dimensions of union strength; higher values show states with stronger unions.11 In our analyses we deploy these variables as either a continuous or a categorical variable. Our categorical analyses rely on states being assigned to quintiles based on a ranking of union strength, allowing us to compare the states at the bottom quintile of union strength with those in successively stronger quintiles. The use of the categorical specification provides a mechanical but probably more realistic test of the role of unions: instead of testing whether there is a different outcome in states per percentage-point difference of union coverage, say 38 percent rather than 37 percent, which is predetermined to be the same as between 60 and 61 percent, the test is whether states with strong unions (high CBC) have different outcomes than those with very little collective bargaining coverage (low CBC).
EPI and Fordam measures of union strength are highly correlated: Relationship between collective bargaining coverage rate and Fordham Institute’s (inverse) ranking of union strength
cbcrate
ustrength
Source: Union strength rankings are from the Fordham Institute (Winkler, Scull, and Zeehandelaar 2012) and collective bargaining data are from EPI's analysis of Current Population Survey data
As mentioned above, we use basic descriptive and regression analyses to analyze the relationship between teacher credential allocations across schools and union strength. We have repeated these analyses comparing the credentials of teachers in high-poverty schools with the credentials of teachers in low-poverty schools. We have also repeated our analyses, not shown but available from the authors, using the recently released metrics on teacher quality by state (from the U.S. Department of Education’s Educator Equity Profiles for the 2011–2012 school year) and confirmed our results.12
In sum, our analyses are essentially descriptive, presenting plots of relationships across states and offering some regressions using one explanatory variable (various measures of union strength) and three teacher-quality measures in four subject/grade combinations. We view these analyses as a first cut at examining the empirical relationship between unions and teacher quality allocation. It might be the case that developing alternative specifications with more controls could result in different outcomes. We view the fact that our multiple ways of examining the relationship between unions and teacher quality allocation yield the same conclusion—that there is no relationship between union strength and teacher quality misallocation—as a strong indication that other more robust analyses would yield a similar conclusion. Results are discussed in the next section.
We start with some basic descriptive results (Table 1). First, almost half of U.S. public schools (47.7 percent) are high-poverty schools, i.e., schools in which over 50 percent of the student body is eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. The concentration of high-poverty schools varies widely across states. While less than 20 percent of schools are high poverty in New Hampshire, North Dakota, Wyoming, Minnesota, Iowa, Utah, or Nebraska, over two-thirds of schools in Mississippi, D.C., New Mexico, Louisiana, Arkansas, Alabama, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Florida have more than half of their student bodies in FRL status. These differences obviously constitute very different scenarios for the provision of education and associated resource and funding needs.
Share of public schools with low, moderate, and high proportions of students who are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, by state
26 to 50%
59.3 36.0 4.7
Note: Charter schools are not included.
Source: 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) microdata from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Data from schools operated by the Department of Defense for the children of service members are excluded.
Table 2, which looks at 8th-grade math teachers in 2011, provides two ways of computing the gaps in teacher allocation. The top panel compares teacher quality in high-poverty schools and the “average” school. For instance, we see that, on average, 83.7 percent of teachers in public schools had five years or more of experience, 82.4 percent had an educational background in math, and 92.2 percent were certified. In contrast, high-poverty schools had three percentage points fewer teachers (83.7 percent versus 80.7 percent) with five or more years of experience. Also, fewer teachers in high-poverty schools had a degree in the subject they taught (78.9 percent, 3.5 percentage points less than the average) and 90.2 percent of teachers were certified (a gap of 2 percentage points).
Are teachers evenly allocated among low, average, and high-poverty schools?: Share of U.S. 8th-grade math teachers with quality measure in high-poverty schools compared with average and low-poverty schools, 2011
With five or more years of experience
With major or minor in math
With regular/standard certification
Average High poverty Gap (average–high poverty) Average High poverty Gap (average– high poverty) Average High poverty Gap (average–high poverty)
83.7% 80.7% 3.0% 82.4% 78.9% 3.5% 92.2% 90.2% 2.0%
Low poverty High poverty Gap (low–high poverty) Low poverty High poverty Gap (low–high poverty) Low poverty High poverty Gap (low–high poverty)
Note: Data are for public, noncharter schools. High-poverty schools are those in which more than 50 percent of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. In low-poverty schools the share of such students is up to 25 percent.
The bottom panel in Table 2 repeats this exercise with a comparison of teacher quality in high-poverty versus low-poverty schools.13 We do not use these gaps in our empirical analysis because the share of schools with low poverty differs so greatly across states, and some states have few such schools (meaning that the comparisons are not all that meaningful).14
Table 3 shows the substantial variation across states in the gaps between teacher-quality shares in high-poverty and average schools. For example, the results show substantial misallocation of experienced teachers (large gaps between their shares on average compared with in high-poverty schools) in Connecticut, Virginia, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Maryland, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and New York (from 19 to about 9 percentage points of difference). In terms of teachers’ educational background, New Hampshire (with a 40 percentage-point gap), Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Ohio, and North Dakota have the largest misallocations. With respect to teacher certification, the gaps tend to be smaller, with only Virginia, South Dakota, and Maryland reaching a roughly 10 percentage-point difference in the proportion of teachers with a certificate in high-poverty schools compared with the average. In some states high-poverty schools have more experienced teachers (New Jersey, Ohio, Rhode Island, Wyoming, and North Dakota, on the order of 5 to 10 percentage-point differences), more certificated teachers (Hawaii and New Jersey, 5 to 13 percentage points), and more teachers with an educational background in math (Iowa, 4.5 percentage points).
States ranked by misallocation of teacher quality: Share of U.S. 8th-grade math teachers with quality measure in average school compared with high-poverty schools, by state, 2011
High poverty
Gap (average–high poverty)
81.7% 62.3% 19.3
94.2% 84.4% 9.8
89.5% 86.2% 3.4%
84.8% 84.8% -0.1
74.4% 74.5% -0.2%
95.7% 100.0% -4.3
86.1% 98.6% -12.5
Note: Data are for teachers in public, noncharter schools. High-poverty schools are those in which more than 50 percent of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. Gaps may not sum due to rounding.
Although some of the scales of teacher misallocation found in the NAEP data look modest, all these differences are statistically significant (using the t-tests of equal means). We say “modest” because the gaps do not seem large enough to drive large differences in educational outcomes across schools. The newly released data in the NCES’s Educator Equity Profiles from the 2011–2012 school year also seem to show the degree of misallocation to be fairly modest. (That these gaps are modest on average does not mean that this is an important focus for policy discussion.)
As in Table 2, we limit our graphical presentation (Figures B–D) to the results for 8th-grade math teachers, but the results are comparable for the other grade/subject groups. For each measure of teacher quality we plot each of the two measures of union strength against (1) the proportion of teachers in high-poverty schools who have that quality; (2) the proportion of teachers with that quality across all schools on average; and (3) the gap between the proportion of teachers with that quality in all schools and the proportion with that quality in high-poverty schools.
In the top two panels of each figure, the vertical axis shows higher teacher quality the further up the axis and the horizontal axis shows greater union strength moving to the right (one column for each union measure). Therefore, if teacher quality declined with union strength, we would expect to see a downward-sloping line in each graph. The bottom pair of graphs in each set shows the allocation gap, with the vertical axis this time showing a greater gap between all schools and high-poverty schools the further up the axis: therefore, an upward sloping line indicates that states with stronger unions have larger gaps in teacher quality allocation.
We follow each set of figures on the particular quality measure with a table presenting regression statistics (tables 4–6). Regressions are presented for each of the three variables, as listed above, but for every subject/grade combination (three dependent variables, four subject/grades). The regression is specified with the union variable as a set of dummies indicating levels of union strength—broken down into quintiles (fifths)—with union strength rising as the fifth gets larger (the fifth “fifth” has the strongest unions), and the omitted category represents the weakest unions. This exercise is repeated for the collective bargaining coverage measure in the top panel and the Fordham measure of union strength in the bottom panel. We also conduct these exercises using the two union variables as continuous variables (proportion of teachers with collective bargaining coverage and the ordinal ranking of the Fordham measure), which coincide with the slope of linear adjustment shown in the figures (for all the combinations of teacher qualities, grades, subjects, and union variables). For each teacher quality, this method provides a total of 24 tests of correlations between teacher quality and union strength for the quintile regressions, and another 24 tests of correlations for the continuous variables. We focus our discussion, however, on the last four columns, which present the results for the allocation of teacher quality in all the schools versus high-poverty schools (columns called “Average minus high-poverty”).
It is easy to summarize our results because we consistently fail to show an association between the strength of unions and the allocation or misallocation of teacher credentials across schools in a state. States with stronger teachers’ unions do not seem to place teachers with weak credentials in schools with disadvantaged students any more than states with weak unions do. We find no negative or no association at all between union strength on the one hand and the allocations of credentials in average schools or in high-poverty schools on the other (although we find some positive slopes, suggesting that the credentials of teachers—on average and in high-poverty schools—are better in states with stronger unions). Most importantly, we find no association between union strength and the misallocation of credentials among high-poverty schools relative to the average school.15
This result is confirmed using different specifications of union strength, measured categorically in quintiles and as continuous, and adding an additional control for the proportion of high-poverty schools in the state. The results also hold when we look at the gap between low- and high-poverty schools (results not shown) and when we use the credentials available from the Educator Equity Profiles database (results available upon request). Our examination of the relationship between union strength and teacher misallocation (the bottom panels of Figures B-D and right panels in Tables 4–6) shows no relationship regardless of teacher quality measure, grade level, or subject matter: all figures show a flat/zero slope.16
A more detailed examination of the results allows us to point out other correlations of interest, as well as a few exceptions to the main stated findings. Looking at the misallocations (right panels on the regression tables using quintiles), the previous conclusions would hold for all credentials, grades, and subjects with just a few exceptions. For instance, we find some positive and some negative statistically significant coefficients that indicate union strength has an impact. These exceptions are few and they run in both directions, indicating that stronger unions are sometimes associated with a more favorable and sometimes with a less favorable allocation of teacher quality for disadvantaged students. In experience (reading, 8th grade), in states with unions on the third quintile as per the collective bargaining coverage measure, the gap between teachers’ experience in average schools and high-poverty schools is larger than the gap in states with the weakest unions. In education, also as per the bargaining agreement variable, in states in the fourth quintile the gap between teachers’ background (math, 8th grade) in average schools and high-poverty schools is larger than the gap in states with the weakest unions (the comparison of states in the third quintile of union strength using the Fordham index and states at the bottom produces a similar finding). However, in states in the third quintile the gap between teachers’ background (reading, 4th grade) in average schools and high-poverty schools is smaller than the gap in states with the weakest unions, indicating union strength is associated with less misallocation. There are some positive coefficients, as reflected by the Fordham index, in the misallocation of teachers according to their certificate and reading teachers in 4th grade, and some according to the bargaining agreement variable and reading teachers in 8th grade, but a negative coefficient (indicating union strength associated with teacher quality allocations more favorable to disadvantaged students) in the fourth quintile associated with states with strong unions and math teachers in 8th grade, relative to states with the weakest unions.
There is no evidence of a correlation between union strength in states and shares of experienced teachers that disadvantage high-poverty schools: Relationship between union strength and share of teachers with five or more years of experience, 2011
By union strength
85.5% 32
By collective bargaining coverage
.6 20
-.6 15
.6 69.6
-.6 55.4
Note: High-poverty schools are those in which more than 50 percent of students are eligible for free and reduced-price lunch. On the inverse Fordham index of union strength, 1 is the lowest value. The CBC rate is the share of teachers covered by collective bargaining.
Source: Data on teacher experience are from the National Center for Education Statistics (8th-grade math); union strength rankings are from the Fordham Institute (Winkler, Scull, and Zeehandelaar 2012) and collective bargaining data are from the Current Population Survey
There is no evidence of a correlation between union strength in states and shares of subject-expert teachers that disadvantage high-poverty schools: Relationship between union strength and share of teachers with educational background in the subject taught, 2011
-1.3 2
.5 9
Note: High-poverty schools are those in which more than 50 percent of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. On the inverse Fordham index of union strength, 1 is the lowest value. The CBC rate is the share of teachers covered by collective bargaining.
Source: Data on teacher educational background are from the National Center for Education Statistics (8th-grade math); union strength rankings are from the Fordham Institute (Winkler, Scull, and Zeehandelaar 2012) and collective bargaining data are from the Current Population Survey
There is no evidence of a correlation between union strength in states and shares of certified teachers that disadvantage high-poverty schools: Relationship between union strength and share of certified teachers, 2011
Source: Data on teacher certification are from the National Center for Education Statistics (8th-grade math); union strength rankings are from the Fordham Institute (Winkler, Scull, and Zeehandelaar 2012) and collective bargaining data are from the Current Population Survey
Association between the measures of union strength and the levels of/gaps in allocation of teachers with five or more years of experience
Independent variable: quintiles, reference: first (lowest) quintile (states where unions are the least strong)
Average minus high poverty
Experience: collective bargaining coverage rate
Second quintile
0.012 0.009 0.003 -0.041 0.009 0.003 0.008 -0.028 -0.003 -0.006 0.005 0.013
(0.022) (0.019) (0.036) (0.043) (0.017) (0.016) (0.023) (0.036) (0.013) (0.013) (0.025) (0.021)
Third quintile
0.027 0.017 -0.036 -0.070 0.016 0.003 -0.015 -0.034 -0.011 -0.015 0.021 0.036*
Fourth quintile
0.069*** 0.067*** 0.045 0.045 0.062*** 0.055*** 0.048** 0.047 -0.007 -0.012 0.003 0.002
Fifth quintile
0.093*** 0.095*** 0.027 0.015 0.083*** 0.080*** 0.044* 0.012 -0.010 -0.015 0.017 -0.003
0.782*** 0.783*** 0.789*** 0.808*** 0.809*** 0.814*** 0.808*** 0.821*** 0.027*** 0.031*** 0.019 0.013
0.358 0.438 0.105 0.158 0.430 0.466 0.197 0.118 0.021 0.041 0.023 0.090
Experience: union strength
0.010 0.009 -0.008 -0.070 0.003 -0.005 -0.020 -0.044 -0.007 -0.013 -0.012 0.027
0.016 0.016 0.036 0.017 0.029 0.026 0.029 0.016 0.012 0.009 -0.007 -0.001
0.071*** 0.062*** 0.045 0.055 0.059*** 0.050*** 0.040* 0.024 -0.011 -0.012 -0.005 -0.031
0.078*** 0.083*** 0.052 0.012 0.067*** 0.065*** 0.046** 0.028 -0.011 -0.018 -0.006 0.016
0.787*** 0.787*** 0.772*** 0.795*** 0.811*** 0.815*** 0.806*** 0.816*** 0.025*** 0.028*** 0.034* 0.020
Independent variable: Continuous
0.142*** 0.144*** 0.072 0.071 0.131*** 0.123*** 0.090** 0.071 -0.01 -0.02 0.018 0
0.725*** 0.722*** 0.748*** 0.750*** 0.753*** 0.758*** 0.763*** 0.772*** 0.028** 0.035** 0.016 0.023
0.273 0.313 0.035 0.023 0.332 0.308 0.125 0.034 0.006 0.022 0.005 0
Fordham ranking (+)
0.002*** 0.002*** 0.002** 0.001 0.002*** 0.002*** 0.001*** 0.001 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000
0.765*** 0.763*** 0.755*** 0.761*** 0.794*** 0.795*** 0.788*** 0.791*** 0.029*** 0.032*** 0.033** 0.030**
*Standard errors in parentheses. *** p<0.01, ** p<0.05, * p<0.1
**NAEP 2011 estimates
Note: High-poverty schools are those in which more than 50 percent of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. M=math, R=reading, 4=4th grade, 8=8th grade.
Source: Data on teacher experience are from the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress; union strength rankings are from the Fordham Institute (Winkler, Scull, and Zeehandelaar 2012) and collective bargaining data are from EPI's analysis of Current Population Survey data
Association between measures of union strength and the levels of/gaps in allocation of teachers with educational background in the subject taught
Education: collective bargaining coverage rate
0.013 0.07 0.019 0.046 0.008 0.057 0.031 0.036 -0.005 -0.012 0.013 -0.009
-0.005 0.069 0.047 0.065 -0.004 0.037 0.084* 0.066* 0.002 -0.032* 0.037 0.001
0.033 0.101* -0.046 0.026 0.042* 0.095* 0.029 0.033 0.009 -0.006 0.075** 0.006
0.067** 0.105* 0.049 0.081* 0.043* 0.088* 0.082* 0.093** -0.025* -0.017 0.034 0.012
0.134*** 0.381*** 0.773*** 0.788*** 0.141*** 0.383*** 0.780*** 0.805*** 0.007 0.002 0.007 0.017
0.185 0.099 0.094 0.079 0.138 0.099 0.11 0.143 0.141 0.076 0.138 0.019
Education: union strength
-0.003 0.073 0.066 0.073 0.006 0.066 0.114*** 0.072* 0.009 -0.007 0.048 -0.001
0.006 0.055 0.064 0.117** 0.019 0.044 0.137*** 0.094** 0.013 -0.011 0.073** -0.023
0.065** 0.021 0.089* 0.078* 0.054** 0.027 0.135*** 0.072* -0.011 0.006 0.046 -0.007
0.022 0.081 0.069 0.05 0.013 0.071 0.097** 0.064* -0.009 -0.01 0.028 0.014
0.137*** 0.404*** 0.730*** 0.768*** 0.140*** 0.396*** 0.730*** 0.791*** 0.003 -0.007 0 0.023
0.166 0.065 0.075 0.144 0.12 0.056 0.272 0.147 0.1 0.027 0.125 0.055
0.084** 0.141* 0.044 0.083 0.068* 0.125* 0.130** 0.105* -0.016 -0.016 0.086* 0.022
0.098*** 0.353*** 0.756*** 0.774*** 0.112*** 0.352*** 0.736*** 0.778*** 0.014 0.000 -0.020 0.004
0.001** 0.001 0.002 0.001 0.001 0.001 0.002** 0.001 0.000 0.000 0.001 0.000
0.123*** 0.424*** 0.747*** 0.810*** 0.137*** 0.417*** 0.771*** 0.822*** 0.014 -0.007 0.024 0.012
0.089 0.013 0.039 0.012 0.049 0.01 0.093 0.033 0.042 0.005 0.013 0.006
Source: Data on teacher education are from the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress; union strength rankings are from the Fordham Institute (Winkler, Scull, and Zeehandelaar 2012) and collective bargaining data are from EPI's analysis of Current Population Survey data
Association between measures of union strength and the levels of/gaps in allocation of teachers who are certified
Certification: collective bargaining coverage rate
0.006 0.000 0.024 -0.019 0.002 0.001 0.008 -0.021 -0.004 0.001 -0.016 -0.002
-0.016 -0.013 -0.011 -0.067** -0.004 0.000 -0.017 -0.047 0.011 0.013* -0.005 0.019*
0.000 0.000 0.047 0.019 -0.007 0.000 0.013 0.003 -0.007 0.000 -0.034* -0.015
0.013 0.008 0.027 -0.024 0.005 0.007 0.014 0.000 -0.009 -0.001 -0.014 0.024**
0.944*** 0.945*** 0.886*** 0.931*** 0.953*** 0.948*** 0.918*** 0.940*** 0.009 0.003 0.032** 0.009
Certification: union strength
-0.012 -0.013 -0.028 -0.047 -0.002 0.000 -0.012 -0.042 0.010 0.014* 0.017 0.006
-0.004 -0.003 0.020 0.006 0.007 0.014 0.025 0.015 0.011 0.017** 0.006 0.010
0.009 0.008 0.038 0.011 0.006 0.013 0.029 0.016 -0.003 0.005 -0.009 0.004
-0.011 -0.013 0.042 -0.009 -0.004 0.000 0.022 0.009 0.007 0.013* -0.020 0.018
0.938*** 0.938*** 0.857*** 0.912*** 0.951*** 0.941*** 0.895*** 0.910*** 0.012 0.003 0.039** -0.001
0.000 0.000 0.001** 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.001 0.001 0.000 0.000 -0.001 0.000
0.944*** 0.943*** 0.866*** 0.903*** 0.951*** 0.945*** 0.902*** 0.908*** 0.008 0.002 0.035*** 0.005
Source: Data on teacher certification are from the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress; union strength rankings are from the Fordham Institute (Winkler, Scull, and Zeehandelaar 2012) and data on collective bargaining are from EPI's analysis of Current Population Survey data
It is important to address the persistent nature of achievement gaps between advantaged and disadvantaged students (see Reardon 2011, among others). If individual, school, community, institutional, and contextual factors could be contributing to these gaps, exploring all the factors and disentangling their relative importance in explaining educational inequality would constitute a prime step in guiding policy.
Our research sheds light on both the extent of teacher misallocation in high-poverty schools and whether such misallocations are associated with strong teachers unions. Our findings reveal three important facts or patterns in this regard.
First, 47.7 percent of U.S. public schools are high-poverty schools, defined as those in which more than half of the student body is eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. The concentration of high-poverty schools varies significantly across the states: for example, in Mississippi, Washington, D.C., New Mexico, Louisiana, Arkansas, Alabama, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Florida, over two-thirds of the schools are high-poverty schools. In Nebraska, Utah, Iowa, Minnesota, Wyoming, North Dakota, and New Hampshire, the proportion of high-poverty schools is less than 20 percent (and only 5 percent in New Hampshire). Obviously, the dimensions of the problem pose multiple challenges for education policy. Indeed, high student poverty and high concentrations of poor children within schools constitute the main obstacle to education equity and performance (Garcia 2015; Putnam 2015; Morsy and Rothstein 2015, among others), and it is important to continually examine how the concentration of poverty and relative poverty may affect students’ performance as well as how equitable finance policies (in education and public policy) have successfully compensated for these disadvantages. An exploration of the economic and public policies that have led to lower proportions of high-poverty schools and better student performance across states would be our first recommendation for educational improvement.
Second, we find that the credentials of teachers in schools overall are better than the credentials of teachers in high-poverty schools. Our analysis does not assess whether these gaps are modest or large or what the impact may be for student performance and achievement gaps. Nevertheless, any inequitable allocation (of teacher quality or any other resource) that does not benefit disadvantaged students would increase rather than decrease opportunity gaps.
Third, our analyses examine the relationship between two measures of union strength (and measure each one in two ways, continuous and categorical) and three teacher quality credentials for four grade/subject combinations (reading/math, 4th/8th grades) and consistently find that there is no relationship between union strength and teacher quality misallocations adversely affecting disadvantaged students.
For further research, we propose to examine the correlation between indicators of union strength and student performance across the states in an attempt to explore whether stronger unions correlate with higher or lower state educational performance. We also propose using other types of analysis—such as longitudinal analyses of changes in credentials of teachers in specific districts and/or states and changes in the presence of unions, or perhaps the specific provisions in collective bargaining agreements—to tackle the causal links between unions, the allocations of teachers, and student performance. To reduce inequities, it would also be valuable to gain further insights into why teachers sort the way they do, and the role teachers unions can play in observing and improving teacher quality—through supportive policies that make teaching in high-poverty schools more feasible, less burdensome, or more attractive, or through policies like professional development (see Annenberg Institute for School Reform 2011; Moore-Johnson et al. 2007; Tucker 2012). Finally, with the aim of shrinking achievement gaps, it will be important to address the extent to which other aspects of school finance and school quality—including facilities, access to advanced classes, curriculum, climate, etc.—differ between high-poverty schools and others; how they influence student performance and gaps; and whether their influence is compounded by teacher misallocation.
The authors gratefully acknowledge Mark Simon for his advice on earlier drafts of the paper. They are also grateful to Lora Engdahl, Pat Watson, and Michael McCarthy for editing, and to Chris Frazier, Teresa Kroeger, Chris Roof, and Eric Shansby for their work on the figures and tables of the study. They appreciate the assistance of communications staff of the Economic Policy Institute who helped to disseminate it, especially Susan Balding and Elizabeth Rose.
Lawrence Mishel, a nationally recognized economist, has been president of the Economic Policy Institute since 2002. Prior to that he was EPI’s first research director (starting in 1987) and later became vice president. He is the co-author of all 12 editions of The State of Working America. He holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, and his articles have appeared in a variety of academic and non-academic journals. His areas of research are labor economics, wage and income distribution, industrial relations, productivity growth, and the economics of education.
1. Collective agreements usually operate at the school district and not the state level. However, state legislative and policy rules can impact teacher allocation. This analysis is a first cut exploring any evidence supporting or rejecting the mentioned claims that strong teacher unions are associated with skewed teacher quality allocations for high-poverty schools.
2. The analysis also shows that most of the inequities come from teachers sorting across districts and schools as opposed to within schools/across classrooms.
3. As the Institute of Education Sciences points out, in addition to the fact that the correlation between credentials and teacher effectiveness is small, “even existing studies that do measure access to effective teaching using learning gains do so in different ways, making it difficult to synthesize the lessons learned” (NCEE 2014).
4. Regarding how teacher preferences may be driving the misallocation of teachers, the explanations include that teachers are more likely to leave schools with higher concentrations of poor, minority, and/or low-performing students; schools with students with more behavioral problems; schools in which the teachers have less autonomy; and schools in which the teachers receive lower salaries (Guarino, Santibáñez, and Daley 2006). Although it is not clear whether those more willing to leave are of higher quality than those staying (i.e., whether there is selection bias, in which teachers leaving these schools are more likely to be either more credentialed or more effective, or both), research documents that, in general, high teacher turnover in lower-performing schools could disadvantage students in those schools. Since the effectiveness of teachers increases over the first few years of their careers, higher turnover in high-poverty schools would result in a higher proportion of novice teachers in those settings. According to the evidence, 27 percent of first-year teachers in New York City’s lower-performing schools do not return the following year, compared with 15 percent in schools with the highest student achievement (see Boyd et al. 2005). On salaries, for example, a study of North Carolina schools found that bonuses awarded to teachers reduced turnover in high-poverty schools by 17 percent (Clotfelter et al. 2008), and experienced teachers (those with 10–19 years of experience) were most likely to benefit from the program (31 percent). A more comprehensive summary of these studies is provided by Imazeki and Goe (2009). The literature on turnover is summarized in Ronfeldt, Loeb, and Wyckoff (2013) and Hughes (2012).
5. This list is not exhaustive. For example, two quotes reflecting this approach state that: “teacher unions [that are doing what unions] are expected [to do by trying] to protect the less effective of their members from the consequences that follow from exposing their ineptitude in the classroom” (Whitehurst et al. 2015); and “teacher unions are at the heart of these problems” (Moe 2011, 6; “these” refers to “the nation’s education problems”). An allusion to problems aggravated by unions include delaying negotiations for implementation of comprehensive evaluation systems (in New York) that would allow “addressing teacher quality deficiencies, generally, and will create an important tool to address inadequacy and inequity in teacher talent and the way it is distributed across schools” (StudentFirstNY 2013).
6. Tenure provides teachers with due process in the event of dismissal. Teacher transfer rights vary by district and, when based on seniority, give teachers with more experience the option to transfer if an opening in the same school or in another school in the same district is available. The role of seniority in voluntary and involuntary transfers in the contracts or as stated by management varies from district to district.
7. Goldstein (2014) writes that, “Even as unions argued for job security protections that few parents could support, organized teachers were (and remain) potent advocates for many of the education policies that most benefit disadvantaged children, from tuition-free pre-K to better training for teachers.”
8. See main effects of CBA provisions in models with district controls.
9. Anzia and Moe (2014) found similar results, though they argue that the results are sensitive to school district size. Their findings contrast with the findings of Koski and Horng (2007) for California and Cohen-Vogel and Li (2013) for Florida; these California and Florida studies found no evidence of the seniority-inequality relationship.
10. The first two columns of Appendix table A-1 are used to construct the correlation graph shown in Figure A. They are, in various forms, the independent variables in our regression analyses. See details below.
11. This index is measured as a ranking in Fordham’s study. The ranking is re-ordered in our study so that a stronger union (a lower ordinal number) is associated with a higher value of the index. We are aware of the limitations of using an ordinal variable when doing the calculations. The analyses were confirmed using the School and Staffing Survey’s proportion of unionized teachers and an index of resources/members, and other Fordham indices (see values in other columns in Appendix Table A-1). Results are available upon request.
12. Results using indicators of teacher quality from the U.S. Department of Education’s Educator Equity Profiles are available upon request.
13. All these gaps are slightly larger if we compare high- with low-poverty schools: the percentages of teachers with over five years of experience, educational background in subject taught, and certification are 5.4, 9.9, and 5.0 percentage points lower in high-poverty schools than in low-poverty schools, on average.
14. Results are available upon request.
15. The only exception of the slope of the math-8th grade/education background versus collective bargaining agreement coverage regression, which has a positive slope of 0.086, statistically significant at the 10 percent significance level, suggests union strength leads to less misallocation.
16. With the exception noted above.
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Artillery: July 2, 2002
The Marines are continuing efforts to field the Dragon Fire 120mm mortar concept to provide medium fire support for mobile armored units. The plan is to build Dragon Fire in such a way that it can be towed behind a Humvee, or winched into the bay of a cargo variant of the LAV armored car and used as self-propelled artillery. Since the current Dragon Fire prototypes won't fit into an LAV, the Marines borrowed a French 2R2M rifled 120mm mortar (which will fit) for wargames last March. After some earlier experiments did not work out as hoped, the Marines are concentrating on rifled mortars as these have more range and accuracy than cheaper smoothbore mortars.--Stephen V Cole
Artillery: Current 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999
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Why do you think that ‘Journey’s End’ continued to be popular so many years after it was first performed?
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Why do you think that ‘Journey’s End’ continued to be popular so many years after it was first performed? Essay
The play ‘Journey’s End’ has been popular ever since it was written in 1929. the author, R.C. Sheriff uses his own experiences as an officer in World War One to successfully recreate the lives that many soldiers were forced to lead during the First World War. The play shows a balanced mix between the battles, and the officers’ free time in the dug-out. This educates the audience on all aspects of life at war. There have been many reproductions of the play since 1929 and it continues to sell out large venues across the world.
We will write a custom essay on Why do you think that ‘Journey’s End’ continued to be popular so many years after it was first performed? specifically for you
‘Journey’s End’ is undoubtedly one of the most poplar war time plays ever written.
One of the obvious reasons that ‘Journey’s End’ is so successful is the vivid mixture of characters’ personalities shown in the play. We see Raleigh’s character develop from quiet at first to keen at the end. Hibbert is portrayed as a coward and Osborne is the caring, loyal, family man.
Captain Stanhope is very bold and he can be quite outspoken. Theses characters make the play successful because they are very easy to relate to and they seem like nice, normal people.
In charge of Company C, Captain Stanhope is under a lot of pressure to succeed, and he has turned to alcohol to control his nerves. The other men en courage Stanhope’s excessive drinking and enjoy watching him drink an entire bottle of whisky in one evening. He is dependent on the alcohol but unfortunately for the others, his temper often flares up whilst drunk. One example of this is when Hibbert jokingly tells Stanhope that he’d “better go to bed”. Stanhope completely loses control of his emotions and Hibbert is left bewildered and confused about the evening’s events. Stanhope’s outbursts contribute to making the play entertaining as the conflict keeps the play in perspective as in real-life, stressful situations, you are bound to get annoyed with your colleagues.
Another important character in the play is Osborne who is very down-to-earth and wise. At 45, he is also the oldest soldier in the battalion, and therefore, he is respected and called “Uncle” by the other men. The only time the audience sees Osborne conflicting with another character is when Stanhope bullies Raleigh into giving him the letter. When Stanhope raises his voice, Osborne intervenes and says “Good heavens Stanhope” and tries to calm him down. Osborne is a very sensible man and I think that after his death, Stanhope would have found it difficult to cope without his former second in command. Osborne contributes to the play’s success as the audience enjoys seeing how when Raleigh arrives, he is welcomed and made to feel at home by Osborne, helping him to settle into life at war.
Raleigh is the youngest and newest officer in the company. His first days at war are shown during the play and he is on stage in the final moments of his life. During his time at war, he appears to be very keen, energetic and excited to be at war. He is awfully pleased when he is selected to go on the raid – even though at the back of his mind, he must know the dangers he will face. AS Raleigh knew Stanhope before the war, he settles into trench life very quickly showing how adaptable he can be. He also spends lots of his time with his equals as well as with the men below him when he decides not to go to the celebratory dinner after Osborne’s death. This shows his defiance of the class divides which makes him an easy character for the audience to relate to, helping to make the play popular.
These main 3 characters, along with Hibbert and Trotter, seem to compliment each other’s personalities. Some characters are very bold such as Stanhope and Raleigh whereas others are quieter and more reserved. Although Hibbert can appear to be a coward, his problems help explain to the audience the struggles soldiers faced whilst at war.
Most people living in our modern day society will have some understanding of the terrible conditions that everyone living during the two World Wars had to endure. In ‘Journey’s End’, the Officers are continually complaining that their tea tastes of onions. As Officers, the characters’ conditions would have been marginally better than those of the ordinary soldiers. Even so, they have to be careful of the rats eating their boots, and their clothes are infested with lice. Above all, there is no privacy or any washing facilities so all of the men are forces to live in conditions that may make them ill. However, if they are healthy enough to stay at war, they will have no choice but to return to the front line. This was just one of the consequences of living at war.
I have already describers the verbal conflict between the British Officers; however, as they are at war, there is also a lot of physical conflict between Germany and Britain. Over eight and a half million people died during World War One, nine hundred thousand of them British. There were often long, ferocious battles that lasted for days — similar to the German attack we see at the end of the play. The physical conflict in the play so what most people would associate with war so they may go and watch the play to study the effects of battle on small groups of soldiers and the way in which so many people died.
Death is one of the main consequences of life at war. Particularly in times gone by, soldiers were not fully equipped and protected from dangers such as falling debris and rifle fire. In the play, we see he deaths of two Officers and seven men — all from one company over a period of 3 days. The audience can’t help but wonder if the deaths could have been prevented. During the raid, 10 men and 2 Officers are sent to capture one German soldier which is definitely as surplus. The Colonel sent the extra men because he knew that some of them would die, but he made them go anyway. As the audience are left wondering about some aspects of the play, they may return home and ask others on their opinion. This may encourage more people to see the play, thus contributing to the success of ‘Journey’s end’. The deaths of Osborne and Raleigh are just two of the tragic, moving moments of the play.
R.C Sherriff uses a mixture of comedy and tragedy to make ‘Journey’s End’ popular and successful. The deaths of two of the most likable officers are very upsetting for the audience. When the audience hears about Osborne’s death, we are left wondering how everyone – particularly Stanhope – will cope without him.
Raleigh’s death is also upsetting because of the way in which he died. He fells bad that he is lying in the dugout, whilst the rest of the men are risking their lives above him. Stanhope realises that Raleigh will not recover form his injuries so he makes him as comfortable as possible by bringing him water and a blanket. When Raleigh finally passes away, Stanhope leaves the dugout to go and fight, and Raleigh’s corpse is left in peace. Once everyone has left, a shell lands on the dugout roof and it collapses. The shells carry on flying overhead as the play ends.
‘Journey’s End’ also has some comic moments such as when Stanhope asks Mason if there is any pâté de fois gras. Mason’s response “no sir, the milkman asn’t been yet,” clearly show the class divides as Mason would never have experienced the delicacy of fois gras as it was too expensive. I think that R.C Sherriff uses these jokes to keep the play entertaining and to make the play slightly light-hearted in certain places. The jokes and laughter also show that friendships can be formed even during strenuous situations such as wars. The comedic moments in the play contribute to it’s success as the play isn’t completely depressing as it can be enjoyed both for the comic and tragic moments. The audience can take some jot from the fact that together, soldiers kept each other entertained, to try and forget about the war going on above them.
Another factor in ‘Journey’s End’ success is the fact that to this day, we continue to have wars. Currently, Britain has soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan and we have had many other wars since 1918. At the time, governments agreed that World War One should be “the war to end all wars” which clearly didn’t happen. Nowadays, technology has advanced and modern troops have access to super-sonic fighter jets and more protection such as bullet-proof clothing. Medical facilities have also advanced and nowadays, injured soldiers can be airlifted to hospital just minutes after they were injured. However, we still hear complaints about conditions for soldiers so we can’t help but wonder how much conditions have really improved. One reason ‘Journey’s End’ may be successful sit hat modern day families, with loved ones at war, may want to know how previous generations coped at wear-time situations.
The final important factor in the success of the play is that World War One war a relatively recent event in Britain’s history. As the war affected so many people from our country, I think that more people would go and see the play. As we are also approaching the 90th anniversary of the end of the war, I believe that now, more than ever, people will go to productions to remember any relatives who lost their lives during these four years.
Overall, I believe that ‘Journey’s End’ is a successful play because of the memories that R.C Sherriff collected during his time at war. Ever since the play was first performed, critics have thoroughly enjoyed it, saying such things as “‘Journey’s End’ is the play that swept the world”. These positive attitudes towards the play have remained with the vast majority of the audience to this day. So many people died during these four years, and I believe that ‘journey’s End’ is a great way of remembering those who died. Now more than ever, people thoroughly enjoy the play, and I believe that ‘Journey’s End’ will be popular for many years to come.
Why do you think that ‘Journey’s End’ continued to be popular so many years after it was first performed?. (2017, Nov 10). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/why-do-you-think-that-journeys-end-continued-to-be-popular-so-many-years-after-it-was-first-performed-essay
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Serafina "Sara" Cicala
Serafina (Sara) Cicala passed away peacefully at her home in Bellefonte, DE, on October 17, 2014 at the age of 95. She was a lifelong resident of Delaware. Sara was born in May of 1919 in Bellevue, Delaware, and lived on the estate of Joseph S. Keen with her parents, Isidoro and Venera Finocchiaro, step-mother, Maria, and seven brothers. While her brothers took care of the property, Sara tended to the residence of Mr. Keen. Mr. Keen was so impressed with Sara, he offered her an opportunity to move to France and be educated formally, but Sara remained in Delaware to be with her family and to help raise her brothers after Venera's early death. Sara met her future husband, Francis (Frank), while they were both infants. They were friends for many years and married in 1953, enjoying 48 years together until Frank's death in 2001. Sara was predeceased by her seven brothers, Ray, Joe, Ben, Marty, Sam, Mike and John, and her husband, Frank. She is survived by two sisters-in-law, Lucy and Josephine Finocchiaro, and many nieces and nephews. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:30am on Thursday, October 23rd, at St. Helena's Church, 602 Philadelphia Pike, Wilmington, DE, where family and friends may visit from 10:30 to 11:30 am. Entombment will be in Cathedral Cemetery. Contributions may be made in memory of Sara to St. Helena's Church, 602 Philadelphia Pike, Wilmington, DE 19809.
2053 Pulaski Hwy
All arrangements are locally delivered to Beeson Funeral Home by a local Newark, DE florist.
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HAIR and Wagner College Theatre Celebrate Shared 50th Anniversary
Composer Galt MacDermot (center) with his son Vince and the WCT cast of HAIR.
On Sunday, April 29th, Galt MacDermot, the Grammy Award-winning composer of HAIR, joined the Wagner College Theatre cast of the musical in a celebration of their shared fifty-year anniversary.
HAIR, the “American Tribal Love-Rock Musical,” opened on Broadway at the Biltmore Theatre on April 29, 1968. With music by Mr. MacDermot and book and lyrics by co-stars Gerome Ragni and James Rado, the groundbreaking musical ran for over four years, inspiring countless subsequent productions worldwide.
Wagner College, a private national liberal arts college on Staten Island, founded its theatre program that very same year. To celebrate its 50th Anniversary, Wagner College Theatre presented HAIR as the fourth and final production of its 2017-2018 season. In what Theatre and Speech Department Chair Felicia Ruff calls a “karmic accident”, the show’s closing performance coincided – to the day – with the anniversary of HAIR’s Broadway debut. “I think the universe was at play here,” says Ruff, “bringing peace, love, understanding and Galt MacDermot to our community.”
Mr. MacDermot, aged 89, attended yesterday’s closing performance with his wife and children. Born in Montreal, Canada, Mr. MacDermot moved to New York in 1964 and has resided on Staten Island ever since.
Kevin Atwater (Claude) and the Tribe sing “I Got Life” (Photo: Karen O’Donnell)
The show’s cast members, many of whose grandparents lived through the hippie experience, were thrilled to have the composer and other members of his generation in attendance. “All these people in the audience were young people when HAIR came out,” says senior Sophia Tzougros, who plays Sheila. “They’re the ones who lost friends in Vietnam; they’re the ones who were struggling to get out from their 1950s parents. And I get all choked up and emotional, because they’re as connected to the show as we are. How special it is that we got to do it for them.”
The actors agreed that, fifty years after its Broadway debut, HAIR remains as relevant as ever. “If there’s one word in HAIR that sticks out,” says junior Kevin Atwater, who plays Claude, “it’s love. It’s still relevant today— love! Follow your own path. If you believe in something, you should fight for it. That’s in this show and that’s in this life.”
“I think this is a show that’ll never grow old,” adds junior John Drinkwater, who plays Berger. “HAIR is just a beautiful show. It’ll age like wine.”
The cast of HAIR at Wagner College Theatre (Photo: Karen O’Donnell)
Tams-Witmark proudly licensed HAIR to Wagner College Theatre for this production. For more information about licensing HAIR for your school or theatre, check out the Tams HAIR page.
This entry was posted in News by Jim Colleran. Bookmark the permalink.
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Editors' ChoiceImmunology
NKG2D in Tumor and Graft Surveillance
Natural killer (NK) cells are involved in graft rejection and may contribute to tumor recognition and elimination. Ogasawara et al. report that increased production of NKG2D ligands may be one mechanism by which certain tissues are prone to graft rejection and that antibodies against NKGD2 can prevent rejection in these cases. Oppenheim et al. report that localized high expression of NKG2D ligands inhibited NK cell function, contributing to evasion of the immune system by tumors. To study graft rejection, Ogasawara et al. evaluated NKG2D ligand expression (by antibody staining) of bone marrow cells from BALB/C or C57BL/6 mice that were transplanted into irradiated F1 progeny from a BALB/C C57BL/6 cross, an example of F1 hybrid resistance. The BALB/C cells expressed the ligand Rae-1 and were rejected by the F1 progeny mice. The C57BL/6 mouse cells were also rejected, but they did not express any NKG2D ligands; thus, there are at least two mechanisms for NK cell-mediated rejection. Depletion of the NK cells from the recipient mice allowed the transplanted cells from both parental strains to survive; however, only in the case of the BALB/C transplanted cells did neutralizing antibodies to NKG2D increase the incorporation of the transplanted cells in the spleens of the recipient mice. The Rae-1 ligand was also the focus of the studies by Oppenheim et al. In this case, two kinds of transgenic mice were generated: those expressing Rae-1ε in squamous epithelium only (lines 110 and 121) and those expressing Rae-1ε ubiquitously (line 187). Both types of transgenic mice showed decreased abundance of NKG2D-positive NK cells; however, the abundance of other proteins (such as CD94) typically expressed by this population of NK cells was normal. Thus, the NKG2D receptor itself appeared to be down-regulated rather than the cell population depleted. Coculturing of NKG2D-positive splenocytes with the splenocytes from the 187 line (high Rae-11ε) resulted in loss of NKG2D from the nontransgenic cells. Injection of a mixture of splenocytes from the 187 line and control splenocytes into control mice or transgenic mice showed that clearance of the Rae-1-positive cells was impaired in the transgenic mice. Activation of the NK cells with poly (I:C) restored killing of the Rae-1-positive cells in the epithelial transgenic mice only, suggesting that a residual population of NKG2D-positive cells could be rescued in the 110 and 121 lines. Finally, the transgenic mice showed increased susceptibility to tumorigenesis (chemical induced and injection of tumor cells). Thus, the NKG2D receptor is a critical player in tumor surveillance and graft rejection.
K. Ogasawara, J. Benjamin, R. Takaki, J. H. Phillips, L. L. Lanier, Function of NKG2D in natural killer cell-mediated rejection of mouse bone marrow grafts. Nat. Immunol. 6, 938-945 (2005). [Online Journal]
D. E. Oppenheim, S. J. Roberts, S. L. Clarke, R. Filler, J. M. Lewis, R. E. Tigelaar, M. Girardi, A. C. Hayday, Sustained localized expression of ligand for the activating NKG2D receptor impairs natural cytotoxicity in vivo and reduces tumor surveillance. Nat. Immunol. 6, 928-937 (2005). [Online Journal]
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Posts tagged with " Notorious B.I.G."
Fuse celebrates “Hip-Hop at 45”
The Thursday, June 28th launch lineup:
Fuse.tv will premiere three all new episodes of Rant & Rave featuring two of the hottest ladies in the rap game today, Young M.A and Snow tha Product as well as hip-hop royalty, Salt-N-Pepa. A fresh episode of Lie Detector with hip-hop legends DJ Skribble & Kid Capri follows along with a brand new episode of the ASMR-triggering, digital series Mind Massage with Tierra Whack.
FM @ 8 p.m. ET The Artists to Watch weekly block celebrates the future of hip-hop, spotlighting the freshest up-and-coming artists making waves in the industry, both today and tomorrow such as Trippie Redd, Sango, and HoodCelebrityy.
Fuse @ 9 p.m. ET It’s a triple-hitter movie night, beginning with the classics Torque, Rhyme & Reason, and I Got The Hook Up starring hip-hop greats including Ice Cube, Master P, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, and Lauryn Hill, among others. Additional featured movies throughout the summer are top lined by bevy of hip-hop star power including Jay Z, Nas, Kanye West, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Method Man, Redman, Cam’ron, Trey Songz, T.I., Chris Brown, Ja Rule, and more.
Across all Fuse social channels, Hip-Hop at 45 launches with the biggest “beefs” in hip-hop, and a “Today in Hip-Hop history” #TBT. Featured social content rollout includes “Hip-Hop + album/street art” on Mondays, “Fashion in Hip-Hop” on Tuesdays, “Women in Hip-Hop“ #WCW on Wednesdays, “Hip-Hop playlists by the decade” on Fridays, “Photography in Hip-Hop” on Saturdays, and “Sports + Hip-Hop” on Sundays.
This lineup also includes:
Fuse.tv debut special 45th Anniversary-themed episodes of Weekly News Rap, the original digital series recapping the week’s hottest news and trends, performed by today’s emerging rap stars, kicking off with Harlem battle rapper, Loaded Lux, spitting the history of battle rap. And we’ll have A Seat With… rap legend Big Daddy Kane. Also debuting during Hip-Hop at 45 is Made from Scratch with Ayo & Teo. Additionally, Fuse.tv will celebrate Hip-Hop at 45 with the premieres of two original digital series: Deep Cuts (working title), an interview series delivering an intimate look into the lives and creative process of emerging and established producers in the hip-hop industry; and The Kickback (working title), a roundtable-style digital series exploring hip-hop culture.
Every Saturday at 6p ET/3p PT throughout the 45 days, FM will offer a series of Hip-Hop at 45 video countdowns, celebrating the latest and greatest hip-hop artists in the game. Featured music video blocks:45 Legends of Hip-Hop, will lace you with the classic videos from the legends that paved the way in hip-hop such as The Notorious B.I.G., 2Pac and Big Pun; Hip-Hop’s First Hits drops the music videos that made you fall in love with some of your favorite hip-hop artists including 50 Cent’s “In Da Club,” Eminem’s “Slim Shady,” Kanye West’s “Through the Wire” and more; 45 Freshman of Hip-Hop gets you acquainted with the freshman class of hip-hop stars like Flatbush Zombies, Lil Uzi Vert, and Goldlink who are making waves in the culture; 45 Videos of the 2000s drops it like it’s hot with the best music videos of the 2000s from Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, Outkast, and UGK; Iconic Hip-Hop Videos flashes back to the most iconic hip-hop videos of all time such as 2Pac’s “Changes”, NWA’s “Straight Outta Compton” and Nas’ “If I Ruled the World”; 45 Hip-Hop Crossovers highlights some of the most unlikely collabs in hip-hop like Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way,” Lincoln Park’s “Numb,” and Marshmello’s “Silence”; and FM’s Guide to the 45 Best Hip-Hop Videos will school you on the best hip-hop videos of all time including The Notorious B.I.G. “Juicy,” Childish Gambino’s “This Is America,” and Missy Elliot’s “Work It.”
Tune in to Fuse for a four-night event beginning Sunday, August 5th, for the television premiere of Hip-Hop Evolution. This docu-series chronicles the life and career of hip-hop pioneers such as Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa, Grandmaster Flash, Melle Mel, Grandmaster Caz, DJ Jazzy Jay, Kool Moe Dee, Big Daddy Kane, Kurtis Blow, Chuck D, Fab 5 Freddy, Sugarhill Gang, Russell Simmons and LL Cool J, among others through in-depth interviews, archived footage and more. And for the duration of the stunt, Fuse will be commemorating with featured episodes starring a lineup of hip-hop all-stars with guest appearances on Moesha (Jamie Foxx, Russell Simmons, A Tribe Called Quest, Usher Raymond, Mary J. Blige, and Dr. Dre); Sister, Sister (Mya, Tyrese, and BlackStreet); and The Parkers (Warren G, Nick Cannon, and Lil’ Kim).
Fuse’s Hip Hop at 45 programming:
https://www.fuse.tv/shows/hip-hop-at-45
New episode of Lie Detector featuring DJ Skribble and Kid Capri:
https://www.fuse.tv/videos/2018/06/dj-skribble-kid-capri-hip-hip-at-45-lie-detector-interview
New episode of Rant & Rave featuring Snow tha Product:
https://www.fuse.tv/videos/2018/06/snow-tha-product-hip-hop-at-45-rant-and-rave-interview
New episode of Rant & Rave featuring Salt-N-Pepa:
https://www.fuse.tv/videos/2018/06/salt-n-pepa-hip-hop-at-45-rant-and-rave-interview
New episode of Rant & Rave featuring Young M.A:
https://www.fuse.tv/videos/2018/06/young-ma-hip-hop-at-45-rant-and-rave-interview
This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged 360 Magazine, 50 Cent, a tribe called quest, Afrika Bambaataa, artists, Atrin Yazdani-Biuki, ayo & teo, Big Daddy Kane, Blackstreet, changes, childish gambino, Chuck D, collabs, Debut, debuting, DJ Jazzy Jay, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Fab 5 Freddy, FM, fuse, Fuse.tv, goldlink, Grandmaster Caz, Grandmaster Flash, hip hop, iconic, If I Ruled the World, In Da Club, interviews, Jamie Foxx, juicy, Kanye West, Kool Herc, Kurtis Blow, lil Kim, lil uzi vert, Lincoln Park, ll cool j, Marshmello, Mary j. blige, Melle Mel, Missy Elliot, music videos, Mya, Nas, Nick Cannon, Numb, NWA, Outkast, pop culture, rap, rapper, rapping, Russell Simmons, Silence, Sister, slim shady, Snoop Dogg, Straight Outta Compton, Sugarhill Gang, The Parkers, This Is America, Through the Wire, tv, Tyrese, Usher Raymond, Vaughn Lowery, videos, Walk This Way, Warren G, Weekly News Rap, Work It, 2Pac, Aerosmith, Big Pun, Flatbush Zombies, Hip-Hop Evolution, Kool Moe Dee, Loaded Lux, Moesha, Notorious B.I.G., UGK on June 28, 2018 by wp360mag.
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California may block new local soda taxes
published on June 28, 2018 - 12:43 PM
Written by Associated Press, JONATHAN J. COOPER
(AP) — Soda taxes may stop popping up in California and elsewhere, thanks to a new push by the beverage industry to fight such measures.
California lawmakers were voting Thursday on a bill to prohibit local taxes on soda for the next 12 years, after similar measures recently passed in Arizona and Michigan. The American Beverage Association, which represents Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and others, has backed the statewide bans after several cities passed taxes on sugary drinks in recent years.
Voters in Oregon will decide on a similar statewide ban in November.
The California measure would not affect four local soda taxes that were passed in the state in recent years.
It’s part of a last-minute deal to block a beverage industry-backed ballot measure that would make it much harder for cities and counties to raise taxes of any kind.
The state Senate approved the proposal despite deep reluctance among lawmakers, and the Assembly was scheduled to consider it later Thursday.
“This industry is aiming a nuclear weapon at government in California and saying, ‘If you don’t do what we want we are going to pull the trigger and you are not going to be able to fund basic government services,'” said Sen. Scott Wiener, a Democrat from San Francisco, which has a soda tax.
The Legislature’s action drew a strong rebuke from public health advocates who view soda taxes as a crucial front in their efforts to contain diabetes, heart disease and obesity.
But local government officials, terrified by the prospect of having their hands tied on all future tax increases, reluctantly backed the legislation.
“I’ve been in politics a long time, and sometimes you have to do what’s necessary to avoid catastrophe,” said Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, who is pushing a local sales tax increase that would be at risk if the ballot measure passed.
The California measure would ban any new taxes on groceries including beverages through 2030, but would allow four cities in the San Francisco Bay Area to keep soda levies already on the books.
The American Beverage Association has used aggressive campaigning to beat back soda tax and other measures intended to get people to cut back on sugary drinks. More recently, the industry group has come up against soda tax efforts with better funding. Former New York City Michael Bloomberg, who unsuccessfully tried to limit the size of sugary drinks sold in the city to 16 ounces, has funded some local efforts.
Philadelphia, Seattle and Boulder, Colorado also have taxes on sugary drinks.
In California, the industry successfully funded a ballot measure that would raise the threshold for any tax increases by local government.
Instead of the simple majority now required, tax hikes would need support from two-thirds of voters, a city council or a county board of supervisors. They’ve agreed to pull it from the ballot if the soda tax ban passes.
“We are tracking these discussions closely and remain committed to working on solutions to our high tax and high cost of living issues that impact our future job growth,” said Rob Lapsley, head of the California Business Roundtable and the formal sponsor of the initiative.
Nancy Brown, chief executive of the American Heart Association, asked for a meeting with Gov. Jerry Brown after The Sacramento Bee reported beverage industry lobbyists dined with Brown and his wife Anne Gust Brown at the governor’s mansion in Sacramento this month.
A spokesman for Brown, Evan Westrup, said the governor did not negotiate the deal and the dinner was unrelated. Brown hasn’t taken a position on the bill, Westrup said, but his finance department told lawmakers the administration supports the deal if it will halt the ballot measure.
Public health officials said taxes are the most effective tool they have to discourage people from drinking soda, sports drinks, sweetened coffee and tea, and other sugary beverages.
Beverage companies spend billions promoting their products that public health professional can’t match, said Kristine Madsen, a physician and associate professor of public health at University of California, Berkeley.
She led a study that found a 20 percent reduction in consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages in low-income neighborhoods in the year after the city’s tax took effect. Sales in grocery stores dropped 8 percent — a figure that was not fully offset by higher sales in neighboring towns.
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LA-Bron: James agrees to 4-year contract with Lakers Posted: July 2, 2018 at 12:59 pm
(AP) — LeBron James is leaving home for Hollywood and
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In the beginning of February 2012 the art teacher educators of the Department of Art in Aalto University had visitors from the School of the Arts in Singapore. The small but influential delegation consisted of rector, Mrs. Rebecca Chew, vice rector, Mr. Yap Meen Sheng, and head of the faculty of visual arts, Mr. Tan Wee Lit. The encounter in Helsinki was not the first between our institutions: we had already visited Rebecca and her team in Singapore in 2006, when the operations of the new kind of school were being designed and the present school building was still only a scale model – albeit impressive and meticulously constructed – in the centre of the planning office.
The exact miniature of the present school building is now installed in the school library.
Today the School of the Arts, SOTA for short, is no longer just a vision, mission, and a scale model, but an independent, international pre-tertiary school that offers a connected arts and academic curriculum for youths aged 13-18. It was initiated by the Singapore Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts (MICA) with an intention to provide a dynamic learning environment to those who have interest and show early talent in the arts, and to identify and groom future generations of artists and creative professionals to be leaders in all fields, particularly in the arts.
In Rebecca’s opinion developing the young school and its practices further requires that outsiders view them. In her cheerful and straightforward manner, she welcomed our teachers and students to visit their school any time, to do a teacher exchange or a teaching practice – “Let’s keep it simple”. She also invited me to take part in their forthcoming Talent Academy (TA), the selection of new students for the next academic year, as a visiting art pedagogue and a researcher, and I gladly accepted. What a great opportunity to observe how the ideas of art based education or interdisciplinarity, long cherished by the Finnish art educators, were put to practice!
After four and half months I finally arrived to Singapore on June 20th, two days delayed. On the night I came to the Helsinki-Vantaa airport and went to check in, an unpleasant surprise was waiting for me: to be allowed to enter Singapore the passport had to be valid for at least six months but mine was only valid until October. It was not possible to obtain a passport from the airport police, because it was already past office hours. My only option was to take the next flight with seats available, and luckily there was one no more than two days later.
Thus, unfortunately, I missed the first day of the Talent Academy to which I had been invited to partake as an external panelist for the faculty of visual arts. However, despite feeling a bit unprepared, jetlagged, enveloped in hot air, and barely acclimatized when walking the few meters from my hotel to the school across the street and up the steps of the impressive main portal leading into the massive building, I was still able to catch up with the selection process that was already well under way.
The main portal leading into SOTA building
After a warm welcome by Rebecca and Wee Lit, who had visited my university in February, I was shortly informed about some practical issues and introduced to some other teachers and members of the faculty of visual arts. Hearing them talk assured me that at least as far as language was concerned getting around and along in this school – and in the whole nation for that matter – would be a doddle, because everybody here, including the students, spoke English, the main official language of Singapore. I was given a visitor’s pass that would allow me to enter the school and use the lift which was meant exclusively for the staff – students had to use the escalators and the staircases – to move between the classrooms and studios distributed in the ten storey building. I was appointed a desk in one of the cubicles in the extensive teachers’ office space on the 5th floor, where I could leave my belongings until I would get my own little cubicle. After all that it was time to ascend a few floors with Wee Lit to where the interviews of the applicants to his faculty of visual arts were taking place.
TA – The student admission process
Kids of 11-12 years of age are so sweet all over the world! Most of the 10 girls and 4 boys that I met within the two days of my participation in the interviews seemed very genuine and honest about themselves and their feelings, for instance, towards different school subjects. Some had a clear idea of why they wanted to focus on art and what that would help them to become in future, some just “loved art”, had “always loved it”. One boy actually wanted to become a pilot, but he had heard that studying art would be good for him, because it would develop both sides of his brain equally.
And indeed, he would need all sides of his brain if he were to be among the 80 students who will start their combined visual arts and academic studies in this school next January. In the Talent Academy students are selected according to their artistic giftedness into one of four faculties, which are dance, music, theatre, and visual arts. Once the applicants are chosen to a specific faculty, they will specialize in the respective art for the rest of their studies in SOTA. However, because the students are expected to graduate in six years with an IB (International Baccalaureate) diploma, it is not enough to be good at your art to be selected, there are also some academic requirements that the applicants must fulfill to be accepted. Thus each of the visual arts selection panels as well as the panels of the other art faculties also had to have a member of a science or a humanities faculty. In my first panel team this member was a mother tongue teacher, and in the second panel a mathematics teacher, both women.
There were four parts in the visual arts entrance exams: (1) a group task with a discussion, (2) a drawing task, (3) a short essay, (4) and an interview. The applicants were also expected to bring along their latest school reports and portfolios assembled of their artwork, which they had to present to the panelists as part of the interview. During two days I got to see parts 3 and 4 of the exam as well as look at the portfolios and even the school reports, which I had hard time understanding since they were marked very differently from what I was used to at home.
This still life made by a girl, depicting a pile of chairs, is an example of the drawing task that kids had to do in the Talent Academy.
The topics of the 300-500 word essays that kids had to write in order to give an idea of their writing skills could be chosen from 3 alternatives. One of them was about where they would like to live, another about the importance of art, and the third was about watching television. Most TV essays stressed the harmfulness of too much telly watching but on the other hand underlined its educational potential. The art essays mainly praised art as being the thing in the world that makes life beautiful and worth living. Writing about “where I’d like to live” was clearly most challenging, because the solutions were quite different, such as a tree house, or a place where there were “intelligent people with leadership abilities”.
The portfolios showed a lot of both qualitative and quantitative variation, including gender differences in the more spontaneous work, also evident in the two images shown below. With four boys out of fourteen applicants the gender ratio of children wanting to study visual arts looked slightly better than that in Finland. But apparently even fewer boys applied to dance art, a situation which, in SOTA, was seen more problematic than having less boys than girls in visual arts. One of my (male) fellow panelists told me about a boy from some previous Talent Academy who had been recommended to study dance which would have suited him better than visual arts to which he applied, but as his parents would not allow him to study it, he carried on with visual arts. I got the impression that in Singapore parents may be generally quite conservative in terms of what is allowed for boys and girls, and even the boys in the visual arts audition seemed to underline their masculinity by stressing how they liked depicting certain subjects more than others. One of the four boys had mainly drawn cartoon characters in his sketch book, another boy’s favorite subject was weapons, and a third boy showed works where he had gradually turned animals into some kind of robots or transformers and was strictly of the opinion that animals, for instance, are more of a girls’ subject.
A spontaneous drawing from a girl’s sketchbook
A spontaneous drawing from a boy’s portfolio
Some of the children seemed to have had more art instruction or spent more time painting, drawing and working with more varied mediums than others. Some might have had a proficient adult helping them to assemble the array of artwork and coaching them for the interview, others possibly not. But I could not also help noticing that certain themes and types of work recurred in many portfolios. How come they had ended up in so many kids’ repertoire? Did these children come from the same primary school? Or were there some particular, well-known tasks that all primary students were supposed to do in visual art, like the one about analyzing or reinterpreting a work of some European impressionist artist such as Van Gogh or Degas?
A painting by a girl exemplifying a reinterpretation of canonic work in western art tradition.
Another re-interpretation of canonic Western art by a girl.
Following my little but curiosity awakening observation, some other questions also came to my mind, such as, who can teach art in primary school? Is art obligatory in all schools? What are the art lessons like in SOTA? After the entrance examinations were finished, Talent Academy posters were cleared, classrooms were organised to make way to business as usual, and the students returned from their four-week holidays, I had a chance to make some more observations and look for information.
MOE, NIE, GEO – The national context
Asking around and searching through the Internet about the teacher qualifications I learnt that there is a teacher-training unit in the National Institute of Education (NIE) in Singapore where primary school teachers and secondary school teachers of sciences or humanities can get their teacher qualifications through undergraduate or postgraduate programs. For instance in SOTA some of the teachers of the 2nd year Integrated arts and most of the teachers who taught art on the levels 1-3 had gone through some line of that education. But I was even more curious to know if pedagogical studies or qualifications are required of the art teachers in the secondary or higher levels in schools – after all, in Finland secondary school art teachers need a master’s degree in art education or equivalent. From discussions with the visual art teachers I got the impression that at least in SOTA they were not strictly required – it was enough to be an established artist and have earlier teaching experience – although, on the other hand, SOTA expects all its teachers to take part in various pedagogical courses. The justification for the higher levels not having pedagogically qualified teachers seemed to be that the students are more adult-like and do not need the same kind of strict control as the younger ones. In effect, the concept of pedagogy seemed to be somehow associated with discipline or ‘classroom management’ as somebody put it.
An Internet search more or less verified what I had been told. According to the very informative Ministry of Education (MOE) Internet pages a Singaporean person needs to have at least a general university degree in education (GEO – General Education Officer) to become a teacher at primary level. But at secondary level you can be enrolled to teach visual arts if
a) you have a degree in Art – which in Singapore usually refers to BA degree –, or
b) you had a Minimum Grade of “C” in Art at ‘A’ Level, or
c) you have a Professional Art Diploma from LaSalle or NAFA (Nanyan Academy of Fine Arts), the two major high level art institutions in Singapore.
However, after the enrollment teachers may be sent for training at National Institute of Education during which they will be paid a monthly salary.
It is worth noting that there was no compulsory education in Singapore until 2003, when it was implemented. In effect the first Singaporean resident citizens who by law had to enter the national primary school at the age of six and finish it – or else their parents could be fined or even imprisoned – were born between 2nd January 1996 and 1st January 1997. This means that some of the older students I met in SOTA were actually pioneers of the implementation of compulsory education in Singapore! It also means that all students in SOTA – and the students in all other schools beyond primary level for that matter – were there voluntarily. Unlike in the Finnish system, the Singaporean compulsory education does not concern children with special needs, and for the rest only the six-year primary school is compulsory and that only until they turn fifteen. By comparison, in Finland people in age groups 7 to 16 must cover the nine‐year school curriculum and can only be freed from this if ten years have lapsed since entering the education system.
As to the art education in primary school I found that there is a national core curriculum as well as an art syllabus in Singapore, which guides and defines the aims, focus areas and methods of art teaching in the mainstream schools, much the same way as in Finland. Although it does not dictate the exact contents, it seems to me – after seeing the art portfolios during the Talent Academy – that a certain set of artists and styles from Western art history is introduced to the primary students. Even in SOTA the visual arts syllabus I saw contained pretty much the same Europe/USA-centered set that has been taught in Finnish schools until recently. I wondered if this could be because of a national level emphasis on internationality and commerciality. However, as far as I understand, the affiliation to the international IB program in visual arts only requires that students acquaint themselves with various art traditions and that they are also introduced to the art of their own cultures and encouraged to research them.
The literature on a visual arts classroom shelf featuring Western/European artists, art styles and authors.
In fact another noteworthy feature about the Singaporean educational context is its intrinsic multiculturalism and multilingualism. In practice this has lead to the designation of English as the main language of all instruction throughout the Singaporean school system, even though Malay, Mandarin Chinese and Tamil are also official languages. English is the first language learned by half the children by the time they enter pre-school, and by the time they reach primary school nearly all subjects except the official Mother Tongue languages and the literatures of those languages are taught in English. (See e.g. Wikipedia: Education in Singapore; Dixon 2005)
Classroom impressions
I spent most of my second week at SOTA walking around the school premises and popping into the classrooms taking photos, participating in a couple of teacher assemblies, observing some ongoing art lessons, chatting with teachers, and even exchanging a few words with students every now and again. The variety of studio and theory based courses that I could choose to observe, ranging in varying combinations and scope from the first study year to the last, was so impressive that it could make any Finnish visual art teacher envious: Sculpture, Drawing, Ceramics, Theory & History of Art, Integrated Arts, Painting, Drawing & Concept Development, Design Concepts, Theory & Context, Media Arts, Specializing studios in Media Arts/ Design Concepts/ Painting/ Sculpture, Sculpture Workshop, Ceramics Workshop, Painting Studio, Media Arts Lab… The teaching facilities were equally impressive in quantity and scope, especially considering that the maximum size of a teaching unit was 20 students, and it was not uncommon to see that number split in two, each occupying one of the many labs, studios, or classrooms. There were also various sized auditoriums, dance studios, concert halls, exhibition spaces, courtyards, a big library and even an extensive rooftop terrace adorned with tropical trees, bushes, and a magnificent 360-degree view over the city to be used for diverse educational purposes.
The rooftop terrace with 360-degree view over Singapore
One of the several dance studios
One of the spacious inner yards lined with classrooms for various purposes.
The Theory & Context lesson I observed first was about Text & images and Art & context, and it was given by Mr. Tan Wee Lit on Monday afternoon to a group of 4th year students of whom eight boys and eleven girls – which I would consider a rather good gender distribution in any art class – were participating. One of the boys was reading his notes, and four of them had their laptops open in front of them while the teacher started preparing the assignment by playing some Edith Piaf through the loudspeakers: “Padam, padam, padam…” After a few verses he turned the volume down to ask his students what kinds of thoughts the music brought to their minds.
– It sounds like a clip from a musical, said one girl.
– Is it about war? A boy asked.
– Why? Wee Lit asked the boy.
– I don’t know why, it just sounds like that to me. Like gun fire.
– It’s about love, said Wee Lit. The room was a bit too resonating for me to hear the conversation properly, but the students seemed to agree with their teacher.
As Wee lit told me later, the idea was to share a song in a language foreign to the students, allowing them to interpret its meaning through other means than language or text, such as tone, intonation, pitch, expressions of feelings. This would prepare the students for the sharing of what they would be seeing next. Wee Lit wanted to show them some videos by Matthew Barney, an American artist (and the husband of Björk!) known for his infatuation with Vaseline and his art rich with imagery, projects, objects, and videos. Students were supposed to translate his work to their own drawing and artwork, trying to convey the idea so that it gets to the audience the way they want. All the students listened to the presentation in silence, but when the projector refused to work and Wee Lit went out for a moment to make a phone call (to find an alternative room with Audio Visual facilities that would enable screening), they started chatting with one another. One girl even left her place to look for something and one of the boys stood up. Then Wee Lit returned and wanted to take the group to another classroom to watch the videos. The second space, a little auditorium with tight rows of creaky chairs on ascending floor levels, was even more resonate than the first one. Most of the boys took seats on the second level next to each other, whereas most of the girls lined up in the seats on the top level at the back.
4th year students waiting to start watching an art film in a small auditorium.
The video we watched was one of the many in Mathew Barney’s Cremaster-series. It was one of those experimental art films with no clear plot, but a sequence of events and actions that take place in surreal places and are held together mainly by the coherent aesthetics of the set and the characters, the colours, the objects, the visual imagery etc. It portrayed beautiful women making highly exaggerated, awkward, almost symmetrical gestures and strange deeds either dressed as stewardesses or half naked, their body parts well displayed by the artist. Suspecting that this was not what the students would voluntarily watch I observed them, wondering what they thought about it. There was no chatting or movement at all this time, on the contrary: one boy looked very dozy, and another was actually sleeping. The girls in the back row seemed more interested at first, but then I realised that at least two of them were also asleep, and towards the end of the show quite a few of the spectators seemed to have difficulties of maintaining attention and staying awake.
When the lesson ended, ten minutes of the video still remained unwatched. Wee Lit got up and went to the front. He said that there would be more film viewing next time but also encouraged the students to find the videos on the web and watch them by themselves. He asked: “What is cremaster? Anyone?” As nobody answered he explained that it was certain suspensory muscle of the testis. The video had been a study of the sex, although not only that.
Immediately after Theory & Context I had a chance to observe the same group of 4th year students on a two-hour lesson of Drawing & Concept Development, which was normally given by Ms Lydia Wong, but due to her absence was given by her replacement, Mr. John Stewart Jackson. John – a young artist who was originally from Alabama USA and had came to SOTA 5 years ago – who usually taught sculpture to the 5th and 6th year students, told the 4th year group that Ms Wong wanted them to carry on practicing the continual line drawing technique she had previously introduced to them. The assignment she had given for John to deliver demanded “seeking continuation between eye and hand, avoiding adding from imagination”. Although (or maybe because?) John was very soft spoken, all the students sat still at their desks, which were organized in a circle around a plastic human skeleton in the middle, and listened attentively when he gave the instructions:
– Make several drawings to show Lydia. When you are finished, stick them on the wall with blu-tack. Draw slowly, don’t lift the pencil from the paper. I’ll put some of your favorite music on…
After this all students remained silent, and some of them started drawing almost immediately, while others carried on staring at the plastic skeleton that was supposed to be used as the model. In fact it was so quiet that one could hardly have believed that this was a drawing lesson in an art school! Was it because of my presence? All I could hear were the air conditioning and the noises of cars from the busy streets eight or nine floors below. One girl and a couple of boys were listening to music through their headphones, but everybody was concentrating really well. I wondered if they had the same level of motivation and concentration on all hands-on lessons. And were they always able to work without further instructions, without the teacher going around helping individual students?
Continual line drawing requires concentration.
But after a while, when all the students were already well versed into the assignment, John did get up and start checking around the circle of students to see how they were getting on. As the first drawings were gradually blu-tacked on the wall, he estimated them with individual students or little groups, while the rest carried on with their work. He encouraged the students to look at each other’s drawings and to go and touch the model to get a tactile idea of its shapes. And, although he had repeatedly insisted from the beginning of the lesson that the continuous line should be drawn in a slow concentrated manner, at some point later I heard him telling the students to draw faster and try different speeds while executing versions of the drawing task.
Eventually I also ventured to get up from my chair and started walking around the students, looking at and photographing their drawings and exchanging a few words with them. This enabled me to acknowledge that apparently it was not my presence that caused silence in the classroom, nor was this kind of silence typical or demanded on the art lessons. As one girl put it, students were allowed to talk and they did talk on lessons that required it, but this particular task required concentration, so they kept quiet. By the time all the finished drawings were attached to the wall to be examined from near and afar and discussed together, the classroom soundscape had clearly livened up but was still more subdued and controlled than I would have expected from any group of fourteen to fifteen year old youths in my own country. These teens certainly did not appear to be in need of “classroom management”.
Reviewing the drawings together.
John: “This space is not cleaned by cleaners but students, because cleaners don’t know what is trash and what is not.”
IBDP, RWB, AGP, IA, IDU, CC – Connecting arts and academic
I never got to observe lessons of the 6th year students because they had to be preparing to present their science diploma portfolios to the IB international assessors all that week. To SOTA, an independent international school following an integrated arts and academic curriculum, situated in a city nation famous for it’s atmosphere of commercial success, socio-cultural progress and cosmopolitan trends, opting for the IB diploma programme seems most fitting. In practice it means a lot of work for the staff and especially for the students.
At least the IB diploma in visual arts, which is undertaken during the 5th and 6th years, seemed to demand loads of independent work from SOTA students, both during and outside school hours. First of all, they would have to undertake elaborate investigations about their artistic mediums through experimentation and knowledge seeking in order to navigate towards realisations of their artworks. By the end of the two IB years they would have to exhibit a carefully chosen selection from the plethora of art pieces they had made for the diploma to be evaluated by the IB examiners. According to John, after this year the group of international IB assessors would no longer come to Singapore, because the organisation wants to reduce it’s carbon footprint. Instead, the teachers would have to video the IB programme students presenting their art projects, process the videos and send them to the assessors.
Having to prove their work authentic and to show they had done the thinking themselves made the workload particularly heavy for the students because, even if most of them apparently had laptops, they had to handwrite their process notes, essays and analysis about their research subjects in the research workbooks (RWB), at least 5 pages weekly. To illustrate their points and narratives, which was a must, they could draw directly in these books or paste prints of digital photos and other visual documents of their project works and experimentations in them.
5th year students with their workbooks
As I was observing the Painting Studio given by Mr. Khiew Huey Chian to a group of 5th year students, I saw that all of them had the typically black workbooks – mostly of the bound unlined type recommended in the IB portfolio instructions – open or at hand on the desks while executing their individual art-based investigations. Leafing through the books I realized that these students must actually write huge amounts of text. A lot of it contained ideas and reflections that seemed mature indeed considering the age of the authors, while some of it added up to little more than gobbledygook, as if written for the sake of having to make an impression by masses of “witty” jargon or even just masses of text. I can well imagine that there are individuals who find any amount of literal deliberation enjoyable, or at least an exciting challenge, but for those who are more visually expressive and hands-on oriented it might also be the cause of much stress. I’m not absolutely sure if even my Finnish art education students ever needed to deliver as much written evidence of their artistic potential as these teenagers did just for their IB diploma in visual arts, but I want to think that in both cases all the time and energy spent in text production instead of visual thinking and doing will prove educationally worthwhile.
Having said that, compared to the Finnish matriculation examination system where arts are not represented at all, in IBDP arts can be, even if optionally, one of the six subjects that are assessed in the final examinations and required for a full IB qualification. The IBDP curriculum positions arts as the optional sixth subject group from which, for instance, the visual arts course can be chosen. In SOTA this subject group option is well catered for and well used among the students.
A trio of 5th year girl students opening the exhibition “Redefining Material” curated by them, showing works by both professional and student artists.
A sculpture of metal rods and wood by a 5th year boy student in one of the inner courtyards used as exhibition space.
When the IB arts diploma courses and projects of the last two years are added up with the arts courses of the first four years, one can see that there really is a lot of visual arts, dance, music, or theatre studies going on in SOTA on each respective study line and in each of the six school years. For some exceptionally talented individuals there is even more coaching available in the Artistically Gifted Programmme (AGP), which gives them opportunities to learn with global experts and in real world settings.
Furthermore, all students also have to introduce themselves to other than their own art forms. This happens during the first two years on Integrated Arts (IA) courses, where students of all four faculties are mixed and expected to form groups that bring together at least two art disciplines. After the first two years the students have to choose between four thematically different Integrated Arts groups, which then carry on for another two years. In these groups they are supposed to develop collective inter-arts projects where different art forms are actually integrated. I had a couple of opportunities to visit Integrated Arts lessons during my second week in SOTA. On one of them 4th year students, lead by two female teachers, were about to start developing collective projects around “motion in photography”. When I entered the classroom, which was really more like a dance studio with spotless floor and no seats or desks, the students were sitting on the floor in groups of four and chatting. I was told to take off my shoes and join in. The other lesson I visited, also given by a female teacher, was intended for 2nd year students. The theme of the lesson, Keith Haring and pop art, culminated in learning a method to make simple 3-dimensional objects from 2-dimensional card cutouts in mixed arts pairs.
A group of 4th year students developing an idea…
A pair of 2nd year boys working on their 3-dimensional object.
The IB programme guidelines underline the importance of, and thereby encourage, interdisciplinary approaches. To this end teachers are supposed to guide students towards taking up individual and also collective projects, which force them to venture outside the limits of their own disciplines. In the curriculum and course descriptions I could also find a more concrete example of how arts and academic subjects are connected in SOTA: Interdisciplinary Units (IDU) are lessons specifically designed to exploit collaboration between disciplines. For example, in the Mathematics programme there was an IDU course called Motion Geometry, which was undertaken in collaboration with music and visual arts. In the Science programme there was a photography course with visual arts, media education, and TOK (theory of knowledge, one of the core courses of IB).
Clearly, to properly satisfy my original curiosity as to how the ideals of art-based education – implicated in the SOTA mission as learning environment anchored in the arts – and interdisciplinarity – expressed in the promotion material as integrated arts and academic curriculum or Connected Curriculum (CC) – were put to practice, I would have needed to look beyond the visual arts and interviewed teachers of other arts and sciences as well as observe their lessons. But I ran out of time.
So, to conclude…
In the end I was only able to focus on a small slice of all that I would have wanted to learn about the School of the Arts while in Singapore. Even so I have only partially managed to squeeze that slice of experience into the lengthy review above, most of it has to wait for another time to be told.
If given a chance, I will be pleased to go back and continue my investigation in SOTA, but I would also recommend it as an excellent context of exchange to any educators or teacher students who are interested in developing their pedagogical skills and thinking in an international, multicultural environment. It may be elitist in terms of its status as an arts specialised school for gifted children, and there are aspects in the written school rules that Nordic people might find outdated, too strict, or even unethical, such as obligatory school uniforms or caning as a possible punishment for boys. But SOTA certainly holds, especially if supported by research, great potential and an ideal framework for developing arts-based interdisciplinary education in school.
For a Finnish art teacher student an international teaching practice in SOTA would give an opportunity to:
– Learn about how art is taught outside Finland,
– Learn about the IB diploma program and how it is run,
– Learn about the everyday and the rules and practices of an Asian international school (pedagogical ideas, assessment, laws, school conduct rules, attires, punishments etc.),
– Experiment with integrating different subjects,
– Step outside her/his comfort zone and adopt an open attitude,
– Create connections to art schools all over the world and acquire experience that is useful for embarking on an international career later,
– Learn about an Asian city culture (values, mentality, working ethics, free time, home life, customs, etc.),
– Enjoy the varied Asian culinary cultures daily at very reasonable price,
– Travel inside and outside Singapore – travelling is cheap in Singapore and to the neighboring countries from there.
The children and young students in SOTA come from different language backgrounds, and although they all speak English as their first language, their differing intonations can, at first, demand quite a bit of concentration from a listener whose mother tongue is not English. Therefore, a minimum requirement for a student teacher wanting to achieve an effective learning experience would be good communicative skills in English language. In addition to this he/she would benefit from being sociable, independent and proactive, and from an ability to observe, compare, and analyze with an open, unbiased, non-judgemental mind.
A work titled “Controlled and un-controllable” by Rachael Chua Min Jun in the exhibition Redefining Material, curated by three students.
SOTA curriculum booklet http://www.sota.edu.sg/Portals/0/files/SOTA%20Curriculum%20Booklet%202012.pdf
SOTA homepage: http://www.sota.edu.sg/
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Close to the end of my Equine economy studies 28/11/2017
about to turn a new page 21/12/2016
Attention! UnKolorDistinto is inserting a piece of Valparaiso in Myyrmäki, Finland – just now! 26/05/2015
my first 7 weeks of studying equine economy 27/02/2015
Museo a Cielo Abierto San Miguel – part 2 22/06/2014
when good news from Valparaiso wore colours of the darkest winter day 10/05/2014
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Tagged: Princess, cruises, Alaska, beat the heat, Come Back New
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THE OFFICIAL TOYAH WILLCOX WEBSITE
Toyah in concert at Drury Lane on BBC iPlayer
BBC Radio 6 Music have re-broadcast selections from Toyah’s 1981 Drury Lane concert during the 6 Music Live Hour programme on 29 August. Originally the concert was broadcast live on BBC Radio 1 and on BBC 2 TV as the legendary Christmas Eve Old Grey Whistle Test special on 24 December 1981.
Listen to the six tracks now at BBC iPlayer
6 MUSIC LIVE HOUR BBC Radio 6 Music
Chris Hawkins presents recordings from the BBC’s archive of live music, including Toyah at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London in 1981 plus The Moondogs in session. Read more about this concert here
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The other Super Bowl
It’s little wonder that school superintendent posts are so hard to fill. The recent fiasco in New York City serves as a case in point (“Trying Again, de Blasio Names a New Schools Chancellor,” The New York Times, Mar. 6). Just when the nation’s largest school district seemed to have Alberto Carvalho, head of the Miami-Dade district in the fold, he backed out at the 11th hour. Embarrassed by the televised rejection, Mayor Bill deBlasio subsequently tapped Richard Carranza, the Houston schools’ superintendent.
The real question is whether Carranza will last. I say that because urban superintendents are known for their short tenure. With the exception of Boston’s Thomas Payzant (11 years), Long Beach, Calif.’s Carl Cohn (10 years) and a handful of others, it’s a turnstile position. I’m not at all surprised. No matter how enthusiastic new superintendents are, reality soon wears them down.
It’s not necessarily a question of ability. Even those with impressive credentials learn about the difficulty of building confidence among a host of stakeholders, including teachers, parents, and business leaders. John Deasy learned that lesson the hard way when he was superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District. He failed to build alliances and was forced out in Oct. 2014.
Nevertheless, the Harvard Graduate School of Education thinks it has the answer. In the fall of 2010, it enrolled 25 candidates for a new program in educational leadership. The Ed.L.D. is the first new degree in 74 years offered by the school.
But I seriously doubt if the degree will achieve its goal. Yes, heroic leaders can sometimes perform miracles. However, they cannot be produced on a large enough scale to meet the nation’s needs. According to Public Agenda, 96 percent of practicing principals said their colleagues were more helpful than graduate studies in preparing them for the demands of the job. I submit that applies even more to superintendents.
Just as exemplary teaching is more art than science, I think the same can be said of leadership. I wish Carranza well in his new post, but I wouldn’t bet the ranch that he will beat the odds.
Is college a good investment?
It won’t be long before high school seniors will have to send a check to the college that accepted them for the fall. Before they do so, I think it’s important to ask if committing to four years of education today is worthwhile (“Why an Honors Student Wants to Skip College and Go to Trade School,” The Wall Street Journal, Mar. 6).
I know the argument about the wage premium attached to a bachelor’s degree. But I question if data supporting that view are still relevant. There was a time when a small percentage of the population had a college degree. In those days, therefore, it mattered little what students majored in. The mere fact that they had a degree made them exceptional in the eyes of most employers. But today college degrees lack the same value. That’s why one’s major means more than ever in terms of getting a job in line with one’s education. I’m not even talking about paying off student loans. That’s another huge consideration.
But there’s a further factor given too little consideration. If going to college is seen as more than just a credentialing post, then what about its value in teaching students to engage in critical thinking? With the exception of a handful of colleges and universities, free inquiry and free speech are anachronisms. For example, the treatment of Charles Murray by students at Middlebury College shows that there is an atmosphere of enforced orthodoxy. In Academically Adrift (The University of Chicago Press, 2011), Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa found that some 45 percent of college students showed no significant improvement after two years of college, and 36 percent did not improve after four years in their critical thinking skills.
Students are being shortchanged when they are not held accountable for behavior that stifles ideas they don’t agree with. I wonder what is going to happen to them when they enter the workplace, where not everyone shares their views? That’s something to ponder before deciding to go to college. The so-called signaling power of a degree will also diminish as employers realize that its possession does not mean what it used to. In fact, I see a reversal of Gresham’s Law at play. Marquee-name schools will drive out whatever value is associated with third-tier schools.
Union fees are a fair price
Teachers will find out if what they’ve fought for over the decades can be sustained. I’m referring now to Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, which the U.S. Supreme Court is now hearing (“Public-Sector Union Fees Don’t Violate the First Amendment,” The Nation, Feb. 23). At issue is whether requiring teachers – as well as other public-sector employees – to pay union fees violates their First Amendment rights.
I’ll restrict my comments in this column to teachers. The agency fees charged cover the cost of negotiating and implementing collective-bargaining agreements. By law, this service must be provided to all employees. In 1977, the high court ruled in Abood v. Detroit Board of Education that public employees can be charged such a fee. But it drew a line between forced payments for a union’s strictly political activities and those for more conventional union work.
If the plaintiffs genuinely believe that they are being coerced into paying into an organization that represents views they do not support, then they should refuse to accept the raises they receive and the protections they enjoy. In short, they can’t have it both ways. The First Amendment says nothing about the right to get something for nothing. I participated in three strikes during the 28 years I taught in the Los Angeles Unified School District. I vividly remember that some teachers crossed the picket line for what they said was “principle.” Yet they had no qualms about accepting the benefits the strikes provided.
I believe the real motive of the Janus suit (as well as its predecessor Friedrichs v. the California Teachers Association) is to abolish public-service unions. Teachers unions in particular are being scapegoated for all the ills afflicting public schools. The media love to headline their shortcomings. I acknowledge them, but I hasten to point out that without strong unions, teachers would be at the mercy of abusive principals. The New York Times exposed such matters in 2004 at Brooklyn Tech, one of New York City’s elite high schools. Without union protection, even exemplary teachers can be harassed to the point that they request a transfer or quit. That’s a lesson the nation will learn as the best and the brightest avoid making teaching a career. Given the present makeup of the Supreme Court, I expect the plaintiffs to prevail.
Parental choice is inevitable
Today marks the debut of the EdHed. The strange spelling you no doubt noticed is journalism-speak for headline. For the past eight years, I weighed in on controversial issues in education for Education Week under the banner of Walt Gardner’s Reality Check. I intend to continue to do so every Monday, Wednesday and Friday based on my experience teaching for 28 years in the Los Angeles Unified School District. As past readers know, I’m not an ideologue.
I’m devoting this first column to the highly emotional issue of parental choice because I believe public education in this country is at a crossroads that will make schools unrecognizable in the years ahead. There are already clear signs pointing in that direction but none more imminent than parental choice. No matter what has already been said by both sides about vouchers and tax-credit scholarships, for example, I expect parental choice to continue to dominate the news and commentary.
I received a first-rate education from K-12 in traditional public schools on Long Island, N.Y. decades ago, and strongly support them. But times have changed. I don’t know any parents today who are willing to sacrifice their own children for the sake of a principle. Parents of all backgrounds make huge sacrifices to provide their own with a quality education. In fact, the reputation of a neighborhood school is one of the most important factors in buying a home or renting an apartment. Parents have been driven to commit residential fraud and risk arrest in order to enroll their children in schools they alone believe best meet the unique needs and interests of their children.
For low-income parents in particular, the demand shows no indication of abating, as the long wait lists for admission to charter schools attest. That does not mean parental choice is a panacea. I made this point in a letter to the editor of The New York Times (“On Closing Public Schools,” Feb. 20). On the contrary, to achieve the goal of providing all students with a solid education, parents need to be informed. There’s no question that this constitutes a burden on many parents who lack the education and/or time to investigate the options open to them. In an ideal world, of course, all neighborhood public schools would be so exemplary that no parent would want to look elsewhere. But this has never been the reality.
I’ve heard all arguments about the issue. There is much conflicting evidence, which is why parental choice tends to polarize Americans. I can cite studies that support all sides. But in the final analysis, I believe that most students would benefit when their parents are afforded the opportunity to decide by themselves what is best. It’s appalling to hear stories of the steps that parents take to help their children receive a sound education.
I invite you to follow me on Twitter @waltxyz, or contact me directly at walt.gard376@gmail.com.
@waltxyz
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Past Story: How Sikkim Ended Monarchy & Became Part Of India
August 17th, 2016 / 2:40 PM
Image Courtesy: sikkimarchives
Sikkim favoured India
Sikkim was a strategically important trade route, a route which British wanted to exploit to establish trade with Tibet. However, post-1947, after Independence of India, Sikkim became a separate country. Sikkim remained independent until 1975. It merged with India in 1975 after a referendum was held in which the people of Sikkim decisively voted in favor of merging with India. The merger with India was preceded by series of events. Let us look at a few of them.
Nehru’s attempt to annex
Nehru’s attempt to annex Sikkim to Indian union failed and he eventually agreed to a special protectorate status for Sikkim. Sikkim was to be a tributary of India, in which India controlled its external defense, diplomacy, and communication. This was followed by the establishment of a state council in 1953 to allow for the constitutional government for the monarch Chogyal which lasted for twenty years. However, relations between Chogyal and the elected Prime Minister Lhendup Dorji resulted in an attempt to block the meeting of the legislature. The resentment against the monarch became unanimous in the legislature.
Becoming of state
Indian reserve police were moved in, Gangtok was taken over and Chogyal was kept under siege and the borders were closed. China did its bit in mobilizing opinions against India, however, history was already written and matters came to a head in 1975, when Prime Minister Dorji appealed to the Indian Parliament for representation and change of status to statehood.
End of Monarchy
A referendum was held that facilitated the merger of Sikkim with the union of India and thereby Sikkim became the 22nd Indian State and Lhendup Dorji became head of State (chief minister). The status and post of the monarchy were brought to an end in Sikkim. Democracy reigned supreme.
My Story: “I Became India’s First Female Detective–It Was Unheard Of!”
Fact Check: Is Sikkim’s First Airport The 100th Airport Of India As Claimed By PM Modi?
Father-Daughter Sedated & Robbed In 2nd-Tier AC Coach, Railways Fails To Inspect Train Even After Journey Ended
This Telangana Village Eradicated Poverty And Ended Farmer Suicides Through Organic Farming
China Destroys Indian Bunkers In Sikkim, Blames India For “Crossing The Boundary”
My Story: Never Thought I Would Become A Dentist, But On Wheels, I Became A Gold Medalist
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The Longer View
JFK and the Germans
Here’s an article I wrote on the 50th anniversary of JFK’s speech in Frankfurt:
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2013/06/24/jfks-frankfurt-visit-remembered-as-turning-point/?KEYWORDS=konrad+putzier
Filed under Europe, U.S.
“People, Russia, Putin”
Those who suspect that Vladimir Putin is trying to become a modern Tsar can hardly have been surprised by the language used at last week’s re-inauguration of the Russian Popular Front in Moscow. The Front is a political movement created by Putin and evidently intended to emancipate the President from his immensely unpopular party United Russia. When Putin entered the room, the crowd let out the pre-fabricated chant “People, Russia, Putin”. The slogan was quite obviously derived from the Tsarist motto “Autocracy, Orthodoxy and Nationality”, which outlined the system of political legitimacy back in the day.
Autocracy is now replaced with Putin, signalling who is boss. Nationality is replaced with the more exclusive and definite term Russia. This is evidence of the fact that Russia is trying to become more of a nation state for Russians and less of a multinational country. These two terms thus seem to indicate that the form of legitimacy Putin is seeking may not be fundamentally different from Tsarist times.
However, the replacement of Orthodoxy with People shows the crucial difference between Putin and the Tsars. While the old rulers could claim that they were appointed by God and had a right to rule no matter they did, Putin’s legitimacy is still based on whether he is perceived to promote the interests of the people. His approval ratings will be high only as long as things seem to be improving.
This is a huge problem for Putin. He has created a system that is very successful at maintaining vertical power structures and keeping the opposition down. But is corrupt, inefficient, and will never be able to deliver the progress Russians are demanding in the long term. Perhaps his crusade against Pussy Riot and his blasphemy laws are first attempts to use religion the way Tsars did. But unless he somehow manages to convince Russians that he is appointed by God, his rule will soon lose its legitimacy.
Filed under Russia
Why revolutions hardly ever represent the will of the people – and why we stubbornly think they do
Popular revolutions around the world have recently disappointed all those among us who are hoping for an expansion of democracy or civil liberties. They have either failed completely (Russia), produced governments that are hardly better than their predecessors (Egypt, Tunisia) or ended in a lengthy civil war (Syria). But this hasn’t stopped the Western public from getting its hopes up over the protests in Turkey. Our media portray the protests as an uprising of “the people”, presumably a uniform and freedom-loving entity, against an authoritarian ruler.
This common equalization of protesters and people is perhaps at the crux of our misunderstanding of most revolutions. There are very few revolutions or uprisings in history that really saw a participation of “the people”. In most cases, revolutionaries were nothing more and nothing less than particular interest groups. If we recognize this, we have a far greater chance of understanding what’s going on in Turkey right now.
The Turkish situation is perhaps most similar to the protests against the authoritarian rule of Vladimir Putin in Russia in late 2011. Back then, Western commentators were quick to spot an imminent revolution and an overthrow of the Russian ruling elite. Instead, Vladimir Putin won the Presidential election of 2011 by a landslide, without even having to cheat very much (as he had in the parliamentary elections). The simple truth that dawned on everyone was this: The protesters in Moscow had been educated, westernized and comparatively wealthy. As such, they were not the people, but only a small minority in a large population that has shown little interest in democracy to this date.
Egypt is a similar case. During the protests western newspapers printed numerous portraits of young, urban Egyptians who demanded democracy and civil rights. In the end, Egyptians elected a repressive, Islamist president. As it turned out, those portrayed to us as “the people” were only a minority.
But what about the classics – the Russian, French and American revolutions? The Russian February revolution of 1917 may have had popular backing in the sense that few people were content with the government, but it was essentially an urban affair, while the rural majority of Russia remained uninvolved. The October Revolution is a more extreme example: It was an uprising of such a small part of the population that many historians prefer to call it a coup.
The French Revolution of 1848 was dominated by radicals and took place primarily in Paris. When the revolutionaries held elections across the country, the rural majority elected conservatives who orchestrated a quick return to monarchy. The first French Revolution of 1789 was an uprising of “the people” only as long as the demands were some form of popular representation and land reform. When republicans overthrew the monarchy in 1792, they quickly found that they only had a part of the population behind them. A civil war followed.
I could list a dozen more examples. In order to be successful, revolutions need a common purpose and some form of organisation (At the very least everyone needs to take to the streets on the same day). Both are very hard to achieve over an entire country, but easy to achieve among a comparatively homogenous and concentrated urban population. This is why it can hardly be surprising that most revolutions in history were backed by urbanites, but faced with a hostile or at least indifferent rural majority. Revolutions were more often oppressive than liberating.
With this historical track record in mind, our first thought upon hearing about the protests in Istanbul should have been: Here is another progressive urban minority trying to impose its will on a predominantly conservative country. And yet we all instantly assumed that the protesters represented the popular will, that is to say the majority. Why is that?
The explanation I propose is that we have unconsciously gobbled up the American myth. The American Revolution is the only major uprising I know of that actually represented the interests of the clear majority of the population. This has a lot to do with the modesty of the revolutionary agenda in 1776. Since parliamentary democracy was already in place in the colonies, the revolutionaries essentially said: We’ll keep everything the way it is, but let’s not pay taxes to Britain anymore. Who would oppose that?
Because of the character of its revolution, the American public consciousness has always equated “revolution” with “the people”. Everyone else has followed suit. Revolutionaries in other countries, from France to Russia, have always claimed to represent the people because it gives their cause legitimacy. Those who weren’t directly involved often equated the two terms because doing so turned a complicated situation into a nice and simple fight between good and evil.
Our American perspective on revolutions and protests is not necessarily a bad thing. After all, it gives us the comforting hope that mankind is progressive and heading in what we consider to be the right direction. But as long as we see revolutions not as what they are, but as what we want them to be, we need to be prepared for eventual disappointment.
Filed under Global
Acemoglu on Taksim
Famed developmental economist Daron Acemoglu takes the longer view on the protests in Istanbul and explains why democratic institutions aren’t an inevitable consequence of economic development. Quite thought-provoking.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/06/opinion/development-wont-ensure-democracy-in-turkey.html?hp&_r=0
Filed under Middle East
Jews in the Red Army – NYTimes
A large number of Jews fought againts Hitler as Soviet soldiers. In light of postwar-antisemitism in the USSR, it is easy to forget the Red Army was the only fighting force in Eastern Europe that welcomed Jews into its ranks as equals (at least in theory). It is quite tragic that those Jews who risked their lives for the Soviet cause in World War II ended up being driven out of their homeland by discriminatory policies after 1945. Here’s a short but intriguing piece on Soviet-Jewish veterans of World War II in the US:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/01/us/a-rabbi-honors-the-red-armys-jewish-veterans.html?src=recg&_r=0
Filed under Russia, U.S.
Should the West Have Been Tougher on Russia in the 1990s?
Why rising home prices won’t devour the economy
Post-War Is Back
Does Government Spying Matter? The Case of Kim Philby
25 Years Later, Still No “End of History”
The Longer View · A blog on the history behind today's news
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One Per Cent: Internet responsible for 2 per cent of global energy usage
Internet responsible for 2 per cent of global energy usage
12:07 26 October 2011
Jim Giles, consultant
(Image: Denis Doyle/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
How much energy does the internet use? It's hard to know where to start. There's the electricity consumed by the world's laptops, desktops and smart phones. Servers, routers and other networking equipment suck up more power. The energy required to manufacture these machines also needs to be included. Yet no one knows how many internet-enabled devices are out there, nor how long they are used before being replaced.
That hasn't stopped Justin Ma and Barath Raghavan from trying to answer the question. The pair, researchers at the University of California, Berkeley and the nearby International Computer Science Institute respectively, estimate that the internet consumes between 170 and 307 GW. Which, of course, raises another question: is that is a big number, or a small one?
Raghavan and Ma came up with their total by conducting a rough internet census. By drawing on previously published research, they estimate that our planet is home to 750 million laptops, a billion smart phones and 100 million servers.
They also put figures on the energy that it costs to produce each of these devices (4.5 GJ and 1 GJ for a laptop and smartphone respectively) and the period for which each is used before being replaced (three years for a laptop, two for a smart phone). Estimates for the energy that cell towers and optical switches use when transmitting internet traffic, plus similar calculations for wi-fi transmitters and cloud storage devices, helped complete the picture.
Their final answer sounds big. A gigawatt is a billion watts, so running and maintaining the internet is like illuminating several billion 100W bulbs simultaneously. But it's a small number compared with global energy use across all sectors. That figure is 16 terawatts, so the internet is responsible for less than 2 per cent of the energy used by humanity.
Raghavan and Ma suggest that attempts to create more energy-efficient internet devices, while worth pursuing, will not do much to lower global energy consumption. Instead, they propose that we should think about how the internet can replace more energy-intensive activities. Their calculations show that a meeting that takes place by video-conference uses an average of one hundredth as much energy as one in which participants took a flight so that they could sit down together. Replacing just one in four of those meetings by a video call, they add, would save as much power as the entire internet consumes.
The research will be presented next month at the Workshop on Hot Topics in Networks in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
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There Will Never Be Another Steve Jobs - Forbes
Tags: Apple, News, Tech
Fred Anderson: There Will Never Be Another Steve Jobs
Forbes Staff, Contributor
By Fred Anderson, former CFO of Apple Computer
Steve Jobs and I worked together as close business partners during the turnaround of Apple, and shared the challenges and joy of the company's resurrection. Who will ever forget Michael Dell's statement about Apple at its nadir in 1997: "I'd shut it down and give the money back to shareholders."
I met Steve Jobs in late 1996, when Apple was evaluating a possible acquisition of NeXT. I remember a meeting at the Garden Hotel in Palo Alto, and Steve giving a very impressive demonstration of the NeXTSTEP operating system. After completing technical diligence on NeXTSTEP, Apple acquired NeXT in early 1997. The acquisition of NeXT brought critical assets to Apple, including NeXTSTEP, which became the foundation for Mac OS X; fifty very talented software engineers; and ultimately, Steve Jobs.
Complete Coverage: Steve Jobs
From 1998 to 2000, Steve stabilized the Mac business and returned Apple to profitability. He executed a massive restructuring, retrenching to the company's strongest market niches, improved product quality, outsourced manufacturing, and brought the successful iMac to market. Steve returned innovation and operational excellence to Apple, and invested heavily in the development of the new operating system, Mac OS X.About six months after the acquisition of NeXT, Apple's board decided to oust Gil Amelio as CEO and bring Steve Jobs back as a special advisor to Apple's Board, while a search was launched for a new CEO. During the next three months, I worked closely with Steve as he overhauled the board, killed the compay's clone licensing program, and consummated a historic deal with Microsoft. These moves, which could only have been pulled off by Steve Jobs, provedto be critical to Apple's survival. In September of 1997 Apple's board convinced Steve to become interim CEO.
In 2001, Steve began to reposition Apple at the center of the digital lifestyle with the long awaited introduction of Mac OS X, the continued rollout of digital lifestyle applications (i.e., iMovie, iPhoto, & iDVD), the introduction of the iPod with Apple's iTunes software and the opening of Apple's first retail store. This was the beginning of Apple's transformation from a traditional PC company into a consumer products company, leveraging superior software and design strengths into new product areas like iPod, iPhone and iPad. As a result, over the last decade Apple has delighted consumers with a steady stream of innovative products, and become one of America's most valuable enterprise.
The resurrection of Apple from the ashes of near death could only have been led by Steve Jobs. Only he understood the soul of Apple and its innovative roots, and the importance of combining art and science in the creation of truly great products. Only he had the powerful personality, vision and taste to achieve greatness. There will never be another Steve Jobs.
Fred Anderson served as Chief Financial Officer of Apple Computer from 1996 to 2004. He is currently a managing director at at Elevation Partners, a private equity firm that makes large-scale investments in market-leading media, entertainment, and consumer-related businesses (including Forbes Media).
Nicholas Negroponte: Steve Jobs – Influence, Not Influenced.
Yves Béhar: Steve Jobs Changed My Life
The Statement From Apple's Board
Steve Jobs 2005 Stamford Commencement Address
http://www.forbes.com/sites/velocity/2011/10/05/fred-anderson-there-will-never-be-another-steve-jobs/
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The Breezes
By Joseph O'Neill
New Price:
Year in Reading
A Year in Reading: Joseph O’Neill
Joseph ONeill | 3
Joseph O’Neill’s third novel, Netherland, was named a New York Times Notable Book for 2008. O’Neill’s previous books are The Breezes, This Is the Life, and the family history, Blood-Dark Track, which was a book of the year for The Economist and The Irish Times.Prompted by a writing assignment, I’ve been re-reading the novels and stories of Saul Bellow for the first time in years – and I’m completely smitten all over again, only more deeply. Whereas I first fell in love with his work as a young European, I’m now seeing it with the eyes of an older person long resident in the USA, and it’s like watching a high-definition, technicolor version of a wonderful but blurry and monochrome old movie. I see much more – not only in terms of the American (cultural and topographical) details, but also the human details. (And the sentences, with their extraordinary figurative inventiveness… How did he do it?) It’s stuff that makes you feel tinglingly, fully alive.More from A Year in Reading 2008
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6 AUGUST 1552: THE DEATH of Sir George Throckmorton of Coughton
Posted on August 6, 2015 by tudorqueen6
The Tudor gate at Coughton Court, Warwickshire, England. Commissioned by Sir George. [Source: National Trust Coughton Court]
6 AUGUST 1552: THE DEATH of Sir George Throckmorton of Coughton Court [uncle by marriage and cousin]. George was the eldest son of Sir Robert Throckmorton of Coughton by Catherine, daughter of William Marrow. Sir Robert Throckmorton was a courtier and Councillor to Henry VII. Before his death, in Italy while on pilgrimage to the Holy Land, Sir Robert had seen George launched at court and in local government and in enjoyment of numerous leases and stewardships. This early advancement may have owed something to Throckmorton’s marriage to a daughter of another courtier, Sir Nicholas Vaux, whose stepson Sir Thomas Parr, comptroller of the Household to Henry VIII.
George was a loyal subject to the crown, however when it came to Henry’s divorce from Katherine of Aragon he opposed it. He did not approve of Henry marrying Anne Boleyn and was vocal about it. After all, he was close to Sir Thomas More and the Throckmorton was a devout Catholic family [still are to this day]. George’s circle included supporters of Katherine of Aragon which included Lady Maud Parr, his sister-in-law [wife to Sir Thomas Parr, brother of his wife Katherine]. Maud stayed with her mistress until her death in 1531.
Later on, George was steward from 1528-40 for Thomas Seymour, [later Baron Seymour of Sudeley]. The marriage of Katherine Parr to King Henry VIII in 1543 proved helpful to his children, but George was still in disfavor at court. George was part of the fall of Thomas Cromwell, but his part in it is obscure. Cromwell had somewhat kept George in disfavor for quite some time. The two clashed on religious ideals and other matters of state. The Throckmortons who had converted to Protestantism were held high at court and helped out their cousin Katherine Parr during her reign as queen and as dowager queen. Several Throckmortons did stick to the “old” religion and later found themselves in trouble during the reign of Elizabeth I [daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn].
By 1512, George married Katherine, daughter of Sir Nicholas Vaux [later 1st Lord Vaux of Harrowden] and his first wife, Elizabeth FitzHugh. Elizabeth FitzHugh was the paternal grandmother of Queen Katherine Parr; daughter of Lady Alice FitzHugh [born Neville, granddaughter of Lady Joan Beaufort, Countess of Westmorland]. The couple had eight sons including Anthony, Clement, George, John I, Kenelm, Nicholas and Robert and eleven daughters.
Tomb of Sir George and his wife Katherine [Vaux] in Coughton Church, Warwickshire, England.
Throckmorton died on 6 August 1552 and was buried in the stately marble tomb which he had prepared for himself in Coughton church. The most impressive monument which he left, however, was the gatehouse of Coughton court. Throckmorton spent most of his life rebuilding the house: in 1535 he wrote to Cromwell that he and his wife had lived in Buckinghamshire for most of the year, ‘for great part of my house here is taken down’. In 1549, when he was planning the windows in the great hall, he asked his son Nicholas to obtain from the heralds the correct trickling of the arms of his ancestors’ wives and his own cousin [and niece by marriage] Queen Katherine Parr. The costly recusancy of Robert Throckmorton and his heirs kept down later rebuilding, so that much of the house still stands largely as he left it.
Wenceslas Hollar’s depiction of the heraldry at Coughton Court. The additions were made by Sir George.
The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1509-1558, ed. S.T. Bindoff, 1982. ‘THROCKMORTON, Sir George (by 1489-1552), of Coughton, Warws.‘
This entry was posted in Life as Queen (1543-1547), Life before 1543, The Dowager Queen Katherine (1547-1548), The Family of Katherine Parr and tagged 6 august 1552, catherine vaux, Coughton Court, george throckmorton, katherine vaux by tudorqueen6. Bookmark the permalink.
1 thought on “6 AUGUST 1552: THE DEATH of Sir George Throckmorton of Coughton”
myeagermind on August 12, 2015 at 1:04 AM said:
Reblogged this on Lenora's Culture Center and Foray into History.
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My performance of the week ending 4/6/19 on TV goes to…
Kiernan Shipka as Sabrina Spellman on Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. Kiernan is so versatile and talented and she is completely spellbinding as Sabrina. In Part One, Kiernan nailed the bubble gum pop goodness of Sabrina, but Part Two is taking us somewhere much darker and Kiernan has been so convincing and captivating. Sabrina embodies female empowerment and constantly challenges authority, reminding us that she is strong, confident, and just as capable as any male warlock.
In Part Two, Sabrina is diving deeper into her path of night, but will she need to compromise her goodness to do so? I feel every part of Sabrina’s struggle here, as she is constantly tempted by darkness, but her glimmer of goodness continues to shine through. However, darkness looks good on her too, as she starts to fully experience life as a witch, but darkness always has a price.
What’s next for Sabrina Spellman? We’ll have to stay tuned to find out, but I am about halfway through Part Two and I am hoping that Sabrina can find a balance between her life as a witch and her mortal one, but this is no easy task. Sabrina will continue to be tested and she won’t always make the right decision, but that’s why I love her character so much. She learns so much with each new step she takes and she reminds us that we can always break through and challenge something even when it seems like everyone is against us. I can’t wait to see what she does next!
Stay tuned for a recognized performance on TV each week!
Have a performance on TV that you think is simply outstanding? Feel free to contact me with your nomination for the week by Friday at midnight!
Posted on April 6, 2019 April 14, 2019 Categories Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, TV Performance of the Week!, UncategorizedTags CAOS, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Part Two, darkness, Kiernan Shipka, magic, Netflix, path of night, Sabrina Spellman, theories, TV Performance of the Week!, What's next for Sabrina Spellman?, witchesLeave a comment on My performance of the week ending 4/6/19 on TV goes to…
Spoiler-Free Review of “The Order” season 1: Secret Societies, Werewolves, and Magic
“Magic isn’t good or evil. It just is.” Welcome to The Hermetic Order of the Blue Rose, a secret society filled with magic practitioners, but this is no Hogwarts, as we dive into a dark war between werewolves and The Order. Our main character, Jack Morton, finds himself in the middle of it, uncovering secrets about himself and his family, but what side will he end up choosing?
Love the premise? Me too, which is why I was initially very excited to binge-watch this show. The Order premiered on March 7th 2019 and is available to stream all 10 episodes on Netflix. After watching the entire season within two days, I have a lot of mixed feelings on it. I absolutely love that the show takes place on a college campus, rather than the typical high school setting we see with these types of series that are filled with teen drama with some light horror around the edges. The show has a feel of The Covenant mixed with The Secret Circle, which should give you a good indication of whether you will like it or not. I was also excited to see some familiar faces like Sam Trammell from True Blood, Max Martini from Revenge, and Jewel Staite from Firefly.
The show has a lot going on, but I wasn’t really pulled in until the third episode. This was slightly underwhelming, as there are only 10 episodes in season one, but the plot was intriguing enough to keep me invested. The spells gone wrong are fun and the show is not afraid to kill off main characters, keeping our attention. Even the main love story is not nauseating and it doesn’t take away from the plot, which was a plus. However, I wasn’t overly impressed with the acting from the majority of the cast and some of the humor did not land the way it was intended to. I also felt like the show started to go in a few different directions, but ended up having a solid ending, leaving us with a major cliffhanger that will have you wanting a second season. It has been confirmed that The Order has been renewed for season 2 so it looks like we will get some answers after all.
Overall, I enjoyed the series, but I wouldn’t say that I had to stop what I was doing to watch it. If you like these types of shows, you will be entertained enough, but I recommend first watching shows like Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and Light as a Feather, which did a better job of holding my attention. However, if you are finding yourself in need of a quick show to binge-watch, this might be the perfect option for you, as it does have a lot of redeeming qualities.
I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on The Order in the comments section below. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!
**Goodreads Giveaway currently going on for The Search for Alice (100 copies available) from 2/21/19-3/14/19. Enter Goodreads Giveaway Here!
Do you love horror series? Of course you do! Please also check out 12 Nights of Horror Series Coming Soon. It’s your home for everything you need to know about new and returning horror television series including new trailers, premiere dates, reviews, recaps, and renewals!
Posted on March 13, 2019 March 30, 2019 Categories The Order, UncategorizedTags 10 episodes, Binge-watching, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, dark secrets, Jack Morton, Jewel Staite, Light as a Feather, light horror, magic, main love story, major cliffhanger, Max Martini, Netflix, review, Sam Trammell, Secret society, spoiler free review, Spoiler-free review of The Order, teen drama, television, The Covenant, The Hermetic Order of the Blue Rose, The Order, The Secret Circle, theories, TV, war between magic and werewolves, werewolves, Will there be a season 2 of The Order?1 Comment on Spoiler-Free Review of “The Order” season 1: Secret Societies, Werewolves, and Magic
Spoiler-Free Review of “A Discovery of Witches” season 1: To Stream or not to Stream
“It begins with absence and desire. It begins with blood and fear. It begins with A Discovery of Witches.” Based on the All Souls trilogy by Deborah Harkness, the television series follows Diana Bishop, played by Teresa Palmer, an alchemist and a reluctant witch, who comes across “Ashmole 782,” which is a mysterious text that has been missing for quite some time and is desired by many witches, vampires, and demons. After discovering the text, Diana crosses paths with a vampire named Matthew Clairmont, played by Matthew Goode. Can you guess what comes next? Of course there is a love story, which makes things complicated, as witches and vampires are forbidden from being together.
So am I in or out? I was initially very excited to watch this show, which is now available to stream all 8 episodes on Sundance Now and Shudder. I have read the trilogy and I absolutely adored the first book in particular. When I started the television series, I felt that it had a lot of potential. However, the series can be slow moving at times and other characters are introduced a little bit too much, which caused me to continue to go back to see who everyone was and why they were there. So to stream or not to stream? If you are a fan of Twilight or The Originals, you will enjoy the series. There are only 8 episodes, but I felt like things didn’t really get going until episode 6. The love story is moving enough, the acting was impressive despite some empty conversation starters, and there were even some formidable villains. You will most likely connect more with Matthew than Diana. Think Mr. Darcy if he were a vampire. I was also very impressed with Satu played by Malin Buska, who was absolutely brilliant.
I very much enjoyed the history of the witches and Diana discovering her powers along with the introduction of dark magic, but I would have liked to see a better balance here. I understand the need to focus around the love story, but I think this might actually turn some fans away, as it is somewhat similar to Twilight, which could be off-putting, even though I ship Diana and Matthew a lot more than Bella and Edward. When I read the book series, I fell in love with the creepy library atmosphere and the mystery behind discovering the text, which was glossed over very quickly on the show. The series has gotten a lot of attention in the UK and has already been renewed for seasons 2 and 3, which opens the door to more time walking and more magic. If you are a fan of the book series, I think you will enjoy the show and appreciate how much they try to incorporate everything, but if you are a casual fan, it may miss the mark for you. Overall, I think that the show is worth a stream if you find yourself craving a good supernatural love story. However, if you are looking for something dark and disturbing, this may not be your cup of tea.
I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on A Discovery of Witches in the comments section below. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!
Posted on January 26, 2019 January 26, 2019 Categories A Discovery of Witches, UncategorizedTags 8 episodes, A Discovery of Witches, A Discovery of Witches TV series, alchemy, All Souls trilogy, Ashmole 782, creepy library, dark magic, Deborah Harkness, Demons, Diana and Matthew, Diana Bishop, forbidden love, formidable villain, history of witches, magic, Malin Buska, Matthew Clairmont, Matthew Goode, renewal for seasons 2 and 3, review, Satu, Shudder, spoiler free review, Sundance Now, supernatural love story, television, Teresa Palmer, The Originals, theories, time walking, TV, Twilight, UK, vampires, witchesLeave a comment on Spoiler-Free Review of “A Discovery of Witches” season 1: To Stream or not to Stream
Ranking the top 5 moments from “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” season 1 episode 11: “A Midwinter’s Tale”
Happy Saturday TV fans! After watching Netflix’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina season 1 episode 11, we were reminded that ‘Tis the Season for seances during the witching hour. While we all have our own traditions during the holidays, the Spellman family wished us a “Happy Solstice” and asked that “Satan bless us everyone.” Please note spoilers are ahead if you have not gotten a chance to watch yet. In episode 11, “Chapter Eleven: A Midwinter’s Tale,” the Spellman family prepares for the “Winter Solstice,” but Sabrina has a few magical ideas of her own. Meanwhile, Susie gets in a bit of trouble during her holiday job and Aunt Zelda is preoccupied with baby Leticia. My top 5 moments from Chilling Adventures of Sabrina season 1 episode 11 holiday special are:
“Christmas is the best time for ghost stories.”
In the beginning of the episode, we learn a bit about some of the Spellman family traditions during the holidays, which center around burning a “Yule Log,” which is meant to ward off evil spirits during the solstice. It is very important that the “Yule Log” fire does not go out or the Spellman family will be vulnerable to many magical threats. Sabrina recognizes that things are very different this year, but she can’t help missing her parents during this time, as she looks at a photo ornament of them that is very dear to her heart. Sabrina remembers that she crossed paths with her mother in limbo and is desperate to find a way to help her, but perhaps this isn’t the best night to do so.
“Too soon or too weird?”
Sabrina is determined to contact her mother with a seance, recognizing that the veil thins between the living and the dead during the solstice. After Ambrose turns down her request, Sabrina goes to see Miss Wardwell, who initially seems willing to help Sabrina, but recognizes that she will need to run some interference to prevent Sabrina from going down the wrong path. Sabrina tries to include her mortal friends, but they are not really too excited about participating in the seance. Sabrina does not take “no” for an answer; however, as she recruits Prudence and her sisters to assist with the ritual. It seems like everything is working perfectly when the spirit of Diana Spellman appears before them, but other magical beings begin to break through the veil as well, which threatens everyone in the Spellman home.
“Is this what it’s like being a witch?”
During all the commotion at the Spellman residence, we also learn that Susie has gone missing when her Santa Claus boss, Mr. Bartel, tries to turn her into a wax figure for his creepy collection. We learn that Bartel is actually a demon, but Sabrina and her aunts are ready to help save the day, as they enlist the help of Gryla, who is a demon that gathers the lost souls of children. It looks like Susie will be OK and everything is back to normal for now, but I think she will be researching her next job opportunity with a little bit more care next time.
“Please don’t ever do that again. Use magic.”
During the episode, we also get a Harvina moment, as Sabrina tries to make amends with Harvey by giving him an enchanted pencil set. Harvey later gives the gift back to Sabrina and explains that he doesn’t want her to use magic anymore with him. Sabrina clearly cares about Harvey a lot, but she also recognizes that he may not be ready or willing to walk down the path of night with her. I’m still hoping that these two can work things out; however, because they are absolutely adorable together.
“Mom…you’re beautiful.”
In a heartwarming moment, Sabrina gets a very brief moment with her mother and confides in her about Harvey and some of her doubts and fears. Her mom helps her quite a bit, even though she cannot stay for very long, but it looks like Sabrina will cherish this brief encounter forever. Sabrina’s mother was mortal and understands all too well what it means to walk down the path of night, but Sabrina may need to experience this for herself, as her path may be different. At the end of the episode, Zelda decides to bring baby Leticia to Desmelda to keep her safe, which leaves us with some more unanswered questions. Is Desmelda a friend or foe? What will Miss Wardwell do next? Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the holiday special. I appreciated that the show took the time to celebrate with our favorite characters, while continuing the plot as well to get us ready for new episodes on April 5th 2019. Stay tuned!
I hope you enjoyed the list and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on Chilling Adventures of Sabrina in the comments section below. Happy viewing!
Posted on December 15, 2018 December 15, 2018 Categories Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, UncategorizedTags A Midwinter's Tale, Ambrose, April 2019, Aunt Zelda, baby Leticia, CAOS, Chapter Eleven: A Midwinter's Tale, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina holiday special, Christmas, Demons, Diana Spellman, episode 11, evil spirits, fans, friendship, Gryla, Happy Solstice, Harvina, heartwarming, holiday special, Limbo, living and the dead, magic, Mr. Bartel, Netflix, New episodes, Ranking, romance, Sabrina and Harvey, Sabrina Spellman, Sabrina's mother, Santa Claus, Satan, seance, season 1, Season 2 premiere date April 5th 2019, Spellman family, spoilers, television, the path of night, theories, theories about Miss Wardwell, top 5 list, Top 5 moments, TV, Who is Desmelda, witches, witching hour, Yule Log1 Comment on Ranking the top 5 moments from “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” season 1 episode 11: “A Midwinter’s Tale”
Ranking the top 5 couples from “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”
“If my heart could beat, it would break my chest” (Spike). When you think about epic love, what comes to mind? Is it that indescribable feeling that you get within your gut? Is it the tears that pour down your face when you witness a significant moment that will change your outlook on love forever? I think that epic love can be described in so many different ways and that is what makes it so incredibly powerful. It can be passionate and fiery or even one-sided, but there is something to be said about the things we do for love. As I am re-watching one of my all time favorite television series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I have realized that Joss Whedon does an incredible job of introducing us to so many great loves on the show. They don’t end up living happily ever after, but that’s what makes them so real and consuming. We watch our favorite characters go through heartbreaking moments, as they desperately try to pick up the pieces when it seems impossible to do so. However, we cannot deny the chemistry and beautiful connections they have shared, touching our hearts and souls in the process. Please note spoilers are ahead. My top five ships from Buffy the Vampire Slayer are:
Giles & Jenny
Giles: In my years as watcher, I’ve buried too many people. But Jenny was the first I loved.(Passion, season 2 episode 17)
The budding romance between Giles and Jenny was absolutely delightful to watch. Even though they both often spent their time supervising Buffy and the Scoobies, they had some undeniably sweet moments together and real chemistry. Jenny often teased Giles and he would get baffled in front of her, which was absolutely adorable. However, a strain was put on their relationship after Jenny was possessed by a demon targeting Giles. We then later found out that Jenny was sent to Sunnydale to watch Angel, as her ancestors were responsible for the curse of his soul. Giles supported Buffy here and kept Jenny at a distance, but Buffy eventually let go of her anger and confided to Jenny that Giles did truly miss her. In the episode, “Passion,” it looked like Giles and Jenny were finally going to get the romantic evening they deserved. Only Angelus ripped this chance at happiness away from them. Angelus killed Jenny to prevent her from cursing him again, but took this tragic moment much further when he staged a romantic evening for Giles at his home. Giles walked in to rose petals and opera music with champagne and a note reading, “upstairs.” To Giles’s horror, he discovered Jenny’s lifeless body on his bed, as the champagne glasses shattered along with his heart and ours.
Xander & Anya
Xander: I’ve gotta say something cause I don’t think I’ve made it clear. I’m in love with you. Powerfully, painfully in love. The things you do, the way you think, the way you move…I get excited every time I’m about to see you. You make me feel like I’ve never felt before in my life. Like a man. I just thought you might wanna know. (Into the Woods, season 5 episode 10)
There is something to be truly said about the quirky and adorable love between Xander and Anya. Anya initially came to Sunnydale as a demon to grant Cordelia’s wish in season 3, but she ended up human when this backfired. Anya soon found herself attached to Xander and the two started an interesting relationship together. While it first seemed like a relationship of convenience, Xander began to truly fall in love with Anya. Even though Anya typically said the wrong thing at the wrong moment, you couldn’t help but adore her. Anya also started to truly feel for Xander, which really helped her develop as a mortal, as she finally started to understand what it meant to be human. When Xander and Anya were about to get married, I thought that two of our favorite characters were going to get the happily ever after ending that they deserved. Only Xander had second thoughts and didn’t go through with the wedding after witnessing how his father treated his mother and seeing something similar in an alternate future for him and Anya. This moment is truly heartbreaking, as Anya loved Xander so completely. Xander felt like he was doing the right thing here, but my heart goes out to Anya.
Buffy & Spike
Spike: I’m not asking you for anything. When I say I love you, it’s not because I want you or because I can’t have you. It has nothing to do with me. I love what you are, what you do, how you try…I’ve seen your kindness and your strength, I’ve seen the best of you and the worst of you and I understand with perfect clarity exactly what you are. You’re a hell of a woman. You’re the one, Buffy. (Touched, season 7, episode 20)
I always felt a spark between Buffy and Spike even when they were mortal enemies. There was just an undeniable sense of desire between them and I often used to wonder about what would happen if they ended up together. In the episode, “Something Blue,” fans got a chance to see a potential for these two when Willow’s spell went horribly wrong and Buffy and Spike said that they were getting married. When Spike got the chip in his head, he was no longer able to hurt anyone, but this became even more complicated for him when he became infatuated with Buffy. Spike’s feelings for Buffy started out somewhat stalker-like, as he would wait outside her window and even steal her panties here and there. However, Spike revealed true potential and friendship when he sat next to Buffy on her porch after she learned that her mother was very sick. Buffy and Spike remained here in silence and Spike awkwardly patted her back, letting her know that he was truly there for her.
Later on in the series after Buffy came back from the dead, she was desperately trying to feel something and her and Spike shared an epic kiss at the end of the episode, “Once More, With Feeling,” leaving fans completely shocked. Buffy started a dark relationship with Spike, as she tapped into her desires, keeping her relationship with him a secret at first. Later on, their relationship got even more complicated when Spike attacked Buffy sexually, which was extremely difficult to watch. Spike left town, horrified by his actions, and ended up earning his soul, which gave him a real chance to redeem himself. Even though Buffy and Spike did not get a chance to truly work out, Buffy did appreciate everything he did for her and Spike truly became a man because of her. There’s something to be said about true love redeeming someone who started out so evil. Spike became a hero one could be truly proud of, performing selfless acts because of his unconditional love for Buffy, which sparked the humanity within his vampire soul.
Willow & Tara
Tara: Even when I’m at my worst, you make me feel special. How do you do that?
Willow: Magic. (Family, season 5, episode 6)
While I always shipped Willow and Oz, I felt so incredibly heartbroken when Oz left town. I was beginning to wonder if Willow would ever find true love and we were all lucky enough to witness the beautiful love and friendship between Willow and Tara. Willow and Tara met in Wicca club and quickly discovered that they were the only two members of the group to have any real powers. Willow was very interested in experimenting with witchcraft and magic and she shared so many intimate things with Tara, as their friendship blossomed into something more. Willow and Tara have always had such a pure and magical love. Tara’s heart had always belonged to Willow and she was even willing to let her be happy when Oz returned, but Willow could not deny where her heart belonged now. When her and Tara blew out the candle together, they were ready to fully explore their feelings for one another. In a tragic moment later on in the series, Tara was shot and killed in front of Willow. Her lifeless body collapsed in Willow’s arms, as Willow’s grief escalated into pure darkness and vengeance, as her dark magic consumed her. Even though Willow got another chance at potential love later on in the series, nothing can compare to her love with Tara, which is something so transcendent and beautiful.
Some honorable mentions before revealing my number one ship are:
Spike & Drusilla
Xander & Cordelia
Spike & Harmony
Buffy & Riley
Buffy & Angel
Angel: Are you still my girl?
Buffy: Always. (Enemies, season 3 episode 17)
My number one ship has to go to Buffy and Angel. Giles got it right when he said, “A vampire in love with a Slayer. It’s rather poetic.” There is something so completely romantic about these two together. It’s almost like we are trapped within a dark fairy-tale, as we witness the emotional roller coaster ride between them. Ever since Angel first saw Buffy, he loved her and wanted to help her. Buffy gave Angel a true sense of purpose, as he did not know how to live with his soul previously. Buffy and Angel’s love has always been complicated, however. They have some unbelievably romantic moments together and some hot and steamy ones as well. After Buffy and Angel make love for the first time, the unthinkable happens when Angel experienced a moment of “true happiness” and lost his soul, as the monster, Angelus, returned. Angelus began tormenting Buffy and her friends, which was so cruel and heartbreaking. I remember crying along with Buffy so many times after witnessing what she had to go through. To make matters even worse, Angel’s soul was returned right at the moment that Buffy needed to kill him to prevent a demon from swallowing the world. Buffy made the ultimate sacrifice when she told Angel to “close his eyes” and kiss her, right before she stabbed him with her sword. Buffy left town after this, as she could not bear to handle it, but Angel soon returned from hell, as his purpose was not over.
Buffy and Angel tried out being friends, but learned that they could really never be just friends, as Spike pointed out. They both desperately want to be close to one another, but knew that they could never have a true chance at a real life together. Angel wanted Buffy to have a normal life, rather than keeping her hidden in the shadows, and ended up leaving town. Before Angel left, he surprised Buffy at the prom and the dance between them was so beautiful and romantic, as the rest of the world seemed to just fade away, leaving only Buffy and Angel together. Even though Buffy and Angel do not end up together, their love is so powerful and undeniable. Buffy and Angel will always love one another and I will always continue to ship them. Their love is beyond messy, but there is something truly perfect about it as well, reminding us that epic love is never easy, but there is really nothing like it in the world.
I hope you enjoyed the list and feel free to post your own comments and thoughts about your favorite ships on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!
Posted on December 2, 2018 December 2, 2018 Categories Buffy the Vampire Slayer, UncategorizedTags Angelus, Bangel, BTVS, Buffy and Angel, Buffy and Spike, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, dark relationship, epic love, friendship, Giles and Jenny, heartbreaking, honorable mentions, Joss Whedon, magic, Once More With Feeling, Passion, Ranking, Ranking the top 5 couples from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Ranking the top 5 ships from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, re-watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer, redeemed hero, relationships, romantic love, Scoobies, slayer, Something Blue, spoilers, Spuffy, Sunnydale, television, top 5 couples from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, top 5 list, tragic love, tragic moment, true happiness, TV, unconditional love, vampires, Willow and Tara, witches, Xander and Anya6 Comments on Ranking the top 5 couples from “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”
Ranking the top 5 moments from “American Horror Story: Apocalypse” season 8 episode 9: “It’s Time For The Apocalypse”
Happy Thursday TV fans! After watching the FX network’s American Horror Story: Apocalypse season 8 episode 9 last night, a lot of our unanswered questions have finally been answered, but we still have a lot left to cover in next week’s finale. Please note spoilers are ahead if you have not gotten a chance to watch the latest episode yet. In last night’s episode, “Fire and Reign,” Michael takes the attack directly to the coven, two “coked up nerds” plot the end of the world, and Mallory’s powers are put to the test. We also continue to get some fun Easter eggs along the way. My top 5 moments from American Horror Story: Apocalypse season 8 episode 9 are:
“Well Satan might want to get a paternity test.”
In this episode, we continue to catch up with Jeff and Mutt, played by Peters and Eichner, who are not that impressed with the Antichrist, Michael Langdon. Jeff hilariously makes fun of Langdon and mocks him saying, “I don’t know what I am supposed to do” and Mutt hilariously points out that Jesus didn’t have it easy either and “that’s why he went to the desert bro.” We know that Billy Eichner’s other character, Brock, ends up in the wasteland for quite some time as well. Ms. Venable also gets some more screen time in this episode and is clearly looking for more responsibility, as important as booking the “mile high escorts” is. Even though her personality is not the warmest, Jeff and Mutt do recognize how much she has done for them and tell her that they want to save her and have her lead her very own Outpost in the apocalypse. And so we continue connecting the dots.
“They’re just gone.”
Michael is still filled with rage and anger, desperately looking to take his revenge out on the witches. Dinah sells out the witches for a 13 episode talk show, which is amusing because AHS used to be 13 episodes that sometimes had the tendency to drag toward the end. This season, we will only get 10 episodes, but I’m now wondering if that is truly enough time to wrap everything up. We’ll have to stay tuned to find out. Michael puts Ms. Mead to work and she whips out her shotgun arm, taking out Zoe and Queenie, explaining why we do not see them in the future with the other witches. Cordelia is beyond devastated, especially when she tries to tap into their souls and finds nothing. Madison conveniently takes this time to explain what she witnessed Michael do back in Murder House and Cordelia realizes that she needs to figure out something fast to protect the rest of her girls. It is also important to note that Misty was conveniently not in this episode but still mentioned, hinting that perhaps the mud surrounding the swamps could be used for Cordelia’s spell to help hide and protect her girls in the future.
“This sounds like the plot of The Omen 3.”
We learn that nerds, or “coked up nerds” in this case, can really take over the world. Jeff and Mutt use Ms. Mead to communicate with Michael. They are unimpressed with his desire to run for president and hilariously point out that this sounds like the plot of one of The Omen movies. After all, Michael does not have too much material to work with on how to be the Antichrist. Maybe someone can get him a How To guide? Jeff and Mutt decide that they want to destroy the world instead and use Ms. Mead to convince Michael to jump on the bandwagon, proving that manipulation can be an extremely powerful skill.
“This bitch can travel through time?”
As Cordelia recognizes the very real threat against her coven, she explains to Mallory that she must survive, recognizing that Mallory may be the only witch who can truly get them out of this. Mallory wants to help her sisters, but the test on her powers is dangerous and could lead to death. Myrtle points out that it will be like the “blind leading the blind,” referencing that Cordelia was once blind herself, as they try to help Mallory go back in time to save Anastasia, the daughter of Alexei Nikolaevich. You may know about Anastasia from history or from the beloved animated classic, but this version of Anastasia possessed some kind of magical abilities, only they were not strong enough to protect her family. In history, there was a lot of mystery that surrounded Anastasia’s death, as many impostors claimed to be her. She was also known as “The Lost Princess,” which connects back to Mallory. Mallory goes back in time to try and help her, but fails. She is brought back to present time; however, proving that she is worthy of this power, which will definitely come in handy for our favorite witches. In the future, Mallory is unsure of her own identity and feels like she has someone trapped within her, suggesting that she is a “lost princess” as well or really a lost witch in this case.
“It’s time for the apocalypse.”
We learn that the price of admission is only 100 million dollars, which seems reasonable. Where can I sign up? We also learn that “The Cooperative” is actually another name for “The Illuminati.” Michael convinces everyone to stand with him and Jeff and Mutt’s plan is underway. After all, they just need to convince a few powerful leaders to push some buttons to start the end of the world, which is beyond scary. Even though we are surrounded by demons, witches, and a pentagram filled with dead warlocks, the end of the world is actually presented in a realistic way that makes these events even more concerning. Now that we have all of the chess pieces in place, it’s time to play the game, but who will end up triumphant? Stay tuned!
I hope you enjoyed the list and feel free to post your own theories and thoughts on American Horror Story: Apocalypse below in the comments section. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!
Posted on November 8, 2018 November 8, 2018 Categories American Horror Story: Apocalypse, UncategorizedTags 13 episodes, AHS, AHS easter eggs, AHS: Apocalypse, Alexei Nikolaevich, American Horror Story, American Horror Story: Apocalypse, Anastasia, Antichrist, Billy Eichner, blind leading the blind, coked up nerds, connections to Anastasia, Coven, destroy the world, drama, easter eggs, episode 9, Evan Peters, fans, Fire and Reign, FX network, history, horror, magic, Mallory, manipulation, Michael Langdon, mile high escorts, Ms. Mead, Ms. Venable, Murder House, mystery, Outpost, Ranking, revenge, Satan, Season 8, spoilers, television, The Cooperative, The Illuminati, The Lost Princess, The Omen 3, theories, time travel, top 5 list, Top 5 moments, TV, witchesLeave a comment on Ranking the top 5 moments from “American Horror Story: Apocalypse” season 8 episode 9: “It’s Time For The Apocalypse”
5 Spoiler Free Reasons why you should watch “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” on Netflix: A Binge-Worthy Treat That Is Everything You Crave”
“What’s the point of being a witch if I can’t help the ones I love?” An excellent question for sure, as half-mortal Sabrina Spellman learns that being a witch is not all fun and games. If you had the choice to be a witch or a mortal, what would you choose? Would you continue on your normal path or would you choose the path of night? The Netflix series is based on the Archie Comics series, which was also the inspiration for the sitcom, Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1996-2003). While the sitcom was a fun and lighter take on Sabrina’s adventures, the Netflix series is a much darker approach. The show features 10 episodes and they are all currently streaming on Netflix as of October 26th 2018. After watching all of the episodes in one weekend, I can tell you that I absolutely adored this series. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is the perfect portion of Riverdale bubble gum pop dipped in delicious darkness. It is absolutely enchanting and I highly recommend it. Please note that major spoilers have been left out for your convenience. My top 5 reasons to check out Chilling Adventures of Sabrina are:
This show tackles real issues.
Welcome to Greendale. While the town is known for its spooky and Halloween-like atmosphere, it is also near Riverdale and it should be noted that these two series do connect. If you are a Riverdale fan like me, you will be pleasantly surprised with a few mentions and connections along the way. Even though the town has a lot of dark and mystical things going on, the series also sheds some light on some important issues. Sabrina and her friends witness and deal with sexual harassment and bullying, reminding us that there are some real life horrors happening along with the supernatural ones. The show does a good job of making us aware of these important issues and promoting female empowerment, while seamlessly continuing on with the plot.
The supporting characters.
It is sometimes difficult for the supporting cast to step into the spotlight, especially when there is a strong lead capturing our attention. However, I was delighted by a lot of the supporting cast. I give standout performances to Lucy Davis (Hilda Spellman), Chance Perdomo (Ambrose Spellman), Tati Gabrielle (Prudence), Michelle Gomez (Miss Wardwell), and Miranda Otto (Zelda Spellman). These characters all complimented Sabrina so well and I could really see a true connection among the Spellman family. You will be delighted by all of them.
Episodes 5, 8, and 9.
While all of the episodes were fast paced and fun, these three were on a completely different level. I will not spoil anything for you, but I would definitely recommend giving these three episodes your undivided attention. Episode 5 provided me with some Buffy the Vampire Slayer nostalgia and episodes 8 and 9 were shocking and dark, pulling the story in a twisted direction and further developing the character of Sabrina. These episodes are not predictable and they will have you on the edge of your seat. Enjoy the ride!
Sabrina Spellman.
Played by Kiernan Shipka, Sabrina is a strong female protagonist who you can truly root for. Kiernan is absolutely enchanting and she really captured the essence of the character. Sabrina makes mistakes along the way, but that is part of her charm. She’s flawed, but she has so much inner strength and loyalty to her friends and family. Sabrina always tries to do what is right to protect the ones she loves. She sort of reminds me of a mix between Riverdale’s Betty Cooper and Harry Potter’s Hermione Granger. She is a fast learner and is willing to go against authority to try and keep her moral compass intact. Sabrina is not afraid to stand up for what she believes in and she is constantly challenging everyone, reminding us that she is not just a powerful witch, but a powerful and amazing woman.
A worthy series about witches.
It’s not always easy to provide the audience with a true representation of witchcraft. There is always the allure of having magical powers and casting spells, but there needs to be a balance as well. Shows like Charmed and American Horror Story: Coven were able to capture this along with movies like The Craft. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina tackles everything from truth spells to resurrection ones and reminds us about “personal gain” and real consequences. While it may seem glamorous to be a witch, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina reminds us that it’s not always this simple. Sabrina is trying to find her own identity as a person, but also has to deal with making a choice between her mortal life and her destiny to become a witch. It’s a decision that weighs on Sabrina for quite some time and she begins to understand that magic cannot always solve everything. While the show will provide you with some fun magical moments, it also reveals the darkness and sacrifice that comes with it. Overall, I was truly impressed with this show and I cannot wait until season 2. I absolutely recommend this spellbinding series to everyone. Ready to watch?
I hope you enjoyed the list and feel free to post your own theories and thoughts on Chilling Adventures of Sabrina in the comments section below. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!
Posted on October 30, 2018 October 30, 2018 Categories Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, UncategorizedTags Ambrose Spellman, American Horror Story: Coven, Archie comics, Betty Cooper, Binge-worthy treat, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, bullying, CAOS, Chance Perdomo, Charmed, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, dark, destiny, drama, enchanting, Episode 5, episode 8, episode 9, Episodes, female empowerment, friendship, Greendale, half mortal, Hermione Granger, highly recommend, Hilda Spellman, horror, identity, Kiernan Shipka, Lucy Davis, magic, magical powers, Michelle Gomez, Miranda Otto, Miss Wardwell, moral compass, Netflix, nostalgia, personal gain, real life horror, resurrection, review, Riverdale, Riverdale connections, Sabrina Spellman, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, sacrifice, shocking, spellbinding, Spellman family, spells, spoiler free review, standout performances, strong female protagonist, supernatural horror, Tati Gabrielle, television, The Craft, theories, truth spell, TV, witchcraft, witches, Zelda SpellmanLeave a comment on 5 Spoiler Free Reasons why you should watch “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” on Netflix: A Binge-Worthy Treat That Is Everything You Crave”
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The Rise and Fall of Athens
In ancient Greece, Athens was the largest and wealthiest city of its kind. Named after the goddess Athena, this capital was not only considered as a place of peace and prosperity but also as the center of civilization with the bulk of Greece’s scholars, politicians and businessmen. The fifth century is specifically considered as Athens’ peak as at that time the city was the center of Greece’s civilization in times of wealth, politics, power and socialization, as well as education. The city, however, experienced an economic decline that has been attributed to many things but significantly to the decline of the Greek supremacy in the world as a whole and especially in ‘Asia Minor’ and its neighbors. While the present day Athens is prospering and is ranked among the 40 wealthiest cities in terms of purchasing power parity, it is still conceivable that the city’s former glory is yet to be restored. The Athens of today is economically weak compared to the global power of ancient Greece.
Before the fifth century, Greece had constant disagreements with Persia. The Persians had considered themselves as world dominants and were, thus, attacking smaller towns and cities in the Aegean, as well as on the coast of Asia Minor. At the time, power was regarded as initiating conquest wars and expanding empires to the ends of the earth and the Persians used to fight for world domination, as well. What this implied was that as a powerful civilization, the Greek were best placed to protect their neighbors from the foreigners. The Greek were generally wealthy people with a large fleet and much money at that time. They valued their connection with the sea and their relationship with the neighboring states and it may have contributed greatly to their success as a city. It can be stated that the people of Greece were culturally religious with a strong faith in their patron goddess and in the gods in general. They believed in the immortal beings and often used their teachings as guidance for the way they related with one another. However, it changed with the rise of the Greek empire, as the power possession became a reason of numerous cases of corruption.
The Rise of Athens
Pomeroy, Burstein & Donlan (2011) note that immediately after the Persians were defeated, Athens experienced an era of growth in terms of politics, economy and society. The people were slowly becoming richer, more educated and even more engaged in the building of the city. This period is referred to as the Pentekontaetia whereby, Athenians united under the cause of building their state after the Persians had finally been eliminated as threats to peace and prosperity. In his account of Athenian history Thucydides narrates that during the fifty-year period after the Persian War and before the Peloponnesian, Athens rose and declined gradually and significantly in both ways. The rise was exponential, at first with the people of Athens being fully responsible for the wealth they were accumulating.
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There are two ways to consider the growth of the Athenian city: one is the introduction of democracy and the abuse of power by the leader of the Delian League. Pericles was a great leader who strived to promote radical democracy amongst the government in Greece. He did not only create an environment in which growth and prosperity could occur but also tried to make it sustainable by emphasizing on peace, justice and fairness as the guiding principles of interaction amongst the citizens. Democracy in this case ensured that the Greeks were fully invested in wealth creation and national development as opposed to political wrangles that come with power struggles. After the end of the Persian War, it was a priority for the people of Athens to develop not only in terms of restoring their city but also in terms of claiming their place in the world at the time, as they played a significant role in the defeat of the Persians.
Pomeroy, Burstein & Donlan (2011) affirm that the political atmosphere during this period was favorable for the economic and social rise of Athens, and with such successes came the kind of wealth. It helped the Athenian afford large military arrangements that actually played a part in the formation of the Delian League. Initially, Athens shared the power with other powerful Greek cities like Sparta. However, the immense wealth accumulated during the peaceful democratic times helped Athens become richer and more reliable than Sparta as protectors of the Greek cities. The city gained the trust of the rest of the cities and offshore towns in order to appoint the leader of the Delian League.
At first, Athens used the new role as coalition leader to their advantage without imposing on the other members of the League. They were able to form trade alliances and exchange ideas, thus building their level of literature, art and even spreading their culture to other parts of the world. It implies that the 50-year period played a significant role in the consolidation of Greek culture in terms of literature and art through its interactions with other kingdoms and cities.
With time, however, the democratic aspect turned to become a major irony in the Greek history. Rather than focusing on the consolidation of the smaller towns and cities against a common enemy, Athens used the position at the helm of the League to consolidate itself and improve its wealth unfairly. The fleets that had been contributed to war operations against a common enemy started being misused for Athens’ interests. It means that the city had an unlimited supply of military equipment, with which it could make personal conquests. Moreover, it had an endless supply due to the trade partnerships most of which were also abused. Initially, the position of League leaders ensured that Athens was the most sought after in terms of alliances, thus giving them a solid position in trade circles. They Athenian continued trading, often using their position of power to their advantage and at the expense of their trade partners. It increased the city’s wealth but the cost was quite high seeing as the city continued losing popularity within and outside the Delian League.
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The Fall of Athens
Like its rise, the fall of Athens also obtained a gradual form in that there were a lot of factors which cause negative effects, each at its own time. The first cause in this case would be the introduction of democracy as a mode of governance in the city. It presented them as the ideal civilization to the rest of Greece, thus accelerating the events that followed. Having the right political dispensation did not just result in domination of the city over the other towns and cities, but also developed its ambitions in terms of conquests. It occurred due to the persuasion that the well-being of the city within its walls caused by the effective policy would have the same effect for other jurisdictions in terms of administration. While it may have helped to stimulate political, social and economic growth, it created a desire for more trade routes, more opportunities to create wealth and in the end more power.
With the reputation of peace and prosperity, it was easy for Athens to present itself as the viable leader when Greece had to unite against Persia. It is, thus, understandable that the rest of Greece was willing to stand behind Athens as the leader of the League. The power given to Athens was, however, tempting and led to the fall of the great city in a gradual manner. The peace and prosperity that attracted other towns and cities to this capital were not sustainable considering that with all the power, the leaders of Athens decided to gain more power along the coast of Asia Minor and beyond. It implied that they would be willing to start wars on other civilizations to make them submit and be ruled. While they were the leaders of the other Greece cities, Athenian rulers seemed to be interested in expanding their jurisdiction. As a result, they did not want to be seen trying to dominate over other League members so they opted to undertake conquests away from the League. They, however, used the resources that had been entrusted unto them by the League members for the purpose of defeating the Persians and defending the Greek nation. Therefore, they became a disappointment to the people who had entrusted them the leadership of the entire civilization. A city that started with allies who admired Athenian way of life ended with subjects and enemies who were feeling cheated.
The third and more direct cause of Athens’ fall is the attack by Sparta. When the Delian League was formed, Sparta was not a maritime state and was, thus, excluded from the alliance. It went ahead to form a mainland coalition that became known as the Peloponnesian League. With the increasing power of Athens, it became imminent for Sparta as the leader of the mainland coalition to rescue the smaller maritime states that had been reduced to subjects by Athens. It set Sparta and its allies against Athens and its subjects, and the war, known as the Peloponnesian War, started. It not only weakened Athens, as most of its subjects joined the supposed enemy, but also weakened the economy of the whole Greece, considering that it was a very long war. The last and the most significant factor in the fall of Athens was the rise of Macedonia under the leadership of Phillip and later on his son Alexander. As the Spartan leaders, these two men contributed greatly to the uniting of the rest of Greece against Athens and eventually returned each part of the Athenian empire to its rightful owners. This way, Athens was reduced to a failed state that lacked money, honor and even allies. They were deprived of everything including their right to rule over themselves and participate in foreign policy decision-making.
The city of Athens had all the conditions for a great future as the central city in Greece. The only challenge was that its leaders did not consider being rational in their pursuit of world domination. From the story of the rise and fall of Athens, it is clear that the concept of democracy was abused to the point that only the city’s citizens had rights and the rest of the allies were considered as subjects. It can be stated that the same way the people of Athens managed to build the wealth and reputation of the city, they destroyed it by being greedy and inconsiderate to their allies. They failed to recognize the need of spreading the democracy beyond their city lines and in the end it cost them their freedom as a city.
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What started as a simple gender equality survey has grown into a programme of staff development and diversity initiatives designed to explore and celebrate intersectionality in our workplace.
The PlayFair Steps Initiative at the University of Edinburgh is focused on a large group of staff who work within the University’s central Information Technology (IT) and Library departments, collectively known as the Information Services Group (ISG), to recognise that people’s identities and social positions at work – particularly in the technology industry – are shaped by multiple and interconnected factors. We have developed a range of activities exploring how a person’s age, disability status, race and ethnicity, gender, gender identity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, and parent status contribute towards their specific experiences in and perspectives of our workplace. Using the local expertise of our academic colleagues and students, we seek to move beyond anecdote and create a more inclusive workplace with support from senior management for both top-down and bottom-up change.
ISG is the largest support group at the University with over 600 employees. Within the context of the University’s commitment to Athena Swan, and in line with a broader approach to change management in ISG, we have taken an opportunity to make some innovative moves to address equality and diversity issues for our staff in an industry that is heavily male dominated.
The organisational studies literature has long included intersectionality in its discussions of diversity and academic leadership development. Less is understood, however, in practice for support teams in the University setting. Through this initiative we explore how gender connects to various other experiences and characteristics to exacerbate ‘imposter syndrome’ and stifle feelings of inclusiveness in our workplace and create barriers to leadership.
We have developed a programme called The PlayFair Steps. The name was deliberately chosen to draw upon an understanding of ‘fair play’ at work, which involves everyone, and to sound familiar. The Playfair family are historically connected to the University and the name is well known in the city. The University is home to the Playfair Library, and the Playfair Steps take one quickly from the ‘old town’ to the ‘new town’ alongside the national galleries. Willian Henry Playfair was an architect and his nephew (also) William was an early pioneer of infographics and the inventor of both the line and bar chart. Given that our initiative started after the preparation and reporting of data from a gender equality survey, the name seems fitting.
PlayFair Steps in ISG has manifested in two ways: via a Lecture Series and an Equality Working Group. Through these manifestations, the initiative has four distinct themes, each of which are discussed within this case study:
Myth-busting
Visibility and accountability
Data driven decision making and reporting
A cartoon in our archives showing Noreen Murray as a schoolgirl being reprimanded for making clones of herself in the laboratory (a reference to Noreen’s work cloning DNA)
The aim of the PlayFair Steps Lecture Series is to take advantage of our situation as part of a large research institution. Across the campus, we have world-class researchers with up-to-date expertise on the equality and diversity issues that impact our workplace. In an effort to move past anecdote and hackneyed stereotypes, we have invited academic colleagues from gender studies, business and management, social policy, and education to present to groups of ISG staff on their specific areas of research.
Topics covered have included ageism, an aging workforce, race relations in Scotland, managerial perspectives for understanding gender, disability and class intersectionality, and policy development for family and for parental leave. For each of these discussions, we have been afforded an exceptional opportunity to learn from current data, understand areas of contention and subjectivity and hear how gender and other characteristics intersect while also learning of established solutions toward inclusivity. At the end of each lecture we ask colleagues to consider how this knowledge can be applied within ISG. These recommendations are then promoted within our organisation.
While it may be unusual to invite our academic colleagues to speak within the university to a non-academic audience, we have found the experience to be particularly insightful. As a result, for the coming year, we have planned to include more topics which are intersectional across gender, age and family structures such as parenting, menopause and ‘Millennials’ in the workplace.
In addition to the PlayFair Steps Lecture Series, we also host a PlayFair Steps Equality Working Group. This distinct manifestation of PlayFair Steps give staff the opportunity to voice issues of note to them that the Equality and Diversity team within ISG can address. The group works very well alongside the lecture series and allows us to gather ideas about new takes on equality and diversity and present them to our staff in a unique and easily accessible way while also providing recommendations to senior managers.
These meetings have expanded from informal sessions to hosting external organisations to offer trainings/workshops on aspects of diversity that can lead to practical changes at work. For instance, we have hosted an Equality Working Group session with an outside organisation, Equate Scotland, to show staff the importance of language in our recruitment materials. Being aware of this can help ISG create the most diverse workforce possible. This workshop led to significant changes in our job applications, which are now written to show that ISG is inclusive for everyone and so that individuals no matter their characteristic or combination of characteristics will feel welcomed in applying for open positions with ISG. In addition, we have transformed our profile as an employer/recruiter on LinkedIn to project positive, inclusive messages and show the rich range of people and projects which characterise our University.
This is a particularly important and relevant change for ISG. In the city of Edinburgh, the University is one of the largest employers in the region, but we compete for staff against the many banks, technology start-ups and internationally famous computer games houses located nearby. The perceptions of our staff and potential recruits with regard to ISG being an attractive workplace may be key to ensuring that we can recruit and retain talent to support the university in its business of teaching, learning and research.
The aim of the work undertaken in ISG is to establish a visible and accountable set of equality and diversity actions tailored specifically to our workplace context but situated within a larger university, city, and technology sector. With senior management support for change and bottom up staff initiatives, we aim to ensure that it is clear to all that we are working to ensure that all members of staff, no matter the gender, race, or other identity, have a fair and inclusive workplace.
One of the ways in which we use Playfair Steps to increase visibility is to target areas of technology in which there was underrepresentation from women. Discussions about gender representations, role models and women’s participation in developing technology have begun to cross into a wide set of our activities. At University of Edinburgh we have established a high profile partnership with Wikimedia UK. This partnership is designed to increase participation by women editors in contributing to Wikipedia. Currently less than 15% of people regularly editing Wikipedia are women and topic coverage is skewed as a result. We have also hosted speakers from the technology sector specifically on topics around ‘coding for diversity’ and ‘asking about gender’ to improve the user experience of the systems we build for the university. We have also taken the opportunity to name high profile systems after women, including our media asset management platform and cloud computing service. We took the opportunity afforded by a move to a new open plan office to ensure that there were no ‘single sex silos’ , and proactively commissioned art by women for our new glass walls.
The PlayFair Steps initiative began in 2015 following an initial data gathering task. In early 2015, more than half of the 600 staff replied to a gender equality survey. The results of the survey provided the ISG senior management team with a starting place to promote equality and diversity in the workplace. In late 2015, we hired a PhD intern from within the university to interrogate the data from the gender equality plan, set SMART targets, manage our communication strategies, gather data on progress, and challenge the senior management team with new ideas.
Our Equality and Diversity Intern ( Dominique) drafted a gender equality plan mapped against ISG strategic goals and objectives for the next 5 years, which included the implementation of PlayFair Steps. The ISG Directors and other key staff were consulted and provided feedback and recommendations to gender equality plan. The latest version of that plan incorporates feedback from nearly 20 staff members. The plan was presented to and accepted by ISG senior management team and each group division regularly reports progress in specific areas against 1-5 year targets.
Our focus on driven decision making has led to important policy changes being implemented within our organisation. For instance, after a presentation to the senior management team in ISG on the analysis of the gender equality survey related to policy and human resource management, ISG’s senior management team immediately implemented a policy requiring all staff involved in recruitment to participate in unconscious bias training and an online diversity in the workplace course. In addition, we have set a short-term goal that 25% of all staff in ISG to participate in Equality and Diversity trainings. ISG’s HR staff monitor the trainings that have been undertaken by staff. We pleased to say that between October 2016 and February 2017, we surpassed our short-term goal and that 44.5% of staff within ISG have participated in some form of equality and diversity training.
The work we do with The PlayFair Steps show that its success depends on the involvement of everyone. Based on decisions that generated by data, our senior managers take a unique opportunity to implement policies that will support and benefit all staff. This, in turn, allows us to have the most inclusive workplace we possibly can.
Existing resources?
The University of Edinburgh is committed gaining Athena Swan certification. As a support department, we have fashioned our efforts in line with it. In the development of our own gender equality plan, we have found plans developed by the academic departments for Athena Swan particularly helpful. We used the plan developed from the University’s Chemistry Department (Athena Swan Gold award holders) as a guide for our own plan. The Chemistry department are also our partners in celebrating Ada Lovelace Day.
We have also used materials and guidance from Equate Scotland and from LinkedIn to improve our company profile online.
In addition, we find working with community organisations particularly helpful. For instance, after an engaging presentation at our PlayFair Steps Equality Working Group meeting on International Women’s Day, ISG became a partner with Girl Geek Scotland. The Girl Geek Scotland network and community is for people working and studying in the technology, computing, IT, digital, creative, media, business, enterprise and related sectors in Scotland who are able connect and support each other. This partnership means that all ISG staff, regardless of gender, can now be involved and participate in networking or learning-based events and access a mentoring programme. Resources such as these provide great support to the Equality and Diversity team but to all of our staff. We have provided them opportunities to expand their own networks outwith of the University.
Successes?
As an initiative, PlayFair Steps has been successful by allowing ISG staff to look at diversity and equality from various lenses and offering suggestions to change culture and attitudes to improve the workplace for all ISG staff, now and in the future.
Via the PlayFair Steps Initiative, we have shown staff and senior managers that there is a need to support women of various characteristics. After an initial focus on grade, promotions, pay and unconscious bias, we have moved forward into finding visible role models and case studies. By bringing academic expertise into the mix we have reminded colleagues that many areas of equality and diversity practice are contested, evolving and context situated. It is important for us as University staff members who support a diverse mix of students to recognise that people can face a mix of stereotypes that prohibit the inclusivity for which we are striving. We are consistently seeking solutions for this challenge.
impact ?
PlayFair Steps has been successful in that it allows staff to look at diversity and equality in various ways and from various points of view, all of which contributes to improving ISG. Since our work started promoting equality and diversity and the implementation of PlayFair Steps, we do believe our efforts have had some impact. The largest impact may be one of perception. ISG colleagues are well aware that there is a programme of equality activities. They recognise that there are talks and seminars underway, that our human resources efforts are much more focused on equality and diversity, and that the monitoring of training is in place. During the last two years, there has been a renewed focus on recruitment and selection, with proactive effort made to widen (and gain data insights into) the field of applicants and interviewees for our vacant posts. As a result, the number of women at Director level has increased three-fold and our vacancies are advertised in a more diverse range of places.
reflections to share with other institutions
The PlayFair Steps is an initiative which would be generalizable and applicable to many university central IT departments. The delivery of the programme is sponsored by senior managers and engaged staff across a range of grades including several student interns who bring fresh perspectives and up to date expertise from their own studies in gender equality, diversity and intersectionality.
One of the key messages arising from our staff survey and working group meetings was that ‘equality involves everyone’. This indicates that the success of any equality and diversity effort depends on ensuring that our plans target all groups and include a range of positive actions, in addition to those specifically designed for women.
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Tag: University of Edinburgh
Wikimedian in Residence @emcandre highlights how staff & students are engaging with Wikipedia to address the diversity of editors & content shared online.
“The information that is on Wikipedia spreads across the internet. What is right or wrong or missing on Wikipedia affects the entire internet.” (Wadewitz, 2014)
Wikipedia, the free, online, encyclopaedia is building the largest open knowledge resource in human history. Now aged eighteen, Wikipedia ranks among the world’s top ten sites for scholarly resource lookups and is extensively used by virtually every platform used on a daily basis, receiving over 500 million views per month, from 1.5 billion unique devices. As topics on Wikipedia become more visible on Google, they receive more press coverage and become better known amongst the public.
“Wikipedia is today the gateway through which millions of people now seek access to knowledge.”- (Cronon, 2012)
At the University of Edinburgh, we have quickly generated real examples of technology-enhanced learning activities appropriate to the curriculum and transformed our students, staff and members of the public from being passive readers and consumers to being active, engaged contributors. The result is that our community is more engaged with knowledge creation online and readers all over the world benefit from our teaching, research and collections.
While Wikipedia has significant reach and influence, it also has significant gaps in its coverage of topics, articles in other languages and the diversity of its editors. Most editors are white men, and topics covered reflect this with less than 18 percent of biographies on English Wikipedia about women. The Wikimedia community are committed to diversity and inclusivity and have developed, and worked with, a number of initiatives to ensure knowledge equity such as Whose Knowledge.org and WikiProject Women in Red, with Wikimedia’s campaign for 200 more biographies of female sportswomen (Levine, 2019) just one recent example of looking at ways to address this systemic bias.
Our Wikimedia in the Curriculum activities bring benefits to the students who learn new skills and have immediate impact in addressing both the diversity of editors and diversity of content shared online:
Global Health MSc students add 180-200 words to Global Health related articles e.g. their edits to the page on obesity are viewed 3,000 times per day on average.
Digital Sociology MSc students engage in workshops with how sociology is communicated and how knowledge is created and curated online each year as a response to the recent ASA article.
Reproductive Biology Honours – a student’s article on high-grade serous carcinoma, one of the most common forms of ovarian cancer, includes 60 references and diagrams she created, has been viewed over 67,000 times since 2016.
Translation Studies MSc students gain meaningful published practice by translating 2,000 words to share knowledge between two different language Wikipedias on a topic of their own choosing.
World Christianity MSc students undertake a literature review assignment to make the subject much less about White Northern hemisphere perspectives; creating new articles on Asian Feminist Theology, Sub-Saharan Political Theology and more.
Data Science for Design MSc – Wikipedia’s sister project, Wikidata, affords students the opportunity to work practically with research datasets, like the Survey of Scottish Witchcraft Database, and surface data to the Linked Open Data Cloud and explore the direct and indirect relationships at play in this semantic web of knowledge to help further discovery.
We also work with student societies (Law & Technology, History, Translation, Women in STEM, Wellcomm Kings) and have held events for Ada Lovelace Day, LGBT History Month, Black History Month and celebrated Edinburgh’s Global Alumni; working with the UncoverEd project and the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission.
Students are addressing serious knowledge gaps and are intrinsically motivated to do so because their scholarship is published and does something lasting for the common good, for an audience of not one but millions.
Representation matters. Gender inequality in science and technology is all too real. Gaps in our shared knowledge excludes the vitally important contributions of many within our community and you can’t be what you can’t see. To date, 65% of our participating editors at the University of Edinburgh have been women. The choices being made in creating new pages and increasing the visibility of topics and the visibility of inspirational role models online can not only shape public understanding around the world for the better but also help inform and shape our physical environments to inspire the next generation.
“It’s an emotional connection… Within, I’d say, less than 2 hours of me putting her page in place it was the top hit that came back in Google when I Googled it and I just thought that’s it, that’s impact right there!” (Hood & Littlejohn, 2018)
Rosie Taylor and Isobel Cordrey from the student support group, Wellcomm Kings, co-hosted the Wikipedia Diversithon event for LGBT History Month at the Festival of Creative Learning 2019.
Wadewitz, A. (2014). 04. Teaching with Wikipedia: the Why, What, and How. Retrieved from https://www.hastac.org/blogs/wadewitz/2014/02/21/04-teaching-wikipedia-why-what-and-how
Cronon, W. (2012). Scholarly Authority in a Wikified World | Perspectives on History | AHA. Retrieved from https://www.historians.org/publications-and-directories/perspectives-on-history/february-2012/scholarly-authority-in-a-wikified-world
Levine, N. (2019). A Ridiculous Gender Bias On Wikipedia Is Finally Being Corrected. Retrieved from https://www.refinery29.com/en-gb/2019/06/234873/womens-world-cup-football-wikipedia
Mathewson, J., & McGrady, R. (2018). Experts Improve Public Understanding of Sociology Through Wikipedia. Retrieved from https://www.asanet.org/news-events/footnotes/apr-may-2018/features/experts-improve-public-understanding-sociology-through-wikipedia
Hood, N., & Littlejohn, A. (2018). Becoming an online editor: perceived roles and responsibilities of Wikipedia editors. Retrieved from http://www.informationr.net/ir/23-1/paper784.html
McAndrew, E., O’Connor, S., Thomas, S., & White, A. (2019). Women scientists being whitewashed from Wikipedia. Retrieved from https://www.scotsman.com/news/opinion/women-scientists-being-whitewashed-from-wikipedia-ewan-mcandrew-siobhan-o-connor-dr-sara-thomas-and-dr-alice-white-1-4887048
McMahon, C.; Johnson, I.; and Hecht, B. (2017). The Substantial Interdependence of Wikipedia and Google: A Case Study on the Relationship Between Peer Production Communities and Information Technologies.
The Wikimedia residency is a free resource available to all staff and students interested in exploring how to benefit from and contribute to the free and open Wikimedia projects.
If you would like to find out more contact ewan.mcandrew@ed.ac.uk
The University of Edinburgh recently won at the Herald Higher Education Awards 2019 for its Wikimedia in the Curriculum work.
Physicist and Wikipedia editor Jess Wade creates a Wikipedia entry every day to address the encyclopedia’s under-representation of women and people of colour in science. She was named in Nature’s “Ten people who mattered in 2018” and was recently awarded the British Empire Medal in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for her campaigning for diversity in science.
Adrienne Wadewitz
data science for design
digital sociology
dlam-feed
OERS
Open Education Resource
Open Education Resources
whose knowledge
Wikimedia UK
Wikipedia in the Classroom
Wikipedia in the Curriculum
WikiProject Women in Red
Women in Red
world christianity
Guest post by Lorraine Spalding, LTW Communications Manager at the University of Edinburgh.
IWD badges
The theme of International Women’s Day 2019 was Balance for Better. In keeping with the spirit of better balance, the Board Room at Argyle House and three training rooms were renamed after notable women with connections to Edinburgh.
The Brenda Moon Boardroom was officially opened on International Women’s Day. Brenda was one of the first woman to head up a research university library when she was Librarian here at the University of Edinburgh in the 1980s and 90s. She played a major role in bringing the University into the digital age, as Edinburgh became one of the first major university libraries in the UK to tackle and deliver a computer-based service.
The training rooms are being named after Marjorie Rackstraw, Irene J. Young, and Annie Hutton Numbers, three other remarkable women.
Two events coincided with the launch of the Brenda Moon Boardroom. Our Wikimedian in Residence, Ewan McAndrew, hosted a Wikipedia editathon for staff, students and friends of the University to create Wikipedia entries for notable women currently missing from the encyclopaedia site. Only 17.77% of the English Wikipedia’s biographies are about women.
At the Main Library, LTW Equality and Diversity Images Intern Francesca Vavotici hosted a ‘Sketch-a-thon’ using images from the Centre for Research Collections’ Special Collections taking participants through a series of fun, fast-paced challenges portraying the work of pioneering women.
Francesca Vavotici, Gender & Equality PhD Intern
Women of Edinburgh – a Wikipedia editathon
As a result of the editathon a total of 19,000 words were added in creating nine new Wikipedia pages and improving another 52. Staff, students and members of the public joined us to celebrate the lives and contributions of the notable Women of Edinburgh missing from the free and open online encyclopaedia.
The founder of WikiProject Women in Red (a project to address the systemic gender bias on Wikipedia through volunteer editors creating new biographies about notable women) took part on the event and two student editors were motivated to take part in the event remotely in Johannesburg.
If you’re interested in taking part in an editathon, why not head to Portobello for the next Portobello Library editathon organised by the Portobello Heritage Trust on 29 June. Open to all.
Other dates for your diary:yas
9 May – Women in Scottish Archaeology editathon at Edinburgh Central Library. Open to all.
31 May – Women in Red Wikipedia workshop; focused on creating more articles on notable women. Open to all.
5 June – Young Academy Scotland editathon at the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Open to all.
8 June – Association of Commonwealth Universities editathon at University of Edinburgh.
20/21 June – Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American editathon at University of Edinburgh Library. Open to all.
10 July – Feminist Writers editathon at the Chrystal Macmillan building, University of Edinburgh. Open to all.
Editors hard at work at our Women in Edinburgh editing event for IWD2019.
New pages include:
Alison J. Tierney – British nursing theorist, professor and editor-in-chief of the Journal of Advanced Nursing. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alison_J._Tierney
Sue Innes – British journalist, writer, historian, researcher, teacher, artist and feminist campaigner. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sue_Innes
Margaret Jarvie – Scottish swimmer and sociologist. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Jarvie
Margaret Burns or Matthews was a prostitute in Edinburgh in the late 1700’s.
She gained notoriety for being at the centre of allegations of prostitution and ‘disturbance of the peace’ in a case brought to the courts in Edinburgh. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Burns
Christina Kay - Scottish school teacher and served as an inspiration for Miss Jean Brodie, the lead character of the famous 20th century novel The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christina_Kay
Jane (Jenny) Lyon (was a Scottish nanny to the Russian imperial family. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Lyon
Beti Jones was a Commander of the British Empire (CBE), a leading social worker, and she transformed the Scottish legal system pertaining to children. She was the first social work officer in Scotland and she established the first hearing system for children. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beti_Jones
Marjorie Rackstraw (1888–1981) was an educationalist and social worker. She was a lifelong friend of the prison reformer Margery Fry, Labour Councillor for Hampstead in London, and undertook significant relief work before, during and after the Second World War. Some time after graduating with an arts degree from the University of Birmingham, Marjorie worked as a lecturer in education at the University of Sheffield for several years. She was appointed warden of Masson Hall, University of Edinburgh, in 1924 and General Advisor to Women Students at the University in 1927. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marjorie_Rackstraw
Marion Grieve (born Marion Sellers Neilson) lived during the Great War and was a known Suffragette. She lived in Portobello, Edinburgh. Marion gave up being a suffragette when the war started to assist on the home front and was an active member and supporter of various charities within Portobello. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marion_Grieve
Personal footnote
In raising awareness of our International Women’s Day activities, Rob O’Brien from IS Applications got in touch to share the story of his Great Aunt, Jane Haining, a teacher who lost her life at Auschwitz refusing to leave the children in her care. Her incredible story is now the subject of a book.
Brenda Moon: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brenda_Moon
Marjorie Rackstraw: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marjorie_Rackstraw
Irene J. Young: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irene_Brown
Annie Hutton: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annie_Hutton_Numbers
Jane Haining: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Haining
International Women’s Day 2019: https://www.internationalwomensday.com/
Alison J Tierney
Balance for Better
Beti Jones
Christina Kay
Francesca Vavotici
Jane Haining
Jane Lyon
Jenny Lyon
Margaret Burns
Margaret Matthews
Marion Grieve
Marjorie Rackstraw
Masson Hall
Muriel Spark
Sue Innes
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
Women of Edinburgh
This post is the fourth in a series of blog posts for Open Education Week.
By Dr Iraklis Pantopoulos, Edinburgh College of Art, and Dr Charlotte Bosseaux, Translation Studies, School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures, University of Edinburgh.
Translation and open education go hand in hand! The historical role played by translation in the proliferation and dissemination of knowledge goes back probably to the very beginnings of the act of translation itself. So there can be no doubt translation is a natural fit in the field of Open Education.
So, when the idea was pitched to begin a project working with Wikipedia as a tool in the MSc in Translation Studies it immediately clicked!
The idea for the project was simple: As part of their Portfolio of translation, the practice component of their studies, MSc in Translation Studies students need to translate 4,000 words per semester on a topic of their own choosing. This is the independent study component of their portfolio. So, rather than them having to choose any text to translate their project was to select (either individually or in same-language groups) a Wikipedia entry of the right size and create a version of that entry in their target language.
To provide some scaffolded support in their task, two two-hour introductory workshops on the basics of Wikipedia editing and the new Content Translation tool were held by the Wikimedian in Residence. By the second workshop they needed to have chosen the entry to translate. Then the students were left to their own devices, with tutor support when needed.
At the same time, the students were taking a Technology and Translation in the Workplace course, focusing on the impact of digital tools on the translation ecosystem and developing the skills to prepare for a digital translation industry. Reflecting on their experience of working on the Wikipedia project clearly gave them something to draw on and quickly led to very confident discussions in a way that was not possible in previous years.
A Translation From One Language to Another, artwork by by Lawrence Weiner, CC BY SA, brbbl on Wikimedia Commons
The Outputs
Twenty-nine people took part in the assignment in 15/16 and 28 in 16/17, translating articles from English to Arabic, Chinese, French, Greek, Turkish, Japanese and from Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and Norwegian into English.
There was a big number of positives from the project and students on the programme were quick to acknowledge this.
Developing their digital capabilities (in line with the University’s graduate attributes) in broader areas such as the use and importance of formatting, in sensitive areas such as their online presence and identity, or even in specialist areas such as the use of machine translation within the Content Translation tool was a clear benefit.
But the things that really excited them and enriched their experience were to do with their participation in the Open Education community!
Members of a community
The change in role from the traditional one of passive “consumers” of knowledge to the active role of producers was fundamental for the students and a crucial step in developing their identity both as postgraduate students and future translators.
Writing to be read not writing merely to be assessed made a huge change in the mindset of the students and was a challenge they were eager to tackle! They now wrote with a potential global audience in mind and were very conscious of the fact that Wikipedia editors would be scrutinising their work. This openness of their translation and the instant audience also resulted in theoretical discussions in class. And coupled with the fact that they were clearly working to create something tangible and lasting (an OER) the increase in their motivation was evident. But even more, this was the first step towards developing an openly available “portfolio” as fledgling translators.
Some of the students were happy to talk about their experiences of the project.
View from the office
For us, as members of the course team, the teething problems of incorporating the Wikipedia project in the programme were quickly outweighed by the possibilities it opened up. Some of our thoughts can be heard in summary here (at 5:35).
One of the common challenges we face with postgraduate students is how to build their research skills. Through their engagement with Wikipedia, and OER in general, students got hands on experience of such skills as the triangulation of sources and the critical evaluation of online material. They were also able to move past a rigid view of research material and view the inherent value in Wikipedia as an aggregator of resources. They were then able to incorporate these skills in more demanding upcoming projects such as their dissertation.
We also as a group got the chance to see how Wikipedia quantity varies from language to language, and how translation can address and redress this inequality, a great motivation for students and another great area for discussion and further research.
We ourselves managed to overcome our initial reservations and were left with genuine enthusiasm for this fresh outlook on the potential of translation to contribute to the dissemination of knowledge.
Dr Charlotte Bosseaux has wide experience teaching in all areas of translation studies at postgraduate level. She has taught translation theory and methodology and has frequently been course organiser for core courses such as Translation Studies 1 and Research in Translation Studies. She has also organised the TRSS summer schools for doctoral students, where she also taught and offered feedback student presentations. She is also on the international panel of associates for ARTIS (Advanced Research in Translation and Interpreting Studies). She has been on Erasmus exchange programme to various European universities including Milan, Madrid, Zagreb, and Oslo teaching at UG and PG level in translation studies.
Dr Iraklis Pantopoulos has been working in Higher Education for 9 years in a wide variety of academic, support, and learning technology-related roles. He has always been curious about how we teach and how we learn. He developed a particular interest in the place of digital tools in pedagogy and research during my doctoral studies and early teaching and he is always looking for ways to improve the learning experience. In 2018, he completed a PGDip in Digital Education from the University of Edinburgh. He is currently a member of the Learning Technology team at the Edinburgh College of Art.
Charlotte Bosseaux
Iraklis Pantopoulos
Translating an article
translating wikipedia
Translation Studies MSc
wikimedia in the curriculum
Diversifying Wikipedia for the Festival of Creative Learning 2019
Wikipedia is the 5th most visited website in the world and is an important first stop when looking up any topic – it is truly an incredible resource. But its power can be dangerous. It lacks diversity both in its editorship and its articles. This means that its systemic biases can have a large impact on the way we think. Wikipedia, like most mainstream publishing and media, is very disproportionately white and male. However, unlike traditional information resources, Wikipedia’s users can have a direct positive impact on its content. This is why Information Services held a Diversithon event for the Festival of Creative Learning on the afternoon of 20th February 2019:
“To increase the diversity of voices, genders, and cultures among its contributors and editors, the Wikimedia Foundation has made it a strategic goal to recruit and foster more women, people of colour, and other underrepresented individuals—including LGBT+ populations… the Wikimedia Foundation recognizes that the majority of its Wikipedia contributors and editors are disproportionately male, under 22 years old, and (most likely white and straight) from “the Global North”. They also admit that Wikipedia’s coverage is skewed toward the interests, expertise, and language skills of the people who created it…”— Wexelbaum, Herzog, & Rasberry, “Queering Wikipedia” (2015).
The Diversithon was a Wikipedia editing event held in a social and supportive setting to celebrate diversity for LGBT+ History Month 2019 and Black History Month.
This event trained its attendees in the skills required to contribute to and improve Wikipedia – a useful skill for anyone to have – and focused on creating new articles to include notable Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic professionals; LGBT+ professionals; as well as continuing our work to address the systemic gender gap on Wikipedia where only 17.83% of biographies are about notable women.
The Diversithon in a nutshell:
12 new articles were created.
2 more were drafted.
28 articles were edited.
249 edits in total.
15 editors.
9,530 words added.
9,190 articles views.
Our co-hosts for the event, the student support group Wellcomm Kings, kicked off the event.
Rosie Taylor, Wellcomm Kings convenor and Biological Sciences student, kicks off the Diversithon.
Rosie Taylor, a Biological Sciences student and Wellcomm Kings convenor, presented on why we hold LGBTHistoryMonth, which she had stated she had orientated herself about using Wikipedia. Rosie discussed the history of the Section 28 and the protests against it. This legislation stated that a local authority “shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality” or “promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship”. It was repealed on 21 June 2000 in Scotland by the Ethical Standards in Public Life etc. (Scotland) Act 2000, as one of the first pieces of legislation enacted by the new Scottish Parliament, and on 18 November 2003 in the rest of the United Kingdom. Rosie also provided some context on the Queer Community in Scotland and posed the question as to whether Scotland was indeed ahead of the curve? Homosexuality was, after all, decriminalised 13 years later than in England. She closed by stating there was still a long way to go. Despite the progress being made in some quarters, 1 in 5 LGBT+ people still report to have experienced a hate crime in the past year.
Tom and Henry from the student research project, UncoverEd, tell us what they have discovered about the university’s global alumni.
Tom and Henry from Uncover_Ed presented following Rosie’s talk; outlining the student research project they had been involved in, which focused on surfacing the lives and contributions of the University of Edinburgh’s global alumni. The UncoverED exhibition launched 31 January 2019 in the Crystal Macmillan Building.
From the UncoverEd website:
“UncoverEd is a collaborative and decolonising research project, funded by Edinburgh Global, which aims to situate the ‘global’ status of the University of Edinburgh in its rightful imperial and colonial context. Led by PhD candidates Henry Mitchell and Tom Cunningham, the team of eight student researchers are creating a database of students from Africa, the Caribbean, Asia and the Americas from as early as 1700, and writing social histories of the marginalised student experience. The aim was to produce at least one biography each of a ‘notable’ alumnus, leading up to a website and exhibition in January 2019”.
Roger Bamkin, co-founder of WikiProject Women in Red, was also in attendance and helped support the staff, students and members of the public at our Diversithon to create and improve Wikipedia pages over the course of the afternoon. WikiProject Women in Red is the second most active WikiProject on Wikipedia and its aim is to turn red-linked articles about notable women which don’t yet exist into blue clickable links which do.
“In November 2014, only about 15% of the English Wikipedia’s biographies were about women. Founded in July 2015, WiR strives to improve the figure, which has reached 17.73% as of 18 February 2019. But that means, according to WHGI, only 284,439 of our 1,604,512 biographies are about women. Not impressed? “Content gender gap” is a form of systemic bias, and WiR addresses it in a positive way through shared values.”
The afternoon proved a positive and motivating experience for our attendees and allowed us to make use of Wikipedia’s new PrepBio tool to easily create stub articles from the biographical information stored as structured data in Wikidata. e.g. from the List of missing biographies of nonbinary, trans and intersex people.
Through our combined efforts, over the course of an afternoon, the following pages were produced:
Jane Pirie (1779-1833) opened a girl’s school in Edinburgh and was accused of lesbianism with the school’s co-founder Marianne Woods. The story of the court case was the inspiration for Lillian Hellman’s play “The Children’s Hour”.
Lisa Middleton is the 1st transgender person to be elected in California for a nonjudicial position. Lisa was included in the 2016 Pride Honors Awards recipients from Palm Springs Pride with the Spirit of Stonewall Community Service Award.
Xheni Karaj is a LGBT rights activist and co-founder of the Aleanca LGBT organization. Xheni, together with Kristi Pinderi, were among the first activists to launch the LGBT rights movement in Albania. Translated from Albanian Wikipedia.
Clara Marguerite Christian (1895-1964), was born in Dominica and was the 1st black woman to study at the University of Edinburgh. Her university experience speaks to the “double jeopardy” of “navigating both race and gender within whiteness”, embodying “the simultaneous invisibility and hyper-visibility” of being a black woman in Edinburgh during the 1910s”.
Jabulani Chen Pereira is a queer South African activist & visual artist. In 2012, Pereira founded Iranti (South African LGBT organisation), a non-governmental organisation focusing queer human rights issues primarily through visual media.
Annette Eick (1909-2010) was a Jewish Lesbian writer. During the 1920s, a liberal time period in the Weimar republic, Eick wrote poems and short stories for lesbian magazines. After the Nazis came to power in 1933, she had to give up on journalism and started working as a nanny. In 1938, she was granted a visum to live in the UK and fled to London after surviving an attack by Nazis on the farm she was staying at during the Reichkristallnacht. Her parents were murdered in the Auschwitz concentration camp. In London, Eick worked as a nanny and housekeeper and met her partner Getrud Klingel. They moved to Devon, where they opened a nursery and Eick started writing again. Her collection of poems, Immortal Muse, was published in 1984 and turned into a short film called The Immortal Muse by Jules Hussey in 2005. Eick became known to a wider audience through the documentary ‘Paragraph 175’ from 2000, which told the experiences of five gay men and one lesbian woman (Eick) that were prosecuted under the paragraph 175 which criminalised homosexuality.
Elizabeth Kerekere is a scholar, artist & activist within the LGBTQ+ community in New Zealand. Kerekere has been an active member of the Green Party, promoting suicide prevention, anti-violence, healthy relationships and housing for all.
Jessica Platt is a professional hockey player and an advocate for transgender rights. She plays for the Toronto Furies in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL) and was the first transgender woman to play in the CWHL.
Cornelia ‘Connie’ Estelle Smith (1875–1970) was a black music-hall entertainer and actress who was a member of the English Stage Company at the Royal Court Theatre. Appearing in theater and film, she was best known for her performances in All God’s Chillun Got Wings (1946), You Can’t take it With You (1947), Kaiser Jones(1961), and as the sorceress Tituba in Arthur Miller‘s The Crucible.
Gisela Necker (1932-2011) was an early lesbian activist active in Berlin from the 1970s until her death. She was a leading member of Homosexual Action West Berlin (HAW), co-founding its first lesbian group in the early 1970s. She later helped to found the Berlin women’s centre and the Lesbian Action Centre.
Les+ Magazine was started in 2005 by a group of young Chinese lesbians. The slogan of the 1st issue states ‘After the darkness fades away, I’ll be holding ur hand, walking under the sunlight with pride, boldly & happily living our lives!‘.
Lala is a non-derogatory Chinese slang term for lesbian, or a same-sex desiring woman. It is used primarily by the LGBT+ community in mainland China, though the term has origins in the Taiwanese term for lesbian, lazi (Chinese: 拉子).
NEWLY drafted to Wikipedia: Mala Maña is an all-female vocal group from New Mexico, fusing contemporary & folkloric rhythm of the African diasporas with Latin American music. Can you help finish the article so we can publish it?
NEWLY drafted to Wikipedia: Marsha H. Levine is the founder of InterPride, an international organisation for Pride committees. She was Parade Manager of San Francisco Pride from 2000-2018. Can you help finish the article so we can publish?
Diversithon editors at work
If you want to know more about the Diversithon or would like to suggest a Wikipedia event yourself then the Wikimedia residency is a free resource available to staff an students at the university. Message me at ewan.mcandrew@ed.ac.uk
Albanian Wikipedia
Annette Eick
Clara Marguerite Christian
Cornelia 'Connie' Estelle Smith
diversithon
Edinburgh University
Elizabeth Kerekere
FCL19
Festival of Creative Learning
Gisela Necker
Jabulani Chen Pereira
Jane Pirie
jessica platt
Les+ Magazine
LGBT History Month
LGBTHM19
Lillian Hellma
Lisa Middleton
Mala Maña
Marsha H. Levine
Paragraph 175
PrepBio
queering wikipedia
roger bamkin
rosie taylor
The Immortal Muse
Xheni Karaj
JISC case study – Wikimedia in the curriculum
Addressing the challenges of digital and information literacy, digital scholarship and open knowledge at the University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh is the first university in the UK to appoint a university-wide Wikimedian in Residence as part of its institutional strategy to develop information and digital literacy skills for staff and students, and contribute to the creation and dissemination of open knowledge.
The role of the Wikimedian in Residence is to work with course teams and students across the University, to demonstrate how learning to contribute to Wikipedia can enhance staff and students’ understanding of how knowledge is constructed, curated and contested online. Editing Wikipedia also provides valuable opportunities for students to develop their digital research and communication skills, and enables them to make a lasting contribution to the global pool of open knowledge.
The residency also focuses on redressing the gender balance of Wikipedia articles and has been hugely successful in encouraging more women to become Wikipedia editors.
A growing number of courses at undergraduate and Masters level have successfully incorporated Wikipedia editing activities in the curriculum, and student societies have also developed their own Wikipedia projects. The University is also engaging with Wikipedia’s newest sister project, Wikidata, in the context of the growing importance of data literacy and open data initiatives.
A number of other UK universities are learning from the Edinburgh experience, and are developing their own projects with Wikimedia UK, the UK chapter of the Wikimedia Foundation.
A strategy for digital and information literacy
Wikimedia UK is the UK chapter of the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation, which supports a range of open knowledge projects, of which Wikipedia is the best known. Wikimedia UK fosters engagement with these projects through the placement of Wikimedians in Residence within institutions in the education and cultural sectors.
Having seen the potential of the Wikimedian in Residence model, Melissa Highton, Director of Learning, Teaching and Web Services at the University of Edinburgh, identified how such a placement could help improve information literacy and digital skills at the University.
An initial Wikipedia editathon, a facilitated event that brings people together to edit the encyclopaedia, was held at the University in 2015, on the topic of women, science and Scottish history. This editathon was independently evaluated by Professor Alison Littlejohn of the Open University, in order to establish its impact and explore the value of collaboration with Wikimedia UK. Professor Littlejohn found that both formal and informal learning and knowledge creation took place at the editathon. In two research papers,[i],[ii]she analysed the formation of networks of practice and social capital through participation in editathons, with sufficient momentum generated to sustain engagement after the event itself, and participants valuing it as an important part of their professional development. She also found that, in becoming an active Wikipedia editor, participants engaged in important discussions about how knowledge is created, curated and contested online, and the positive impact that Wikipedia can have in sharing knowledge and addressing knowledge gaps.
As a research-based institution, this evidence of the benefits of engaging with Wikipedia helped to make the business case for integrating Wikipedia editing as part of the University of Edinburgh’s information literacy and digital skills strategy. The following year, the University appointed a new Wikimedian in Residence, Ewan McAndrew. This was the first residency in the UK with a remit to work right across a university, rather than within a specific area such as a library. Based in the Digital Skills team within the University’s Information Services Group, the Wikimedian in Residence provides a centrally supported service accessible to all staff across the institution. Initially a one-year, part-time appointment, the residency focused on helping colleagues to make connections between their teaching and research and the Wikimedia projects, in order to explore areas of mutual benefit. As a result of the positive response to this service, the Wikimedian in Residence has since become a full-time permanent post.
In addition to providing educational opportunities, the residency supports a number of key institutional missions, including open knowledge and open science; the Scottish Government initiative on creating a data literate workforce; commitments on gender equality including the Athena SWAN (Scientific Women’s Academic Network) charter; and public and community engagement. The residency provides opportunities for the University to expand its civic mission, through new forms of collaboration with city-wide and Scottish national bodies.
The University of Edinburgh and Wikimedia UK – shared missions.
Wikipedia is integrated into the curriculum at the University of Edinburgh by engaging students in the creation of original Wikipedia articles, on topics that are not currently covered by the encyclopaedia. These included articles of particular relevance to Scotland, e.g. Scottish women in STEM, often created in collaboration with local external partners, and those of more general interest. Students are provided with training on how to edit Wikipedia and how to undertake relevant research, enabling them to write informed articles that are fully and accurately referenced. Writing articles that will be publicly accessible and live on after the end of their assignment has proved to be highly motivating for students, and provides an incentive for them to think more deeply about their research. It encourages them to ensure they are synthesising all the reliable information available, and to think about how they can communicate their scholarship to a general audience. Students can see that their contribution will benefit the huge audience that consults Wikipedia, plugging gaps in coverage, and bringing to light hidden histories, significant figures, and important concepts and ideas. This makes for a valuable and inspiring teaching and learning experience, that enhances the digital literacy, research and communication skills of both staff and students.
Wikimedia curriculum assignments supported by the Wikimedian in Residence have now been incorporated into a number of different disciplines including:
Reproductive Biology Honours
World Christianity MSc
Online History MSc
Data Science for Design MSc
Global Health Masters courses
Intellectual Humility MOOC
Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice.
Discussions are also underway to incorporate Wikipedia editing into the curriculum for postgraduate and undergraduate students at the School of Law, and into Masters courses in Digital Society, Psychology in Action, and Digital Education.
Supporting Equality and Diversity
Another significant remit of the University of Edinburgh’s Wikimedia residency has been to support the institution’s commitment to Athena SWAN. Many of the editathons facilitated by the Wikimedian in Residence focus on addressing the under-representation of women on Wikipedia and encouraging more women to become editors. A 2011 survey[3]showed that around 90% of English language Wikipedia editors were male. Since then Wikimedia has made a concerted effort to improve the gender diversity of its community, however women editors are still a minority. In contrast, 69% of participants at University of Edinburgh editathons are women.
These events also help to address the fact that only 17.73% of English Wikipedia biographies are about notable women[4]. To help combat this systemic bias, a range of editathons have focused on women in science and Scottish history, history of medicine, history of veterinary medicine, history of nursing, women in espionage, women and religion, art and feminism, women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths), reproductive biology, Gothic literature, and celebrations of Ada Lovelace Day.
Promoting Data Literacy with Wikidata
In line with new open data initiatives supported by government and research councils, there has been growing interest in working other Wikimedia projects such as Wikibooks and Wikidata. The University of Edinburgh has recently been awarded additional public funding to lead the development of a data-literate workforce of the future over the next ten years, equipping them with the data skills necessary to meet the needs of Scotland’s growing digital economy, and helping the city of Edinburgh to become an international centre for data-driven innovation. In order to support this initiative, the University has been exploring the introduction of Wikidata activities in the curriculum.
This provides students with an opportunity to:
Engage with issues of data completeness, data processing and analysis, and data ethics.
Learn to make practical use of a large range of tools and data visualisation techniques.
Work with linked open data on the semantic web, across disciplines ranging from science to digital humanities and cultural heritage.
Initial curriculum activities have focused on converting existing datasets from the Survey of Scottish Witchcraft (1563–1736) database into structured, machine-readable open data and adding it to Wikidata. This data is then enriched by linking it with other complementary datasets in Wikidata to help build up a semantic open web of knowledge.
Student reaction: formal and informal learning
“It’s a really good exercise in critical thinking … It’s a motivating thing to do to use the knowledge you’ve learnt, to see how it is relevant to the real world and to contribute … Knowing people are finding the article useful is really gratifying.” – University of Edinburgh Reproductive Biology student, Áine Kavanagh, reflecting on a Wikipedia editing exercise
Wikipedia belongs in education.
The vast majority of students have reacted extremely positively to engaging with Wikimedia, seeing it as enjoyable and with the added reward of contributing to the common good. Most students quickly become technically adept at using the new Wikipedia Visual Editor interface, which they described as making editing ‘super easy’, ‘fun’, ‘really intuitive’ and ‘addictive as hell’. A few felt that Wikipedia editing wasn’t for them, but they too benefited from greater understanding of how knowledge is constructed online, and are now well placed to make informed choices about whether or not to actively contribute to its creation in the future.
Reproductive Biology students who took part in an assignment writing Wikipedia articles for previously unpublished medical terms found it provided valuable training in communicating scientific ideas to a lay audience, something they will have to do in their professional careers. One student wrote an article on high-grade serous carcinoma, one of the most serious and deadly forms of ovarian cancer; this addressed a significant knowledge gap on the encyclopaedia using high-quality scholarly research communicated in non-specialist terms. The high-grade serous carcinoma article, which has now been viewed over 50,000 times, represents a perceptible and lasting contribution to the common good. At the same time, the article has contributed to the student’s professional development, and become a source of lasting satisfaction for them.
The Wikimedia residency has also had a significant impact on students outwith the curriculum. Several student societies, including History, Women in STEM, Law and Technology, Translation, and International Development, have seen the potential for Wikipedia editing to enhance their activities, and have approached the Wikimedian in Residence for help, support and training. The student History Society held an editathon as part of its programme of activities for Black History Month, adding entries for notable black women not previously represented on Wikipedia. A key motivator for History Society students was contributing to public understanding of history by improving the coverage of under-represented areas such as social history, women’s history, the history of people of colour, and queer history.
Meanwhile the Law and Technology Society ran a Wikipedia editathon focused on improving coverage of technology law and intellectual property rights. The success of this editathon led to discussions with course leaders at the School of Law, initiated by students themselves, about including Wikipedia editing in the course curriculum as a collaborative exercise involving undergraduate and postgraduate students researching and editing topics related to Scottish law for a lay audience.
Digital skills development
Digital skills that the collaboration between the University of Edinburgh and Wikimedia UK has helped to develop include:
Critical information literacy
Academic writing and referencing
Writing for different audiences
Online citizenship
Course leaders experience
Course leaders who have engaged with the University’s Wikipedia in the Curriculum initiatives have found the exercise to be popular with students and successful in achieving desired learning outcomes. Students learn valuable research and communication skills that contribute to their learning and help prepare them for future careers. In addition, they are better able to evaluate the quality of Wikipedia articles and the veracity of information they encounter online.
Wikipedia assignments are not presented as an additional overhead for already time-poor course leaders, but rather as an approach that can be used to enhance learning outcomes where they are not being meaningfully achieved by existing course elements. This has been an important factor in encouraging uptake. For example, the MSc in World Christianity, introduced a successful Wikipedia assignment in place of an existing oral assessment.
Several courses have now run Wikipedia assignments over successive years and the number of departments involved is expanding, in line with the evolution of course planning, and as awareness of the opportunities grows. For academic staff, in addition to the teaching and learning benefits, engaging with Wikimedia has provided useful insight into the editorial process of how Wikipedia pages are created, and information and knowledge is constructed online.
Building sustainability
Sustainability and capacity for expansion has been built into the University of Edinburgh’s Wikimedia residency since its inception. By focusing on digital skills development and employing a ‘train the trainers’ approach, the Wikimedian in Residence has been able train a large number of staff and students to support Wikipedia editathons and course assignments. Staff, including learning technologists, digital skills trainers, academic support librarians, digital curators, open educational resource advisors, and deputy directors of IT are now able to lead training across the University.
The Wikimedian in Residence has also developed and curated a wide range of training resources, including:
A lesson plan for how to lead a Wikipedia editing workshop, available to download under open licence from TES (https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/how-to-conduct-wikipedia-editing-training-11548391).
Over 250 open licensed educational videos and tutorials
A growing number of self-directed online tutorials using easy to navigate WordPress SPLOT sites.
The residency is helping the University of Edinburgh to expand and enhance its civic mission, with many opportunities for collaboration with city-wide and Scottish national bodies arising both inside or outside the curriculum. In order to support growing engagement with Wikipedia in Scotland, Wikimedia UK recruited a Scotland Programme Co-ordinator in April 2018. Other Scottish institutions that have employed Wikimedians in Residence include the National Library of Scotland, the Scottish Library & Information Council, Museums Galleries Scotland and, most recently, the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. Wales, meanwhile, has a permanent National Wikimedian based at the National Library of Wales.
Lessons learned and wider impact
With interest increasing among academic staff and course leaders in exploring how Wikimedia can be incorporated into their curricula, and appreciation growing of the opportunities Wikipedia offers to engage with the creation and dissemination of open knowledge, the University of Edinburgh’s Wikimedia residency, has successfully demonstrated that engaging with Wikipedia and its sister projects can enhance teaching and learning and benefit the institution’s civic mission.
The residency has also shown how the process of editing Wikimedia can be demystified and made accessible and enjoyable for students through a range of activities and events that provide a variety of opportunities for collaboration and sharing good practice, with scaffolded support and training. Activities such as ‘train the trainer’ workshops expand understanding of how to engage with Wikipedia and support colleagues and students to become editors.
Reaction to the residency has been positive among both staff and students, and has increased understanding of the important role Wikipedia, and increasingly Wikidata, can play in Higher Education and in knowledge creation and sharing more generally.
In order to share their expertise, the Wikimedian in Residence is now developing open educational resources for staff and students that explain quickly and easily how and why to engage with Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects. Wikipedia training is now embedded in University’s Digital Skills training programme, with introductory ‘How to get started editing Wikipedia’ workshops led by staff within the Digital Skills team. This approach fosters greater sustainability in the longer term, and enables the Wikimedian in Residence to deliver more specialised workshops including:
Teaching with Wikipedia
Introduction to open data with Wikidata
Introduction to Wikisource: The digital hyperlibrary
Sharing research on Wikipedia and Wikidata
Wiki games: Learning through play
Histropedia: The timeline of everything.
The success of the University of Edinburgh residency has helped Wikimedia UK to build new collaborations with education institutions across the UK, and has led the chapter to develop its first Wikipedia in the Classroom publication. This forthcoming booklet of UK case studies will help demonstrate how universities can engage meaningfully with Wikimedia projects, to support their institutional missions and enhance learners’ digital skills. Happily, a growing number of universities across the UK have sought to learn from the Edinburgh experience and have begun exploring their own Wikipedia projects with Wikimedia UK.
Contact: Ewan McAndrew, Wikimedian in Residence at the University of Edinburgh.
Email: ewan.mcandrew@ed.ac.uk
Web: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:University_of_Edinburgh
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:University_of_Edinburgh/Two_year_review#Working_collaboratively_and_building_sustainability
[1]Rehm A, Littlejohn A and Rienties B (2017). Does a formal wiki event contribute to the formation of a network of practice? A social capital perspective on the potential for informal learning. Interactive Learning Environments, 26 (3). tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10494820.2017.1324495
[2]LittlejohnA and Hood N (2018). Becoming an online editor: perceived roles and responsibilities of Wikipedia editors. Information Research, 23 (1). informationr.net/ir/23-1/paper784.html
[3]Wikipedia editors study: results from the editor survey, April 2011. wikimedia.org. commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Editor_Survey_Report_-_April_2011.pdf
[4]Figure as of 18 February 2019, WikiProject Women In Red, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Women_in_Red
Reproductive Medicine Honours undergraduates at the University of Edinburgh (Own work, CC-BY-SA)
This case study was edited by Lorna M. Campbell, University of Edinburgh, from a case study produced by Jisc in November 2018. Education consultancy Sero HE was commissioned by Jisc to interview Ewan McAndrew, Wikimedian in Residence at the University.
CC BY SA, Jisc, Sero HE, and the University of Edinburgh.
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
You can’t be what you can’t see.
Creating new role models on Wikipedia to encourage the next generation of #ImmodestWomen
By Siobhan O’Connor, Dr. Alice White, Dr. Sara Thomas and Ewan McAndrew.
Wikipedia, the free, online, multilingual encyclopaedia is building the largest open knowledge resource in human history. Now aged eighteen years old, its English language version receives over 500 million views per month, from 1.4 billion unique devices, and has over 130,000 active users collaboratively writing and editing millions of articles online. As topics on Wikipedia become more visible on Google, they receive more press coverage and become better known amongst the public.
Yet while English Wikipedia has significant reach and influence as the go-to source of information around the world, it also has significant gaps in its coverage of topics, articles in other languages and the diversity of its editors. Less than 18 per cent of biographies on English Wikipedia are about women, while most editors on the platform are white men.
This disproportionate gap on Wikipedia silences women’s contribution to science which continues their marginalisation in public life, a vicious circle that leads to more women being lost to careers in STEM. This gender imbalance mirrors the 2017 findings of the WISE campaign with women making up just 23% of those in core STEM occupations (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) in the UK and 24% of those working in core STEM industries. Only 17% of physicists worldwide are women and studies have shown that it will take approximately 258 years for equality in physics. The rate of progress is even starker for the fields of computer science (280 years) .
Recent research published earlier this year by Asst. Professor Neil C. Thompson at MIT and Asst. Professor Doug Hanley at the University of Pittsburgh has also evidenced that scientific research is actually shaped by Wikipedia; demonstrating the influence of the free encyclopedia.
“Our research shows that scientists are using Wikipedia and that it is influencing how they write about the science that they are doing… Wikipedia isn’t just a record of what’s going on in science, it’s actually helping to shape science.” – Professor Neil C. Thompson
The randomised controlled trial the researchers undertook evidenced a profound causal impact that, as one of the most accessed websites in the world, incorporating ideas into Wikipedia leads to those ideas being used more in the scientific literature.
Chemistry graduates were asked to create forty-three new Wikipedia entries about topics in chemistry, with half being posted on Wikipedia while the rest were held back. Two years later, the chemistry entries created on Wikipedia had collectively over 2 million views. Analysing the text of publications from fifty high-impact chemistry journals during this period, showed words in the publications were influenced by content from the new Wikipedia entries.
For example, the ‘History of Chemistry’ entry on Wikipedia features over 200 men but only mentions 4 women and is missing notable female chemists such as Nobel Prize winning biochemist Gerty Cori and Professor Jennifer Doudna, a biochemist and one of the pioneers of a new breakthrough genetic engineering technology called CRISPR.
Another example of the gender imbalance can be seen in the entry for ‘Benzene’ on Wikipedia. There are several paragraphs describing many male scientists who tried to discover the structure of this chemical compound in the 1800’s. However, only one single sentence in the same Wikipedia article acknowledges the female scientist, Kathleen Lonsdale, who finally confirmed the structure of benzene in 1929.
Consequently, the Wikipedia community has established numerous initiatives to address this acknowledged systemic gender bias as they are committed to diversity and inclusivity to ensure knowledge equity. One such initiative, “WikiProject Women in Red (WiR)”, aims to crowdsource turning dormant red links for biography articles that do not yet exist into clickable blue ones which do, directing readers to female biographies and works by women on the platform.
New articles recently created by Women in Red volunteer editors from around the world include: Zheng Pingru, a spy whose life inspired a film; Bridget Jones (academic), a pioneer in the field of Caribbean literature studies; and Paquita Sauquillo, a campaigner in defence of democratic freedom. Entries recently improved by Women in Red editors include: Ruth Schmidt, an award winning American geologist; and Wilma Mankiller, an activist and social worker who was the first woman elected as Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation.
As a result of targeted Wikipedia editing events, or ‘edit-a-thons’, there are also now entire series of articles for the Edinburgh Seven, the first female students to matriculate at a British university, and the nineteen pioneering women chemists who, in 1904, petitioned the Chemistry Society (later to become the Royal Society of Chemistry) for the admission of women as Fellows of the Society.
Chemistry staff and students c.1899 at the Royal Holloway College, University of London. CC-BY-SA via Wikimedia Commons from Royal Holloway, University of London – RHC PH 201/11 Archives, Royal Holloway, University of London
“These were a group of extraordinary women who had done chemistry to degree and postgraduate level at a time when you couldn’t do that… and they had extraordinary stories and they did extraordinary chemistry.” – Dr. Michael Seery, Director of Teaching at the University of Edinburgh’s School of Chemistry.
Often if articles are not missing entirely, the contributions of women in science are reduced to bit part status as an addendum on the Wikipedia articles of their husbands or male contemporaries. Marie Curie’s Wikipedia article reportedly started out shared with her husband. That was, until someone pointed out that her scientific contributions might just warrant an article of her own. There is also a new article for Scottish physical scientist, Katherine Clerk Maxwell, whose contribution to measurements of gaseous viscosity was recorded by her husband, James, and is associated with his paper “On the Dynamical Theory of Gases”, where he states that Katherine “did all the real work of the kinetic theory” and that she was now “…engaged in other researches. When she is done I will let you know her answer to your inquiry.”
Katherine Clerk Maxwell, 1869. Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
The achievements of extraordinary pioneering women are recorded in various sources, however no one has chosen to write their stories on Wikipedia. Focused attention in themed editing events means more articles are being created all the time.
Surveys have indicated that only 8.5–16% of Wikipedia editors are female. One particular 2011 survey suggested that on English Wikipedia around 91% of editors were male, and typically formally educated, in white-collar jobs (or students) and living in the Global North. The same survey found that fewer than 1% of editors self-identified as transsexual or transgender.
“if there is a typical Wikipedia editor, he has a college degree, is 30- years-old, is computer savvy but not necessarily a programmer, doesn’t actually spend much time playing games, and lives in US or Europe.”
This means that articles within Wikipedia typically reflect these gender, socioeconomic and cultural biases. Among the findings of the 2016 research article, Women through the glass ceiling: gender asymmetries in Wikipedia, were that women in Wikipedia were more notable than men; that there was linguistic gender bias manifest in family-, gender-, and relationship-related topics being more present in biographies about women; and there was also linguistic gender bias in positive terms being used more frequently in the biographies of men while negative terms appeared more frequently in the biographies of women. The authors also found structural differences in terms of the metadata and hyperlinks, which had consequences for information-seeking activities. Wikipedia is only ever as good as the diversity of editors who engage with it, with many articles reflecting the perspective of white male English speakers in the northern hemisphere, and many of the topics covered reflect the interests of this relatively small group of editors. Wikipedia therefore needs a diverse community of editors to bring a range of perspectives and interests that truly represent human knowledge.
Awareness of this systemic gender bias has prompted the development of a tool called the Concept Replacer which simply highlights the gendered nouns and pronouns in the text of an article and temporarily shows you how a biography article of a notable woman would read if it was written instead as a biography for a man (and vice versa). This easy to use tool is useful for editors and article readers alike in order to help identify instances of unconscious bias at a glance. For instance, exposing why the marital status is included in the first lines about some biographies, and not others.
Wikipedia is also a community that operates with certain expectations and social norms in mind. Sometimes new editors can have a less than positive experience when they are not fully aware of this. As mentioned previously, there are over 130,000 regular contributors to Wikipedia. Of these, only 3,541 are considered ‘very active‘. That’s the population of a small village like Pitlochry in Scotland trying to curate the world’s knowledge.
There is a need to increase both the diversity and number of Wikipedia editors. One way to do that is to run ‘edit-a-thons’ and other facilitated activities that introduces some of the norms and expectations of the online platform while at the same time learning how to technically edit Wikipedia pages and create high quality content.
Edit-a-thons have been running globally for a number of years to facilitate the creation of new profiles of women on Wikipedia. For example, the University of Edinburgh has been hosting Women in STEM Wikipedia editathons on the second Tuesday of October for the last four years to mark Ada Lovelace Day, an international celebration of the achievements of Women in STEM. The Wellcome Library in London has also run women in science edit-a-thons to build new biographies of prominent female chemists, engineers and nurses on Wikipedia. These events have surfaced the achievements a number of notable women online including: Hilda Lyon, who invented the “Lyon Shape”, a streamlined design used for airships and submarines; structural engineer, Faith Wainwright, director of the Arup Group, who led in the structural design of multiple landmark buildings including the American Air Museum and the Tate Modern; Annie Warren Gill, a British nurse who was awarded the Royal Red Cross in recognition of her service during World War I and served as president of the Royal College of Nursing in 1927; Frances Micklethwait MBE, an English research chemist, among the first to study and seek an antidote to mustard gas during the First World War.
Despite this global campaign and investment to encourage more female editors and the creation of content related specifically to women, progress is slow. Since 2014, WikiProject Women in Red’s volunteer editors regularly help create in the region of 1000-2000 new articles every month. As a result, this has increased the proportion of biographies on women from 15% to 17.83% of the total. It has been estimated that it will take until 2050 or later until gender parity is achieved on Wikipedia.
Tackling this bias online requires collective responsibility. A number of actions at an individual, organisational and national level can be taken to bring about positive change.
“Women in STEM are under-represented and maybe the lack of role models is one reason why. Also biographies of women in STEM on Wikipedia are much fewer than they should be and maybe if we can change that, we can change the way future generations look at science and technology as a career path”
Athina Frantzana, PhD candidate at the University of Edinburgh’s School of Physics & Astronomy.
Firstly, those of all genders everywhere could commit time and energy to becoming dedicated Wikipedians, who regularly create female scientific biographies and other content related to women in science. Those who do so tend to benefit from a sense of reciprocity and altruism which results from the direct impact that Wikipedia has worldwide.
For instance, Dr. Jess Wade, a physicist and postdoctoral researcher in electronics at Imperial College London, attended a Wellcome Library editathon and was horrified to learn about the gender gap on Wikipedia.
Dr Jess Wade, physicist and diversity champion at Imperial College, London.
“The majority of editors are men. The majority of editors are white men. So representation of people of colour, of LGBTQ+ people is really, really bad. So many young people use [Wikipedia] as the sole source of their information. They don’t use textbooks anymore. They go to Wikipedia first when they’re looking something up. And I don’t want that to be an incredibly biased view of the world… you could be looking up some kind of new solar material, you could be looking up a cathedral in Florence [but] the people that you read about will be men. And that really frightened me… So I just thought I’d start off by doing one a day. And yeah it’s really fun.”
This experience motivated her to start creating Wikipedia entries about contemporary female scientists, with over 450 new articles published in the last twelve months. These include Isabel Ellie Knaggs, a crystallographer who worked with Kathleen Lonsdale on the crystal structure of benzil; Noël Bakhtian, director of the Center for Advanced Energy Studies at Idaho National Laboratory and described as one of the most powerful female engineers in the world by Business Insider in 2018; Katherine Mathieson, the Chief Executive of the British Science Association; Ronke Mojoyinola Olabisi, Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Rutgers University working with Mae Jemison on 100 Year Starship, an interdisciplinary initiative that is exploring the possibility of human interstellar travel; and Powtawche Valerino, the first Native American woman to receive a PhD in mechanical engineering from Rice University. Valerino is a mechanical engineer at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory who worked as a navigation engineer for the Cassini mission. Wade says the response to her work surfacing the achievements of these inspiring women on Wikipedia has been incredibly positive.
Secondly, organisations in these fields could provide training for staff at all levels via edit-a-thons to build capacity for an inclusive, global, online community. Investing in a Wikimedian, an in-house expert that is dedicated to educating and supporting an organisation to contribute to Wikipedia, would enable larger institutions to permanently embed gender equality within their organisational culture.
Institutions that currently host, or have hosted, a Wikipedian in Residence include libraries (e.g. the National Library of Scotland, the National Library of Wales, the Wellcome Library), charities, museums, archives, the Royal Society of Chemistry, heritage organisations (eg. Museums Galleries Scotland), UNESCO and universities (University of Edinburgh, University of Oxford).
At the University of Edinburgh, discussion around meeting the information literacy and digital skills needs of staff and students, and how to better meet the university’s commitment to Athena SWAN led to working with Wikimedia UK. Research by Professor Allison Littlejohn at the Open University validated that running editathons at the University contributed to the formation of networks of practice and development of social capital.
“Editathons, if run well, can develop not just technical knowledge but also workplace cultural capital and networks. These are the things women need in STEM (science, technology, mathematics and engineering) workplaces. ” – Melissa Highton, Assistant Principal at the University of Edinburgh.
Participants also saw it as an important part of their professional development and felt that editing was a form of knowledge activism which helped generate important discussions about how knowledge is created, curated and contested online and how Wikipedia editors can positively impact on the knowledge available to people all around the world and addressing those knowledge gaps.
“It’s an emotional connection… Within, I’d say, less than 2 hours of me putting her page in place it was the top hit that came back in Google when I Googled it and I just thought that’s it, that’s impact right there!” Anita – editathon participant.
Reproductive Medicine undergraduates (CC-BY-SA)
Thirdly, national policies across education, research and workforce development could put the spotlight on the powerful impact online platforms like Wikipedia have on women in science and recommend strategies to capitalise on them. For its part the University of Edinburgh has recommended that Wikipedia Women in Red editing forms part of its new four year action plan for meeting its commitment to the Athena SWAN charter by surfacing role models in ten academic disciplines; to encourage and inspire the next generation of immodest women.
“Search is the way we live now”
According to 2011 figures in the book “Google and the Culture of Search”, Google processed over 91% of searches internationally. Google’s ranking algorithm also narrows the sources clicked upon 90% of the time to just the first page of results.
American feminist scholar of 18th-century British literature, and a noted Wikipedian, Adrienne Wadewitz noted the important role in addressing knowledge gaps on Wikipedia and Google could have:
“Google takes information from Wikipedia, as do many other sites, because it is licensed through a Creative Commons Share-Alike license. Those little boxes on the left-hand side of your screen when you do a Google search? From Wikipedia. The information that is on Wikipedia spreads across the internet. What is right or wrong or missing on Wikipedia affects the entire internet.”
More recently, researchers at the University of Minnesota and Northwestern University have underlined the substantial interdependence of Wikipedia and Google. The results of two deception studies, whose goal was to better demonstrate the relationship between Wikipedia and Google, demonstrated Google depends on Wikipedia and vice versa. Click through rate decreased by 80% if Wikipedia links were removed. Wikipedia was shown to depend on Google. 84.5% of visits to Wikipedia were noted to being attributable to Google.
This means that addressing knowledge gaps on Wikipedia will surface the knowledge to Google’s top results, help populate and power Google’s ‘Knowledge graph’ (presented as a box to the right of search results) and increase visibility, click through and knowledge-sharing. Wikipedia editing can be seen as a form of activism in the democratisation of access to information.
A powerful reminder of the impact Wikipedia can have can be seen among young women and girls, who often lack easily identifiable female role models to follow. Bringing female role models to the fore beyond the world of celebrity and reality television is something that both Girlguiding UK and psychologist Penelope Lockwood noted was necessary for female students to feel that success is possible in order to broaden their future career aspirations.
Last Summer, schoolgirls from across London were invited by the Mayor of London’s office to take part in a editathon at Bloomberg for London Tech Week to redress the gender balance on Wikipedia through adding new entries on women CEOs, editors, entrepreneurs, lawyers and artists. The hope is this will kickstart further editathons across London and the UK; to further empower students up and down the country that their contributions are valued and that there are inspirational people out there achieving success in fields they just might aspire to join.
A new Open Access book on Gender Equality in higher education, EqualBite, asserts that the problem is persuading girls to consider and apply for STEM courses in the first place when they could apply for any number of courses, given that girls outperform boys at school including in STEM subjects. Recognising women’s achievements and contributions through creating and editing Wikipedia articles can encourage the next generation to take up careers in science. This could help address workforce shortages across many STEM fields and generate significant amounts of economic growth through diversifying innovation and entrepreneurship. Beyond this, we need to look at how improving the visibility of women role models in the online world can better shape our physical environments. The University of Edinburgh Student Association has recently worked on a project to improve diversity in student spaces through replacing the all-male portraits on the walls with more diverse group of portraits to encourage a greater sense of belonging. Similarly, a project in Hertford College, Oxford to mark 40 years of women at the college specially commissioned photograph portraits of women graduates, staff and students to replace the all-male portraits on the walls. By increasing awareness of female achievements online, we can create more inclusive, more diverse, more representative, more empowering physical environments to help breed confidence and undo the negative impact this lack of representation engenders.
Portraits hanging outside the Playfair Library, Old College. CC-BY_SA, Mihaela Bodlovic, http://www.aliceboreasphotography.com/
“Meanings are projected not just by the buildings themselves, but by how they are furnished and decorated. And where almost every image –portrait, photograph, statue – of academic achievement and leadership is masculine (and nearly always white middle-aged), the meaning is clear: to be a successful leader, gender and ethnicity matter.”
The benefits are clear but the scale of the challenge is massive. It has taken Women in Red editors two years to move the percentage of biographies of women on Wikipedia up by 2%. Looking to the future, Artificial Intelligence may prove one method to help address the gender gap. The software tool, Quicksilver, developed by San Francisco startup Primer has been created to help address the blind-spots on Wikipedia, with women in science a particular focus. Using machine-learning algorithms, Quicksilver searches the internet for news entries, links to sources, scientific citations and helps pull all this information together to auto-generate fully-sourced draft Wikipedia entries. This has since been tested at an editathon in New York City at the American Museum of Natural History.
“Maria Strangas, the museum researcher who organized the event, says it helped the 25 first-time editors update the pages for roughly 70 women scientists in just two hours. “It magnified the effect that event had on Wikipedia,” Strangas says.”
So far, over 40,000 summaries have been generated by the Quicksilver method. These entries then need proofread by Wikipedia editors before they can be added to Wikipedia’s livespace. Given that the number of ‘very active’ Wikipedia editors on English Wikipedia remains low at around 3,541 (the population of a small village) the importance of encouraging and empowering a diversity of editors to engage with Wikipedia editing is crucial in terms of increasing the visibility of inspirational female role models online to, in turn, encourage and empower the next generation of women in STEM whose scientific breakthroughs can continue to shape our world for the better.
If you’re feeling motivated to contribute, create a Wikipedia account today and join WikiProject Women in Red.
Athina Frantzana
Concept Replacer
Content Gender Gap
Doug Hanley
Edinburgh Seven
Ewan McAndrew
Gender asymmetries in Wikipedia
Gerty Cori
Immodest Women
Jennifer Doudna
Jess Wade
Katherine Clerk Maxwell
Kathleen Lonsdale
Knowledge Activism
Michael Seery
Neil C. Thompson
Ruth Schmidt
Sara Thomas
siobhan o'connor
The Letter of 19
Wilma Mankiller
WISE campaign
zheng pingru
How to run a Wikipedia editathon – a workshop for health information professionals at the EAHIL conference
This post was authored by Ruth Jenkins, Academic Support Librarian at the University of Edinburgh.
For some time, Wikipedia has been shown to be a resource to engage with, rather than avoid. Wikipedia is heavily used for medical information by students and health professionals – and the fact that it is openly available is crucial for people finding health information, particularly in developing countries or in health crises. Good quality Wikipedia articles are an important contribution to the body of openly available information – particularly relevant for improving health information literacy. In fact, some argue that updating Wikipedia should be part of every doctor’s work, contributing to the dissemination of scientific knowledge.
Participants editing Wikipedia
With that in mind, Academic Support Librarians for Medicine Marshall Dozier, Ruth Jenkins and Donna Watson recently co-presented a workshop on How to run a Wikipedia editathon, at the European Association for Health Information and Libraries (EAHIL) Conference in Cardiff in July. Ewan McAndrew, our Wikimedian in Residence here at the University of Edinburgh, was instrumental in the planning and structuring of the workshop, giving us lots of advice and help. On the day, we were joined by Jason Evans, Wikimedian in Residence at the National Library of Wales, who spoke about his role at NLW and the Wikimedia community and helped support participants during editing.
We wanted our workshop to give participants experience of editing Wikipedia and build their confidence using Wikipedia as part of the learning experience for students and others. Our workshop was a kind of train-the-trainer editathon. An editathon is an event to bring people together at a scheduled time to create entries or edit Wikipedia on a specific topic, and they are valuable opportunities for collaborating with subject experts, and to involve students and the public.
Where a typical editathon would be a half-day event, we only had 90 minutes. As such, our workshop was themed around a “micro-editathon” – micro in scale, timing and tasks. We focused on giving participants insights into running an editathon, offered hands-on experience, and small-scale edits such as adding images and missing citations to articles.
Systematic review edit
Key stats from the EAHIl Wikipedia editathon
We also presented on the Wikipedia assignment in the Reproductive Biology Honours programme here at Edinburgh, including a clip from this video of a student’s reflections on the assignment, which sparked discussion from the attendees. Jason Evans’ talk about Wikimedia UK and Wikiproject Medicine, contextualised the participants’ edits within the wider Wikimedia community.
We are waiting on feedback from the event, but anecdotally, the main response was a wish for a longer workshop, with more time to get to know Wikipedia better! There was lots of discussion about take-home ideas, and we hope they are inspired to deliver editathon events in their own organisations and countries. We also spotted that some of our participants continued to make edits on Wikipedia in the following weeks, which is a great sign.
If you want to know more, you can visit the event website which roughly follows the structure of our workshop and includes plenty of further resources: https://thinking.is.ed.ac.uk/eahil-editathon/
Further information.
Watch Wikipedia and Information Literacy (6 mins) – Ruth discusses the Reproductive Biology Hons. Wikipedia assignment.
Pic of Ruth Jenkins at the Reproductive Biology Hons. Wikipedia workshop.
By Stinglehammer [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], from Wikimedia Commons
academia and wikipedia
academic support librarians
donna watson
Jason Evans
marshall dozier
ruth jenkins
Wikipedia editathon
University wins Wikimedia UK’s Partnership of the Year award
The University of Edinburgh has won Partnership of the Year at Wikimedia UK’s AGM.
On Saturday 14 July 2018, Wikimedia UK, the national chapter for the global Wikimedia movement, held its Annual General Meeting at the Natural History Museum in London.
Left to right: Stephanie (Charlie) Farley, Open Education Resources; Lorna Campbell, OER Service; Ewan McAndrew, Wikimedian in Residence; Anne-Marie Scott, Deputy Director of Learnng, Teaching & Web Services.
Each year the AGM recognises individuals of the Wikimedia UK community who have made a recognisable impact and this year there were 4 categories open to nomination:
UK Wikimedian of the Year 2018
UK Partnership of the Year
Positive Wikimedian of the Year
Up and Coming: Wikimedian to Watch 2018
It was announced at this year’s event that the University of Edinburgh had been nominated and won for UK Partnership of the Year, as the institution which had stood out in the past year as ‘the most effective Wikimedia and Open Knowledge Advocate’.
This is the second time the university has won this accolade following its win in 2016 for hosting the Open Educational Resources conference (OER16) and follows Wikimedian in Residence, Ewan McAndrew, being named UK Wikimedian of the Year in 2017.
The UK Partnership of the Year award recognises the leadership of Melissa Highton and Anne-Marie Scott in supporting the Wikimedia residency and fostering an Open Knowledge community within the university and beyond. It also recognises the fantastic work of our Open Education team; Wikipedia in the Classroom course leaders; our student interns; colleagues in Digital Skills; in Library & University Collections, in Digital Learning Applications and Media (DLAM); and colleagues all across Information Services and the university’s three teaching Colleges in furthering the sharing of open knowledge through the Wikimedia projects.
“The work done by the University of Edinburgh continues to lead the way in Scotland in terms of Higher Education engagement with Wikimedia, and has prompted enquiries from a number of other universities and organisations… showing impact within and outwith Scotland.”
“Their success is absolutely key to the development of the Wikimedia community and its work in Scotland – and I feel it’s right and proper that they be recognised for that.” – Wikimedia UK
Fittingly, the award was collected by Lorna Campbell, who works for the University’s OER Service, and is also a Wikimedia UK Board Member.
Overall, it was a good day for the growing ScotWiki community with other award winners including Delphine Dallison, Wikimedian in Residence at the Scottish Library & Information Council, who won Up and Coming Wikimedian of the Year and Sara Thomas, Scotland Programme Co-ordinator for Wikimedia UK, who received an honourable mention for UK Wikimedian of the Year 2018.
Read more about the nominations on Wikimedia UK’s website.
Anne-Marie Scott
Charlie Farley
Delphine Dallison
Lorna Campbell
Open education team
Scotland Programme Co-ordinator for Wikimedia UK
Scottish library and information council
ScotWiki
SLIC
Stephanie Farley
Teaching & Web Services
Up and coming Wikimedian to watch
Wikimedian of the Year
Open.Ed – OER and Open Knowledge at the University of Edinburgh
The following post was co-written by Stephanie ‘Charlie’ Farley and Lorna Campbell who work at the University of Edinburgh’s Open Education Resources (OER) Service. It was presented by Wikimedian in Residence, Ewan McAndrew, at the Repository Fringe Conference 2018 held on 2nd & 3rd July 2018 at the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
Open.Ed – OER & Open Knowledge at the University of Edinburgh
by Charlie Farley & Lorna M. Campbell
The University of Edinburgh’s OER Service is based within information Services and provides staff and students with practical advice and guidance on creating, finding and using open educational resources. Charlie Farley and Lorna Campbell run a wide range of workshops and initiatives within the University and beyond, and also maintain Open.Ed which provides a one stop shop to access open educational resources produced by staff and students across the university. The University does not have a single OER Repository, instead we have multiple repositories across the institution for different kinds of content and we believe in sharing our open resources where ever they will be found most easily, e.g. Media Hopper Create, flickr, Vimeo, Sketchfab, TES, etc.
OER Mission, Vision and Policy
CC BY-NC-SA 2.0, Centre for Research Collections, https://flic.kr/p/snkn7o
Provide the highest quality learning and teaching environment for the greater wellbeing of our students
Make a significant, sustainable and socially responsible contribution to Scotland, the UK and the world.
OER Vision draws on history of the Edinburgh Settlement, excellent education and research collections, traditions of the Enlightenment.
OER Policy encourages staff and students to use, create and publish OERs to enhance the quality of the student experience.
At Edinburgh we believe that open education is strongly in line with our institutional mission to provide the highest quality learning and teaching environment for the greater wellbeing of our students, and to make a significant, sustainable and socially responsible contribution to Scotland, the UK and the world, promoting health and economic and cultural wellbeing.
Our vision for OER builds on our excellent education and research collections, traditions of the Scottish Enlightenment and the university’s civic mission. In addition to the OER Service, this vision is backed up by our OER Policy which encourages both staff and students to engage with the use and creation of OER and open knowledge, to enhance the quality of the student experience while at the same time making a significant contribution to the cultural and digital commons.
OER for Digital Skills
OER can help to develop digital skills for both staff and students. 23 Things for Digital Knowledge is an award winning, open online course, adapted from an open course developed by the University of Oxford. 23 Things is designed to encourage digital literacy by exposing learners to a wide range of digital tools for personal and professional development. Learners spend a little time each week, building up and expanding their digital skills and are encouraged to share their experiences with others. All course content and materials are licensed under a CC BY licence and the University actively encourages others to take and adapt the course. The course has already been used by many individuals and organisations outwith Edinburgh and it has recently been adapted for use by the Scottish Social Services Council.
OER for Equality and Diversity
OER can make a significant contribution to diversifying the curriculum. A number of studies, including the National LGBT Survey released by the Government today, have shown that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual health is not well-covered in Medical curricula, however knowledge of LGBT health and of the sensitivities needed to treat LGBT patients are valuable skills for qualifying doctors.
Using materials from the commons, a project at the University of Edinburgh, LGBT+ Healthcare 101, sought to address the lack of teaching on LGBT health within the curriculum through OER. The project remixed and repurposed resources originally created by Case Western Reserve University, and then contributed these resources back to the commons as CC BY licensed OER. New open resources including digital stories recorded from patient interviews, and resources for Secondary School children of all ages, were also created and released as CC BY OER.
OER for Knowledge Exchange
Open access makes research outputs freely accessible to all. It allows research to be disseminated quickly and widely, the research process to operate more efficiently, and has the potential to increase use and understanding of research by the wider public. However it is not always easy for those outwith academia to know how to access these outputs, even though they are freely and openly available. In order to address this issue, we’ve created a series of open educational resources in the form of video interviews and case studies called Innovating with Open Knowledge. These resources are aimed at creative individuals, private researchers, and entrepreneurs to provide guidance on how to find and access the open outputs of Higher Education. The resources focus on developing digital and data literacy skills and feature case study interviews with creative individuals and entrepreneurs engaging with the University of Edinburgh’s world class research outputs.
OER and Co-creation
We believe strongly in engaging both staff and students in the co-creation of open education and one hugely successful example of this is the School of Geosciences Outreach and Engagement course. Over two semesters, students develop an outreach project that communicates an element of GeoSciences outside the university community. Students work with schools, museums, and community groups to create a wide range of resources for science engagement. Students gain experience of science outreach, public engagement, and knowledge transfer while working in new environments and developing transferable skills to enhance employability. A key element of the course is to develop reusable resources which are then repurposed by our Open Content Curation Interns to create OER that are then shared online through Open.Ed and TES where they could be found and reused by other teachers and learners.
e.g. The Sea-Level Story, http://open.ed.ac.uk/the-sea-level-story-geoscience/
Open Content Curation Student Interns
Open Content Curation student interns play an important role in OER creation at the University. These fully-paid interns help to repurpose and share resources created by staff and other students while at the same time developing their own digital literacy skills. We’re now in the third year of this internship and the feedback we’ve received from the students has been nothing short of inspiring. This is Tomas Sanders who worked as our Open Content Curation Intern last year, and who then went on to run a successful Wikipedia editathon for Black History Month with the student History Society.
OER for Playful Learning
The OER Service also runs a wide range of events that develop playful and creative strategies for finding and reusing open licensed content. Board Game Jam is a popular workshop that leads groups through creating, licensing, and sharing an OER board game using digitised images from the University collections. It’s a fun and creative way to teach copyright and open licensing by stealth. GifItUp is another workshop that provides an introduction to creating GIFs using free and open tools and openly licensed and public domain images. It teaches colleagues how to find and use open licensed public heritage content and encourages discussion of the ethical responsibilities we as creators have towards those materials.
OER for Creativity
Eric Lucey was a pioneering biologist and film maker at the University of Edinburgh whose film collection from the 1950s and 60s has now been made available under open license by University’s Centre for Research Collections. With help and guidance from the OER Service on open licensing and content reuse, students from Edinburgh College of Art and the Edinburgh Film Society have created film poems from the Lucey collection for the Magma Poetry journal. And we’ve also released open film snippets from our MOOC content that can be reused in a wide range of creative contexts.
These are just a few examples of how the OER Services encourages staff and students at the University of Edinburgh to engage with and contribute to a wide range of open content collections, while enhancing their own digital skills and contributing resources back to the digital commons. For more information about the OER Service you can visit Open.Ed here, or contact Lorna or Charlie via the details below.
Lorna M. Campbell
lorna.m.campbell@ed.ac.uk
@LornaMCampbell
stephanie.farley@ed.ac.uk
@SFarley_Charlie
Board Game Jam, CC BY-SA 2.0 Open.Ed, https://flic.kr/p/R53nGm
23 Things for Digital Knowledge
Board Game Jam
cec plascott
eric lucey
Institutional mission
LGBT+ Healthcare 101
OER Policy
OER Service
tomas sanders
Celebrating 100 years of Votes for Women
A photograph of the Great Procession and Women’s Demonstration in Edinburgh in 1909. The image shows crowds of people congregated together to watch the procession. Many of those marching are carrying large banners. There is a brass band marching in front of the banner procession. There are also horses and carts that are carrying men and women. The photograph also shows a long view of Princes Street, which emphasises the amount of people who turned out for the demonstration. CC-BY-SA via Wikimedia Commons – kindly shared by Edinburgh Central Library’s Capital Collections.
To celebrate 100 years since the Representation of the People Act (1918) gave some women the vote, we held three #Vote100 Wikipedia editing events.
34 brand new biography articles have now surfaced on Wikipedia about Scotland’s suffragettes and the Eagle House suffragettes, along with 220 improved pages and items of data so people can discover all about their lives and contributions.
Wikipedia editathon for Processions 2018 at the University of Edinburgh Library. CC-BY-SA via Wikimedia Commons
Students and staff creating new Wikipedia pages about Scottish suffragettes at Processions 2018. CC-BY-SA via Wikimedia Commons.
“Annie’s Arboretum” at Eagle House
Eagle House (suffragette’s rest) became an important refuge for suffragettes who had been released from Holloway prison after hunger strikes. Many major people from the suffragette movement were invited to stay at Eagle house and to plant a tree to celebrate a prison sentence — at least 47 trees were planted between April 1909 and July 1911, including by Emmeline Pankhurst, Christabel Pankhurst, Annie Kenney, Charlotte Despard, Millicent Fawcett and Lady Lytton.
Read more in the Histropedia timeline (external website).
Suffragettes Annie Kenney, Mary Blathwayt and Emmeline Pankhurst, Eagle House, Batheaston 1910. Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.
The Scottish suffragettes
New Wikipedia pages have been created about: Maude Edwards slashing the portrait of King George V at the Royal Scottish Academy and her defiance at trial; the force-feeding of Frances Gordon and Arabella Scott at Perth Prison by the doctor who was “emotionally hooked” to Arabella Scott and offered to escort her to Canada; the attempted arson conducted by pioneer doctor Dorothea Chalmers Smith; the Aberdonian suffragette & organiser, Caroline Phillips, being sacked by telegram by Christabel Pankhurst; and the “energetic little woman from Stranraer” Jane Taylour who was a firebrand lecturer on Women’s Suffrage touring up and down Scotland and England.
Bessie Watson – suffragette aged 9 years old.
In 1909, the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) staged a march through Edinburgh to demonstrate “what women have done and can and will do”. Bessie Watson had played the bagpipes from an early age and at the age of nine she was asked to join the WSPU march and play the pipes. The march had a big impact on Bessie and she became involved in the suffragette movement. This involved playing the pipes outside the Calton Gaol to raise the spirits of incarcerated suffragettes. Playing the pipes led Bessie to do remarkable things and she became one of the first Girl Guides in Edinburgh and was seen by the King. The Capital Collections exhibition includes images of Bessie and the 1909 march as well as pictures of Calton Gaol. CC-BY-SA via Wikimedia Commons. Kindly shared by Edinburgh Central Library’s Capital Collections.
Annie Kenney
Arabella Scott
Batheaston
Bessie Watson
Capital Collections
Caroline Phillips
Christabel Pankhurst
Dorothea Chalmers Smith
Eagle House
Edinburgh Central Library
Emmeline Pankhurst
Frances Gordon
Histropedia
Jane Taylour
Maude Edwards
processions
Processions2018
Scottish suffragettes
Suffragette100
Suffragettes
Suffragettes Rest
Suffragettes Retreat
Wikipedia editathons
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Donald Trump Defends Tweet About Military Sexual Assault
By Tessa Berenson
Donald Trump said Wednesday that he was “correct” in 2013 when he said having women in the military increased the likelihood of sexual assault.
During a national security forum on NBC, Trump took a question from a veteran in the audience about how he would handle the sexual assault problem in the military.
Trump began by saying that it’s a “massive problem” and that “we’re going to have to come down very, very hard on that.” “The best thing we can do is set up a court system within the military,” he said. “Right now the court system practically doesn’t exist.”
Matt Lauer, the host of the forum, interjected to read Trump the text of one of his tweets from three years ago. In May 2013, Trump mused that sexual assault was to be “expected” when you put women in the military:
Faced with those words Wednesday night, Trump maintained, “It is a correct tweet. There are many people that think that’s absolutely correct.”
When Lauer asked if that means Trump would take women out of the military, the Republican nominee said, “No, not take them out, but something has to be happened [sic].”
“When you have somebody that does something so evil, so bad as that, there has to be consequences for that person,” Trump continued. “You have to go after that person. Right now, nobody is doing anything.”
Write to Tessa Berenson at tessa.berenson@time.com.
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victoria@victoriamaryclarke.com
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Eckhart Tolle Interview
by VictoriaMary | Jul 28, 2012 | General | 1 comment
Eckhart Tolle is a very funny guy who has written some extremely helpful and inspiring books, such as ‘The Power Of Now’ and ‘A New Earth’.
I had the very good fortune to be asked to interview him a couple of years ago and I thought I might share the wit and wisdom here!
Eckhart Tolle copyright Victoria Mary Clarke 2010-
Given all the trouble and strife in the world, it is a very brave man indeed who comes along and says he has the solution to the problem. Eckhart Tolle is such a man. For those not familiar with him, Eckhart is a German born spiritual teacher who has written several international best-sellers including ‘The Power Of Now’ and more recently ‘A New Earth,’ which has already sold six million copies and is recommended by Oprah. On the back cover of ‘A New Earth’ it says that ‘Eckhart Tolle will give you the confidence to let go of fear, anxiety and the eternal quest for more.’ If you read the book, it says, you will ‘stop defining your life and start living it with true openness and freedom.’
Given the kind of world that we live in, one has two choices, I feel. One can accept that we are all doomed and the planet is doomed and that things will just keep getting worse. Or one can actively seek out ideas and opportunities to make a difference, and take action on them. Personally, I am in favour of trying out ideas, in case one of them works, which is why I was extremely keen to read Eckhart’s book and also to speak to him in person.
I had already read ‘The Power Of Now’, which talks about how most of us live our lives in thoughts of the future and of the past, and completely miss our actual lives which are happening right now in the present moment, which is the only moment that we ever have. While I completely and utterly agree with this, and while I do my best to meditate regularly, I immediately confess to him, when we speak on the phone (he lives in Canada) that I have been having trouble keeping my attention in the present moment, especially when I am about to interview someone, because of course I think ahead to what I am going to say to them and I worry that I will make a mess of the interview and it will be rubbish.
‘You may have been terrified before we spoke but now that we are speaking, you are not terrified, are you?’ he says. He has a very soft German accent, and rather a jovial tone, which is not what I had expected of such a heavyweight philosopher.
‘No,’ I admit. ‘I am actually enjoying our conversation.’
‘And our conversation flows quite naturally, from one thing to the next, without your having to think ahead?’ he asks. I admit that yes, it does.
He points out that this is the subtle difference between using your head to calculate what you will do in the future and allowing your consciousness, or intuition to guide you.
‘Clarity and wisdom come from being in a state of pure consciousness,’ he says. Which is why, when he comes to Ireland on the 19 of this month to give a talk, he will not be making any notes, nor will he rehearse a speech.
‘I just turn up, and allow the energy of consciousness to speak through me,’ he says. I suggest that this must be a lot easier and more relaxing than having to have a plan. He agrees.
Eckhart is already extremely popular and rich and so he really doesn’t need to travel around the world, giving talks. But he feels that it is his life’s purpose to spread his message. His essential message is all about awareness of the human ego, he says, and about the ways in which it limits us and causes suffering, to ourselves and to the world in general. Part of the problem is that the ego is in constant need of boosting, because by it’s very nature it is fragile and feels small and insignificant, and deep down it senses that when we die, it will die too. So it tries its best to build itself up by creating a strong sense of identity. The more successful we are, the more superior we feel to others, the more status we accumulate, the stronger the ego becomes. Which explains our societies compulsive need to acquire more and more stuff, even at the expense of our relationships and at the expense of our planet’s resources, and our out of control appetite for all things celebrity related. As well as our obsession with being impossibly thin and beautiful and looking young and fit no matter how old we actually are.
All of the obsessions of the ego keep us in a permanent state of anxiety, of worrying about how we will get more of what we want and how we will hang on to what we have. Sometimes the anxiety can lead to mental and emotional breakdowns. When he was in his twenties, like most people Eckhart strove to be special and important. ‘But I didn’t have good looks or a stunning physique to impress people with,’ he laughs. ‘So I had to become an incredibly successful academic.’ Needless to say, the success did not make him happy, and he became depressed and suicidal. And one night, when he was twenty nine, everything changed.
‘I let go. And it was like I was being sucked into a void. And then fear disappeared, and I woke up in the morning in a state of incredible inner peace, bliss, in fact.’
He has stayed in that state ever since, which is why, he says, he goes around the world teaching other people how he did it. I tell him that I have been meditating for fifteen years, hoping to reach that state. He laughs.
‘For some people it happens instantly,’ he says. ‘But for most people, it is a gradual process.’
He is optimistic that as people become aware of how their ego is creating the suffering that they experience, the awareness in itself will help them not to identify with the ego, but instead to identify with the part of us that is loving and connected and secure and eternal. It is this state of awakened consciousness of what is real and what is not real that will change our world, he says.
‘A new heaven and a new earth are arising in you at this moment,’ he says in the book. And I have a feeling he could be right, even if it is taking its time.
www.eckharttolle.com
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Houston Maritime Museum
Newly Reopened Houston Maritime Museum Takes Visitors on Voyage through Maritime History
The Houston Maritime Museum is docking at a new berth at 2311 Canal Street while leaders chart the course to a permanent home in the East End neighborhood of Houston. A charming nautical mural across its entrance makes it a beacon for visitors, and the urge to snap a selfie is irresistible. The building began life as an elementary school. Over time, it was converted into offices and finally a yoga studio before becoming the temporary home to the Houston Maritime Museum.
The move to Canal Street in January marks a season of many changes for the museum. It is the beginning of an ambitious program to raise funds and build a permanent building. The decision to move the museum from its former home on Dorrington Street was not an easy one. At first glance, it might have seemed easier and more cost effective to pour all their energies into the necessary fund raising from the original location. However, the ravages to the building from storms like Hurricane Ike and the infamous Harvey made that impossible.
“It just made sense for us to move, even though moving a museum for us was not ideal because of the artifacts and the models,” said museum director, Leslie Bowlin. “It was a huge endeavor. It was not optimal, but we didn’t have any choice.”
It also represents a new concept in the museum’s maritime history model. Using an integrated approach that will eventually showcase multiple stories on a historical maritime timeline, the museum plans to show how Houston connects with the world. For instance, visitors examining the maritime endeavors of the Phoenicians in ancient times will one day be able to compare what was happening in Houston at the same time – possibly seeing a depiction of the early Karankawas or Akokisa native Americans at work along Cypress Creek.
Rolling along, students of all ages will be able to observe how maritime enterprises influenced society and vice versa. It holds the potential for diverse learning moments. Seeing influential events dovetailing on a timeline helps students grasp the significance of developments such as longitude making long-distance sea travel safer and understanding that the advancement was directly connected to clock-making on the shore side. Sharing in the story of John Harrison’s relentless pursuit of an accurate marine chronometer makes it relatable and memorable.
“Everyone has a maritime story, they may just not know it,” pointed out Bowlin. “If you drive a Volkswagon, you have a maritime story, because your car got here that way [through a sea voyage].”
Whether visitors are intrigued by exploration, technology, warfare, art, or even fashion – it was the sailor suit that helped make Coco Chanel famous – the museum will connect it to a story while also pointing to Houston. While Houston’s maritime activities may have been a little quiet during John Harrison’s era, it’s only few decades down the timeline until the Texas Navy helps win independence for Texas. Right now, a small theatre room introduces the Texas Navy to visitors at the museum.
The timeline and its interconnected stories will move visitors through the decades up to the modern era of energy and the shale oil boom. It should prove a fascinating method for people to connect the dots on the importance of maritime and Houston’s role in the global community.
While this intriguing vision will need time and money to fully come to life, the Houston Maritime Museum has forged ahead, incorporating it into precisely-placed displays at the new Canal Street location. In its freshly painted, carefully tended quarters, the first timeline is already guiding visitors from antiquity right up to modern offshore drill platforms in its Energy Hall. An aptly named Kid’s Cove room provides hands-on activities for children, from nautical dress-up to taking the helm at the big ship wheel.
It’s in the Energy Hall where the tie to Houston becomes increasingly significant. It is a large space where sturdily encased models of offshore rigs, many of them donated by local companies, can be rolled away to transform the room into an event hall for lectures or other activities. The museum presents lectures each month on local, regional, national, and international subjects of the maritime world. Lectures are divided into two subject themes, either historical in focus or specific to an industrial topic. They generously keep a YouTube site so that past lectures are easily available to the public.
Family Days are new learning experiences the museum kicked-off in January 2019. Conducted on select Saturdays, families can join the staff in crafting, board games, and activities designed to put learners in the role of maritime history’s most famous figures. On Family Day, admission and events are free.
Introducing young students to the maritime world is another high priority for the Houston Maritime Museum. Docents frequently lead groups from public, private, charter, and home educating school groups. A full time education and outreach coordinator for the museum, manages the effort. They offer a variety of school programs, including a traveling trunk they take into classrooms.
The museum is also focused on introducing maritime careers to students in grades K-8. “We want to reach them early, so that by the time they get to the 8th grade and their counselor mentions a maritime career, they’ll say ‘that sounds interesting,’” Bowlin said.
Overall, the plans for the Houston Maritime Museum show a far-reaching, but clear vision, and it’s off to a good start. From intricate ship models to its “friendly or enemy” vessel recognition station to its collection of coffee cups that came through the Panama Canal, each placement is cultivated with an eye toward fulfilling their goals. “This is just a capsule of what we will be doing in the future,” said Bowlin.
Take some time to book your own passage to enjoy this fascinating voyage through maritime history. The Houston Maritime Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, and admission is $5 for children and seniors; $8 for adults. Admission is always free for active duty military personnel and veterans. To plan your trip, or for more information about membership, events, sponsorship, and the future home of the museum, visit www.houstonmaritime.org.
Photos by Alexander Bowlin.
Tags 2019 February
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Information published on 17 April 2018 in the UIC electronic newsletter "UIC eNews" Nr 594.
Iran: The second international rail tour of Iran will end on 20 April 2018
News from UIC members
The second international rail tour of Iran in the name of “The Heart of Iran” started its work with a warm welcome by European and Asian tourists and in coordination with Iranian Railways on 9 April.
There are 27 foreign tourists from US, Britain, Ireland, South Africa and some Asian countries on this tour who are supposed to visit Tehran, Mashahd, Raien, Kerman, Yazd, Isfahan, Shiraz, Kashan, Qom, Arak, Shoushtar, Shoush and Veresk, according to Mohammad Moheb Khodaei, the Tourist Deputy of the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourist Organisation of Iran.
This journey will end on 20 April and is mostly done by rail. There are 33 train crew members who are accompanying the tourists to provide on-board services. The tourists will continue their journey on the Russian Golden Eagle lux train which provides services such as booking five-star accommodation for them.
It has to be mentioned that the first rail tour of Iran in the name of “The Silk Road” started on 3 April in the presence of 38 tourists from Canada, Denmark, Britain, Australia, Italy, Singapore, Peru and Malaysia.
(Source: RAI)
10th UIC World Congress on High Speed Rail to be held from 8 – 11 May 2018 in Ankara, Republic of Turkey 4th UIC Asia-Pacific Photo Contest on “Railway is an integral part of the national landscape” Don’t forget to register for the 5th UIC Asia-Pacific Control-Command, Signalling & Telecoms Workshop from 3 – 4 May 2018 in Sydney, Australia East-West Relations: IT and Coding – Cooperation and Standardisation within the APRA Region Finland: FTA’s traffic control functions to be transferred to a new state-owned company with a special assignment Instagram account of the week Norway: World record set for mobile network in a tunnel Scientific and Organising committees of the World High-Speed Congress met on 12 and 13 April 2018 in Ankara Spain: “Caminos de Hierro” 29th Photo Contest Survey on digital learning in the railways
e-News articles with keyword Middle East
Iran: New Appointment within Iranian Railways (RAI) (19 June 2018) Iran and Turkey to resume Tabriz-Van passenger train again (12 June 2018) Finishing of all early preparations for Electrification of Garmsar-Incheboron Rail Route project (22 May 2018) UIC Middle-East Regional Assembly (RAME) held its 21st Meeting in Ankara, Turkey (15 May 2018) Instagram account of the week (9 May 2018)
e-News articles with keyword News from UIC members
United Kingdom: Eurostar introduces third direct daily service from London to the Netherlands (26 June) Greece: Attica Group Tourism Awards 2019 (26 June) 12th Transport Africa Awards 2019 (26 June) Belarus: Railway companies of Belarus, Russia and Kazakhstan sign agreement (18 June) Russia: Feasibility study of high-speed Indian rail stretch should be completed by autumn 2019 (18 June)
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Movie Review: Why Cheat India
Shilpa Jamkhandikar
Handout picture from 'Why Cheat India'
Soumik Sen’s drama starring Emraan Hashmi is a rough-at-the-edges but surprisingly perceptive look at the dysfunctional education system in India and the losing battle that millions of students fight to get on the right side of it. Through his unscrupulous, but resourceful protagonist, Sen gives us an insight into the middle class’s obsession with competitive exams as a means for a better life.
The film has one such middle-class student, Sattu (Snighdadeep Chatterjee), a meek student who has spent four years prepping for the all-important engineering entrance exam. His father, a lowly government clerk who has scrimped and saved to fund his son’s education, will not accept failure. When Sattu passes with a good rank, there is nothing short of a carnival in the small locality where the family lives. Passing a national-level professional exam is not only a ticket to a better life but an achievement in itself. Sattu and his family are feted by the local politician, plied with gifts and made to feel like celebrities.
But for Rakesh Singh (Hashmi), boys like Sattu are merely tools to further his business interests. In a country where many people are looking to game the system, Rakesh runs a racket where he employs intelligent students and pays them to write proxy exams for others. Sattu gladly joins this money-making scheme, but soon gets sucked into a quagmire.
Set in the late 1990s, before social media and the mobile revolution in India, Sen captures the era well – the dreary lives, the aspirations, and the everyday struggles - but also veers away from his story at times. There are songs, a romantic track and a hectic second half that clouds the film’s main message.
But the positives outweigh the negatives. Hashmi is wonderful as Rakesh – measured and effective in a performance that could have gone either way. The film makes no attempt to hide his corrupt nature, but also gives him a chance at redemption by blaming his corruption as the product of a rotten system. Thankfully, Hashmi has the acting chops to pull it off. Debutant Shreya Dhanwanthary, who plays Sattu’s elder sister Nupur, is also wonderfully understated.
“Why Cheat India” might not be the definitive film on the flaws of the Indian education system, but it is effective enough to give audiences a jolt.
This story is web-exclusive and cannot be reproduced without permission.
The views expressed in this article are not those of Reuters News.
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OverviewCode of Business EthicsBoard of DirectorsBoard Committee ChartersGuidelinesPolitical DisclosureContact Directors
Michael Callahan
Mr. Callahan has served as a director of Vista Outdoor since February 2015. Mr. Callahan currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors and recently served as our interim Chief Executive Officer from July to October 2017. Mr. Callahan previously served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Aspen Partners, a Utah-based consultant to the outdoor sporting industry, since 2008. From 1990 until his retirement in 2008, Mr. Callahan served in various merchandising, marketing, management and senior executive positions with Cabela’s, Inc., a specialty retailer of hunting, fishing, boating, camping, shooting, and related outdoor recreation merchandise, most recently as Senior Vice President Business Development & International Operations. Prior to joining Cabela’s, Mr. Callahan spent 15 years working in the outdoor recreation industry. Mr. Callahan has been selected to serve as a director due to his operational, marketing and leadership experience gained through various senior positions in the sporting goods and outdoor industry.
Christopher T. Metz
Chris Metz serves as Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Metz has more than 25 years of experience leading consumer and durable goods companies. Prior to joining Vista Outdoor, Metz served as president and CEO of Arctic Cat from 2014-2017. Prior to Arctic Cat, he was managing director of Sun Capital Partners, Inc. Metz worked for Black & Decker from 1992-2005, including serving as the president of the company’s Hardware and Home Improvement group, president of Kwikset Corporation, president of Price Pfister, president of Baldwin Hardware, and general manager of European Professional Power Tools and Accessories. Metz serves on the boards of Central Garden & Pet Company, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, and on the corporate advisory council for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership.
April H. Foley
Ambassador Foley has served as a director of Vista Outdoor since February 2015. Ambassador Foley served with the U.S. State Department as the Ambassador to Hungary from 2006-2009. Before her diplomatic service, she was First Vice President and Vice Chairman, and a member of the Board of Directors, of the Export-Import Bank of the United States from 2003-2005. She also served as Director of Business Planning of PepsiCo, Inc., a multinational food, snack, and beverage corporation, from 1981-1993 and previously served as a director of Xerium Technologies, Inc. Ambassador Foley has been selected to serve as a director due to her global and government experience through her service as an Ambassador and experience in the analysis of financial performance and business plans. Ambassador Foley serves as a member of the Management Development and Compensation Committee and the Nominating and Governance Committee.
Mark A. Gottfredson
Mr. Gottfredson has served as a director of Vista Outdoor since February 2015. He is a leader in and was the former head of Bain & Company, Inc.’s (Bain) performance improvement practice. He recently led an engagement for the World Bank related to international trade and has worked with business leaders from many leading international corporations. He served on Bain’s board from 2008 to 2012 and currently serves as the head of the automotive practice in the Americas for Bain. He also currently serves as a director and member of the Audit Committee of Emerge Energy Services LP. Mr. Gottfredson has been selected to serve as director based on his extensive experience and proven ability advising boards and management on strategic decision making and business performance. Mr. Gottfredson serves as Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee and as a member of the Audit Committee. Mr. Gottfredson is a CPA and Chartered Global Management Accountant.
Tig H. Krekel
Mr. Krekel has served as a director of Vista Outdoor since February 2015. He is Chairman and Founding Partner of Hudson Group, a South Carolina advisory services firm. He was the Vice Chairman and a partner of J.F. Lehman & Company, a New York private-equity investment bank, from 2003 to 2012. Before joining J.F. Lehman, Mr. Krekel served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Hughes Space and Communications and President of Boeing Satellite Systems, the world’s largest manufacturer of commercial and military communications satellites. Mr. Krekel also served as a director on the board of Orbital ATK, Inc., from 2015 to 2018. Mr. Krekel has been selected to serve as a director due to his leadership, industry and financial experience as former chief executive officer of several large and complex businesses and corporate governance experience. Mr. Krekel serves as chairman of the Management Development and Compensation Committee and as a member of the Audit Committee.
Gary L. McArthur
Mr. McArthur has served as a director of Vista Outdoor since February 2015. He served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of CH2M Hill, an engineering company that provides consulting, design and operations services, from 2014 to 2018. Prior to joining CH2M Hill, he worked more than 15 years for Harris Corporation, an international communications and information technology company serving government and commercial markets, where he most recently served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Mr. McArthur has also been associated with Nextel Communications, Inc., Lehman Brothers, Inc. and Deloitte & Touche LLP and served on the boards of Terion, Inc. and Live TV Co. Ltd. Mr. McArthur has been selected to serve as a director due to his extensive financial management and complex problem-solving experience. Mr. McArthur serves as chairman of the Audit Committee and as a member of the Nominating and Governance Committee.
Michael D. Robinson
Mr. Robinson, age 53, was most recently employed as the Executive Vice President – Customer Experience, Product Management and Digital Revenue at Macy’s Inc. from 2015 to 2018 and was the Senior Vice President – Digital Technology at Macy’s Inc. from 2010 to 2015. Macy’s Inc. is an omni-channel retail organization that operates stores, websites, and mobile applications that sells a range of merchandise, including apparel and accessories for men, women, and children; cosmetics; home furnishings; and other consumer goods. Before joining Macy’s, Mr. Robinson was the Vice President – IT Strategy, Business Planning and Global Corporate Systems Development from 2005 to 2010 at Gap, Inc., an American worldwide clothing and accessories retailer. Prior his employment at Gap, Inc., he was the Associate Partner – Distribution Sector – Retail and Biotech Industries at IBM Business Consulting Services, which is the professional services arm of IBM, from 2001 to 2005. Mr. Robinson also previously held roles at PricewaterhouseCoopers and Johnson & Johnson. Mr. Robinson has been selected to serve as a director due to his leadership and extensive digital technology and ecommerce knowledge gained from over 20 years of experience at several large and complex businesses. Mr. Robinson serves as a member of the Management Development & Compensation Committee and the Nominating and Governance Committee.
Robert M. Tarola
Mr. Tarola has served as a director of Vista Outdoor since February 2015. He is currently the president of Right Advisory, LLC, a financial consulting firm. He currently serves as interim CFO for Covenant Health in New England. Prior to joining Covenant Health, Mr. Tarola served as Chief Financial Officer of the Southcoast Health System and was associated with Howard University where he served as CFO for four years. Prior to his time with Howard, he served as Chief Financial Officer for W.R. Grace, he served as Chief Financial Officer of MedStar Health, Inc. and was an audit partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. He currently serves on the board of Legg Mason Mutual Funds and The American Kidney Fund, serves as Chairman of the Board of XBRL International Inc., serves on the Board of Visitors of Fox School and previously served on the board and Audit Committee of TeleTech Holdings Inc. He also serves on the Investment Advisory Group for the PCAOB and is a CPA and CGMA. Mr. Tarola has been names as one of the Top 100 graduates of Fox Business School of Temple University. Mr. Tarola has been selected to serve as a director based on his extensive management experience and deep financial expertise. Mr. Tarola serves as a member of the Audit Committee and the Management Development and Compensation Committee.
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Trade and innovation in services
Leonardo Iacovone, Aaditya Mattoo, Andrés Zahler 15 September 2013
Service exports and innovation may be a source of dynamic growth for countries in the middle-income trap. This column presents new research showing some support for this optimistic view. That said, it’s clear that researchers need to improve their understanding of how firms in the services sector innovate and increase productivity, and whether better-tailored policies can promote trade and innovation in services.
Offshoring firms innovate more: Evidence from European manufacturers
Bernhard Dachs, Bernd Ebersberger, Steffen Kinkel, Oliver Som
The literature on innovation and international trade has, until recently, focused almost exclusively on the manufacturing sector. This is not surprising because the bulk of international trade has been in manufactured products and innovation has traditionally been associated with new or improved physical products. The services sector was ignored because it was seen as largely untouched by both trade and innovation. But today, many developing economies, from Malaysia to Mexico, see services exports and innovation as a potential source of dynamism for their economies and as a way of breaking out of the so-called ‘middle-income trap’. Is this faith justified?
While a number of studies from the innovation and marketing literature (for example, Erramilli and Rao 1993) have studied the internationalisation and innovation of firms in the services sector, their focus and methodologies are relatively distant from the current theoretical and empirical economic literature. The few firm-level analyses of services companies have so far focused exclusively on developed economies (Love and Mansury 2007, Pires et al. 2008, Eickelpasch and Vogel 2009 and Jensen and Kletzer 2005), even though the services sector is already the largest in many developing economies and a key determinant of overall productivity. For instance, recent studies suggest that sluggish productivity growth in the services sector of Latin American countries is a key reason for their limited productivity catch-up with the US (IADB 2010).
In a recent study, we compare the manufacturing and ‘tradable’ services sector from a joint trade and innovation perspective, relying on detailed firm-level data (Iacovone, Mattoo and Zahler 2013). We focus on Chile, an upper-middle economy that has undertaken a special effort to promote the internationalisation of its service sector. We analyse a firm-level innovation survey – carried out in 2007 and covering the period 2005-06 – that includes both manufacturing and services firms.
Our results should be seen in the broader context of Chile’s services trade. In recent years, commercial-services exports accounted for as much as one-third of Chile’s non-copper exports. Within commercial services, transport and logistics services made up more than half of the total – thanks to the strength of Chile’s airline and maritime services. The exports of other business services, which include outsourced business process, were only about one-sixth of the total, reflecting their relatively slow development in Chile. Chile is also beginning to export services related to mining – drawing upon its rich experience in extracting copper. Exports of retail services have also grown but mostly take place through the establishment of a commercial presence abroad and are not captured in conventional trade statistics.
But what really is innovation for a services firm? To better understand the elusive notion of services innovation, consider some examples of innovation from three Chilean services companies (borrowed from Bravo et al. 2013):
Enaex, a firm that provides rock blasting services to mining companies, has become a global pioneer in optimising choices of location, explosive mixing and dosage, while maintaining high safety standards.
It created Milodon, the world's largest truck for mixing and loading of explosives, which reduces the number of people, trucks and equipment moving through the mine in each loading cycle and minimises risks for operators. In parallel, it developed Inteliblast software that processes input data, such as compression and fracture frequency, and determines the type of rock fragmentation strategy. This information is transmitted to the Milodon, which has a GPS device mounted on the arm allowing detection of the location of the perforation, the type and volume of explosives to charge, and thus develop customised designs of the blasting processes based on field data.
The retail company Cencosud has created a new client interface to enhance customers shopping experience;
For example, in the electronics section, it has moved beyond the standard practice of relying entirely on in-store brand promoters – who bombarded consumers with information on their own specific brands and left them confused – and introduced an initial adviser who advises clients on the best product suited for their needs as well as an expert who is available to answer technical questions and to train costumers in-store.
The port terminal in the region of Arica and Parinacota has developed innovations related to the improvement of the port’s layout, slot allocation for management of trucks at the port, automation of electronic records of the port loads entered, and designed a system to efficiently trace loads.
The first case shows technological innovation and is similar to innovation in manufacturing. The other two cases are examples of non-technological innovation. The retail case involves rethinking the way a company relates to customers, but affects customer experience, time spent by both salespeople and consumers, and overall productivity. Interestingly, it is precisely this type of innovation which has helped Cencosud become a big player in Latin American retail. The port example involves a reallocation of resources and redesigning the way services are provided, which can also have an impact on productivity, even though it does not incorporate new ‘hard’ technologies.
These examples allow us to better understand the three main sets of findings emerging from our study. The first two relate to services firms’ exporting and innovating behaviour; while the third relates to the links between trade and innovation.
Manufacturing and innovation
First, even if a much smaller proportion of services firms export when compared to manufacturing, those that do are not necessarily much larger than non-exporters as is the case in the manufacturing sector (Figure 1). We suggest that this pattern can be explained by the relatively greater reliance of services exporters on skills rather than scale. In fact, we find that while all exporters tend to be more skill-intensive than non-exporters, the ‘export skills premium’ is greater in services than in manufacturing (see Figure 2).
Figure 1. Export propensity and firm size: % of firms in relevant size category that export 2005-06 weighted sample
Figure 2. Exporter premium: skill intensity
Services and innovation
Second, services firms appear to be as innovative as manufacturing firms, in terms both of investments in innovative activities (see Figures 3 and 4) as well as in terms of their results or outputs, measured using both subjective and objective indicators. However, services firms tend to rely relatively more on non-technological forms of innovation than manufacturing firms (Figure 5). These refer to innovations in product design and organisational management in production, work environment or management structure of the firm (i.e. as in the examples of Cencosud and the Port of Arica), as opposed to ‘technological’ innovation, which refers to introduction of new products or processes in the market, and expenditure related to R&D, physical equipment acquisition and training related to them (i.e. the examples of Enaex).
Figure 3. Expenditure on innovation by sector, (Average 2005-2006, using weights)
Figure 4. Propensity to spend on innovation of exporters and non-exporters
Third, we find that exporters both in manufacturing and services tend to invest more in innovation than non-exporters (Figure 4), and be significantly more innovative than non-exporters (Figure 5). Moreover, the gap in innovation between exporters and non-exporters increases for innovations that are closer to the global technological frontier (Figure 6).
Figure 5. Non-technological innovation propensity and export status
Notes: * Significantly different at 10% ** Significantly different at 5% *** Significantly different at 1%
Figure 6. Ratio of percentage of firms that innovate between exporters and non-exporters
Overall, these findings provide some support in favour of the optimistic view of services as a potential source of growth dynamism. They also suggest that we need to improve our understanding of how firms in the services sector innovate and increase productivity, and of whether tailored policies can promote trade and innovation in services.
Iacovone, Leonardo, Aaditya Mattoo and Andrés Zahler (2013), “Trade and Innovation in Services: Evidence from a Developing Economy”, World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 6520, Washington, DC.
IADB (2010), “The age of Productivity: transforming economies from the bottom up”, Palgrave Macmillan, March.
Bravo, C and Muñoz, L & Zahler, A & Alvarez, R (2013), “Case Study Analysis for Chile Innovation in Services Project CINVE-IADB”, mimeo, May.
Eickelpasch, A and Vogel, A (2009), “Determinants of Export Behaviour of German Business Services Companies”, DIW Berlin Discussion Papers, 876.
Jensen, JB and Kletzer, LG (2005), “Tradable Services: Understanding the Scope and Impact of Services Outsourcing”, Working Paper Series WP 05-9, Institute for International Economics, Washington DC.
Love, J and Mansury, MA (2007), “External linkages, R&D and innovation performance in US business services”, Industry and Innovation 14(5), 477–496.
Pires, CP and Sarkar, S and Carvalho, L (2008), “Innovation in services-how different from manufacturing?”, The Service Industries Journal 28(10), 1339–1356.
Topics: Development Productivity and Innovation
Tags: manufacturing, services
Leonardo Iacovone
Lead Economist, World Bank Trade and Competitiveness Global Practice
Aaditya Mattoo
Research Manager, Trade and Integration, World Bank
Andrés Zahler
Assistant Professor at the Institute for Public Policy, Diego Portales University – Chile
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CB Insights: AI health care startups have raised $4.3 billion since 2013
Kyle Wiggers@Kyle_L_Wiggers September 13, 2018 9:00 PM
Image Credit: Shutterstock / Uber images
Artificial intelligence is transforming health care, which is hardly news to folks who’ve followed Google subsidiary DeepMind’s collaboration with the U.K.’s National Health Service or Nvidia’s recent investments in medical imaging. But for those who haven’t, a report published today by research firm CB Insights nicely sums up the state of the sector.
CB Insight’s latest AI in Healthcare dispatch packs more than a few juicy nuggets, including this headliner: AI startups have raised $4.3 billion across 576 funding rounds since 2013, topping all other industries. Another shocker? In the first half of 2018, China leapfrogged the U.K. to become the second-most active country for health care deals.
“AI in health care is geared toward improving patient outcomes, aligning the interests of various stakeholders, and reducing costs,” analysts for CB Insights wrote. “Chinese big tech companies are now entering into health care AI with strong backing from the government and are bringing products from other countries to mainland China through partnerships.”
Pharmaceutical companies are taking an interest in AI, the report noted, particularly in startups that aim to expedite drug discovery. In May 2018, Pfizer entered into a strategic partnership with XtalPi, a company developing “computation-based rational drug design.” Movers and shakers including Novartis, Sanofi, GlaxoSmithKline, Amgen, and Merck have followed suit with similar arrangements.
Fortunately for them, the Federal Food and Drug Administration has fast-tracked certain categories of AI services, opening “commercial pathways” for the more than 70 AI imaging and diagnostics companies that have raised equity since 2013.
“The [agency] is focused on clearly defining and regulating ‘software-as-a-medical-device’, especially in light of recent rapid advances in AI,” said the report.
Despite AI’s recent encroachments, CB Insights predicts it won’t replace clinicians anytime soon. Machine learning algorithms learn from annotated datasets; Google’s DeepMind, for example, trained an eye disease-screening model on 14,884 labeled scans. And humans — not machines — are doing the bulk of the labeling.
“The samples needed to be annotated by specialists, because if a sample doesn’t have any annotation we don’t know if this is a healthy person or if it’s a sample from a sick person … This was a pretty important step,” Dr. Min Wanli, an Alibaba Cloud executive, said in a 2017 interview.
That said, you can look forward to a future with fewer doctor visits. Self-diagnostic apps like Dip.io, which uses a urinalysis dipstick and computer vision algorithms to analyze test strips via a smartphone, and Biofourmis, which pulls data from wearables to predict health outcomes, have been given the green light by regulators in the U.S.
The analysts concluded: “Artificial intelligence is turning the smartphone and consumer wearables into powerful at-home diagnostic tools.”
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USS Milwaukee (CL--5)
USS Milwaukee, World War II configuration
Name: USS Milwaukee
Namesake: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Builder: Seattle Construction and Drydock Company
Laid down: 13 December 1918
Launched: 24 March 1922
Commissioned: 20 June 1923; as Murmansk 20 April 1944
Decommissioned: 6 March 1949
Fate: sold for scrapping 10 December 1949
Class and type: Omaha-class light cruiser
Displacement: 7,050 long tons (7,160 t) (standard)
Length: 555 ft 6 in (169.32 m)
Beam: 55 ft 4 in (16.87 m)
Draft: 13 ft 6 in (4.11 m)
Propulsion: 4 × geared steam turbines4 × shafts
Speed: 34 kn (39 mph; 63 km/h)
Complement: 458 officers and enlisted
Armament: 12 × 6 in (150 mm)/53 cal guns (2x2, 8x1)
2 × 3 in (76 mm)/50 cal anti-aircraft guns (2x1) 10 × 21 in (530 mm) torpedo tubes 224 mines (temporary mountings)
Aircraft carried: 2 × floatplanes
Launching of MilwaukeeUSS Milwaukee (CL-5) was an Omaha-class light cruiser in the United States Navy. She was the third Navy ship named for the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Late in World War II, she was temporarily transferred to the Soviet Navy and commissioned as Murmansk.
Milwaukee was laid down on 13 December 1918 by Seattle Construction & Dry Dock Company, Seattle, Washington, launched by Todd Dry Dock & Construction Company, Seattle on 24 March 1921; sponsored by Mrs. Rudolph Pfeil; and commissioned on 20 June 1923, Captain William C. Asserson in command.
1.1 Inter-war period
1.2.1 South Atlantic
1.2.2 Arctic convoy
1.3 Transfer to Soviet Navy
2 Footnotes
[edit] Service history Edit
[edit] Inter-war period Edit
Shakedown took the new cruiser to Australia via Hawaii, Samoa, Fiji Islands, and New Caledonia, for the Pan-Pacific Scientific Congress which opened in Sydney on 23 August. Fitted with the finest sonic depth–finding equipment, Milwaukee gathered knowledge of the Pacific on route. The Milwaukee Seamounts in the Northern Pacific are named after a set of soundings taken by Milwaukee in 1929.
Although she served primarily in the Pacific during the decades between the world wars, the highlights of her peacetime service came in the Caribbean. On 24 October 1926, Milwaukee and Goff arrived at the Isle of Pines from Guantanamo Bay to assist victims of a fierce hurricane which had devastated the island four days before. The American ships established a medical center at the city hall in Nueva Gerone, furnished the stricken area over 50 short tons (45 t) of food, replaced telephone lines which had been swept away, and maintained wireless communication with the outside world. The efficient and tireless labors of the crews won the respect and gratitude of everyone in the area.
Over 10 years later, while steaming north of Hispaniola and Puerto Rico on 14 February 1939, Milwaukee recorded the greatest depth yet discovered in the Atlantic. The spot—which has a depth of 30,246 ft (9,219 m)—is now known as the "Milwaukee Deep".
U.S. presence in the Orient had, at this time, been being challenged. Japanese aircraft had bombed the gunboat Panay in the Yangtze River near Hankow, China on 12 December 1937, testing American determination to remain in the Orient. Milwaukee—as part of the U.S. Navy's response to the challenge—got underway from San Diego on 3 January 1938 on a cruise to the Far East, which took her to Hawaii, Samoa, Australia, Singapore, the Philippines, and Guam. As tension abated she returned home on 27 April.
[edit] World War II Edit
[edit] South Atlantic Edit
Milwaukee, Captain Forrest B. Royal commanding, was in New York Navy Yard for overhaul when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. Departing New York on 31 December 1941, Milwaukee escorted a convoy to the Caribbean and arrived at Balboa, Panama on 31 January 1942, transited the Panama Canal, and escorted eight troop transports to the Society Islands. Returning to the Atlantic through the canal on 7 March, she stopped at Trinidad en route to Recife, Brazil, where she joined the South Atlantic Patrol Force.
For the next two years, Milwaukee made repeated patrols from ports of Brazil, steaming from the border of French Guiana down to Rio do Janeiro, and across the Atlantic Narrows almost to the African coast. On 19 May, while steaming from Ascension Island to Brazil, she received an SOS from the Brazilian cargo ship SS Commandante Lyra, which had been torpedoed by the Italian submarine Barbarigo off the coast of Brazil. When she reached the scene that morning, Milwaukee found Commandante Lyra abandoned, burning forward and aft, and listing to port.
The destroyer Moffett picked up 16 survivors and Milwaukee rescued 25 others, including the ship's master. The cruiser's sister ship Omaha and the destroyer McDougal were soon on the rescue scene. While Milwaukee refueled at Recife, Omaha's salvage party jettisoned deck cargo and ready ammunition for deck guns from the burning Brazilian merchantman. Milwaukee immediately returned to the scene. Her salvage party also jettisoned cargo to lighten the cargo ship. The fires were brought under control, and Commandante Lyra was towed to Fortaleza, Brazil, arriving on 24 May.
Milwaukee put out of Recife on 8 November in company with her sister Cincinnati and the destroyer Somers, seeking German blockade runners. On 21 November, the task force encountered a strange ship which turned out to be the German blockade runner Annaliese Essenberger. Milwaukee challenged the unidentified ship, who replied with the call letters "L-J-P-Y", the international call of Norwegian freighter Sjhflbred. The Allied secret identification signal brought no reply. The two American cruisers maneuvered to cover Somers, chasing the enemy into a small rain squall. At 06:51, when Somers had closed to 4 mi (3.5 nmi; 6.4 km), smoke and flames poured from the enemy, who lowered boats. Minutes later, the first of three tremendous explosions hurled wreckage hundreds of feet in the air and the freighter settled by the stern. Then, the Norwegian flag was hauled down and the German merchant swastika flag was raised at the main. The German motorship heeled over to port and sank by the stern. Milwaukee took aboard 62 prisoners from four liferafts.
On the morning of 2 May 1943, while Milwaukee was under repairs at Recife, her crew showed great initiative and skill fighting a fire on tanker SS Livingston Roe which threatened the harbor.
Milwaukee continued her South Atlantic patrols until 8 February 1944, when she departed Bahia, Brazil, for the New York Navy Yard. She stood out from New York on 27 February as a unit of the ocean escort for a convoy which reached Belfast, Northern Ireland on 8 March.
[edit] Arctic convoy Edit
On 29 March, Milwaukee put to sea from Belfast, en route to Murmansk, northwest Russia, with Allied convoy JW58. A German submarine was sunk during the night. The following day enemy planes shadowing the convoy were shot down by fighter planes launched from the British escort carrier HMS Activity. A wolfpack of German submarines tried to penetrate the convoy screen during the night of 31 March but was driven off. The following night, seven German submarines shadowed the convoy, but they were also driven off with the possible loss of one enemy submarine. That morning, carrier-based planes reported sinking a German submarine 10 mi (8.7 nmi; 16 km) astern.
[edit] Transfer to Soviet Navy Edit
On 4 April, four escorts of the Soviet Navy joined the convoy now headed for Archangelsk. A few hours later Milwaukee left the convoy and headed for Murmansk and the Kola Inlet. There on 20 April, the ship was transferred on loan to the Soviet Union Northern Fleet in lieu of the Soviet share of the surrendered Italian warships[citation needed]. She commissioned in the Soviet Navy as Murmansk and performed convoy and patrol duty in the Arctic Ocean for the remainder of the war. Afterward, she became a training ship and participated in the 1948 fleet maneuvers.[1] Transferred back to the U.S. on 16 March 1949, Milwaukee—the first of 15 American warships returned by the USSR—entered Philadelphia Naval Shipyard on 18 March, and was sold for scrapping to the American Shipbreakers, Inc., in Wilmington, Delaware on 10 December.
[edit] Footnotes Edit
^ Frampton, Victor (2008). "Question 39/44: USS Milwaukee in Soviet Service". Warship International (Holden, MA: International Naval Research Organization) XLV (4): 284–85. ISSN 0043-0374.
Retrieved from "https://worldwartwo.wikia.org/wiki/USS_Milwaukee_(CL--5)?oldid=3379"
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9b Group
About Us Our Team REPORTS Contact Us
About UsOur Team
REPORTSContact Us
Co-FOUNDER + PARTNER
Dave has over 35 years of professional leadership experience in natural resource conservation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and in the private sector. After working in numerous locations throughout the United States, Dave was Chief of the NRCS from January 2009 to December 2012. As Chief, Dave led, directed, and managed the nation’s largest private lands natural resource conservation organization.
Dave has extensive experience in overseeing complex resource protection programs, working with diverse interests, developing and moving conservation legislation, and providing leadership for the successful implementation of natural resource goals.
While at NRCS, he developed and implemented natural resource conservation solutions directly with private landowners, primarily agriculture, working in cooperation with a wide diversity of partners. Under his leadership, the NRCS created and implemented landscape level conservation initiatives that focused financial and technical resources on solving problems at the appropriate ecological scales.
Dave has also spent significant time on Capitol Hill detailed to Iowa Senator Tom Harkin and Indiana Senator Richard Lugar. During which, he helped craft the conservation titles of both the 2002 and 2008 Farm Bills.
Dave is an honors graduate of the University of Missouri where he studied agricultural journalism. He and his wife reside in Charlottesville, Virginia and have two grown children.
dwhite@9bgroup.com
Pelham Straughn
Pelham Straughn has a proven track record of over 17 years of bipartisan accomplishment culminating in the passage of the Agricultural Act of 2014, one of the only major pieces of legislation to come out of the 113th Congress.
The past four years Pelham Straughn served with distinction as the Policy Director for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture under Chairman Frank Lucas leading his policy team during the formation, debate, and passage of the Agricultural Act of 2014.
During his 13 year tenure on the Committee, Pelham worked on three different farm bills, served two different subcommittee Chairmen (Congressmen Terry Everett and Bill Jenkins) and three different full committee Chairmen (Congressmen Larry Combest, Bob Goodlatte, and Frank Lucas) in many different capacities including Subcommittee Staff Director and Senior Professional Staff.
His portfolio included farm and commodity programs, conservation, trade, livestock, crop insurance, disaster programs, sugar, peanut, and tobacco programs.
A native of Birmingham, Alabama, Pelham graduated from Hampden-Sydney College and now resides on Capitol Hill with his wife and their daughter Catherine.
pstraughn@9bgroup.com
©9b Group, 2018.
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Samuel Huntington's "Clash of Civilizations"
Samuel Huntington's "Clash of Civilizations" Book Review by Champ
A review of Samuel Huntington's book, "Clash of Civilizations".
# 98655 | 1,598 words | 4 sources | MLA | 2006 |
Published on Oct 10, 2007 in Ethnic Studies (Conflict) , Literature (World) , Anthropology (General) , History (General) , Literature (General)
$19.95 Buy and instantly download this paper now
This paper reviews and discusses the book "Clash of Civilizations" by Samuel Huntington. The paper reports that Huntington's work analyzes the differences between different cultures and civilizations of the world. The paper goes on to say that Huntington's piece is a historical overview of major conflicts between different civilizations and not an explanatory, research-based theory.
From the Paper:
"Another debatable distinction is made between Russia and the West, which in the view of Jeane Kirkpatrick is an unnecessary and wrong division. The distinction made between Slavic-Orthodox countries on the one hand, and Western countries, including European countries, on the other, is no longer available after the end of the Cold War and the fall of the Berlin Wall and of the Soviet Union. Russia and other former nations members of the USSR are no longer held together by distinct characteristics except religion. Almost all these Slavic-Orthodox countries have evolved towards the West and can be considered in many aspects as being western countries. Taking into account the dimension of the European Union, many of the countries identified by Huntington, such as Poland, have made serious steps towards the west and share common values as the Western culture."
Sample of Sources Used:
Huntington, Samuel P. The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order. Simon & Schuster; 1st Touchstone Ed edition. January 1998
Ajami, Fouad, The Summoning, from Foreign Affairs, September/October 1993, found at http://www.foreignaffairs.org/19930901FACOMMENT5194-faarticles/fouad-ajami/the-summoning.html;
Kirkpatrick, Jeane J., The Modernizing Imperative: Tradition and Change, from Foreign Affairs, September/October 1993, found at http://www.foreignaffairs.org/19930901faresponse5204/jeane-j-kirkpatrick/the-modernizing-imperative-tradition-and-change.html;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clash_of_civilizations.
Cite this Book Review:
Samuel Huntington's "Clash of Civilizations" (2007, October 10) Retrieved July 18, 2019, from https://www.academon.com/book-review/samuel-huntington-clash-of-civilizations-98655/
"Samuel Huntington's "Clash of Civilizations"" 10 October 2007. Web. 18 July. 2019. <https://www.academon.com/book-review/samuel-huntington-clash-of-civilizations-98655/>
The Clash of Civilizations
This paper argues against Samuel Huntington's thesis of an impending civilizational clash.
3 sources | 2007
"The Clash of Civilizations" and the Georgia Conflict
An analysis of how the recent conflict in Georgia supports Samuel P. Huntington's thesis of international relations in his article "The Clash of Civilizations".
"The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order"
Argues against the thesis by the political scientist at Harvard, Samuel Huntington, and his book "The Clash of Civilizations".
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Vanuatu: Tropical cyclone
Category five Tropical Cyclone Pam hit Vanuatu in the evening of 13 March 2015, with winds of more than 250km/hr and has affected the entire country, but particularly in the central and southern provinces. On 13 March, the Government issued a ‘red alert’ to all six provinces, advising people to seek shelter immediately.
According to GDACS, more than 48,000 people out of the total 245,000 people are affected and humanitarian needs are high. More than 10,000 are reportedly homeless in the capital and largest city Port Vila; more than 33,000 people are affected in the outlying southernmost islands. This number is in fact likely to be much higher, as more information becomes available.
Unconfirmed reports said that 44 people had died in the northeastern province of Penama, according to OCHA. Only six are confirmed dead.
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Published on American Civil Liberties Union (https://www.aclu.org)
U.S. Gave Its Torturers a Pass, So International Court Steps In [1]
Jamil Dakwar
Joshua Manson
After a decade of collecting evidence, the prosecutor for the International Criminal Court announced [2] last week that she will take steps toward a full investigation into possible war crimes and crimes against humanity committed over the course of the armed conflict in Afghanistan since May 2003. While the process could take years, this development means that, for the first time, U.S. officials could face the specter of indictment [3] by the international court.
The prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, has requested to launch a full investigation into whether a number of actors committed gross violations of international law, including “war crimes of torture and related ill-treatment.” That implicates U.S. military and CIA personnel, as well as private contractors. In a 2016 report [4], the prosecutor’s office revealed that it had reason to believe that members of the U.S. military “subjected at least 61 detained persons to torture, cruel treatment, outrages upon personal dignity” and members of the CIA “subjected at least 27 detained persons to torture, cruel treatment, outrages upon personal dignity and/or rape.”
An ICC investigation would face myriad hurdles, especially given the likely refusal of the U.S. government to cooperate. However, if arrest warrants are one day issued, the officials would be subject to immediate arrest in the 124 countries [5] that are participants in the ICC, including every country in the European Union (but not the United States which is not a member of the court).
This dramatic development would have been unnecessary — and avoided — if the United States had fully investigated, prosecuted, and punished instances of torture, as international law requires, and as the ACLU and other groups have been calling [6] on the federal government to do for years. Instead, the Obama administration opened two narrow investigations and closed [7] both without charging anyone. The International Criminal Court can only become involved when domestic systems fail to conduct genuine and credible investigations into major crimes as outlined by the Rome Statute [8], which created the international court.
The ICC prosecutor noted in her 2016 report that:
"There is specific information indicating that at least 88 persons in US custody were allegedly tortured. The information available suggests that victims were deliberately subjected to physical and psychological violence, and that crimes were allegedly committed with particular cruelty and in a manner that debased the basic human dignity of the victims. The infliction of “enhanced interrogation techniques,” applied cumulatively and in combination with each other over a prolonged period of time, would have caused serious physical and psychological injury to the victims. Some victims reportedly exhibited psychological and behavioural issues, including hallucinations, paranoia, insomnia, and attempts at self-harm and self-mutilation. The gravity of the alleged crimes is increased by the fact that they were reportedly committed pursuant to plans or policies approved at senior levels of the US government, following careful and extensive deliberations."
The ICC prosecutor’s request, which is likely to be granted by the court’s Pre-Trial Chamber [9], would not only set a precedent for holding American actors criminally accountable before an international court for torture committed overseas, but it would give torture victims a voice they don’t otherwise have. The ICC affords victims [10] a unique role to play in legal proceedings, providing them an opportunity to put their views and concerns directly to the judges where their personal interests are affected, normally through a legal representative who operates independently of the prosecution. Although domestic U.S. courts allow torture victims to participate in legal proceedings, mainly as witnesses, they do so at the discretion of a prosecutor. ACLU clients, including Khaled El Masri [11], Suleiman Salim, [12] and Mohamed Ben Soud [13] — all of whom were detained and tortured in Afghanistan between 2003 and 2008 — would likely qualify, as they have suffered great material, psychological, and physical harm as a direct result of torture and ill-treatment by U.S. agents or contractors in Afghanistan. The same goes for the family of Gul Rahman [14], who was killed as a result of his torture in Afghanistan.
This comes just months after the ACLU reached a landmark settlement [15] on behalf of victims and survivors of the CIA’s torture program. And we are keeping up the pressure on other international stages, as well: This week, we submitted responses in two [16] cases [17] on behalf of survivors of U.S. torture before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. In both instances, the United States government has argued that the IACHR, the foremost human rights body in the Americas, cannot adjudicate violations of the American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man [18], the foremost human rights instrument in the Americas. We are also waiting to hear from the commission on whether it will grant a December hearing for our client, Khaled el-Masri [19], who was tortured by the CIA and subsequently sued CIA Director George Tenet [20]. Later this month, the ACLU will also participate in a hearing held by the North Carolina Commission of Inquiry on Torture [21], investigating North Carolina’s role and complicity in the U.S. torture program.
Under a president who has threatened to bring back torture, accountability for these crimes has never been more important for the victims and survivors struggling to rebuild their lives, and for the message it sends to those who would seek to use torture in the future.
Torture is categorically prohibited, including in times of war, and has consequences. The U.S. government might thus far have let its torturers off the hook, but international justice mechanisms will not.
Source URL: https://www.aclu.org/blog/national-security/torture/us-gave-its-torturers-pass-so-international-court-steps
[1] https://www.aclu.org/blog/national-security/torture/us-gave-its-torturers-pass-so-international-court-steps
[2] https://www.icc-cpi.int/Pages/item.aspx?name=171103_OTP_Statement
[3] https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/03/world/asia/international-criminal-court-afghanistan-united-states.html?smid=tw-nytimesworld&smtyp=cur&_r=0
[4] https://www.icc-cpi.int/iccdocs/otp/161114-otp-rep-PE_ENG.pdf
[5] https://asp.icc-cpi.int/en_menus/asp/states%20parties/pages/the%20states%20parties%20to%20the%20rome%20statute.aspx
[6] https://www.aclu.org/other/why-criminal-investigation-necessary
[7] http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/31/us/holder-rules-out-prosecutions-in-cia-interrogations.html
[8] https://www.icc-cpi.int/nr/rdonlyres/ea9aeff7-5752-4f84-be94-0a655eb30e16/0/rome_statute_english.pdf
[9] https://www.justsecurity.org/46687/icc-investigation-u-s-afghanistan-mean/
[10] https://www.icc-cpi.int/NR/rdonlyres/8FF91A2C-5274-4DCB-9CCE-37273C5E9AB4/282477/160910VPRSBookletEnglish.pdf
[11] https://www.aclu.org/blog/national-security/torture/new-cia-torture-documents-confirm-chilling-details-khaled-el-masris
[12] https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/video/2015/oct/13/exclusive-torture-report-from-aclu-cia-video
[13] https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/09/world/cia-torture-guantanamo-bay.html
[14] https://www.aclu.org/bio/family-gul-rahman
[15] https://www.aclu.org/news/cia-torture-psychologists-settle-lawsuit
[16] https://www.aclu.org/news/mother-american-torture-victim-jose-padilla-brings-case-international-human-rights-tribunal
[17] https://www.aclu.org/news/afghans-iraqis-tortured-us-military-bring-case-international-human-rights-tribunal
[18] https://www.cidh.oas.org/basicos/english/basic2.american%20declaration.htm
[19] https://www.aclu.org/files/pdfs/safefree/elmasri_iachr_20080409.pdf
[20] https://www.aclu.org/cases/el-masri-v-tenet
[21] http://www.nccit.org/
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Musée d'art moderne et contemporain, Geneva, Switzerland, 2019
Aggregato, Thomas Dane Gallery Naples, 2018
Equivalents, Regen Projects, 2018
Open Source, Petzel, 2017
Transparencies, Rat Hole Gallery, 2017
Automat, Galerie Eva Presenhuber, 2016
Great Hall Exhibition, Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, 2015
Disponibles, Travesía Cuatro, 2015
Walid AlBeshti, Regen Projects, 2015
Marginalia, Thomas Dane Gallery, 2014
Gastarbeiten, Capitain Petzel, 2014
A Partial Disassembling of an Invention without a Future ... , Barbican Centre, 2014
Performances Under Working Conditions, Petzel, 2014
Selected Bodies of Work, Regen Projects, 2014
8 rue Saint-Bon, 2013
Fair Use, Power Station, 2013
Travel Pictures, Thomas Dane Gallery, 2012
PROCESSCOLORFIELD, Regen Projects, 2011
A Diagram of Forces, Malmö Konsthall and Centro de Arte Dos de Mayo, 2011
Securities and Exchanges, Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, 2011
Diapositives, Galerie Rodolphe Janssen, 2011
Legibility on Color Backgrounds, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, 2009
Pulleys, Cogwheels, Mirrors, and Windows, University of Michigan Museum of Art, 2009
Popular Mechanics, Wallspace, 2009
Passages, LAXART, 2009
Production Stills, Thomas Dane Gallery, 2009
Science Concrète, China Art Objects Galleries / Redling Fine Art, 2008
Industrial Pictures, Galerie Rodolphe Janssen, 2008
Progressive Praxis, de la Cruz Collection, 2016
All the World’s Futures, La Biennale di Venezia, 2015
Atopolis, Wiels at Mons, 2015
Repetition and Difference, The Jewish Museum, 2015
The Endless Renaissance, Bass Museum of Art, 2012
FIVE, Baibakov Projects, 2009
Altermodern: The Tate Triennial, The Tate Britain, 2009
Walead Beshty, Kelley Walker, Christopher Williams, China Art Objects Galleries, 2009
Biennial Exhibition, Whitney Museum, 2008
Crystal Voyager with Kelley Walker, Paula Cooper Gallery, 2014
Hardbody Software with Kelley Walker, Redling Fine Art, 2014
Later Layer with Johnston Marklee Architects, Istituto Italiana di Cultura, 2010
Plug n Play with Karl Haendel, Redling Fine Art, 2009
Curatorial Projects
Picture Industry: A Provisional History of the Technical Image, 1844–2018, Luma Arles, 2018
Picture Industry, Hessel Museum, Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College
Picture Industry, Systematically Open? New Forms for Contemporary Image Production, LUMA Arles, 2016
A Machinery for Living, Petzel, 2014
Again, Once Again, Many Times More, Martos Gallery, 2014
On the Matter of Abstraction (figs. A & B) ... , Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University, 2013
Blind Spot Magazine, No. 46, 2013
Sunless, Thomas Dane Gallery, 2010
Picture Industry (Goodbye to All That), Regen Projects, 2010
There is Always a Background / CMYK, Cabinet Magazine, 2010
The Gold Standard, P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, 2006
Invisible Hands and The Common Good, Champion Fine Art, 2005
NEW YORK, STATE OF OPPORTUNITY | Department of Labor, Attention Miscellaneous Industry Employees ...
[...] 001
Shanzhai Times
Marginalia “I think of my work ...
Post Conspicuously ...
Weastern Archive One
Walead Beshty ·NRR。，，，， NN。2001 ...
Shanzhai Times, 山寨时报, Village Mountain Era
Picture Industry: A Provisional History of the Technical Image, 1844–2018
Walead Beshty: Procedurals, Petzel 2014–2017
Industrial Portraits: Volume One, 2008–2012
Walead Beshty: 33 Texts: 93,614 Words: 581,035 Characters: Selected Writings (2003–2015)
Walead Beshty: Natural Histories
Walead Beshty: Selected Correspondences 2001–2010
Later Layer: Johnston Marklee and Walead Beshty
Walead Beshty: Pulleys, Cogwheels, Mirrors, and Windows
Procedural Texts
On The Conditions Of Production Of The Mirrored Floor Works (2009–)
On the Conditions of Production of the Copper Surrogates (2008–)
On the Conditions of Production of the Color Curl Works (2008–)
On the Conditions of Production of the Black and White Fold Works (2007–)
On the Conditions of Handling, Process, and Display of FedEx Works (2007–)
On the Conditions of Production of Pictures Made by My Hand with The Assistance of Light (2005–)
Bodies of Work
Asymmetrical Inverted RA4 Contact Prints, 2018–
Blind Collages, 2017–
Body Prints, 2017–
Inverted RA4 Contact Prints, 2016–
Drawings, 2014–
Machines, 2014–
RA4 Contact Prints, 2014–
Surrogates (Modular, Art Handling), 2014–
Televisions, 2014–
Transparencies, 2014–
Ceramics, 2013–
Newspapers, 2013–
Cyanotype Paintings, 2013–2015
Oil Paintings, 2013–2015
White Curls, 2013–2014
The Continuous Presents of Futures Past, 2012–2013
Soft Pictures, 2012
Unmaskings, 2012–2013
Travel Pictures, 2006/2008/2012
Art Handling, 2011–
Decoys, 2011–
Remnants, 2011–
Surrogates (Full Sheet, Art Handling), 2011–
Black Curls, 2010–2013
Make Readies, 2010–
American Passages, 2009–
Cyanotypes, 2009–
FedEx Copper Works, 2009–
Mirrored Floor Work, 2009–
Six-Color Curls, 2009–2010
Industrial Portraits, 2008–
Selected Works, 2008–
Surrogates (Tabletop and Desktop), 2008–
Transparencies, 2008–2014
Three-Color Curls, 2008–2013
Color Loops, 2008–2011
Color Pulls, 2008
Multi-Sided Folds, 2007–
FedEx Glass Works, 2007–
Travel Pictures, 2006/2008
Black and White Directional Folds, 2006–2014
Pictures Made by My Hand with the Assistance of Light, 2005–2014
Dust, 2005–2009
Island Flora, 2005
Eight Young Men ... , 2002
American Passages, 2001–2011
Excursionist Views, 2001/2005
The Phenomenology of Shopping, 2001–2003
Works by Year
Selected Essays
How Important is Art as a Form of Protest
Bodies in Space: Some notes on the work of Nairy Baghramian
The Story of O: Gesture in the Work of Laura Owens
Lesson: Notes for an Introductory Lecture
Introduction: Toward an Aesthetics of Ethics
In Medias Res (On the Work of Sharon Lockhart)
Improvisation and the Agency of the Commons: Notes on Counterfeiting as a Form of Radical Speech
Brooklyn Rail: In Conversation Walead Beshty with Amy Ontiveros
Bomb Magazine: Walead Beshty & Eileen Quinlan
Open Source: Walead Beshty in Conversation with Bob Nickas
Gallery Director, Brussels, Belgium, November 6, 2008
Epson Ultrachrome K3 archival ink jet print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag paper
36 3/8 x 26 3/8 inches
A Diagram of Forces, 2011
Gallery Director/Partner, London, United Kingdom, October 17, 2008
Gallery Owner/Director, Los Angeles, California, July 25, 2008
Artist Studio, Wide-Format Inkjet Printer, Los Angeles, California, July 25, 2008
Collector, Ostend, Belgium, November 9, 2008
Museum Curator, Washington, District of Columbia, August 13, 2008
University Museum Associate Curator, Ann Arbor, Michigan, September 19, 2008
Fabricator, Glendale, California, July 9, 2008
Installation View, Washington, District of Columbia, April 27, 2009
College Darkroom, Color Photographic Processor, Chicago, Illinois, August 21, 2008
Master Framer, Los Angeles, California, June 20, 2009
Darkroom Assistant, Irvine, California, July 18, 2008
College Darkroom Technician, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, July 11, 2009
Studio Assistant, Los Angeles, California, September 15, 2009
Business Class Cabin, Moscow, Russia, May 17, 2009
Artist/Designer/Editor/Writer, New York, New York, September 27, 2009
Artist, Los Angeles, California, February 8, 2009
University Art School, Irvine, California, July 17, 2008
Museum Curator/Triennial, London, United Kingdom, January 30, 2009
Kunsthalle Assistant, Malmö, Sweden, October 16, 2010
Gallery Owner, New York, New York, September 28, 2008
Art Fair Director, Los Angeles, California, July 20, 2008
Photographer, Los Angeles, California, June 3, 2009
Art Consultant/Collector, Dallas, Texas, November 7, 2009
Artist, Santa Monica, California, April 11, 2009
Kunsthalle Chief Technician, Malmö, Sweden, October 16, 2010
Hotel Room, Copenhagen, Denmark, May 15, 2010
Artist, Moscow, Russia, May 22, 2009
Nonprofit Associate Curator, Los Angeles, California, February 16, 2009
Artist, London, United Kingdom, October 9, 2009
Gallery Owner/Director, Brussels, Belgium, November 8, 2008
Gallery President, Los Angeles, California, December 7, 2010
Independent Photography Editor, Garrison, New York, July 11, 2009
Designer, Los Angeles, California, December 9, 2010
Nonprofit Director/Curator with Daughter, Los Angeles, California, March 17, 2009
Styrofoam Replicas (Hirshorn Museum and Sculpture Garden), Washington, District of Columbia, June 15, 1981
Independent Curator/Critic, Los Angeles, California, July 26, 2008
Gallery Owner with Dog, Los Angeles, California, February 5, 2010
Gallery Director with Dog, Los Angeles, California, December 7, 2010
Artist Studio, Wide-Format Inkjet Printer, Los Angeles, California, December 9, 2010
Studio Production Manager, Los Angeles, California, December 9, 2010
Hotel Room, Washington, District of Columbia, April 24, 2009
Gallery Operations and Logistics Manager, Brussels, Belgium, November 6, 2008
Installation View, London, United Kingdom, January 30, 2009
Outdoor Sculpture Workshop (Claire Trevor School of the Arts, University of California Irvine), September 14, 2009
Photographer, New York, New York, February 28, 2009
Installation View, Ann Arbor, Michigan, March 27, 2009
Museum Library Stacks, Washington, District of Columbia, August 18, 2008
Museum Preparator, London, United Kingdom, January 30, 2009
Museum Curator, London, United Kingdom, October 17, 2008
Gallery Preparator, Los Angeles, California, July 26, 2008
Publisher with Son, Los Angeles, California, April 3, 2009
Darkroom Assistant, Irvine, California, September 14, 2009
University Museum Preparator, Ann Arbor, Michigan, March 27, 2009
Museum Preparator, New York, New York, September 26, 2009
Museum Curator, London, United Kingdom, January 30, 2009
College Darkroom, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, July 11, 2009
College Lecture Hall, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, July 11, 2009
FedEx Courier, Los Angeles, California, September 12, 2008
Museum Chief Curator, Washington, District of Columbia, April 29, 2009
Airport Lounge, Belfast, Ireland, September 10, 2010
Museum Associate Curator, New York, New York, September 26, 2009
University Museum Director, Ann Arbor, Michigan, March 28, 2009
Nonprofit Executive Director/Magazine Publisher and Editor, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, July 11, 2009
College Darkroom Building, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, July 11, 2009
Artist/College Professor, Los Angeles, California, February 21, 2009
Gallery Manager, Brussels, Belgium, November 8, 2008
Artist, New York, New York, February 28, 2009
Magazine Editor and Contributor, New York, New York, September 27, 2009
Art Consultants, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, July 11, 2009
Gallerist, New York, New York, February 28, 2009
University Darkroom, 8 x 10 Horizontal Enlarger, Irvine, California, July 18, 2008
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Thornberry wins pledge to grow DoD budgets, but will it stick?
Posted By 21st Century Partnership in Latest News, Legislation, Newsletter June 28, 2017
By: Joe Gould
WASHINGTON — House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry confirmed Tuesday he secured a commitment from House GOP leaders for 15 percent defense budget growth over three years as part of an emerging budget deal.
But the commitment faces choppy seas. The deal — a nod to what Pentagon leaders say they need to preserve America’s military edge — must survive a number of hurdles yet, including negotiations on a budget conference report, appropriations legislation, the debt limit and statutory budget caps, as well as bipartisan, bicameral budget negotiations.
House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., were party to the agreement, with the HASC, House Budget Committee and House Appropriations Committee “all on the same page,” said Thornberry, R-Texas.
Yet House Budget Chairwoman Diane Black, R-Tenn., seemed to hedge on Tuesday.
“Every year, the Congress has the ability to set those numbers,” Black told reporters. “We make some assumptions, but that is up to future Congresses. We can’t bind one Congress to the other.”
Thornberry acknowledged the commitment was “not a guarantee.”
“What I think is important is yes, we need a decent number in ’18 to fix the problems, but we need to have predictable, sustained growth in the future,” Thornberry said. “So part of the commitment from leadership is to work to accomplish that.”
U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Gen. Joe Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have told Congress the military needs at least 3 percent annual growth to maintain America’s competitive edge over China and Russia — particularly for America’s ability to project power anywhere in the world.
Discretionary spending levels for the defense and non-defense sides of the budget appeared to be settled as of Monday, at least among House Republicans. The budget resolution is expected to include $621.5 billion for defense and $511 billion for non-defense in fiscal 2018. (DoD would get an additional $75 billion in wartime overseas contingency operations funding.)
Thornberry, in exchange for dropping his past insistence on a $640 billion for defense, secured the pledge of three 5 percent defense budget increases — one each in 2019, 2020 and 2021. The HASC plans to markup its version of the fiscal 2018 National Defense Authorization Act at the lower number.
Lawmakers would still have to find a legislative path to ease budget caps this year with agreement from the president and Senate Democrats. The proposal for $621.5 billion in base dollars would violate the $549 billion cap for defense.
Not part of the agreement is a vote on legislation for a full repeal of caps for defense. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, chairman of the HASC Air and Land Subcommittee, had sponsored legislation to do so and won 141 House GOP signatures to a letter pressing Ryan for a floor vote.
Thornberry said that for the three years of defense increases in the deal, the caps would be “fixed.” It was still unclear whether that means the caps would be repealed or adjusted.
“You’ve got to take it a step at a time; you can’t solve the world’s problems in a single bound,” he said. “I think having all three committees on the same page for this year, fixing the BCA in subsequent years, would put defense in a much better path than we’ve been.”
Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., chairman of the fiscally conservative House Freedom Caucus, said he was open to repealing budget caps or at least to suspend them for a year or two.
“I’m working on a plan,” he said. “You don’t have to have full repeal, but you have to have legislation to break the caps.”
On Monday, news broke that the House Budget Committee will delay its markup of its fiscal 2018 budget resolution until July amid House GOP in-fighting over mandatory spending cuts.
While discretionary spending levels for the defense and non-defense sides of the budget appeared to be settled, there was a stalemate over whether to issue budget reconciliation instructions for $150 billion or $200 billion in cuts to mandatory spending over 10 years.
Conservatives favored the higher number and moderates the lower number. The decision was one among several that threaten to derail the budgeting process ahead of the start of fiscal 2018 and lead to a stopgap continuing resolution to fund the federal government.
“At this point, there are some critical decisions that have to be made. If not, we’re going to wind up with a CR,” Meadows said. “We have to make decisions on tax reform, on reforms on mandatory spending, on spending levels. All of those have got to come together with the debt ceiling.”
Ultimately, Republicans must come to terms with Senate Democrats, whose support is needed to ease budget caps. Those negotiations have driven bipartisan omnibus spending legislation to fund the federal government for several years.
Rep. Charlie Dent, a House appropriator and key GOP moderate, dismissed the House budget numbers as “aspirational.” He predicted the non-defense number would ultimately increase and the defense number would decrease, as they have tended to do.
“We know that whatever we agree to, $511 billion for non-defense and $621 billion for defense, we know this number will change There will be a bipartisan, bicameral budget agreement at some point. That will be the real number,” Dent said.
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‘This Is Us’ star Chrissy Metz finds her film ‘Breakthrough’
Three years ago Chrissy Metz was perhaps the least-known of the seven original ‘This Is Us’ leads
Apr. 19, 2019 1:42 p.m.
In this April 4, 2019 file photo, Chrissy Metz poses for a portrait in promotion of her new film “Breakthrough” at the Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles. While the actress scored a few minor movie roles before finding fame on TV “This is Us.” “Breakthrough” which opened in theaters Wednesday, April 17, marks Metz feature-starring debut. (Photo by Rebecca Cabage/Invision/AP, File)
Chrissy Metz says she believed in miracles well before getting the call to meet producer DeVon Franklin to discuss taking the lead in director Roxann Dawson’s just-released faith-based drama “Breakthrough.”
Metz was already familiar with the film’s story of Joyce Smith, whose son, John, fell through ice on a lake in January 2015 and was drowning for 15 minutes before paramedics even started resuscitation efforts. By the time the boy was in the emergency room, he had gone so long without a pulse that doctors were ready to call time of death.
READ MORE: HBO looks beyond ‘Game of Thrones,’ maybe back to a prequel
But Smith wouldn’t accept it. She was given permission to pray at her son’s feet as a last attempt at CPR was performed — and, much to everyone’s surprise, John’s pulse returned. And, eventually, he fully recovered from the accident.
Metz recalled her first meeting about the film adaptation with producer Franklin and executives from distributor 20th Century Fox. “I thought we were just generally meeting, and then I ended up sharing the story of my mother’s medical emergency.”
In 2017, Metz’s mother, Denise, suffered a massive stroke, and even in front of her mother, doctors were openly pessimistic about a return to quality life.
Metz recalled her fury. “I told those doctors, ‘You might think you know my mom, but you don’t know my mom. And you don’t know what she’s capable of … So, if you don’t have anything nice or positive to say, you need to actually leave my mother’s room,’” she said. “And then, of course, we come to find out that Joyce said those things to John’s doctors.”
Metz’s mom is home, walking, making what Metz called “a strong recovery” — and provided inspiration for her daughter’s portrayal of Joyce.
“To play, wholeheartedly, a woman who believes in miracles, you have to believe in miracles to some degree, I think,” explained Metz, who didn’t connect with the real-life Smith until two weeks into filming.
“I felt like I already knew her,” Metz noted. “I watched her on TV. I read her book, ‘The Impossible.’” But making the one-on-one contact did inform her performance. “Meeting her, you can’t help but realize she has been through hell and back, and is better for it.”
Three years ago, the 38-year-old Metz was perhaps the least-known of the seven original “This Is Us” leads. And while each in the cast has landed extracurricular gigs since the acclaimed and popular series’ 2016 debut, Metz is the first to be top-billed in a major studio theatrical release.
“It’s mind-blowing to know that when I first stepped foot on ‘This Is Us,’ I felt like the inadequate, doesn’t have a resume, can I do this girl?” Metz said. “I learned so much from the cast collectively,” she continued, crediting her “This Is Us” co-stars for teaching her what it took to head up the “Breakthrough” cast.
Metz said movie scripts “aren’t pouring in,” but they’re coming, and the big issue is whether the movie is the right thing at the right time.
She said she connected with her “Breakthrough” character and the film’s message of hope, as well as the producers’ eagerness to let her pursue another passion: singing. Metz performs the new Diane Warren song, “I’m Standing With You,” over the film’s end titles.
“For me, it’s important for a movie to change me or change someone else,” Metz said.
Mike Cidoni Lennox, The Associated Press
Madonna and Maluma to perform new song at Billboard Awards
Trudeau to be portrayed on ‘Simpsons’ episode
Young Chilliwack singer launches career with French classic
Deanne Ratzlaff performs as featured vocalist in La Vie en Rose in Chilliwack, London and Paris
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Trump Sends Troops to the Border
Trump is sending up to 4,000 National Guard troops to the border - the U.S.-Mexican border - in an effort to combat, in Trump's own words, the "lawlessness that continues at our southern border."
Are these guards going to be an effective way to enhance border security, or are they just, as many assert, a way to satiate Trump's voter base in the absence of the much promised border wall?
Here's a breakdown of what the National Guard troops will do, and what their significance really is in regards to today's immigration climate in the USA.
Do We Really Need More Border Patrol?
When Trump was first elected, border crossings from Mexico to the US plummeted. The 'Trump effect,' as it became known, intimidated migrants and deterred them from attempting to cross into the US. According to USA Today, the number of people caught trying to illegally cross the southwest border in fiscal year 2017 was 303,916, the lowest since 1971. This effect reached its peak last April, but during the subsequent months the effect faded, and crossings have returned largely to normal levels. Since this time last year, border crossings are up nearly 200% - but only to what was previously considered average levels.
The number of unaccompanied minors crossing the border is also down 36% over the previous year, and the number of family units (parents traveling with minor children) decreased 46% in the same period.
So, although there is an increase in border crossings since Trump first came into office, overall, there are still fewer border crossings than during previous administrations.
Do the People Support it?
While Trump signed the order to increase border patrol efforts, it's up to the individual states to send the troops. Not all are as supportive as he might have hoped.
Of the 4,000 Guard troops authorized, only about 400 have actually hit the border.
Arizona sent 225 members of its National Guard, with the expectation to send another hundred or so in the coming weeks.
80 National Guard troops have come from New Mexico, and Texas has also deployed a small contingent of soldiers, although there has been disagreement on the necessity of the extra guards. The mayor of El Paso, Oscar Leeser, spoke with NPR expressing his contrary view. "The border is the border, and yes, there are challenges, but what we don't need is the National Guard coming in," said Leeser on Morning Edition.
In California, the federal request for troops is still under review.
According to a poll by Politico, however, the American people in general support the extra troops. The poll surveyed 1,994 registered voters, 48 percent of which supported sending troops to the border, versus the 42 percent who opposed dispatching the Guard troops. Nine percent of voters reported no opinion on the matter.
According to Kyle Dropp, Morning Consult’s co-founder and chief research officer, Trump's border order is most popular amongst those who already support him.
"President Trump's decision to deploy National Guard troops is a hugely popular move with his base,” said Dropp. “Sixty percent of Trump voters 'strongly' approve of the decision. Among this same group, 49 percent 'strongly' approve of Trump's job performance overall.”
Looking at the numbers from a partisan point of view makes the split more obvious. Only 22 percent of Democrats support sending troops to the border, compared to 84 percent of Republicans.
So Why is Trump Sending Troops to the Border?
The intention to deploy the National Guard troops is mostly symbolic.
One of Trump's main campaign promises - a border wall - is unlikely to see fruition. In order to retain the support of his voter-base in front of the midterm elections, Trump needs to show that he's increased border security somehow. Getting Congress's approval for his anti-immigration campaigns has proven difficult. However, he doesn’t need lawmakers’ approval for a military operation such as deploying National Guard troops to the border.
The money to deploy the guard will come from the Pentagon’s $700 billion budget, money which Trump is free to allot where he considers it necessary. So, in a way, he's fulfilling his promise to increase border security without going through Congress to do so.
Trump is not the first president to do so, either. Both Presidents Bush and Obama dispatched National Guard troops to the border.
Bush deployed 6,000 National Guard troops from 2006 to 2008 under Operation Jump Start. Obama sent 1,200 National Guards in 2010 during Operation Phalanx. According to CNBC, "the Guard was intended to supplement Border Patrol personnel while new recruits were added to increase border protection capability."
In both cases, the troops were deployed prior to the midterm elections as a way to secure voters in a swing state, according to a Washington Post op-ed.
According to an interview from NPR with Border Patrol Agent Terence Shigg, the three operations under each president are virtually indistinguishable.
"From our standpoint, no, there's not any difference," said Agent Shigg. "The logistics, the way that it's done would be the exact same thing. It's worked in the past, so I don't see a need to actually tweak that system. The only difference now is the crisis is a little bit more of a priority, and it's taken the national stage more. But from the ground-troops level, [nothing has] changed."
Shigg went on to simplify the situation for those who aren't on the border. "I would say that those politicians are doing exactly what their title dictates. They are being politicians."
According to an opinion piece from the Washington Post, sending the National Guard troops to the southern border "has almost nothing to do with securing the border and everything to do with shoring up the Republican Party's political prospects."
Are we Militarizing the Border?
The National Guard troops are not deployed in order to carry out the arrest of migrants or sit as armed patrols on the border. Mostly, these additional troops will undertake maintenance and infrastructure work, operate surveillance systems and provide air support via drones and helicopters. This is meant to free up border patrol agents to carry out immigration-specific tasks with immigrant-hopefuls.
According to Agent Shigg, those who think that we're militarizing the border shouldn't worry. "It's not going to militarize the border because, again, [the National Guard troops] will not be doing law enforcement actions. They will be doing support, resource actions that allow the trained law enforcement officers to do that job."
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Alfred W. Bomberg
July 9, 1919 ~ June 24, 2019 (age 99)
Al was born in 1919 to immigrant parents, and German and Alsation were his first languages. He grew up in his family’s bakery business where he continued to work until he was 30, when he began his career in sales. He entered industrial real estate In his late 50’s, and worked for Daum brokerage firm in LA, which he loved, and turned all his previous experiences into a highly successful career for the remaining 10 years of his work life. He was very proud of his service during WW11 as an Army Air Force intelligence officer, working on the secret project, P.O. Box 1142.
Al was a lifelong learner, both inside and outside of the classroom. He took classes to increase his vocabulary, studied Norman Vincent Peale’s “The Power of Positive Thinking”; took golf lessons, French lessons, and computer classes. He was an avid reader, and used the computer and a special reading machine so he could continue to read while dealing with the effects of macular degeneration.
Al's family was most important to him. He also loved his house and garden, and derived much pleasure from it. Nothing was too much for our Dad when it came to doing something for his family, and he always sent you home with extra food, and flowers from his garden. His Catholic faith was an important part of his life, and he often spoke of the nuns who taught him lessons, and of Campion, the Jesuit high school he attended. Al embodied midwestern values, but embraced the possibilities that California represented.
Retirement allowed Al and Jeanne to travel extensively throughout the U.S. and Europe, seeing new places, and visiting family and friends. After settling in San Marcos in the 80’s Al joined Kiwanis, was president for a term and received his 30 year pin. Kiwanis gave his life additional significance as did volunteering to drive older adults when he himself was in his early eighties.
Al died just before his 100th birthday, and will always be remembered for his kindness, generosity and enthusiasm.
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Home / gaming
We Happy Few Review
By Todd Rigney 11 months ago
Review of: We Happy Few Review
gaming:
Todd Rigney
Reviewed by: Todd Rigney
Last modified:August 9, 2018
We Happy Few doesn't always come together to form a cohesive video game experience, but its story and art direction are nothing short of fantastic. Had the developers dumped the stealth and survival mechanics, I'd love this game to death.
After hearing so many different things over the years, I honestly didn’t know what to expect from the Compulsion Games’ stealthy survival trip We Happy Few. When I first started investigating the title during its adventure through early access on Steam, I didn’t pull the trigger to see what all the fuss was about. Instead of dropping cash to see how the game grew over time, I opted to wait for the full retail version, which means I can’t really comment on the game’s birth as a supposed sandbox survival title to a story-driven adventure with some light crafting, combat, and resource management. As it stands, We Happy Few scratches my itch for dystopian violence and satire while assaulting my senses with Terry Gilliam-inspired visuals and a few moments of genuine emotion. That said, the developers don’t execute everything with style and grace, especially when it comes to the game’s stealth and combat mechanics. Thankfully, these moments are just minor bumps in an enjoyable albeit disturbing journey through tragedy and regret. This story will stick with me for a while, that’s for certain.
You begin the game as Arthur, a mild-mannered government employee who spends his days redacting newspaper articles — in short, he gets paid to erase the past. If it’s bad news, then it gets smothered in black ink. If it’s good or otherwise bland news — something that won’t offend the masses — then it’s cleared for consumption. You see, the people in Wellington Wells (which exists in a world where the Germans successfully invaded England during the Second World War) did something pretty horrible back in the day, and it’s a stain on their history that they’d like to forget. To keep those horrible memories at bay, they began taking a pill called Joy, which turns the world into a colorful utopia where they can, for instance, gleefully chow down on small animals they see as candy. However, horrible memories have started seeping out of poor Arthur’s brain, causing him to remember a part of his life he’d otherwise like to forget. When he stumbles across an article about himself and his brother from long ago, he can’t resist the urge to delve into his past. Before long, all hell breaks loose.
During his journey to reconcile his past and locate a missing member of his family, Arthur comes into contact with some quirky individuals from his past, including Sally Boyle and Ollie Starkey, two characters you’ll end up spending quite a bit of time with before the game comes to a close. Both characters have different traits, personalities, and movesets (Arthur can choke out unsuspecting enemies, for example, while Sally needs to syringe to do the job). You’ll take control of the characters according to where you are in the story; you can’t switch freely between them whenever you feel like changing things up. And although I ultimately preferred Arthur’s story to the other two — his arc seemed a bit more heartfelt and genuine to me — it’s interesting to see this engrossing world through the eyes of three different people. These aren’t simple “reskins” — Arthur, Sally, and Ollie are three very different characters, and each has their own demons to exorcise.
Make no mistake about it: We Happy Few is a dark, dark game. Although the title’s art style suggests it’s more of a cartoony take on A Clockwork Orange or Brazil, the unsettling and downright horrifying secrets lurking within the heart of Wellington Wells is enough to give even the hardest of hearts pause. I’ll stop there to prevent myself from traipsing into spoiler territory, but let’s just say there’s a very good reason the citizens of this English town have decided to bury their past inside a chemical high. Those who decide to kick the habit and others for whom Joy no longer works are cast out of the city, forced to spend their days in crumbling houses with their memories. It’s an interesting dilemma: Do you face and live with the skeletons in your closet, or do you hide behind a drug that can allow you to live in a fantasy world where your sins are forever locked away? The game handles this story quite well, especially when you get to see things through the eyes of separate characters. Unfortunately, the gameplay doesn’t always keep up, and it fluctuates from pleasant to downright frustrating.
As soon as you escape from the tunnels beneath Wellington Wells, you emerge into a world filled with clutter, trash, and junk. To survive, you’ll need to collect this stuff and fashion it into items you can actually use (scraps of cloth become dirty bandages, bobby pins serve as lockpicks, etc.). This means you’ll spend a fair amount of time rummaging through bombed-out houses, trash cans, and anything else that serves as a container. You’ll also need to eat, though healthy food isn’t very easy to come by for those living on the outskirts of Joy-soaked society. Oftentimes, when your character’s hunger becomes detrimental to your survival, you’ll have to nosh on a rotten onion or a nasty potato, which could have serious short-term side effects on your character. And heaven forbid if you nibble on a hideous carrot covered in rot right before you have to square off against a handful of well-armed adversaries. When you’re sick to your stomach and suffering from food poisoning, swinging a shovel at your foes becomes a desperate and futile act. It’s these harrowing moments when We Happy Few shines, even though the combat system itself occasionally feels a little too loose and unrefined to do much good.
Specifically, We Happy Few tends to fall apart during some of its stealth sequences. Yes, sometimes you can go in swinging and come out victorious, but when you’re up against, say, an entire squadron of elderly soldiers inside an old military camp, it’s best to do some sneaking. Prowling around in bushes can help you stay in cover, but it’s difficult to tell which ones will keep you hidden. Some bushes and plants that seem capable of keeping you tucked away from your enemies don’t work, even though they’re thicker and denser than those that can. When it works, you can agitate the hell out of your enemies with rocks and darts and snicker while you ruin their days. However, just when you think you’ve gotten away, three goons will suddenly loom over you with weapons raised — all because of a bush. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the greatest at sneaking and stealth games, and I’m aware of when I suck and when the game is working against me. Sadly, I felt that We Happy Few spent more time bending its own rules to allow my adversaries to find me even though I’d done everything within my power to stay out of eyesight. Again, this might be a user issue — and I wouldn’t be at all surprised — but those who struggle with stealth should keep in mind that there’s a high risk of unchecked rage in your future. This one doesn’t always play fair.
As far as presentation goes, We Happy Few looks fantastic. Although the ruins surrounding the Parade District (the area where those who habitually and consistently take their Joy reside) look a little drab and same-y, the game takes an interesting turn when things get colorful. Watching the citizens go about their daily lives while completely blitzed out of their skulls never gets old, and the art design recalls the work of Kubrick, Gilliam, and good ol’ 1970s psychedelia. But don’t let these colorful moments fool you; when the game needs to get nasty, it does so with lots of shock and a fair amount of blood. It certainly doesn’t pull any punches, especially when it comes to the horrible acts the people of Wellington Wells committed in the past. A simple excursion into an abandoned home might turn up dead bodies or suicide victims. I encountered more than a few people dangling from ropes during my adventure, and considering the backstory, these moments paint pictures that are difficult to forget. The world-building in this game never fails to impress, even when the gameplay muddies the water.
Although Compulsion Games might hammer them out before the game finally hits retail, We Happy Few does sport a few annoying bugs that do more to disrupt the atmosphere of Wellington Wells than break the game. More than once, I spied characters sitting through furniture as opposed to on it. Occasionally, the people I attempted to talk to would begin to repeat one particular animation, effectively locking me out of any possible conversations. And on a pretty solid PC, the frame rate had a tendency to dip during heavily populated segments, but it never slowed to an absolutely unplayable crawl. Again, these aren’t problems that would destroy the experience and prevent me from moving forward, but they do disrupt the immersion, which is important when you’re playing a game packed with so much delicious atmosphere. That said, once you’re up to your neck in Wellington Wells’ world, chances are you won’t even notice them.
While I thoroughly enjoyed my journey through the colorful and frequently depressing world of We Happy Few, I can’t help but feel the game doesn’t fit together as well as it could. The crafting isn’t overly impressive, and trying to keep your characters from experiencing the ill effects of thirst and hunger seem like afterthoughts. Fortunately, those who don’t enjoy survival games can still play through the story on “easy,” which will make things like combat and satisfying needs take a backseat to the elements the game gets right. Even if the stealth mechanics don’t always work like they should, I still found myself pulled into the world Compulsion has crafted. Sure, it would have probably worked better as a straightforward first-person adventure game as opposed to a stealth-survival title, but I’m willing to set aside those missteps just to immerse myself in this story. As long as you know what you’re getting into and don’t mind stumbling your way through some extremely irritating moments, it’s worth the twenty or so hours you’ll sink into it. We Happy Few warrants your attention, but maybe not too much hype.
This review is based on the PC version of the game. A review copy was provided to us by Compulsion Games.
Tags: gaming reviews, Reviews, We Happy Few
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Samsung Galaxy S8 Pre-Orders Hit 720,000 Mark In Korea
By Dominik Bosnjak April 13, 2017, 3:10am
Pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus have surpassed 720,000 units in South Korea, the Seoul-based tech giant said on Thursday. Since the company opened pre-orders for its upcoming flagship lineup last Friday, approximately 728,000 consumers opted to place an advanced order on the devices. The Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus already broke Samsung's domestic pre-order record over the weekend after surpassing the 550,000 mark and thus outperforming the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 Edge. While speaking at a media conference in Seocho earlier today, Samsung’s mobile chief Koh Dong-jin said the company is looking to sell one million devices in South Korea before they officially hit the market on April 21.
Koh didn't want to use the occasion to reveal the exact pre-order figures in the United States but reiterated that the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus are also outperforming their predecessors stateside. While both devices are currently advertised in a rather aggressive manner, Samsung's mobile chief said the company isn't spending more on marketing them compared to the Galaxy S7 lineup. However, the Seoul-based consumer electronics manufacturer did opt to increase its marketing spending to recover its brand image that took a hit following the Galaxy Note 7 debacle in 2016, Koh revealed, adding how Samsung is also looking to recover its market position in China. To that effect, Samsung will be releasing a premium model of the Galaxy S8 Plus with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage in the Far Eastern country. The special variant of the device is currently only planned for a release in China and South Korea, though Koh's previous comments implied Samsung may consider expanding its availability to more markets later this year, depending on consumer demand.
The Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus will launch in China in mid-May, as soon as Samsung wraps up initial development of its Bixby virtual assistant, while most other key markets including the United States and Europe will receive the handsets next Friday. The Galaxy S8 lineup is expected to become a massive commercial success, though it remains to be seen whether it will help Samsung recover its diminishing market share in China.
April 13, 2017, 3:10am
Source: The Korea Herald
Android NewsSamsungAndroid Phones
Dominik Bosnjak
Dominik started at AndroidHeadlines in 2016. He’s approaching his first full decade in the media industry, with his background being primarily in technology, gaming, and entertainment. These days, his focus is more on the political side of the tech game, as well as data privacy issues, with him looking at both of those through the prism of Android. Contact him at [email protected]
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It Seems Like Essential Is Already Valued At $1.2 Billion
By Kristijan Lucic August 15, 2017, 12:37am
Andy Rubin’s company, Essential, announced its first smartphone (the Essential PH-1) back in May, and even though not a single unit has been shipped just yet, the company is valued at $1.2 billion. Now, this is not exactly a random number, as Bloomberg’s columnist, Tim Culpan, just reported that Foxconn FIX Mobile actually paid $3 million for a 0.25 percent stake in the company. If you put two and two together, you will get to a $1.2 billion valuation. Essential was actually valued at $997 million back in July, so this rise in its value is somewhat surprising considering that not a single phone was sold by the company.
The Essential PH-1 sure is an interesting phone, and even though it got announced back in July, Essential did not make it available for pre-order straight away, though the company did start taking reservations for it. At that point, Andy Rubin said that the phone will ship to consumers within one month, but that has not happened, and we’re still waiting for more info regarding the availability of the Essential PH-1. We might not have to wait for long, however, as Essential is hosting yet another first look event on August 21, and the company will probably shed some more light on the availability of the device, and we’ll probably get more info regarding the phone itself as well. Now, this phone is not only interesting because Andy Rubin (the creator of Android) stands behind it, but also because of its design and specifications. This smartphone is made out of titanium and ceramic, which managed to surprise quite a few people, and as you can see, it sports really thin bezels all around, and a rather unique design overall.
The Essential PH-1 features a 5.71-inch 2560 x 1312 display, 4GB of RAM and 128GB of non-expandable storage. This smartphone is fueled by the Snapdragon 835 64-bit octa-core processor, and a 3,040mAh non-removable battery is also included here. Two 13-megapixel shooters are placed on the back of the Essential PH-1, while a single 8-megapixel camera lies up front. Android 7.1 Nougat comes pre-installed on the device, and the Essential PH-1 also comes with a set of stereo speakers. This smartphone has a rear-facing fingerprint scanner, and fast charging is also a part of the package.
August 15, 2017, 12:37am
Source: Tim Culpan (Twitter) Via: Phone Arena
Android NewsTech News
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Research round-up: September 2017
Information Manager, Annie Thorpe, brings us up to date with important recent research in the arts, culture and youth sectors
CASE Place Shaping Report – The role of culture, sport and heritage in place shaping
DCMS has published a report looking at the economic and social role that culture, sport and heritage assets can play at a local level. Aiming to fill a key gap in the evidence base, the research identifies a number of statistically significant relationships highlighting the importance of such assets to economic performance in local places. Findings include an indication that where there are high densities of – for example - theatres, museums, monuments, there tends to be concentrations of economic activity, as well as a positive correlation between the density of cultural assets and net in-migration of businesses, suggesting that such assets are important ‘pull’ factors which influence location decisions.
Diamond – The First Cut
Creative Diversity Network (CDN) has released the first cut of data made available by Diamond the single online system used by the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Sky to capture consistent diversity data. The captured data relates to the actual diversity of those who have a role in making TV as well as the perceived diversity of people and characters on TV (to measure whether audiences are seeing themselves represented on TV).
EPI: Closing the Gap?
The Education Policy Institute has examined the progress that has been made in closing the gap in attainment between disadvantaged pupils and their peers since 2007. It shows that, overall, the most disadvantaged pupils in England have fallen further behind their peers. However, London is relatively successful in narrowing the gap, with Hackney, Islington, Newham, and Barnet, as well as Southwark, Wandsworth and Tower Hamlets performing particularly well.
2017 A-Level and GCSE Results
2017 A-Level and GCSE results are now out and, as Ofqual’s Provisional summer 2017 exam entries report indicates, the number of students taking cultural and creative subjects has fallen quite significantly with rare exception (art & design A-Level has actually gone up). Our Bridge colleagues at IVE have done this useful in-depth analysis of the data.
New Programme: the Creative Industries Clusters Programme
It has been announced that over £80m is being invested to create a step-change in collaboration between the country’s internationally-renowned creative industries and universities across the UK. The programme, which AHRC are leading, will support eight Research and Development (R&D) Partnerships who will respond to challenges identified by the creative industries. At the same time, the investment will fund a national Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre which will produce independent evidence and analysis for the industry and for policy-makers.
The Good Childhood Report
The Children’s Society has released the findings of their 2017 Good Childhood report. Running for the past 12 years, the report asks over 60,000 young people how they think their lives are going. Findings from this year’s research show that young people’s happiness is at its lowest since 2010 with a fear of crime being the most commonly reported problem by the young respondents.
Annie Thorpe
..2017 Emilie Dubois
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The award-winning jazz singer and her band perform a breezy
mix of soul, r&b and pop – from Stevie Wonder to Ed Sheeran
As an artist in her own right, the classically-trained, multi-talented, award-winning Kate Threlfall regularly performs solo at her piano, playing and singing everything from classical to soul, jazz and r&b to pop. She has been featured on both Jazz FM and BBC Manchester, and won Jazz Radio’s Best Vocalist Award in 2010. Together, Kate and her quartet – including full double bass, acoustic guitar, gentle percussion and backing vocals from the Beaney Brothers – have residencies at London’s The Arts Club, Mondrian Hotel and Sushi Samba. With their sweet three part-harmonies and stripped-back arrangements, they perform a breezy setlist that includes everything from classic soul hits like Stevie Wonder’s Isn’t She Lovely, to more modern day fare like Ed Sheeran’s Thinking Out Loud and Ella Henderson’s Ghost.
Sweet three part-harmonies and stripped-back arrangements
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The Frankland Building, University of Birmingham
APA Facade Systems are Working With OP Systems on The Frankland Building Redevelopment
APA Facade Systems have recently acquired the contract for The Frankland Building in the University of Birmingham. This iconic building is set to be refurbished after new plans were given the thumbs up. The Frankland Building, which was constructed in 1908, will undergo a series of works after the city council approved the scheme. They include a new ground floor entrance, a single-storey extension of the west annex and a stepped terrace to the north side.
The building, which features the grade II-listed Chamberlain Tower, is currently used by the psychology department but the changes will allow it to be used for subjects. The university said: “The intention is to remove or mitigate some of the 1970s modifications and replace them with less obtrusive, alternatives which provide improved access, better connections to adjacent areas of the campus, better definition of departmental entrances and improved natural light to the internal spaces, particularly at high level.”
APA Facade Systems are working in conjunction with OP Systems Ltd who are installing our TB50 Facade System, ST70 windows and our Concealed Frame Vents (CFV’s).
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BlogHome Artscape News Artscape Launches First Affiliate in British Columbia
Artscape Launches First Affiliate in British Columbia
At a launch party in Vancouver last night with over 150 guests from the arts, urban development, government sectors and philanthropic community, Artscape celebrated the inauguration of its first affiliate organization, BC Artscape, and the funding partnership that will allow the new organization to take root in British Columbia. A total of $900,000 in preliminary start-up capital has been confirmed: $700,000 from funding partners the City of Vancouver, The J.W. McConnell Family Foundation and Vancity Community Foundation and $200,000 in pledges from unnamed sources.
BC Artscape will be based in Vancouver, where Artscape has an eight-year history of involvement, starting with having been engaged by the City of Vancouver in 2007 to assist with the development of its Cultural Facilities Priorities Plan. BC Artscape will have a local staff and Board of Directors—recruitment is underway along with a search for a president.
BC Artscape marks the first expansion of Artscape, which is based in Toronto and has made a significant impact in this city since 1986. “Vancouver is a fantastic place to launch our first major expansion into another market,” said Artscape President and CEO Tim Jones. “We are humbled by the level of enthusiasm and support we have received, and excited about the many project opportunities that are emerging.”
The funding for BC Artscape comes from three generous funding partners proud to help establish a platform for accelerating cultural facility development in Vancouver and beyond.
“The City of Vancouver’s role as a founding partner in the launch of BC Artscape once again shows City Hall’s deep commitment to supporting artists and our world-class arts and culture community,” said Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson. “BC Artscape is an exciting new addition to our vibrant and fast-growing creative sector. Vancouver is home to the most artists per capita of any major city in Canada, and this new initiative will help meet our city’s high demand for affordable new spaces for local artists and entrepreneurs.”
“The J.W. McConnell Family Foundation is proud to partner with the City of Vancouver and Vancity Community Foundation in enabling Artscape to initiate its program in British Columbia,” said Stephen Huddard, President and CEO, The J.W. McConnell Family Foundation. “The launch of BC Artscape holds national significance as the organization seeks to share lessons in ’creative placemaking‘ with an emerging Canadian network of social entrepreneurs in this field. We look forward to seeing the community transformation that will arise.”
“We are very pleased to collaborate in this effort that will enhance the ability for non-profit organizations to more directly engage in and benefit from real estate developments in our region,” said Derek Gent, Executive Director, Vancity Community Foundation. “Creative placemaking is a powerful concept that we believe our community can use more of.”
The new independent affiliate organization will develop creative placemaking projects in British Columbia and provide mentorship and coaching to support independent, small-scale initiatives, all based on the unique approach of 27-year-old Artscape. BC Artscape will address the unique issues, challenges and opportunities in British Columbia’s multi-dimensional arts and cultural community. Despite the high price of real estate, BC Artscape is already exploring six capital project opportunities in Vancouver and has started to discuss the potential of creative placemaking with communities in the Greater Vancouver area.
BC Artscape will focus its development activities on projects of scale (30,000 square feet or more) while also supporting smaller, independent initiatives through a mentoring and coaching program that will prioritize affordable space for creativity and community transformation objectives. The application process for this program will be launched in January 2015 at www.bcartscape.ca. Selected participants will work closely with Artscape’s senior specialist staff in building capacity in project vision development, business planning, market testing and feasibility analysis, operational development and management.
Find the full press release in PDF on our site under Media.
BC ArtscapeCity of VancouverDerek GentGregor RobertsonStephen HuddardThe J.W. McConnell Family FoundationVancity Community FoundationVancouver
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Commissions/Portraits
Art Matters
In Compliance
with Ebay Policy. All payments processed through Asgard Arts on EBAY
Just Sold to California, U.S.A 15/7/19!!!!
"Foxgloves by the Mountain Stream" by Sarah Corner (now sold 15/7/19)
Just Sold to Australia 16/7/19!!!!
"Keith Richards" by Paul Karslake (now sold 16/7/19)
Just Sold to Freilassing, Germany 18/6/19!!!!
"The Interlude" by William Oxer (now sold 18/6/19)
Exciting New Arrival!!!!
"Questioning" by Indre Vilke
Just Sold to Milton Keynes 9/6/19!!!! Offer Accepted!!!!
"Rhododendrons in the Wild Woods" by David Aldus U.A (now sold 9/6/19)
Just Sold to Brighton 1/6/19!!!!
"Les Femmes d'Algers" Version O (After Picasso) by David Aldus U.A (now sold 01/06/19)
Now sold!!!!
"Only She Can See" by William Oxer F.R.S.A (now reserved)
"Charlie The Drummer - Rolling Stones" by Don Cameron
"The Four Graces" by William Oxer F.R.S.A (now sold)
Just Sold to Somerset 3/5/19!!!! Offer Accepted!!!!
"Passing Shower, Tresco" by Michael Richardson (now sold 3/5/19)
Just sold 25/4/19 to Slovakia!!!!! Offer Accepted!!
"Night Moods" by William Oxer F.R.S.A (now sold 25/4/19)
Exciting New Arrival!!!!!
"Fresh Cherry Blossom" by Richard Freer MA BA (Hons.) PGCE
"Deshabille" by Vicki Sullivan (now sold 16/4/19)
Just sold 4/4/19 to Pesaro & Urbino!!!!! Offer Accepted!!
"Immortal Dreams" by William Oxer F.R.S.A (now reserved 4/4/19 to Pesaro and Urbino)
Just sold 3/4/19 to Leicestershire!!!!! Offer Accepted!!
"An Innocence" 2017 by William Oxer (now sold 3/4/19)
Just sold 2/4/18 to Northern Ireland!!!!! Offer Accepted!!
"Jodie" by Gordon King (now sold 2/4/19)
Just sold 28/3/19 to Lincolnshire!!!!! Offer Accepted!!
"Venice Carnival" by Gordon King (now sold 28/3/19)
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"Keith Richards (Skull Eyes)" by Paul Karslake (now sold 27/2/19)
Just sold 17/3/19 to Dorset!!!!! Offer Accepted!!
"Sideways" by Indre Vilke (now sold 17/3/19)
Just sold 10/3/19 to Michigan, U.S.A!!!!! Offer Accepted!!
"Serenade" by William Oxer F.R.S.A (now sold 10/3/19)
Just sold 9/3/19 to Victoria, Australia!!!!! Offer Accepted!!
"The Racing Game" by Mario Mendoza (now sold 9/3/19)
Just sold 27/02/19 to New South Wales, Australia!!!!!
"Jim Morrison" by Marta Zawadzka (now sold 27/02/19)
Just sold 27/2/19 to Cheshire!!!!!
"Pilgrim's Way - Lindisfarne" by (Professor) Malcolm Ludvigsen (now sold 27/2/19)
Just sold 24/2/19 to Firenze, Italy!!!!!
"Evening on the Arno" Tuscany by Helen Tarr M.A (Fine Art) (now sold 24/2/19)
Just sold 20/2/19 to Philadelphia, U.S.A!!!!!
"Stargazer" by Richard Wallace (now sold 20/2/19)
"Freddie" by Don Cameron
"Love's Delight" by William Oxer F.R.S.A
Just sold 19/1/19 to New South Wales, Australia!!!!!
"Lennon" by Gary Hogben (now sold 19/1/19)
Just sold 29/1/19 Freihung, Germany!!!!!
"Under The Rose" by William Oxer F.R.S.A (now sold 29/1/18)
"New York Blend" by Escha Van den Bogerd
"Stan and Ollie" by Gary Hogben
Just sold 19/1/19 to Rome, Italy!!!!!
"Cocoa on Brighton Beach" by Pete Davies (now sold 19/1/19)
Just sold 19/1/19 to Australia!!!!!
"John Lennon" by Simon Kirk (now sold 19/1/19)
Just sold 10/1/19 to Florence, Italy!!!!!
"In the Midst of a Mystery" by William Oxer F.R.S.A (now sold 10/1/19)
Just sold 12/1/19 to Richmond!!!!!
"Afternoon Slumber" by William Oxer F.R.S.A (now sold 12/1/19)
"Bentley versus the Blue Train Race" by Don Cameron
Now Reserved 12/12/18
"Difference" by Indre Vilke (now reserved 12/12/18)
Just sold Christmas Day to West Yorkshire!!!!!
"Sleepy Hollow - Burnham Beeches" by David Aldus U.A (now sold 25/12/18)
Just sold Christmas Eve to County Durham!!!!!
"Last Journey" by William Oxer F.R.S.A (now sold 24/12/18)
Just sold 22/12/18 to Seville, Spain!!!!!
"Pavillion of Charles V, Jardines del Alcazar de Sevilla" by Michael Richardson (now sold 22/12/18)
Just sold 18/12/18 to Denmark!!!!!
"The Sweet Seller" by Peter Atkins U.A (now sold 18/12/18)
"Arrest in Whitechapel" by Leon Goodman (now sold 15/12/18)
"Physical Graffiti - Led Zeppelin" by Marta Zawadzka
Just sold 30/11/18 to Kent!!!!!
"Ludlow Castle" by Ronald Haber (now sold 30/11/18)
Just sold 26/11/18 to Taipei, Taiwan!!!!!
"Sunny Kensington Street" Brighton by Mark Harrison (now sold 26/11/18)
Just sold 22/11/18 to Philadelphia, U.S.A!!!!!
"Unspoken Thoughts" by William Oxer F.R.S.A (now sold 22/11/18)
Just sold 13/11/18 to Slovakia!!!!!
"Wish Upon A Wish" by William Oxer F.R.S.A (now sold 13/11/18)
Just sold 7/11/18!!!!
"The Scent Of Memories" by William Oxer F.R.S.A (now sold 7/11/18)
Just Sold 01/11/18 to Suffolk!!!
"Read To Me" by William Oxer F.R.S.A (now sold 01/11/18)
"Remembrance Poppies" By Rachel McCullock
Just sold 21/10/18 to Texas, U.S.A!!!!! Offer Accepted!!
"A Rude Interruption" by Leon Goodman (now sold 21/10/18)
Just sold 14/10/18 to West Yorkshire!!!
"Absinthe" by David Aldus (now sold 13/10/18)
Just sold 11/10/18 to Slovakia!!!
"Sublime, Divine" by William Oxer F.R.S.A (now sold 11/10/18)
Just sold 8/10/18 to Kent!!!!!
"Autumn Goddess" by William Oxer F.R.S.A (now sold 8/10/18)
Just sold 4/10/18 to Texas, U.S.A!!!!! Offer Accepted!!
"Mindfulness" by William Oxer F.R.S.A (now sold)
Just sold 2/10/18!!!!!
"En Plein Air At Noon" by MK Anisko (now sold 2/10/18)
Just sold 23/9/18 to California, U.S.A!!!!!
"Icarus" by William Oxer F.R.S.A (now sold 23/9/18)
"Innocent Love" by William Oxer F.R.S.A
"True Love in Flowers" by Mario Mendoza
Just sold 11/9/17 to Colorado, U.S.A!!!!!
"Light Of Morning - Vicky" by William Oxer F.R.S.A (now sold 11/9/18)
Just sold 6/9/18!!!!!
"Beach Scene, Cornwall" by Elaine Marston (now sold 6/9/18)
Just sold 4/9/18 to Cheshire!!!!!
"Chimpanzee" by Mario Mendoza (now sold 4/9/18)
Just sold 4/9/18 to Ireland!!!!!
"Irish Draught Stallion II" by Sara Hodson S.E.A (now sold 4/9/18)
Just sold 28/8/18!!!!!
"Churchill 0.3" by Gary Hogben (now sold 28/8/18)
"Coy Mistress" by William Oxer F.R.S.A (now sold 22/8/18)
Just sold 20/8/18 to Italy!!!!!
"White Cat" by Gary Hogben (now sold 20/8/18)
"Another Men’s Flowers" by William Oxer F.R.S.A (now sold 16/08/18)
Just sold !!!!!
"A Dancing Light" by William Oxer F.R.S.A (now sold)
"Resisting Instincts" by Mario Mendoza
Just sold 25/07/18!!!
"Balance" by Andrew K Short (now sold 25/07/18)
"Windy" by Indre Vilke (now sold 4/9/18)
"Winners Enclosure - Irish St. Leger" by Sara Hodson S.E.A
Just sold 1/7/18 to Vilnius, Lithuania!!!!!
"Dancing For One" by William Oxer F.R.S.A (now sold 1/7/18)
Just sold 30/6/18 to China!!!
Junk in Hong Kong Harbour - One of a Pair - Anglo Chinese School 19th Century (now sold 30/6/18)
Just Sold 16/06/18 to Slovakia!!!!
"An Urgent Desire" by William Oxer F.R.S.A (now sold 16/06/2018 to Slovakia)
"Bloom" by Vytautas Laisonas (now sold)
Just sold 10/6/18 to Italy!!!!! Offer Accepted!!
"Sweet Tooth Fairy" by Linda Ravenscroft (now reserved to San Lorenzo in Campon10/6/18)
Just sold 5/6/18 to Saxmundham, Suffolk!!!!! Offer Accepted!!
“Doubt” by Linda Ravenscroft (now sold 5/6/18)
"Mike Hawthorn, Jaguar, wins Le Mans 1955" by Don Cameron
Just sold 27/5/18 to Florence, Italy!!!!! Offer Accepted!!
"The Candyfloss Boy" by Leon Goodman (now sold 27/5/18)
Just sold 13/5/18 to Vienna, Austria!!!!! Offer Accepted!!
"Lost Hat, Cornwall" by David Aldus U.A (now sold 13/5/18)
Just sold 12/5/18 to London!!!!! Offer Accepted!!
"Royal Ascot" by Fraser King (now sold 12/5/18)
Just sold 5/5/18 to London!!!!! Offer Accepted!!
"Poppies" by Martin Stone (now sold 5/5/18)
Just sold 30/4/18 to Australia!!!!! Offer Accepted!!
"A Winter Sunrise" by Elizabeth Williams (now sold 30/4/18)
"Looking towards Bendish" by Don Cameron (now sold 30/4/18)
Just sold 10/11/17 to Northern Ireland!!!!! Offer Accepted!!
"Brutus" by William Oxer (now sold 23/4/18)
"Sennen Cove, Cornwall" by Elaine Marston (now sold 14/4/18)
Just sold 22/3/18 to Belgium!!!!!
"Enzo & Achille - Scuderia Ferrari 1934" by Don Cameron (now sold 22/3/18)
Just sold 4/4/18 to Rome, Italy!!!!! Offer Accepted!!
"Jousters, 1917" by Martin Ulbricht (now sold 4/4/18))
"Le Noeud" By Max Goshko-Dankov
Just sold 1/4/18 to Wiltshire!!!!! Offer Accepted!!
"Skiddaw from Derwent Water from the Lake District" by (Professor) Malcolm Ludvigsen (now sold 1/4/18)
Just sold 15/3/18 to Carmarthenshire!!!!! Offer Accepted!!
"Afterglow" by William Oxer F.R.S.A (now sold 15/3/18)
Just sold 10/3/18 to Surrey!!!!! Offer Accepted!!
"The Longest Day" by Mark Harrison (now sold 10/3/18)
Just Sold 04/03/18 to London!!! Offer accepted!!!
"The Retreated Mind, 2015" by William Oxer (now sold 04/03/18)
Just sold 22/2/18 to Nottinghamshire!!!!! Offer Accepted!!
"Staithes on the Yorkshire Coast" 2016 by (Professor) Malcolm Ludvigsen (now sold
Just sold 24/02/18 to Kuwait!!!!! Offer Accepted!!
"Before the Race, Ascot" by Fraser King (now sold 24/2/18)
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Just sold 13/2/18 to Ottawa, Canada!!!!! Offer Accepted!!
"Flamenco In Orange" by Sera Knight A.S.W.A N.A.L (now sold 13/2/18)
"Shepherd's Delight" By Rachel McCullock (now sold 20/2/18)
Just sold 17/2/18 to Como, Italy!!!!! Offer Accepted!!
"The Sultan's Favourite" by Mark Harrison (now sold)
Just sold 11/02/18 to South Korea!!!! Offer Accepted!!
"The Confidence" by William Oxer F.R.S.A (now sold 11/2/18)
Just sold 2/2/18 to San Lorenzo in Campo, Italy!!!!! Offer Accepted!!
"Masquerade" by Andrew K Short (now sold)
"New Moon" by Indre Vilke
"Glass" by Andrew K Short (now sold 26/1/18)
Just sold 21/1/18 to Bristol!!!!! Offer Accepted!!
"Sweet Moo of mine" by Penny Clandon S.W.A (now sold 21/1/18)
Just sold 10/1/18 to East Riding of Yorkshire!!!!! Offer Accepted!!
"Riva Del Ferro" by Mark Harrison (now sold 10/1/18)
Just sold 4/1/18 to Slovakia!!!!! Offer Accepted!!
"Study For The Dream" by William Oxer F.R.S.A (now sold 4/1/18)
"Into The Light" by William Oxer F.R.S. (now sold 27/12/17)
Just sold 28/12/17 to New York, U.S.A!!!!! Offer Accepted!!
"Windrush River - Cotswolds, Burford" (Cotswolds series VI) by David Aldus U.A (now sold 28/12/17)
Seasons Greetings!!!!
Just sold 10/11/17 to London!!!!! Offer Accepted!!
"Yeats Ascot Winner" by Gordon King (now sold 10/11/17)
Just sold 1/11/17 to Riga, Latvia!!!!! Offer Accepted!!
"Ascot People" by Gordon King (now sold 1/11/17)
Just sold 19/7/17 to Dubai!!!! Offer Accepted!!
"Sunday Cricket" by David Aldus U.A (now sold 19/07/17)
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"Niki Lauda" by Don Cameron
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"Girl In A Red Robe" by Vicki Sullivan
Just Sold to North Carolina, U.S.A 1/6/19!!!! Offer Accepted!!!!
STUNNING ROMAN GOLD PORTRAIT RING OF EMPEROR MARCUS AURELIUS (now sold 1/6/19)
Just Sold to London 25/5/19!!!!
"Walking Out, Ascot" by Gordon King (now sold 25/5/19)
Just Sold to West Yorkshire 10/5/19!!!!
"Nissa & Faylinn" by Leon Goodman (now sold 10/5/19)
Just sold 16/4/19 to West Yorkshire!!!!! Offer Accepted!!
"Sunflowers" (After Van Gogh) by David Aldus U.A (now sold 16/4/19)
Just sold 8/4/19 to New South Wales, Australia!!!!! Offer Accepted!!
"Young Keef" by Don Cameron (now sold 8/4/19)
Just sold 31/3/19 to Île-de-France, France!!!!! Offer Accepted!!
"The Trooping of the Colour - Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II" by Gordon King (now sold 31/4/19)
"Black Star - David Bowie" by Don Cameron (now sold 22/3/19)
Just sold 18/3/19 to Mississippi, U.S.A!!!!! Offer Accepted!!
"Deep Blue World - Gloster Meteors" (56 Squadron - Early Fifties) by Martin Ulbricht (now sold 18/3/19)
"Le Joueur d'accordéon a Montmartre" by Leon Goodman (now sold 28/2/19)
Just sold 8/2/19 to Anguillara Sabazia, Italy!!!!!
"Stormtrooper" (Iron Throne Collection) by Zen O'Conor (now sold 6/2/19)
Just sold 5/2/19 to New South Wales, Australia!!!!!
"Purple Haze" by Gary Hogben (now sold 5/2/19)
Just sold 25/1/19 to Hamburg, Germany!!!!!
"Watching Klimt Death and Life Size" by Escha Van den Bogerd (now sold 25/01/19)
Just sold 12/1/19 to West Yorkshire!!!!!
"Nude Woman standing at the Mirror" (1894)Toulouse-Lautrec rendition by David Aldus! (now sold 12/1/19)
"St Anne's International Kite Festival" by Ronald Haber
Just sold 28/12/18 to Surrey!!!!!
"Balloon over Durham" by Mario Mendoza (now sold 28/12/18)
"Pheasant Forest" by David Aldus U.A (now sold 25/12/18)
Just sold Christmas Eve to Rimini, Italy!!!!!
"The Spirit of Titanic enters New York Harbour" by Don Cameron (now sold 24/12/18)
Just sold 23/12/18 to Gauting, Germany!!!!!
"Jet Wash, 2014" by Michael Richardson (now sold 23/12/18)
Just sold 1/12/18 to Île-de-France, France!!!!! Offer Accepted!!
"On the beach, Bedruthan Steps" by Michael Richardson (now sold 1/12/18)
"Shotgun Shack" by Mark Harrison
Just sold 2/12/18 to Michigan, U.S.A!!!!!
"Hay Bales in the Yorkshire Wolds" 2016 by (Professor) Malcolm Ludvigsen (now sold 2/12/18)
Just sold 1/12/18 to Manchester!!!!!
"Bières de la Meuse" by David Aldus (now sold)
Just sold 12/11/18 to Middlesex!!!!!
"The Golden Temple" by Mark Harrison (now sold 12/11/18)
Just sold 5/11/18 to Taiwan!!!!!
"Madame Butterfly" by Leon Goodman (now sold 5/11/18)
"Black Gang Chine." by David Aldus (now sold 22/10/18)
Just sold 10/10/18 to Warwickshire!!!!!
"Grace" by William Oxer F.R.S.A (now sold 10/10/18)
Just sold 21/9/18 to Surrey!!!!!
"Heavy Metal Dreams" Sculpture by Gary Hogben (now sold 21/9/18)
Just sold 10/9/18 to Glasgow, Scotland!!!!!
"Thames Barge London" by David Aldus U.A (now sold 10/9/18)
"John" by Don Cameron (now sold 12/9/180
Just sold 9/9/18 to Nottinghamshire!!!!!
"Above Kynance Cove" Cornwall by Michael Richardson (now sold 9/9/18)
Just sold 5/9/18 to Picardie, France!!!!!
"Bruce Lee" (Iron Throne Collection) by Zen O'Conor (now sold 5/9/18)
"Beethoven" by Gary Hogben (now sold 4/9/18)
Just sold 12/8/18 to South Korea!!!!!
"Alice In Wonderland" by William Oxer F.R.S.A (now sold 12/08/18)
Just sold 13/8/18 to Germany!!!!!
Rare Chinese Natural Hetian Jade Nephrite Carved Elephant with longer tusks Statue (now sold 13/8/18)
Just sold 09/08/18 to France!!!
"Potheras Cove, Cornwall" by Michael Richardson (now sold 09/08/18)
Just sold 25/7/18 to London!!!!!
"Green Eyes" by Sharon Hurst (now sold 25/7/18)
"She Believes In You" by William Oxer F.R.S.A
Just sold 24/7/18 to New York, U.S.A!!!!!
"Amboise, The Loire" by Michael Richardson (now sold 24/7/18)
Just sold 18/7/18!!!
"The Lady in the Mosaic II" by Mario Mendoza
Just sold 6/7/18 to Slovakia!!!!!
"So She Dreams" by William Oxer (now sold 6/7/18)
Just sold 18/6/18 to Tokyo, Japan!!!!!
"A Fine Art" by William Oxer F.R.S.A (now sold 18/6/18)
"Ancient Forest in Winter" by Elizabeth Williams
Just sold 12/6/18 to Slovakia!!!!!
"Adoration" by William Oxer F.R.S.A (now sold 12/06/18 to Slovakia)
"The Golden Child" by William Oxer F.R.S.A (now sold 14/8/18)
"Ascot - Picking Winners" by Fraser King (now sold 12/5/18)
"Bob Dylan" by Paul Karslake
Just sold 20/4/18 to the U.S.A!!!!!
"Low Tide" by Mark Harrison (now sold 20/4/18)
"A Concentrated Eye" by William Oxer F.R.S.A
Just sold 19/4/18 to Nottinghamshire!!!!!
"Higger Tor from Carl Wark" by Arwyn Quick (now sold 19/4/18)
"Sea Horses" By Rachel McCullock
"Mr Purple" by Gary Hogben (now sold 20/2/18)
Just sold 19/2/18 to Cornwall, New York!!!!! Offer Accepted!!
"Rémouleur D'Organe" by Leon Goodman (now sold 19/2/18)
"On Fire" by Dulux
Just sold 24/1/18 to Ile-de-France, France!!!!! Offer Accepted!!
"Nightmare On Kensington Street" Brighton by Mark Harrison (now sold 24/1/18)
"Beauty and the Beach" by Elizabeth Williams
Just sold 16/1/18 to Rome, Italy!!!!! Offer Accepted!!
"A Head Full of Shattered Dreams" Sculpture by Gary Hogben (now sold 16/1/18)
Just Sold 01/01/18 to Shropshire!!! Offer accepted!!!
"Langoureuse" by William Oxer
"Tamar River - Cornwall" by David Aldus U.A (now sold 28/12/17)
Just sold 27/12/17 to Leicestershire!!!!! Offer Accepted!!
"The Path through Bluebell Wood" by David Aldus U.A (now sold 27/12/17)
Just sold 20/11/17!!!!!
"Rose Cottage - Dinner for Two" by Richard Harpum M.A (Camb) (now sold 20/11/17)
"Up for the Start" by Gordon King (now sold 10/11/17)
Just sold 29/10/17 to Wiltshire!!!!! Offer Accepted!!
"Three Swifts" by David Alderslade (now sold 29/10/17)
Just Sold 07/12/16 to France!!! Offer accepted!!!
"Portrait of a Lady" by Pete Davies (now sold 07/12/16)
Just Sold 13/10/16 to Australia!!!!
"Straight or Right?" by Isabelle Amante (now sold 13/10/16)
Just Sold 13/9/16!!!! Offer accepted!!!
"The Ladies of Leonardo" by Don Cameron (now reserved 9/9/16)
Just Sold 7/12/15 to Oxfordshire!!!! Offer Accepted!!!
"Shopping in Oxford" by Elaine Marston (now sold 07/12/15)
Just Sold 28/6/15!!!!
"The Lovers" by Richard Wallace (now sold 28/6/14)
Just Sold 24/06/16 to Kansas City, U.S.A!!! Offer accepted!!!
"Nelson Mandela" by David Aldus U.A (now sold 24/06/15)
Just sold to Cannon Hall Museum 27/5/13 - Offer accepted!
"Time for Bed" by Abel Hold (now sold 27/5/13)
Just Sold 19/1/16 to Cheshire!!!! Offer Accepted!!!
"In a Dress of Black and White" by Gordon King (now sold 19/1/16)
Just Sold!!!!
"Admiral Collingwood" by David Aldus U.A (now sold 9/12/15)
Just sold 19/03/16 to Leicestershire!!!! Offer accepted!!!
"The Mosque Of Wadi Mektoub" by Mark Harrison (now sold 19/03/16)
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India, All India
Mehbooba Mufti desperate to reconnect with her voters
THE ASIAN AGE. | YUSUF JAMEEL
Published : Jan 7, 2019, 6:10 am IST
Updated : Jan 7, 2019, 6:10 am IST
Mufti quickly made her mark as the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, taking on the government of the then chief minister Farooq Abdullah.
A file photo of PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti interacting with students during an event in Jammu and Kashmir
Former J&K chief minister and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti has recently stepped up her visits to families of slain militants and victims of violence. Her critics say that it is with the sole purpose of regaining her lost popularity.
Srinagar: PDP chief and former Mehbooba Mufti appears desperate to reconnect with her “constituency”, but to regain the popularity she enjoyed until a couple of years ago is no easy task for the former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir.
As militancy gave way in the mid-1990s to a period of harassment by Ikhwanis, the renegades working in tandem with the security forces, the “passionate side” of Ms Mufti’s nature became evident. She would be the first to arrive at the home of any victim of the horrific violence of the time. With fiery gusto, she would agitate and plead with high-handed officers of the security forces as often as she led demonstrations. She would also explicitly commiserate with the families of the slain militants and even visit their homes to share the grief of their families, for she believed they deserved empathy and not rejection.
Her name soon became a byword for empathy and solace in the south Kashmir stretch from the edge of Srinagar to the intensely violence-ravaged areas south and west of Anantnag. When elections for the state Assembly were held in 1996, she became one of the most popular lawmakers, elected from hometown Bijbehara on a Congress ticket. Her father Mufti Muhammad Sayeed had at that time returned to the Congress, which he had left in 1987 in protest against its forming an alliance with the National Conference (NC).
Ms Mufti quickly made her mark as the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, taking on the government of the then chief minister Farooq Abdullah. The father-daughter duo split from the Congress in 1999 to launch their own People’s Democratic Party (PDP). Her tryst with the victims of violence continued in her own fashion and the strategy helped her and the PDP in the coming elections. The PDP emerged as a major winner in the October 2002 Assembly polls and soon the party captured power in J&K in partnership with Congress. There was no looking back for the PDP president Ms Mufti.
After more than six years, the PDP formed its second government in J&K in March 2015 -- this time in an alliance with BJP. PDP patron Mufti Sayeed who took over as chief minister for full six-year term on March 1, 2015 died in office on January 7, 2016. Ms Mufti took over as chief minister of the restive state after a delay of nearly three months following the death of her father. The reluctance to sit in the hot seat was projected by her party as testimony of her not being ‘power hungry’ or an opportunist daughter. In fact, she herself went on record to say that she wanted certain J&K-specific “confidence building measures” before she could give a thought to stepping into her father’s shoes. She also insisted on unspecified concessions as prerequisite for government formation.
Finally, she held a ‘broader reconciliation’ meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi in March 2016 and returned home to proclaim her renewed fondness for the BJP which in turn asserted the one-on-one meeting between the two was an affirmation of mutual understanding. The Centre, however, did not announce any concessions.
On June 19, 2018, the BJP suddenly decided to yank support from Ms Mufti-led coalition government saying it had become untenable for it to continue in alliance with the PDP. The BJP’s move was seen by Kashmir watchers as an embarrassment to Ms Mufti as well as her party. She, however, soon sought to play the victim card and tried to wriggle out of the situation by saying “muscular (security) policy will not work in Jammu and Kashmir”.
She, however, now admits that her allying with the BJP was a blunder as her party suffered heavily because of picking up an “unnatural” partner. Her critics say that what she does not admit is the fact that her popularity slumped to record low while in power as it turned out to be the bloody tenure that witnessed the maximum casualties among both civilians and security forces.
Her critics also say that it is with the sole purpose of regaining her lost popularity that Ms Mufti is again publicly seeking to identify herself with the “victims” of violence. Recently after visiting the families of two militants, she warned that she “won’t allow bloodshed in Kashmir or turning southern Kashmir into a battleground”. She said that the fight against militancy should not involve the families of the militants and public.
Governor Satyapal Malik was the first to react to her outbursts. Terming them as her “political compulsion”, he said that Ms Mufti was now supporting militants “to regain the lost base in the Valley”. Her political bête noire and NC leader Omar Abdullah was more blunt in criticising her. He tweeted, “The architect of “Operation All-out” and the overseer of the operations that killed hundreds of militants since 2015 is now going from one militant home to the next trying to rehabilitate a badly damaged reputation.” In another tweet, he alleged, “She used militants by sanctioning their deaths to appease the BJP and now she uses dead militants to try to appease the voter. Just how gullible does she think people are?”
Former minister Abdul Gani Vakil called her “best drama queen” and alleged that she oversaw “massacre” of hundreds of people during her tenure. He asked, “Why was she silent while being in power and oversaw the massacre of young and old. Besides, thousands were blinded by pellets.”
Her former ally BJP dismissed her visits to militants’ families as a “political gimmick” and sought to remind her of the remarks she made as chief minister during a press conference at the peak of 2016 agitation following killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani. While responding to a question about the civilian killings, Ms Mufti told the reporter, “Were they out to buy toffee or milk?”
When a group of masked youth proclaimed their allegiance to Daesh or the Islamic State (ISIS) while appearing in Srinagar’s historic Grand Mosque, and chanted slogans in favour of making Jammu and Kashmir part of “Islamic caliphate”, she telephoned the Valley’s chief Muslim cleric and separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq to condemn the incident. Later she tweeted, “Jama Masjid & its pulpit are most imp landmarks of our religious, cultural moorings. Can’t allow barbaric forces to defile it in the name of Islam.”
The Mirwaiz’s party, however, termed it as “quiet ironical” and said that it was during her tenure as chief minister that the mosque was locked and he (Mirwaiz) put under house arrest by police most of the time. Many netizens too have ridiculed Ms Mufti over her recent activity and called it “share opportunism”.
However, Ms Mufti’s close aide and former minister Naeem Akhter said, “There is nothing unusual in it. The PDP is all about reaching out to the people. Our main agenda is (to seek) the resolution of Kashmir issue and unless we reach out to the people how we can work on our agenda.”
Tags: mehbooba mufti, farooq abdullah
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Aspen plans celebration of 50th anniversary of Wilderness Act
Snowmass | May 13, 2014
Scott Condon
scondon@aspentimes.com
The Hunter-Fryingpan Wilderness east of Aspen provides great opportunities for solitude in rugged terrain.
John Fielder/Courtesy photo |
Aspen will mark a 50th anniversary this summer that will give everyone cause to celebrate.
The Wilderness Act was passed in September 1964, and the stunning Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness was among the first wave of areas to receive special protection in the country. The wilderness designation prohibits motorized and mechanized uses. It is designed to preserve landscapes as much as possible, free from the hands of mankind.
To some degree, wilderness has become a victim of its own success.
Flocks of tourists swarm Maroon Lake during the summer months. The slightly more adventurous load the trails to Buckskin Pass and West Maroon Pass. The Four Pass Loop is on most backpackers’ bucket lists. The Maroon Bells, Castle Peak, Pyramid Peak, Snowmass Mountain and Capitol Peak attract hundreds of climbers every summer. Popular destinations such as Snowmass Lake and Conundrum Hot Springs get so crowded at times that they resemble the atmosphere of a county fair.
The high visitation rate to the 181,602-acre wilderness area cannot necessarily be interpreted as appreciation of the special landscape.
“I don’t think we do celebrate wilderness all the time,” said Karin Teague, president of the board of directors of Wilderness Workshop, the oldest locally based environmental group in the Roaring Fork Valley. “We take it for granted.”
Wilderness Workshop is teaming with the U.S. Forest Service and other conservation groups to throw several events this summer to celebrate the passage of the Wilderness Act. One goal is to educate people about the special characteristics of the lands that earned them the protected status. Another goal is to give credit to the activists who had the foresight to fight for land protections, Teague said.
Wilderness Workshop and its partners won’t use the celebration to advocate for additional wilderness designations, but it will urge people to look 50 years down the road and contemplate what needs to be done to preserve the existing wilderness areas for future generations, Teague said.
The groups want to draw attention to the degradation that parts of the wilderness areas are facing. Population growth and the recreation explosion have sent ever-greater numbers of thrill seekers into the wild places.
“More and more people are out there enjoying them, but it takes its toll,” Teague said.
Climate change presents another set of changes that threaten to alter the refuges for wildlife and native plants, she noted.
But by and large, the tone of the celebrations will be celebratory, Teague said.
And why not? The Wilderness Act was very beneficial to Aspen and other mountain towns on the areas’ fringes as well as for people who love the outdoors. Maroon Bells-Snowmass, right on the doorstep of Aspen-Snowmass, is Colorado’s fourth-largest wilderness area. Is has 100 miles of trails and nine passes in excess of 12,000 feet and six peaks in excess of 14,000 feet.
None of the other nearby wilderness areas received designation in the initial wave. They were added later, in large part thanks to the efforts of Joy Caudill, Connie Harvey and Dottie Fox.
The Hunter-Fryingpan Wilderness was created in 1978 and expanded in 1993. It is 82,026 acres with 65 miles of trails between Independence Pass and the south side of the Fryingpan Valley. It blends in with the 30,540-acre Mount Massive Wilderness. The Continental Divide is the only real separation of the two areas.
The Holy Cross Wilderness covers 122,918 acres starting in the north side of the Fryingpan Valley. It was created in 1980.
The Collegiate Peaks Wilderness provides 167,584 acres spreading south from Independence Pass. It boasts eight peaks greater than 14,000 feet. It was designated in 1980.
The Raggeds Wilderness, south of Marble, provides a distinctly more secluded 65,393-acre pocket of wonder. It was created in 1980 and expanded in 1993.
To celebrate the national treasures, Wilderness Workshop, the Forest Service, the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies, the Roaring Fork Conservancy, the Forest Conservancy and other groups are hosting everything from guided hikes showcasing lesser-known backcountry areas to an exhibit of photographer John Fielder’s photos at the Wheeler Opera House to a special performance at the Aspen Music Festival. They fall under the umbrella of a celebration called Wilderness 50.
A focal point of the celebration is the Maroon Bells Birthday Bash on Aug. 2 at the base of Aspen Highlands. It will feature music from four bands, food and beverages, displays and a presentation by activist Rick Bass.
For a complete schedule, visit http://www.wilderness workshop.org/events-page/wilderness-50th-events.
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Party City Faces Disability Discrimination Lawsuit
Attorney Review Guide October 1, 2018 Business Law, Court Cases, Employment, Resources No Comment
National retailer for party supplies Party City is facing a disability discrimination lawsuit after failing to hire an employee that requires a job coach to accommodate her disability. Party City Corporation violated federal law by failing to hire a qualified employee with a disability at its Nashua, N.H. location, after it became aware that she required a job coach as a reasonable accommodation for her disability, in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed today.
According to the EEOC’s complaint, the disabled applicant, then a senior in high school who was on the autism spectrum and suffered from severe anxiety, had been receiving services from Easter Seals of New Hampshire for a number of years to build up her self-confidence, including around working and applying for a job. One of these Easter Seals employees went with her in October 2017 to apply for a sales associate job with Party City during its busy season. The applicant received a job interview, but when the hiring manager discovered that the woman accompanying her was not her mother and instead was a job coach, the hiring manager’s attitude changed dramatically.
The EEOC’s lawsuit further alleges that the hiring manager told the job coach that Party City had hired people “like that” (people with disabilities with job coaches) in the past and that it had not gone well. The hiring manager made disparaging comments about those individuals. Although both the applicant and the job coach explained to the hiring manager that the applicant had been successful shadowing others in previous retail jobs, as well as in a volunteer role at a day care center, the hiring manager was uninterested in either the applicant’s abilities or in the limited role the job coach would play. The hiring manager repeatedly tried to cut the interview short by telling the job coach in a patronizing tone, “thank you for bringing her here,” while the applicant was still in the room. The hiring manager also stated, in the applicant’s presence, that the Party City employee who had encouraged the applicant to apply would hire anyone, and would “even hire an ant.”
After Party City failed to hire the applicant because of her disability, Party City hired six sales associates in the days immediately after the applicant’s interview. For at least two of the hires, it was their first job: one was a 16-year-old and the other was a high school graduate.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) prohibits employers from discriminating based on disability and imposes a requirement that employees with disabilities be provided a reasonable accommodation, absent undue hardship on the employer. One of these accommodations can be the use of a job coach.
The EEOC filed suit in U.S. District Court for the District of New Hampshire (EEOC v. Party City Corporation, Civil Action No. 1:18-cv-838) after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process. The EEOC seeks back pay, compensatory and punitive damages, and injunctive relief. The agency’s litigation efforts will be led by Senior Trial Attorney Mark Penzel.
“Federal law requires employers to consider disabled job applicants based on their abilities, not on demeaning stereotypes,” said Jeffrey Burstein, regional attorney for the EEOC’s New York District Office. “Party City completely failed to do so here.”
EEOC’s New York district director, Kevin Berry, added, “Employers cannot refuse to offer a reasonable accommodation required by law, absent undue hardship. Here, the job coach, who would only have helped cue the applicant with her job tasks as she learned her job and for whom Party City would not have had to pay, was a completely reasonable accommodation that would have caused it no hardship at all.”
EEOC’s New York District Office oversees New York, Northern New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. Further information about the commission is available on its website at www.eeoc.gov.
Tags: Attorney Ratings, Attorney Reviews, Court Cases, Disability Discrimination, EEOC, Employment, Find Attorneys, Law Firm Ratings, Lawyers Near Me, National News, Party City, Privacy, Top Rated Attorneys
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Charlotte Mecklenburg School District Altered Background Check Policy Mid School Year
Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District Altered Background Check Policy Mid-School-Year
By Michael Klazema on 7/2/2019
Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District (CMS), the public school district for Mecklenburg County, North Carolina (and for Charlotte, its largest city), changed its employee background check policy in the middle of a school year hiring period without notifying the public.
Per a report from Charlotte’s Channel 9 WSOC TV, CMS board policy requires criminal background checks for all applicants “who accept a job with the district.” The policy stipulates that fingerprinting must be done for all applicants “in order to conduct an accurate check of criminal records.”
Fingerprint background checks have traditionally been a piece of the school district’s pre-employment background check policy. The district can also require any existing employee to be re-checked with a fingerprint background screening.
For nearly a year, the school district has not been including fingerprint background checks as part of its vetting policies. CMS told WSOC TV that it changed background check vendors last July, a switch that led the district to “pause” its policy of fingerprint background checks. The district said that the new vendor allows for “more extensive, deeper background checks.”
The district did not notify the public that it had decided to tweak its practices without a formal policy change. The CMS board has not enforced the fingerprint background check requirement.
CMS now says that it is in the process of “reviewing a change to [its] policy.” It isn’t clear whether that review could lead to a formal repeal of the board’s requirement for fingerprint background checks.
Because CMS decided to pause the fingerprint background check practice last July, the decision affected virtually all school district hires made for the 2018/19 school year. CMS told WSOC TV that it hired about 3,500 employees within that period. CMS serves more than 135,000 students and their families from throughout Charlotte-Mecklenburg county. In total enrollment, it is one of the 20 largest public school districts in the United States.
This school year, the district has contended with several headlines that called student safety into question. In October, a brawl between two male high school students turned deadly when one of the students pulled a gun and shot the other, killing him. The district found 11 guns in its schools throughout the year with metal detectors and security wands.
There have not been any reports of teacher or faculty misconduct in the school district since the fingerprinting pause began.
Parents and community members were alarmed at the school district’s decision and called for a reinstatement of fingerprinting for new hires. Local backlash led CMS to resume its fingerprinting policy. On June 20, the district sent a letter to all hires from the past year who weren’t fingerprinted informing them that they would need to go through the fingerprinting process retroactively.
In the background check community, there are conflicting viewpoints about whether fingerprint background checks are more thorough than name and SSN-based checks.
Sources: https://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/cms-district-paused-fingerprinting-thousands-of-new-employees-during-background-checks/960292448
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte-Mecklenburg_Schools
https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/education/article230207634.html
https://www.wbtv.com/2019/06/21/charlotte-mecklenburg-school-district-stopped-fingerprinting-year/
File Under: Industry News
fingerprint background checks school employees
Michael Klazema
fingerprint background checks
school employees
July 16 — A New Jersey organization that was administering federal grant-funded programs has agreed to pay a $1.1 million settlement for failing to conduct background checks on 46 volunteers.
July 11 — Under an innovative program that went into effect July 1, Pennsylvania will automatically seal many old criminal records.
July 09 — In October, the Georgia Long-Term Care Background Check Program will officially go into effect. Here’s what employers in the state need to know about the law.
July 04 — Despite the failure of a full-scale legalization effort, New York state has reduced cannabis-related penalties and introduced automatic expungement.
July 03 — Preparing for the employment background check process can improve your chances of getting hired. Here’s how to do it.
July 02 — Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District in North Carolina stopped fingerprinting new hires last July even though board policy requires fingerprinting during pre-hire background checks. The fingerprinting “pause” caused alarm in the Charlotte community.
June 27 — In 2012, the EEOC published new guidelines instructing employers not to use blanket bans against applicants with criminal records. The state of Texas sued. Today, arguments continue in federal circuit court.
June 25 — Learn the differences between infractions, misdemeanors, and felonies and what each run-in with the law means for a background check report.
June 25 — A recent federal court ruling has called into question how employers should observe the FCRA when filling independent contractor positions rather than full- or part-time jobs. Many sections of the FCRA are only relevant if background checks are intended for “employment purposes.”
June 20 — The ACLU has filed suit against the owner of an apartment complex in Virginia alleging discriminatory practices. The owner contends otherwise.
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Ben Stevens
I joined BAT in 1990 as Regional Finance Controller with responsibilities for Europe, East Africa and South Asia. And since then I have been fortunate to have an international career that’s taken me to many parts of the BAT business across Marketing and Corporate Affairs through to Mergers and Acquisitions, IT and back to Finance in my current role.
The acquisition of Reynolds American in 2017 is enabling BAT to become a truly global multi-category business as we deliver on our ambition to transform tobacco. That ambition has the potential to create benefits for consumers and society in terms of the potentially reduced-risk products we can offer. It’s great for employees too: everyone wants to work for a company that has a transformative and inspiring long-term vision.
I was appointed to the Management Board as Development Director in April 2001 and joined the Board of British American Tobacco p.l.c. in March 2008, becoming Finance Director the next month.
Two of my most formative roles were those of Chairman and Managing Director of both Pakistan Tobacco Company and BAT Russia. They were very different companies in different stages of their development and the roles gave me a broader view of the business, which remains beneficial to me today.
I’m passionate about getting great offerings out there for our consumers and the Finance function plays a key role in that. We are uniquely positioned to see right across the business and make sure that the majority of our investment goes into our products.
After 30 years with BAT, I will retire from the Board in August 2019. I have lived through many changes and I am proud to have been part of the team that has turned BAT into the dynamic and truly international multi-category company that it is today. I am particularly pleased that the Board has decided to appoint Tadeu Marroco as my successor and am confident that he will play a key role in delivering our ambition to transform our company and our industry.
1990: Takes up first role with BAT as Regional Finance Controller for East Africa and South Asia
1992: Becomes Regional Finance Controller for BAT’s Europe area
1994: Moves to BAT Switzerland where he takes up a variety of roles in the Marketing function
1995: Becomes Chairman and Managing Director of Pakistan Tobacco Company
1997: Takes up the role of Chairman and Managing Director with BAT Russia
1998: Moves back to the UK to take up the role of Head of Corporate Affairs for BAT p.l.c.
2000: Becomes Head of Merger Integration, overseeing the £7 billion integration between BAT and Rothmans
2001: Joins BAT’s Management Board as Development Director, responsible for the Smoking Tobacco and Cigars division, Mergers and Acquisitions, IT, Corporate Strategy and e-business ventures
2004: Becomes Regional Director for BAT’s Europe area
2008: Takes a seat on the BAT Main Board before becoming Group Finance Director the following month
Member of the Board of Directors of ISS A/S
BA (Hons), Economics, University of Manchester
MBA in Finance and Marketing, Manchester Business School
I’m married with two grown-up children. I enjoy taking part in physical sports like golf, sailing and tennis. It’s important to be active outside of work and be able take your mind off your job. I also love opera and going to the theatre.
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US & Canada selected
Syria crisis: UN risks being marginalised
Nick Bryant New York correspondent
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-23967577?postid=117270555
Image copyright AP
Image caption The UN weapons inspectors made several site visits from their base in Damascus
For a few days last week, the lenses of the international media were trained on a convoy of white four-wheel-drive vehicles driving through the bombed-out streets of Damascus with the letters "UN" emblazoned on the doors.
When members of the 20-strong chemical weapons inspections team made their first attempt to reach the suburbs of the Syrian capital where hundreds were killed in the early hours of 21 August, snipers opened fire on them.
Later, after replacing one of their vehicles, they returned to start collecting samples and interviewing witnesses.
With reporters based in Damascus tracking their every move, the UN was briefly at the very centre of the crisis.
Pressure on report
Now those biomedical and environmental samples are at laboratories in Europe undergoing tests that will determine whether chemical weapons were used. Ake Sellstrom, the Swedish scientist who heads up the team, wanted three to four weeks before reporting the results.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has pressed him to produce his findings within the shorter timeframe of two to three. That means they may not be made public until the week beginning 15 September - possibly even later.
By then, of course, America may well have launched military action against Syria, and not for the first time during this two-and-a-half year conflict the UN will find itself on the sidelines.
Tellingly, the focus over the past few days has been on the US Congress in Washington, rather than UN headquarters in New York.
Now it will shift to St Petersburg in Russia, where world leaders are gathering for the G20.
Certainly, the ongoing work of UN inspectors no longer figures highly in the thinking of the Obama administration. Nor, for that matter, does the Security Council, which has been deadlocked over the issue of Syria since day one.
In the immediate aftermath of the suspected chemical weapons attack, America pushed in the Security Council for a statement condemning the attack and calling for "full and unfettered" access for weapons inspectors - a move blocked by the Russians.
Only a few days later, however, the White House described the inspectors' work as "redundant," because US intelligence pointed already to the Assad regime's culpability.
Image copyright Reuters
Image caption Only a Security Council vote can back force under the UN charter
US Secretary of State John Kerry, in a phone call to Mr Ban, even pressed for the team's immediate withdrawal from Damascus abruptly ending its two-week mission - a request the secretary general resisted.
For those seeking the truth of what happened, the mandate of the UN inspections team is frustratingly narrow. It will determine whether chemical weapons were used on 21 August but not who used them. Theirs was a technical inspection rather than a criminal investigation.
That said, the UN has promised an "evidence-based narrative" that will "get to the bottom of what happened", according to the secretary general's spokespeople.
Angela Kane, the UN official who negotiated the team's entry into Syria, has also spoken in private meetings of coming up with scientific findings "buttressed by a narrative".
Without directly pointing a finger of guilt, the report may include incriminating information, such as where shells were fired from or which delivery systems were used, that would imply blame. "It may be blindingly obvious," says a senior UN diplomat.
Ban Ki-moon is treading a difficult path
Western diplomats also think Mr Ban could have more latitude in attributing blame if he briefs the council on the findings, whenever that may be. The secretary general is not necessarily bound by the inspectors' limited mandate.
With the Security Council so divided over Syria - the blocking minority of Russia and China has three times vetoed resolutions calling for punitive measures against the Assad regime - Ban Ki-moon is treading a difficult path.
His stock line is that Syria requires a diplomatic solution, since there is no military one. Prior to flying to St Petersburg, he also warned that punitive action taken by the US could lead to more bloodshed.
Though he has stopped short of describing possible American action as "illegal", he has reiterated the letter of the UN charter, which allows for the use of force only in self-defence or where authorised by a vote in the Security Council.
Slipping timeline
Here again, the White House regards the UN as largely irrelevant.
The Obama administration has argued that the suspected chemical attacks violate what it calls "international norms" rather than international law, and has made the case for the legitimacy of a military response rather than its legality, a subtle but crucial distinction.
The UK government, which argued last week that military strikes were legal even outside the framework of the UN charter, differs from their French and American allies, whose interpretation of international law is more traditional and less expansive.
Image caption Lakhdar Brahimi, the UN envoy for Syria, has become a marginal figure
Besides, the White House position is clear. It does not believe that Russian President Vladimir Putin should be the ultimate arbiter of international law, and that if the Security Council does not act it will do so on its own.
UN officials bridle at the idea that they are on the periphery.
They point to 1,000-plus UN personnel who continue to be based in Syria, who work for an array of agencies including Unicef, the World Health Organization and the Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Then there is the massive humanitarian relief effort being co-ordinated in neighbouring countries. The Zaatari camp in Jordan, the home now to more than 120,000 Syrians who have fled the civil war, is run by the UN's refugee agency.
Operationally, the UN is in high gear. Diplomatically, however, it is stalled.
When the provisional agenda for September's meetings of the Security Council was published on Wednesday, Syria was not even on it.
There is no point in scheduling a discussion, according to Gary Quinlan, the Australian ambassador who has just taken over the rotating presidency of the council, because it leads nowhere.
As for Lakhdar Brahimi, the UN and Arab League special envoy for Syria, he is an increasingly marginal figure.
Mr Brahimi's efforts have been focused on convening a UN-backed peace conference in Geneva - "Geneva Two," as it has come to be known in diplomatic parlance. The aim is for a meeting of the warring sides sometime in October.
But that timeline has continually slipped, and Geneva Two is starting to have the feel of a diplomatic delusion: A mirage on the horizon that never actually materialises. The world waits to see whether something more concrete emerges.
Syria's war
United Nations News Centre
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Addresses and websites
Belgium.be Official information and services
Coming to study in Belgium
Authenticating your qualifications abroad
Equivalence of diplomas
European harmonisation
Home » Education » European harmonisation
Since September 2004, higher education in Belgium has been greatly changed by the introduction of the "Bologna process". This is a European reform aiming to harmonise qualifications between different member states and to encourage the mobility of students across the European Union.
Higher education: what has changed
Higher and university studies in the states which have approved the reform are organised in three cycles, and each year of study leads to the award of "credits". The "credit" is a unit corresponding to the time spent by the student on a learning activity within a programme of studies in a given discipline. The study year remains the reference point and corresponds to 60 credits.
First cycle: the bachelors
The first cycle corresponds to a minimum of three years of study (180 credits) and leads to a bachelor’s degree. Higher educational studies of the short type previously leading to a ‘graduat’ qualification and the first study cycle known as the “candidature” at university have thus been replaced by the bachelors degree.
Second cycle: the masters
After obtaining a bachelors degree, the student can continue his education with a second cycle of studies. These lead to the degree of master over one year (60 credits) or two years (120 credits), or in medicine over a minimum of four years (240 credits) or in veterinary medicine after a minimum of three years (180 credits). Finally in some branches, the masters can be completed by a supplementary masters of a minimum one year (60 credits).
Third cycle: the doctorate
This cycle only applies to university education and is accessible to students who have completed at least 300 credits. Third cycle studies consist of doctoral training (60 credits) leading to a qualification in research and in the preparation of a doctoral thesis (at least 180 credits), leading to a doctorate degree after the thesis has been defended.
Note: the Bologna Process is a voluntary initiative by 46 participant countries. The aim is to establish some common aspects (e.g. the credit system, the structure in three cycles, cooperation to ensure the quality of higher education etc.) so as to enable all students to identify the level to which their qualification corresponds and to continue their education in another country. Every state and community thus remains free as to the organisation and content of its teaching.
Application of the Bologna decree in the French Community (in French)
Application of the Bologna decree in the Flemish Community (in Dutch)
Information from the Council of Europe on the Bologna Process
Benelux secretariat of the Bologna Process
Website http://www.bologna2009benelux.org
Not found what you're looking for ? Sitemap
Conditions for re-use
Copyright © 2019 Belgian Federal Government
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Home Tags Posts tagged with "cathy’s kids"
cathy’s kids
Khloe Kardashian slams allegations Lamar Odom operates fraudulent cancer charity
Khloe Kardashian has slammed allegations her husband Lamar Odom has been operating a fraudulent cancer charity.
Lamar Odom was accused by ESPN for failing to give considerable money raised to children in need following an investigation.
Now Khloe Kardashian has written messages to her online fans rubbishing the claims.
The 28-year-old reality star first of all wrote to one fan on her Twitter page: “I would never do anything like that point blank. But hey. People will believe whatever they want no matter what you do.”
Khloe Kardashian has slammed allegations her husband Lamar Odom has been operating a fraudulent cancer charity
Khloe Kardashian then posted a note on her own website to set the record straight.
“It is unfortunate that my husband has been the target of an attack on athletes’ charities, although he has personally contributed approximately $2.2 million to his foundation, Cathy’s Kids, to fulfill its charitable purposes that include helping underprivileged inner-city youth.
“The millions of dollars personally contributed by Lamar constituted more than 90% of the money raised by the foundation. All of the funds donated by Lamar and the other contributions to Cathy’s Kids were used for one of the foundation’s intended charitable purposes. Not one penny went to help Lamar personally or any member of his family.”
Khloe Kardashian went on: “No charitable funds were misused, and the IRS has repeatedly given Cathy’s Kids a clean bill of health, confirming that there were no improprieties.”
Her comments come on the same day she and Lamar Odom removed all of the items for sale on their eBay store – coinciding with the “fraudulent” allegations.
The ESPN investigation, called Outside The Lines, claimed that none of the $2.2 million accumulated had been given to any cancer-related causes since Cathy’s Kids was founded in 2004.
And as the findings of the investigation were released, Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom then seemed to delete all items up for auction on their joint eBay store.
Up until they removed the items on Tuesday, Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom had been selling everything from pre-owned clothes, including sports bras of Khloe’s, as well as sunglasses and other accessories.
On the site, the couple state on each item that “a portion of the proceeds benefit Cathy’s Kids”.
[youtube jw_JxQin4gg]
Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom remove items on sale from their eBay store after Cathy’s Kids scandal
Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom have removed all of the items for sale on their eBay store after they faced allegations of running “fraudulent” cancer charity Cathy’s Kids.
An investigation by ESPN claimed cancer charity Cathy’s Kids, which was set up by Lamar Odom, has failed to give considerable money raised to children in need.
Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom have removed all of the items for sale on their eBay store after they faced allegations of running “fraudulent” cancer charity Cathy’s Kids
The Outside The Lines investigation claimed that none of the $2.2 million accumulated had been given to any cancer-related causes since Cathy’s Kids was founded in 2004.
As the findings of the investigation were released, Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom then seemed to delete all items up for auction on their joint eBay store.
According to Radaronline.com, the couple had made thousands of dollars through the store, with a total of $1,425.06 after their last day of sale on Monday.
On their eBay store, Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom state on each item that “a portion of the proceeds benefit Cathy’s Kids”, which was founded by the NBA player in 2004.
By Tuesday the shop was empty, with the message that there is now “currently no items for sale”, with a returned entry of “0 items”.
Earlier this week questions were raised about the use of the money after investigators rifled through eight years of Lamar Odom’s tax records.
Instead of funds going to cancer-related patients, it has reportedly been mostly used to finance two elite youth basketball travel teams.
ESPN says it uncovered that at least 60 percent of the $2.2 million has helped fund the AAU teams.
Cathy’s Kids is currently $256,000 in debt largely due to a loan Lamar Odom made to the charity, according to his business manager and charity’s treasurer, Lester Knispel.
The new ESPN revelations now allegedly see Lamar Odom in danger of violating tax law as, as ESPN states, if a charity spends funds not consistent with its stated mission, it could be considered as fraud by the IRS or state attorney general’s office.
If fraudulent activity is found, prosecutors could in turn file charges against Lamar Odom.
Khloe Kardashian has been heavily involved with Cathy’s Kids by setting up a personal eBay account with the LA Clippers star in which they have been selling off personal effects to raise funds.
Lamar Odom cancer charity Cathy’s Kids accused of fraudulent use of $2.2 million
Cathy’s Kids, a cancer charity set up by Lamar Odom, has failed to give considerable money raised to children in need, a new investigation has revealed.
According to ESPN, which conducted an investigation called Outside The Lines, Cathy’s Kids foundation has not given $2.2 million accumulated to any cancer-related causes since it was founded in 2004.
Questions were raised about the use of the money after investigators rifled through eight years of Lamar Odom’s tax records.
Cathy’s Kids, a cancer charity set up by Lamar Odom, has failed to give considerable money raised to children in need
Instead of funding cancer-related patients, the money has reportedly been mostly used to finance two elite youth basketball travel teams.
According to ESPN investigation, at least 60% of the $2.2 million has helped fund the AAU teams.
The sole employee on the books for the charity is Lamar Odom’s high school coach and best man at his wedding to Khloe Kardashian, Jerry DeGregorio.
Acting as secretary for the Cathy’s Kids – named in honor of Lamar Odom’s late mother who died of stomach cancer – from 2004 to 2011, Jerry deGregorio was reportedly paid a median annual salary of around $72,000, despite the charity operating at a loss since it was created.
The new ESPN revelations now allegedly see Lamar Odom in danger of violating tax law as, as ESPN states, if a charity spends funds not consistent with its stated mission, including paying someone like Jerry DeGregorio a salary, it could be considered as fraud by the IRS or a state attorney general’s office.
ESPN have apparently since sought a comment from LA Clippers star about his charity’s spending habits.
Lamar Odom reportedly simply responded with: “It’s my money.”
His wife Khloe Kardashian has been heavily involved with Cathy’s Kids by setting up a personal eBay account with her husband, in which they have been selling off personal effects, including items from her designer wardrobe, to raise funds.
Khloe Kardashian has even taken to her own personal blog to promote the charity and gush about her husband’s efforts.
The Outside The Lines report also investigated more than a hundred other charities attached to high profile athletes.
The investigation revealed that 115 of the big name charities were not handing out raised profits effectively or properly.
It also found that more than 74% were not operating under the Better Business Bureau and the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy standards.
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Home Tags Posts tagged with "mob bosses"
mob bosses
James “Whitey” Bulger found guilty of 11 murders, racketeering and conspiracy
James “Whitey” Bulger, one of America’s most notorious mob bosses, has been convicted of nearly a dozen murders, racketeering and conspiracy.
James Bulger, 83, terrorized an Irish-Catholic neighborhood of Boston in the 1970s and ’80s as leader of the Winter Hill Gang.
He betrayed no emotion upon hearing the verdict after a two-month trial.
Whitey Bulger went on the run in 1994 and was finally captured in Santa Monica, California, in 2011.
He was said to have been an inspiration for the gangster played by Jack Nicholson in Oscar-winning 2006 film The Departed.
The trial in Boston heard gruesome evidence that James Bulger had participated in 19 murders, but he was found guilty on Monday of a role in only 11 of them.
Convicted of 31 of the 32 total criminal counts against him, James Bulger faces a life prison sentence. But analysts have pointed out that even a short sentence would likely see the stooped, grey-haired ex-gangster die in prison.
Whitey Bulger refused to testify at the trial, calling the proceedings “a sham” because he said he had been promised immunity by a now-deceased prosecutor in return for protection from other mobsters.
James “Whitey” Bulger has been convicted of nearly a dozen murders, racketeering and conspiracy
During the trial, the federal jury of 12 heard testimony from 72 witnesses and saw 840 exhibits
Prosecutors said James Bulger had been a longtime FBI informant protected by corrupt agents, who turned a blind eye to the Winter Hill gang’s activities in return for information on the Italian Mafia.
But his lawyers denied he was an informant, arguing that he paid the FBI for information about investigations.
The defense did not contest James Bulger ran a criminal enterprise, but strongly denied he killed women and that he was “rat” – an informant against others in the criminal underworld.
James Bulger’s victims included anyone he saw as a threat, prosecutors said, including innocent people in the wrong place at the wrong time.
“This is not some Robin Hood story about a guy who kept angel dust and heroin out of Southie,” prosecutor Fred Wyshak told the jury in closing arguments, referring to the South Boston neighborhood that was his gang’s turf.
James Bulger’s former associates testified against him, saying he threatened anyone who could expose his crime syndicate, and threatened others with pistols and machine guns to force them to hand over cash.
Among other things, he was accused of strangling two women with his bare hands, shooting two chained men in the head after interrogating them for hours, and opening fire on two men as they left a South Boston restaurant.
Defense lawyers sought to portray the key witnesses, all convicted mob members, as pathological liars who were attempting to pin their own crimes on Bulger.
Another witness, real estate developer Richard Buccheri, said the mob boss threatened to kill him and his family if he did not pay $200,000, sticking a shotgun in Buccheri’s mouth.
“Today is a day many in this city thought would never come,” Massachusetts US Attorney Carmen Ortiz said in a press conference after the verdict, which she said marked the end of an “ugly” era in Boston’s history.
“Despite the corruption, we stand here today because of the dogged work of honest and dedicated members of law enforcement.”
James “Whitey” Bulger was featured on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted list for 16 years until he was found living in California with his girlfriend Catherine Greig.
She was sentenced in 2012 to eight years in prison for helping James Bulger evade the law.
He fled Boston in 1994 after a retired FBI agent tipped him off that he was about to be indicted.
His origins in a Boston housing project, his career in the criminal underworld, and his years on the run from the law captivated the city, especially as his younger brother William rose to become president of the state Senate.
James Bulger’s disappearance was a major embarrassment for the FBI, especially after it was alleged in court that he and his gang paid off several FBI agents and state and Boston police officers, offering cash and cases of fine wine in exchange for information on search warrants and wiretaps.
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Controversial Derbyshire housing and business park plan thrown out after scores of objections
The proposed site of the Bullsmoor development
Plans for a new business park and 150 houses near Belper have been kicked out after a public inquiry – the scheme would have created more than 650 jobs.
The controversial development, put forward by Peveril Homes Ltd and Vaillant Group UK Ltd, would have been built in fields off Nottingham Road – on land known locally as Bullsmoor.
Plans for the site, 23 acres to the rear of the firm’s existing factory, at which domestic boilers are made, came before the Amber Valley Borough Council planning board in November.
The scheme was divided into two applications, one for 150 houses and a factory extension, and the other for the business park.
It faced fierce opposition from the public and Mid-Derbyshire MP Pauline Latham due to its location within the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site Buffer Zone. An objection was also made by Historic England.
In total, 105 members of the public submitted letters objecting to the overall scheme.
A public inquiry was held for seven days from April 10 at Ripley Town Hall.
Yesterday, government planning inspector Colin Ball, revealed his decision on the overall scheme.
He stated that planning permission for the developments should be refused due to the “serious harm” which they would have on the area.
Mr Ball stated that any benefits from the scheme were outweighed by this damage.
He wrote: “The development proposal would cause serious harm to the unchanged historic countryside into which the pioneering industrial development was inserted and which now provides a valued rural landscape setting for the built development.
“Being able to appreciate the 18th/19th century industrial complexes in an 18th/19th century landscape is an important attribute of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site.
“Taking account of the negative impact on the significance of Pottery Farm (a Grade II-listed farm site to the north of the site on Kilbourne Road) and the setting of the Belper and Milford Conservation Area, the loss of part of the valued landscape would reduce the authenticity of that attribute, causing permanent and irreversible damage to the outstanding universal value and significance of one of the country’s most valuable heritage assets.”
He did concede that building of 150 houses, of which 45 would be affordable housing, presented clear benefits and addressed a significant shortfall in supply, but that this was not enough to overturn the negative impacts.
Mr Ball continued “On balance, giving significant weight to the identified harm to the World Heritage Site and the other heritage assets, I consider that the public benefits of the proposed development do not outweigh that harm.”
The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, James Brokenshire MP, could still overrule the decision of the planning inspector.
Eddie Bisknell , Local Democracy Reporting Service
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Casting announced for West End transfer of Show Boat
by Best of Theatre Staff on Friday 18 March 2016, 9:53 am in Cast Changes and Announcements
Malcolm Sinclair (Capt. Andy Hawks) and Chris Peluso (Gaylord Ravenal) will join original Sheffield cast members Gina Beck (Magnolia Hawks), Lucy Briers (Parthy Ann Hawks), Rebecca Trehearn (Julia La Verne), Emmanuel Kojo (Joe), Sandra Marvin (Queenie), Alex Young (Ellie May Chipley) and Danny Collins (Frank Schultz) in the West End cast of Daniel Evans’ five star production of Show Boat.
They are joined by John Coates, Adam Dutton, Kit Esuruoso, Nolan Frederick, Linford Johnson, Javar La’Trail Parker, Kate Milner-Evans, Maria Omakinwa, Ryan Pidgen, Mykal Rand, Leo Roberts, Tosh Wanogho-Maud, Christina Bennington, Victoria Hinde, Linda John-Pierre and Simbi Akande, Georgie Ashford, Laura Darton, Joshua Da Costa, Dale Evans and Tom Partridge.
Daniel Evans’ sell-out Sheffield Crucible production of Show Boat transfers to the West End in April with the first preview at the New London Theatre on 9 April 2016 and press night on Monday 25 April 2016. Show Boat is booking to 7 January 2017.
Music is by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II based on the novel Show Boat by Edna Ferber. Designs are by Lez Brotherston with choreography by Alistair David, musical supervision and direction by David White, lighting by David Hersey, sound by Paul Groothuis and video design by Tim Reid.
Show Boat is produced in the West End by David Ian with Bob Bartner and Norman Tulchin.
One of the most romantic musicals of all time and set against the backdrop of America’s Deep South at the turn of the 20th Century, Show Boat tells a powerful story of freedom, loyalty and, above all love. Spanning 40 pivotal years in American history, this epic musical follows the lives and loves of three generations aboard the Cotton Blossom show boat as it plies the Mississippi River and features the timeless songs Ol’ Man River, Make Believe and Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man.
Malcolm Sinclair (Capt. Andy Hawks) has most recently been seen in The Meeting at Hampstead Theatre. His other extensive theatre credits include Temple, Ivanov and Privates on Parade for the Donmar Warehouse, Quartermaine’s Terms at Wyndham’s Theatre, The Doctor’s Dilemma, The Habit of Art, The Power of Yes, The History Boys, Luther, Richard III, House/Garden and Racing Demon, all for the National Theatre, Rosmersholm and Heartbreak House at the Almeida, Dealer’s Choice at the Menier Chocolate Factory, Journey’s End at the Playhouse Theatre and My Fair Lady at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. His film credits include The Man Who Knew Infinity, Survivor, A Belfast Story, The Young Victoria, Casino Royale and V for Vendetta. On television his work includes Virtuoso, Tubby and Enid, Worricker, Silk, Henry V, Parade’s End and Midsomer Murders.
Chris Peluso (Gaylord Ravenal) has recently been seen at the Prince Edward Theatre playing Chris in Miss Saigon when he made his West End debut. Previously his Broadway credits include Beautiful The Carole King Musical, Assassins, Elton John’s Lestat and Mamma Mia! His other US theatre credits include The Glorious Ones at the Lincoln Center, Wicked on tour, West Side Story for the Barrington Stage Company, Les Misérables in Chicago, Bonnie and Clyde at La Jolla Playhouse, Romeo and Juliet at the Gulfshore Playhouse and Miss Saigon at the Music Theatre, Wichita.
Gina Beck’s (Magnolia Hawks) theatre credits include the role of Glinda in Wicked both in the West End and on tour in the US, Christine in The Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty’s Theatre and Cosette in Les Misérables at the Queen’s Theatre, Far From The Madding Crowd at The Watermill Theatre, The Kissing Dance at the Jermyn Street Theatre, I Love You , You're Perfect, Now Change at the Arts Theatre Upstairs, Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris at the Charing Cross Theatre, The Belle’s Stratagem at Southwark Playhouse, Peter Pan for Birmingham Rep and Imagine This for Plymouth Theatre Royal. On television, her work includes Doctors, The Return of Sherlock Holmes, The Crust and Dogma and on film, Les Misérables. Beck performed The Phantom of the Opera duet at Andrew Lloyd Webber's 60th birthday concert in Hyde Park and also performed as a soloist in the 25th Anniversary Concert of Les Misérables at the O2 arena.
Lucy Briers’ (Parthy) theatre credits include The Seagull and Ivanov for Chichester Festival Theatre, Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies for the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Aldwych Theatre and on Broadway, Top Girls for Chichester Festival Theatre/Duke of York’s Theatre/Out of Joint, Behud for Soho Theatre, Bedroom Farce and Miss Julie at the Rose Theatre, Kingston, Ivanov at the Donmar Warehouse, Sexual Perversity in Chicago for Norwich Theatre Royal, Some Kind of Bliss at Trafalgar Studios/Brits off Broadway, Catch for the Royal Court Theatre and The Voysey Inheritance for the National Theatre. On television her work includes Count Arthur Strong, Our Girl, Dark Matters, DCI Banks, The Thick of It, Twenty Twelve, Ashes to Ashes, Einstein and Eddington, The Green Green Grass, Bodies, Fathers and Sons, Shadow Play, Wives and Daughters, Pride and Prejudice, Brittas Empire and Red Dwarf, and on film, Genius, Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa, The Children of Men and Perks.
Rebecca Trehearn’s (Julie La Verne) theatre credits include Alfie the Musical at the Palace Theatre, Watford, We Will Rock You at the Dominion Theatre, Dirty Dancing at the Aldwych Theatre, Aspects of Love at the Menier Chocolate Factory, Love Story at the Duchess Theatre, Bernarda Alba at the Union Theatre, Ghost on UK national tour, Dogfight at Southwark Playhouse and City of Angels at the Donmar Warehouse. On television her credits are Casualty, A470 and Dim Ond Y Gwir.
Emmanuel Kojo’s (Joe) theatre credits include Kiss Me Kate on tour in the UK tour and Scottsboro Boys at the Garrick Theatre.
Sandra Marvin’s (Queenie) theatre credits include City of Angels at the Donmar Warehouse, Hairspray at the Shaftesbury Theatre and on tour in the UK and Ireland, Chicago at Leicester Curve, Ragtime and A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, Porgy and Bess at the Savoy Theatre, The New Yorkers at Sadler’s Wells, Cool Hand Luke at Aldwych Theatre and A Rake’s Progress at the Royal Opera House. Her film credits include the upcoming Florence Foster Jenkins. Marvin has performed with Kate Bush in Before the Dawn, her 22 date residency at the Eventim Hammersmith Apollo, and she also recorded vocals for The Charlatans new album, Modern Nature, and last year joined them on their 2015 tour.
Alex Young’s (Ellie May Chipley) theatre credits include Bette Midler and Me at The Gilded Balloon, Edinburgh Fringe, Anything Goes for Sheffield Crucible and on tour in the UK, I Can’t Sing at the London Palladium, High Society on tour in the UK tour, The Sound of Music at Kilworth House and Femme Fatale at Upstairs at the Gatehouse.
Danny Collins’ (Frank Schultz) theatre credits include Matthew Bourne's The Car Man, Edward Scissorhands, Sleeping Beauty, Play Without Words, Nutcracker!, Cinderella and Swan Lake. His other theatre credits include Kiss Me Kate for the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, Drunk at The Bridewell Theatre, Slaughter! and Be Mine for the McOnie Company, Dance:Radio at The Roundhouse, London and Latitude Festival, On The Town at Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris and The Coliseum with the ENO, London, Sinatra on tour in the UK, The Wizard of Oz at the Southampton Mayflower and La Traviata at Birmingham Opera Company. His film and television credits include Matthew Bourne’s Christmas and Search for John Gissing.
Multi award-winning Daniel Evans took over as Artistic Director of Sheffield Theatres in 2009 and in June this year he steps down to take over as Artistic Director of Chichester Festival Theatre. As a director at Sheffield Theatres his productions include The Effect, Anything Goes, Oliver!, This Is My Family, The Full Monty, My Fair Lady, Macbeth, Othello, Racing Demon as part of The David Hare Season and An Enemy of the People – the opening production of his inaugural season. As an actor, his work for the company includes Company, The Pride, Cloud Nine and The Tempest. An award-winning actor and director, Evans’ work includes Sunday in the Park with George for the Menier Chocolate Factory, Wyndham’s Theatre and on Broadway - a role for which he won his second Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical and a Tony Award nomination. His additional extensive credits include work with the Donmar Warehouse, Royal Shakespeare Company, Royal Court Theatre and National Theatre. Evans is a Fellow of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
Show Boat tickets
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Checkatrade Trophy Matches To Be Broadcast On iFollow
Blackpool's Round Two Fixture Against Mansfield To Be Streamed Live
The EFL has confirmed that matches taking place from Round Two of this season’s Checkatrade Trophy will be broadcast to fans in the UK and overseas via the EFL’s live streaming platform, iFollow.
It means that fans at home and abroad will be able to watch their team live on screen no matter where they are based, with all ties up until the conclusion of the Quarter-Finals scheduled to be streamed online. The Semi-Finals and Final will then be screened live on Sky Sports.
Round Two ties are being made available at a set price of £5, while any existing annual or monthly iFollow subscribers will be given access for free.
This development has been made possible due to the recently announced domestic broadcast agreement with Sky, whereby EFL Clubs have been granted the rights to stream Checkatrade Trophy games to a domestic audience from the start of the 2019/20 season. That opportunity has now been brought forward to take effect from this season’s competition.
In addition, Round Two matches of the Checkatrade Trophy will be used as the start of a trial to consider enhancements to the iFollow offer, as the EFL starts planning to increase the quality of coverage and production values ahead of the 2018/19 campaign.
EFL Chief Executive Shaun Harvey said: “The ability to live stream EFL matches is an exciting new innovation that is already having a major impact for overseas fans of EFL Clubs since we launched iFollow ahead of the 2017/18 season.
“This opportunity is being extended to UK-based fans from next season, as we develop plans to deliver live domestic streaming for any non-Saturday 3pm league and live TV games.
“It therefore presents supporters in the UK with a great opportunity to get a taster of the online match day experience and follow their team as the competition nears its conclusion at Wembley on Sunday 8 April.
“I am confident that this latest development will bring the competition to a new audience as interest and excitement grows throughout the knock-out stages.”
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You Are Here: Home → 2011 → September → 9 → Bayan Muna tells Aquino to slow down on plans to forge new deals with China
Bayan Muna tells Aquino to slow down on plans to forge new deals with China
Ina Alleco Silverio September 9, 2011 Benigno Aquino III, Gloria Arroyo, NBN-ZTE project, neri colmenares, Northrail Development Project, ZTE
By INA ALLECO R. SILVERIO
In the wake of President Benigno Aquino III’s exuberant report regarding his supposedly successful business and diplomatic trip to China, Bayan Muna Representative Neri Colmenares said the president should not be too eager to forge new deals.
Aquino led a delegation of almost 300 business leaders on a trip to China last August 30 to September 3 in the hopes of securing Chinese investments in manufacturing, railways, shipyards, mining and tourism.
Colmenares warned the Aquino administration to be circumspect before forging another broadband and Northrail deal with China. He said China should first investigate the anomalies concerning the 2007 National Broadband Network (NBN-ZTE) broadband deal as well as the contract on the North Rail project.
On April 21, 2007, the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo government signed a $329 million National Broadband Network (NBN) deal with China’s ZTE Corp. The project was for the installation of a telecommunications network linking government offices throughout the country. It was finalized in China and signed by then Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza and ZTE vice president Yu Yong, and witnessed by Arroyo herself.
Subsequent investigations in the senate revealed that the project was overpriced by about $130 million to cover commissions. Accused of involvement in the corruption scam were former First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo, ex-Commission on Elections chairman Benjamin Abalos and the former president herself.
“The Chinese government was aware of the bloated overpricing and other irregularities in the NBN-ZTE deal; this is why it did not even raise a whimper when former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo cancelled it.
Recently, the Chinese government immediately agreed for a renegotiation of the Northrail contract which was heavily favorable to China to the disadvantage of the Philippines,” Colmenares said.
The previous ZTE-NBN and NorthRail deals
The Northrail Project, a deal financed by a disadvantageous loan of around $ 503 million from the Export-Import Bank of China and awarded to Chinese contractors, was overpriced and allegedly involved some $ 50 to 100 million in commissions and kickbacks to high-ranking government officials. Phase 1 of the Northrail project is the 32-kilometer stretch between Caloocan City and Malolos city in Bulacan.
In 2005, estimated costs as per the contract were pegged at $503 million. in 2008, it was reported however that since January 2005, the then Macapagal-Arroyo government has been paying around $400,000 in monthly interest fees.By 2008, the total cost of the project amounted to at least $ 802 million.
The lawmaker said while the Aquino government has declared its willingness to go after the culprits behind the aforementioned anomalous contracts, the the Chinese government should also reciprocate the move.
According to witnesses, ZTE officials participated in meetings with Filipino officials where commissions and irregularities were discussed.
“ZTE officials Yu Yong and Fen Yang refused to cooperate with our investigations when the Arroyo administration was still in power. The ZTE officials must be investigated by China. ZTE must not be allowed to conduct business here while it’s led by the same individuals who were involved in irregularities,” he said.
“The Aquino government should be very careful in dealing with companies that have been involved in corruption before because it it doesn’t, then it might well be repeating the mistakes and abuses committed by its predecessor.”
Treasonous oil exploration project with China
On a related matter, the lawmakers said government plans to push for a joint oil exploration project with China was tantamount to treason. Colmenares was referring to the Aquino administration’s agreement to allow Chinese government-owned firm Sino Petroleum Corp. to conduct oil exploration in the disputed Spratly Islands in the West Philippine Sea.
Trade Undersecretary Cristino Panlilio has previously explained that under the agreement, China promises to invest $50 billion over the next five years.
Colmenares said because of the Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking (JMSU), the Philippines provided China as well as Vietnam with valuable intelligence and data on the location of oil and natural gas reserves in the Spratlys. This information reportedly led China to be more aggressive in putting up structures in the area.
“I pointedly asked Sec. Jose Almendras during the Department of Energy (DOE) budget hearing if the JMSU gave intelligence information to China and he repeatedly answered in the affirmative. The Spratlys dispute was essentially spurred by the JMSU signed by then Pres. Arroyo. While the AFP is asking for billions of pesos to modernize their equipment ostensibly using the Spratlys dispute as basis, the DTI is working to give intelligence information to China. This is treason!”, he insisted.
Colmenares said Bayan Muna will stand against any plan for a joint exploration project with China and he urged the Supreme Court to immediately address the petition Bayan Muna filed three years ago. The petition challenges the JMSU agreement with China and Vietnam and calls for its revocation.
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Robert Lewandowski was inducted into the Guinness Book of Records at a special prize-giving in Munich. - © © gettyimages / Preiss
Lewandowski enters Guinness World Record Books
FC Bayern München goal machine Robert Lewandowski was presented with no less than four Guinness World Record certificates on Monday.
Click here to watch the highlights of Lewandowski's record-breaking evening
The Poland international takes his place in the history books after scoring the fastest ever hat-trick, four- and five-goal salvos (four, five and six minutes respectively) and most goals by a substitute (five) in Bayern’s famous 5-1 win over VfL Wolfsburg on 22 September.
'Belongs to the whole team'
"You can watch it over and over again," Lewandowski said at a special prize-giving ceremony in Munich. "It was a great evening for me, a historic evening. It will remain in the fans' memories forever, and mine too. I didn't have too much time to think about what I had done. My wife, my family and my friends were happier than me. I didn't really realise what had happened. I didn't play on my own against Wolfsburg, though. The record belongs to the whole team."
Guinness World Records is the world’s authority on record-breaking achievements.
Click here for our site dedicated to the legend that is #Lewangoalski.
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Facebook cofounder Chris Hughes reveals how a walk with Mark Zuckerberg changed his life — and the strange feeling he had when he suddenly became extremely wealthy at age 29
Richard Feloni and Daniel Richards
Feb. 23, 2018, 12:03 PM
Chris Hughes is fighting for a guaranteed income for Americans with his organization the Economic Security Project.
Sarah Jacobs/Business Insider
Chris Hughes rose to prominence as a cofounder of Facebook and the director of online organizing for Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign.
His new book, "Fair Shot," is part memoir, part policy proposal.
Through his organization the Economic Security Council, he's advocating for a monthly check of $500 for Americans making under $50,000, to be funded by those in the highest income bracket.
He said his early successes, as well as his failure with the New Republic magazine, has shaped his approach to this latest venture.
Chris Hughes had the good fortune of making it to Harvard, and the even better fortune of being Mark Zuckerberg's roommate.
As the most outgoing of the Facebook cofounders — Zuckerberg called him "the Empath" — he was responsible for getting the social network's first press coverage, and helping develop the site's user experience.
We spoke with Hughes, who just came out with a new book, " Fair Shot," for our podcast, " Success! How I Did It."
Hughes worked at Facebook for only three years, but his 2% stake in the company made him $500 million. And while he came from a solidly middle-class family in North Carolina and had an elite education, nothing could have prepared a kid in his 20s for suddenly becoming rich.
After leaving Facebook, Hughes decided to join the 2008 presidential campaign of a freshman senator from Illinois named Barack Obama. When Obama became president, the media was quick to call Hughes a tech prodigy, a force behind both the biggest social network and an inspirational new commander-in-chief. Hughes and his future husband, Sean Eldridge, a marriage-equality activist, were a celebrated power couple.
So when Hughes bought the magazine The New Republic in 2012 and soon found himself in over his head, it was all the more dramatic to see an onslaught of public attacks toward him. The bright young hero of tech and progressive politics was now cast as a disconnected, clueless Silicon Valley elitist ruining a beloved source of journalism. He sold the magazine after four years.
Things have had a chance to cool down and he's back. Hughes' new book is a chance for him to tell his version of his story, and to explain why he is now dedicating his life to achieving a guaranteed income in the US. His ideal is a country where working people making less than $50,000 receive a monthly check for $500. People in the highest income bracket, like him, would foot the bill.
When we spoke, it became clear he's not just latching onto a trend. It's something he's connected to his unexpected career path, and an evolving idea of what it means to be successful.
Listen to the full episode here:
Subscribe to " Success! How I Did It" on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, or your favorite podcast app. Check out previous episodes with:
KPMG chairman Lynne Doughtie and Craigslist founder Craig Newmark
Deloitte chairman and CEO Janet Foutty and Salesforce president Cindy Robbins
Microsoft's EVP for business development, Peggy Johnson
"Shark Tank" star and FUBU founder Daymond John
Barstool Sports CEO Erika Nardini
The following transcript has been edited for clarity.
Feloni: Your new book, " Fair Shot," is largely a policy book, but it's also a personal statement. Why is that?
Hughes: My story, in many ways, illustrates the unfairness at the heart of the American economy today. I grew up in a middle-class household in a little town in North Carolina called Hickory. My mom was a public-school teacher, dad was a traveling salesman, and I got financial aid to go to a great boarding school, and then later on to Harvard.
Then I had the good fortune of rooming with Mark Zuckerberg, and we started Facebook in 2004. And that story has been written. It exploded in popularity and became one of the largest companies in the world.
As a result, I made a boatload of money for three years' worth of work, and as much as people might want to see the American dream in that, I actually think it's indicative of the fact that a small number of people are getting extremely lucky, while 99% of everybody else is working hard and is having a harder and harder time to make ends meet, and we have the power to change it.
Feloni: You're known for Facebook and for your involvement in the Obama campaign. With all stories about you, do you think this is a chance for you to tell your story the way you see it? Did you feel misunderstood before this?
Hughes: Well, in the years after Facebook's IPO in particular, my husband and I came into this immense wealth, and for a little while we thought our case was just totally unique, that I'd experienced a lucky break. And over time I've come to believe that that's not actually right. My case may be extreme, but it's actually not that uncommon. Millions of people in that 1% are consistently getting very lucky — not because they're winning lotteries, but because we've structured an economy that creates these windfalls for a select few, and everybody else has a harder and harder time.
As I became more aware of that, I felt like using my example to illustrate what's happening more broadly at work in the economy.
A fateful conversation with Zuckerberg
Mark Zuckerberg founded Facebook at Harvard in 2004.
Jason McELweenie/Flickr
Feloni: I found it interesting that you really embrace this idea of right place, right time. Do you ever wonder what things would have been like if you ended up in a different dorm in Harvard?
Hughes: I mean, suffice to say, my life would be very, very different. I'm really proud of the work I did at Facebook. I worked for three years on communications, marketing, and product development. But the economic reward, if you will, that I got for three years' worth of work, was just totally disproportionate with the time put in. There's no doubt my life would have taken a very different route, and I could very well just be one of the 99 percenters, working hard, and not able to make ends meet. But that is how the economy is working today. These small decisions, small conversations like the one I talk about in the book, where Mark Zuckerberg and I went on a walk a couple of months after Facebook had launched and we had an equity conversation. I came out of the gate saying, "I want 10% of the company."
Feloni: It was a rainy day, right?
Hughes: It was a raining night. It was a perfect way to have the conversation. He was stressed; I was stressed. It was not the best setup. I made the case for 10%. He said, "I don't think you've earned that much." I caved pretty fast, and in the book I say it was at once a spectacular failure of negotiation and also the most successful conversation of my life, because that 2% of Facebook ended up being worth nearly half a billion dollars a decade later.
But what keeps happening in this economy is these small chance events have these outsized impacts, because there's a snowballing effect, because of the winner-take-all kind of system. So that what seemed like passing conversations in the rain, in college, can have these outsized effects. That's a new phenomenon. Never before in history have 20-somethings been able to create these companies.
I mean, Facebook is now worth $500 billion, and in just over the course of 14 or 15 years. And I think something structurally is at work that's making that possible, and it's those same forces that are causing income inequality to be at record highs, and median wages to be flat.
Facebook cofounders Dustin Moskovitz, Hughes, and Zuckerberg in their Harvard dorm.
Mark Zuckerberg/Facebook
Feloni: At what point did you realize the weight of that conversation on your life?
Hughes: There was never one particular moment afterward. Facebook just kept growing, and in some sense the goalposts kept moving. We had 6,000 people at Harvard on it. We're like, "Well, this is amazing. We have to open it up to other schools and see if they're interested." Then people from those schools flooded in, and over time we went from college students to everyone, the general population — later international.
There was a moment, I guess a couple of years, in 2006, when Yahoo offered us $1 billion to buy the company. I'm not sure: I guess I would have been 21, 22 years old, let's say.
Feloni: A billion dollars, yeah, at 21.
Hughes: Well, yeah, I mean it was a billion dollars for the company.
Feloni: Sure, sure.
Hughes: It was a lot of money at a very young age. The question at the time was, "Do we take this or do we not?" Mark and the board made the decision not to, and then all of a sudden, the kind of goalposts — you know, if you'd asked me two years before that, if we were offered $1 billion for Facebook, clearly that's the definition of success. There's no question that that would have been a good decision. But Mark made the right call, and the goalposts moved yet again.
To answer your question more directly, there was never one particular moment where we realized how enormous Facebook would become. There were just a series of moments when it just got bigger and bigger and bigger. It continually reset my expectations and, I think, our collective expectations.
Feloni: Was there ever a time where you could have imagined something as wild as discussions in 2018 about the company's effect on democracy as a whole?
Hughes: In 2004, no, but later on, yes. I mean, some of the structural problems that Facebook is investing in, finding solutions for, now, have been a long time coming. I mean, the "filter bubble" — a friend, Eli Pariser, coined the term and wrote the book on that— and that was years and years ago.
So in 2004, in the early days, Facebook was an experiment, if you will: a dorm-room project that exploded. And then the real hard work was not so much in coming up with that initial idea — it was in scaling the network over time. And to be clear, again, I was there for three years. When I left Facebook, it had 18 million users. Today, there are 2 billion. So the vast majority of that work has been done since I left. But initially, I think there was a sense of experimentation and openness. But I think Facebook's role in the world now, it has been on this trajectory for a while. And with the growth and with the level of the intense relationships that people have with the platform, just the amount of time that they use it, comes a great responsibility. I think the company is increasingly recognizing that.
Obama's tech guy on the campaign trail
Hughes was drawn to Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama even when he still seemed like a long shot.
Keith Bedford/Reuters
Feloni: The next major chapter in your life was joining Obama's 2008 campaign. What persuaded you to move to Chicago for that?
Hughes: I loved working at Facebook, but it wasn't a religion for me in the same way it was for Mark. And I think to be able to be in the trenches and have the resilience and the dedication — with any startup, really — you have to believe in the mission of it. Almost with a kind of religious zeal.
And I enjoyed working on Facebook, but I felt in many ways inspired by Obama's campaign message. But also galvanized to put our country back on track. If you remember back in 2007, seven to eight years of George W. Bush, massive tax cuts that mostly went to the wealthy, invasion of Afghanistan, Iraq. I mean, it was incomparable to the moment that we live in now, but it felt like a darker time, and Obama held immense promise and inspired me, just like he inspired a whole generation of Americans and people on the left and some on the right.
I decided to move to Chicago to throw my hat in and see if we could use some of the things that I learned at Facebook and elsewhere to create a campaign that would be powered from the grassroots up. Grassroots campaigns have been something that have been talked about a lot of the time, but particularly at a presidential level, it's really the hub-and-spoke model that was how they were organized.
Obama had been a community organizer, wanted to experiment to see what might be possible with more of a grassroots approach. So I came onboard pretty early and over the following couple of years, just specifically, digitally, we ended up having several million people engage with the campaign, many of whom were on the social network. Lots of them organized events and groups and raised money, and it really became a kind of digital community of sorts, in a way that that truly exceeded my expectations, and I think our collective expectations.
Feloni: And did you think from day one that he had a real shot at being president?
Hughes: I did.
Feloni: You did?
Hughes: Yeah, and in retrospect, it's like, "What was I thinking?" But the crazy became possible. That really was the lesson for me, from both of those early career experiences, that what seems impossible was actually more possible than we thought.
Feloni: Following Obama's win, Fast Company proclaimed you " The Kid Who Made Obama President." What did you think of that when you saw that on the cover?
Hughes: I mean, "exaggeration" is an understatement. It was crazy. I mean, you've got to sell magazines. I understand why headlining is often aspirational, let's say.
But people would — particularly after the Obama campaign, when Facebook and Obama were both very fresh in people's minds — people would treat me like I had the Facebook fairy dust, to just come in and sprinkle! And I remember speaking to a group of ophthalmologists, for some reason, and they wanted to know how to use social media. They definitely left the speech a little disappointed, because I didn't have some magic solution to whatever problem they were facing. I have no idea what problems they were facing.
So anyway, I think that there was a sense that people were excited about the changes happening in the technological landscape, but also were expecting a cult of genius around me or a lot of other people, which was more a figment of imagination than reality.
A lot of that felt overstated at the time. I mean, it felt like I was the knight in shining armor in some sense, so then a few years later, when I had a lot of press coverage in the opposite direction, to be honest, that too felt a little too far, a little too extreme.
Buying into a ditch
When Hughes' plans for The New Republic magazine didn't work out, he made a legion of angry critics in the media.
REUTERS/Adam Hunger
Feloni: On that note, you buy The New Republic magazine, in 2012. You end up investing $25 million over four years before selling it, and yeah, you made some enemies in the process, as you describe in the book. Do you regret it?
Hughes: I regret some of the decisions that I made. I mean, I came in guns blazing. I really — I loved the journalism that the New Republic had done for decades, nearly a century at that point, and really believed that more people should be reading it.
I took those early lessons from Facebook and the Obama campaign and set really unrealistic goals. Those goals I do regret. I wanted to take the journalism and move it to an audience of millions, or tens of millions, and, in the process, skipped over the fact that The New Republic was a small print magazine with a circulation of 35,000 when I bought it.
And I think I would have been better served and the institution would have been better served had I adapted more modest means to the enterprise. If I'd invested that kind of money, but over a longer period, and instead of trying to reach tens of millions all of a sudden with a somewhat niche kind of magazine, trying to reach a smaller and more engaged audience.
I'm extremely proud of a lot of the journalism that we did. I think we made a lot of good progress, but I also think I could have made better decisions, and I carry a lot of those lessons forward into the work that I'm doing now. I mean, that's why I didn't start an organization to campaign for UBI right off the bat.
A fight for a guaranteed income
Feloni: I want to step back for a second. So UBI: universal basic income. At what point did this become the issue that you wanted to dedicate yourself to?
Hughes: Even before Facebook's IPO, to be honest. I sold the first tranche of stock on the private markets in 2008. I sold a million dollars' worth of stock, and my parents had taught me to tithe. I grew up in a pretty religious household and they tithed religiously. Every month, they took 10% of their income and gave it away, and so I, all of a sudden, in 2008, had $100,000 that I wanted to give away.
It turns out when you start on that road, there are no shortage of causes, but it's sometimes hard to figure out what's the most effective thing to invest in. Over the years I did a lot of work, talked to a lot of different nonprofit leaders, made a lot of different investments, but really came through GiveDirectly, this program that works internationally, to understand that if you look at the research, cash — providing people with money, no strings attached— has all of these secondary benefits, like improving education and health outcomes, and leading people to be less stressed.
So that's how I got on the cash wagon, if you will, and then I began to learn much more about its power here domestically, and that's how I ended up fighting for a guaranteed income.
So UBI is a big-picture ideal that motivates a lot of people, including myself, to think about 2030, 2040, in the future. Today, however, I think a guaranteed income of $500 a month to people who make $50,000 or less — so a more modest starter version, if you will — is what's most required. And that's because I believe that a guaranteed income is the most powerful way to combat income inequality.
Feloni: In 2016 you cofounded the Economic Security Project, the vehicle for your ideas on a guaranteed income. What is that organization?
Hughes: The idea with the Economic Security Project is to convene as many smart people as possible, to ask big questions about "How do we provide financial security to all Americans using cash?"
Hughes is working with Stockton, California, mayor Michael Tubbs on a guaranteed-income experiment.
Steve Jennings/Getty Images
We have a lot of people in our network who come from a background of advocating for UBI, but we also have folks who want to put a price on carbon and distribute the revenue as a dividend. And we also invest money in a lot of nonprofits and social entrepreneurs, and doing things like the demonstration that we're doing in Stockton, California, where we're providing a guaranteed income in conjunction with the mayor, to many Stocktonians. So that's kind of the stuff we do.
Feloni: An interesting thing about this notion of guaranteed income is that it has supporters on the left, very leftist supporters of it, all the way to libertarians on the right. It basically covers a full spectrum. Would you be OK if there were some form of a guaranteed income passed, just not the one that you're advocating in the book?
Hughes: Well, I mean, listen, I have a general openness. There are lots of different ways to do a guaranteed income, and I think that, I mean I make the case for one particular one. There are others that I'm also interested in and supportive of. The place where I do draw the line is cashing in the existing safety nets.
So, my view is that the social safety net that we have now — food stamps, unemployment insurance, housing vouchers — is woefully underfunded. We live in a time when it's undergoing historic assaults, really, I mean, by the Trump administration and congressional Republicans. And I think those are incredibly important to defend against. And, if anything, the safety net should be expanded.
The guaranteed income I see as working in tandem with those benefits, not replacing them. That's where I draw a pretty clear line of an approach I don't think would be, on balance, workable. It would be effectively taking money from the people who need it most and redistributing it upwards, which I don't think stays true to the values of the guaranteed income movement.
Feloni: What does your political future look like?
Hughes: I don't have any future in politics!
Feloni: OK, it's just from an advocacy standpoint then?
Hughes: Entirely from an advocacy perspective, yeah.
Feloni: So, as you're taking this opportunity to look at your entire career, you're thinking about how you've been in the spotlight with all your ups and downs, what has your career taught you about the notion of success?
Hughes: Well, I definitely don't think there's one way of having success. I made a lot of money at a young age, but I didn't feel in connection to the work that I put in. So success I feel like for me is having an opportunity to work on what I want to work on, and hopefully having an impact on the world as part of the process. But even that is a more modest kind of definition, I guess, than others might have.
Feloni: Is this an opportunity to own your story when, as we were saying, others tried to make you into someone else?
Hughes: I don't know. I feel like I've always owned my story. I don't know about that. I mean, people are going to say all kinds of things.
Feloni: Sure.
Hughes: Good things, negative things, and I feel like you've got to stay focused on — I have to stay focused on what I care about most. That's the work that I do on a day-to-day basis, and, of course, my family. And as long as I'm focused on the impact that I want to have through work, through my family, then I'll be fine.
Feloni: At the end of the book, at the time you were writing, you were expecting the birth of your son. So how —
Hughes with his husband, Sean Eldridge, and their son.
Chris Hughes/Facebook
Hughes: He's here! He's 2 months old now.
Feloni: Congratulations!
Hughes: Thank you.
Feloni: Has that changed your perspective on your life and what you want to accomplish?
Hughes: I'm like a lot of new parents in feeling extremely fortunate, very lucky, and also a little overwhelmed. Yeah. I mean, having a son has been an incredible experience. I feel like my learning curve has not been this steep in a very long time, but it's really wonderful and something I wouldn't trade for the world — the most fulfilling thing that I've been able to experience so far.
Feloni: How are you thinking of, as you're raising your son, what values do you want to instill? You're starting at a different place from where you started. How are you viewing that?
Hughes: I think the most important thing is that he have a sense of responsibility to the people around him. In the book, I dedicate it to my parents, and specifically for teaching me that no one is invisible. Much of it was through the prism of religion, but not exclusively. They really taught me to always see and not just see, but in seeing, care about and think about the roles that other people are playing in the world, and what I can do to be of use.
That is so hard-coded into me that it just feels like the language that I speak, and I hope that I'm able to pass that along to our son.
Feloni: Well, thank you so much, Chris.
SEE ALSO: Before Daymond John became a millionaire investor on 'Shark Tank,' he was waiting tables at Red Lobster and talking his way onto LL Cool J's music video sets
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Home » News » Greek wizard of wood helps top timber company develop new products
A tree expert from Greece is helping one of the UK’s top timber companies develop new products.
Athanasias Dimitriou is the wizard of wood who is spending two years with Ruthin-based Clifford Jones Timber, the UK’s biggest producer of wooden fence posts, as they look to diversify their business.
Clifford Jones have teamed up with Bangor University and have welcomed Greek National Dr Athanasios Dimitriou to work with them in Ruthin. Pictured: Dr Athanasios Dimitriou in one of the work areas of the site
His work with the company is part of an ongoing partnership Clifford Jones Timber have with Bangor University to develop new products.
Athanasios, 27, from Karditsa, in Thessaly, central Greece, has a Ph D in Wood Science from Bangor which he says is one of the UK’s leading universities in the field.
He is joining Clifford Jones Timber as part of the Knowledge Transfer Partnership scheme and he said: “It’s a collaboration between the company and the university to try and add value to home-grown timber.
“Growing conditions are so good here in Wales that the trees like spruce grow much more quickly than they do in Scandinavia and Canada which are much colder.
“An annual ring of growth in Wales is two centimetres while in Sweden it could be just a couple of millimetres
“That means Welsh timber is ready to cut sooner but it is more subject to stress so if we can find ways of strengthening it the wood will be more useful for the construction industry which develops new markets for Clifford Jones Timber.”
Athanasios is working on heat and chemical treatments that can make the wood more stable and more resistant to water which also means it is less liable to fungal attack.
Clifford Jones Timber chairman Richard Jones said: “We have a long history of partnership with Bangor University which is a centre of excellence for the timber industry.
“We are constantly looking at ways of being innovative so as to open up new markets and so research and development is very important to us.
“It’s brilliant to have Athanasios here with us – he brings a real scientific expertise and a new way of looking at the industry which are very exciting and which is already benefiting us.”
According to Athanasios, the timber industry in Greece has fallen on difficult times in recent years, as has much of the Greek economy, and has mainly involved hardwood for furniture and also the production of MDF.
He said: “Greece is very mountainous and the temperature extremes are much greater – it’s much colder there than here at the moment – so much of it isn’t really suitable for large scale timber production unlike Wales which has very good growing conditions.
“I am very focused on research here and as well as the heat and chemical treatments, Clifford Jones Timber has a laminating facility and I am also looking at ways of bonding the timber in different ways, using the grain in different directions, to make it stronger.”
The laminated timber produced in Ruthin goes chiefly to the leisure industry with major contracts for companies such as Center Parcs and for playgrounds and play equipment.
Laminated timber is particularly suitable for playgrounds because as well as being strong it has a smooth finish but Clifford Jones Timber would like to develop new markets in the construction industry with laminated timber that is as strong as concrete and steel but much lighter.
The company process over 100,000 tons of timber annually at Ruthin and at a plant at Gretna in Scotland and employ over 80 staff.
As well as over two and a half million fence posts a year they make laminated timber for the construction and leisure industries, gates and dried logs and almost 4,000 tons a month of residue from the wood and its bark goes to biomass.
They recently hosted an event as part of the Welsh Government’s Inside Welsh Industry programme to showcase the sustainability and innovation of their processes.
Clifford Jones have teamed up with Bangor University and have welcomed Greek National Dr Athanasios Dimitriou to work with them in Ruthin. Pictured: Dr Athanasios Dimitriou in one of the work areas of the site with Chairman Richard Jones
Richard Jones added: “Our business is very efficient, we maximise what we can recover from the timber we purchase, we don’t produce a ‘waste’ product, everything is utilised. Because of the shortage of home grown timber we have to make the most of everything we buy.”
Clifford Jones Timber was founded in 1948 and is now headed by Richard and commercial director Sarah Jones-Smith, his sister, the third generation of the family.
They send shipments of their fence posts as far afield as the Falkland Islands while other clients for their timber products have included Center Parcs, a luxury treehouse builder, award-winning vineyards and a deck-chair company.
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