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Home / News and Events / The Pan African Farmers’ organization delegation at the Bank to explore areas of collaboration
The Pan African Farmers’ organization delegation at the Bank to explore areas of collaboration
The Pan African Farmers’ Organisation (PAFO) delegation, led by its President, Theo de Jager, paid a courtesy visit to the Bank Group on 30 September 2016 in Abidjan, to explore areas of collaboration with the Bank. The delegation held a series of technical meetings with the Bank’s Agriculture and agroindustry Department (OSAN), the Civil Society Organisation Division (CSO). It also held talks with Bank Group President, Akinwumi Adesina and his cabinet members and reached key agreements including:
Establishing a formal partnership between the Bank and PAFO. The CSO Division and OSAN will represent the Bank.
In the process of developing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), PAFO regional members will share with the Bank best practices of partnership that have worked well with similar institutions.
In the context of these discussions, PAFO would prepare a draft concept note highlighting the way forward, to share with the African Development Bank.
In this regards, President Adesina reiterated the importance of the Bank working with CSOs and stakeholders “in a special way” to implement the High 5s, in particular with farmers’ organisations like PAFO to deliver the High 5s on agriculture transformation.
“Our visit to the African Development Bank today, is an important first. This is the best time to engage with the Bank. We listened to the AfDB’s newly adopted agricultural strategy to transform Africa. This is a great idea for the continent,” Theo de Jager told the Bank’s Communication department, underscoring the relevance and the role the two institutions would play in meeting the Bank’s new vision to “feed Africa” and to increase agricultural production. “We need to build stout partnerships, given the Bank Group’s strong commitment to make agriculture the engine of Africa’s transformation. Our two organizations would work and take advantage of our partnership to meet the goal of feeding Africa through agriculture,” he said.
Theo de Jager also highlighted access to finance, capacity building and technology (ICT) for women farmers and the youth. “We have a special programme to capture the youth and women in agriculture, but it will not be possible without capacity building, access to finance and technology.”
It is worth recollecting that the Bank Group gave a strong signal in engaging with the CSOs, especially with the appointment of a Special Adviser to the President in charge of Civil Society Organisations. In this dynamic, the institution has placed CSOs at the heart of the High 5s. This was the focus of the 2016 Forum during the Annual Meetings in Lusaka, where management held high-level discussions on strengthening dialogue with CSOs concerning the energy, agriculture and youth employment.
PAFO is the continental umbrella platform for the continent’s farmers and producers. The goal of PAFO is to make the voice of the African farmers and producers heard, and to promote their involvement in the drafting and implementation of development policies that affect agriculture and rural development at the continental level. Also in attendance were the representatives of the five sub-regional organisations, including Fatma Ben Rejeb, CEO, PAFO; Eastern Africa: Philip Kiriro (President) and Stephen Muchiri (CEO); Central Africa: Elizabeth Atangana (President) and Gustave Ewole (Executive); Western Africa: Djibo Bagna (President) and Ousseini Ouedraogo (CEO); Southern Africa: Theo de Jager (President and PAFO President) and Ishmael Sunga (CEO); Northern Africa: Abdelmajid Ezzar, Representative of the President and Mamadou Cissokho as a resource person.
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AAP.org > English > About the AAP > News Room > New AAP Guidelines Aim to Prevent Potential Problems from Common Type of Baby Birthmark
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AAP.org > About the AAP > News Room > New AAP Guidelines Aim to Prevent Potential Problems from Common Type of Baby Birthmark
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New AAP Guidelines Aim to Prevent Potential Problems from Common Type of Baby Birthmark
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The American Academy of Pediatrics' first infantile hemangioma clinical practice guideline discourages the traditional "wait and see" approach. Instead, the report calls for early identification of certain hemangiomas that may cause scarring or medical problems. The goal: prompt treatment - when needed - for best outcomes.
In its first-ever clinical practice guideline for infantile hemangiomas, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) calls for a shift in approach to the common, bright red or bruise-like birthmarks that appear shortly after a baby is born. Infantile hemangiomas, the most common benign (non-cancerous) tumor of childhood, usually are harmless and start to go away on their own after a period of rapid growth. The AAP emphasizes that early identification and monitoring is essential, however, to allow for timely treatment that can prevent medical complications or permanent disfigurement.
The report, "Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Infantile Hemangiomas," will be published in the January 2019 Pediatrics (available online Dec. 24). It marks the first time the AAP has developed guidelines for these birthmarks, clusters of extra blood vessels that appear on up to 5 percent of infants. While some can form inside a child’s body, most form on or within the skin. Superficial hemangiomas may look like rubbery, bumpy red “strawberry” marks, while those deeper in the skin may resemble bruised swelling.
“The traditional approach to infantile hemangiomas was very hands-off, since most begin to go away on their own without causing problems,” said Dr. Ilona Frieden, MD, FAAP, vice-chairperson of the multidisciplinary AAP subcommittee that spearheaded the new guidelines.
“But for some hemangiomas, waiting until they cause problems misses a critical window of opportunity for treatments that can prevent significant complications such as permanent scarring, skin breakdown, or medical problems,” she said.
The AAP guideline emphasizes which infantile hemangiomas are most likely to pose problems and may need treatment. Hemangiomas located on certain parts of the body are more likely to become open sores, bleed, become infected and scar, for example. Those near the child’s eyes, nose or mouth may affect the child’s ability to see, eat, or breathe well. Large hemangiomas on facial features, such as the nose or lip, can also distort growth. In rare cases, especially when there are five or more hemangiomas, others may grow inside the body and need to be monitored with imaging tests.
Infantile hemangiomas typically grow most rapidly between 1 and 3 months of age and tend to stop growing by about 5 months of age, according to the guidelines. This benchmark was determined after an extensive review of research, and is earlier than once believed, said Daniel P. Krowchuk, MD, FAAP, chairperson of the clinical practice guideline subcommittee.
“This is why the AAP recommends treating problematic hemangiomas ideally by 1 month of age,” Dr. Krowchuk said. “The goal is to keep them from getting any bigger during their period of rapid growth, or to make them shrink more quickly,” he said.
The guidelines also outline the best treatments for problem hemangiomas. The recommended treatment of choice is propranolol, a beta blocker medication used for many years to treat high blood pressure that is now commonly given by mouth to slow the growth of hemangiomas. Oral steroids have been largely replaced by safer and more effective options but may still be used in select cases. Topical medications applied directly on, or injected into, the skin may be used for small, superficial hemangiomas.
“Because surgery will always leave a scar itself--and because most hemangiomas get better with time--early surgery is only recommended for a small minority of cases,” Dr. Krowchuk said.
The subcommittee was composed of infantile hemangioma experts in the fields of dermatology, cardiology, hematology-oncology, otolaryngology-head and neck surgery, plastic surgery, radiology and epidemiology, as well as general pediatrics, policy implementation and a parent representative. The practice guideline underwent comprehensive review by the AAP, including AAP councils, committees and sections and select outside organizations.
AAP offers information for parents on “strawberry marks” and other types of infantile hemangiomas in a new article on HealthyChildren.org, the AAP website for parents. The article will be posted December 24 at this link: http://ow.ly/tikQ30n1biO.
The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults. For more information, visit www.aap.org and follow us on Twitter @AmerAcadPeds
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Home | News | July 2014 | Grayling under pressure once again
Grayling under pressure once again
Last week the Lord Chancellor faced more resistance to planned changes during his tenure at the helm of the Ministry of Justice.
The Secretary of State for Justice’s latest residency test was dismissed as being unlawful by the High Court. Its intention was to limit access to legal aid unless applicants could pass the proposed residency hurdles.
The Court attacked the plans on the grounds that the Lord Chancellor had gone beyond his statutory powers. The test was labelled as being discriminatory against ‘foreigners‘ without justification.
It aimed to restrict civil legal aid for individuals who could not prove legal UK residency for at least twelve months. The ruling signalled another failed attempt by the government to cut spending whilst sacrificing the need for access to justice; first criminal legal aid, now this.
Had the changes survived, individuals looking to bring legitimate claims would be prevented from doing so unless they passed the test. So on that basis, what matters is not the justness of a claim but whether a worthy resident brings that claim.
Lord Justice Moses said that by proposing this test, Grayling as Lord Chancellor had attempted to increase the scope of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offender’s Act 2012 (LASPO). Attempting to do so under secondary legislation was deemed to be beyond his powers. The measure was criticised for failing to be ‘consistent with the policy and object of LASPO’. That policy being: the prioritisation of cases with the greatest need, not those underpinned by spending 12 months in the UK.
The changes had been criticised beforehand by parliamentary joint committees, due to the implications for individual human rights if they became law. But still the House of Commons voted to approve the measures.
The legal charity, the Public Law Project, brought the test case to the High Court. Though pleased with its outcome they criticised the Lord Chancellor, calling his attempt to amend LASPO an ‘instrument of discrimination’.
The Court's rejection of the residency test is a step in the right direction for natural justice. It showed the government could not put a blanket ban on the right to seek a civil action without good cause.
Had the law been enacted, the twelve-month legal residency test would also exclude homeless people, British nationals living abroad and people fleeing persecution (for example women escaping domestic violence).
It would have left people who believe they have been wronged with no mechanism through which to have their case heard. This then sets the benchmark lower for acceptable professional standards, be it a hospital, private contractor or a local authority.
Reflecting a week down the line, the ruling may have been a bad day for Mr. Grayling but it remains a good one for the protection of access to justice.
* Image taken from http://www.osisa.org/sites/default/files/soros_access_to_justice_flipped.jpg.
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Air Force Secretary Wilson to resign in May, return to academia
Posted By 21st Century Partnership in Latest News, Newsletter March 12, 2019
By: Stephen Losey, Air Force Times
Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson will resign at the end of May and take a job in academia.
The Air Force released a statement Friday morning, after Reuters broke the news of her impending resignation, that said Wilson will resign effective May 31, once the University of Texas Board of Regents officially votes to approve her as president of the University of Texas at El Paso. That approval is all but assured, as the regents Friday morning voted unanimously to make Wilson the sole finalist to be the UT El Paso president.
“It has been a privilege to serve alongside our airmen over the past two years, and I am proud of the progress that we have made restoring our nation’s defense,” Wilson said. “We have improved the readiness of the force; we have cut years out of acquisition schedules and gotten better prices through competition; we have repealed hundreds of superfluous regulations; and we have strengthened our ability to deter and dominate in space.”
Dr. Heather Wilson
✔@SecAFOfficial
Today I informed the President I will resign as Secretary of the Air Force to be President of the University of Texas at El Paso. It has been a privilege to serve with our #Airmen—I am proud of the progress we have made to restore the readiness & lethality of #USAF.
In her resignation letter to President Trump, released by the Pentagon, Wilson said her May 31 resignation should allow enough time for a smooth transition.
“I very much appreciate the opportunity to have served,” Wilson said in her letter. “I remain a strong advocate for our nation’s defense and an airman for life.”
Trump tweeted out congratulations to Wilson Friday afternoon, said she “has done an absolutely fantastic job” as Air Force secretary, and thanked her for her service.
✔@realDonaldTrump
Congratulations to Heather Wilson, who is the sole finalist to become the next President of University of Texas at El Paso effective September 1, 2019. Heather has done an absolutely fantastic job…
Air Force secretary for about two years, but her tenure has seemed precarious in recent months as she reportedly clashed with White House officials — and now-acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan — over President Trump’s plans to create a Space Force. In October, Foreign Policy reported that Trump was planning to fire Wilson after the midterm elections over her perceived slow-rolling of his Space Force order. The report said Shanahan was particularly angered by Wilson’s Space Force position.
But Wilson’s stock appeared to rise again, as the Pentagon decided to put the new Space Force under the Air Force. And Wilson’s name had been floated as a possible permanent secretary of Defense, succeeding former Sec. Jim Mattis. She remained close with Vice President Mike Pence, who she served alongside in Congress. Pence made a surprise appearance with Wilson at last September’s Air Force Association conference in National Harbor, Maryland.
Wilson is the first Air Force Academy graduate to serve as Air Force secretary, and she has a close relationship with Chief of Staff Gen. Dave Goldfein, also an academy graduate. Together, they made the case for expanding the Air Force by 74 squadrons as part of the Pentagon’s overall shift to focus on so-called “great power competition,” and away from fighting violent extremists in places like the Middle East.
On many occasions, Wilson sounded the alarm about an overstretched Air Force — especially after years of sequestration-driven cuts — and worried that airmen were being asked to do much. In a November 2017 press conference, Wilson and Goldfein worried that repeated deployments were going to burn out airmen and could even break the force.
“It is not fair for this nation to ask our commanders to keep saying ‘We got this’ right up to the point of failure, because we don’t got this,” Wilson said at the September 2017 AFA conference.
In a tweet Friday, Goldfein praised Wilson and wished her the best, and said the Air Force “hit the lottery” when she was chosen as secretary.
Gen. Dave Goldfein
✔@GenDaveGoldfein
We hit the lottery with @SecAFOfficial – under her leadership, we became a better #USAF & our Airmen will continue rowing hard, becoming even faster, smarter. As she takes her talent & leadership to my home state of Texas, I wish her the very best.
She graduated from the academy in 1982, as part of the third class in history that admitted women as cadets. She left the4 Air Force in 1989 to join the National Security Council as its director for European defense policy and arms control, and represented New Mexico in the House of Representatives from 1998 to 2009. She retired from the House after losing the 2008 Republican Senate primary in New Mexico.
Her move to UT El Paso will be a return to academia. Before becoming Air Force secretary, Wilson, originally from Keene, New Hampshire, served as president of the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in Rapid City, South Dakota, from 2013 to 2017.
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Sidney Edward Grossberg, MD, Presented with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award by Marquis Who's Who
2019-07-16 | Dr. Grossberg has been endorsed by Marquis Who's Who as a leader in medical education
Gwo-shyh Song Presented with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award by Marquis Who's Who
2019-07-15 | Dr. Song has been endorsed by Marquis Who's Who as a leader in the field of oceanographic education
Lloyd O. Timblin Jr. Presented with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award by Marquis Who's Who
2019-07-13 | Mr. Timblin has been endorsed by Marquis Who's Who as a leader in the water resource science industry
Elsie Shrawder, PhD, Presented with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award by Marquis Who's Who
2019-07-13 | Dr. Shrawder has been endorsed by Marquis Who's Who as a leader in science
Billy Wiseman, PhD, Presented with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award by Marquis Who's Who
2019-07-13 | Dr. Wiseman has been endorsed by Marquis Who's Who as a leader in the field of entomology
Alvah Buckmore Jr., Presented with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award by Marquis Who's Who
2019-07-12 | Mr. Buckmore has been endorsed by Marquis Who's Who as a leader in the computer science and ballistics industries
Jefferson Davis Presented with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award by Marquis Who's Who
2019-07-12 | Mr. Davis has been endorsed by Marquis Who's Who as a leader in the research and consulting industry
Eldon Zehr, PhD, Presented with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award by Marquis Who's Who
2019-07-11 | Dr. Zehr has been endorsed by Marquis Who's Who as a leader in the academic community
James Kaduk, PhD, Presented with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award by Marquis Who's Who
2019-07-10 | Dr. Kaduk has been endorsed by Marquis Who's Who as a leader in chemistry and science
Tinh Nguyen, PhD, Presented with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award by Marquis Who's Who
2019-07-10 | Dr. Nguyen has been endorsed by Marquis Who's Who as a leader in scientific consulting
Joseph A. Adamo, PhD, Presented with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award by Marquis Who's Who
2019-07-05 | Dr. Adamo has been endorsed by Marquis Who's Who as a leader in the field of biology
Dr. Walter McConathy Presented with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award by Marquis Who's Who
2019-07-05 | Dr. McConathy has been endorsed by Marquis Who's Who as a leader in the biochemistry industry
Donald Henry Liebenberg, PhD, Presented with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award by Marquis Who's Who
2019-07-05 | Dr. Liebenberg has been endorsed by Marquis Who's Who as a leader in the physics industry
Leticia Rustia Miranda Presented with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award by Marquis Who's Who
2019-07-04 | Ms. Miranda has been endorsed by Marquis Who's Who as a leader in the chemical engineering industry
Rashmi C. Desai Presented with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award by Marquis Who's Who
2019-07-03 | Dr. Desai has been endorsed by Marquis Who's Who as a leader in physics and higher education
Zina E. Skryabina, ChD Presented with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award by Marquis Who's Who
2019-07-02 | Dr. Skryabina has been endorsed by Marquis Who's Who as a leader in the scientific industry
Intermountain Healthcare Receives Top Accreditation Signifying Commitment to Patient Safety in Clinical Research Studies
2019-06-29 | Intermountain Healthcare has earned top accreditation from the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs.
Sandra H.B. Clark, PhD, Presented with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award by Marquis Who's Who
2019-06-28 | Dr. Clark has been endorsed by Marquis Who's Who as a leader in the earth sciences field
Barbara Howell Presented with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award by Marquis Who's Who
2019-06-28 | Barbara Howell has been endorsed by Marquis Who's Who as a leader in the engineering industry
Peter M. Molton, PhD, Presented with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award by Marquis Who's Who
2019-06-28 | Dr. Molton has been endorsed by Marquis Who's Who as a leader in the exobiology industry
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Home / Clients / Case Studies
1. Regulatory Strategy
Clinical and Regulatory Strategy: FDA Approval Process
A start-up biopharmaceutical company with no marketed drugs was trying to get its first product through the FDA approval process and to market. After 3D worked with the client, the advisory committee voted in favor of approval, and the FDA approved the treatment months later.
A start-up biopharmaceutical company with no marketed drugs was trying to get its first product through the FDA approval process and to market. The product used an “improved” delivery system to obtain higher systemic doses to treat a very rare cancer with a short median survival overall rate. Due to the small patient population, comparative trials were not pursued. The trial results appeared positive, yet the lack of comparative data created uncertainty with the interpretation of efficacy and safety.
3D worked with the client to develop an FDA approval strategy that put the treatment’s clinically meaningful benefit in context by comparing it to a defined historical control. We collaborated with the team to conduct a comprehensive assessment of adverse events to demonstrate relative safety and define potential safety signals. We then augmented the integrated summaries in the FDA submission documents to proactively address FDA comments and issues and align the product with precedent. This strategy was refined in the advisory committee meeting preparation, emphasizing the empirical analyses that supported benefit-risk and proposing post-approval commitments to resolve lingering uncertainty.
The advisory committee voted in favor of approval, and the FDA approved the treatment months later.
Learn more about our FDA Clinical and Regulatory Strategy Presentation Services
Regulatory Strategy: FDA Medical Device Approval
A device start-up company spent nine years in product development and had yet to receive IDE approval to begin clinical trials in the United States. 3D Communications assigned a scientific lead and a communications lead to the project and helped move the application forward.
A device start-up company spent nine years in product development and had yet to receive IDE approval to begin clinical trials in the United States. The company had secured a critical pre-IDE meeting with FDA to discuss steps towards approval. Previous meetings with the agency had not gone well, and the company wanted to ensure that their scientists and engineers had a focused strategy and could clearly and succinctly address the agency’s concerns.
3D Communications assigned a scientific lead and a communications lead to the project to review all submissions, publications, and communications between the agency and the sponsor. We then conducted a messaging session, which became the cornerstone for the discussion and presentation with the agency. To ensure speakers could confidently deliver their messages and handle objections from the FDA, we conducted speaker training with realistic on camera role-plays. Our focus was on making sure messages were directly linked to the overall strategy, and that the team was repeatedly and credibly bridging back to these key messages throughout the meeting.
The CEO and VP of Clinical & Regulatory deemed the meeting a success, and used it as a springboard for submission of the IDE response, and continued communication with the FDA to move the application forward.
Click here for more information on our FDA Regulatory Strategy Consulting.
2. FDA Advisory Committee Preparation
FDA Advisory Committee Preparation: Stakeholder Engagement
A specialty biopharmaceutical company was preparing for an Advisory Committee meeting and FDA approval of their self-administered therapy for a rare and potentially life-threatening genetic condition. 3D provided a solution that lead to a 12-1 vote for approval of the product.
A specialty biopharmaceutical company was preparing for an advisory committee meeting and FDA approval of their self-administered therapy for a rare and potentially life-threatening genetic condition that had no self-administered treatment available at time of review. In addition to the majority of Advisory Committee members having no direct experience treating the condition, the company’s data supporting self-administration was limited.
To demonstrate the need for this self-administered therapy, 3D partnered with the leading patient organization in the category, as well as thought leaders in the U.S. and internationally, where the product was currently available. We coordinated a robust open public hearing and a letter writing campaign to educate advisory committee members on: the clinical and geographic limitations of current therapies; the day-to-day anxiety of patients who feared not reaching a hospital in time for treatment; and the ability of patients to recognize the symptoms of an oncoming attack and self-administer treatment.
The FDA advisory committee voted 12-1 to support approval of the product. They then went a step further and asked the FDA to add a special question on self-administration. When the agency agreed, the advisory committee members voted 11-1 recommending self-administration of the drug by patients. The FDA approved the product as the first self-administered subcutaneous treatment for this condition.
Learn more about 3D’s FDA Advisory Committee Communication Consulting Services
FDA Advisory Committee Preparation: Drug Approval
A start-up biopharmaceutical company with no marketed drugs, was trying to get its first product through the FDA approval process and through the market. After 3D's involvement, the FDA advisory committee voted 12-0 recommending approval. The FDA approved the drug 9 weeks later.
A start-up biopharmaceutical company with no marketed drugs, was trying to get its first product through the FDA approval process and through the market. The therapy was for an orphan indication and the class of drugs was suspected of potentiating existing cancers. After two patients died of cancer in the clinical trial program, the FDA called an advisory committee meeting to determine whether the drug should be approved.
3D helped develop a strategy and prepared presenters to emphasize: the huge unmet need among this orphan population; the therapy’s efficacy; and the company’s plan to monitor and address the potential cancer risk. We worked closely with the company and doctors to coordinate a poignant public comment period in which patients spoke of their condition and the need for the therapy, and prepared the team to clearly articulate data on a condition and a treatment that were not well-understood by most advisory committee members.
The FDA advisory committee voted 12-0 recommending approval. The FDA approved the drug 9 weeks later.
Learn more about our FDA Advisory Committee Drug Approval Preparation Strategies
FDA Advisory Committee Preparation: Drugs (#2)
A pharmaceutical company was seeking approval for an improved formulation of a drug that reduced the number of treatments patients needed per year. After 3D collaborated with the client, the advisory committee vote was in favor of approval with augmentations to the proposed REMS program.
A pharmaceutical company was seeking approval for an improved formulation of a drug that reduced the number of treatments patients needed per year. During development, there was a potential signal for anaphylaxis that was concerning to the FDA. The therapy was being used in other countries and post-marketing surveillance showed that the drug’s potential risk was similar to that seen with other available products. The FDA questioned the benefit-risk from improved dosing since there was a potential for a life-threatening event, and other products were available. The FDA briefing document explicitly recommended non-approval.
3D collaborated with the client to credibly characterize and communicate the product’s safety parameters based on extensive reviews of all potential case reports. In order to corroborate the safety interpretation, we conducted an independent review of the safety data. The learnings from these investigations helped define a risk evaluation and mitigation strategy (REMS) that was based on the potential risk and the patient population, and would augment safe use. Finally, we collected data to confirm and quantify the benefits from the improved dosing regimen. These combined efforts helped lessen uncertainty and clarified the benefit-risk profile, enabling an acceptable path to approval.
The FDA advisory committee vote was in favor of approval with augmentations to the proposed REMS program. The FDA gave clear guidance for approval, which the sponsor has agreed to implement, in order to gain approval in the forthcoming months.
Learn more about FDA Advisory Committee Meeting Preparation
FDA Advisory Committee Preparation: Devices
A small start-up medical device company with no previously approved devices, worked for more than 15 years to develop and clinically evaluate their novel, first-of-a-kind technology. After 3D's involvement, the FDA panel voted 11-0 recommending approval.
A small start-up medical device company with no previously approved devices, worked for more than 15 years to develop and clinically evaluate their novel, first-of-a-kind technology. This technology was indicated for patients who were not candidates for any other drug or surgical therapy. The company had a challenging history with FDA due to a revolving door of statistical reviewers over the 15-year process, and a medical reviewer who publically stated that he didn’t believe the technology worked, even before reviewing the results of the clinical trial.
3D worked closely with the company on strategy, scripting, slide development, panel packet review, Q&A practice, and speaker training. In addition, when the company received an extremely negative FDA draft panel pack, 3D quickly developed a revised strategy to proactively discuss the issues with FDA management and revise the company’s core presentation to directly address every major negative point made in the FDA panel pack. This strategy pre-empted the FDA presentation and provided the panel members with the company’s perspective BEFORE the Q&A started.
The FDA advisory panel voted 11-0 recommending approval. Although still awaiting final approval, the FDA has indicated that they want to work quickly and interactively to bring this critical therapy to patients.
3. Executive Communications Programs and Training
A non-governmental organization (NGO) became aware of a scheme that was creating a health risk to both humans and animals throughout the world. 3D helped the agency position itself as the first step. The organization gained positive coverage on the primetime news, network evening news, and the morning news shows.
A non-governmental organization (NGO) became aware of a scheme that was creating a health risk to both humans and animals throughout the world. To address it, they established a database of journal and media articles that identified a billion dollar industry of fraud at work. A producer for a major network news program was doing an expose on fraud and wanted to interview the agency.
The NGO asked 3D to prepare their agency spokesperson to get recognition for their work. We understood the real story for the producer was why the government wasn’t doing enough to bring the perpetrators to justice. The danger was that the NGO management could be seen as incompetent.
3D helped the agency position itself as the first step in providing a solution to this expanding problem. We crafted messages and coached the spokesperson to turn around negative questions by painting a picture of how their database would be an effective tool to help regulatory agencies uncover the problem and enable them to take action.
The producer was so impressed he changed the focus of the story to be solely about the NGO and what it was doing to take charge of the situation. The organization gained positive coverage on the primetime news, network evening news, and the morning news shows.
Click here to learn more about how 3D Communications can help you prepare for critical media interviews with our Executive Communications Programs and Training.
Speaker Training
The Chief Technology Officer at a billion-dollar company was named Chairman and CEO, and thrust into the public spotlight. The new job required that he speak at high-level events and to important audiences. The challenge was he was native Chinese, and English was his third language. Understandably, he suffered from anxiety over speaking in public. We created and executed a comprehensive program specifically tailored to his needs, and turned the shy computer scientist into one his industry’s most sought-after speakers.
A native Chinese computer scientist who founded a billion-dollar Silicon Valley business suffered from a serious fear of public speaking. He blamed his fear on his heavy Chinese accent. While he managed to avoid the spotlight for most of his career, once he was named Chairman and CEO, he was forced to face his fears.
We designed a two-prong Speaker Training Program that started with a Speech Pathologist who helped the CEO improve his English diction. Simultaneously we began the process of teaching the CEO how to discover his authentic “voice.” We discovered that his accent wasn’t the only thing holding him back as an effective public speaker. As with many executives, he hadn’t yet connected his business goals to his personal principles.
We worked with the CEO to help him identify his personal values and make them the foundation for every decision he made. Upon this foundation we crafted, clarified, and honed genuinely authentic messages designed to inspire employees, customers, and shareholders. Authentic messages raised the CEO’s confidence to ever-increasing heights. He quickly realized that as long as he spoke from the heart he could not embarrass himself. With his performance anxiety cured, the new CEO then learned and mastered the fundamentals of public performance and successfully assumed his role as the public face of this public company.
Over the course of two years the CEO established himself as one of the most popular and respected leaders in Silicon Valley. He became a highly sought-after speaker on the global industry convention circuit, bombarded with requests to address audiences as large as 10,000 people. His skilled leadership and confident personal appeal culminated in the exponential increase of his company’s value to more than $7 billion dollars.
Crisis Communications: Case Study 1
Two weeks after reporting record earnings, one of the most respected insurance companies in the world was forced to restate those earnings and explain a $3-billion dollar loss. With its reputation at stake and its stock price spiraling downward the company called us to help restore its credibility.
For publicly held companies a crisis is a direct threat to its market cap. Two weeks after announcing record earnings, a global insurance concern was forced to restate quarterly results and explain how it lost $3 billion dollars on what appeared to be risky investments. The company’s stock was in free-fall. Its storied reputation in tatters, its credibility damaged, shareholders, employees, and the news media demanded answers.
We were called upon to help design and execute a crisis communications plan to help the company stop the bleeding, stem the tide of external criticism and internal skepticism, and most importantly to re-establish confidence and credibility in the severely devalued stock. It was abundantly clear to the CEO that nothing less than his resignation would quiet the critics. He dutifully fell on his sword. We crafted the resignation communications as well as the plan to establish his successor as the “right man” to return the company to stability. In addition to shaping multi-lingual messages for all stakeholder groups and the news media, we coached the new CEO on how to authentically convey leadership in performances before each of those diverse audiences.
With clear, concise messages, the new CEO calmly explained what had occurred and why. He reminded everyone that insurance companies are in the “business of risk,” and that most times those risks pay off in profits – but sometimes risk results in a payout for which they have ample reserves. The new CEO calmed fears of incompetence and insolvency by presenting a straightforward plan to reduce the chance the company ever face such an issue again. He quickly established credibility and trust with all stakeholders and the news media. The company’s share price stabilized and soon recovered its losses under the steady hand of its new leadership.
When the FDA fast-tracked a promising cholesterol medication, a public interest group launched a major media campaign to block it. The group’s Medical Director and several FDA physicians claimed the drug was dangerous. The pharmaceutical company that made the drug called upon us to deal with network news coverage that seemed slanted and sensational. We educated reporters and producers on the science, and what the company was doing to mitigate risk. The media changed its tone. The drug was approved.
A major pharmaceutical company was about to release a much-heralded new cholesterol drug. The drug performed so well in clinical trials the FDA fast-tracked the medication to expedite its availability to the public. Shortly before the FDA vote to approve the drug a public interest group launched a major media campaign claiming the drug is dangerous. The Medical Director of the group was widely quoted in major newspapers and on all of the nightly network newscasts. In addition, several physicians within the FDA joined the chorus supporting the public interest group’s contentions.
The pharmaceutical company called upon us to deal with what they considered “sensational and slanted” television news reports.
Our team was led by a former CBS News and “60 Minutes” Producer who used contacts, connections, and credibility built over a twenty- year broadcast journalism career to reach out to the network reporters and producers. We quickly learned that most of the media covering the story meant well, but did not understand the complexities and nuances of the issues involved. Worse, many reporters and producers mistrusted the pharmaceutical company and were using the public service organization as their primary source for all of their reporting on the story. We educated them on the facts and pointed out that the group was making false claims that were contradicted by the science. We also pointed out that the FDA physicians who spoke out against the drug had no credibility to do so, since they were not directly involved in assessing the drug’s clinical trials and voluminous research.
Within 48 hours of accepting the assignment we were able to significantly alter the tone of television news coverage regarding the new drug. The controversy quickly subsided. The FDA approved the medication.
Change Management Communications: Case Study 1
Two Silicon Valley companies agreed to a merger but neglected to communicate effectively with employees. With no clear understanding of how change could impact them, employees became anxious and fearful. When layoffs came trust was lost. Confronted with a cynical and skeptical workforce, company leadership called on us to craft a change communications plan to restore credibility and confidence.
Two, billion-dollar firms publicly announced a merger. In their haste to close the deal they neglected to effectively communicate with employees. Rumor and speculation were the primary sources of information. As days passed the workforce became increasingly anxious and fearful. When layoffs were announced anxiety was replaced with anger. Trust was lost. Management had inadvertently created a toxic work place rife with cynicism and skepticism.
The executive leadership team called on us to create and execute a change communications plan to restore management credibility and employee confidence. We encouraged management to apologize for keeping employees in the dark. Management then promised to keep open lines of communication. Further, they explained that the worst was over and committed to being open and transparent about the future. We helped management draft new Mission and Vision statements from which we crafted a new corporate narrative. These gave the new combined company a renewed sense of direction and purpose. We worked with the executive leadership team to make sure those statements aligned with the new entity’s brand, resulting in an inclusive story that soothed feelings of resentment and anxiety.
Together, we created an internal marketing campaign leveraging a variety of mediums (face-to-face, email, websites and social media) to sell employees on the idea that the new entity brought together the best the two companies had to offer. The campaign focused on the message that this “combined culture,” was not the result of simple addition, but a powerful geometric progression that made the “whole greater than the sum of the parts.” We then trained the executive management team to tell their new story with passion and conviction. Their presentation was delivered to employees at a Town Hall meeting at the company’s Silicon Valley Headquarters and streamed live to all of the company’s locations around the world. In addition, the executive leadership team visited every global site using the power of personality for an all-inclusive message.
The distrust and anxiety initially created by a lack of communication, mixed messages, and contradictions dissipated. The clarity of new “Mission” and “Vision” statements ultimately united employees; helping them embrace their new corporate culture and inspiring a renewed ”esprit de corps.”
A young entrepreneur turned a college project into a fast-growing Internet company. As Founder and CEO, he quickly became the company’s public face. He demonstrated uncanny business instincts and grew the enterprise exponentially. As his public profile grew, so did criticism that he was inexperienced and lacked the requisite leadership skills to serve as CEO of a soon-to-be-public company. He turned to us for a crash course in leadership communications.
A brilliant computer scientist turned a college project into an Internet sensation. A rising star, he was the face of his business and heralded as one example of a new generation of Internet entrepreneurs. As the business grew exponentially, so did criticism that the CEO was too young and lacked the experience and leadership skills to run a public company. To maintain his position and keep control of his company, the rising star needed a crash course in leadership communication.
We taught the CEO that communication is every leader’s primary tool, and that he must communicate authentically to inspire others. We guided the CEO through a process of self-discovery to help him identify and achieve authenticity in all of his communications. It began with a Personal Communications Audit that helped him learn what people really thought of him as a leader and communicator. The audit delivered cold, hard truths. He had no idea that many of his communications were regularly interpreted as negative experiences. Following the audit, we guided him through a process of identifying personal values so that his decisions and communications were based on his beliefs. By connecting those values to business goals and aspirations we created a Personal Communications Guide. This authentic and powerful narrative became the foundation for all of the CEO’s communication. We taught him how to craft messages and communicate to engage both the hearts and minds of his audiences. Once his messages were developed we showed him how his body and voice often betrayed his words, leaving him open to misinterpretation. The CEO learned that there is nothing spontaneous about authenticity and that high-stakes communication requires thoughtful and strategic preparation and complete mastery and comfort with the communication.
The process reshaped both the CEO’s behavior and image. People noticed “something different” about him. His brash attitude was replaced by confidence and self-assurance. This leader inspired colleagues and co-workers to action. The impatient “wonder boy” described as “rude and disrespectful” had become a patient leader who cared about the opinions and contributions of others. One Board member described the results as a “personality transplant.”
An oncologist in Europe was making untrue and harmful accusations about the level of adverse reactions caused by a widely used therapy. The physician accused the manufacturer of a cover-up, saying the company was withholding data to keep its highly profitable medication on the market. A classic David vs. Goliath story, the doctor’s allegations caught the attention of one of Europe’s most respected daily newspapers. From the publisher’s perspective, it had the potential to be a front-page story: A greedy multinational corporation selling medicine that did more harm than good. It was also false. 3D intervened. The story was never published.
A respected Life Sciences reporter working for one of Europe’s most elite and influential daily newspapers was preparing a story that would have alleged that one of the world’s largest biotech companies intentionally covered up damaging data of adverse reactions in order to keep a highly profitable drug on the market. It was an allegation that could have resulted in millions of patients going off their medicines. It also threatened the company’s reputation and share price. It was the kind of story that makes sensational headlines around the world in an instant. The biotech firm called on 3D in the hopes of averting a potential public health crisis and a potentially disastrous attack on its reputation.
Led by a staff member who worked at CBS News “60 Minutes,” 3D’s team analyzed the doctor’s accusations and quickly learned that his conclusions were the result of faulty analysis. He “cherry picked” data from one small study and extrapolated a conclusion that ignored recognized scientific analytical standards. We culled the most extensive research from several large, lengthy and global Phase 3 studies. Unlike the huge 15% adverse event rate the doctor was alleging, we found additional evidence to prove that the real rate of adverse reactions, which the company transparently reported globally was only 0.18%.
3D worked with the company to set an aggressive communications strategy. It was specifically designed to throw a spotlight on how the accusing doctor’s interpretation was highly flawed. We appealed to the reporter’s journalistic integrity and their responsibility to deliver fair and accurate reporting.
3D then helped the company’s expert, a widely respected researcher, turn her painstakingly researched analysis of the comprehensive data into clear and convincing messages. Armed with the facts, the respected science reporter concluded that to give the accusing oncologist a forum to disseminate faulty data was more than a breach of journalistic integrity, it could have been a threat to public health. The newspaper killed the story. A potential health crisis was averted. The company’s reputation remained intact.
Value Communications for Market Access: Case Study 3
A leading microbiome therapeutics company was preparing for regulatory review and launch of a novel therapy designed to treat recurrent Clostridium difficile infection (RCDI). 3D conducted a thorough market access analysis that included: stakeholder positions, competitor data, and an examination of how RCDI is currently addressed with regards to coverage and quality.
A leading microbiome therapeutics company was preparing for regulatory review and launch of a novel therapy designed to treat recurrent Clostridium difficile infection (RCDI), the leading hospital acquired infection in the US. A challenge for this investigational therapy was that although it was being reviewed by FDA as a breakthrough biological therapy, its proof of concept was based on a highly effective, low-cost, non-FDA regulated treatment that was regarded in the professional community as a treatment of last resort.
3D conducted an analysis of stakeholder positions, competitor data and manufacturing practices. We also conducted a detailed market analysis, including:
coverage of current non-approved, potential competitors in all US market segments ascertained by billing codes and coverage policy;
quality metrics associated with the disease;
stakeholder development of real-world data around the disease; and
payment reforms that could influence market access.
Based on findings of all this research, 3D developed messaging to communicate the unique value and benefits of this therapy for RCDI patients, and the hospitals and long-term care facilities that care for them. To ensure that these messages would resonate with key audiences, 3D convened a panel of experts who provided critical feedback, insights, and guidance on messaging and strategies that could address potential future market access issues.
The company has messaging and recommended strategies for partnerships with key stakeholders that will support value, market access, and uptake of this treatment, once approved. These key stakeholders include: regulatory agencies, payers, infectious disease specialists, gastroenterologists, hospital administrators, pharmacists, and the C. diff patient community.
A large device manufacturer with a product for a heart condition was being threatened with a denial of Medicare coverage. 3D assisted in the organization of communications, messaging, and supporting clinical data to facilitate Medicare coverage, which was granted.
A US device manufacturer was facing an uphill battle securing Medicare beneficiary access to a new, important, treatment alternative to prevent thrombolytic events in patients with a particular heart condition. Local Medicare medical directors were declining to approve patient access. In addition, the broad scope of the labeled indication was potentially threatening national coverage.
The policy experts on the 3D Market Access team applied their knowledge of the Medicare coverage environment to assist the company in developing a focus on key policy issues, the data and messages to address those key issues. We also conducted analysis of other relevant coverage positive and negative coverage decisions to identify consistent or inconsistent application of clinical data or policy issues. Because 3D supported this manufacturer at their FDA panel meeting, 3D was uniquely positioned to work with the company to select and summarize years of data from multiple clinical trials and then develop a succinct set of messages and communications related to coverage. This core communications work aligned everyone in the company to the same core issues, data, and messages for all coverage-related communications.
Medicare coverage was granted. 3D’s prior involvement guiding the company through the FDA Advisory Committee process for this device enabled 3D to create a highly efficient process to assist the company with its Medicare coverage request.
One of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world was launching the first drug to show an overall survival benefit in a deadly cancer. 3D conducted a series of messaging and training programs throughout Europe across a wide array of stakeholders and assisted in one of the most successful launches in the company’s history.
One of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world was launching the first drug to show an overall survival benefit in a deadly cancer. The challenge was that it was also the most expensive drug ever in its indication, and was being launched in Europe in the midst of difficult economic conditions. European payers and some Key Opinion Leaders were pushing back. To complicate the problem, the company had just 12 months to launch in 20 countries which had very diverse negotiating challenges and pricing systems.
3D conducted a series of Value Story messaging and training programs to align communications in each of the countries across a wide array of stakeholders. 3D trainings included the company’s market access executives, medical science liaisons, sales people, media spokespeople, as well as external Key Opinion Leaders. To ensure consistency of messaging throughout the company and in the external medical community, 3D also produced a series of customized videos designed for specific audiences. The videos demonstrated, through realistic role-plays, how to articulate the Value Story and effectively address the most challenging objections.
The oncology drug had one of the most successful launches in the company’s history. Messages were consistently communicated across both internal and external audiences, and major European payers.
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Hockey Canada invites 29 WHL players to participate in national under-17 development camp
Hockey Canada has invited 29 Western Hockey League players, as part of a group of 111, to attend Canada’s national under-17 development camp as the road to the 2018 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge begins.
The camp itself will take place from July 21-27 in at the Markin MacPhail Centre at WinSport’s Canada Olympic Park Calgary, Alta.
For the duration of the week-long camp, the players – 12 goaltenders, 36 defencemen, and 63 forwards – will be split into six teams for on- and off-ice training, fitness testing, practices, intrasquad games, and classroom sessions.
The breakdown by WHL players includes four goaltenders, 10 defencemen, and 15 forwards. For many of the WHL players invited to the camp, it won’t be their first time attending the Markin MacPhail Centre at WinSport. Of the 29 WHL drafted players invited to July’s camp, 27 participated in the 2017 WHL Cup, featuring nine players from British Columbia, who won gold at the event, including golden-goal scorer Ben King, a forward prospect of the Swift Current Broncos.
From the other provinces in Western Canada, Alberta boasts the highest total with 13 players from the Wild Rose province while four came from Saskatchewan, and three more from Manitoba.
All six members of the 2017 WHL Cup All-Star Team earned invites, including Alberta defenceman Kaiden Guhle, the first overall selection in the 2017 WHL Bantam Draft by the Prince Albert Raiders and Saskatchewan goaltender Bryan Thomson, a prospect of the Lethbridge Hurricanes. Other All-Stars earning invitations were defenceman Daemon Hunt (Brandon, Man. / Moose Jaw Warriors), forward Justin Sourdif (Surrey, B.C. / Vancouver Giants), forward Kyle Crnkovic (Chestermere, Alta. / Saskatoon Blades), and forward Connor McClennon (Wainwright, Alta. / Kootenay ICE).
A quartet of Alberta players invited to the camp also led the 2017 WHL Cup in scoring. Crnkovic led all players with 12 points (3G-9A) while McClennon finished with 10 points (6G-4A). The highest-scoring defenceman from the tournament, Guhle recorded nine points (5G-4A) and forward Jake Neighbours (Airdrie, Alta. / Edmonton Oil Kings) rounded out the top four for scoring with seven points (1G-6A). Overall, 18 of the 28 WHL players invited were selected in the first round of the 2017 WHL Bantam Draft.
Dylan Garand (Victoria, B.C. / Kamloops Blazers) is the lone goaltender to have already made his WHL debut. Additionally, 18 of the skaters invited to the camp have already made their WHL debuts.
Brad McEwen, head scout for Hockey Canada, was responsible for all player selections, with assistance from regional scouts Carl Bouchard (Quebec), Barclay Branch (Ontario), Vancouver Giants general manager Barclay Parneta (West), Darren Sutherland (Atlantic), and Darrell Woodley (Ontario), as well as member representatives.
“The national under-17 development camp provides a unique opportunity for players to learn about what it takes to be part of Team Canada alongside the best young talent in the country,” said Shawn Bullock, Hockey Canada’s senior manager of hockey operations and men’s national teams. “The players are here with the ultimate goal of wearing the Team Canada jersey in international competition, and we are supporting them in that goal by providing the on- and off-ice experiences they need to develop and grow as high-performance athletes.”
Following the development camp, players will continue to be evaluated through the early season before 66 are named to one of three Canadian national teams – Team Canada Black, Team Canada Red, and Team Canada White – who will compete at the 2018 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge scheduled for Nov. 3-10 in Saint John and Quispamsis, N.B.
This year, all 111 players have been drafted by Canadian Hockey League teams, including 54 from the Ontario Hockey League, 29 from the Western Hockey League, and 28 from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
Media accreditation for the Team Canada Summer Showcase taking place at WinSport’s Markin MacPhail Centre that includes Canada’s national under-17 development camp can be requested online. The full camp schedule will be available at a later date at HockeyCanada.ca.
For more information on Hockey Canada and the Program of Excellence, please visit HockeyCanada.ca or follow through social media on Facebook, Twitter and Twitter.com/HC_Men.
Name Height Weight Born Hometown 2017-18 Team CHL Draft
Garin Bjorklund L 5’11” 147 05/28/02 Grande Prairie, Alta. Calgary Buffaloes (AMHL) MH 2017 (1/21)
Sebastian Cossa L 6’4” 208 11/21/02 Fort McMurray, Alta. Fort Saskatchewan (AMHL) EDM 2017 (2/36)
Dylan Garand L 6’0” 160 06/07/02 Victoria, B.C. Delta Hockey Academy (CSSHL) KAM 2017 (3/58)
Bryan Thomson L 6’1” 163 04/09/02 Moose Jaw, Sask. Notre Dame Argos (SMAAAHL) LET 2017 (2/37)
Tom Cadieux R 6’0” 147 09/11/02 Saskatoon, Sask. Saskatoon Blazers (SMAAAHL) TC 2017 (2/34)
Ryan Helliwell L 6’0″ 175 05/08/02 Vancouver, B.C. Burnaby Winter Club (CSSHL) POR 2017 (3/55)
Aidan De La Gorgendiere L 5’11½” 167 02/22/02 Langley, B.C. Yale Hockey Academy (CSSHL) SAS 2017 (1/5)
Kaiden Guhle L 6’2” 177 01/18/02 Sherwood Park, Alta. OHA Edmonton (CSSHL) PA 2017 (1/1)
Daemon Hunt L 5’11” 195 05/02/02 Brandon, Man. Brandon (MMAAAHL) MJ 2017 (1/15)
Vincent Iorio R 6’0” 167 11/14/02 Coquitlam, B.C. Shattuck-St. Mary’s (USU16) BDN 2017 (2/27)
Anthony Kehrer R 5’11” 198 03/04/02 Winnipeg, Man. Rink Hockey Academy (CSSHL) BDN 2017 (2/30)
Luke Prokop R 6’2¼” 188 05/06/02 Edmonton, Alta. Northern Alberta (CSSHL) CGY 2017 (1/7)
Ronan Seeley L 5’9½” 147 08/02/02 Olds, Alta. Lethbridge (AMHL) EVT 2017 (1/20)
Joel Sexsmith L 6’0” 172 04/13/02 Edmonton, Alta. Northern Alberta (CSSHL) SC 2017 (1/9)
Ethan Bowen L 6’0” 155 05/14/02 Chilliwack, B.C. Fraser Valley (BCMML) KEL 2017 (2/39)
Noah Boyko R 5’11” 164 08/29/02 St. Albert, Alta. Fort Saskatchewan (AMHL) LET 2017 (1/16)
Kyle Crnkovic L 5’7” 171 02/10/02 Chestermere, Alta. Northern Alberta (CSSHL) SAS 2017 (1/10)
Ethan Ernst R 5’11” 170 01/26/02 Yorkton, Sask. Notre Dame Hounds (SMAAAHL) KEL 2017 (3/61)
Jack Finley R 6’4” 193 09/02/02 Kelowna, B.C. Okanagan (BCMML) SPO 2017 (1/6)
Ridly Greig L 5’8” 137 08/08/02 Lethbridge, Alta. Lethbridge (AMHL) BDN 2017 (1/8)
Seth Jarvis R 5’8½” 155 02/01/02 Winnipeg, Man. Rink Hockey Academy (CSSHL) POR 2017 (1/11)
Ben King R 6’1” 173 05/15/02 Vernon, B.C. Okanagan (BCMML) SC 2017 (1/13)
Connor McClennon R 5’7¼” 148 06/25/02 Wainwright, Alta. Northern Alberta (CSSHL) KOO 2017 (1/2)
Payton Mount R 5’8” 175 01/19/02 Victoria, B.C. Delta Hockey Academy (CSSHL) SEA 2017 (1/19)
Jake Neighbours L 5’10” 195 03/29/02 Airdrie, Alta. Calgary Buffaloes (AMHL) EDM 2017 (1/4)
Josh Pillar R 5’10” 145 02/14/02 Warman, Sask. Prince Albert (SMAAAHL) KAM 2017 (1/14)
Cole Shepard L 5’9” 150 02/02/03 West Vancouver, B.C. Delta Hockey Academy (CSSHL) VAN 2017 (2/33)
Justin Sourdif R 5’9½” 160 03/24/02 Surrey, B.C. Valley West (BCMML) VAN 2017 (1/3)
Ozzy Wiesblatt R 5’9½” 168 03/09/02 Calgary, Alta. Calgary Buffaloes (AMHL) PA 2017 (2/25)
#NEWS | The road to the @HC_WU17 begins with 1⃣1⃣1⃣ players attending Canada's national under-17 development camp, July 21-27 in Calgary. MORE: https://t.co/dsBPY4z1me 🏒🍁 pic.twitter.com/ST7NULZ0qs
— Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) June 8, 2018
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Roundabout opponents get a public meeting; construction delayed
People who oppose the roundabout set to be constructed at 14th and Superior have convinced city officials to allow them to hold a public meeting about the controversial $11 million project and push back the construction state date to the week of Oct. 24.
An opponent of the roundabout sent me a flyer advertising a meeting to be held on Wednesday at the Belmont Recreation Center, 1234 Judson St., from 6 to 8 p.m. The city had planned to hold an “open house” on Monday — one day before construction begins. But at the city open house, there is no formal presentation or opportunity for people to line up at a microphone and give the city their two cents about the wonderful/insane project. Instead, there are renderings to look at and consultants to ask questions of and city officials to chat with, but this sort of setup keeps things calm and quiet and non-controversial. Nothing to see here.
But opponents say the city has now agreed to allow them to hold a public meeting, where (according to the flyer), people can voice their concerns and opinions (gasp!). And there will actually be a presentation (this is unusual, people) at 6:30 p.m. The meeting will include a discussion of neighborhood traffic issues and tunnel visibility and the public will be able to comment on the project timeline. Not sure if that’s all they’ll be allowed to comment on.
Does that mean the city is reconsidering the roundabout portion of the project? I highly doubt that. But this way, the mayor’s office can say it gave opponents a chance to speak their mind. Opponents had been promised a public meeting — but they never got one, except for the open house which had been hastily scheduled for one day before construction begins.
People who live and work near the intersection do not believe a roundabout is the best option for the area, and also don’t like plans for a pedestrian tunnel planned on the west and south sides of the intersection — saying it’s not a good plan for middle school students. The project will also widen 14th Street to four lanes from Superior to Interstate 80 and the Department of Roads also is building a bridge over Interstate 80 on North 14th Street.
The I-80 bridge is scheduled to open in August 2012, and the roundabout is scheduled to open in November 2012. The entire project is expected to be completed in May 2013.
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Supreme Court blocks census citizenship question for now
Posted by Wisconsin Muslim Journal | Jun 28, 2019 | Syndicated
Originally Published By
Leonardo Castaneda as “Supreme Court blocks census citizenship question for now, averting major California undercount” for The Mercury News
Photo Illustation FIVETHIRTYEIGHT / GETTY IMAGES
The Supreme Court on Thursday blocked a citizenship question from the 2020 census — at least temporarily — avoiding a change that experts say could lead to a major undercount of California residents and far-reaching ramifications for the state’s federal funding and political clout.
In a 5-4 decision, Chief Justice John Roberts joined the four liberal members of the court in ruling that the Trump administration’s explanation for adding the question to the census — to improve compliance with the Voting Rights Act — did not hold water. At the same time, Roberts and the more conservative members rejected the argument that a citizenship question is inherently unconstitutional.
The justices upheld a lower court decision demanding more explanation from the Commerce Department, which means the question will be blocked unless the administration can provide a more satisfactory explanation for its motives.
The decision comes just days before a June 30 deadline set by the Census Bureau, after which it said it needs to start printing the census forms.
Jonathan Stein, a staff attorney for voting rights with Advancing Justice — Asian Law Caucus, said census officials had said it might be possible to extend that deadline to October, but it’s unclear what would happen if that occurs.
“What we don’t know is if the Department of Commerce will try again,” Stein said. “We don’t know how long it would take the district court to evaluate the Department of Commerce’s second try and we don’t know if or how the Supreme Court would review the district’s court decision given that the Supreme Court’s term for the year ended today.”
The decision is a defeat for President Trump, and, at least, a temporary sigh of relief for California state leaders and immigrant rights advocates.
California state leaders applauded the decision but warned that the national discussion over the citizenship question and recent threats by Trump of massive immigration raids could still scare some families from responding to the census forms.
“If you don’t participate in the census, Trump wins,” Governor Gavin Newsom said at a morning news conference. “It’s as clear as that.”
A statement from San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo also offered a cautious celebration of the decision.
“Today, while we applaud the Supreme Court’s recognition that this Administration has offered only ‘contrived’ explanations for its discriminatory census policy, it appears too soon to celebrate,” he said. “We await further proceedings to know whether this nation’s courts will ultimately affirm the fundamental principle that we have long embraced in San José: everyone counts.”
East Bay Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, welcomed the decision and in a statement criticized the citizenship question as untested and unnecessary.
““The U.S. Census should make our nation more equal and representative, not less,” she said. “By weaponizing the Census, this Administration tried to intimidate immigrants, worsen gerrymandering, and intentionally undercount communities of color.”
If a question is added to the census, the state could lose one, and maybe more, seats in Congress, as well as hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding, many experts predicted.
Critics say fears about how the citizenship data will be used could still deter immigrants from responding to the census even if they’re permanent legal residents. Families with mixed citizenship status could also be wary of responding.
But even without the question, California and the Bay Area remain home to many of the residents most at-risk of being undercounted, state government officials and independent experts say.
California already has a high share of hard-to-count residents, according to the Legislative Analyst’s Office, including immigrants, low-income people, those not fluent in English, and children four and younger. Renters, black residents, and Native Americans living on reservations are also at risk.
Those populations are particularly large in West Oakland, Antioch, East San Jose and San Francisco’s Mission and Chinatown neighborhoods, according to California Complete Count, the office tasked with the state’s outreach and census coordination efforts.
The Commerce Department, which administers the Census Bureau, had argued that it needed the citizenship question — which has not been asked on the full census since 1950 — to improve compliance with the Voting Rights Act. But evidence that came out during and after the case was heard in lower courts suggested that officials were more interested in the political implications of such a question, and had come to the voting rights explanation as a justification for it.
A slim majority of the justices agreed that the Trump administration’s reasoning was questionable. The government presented the courts “with an explanation for agency action that is incongruent with what the record reveals about the agency’s priorities and decisionmaking process,” Roberts wrote in his opinion, adding, “we cannot ignore the disconnect between the decision made and the explanation given.”
Despite the potential statewide loss of a congressional district, a study by the Rose Institute of State and Local Government at Claremont McKenna College estimated that the nine-county Bay Area and Santa Cruz could actually gain a Congressional representative, as well as half an assembly district and a fifth of a state senate district. That’s because the region has been the fastest growing in the state. Those gains would likely come at the expense of the Los Angeles region.
Even without the citizenship question, experts worry that an undercount of California’s residents is likely.
“The citizenship question has undermined trust in the census among immigrant communities,” Stein said, adding that the law prohibits using census data for immigration enforcement. “People now fear the census will be used against them.”
According to a worst-case scenario that included a citizenship question, the Urban Institute, a non-profit research group in Washington, D.C. projected that California’s population could be undercounted by 792,000 people, including 580,700 Hispanic and 110,100 black residents. Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander residents could be undercounted by 94,000.
That would represent the worst outcome for California since the 1990 census, when the Golden State’s population was undercounted by an estimated 2.74 percent, according to the Census Bureau’s own analysis. Every person not counted costs California roughly $2,000 in Section 8 housing vouchers, early education aid, food assistance benefits and other federal programs, according to George Washington University.
Under that worst-case scenario, the state stood to lose $1.5 billion in federal funding.
California has been gearing up for months to help count residents. This year, the Census Bureau is expected to spend nearly 11 percent less than it did for the 2010 count, in part by making most responders fill out the survey online for the first time. The state so far has committed $100.3 million toward counting a projected 40.56 million residents. That’s about $2.47 per person, nearly 12 times as much as the $0.21 per person Georgia, the next closest state, is spending.
The governor’s budget for 2019-2020 includes an additional $54 million for census outreach.
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The Albany bulb
Love the Bulb
Malcolm Margolin
Malcolm is the founder and for more than four decades was executive director of Heyday Books, an independent nonprofit publisher and cultural institution in Berkeley, California. Through Heyday, he published hundreds of books and oversaw the creation of two magazines, News from Native California (1987) and Bay Nature (2001). His classic book The Ohlone Way remains influential while East Bay Out is one of the best-loved books on California parks.
Tonika Sealy-Thompson
Tonika Sealy-Thompson is a researcher, educator, and organizer who has worked as an international festival director in Brussels, Cape Verde, and Barbados, as a developer of executive education programs in Singapore, and as coordinator for anti-racism workshops in California. She founded the Fish & Dragon Festival in Barbados and is co-founder of Ground Provisions, an education, community development, and hospitality collective based in Barbados and Singapore.
Kathryn Reasoner
Kathryn Reasoner has served as executive director at Bay Area arts institutions including the Headlands Center for the Arts and the di Rosa. Her professional activities have included work on international, national and regional arts boards and award panels for the visual and performing arts. She has taught for two decades in the US and Japan, and advises and lectures on alternative support for artists and cultural institutions locally and abroad.
Ralph Benson
Ralph Benson served as executive director of the Sonoma Land Trust and as general counsel, executive vice president and chief operating officer of The Trust for Public Land where he played a leading role in building TPL into one of America’s premier land conservation organizations focusing on land for people. He has served on and chaired the boards of Save the Bay and the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory.
Deena Chalabi
Deena Chalabi is the Barbara and Stephan Vermut Associate Curator of Public Dialogue at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, where she oversees programs, projects and commissions that emphasize community collaboration, research, and connections between local and global contexts. From 2009 to 2012 she was the founding Head of Strategy at Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art in Doha, Qatar. She has written for Bidoun, ArtAsiaPacific, and The New Inquiry, among other publications.
Lynn Eve Komaromi
Lynn Eve Komaromi is director of development at the Berkeley Repertory Theater. For more than two decades she has been a leader in the Bay Area arts world, forging meaningful and long-lasting relationships among people who share the vision that the arts are central to our humanity. She is an active recreational and commuting cyclist and bicycling advocate.
Nettie Hoge
Nettie Hoge was chief deputy commissioner for the State of California Department of Insurance. As an attorney, Hoge spent years as an advocate for consumer and health care issues. For eight years she served as executive director of TURN, The Utility Reform Network. She is co-chair of the board of directors of Heyday.
Wendy Hanamura
Wendy Hanamura is the Director of Partnerships at the Internet Archive, one of the world’s largest digital libraries. Following a distinguished career in journalism at Time, CBS, World Monitor Television, NHK, and PBS, she served as Chief Digital Officer of KCETLink and Vice President and General Manager of Link TV. Hanamura serves on the board of the Ruddie Memorial Youth Foundation, supporting innovative programs for at-risk youth. She volunteers her time as a moderator to the Clinton Global Initiative University and as a fundraiser for the Topaz Museum, preserving the story of the Utah concentration camp where her family was incarcerated during WWII.
Love the Bulb is a volunteer-run, community-based organization hosted by Earth Island Institute, a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization.
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UCLA Committee Backs Professor Over Guest Lecture Criticized as Antisemitic
by Algemeiner Staff
Rabab Abdulhadi speaking at the University of California-Los Angeles on May 14. Photo: Screenshot.
An academic freedom committee at the University of California-Los Angeles backed the right of a professor to invite a guest lecturer whose comments were denounced by some students as antisemitic, while critics called for swift action over the incident.
The Academic Freedom Committee — part of the UCLA Academic Senate, which participates in “shared governance” of the university — said in a Wednesday letter that UCLA professor Kyeyoung Park, who invited professor Rabab Abdulhadi to give a May 14 lecture to her anthropology class, had “freedom to present materials in the classroom as she determines to be appropriate.”
“It may well be that students find the words of such speakers or the content of classroom materials objectionable, but this does not alter the fact that a professor has the right to introduce such course content,” the letter read. “At the same time, the Committee notes that students should be given the opportunity to express their own opinions and objections in an appropriate manner in the classroom and through other avenues.”
Abdulhadi, founding director of San Francisco State University’s Arab and Muslim Ethnicities and Diasporas Studies (AMED) program, faced criticism from several students for comments she shared during her lecture about Israel and Zionism, a diverse movement that supports the Jewish people’s right to national self-determination.
President Donald Trump said on Thursday that a US Navy ship had "destroyed" an Iranian drone in the Strait of Hormuz...
According to a video recording of the class, Abdulhadi claimed in part that “there is a very close industry between the Israeli support industry and the Islamophobia industry,” that Zionist groups were seeking to silence dissenting viewpoints, and that “Israeli apologists have a crisis” of public relations.
“One of the Islamophobic, white supremacist, racist discourses is to say that there are shared values between the US and Israel,” said Abdulhadi, who also said that she had been smeared as antisemitic.
The professor was named in one of two antisemitism lawsuits against SFSU, both of which have since been settled.
During a question and answer portion of the lecture, junior Shayna Lavi identified herself as Jewish and said emotionally, “the fact that you would put me as a Zionist or a pro-Israel person in the same category as a white supremacist seems pretty offensive.” She called Abdulhadi’s comments “obviously antisemitic.”
Abdulhadi said she respected Lavi’s opinion and recognized her feelings, but did not agree.
“Jews come in all sorts of stripes and colors and diagrams and so on,” Abdulhadi said. “I align myself with the Jews who are opposing Israel and its colonialism and I ask people who are Jewish, it’s their choice you can decide what you want, to actually stop the alliances with white supremacy and do a different alliance.”
“There is a lot of connections about what is happening with colonialism and historically with Zionism,” she added, before criticizing Lavi for attempting to interrupt her. “Today is my lecture, you need to hear me out,” she added. “It’s alright if you are uncomfortable, people in school are supposed to be uncomfortable.”
Other students raised similar objections to Abdulhadi’s comments, with junior Ashari Whitt saying she believed her comments appeared to be “incredibly biased” and targeted against an entire nation, rather than a government. Whitt also criticized the professor’s response to Lavi’s concerns as “rude,” leading Abdulhadi to ultimately ask the student to “please stop mansplaining and attacking me.”
Abdulhadi indicated that she was not talking about national groups, but the state of Israel. “My position is anti-Zionism, I am against the Zionist project, I am against all national projects by the way,” she said.
Lavi and another student, junior Viktorya Saroyan, said they submitted critical reports of the lecture to Jerry Kang, who heads UCLA’s office for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, the Daily Bruin reported.
The Israel education and advocacy group StandWithUs sent a letter to Kang and UCLA Chancellor Gene Block on Friday calling on the administration to condemn Abdulhadi’s “discriminatory behavior,” fully investigate the matter, and discipline Park if any violations of UCLA’s policy were found.
“We urge your administration to take all necessary steps to protect itself against legal liability that could result from ignoring this pattern of discrimination on your campus and the detrimental impact it is having on the Jewish members of the campus community,” they wrote.
The university responded this week by noting that its senior “leadership are aware of these concerns and working together to learn more and find a satisfying resolution,” and that the school is committed to both academic freedom and to “providing a safe and welcoming environment for Jewish students.”
“We also remain proud of the numerous connections that UCLA maintains with Israeli institutions,” the statement continued.
The school’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion office has also published a “progress dashboard” addressing the incident this week, which acknowledged both concerns over the content of Abdulhadi’s speech and academic freedom, and shared a link to the video of the lecture so interested parties could come to their “own independent conclusion.”
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Stolen Picasso paintings worth $65m
Two paintings were stolen from Picasso's granddaughter's home as she slept.
28 Feb 2007 23:43 GMT
Maya with Doll [AFP]
According to Lombard, the paintings were on display in the apartment, in full view, but security precautions had been taken to protect the works.
The thieves removed Maya with Doll from a wall while the Jacqueline portrait was cut out of its frame, said the lawyer.
There was no sign of forced entry, according to police, who said the investigation had been handed over to the Paris police's organised crime division.
Completed in 1938, the painting is one of Picasso's classic oil paintings done in bright shades of green, blue and red and depicting young Maya in pigtails cradling a doll dressed in a sailor suit.
The stolen work of Jacqueline is from 1961, the year that the couple were married, and rates among the "most beautiful portraits" of Picasso's second wife, said Lombard.
Targeted by thieves
Maya was Widmaier Picasso's mother, born to Marie-Therese Walter, who was Picasso's companion during the late 20s and 30s. He was then married to Olga Khokhlova.
The Spanish-born artist who adopted France as his home painted scores of portraits of Jacqueline Roque, whom he met in 1954 and with whom he spent more than 20 years.
Picasso's works, among the world's most valuable, have frequently been targeted by thieves over the years.
In 1976, in one of the largest ever art robberies on French soil, 118 Picasso works were stolen from a museum in the southern French city of Avignon.
Twelve Picasso paintings, valued at the time at some $17 mil, were stolen from the Riviera villa of another of his grandchildren, Marina Picasso, in 1989. Two local restaurant owners were arrested for the crime days later, and the works were recovered in full.
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Home / Community / Blogs / Current Events / Ontario Adds Climate Change to Environment Minister Portfolio
Ontario Adds Climate Change to Environment Minister Portfolio
MPP Glen Murray is taking on the first cabinet-level role in Canada with an explicit focus on climate change.
BY Andrew Reeves
Jul 3 2014 | IN Current Events
The Pink Palace by Benson Kua \ CC BY-SA 2.0 via Flickr
In announcing her new cabinet last week, Premier Kathleen Wynne has charged former Transportation Minister Glen Murray with taking over Ontario’s newly revamped environment ministry.
Murray, the sitting MPP for Toronto Centre and former mayor of Winnipeg, assumed command of the environment ministry from veteran MPP Jim Bradley who is Ontario’s longest-serving environment minister after eight years on the job in two separate stints.
Wynne has also asked Murray to take on a new challenge, perhaps the most pressing issue facing the planet in the 21st century: climate change. No, Murray won’t be tasked with single-handedly solving the world’s shifting climate, but his new-found focus on this gargantuan issue is a first for Ontario and its newly minted Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change.
The new moniker reflects Wynne’s appreciation of the growing challenges and impacts climate change and extreme weather are having in Ontario. Since 2011 alone, flooding has drowned Wawa, Belleville and downtown Toronto; rapid shifts in spring temperatures have destroyed apple crops in Southern Ontario; tornadoes have ripped through rural communities; and the number of forest fires burning through northern Ontario has steadily increased, hitting a recent peak number of fires in 2012 (1,611), with the most hectares burnt (635,373) in 2011.
All have caused hundreds of millions in damages in recent years. Just last week, Wynne toured a tornado ravaged community in Angus, Ontario, days after an independent review panel released a report on the lingering effects in Toronto caused by December’s devastating ice storm that left tens of thousands without power over the holidays.
Given that extreme weather events are increasingly wreaking havoc in Ontario, having someone focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climate change is critical, Wynne said.
“Talk to municipal leaders across the province and across the country, quite frankly, and having someone paying attention to [climate change] issues is fundamental to our success in the future,” she said.
Armed with a majority government, hopefully the Liberals can provide some measure of stability to a ministry that has seen 14 ministers (including Murray) at the helm since 1995, including six Liberals since 2003 and eight Tories under Premier Mike Harris between 1995 and 2003.
“We’re pleased to see Ontario become the first jurisdiction in North America to elevate the task of addressing it to the level of a cabinet position.”
– Tim Gray, Environmental Defence
Some environmental groups are applauding the government’s shift to recognize the growing importance of climate change as an issue worthy of direct government action, including Environmental Defence’s executive director Tim Gray.
“Climate change is the most significant challenge facing human civilization and we’re pleased to see Ontario become the first jurisdiction in North America to elevate the task of addressing it to the level of a cabinet position,” Gray said.
“We look forward to working with Minister Murray to develop an aggressive agenda to reduce carbon emissions in a manner that facilitates a clean economy, which benefits Ontario residents and businesses and shows that environmental and economic goals can be pursued hand-in-hand.”
While Wynne and Murray denied the Liberals have any intention of implementing a carbon tax or cap-and-trade system, some at Queen’s Park are wondering if the Liberal majority will light a fire under their commitment to the Western Climate Initiative and North America 2050.
Under then-Premier Dalton McGuinty and the Environment Minister at the time, John Gerretsen, Ontario joined with British Columbia, Quebec and Manitoba in July 2008 in becoming partners in the Western Climate Initiative (WCI).
Led by California, this voluntary coalition of Canadian provinces and US states formed in February 2007 with the aim to reduce emissions through a cap-and-trade system for players in the electricity sector and large commercial or industrial bodies. The goal was to expand to include residential units in 2015.
At its peak, the coalition included New Mexico, Arizona, Montana, Utah, Oregon and Washington state, in addition to its Canadian participants. Together, the partners represented more than 20 per cent of US GDP and 76 per cent of Canadian GDP, operating with the goal of having each participant reduce emissions 15 per cent below 2005 levels by 2020.
Yet six years after upgrading its observer status to a full partner in the WCI, as of September 2013, Ontario was still attempting to figure out what its role and emission reduction responsibilities should be within the organization.
There is also no clear timeline on when Ontario will reach its voluntary reduction targets as outlined by the WCI, let alone what those targets are.
Without strong support, the Western Climate Initiative itself began to unravel in November 2011 when every US participant save for California pulled out, citing a too stringent framework for how emissions were to be reduced. This left the Golden State holding the bag for a program it had initiated with only four uneasy Canadian partners to join them.
In June of last year, Environmental Commissioner Gord Miller warned that Ontario was particularly quiet on the greenhouse gas reduction front, a troubling move given advancements from China and the United States, most recently with the Environmental Protection Agency’s move to restrict GHGs produced from coal-fired electricity plants.
Murray will have his work cut out for him showing the Liberals are serious on the climate change file, and setting targets and firming up their participation in the Western Climate Initiative is a good starting point.
Miller is set to release an updated annual GHG reduction report July 9 at Queen’s Park.
Andrew Reeves
Andrew Reeves is the Editor-in-Chief of Alternatives Journal. Overrun, his book about Asian carp in North America, will be published in Spring 2019 by ECW Press. His work has also appeared in the Globe & Mail, Spacing and Corporate Knights. Follow him on Twitter.
More from Current Events
What "Selma" Can Teach the Canadian Climate Movement
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Building housing on flood plains another sign of growing inequality
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Home / Community / Blogs / The Wild Side / Harvesting Community Pride
Harvesting Community Pride
Hives for Humanity is enhancing communities in British Columbia through apiculture
BY Eunize Lao
Nov 6 2015 | IN The Wild Side
Categories: Wildlife - Resilience - Habitat Protection - Ecology - Conservation - Campaigns - Bees
Community workshop photo courtesy of Hives for Humanity
In the Downtown Eastside (DTES) of Vancouver, a community is buzzing. Hives for Humanity is a non-profit organization based in Vancouver. They work to enhance the communities where their bee hives reside in by connecting people to honeybees and native bees, gardens and communities through the creation of opportunities. Their core work is with at-risk communities in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, but Hives for Humanity also branches out to connect with other communities in Vancouver.
Sarah Common, Chief Community Officer at Hives for Humanity, founded the organization with her mother, Julia in 2012. It was the result of Common placing a hive in a community garden she was working in.
“I was looking for ways to make the garden more meaningful to the community, and create more opportunity for community ownership and engagement to try and enliven that space” says Common. As a result, she was able to hone her mother’s beekeeping skills and allow them to share their skill sets with a community that wouldn’t have otherwise had the opportunity to be in a garden with bees and learn how to bee keep.
Sarah (left) and Julia Common (right)
After placing the hive in one garden, they found that many community members we’re taking ownership of the bees, protecting, observing and caring for them. They received a lot of questions from community members asking about opportunities for them in the following years.
“Most people in this community are focused on the moment and survival in the present,” says Common. “Hopeful thoughts of next year are essentially a luxury.” They decided to honour those requests and continue to support the at-risk communities of people and pollinators.
Downtown Eastside of Vancouver is where their core work takes place and the future location of their Bee Space, a retail storefront for the organization. There are many factors that contribute to the poverty, homelessness and unstable housing that occur in the DTES Common said. One of the things that those factors tie back to is the experience of trauma. Their Therapeutic Beekeeping Program creates a positive and supportive environment that fosters self-worth and pride.
“It brings people to leave behind their emotional baggage, trauma and chaos they carry with them and leave that behind when they enter the apiary,” says Common. “When they come into this place, they’re focusing on the vibrations of the bees, the smells of the hives and caring for this living, breathing system.”
The therapeutic powers of the hive and the gardens are not limited to those who have experienced trauma. Common stresses that it is a therapeutic experience for all. Everyone has stress and the bees provide an opportunity to relieve that stress. “That experience of understanding how interconnected to every is universal no matter what you’re doing in the apiary,” says Common.
One of the things they’re finding is how empowering it is for people in the DTES community to be taking leadership roles, becoming environmental stewards and making substantial differences for the bees through the provision of habitat and forage. “People in this neighbourhood are used to being marginalized and pushed aside.” Common continues that for them, by taking on meaningful roles and creating change, it becomes a positive experience for the community to know they can be an ambassador for the bees and help relieve some of the bees’ struggles.
After building connections with people and communities, Common has found that through the winter months, reestablishing those connections can be difficult. “A lot can change in three days for people in this community, let alone three months,” says Commons. The Bee Space would provide a year-round location for Hives for Humanity and the community and allow the organization to achieve financial sustainability. They would be able to offer employment and volunteer opportunities, host workshops and feature their products. The Bee Space would be a huge opportunity for them to ground themselves in the community. Currently, the City of Vancouver has granted them $25,000, provided they raise the other half of the $50,000 needed to build the Bee Space.
“It’s opportunities that create lasting change and empower someone to take a new path that make’s them feel good and valued,” Common said. “It’s that piece of self-worth that makes a difference in recovery, healing and moving forward. That is the core of everything we’re doing, which is creating self-worth in individuals and building community pride.”
Their goal is to keep outreaching, engaging and building the sustainability of their programs in different communities to create a connected group of apiaries in and around the city. In the future, Common and her mother hope to grow the organization and have hives set up in communities around world.
Support Hives for Humanity’s Bee Space by donating to their crowd funding campaign. Follow their initiatives on Twitter and visit their website to learn more about the organization.
Eunize Lao
Eunize Lao is the Editorial Intern and a third-year Environment and Business student at the University of Waterloo.
More from The Wild Side
Biodiversity is declining at an unprecedented rate. Where do we go from here?
On the Hunt for Narwhals
Why there’s been a boom in discovering new species despite a biodiversity crisis
How to protect your children from wildfire smoke
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Take a look at some of the press our project has been getting across the country. So far, we have been featured in periodicals in New Orleans, Boston, Des Moines and beyond.
Soccer documentary with local ties to explore U.S., Latin American relationships
By: Kara Martinez Bachman, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
Slidell native Sam Mathius will set out soon on a three-month journey to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Of course, he's going to see the competition. But in this case, the journey is more important than the destination. Mathius is part of a three-man team producing a documentary film that seeks to explore the growing connections between American and Latin American culture.
You should get to know Petar Madjarac
By: Staff
Producer/director, “American Futbol Movie,” Des Moines
Job description: I am traveling through Latin America for four months this spring producing a documentary film about soccer en route to Brazil for the World Cup.
Former Emerson Students to Film Ambitious World Cup Documentary
By: Hayden Bird
This summer, the World Cup will return to the country that is synonymous with soccer. Hosted in Brazil, it promises to be a monthlong festival of the world's game, showcasing its customary array of talented players, incredible fans, and inescapable drama that has defined the tournament since it's inception in 1930. The games themselves will be the culmination for the host country – and the 31 other countries who fought hard to reach the competition. Interestingly, it will also be a culmination for three former Emerson students (now filmmakers), who will be traveling more than 7,000 miles as they film a fascinating documentary.
Wallingford native involved in World Cup documentary
By: Jeff Gebeau | Record-Journal correspondent
WALLINGFORD — Lyman Hall High School alumnus Peter Karl and two roommates from Emerson College will begin filming a World Cup documentary in April, visiting nine or 10 countries in about 100 days. Their 7,000-mile journey ends in Brazil for the World Cup in June and July.
American Fútbol the 2014 World Cup Documentary
By: Bogdan Zlatkov
Soccer is growing in a big way in the United States, and a major reason for that rise to prominence is the growing influence of Latino cultures in the U.S. Latin America is crazy about soccer (or fútbol as they call it) and with the World Cup being held in the Americas in 2014, there is no better time than now to explore the influence Latin America has on the United States, through the lens of soccer. The American Fútbol crew will visit all 10 countries in Latin America that qualified for the World Cup in order to better understand each countries’ unique connection to soccer.
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Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia Launches On Android
By Daniel Golightly February 01, 2018, 2:33am
Square Enix Co, Ltd.'s Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia is now available for download on Android, as of January 31. Although this may not be the Final Fantasy title many players are probably waiting for, Opera Omnia appears to a be a worthy title in its own right. Dropped into a crumbling world, created by Spiritus and Materia, players must team up with heroes and baddies from across the expansive franchise to fight through a new original story campaign. As with other entries into the Final Fantasy series, combat takes the form of series-familiar turn-based battles and players will need to evolve their own strategies as they play with a variety of weapons and abilities varying from character to character.
However, Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia also has a few features that are mostly unique to this title. For starters, because there are dozens of characters to choose from previous Final Fantasy titles players are going to need to be thoughtful about setting up their various teams. As mentioned above, each character will have their own weaknesses and strengths, as well as their own weapons and abilities. So picking the appropriate characters to take on any given enemy is going to be crucial. Beyond that, there are separate multiplayer quests to be undertaken by two or more players working as a team. Those will also typically involve bigger rewards for participants since players will need to work together in order to bring down even larger or more dangerous enemies than they might face in more standards quests.
Meanwhile, this particular Final Fantasy title is also free to play with in-app purchases but also comes with some interesting bonuses for players who download it early. In fact, because the developers saw such a big response when Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia first went up for pre-registration, Square Enix is offering those pre-registration perks to everybody who logs in before February 28. Those players will receive 5,000 in-game currency - called gems - a 300-gem login bonus for the first 20 days logging in, exclusive gear for the 25 available launch characters, one half-priced summon before February 28, and discounts on gem bundles.
February 01, 2018, 2:33am
Source: Square Enix Press Center
Android NewsAndroid App & Games
Daniel Golightly
Daniel has been writing for AndroidHeadlines since 2016. As a Senior Staff Writer for the site, Daniel specializes in reviewing a diverse range of technology products and covering topics related to Chrome OS and Chromebooks. Daniel holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Software Engineering and has a background in Writing and Graphics Design that drives his passion for Android, Google products, the science behind the technology, and the direction it's heading. Contact him at [email protected]
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Unusual Mortality of Pinnipeds in the United Kingdom Associated with Helical (Corkscrew) Injuries of Anthropogenic Origin
Written by Steve Bexton, Dave Thompson, Andrew Brownlow, Jason Barley, Ryan Milne, and Cornelia Bidewell
Abstract: Between June 2008 and December 2010, 76 dead pinnipeds were found on the coast of the United Kingdom with peculiar injuries consisting of a single continuous curvilinear skin laceration spiralling down the body. The skin and blubber had been sheared from the underlying fascia and, in many cases, the scapula also had been avulsed from the thoracic wall. Although previously unreported in the UK, similar distinctive lesions had been described in Canadian pinnipeds where they were referred to as corkscrew injuries. In the UK, identical injuries were seen in both native species of pinniped, with 43 harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) (57%) and 26 grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) (34%) affected, and seven carcasses (9%) for which the species could not be determined. There were two apparent seasonal peaks in incidence; predominantly adult harbor seals were discovered during the summer and juvenile grey seals during the winter. Postmortem examinations of 20 harbor seals revealed they had been alive and healthy when the injuries were sustained, with no evidence of any underlying disease or disability. Based on the pathological findings, it was concluded that mortality was caused by a sudden traumatic event involving a strong rotational shearing force. The injuries were consistent with the animals being drawn through the ducted propellers of marine vessels and, in some cases, there was a direct correlation with the presence of work boats operating in the vicinity. This challenges the conclusions of a previous study in Canada that suggested natural predation by Greenland sharks (Somniosus microcephalus) was likely to be responsible for these injuries.
Key Words: corkscrew, seal, pinniped, anthropogenic mortality, mechanical, spiral, stranding, propeller
$12.00 each Vol. 38, Iss. 3, Bexton
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Mattathias Antigonos II (40 – 37 BC)
Antigonus II Mattathias (died 37 BC) was the last Hasmonean king of Judea. He was the second son of King Aristobulus II of Judea. Together with his father, he was carried off as a prisoner to Rome by Pompey the Great in 63 BC. Eventually, he escaped and returned to Judea in 57 BC. Despite an unsuccessful attempt to oppose the Roman forces, the Senate released him, but he refused to surrender his dynastic rights. After the death of his older brother Alexander, Antigonus claimed that his uncle Hyrcanus was a puppet in the hands of the Idumean Antipater and thus used this to justify trying to overthrow him with the help of the Romans.
Antigonus did visit the rival of Pompey Julius Cæsar, who at the time during 47BC was in Syria. There Antigonus complained of the usurpation of Antipater and Hyrcanus. About 5 years later, in 42, Antigonus attempted to seize the government of Judea by force with the assistance of his brother-in-law, Ptolemy Mennei. This attempted conquest was met with defeat by Herod the Great.
It was the break between Octavian and Marc Antony that resulted in a sharp increase in taxation by Antony and Cleopatra. This is what eventually would be long remembered and turned toward a deep resentment against Rome. The Parthians, who invaded Syria in 40BC, were the rival to Rome and they supported Antigonus who promised them 1000 silver talents and 500 women slave girls. The Parthians sent five hundred warriors to assist Antigonus. Hyrcanus was captured, his ears were mutilated, and then he was sent to Babylon. Herod managed to flee from Jerusalem and thus Antigonus was officially proclaimed king and high priest of Jerusalem.
Just after the conquest of Jerusalem by the Parthians, Herod I was forced to flee Jerusalem with his family and sought refuge in the desert fortress of Masada. Herod I proceeded to Egypt to seek the help of Cleopatra VII in Alexandria. She received him most graciously, declined to aid him against Mattathias Antigonus. Herod then continued his journey to Rome to seek help. He requested the help of Rome to guarantee him the crown of Judea. Marc Antony and the Roman Senate named Herod King of Judea and Samaria. After a week, Herod returned to Palestine. There the struggle for sole reign began with Mattathias Antigonus resulting in a war that lasted another two and a half years.
In 37BC, Herod laid siege to Jerusalem to take power and captured it with the help from the Roman general C. Sossius. Herod captured Antigonus along with his political backers in the city. The supporters of Antigonus fought until the Romans reached the inner courtyard of the Temple. Herod ordered the execution of 45 members of the Sanhedrin which had supported the previous Hasmonean dynasty. The Sanhedrin, which would later seek the death of Jesus, was reduced at this time to a religious court ending its control over the state. From this moment on, Herod ruled Judaea complete with the support of Rome. Herod then proceeded to Samaria to marry his fiancé, the Hasmonean Mariamne. This was a political dynastic marriage as Herod had married a Hasmonean in order to reinforce his claim to the royal title. Antigonus Mattathias, the last Hasmonean king, was brought to Antioch and was executed. Josephus tells us that Mark Antony beheaded Antigonus (Antiquities, XV 1:2 (8–9). However, the Roman historian Cassius Dio states that he was crucified and records in his Roman History: “These people [the Jews] Antony entrusted to a certain Herod to govern; but Antigonus he bound to a cross and scourged, a punishment no other king had suffered at the hands of the Romans, and so slew him.” In his Life of Antony, Plutarch tells us that Antony had Antigonus beheaded, “the first example of that punishment being inflicted on a king.”
Many believe that in the Dead Sea Scrolls, otherwise known as the Qumran Scrolls, it was Antigonus who is the figure known as the Wicked Priest.
The Jewish population in Jerusalem feared the demise of the Hasmonean Dynasty from what they saw was a usurper of the Herodian Dynasty. Therefore, the coinage during the siege of Jerusalem depicted the most important religious objects – the menorah and the showbread table on the other. Therefore, these coins were clearly politically motivated to rally support for the last of the Hasmonean kings Antigonus II Mattathias.
Mints: Jerusalem
Æ22
Æ Prutot
FDIC-Bank of England – Bail-In
Ancient and Premodern Weights and Measures, with Modern Equivalents
A Brief History of Paper Money
History of the Dow Jones Industrial Average
Listing of Roman Dictators
White Earth Effect
A Brief History of World Credit & Interest Rates
Monetary History of the World
Dow Jones Industrial Average All-Time Largest One Day Gains & Losses
The Euro Outlook 1996-1997
Giordano Bruno (1548–1600)
Tax Debate – Steve Forbes – Martin Armstrong – Governor Jim Florio of NJ – 1997
History of Social Security
Transcripts of Testimony before Congress, Debates, & OpEds
The President Kennedy's Telstar News Conference of July 23, 1962
The History of Gold
History of Panics – The force of Creative Destruction
Financial Panics of the World
Heinrich Schliemann
Cyprus Proposal
Economic Thought
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By Mr. Cory Hancock (JFHQNCRMDW)July 31, 2018
1 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Chief of Chaplains, Chap. (Maj. Gen.) Paul K. Hurley gives remarks at a ceremony in honor of the 243rd U.S. Army Chaplain Corps Anniversary at Chaplains Hill in Section 2 of Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, July 27, 2018. (U.S. Army photo by Elizabeth Fraser / Arlington National Cemetery / released) (Photo Credit: Elizabeth Fraser, Arlington National Cemetery ) VIEW ORIGINAL
2 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Sgt. Maj. Ralph Martinez (far right front), regimental sergeant major, U.S. Army Chaplain Corps; and Chaplain (Maj. Gen.) Paul K. Hurley (far right rear), chief of chaplains, U.S. Army Chaplain Corps; lay a wreath at Chaplain's Hill in Section 2 of Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, July 27, 2018. The wreath-laying was in honor of the 243rd U.S. Army Chaplain Corps Anniversary. (U.S. Army photo by Elizabeth Fraser / Arlington National Cemetery / released) (Photo Credit: Elizabeth Fraser, Arlington National Cemetery ) VIEW ORIGINAL
3 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – A bugler from the U.S. Army Band, "Pershing's Own", supports a ceremony in honor of the 243rd U.S. Army Chaplain Corps Anniversary at Chaplains Hill in Section 2 of Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, July 27, 2018. A wreath was laid at Chaplains Hill by Chaplain (Maj. Gen.) Paul K. Hurley, chief of chaplains, U.S. Army Chaplain Corps, and Sgt. Maj. Ralph Martinez, regimental sergeant major, U.S. Army Chaplain Corps. (U.S. Army photo by Elizabeth Fraser / Arlington National Cemetery / released) (Photo Credit: Elizabeth Fraser, Arlington National Cemetery ) VIEW ORIGINAL
The 243rd Chaplain's anniversary took place in Arlington National Cemetery and in the Memorial Chapel at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Virginia, July 27, 2018.
"Today is about celebrating our heritage as Chaplains and the ministry we are able to do in the Army," said CH (Capt.) Karl Redelsheimer, Chaplain for Arlington National Cemetery. "Religion is important because it allows Soldiers to bounce back from things."
The Chaplain Corps is one of the oldest and smallest branches of the Army. The Corps started on July 29, 1775, when the Continental Congress authorized one chaplain for each regiment of the Continental Army. In addition to chaplains serving in Continental regiments, many militia regiments counted chaplains among their ranks.
The all-day event started with a wreath laying ceremony at Chaplain's Hill in Arlington National Cemetery, followed by a cake cutting ceremony, fellowship and reflection at Memorial Chapel.
Five chaplains have received the Medal of Honor for their bravery, the most recent award made posthumously to Chaplain (Maj.) Charles J. Watters in November 1969. Watters is buried on Chaplain's Hill in Arlington National Cemetery.
"I have been a part of the chaplain corps for 20 years and I love it," said Master Sgt. Yvette Edmonds, Arlington National Cemetery and Joint Force Headquarters-National Capital Region/U.S. Army Military District of Washington noncommissioned officer in charge. Serving the Soldiers, brining ministry to the Soldiers, that's what we do. Faith is a part of resilience. You have the physical and emotional parts but then you have your faith part. For a lot of folks, no matter what their faith, it plays the key element into how they thrive throughout their life in the military."
The U.S. Army Chaplains Corps provides religious support to America's Army. Chaplains advise commanders to ensure the 'free exercise' rights for all Soldiers are upheld - including those who hold no faith. Chaplains perform religious support activities according to their faith and conscience and provide religious support of other faith groups by coordinating with another chaplain or qualified individual to perform the support needed.
Learn more about MDW
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Learn more about the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps
More photos from this event on Flickr
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July 8, 2019Female chaplain's mission field is with Wisconsin troops
July 7, 2019CHAPLAINS CORNER: Giraffe
June 27, 2019Ghanaian chaplain finds new family during deployment to SWB
June 21, 2019JBSA - Ft. Sam Houston Caisson Team Dedicates horse in Sergeant Major of the Army's Name
June 14, 2019Garrison Humphreys conducts quarterly town hall
June 12, 2019Chaplain Reflects on the Legacy of the Rangers at DDay75
June 11, 2019Commentary: The Presence of Comrades on Memorial Day
June 4, 2019Chief of Chaplains biography
June 4, 2019Installation of Army's 25th Chief of Chaplains
June 3, 2019NGB Chaplain Visits 1TSC
May 29, 2019Chaplain from troubled home now helps strengthen families
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Signed w/estate stamp, l.r.: "Claude Monet"
200 × 200.7 cm (78 3/4 × 79 in.)
Art Institute Purchase Fund
Art Institute of Chicago, “Homage to Claude Monet,” Art Institute of Chicago Quarterly 51, 2 (Apr. 1, 1957), p. 23, 24, 25 (ill.).
Art Institute of Chicago, “Catalogue,” Art Institute of Chicago Quarterly 51, 2 (Apr. 1, 1957), p. 34.
Art Institute of Chicago, “Exhibitions,” Art Institute of Chicago Quarterly 51, 2 (Apr. 1, 1957), p. 36.
Edith Weigle, “The Wonderful World of Art,” Chicago Daily Tribune, May 26, 1957, p. E2.
Art Institute of Chicago, Paintings in the Art Institute of Chicago: A Catalogue of the Picture Collection (Art Institute of Chicago, 1961), pp. 284 (ill.), 322.
A. James Speyer, “Twentieth-Century European Paintings and Sculpture,” Apollo 84, no. 55 (Sept. 1966), p. 222.
Charles C. Cunningham, Instituto de arte de Chicago, El mundo de los museos 2 (Editorial Codex, 1967), pp. 11, ill. 28; 57, no. 4 (ill.).
Jean-Dominique Rey, “Au-delà de la peinture,” in Denis Rouart and Jean-Dominique Rey, Monet, nymphéas, ou Les miroirs du temps, with a cat. rais. by Robert Maillard (Hazan, 1972), pp. 144–45 (ill.).
Denis Rouart and Jean-Dominique Rey, Monet, nymphéas, ou Les miroirs du temps, with a cat. rais. by Robert Maillard (Hazan, 1972), p. 179 (ill.).
Art Institute of Chicago, 100 Masterpieces (Art Institute of Chicago, 1978), p. 94, pl. 51.
A. James Speyer and Courtney Graham Donnell, Twentieth-Century European Paintings (University of Chicago Press, 1980), pp. 12; 60, cat. 3B6; microfiche 3, no. B6 (ill.).
Horst Keller, with a contribution by Herbert Keller, Ein Garten wird Malerei: Monets Jahre in Giverny (DuMont Buchverlag, 1982), pp. 86; 108; 117; 141 (ill.), 159. Translated by Sylvia Gouding as Monet’s Years at Giverny: A Garden Becomes Painting (DuMont Buchverlag/Dumont Monte, 2001), pp. 86, 108, 117, 141 (ill.), 159.
Claire Joyes, Claude Monet: Life at Giverny (Vendome, 1985), p. 107 (ill.).
Daniel Wildenstein, Claude Monet: Biographie et catalogue raisonné, vol. 4 (Bibliothèque des Arts, 1985), pp. 268; 269, cat. 1833 (ill.).
Andrew Forge, Monet, Artists in Focus (Art Institute of Chicago, 1995), pp. 66; 68; 104, pl. 33; 109.
Daniel Wildenstein, Monet: Catalogue raisonné, vol. 4, Nos. 1596–1983 et les grandes décorations (Taschen/Wildenstein Institute, 1996), p. 870, cat. 1833 (ill.).
Caroline Holmes, Monet at Giverny (Cassel/Sterling, 2001), pp. 22–23 (ill.).
Norio Shimada and Keiko Sakagami, Kurōdo Mone meigashū: Hikari to kaze no kiseki [Claude Monet: 1881–1926], vol. 2 (Nihon Bijutsu Kyōiku Sentā, 2001), pp. 144, no. 266 (ill.); 191.
Robert Gordon and Sydney Eddison, Monet: The Gardener (Universe, 2002), pp. 55 (ill.), 94.
Katharine Kuh, My Love Affair with Modern Art: Behind the Scenes with a Legendary Curator, ed. Avis Berman (Arcade, 2006), p. 45.
Joseph Baillio, “Katia Granoff (1895–1989): Champion of the Late Works of Claude Monet,” in Wildenstein and Co., Claude Monet (1840–1926): A Tribute to Daniel Wildenstein and Katia Granoff, exh. cat. (Wildenstein, 2007), p. 41.
Eric M. Zafran, “Monet in America,” in Wildenstein and Co., Claude Monet (1840–1926): A Tribute to Daniel Wildenstein and Katia Granoff, exh. cat. (Wildenstein, 2007), pp. 128; 130; 136, fig. 58.
Gloria Groom and Douglas Druick, with the assistance of Dorota Chudzicka and Jill Shaw, The Impressionists: Master Paintings from the Art Institute of Chicago, exh. cat. (Art Institute of Chicago/Kimbell Art Museum, 2008), pp. 18 (ill.), 19 (ill.). Simultaneously published as Gloria Groom and Douglas Druick, with the assistance of Dorota Chudzicka and Jill Shaw, The Age of Impressionism at the Art Institute of Chicago (Art Institute of Chicago/Yale University Press, 2008), pp. 18 (ill.), 19 (ill.).
“Cat. 46: Irises, 1914/17” in Monet Paintings and Drawings at the Art Institute of Chicago, ed. Gloria Groom and Jill Shaw (Art Institute of Chicago, 2014).
Art Institute of Chicago, The Paintings of Claude Monet, Apr. 1–June 15, 1957, no cat. no.
By descent from the artist (died 1926) to his son, Michel Monet, Giverny. [According to Daniel Wildenstein, Monet: Catalogue raisonné/Werkverzeichnis, vol. 4, Nos. 1596–1983 et les grandes décorations (Taschen/Wildenstein Institute, 1996), p. 870, cat. 1833 (ill.).]
Acquired by Katia Granoff, Paris, by 1956. [According to Daniel Wildenstein, Monet: Catalogue raisonné/Werkverzeichnis, vol. 4, Nos. 1596–1983 et les grandes décorations (Taschen/Wildenstein Institute, 1996), p. 870, cat. 1833 (ill.).]
Sold by Katia Granoff, Paris, to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1956.
Wildenstein, Claude Monet, cat rais. 1996 1833
Cat. 46 Irises, 1914/17
Sandvika, Norway, 1895
Stacks of Wheat (Sunset, Snow Effect), 1890/91
Stack of Wheat, 1890/91
Stack of Wheat (Thaw, Sunset), 1890/91
Stacks of Wheat (End of Day, Autumn), 1890/91
Stack of Wheat (Snow Effect, Overcast Day), 1890/91
Water Lilies, 1906
Poppy Field (Giverny), 1890/91
The Artist’s House at Argenteuil, 1873
Stacks of Wheat (End of Summer), 1890/91
Lady in Green and Gray, 1911
Thomas Wilmer Dewing
On the Bank, c. 1915
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icon-tick Comprehensive Insurance
icon-tick Generous no claims bonus
icon-tick Policy in plain english
Home / Jewellery Insurance / Safe Deposit Box Insurance / The Koh-i-Noor
The Koh-i-Noor
The next diamond in our series has a particularly rich and colourful history. The Koh-i-Noor, also known as the “Mountain of Light”, currently resides in the collection of the British Royal family, like the Star of Africa that was discussed previously in the series. However, its story extends far beyond that and even today, the story of the Koh-i-Noor continues to surprise and fascinate.
The curse of the Koh-i-Noor
It is believed that the Koh-i-Noor diamond was mined at the Kollur Mine in India around the 13th century, and weighed 793 carats at the time of its discovery. Perhaps most interesting, however, is that the gem was believed by many to hold a curse. The curse has its origins in an old Hindu text;
“He who owns this diamond will own the world, but will also know all of its misfortunes. Only God, or a woman, can wear it with impunity.”
Coincidentally – or not? – the diamond’s history has lived up to the curse, with all previous male owners facing great defeats in life and battle or, in some cases, a dire end.
Dynasties by the dozen
The Koh-i-Noor was known to be in the ownership of the Indian Kakatiya dynasty during the 13th century, and in this time it was installed in a statue in the temple of a Hindu goddess as her eye. After looters raided the temple, the stone was passed through numerous Indian dynasties as a spoil of war, following bloody battles between countries, dynasties and families. In 1739, however, the Koh-i-Noor’s path changed when it came into the hands of the Persian conqueror, Nadir Shah, and earned the name it has now come to be known by.
Nadir Shah claimed the stone from the emperor of the Moghul Empire, who is rumoured to have tried to hide the diamond in his turban when Shah attacked. The emperor’s plan was foiled when information was anonymously passed over to his attacker, and Nadir Shah decided to play him at his own game. Shah invited the emperor to a celebration, a trading of turbans, which is a traditional gesture of friendship. Of course when the turbans were exchanged, the diamond fell out. When the stone tumbled to the floor, it is believed that Nadir Shah exclaimed “koh-i-noor!” meaning “mountain of light”, which gave the diamond the name we recognise it by today.
In British hands
Nadir Shah was later assassinated in 1747 – further holding up the alleged curse of the diamond – and the Koh-i-Noor found its way to Afghanistan. It was later returned to India, but was subsequently claimed by Britain as part of the Treaty of Lahore, marking the end of the First Anglo-Sikh War.
Many thought that a cursed diamond should not be given to a royal, however the Koh-i-Noor was presented to Queen Victoria in 1850 by the Maharaja. Despite initially weighing almost 800 carats, by the time the Koh-i-Noor reached England it had been cut down to less than three quarters of its original size, weighing in at 186 carats. However Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, was dissatisfied with the appearance of the diamond following a botched cleaving attempt during its time with the Moghul Empire, and ordered it to be cut down further to improve its appearance and brilliance.
A royal journey through time
The Koh-i-Noor was subsequently cut down to 105.6 carats, and despite their efforts the result was still disappointing to the Prince. The gem was mounted in a brooch for Queen Victoria and, from that point on, was passed down to several other members of the Royal family. After Victoria’s death the Koh-i-Noor passed to Queen Alexandra, Edward VII’s wife, and then to their daughter, Queen Mary, upon their deaths. It now resides in the crown of the Queen Mother, which is displayed in the Tower of London.
The curse continues?
Despite having been in the ownership of the British Royal family for nearly two centuries, many still dislike this fact. Tensions rose high in 2013 when the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, visited India and refused repeated requests for the diamond to be returned to India.
The beady-eyed may have also picked up that, since its arrival in England, the Koh-i-Noor has only been possessed by females, none of whom have faced a grisly demise during their reign. A coincidence, or the curse of the Koh-i-Noor holding true? Either way, some suspect that this diamond’s future may yet prove to be as turbulent and restless as its past.
Look after your treasures
While most diamonds do not usually carry curses, we know that sometimes things can go wrong. That’s why with Assetsure’s specialist Diamond Ring Insurance you can have peace of mind knowing that, even if your diamond should be lost or stolen, its financial worth will be covered.
Gold in Jewellery
When people think of jewellery, they usually think of gold, this precious metal has long been prized for its durability, and bright yellow lustre, unlike many other metals and alloys, gold does not tarnish in air or water and is resistant to most acids....
The Hatton Gardens raid
Ever since Easter weekend, the nation’s attention has been firmly fixed on the drama of the Hatton Gardens raid. There have been several headline grabbing developments as the story has unfolded; yet no one will have felt these as keenly as the victims themselves....
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Tom Spink
Tom has worked on various commercials and made his feature film debut in Warner Brothers Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, his television debut in BBC's Casualty...
Tom has worked on various commercials and made his feature film debut in Warner Brothers Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, his television debut in BBC's Casualty and he is very much looking forward to his West End Debut in this production.
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A mix of clouds and sun. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 89F. Winds light and variable..
Mainly clear skies. Low 73F. Winds light and variable.
Liberty Mobile Now’s driver logo.
Ride-sharing service owner says it’s coming to Athens
By Conor Morris, General Assignment Reporter
A ride-sharing service may finally come to Athens, and it won’t be Uber or Lyft.
Liberty Mobility Now is a ride-sharing service with a cellphone application and phone line that also serves as a portal to connect people with other transportation options in the community.
Valerie Lefler, owner and CEO of Lincoln, Nebraska-based Liberty Mobility, said Tuesday that the company is planning to launch its services in Athens in mid-May. She said that with the population size of Athens, Liberty Mobility is looking at employing at least 110 drivers, along with staffing a central office space in Ohio University’s Innovation Center on West State Street in Athens. Lefler also said that Liberty Mobility is considering moving its main headquarters to Athens.
Lefler described Liberty as a “mobility service company” that connects existing transportation options in the community (including public transit and local taxis) and Liberty’s own drivers, with customers. As is the case with popular ride-sharing services Uber and Lyft, neither of which operate in Athens, Liberty drivers will use their own vehicles.
Lefler said that because Liberty has gotten statewide approval to operate in Ohio, Liberty’s drivers can take customers anywhere they want in the state – not just anywhere in Athens County.
Lefler said that her company prioritizes access to customers in rural and smaller urban areas more than the other ride-sharing companies on the market.
“Population health is something that is core to our business values and model and everything we do,” Lefler said. “We know that there’s a lot of need… particularly in the very rural areas (of America).”
Lefler said that Liberty will not be seeking any local approval to operate in the city of Athens through the city of Athens’ Taxi Board despite planning to operate in Athens, and said that the company does not need to do so because of the state approval that it has received.
Lefler said that the part of the “secret sauce” of Liberty is that the drivers can pick up people anywhere in the county, and can further connect them to other transportation options to travel elsewhere in the state for cheaper, such as dropping them off at Athens’ GoBus stops.
Lefler said that Liberty is not as widespread as Uber or Lyft at this point, and it’s younger than both of those companies. In general, Lefler said, the company mostly has focused on rolling out its services to rural communities, with a decent portion of Nebraska and one county in Ohio so far. Liberty Mobile is soon launching in Texas, she said, and also has received a grant to get started in Colorado as well.
By mid-May, Lefler said Liberty Mobility plans to hire an area manager locally to handle the company’s operations, and said that a “transportation coalition meeting” should be scheduled with all of the major transportation outlets and stakeholders in the county by that point as well.
Liberty Mobility Now has two cellphone apps – one for drivers and one for customers – each available at Apple and Android’s app stores.
Anyone can use the service if he or she is 18 or older, or if the rider is younger and accompanied by a parent or guardian.
“We’re really excited to come to the community,” Lefler said. “ We partner with taxis so we are looking to bring together many, many providers and partners and help optimize marketing and support for the existing infrastructure while filling in gaps with our Liberty drivers.”
According to Liberty, people who apply for a position driving or working at a Liberty call center must go through background checks and are subjected to a drug test, with the potential for follow-up tests if requested.
Ride-sharing service sets Athens County launch for early in June
A representative for a new ride-sharing service launching in Athens County says the service is expecting to start offering rides in early June.
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⇠Classic Avant-Gard High-Performance Model - Phantom Corsair
Lexus NX Facelift Debuted in Shanghai⇢
Coolest Ferraris Ever Built - Top 10
By Adrian Sabau
Sunday, May 28, 2017 Ferrari 250 GTOThe 250 GTO model is quintessentially classic Ferrari, a veritable Mona Lisa of the... Sunday, May 28, 2017 WebPage https://www.auto-types.com/images/_autonews/2015-LaFerrari_87.jpg Auto Types https://www.auto-types.com/img/logo1.png 242 55
The 250 GTO model is quintessentially classic Ferrari, a veritable Mona Lisa of the automotive world. Only 39 copies were built in between 1962 - 1964, and all retain some of the most impressive race features of all time.
The 250 GTO models appear very rarely on sale, only a few going through this situation, all priced between 40 and 60 million dollars.
Being the owner of one of them means you're part of a very exclusive club.
Ferrari Dino 206 GT
Dino 206 GT was the first official test to build a smaller car for beginners. The car was designed to compete with the Porsche 911, but Enzo Ferrari did not want to put his name on a car that was not powered by a V12 engine. The Dino name was chosen in honor of his son, Alfredo, who died in 1956.
The late 60's were terribly hard for Ferrari. Its cars lost to Ford the 24 Hours of Le Mans seven times in a row and competition like Ferruccio Lamborghini made waves worldwide with the Miura supercar. Ferrari responded with the model created by Pininfarina, the 365 GTB / 4, called later Daytona (in memory of the victory at The 24 Hours at Daytona).
The Testarossa model made its official debut at the Paris Motor Show in 1984.
The 12-cylinder engine with a displacement of 5.0 liters produces 390 horsepower, but compared to its predecessor, the Testarossa was not thought as a track model.
The car was primarily a touring model, so sportiness and luxury inside the cabin could not be missing. Leather upholstery and air conditioning make this version Ferrari ideal company for long trips or holidays.
The 288 GTO version was created to participate in Group B auto events. Therefore, the car has a tubular chassis and it was designed from composite materials such as Kevlar or fiberglass. It has a V8 engine with a displacement of 2.8 liters, equipped with two super-large compressors which gave the car 400 horsepower, enough for the 288 GTO model to reach 320 km / h.
Ferrari F40 (1987)
The F40 model was created to celebrate 40 years of company history and made extensive use of composite materials, very fashionable at that time. Moreover, engineers simplified the inside, so the passengers felt like a true racing model. The pointy car is the most recognizable Ferrari design of all time.
Ferrari 360 High Street Challenge
Ferrari engineers started from the model 360 Modena, on which they mounted four massive alloy wheels. The 360 Challenge Stradale model uses a V8 engine with a displacement of 3.6 liters, which produces 425 horsepower and a five-speed automatic gearbox.
In the early 2000s, Ferrari's dominance on the hyper car market was threatened by names like Porsche, Lamborghini and Mercedes-Benz. The Enzo version had to beat the competition and make it so that people forgot the advent of the F50. The first of the 399 copies built debuted at the Paris Motor Show in 2002.
Ferrari FXX
At launch, the FXX model was the most advanced Ferrari in terms of technology. In fact, it was just a highly modified Enzo version, created using input from Formula 1 drivers Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello.
The model came equipped with a V12 engine with a displacement of 6.3 liters, producing 800 hp transmitted to the rear wheels through an automatic gearbox, also borrowed from Formula 1.
The LaFerrari is the first Ferrari hybrid certified for public roads. The powertrain is a combination of electric and gasoline is based on a V12 engine with a displacement of 6.3 liters, rated at 789 horsepower, accompanied by a 120 kW electric motor, which helps increase power to 949 horsepower.
The Italians produced only 499 LaFerrari units, which were sold instantly. Last year, those who failed to buy the coupe had a chance to purchase the convertible version, simply called Aperta.
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VW's U.S. execs divided over UAW organizing drive, Sen. Corker says
'A lot of dissension within the company'
DETROIT (Reuters) -- U.S. executives at Volkswagen AG's plant in Tennessee were "forced" by a German board member to sign a letter disclosing the UAW's efforts to organize workers at the factory, a move that created tension within the company, U.S. Sen. Bob Corker said on Tuesday.
VW executives said last week in a letter to employees at the Chattanooga plant they are in talks with the UAW about the U.S. union's bid to represent workers at the factory using an "innovative model," which would be a milestone in the union's long-running effort to organize foreign-owned auto plants.
Corker, R-Tenn., said the letter, signed by Frank Fischer, chief operating officer and manager of the plant, was driven by the board member in Germany and not the U.S. executives.
VW's German board includes IG Metall union members who would like to see the UAW organize the Chattanooga plant and bring it in line with Volkswagen's other major factories around the world that all have union representation.
"There was a lot of dissension within the company," the Republican senator said in a telephone interview with Reuters. "I don't think it, I know it. Candidly, one board member got very involved and forced this letter to go out.
"I know that it's created tremendous amounts of tension within the company," he said, adding that "many people thought that this was a dishonest letter."
While it implied that U.S. executives and others at Volkswagen in Germany fully endorsed the UAW, he added, disagreement within the largest German automaker may put that support in doubt.
Taking issue
A Volkswagen spokesman at the Chattanooga plant, Guenther Scherelis, late Tuesday disputed Corker's claims.
"The letter to the Chattanooga workforce was drafted, written and signed by Frank Fischer and Sebastian Patta to avoid further speculation from outside the company, without being forced by anyone," Scherelis said.
Gary Casteel, the UAW's regional director in the Southeast, who is based in Tennessee, called Corker's views on how the UAW operates today as "spoken from a position of ignorance."
Casteel said VW had become one of the world's strongest automakers through its policy of co-determination, where labor has a voice at all its wholly owned plants except Chattanooga.
"It's ludicrous to think that Chattanooga benefits from being the only outlier in this system," Casteel said.
Casteel added the UAW was ready at any time to sit down and discuss the issues with Corker or Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, another opponent of the UAW.
Union cooperation
The UAW has been working with German union IG Metall, which represents VW's workers in Germany.
Corker did not identify the board member, although Horst Neumann, who is also a member of IG Metall, said in March that the company was in talks with the UAW about setting up a German-style labor board in Chattanooga, where VW builds the Passat sedan.
In an interview Monday with Automotive News, Neumann said that company lawyers are now working on a proposal for such a "works council." He said that as soon as the Detroit auto show, which starts Jan. 14, VW may have a proposal for organizing line workers that it will be able to discuss.
"As I'm learning, you can do a lot within the [American] legal framework," Neumann said in an interview on the sidelines of a VW event on the eve of the Frankfurt Motor Show. "It's an open country, the United States."
Neumann would not comment on the details of a works council proposal or his meeting with UAW President Bob King two weeks ago, but he said he personally thinks a new way of representing workers could help the weakened organized labor movement in the United States.
The UAW has been no exception to that trend. It had 382,513 members at the end of 2012, down from 1.5 million in 1979, and has struggled to organize foreign-owned assembly plants.
'Laughingstock' in business world
A former mayor of Chattanooga, Corker said if VW didn't pull back from allowing the UAW into the Tennessee plant, it risks becoming a "laughingstock in the business world" and causing a domino effect with other nonunion auto plants in the South.
However, the production chief for Mercedes said at the Frankfurt auto show on Tuesday that the German company had no need for a German-style works council at its plant near Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Corker, who was instrumental in VW's selection of Chattanooga, called the UAW's possible entry into the VW plant "a job-destroying idea" and said the idea of a more flexible, easier-to-work-with UAW was laughable.
"I've got to believe that the CEOs of the three U.S. companies are just rubbing their hands, hoping Volkswagen will carry out this self-inflicted wound," he added, referring to General Motors, Ford Motor Co. and Fiat's Chrysler Group, all of which have unionized workforces in their U.S. plants.
Casteel maintained that the German-style works council approach has never been tried in the United States.
VW has said that the 2,500 workers at the Chattanooga plant would ultimately decide the issue in a formal vote on whether to accept the UAW or any other trade union to represent them. No such vote has been set. Casteel said the UAW has the support of the majority of workers at the factory.
Organizing drives
King has been trying to organize foreign-owned, U.S.-based auto plants to bolster union membership that has shrunk since its peak in the late 1970s.
King met late last month in Germany with VW executives and officials from the company's global works council, which represents VW blue- and white-collar employees around the world.
The union said that meeting "focused on the appropriate paths, consistent with American law, for arriving at both Volkswagen recognition of UAW representation at its Chattanooga facility and establishment of a German-style works council."
Corker said VW officials have estimated what allowing the UAW into the Tennessee plant would cost the company, but declined to say what that figure was. He also said it would make Mexico more attractive to automakers versus the U.S. South.
However, Casteel said U.S. plants owned by the three domestic automakers with UAW-represented workers have boosted efficiency and gained production from Mexico.
Gabe Nelson of Automotive News contributed to this report.
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Homepage - ARTISTI 2014 - christoph soldan
Christoph Soldan – a german pianist and conductor - studied under Professors Eliza Hansen and Christoph Eschenbach at the Hamburg Musikhochschule. His break- through to active international concert playing came in a tour with Leonard Bernstein in summer 1989. Of Christoph Soldan, the world- famous director said, “I am impressed by the soulful size of this young musician.“ Since then, Soldan has played in numerous tours with renowned orchestras across Europe and abroad. In particular, this can be seen in the CD recordings of all of Mozart´s piano concertos, which were performed and recorded from 1996 until 2006 A tour of piano evenings took place in Mexico and other countries in Central America in October 1997. In August 1998 he debuted in Salzburg and in the Chamber Music Hall of the Berlin Philharmonic, and in May 1999 in the Leipzig Gewandhaus. In March 2000, there were three piano evenings in Japan. So far, there have been radio and television productions with the Hessische Rundfunk, Frankfurt, Deutschlandfunk, SWR, ORF and ZDF. The Bayerische Rundfunk broadcasted his piano evening in the Munich Residenz in October 1998 and his concert in the Bad Brückenau music festival live in 1999. Radio Bremen braodcasted his recital in Bremen in august 2002 . Starting in 1996 Soldan was performing all 27 piano concertos by Mozart together with the slovakian chamber orchestra CAPPELLA ISTROPOLITANA, the chamber orchestra of PFORZHEIM and the SILESIAN CHAMBER ORCHESTRA Katowice. This cycle of concerts ended in January 2006, performing the concertos for 2 and 3 pianos.
Christoph Soldan developed a “pas de deux for piano and dance”, together with his wife, the dancer and choreographer Stefanie Goes. The première took place in Stuttgart in May 2000. In Spring 2001 he participated the Prague Spring Festival accompanied by the slovakian chamberorchestra “Cappella Istropolitana”. Two recitals in Hamburg and Berlin were followed by a live – recording of two Mozart piano concertos in the medieval monastery of Maulbronn in september 2002. In January 2004 the première of the new dance project “something about humans and angels” took place in Stuttgart followed by a concert- tour to South Africa. Since 2007 Soldan is working also as a conductor concerning the performances of piano concertos by Bach and Mozart. In the 2014/2015 season, Christoph Soldan will be guesting in Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria, Slovakia and the United States with various programmes such as recitals, literary concerts, childrens concerts, as soloist with 5 of Mozarts´piano – concertos as well as in chamber music programmes with Brahms piano quintet op. 34. Since 1994 Christoph Soldan was artistic director of the “Schubertiade auf Schloß Eyb” . In 2007 together with his wife Soldan founded a theatre in the north of Baden-Württemberg between Stuttgart and Heidelberg, where all artistic programmes are taking place since then. The German press describes Christoph Soldan as an artist personality who works with the spiritual intensity and soulful dimension of a piece of music, rather than giving a purely technical virtuoso performance. This challenge to music and to himself is rarely seen today.
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Summer Snow (1994 - ongoing) Sohail Khan
Summer Snow. Winter Skies. First Day of Spring.
The Lunchtime Conversations have, over the last eighteen months, provided a staple diet here at BasementArtsProject. With a healthy balance of art, food and chatter these events have become part of our social calendar surrounding each exhibition. And so on the first day of spring, ten days after the preview night for The Way You Are Is The Way You Are (The Soft Rains of England), BasementArtsProject hosted a Lunchtime Conversation with artist Sohail Khan.
BasementArtsProject, whilst being an exhibition, project and event space, is first and foremost a family home, and it is this duality, the push and pull of daily life alongside the staging of art projects, that we put at the front of our agenda. Here, art is not about separation from the rest of the world, there are no white walls, clean spaces and clear surfaces allowing the work to speak, here the work just has to raise it’s voice and enunciate. This is not a project that trades off the hushed and reverential tones often reserved for discussions around art, there are enough of such places already in existence, here we take a different view, and therefore a different approach. At BasementArtsProject the work must exist alongside everything else, be able to hold it’s own in a conversation, interact with it’s surroundings whilst at the same time standing out and stating ‘this is me, this is who I am, take me as you find me, but stay and get to know me.’ This admittedly strange anthropomorphism of artworks is analogous to human behaviour in so much it is a product of human endeavour, and it is through our endeavours that we give to others, and others gain an understanding of us; furthermore our art is an attempt to make sense of the world around us and those we interact with.
The Way You Are Is The Way You Are (The Soft Rains of England) - performance props (2018) Sohail Khan
Much of what we do at BasementArtsProject is driven by the idea that If you take art, of any description, and place it in an environment that people feel unafraid to ask questions and in which they can find acceptance on their own terms, then it may be possible to encourage a new audience, one that had perhaps never before considered art as something that may be of interest to them. Over the years we have seen an audience that is almost equal parts regular art event attendees and local community members, so maybe there is something in this. Even the most provocative or experimental exhibitions staged at BasementArtsProject have found an accepting audience from both sections of our audience. The ideal scenario is one in which questions are asked, thoughts are aired, discussions are had and people leave feeling that, regardless of whether or not they liked the work, they spent their time engaging with the principles behind it.
Making Peace With The Past
One comment made by a visitor to Sohail Khan’s exhibition on the first weekend related to Live Art’s seeming necessity to engender a feeling of alienation and discomfort in order to get it’s kicks. Talking to Khan about this question over lunch on the first Sunday of spring, as the Lunchtime Conversation guests gathered around the kitchen to partake in the free meal on offer, we discussed the nature of how we remember things and how our minds process things that have happened to us in the past. Being forced to consider how certain events have made us feel allows us a way to deal with and potentially make peace with our past. For Khan the process of setting up a performance necessarily means setting up an air of disquiet in which to work, for him this is the past colliding with the present.
People often bemoan such things as the lack of beauty in contemporary art, or the depressing nature of lyrics in contemporary music but to do this is to ignore what has led us to this point, and that not all in life is beautiful. The Way You Are Is The Way You Are (The Soft Rains of England) takes as it's point of departure, and is informed by, the artist’s life as a second generation person of mixed race German and Asian heritage, and how these works trace the political and social constructions defining life in the UK over the last half a century. The visual aspect of this exhibition delves further back into the artists own fascination with ancient culture featuring playful homages to neolithic art and various forms of African and Indian tribal art. Travelling further down this long and winding path of key historical moments; in which Churchill sheds tears for the people of East Bengal, and the ritual magic of ancient cultures is transmogrified into weapons of highly advanced technological warfare, we become aware of the nature of discomfort as felt by others.
Whilst sat in the kitchen with a visitor on Saturday afternoon discussing her thoughts on the exhibition downstairs, she points out the somewhat apposite nature of the daily aphorism on the calendar by artist Garry Barker thats states ‘It is analogy that will connect your past to your present’.
Winter Sky (2012 - 2013). Sohail Khan
Jim Fixed It
On the opening night of the exhibition an uneasy sense of nostalgia prevailed amongst the older visitors. Khan; sat at a table with a bottle of whisky and puffing away on stage cigarettes, created an atmosphere redolent of the 1970’s. The air hung thick with smoke and quiet static filled conversations emanating from an antique cassette machine. Every now and then the air is filled with short bursts of music; Elgar’s Nimrod - a quintessential slice of English pastoral music, The Sun Has Got His Hat On, The Whispering Grass . . .
“Why do you whisper, green grass?
Why tell the trees what ain't so ?
Whispering Grass, the trees don't have to know.
No, No, Why tell them all your secrets?”
Snippets from the opening theme tune to Jim’ll Fix It. Elsewhere Margaret Thatcher speaks to the house about wealth creation and the gap between rich and poor. Yes this exhibition and it’s associated performance is about nostalgia but it is also a warning about nostalgia. Memory is bound up in experience and as we get older our tendency is to hold on to the things which provide us with a clear picture of our feelings at particular moments in time. My own memory of the Jim’ll Fix it theme is one that transports me back to the Wirral of the late 1970’s; Ford Cortina’s, upstairs smoking on buses, the demolition of tower blocks and the corner newsagent every Sunday morning. This kind of specific emotional link to a time and place through music was echoed by at least one other visitor to the exhibition, and specifically ignores our memory of what Jimmy Savile came to represent in the years after his death. Sometimes these memories are so ingrained in our psyche that it becomes impossible to dislodge the trope.
I remember spending an afternoon at the Holbeck Moor Summer Festival a couple of years ago and a local councillor was giving out medals to the children involved in the singing contest. As he approached the second runner-up he turned to the audience and said “this is great this, I feel like Jimmy Savile” Smatter of nervous laughter amongst the audience, dawning realisation
“erm, maybe not”
Carries on
Later on, somewhere on Facebook, a comment left by a visitor states: "I'm still slightly reeling from hearing the theme tune for Jim'll Fix It."
As the old joke goes . . . nostalgia is not what it used to be
Water the Past . . . Meat the Future (Mid-Victorian Bone, dead plant, earth, found quartz slab, red enamel paint, blood, british pound coin of dubious provenance.) (2014 - 2016) Sohail Khan
Sohail Khan’s exhibition The Way You Are Is The Way You Are ‘The Soft Rains of England’ remains open by appointment until Monday 2nd April. Please contact Bruce Davies on 0750 672 1504 or on basementartsproject@gmail.com
There will be a full write up on this project with documentation soon after the exhibition closes.
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GOP health-care bill: House Republican Leaders Abruptly Pull Their Rewrite of the Nation’s Health-care Law
Robert Costa, Mike DeBonis, and Ed O’Keefe - The Washington Post:
House Republican leaders abruptly pulled a rewrite of the nation’s health-care system from consideration on Friday, a dramatic defeat for President Trump and House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) that leaves a major campaign promise unfulfilled and casts doubt on the Republican Party’s ability to govern.
There’s reason to celebrate in this, but not much to gloat over. That bill had so little constituency it’s a wonder Speaker Ryan kept moving it forward. It’s a fair to ask what would have been worse, making the bill law and abruptly ending health insurance for 24 million Americans, or failing to pass the bill and failing on a major campaign promise and the centerpiece of Mr. Trump’s first 100 days in office.
Congressmen got an earful from back home all week - there was just no way that odious tripe would pass in the House, let alone in the Senate.
Good riddance. Let’s move on. The ACA can still use some well-placed tweaking: the penalty for not taking a policy under the individual mandate shouldn’t be cheaper than the policy itself. If Republicans want to avoid “implosion” of state exchanges, that’s what they should be looking at. A slap on the wrist is no penalty at all.
#ACA #AHCA #GOP #Ryan #Trump
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BBC Radio 4 Extra
Rock 'n' Roll in Four Movements
4 Extra Debut. Stuart Maconie looks at the rock musicians who combined symphony and pop music. With Rick Wakeman, Roy Wood and Ivan Hewett. From August 2012.
When Rock 'n' Roll began, it was music of rebellion, fighting against the strait-laced world of classical music. The two worlds seemed far apart until the late Jon Lord wrote his Concerto for Rock Group and Orchestra which combined the forces of his heavy rock group Deep Purple with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. The work was premiered in the Royal Albert Hall in London under the baton of Malcolm Arnold in 1969. From then until the arrival of Punk in the late seventies rockers like the Nice, Emerson Lake and Palmer and Rick Wakeman embraced this hybrid genre with great energy and enthusiasm. Rick Wakeman in particular became known for stage shows which matched the ambition of his music.
Stuart Maconie talks to Rick Wakeman and Keith Emerson about the genre's excesses. We hear from Roy Wood about the early days of the Electric Light Orchestra. And the late Jon Lord, in his last ever recorded interview, talks about his passion for writing classical music, inspired by his early experiment with his Concerto.
Stuart Maconie casts a fairly benevolent eye on the genre - in his view some of it was actually very good. But classical music critic Ivan Hewett is pleased that the genre was largely killed off by punk - although in his view there are more modern examples where classical and pop sensibilities are successfully combined, by the likes of Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead and Damon Albarn.
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About Belarus Travel Business Government Press centre
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The Government in Belarus
Symbols and Anthem of the Republic of Belarus
Belarusian People’s Congress
| Home | Government | Events
Lukashenko goes to Kazakhstan on working visit
MINSK, 15 October (BelTA) – Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko went to Kazakhstan on a working visit where he will take part in the sessions of the CIS Heads of State Council and the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council on 16 October, BelTA has learned.
The agenda of the forthcoming CIS summit includes 17 issues. In particular, the CIS heads of state will make statements regarding the 70th anniversary of the UN, the 30th anniversary of the Chernobyl accident, the fight against international terrorism. Apart from that, certain issues are connected with the enhancement of military and border cooperation. The participants will also consider a number of personnel issues.
The session of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council will focus on major international activities, the economic development of the EEU, approaches to the mid-term development of the trade and economic cooperation with main partners. The presidents will consider the procedure of accepting new members to the EEU and the withdrawal from the union, the beginning of the talks with the State of Israel concerning the free trade agreement. The agenda of the session also includes a number of organizational issues.
© BELARUS.BY, 2009 - 2019
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Luke Commentary – James R. Edwards Interview
James R. Edwards is the author of the Luke volume in the Pillar New Testament Commentary series. Dr. Edwards (Fuller Theological Seminary, Ph.D) is the Bruner-Welch Professor Emeritus of Theology at Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington, where he has taught since 1997.
Dr. Edwards’ primary research interests include biblical studies and history of the early church, with secondary interests in the Reformation and history of the twentieth-century German Church struggle. Besides his Luke commentary, he also wrote the Mark commentary in the Pillar series as well as the Romans volume in the UBCS series. He is also the author of the highly-praised, Is Jesus the Only Savior?
Dr. Edwards’ is a frequent visitor to Christian sites, libraries, and monasteries in Germany, Greece, Turkey, and Israel. He is a minister in the Presbyterian church.
7 Questions on Luke in the Pillar Commentary Series
Recently, Dr. Edwards agreed to set aside time in his schedule to answer my questions about his Luke commentary. Readers will learn how this commentary came to be, learn about Dr. Edward’s hypothesis about the “Hebrew Gospel,” and how writing this commentary edified him personally.
What previous research and/or personal interests led you to this project and helped prepare you to write this commentary on Luke?
Two things moved me to consider writing a commentary on the Gospel of Luke. The first was the completion of my commentary on the Gospel of Mark in the same series (Eerdmans’s Pillar New Testament Commentary). Mark was one of Luke’s chief sources, and I wanted to investigate more thoroughly how Luke utilizes Mark, and augments it for his own portrait of Jesus. The second thing has to do with the augmentation. Following my Mark commentary (published 2002), I wrote a book on the Hebrew Gospel, in which I proposed that the distinctive number of Hebraisms in “Special Luke” (the approximately one half of Luke that is not paralleled in Mark) derived from the ancient Hebrew Gospel mentioned by Eusebius and a dozen other church fathers. I published my findings in The Hebrew Gospel and the Development of the Synoptic Tradition (Eerdmans, 2009). A commentary on Luke would allow me to show exactly where and how the Third Gospel utilizes the Hebrew Gospel as one of the eye-witness sources that he attributes in the prologues of the Gospel (Luke 1:2).
2. Who is the intended audience for this commentary? Would it benefit pastors? professors? students? lay Christians in the local church?
I endeavor to write for any English reader who is genuinely interested in the message of the New Testament. My commentaries are read by many students and professors in colleges and seminaries, and I am of course grateful to participate in the theological education of this current generation of pastor-scholars. But I am most pleased to hear, as I frequently do, from pastors and lay persons who find my commentaries interesting and “accessible.” I seek to address the major interpretive issues of the Gospels by writing in a lively style, avoiding undue technical terminology (and carefully defining it when I use it), and above all, indicating the theological and pastoral significance of points as appropriate.
3. What is unique about this commentary? What contribution does it make to studies of Luke?
My endeavor to demonstrated how Luke utilized a Hebrew source for “Special Luke,” as I have noted above, is perhaps the most unique contribution of my commentary. Along with this, I do not believe there was such a thing as the “Q” source, so my commentary is distinctive in this respect as well. But more broadly and theologically, my commentary shows how the Third Gospel from the Infancy Narrative onward portrays the life of Christ in terms of the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy and expectation. It is true that Luke writes for outsiders and marginal people and groups, but he above all presents Jesus as the fulfillment of salvation history, the hopes of Israel. Indeed, Luke, who is popularly considered to be the only Gentile author of a NT document, may have been a Jew. And two further distinctives, briefly. In Luke 7-9, we see a number of allusions to the Old Testament prophets Elijah and Elisha, both of whom were miracle workers and also ministered to Gentiles, with reference to the presentation of Jesus. And finally, I do not regard the large central section of the Third Gospel (Luke 9:51-18:34) as a “travel narrative,” as is frequently supposed (for there are virtually no references to travel), but rather as Luke’s presentation of discipleship to Jesus as “the way,” which, incidentally, became the first epithet for the Christian movement according to the Book of Acts.
4. What section or passage of this commentary was particularly memorable to research and write? Why?
I was surprised here. I was dreading writing on chapter 15, especially the Parable of the Prodigal Son, not because I dislike the Parable, but because so much has been written on it that I could not imagine saying anything new or as well as others have already said it. But I have to say that the most enjoyable section in the commentary turned out being my exposition of the Parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15! I soared on a thermal current of delight as I wrote that section, and I’m equally delighted as I reread it today.
5. What personally edified you in writing this commentary, increasing your affections for Christ?
It took me four years to complete the writing of my Luke commentary, writing virtually every day except for Sunday, and usually between two and five hours per day. When I invest myself that intensely in the New Testament, in this instance the Third Gospel, I am repeatedly impressed how true the gospel is. I am impressed how deeply the Gospel writers, Luke in this instance, believed that Jesus is the Son of God who lived and walked among mortals and introduced them to the liberating joy of the Kingdom of God. This realization redefines my work as a commentator. My task is not to prove anything, but rather simply to expound, as clearly and completely as I can, the Lukan account, because the Jesus therein is “self-authenticating.” The mission of the church—and also my mission as a commentator—is simply rightly and fully to expound and exhibit the gospel, to which the Holy Spirit bears saving witness in the world.
6. Besides your commentary, what are your top recommended books (commentaries or otherwise) on Luke?
I would mention three categories of helpful commentaries.
First, for those interested in technical questions, philology, history, and exegetical exactness, I find the two best still to be Alfred Plummer’s Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel according to S. Luke (ICC); and I. Howard Marshall, The Gospel of Luke: A Commentary on the Greek Text (NIGTC).
Next, for those who are interested in the fullest exposition of Luke, especially with regard to its theological significance and its “reception history” (the way Luke has been received and interpreted throughout church history), the best source is the four-volume commentary on Luke written by Francois Bovon, Das Evangelium nach Lukas (which has just recently been translated into the three-volume Luke commentary in the Hermeneia Series).
Finally, the single best one-volume commentary that I found on Luke was Michael Wolter’s Das Lukasevangelium (HNT 5, Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2008). It’s a goldmine.
7. What is next for you? What project are you currently working on? How can people follow your work and ministry?
I am now writing a biography of Professor Ernst Lohmeyer, a famous German NT scholar, who was also president of two German universities, who opposed the Nazis during the Second World War (and survived), but who then found himself in opposition to the communists in East Germany after the war, by whom he was murdered. His name was blotted out by the East Germans for forty years as an “Enemy of the State.” I helped to resolved the mystery of his disappearance and death after the collapse of Soviet totalitarianism in 1990. I am currently completing his life story, which is a great introduction to twentieth-century NT scholarship and a riveting account of a man of faith and courage.
When I finish with Lohmeyer, I want to begin writing the story of how the Jesus movement developed into the organized church within the first generation of the Christian movement.
Get James R. Edwards’ Luke commentary
The link provided will direct you to this volume via it’s exact ISBN number:
Get Dr. Edwards’ commentary on Luke at Amazon
Get Dr. Edwards’ commentary on Luke on Christian Book Distributors
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Matthew Kelly & David Yelland to star in first revival of Alan Bennett's The Habit of Art
by Best of Theatre Staff on Wednesday 28 March 2018, 10:34 am in Upcoming and New Shows
The Original Theatre Company and York Theatre Royal will present the first ever revival of Alan Bennett’s THE HABIT OF ART directed by Philip Franks and starring Matthew Kelly as W. H. Auden/Fitz and David Yelland as Benjamin Britten/Henry. The tour begins on 30 August 2018 at York Theatre Royal.
THE HABIT OF ART explores friendship, rivalry and heartache, the joy, pain and emotional cost of creativity. It is centered on a fictional meeting between poet W. H. Auden and composer Benjamin Britten. Bennett wrote it as a play-within-a-play – actors Fitz, Henry, Tim and Donald are rehearsing a play called Caliban's Day under the direction of stage manager, Kay, and in the presence of the playwright, Neil. In Caliban's Day, a fictitious meeting occurs in 1973 in Auden's (Fitz) rooms at Oxford not long before he dies. Britten (Henry) has been auditioning boys nearby for his opera Death in Venice, and arrives unexpectedly – their first meeting in 25 years after falling out over the failure of their opera Paul Bunyan.
Alan Bennett’s THE HABIT OF ART premiered at the National Theatre in November 2009, directed by Nicholas Hytner and starring Richard Griffiths, Alex Jennings and Frances de la Tour. The National then toured the production in Autumn 2010 with a new cast led by Desmond Barrit, Malcolm Sinclair and Selina Caddell.
Matthew Kelly’s West End credits include Waiting For Godot with Ian McKellan and Roger Rees, Tim Firth’s play Sign of the Times, the musical Lend Me A Tenor! and Lennie in the Birmingham Repertory Theatre’s production of Of Mice and Men at the Savoy Theatre, for which he won the Olivier Award for Best Actor. Other recent theatre includes Pride & Prejudice (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre & UK Tour), The Jew Of Malta, Volpone and Love’s Sacrifice for the RSC, and Toast (Park Theatre & 59E59 in New York). Matthew’s television work includes the award-winning thriller Cold Blood, Benidorm and Bleak House, though he is probably best known for presentingYou Bet! and Stars in their Eyes.
David Yelland’s most recent theatre credits include Witness for the Prosecution (London County Hall), A Winter’s Tale (Shakespeare’s Globe), Taken at Midnight (Chichester Festival Theatre and Theatre Royal Haymarket). West End credits include Deathtrap (Garrick), The Deep Blue Sea (Haymarket), The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (Strand), Richard III (Savoy – for which he won the Clarence Derwent Award), Life x3 (Savoy) and Man and Boy (Duchess). His television credits include the title role in David Copperfield, Nick Rumpole in Rumpole of the Bailey, George in Agatha Christie’s Poirot, EastEnders, The Crown and Endeavour. Film credits include Coriolanus (directed by Ralph Fiennes), Field Marshal Haig in Michael Morpurgo’s Private Peaceful and The Prince of Wales in Chariots of Fire.
Philip Franks is an award-winning director and has directed shows at the National Theatre, Chichester Festival Theatre, the Open Air Theatre Regent’s Park, the Edinburgh International Festival, and in the West End. As an actor, Philip Franks has worked at the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theatre, in the West End and on Broadway, as well as in most of the country’s leading regional theatres. He is well known for his television work such as Bleak House, Martin Chuzzlewit, Heartbeat and The Darling Buds of May.
The 2018 Tour of THE HABIT OF ART will be directed by Philip Franks and designed by Adrian Linford, with lighting by Johanna Town.
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Study site
Review statement
BG | Volume 16, issue 7
Biogeosciences, 16, 1543-1562, 2019
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-1543-2019
Research article 11 Apr 2019
Research article | 11 Apr 2019
Partitioning net ecosystem exchange of CO2 on the pedon scale in the Lena River Delta, Siberia
Partitioning net ecosystem exchange of CO2
Partitioning net ecosystem exchange of CO2 on the pedon scale in the Lena River Delta, Siberia Partitioning net ecosystem exchange of CO2 Tim Eckhardt et al.
Tim Eckhardt1,2, Christian Knoblauch1,2, Lars Kutzbach1,2, David Holl1,2, Gillian Simpson3, Evgeny Abakumov4, and Eva-Maria Pfeiffer1,2 Tim Eckhardt et al. Tim Eckhardt1,2, Christian Knoblauch1,2, Lars Kutzbach1,2, David Holl1,2, Gillian Simpson3, Evgeny Abakumov4, and Eva-Maria Pfeiffer1,2
1Institute of Soil Science, Universität Hamburg, Allende-Platz 2, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
2Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability, Universität Hamburg, Allende-Platz 2, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
3School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, West Mains Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3JN, Scotland, UK
4Department of Applied Ecology, Saint-Petersburg State University, 199178, 16-line 2, Vasilyevskiy Island, Russia
Received: 29 Jun 2018 – Discussion started: 30 Aug 2018 – Revised: 05 Mar 2019 – Accepted: 22 Mar 2019 – Published: 11 Apr 2019
Arctic tundra ecosystems are currently facing amplified rates of climate warming. Since these ecosystems store significant amounts of soil organic carbon, which can be mineralized to carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4), rising temperatures may cause increasing greenhouse gas fluxes to the atmosphere. To understand how net the ecosystem exchange (NEE) of CO2 will respond to changing climatic and environmental conditions, it is necessary to understand the individual responses of the processes contributing to NEE. Therefore, this study aimed to partition NEE at the soil–plant–atmosphere interface in an arctic tundra ecosystem and to identify the main environmental drivers of these fluxes. NEE was partitioned into gross primary productivity (GPP) and ecosystem respiration (Reco) and further into autotrophic (RA) and heterotrophic respiration (RH). The study examined CO2 flux data collected during the growing season in 2015 using closed-chamber measurements in a polygonal tundra landscape in the Lena River Delta, northeastern Siberia. To capture the influence of soil hydrology on CO2 fluxes, measurements were conducted at a water-saturated polygon center and a well-drained polygon rim. These chamber-measured fluxes were used to model NEE, GPP, Reco, RH, RA, and net primary production (NPP) at the pedon scale (1–10 m) and to determine cumulative growing season fluxes. Here, the response of in situ measured RA and RH fluxes from permafrost-affected soils of the polygonal tundra to hydrological conditions have been examined. Although changes in the water table depth at the polygon center sites did not affect CO2 fluxes from RH, rising water tables were linked to reduced CO2 fluxes from RA. Furthermore, this work found the polygonal tundra in the Lena River Delta to be a net sink for atmospheric CO2 during the growing season. The NEE at the wet, depressed polygon center was more than twice that at the drier polygon rim. These differences between the two sites were caused by higher GPP fluxes due to a higher vascular plant density and lower Reco fluxes due to oxygen limitation under water-saturated conditions at the polygon center in comparison to the rim. Hence, soil hydrological conditions were one of the key drivers for the different CO2 fluxes across this highly heterogeneous tundra landscape.
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Eckhardt, T., Knoblauch, C., Kutzbach, L., Holl, D., Simpson, G., Abakumov, E., and Pfeiffer, E.-M.: Partitioning net ecosystem exchange of CO2 on the pedon scale in the Lena River Delta, Siberia, Biogeosciences, 16, 1543-1562, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-1543-2019, 2019.
1 Introduction
An estimated 1000 Pg (petagrams) of organic carbon (OC) are stored in the upper 3 m of northern permafrost-affected soils (Hugelius et al., 2014). Given the large amount of OC stored in these soils, the response of the arctic carbon cycle to a changing climate is of global importance (McGuire et al., 2009). Over thousands of years, carbon has been sequestered in permafrost-affected soils and sediments due to cold conditions and poor drainage, resulting in water saturation and slow organic matter decomposition. Currently, arctic ecosystems are facing amplified warming (AMAP, 2017; Taylor et al., 2013), which will lead to the longer and deeper thawing of permafrost-affected soils (Romanovsky et al., 2010). On the one hand, the microbial decomposition of newly available thawed permafrost organic matter releases carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) (e.g., Knoblauch et al., 2018, 2013; Zimov et al., 2006a; Schuur et al., 2009; Grosse et al., 2011). On the other hand, higher temperatures increase the assimilation of CO2 by tundra vegetation due to a prolonged growing period and increased nutrient availability in the deeper layers of thawed soils (e.g., Beermann et al., 2017; Elmendorf et al., 2012; Salmon et al., 2016; Parmentier et al., 2011).
With an area of 3 million km2, more than half of the northern high-latitude tundra ecosystems are situated in Russia (Walker et al., 2005). To date, just a few studies on CO2 fluxes from the vast Russian arctic tundra ecosystems are available (e.g., Parmentier et al., 2011; Marushchak et al., 2013; Rößger et al., 2019; Kittler et al., 2016), especially on the pedon scale (Kwon et al., 2016; Corradi et al., 2005; Heikkinen et al., 2004; Zamolodchikov et al., 2000). Since tundra soils are highly heterogeneous on the pedon scale in terms of temperature and moisture (Aalto et al., 2013), measurements on this scale are required to determine the response of individual CO2 fluxes to these parameters. To cover this heterogeneity on the pedon scale, chamber measurements are more appropriate than the eddy covariance (EC) method, which covers the next larger scale, even though a downscaling EC approach for CO2 fluxes of an arctic ecosystem was recently presented (Rößger et al., 2019). An improved understanding of CO2 dynamics in permafrost-affected soils is needed to improve estimates of future CO2 balances of the highly heterogeneous arctic tundra regions. Without developments in our understanding of the response of CO2 dynamics in permafrost-affected ecosystems to changing climatic conditions such as temperature and moisture, estimates of the carbon balance of the circum-arctic tundra and its future response to changing climatic conditions remain biased.
The net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of CO2 between the land surface and the atmosphere is composed of the CO2 uptake by plants, termed gross primary productivity (GPP), and the release of CO2 from soils and plants, which is ecosystem respiration (Reco) (Chapin et al., 2006). The latter can be further split into autotrophic respiration by plants (RA) and heterotrophic respiration (RH) consisting of microbial soil organic matter (SOM) decomposition. In this study the atmospheric sign convention is used, whereby a positive NEE defines a net release of CO2 from the soil to the atmosphere and a negative sign defines a net uptake of CO2 from the atmosphere.
In order to partition NEE into its underlying fluxes, measurements of GPP, Reco, RA, and RH are required. These individual process-based fluxes governing the CO2 balance respond differently to changing climatic conditions such as temperature and moisture. For instance, it was shown that temperature changes in arctic soils could cause a significant increase in the CO2 uptake via GPP (Shaver et al., 1998; Oberbauer et al., 2007; Natali et al., 2012; Mauritz et al., 2017), which can be, beside other factors, attributed to shifts in vegetation composition (Elmendorf et al., 2012; Hudson et al., 2011) and increased nutrient availability (Johnson et al., 2000; Salmon et al., 2016; Beermann et al., 2015). Furthermore, the effect of drainage on GPP remains uncertain; some studies found drainage of arctic soils to reduce GPP (Merbold et al., 2009; Chivers et al., 2009; Kwon et al., 2016), while other studies found drainage to lead to a slight increase in GPP (Olivas et al., 2010; Kittler et al., 2016). The effect of increasing soil moisture on GPP differs between ecosystems (Mauritz et al., 2017; Olivas et al., 2010; Chivers et al., 2009). As respiratory processes are temperature sensitive (Mahecha et al., 2010), the release of CO2 by Reco increases in response to soil warming across arctic ecosystems (e.g., Hicks Pries et al., 2015; Oberbauer et al., 2007; Natali et al., 2015). An increase in Reco was also observed as a result of drainage of arctic soils and vice versa: a decrease with increasing water saturation (Elberling et al., 2013; Mauritz et al., 2017; Chivers et al., 2009; e.g., Kwon et al., 2016; Olivas et al., 2010) was observed due to the presence or absence of oxygen in drained soils (Hobbie et al., 2002). However, it was also shown that Reco fluxes could increase with increasing water saturation due to higher soil temperatures in water-saturated soils (Zona et al., 2012), which highlights the interconnection of moisture and temperature in soils. In general, higher soil temperatures lead to a higher increase in Reco than GPP, which causes a reduction of the net CO2 uptake (Parmentier et al., 2011; Oberbauer et al., 2007; Voigt et al., 2017; Mauritz et al., 2017). Also, drainage of arctic soils causes a reduction of NEE (means less negative values) due to a higher increase in Reco than GPP (Merbold et al., 2009; Chivers et al., 2009; Kittler et al., 2016; Olivas et al., 2010), while the effect of increasing water saturation of soils on NEE differs between arctic ecosystems (Chivers et al., 2009; Mauritz et al., 2017). Both soil temperature and moisture are predicted to change in the future due to increased temperatures and precipitation in the pan-Arctic (Christensen et al., 2013). As Reco and GPP respond differently to temperature and moisture changes it is essential not only to focus on changes to NEE, but also to gain a quantitative understanding of its components and their individual responses to environmental and climatic changes to improve model simulations of future CO2 fluxes. Therefore, partitioning approaches for in situ measured CO2 fluxes are required.
Figure 1The study site on Samoylov Island, Lena River Delta, northeastern Siberia (72∘22′ N, 126∘28′ E). Satellite images: (a) NASA, 2002; (b) Boike et al., 2012; (c) Boike et al., 2015.
The release of CO2 from soils by Reco is the largest efflux of carbon from terrestrial ecosystems to the atmosphere (Mahecha et al., 2010). Autotrophic respiration can be separated into aboveground plant respiration and belowground plant respiration (i.e., respiration of roots). Heterotrophic respiration is associated with the decomposition of SOM by heterotrophic soil organisms. To date, only a few estimates of RH fluxes from arctic tundra ecosystems over the growing season have been published (Nobrega and Grogan, 2008; Biasi et al., 2014; Segal and Sullivan, 2014), with data lacking for ecosystems such as the polygonal tundra. Warming of the arctic soils will influence RH fluxes both directly and indirectly: rising soil temperatures will increase SOM decomposition, but will also cause permafrost thaw, exposing previously frozen SOM to microbial decomposition (Schuur et al., 2011; Dorrepaal et al., 2009). This decomposition could substantially reduce carbon storage in arctic tundra ecosystems, as gross ecosystem productivity has been found to be less temperature sensitive than Reco in these ecosystems (Grogan and Chapin, 2000; Dorrepaal et al., 2009). Warming could also reduce soil moisture (Suseela et al., 2012) and increase RA due to increasing aboveground biomass (Natali et al., 2012), which could lead to a lower contribution of RH to Reco (Hicks Pries et al., 2015; Chen et al., 2016). Furthermore, changes in soil moisture are known to affect microbial activity in soils directly with decreasing activity during times of high and low soil moisture and an optimum at moderate soil moisture conditions (Moyano et al., 2013). The increase in RA and RH fluxes due to warming might be compensated for by higher net primary production (Hicks Pries et al., 2013), but whether this compensation is valid for the entire growing season and across highly heterogeneous arctic ecosystems on the pedon scale remains uncertain. Furthermore, it remains uncertain how RA fluxes will respond to changing hydrological regimes as the impact of this parameter on RA fluxes has never been analyzed in tundra regions.
As changes in soil temperature and moisture can significantly alter the individual fluxes contributing to NEE, this study aims to improve the current understanding of CO2 flux dynamics in permafrost-affected ecosystems by (i) partitioning NEE into individual flux components (photosynthesis, ecosystem respiration, and autotrophic and heterotrophic respiration) at the pedon scale of the polygonal tundra and (ii) gaining insights into the response of these individual fluxes to different environmental parameters. Therefore, closed-chamber measurements were conducted at two sites in the polygonal tundra in northeastern Siberia over an almost complete growing season. Finally, a CO2 budget for a nearly complete vegetation period is determined for the two sites using data-calibrated flux models. These models were based on the time-sensitive bulk flux partitioning model by Runkle et al. (2013), which has been used in different arctic ecosystems (Helbig et al., 2017; Zona et al., 2014).
2 Study site
The investigation area is located on Samoylov Island in the southern central Lena River Delta, northeastern Siberia (72∘22′ N, 126∘28′ E; Fig. 1). The Lena River forms the largest delta in the Arctic, which can be geomorphologically divided into river terraces of different ages and floodplain levels (Schwamborn et al., 2002). The delta is located in the continuous permafrost zone with permafrost extending to depths of 300 to 500 m (Yershov, 1998) and relatively low mean annual soil temperatures of −7.8 ∘C at 1.7 m of depth compared to other arctic tundra sites (Boike et al., 2013). The study site has an arctic continental climate characterized by low temperatures and low precipitation. The mean annual air temperature between 1998 and 2011 was −12.5 ∘C, and mean annual precipitation between 1981 and 2011 was 321 mm (Pogoda i Klimat, 2016), while summer rainfall is 125 mm, ranging from 52 to 199 mm (Boike et al., 2013). Polar day lasts from 7 May until 8 August, and polar night lasts from 15 November to 28 January. Snowmelt usually starts in the first half of June, and the growing season usually spans from around mid-June until mid-September.
The study site is covered by ice-wedge polygonal tundra on a Late Holocene river terrace with elevations from 10 to 16 m above sea level on the eastern part of Samoylov Island. The development of polygonal structures has created depressed polygon centers surrounded by elevated polygon rims with elevation differences of about 0.5 m. Underlying permafrost prevents drainage in polygon centers, resulting in water-saturated soils, anoxic soil conditions at shallow depths, and significant amounts of soil organic carbon of around 33 kg m−2 in the uppermost meter (Zubrzycki et al., 2013). In contrast, due to oxic conditions in the topsoil, the elevated polygon rim soils have accumulated less soil organic carbon of around 19 kg m−2 (Zubrzycki et al., 2013). A land cover classification based on Landsat satellite imagery revealed that if excluding large thermokarst lakes the polygonal tundra on Samoylov Island consists of 65 % dry tundra, 19 % wet tundra, and 16 % small water bodies including small ponds overgrown by vascular plants (Muster et al., 2012).
In this study, two different sites were investigated: (i) a wet–depressed polygon center (wet tundra) and (ii) its surrounding elevated polygon rim (dry tundra, 72∘22′26 N 126∘29′49 E). These sites were located within the footprint area of an eddy covariance (EC) system in which NEE of CO2 was measured (Holl et al., 2019; Kutzbach et al., 2007b; Wille et al., 2008; Runkle et al., 2013). The maximum active layer depth (ALD) at the study site was deeper at the polygon center (40 cm) than at the polygon rim (30 cm). The soils at the polygon centers were classified as Histic or Reductaquic Cryosols (IUSS Working Group WRB, 2014) with a water table close to the soil surface. Polygon rim soils were characterized by cryoturbation and therefore classified as Turbic Glacic Cryosols (IUSS Working Group WRB, 2014) with a water table just a few centimeters above the permafrost table. Total organic carbon (TOC) contents above 10 % were found in the surface horizon above the cryoturbated horizons of the polygon rim, while high TOC contents were found at the polygon center throughout the active layer (Zubrzycki et al., 2013). Vegetation on polygon rims is dominated by mosses (Hylocomium splendens, Polytrichum spp., Rhytidium rugosum), some small vascular plants (Dryas punctata and Astragalus frigidus), and lichens (Peltigera spp.) and can be classified as non-tussock sedge, dwarf-shrub, moss tundra (Walker et al., 2005). The vegetation of the polygon centers was dominated by the hydrophilic sedge Carex aquatilis, which have in general much higher growth forms than at the rim, and mosses (Drepanocladus revolvens, Meesia triqueta, Scorpidium scorpioides) and was classified as sedge, moss, dwarf-shrub wetland (Walker et al., 2005).
3 Methods
3.1 Meteorological data
Meteorological variables were recorded at 30 min intervals at the nearby EC system and adjacent meteorological station 40 m southwest of the study site. Data collected were air temperature (MP103A; ROTRONIC AG, Switzerland), air pressure (RPT410F; Druck Messtechnik GmbH, Germany), and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR; wavelength: 400–700 nm; QS2, Delta-T Devices Ltd., UK), as well as the incoming and reflected components of shortwave and longwave radiation, respectively (CNR 1; Kipp&Zonen, the Netherlands). The radiative surface temperature (Tsurf; in Kelvin, K) was calculated as
(1)Tsurf=L↑Bεσ1/4,
where L↑B is the upward infrared radiation (W m−2), σ is the Stefan–Boltzmann constant (W m−2 K−4), and the dimensionless emissivity ε was assumed to be 0.98 after Wilber et al. (1999). Furthermore, soil temperature (Tsoil) was measured at 2 cm of soil depth in intervals of 30 min at an adjacent polygon rim and center.
3.2 Soil sampling and vegetation indices
Undisturbed soil samples were taken from the active layer at the polygon rim using steel rings (diameter 6 cm). At the water-saturated polygon center, an undisturbed soil monolith was taken from the active layer using a spade and subsequently subsampled into four soil layers based on the degradation status of the organic matter. Coarse roots were removed, and soil samples were homogenized for analysis of soil water content (mass difference between wet and dried (105 ∘C) soil samples) and pH (CG820; Schott AG, Mainz, Germany). Total carbon and nitrogen (N) contents (VarioMAX cube; Elementar Analysesysteme GmbH, Hanau, Germany), as well as total organic carbon and total inorganic carbon contents (TIC; liquiTOC II, Elementar Analysesysteme GmbH, Hanau, Germany), were determined from dried (105 ∘C for more than 24 h) and milled soil samples. To analyze vegetation indices, gridded quadrats of 10 cm × 10 cm were placed over the collars, and a visual identification of the plant species present as well as their abundance (% surface cover) was conducted in four grid squares.
3.3 Net ecosystem exchange and ecosystem respiration
A total of eight PVC frames (50 cm × 50 cm), four at each site, were installed in July 2014 in preparation for NEE and Reco flux measurements with closed chambers the following year. The frames were equipped with a U-shaped frame filled with water to avoid gas exchange between the chamber headspace and ambient air. The chamber (50 cm × 50 cm × 50 cm) used for NEE and Reco flux measurements was made of clear acrylic glass (Plexiglas SunActive GS; Evonik Industries AG, Germany). The chamber was equipped with a fan for continuous mixing of headspace air (axial fan, 12V/DC; Conrad Electronic SE, Germany). Furthermore, a PAR sensor (SKP212; Skye Instruments Ltd., UK) and a temperature probe (107 Thermistor probe; Campbell Scientific Ltd., USA) were installed inside the chamber. Including the volume inside the chamber frames, the chamber enclosed a volume of 124–143 L. For Reco measurements, the chamber was covered with an opaque material. Boardwalks were installed at both sites to avoid disturbance. The volumetric soil water content (VWC) was measured with a GS3 sensor (Decagon Devices, Inc., USA) during each measurement directly beside the chamber frame at a depth of 5 cm. A diver (Schlumberger Ltd., USA) was installed at the polygon center to measure water table (WT) depth every 15 min. To prevent pressure-induced gas release during chamber closure (Christiansen et al., 2011), two holes (3 cm in diameter) at the top of the chamber were left open while placing the chamber on the frames and then closed for measurements. Soil temperatures between the surface and the frozen ground in 5 cm intervals and thaw depth were measured daily at both sites. For each chamber flux measurement, CO2 concentrations in the chamber headspace were continuously measured with a gas analyzer (UGGA 30-p; Los Gatos Research, USA). The chamber headspace air was pumped in a closed loop via transparent polyurethane tubes (inner diameter 4 mm, each 10 m length) through the analyzer with a flow rate of 200 mL min−1. The CO2 concentration was logged (CR800 series; Campbell Scientific Ltd., USA) together with PAR as well as soil and air temperature at a frequency of 1 Hz. Each chamber closure period was restricted to 120 s to minimize warming inside the chamber relative to the ambient temperature.
Chamber measurements were conducted from 11 July until 22 September 2015, at least every third day between 06:00 and 21:00 (local time), apart from the period 2–9 and 17–24 August. Two consecutive measurements were performed at each frame: first, NEE (n=679) was measured with the transparent chamber, followed by an Reco measurement (n=679) with the dark chamber shortly after. The four frames of one site were measured consecutively before moving to the other site. GPP fluxes were calculated from the sum of the measured Reco and NEE fluxes.
3.4 Heterotrophic respiration
For RH measurements the root-trenching method was applied at both sites. It is challenging to separate belowground respiration fluxes into autotrophic and heterotrophic components because roots and microorganisms are closely linked within the rhizosphere (Hanson et al., 2000). There are a wide range of methods for partitioning Reco (Subke et al., 2006; Kuzyakov, 2006), each with its associated advantages and disadvantages. Root trenching, for example, despite some disturbance on the plant–soil interface, can give accurate estimates of the rates of RA and RH (Diaz-Pines et al., 2010) and produces similar results as a non-disturbing 14C partitioning approach in an arctic tundra ecosystem (Biasi et al., 2014) and a partitioning approach based on 13C (Chemidlin Prévost-Bouré et al., 2009). In this study, by inserting PVC frames below the main rooting zone at 20 cm deep into the soil, lateral roots were cut off. All living plant biomass including living moss tissue inside the frames was removed carefully in 2014. To prevent regrowth, the living plant biomass was removed periodically over the measurement period. This removal causes the die-off of roots, and in a period of days after the disturbance RH equals NEE. A total of eight frames, four at each site, were prepared for RH measurements. RH fluxes (n=662) were measured during the same periods and with the same closure period as NEE and Reco measurements on unaltered plots.
To test if RH fluxes are biased due to the additional decomposition of residual roots, four additional PVC frames (two per site) were installed in 2015 following the sampling and preparation protocol of 2014. A total of 302 RH flux measurements were made on these newly installed plots. The difference between the mean RH fluxes of each single plot trenched in 2014 and those trenched in 2015 were analyzed using a Student's t test.
RA fluxes at the unaltered sites were calculated by subtracting the mean RH fluxes measured at the trenched sites from the mean of the Reco fluxes at the unaltered sites of the same day. The calculated RA fluxes were summed with the calculated GPP fluxes to estimate the net primary productivity (NPP) fluxes.
3.5 Flux calculation
CO2 fluxes (µg CO2 m−2 s−1) were calculated using MATLAB® R2015a (The MathWorks Inc., Natick, MA, 2000) with a routine that uses different regression models to describe the change in the chamber headspace CO2 concentration over time and conducts statistical analysis to aid model selection (Eckhardt and Kutzbach, 2016; Kutzbach et al., 2007a).
Due to possible perturbations while placing the chamber on the frame, the first 30 s of each 2 min measurement period were discarded and the remaining 90 data points were used for flux calculations. The precision of the gas analyzer with 1 s signal filtering is <0.3 ppm for CO2 according to the manufacturer. The root mean square error (RMSE) did not exceed this value under the typical performance of chamber measurements and the fitting of the linear and nonlinear regression models. Higher RMSE values indicated failed model fitting or disturbed chamber measurements. Therefore, if RMSE exceeded 0.3 ppm, the concentration-over-time curve was reinspected. Variation of PAR during chamber measurements due to shifts in cloud cover leads to irregular CO2 concentration time series and perturbation of the calculated CO2 fluxes (Schneider et al., 2012). These perturbed concentration time series show distinct autocorrelation of the residuals of the regression models and were filtered out by using a threshold for residual autocorrelation indicated by the Durbin–Watson test (Durbin and Watson, 1950). The flux curve was reinspected if the RMSE exceeded 0.3 ppm or showed a distinct autocorrelation to see if irregularities could be removed by adjusting the size of the flux calculation window. If irregularities could be removed by adjusting the size of the flux calculation window, the flux curve was recalculated; if not, the measurement was discarded. Overall, about 3 % (n=47) of the CO2 flux measurements (NEE, Reco and RH measurements) were discarded from the dataset because they did not meet the abovementioned quality criteria.
Studies have shown that CO2 fluxes calculated with linear regression models can be seriously biased (Kutzbach et al., 2007a), while nonlinear regression models significantly improve flux calculations (Pihlatie et al., 2013). However, we found that the temporal evolution of CO2 concentration in the chamber was best modeled with a linear regression model, as determined by the Akaike information criterion corrected for small samples sizes (AICc) (Burnham and Anderson, 2004). This is in good agreement with other studies, which have shown that in some cases a linear regression model can produce a better CO2 flux estimate for a nonlinear concentration-over-time curve than a nonlinear regression model (Koskinen et al., 2014; Görres et al., 2014).
3.6 Modeling CO2 fluxes at the pedon scale
Different numerical models were fitted to the measured Reco and RH fluxes and to the calculated GPP fluxes to quantify seasonal GPP, Reco, and RH fluxes. To calibrate the models, these were fitted to the GPP, Reco, and RH fluxes. The resulting fitting parameters were used to reproduce the fluxes over the complete measurement period. Model calibration was done by applying a 15 d moving window over the measurement period moving in 1 d intervals. If fewer than eight chamber measurements were performed during these 15 d, the moving window was extended to 19 d. Subsequently, the modeled fluxes for each measurement plot were averaged for each site. CO2 fluxes from each of the four measurement plots were used separately for model calibration and the summed fluxes were used to analyze differences between both sites using a Student's t test.
The empirical Q10 model (van't Hoff, 1898) was fitted to the measured Reco and RH fluxes:
(2)Reco,H=Rbase×Q10Ta,surf,soil-Trefγ,
where the (variable) fit parameter Rbase is the basal respiration at the reference temperature Tref (15 ∘C). The reference temperature and γ (10 ∘C) were held constant according to Mahecha et al. (2010). Q10 was a fit parameter describing the ecosystem sensitivity of respiration to a 10 ∘C change in temperature. For this study a fixed Q10 value of 1.52 was used, which represents the seasonal mean value of the bulk partitioning model for the CO2 fluxes in the EC footprint area (Runkle et al., 2013). Air temperature (Ta), surface temperature (Tsurf), and soil temperature (Tsoil) measured at a depth of 2 cm were tested as input variables.
The model calibration was done with MATLAB® R2015a (The MathWorks Inc., Natick, MA, 2000). The model parameters were estimated by nonlinear least-squares regression fitting (nlinfit function), and the uncertainty of the parameters was determined by calculating the 95 % confidence intervals using the nlparci function. The selection of the best-performing temperature as an input variable for the Reco and RH model was based on comparing the Radj2 of the model runs with different temperatures as an input variable. The selected input variable was chosen for all measurement plots of the same site.
To estimate GPP, the measured Reco fluxes were subtracted from the measured NEE for each measurement plot. The rectangular hyperbola function was fitted to the calculated GPP fluxes as a function of PAR (in µmol m−2 s−1):
(3)GPP=-Pmax×α×PARPmax+α×PAR,
where the (variable) fit parameter Pmax was the maximum canopy photosynthetic potential (hypothetical GPP at infinite PAR). The values for the initial canopy quantum efficiency α (in µg m−2 s−1 ∕ µmol m−2 s−1; initial slope of the GPP model at PAR = 0) were obtained from modeling the CO2 fluxes with EC data (Holl et al., 2018). From the determined values when α was held variable, a function was formulated that accounts for the seasonality of α with specific values for each day of the growing season using the following function:
(4)α=b×exp-absx-cd2×e2+f,
where b=0.042, c=209.5, d=2, e=25.51, f=0.008, and x is the day of the year 2015. Afterwards, these values (variable on daily basis) were used for both sites to reproduce GPP fluxes from chamber measurements over the complete measurement period.
Although the transmissivity of the chamber material was high, with >90 % for wavelengths between 380 and 780 nm (Evonik, 2015), it caused a reduction in the amount of incoming radiation reaching the surface, which could be further reduced based on the sun elevation. During the complete measurement period, the PAR values measured inside the chamber were on average 20 % lower than the PAR values measured outside the chamber (data not shown). Therefore, GPP modeling was conducted in two steps. First, the GPP model was calibrated using PAR values measured inside the chamber; secondly, the reproduction of GPP fluxes over the growing season was carried out using PAR values measured outside the chamber. Without this two-step calibration the GPP fluxes would have been underestimated.
Figure 2Meteorological conditions from mid-July to end of September. (a) Half-hourly air temperature measured at 2 m of height at the eddy covariance tower and surface temperature; (b) soil temperatures measured at 2 cm of depth at the polygon rim and center; (c) water table relative to the soil surface measured at the polygon center and volumetric water content measured at the polygon rim; (d) daily measured thaw depth at the polygon rim and center; (e) daily precipitation measured at the eddy covariance station; (f) photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) measured half-hourly at the eddy covariance tower.
The NEEs for both sites were calculated as the sum of the modeled GPP and Reco fluxes. The RA fluxes were calculated as the difference of the modeled Reco and RH fluxes. Furthermore, NPP was calculated from the sum of RA and GPP fluxes.
As both sites are within the footprint of an EC station, which determines CO2 fluxes on a larger spatial scale (100 to 1000 m), the resulting NEE from the modeling approach was compared with NEE of the same period obtained from EC measurements reported by Holl et al. (2019). For this upscaling, the resulting NEEs from the chamber model were weighted (NEEchamber) based on the half-hourly relative contributions of the surface classes defined by Muster et al. (2012) to the EC footprint using the following equation:
(5)NEEchamber=NEEC×Coverwet+NEER×Coverdry,
where NEEC and NEER are the modeled half-hourly chamber NEE for the polygon center and rim, respectively, and Coverwet and Coverdry are the relative contribution of the surface classes polygon center and rim, respectively, to the EC footprint as given in Holl et al. (2019).
4 Results
4.1 Meteorological data, environmental conditions, and soil characteristics
The mean daily air temperature over the study period ranged from 23 to −2 ∘C (Fig. 2a). The average air temperature in August 2015 (9 ∘C) was similar to the long-term mean air temperature for the period 1998–2011 (Boike et al., 2013). Compared to the long-term mean, it was about 1 ∘C colder during July (9 ∘C), whereas September was around 2 ∘C warmer than the reference period (3 ∘C). The total precipitation from mid-July to the end of September 2015 was 78 mm, which is below the mean precipitation of 96 ± 48 mm between 2003 and 2010 (Boike et al., 2013).
From mid-July to the end of September 2015, soil temperatures at 2 cm of depth at the polygon rim showed a higher diurnal variability than at the center. The highest soil temperatures were measured in mid-July and at the beginning of August. At the end of September, the temperatures became slightly negative (Fig. 2b). At the polygon rim, the thaw depth increased from the beginning of the campaign in mid-July until mid-September to reach a maximum depth of 36 cm. Maximum thaw depth was reached at the polygon center much earlier in the season (mid-July) and remained relatively constant until mid-September. The water table depth at the polygon center was tightly coupled to rainfall. The VWC at 5 cm of soil depth was on average 30 % at the polygon rim, with highest values observed after rainfall events (Fig. 2c). The daily averaged PAR values showed a strong seasonality with decreasing daily mean values towards the end of the season, although there was a period at the end of July with rather low daily averaged PAR values.
Figure 3Chamber-measured NEE, Reco, and RH fluxes, as well as calculated GPP, NPP, and RA fluxes. The error bars denote the standard deviation of the four replicate measurements at each site. (a) Fluxes of NEE (n= 83), Reco (n= 85), and RH (n= 85) at the polygon center; (b) calculated fluxes of GPP (n= 83), NPP (n= 83), and RA (n= 85) at the polygon center; (c) measured fluxes of NEE (n= 83), Reco (n= 85), and RH (n= 85) at the polygon rim; (d) calculated fluxes of GPP (n= 83), NPP (n= 83), and RA (n= 85) at the polygon rim.
The total soil organic carbon content was lower at the polygon rim (2 %–12 %) than at the polygon center (10 %–20 %) and showed a decrease with depth, which was more pronounced at the polygon rim. The estimated SOC stocks within 30 cm of depth were about 11 kg m−2 and about 21 kg m−2 at the polygon rim and center, respectively. The total inorganic carbon content was 0.2 % at both sites in each soil depth.
4.2 Chamber CO2 fluxes
In general, the CO2 uptake (NEE) at the polygon center was higher (with more negative values) than at the rim (Fig. 3). In September both sites acted as small net CO2 sources. The standard error of the flux calculation was around 3.5 and 2.3 µg CO2 m−2 s−1 for the polygon center and rim, respectively, and decreased slightly towards the end of the season. In contrast to the NEE, the measured Reco fluxes were on average higher at the rim compared to the center. The highest ecosystem respiration fluxes of the rim and center were measured at beginning of August, when the air temperature exceeded 20 ∘C.
In general, the release of CO2 by RH was higher at the polygon rim than at the center and showed no seasonality (Fig. 3). An increase in RH fluxes after periodical re-clipping of the vegetation was not observed. Comparing RH fluxes from measurement plots that were trenched in 2014 with those trenched in 2015 revealed no significant differences (t test, p>0.05) between the years of root trenching (data not shown).
Due to a period with rather low daily averaged PAR at the end of July, the uptake was partly lower as at the beginning of the measurement period at both sites. After reaching peak net CO2 uptake at the beginning of August, the uptake decreased until the end of September. This seasonality was more pronounced at the polygon center than at the polygon rim. Interestingly, towards September the net CO2 uptake at the polygon rim exhibited an increase for a period of about 1 week, before it decreased again towards the end of September. Reco fluxes showed a similar but less distinct seasonal pattern, and the peak of the highest Reco fluxes was in mid-August. In contrast, RH fluxes showed no seasonal trend at the polygon center, while at the polygon rim the RH fluxes were also highest when Reco and NEE reached their maxima.
Figure 4Relationships between water table fluctuations and (a) Reco fluxes, (b) RH fluxes, (c) RA fluxes, and (d) GPP fluxes during the period July–August at the polygon center. Negative values on the x axis indicate a water table below the soil surface.
Figure 5Fitting parameters of the CO2 flux models. The values are given with the standard deviation of the model results from the single measurement plots (light grey error bars) and the confidence intervals (95 %) of the fitting parameters (dark grey error bars).
As GPP, NPP, and RA fluxes were calculated from the measured NEE, Reco, and RH fluxes, these fluxes show similar patterns of seasonality. The highest GPP and NPP fluxes were observed during the vegetation maximum, with a more pronounced seasonality at the polygon center compared to the rim. In general, RA fluxes were within the same range at both sites, which is in contrast to the calculated GPP fluxes that were almost twice as high at the polygon center as at the rim.
Interestingly, the Reco fluxes were linearly correlated with WT fluctuations from the beginning of July until the end of August (Fig. 4d). In contrast, neither a trend of higher RH fluxes during times of high WT nor a trend of lower RH fluxes during times of low WT was observed. Instead, the RA fluxes showed a significant correlation (R2=0.71; p<0.05) with WT fluctuations.
Figure 6Modeled and measured CO2 fluxes at the polygon center in µg CO2 m−2 s−1. Measured fluxes are available for NEE (a), Reco (b), and RH (c). NEE model fluxes were calculated from modeled GPP (e) minus modeled Reco, RA model fluxes (d) from modeled Reco minus modeled RH, and NPP model fluxes (f) from modeled GPP minus modeled RA. Note the different scales of the axes.
4.3 Modeled CO2 fluxes
The fitting parameter of the GPP model (Eq. 3), Pmax, showed strong spatial and temporal variability (Fig. 5b). The α values (Eq. 4) used for the GPP model showed a high temporal variability with a mean of 1.47±0.62. This value increased sharply towards the peak vegetation period at the end of July and decreased thereafter until the end of the growing season. The Pmax values showed a strong temporal variability (high standard deviation) at the polygon center (mean: 250.7±101.9 µg CO2 m−2 s−1). Considerable differences in Pmax were also observed between the polygon rim and the center. The average Pmax at the polygon rim (135.4±37.2 µg CO2 m−2 s−1) was substantially lower than at the polygon center (250.7±101.9 µg CO2 m−2 s−1). As with the measured NEE, Pmax values displayed an increase at the polygon rim towards the end of September. The fitting parameter of the Reco and RH model (Eq. 2), Rbase, also showed strong spatial and temporal variability (Fig. 5d). In general, Rbase was higher at the polygon rim. The averaged Rbase values for the RH model fit differed substantially between sites with 14.6±2.1 µg CO2 m−2 s−1 at the polygon center and 29.0±2.9 µg CO2 m−2 s−1 at the polygon rim.
Figure 7Modeled and measured CO2 fluxes at the polygon rim in µg CO2 m−2 s−1. Measured fluxes are available for NEE (a), Reco (b), and RH (c). NEE model fluxes were calculated from modeled GPP (e) minus modeled Reco, RA model fluxes (d) from modeled Reco minus modeled RH, and NPP model fluxes (f) from modeled GPP minus modeled RA. Note the different scales of the axes.
Polygon center Reco fluxes were best modeled using surface temperature as an explanatory variable (Radj2=0.70), while for the polygon rim the soil temperature showed the best fitting (Radj2=0.46). In contrast to the Reco fluxes, the polygon center RH fluxes were best modeled when the air temperature was used as an explanatory variable (Radj2=0.55). At the polygon rim, using the soil temperature as an explanatory variable showed the best fitting (Radj2=0.45) when modeling RH fluxes. Differences in the goodness of the fits for the Reco flux model were small. The Radj2 of the GPP model was 0.82 for the polygon center and 0.45 for the polygon rim.
The modeled GPP, Reco, and RH fluxes were used to calculate the NEE, RA, and NPP fluxes. All fluxes showed similar seasonal patterns as fluxes from chamber measurements. The comparison between modeled and measured fluxes showed highly significant correlation (R2=0.39–0.88, p<0.001; Figs. 6 and 7). However, the fluxes at the polygon rim tended to be underestimated by the model if the respiration fluxes were high and the other fluxes were low (close to zero or positive NEE). A similar trend was observed for the respiration fluxes from the polygon center. Furthermore, NEE, GPP, and NPP fluxes seem to be generally underestimated by the flux models. However, this offset was to be expected due to the use of different PAR values for flux calculation (see Sect. 3.6).
Table 1Means and range of the modeled fluxes in µg CO2 m−2 s−1.
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Figure 8Integrated CO2 fluxes at the polygon rim and center. The values were calculated from the model results and are given in g CO2 m−2. In total, both sites acted as a net CO2 sink during the growing season. NEE: net ecosystem exchange; GPP: gross primary productivity; Reco: ecosystem respiration; RH: heterotrophic respiration; RA: autotrophic respiration; NPP: net primary productivity; WT: water table; TD: thaw depth.
4.4 Integrated fluxes
Based on the modeled chamber CO2 fluxes, time-integrated CO2 fluxes were calculated for the period between mid-July and the end of September 2015 (Table 1, Fig. 8). The integrated GPP flux at the polygon center was significantly (t test, p<0.01) higher than at the polygon rim. In contrast, the integrated RH fluxes at the polygon rim were almost double those at the polygon center (p<0.001). This trend was also observed for Reco fluxes, although here the difference was not as large as seen for RH fluxes and was not significant (p>0.05). Furthermore, the flux differences in RA between the sites were rather small. Much higher GPP fluxes in association with lower RH and similar RA fluxes led to an integrated NEE, which was more than twice as high at the polygon center (-68±12 µg CO2 m−1 s−1) as at the rim (-26±19 µg CO2 m−1 s−1) and led to an almost twice as high NPP at the center as at the rim. The upscaled NEE from modeled chamber data correlated highly significantly (R2=0.77, p<0.001) with modeled NEE from EC data (Fig. 9). However, the upscaled NEE from modeled chamber data tended to underestimate the highest uptake and release by NEE in comparison to modeled NEE from EC data.
Figure 9Comparison of chamber and half-hourly averaged EC NEE. The chamber NEE was calculated based on the contribution of each surface class to the EC footprint (Eq. 5).
5 Discussion
This study presented NEE, GPP, NPP, Reco, RH, and RA fluxes obtained from direct measurements and modeling approaches for dry and wet sites of the polygonal tundra. The RH fluxes were higher at the polygon rim compared to the center due to drier soil conditions at the rim. RA fluxes from both sites were similar, although the vascular plant cover at the center was higher, probably due to water-saturated conditions at the center. In addition, the integrated Reco fluxes at the rim were higher than at the center due to higher RH and similar RA fluxes at both sites. The mean GPP fluxes are much higher at the center compared to the rim due to differences in vegetation between the sites. Together with RA fluxes that are within the same range between the sites, the differences in GPP lead to an NPP almost 2 times higher at the center compared to the rim. In sum, both the water-saturated polygon center and the non-saturated polygon rim acted as net sinks for atmospheric CO2 for the period from mid-July to the end of September 2015. However, the CO2 sink strength differed substantially between wet and dry tundra, which can be related to the different hydrological conditions and vegetation composition
Table 2Comparison of daily averaged CO2 fluxes from different polygonal tundra sites, which are similar in vegetation and soil composition to our study site. All listed fluxes were measured with the closed-chamber technique.
a This study; b Olivas et al. (2011); c Oechel et al. (1995); d Lara and Tweedie (2014); e Lara et al. (2012); f Nobrega and Grogan (2008); g Kwon et al. (2016); h Zamolodchikov et al. (2000); i Heikkinen et al. (2004); j standard deviation not specified; k Vourlitis et al. (2000); l Rößger et al. (2019).
5.1 CO2 fluxes from arctic tundra sites
To the best of our knowledge, CO2 fluxes from polygon rim and center sites have been reported only from Barrow, Alaska (Table 2). The daily averaged net CO2 uptake at the polygon center from this study is twice as high as reported from any other study concerning CO2 fluxes from polygonal tundra. Only the study by Olivas et al. (2011) reported the polygonal tundra to be a net sink, while other studies (Oechel et al., 1995; Lara et al., 2012; Lara and Tweedie, 2014) reported the polygonal tundra to be a net source of CO2 over the growing season. The GPP fluxes from the polygon center from this study exceed the GPP fluxes from Barrow reported by Oechel et al. (1995) and Lara et al. (2012), but they are distinctly lower than those reported by Olivas et al. (2011) and Lara and Tweedie (2014). In terms of respiration, the Reco fluxes from this study at both sites are lower compared to the reported Reco fluxes from the polygonal tundra at Barrow. However, the interannual variability of reported CO2 fluxes from Barrow is rather high, which could also be caused by different vegetation and soil composition between the sites at Barrow.
A comparison of the CO2 fluxes from the wet and dry site from this study with other wet and dry sites of the arctic tundra revealed rather low photosynthesis and respiration rates from the polygonal tundra on Samoylov Island (Table 2). The Reco fluxes from this study at both sites are the lowest compared to other sites, and the GPP fluxes of the polygon rim from this study are at the lower end compared to other dry sites, while the GPP fluxes of the polygon center are between the fluxes from other wet sites. Only one study from a Carex shrub site in Cherskii reported higher NEE (Kwon et al., 2016) compared to the polygon center from this study. Both the moderate GPP and low Reco fluxes at the polygon center lead to rather high net CO2 uptake compared to other arctic tundra sites.
5.2 Factors controlling CO2 fluxes
The rather moderate GPP and low Reco fluxes of the polygonal tundra on Samoylov Island compared to other arctic sites might be due to differences in vegetation composition, organic matter contents, low nutrient availability, or low temperatures and radiation at the study site. The polygonal tundra on Samoylov Island is considered an ecosystem with rather moderate GPP due to its low vascular plant cover with a maximum leaf coverage of 0.3 (Kutzbach et al., 2007b). Mosses, which have a high coverage (>0.9), were dominant at both sites and have a much lower photosynthetic capacity than vascular plants (Brown et al., 1980). In general, the photosynthesis of vascular plants and respiration fluxes are lowered due to the low nutrient availability in arctic tundra ecosystems (Shaver et al., 1998). A low nutrient availability is typical for most tundra soils due to water-saturated conditions and low soil temperatures (Johnson et al., 2000). These conditions cause low microbial decomposition rates (Hobbie et al., 2002), which in turn result in a low supply of bioavailable nutrients (Beermann et al., 2015). However, following Sanders et al. (2010) the nitrogen turnover rates of the soils found at the study site can be estimated as rather low compared to other arctic tundra sites. Additionally, the long-term average net radiation at the study site (June to August, 1999–2011) was 85 W m−2 (1999–2011), which is lower than values reported from other arctic tundra sites in Alaska and Greenland (Boike et al., 2013; e.g., Wendler and Eaton, 1990; Oechel et al., 2014; Soegaard et al., 2001; Lynch et al., 1999). These factors might explain the comparatively low Reco and moderate GPP fluxes at the polygon rim and center compared to other arctic tundra sites.
The differences observed in GPP between the polygon rim and center can be related to the vascular plant coverage. The polygon center had a much higher abundance of sedges, while the rim was moss dominated, and the sparsely spread vascular plants had shorter and fewer leaves. Therefore, the photosynthetic capacity is higher at the polygon center than at the rim, resulting in the center having a higher GPP. Additionally, limited water availability due to the elevation of the polygon rim caused moisture runoff, with a drier or desiccated moss layer, which may have contributed to a lower GPP (Olivas et al., 2011). On the other hand, Olivas et al. (2011) found GPP fluxes to be higher at a polygon rim than at a polygon center in the Alaskan coastal plains. They related low GPP fluxes at the polygon center to the submersion of the moss layer and vascular plants. At the polygon center of the current study, the WT was frequently below the soil surface so that the submersion of erect vascular plants was not regularly observed, and most of the moss layer itself was not submerged. This difference in GPP between the Alaskan study sites (Olivas et al., 2011) and those presented in this study reveals the important influence, beside the vegetation composition, of water level and its fluctuations throughout the season on CO2 fluxes.
Differences in respiration fluxes between the wet and dry sites can be related to different soil conditions. The cold and waterlogged conditions, typical for the polygon centers, reduced the decomposition of SOM due to oxygen limitation, causing low microbial activity and therefore low RH (Hobbie et al., 2002; Walz et al., 2017). Furthermore, moisture runoff at the rim created drier conditions in the topsoil, which increased soil oxygen availability and subsequently enhanced RH and Reco (Oechel et al., 1998). In addition, the stronger diurnal amplitude of the soil temperature at the polygon rim compared to the center led to higher daily soil temperatures. Both the increased temperatures and oxygen supply at the polygon rim relative to the center enhance microbial decomposition, causing higher RH fluxes to be observed at the polygon rim. As such, the low CO2 uptake (NEE) at the rim is caused not only by low GPP, but also by higher Reco fluxes compared to the center. The higher NEE at the polygon center compared to the rim is mainly driven by substantially higher GPP and lower RH fluxes, which are due to differences in vascular plant cover, temperature, and hydrology. This finding is in good agreement with Nobrega and Grogan (2008), who compared a wet sedge, dry heath, and mesic birch site and found that the highest CO2 uptake at the wet sedge site was due to limited Reco associated with waterlogged conditions.
Measurements of CO2 fluxes at the polygon rim showed an increase in net CO2 uptake throughout September, whereas at the polygon center the NEE appeared to continuously decrease (lower net uptake of CO2). This increase in late-season NEE at the polygon rim cannot be explained by rising PAR or temperature, but it may be related to the photosynthetic activity of mosses. At the study site, Kutzbach et al. (2007b) considered September as the period during which moss photosynthesis dominates GPP. During this time of the growing season, mosses can still assimilate substantial amounts of CO2 because they tend to reach light saturation at lower irradiance (Harley et al., 1989). The photosynthetic activity of mosses declines rapidly when they face desiccation because they cannot actively control their tissue water content (Turetsky et al., 2012). Additionally, it has been shown that mosses face light stress during times of high PAR (Murray et al., 1993). This light stress causes delayed senescence and more late-season photosynthesis (Zona et al., 2011). On Samoylov, the photosynthetic activity on the moss-dominated polygon rim is expected to be low during warm and dry periods, such as those seen at the beginning of September 2015, and during times of high PAR. In contrast, with continuous rainfall, dew formation, and the lower PAR observed in mid-September, the mosses on the polygon rim are likely to have resumed their metabolic activity, which led to increasing NEE at the rim. These findings are in good agreement with Olivas et al. (2011), who reported the highest contribution of mosses to GPP at the beginning and end of the growing season.
5.3 Partitioning respiration fluxes in arctic tundra ecosystems
To date, only a few studies have estimated RH fluxes from arctic tundra ecosystems over a growing season under in situ conditions (Nobrega and Grogan, 2008; Biasi et al., 2014). Surprisingly, the differences in RH flux estimates reported in the literature and those presented in this study were rather low. Differences in RH fluxes measured with the trenching method may result from differences in the time between trenching and the start of the measurements. Nobrega and Grogan (2008), for example, started their RH measurements 1 d after clipping, while measurements in this study and that of Biasi et al. (2014) started about 1 year after treatment. Therefore, although these studies employed a similar partitioning approach for seasonal estimates of RH fluxes, any comparison must be made with caution. The few RH flux estimates in the literature from other arctic tundra sites were higher than the RH values from the Lena River Delta (0.5±0.1 and 0.3±0.02 g C m−2 d−1 at the polygon rim and center, respectively). Higher growing season RH fluxes than found in this study (0.8–1.8 g C m−2 d−1) have been measured at a mesic birch and dry heath site at Daring Lake in Canada (Nobrega and Grogan, 2008) and at a bare peat site (1.0 g C m−2 d−1) in the subarctic tundra at Seida, Russia (Biasi et al., 2014). Both sites contained substantially higher amounts of SOC in the organic-rich layer than the soil at the polygon rim and were well-aerated compared to the soil at the polygon center, both of which likely caused a higher organic matter decomposition rate and could explain the higher RH fluxes than found at the polygonal tundra sites. Similar RH fluxes to those reported in our study were measured at a wet sedge site in Daring Lake (0.4 g C m−2 d−1) (Nobrega and Grogan, 2008), where soil and environmental conditions like WT, ALD, soil temperature, vegetation, and SOC were similar to the Samoylov sites and vegetated peat sites in Seida (0.4–0.6 g C m−2 d−1) (Biasi et al., 2014). Despite these differences, the average contributions of RH to Reco of 42 % at the center and 60 % at the rim are in good agreement with those observed at Seida (37 %–64 %) and Daring Lake (44 %–64 %). Similar contributions have also been determined from arctic tussock tundra sites, where RH makes up approximately 40 % of growing season Reco (Segal and Sullivan, 2014; Nowinski et al., 2010), and from a moist acidic tussock tundra site (Hicks Pries et al., 2013). In contrast to these results, in a subarctic peatland, Dorrepaal et al. (2009) report a substantially higher contribution of RH to Reco of about 70 %. The different contribution of RH to Reco at the polygon rim and center on Samoylov Island can be related to differences in vascular plant coverage and moisture conditions between these sites. The higher GPP at the center relative to the rim also caused higher rates of RA, in turn lowering the contribution of RH to Reco. Additionally, anoxic soil conditions due to standing water, which characterized the polygon center, reduced SOM decomposition rates. Furthermore, Moyano et al. (2013) and Nobrega and Grogan (2008) have shown that consistently moderate moisture conditions, as at the polygon rim, promote microbial activity and therefore enable higher RH rates than at the center.
At the polygon center, the WT significantly correlated with Reco and RA fluxes, but no correlation between RH fluxes and WT was found. In contrast to this, none of the determined respiration fluxes (Reco, RH, RA) correlated with VWC at the polygon rim, which might be due to a rather low range of VWC (28 %–34 %). The RA fluxes may be negatively affected by high WT due to the submersion of the moss layer and part-wise vascular leaves, as submersion can lead to plant stress, reducing productivity and nutrient turnover (Gebauer et al., 1995). However, if RA fluxes were reduced due to low photosynthetic activity, we would expect a correlation between GPP and RA fluxes, as observed at the polygon rim (R2=0.48, p<0.05) but not at the center (R2=0.01, p>0.05). Instead, only half as much CO2 is released by RA at the center compared to the rim at similar GPP fluxes, as the GPP : RA ratio indicates (10.5 vs. 5.1 for the polygon center and rim, respectively). It is likely that RA is reduced due to water-saturated soils, as shown previously for Reco fluxes in the Arctic (e.g., Christensen et al., 1998), perhaps due to slow diffusion under water-saturated conditions (Frank et al., 1996). Furthermore, it might be possible that RH fluxes are not affected by water table fluctuations as the decomposition of SOM could take place in deeper layers. This finding is in contrast to a set of studies that attributed correlations between Reco fluxes and WT fluctuations solely to the impact of oxygen availability on RH fluxes (Juszczak et al., 2013; Chimner and Cooper, 2003; Dorrepaal et al., 2009) or an observed impact of moisture conditions on RH fluxes across multiple peatland ecosystems (Estop-Aragonés et al., 2018), while another study has shown no effect between water table fluctuations and Reco fluxes (Chivers et al., 2009). However, the partitioning approach used in this study showed that RH fluxes are not responding to water table fluctuations. Instead the CO2 release by RA is correlated with water table fluctuations. These findings show the importance of hydrologic conditions for Reco fluxes and the need for partitioning approaches to understand the response of individual Reco fluxes to changing hydrologic conditions.
To determine the impact of hydrological conditions and temperature on RH and RA fluxes, it would be useful to perform both warming and wetting experiments in situ. So far, although a number of studies have determined the temperature response of NEE, GPP, and Reco fluxes in arctic ecosystems with warming experiments (e.g., Natali et al., 2011; Frey et al., 2008; Voigt et al., 2017), much less research has focused on the response of RA and RH fluxes to increasing temperature (Hicks Pries et al., 2015). Wetting experiments in arctic tundra ecosystems to determine the individual response of RA and RH fluxes to changing hydrological conditions are also lacking. As climate change will likely lead to strong changes in the hydrological regimes of Siberian tundra regions (Zimov et al., 2006b; Merbold et al., 2009), the responses of respiration fluxes to altered hydrological conditions should be addressed in future studies.
6 Conclusion
The contributions of GPP, Reco, RH, and RA fluxes to NEE in a drained (rim) and water-saturated (center) site in the arctic polygonal tundra of northeast Siberia have been quantified in this study. Both investigated sites acted as CO2 sinks during the measurement period from mid-July to the end of September 2015. The polygon center was a considerably stronger CO2 sink than the polygon rim. The main drivers behind these differences in CO2 fluxes at the pedon scale were the higher GPP at the polygon center and lower RH fluxes at the polygon center. The substantial differences in NEE between the dry and wet tundra sites highlight the importance of pedon-scale measurements for reliable estimates of CO2 surface–atmosphere fluxes from arctic tundra sites and the important role of soil moisture conditions in CO2 fluxes. Hereby, it was shown that RA fluxes respond to water table changes, with a low release of CO2 by RA fluxes during times of a high water table. Therefore, future studies on CO2 fluxes from arctic tundra ecosystems should focus on the role of hydrological conditions as a driver of these fluxes.
Data availability.
All datasets shown are available at https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.898876 (last access: 4 April 2019; Eckhardt et al., 2019).
Author contributions.
TE, CK, LK, and EMP designed the study. GS and TE performed the chamber measurements and laboratory analysis. DH and TE performed the visualization of flux comparisons. TE wrote the paper with contributions from all authors.
Competing interests.
Acknowledgements.
We would like to thank the members of the joint Russian–German field campaigns LENA 2014 and LENA 2015, especially Mikhail N. Gregoriev (Permafrost Institute, Yakutsk, Russia), Waldemar Schneider, and Günter Stoof (Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Potsdam, Germany), and the crew of the Russian research station Samoylov for logistical as well as technical support. We are grateful to Josefine Walz and Mercedes Molina Gámez for valuable help with chamber measurements and Norman Roessger for intensive support on model development (all Institute of Soil Science, Universität Hamburg). This work was supported by the German Ministry of Education and Research (CarboPerm Project, BMBF grant no. 03G0836A; KoPf Project, BMBF grant no. 03F0764A). The German coauthors received additional support from the Cluster of Excellence CliSAP (EXC177) at the University of Hamburg funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). We are also grateful for the reviews of Albertus J. Dolman and two anonymous reviewers and the comments of the editor Lutz Merbold on a previous version of this paper.
Review statement.
This paper was edited by Lutz Merbold and reviewed by Albertus J. (Han) Dolman and two anonymous referees.
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Shaver, G., Johnson, L., Cades, D., Murray, G., Laundre, J., Rastetter, E., Nadelhoffer, K., and Giblin, A. J. E. M.: Biomass and CO2 flux in wet sedge tundras: responses to nutrients, temperature, and light, Ecol. Monogr., 68, 75–97, 1998.
Soegaard, H., Hasholt, B., Friborg, T., and Nordstroem, C.: Surface energy- and water balance in a high-arcticenvironment in NE Greenland, Theor. Appl. Climatol., 70, 35–51, https://doi.org/10.1007/s007040170004, 2001.
Subke, J.-A., Inglima, I., and Cotrufo, M. F.: Trends and methodological impacts in soil CO2 efflux partitioning: A metaanalytical review, Glob. Change Biol., 12, 921–943, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2006.01117.x, 2006.
Suseela, V., Conant, R. T., Wallenstein, M. D., and Dukes, J. S.: Effects of soil moisture on the temperature sensitivity of heterotrophic respiration vary seasonally in an old-field climate change experiment, Glob. Change Biol., 18, 336–348, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2011.02516.x, 2012.
Taylor, P. C., Cai, M., Hu, A., Meehl, G. A., Washington, W., and Zhang, G. J.: A decomposition of feedback contributions to polar warming amplification, J. Climate, 26, 7023–7043, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-12-00696.1, 2013.
Turetsky, M. R., Bond-Lamberty, B., Euskirchen, E., Talbot, J., Frolking, S., McGuire, A. D., and Tuittila, E. S.: The resilience and functional role of moss in boreal and arctic ecosystems, New Phytol., 196, 49–67, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2012.04254.x, 2012.
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Voigt, C., Lamprecht, R. E., Marushchak, M. E., Lind, S. E., Novakovskiy, A., Aurela, M., Martikainen, P. J., and Biasi, C.: Warming of subarctic tundra increases emissions of all three important greenhouse gases – carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, Glob. Change Biol., 23, 3121–3138, https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13563, 2017.
Vourlitis, G. L., Oechel, W. C., Hope, A., Stow, D., Boynton, B., Verfaillie, J., Zulueta, R., and Hastings, S. J.: Physiological models for scaling plot measurements of CO2 flux across an Arctic tundra landscape, Ecol. Appl., 10, 60–72, https://doi.org/10.1890/1051-0761(2000)010[0060:PMFSPM]2.0.CO;2, 2000.
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Zimov, S. A., Davydov, S. P., Zimova, G. M., Davydova, A. I., Schuur, E. A. G., Dutta, K., and Chapin, F. S.: Permafrost carbon: Stock and decomposability of a globally significant carbon pool, Geophys. Res. Lett., 33, L20502, https://doi.org/10.1029/2006gl027484, 2006a.
Zimov, S. A., Schuur, E. A. G., and Chapin, F. S.: Permafrost and the global carbon budget, Science, 312, 1612–1613, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1128908, 2006b.
Zona, D., Lipson, D., Zulueta, R., Oberbauer, S., and Oechel, W.: Microtopographic controls on ecosystem functioning in the Arctic Coastal Plain, J. Geophys. Res.-Biogeo., 116, G00I08, https://doi.org/10.1029/2009JG001241, 2011.
Zona, D., Lipson, D. A., Paw U, K. T., Oberbauer, S. F., Olivas, P., Gioli, B., and Oechel, W. C.: Increased CO2 loss from vegetated drained lake tundra ecosystems due to flooding, Global Biogeochem. Cy., 26, GB2004, https://doi.org/10.1029/2011GB004037, 2012.
Zona, D., Lipson, D. A., Richards, J. H., Phoenix, G. K., Liljedahl, A. K., Ueyama, M., Sturtevant, C. S., and Oechel, W. C.: Delayed responses of an Arctic ecosystem to an extreme summer: impacts on net ecosystem exchange and vegetation functioning, Biogeosciences, 11, 5877–5888, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-5877-2014, 2014.
Zubrzycki, S., Kutzbach, L., Grosse, G., Desyatkin, A., and Pfeiffer, E.-M.: Organic carbon and total nitrogen stocks in soils of the Lena River Delta, Biogeosciences, 10, 3507–3524, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-3507-2013, 2013.
We quantified the contribution of individual components governing the net ecosystem exchange of CO2 and how these fluxes respond to environmental changes in a drained and water-saturated site in the polygonal tundra of northeast Siberia. This work finds both sites as a sink for atmospheric CO2 during the growing season, but sink strengths varied between the sites. Furthermore, it was shown that soil hydrological conditions were one of the key drivers for differing CO2 fluxes between the sites.
We quantified the contribution of individual components governing the net ecosystem exchange of...
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Bain + Acumen
Acumen's mission is to change the way the world tackles poverty by investing in companies, leaders and ideas.
Bain & Acumen: Partnership Overview
Acumen has invested more than $80 million in companies around the world, creating and supporting more than 50,000 jobs and impacting 100 million lives.
Bain first partnered with Acumen in 2012 through our pro bono consulting support. Our initial project focused on organizational effectiveness, working to better align Acumen’s global operating model to meet next-stage growth objectives. The resulting change program helped clarify and improve some of Acumen’s most critical processes and structures, including a new partnership model for its Portfolio Leadership Team, a more transparent investment process and post-investment governance, a more integrated platform for cross-country best practice sharing, and improved processes for annual goal-setting and overall talent management.
Building upon the success of our initial effort, we have continued to collaborate on other strategic topics and IP development. We also continue to work with Acumen to shape high-impact opportunities for Bainies, including externships with GADCO, an agri-food company focusing on African consumer markets and one of Acumen’s very exciting investees in Ghana.
Jacqueline Novogratz, CEO and Founder, Acumen Fund
"Bain has been an extraordinary partner to Acumen. We were able to embrace a change process with a sense of ownership, clarity of purpose and commitment. I personally learned a great deal, and feel grateful for and inspired by the kind of partnership that the Bain team made possible. I very much look forward to the future."
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Murder Ink 9/3/14
By By Van Smith
| City Paper |
This Year: 145
Despite the bloody tally in recent weeks—13 killed at the hands of others in about as many days—the pace of homicides in Baltimore this year still lags behind last year's by about 10.
Tuesday, Aug. 26
10:42 p.m. Robert Morris, a 31-year-old African-American man, was on the 500 block of East Coldspring Lane when, according to police, Michael Elliott stabbed him multiple times in the neck and torso with a steak knife. Morris died soon after. Police arrived on the block to find Morris collapsed on the street. According to a charging document, they followed the blood trail to a rear yard, where Elliott was screaming, "Here's the knife, I am in my yard. I told him to get out of my fucking yard." The officers ordered Elliott to drop the knife as he repeated those words. Elliott did so and was placed under arrest. Police say he said, to himself, "the bitch came into my yard, the bitch got dealt with in my yard." Elliott is charged with murder.
Wednesday, AUG. 27
10:25 a.m. After a report of a firearm being discharged, police arrived at the 2400 block of East Madison Street and found two victims. An adult African-American male suffering from gunshot wounds to the head and neck, 18-year-old Gary Brown Jr., was inside a crashed Honda Accord, and a 17-year-old female had been shot in the arm. Brown died at the scene while the female was treated at a hospital.
3:38 p.m. Police responding to a report of a shooting at the intersection of Fayette and North Gilmor streets found Michael Kirksey Jr., a 30-year-old African-American, shot in the head. He died later at a hospital, where he had been transported for treatment.
3:35 a.m. Police found one man shot in the head and another in the hand in the 4200 block of Berger Avenue in Frankford. The one who'd been shot in the head, 36-year-old African-American Enoch Richardson, according to The Sun, later died, while the other man survived. Homicide detectives have determined that both men were shot by an unknown individual.
Monday, Sept. 1
9:27 p.m. Police responding to a report of a shooting arrived in the 1800 block of Druid Hill Avenue to find Richard Muir, a 29-year-old African-American man, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was later pronounced dead after being transported to an area hospital.
Maryland federal court finally unveils fact that Kenneth Ravenell was terminated as attorney for accused...
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In ‘NOS4A2,’ a vampire tastes the local flavor
By Isaac Feldberg Globe Correspondent,May 16, 2019, 12:47 p.m.
Zachary Quinto stars as a vampire roaming the country in a Rolls-Royce in “NOS4A2.”(Dana Starbard/AMC)
As Lon Chaney once said, “There’s nothing funny about a clown at midnight.” By the same token, Joe Hill would add, if you see a candy cane in summertime, it might send a shiver up your spine.
“Good horror finds something comforting and makes it subtly wrong,” says the author. “It undermines the very things we trust most.”
In how it makes a grotesquerie of the familiar, “NOS4A2,” premiering June 2 on AMC, is small-screen horror at its most uncanny. Covered bridges that don’t take you where they ought to, a 1938 Rolls-Royce Wraith with a mind of its own, and a Christmas-themed amusement park where ghoulish children play sadistic games — these are just a few otherworldly attractions in the series, an adaptation of Hill’s 2013 chiller novel (he’s executive-producing).
At its center is a more blatant terror: a soul-sucking vampire named Charlie Manx (Zachary Quinto), who drives around the country in that Wraith (license plate: NOS4A2 — sound it out), abducting children and turning them into sharp-toothed sociopaths. When Haverhill teen Vic McQueen (Ashleigh Cummings) discovers her supernatural ability to traverse time and space in search of lost objects, the two are placed on a bloody collision course.
Why Haverhill? “I know what the roads are like,” explains Hill, 46, a New Englander who grew up in Bangor, Maine; his dad is maestro of macabre Stephen King.
“If I want to write about a ghost or a vampire, the best way I can do that is to ground it in the granular details of what I know, of actual people and places,” says the author. “If I can convince you Haverhill is real, maybe I can also convince you that vampires are real.”
For all its spooky and surreal moments, “NOS4A2” will look familiar to Rhode Island residents; it was shot there last fall, from Narragansett to North Kingstown. New England roots ran deep on set; showrunner Jami O’Brien was raised in Billerica, while other executive producers hail from Seekonk and Providence.
For O’Brien, who’d previously worked with AMC on “Fear the Walking Dead” and “Hell on Wheels,” the chance to set a supernatural thriller in her own backyard was too good to pass up. When another executive put Hill’s book on her radar, she devoured it in a weekend.
“I thought, ‘I know this character and this place, this family, and then there’s this other guy, [Charlie Manx], who’s interesting, who I’d like to get to know,’ ” she recalls. “I came back and said, ‘I think I have a take.’ ”
Once hired, O’Brien worked to anchor the novel’s more peculiar elements with an authentic sense of place, sketching Vic and other Haverhill residents as hardscrabble, blue-collar workers with rich interior lives well beyond their proximity to a certain bloodsucker.
“It has this gritty naturalism about class and family dysfunction in Haverhill,” says O’Brien. “And it’s a supernatural horror show with a sense of wonder, magic, and fantasy.”
O’Brien’s ability to balance both sides of “NOS4A2” left Hill gobsmacked; he calls her pilot script “one of the finest one-hour scripts” he’s ever read. “She had this great ability to reveal character in the tiniest gestures,” he says.
Hill took a light hand in guiding the series; he says O’Brien’s perspective brought to the fore a thread in his novel about how lingering vestiges of patriarchy seek to repress women opposing it.
“There’s an ongoing conversation between an established power center in this country (which is fundamentally older, whiter, maler) and young women,” says Hill. “The see-saw goes back and forth between repression and an acceptance of women’s rights to make hard decisions for themselves.”
Ancient creatures of darkness tend not to have mottos, but Charlie Manx’s would probably be “something along the lines of ‘Daddy knows best,’ ” explains Hill.
“Charlie is a man who has very clear ideas about how children should be, and even stronger ideas about how women should be,” he adds. “And he hates to be disappointed. I liked that there were female authors telling that story.”
Starring: Ashleigh Cummings, Zachary Quinto, Olafur Darri Olafsson, Virginia Kull, Ebon Moss-Bachrach. On AMC June 2 at 10 p.m.
Isaac Feldberg can be reached at isaac.feldberg@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter at @isaacfeldberg.
Chris Sale, Mookie Betts showing what they’re capable of
The cruiser kids of Lynn
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Bishopstoke Players
Supporting Action for Children since 1947
List of all Productions
Local Theatre Guide
Do you hanker to be on the stage? Or do you want to learn a backstage role? Or do you just want to be part of a show without knowing exactly what you want to do?
Then how about joining Bishopstoke Players?
We’re a group of around 40 members of mixed ages and experience and we always welcome potential new actors, whether experienced or not. All we look for is enthusiasm and a willingness to muck in and learn.
But of course it’s not just about acting. There are many jobs that need doing behind the scenes. In fact, if you look at one of our programmes, you’ll often notice more names in the backstage credits than in the cast list! There are jobs for many different skill sets and abilities but all are important and vital to the smooth running of a production.
Q. When do you meet?
A. Most Tuesdays and every Thursday from 7.30 to 10.00pm in Bishopstoke Memorial Hall.
Q. Is there level access?
A. There is level access to the main hall, although we would ask that you let us know beforehand if you need to use this so that we can make sure everything is ready for you. Access to the stage and technical positions are via steps.
Q. I don’t want to go on stage. Is there anything else I can do?
A. Absolutely! Where do we start? We need people to make costumes, to construct the set for each play, to do technical things such as lighting and sound, to acquire and manage properties for productions, to help actors get on the stage at the right time (it’s up to them to get off again!), to publicise our productions, to look after our web site, Facebook page and other IT systems, to sell tickets, market our productions and look after our Patrons and guests; to make the tea (let’s not forget the really important things!). Then there’s make-up and stage management… We could go on but whatever skill or interest you have, we can probably make use of it!
Q. How many shows do you stage?
A. We normally present 3 plays each year, in January, May and September, the January production often being a pantomime. In addition, we often take part in one-act drama festivals across the south of England. These tend to be grouped in the spring and autumn, so we might take one play to the spring festivals and another to the autumn ones.
Q. How do you choose a play?
A. All members are encouraged to look for potential plays to stage, and arrange play readings for them. If the play is popular amongst members, it often finds its way into production!
Q. How do you cast plays?
A. Casting is generally by audition, which is usually held soon after the previous production. Auditions can follow a variety of formats, which are dependent upon each Director’s preferences. They usually include reading extracts from the script in various groupings but we have also had people reciting nursery rhymes ‘in the manner of…’ and, for one show, potential cast members unexpectedly found themselves sitting cross-legged on the floor, acting as 8-year-olds!
Q. How’s the social life?
A. We run a variety of social events, such as theatre trips, bowling, BBQs and the annual Christmas lunch. And, of course, the pub next door is a great place to discuss how things are going after rehearsals!
Q. Are there any restrictions on who can join?
A. We’re primarily an adult group and you need to be over 12 years old to be a full member.
Q. How much does it cost to join?
A. Membership only costs £15 per year.
Q. How is the group run?
A. We are run by a Committee of Chair, Secretary, Treasurer and other officers and members. We hold an Annual General Meeting at the end of every March.
Q. How do I join?
A. For more information about becoming a member, either contact us or simply drop in on a Thursday evening between 7.30 and 10.00.
Inspector Drake and the Time Machine
How to Train Your Husband – thank you!
How to Train your Husband
Auditions for ‘How to Train your Husband’
Bishopstoke Players is proud to have supported Action for Children since 1947
Copyright © Bishopstoke Players 2019
Bishopstoke Players Privacy Policy Proudly powered by WordPress
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Woman Inmate Says This Prison Guard Repeatedly Raped Her During Her 3-Year Sentence
Carlos Martinez, the prison guard who allegedly raped a woman for 3 years
Brooklyn, NY — A woman claiming that she had been raped repeatedly by a guard at a federal jail in Brooklyn where she was detained broke down in tears as she was asked to identify the suspect.
“I can’t,” said the 31-year old Dominican woman and former prisoner through a Spanish interpreter, who is being referred to as Maria during the court proceedings to protect her privacy, as she avoids looking at the accused.
After quite a while, she identified a picture of Lt. Carlos Martinez, a 47-year old jail guard, as the one who raped her. In her testimony, she said Martinez forced her to perform oral sex and raped her on a desk in a deserted office in December 2015, and told her it was safe sex because he had a vasectomy and even managed to sneak a morning-after pill for her.
Prosecutor Nadia Shihata said that Martinez used his authority and cunning to have his way with the inmate. Maria, who was serving a three-year sentence at the Metropolitan Detention Center for acting as a drug courier, stayed quiet at that time due to Martinez’ threat of locking her in solitary confinement.
“I didn’t want any problems,” Maria told prosecutor Shihata through a Spanish interpreter. “I didn’t want to be there a single day longer… He’s a man who has a certain position. Who’s going to believe a person who’s a criminal versus a person who has a position, a life? No.”
Prosecutors claim that Martinez raped Maria four more times until she was released in April 2016.
Defense Attorney Anthony Ricco attacked the credibility of Maria, telling that she had conflicting statements about her history and that she only revealed the alleged attacks after facing deportation and filing a $20 million lawsuit.
Attorney Ricco did not specify whether the sex was consensual or not, but he said, “Let’s be sure the manipulation, guile, and scheming fails in this court.”
Prosecutor Shihata, however, believes that their evidence is strong as they are verifying that on that night that the raping incident happened, Martinez bought an anti-pregnancy pill at a Rite Aid near his home and even used his rewards card to get a $5 discount.
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Language: Українська | English
Can East meet West, or about Turkey, which unites Asia and Europe. Part Two: Meeting with Byzantium
26.03.2011 Читати українською Istanbul
View of the Bosporus and historic center of Istanbul on the Sarayburnu or Palace Cape, photo by Alexey Soloviev, BlackSeaNews
Alexey SOLOVIEV,
Editor of Tourism Section of BlackSeaNews
Continued, click here for part I:
Can East meet West, or about Turkey, which unites Asia and Europe. Part One: Meeting with the Bosporus
There is one more place on the Bosporus which, for centuries used to link east and west – the Altın Boynuz or the Golden Horn harbor.
The shape of this harbor really resembles a horn, which is stuck for 12 kilometers deep into the European shore of the strait. The harbor with an average width of 100 and a depth of 47 meters, is considered to be one of the best in the world. In modern Turkey, it is much more known under the name Halich (Turkish – Haliç BlackSeaNews note), i.e. «the mouth of the river».
In fact, this bay of the Bosporus, formed as a result of confluence of two rivers, near Sarayburnu Cape really looks like a river estuary. The cape, extended towards Asia and shaped like a triangle, in the northeast is washed by the Golden Horn, in the south by the Sea of Marmara.
Protected by water on both sides, the Cape makes an excellent natural fortress where the defensive walls were usually constructed from the side of the land surface. Right there for centuries, on the Sarayburnu Cape and in its vicinity – on the shores of the Golden Horn there was the site of settlements of people of different civilizations. And right there is the historic center of modern Istanbul with its major tourist attractions, which were visited by participants of the 52nd World Congress of FIJET (World Federation of Travel Journalists & Writers, BlackSeaNews note).
The name Sarayburnu (or Palace cape; Saray - palace, Burnu - Cape, BlackSeaNews note) reveals that one of the architectural masterpieces of Istanbul of the Ottoman Empire period - the Topkapi Palace is really located there. But strolling along the vast grounds of the palace, one cannot help looking at the views of the Bosporus and the Golden Horn and remembering that long ago before the modern metropolis and the palace complex the area was the site of a small settlement of Byzantium.
And then, quite naturally you start to think about what actually brought the representatives of the great Greek civilization, which one can call the Western civilization of antiquity, to this, so distant from their homeland, and, moreover, wild and dangerous coast.
View of the Bosporos, the Golden Horn harbor, Sarayburnu Cape and the Sea of Marmora, Photo by Alexey Soloviev, BlackSeaNews
The easier way to find the answer to this question is to look through the Greek myths associated with the Bosporus and other sections of the ancient strategic trade route from the Mediterranean to the Black Sea.
For example, the strait, connecting the Sea of Marmara with the Aegean Sea, is known throughout the world as the Dardanelles, and in Turkey is called the Çanakkale-Bogaz (after the Turkish town of Çanakkale located on its shores, BlackSeaNews note), while in the times of ancient Greece it was called «Hellespont», which means «the Sea of Helle».
This is the name of the daughter of King Athamas, son of wind god Aeolus, who ruled once in Boeotia (now the prefecture in central Greece with capital town of Livadia).
Her husband's infidelity forced her mother – the cloud-goddess Nephele to leave, and a new wife Ino used intrigues to convince her husband that the fertility of the local fields could be restored if to sacrifice Phrixos, his son from his first marriage and Helle’s brother, to Zeus. But mother – goddess Nephele sends the golden-fleeced ram, and it carries Phrixos and Helle away from the place of the sacrifice.
They fly for a long time over the strait, which separates Europe and Asia Minor, and Helle’s hands slide off the golden fleece of the ram. Thus, from the vertiginous height she falls down into the strait, which in her memory was called the Hellespont.
Her brother survived: the golden-fleeced ram carried him over the Bosphorus, then over the Black Sea and brought him finally to the distant Colchis (modern Georgia). There Phrixos was hospitably greeted by the son of the god Helios, a king and magician Aeetes. Being grateful for this warm welcome, Phrixus sacrifices his ram and presents the Golden Fleece to the king, who places it in the sacred grove of the war god Ares under protection of the dragon.
The first thing we learn from this ancient myth is that the route from the Mediterranean through the Dardanelles and the Bosporus into the Black Sea was well known in antiquity.
The myth perfectly describes the flight of the ram: i.e. the route leading to the Black Sea, which some people say was called by the Phoenicians as «Ashkenas», or «the Sea of the North», while the Greeks called it the Pontus Axinus or Inhospitable Sea. Explanation of this name we can find in the «Geography» of Strabo and other ancient authors who wrote about the storms, the need to sail along the coast due to unavailability of navigational aids and the danger of attacks of local coastal tribes.
In the myth about Helle, we see that Phrixos is forced to flee and make quite a perilous journey that led to the death of his sister, as he was given no choice: his own father was ready to sacrifice him to the gods, to kill him to avoid the consequences of the crop failure.
The threat of famine in the mountainous country, where plots of arable land are scarce and enough scanty to feed growing population is the main reason for the Greeks to leave their western, developed at that time civilization, for faraway lands, where soil is rich and area is abundant, but, where the symbol of this prosperity – the Golden Fleece – is meticulously guarded.
The hero of another Greek myth Jason is to get this Golden Fleece. His choices are limited as well: his uncle, King Pelias, the ruler of Iolcus (modern-day Volos in the north-eastern Greece) does not want voluntarily to leave the throne of his deposed brother Aeson. Therefore, choices are: either the war to gain back the throne of his father or hazardous journey to obtain the Golden Fleece.
And off goes Jason into the neighborhood of the city – to the magic mountain of Pelion, the home of the Centaurs, poetized as the most beautiful mountain in ancient Greece, and there skilled shipbuilders under the command of the famous master hand, shipwright Argus build for Jason the ship Argo from the wood of special Mediterranean pines growing on the mountain.
One version claims that the ship is named in honor of the shipbuilder Argus, while the other one insists, that it translates as «quick or fast». Athena herself watched the ship being built and then from the sacred grove of Zeus brought a piece of oak, which was fixed to the bow of the ship and it acquired a magical gift of prophecy.
Then and there, the myth tells us: the new era is to come as the new type of ship has come into being: the ship, which allows you to make not magic, but real, distant sea journeys and is able to sail not just along the coast, but survive through the white water of the Black Sea. It is the era when the Black Sea will change its name into Pont Euxeinos or «Hospitable Sea».
View of the Bospors and, the Golden Horn harbor. Photo by Alexey Soloviev, BlackSeaNews
But before all this, the Argonauts are to make their famous journey. They started in Iolcus, then crossed the northern part of the Aegean Sea, and through the Hellespont Strait (Dardanelles) and Propontis (modern Sea of Marmara) entered the Bosporus.
On the European shore of the Strait, they found Phineas, the former king of Thrace, who was punished by Apollo for his kindness: he too extensively used his gift of prophecy to tell the mortals about their future in too much detail. God blinded him, but, besides, he also sent to the Bosporus and to Phineas, the geeks of the human race, the harpies (the name comes from the Greek word «to snatch»). They, who preserved only faces and breasts of what once used to be beautiful women, were always considered to be among the ugliest and the most brutal creatures of Greek mythology.
Emanating the unbearable stench, like birds of prey, these vultures continued to indulge in the addiction of theirs: they continued to snatch and they did not let Phineas to eat, grabbing all his food away. But the abhorrent bird-women – harpies did not expect that, despite their hideous cries of rage and blazing eyes, Calais and Zetes, the winged sons of Boreas, the god of North Wind, would forever drive them off the trough and throw them out of the house of Phineas.
Being grateful to the Argonauts, the predictor reveals them the secret of safe entry into the Pont (the Black Sea): it is possible to pass safely between Symplegades (Clashing rocks, also known as Cyanean (azure) Rocks) by allowing a dove to fly between them, and if she manages to do it uninjured, then their ship will pass between them undamaged as well. And they followed his piece of advice. Just several tail feathers of the dove and tiny fragment of the stern of Argo were lost between the clashed rocks. After their safe passage through Symplegades, the ship continued her journey to Colchis to claim the Golden Fleece.
On the shores of the Golden Horn harbor. Photo by Alexey Soloviev, BlackSeaNews
The reasons of emergence of the ancient settlement on the site of the present day Istanbul are encrypted in these, so ancient and so familiar Greek myths.
The voyage of Jason was a harbinger of a great epoch. As population of Greece has reached its limit in order to avoid famine, wars and revolts they started the colonization of nearby regions, which lasted, according to different data, from 200 to 300 years.
As the result, the shores of the Mediterranean and Black seas from the south of France to the Caucasus were dotted with hundreds of new cities. But still the settlement with the name of Byzas deserves special place among them.
Participant of the expedition of the Argonauts, son of the sea god Poseidon and a nymph Keroessa, the mythological king Byzas was a native of the town of Megara, located on the Isthmus of Corinth, which connects the central and southern Greece. This area was always known for its rocky and unfruitful soil, and its residents had already founded several colonies on the shores of the Bosporus and Propontis. Byzas, the military leader of future colonists, contacted the Delphic oracle, who gave him the answer: the new colony would be best to develop opposite the settlement of the blind…
And Byzas, participant of the voyage to claim the Golden Fleece, discovers the area of golden opportunities on the coast of the Thracian Bosphorus, which then was called so to differentiate it from the other Bosporus – the Cimmerian one, which used to identify the strait in the Black Sea, known now as the Strait of Kerch.
Upon seeing the colony of Kalhedon (currently the Kadıköy district of Istanbul), on the opposite shore of the strait Byzas understands the prophecy of the oracle of Delphi: only the blind ones could not see all the evident advantages of settling on the opposite – European shore.
The bay, deeply cut into land surface at the confluence of the Bosporus and the Sea of Marmara, is located almost half way of the difficult route from the Mediterranean to the Black Sea. It is predestined to be developed into a great place for berthing, repair and sailors’ stopover for rest. The natural harbor is surrounded with the valleys with fertile soils, which provide rich harvests. Bay and the mouth of two rivers – Kidaris and Barbissy – abound with fish, while coastal forests are full of deer and other game.
Byzas and his fellow colonists from Megara decided to found here a city and offer the traditional foundation sacrifice to the gods. But suddenly a kite snatched the sacrificial animal and flew away to jutting into the Bosporus sharp-pointed cape. Byzas and his friends perceived this event as the will of gods, and laid the city’s foundation stone on the pointed cape.
The circumambient bay by the cape was called by king Byzas «Hrizokeras» or «Golden Horn» in honor of his mother, the nymph Keroessa, who was born on the shores of the bay as the daughter of Zeus and Io. Thus, the grandmother of Byzas was the same Io, after whom the strait received its name of Bosporus («cow-ford», see the first part of the article), and the settlement itself will soon be named after him and become known as Byzantium. And this very name will become the origin of the name of the empire, which is to come into being right here almost a thousand years later.
But before it the humble settlement is to survive through its really turbulent history. First of all, Byzas and his fellow colonists would soon figure out the cause of «blindness» of their predecessors, who left the European shore for the safer Asian one.
Their time would come to defend themselves from the numerous raids of the Thracian tribes and, therefore, soon the growing city would be secured with huge stone walls and the other fortifications. And then the time would come when the great Greek colonization, which started in the middle of the 8th century BC and reached its apogee in the 6th century BC, would come to its end, while its remains can be still found almost everywhere along the Black Sea coast: in the Crimea and southern Ukraine, as well as in Romania and in Bulgaria, etc.
Advantageous geographical location of Byzantium, which controls the middle of a trade route meant to supply Greece with grain and other farm products from the Black Sea area, develops it into one of the most famous and successful maritime centers, as well as center of crafts and trade between west and east. The natural wealth of the region, where in accordance with the apt expression of the Dionysius of Byzantium, famous from the beginning of II-III century AD due to his first detailed description of the Bosporus, «the land competes with the sea» in abundance, provides Byzantium opportunity to sell salted fish, game, wine and grain to the entire ancient world.
But all the wealth and success attracted a lot of enviers and invaders.
Among them there were the Persians, who crossed the Bosporus over the bridge built by Darius at its narrowest point and then would rule the ancient town for more than a decade. Greek city-states Athens and Sparta would with varying degrees of success rival each other for control over this strategic trading city. Celtic Galatian tribes attacked Byzantium as well, but the most complex relationship the city would have with the new and growing Roman Empire.
Initially, the Romans granted it the status of free city and the ally of Rome, and then completely deprived it of all the privileges and made it part of the Roman province of Thrace, which fell under the control of Roman emperors already in the I century BC. But then the empire itself starts to suffer from the feud, and one of the rivaling emperors Septimy Sever would begin his long siege of the city in 196 BC. When three years later, he finally occupies Byzantium, he literally wipes it off the face of the earth by ruining its walls, destroying the major substantial buildings and stripping it of the city status. Byzantium was revived by his son, and for more than 100 years the city will bear the name of Antonia in his honor.
Istanbul is the renown city of commerce. Photo by Alexey Soloviev, BlackSeaNews
Not a lot is left in modern Istanbul to remind us of a Greek settlement, founded by the Byzas in 667 BC, as well as of the tumultuous era of the Roman Empire. But the time-honored trading spirit of the city is alive as always.
Advantageous geographical location of Istanbul makes shopping in this city to be an exotic pleasure. Modern shopping malls, small shops and stalls of the city are still bursting with merchandise to suit every taste: local Turkish-made goods and exported from both east and west.
Yet the most exotic and exciting shopping place is still the Grand Bazaar or Kapalıçarşı (Kapalı - covered, çarşı - market) with its more than fifty streets and four thousand shops.
View of the Golden Harbor from the Top Kapi Palace and Sarayburnu Cape. Photo by Alexey Soloviev, BlackSeaNews
By the Nur-u Osmaniye kapısı, the central gate of the Grand Bazaar, the shopping fans can once again see the evidence of the ancient age of the city, which surrounds them. It is another attraction of the historic part of Istanbul - Chemberlitash column or a column of Constantine. The square there is also called Çemberlitaş Meydanı or Hooped Stone Square (in Turkish Çemberli – hoop, taş stone BlackSeaNews note), as the column there is really tightly laced with iron hoops.
The bustle of modern city, the rattle of the passing by tram and typical hustle of the shopping district make it hard to imagine that right here at this very site, the era of Byzas and started by him settlement of Byzantium once came to the end and the new, even more ambitious but no less dramatic epoch of the history of Istanbul - the era of the Byzantine Empire commenced.
This was preceded by the decline of another empire - the Roman, which had reached so large dimension, that already in 293, Emperor Diocletian decided to divide the imperial power into four and it was simultaneously ruled by 4 emperors.
Constantine (272 - 337) was perhaps the most famous of them. Crowned in 306 at York (modern Great Britain), he became famous for his challenging decrees. In 313, he enacted the Edict of Milan, which granted the right to profess Christianity freely throughout the empire, in the year of 319 passed a law prohibiting the murder of slaves, in 321 adopted the law proclaiming Sunday as «the honored day of sun», which meant introduction of a day of rest.
The joint rule led to constant conflicts between the emperors, which ended in victory of Constantine. He defeated his last opponent in 324 not far away from Byzantium on the Asian shore of the Bosporus.
Since then till the year of 337 he is a single ruler. During this short period of time he takes decisions that are to become pivotal for the history of not only west and east, but of the whole world. Pagan gods of the ancient world are to be buried in memories of the past, while Christianity is to become the official religion of the Roman Empire and imperial capital is to be moved from west to east - from Rome to the provincial Byzantium.
He is not to make this decision instantly: on November 8, 324 Constantine founds here on the Bosporus his new residence and takes the spear to draw on the ground the line of the walls of the new city which reaches far beyond the borders of Byzantium. Thus, the new city has been laid, but still a 20-year anniversary of his reign in 326 he goes to celebrate in Rome. There, he orders to build a mausoleum for his family and adorns the city with the Arch of Constantine and many other beautiful buildings.
But then, the personal reasons would make him to wish come back to the old capital never ever again: intrigues of his wife Fausta forced him to execute Crispus, his eldest son from his first marriage and then not able to stand reproaches of Helen, his grieving and missing her grandson mother, he would issue another order, and Fausta would die by «accident» falling in a bath of hot water.
For these personal reasons, or after explicit analysis of the shortcomings of Rome as his capital for that period of time, or just because of the human desire to start all over again, Constantine returns to Byzantium and on 26 November, 326, starts ambitious rebuilding of the city on the Bosporus.
Perhaps there is one more reason for him to make such a decision – this area is familiar to Constantine: he grew up not far from Byzantium in Bithynia, where his mother Helena was born into the family of a humble innkeeper.
Soon the developments occur, which can be interpreted as the sky-sign: after conversion to Christianity, at the age over seventy in 327 the mother of Constantine will make the grand pilgrimage to the Holy Land and bring to his new town her astonishing finds - the True Cross of the Lord and other relics.
And here comes the November, 4th , 328, the new defensive wall is already partially built and following astrologers’ recommendations, Constantine dedicates the new city already as the new capital of the Roman Empire.
Column of Constantine, photo by ИРЭН@ from the site fotki.yandex.ru
But the ultimate official ceremony will be held on May 11, 330. It will be mutually conducted by the priests of the fading pagan religion and of the new official religion, so long persecuted by the imperial Rome.
This very ceremony will be a sign of the official dedication of the new Christian capital.
On this day pagan believers pray in their temples, preserved by the emperor. Constantine is present in the Church of St. Irene at the solemn liturgy which officially acknowledges dedication of the new city to the Holy Virgin.
This is followed by the joint procession of Christian and pagan priests to the center of the giant Forum of Constantine. This event is to become the apogee of the ceremony to celebrate the silver jubilee of the emperor’s reign.
And precisely at the prescribed by astrologers moment, Constantine with his own hands immures into the base of the column the most valuable relics of the pagan and Christian worlds associated with the names of the goddess Athena, as well as Noah, Moses, Jesus, Mary Magdalene and then the base of 7 blocks of porphyry, brought from the deserts of Egypt, is raised above.
And once again west and east have met at this point of the Earth, and May 11, 330 is considered to be the day of foundation of the empire, but already another one, the new one - the Byzantine. And from this very moment Byzantium goes down in history forever: by order of Constantine the city is to be called New Rome, and its official name is to be proudly engraved on a special stone pillar.
But very soon it will be ousted by the unofficial name - Constantinople or «the city of Constantine», the name which the city will bear for sixteen out of the 25 centuries of its history.
View of the Cape of Sarayburnu, the palace complex of TopKapi and St. Sophia from the Galata Bridge, Photo by Alexey Soloviev, BlackSeaNews
The great emperor, but the earthly man, Constantine, had, perhaps, the presentiment that he might not live long, thus he was in a hurry: within 6 years – from 330 to 336 – Byzantium, which existed in this place for almost a thousand years, was meticulously rebuilt and its size increased 4 times. It was said that never before in the west and the east there was the city of such size, wealth and beauty: the best pieces of art and relics had been gathered there from all over the empire.
In February 337 Constantine the Great decided to visit the Holy Land, but illness did not allow him to drive off too far from his Constantinople. Hence, his baptism took place not in the waters of the Jordan, but not that far away from his capital city. And it was in May, on the 22nd day of this month, at the Easter off he went to the better world at the age of 65 and after 31-year reign. But, still every year on September 1 Byzantines would be coming to his column and sing hymns in honor of Constantine, the founder of their city. And long after his death his statue with scepter in right hand and the sphere containing a fragment of the Holy Cross in the left one would continue to decorate the top of his column.
But then the imperious time turned it into a column Chemberlitash and the only one, preserved almost intact, church of the Byzantine period – into the concert hall. This is the church of St. Irene, situated in the first courtyard of the palace of Topkapi, where according to the legend, there is the sarcophagus containing the remains of Constantine the Great. This church, which was once built in Byzantine times on the ruins of the temple of Aphrodite does not commemorate any particular Christian saint, but its name the Hagia Eirene (St. Irene) Church or Aya İrini in Turkish, means the Church of the Holy Peace.
By analogy, St. Sophia, situated next to the Topkapi, also constructed on the site of the ancient acropolis of Byzantium, was known in those days as the Church of Holy Wisdom. But that's another story which will be told by us in the next chapter, which tells how the Byzantine Empire met the Ottoman one.
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Canadian businessman
Last Updated: May 23, 2019 See Article History
Alternative Titles: Edward Samuel Rogers, Jr.
Ted Rogers, (Edward Samuel Rogers, Jr.), Canadian businessman (born May 27, 1933, Toronto, Ont.—died Dec. 2, 2008, Toronto), was the founder of Rogers Communications Inc. (RCI), Canada’s premier media company. In addition to cable television and other media operations, RCI owned several leading Canadian magazines as well as the Toronto Blue Jays, a Major League Baseball team. Rogers was named for his father, a pioneering force in broadcasting who established several companies of his own. While still a law student in Toronto, Rogers, Jr., acquired an FM radio station. He continued over the years to build his RCI holdings, taking on considerable debt in the process. In 1994 Rogers made his biggest acquisition, purchasing communications company Maclean-Hunter. Over the years RCI’s debts were retired.
Ted Turner, American broadcasting entrepreneur, philanthropist, sportsman, and environmentalist who founded a media empire that included several television channels that he created, notably CNN. Turner grew up in an affluent family; his father owned a successful billboard-advertising company. In…
Ted Newhouse
Ted Newhouse, American publisher who with his brothers founded a publishing empire that grew to comprise such holdings as 26 newspapers, the Condé Nast magazine group, business journals, and cable television systems (b. July 19, 1903, Bayonne, N.J.--d. Nov. 28, 1998, New York,…
Edward Plunket Taylor
Northern Dancer: …Ontario, farm of his owner, E.P. Taylor, one of Canada’s wealthiest men and the chairman of the Ontario Jockey Club. As a two-year-old, the colt won seven of nine races and had a winning streak of eight races leading up to the 1964 Kentucky Derby. Taylor hoped his colt would…
December 2, 2008 (aged 75)
The Canadian Encyclopedia - Biography of Ted Rogers
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Back to Government Relations
Antitrust Standing Is There An App for That
October 2, 2018 | The GEE Blog, case-to-watch
Brian E. Casey
Appeals and Critical Motions Co-Chair
Douglas W. Everette
In the next few months, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in Apple Inc. v. Pepper (In re Apple iPhone Antitrust Litig.), a potentially significant “application” of antitrust law to e-commerce. At stake is the almost $11.5 billion in revenue the App Store now earns Apple annually (not to mention what other types of app stores generate these days).
The case will address the interpretation of the Supreme Court’s “direct purchaser” rule in deciding who can sue under the antitrust laws (specifically, Section 4 of the Clayton Act) and the application of that rule to purchasers in the electronic marketplaces that play a large and ever-growing role in the economy and consumers’ lives.
While at first glance this might seem to be slightly removed from “government enforcement,” upon closer inspection, it is not. The United States has weighed in as an amicus on Apple’s behalf (and seeks to argue alongside Apple before the Court) because, in its view, not only does the “Department of Justice ha[ve] responsibility for enforcing federal competition laws and a strong interest in their correct application,” but also because the federal government considers private antitrust enforcement to be “an important supplement to the government’s own antitrust enforcement efforts.” Moreover, both federal corporations and states have long had the ability to sue under Section 4 to combat perceived antitrust violations.
In Apple, a putative class of iPhone owners who have purchased apps from the App Store allege that Apple has engaged in monopolistic behavior in the market for iPhone applications by only allowing iOS users to install applications through its App Store. Apple charges a 30 percent commission to developers on all paid app sales made through the App Store. When a customer buys an app from the App Store, Apple remits 70 percent of that purchase price (which the developer sets) to the developer and retains the balance.
The question presented in Apple is whether iPhone owners who purchase applications through the App Store have antitrust standing to sue Apple because of the allegedly artificially high commission that Apple charges app developers.
The Supreme Court first established the “direct purchaser” rule in Hanover Shoe, Inc. v. United Shoe Machinery Corp., 392 U.S. 481 (1968) and Illinois Brick Co. v. Illinois, 431 U.S. 720 (1977). It provides that only the “overcharged direct purchaser” of a monopoly-priced product has standing to sue under Section 4 of the Clayton Act.
The Court has explained that two concerns animate its “direct purchaser” rule. First, the Court has worried that it would be difficult or impossible to apportion antitrust damages after multiple downstream sales of a monopoly-priced product. Second, the Court expressed concern over the possibility of duplicative damage awards if direct purchasers and downstream purchasers all have standing to sue for the same antitrust violations.
Plaintiffs argued that they are “direct purchasers” of apps from Apple, so they satisfy the direct purchaser rule. Apple has countered that consumers actually buy apps from developers, and Apple in turn sells distribution services to those developers.
The District Court sided with Apple and dismissed plaintiffs’ antitrust claim, relying on Illinois Brick. However, the Ninth Circuit reversed, agreeing with plaintiffs. The Court concluded that iPhone app buyers are direct purchasers from Apple, and that Apple is an app “distributor” which (at least in the Ninth Circuit) potentially subjected Apple to liability. The Ninth Circuit rejected Apple’s argument that its App Store is analogous to a shopping mall that simply leases physical space to various stores that actually sell to customers.
The Ninth Circuit acknowledged that its decision conflicted with the Eighth Circuit’s decision in Campos v. Ticketmaster, 140 F.3d 1166 (1998). In Campos, the Eighth Circuit held that consumers who purchased tickets from Ticketmaster were indirect purchasers and therefore had no standing to sue.
Both sides have submitted their principal briefs. Numerous amici, including the United States (which has sided with Apple), have weighed in also.
Apple has said that the Ninth Circuit has simply misapplied Illinois Brick and that consumers are simply asserting a prohibited pass-through theory of harm. Apple has argued that, simply because consumers purchase apps through the App Store, does not make consumers direct purchasers of the app distribution services that Apple sells to app developers. Apple has also argued that the Ninth Circuit’s focus on the App Store’s distribution “function” is not only contrary to Supreme Court precedent but also unworkable in practice. The United States has essentially agreed with Apple’s positions.
The App Store customers, by contrast, maintain that, because of how Apple has created the technology inherent both in iPhones and the App Store, consumers actually purchase apps directly from Apple, acting as a monopolist, via the App Store. Since they are purchasing apps directly from the monopolist, and not through any intermediaries, they are “direct purchasers” entitled to sue for antitrust damages under Illinois Brick.
How the Court will resolve this case seems to depend at least partly on whether it views the operative transaction as taking place between Apple and consumers or between consumers and developers with Apple simply providing the marketplace where the transaction occurs.
The Court will also need to address how concerns raised in Hanover and Illinois Brick will be impacted by its decision. For example, if the Court affirms the Ninth Circuit’s decision, would app developers also have standing to sue for the exact same damages? Would its decision be narrowly tailored to online marketplaces for digital goods, or apply broadly to all areas of commerce?
Whatever the outcome, the Court’s effort to apply antitrust principles originally created to address products like shoes and bricks to the world of digital goods and services is likely to have profound consequences for electronic commerce and government’s enforcement of federal antitrust laws.
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Antitrust and Competition Law
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Chip And Joanna Gaines' Church Is Firmly Against Same-Sex Marriage
HGTV says, “We don’t discriminate against the LGBT community in any of our shows.” (This story has been updated with a comment from HGTV and with the Gaineses' pastor's response.)
Kate Aurthur
Jennifer Boomer / Getty Images / Via hgtv.com
Joanna and Chip Gaines.
Chip and Joanna Gaines' series Fixer Upper is one of the most popular shows on HGTV. The couple has recently graced the cover of People magazine; their book, The Magnolia Story, has been on the New York Times' best-seller list for five weeks; and they were the subject of a long profile in Texas Monthly that credited them with revitalizing the city of Waco, Texas, where the show is set and where their businesses are located. The couple are riding a wave of success, largely due to their charm and appeal. Joanna's design aesthetic — large kitchen islands, open-concept floor plans, and shiplap — is one of the show's stars; Chip's goofiness — his willingness to call himself fat, his sadness and terror when he has to deliver bad news to a client during construction, and his buoyant attitude — is the other.
They have built a small empire, and they are not done yet. They have a huge retail space in Waco, as well as a new magazine, the Magnolia Journal; they have a real estate company; Joanna has a paint line and a home decor line. Season 4 of Fixer Upper begins Nov. 29.
They are also, as they detail in The Magnolia Story, devout Christians — Joanna has spoken of and written about her conversations with God. (God told her both to close her store to spend time with her children, and then to reopen it a few years later.) Their church, Antioch Community Church, is a nondenominational, evangelical, mission-based megachurch. And their pastor, Jimmy Seibert, who described the Gaineses as "dear friends" in a recent video, takes a hard line against same-sex marriage and promotes converting LGBT people into being straight.
So are the Gaineses against same-sex marriage? And would they ever feature a same-sex couple on the show, as have HGTV's House Hunters and Property Brothers? Emails to Brock Murphy, the public relations director at their company, Magnolia, were not returned. HGTV's PR department did not respond to initial emails and calls. Two days after this story was published, they released the following statement: "We don’t discriminate against members of the LGBT community in any of our shows. HGTV is proud to have a crystal clear, consistent record of including people from all walks of life in its series."
Fixer Upper has fans of all stripes: Christians, feminists, and LGBT viewers have all found something to love in the Gaineses. So in the absence of a response from them or their representatives, it's worth looking at the severe, unmoving position Seibert and Antioch take on same-sex marriage.
Antioch Community Church
Jimmy Seibert, left, with Joanna and Chip Gaines.
When reached by phone, Antioch Community Church's communications director pointed me toward the church's website under "beliefs," where it states, "Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime." The church has held the same position since Seibert founded it 17 years ago, she said.
And in June 2015, on the Sunday after the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in all 50 states, Seibert scrapped what was going to be the program at Antioch that day in order to reaffirm where the church stands, whatever the law of the land may be.
After talking about Genesis, and saying that marriage is between "one man and one wife," Seibert emphasizes the fixedness of this idea. "This is a clear biblical admonition. So if someone were to say, 'Marriage is defined in a different way,' let me just say: They are wrong," he says from the pulpit to applause from the congregation. "God defined marriage, not you and I. God defined masculine and feminine, male and female, not you and I."
Seibert then goes on to discuss sin. "Truth No. 1: Homosexuality is a sin. The lie: Homosexuality is not a sin." He urges compassion for the sinners, though, because "the statistics say that 90% of people who are in a full-blown homosexual lifestyle were abused in some way. Physically, sexually, mentally." He also says that gay pornography deserves some of the blame. "We have people and young people that never had any intention of a same-sex attraction et cetera, who have seen sexuality up front in pornography and now are trapped in the addiction of it."
Rachel Whyte/HGTV
Chip and Joanna Gaines on Fixer Upper.
But LGBT people have a choice, Seibert says, and can change. "Truth No. 2: God is able to give us power over every sin, including homosexuality. Lie No. 2: I am a homosexual in thought and action, and I cannot change."
He tells the story of a playground conversation he recently had with a friend, who was wondering whether one of the kids in their charge was going to be gay or straight. He said to her, "Can I just tell you you don't have to wonder? You can lovingly, carefully bring them back to Scripture, be compassionate in the journey. And help them direct their passions rightly to how god created them."
He expands on that notion: "We can change, contrary to what you hear. I've worked with people for over 30 years — I have seen hundreds of people personally change their direction of same-sex attraction from a homosexual lifestyle to a heterosexual lifestyle. It doesn't mean they don't struggle with feelings, it doesn't mean that they aren't hurting, it doesn't mean it's not challenging. But they have chosen to change. And there has always been grace there for those who choose that."
(In 2009, a task force of American Psychological Association concluded that "efforts to change sexual orientation are unlikely to be successful and involve some risk of harm." The Human Rights Campaign has also decried conversion therapy, linking it in minors to "depression, anxiety, drug use, homelessness, and suicide.")
Seibert delivering his sermon after the Supreme Court decision in June 2015.
Nevertheless, Seibert urges educators in public schools not to accept normalizing same-sex marriage, which will trickle down to "teenage relationships," and even into kindergarten. He says that teachers should risk being fired. "If they feel you can still work there, so be it. If not, God will have another way for you."
His sermon is available to watch online in full.
The spokesperson for Antioch said she could not speak for Chip and Joanna Gaines on same-sex marriage. But Seibert clearly does not offer any wiggle room on the issue, as he says emphatically in his sermon: "Business leaders, you will have to be clear about who you are. And you will have to be willing to stand to lose even a deal or two or 10 or even lose your business. But if you're not clear, you will have no leg to stand on down the road. If you think you're going to get away with it in the short run, I promise you won't in the long run, because the spirit demands submission."
"We're being called to a higher calling," Seibert says. "A greater compassion and love, but a greater clarity than ever before. Because it is coming now. Starting Monday morning, we will not have the option anymore.
"And with that," he concludes "will come persecution."
Dec. 02, 2016, at 15:11 PM
This post has been updated with a statement from HGTV. For more, read the follow-up story here.
The Gaineses' pastor, Jimmy Seibert, has responded in an interview with Family Research Council president Tony Perkins. You can listen to it here.
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Boston Tea Party Slang
The Boston Tea Party took place on December 16 th, 1773. It was a protest by the American Colonists against the British in regards to the tea taxes that had been imposed on them. This protest involved throwing chests of tea from three British trade ships into the Boston Harbor. The colonists had.
Insofar as Americans think of our country at all, it is the Britain of George the Third and the Boston Tea Party (although when The Madness. were public schoolboys talking in a London “street”.
While tea is often linked to relaxation, considering its impact throughout history, historians would say otherwise. As Americans, we are no strangers to the American Revolution, and one of its prime symbols was tea, popularized by the Boston Tea Party.
He added that "they can apply for a job but they may not get past the ‘slush file,’" slang for the wastebasket in which a. He said he’s welcomed at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Tea.
The software will also be able to augment use of terms, slang. activists, Tea Party enthusiasts, and anyone criticizing the government. “We have a right to speech, and programs like this chill that.
The Hub – Boston; shortened from Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.’s phrase The Hub of the Solar System (often misremembered as Universe) (seldom used in conversation, but seen often in writing and advertisements, e.g. in the Boston Globe) I the Irish Riviera – the South Shore coastal suburbs to the southeast of Boston such as Hingham and Weymouth J
Both are slang terms often considered "disparaging and offensive. including the notion that it was to honorthe Boston Tea Party rebels who dressed as Indians when they dumped tea in the harbor. But.
When I ate at Bad Saint this past winter, co-owner Genevieve Villamora came by our counter seats: “Did I overhear you’re from Boston?” she asked with excitement. The first one I attend is called.
The tea party part means that it was about tea. share:. If u mean the Boston tea party it was because of tea tax. If you mean the tax on tea it was to pay off debts from the French and Indian.
And, before you knew it, we had the “tea party” movement. What protesters were doing, of course, was invoking the spirit of the American Revolutionaries, and their Boston Tea Party. “‘Teabagging’.
Sep 22, 2014 · Boston tea sommelier Cynthia Gold is responsible for the refined “Fantasy Tea Party” service and unique tea blends found at the acclaimed French restaurant L’Espalier, just a couple of blocks up Boylston Street from Copley Square. Cynthia left the corporate world more than a decade ago to pursue a career in the culinary arts.
Muggles" was a slang term for marijuana before there ever was a Hogwart’s. Satchmo was joined by dozen of other jazz stars, like Cab Calloway singing about the "Reefer Man" and Benny Goodman’s "Texas.
Note: We have 121 other definitions for BTP in our Acronym Attic. new search; suggest new definition; Search for BTP in Online Dictionary Encyclopedia
From the Boston Tea Party to the Occupy movement. Romney referred to himself as “M-I-double tizzle,” a parody of slang-slinging rap icons like Snoop Dogg. This April, Obama followed suit by “slow.
Probably the most famous tea party of all was one held in Boston more than 200 years ago when American. Over the years, the popularity of tea spawned a host of slang words and expressions,
One Saturday was a tea party. Another was a trip to an animal shelter. Her reasoning is sound: Last year, the Mentor: National Mentoring Partnership in Boston released a study looking at the effect.
(What’s the cockney slang for Rigby and Peller. No, don’t worry, it’s not a trick, there’s no risk of the Boston Tea Party II. I hate the Tea Party anyway. see my previous blog on that for proof.
Both are slang terms often considered “disparaging and offensive. including the notion that it was to honor the Boston Tea Party rebels who dressed as Indians when they dumped tea in the harbor.
This lesson plan is about the Boston Tea Party and how contributed to the growing division between the British and the American colonists. The American Revolution was in large part caused by British taxation that led to American colonial resistance to the British Parliament’s Stamp Act of 1765 and Tea Act of 1767. The Boston Tea Party brought the colonies a step closer to open revolt against.
Jun 02, 2004 · Both The Boston Tea Party and Ellie collect choice sets from the Spring ’03 Elephant tour. The former is a superb-sounding, professionally mixed concert recorded April 20 at Boston’s Orpheum.
Boston to English Dictionary, with a list of words and pronounciations used locally in the neighborhoods of Boston over the years, as well as in Greater Boston.
How the Boston Tea Party Sparked the Revolution," to read outside of class. "The first couple of lessons they grab their heads and say, ‘Oh no?’" Voutyras said. The students also have to learn our.
One of the earliest Indian words to enter the English language was “loot”, the Hindustani slang for “plunder” as the East. Anger at this led to the Boston Tea Party during which American patriots.
It has become used as a slang expression for. with President Obama in 2012. 9: Tea Party – A Conservative political movement in the US that takes its name from the Massachusetts protesters dumping.
The Boston Tea Party was a protest by American colonists against King George III’s rule in America.It happened on December 16, 1773. The Boston Tea Party was an act of protest against the British for the Tea Act. The Americans had no one to speak for them in the British government.
It’s a journey with layovers in refugee camps and an orphanage, a journey that has brought him to the United States and now to Boston, thanks to a veteran. doing a chore poorly or not picking.
The Boston Tea Party was a spark in what some have referred to as the “fuse of America.”? This fuse eventually exploded into the Revolutionary War, and when all was ended, the colonies had their freedom. The Boston Tea Party affects our lives today because it.
Protest History Usa Books Aug 22, 2017 · Bray’s book is many things: the first English-language transnational history of Antifa, a how-to for would-be activists, and a record of advice from anti-Fascist organizers past and present—a project that he calls “history, politics, and theory on the run.” Antifa activists don’t often speak to the media, but Bray is a former
A summary of The Boston Massacre and Tea Party: 1767–1774 in History SparkNotes’s The American Revolution (1754–1781). Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of The American Revolution (1754–1781) and what it means. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans.
41D: For something romantic, as I think this entry suggests, it sure doesn’t get much love from the slang in question. Let’s look at the answer here, BOSTON TANGO PARTY. We know that we want “Tea”.
Every successful social movement in this country’s history has used disruption as a strategy to fight for social change. Whether it was the Boston Tea Party to the sit-ins at lunch counters throughout the South, no change has been won without disruptive action.
From tirades against the evils of unbridled tea drinking and, dependence on "slops" (19th-century slang for the messy business of. East India Company in the sea off New England. The Boston Tea.
Jeff Ashton: Ever since Ibragim Todashev, a friend of Boston Marathon. his surname with the slang acronym YOLO — you only live once — a lame excuse for doing stupid stuff. As the Gainesville.
Learn How To Host A Dinner Party; Pool Table Etiquette; Most Common Mistakes When Playing Poker; 5 Tips For Shooting Great Vacation Videos; Guide to Vintage Watches; A Gent’s Guide To Basic Table Etiquette; Wet Shaving. How To Use Preshaves; How To Make Shims For DE Safety Razor; Antiquing For Vintage Razors 101; Do It Yourself Shaving Brush.
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Canada's new $20 bill at centre of maple leaf flap
Some botanists are shaking their heads at the new polymer bills because they say the money features a maple leaf from Norway, and not Canada, although that's not how the Bank of Canada sees it.
Botanists say it's a Norway maple, not Canadian maple, though Bank of Canada denies error
CBC News · Posted: Jan 18, 2013 6:32 AM ET | Last Updated: January 19, 2013
On the right side of the new $20 bill is what some experts say is a Norway maple leaf, not a Canadian maple leaf. (CBC)
The Norway maple came to North America in the 18th century, imported by a Philadelphia merchant and peddled as a garden adornment. But lately it has been turning up in all kinds of places, including the official logos of Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ont., and the FIFA under-20 World Cup of Soccer.
On the left is a photo of the Norway maple leaf, which botanists say appears on the new polymer bills. On the right is a leaf from the sugar maple, the Canadian species that appears on the national flag. (CBC)
The Canadian Television Fund and the Alliance of Natural History Museums of Canada have also made maple leaf errors, according to botanists.
Sean Blaney, senior botanist of the Atlantic Canada Conservation Data Centre, said he never expected to see the Norway maple leaf on a $20 bill.
"It's a species that's invasive in Eastern Canada and is displacing some of our native species, and it's probably not an appropriate species to be putting on our native currency," Blaney told CBC News.
A 'stylized blend' of Canadian maple species
The Bank of Canada, which makes the banknotes, denied the bills include a Norway maple leaf. A spokesperson said the leaf is a stylized blend of different Canadian maple species.
But Blaney argued it looks nothing like any of the 10 maples native to Canada.
"It seems a bit like an after-the-fact explanation to me. The bottom line is that, the image on the bill looks exactly like a Norway maple, however it was derived," he said.
University of Ottawa Prof. Julian Starr, also a research scientist at the Canadian Museum of Nature, specializes in plant identification and classification.
He has been consulted by the Royal Canadian Mint about the botanical accuracy of its coins, but he was not shown this maple leaf.
"This could not be confused with a native species of Canada," said Starr. "It basically looks like a Norway maple."
There are 400 million bank notes already in circulation, including $20, $50 and $100 bills. There are plans to print another 1.2 billion more bank notes, including $5 and $10 bills.
New polymer $20 bills a vending machine headache
New Canadian $20 bill not accepted everywhere
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Sports-no-CBCCBC-Sports
Road To The Olympic Games
Mike Janyk to retire at the end of alpine season
Three-time Olympian Mike Janyk will be retiring from the Canadian national team at season's end, Alpine Canada announced on Monday.
3-time Olympian won bronze at 2009 world championships
CBC Sports · Posted: Mar 06, 2014 4:01 PM ET | Last Updated: March 6, 2014
Canada's Micheal Janyk, seen competing in Switzerland in January, reached the world championship podium. (Giovanni Auletta/The Associated Press)
"I had a break at home before the Olympics and I just knew it was time," Janyk said in a statement. "I don’t feel like I made the decision – it was just so clear it was the right time."
"It’s been incredibly freeing but I’ve also been riding a wave of emotions. I’ve been so blessed to live my dream as a World Cup skier. It’s been an honour to wear the Canadian Alpine Ski Team patch for 14 years."
The Whistler, B.C., native twice finished the season ranked in the top 10 in slalom. He finished second at Beaver Creek in 2006 and landed on the world championship podium in 2009 with a bronze-medal effort.
Janyk couldn't make a breakthrough in the Olympics, putting forth three respectable top-20 slalom finishes.
Janyk's older sister Britt finished sixth at the Vancouver Olympics before retiring from skiing in 2011.
“My sister – it was so cool to be able to have my career at the same time she had hers," he said.
Janyk will go for a fifth national championship at Whistler later this month and then hang up his skis.
The 31-year-old is keeping his options open for the future, but will still be involved with the foundation and ski camp for kids he formed with Canadian teammate Manuel Osborne-Paradis.
CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices|About CBC Sports
Erik Guay wins men's World Cup downhill in Norway
Anna Fenninger wins World Cup giant slalom race in Sweden
To encourage thoughtful and respectful conversations, first and last names will appear with each submission to CBC/Radio-Canada's online communities (except in children and youth-oriented communities). Pseudonyms will no longer be permitted.
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Ryan Anderson is a Managing Director in the New York office of CCMP. He focuses on making investments in the consumer and healthcare sectors. Prior to joining CCMP in 2000, Mr. Anderson worked in the Mergers and Acquisitions group at JPMorgan. Mr. Anderson has been involved with the firm’s investments in Aramark, Seamless Web, Cabela’s, LHP Hospital Group and Medpace, among others.
Mr. Anderson currently serves on the board of directors of Eating Recovery Center and Founder Sport Group. Mr. Anderson holds a B.S.E from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
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Review of "Detour"
By Lizzie Simon
Washington Square Press, 2002
Review by Christian Perring, Ph.D. on Jan 10th 2003
Detour is another memoir by a high-achieving young person with mental illness, reminiscent of Elizabeth Wurtzel’s Prozac Nation or Andy Behrman's Electroboy. Lizzie Simon briefly describes her childhood. She says she was born in 1976 and was “loved immediately by many many daring and dazzling people.” Her mother is “a sex expert, a college administrator, a coordinator with Haitian Voodoo priests in their native land and tongue, a marathon runner,” and her father is “a pediatrician, a Little League baseball coach, a napper.” Other close family members are equally talented and interesting, and their home in Providence, Rhode Island, was a stimulating place to grow up. In her senior year of high school, already with an early acceptance for Columbia, Simon was attending an international school in Paris when she experienced a severe manic episode. She was taking the antidepressant Paxil, and she became psychotic. That’s when she was told she had bipolar mood disorder. She started taking lithium, which worked well for her, and she eventually was able to return to school and graduate.
Simon’s illness did not prevent her from going to college and achieving great success. She started working for her college radio station as arts director, and soon she was interviewing Hollywood stars, artists, and writers. She produced an arts festival, and on leaving college, she became the producer for a music venue in New York City. She was soon putting on award-winning productions. But then she got the idea for writing a book about people like herself, successful bipolar twenty-somethings, providing advice to other young people and their parents about how to cope with their illness. She takes a leave of absence from her job and plans a trip around America, doing interviews.
Detour isn’t quite the book Simon originally planned. Instead, it tells the story of her road trip and about her personal life around the time she was writing the book, with some flashbacks to her past. In particular, she tells of her relationship with another bipolar man, Nicholas. Nick is her first interviewee, in New York City, and she realizes soon that although he is very successful financially, he does not fit her proposed profile. He refuses to take medication to control his moods, and he has a problem controlling his anger and violence. But Simon falls for Nick, feeling a great desire to take care of him, and to help him sort through his emotional difficulties. Their volatile love affair fills her life, and it is striking that one of the most attractive features of Nick for her is that she feels he is able to understand her better than anyone else, because he knows what it is like to be bipolar.
Despite Nick’s pleas for her to stay, Simon goes on her planned road trip and starts to interview more people with manic depression. She first meets Marissa, who is twenty-nine and lives in Washington DC. Her mania started when she went to college in California. Her family brought her home and admitted her to hospital. She recovered and finished her degree at the same college. Her advice to young people who are manic-depressive and their parents is to learn about their disease and about themselves. She is careful to avoid triggers that could cause a recurrence of her mania or depression, such as manipulative people, overwhelming responsibilities or dating the wrong kind of men. Next Simon meets Jan, in her early thirties, who works as a morning show radio announcer. Her job fits well with her manic style. But her mania was causing her to spend huge amounts on items she did not need, and she also had an eating disorder and an addiction to speed. Her advice is that people with bipolar disorder be allowed to make their own decisions as much as possible because they have so much control of their own lives taken away. She also says that people should get educated about their condition. She urges people to get treatment for their illness, because it allows you to be who it is you are and who it is you want to be. Simon talks with her subjects about all aspects of their lives, and always asks about their feelings concerning medication, which are particularly interesting in showing how people come to terms with the side effects and how they conceptualize the way medication changes their relation to the world.
Simon is surprised to find that doing the interviews shakes her up. It is clear that this project may be a trigger for Simon’s mania or depression, and even clearer that Nick could be the wrong sort of man for her. He is both needy and supportive while she is on her trip, calling her at least a dozen times a day. As she travels around the country, she sometimes finds it difficult to locate people to interview, and she encounters a great deal of skepticism about the possibility of leading a happy and successful life if one is bipolar. She goes to some support group meetings for people with bipolar illness, and often finds that they are poorly attended, unhelpful occasions where all sorts of odd and mistaken views are shared. Nick joins her in Texas and at first he is great to be with, but then he picks a fight and is violent with her. Simon becomes more emotionally fragile, and finds herself crying frequently. But she survives and finishes her project, and she says that through interviewing people with manic depression, she managed to feel compassion for herself.
Detour is a quick read, because it is written in many short chapters, in a rather disjointed style. The most interesting parts are the interviews, which give a sense of what it is like to cope with manic depression on a day-to-day basis, dealing with medication, health insurance, work, and relationships. The book might have benefited from more focus on the interviews and less on Simon’s personal life, although it is interesting to see how she experiences her illness and how her interview project affects her. It is clear that she is in a very fortunate position with a supportive and well-connected family, and one wonders to what extent her privilege enables her to flourish despite her illness where people in less fortunate circumstances would have a much more difficult time. Nevertheless, her central idea, to tell the stories of people with bipolar disorder who are successful, is a wonderful one, and could well be useful or even inspiring to young people with the illness wondering how they can manage to lead rewarding lives.
© 2003 Christian Perring. All rights reserved.
Christian Perring, Ph.D., is Chair of the Philosophy Department at Dowling College, Long Island, and editor of Metapsychology Online Review. His main research is on philosophical issues in medicine, psychiatry and psychology.
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Convenience Store Woman (Hardcover)
By Sayaka Murata, Ginny Tapley Takemori (Translator)
(LITERATURE)
Changing Hands Bookstore - Phoenix
Sayaka Murata's novel tells the story of a woman finding her place in the world and learning to navigate the pressures and expectations of society, but unlike most novels that tell this kind of story, this one is from the perspective of someone with little comprehension of how human emotions work. Murata uses her protagonist's unique perspective to hold a mirror up to ourselves, revealing the complicated relationship we have with our own rules and the people who do and don't follow them. She displays a tremendous amount of empathy for Keiko, a character utterly incapable of feeling any herself. You'll see yourself on both sides of Keiko's experience, which is just one of the novel's impressive feats. Definitely check it out. For fans of The Incendiaries or Heads of the Colored People. — From Joseph's picks
June 2018 Indie Next List
“Keiko Furukura has worked at her local convenience store for 18 years. Every day, she ensures that the shelves are tidy, the hot food bar is stocked, and the featured items are adequately displayed. She greets every customer with a cheerful ‘Irasshaimase!’ and no one notices that she’s never fit in anywhere else. Murata draws lush descriptions of the beauty of order and routine out of simple, spare prose, and every page crackles with the life she’s created. Because of the humor, the wit, the almost unbearable loveliness of it all, Convenience Store Woman, a small book about a quiet life, makes an enormous impact on the reader.”
— Lauren Peugh, Powell's Books, Portland, OR
The English-language debut of one of Japan's most talented contemporary writers, selling over 650,000 copies there, Convenience Store Woman is the heartwarming and surprising story of thirty-six-year-old Tokyo resident Keiko Furukura. Keiko has never fit in, neither in her family, nor in school, but when at the age of eighteen she begins working at the Hiiromachi branch of "Smile Mart," she finds peace and purpose in her life. In the store, unlike anywhere else, she understands the rules of social interaction--many are laid out line by line in the store's manual--and she does her best to copy the dress, mannerisms, and speech of her colleagues, playing the part of a "normal" person excellently, more or less. Managers come and go, but Keiko stays at the store for eighteen years. It's almost hard to tell where the store ends and she begins. Keiko is very happy, but the people close to her, from her family to her coworkers, increasingly pressure her to find a husband, and to start a proper career, prompting her to take desperate action...
A brilliant depiction of an unusual psyche and a world hidden from view, Convenience Store Woman is an ironic and sharp-eyed look at contemporary work culture and the pressures to conform, as well as a charming and completely fresh portrait of an unforgettable heroine.
Sayaka Murata is the author of many books, including Convenience Store Woman, winner of Japan's most prestigious literary award, the Akutagawa Prize. She used to work part-time in a convenience store, which inspired this novel. Murata has been named a Freeman's "Future of New Writing" author, and her work has appeared in Granta and elsewhere. In 2016, Vogue Japan selected her as a Woman of the Year. Ginny Tapley Takemori has translated works by more than a dozen Japanese writers, including Ryū Murakami. She lives at the foot of a mountain in Eastern Japan.
Kobo eBook (November 4th, 2019): $10.99
Paperback (September 17th, 2019): $15.00
Compact Disc (June 12th, 2018): $24.95
MP3 CD (June 12th, 2018): $19.95
Pre-Recorded Audio Player (June 12th, 2018): $54.99
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Wild sports cars and so many crossovers jump-start the 2019 model year
By Robert Duffer
This photo provided by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles shows the 2018 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. (FCA US LLC / AP)
Auto show season ushers in the future by debuting everything from high-horsepowered supercars (and a wagon) to so, so many crossovers. The Los Angeles show heads the major auto show cycle in the first week of December, followed by the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January — the tent pole of global auto shows — then the largest consumer auto show in Chicago in February, concluding with the New York Auto Show in April. Here are the hits from Los Angeles and what we can expect in regional shows and dealer lots in 2018.
Redesigned for the first time in a decade, the 2018 Jeep Wrangler comes with three more fuel-efficient engines, including a mild hybrid and diesel, as well as sweeping modernization of connected and safety technology. The design changes to the two-door Rubicon and four-door Sahara are subtle but significant, shedding 200 pounds and getting a little longer. The seven-slotted grille flanked by circular headlights remains, like always. However, the grille is slightly raked for improved aerodynamics, the roof corners are rounded and there is an integrated rear spoiler. New tech, lighting, over 75 available advanced safety features and more power complete the redesign of the American icon. Pricing expected to be announced near spring delivery.
2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 Convertible
The Corvette is America’s supercar, and the 755-horsepower 2019 ZR1 is the sickest two-seat supercar made in America.Yet the ZR1 hasn’t been offered as a convertible since its debut in 1970, until now.
The drop top on the most powerful production Corvette ever made adds about 60 pounds, but it’s expected to perform close to the hardtop’s estimated 60 mph time in under three seconds, as well as a top speed of over 210 mph. Keep the wigs off. It’s powered by Chevy’s tweaked LT5 6.2-liter supercharged V-8 engine and comes with a standard seven-speed manual or new eight-speed automatic. There is a front underwing and a second rear wing, either as a standrad low wing or an available two-way adjustable giant wing as part of the performance package, which should have an additional modifier, like super epic crazy wicked performance package. At $123,995, the convertible costs $4,000 more than the coupe.
2019 BMW i8 Roadster
BMW takes the top off its plug-in hybrid sports coupe with the scissor doors. It only has an 18-mile range but the combined 369-horsepower powertrain can hit 60 mph in 4.2 seconds. The soft top folds down in 16 seconds at speeds up to 31 mph.
2019 Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid Sport Turismo
Don’t let the name fool you: this is a high-powered 680-horsepower station wagon that hits 60 mph in 3.2 seconds and a top speed of 192 mph. The twin-turbo V-8 engine is supplemented by a 136-horsepower motor, with all the luxury conveniences expected from the Panamera full-size sedan, which was redesigned last year. This anti-family truckster starts at $188,400 and is due next spring.
2019 Mercedes-Benz CLS
The four-door sport coupe gets its first redesign since 2011 with a new in-line six-cylinder engine and mild hybrid system combining for 362 horsepower in the gas variant. It’s sleeker than the outgoing model, with a sloping rear roofline that is more sports car than sedan, despite being able to seat five people.
The 2019 Subaru Ascent was launched at the 2017 Los Angeles Auto Show. It is the largest Subaru ever. (Michael A. Shaffer/Subaru)
Subaru wagged the tail of the 2017 Los Angeles Auto Show with the launch of the 2019 Subaru Ascent three-row SUV, presented by a family of frolicking golden retrievers. The largest Subaru ever, Ascent comes standard with all-wheel drive, three rows and an all-new 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder Boxer engine mated to a continuously variable transmission making 260 horsepower and 277 pound-feet of torque, good enough to tow 5,000 pounds.
The midsize crossover debuts Infiniti’s new platform and evolutionary variable compression ratio engine dubbed the VC Turbo. The 2-liter turbo four-cylinder adjusts the piston stroke based on throttle input to maximize efficiency, helping it to achieve 35 percent better fuel economy than the outgoing V-6 engine. It has diesel-like specs, churning out 268 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque for a combined fuel economy of 26 mpg in all-wheel drive.
Lincoln has ditched its opaque alpha-naming scheme and returned to model names with the midcycle refresh of the midsize crossover formerly known as MKX. The big news other than the name is semiautonomous tech that enables stop-and-go nondriving, as well as an evolution on pre-collision braking Lincoln calls evasive steer assist: If the system cannot brake in time to avoid collision, it will steer around the impending vehicle.
The all-new Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross is seen at the 2017 Los Angeles Auto Show on Nov. 29, 2017, (FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images)
2018 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross
Remember the Eclipse affordable sports coupe? This isn’t it. The compact crossover proves Mitsubishi is still committed to the U.S. as its product line has expanded to three models. It comes with an available 152-horsepower turbo four-cylinder engine, but is more of a tech showcase inside than other Mitsu models.
The entry-level crossover rides the wave of success from Nissan’s best-selling Rogue and Rogue Sport crossovers. The tall hatch uses the same 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine from the Versa subcompact but with a tad more power. Kicks is punting on premiums associated with crossovers, with a value-based starting price under $19,000 and an estimated combined fuel economy of 33 mpg.
Latest Chicago Auto Show
2018 Hyundai Kona
The entry-level crossover already sold in other parts of the world showcases a new platform to the U.S. market, with an available 175-horsepower turbo four-cylinder engine in all-wheel drive.
rduffer@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @DufferRobert
Trucks, SUVs and Crossovers
Exotic and Classic Cars
Nissan Motor Co.
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Ducks vet Koivu still wants to play
His numbers are on a downward slope and it certainly suggests that his best years of hockey are behind him.
But Saku Koivu isn't ready to hang up his skates. Moreover, the 37-year-old Anaheim Ducks center is certain that he still has the will to compete and be an asset to a team, even as he is on the backside of a fine career.
And Koivu still wants that team to be the one where he has spent the last three seasons.
"I feel like I want to continue," Koivu said. "But the circumstances kind of have to be right in a way that I feel comfortable, my family feels comfortable and I'm not going to drag my family and move the kids and do something just for a year or go into a rebuilding kind of (situation).
"But I do feel that I can put the work in the summertime and I have the push to do it again. Especially when the season goes like it's gone for us early on and now you get that taste from what we did the second half or from the new year."
Koivu's two-year deal is up after this season and it'll be a question of whether the Ducks do want to retain him when he has just 11 goals and 35 points in centering their second line. The numbers have trended downward since he had 19 goals and 52 points in his first season in Anaheim after 13 years with Montreal.
But the Ducks have valued Koivu's ability in areas that aren't defined by points, whether it's winning faceoffs in key situations, killing penalties or just overall competitiveness and professionalism. If the club does decide to bring him back, it may want to do so at a lower figure than the $2.5 million that he made this season.
"A year difference sometimes means a lot," Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said. "Sometimes it means a little. He works hard every night. He doesn't take nights off. He's an extremely smart player. Another guy that can play for a while, I think."
The Ducks, who were blanked 4-0 by Phoenix Saturday and next take on Edmonton on Sunday, could make changes in the middle for next season as Nick Bonino figures to have a larger role, while 2009 first-round pick Peter Holland has had a strong year in the American Hockey League and could challenge for a roster spot. Both certainly have greater long-term upside for offense than Koivu at this point.
Koivu sees the potential direction of the roster and realizes that his role in the lineup could change -- as long as one of the youngsters takes his spot away by earning it.
"If I deserve the spot, I'm going to get it," he said. "If there's a kid that comes up and outplays me, you have to go with that. You're here to win. It's just common sense that you put the best player out that's going to have the best chance to win the game.
"I'm competitive so I'm going to fight for my spot. But the one thing I've always felt is I'm honest with myself. When it comes to a point where either I don't enjoy it or I can't really help the team anymore, then I'm not going to be here and play a fourth-line role just to be around. That will never happen."
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Our pediatric neurosurgeons are world-renowned for the evaluation and treatment of brain disorders and diseases, from the most prevalent to the very rare. While setting the highest standards, we provide the most compassionate care.
We understand the importance of good communication, and make sure we inform, support, and involve our patients’ families every step of the way.
Our neurosurgeons are affiliated with Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital, the largest children’s hospital in the tristate area, and one of the best in the nation, according to US News and World Report. We are part of Columbia University Medical Center, an internationally known institution with state-of-the-art resources, giving your child instant access to top physicians in every discipline.
Most important, our pediatric neurosurgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, and entire team have been trained to deal with children taking into account their unique anatomical, developmental, and emotional needs.
Close collaboration with the Department of Neurosurgery at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center also allows us to draw on experts in adult neurosurgery, providing seamless care for our growing patients.
In an unparalleled, supportive environment, we work with Pediatric Oncologists and Pediatric Critical Care experts to address a variety of condition, with the very latest treatments.
Complex Spinal Deformity and Scoliosis
Tumors of the Brain and Spine
Vascular Disorders, including arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) and Moyamoya
Our team has special expertise in treating hydrocephalus and arachnoid cysts, Chiari malformation, tethered cord, spasticity, and epilepsy, along with neuromuscular, metabolic disorders.
We see patients at five convenient locations throughout the tristate region, from Manhattan to central New Jersey to southern Connecticut.
Many families come to us after seeking help elsewhere. We also provide consultations to physicians in other US cities and throughout the world.
Exceptional Care
Our neurosurgeons provide the latest treatments for complex spinal deformities and offered advanced Spinal Instrumentation For Cervical Fusion. In this procedure, the surgeon uses screws custom-designed for children to correct abnormalities or stabilize the spine after injury.
We offer comprehensive treatment of pediatric brain and spinal tumors, and patients have the opportunity to participate in clinical trials offered through the Children's Oncology Group
Our experts have pioneered minimally invasive surgical treatment of craniosynostosis, a deformity of the skull.
And we are among the first to provide Gamma Knife radiosurgical treatment of arteriovenous malformations and comprehensive management of other vascular abnormalities
Our intensive care units at Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital closely monitor infants, children, and adolescents with life-threatening neurological illnesses and injuries, as well as those recovering from major or high-risk neurological surgery.
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You are here: HomenextNewsnext2007nextBuried Battles and Veteran's Voices
Buried Battles and Veteran's Voices
Sid Richardson, project volunteer and REME veteran
Papers of Pte Edward Cutt, killed at Loos, 1915
Veterans from the Surrey Regiments attend the launch, June 2008
Surrey’s military records and memories made accessible
Surrey History Centre and the Queen’s Royal Surrey Regimental museum have joined forces to launch a unique online resource giving access to four centuries of archives relating to the Surrey regiments and the memories, stretching back to the 1930s, of soldiers who served with them.
‘Buried Battles and Veterans’ Voices’, a £48K Heritage Lottery Funded project, in partnership with the National Archives which began in 2006, has recorded for posterity the experiences of veterans who served with the regiment and its predecessors the Queen’s Royal Regiment (West Surrey) and the East Surrey Regiment. Online extracts from interviews with the veterans are accessible via the museum’s website http://www.queensroyalsurreys.org.uk/index.html allowing researchers to listen to old soldiers’ experiences of life in the regiment and of some of the defining moments of the Second World War such as Dunkirk, the fall of Singapore and the North African, Italian and Burma campaigns, as well as of vital but less well known post-war operations in Palestine, Korea, Malaya and Northern Ireland. The veterans’ reminiscences are grouped into the following themes: joining up; the army life; the North West Frontier; the Second World War in Europe and North Africa; the Second World War in the Far East; prisoner of war; serving with the regiments, 1945-1959; end of an era, 1959-1966; and what it meant to belong to the regiment.
Toby Taylor, veteran of the 1st Battalion, the East Surrey Regiment, was delighted to be take part in the oral history interviews. Describing events such as the chaotic retreat to Dunkirk, he explained “…so many people don’t want to talk about the war but I do. It is a therapy for me, I live it all the time. I am reliving it, can’t escape from the damn thing. It does me good to get it off my chest a bit.” The interviews also have accompanying transcripts; the full versions of both interviews and transcripts are available for consultation at Surrey History Centre.
The project has also allowed for the first time full public access to the vast collection of regimental records held by Surrey History Centre, including casualty lists, reports of campaigns, medal rolls, private diaries and letters and photographs. Now fully catalogued, the online lists allow researchers across the world a comprehensive picture of the scope of the records. Among the personal papers in the collection are those relating to Private Edward Cutt of the 9th (Service) Battalion, the East Surrey Regimentwho was reported missing at the Battle of Loos on 26th Sep 1915, days after arriving in France. The papers belonged to Cutt’s fiancée, Ellen Dabbs, and include her poignant diary charting the course of their brief relationship through letters sent and received and her desperate attempts to trace him after he was reported missing in action, and an edition of The Pocket Gospel of St John, inscribed ‘In memory of Teddy, August 1915’, and containing a lock of Cutt’s hair. The catalogues can be searched via The National Archives Access 2 Archives websitehttp://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a
A team of dedicated volunteers has also spent nearly 300 days indexing over 300 regimental photograph albums dating from the 1860s, enabling visitors to the History Centre to locate photographs of many thousands of those who served with the regiments all over the world. The photographs range from official regimental albums containing group photographs and sporting teams in which every soldier and officer is listed, to private albums compiled by serving soldiers which present a more informal and personal view of regimental life. The images are varied and emotive, embracing whiskered veterans of the Crimean War, the high life in India, the South African War, trench life on the Western Front and rescue efforts following the devastating Quetta Earthquake of 1935.
Mike Page, who headed the project at Surrey History Centre is delighted with the project’s completion: “This has been a fantastic achievement. Not only is the vast archive now accessible to the hundreds of family and military historians who contact us every year but the memories of men from Surrey and elsewhere who served with the regiments are preserved for ever. The history and heritage of the regiment have been brought to life and can now been enjoyed by all”.
A travelling exhibition featuring the work of the project and the history of the regiments has touring venues around Surrey and beyond over the last 12 months and is available for hire free of charge to interested parties.
Details of the regimental archive and how it can used for research purposes can be found on the History Centre website www.surreycc.gov.uk/surreyhistorycentre or contact Surrey History Centre, 130 Goldsworth Road, Woking, Surrey, GU21 6ND, Tel: 01483 518737, email: shs@surreycc.gov.uk
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Remembering Brighton's black nurses
First national forum on community archives
Shared community memories
'Roads to your Past'
Creating a Community Archives Movement
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Rosemary Gibson on America’s Dependence On China for Medicine
by Russell Mokhiber
At one time, decades ago, penicillin, vitamin C, and many other prescription and over-the-counter products were manufactured in the United States.
But now, antibiotics, antidepressants, birth control pills, blood pressure medicines, cancer drugs, among many others are made in China and sold in the United States.
The result – millions of Americans are taking prescription drugs made in China and don’t know it.
China makes essential ingredients for thousands of medicines found in American homes and used in hospital intensive care units and operating rooms.
In China Rx: Exposing the Risks of America’s Dependence on China for Medicine (Prometheus Books, 2018), Rosemary Gibson and Janardan Prasad Singh argue that there are at least two major problems with the United States relying on China for its medicines.
First, it is inherently risky for the United States to become dependent on any one country as a source for vital medicines, especially given the uncertainties of geopolitics. For example, if an altercation in the South China Sea causes military personnel to be wounded, doctors may rely upon medicines with essential ingredients made by the adversary.
Second, lapses in safety standards and quality control in Chinese manufacturing are a risk. Citing the concerns of FDA officials and insiders within the pharmaceutical industry, the authors document incidents of illness and death caused by contaminated medications from China.
How did you become interested in China Rx?
“I started looking at the contaminated blood thinner case – heparin. It resulted in unknown numbers of deaths,” Gibson told Corporate Crime Reporter in an interview last week. “There are reports to the Food and Drug Administration of deaths associated with contaminated heparin. But the reality is – nobody knows. And that’s because this is a perfect crime. It’s so hard for anybody to prove.”
“Yesterday, I was doing a radio interview. And a woman named Ann called in and said – I was taking Valsartan, this blood pressure medicine. It was recalled by the FDA because an ingredient in it was made in China. And it was found to have a carcinogen in it.”
“Then she said – I was just diagnosed with lymphoma. How would you ever know if those two things are connected?”
You open the book with the case of doctor who died after being given contaminated heparin.
“The story was a physician who walked into a hospital out west. He was a healthy guy. Four months later he was dead. The allegation was that he was given contaminated heparin.”
That case is currently in litigation?
There are reports that more than 80 people died as a result of this contaminated drug.
“I give a citation from the FDA website. But these are reports associated with heparin. The FDA doesn’t go and do autopsies. They don’t really know.”
Do we know what percentage of the U.S. drug supply is made in China?
“It’s very difficult to get a percentage. What we can say is that we are so dependent that if China shut the door tomorrow, within a couple of months, hospitals in the United States would cease to function.”
You cite medical newsletters as saying that up to 80 percent of all pharmaceutical ingredients are made in China.
“That’s a common number that is thrown out there. It’s not just the ingredients. It’s also the chemical precursors, the chemical building blocks used to make the active ingredients. Our dependence on China for the chemical building blocks to make a whole category of antibiotics. It appears there is only one non-Chinese manufacturer of that building block. This is for a whole class of antibiotics known as cephalosporins. They are used in the United States thousands of times every day for people with very serious infections.”
“We have a centralization of the global supply chain. And the FDA is unable to do in China the type of monitoring and inspection it does here in the United States.”
How much monitoring is the FDA doing in China?
“The FDA official Janet Woodcock came out and admitted – the FDA is stretched. The reality is that inspections in China and other countries are announced one or two weeks in advance of the inspection. In the United States, the FDA can walk in anytime. They are qualitatively different. Inspections would not have picked up the contaminants in this blood pressure medicine. The FDA had gone in and found problems in that facility in China a couple of years prior.”
“Who is accountable? Who does the public hold accountable for this blood pressure medicine that has a carcinogen in it?”
“The FDA is supposed to monitor every manufacturer of drugs coming into the U.S. wherever they are being manufactured in the world,” Gibson said.
Is the FDA looking at every manufacturer?
“It’s now doing what is called risk based inspection. It used to be that in the United States, every plant was inspected about every two years. In China, for decades, the FDA wasn’t even going into China. In an FDA memo from 1996, written by a dedicated FDA chemist, he wrote — we have no idea where these drugs are coming from and they could get to the President. Globalization has been a form of de facto deregulation.”
“Even though we have rules for when inspections are to take place, the reality is the supply chain is so complex, it’s almost impossible to insure that the products are safe.”
How did we move from a situation where we were supplying our own drugs to where we are so reliant on China?
“Two shifts. One is the 1984 Hatch/Waxman generic drug law. It was a bipartisan effort. It required companies to find a way to make cheaper generic drugs. In the beginning of the 1990s, we saw the outsourcing of the production of drugs to chemical firms in China. Not pharmaceutical companies, but chemical companies. And that’s when the FDA started seeing problems.”
That law itself wasn’t a bad law. But there should have been a Made in the USA requirement.
“The world would have been a different place right now.”
“The second thing that happened, and this was a big game changer as well, was the 2000 opening of free trade with China. We documented that within a couple of years of that happening, the United States shut its last penicillin fermentation plant up in New York. And that was after Chinese companies dumped product on the U.S. and global markets at below market prices and drove everybody out — the U.S., the Europeans and even the Indian penicillin fermentation plants. Drove them out. And then they increased the price. This is the playbook of China.”
“One of the important themes here is that trade policy has had a huge impact on this outsourcing. The second trend we noticed is that the last Vitamin C plant in the United States shut down. And China came in, formed a cartel, dumped the product on the U.S. market. The chapter on Vitamin C is incredible.”
“Penicillin, ascorbic acid, aspirin. Within four years of the trade law, Baxter Healthcare started buying active ingredients from China. And three years after that, the contaminated heparin was found.”
You also raise the national security aspect.
“The military population is dependent on China for their drugs, just as the civilian population is. Imagine you have young men and women in the South China Sea on those naval vessels. And they are dependent on the adversary for their antibiotics. Imagine that. Or imagine if there is an anthrax attack and China provides the active ingredients for the antidote. Medicines can be used as a strategic weapon, just like food was used in World War I and World War II to defeat the enemy. This would happen a lot quicker. You could degrade a product. You could contaminate it and kill a huge population.”
[For the question answer format with Rosemary Gibson, see 32 Corporate Crime Reporter 33, Monday August 27, 2018, print edition only.]
More articles by:Russell Mokhiber
Russell Mokhiber is the editor of the Corporate Crime Reporter..
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Charleston city council passes smoking ban on parks
Posted: May 8, 2018 / 11:17 PM EDT / Updated: May 8, 2018 / 11:17 PM EDT
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) — Tuesday night Charleston city council passed an ordinance that will ban smoking in all public parks in the city of Charleston.
The ordinance prohibits traditional and e-cigarettes. These new rules will be implemented in over 120 parks throughout Charleston. The city says the idea came from a recommendation from the Health and Wellness Advisory Committee.
“It’s all about health and wellness I think from the recommendations, second smoke being a proven carcinogen,” said Director of Parks, Jason Kronsberg. “It’s really about everybody having the ability to have a smoke-free place.”
Similar smoking ban ordinances were placed at MUSC, the College of Charleston, and the Citadel. The city says banning smoking from parks was the next step.
“It’s really the logical next step for the city of Charleston to have our parks smoke free,” Kronsberg said.
The city will spend the next eight months figuring out how they will enforce this new ban. The target start date is January 1, 2019.
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Gove rants at flexible-working civil servants who clock off on Wednesdays
Written by Richard Johnstone on 22 January 2018 in News
FDA union for senior civil servants to write to Defra secretary of state to ask for an explanation of the “unhelpful and inaccurate” comments made in Cabinet
Michael Gove reportedly ranted about civil servants last week. Photo: PA
Environment secretary Michael Gove has claimed that some civil servants are stopping work on Wednesday afternoons if they have already worked 37 hours.
The comments were made in last week’s Cabinet meeting, according to the Sunday Times, where Gove also accused civil servants of blocking new policies.
In the comments, which came after Theresa May called for a greater focus on domestic policy alongside Brexit, Gove alleged that plans were being thwarted by civil servants.
HMRC forced to defend Brexit tax demands after Boris Johnson and Michael Gove criticism
Michael Gove dismissed as "bitter" after he blasts "bottom-covering" Senior Civil Service
Dave Penman: Gove and Johnson’s HMRC attacks an unacceptable slight on civil servants
A cabinet source told the paper: “Michael said they work their 37 hours a week and then they go home, even if that is Wednesday afternoon, while another source said: “Gove went on a rant… and said something along the lines of: ‘Do the civil service still work for 12 hours and get two days off?’ The PM wryly replied, ‘It’s called flexible working Michael, and we as a government support it.’”
The comments were criticised by the FDA trade union for senior civil servants, which highlighted that its annual working hours survey found that 91% of respondents work longer than they are contracted to work every week, including 41% working over six hours extra and 29% working at least nine additional hours.
Steven Littlewood, the union’s Defra national officer, highlighted that 95% of Defra staff responding to the survey said they work more than their contracted hours every week, and 90% said that excessive hours were a problem in the department.
Littlewood told CSW that he was today writing to Gove to confirm that he made the comments and if they reflect his views on civil servants' working arrangements, and asking him to meet the union to discuss what he called “unhelpful and inaccurate” comments.
“We are inviting the secretary of state to clarify and disavow the reported comments in the Sunday Times article, which paint a picture unrecognisable to hard-working civil servants in Defra,” he said. “FDA members routinely work well in excess of their contracted hours without any compensating payment or time off. In fact, many members are not even able to take all of their annual leave because of work pressures, let alone Wednesday afternoons off.”
“Defra not only provides essential services for the nation, it is also one of the government departments most impacted by Brexit and yet it relies on civil servants going above and beyond, working excessive unpaid hours to keep the show on the road.”
Littlewood highlighted there are hundreds of unfilled Brexit positions in the department, leaving work to be picked up by existing staff at a time of departmental spending cuts.
“All of this places a huge burden on FDA members, which will not be helped by the reports in the Sunday Times,” he added. “We are asking the secretary of state to reject the reported comments and work with us to tackle the problem of excessive hours and under-resourcing in the department.”
Gove’s comments are the latest in a series of statements criticising civil servants. In December, he criticised HMRC over tax demands to donors who supported Brexit in the 2016 referendum.
In an unusual statement released on Christmas Eve, the tax collection department said it “objectively applies tax laws passed by Parliament” and added: “Tax decisions are always based on the law and never on the personal beliefs or values of the individual or campaign.”
A source close to Gove said he was “obviously concerned about action that appears to impinge on our democratic values”.
The former education and justice secretary has also previously accused the Senior Civil Service of “blame-shifting and bottom-covering” who duck responsibility when a crisis occurs.
Richard Johnstone is CSW's deputy and online editor and tweets as @CSW_DepEd.
Read more about Brexit
Nic (MoJ) (not verified)
Submitted on 22 January, 2018 - 13:24
Another classic Gove statement........perfect apart from getting the facts wrongs again. I'd love to meet these Civil Servants who go home having done their hours by Wednesday as I've not met one in 30 years of services (and to note Mr Gove - all those i do know do significantly more hours than we get paid for - clearly with no appreciation from people like you)
Tally Ho! (not verified)
Funny thing in my contract of employment, it states that I have to work 37 hours a week, anything after that I think they call that overtime! Maybe Mr Gove, should resign and become a Civil Servant, if he thinks we are on such a good number! I thought not, next rant please.
Ian McLoughlin (not verified)
I am interested in the data behind the surveys. Do we know the response rates? Response rates are very important and should always be used alongside survey data. Without this information we can come to incorrect conclusions resulting in the wrong action. Happy to discuss.
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Codey’s World Home
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AwesomeDude Home
What happens to you when you're forced to face your fears?
What happens to you when that person forcing you to face your fears is yourself?
‘It was a dark and stormy night…’
”Oh crap,” Jonas screamed out to the cherrywood covered walls of his dad’s study as he pushed his chair away from the ancient typewriter. “I can’t write this dribble.” The night answered appropriately as the wind from the coming storm knocked at the window behind his father’s desk.
‘I can’t seem to have an original thought. Why is writing so hard?’ he thought as he ripped the page from his grandfather’s old Smith Corona, crumpled it, and threw it against the far wall.
Jonas sat for a moment, fuming. He knew that he wasn’t a good writer. Turning to look at the crumpled page on the floor, he wondered how writers, even bad writers, come up with something meaningful to write, something that people would want to read.
The assignment for his Creative Writing class was simple enough. He was told to write about an adventure that he had experienced in his life. All he could come up with was repeating the words he had seen in a Peanuts cartoon.
He turned his attention to the life size painting of his father hanging on the far wall across the room. His dad was in full military dress, a cluster of medals hanging from the coat’s left breast, and cap in hand. His eyes narrowed as he looked closer at his father’s face, the chin slightly raised, the eyes concentrated forward on something outside of the painting and the smile that wasn’t there. He could see that the man in the painting knew who he was and where he was headed.
‘Why can’t I be like him?’ Jonas thought. ‘I have no clue where I’m going, much less who I am.‘
It was a Wednesday evening, and Jonas had only four more days to finish his writing assignment. He had to turn it in on Monday, the first day back at school after the Christmas break. It was only supposed to be 2,000 to 2,500 words. Then he had to read the paper in front of his class. ‘Easy enough, right?’ he thought.
He pushed his chair back from the typewriter in front of him, wondering what he should really write. Nothing came to him. His life was boring from the start and continued that way up until his now 16 years of age. Real adventures had never happened to him as they had to his father. ‘How could I write about nothing?’ he thought. ‘Nothing adventurous has ever happened to me.’
Looking up again at the painting, he wondered why his life had been so different from his father’s. His father was a full “bird” colonel in the Army. Jonas hated the military because he had to leave friends for each of his father’s new deployments.
His dad had traveled the world. Jonas hated even going as far away as Windsor, Canada, which was just across the River from their current home in Detroit.
His dad spent his weekends on their family’s 38 foot motor yacht traveling to different ports on Lake Erie and Lake Huron; there’s not much to see on Lake Saint Clair in between the other two Great Lakes. Jonas hated boats and the water. They made him seasick.
His dad played golf with his fellow officers. Jonas hated all kinds of sports.
He kept staring at the painting, realizing that his father had lived a life full of adventure.
Jonas loved his father. He always had. His mother had died from cancer the year Jonas turned twelve, and his father raised him as best he could, given his military career. Fortunately, his dad was able to hire help for the house and someone to watch Jonas while he had to be away. His dad was good to him, respected him and gave him the responsibility to make choices in his own life appropriate for his age. He didn’t push Jonas to follow in his footsteps either. His dad had told him that military service was an honorable and fulfilling profession, but if he didn’t want a military career, it would be alright.
Jonas knew that he was not like his father, nor would he ever be. In his heart, he knew that he would never measure up to his dad.
Jonas stared at the painting, and as the first tear escaped his eye and slid down his cheek, he knew why he wouldn’t be like his dad. ‘It’s because I think I’m gay,’ he thought to himself. ‘Dad would never understand what it’s like being me. I’m not sure if I understand what it’s like being me either. I don’t want to be gay. I can’t. I won’t.’
Looking at the old typewriter on the desk in front of him, he returned to the reality of the paper that was due in just four days. He knew that he had procrastinated for most of the holiday, but then started to fume at Mr. Crocket for giving such an assignment over the holiday.
“Not tonight.” he said aloud to the typewriter, shaking his head from side to side. The thought of possibly being gay had shaken his concentration, and he couldn’t focus anymore on trying to lie about an adventure in his life that had never happened.
The wind increased its assault on the window, shaking the frame against the wood channels holding it. Suddenly, with a final gust, the window blew inward, showering the room with shards of glass which embedded themselves in Jonas’ arms and cheeks. Fortunately, they had missed his eyes.
The wind rushed into the room, blowing the heavy drapes horizontal, producing a surreal sound. The wind rose to a deafening pitch, and Jonas shielded his eyes with his arms in fear.
Jonas remained in the same spot for a long time, blinded from the raging storm by his arms, waiting for something to happen, anything. But nothing happened. The raging wind racing around him was all he could hear or feel.
Slowly Jonas lowered his arms to see the disaster surrounding him. It was a mess. ‘It’s only a storm for Christ’s sake,’ he thought, trying to build his courage. Looking at the broken window, Jonas knew that he needed to close off the opening somehow, but he knew that there was no way he could with the glass broken in the way it was. Moving closer to the storm outside the window, Jonas thought of using duct tape to seal a sheet of plastic over the window.
“Don’t even think of it!” a voice said from behind him.
Jonas opened his eyes wide, and his heart started to race. Jonas was close to full panic, but he forced himself to turn around to see who had spoken to him. The room was empty, but for himself. He shook his head and turned back toward the gaping hole in the window. The wind had subsided, and the drapes fell back to their original position. The room became quiet again.
Just then, Jonas thought he heard a small shuffling sound coming from behind him. It sounded like shoes walking across a wood floor. He quickly turned around, away from the window, searching for its source.
Again, a small shuffling sound came from behind him.
“What?” Jonas shouted as he turned around and looked into the hole that used to be a window.
“We need to talk.”
This didn’t come from inside Jonas’ mind. Jonas heard these words as spoken words. He turned around to find himself, again, alone in the room.
Turning toward the gaping hole, he became terrified of the voice.
“Who are you?” Jonas cried to the broken window. “Where are you?”
“I am you. I am your past, I am your present, and I am your future. I am all of you, and I am right here with you.”
‘What in the hell is going on?’ Jonas screamed to himself.
Jonas looked around the room, trying to find somewhere to hide from whatever was speaking to him, but could find nothing to protect himself. ‘Whatever the voice was outside,’ he thought, ‘it could enter the room and find me, or it’s already in the room.’ His hands went to his chest, grabbing handfuls of his tee shirt, and stepped backward, keeping his eyes glued to the gaping hole.
Jonas stumbled over the trash can beside his dad’s desk and had to release his tee shirt to grab a handhold on the arm of one of the chairs to steady himself.
Jonas began to feel the wind increasing against his bare arms. He then heard the screech of the wind getting louder. It steadied for a moment, but then continued its relentless assault on the study. Papers flew about the room in a vortex. The curtains, once hanging straight downward toward the floor, became horizontal again, reaching for the walls on the other side of the room. The wind was now much stronger than the blast that had burst the window panes inward. Jonas threw his hands upward to cover his ears as the sound of the roar became deafening. He never took his eyes off of the opening in the window.
After a few moments, the wind died slightly, but was still just below hurricane force. The longer he watched the opening, the more he realized that nothing was happening, other than the wind was dying. The fear started to leave him, and he began to calm down.
‘The voice was calm, not threatening.’ Jonas thought. ‘It seems to hold no malice toward me. All it said was that it was my past, present, and future, and that we needed to talk. What did it mean that it was my past, present, and future?’
Jonas then stood tall, faced the broken window, and waited.
“Well, I’m glad that I didn’t scare you too much.” The voice came from behind him.
Jonas spun around so quickly that he almost fell over and had to hold onto the chair again. He gasped when his eyes stared upward at a boy standing behind his father’s desk.
The boy cocked his head slightly to his right, smiling down at Jonas. “Don’t be afraid. I’m not here to hurt you.”
Jonas shook his head slightly, not aware of who – or what - was standing in front of him. He slowly stood upright, facing the boy. They stood eight feet apart, staring at each other in silence for a moment.
Jonas’ fear retreated again, as the boy in front of him did not show any sign of hostility. The boy looked to be about Jonas’ age.
“Who are you, and how did you get in here?” asked Jonas.
The boy gave a wide friendly smile and shook his head. He looked at the floor in front of him then looked back upward toward Jonas. Still smiling, the boy softly said, “I’m you.”
Jonas shook his head, just as the boy had. He stood up and stated defiantly, “I’m me. You can’t be me.”
The boy turned, keeping his eyes on Jonas, and started walking around the desk. He continued walking toward Jonas and stopped within a few feet of him.
Jonas, never taking his eyes off the boy, followed his every movement.
“Jonas, I am you. I am who you are, not what you think you are. I am not what others think you are either. I am just you; the real you.”
Jonas watched the boy intently, taking in what had just been said to him. “Are you this Father Christmas guy who is supposed to show me the error of my ways?”
“Ha!” the boy laughed. “No. I used that line from Dickens to get your attention. Everyone’s heard of A Christmas Carol and I thought it would work for my introduction.”
“Well it worked, because you scared the shit of me when you said it.” Jonas was starting to like this boy who claimed he was him.
The boy let out a short chuckle. “Yeah, sorry about that.”
“So, if you’re supposed to be me, why don’t you look like me?” Jonas asked.
Looking back toward Jonas he said, “If I had taken on the look of you, we wouldn’t be talking right now. You might have freaked, and it would have taken a lot longer for us to be talking like this, or you would have freaked so bad that we could have never talked. We need to talk, and that’s why I caused the wind, broke the window, and spoke to you.”
“My dad’s gonna kill you for that, you know?”
The boy stifled a laugh. “No, I don’t think so. You see, it never really happened. I put that in your mind to get your attention. Take a look.”
Jonas looked toward the broken window only to see that all was as it had been before. The window was not broken. He looked at his arms and could not find any cut marks. He then looked back at the boy, staring at him for a long moment. Jonas still did not fully understand.
“Okay, you got my attention, and we need to talk, but what about?” Jonas asked.
“We need to talk about who you are. Simple enough?”
Jonas’ worried. ‘I don’t even know what this guy is. He says he’s me, but he wants to talk about me. How’s that possible? Where’d he come from? Am I just stressing from the pressure of getting my paper done? Am I just fucking going crazy?’
“You’re not going crazy Jonas. And the pressure that brought me here has nothing to do with your paper. And I must remind you that you still have four whole days before it is due,” the boy chuckled.
“Fuck you.” Jonas turned away from the boy.
“Oh, come on Jonas. I’m just ragging you a bit.”
Jonas fumed for a moment, but then turned back toward the boy. “What do you want from me?”
“What do I want? The question is more like what do you need.”
“Are you going to be with me for a while? I mean do I have to live with you like for the rest of my life?”
“Jonas, I will be with you for as long as it takes.”
‘For as long as it takes to do what?’ Jonas thought. “What do you want to do to me?”
“I don’t want to do anything to you. I am here to do something for you.”
Jonas thought for a moment and then looked at him. “What do I call you? My name is Jonas, and if you’re me, you must be Jonas too. It’ll be too confusing to keep calling each other Jonas.”
“Okay, what do you want to call me?” the boy asked.
“I don’t know. You tell me.”
“How about John or Jane or whatever you want?”
“Jane wouldn’t work, cuz you’re a boy.”
The boy thought for a while, and Jonas saw his face light up. “How about Oliver? I’ve always liked that name.”
Jonas looked at him, thinking that the name fit his looks. ‘This boy may have said that he was me, but he sure doesn’t look like me,’ he thought. ‘His face still has that baby-like roundness with a turned up small nose and when you add his disheveled semi-long hair to his face, he does look like an Oliver. If he were dressed in rags, the image would be complete. But he’s dressed as I am, jeans, t-shirt and sneakers.’
“Okay, ‘Oliver’ it is, Oliver.” Jonas said to him with finality.
Oliver smiled at him as he moved closer to Jonas, all traces of the happy banter leaving his eyes.
Jonas wasn’t sure what had changed in Oliver, but Oliver’s new demeanor heralded a change in their conversation. He knew that he was about to find out who Oliver was and why he was here.
Oliver stopped within a few feet of Jonas, still keeping his eyes on him.
“Jonas, I am you. But I’m not the you that you are now. I’m the you that you’re meant to be.”
“I still don’t understand.”
“Okay, let me show you who you are now. Come with me.”
“To your Physics classroom.”
”What? It’s Christmas break, and we don’t have classes right now.”
“No, this will be a class that you had a little over two weeks ago, just before the Christmas break started. I want you to see it again. Close your eyes.”
“I said close your eyes, Jonas.”
Jonas stared at him in disbelief. ‘What’s closing my eyes got to do with anything?’ he thought.
“Just close them. You’ll see what I mean.”
Jonas shook his head, but closed his eyes anyway.
He wondered how long he should keep his eyes closed, he didn’t feel anything, nothing was happening. So he opened his eyes, wanting to ask Oliver what he should be expecting.
∫∫∫
Mr. Clark, Jonas’ physics teacher, was standing at the whiteboard of his physics class. He was writing on the board, and Jonas immediately recognized the diagram that he was sketching. It was of a block of wood on an incline held in place by a string attached to a scale that would measure the force needed to move the block upward on the inclined surface. He remembered this lesson in friction.
Jonas was standing at the back of the classroom. He looked around, seeing his classmates watching the whiteboard, until he saw himself in the front row writing in his notebook. Yes, it was his notebook, because he remembered the half eaten pages enjoyed by his dog.
“Don’t worry Jonas. They can’t see us.”
“That’s me, isn’t it, up there?”
“Yes, that’s you. Just watch.”
Mr. Clark turned around after he had finished his sketch and looked over his students. “Can anyone tell me why it takes more force to move this block on this incline than it would if the plane was flat, not at an angle?” His eyes fell upon Jonas (the one in the front row), because he knew that he would have the right answer.
“Jonas?” Mr. Clark asked.
“I know the answer to that. It’s simple,” Jonas said to Oliver.
“But just watch,” Oliver quipped.
The front row Jonas looked down at his notebook, not wanting to answer the question. He knew the answer, but was afraid of looking like part of the brainiac sect. He eventually looked up at the teacher and said, “I don’t know.”
Mr. Clark frowned for a moment, knowing that Jonas knew the answer. Then looking around the room for someone that he knew would have the right answer, he picked out Kathy. “Kathy, do you know why it takes more force?”
Kathy stood up from her desk and said, “It’s because the force has to overcome not just the friction but also the force of gravity.”
“Well said, Kathy.” Mr. Clark smiled, but then glanced at Jonas for a moment,
“I knew the answer to that, Oliver.”
“But then why didn’t you answer him, Jonas?”
Jonas turned his eyes toward the window and thought of why he was so afraid to answer that question two weeks ago.
“Jonas?” Oliver asked.
Jonas looked back at Oliver and almost yelled, “It’s because I didn’t want to look like an idiot if I was wrong.”
Oliver smiled. “Jonas, what does that tell you about yourself?”
Jonas just glared at Oliver, feeling his anger rise to the surface. He knew what Oliver was trying to do. He was trying to make him think about himself, and why he didn’t want to answer.
Oliver’s smile faded and took on a look of deep concern as he watched Jonas.
“Jonas?”
Looking back at the windows, Jonas would not answer him.
Oliver moved closer to Jonas, looking intently at him.
“Jonas? I’m you, remember? I know why you couldn’t answer the teacher’s question.”
Jonas’ mood softened. He looked back at Oliver, but was silent for a moment.
“You know what I was thinking?” Jonas asked.
“You wanna tell me what I was thinking?
“No. I want you to tell me what you were thinking. I want you to be able to say why you were afraid to answer the teacher’s question. You knew the answer.”
Jonas didn’t have to think about why he was afraid. He turned his gaze to the floor tiles in front of him and said, “It isn’t because I didn’t want to look stupid. It’s because I didn’t want people to think of me as this brainy kid.” He looked up toward Oliver for his response.
“Why not Jonas? You are a smart kid. What’s wrong with being smart?”
Jonas looked up at Oliver, a quizzical expression in his eyes. “Maybe it’s because I would look like an outsider, someone who doesn’t belong.”
“Is that important to you Jonas, I mean that, you belong?”
“So you have to be accepted by those around you? You need to be like everyone else?”
“No.” Jonas frowned. “I don’t need to be like everyone else. I’m me.”
Oliver smiled. “Exactly,” he said.
Jonas had another quizzical look on his face.
“Jonas, let’s go. There’s something else I want you to see. This will be a treat for you.”
“Where are we going now?” Jonas knew that this night might never end. He was going to be dragged wherever Oliver wanted him to go.
“We’re going to the gym. I want you to see what really happened there.”
Jonas thought for a moment. “So, ah, how long ago did this happen?” he asked.
“It happened after school was out on the same day as this Physics class.”
“Oh” was all Jonas said.
Jonas again looked at Oliver, wondering how much the ‘treat’ that he was about to show him was going to upset him.
“Close your eyes, Jonas.” Oliver said, again.
Jonas looked at Oliver. He did not want to continue with this parade. He felt that he was being dragged into a world of self-discovery, and once in, he would feel alone and afraid. But Jonas closed his eyes anyway.
“Get the fuck off me you faggot.”
“Not until you say you’re sorry, you dickhead.”
Robin squirmed under the pressure of Keith’s body holding him to the wood floor of the basketball court of the gym. The other players looked on in disbelief as the two boys wrestled on the floor.
“Stop it you two!” bellowed Coach Morgan, as he ran over to break up the fight. Keith rolled off of Robin and stood.
“This is between Robin and me,” Keith said as his coach approached him.
“This is no place for your personal problems. Take them out of school. Now, in my office, both of you.”
Keith looked down at the floor.
Jonas and Oliver were standing in the corner of the gymnasium watching the basketball team practice that had occurred two weeks ago. Jonas remembered the fight. He had been watching the practice from the bleachers while trying to read from his Physics textbook. But most of the time, Jonas would sit in the bleachers watching Keith. He had never spoken to him before, but he admired him.
Jonas glanced up toward the bleachers, and found himself where he had been watching the practice. The Jonas in the bleachers was standing, grief on his face.
Just then, the real Jonas’ eyes went wide, and he turned toward Oliver, his mouth open.
“I see you remember what happened,” Oliver said, with a grin on his face.
“Ah…” was all that Jonas could say as he watching Keith emerge from the side door of the gym and walk across the basketball court toward the bleachers where Jonas was sitting. Keith climbed the few steps toward Jonas and sat next to him. The team stared at him, unmoving from their positions, wondering what was happening.
“You know what he said to you, don’t you Jonas? Oliver said into Jonas’ ear.
“Yes, I remember. It’s plagued me these past two weeks.”
“You want to hear what the coach said to them in his office, Jonas?”
Jonas turned to Oliver, meeting his eyes.
“What happened in there? Can you tell me? Because what he said to me after he came out has changed everything that I think about.”
“No, I won’t tell you. I want you to see it for yourself. Close your eyes Jonas.”
When he opened his eyes again, he saw Coach Morgan’s grey, Government Issue desk with the coach sitting behind it. Keith and Robin were seated in two folding chairs in front of the desk. Robin was looking at the coach, while Keith was looking at his hands in his lap.
Jonas and Oliver stood off to the side where they could see the faces of both the coach and the two boys.
“Look guys, what’s going on? You’ve been friends forever,” Coach Morgan asked.
Robin looked over at Keith, and then looked back toward his coach. He started to open his mouth to speak, but Keith cut him off.
“Coach, Robin’s my best friend, well, was up until yesterday. We had a disagreement.”
Robin bolted out of his chair, looking down at Keith. “Disagreement?” he shouted. “Is that what the hell you call it?”
“Calm down Robin,” the man said. “You want to tell me what this disagreement is about?”
“No, it isn’t important,” Keith said.
“Oh, it isn’t?” Robin questioned. Robin turned toward the coach. “Last night, this pervert admitted that he’s a fag,” he yelled.
Jonas felt as if someone had just plunged a dagger into his heart. He felt the anguish that Keith was feeling as his own heart seemed to bleed from his own fears.
Keith sank further down on the chair and held his hands to his face, covering his eyes.
“Is that what this is about?” the coach asked, his eyes darting between the two boys.
“See?” Robin pointed at Keith. “Look at him. You can tell he’s admitting it.”
“Sit down Robin,” the coach said.
“But coach…” Robin started to say, when the coach interrupted him.
“I said, sit down! Now!”
Robin looked at the coach for a moment and then sat back down.
The coach turned his attention toward Keith. “Keith, you don’t have to tell me if it’s true or not.”
“It’s true,” Keith said looking back up at his coach. “Half the school knows by now, thanks to Robin’s big mouth.”
Keith looked down at the floor for a second, and then looked back toward the coach.
“I told my parents and my little brother last night while we were all together for dinner.”
A tear slid down one cheek. Keith wiped it away with his arm and continued. “They didn’t hate me like I thought they would.”
Keith looked down and chuckled for a moment. “My little brother, John, he’s twelve, well, all he could say was ‘Oh cool!’ Mom said that she had suspected, and that it would make no difference. Dad said he, too, had suspected, and he was happy that his son was honest and was trying to be himself. They still loved me.”
“Robin?” the coach said, turning toward him.
Robin had been looking at the floor, thinking about what Keith had just said. Hearing his name, he looked up.
“You know, Robin, Keith has no say in his sexual orientation. It’s not a choice. How long have you known him?”
“Most of my life. We grew up together. I’ve known Keith ever since I moved here when I was three.”
“And, he’s been your best friend all those years?”
Robin looked down again, remembering the good times. “Yeah,” he said to the floor. Robin then looked up at the coach. “But now the whole school will look down on him.”
“I don’t think so. You know Robin, instead of being angry with him, you should be proud to have him as your friend. He had the courage and the trust in you to tell you his deepest feelings. That doesn’t happen in most friendships. From now on though, things will be good for him, because now he can finally be who he is, without fear.”
Robin looked at Keith, but was talking to the coach. “But I told everyone in the school about him. Why would he trust me now?” Robin asked.
“I still trust you Robin,” Keith said, looking directly at him.
“Robin? Nothing’s changed between you and Keith. He’s still the same Keith that you’ve always known.”
Robin remained quiet for a moment. He first looked toward Keith, then the coach, and then finally toward the floor. Before looking back up, he sniffled twice.
“I know. I was mad at him for not telling me sooner.”
“Robin, it sounds to me that part of your anger was directed at yourself. I think that you may have regrets for telling someone else about Keith.”
Robin looked down again, but quickly looked back toward the coach.
“Yes, I was angry at what I did.” Robin turned toward Keith. “Keith, I am so sorry. You shocked me is all, but I reacted and did a stupid thing. I hope you can forgive me.”
“Are both you guys good now?” the coach asked.
Robin nodded at Keith, and Keith said, “We’re good,” looking directly at Robin.
Robin started a smile. “You’re still a dick, you know?”
Keith laughed openly. “And for you, my dickhead friend, I accept your apology.”
“Boys, I think you had better start watching your language in here. I’m still your basketball coach, and I don’t want to have you suspended. Now kiss and…no, I mean…hug and make up. Then get out of here.”
“Oops,” both boys said together.
As the boys reached the office door, Keith turned back toward his coach. “Coach, can I have a few minutes before I return to practice? I need to talk to someone,” he asked.
“You’ve got 3 minutes, then, it’s back on the court.”
“Thanks coach,” Keith said as he and Robin turned and headed for the door.
After Keith and Robin had left the room, Oliver turned toward Jonas. “Don’t look so surprised, Jonas,” he said, as they watched the coach go back to work. “You knew this all along.”
“Yeah, but I hadn’t seen the look on Keith’s face when Robin accused him like that. I felt the same fear that he was feeling.”
“What fear, Jonas?”
Jonas looked at Oliver. He knew Oliver was him and knew his thoughts.
But Oliver wanted Jonas to say it. He wanted him to say it out loud, to mouth the words.
“I’m afraid to tell my father,” Jonas finally said as he looked at the floor.
“That you’re gay?”
“Yeah” Jonas looked back up and emphatically said, “Yes!”
“But why? Why are you still afraid of telling him?” Oliver asked, looking directly at him.
“Because, it’s one more thing that’ll disappoint him even more.”
“Jonas, do you really think that he’ll be disappointed in you? I know you love him and want to be like him, but you’re not him. When I took you to your Physics class, you said that you had to be you.”
Jonas looked down again. “Yeah, I did.”
“Does your dad love you Jonas?”
“Yes, of course he does,” Jonas said, looking back up at Oliver. “He says that to me all the time, and I know that he means it.”
“I’d like you to think about two things, Jonas. Love and acceptance. If you truly love someone, you accept them with all of their little idiosyncrasies, right?”
“Of course.” Just then Jonas’ eyes went wide. “Oh my God. You just showed me that Keith’s family accepted him, because they loved him.”
Oliver smiled.
Once outside the coach’s office in the locker room, Robin turned to Keith and asked, “What’s up? Who do you have to talk to?”
Keith stopped and turned.
“Robin, I don’t think everyone knows about me yet, and I want him to know that I’m out now.”
“Don’t tell me you’ve got a boyfriend. You devil.”
“No, I don’t have a boyfriend, yet.” Keith grinned.
“So you want to come out to this guy. Who is he? Do I know him?”
“He’s not much of an athlete, so you probably don’t. But I got to know him in Creative Writing this semester. And, I think he’s interested in me.”
“Well, I’ve never really talked to him, but I see him in the bleachers at almost every practice. He’s usually trying to do some study work, but I see him looking at me, a lot. Come on. He’s out there now.”
Both boys turned, walked by the lockers, and went through the door to the gymnasium floor. Robin headed for the scrimmage on the court while Keith headed for the bleachers.
Jonas and Oliver had remained in Coach Morgan’s office after Keith and Robin had left the room.
“Want to hear what Keith said to you?” Oliver asked Jonas.
“No. I know what he said.”
Jonas looked around the coach’s office and smiled. He held his head higher than he had in weeks. Without looking at Oliver, he began to remember the conversation that he had had with Keith on the bleachers.
“Keith was running up the steps towards me,” Jonas said. “I was scared because I was the only one up there, and I knew that he was heading for me. I didn’t think that he had noticed me watching him while he practiced, but I knew that I had a crush on him. And now I felt like my world was coming to an end. I didn’t know what had happened in the coach’s office, but I remembered Robin calling him a fag. I was close to panic when he approached and sat next to me.
“He looked at me. I mean, he just looked at me without saying anything. I was too scared to move.
“Finally he said, ‘Hi.’
“That was all. I guess he was waiting for me to answer.
“I said, ‘Hi’ back, trying to be polite. He didn’t say anything right away, but he kept looking at me.
“‘I’m Keith,’ he finally said.
“My heart was bursting to get out of my chest. I think my palms could have filled a bathtub with sweat.
“‘You’re Jonas, right?’ he asked me.
“I looked at him, and he was smiling at me.
“‘Yeah, and I know who you are.’
“He smiled again at me.
“‘Ah, Jonas, I have to make this quick. Coach Morgan’s only given me a few minutes to talk to you. I’m taking a huge chance here. I’ve seen you here, watching practice, for a while. But mostly you’re been watching me. And, I’ve been watching you too. I haven’t spoken to you in Creative Writing because you sit on the other side of the room, but that doesn’t mean that I didn’t want to,’ he said.
“‘Something happened last night and then again in the coach’s office just now. I…’ He lowered his head for a moment and then looked back at me. He told me that he had come out to his family and best friend last night. ‘You may have heard the rumors today.’ He said.”
“He stopped and stared at me. ‘No, I haven’t heard anything about that.’ I said.”
“This conversation was starting to interest me.”
“Keith continued talking to me. He said, ‘Robin blabbed about it to Heather, and knowing her, the word got around before the end of third period today. I’m gay,’ He said.
“My eyes went wide. I didn’t want to believe it, because that would make all of my fantasies come true.
“‘Jonas, I’ve got to hurry,’ he said. ‘What I wanted to know is, if we may think alike, and if you would want to go with me to have a burger sometime and talk, you know, just to get to know each other?’
“He then wrote his cell number in my notebook. ‘Let me know, Jonas. Sorry, but I really have to get back down there,’ He said. He then turned and ran down the bleachers to the court.
“Oh my God. I was so overwhelmed. I wanted this so much, but, Oliver, I was so scared.”
“Of what Jonas?”
Jonas again looked down at the floor, but then looked Oliver in the eyes.
“I was scared of outing myself to him.”
Oliver frowned at Jonas.
“Jonas, have you ever thought of what would happen if you never came out, what your life would be like if you continue to live with this fear?” he asked.
“Well, I’m going to show it to you.”
Jonas turned toward Oliver. “No. I don’t want to see it. It scares the piss out of me.”
“I’m sorry Jonas, but in this you have no choice. You’ve seen a couple of things so far tonight that would make you want to be honest with yourself and with your dad. You have one last thing to see. Close your eyes please.”
“Sorry Oliver, but I won’t.” Jonas kept his eyes open, looking directly into Oliver’s eyes.
But soon he had to blink.
The darkened room was only lit by the blue glow of a small television screen and a ceiling light further inside the room. An old man was sitting in an overstuffed chair, leaning over a TV dinner in front of him.
Jonas looked around, but couldn’t see much through the darkness. He didn’t even see Oliver.
“Oliver? Where are you?”
“I’m right behind you, Jonas. Keep watching that old man. I won’t get in your way.”
But Jonas turned fully around to look at him.
“Where am I? And who is that guy in the chair?”
“You’ll know soon enough, Jonas. But for now, I want you to just watch him, see what he does, where he goes.”
Jonas blinked, not sure what Oliver wanted him to see, and reluctantly turned around. Jonas watched the old man.
The old man was taking the last bite of his dinner. He sighed and sat back in the cushioned chair. He remained in the chair, looking at the ceiling for a moment, before he pushed the small table, holding the remains of the TV dinner, away from him. With slow movements, he got out of the chair, picked up his dinner’s tray, and shuffled, slightly bent over, to the rear of the room.
The man arrived under the ceiling light, and Jonas moved closer to him. Jonas could see that the area was a small kitchen. It appeared to be clean with uncluttered countertops. ‘The man, if nothing else, was orderly,’ Jonas thought.
As the man began washing the dinnerware that he had used, Jonas was able to get a better look at the man under the ceiling light. He had white thinning hair, and his face was wrinkled as of a man over 70 years old. He was wearing a faded thin robe over what appeared to be his pajamas. Parts of his face were still in shadow from the overhead light, but he thought that the man looked familiar.
The old man finished cleaning the kitchen and turned out the ceiling light, throwing the room into darkness, except for the glow of the television. While Jonas’ eyes adjusted to the darkness, he missed seeing the old man move into the larger part of the room.
Just then another light came on above Jonas. The old man was standing to his left, looking into a floor to ceiling bookcase covering the entire wall. ‘That must contain over a thousand books,’ Jonas thought. The old man thumbed the spines of several books, apparently looking for a particular one.
‘There you are,’ he said to the book as he removed his choice from the bookcase. He turned, and, shutting off the light and then the television, began shuffling back to his overstuffed chair. Jonas finally got a good look at the old man just before he turned out the overhead light.
‘Those eyes, the way his mouth is formed,’ Jonas thought. ‘He looks like someone I’ve seen before.’
Jonas suddenly turned to Oliver. “I know him, don’t I?”
“Yes you do, Jonas,”
“But where? Where have I seen him before?”
“Look at him again Jonas. It’ll come to you.”
Jonas turned back to watch as the old man slumped into his chair. The man leaned over and turned on the table lamp next to him. He then shrugged his shoulders, settled himself into the chair, and opened his book.
Jonas watched the man, trying to remember where he has seen him. After a few moments, he looked up and around the room. He wanted to find something that would remind him of who the man was. To his right, on the wall opposite the bookcase, he noticed a small table covered with framed photographs. There were at least a dozen of them. Alongside the photographs was an ancient Smith Corona typewriter.
Thinking that the man’s photographs might give him a clue to who he is, Jonas walked over to the table to get a better look. Oliver watched Jonas, but did not follow him.
Jonas found some old faded photographs of people that he did not recognize. But one in the center caught his eye. It was a picture of a boy standing with a man dressed in a military uniform. The man had his arm over the boy’s shoulders. The man was strikingly handsome. Jonas bent down to get a better look.
Jonas instantly scrambled backwards and tried to catch his breath. He had just seen a picture of himself, taken when he was about thirteen years old, standing with his father. He turned around to see Oliver standing across the room and rushed toward him.
“That’s me, isn’t it, the boy in the picture?”
“And that’s my father next to me, isn’t it?”
Oliver took a few moments to look at Jonas before he said, “Yes it is, Jonas.”
“Well then, what am I doing on his table of photographs?”
Oliver did not answer.
Jonas reached up and ran his fingers through his hair, staring at Oliver. Suddenly, he turned away from Oliver and watched the old man. After a few moments he turned back toward Oliver.
“That old man is me, isn’t it? That’s me in the future,” he said, his voice now under control.
Oliver looked into Jonas’ eyes for a moment.
“Jonas, that’s what your future holds.”
“But, that man is alone.”
The table lamp went out. Jonas turned to watch the old man get up from his chair and walk to the side of the room with the table of photographs. He heard a door open and then a light came on within the room. Jonas hadn’t noticed the door in the darkness before. He and Oliver walked closer to the open door, and when they were close enough to see inside, Jonas saw it was a bedroom. It contained a single bed, a nightstand with a reading light, a dresser, and a single chair on the opposite side of the bed.
The old man sat on the side of the bed and looked outward, but it appeared as though he wasn’t seeing anything. After a moment he turned on the night light, got off the bed, walked to the door, and turned off the overhead light. He then returned and sat down on the side of his bed again.
“Jonas?” Oliver said to him.
Jonas didn’t respond.
“Jonas? Oliver repeated.
Jonas turned toward Oliver. Jonas had tears flowing over both cheeks. He sniffled.
“Oliver, there’s only a single bed in there. Did you see that?” he asked.
“Yes, I saw.”
Jonas couldn’t speak for a moment, trying to stop the tears.
“Oliver, he has no one, no one to be with him in his old age.”
Oliver looked at Jonas without answering.
“That’s what I’m going to be like,” Jonas said to no one as he watched the old man climb under the blankets and sheet. Shortly afterwards, the night light went out.
Jonas kept his eyes toward the darkened room, no longer able to see himself. Jonas was scared.
“Jonas, I think we’re done for tonight,” Oliver said from behind Jonas.
Jonas did not move. He kept his eyes on the darkened room.
“Jonas, it’s time to go.”
Jonas turned around, but was only able to stare at Oliver. He nodded his head as his eyes closed.
“Jonas, I’m going to leave you now. My night is complete. I’ve showed you what your life can be like. The choice is yours.” Oliver then moved around the Colonel’s desk toward Jonas.
Jonas, standing in front of the desk, still shaken from the vision of the lonely old man, stared at Oliver as he approached. It took him a moment to speak.
“Will I see you again?”
Oliver chuckled. “No, Jonas, you won’t see me again. But, I’ll always be with you, because, I am you. I am your past, your present, and I am your future, remember?”
“One last thing before you go…do you remember that table with the photographs on it?”
“Yes. It’s what I hoped you’d see.”
“There was an old typewriter on it, remember?”
“Oh yeah, it’s always been there.”
“Is that the same typewriter that I was using when you first came to me?”
Oliver stared at Jonas for a moment.
“Jonas, the old man kept that typewriter because it had always reminded him of our voyage tonight. What it meant to him was a journey not taken.”
Jonas smiled for the first time that evening. “Good bye Oliver,” he said.
Oliver smiled. “Make the right choice, Jonas. Give yourself the chance to be who you are, and love who you are.”
Jonas continued to use the old Smith Corona typewriter to work on his paper for most of the next few days. By the end of the fourth day, he had it finally finished. It was Sunday, New Year’s Day, and school would begin tomorrow.
During previous Christmas breaks, Jonas would spend his time basically doing nothing. But the end of this break was special for him. As he looked at the finished typing, he knew that he had written the greatest adventure of his life. He hadn’t seen the Rocky Mountains, hadn’t seen Africa on a big game hunting expedition, or hadn’t seen the world fly by him as he was bungee jumping off of a bridge. No. What Jonas had seen was something far more important. He had seen himself.
He had a dream three nights ago, but he wasn’t quite sure it really was a dream. If it was a dream, it wouldn’t matter. But if it were real, that somehow he had been able see his future, then he knew that if he finished the paper on the typewriter, the old man would be released from his hell.
Jonas’ father had missed Christmas at home this year. He had to fly to Afghanistan to be with the troops. They weren’t his troops, but the Army had asked him be with the men to show support. Jonas hadn’t seen his father since December 22nd, but he knew that his father would be home the week that school started. Jonas was to turn in his paper on the first day back at school.
As Jonas’ mind relaxed after completing his paper, he suddenly remembered Keith. ‘I need to call him,’ he thought, ‘Right now.’
Jonas found his cell phone on his dad’s wooden desk and punched in Keith’s number. He waited, for what seemed an eternity, before someone answered his call.
“Hi Keith. It’s Jonas.”
Silence came from the phone.
“Keith?”
“Jonas! Hm…I didn’t expect to hear from you.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I should have called you sooner.”
“No, that’s okay. I’m glad you called though.”
Jonas was unsure of what to say next to him. But after a moment, he cleared his throat.
“Keith? Remember when you talked to me at your basketball practice two weeks ago, in the bleachers?”
“Yeah, I remember. I remember being scared to death too.”
“You came out to me that afternoon.”
Keith didn’t say anything for a few moments.
“Keith. Are you there?”
“Yeah, I’m here. I’m sorry Jonas. I’m still working through that.”
“Working through what?”
There was silence again for a moment.
“Jonas, I hadn’t heard from you for two weeks. I’d watch you in class, but you seemed to be avoiding me. I didn’t know what to think.”
Now there was a silence on Keith’s cell phone.
“Keith. I’m really sorry. I guess I’ve been working through a few things too.”
“It’s okay, Jonas.”
Jonas smiled.
“Keith, you asked me if we could get together and have a burger, and…well…I’d like that. I think we may have a few things in common.”
Now Jonas heard the silence.
“Ah, when?”
“How about right after school tomorrow? Oh, shit. You have practice right after school, don’t you?”
Again, Jonas heard silence.
“Well, I could miss practice.”
Jonas was overjoyed. “Okay, I’ll meet you at Daly’s at say 3:30. That should give us time to get there.”
“What’s wrong with McDonald’s? It’s a lot closer.”
Jonas grinned.
“Daly’s is a bit further from the school, I know, but it’s not so crowded. There’re some things that I would like to talk to you about, some things that would help you get to know me, the real me.”
“Okay, let’s meet there then.”
“Okay, see you then.”
“Okay, Bye”
Jonas left his father’s office and went to his bedroom. He laid down on his bed with his hands propping up his head as he gazed at the ceiling.
‘He’s going to talk to me,’ he thought. ‘This isn’t a date, yet, but maybe, maybe, if things work out, we might actually go out on a real date.’
Jonas felt so right with the world. He had made the decision that his life was his own and no one else’s. Jonas thought back to the night that he had spent with himself, the Oliver self. He knew it was a dream, but then he remembered that it had started while he was awake.
The sound of the classroom door closing turned the attention of the class toward the front as Mr. Crocket walked to his desk. It was Monday morning, and Jonas was seated in his second period Creative Writing class,
“Good morning class,” the teacher said. “Let’s get right to work. First, pass the papers that you had to do over the holidays to the front.”
He waited until all of the papers had been passed and he had collected them. After placing the pile on his desk, he looked back at his class.
“Now, who wants to tell me what you felt while writing that paper?” He looked over the face of each student in the classroom.
Just then, Keith raised his hand, and Jonas threw him a look.
“Yes, Keith,” the teacher said.
Keith stood up, but glanced at Jonas for a moment before returning his eyes to the front.
“Well, I wrote about the time that I went sky diving with my uncle. I had never done that before, and it scared the sh…crap out of me, but I have never before experienced such a thrill. But it also taught me something.”
Mr. Crocket smiled at Keith. “And that was?”
Keith, again, looked at Jonas for a moment, but then returned his attention toward the teacher.
“It taught me that everything in life has risks. You can have fun, but you also have to look at the risks that you take in having that fun. But more than that, I looked ahead and figured that whatever you do in life has risks. You have to look at the risk, and ask yourself, is doing what you want to do worth that risk.”
Jonas looked at Keith in total admiration, but, it had started him thinking about his decision to come out to his dad. There were risks.
Mr. Crocket smiled again. “Well said Keith.”
The teacher again looked around the classroom. “Anyone else dare to venture into our literary world?”
A guy seated next to Keith raised his hand.
Mr. Crocket looked at Mark and smiled.
“Okay, Mark. How did you find the experience?”
Mark stayed in his chair to answer the teacher’s question. “I wrote about a trip that I had with my older brother to Disney World in Florida last year. It was cool, but the best part was that I met Julie.” Mark grinned. “I met the most wonderful girl.”
Mark looked down for a moment before looking back toward the teacher. “But Mr. Crocket, I didn’t like having a writing assignment over our Christmas Break. It took away from the fun we were supposed to have.”
The writing teacher looked at Mark, quizzically. “Mark, what did you learn from this assignment?” he asked.
Mark lowered his head for a moment before looking up again.
“I guess I learned that love can find you anywhere. It doesn’t happen when you plan it. It just happens out of the blue.”
Jonas looked over toward Keith to find him looking back at him.
“Thank you, Mark.” Looking over the class again, he asked, “Anyone else?”
No one raised their hand.
Mr. Crocket returned to his desk, stacked the papers into a neater pile, and sat behind his desk. He then looked up toward his students.
“I’ll have grades for you on Wednesday. That will give everyone a day to rehearse, edit some if you need to, and be prepared to read them to the class on Thursday.
He then looked at the pile in front him before looking up again.
“No one should be embarrassed about reading their stories. You are all good writers, and I want you to enjoy the experience of telling your classmates about something that excited you.
“Now, please take out your journals and see what you have written over the past few weeks. Given what you heard in the class today, I want you to write an entry about what you’ve learned from this assignment. You have the rest of the period to complete your entries.”
Jonas looked toward Keith and saw him smiling back at him. Both boys nodded to each other and began taking their journals out of their backpacks.
Mr. Crocket picked up the first paper and began reading.
After Jonas had finished his journal entry, he looked over at Keith and watched him in anticipation of their meeting after school. Looking up at the clock, he wondered what he should do for the last twenty minutes of class time. He began doodling in his journal.
The bell finally rang, signaling the end of class.
Daly’s was virtually empty, as he expected it would be. Their burgers were the best in town, but most of the customers came for the evening meal. It was too far away from the high school to attract many students after school.
Jonas walked through the front door and looked around the restaurant for Keith. He saw him sitting just to his right at a window table, far from the few other customers, who were seated closer to the back. He turned immediately and walked over to him.
“Hey,” Jonas said.
“Hey,” was Keith’s reply.
“Have you ordered yet?”
“No. Not yet. I just got here.”
Jonas immediately took a seat opposite Keith.
“Okay if I join you?” he asked.
Keith sat back and laughed. “Well, we’re supposed to meet and eat a couple of burgers together, so I guess it’s alright.”
Jonas looked at the table in front of him, embarrassed. He knew that he had opened up the conversation by putting his foot in his mouth.
Neither boy spoke for a few moments, looking down at their napkins.
Keith finally looked up.
“Thanks Jonas.”
“For calling me, and for having a burger with me.”
‘This guy is so nice,’ Jonas thought. He kept looking at Keith.
“Keith, I’ve wanted to talk to you like forever. When you came up to me…”
“What can I get for you guys,” the waiter asked.
Both boys looked up at the boy standing next to the table. He looked no older than seventeen or eighteen.
“Ah, I’ll have a Daly’s burger, no mayo and a large coke, please,” Keith answered.
Jonas looked at Keith and smiled. He turned his attention back toward the waiter.
“I’ll have the same,” he said.
“Okay, be right up,” the boy said, turned, and left Jonas and Keith to continue their talk.
Both boys were looking down at the table, when Keith finally looked up.
“You were saying?” he asked.
Jonas looked back up toward Keith, pausing for a moment.
“I was saying that when you came up to me, I thought that you were going to hit me. I thought that you had seen me watching you while you were practicing.”
Jonas looked down for a moment but returned his gaze toward Keith.
“When you told me that you were gay, I didn’t know what to think. I was scared, but…I was also thrilled, because I’d been attracted to you for a long time, ever since you walked into our Creative Writing class. I was scared because I realized then that I might have to admit to you that I’m gay too. I wasn’t ready to do that then.”
“Then?” Keith asked. “Has something changed?”
“A lot! I don’t know how to explain it to you, but I’ve been thrown under the bus for my way of trying to hide who I am. What you did to me, coming up and telling me what you did, really helped open my eyes.”
Keith looked at Jonas with questions, and Jonas saw the questioning look.
“Keith, something happened to me the other night. It may have been a dream, I don’t know, but I saw myself, outside of myself, if that makes any sense, and I saw me, the real me.”
Keith remained quizzical.
“Keith, don’t try to understand what happened to me, other than to know that I’m gay too. I didn’t want to admit it. I’ve questioned it for a long time, but the other night, I accepted it. I’m going to be me.”
Keith looked down at the table, looked back up, and threw away his questions.
“Jonas, look at me, please.”
Jonas looked back up into Keith’s eyes, and saw understanding in them.
“You wouldn’t believe what I went through. Just like you, I wouldn’t believe it about myself either. It took me a long time to finally understand who I was. And just like what you’re doing right now, being honest with yourself, telling someone else, I went through the same thing. I have a good idea of just how nerve wracking this experience is for you.”
The boys then smiled at each other, a budding bond being forged.
“Here’s the best burgers you’ll ever taste in this town,” the waiter said as he put a basket in front of each of them. He then placed their cola drinks in front of each basket.
Both boys looked up at the young waiter, grins on their faces.
The waiter smiled back at them, guessing that there was more than just a best friend scenario between them.
“Enjoy,” he said as he left them alone.
After the waiter had left, both boys stared at each other, wondering what to say next.
Jonas broke the ice.
Jonas looked down at his burger basket for a moment, but then looked back into Keith’s eyes.
“Keith? I want to be your friend.”
Keith smiled back at Jonas. “And I want to be your friend, Jonas.”
Jonas was home alone that evening. He had finished what little homework he had and was about to head for the living room to watch some TV when he heard his cell phone ringing. He turned around, walked over to his desk, and when he picked up the cell phone, he noticed that is was his father calling.
“Hi Dad.”
“Hey kid. How’s it going?”
“All’s good, Dad.”
“I guess school started back again for you this morning, huh? Any problems getting up on time after being allowed to sleep in for the past two weeks?” his father asked, snickering.
“No, Dad. It was a good start,” Jonas said, also snickering, knowing his dad was ragging on him.
“I’m so sorry, Jonas, that I couldn’t have been there for Christmas.”
“That’s okay Dad. I know that when the Army asks you to do something, it’s not really asking, is it?”
Jonas’ father laughed into the phone.
“Well, I could have turned it down, but it would be nice to have that star before I retire.”
“What would I call you then? General Dad?” Jonas laughed into his cell.
“Funny, Jonas,” his dad said, and then asked, “So, what did you do during your break?”
There was a slight pause.
“Mr. Crocket, our Creative Writing teacher, gave us a writing assignment to do over the holidays. I spent most of my time writing on it. I even spent time when I could have been welcoming in 2012 at a typewriter.”
“That old Smith Corona?”
“Yeah, that one.”
“Why would you want to use that old thing when you’ve got a computer?”
“I don’t know, Dad. I saw it on your desk, and…I don’t know why, but something told me to write on it.”
“That was your grandfather’s, you know?”
“Yeah, I know.”
“Was it an interesting assignment?”
“Yeah, it was, but it wasn’t. We had to write about some adventure in our lives. Problem was that I couldn’t think of any adventurous things that have happened to me. Now, everyone has to read their paper to the whole class on Thursday.”
“What did you finally write about?”
Jonas gulped. ‘I can’t tell him that,’ he thought. Jonas knew that it was not the time to tell him something that could shatter his father’s life.
“I’ll tell you all about it when you get home. It’s a long story.”
“Okay. Well, the reason I’m calling, Jonas, is to let you know my plans for coming home. They’ve got me booked on a military flight out of Kabul early on Wednesday morning. I have to change to a civilian airline in Germany. One more stop in New York, and then I should be back in Detroit sometime on Thursday morning. If all goes well, I should see you at home after school on Thursday.”
“That’s the day that I have to read my paper to the class. Why don’t I just skip that day so I can be here when you get home?”
“No, I think you should go to school. Although I would love to be there when you read your paper, I don’t think I’ll be home in time, so I’ll probably see you after school.”
“I’ll be glad to have you home, Dad.”
“It’ll be good to be home again. Anyway, I have to run. Good night, son.”
“Love you Dad.”
“Love you too.”
The phone went dead, and Jonas stared at it for a moment. He loved his dad so much, and was starting to become afraid of what he had to do.
Tuesday’s classes at school became a drudgery for Jonas. He wanted the week to fast forward to Thursday so that he wouldn’t have to think about it for the next two days. Two days seemed like forever to him. But, by Thursday night, it would be all over.
After school, Jonas met Keith for a burger snack. This time they went to McDonalds. When they sat down at a table and started gobbling French fries, Keith stopped eating and looked at Jonas.
“Jonas?” he asked. “Something’s bothering you. I can tell. I noticed it during Creative Writing and at lunch today. You seem nervous.
Jonas looked toward Keith.
“Wanna talk about it, Jonas?”
Jonas stopped eating, a single French fry still in hand. He dropped the fry, and looked directly into Keith’s eyes.
“Keith, I’ve made a decision to come out to my father when he gets home.”
“Whoa. What brought that on?”
“It’s been in the back of my mind ever since I had that dream.”
“The one you told me about at Daly’s?”
“Yeah, but I really didn’t tell you what it was about.”
Keith looked on with curiosity.
“Keith, the dream was about me. Remember the storm we had last week?
“Yeah, I remember.”
“Well, in my dream, the wind shattered the window in my dad’s study and a boy came in through the opening. The boy was me.”
“The boy was you? I don’t understand.”
“This is hard to explain, and you probably won’t believe me anyway.”
“Give me a try, Jonas. I’m really curious now.”
“Okay. The boy said that he was me, well, the me that I’m supposed to be, not the me that I was back then.”
Keith raised his eyebrows.
“He then went on to show me what I’ve been like. He took me to my Physics class, and I saw myself telling the teacher that I didn’t know the answer to a problem, although I really did know the answer. This actually happened just before Christmas break.”
“You mean the Physics class?”
“Yeah, and I had to admit to myself that I didn’t want to answer the teacher’s question because I didn’t want to look like a geek.”
“He made me see that I was trying to be like everyone else, and I wasn’t being myself, because I really did know the answer.”
“Hmmm,” Keith replied.
“Yeah. Next he took me to the gym, where I saw the fight you had with Robin.”
“It wasn’t much of a fight. Oh! That’s the day that I went up to talk to you in the bleachers, right?”
“That’s the day. But before you came up to me, he took me into the coach’s office and…”
Keith wrenched. “You heard what we talked about?”
Jonas saw the embarrassment in Keith’s eyes.
“I’m sorry Keith. I know it was a private conversation, but something good came out of it.”
Keith stared at Jonas.
“Keith, I heard what you said to the coach. You said that your family accepted your being gay because they loved you. I realized right then that my father would accept my being gay too, because I know that he loves me.”
Keith’s head tilted slightly to the side.
“This has a lot to do with your coming out to him, doesn’t it?” Keith asked.
“Yeah. A lot!”
“And that was your dream?”
“No. There’s more. After we left the coach’s office, he took me to my future. He showed me this old man that was all alone. If I stay in the closet all my life, that old guy would be me.”
“Wow,” was all Keith could say.
“Weird, huh?”
“You can say that again, Jonas.”
Keith’s smile soon faded, replaced by a quizzical look.
“But Jonas, you said that this dream started when you were working on your paper. That means that you were awake when it started.”
Both boys stared at each other for a moment.
“So this ‘dream,’ as you call it, is what helped you make up your mind about coming out to your dad?” Keith asked.
“Yeah, pretty much.”
“But Jonas, what if your dad doesn’t accept you being gay?”
Jonas looked down at his half eaten hamburger, but then turned back toward Keith.
“I don’t know, Keith. You said it yourself. There’s always some risk associated with everything that we do. I’ve thought about that, a lot. I’ve been trying to weigh the risk of him disowning me against me hiding who I really am.”
Just then, Keith’s eyes went wide.
“Ah, Jonas? Is this dream what you wrote about?”
“Yeah, quite an adventure, isn’t it?
“Jonas, you’re reading that to the whole class on Thursday. You’re coming out to everyone. You know that, don’t you?”
“I know. But Keith, it’s going to happen sooner or later anyway. I’ve got to be who I am, just like you did.”
Keith nodded his head at Jonas.
“But…I am worried about my dad. I think he will accept me, because he loves me, but I’m so scared of disappointing him.”
“I know the feeling Jonas. I really do.”
On Wednesday, Jonas began thinking about seeing his dad the next day as he finished the last of his cereal. He had been trying to rehearse what he was going to say to him all morning, but everything he thought of saying, just didn’t seem to come out right. He had just today and tomorrow to come up with the perfect way to say it.
‘Oh, Dad? By the way, I’m gay,’ he thought.
Jonas shook his head.
By the time he reached his Creative Writing class, Jonas still hadn’t thought of a way to approach the subject with his father.
“Good morning class,” Mr. Crocket said as he walked to his desk. He placed a stack of papers on top and turned toward the class.
“Well, I must say that I’m impressed with your work. Some of these are very good. Some need a little polish, but on the whole, you did well.”
The teacher picked up the stack of student papers, began calling names, and handed them to each student individually. When he called Jonas’ name, he walked over to where he was sitting, but hesitated slightly before handing him his paper.
“Jonas, could you see me after class?” Mr. Crocket asked.
Jonas had a questioning look on his face, but he slowly nodded.
Jonas looked down at his own paper as his teacher continued to pass out the remaining papers. Written across the front of the paper in bold red ink were the words, “Excellent work Jonas.” At the top of the paper was an A++. He smiled and held the paper up for Keith to see.
Keith noticed Jonas holding his paper in the air for him as Mr. Crocket handed him back his own. He looked at the top page, and grinned. Keith then held up his A- for Jonas to see.
As the class period was about to finish, Jonas began to wonder what it was that Mr. Crocket wanted to talk to him about. When the bell finally rang, he waited in his seat for the classroom to clear before making his way toward the front of the room.
As he approached the desk, he noticed Keith standing in the doorway with a questioning look on his face. He held up his index finger and mouthed to words, “One second.” He then turned his attention toward his teacher.
“Jonas, I’ve got to say that that was a remarkable story you told,” Mr. Crocket said. “It took a lot of courage to write what you did, but you know that you’ll be outing yourself to the whole class tomorrow. Are you sure you want to do that?”
Jonas looked toward Keith for a moment before answering his teacher.
“Yes sir. I believe I have to.”
“You’ve given this a lot of thought?”
“Yes sir, I have.”
Jonas looked down for a moment and then returned his gaze toward his teacher.
“I’d like to say a few words to the class before I read my paper, if it’s okay with you.”
“Given the subject matter, I think a few words of warning are appropriate. Okay, go ahead. And Jonas, I know that tomorrow won’t be easy for you, but I admire you for what you’re doing.”
Jonas smiled at his teacher, nodded his head, and walked across the room to join Keith.
The knot in Jonas’ stomach was beginning to tighten as he walked into his second period class on Thursday morning. ‘This is the day,’ he thought to himself.
As Jonas was taking his seat, the bell rang, and Mr. Crocket walked into the room.
“Good morning class,” he said as he made his way to his desk. When he arrived at the front of the room, he turned to face the class.
“Let’s begin, shall we. This is a small class so we should be able to get to everyone by the end of the period.”
The teacher looked down at his desk for a moment, his hand moving over a piece of paper. He then looked up at the class. “I’m going to start with the paper with the lowest grade first. But the lowest grade was a B-. All the papers were good.”
“Heather, I believe you’re up first.”
As the readings continued, Jonas became more nervous. He was starting to have major doubts about his decision to come out today. He had wrestled with the possibility that it might not go as well as he would have hoped, but his resolve always returned when he remembered the lonely old man. Today, that resolve was having a hard time resurfacing.
Keith had just finished telling the class about his sky diving adventure when Jonas heard the door at the back of the classroom open. He looked around to see what was happening…and he froze.
His father had just walked into the room.
‘Oh my God! What’s he doing here?’
As his father walked over to stand at the rear of the classroom, Jonas quickly turned around. His eyes sought out Keith and found him looking directly at him. Keith had questions in his eyes.
Keith looked toward the back of the room momentarily before returning to watch Jonas. “What,” he mouthed.
Jonas sank down in his chair. He looked back toward Keith and mouthed, “My dad.”
Keith’s eyes opened wider as he understood what Jonas was saying. His eyes saw the fear in Jonas’ eyes.
‘This can’t be happening,’ Jonas thought. ‘I’m not ready to tell him yet. It was supposed to happen when I got home this afternoon, not now, not here.’
Jonas watched as Mr. Crocket walked to the back of the room and started talking to his father. After a brief conversation with his dad, the teacher returned to his desk.
Kyle had just finished reading his paper, and Jonas knew that there was only one more reader before it was his turn. He would be the last reader with his A++ grade.
‘What do I do now?’ raced through his mind.
‘Do what you have to do, Jonas,’ Jonas heard in his mind.
Jonas looked up toward the front of the classroom and saw Robby begin to read his paper, but another boy was standing behind him.
‘Oliver?’ he thought.
‘Yes, it’s me Jonas. Don’t worry, no one can see me.’
‘But, what are you doing here?’
‘I’m here to watch you become me. I’m here to see you become the real you.’
Jonas stared at Oliver for a moment, and in that brief moment, Jonas found his resolve.
‘I am not my father,’ he told himself. ‘I can’t be him.’
Jonas looked over toward Keith again, and smiled.
When Robby was finished, Jonas walked to the front of the room. Oliver nodded his head at him, and then smiled.
As Jonas reached the front of the room, he turned and looked directly into his father’s eyes. Jonas did not smile.
Jonas looked at his paper for a moment before returning to look at the class.
“I’m going to read my paper to you, but before I do, there are a few things that I want to say to you.
He then looked at the proud smile on his dad’s face.
‘I hope you’re still proud of me when this is finished.’ Jonas thought.
“I want to talk to you about what you all have been doing to each other. Some of what you do hurts. It destroys lives.”
The room became very quiet as Jonas let his words sink in.
“I don’t think that you do it maliciously, but it forces other kids to be afraid of ever reaching what is possible for them.
“I know. It put a staggering fear in me, a fear so debilitating that I was about to lose my life because of it.”
Jonas looked back at his father again.
“Dad?” he started to say, but the tears from his eyes kept his words back.
Jonas sniffed to clear himself before continuing.
“Dad, you are my rock. You always have been. I wanted to be like you so very much, but I now know that I can’t be. It’s not that I’m unable to be like you, it’s just that I have to be who I am, whoever that is.”
Keith saw the pain and tears in Jonas’ eyes and jumped from his seat. He moved toward Jonas, and when he reached him, he slowed and stood behind him. The then slowly put his hand on Jonas’ shoulder.
Jonas turned and looked at him.
Keith nodded.
Jonas smiled as he returned to look back at the class.
“I’m gay,” he said, softly.
Shuffling noises could be heard as the kids reacted to what Jonas had just declared. Jonas’ eyes narrowed.
“But the homophobia that runs rampant in this school was like an anvil around my neck. It kept a fear in me so prevalent that I refused to admit that I was gay. I was keeping me, the real me, so deep inside that it could never have come out.”
Jonas looked at his father again and saw the tears streaming down his cheeks. He also saw the pain in his father’s eyes.
Keith squeezed his shoulder, reassuring him that he was there for him.
“I also know that I’m not alone. There are many of you out there that are gay. You didn’t choose to be. You just are. Don’t be afraid to be who you are. Don’t let this ignorance that is all around you, be your anvil.”
Jonas turned around, searching for Oliver. He wasn’t there.
‘Jonas, I’m still here. I’ll always be with you now. I won’t be on the outside anymore, because I am now within you. You are the real you now.’
Jonas again looked toward his father. The tears were now heavier on his father’s cheeks.
Jonas began reading his paper to the class. It described his dream and how that dream made him realize what he had to do to preserve the life that he was meant to live.
The room remained deadly quiet after Jonas had finished reading his paper. Suddenly a boy at the back of the classroom stood and began clapping his hands. This was followed by another student. Soon the entire class was standing and applauding.
Jonas looked toward the back of the classroom…and watched his father walk out.
At the end of the class period, Jonas and Keith headed for the door. As they entered the hallway, Jonas looked up and saw his father across the heads of the kids moving toward their next class. He stopped and waited for the crowd to thin, still watching his father. The man had his arms folded across his chest, and the tears were still in his eyes.
As the crowd thinned, Jonas made his way across the hallway to his father. Keith watched him leave, but did not follow.
The closer that Jonas got to his father, the more his own tears began to silently flow.
Jonas’ father unfolded his arms as he watched his son approach.
Jonas stopped within a few feet of his dad. His lips were quivering again as he saw the pain in his dad’s eyes.
“Dad, I’m so…”
“Stop,” his father said as he held up the palm of his hand toward Jonas.
“Don’t say anything Jonas. It’s my turn.”
Jonas began to shake.
His dad sniffed a couple of times before he could speak.
“Jonas, I must have just missed you this morning when I got home. I had time, so I decided that I’d go to your class and hear you read your paper. And I’m glad I did.”
Jonas’ father looked over at Keith for a moment before turning his attention back toward his son.
“Jonas, I have never been as proud of you as I am today. I didn’t realize what anguish you must have been going through. It is I who needs to apologize to you for not always being there in the way you needed me to be. I am really sorry for that.”
Jonas flew into his dad’s outstretched arms, the man and boy bringing back the togetherness that they both so wanted.
Keith walked over to father and son, and stood behind Jonas. Jonas turned to look at him and then back at his dad.
“Well, are you going to introduce me to this young man?”
Author’s Comments:
I apologize to Charles Dickens for using a theme from one of his stories, A Christmas Carol. Great composers use themes from other composers as authors also use ideas from other authors. Charles Dickens was one of the masters, and I have nothing but admiration for his creative genius.
I must also thank Colin Kelly and Anthony Camacho for their many hours of work in editing this story. I am indebted to them.
Richard Norway
Editor’s Comments:
Richard submitted Oliver as his entry in the AwesomeDude 2012 ‘Coming Out’ Short Story Challenge. Codey’s World author DesDownUnder was the judge for the Challenge. He selected Oliver as the winner, and the following is what he wrote about the winning story:
I’ve now read all the stories in the challenge and found them all excellent.
Oliver, however, is a stand out for me because it touches on the human condition
in a most universal way with profound meaning for life itself.
Warning: Spoiler ahead
Richard, there is no need to apologize for using Dicken’s template of
A Christmas Carol, you aren’t the first and you won’t be the last.
(I confess to doing it myself in my A Christmas for Carol story.)
The sheer creativity in Oliver displaces any idea that it is merely an adaptation of Dicken’s work. It is so much more.
Oliver is not just a ‘coming out’ tale. It is a ‘coming together’ story: the unification of youth’s evolving potential, and the discovery of what it means to let ourselves and each other be who we are. The way that Richard exposes the cultural pressures on Jonas to be other than who he is, is done with superb restraint and subtlety, relegating the drama to creating the atmosphere of a storm that was never as bad as it might have been.
The anticipation of the human drama is never less, or more, than it should be, but it manages to suggest the value of confrontation with self-discovery.
I cannot allow Richard’s work to go unpunished, so I am awarding him my appreciation award for writing a story that contributes to our understanding of
the human condition in life, love and coming out. Well done, Richard!
Desdownunder
Awarded to
for his outstanding revelation of
the mysteries and evolution
of sanity in Coming Out
in his story,
If you enjoy reading this story, please let me know! Authors thrive by the feedback they receive from readers. It's easy: just click on the email link at the bottom of this page to send me a message. Say “Hi” and tell me what you think about ‘Oliver’ — Thanks.
This story and image are Copyright © 2010-2019 by Richard Norway. They cannot be reproduced without express written consent. Codey's World web site has written permission to publish this story and use the images. No other rights are granted.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
This story may contain occasional references to minors who are or may be gay. If it were a movie, it would be rated PG (in a more enlightened time it would be rated G). If reading this type of material is illegal where you live, or if you are too young to read this type of material based on the laws where you live, or if your parents don't want you to read this type of material, or if you find this type of material morally or otherwise objectionable, or if you don’t want to be here, close your browser now. The author neither condones nor advocates the violation of any laws. If you want to be here, but aren’t supposed to be here, be careful and don't get caught!
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The compound consists of 156 apartments divided into two blocks including 1 + 1 to 1 + 3 models. All apartments have a balcony or terrace plus 16 commercial offices and shops.
The total area of the compound is 5500 m2.
The project has a cinema and an electronic games room.
The compound is in a lively area because of its proximity to many public and private universities such as the University of Kemerburgaz, and is also close to the important exhibition city next to Ataturk Airport.
The compound is only 10 minutes from Güneşli Park and Mall 212, and is only 3 km from Mall of Istanbul and Arena Park Mall .
As for the hospital, the project area is very serviced which includes MEDICANA Specialist Hospital, Erdem Hospital and many other public and private hospitals.
The compound is close to Ataturk Airport, just 7 km away, and is just a 3-minute drive from the airport.
The compound features many 5-star hotels including Wyndham Grand Istanbul Levent, Hilton, Devan and others.
There is a metro station about 10 minutes away from Kirazlı station, which leads to Topkapi, the city center and the line between Kirazlı and Başakşehir.
In addition to the existence of a metro station that is under construction and only ten minutes away, which will add investment value to the project which will be a factor that increases the prices of properties in the future.
Real estate taxes in Turkey
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DWI & Criminal Law Glossary
Following is a list of terms related to DWI law
A court hearing where either the prosecutor or defense wishes to inform the judge of some fact or circumstance (i.e. the defense wishes to inform the judge that the defendant would like to withdraw a former plea of not guilty and enter a plea of guilty.)
Blood alcohol content is the amount of alcohol present in a 100 milliliter (mL) volume of blood. For example 80 mg is 0.08 grams, 0.08 grams of alcohol in 100 mLs is written as 0.08%. In other words, 80 mg% is equal to 0.08% which is equal to 80 mg/dL (deciliter; 100 mLs). This value can also be described as 0.08 BAC.
A laboratory test that directly measures the percentage of alcohol content in the blood drawn.
A promise to appear in court, which often includes a guarantee of money, and which is required for a person who has been arrested to get out of jail while waiting to resolve the case. (Sometimes called bail or a bail bond.)
Burn Off
Determination of how fast the body can eliminate alcohol from the system through the organs of our body. This varies from person to person depending on many factors, such as weight, age and more.
The formal statement that details what the arrested person is accused of doing. A charge may be brought by an information, which is a sworn statement filed in court by a prosecutor; or by an indictment, which is filed by a grand jury.
The person who is accused of committing a crime.
Testimony, physical objects, or other items that either the prosecutor or the defense wishes to introduce in court during a hearing or a trial.
Information and Indictment
The two types of documents that may be used to state the charge or charges against the defendant.
Missouri Implied Consent Law
In 1964, Missouri passed the state’s first “Implied Consent” law. Under that law, everyone who operates a motor vehicle in Missouri impliedly consents to giving a blood, breath, saliva or urine sample to determine the alcohol content of their blood if arrested upon reasonable grounds to believe they were driving a motor vehicle while in an intoxicated or drugged condition. Failure to take the test results in the revocation of the driver’s license.
Either a plea of not guilty by the defendant, or a verdict of not guilty from a judge or jury after a trial. A verdict of not guilty means that the defendant is considered under the law to have not committed the crime charged.
Either a plea of guilty by the defendant, or a verdict of guilty from a judge or jury after a trial. A plea or verdict of guilty means that the defendant is considered under the law to have committed the crime charged.
Twelve citizens chosen from the community who hear evidence presented by the prosecutor and then decide whether the case is suitable for a trial. Grand jury meetings are held in private and are not open to the public.
(Petit) Jury
Twelve citizens chosen from the community who are asked questions to determine if they can be fair, who hear the evidence in a trial and decide what to believe, whether to vote guilty or not guilty, and sometimes decide a punishment.
A court proceeding where a judge hears evidence to decide whether the case is suitable for a trial. If arrested for a felony, the defendant has a right to a preliminary hearing unless he/she waives that right, or unless the prosecutor takes the case to a grand jury.
An alternative to a fine, jail time, or prison time. The judge may set conditions of probation, and the probation may be supervised by the court or by a probation officer. Violation of probation may result in the revocation of probation and having to pay a fine or spend time in jail or prison.
The lawyer for the State of Missouri.
The length of time in prison or in jail that is imposed on the defendant by the judge upon a finding of guilty. In some cases, the sentence is set by the jury. For some crimes, the sentence can be a fine instead of time in jail.
Suspended Imposition of Sentence (SIS)
A suspended imposition of sentence (SIS) is essentially a probation period (with the possibility of avoiding a conviction) following a plea or finding of guilty. For example, if a person pleads guilty to a Class B misdemeanor charge of DWI and receives a 24 month SIS, the Court is requiring the defendant to stay out of trouble for the next 24 months. If the defendant stays out of trouble, the defendant avoid a criminal conviction and the record is sealed. This disposition will not appear on the defendant’s driving record. If, on the other hand, the defendant is charged or convicted of another misdemeanor of felony (usually not minor traffic offenses though), the Court can revoke the defendant’s probation and put the defendant in jail or prison (depending on the nature of the crime). If probation is revoked, the DWI will be converted into a conviction and it will now appear on the defendant’s criminal record and driving record.
Suspended Execution of Sentence (SES)
A suspended execution of sentence (SES) is a conviction with a stay on all or part of the imposed jail or prison sentence. In other words, if a judge sentences the defendant to 90 days in jail, but then says that he or she will not order the execution of the sentence and instead places the defendant on probation, this is an SES disposition. During the defendant’s probation, he must avoid being charged or convicted of another misdemeanor or felony (usually not minor traffic offenses though). In the event the defendant is charged or convicted of another offense, the Court can revoke the defendant’s probation and send the defendant to jail for his original 90 day sentence. Upon the successful completion of the probation period, the defendant will still have a conviction for the underlying offense, but the defendant will have avoided serving any jail time.
Voir Dire
The process of questioning potential jurors to determine if they can be fair.
Waive
To voluntarily give up a right.
Breath Test Refusal
DWI Helpful Links
DWI FAQs
St. Louis Suspended License Lawyer
Five (5) and Ten (10) Year License Denials
Points for Alcohol-Related Traffic Convictions
Prescription & Non-Prescription Drugs
Mandatory Education and Counseling Programs
DWI – Alcohol
Insurance (SR-22) Requirements
Vehicle Ignition Interlock Devices
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The Constitutional Liberty Party
by The Constitutional Liberty Party in Wolverhampton, England, United Kingdom
Not quite
Unfortunately this project was not successful.
Raising Money for a new Centrist Libertarian Political Party
C_L_Party
The primary goal of leading a political party, similarly, with any leadership role, is the ability to see the bigger picture, outline a solution to address all concerns while ensuring the leadership vision and an effective roadmap will benefit everybody. An important part of this is to first understand the problems, liaise with those affected and acting in the best interests of all. It is vitally important, any democratically elected leadership should not only understand these issues, but also have a clear vision to remedy the problems.
The Constitutional Liberty Party will address a variety of issues, whether that’s the rising cost of living, reduction in employment prospects, a reliable and working health system or the lack of affordable and good quality housing. These constantly evolving pressures, in growth and complexity, have been continually failed by previous governments with a mostly neutral and indecisive opposition.
The Constitutional Liberty Party will implement a departure from the legacy political climate with a new breed of leaders to represent their constituents and implement a new vision with an innovative approach that works for everyone, one been lacking from the political and economic climate thus far.
As the only party that will do just that, we will make the promises, and stand by those promises and to ensure that the citizens of United Kingdom as individuals and as a nation, thrive and prosper equally, not only domestically, but on an international level.
The UK Economy, currently heading towards fiscal instability. The fine line between Government and Corporations has become questionable through joint sponsored state policy, while acting as a residual bulwark to national prosperity, and predicted to produce only a 1.3% Growth in 2018, down from 1.8% in 2017 and 1.9% in 2016. The restrictive political offering has produced the unnecessary extremism and resulting division in the UK that plagues us today.
The Constitutional Liberty Party, typically with most requirements, was born out of necessity. The continued observation and experience of constant and mostly unnecessary pressures and challenges presented by various governments and political constitutionalists over the years, gave rise to the idea of an alternative, to ensure the delivery of a new vision for a real and sustainable economic goal to deliver prosperity for the UK and its citizens.
The only way to deliver the Constitutional Liberty Party vision, is to install a forward-thinking Government that is as innovative as it is proactive. Simply put, the Constitutional Liberty Party will be a forward-thinking government, promoting fairness and integrity, to deliver a real and sustainable goal for the UK. Acting promptly to remedy looming issues and arising concerns, whether that be the lack of affordable housing or the growing strain on the NHS.
We will work to reinstate the international standing of the United Kingdom on a global scale as the best place to do business, firstly we will transform the time it takes to launch, operate and invest in new businesses, transform and automate the revenue system, to ensure everybody pays their fair share, help small businesses by reducing the Corporation Tax and increasing employment prospects, while taxing larger companies more and changing the tax policy to prevent tax avoidance and offshore ‘safe havens’.
We will implement and lead the way with the National Skills Regeneration Programme (NSRP) to prepare our country for the future of work while preventing unnecessary unemployment and diminishing living standards that lead to poverty.
With a forthcoming research paper, we will make homelessness illegal, where no private landlord, or a local authority, will be allowed to make anyone homeless, and we will further prevent the causes and re-occurrences of Poverty in the UK with a legislative Homelessness and Poverty Eradication (HoPE) Programme being rolled out to all Local Authorities in the UK.
We will prepare our economy for the technological wind change in skills and employment, by implementing the national programme, to train and place into employment, emerging and shortfall industry requirements, for careers such as Automation, AI and Machine Learning, while helping the NHS and the Education system with separate initiatives to place more home-grown medical and teaching staff into education and the health service while ensuring there is a real and adequate pay rise for public sector staff of 3.6% immediately.
This will allow a Constitutional Liberty Party Government to permanently eliminate our unnecessary staff shortages and the avoidable A&E waiting times while reducing admission delays and hospital waiting lists.
The Constitutional Liberty Party has one simple and achievable goal, with fairness and transparency, we will lead the country into the next phase of our evolution. We will aim to reboot the economic engine from its current and stagnant 1.3% growth to 2.8%.
The Constitutional Liberty Party, will be the only Political Party to publish and make publicly available, all the Party’s election and campaign expenditure via a dedicated site for the sole purpose of transparency.
The Constitutional Liberty Party will further ensure that the party itself, its members, political candidates, its members of parliament and internal staff adhere to the strictest code of conduct in line with Public Interest, to promote Transparency, Equality, Fairness, and above all, National Interest.
For more information, go to our website www.clparty.uk, or email us at info@clparty.uk
This project offers rewards in return for your donation.
£36 or more
Local Executive Committee Membership (annual)
LEC (Local Executive Committee) Membership, at the cost of £3 per month, will allow members to have a say and vote in local issues and policies affecting their constituents. LEC members will join the Local Executive Committee and share their views and votes at LEC Conferences and gatherings.
Regional Executive Committee Membership (annual)
REC Membership REC (Regional Executive Committee) Membership, at the cost of £5 per month, will allow members to have a say and vote in regional issues outside their constituency and policies affecting their constituents. REC members will join the Regional Executive Committee and share their views and votes at REC Conferences and gatherings.
National Executive Committee Membership (annual)
NEC Membership NEC (National Executive Committee) Membership, at the cost of £7 per month, will allow members to have a say and vote in national issues of importance outside their constituency and national policies affecting their constituency and the party including manifesto pledges, generally. NEC members will join the National Executive Committee and share their views and votes at NEC Conferences and gatherings
Got an idea like this?
Our crowd has raised over £60 million for bright ideas and good causes.
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Royal Caribbean Inks Deal for Third Icon Class Ship for 2025 Delivery
Royal Caribbean Cruises today announced that it has entered into an agreement with shipbuilder Meyer Turku to order a third Icon-class ship powered by LNG for delivery in 2025, according to a statement.
The ship will join its two sister ships – to be delivered in 2022 and 2024, respectively.
"We are thrilled to announce the newest addition to our Icon-class fleet that affirms our commitment to clean-power technologies at sea," said Richard Fain, Chairman and CEO, Royal Caribbean Cruises. "We've designed a class of ships powered by liquefied natural gas that leverages the latest, environmentally-friendly applications. We believe that innovative shipbuilding can reduce our carbon footprint and boost energy efficiencies to help to build a cleaner future."
"These are exciting times for Royal Caribbean, and we have an incredible partner in Meyer Turku to bring to life now three vessels of what will be a remarkable class of ships," said Michael Bayley, President and CEO, Royal Caribbean International. "Building on our vision with the addition of a third order is a testament to our confidence in the innovative design and energy-efficient technology and engineering that will, without a doubt, make Icon class a game changer."
"We are very thankful to Royal Caribbean for their confidence in the Icon ship design and our ability to build such an exceptional ship even before the first Icon is delivered," said Jan Meyer, CEO, Meyer Turku.
This order is contingent upon financing.
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Nuuk (Greenlandic for “The Cape”) is Greenland’s capitol, its largest municipality, and one of the largest towns in the Arctic region. Nuuk was founded by Norwegian missionary Hans Egede in 1728 and was originally named “Godthab”. With a population of approximately 13,500 the town is also the center of trade, shipping, industry, education, and administration for Greenland. In 1847 the Greenland Teachers College was built and today the town is also home to “Ilisimatusarfik” (University of Greenland). Most of the largest industries are headquartered in the town as well as the Greenland Cultural Center, the Institute of Natural Resources, Greenland’s Parliament, Law Court, the National Library, and the National Museum.
Atuagkat
Store selling books, magazines and other print media about Greenland and the Arctic. Publications are listed by topics and may be ordered online.
Royal Greenland
Producer of cold water prawns specializing in fishing and processing quality seafood. Provides a corporate profile, description of products, fish recipes, and contact details.
Nuuk Tourism
Information about accommodations and tours in the capital, whale watching, tours to the ice cap, to a settlement and visits to the home rule government.
Information about scheduled domestic and International flights, booking information, fixed wing and helicopter charter services, air cargo services and air fleet information.
Royal Arctic Line
Provides marine transportation, Arctic exploration and supply services, Greenland to Denmark marine routes, coastal marine passenger and exploration services.
Weather Underground - Nuuk
Current weather conditions and short-term forecasts.
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Telecommunications & Software
Service Resource Management Services
Inventory Control and Management
Inventory Control Services
Baseline Fixed Asset Inventory
Data Standards Development
The DataField Solution
Working at DataField
How IBM’s Quad9 service protects users from accessing malicious websites
The company says the new DNS service will block visits to harmful sites while protecting users' privacy. https://www.techrepublic.com/videos/video-ibms-new-dns-was-designed-with-privacy-as-the-top-priority/ IBM recently partnered with Packet Clearing House (PCH) and the Global Cyber Alliance (GCA) to create Quad9, a DNS service that protects a user's privacy. TechRepublic's Dan Patterson met with IBM X-Force Red's Paul Griswold to discuss [...]
By DataField|2017-11-29T18:10:51+00:00November 29th, 2017|Uncategorized|0 Comments
AWS to increase enterprise security with private endpoint option
The new AWS PrivateLink feature lets SaaS developers build private endpoints to access the service. https://www.techrepublic.com/videos/video-how-to-overcome-employee-resistance-to-new-cybersecurity-policies/ Amazon Web Services (AWS) will let Software as a Service (SaaS) application developers offer private endpoints, the company announced at re:Invent Tuesday. Through AWS PrivateLink, users will be able to access third-party SaaS applications without sharing their Virtual Private Cloud [...]
Firefox Breach Alerts will warn users if they visit a hacked site
A new prototype extension for Firefox will alert an internet user if the website they land on has been breached. https://www.techrepublic.com/videos/how-to-force-firefox-to-forget-your-browser-history/ A new prototype extension for Mozilla Firefox aims to alert users if their personal data has been leaked in a data breach, according to a GitHub repository. The feature, called Breach Alerts, will use the [...]
Android users: Google is collecting your location data even if location services are off
As long as you're accessing the internet on an Android device, Google can figure out where you are, a new Quartz investigation found. https://www.techrepublic.com/videos/video-everything-business-needs-to-know-about-android-8-oreo/ Android phones are collecting users' location information, even when location services are disabled, according to an investigation by Quartz. Android devices can gather location data and send it to Google even when [...]
By DataField|2017-11-21T22:07:32+00:00November 21st, 2017|Uncategorized|0 Comments
The future of cyberwar: Weaponised ransomware, IoT attacks and a new arms race
Now that cyberwarfare is out of the shadows, here's a taste of what is coming next. https://www.techrepublic.com/videos/video-hackers-are-stealing-data-from-critical-infrastructure/ After at least a dozen years in the shadows, cyberwarfare is gradually emerging into daylight. While cyber weapons were mostly developed and used by intelligence agencies as part of secret missions, they are now becoming an acknowledged military option during [...]
Cybersecurity predictions for 2018: it’s going to be “a lot more of the same”
Forcepoint's Richard Ford predicts the types of cyberattacks that might plague businesses in the upcoming year. https://www.techrepublic.com/videos/video-four-big-cybersecurity-predictions-for-2018/ When it comes to defending cyberattacks, "this has been a tough year, and 2018 is going to be a tougher year," according to Richard Ford, chief scientist at Forcepoint. TechRepublic's Dan Patterson met with Ford to discuss what [...]
Don’t click that! How to spot an invoice impersonation attack that pretends to be from a coworker
Invoice impersonation attacks are on the rise, attempting to download malware that steals victims' credentials. https://www.techrepublic.com/videos/video-how-protect-your-employees-from-phishing-and-pretexting-attacks/ Finance workers are seeing a wave of phishing attacks that send victims a link to a fake invoice that appears to come from a trusted party, according to a new threat spotlight report from security firm Barracuda Networks. These emails don't [...]
Report: 77% of companies say IoT has created ‘significant’ security gaps
The majority of companies cannot identify all of the Internet of Things devices connected to their network, according to a new ForeScout report. https://www.techrepublic.com/videos/strategies-for-improving-data-security-for-iot-devices/ While the Internet of Things (IoT) has allowed businesses to become more connected, it has also opened up a host of security concerns and anxieties for IT and business leaders, according [...]
By DataField|2017-11-20T19:18:14+00:00November 8th, 2017|Uncategorized|0 Comments
5 ways to build your company’s defense against a data breach before it happens
Data breaches can be chaotic and stressful episodes. Learn the most effective actions you can take to help plan for these turbulent events. https://www.techrepublic.com/videos/video-interview-how-to-make-your-company-resilient-to-cyber-threats/ Suffering a data breach can be catastrophic for a company — and the people who work there. The realization that security controls have failed and the focus will now be on [...]
Why UN cybercrime chief calls attacks an economic issue
Companies don't just lose valuable information after experiencing a cyberattack, they lose the public's trust as well. "This impacts people's lives," says the UN's Neil Walsh. https://www.techrepublic.com/videos/video-how-institutional-cyber-attacks-undermine-trust/ There isn't a day that goes by where we don't see a company or government losing an enormous amount of data, according to Neil Walsh, Chief of the [...]
By DataField|2017-11-20T19:18:14+00:00November 3rd, 2017|Uncategorized|0 Comments
7575 Huntington Park Dr
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Navajo presidential hopeful had to choose new running mate
Navajo Nation presidential candidate Joe Shirley Jr. thanks his constituents at the sports center in Window Rock, Ariz. Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2018. Current Navajo Nation Vice President Jonathan Nez and former tribal President Shirley are the top two finishers in Tuesday's primary election. They will face off in the November general election. (Cayla Nimmo/AP Photo)
FELICIA FONSECA, Associated Press
Originally Published: September 4, 2018 7:39 p.m.
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — A former two-term Navajo president seeking to recapture the office was forced to pick another vice presidential candidate Tuesday after discovering his earlier choice wasn't eligible because he isn't registered to vote.
Joe Shirley Jr., who left the presidency in 2011, announced the selection of high school principal Peter Deswood III as his running mate at a press conference Tuesday in the tribal capital of Window Rock. A banner behind the podium already had their names printed on it.
But as the deadline neared for Shirley to record his choice with the tribe's election office, officials told the campaign Deswood was listed as an inactive voter. He last registered in 2015 but was purged from the voter rolls because he did not cast a ballot in the last two consecutive major elections as required by tribal law, said Murray Lee of the election office. The purge affected more than 55,000 voters, not all of whom re-registered.
Shirley later chose Buu Van Nygren, a 31-year-old operations trainer for a national construction company who is from the Utah portion of the reservation, as his running mate.
Nygren has bachelor's and master's degrees from Arizona State University. Nygren said he understands the needs of the youth because he's a recent college graduate and the needs of the elderly because he grew up without running water or electricity and speaks fluent Navajo.
"My biggest strength is being able to work with people, understand people and go out in the community, being able to communicate with elders and youth," he said. "My biggest struggle was being a Utah, northern representative."
Shirley, of Chinle, Arizona, faces current Vice President Jonathan Nez in the Nov. 6 general election. The two beat out 16 others in a record field of candidates to win the primary, with Nez getting more than twice as many votes as Shirley.
The reservation is the country's largest at 27,000 square miles in Utah, New Mexico and Arizona. Candidates typically choose a running mate from another state to broaden their voter base.
Nez bucked the tradition in picking Myron Lizer, who oversees Ace Hardware stores on the reservation. Both are from Arizona.
Nez credited Lizer for his management skills, bringing people together and guiding Navajos in financial literacy. He called Lizer a "great, bright individual" who can help improve the tribe's economy and encourage young, educated Navajos to return to the reservation.
"I met Mr. Lizer a few times throughout my tenure, and he has always challenged leaders to have the Navajo Nation be business friendly," Nez said.
Lizer is a graduate of Window Rock High School and earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. He previously worked as an accountant for the Southern Ute Indian Tribe. He and his wife Dottie have three children.
"I bought into this ticket with the mindset of politics," he said. "And the definition I've long held is the ability to influence someone's decisions, not through coercion or through sleight of hand but being mindful and holding to disciplines that add fruit to your tree."
Nez said he and Lizer would continue campaigning as he did before the primary — visiting communities on and off the reservation and listening to Navajo people.
Deswood said he would support Shirley in the election.
Deswood said he did not recall being notified by election officials that his name would be removed from the voter rolls. He said he wasn't able to make it to his home chapter in Upper Fruitland, New Mexico, to vote in the primary election or might have discovered then he wasn't registered.
"I feel bad right now about this whole thing because I worked hard to get to this point," he said in an interview.
He later apologized to supporters in a Facebook post for "letting the Navajo people down.
"However, I promise that I will continue to do my part as an informed citizen, voter and educator who is committed to bettering our nation," he wrote.
Voter registration for the tribe's general election opens Monday.
Seasoned politicians face off in Navajo presidential race
Navajo presidential candidates to pick running mates
Navajo Nation allows members to vote after ballot shortage
Navajo court rules in favor of former two-term president
Navajos seek court order to fix signatures on early ballots
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They are women, hear them roar: DLHS students film ‘Laker Live’ segment on women’s empowerment
By Vicki Gerdes on Dec 5, 2018 at 10:13 a.m.
Detroit Lakes High School students (from left) Justine Lawrence, Sidney Lundberg, Anneka Lindstrom and Cora Okeson recently created a video segment on "Women's Empowerment" for the school's newsmagazine, "Laker Live." (Vicki Gerdes / Tribune)2 / 2
Women's empowerment is an idea that has been around since at least the late 19th century, when the female half of the world's population first began seeking the right to vote. In the 1970s, the movement reached a crescendo, as radio-friendly anthems like Helen Reddy's "I Am Woman" and Aretha Franklin's "R.E.S.P.E.C.T." hit the airwaves.
In the past few years of the 21st century, however, the empowerment of women has taken on renewed resonance, as girls and women around the globe began to fight back in earnest, and speak out publicly — and loudly — against such issues as body shaming, sexual harassment and abuse, gender stereotyping and wage inequality.
This fall, four members of Mary Kvebak's mass media class at Detroit Lakes High School added their voices — and those of about 100 other girls and women at the school — to the chorus, by creating a short segment on "Women's Empowerment" for the school's "Laker Live" video newsmagazine.
Taking their cue from Brynn Elliott's song, "You Might Not Like Me," Cora Okeson, Anneka Lindstrom, Sidney Lundberg and Justine Lawrence began talking to female students and staff across the district, asking them to hold up one of a series of positively-themed posters and say the words out loud: "I Am Strong." "I Am Different." "I Am Brave." "I Am Unique." "I Am Silly.
"I Am Awesome." "We Are Strong, Independent Women."
"There's probably at least 100 people on there," said Lindstrom.
"We wanted to include everybody," Lundberg explained.
"They're all different grades and ages," Okeson added.
"And there's teachers in it, too," Lawrence said.
They filmed these short segments and put them together with some video footage of girls competing in various sports like gymnastics, swimming and golf to create the segment, which uses Elliott's song as the soundtrack.
"Our teacher (Kvebak) brought the song to us, and we thought it was a good idea (to use it)," Lundberg said.
The song is about a romantic breakup, but it turns the genre on its head a bit, confronting the man with his insecurity: "If you don't like girls that are faster than you, and if you don't like girls that are stronger than you, and if you don't like girls that are smarter than you... you might not like me."
So the words on each poster "have a positive message," Lawrence said.
"They focus on what girls are most insecure about," added Okeson — i.e., their looks, their brains, their athleticism — and how they should be proud of who they are.
"The idea was to show our young girls, from elementary to adult age, that your self esteem and self worth isn't dependent upon what anyone else thinks of you," Kvebak explained. "The girls did a great job of showcasing so many different women and girls in the school, and using them to promote the idea that our students should believe in themselves and build each other up."
"Some of them asked for specific posters," Lundberg said, "and some also said which ones they didn't want.
For instance, posters like "I Am Beautiful" and "I Am Smart" were less popular than those that said things like "I Am Strong" or "I Am Silly," because the girls didn't want to come across as conceited.
"It was funny to see all the different reactions," Lawrence said.
The finished video, on the other hand, seemed to draw mostly positive feedback.
"A lot of the girls were really happy to have been in it," said Lundberg.
"And even the ones who didn't want to be in it at first were happy they did it," Lindstrom added.
To view the Laker Live video on self esteem, go to the link at the top of this story.
All Laker Live segments are also archived on YouTube, using the tag @DLLakerLive.
Explore related topics:NewseducationLifeWaveDetroit Lakeswomen's empowermentLaker Livevideo productiondetroit lakes high school
Vicki Gerdes
Staff writer at Detroit Lakes Newspapers for the past 18-plus years, currently editor of the entertainment and community pages as well as covering city council and the Detroit Lakes School Board.
vgerdes@dlnewspapers.com
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Still keeping the faith and spreading the Word
Around 1800 children and young people attend Scripture Union camps each year.
Jerzy Morkis
Published: 16:39 Updated: 16:51 Wednesday 09 August 2017
Scripture Union Scotland, often referred to as simply SU Scotland, has been part of Scotland’s life and culture for 150 years. Founded in 1867 as a non-denominational body making the Gospel inviting and accessible to the young, chief executive Andy Bathgate explains that its work still retains its relevance and is finding a new resonance in these troubled times.
From where the organisation stands now, was there a “golden age” for Scripture Union Scotland?
Chief Executive Andy Bathgate.
We do look back to a period in the 1950s, ‘60s and into the ‘70s where some of the foundations were laid for today’s work. There were a group of quite remarkable individuals who established SU Scotland as group to be trusted and which children really enjoyed being part of.
Are young Scots still receptive to your work?
The answer is a resounding ‘yes’ as we work with schools in line with Curriculum for Excellence and seek to serve schools rather than just fulfil our agenda. We have many more opportunities in and with schools than we can handle – to take assemblies, to run out-of-school-time SU clubs, to bring Bible Alive presentations, to accommodate schools on residential breaks at our centres. Then we still have around 1800 children and young people coming to our camps each year and help run 30 or so missions with churches on an annual basis. So, we feel now is a great timefor the work of SU Scotland!
You operate in over 130 countries worldwide. What is the range of your work?
The outdoors is very much part of the camp experience.
The work of SU has common features and huge variety. The common threads are a commitment to encourage people of all ages to read the Bible and a passion to make Jesus known to children and young people. In some places, that means working with street children in Peru, child soldiers in the Congo, or children isolated because of their special needs, as in Russia. Sports ministry forms the core of work in SU Canada while in the former communist state of Ukraine there is increasing openness from schools, previously closed to all Christian input, to hear presentations of the true meaning of Christmas and Easter.
Is Scotland still a significant location?
We are still one of the strongest of the 130 SU movements and people from around the globe will often come to visit to see us in action.
We are an older and more stable movement with a role to play in encouraging development worldwide – but we want to keep growing and developing ourselves.
Young people, despite changing times, are still looking for answers to questions about life.
Are there areas that are showing signs of increasing support?
A growing commitment to the disadvantaged is reflected in the work of Junction 12 (J12 includes a drop in but the work is much wider than that) which includes a drop-in located in an old shop and the Ferrywell Project in Edinburgh, but also in the fact that the response to our annual appeal for SU Holiday (camp) sponsorship grew significantly a few years back and in the face of economic uncertainty has remained at that level. This enables many children and young people to enjoy an SU Holiday who could not otherwise afford it. This It reflects the generous-heartedness of our supporters but also the increased focus we have given to reaching out to those who could easily be forgotten.
How has SU had to evolve over the years, given the growth in multi-culturalism?
We hope we are constantly evolving; not changing the essential message about Jesus’ life, death and resurrection but certainly thinking how best to present it in a rapidly changing environment.
Recent years have seen dramatic changes in our communication and culture, how have you kept pace?
We are very aware of changing habits – we are in much more image-based culture where sound-bites rather than sustained argument are to the fore. We try therefore to harness modern technology without diluting what we want to say. But there is also, thankfully, significantly increased awareness of groups who have been more hidden in the past – those with additional support needs (ASN), children disadvantaged through poverty and those from other religious backgrounds. We are trying to make our activities accessible and relevant is reflected in a variety of ways – the asylum seekers enjoying our camps; the children and young people with a parent in prison accessing one of our SU Holidays; the ASN group we have formed to keep us alert to where we can improve things. Multi-culturalism is one of many issues to face. We do so with respect for everyone, with the determination that no child will feel coerced or pressured and being entirely open about the Christian ethos of all we do
Church attendances have dropped, forcing all denominations to re-structure, how has SU fared during this period?
As denominations restructure, there is a concern that they become more inward-looking. This is a challenge to us to really live up to our billing to being there to serve the local church and to help them be engaged in mission with children and young people. We are so grateful for the support we receive from local churches and the positive feedback we get from church leaders on the impact they see in their young people involved with SU. Recently a church leader talked to me about five young people in his church who he baptised. The common factor between the five was that SU had played a major part in coming to faith in Christ. So, this restructuring has not caused major limitations on our work.
Has it become harder to illustrate the relevance of the Gospels to young people?
It has never been an easy task to speak about God to people in our society who think they are doing pretty well without God but surveys illustrate that younger people are interested to know what answers are out there to questions about life and the Christian gospel stands up in that context.
In what are really quite ‘troubled times’ are more families turning to the SU message, and encouraging their children to join?
We have recently re-instated the idea of a family camp but this time we are working in partnership with Bethany Christian Trust which has been hugely beneficial for both organisations and for the families who have attended. These families clearly do feel there is something they as a family need to hear about. In a society in which values need to be established more firmly there is some desire amongst parents that their children learn values that will stand them in good stead for life and look to Christian values as a place to go. Many of the children and young people we attract to our events are encouraged to come by parents or grandparents so we do depend on their willingness to see what we are offering as something positive. Thankfully there are many who do but there is still a great deal of work to be done to help people see that the Christian message is a word of hope in our ‘troubled times’.
Given all the other attractions, and distractions, how do you compete for people’s time?
It’s a challenge, particularly in a culture where technology tends to rule people’s lives. But ‘kids’ still enjoy being ‘kids’. They discover that they can adapt to not being tied to their phones every waking hour when they are at camp – so they enjoy the games, the outdoors, the banter. They find deep and lasting friendships through our activities that (admittedly deepened through Facebook and Instagram etc) mean something to them. These things are attractive to them and they will come back for these.
One of the foundations of your ongoing strategy is ‘boldness’. What does SU mean by that?
It means a lot of things. One is building confidence in young people to be open about their faith and what the Bible says. Too often the culture has made young Christians reticent to speak about following Jesus. Another is being willing to speak up for the spiritual needs of children and young people who can easily be marginalised. It also means boldly sharing our vision and calling others to partner with us in prayer, financial support and volunteering. We might even be bold enough to ask people reading this to consider joining with us in carrying forward the vision from here!
You rely heavily on volunteers and their leadership. Is it difficult to recruit... and retain?
There is always a job to be done here. Thankfully we have a considerable number of regular volunteers who give their time year-after-year to cook at events, to be travel leaders, to lead SU groups... there are always needs and, of course, we need to be building a new generation for the future. People tend to respond to vision so it is our job to cast that vision and to keep affirming people committed to it. Whether younger people will give the same longevity of service as an older generation is up for grabs. The idea of ‘duty’ is quickly being replaced by a ‘what am I getting out of this’ mentality but that is where service to Christ must be taught and reinforced.
Will SU still be here in another 150 years?
Whether the brand of SU continues there will always be a need for a group that focuses on helping children and young people in Scotland explore the Bible and respond to Jesus. So, it may look quite different, but there will be something like SU around in 150 years.
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Former Examiner arts critic David Bonetti dies
by Cynthia Laird
David Bonetti. Photo: Courtesy Amanda Doenitz
David Bonetti, a gay man and former longtime arts critic for the old San Francisco Examiner newspaper, died Wednesday, April 4, in Brookline, Massachusetts. He was 70.
Mr. Bonetti was found in a chair in his apartment, where he'd been listening to music, his younger brother, Gary Bonetti, told the Bay Area Reporter in a phone interview.
His brother said that an exact cause of death had not been determined.
"He lived alone. They were trying to check fire alarm equipment," Bonetti said, adding that building personnel entered the apartment after receiving no response. "He looked peaceful."
Mr. Bonetti had a wide circle of friends in the Bay Area, and visited here every spring. In fact, he had just been in San Francisco last month.
"I was lucky enough to see David on his recent trip to San Francisco and Los Angeles," B.A.R. arts editor Roberto Friedman said. "My partner, George, and I took him to see 'The Death of Stalin,' then to the Pilsner for his beloved martini. He was, as usual, fun, vivacious, full of stories and wisdom. Still can't believe he's gone. On top of everything, David Bonetti had a real talent for friendship."
Gerard Koskovich, a queer historian, said in a Facebook tribute that he met Mr. Bonetti in 1989, shortly after he started work at the Examiner.
"He gave particular attention to queer cultural institutions and queer artists, whose work he took seriously," Koskovich wrote.
Eventually, as the local newspaper profession was downsizing, and after the San Francisco Chronicle bought the Examiner, Mr. Bonetti took a buyout and moved to St. Louis, where he served for seven years as a critic at the Post-Dispatch.
He later took another buyout and moved back to the Boston area. His brother said that Mr. Bonetti had recently been doing freelance work, including as an opera critic for Berkshire Fine Arts, an online publication.
"It is likely that, before or since, Boston has never had a more provocative opera writer," Charles Giuliano wrote in an obituary on that site. "His reviews often included references to performances in San Francisco and gleaned from his trips to Italy. While not an expert or specialist in classical music few could match the richness and color of the writing."
His brother said that being a critic was the "perfect job" for Mr. Bonetti.
"He was a good-humored guy and enjoyed living life fully," Bonetti said. "He was very focused on his work and didn't suffer fools gladly. You better know what you were talking about."
Mr. Bonetti was born April 28, 1947 in Milford, Massachusetts. He went to college at Brandeis University, where he graduated in 1969.
His brother said that he wasn't sure when Mr. Bonetti came out as gay, and that while they weren't close, "we were by no means estranged." He said that Mr. Bonetti was close to his nephews, Andrew and Michael.
In addition to writing, Mr. Bonetti loved to travel, his brother said, and would frequently talk to his nephew Andrew, who also likes to travel.
"He'd been to Italy 12 times over the course of his life," Bonetti said of his brother.
In addition to his brother and nephews, Mr. Bonetti is survived by his sister-in-law, Paula Bonetti.
Bonetti said that memorial arrangements have not yet been made. Mr. Bonetti's West Coast friends are likely to have a celebration of his life.
Bonetti said that in the days since his brother's passing, he has read a lot about him.
"He made quite an impact," he said.
Contact the reporter at c.laird@ebar.com.
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Stepping up Green Financing
Sir Suma Chakrabarti, EBRD President
Organised by Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency
‘Green’ and ‘Growth’ no longer opposites or a trade-off, says EBRD President
Ladies and Gentlemen
It is a great honour to be invited here today.
I’d like to thank Charlotte for giving me this opportunity to come back to Sida itself – and for this chance to speak to you all.
Sweden is one of the EBRD’s firmest friends.
It is not just one of our founding shareholders, with us right from the start of our journey almost 25 years ago.
Sweden is also one of the most generous supporters of our work on sustainable transition, improving living conditions and economic opportunities for countless people. From Morocco on the Atlantic to Mongolia in Central Asia and further onto the Pacific.
Sweden is the largest bilateral donor and an important contributor to our multilateral efforts as well, not least to the Eastern Europe Energy Efficiency and Environment Partnership Fund, also known as E5P. I will return to the subject of E5P later.
In total, Sweden’s contribution to our donor funds to date stands at €242 million. That is a very substantial sum indeed, for which we at the EBRD are immensely grateful.
Our hosts have suggested that I speak to you today on the subject of ‘Stepping up green financing: the EBRD’s Green Economy Transition approach’.
This gives me a great opportunity to reflect on a topic of key strategic importance to the EBRD, both in terms of its record to date and its future.
It is also a topic that addresses one of the great challenges of our time, many would argue the greatest.
And it is no exaggeration to say that the weeks ahead will be crucial for setting the scope and agenda for action, particularly on the climate change front.
These really are momentous times for all of us who are seriously concerned about our planet’s future.
The new Sustainable Development Goals – which commit us all to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy and to take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts, to cite only two relevant targets – have been adopted.
Indeed, the sustainable use of all the planet’s resources is, not surprisingly, one of the major themes of the SDGs as a whole.
And in the coming weeks I hope world leaders will enhance the SDGs with a legally binding and universal agreement on climate change.
I will be there at COP21 in Paris doing all I can to contribute to a successful outcome and clear next steps.
Multilateral development banks such as the EBRD have a major role to play in delivering the SDGs.
We know that and global leaders know that too.
This summer’s G7 Summit declaration called on “MDBs to use to the fullest extent possible their balance sheets… in delivering climate finance and helping countries transition to low carbon economies”.
And a recent letter from the Ministers of Finance of France and Peru invited the EBRD to “initiate a discussion with all shareholders on the possibility to enrich EBRD’s current mandate with a specific ‘transition towards green economy’ strategic pillar which could lead to forward-looking declarations and announcements ahead of COP21”.
That is exactly what we have done.
We are already an acknowledged leader in the field of climate finance. But we are determined to do much more.
So, just days after the SDGs were adopted, we announced a major scaling up of our contribution to the global fight against climate change.
This new Green Economy Transition approach, one unanimously endorsed by our Board of Directors, foresees €18 billion of green financing over the next five years.
That’s as much as we have delivered in this field in the whole of the last decade – and reflects our strategic intent to further scale up our climate finance activity.
The goal is to increase our level of green financing as a percentage of our total annual investments to 40 percent by 2020, up from a target of 25 percent for the strategic period ending this year.
Those are the headline numbers. And very challenging and exciting they are too.
I will come back to them and look at this new Green Economy Transition approach in more detail later on.
But first, I will attempt a brief overview of how we got to where we are today - and highlight how environmental sustainability and action are now a core strategic activity of ours.
The EBRD’s Green Record
I mentioned earlier that we will soon be celebrating our 25th birthday, next spring in fact.
We were founded in 1991 to help build a new post-Cold War era in Central and Eastern Europe and what was soon to become the former Soviet Union.
Right from the start of our history we were committed to furthering progress towards ‘market-oriented economies and the promotion of private and entrepreneurial initiative’.
And as part of that commitment we pledged to promote in the full range of our activities ‘environmentally sound and sustainable development’. This is a direct quote from article 2 of our constitution.
That pledge, as well as the many other goals that inform what we do day to day, was made in the name of ‘transition’.
I hope you all agree with me that, as with other aspects of transition, the shift to an environmentally sustainable economy entails the transformation of markets, behaviours, products and processes.
It also requires the large scale deployment of new technologies and new skills.
That, along with our focus on the private sector and our client-driven business model, is what we specialise in.
Our engagement with the private sector means that we have many different ways of making an environmental impact.
We can work with SMEs and energy-intensive industries. We can make a difference via residential energy efficiency or major utilities.
Working directly with the private sector has also allowed us to leverage a significant amount of private financing for climate purposes.
That client-driven business model combines investment, technical assistance and policy dialogue.
Quite simply, this is what we do, day in day out.
And over the last quarter of a century we have learnt many lessons about getting much better at it.
And yet the truth is that most of the countries where we invest began their transition suffering a significant handicap: the communist era’s legacy of environmental neglect and wasteful energy use.
In spite of significant capital stock transformation during the past 25 years, as well as other improvements, carbon intensity and other environmental standards are still poor.
In what we call the southern and eastern Mediterranean, the new region we work in which includes Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia, the situation is not so very different, although water stress there is also a severe problem.
Market failures to internalise and monetise the cost of environmental damage have only exacerbated this difficult situation.
Yes, significant progress has been made in energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy.
But the pan-European region, together with North America, still has the highest carbon emissions per capita in the world — over five times the limit which would stabilise global warming by 2050.
Some countries of Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia remain among the most carbon intensive economies on the planet.
Fossil fuel subsidies are still high throughout the region. In some transition economies artificially low prices for electricity and heat inevitably result in waste.
Moreover, despite ambitious pledges to reverse the loss of biodiversity, ecosystems remain under threat.
Income growth has been accompanied by deteriorating key environmental indicators, so much so that the pan-European region has the highest ecological footprint of anywhere in the world.
Indeed, most countries in the region are running a bio-capacity deficit; they consume more resources than they have in their territories.
That, ladies and gentlemen, is the backdrop against which we are operating.
That is the scale of the challenge we face.
EBRD’s Sustainable Energy and Resource Initiatives
The commitment to ‘environmentally sound and sustainable development’ was always central to what the EBRD did.
But it became clear that we needed to step up and systemise our approach to such an important part of our identity.
The countries where we invest were shifting their priorities. There was growing attention paid to environmental sustainability at the broader international level as well.
The result was the 2006 launch of our Sustainable Energy Initiative, the SEI. It was later expanded to cover water and materials, as well as energy, within the Sustainable Resource Initiative, or SRI, launched in 2013.
Both SEI and SRI relied on our proven business model, combining finance with technical assistance and policy dialogue to promote energy efficiency, renewables and adaptation projects.
Technical assistance has played a key role here, including a wide range of activity from sustainability financing and market analysis and resource audits to training and awareness-raising.
We recognised the importance of policy dialogue early on. It is no coincidence that the first policy experts in our banking operations department were hired in the climate area.
Our policy dialogue with governments has aimed to support the development of strong institutional and regulatory frameworks, the prerequisite for delivering sustainable resource investments.
The SEI and SRI have been the key strategic and operational instruments for building our climate financing activity - from a pilot in 2006 to a central strategic business area today.
Climate finance is by now core to what we do – and to who we are.
So much so that last year our investment in the field of sustainable resources accounted for more than a third of our total business volume.
Overall, since the launch of SEI in 2006, our total financing in this area has reached more than €18 billion.
We recently celebrated the signing of our 1000th SRI project, a financing package to support the first PVC recycling scheme for a Turkish plastic goods manufacturer.
And our work in this area is not only good for the environment.
A recent review showed that, in terms of transition impact and financial return, the SEI and SRI were the best performing of all our major initiatives.
Sweden has of course been actively involved and instrumental in making these results possible.
Take, for example, E5P, the Eastern Europe Energy Efficiency and Environment Partnership Fund.
It was first proposed during the Swedish presidency of the European Union in 2009.
The first pledging conference for E5P was held here in Stockholm. And it has received pledges of almost €170 million to promote energy efficiency and environmental investments in the Eastern Partnership countries.
We manage the fund on behalf of its many donors seeking, among other objectives, to reduce the energy intensity of Ukraine, Armenia, Georgia and Moldova.
This year we received E5P approval to use €15 million as an investment grant and additional funding directly from Sida to implement the Ukraine Residential Energy Efficiency Financing Facility.
This is a crucial project for Ukraine. Households there have seen dramatic increases in the cost of heating now that the government is phasing out subsidies and bringing tariffs to cost recovery levels.
The facility will provide financial incentives for consumers to take out loans from local commercial banks so that they can invest in energy-saving measures and reduce usage and costs.
Here’s another example of our work with you in Ukraine. Legislation there made it difficult for the private sector to make kindergartens, schools, hospitals and other such buildings more energy efficient.
Local governments were not allowed to enter contractual agreements for longer than a year. And procurement rules stipulated that the lowest bidder, not necessarily the firm guaranteeing the most energy and cost savings, should win the contract.
You, SIDA, helped cover the operational and legal costs of establishing a model law rectifying this state of affairs.
And I am happy to report that the Ukrainian parliament approved the bill for the new law this May.
In the larger scheme of things you could perhaps describe this as an incremental change.
But we should not underestimate the cumulative impact of many, many such changes in many different countries.
Nor the way such reforms can help a country such as Ukraine and its people pave the way for a greener future, one which, among other things, bolsters its energy security.
This brings me to the present - and the future - with the launch of the EBRD’s new Green Economy Transition approach.
I’ve already highlighted our intention to deliver as much green financing in the next five years as we did over the past decade.
This translates into a total of €18 billion, with annual green financing reaching over €4 billion by 2020.
But that is not the whole story.
If you look at our climate finance leveraging to date, we expect to mobilise another €60 billion. And the €60 and €18 billions for a total project value of up to €78 billion. That is the EBRD’s financial statement of intent in this area over the next five years.Given our business model, we would also expect between half and two-thirds of that financing to be in the private sector.
And what of the outcome from all this financing? It will be very significant. We expect the Green Economy Transition to deliver an incremental cumulative Co2 emissions reduction of 50 million tonnes per year by 2020.
How will we get there? What is our understanding of the Green Economy and how will we accelerate the transition to it?
Well, we define a Green Economy as a market economy in which public and private investments are made with a specific concern to minimise the impact of economic activity on the environment.
And where market failures are addressed through improved policy and legal frameworks aiming at:
accounting systematically for the inherent value of services provided by nature,
at managing related risks,
and at catalysing innovation.
In contrast with the launch of the Sustainable Energy Initiative back in 2006, the EBRD is today building on an established structure and model to deliver this scaling-up.
While incremental resources and concessional funds will be needed, our operating model is ready and scalable.
The Green Economy Transition approach is to deliver increased green financing both by growing further its activity in areas in which EBRD already has experience, and by developing new environmental financing areas.
Further growth in existing activities will be developed to meet pent up demand for investment in areas such as:
renewable energy development in the power and industrial sector;
energy efficiency and renewable energy finance for municipal district heating, public transport, water and wastewater and solid waste management networks;
energy and resource efficiency across sectors, including residential and commercial buildings;
infrastructure finance, including energy transmission networks and railways; and
solar energy in the southern and eastern Mediterranean, where we can play an important role in supporting both the shift to a lower carbon economy and a higher share of private sector power generation.
In terms of new activity, there will be a particular focus on developing our adaptation financing activity and supporting the accelerated deployment of innovative technologies.
These could include climate resilience in power and transport infrastructure, irrigation water efficiency and the development of bioenergy.
And we will broaden the environmental scope of what we do to promote the sustainability of natural resources use, combat pollution and protect ecosystems.
That would involve increasing water supply, improving the resilience of groundwater and surface water resources, sustainable agriculture projects and work on rehabilitating contaminated sites.
The Broader Vision
I have outlined the EBRD’s track record in environmental finance and our medium-term vision reflected in the Green Economy Transition approach.
I’ve also paid tribute to the way Sweden and SIDA have made a very tangible contribution to our achievements in this field – for which we are extremely grateful.
First, we really do have a chance to transform the world’s economy for the better – and, with COP 21 fast approaching, the next few weeks will be crucial for that enterprise.
‘Green’ and ‘Growth’ no longer have to be viewed as opposites or a trade-off. They are now two ideas that complement each other.
Even a few years ago, many were reluctant to see the debate in such terms. Green values were perceived as a constraint on, rather than as a potential engine for, growth.
For many reasons, the debate is shifting.
The technology driving green innovation is getting cheaper.
Influential countries are rethinking where they stand on green investments.
Look at China, for example. Mindful of the need to reduce local pollution and reduce its dependence on carbon-based fuels, it now invests more in renewable energy (US $83.3 billion last year alone), than in fossil fuel.
It is also worth pointing out that several of the countries we invest in risk being left behind in this new race for more innovative, resilient and sustainable economic systems.
If both markets and governments fail to recognise and seize the opportunities offered by new technologies and business models, those countries will lag even further behind the rest of the world.
Second, I recognise and appreciate the huge challenges we face if we are to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals relevant to climate and energy.
The market failures and barriers to change in climate finance are well known.
For example, the refusal of most countries to levy a meaningful carbon tax – an honourable exception being Sweden, of course
And the still generous subsidies to fossil fuels in a number of countries in which the EBRD invests.
Such a lack of proper price signals suggests that concessional funding will continue to play a significant role in spurring environmental finance.
The leading role played by Sweden - both in introducing a clear price for carbon and providing concessional funding through bilateral and multilateral channels - is particularly significant here.
Third, and finally, our Green Economy Transition approach reflects the gradual, and in our view inexorable, strengthening of the economic rationale for green investments.
This new calculus is reflected in the scale and ambition of the EBRD’s work to unlock new markets, introduce new technologies and support the growth of private sector environmental finance.
We know from long experience that fostering innovation and private sector entrepreneurship in the green economy in the countries where we work will not just help reduce the costs of environmental damage and climate change.
It can also yield other substantial benefits, among them energy diversification and lessening dependence on fossil fuels.
The recent New Climate Economy report identified three ‘drivers of change’ which need to be harnessed to overcome barriers to low-carbon growth.
They are: raising resource efficiency; infrastructure investment; and stimulating innovation.
Each of them is an EBRD ‘calling card’. Each, in their different way, can be advanced by our new Green Economy Transition approach.
When people ask us to sum up what the EBRD does in just a few words, we say that we invest in changing lives.
More and more, we define the ‘change’ in ‘changing lives’ as the change from a world powered by the inefficient and harmful consumption of fossil fuels to one more sustainable and environmentally sound.
Sweden has long been in the advance guard of the movement towards such a world. And so has the EBRD.
I have every confidence that - together and in partnership with many others - we can do even more to contribute to a better future. A green future.
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Financing Green Infrastructure Investment
Financing for Green Infrastructure Investment
By Olga Rosca
@olgarosca
EBRD President Sir Suma Chakrabarti calls for an enabling environment for green infrastructure.
Now that 175 countries have signed up to last December’s ground-breaking Paris Agreement on climate change, the focus has switched to how pay for the implementation of the accords.
Watch #EBRDam live or on demand
Multilateral Development Banks such as the EBRD have been identified as key players in raising the finance needed to help combat climate change and more broadly to deliver the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that were universally adopted in 2015.
The MDBs are seen as ideally placed to translate the billions of dollars already dedicated to development assistance into the trillions that are required by the new development agenda, especially via the mobilisation and leveraging of private sources of finance.
An event at the EBRD on 10 May, just ahead of the Bank’s 25th Annual Meeting, looked at how to finance green infrastructure investment, bringing together two of the key SDGs: the calls for urgent action to combat climate change and to deliver resilient infrastructure.
In his opening remarks, EBRD President Sir Suma Chakrabarti said: “With 50 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions originating in infrastructure, getting infrastructure investment right can drive sustained growth and prosperity, while also reducing climate risk.”
Green infrastructure is a crucial element in the EBRD regions' transition story, helping to lay the foundations for economic growth while promoting resource, energy, and carbon efficiency and reducing harmful impacts on the environment.
In the last ten years the Bank invested almost €20 billion in over 1000 sustainable energy and resource projects. And the total value of those investments is over €100 billion.
According to Sir Suma, the leveraging effect is perhaps even more important. “For every euro of EBRD’s lending, an additional two euros has been mobilised and catalysed by other financing sources.”
The President also called for the creation of an enabling environment for green infrastructure to thrive in in the countries where the EBRD invests - via a suitable regulatory framework within the financial sector.
Echoing Sir Suma, keynote speaker Simon Zadek of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) stressed that sustainable development can be delivered through action within the financial system.
According to him, there are four reasons to act in the financial system: managing risk (market failures in the financial system can aggravate externalities), promoting innovation (upgrading the standards and regulations required to catalyse investment, for example, in bond markets), strengthening resilience (environmental factors can pose risks to assets and system stability) and ensuring policy coherence (between financial regulation and wider goals, such as long-term investment, access to finance, environmental security).
The event’s major conclusions were:
International standards for green finance, such as for green bonds, must be mainstreamed quickly to be able to scale up investment levels while the reductions in greenhouse gas emissions that the countries have committed to should move beyond politics.
It will take concerted and coordinated efforts by the IFI community to develop a pipeline of green infrastructure projects, building on the IFIs' unique relationships with emerging market governments to leverage and promote green investments.
Continued subsidies for carbon remain a major hurdle, making green alternatives unattractive for investors. The panellists agreed that the world needs to agree a price for carbon, so that “black” projects pay for the pollution and global damage they cause. Once carbon pricing is accepted globally, this will mark a major push for immediate green infrastructure investments.
IFIs must diversify their product range to include credit enhancement for crowding in the massive amounts of institutional investor money available. But these credit enhancement products must be standardised across the MDBs to cut down on complexity and preparation time.
Drawing the conclusions of the two-panel event, Mattia Romani, Managing Director for Economics, Policy and Governance at the EBRD, stressed the need to build on the generational and regulatory shift in infrastructure financing.
On the one hand, millennials and women take more control of how financing is being spent and on the other hand, changing regulations in emerging markets create a more enabling environment for green infrastructure financing.
“We need to act quickly,” he concluded.
Our 2016 Annual Meeting
Media guide to #EBRDam
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Oil & Gas / Middle East
Scots ministers feared Iraq War would dent oil prices
02/01/2019, 12:01 am Updated: 02/01/2019, 6:58 am
A statue of Iraq’s President Saddam Hussein falls in central Baghdad April 9, 2003, pulled down by US troops.
Terrorism, falling oil prices and the effect on tourism were among the forecast impacts on Scotland of the Iraq War discussed by Scottish ministers, newly-released official papers show.
The Scottish cabinet at the time was given a briefing paper on the likely domestic impacts of the war ahead of Westminster voting for military action.
The paper, from February 2003, which was predicated on a “short, military successful war involving British forces, against Iraq”, is among official documents kept secret for 15 years but now made public.
The briefing stressed the need to reassure Muslim residents and prevent the war being used as a pretext for racist attacks in Scotland.
It further warned of the UK-wide threat of a large-scale terrorist attack and that anti-war demonstrations were presenting “significant public order issues”.
Principal likely economic effects outlined in the document were rapid rises in oil prices, instability in financial markets and fluctuations in tourism.
National tourism body VisitScotland forecast a drop in transatlantic visitors but viewed an increase in UK tourists as an opportunity to offset this, and marketing plans were said to have been “prepared accordingly”.
The paper also warned the call-up of medical reservists could cause problems in individual hospitals.
Stressing the need to reassure members of the public, particularly Muslim residents, the briefing stated: “Ministers will wish to make it clear, as after September 11, that the actions being taken by the UK Government in Iraq, and by the police and security services, are not targeted at Muslim residents in general, and should not offer support for racist or other attacks.”
Cabinet meeting minutes also released show then deputy first minister James Wallace, who introduced the briefing paper to ministers, said Scotland was “not immune to the general threat to the UK, but there was no specific threat to Scotland”.
He stressed there could be “no absolute guarantee of safety” but he had been “impressed with the seriousness with which the police were taking the issue”.
The cabinet also discussed a number of apparent security breaches at the Scottish Parliament following anti-war demonstrations in the public gallery.
Following the House of Commons voting in favour of military action in Iraq in March 2003, Scottish Cabinet papers show then first minister Jack McConnell and Mr Wallace planned to visit the Special Intelligence Centre in Glasgow to view contingency arrangements.
The documents also indicate daily security briefings took place.
New executive pay transparency rules go live
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Dismissal for discussing religion with patients fair
A nurse’s dismissal for discussing religion with patients after management told her not to was fair. Although an employee has the right to manifest their religion, including through teaching, this does not extend to inappropriate promotion or proselytising of their beliefs. Employers may dismiss employees who seek to promote their religious beliefs at work but only where the employee acts inappropriately. An employee will be acting inappropriately if they ignore a reasonable management instruction.
Nurse ignores management instruction not to discuss religion with patients
Ms Kuteh is a Christian. She worked as a nurse and was responsible for assessing patients about to undergo surgery. The matron raised concerns with her after some patients complained that she had initiated unwanted religious discussions during assessments. The matron told her that it was not appropriate to discuss religious views. Ms Kuteh assured her that she would not discuss religion unless a patient asked her to.
In the next couple of months, there were further incidents and three more patients complained. She gave one patient a bible and said she would pray for her. One patient complained she had preached at her and made her feel uncomfortable. The third patient said she told him that the only way to the Lord was through Jesus. She had then gripped his hand, said a prayer and invited him to sing a psalm with her.
Trust dismisses her for gross misconduct
Following a disciplinary investigation and hearing, the Trust dismissed her for gross misconduct. This was because she had failed to follow a reasonable management instruction, behaved inappropriately and failed to comply with the Nursing and Midwifery Code. The Code prohibits expressing personal beliefs, including religious beliefs, in an inappropriate way.
Nurse relies on right to manifest her religion and claims unfair dismissal
Ms Kuteh claimed her dismissal was unfair. She argued that the Code had to interpreted in a way which was compatible with her right to manifest her religion. This is a right under Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Employment tribunal and Employment Appeal Tribunal rule dismissal fair
The employment tribunal rejected this argument and ruled that her dismissal was fair. Article 9 did not apply. There is a difference between being prevented from manifesting religious beliefs, which is protected by Article 9, and inappropriately proselytising religious beliefs, which is not. Ms Kuteh’s conduct was the latter and so Article 9 did not apply.
Ms Kuteh appealed to the Employment Appeal Tribunal. It ruled that her appeal had no reasonable prospect of success. She appealed to the Court of Appeal.
Court of Appeal agrees dismissal fair
The Court of Appeal ruled that proselytising may be protected by the Article 9 right to manifest your religion. Inappropriate proselytising is not. It went on to rule that it had plainly been open to the employment tribunal to find the dismissal fair. Ms Kuteh had admitted that she had initiated conversations with patients about religion. The matron told her not to do this and she assured the matron she would not. Nevertheless, she continued to do so. The Trust had carried out a fair procedure and dismissal was within the band of reasonable responses open to it.
Ms Kuteh did not claim that the Trust had discriminated against her because of her religious beliefs when it dismissed her. However, it is unlikely that she would have succeeded in that claim. An employee claiming direct religious discrimination has to show that their employer treated them less favourably because of their religion. However, the reason the Trust dismissed her was not her religion but her conduct in continuing to proselytise or promote her religion after it had instructed her not to.
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Sickboy follows 29-year-old Jeremie Saunders as he lives openly with Cystic Fibrosis and devotes his life to removing the stigma attached to chronic illness and disease. Jeremie’s life expectancy is shortened. The film traces the efforts by Jeremie and his best friends, Brian and Taylor, to create a podcast that seeks to change the way people view serious illness, like brain cancer, depression, and epilepsy. Jeremie has shown his friends that laughing about the absurdity of his illness can take away its power. Their podcast starts to have a transformative effect on its thousands of listeners. To watch the full documentary online now, just click the play button and enjoy.
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Welcome to the www.drumohr.com website, the official online shop of Robertson S.r.l (hereafter the “Site”). The Site is managed and maintained by Triboo Digitale S.r.l. with registered office in Viale Sarca 336, 20126 Milan, Italy, tax code, VAT No, and Milan Business Registry Enrolment No. 02912880966 (hereafter “TD”).
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DVIDS HOMETOWN NEWS
Jackson, MS Area
Showing Results 1-8 of 1,112 within 50 miles of Jackson. Show Jackson Results Only
Hometown Hero: CPT Anone Hubbard
Photo by Sgt. Connie Jones | 184th Sustainment Command | 07.16.2019
Capt. Anone Hubbard,184th Sustainment Command, is serving as the out of country travel program manager for the 1st Theater Sustainment Command’s Operational Command Post at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Connie Jones)...
Hometown: Mendenhall, MS
Story by Sgt. Connie Jones | 184th Sustainment Command | 07.16.2019
Capt. Anone Hubbard is deployed with the 184th Sustainment Command to Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, as the out of country travel program manager for the 1st Theater Sustainment Command’s Operational Command Post. He is responsible for the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility and continental U.S. travel for personnel internal to 1TSC. As the program manager, he reviews, manages, coordinates,......
Corps Tiny Weapon Winning the Bio Control Battle
Video by Brigida Sanchez | U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District | 07.15.2019
The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers biologists not only cooperate with U.S. government agencies but also assist fellow professionals around the nation and the globe. The Corps delivers innovative, resilient, and sustainable solutions to the nation. We are the nation's environmental stewards. To learn more about the Corps Invasive Species Management Program visit us at......
Hometown: Vicksburg, MS
Hometown Hero: LTC Stephen McCarthy
Lt. Col. Stephen McCarthy, 184th Sustainment Command, is deployed as the chief information officer for 1st Theater Sustainment Command's Operational Command Post at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Connie Jones)...
Hometown: Brandon, MS
Hometown Hero: SGM Christopher Berry
Sgt. Maj. Christopher Berry, 184th Sustainment Command, is deployed as the Theater Mortuary Affairs Office (TMAO) noncommissioned officer in charge for the 1st Theater Sustainment Command’s Operational Command Post at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Connie Jones)...
Sgt. Maj. Christopher Berry is deployed with 184th Sustainment Command to Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, as the Theater Mortuary Affairs Officer (TMAO) noncommissioned officer in charge for the 1st Theater Sustainment Command’s Operational Command Post. He supervises the TMAO staff as well as supervise the analysis and assessment of all mortuary affairs information within the U.S. Central Command......
Lt. Col. Stephen McCarthy is deployed with the 184th Sustainment Command to Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, as the chief information officer of the1st Theater Sustainment Command’s Operational Command Post. He manages all communications assets for the sustainment of units within the area of responsibility and advises the commander in regards to these assets....
Hometown Hero: CPT Eric Nowlen
Capt. Eric Nowlen is deployed with 184th Sustainment Command to Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, as the deputy intelligence officer of the 1st Theater Sustainment Command’s Operational Command Post. He is the final approval for all intelligence products or analyses produced by his section. Additionally he is the primary gateway to outside resources for maps and imagery products to support the 1st TSC....
Hometown: Canton, MS
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As states seek to reduce suspensions, schools look for ways to handle discipline
Administrators aim for balance between addressing racial disparities while still supporting teachers
af.mil
Linda Jacobson @lrj417
The year before Sonia Stewart became principal at Pearl-Cohn Entertainment Magnet High School in Nashville, 88 students were arrested, often escorted off campus in handcuffs. But Stewart, who came to Nashville after working at one of Chicago’s community schools, had different beliefs about how to respond to behavior infractions.
“I came in immediately and said, ‘We are not kicking kids out of school,’” she says.
She trained the staff at the high-poverty, mostly African-American school on culturally responsive and trauma-informed practices and replaced some teachers with those who would adopt the core values of being “clear, consistent, positive and firm” in how they interact with students.
Teachers began to adopt classroom routines such as CHAMPS, which stands for conversation, help, activity, movement, participation and success. At each transition from one part of the class period to the next, students are reminded of the appropriate behavior. “You can’t hold kids to expectations that you didn’t tell them about,” Stewart says.
Teachers each have a “bounce buddy,” meaning another teacher on staff where they can send a student who has repeatedly been disruptive. Sometimes just 10 minutes in another classroom is enough to correct the behavior. The school also has a resiliency center for students who need more than just a “bounce.” Since 2012, the overall number of infractions has declined from 3,451 to 1,837, and suspensions have dropped from 1,121 to 253.
At the time, Stewart wasn’t under a district or state mandate to reduce out-of-school suspensions, but Tennessee will soon begin to track and rate schools on such data as part of its plan for the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which now requires states to include a nonacademic or school climate indicator as part of its accountability system. Many administrators, however, are already being required to implement alternatives to out-of-school suspensions as states and districts seek to reduce the racial disparities in school discipline — what is often referred to as the school-to-prison pipeline.
In Texas, under a law passed this year, schools can no longer suspend students in pre-k through the second grade unless the cases involve drugs, weapons or extreme violence. California lawmakers are considering a measure that would extend the ban on out-of-school suspensions for disruption and willful defiance from third grade through fifth grade and add grades six through 12 to the ban on a pilot basis through 2023. And in West Virginia, the state Department of Education is also considering a policy that would make out-of-school suspensions, for anything other than the most severe offenses, count against a school’s attendance rates as part of its ESSA plan. The policy is meant to encourage districts to use alternative discipline approaches.
Getting students ‘to do the heavy lifting’
Efforts to find alternative consequences have increased in recent years in an effort to reduce the racial gaps that exist in school discipline practices. Two years ago, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights released data showing that black students are three times more likely to be suspended or expelled than white students.
But administrators and experts note that it takes work to implement new models that teachers will support and that will truly result in students becoming accountable for their behavior. Administrators are sometimes caught between wanting to give students opportunities to correct their behavior and leaving teachers with the perception that they have “gone soft on discipline,” says Barbara Higgins Perez, who served as the director of student services for the Oceanside Unified School District and worked with colleague Barry Tyler to develop strategies to keep students from being sent away from school.
That’s why, she says, alternative approaches to discipline must involve “getting the kid to do the heavy lifting.” She adds that while training in restorative practices provides educators with the philosophy behind alternative models, teachers often don’t know “what it looks and sounds like” when they return to their classrooms.
She and Tyler founded Blue Water Educational Consulting, which has trained educators in several California counties to implement Alternatives to Suspension (ATS). ATS is a class taught by a teacher in which students who have violated the behavior code can spend up to five days working through the steps in a restorative curriculum — owning and recognizing the behavior, creating and implementing replacement strategies, making amends and then reintegrating into the classroom. The key, she says, is for teachers to know the replacement strategies so they can provide reminders when the students get back to their classrooms. It’s also important to “tend to that relationship” between the student and the teacher.
The Standard School District near Bakersfield is one of the districts that went to Blue Water to provide training for staff members to implement the ATS model. The first year was especially hard “because the program was top down,” says Superintendent Paul Meyers. Because he was new to the district, he says, “The staff kind of raised an eyebrow of doubt.”
In addition to implementing ATS, the district has also added lunchtime activity coordinators to organize games for students and supervision aides to better monitor students during recess. Suspensions and expulsions have dropped, but Meyer says, “more importantly and harder to measure is the improvement in the school climate.”
Perez says she can tell that the ATS program is gaining support among teachers when they start dropping by the ATS classroom to help their students with assignments. But she also notes that completing regular classwork is not the goal of ATS.
“We want the kids to sit and think and grapple and do some thoughtful writing,” she says, adding that while teachers also provide social-emotional support, ATS “can’t be fuzzy walls and unicorns.” Besides, she says, in her 20 years as an educator, she never once had a suspended student return to school with any completed assignments. Any academic work completed during ATS “is 100% better than what they would be doing at home,” she says.
Perez adds that if schools implement ATS but then continue to hold after-school or lunch detention programs, that’s an indication that they haven’t really bought into the restorative concept. ATS is also not just another name for in-school suspension where students serve time, so to speak, and don’t learn from their actions.
A 2016 report from WestEd, a San Francisco-based research organization, listed some elements that school leaders should consider when starting and trying to maintain restorative practices — most of which won’t be surprising to administrators. One is the issue of how to fund training for professional development or staff positions devoted to implementing the practices. The report suggested grant opportunities, Title I funding and partnerships with community organizations. Meyers used the flexibility provided by California’s Local Control Funding Formula, which replaced more restrictive categorical funding for specific programs.
ESSA also includes the Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants program, which can be used for to “reduce the use of exclusionary discipline and promoting supportive school discipline.” This school year, however, states will receive much less funding from that program than was originally expected, Education Week reports.
The WestEd report also recommends that a district “integrate the [restorative justice] approach into its formal policy and procedures” and involve the entire school community in developing the discipline policy.
As part of the Metro Nashville Public Schools, Pearl-Cohn is also part of the Annenberg Institute for School Reform’s PASSAGE initiative, which stands for Positive and Safe Schools Advancing Greater Equity. As part of PASSAGE, the district had to create a new student-parent handbook that clearly communicates students’ rights, responsibilities and the consequences for certain behaviors.
An article on the development of the handbook describes how code of conduct language can often contribute to the disparities in suspensions. The policy committee removed the vague phrase “conduct prejudicial to good order” to make offenses less ambiguous for educators, parents and students. The other large districts involved in PASSAGE are New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles.
‘Before things escalate’
Advocacy for eliminating out-of-school suspension is also coming from students who may have encountered such policies in the past. Students for Education Reform (SFER) is a New York City-based group that involves college students interested in K-12 education issues in campaigns related to issues such as school climate, school choice and teacher quality.
“I think the model policy would prioritize prevention over reaction,” says Jeremy Knight, SFER’s communications director. “A lot of folks are saying what do we do with students once these incidents arrive. We also need to ask what are we doing even before things escalate?”
SFER would like to see more classroom management training for teachers as well as partnerships between schools and other agencies such as public safety and mental health. Such models at the early-childhood level have already proven to be successful at reducing expulsion.
“Preschool teachers who report access to a professional who can provide classroom-based supports regarding challenging behaviors report significantly fewer preschool expulsions as compared to teachers who report having no such support,” Walter Gilliam, an associate professor of child development at Yale University, wrote in a 2014 evaluation of such a program in Connecticut.
Similar examples also exist at the K-12 level in some districts, says Russell Skiba, a school psychology professor at Indiana University whose work focuses on reducing racial disparities in discipline. His local Monroe County Community School Corporation has a district behavioral specialist available to teachers, he says, and many examples exist in which schools or districts form partnerships with mental health providers.
The importance of involving parents
While the Texas law banning suspensions of young children for lower-level infractions passed this year, the Dallas Independent School District (DISD) began exploring last year why some of its elementary schools were not suspending any children in the early grades. Gail-David Dupree, the executive director of student discipline for DISD, heard a common theme — communication with families.
“I think the biggest thing that came out was parent involvement,” Dupree says. “We had some principals who would go to a student’s house” and talk with parents about how to prevent behavior problems.
Meanwhile, the district was beginning to implement a new social-emotional learning curriculum and is now training teachers to teach students stress-relieving strategies and how to verbalize when something — or someone — sets them off.
“We’re teaching students to identify within themselves what is causing them to react to situations,” says Juany Valdespino-Gaytán, the director of special projects in the district’s Teaching and Learning department. Teachers, she says, are also modeling how to calmly respond to an offense, by making statements such as “I’m not happy you did that. I need to take a minute and cool down.”
Skiba agrees that blanket mandates against suspensions may initially leave teachers feeling unsupported by administrators if they don’t have strategies for handling infractions at the classroom level. In fact, passing laws against suspensions could be a “recipe for chaos,” he says, if educators don’t have “sufficient resources.”
At Pearl-Cohn, the shift in culture has been a five-year journey. But now, Stewart says, students are the ones speaking up if they see behavior that goes against school rules.
“Now we’ve gotten to a place where you can literally tell who the transfer students are,” she says. “The kids will say, ‘We don’t do that here.’”
Follow Linda Jacobson on Twitter
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Home >> A News >> STEM News Roundup: Ideas for Generating Interest in STEM
STEM News Roundup: Ideas for Generating Interest in STEM
This week in STEM, African American STEM professionals share their struggles, a city offers free STEM summer learning, an entire community gets involved and a STEM Beyonce parody is made—all in the name of generating interest in STEM studies.
African-American STEM Professionals Meet with Congress to Discuss Challenges
It's no secret that women and minorities are least likely to pursue STEM careers.
"Census data show that in 2010, African-American men made up 6.2 percent of the population between 18 and 64 years old. But in the same year, the NSF reported that black men represented just 3 percent of scientists and engineers working in those fields," the article said.
A group of African-American STEM professionals met with Congress this week to address the issue and shed insight on the difficulties of getting into the field.
Many spoke of a deep, systematic issues that plague African-Americans and go beyond typical factors that discourage taking on STEM studies, such as lack of role models and lack of relatability.
"The deeper problems, he said, are a sense of hopelessness among certain communities, and a feeling of not being treated equitably in the educational system and the legal system."
"John Silvanus Wilson, president of Morehouse College, a historically black higher education institution in Atlanta, said the outcomes are predictable, based on student achievement data. African-American males, he said, have smaller vocabularies upon entering kindergarten, are more likely to be behind in reading and numeracy by fourth grade and are at a higher risk of being suspended. And of the roughly 160,000 African-American male students who graduate high school each year, fewer than half even apply to a four-year school, he said," according to the article.
City Offers Hundreds of Students Free STEM Summer Programs
New York City will offer free summer camp programs to over 1,200 students beginning this summer with priority given to high-needs students.
"The city will give priority to high-needs students with good school attendance, an interest in science, and parents that will support their participation, [Chancellor Carmen] Fariña said. City officials said they would also encourage students attending schools in the city’s School Renewal turnaround program to apply, along with English language learners and students with disabilities," the article said.
The pilot program, if it is successful, could expand to after school programs next year.
School Creates Beyonce Parody to Get Teachers into STEM
Generating interest in STEM is not limited to budding students. One school used Teacher Appreciation Week to not only show teachers their support and appreciation, but to also urge them to get involved in STEM. "Students made a musical parody to Beyonce's song 'Put a Ring On It' to help shine a light on the need for teachers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) fields around the nation," the article said.
Read the full story and see the video here.
Community Gets Involved in Promoting STEM
In the Silver Lake school district in Halifax, M.A., STEM participation is a community-focused endeavor. Next week, the community will be holding a meeting that will discuss the currents status of STEM education in Massachusetts and what the intended future is, too.
"In this program you can join community members in discussing ways to ensure that both boys and girls are prepared for jobs in computing as well as in other STEM fields including agriculture and natural resources, architecture, biological and biomedical sciences, computer and information science, engineering and engineering technology/technicians, health professions and clinical sciences, mathematics and statistics, mechanic/repair technician, military technology, physical sciences, precision production," the article said.
Compiled by Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor
Education Policy, Data & Trends
Educator Lifestyle and Job Issues
Humor and Fun
Innovation & Best Practices
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Op-Ed: Building the Education Candidate that Never Was
Investigating the education candidate that never was.
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New York District Plans To Test All Job Seekers for Drugs
By Blake Rodman
Four months after New York State's highest court struck down one of the nation's only drug-test policies involving practicing teachers, the school board that suffered the defeat has responded by adopting a new testing policy that it believes will pass constitutional muster.
Under the revised plan, applicants for all jobs in the Patchogue-Medford school district, including volunteer positions, will be required to submit a urine sample for drug analysis as a condition of employment or placement.
Teachers' union officials and other observers said last week that they knew of no other district that had proposed testing all job applicants for drug use. But several noted that some districts had ordered such tests for employees whose jobs directly involve students' safety, such as bus drivers and security guards.
The new policy in the New York State district is "appropriate and proper," said Leonard Cooper, a lawyer for the district, because it focuses on job applicants, who will be given prior notice of the procedure, rather than district employees, who were given no warning under the previous policy.
"We think this is legal," Mr. Cooper said, noting that a similar testing program for prospective subway workers in New York City had been upheld by the courts.
But Norman Siegel, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, disagreed. "We think this 'round two' is also unconstitutional," he said.
"Drug testing may not be imposed as a condition or precondition of em8ployment," Mr. Siegel argued. "It's a violation of privacy rights. It's unfair. And it's a political hoax."
Last June, the New York State Court of Appeals ruled that the district's policy requiring "blanket" testing of all probationary teachers violated provisions in both the federal and state constitutions prohibiting unreasonable searches and seizures. (See Education Week, June 17, 1987.)
A district may not require teachers to submit to drug testing, the court stated, unless it has "reasonable suspicion" that they actually use illegal drugs.
Tests for Some Employees
In addition to testing all job applicants under its new policy, the district will also test employees who are suspected of using drugs, Mr. Cooper said. He added that the poliel10lcy carefully defines what the district considers to be grounds for ordering that a teacher, or any other school employee, submit to testing.
Mr. Cooper said the district was determined to have in place some legally acceptable form of drug screening.
"We have a very aggressive curriculum on drug abuse," he said, "and to be consistent with that it is necessary for us to have as near to a drug-free environment as is humanly possible."
Mr. Siegel, however, insisted that drug testing is not the answer.
"If the applicant can perform on the job, then that person's activities at a Friday night party or on vacation should not be the concern of the employer," he said.
"People in positions of authority recognize there is a drug problem and want to appear to be doing4something about it," he added. "Well, this is not the thing to be doing."
Both the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers oppose the testing of teachers for drug use. This past summer, nea members voted to fight the use of drug testing for teacher applicants.
The Patchogue-Medford Congress of Teachers, an affiliate of the aft, filed the lawsuit that blocked the district from testing probationary teachers.
Although local union officials remain opposed to any blanket drug testing, they say the union may have its hands tied with regard to the new policy.
"I have a problem with it," said Daniel Galinson, a lawyer for the union. "But I don't think we would be able to intervene [in court] on behalf of someone who is not a union member or an employee of the district."
Teacher of the Blind / Visually Impaired
Detroit Lakes Public Schools, Detroit Lakes, Minnesota
Supervisor of Special Education
Spring-Ford Area School District, Royersford, Pennsylvania
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Es Baluard > Exhibitions > Missions artístiques a la Serra de Tramuntana. Chambre noir / Expanded landscape INLAND – Campo Adentro
Missions artístiques a la Serra de Tramuntana. Chambre noir / Expanded landscape INLAND – Campo Adentro
Location: Aljub
For the second edition of the “Missions artístiques a la Serra de Tramuntana” program, Es Baluard proposed the collective INLAND. And so, after the interdisciplinary workshop framed within their “New Curriculum” methodology, which took place in October of 2018, the collective finally proposed – by way of a conclusion – an installation in the form of a camera obscura, which they prepared on the basis of the interactions between landscape, culture and nature in the region of the Serra de Tramuntana.
After an open call, participants from different ambiences were selected – artists, architects, teachers or filmmakers. The workshop and this final work were carried out by María Alcaraz, Arantxa Boyero Lirón, Óscar Canalis Hernández, Gema Capdevila Serrano, Carme Frau, Alberto Fernández Jiménez, Laurent Gardet, Marta Goro, Beatriz Millon and Lorena Mullet y Delgado.
The installation revolves around Lluc Mir, head of the guild of Margers (dry stone wallers) an entity which groups together the artisans who make the dry stone walls or marges that are so fundamental in the Serra de Tramuntana for the construction of terraces for the olive groves which for centuries represented practically the only source of income for the local population. Lluc explains the multisensorial knowledge (touching the stone, the sound of it breaking, its appearance and colour) which margers use in a way that is internalised, embodied, an extremely rapid form of operating which goes beyond apparent logic, when they pick up a stone and place it in perfect conjunction with the rest. After several hours, and several days dedicated to building walls, apprentice margers, says Lluc, continue their work in dreams, placing stones and seeing them turn, almost possessed by them.
The importance of maintaining these artisanal and agricultural practices is fundamental in a farming landscape that fights against gravity. As tourism replaces the cultivation of olives, the landscape has been recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is gradually being lost.
The project which takes the name of INLAND Tramuntana is framed within the “Missions artístiques a la Serra de Tramuntana”, as a context for pedagogical and informational action organised by Es Baluard and the Consorci Serra de Tramuntana, an entity formed by the Govern de les Illes Balears and the Consell Insular de Mallorca, established after declaration of the Serra Tramuntana as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
INLAND was initiated in 2009 by the artist and agroecologist Fernando García Dory, who led the workshop along with Marta Goro. At present INLAND works as a group which provides spaces for collaborations on the land, economies and communities-in-practice as a subsoil for the cultural forms of post-contemporary art. Intervening in multiple forms in different countries, INLAND publishes books, produces exhibitions and makes cheese. They also advise the European Commission on the use of art in rural development policies, at the same time as they facilitate a European movement of shepherds, rehabilitate abandoned villages and promote access to the land in different places, from the perspective of artistic production and collective agriculture.
INLAND has three main work spaces: the Centro de Acercamiento a lo Rural (or Centre for Introduction to Things Rural in Madrid), the INLAND hamlet on the coast of Cantabria and activities in Deià, in Mallorca. Since 2010, it has been involved in Tramuntana, through two main actions: on the one hand, the launch of a craft school, with diverse activities ranging from working with wool, clay and food craft, to the construction of dry stone walls. The aim is to reinvent the trades that have a place and a utility in the present, combining the knowledge of master artisans and contemporary designers and allowing for new, productive jobs for young people who would otherwise depend on the seasonality of tourism, as occurs all over the island. On the other hand, INLAND launched the Adopta un olivo (Adopt an olive tree) project, as a form of complicity between visitors to the island and the cultivation and maintenance of the ancient olive trees that are hundreds or even thousands of years old, and which are associated to highly valuable landscapes, but which have a small, uncompetitive economic production. When someone adopts an olive tree in exchange for an annual fee, the tree is given their name and the adopter is informed about the care and treatment it receives. The collective has been presented at the Istanbul Biennial (2015), Casco Art Projects, Netherlands (2015), PAV Torino, Italy (2015) or Maebashi Museum, Japan (2016). In 2017, INLAND was present at CCA Glasgow, MAMM Medellín, MALBA, Argentina, BAU Bolzano, Italy, and FHU, Apulia, Italy.
For 2019, as well as this exhibition, along with the Serpentine Gallery London and Matadero Madrid, INLAND is preparing a seminar and a publication, as well as an exhibition at the Centro G. Pompidou for next October. The group is also immersed in the organisation of a meeting of Latin American art spaces with thing rural, and the meeting of New Curriculum with eight European universities.
15th March 2019 → 31st March 2019
Organisation: Es Baluard Museu d'Art Modern i Contemporani de Palma
Co-production with:
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Home >>Search Speakers >> Todd Kashdan
Todd Kashdan
Professor of Psychology and Senior Scientist of the Center for the Advancement of Well-Being, George Mason University
Author, The Upside of Your Dark Side
Becoming a mad scientist with your life: Todd Kashdan
The Upside of Your Darkside
Todd Kashdan’s life is devoted to understanding how people can improve the quality of their lives and offering the tools to do so. He uses cutting edge science to help people function optimally in life and business.
Since receiving a Ph.D. in clinical psychology (2004), Todd Kashdan has published over 170 peer reviewed journal articles on how to foster and sustain happiness and meaning in life, strength use and development, stress and anxiety, mindfulness, gratitude, social relationships, and self-regulation. These contributions have been recognized by the American Psychological Association's Distinguished Scientific Award for Early Career Contribution to Psychology (2013), Distinguished Research Fellow Award from the International Society for the Quality of Life (2012), and an early career award from the Association for the Advancement of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (2006). He is a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science, Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, and Association for Contextual and Behavioral Science.
As a central figure in the scientific study of well-being, Todd Kashdan has authored Curious? Discover the Missing Ingredient to a Fulfilling Life (Harper Collins), to provide cutting edge research on how to achieve a well-lived life. In his latest book with Robert Biswas-Diener, The Upside of Your Dark Side: Why being your whole self - not just your good self - drives success and fulfillment (Hudson Street Press), he offers a potent message driven by the latest science: emotional and social agility trumps positivity.
Kashdan is a scientific advisor for Time, Inc., National Geographic, and Merck. He gives keynotes and workshops to organizations as diverse as the United States Department of Defense, the World Bank, Hormel, General Mills, Gensler, the Gap, and Standard Chartered Bank. His research has been featured in hundreds of media outlets, including multiple articles in the Harvard Business Review, New York Times, and Washington Post. What is unique about Kashdan is that he is a clinical psychologist, professor, well-being researcher, author, and TEDx speaker, who uses science to improve the lives of people and the quality of organizations.
Kashdan is a twin with twin 10-year old daughters with plans to rapidly populate the world with great conversationalists.
Emotional Agility
While mindfulness, kindness, and positivity can take us far, they cannot take us all the way. Sometimes, they can even hold us back. Fortunately, there is a solution: emotional and social agility. Emotionally agile people are highly attuned to the fact that success is about using the correct emotional resources in each unique situation. Socially agile people know what part of their personality is ideal to get the best possible outcome when interacting with others.
Companies that push for positivity unwittingly create a culture in which workers don't have an outlet for the very real negative feelings that bubble up from time to time. This results in office backstabbing, water cooler gossip, disengagement, and turnover. Scientists have also discovered that instead of being a buzz-kill skeptics are crucial to vetting bold ideas that actually translate to market success.
We make a grave mistake in prematurely discarding parts of our personality that feel uncomfortable or are not socially desirable to talk about in public. Kashdan will teach you how to appreciate and harness each side of your personality and in turn, become whole. Join him for a rich, lively, and wildly entertaining dialogue. You will learn practical strategies to attain greater success, meaning in life, vitality, and healthy relationships.
The Art and Science of Resilience
What is it that underpins a person’s ability to bounce back from life’s most challenging moments? How we can we train people to be more resilient? Based on the latest science, how people respond to bad things is neither random nor the same for everyone. You will learn about the psychological and social influences on resilience. Kashdan will guide you through techniques that are essential for healthy adjustment in response to uncertainty, change, and other difficult events.
Optimizing Social Relationships
Nothing has a greater impact on quality of life than the presence of significant, meaningful relationships. Recent decades have seen a remarkable growth in research on how relationships at work can promote greater work engagement, productivity, and creativity. Kashdan will discuss several strategies for cultivating healthy relationships including net positive energizers, how pain serves as social glue, the power of curiosity when socializing, how to negotiate conflict, harnessing strengths in work teams, the Michelangelo phenomenon, the chameleon effect, and more. Kashdan will teach you how to effectively engage in tough conversations, and how to best influence and persuade other people. With this informative, entertaining, and interactive talk, set yourself up for long-term success at work and home.
Leadership Requires a Maverick Mindset
In this interactive talk, Kashdan will critically evaluate common practices in the discussion, study, and implementation of psychological interventions in organizations. The biggest problem is that researchers and consultants ignore how organizations operates. Yes, there are various strategies that can be used to improve the lives of individuals. However, these strategies cannot be blindly applied to teams and cultures. Attention must be given to a firm fact of organizations—“the machine has to run”. In the second phase of this talk, the shift is from problem to solutions. The focus is on the pragmatics of cultivating creativity in the real-world—where uncertainty, complexity, and volatility is a given because we cannot control what other people do or how the market behaves. The solutions center on the reversal of popular proverbs such as the power of negative thinking and the need to sweat the small stuff. Expect several deviations from best-selling leadership books.
Unlocking the Power to Think Differently: Where Can Your Curiosity Take You?
Asking questions and being curious every day can fuel both personal and professional growth and propel us to success. In his keynotes and interactive sessions, Kashdan discusses how curiosity and relentless questioning will lead you down a path of discovery, creativity, innovation and growth. Participants will take a curiosity self-assessment and learn how curious they are and how curiosity and the power of inquisitive thinking impacts their overall well-being. The session will include open discussion, audience participation, and concrete take-aways.
Relentless: The Science of Strength Use and Development
Based on cutting-edge research, it has become clear that detecting and harnessing psychological strengths is an overlooked and powerful tool for successful work and relationships. Dr. Kashdan will lead an interactive, skills-building workshop exploring how to assess, use, appreciate, and develop strengths in the workplace.
The Science of Work Well-Being
What does the research say about the science of happiness at work? How can we measure well-being in the workplace? What can you do to increase vitality, productivity, commitment, courage, and creativity in the workplace? What can you do to better handle transitions from work to home? Why is it important to invest in well-being from a business perspective? The answer to these questions will be provided. This includes learning and practicing practical strategies for great leadership inside and outside of the workplace.
Executive Education Workshop: Agile Leadership - Building a Stronger Work Culture with the Science of Emotion, Motivation, and Personality
Comfort is a byproduct of success but the pursuit of success and comfort are incompatible. By trying to feel comfortable, we worry about being liked instead of being effective. If the goal is to feel comfortable, instead of taking chances and seizing opportunities, we stick to safe goals. Exceptional leadership requires an understanding of how to tolerate, accept, and even harness uncomfortable thoughts and feelings.
In this workshop, you’ll learn what cutting-edge affective science teaches us about how to embrace the value of anxiety, anger, self-doubt, and other negative thoughts and feelings. You will learn how certain responses to uncertainty, tension, and conflict build vitality, trust, creativity, and resilience in relationships. We will explore the implications of this work for becoming a strong, agile leader both inside and outside of the workplace.
This is not going to be a lecture. This is a workshop. The ideas that will be shared are based on the best scientific evidence. There will be opportunities for you to experiment with new skills. You will walk away with a new view of yourself, new skills, and a springboard to exceptional leadership, a greater quality of life, and a stronger organization.
Learn leadership strategies for creating a more energizing and healthy climate - that leads to greater engagement, productivity, and creativity
Learn new methods for how to be more accepting of unwanted thoughts and feelings, rather than trying to reduce their intensity or frequency
Understand the best way to express negative emotions to get the best possible response in a situation
Discover how describing and labeling emotions is a source of resilience in terms of coping with the stress of everyday life
Explore the seven emotional beliefs that get in the way of understanding, appreciating, and harnessing the value of negative emotions
Develop better strategies to deal with the distress and conflict that inevitably occurs when working with other people
Matt Havens
Entertaining Generations Speaker
Beverly Kaye
Internationally Recognized Authority on Career Issues
Kim Becking
Change & Leadership Expert
John Tartaglio
First and Only Person in History to Run and complete a Marathon Without Legs
"Scientist"
Founder of two billion dollar startups (Kayak & Travelocity) Author
Tommy Spaulding
Author of It’s Not Just Who You Know and The Heart-Led Leader
Sheena Iyengar
Columbia Business School Professor
Andrea Waltz
Embrace the Power of NO
Eileen McDargh
Business Author and Commentator
Carol Swain
Professor of Political Science and of Law Vanderbilt University
Hannah Ubl
Communication and Culture expert
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Sierra Wireless, Inc. Drops Its Signal Amid Macro Headwinds
The Internet of Things pure-play blamed the economy for its latest light quarter. Here's what investors need to know.
Steve Symington
(TMFSymington)
Feb 4, 2016 at 10:02PM
Sierra Wireless (NASDAQ:SWIR)(TSX:SW) released fourth-quarter 2015 results Thursday after the market close. Investors were unfortunately treated to more of the same from the Internet of Things specialist.
With last quarter's painful post-earnings drop still lingering, Sierra Wireless stock fell as much as 20% in Thursday's after-hours trading, when it announced that Q4 revenue fell 2.8% year over year, to $144.8 million. This was below the low-end of guidance, which called for revenue of $148 million to $151 million.
That result was driven by a 6.2% decline at Sierra Wireless' core OEM solutions segment, to $121.5 million, a 15.3% drop in enterprise solutions revenue, to $16.5 million, and $6.8 million in revenue from the newer cloud and connectivity services business. Up until October 1, 2015, the latter was formerly rolled into the enterprise solutions segment, as cloud and connectivity services revenue was immaterial before the company completed several managed connectivity acquisitions last year.
Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) fell 50.4%, to $6.3 million. And based on generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), that translated to a net loss of $0.4 million, or $0.01 per diluted share, which narrowed from the $1.7 million net loss Sierra Wireless incurred in last year's fourth quarter. On a non-GAAP basis -- which means excluding items like share-based compensation and acquisition expenses -- Sierra Wireless' net income was $2.5 million, or $0.08 per diluted share, down from adjusted net income of $9.1 million, or $0.29 per share in the same year-ago period.
Meanwhile, Sierra Wireless remains debt free. It also generated reasonably healthy cash flow from operations of $13.1 million during the quarter, and increased its cash and equivalents by $5.5 million sequentially from Q3, to $93.9 million.
A wider (but still temporary) scope
You might recall that, last quarter, Sierra Wireless largely blamed its underperformance on "temporary headwinds" crimping demand for 4G-enabled enterprise notebooks, primarily as the industry transitions to Intel's new Skylake processor platform. This time, however, the headwinds facing Sierra Wireless are more broad-based.
Sierra Wireless CEO Jason Cohenour explained: "In the fourth quarter of 2015, our revenue was slightly below expectations, as we experienced softer demand at select OEM customers. We believe this reflects increased caution on the part of some customers in the face of an uncertain macro-economic environment."
A big repurchase authorization
Sierra Wireless also revealed it has received approval from the Toronto Stock Exchange of its "Notice of Intention to Make a Normal Course Issuer Bid." Think of this as a kind of controlled share-repurchase authorization.
Beginning February 9, 2016 and ending February 8, 2017, per the terms of the bid, Sierra Wireless may purchase and retire up to 3,149,199 common shares of stock, representing 10% of the public float, and roughly 9.7% of common shares outstanding as of today. Apart from block purchases allowable under TSX rules, these purchases will be made at market price, and will be subject to a daily ceiling of 22,269 common shares, or around 25% of the stock's average daily trading volume during the past six months. Sierra Wireless, of course, maintains the flexibility to determine the timing of these purchases.
Could This IoT Stock Become the Next Cypress Semiconductor?
Why Shares of Sierra Wireless Jumped on Friday
Sierra Wireless Inc (SWIR) Q1 2019 Earnings Call Transcript
During the subsequent conference call, CFO Dave McLennan revealed that the company expects first-quarter 2016 revenue to be $135 million to $145 million. That's flat to lower on a sequential basis, and well below Wall Street's consensus estimates for revenue of $155.1 million.
Similar to last quarter, Sierra Wireless' management noted that this was primarily due to the continued shifts in the timing of orders from a single large-automotive customer, as well as the continued transition by OEMs to the new processor platform for enterprise notebooks. But further compounding weakness in the current quarter was the above-described demand headwinds given today's economic uncertainty. As a result, Sierra Wireless expects first-quarter adjusted EPS to be "slightly positive to slightly negative."
Finally, for the full year 2016, Sierra Wireless expects revenue of $630 million to $670 million, good for growth of 3.7% to 10.2% over 2015, and adjusted earnings per share of $0.60 to $0.90.
Despite the slow start in the first quarter, however, Cohenour elaborated, "[W]e expect our business to gain strength over the course of the year as we enter commercial production on a number of new customer programs, and continue to bring new industry-leading products and solutions to market."
Nonetheless, analysts' consensus estimates predicted full-year revenue and earnings would be $673.7 million and $0.98 per share, respectively -- both well above the high ends of Sierra Wireless' guidance ranges. At the same time, this should give Sierra Wireless an opportunity to take advantage of its newly authorized Course Issuer Bid, especially if management fulfills its promise that the business will only gain strength as 2016 progresses.
For now, however, given its top- and bottom-line miss in Q4, and light guidance for the year, it's no surprise to see Sierra Wireless stock pulling back today.
TSX:SW
NASDAQ:SWIR
Sierra Wireless Moves Forward With a Transformative Year
Better Buy: Sierra Wireless vs. Cypress Semiconductor
Sierra Wireless, Inc. Drops Its Signal Amid Macro Headwinds @themotleyfool #stocks $SW $SWIR Next Article
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‘The Good Terrorist(s)’? Interrogating Gender and Violence in Ann Devlin’s ‘Naming the Names’ and Anna Burns’ No Bones
Université de Lille 3, France | Published: 15 March, 2012
ISSUE 7 | Pages: 69-78 | PDF | DOAJ | https://doi.org/10.24162/EI2012-1839
2012 by Fiona McCann. This text may be archived and redistributed both in electronic form and in hard copy, provided that the author and journal are properly cited and no fee is charged for access.
This paper aims to analyse the depiction of IRA female volunteers in Ann Devlin’s “Naming the Names” (1986) and Anna Burns’ No Bones (2001) and to consider the relationship established between gender and violence in these texts. I investigate the extent to which the female terrorists portrayed conform to the “mother, monster, whore” paradigm identified by Laura Sjoberg and Caron Gentry (2007) in their study of women’s violence in global politics and consider what differences, if any, are established with these characters’ male counterparts. The ways in which both authors destabilise traditional gender stereotypes is also explored, as is the question of whether these texts might be considered as feminist fictions.
Female terrorists, Fiction, Gender, IRA, North of Ireland, Violence
El artículo se propone analizar la presentación de activistas del IRA en el relato “Naming the Names” (1986) de Ann Devlin y la novela No Bones (2001) de Anna Burns, y considerar la relación que se establece entre género y violencia en dichos textos. Se investiga en qué medida las mujeres terroristas descritas se ajustan al paradigma de “madre, monstruo, prostituta” identificado por Laura Sjoberg y Caron Gentry (2007) en su estudio sobre la violencia en la política global, y se considera si es que se establecen diferencias con sus homólogos masculinos. Se exploran las formas en que ambas autoras desestabilizan estereotipos de género, así como la posible adscripción de los textos a la ficción feminista.
Mujeres terroristas, IRA, Género, Violencia, Ficción, Norte de Irlanda
Strong, powerful, militant women loom large in the mythology and history of Ireland, and yet, as Brendan Kennelly has pointed out, “
[t]he history, or herstory, of Irish women is rather like that of the Irish language– much talked about but little heard” (1995: xx). From Queen Medb of Connaught to Constance Markievicz and from the women of Cumann na mBan to those in the Provisional IRA, Irish women have, over the centuries, demonstrated their unwillingness to shy away from involvement in battle or political conflict and their desire to be acknowledged as actors in History.
If the conflict in the North of Ireland has provided fertile territory for novelists writing either what is often referred to as “Troubles Trash” (Patten 1995: 128) or more quality fiction, there nevertheless appears to be a marked reluctance on the part of writers of fiction to engage with representations of female paramilitaries.1 This may be related to the fact that women writers of fiction in the North of Ireland, of whom there are not many to begin with, tend to remain preoccupied with the consequences of different types of violence on women rather than considering women as agents of political violence.2 This paper aims to analyse the depiction of IRA female volunteers in Ann Devlin’s short story “Naming the Names” (1986) and Anna Burns’ No Bones (2001) and to consider the relationship established between gender and violence in these texts. To what extent do the female terrorists portrayed conform to the “mother, monster, whore” paradigm identified by Laura Sjoberg and Caron Gentry in their study of women’s violence in global politics? What formal means do these authors use in order to represent these female characters who participate in political violence? And can these works of literature be considered as feminist fictions?
As Wenona Giles points out, “[d]ifferent kinds of wars permit different kinds of female participation” (Giles 2003: 1) and it is therefore necessary to highlight that the purpose of this article is to focus on literary representations of female insurgents or terrorists, as opposed to female soldiers involved in state endorsed war or state terrorism. In a recent study of the links between feminism, globalisation and militarism, Cynthia Enloe has raised interesting questions about the possibility of demilitarising the military by recruiting more female soldiers (Enloe 2007: 78-9), and her argument, which carefully avoids essentialist notions of femininity and masculinity, highlights the patriarchal attitude which often governs the organisation of war and military.
This patriarchal attitude is ostensibly less present within liberation organisations: a cursory look across the board at different liberation organisations such as the Irish Republican Army (IRA), the (once) biggest and best-organised paramilitary organisation in Ireland, UmKhonto we Siswe (MK), the military wing of the South African party the African National Congress (ANC) and both the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA) and the Zimbabwe People’s Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA), the two main military groups which fought against Ian Smith’s minority regime during the Liberation war (1965-80), provides evidence of these groups encouraging women to join their ranks and participate in combat. However, despite this inclusive discourse, it has emerged in the wake of these conflicts that women and men had far from equal roles, women rarely reaching the upper echelons of the organisations, their political commitment sometimes belittled and, although this has admittedly not emerged in the Irish context, their being subjected to various forms of sexual abuse.3
Like Miranda Alison, I believe that the failure to engage with all the roles women play in wartime, including their taking up of arms, is to miss “vital pieces of the puzzle of violent human conflict” (Alison 2009: 3). The two authors on whose work I will be concentrating confront these “vital pieces of the puzzle”, although, as we shall see, they distance themselves in varying degrees from essentialist discourses relating to what constitutes the notions of feminine and masculine.
My deliberate use of the word “terrorist” requires definition before I can begin my analysis. As Judith Butler (2004: 4) has pointed out, the term ‘terrorist’ is an ambiguous one, “exploited by various powers at war with independence movements of various kinds’ in order to posit certain states as the “indisputable victim[s]” of violence, quite independently of any acts of violence (subsequently justified as acts of self-defence) they might themselves carry out as a military response. Eileen MacDonald, in her study of female freedom fighters working from within the IRA, ETA, the PLO and other groups, has also highlighted the loaded connotations of the term, sardonically concluding that “[o]nly history it seems can decide who is a terrorist and who is not” (1991: 3). I have deliberately chosen this term over “freedom fighter” or “militant” precisely because of its ambiguity and because of its largely negative connotations as I aim to show how subversive literary representations of these female terrorists can undermine the notion of violent terrorism as morally unjustifiable. Indeed, as Timothy Shanahan has argued, “[a]n act of violence, including an act of violent terrorism, is morally justified in consequentialist terms to the extent that it is effective in bringing about sufficiently good consequences” (Shanahan 2009: 120). This is not to suggest that the authors under study necessarily wish to provide a moral justification for terrorist activity, but it is important to note their evident desire to, at the very least, present a counter-discourse to the idea that “asking about the morality of terrorism [is] on a par with asking about the morality of child molestation or of genocide” (Shanahan 2009: 6).
As I am sure it is quite obvious, I have borrowed (and slightly deformed) the title of one of Doris Lessing’s novels for the title of this article. This is not just a rhetorical flourish: The publication of Doris Lessing’sThe Good Terrorist in 1990 caused some consternation among Lessing scholars, as it has often been perceived as a disavowal by the author of her previous visionary presentations of the possibility of positive change and evolution in society.4 Set in Thatcher’s England, the novel revolves around the inhabitants of a legal squat in London, a group of misfits who are loosely linked through their association with an anti-establishment group which is desperate for the thrill of terrorist activity (and which tries and fails to become involved in the IRA). Alice Mellings, the main focaliser of the novel, is the eponymous “good terrorist”, although there is a good deal of irony in the title: the adjective “good” does not refer to her ability to be an effective terrorist, but rather provides a moral judgement, thus calling attention to the potential oxymoronic nature of the term. As underlined above, the term terrorist is frequently negatively connoted, and therefore by choosing the adjective “good”, Lessing foregrounds from the very title her tragicomic interrogation of the consequences of living in a political no (wo)man’s land in 1980s Britain. It is for this reason that I have borrowed it here. I would like to consider to what extent Devlin and Burns also blur the boundaries between the moral and the descriptive dimensions of the adjective “good”.
Anne Devlin’s “Naming the Names”, as Michael L. Storey has noted, is one of the few Irish literary texts which proffers a representation of a female terrorist and the only short story to do so (2004: 202). Finnula McQuillan, the main character of the story, narrates in police custody her involvement in the IRA and her participation in the murder of a young man whose father is a judge.5 Having apparently fallen in love with the young man in question, Finnula then leads him to a park where he is murdered by the IRA, and ultimately refuses to divulge the names of the comrades responsible for killing him. In his detailed and very interesting analysis of the story, Storey (2004: 203) analyses Devlin’s division of the narrator into a male self and a female self, signalled in her very name through the interchangeability of the diminutive Finn (with all the connotations of the mythological Irish warrior Fionn Mac Cumhaill) and Finnula (with all the mythological connotations of one of the daughters of Lir transformed into a swan by her evil step-mother). He goes on to highlight the manifestations of what he terms the narrator’s “traditional feminine qualities” and her “masculine side”, focusing on corresponding stereotypical notions of “well-being and vulnerability” and “cold-blooded […] execution” respectively. For Storey, Finn/ula “is represented as neither woman nor terrorist exclusively” (2004: 206) and he suggests that Devlin’s character is not “entirely free of gender stereotypes” (Ibid). While Storey’s comments on the play on the narrator’s name are interesting, his repetitive use of gender stereotypes and his contention that Finn/ula is neither a woman nor a terrorist entirely betray the limited perspective from which he views women’s involvement in political violence and lead him to overlook the point Devlin is making. The binary opposites of either/or are precisely what she is aiming at blurring in this short story and this is made quite clear in the reference to Finn/ula’s grandmother having “met De Valera on a Dublin train while he was on the run disguised as an old woman” (Devlin 1986: 98). This is particularly significant as it calls attention to the blurring of gender categories and to the necessity of playing on gender stereotypes in order to outwit the enemy. Finn/ula is both a woman and a terrorist and she counts on her victim’s perception of her femininity in order to trap him. Her laconic, emotionless narrative style emphasises the constraint with which she tackles every aspect of her life (professional, personal and military). Her account of her grandmother’s near death at the hands of a crowd of Protestants from the neighbouring Shankill Road is recounted with the same emotional detachment as that of her luring the Oxford student into the park and to his death. There is therefore no evidence of her needing to reconcile a masculine and a feminine self.
Devlin opens up interesting perspectives in the representation of the female terrorist as, although she depicts a character who “splices Eros with Thanatos”, her narrator is no “fantasy female” (Steel 2004: 55) designed to appeal to men.6 Moreover, she breaks free of the all too common association of women and victimhood to present a female character who actively chooses to join the IRA (outraged by the introduction of internment by the British government) and who also chooses her victim. Sandwiched innocuously between two sentences relating to the student’s interest in a particular history book, the sentences, “I looked at the name and the address again to make sure. And then I asked him to call” (97) clearly reveal Finn/ula’s initiative in this murder. Storey’s use of the passive form when he writes “[the Oxford student] has been selected for execution because his father is a judge” (Storey 2004: 202) elides Finn/ula’s active choice to single this man out for murder. Devlin does use a passive construction in the story: “He was chosen. […] I recognized the address when he wrote to me” (Devlin 1986: 109), but the move from the passive form to the active form here points towards the background rhetoric of the paramilitary organisation as to who constitutes a legitimate target and to the role of the individual members of the organisation in the carrying out of assassinations. The implication here is that Finn/ula has contacted the IRA when she realises who the student is. It is also she who makes the phone call which finalises the outcome on the day of the murder. All of this is indicative of Devlin’s desire to regain agency for this central character, to break with the old order of women in the Republican movement,7 dismissed as domestics and having nothing to do “but run round after the men and make tea for the Ceilies” (110)8 and to highlight the failure of police and authorities to take female terrorists seriously: “Already [the policemen] were talking as if I didn’t exist” (109).
Far from reinforcing gender stereotypes, Devlin actually plays with them in order to better debunk them. The story opens with the suggestion that Finn/ula is just another ordinary girl waiting for a phone call from her lover: “It was late summer – August, like the summer of the fire. He hadn’t rung for three weeks” (95). These references, along with allusions to and glances at the telephone, pervade the story, reinforcing the notion that a banal love story is the central focus. On one level, it is, since Finn/ula ends up falling in love with the young man, but on another level, the phone represents the knell of death for the Oxford student.
Lest the reader should have too much empathy for the Oxford student, he is portrayed, rather obliquely, as a patronising young man who mocks Finn/ula’s accounts of her grandmother’s republican past and who condescendingly praises her, a relatively uneducated woman, for having knowledge of Irish history that he did not enjoy until he became a student at Oxford (98). Moreover, his research interests betray the incommensurability of his Unionist perspective and Finn/ula’s Republican one. This is all the more significant as the street names which Finn/ula recites as a sort of mantra instead of the names of her fellow comrades-in-arms the police officers are asking her for reinforce not only the impact of place on one’s development, but also unite the war-torn Falls Road with other places which have borne the brunt of colonisation and conflict: “Abyssinia, Alma, Bosnia, Balaclava, Belgrade, Bombay” (95).
Anne Devlin’s representation of a female terrorist is particularly interesting as it eschews the “mother, monster, whore” paradigm Sjoberg and Gentry have identified as “imperial hermeneutics [which] police meaning in global politics” and against which feminisms must react through “projects of discursive destabilisation” (2007: 53). Finn/ula McQuillan is portrayed as none of the three and the choice of a first-person narrator renders this “discursive destabilisation” all the more obvious. Although her grandmother is clearly (rather grossly, not to say grotesquely) associated with Mother Ireland,9 Finn/ula is a single young woman living in a Catholic ghetto displaying “stumps where the buildings used to be – stumps like tombstones” (109), in other words, where the future is stymied and linked only to death. The ordinariness of her life is reflected in the predictability of tea breaks, lunch breaks and the locals’ behaviour and the only concession to monstrosity is her nightmare of her grandmother/Mother Ireland successfully wresting her from the arms of her English lover. The fact that this monstrosity is linked to her grandmother and not to Finn/ula herself signals the shift in circumstances and in representation: the romantic ideals of her grandmother’s generation have been replaced by a shrewd appraisal of the new political situation which calls for a different sort of involvement and a re-evaluation of women’s roles in the IRA. There is no sense in this story of a glorification of violence or of triumphalism, merely a recognition (reinforced by the metaphor of the spider “spinning a new web”, “weav[ing] the angles of his world in the space of the corner” in which Finn/ula can “only glimpse what fatal visions stir that dark web’s pattern” [118-9]) that acts of violence, even sanctioned by a given organisation, remain an individual affair, neither exclusively male nor female, simply a part of a whole.
The spider’s web metaphor is particularly interesting here as it is open to several levels of interpretation. On one level it obviously highlights the narrator’s sense of having become caught up despite herself in a web of violence, while suggesting that her actions are to be read not in terms of the binaries which are usually applied to the conflict in the North of Ireland, but in terms of an interconnectedness of many social, political and cultural factors. On a more mythological plane, this spider she observes weaving its web inside her prison cell suggests that Finn/ula is to be seen as an Arachne figure who has challenged the powers that be, has won (so to speak), and must now pay the price. Finally, on a more artistic level, calling attention to the spider’s weaving and Finn/ula’s response to it suggests that another symbolic reading is also possible: in Ovid’s myth, Arachne is punished for having dared to compete with the gods, for having been so proud as to think that she can out-weave Pallas Athena, that her art is superior to the work of the gods, for having flouted authority (Ovid, 125). Through Finn/ula Mc Quillan, the sonority of whose name (quill) draws attention to her role as author/narrator of her own story,10 yet who nevertheless cannot explain her actions, Devlin foregrounds the difficulties inherent in the representation of politically motivated acts of violence. In this respect, the allusion to Eliot’s play Murder in the Cathedral is significant. A young girl comes into the library where Finn/ula works looking for books to read to her visually-impaired grandmother and when she picks out Eliot’s play, Finn/ula’s colleague advises her against it, suggesting that it is “too grisly” (99). When she suggests love stories as more appropriate reading, the girl stubbornly maintains that her grandmother is only interested in murder stories. Aside from highlighting a macabre local interest in murder, this intertextual allusion also invites us to read Finn/ula’s actions in the light of Eliot’s play, that is to say, to see her as an individual struggling against an oppressive authority and quietly accepting her fate.
Finn/ula McQuillan is therefore portrayed as a “good” terrorist in descriptive terms: that is to say, she successfully manages to carry out terrorist acts. In moral terms, despite the incomprehension her act provokes from colleagues and ex-partner alike, the choice of first person narrative fosters empathy for Finn/ula and a degree of understanding, without necessarily portraying her as morally “good”. The result is a nuanced, poignant depiction of a female IRA volunteer that indulges neither in sensationalism, nor in manicheism.
Fifteen years after Anne Devlin’s “Naming the Names”, Anna Burns published her first novel, No Bones(2001). This novel charts the childhood, adolescence and early adulthood of Amelia, a native of Ardoyne in North Belfast. Essentially a tale of death, destruction and limited recovery, No Bones reveals, often uncomfortably through humour, the fragmentation of the community and of the self in a context of public violence. The incursion of violence into the private sphere is explored through the displacement of the signifiers of war onto the personal realm (“hunger strike” referring to anorexia; “safe house” to a place free from danger for the psychologically fragile Amelia; “battles” to Amelia’s fight against alcoholism) and through the depiction of Bronagh McCabe, a childhood friend of Amelia’s who has become an active member of a Republican paramilitary organisation.
Bronagh McCabe makes several appearances in the course of this novel, and is therefore depicted in the different stages of childhood, adolescence and adulthood. Also a resident of Ardoyne, her psychological instability does not bring her to turn on herself, as in Amelia’s case, but to commit acts of violence against others. Stating that, after a schoolyard incident, Bronagh is “charged as an underage gunman” (76), the teenage Amelia already draws attention to the assumption that acts of political violence are automatically associated with men, an assumption which language invariably mimics and which this novel goes on to challenge.
The genesis of Bronagh’s predilection for violence and her involvement in the republican movement is clearly shown in a chapter which recounts Amelia’s and Bronagh’s experiences in a cross-community Youth Training Programme. Visibly happier working in the traditionally male-dominated sectors of plumbing, carpentry and car mechanics than in typing (the only option open to girls), Bronagh is nevertheless rejected and mocked by the boys working there simply because she is female. The sectarian divide is momentarily bridged as the boys come together in unison to voice their preference for Bronagh “going into the office with the other girls” (109). This moment of unity is short-lived, however, when Bronagh is told by a Protestant that “go[ing] with Taigs” is an “unnatural, bestial act” (111). Her femininity is then called into question by the girls when Bronagh states her desire to ask a boy out. Against a chorus of “Girls don’t do that!” and slurs against her appearance – “you’re not exactly feminine” (111-12) – and caught in a paradox where she is perceived as either too feminine or not feminine enough, Bronagh, after having endorsed gender codes by changing her appearance to look more attractive (an attempt which yields catastrophic results as she only looks garish), then defies them once she is mocked by resorting to uncontrollable violence. After a telling ellipsis in the text, the next section opens with “The Peelers interviewed everyone in Casualty” (116), thereby revealing the extent of Bronagh’s violent outburst. Bronagh’s main victim, now in Intensive Care, is the Protestant girl who voiced several insults related both to Bronagh’s religion and to her inability to confirm to stereotypical feminine norms. The “Community Pilot Scheme” is closed down as a result of both gender and sectarian discrimination and the seeds of Bronagh’s future complex involvement with paramilitary action are sown. The difficulty of reconciling her attraction towards professions and preferences which are stereotypically associated with men with the expectations of gender provides a nuanced background picture against which her later actions must be read.
Amelia’s final (and most disturbing) encounter with Bronagh is recounted from the former’s point of view, but with heavy intrusions from the narrator at times. Bronagh, now married and the mother of six boys, is preparing dinner and a bomb attack when a fragile Amelia, still in the throes of recovery from alcohol addiction, arrives at her door looking for information about the murder of her brother. The flippant comment with which the narrator opens this section of the novel sets the terrorist act up as an everyday occurrence: “The build-up to committing murder, as anyone will tell you, takes its toll on a person and Bronagh was no exception to that” (222). In order to prepare for murder, Bronagh craves some “obsessive-compulsive human contact” (222), in other words, sex, and, her husband not being there to supply this, she decides to use Amelia.
Using mainly black humour, Burns emphasises the contrast between this domesticated, loving mother-of-six, the accomplished terrorist and the sexually depraved woman. The scene opens with an image of stereotypical domestic perfection, Bronagh cheerfully preparing dinner for her six boys, a scene marred only, but significantly, by the presence of a five-pound bomb on the table. When Bronagh’s youngest son, Wolfe Tone, shows an interest in the semtex, she serenely covers it with a table cloth and the onomatopoeic verb “swish” (223) used to describe the movement, reinforces the image of Bronagh as a traditional mother, protecting her children from danger. The flippant mingling here of domesticity and paramilitary violence highlights the overlap between the public and private spheres and disconcertingly serves as a reminder that violence is just another everyday occurrence in the context of the Troubles.
Bronagh then proceeds to force Amelia to satisfy her sexually and this scene of sexual violation is narrated from Amelia’s point of view. It is significant that the latter perceives Bronagh as a masculine figure:11 “Bronagh wasn’t some desperate groping male person and she herself wasn’t just going through motions” (225, my emphasis). The graphic description of the act abandons the earlier humorous tone and, through this sudden change, draws attention to the seriousness of this unexpected violation. Bronagh is hypersexualised throughout the scene, notably when her tongue is presented as a substitute phallus which penetrates Amelia’s mouth, taking on an agency of its own, in what reads as an oral rape: “Bronagh’s tongue then demanded, pushing itself in further, taking over and expanding to the back of Amelia’s throat” (225). To the hypersexualisation of Bronagh is added an element of monstrosity when one of her sons enters the bedroom to see what she is doing. He sees a face which “looked not like his mammy’s but like a contorted face from one of his kicking, kicking-awake nightmares, and not inches from himself were monster adult thighs and a giant hairy underbum” (Burns, 228). The scene is rendered grotesque through the boy’s perception and the childish vocabulary (“mammy”, “monster”, “giant” “underbum”) used to describe the changes making his mother unrecognisable and monstrous. Bronagh in fact appears as dismembered, perceived only synechdochically by her confused and traumatised son.
On the surface, what lurks behind this blending of the mother, monster, and whore imagery is the suggestion that in order to commit acts of violence, women must adopt aggressive (and stereotypically masculine) characteristics. This is not unproblematic as it marks a return to essentialist, rigid categories of behaviour as inherently feminine or masculine, clearly positing violence as masculine. However, it is worth considering that Burns, even as she appears to be entrenching gender stereotypes, is actually using exaggeration as a technique to highlight common perceptions of violent women. After all, it is the psychologically fragile Amelia who reads Bronagh’s behaviour as masculine, a point of view the otherwise quite intrusive narrator neither endorses nor rejects. Moreover, the description of a personified “Action Man […] in fatigues, his plastic rifle at the ready, [who] was peeping over at the two women from a single shelf that ran the length of the wall” (227) even adds a disturbingly parodic dimension to the scene, portraying the male soldier as an impotent peeping tom. Furthermore, Bronagh is depicted as the only successful, “good” terrorist in the novel, all her male counterparts portrayed as incompetent alcoholics, gamblers or bumbling fools. Interestingly, Burns’ female terrorist does not quite correspond to the “mother/whore” category as Sjoberg and Gentry present it. Bronagh is not a woman pushed to violence in order to protect her young. Neither is she a sexual slave to a man (Sjoberg & Gentry 2007: 49), nor an “erotomaniac” (47). It is not sexual arousal that pushes her to violence, but rather her involvement in violence which heightens her sexual arousal.12 She is certainly presented as momentarily “sexually deviant” (46), yet her sexual deviance is not much different from that of other characters in the novel who are not involved in paramilitary violence (see the chapter entitled “Troubles, 1979” in which Amelia’s brother and his girlfriend try to rape her and the chapter “Babies, 1974” in which a twelve year old girl pushes around a toy pram with her dead baby, a product of incest, in it). It would be more prudent to suggest that Burns is concerned to depict the many dysfunctions besieging this community during the Troubles: political, social, cultural, physical, sexual and psychological. It is therefore no exaggeration to suggest that Burns, in this satire of the Troubles in the North of Ireland and, in particular, through the character of Bronagh, is “seizing control of language, images, symbols, and narratives” in order to find “new strategies for dealing with […] women’s place” in political violence (Hendin 2004: 201).
Eileen MacDonald has highlighted in the conclusion to her book Shoot the Women First that “the view of violent women as especially aberrant appears to be well entrenched” (1991: 241). This is an opinion she occasionally appears to share, such as when she asks whether female terrorists are “warped, or mad, or evil” or whether “something [has] happened to them to make them such misfits in the world of women” (233). It seems to me, following Sjoberg and Gentry, that these are not the questions that should be asked, and that Devlin and Burns do not entertain such queries. In their portrayals of Finn/ula McQuillan and Bronagh McCabe, these authors undermine and play with the binaries associated with masculinity and femininity, and in so doing, invite reflection on the manner in which the international policing of what constitutes feminine and masculine behaviour, in other words, what is appropriate for women, fractures at the point where women become politically violent agents. What both authors show is that the endemic violence which characterised Belfast during the Troubles has a devastating impact on every aspect of life and spills over to contaminate the private sphere, traditionally associated with women. Finn/ula and Bronagh are very different characters, but both have grown up in a highly dysfunctional environment and both have freely chosen to join the IRA. In portraying this choice and their acts of violence, Devlin and Burns challenge the “ongoing bias in gender discourses in global politics which resist recognizing women’s capacity to engage in violence” (Sjoberg & Gentry 2007: 22). Whether or not these texts can be considered as feminist fictions is another question. There is a certain degree of ambiguity in Anna Burns’ character, the representation of whom slides dangerously close, as we have seen, to a violent monster/whore image. In contrast, Devlin’s character is much more sober, although unlike Bronagh she “only” facilitates rather than commits a terrorist act. I would suggest that the very choice of portraying these female terrorists is already a political one, and that presenting them as rational, reflective beings, as Devlin does, or as larger-than-life, sexually violent beings, as Burns does, at worst forces the reader to critically engage with stereotypes of violent women and at best invites the reader to go beyond gender essentialist discourses which posit women as necessarily non-violent beings. This may not make for a particularly joyful reading experience, but moving out of our comfort zone is the price we must pay if dominant discourses are to be challenged through fictional representations.
I would like to thank the anonymous reviewers of this article for their thought-provoking comments which enabled me to develop a number of significant aspects in more detail.
There are, of course, plenty of examples of fiction in which male (ex) paramilitaries are represented. See among many others Ronan Bennett’s The Second Prison (1991), Colin Batemans’s Divorcing Jack (1994), David Park’s The Truth Commissioner (2008). [↩]
See for example Deirdre Madden’s Hidden Symptoms (1986) and One by One in the Darkness (1996), or Jennifer Johnston’s Shadows on our Skin (1997). [↩]
I do not mean to suggest a homogenisation of these groups which all emerged and fought in different cultural contexts, although the backdrop of anti-colonial ideology is a constant. Tanya Lyons has provided a fascinating study of women within the Zimbabwean paramilitary organisations which undermines the egalitarian discourse of Robert Mugabe in the wake of Independence, giving voice to female victims of sexual abuse within these movements. Zoë Wicomb, a South African novelist and short story writer has tackled this question in her fiction, highlighting the sexual privileges male comrades awarded themselves by raping their female comrades, or, at the very least, expecting them to provide sex on a regular basis. These issues have not emerged in the Irish context, but what has emerged is the suggestion that women’s military credentials have been regularly undermined. Margaret Ward suggests that it is “unlikely that many [women] have attained a high military ranking” and she also claims that despite the inclusion of female volunteers as a major innovation in the most recent campaign, the absence of any strong expression of the demands of women precludes any possibility of change and positive evolution; Richard O’Rawe, in his controversial bookBlanketmen (2005), clearly states in the solitary paragraph devoted to the female volunteers’ participation in the prison struggle that the Armagh women’s dirty protest and hunger strike were detrimental to the ‘cause’, deflecting attention from the men; Begoña Aretxaga in her study of gender and nationalism,Shattering Silence (1987), devotes a whole chapter to the controversy surrounding the portrayal of and reactions to the IRA female volunteers’ dirty protest and hunger strike and highlights the way in which it was minimised as “an appendix to the struggle of male prisoners”. She also points out the sort of pressure prisoners’ wives were put under to ensure they remained faithful to their jailed husbands. Finally, Nell McCafferty in her book entitled The Armagh Women (1981), tackles on several occasions the undermining of the commitment of IRA female volunteers, concluding that some have even been co-opted by traditional patriarchal discourse within the movement. She also points out, however, as do Eileen MacDonald and Begoña Aretxaga, that in response to campaigning by IRA women, notably Mairead Farrell, the organisation and its political counterpart Sinn Féin, took steps to ensure greater equality within its ranks. See Tanya Lyons (2004: 260-76); Zoë Wicomb (2000: 80-2;123); Margaret Ward (1995: 259-263); Richard O’Rawe (2005: 106); Begoña Aretxaga (1987: 126; 119-121); Nell McCafferty (1981: 88-90); Eileen MacDonald (1991: 135). [↩]
Gayle Greene, to name but one critic, expressed her disquiet in her monograph on Lessing: “The Good Terrorist is Lessing’s most disturbing novel. What I find horrific about it is the way Lessing seems to turn on her own former beliefs in a mood of savage caricature” (1994: 205). [↩]
Judges, as representatives of British power in the North of Ireland, and often responsible for the dishing out of heavy sentences to convicted members of the IRA, were considered by this organisation as legitimate targets throughout the Troubles. [↩]
For a longer discussion on stereotypical media and fictional representations of female paramilitaries, see Steel (2007: 171-6) in which she focuses on the ‘Vampira’ and the way in which they have been used, in Britain, “to shield through fantasy the trauma of the violent conflict” in the North of Ireland (174). [↩]
Although this might illustrate, as Storey (2004: 205) has suggested, a feminist dimension to Devlin’s text, Rhiannon Talbot (2004: 135-6) has specified that the increase in female volunteers in the IRA did not necessarily correspond to a feminist agenda within the movement, but rather a realisation of the strategic importance of using women as they were less likely to be stopped by army or police. [↩]
Margaret Ward points out how women in the Republican movement were excluded from influential positions, highlighting that they were generally “content to perform unquestioningly whatever services were demanded of them” (1995: 248). This book-length study consistently highlights the fraught relationship between feminists and republicans since the days of the Ladies’ Land League right through to the Provisional IRA. [↩]
See Steel (2007: 200-14) for a very full discussion of this over-used trope of a “punitive, hideous and rapacious” (200) Mother Ireland in contemporary popular fiction. [↩]
Although the etymology of the name has no bearing on the act of writing, it is possible that Devlin chose it for its sonority, thus calling attention to one of the traditional tools of writing. [↩]
An earlier version of the following analysis was developed in my article “Gender(ed) Trouble(s): Resisting Conformity in Anna Burns’ No Bones and Little Constructions.” Online publication, Université de Lille 3, 2011. http://cecille.recherche.univ-lille3.fr/IMG/pdf/Conformismes_et_resistances-2.pdf (47-53) [↩]
The way in which the stress of participation in political violence potentially heightens the need for sexual release is in fact a common trope in fiction dealing with male paramilitaries in the Irish context. See for example Gerald Seymour’s Harry’s Game (1975). [↩]
Alison, Miranda H. 2009. Women and Political Violence: Female Combatants in Ethno-National Conflict. New York & London: Routledge.
Aretxaga, Begoña. 1987. Shattering Silence: Women, Nationalism and Political Subjectivity in Northern Ireland. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Burns, Anna. 2001. No Bones. London: Flamingo.
Butler, Judith. 2004. Precarious Lives: The Powers of Mourning and Violence. London & New York: Verso.
Devlin, Ann. 1986. ‘Naming the Names,’ The Way-Paver. London: Faber & Faber.
Donovan, Katie, A. Norman Jeffers & Brendan Kennelly (eds.). 1995 (1994) Ireland’s Women: Writing Past and Present. London & New York: Norton & Norton.
Enloe, Cynthia. 2007. Globalization & Militarism: Feminists Make the Link. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
Giles, Wenona, Malathi de Alwis, Edith Klein & Neluka Silva (eds.). 2003. Feminists Under Fire: Exchanges across War Zones. Toronto: Between the Lines.
Greene, Gayle. 1994. Doris Lessing: The Poetics of Change. Michigan: University of Michigan Press.
Hendin, Josephine Gattuso. 2004. Heartbreakers: Women and Violence in Contemporary Culture and Literature. New York & Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Lyons, Tanya. 2004. Guns and Guerilla Girls: Women in the Zimbabwean Liberation Struggle. Trenton N.J. & Asmara, Eritrea: Africa World Press.
McCafferty, Nell. 1981. The Armagh Women. Dublin: Co-op Books.
MacDonald, Eileen. 1991. Shoot the Women First. London: Fourth Estate.
Ovid. 1986. Metamorphosis. Translation: A.D. Melville. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Patten, Eve. 1995. “Fiction in Conflict: Northern Ireland’s Prodigal Novelists”. Peripheral Visions: Images of Nationhood in Contemporary British Fiction. Ed. Ian A. Bell. Cardiff: U of Wales, 1995. 128-148.
Shanahan, Timothy. 2009 The Provisional Irish Republican Army and the Morality of Terrorism. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Sjoberg, Laura & Caron E. Gentry. 2007. Mothers, Monsters, Whores: Women’s Violence in Global Politics. London & New York: Zed Books.
Steel, Jayne. 2004. “Politicizing the private: women writing the Troubles”, in Brian Cliff & Éibhear Walshe (eds.), Representing the Troubles: Texts & Images, 1970-2000. Dublin: Four Courts Press. 55-66.
_______. 2007. Demons, Hamlets and Femmes fatales: Representations of Irish Republicanism In Popular Fiction. Bern: Peter Lang.
Storey, Michael L. 2004. Representing the Troubles in Irish Short Fiction. Washington DC: The Catholic University of America Press.
Talbot, Rhiannon. 2004. “Female Combatants, Paramilitary Prisoners and the Development of Femininsm in the Republican Movement”, in Louise Ryan & Margaret Ward (eds.), Irish Women and Nationalism: Soldiers, New Women and Wicked Hags. Dublin & Portland, Or: Irish Academic Press. 132-144.
Ward, Margaret. 1995 (1989). Unmanageable Revolutionaries. London: Pluto Press.
Wicomb Zoë. 2000. David’s Story. New York: The Feminist Press.
| Received: 25-11-2011 | Last Version: 26-01-2012 | Articles, Issue 7
Issue 7 | Contents
1. Colm Tóibín and Post-Nationalist Ireland: Redefining Family Through Alterity
2. “Through the Forest of Language”: For All We Know by Ciaran Carson
3. Paula Spencer or the Miraculous Transformation of Misery into Joy
4. Slight Productions: An Introduction to Maria Edgeworth’s Comic Dramas (1817)
5. Brian Friel’s Short Stories and Play Revisited: Orientating “The Visitation,” “Foundry House,” and Aristocrats in their Historical and Audience Contexts
6. New Uses of Traditional Healing in Contemporary Irish Literature
7. ‘The Good Terrorist(s)’? Interrogating Gender and Violence in Ann Devlin’s ‘Naming the Names’ and Anna Burns’ No Bones
8. Sexuality, Marriage and Women’s Life Narratives in Teresa Deevy’s: A Disciple (1931), The King of Spain’s Daughter (1935) and Katie Roche (1936)
9. Comparaciones (no odiosas) entre la (Royal) Irish Constabulary y la Guardia Civil Española en los relatos de viajeros de habla inglesa por la España de los siglos XIX y XX
10. Michael Longley’s Father: Memory, Mourning and History
11. Politics, Place and Religion in Irish American Noir Fiction. An Interview with Dennis Lehane
12. Poetry as a “Humane Enterprise”: Interview with Eavan Boland on the Occasion of the 50th Anniversary of her Literary Career
13. Years of Apprenticeship
14. Irish National Identity after the Celtic Tiger
15. Irish Studies in Spain – 2011
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Zac Efron Acknowledges Addiction Issues with Bear Grylls
By Antoinette Bueno 6:48 AM PDT, July 30, 2014
Though Zac Efron has remained tight-lipped about his stint in rehab last year, the Neighbors star recently opened up to Bear Grylls in an episode of NBC's Running Wild with Bear Grylls, acknowledging the challenges of fame and how it led to him needing a "social lubricant" to cope.
"It was just so quick -- it was shocking," Efron, 26, said about becoming a superstar after his breakout role in Disney's High School Musical. "The challenging part was never the work, that was never it. It was sort of the in-between work -- the social aspects outside of it; everywhere you go … and it can be confusing … and pretty soon you need a social lubricant."
Video: Watch a Shirtless Zac Efron Jump Off a Cliff with Bear Grylls
Though before long, the social aspects of fame took center stage in his life.
"Once it became that … it got to the point where I was caring less about the work and waiting more for the weekend where I couldn't wait to go out and let loose and have fun," he admitted. "But when Monday and Tuesday were difficult to get through, I thought, 'This is bad.'"
Efron now says he is currently in a much better place.
"I just really never again want to take anything from the outside in to feel … comfortable in my present skin, and that takes a lot of work," he said. "It's just meditation and stopping and slowing down your brain."
Efron shocked fans when he entered rehab in April 2013 for problems with alcohol and reportedly cocaine.
Pics: Zac Efron's Sexiest Shirtless Moments
"I was drinking a lot, way too much," he told The Hollywood Reporter in April, also acknowledging there were drugs involved. "It's never one specific thing. I mean, you're in your 20s, single, going through life in Hollywood, you know? Everything is thrown at you. I wouldn't take anything back; I needed to learn everything I did. But it was an interesting journey, to say the least."
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BoM books a seat on satellite launch3 weeks, 2 days ago
BoM books a seat on satellite launch
25 Jun 2019, 12:38 p.m.
A mission of six satellites designed to improve weather forecasts and space weather monitoring, is scheduled for launch today from Florida.
A significant advance in the world's ability to forecast and monitor weather and climate is about to be launched into space and Australia's Bureau of Meteorology has booked its seat.
COSMIC-2, a mission of six satellites designed to improve weather forecasts and space weather monitoring, is scheduled for launch on 25 June (AEST) from Cape Canaveral, Florida, aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket.
Data from satellites underpins the weather and climate services delivered by the Bureau and the COSMIC-2 mission is expected to bring major benefits to Australia, including better storm forecasting, especially in warm, tropical areas near the equator.
Bureau of Meteorology Chief Data Officer Dr Anthony Rea said the Bureau was pleased to be playing a role in the international effort.
"The Bureau's technical experts will be working closely with our international partners to ensure the successful deployment of the COSMIC-2 satellites and monitoring them from the Bureau's ground station in Middle Point, Northern Territory," he said.
"The Bureau has a large network of ground stations from which we can send and receive signals from satellites. This enables us to make a valuable contribution to international space missions, such as COSMIC-2. In the case of COSMIC-2 we will be sending commands to the satellites as well as downlinking real-time data."
The satellites, flying on the US. Air Force's Space Test Program-2 mission, are known as the Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere and Climate (COSMIC-2).
The launch is the culmination of years of planning and cooperation between agencies including the Bureau of Meteorology, the Taiwan National Space Organization (NSPO), NASA, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and many others.
Each COSMIC-2 satellite, roughly the size of a standard kitchen oven, carries a precision GPS receiver that allows us to determine atmospheric density, temperature, pressure and moisture. They also carry three instruments that detect electron density and other space weather information in the ionosphere, as a secondary payload.
Unlike the first COSMIC mission, launched in 2006 with its satellites orbiting the Earth in nearly polar orbits, the COSMIC-2 satellites will orbit Earth near the equator, taking measurements of the tropics and subtropics, and monitoring the ionosphere for the effects of solar storms.
Using a technique called radio occultation, the COSMIC-2 satellites will collect signals from the Global Navigation Satellite System, (including GPS) that are "bent" as they travel through the Earth's atmosphere.
The bent signal gives scientists an indication of the temperature, pressure and moisture content of the atmosphere. Data from radio occultation helps to create more accurate weather forecasts.
The story BoM books a seat on satellite launch first appeared on Farm Online.
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Home > About FDIC > Financial Reports > 2008 Annual Report
Previous | Contents | Next
The FDIC Today
Events continue to highlight the importance of the FDIC.
In the decade following the crisis of the 1980s and early 1990s, the business of banking became more profitable but also more complex. The industry consolidation that began in the 1980s accelerated. Big financial institutions got bigger. Simultaneously, however, community banks found ways to thrive and prosper.
The following panels will cover recent FDIC history and describe how we serve the American people today.
A Week in the Life of the FDIC
Identifying risks and promoting stability have been hallmarks of the FDIC’s mission for 75 years. But the FDIC’s job doesn’t end there. Here is a behind-the-scenes look at a typical “Week in the Life of the FDIC.”
Managing the Deposit Insurance Fund
The FDIC manages the deposit insurance fund, which is supported by risk-based premiums paid by insured banks and thrifts. On an ongoing basis, FDIC staff work to set appropriate deposit insurance premiums and to structure the deposit insurance fund’s portfolio of Treasury securities.
Responding to Questions
The FDIC typically responds to more than 5,000 inquiries each week from consumers and financial professionals about deposit insurance coverage. The FDIC’s Web site, which contains extensive information on deposit insurance, consumer protection, and banking, is used by the public more than 500,000 times a week.
Examining and Supervising Banks
FDIC staff conduct off-site monitoring and on-site examinations to assess risk and promote prudent banking practices. Examinations identify whether banks operate in a safe and sound manner and comply with consumer protection laws. During any given week, the FDIC may be examining more than 200 banks.
Promoting Local Lending
The FDIC encourages banks to make mortgages and other loans in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods. One strategy involves conducting about 10 outreach meetings weekly with bankers and community representatives.
4,532 – Number of FDIC employees at year-end 2007.
Unusual Holdings
When a bank fails, the FDIC often winds up acquiring some of the institution’s assets. Through the years, the FDIC has temporarily owned some highly unusual businesses and properties, typically the result of bad loans or investments made by the failed banks. Take a look at some of our oddest acquisitions.
The FDIC owned 12 percent of the team during the 1988 and 1989 seasons, after FirstRepublic Corporation of Dallas failed in 1988.
Citrus and Almond Tree Farms
Assets acquired by the FDIC often require significant upkeep. For example, FDIC asset managers had to purchase machinery to protect our citrus crops from freezing weather and bought beehives for pollination of our almond trees.
The FDIC owned fleets in California, Arizona, and New York.
Ghosts and Ghouls
The FDIC acquired a house in Salem, Massachusetts, that was reputedly haunted by the ghosts of the men and women who were sent to their deaths more than 300 years ago by the previous landowner, the town sheriff. The property was acquired from the Bank of New England, which failed in 1991.
The RTC acquired the Mulholland Library of Conjuring and the Allied Arts from the failed First Network Savings in 1990. Magician David Copperfield made it disappear from the RTC’s asset portfolio by purchasing it for $2.2 million. The collection included letters written by Harry Houdini and books dating back to the 16th century.
Grizzly 2: The Predator
The FDIC acquired this B-grade horror picture, filmed in 1983 with budding stars Charlie Sheen and George Clooney. The movie is about a grizzly bear that attacks patrons at a rock concert in a national park.
From Oil Tankers to Shrimp Boats
Throughout the years, the FDIC has had interests in oil tankers, shrimp boats, and tuna boats, and consequently experienced many of the pitfalls facing the maritime industry. In one case, an oil tanker ran aground. In another, a shrimp boat was blown onto the main street of Aransas Pass, Texas, by a hurricane.
The FDIC temporarily owned more than 100 race horses and breeding horses, most of which had been collateral for loans made by the failed Penn Square Bank in Oklahoma.
In 1993, the FDIC acquired the voting rights to a controlling share of the stock in companies that owned casinos, including the Maxim and the Dunes in Las Vegas.
Last Updated 06/18/2009 communications@fdic.gov
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Music in the Square: Jose Gomez
Jose Gomez is a local singer, songwriter and pianist. His songs, "If I Let Myself Go" and "Si Me Dejo Llevar" were recorded by Dionne Warwick and Chuck Jackson on BMG Records. Jose is a member of The Grammy Awards and ASCAP. He has performed at Carnegie Hall, The Clemens Center and throughout North America. He composed the musical score for "Prime-Time" which premiered at The 78th Street Theater, Off-Broadway. Jose served on the Board of Governors of the Elmira Little Theatre for six years and has performed with Common Time and the Cantata Singers. Jose graduated magna cum laude from the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Currently, he performs throughout the Twin Tiers as a soloist, as a duo (with Michele Gordon on flute) and with his classic rock band (2nd Wind). He is also the Musical Director for the United Church of Painted Post. Jose's CD, Jogo/"Light in the Window," is available on iTunes, cdbaby.com/jogo and Spotify.
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-102 -
Vegas Golden Knights are extraordinary!
by Robert Mann
The stunning emergence of the Vegas Golden Knights has left many observers searching for something with which to compare the unprecedented appearance of an expansion team in the NHL finals set to begin Monday night.
The 1967-68 St. Louis Blues made it to the hockey finals in their first year of existence, but the comparison to the Golden Knights is intrinsically flawed because it was produced through a playoff format in which the Blues only played other expansion teams to make the finals.
A much better comparison is to the 1969 “Miracle Mets,” the team that put teamwork ahead of ego to “shock the world” (thank you Muhammed Ali) and win the 1969 World Series.
“There are a lot of teams in all sports who have come from nowhere to somewhere, but a lot of them haven’t closed the deal,” said Mets shortstop Bud Harrelson. “We closed the deal. The teamwork was amazin’.”
As a native New Yorker, 1969 was the greatest sports year ever, with the Mets winning the World Series, the Joe Namath Jets the Super Bowl and the Willis Reed Knicks taking the 1969-70 NBA championship. I gave up on all of those teams, now among the worst run anywhere, long ago. But like all Las Vegans I am taking great civic pride in the Golden Knights.
It’s not just the performance on the ice, it’s the community engagement with the general public, the classy demeanor of ownership and management and the selfless end-to-end playing style that has produced an exhilarating brand of hockey and the wins to go along with it.
2019 will mark 50 years since that great Mets squad that brought together a group of unlikely ballplayers whose teamwork and enthusiasm produced a championship for many baseball fans that had grown tired of the seemingly charmed existence of the Yankees.
I can still vividly recall the pennant drive in which the team vanquished a Hall of Fame-laden Cubs team led by Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, Ron Santo and Fergie Jenkins.
The Mets, like the Golden Knights, were made up of a bunch of players others team didn’t want like Cleon Jones, Donn Clendenon, Ron Swoboda, Ed Kranepool, Ed Charles, Tommie Agee and others. I can see still Agee’s two circus catches in game three of the World Series against the Orioles like it was yesterday. He hit a homer in that game, also.
Swoboda, not known at all for his fielding prowess, went parallel to the ground in game four to snare Brooks Robinson’s sinking liner with two outs and two on in the ninth inning. The Mets won the game in the 10th.
Swoboda, who didn’t even play in a three-game sweep of the Braves in the National League Championship Series, had only one RBI in the World Series, but that was the game winner of the fifth and final game.
The everyday lineup may have been suspect, but the Mets pitching staff was led by the one, two punch of Tom Seaver (25-7, 2.21 ERA and 208 strikeouts) and Jerry Koosman (17-9, 2.28 ERA and 180 strikeouts).
Part of the beauty of the 1969 Mets is their championship was completely unexpected. If the Golden Knights win Lord Stanley’s Cup the same thing can be said about them. Analogies, especially in sports, are seldom perfect, so it should be noted that when the Mets came into existence in 1962 they were historically bad, winning only 40 of 160 games. They finished 60.5 games behind the pennant-winning San Francisco Giants.
The expansion draft that created them produced a hapless group of baseball misfits. The team made losing a habit under the leadership of Casey Stengel. Stengel seemed constantly befuddled, but was constantly amusing as well, uttering his famous line, “Can’t anybody here play this game.” That classic quote describing the team’s astounding ineptitude was later the title of a Jimmy Breslin book about what was, in all likelihood, the worst team ever.
The achievements of the 1969 Mets must always be looked at in the context of the horrible 1962 team.
For the Golden Knights, there’s really little to compare in the hockey world. Win or lose the Stanley Cup, the team’s success is extraordinary and, perhaps, unique.
We’ll just have to leave it at that.
Robert Mann has a Northwestern journalism degree, is a former reporter for the Chicago Tribune and National Enquirer. He was in news management... more
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Past Shows:
Show #13/1913.Rainwater Runoff
Meadow Creek
MARY AND RICHARD FIRST VISIT MEADOW CREEK which to bring the story back to Jefferson, which they always try to do in Charlottesville, is part of his original planning for the University. This is the creek that provided a source of water for the early University and although it looks quiet and peaceful today, in a major storm, it can become a very vigorous and rolling watercourse. When that happens it wreaks havoc on the landscape.
Cleaning/Storing Water
This is a beautiful space but hasn't always been that way. Six years ago the creek was running in a pipe beneath the ground. The water couldn't get into the creek channel any longer because the ground was saturated and unusable. TODAY THE CREEK GOES ACROSS A WEIR, a dam-like structure, creating a small waterfall, then into a forebay where the sediment that's carried along the stream falls out. The waterfall's function is to aerate the water, it adds oxygen and helps improve the water quality and it's beautiful. After the water goes over the weir and the sediment falls out it then goes over a second weir and into a larger pond which is also a retention basin. This basin is an engineered structure that is designed to store stormwater. So, this beautiful pond in actuality is a place, when it floods, that is designed to store water.
The story of stormwater management here begins right in the middle of the PARKING LOT, on the crowned area. The water falls to either side, then when it hits the curb it is introduced to the cuts in the curbing. They allow the water into the low median area. Importantly one doesn't need a parking lot to use this technique. Homeowners could use the idea of curbing cuts on their property. They allow capture of the water before it really builds up. Once the water enters the curb cuts the stone channel in the center of the island allows water to be somewhat aerated and slowed down as it enters the filtration bed.
Wild Area of Plantings
The water, some coming off the parking lot and across the grass, then onto this sort of WILD AREA OF PLANTINGS, then into a gutter-like structure, is slowed and cleaned. From there it goes into a pipe which takes it to an area we'll discuss later. It's incredible the difference caused by the water slowing. Imagine water coming across the parking lot, then moving down to this area. The velocity would be incredible. Most likely no gutter could handle that task. The plants also do a good job. they're tough and very dense.
Large Detention Basin
This is the lowest area of the entire water management system. The water that does not get filtered into the ground will come from the parking lot, into the pipe, into the channel and eventually will find it's way to this DETENTION BASIN. This low area is designed to fill up with water in a big storm, then be released very slowly so that it does not cause any damage to the system downstream of this area. There is great plant diversity here. At the top are Acer rubrum 'October Glory' Red maples and some grasses.
Mary and Richard next visit the School of Architecture and an outdoor classroom at CAMPBELL HALL. Here they've used several techniques that would be applicable for most landscape treatments. The roof water is captured and then conveyed to a wall, then out a scupper and into a trough. This method makes water a very visible part of the landscape experience when it's raining. And whether raining or not it looks gorgeous.
Try This At Home
In this show we've seen 3 DIFFERENT SITES, some on a large scale, some on a small scale but all seem to work efficiently. Mary reports that it is easier to tackle these interventions when they are smaller. If they had waited, for example, to treat all the water at the Meadow Creek watershed at the Arena site, it would have been almost impossible to design anything that created a place for people to enjoy themselves, something that was attractive, a garden like setting. At best it would have been a large engineered structure. She believes the capacity to think on a very micro-intervention scale instead of on a big institutional scale is important to us all. It's a problem we must all address. As water comes off our own roofs, in our gardens, across our driveways, it's something that we can take care of on a small scale.
Boar's Head Inn
The University of Virginia
Plants Suggestions for Stormwater Management
Garden Smart Plant List
Complete transcript of the show.
Show #13/1913. Rainwater Runoff
The raindrop can be one of the most beneficial or the most destructive elements on earth. In this Episode GardenSMART visits the University of Virginia (U Va.), founded by Thomas Jefferson, and takes a look at their innovative rainwater management ideas.
U Va. has a long and solid tradition and history. Cheryl Gomez is Director of Energy and Utilities at U Va. and introduces this show. Cheryl has an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering and this past May graduated from U Va's Darden School of Business with an MBA. Continuing education is very much in keeping with the whole Jeffersonian philosophy of life being a lifelong learning opportunity. For Cheryl to have the privilege to study here on Jefferson's grounds and to be able to work and study and be with world-class scholars, faculty and world-class students was an incredible privilege. She is passionate about what she does and passionate about the University. One of the things she learned in going through Darden is the reaffirmation of how important it is for her to be able to work for an organization that resonates with her own values. The values for the University are - education, research, healthcare and public service. Those values closely align with those of Cheryl.
Jefferson's academic village was founded by Jefferson as a means of thinking about education in a different way. Here faculty, scholars and students live together, work together, study together and that presents an incredible learning environment. If one looks at all the different pavilions on this campus each and every one may look similar but they're very unique and different. For example, each one has a different style of column, there is Corinthian, there is Ionic, there's Doric Composites and every single pavilion is a slightly different size. The Rotunda was designed by Jefferson replicating the Pantheon in Rome. The Pantheon was an integration of incredible structural engineering expertise for the time, incorporating geometrical similarities, it also integrated some of the philosophical ideals of the time. Jefferson was an incredible innovator and today they try to embrace and embody his vision on innovation when thinking about how to design the facilities and how they lay out the landscaping and architecture in general at U Va. Sustainability is a key concept, a key factor in all decisions that they make. One of the big sustainability issues they embrace is stormwater management.
Mary Hughes is a great person to lead that tour. Cheryl knows we'll enjoy our time with her.
Mary Hughes is the Landscape Architect at U Va. She received her Master's Degree in Landscape Architecture from U Va. then went to the National Parks Service where she worked for a number of years. She returned to U Va. in 1996 as the University Landscape Architect.
Thomas Jefferson designed U Va. and all that work for the University today feel they are stewards of that legacy. That involves not only historic preservation of the buildings but also the natural landscape which he felt was very important. Meadow Creek is an example. The role of water in the landscape and the lives of people was something Jefferson counted as a very valuable resource. In recent years they've had a series of disastrous droughts in the area, which has made them all the more aware of how important water is to sustaining the plants and animals and all the life around us. So, since the 1990's U Va. has been involved in a series of projects that try to focus on the role of water in the landscape, while improving the water quality, storing the floodwater to prevent flooding downstream and also making beautiful places for people to enjoy. And U Va. is considered genuine champions in this country in stormwater management.
MARY AND RICHARD FIRST VISIT MEADOW CREEK which to bring the story back to Jefferson, which they always try to do in Charlottesville, is part of his original planning for the University. This is the creek that provided a source of water for the early University and although it looks quiet and peaceful today, in a major storm, it can become a very vigorous and rolling watercourse. When that happens it wreaks havoc on the landscape. It will cause erosion problems and flooding downstream. So, they needed to devise a means to solve those problems while still maintaining a beautiful park-like landscape.
This is a beautiful space but hasn't always been that way. Six years ago the creek was running in a pipe beneath the ground. The water couldn't get into the creek channel any longer because the ground was saturated and unusable. TODAY THE CREEK GOES ACROSS A WEIR, a dam-like structure, creating a small waterfall, then into a forebay where the sediment that's carried along the stream falls out. The waterfall's function is to aerate the water, it adds oxygen and helps improve the water quality and it's beautiful. After the water goes over the weir and the sediment falls out it then goes over a second weir and into a larger pond which is also a retention basin. This basin is an engineered structure that is designed to store stormwater. So, this beautiful pond in actuality is a place, when it floods, that is designed to store water. One can get an idea about the capacity of flood storage by looking at the terrace of the surrounding landscape where one notices on the hill, Oak trees planted on a second terrace. The water can rise to that level. At the middle, the pond is 12 feet deep, thus this space holds a lot of water. Underneath a stone overlook is an engineered structure that is designed to release water very slowly back into the storm water system underneath the road. The water can be held in this basin for about 24 hours at flood stage. Then over that time it gently and slowly is released into storm pipes so that it doesn't cause a big gush of water into the downstream creek channel which causes erosion. They have turned a real problem into a treasure, a beautiful park-like setting.
Mary and Richard next visit the John Paul Jones Arena and although quite a distance away, they're still in the Meadow Creek watershed area. This is actually the low point of Meadow Creek on the University grounds. From here the water enters the city sewer system. When they built this 15,000 seat arena several years ago they had to be particularly mindful of how they would handle the water falling on the impervious surface (the parking lot) so that it did not cause problems for the city or community downstream. The story of stormwater management here begins right in the middle of the PARKING LOT, on the crowned area. The water falls to either side, then when it hits the curb it is introduced to the cuts in the curbing. They allow the water into the low median area. Importantly one doesn't need a parking lot to use this technique. Homeowners could use the idea of curbing cuts on their property. They allow capture of the water before it really builds up. Once the water enters the curb cuts the stone channel in the center of the island allows water to be somewhat aerated and slowed down as it enters the filtration bed. And, aeration is important. The roughness of the stone surface introduces some turbulence into the flow of the water which adds oxygen and is part of the cleansing process. From there the water goes into the turf and the soil. The soil filters the particulates and the grease out of the runoff from the parking lot, allowing the water to pass into the ground in a cleaner state than when it entered the swell. An interesting fact is that as water moves through the turf and into the soil there are millions, if not billions of microbes that are gobbling up all the pollution, the oil and so forth. It's all a natural process. This area has manicured turf, other grasses could have been utilized. Turf was used here first and foremost because this is an athletic facility and they like the more manicured look of turf. The arena is associated with their other athletic facilities around the University grounds, so rather than a wild native grass look, similar to what we saw at the dell earlier, they opted for turf. But, the process functions exactly the same way, whether turf grass or taller native grass. This was just a more comfortable setting for the Arena. As it most likely would be with a homeowner. A homeowner could have a manicured look and still accomplish the same thing. And that was the point here. One doesn't need to have a wild native landscape in order to have a sustainable practice like this. Regardless of the grasses or plants used this approach is better for the environment, certainly better than the conventional engineering solution.
The two move closer to the Arena. Of course, they must manage a lot of storm water but as well a lot of people are managed in this area. On any given night there may be 15,000 fans congregating here waiting for a basketball game or a concert so they need a large expanse of paved area. Accordingly they've introduced planting beds where the water can run off the pavement and into plantings that will, again, slow down the water and allow it to filter into the ground. The water, some coming off the parking lot and across the grass, then onto this sort of WILD AREA OF PLANTINGS, then into a gutter-like structure, is slowed and cleaned. From there it goes into a pipe which takes it to an area we'll discuss later. It's incredible the difference caused by the water slowing. Imagine water coming across the parking lot, then moving down to this area. The velocity would be incredible. Most likely no gutter could handle that task. The plants also do a good job. they're tough and very dense. They do a good job of trapping the water, slowing it down and allowing it to settle out to some degree and, at least, pass in a manageable state into the inlet. From a design standpoint it also works well. There are manicured areas with trees across the parking lot, water then moves into another manicured area with the Betulud nigra 'Heritage' River Birch, then it moves into this sort of wild area. This is a nice, simple approach any homeowner could incorporate, regardless of the size of one's property. It's manicured but still solves the problems of water runoff. Also important, this area is used more heavily in winter than any other season of the year so it's important that the plants in this area have some winter interest. That's why one sees the Microbiota decussata Evergreens with their exfoliating bark. Richard likes the coarse texture of the River Birch, then the creamy foliage in the wintertime of the Panicum virgatum Panicum, it's wonderful. As well, he likes the Baptisia. It looks good now but the pods in winter will look fabulous, even the seed heads of the Coreopsis lanceolata Coreopsis will look good. 365 days a year this area will look good, and any homeowner can do this.
Mary and Richard go to the other side of the arena. This is the lowest area of the entire water management system. The water that does not get filtered into the ground will come from the parking lot, into the pipe, into the channel and eventually will find it's way to this DETENTION BASIN. This low area is designed to fill up with water in a big storm, then be released very slowly so that it does not cause any damage to the system downstream of this area. There is great plant diversity here. At the top are Acer rubrum 'October Glory' Red maples and some grasses. Moving further down the plants tolerate more wet feet, plants like Taxodium distichum Bald Cypress and Hibiscus are present. These are perfect choices, no matter what size, anybody can do this. Click below for a list of plants suitable for an area like this.
The bio-filtration basin or rain garden receives the water that has come off the roof, then traveled down the channel. The intent is that the upper basin will fill up with water, then go over the weir and into the next basin, then on down a series of terraced pools. The plants, as we've learned take up some of the water, filtered it as it goes into the ground water and hopefully by the end of the progression, most of the water has filtered through the system. The soil is special here. There is a lot of organic matter and that is critical. It's important to get the right soil in these basins because one doesn't want a high clay content because that would trap moisture here for a long time and breed mosquitoes. Thus one wants a soil that will drain in approximately 24 hours. But on the other hand if too sandy it will drain too fast, then plants won't be happy and one won't get the garden effect that's desired in this space. So, one needs a balance of organic matter and highly porous draining material in order to get the right mix for these basins.
Richard is impressed with the intelligent use of water in the areas we've visited. Water is a precious resource and we must protect it. Mary believes that too often in the past we've treated water runoff like a waste product, have gone to great pains to get it out of our sight as quickly as possible, then we bring back potable water to keep our gardens alive. To Mary that is a wasteful process.
In this show we've seen 3 DIFFERENT SITES, some on a large scale, some on a small scale but all seem to work efficiently. Mary reports that it is easier to tackle these interventions when they are smaller. If they had waited, for example, to treat all the water at the Meadow Creek watershed at the Arena site, it would have been almost impossible to design anything that created a place for people to enjoy themselves, something that was attractive, a garden like setting. At best it would have been a large engineered structure. She believes the capacity to think on a very micro-intervention scale instead of on a big institutional scale is important to us all. It's a problem we must all address. As water comes off our own roofs, in our gardens, across our driveways, it's something that we can take care of on a small scale. And, that micro-scale, that micro-approach provides a lot of ancillary benefits, like more wildlife. Here they have seen an increase in the diversity and number of species that enjoy these spaces. And importantly it provides wonderful park-like settings for students and members of the community. The people love the spaces that have been created.
Richard believes that they have utilized a very Jeffersonian approach to the problem of stormwater management. Jefferson would undoubtedly be pleased at the direction U Va. has taken on this issue. Richard thanks Mary for the tour. This show has been most informative.
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UK - JLR in £600-m UK investment programme
Jaguar Land Rover will expand its advanced engineering design centre at its global headquarters, as part of a £600-million investment programme into manufacturing and research and development across three UK sites.
This programme has already involved a £400-million investment into upgrading facilities at its Castle Bromwich Advanced Manufacturing Plant, where it is set to produce the updated Jaguar XF, the company said.
The £600-million investment, which covers both recent and future investment, covers three sites – Castle Bromwich, the Whitley Advanced Design and Development Centre based at its headquarters, and the National Automotive Innovation Centre it began construction last week.
JLR has acquired 62 acres to add to the existing 55-acre site at Whitley, near the city of Coventry, to support its research and development of ultra low emission technologies, the company said on Wednesday.
JLR has not announced the number of new jobs that would be created, though the space would be used to create facilities for product development engineers.
The £400-million put into Castle Bromwich, where the original Jaguar XF, the XJ and the Jaguar F-TYPE have been produced, included £320 million put into an aluminium body shop focused on lightweight vehicle manufacture.
The new XF, which will also be manufactured at Castle Bromwich, is set to go on sale in the UK in August this year, and in India, in late 2016, with a price tag starting at around £32,000.
In 2015, JLR spent £2.75 billion on new products and capital expenditure globally, and is committed to spending over £3 billion in the year to March 2016.
Last week construction began on a £150-million National Automotive Innovation Centre set to open at the University of Warwick in two years’ time.
The centre is a collaboration between Jaguar Land Rover and the university, to push greater cooperation between industry and academia on automotive research and development.
In January, the company announced it would create 1,300 new jobs in the UK to support the production of the F-PACE, the production version of its concept crossover car, set to be produced at its Solihull plant near Birmingham.
Source: JLR
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Oil Stocks Continue Putting Their Oil-Fueled Windfall to Work
Published July 09, 2018 MarketsMotley Fool
For the last few years, oil companies have been pinching their pennies due to lower oil prices. Because of that, many had to slow the flow of money heading back to their investors via dividends and buybacks. However, with crude soaring in recent months, oil producers are flush with cash. That's giving them a windfall to allocate, with many sending a growing portion of it back to shareholders.
Replenishing the program
Anadarko Petroleum (NYSE: APC) is one of several oil producers that have steadily ramped up cash returns to investors as oil prices have improved. The company started opening the taps for investors last September by announcing plans to return a portion of the cash it built up during the downturn via a $2.5 billion share buyback program. At the time, that was enough to retire 10% of its outstanding shares.
However, with oil prices rising sharply this year, Anadarko has increased the amount of money it plans on returning to investors. In February, the company tacked on $500 million to its share repurchase program, and it announced a fivefold increase to its dividend, boosting it up to $400 million per year. On top of that, the company said it would retire $1 billion in debt as it matured over the next two years.
Anadarko made quick work of that buyback, repurchasing the entire $3 billion by the end of the second quarter. So the company recently replenished the program by adding another $1 billion. On top of that, the company added $500 million to its debt retirement program.
These increasing cash returns have helped fuel significant gains for shareholders over the past few months: Anadarko's stock is up a jaw-dropping 64% since announcing the initial buyback last September. For comparison, the average gain of energy stocks in the S&P 500 is just 13% over that time frame.
Raising the ante
Several other oil companies have also steadily increased cash returns to shareholders in the last year. ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP), for example, initially expected to repurchase $3 billion in stock through 2019. But after selling a boatload of assets last year, the company bought back that entire amount in 2017. So the company said it would buy back $1.5 billion per year through 2020, increasing its overall authorization to $7.5 billion. However, thanks to improving oil prices, the company has already boosted 2018's buyback by $500 million -- along with increasing its dividend 7.5%. And it could raise its repurchase authorization again given where crude prices are these days, and the fact that the company is on pace to achieve its debt-reduction target a year early.
Hess (NYSE: HES), likewise, started off with a smaller buyback authorization, setting a $500 million repurchase program last November. However, thanks to higher oil prices, Hess added $1 billion to that authorization earlier this year. With oil continuing to rise, Hess could further expand its buyback authorization.
These buybacks have paid off for investors. The stock prices of both Hess and ConocoPhillips are up more than 60% in the past year, while the average energy stock in the S&P 500 has only gained about 18%.
Buybacks could continue fueling big-time gains
Thanks to improving market conditions, oil producers have been steadily pumping more cash out to their shareholders over the last year, which has done wonders for their stock prices. Because of that, more producers will likely follow their lead, especially since oil's climb shows no signs of slowing down. While several could benefit from authorizing a buyback, here are three that seem like they would have the most upside from a repurchase program given their poor performance so far this year.
10 stocks we like better than Anadarko PetroleumWhen investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has quadrupled the market.*
David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Anadarko Petroleum wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys.
*Stock Advisor returns as of June 4, 2018
Matthew DiLallo owns shares of ConocoPhillips. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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Freedom Law
Parenting orders
Spousal
Tag Archives: parent
“Parent” – a review of meaning in genetic material donation
Masson and Parsons & Ors
The meaning of “parent” and s 60H of the Family Law Act
The primary judge and the Full Court were correct in holding that s 60H is not exhaustive of the persons who may qualify as a parent of a child born as a result of an artificial conception procedure. Although the Family Law Act contains no definition of “parent” as such, a court will not construe a provision in a way that departs from its natural and ordinary meaning unless it is plain that Parliament intended it to have some different meaning[4]. Here, there is no basis in the text, structure or purpose of the legislation to suppose that Parliament intended the word “parent” to have a meaning other than its natural and ordinary meaning. To the contrary, s 4(1) provides that, when used in Pt VII, “parent”, “in relation to a child who has been adopted, means an adoptive parent of the child”. That implies that there is an accepted meaning of “parent” which, but for the express inclusion of an adoptive parent, would or might not extend to an adoptive parent[5]. Section 61B, which defines “parental responsibility” by reference to the legal duties, powers, responsibilities and authority of parents; s 69V, which provides for evidence of parentage; and s 69W, which provides for orders for carrying out parentage testing procedures, are also consistent with a statutory conception of parentage which accords to ordinary acceptation. Section 60B(1) perhaps suggests that a child cannot have more than two parents within the meaning of the Family Law Act. But whether or not that is so, s 60B(1) is not inconsistent with a conception of parent which, in the absence of contrary statutory provision, accords to ordinary acceptation: hence, as it appears, the need for the express provision in s 60H(1)(d) that, where a child is born to a woman as a result of an artificial conception procedure while the woman is married to or a de facto partner of an “other intended parent”, a person other than the woman and intended partner who provides genetic material for the purposes of the procedure is not the parent of the child.
So to conclude does not mean that the only persons who, by law, have parental responsibilities are persons who are parents according to ordinary acceptation or are otherwise defined in the Family Law Act as parents. And it does not mean that the only persons who may seek parenting orders under s 61D are parents according to ordinary acceptation or are otherwise defined as parents. The range of permissible applicants is broader than that. But it is implicit in each of the provisions that have been mentioned that the Family Law Act proceeds from the premise that the word “parent” refers to a parent within the ordinary meaning of that word except when and if an applicable provision of the Family Law Act otherwise provides.
It is true, as counsel for the first and second respondents submitted, that s 5(1) of the Child Support (Assessment) Act 1989 (Cth) defines “parent”, when used in relation to a child born because of the carrying out of an artificial conception procedure, as “a person who is a parent of the child under section 60H of the Family Law Act“. In counsel’s submission, that suggests that the drafter of the Child Support (Assessment) Act took s 60H of the Family Law Act to be exhaustive of the persons who are parents of a child born of an artificial conception procedure. That, however, is unlikely. It is more probable that the Child Support (Assessment) Act adopts an explicit definition of “parent” because it is an Act which imposes an enforceable pecuniary liability[6]. And even if it were otherwise, an Act of Parliament does not alter the law by merely betraying an erroneous opinion of it[7]. It may be that, where the interpretation of a statute is obscure or ambiguous or readily capable of more than one interpretation, the meaning ascribed to it in a subsequent statute may provide some insight[8]. But that is not this case. The meaning of s 60H is not obscure or ambiguous or readily capable of more than one interpretation. As both the primary judge and the Full Court held, its effect is plainly enough to expand rather than restrict the categories of people who may qualify as a parent of a child born as a result of an artificial conception procedure.
Maroochydore / Nambour / Noosa / Caloundra
Birtinya / Kawana / Little Mountain / Peregian Springs
posted on 21 Jun 19
by Sue Stannet
Parent unable to provide emotional “safe haven”
Parent unable to provide emotional “safe haven” or secure base – child to live with other parent
Sparkes & Dalton [2016] FCCA 130 (28 January 2016)
Parenting – change in child’s residence at earlier interim proceedings – very strong recommendations made by family consultant concerning risk of harm to child if he remained with his Mother as well as that the Mother should undergo a psychiatric assessment – Mother refused to undertake such assessment – Mother unable adequately to parent and care for child resulting in a role reversal – Mother’s relationship with child distorted with Mother refusing all assessments that the child does not have any relevant disorder – the Mother believes vehemently that the child suffers from a disorder such as autism – formal assessments reject the Mother’s view – the Father considered to be the better parent and the Father’s family with many siblings the best environment for the child.
The following is annotated. For full case: http://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/sinodisp/au/cases/cth/FCCA/2016/130.html?stem=0&synonyms=0&query=family%20law
The ICL’s Submissions
The ICL’s submissions were in the following terms:
A two day final hearing was conducted on 21 and 22 May 2015 concerning the parenting arrangements to operate for X born (omitted) 2003.
The Applicant Father is [sic] represented by Ms James. The Respondent Mother appears [sic] on her own behalf.
The Father has filed written submissions confirming the Father’s position as being in line with the Minute of Orders Sought filed at the commencement of the hearing with the exception that the Father adopts the Independent Children’s Lawyer’s proposed orders in relation to the frequency of time X spends with his Mother.
The Mother’s position at hearing was in line with her Case Outline filed in November 2014. In her written submissions the Mother maintains a position that X live with her and seeks that his time with his Father be supervised (Mother’s submissions paragraph 30).
The proceedings were initially listed for final hearing in November 2014, however these dates were vacated and an interim hearing conducted on 3 November 2014 following the release of the Family Report on 30 October 2014. Interim Orders were made on 3 November 2014 providing that X’s reside with his Father and spend limited fortnightly time with his Mother. Orders were also made directed to the Mother obtaining a full psychiatric assessment.
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Evidence presented at the Final Hearing
Ms M – Family Consultant
With the agreement of the parties Ms M presented her evidence at the beginning of the hearing. Ms M gave evidence in line with the Family Report prepared by her and released to the parties on 30 October 2014. Ms M’s oral evidence supported the findings and conclusions contained in the Family Report.
During the course of cross examination by Ms James in relation to the various medical interventions sought by the Mother, Ms M gave evidence to the effect that the Mother never felt completely satisfied with the interventions and diagnoses made by the medical professionals who had assessed X and this would not assist in X’s development. This was particularly the case in relation to the assessments undertaken by Therapy ACT and which formed part of the evidence. Ms M was of the opinion that such interventions have the potential to amount to “systems abuse”.
Ms M raised concerns about X’s social development and the risk of him being socially isolated if he were to be in the care of the Mother, that the Mother is unreasonably anxious and this anxiety had the potential to transfer to X. Ms M noted that X would not seek out his Mother if he felt threatened notwithstanding that at the time of the report interview X was in the Mother’s full time care. Ms M raised serious concerns about the Mother’s mental health and recommended the Mother undertake a full psychiatric assessment.
Ms M supported orders whereby X lived with his Father and spent some time with Mother. Ms M was asked about the frequency of such time and gave evidence that she was “not sure” that time should be severed and concluded that if the time was not positive for X than once per fortnight may be too frequent. Ms M gave evidence that once per month may be satisfactory “unless it interferes with X’s activities”. This last comment relates to the failure of the Mother to reschedule X’s time with her so that he could participate in a school function on Anzac Day. In response to questions from the Independent Children’s Lawyer, Ms M gave evidence to the effect that in the absence of a psychiatric report for the Mother, the Court should take a “conservative view” of the risk to X in spending time with his Mother.
The Mother sought to challenge Ms M in cross examination, however was not able to establish any incorrect conclusion in Ms M’s report or in the Personality Assessment Inventory conducted by Ms M. In response to suggestions by the Mother that the Father would not be able to cope with the addition of X in view of the large number of children already in his household, Ms M responded to the effect that she was struck by the way seven children could behave so well when they all attended with the Father for the purposes of the Family Report interview.
Mr Sparkes – Father
The Father gave evidence consistent with his affidavit material. The Father was cross examined by the Mother in relation to the allegations of domestic violence and his history of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and, it is submitted, gave credible responses to those issues and, in particular, demonstrated an insight into his own mental health and the identification of any re-emergence of symptoms.
The Father gave evidence of the involvement of X in schooling and extra-curricular activities since X had come into the Father’s care. Further the Father gave evidence of the steps he had taken to involve X with both the extended paternal and maternal families since X had come into his care. The Father demonstrated an insight into X’s best interests through his concession that he would be willing to consider X spending increased time with the Mother if the Mother was receiving appropriate treatment for any mental health issues.
Other witnesses for Father
The Father’s partner, Ms R also gave evidence. Ms Sparkes gave evidence of the arrangements that operated in the Father’s household. Ms Sparkes expressed the view that if X were to spend time with his Mother on Sundays, instead of Saturday, there would be a greater opportunity for the children, including X, to participate in weekend sporting activities, etc.
The Affidavit of the Father’s mother, Ms S was admitted into evidence without objection. Ms S was not required for cross examination.
Ms Dalton – Mother
The Mother gave evidence broadly consistent with her affidavit material and case outline. The Mother remains of the view that X does not wish to live or spend time with his Father and this view should be respected and be determinative of the present proceedings. The Mother acknowledged she is anxious when X is with his Father although conceded she was now re-assessing those concerns. The Mother however holds concerns regarding the Father’s ability to care for X and attend to his needs. This is notwithstanding the evidence of X’s improved engagement with school.
The Mother maintains X suffers from anxiety, social persuasive disorder and a sleeping disorder notwithstanding the evidence from medical professionals. The Mother does not accept the Father’s evidence, supported by X’s general practitioner, that X is no longer taking medication to assist him to sleep. The Mother gave evidence that it was “unfortunate” that Therapy ACT had not diagnosed X as being on the autism spectrum. Throughout her evidence the Mother maintained X has special needs.
The Mother demonstrated a lack of insight in the parent/child relationship. For instance, if X said he did not want to see his Father or attend school then the Mother would not facilitate these activities notwithstanding orders to the contrary. The Mother gave evidence that if X is upset or angry she removes herself to her own bedroom until X calmed down and he would “have the run of the house” and that it is part of her parenting strategy that X “takes control” of the parenting relationship.
The Mother maintained that X should live with her and spend time with the Father in accordance with his “whole consent”. The Mother appeared not to have contemplated a circumstance where X may not wish to spend time with his Mother.
Legislative pathway
60CC(2)(a) – benefit of having a meaningful relationship with both parents
60CC(2)(b) – need to protect child from physical or psychological harm and being subjected to or exposed to abuse, neglect or family violence.
It is submitted the evidence clearly establishes that X is at risk of psychological harm in the care of his Mother. Reports from Therapy ACT, X’s general practitioner, schools and the Family Report together with the Mother’s own evidence and submissions establish the extent of the risk while ever the Mother’s presenting mental health symptoms remain untreated. It is most unfortunate that the Mother has declined to be psychiatrically assessed and treated as, had she done so, she may have been able to demonstrate a greater insight into X’s needs and best interests.
The failure of the Mother to obtain appropriate treatment exposes X to risk of psychological harm and therefore the time he spends with his Mother should be limited such that a relationship may be maintained whilst mitigating that risk.
60CC(3)(a) – views of the child: X expressed to Ms M – at a time when he was in the full time care of the Mother – that he wished to remain in the care of the Mother. By the time of the trial, and following a period of approximately six months with the Father, X wished to leave the matter to the Court and expressed no particular view (see ICL Case Outline, paragraph 6). In any event, it is submitted, the risk X would be exposed to in the care of his Mother militates against undue weight being given to X’s view as recorded in Ms M’s report.
60CC(3)(b) – nature of the relationship between the child and each of the parents: X has been in the primary care of his mother for most of his life. The Family Report identifies numerous issues in the relationship between the mother and X including the failure of the relationship to properly reflect a parent/child model. The evidence establishes that X has settled well in his new family environment with his Father.
60CC(3)(c) – the extent to which each parent has taken, or failed to take the opportunity to participate in decision making: The evidence establishes that where X has been in the care of the Mother, the Mother has made decisions exclusive of the Father.
60CC(3)(ca) – the extent to which each of the parents has fulfilled their obligations to maintain the child: The Mother, through her failure to address her own mental health issues, has failed to make decisions and provide for X in his best interests. There is no evidence the Father has not met his obligations.
60CC(3)(d) – the likely effect of any changes: X’s residence was changed on an interim basis following the release of the Family Report. The further changes contemplated are a change of day for X to spend with his Mother (to Sunday) to facilitate his participation in sporting activities, and to reduce the frequency of time to once each calendar month.
60CC(3)(e) – practical difficulty and expense of child spending time with and communicating with a parent: It is anticipated the Father shall continue to bear the cost of travel associated with X spending time with his Mother.
60CC(3)(f) – capacity of each of the child’s parents to provide for the child’s needs, including emotional and intellectual: The Mother, through her failure to address her own mental health needs, is not able to provide for X’s emotional and intellectual needs. There are no such concerns in relation to the Father’s capacity.
60CC(3)(g) – maturity, sex, lifestyle and background of child and parents: There are no specific matters under this heading that will assist the court.
60CC(3)(h) – Aboriginal/TSI: Not applicable.
60CC(3)(i) – attitude to the child, and to the responsibility of parenthood, demonstrated by each of the parents: The evidence of Ms M and the Mother herself demonstrates that the Mother is not able to maintain an appropriate parent/child relationship.
60CC(3)(j) – family violence and 60CC(3)(k) – family violence orders: There are no extant family violence orders. The Mother makes much of an alleged history of family violence but was not able to establish any recent or present instances of family violence perpetrated by the Father.
60CC(3)(l) – whether it would be preferable to make an order that would be least likely to lead in further proceedings: It is not known whether the Orders proposed will be least likely to result in further proceedings.
60CC(3)(m) – any other fact or circumstance: There is no other fact or circumstance that has not already been considered.
It is submitted that in circumstances where the Mother’s mental health symptoms remain untreated, parental conflict remains entrenched, and the positions of the parties remain opposed that, in the absence of a specific order for parental responsibility, difficulties will continue in relation to addressing X’s schooling and medical treatment. An order for sole parental responsibility in favour of the Father is supported. The Father should be required to inform the Mother of any major decisions concerning X.
Consideration & Disposition
I have commented already that I accept without qualification the submissions of the ICL. This includes that there should be an order for sole parental responsibility in the Father’s favour, but also that he be required to keep the Mother informed of major decisions concerning X. In making an order for sole parental responsibility, there is no requirement to consider s.65DAA.
I also accept without qualification the evidence of Ms M. This includes the assessment of the risk of psychological harm if X was to live with his Mother.
Because they were also essentially unchallenged, I also accept the submissions made on behalf of the Father.
In addition to the ICL’s submissions, and obviously in the light of all the evidence, it seems to me that the following matters are crucially part of the Court’s consideration under either s.60CC(3)(ca), (f) and (i), and or under s.60CC(3)(m). In relation to these particular parts of the legislative scaffold, I am mindful of the following, guiding comments. For example, inGoldrick v Goldrick, the Full Court said, at [41] (emphasis added):[35]
In our view, it is clear that, while the impact of any parent’s relevant actions should, if the evidence permits, be identified, the references … [relevantly in the Act] demonstrate that the actions of each parent in the relevant respects are to be evaluated for something beyond consequence alone; namely what those actions say of the person’s capacity to parent.
Rather earlier in time, in Kress Goldstein J said (at ALR 319):[36]
Given the overriding consideration of the welfare of the child, the Court must consider the conduct of the parents, not with a view to rewarding one or punishing the other, but to ascertain from such conduct whether the welfare of the child will be better served in the custody of one or the other.
The decisions in Goldrick and in Kress ought properly be considered in relation to s.60CC(3)(ca), (f) and (i). And finally, if it needs to be noted, the Full Court in Mulvany v Laneobserved that there were in effect no limits, under s.60CC(3)(m), of the matters which may be considered by a court. In their joint judgment, May and Thackray JJ said, at [77]:[37]
It needs also to be remembered that the importance of each s 60CC factor will vary from case to case. Whilst the list of considerations is lengthy, no list could ever encompass all the matters that experience demonstrates could be of relevance. This is no doubt why Parliament has included the catchall consideration in s 60CC(3)(m), namely “any other fact or circumstance that the court thinks is relevant”. By this device, judicial officers may consider any matter which (within the reasonable range of discretion) could touch on the child’s best interests.
In the light of these comments, I note the following.
First, the Mother’s refusal to undertake a psychiatric assessment, as recommended by the family consultant, means (among other things) that Ms M’s assessment formally remains unchallenged. In the light of all the other evidence available to the Court to which reference has been made, that assessment was soundly based.[38]
And in the light of it and the other evidence, there exists, in my view, more than a significant risk that were the child to remain in the Mother’s care, or even to spend significant and substantial time with her, X’s unstructured and undirected life would continue to his detriment. And this would be in circumstances where the Mother continues to believe strongly that X suffers from an undiagnosed disorder, such as autism, notwithstanding expert opinion/reports before the Court that no such diagnosis is warranted. The Court cannot allow X to continue to live in such circumstances.
Secondly, the evidence clearly demonstrates, in my view, that the proper, structured parental relationship between X and his Father, including in particular the routine and stability which the Father’s household has provided in recent times, has led to an appreciable improvement in X’s psychological (and general) well-being. X no longer requires sleeping medication, and is now regularly attending school (which he was not doing while in his Mother’s care). Given X’s previous mental health challenges (e.g. selective mutism, anxiety) throughout his short life, the Court must have regard to the impact the relationship with his Mother has had, and will have in the future.
Since commencing to live with his Father, Ms Sparkes and his siblings, the evidence of both Mr and Ms Sparkes is that both adults in the Sparkes household have and will continue to foster X’s relationship with his Mother, and the Mother’s family. I accept their evidence. The Mother’s clear evidence is that she does not want X to have any relationship with the Father. The Court may reasonably assume that, in the light of the Mother’s evidence, she would not facilitate and promote the child’s relationship with his Father. This would, in my view, clearly not be in X’s best interests.
It would also follow from the Mother’s evidence to which I have just referred that her conduct would impair X’s relationship with his many siblings.[39] This too would not be in X’s best interests.
On the Mother’s evidence, it seems reasonably clear that she finds parenting and disciplining X to be challenging and generally difficult. Without making a formal finding, it may be that the Mother’s obsession to find a formal diagnosis of some description regarding X’s mental and psychological well-being is something akin to her seeking to find an excuse to justify her lack of proper parenting of X, such as allowing him to stay up all hours of the night on the internet researching and “chatting” about cats, or her retreating to her room and permitting X to have the run of the house until he settles down.
I have earlier remarked that there is essential congruence between the positions of the Father and the ICL regarding X continuing to live with his Father (and his lively household of siblings) and to spend regular but limited time with his Mother. In my view, the orders proposed by the ICL are plainly in X’s best interests.
The Court so orders.
posted on 25 Mar 16
Biological parent declared not to be a parent – Gear & Anor & Faraday & Anor [2015] FCCA 3165 (8 December 2015)
FEDERAL CIRCUIT COURT OF AUSTRALIA
GEAR & ANOR & FARADAY & ANOR
[2015] FCCA 3165
FAMILY LAW – Children – Declaration that respondents are the parents of the child which excludes the biological father as a being a parent of the child – parental responsibility lies with the respondents – no order for this responsibility to be shared with applicant biological father as to do so would not be an order in the child’s best interest – balance between clear benefit to child of time with the applicants and negative impact of that time on the respondents’ emotional functioning – slowly increasing graduated time to overnight time, term time and some limited holiday time determined as balancing these competing factors and in child’s best interests.
Legislation:
Family Law Act 1975 ss.60B, 60CA, 60CC, 60H, 61B , 61C ,61DA(1), 64B,65D, 65DAA 69R, 69VA
Status of Children Act 1996 NSW ss.14(2), (4)
Tobin v Tobin (1999) FLC 92 848
Groth & Banks [2013] FamCA 430
Aldridge & Keaton [2009] FamCAFC 229
Connors & Taylor [2012] FamCA 207
Re: Michael: Surrogacy Arrangements [2009] FamCA 691
Wilson and Anor & Roberts and Anor (No. 2) [2010] FamCA 734
Donnell and Dovey [2010] FamCAFC 15; (2010) FLC 93-428
Yamada & Cain [2013] FamCAFC 64
MRR & GR [2010] HCA 4
Applicants:
MR GEAR AND MR RISK
Respondents:
MS FARADAY AND MS HUGO
File Number:
SYC 1164 of 2011
Judgment of:
Judge Henderson
Hearing dates:
7, 8 and 9 September 2015
Date of Last Submission:
Delivered at:
Delivered on:
Counsel for the Applicant:
Ms Clifford
Solicitors for the Applicant:
Watts McCray Lawyers
Counsel for the Respondent:
Mr Jackson
Solicitors for the Respondent:
Kyle Family Lawyers
(1) The Court declares pursuant to section 60H of the Family Law Act 1975 that the respondents Ms Faraday and Ms Hugo are the parents of the child X born (omitted) 2009.
(2) The respondent parents have parental responsibility for the child.
(3) The applicants are injuncted and restrained from interfering with, questioning and in any way impeaching any decision the parents make for X pursuant to order 2 herein but may contact any school he attends from time to time or any specialist medical practitioner he attends to inform themselves of his progress.
(4) The child shall live with the respondents.
(5) The child spend time with the applicants as follows:
<li “=””>(a) The current orders continue until the commencement of Term 2 in 2016.<li “=””>(b) In the upcoming December 2015/2016 school holidays, X will spend four additional days of time with the applicants in addition to each second Sunday, being either a Tuesday or a Thursday of the first, third, fourth, and fifth week of the school holidays or as agreed, failing agreement on a Thursday, from 9am to 6pm.<li “=””>(c) Commencing second term 2016 and during term time, X will spend alternate Saturdays and alternate Sundays with the applicants from 9am to 4pm each day. Time is to commence the first weekend after school resumes and is to continue during all school holidays.<li “=””>(d) Commencing from the 2016/2017 Christmas holidays X will commence one overnight time each alternate weekend being one weekend in December 2016 and 2 weekends in January 2017 from 9am Saturday to 6pm Sunday, otherwise time will be on Saturday and Sunday with no overnight time from 9am to 6pm each day.<li “=””>(e) Commencing the second term 2017, X will spend one overnight period each month with the applicants from Saturday 9am to Sunday 4pm on the third weekend of the month and from 9am to 4pm Saturday and Sunday on the first weekend of the month or as agreed. This regime of time is to continue in the mid-term school holidays but is to extend to 6pm.<li “=””>(f) In the January 2017/2018 school holidays and in term time in the school year 2018 X’s time with the applicants shall be overnight each alternate weekend from 9am Saturday to 6pm Sunday but ceasing at 4pm in the school term.<li “=””>(g) X’s weekend time with the applicants shall cease in all school holiday periods from the commencement of the school year in 2018.<li “=””>(h) For the 2018 term school holiday periods X’s holiday time shall be from Friday 9am the middle weekend of the holidays to Monday 6pm or as agreed. X’s regular weekend time is to commence the first weekend after school resumes.<li “=””>(i) For the 2018/2019 Christmas school holidays X shall spend 2 periods of time with the applicants from 9am Friday to 6pm Tuesday as agreed and failing agreement in the first week of the holidays and in the second week of January.<li “=””>(j) Commencing the school year 2019 and thereafter X will spend each alternate weekend with the applicants from after school Friday to 4pm Sunday commencing the first weekend after X resumes school each term.<li “=””>(k) In the 2019 term school holidays X shall spend one period of time with the applicants from 9am Friday to 6pm Tuesday or as agreed and falling agreement from the mid Friday of the school holidays<li “=””>(l) From the 2020 long school holidays and continuing X to spend 2 periods of 5 nights and 6 days in the applicants’ care as agreed and failing agreement in the first week of the holidays and in the second week of January.<li “=””>(m) From the first 2020 term school holidays and continuing X’s time shall extend to 6pm Wednesday or as agreed and falling agreement from the mid Friday of the school holidays.<li “=””>(n) The parents may take X outside the Commonwealth of Australia on any occasion they deem fit. They are to inform the applicants of the intended destination, return ticket details and provide a contact telephone number so that X may speak to them whilst he is away.<li “=””>(o) The parents may apply for and renew a passport for X on any occasion they deem appropriate without the consent or otherwise of the applicant.<li “=””>(p) The parents may suspend the applicants’ time if they are traveling overseas or having a holiday in Australia with the child by giving the applicants no less than 30 days notice of their intention to travel. No makeup time is to occur.<li “=””>(q) X is to spend Christmas Eve with the applicants from 9am Christmas Eve until 6pm Christmas Eve in each year up until 2019, when he will spend his first Christmas morning with the applicants from 9am Christmas Eve to 12 noon Christmas Day and in each odd numbered year thereafter.<li “=””>(r) Thereafter, for Christmas in even numbered years from 12 noon Christmas Day to 3pm Boxing Day and in odd numbered years 9am Christmas Eve until 12 noon Christmas Day.<li “=””>(s) X is to spend Father’s Day with the applicants from 9am Sunday to 4pm if not otherwise in their care.<li “=””>(t) X’s time with the applicants is suspended the weekend of Mother’s Day if he is not otherwise in his parents’ care and no make-up time shall occur.
(6) The parties are to effect changeover at (omitted) milk bar or as otherwise agreed unless the child is being collected from school.
(7) The parents may provide a copy of these orders to any school the child attends from time to time, medical and other health practitioners he attends from time to time.
(8) Once the child commences one overnight time with the applicants they are to ensure he rings his parents by no later than 10am the morning after his overnight time unless otherwise agreed.
(9) Once the child commences spending 2 consecutive nights with the applicants they are to ensure he rings his parents no less than each second morning by no later than 10am unless otherwise agreed.
(10) The applicants and respondents are to facilitate the child ringing any one of them on any occasion he so requests.
REASONS FOR JUDGMENT (ABRIDGED)
X is six, and he is attending (omitted) Public School, (omitted).
In 1996, the mothers commenced their relationship. In (omitted) 2001, the dads commenced their relationship. Y, the respondents’ son, was born on (omitted) 2004. Y’s father, Mr J, is now deceased.
The parties met in 2007 and had numerous discussions about parenting arrangements, co-parenting a child, conceiving a child. The parties negotiated a family constitution outlining the time their child would spend with each set of adults – laudable in its aims but clearly not practical or realistic as the child had not been born. No one knew what type of a child he was or what the circumstances were going to be at the time of his birth and continuing.
The IVF treatment was successful and the child was born without any difficulties or concerns. However, cracks in the parties’ relationships began to show very early.
Mr Gear is put on the child’s birth certificate as a father.
Difficulties commence from X’s birth.
In April 2010, the parties attend mediation with Mr C.
In August 2010, the respondents ask that the applicants no longer provide financial support.
The parties attend family dispute resolution in August 2010 and February 2011.
On 3 March 2011, the parties enter into consent orders to provide for equal shared parental responsibility, X to live with the respondents and he to have time with the dads.
In April/May 2011 the respondents travel to (country omitted) with X without notifying the applicants.
This behaviour upsets the applicants and in June 2011 they commence proceedings in the Family Court asking to re-open the parenting matter.
The respondents respond raising a Rice & Asplund argument, which is successful and Justice Rees dismisses their application to re-open.
The applicants file a review out of time seeking the registrar’s decision making consent orders to be overturned. That application is successful and on 15 November Stevenson J upholds the review dismisses the consent orders and the parties are left with no orders.
However, these being high functioning well intentioned adults, X continues to spend time with the applicants in accordance with the discharged consent orders.
X has not had any significant break in time with the applicants, albeit this time has been limited to daytime only.
The applicants file parenting proceedings in the Federal Circuit Court in February 2013.
The respondents travel to (country omitted) and are married on (omitted) 2013.
The matter was listed for interim hearing on 14 February 2014. This hearing was adjourned. Walker J made orders for the matter to be listed for final hearing and ordered the preparation of a family report.
The parties attended for that report on 17 June 2014 and the report was released on 30 July 2014.
Her Honour confirmed the hearing before her in September 2014 despite the objections in relation to the report and refused to discharge the report and order a fresh one.
When the matter came on for hearing in September 2014 her Honour adjourned the hearing due to her retirement in February 2015.
The matter came before me in September 2014.
I listed an interim hearing in November 2014. At that hearing I discharged the report, ordered preparation of another report and made orders that when X commenced school in 2015, he was to spend alternate Sundays only with the applicants. He had been spending time each week with his dads for some time on Friday and one day on a Sunday. This was a reduction in his time. However, given he was attending school a change was inevitable.
As Ms A’s report is released to the Court on 22 June 2015 and the matter came before me for trial on 7, 8 and 9 September 2015.
In many ways there is little in disputed facts between the parties. They do not really know each other. They do not spend time in each other’s household and never have. Thus, the applicants cannot dispute that the negative impact of their behaviour as alleged by Ms Faraday and Ms Hugo, has had and continues to have upon them and their children. Nor can they dispute the behaviour X is said to exhibit in his mothers’ household at times when he returns from the dads’ care or is to go to their care.
Similarly, the mothers cannot dispute the behaviour of the child in the dads’ household, which they say is happy content and joyful. The only person who has a relationship with each of the four adults is X.
Ms Faraday’s affidavit at paragraph 450 sets out in some detail the behaviours of the applicants which have resulted in a significant deficit in her functioning during the course of these proceedings. She says:
Mr Gear and Mr Risk have acted in an abusive, entitled and spiteful manner towards me and my family repeatedly over the last six years. The things that have really destroyed any chance of trust were:
a) in 2009 when they barged into the hospital room after X’s birth when I was naked and vulnerable, before I had fed my baby or Ms Hugo had held him.
b) In April 2010 when Mr Gear refused to sign X’s passport application to enable us to go to (country omitted) to visit Ms Hugo’s mother who was gravely ill.
c) January 2011 when Mr Gear and Mr Risk contacted the mediator and asked for a 601 certificate the day after rang them to say Mr J had died. They showed no compassion for Y whose father had died and I felt their timing was cruel.
d) June 2011 when they commenced Court proceedings just months after they had final orders, that is, when they brought an application back to the Court to reopen. All communication had ceased with us by that time and they only communicated to us through their lawyers.
e) February 2013 when Mr Gear and Mr Risk had had the children placed on the airport watch list, threatening to prevent us travelling to (country omitted) for our wedding.
f) In 2015 they lodged an appeal from the interim decision and tried an about face friendly approach for Court purposes. Ms Faraday says she found their friendliness insidiousness, much more threatening, their honesty of hostility.
g) In June 2015 when Mr Gear sent us an email to express his shock and sadness about Ms Hugo’s mother being ill and offering us assistance in the 11th hour. I worry about what they say or do to X to make him fearful and upset and unable to talk to us. I have lived in a hyper-vigilant state for years.
At Paragraphs 453-454:
Every email, every handover, every Skype, every preschool, school event, every soccer match, every public event, every doctor’s visit for X or myself, every Facebook group, every visit to a therapist is an opportunity for Mr Gear and Mr Risk to invade my life.
From the moment of X’s birth when they burst into the room when I was naked and stayed from around 2.30 am until past 9 am, I have felt invaded, controlled and manipulated.
The concept of invasion, security, the family security being at significant threat from the time X spends with his dads is a real fear of Ms Faraday and I found her evidence on this point to be genuine. She gave her evidence in a calm, collected manner, at times she became upset when matters overwhelmed her but I accept her sincere fear and dread of these men in her life and that they will damage her important intact family which is herself, her partner Ms Hugo, her sons Y and X.
It is very difficult for Ms Faraday to see any way that X can have a relationship with Mr Risk and Mr Gear without it damaging his vital security with his own family. There is a significant competition between these four people about family. For reasons that I am unable to understand, rather than the dads’ pulling back from this issue of family in the interests of their relationship with X their affidavits were replete with what they say to X about family.
For example, Mr Gear’s affidavit, paragraph 31:
Mr Risk and I have described ourselves to X as being part of his family from as early as X’s life as I can remember. Mr Risk and I have told X that he has uncles, aunts, cousins and grandparents who love him very much. Mr Risk and I joining – spending our free time together as a family unit.
Paragraph 99:
Mr Risk and I considered Y to be part of our extended family. We’ve consistently confirmed to Ms Faraday and Ms Hugo, since we first connected, that Y is welcome to spend time with us and X.
Paragraph 125, Mr Gear opines of the time prior to X’s birth:
At no point during our discussions did Ms Faraday or Ms Hugo indicate to me a desire to preserve their intact family to the detriment of X having a meaningful relationship with Mr Risk and I. I made it clear to Ms Hugo would only agree to father a child in a co-parenting arrangement. At no point before April 2010 did Mr Risk and I have any misgivings regarding Ms Faraday and Ms Hugo’s commitment to the co-parenting arrangement.
Mr Gear recites that when documents were subpoenaed from X’s school there was no mention of he or Mr Risk as part of X’s family, only Ms Hugo and Y, no mention made of the existing court orders.
On 10 March 2014 Mr Gear sent this email to Ms Faraday as set out at paragraph 193 of his affidavit:
It was our understanding it would mean making arrangements for Mr Risk and I to have appropriate access to X’s preschool. Regrettably, I’ve been advised any communication is by one phone call; clearly an unsatisfactory arrangement that falls well short of our expectations. Mr Risk and I know that X values his time at preschool and would benefit from having Mr Risk and I participating in a range of preschool events as well as visiting his preschool on regular occasions. This would clearly help us positively engage in his progress and development in a meaningful way while allowing us to meet his carers and see his classroom and work. X is also well aware that Mr Risk and I have not visited him at school and he’s told us several times he would like us to meet his friend. Would you please confirm you provide consent to let us have this necessary level of interaction.
This is precisely the behaviour that Ms Faraday talks about as being intrusive, that she finds overbearing and bordering on abusive. Including Y in time with X is for the mothers a further disruption to and breach of their family security.
The difficulty in this matter is, as Mr Jackson submitted the significant disconnect between expectation and reality. At times the dads’ affidavits and oral evidence could be seen as the dads seeing X and his life as something they must be involved in at all costs even at the cost of spending time with him. What the dads’ expect and what is the reality are disconnected.
There is a strong sense of it being an imperative for them and him that they are intimately involved in all aspects of his life, school he attends, any medical treatment, any doctor’s treatment, any matter whatsoever no matter how small. With parents who have parented a child together, or who have a good relationship, or have had that level of involvement in the past that may be appropriate.
The difficulty for the dads here is they have not had nor do they have that level of involvement with X. They have never had that level of involvement with him and the mothers are now exceedingly resistant to any level of involvement. The more the dads have pushed for involvement, the more resistant the mothers have become.
The result is that the dads need to be involved in and/or have intimate knowledge of every decision such as enrolment in preschool, vaccination, asthma medication, paediatric assessment, swimming lessons or whatever, have pushed the mothers into a corner, and the result has been twofold:
Ms Faraday’s functioning has been significantly diminished; and
Their time with X has been much less than it may have been and it may now be in jeopardy.
Ms Faraday’s evidence was confronting. She was off work for six months in 2014 as she was experiencing extreme panic attacks when any event related to X, his dads or this matter came up and she still has panic attacks. These attacks particularly occur when Court events are on, or events such as having to go to a family report writing interview. At those times she cannot focus or function. She cries hysterically. She and Ms Hugo do their best to protect the children, but, clearly, X is living in a stressed household. The disconnect between this little boy and his life with his mothers and what the dads want for him is profound.
Ms Hugo, who is the least affected, but still affected, mother, told the Court she believed the dads would not administer X’s asthma medication when he needed it because they, the mothers, had asked them to do it and that this was one of her fears for X spending time with them. I formed an entirely different view of the dads. I have no doubt that if this child required any attention, be it medical or otherwise, the dads would act appropriately to assist him. However, the level of mistrust is such that Ms Hugo genuinely believes these men would put this child’s life at risk just to prove a point against them. Although I formed a view that her belief is not based on any reasonable grounds, it is clear the adult relationship is toxic.
The mothers are doing all they can to address their impaired functioning and extreme anxiety due in large part to them carrying out orders I made of two Sundays a month with the dads when they sought one day a month. They attend therapy with Mr P. To their credit they have carried out these orders at a cost to their emotional functioning.
The dads now seek a gradual increase of time such that the child spends holidays, overnights, weekends and enjoys a life with them, in what might be regarded as a normal, regular arrangement. Initially and until recently they were seeking if not equal time, significant and substantial time with the child weekly. This was their position at the report writing interview. The mothers are so fearful of the dad’s involvement in X’s life impacting upon their family unit that they have at times been terror-bound. Ms Faraday says at paragraph 459:
For the first time in my life, I felt close to breaking point with this litigation. I’ve required medication. The proceedings have cost us hundreds of thousands of dollars.
They see their child X crying out, not wanting to go with the fathers, hopping into the boot of the car recently, not wanting to leave, resisting change. When he returns, he is angry and sullen and is easily upset. I am sure he is resistant to going and I am sure he is upset upon his return as it would be clear to him that his mother’s fear his leaving and are anxious for his safety. Given the closeness of his relationship with his mother’s he would feel this fear and at times terror.
The recording of X’s resistance to spending time with the dads this year is distressing. He was very resistant. One of the mother’s fears is that in some way X spending time with his dads who they agree he loves and that they love him would impact upon their relationship with their child, or his relationship with his family.
I could find no evidence to support this fear. It has not happened in 6 years and there is no reason or evidence to support a finding it would happen in the next 6 years. In fact the evidence is to the contrary.
X transitioned to school very well. He is a good student. He socially interacts well with peers and other adults. He is cared for while his mothers are at work by Mr A and he has no difficulty being in Mr A’s care. He can have sleepovers with his big brother and at other friend’s homes. He happily goes with other friends of the mothers. He is well able to be separated from his mothers and be with other adults that his mothers’ approve of, have a positive attitude towards or his mothers’ feel comfortable with and want him to go. That is the evidence.
The only place on the mothers’ evidence he has trouble adjusting to or adults he has difficulties with are his dads. It is inescapable that their attitude to the dads must be impacting on X’s behaviour and conduct and he would be confused if he leaves his anxious and fearful mothers to go to his dads where he has fun in a secure and familiar environment and then returns to his fearful and anxious mothers waiting on his every word or action. This is quite a lot of pressure for a young child.
Thus it is in unsurprising that he was showing signs of obsessive behaviour washing his hands, not liking to touch wet things in late 2014 and early 2015 and that this has abated since Mr P’s intervention to assist his mother’s anxiety in his spending time with his dads.
Both the mothers agree Mr Risk is the dad they can deal with the best. Neither of them can deal with Mr Gear, X’s biological father. The consequence for the dads of putting X’s name on the airport watch list has been detrimental in the extreme. The mothers were struggling with the dads’ overzealous insistence in their eyes of wanting to know every detail of X’s life and this act merely cemented their increasingly negative view of the dad’s motives. To suggest that the mothers would not return to Australia from (country omitted) was fanciful. Both Mr Gear and Mr Risk regret that action. The mothers trust the dads even less now, if that is possible, than they did in 2011.
Y only spends one day a month with his godfather, Mr R, who was his father’s long-time partner, and the mothers believe this is appropriate for X. However Y’s experience and circumstances are very different from X.
Y has lost his biological dad, with whom he had a close relationship, and whom his mothers had a positive attitude towards. The mothers do not have a positive attitude to X’s dads and they are very much alive.
The mothers acknowledge X loves his dads and he has a good time with them. However they say X is resistant to attending his time with the dads. They are fearful of X not being treated carefully or well and give as examples that the dads have let him roll on the grass which results in an allergic reaction of rashes and itching for X, not treating his asthma properly, feeding him food that causes his constipation to flare up. Ultimately the mothers believe the dads do not have his best interests at heart, rather their own need to be a parent and father to the child. Perhaps the dads have this need but that does not mean it will be harmful to X or that his best interest is not also their paramount concern.
As Ms A’s report was helpful and insightful, as was her cross-examination. She says at paragraph 62:
Mr Gear and Mr Risk do have something to offer X in terms of their relationship: their particular influences based on gender and their extended family connections. X has a limited experience with them at the moment, and if they are to have a parental role, he needs to spend more time with them.
The question, she says, is this:
The dilemma is how X can benefit from his relationship with Mr Gear and Mr Risk without it being detrimental to his relationship with Ms Faraday, Ms Hugo and Y. It may be possible for X to gradually spend more time with Mr Gear and Mr Risk so he still primarily lives with Ms Faraday and Ms Hugo, but spends what would be considered at least substantial and significant time with the fathers. Time may slowly be increased.
At paragraph 60, As Ms A says:
If the Court determines that Ms Faraday and Ms Hugo are the ‘parents’ of X and that they should share parental responsibility for him and that neither Mr Gear nor Mr Risk are the ‘parents’ of X and that they should not hold parental responsibility for him then, with respect to the time that X should spend with Mr Gear and Mr Risk, it may be imperative that Ms Faraday’s and Ms Hugo’s proposals be upheld. The advantages of this would be that Ms Faraday and Ms Hugo, as the ‘parents’ of X, would have their decisions regarding X respected. This would decrease any issues of anxiety or of their feeling undermined as X’s primary caregivers and that would ultimately benefit him. The disadvantage would be that X would miss out on the full extent of opportunities for relationships with Mr Gear and Mr Risk who are, at least, adults who have an interest in his development and wellbeing and who love and care for X. If X were to spend time with Mr Gear and Mr Risk one day every four weeks it would give him some opportunity to maintain a connection with them and their families but the extent to which this might be beneficial to him would depend on how Mr Gear and Mr Risk managed their disappointment and grief in response to spending such limited time with X.
At paragraph 63 she says:
The impact of such a parenting arrangement on X would be affected by the quality of his relationships with Mr Gear and Mr Risk which are untested in terms of X spending longer periods of time with them, particularly overnight time. The impact on X would also be affected by each of the adults’ response and capacity to adjust. Mr Gear and Mr Risk would have to manage being less involved with X than they have proposed. Whilst Mr Gear and Mr Risk are likely to be disappointed it is also possible that they would adjust to X spending substantial and significant time with them and be in a position to support X to adjust to such an arrangement. Ms Faraday and Ms Hugo would have to manage X spending more time away from them than they have proposed. At this stage, it seems that Ms Faraday and Ms Hugo may have significant difficulty adjusting to such an arrangement. Perhaps with a gradual change, strict orders and further therapeutic intervention they would be able to support X to adjust to such an arrangement. But there would remain a risk that the disruption caused to their household of X spending time away (because of Ms Faraday’s and Ms Hugo’s compromised emotional response) would be significantly detrimental to both X’s and Y’s development.
At the date of the report, the dads were insisting on a 6 out of 14 days care arrangement. I observed during the course of the hearing that I would never have made such an order. For such an arrangement to work for a child, his homes would require a high level of cooperation, a high level of trust, and have some degree of respect for each other and exhibit similar parenting styles and values. None of these prerequisites exist in this matter.
At six, X cannot be exposed to a continuation of conflict. I accept when these proceedings are over and I have made my decision, this may assist tensions and conflict reducing, as there will not be this absolute terrifying spectre, for Ms Faraday in particular, of this child spending equal time with the dads and she and Ms Hugo. I told Ms Faraday, I would not be making such an order.
In relation to whether I make an order sharing parental responsibility between the respondents and Mr Gear that is in part dependent upon the declaration as to who are X’s parents.
However in passing I note it may be an imperative that parental responsibility reside with the mothers alone no matter what decision I make as to the declaration sought.
If I can bolster the mothers’ feeling of security, that they have total control over decisions that are made for X without any capacity of the dads to second-guess, change or have input into, both women agreed, in cross-examination, that would assist them. It would make them feel better and more secure in their family unit.
Parental responsibility to the mothers may on the evidence be crucial if there is to be any chance of X having an ongoing, meaningful relationship with the applicants. The mothers’ need to feel absolutely secure in their parenting of and their capacity to make decisions for X without interference is pivotal to giving X the best chance of having a relationship from which he benefits with all 4 adults.
Mr Gear has had at times effected an imperious and somewhat rights-based tone and attitude in his emails. He agreed much of his correspondence had been inappropriate, and it has been. Writing that he wanted to know about X’s scholastic achievements when he had a mere five days at school in his first year 2015 is high-handed, not necessary and bespeaks an adult-focus and not a child-focus.
As Ms A said, at paragraph 63 of her report:
Ms Faraday and Ms Hugo would have to manage X spending more time away from them that they’ve proposed. At this stage, it would seem Ms Faraday and Ms Hugo may have significant difficulty adjusting to such an arrangement. Perhaps with a gradual change, strict orders and further therapeutic intervention, they would be able to support it.
I will not order any more therapeutic intervention. These people have been therapized out.
The mothers are coping with two days a month on Sundays. It is not ideal for them nor what they want. But they are managing it. They prefer the 4 o’clock ending. That ensures X is settled back into his family and ready for school the next day and this is important point to his mothers.
One day a month is extremely limited time. As Ms A opined that one day a month, two days a month may not be that different for X in the scheme of things. However, I formed a view it would be very different for X to have his time reduced by 50% and this is the balance I must find in this matter.
X was suffering the signs of OCD behaviour and this behaviour decreased by about February 2015 with Mr P’s intervention with his mothers. I accept such symptoms may flare up as is the case for Ms Faraday’s significant anxieties which are debilitating and disabling for her.
This is a finely balanced matter namely X’s right to spend time with these men who if not parents are people with whom he has a relationship and the cost to X of spending that time. The questions I must answer are:
What is the cost to X of what would be, at one level, a beneficial and meaningful relationship with these men with increased time, building up to overnight time, and ultimately significant and substantial time?
That if there is a cost to X, is it an unacceptable cost or risk given the benefits of the relationship for him as found by As Ms A and at one level admitted to by the mothers?
Ms Faraday said she thought when X was about 10 he could have overnight time because then he would be able to say what he wanted and able to say if things weren’t going his way. At his young age of six, she is concerned he does not have a capacity to say no, I don’t want to do that, I don’t like that; I want to do something else. One of her fears is that he may be being made to do or say things or experience things that he does not really want to experience.
I have no doubt X arks up with his mothers’ at times and tells them he does not want to go. The recording is testament to that.
However, the question for me is what is behind that behaviour. Is it because he does not have a good time with his dads? I find he does. Is it because his dads do not treat him appropriately or well or engage in appropriate activities with him such as meeting their extended families? I find they do. Is it because his mothers, as much as they try, cannot protect him from their overwhelming sense of dread when he leaves their home, worrying about what state he will be in upon his return, what is happening to him at the dad’s home? This may be the root cause.
If the mothers could let him go happily, knowing he will come back happy, the world would change. If Mr Risk and Mr Gear could desist from further interfering in the mothers’ choices for X and support and praise their excellent choices and refrain from sending emails which are overbearing and pejorative the world would change.
For example, Ms Faraday’s annexure “CC” to her affidavit is a communication between the parties on 14 December 2014:
We are concerned to read your entry in the communication book in relation to X suffering anxiety while in your care. X shows no sign of anxiety at all when he’s with us. A recent call to X’s preschool also indicated that X is not anxious when he’s in our care. It’s disappointing to read, once again, you’ve sought medical advice and treatment without consulting us or including us in the medical appointments. It is in X’s best interest we be part of any treatment or solution involving his ongoing care. We will be arranging a time to meet with X’s treating doctors, and would appreciate your assistance in facilitating these needs.
That email is disrespectful. The fact that X shows no anxiety in the home of the dads and shows anxiety in his mothers’ home is not surprising. His mothers are his closest emotional attachment, not the dads he spends 2 days a month with. If X is upset or distressed or things are worrying him it will manifest itself in the home of his mothers, not in the home of his dads. A far better approach for the dads to take is something like “We are concerned to read about X’s distress. How can we assist you in managing our son’s anxiety?”
That is, you acknowledge the concerns the mothers raise, which are real – the child does behave like this with his mothers – and offer your assistance to address the issue rather than take this rights based doesn’t-happen-with-me approach, therefore what’s wrong with you approach. For this is precisely how Ms Faraday and Ms Hugo feel when the dads communicate with them. Although Mr Gear has said in evidence that he regretted what he said, there is some support for the submission there was little evidence of that being a real regret.
I will deal with the declarations sought by both parties initially before addressing the issue of parental responsibility and the section 60CC factors and other relevant matters under the Act. It is an imperative I determine who are the legal parents of X before I embark upon my determination under the Act of the orders I should make.
The mothers seek I make a declaration that they are the legal parents of the child under section 60H of the Family Law Act .
That section reads as follows:
Children born as a result of artificial conception procedures
(1) If:
(a) a child is born to a woman as a result of the carrying out of an artificial conception procedure while the woman was married to, or a de facto partner of, another person (the other intended parent ); and
(b) either:
(i) the woman and the other intended parent consented to the carrying out of the procedure, and any other person who provided genetic material used in the procedure consented to the use of the material in an artificial conception procedure; or
(ii) under a prescribed law of the Commonwealth or of a State or Territory, the child is a child of the woman and of the other intended parent;
then, whether or not the child is biologically a child of the woman and of the other intended parent, for the purposes of this Act:
(c) the child is the child of the woman and of the other intended parent; and
(d) if a person other than the woman and the other intended parent provided genetic material–the child is not the child of that person.
Section 60H(1) operates to define who the parents of a child are in specific circumstances and have created a new class of person as a parent where biology is not the determinative factor.
As I read the section it is clear that the “other intended parent” is a parent under the Act.
The Full Court in Tobin v Tobin[1] considered the issue of who is a “parent” under the Act and held that [at para.42]:
in respect of the Family Law Act , in our view, the natural meaning of the word “parent” is the first definition given in both the Oxford and Macquarie dictionaries, and the definition “a person who has begotten or borne a child”, from the Oxford English Dictionary (2nd ed. vol. 9), which was accepted by Gummow J (in a different context) in Hunt and the Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs [1993] FCA 116; (1993) 41 FCR 380, at 386.
Cronin J in Groth & Banks[2] referred to Tobin and added that [at para.14]:
The fact that a child has two parents who are her or his biological progenitors permeates the language of the Act. The whole Commonwealth statutory concept as outlined in the Part VII of the Act is one in which biology is the determining factor unless specifically excluded by law.
Mr Jackson submitted the Act contains numerous references to two parents, as Cronin J stated in Groth & Banks [at para.15]:
Part VII of the Act contains multiple references to the parents of the child as “either” or “both”. These can be found at s 60B(1)(a), 60B(2)(a) and (b), 60CC(2)(a), 60CC(3)(d)(i),61C(2), 65C(a), 66B(2), 66F(1) and 69C(2). The logical presumption which follows is that the legislature envisaged two parents when dealing with parental responsibility under the Act.
Aldridge & Keaton[3] [paras.16–18]:
16. Although not directly raised in this appeal, the question of whether an “other intended parent” is a “parent” for the purposes of Part VII is not without some doubt. This fact is of significance when considering s 60B(1) and (2) and s 60CC(2) and (3). We would, consistent with principles of statutory interpretation, give a purposive construction to the section, and regard both the birth mother and other intended parent as parents of the child. But we note other provisions of the Act appear inconsistent with this interpretation.
17. The Act, in s 4, defines “parent” as “when used in Part VII in relation to a child who has been adopted, means an adoptive parent of the child”.
18. Section 60H uses the expression “person” and “other intended parent” not “parent”. It appears from the Revised Supplementary Explanatory Memorandum that the drafters intended such a person should be treated in the same manner as a parent, to meet the concerns expressed in representations recorded in the Senate Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs’ report on the Family Law Amendment (De Facto Financial Matters and Other Measures) Bill 2008 (“the Senate report”) but the definition of “parent” in the Act was not amended at the same time amendments were made to s 60H.
In Connors & Taylor[4], Watts J made a more firm conclusion [paras.85-86]:
85. At paragraph 18 of Aldridge & Keaton, the Full Court refer to the Revised Supplementary Explanatory Memorandum and say, “the drafters intended such a person shall be treated in the same manner as a parent”. With respect to the Full Court, that inaccurately paraphrases what the Memorandum says.
86. The Revised Supplementary Explanatory Memorandum is in the following terms:
76. This item repeals subsection 60H(1) and substitutes a new subsection 60H(1) that deals with both married and opposite and same-sex de facto couples. Opposite-sex de facto couples were previously covered in subsection 60H(4). This subsection is repealed.
77. These changes will mean that section 60H(1) applies, as well as to married couples, to current or former de facto partners who are of the same-sex and to current or former de facto partners who are of different sexes where children are born as a result of artificial conception procedures. This would mean that female same-sex de facto couples would be recognised as the parents of a child born where the couple consent to the artificial conception procedure and one of them is the birth mother. In addition, genetic material from other than the couple must be used with the relevant donor’s consent. The provision provides that the child is to be the child of the woman giving birth and her de facto partner. [emphasis added]
Section 60H accords with the state legislation relating to sperm donors which creates an irrebuttable presumption that a sperm donor (whether known or unknown) is not a parent – Status of Children Act 1996 NSW ss.14(2), (4).
Section 69R of the Family Law Act creates a rebuttable presumption that:
If a person’s name is entered as a parent of a child in a register of births or parentage information kept under a law of the Commonwealth or of a State, Territory or prescribed overseas jurisdiction, the person is presumed to be a parent of the child.
Watts J considered this asserted inconsistency in Re: Michael: Surrogacy Arrangements[5] stating that [paras.47-52]:
47. Section 69R FLA is in the following terms:-
48. Section 69U(1) FLA provides that this presumption is rebuttable. Section 69U(1) FLA is in the following terms:-
“A presumption arising under this Subdivision is rebuttable by proof on the balance of probabilities.”
49. In this case, s 69R FLA cannot be rebutted by proof. Paul would be able to pass a parentage testing procedure.
50. The question to consider is, does s 69U(1) FLA, provide an exhaustive description of the way the s 69R FLA presumption can be rebutted?
51. I conclude that the presumption arising from s 69R FLA may not only be rebutted by proof but also rebutted by the operation of another provision of the FLA for the following reasons:
51.1. The words “if, and only if” are not used in s 69U(1) FLA (as they are for example in s 90G(1) FLA; s 90UJ(1) FLA).
51.2. Persons providing genetic material in a surrogacy arrangement could register as parents without any State order being made. If s 69R FLA then allowed them to be parents for the purposes of the FLA, the parliamentary intention behind s 60HB FLA would be circumvented.
51. 3. Section 60H(1)(c) FLA and the use of the phrase “the other intended parent” in s 60H FLA seems to imply that there can only be two parents.
51. 4. It would not in my view be possible for a court to make a declaration under s 69VA FLA that Paul is Michael’s father based upon the presumption arising from s 69RFLA, because of the existence of s 60H(1)(d) FLA.
52. Consequently I find the presumption that Paul is Michael’s father because he is registered as such on Michael’s birth certificate is rebutted by the operation of s 60H(1) FLA
His Honour’s finding is clear from a reading simpliciter of section 60H. I see no inconsistency with section 60H and the rebuttable presumption of who is a parent under section 69R if for no other reason than section 60H is not rebuttable.
Justice Dessau in Wilson and Anor & Roberts and Anor (No. 2)[6] was faced with the precise factual matrix in this matter.
Her Honour says at paragraph 40:
The provisions of the new section are clear. Ms Roberts and her de facto partner Ms Boston, having consented to the carrying out of an artificial conception procedure, are E’s parents. To remove any doubt, s 60H(1)(d) provides that if any other person provides genetic material, the child is not the child of that person. Accordingly, Mr Wilson is not deemed to be a parent.
Her Honour goes on to say this does not stop Mr Wilson and his partner from applying for a parenting order. Parenting orders are not dependent upon parentage.
It is not in dispute nor in doubt that section 60H(1)(b) rebuts the presumption of parentage under section 69R.
Section 60H was specifically amended in the Act to deal precisely with matters where conception of a child and status of the biological mother and the other intended parent were as is the case for X and his mothers. I see no inconsistency at all. Section 60H is clear in matters presenting with this factual basis. The section operates to deem Ms Hugo as the other intended parent and she with Ms Faraday who is the birth mother are the child’s parent and Mr Gear is excluded as a parent.
Thus X is by virtue of section 60H a child of the mothers and not a child of Mr Gear. If X is the mothers’ child they are his legal parents and Mr Gear is specifically excluded as a legal parent for the purposes of the Family Law Act . The Act is clear as I see it in this factual matrix.
Mr Gear sought a declaration under section 69VA of the Act that he and the mothers were legal parents of X.
However, section 69VA deals with issues of parentage not who is a parent of a child under the Act. There is no doubt as to X’s parentage. Ms Faraday is his biological mother and Mr Gear is his biological father. This is not an issue in question and is not relevant to my determination either on the issue of who are X’s parents or what time with orders I should make.
On the facts in this matter issues of biology are not determinative of who are X’s legal parents for the purposes of the Act. Indeed section 60H specifically provides for a declaration that a non- biological person may be a legal parent of a child as is the case for Ms Hugo.
The definition section of the Act as to the meaning of parent does not assist Mr Gear either as it merely includes adoptive parents as parents. Section 60H is the determining section in this factual matrix and it has excluded Mr Gear as a legal parent.
I would have hoped that Mr Gear would not have asked me to make a declaration about him being a legal parent in the spirit of backing off from his prior rights based approach. However he did not and section 60H is clear. Mr Gear is excluded by the operation of that section as a legal parent specifically and intentionally.
There is no other section of the Family Law Act where a man who has carried out a consensual IVF treatment with an intact couple can be declared as a parent by declaration. Mr Gear is confirmed as X’s father on his birth certificate and he enjoys that status.
My making a declaration that the mothers are parents would not necessarily affect his standing as a parent under state legislation or perhaps some other Commonwealth legislation such as Child Support.
Further it is not necessary such declaration be made in order to determine the time X is to spend with him and Mr Risk. For that is now the only issue. As the mothers are X’s legal parents they share parental responsibility.
Mr Gear enjoys no such privilege under the Act. He can only be a part of parenting responsibility if I order and I will only so order if it be in X’s best interests to have these 3 adults sharing this responsibility.
Similarly when I assess the relevant factors under section 60CC of the Act to determine the time with orders I will make, findings as to who are X’s parents will only be relevant to the issue of parental responsibility and section 60CC(1) the assessing the benefit to the child of a meaningful relationship with his or her parents.
This has been made clear in cases such as Donnell and Dovey[7] where Warnick, Thackeray and O’Ryan observed all the matters under section 60CC(2) and (3) must be assessed and the benefit to a child of relationship with a non-parent may be more important or equally important than a relationship with a parent.
Similarly in Yamada & Cain[8] the Full Court stated that [para.27]:
The broad inquiry as to best interests contemplated by s 60CC (in the context of the other provisions of Part VII) recognises that it is not parenthood which is crucial to the best interests of the child, but parenting – and the quality of that parenting and the circumstances in which it is given or offered by those who contend for parenting orders.
I will now deal with the legislative pathway I am to follow.
Section 60B of the Act sets out that the objects of Part VII are to ensure the best interests of children are met and ensure children have the benefit of both parents having a meaningful involvement in their lives to the maximum extent consistent with the best interests of the children, protecting children from physical or psychological harm from being subjected to or exposed to abuse, neglect or family violence; ensuring that children receive adequate and proper parenting to help them achieve their full potential; and ensuring that parents fulfil their duties and meet their responsibilities concerned the care, welfare and development of their children.
Section 60CA determines that the Court must, in deciding whether to make a particular order in relation to a child, regard the best interests of the child as the paramount consideration.
Section 65D gives the Court the power to make a parenting order and section 64B defines the terms and identifies the matter that may be dealt with by a parenting order.
Parenting orders are subject to the presumption under section 61DA(1). The Courts should presume that it is in the best interests of a child for the parents to have equal shared parental responsibility. In this matter that means the mothers for they are X’s parents and not Mr Gear.
I would not rebut the presumption as it is clearly in X’s best interests his parents share this responsibility and such an order is not challenged and they seek an order under section 61C that they have parental responsibility as his parents. The question is do I order Mr Gear to also share this responsibility.
Section 65DAA which exhorts me to consider whether the child spending equal time or significant and substantial time with each of the parents would be in their best interests by reference to the section 60CC(2) & (3) factors is not part of my consideration as Mr Gear is not a parent of the child.
There is no impediment to X spending equal time, significant and substantial time or any time with his parents as he lives with them.
An assessment of the section 60CC factors is clearly the pathway I must take to determine whether Mr Gear should share parental responsibility and the ultimate time with orders I should make.
The first task is whether I share parental responsibility for X with his parents and Mr Gear.
One of the significant needs of X is for his parents to be secure and safe in their relationship and their dominion over their child without being second-guessed and interfered with by the applicants.
Whether the dads think that attitude is right or wrong or whether, the mothers’ fears are even reasonably based is not the issue. It is clear this is how the parents feel, it is clear these feelings have had a detrimental impact upon their functioning and thus on their parenting of X and thus upon X. If all that was in the forefront of the dads’ minds was maximising their relationship with X and time they spend with him they would take steps to minimise these impacts not maximise them.
Paragraph 127 of Mr Risk’s affidavit says:
I believe X avoids doing or saying things that he thinks will anger Ms Faraday and Ms Hugo because of the experience he has had whilst in their care and because both he and Y have heard Ms Faraday and Ms Hugo denigrate Mr Gear and I so many times, as have I.
It is wrong for Mr Risk to suggest X is fearful of his parents. The evidence is to the contrary. This was self-focused and the dads must lift themselves above this pettiness and focus on what really is at issue: their relationship with X. This attitude, these words do nothing but cement for the mothers that they are under threat. If the dads persist in this type of behaviour then no Court order will ensure their relationship with X grows as they seek it does.
There is no competition for X’s affections. His parents have won that. He has the capacity to have similar level of affection for his dads if they can positively support his mothers’ parenting of him. If they do not X will lose out as he may align with his mothers who are his parents. It was necessary to declare the mothers as X’s legal parents as that declaration is wound up in maximising the mothers’ sole parenting of X and capacity to make decisions for him in the absence of the dads’ interference and is crucial to the success of ongoing time and X’s relationship with his dads.
There is not one benefit to X in sharing this responsibility with 3 adults and to do so would be a significant negative for him.
Mr Gear has at times displayed a significant deficit in putting X’s needs before his own and has made choices which have not been in X’s best interest but have satisfied his needs.
The airport watch list order, wanting to know the child scholastic progress after 5 days in his first year of school, dismissing the parents’ concerns about X’s distress when he returns to their care etc.
It is axiomatic to this child having the best chance of an ongoing relationship with his dads that the mothers are as secure as is possible at law in their dominion over X otherwise his relationship with and benefit to him of time with his dads will be seriously jeopardised. As Ms A made that clear in her report and only cemented this view in cross-examination.
Looking at the section 60CC factors.
X benefits from a meaningful relationship with his parents.
He will benefit from a relationship with his dads but it may come at an unacceptable cost to his meaningful relationship with his parents if the dads do not change their approach to X’s parents.
An order that parental responsibility lies only with the mothers and that they are his legal parents will assist the mothers’ functioning as they will know that they and not the dads have the only say in choices for X.
I will permit the dads to inform themselves of his school progress and any health issues by directly contacting those parties but the order will be clear they will have no input into the decisions made for X by the mothers. This is the price the dads will pay if they are to be a part of X’s life. X will not pay the price.
The child has not been subjected to abuse neglect or family violence in either home.
Wishes of the child. He is only 6 and his wishes carry little weight.
X’s closest emotional attachment is to Ms Faraday followed closely by Ms Hugo. He is closely attached to his brother Y. X has a deep and strong attachment to his family.
X has a relationship with his dads, however due to limited time it too is limited and does not yet have the depth of his relationship with his mother and brother.
All the parties have a superior capacity to provide for X’s education. His mothers have a deep capacity to provide for his emotional and psychological needs. This is not as strongly developed in his dads whose needs have at times overwhelmed what is best for X in choices they have made and in their conduct and attitude to the mothers.
However all the adults in his life love him deeply and have much to offer him.
Impact of change. This is a large issue for me. If I reduce X’s time I find this may jeopardise his opportunity to develop an important relationship with his dads.
The mothers have managed to ensure he spends 2 days a month with his dads without incident and matters are progressing reasonably well. I accept as Mr Jackson submitted they could deteriorate quickly. A deterioration not occurring lies in many respects in the dads’ hands and a changed and softened attitude to the mothers.
The mothers have put in a superhuman effort to foster X’s relationship with his dads in circumstances where their anxiety and at times trauma when he left their care was almost disabling. They have done it and it has worked. He has good relationship with his dads and if the mothers did not support this he would not have a relationship with them.
However it is impossible to protect your child from your emotional fragility when you have been as distressed as Ms Faraday has been in the past such that you had to have six months of work on stress due to these proceedings. Feelings of being under siege by the dads and their insistence on being involved in every decision about this child’s life have compounded these fears.
Ms Clifford made the point that the mothers had had some behavioural issues with Y earlier this year, no doubt due to him missing his father. If X’s time is reduced he may suffer the same anxieties and behavioural issues. The mothers appropriately dealt with that matter. However Ms Clifford says X is a child who holds on and with his intermittent but persistent constipation issues he may not be able to talk to anyone in his family about missing his dads as he knows how his family feels about them. That may be correct however the dads need to understand the mothers’ position and respect their parenting of the child. These stresses for the mothers and the dads were compounded by poor court processes at every level.
I find that the dads wanted too much too soon. They believed they could enforce a parenting arrangement entered into before a child was born upon the lives of the child and his mothers. That is one of the least child-focused approaches I have seen or perhaps it is naivety or ignorance of how parenting works in the real world. Ms Faraday agreed she and Ms Hugo had been naïve in this aspect.
The dads failed to take into account how the mothers were feeling about their very rights-based approach and each has now taken a position.
If I am to increase X’s time to enable him to exercise his right to a relationship with these men it must be done slowly and sensitively and the dads must change their approach otherwise the cost to X in a possible diminution of his mothers’ functioning and his own anxieties reappearing is real.
Any increase in time will be a significant change for X and his mothers. I find that X is capable of spending increased time with his dads including overnight time with the support of his mothers. It is his mothers who have the significant difficulties with any increase in time and/or overnight time.
Financial support. X’s mothers support him well. The mothers do not want child support but the dads wish to pay and have a bank account for X into the future.
Neither party has failed to spend time with the child and all parties take their obligations and responsibilities of parenthood seriously and are committed to the child.
These are the relevant factors under section 60CC as I see them and thus the next task is to determine what orders to make in X’s best interests.
I will not reduce X’s time with his dads this year to one day a month. One day a month is approaching recognition contact. X has a capacity for a deeper relationship with his dads than one day a month would provide.
I do not accept the family consultant’s evidence that one day a month or 2 days a month would not be much different for X. It must be different it is either twice as much time or a reduction of 50% and such a result must have an impact upon him. Further his mothers’ believe it will as they seek a reduction to one day a month.
This was an assessment of risk case. The risk is a further diminution in functioning and therefore parenting of X by his mothers’ due to at times their terror and fear of the child being in the dads’ care.
I find he is at no risk whatsoever in his dads care. The risk is the impact of spending time with his dads on his mothers’ functioning.
I find X is entitled to commence a secondary and important relationship with the dads but it is not a competition between what he regards as his home or who he loves the most. Those are concepts that make adults feel good. Those are concepts that satisfy adult’s needs. If adults push their needs onto a child what occurs is anxiety is engendered and the stress and distress and X has already exhibited occurring again. These symptoms have mercifully now ameliorated.
There is a significant distrust between the parties. Mr Risk could not apologise in the witness box even though he conceded he had made errors. Neither dad demonstrated any insight into the mothers’ needs to be supported in their role as X’s primary carer and his living in an intact family.
Mr Jackson submitted X’s secure base is the most important thing and I agree with that submission. I have further strengthened that secure base by a parental responsibility order and the 60H declaration.
That I have declared the mothers as X’s parents is not determinative of the order to make for X to spend time with the applicants that are in his best interests.
I have determined that it is in X’s best interests to have an ongoing and significant relationship with the applicants. This relationship must develop slowly and over time. The success of this relationship is very much in the applicants’ hands.
I find the following are the orders that ensure X’s stability and importance of his primary bond with his parents and Y yet give him an opportunity over time to develop a significant relationship with the applicants who as As Ms A opined have much to offer him.
I will not vary the current orders for term time until the commencement of second term in 2016. I will increase X’s time at a snail’s pace. It will dovetail with Y attending High School in 2018. This will be a time of change for both boys. Their relationship will inevitably change. Y’s interests and activities will broaden and his independent relationships strengthen. The boys will be at different schools and not be at home together each afternoon as is currently the case. It will be a very different life for X once his brother is at High School and this is an appropriate time for X to spend more time away from his family, develop his independence from his family for short periods with his dads.
In the upcoming December 2015/2016 school holidays, X will spend four additional days of time with the applicants in addition to each second Sunday, being either a Tuesday or a Thursday of the first, third, fourth, and fifth week of the school holidays or as agreed, failing agreement on a Thursday, from 9am to 6pm.
This later time is important to enable X and his parents to slowly become accustomed to being apart for lengthier time periods. Holidays are an ideal time to commence longer time away from primary carers.
Commencing second term 2016 and during term time, X will spend alternate Saturdays and then the following Sunday in the applicants’ care with no overnight time. This time is to commence the first weekend after school resumes and is to continue during all school holidays.
Commencing from the 2016/2017 Christmas holidays, X will commence one overnight time each alternate weekend being one weekend in December 2016 and 2 weekends in January 2017 from 9am Saturday to 6pm Sunday. Otherwise time will be on Saturday and Sunday with no overnight time.
Commencing the school term 2017, X will spend one overnight period each month with the applicants from Saturday 9am to Sunday 4pm on the third weekend of the month and from 9am to 4pm Saturday and Sunday on the first weekend of the month or as agreed. This regime of time is to continue in the school holidays but is to extend to 6pm.
In the January 2017/2018 school holidays X’s time with the applicants shall be overnight each alternate weekend from 9am Saturday to 6pm Sunday with such regime of time to continue in the 2018 school year but ceasing at 4pm.
Commencing the school term 2018 X will spend each alternate weekend with the applicants from 9am Saturday to 4pm Sunday.
Commencing the 2018 school term X’s alternate weekend time shall cease in all school holiday periods thereafter.
For the 2018 term school holiday periods X’s time shall commence the mid Friday of the school holidays and cease Monday 6pm.
For the 2018/2019 Christmas school holidays X shall spend 2 periods of time with the applicants from 9am Friday to 6pm Tuesday as agreed and failing agreement in the first week of the holidays and in the second week of January.
Commencing 2019, X will spend each alternate weekend with the applicants from after school Friday to 4pm Sunday.
In the 2019 term school holidays X shall spend one period of time with the applicants from 9am Friday to 6pm Tuesday as agreed and falling agreement from the mid Friday of the school holidays.
In the Christmas holiday 2019/2020 and continuing, X shall spend 2 periods of time with the applicants of 5 nights and 6 days as agreed and failing agreement in the first week of the holidays and the second week of January from 9am Friday to 6pm Wednesday or as agreed.
In the 2020 term school holidays and continuing, X’s time shall be from 9am Friday to 6pm Wednesday or as agreed and failing agreement from the mid Friday of the holidays.
I will make an order that the parents may take X outside the Commonwealth of Australia on any occasion they deem fit and need only inform the applicants of the intended destination, return ticket details and provide a contact telephone number so that X may speak to them whilst he is away. The parents are not a flight risk and never have been.
The parents also have the capacity to obtain a passport for X and I will confirm by order that this is what the orders intend. The applicants have no input into these matters but need only be informed.
I will order that the parents may suspend the applicants time if they are traveling overseas or having a holiday in Australia by giving the applicants no less than 30 days notice of their intention to travel. No makeup time is to occur.
In addition to these specific times it was agreed for X to spend time with the applicants at Christmas although not overnight time.
I will order that X is to spend Christmas Eve with the applicants from 9am Christmas Eve until 6pm Christmas Eve in each year up until 2019, when he will spend his first Christmas morning with the applicants from 9am Christmas Eve to 12 noon Christmas Day and in each odd numbered year thereafter.
Thereafter, for Christmas in even numbered years from 12 noon Christmas Day to 3pm Boxing Day and in odd numbered years 9am Christmas Eve until 12 noon Christmas Day.
These orders balance what I see as supporting X’s right to spend time with and benefit from a relationship with the applicants yet maintain the all-important security of an intact family for him and his mothers.
This all important security is now fixed at law in that the parents share parental responsibility and X has been declared as a child of them and they are the legal parents of the child and no other adult is.
The orders provide for the continuation of the current time, which has worked, up until 2016. The orders provide for a modest increase in day time only in 2016 with night time once a month only commencing in 2017 when X will be eight years of age and during the school holidays.
There will be a slow increase in time to overnight time one night each alternate weekend and ultimately from Friday after school to Sunday afternoon into the future.
Holiday time will increase slowly to ultimately 5 nights in the applicants care by 2019.
These orders are in addition to Christmas time, birthdays, father’s day and the like as special events.
I will also make orders that the parties need only effect changeover not personally do it. It will be preferable for X in reducing his stress if the parties do not come into contact at changeover. The mothers agree they will pay Mr A to affect changeover as they pay him to care for X. Changeover currently occurs at (omitted) milk bar. X likes this spot. He said to Ms Hugo on one occasion “at least I get to have a milkshake”.
I find these orders provide the balance of maintaining his primary and absolutely essential relationship with his parents who have been his primary carers all his life and his brother and his important relationship with the applicants.
I have made a practical assessment of what is a very difficult situation, created in part due to the manner in which these parties created this beautiful child. As Ms Faraday said “we were very naïve”. The arrangement worked with Y’s father, it has not worked as successfully with X’s father.
Having said that, X’s relationship, with his dads has much to offer him provided it does not come at too great a cost to him. I find the gradual and slow increase in time I have proposed will allow X to benefit from this relationship with minimal emotional cost to him.
I have taken a gentle, softly, softly approach. However, at each stage increasing X’s time will be a change for his mothers and X and his dads must be cognisant of this and act accordingly.
I issue a word of warning. I have endeavoured by order to maximise the mothers’ feelings of security, intactness, that they are the primary parents and they and only they make decisions for X to give them the security they need to make time with orders work. If the dads do not change their approach and attitude to X’s parents the benefit X receives from this relationship may come at too high a price and time may cease.
posted on 16 Jan 16
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Detroit Lions release iron man safety Glover Quin
Detroit Lions released iron man safety Glover Quin on Friday, parting ways with a defensive stalwart and freeing up cap space.
Detroit Lions release iron man safety Glover Quin Detroit Lions released iron man safety Glover Quin on Friday, parting ways with a defensive stalwart and freeing up cap space. Check out this story on Freep.com: https://www.freep.com/story/sports/nfl/lions/2019/02/15/detroit-lions-glover-quin-released/2852290002/
Dave Birkett, Detroit Free Press Published 1:48 p.m. ET Feb. 15, 2019 | Updated 4:26 p.m. ET Feb. 15, 2019
15 top-level 2019 free agents who may fit position of need and scheme to draw interest from GM Bob Quinn, coach Matt Patricia and the Detroit Lions. Marlowe Alter, Detroit Free Press
The Detroit Lions said goodbye to one of their defensive stalwarts and one of the NFL’s leading ironmen on Friday, releasing veteran safety Glover Quin in an expected move that frees up $6.25 million in cap space.
Quin started all 96 games in his six seasons with the Lions and was one of the team’s premier defensive players before having a down season in 2018.
“We thank Glover for his countless contributions to the Detroit Lions during his six seasons with our team," the Lions said in a news release. "Since joining the organization in 2013, Glover exemplified everything it means to be a true professional in this league — as both a competitor on the field and a leading voice in the community. Coach Patricia and I have the utmost respect for him as a man and player, and we wish him nothing but the very best in the future.”
The Lions also released wide receiver Bruce Ellington and linebacker Nicholas Grigsby on Friday.
Lions safety Glover Quin warms up prior to the game against the Packers at Lambeau Field on Nov. 6, 2017. (Photo: Benny Sieu, USA TODAY Sports)
Quin was scheduled to make $5.25 million in base salary in 2019, had a $500,000 roster bonus due the fifth day of the league year and a cap hit of nearly $8 million.
The Lions, with Quin’s release, would stand about $40 million under next year’s projected salary cap.
Quin did not have an interception this season for the first time since 2011, when he was with the Houston Texans, and he ceded playing time to rookie Tracy Walker late in the year.
He did not immediately return a message Friday from the Free Press, but said goodbye to Detroit in a post on his Instagram account:
"They say all good things come to an end!! Thank you Detroit!! It's been real!!"
They say all good things come to an end!! Thank you Detroit!! Its been real!! #ThankYou
A post shared by Glover Quin Jr (@gloverquin) on Feb 15, 2019 at 10:33am PST
In late December, Quin, 33, acknowledged his time with the Lions — and perhaps in the NFL — might be coming to an end, and he took time to savor his last days.
“I walked out on the field (before our home finale and) I was just like, … ‘Wow, I’ve played on this field a lot of times,’” Quin said the day after Christmas. “Went out, went through my normal routine. I’m a routine guy. Stick to my routine, let the pieces fall where they may. I mean, probably I had a flight going home right after the game, so I didn’t get to spend as much time after the game as I probably would have wanted, just in case. But it was cool. The game was cool.”
Quin signed a five-year, $23 million free-agent contract with the Lions in 2013, and immediately made an impact on defense.
Glover Quin takes the field for a preseason game at Ford Field on Aug. 17, 2018. (Photo: Gregory Shamus, Getty Images)
He led the NFL with seven interceptions and earned second-team All-Pro honors in his second season in Detroit, signed a two-year contract extension in the summer of 2017, and helped transform a middling Lions secondary into one of the strongest units on the team.
“I would say (the defensive backs room is) definitely different from the first day I walked in,” Quin said in December. “And I would say, I do feel like I’ve had a lot to do with it, but we’ve had some great guys throughout the years. When I first got here, being a part of trying to do something different. We had Rashean Mathis, who was very instrumental in helping that. Next year we brought in James Ihedigbo, some veteran guys that we were able to kind of do some things different, change some things up. So I definitely wouldn’t say it was me by myself, but we’ve definitely had some guys to take part in changing the culture and the standard. So I can definitely see a huge difference in my six years here.”
Glover Quin on Nov. 14, 2018, with a picture of he and Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald in his locker. (Photo: Dave Birkett Detroit Free Press)
Quin served as the Lions’ players association representative for his first five years in Detroit and, after spending most of last spring at home with his family in Texas, took a mentoring role with Walker during the season.
A third-round pick out of Louisiana-Lafayette, Walker had 21 tackles and one interception in 16 games as a backup. He played about a quarter of the Lions’ defensive snaps, and is the favorite to replace Quin in the starting lineup in 2019 alongside Quandre Diggs, though the team could address the position in the draft or free agency.
Quin, who ranks third among active players with 148 consecutive starts, behind Philip Rivers (208) and Brandon Carr (176), has said he planned to spend time with his family this offseason before deciding whether to play in 2019.
“It’s always a family discussion,” Quin said. “See how it goes, see what happens.”
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett. Read more on the Detroit Lions and sign up for our Lions newsletter.
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Detroit Lions cut safety Glover Quin on Friday, Feb. 15, 2019. Free Press sports writer Dave Birkett breaks down what it means, discusses NFL draft. Dave Birkett, Detroit Free Press
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Home/News/Innovation/Autonomous Trucking/Will India ever see autonomous trucks on its roads?
Autonomous TruckingEconomicsFuelNewsTechnology
Will India ever see autonomous trucks on its roads?
22 2 minutes read
The highways in India could be an area where autonomous vehicles or semi-autonomous technologies could be used, but much of the country is so congested, it may be many years before autonomous vehicles are a reality. ( Photo: Shutterstock )
In the developed countries of the West, autonomous driving technology is widely touted as the thing of the future. Move halfway across the globe to one of the densest and the world’s second most populated country, the idea of self-driving vehicles might still be a distant dream.
In the eye of a non-native, India would be an explosion of ideas, colors, languages, and quite impossibly chaotic. And the analogy extends to the streets, with traffic logjams existing at every road junction during peak hours – with bikes, autos, buses, cars, trucks, and pedestrians vying for space on the road. Traffic rules often take a back seat, with furious honking and cacophonic commuters adorning every inch of the road.
Simply put, Indian roads are the unsurmountable nemesis for a technology that depends on order and sanity on roads to function effectively.
Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google and an Indian by birth, summed it up perfectly when he said he did not foresee a future for fully automated cars in India. This sentiment was echoed by Uber founder Travis Kalanick, albeit jokingly, that India would be the last place on earth to get his company’s self-driving cars.
All this boils down to understanding the psyche of Indian drivers, the conditions of roads, and in general, the economic viability towards adopting such technology in a developing country.
Autonomous driving eventually boils down to AI systems analyzing millions of data points derived from observing drivers on the road, and iteratively learning how to drive against oncoming traffic. In a country where people frequently jump traffic signals, cut lanes, and overtake erroneously, training an AI model becomes a frustrating errand.
Then comes the problem of visual learning – a lot of Indian roads on highways and city outskirts fail to have road signs, which would perplex autonomous software. Add to this the apparent lack of homogeneity in vehicle shapes. Take, for instance, the auto-rickshaw. It is a three-wheeled vehicle, which makes it a hybrid of a motorbike and a car. The vehicle is generally used as a taxi hire, and thus its drivers remodel the vehicle to increase space inside the cabin to fit in more people. The shapes of these autos vary across the length of the country and thus, autonomous systems might have a hard time figuring out one.
More importantly, the Indian economic scenario and the impact of adopting autonomous technology on its ecosystem needs to be accessed. Nitin Gadkari, the Minister for Road Transport & Highways, announced last year that India is not keen on adopting any technology that could take away jobs, hinting heavily at autonomous driving systems. This is prudent regarding the fact that there are tens of millions of drivers in the nation who would lose their jobs if they are replaced by machines.
Honestly said, autonomous technologies are still in their infancy even in developed and technologically advanced countries like the U.S., which also has the wherewithal of investing billions into the technology. At a time when India is still working on improving its road infrastructure and looking to create more jobs, automation would be the last thing on its checklist.
But again, all is not lost for the Indian market. Though autonomous driving might be out of the equation for now, assistive technologies could be the future. Unlike city roads, the national highways that long-haul trucks ply on are generally low on traffic and thus, could favor driver assistive technology.
Fleet companies in India lose a lot of money due to lower fuel efficiency, mostly because the drivers are prone to accelerate and decelerate at frequent intervals. Assistive technology could improve that drastically by maintaining speeds optimized for fuel efficiency over longer stretches of National Highways (NH). Most of the NH roads offer better conditions to drive on, with minimal traffic congestions and above-average road quality, thereby a suitable experimental ground for assistive technology. Also, Indian truck drivers are also notorious for causing accidents with rash driving, which could be significantly reduced with such technology.
That being said, apart from the technical difficulties of developing accurate assistive technologies, India still has a long way to go in integrating the technology with the trucking community. Nonetheless, technology is exciting and with India being a hotbed for startups in Asia, could come up with a miracle that might change the Indian freight industry for the better.
Stay up-to-date with the latest commentary and insights on FreightTech and the impact to the markets by subscribing.
Autonomous technology Autonomous trucks India Technology
kanika bansal says:
It is a wonderful concept talking about advancement many of the companies like TruckSuvidha are making this industry an online platform.
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College professor charged with Sexual Harassment
GPlus | March 07, 2017 22:33 hrs
An FIR has been filed against Dr. Dhrubajyoti Kalita (Associate Professor, Molecular Biology, College of Veterinary Science Khanapara, Guwahati, Assam Agricultural University, Department of Veterinary Biochemistry) and his wife Ms. Munmi Kalita. Reacting to an anonymous call, Child Line Guwahati and Dispur Police rescued a girl child (name withheld), aged 13 years, of Mangaldai from the residence of Dr. Dhrubajyoti Kalita. The professor resides in Panjabari, Guwahati and the FIR has been lodged for Sexual Assault, Sexual Harassment, Cruelty, Exploitation and Unlawful employment of a ‘child’ who is a resident of a Tea Estate Area of Mangaldai, Assam. The child mentioned that she had been working as ‘child labour’ for the last 2 years despite her mother’s unwillingness. However, owing to their poor economic status, she was compelled to work. In the house of her employers, she was made to do all the household work and was, repeatedly, mentally and physically assaulted by them. According to her, she was underfed and was disallowed to keep any contact with her mother. She also said that whenever his (Dr. Dhrubajyoti Kalita) wife was away, he would ask her to massage him. The case was reported to UTSAH (Universal Team for Social Action and Help) and the FIR has been registered at Dispur Police Station. Investigation is currently underway. In the case registered, Dr. Dhrubajyoti Kalita and Ms. Munmi Kalita are liable to be imprisoned for over 5 years and this can also attract major penalty. Stay updated on the go with GPlus News. Click here to download the app for your device
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WEB EXTRA: The Boston Pops perform the hits parents know at Colonials Weekend
By Cory Davis and Melissa Dentch Oct 24, 2005 12:00 AM
The Boston Pops, accompanied by the Grammy award-winning New York Voices, presented an eclectic musical selection for Colonials Weekend Saturday night-including a sing-a-long and a rousing rendition of the GW Fight Song.
The Pops began with a string of patriotic numbers such as “The Star Spangled Banner.” This portion of the concert was highlighted by a dramatic reading of “The Gettysburg Address” by President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, set to the score of the movie “Gettysburg.” These songs brought, conductor Keith Lockhart said, “America’s orchestra to America’s capital.”
Next, the NYV, a quartet formed in the 1980s, took to the stage. They crooned to the Pops’ version of Gershwin’s “Baby Be Good,” and other jazz-rooted tunes.
Lockhart then encouraged parents to embarrass their students by singing along to his “Baby Boomer Bash,” which included “The Theme from Rocky,” “MacArthur Park” and a medley of 60s television theme songs. Not all were embarrassed, though. Junior Morgan Corr, who claimed to be a “baby boomer at heart,” said he enjoyed the song selection and the overall concert.
After another jazzy set by NYV, Lockhart catered again to the parents with a “Baby Boomer Sing-A-Long,” featuring hits including “Puff the Magic Dragon” and the “YMCA”; the legendary disco song had the crowd all but dancing in the aisles.
As a fitting conclusion to any Smith Center show, the GW Cheerleaders burst onto the floor, and the orchestra donned foam GW hats as they played the GW Fight Song. The Pops, to put a spin on their traditional closing march, “Stars and Stripes Forever,” welcomed CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer to the stage as a guest conductor.
Students not of the baby boomer era may be more interested in another of Lockhart’s recent endeavors: A collaboration between the Pops and the band Guster. The pair recently played two concerts to a younger audience that Lockhart called “off center” for the Pops.
Lockhart shows preferences for genres such as blues and jazz, along with some other favorites: Dave Matthews Band, Led Zeppelin and Ben Folds, another musician he hopes will collaborate with the orchestra in the future. Lockhart believes these collaborations expose college students to more classical music.
He describes classical music as an acquired taste. Acquiring this taste, Lockhart said in an interview, is like the transition from “drinking really bad drinks at frat parties to having a really nice wine collection.”
This article appeared in the October 24, 2005 issue of the Hatchet.
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By Phyllis Greenberg Heideman
Holocaust education is for memory and action
KRAKOW, Poland (JTA)—The International March of the Living is in its 27th year. In those years, over 220,000 young people from around the globe have come to Poland to study, reflect and remember. They then return to their communities to share their personal reaction to facing the past through their experience in the present.
This is the 70th year since the end of World War II. With every passing day, the number of survivors among us decreases. Our responsibility is to find the best way to ensure that their story is passed on from generation to generation—not as a piece of abstract history, but as part of the story of our people. Our theme this year is “Every Witness Becomes Witness,” as the torch of the survivors is passed to the next generation.
Every year there is a moment during the March of the Living that remains with us, touches us, strengthens us and reaffirms our commitment to the memory of the Holocaust and to act upon its lessons. Such moments are different for each of the 11,000 participants, but I doubt that many were left unmoved by the cry of Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, who while reminding us this year that the Nazis did not discriminate between types of Jews, called for unity with the words, “If we can die together, we can live together as well.”
It was Einstein who said, “The only source of knowledge is experience.” Education around the Holocaust should never be dispassionate, it should never be disconnected from feeling. In evaluating the march’s impact on participants, we have found that the transmittal of emotional, educational and compassionate reactions to the events of the past has a deep impact on both the deliverer and the recipient.
Two recent studies—in Canada and the United States—showed the long-term impact of the march on its participants. They showed that 88 percent of participants agreed that the march increased their sense of Jewish identity; 84 percent said it had increased their sense of the importance of educating their children in the Jewish faith; 70 percent said they felt more motivated to be part of Jewish organizations; and 73 percent said they felt more motivated to take part in Jewish activities.
The studies also showed that 95 percent believed that they were well-prepared to counter Holocaust denial and 91 percent felt that confronting anti-Semitism was more important after taking part in the march. As significant, 89 percent of participants reported an increase in their commitment to human rights, and 87 percent said their feelings of tolerance for others in society had increased
The marching on Yom Hashoah from Auschwitz to Birkenau with over 10,000 Jews and non-Jews leaves an indelible impression on each participant. The very fact that our ancestors walked this same path embraces the true meaning of memory. This feeling can remain with the participants and forever influence their lives.
Our educators never convey to participants a sense that the answers to their questions are easy or comfortable. We may never be able to truly understand why the Holocaust happened. But we can focus our efforts on remembering, on trying to understand and on how to best respond to the lessons of the Holocaust. Our response is to strengthen a sense of belonging and instill a renewed commitment to the Jewish people and to Israel. Our response is to build the exact opposite world to the one the Nazis sought to create—a world of kindness, compassion, dignity and tolerance for all members of the human family.
Our response is not education merely for the sake of education. It is education for the sake of memory and of action, education for the past and for the future.
Phyllis Greenberg Heideman is the chair of the March of the Living International Advisory Board.
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Andrew Perlman
Andrew is a serial entrepreneur who has led multiple companies from inception through exit. He began his career at nineteen when he dropped out of college to start his first business. In the time since, Andrew has co-founded nine venture-backed companies in industries ranging from semiconductors to natural resources to life sciences. Andrew was CEO of GreatPoint Energy, which set the record for the most capital raised in China by a U.S. venture-backed company. Andrew is also co-founder of Jetti Resources, a developer of cutting edge technology to help the mining industry extract vast trapped copper resources. Previously, Andrew co-founded two pharmaceutical companies that went public on the NASDAQ. Andrew was profiled by the Wall Street Journal as one of its leading young entrepreneurs “on the move,” chosen by the MIT Technology Review as one of its “35 Innovators Under 35,” and selected by Crain’s Chicago Business as one of its “40 leaders under 40.”
GreatPoint Boards
Vim, Farmers Fridge, Invicta Medical, OncoResponse, Spring Labs, Sidecar Health, Phil, Guide Therapeutics
When you were a little kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
An entrepreneur is all that I ever wanted to be. I’ve known since I was in fourth grade.
Who inspired you growing up?
My mom. She bought me my first computer when I was eight but left me to figure out how to earn the money or the skills to buy or make the software. She took me to university laboratories so I could see what technologies would one day be possible. She brought me to hear Steve Jobs speak to the local computer society when he was 29 years old and I was 9 so I could hear directly from entrepreneurs with big dreams. And she didn’t freak out (too badly) when I dropped out of college to start my first company.
Favorite quote or poem
Somebody said that it couldn’t be done
That couldn’t be done, and he did it!
-Edgar Albert Guest
See All Team Members
Contact|© 2019 GREATPOINT VENTURES|INVESTOR LOGIN|LEGAL|SITE BY PERSONIFY
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NASA visualizes unfortunate truths about our atmosphere
Posted on November 23, 2014 by Brian Nitz in Energy with 3 Comments
NASA’s newly released video of the earth has a strange hypnotic beauty that resembles the shifting sands of the desert or the psychedelic swirling colors of soap bubbles. But this video reveals an otherwise invisible threat caused by the short-term release of millions of years of carbon dioxide into our atmosphere.Hundreds of ground level CO2 monitoring stations across 66 countries have been used to measure carbon dioxide concentrations over the past century. These observations revealed that last year the average global CO2 concentration exceeded 400 parts per million for the first time in more than two million years– a time when giant camels roamed places as far north as Ellesmere Island in the high Canadian arctic.
We know much about the long term history of carbon dioxide from ice core samples and a combination of atmospheric sampling and calculations based on known levels of industrial carbon consumption. For example, any high school chemistry text book will tell you that that approximately 2.6 tons of CO2 is produced for every ton of coal burned. The world coal association estimates that approximately 7.6 billion tons of coal are consumed every year, so ignoring oil, gas and other significant CO2 producers, humans release approximately 20 billion tones of carbon dioxide into our atmosphere every year.
An optimist might assume that nature quietly absorbs all of this CO2 without any harmful side-effects such as ocean acidification. But the scientists at NASA’s Goddard research center don’t want to bet our future on polyanna assumptions. Instead, they are using a supercomputer model called GOES-5. Similar computational models are used to predict the behavior of hurricanes and other weather patterns. This particular GOES-5 model is designed to calculate where this carbon dioxide goes. It reveals the release, sequestering and movement patterns of this otherwise invisible gas. I’d suggest watching this video first with the sound turned down and knowing only that redder colors represent higher CO2 concentrations.
Now that you’ve seen it, watch it again with narration and look for the following:
High concentrations of CO2 from northern hemisphere populations in Asia, Europe and North America but relatively little CO2 in the southern hemisphere.
Carbon Monoxide (CO), represented in shades of blue and gray, is released from fires in Africa and South America.
As northern hemisphere spring moves into summer, plants remove some of the highest concentrations of CO2.
Carbon dioxide follows weather patterns similar to moisture, concentrating in swirling patterns which move from west to east.
Carbon dioxide moved from population centers to concentrate in the high arctic where there are few trees to absorb it.
This visualization is a tool to help people understand the scope of the world’s invisible carbon dioxide problem. The complexity of CO2 flow demonstrates how difficult it is to measure this simple parameter. No doubt, part of the money each of us spend on fossil fuels is redirected to marketing propaganda designed to assure the status status-quo. As the northern hemisphere enters another high CO2 season, NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO2) satellite will soon provide real-time readings of global CO2 that we can compare with these supercomputer models. In the end, science will reveal a truth that won’t bend to politics, slick marketing or wishful thinking.
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3 thoughts on “NASA visualizes unfortunate truths about our atmosphere”
Ra'anan says:
This article so upset me that I sent it to a scientist & he wrote:
full of unsubstantiated assumptions, this is not scientific, it is a use of scientific terminology to enhance the credibility of the authors predetermined assertions. It becomes more evident when you see the raw data in the NASA Earth Observatory, it turns out to be far more complicated. this is directly from NASA’s report
A Closer Look at Carbon Dioxide
A new simulation of carbon dioxide in Earth’s atmosphere provides an ultra-high-resolution look at how the key greenhouse gas moves around the globe and fluctuates in volume throughout the year. These three close-up views show how local geography affects the transport of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The visualization is a product of a NASA computer model called GEOS-5, created by scientists with the Global Modeling and Assimilation Office at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland. This particular simulation has about 64 times greater resolution than most global climate models. In particular, the simulation is called a Nature Run. In this kind of “simulation”, real data on emissions and atmospheric conditions is ingested by the model, which is then left to run on its own to simulate the behaviour of Earth’s atmosphere for a two-year period – in this case, May 2005 to June 2007.
The colors represent a range of carbon dioxide concentrations, from 375 (dark blue) to 395 (light purple) parts per million. The red represents about 385 parts per million. White plumes represent carbon monoxide emissions.
North American emissions
One of the visually striking things about this animation is how much local weather patterns affect carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. In this close-up view of North America – from Feb. 1, 2006 to Mar. 1, 2006 in the simulation – you can see the major emissions sources in the U.S. Midwest and along the East Coast. As the carbon dioxide is emitted, westerly winds created by the warm currents of the Gulf Stream carry the greenhouse gas “eastward” over the Atlantic Ocean. Not northward to the Arctic
Asia and the Himalayas
In this view of Asia, two things stand out: the major emissions sources of the industrialized Asian countries, and the natural barrier of the Himalayas. As carbon dioxide concentrations swirl and move eastward, the Himalayas – the crescent-shaped mountain range just north of India – redirect winds. This video shows Feb. 1, 2006 to Mar. 1, 2006 from the simulation.
African fires
While the previous movies showed regions of major man-made emissions, this close-up shows the emission of carbon dioxide – and carbon monoxide, the plumes of white – from fires in southern Africa. This video shows Aug. 1, 2006 to Sept. 1, 2006, a period of seasonal burning in this region.
Ja'akov Markus says:
Dear JTR,
I totally agree with you. That is why I am – as an entrepreneur – one of the the promotors of the economy of enough as an alternative of the existing world economy who is ‘bankrupt’. So? I would love to create a wordlwide chain of professional ecological villages (coops of about 25.000 inhabitants each) as serious inspiring examples of this new economy. In these villages people live an dwork together with respect for eachother, animals, the environment and eachothers belongings. For these villages I focus on Holland and Israël (Negev).
P.S. The information (Dutch/English) on my website needs a thorough update.
JTR says:
Men are driven by their instinct to grow more powerful to conquer the symbols of death around them. But planet Earth is NOT growing, instead it is slowly shrining with every volcano, earthquake and ton of coal and oil dug and pumped up out of the ground. This plus the massive amounts of pollution dumped every day in the land water and air, spells ecocide and extinction for mankind, unless he can agree to safely recycle 100% and gently educe his population with family planning education. The climate is already changing, so time has run out. We need to change now, today and every day, if we expect to survive as a species.
Growth hacking with CROs for impact and ecological businesses
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"Casserole dish" geology could help bring FutureGen to Illinois
Sallie Greenberg compares the Illinois coal basin to a massive sandstone casserole dish where polluting carbon-dioxide emissions can be injected thousands of feet below ground and held for hundreds of years.
FARMERSVILLE — Sallie Greenberg compares the Illinois coal basin to a massive sandstone casserole dish where polluting carbon-dioxide emissions can be injected thousands of feet below ground and held for hundreds of years.
A layer of harder rock provides the lid.
It’s the not-so-scientific explanation behind a state bid to bring a $1.5 billion FutureGen clean-coal power plant to Illinois. The plant would generate electricity by converting coal to hydrogen, while creating hundreds of permanent and construction jobs.
But it’s so-called “carbon sequestration” — injecting carbon dioxide emissions into the earth, much like the storage system for natural gas — that is the key technology to winning the project for Illinois.
“This is the same geology that traps oil and natural gas. We essentially turn that process around and use it as a storage opportunity for carbon dioxide,” said Greenberg, an assistant geochemist with the Illinois State Geological Survey.
Her display of the technology was part of a bill-signing ceremony at Freeman United Coal Mine near Farmersville Monday, where Gov. Rod Blagojevich approved $82 million in state incentives intended to bring the project to Illinois. Mattoon and Tuscola, and two sites in Texas, are the finalists for the project.
A public/private investment consortium, including the U.S. Department of Energy, coal and power companies, is expected to announce a decision in November. The Illinois incentives include $17 million in grants, a $50 million low-interest loan and $15 million in tax breaks. The legislation also protects FutureGen from lawsuits for accidents or injuries.
The state has estimated the project would create 1,500 construction jobs, plus 150 permanent and 1,200 spin-off jobs.
“It’s a step closer, but we have more work to do,” Blagojevich said, adding that Illinois is a logical site for the project with its abundant supply of coal.
“What is really going to determine the decision is the merits, and Illinois can make a very strong case,” he said.
As part of the project, the federal Department of Energy began field tests in the spring of the carbon-sequestration technology in Illinois by drilling wells and injecting pressurized carbon dioxide into layers of sandstone.
A top layer of impermeable rock traps the carbon dioxide.
“It’s like a big casserole dish beneath the earth,” said Greenberg, who is coordinating the carbon-sequestration project for the state geological survey.
Carbon dioxide emissions linked to global warming have become a critical issue in the construction of clean-coal technology, which reduces traditional power-plant emissions such as mercury, sulfur dioxide and nitrous oxide.
There are no state or federal standards for carbon-dioxide emissions, though the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled carbon dioxide should be considered a pollutant under federal clean-air laws.
The Sierra Club earlier this month challenged state approval of a coal-gasification plant near Taylorville because project developers did not include commitments reduce carbon dioxide.
Through use of carbon sequestration, the FutureGen plant would all but eliminate the emissions. Greenberg said the Texas locations have similar geology, but Illinois has not “poked holes” in potential storage areas with widespread drilling for oil and natural gas.
“They’ve been drilling oil wells (in Texas) for 150 years,” she said.
Wednesday is the deadline for Illinois and Texas to submit incentive packages to the FutureGen Alliance. The group is expected to spend the next several months analyzing the applications.
“Now, it’s a matter of waiting to see what we did not explain very well and providing follow-up information,” said Angela Griffin, a member of Coles Together, a Coles County economic development group that is promoting Illinois as the site of FutureGen.
A group of miners on their lunch break also joined the announcement.
“Anything that would be good for the economy of Illinois is bound to help,” said Tony Liebscher, president of Local 12 of the United Mine Workers of America.
Liebscher pointed out that, at age 52, he has worked in the mines for more than 25 years. He said he hopes projects such as FutureGen will improve the future of coal, but that he doubts the Illinois coal industry will return to the kind of coalfield employment it enjoyed when he went to work in 1981.
“I’d like to see it, but I don’t really look for it to happen,” he said.
Tim Landis can be reached at (217) 788-1536 or tim.landis@sj-r.com.
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The Lebanon Democrat
Mt. Juliet News
Home, Health, & Lifestyle
Mexican Grilled Cheese now open for business
Mexican Grilled Cheese now open for busi...
By Chris Gregory, Managing Editor
After sitting vacant for a number of years, the property at the corner of Broadway and Highway 25 has found new life as the home of the Mexican Grilled Cheese – Hartsville’s newest restaurant.
Alberto and Araceli Rodriguez, who formerly operated La Quesadilla, have turned the historic house – featured in the Historical Society column in last week’s Vidette – into a restaurant with a name guaranteed to draw attention.
The Mexican Grilled Cheese opened for business Sunday amid much fanfare on social media from customers who missed La Quesadilla’s fare. The former site, across from the high school, has been closed since a fire broke out at the site in February.
Chris Gregory / Hartsville Vidette
Owner Alberto Rodriguez and head cook Fili Rojas pose beside the sign for the Mexican Grilled Cheese.
“The plan was to have the building repaired and still be there,” Alberto Rodriguez said. “We couldn’t get it worked out… The reason we chose this site is we thought it would be quick to get going.
“We’ve only been working here a couple of months. It’s already got the hood and the walk-in cooler and freezer. The building was empty when we got here so it was a big start. All we had to do was clean up and start brining in my equipment.”
Rodriguez said the name for the new restaurant was that “if you really think about it, what would a Mexican grilled cheese be? A quesadilla!”
Rodriguez and his employees have been working since early May to get the house ready. Most of the staff at the former La Quesadilla has followed Rodriguez over to the Mexican Grilled Cheese, including longtime head cook Fili Rojas.
The menu, Rodriguez said, remains pretty much the same as when it was La Quesadilla. It features what he called “common Mexican meals.” They have added some new items, which Rodriguez said customers should come by and try!
“The food is going to be the same; it’s just new name, new building,” Alberto said.
Rodriguez praised the staff for sticking with him and thanked the customers who have been asking for months when he would reopen.
“It’s not going to be a new environment; you’ll feel like you’re right at home,” he said. “We have a very loyal customer base and when they come into my restaurant, they’ll know every face as a familiar face. We try to run it like a family and serve our friends in Hartsville the food they’ve enjoyed for a long time.”
The Mexican Grilled Cheese will also offer outdoor eating options as well as a carryout service at the side entrance facing Highway 25.
As parking has been a concern at the site in the past, Rodriguez has obtained permission to use part of the property next door and created a gravel parking lot there that ties into the main parking area at the back of the building.
The Mexican Grilled Cheese is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. The restaurant can be reached at 615-680-3166.
Reach Chris Gregory at 615-374-3556 or cgregory@hartsvillevidette.com.
GALLERY: 2019 Miss Trousdale pageant
GALLERY: 2018 Trousdale County High School Graduation
GALLERY: 2018 Easter Egg Hunt
GALLERY: 2018 Miss Trousdale
GALLERY: Winter comes to Hartsville – January 2018
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