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Summitry or gimmickry?
Published on Sunday, 23 June 2013 22:25
Written by Perry Diaz
When U.S. President Barack Obama met Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Sunnylands estate in the desert city of Rancho Mirage in California last June 7 and 8, it was one of the most heralded summits in recent history. It measured in importance to the Cold War –era Washington Summit between U.S. President Ronald Reagan and the Soviet Union’s Communist Party General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev. The highlight of the Washington Summit was the signing of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.
Where’s the meat?
In the two days that Obama and Xi met face-to-face, they clocked a total of eight hours of talks that included a 50-minute walk in the manicured garden of the 200-acre estate with just the two of them and their interpreters. Nobody knows what the two leaders talked about but Obama used the occasion to present a gift to Xi, a bench carved from a California redwood tree.
But in the absence of a formal statement or joint communiqué, it’s hard to put meat on the bones. And this is where pundits and experts stepped up with varied reactions and analyses. Xi’s senior foreign policy adviser called it “a strategic, constructive and historic meeting.” He added, “The two presidents agreed to build a new model of major country relationship between China and the United States based on mutual respect and win-win cooperation.”
Obama told the reporters the talks were “terrific. ” However, it was reported in the news that the summit ended with “few policy breakthroughs but the prospect of stronger personal ties.”
For the two-day no-necktie “informal” meeting, Obama and Xi agreed to cooperate on denuclearizing the Korean peninsula and to confront climate change.
But didn’t North Korea already agree to return to the negotiation table to discuss denuclearization before Xi left for the summit? If so, and it was so, then North Korea shouldn’t have been on the agenda. It was a done deal.
On climate change, Obama and Xi agreed to decrease production of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) used in air conditioners and refrigerators. Since the U.S. and China are the world’s biggest emitters of HFCs, it was in their best interest to deal with this problem in their own backyards. But since it is also the problem with industrialized and developed countries, then the United Nations should take the lead in dealing with climate change.
Their disagreement was evident when they issued separate statements at their joint press conference after the first day of the summit. Obama told reporters the two countries must deal with cybertheft of U.S. intellectual property. But Xi claimed that China was also a victim of cyberattacks.
The following day, National Security Adviser Tom Donilon, who was privy to the discussions, told reporters that “Obama presented to Xi and his delegation details of hacking incidents emanating from China. Obama told Xi that if the cybertheft continues, it will affect economic relations of the two countries.” Seemingly, Xi could have cared less. Does anyone think that China would stop hacking U.S.’s classified defense technology if it didn’t benefit her?
It’s interesting to note that the members of the Chinese delegation showed their mistrust of the U.S. when they made a last-minute decision not to stay at Sunnylands. Instead they bunked in a downtown hotel purportedly to minimize the risk of electronic eavesdropping. Makes one wonder if it is a Chinese practice to bug the rooms of foreign dignitaries visiting China.
Other than their agreement to deal with climate change and the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, there was not much accomplished. Their summit was just a walk in the park.
But what surprised a lot of China-watchers is that Obama failed to discuss the territorial disputes in the East and South China Seas. Makes one wonder if Obama is sending a silent signal to China that the U.S. would not intervene in a Chinese military incursion into the disputed Senkaku Islands (Diaoyu to China) in the East China Sea and the Spratly archipelago and the Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea. It seems that Obama had just given Xi a carte blanche to do whatever he wants to do in the disputed islands, which involve the U.S.’s allies, Japan and the Philippines.
Chinese Dream
With China aggressively pursuing her claim of the South China Sea – which she claims as her “core national interest” and is not negotiable — and forcibly occupying the Scarborough Shoal, tension runs high among the six claimant-nations particularly Vietnam and the Philippines. The 10 members of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) are proposing the adoption of a Code of Conduct (COC) to ensure freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, which the U.S. endorsed. However, China has yet to accept it.
The summit would have been a great opportunity for Obama to discuss the territorial disputes in East and South China Seas. But his silence encouraged Xi to promote the “Chinese Dream.”
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The ADD system is focussed on the most basic level of move difficulty. There is much more to the analysis and terminology used in advanced freestyle footbag that pure ADDs. Some of the concepts are below. Note that not all terminology is agreed upon or used the same way throughout the sport; your mileage may vary. But these descriptions will hopefully help explain some of the concepts in common use today.
“Paradox” (pdx) is a term that applies to moves that have an extra body add due to a dexterity that is harder to do because of the set (which in the original add system is not supposed to be possible, hence the “paradox”).
A “far” dexterity occurs as a result of a set from a cross body position, or a spin, to the opposite side of the body. All paradox moves involve a far dexterity.
Symposium (Symp) is a concept for moves where the leg performing a dexterity is planted immediately before and after the dexterity, while the other (setting) leg does not touch the ground.
Symposium moves include:
Symposium Mirage
Symposium Illusion (Flail)
Symposium Whirl
Symple
Symposium is a Body concept that only applies to Dexterities. However, not all dexes are elligible for the symposium ADD. This is due to the fact that in some moves, the leg that does the dex is also the one that does the delay. When a move that cannot be symposium is done in a symposium style, it’s called symple. Dexes that can be symposium can also be done in a symple style, but symple never receives an ADD.
The [Butterfly] is also never symposium, only symple.
Rooted/Rooting/Anti-Symposium
“Rooted” is when a move is ended with the delaying foot planted. “Rooting” is when a set is begun with the bag stalled on the foot that’s on the ground. When Uptime Dexterities are done from a rooted position, they are called anti-symposium.
Stomping
“Stomping” is a concept that involves planting both feet at once after setting the footbag, then executing the desired move. An example of this would be a “Stomping double leg-over” (Set -> Stomp -> Double leg-over).
“Waxing” is when extra steps are put into moves.
Crispy and Original
“Crispy” is a concept used to describe a move using an uptime set, wherein the “Original” version does the same dexterity mid- or down-time. For example, a cripsy eggbeater would be an atomic legover.
X-Dex
X-Dex is an unofficial concept, because it has yet to be accepted by the IFPA as part of the official Rules of Footbag Sports. However, it is in common usage within the advanced freestyle community today.
X-Dex is similar to the symposium and paradox concepts above — it is a dexterity add that represents the added difficult of certain types of dexterities. In the case of X-Dex, the added difficulty involves a complete “circling” of the footbag in the context of any move (as opposed to most dexterities, which are not really forcing the player’s leg/foot to completely circle the bag).
For example, after two full dexterities (e.g., double around-the-world) are completed, the difficulty of doing the first dexterity was much greater than for a single around-the-world.
Thus, X-Dex represents the additional degree of difficulty of doing a “full” dexterity.
Full dexteries include Mirages, Illusions, Whirls, and Swirls, if after the swirl there isn’t a same side Cross Body contact. (E.g., Twirl)
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National OSH Systems and Programmes
OSH Management Systems
Information and Knowledge Sharing
Chemical Safety and the Environment
Hazardous Work
Workplace health promotion and well-being
Occupational Safety and Health Inspection
Sectors and industries
Standards and other instruments
Publications and technical tools
CIS Network
Register of lifting appliances and items of loose gear ...
Register of lifting appliances and items of loose gear
Model Form and Certificates as required by Article 25(2) of the ILO Convention concerning Occupational Safety and Health in Dock Work (No. 152), 1979.
International Labour Office
Register of lifting appliances and items of loose gearpdf - 0.1 MB
Article 25(2) of the Occupational Safety and Health (Dock Work) Convention, 1979 (No. 152), requires that “a register of the lifting appliances and items of loose gear shall be kept in a form prescribed by the competent authority, account being taken of the model recommended by the International Labour Office”.
At its 231st Session (November 1985) the Governing Body of the International Labour Office took note of the information supplied by the Office about the preparation of the model referred to above and authorised the Director-General to inform member States that the Model Form of Register and Certificates required by Article 25(2) of Convention 152 are now available.
The new Model Form of Register and Certificates can be used by the competent authority of a member State in prescribing the form provided for in Article 25(2). They replace those drawn up in application of the Protection against Accidents (Dockers) Convention (Revised), 1932 (No. 32), which were standardised and issued by the ILO in 1956.
As in the case of the earlier model documents, they have been prepared in English only. It has been the general practice for the competent national authorities to issue their own Register taking account of the model recommended by the ILO and using the English text of the letter side by side with a translation into their own language.
Tags: workers, occupational safety and health
C152 - Occupational Safety and Health (Dock Work) Convention, 1979 (No. 152)
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Tag Archive for: Child’s Play
You are here: Home / Child's Play
‘Annabelle Comes Home’ Takes Fourth, ‘Midsommar’ Shines Bright in Sixth Place at Weekend Box Office
July 7, 2019 /0 Comments/in Horror Movies and TV Shows, News /by Nick Banks
With a glut of horror releases (let alone all of the releases) this summer, it has been hard for any film to sustain momentum at the box office. This weekend was no different with a film predicted to dominate the box office (Annabelle Comes Homes) falling short of expectations and a new entry (Midsommar) further adding to the logjam at your local cinema.
WB’s Annabelle Comes Home dropped into fourth place with an estimated $9.8 million, dipping an expected 52% in its second weekend. The film’s domestic total now stands at $50 million, which is certainly good for any horror film, but the figure is below Conjuringverse expectations. Annabelle Comes Home currently ranks third in the Annabelle series, $34 million out of second place. Internationally, the film is performing better and added over $20 million overseas for a total of $85 million, which equates to a worldwide total of $135 million. Again, these numbers are admirable for a horror film, but with increased horror competition next week, expect Annabelle Comes Home to remain in 3rd place in what has become the most profitable series of horror films of all time (and be sure to check out our review right here). read more
http://www.horrornewsnetwork.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/HNN-logo.jpg 0 0 Nick Banks http://www.horrornewsnetwork.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/HNN-logo.jpg Nick Banks2019-07-07 14:14:112019-07-07 14:14:11'Annabelle Comes Home' Takes Fourth, 'Midsommar' Shines Bright in Sixth Place at Weekend Box Office
‘Annabelle Comes Home’ Takes Second Place at Weekend Box Office
June 30, 2019 /0 Comments/in Horror Movies and TV Shows, News /by Nick Banks
Another week, another second place finish for a horror film at the weekend box office. Just like last week’s Child Play, Annabelle Comes Home nabbed second place with an estimated $20.3 million.
Annabelle Comes Home opened on Tuesday night with shows starting at 5:00 p.m., and then opened wide on Wednesday, so the box office take is somewhat deceiving, although it did perform worse than either of the two previous Annabelle films. The latest addition to the Conjuringverse currently sits at $31.2 million (with an additional $21.1 from foreign markets). read more
http://www.horrornewsnetwork.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/HNN-logo.jpg 0 0 Nick Banks http://www.horrornewsnetwork.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/HNN-logo.jpg Nick Banks2019-06-30 12:54:442019-06-30 12:54:44'Annabelle Comes Home' Takes Second Place at Weekend Box Office
‘Child’s Play’ Finishes in Second Place at Weekend Box Office
Child’s Play (2019) finished second at the box office this weekend, making an estimated total of $14 million. While finishing in second is never a bad thing at the summer box office, it’s not terrific when your opening total is $104 million less than the top spot (which was Toy Story 4, a much kinder and gentler breed of toy).
Many in the industry predicted a slightly higher opening for Child’s Play, especially with the film currently sitting at a healthy 60% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. Viewers were less impressed with the return of Chucky, as the film only scored a C+ from ticket buyers surveyed by opening night polling service, Cinemascore. read more
http://www.horrornewsnetwork.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/HNN-logo.jpg 0 0 Nick Banks http://www.horrornewsnetwork.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/HNN-logo.jpg Nick Banks2019-06-23 12:50:242019-06-23 12:50:24'Child's Play' Finishes in Second Place at Weekend Box Office
Horror News Network’s Summer 2019 Movie Preview Guide
After a rather lackluster spring, studios are ready to start churning out horror films for the starving, sweating masses this summer. At least eight films in the horror genre are slated for release in June, July, and August this year (a slight increase from year’s past) in hopes that one or two can capture the attention of movie-goers who are already worn out by sequels and mega-budget action and sci-fi epics.
Horror fans have a lot to choose from this summer; everything from classic 1980’s remakes (Child’s Play), another entry from the ever-popular Conjurverse (Annabelle Comes Home), giant critters with a taste for human flesh (Crawl, 47 Meters Down: Uncaged), Ari Aster’s creepy follow-up to last year’s critical smash Hereditary (Midsommar), and a host of supernatural and survival horror originals. read more
http://www.horrornewsnetwork.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/HNN-logo.jpg 0 0 Nick Banks http://www.horrornewsnetwork.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/HNN-logo.jpg Nick Banks2019-06-19 14:22:352019-06-23 14:57:39Horror News Network's Summer 2019 Movie Preview Guide
Chucky Speaks in Second Trailer for ‘Child’s Play’
April 18, 2019 /0 Comments/in Horror Movies and TV Shows, News /by Rob Caprilozzi
“I think Chucky did something…” Just hours ago, Orion Pictures revealed the second trailer for the upcoming Child’s Play film. The new preview, which is two minutes long showcases a community plunged into chaos as the murderous doll, Chucky plans to slice and dice his way through the town.
The official synopsis of the film is: Child’s Play follows Karen, a single mother who gifts her son Andy a Buddi doll, unaware of its more sinister nature.
This re-imagining of the 1988 horror classic is written by Tyler Burton Smith and directed by Lars Klevberg, Child’s Play stars Aubrey Plaza, Gabriel Bateman, Brian Tyree Henry, Tim Matheson, David Lewis Carlease Burke, Ty Consiglio, Trent Redekop, and Mark Hamill as the voice of Chucky. read more
http://www.horrornewsnetwork.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/HNN-logo.jpg 0 0 Rob Caprilozzi http://www.horrornewsnetwork.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/HNN-logo.jpg Rob Caprilozzi2019-04-18 14:02:332019-04-18 14:02:33Chucky Speaks in Second Trailer for 'Child's Play'
WonderCon 2019: Child’s Play Panel and Mark Hamill as Chucky?!?!
March 31, 2019 /0 Comments/in Horror Movies and TV Shows, News /by Stephanie Shamblin Gray
By far the biggest news coming out of this panel was the surprise drop of the new voice of Chucky: none other than Mark Hamill! Some people may know him from a little movie called Star Wars and if you are going to replace an icon like Brad Dourif then getting another icon is the way to do it. The fans in attendance were both shocked and elated when at the end of the exclusive trailer following the …’and as the voice of Chucky’ frame, the trailer cut away to video of Hamill announcing himself as the new voice of the sinister doll. The next several minutes were spent hearing how the cast felt about working with him and there were a lot of expected jokes about working with Luke Skywalker. The crowd was into it and it was a bit hard to concentrate on the cast on stage as so many were talking about what they just saw on screen. This was a huge bomb dropped right on the WonderCon fans and they loved it. read more
http://www.horrornewsnetwork.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/HNN-logo.jpg 0 0 Stephanie Shamblin Gray http://www.horrornewsnetwork.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/HNN-logo.jpg Stephanie Shamblin Gray2019-03-31 01:18:272019-04-01 01:37:45WonderCon 2019: Child’s Play Panel and Mark Hamill as Chucky?!?!
Official Trailer for ‘Child’s Play’ Slashes its Way Online
February 8, 2019 /0 Comments/in Horror Movies and TV Shows, News /by Rob Caprilozzi
“People, let me tell you ’bout my best friend.” The official trailer for Orion’s Child’s Play remake has arrived bringing with it technology and terror. The one-minute trailer gives us a short glimpse of what to expect as parents rush to buy the hottest toy for their children, the Buddi doll.
Directed by Lars Klevberg, Child’s Play stars Aubrey Plaza, Brian Tyree Henry, Gabriel Bateman, David Lewis, Ty Consiglio, and Beatrice Kitsos.
The official synopsis for the film reads:
A mother gives her son a toy doll for his birthday, unaware of its more sinister nature. read more
http://www.horrornewsnetwork.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/HNN-logo.jpg 0 0 Rob Caprilozzi http://www.horrornewsnetwork.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/HNN-logo.jpg Rob Caprilozzi2019-02-08 11:03:482019-02-08 11:13:02Official Trailer for 'Child's Play' Slashes its Way Online
‘Chucky’ Series Coming to Syfy
January 29, 2019 /0 Comments/in Horror Movies and TV Shows, News /by Rob Caprilozzi
It looks like everyone’s favorite killer doll is headed to Syfy. According to Deadline, Syfy has nabbed the rights to develop a Chucky TV series. The series come from the Child’s Play creative team of Don Mancini and David Kirschner who will be joined by Nick Antosca.
“I’ve long wanted to bring Chucky to television and SYFY is the perfect network for us,” said Mancini in an official statement. “The show will be a fresh take on the franchise, allowing us to explore Chucky’s character with a depth that is uniquely afforded by the television series format, while staying true to the original vision that has terrorized audiences for over three decades now.” read more
http://www.horrornewsnetwork.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/HNN-logo.jpg 0 0 Rob Caprilozzi http://www.horrornewsnetwork.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/HNN-logo.jpg Rob Caprilozzi2019-01-29 19:42:462019-01-29 19:42:46'Chucky' Series Coming to Syfy
Viral Website Launched for Upcoming ‘Child’s Play’ Film
November 26, 2018 /0 Comments/in Horror Movies and TV Shows, News /by Rob Caprilozzi
MGM and Orion are chugging forward with their Child’s Play remake and the latest from the film is a viral site called BestBuddi.com. The site showcases the latest product from the fictional Kaslan Corporation, a company that specializes in technological interconnectivity. Their current creation is a Buddi doll, a product which connects and controls all Kaslan products and smart home devices. The doll comes equipped with a cloud-backed voice recognition engine capable of identifying speech and can learn from human interaction. read more
http://www.horrornewsnetwork.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/HNN-logo.jpg 0 0 Rob Caprilozzi http://www.horrornewsnetwork.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/HNN-logo.jpg Rob Caprilozzi2018-11-26 19:22:132018-11-26 19:22:13Viral Website Launched for Upcoming 'Child's Play' Film
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» Ismailiya Travel Guide
Ismailiya Travel Guide
Ismailiya is the capital of Ismailia Governorate consists of an area of approximately 4482.8 km2 or 0.46% of Egypt's area, along the west bank of the Suez Canal. It has a population of approximately 750,000. The city of Ismailiya is located on Lake Timsah along the coast of the Canal, half way between Port Said and Suez.
The Governorate consists of 5 towns; Fayed, Ismailia, Al-Tal Al-Kabeer, east and Qantara west. Formerly, Ismailiya was called Timsah Village, but it was subsequently named after Khedive Ismail of Egypt. However according to the census conducted in the year 1996, the estimated figure of the population was 715,000 inhabitants, 58% urban and 42% rural, or 1.21% of Egypt's.
The town of Ismailiya is approximately 120km from Cairo by the direct route or 135km by the countryside road. All parts of the Governorate are joined with an integrated network of roads. This enables traffic to join the town of Ismailiya with its suburbs.
The town of Ismailiya has many ancient and antiquity areas: Tal Al-Maskhota, It's in Abu Seir village, and was called so when workers found statues there in 1886. But in fact this place was "Baraton Ai" city. There is god Aton temple made from basalt, a Ptolemies alabaster coffin from the Ptolemi age, which is moved now to Ismailia Museum. Actually It's one of the most important tourism places.
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Wins for Kansas: The PAT Fund
Sunday, October 29, 2017 11:10 PM EDT
Monday, October 30, 2017 9:10 AM EDT
People plugged into the Kansas music scene probably know Pat McJimsey's name. The late Wichita jazz man with a smooth voice and guitar skills left behind an enormous amount of fans, as well as a legacy that continues to help musicians.
"Everybody who knew him loved him and looked up to him as a musician," said Joe Sauer, a spokesperson for the Performance Artist Trust Fund, better known as the "PAT Fund." Sauer said so many people donated to McJimsey after his death that his wife Barb wanted to use the money to help other musicians dealing with illnesses.
"When they're sick, the PAT fund helps them. It reaches out and helps them in hard times," Sauer explained.
The non-profit now raises money through its annual "PAT Bash" event. A committee gives out the money as gifts, with no strings attached.
"And it's not big gifts," Sauer noted. "It's no one that we go in and bail them out for life. But they bail them out of that really tough time, and so they can get back to being a performing artist."
"The PAT Fund" received a $500 grant from Wins for Kansas partner DeVaughn James Injury Lawyers.
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Gallery F Oflaherty
Oflaherty Coat of Arms, Family Crest and Oflaherty Family History
Oflaherty Family History
The O'Flaherty ancient family history was found in the irishsurnames.com archives.
Surnames developed a wide number of variants over the centuries. Many different spelling variations of the same name can be traced back to a single original root. Also, when a bearer of a name emigrated from Ireland it was not uncommon that their original name would be incorrectly transcribed in the record books upon arrival at their new location. Some names have dozens of spelling variations. Some Surnames were also altered over the years based on how they sounded phonetically, by their sound, and depending on the prevailing political conditions it may have been advantageous to change a name from one language to another. This was especially so in Ireland where most Gaelic names were 'anglicized' at some stage.
Variants of the name O'Flaherty include Flaherty and Laverty. The O'Flahertys possessed the territory on the east side of Lough Corrib until the thirteenth century. The head of the sept was known as Lord of Moycullen and as Lord of Iar-Connacht, which, at its largest, extended from Killary Harbour to the Bay of Galway and included the Aran Islands. The Chieftaincy was continued until the beginning of the eighteenth century. The celebrated historian, Roderick or Rory O'Flaherty, 1629-1718, author of Ogygia, was the last recognized Chief of the Name. The Chief of the Donegal sept was Lord of Aileach or Elagh in County Donegal. He is also described by 'The Four Masters' as Tanist of Tyrone. This sept may be regarded as distinct from that of Iar-Connacht.The O'Flaherty family crest (or coat of arms) came into existence many centuries ago. The process of creating these coats of arms began as early as the eleventh century although a form of Proto-Heraldry may have existed in some countries prior to this, including Ireland. The new more formalized art of Heraldry made it possible for families and even individual family members to have their very own family crest, coat of arms, including O'Flaherty descendants.
Meaning of Symbols & Colors on the Oflaherty Coat of Arms
Gules/Red 'The Martyr's colour', signifies Military Fortitude and Magnanimity.
Hand Symbol of Faith, Sincerity, and Justice
The Lion Emblem of Deathless Courage
Wonderful OFLAHERTY Gifts For Every Occasion
Oflaherty Family Crest Gifts
Oflaherty Family Crest Plaques
Oflaherty Rings
Oflaherty Graphics
Oflaherty Prints
Oflaherty Flags
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Leighton takes billion dollar Atlantis project
Australian contractor wins the bid to build the largest water park in the Middle East.
By Sean Cronin and Colin Foreman Published June 18, 2005
Leighton has taken the contract to build the largest water park in the Middle East — the first contract to be awarded under the US $1.1 billion Atlantis project in Dubai. Construction Week has learned that the Australian firm and joint venture partner Emtech has signed a pre- construction agreement to build the US $500 million water park, which is going to be developed on the crescent of the Palm Jumeirah. It is believed to be the first major contract that has been won by the Australian firm in the UAE. Kerzner International president, Jim Boocher, confirmed that a pre-construction agreement had been made, but said that a final contract award had yet to be signed. The designs for the water park’s main structures are well advanced, but the route of the main river ride running through the park is not, which means that the buildings may be shifted to make way for the ride. “Redesigns are still being done, there are 70% construction drawings at this point,” says Boocher. Some work on the site has already been undertaken, including the reclamation of a 20 m beach extension and vibro-compaction works. A piling contract for the project’s two hotel buildings and main water park features has been let to M Tech, and work on site is expected to start in August or September. The park is expected to feature unique water attractions, including one of the world’s largest marine habitats, a snorkel trail, a swim with the dolphins encounter programme, an array of water slides, and The Dig — an Atlantis themed ‘archaeological’ experience. The water-theme park will have the capacity to accommodate over 6000 daily visitors. It is understood that the crescent of the Palm Jumeirah has been specially widened to accommodate the project, and up to 25 acres will be reserved for the future development of the scheme.
Gartner says worldwide PC Shipments grew 1.5% in second quarter of 2019
IBM acquires Red Hat for $34 Billion
Gartner says global IT spending to grow 0.6% in 2019
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DBCompensation
DBDescriptions
» Advisors
Blair R. Johanson
Blair R. Johanson, the firm’s president, has over 20 years of business operations experience with a focus on strategic planning, budgeting, hospital and physician management, and marketing and human resource management. Prior to joining Johanson Group, Blair was employed by Pendulum Practice Management Company, Physicians Resource Group, Inc., and Charter Medical Corporation. As a senior vice president, regional operations vice president and hospital administrator, he provided development and operations leadership for numerous physician practices and hospitals. He graduated with a master’s degree in business administration and B.S.B.A. degree in personnel administration from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.
Bruce E. Johanson
Bruce E. Johanson, a principal officer/partner of the firm, has served in a management capacity in various corporate and non-corporate positions since 1979. Those positions included five years of experience with two major multinational corporations, several years of instructing in various disciplines at the university level, and over 30 years as a management consultant to a diverse client group throughout the United States. He has experience in areas of international business with small, medium and large corporations. Bruce joined Johanson Group in 1986 and served as President of the firm from 1988 until 2000. He received his B.S.B.A. in personnel management in 1978 and his M.B.A. in 1979, both from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.
© Johanson Group 1973-2019
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Art: Interview with Tom Price at Yorkshire Sculpture Park
He's notorious for licking a gallery wall till his tongue bled. Now, artist Tom Price creates sculptures of everyday black men that are deliberately unheroic. Jon Cronshaw meets him.
In 2001, Tom Price tried to cover an entire gallery with his saliva over a three-day period. But in the first hour, his tongue began to bleed profusely.
What was intended as invisible marks of spit on a gallery wall became something like an abattoir, steadily covered with the artist's blood.
"It wasn't pleasant," says Price, "but it was almost a relief when I started to make a mark so I could see where I'd been. Then it really became like a painting."
He certainly made a name for himself with the performance piece, called Licked, all while he was still a student at Chelsea College of Art. "People thought I'd used a paintbrush – people thought I'd faked it.
"After that, I started dreaming up other performances. I really got into demonstrations of sacrifice, I guess," he says.
"But then I realised I was seeking some weird approval, like an actor or performer needs applause. And I didn't want that – I wanted to say things people weren't going to applaud at all," he says.
So he turned to sculpture, teaching himself how to work with traditional methods. "Today, I try to take a less gimmicky approach, if I'm honest. And I've got such respect for sculpture. But in the contemporary art world, it is sort of sniffed at," he says.
Price's recent work, now on show at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, has seen him make bronzes of a group seldom represented in art galleries: disenfranchised, urban young black men.
"I started sculpting people near where I lived in Brixton, who happened to be black," says Price. "I showed one to my peers at art school and their reaction was strange – I couldn't put my finger on it, but I knew I was tapping into something powerful. Maybe they thought it looked a bit like me, which seemed melancholic and vulnerable."
For Price, it's important to ask questions about why black men are only represented in certain ways within art. "There's a real lack of first-hand representation or self-representation of a black man in a neutral state – if that can exist – something like them not being heroic, not being a type, not being recorded as some sort of ethnicity," he says.
He wants his work to provide food for thought for the casual observer. "It's like they're saying 'I'm here and I don't care if you are'. The sculptures never meet your gaze, they don't have their shoulders back – they stand like they don't want to be seen."
Each one is a mishmash. They are not portraits of individuals but, rather like Dr Frankenstein, Price pieces different elements together to create what he calls psychological portraits – both in terms of his subject matter and himself.
"When you start to project ideas and emotions on to a work of art, it can't help but be a bit of a self-portrait," he says. "I resisted that idea for a long time.
"But who's the one continual reference? What's the one continual thing? That's me, so I'm definitely in them. I'm owning up to that a bit more now," he says.
His goal is "to show the inner worlds of contemporary people through ancient sculpture". So while traditionalists can appreciate the classical and technical skill involved, those with more contemporary tastes can contemplate the pressing questions they raise about race, class and identity.
"There's a lot of social commentary going on," he says, "but I try and do it in a way that's beautiful – to sugar the pill, as it were."
Where is Modern Art Now - Tom Price clip from tompricestudio.com on Vimeo.
Tom Price's work is on display at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park until April 27.
ysp.org.uk
tompricestudio.com
This article was originally published by The Guardian on January 15, 2014.
Music: Interview with Scoobius Pip
Reportage: UK-wide role for charity skills broker
Music: Interview with Ant Law
Art: Interview with Tom Price at Yorkshire Sculptu...
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Greensburg To Receive $17.4 Million Wind Farm Loan
KSCB News - October 8, 2009 12:00 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says the government will loan a Greensburg buisness $17.4 million to build 10 wind turbines.
Vilsack says the turbines will provide power to Greensburg, which is trying to rebuild as an environmentally friendly town since being nearly destroyed by a tornado in 2007.
The project’s total cost is estimated at $23.3 million. The U.S. Department of Agriculture will loan about $17.4 million to Greensburg Wind Farm, LLC, a subsidiary of John Deere Renewables.
The remaining $5.8 million will come from an equity investment by Deere & Company.
The 10 wind turbines are expected to 12.5 megawatts of electricity that will serve Greensburg and other rural communities through the Kansas Power Pool.
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STATE OF KANSAS,
Appellee,
MARVIN K. ROBERTSON,
Appellant.
1. A trial court is required to grant a motion to withdraw upon a showing of irreconcilable conflict between a defendant and his or her attorney. Failure to grant a motion to withdraw after the defendant has shown irreconcilable conflict could result in the denial of effective assistance of counsel.
2. Where the trial court is advised of the possibility of a conflict of interest involving defense counsel by either the defendant or the State, the court is required to initiate an inquiry to insure that the defendant's Sixth Amendment right to counsel is not violated. If the court fails to make such inquiry and it is later established that an actual conflict of interest involving defense counsel and his or her client existed, reversal of the defendant's conviction on a claim of ineffective representation under the Sixth Amendment is required.
3. A pending disciplinary complaint filed by a criminal defendant against his or her court-appointed attorney may create an actual conflict of interest depending on the nature of the complaint.
4. When the sufficiency of the evidence is challenged in a criminal case, the standard of review is whether, after review of all the evidence, viewed in the light most favorable to the prosecution, the appellate court is convinced a rational factfinder could have found the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. A conviction of even the gravest offense may be sustained by circumstantial evidence.
Appeal from Sedgwick District Court; CLARK V. OWENS II, and ERIC YOST, judges. Opinion filed May 3, 2002. Affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded with directions.
Autumn L. Fox, of The Law Office of Autumn L. Fox, for appellant.
Jeffery V. Rowe, assistant district attorney, Nola Foulston, district attorney, and Carla J. Stovall, attorney general, for appellee.
Before GERNON, P.J., GREEN and JOHNSON, JJ.
GREEN, J.: Marvin K. Robertson appeals his convictions of theft, possession of drug paraphernalia, and burglary. On appeal, Robertson argues (1) that the trial court erred in denying his attorney's motion to withdraw and (2) that the evidence was insufficient to support his theft conviction. We affirm in part, reverse in part, and remand for a new trial.
Robertson was charged with two counts of theft and single counts of burglary and possession of drug paraphernalia after he was suspected of breaking into a construction site and stealing several items. Several months before trial, Robertson filed a disciplinary complaint against his attorney. Shortly thereafter, Robertson's attorney moved to withdraw from the case at Robertson's request. His attorney claimed that the disciplinary complaint created a conflict of interest that required her to withdraw from the case. Robertson's attorney also told the court that there was a "total breakdown in communication." The trial court denied the defense motion to withdraw.
Robertson's case proceeded to trial, where he was convicted by a jury of one count of theft and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia. The jury was undecided on the burglary charge. Robertson later pled guilty to burglary. Robertson was sentenced to 15 months' imprisonment.
On appeal, Robertson argues that the trial court's denial of his court-appointed attorney's motion to withdraw violated his right to effective assistance of counsel. The State argues that Robertson is raising the claim of ineffective assistance of counsel for the first time on appeal. An allegation of ineffective assistance of counsel will not be considered for the first time on appeal. State v. Van Cleave, 239 Kan. 117, Syl. ¶ 1, 716 P.2d 580 (1986).
A trial court is required to grant a motion to withdraw upon a showing of irreconcilable conflict between a defendant and his or her attorney. Failure to grant a motion to withdraw after the defendant has shown irreconcilable conflict could result in the denial of effective assistance of counsel. State v. Ferguson, 254 Kan. 62, Syl. ¶ 2, 864 P.2d 693 (1993). Because the trial court denied Robertson's motion to withdraw which was based on a potential conflict of interest, the issue of ineffective assistance of counsel is not being raised for the first time on appeal.
Robertson claims that the trial court should have granted the motion to withdraw because his pending disciplinary complaint against trial counsel created a per se conflict of interest that required the court to allow his attorney to withdraw. Robertson argues that the trial court's failure to grant the motion to withdraw requires us to reverse his convictions or allow him to withdraw his guilty plea. However, because Robertson did not file a motion to withdraw his guilty plea, we are without jurisdiction to disturb the burglary conviction. See K.S.A. 2001 Supp. 22-3602(a).
On appeal, our scope of review is limited to whether the trial court abused its discretion in denying the motion to withdraw. Ferguson, 254 Kan. at 69. "A trial court abuses its discretion if it fails to inquire further after becoming aware of a potential conflict between an attorney and a client. State v. Taylor, 266 Kan. 967, 978, 975 P.2d 1196 (1999)." State v. Bowen, 27 Kan. App. 2d 122, 127-28, 999 P.2d 286 (2000).
Although Robertson argues that the trial court erred in refusing to allow his attorney to withdraw because the pending disciplinary complaint created a per se conflict of interest, Kansas has not recognized a per se conflict of interest with regard to the attorney-client relationship. Instead, our Supreme Court requires an actual conflict of interest before prejudice will be presumed. The court noted this position in State v. Jenkins, 257 Kan. 1074, 1083-84, 898 P.2d 1121 (1995):
"[W]here the trial court is advised of the possibility of a conflict by either the defendant or the State, the court is required to initiate an inquiry to insure that the defendant's Sixth Amendment right to counsel is not violated. In this instance, a showing that there is an actual conflict of interest will result in automatic reversal. [Citation omitted.] Prejudice to the defendant is presumed, and reversal of the defendant's conviction is automatic." (Emphasis added.)
Accord Bowen, 27 Kan. App. 2d at 130.
Because Jenkins requires an actual conflict of interest in the attorney-client relationship, we refuse to adopt Robertson's argument that a pending disciplinary complaint creates a per se conflict of interest. As such, Robertson must establish that his pending disciplinary complaint against his trial counsel created an actual conflict of interest.
Requiring an actual conflict of interest is consistent with several other jurisdictions that have found that a disciplinary complaint or civil lawsuit filed by a defendant against his or her attorney does not create a per se conflict of interest. See, e.g., Carter v. Armontrout, 929 F.2d 1294, 1300 (8th Cir. 1991) (holding that a pending lawsuit between a defendant and his or her attorney may create a conflict of interest but the defendant does not necessarily create such a conflict merely by filing the lawsuit); Douglas v. United States, 488 A.2d 121, 136-37 (D.C. 1985) (finding that a disciplinary complaint is not an automatic basis for declaring a mistrial); People v. Johnson, 227 Ill. App. 3d 800, 813-14, 592 N.E.2d 345 (1992) (noting that the trial court need not honor a request for new counsel merely because the defendant filed a disciplinary complaint); State v. Boyd, 913 S.W.2d 838, 844 (Mo. App. 1995) (noting that although a pending lawsuit between a defendant and his or her attorney may give rise to a conflict of interest requiring appointment of new counsel, a defendant does not necessarily create such a conflict by filing a lawsuit).
We must next determine whether a pending disciplinary complaint could create an actual conflict of interest and, if so, under what circumstances. Because this is an issue of first impression in Kansas, an examination of approaches used by other jurisdictions is insightful.
Some cases addressing this issue have found that a pending disciplinary complaint does not create a conflict of interest. For example, in State v. Reddick, 230 Neb. 218, 430 N.W.2d 542 (1988), the defendant argued that his complaints against his court-appointed attorneys created a conflict of interest that deprived him of effective assistance of counsel. The Reddick court rejected this argument, noting that the defendant's complaints against his attorneys were not "inherently conducive to divided loyalties" because the attorneys' best defense against the defendant's allegations was to provide him with the best possible defense. 230 Neb. at 222. Because the defendant's and the attorneys' interests were in harmony, the Reddick court found that the disciplinary complaint did not create a conflict of interest. 230 Neb. at 222-23.
Similarly, in State v. Sinclair, 46 Wash. App. 433, 730 P.2d 742 (1986), the court held that the defendant's disciplinary complaint against his appointed counsel did not give rise to a conflict of interest so as to require her disqualification. The court rationalized that if the filing of a disciplinary complaint against trial counsel was sufficient to disqualify court-appointed counsel, "a defendant could force the appointment of a new attorney simply by filing such a complaint, regardless of merit." 46 Wash. App. at 437.
Although Reddick and Sinclair seem to suggest that a pending disciplinary complaint would never give rise to a conflict of interest, other jurisdictions have found that a pending disciplinary complaint or civil lawsuit may create a conflict of interest, depending on the nature of the complaint or lawsuit. For example, the court in People v. Massa, 271 Ill. App. 3d 75, 648 N.E.2d 123 (1995), noted that although a civil lawsuit filed by a defendant against his or her trial counsel may give rise to a conflict of interest requiring appointment of new counsel, a defendant who files such a lawsuit against his or her attorney does not necessarily create such a conflict. The Massa court rationalized that the trial court must consider the nature and gravamen of the defendant's civil lawsuit filed against his attorney to determine whether the action creates the kind of conflict that requires the court to appoint new counsel for the defendant. The Massa court found that the defendant's civil lawsuit against his attorney did not constitute an actual conflict because the basis of the lawsuit had been resolved. 271 Ill. App. 3d at 82-83. See Boyd, 913 S.W.2d at 845-46 (considering the nature of the defendant's disciplinary complaint in finding that an actual conflict of interest did not exist).
The nature of a defendant's complaint against his attorney was also considered in Mathis v. Hood, 937 F.2d 790 (2d Cir.1991), in determining whether an actual conflict of interest existed. The defendant's disciplinary complaint against his appellate counsel was based on the attorney's dilatory conduct in prosecuting his appeal which resulted in a 6- year delay in hearing the appeal and possible liability of the attorney for the delay. The Mathis court found that this created an actual conflict of interest sufficient to undermine confidence in the outcome of the state appeal. 937 F.2d at 796.
We recognize that an attorney's best defense to a disciplinary complaint is to provide the defendant with the best possible defense and, as such, a pending disciplinary complaint does not necessarily create a conflict of interest. However, we also recognize that under certain circumstances, a disciplinary complaint could create an actual conflict of interest, depending on the nature of the complaint. As a result, we find that a pending disciplinary complaint filed by a criminal defendant against his or her court-appointed attorney may create an actual conflict of interest depending on the nature of the complaint. Accordingly, the pending disciplinary complaint filed by Robertson against his attorney may have created an actual conflict of interest, depending on the nature of the complaint.
Unfortunately, the trial court failed to inquire into the basis of the disciplinary complaint. To illustrate, the following exchanges occurred on November 19, 1999, during the hearing on the motion to withdraw:
"MS. McLEMORE [Defense counsel]: . . . . At request of Mr. Robertson, I filed a motion to withdraw. It has also come to my attention Mr. Robertson has filed a complaint against me with the Disciplinary Board. I think there is a conflict at this point.
"THE COURT: The problem with that in and of itself, if the filing of the complaint with the disciplinary administrator would cause an attorney to have been removed from the case, then that will spread like wildfire through the jail. They'll say if you don't like your lawyer, all you have to do is file a complaint against him [with the disciplinary administrator], and then you automatically get to change lawyers. Guess how many lawyers are going to have complaints filed against them next week. It needs to be something more tha[n] that."
Significantly, the trial court focused on a perceived problem of defendants filing frivolous disciplinary complaints against their attorneys merely to obtain substitute counsel, rather than inquiring into the nature of Robertson's disciplinary complaint. Apparently, realizing that the disciplinary complaint was a losing argument with the trial court, defense counsel informed the court that another conflict existed involving a "total breakdown in communication" with Robertson. Specifically, McLemore stated that she had "not been able to communicate with Mr. Robertson effectively."
Robertson confirmed and attempted to explain the nature of the communication breakdown between himself and his attorney:
"I think Miss McLemore is good counsel. However, as she said, I think communication has broken down somewhere, but I don't think that should be between me and her. I think that to be between her and whoever she negotiated plea negotiations with. It has affected me.
"Me and Miss McLemore have not had communication. So communication is impossible to break down when you don't have it. I have not had communication with Miss McLemore since October the 15th, 1999." (Emphasis added.)
Robertson then explained to the trial court the problem with plea negotiations:
"On a case which I pled guilty on, guilty as charged, I [pled] guilty as charged on for a reason. The reason was not because I was guilty. The reason was because I accepted a plea bargain in exchange for plea negotiations. Other charges would be considered to be dropped.
"I didn't negotiate that plea. That's why I said obviously plea negotiations has broke down between Miss McLemore and whoever she negotiated plea negotiations with. I didn't negotiate. That's why I made that statement." (Emphasis added.)
We interpret Robertson's statement as informing the trial court that he pled guilty to charges in a prior case even though he may not have been guilty, so that the charges would be dropped in another case, possibly the current case. Rather than investigating this allegation, the trial court responded as follows:
"THE COURT: I don't know that any defendant negotiates his plea bargain directly with the District Attorney unless he doesn't have an attorney. . . . Your attorney is one that has to do that.
"MR. ROBERTSON: You're absolutely correct. That was the purpose of me having an attorney. However, if I was going to plead guilty as charged, I did not need an attorney to do that.
"THE COURT: Well, this is a whole other issue. I'm going to find there's no grounds for withdrawal of counsel. I suppose [the] best argument I heard so far [is the] fact that [a] disciplinary complaint has been filed, but as I say, I think this would be important for the Appellate Court to straighten out. . . .
". . . I don't think that the filing of the complaint can be sufficient to require the replacement of counsel. There has to be a factual basis behind it."
After the trial court denied the motion to withdraw, Robertson addressed the court again:
"THE DEFENDANT: May I speak again?
"THE COURT: Yes.
"THE DEFENDANT: I wrote you a letter. I think last month. I explained some of this to you in the letter. I don't know whether you received it or not.
"THE COURT: I received those, but ordinarily I won't look at them because I think counsel needs to be involved in discussing these if we're going to.
"MR. ROBERTSON: Everything I mentioned in the letter was on record. I put the date which everything occurred. However, I'm saying that because in that letter, I'm saying now, this whole matter could be cleared up if we could get back to negotiating plea negotiations which were similar and consistent to the original plea which I thought was being negotiated.
"I think this whole thing could be cleared up without further litigation and possibly without jury trial and possibly save some people some time and money.
"THE COURT: I presume, Miss McLemore, you're interested in continuing to discuss with the District Attorney any plea they may be willing to offer, is that correct?
"MS. McLEMORE: I'm willing to do whatever is necessary in this case. Whatever needs to be done. Needs to go to jury trial, I'm ready to do that. If he wants to negotiate a plea, I'm ready to do that. Whatever the Court wants me to do on this case, as far as representing him, I'm ready to do that, too.
"THE COURT: Why don't you renegotiate again with the District Attorney's office and get whatever offer they're willing to make, get that information back to your client."
By refusing to consider Robertson's letter and failing to inquire as to the nature of the disciplinary complaint, the trial court ignored a potential conflict of interest. Nevertheless, this potential conflict of interest apparently concerned McLemore's supervisor, who tried to focus the trial court's attention on the pending disciplinary complaint:
"MR. NEY: If I might, Richard Ney, for the record. I'm Miss McLemore's supervisor. We have a dilemma here. I just want to put on the record so the Court is aware, Miss McLemore has been asked to respond to the allegations of Mr. Robertson to the disciplinary committee. We discussed that, we talked about that.
"That response is going to be adversarial, going to be contrary to Mr. Robertson's position about this case. I just want to make it clear that Miss McLemore has that duty to respond. At the same time, she has the duty to represent him.
"So we're clear for the record, she is going to respond as required by the disciplinary committee, in the same breath, that will be contrary to the position her client is taking about this case and the effect of the previous case on him.
"THE COURT: I understand. Certainly she would be expected to defend herself on those allegations, but a jury is not going to be aware of this. So they're not going to be poisoned there's some kind of dispute between the lawyer and the client in this case.
"You understand my predicament. You really think that if I allowed just the mere filing of an allegation with the disciplinary administrator being sufficient to replace counsel, how would you suggest I do my job. Let's them replace them as much as they want to.
"MR. NEY: I'm not trying to second-guess the Court. I'm just trying to put on the record the horns of the dilemma. At the same time to another body disputing the very position he's making about this case.
"THE COURT: I won't be aware it will be a confidential proceeding up there. Unless formal hearing is ordered, in which case probably this case will long since be over at the time there's been any formal disciplinary hearings that would be open to the public. Other than that, I wouldn't have any knowledge what they're doing. I'm sure no juror would have any knowledge what's going on [with the disciplinary complaint]. I don't know that it would prejudice the case down here." (Emphasis added.)
In pointing out that Robertson would not be prejudiced because the court and the jury would not know of the disciplinary proceeding, the trial court failed to consider the nature and gravamen of Robertson's disciplinary complaint filed against his attorney to determine whether the disciplinary complaint created an actual conflict of interest.
A similar issue was addressed in State v. Taylor, 266 Kan. 967, 975 P.2d 1196 (1999). The defendant in Taylor moved for a continuance so that he could secure new counsel. The trial court did not inquire as to the reasons for the defendant's request for time to secure alternate counsel and overruled the request, stating that the defendant could represent himself if he wanted to. Although the trial court did not ask about the defendant's representation, the defendant took the opportunity, offered after his continuance request and his motion to withdraw his plea were denied, to address the court. He made lengthy complaints about his representation and stated that he was rushed into a decision to accept the plea. Primarily, Taylor complained that he took the plea because he concluded that his attorney was unwilling or unprepared to try his case. The Taylor court found that the lack of a meaningful hearing on the defendant's motion to withdraw his guilty plea was an abuse of discretion. Taylor noted that "[t]he district judge failed to make any inquiry as to the problems between [the defendant] and [his attorney]. Were they imagined or real? The record contains no inquiry from the bench regarding the adequacy of [the defendant]'s representation." 266 Kan. at 975. See Bowen, 27 Kan. App. 2d at 129-30 (finding that the trial court's inquiry into a potential attorney-client conflict of interest was inadequate to ensure that the defendant received a fair trial).
Here, the trial court similarly failed to meaningfully inquire into the alleged conflict of interest with defense counsel when it failed to determine the nature of the disciplinary complaint. Although the exact nature of the disciplinary complaint is not known, we can infer from the record that it was serious and likely involved the problem regarding plea negotiations. The seriousness of the disciplinary complaint is evidenced by Ney's comments to the trial court. Ney informed the trial court that McLemore's response to the disciplinary complaint would be contrary to Robertson's position in both the current and former case. Despite being informed that McLemore would be taking an adversarial position against Robertson, the trial court did not inquire into the nature of the allegations in order to determine whether an actual conflict of interest was created. Moreover, the trial court failed to ask Robertson and his attorney whether the disciplinary complaint was the crux of their breakdown in communication.
Under Jenkins, the trial court was required to initiate an inquiry into the nature of the conflict. As noted previously, Jenkins held that "where the trial court is advised of the possibility of a conflict by either the defendant or the State, the court is required to initiate an inquiry to insure that the defendant's Sixth Amendment right to counsel is not violated." 257 Kan. at 1084. The trial court was required to inquire into the nature of the conflict because it had "an independent duty to ensure that criminal defendants receive a trial that is fair and does not contravene the Sixth Amendment." 257 Kan. at 1084. See United States v. Young, 482 F.2d 993, 995 (5th Cir. 1973) (holding that it is a violation of the Sixth Amendment if the trial court refuses to inquire into a substantial complaint when there is no reason to suspect the bona fides of the defendant).
The trial court was put on notice that Robertson may have been represented by conflicting interests. Ney told the trial court that the disciplinary complaint placed McLemore in an adversarial position with Robertson. In addition, both Robertson and his attorney confirmed that communication had broken down between them. Despite this, the trial court failed to ascertain the nature of the disciplinary complaint in order to determine whether an actual conflict of interest existed requiring the appointment of substitute counsel. As a result, we find that the trial court did not make an inquiry sufficient to ensure a fair trial. See Bowen, 27 Kan. App. 2d at 131.
Because the trial court failed to adequately inquire into the potential conflict of interest created by the disciplinary complaint, the next question is whether an actual conflict of interest existed. See Jenkins, 257 Kan. at 1083-84; Bowen, 27 Kan. App. 2d at 130. Where an attorney owes a duty to a criminal defendant while at the same time is required to respond to a disciplinary complaint filed by that client and which response will be contrary to the defendant's position in the current case; where the defendant is maintaining that although he or she may not have been guilty but pled guilty to a previous charge, while represented by his or her current attorney, in a plea bargain that defendant believed would favorably affect the outcome of the present case; and where there has been a total breakdown in communication between the defendant and his or her attorney, one may reasonably conclude that the attorney labored under an actual conflict of interest. Here, McLemore not only had a duty to zealously defend Robertson but also had a duty to respond to a pending disciplinary complaint filed by Robertson. Moreover, it is evident from Ney's comments to the trial court that McLemore's response to the disciplinary complaint was going to be contrary to Robertson's position in both the current and a former case. The disciplinary complaint placed McLemore in the untenable position of becoming both an advocate and an adversary of the client she owed a duty to defend. Under the facts of this case, we find that an actual conflict of interest existed between Robertson and his attorney. The trial court abused its discretion in denying the defense motion to withdraw.
Although the case is reversed and remanded for a new trial, it is necessary to address Robertson's claim that the evidence is insufficient to support his conviction of theft. Specifically, Robertson contends that the State failed to present any evidence that he, rather than his acquaintance, stole the property in question.
When the sufficiency of the evidence is challenged in a criminal case, the standard of review is whether, after review of all the evidence, viewed in the light most favorable to the prosecution, the appellate court is convinced a rational factfinder could have found the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. State v. Jasper, 269 Kan. 649, 655, 8 P.3d 708 (2000). A conviction of even the gravest offense may be sustained by circumstantial evidence. State v. Murillo, 269 Kan. 281, 286, 7 P.3d 264 (2000).
Contrary to Robertson's claim that he was simply helping a friend move the property in question, the evidence shows that Robertson took property from the construction site with the intent to permanently deprive the owner of the property. The jury considered Robertson's defense that he was helping a friend move the property and found that his version of the events was not credible. When the evidence is viewed in the light most favorable to the State, a rational factfinder could have determined that Robertson took property from the construction site with the intent to permanently deprive the owner of its use.
Although the evidence was sufficient to support Robertson's conviction of theft, that conviction, as well as the conviction of possession of drug paraphernalia, are reversed and a new trial is ordered on those charges because the trial court abused its discretion in failing to inquire into the actual conflict of interest created by the pending disciplinary complaint. However, as noted previously, because Robertson pled guilty to burglary and did not file a motion to withdraw his guilty plea, that conviction is affirmed.
Affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded for a new trial.
Updated: May 03, 2002.
URL: http://www.kscourts.org/kscases/ctapp/2002/20020503/86103.htm.
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KAU KAU TAKE HOME NO. 1, et al.,
CITY OF WICHITA
Appell ee,
1. Damage to private property caused by contractors working on a public road construction project does not support a cause of action for inverse condemnation if the damage is not necessary to complete the road construction project.
2. Any person with a claim against a municipality under the Kansas Tort Claims Act must file a written notice of the claim with the municipality. The filing of a proper notice of claim is a prerequisite to filing an action in the district court against a municipality. These notice requirements are jurisdictional. If the statutory notice requirements are not met, the court cannot obtain jurisdiction over the municipality.
3. An abutting property owner has no right to the continuation of a flow of traffic from nearby highways to the owner's property. The regulation of traffic flow does not involve a taking if it furthers the government's police power to promote the safety, peace, health, morals and general welfare of the people.
4. State action resulting merely in a diminution in property value is not a taking.
5. Under the facts of this case, increasing the driving distance between a landowner's property and nearby roadways is not a compensable taking.
Appeal from Sedgwick district court; MARK A. VINING, Judge. Opinion filed June 9, 2006. Affirmed.
Joseph R. Borich, III, argued the cause and James B. Jackson was with him on the brief for the appellants.
Douglas J. Moshier, senior city attorney, argued the cause and Gary E. Rebenstorf, city attorney, was with him on the brief for the appellee.
ROSEN, J: Kau Kau Take Home No. 1, Inc., and Peggy Schoenhofer (Appellants) appeal the denial of their claims for inverse condemnation against the City of Wichita (City). Appellants operate a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant located on West Irving Street southeast of the intersection of Tyler Road and Kellogg (U.S. Highway 54) in Wichita. Tyler Road is a two-way street running in a north-south direction. Kellogg/US 54 is an access-controlled highway running in an east-west direction. West Irving Street is a two-way street, generally running in an east-west direction on the south side of Kellogg and the east side of Tyler Road. Appellants' property accesses West Irving Street via two entrances directly onto West Irving Street. Appellants' property does not have direct access to either Tyler Road or Kellogg/US 54.
In 2002, the City of Wichita began a construction project to reconfigure and reconstruct the intersection of Tyler Road and Kellogg/US 54. Prior to the City's project, West Irving Street intersected Tyler Road just south of the intersection of Tyler Road and Kellogg/US 54 and a few hundred feet west of the Appellants' property. The City's project eliminated the intersection between Tyler Road and West Irving Street, causing West Irving Street to dead-end just west of the Appellants' property.
Prior to the City's project, patrons could access the Appellants' restaurant from Tyler Road by turning east onto West Irving Street directly from Tyler Road. Patrons on Kellogg could access the restaurant by turning south on Tyler Road then east onto West Irving Street. To leave Appellants' restaurant along Tyler Road or Kellogg/US 54, patrons turned left out of the parking lot and drove a few hundred feet west on West Irving Street to Tyler Road. From Tyler Road, patrons could access Kellogg/US 54.
After the City's project eliminated the intersection of West Irving Street and Tyler Road, patrons approaching the restaurant from Tyler Road must turn east onto East Kellogg Street (the south outer roadway to Kellogg/US 54), to drive past the restaurant, then turn right onto a spur that connects to West Irving Street and backtrack to the restaurant entrance. Patrons traveling west on Kellogg/US 54 are required to exit at the Tyler Road ramp onto West Kellogg Street (the north outer roadway to Kellogg/US 54), follow the U-turn lane to East Kellogg Street, driving past the restaurant, then turn right onto a spur that connects to West Irving Street and backtrack to the restaurant entrance.
The City's project significantly altered the route for patrons leaving Appellants' restaurant. Patrons returning to Tyler Road and westbound Kellogg/US 54 must turn right upon exiting Appellants' parking lot, travel east on East Kellogg Street approximately 1 mile to Ridge Road, turn left, crossing Kellogg/US 54, turn left onto West Kellogg Street, driving west approximately 1 mile to Tyler Road to the westbound Kellogg/US 54 highway. According to Appellants' expert, the City's project increased the driving distance between Appellants' property and westbound Kellogg/US 54 or Tyler Road by approximately 2 miles.
However, it is important to note that the project did not change either of the Appellants' two points of access to West Irving Street and did not eliminate any direct access between the Appellants' property and Tyler Road because Appellants never had direct access to Tyler Road.
Appellants filed a petition against the City for inverse condemnation, seeking compensation for the temporary and permanent restriction of access to their property. Appellants also sought payment for a temporary easement, claiming that the contractors used Appellants' land for access during the construction of the project. The City filed a motion for summary judgment. The district court granted the City's motion, denying all of Appellants' claims. Appellants bring this appeal directly to us pursuant to K.S.A. 26-504, which allows an appeal directly to the Supreme Court when a district court denies a petition for eminent domain.
For their first claim of error, the Appellants assert that the district court erred when it granted the City's summary judgment motion, denying their claim for a temporary easement. Appellants claim that the contractors, as agents of the City, "trespassed and invaded the real estate of the [Appellants] in the course and scope of their duties to Defendant City, and have used said real estate for their own purposes, including access to other portions of the Project, without permission, and without just cause or excuse, in contravention of the ownership interests of [Appellants]."
In its motion for summary judgment, the City argued that the Appellants' claim sounded in the tort of trespass rather than inverse condemnation. Because Appellants failed to file a notice of claim with the City pursuant to K.S.A. 12-105b, they were precluded from raising a tort claim under the Kansas Tort Claims Act against the City.
Appellants, on the other hand, argue that all eminent domain cases involve trespass or a continuing nuisance. According to Appellants, when the offending acts are committed by private individuals, the claim sounds in tort. However, when the trespass or continuing nuisance is committed by a public body with the power of eminent domain and the purpose of doing public good, the claim must be for inverse condemnation rather than a tort.
"Summary judgment is appropriate if there are no genuine issues of material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law." City of Wichita v. McDonald's Corp., 266 Kan. 708, 714, 971 P.2d 1189 (1999). An appellate court reviews a summary judgment decision using an unlimited standard of review. 266 Kan. at 714.
Inverse condemnation is a cause of action for compensation when a governmental entity takes private property. An inverse condemnation proceeding is initiated by the party with an interest in the private property rather than the governmental entity. Such an action is available when private property has actually been taken for public use without the initiation of formal condemnation proceedings by the governmental taker. To establish a claim for inverse condemnation, a party must establish an interest in the real property and a taking. Deisher v. Kansas Dept. of Transportation, 264 Kan. 762, 772, 958 P.2d 656 (1998).
A compensable taking requires the government to acquire possession as well as the right of possession and control of tangible property to the exclusion of the former owner, with such title in fee or easement as provided by the statute underlying the proceeding. In either a condemnation or an inverse condemnation proceeding, the question of whether there has been a compensable taking is a question of law. 264 Kan. at 772.
In Deisher, the plaintiffs filed an inverse condemnation action against the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT), claiming that blasting on an adjacent easement for a highway construction project caused the water table to drop and significantly reduced the water level in the Deishers' well. 264 Kan. at 764. The Deisher court concluded that the damage to the Deishers' well was not necessary to complete the KDOT project because the State did not need to use Deishers' water or to divert their water to complete the road construction project. Rather, the damage to the well resulted from the negligence of the State or those acting on behalf of the State. Consequently, the Deishers' claim sounded in tort, not inverse condemnation. 264 Kan. at 774.
The Deisher analysis applies in this case. Appellants do not allege that the contractors asserted control over the property to the exclusion of the Appellants. The alleged damage to the Appellants' property caused by the contractors driving over the property was not necessary to the completion of the City's project. The alleged damage was caused by the contractor's negligence. Consequently, the Appellants' claim sounds in tort, not inverse condemnation.
K.S.A. 2005 Supp. 12-105b requires any person with a claim against a municipality under the Kansas Tort Claims Act to file a written notice of the claim with the municipality. The filing of a proper notice of claim is a prerequisite to filing an action in the district court against a municipality. The notice requirements of K.S.A. 2005 Supp. 12-105b are jurisdictional. If the statutory requirements are not met, the court cannot obtain jurisdiction over the municipality. Myers v. Board of Jackson County Comm'rs, 280 Kan. 869, 876-77, 127 P.3d 319 (2006).
Appellants admit that they have not filed a notice of claim with the City. Accordingly, the Appellants' failure to provide the statutory notice of claim precludes their relief. The district court properly granted the City's summary judgment motion in regard to the Appellants' claim for a temporary construction easement.
For their second claim of error, the Appellants assert that the district court improperly granted the City's summary judgment motion, denying their claim for a temporary or permanent easement. Appellants claim that they should be compensated for the loss of access to their property on both a temporary and permanent basis. Summary judgment is appropriate when there are no genuine issues of material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Review of a decision granting summary judgment decision is de novo. McDonald's Corp., 266 Kan. at 714.
To establish a claim for an easement based on inverse condemnation, the Appellants must show that they have an interest in the land and that there was a compensable taking. The City does not contest Appellants' interest in the land. Rather, the City contests the Appellants' assertion that there has been a compensable taking. The determination of whether there was a compensable taking is a question of law. This court reviews questions of law using an unlimited standard. Eberth v. Carlson, 266 Kan. 726, 731, 971 P.2d 1182 (1999).
Appellants argue that the compensable taking is the restriction of the right of access to their property. Because patrons must travel further to access their restaurant, Appellants argue that their right of access has been impaired.
"'Right of access' is traditionally defined as an abutting landowner's common-law right of access from the landowner's property to abutting public roads. Such a right is the right to reasonable, but not unlimited, access to existing and adjacent public roads. [Citations omitted.] When the government actually blocks or takes away existing access to and from property, the landowner is generally entitled to compensation." McDonald's Corp., 266 Kan. at 718.
See also McCall Service Stations, Inc. v. City of Overland Park, 215 Kan. 390, 396-97, 524 P.2d 1165 (1974) (allowing the property owner to be compensated for the loss in value based on the loss of one of its access points to the abutting highway); Kohn Enterprises, Inc. v. City of Overland Park, 221 Kan. 230, 235-36, 559 P.2d 771 (1977) (upholding the reduction in property value based on the elimination of an access point to an abutting highway).
Right of access is distinct from the "regulation of traffic flow" or "circuity of access." McDonald's Corp., 266 Kan. at 718. The regulation of traffic flow, also referred to as "restricted access," is a "limitation or restriction on the landowner's right of access to and from abutting public roads or highways." Eberth v. Carlson, 266 Kan. At 734; McDonald's Corp., 266 Kan. at 718. Such a restriction involves the police power of the State. Kansas courts have recognized a city's police power to regulate and restrict the use of public roads to the extent necessary to "'provide for and promote the safety, peace, health, morals and general welfare of the people.' [Citations omitted.]" Eberth, 266 Kan. at 734.
An abutting property owner has no right to the continuation of a flow of traffic from nearby highways to the owner's property. McDonald's Corp., 266 Kan. at 718. As long as the regulation is reasonable, the regulation of traffic flow does not involve a taking. Eberth, 266 Kan. at 735 (eliminating the landowners' highway cross-over and constructing a new cross-over on nearby land was not unreasonable and did not constitute a taking); see also Hales v. City of Kansas City, 248 Kan. 181, 185, 804 P.2d 347 (1991) (installing medians that prevented turning onto the landowner's property was a reasonable exercise of police power and not compensable); Hudson v. City of Shawnee, 246 Kan. 395, 403, 790 P.2d 933 (1990) (closing one of the landowner's two entrances onto the abutting street was a reasonable exercise of the city's police power); Small v. Kemp, 240 Kan. 113, 727 P.2d 904 (1986) (relocating a frontage road near the landowner's property, eliminating the intersection between the street abutting the property and another street, and causing a circuitous route to landowner's property was a reasonable exercise of police power and not a compensable taking); Ray v. State Highway Commission, 196 Kan. 13, 19-20, 410 P.2d 278, cert. denied 385 U.S. 820 (1966) (replacing landowner's access to limited access highway with access to a frontage road that accessed the highway was not unreasonable and did not amount to a taking); Brock v. State Highway Commission, 195 Kan. 361, 370-71, 404 P.2d 934 (1965) (causing circuity of travel by eliminating the landowner's direct access to a limited access highway and constructing a new frontage road for access is not a taking); Pringle v. City of Wichita, 22 Kan. App. 2d 297, 917 P.2d 1351 rev. denied 260 Kan. 994 (1996) (eliminating the intersection between the street abutting landowners' properties and a main thoroughfare without changing the landowners' entrances was a reasonable exercise of police power and not a taking); Lewis v. Globe Constr. Co., 6 Kan. App. 2d 478, 484, 630 P.2d 179, rev. denied 230 Kan. 818 (1981) (temporarily closing the road abutting landowners' property for repairs and temporarily blocking access to landowners' parking lots was a reasonable exercise of the police power).
In McDonald's, the City of Wichita instituted an eminent domain action for a roadway construction project, seeking a temporary easement for construction and a permanent physical taking of part of Wal-Mart's land. Wal-Mart owned property located at the northeast corner of Dugan Street and West Kellogg Street, the north outer road to Kellogg/US 54. Wal-Mart had two entrances on Dugan Street and two entrances on West Kellogg Street. The City eliminated the intersection of Kellogg and Dugan by installing an overpass without an exit onto Dugan and converted the outer roads on either side of Kellogg/US 54 to one-way rather than two-way roads. After the City's project, Wal-Mart continued to have two entrances on Dugan Street and two entrances on West Kellogg Street. Nevertheless, patrons had to travel as much as three additional miles to reach Wal-Mart's property. Wal-Mart sought to increase its condemnation award based on the reduction in its property value due to circuity of access. Wal-Mart claimed the City's restrictions to its access were unreasonable.
The McDonald's court noted that Wal-Mart had access to the same streets after the construction project, and the City did not close any of the access points to Wal-Mart's property from the adjoining streets. In concluding that Wal-Mart could not consider the restricted access in determining the market value of the property, the McDonald's court acknowledged that Wal-Mart would not have had a claim for compensation based on the restriction of its access to public highways. The McDonald's court concluded that the exercise of the City's police power to regulate the traffic flow around Wal-Mart's property was not unreasonable and refused to allow Wal-Mart to repackage the "'unreasonable use of the police power' argument" into a valuation claim. 266 Kan. at 720-21, 725.
Other than the procedural posture that distinguishes this case from the McDonald's case, the McDonald's court's holding that there is no claim for compensation based on a restriction of access to Wal-Mart's property is on point with the facts in this case. The Appellants in this case have the same access to West Irving Street that they had prior to the City's project. The additional 2 miles of travel to access Appellants' property is less than the additional 3 miles of travel that the McDonald's court found to be reasonable. Like Wal-Mart, Appellants have failed to establish that the City's regulation of the traffic flow around Appellants' property was unreasonable. Thus, Appellants have failed to establish a compensable taking.
Appellants attempt to analogize this case to Teachers Insurance & Annuity Ass'n of America v. City of Wichita, 221 Kan. 325, 559 P.2d 347 (1977). In Teachers, the City of Wichita (City) changed Kellogg/US 54 to a fully controlled-access highway. Although the City constructed a service road to run alongside the highway, the service road was not a frontage road with direct access to Kellogg/US 54. Several landowners along Kellogg/US 54 brought a suit for inverse condemnation claiming a loss of access because they had direct access to Kellogg/US 54 before the construction project and no access to Kellogg/US 54 after the construction project. To reach the landowners' property from Kellogg/US 54 after the construction, patrons had to travel on several other streets to reach the service road. The Teachers court held that the police action in eliminating the direct access to Kellogg and replacing it with a "tortuous and circuitous route" was not a reasonable exercise of the City's police powers. 221 Kan. at 328, 336. The Teachers court distinguished its holding from Brock and Ray because the landowners in Brock and Ray were given access to the highway via a frontage road that had direct access to the highway. However, in the Teachers case, the City did not provide a frontage road with direct access to Kellogg/US 54. 221 Kan. at 333-34.
Teachers can be distinguished from the facts in this case. In Teachers, the landowners had direct access to Kellogg/US 54 before the construction project. After the construction project, the landowners in Teachers had no access to Kellogg/US 54 even through a frontage road. Their access to Kellogg/US 54 required travel on several other roads. In this case, the Appellants never had access to Tyler Road or Kellogg/US 54. The Appellants' property had access to West Irving Street both before and after the City's construction project. Thus, the Appellants did not lose any direct access points. Teachers does not support the Appellants' claim for loss of access.
Appellants also argue that this court should consider the substantial impairment of the fair market value of their property. However, Appellants fail to cite any authority for the proposition that the reduction in value constitutes a taking. This court specifically noted that "State action resulting merely in a diminution in the value of property" is not a taking. Small, 240 Kan. at 118. In making this statement, the Small court relied on Mugler v. Kansas, 123 U.S. 623, 31 L. Ed. 205, 8 S. Ct. 273 (1887). In Mugler, the State forced the closure of a brewery after the approval of a constitutional amendment forbidding the sale and manufacture of intoxicating liquors. The brewery owners argued that the brewery was built before the constitutional amendment and, thus, the forced closure amounted to a governmental taking because it decreased the value of the property. The Mugler court concluded that the exercise of the State's police power in prohibiting specific uses of property did not involve a taking regardless of whether there was a decrease in the value of the property. The Mugler court stated that the legislation did not "disturb the owner in the control or use of his property for lawful uses, nor restrict his right to dispose of it." 123 U.S. at 669.
Relying on Mugler, the Small court refused to find a taking because the change in traffic flow around the landowner's property diminished the value of the property. The Small court noted that the State's action did not control the use of the property or restrict the landowner's right to dispose of it. 240 Kan. at 119.
The Small court's analysis applies in this case. The City's construction project does not control the use of the Appellants' property or restrict the Appellants' right to dispose of the property. Thus, the Appellants' argument that there is a taking based on the reduction in the property value is without merit.
Appellants' claim for inverse condemnation due to a loss of access involves only the regulation of traffic flow. The City's road construction project has not changed the Appellants' direct access to an abutting street. Because the City's regulation of traffic flow near Appellants' property is a reasonable exercise of the City's police power, Appellants have failed to demonstrate a compensable taking. We affirm the district court's order granting summary judgment to the City and denying Appellants' claims for a temporary and permanent easement.
Updated: June 09, 2006.
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Happy Birthday…Janet Jackson!!!
Janet Jackson – 53 years old
Starting with her third album, 1986’s Control, the youngest Jackson sibling — now a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer — has placed in the top two on Billboard‘s Top 200 album chart eight times in a row, with five going multi-platinum. After appearing in her brother Michael‘s summer 1976 CBS variety series, she started her career not as a singer but as an actress, with roles on TV’s Diff’rent Strokes, Good Times and Fame. She also starred in Poetic Justice and Nutty Professor Two: The Klumps. Janet started the biggest non-military controversy of 2004 when Justin Timberlake helped her with the “wardrobe malfunction” that exposed her breast on live television during the Super Bowl halftime show.
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Putyourfaceinabook: Love of reading goes viral for National Library Week (Syracuse.com)
Gutenberg meets Zuckerberg in a series of clever ads running on billboards in Syracuse and nationwide to mark the American Library Association’s National Library Week. The ads play on the look and feel of Facebook, YouTube and Twitter to encourage “social engagement” with an age-old source of information, entertainment and escape: books.
TO CELEBRATE National Library Week, Lamar Advertising Co. is rotating three public service announcements on digital billboards in 25 markets, including Syracuse. The messages use icons of digital media to promote reading books.
The ad campaign was developed by Lamar Advertising Co.’s Milwaukee office for the Milwaukee Public Library. Almost instantly, it went viral on the very social media sites it gently spoofs. The billboards are rotating all this week in 25 Lamar markets nationwide, including ours.
In addition to eliciting a wry chuckle, the billboards tap into a worry born of the digital era — that our rapid-fire diet of tweets, posts and texts is sapping our appetite for longer forms of writing.
Fear not.
According to a recent survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 21 percent of U.S. adults said they had read an e-book in the past year on an e-reader, tablet, computer or cellphone. If you expand the definition of digital content to include magazines, journals and news articles, that number grows to 43 percent.
Readers of e-books, it turns out, are more voracious than traditional book readers. According to Pew, “the average reader of e-books says she has read 24 books in the past 12 months, compared with an average of 15 books by a non-e-book consumer.”
Thirty percent of e-book readers said they spend more time reading. On any given day, Pew said, 45 percent of book readers are reading a book in one format or another. That number goes up to 56 percent for people who own an e-book reading device. Counterintuitively, “some 63 percent of the e-book device owners who are reading on any given day are reading a printed book; 42 percent are reading an e-book; and 4 percent are listening to an audio book,” the Pew survey found.
Libraries are adapting.
In 2011, the Onondaga County Public Library and its member libraries checked out 58,155 e-books. More broadly, computer access and assistance have become integral services provided by public libraries. In 2010, OCPL clocked 940,716 visits to its website (www.onlib.org) and its libraries hosted 223,251 computer sessions.
So go ahead, putyourfaceinabook. You don’t even need to put down your iPad or cellphone to do it.
The original article appeared on Syracuse.com.
Lamar Advertising Renews Contract with City of Kelowna
Commuters in the city of Kelowna, BC, will have more eye-catching ads to look at on buses for the next three years, thanks to a new advertising contract renewal.
Lamar Advertising Company Announces Expiration of Tender Offer
Lamar Advertising Company (Nasdaq: LAMR), a leading owner and operator of outdoor advertising and logo sign displays, announced that the previously announced tender offer by its wholly owned subsidiary Lamar Media Corp.
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Lamar Advertising Company Announces First Quarter 2016 Operating Results
Three Month Results
Net revenue increased 11.9% to $338.5 million
Adjusted EBITDA increased 9.8% to $130.2 million
Three Month Pro Forma Results
Pro forma adjusted net revenue increased 2.6%
Pro forma adjusted EBITDA increased 3.1%
Baton Rouge, LA – May 5, 2016 - Lamar Advertising Company (Nasdaq: LAMR), a leading owner and operator of outdoor advertising and logo sign displays, announces the Company’s operating results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2016.
"We are pleased with the strength of our core business, particularly on the local sales side, and our continued discipline on expenses," said Lamar Chief Executive Officer, Sean Reilly. “Consequently, we continue to track toward the upper end of our full year AFFO guidance. Meanwhile, our integration of the assets we acquired from Clear Channel is proceeding to plan. As we expected, the new markets are proving to be a great fit.”
First Quarter Highlights
Same unit digital revenue increased 3.4%
Diluted AFFO per share increased 15.9%
Free cash flow increased 24.6%
First Quarter Results
Lamar reported net revenues of $338.5 million for the first quarter of 2016 versus $302.5 million for the first quarter of 2015, an 11.9% increase. Operating income for the first quarter of 2016 was $86.8 million as compared to $67.3 million for the same period in 2015. Lamar recognized net income of $51.3 million for the first quarter of 2016 compared to net income of $40.7 million for same period in 2015. Net income per basic and diluted share was $0.53 per share and $0.42 per share for the three months ended March 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively.
Adjusted EBITDA for the first quarter of 2016 was $130.2 million versus $118.5 million for the first quarter of 2015, a 9.8% increase.
Free Cash Flow for the first quarter of 2016 was $78.3 million as compared to $62.9 million for the same period in 2015, a 24.6% increase.
For the first quarter of 2016, Funds From Operations, or FFO, was $87.9 million versus $84.6 million for the same period in 2015, an increase of 4.0%. Adjusted Funds From Operations, or AFFO, for the first quarter of 2016 was $92.3 million compared to $78.9 million for the same period in 2015, a 17.1% increase. Diluted AFFO per share increased 15.9% to $0.95 per share for the three months ended March 31, 2016 as compared to $0.82 per share for the same period in 2015.
Q1 Pro Forma Results
Pro forma adjusted net revenue for the first quarter of 2016 increased 2.6% over pro forma adjusted net revenue for the first quarter of 2015. Pro forma adjusted EBITDA increased 3.1% as compared to pro forma adjusted EBITDA for the first quarter of 2015. Pro forma adjusted net revenue and pro forma adjusted EBITDA include adjustments to the 2015 period for acquisitions and divestitures for the same time frame as actually owned in the 2016 period. See “Reconciliation of Reported Basis to Pro Forma Basis”, which provides reconciliations to GAAP for adjusted and pro forma measures.
As of March 31, 2016, Lamar had $164.5 million in total liquidity that consisted of $136.1 million available for borrowing under its revolving senior credit facility and approximately $28.4 million in cash and cash equivalents.
Distributions. On March 31, 2016, Lamar made a quarterly dividend distribution of $0.75 per share, or a total cash distribution of approximately $72.7 million, to common stockholders of record on March 16, 2016.
Acquisitions. On January 7, 2016, Lamar acquired certain assets of Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc. in five U.S. markets for an aggregate cash purchase price of $458.5 million. Lamar financed the acquisition using $160 million of revolver borrowings and a $300 million term loan provided by JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.
Senior Note Offering. On January 28, 2016, Lamar Media Corp., Lamar’s wholly owned subsidiary, issued $400 million in aggregate principal amount of 5 3/4% Senior Notes due 2026 through an institutional private placement. The proceeds, after payment of fees and expenses, were used to repay the $300 million term loan and a portion of borrowings outstanding under the revolving credit facility that were used to finance the asset acquisition noted above.
This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements regarding financial guidance for the 2016 fiscal year, sales trends and the integration of acquired assets. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among others: (1) our significant indebtedness; (2) the state of the economy and financial markets generally and the effect of the broader economy on the demand for advertising; (3) the continued popularity of outdoor advertising as an advertising medium; (4) our need for and ability to obtain additional funding for operations, capital expenditures, debt refinancing or acquisitions; (5) our ability to continue to qualify as a Real Estate Investment Trust (“REIT”) and maintain our status as a REIT; (6) the regulation of the outdoor advertising industry by federal, state and local governments; (7) our ability to successfully integrate assets that we acquire and our ability to recognize cost savings or operating efficiencies as a result of these acquisitions; in particular, our ability to successfully integrate the assets acquired in January 2016 which could have a material effect on our 2016 financial results; (8) changes in accounting principles, policies or guidelines; (9) changes in tax laws applicable to REITs or in the interpretation of those laws; (10) our ability to renew expiring contracts at favorable rates; (11) our ability to successfully implement our digital deployment strategy; and (12) the market for our Class A common stock. For additional information regarding factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in our forward-looking statements, we refer you to the risk factors included in Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015, as supplemented by any risk factors contained in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. We caution investors not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this document. These statements speak only as of the date of this document and we undertake no obligation to update or revise the statements, except as may be required by law.
Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures
The Company has presented the following measures that are not measures of performance under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP): Adjusted EBITDA, Free Cash Flow, Funds From Operations, Adjusted Funds From Operations, Diluted AFFO per share, adjusted pro forma results and outdoor operating income. Adjusted EBITDA is defined as net income before income tax expense (benefit), interest expense (income), gain (loss) on extinguishment of debt and investments, stock-based compensation, depreciation and amortization and gain on disposition of assets and investments. Free Cash Flow is defined as Adjusted EBITDA less interest, net of interest income and amortization of financing costs, current taxes, preferred stock dividends and total capital expenditures. Funds From Operations is defined as net income before real estate related depreciation and amortization, gains or losses from disposition of real estate assets and investments and an adjustment to eliminate unconsolidated affiliates and non controlling interest, which is the definition used by the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (NAREIT). Adjusted Funds From Operations is defined as Funds From Operations adjusted for straight line (revenue) expense, stock based compensation expense, non cash tax provision, non real estate related depreciation and amortization, amortization of deferred financing costs, loss on extinguishment of debt, non-recurring, infrequent or unusual losses (gains), less maintenance capital expenditures and an adjustment for unconsolidated affiliates and non controlling interest. Diluted AFFO per share is defined as AFFO divided by the weighted average diluted common shares outstanding. Outdoor operating income is defined as operating income before corporate expenses, stock-based compensation, depreciation and amortization and gain on disposition of assets. These measures are not intended to replace financial performance or liquidity measures determined in accordance with GAAP and should not be considered alternatives to operating income, net income, cash flows from operating activities, or other GAAP figures as indicators of the Company’s financial performance or liquidity. The Company’s management believes that Adjusted EBITDA, Free Cash Flow, Funds From Operations, Adjusted Funds From Operations, Diluted AFFO per share, adjusted pro forma results and outdoor operating income are useful in evaluating the Company’s performance and provide investors and financial analysts a better understanding of the Company’s core operating results. The pro forma acquisition adjustments are intended to provide information that may be useful for investors when assessing period to period results. Our presentation of these non-GAAP measures, including AFFO and FFO, may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by similarly situated companies. See “Supplemental Schedules—Unaudited Reconciliations of Non-GAAP Measures” and “Supplemental Schedules—Unaudited REIT Measures and Reconciliations to GAAP Measures”, which provides a reconciliation of each of these measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measure.
Conference Call Information
A conference call will be held to discuss the Company’s operating results on Thursday, May 5, 2016 at 8:00 a.m. central time. Instructions for the conference call and Webcast are provided below:
All Callers: 1-334-323-0520 or 1-334-323-9871
Pass Code: Lamar
Replay: 1-334-323-0140 or 1-877-919-4059
Pass Code: 23524494
Available through Thursday, May 12, 2016 at 11:59 p.m. eastern time
Live Webcast: www.lamar.com
Webcast Replay: www.lamar.com
Buster Kantrow
Director of Investor Relations
bkantrow@lamar.com
Founded in 1902, Lamar Advertising Company is one of the largest outdoor advertising companies in North America, with more than 325,000 displays across the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Lamar offers advertisers a variety of billboard, interstate logo and transit advertising formats, helping both local businesses and national brands reach broad audiences every day. In addition to its more traditional out-of-home inventory, Lamar is proud to offer its customers the largest network of digital billboards in the United States with over 2,400 displays.
Lamar Transit Advertising and Shaw Communications Launch Vancouver’s First Wi-Fi Enhanced SeaBus Terminal Domination Ad Campaign
SeaBus commuters in Vancouver, BC can now enjoy free Wi-Fi connectivity in the Waterfront and Lonsdale Quay terminals, as part of a new marketing campaign from Shaw Communications and Lamar Advertising Company. Lamar Advertising of British Columbia is pleased to announce the launch of Vancouver’s first-ever Wi-Fi enhanced SeaBus terminal domination advertising campaign for the Shaw WiFi Go brand.
Lamar Advertising and Recycle Across America Create World’s First ‘Live Stream’ Billboard Celebrity PSA Campaign
In honor of Earth Week, a photo shoot of celebrities for Recycle Across America's ‘Let’s recycle right!’ PSA campaign will be live-streamed from Los Angeles onto hundreds of Lamar digital billboards across the country. In addition to the celebrity-led billboard PSA campaign, Recycle Across America is hosting two landmark events as part of a larger, multi-brand collaboration to promote the nonprofit standardized recycling bin labels that make it easier for society to recycle right.
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Facts and Systems of Antony Gormley Still Being in Sao Paulo
Event Horizon can be seen on the top of some buildings on the city centre
The renowned English artist Antony Gormley, 61, has just arrived in Sao Paulo and is opening two exhibitions of his work at once. The Still Being is located in the CCBB and Facts and Systems is addressed at the White Cube.
Still Being
The Still Being exhibition is located in Sao Paulo downtown, and brings 27 sculptures in the shape of men made of iron and full-scale. Placed singly at the top of the buildings, quietly they transform the urban landscape of the region.
The exhibition includes four major installations alongside a number of works and other models. The Entitled Event Horizon* was recently seen in New York (2010) in the Madison Square. Some people were frightened because they thought that the sculptures could be potential suicides. The sculptor, who has placed his work on the ocean and also on the nature, have fun with this story and reveals himself impressed with the architecture of São Paulo. "It looks like a piece of geology, unconscious, made with clever use of concrete and graffiti. The buildings are like crystals," he says.
Since last week, Gormley, is in São Paulo to assemble his exhibition - which is curated by Marcello Dantas and then proceed to the Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia. His experience in the metropolis has been "inspiring," he says. He created in 1992 the Amazonian Field with thousands of tiny figures carved in terracotta - work done for the ECO 92 and displayed in Rondônia.
Facts and Systems
Winner of the Turner Prize in 1994, it is also contemplated in the city with the show Facts and Systems, prepared especially for his English gallery, White Cube, who came to attend the Art SP-2012 and rented a shed of 500 square meters near the Park Ibirapuera.
(*) The basic principle of this work is a conceptual idea that we are limited by perception. The body is taken from where it normally is and is exposed against the sky, looking at a horizon that we can not see why we are embedded in the city.
What: Corpos Presentes - Still Being
Where: CCBB - Rua Álvares Penteado, 112 - Centro
When: May 12th till July 15th. Tuesday to Sunday, from 9 am till 9 pm
Website: www.bb.com.br/
What: Fatos e Sistemas - Facts and Systems
Where: White Cube - Rua Agostinho Rodrigues Filho, 550
When: May 9th till July 15th; Wednesday (May 9th) to Friday (May 11th), from 11 am till 10 pm; Saturday (May 12th) and Sunday (May 13th), from 11 am till 8 pm; May 15th till July 15th, from 11 am till 7 pm.
Website: whitecube.com/
Posted by ISP Team at 9:05 AM
Facts and Systems of Antony Gormley Still Being in...
Virada Cultural 2012 - Program: click on each link...
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Constituted in 1713, the San Marco Marine Brigade has inherited the secular and glorious traditions of the Italian naval infantry which, during the military history of modern Italy, has played a key role in the most daring actions and battles distinguishing itself for valor, spirit of sacrifice and self-denial.
Along with the three modern LPD (Landing Platform Dock) vessels: San Marco, San Giorgio and San Giusto, today the Landing Force represents the amphibian component of the Italian Armed Forces. Due to its mobility and flexibility of employment, this Brigade can be quickly deployed to the four corners of the world.
In the recent past the San Marco Marine Brigade has taken part in all the Italian peace-keeping missions : from Lebanon to the Persian Gulf, from Somalia to Bosnia, from Kosovo to Albania and in the waters off Eritrea during the war with Ethiopia.
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« Murderer sentenced to 70 years
Weekend Wind Advisory for area, power outages possible »
Indictments handed down
Published February 27, 2018 | By admin
The Grand Jury in Mecklenburg met this week and handed down indictments is a number of recent cases from around the area.
Ricardero Devonte Pratt, 27, was indicted this week on charges of possession of a controlled substance, amphetamine, following an arrest on October 27 of last year.
The Grand Jury has also indicted Shannon Lynn Roark, 19, on charges of possession of Cocaine and Oxycodone. The charges stem from an August 31, 2017 arrest in the Chase City area.
An investigation by the Southside Regional Drug and Gang Task Force has resulted in the indictment of Jarrett Andrew Burns, 36, on charges of possession of Heroin and Cocaine on August 22, in the Chase City area.
Kelly Lynn Clemento was indicted this week for the December 14, break-in at the home of Elsie Foster in Chase City.
Sharvon M. Bennet will face child endangerment charges after being indicted for a September 30 incident.
Tremain Tavon Brown, 26, has been indicted for the felonious wounding of Brandon Evanshine on October 2, 2017.
Ahamad More, 36, was indicted this week for the theft of merchandise valued at less than $200 from the South Hill Food Lion after being convicted of two or more similar offenses. The charges stem from a December 5, arrest.
Carlton W. Lynch, 54, is facing charges for the theft of merchandise worth $200 or more from Walmart on December 12 and December 16 after being convicted of similar offenses on two occasions.
Jamar Antwon Walker has been indicted for DUI, third offense, following a December 29, arrest in South Hill.
Donte Lamar Robinson, 20, has been indicted for the theft of property valued at $200 or more from Nyiesha Cristina Pearson in the South Hill area following an incident that took place on October 18 in the South Hill area.
Samuel Steven Mosley, 46, will face charges of assault and battery of a family or household member after having been convicted of similar charges within the last 20 years. The charges stem from a December 22, incident.
Raleigh L. Williams, 48, has been indicted on several charge for shoplifting $200 or more in goods from Walmart in South Hill on December 9 and December 12.
Dylan Thomas Lynch, 25, has been indicted for possessing a firearm after being convicted of a felony following a December 26 arrest.
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What is the Family Centered Experience ?
From 2003 until early 2016, The Family Centered Experience (FCE) was a required course in the University of Michigan Medical School curriculum. Through the FCE, first- and second-year medical students at the University of Michigan Medical School engaged in understanding the personal side of medicine through firsthand encounters with patients and their families.
Families who volunteered to participate in FCE opened their lives and homes and gave medical students invaluable lessons that no classroom or clinic could duplicate. In the role of “teacher”, volunteer families helped students see the patient as a whole person and how illness affected all aspects of daily life, beyond just the diagnosis of a disease. Our doctors-in-training have applied what they learned from these mentors to their clinical training and beyond.
“The FCE engages the power of the stories that individuals and families tell of illness and medical care to open the perspectives of medical students to a more humanistic approach to medicine.”
Arno K. Kumagai, M.D.
Director, Family Centered Experience
Professor of Internal Medicine and Medical Education
The FCE began during the first month of medical school. Once students were assigned to a family, a series of five home visits over a two-year period was scheduled Each visit was devoted to discussion of a particular theme, including the impact of illness on oneself and one’s family, the doctor-patient relationship, stigma and illness, and breaking bad news. In addition, sometime in the first year, the students accompanied their volunteer to a doctor's appointment in order to observe the interactions between patient and doctor from the patient's perspective.
In between visits, students meet with a small group of 10 other students and physician advisor to talk about their FCE families and what they have learned.
During the program, students within each small group were also organized in teams of 2-4, each representing 2-4 families, in order to explore common themes and experiences. Students were then given the task of creating something that expressed their understanding of their volunteers’ stories and were encouraged to use any medium they wished to convey the lessons that they had learned. Out of these Interpretive Projects came works of stunning depth and beauty—original poetry, songs, instrumental pieces, paintings, sculpture, multimedia presentations, and even modern dance—works that bear witness to the stories of individuals who live with chronic illness. Many of these projects have received international attention through publication in the top-tier journal in medical education, Academic Medicine (see link, “Interpretive Project Gallery” on the home page for examples).
The FCE has been publicized through numerous presentations, talks, and workshops nationally and internationally, as well as publications in Academic Medicine and other journals.
The overall aim of the Family Centered Experience has been to complement the biomedical and clinical skills training that the students receive during their first two years in medical school with a more personal side of medicine and has ultimately aspired to train physicians who are equally skilled in understanding both the complexities of clinical medicine and the personal, psychosocial, and societal aspects of illness and its care.
Note: due to major changes in the undergraduate medical school curriculum at UMMS, the Family Centered Experience Program will end in the spring of 2016.
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Home /Write for Us
MotoScene is always looking for guest writers to contribute to the site as we continue to grow the site.
Why MotoScene?
MotoScene is a growing voice within MotoGP as we bring news and interviews about the sport to the public. We have had steady growth since launching during pre-season testing in February 2014 and aims to be the number one multi-author MotoGP website. Covering all classes including Moto2 and Moto3 we bring the latest coverage to a wider audience.
We’re open to all submissions so if you have an idea for an article then feel free to contact us and we will review it for you. You can get a good idea of what content we’re looking for based on what’s already been published. If you’re not sure whether a particular idea is suitable, just get in touch with an introduction and we can discuss your idea.
Whilst we welcome all submissions, we’re particularly looking for the following roles:
Weekend Reporters – Provide up to the minute reports from race weekends as the action unfolds.
Moto2 correspondents – Writers with a particular interest in Moto2 to provide news and developments from the intermediate class.
Moto3 correspondents – Writers with a particular interest in Moto3 to provide news and developments from the junior class.
Manufacturer correspondents – Writers to focus on the different manufacturers across the three classes and give insight to readers about their motorbikes.
Team correspondents – Writers with a paricular affinity for a team to report on all the latest news within that team.
Technical correspondents – Motorcyle racing is a technical sport and we’re looking for writers with a keen interest in the mechanical side of the sport to provide insight into the technology involved in grand prix motorcycle racing.
Feature writers – Do you have a love for the sport and wish to write about it? We’re looking for writers to contribute general articles and opinion pieces about the sport to add a different take on the latest events.
Remember, if your initial idea isn’t quite what we’re after, it could still be a great starting point to discuss other potential topics.
Before you get in touch, check that you understand and are happy with all of these points:
Your submission must be your original work and not published elsewhere. You may republish the content on your own site after it is published on MotoScene with a link to the original article.
Your content may be edited prior to publishing.
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Digital Hub set to launch in Horncastle
Businesses in Horncastle could soon be using cutting-edge digital equipment for free as Onlincolnshire launches plans for a new Technology Hub in the town.
Onlincolnshire is hosting a demonstration event for the equipment which could potentially be available at the new hub, an initiative which offers free access to equipment including laser cutters, 3D printers and scanners, 3D TVs and 3D video cameras.
The idea is to get feedback from businesses which would be interested in using the resource to ensure that the equipment chosen will be of benefit to the business community.
The event will take place on 5th September between 10am and 1pm at the Meridian Leisure Centre in Louth, which is also set to be home to a Technology Hub after being piloted at the women’s international cricket match in July.
The Horncastle Hub will eventually be based at Mortons of Horncastle, an independent printing and publishing business.
Councillor Colin Davie from Lincolnshire County Council said: “Our Mablethorpe Hub was launched in May and has already proven a huge success.
"We are launching the hub in Horncastle so that businesses elsewhere in the county can benefit from the same great opportunities the Technology Hub offers.
“Mortons is an ideal partner for us to work with on this latest hub as it is a well established business and has a great space we can utilise.
“This demonstration event is a chance for people to see at first hand what’s on offer and try out the equipment for themselves.
"It’s also an opportunity for us to get an idea of what businesses would most like to see in the hub – there could be different needs in this part of the county, so we’re really looking for feedback from the event. We hope to see as many businesses as possible attend.”
The day will be informal, with no need to book a space. People can drop by at any time. It is hoped the Horncastle hub it will open early in 2014.
Chairman of Mortons Media Group, Ian Fisher, said: “We are delighted that Mortons has been chosen to be a Technology Hub.
"This is an exciting development for us and for Horncastle as it will raise awareness of digital technologies and the opportunities they present. Local businesses can prosper from this venture, bringing benefits to the wider community and enhancing the area’s reputation for skills and enterprise.”
All of the equipment purchased for the hubs through the Onlincolnshire project can be borrowed and used for free by eligible businesses, with just a small charge to cover insurance costs and materials used.
The hubs are being part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
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Roy Dalgarno
Roy Dalgarno - socialist bohemian & social realist
He painted seagulls circling the seafarer like flies buzzing around the face of a bushman. Thus did the artist depict the maritime worker.
Socialist bohemian and social realist Roy Dalgarno sought his subjects on the wharves and ships, the factory floor, down the mines and in the fiery heat of the furnace room. Sweaty men depicted toiling with the same grace, pride and professionalism as an athlete or actor.
"Roy depicted the working class by projecting their dignity and strength", said Maritime Union National Secretary Paddy Crumlin.
"This is particularly true of his early work when seafarers, wharfies and miners were exploited and devalued economically and politically."
Artist Roy Dalgarno died aged 90 in February, 2001, after a long association with the left and the labour movement, in particular the maritime and mining unions.
His works live on in the Australian National Gallery, the art galleries of NSW, Queensland, Auckland, Newcastle, Ballarat, the Australian War Museum, Parliament House Canberra and in the rooms of the Maritime Union of Australia in Sussex Street, Sydney.
A casualty of the Cold War, his paintings, like political prisoners, were locked away for many years in the gallery vaults.
Roy Dalgarno was never to enjoy the recognition he so deserved, art historian Bernard Smith laments.
He belongs to that great generation of social realist Australian artists who flourished during World War II and the early post war years but whose works in the aftermath of the Cold War are now largely stored and forgotten by curators. ('Artist of the Everyday' The Australian, 23/2/2001).
During the Cold War social realism became associated with communism, while abstract expressionism (such as the works of Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko) served as adjunct to American capitalism and its ideology. Abstract expressionism was a movement aligned with the rise of American cultural imperialism. It became allied with the right; social realism with the left. (Modern Art: A critical introduction by Pam Meecham and Julie Sheldon )
Massive institutional promotion of abstract expressionists in the Western bloc was due to the fact their work was seen as apolitical. Yet the artists who became so successful owe much of their fame to their promotion by liberal intelligentsia, funded by the CIA.
The Cold War required a specific form of national identity to export as par t of its cultural arsenal. Abstract art works came to symbolise American individuality and freedom'. The artists themselves were seen as anti-communist cultural warriors - willing conscripts of the Cold War. This destroyed abstract arts supposed autonomy by aligning it with the capitalist and imperialist ethics of agencies like MoMA.
But the American rhetoric of freedom was mocked by Mcarthyism the blacklisting of artists in the US and the shunning of artists like Dalgarno in Australia.
Abstract work was seen as neutral enough to stay out of trouble. Art institutions intentionally represented their works as apolitical in order to escape government censorship.
In the corporate world to this day only artists who portray products or 'pure' art sell. Workers on canvas do not sit comfortably on the walls of the privileged few who can afford to invest in art.
Dalgarno's clientele remained the inner left wing circles, with the Seamen' s Union commissioning two series one in the forties, another in 1991.
Yet his credentials as an artist are unquestionable.
Dalgarno studied art for a decade at the National Gallery Art School in Melbourne, Dattilo Rubbos and the East Sydney Technical College in Sydney, the Ecole des Beauz Arts and William Hayter's Atelier 17 in Paris.
His first job was as an apprentice to Melbourne lithographer Henry Wicks in the old St James building on the corner of Little Collins and William Streets, Melbourne the same rooms where brothers Norman and Lionel Lindsay maintained a studio in 1892.
Smith describes the building as a hotbed of socialism in the thirties. Jack Castieu who established Australia's first socialist magazine Tocson with Bernard O'Dowd also had rooms there. Dalgarno did not separate work and home, life and politics. He moved in to his studio and became involved with another left wing publication 'Strife'. It was in the words of Bernard Smith a revolutionary magazine that sought to enlist art, politics and culture in the battle for a new Australia that would uproot the existing social and economic order of chaotic and tragic individualism.
Disenchanted with the misery and despair of the Depression and the failure of capitalism Dalgarno joined the Australian Communist Party.
It was, according to Smith, a short, if passionate affair his bohemian temperament incompatible with party puritanism.
Dalgarno left Melbourne for the Queensland cane fields, devoting serious time to his painting.. But it was not until 1949 that he left the party.
Like many artists Dalgarno served during the war as a camouflage officer. With peace came recognition and a series of commissions from both unions and corporations to make drawings of industrial life.
Dalagarno also helped found the Studio of Realist Art with James Cant, Dora Chapman, Hal Missinghan and others. He taught drawing and painting at East Sydney Technical College before the Cold War struck and he left Australia for a self imposed exile in Paris and escape into the world of existentialists and surrealists.
From Paris Dalgarno moved to Bombay, India, working as a commercial artist and establishing a lithographic workshop. After the death of his second wife in 1975, he settled in Auckland New Zealand, working as a teacher, painter and graphic designer until his death.
As if to commemorate his final days the Wollongong City Gallery held an exhibition of his drawings and prints in January.
Dalgarno's work was also exhibited at established private galleries during his lifetime.
These include a series of paintings of Broken Hill miners at the Rudy Komon Gallery, Sydney (1984), steel workers at the Holdsworth Galleries, Sydney (1986) and shearers at the David Ellis Gallery in 1988.
The Seamen's Union commissioned two series of works from the artist, the first in the early forties and a second in 1991 (see Artists and Rebels on the Waterfront works of art by Roy Dalgarno, Seamen's Journal, July, 1992 & September 1972 & The Seamen's Union of Australia 1872-1972: A History by Brian Fitzpatrick and Rowan J. Cahill). - The early series gives an idea of the lot of the seamen in the coal burning days. They show men crowded together in cramped cabins, at work stoking the fires and swabbing the deck.
'Down the stokehold' (above) presents a little known aspect of the fireman' s lot. Here two men are shown recuperating in the stoke hold under the ventilation shaft. They are hanging on to a strap and gasping for air in between shovelling fuel into the fires of an old coal burning ship.
The only ventilation was from deck, says retired Seamen's Secretary Pat Geraghty. That's if there was any wind. Otherwise the job was all heat and no air. They would have just come away from the open fires. You can see the men are exhausted and stressed, hanging on for any breath of air they can get.
Dalgarno's work has a two fold purpose, wrote Fitzpatrick. Firstly to show the humanity of the men at work, and secondly to account for their militancy by attempting to artistically recreate their working conditions.
"I hope kids will see my paintings as a very strong part of Australian history. People want to see their own country and people", he once told the Melbourne Age.
"What worries me a bit is that it's regarded as old-fashioned.
"But you must be stupid at my age to even contemplate fashion as an alternative to the way you feel. I have seen them all come and go and come back again.
"You only have one life, and what you have to do is realise yourself in the only way you feel is genuine and not through other people's eyes.
"We are programmed enough as it is. I think we have to unprogram ourselves to produce something genuine before we pop off."
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Exploring New Zealand in a Campervan
When I was ten years old, my family emigrated from England to New Zealand. I was distraught at leaving my friends, my grandparents and everything I knew, but I soon came to realise that I was lucky: New Zealand is an amazing place. We wanted to explore as much of it as possible.
Hands down the best way to explore New Zealand is in a campervan, which is why the roads are teeming with them. You can hire campervans cheaply in New Zealand and save money on accommodation, transport and food. My family did this for the first time when I was twelve, when we went on holiday to the South Island. At the time we lived near Auckland, so we flew down to Christchurch and picked up a campervan from there. Flying is not a necessity, however: you can take your campervan across Cook Strait on the Interislander ferry.
I was super excited to be travelling in a campervan. We were saved the drudgery of unpacking and repacking our bags every time we changed location, we could go where we wanted when we wanted, we could cook our own food, and I especially loved the way our dining table and couches magically transformed into a bed. My little sister loved that she got to climb a ladder to sleep in a snug, curtained-off cave above the cabin. I was jealous, especially as I had to sleep next to my mum, who snores like a buffalo.
A similar layout to our campervan
A good way to describe the experience of travelling in a campervan is that you’re like a tortoise – you carry your home on your back. You’re never far from everything you need, and you feel free to go at your own pace. My mum said it was like having our own portable beach hut: we could park up near the sand and instantly have a private place to change into our swimming costumes and have a shower afterwards. I remember doing that at Lake Wanaka, a spectacular place for a swim.
About an hour north of Queenstown, Wanaka lies in a glacial lake basin. Surrounded by snow-capped mountains, the crystalline water can be bracing, but the shallows were warm enough when we went. I remember a wooden platform you could swim out to and jump off – and the heavier you were, the further down you went. As you descended deeper and deeper, you felt the water grow colder and colder, until it was heart-stoppingly icy. When you resurfaced, you were gasping with pleasurable shock.
Lake Wanaka
As beautiful as it was, Lake Wanaka was not even close to being the best place we visited on our South Island campervan trip. Starting and ending in Christchurch, we did a loop around the bottom half of the South Island, stopping along the way in Akaroa, Timaru, Oamaru, Dunedin, Queenstown and many other places in-between. Akaroa is a lovely, French-influenced town famous for its cottage gardens and being the only place in the world where you can swim with Hector’s dolphins. It also had the best commercial campervan park we encountered on our trip, the Akaroa Top 10 Holiday Park.
Dunedin is a student city, so tends to be very peaceful during the holidays. It has a beautiful, old railway station, which, coming from England, was something my family missed. From here runs a sightseeing train journey through Taieri Gorge and, since my dad is a train nerd, we had to go on it. The scenery was… actually rather British. I felt like I was on my way to Hogwarts! The train went over bridges and through tunnels, surrounded by water, hills and dramatic rock formations. Unfortunately, my sister ended up with a souvenir train whistle that she never got tired of blowing.
The Shotover Jet
My favourite part of our South Island campervan trip began when we reached Queenstown. We did quite a few things from there, including a jet boat ride and a horse trek. Now, being a thrill seeker, I have been on jet boat rides all over New Zealand, but the Queenstown Shotover Jet was the fastest, the most exciting and by far the most beautiful of them all. The ride takes you through the Shotover River Canyons, which are breathtakingly narrow with high walls and water like blue glass. The driver was insane, actually leaving the water to skim over rocks on occasion! The experience was especially fantastic for me because parts of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring were filmed around there – we were on the Great River Anduin and it was stunning.
The horse trek took us through some Lord of the Rings locations too. It was run by Dart Stables in Glenorchy. I had never been horse riding before, but I got over my fear fairly quickly, learned to move with the horse and soon became so comfortable I could imagine myself in a fantasy story. The very horse I was riding had actually been in The Return of the King, so, as the twelve-year-old me delighted in telling people, I have ridden a Lord of the Rings star. The ride itself, however, was outshone by the scenery. There are plenty of places in New Zealand that are beautiful, but this was overwhelmingly so. I remember cresting a hill, feeling the horse halt and being confronted with the sight of Isengard – minus the actual tower of Orthanc, obviously, and before Saruman cut all the trees down. We stared out at it for ages before moving on, through Lothlorien.
I would have liked to have spent much longer around Queenstown, but we only had the campervan for two weeks and, besides, Queenstown is an expensive destination. We drove north, my mum still aching from being in the saddle, and continued our holiday. The thing about the South Island is that it is so varied. There is simply too much write about in one article, but I cannot finish this one without mentioning the glaciers.
Although there are guided tours across the surfaces of the Fox and Franz Josef glaciers, all we did was walk up to the bottom of them – and that was good enough. I remember an easy yet satisfying walk up a valley – whether to Fox or Franz Josef, I can’t recall. The wind coming off the glacier was refreshing, and there were interesting rock formations along the way. There was a cloudy, silvery river and mountains and forest, and then there was the glacier itself, growing bigger and bigger as we approached. I remember thinking it was like a big, sleeping ice dragon – we had to creep as close as we could without waking it up. There were huge chunks of ice scattered over the scree at the glacier’s foot. I picked one up in both hands, one of the dragon’s frozen tears. I carried it with me until my hands got too cold.
At the foot of a glacier
Then we were back in the campervan, off to our next destination, marvelling at the mountains as we drove. A self-drive holiday is the best way to see New Zealand and I would definitely recommend New Zealand campervan hire to absolutely everyone. My family got a lot out of it, although I did finish the holiday with a renewed appreciation for my own room and my own bed.
campervan, motorhome, New Zealand, New Zealand campervan hire, New Zealand holiday, road trip, South Island, where to go in New Zealand
10 Great Places to Spend the Night in New Zealand
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Photo Hangar (NEW!)
A Runway Dream Comes True in Fort Lauderdale
More articles by Mark Lawrence »
Written by: Mark Lawrence
Tags: FLL, Ft. Lauderdale, jetBlue, runway, spotlight
When the Broward County Commission voted 6-3 in favor of the new runway at Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport (FLL) in June 2007, I’m sure they wondered what the final result would look like in reality and when that final product would be completed. Over seven years and $826 million later, the vision is finally complete and the new 8,000’ runway — 10R/28L under construction for a total of 33 months — was finally ready to accept traffic and, most importantly to all involved, was completed on time and on budget. NYCAviation previously reported on the building of the new runway when it initially began as well as during the construction process.
The seven years of planning and construction that have gone on at the airport have had both detractors and supporters and there have been many debates on issues over the past few years. For example, residents of the Dania Beach suburb of Fort Lauderdale were very against the project when, while the main runway 10L/28R was closed for the addition of high-speed runway exits, all traffic used the now closed 12/30 runway and headed over their homes. There has been much ado made about the additional noise that will affect 1,700+ homes on the south side of the airport; curfew procedures will be implemented between 10:00 pm and 5:00 am to alleviate these issues.
Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport has over the past few years become one of the fastest growing airports in the United States. This growth has created congestion issues that would have created delay problems unacceptable to both travelers and airport management. The addition of the new runway will now allow for the airport to no longer be concerned with these congestion issues. A measure of this growth is evident in the fact that in 2013, while still a single runway airport, 23.5 million passengers passed through its terminals making it the 21st ranked airport in the United Statues in total passenger traffic. The addition of the new runway will allow the airport to handle in excess of 400,000 takeoffs and landings per year.
There have been some significant construction milestones associated with the runway construction as well, such as the 12 bridges of the existing U.S 1 highway and airport perimeter road and rail tracks that have given the new runway its elevated stature, now rising 65 feet into the air at the eastern side of the runway. Another notable milestone was the demolition of the Hilton Airport Hotel in a matter of months without the use of explosives to make way for the free zone required by the FAA at the end of the runway.
Thursday, September 18, 2014 was designated as the official day on which the runway would open for service. It was also determined that the first aircraft to land on the new runway would be JetBlue flight 1028 (for the magnetic designation of the runway), an Airbus A320 registration N709JB (FlyFi) charter flight originating in Fort Lauderdale. Seats on the flight were sold to benefit the United Way, and those customers, along with local dignitaries, members of JetBlue management and local media boarded the aircraft in plenty of time for the 9:15 am departure. Under the command of JetBlue Fort Lauderdale Chief Pilot Randy Forester and First Officer Scott Morgan, the aircraft departed the terminal and made the taxi out to the current runway, 10L and took off for the short 20 minute flight around Fort Lauderdale before setting up for a visual approach and landing on the new runway 10R. A water cannon salute greeted the flight as it
(Photo by John Magero)
taxied back down the runway to the point where the official opening festivities were help. The passengers aboard the flight deplaned and joined the other invited guests who were addressed by Broward County Aviation Department Director Kent George, Fort Lauderdale Mayor Barbara Sharief, US Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, US Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz and JetBlue VP of Government & Airport Affairs Jeffrey Goodell amongst others.
A lighter moment during the addresses occurred when Congresswoman Wasserman-Schultz was noting the importance of the new runway to decrease traffic congestion at the airport and in the background, a United flight was forced to make a go-around due to traffic on the runway. Following the addresses, Fort Lauderdale Mayor Sharief, the Broward County Commissioners and invited guests took station under the wing of the JetBlue Airbus for the formal ribbon cutting ceremony and the runway was declared officially open.
The first scheduled commercial flight to use the runway was later in the day at 2:40pm when JetBlue flight 506 departed to Newark, New Jersey.
Mark Lawrence is a NYCAviation staff member and a south Florida-based aviation fanatic. He has been around the industry since he was a small boy. Mark can be reached at [email protected]
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Easter Surprise
Organizing surprises was a significant, though rare, part of our family. When I was in sixth grade, Mom told my sister and me that she was taking us out of school for a week to visit Grandma in Florida. On my twelfth birthday, she surprised me with a hi-hat, an important part of a drum kit, by asking me to see how a new pair of shoes fit my feet. My sister and I surprised Mom on her fortieth birthday…..
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The original property owners then sought an order to compel the innocent purchaser to show cause why they, the original owners, should not be allowed to redeem the tax sale certificate. Their principal argument was that the third party, the lender, and the purchaser of the tax sale certificate sold by the innocent purchaser conspired to defraud them of their property. Although the lower court ruled there is no right to subrogation under the tax sale law, its stayed entry of judgment pending an investigation into the relationship between the third party, its lender, and the purchaser of the tax sale certificate. When the original property owners failed to comply with certain conditions of the stay, the lower court entered final judgment on the tax sale certificate and substituted the tax sale certificate purchaser in place of the innocent purchaser. On a motion for reconsideration, the lower court found no evidence of fraud or conspiracy, and denied the original property owner’s motion. The Appellate Division affirmed.
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Ahmedabad: Opener Manjot Kalra led India to a record fourth under-19 cricket World Cup title with an unbeaten century against Australia on Saturday, as the Boys in Blue crossed their target with more than 11 overs to spare.
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“Proud of the effort they put in and couldn’t be happier for them. Hopefully it’s a memory they cherish for a long, long time, but hopefully not the lasting memory and they have many more great moments and bigger things in future. I don’t want to mention names but everyone in the support staff has put in a great effort. We do the best for the kids,” said coach Rahul Dravid.
“I’m really proud of my team. We were fortunate enough to have Rahul as coach. He was always telling me to express myself and play along the ground as much as possible. It is as a good experience for all of us. It’s been pretty exciting. I hope I’ll do well in the IPL (Indian Premier League) as well,” said Shubman Gill, who was named player of the series.
Australia were bundled out for 216 at the Bay Oval on Saturday morning, with Jonathan Merlo (76) putting up the only resistance against the Indian attack that saw five bowlers pick up wickets. In response, the Indian colts cantered to victory in the 39th over for the loss of just two wickets.
The Indian team went without a loss in the tournament in New Zealand, having defeated Australia by 100 runs earlier in the tournament.
Opener Manjot Kalra under-19 cricket World Cup Prithvi Shaw Rahul Dravid IPL New Zealand Indian team
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How to Get the Most Out of the Eucharist - part 4 by Michael Dubruiel
From How to Get the Most Out of the Eucharist by Michael Dubruiel
I was giving a talk at a Catholic parish in rural Ohio a few years ago about the topic of this book.When I had concluded my presentation someone asked,“Why do people care so little about their faith today?”
I told them of a man, a non-Catholic, I had known who cared little about his faith but attended Mass every week with his Catholic wife because he wanted to make her happy. He did this for years, to the point that several priests tried to convince him that he should convert to the Catholic faith since he had been attending the Eucharist for so many years. He refused.
Then he was diagnosed with bone cancer. His condition deteriorated rapidly. In a few months he went from being robust and strong to bedridden and totally dependent upon others.He called for a priest, who heard his first confession and then offered the Eucharist at his bedside, where he received his First Holy Communion. In the last months of his life, his Catholic faith was all that mattered to him.
This led a woman in the group to recall an incident when a tornado had wiped out her family’s farm and the family had sat huddled together in the storm cellar, praying the Rosary. At that moment their faith had mattered more than anything else in the world to them.
Someone else mentioned that in the weeks following the 9/11 terrorist attacks on this country he had noticed more people in the Church and more fervency in the way people seemed to pray.
Our faith is a matter of life and death and our faith is totally centered on Jesus Christ.The Scriptures reveal that Jesus did not leave us as orphans but founded a Church. He made the very human apostle Peter the first leader of this Church. He left a memorial of his saving death in the Eucharist and commanded his disciples to perform it.
Getting the most out of the Eucharist is an urgent task, then, because our very life depends upon Christ, and Jesus comes to us in the celebration of his passion, death, and resurrection at every Eucharist. Jesus said that he is the vine and that we are the
branches. In the Eucharist we receive the very life that connects us to Christ the Vine.
Jesus told a parable about what happens when a storm comes that lashes out against our very lives (see Matthew 7:24–27). He said that the wise person builds his house (his life) on solid ground,on rock (the image that he used to speak about his church and Peter). The foolish person builds on sand and is destroyed by the storms of life.
The work of building the foundation on which our lives depend takes place every time we participate in the Eucharist. While I was putting the finishing touches on this book I traveled to Florida, right after Hurricane Frances had made a direct hit near Stuart, Florida. I had been scheduled to give a talk in nearby Palm Beach Gardens two days after the storm had hit.The talk was canceled because the church, St. Patrick’s, was without power, but I had the opportunity to meet with the pastor of the parish, Father Brian Flanagan, and some of the parish staff. In the midst of much devastation what remains vivid in my mind is how peaceful everyone there was. I know Father Brian to be a man whose deep faith is rooted in the Eucharist, and what I experienced in those days immediately following Hurricane Frances was a literal exposition of Jesus’s parable — the storm had come,but because the lives of the people I met were built on solid rock, they were not destroyed.
Isn’t this what we all want, a joy that the world cannot take away, no matter what might happen? Our Lord offers it to us at every Eucharist. It is my hope that this small book will help you to better experience this joy, and to discover the richness the Lord’s Eucharistic presence can add to your life.
Labels: Amy Welborn, Dubruiel, Joseph Dubruiel, Michael Dubruiel, Michael Dubruiel's Books, Mike Dubruiel
How to Get the Most Out of the Eucharist - part 25...
How to Get the Most Out of the Eucharist - part 9
How to Get the Most Out of the Eucharist - part 6 ...
How to Pray by Michael Dubruiel
Novena to the Sacred Heart Continues
Solanus Casey
Feast of Corpus Christi
June is the month of the Sacred Heart
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Nativity of Our Lady Catholic Church
Mass Schedule & Sacraments
The 7 Sacraments
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Catholic Tweens
For New Catholics
PROTECTION OF CHILDREN
The Three Epiphanies
It is an ancient and well known theme in the preaching of the Church Fathers to talk about "the three epiphanies": the Epiphany of the Magi at Bethlehem, the Epiphany of the Baptism at the Jordan, and the Epiphany of the Marriage Feast at Cana. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says:
The great feast of Epiphany celebrates the adoration of Jesus by the wise men (magi) from the East, together with his baptism in the Jordan and the wedding feast at Cana in Galilee. (no. 528)
My own approach to the three feasts has been influenced by taking part in many a Three Kings Pilgrimage in different parts of the world. Started by the Boy Scouts in Europe after the Second World War, the Three Kings Pilgrimage is based on the texts of St. Sophronius. There are three stations: the adoration of the magi, the baptism at the Jordan, and the wedding feast of Cana.
In recent years, it has become the new custom to recite the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary. See how these mysteries begin with our feast of today, and follow closely the liturgical year of the Catholic Church:
The Baptism at the Jordan
The Wedding at Cana
The Proclamation of the Kingdom
The Transfiguration
The Institution of the Eucharist
My understanding of these events has been changed recently by the book by Phil Booth, Crisis of Empire: Doctrine and Dissent at the End of Late Antiquity (Transformation of the Classical Heritage Series, Univ. of California Press 2013). Booth looks at three pivotal figures: St. Sophronius of Jerusalem, St. Maximus Confessor and John Moschus. He explores how these great thinkers had to stop thinking of Christianity as a part of "the Roman Empire", as a part of the Classical World, indeed, as a part of "civilization". Especially Sophroniuys explicated a vision of the Catholic Church that was truly universal, transcending all local (and therefore limited) cultures and nations even while subsisting in those local cultures. "In the world but not of it ..."
Fr. Bob
The online parish bulletin and message board of Nativity of Our Lady Catholic Church, Darien, Georgia, USA
Follow @NativityDarien
nativity@darientel.net
Sfx School
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British Royal Navy Personnel - E-H
Eliab Harvey
• Capture of Guadeloupe & Martinique
In his civilian life, Harvey pursued political interests and spent three spells as a Member of Parliament for Maldon and later Essex. During this period he was also knighted. However, Harvey was not a peaceable man and his life both in and out of the Navy was frequently punctuated by disputes with fellow officers and politicians. One such dispute, a consequence of the Battle of Basque Roads, eventually cost Harvey his career; a bitter exchange with Lord Gambier forcing Harvey into early retirement in 1809. Although reinstated a year later, Harvey was never again employed in an official capacity and further promotions were only bestowed as a matter of seniority.
Harvey was also notable in his time for his extravagant lifestyle. The deaths of his father and elder brother while he was still a young man provided Harvey with a considerable fortune, much of which he squandered gambling in London. Harvey’s exploits at the gaming tables became legendary, one story claiming that he once bet £100,000 on a single game of chance and lost, only to win most of it back on the following throw. Despite his dissolute lifestyle, Harvey was married and had numerous children; he was survived by six daughters and had three sons who predeceased him.
Eliab Harvey was born in Chigwell, Essex to William and Emma Harvey. His father William Harvey was a Member of Parliament for Essex, but died when Harvey was only five years old, in 1763. Until 1768, Harvey was raised at the family estate of Rolls Park in Chigwell, which had passed to his elder brother William on the death of their father. Harvey then attended Westminster School for two years before moving to Harrow School in 1770. At the age of thirteen in 1771, Harvey was entered onto the books of the naval schooner HMS Mary, although he did not actually serve aboard the ship. Utilising a standard legal fiction of the time, Harvey’s name was entered on the ship’s books without his actual presence, a ruse that would provide him with sufficient seniority to gain rapid promotion when he did enter the Navy. In his summer holidays from school, Harvey served at sea, joining HMS Orpheus in 1773.
Entering the Navy fully in May 1774, Harvey became a midshipman aboard the sloop HMS Lynx and spent the next two years in the West Indies. Briefly returning to Britain at the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, Harvey returned to the eastern seaboard of North America late in 1776 aboard HMS Mermaid, before transferring to the flagship of the North America Station HMS Eagle. From there Harvey joined HMS Liverpool on temporary assignment, only to be wrecked on Long Island aboard the frigate in 1778. Harvey rejoined Eagle after the wreck and returned to Britain in her. He was promoted to lieutenant on 25 February 1779.
Following his promotion, Harvey took a leave of absence from the Navy which would last three years. He stood for parliament in the seat of Maldon in Essex, which he won in 1780 and represented for the next four years. In 1781 Harvey briefly commanded HMS Dolphin, but took leave once again four months later. In 1782 Harvey again returned to the Navy just as peace was agreed and was promoted to commander on 21 March 1782, briefly taking over the sloop HMS Otter before rapidly making the jump to Post Captain less than a year later, on 20 January 1783.
==Civilian life==
With the peace of 1783, Harvey again took leave from the Navy, seeing out his parliamentary term and continuing his notorious lifestyle of gambling and debauchery. The young death of Harvey’s elder brother William Harvey, MP in April 1779 had provided Harvey with a substantial fortune, which he immediately began squandering in epic nights at London’s fashionable drinking and gambling establishments. Harvey gained a reputation among this crowd for playing exceptionally high stakes; one often repeated story concerns his loss, on his 21st birthday in 1779, of over £100,000 in a single game of hazard to a Mr O’Byrne. O’Byrne, recognising that such a sum would bankrupt his opponent, refused to take more than £10,000, insisting that they roll the dice again to determine the fate of the remaining £90,000. Harvey won and kept his fortune, but reportedly still failed to pay the £10,000.
Despite this riotous lifestyle, Harvey married Lady Louisa Nugent in 1784. Louisa was a daughter of Robert Nugent, 1st Earl Nugent and co-heir to his substantial wealth. The couple had nine children, eight of whom survived infancy and six of whom, all daughters, outlived their father. Harvey’s eldest son was killed in action serving in the British Army under the Marquess of Wellington at the Siege of Burgos in 1812. Harvey remained in semi-retirement until 1790, dividing his time between London and Rolls Park.
==Return to service==
In 1790, Harvey was called back to the Navy during the Spanish armament and commanded the frigate HMS Hussar for six months, until the Navy returned to its peacetime complement. Three years later, Harvey was once again recalled to the Navy with the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars. Harvey would remain in service for the next 16 years, only briefly taking leave in 1802 during the Peace of Amiens. In 1793, Harvey became captain of the frigate HMS Santa Margarita in the West Indies. There he participated in the successful campaigns against the French colonies of Guadeloupe and Martinique under Admiral John Jervis. In May 1794 Harvey returned to Britain and served in the squadron under Sir John Borlase Warren which raided the French coast with great success in 1794 and 1795.
In August 1795, Harvey took command of the ship of the line HMS Valiant, initially in the Channel Fleet and later in the West Indies under Sir Hyde Parker. In 1797 Harvey returned to Britain due to ill-health, and was given command of the Essex sea fencibles during the next year. In 1800 Harvey returned to sea in command of HMS Triumph, which he retained until the Peace of Amiens. During the peace he again dabbled in politics, becoming MP for Essex in 1802. Even after returning to the Navy in 1803 as captain of the second rate HMS Temeraire, Harvey remained in parliament, serving until 1812.
==Trafalgar==
With the resumption of the war against France, Temeraire was attached to the Channel Fleet and blockaded ports in eastern France until 1805, when Harvey was sent to join Horatio Nelson’s blockade off Cadiz. When the Battle of Trafalgar was joined on 21 October, Harvey’s Temeraire was the second ship in Nelson’s division and was a faster and more agile ship than HMS Victory, Nelson’s flagship. As a result, Temeraire began to pull ahead of Victory as the division closed on the Franco-Spanish fleet and Harvey was consequently reprimanded by Nelson, who hailed Temeraire: “I will thank you Captain Harvey, to keep your proper station which is astern of the Victory”.
During the combat that followed, Harvey was heavily engaged with the enemy, passing behind Bucentaure and astern of Redoutable. The broadside fired into Redoutable reduced the French ship to a wreck and forced its surrender soon afterwards when it became tangled with Victory and Temeraire. The three ships then drifted into the following French Fougueux, British fire disabling her and giving cover to a boarding party led by Temeraire{‘}s first-lieutenant, Thomas Fortescue Kennedy, which forced the surrender of Fougueux’s crew. In later years Harvey would use this incident for his personal motto “Redoutable et Fougueux”.
Once the fleet had returned to port, controversy erupted concerning Harvey’s role in the battle. Although his bravery and skill were not questioned, his prominence in the dispatch sent home by Cuthbert Collingwood was. In the dispatch, Harvey was singled out over the other captains for his bravery, Collingwood writing: “I have not words in which I can sufficiently express my admiration of it”. As a result of this special mention, Harvey was promoted to rear-admiral on 9 November 1805, and given the honour of being one of Nelson’s pallbearers at the admiral’s funeral despite their short acquaintance. Harvey’s new motto and his penchant for “bragging” further alienated him from his fellow officers.
==Retirement==
Returning to naval service some months after the action, Harvey was given the 80-gun HMS Tonnant as his first flagship, in which he remained until 1809. Serving under Lord Gambier in the Channel Fleet, Harvey was outraged not to be given command of the British ships in action at the Battle of Basque Roads. Harvey expressed his disgust that command had been given to the more junior Lord Cochrane in no uncertain terms to Gambier, and was dismissed from the admiral’s council as a result. When the operation was initially successful, Gambier refused to support Cochrane and as a result an opportunity to annihilate the French Atlantic Fleet was lost. The ensuing dispute lasted years and involved a court martial that eventually acquitted Gambier, and only ended with Cochrane’s dismissal from the service five years later.
Harvey was not embroiled in the political arguments surrounding the action, as he had resigned his commission on 23 May 1809, before the attack went ahead, in protest at Cochrane’s preferment. Returning to the Navy a year later on 21 March 1810, Harvey was never again called to active service, Gambier blocking his efforts to obtain gainful employment. Despite his failure to return to the sea, Harvey’s seniority brought more promotions; he made vice-admiral in 1810 and finally became a full admiral in 1819. He was also made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in 1815 when the order was reformed, becoming a Knight Grand Cross in 1825. Harvey’s retirement included a further period in politics, returning to his seat as MP for Essex between 1820 and 1830.
Harvey died in 1830 at his family estate of Rolls Park and was buried in the Harvey family crypt at St Andrews Church at Hempstead in Essex, which contains the remains of over 50 family members, including his ancestor’s brother, Dr. William Harvey. His coffin is still in the crypt, and can be viewed on request. On the wall of church is a hatchment in his honour originally placed shortly after his death and restored in 1958 after it was destroyed in the partial collapse of the church in 1884. A large wall memorial to him is also visible in the church, which also commemorates his youngest son William, who died in 1823 aged 22.
The crest of the Harvey Grammar School of Folkestone bears Harvey’s motto as well as his ship’s name ‘Temeraire’. The crest was designed by Eliab Harvey.
Source(s): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliab_Harvey
Edward Thornbrough
George Vandeput
George Blagdon Westcott
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What Constitution? A round-up of the Obama administration's executive overreach
By: RJC Communications Director Shari Hillman
George Washington and James Madison are spinning in their graves. Both men helped to define the power of the President as a limited executive bound to “take care that the laws be faithfully executed,” in the words of the Constitution, and as one who does not have the power to make laws, amend laws, or set aside laws on his own. Then came Barack Obama.
Over the last five years, Pres. Obama has essentially made, amended, and set aside laws by executive fiat. The list of his administration’s unilateral actions exceeding the power of the Executive Branch is quite long. In his 2014 State of the Union address he promised to continue to act on his own, without Congressional authority or support, to move his agenda forward.
In some cases, the President has taken actions that go precisely counter to the language of existing law.
The Obamacare law gives a specific date for the employer mandate to kick in. By January 1, 2014, medium and large businesses were required to provide health insurance to all full-time employees, with the attendant paperwork and the costs for non-compliance. President Obama has twice delayed the employer mandate, without any change in the law.
The welfare reform act signed by President Clinton in 1996 required that a certain percentage of able-bodied adults receiving welfare benefits be working or preparing for work. This change succeeded in helping millions get into the workforce and out of poverty. The law specifically forbids the waiver of the work requirements, yet in 2012, HHS announced that states could ignore those requirements and replace them with new standards invented by the Obama administration without congressional action.
In other cases, the President has chosen not to enforce existing law, without any action by Congress to repeal or amend the law.
President Obama instructed federal officials not to enforce immigration laws on a certain group of people who are in this country illegally: nearly all of the estimated 1.7 million people who came to this country before the age of 16. This is the cohort that would have been protected from deportation under the DREAM Act, an Obama administration priority that Congress rejected twice. With his legislative agenda on the issue stymied, the President unilaterally narrowed the reach of existing law as if the Dream Act had passed.
When Americans realized that the President’s promises about keeping your health care plan and your doctor were lies, Pres. Obama tried to “fix” the problem by instructing insurance companies that they would not be penalized for continuing to sell policies that did not meet the standards set out by Obamacare, plans that were therefore illegal after January 1, 2014. State insurance commissioners and insurers balked at the offer.
The Obama Justice Department has instructed the U.S. Attorneys in those states that have legalized marijuana that they should not prosecute marijuana buyers and sellers whose conduct violates federal drug laws. The Supreme Court has upheld the federal Controlled Substance Act as the controlling law when it conflicts with state law, but the President is here again refusing to enforce federal laws against a particular group of people.
In education, the President has used executive power to replace elements of existing laws he doesn’t like with federal “guidelines.”
The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act conditions federal funding to public school districts on their meeting certain state-defined educational goals. Some states worried that they would not meet the required goals by the law’s deadline. Pres. Obama told the states that they could request a waiver from those requirements in exchange for implementing the administration’s controversial Common Core standards instead. While the Secretary of Education has the authority under NCLB to waive the requirements for a state, there is no provision in the law for the Secretary to substitute some other, federal standard for the state-defined standards mandated under NCLB.
President Obama has unilaterally acted in contravention to existing law for political reasons, timed around election campaigns.
There are several examples of this, including the President’s decision to delay the Obamacare employer mandate until after the2014 election. Another example comes from the summer of 2012. That July, the Department of Labor told employers that they did not need to issue the legally-required 60-day notices to employees who were being laid off as a consequence of the “sequester,” the automatic spending cuts provided for in the agreement that ended the 2011 debt ceiling standoff in Congress. Those notices are required by the Worker Adjustment and Retraining (WARN) Act of 1988.
In addition, the Office of Management and Budget told government contractors that the government would cover certain legal costs they would incur if employees who were laid off because of the sequester sued the companies for not issuing timely notices. Those notices should have gone out just days before the 2012 election. The administration strongly encouraged major defense contractors such as Lockheed Martin to break the law so that the layoff notices wouldn’t hurt the President’s image before Election Day. Defense contractor L-3 Communications has since been sued by former employees over the lack of WARN notices.
President Obama’s actions to change and ignore existing law have been labeled “abusive,” “unlawful,” and “unconstitutional” by legal scholars and legislators on the right, while the left has almost uniformly hailed those actions as policy triumphs. When the rule of law is ignored for political purposes, the people and their representatives must act. Voters should remember these abuses of power when they cast their ballots so that Congress – and future Presidents – can bring back into their proper balance the powers and prerogatives of the separate and equal branches of our government, as set out in our Constitution.
This article appeared in the January-February 2014 issue of the RJC Bulletin, our bi-monthly newsletter for contributing RJC members who are current in their dues. To receive the Bulletin, please make your membership contribution or renew your membership here.
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Page 76 of 83 First ... 2666727374757677787980 ... Last
Originally Posted by Arabcheif
I suspect the contracts don't have a role model clause. Code of Conducts also aren't contractually enforceable in general too as they can be changed without consultation. They generally don't form part of the employment Ts and Cs such as pay etc. CoCs can be referred to but they can be change and amended without changing or signing of a new contract. This is why they're generally not contractually enforceable.
In general in the UK, and even then I'm not sure you're 100% right. CoCs can be seen as policies, which may be from time to time be changed...
In the USA, CoCs are considered changeable and enforceable.
One potential employer had this to say about IF
Originally Posted by Mourad
The guy is a moron, he must leave. Or you have to buy a brain
Source: Toulon owner Mourad Boudjellal
I told Raelene if she felt the situation had become untenable, that I was hurting Rugby Australia, its sponsors and the Australian rugby community...I would walk away immediately.” Israel Folau
He talks the talk, but he won’t walk the walk. Doesn’t that make him a liar? What was it he said about hell fire?
Drew Mitchell seems to think so.
In the USA, CoCs are considered changeable and enforcehe Uable.
in the UK CoC are very standard.
If you ever need to dismiss an employee on grounds of conduct it's going to be a lot more straightforward if
- you have a conduct policy
- you have a disciplinary process
- both are reasonable and fair, and followed.
https://www.gov.uk/dismiss-staff/dis...onduct-grounds
We have had several cases that revolve around religious expression. They are often complex cases.
So are cases that revolve around whether employees have - or have not - said something offensie and, if so, how offensive really was it ? (on a scale of reprimand through warning though dismissal)
I am sure UK is not that different from Australia in principle - but of course that doesn't mean any individual case would be decided in the same way
Last edited by crossref; 1 Week Ago at 20:07.
In the first instance yes, it matters how serious or how offensive it was. Even if Folau's initial homophobic attack was weak, or not really an attack or not truly offensive, it was still a breach of his CoC. And he got a warning.
However, once he
a. repeated the attack
b. refused to take the attack(s) down.
c. stated that he couldn't or wouldn't guarantee he would not commit the same breach again.
...then it is no longer about how offensive it was, and more about his intransigence; his wilful refusal to follow the terms of his contract and CoC. For example, if a player keeps turning up late to training sessions, that is not in any way illegal or offensive, but it will still be a breach of his CoC, so he can still be warned for it, and if he then says "I'll bloody well turn up when I feel like it", well that could get his contract terminated.
That player, and Folau, are effectively extending their middle fingers at their employer.... and sorry, that is just not acceptable, and is grounds for contract termination.
Last edited by Ian_Cook; 1 Week Ago at 21:07.
yes, well I was talking in general terms, but clearly you are correct the warning is relevant.
Meanwhile perhaps we can all have our spirits uplifted by James Haskell at the weekend
https://twitter.com/Ellierosebs/stat...11381885804544
D--fG2KXkAAWddK.jpg
And people might be interested to know that the RFU marched for the first time at Pride.
I supent those gestures (and many many like them) in the long run will make more impact than sacking IF
Meanwhile in New Zealand this is interesting -- Steve Hansen offers an unwelcome opinion on radio
https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...a-gender-thing
Yeah, he's right - that is, domestic violence is not exclusively "male partner beats up female partner". There is plenty of domestic violence where the male is the victim but its rarely reported, mostly because of male pride. Most men would not want to admit to their chums that they are getting beat up by a woman.
Anyone who denies that men can be victims of domestic violence is living in Loopy Lou land.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...-a8309921.html
If IF gets canned because of what he thinks, it's beyond ridiculous to think that someone who actually landed hands on someone gets a pass.
If true, then I agree, but if you are talking about Reece, well he didn't get a pass.
In October 2018, he was discharged without conviction by Judge Denise Clark (Hamilton District Court). She said
"a conviction would have ended the Fijian-born player's Irish contract and that would have been out of all proportion to the gravity of the offending".
"I have considered your circumstances and it's certainly not the case that because you are good at playing rugby that you get the opportunity to be discharged without conviction."
Judge Clark accepted that the victim had forgiven Reece, that the couple were undergoing counselling, Reece had admitted a problem with alcohol and had been sober for three months. Reece expressed remorse and apologised at a restorative justice meeting, and he was supported in court by a young woman and other associates.
Judge Clark took into account his early guilty plea, the fact it was his first time before the courts. He was ordered to pay his victim $750 within 28 days for emotional harm reparation.
It was after all this, after his Irish contract (to play for Connaught) fell through, that Crusader's coach Scott Robertson offered Reece a lifeline, first to play in the pre-season, and later to play the full season after another player was injured. Anyone who knows anything about NZ Rugby, especially the Crusaders, will know that such a lifeline offered to a player in Reece's position, comes with conditions as to their conduct on and off the field.
Now while I am all for punishment for crimes, I am not in favour of punishing and punishing and punishing endlessly. If we simply punish Reece in this way he ends up consigned to the scrap heap, and we've fixed nothing. He is providing for a family so it punishes them too; if he is providing for his partner, we end up punishing the victim. The whole focus in dealing with domestic violence in NZ isn't on punishment, its on prevention; its on having friends and family getting offenders to stop by getting them to get help..
This is one of a series of anti-domestic violence TV ads currently running in New Zealand.
This country has the shameful record of having the highest rate of family violence in the developed world, but it has been shown time and again that this sort of approach is far more effective than punishing and threatening punishment and throwing people in a dumpster.
https://www.theguardian.com/australi...ed-persecution
Baptist minister says there is no real risk of religious persecution in Australia compared with many other countries
The social justice advocate Tim Costello has called on his fellow Christians to “calm down” about their alleged persecution, amid a brewing political storm over how the government should act to protect against religious discrimination.
Costello, speaking in his new role as a senior fellow at the Centre for Public Christianity, also warned that the federal government should not try to legislate to cover “extreme” examples of competing rights, citing the high-profile Israel Folau case as an example.
The former chief advocate for World Vision Australia is backing the recommendations of the Ruddock review into religious discrimination, but has dismissed calls from conservative Coalition MPs for a religious freedom bill.
He said he did not see any evidence of the persecution of Christians in Australia, and said they needed to “suck it up”, just like Jesus.
“I don’t think there is a risk of persecution – Christians need to calm down,” Costello said.
“I would say to Christians if you want to see persecution, let me take you to places where there is persecution of Christians and other religious groups – let me take you to Afghanistan, Syria, Pakistan, and I will show you persecution.
“And if they read their Bibles, Jesus said the world will hate you and misunderstand you for following me, but to go on following, loving, serving – so I would say, just suck it up.
“Jesus didn’t go around demanding legislation to protect his rights. Jesus didn’t advocate for freedom of religion legislation.”
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Roxburgh, John (plant collection)
Born: 1781, Madras (now Chennai), India.
Died: Date not known, Place not known.
John Roxburgh was the illigetimate son of Dr William Roxburgh* and was educated at the Tranquebar Mission, Madras (now Chennai), India. He arrived in the Cape Colony from England in 1798 with his father and the latter's wife. The elder Roxburgh stayed to collect plants until late in 1799. Lady Anna Barnard (1999) met John in April 1799 and described him as "a tall lad of 17 - who is painting flowers and butter flys like his father" (Vol. 1, p. 118). His father intended to leave him at the Cape as a seedsman to supply plants and seeds to the Calcutta (now Kolkata) Botanic Garden, of which the elder Roxburgh was the superintendent. John stayed at the Cape until about 1804. Formal permission for him to remain in the Colony was granted only in November 1801. In April 1803 his property was attached by the Chamber for Regulating Insolvent Estates to pay his debts. On 20 November 1803 he signed the oath of submission to the newly established Batavian Republic.
John sent specimens, particularly heaths, also to Sir Joseph Banks* (these are now in the Natural History Museum, London), and a large collection to A.B. Lambert of London (now in the Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques, Gen�ve, Switzerland). Unlike the plants collected by his father, John's specimens usually lack the date and locality of collection. After his return to India he worked at the Calcutta Botanic Garden as overseer of the Indian flower painters that his father employed. During 1810-1811 he collected plants at Chittagong (now in Bangladesh). In July 1815 he was dismissed from his post by Dr N. Wallich*, who was acting superintendent of the botanic gardens at the time, but was reinstated by James Hare in 1816. He was dismissed again by Wallich, then superintendent, in March 1819.
Britten, J. Some early Cape botanists and collectors. Journal of the Linnaean Society (Botany), 1920-1922, Vol. 45, pp. 29-51.
Lenta, M. & Le Cordeur, B. (eds). The Cape diaries of Lady Anne Barnard, 1799-1800. Cape Town: Van Riebeeck Society, second series No. 29, 1999.
Oxford dictionary of national biography (William Roxburgh). Oxford University Press, 2004.
Philip, P. British residents at the Cape, 1795-1819. Cape Town: David Philip, 1981.
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Point Lomans among celebrants of historic clubhouse, now 75
by Theresa Miracle San Diego Community News Group
Published - 08/30/07 - 09:26 AM | 2848 views | 0 | 6 | |
With its ideal bayfront location, the ZLAC Rowing Club, Ltd. clubhouse at 1111 Pacific Beach Drive has hosted member meetings, weddings, bridge clubs and other occasions for 75 years.
Last Sunday, the clubhouse was home to another celebration "” the diamond jubilee of its grand opening on Aug. 26, 1932.
Rowing club members past and present headed back to the bay for the champagne reception from 4 p.m. until sundown. Sen. Christine Kehoe, the City of San Diego and the San Diego Historical Society honored ZLAC for its historical significance as the first women's rowing club in the United States and its preservation of the 75-year-old clubhouse.
"We like to have a celebration whenever there's a significant benchmark," said Nancy Perry, ZLAC president. "It allows the members of all ages to come together."
The clubhouse was designed by architect Lilian Rice, who served as ZLAC president from 1915 to 1916.
But the building seems young compared to the club itself, which was founded in 1892 by three sisters, Lena, Agnes and Carolyn Polhamus and their friend, Zulette Lamb. Their first initials form the acronym ZLAC.
The group moved to Mission Bay from San Diego Bay when the big bay became too busy with commercial traffic. The two waterfront lots at the new site had enough space for gardens and landscaping, planned by Georgie Hardy Wright and her friends, horticulturalist Kate Sessions and honorary ZLAC member Sarah Emma Jessop Scripps.
One of the club's oldest active members at 97, Katharine "Kak" Barley, still remembers the old clubhouse, but said she much prefers the new one. Barley joined ZLAC when a friend of her father's recommended it to the 15-year-old.
"It's been a long and enjoyable time, and I wouldn't trade those friends for anything," Barley said. She emphasized that she was no longer rowing, but still competed in ZLAC bridge games.
Sally Lyons, a Pacific Beach resident, joined ZLAC in 1936 as a 14-year-old.
"The new facility was my home away from home," she said.
She chose the clubhouse as the location for her 40th and 50th wedding anniversaries and her 80th birthday party.
Lyons said that one of her biggest thrills was representing ZLAC on a trip to Henley, England.
"Henley is right on the Thames and is famous for rowing, so they invited us to bring memorabilia from the first women's rowing club," said Lyons.
The clubhouse was also home "” around the clock "” to Polly Neal, who was the clubhouse manager for more than 50 years and lived in the upstairs apartment with her husband, Bud. The Neals still work as guest managers on Wednesdays, and the club named a boat in Polly's honor.
"The people were lovely, and we became very good friends with them," Polly said.
Now a Point Loma resident, Neal said she still misses waking up and looking at the water.
Rowing at ZLAC put Kelly Rickon Mitchell on a course for three Olympic teams and a silver medal in the 1984 games. Mitchell, a Point Loma resident, joined ZLAC's junior program when she was 14 years old.
"We had a coach who took us from being mostly a social club to being junior national champions in 1975," she said. Her cousin, Lynn Silliman Reed, was a bronze medalist on the 1976 Olympic team.
"Being around these women made me think I could do it, like what they say about see, believe, achieve," Mitchell said. "It never would have happened without all the women who came before me. It takes a village to get to the Olympics."
Never far from the water, Mitchell is now development director of the San Diego Crew Classic, founded by Patty Wyatt, other ZLAC members and San Diego civic leaders in 1973.
As with many members, Beverly Fritschner, immediate past president, helped make rowing a family affair. Her mother, Alice Buchanan, had been president, and her sister Barbara Scott joined in 1957.
Fritschner came on board in 1961 and said she still jumps in a boat now and then.
"This is an amazing group of women," she said.
She included in that group Mary Louise Glanz, who joined ZLAC in 1927 when she was 15 years old. Glanz will attend the celebration with her two daughters, who were also members.
"I remember when they built the new clubhouse, and there was nothing around it but sand," Glanz said. "I'm just so happy to see how ZLAC has grown."
ZLAC offers rowing classes both for juniors, girls aged 13 to 18 and women aged 18 and up. For more information about ZLAC or renting the clubhouse, visit www.zlac.org.
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The Disturbing Case of The Disturbing Cleve Foster...
The Disturbing Case of The Disturbing Cleve Foster
Cleve Foster is scheduled to be executed by Texas on January 11, 2011. [Now scheduled for September 20, 2011.] [Now scheduled for September 25, 2012.] I've been recently keeping my eye on upcoming executions to see if there are any cases I should be scoring. There are quite a few sites proclaiming that Cleve Foster is innocent of the crime for which he is scheduled to die. I decided to take a look.
Foster's supporters, and there seem to be more than a few, make an interesting prima facie case that he is innocent. There is no forensic evidence trying Foster to the crime; another person confessed to and was convicted of the crime; that other person claims that Foster was not involved; and two witnesses claim they saw only one person enter and leave the crime scene.
Nonetheless, I think it is highly likely that Cleve Foster is guilty.
On the 13th of February in 2002, Cleve Foster and his friend / roommate Sheldon Ward were in a Fort Worth bar known as Fat Albert's. There they met Nyanuer "Mary" Pal. According to the bartender, Pal interacted primarily with Ward while Foster played pool until the bar closed at 2 AM on the 14th. The three walked to the parking lot where they talked for a few minutes. Pal left in her car, and Foster and Ward followed close behind in Foster's pickup. According to the bartender, they were right on her bumper.
Approximately 8 hours later, Pal's nude body was discovered in a ditch far off a road in Tarrant County. She had been shot in the head. DNA testing absolutely identified Foster as a contributor of the semen in her vagina, and identified Ward as possibly a minor contributor. DNA testing also identified Ward as the contributor of semen in Pal's rectum.
Pal's car was found in the parking lot of the apartment complex where she lived. The car was unlocked. Her cell phone was sitting in the front seat.
Pal's blood and tissue was found on a gun recovered during a search of the motel room shared by Foster and Ward. Pal's blood was found on Ward's clothes in Ward's car.
In the back of Foster's truck, police found numerous and sundry items soaking in cleaning fluid. The items included: 3 pairs of shoes, bungee cords, black gloves, a bicycle pump, a hatchet, a sheathed knife, 2 slingshots, a trailer hitch, coat hangers, a strap, a bleach bottle, and a liquid detergent bottle.
There is no doubt that Ward was involved in the killing of Mary Pal.
Ward Story #1
Within hours of the police collecting his DNA samples, Ward decided to move from the motel room that he had been sharing with Foster. Ward called a friend, Duane Thomas, and asked if he could stay with him. Ward told Thomas during that phone call that he was in trouble because he had killed someone. Thomas drove to the motel to pick up Ward. As Ward and Thomas left, Ward told Thomas that he followed a girl home from a bar, forced her into Foster's truck at gunpoint, took her out to the country, raped her, and blew her brains out. Ward did not mention Foster.
This freaked Thomas out sufficiently that he stopped at a store and contacted the police. Ward was promptly arrested. Ward provided an audiotaped statement to the police that differed in considerable detail from what he had just told Thomas.
Ward told the police he been drinking heavily and using cocaine on the night of the murder. He and Pal made arrangements to meet after Fat Albert's closed. He and Foster went back to their motel room where Foster "pretty much passed out" on the bed. Ward drove to Pal's apartment in Foster's truck and picked Pal up. Ward and Pal had consensual vaginal and anal sex on the front seat of Foster's pickup, then drove to the motel room where they had vaginal sex.
Ward and Pal left the motel room and drove around "a little bit." Ward recalled standing over Pal's body lying on the ground with a gunshot wound to her head and the gun in his hand. He dumped Pal's clothes in a dumpster, but couldn't remember where. He put his bloody clothes in his car at the motel, called Duane Thomas, told him he had sex with a girl and killed her and asked for a place to stay. Just before moving out of the motel, he left a note for Foster apologizing for involving him.
In that note, Ward told a slightly different story still, adding details that, if true, would completely exculpate Foster.
In his note, Ward apologized to Foster for involving him in the crime, explained that he had drugged Foster with sleeping pills, and had Pal "ride" Foster while he slept. Ward then left with Pal in Foster's truck. Those details would explain Foster's semen in Pal's vagina, and would make Foster unaware of Ward's murder of Pal.
Foster Story #1
The variety of Ward's stories was exceeded by Foster. In version #1, Foster claimed that Pal had never been in his truck.
In version #2, Foster conceded that Pal may have leaned inside his truck.
In version #3, Foster explained that Pal rode around in his truck with him and Ward, that they dropped her off at her car at the bar where they met.
In version #4, Foster explained that he and Ward followed Pal to her apartment. Pal voluntarily went with them to their motel room in Foster's truck. After taking sleeping pills and drinking beer, he fell asleep while Ward and Pal kissed. He awoke to find Pal performing oral sex on him. Ward told Foster he was going to take Pal home.
In version #5, Foster adopted Ward Story #3, the one that finally explained how his semen came to be inside Mary Pal, the one that explained how he could have been totally unaware of Ward's murder of Mary Pal.
Police Theory of the Case
In an effort to prove that Foster must have participated in the murder of Mary Pal, they argued that Pal was killed elsewhere and transported to the spot she was found, far from the road. They argued further that Ward could not have done this by himself, that Ward was only 5' 6" tall and weighed only 140 pounds. Mary Pal, by comparison was 5' 7" tall and weighed 130 pounds. Foster on the other hand was 6' 0" tall and weighed 225 pounds.
They claim also that there was no blood splatter consistent with a gunshot wound to the back of Pal's head, that there was no pool of blood consistent with a such a head wound. (They did not apparently claim that there was no blood, only that the blood was not spattered and pooled as expected of a head wound.)
They noted as well that the soles of Pal's feet showed no evidence of walking to the location, and that her arms were raised as if she had been carried by her arms and legs.
Foster's Rebuttal
Foster and his supporters attempt to convince others of Foster's innocence by accepting Ward's story, the one told by the note he left behind. The evidence that Foster helped carry Pal to the location where she was found is not particularly overwhelming.
To buttress Ward's story (#3), Foster's supporters argue that the crime scene photos show the area to be exceptionally bloody, inconsistent with Pal being killed elsewhere and carried to the scene. One writer claimed to have a copy of the crime scene photos and claimed further they disproved the police theory. I emailed that person, asked for a copy, and promised to properly account for what the photos showed when I wrote of the case. I still await a response to that request.
To further buttress Ward's story (#3), Foster's supporters argue that two witnesses say they saw one person chase Pal into the woods, and the same person emerge from the woods. That story turns out to irrelevant at best and bogus at worst. I believe it does harm to Foster's case to continually promote it. Here's the skinny on those eyewitnesses, including the details Foster's supporters keep from their readers.
Jalissa Polk and her nine-year-old daughter informed police that, on either February 12 or 13, at about 8:30 PM, they were arriving home when Polk saw a black, 4-door mini-blazer-type car parked near the driveway entrance to her apartment complex. The driver's door and the rear passenger door were open. There appeared to be hand prints smeared on the front windshield. Polk saw no one inside the car.
Once Polk was inside her apartment, she heard a gunshot. Her daughter, Candice, ran inside and told her a man was chasing a screaming woman. Candice told the police she saw a black man and a black woman yelling at each other near the car. The woman was nude and the man had gun in his hand. The man chased the woman across the street into the woods. She heard a gunshot, and then saw the man run back to car.
There are numerous problems with the alleged eyewitness testimony. The car described by Jalissa Polk and her daughter looked nothing like Pal's car, Ward's car, or Foster's truck. The two witnesses described a black assailant, though Ward is white. Most significantly, perhaps, they describe Pal as being murdered around 8:30 PM on February 12 or 13, but the bartender saw Pal alive at 2 AM on February 14. Whatever Jalissa Polk and her daughter may have seen, it was not Ward chasing Pal.
The Kicker
I'm not sure how I would have voted had I been a juror at Foster's trial. It would depend, of course, on all the information provided at trial, not just the summary I have been able to compile here. I would be suspicious of Foster's ever-changing, self-serving stories. On the other hand, I would find wanting the police evidence that Foster must have carried Pal to the murder scene. There was less evidence still that Foster had participated in the killing. I believe they would have convinced me that Foster more than likely was involved in the murder, but I'm not sure they would have proven it to me beyond a reasonable doubt. I would have been angry and frustrated as I struggled with my vote.
As a researcher, I learned something I would not have learned as a juror, at least during the guilt / innocence phase of the trial. I learned something about Foster's past behavior that had a more powerful impact on me than any other instance of a defendant's past behavior. I learned that Ward and Foster killed another woman under similar circumstances just two months prior to the Pal murder.
In a statement Foster gave to the police (which was admitted into evidence only during the punishment phase of Foster's trial) Foster spoke about a previous murder allegedly committed only by Ward. He claimed that in December 2001, he and Ward had consensual sex with Rachel Urnosky, a young woman they both had just met in the parking lot of Foster's former apartment complex. Foster and Ward left Rachel's apartment and returned to Foster's truck. Ward then returned to Rachel's apartment for a short while. Days later, Ward showed Foster a newspaper clipping about the murder of Rachel Urnosky.
It's extremely likely Foster was lying about Urnosky participating willfully in three-way sex with imperfect strangers. Urnosky was a recent college graduate. She had moved from Lubbock to Fort Worth to work as a manager in a store at a nearby mall. She had just that month become engaged to a young man she met while in college. That young man lived in the same apartment complex as she did. She had in fact just stopped by her fiance's apartment that evening, and asked his roommate if he needed any laundry done. She was murdered on her way to do the laundry.
I've taken a quick look at all prisoners in the United States with a scheduled execution date. The only one I found that that seemed to have a case of actual innocence was Cleve Foster. The first stories I read seemed to make a decent case that Foster had been wrongfully convicted and was in danger of being wrongfully executed. As I worked on the case, particularly as I read through the appellate rulings, Foster's case crumbled and the State's case strengthened. I was still, however, on the fence (leaning towards guilt) when I came across the information about the murder of Rachel Urnosky two months earlier.
That discovery disturbed me no end, and still does. It told me I was probably looking at the the type of case I most dread. I most dread being a juror on a case in which I believe the defendant to be guilty, and believe he may commit horrific crimes again in the future, yet believe that the State has not met its burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
I present my Actual Innocence Scorecard to the right. I scored him at 9 out of 100. In cases where I believe there is a reasonable chance of the person's actual innocence, I oppose the death penalty. In cases where I believe there is no reasonable chance of actual innocence, I neither oppose nor support the death penalty. In this disturbing case, I stand mute on the issue.
Initially I identified the earlier victim as Rachel Omosky. A reader who claims to have known Rachel informs me that her last name was Urnosky, not Omosky. I had no trouble confirming that the reader was correct and I was wrong, as was the United States District Court in their opinion for Foster v. Quarterman. I appreciate the feedback. I have corrected my post accordingly. I offer my condolances to the reader for the loss of her or his friend.
ADDENDUM (23 Sep 2012)
Clearly I do not accept Cleve Foster's claims of innocence. With respect to the impending execution of Preston Hughes III of Texas, however, I believe him to be absolutely innocent though in grave danger of being executed. After a 6 month investigation, 60 posts, and 90,000 words, none of the evidence of his guilt withstands scrutiny.
For a 3 minute 30 second video summary of his case, please click here.
For a text summary of his case, please click here.
It is not too late to save an innocent man from the needle. Cleve Foster is not that man. Preston Hughes is.
Cleve Foster has been executed by the people of Texas.
Labels: Cleve Foster
Guilty. Obviously the jury privy to much more info than u made the right descision. Good riddance.
Minnie said...
i am still skeptical if cleve is innocent or guilty. a friend of mine use to write cleve. cleve told her one story but i have also read sheldons confession which says something totally different.
have come to realize that just because you find cleves seaman on this girl does not mean that he was a part of killing this girl. this is in part on what i had mentioned eariler today. God has made me realize this. i know it may to late to save him
If there is even a slight chance that this man is innocent the execution should be stopped. I would rather see a guilty man go free than an innocent man executed. What kind of society do we live in? How do our officials sleep at night?
Its a classic GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY!! The sad thing is there will always be two stories and nobody will ever know what REALLY happened. Two women and two rapes with his DNA found, explain that...
While everyone blames the judicial system, God is in Control! There is a rhyme and reason for everything. I hope he has admitted to his wrong doing and "made it right" with God. My heart goes out to all the families.
Rachel's last name is spelled "Urnosky." I knew her, and have no doubt in my mind that she would not have participated in consensual sex with either of these men, much less both at the same time. That part of his story confirms to me that he is lying in that case, and most likely in the entire Pal case.
Thank u. I will always read ur blog.
I have been following this case for some time. I know Cleve Foster and I have to say, I too, looked thru everything that I could find and I too Beleive that he is guilty, both murders.
I just read that the Supreme Court stayed his execution.
What hurts the most is that I know his family and what this has done to them, tho really, they are blind to the truth.
Except, those of us who know the family, including some family members...we do see.
I was a recruiter in FW from 1998 -2001 and knew Foster. He was a psycho then and wouldn't doubt he did any of this. Dig a little more, find out why he was kicked out. You won't be surprised to see a pattern. Can't believe his discharge didn't come up in trial. If you spend over 20 years in the Army you retire. You don't just get put out, and as and E7 it has to be pretty bad to get the boot with over 20.
i am a friend of a woman who at one point was writing to cleve foster. from what she told me that cleve wrote to her was that cleve and sheldon went to marys apartment where they had consendual sex. cleve left and had no idea what happened after. to read sheldons testomony on this the two stories are different.
review this link
http://deathpenaltyblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/01/cleve-foster-is-innocent-his-s.html
DJ Cornelius
Anonymous. I was a recruiter too. You messed with Cleve sending him on goose chases and still haven't gotten over the axle greese that you got on your ear when he got even with you.
You are the psycho-
Guilty!! How is the Pal going to ride him when he was drugged with sleeping pills, think about it, would that make his private part be in a relaxed state.
I can hardly get a erection drunk and still able to walk, how can you ejaculate when passed out cold....no way did that happen
I known Cleve Foster since 1987 and served with him in the Army Reserve and Desert Storm. I no that he very capable of commiting murder and manipulate people to believe him when he says he innocent. Ask him about the girl while he was serving in Desert Storm that he got pregeant and she had a abortion. So do not let him fool you.
tell us about the pregnant girl. How does getting a girl pregnant mean that you are a murderer? Is there more to the story that we should know?
Your analysis is very helpful and thorough. I'm not 100% convinced he is guilty of the crime he will be paying the ultimate price for but I am convinced that once he's gone, the world will be a safer place. It's a very scary person that can commit such horrific crimes and continue to walk among the innocence as if he belongs there.
Maybe people should look at what Cleve Foster has done in the past. Desert Storm for him was counting bottles of water because he could not be trusted to be left alone with any one. But yet he tells everyone how much of a hero he became over there. It insults the Soldiers that actually sacrfice there lives. What kind of combat strees he was there after the war was over. So tell me is he believeable hell no.
Foster had a horrible record in the Army. He was given the option of either leaving or being court marshaled. And this did come in at trial during the sentencing trial.
It's bad enough that these two young women were raped and murdered but they also trash their reputations, too.
I was following his story. He is my penpal. Whether he is guilty or not, one thing I know for sure, God still loves Him. Jesus came to die for sinners. There is no sin too big that God cannot forgive and there is no heart that is too hard that God cannot soften it. I am still praying for him. Let the Lord's will be done. His execution is soon...he wrote to me, 'I am saved by grace. I will meet you in heaven.' GOD FORGIVES AND ACCEPT EVERYONE WHO COMES TO HIM.
What kind of bloody endorsement is "God still loves Him"? First, if you were talking about Cleve, you should not have capitalized the "H" in "Him", and if you were talking about God you were being vaguely redundant, if not a tad blasphemous.
I agree that this is one of those "Golly if you knew everything" its obvious he's guilty, the question is what was the jury allowed to see and what was deliberately withheld. Given the sanitized version of events that often appear in the motions and in the postings of the "Cleve is innocent" movement I would probably have had to say there wasn't proof beyond a reasonable doubt he was involved. However, since the jury apparently thought there was and convicted him, his past bad acts came into evidence in sentencing, and this is where that behavior doomed him.
Sure, after hearing all that it's fairly obvious that he and his buddy were a rape murder couple with him being the dominant player and the other defendant willing to take the rap for him the submissive once you have heard that testimony, and after hearing it I for one would have had NO trouble voting for the death penalty and if I'd voted guilty with some reservations over the weakness of the states evidence, those reservations would have vanished.
I still wonder what it was, aside from potentially his looks and demeanor, that caused the jury to tip to the side of a guilty verdict in the first place.
Thank you for your comment on my post. I am sorry for the typo. "God still loves him." I was talking about Cleve. God still loves him.
John 3: 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
I'm having a hard time trying to figure out the post of someone earlier who said "Its a classic GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY!! The sad thing is there will always be two stories and nobody will ever know what REALLY happened."
If it is sad that we will never know what really happened, how can you be so sure he is guilty, guilty, guilty?
Let me ask something of the people who support the death penalty: What do the following countries have in common?
China, Iran, Iraq, United States, Afghanistan, North Korea, Saudi Arabia
Those are the countries that practice capital punishment more than any other country. Are you proud of the company we keep? Don't you think it's time we joined the civilized world?
Excellent analysis. Have you on my favorites. Cleve Foster seems to always be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I know people like him that would not commit such a horrendous crime as rape and murder. The guy I knew always had a bump on his head and was a "fraidy cat" when it came to the issue of violence against another. Last I knew of him was that he lost and eye when tripped and fell, totally drunk. If Foster is like my friend, he's a loser even if he doesn't want to be. I have the death penalty where there is sufficient proven evidence against an accussed person.
Well, Cleve is getting another Stay. It just came out. Due to the change of the cocktail and something about some public comment and debate, not being done in this matter.
Again, I know him, I have known him since he was 12. Sheldon may have pulled the trigger in this case. However, Duke, as we called him. Was very much there, involved. When the first woman was killed, and if he was innocent he should have turned Sheldon in, but why didn't he? because they raped this girl and then she was murdered. He was arrested for this, but he didn't go to trial because he was found guilty of the second rape and murder. Then we have woman # 2, the one he was found guilty of ....He may not have pulled the trigger, but he was there, and knew of it. He turned over the gun. A woman was killed during the rape of her, he knew what was going to happen, sure as I am sitting in my chair and typing this.
I have researched everything I could get my hands on, for his family and for mine. To seek out the truth. I didn't like what I saw, not at all.
"John 3: 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."
Yep, and there's no better time for Cleve to get started on his eternal life, than right now.
The christian viewpoint of salvation cannot be used as a post-violence get-out-of-jail-free card. In Cleve's case, I have reasonable doubt that he has "come to Jesus" because he continues to express his innocence, and no remorse. I guess I'm saying that if I was guilty of such a crime and later came to view myself as saved by the grace of God, I'd want to own up to what I had done and to praise God. Instead, Cleve praises God, and in the next breath says, "BTW, I didn't do it."
Do you think God is fooled by Cleve?
I could also ask why anyone would believe in a God that would accept Cleve into heaven, but consign his victim to hell... but that's a question for another time.
"Let me ask something of the people who support the death penalty: What do the following countries have in common?
Those are the countries that practice capital punishment more than any other country. Are you proud of the company we keep? Don't you think it's time we joined the civilized world?"
What are you 13, parroting what your rich parents tell you? Your comparisons, and your rhetorical question about joining the civilized world are ridiculous and undermine what is otherwise a legitimate concern.
I have concerns about the death penalty, but not how it is applied in the US.
First of all, in all of 2010 there where 46 executions in the US; a country with a population well in excess of 300,000,000 people. That's a fraction of the number of executions in places like China and Iran... and I guarantee you that none of the executions in the US were because the accused disagreed with the government.
Executions in the US are confined to the most serious, heinous, and disturbing crimes. The US is so cautious about who it puts to death that Daniel Wayne Cook, who tortured, raped and murdered two victims almost 24 years ago was today also given a stay by the Supreme Court, so that there is enough time to determine if the drugs planned for his execution are "safe".
38There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”
40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.[d]”
43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you today you will be with me in paradise.”
"Come now, and let us reason together," Says the LORD, "Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool.
Man, I'd think Cleve would like paradise a lot more than death row... why's he fighting so hard?
For that matter, why would anyone who has been "saved" not immediately commit suicide?
Wonderful analysis.
I began reading about C. Foster b/c of the stay as a result of the pentobarbital. Then I read that the Supreme Court might hear his appeal on his conviction and wanted to read more about the case. I'm generally opposed to capital punishment b/c of the inequity in the justice system but as a single 20-something woman this guy makes my blood run cold. I can't tell you how many guys prowl for young women in bars and then to follow them home...it's too much!
I believe that the Supreme Court will ultimately uphold his conviction and if they do not I hope (and believe) that Tarrant County will begin proceedings to convict him of the FIRST rape/murder that he committed. It is a shame that he appears innocent simply because his partner-in-crime was dumber than him and did the grunt work (pulled trigger).
Lastly, being a child of God does not absolve (sp?) anyone of proper punishment. The questions here are about guilt and punishment; the question is not about forgiveness, atonement, or any sort of free pass!
--M in Houston, Texas
Lethal injection seems to good for this guy. Change of the cocktail is a stupid reason for a stay.
Oops...I meant to say Lethal injection seems TOO good for this guy.
Foster was convicted of murdering Mary Pal. Any argument for or against his innocence outside of that court case is free to look at all the evidence. In the killing of Rachel Urnosky, Foster's claim of innocence is based on her having consensual sex with Ward and Foster. Foster was 38 at the time. Urnosky was 22. He was a failed career army sergeant. She had recently graduated magna cum laude from Texas Tech. He was going nowhere. She was engaged to be married.
There is no doubt in my mind that Foster and Ward together murdered both Rachel Urnosky, and then two months later, Mary Pal.
Rachel Urnosky photo: http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/04/04/2974266/death-row-inmate-loses-two-decisions.html
Rachel Urnosky obituary: http://lubbockonline.com/stories/122001/obi_1220010076.shtml
Mary Pal pic: http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/04/04/2974266/death-row-inmate-loses-two-decisions.html
More direct link to photos of the victims.
Rachel:
http://media.star-telegram.com/smedia/2011/04/02/22/0403_deathrow_metro.ART0_GCU18H6UP.1+RACHEL_URNOSKY.standalone.prod_affiliate.58.jpg
Mary:
http://media.star-telegram.com/smedia/2011/04/02/22/0403_deathrow_metro.ART0_GCU18H6UP.1+Mary_Pal.standalone.prod_affiliate.58.jpg
I knew Duke for. Very long time. He lived in carlsbad nm where he married his first wife,shortly after there wedding Foster began hitting and verbally. Abusing his wife. Duke was a womanizer. Even tho he was marrid he had lots of affairs.he was an alcoholic and a pot head, I worked with him in the oilfield this is how I know him. He would pride himself on how he could have any woman he wanted even tho he had a wife and a child at home. He told us he never wnted another child due to he had another one in killeen tx which he wanted nothing to do with.Duke is a sick man and had a history of abusing women he dated for long periods ofr time. He went to the gulf war as a clean up crew/waterboy. Here we never new he got a woman pregnant and she had an abortion while he was still married.. would love to know who that woman was. Just from knowing him and. Working with him, we all knew he was frull of crap and we believe he is guilty of these crimes!!!!!!
I'm a college professor who ran across this blog by sheer chance. I have no connection to anyone involved. I'm against the death penalty on general principles, but I strongly feel Mr. Foster is guilty of the crimes he's been convicted of.
I have not read as much as you have about this case, but I find it distressing that several key issues have not been mentioned while other issues have been repeated ad nauseum.
(1) Were there drag marks on the ground where Pal's body was found? What about footprints? If her body were found within 8 hours of the murder, in a ditch (which I presume was made of dirt) then surely forensics would have determined whether Pal walked there or not. And whether Foster and Ward had both been there. This hasn't been mentioned.
(2) Was there any expert testimony as to whether a man can physically maintain an erection and ejaculate while unconscious? It seems implausible to me, but I'm not an expert.
(3) Was Urnosky raped? Since Foster is claiming consensual sex with Urnosky I assume Foster's semen was found in her vagina, but often autopsies can determine if trauma had occurred alongside the sexual transaction.
I haven't read the trial transcripts, just a few blogs and news articles. To me, the Urnosky case is more damning in many ways. Here you have a 22 year old newly-engaged honor-student who spends her summers doing Christian missionary work, "agreeing" to have sex with two men she just met in a parking lot. Sounds fishy.
Mr. Foster claims that it's just a coincidence that his semen is found in the bodies of young women who are later found raped and murdered with the same weapon found in his motel room. Talk about your bad luck...
with reading this. it sounds like neither cleve or sheldon can get theirs stories straight. if you are innocent like cleve claims he is he would not keep changing his story. from what cleve told a friend of mine they all had consentual sex. and with what he says about being a guinea pig whith the stuff he is to die with. he is not a guinea pig because they have used this stuff before
UPDATE: The Supreme Court rejected Foster's petition and the stay was lifted. The date of execution is September 20 2011. Wish it was sooner.
This disgusting loser is GUILTY!! he would not had chgd his story so many times if he was innocent his friend/partner in crime was an even dumber loser then him since he was willing to take all the blame they were some weird probably homo wanna be serial killers who stupidly made dumb mistakes if u honestly wanted to get away with a rape & murder why would u not wear a condom that goes to show how stupid they both were && i agree with the other comments abt the young lady who was murdered on her way to do laundry no young lady who had a great life ahead of her would actually agree to have sex with these two scumbags everything that comes to these losers trust me they deserve it.
P.S HIM BEING PUT TO DEATH THIS YEAR IS GOOD NEWS FOR THE VICTIMS FAMILIES yes i know && understand he had family as well but he put them in the position of loosing him..my opinion
For starters it is possible to "get off" while drugged even with sleeping pills because it isn't your brain function alone that gets you hard. It is your body and recognizing specific touches. To say that you can't get it up while drunk....Maybe need to see a doctor.. How do you think that men and women that drop to the level of date rapes or other methods get their person to function... It is the body that responds to the "familiar" touch... Nothing to do with being conscious. A friend of mine was raped and didn't even know that it happened becauase she was drugged with sleeping pills.... So learn your facts about something before you comment. I thought I knew Sarge, I would love to think that I knew him... I am not sure really which way to go. But if they are looking into the evidence that it takes two to move Mary because of Shelton's hight and weight compared to hers... Hmm well I know many smaller guys that can pick up guys twice their size and they are pushing a buck 20 so That is possible for him to do it especially if he "trained" even as joking around with ANY soldiers. I have seen a 120 pound soldier pick up a 243 pound soldier with a bunch of crap on him and made it look easy. So there is a shadow of a doubt that it could be true of Cleve's innocence. I am not the jury nor Cleve's final judgment!! All I can say is that what I am hearing is ignorance and that there are possible things for Shelton to have done on his own. I mean come on I am a 160 pound female and I can pick up my 210 pound brother several ways. So I don't buy that Shelton was too weak to pick her up on his own.
I truely hope that the State of Texas isn't executing an honestly innocent guy for another ones actions. Nothing I read in them stated that he with out a doubt murdered Mary "Pal" So what he had sex with her doesn't mean he killed her nor raped her. I haven't looked into the other lady's case completely because he is not really on trial for her and as far as I know nothing in that case proves him 100% guilty or where there isn't a shadow of a doubt!! I thought that if there was a shadow of a doubt in a case of execution that execution was to be denied. Well I guess I am wrong and they are just there to do their "jobs" when it comes to being on the jury. It is a scary world that a group of peers can hear some harsh "evidence" and just want someone to suffer like the victim instead of serving justice for these ladies!!! If they truely are guilty then they are doing the right thing by death row but come on if he is truly innocent and they find that out later down the road would any of you pushing for his execution feel bad for killing another innocent. That alone is what keeps me from wishing him the death penalty. Then look at the ones that have all the proof of murder or rape and they are out walking around because they can afford to pay for their "freedom"!!! Another thing too is look at how many men and women do stupid things before they get married who is to actually say what either one of these women agreed to. Is anyone really around their friends 24-7 to know what they truley would or wouldn't do. I mean come on no one knows ALL of your secrets. So I can't say that that was or wasn't the case. This is just my opinion that doesn't have to be read or agreed with but felt I owed it to myself to state this. Sorry if it affended anyone. Not meant to.
The jury was charged with determining whether the state had met its burden of proof at trial. You give yourself the tougher, some would say impossible, task of determining if Foster is guilty or innocent, something no American jury is asked to do.
Elizabeth,
Not quite. I give myself the task of determining whether the person scheduled to die has a reasonable possibility of being factually innocent. If I determine, in my mind, that the person might be innocent, I will oppose the execution. Depending on the circumstances I may make my opposition known to the appropriate Governor or clemency board. If I find no chance of factual innocence, I stand mute regarding the propriety of the execution.
I am not opposing or supporting the death penalty. I am opposing the imprisonment and execution of innocent people.
In a few cases where I am convinced a person is wrongfully imprisoned (even if not facing execution), I expend hours, months, and even years to help free the person.
Who by water, who by fire and who by lethal injection. On Rosh HaShana it is written and some folks don't even make it to Yom Kipper before it is sealed.
The big regret on many of these folks reproduce prior toeing taken out of circulation. Cleve has a son who been terrorized and traumatized by tow parents and is a set up for being a dangerous violent criminal as theorized by criminologist Lonnie Athens (The Creation of Dangerous Violent Criminals). This episode (the execution of his father) will not help to humanize him or others his life has impacted. It is so sad that kids are damaged in pregnancy by maternal substance abuse and then born into and remain in a family that is criminally and abusive.
Cleve, I would not wish execution on anyone or on any country. I hope that if this goes through this time your passing is painless and relatively anxiety free. To the family I am sorry that Rick Perry is out of control and that his is going to be painful. The only solace I can see in this is that the anticipation and anxiety may resolve and the grieving can begin
DANEgerus said...
For a death penalty opponent you present a very unbiased evaluation. I am impressed.
If it is any consolation, for every execution 3-18 lives are saved, through the deterrent effect of such executions.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/18/us/18deter.html?pagewanted=all
Why the hell is Rick Perry "Out of control?" He is doing his job, upholding the will of the people of Texas (70% of Texans are pro death penalty). Foster has been found guilt by a jury of his peers, and is going to suffer the consequences of his actions. If you want to blame someone, leave Perry alone and blame the one who is responsible. FOSTER!!!!! He chose to be where he is. His actions placed him on death row, not someone else.
Cleve Foster is an absolute liar and did not give Rachel a stay of execution the night he raped and murdered her. Rachel was a wonderful young woman that I knew in college. She had big plans for her life that did not include an idiot like Cleve Foster. For someone so ready to kill people, he sure is scared to die himself! I hope the Suprme Court will give these families some closure and am sick of their decision today!
So, I have a slightly different question in this matter. Why did the criminal justice system allow Ward, an admitted murderer, to live another ten years? Ridiculous.
Justice should be swift and Gov't employees should get to work!
Who allowed these degenerate losers into a country club? Even for an evening?
We have much higher standards back East.
- A woman disappears, leaving her car doors unlocked, her cell phone on the front seat and turns up dead 8 hours later.
- The last 2 people seen with the woman both left traces of semen on her body.
- Neither one of the 2 suspects is able to provide a credible account of what happened. Foster changes his story 5 times.
- The best explanation Foster can give for his semen being on the woman's body (1 of 5 different stories), is that his friend had this woman arouse him with oral sex, then ride him while he slept. This after giving him extra sleeping pills, so he would pass out because he wanted to take the truck.
I'm siding with the jury on this one.
I would think that the hardest thing about the death penalty is the final moments leading up to it. If so, this man gets to receive his punishment multiple times. Maybe God had something to do with that.
My hart goes out to both victim's families.
As a college friend of Rachel's, I can absolutely guarantee that the claim of consensual sex between the three of them is a bald-faced lie. Knowing Rachel's character, I would be skeptical to hear she had had consensual sex with even her fiance prior to marriage. If you'll go back to the investigation reports as well, the police did find evidence of rape in Rachel's case. So whether or not this guy "pulled the trigger" or not, he is at least guilty of rape and indirectly responsible for at least one young woman's death.
These murderous scumbags all deserve to die. They kill people and then beg society to spare their lives. It makes me sick. I say good riddance to the scumbag. If a man desires sex with a female, it should always be consensual, never forced. This scumbag not only forced her to have sex against her will but took her life afterwards. I hope he burns in hell forever.
Foster received 3rd stay of execution by the Supreme Court with indefinite time-table for appeal consideration.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/20/us-texas-executions-idUSTRE78J6WM20110920
Sometimes the "quiet innocent" types are the most wild sexually. I understand that on Rachel's bed, DNA from four different men was found including male pubic hairs. It doesn't prove that she was wild and, I'm not saying it is bad but that maybe people didn't know Rachel as well as they thought.
I am sympathetic to Rachel's family but the Uronsky's appear or are being portrayed by the press as the most blood thirsty people one could imagine. I pray for them as they do not follow the teachings of Jesus Christ our savior.
I no Cleve is guilty he was active duty and got put out for pulling a knife and threating a cashier while trying to rob him. I seen him abuse women i know him since 1987 the girl that had abortion was threaten and his temper when you didnt do what he wanted was bad I not God but with him gone women will be safer. and for all who thinks he such a nice guy just watch your back. Cleve can not stand it when a woman has more status them him like I had during the time we served together. and i still in the Army been 31 years and still going.
...Beyond a shadow of a doubt...if you're going to execute someone.
Be careful of the company you keep.
Guilty.
" DNA testing absolutely identified Foster as a contributor of the semen in her vagina, and identified Ward as possibly a minor contributor. DNA testing also identified Ward as the contributor of semen in Pal's rectum."
He was there and she is dead ? DNA doesn't lie . Both were seen at the bar with her then following her from the bar . How can you even THINK he could be innocent people ? He was there rather he pulled the trigger or not.
You mean a man can be asleep and still get an erection and ejaculate? What a lie....
I say get it over with already... His time is LONG overdue!
I guess his semen magically jumped into her (the victim's)vagina. The other suspect's semen magically appeared in her anus. And then to top it off, she shot herself, and then walked to the place she was found. To sum it all up.....
SO LONG SARGE !
Whether he killed these women or not, he was there, and forced sex upon them and rode with an admitted killer. He could have stoppped it, suposing he didn't kill them himself. Either way, he let those women die. Don't let the door hit you on the way out buddy. Those women didn't get three extra chances. Be a man and own up to it. Do us a favor and leave our world.
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Dear Skeptical Juror,
Cleve Foster is dead now. The article is here: http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Texas-executes-ex-Army-recruiter-after-3-reprieves-3893510.php
anonymous writer.
this is what i am getting from many posters;
"When these guys were jerking off privately she sneaked in and collected their semen and put on her vagina. To make matters worse for these innocent fellows she stole one of their guns and shoot herself"
this is what makes a lot of sense to most posters.
I was a juror in the Foster trial. One of 9 men and 3 women. Many of the folks on the jury had a military backround as did Mr. Foster. I have been following this website and the Foster appeals process for many years. I did not want to post anything until after the process was over and it is not my intent to get into a debate about it. However, I assure you that everyone on the jury took their responsibilities very seriously and that there was no doubt in anyone's mind that he was a material participant in both of these murders. After the trial I met the family of one of his victims. They were very decent people who simply wanted justice done for their daughter. I hope now that it is over the victims families can get closure and that Mr. Foster is in the place that God intended for him.
Thank you for the wonderful letter. I am sure that you took your job very seriously. It must be hard to vote to kill someone even if they are guilty. I pray that God forgives all who kill, eespecially jurors who are doing their duty according to the laws of man.
If you would answer, what part did the two people had to carry Mary Pal play in the conviction?
As I said I really don't want to discuss the specifics of the case however I can tell you that whether one or two people carried the body was not a significant factor in guilt or innocence. The jury recognized that a strong person (regardless of his or her size) is capable of carrying an amount far in excess of their individual body weight. I myself can carry significantly more than my body weight.
I oppose the death penalty, but am no fan of Foster. Nevertheless, so far as the murder of "Pal" is concerned, there just wasn't enough evidence to convict, much less impose the death sentence. The only thing one could be fairly certain of is that Foster knew more about the murder than he let on.
I'm surprised the ostenibly intelligent author of this blog accepts uncritically the absurd suggestion that a man passed out on sleeping pills after a night of drinking could have left semen in the victim. That's just preposterous. Obviously, Foster had sex with the victim, so you have to wonder why he lied about it. However disturbing this is, it isn't conclusive evidence he was involved in Pal's murder.
Based on the information here, it would seem that Foster almost certainly raped Urnosky and either witnessed or participated in her murder. This makes it more likely that he may have been involved in the Pal murder, and that perhaps the psychiatrist who thought Foster had the makings of a serial killer may have been on to something.
I'd say the skeptical juror's characterization of this case as a nightmare scenario for a conscientious juror is spot on. Foster was almost certainly a very dangerous man and he probably raped and killed Urnosky.However, the prosecution most certsinly did not meet the burden of proof to convict, much less to impose the death sentence in the Pal case
"Executions in the US are confined to the most serious, heinous, and disturbing crimes. The US is so cautious about who it puts to death "
I have to wonder then why were so many people exonnerated and continue to be from death row? A lot of these men freed were minorities and as one myself, I always have in the back of my mind that this could happen to me.
I believe in justice like any decent person and I also beileve that both tha victims and their families deserve it. However, when there is a SHRED of doubt regarding the guilt of the convicted, the execution should not proceed.
Was Foster a chiorboy? Absolutely not. In fact, he was a scumbag. However, you can't exceute someone for being a scumbag. Yes, he was there, but as mentioned, there was simply not enough to convict him for murder.
I was 14 at the time Mary died. I stayed up all night waiting for her to come home with a jumbo jack with cheese and curly fries as she always did for me. Mary came to the US as a refugee from Sudan. She worked hard went to school and stayed out of trouble only looking to accomplish her goals for a better life. When those two pieces of shit took Mary's life they didn't think anyone cared for her and loved her. She had 8 younger siblings at home who loved her dearly. It hurts me to see the journalist and others on here make Rachel seem so innocent but not Mary. She was as innocent as could be. Soft spoken and even losing her virginity that night because two white pieces of shit thought they could do as they pleased and get away with it. I wished Foster and Ward would have lived the rest of their worthless lives suffering in prison cause death is too easy. I hope they're burning in hell as they deserve to be. May Mary's soul rest in peace.
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Home > Facts > Animal Facts > Saola Facts
Saola Facts
Saola is a recently discovered species of large mammals. Scientific community heard about saola for the first time in 1992. This unique-looking animal lives only in the forests on the border of north-central Vietnam and Laos. Saola is also known as Asian unicorn because it is rarely seen in the nature and people sometimes think of saola like it is an imagined creature. Saola prefers life in dense forests that have good supply of running water (near the riverbanks). Although not much is known about saola, it is listed as critically endangered species due to accelerated habitat loss and hunt. Horns of saola are collected as a trophy while other parts of its body serve as ingredients in folk medicine.
Interesting Saola Facts:
Saola is a large animal that looks like antelope, but it is more closely related to bovine family. It can reach 59 to 77 inches in length and weight between 176 and 220 pounds.
Both males and females have long, sharp, parallel positioned horns that can reach 20 inches in length.
Body of saola is covered with red, brown or dark black fur. It has short, tricolored tail: brown at the top, beige in the middle and black at the end.
Saola is so specific in its appearance and behavior, that the whole new order has been created just for this animal.
Saola's skin is thick and it prevents serious injuries when two saolas collide during fight for females or territory.
Saola is herbivore (plant-eating animal). It eats fig leaves and other plant material (seeds, fruit and berries) that can be found near the riverbanks.
Saola is diurnal (active during the day) animal. It is the most active during morning and later in the afternoon.
Since saola shares its habitat with tigers and crocodiles, these species are considered to be its worst enemies.
Saola is usually solitary animal. They sometimes gather in herds of up to 7 animals.
Males are territorial. They roam over larger areas compared to females. Saolas use sticky, smelly substance produced in the maxillary gland to mark borders of their territory.
Saola migrate during the year from lowland forests toward the alpine mountains because of the lack of water and food.
Mating season of saola overlaps with season of monsoons. It takes place from February to March in Vietnam, and from April to June in Laos.
Pregnancy lasts between 8 and 9 months and ends with one baby (calf). Little is known about reproductive behavior of the saolas.
Scientists believe that saola lives between 8 and 11 years in the wild.
All information about saola was collected by observing 13 captive animals. Unfortunately, soala cannot survive long period in captivity and all except two captured animals died within the short period of time.
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Privacy Sweet Sardinia
Sweet-sardinia, LLC, with its affiliates and its subsidiaries (collectively, “Sweet-sardinia”, “us”, “our” or “we”), owns, operates, or provides access to, several interactive websites, mobile and connected applications, and other online interactive features and services, including, but not limited to, emails, newsletters, chat areas, forums, communities, sweepstakes and contests (collectively “Services”). This Privacy Policy applies to all information collected about you by Sweet-sardinia, regardless of how it is collected or stored, and describes, among other things, the types of information collected about you when you interact with the Services, how your information may be used, when your information may be disclosed, how you can control the use and disclosure of your information, and how your information is protected.
Except as otherwise noted in this Privacy Policy, Sweet-sardinia is a data controller (as that term is used under the EU General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”)), which means that we decide how and why the information you provide to us is processed. Contact details are provided in Section 17 below. This Policy may be amended or updated from time to time to reflect changes in our practices with respect to the Processing of your information, or changes in applicable law. We encourage you to read this Policy carefully, and to regularly check this page to review any changes we might make.
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Sweet-sardinia and/or certain third parties may collect information about you for online behavioral advertising purposes in order for you to receive relevant interest-based advertising on the Services and on other websites, platforms and media channels. We use Online Data as well as other User Information to send you online behavioral ads. Online Data is aggregated with the Other Information and data we collect and/or similar data collected by partners to create groups of users and certain general-interest categories or segments that we have inferred. We use this information to get a more accurate picture of audience interests in order to serve ads we believe are more relevant to your interests.
Sweet-sardinia and its partners may use cookies and other tracking technologies to analyze trends, administer Services, track users’ movements around the Services and on third party sites, devices and applications, and to gather demographic information about our user base. You can control the use of cookies at the individual browser level, but if you choose to disable cookies, it may limit your use of certain features or functions on the Services. To manage Flash cookies, please click here. Please see our Cookie Policy for more information, including a more in-depth explanation of what cookies are, the different types of cookies used on the Services, and how to change or delete them.
Tracking technologies on the Services may be deployed by Sweet-sardinia and/or by our service providers or partners. Certain tracking technologies enable us to assign a unique identifier to you, and relate information about your use of the Services to other information about you, including your User Information. We may match information collected from you through different means or at different times and use such information along with offline and online information obtained from other sources (including from third parties), including, but not limited to, demographic information and updated contact information, for the purposes of learning more about you so we can provide you with relevant content and advertising.
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Sweet-sardinia displays ads on both the Services and on the Channels. We may use Online Data as well as other User Information to send you OBA. For example, if you read an article about a particular subject on the Services, we may use cookies from a vendor to later serve you an advertisement for a particular product or service related to the viewed article. These third party vendors may connect information about pages you visit on the Services with information about pages you visit on other Channels and show you advertising based on this combined information. These advertisements may appear when you are visiting a different section of the Services or on another Channel. Likewise, third party vendors may serve you advertisements when you visit the Services based on your interaction with the Services and other Channels.
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Sweet-sardinia and some of our advertisers may use third party advertising service companies to serve advertisements, for OBA or otherwise, and perform related services when you interact with the Services. Often, these third party advertising companies employ cookies and other technologies to measure the effectiveness of website, app and email advertisements and to create a record of interaction with our content that they use in conjunction with their advertising which appears on other sites or applications, or for reporting website traffic, app use, statistics, advertisement data and/or other activities on the Services. We also engage third party providers to assist with the segmentation of this data.
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Because of the international nature of our business, we may need to transfer your User Information within the Sweet-sardinia group of companies, and to third parties as noted in Section 9 above, in connection with the purposes set out in this Policy. For this reason, we may transfer your User Information to other countries that may have different laws and data protection compliance requirements to those that apply in the country in which you are located.
Sweet-sardinia participate in and have certified its compliance with the E.U.-U.S. Privacy Shield Framework and the Swiss-U.S. Privacy Shield Framework. Sweet-sardinia is committed to subjecting all Personal Information received from European Union (E.U.) member countries and Switzerland, in reliance on the Privacy Shield Framework, to the Framework’s applicable principles. To learn more about the Privacy Shield Framework, please visit the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Privacy Shield List. Sweet-sardinia is responsible for the processing of Personal Information it receives under the Privacy Shield Framework and subsequent transfers to a third party acting as an agent on its behalf. Sweet-sardinia complies with the Privacy Shield principles for all onward transfers of Personal Information from the E.U. and Switzerland, including the onward transfer liability provisions. With respect to Personal Information received or transferred pursuant to the Privacy Shield Framework, Sweet-sardinia is subject to the regulatory enforcement powers of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. In certain situations, Sweet-sardinia may be required to disclose Personal Information in response to lawful requests by public authorities, including to meet national security or law enforcement requirements. If you are a European individual with a privacy related complaint, concern or question about Sweet-sardinia’ privacy practices, please contact us by writing to [email protected] (must include “Privacy Policy” in the subject line) and we will respond within a reasonable time after receiving your request. Under certain conditions, more fully described on the Privacy Shield website, European individuals may invoke binding arbitration when other dispute resolution procedures have been exhausted.
Sweet-sardinia privacy practices described in this Privacy Policy comply with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (“APEC”) Cross Border Privacy Rules System. To learn more about this program, please click here.
We take every reasonable step to ensure that your User Information is only retained for as long as they are needed. Online Data related to OBA is kept by Sweet-sardinia for not more than 180 days after which it will expire, subject to certain conditions.
Except as may be set forth in this Privacy Policy, Online Data related to OBA is retained by Sweet-sardinia for not more than 180 days after which it shall expire. However, the 180 day period may commence again if the same user subsequently visits or interacts with an ad, email, the Services or a Channel.
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Amazing Coloring Pages
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Hapag-Lloyd looks ahead
Hapag-Lloyd ended the third quarter of 2014 with a positive operating result of EUR 33.1 million. “Although it is a first step in the right direction, we are not satisfied with the result. We are, however, on a good path,” said Rolf Habben Jansen, Chief Executive Officer of Hapag-Lloyd.
Alongside the expected synergies of USD 300 million from the combination with CSAV’s container business, Hapag-Lloyd is also using a comprehensive optimization package to face the continuing challenges of the market and the competition. At the centre of this are targeted measures to further cut costs, but also optimization of sales. In addition to this package, the Company is preparing for the planned integration of Chilean shipping company CSAV’s container business. As soon as all relevant antitrust authorities have approved the transaction, CSAV’s container business will be integrated into the Hapag-Lloyd Group. Closing is expected to occur in the coming weeks.
In the first nine months of 2014, Hapag-Lloyd had a transport volume of 4.3 million TEU, a year-on-year increase of around 6%. Despite this increase in transport volume, transport expenses fell by EUR 46 million to EUR 4.33 billion. At 1,432 USD/TEU, the average freight rate was down almost 5% on the previous year’s figure. Revenue totalled EUR 4.9 billion, a fall of 2.5% compared to the previous year. This was due to a weak US dollar, in addition to the low freight rate. Adjusted for exchange rate effects, revenue remained stable. Hapag-Lloyd reports an EBITDA of EUR 178.6 million for the first nine months of 2014 (previous year: EUR 305.4 million). The operating result came to EUR -40.6 million (previous year: EUR 80.4 million) and resulted largely from the freight rates, which fell again sharply in 2014. The Group net result came to EUR -224.0 million (previous year: EUR -56.1 million).
“We expect 2015 to be yet another challenging year. But we all have good reason to look ahead with optimism. With CSAV’s container business, Hapag-Lloyd will become the fourth-largest liner shipping company in the world. In addition to our market leadership in the North Atlantic, together we will also become one of the leading providers in the attractive North–South trades,” continued Habben Jansen.
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Cheap Car Hire Holland
Compare Car Rental Holland
Best Holland Car Hire Companies
The kingdom of Holland was formed in the year 1806 to 1810 by Napoleon Bonaparte as a marionette kingdom for his younger brother so as to control the Netherlands properly. The kingdom was however dissolved in the year 1810 to form the present Netherlands excluding some areas such as Limburg, Zeeland and East Frisia which is currently Germany. The kingdom of Holland is a founding member of the EU and borders Germany, Belgium and the North Sea.
The people of Holland are commonly referred as the Dutch including the language they speak and their culture. Holland is a monarchy and is divided into 12 provinces, and even though it?s quite a small country, there is a vast diversity in these provinces and also plenty of language and cultural differences. The country has nine major cities and several others that are great tourist sites. As of 2009 the state had a population of slightly above 16.5 million people, with Amsterdam as its capital city. Holland was among the first countries that had an elected parliament.
Being an affiliate of the Schengen Agreement, the country exercises no border controls for all the other countries that have signed and implemented this agreement. One can get to the state by use of a plane through the Schiphol Airport that is close to Amsterdam, the train, car or bus. Holland has very good road conditions and it would be valuable to hire a vehicle to enable you to enjoy your stay in the country. There are a great number of companies that render these services, and like in most countries, there are rules while driving and it would prove to do a quantity of research on this before choosing car hire in Holland. There are some websites that make this information easily accessible, amongst which anycarhire.com will also help you get a price comparison and book before you travel.
While there, you can enjoy the crazy football that is held after each two years as well as make a stopover at several places such as the Vodka museum where you are given a private director to walk you all the way through the museum and explain more about Vodka. There is also the Delta works in South Holland, the theater from the World War II, the Ann Frank Haus and the Van Gogh Museum.
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Expanded Choreography [ Barcelona]
social choreography
Expanded Choreography. Situations, Movements, Objects… :: March 29-31, 2012 :: Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA), Plaça dels Àngels, 1 08001, Barcelona, Spain.
In the last few years the term ‘choreography’ has been used in an ever-expanding sense, becoming synonymous with specific structures and strategies disconnected from subjectivist bodily expression, style and representation. Accordingly, the meaning of choreography has transformed from referring to a set of protocols or tools used in order to produce something predetermined, i.e. a dance, to an open cluster of tools that can be used in a generic capacity for both analysis and production.
Choreography is today emancipating itself from dance, engaging in a vibrant process of articulation. Choreographers are experimenting with new models of production, alternative formats have enlarged the understanding of social choreography considerably and are mobilizing innovative frontiers in respect of self-organization, empowerment, and autonomy. Simultaneously we have seen a number of exhibitions concerned with choreography often placed in a tension between movement, situation and objects. Choreography needs to redefine itself in order to include artists and others who use choreographic strategies without necessarily relating them to dance. At the same time, it needs to remain inclusive of choreographers involved in practices such as engineering situations, organization, social choreography and movements as well as expanding towards cinematic strategies, documentary and documentation and rethinking publication, exhibition, display, mediatization, production and post-production.
In short, choreography is currently experiencing a veritable revolution. Aesthetically, it is turning away from established notions of dance with its strong association with skill and craft, to instead establish autonomous discourses that override causalities between conceptualization, production, expression, and representation. At the same time it is gaining momentum on a political level as it is placed in the middle of a society to a large degree organized around movement, subjectivity and immaterial exchange. Choreography is not a priori performative, nor is it bound to expression and reiteration of subjectivity, it is becoming an expanded practice, a practice that in and of itself is political.
The three days conference is dedicated to choreography but will include participants from the fields of visual art, art history, performance studies, cultural studies, dance and philosophy. A series of lectures will be alternated with conversations, discussions, panels and coffee-breaks. The participants will experience the exhibition Retrospective by Xavier Le Roy at the Fundació Tàpies as well as other significant works. The intent of the conference is to introduce different perspectives and locate a departure point for a discourse particular to choreography as an expanded practice, away from artistic research and into other worlds.
With Bojana Cvejić, Dorothea von Hantelmann, Graham Harman, Ana Janevski, André Lepecki, Xavier Le Roy, Maria Lind, Isabel de Naverán, Luciana Parisi, Goran Sergej Pristaš, Mårten Spångberg, Francisco Tirado, Christophe Wavelet and others.
The conference will result in a major anthology.
An event organized by the Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA), the University of Dance and Circus Stockholm, the Fundació Antoni Tàpies and the Mercat de les Flors, with the support of the Swedish Research Council and the Swedish Arts Grants Committee, on the occasion of the exhibition Retrospective by Xavier Le Roy at the Fundació Antoni Tàpies. Devised by Mårten Spångberg.
MACBA Auditorium. Free admission. Limited seating
For further information write to: programespublics [at] macba.cat
Venues: MACBA, Fundació Antoni Tàpies, Mercat de les Flors
Image: © Xavier Le Roy, 2012. © Fundació Antoni Tàpies, Barcelona. Photo: © Linda Valdés, 2012. Published under a CC BY-NC-SA license.
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Italy drops Albanian man’s murder extradition request
by Toplica | Jun 23, 2010 | English, News | 0 comments
“Italian authorities have dropped a bid to extradite a man for murder after admitting they had “got the wrong man”.” (BBC)
“Fingerprint analysis confirmed Mr Arapi did not murder Castillo Marcello. ” (BBC)
“UKIP West Midlands MEP Mike Nattrass says the ongoing nightmare endured by Edmond Arapi shows the European Arrest Warrant system is flawed and should be suspended pending a thorough enquiry.” (UKIP)
“Mr Arapi was arrested at Gatwick Airport on a European Arrest Warrant in June last year as he returned from a month-long holiday in Albania with his wife Georgina, whom he married in 2006. His extradition was ordered in March by a district judge at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.” (The Press Association)
“Mr Arapi went to the High Court in London on Tuesday to fight against extradition. The 29-year-old Albanian chef, who lives in Leek, Staffordshire, knew nothing about the trial and said he had an alibi.
Lawyers for the Italian government said they were withdrawing the extradition request after conceding that Mr Arapi was the victim of stolen identity.” (The Press Association)
Mr Arapi’s “lawyers are hoping to secure compensation for a chef who was finally cleared of murder after being convicted in his absence by an Italian court.” (This is Staffordshire)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/stoke_and_staffordshire/10320814.stm
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5iu-6Ia6uAaV5En7Xs8kkUtVYbZlg
http://www.ukip.org/content/latest-news/1700-stop-eaw-nightmare-says-nattrass
http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/news/Justice-chef-verdict-quashed/article-2312820-detail/article.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/7841080/Staffordshire-chef-mistakenly-arrested-for-Italy-murder-speaks-of-ordeal.html
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USA.com / Florida / Miami-Dade County / Medley, FL
Basic InfoPopulation/RacesIncome/CareersHousingEducationCrime/Crime RateOthers
Medley is located in southeast Florida. Medley is part of Miami-Dade County. Medley has 4.73 square miles of land area and 1.17 square miles of water area. As of 2010-2014, the total Medley population is 940, which has shrunk 14.39% since 2000. The population growth rate is much lower than the state average rate of 21.14% and is much lower than the national average rate of 11.61%. Medley median household income is $28,355 in 2010-2014 and has grown by 22.39% since 2000. The income growth rate is about the same as the state average rate of 21.62% and is lower than the national average rate of 27.36%. Medley median house value is $36,300 in 2010-2014 and has grown by -49.51% since 2000. The house value growth rate is much lower than the state average rate of 48.06% and is much lower than the national average rate of 46.91%. As a reference, the national Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation rate for the same period is 26.63%. On average, the public school district that covers Medley is worse than the state average in quality.
Population Growth -14.39% since 2000, rank #716
Median House Price: $36,300 at 2010-2014—-49.51% increase since 2000, rank #886
Water Area: 1.17 sq mi (19.86%), rank #176
Area: Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL
Accommodations: Medley Hotels
Fastest / Slowest Growing Cities in FL
High / Low FL Cities by Males Employed
High / Low FL Cities by Females Employed
Best / Worst Cities by Crime Rate in FL
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Expensive / Cheapest Homes by City in FL
Most / Least Educated Cities in FL
Medley, FL Map, Border, and Nearby Locations
Crime and Crime Rate
Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Pompano Beach Area
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Hope Dims for Survivors of N. Zealand Quake
New Zealand rescuers refused to give up the hunt for quake survivors on Thursday, despite hope fading for hundreds feared trapped two days after a disaster that has killed nearly 100.
Emergency officials gave the grim news that they could find no signs of life in the wreckage of office towers, churches and homes after the 6.3-magnitude tremor laid waste to central Christchurch and some of its suburbs.
“All over the world when we see disasters like this, we see miracle stories of people being pulled out, days and in some cases weeks after the event,” Prime Minister John Key told TV3.
“That does not mean that there can’t and won’t be people trapped in buildings,” he said. “We can’t give up hope, but we also need to be realistic.”
Police said 98 bodies had been retrieved from the rubble and 226 people were listed as missing. “We’re gravely concerned about those individuals,” district commander Dave Cliff told reporters.
Rescuers ruled out anyone being found alive at the collapsed CTV building, which housed a TV station and a busy language school for foreign students, and where as many as 120 people may have perished.
They also abandoned hope of finding survivors at Christchurch’s landmark cathedral, which lost its spire and where up to 22 people could be buried.
Police released the first names of quake victims, listing four people including two babies aged five months and nine months.
But police insisted hundreds of search specialists including foreign teams, with sniffer dogs, purpose-built cameras and listening devices, were still focused on finding survivors, some 24 hours after last finding anyone alive.
“It’s possible in some cases there may be people trapped in the rubble,” Cliff said.
“If people are alive and trapped we’re doing everything humanly possible, with a huge range of people from right around the world, who are focused on that possibility.”
Hundreds crowded Christchurch’s airport, desperate for a flight out of the city of 390,000.
“It’s crazy, nerve-wracking, my nerves are just… I’ve just been shaking all day, I haven’t eaten,” said Vanessa Burgess, who was camped out at the terminal with her two young children.
Australian, British, American, Taiwanese and Singaporean teams are helping about 500 New Zealand rescuers comb several sites and fan out to devastated suburbs.
Up to 30 people were rescued on the first night but only a handful emerged from the wreckage on Wednesday.
Managing to get through to the Seven Network on her mobile phone, Anne Vos had gripped millions of TV viewers with her account of being trapped in the mangled Pyne Gould office building before she was rescued late Wednesday.
“I’m hoping they are going to get me out soon because I have been here for so long and it’s dark and horrible,” Vos, who was recovering in hospital Thursday, had said.
Police Minister Judith Collins said she had seen one corpse retrieved from the Pyne Gould building on Thursday.
“It was just a scene of utter devastation, I’ve never seen anything like it,” Collins said of the wrecked central business district.
“If you saw it on a movie screen you would have thought somebody was just making it up, it was so bad.”
The language school based in the six-storey CTV building, which was razed to the ground, said 48 students and staff were missing or unaccounted for, listing a further 42 as “status unknown”.
The majority of the students were Asian, with Japan’s foreign ministry saying at least 26 of its citizens who had attended the school were missing.
“This is not just New Zealand’s tragedy, it is an international tragedy that is touching the lives of thousands around the world,” New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully said.
Japanese search-and-rescue experts were on the scene and combing the CTV site in the shadow of the listing, 26-storey Grand Chancellor Hotel, Christchurch’s tallest building, which is at risk of collapse.
Power has been restored to much of the city, but many people remain without water. Thousands of residents, rattled by numerous minor shocks in recent months, have fled to stay with friends and relatives elsewhere.
Hundreds of homeless people are staying at one city shelter, while officials organised a food hand-out in one of the damaged suburbs.
Christchurch was hit by a major 7.0-magnitude earthquake in September, which damaged 100,000 buildings but miraculously caused no deaths. New Zealand has not suffered such a disaster since 256 people died in a 1931 quake.
Filed under: Our World
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Printed from: www.TheConnollyRetirementGroup.com
529 Lesson Plan: High Scores for 529 College Savings Program
Looking for a tax-advantaged college savings plan that has no age restrictions and no income phaseout limits — and one you can use to pay for more than just tuition?
Consider the 529 college savings plan, an increasingly popular way to save for higher-education expenses, which have more than tripled over the past two decades — with annual costs (for tuition and fees, and room and board) of more than $48,510 per year for the average private four-year college.1 Named after the section of the tax code that authorized them, 529 plans (also known as qualified tuition plans) are now offered in almost every state.
Most people have heard about the original form of 529, the state-operated prepaid tuition plan, which allows you to purchase units of future tuition at today's rates, with the plan assuming the responsibility of investing the funds to keep pace with inflation. Many state governments guarantee that the cost of an equal number of units of education in the sponsoring state will be covered, regardless of investment performance or the rate of tuition increase. Of course, each state plan has a different mix of rules and restrictions. Prepaid tuition programs typically will pay future college tuition at any of the sponsoring state's eligible colleges and universities (and some will pay an equal amount to private and out-of-state institutions).
The other type of 529 is the savings plan. It's similar to an investment account, but the funds accumulate tax deferred. Withdrawals from state-sponsored 529 plans are free of federal income tax as long as they are used for qualified college expenses. Many states also exempt withdrawals from state income tax for qualified higher education expenses. Unlike the case with prepaid tuition plans, contributions can be used for all qualified higher-education expenses (tuition, fees, books, equipment and supplies, room and board), and the funds usually can be used at all accredited post-secondary schools in the United States. The risk with these plans is that investments may lose money or may not perform well enough to cover college costs as anticipated.
In most cases, 529 savings plans place investment dollars in a mix of funds based on the age of the beneficiary, with account allocations becoming more conservative as the time for college draws closer. But recently, more states have contracted professional money managers — many well-known investment firms — to actively manage and market their plans, so a growing number of investors can customize their asset allocations. Some states enable account owners to qualify for a deduction on their state tax returns or receive a small match on the money invested. Earnings from 529 plans are not taxed when used to pay for eligible college expenses. And there are even consumer-friendly reward programs that allow people who purchase certain products and services to receive rebate dollars that go into state-sponsored college savings accounts.
Funds contributed to a 529 plan are considered to be gifts to the beneficiary, so anyone — even non-relatives — can contribute up to $15,000 per year in 2019 per beneficiary without incurring gift tax consequences. Contributions can be made in one lump sum or in monthly installments. And assets contributed to a 529 plan are not considered part of the account owner's estate, therefore avoiding estate taxes upon the owner's death.
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 allows distributions from 529 plans to be used to pay up to a total of $10,000 of tuition per beneficiary (regardless of the number of contributing plans) each year at an elementary or secondary (k-12) public, private or religious school of the beneficiary’s choosing.
Major benefits
These savings plans generally allow people of any income level to contribute, and there are no age limits for the student. The account owner can maintain control of the account until funds are withdrawn — and, if desired, can even change the beneficiary as long as he or she is within the immediate family of the original beneficiary. A 529 plan is also extremely simple when it comes to tax reporting — the sponsoring state, not you, is responsible for all income tax record keeping. At the end of the year when the withdrawal is made for college, you will receive Form 1099 from the state, and there is only one figure to enter on it: the amount of income to report on the student's tax return.
Benefits for grandparents
The 529 plan could be a great way for grandparents to shelter inheritance money from estate taxes and contribute substantial amounts to a student's college fund. At the same time, they also control the assets and can retain the power to control withdrawals from the account. By accelerating use of the annual gift tax exclusion, a grandparent — as well as anyone, for that matter — could elect to use five years' worth of annual exclusions by making a single contribution of as much as $75,000 per beneficiary in 2019 (or a couple could contribute $150,000 in 2019), as long as no other contributions are made for that beneficiary for five years. If the account owner dies, the 529 plan balance is not considered part of his or her estate for tax purposes. (If the donor makes the five-year election and dies during the five-year calendar period, part of the contribution could revert back to the donor's estate.)
As with other investments, there are generally fees and expenses associated with participation in a Section 529 savings plan. In addition, there are no guarantees regarding the performance of the underlying investments in 529 plans. The tax implications of a 529 savings plan should be discussed with your legal and/or tax advisors because they can vary significantly from state to state. Also note that most states offer their own 529 plans, which may provide advantages and benefits exclusively for their residents and taxpayers. These other state benefits may include financial aid, scholarship funds, and protection from creditors.
Before investing in a 529 savings plan, please consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses carefully. The official disclosure statements and applicable prospectuses — which contain this and other information about the investment options, underlying investments, and investment company — can be obtained by contacting your financial professional. You should read these materials carefully before investing.
By comparing different plans, you can determine which might be available for your situation. You may find that 529 programs make saving for college easier than before.
Sources: 1) The College Board, 2018
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Rocket Strikes Site of Foreign Oil Firms in Iraqi City Basra
by TheTower.org Staff | 06.19.19 4:12 pm
A rocket was fired at the headquarters of global oil companies, including U.S. energy giant ExxonMobil, near Iraq’s southern city of Basra early on Wednesday, raising alarm amid rising tensions between the United States and Iran.
The rocket targeted the headquarters of the Iraqi Drilling Company in the Burjesia site west of the city, according to a company spokesperson. Burjesia is also used as a base by Royal Dutch Shell PLC and Eni.
A second rocket that landed in a nearby area did not explode. Three Iraqi workers were wounded in the attack, local police said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
However, an Iraqi security source said it appeared that Iranian-sponsored militia groups in southern Iraq were behind the Basra incident. “According to our sources, the team (that launched the rocket) is made up of more than one group and were well trained in missile launching,” he explained.
The mayor of the nearby town of Zubair, Abbas Maher, said he believed “groups linked to regional powers,” a reference to Iran, had hit ExxonMobil to “send a message” to the United States.
“We cannot separate this from regional developments, meaning the U.S.-Iranian conflict,” Maher observed. “These incidents have political objectives (…) it seems some sides did not like the return of Exxon staff.”
The attack was one of several such incidents in the past week on Iraqi bases housing U.S. military personnel. Three Katyusha rockets were fired at the Taji joint U.S.-Iraqi base north of Baghdad, while another rocket hit a U.S.-Iraqi training base in the city of Mosul late on Tuesday.
Last month, a rocket was fired into Baghdad’s Green Zone in the first such attack since September 2018, when three mortar shells landed in an abandoned lot inside the heavily fortified government district.
The rocket was believed to have been fired from east Baghdad – an area controlled by Iranian-sponsored militia forces. The Katyusha rocket exploded near the statue of the Unknown Soldier, less than one mile from the U.S. Embassy.
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http://www.yissum.co.il/overview
Home > About > Overview
Yissum is the technology transfer company of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Founded in 1964, it is the 3rd company of its kind ever created, and has a rich tradition of innovation and commercialization. Through our efforts to identify and create breakthrough scientific research at Hebrew University, we aspire to advance commercial solutions to the most pressing global challenges facing humanity.
Some of our well-known spin-off companies include Mobileye, Orcam, Collplant, Qlight, and Briefcam. Yissum’s business partners span the globe and include companies such as Novartis, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Intel, Google, Boston Scientific, ICL and many more.
Since its inception, Yissum has registered 10,000+ patents covering 3,000+ inventions; licensed 950+ technologies and produced 150+ spin-off companies.
Yissum serves as a bridge between cutting-edge academic research and a global community of entrepreneurs, investors, and industry organizations. Yissum’s expertise in innovation, collaboration, and operational excellence supports the commercialization of Hebrew University’s transformational and translational discoveries.
Through our activities, we facilitate:
► Long-term industry-university collaborations through sponsored research, licensing options and master collaborations.
► Start-up creation and support
► Enterprise directed research
► Leverage of government research funds
► Education and training within and outside the university
Nurturing the Early Stages
Yissum believes in nurturing the next generation of entrepreneurs and ideas in their earliest stages. Through our various sponsorship and participation in vehicles dedicated to IDEATION, we support the development of early stage research while providing access to top level education and training, including guidance and feedback from experienced mentors.
Spark HUJI, an affiliate of the Spark Global network, is a biotechnology accelerator focused on personalized medicine, digital health, drug repurposing, and drug reformulations. Spark HUJI, in partnership with the Hebrew University Faculty of Medicine, aims to increase the chances of project commercialization through a global mentorship program, and by leveraging our unique partnership between university and industry experts to create successful product concepts and business models.
HUGROW, an acceleration track of HUstart, supports the development of groundbreaking early stage research at the Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food, and Environment into valuable technological innovations with significant commercial potential. HUGROW prepares entrepreneurs with the necessary material to seek investments for their early stage innovations.
HUJI INNOVATE The Hebrew University Entrepreneurship Center, is a partnership between Yissum, the Hebrew University Faculty of Science, and the University Daniel and Raphael Recanti Jerusalem School of Business Administration. HUJI Innovate provides mentorship and support to Hebrew university students, alumni, faculty members and staff to develop and launch start up ideas. HUJI Innovate guides aspiring entrepreneurs in the basics of translating innovation into commercial ideas. For advanced entrepreneurial teams, HUJI Innovate mentors product launch, funding and growth issues.
Labs/02 is Jerusalem based value-added incubator committed to investing in early stage start-ups in the AI, computer vision, deep learning, autonomic transportation and smart city sectors. It is backed by OurCrowd, Motorola Solutions, Reliance Industries, Israel Innovation Authority, and Yissum.
BioDesign,The Hebrew University medical innovation accelerator is a partnership between Yissum, the Grass Center for Bioengineering, the Jerusalem School of Business Administration and the Hadassah Medical Center. The program creates multidisciplinary groups of medical, engineering and business fellows, providing clinical immersion, market analysis, intellectual property support, prototyping and business plan backing with the intent of guiding the groups to bring medical innovation to the market. BioDesign has launched 7 spinoffs since its inception in 2013, raising over $3 million in investment.
HUnicorns™
Yissum’s HUnicorns™ are a carefully selected small group of Hebrew University spinouts built on transformational scientific breakthroughs which address global problems in remarkably innovative ways – offering solutions that will fundamentally change our tomorrows.
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Home > About Us > Faculty
Kristin Ashley, M.A.T.
Lower School Teacher
Email: kashley@winston-sa.org
Education: Miss Ashley received both her Bachelor of Arts Degree and Master of Arts in Teaching from Trinity University.
Experience: Ms. Ashley teaches a D Core class in our Lower School. Ms. Ashley also sponsors our EarlyAct Club.
Chris Borth, M.Ed.
Athletic Director, Coach
Email: cborth@winston-sa.org
Education: Mr. Borth earned his Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education with an emphasis in Kinesiology from Texas State University; Master of Education with an emphasis in Science Curriculum and Instruction from Concordia University.
Experience: Mr. Borth taught Math and Science at Winston for six years before taking the position of Athletic Director. Prior to coming to Winston, he worked as a teacher and coach for the Northside Independent School District, Lytle Independent School District, and St. James Catholic School. Coach Borth has nearly over 15 years of experience as a teacher and athletic coach.
Robyn Borth, M.Ed.
Middle School Advisor
Email: rborth@winston-sa.org
Education: Mrs. Borth received an Associate’s Degree in Special Education from the University of Great Falls, a Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education from the University of Montana Western, and a Master of Education in Reading Curriculum and Instruction from Grand Canyon University.
Experience: Mrs. Borth teaches Middle School Language Arts and Reading as well as U.S. History and Transitions in our Upper School. Prior to coming to Winston, she taught in both the public and private school sector primarily in the area of special education. Mrs. Borth also serves as Winston’s Cheer Coach and Assistant Track Coach.
Ruth Butler, M.Ed.
Curriculum Coordinator
Email: rbutler@winston-sa.org
Education: Mrs. Butler received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education and Education of the Emotionally Disturbed from Syracuse University and her Master of Education in Learning Disabilities from Boston University.
Experience: Mrs. Butler has been at Winston since 1988, initially teaching Reading, Math, and Language Arts in the Lower School. She now serves primarily as Winston’s Curriculum Coordinator for the Lower and Middle Schools. Prior to coming to Winston, she taught emotionally disturbed and learning disabled students in Massachusetts, Texas, and Pennsylvania.
Mike Canales, M.A.
Upper School Advisor, Interact Sponsor
Email: mcanales@winston-sa.org
Education: Mr. Canales received a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Maryland and a Master of Arts Degree in Management from Webster University. His Texas Teaching Certificate is in the area of Special Education.
Experience: Mr. Canales has taught Spanish I, II, and III at Winston since 2004. Prior to coming to Winston, he worked for 10 years as a special education teacher in one of San Antonio’s largest public school districts.
Giovanni Cavatorta, M.B.A., M.S.
Email: gcavatorta@winston-sa.org
Education: Mr. Cavatorta received his Master of Science Degree in Computer Information Systems and a Master of Business Administration from St. Mary’s University.
Experience: Mr. Cavatorta has been at Winston since 2006 and teaches Middle School Math and Upper School Computer Programming.
Rhonda Green, M.A.
Email: rgreen@winston-sa.org
Education: Mrs. Green received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Elementary Education from Mount Mary College and her Master of Arts Degree in History Education from the University at Albany.
Experience: Mrs. Green began her teaching career in a rural New York High School. While teaching history there for nearly 15 years, she found a passion for working with at-risk learners. She moved to San Antonio so that her son could attend Winston and began teaching in our Lower School in 2006.
Carol Gulley, B.S.
Drama/Music Teacher
Email: cgulley@winston-sa.org
Education: Mrs. Gulley received her Bachelor of Science Degree from Southwestern University. She also attained post-graduate hours in Theatre and Music from Trinity University and American University.
Experience: Mrs. Gulley came to Winston in 2009 after a successful theater and music career with San Antonio’s Magik Theatre. Prior to that she lived in Washington, D.C. and worked in professional theater as a playwright, composer, director, and performer for 15 years. Mrs. Gulley also directed the acclaimed film “Working Wings,” which focused on under-employment of individuals with learning differences.
Julie Hanson, M.Ed.
Lower/Middle/Upper School Teacher
Email: jhanson@winston-sa.org
Education: Ms. Hanson received her Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Texas at San Antonio and a Master of Education in Special Education with a focus in Assessments from Texas A&M University San Antonio. In conjunction with her masters degree, Ms. Hanson is trained in Dyslexia Therapy and is a Certified Academic Language Therapist.
Experience: Ms. Hanson has been at Winston since 2008 and has ten years of teaching experience in other settings. She has taught Lower School Math, Reading, Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, and Computer as well as Middle School Reading, Language Arts, and American History, and Upper School English. Mrs. Hanson is also a part-time professor in Trinity University’s Education Department. Prior to coming to Winston, she taught in both the Northside and Boerne Independent School Districts. Ms. Hanson has also worked in Guatemala with Food for the Hungry as the Director of Communications in their Child Sponsorship Program.
Niccole Heard, B.A.
Upper School Advisor
Email: nheard@winston-sa.org
Education: Ms. Heard earned her Bachelor of Arts from UTSA. She is certified to teach through the Texas Institute for Teacher Education.
Experience: Ms. Heard teachers Middle and Upper School Math and Reading. Prior to coming to Winston, she worked at St. George Episcopal in the after-school care department for 8 years and has served as a private tutor since 2008. She began her teaching career at Winston in 2016, when she served as a long-time sub and Director of the Extended Day program.
Tricia Hernandez, M.Ed.
Email: thernandez@winston-sa.org
Education: Mrs. Hernandez received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Health with an emphasis in Business and Industry from the University of Texas at San Antonio and her Master of Education in Exercise Science from Texas State University at San Marcos.
Experience: Mrs. Hernandez teaches Upper School Health and Speech classes. She also teaches Physical Education for the entire school. Prior to coming to Winston, she served as the head of the Physical Education Department at The Briarwood School and was highly involved with the school’s Special Olympics program. Mrs. Hernandez also taught and coached in the Pleasanton Independent School District.
Jackie Jaramillo, M.A.
Email: jjaramillo@winston-sa.org
Education: Ms. Jaramillo received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Early Childhood Special Education with a minor in Guidance and Counseling from Southwest Texas State University and a Master of Education from Framingham College.
Experience: Ms. Jaramillo teaches Math, Reading, and Language Arts to our Lower School students as well as Sixth Grade Social Studies. Ms. Jaramillo began her teaching career as one of Winston’s charter faculty members in 1985. In 1997, she took a sabbatical to work at the American School Foundation Monterrey and returned to Winston in 1999. Ms. Jaramillo has served as a School Attuned Certified Teacher and has specialized training in Alphabetic Phonics and the Landmark Writing Program.
Katy Johnson, M.A.
Email: kjohnson@winston-sa.org
Education: Ms. Johnson received her Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where her study focused on special education and education for the hearing impaired. She received her Master's Degree from Cardinal Stritch.
Experience: Ms. Johnson teaches Middle and Upper School Reading and Language Arts. Prior to Winston, Ms. Johnson taught students with learning differences in the Wisconsin public school system for 18 years. She has also served as a member of the leadership team for a charter school in Washington, D. C.
Brenda Lane, M.Ed.
Email: blane@winston-sa.org
Education: Mrs. Lane received her Associate’s Degree in Early Childhood Development from the University of South Florida, a Bachelor of Science Degree (cum laude) in Interdisciplinary Studies from Southwest Texas State University, and a Master of Education specializing in Administration from Concordia Lutheran University.
Experience: Mrs. Lane teaches Middle School Social Studies. Prior to coming to Winston in 2000, Mrs. Lane taught in other private schools and served in the administration realm for more than 10 years.
Stacie Lewis, B.A.
Email: slewis@winston-sa.org
Education: Mrs. Lewis received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from UTSA. She is certified to teach ELA, ESL, and art.
Experience: Mrs. Lewis teaches Middle and Upper School Art. SHe has taught since 1998, and she joins Winston after an extensive career in the Northside Independent School District. She is a lifelong artist with a passion for the visual arts and the English language.
Barbara Massey, M.B.A.
Email: bmassey@winston-sa.org
Education: Mrs. Massey received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in English and her Master of Business Administration from Texas A&M University.
Experience: Mrs. Massey is the Winston Librarian and she also teaches Lower School Library and Computers. She has been at Winston since 2003 and is a co-sponsor of the STEAM program.
Michelle McCay, B.A.
Email: mmccay@winston-sa.org
Education: Mrs. McCay received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in English from The University of Texas at San Antonio.
Experience: Mrs. McCay teaches English Language Arts to our Upper School students, serves as the faculty sponsor for Winston’s Student Council, and coaches volleyball. Prior to coming to Winston, she worked as an 11th grade English teacher and coached high school soccer and volleyball.
Jesse Mendez, B.S.
Email: jmendez@winston-sa.org
Education: Mr. Mendez received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Engineering from Texas A&M University in College Station. Additionally, Mr. Mendez is a retired Marine with over 20 years of active duty experience.
Experience: Mr. Mendez teaches Upper School Math and Business, Middle School Science and Lower School Computer Lab. He is a San Antonio native and a retired Marine Major with over 20 years of experience in Logistics, Operations, Planning, and Recruiting.
Linda Osborne, M.S.
Email: losborne@winston-sa.org
Education: Mrs. Osborne received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education from the University of Texas El Paso and her Masters of Arts Degree in Elementary Education from Wayland Baptist University.
Experience: Mrs. Osborne started her teaching career in El Paso. She worked several years at Judson ISD before becoming a math specialist in Northside ISD .where she has worked the past 15 years. Her past five summers at summer school here at Winston resulted in a love for Winston School and all that it represents.
Susan Owen, B.A.
Email: sowen@winston-sa.org
Education: Ms. Owen received her Bachelor of Arts Degree from Berea College and Montessori Primary Certification from the Montessori Institute of Atlanta through the Association Montessori Internationale
Experience: Ms. Owen has taught at Winston School since 1996 in both A and B Cores, and has more than 30 years of teaching experience. Prior to coming to Winston, she taught in Montessori Schools at both the Primary and Lower Elementary levels. While working in the classroom, Ms. Owen also served on the Board of Directors and as Co-Administrator in Montessori schools in Kentucky and Indiana. She has also taught Art in a residential treatment program for adjudicated youth, worked as a Social Worker with youthful offenders, and served as a public school Montessori consultant.
Marina Parra-Noonan, M.S.
Email: mnoonan@winston-sa.org
Education: Mrs. Parra-Noonan received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Environmental Science from New Mexico State University and a Master of Science in Geology from the University of Texas at San Antonio.
Experience: Mrs. Parra-Noonan teaches Middle School Science and Upper School Sciences. Prior to coming to Winston in 2014, she taught Environmental Science, Physics, and Biology at Holy Cross of San Antonio, and she taught Middle School in the public school sector.
Science Teacher, B.S.
Education: .
Experience: .
Dorian Reeves, M.A.
Email: dreeves@winston-sa.org
Education: Ms. Reeves has a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of San Diego and also received her Multiple Subject Teaching Credential from the University of San Diego.
Experience: Ms. Reeves has taught children with learning differences for 15 years and has training in numerous Orton Gillingham based methodologies. She teaches A Core here at Winston, our kindergarten equivalent.
Richard Rodriguez, B.A.
Email: rrodriguez@winston-sa.org
Education: Mr. Rodriguez received his Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin.
Experience: Mr. Rodriguez teaches Digital Media I and II, Graphic Design, Yearbook and Computer Science/Business in our Upper School. Mr. Rodriguez comes to Winston from having served as the President and CEO of Digital Edge, a communications and video production company with clients such as Motorola USA, Cisco Systems, Frost Bank, etc. Mr. Rodriguez also spent time in television sports with both KSAT and KENS.
Carol Salzwedel, B.S.
Email: csalzwedel@winston-sa.org
Education: Mrs. Salzwedel received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics and History from Wayland Baptist College. She completed course work for her teaching certificate at Hardin-Simmons University.
Experience: Mrs. Salzwedel began teaching at Winston in 2008. She teaches Algebra I and II, Pre-Calculus, College Algebra, and Math Models. Prior coming to Winston, she taught in Texas public schools for 24 years. While in the public school system, Mrs. Salzwedel served as the Math Department head for two and a half years and Instructional Dean of Mathematics for three years.
Deanna Strahl, B.S.
Email: dstrahl@winston-sa.org
Education: Mrs. Strahl received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education from Greenville College in Greenville, Illinois.
Experience: Mrs. Strahl teaches Middle and Upper School English and Math. She has over 30 years of teaching experience, including 1-8th grade and K-12 special education. She comes to Winston after spending 25 years in the North East Independent School District.
Rebecca Summers, B.S.
Email: rsummers@winston-sa.org
Education: Mrs. Summers attended the University of Pittsburgh and received a Bachelor of Science degree in both elementary education and special education from Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania.
Experience: Mrs. Summers is a B2 Core Lower School teacher. She teaches Math, Reading, Language and Science. Before Winston, she taught sixth-grade special education and Pre-K.
Cody Thompson, B.S.
Email: cthompson@winston-sa.org
Education: Mr. Thompson received his Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology from the Texas A&M Prarie View University.
Experience: Mr. Thompson teaches Upper School Social Studies and coaches Winston's basketball, football, and baseball teams. He has experience coaching a traveling baseball team, and prior to coming to Winston, he was a Luling ISD faculty member for three years.
Stephanie Tsapakis, M.A.
Email: stsapakis@winston-sa.org
Education: Mrs. Tsapakis received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in American Sign Language and Education from Kent State University. She also earned her Master of Arts in Educational Psychology from Kent State University. Mrs. Tsapakis also has certifications in teaching the Wilson Reading System Levels I and II.
Experience: Mrs. Tsapakis teaches B Core in our Lower School, specifically Math, Wilson Reading, SIM Proficiency and Paragraph Writing, and Social Studies. She came to Winston in 2012 after teaching for three years at a private school similar to Winston.
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Crusade of Varna
Title: Crusade of Varna
Subject: Turahan Bey, Crusade of Varna, Serbian Despotate, Medieval Hungary, Second Swedish Crusade
Painting by Stanisław Chlebowski portraying king Wladyslaw's death after the battle of Varna
October 1443-November 1444
Ottoman victory
Kingdom of Poland
Crown of Bohemia
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Serbian Despotate
Principality of Wallachia
Principality of Moldavia
Bulgarian rebels
Teutonic Knights Ottoman Empire
Vladislaw III †
John Hunyadi
Đurađ Branković Murad II
Kazim Pasha
Türhan Bey
Ottoman–Hungarian Wars
Campaign of Louis I (1)
Lower Danube War
Hermannstadt
Iron Gate
Zlatitsa
Várna
Belgrade (1456)
Breadfield
Krbava field
Mohács (1526)
see also: Ottoman–Habsburg wars
Wendish
Livonian
Albigensian
Smyrniote
Savoyard
Despenser's
Hussite
Book:The Crusades
Portal:Crusades
The Crusade of Varna was a string of events in 1443–44 between the Kingdom of Hungary, the Serbian Despotate, the Principality of Wallachia and the Ottoman Empire. It culminated in a devastating Christian loss at the Battle of Varna on 10 November 1444.
2 The Crusade
2.1 Early fighting
2.2 Peace proposals
2.3 Final stage
In 1428, while the Ottoman Empire was fighting a war with the Republic of Venice, the Ottomans and the Kingdom of Hungary achieved a temporary peace by establishing the Serbian Despotate as a buffer state. After the war ended in 1430,[1][2] the Ottomans returned to their earlier policy of controlling all lands south of the Danube. In 1432, Sultan Murad II began raiding into Transylvania. After King Sigismund died in 1437, the attacks intensified, with the Ottomans occupying Borač in 1438 and Zvornik and Srebrenica in 1439. At the end of 1439, Smederevo capitulated and Murad succeeded in making Serbia an Ottoman province. Đurađ Branković, Despot of Serbia, fled to his estates in Hungary. In 1440, Murad besieged Hungary's main border fortress, Belgrade. After failing to take the fortress, he was forced to return to Anatolia to stop attacks by the Karamanids.[3][4]
Meanwhile, Sigismund's successor Albert had died in October 1439, shortly after signing a law to "restore the ancient laws and customs of the realm". The law restricted the royal authority by requiring the participation of landed nobility in political decisions. Four months after Albert's death, his only son, Ladislaus, was born while Hungary was in the midst of a civil war over the next monarch. On 17 July 1440 Vladislaus, king of Poland, was crowned despite continuing disputes.[5] John Hunyadi aided Vladislaus's cause by pacifying the eastern counties, gaining him the position of Voivode of Transylvania and the corresponding responsibility of protecting Hungary's southern border. By the end of 1442, Vladislaus had secured his status in Hungary, and denied an Ottoman proposal of peace in exchange for Belgrade.[4]
The Roman Catholic Church, meanwhile, had long been advocating for a crusade against the Ottomans, and with the end of both the Hungarian civil war and a nearly simultaneous one in Byzantium, they were able to realistically begin negotiations and planning. The impetus required to turn the plans into action was provided by Hunyadi between 1441–42. In 1441, he defeated a raid led by Ishak Pasha of Smederevo.[3] He nearly annihilated Mezid Bey's army in Transylvania on 22 March 1442, and in September he defeated the revenge attack of Şihabeddin Pasha, governor-general of Rumelia.[4] Branković, hoping to liberate Serbia, also lent his support after Novo Brdo, the last major Serbian city, fell to the Ottomans in 1441.
The Crusade
Early fighting
On 1 January 1443 Pope Eugene IV published a crusading bull. In early May, it was reported "that the Turks were in a bad state and that it would be easy to expel them from Europe", though the success of the crusade still required the simultaneous attacks of both the Hungarian and Karamanid armies. However, in the spring of 1443, before the Hungarians were ready, the Karamanids attacked the Ottoman Empire and were devastated by Murad's full army.[4]
The Hungarian army, led by Vladislaus, Hunyadi, and Branković, attacked in mid-October. They correctly expected that Murad would not be able to quickly mobilize his army, which consisted mainly of fief-holding cavalrymen who needed to collect the harvest to pay taxes. Hunyadi's experience of winter campaigns from 1441–42 added to the Hungarian's advantage. They also had better armor, often rendering the Ottoman weapons useless. Murad could not rely on the loyalty of his troops from Rumelia, and had difficulties countering Hungarian tactics.[4]
As the Hungarians advanced, they forced Kasim Pasha of Rumelia and his co-commander Turahan Bey to abandon camp and flee to Sofia, Bulgaria to warn Murad of the invasion. However, the two burned all the villages in their path in an attempt to wear down the Hungarians with a scorched earth tactic. When they arrived in Sofia, they advised the Sultan to burn the city and retreat to the mountain passes beyond, where the Ottoman's smaller army would not be such a disadvantage. Shortly after, bitter cold set in, and the next encounter, fought at Zlatitsa Pass just before Christmas 1443, was fought in the snow. The Hungarians were defeated. As they marched home, however, they ambushed and defeated a pursuing force in Dragoman Pass, where Mahmud Bey, son-in-law of the Sultan and brother of the Grand Vizier Çandarlı Halil Pasha, was taken prisoner.[4]
While the battle at Zlatitsa Pass had been a disaster, the ambush returned to the Hungarians the illusion of an overall Christian victory, and they returned triumphant. The King and Church were both anxious to maintain the illusion and gave instructions to spread word of the victories, but contradict anyone who mentioned the loss.[4]
Murad, meanwhile, returned angry and dejected by the unreliability of his forces, and imprisoned Turahan after blaming him for the army's setbacks and Mahmud Bey's capture.[4]
Peace proposals
Murad is believed to have had the greatest wish for peace. Among other things, his sister begged him to obtain her husband Mahmud's release, and his wife Mara, daughter of Đurađ Branković, added additional pressure. On 6 March 1444 Mara sent an envoy to Branković; their discussion started the peace negotiations with the Ottoman Empire.[4]
On 24 April 1444 Vladislaus sent a letter to Murad, stating that his ambassador, Stojka Gisdanić, was travelling to Edirne with full powers to negotiate on his behalf. He asked that, once an agreement was reached, Murad send his own ambassadors with the treaty and his sworn oath to Hungary, at which point Vladislaus could also swear.[4]
That same day, Vladislaus held a Diet at Buda, where he swore before Cardinal Julian Cesarini to lead a new expedition against the Ottomans in the summer. The strongest remaining supporter of Ladislaus' claim for the throne also agreed to a truce, thus removing the danger of another civil war.[4]
Between June and August 1444, negotiations for a treaty were carried out, first in Edirne, and then in Szeged. The Hungarians were not entirely interested in peace, however, especially with Cesarini pushing for the crusade's continuation. The Cardinal eventually found a solution that would allow for both the continuation of fighting and the ratification of the treaty, and on 15 August 1444 the Peace of Szeged was sworn into effect.[4]
Final stage
Shortly after all the short-term requirements of the treaty were fulfilled, the Hungarians and their allies resumed the crusade. Murad, who had retired shortly after the treaty was completed, was called back to lead the Ottoman army. On 10 November 1444 the two armies clashed at the Battle of Varna (near the Black Sea fortress of Varna, Bulgaria). The Ottomans won a decisive victory despite heavy losses, while the Hungarians lost their King and over 10,000 men.[4]
Many were crippled by frostbite, many more died in smaller follow-up battles, and most European prisoners were killed or sold into slavery. Hungary fell back into civil war until Hunyadi was elected Regent for the infant Ladislaus in June 1446. Branković retained control over Serbia. The Ottoman Empire was free, for several decades, from any further serious attempts to push it out of Europe.[4]
^ Ganse, Alexander (June 6, 2005). "History of Warfare". World History at
^ Stearns, Peter N., et al, ed. (June 2002). "5. Venice". The Encyclopedia of World History: Ancient, Medieval, and Modern (6th ed.). New York:
^ a b Sugar, Peter (1977). "Chapter 1: The Early History and the Establishment of the Ottomans in Europe". Southeastern Europe Under Ottoman Rule, 1354–1804 (Reprint).
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Imber, Colin (July 2006). "Introduction". The Crusade of Varna, 1443-45 (
^ "Wladislaus III". Classic Encyclopedia (Reprint of
Pages using citations with format and no URL
1443 in Europe
Battles involving Serbia in the Middle Ages
Wars involving Hungary
Wars involving Poland
Wars involving the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Wars involving medieval Serbian states
Wars involving the Ottoman Empire
Wars involving Moldavia
Wars involving Wallachia
15th century in Serbia
Medieval Hungary
Medieval Bulgaria
15th century in the Ottoman Empire
15th century in Hungary
1440s in the Ottoman Empire
1443 in the Ottoman Empire
Budapest, Hungarian language, Austria-Hungary, Austria, Ottoman Empire
Turahan Bey
Thessaly, Ottoman Empire, Crusade of Varna, Turahanoğlu Ömer Bey, Despotate of the Morea
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Showing posts with label Utah. Show all posts
The Mysterious, Violent Career of Albanian gangster Joe Baktashi
When people think of Prohibition-era gangsters, they naturally think of Chicago and New York. The fascinating exploits of iconic mob bosses like Al Capone, Lucky Luciano and Meyer Lansky have provided endless fodder for articles, books and films. Even lesser-known mobsters such as Enoch Johnson, George Remus, Abe Burnstein and William “Dinty” Colbeck have taken tentative steps into the limelight with the beginning of the 21st century. Yet for every Capone or Luciano that plied their trade in the Dry Era, there are dozens of other hardcases from that period who remain unknown. These men did not get biographies and HBO series made about their lives, mostly because they did not deserve it and also because they slipped through the cracks of history.
During my research into the Detroit gangsters of old, I inadvertently discovered the existence of Joe Baktashi. I had never heard of him before, but as I gathered the fragments of his story together, I gradually grew intrigued. Baktashi’s career spanned two very different locales; the Eastern city of Detroit and the Western frontier of north-central Utah. What I found interesting is that this man seemed to have two separate identities, two criminal specialties and as it turned out, two separate sets of enemies. Bandit. Prison Escapee. Safe Cracker. Drug Wholesaler. Killer. This skel had seemingly done it all.
Only trouble was, there just was not a whole lot of information about him. Even after a modern research push with all the resources of the second decade of the 21st century at my disposal, Joe Baktashi’s life remains only partially known, at best. In fact, this author is not even certain of Baktashi’s birth name. Nevertheless, what can be revealed about him reveals a tough and violent yet imperfect hoodlum. While Baktashi’s career was not as Earth-shattering as that of a Capone or Luciano, assembling the pieces of his life paints a fascinating picture of a gritty underbelly of the Prohibition-era underworld that is seldom heard about.
Albania in the late nineteenth century was an isolated, mountainous nation that was increasingly chafing under the heavy-handed rule of the Ottoman Empire, which they had been subjected for well over three hundred years. The country was divided by the Ottomans into four districts known as vilayets (Kosovo, Janina, Monastir and Scutari). It was in the vilayet of Janina, in southeastern Albania, that our story begins. Like the rest of the country, Janina was a mixture of ethnic Albanians and Ottoman Turks. Due to its proximity to the border with Greece, the vilayet was also home to a substantial Greek population.[i]
The Albanian vilayets of the late 19th century. Joe Baktashi's hometown of Leskovik was three miles from the Greek border.
Amongst the Ottoman Turks who peopled the Albanian vilayet of Janina were a considerable number of Muslim settlers who adhered to the Bektashi Order, a Sufi dervish that base their faith on non-Orthodox and mystical interpretations of the Quran. The Bektashi occupied a considerable place in Ottoman culture; they were the primary conscripts of the Ottoman Army’s feared shock troops, the Janissary. Eventually, the Bektashi would be ostracized by other Muslims as practicing a non-traditional form of Islam that more closely resembled Orthodox Christianity.[ii]
According to his World War I draft card, the man whom American law enforcement would come to know as Joseph Baktashi was born on May 15, 1895 in the picturesque Janina mountain village of Leskovik, located a mere three miles away from the Greek border. It is uncertain what his birth name was or exactly who his parents were. Leskovik was a small town of a bit less than a thousand residents at the turn of the 20th century. Its inhabitants were about evenly divided between Bektashi Muslims and Greek migrants. Given his name and later American events, young Joseph and his family were almost certainly Bektashi Muslims. As Joseph was growing up in Leskovik, the main language of his home was Albanian with Ottoman Turkish being spoken in school and during religious ceremonies. Due to his hometown’s Greek community and its proximity to the Hellenic nation, Joseph also gained a decent knowledge of the Greek language in his youth; a proficiency that would serve him well in later years.[iii]
While nothing concrete is known of Baktashi’s childhood, it seems as if he grew up in turbulent times. By his eleventh birthday, opposition groups within the Ottoman-controlled sections of Albania had risen up in rebellion. They were known as the Committee of Union and Progress, or Young Turks. They favored replacing the Ottoman Empire’s absolute monarchy with a constitutional government. The Young Turks fostered insurrection both in civilian and military life. They successfully lifted the Ottoman ban on the Albanian language being taught in schools and replaced the Arabic alphabet with Latin script.
After the abdication of Sultan Abdul Hamid II in April 1909, the new Constantinople government sought to maintain control of the disintegrating empire by levying new taxes and outlawing guerrilla groups. The Young Turks responded by imposing the bastinado (foot whipping) on those who carried rifles, committed misdemeanors or demeaned the independent Albanian state. Separate violent revolts in 1910 and 1911 saw widespread clashes and executions between the Ottoman loyalists and Albanian nationalists.
It was in this rough, stressful period that Joe Baktashi passed through his formative years. His earliest memories would have been of his isolated hometown being gradually torn asunder by forces outside of their control. Baktashi would have seen and learned violence up close from an early age. Perhaps he witnessed Young Turks administering bastinado on a fellow Bektashi Muslim. Perhaps he saw kriminale victimizing his neighbors.[iv]
Whatever the cause, Joseph Baktashi followed the example of many of his countrymen by immigrating to America around the age of seventeen, right around the time that Albania was formally recognized as an independent nation. While it is unknown exactly when he arrived in the United States, Baktashi told a census taker in 1920 that he landed in 1912.[v] Upon his arrival in North America, the young Albanian journeyed two-thirds of the way across the continent to Utah. What exactly drew Baktashi the Beehive State is uncertain. It seems likely that he had either a familial or fraternal connection with the area for him to uproot there.
Utah in the early 1910s had been a state for just less than two decades and was still considered the frontier by many of their fellow countrymen. Long the home of practitioners of The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints, or Mormons, Utah is a contrasting state of craggy mountains, beautiful canyons and arid deserts. Many of Utah’s main towns are in close proximity to the Great Salt Lake in the north-central part of the state. Beginning in the late 19th century, Utah’s substantial mining boom attracted immigrants from all over the world to try their luck in excavating such diverse minerals as copper, gold, silver, molybdenum, zinc, lead and beryllium. Many get-rich-quick boomtowns sprung up virtually overnight and housed ambitious people who were looking to strike it rich in any way that they could.[vi]
It was into this new frontier that teenaged Joe Baktashi moved around 1912-13. He stood about medium height with a slim build and an olive complexion. Baktashi had brown eyes, black hair, and was noted as having a serious yet cool demeanor. Far from striking it rich in his new country, the 18-year old Baktashi was forced to walk great distances from town to town looking for work. Joe generally followed railroad tracks and hitched rides aboard freight trains. Walking with Baktashi in these first months was nineteen-year old Abdul Alli.[vii]
Like Joe Baktashi, Alli was from southeastern Albania and a Bektashi Muslim. Both men formed a close friendship, their age and their fraternal connection serving as a solid foundation as they attempted to make their way in the New World. Their nomadic existence was a harsh one of few creature comforts that was occasionally punctuated by grueling labor that brought them a plate of beans and a silver dollar at the end of the day.
By the spring of 1914, the hungry Albanians had set their sights on the town of Spanish Fork, nine miles south of Provo. Located in the Goshen Valley with the Wasatch Mountains to the east, Spanish Fork was a bustling village that was near two key railroad lines that passed southeast through nearby Spanish Fork Canyon, up the steep Soldier Summit and passing by a small burg named Tucker before they hit the coal mines at Winter’s Quarters.
In the early 1910s, the powers-that-be had decided they wanted to reduce the steep 4% grade of Soldier Summit to a more manageable 2%. This task would entail rerouting rail lines and moving untold amounts of earth to improve the ease of train navigation. The work for this project was grueling and frequently dangerous for the men who blasted, dug and laid out new railroad tracks after the earth had been sufficiently altered. Baktashi and Alli appear to have been anxious to join this project. [viii]
The area around and south of Salt Lake City as it appeared in the 1910s.
The afternoon of April 8, 1914 was cold and blustery in Spanish Fork Canyon. Around noon, Joe Baktashi and Abdul Alli were observed following the railroad tracks out of Gilluly in the direction of Tucker. The Reynolds-Ely Construction Company was doing a significant amount of work in the area, and they may have been looking to shape up for work. Somewhere outside of Tucker, the two Albanians had an encounter that would change their lives forever.
Joe Lavella was an Italian immigrant who worked as a watchman with the Reynolds-Ely company. A former copper miner, Lavella made a point of sending the majority of his wages to his wife and two children in his native Calabria.[ix] By mid-afternoon, he was taking a break and warming himself at a fire alone while watching a steam shovel work. As he did, Baktashi and Alli approached and joined him at the fire. Despite their language barrier, the trio began talking with each other. Some later accounts suggested that Baktashi and Lavella had gotten into an ethnic dispute of some kind; with Baktashi taking offense to Lavella’s disparaging remarks about Turks.[x]
A Mexican laborer named Miguel Aguirre later testified he saw Lavella fighting with Baktashi and Alli from a great distance. While Aguirre was too far away to hear anything, at some point during the struggle a fatal bullet was fired into Lavella’s head. Both Albanians quickly fled the area, only to be arrested later in the small town of Thistle.[xi]
A headline from the Provo Daily Herald announcing the arrest of Joe Baktashi and Abdul Alli.
Once in custody, both men professed not to speak English and requested that an Albanian interpreter be sent down from Salt Lake City. Both suspects were recorded as being given the “third degree” in an effort to “sweat” a confession out of them. Authorities determined that robbery had been the motive for the crime and charged Joe Baktashi and Abdul Alli with first-degree murder. Both men pleaded not guilty and were scheduled to be tried separately. Baktashi, through his court-appointed attorney J.W.N. Whitecotton, claimed that Alli had done the actual killing during the fight.[xii]
While interpreter George Kypros translated his testimony, Baktashi claimed that Alli had asked Lavella for money to return to Salt Lake City with. When Lavella protested that he was broke, Alli allegedly knocked him down and killed him before stealing $2.45 from his person. The jury, however, was not convinced and found Baktashi guilty as charged. At Abdul Alli’s trial a week later, Baktashi insisted on taking the stand for the prosecution without the aid of an interpreter. Speaking in broken English, Joe reiterated his claim about Alli’s culpability. This jury believed his tale and found Alli guilty of murder. Both young men were then sent off to serve life sentences in a prison in a country they barely knew.[xiii]
The old Utah State Penitentiary, located in the Sugar House section of Salt Lake City.
The Utah State Prison was a 180 acre brick complex located in the Sugar House neighborhood of Salt Lake City. Surrounded by 18-foot high walls, the current prison had been built in the 1890s to replace its crumbling predecessor. Joe Baktashi arrived in the spring of 1914 as an embittered 19-year old Albanian immigrant. Only able to speak a few words of English, Baktashi was delivered into one of the harshest prison systems in America. While the overall capacity of the Utah State Prison was small compared to those of other states, the prison had still not quite made the transition to the 20th century (electrical lighting would not be installed until 1920).
No details of Baktashi’s prison life survive, but if reports of other Western prisons of the era are any indication, Joe would have had to deal with back-breaking labor and callous discipline from the guards to accompany the threat of various forms of abuse from his fellow convicts. The scraps of evidence from this period show that Joe Baktashi and Abdul Alli were at each other throats from the moment they set foot inside the prison’s walls. Alli understandably had a beef against Baktashi for testifying against him in his trial. The two reportedly clashed multiple times.
Prisoners at the “Sugar House,” as it was colloquially referred to, made brushes, saddle niches and shoes. They also worked heavily in road construction.[xiv] The prison was also where inmates who had been sentenced to death were executed; during Joe Baktashi’s first year of imprisonment, Swedish-born labor activist and convicted murderer Joe Hill was put to death via firing squad. While inside, the young Albanian killer rubbed elbows with criminals of all stripes and learned the ins-and-outs of the underworld trade. While he may have been a foolish youth with self-destructive tendencies at the time of Joe Lavella’s murder, Baktashi’s prison experience transformed him into a career criminal.
Abdul Alli had undergone a similar metamorphosis. The afternoon of August 14, 1918 found Alli on a work detail outside the prison walls. While cutting the prison’s lawn grass, he and an inmate named William McVey took the opportunity to make a run for it and made a successful break from their captors.[xv] Both men were recaptured soon after. In a surprise move later that same year, Joe Baktashi confessed to prison authorities that it was he, and not Alli, who had fired the shot that killed Joe Lavella. The warden and state corrections officials believed the confession. As a result, Alli was subsequently pardoned and released from prison on March 22, 1919.[xvi]
Outside of the walls of the Sugar House, great change with sweeping not only Utah but the whole country in the form of the World War and the enactment of Prohibition. What little news Joe Baktashi got of the outside world most probably came from incoming prisoners. In November 1921, the now 26-year old Baktashi went before the parole board and claimed to be a changed man. Baktashi pointed to his love of birds and flowers as well as a letter of support from Wilford Giles, Chief of Police of the city of Provo. Despite his efforts, Baktashi’s petition for release was denied.[xvii]
Disheartened and embittered, Joe Baktashi focused his rage on his old frenenemy Abdul Alli, who had recently been convicted of armed robbery and sent right back to the Sugar House.[xviii] Their resultant fight netted them a predictable beating from the guards and time in “The Hole.” Unable to gain parole, Baktashi’s fertile mind began looking for other ways to effect his release.
On August 28, 1922, Joe Baktashi and a couple dozen other inmates were led outside the prison walls in order to be loaded onto a truck and driven to Parley’s Canyon, where they would work undermining a hillside in order to clear a path for a highway. Baktashi and several others spent the morning excavating a blast tunnel, which would eventually be stuffed with dynamite into order to blow out a section of the hill. At one point in the afternoon, Baktashi was sent by his guard to fetch something (accounts are uncertain as to what). After a full hour passed without his return, it became obvious that Joe Baktashi had put himself “into the wind.”[xix]
Whether Joe Baktashi planned his escape in advance or acted on impulse is unknown. With no money of his own and no transportation, it would seem that Joe had at least a little help on his way out of Parley’s Canyon. With Utah authorities on the lookout for him, Baktashi decided to leave for another part of the country where he was relatively unknown. The fugitive Albanian set his sights on the city of Detroit, nearly seventeen hundred miles to the east.
When the fugitive Utah murderer first arrived in the Motor City in the autumn of 1922, he encountered a growing metropolis of around one million residents from various walks of life and ethnic groups. The city’s now-bustling economy revolved around numerous automobile plants and other assorted factories. More appealing to Joe Baktashi was the fact that Detroit was the country’s major entry point for illegal alcohol. Like many criminals across America, the newly freed Baktashi was most likely drawn like a moth to the flame of Detroit’s immense booze business.
The only trouble was that men much more powerful than Baktashi ran the bootlegging rackets. The city’s growing Mafia family controlled a large piece of the action while extracting tributes from independents who wished to smuggle booze across the Detroit River to their landing spots. While the Mafia had the East Side and Hamtramck, a young yet volatile group of Jewish hoods called the Oakland Sugar House Gang were just starting to make noise in the North End (they wouldn’t become known as the Purple Gang for a few more years).[xx]
On the run and with little money available to him, Joe Baktashi gravitated to downtown Detroit’s Greektown neighborhood. Branching out for a few blocks in each direction from the intersection of Beaubien and Monroe streets, Greektown was the perfect place for the Albanian fugitive to lay low while he got his bearings in his new city. Introducing himself around town as Pete Milo, Baktashi began to ingrain himself with members of the local underworld.
While it was remarkably easy to get a drink in Greektown, the local hoods primarily made their money off of illegal gambling. While the local coffee houses acted as traditional gathering places for immigrant Greek men, their back and basement rooms often housed card and dice games for trustworthy individuals. Baktashi made the rounds, with his ethnicity and Greek language ability opening doors that may well have otherwise remained closed. Sipping strong coffee in the smoke-filled cafes and conversing with local hoodlums, Baktashi seems to have made a favorable impression; he apparently took great pains to not disclose that he was a prison escapee. Joe was soon introduced to the hidden gambling casinos.
While Baktashi seems to have supported himself through the occasional armed robbery or safe-cracking (he apparently learned the rudiments of the latter racket while incarcerated in Utah), he sought to enter the upper tier of organized crime. As Pete Milo, mysterious Greek-fluent Albanian hard case, he was befriended by Greektown gambling boss James Thompson sometime in early 1923.
About the same age as his new pal “Milo,” Thompson (real name Dimitrios Poulos) had emigrated from Greece as an adolescent. Around 1921, he had migrated to Detroit’s Greektown and set up shop in the neighborhood’s coffee houses. Known in the city’s underworld as “Jimmy the Greek,” Thompson was known as an expert card player and dice thrower who rubbed elbows with the cream of the Motor City underworld.[xxi]
While it is impossible to know what was going through Joe Baktashi’s head during these early Detroit months, it’s quite possible he saw in Jimmy Thompson what he could have possibily become if fate had dealt him a bit of a different hand. Baktashi began working as a capper/doorman for Thompson’s secret gambling den, which was then located in the 400 block of Monroe Avenue in the heart of Greektown. This was an entry level position for many aspiring Detroit gangsters of the era. Baktashi, hardened both mentally and physically by his years of incarceration, also acted as an armed guard when Jimmy the Greek went to other Detroit joints to gamble. While Thompson moved in a dangerous world, he himself was not a violent man. Thus, it was Baktashi’s job to ensure that no one tried to rob “The Greek” after he exited a game with thousands of dollars on his person.
Joe Baktashi as he appeared at the height of his Detroit underworld career.
Over the course of 1923 and into 1924, Joe Baktashi became a fixture in the Greektown gambling underworld. Making more money than he ever had before, Baktashi's days of grueling railroad work and hard prison time seemed to be receding into the past. Baktashi began dressing better and frequenting high-class restaurants and nightclubs. Moving through Jazz Age Detroit, the Albanian gangster must have felt like he had finally arrived.
One of Joe’s new pals was a tall, muscular Albanian Greek named Zero Puchi. At least ten years older than Baktashi, Puchi had a build and demeanor of a much younger man. Having migrated north to Detroit from Ohio, Puchi was known as the powerful “attitude adjuster” of Thompson’s gambling joint.[xxii] Between Puchi’s fists and Baktashi’s quick trigger finger, their Monroe Avenue casino seemed like a solid operation. By now, Baktashi had begun living in a decent apartment at 3632 Cass Avenue in midtown Detroit.
A fateful trip to Johnny Reid’s blind pig at Third and Peterboro streets in February 1924 put Joe Baktashi in the company of many former members of the St. Louis underworld. Reid had once been a member of the Gateway City’s premier gang, Egan’s Rats. Among those who frequented his joint in the winter of 1924 were notorious gangsters such as Robert Carey, Arthur Wilson, Isadore Londe and Fred “Killer” Burke. Joe Baktashi may well have made the St. Louisans’ acquaintance, but he specifically hit it off with a St. Louis hood named Harry Halloway. The two men, probably on Baktashi’s recommendation, decided to rob a wealthy Chaldean saloonkeeper named James George. While no details of the crime survive, they had gotten away clean for the moment.[xxiii]
As the year 1924 progressed, Joe Baktashi became intimate with another aspect of the Greek underworld that was seldom spoken of; the dope racket. Since the passage of the Harrison Narcotics Act in 1914, a large market for illegal drugs existed in America’s cities. In the city of Detroit, the primary commodities were opiates such as heroin, opium or pure morphine. There was also a market for cocaine, but like it is in modern times, the white powder tended to be a drug for the upper crust. The drugs of choice in Greektown seem to have been hashish and morphine. Whether or not Baktashi experimented with any of these substances is unknown, but he seems to have realized that a good deal of money could be made by selling them.
Around this same time Joe Baktashi got a brief taste of the gang violence that periodically swept through the Detroit underworld. Around 3 o’clock on the morning of March 12, 1924, the heart of Greektown was rocked by a tremendous explosion that startled residents from their beds and caused concerned citizens to spill out into the street. A large, battery-detonated dynamite bomb had exploded in the doorway of Nick Smerles’ coffee house at 579 Monroe Avenue, destroying much of the front part of the building along with two adjoining structures. A total of thirty people were wounded in the blast and required medical attention. Amazingly, no one was killed. Plaster, bricks and broken glass littered the street in front of the wrecked coffee shop. Police thought it may have been related to the recent beating of a Mafia associate named Frank Bommarito in the coffee house. Both Bommarito and his friend Pietro “Pete” Corrado were arrested and charged, but both managed to beat the rap.[xxiv]
On the night of April 2, thirty-year old John Deplaris emerged from the coffee house at 547 Monroe Avenue with his buddy Nick Mavros. As they began to cross the street, they were confronted by an angry looking man. Deplaris uttered an exclamation in Greek as he jerked a pistol from his pocket and opened fire. The hurried gambler missed while his adversary pulled his own gun and struck Deplaris twice in the abdomen. Another shot from the adversary hit a bystander named Chris Kolinsgos in the foot. As Deplaris fell screaming to the street, the winner of the duel vanished into the night. While bystander Kolinsgos recovered from his injury, Deplaris died of his wounds two days later at Grace Hospital.[xxv]
The Detroit police had two theories as to who the killer was. The first possibility was Fotios “Frank” Kokalaris, who was from the same Greek village as the victim and would go onto to an exceptionally violent career in the Greektown underworld.[xxvi] The other suspect was none other than Joseph Baktashi. No one who knew the temperamental Albanian would doubt his guilt in such a situation. Nevertheless, neither this shooting or the bombing that preceded it was ever solved.
Joe Baktashi’s newfound criminal career in Detroit showed just how much he had progressed since his original 1914 incarceration. Now showing a bit more polish in his dress and mannerisms, Baktashi made decent money working for Jimmy the Greek in the Greektown gambling business. Despite his status as a budding racketeer, Baktashi could not seem to resist dabbling in small-time crimes such as robberies and safe-cracking. The newfound money and status he had appears to have gone to his head. Perhaps emboldened by his success, Baktashi began to get careless. By the end of 1924, at least a half-dozen people knew of his status as a fugitive Utah murderer. Baktashi had reportedly boasted to fellow henchman Zero Puchi that he had escaped from the “Utah State Pen.” All in all, it was an incredibly foolish thing to do.
Joe Baktashi’s hubris came home to roost on New Year’s Day, 1925 when he was arrested by Detroit police along with his St. Louis pal Harry Halloway. Booked under his alias of Peter Milo, Baktashi clammed up under questioning. Detective Lieutenant Andrew O’Day grew suspicious when he received a tip that his prisoner “Milo” had busted out of a Utah prison. A national fingerprint check soon confirmed Pete Milo’s true identity. An extradition order was quickly filed, and detectives soon arrived from Salt Lake City to take Baktashi into custody. One can only wonder what was going through the Albanian gangster’s mind on his long train ride back to Utah. Baktashi held Zero Puchi responsible for his fugitive status being learned and vowed to kill him, but as the documentation from his arrest shows, he had no one but himself to blame.[xxvii]
Joe Baktashi had been flying higher than he ever had in his life, only to come crashing back to Earth because of his own big mouth.
The Sugar House Prison in Salt Lake City had changed little since Baktashi escaped over two years before. Closely scrutinized by the guards as a security risk, the re-imprisoned Baktashi re-assimilated into the daily grind of jailhouse life. With years of imprisonment, a successful escape and big city racket time under his belt, the Albanian gangster now occupied a pretty high place in the inmate hierarchy. Joe renewed his rivalry with Abdul Alli, who was still serving time for his botched 1921 robbery. Baktashi watched with envy and hatred as his former pal was granted parole in October 1925.[xxviii]
Baktashi focused his rage into chiseling his already wiry physique into a rock-hard machine with endless hours of calisthenics. Having learned long ago how to psychologically manipulate people, Baktashi went out of his way to keep a clean prison record and give the impression that he was a changed man. A year after his return to the Sugar House, the Albanian crook applied for the vacation of his original murder sentence. In a surprise move, Baktashi’s motion was granted. On October 16, 1926, thirty-one year old Joseph Baktashi walked out of the Utah State Prison a free man.[xxix]
The newly freed gangster immediately caught an east-bound train for Detroit. Baktashi was welcomed back into the Greektown underworld and resumed working for Jimmy “The Greek” Thompson at his Monroe Avenue casino. Joe seemingly displayed no enmity towards Zero Puchi, whom he held responsible for his return to prison. By late 1926, Thompson was the gambling boss of Greektown and had begun dabbling in the narcotics trade. While Baktashi was content to take orders from Thompson, he yearned to fashion his own criminal identity. The Albanian gangster saw his ticket to independence in the dope racket.
Through means that remain unknown, Baktashi (using his alias of Pete Milo) connected with a drug supplier that agreed to sell him large quantities of hashish and morphine. Joe may have made this connection through the Greek-Turkish underworld in order circumvent the local Mafia and their heavy-handed pizzu taxes. A lesser possibility is that Baktashi made his drug connection through the North End-based Oakland Sugar House Gang. The Albanian gangster took on an Italian-born drug peddler named James Carloze as his partner. Carloze (real name Albert Valento) had been operating on the fringes of Detroit’s Mafia family for a few years.[xxx] On the surface, this deal seems both bold and foolhardy. Such a large business would almost certainly attract the attention of both the Mafia and the Sugar House Boys.[xxxi]
Nevertheless, in January 1927, Joe Baktashi took his leave of Jimmy “The Greek” Thompson’s gambling joint and went into the dope business for himself. His new headquarters was the Afghanistan Coffee House, located on the eastern edge of Greektown at 742 St. Antoine Street. To the rear of the coffee house were a small tobacco shop and an apartment on the second floor of the building. Night after night, Baktashi and Carloze held court in the coffee house and did business with the low-level dealers who pushed their narcotics into the streets. Judging from a later investigation, Carloze seems to have been something of a front man while “Pete Milo” remained in the background pulling the strings.
For a few months, Baktashi’s new dope business went swimmingly. Money started flowing in for the Albanian gangster. In addition to establishing himself as a drug wholesaler, Baktashi appears to have fallen in love with a neighborhood waitress. This courtship, with a woman whose name is not known to history, may well have been the first serious relationship that Baktashi had ever been in. In hindsight, it seems that the first half of 1927 may well have been the happiest time of Joe Baktashi’s life; he headed a profitable drug wholesale operation in a major American city, made copious amounts of money and was in love.
It seemed almost too good to be true, and it was indeed. It wasn’t long before the Milo/Carloze dope operation attracted the attention of the local Mafia, headed by Salvatore “Sam” Catalanotti. Evidence suggests that Baktashi rebuffed the Mafia’s efforts to make him pay protection money for the privilege moving his drugs. By June 1927, it seemed that a violent confrontation of some kind was imminent. Joe Baktashi’s previously sweet world had suddenly turned rotten.
It was probably in this grim mindset that Baktashi left his coffee house headquarters and made the rounds in Greektown on the warm evening of June 15. The Albanian gangster visited several coffee houses and gambling dens, all while getting progressively drunker. While Baktashi was not known as a heavy drinker, the critical situation with his dope business and his increasingly rocky relationship with the waitress had apparently prompted his current binge.
Sometime after midnight, he wandered over to Jimmy the Greek’s place in the 400 block of Monroe Avenue. The menacing Zero Puchi was at his usual post at the front door, shooting the breeze with a local Greek gambler. Under normal circumstances, Joe Baktashi was as cool as a cucumber. Tonight his personal and professional crises, combined with his alcohol intake, caused his rage to erupt to the surface. Baktashi angrily accused Puchi of ratting him out to the cops back in late 1924. Some accounts also intimated that Puchi had informed Baktashi’s sweetheart of his ex-convict past. Puchi attempted to pacify the Albanian gangster with peaceful words, but Baktashi persisted. Inside the joint, Jimmy the Greek had been alerted to the situation brewing outside.
After seeing he couldn’t handle things peacefully, Puchi apparently prepared to settle things with his ham-like fists. In response, the much smaller Baktashi suddenly whipped out a pistol and fired two shots into Puchi’s abdomen. The bouncer crumpled in pain while a third shot missed him completely. Men inside the casino began shouting and a handful of passerby yelled as Baktashi ran east and rounded the corner north onto Beaubien Street. A crowd of Jimmy the Greek’s friends angrily chased after him.
After sprinting north for a block, Baktashi hopped on the running board of a yellow Checker Cab parked directly across the street from the Detroit Police Headquarters at 1300 Beaubien. With adrenaline pumping almost visibly through his system, Baktashi thrust the still-warm barrel of his gun against the left temple of cab driver Udo Andres and told him to step on it. The cabbie punched the gas pedal and sped his captor away into the night. Baktashi’s commandeered taxi was last seen speeding north on Brush Street with a dark sedan in hot pursuit. Baktashi managed to get away clean from both the police and Jimmy the Greek’s men that night.
Zero Puchi was rushed to Receiving Hospital, where he soon died from his gunshot wounds. Joe Baktashi was arrested a couple of days later and charged with murder. The Albanian killer claimed that he had acted in self-defense when Puchi had tried to attack him. Baktashi was housed in the Wayne County Jail until his case was adjudicated. After considerable deliberation, Baktashi was ruled to have shot and killed Puchi in self-defense.[xxxii]
A Detroit News article detailing the shooting of Zero Puchi.
While the Albanian gangster may have gotten off the hook with the law, he was now persona-non-grata in the Greektown underworld after having killed popular bouncer Puchi. Baktashi returned to his St. Antoine Street headquarters to find out that his dope business partner James Carloze had apparently cut a deal with the local Mafia in his absence. Baktashi seems to have had an aversion to dealing with Italian gangsters that probably dated to his original long-ago fight with Joe Lavella back in Utah.
Carloze’s contact appears to have been twenty-four year old Pete Corrado, an up-and-coming mafiùsu who was noted as the Detroit family’s unofficial liaison to the Greektown underworld. Carloze may have begun buying narcotics directly from the Mafia and/or paying a protection fee to move his product. Baktashi seems to have once again earned the enmity of the local Mafia; he may have refused to pay them tribute or otherwise insulted them. As the autumn of 1927 began, Detroit seemed to be growing increasingly unwelcoming to Joe Baktashi. Unwilling to directly lock heads with the Mafia and with Greektown closed to him, the Albanian gangster once again put himself into the wind.
This time is seems that Baktashi made the right decision to split. A month after his departure, on the night of November 11, agents Joseph Bell and Arnold C. Lachenauer of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics infiltrated the Afghanistan Coffee House at 742 St. Antoine Street. The two agents posed as drug buyers and ended up purchasing 440 grains of morphine for forty dollars. Once the transaction was completed, the raid was announced. As Bell and Lachenauer were walking three suspects to their car, a hidden assailant opened fire on them from a darkened doorway. Agent Bell was seriously wounded while Agent Lachenauer escaped injury.
James Carloze and one of his helpers, Joseph Elahia, were arrested and charged with the shooting. Police searching the coffee house found a stash of morphine in the basement as well as a cache of firearms. Both Carloze and Elahia managed to beat the assault rap but could not avoid being sentenced to federal prison for narcotics violations. While federal narcotics agents were confident that they had busted up the St. Antoine Street dope operation, they were frustrated that the mysterious “Pete Milo” had apparently slipped through their fingers.[xxxiii]
By his account, Joseph Baktashi stepped off the train in Salt Lake City on October 12, 1927. In a sense, it was a bitter homecoming. Just five months earlier, he had seemingly been on top of the world. His successful Detroit underworld career had been laid to waste by Mafia pressure and the killing of Zero Puchi. At thirty-two years old, Baktashi was a killer and ex-convict with an increasingly bleak future. Quickly burning through his traveling stake, he was apparently forced to borrow money from friends just to make ends meet. By late November, Baktashi had connected with members of the Salt Lake City underworld, most probably through a mutual network of fellow Utah State Prison alumni.[xxxiv]
Baktashi’s new partner was forty-four year old Hamilton “Harry” Daywalt, a grizzled yegg who had served prison time in Colorado, Idaho, Utah and Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary.[xxxv] Baktashi and Daywalt almost certainly knew each other from the Sugar House, as they were both locked up there at the same time in 1922. Daywalt and two unknown accomplices proposed a safecracking job. The S.H. Kress & Co. department store reportedly had an $8,000 monthly payroll at a specific time at the beginning of every month. Joe Baktashi told them that he was in. The boys carefully staked out the store to see when the payroll money would be delivered. Once the money was in place, they would strike that very night. On the afternoon of December 3, their surveillance paid off when they saw the bank messenger visit the Kress store. The job was a go.
As it was a Saturday evening, all the men had to do was waiting for closing time, infiltrate the store and crack the “crib.” Around 7 o’clock that evening, however, an anonymous phone call to the Salt Lake City Police Department alerted them that thieves were planning on hitting the Kress department store that very evening. A squad of detectives and patrolmen took up surveillance positions inside the store at 257 Main Street and waited for their quarry to arrive.
Completely unaware that they were heading into a trap, Joe Baktashi, Harry Daywalt and their two accomplices set out to pull the job around ten-thirty that night. From his position in the shadows of the Kress store, Detective Martin McGinness watched as two figures darkened the skylight of the main room and carefully entered the building. After dropping to the floor, the two intruders hurried to the rear door of the store. They then let in a third man who was carrying a heavy iron jimmy bar and other burglary tools. Once the trio began to make their way to the office that held the safe, Detective McGinness and his men sprang from their hiding places with aimed pistols, “Throw up your hands!”
Baktashi, Daywalt and their accomplice momentarily froze like deer in headlights. One of them loudly cursed before the three bolted for the back door while pulling pistols from their pockets. A frantic, close-quarters gun battle erupted between the trapped thieves and the police. Baktashi later said a bullet passed so close to his eye that he felt its passage; yet another slug passed harmlessly through his pants leg. Daywalt had just made it to the back door when a .45 ACP slug slammed into his back, eventually lodging in his right lung. Although wounded, he managed to make it outside and stagger away from the scene. Three of the officers tackled Baktashi and subdued him with fists and gun butts. The unnamed accomplice dashed up a stairwell and crashed clear out a second-story window to the alley below. This individual managed to make it to his feet and disappear into the night; his identity remains unknown.
While Baktashi was cuffed and led away, police spread out through the neighborhood looking for the other suspects. Harry Daywalt was found lying on the sidewalk outside the nearby American Theatre. A witness said he had been led there by a mysterious man in a leather jacket. Another suspect named John Pirtle was arrested, but he was soon released.
After keeping his mouth shut for about twenty-four hours, Joe Baktashi admitted his true identity and confessed to the attempted burglary. The Albanian gangster explained his past criminal history (while carefully omitting his Detroit adventures) and the events leading up to the burglary. Baktashi also made a point of saying that he had lied to Utah prison officials back in 1918 on Abdul Alli’s behalf. Joe now said that Alli had been Joe Lavella’s actual killer, all along. While refusing to name his accomplices in the Kress store job, Joe had harsh words for the anonymous tipster, “I know the fellow who got away is the bird who squealed to the police before we started to work on the crib,” he was quoted as saying. Baktashi’s eyes blazed as he said, “If he is caught he will be sent to the State Prison and I will be there and I will kill him.”
By December 6, Harry Daywalt had recovered enough to be moved to his arraignment. As they sat together, Baktashi looked Daywalt in the eye and said point blank, “I wish when they had fired at me that they had of killed me.” It seems from the beginning that Joe Baktashi had no illusions about how things would turn out. In his final comments about the case, the Albanian gangster pled guilty to burglary and stated his desire to begin serving his sentence at once. The state of Utah obliged him by pronouncing a sentence of 5 to 20 years imprisonment. Salt Lake City officials commented favorably that Baktashi had saved the taxpayers the expense of having a trial. For the third time in his life, Joe Baktashi was on his way to the Sugar House.[xxxvi]
After going through the standard in-processing, Baktashi was reintroduced to prison life. The Sugar House had not changed at all since he had walked out its gates just fourteen months earlier. Back then, he potentially had a clean slate in front of him. Nowadays, Joe thought of little else but getting even with those he believed had wronged him. Joe Baktashi was labeled as a discipline problem right off the bat. To make matters worse, Bureau of Immigration officials let Baktashi know that they planned on commencing deportation proceedings against him upon completion of his prison sentence.
Despite the odds stacked against him, Baktashi found an unlikely ally in Chief Deputy Warden Wilford Giles. The former chief of police of Provo, Giles remembered when police had beaten a murder confession out of then-young and scared Joe Baktashi back in 1914. The Deputy Warden figured that Baktashi had turned down the wrong path in life due to being given a raw deal in the Joe Lavella case. Far from the frightened kid he was when Giles first met him, the sociopathic Baktashi promptly began to manipulate Giles by speaking of the rotten luck he had encountered while working as a “mechanic” in Detroit. Joe often talked with the Deputy Warden about his love of flowers and birds. Largely through Giles’ efforts, Baktashi was designated as a trusty in the spring of 1928 and charged with maintaining the prison’s garden just outside the walls.
During the spring and summer of 1928, the Utah State Prison was rocked by a number of disturbances that included numerous fights; several escape attempts, and one near riot. One of the escapees, Bert Sorenson, managed to make it all the way to Indiana before being shot and killed by police. Warden R.E. Davis and Deputy Warden Wilford Giles attempted to isolate troublemakers by putting them in positions where they could not stir up trouble amongst the other inmates. Joe Baktashi, in his trusty position as a gardener, spent most of his days outside of the wall away from the pressure cooker atmosphere of the cell house.
After supper was served on August 15, Joe was allowed outside the walls to water the prison’s flower garden. The activity seems to have had little to no supervision. By 8 o’clock, the guards realized that the Albanian convict had not yet returned. When he was still missing at the final head count before lights out, the prison administration realized that Baktashi had done it again.[xxxvii]
An Ogden Standard Examiner headline announcing Joe Baktashi's second prison escape.
Joe Baktashi’s second successful escape from the Utah State Prison made headlines all over the state. Authorities in both Utah and neighboring Nevada were put on alert. Deputy Warden Wilford Giles took full responsibility for the escape, as he had put Baktashi in the trusty position that allowed him outside of the prison’s walls. Warden R.E. Davis spoke in his colleague’s defense, “It’s just a case of misplaced confidence…I realize we are open to censure by the press and the public for letting a man like him outside the walls. But we figured it was the easiest way to handle him. He was a disagreeable prisoner inside.”[xxxviii]
As with his first break in 1922, its unknown if Baktashi planned this escape in advance or acted on impulse. Unlike his previous escape, there were few places where the Albanian gangster could go. With police all over Utah on the lookout for him, staying put was not advisable. In retrospect, Baktashi’s best bet would have been to leave the country, perhaps heading north for someplace like Calgary or Vancouver. To this day, no one knows his exact motivation. Baktashi had always been a temperamental criminal, and perhaps he still desired to exact revenge on the man who ratted him out.
There is no exact information, then or now, about Joe Baktashi’s whereabouts in the ten days or so after he escaped from his gardening detail. On August 27, twelve days after his break, Baktashi was seen in Detroit, renting a room at 3163 Meldrum Street. One can only guess why he decided to return to the Motor City, which had become even more inhospitable to him than Salt Lake City. The Greek underworld still wanted revenge against him for Zero Puchi, while the Sicilian mob was still angry about their dope racket beef. Some investigators would postulate that the target of his vengeance was in town. Unconfirmed reports even stated that his old nemesis, Abdul Alli, was now living in Detroit as a racketeer. Perhaps Joe was indeed in town to get revenge, or perhaps he was looking to pick up the pieces of his drug business. Maybe, when all was said and done, Baktashi simply did not know where else to go after his prison break.
Word quickly began to filter through the Detroit underworld that Pete Milo was back in town. On the evening of August 30, Baktashi was observed making the underworld rounds in Greektown. Moving through the smoke-filled coffee houses and gambling dens filled with hard men speaking in rapid-fire Greek, Baktashi may have felt soothed by the familiar environment. While he does not appear to have been making waves, he almost certainly would have noticed the chilly reception he was getting. At some point in the night, Baktashi encountered a familiar face that was actually somewhat glad to see him. Who this individual was is unknown, but this man was in Joe’s company by no later than midnight.
By two-forty that morning, Joe Baktashi and his buddy were walking east on East Lafayette Avenue, leaving Greektown and heading into Little Sicily. The street was largely deserted at this time of the night. Baktashi’s business in the Sicilian district is unknown. Perhaps he was going to meet someone. Joe and his companion were about a quarter-block past Hastings Street when a dark sedan pulled to the curb and noiselessly slowed behind them. A man hopped out of the passenger door and was on the sidewalk before the vehicle had come to a complete stop. Baktashi did not even notice the car behind him, or the man with the .45 automatic in his fist. Eight bullets ripped into Baktashi’s head and body, the muzzle blasts from the .45 staining the back of Joe’s neck with powder burns. The Albanian gangster was killed instantly.
John Lichenberg turned his automobile into Lafayette Avenue from Hastings Street just as the attack concluded. The motorist was able to see the killer return to his car, the dead form of Baktashi lying on the sidewalk and his companion running apparently unharmed into the darkness. Lichenberg slowly pulled forward as the killers’ car accelerated east on Lafayette. Lichenberg noted that the rear of the auto was so slathered with mud that he could not make out the license plate.
A Detroit Free Press headline detailing Joe Baktashi's murder.
Joe Baktashi’s murder made the national news wire; the only time in his career that he would rate such coverage. Detroit police investigating the homicide were confounded by the fact that the victim apparently lived two lives; known in the Utah underworld as Joe Baktashi while he sold dope in Detroit’s Greektown as Pete Milo. Since the victim’s double life and produced a double amount of enemies, it was difficult to know where to go for suspects. The Greek underworld may have finally exacted revenge for Zero Puchi, while the fact that Baktashi had been killed in Little Sicily indicated to some that the Mafia had eliminated Pete Milo as a potential rival in the dope business. Members of the Purple Gang were also considered as possible suspects, as they were major players in Detroit’s narcotics racket. Maybe the quasi-mythical Abdul Alli had finally ended their longtime feud. Whoever was responsible, it seemed likely that Baktashi’s unknown companion had decoyed him to his death.[xxxix]
Any and all of the aforementioned reasons were plausible motives for Baktashi’s murder. After all his years and miles of scuffling, Joe had finally run out of options, out of places to hide and out of time. No one knows if his family members, if he had any remaining, were notified. On September 4, 1928, thirty-three year old Joseph Baktashi was laid to rest in an unmarked grave in Roseland Park Cemetery in the suburb of Berkley, Michigan.
Meanwhile, in the dog-eat-dog Detroit underworld, the deadly cycle of life continued unabated.
[i] Miranda Vickers, The Albanians: A Modern History, London: I.B Tauris, 1999.
[ii] H.T. Norris, Islam in the Balkans: Religion and Society between Europe and the Arab World, London: Hurst & Company, 1993, pgs. 92-96.
[iii] World War I draft card; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leskovik
[iv] Stavro Skendi, The Albanian National Awakening, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1967.
[v] The 1920 U.S. Census recorded Joe Baktashi as being an inmate at the Utah State Prison.
[vi] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Utah
[vii] According to his World War I draft card, Abdul Alli was born on May 15, 1894 in Korçë, Manastir, Albania to unknown parents. Like Joe Baktashi (with whom he apparently shared a birthday), it is unknown when Alli came to America; he told the census taker in 1920 that he immigrated in 1912.
[viii] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soldier_Summit,_Utah
[ix] Giuseppe La Vella was born circa 1879 in Pedivigliano, Calabria, Italy to unknown parents. He told the census taker in 1910 that he had immigrated to America in 1904. Once in the U.S., Joe Lavella (as he was known to English speakers) began working in a copper mine in Salt Lake County, Utah. Sometime in 1910, Lavella returned to his native Italy and reunited with his family. A year or so later, he returned to Utah and began working for the Reynolds-Ely Construction Company. Lavella and his wife Maria had two children, Francesco (b. 1899) and Antonietta (b. 1911); State of Utah: Death Certificate, No. 120 (1914); 1910 U.S. Census; Utah, Utah County, Probate Estate Files, Case No. 23125-2370, 1914.
[x] Ogden Standard Examiner, August 29, 1922.
[xi] Provo Daily Herald, April 13, 1914.
[xii] Provo Daily Herald, April 20, 1914.
[xiii] Ogden Standard, April 21 and 29, May 2, 6, 8-9 and 12, 1914; Provo Daily Herald, May 7, 1914.
[xiv] https://www.deseretnews.com/article/900015814/utah-state-prison-history-favored-penal-sites-always-way-out-of-town.html
[xv] Salt Lake Telegram, August 15, 1918.
[xvi] Salt Lake Telegram, December 21, 1918 and March 24, 1919.
[xvii] Ogden Standard Examiner, November 6 and 21, 1921.
[xviii] Abdul Alli, along with Toy Smith and another man, was convicted of robbing J.L. Jordan in Ogden, Utah on September 6, 1921. The Albanian bandit was given a sentence of five years. Why Alli had another falling out with Joe Baktashi is unknown. It seems that Baktashi had taken the blame for Joe Lavella in return for something from Alli. Perhaps Alli was to have assisted Baktashi in his own 1921 parole hearing and failed. The answer is lost to history. Details of Alli’s robbery case can be found in the following Ogden Standard Examiner issues; September 26 and October 22, 1921; January 16, 18 and 25, 1922.
[xix] Ogden Standard Examiner, August 29, 1922.
[xx] Daniel Waugh, Off Color: The Violent History of Detroit’s Notorious Purple Gang, Holland, MI: In-Depth Editions, 2014, pgs. 73-83.
[xxi] According to his death certificate, Dimitrios Poulos aka James Thompson was born on May 15, 1894 in Stemnitsa, Greece to Thomas and Maria Vlachogiannis Poulos. It is unknown exactly when he immigrated to America. Poulos would eventually anglicize his name to William James Thompson, but he was primarily known in the Detroit underworld as “Jimmy the Greek.” Michigan Department of Health, Certificate of Death, (1933), No. 984.
[xxii] Zero Puchi was born in Gjirokastër, Albania to Nazif Puchi and an unknown woman. While his death certificate gives an approximate birth year of 1885, Puchi’s World War I draft card gave his birth date as September 22, 1874. The same draft card gave his address as 8 N. Howard Street in Akron, Ohio, with a relative living in Detroit at 180 Brush Street. After he moved to the Motor City, Puchi lived at 2215 Fifth Street; Michigan Department of Health, Certificate of Death, (1927), No. 8099.
[xxiii] Detroit Free Press, January 3, 1925. The author was unable to find any further information on Harry Halloway and believes that this name was most probably an alias. James George was noted as running a Greektown blind pig at 347 Monroe Avenue. The fact that Baktashi victimized a respected saloonkeeper on his boss Thompson’s turf pointed to the Albanian gangster’s wholly unpredictable nature.
[xxiv] The bombing was thoroughly covered in Detroit newspapers, notably the March 12-14, 1924 issues of the Detroit Free Press and the March 12, 1924 issue of the Detroit News.
[xxv] Ioannis (John) Deplaris was born on either September 7, 1893 or July 5, 1894 in Filatria, Greece to Dionysus and Helen Christopoulos Deplaris. By the time of his death, Deplaris was noted as living in a suite at the Hotel Tuller and operating a Greektown coffee house/gambling den at 347 Monroe Avenue. Michigan Department of Health, Certificate of Death, (1924), No. 4003; World War I draft card. Details of his murder from the April 3, 1924 issues of the Detroit Free Press and Detroit News.
[xxvi] Fotios (Frank) Kokalaris was born on March 18, 1891 in Filatria, Greece to Petro Kokalaris and an unknown woman. Kokalaris would be noted as the prime suspect in several unsolved homicides in and around Greektown during Prohibition, including one 1929 case when he and Detroit gangster Pete Corrado were acquitted of killing gambler Tom Serenotes in front of his Hastings Street laundromat/gambling den. Michigan Department of Health, Certificate of Death, (1931), No. 8374; additional information from the July 11, 1931 issue of the Detroit Times and the October 29, 1931 issue of the Detroit Free Press.
[xxvii] While the information surrounding Joe Baktashi’s capture is sparse, my account was derived from the following sources; Salt Lake Telegram, January 2, 1925; Detroit Free Press, January 3, 1925; Detroit Times, August 31, 1928.
[xxviii] Salt Lake Telegram, October 18, 1925. Abdul Alli appears to have faded into obscurity after his release. Unconfirmed accounts in contemporary Utah newspapers claimed he moved to Detroit and went into the rackets, but this author was unable to find any confirmation for that hypothesis.
[xxix] Salt Lake Telegram, October 17, 1926. All told, Joe Baktashi had served a total of ten years and twenty days in prison for the murder of Joe Lavella.
[xxx] The author was unable to discover much about James Carloze other than that his real name seems to have been Albert Valento (or Valente). He was apparently born circa 1905 and began selling dope in Detroit around 1924. After serving a two-year term in Leavenworth, Carloze would be confined in New York’s Sing Sing Penitentiary. Contemporary news accounts often spell his alias as “Carlozzi.”
[xxxi] Little is known for certain about Joe Baktashi’s dope business other than he operated it under the Pete Milo alias and was considered enough of a threat by the Federal Narcotics Bureau that they continued to hound him until the day he died. Some fragments of his dope business can be found in the following articles; Detroit Free Press, November 12, 13 and 15, 1927; August 31 and September 1, 1928; Detroit News, November 12, 1927 and August 31, 1928; Detroit Times, August 31, 1928.
[xxxii] Details on the Zero Puchi killing and its aftermath were drawn from the June 16, 1927 and August 31, 1928 issues of the Detroit Free Press, Detroit News and Detroit Times.
[xxxiii] Detroit Free Press, November 12, 13 and 15, 1927; August 31, 1928; Detroit News, November 12, 1927 and August 31, 1928.
[xxxiv] Salt Lake Telegram, December 5, 1927.
[xxxv] The son of a Civil War veteran turned gold miner, Hamilton Daywalt was born on November 12, 1883 in Breckenridge, Colorado to David and Frances Ready Daywalt. Hamilton, or Harry as he was called, was in constant trouble from an early age; he was noted as having run away from home more than once and hitching a ride on freight trains. Daywalt’s extensive criminal career began when he was sentenced to serve time in Colorado’s Canon City Penitentiary in April 1908 and paroled three years later. Daywalt married Anna Elizabeth Welch in Pueblo, Colorado on November 1, 1911. After working as an iron worker for a number of years, Harry struck back out on the outlaw trail. In the autumn of 1919, he would be incarcerated in the Idaho State Penitentiary for burglary for one to five years; he was released on October 9, 1920.
Daywalt headed south to Salt Lake City, Utah, where he was arrested after burglarizing a house on June 1, 1921. During his six-month term for petty larceny in the Salt Lake County Jail, he was thrown into solitary confinement for the last eight weeks of his sentence for using his position as a trusty to smuggle drugs to fellow inmates. Free again during the winter of 1922, Daywalt was busted yet again for burglary and sentenced to a longer term at the Sugar House Prison. It was at this point that Daywalt almost certainly met Joe Baktashi before the latter escaped that August. Daywalt walked out the gates of the Sugar House in December 1924 into the arms of federal officers, who laid in wait to bust him for altering the name on a $50 Liberty Bond he had stolen in his June 1921 heist. After serving a two-year term in Leavenworth Federal Prison, Harry Daywalt headed west again to his rendezvous with Joe Baktashi.
Aspen Daily Times, April 4, 1897; Salt Lake Telegram, June 2 and December 15, 1921; February 13-14, 1922; December 23, 1924 and December 7, 1927. Idaho, Old Penitentiary Prison Records, 1920, Harry Hamilton Daywalt; World War I draft card; Colorado Steel Works Employment Records, Hamilton Daywalt; Colorado State Census, 1885; 1910 and 1930 U.S. Censuses.
[xxxvi] My recreation of the ill-fated Kress store safecracking was drawn from the December 4-8, 1927 and February 29, 1928 issues of the Salt Lake Telegram.
[xxxvii] Salt Lake Telegram, August 16 and 31, 1928; Ogden Standard Examiner, August 16, 17 and 31, 1928.
[xxxviii] Salt Lake Telegram, August 16, 1928.
[xxxix] While differing on some minor points, I recreated Joe Baktashi’s final days and death from the following articles; the August 31, 1928 issues of the Detroit News, Detroit Times and Salt Lake Telegram. Supplemental material from the September 1 and 5, 1928 issues of the Detroit Free Press.
Posted by Daniel Waugh at 7:46 PM
Labels: 1928, Baktashi, Daniel Waugh, Detroit, Greektown, Milo, Utah
I am a freelance writer who specializes in early 20th century true crime and military history. My published works include Egan's Rats; Gangs of St. Louis; and Off Color: The Violent History of Detroit's Purple Gang. I have recently finished a fourth book entitled Vinnitta: The Birth of the Detroit Mafia.
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Have the Broncos Won For the Last Time This Season?
(Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
With three games to go and the Denver Broncos in the thick of the playoff chase, it seems ludicrous to suggest they may have already won for the last time this season. Or does it?
Before Sunday's game against the Tennessee Titans, it seemed reasonable to expect the Broncos would win two of their last four games and secure a wildcard spot, surrendering their long-held division title to the Raiders or the Chiefs. After Sunday's loss to the Titans, it seems far less reasonable to expect Denver to win two of their last three games and get into the playoffs.
While I still believe that winning two out of three would get the Broncos into the playoffs, that scenario now seems highly unlikely.
The Titans aren't a bad team, but, they are a beatable team, and Denver should have been able to secure a road victory. But, they didn't. For at least a half, the Broncos' defense couldn't stop the Tennessee offense, and the Broncos' offense looked as lifeless as a slug on a ripe tomato. It was the wrong time for a bad game.
So, now the Broncos face the three top teams in the AFC in consecutive weeks -- the Patriots, the Chiefs, and the Raiders.
To their benefit, Denver will play New England and Oakland at home. But, unfortunately, playing in front of the home crowd is not going to suddenly open up holes for Denver's abysmal running game, or make their defense suddenly look like a brick wall against the run.
The simple fact is there are too many pieces to this team that is missing from January's Super Bowl win. How many pieces?- 22 by my count that was on the Super Bowl roster but isn't today. That's 41% of the Super Bowl winning team that is gone.
We have kept hoping that we could find a way to win anyway - but, while the Broncos have clearly digressed, other teams have unquestionably gotten better. The unfolding season has brought to light the darkness of reality.
NEXT: 10 Adorable Bronco Fans With Four Legs
Here's how I see things playing out.
The Broncos lose to New England, which is pressing toward securing the AFC's #1 seed. Winning in Kansas City is unlikely, even at the best of times. At that point, even a win the season finale against the Raiders is likely not going to be enough to get the Broncos into the playoffs - and with nothing to play for, I would expect Oakland to springboard into the playoffs with a win in the Mile High City.
The next Bronco win will come in about 9 months - and instead of entering the season as the defending Super Bowl champions, they'll be the underdogs chasing the Chiefs and the Raiders for AFC West supremacy.
Get the latest news from ESPN 1230!
Filed Under: Denver Broncos
2019 1230 ESPN, Townsquare Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Murder for Hire
You can watch "Murder for Hire" series for free from 123Movies on this page, We have listed all available seasons above , you can choose and play any episode of your choice. A series that dives into the dark world of contract killings, showcasing some of the most fascinating murder for hire cases ever caught on tape.
Director: Dick Wolf
Actors: David Batchelor, Joseph Alfieri, Leonel Claude
TV Status: Returning Series
Networks: Oxygen
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The Weekly
A narrative documentary news program that features one or two of the New York Times’ biggest and most important visual stories each week following the stories and the reporters that…
Genre: Documentary, News
American version of the reality game show which follows a group of HouseGuests living together 24 hours a day in the “Big Brother” house, isolated from the outside world but…
Saitama is a hero who only became a hero for fun. After three years of “special” training, though, he’s become so strong that he’s practically invincible. In fact, he’s too…
Genre: Action, Animation, Comedy
Madeline Scott, a fierce and uncompromising lawyer with a hunger for justice, runs an underdog criminal defense firm. There is no one who understands the power of setting an innocent…
A provocative and darkly comic meditation on the disparate forces polarizing present-day American culture, as experienced by the members of a progressive multi-ethnic family — a philosophy professor and his…
Shirou Emiya lost his parents in a fire when he was young and was later adopted by the sorcerer Kiritsugu Emiya. Shirou is drawn into the Holy Grail War summons…
Genre: Action & Adventure, Animation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Bubblegum Crisis: Tokyo 2040
Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040 is a Japanese anime series produced by Anime International Company and funded by ADV Films. A retelling of the 1987 original video animation Bubblegum Crisis, the…
Genre: Action, Animation, Science Fiction
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“Happiness leads to success more often than success leads to happiness.”
I moved to Baltimore and told myself I’d be here for a year. Then onto my next adventure. That was four years ago, and here I am… and I’m happy about it. The reason I’ve stayed? There are many, but 14 West is a significant factor. Personally, I love helping people. And in the benefits department, this is our focus. Every day I’m given the opportunity to find solutions to people’s problems and better their lives. But along the way I’ve also been given the opportunity to better my own. The leaders at 14 West believe in supporting my personal goals, as well as professional ones. They have allowed me to take ownership of my work, and I’m given the freedom to work on the projects that truly interest me. As a Yogi I am a huge believer in personal growth and development, and I love that every day I am encouraged to improve my skillset, get creative, and learn something new.
What is your favorite workplace perk?
I love our yoga membership discount and free weekly class. It’s a blast to see coworkers outside of work doing downward dog and getting their Zen on.
Bob Compton
CFO at 14 West
“Always look beyond.”
I make an effort to surround myself with the best and the brightest. I’m gravitated to those that are willing to push themselves. If you’re willing to push yourself, then I’m willing to push myself to take risks with you – to give you every opportunity to succeed here. It’s important to me that we remain an environment all about collaborating and supporting one another. But I also like to see competitiveness in the people here. I’m extremely competitive, and I know that this trait is one of my biggest assets. I refuse to settle for anything ordinary or just “OK.” I like to push the boundaries. It’s much more fun to look beyond. I think that’s why after more than 15 years with this company, I still feel inspired and driven every day. I feel we are all very fortunate to work for such a dynamic, and in many ways, odd company. It looks dysfunctional and mysterious and magical, but there is beauty in what all of these great minds can produce.
What is one thing you do in the office every day?
I walk around the office every day and say hello to everyone. Most days it’s just a “Hey, how are you? What’s going on?”- not necessarily a conversation. But I believe there is tremendous value in this one simple thing.
Zeno Pizzighella
Organizational Development Manager at 14 West
“Es posible fuego”
Time flies. It’s hard to believe I’ve been the Organizational Development Manager at 14 West for almost two years already. I like to think we work hard, think hard, and play hard. And I truly enjoy what I do. My passion for making measurable improvements in the workplace makes my career exciting to me – and a lot of fun. I love people, and what I do starts from great, genuine relationships. I think this has been the best part about working at 14 West. We have an amazing thing going with our team. We genuinely enjoy our work, have fun, laugh, and challenge one another. It’s more like an absurdly large family rather than an office at times, and the sibling rivalry can get fierce which I thrive on. But the love is definitely there. It’s a beautiful thing.
What is your favorite company event of the year? I really enjoy the Global HR summit. I love being in a room with that many smart and interesting people and getting the scoop on all of their ideas, projects, goals and progress. It’s fascinating.
Courtney McLaughlin
Events Manager at 14 West
“The biggest adventure you can ever take is to live the life of your dreams.”
― Oprah Winfrey
I love knowing what “The next BIG THING” is – whether it’s a new book, a new workout or a new experience; I want to be the first to try it and tell everyone about it. I try and surround myself with people who also feel this way so that I never miss a thing! As much as I love to be in the know and at the party, I also really value my time to myself to recharge. A good book or a meditation session really helps me stay grounded and level headed. I think these practices have helped me in event planning to stay calm under the pressure and not overreact when something goes wrong – and something always does. I’m looking forward to all of the exciting events 14 West has on the horizon and can’t wait until you see our “Next BIG THING”.
What is something that you do in the office every day? My colleague and I meditate every day at 10:00 am. It helps to clear our minds and serves as a “reset button” for anything that’s going on in our lives.
Elizabeth Massing
Director of Personnel & Talent at 14 West
“Don’t be scared to take risks and do not settle on mediocracy. You will never achieve greater heights by following the norm.”
More than 15 years after my first day here as an intern, I still love coming to work every day. I love the creativity and freedom that the company affords me, and the unconventional, fast-paced and dynamic environment. We hold people’s hands when they need holding, but we also love getting the job done. I never accept mediocracy. I believe in taking the time to hire the best people for the job. In fact, I think what most excites me is finding solutions to difficult situations. Most problems cannot be fixed with a one size fits all approach. I like creative solutions and taking an unstructured and flexible approach to solving them. And when we identify a strong idea, we take it and run with it – and see it through to its true worth.
Over the years, I think my secret weapon has really been learning to work well with a lot of different personality types, and taking the time to understand people. But I do not believe in micromanaging. As a director and manager of a team of 19, I still believe there is value in every individual’s ideas, regardless of their level of experience. My passion for people extends outside of the workplace and into the community. I serve on the board of three organizations in Baltimore, and I am a part of four others. Some of these include Living Classrooms, Mount Vernon Club, and the Children’s Scholarship Fund Baltimore.
What is your favorite company event of the year? I love our annual team outing because of the genuine friendships our group shares. It is a chance for me to really express my true appreciation for the whole team.
Daisy Smith
Assistant Director, Communications
“Don’t take yourself too seriously.”
I found myself at 14 West after 18 months of traveling and teaching in Bali, Thailand and Australia. And now 4 years later, I’ve learned and grown with my team in extraordinary ways. I think that’s due in large part to the fact that I’ve been encouraged to approach my work and explore my potential in the same ways I’ve explored other parts of the world. I’m constantly asking questions, seeing and doing new things. And learning A LOT. I didn’t expect to find an experience like this in “an office back home.”
I love my position at 14 West because I’m invited to take on a diverse range of responsibilities. From running our wellness program to brand development and brand marketing to writing, I have a broad range of interests. And my role allows me to develop my skills through work that truly excites me. I have a hard time saying no to new projects, even when I already have a full plate. But when I take on too much, the leaders here are there with the support I need to get the job done. At the same time, I’m given the creative freedom to feel real ownership over my projects, which only motivates me more.
What is one thing you have to do every day in the office? Gotta have my essential oil diffuser going. Five of us share an office and we’re all hooked on the diffuser now, but it’s my job to create the perfect oil cocktail each morning to set the tone for the day. I’m obsessed.
Allison Benson O' Brien
Director of Communications at 14 West
“Ask “why?” when told “no.” Always learn something. And stand behind the ideas you believe in.”
My job allows me a lot of creative freedom. And that can be a lot of fun, but there’s also some self-inflicted pressure that comes along with the role. Fortunately, my team includes some brilliant people and a few clowns; so we not only get the job done – we laugh every day. And I think our work is stronger because of that. We take the positivity, the humor and the passion we have in our office and find a way to share it with the workplaces we support. Whether it’s through an event, a marketing piece, a partnership, a post… even a piece of swag. And it works.
My team and I have watched the companies we support to go on to become recognized as top workplaces by their communities and local media. It feels good to know that this is in part due to our efforts.
What is your favorite company event of the year? Hands down… decorating day. We pull the holiday decorations out of the basement, get together after work with some pizza, wine, and music, and decorate the gorgeous 19th Century mansion we work in. A dream for a Christmas geek like myself.
Grace Epperson
VP of Marketing Intelligence
I graduated from college on a Friday and started working at 14 West the following Monday. That was nearly two decades ago, and there’s rarely been a day where I have not learned something new here. I started as a marketing assistant and now I’m the VP of Marketing Intelligence. While we publish cutting edge ideas, it is so much more. I’ve been fortunate to be a part of the “more.”
I spend my days helping our good folks use data to answer the question of “should I do more or less of this?” My team – who I always say do all the “real work” – are an amazing and talented group. We develop, maintain and train on over 200 reports and dashboards, provide ad hoc data analysis, model our data for effective targeting and expose data as needed. If there’s a way we can help our affiliates leverage the value of their data, that’s us.
I obsessively fight to keep my inbox under control while not driving my team crazy. By the way, these two things are in direct opposition to one another!
Daryl Berver
For nearly 30 years I’ve helped to grow businesses through strategic thinking. A lot of what I do relies on data. Dealing with hard numbers and facts all day long might seem dull to some, but it’s all about how you apply them. I haven’t had one moment of boredom in those “nearly 30 years,” and I credit that to the fact that I prefer to push the envelope. But I’m lucky in that I’ve been given the freedom and trust to do that. And today, my career has given me the opportunity to help launch and grow more than 40 companies around the globe… and I’ve got the Starbucks mugs to prove it!
Favorite Privilege or Perk? In 2015, I finally reached a “One Million Miler” flyer status! Hard-earned with a lot of long flights in coach.
Paige Tester
Digital Content Specialist at 14 West
“Once you stop learning, you start dying.” – Albert Einstein
In my time here, I’ve learned a lot. The company culture allows me a lot of creative freedom and encouragement to step outside of the box and try new things. This can be scary at times – particularly as a new team member. But I’ve found that it has helped speed up the learning process. And already after just a short time, standing on my own has gone from uncomfortable to exhilarating. My personal goal is to produce interesting and valuable content, and 14 West has provided me with an opportunity to push myself to be a more resourceful and creative writer. I am easily bored and unimpressed with the status quo, anything conventional or shallow, and so my goal is to bring originality and depth to everything that I do here. My hope is to produce content that helps bring positivity and significance into people’s lives.
What is something you do in the office every day? Every day consists of laughter, supporting one another, and breakthroughs…. also a lot of snacking.
Paul Xu
Director of Information Security
I am a huge proponent of perpetual self-improvement and learning. And I think this is one of the reasons I find working in Information Security to be so rewarding. The field is constantly and rapidly evolving, and so I’m faced with an endless challenge. But this translates to me as endless opportunity. In this field, if you are not eager to learn and face a challenge every day, then you’re putting it all on the line. So I try to build my team with people like myself – that are truly passionate about growing their expertise and protecting businesses and their employees. But I also like to surround myself with people that challenge me, and aren’t afraid to question my decisions or share different perspectives. Because we can’t afford to be one dimensional or get comfortable. We’ve got to stay on our toes.
What is something you do every day in the office?
This probably sounds cliché, but I really do start every morning by checking twitter and news feeds for any news in the security world. It’s either a habit or an obsession – I’m not sure which. Probably both.
Rachel Shifreen
“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement.” – Helen Keller
Working in benefits allows me the opportunity to help people, which is what I really love. And I couldn’t ask for a better team or environment for me. I started as an intern over 8 years ago and am now managing the benefits – which goes to show that if you put in the hard work here at 14 West, there is really no limit to where you can go. And while working in benefits can be a challenge at times, working in benefits here has taught me to have an open mind, embrace the opportunity to do things differently, and to always value the people around you. Whether that means coming together and collaborating to solve a complex problem, or just making each other laugh… we truly value one another.
Any habits in the office?:
Post-its!! I have them everywhere to help keep myself on top of things.
Jennifer DiFolco
Director of Strategic Hiring Initiatives at 14 West
“Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.” – Stephen King
I love being able to contribute to the growth of 14 West. The most exciting part is the challenge that it presents. Sometimes you advertise for a job but get a low response rate. I like to use that opportunity to get creative. You have to dig a bit deep, and the challenge can be exciting. Working at 14 West has allowed me to work with a really amazing team. We work hard but have a lot of fun, and we are continuously collaborating and pushing each other to be more innovative and creative in our recruiting efforts. The office is often chaotic, but entertaining. Working at 14 West means being willing to do something that needs to get done even if it’s outside of your job description. No task should be below you or too small for you to do. You can’t be afraid to get your hands dirty!
What is your favorite company event of the year? I love the White Elephant Gift Exchange that we do every year. It is always so much fun, and people can get really silly with it. Almost every year there is a framed picture of our CFO circulating that everyone really wants. It’s funny seeing people walk out disappointed at the end when they don’t get it.
WestWord
The Agora Companies
Seen & heard at
Insight, ideas and advice from people with a passion for great workplaces – brought to you by 14 West.
14 West is a company that exists to honor the entrepreneurial spirit by helping business people become great employers and solid enterprises. We do this by providing business leaders and business builders with the services and administrative support they need, while they focus on their ideas. But building great workplaces is our business, and we’ve got a lot of our own ideas. WestWord is our way of sharing those ideas with you.
Check out our very first post, “You Are Here” to read more about what you’ll find here.
VIDEO: A Look Inside the 14 West Financial Services Team
We’re Planning for SXSW 2020. Here’s Why You Should Be Too… (and Tips!)
VIDEO: Why Agile Transformation is Right For WesTech & The Agora Companies
Cringe-Worthy Project Woes & What To Do About Them
A Workplace Highlight: WesTech
The Agora Companies at Traffic & Conversion Summit 2019
A Strategic Growth Method Every Manager Should Consider
14 West Named One of Baltimore Sun’s Top Workplaces
Don’t Be Held Ransom | A Shady New Maneuver You Should Know About
Leadership Found in a Forest of Redwoods and Mistletoe
Copyright 14 West © 2019
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Could Johnny Depp Join Marilyn Manson’s Band?
Chad Childers
Marilyn Manson and Johnny Depp have a longtime friendship, but could we potentially see the actor-turned-rocker joining up with Manson's band? The Antichrist Superstar revealed that it's at least come up in discussion in a new tweet.
"Johnny Depp is considering a position on guitar. Sound great?" is the comment that Manson posed to his online followers. But the suggestion shouldn't come as too much of a surprise given the close relationship between the pair, which has already resulted in Depp making guest turns in the Heaven Upside Down videos for "KILL4ME" and "Say10."
In a 2012 interview, just ahead of their surprise performance at the Revolver Golden Gods ceremony, Manson stated, "I've known him forever and he started his band, 'The Kids,' in Ft. Lauderdale. I had a band, 'Marilyn Manson and the Spooky Kids,' in Ft. Lauderdale. It's just strange that I've known him all these years and we've never done music together."
He would also discuss his bond with Depp in a separate interview: “Johnny Depp and I, on Y2K when I went there because I thought the world was going to come to an end, just in case, I went to the south of France and we bought every case of absinthe they had in Prague ... It was just the burgeoning of our bromance, of our brotherly love for each other. He doesn’t drink that much right now because he’s focusing on other things. I will say that he introduced me to Hunter S. Thompson, and Hunter S. Thompson said he was the only person he was afraid of that could take him down.”
The pair would also later collaborate on a cover version of Carly Simon's "You're So Vain," with Depp playing drums and guitar on the song.
Depp's foray into music isn't the typical actor-turned-rock star turn, as he has drawn plenty of respect for his playing. He was one of the founding members of Hollywood Vampires alongside Alice Cooper and Joe Perry, with Cooper revealing that the Aerosmith guitar great actually asked Depp for a guitar lesson after hearing him play. Depp also had a band called P with Butthole Surfers frontman Gibby Haynes in the '90s. The actor also portrayed a rising rock star in Tom Petty's video for "Into the Great Wide Open," a role that wasn't too much of a stretch.
Twiggy Ramirez had been playing guitar for Manson after returning to the band in 2009. However, he exited the group last fall after rape allegations surfaced. Manson's current band includes lead guitarist and collaborator Tyler Bates, drummer Gil Sharone and touring members Paul Wiley on rhythm guitar and programming and Juan Aldrete on bass.
Marilyn Manson Albums Ranked
10 Unforgettable Marilyn Manson Moments
Source: Could Johnny Depp Join Marilyn Manson’s Band?
Filed Under: johnny depp, Marilyn Manson
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Check out This Previously Unreleased Freddie Mercury Music Video!
It's been 30 years since Freddie Mercury passed away, but now he's starring in a new music video. The clip is a new piano driven version of "Time Waits for No One" which was originally recorded in April 1986. The original version of the song has layered production, but Freddie's longtime friend, Dave Clark worked for nearly two years stripping all the excess so that all you hear is Freddie's incredible voice over a single piano. It's incredible. Check it out. All these years later, I'm still amazed everytime I hear his voice. Tell me what you think on the TRY Facebook page.
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The Hug Heard Around the World: Beyoncé Meets Meghan Markle at ‘The Lion King’ Premiere
Power couples collided at the UK premiere for The Lion King this weekend, as Beyoncé and Jay-Z finally met Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on the gold carpet. The “Spirit” singer plays Nala in the live-action edition of the film, but before the screening in London, Bey and her husband greeted the...
Jay-Z Is Getting Into the Weed Business
Jay-Z has a lot of titles, and now he’s getting another one: chief brand strategist of a cannabis company. California-based Caliva says the rapper will play a crucial role in driving creative direction, outreach efforts and strategy. Jay-Z will also be involved in social justice issues surrounding...
This Beyoncé Look Says a Lot at the 2019 NBA Finals
Bey shoots a glare at a woman leaning over her to talk to Jay-Z
Beyoncé & JAY-Z Sit Courtside at NBA Finals; Beyhive Goes Wild Over Close-Talking Woman
Beyoncé and JAY-Z sat courtside at Wednesday's NBA Finals game in Oakland, and fans were feeling protective of the couple's date night out. At one point, television cameras caught a woman leaning over across Bey to talk to Jay. The icon's face seemingly quickly turned from cheerful to annoyed...
Jay-Z Is the First Hip Hop Artist to Become a Billionaire
How the mogul compiled his fortune
Billboard Music Awards: Vote Now for Top Touring Artist
Who played the biggest tour of the year?
The Beyhive Reacts to Someone Leaking a Photo of Beyoncé's Kids
The Beyhive went on the defense Wednesday, after someone leaked a photo of Beyoncé and JAY-Z’s children without their permission. BuzzFeed reports that the black-and-white photo shows Blue Ivy posing with twins Sir and Rumi against a backdrop of wildflowers; the image appears to be of the framed...
JAY-Z Dedicated His NAACP Award to All the Women in His Life
Both JAY-Z and Beyonce were honored last night at the NAACP Image Awards in Hollywood.
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Parents Cry Murder After Drunk Teen Killed in Home Invasion
gwen gowen and alexa valiente
PlayCourtesy Shawn and Jennea Gordley
WATCH Drunk Teen Killed After Home Invasion
The parents of a teen who was shot and killed when he drunkenly entered a neighbor's home and was mistaken for an intruder believe it was murder, not self-defense.
After a night of drinking, Caleb Gordley, 16, was killed when he entered a home near his own in Sterling, Va. The homeowner believed Gordley was a burglar and fired his gun at the teen several times.
Gordley's parents initially forgave the shooter, Donald West Wilder, but new details in the police report, released to them nearly five months after the incident, have changed their minds.
“At no point, from the homeowner's...testimony, the account of the events, did he ever describe Caleb in any way being aggressive,” Shawn Gordley, Caleb Gordley’s father, told ABC News’ “20/20.”
An autopsy report also confirmed that Caleb Gordley died from a gunshot wound to the back.
“He shot him in the back,” Caleb Gordley’s mother, Jennea Gordley, who is divorced from his father, told “20/20.” “If you're really in fear of danger of your life and your family's life, why would you allow a person...that appeared to be dazed to you, walk right past you and then you shoot him in the back?”
Caleb Gordley had just been grounded for a week several days before he was killed in March 2013. The popular student-athlete and aspiring rapper was never much of a partier, but was itching to get out of the house by the end of the week. He even tweeted throughout the day saying, “Honestly who’s throwin a party tonight?!” and “Somebody make a party right now. I’m tryna to have fun tonight no lie.”
“He’s not much of a drinker, but he just wanted to try some that night,” Kory Carico, Caleb Gordley’s good friend, who was with him the night he died, told “20/20.”
At midnight on Saturday night, Caleb Gordley slipped out of his father’s upscale suburban home and headed for a friend’s house a few blocks away. For two hours, the teens tossed back vodka shots. By 2 a.m., a woozy Caleb Gordley decided it was time to go home before his dad noticed he was gone.
“He got pretty drunk,” Carico said. “I took him back to my house, and I was going to make him stay there, but...He knew he had to get home. I knew that for sure. He kept bothering us about it.”
Carico helped a seriously impaired Caleb Gordley walk home to the quiet cul-de-sac where the houses look nearly identical.
“I’ve never come in the back way before, but the houses look similar, so I figured it was his house because he thought it was his house, too,” Carico said.
Caleb Gordley climbed in through the window of the house he thought was his. “The alarm went off, and then I saw the light come on,” Carico said. “Then I heard yelling, which I thought was his dad, so I started running because I thought I was going to get in trouble.”
But it wasn’t Caleb Gordley’s house. It was the home two doors down from his own, where Donald West Wilder, 43, lives with his girlfriend. Startled, Wilder grabbed the 40-caliber pistol equipped with a laser and flashlight that he kept next to his bed, thinking a thief was breaking into his home at 2:30 a.m.
According to the police report, Shawn Gordley said, Wilder immediately saw Caleb Gordley in the kitchen area when the motion lights came on, did not recognize him, and yelled at him to get out of the house. Intoxicated, Caleb Gordley continued to walk through the home and headed towards the stairs.
“The homeowner said he made eye contact with Caleb, and there was a dazed look on his face, so he knew he was on drugs, alcohol, whatever the case may be,” Shawn Gordley said. “As he came up the steps, he said he saw no weapon, nothing like that.”
Caleb Gordley kept walking up the staircase, where Wilder’s girlfriend was sleeping upstairs. Frightened, Wilder fired one warning shot and one aimed at Caleb Gordley. “Caleb, according to a statement, turned around, didn’t attack the person shooting at him and simply said, according to the statement, ‘You just shot me,’” Shawn Gordley said. “At which point, he turned back around and proceeded to walk to what he thought was his own bedroom.”
After Caleb Gordley reached the top of the stairs, Wilder fired two or three more shots, according to the police report. One shot went through Caleb Gordley’s back, and another, which was aimed at his head, missed.
“You have a person that…actually comes in through a window…The alarm sounds off…He was six-foot tall, unknownst to the…homeowner, wearing dark clothing,” Sheriff Michael Chapman of Loudon County, Va., told “20/20.” “You look at everything in context of what’s going on: 2:30 in the morning, somebody breaking in to your house, you..had no idea who this person was.”
“You could have...shot him in leg,” Shawn Gordley said. “Instead he lined himself up at the perfect angle to shoot a hollow point bullet through my son's lung and explode his chest and then a fourth shot at his head for good measure.”
No charges were ever filed against Wilder. Through his attorney, Wilder declined a request from “20/20” for an interview, saying in statement, “As you can imagine, the incident was an unfortunate tragedy on every level...As we are not confident that participating in your program would contribute to the healing process, we are unwilling to so participate.”
Ten months after Caleb Gordley’s death, his family and friends are struggling to understand how his mistake ended so tragically and still waiting for an apology in person from the man who took his life.
“Do I hate him? No. Do I want him put away? No, I don't think that's going to solve anything,” Jennea Gordley said.
“I put all of the blame on me at first. I thought it was all my fault, because I took him to the wrong house,” Carico said.
“We can’t just forget about him and let him go. I have to remember him for the rest of my life,” said Carico.
+Slain Va. Teen Stumbled Into Wrong House, Says Dad
+Rape Claims by Teen Daisy Coleman Addressed Today
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A novel theory of heat, in the search for efficient thermoelectrics
© Michele Simoncelli - Heat conduction in a thermoelectric
EPFL and MARVEL researchers have developed a new theory for heat conduction that can finally describe and predict the thermal conductivity of any insulating material. This new formulation will let scientists make accurate predictions of thermal conductivity in a range of materials for critical engineering applications – from electronics to lasers to waste-heat recovery.
Thermoelectric materials in particular hold vast potential for use in energy applications because they generate electricity from waste heat, such as that generated by industrial processes, by car and truck engines, or simply by the sun. Reducing the thermal conductivity of these materials by a factor of three, for example, would completely revolutionize existing waste-heat recovery, and also all refrigeration and air-cooling technology.
A unique theory for all insulating materials
In the paper Unified theory of thermal transport in crystals and glasses, out in Nature Physics, Michele Simoncelli, a PhD student at EPFL’s Theory and Simulation of Materials (THEOS) Laboratory – together with Nicola Marzari, a professor at EPFL’s School of Engineering and head of THEOS and of the MARVEL NCCR, and Francesco Mauri, a professor at the University of Rome–Sapienza – present a novel theory that finally decodes the fundamental, atomistic origin of heat conduction. Up to now, different formulations needed to be used depending on the systems studied (e.g., ordered materials, like a silicon chip, or disordered, like in a glass), and there wasn’t a unified picture covering all possible cases.
This has now been made possible by deriving directly from the quantum mechanics of dissipative systems a transport equation that covers on equal footing diffusion, hopping, and tunneling of heat.
This fundamental understanding will allow scientists and engineers to accurately predict the thermal conductivity of any insulating material (in metals, the heat is carried by the electrons, and that is well understood) – this is exceedingly important for thermoelectrics (i.e. materials that can convert heat into electricity), since these have both crystal- and glass-like properties, and are much needed for waste-heat recovery, or for refrigeration without greenhouse gases (and if you think refrigeration is boring, it is worth remembering that Albert Einstein spent many years trying to invent a new form of refrigerator).
In order to develop such next-generation technology, however, scientists first need to understand how and to what extent materials conduct heat. “Up to now, two different equations have been used for calculating thermal properties: one describes perfectly crystalline materials – that is, materials with highly ordered atomic structures – and the other one completely amorphous materials like glass, whose atoms do not follow an ordered pattern,” says Michele Simoncelli. These equations happened to work well in those special cases. “But between these two extremes lie a plethora of interesting cases, and neither equation worked – this is really where our contribution makes a profound difference”
* Illustration : Heat is the energy due to vibrations of atoms. The ridges represent the quantum vibrational energy levels of CsPbBr3, a promising thermoelectric material. Heat conduction originates from both diffusion of vibrational excitations (blurred spheres, following the energy level) and quantum tunnelling (jump between different energy levels, represented by blue waves).
Simoncelli, M., Marzari, N., & Mauri, F. (2019). Unified theory of thermal transport in crystals and glasses. Nature Physics. Advanced online publication. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41567-019-0520-x
Author: Clara Marc
Source: School of Engineering | STI
Theory and Simulation of Materials
NCCR Marvel
All School of Engineering | STI news
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Page 3. Impact of the Second World War
Pacific War Council, 1942
High commission in Australia: official residence, around 1951 (1st of 3)
South Pacific administrators, 1962
New Zealanders in the USSR, 1960
Representation in the US
New Zealand’s readiness to conduct its external affairs within the framework of British imperial policy had been reinforced by British security guarantees. In 1941, when Japan went to war with the US and the UK, it conquered British strongholds in Asia and also advanced into the South Pacific.
Commonwealth relations
By convention, New Zealand’s relations with other Commonwealth countries were not called ‘foreign relations’ but ‘external relations’. New Zealand was represented in other Commonwealth countries by high commissioners rather than ministers or ambassadors. By 2011 ministers had been superseded.
First overseas diplomatic posts
The need to deal more directly with other countries, and to prepare for post-war settlements, resulted in high commissions in two Commonwealth countries – in Ottawa, Canada, in 1942, and Canberra, Australia, in 1943. A minister was accredited to the USSR, a major wartime ally, in 1944. At that time New Zealand had no professional diplomats. Politicians were appointed to head the posts in Ottawa and Moscow while Carl Berendsen himself (head of the imperial-affairs section of the Prime Minister’s Department) was sent to Canberra. To help staff Washington and Moscow, some officials were seconded from the armed forces.
External Affairs Act
Berendsen had brought discipline to managing external affairs in the Prime Minister’s Department, but the demands of running the war effort, lack of office space and his personal disinclination to expand his section limited its capability. In 1943 the government passed the External Affairs Act. This established a separate department of government to:
act as a channel of communication with other governments
assist in negotiating treaties and international agreements
direct New Zealand’s overseas posts
deal with diplomats from other countries in New Zealand.
A separate Island Territories Department was organised at the same time. The act also provided for the appointment of high commissioners and other overseas representatives. Alister McIntosh was appointed secretary of external affairs. George Laking and Frank Corner, two future secretaries, joined External Affairs at this time, along with a long-serving member of the League of Nations Secretariat, J. V. Wilson. This group was to set the style and professional standards of New Zealand’s diplomatic service for years to come.
Previous Next: Page 4. Diplomacy, 1945–1960 Next
Michael Green, 'Foreign policy and diplomatic representation - Impact of the Second World War', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/foreign-policy-and-diplomatic-representation/page-3 (accessed 19 July 2019)
Fraser, Peter, 1884-1950
McIntosh, Alister Donald Miles, 1906-1978
Shanahan, Foss, 1910-1964
Sutch, William Ball, 1907-1975
Wilson, Joseph Vivian, 1894-1977
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War and Defence
Story: Armed forces
Contemporary armed forces
Governance of the New Zealand armed forces
Partnerships and international deployments
Non-military tasks
Navy, army and air force personnel, Vietnam, 1970
The armed forces are made up of three military services, the Royal New Zealand Navy, the New Zealand Army and the Royal New Zealand Air Force. Members of all three services – Petty Officer T. Maguire (navy), Staff Sergeant G. Palenski (army) and Sergeant M. B. R. Knox (air force) – are pictured enjoying a lighter moment during their service in the Vietnam War. They are holding the puppies of a stray dog adopted by the 1st New Zealand Armed Services medical team at their hospital in Bong Son, South Vietnam. The dog, christened Kiwi, had three puppies – one for each service.
Reference: EP-Defence-NZ Army, Vietnam-20
Defence Force personnel by gender and ethnicity, 2012
Jim Rolfe, 'Armed forces - Contemporary armed forces', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/35717/navy-army-and-air-force-personnel-vietnam-1970 (accessed 19 July 2019)
Story by Jim Rolfe, published 20 Jun 2012
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Category Archives: Book Reviews
Invasion Year, the latest Alan Lewrie novel by Dewey Lambdin, begins with Captain Lewrie and HMS Reliant attached to the British fleet operating against the French fleet in Haiti. They arrive on the scene as the French capitulate on land. Lewrie plays a key role in negotiations with the rebels based on the knowledge he attained in Sea of Grey.
True to form, Lewrie causes some discomfiture on the part of his commodore, even though he is the senior captain, but in the end they are on friendly terms.
While replenishing supplies in Kingston, Jamaica, Lewrie receives unexpected news from England in the form of a letter informing him he has been knighted for his services to the Crown with the ceremony held in abeyance until his return. The squadron receives orders to return to England but they have to act as convoy escorts en route. The largish, 100+ ship, convoy loses some vessels to French privateers but not so many as to affect the career of the commodore.
Upon arrival in England, Lewrie is eventually seen at Court and knighted by a somewhat befuddled King George III. In the process he makes the acquaintance of Lady Lydia Stangbourne. She is a well connected young woman who has had her reputation besmirched in the course of a rather ugly and public divorce. In short, her reputation will not suffer for her association with Lewrie.
HMS Reliant is caught up in a secret mission being carried out by Admiralty revolving around using floating bombs, torpedoes, against the French invasion fleet in port. In the course of this experience Lewrie renews his acquaintance with the former commander of Lewrie’s HMS Thermopylae, Captain Joseph Speaks, and with Foreign Office operative James Peel.
Reliant tests the devices and eventually takes part on Admiral Lord Keith’s inconclusive raid on Boulogne.
When Lewrie returns from the raid he finds Peel has a distasteful new mission for him.
Filed under Age of Sail, Alan Lewrie Novels, Book Reviews, Naval Fiction
Tagged as Alan Lewrie, Dewey Lambdin, HMS Reliant, HMS Thermopylae, Invasion Year, King Ship and Sword, Lord Keith, sea of grey
King, Ship, and Sword is a decidedly mixed bag.
On the one hand, it doesn’t move the development of Alan Lewrie forward much, if at all. The major focus of the novel seems to be tying up lose ends, like Lewrie’s rocky marriage and the ever diminishing villain Guillaume Choundas, and setting the stage for the second half of Lewrie’s life which, if he avoids court-martial, should see him hoist his flag by the time Waterloo rolls around.
It is obvious that Charitė de Guilleri and Phoebe Aretino are reentering the picture. Lewrie seems to be building an expertise in New Orleans and environs that one suspects will result in him being present for the Battle of New Orleans. As the War of 1812 looms, he will undoubtedly encounter his son who, at last look, was an officer in the US Navy.
Now Lewrie (quick close your eyes if you don’t want to read a spoiler) has two sons in the Navy which will certainly cause him some anxious moments.
His roguish father has started putting his affairs in order which hints at his upcoming demise. Unfortunately, looks like Sir Hugo is destined to die peacefully in his own bed rather than violently in someone else’s.
His half-brother, Gerald, has been absent since Lewrie had him press-ganged into the navy. His half-sister, Belinda, hasn’t made an appearance since the first novel, The King’s Coat. Even though she is pushing 40 she is still a highly desired hooker. It’s hard to believe she won’t reappear at some point.
On the whole, this is not the best of the series. The naval action seems to be an afterthought. A respected, upright Lewrie isn’t quite as much fun as the devious, edgy Lewrie we’ve known in the past. And Lambdin makes some technical errors, like complaining about the “purser’s pound”, i.e. rations being issued at 14 rather than 16 ounces to the pound, a practice which ceased with the Spithead Mutiny. He also describes the cheese in terms that could only be Suffolk cheese which was dropped by the Victualling Board in 1758.
But we’re waiting for the next in the series, The Invasion Year.
Filed under Age of Sail, Alan Lewrie Novels, Book Reviews
Tagged as Alan Lewrie, Dewey Lambdin, King Ship and Sword, The King's Coat
Captains Contentious
Old Salt Blog has posted an excellent review of Louis Arthur Norton’s book Captains Contentious – The Dysfunctional Sons of the Brine.
Sometimes it is hard to fathom how the United States either gained or maintained her independence given the surplus of knaves and poltroons who gravitated to our army and navy in times of national crisis. George Washington spent the first half of the American Revolution fighting off various intrigues designed to have him removed from office. Our small and largely ineffectual navy was beset by narcissists and self-promoters. We produced enough savants, idiot and otherwise, to win. Barely.
A bit of the review
Norton looks at five ship’s captains who fought for the infant American Navy in the Revolutionary War. When not fighting the British, these captains also fought with each other, with their crews, their peers and with politicians ashore. Their personal quirks and flaws, in turn, hindered their careers and helped shape their victories. Norton examines the exploits of John Manley, Silas Talbot, Dudley Saltonstall, Joshua Barney and John Paul Jones. Each is a fascinating study in the character of these courageous if often flawed naval commanders.
Help keep the lights on and beer flowing. Buy a book.
Filed under Age of Sail, Book Reviews
Tagged as Captains Contentious, Louis Arthur Norton, Old Salt Blog
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Although Philippine Airlines (PAL) was officially founded on February 26, 1941, its license to operate as an airliner was derived from merged Philippine Aerial Taxi Company (PATCO) established by mining magnate Emmanuel N. Bachrach on December 3, 1930, making it Asia's oldest scheduled carrier still in operation.[52] Commercial air service commenced three weeks later from Manila to Baguio, making it Asia's first airline route. Bachrach's death in 1937 paved the way for its eventual merger with Philippine Airlines in March 1941 and made it Asia's oldest airline. It is also the oldest airline in Asia still operating under its current name.[53] Bachrach's majority share in PATCO was bought by beer magnate Andres R. Soriano in 1939 upon the advice of General Douglas MacArthur and later merged with newly formed Philippine Airlines with PAL as the surviving entity. Soriano has controlling interest in both airlines before the merger. PAL restarted service on March 15, 1941, with a single Beech Model 18 NPC-54 aircraft, which started its daily services between Manila (from Nielson Field) and Baguio, later to expand with larger aircraft such as the DC-3 and Vickers Viscount.
Many countries have national airlines that the government owns and operates. Fully private airlines are subject to a great deal of government regulation for economic, political, and safety concerns. For instance, governments often intervene to halt airline labor actions to protect the free flow of people, communications, and goods between different regions without compromising safety.
I liked the price and the hotel is perfect for kids. I stayed in a bungalow close to the pools and that room was great! You can park your vehicle close to your room so you don’t need to walk like 2 blocks to get to your car. The hotel offers great facilities for the kids, but if you are planning to walk around Las Vegas strip this is not a good location.
They’re all great choices. Athens (1 to 2 full days) is great for historical sightseeing. Mykonos for beaches and nightlife (2 to 4 days). Crete for historical sightseeing, greek culture and towns, some beaches but spread out (4 to 7 days). Santorini has great sightseeing, tours, and some history (4 to 7 days). If visiting outside of June to September then drop Mykonos and do the other 3 for sure.
Folegandros – which means ‘iron hard’ in ancient Greek – is as barren as its name suggests. Fruit trees are protected from fierce winds by rings of stones. You won’t find sandy beaches lined with sunbeds; only limpid, pebbly coves, such as Katergo, Ambeli and Livadaki. Water taxis service some beaches in high season; otherwise you’ll have to scramble down rocky footpaths to cool off. On your way home, stop at Synantisi in Ano Meria for the island speciality of matsata (goat or rabbit stew with hand-made pasta).
Korcula Island (pronounced KOR-chu-la), also known as the Emerald Isle, is one of the absolute best islands near Dubrovnik. Located in southern Dalmatia, this small, 279-square-kilometer island is a favorite among travelers. A place of culture, history, beauty, and charm, the island of Korcula offers a variety of activities and unique traditions all surrounded by the stunning Adriatic sea and excellent Korcula weather.
Although Germany lacked colonies, it also began expanding its services globally. In 1931, the airship Graf Zeppelin began offering regular scheduled passenger service between Germany and South America, usually every two weeks, which continued until 1937.[17] In 1936, the airship Hindenburg entered passenger service and successfully crossed the Atlantic 36 times before crashing at Lakehurst, New Jersey, on May 6, 1937.[18] In 1938, a weekly air service from Berlin to Kabul, Afghanistan, started operating.[19]
Kefallonia was severely shaken by an earthquake in 1953 and thereafter lost its quaint gloss. The picturesque northern port of Fiskardo however, escaped much of the destruction and remains to this day one of the main focal points for visitors to the island, so is a good spot for a stay of 2-3 days. Pretty, waterfront cafés and restaurants and a cosy, folksy feel predominate. Asos, between Fiskardo and Argostoli is a west coast ‘resort’ village that pulls in its fair share of visitors and the view down to Asos from the main island road is one of the most photographed spots on Kefallonia.
Krk is a large island and it has many towns and villages to explore, as well as fun campgrounds and resorts to stay at. Connected to the Croatian mainland by a bridge, this is a very accessible island. Krk has varying landscapes, with an arid feel to the north, a lush green side to the south, full of bays and beaches, and the interior is hilly and rocky. If you want to enjoy wildlife then head into the woods on one of the many walking trails and see what you can spot!
The next big boost for the airlines would come in the 1970s, when the Boeing 747, McDonnell Douglas DC-10, and Lockheed L-1011 inaugurated widebody ("jumbo jet") service, which is still the standard in international travel.[35] The Tupolev Tu-144 and its Western counterpart, Concorde, made supersonic travel a reality.[36] Concorde first flew in 1969 and operated through 2003. In 1972, Airbus began producing Europe's most commercially successful line of airliners to date. The added efficiencies for these aircraft were often not in speed, but in passenger capacity, payload, and range. Airbus also features modern electronic cockpits that were common across their aircraft to enable pilots to fly multiple models with minimal cross-training.
During the era of decolonization, newly born Asian countries started to embrace air transport. Among the first Asian carriers during the era were Cathay Pacific of Hong Kong (founded in September 1946), Orient Airways (later Pakistan International Airlines; founded in October 1946), Air Ceylon (later SriLankan Airlines; founded in 1947), Malayan Airways Limited in 1947 (later Singapore and Malaysia Airlines), El Al in Israel in 1948, Garuda Indonesia in 1949, Japan Airlines in 1951, Thai Airways International in 1960, and Korean National Airlines in 1947.
The Island of Hawaii (i.e., the Big Island) contains 10 of the world’s 14 climate zones — the only spot on the planet with so many condensed into one small region. Lush tropical terrain rules the green, wet, windward side of the island (see Akaka Falls and Waianuenue/Rainbow Falls), while more arid beauty is on display at Hapuna Beach Park. You can even enter an ice climate at the mystical summit of Mauna Kea volcano, as well as Lake Waiau, one of the highest lakes in the United States.
Ferries are not really cheap any more – certainly not like they used to be – but the vessel fleet is better, safer and faster than in previous years so the cost is justified. You can get exceptionally cheap deals on longer-haul routes if you are prepared to forego a booked seat: €14 v €40 on a run to a mid-distant island, but it’s probably wise to consider taking fast catamarans to get to core islands (Mykonos, Santorini, Paros etc.) and even then, go the extra 10/15% for Business or even VIP class for the extra comfort. On longer hauls it can be cheaper to fly if you seek out flights online and book beforehand.
Hi Dave, going to Greece in September from the 3rd to 18th. Paros and Milos are pretty much decided but we are not sure about adding a 3rd island. We arrive in Athens early in the day from an overnight flight so will be jetlagged. My husband is staying on for an additional week near Thessaloniki. We have already visited Athens, Aegina, Crete, Santorini, Mykonos, Paros, and Rhodes. My husband isn’t really a beach person and I love the beach so we do need a mix of things to do. We are pretty fit and enjoy being Active. Great restaurants are a must. Any suggestions?
Where to stay in Crete: A 300-year-old hamlet surrounded by olive groves, Kapsaliana Village Hotel exudes peaceful authenticity. On a sandy bay just beyond Chania, Ammos Hotel smartly combines Scandi chic with a child-friendly vibe. Blue Palace Resort & Spa beats the (stiff) competition in Elounda with its spiral stone Isola Beach Club, thalassotherapy spa, and boat trips to Spinalonga island, a national monument just across Mirabello Bay.
I would recommend Naxos over Mykonos and with 12 days you could easily add Paros too. With Santorini, Paros, and Naxos you’ll get a good mix of different delights and some ferry island hopping too which is fun in itself. 1.5 days in Athens is perfect for most – 1 day for the Plaka, Parthenon, Acropolis Museum area; and a half-day to visit the Archaeological Museum which is a short drive or walk from the Plaka but hard to fit in one day along with the other sights.
Culebra Island is beautiful. I just got back to Canada from Puerto Rico. I was there for a month. I loved Culebra so much I went back twice. On my second trip I spent two nights camping at Playa Flamenco. I paid $20 USD per night for a sweet little camping spot (section E). I saw turtles, amazing, colourful fish and met some wonderful people. The snorkelling was okay in terms of being able to see under water but the reefs are not healthy. There was plenty of coconut to pick to drink the water inside and eat the meat. I found passion fruit, mangoes (not ripe), almonds (not ripe) and another really weird looking fruit I don’t know the name of. While I didn’t enjoy the main island of Puerto Rico as much as I’d hoped, I would go back to Culebra if the opportunity ever arose. I made some friends (Perri and Hector–owners) at a little place in town called, “Aqui Me Quedo” who I will never forget their kindness and hospitality.
We are planning to come back at the start of September for 2 weeks to visit different islands for some beach and sun. To give you some background, we loved Santorini, Milos and the quieter / smaller places in Crete (Loutro, Falassarna, Samaria Gorge). We enjoy beach time, some hiking, site seeing, good wine / food and good / buzzy atmosphere at night for dinner / tavernas.
India was also one of the first countries to embrace civil aviation.[54] One of the first Asian airline companies was Air India, which was founded as Tata Airlines in 1932, a division of Tata Sons Ltd. (now Tata Group). The airline was founded by India's leading industrialist, JRD Tata. On October 15, 1932, J. R. D. Tata himself flew a single engined De Havilland Puss Moth carrying air mail (postal mail of Imperial Airways) from Karachi to Bombay via Ahmedabad. The aircraft continued to Madras via Bellary piloted by Royal Air Force pilot Nevill Vintcent. Tata Airlines was also one of the world's first major airlines which began its operations without any support from the Government.[55]
The intense nature of airfare pricing has led to the term "fare war" to describe efforts by airlines to undercut other airlines on competitive routes. Through computers, new airfares can be published quickly and efficiently to the airlines' sales channels. For this purpose the airlines use the Airline Tariff Publishing Company (ATPCO), who distribute latest fares for more than 500 airlines to Computer Reservation Systems across the world.
Ferries between Naxos and Milos don’t start until June 7th (one each way, every day after that). Ferries between Santorini and Milos start April 28th and there is one every day in each direction. And there are always ferries between Naxos and Santorini. So if the dates work I would fly to Santorini (the longest leg) then ferry to Milos then Naxos and back to Athens. But if you need to travel between Naxos and Milos before the 7th then ferry Athens to Milos to Santorini to Naxos and back to Athens.
Blaca Hermitage in the south of the island is a must-visit, as well as Vidova Gora Mountain, which is the highest peak on the island, offering you stunning views across the Adriatic and to neighboring islands on a clear day. Brač is also where you’ll find the famous Zlatni Rat Beach, one of the absolute best Croatia beaches (and even in all of Europe) and a wonderful place to spend a day. This all makes Brač one of the best islands near Split, a perfect day trip from Croatia’s second-largest city.
With the exception of Elounda - a pocket of bling popular with oligarchs - the north-east coast is scarred by over-development. Instead head south, where there are miles of empty sand dunes, sprinkled with simple yoga retreats such as Yoga Rocks at Triopetra and Yoga Plus at Agios Pavlos. Or take a back-to-nature break with Wild Fitness at Milia, a 17th-centruy hamlet powered entirely by solar energy. Time slows almost to a standstill in the mountain villages, where locals with formidable whiskers welcome you with shots of raki (Cretan grappa) for breakfast and celebrate saints' days with a volley of gunshots. Even the road signs are peppered with bullet holes.
In the 1990s, "open skies" agreements became more common. These agreements take many of these regulatory powers from state governments and open up international routes to further competition. Open skies agreements have met some criticism, particularly within the European Union, whose airlines would be at a comparative disadvantage with the United States' because of cabotage restrictions.
We are two guys in our early 30s, we have 12 days for the Greek Islands. We like to swim, ride bikes, or drive on the islands to explore villages, culture, local life, love to eat local food, rest and have beers on beach, stroll and walk around in evening, etc. We will go to Santorini for 3 nights and select Fira according your suggestions, we are confused for next island between Crete and Naxos. Crete is huge but if we choose Naxos as it’s easy to reach from Santorini than does 8-9 days will be boredom in Naxos? Please suggest what’s best and on which place we should look for accommodation in either island you suggest..
Between Nydri and the next main tourism centre is the little port and beach of Mikros Gialos (small bay) that is a great little base for individual travellers for a day or three. The port village of Vasiliki on the southern underbelly of Lefkada is a haven for windsurfers: see this page or this one for more information. The little village is very pretty and is a good base for general holiday-making (as are the two other places). From Vasiliki there is a regular local ferry that runs to Fiskardo on Kefallonia (via Ithaca/Ithaki).
If a particular city has two or more airports, market forces will tend to attract the less profitable routes, or those on which competition is weakest, to the less congested airport, where slots are likely to be more available and therefore cheaper. For example, Reagan National Airport attracts profitable routes due partly to its congestion, leaving less-profitable routes to Baltimore-Washington International Airport and Dulles International Airport.
In postcard-pretty Artemonas, all roads lead to Theodorou, purveyors of nougat wafers and almond sweets since 1933. You can eat in your bikini at Omega 3, where locally foraged and fished ingredients are given an exotic twist: baby-calamari tempura, smoked eel in chilled melon soup with wasabi, and chickpea sorbet with wild apricot jam and pine nuts. Lobsters are plucked straight from the sea at Heronissos, then served with spaghetti on the jetty. It's just the right balance of low-key luxury and unspoiled authenticity. Rather like Sifnos itself.
A limestone spike rising dramatically from the emerald waters of Phang Nga Bay, James Bond Island (Koh Tapu — Nail Island in Thai) earned its moniker from appearing in two 007 movies: The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) and Tomorrow Never Dies (1997). Excursions depart from the popular resort areas of Phuket, Khao Lak and Krabi on photogenic longtail boats. On the tour, explore secret lagoons, craggy sea caves and a floating village.
By the early 1920s, small airlines were struggling to compete, and there was a movement towards increased rationalization and consolidation. In 1924, Imperial Airways was formed from the merger of Instone Air Line Company, British Marine Air Navigation, Daimler Airway and Handley Page Transport Co Ltd., to allow British airlines to compete with stiff competition from French and German airlines that were enjoying heavy government subsidies. The airline was a pioneer in surveying and opening up air routes across the world to serve far-flung parts of the British Empire and to enhance trade and integration.[14]
Hi Dave. Thank you for your amazing website! We (30’s / 40’s couple – no kids) used your recommendations last year in September and visited Santorini (7days), Milos (3days) and Crete (12days) before spending 3 days in Athens. The trip was amazing and Greece is calling us to go back again this year! We have a conundrum which we are hoping you can assist (well, many of them really!)
common.fragment.mobile.datapicker.screenreader.text Valid date format: two-digit day, two-digit month, then full four-digit year, each separated by a forward slash or space. Example, enter 21 space 09 space 2016 to represent September 21, 2016, or 01/08/2016 to represent August 1, 2016. Alternately, use arrow keys to move through dates in the calendar grid.
Zakynthos is an island of certain extremes: beauty and crass, mass tourism of the worst sort. The islands – like all the Ionian islands is lush and verdant and boasts the now famous ‘shipwreck beach’ (Navagio) that many seek to travel to and swim at. Yes, it’s worth it and numerous excursion boats make the run from ports on the west side of the island. Environmentalists and capitalists clash daggers at Laganas where the mass tourism trade is carried out to the detriment of the Caretta Caretta, or loggerhead turtle that loves the beach as much as British tourists on a binge. Read this page for the background. There is an alternative scene to Laganas at Vasilikos over to the east, but it is much more low-key and less busy.
Hi everyone.Went back home (seychelles)for 7 weeks,it was amazing!Just the island way of life(no stress),the weather,the families,creole food especially the fresh fish and of course the beautiful beaches with amazing sceneries.You need to get off the main road sometimes to see the secluded beaches,Some beaches can be seen while driving.My favourite is ANSE ROYALE where i grew up,ANSE PARNEL,PETITE ANSE,ANSE COPRA,ANSE TAKAMAKA,L’INTENDANCE,AND OF COURSE PORT LAUNAY.I also went on PRASLIN AND LA DIGUE ISLAND(WOW)it blew me away.I left seychelles at 17,missed so much,one thing for sure i will be back(hopefully for good one day)THANK YOU
Airlines have substantial fixed and operating costs to establish and maintain air services: labor, fuel, airplanes, engines, spares and parts, IT services and networks, airport equipment, airport handling services, booking commissions, advertising, catering, training, aviation insurance and other costs. Thus all but a small percentage of the income from ticket sales is paid out to a wide variety of external providers or internal cost centers.
Described as the Philippines’ last frontier, Palawan boasts not one but two UNESCO World Heritage sites: Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park (don your dive gear), and the Puerto-Princesa Subterranean River National Park (climb in a canoe for a guided tour). Striking limestone formations like Ugong Rock and Karst Mountain Elephant Cave rise starkly from the rice fields of the interior. You can even find overwater bungalows on outlying islands, courtesy of El Nido Resorts.
Another South Pacific island group (see a pattern here?), the Cook Islands are pretty far off the map. OK, not too far, but they are considerably less visited than some of their neighbors. These tiny islands are named after James Cook, the intrepid man who discovered them. With few amenities, this is the best place to find your inner castaway and escape modern life. The islands see similar weather to the rest of the area, with temperatures hot and humid all year round.
If the glitzy excess gets too much, escape to Fokos taverna for superfood salads and lamb chops, or Kiki's, an off-grid grill-shack overlooking Agios Sostis bay, where even Naomi Campbell has to queue for a table. Or cruise over to the tiny island of Delos, an archaeological sanctuary that once thronged with 30,000 sun worshippers (the temple is dedicated to Apollo, the Greek god of light).
I’m hoping you can help myself and a friend decide where to go. We are hoping to go away around mid August for 10 days-2 weeks. We’re looking for a sunny place and beaches to tan and relax during the day, with some big nightlife and a good strip (the odd daytime activity maybe too). However we are in mid 20s so want to go somewhere with the same age group or older. I’ve been to Zante and although it was super fun at the time (I was about 18) and loved having the strip etc, just don’t want to be the older people there anymore! Money is also fairly tight, so nothing too expensive (was thinking santorini maybe before hearing the price along with it).
The Ionian Islands are a quite different entity to the more familiar Aegean islands. There are in effect only seven of them plus a sprinkling of satellite islands that make for a very enjoyable package. They are different from the point of view of flora – they are greener and less barren than their Aegean cousins and they share a different history to the rest of Greece and the other islands, having absorbed much Venetian and Italian influences over the years. This is particularly apparent in the Old Town of Corfu where you could be forgiven for thinking you might be somewhere in Italy.
Holding the largest number of overwater bungalow resorts in the world (more than 75 and counting), the Maldives understands its best asset is the gin-clear, abundant waters of the Indian Ocean. When you’re not snorkeling, diving, or gazing at the rich marine life through the floor windows of your water-top villa, continue enjoying the underwater display while dining at 5.8 Undersea Restaurant, or even while getting pampered in Huvafen Fushi’s submerged spa.
Since airline reservation requests are often made by city-pair (such as "show me flights from Chicago to Düsseldorf"), an airline that can codeshare with another airline for a variety of routes might be able to be listed as indeed offering a Chicago–Düsseldorf flight. The passenger is advised however, that airline no. 1 operates the flight from say Chicago to Amsterdam, and airline no. 2 operates the continuing flight (on a different airplane, sometimes from another terminal) to Düsseldorf. Thus the primary rationale for code sharing is to expand one's service offerings in city-pair terms to increase sales.
Thus the last 50 years of the airline industry have varied from reasonably profitable, to devastatingly depressed. As the first major market to deregulate the industry in 1978, U.S. airlines have experienced more turbulence than almost any other country or region. In fact, no U.S. legacy carrier survived bankruptcy-free. Among the outspoken critics of deregulation, former CEO of American Airlines, Robert Crandall has publicly stated:
Less than two hours from Athens, Hydra fills up with chic Greeks at weekends. . They come to disconnect and slow down, but also to see and be seen. Wily cats and weary donkeys patrol the back alleys, but all the action happens along the waterfront. Oh look! There's Olivia Palermo at The Pirate Bar and Chloë Sevigny shaking her tail feather at Hydronetta beach bar. Who cares if there are barely any beaches? You can always find a slab of sun-baked rock from which to leap rock from which to dive into the clearest water in the world.
Tony Jannus conducted the United States' first scheduled commercial airline flight on 1 January 1914 for the St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line.[23] The 23-minute flight traveled between St. Petersburg, Florida and Tampa, Florida, passing some 50 feet (15 m) above Tampa Bay in Jannus' Benoist XIV wood and muslin biplane flying boat. His passenger was a former mayor of St. Petersburg, who paid $400 for the privilege of sitting on a wooden bench in the open cockpit. The Airboat line operated for about four months, carrying more than 1,200 passengers who paid $5 each.[24] Chalk's International Airlines began service between Miami and Bimini in the Bahamas in February 1919. Based in Ft. Lauderdale, Chalk's claimed to be the oldest continuously operating airline in the United States until its closure in 2008.[25]
my Name is Julie. for those of view who have never visited tahiti you are seriously missing out. its beautiful and wild and the people are so nice and the weather is great. we got to eat a giant freshly caught tuna and had a big cook out wih tahitian dancers who tell a story about their islands and history. if your looking for paradise tahiti is it do not forget the passports though. you go out and watch the golden sun dance on the water as you watch it set for the night as it gently washes away the stress of busy cities that we live in. i can’t wait to go back what an adventure yahoo!
Most of Croatia’s beaches are pebbly or rocky, but Rab is one of the few islands that has golden sandy beaches to enjoy. The most famous beach is Rajska or Paradise Beach, and this is where you will find the most visitors during the summer months, as well as families. On the other hand, the mountainous interior of the island is ideal for walking and exploring the landscapes. The beaches, however, are the main pull.
While technically a subtropical island, the Azores make for a great getaway if you’re looking for something beyond the standard resort getaway. The islands boast tons of hiking and beautiful nature. Rent a car and explore the winding roads of the main island, São Miguel Island, taking it secluded beaches and picturesque waterfalls. Best of all, it’s close to both Europe and North America and makes for a great stopover point if you’re traveling between the two.
We’re on a budget (think €50 per person per day) and would like to go someplace warm and sunny where there’s also a combination of culture and nature. So we can explore in the mornings and relax at the beach in the afternoon. Preferably a sandy beach. We don’t need a lot of nightlife but it would be nice if not the whole island is closing down already. Do you have a suggestion?
My fiancee and I are heading to Greece in July. We’ve been to Naxos, Paros, Mykonos, and Santorini. This time we plan on being there July 1 to 23. We’re definitely including Milos, and one of Paros or Naxos. Any recommendations for other islands? Any particular ferry routes we should consider? Some “less touristy” islands are a must (for at least one island). We can be lively or very chilled. Thanks and best wishes!
What’s most stunning in Bali — dazzling beaches like Nusa Dua, Seminyak and Jimbaran Bay? Ubud’s terraced rice fields, sacred forest and ancient monuments? Or the island’s 10,000 intricate temples, including Pura Empul (the one you bathe in) and Uluwatu sea temple? Experience all of the above and decide for yourself. The Land of the Gods also boasts a loveliness that is more than skin-deep, thanks to its warm people and ubiquitous, inclusive spirituality.
Domestic air transport grew in China at 15.5 percent annually from 2001 to 2006. The rate of air travel globally increased at 3.7 percent per year over the same time. In the EU greenhouse gas emissions from aviation increased by 87% between 1990 and 2006.[75] However it must be compared with the flights increase, only in UK, between 1990 and 2006 terminal passengers increased from 100 000 thousands to 250 000 thousands.,[76] according to AEA reports every year, 750 million passengers travel by European airlines, which also share 40% of merchandise value in and out of Europe.[77] Without even pressure from "green activists", targeting lower ticket prices, generally, airlines do what is possible to cut the fuel consumption (and gas emissions connected therewith). Further, according to some reports, it can be concluded that the last piston-powered aircraft were as fuel-efficient as the average jet in 2005.[78]
Drop-dead gorgeous Fiji is a filmmaker’s dream. Spy its Mamanuca island chain in Cast Away and Survivor; ogle its Yasawa archipelago in the 1980 version of Blue Lagoon. A dizzying amount of natural beauty — from mountains and mangroves to rivers and reefs — swathes Fiji’s 333 islands, and awe-inspiring wildlife (whales, sea turtles, dolphins, parrots) is the icing on the cake. For scenery with a side of luxury and exclusivity, reserve a bure (villa) at one of Fiji’s numerous private-island resorts.
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Beyond "Corporate": New Insights on Larger Churches
Posted on August 14, 2008 by Alban
Recent research has provided considerable data on how leadership, growth, and assimilation happen in congregations up to 400 and beyond 2,000 in weekly worship attendance. But what happens in between? What are the leadership, growth, and assimilation challenges faced by congregations with weekly attendance between 400 and 2,000? The lack of research and literature addressing this size range suggests that once a church has crossed the corporate size barrier, few significant adjustments in organizational strategy are required until transition into megachurch status. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth.
Having worked with a number of these congregations in my years as a senior consultant for Alban, I’ve discovered that very different issues are faced by the so-called corporate church depending on its attendance and budget. This has led me to develop a classification system that further stratifies the corporate size designation into what I call the multi-celled church, the professional church, and the strategic church.
The Multi-Celled Church
Congregations with annual operating budgets of between $400,000 and $1,000,000 often have between 250 and 400 people in worship attendance. This is the congregation that is learning to behave like a complex, multi-celled church, and the organizing principle that drives much of its decision making and attention is leadership development. In the multi-celled church there are never enough leaders to do the work that needs to be done to generate consistently excellent programs. This congregation is largely guided by lay leadership, and the staff team exists to support and coordinate the laity in their ministry.
The multi-celled church has already learned some things about managing multiple cell groups, but growth will stagnate if it does not come to terms with its identity as a complex congregation where everyone doesn’t know everyone else and not everyone is cared for by the pastor. The culture of the congregation must be intentionally managed to allow for multiple congregations to reside within the same corporate body.
The assimilation challenge in the multi-celled church is about creating enough programs of excellent quality to generate a continued stream of newcomers. The congregation that fails to develop enough new leaders to provide ongoing quality programming will stagnate and falter.
The pastor in a multi-celled congregation leads primarily by discerning and articulating an energizing vision for the congregation, one that will hold together the growing number of operating cells. The pastor must also be able to guide congregational leaders as they translate their own visions into action. As one pastor put it, “The real tension exists in trying to hold the vision and helping to build the vision with others. You’ve got to let them have their own vision but tie it all together.”
The overwhelming challenge of the multi-celled church pastor is learning to communicate a caring presence without being the “one” who provides care to each congregation member. The pastor must instead focus his or her energies on other members of the staff team and key lay leadership, who in turn are providing congregational care.
Staff members in the multi-celled church are just beginning to identify themselves as a team. Although some members of the team are specialists, most members are still generalists serving the needs of wide constituent groups, so the team is challenged to balance and honor the role of the specialist alongside the role of the generalist.
The governing board of the multi-celled church must organize its work around the mission and vision of the congregation. Lay leadership is grasping the importance of saying no to ideas that distract the congregation from its mission. The board is also largely preoccupied with the development of new lay leadership to fill the growing volume of leadership needs.
The Professional Church
The congregation with an annual operating budget of between $1,000,000 and $2,000,000 and/or weekly worship attendance of 400 to 800 is driven by the need to professionalize operations. Its programming has outgrown the capacity of its lay leadership, and the demand for a staff team of specialists emerges.
In the professional church, growth is related to capacity. Ideas abound, but they are limited by the capacity of the staff team and/or the physical limitations of the facility. Consequently, the congregation’s capacity for growth is largely a function of the size of its budget.
Assimilation of new members in the professional church becomes as much about watching the back door as it is about bringing people in through the front door. The professional congregation can quickly feel anonymous to newcomers, so finding innovative ways to keep track of members and to get people to engage beyond the worship experience takes a great deal of leadership energy.
The pastor of the professional congregation is learning a more managerial style of leadership, and letting go of a purely relational style. He or she is figuring out how to create and sustain the performance management cycle of the congregation through goal setting, budgeting, performance review, and a coaching leadership style.
As staff members take over many of the functions previously provided by volunteers, they must find new ways to engage the laity in the life and ministry of the congregation. The staff is increasingly moving away from a generalist orientation toward a specialist orientation. An executive leadership team of staff and lay leaders often emerges to coordinate and guide the work of the staff team. An administrator may be appointed in this size congregation to relieve the senior pastor from having to manage the church’s day-to-day financial, personnel, building maintenance, and information technology needs.
In the professional congregation, the governing board must learn a more distant approach to leadership, relinquishing the daily management of the church to the staff team. Working with the pastor on vision articulation, the governing board is instrumental in creating policy and systems for managing performance, maintaining accountability, and preventing vision drift. The board spends less time on the daily fiduciary work of the congregation and more time on strategic leadership.
The Strategic Church
Once a congregation has a budget of between $2,000,000 and $4,000,000 and/or an average weekly attendance of 800 to 1,200, it requires a more strategic orientation. As congregations grow they develop complexly layered staffing structures, board structures, and governance practices. There are so many operating cells at work in strategic congregations that it is easy for individual cells to drift out of alignment and for tremendous energies to be wasted. For that reason the strategic congregation must align its leadership energies just as the wheels of a car must be aligned to prevent them from pulling against one another and wasting energy needlessly.
In the strategic church, the congregation owns its identity as a strategic institution and expects continued growth. The work to continue growth (program expansions, worship excellence, etc.) is managed by the staff team; it is not the missional focus of lay leadership. The challenge of strategic church growth is that the congregation can excel at just about anything it focuses its energies on, but it doesn’t have the resources to excel at everything. This means strategic choices must be made.
Assimilation in the strategic church must be managed as a seamless process of membership, discipleship, gift discovery, and leadership development linked through a fully formed network of classes and/or small groups. So many program offerings exist in the strategic congregation that a new member can easily get lost in a maze of choices. Intentional p
aths of assimilation must be created and communicated to ensure that first-time attenders eventually become members and that members eventually step into leadership roles.
The challenge of the strategic church pastor is learning to lead with a direction-setting orientation. One pastor of a strategic church put it this way: “Whatever I pay attention to grows. If I pay too much attention to the wrong kind of conflict it will grow. If I don’t pay enough attention to a new initiative it won’t grow. I have to be extremely careful where I focus my gaze.” Similarly, the strategic church pastor must learn to say no at the right times so that the staff team and governing board don’t lose their focus. The strategic church pastor is always struggling to take a step back and examine the larger organizational picture. These pastors are learning to personify the mission and vision of the congregation in everything they say and do. They will often crystallize the vision of the church into articulated sound bytes that every member of the staff team and board can learn and utilize.
The staff team in the strategic church has grown so large (usually well over 20 people) that it is virtually impossible for the collective group to identify itself as a singular team. Consequently, the staff team begins to form itself into identifiable and manageable sub-teams (the children’s ministry team, the youth team, the administrative support team, etc.). The challenge of the staff team in the strategic church is avoiding a silo mentality, where every sub-team operates as if it were the only or most important team. Program staff members are continually challenged to keep a relational focus in ministry as the administrative components of their jobs expand. Maintaining the right balance between program and administrative support staff becomes critical as the complexity of the congregation mushrooms. An executive minister is often appointed in this size congregation to supervise the staff, who effectively run the day-to-day operations of the church so that the senior minister is free to focus exclusively on preaching, public speaking, and fundraising.
In the strategic church, decision making is hampered by a board that has too many people on it and committee structures that have grown too complex to allow for nimble decision making. Leadership, in general, is learning to support the decision making effectiveness of a smaller, trusted group of leaders. The effective governing board in the strategic church focuses on directional decision making, keeping the church focused in response to these basic questions: Who are we? What constituency do we serve? And what is God calling us to do or become? These boards exist to provide a strong support and accountability system to the senior minister and executive minister.
What It All Means
Is a church guaranteed to grow once it has learned to operate with an organizational and leadership infrastructure appropriate for its size? Not necessarily, but this much is clear: The congregation that doesn’t adapt its structure and leadership approach to reflect the size congregation it wants to become has no hope of sustainable growth. And the congregation that has not been appropriately structured to manage its complexity will eventually stagnate or decline.
Adapted from “Beyond ‘Corporate’: New Insights on Larger Churches,” from the Summer 2008 issue of Congregations magazine, copyright © 2008 by the Alban Institute. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2008, the Alban Institute. All rights reserved. We encourage you to share Alban Weekly articles with your congregation. We gladly allow permission to reprint articles from the Alban Weekly for one-time use by congregations and their leaders when the material is offered free of charge. All we ask is that you write to us at alban@div.duke.edu and let us know how Alban Weekly is making an impact in your congregation. If you would like to use any other Alban material, or if your intended use of Alban Weekly does not fall within this scope, please submit our reprint permission request form.
When Moses Meets Aaron: Staffing and Supervision in Large Congregations by Gilbert R. Rendle and Susan Beaumont
Alban senior consultant Susan Beaumont and Gil Rendle have taken the best of corporate human resource tools and immersed them in a congregational context, providing a comprehensive manual for supervising, motivating, and coordinating staff teams.
Size Transitions in Congregations by Beth Ann Gaede, editor
Congregations that seek growth are often frustrated at hitting a plateau—caught in a transition zone between sizes. The Alban Institute has long been recognized as a leader in size transition research and learning, and this anthology offers an in-depth collection of resources, through new articles developed for the book as well as previously published and highly regarded pieces that inform and provoke.
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Home » World News » Canada » Letter To Editor: Justin Made Me A Proud Canadian Again
Letter To Editor: Justin Made Me A Proud Canadian Again
Bertram J. Kirkpatrick, August 21, 2015, Letter To Editor
Justin Trudeau speaking to crowd of supporters in Esquimalt, BC, Canada. (Photo by Bertram J. Kirkpatrick 08/20/2015).
British Columbia, Canada: Yesterday I attended the political speech of Justin Trudeau at the Esquimalt constituent office of the Liberal candidate David Werner.
It was a sunny day, a lot of people showed up to hear Mr. Trudeau speak, so many in fact, both sides of Esquimalt Road were lined with Liberal supporters. Lots of camera’s were there, CHEK News, CTV News, and newspaper reporters gathered around the enigmatic Liberal candidate.
The podium was set up and David Anderson, the former MP was in attendance. Justin Trudeau arrived in a mini van, parked on the street front, and entered the front door, unlike the expectations of a few people. I was standing near the front door and he shook my hand as he entered the venue. He was warm and friendly, and took the time to greet everyone who wanted to say hello.
Mr. Trudeau took the podium and began to talk about some of his platform. He spoke of the need to enable Canadians to look after their elderly and disabled loved ones. He elucidated about the need to divest the tax breaks of the 1% in order to enable the middle class. It was a pleasure to hear Justin speak in both official languages of Canada.
Justin Trudeau outside the Liberal Contingency office in Esquimalt, BC, Canada. (Photo by Bertram J. Kirkpatrick 08/20/2015).
He spoke about marijuana laws, he seemed aware that it is an important issue for residents of BC, as it has already created local jobs which boosts our economy. Mr. Trudeau suggested it was time to drop the draconian laws of the Harper Government, that put money into the hands of organized crime, and enact legislation that was in line with modern principles, experience and research, while keeping it away from children.
He spoke often, of the need for inclusion and diversity. The message was not lost on the crowd of listeners. I spoke with several contemporaries, grandfathers, and granddaughters, they all agreed it was time for a Canadian Government that cared what we thought.
Not one person in the crowd appeared disappointed, there were no protesters, and Justin took questions from the media after his speech. Mr. Trudeau then made the rounds through his large group of supporters, and even took pictures with everyone that asked.
Justin Trudeau speaking to the youth shows respect, and equality for all Canadian, Esquimalt, BC, Canada. (Photo by Bertram J. Kirkpatrick 08/20/2015).
On the way out he stopped, again, to shake my hand, smiled warmly and sincerely, and waited while I said it was a pleasure to meet him. After walking up and down both sides of Esquimalt Road to greet all the exterior attendees he boarded the mini van, much to the relief of the security detail that escorted him through the visit.
To his security staff’s credit, not one cross word, nor push, or shove occurred during the entire event. I was proud of their Canadian deportment, and the way they were able to perform their duty with civility and professionalism, without so much as an unhappy look.
It has been far too long since I was proud to be a Canadian, but meeting Justin Trudeau changed that. He really is the kind of person who should be Prime Minister of Canada. I know he earned my vote.
Bertram can be contacted here: Bertram J. Kirkpatrick on Tumbler
CDNPOLI
Right Honourable Justin Trudeau
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Tag Archive: Shanghai Tower
Filed under: China, Shanghai, China — 9 Comments
Shanghai’s Oriental Pearl Radio & TV tower.
One of the most striking features of Shanghai’s spectacular skyline is the Oriental Pearl Radio & TV Tower.
Completed in 1994. It is still one of the world’s tallest broadcast antennas (468 m./1,535 ft.).
Pudong skyline, as seen from downtown Shanghai.
The Tower stands on the east bank of the Huangpu River across from the historic city center in the Pudong (“East Bank”)District.
Pudong is home to Shanghai’s tallest skyscrapers including Jin Mao Tower (421 m./1,380 ft.), the Shanghai World Financial Center (492 m./1,614 ft.), and the nearly completed Shanghai Tower (632 m./2,073 ft.)
View from the base of the Pearl Tower.
The Pearl Tower observation deck affords a spectacular bird-eye view of the city, and is a good place to get the lay of the land.
With a population of 1.4 billion, it’s no surprise that the Chinese excel at moving staggering numbers of people around with efficiency, and the crowd at the Pearl Tower is no exception.
Promenade at outside the Pearl Tower.
The lines move briskly, and elevator attendants uniformed and coiffed as immaculately as pre-deregulation U.S. flight attendants keep the foot traffic flowing
As I look out over this sprawling city of 25 million, I can’t help but think that anyone looking down upon the Manhattan skyline in the 1920’s must have been similarly awestruck.
Veiw from the Pearl Tower. The tall building is the 128 story Shanghai Tower.
There’s an impression of incredible energy pulsing through the landscape below, and an inescapable sense of looking through a window into the epicenter of the global future.
Pudong is the site of the city’s Finance & Trade Zone and the Shanghai Stock Exchange, making it China’s financial hub.
Downtown Shanghai from the Pearl Tower.
The District also encompasses a high-tech park, the 2010 Shanghai Expo Center, and the Pudong International Airport.
Incredibly, this entire area was farmland until 1993.
Shanghai’s west bank from the Pearl Tower.
Such explosive growth is the product of an economy that’s been growing at almost 10% annually – about three times the global average – since Deng Xiaoping introduced economic reforms more than 30 years ago.
China’s shift from a managed economy to a market economy has grown its GDP from $147.3 billion in 1978 to $11.2 trillion in 2015. The Peoples’ Republic of China is now the world’s largest economy.
It’s hardly surprising that the Chinese people have embraced a free market economy so enthusiastically, or that they excel at it. The Chinese already were trading their goods via the Silk Road before the birth of Christ.
The success of Chinese joint ventures with foreign manufacturing and technology giants seem to reflect the enterprising nature of a nation of shopkeepers now unbridled following three decades of Mao’s managed economy.
High-rises cover Shanghai for miles.
The nation not only manufactures more cars – about 22 million – than any other country (almost 3 times as many as the U.S.) – but is also the biggest market for new cars. China became the world’s biggest exporter in 2009, and Shanghai recently surpassed Singapore as the world’s largest containerized freight port
The Maglev Train pulls into the station.
Construction of Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport began in 1997.
It is now the world’s third busiest cargo airport, the busiest international hub in mainland China, and one of the world’s 20 busiest passenger airports.
It is connected to the city by Shanghai’s Maglev Train, which uses magnets to lift and propel it.
The reduced friction allows the train to move at very high speeds, and it cuts a highway drive of nearly one hour to 8 minutes, reaching a peak speed of 430 kmp/267 mph).
The Maglev Train reaches its peak speed of 430 kmh/267 mph.
A third passenger terminal and two additional runways scheduled to open later this year will raise annual capacity to 80 million passengers and 6 million tons of freight. DHL’s Pudong cargo hub is the largest in Asia.
I’m struck by the amazing contrast between the way in which nominally Communist China has advanced even as the republics of the former Soviet Union have devolved.
Only ferries crossed the river thirty years ago, and still do.
The irony is also not lost upon me that Pudong’s modern skyscrapers directly face the city’s historic Bund. It was from their Bund headquarters that the banking houses and merchant traders of the Western powers imposed their imperialism upon China, and first made Shanghai a financial and trading giant until its fortunes turned with the outbreak of World War II and the 30 years of isolation which followed.
The Bund as seen from the Pearl Tower.
This time around, the China is solidly in control of its own destiny, and is turning its new prosperity into better lives for countless millions of its people.
Tags: 21 days in China, Chinese economy, Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone Shanghai, Oriental Pearl Tower Shanghai, Shanghai Bund, Shanghai Maglev train, Shanghai Tower
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Obsidian Entertainment Creating Pillars of Eternity Card Game and Tabletop RPG
Feargus Urquhart, the CEO of Obsidian Entertainment, revealed that Pillars of Eternity is getting its own card and tabletop games.
After a tremendously successful Kickstarter campaign and the excellent reception that Obsidian Entertainment's new RPG, Pillars of Eternity, has been getting, the company's CEO revealed to PC Gamer that there are physical tabletop and card games in development. It's tough to imagine how the fixed, top-down RPG would translate into a card or board game, but we're sure that the talented crew at Obsidian know what they're doing. This spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale had one of the highest crowdfunding campaigns of all time, raking in over $4.1 million back in 2012. Urquhart revealed that Pillars of Eternity: The Card Game (not it's final name) will be hitting Kickstarter soon. A tabletop/board RPG is also being developed, and will likely be launching Kickstarter after the card game. Urquhart announced that Chris Taylor, the lead designer of the first Fallout, will be working with Obsidian on this project.
"This isn't like a [collectible card game] or anything like that," Urquhart said. "But it's more just a fun, kind of, four people get around and play a single session card game."
Obsidian is currently working on expansions coming to Pillars of Eternity and is in serious talks of doing an official sequel. Here's to hoping there's still some leftover Kickstarter cash to get the job done without having to tap the crowdfunding resources so often.
"We're not sure yet how we're going to do [the tabletop game]," Urquhart said. "We were kind of going back and forth on, do we use the game's rules, do we use someone else's rules, do we come up with another set of rules?"
Nevertheless, we're excited to see what kind of expansions, whether in-game or physical, this awesome RPG gets.
Kickstarter Saved Obsidian From Tanking in 2012
Filed Under: Obsidian Entertainment, PC, Pillars of Eternity
Categories: Card Games, News, RPG Games
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FBI Terror Report: Militia, Sovereign Citizens Greater Threat Than Islamic Terrorists
Posted in: Government Tyranny, Police & Law Enforcement. Leave a comment
allstaractivist note: Unfortunately, I have discovered the below to be a disinformation site and radio personality. Let the reader continue with caution.
Blogs, websites and personalities that I’ve discovered to be disinformation shills
FBI never directly mentions threat of Islamic extremism in America
by KIT DANIELS | INFOWARS.COM | AUGUST 29, 2014
The FBI’s latest national threat assessment lists so-called sovereign citizens and the militia as threats to “U.S. internal security” while completely omitting Islamic terrorists.
The Aug. 14 National Threat Assessment for Domestic Extremism, which was obtained by theWashington Free Beacon, claims that militia members and sovereign citizens are among those “aspired” to carry out violent attacks, yet it only indirectly mentions Islamic terrorism in a footnote describing “other” types of “domestic extremism” not included in the report.
“Of a sample of 50 credible violent threat intelligence reports analyzed for this assessment, nearly 60 percent expressed lethal violence as an ultimate goal,” the report asserts.
The report reads like a spiritual successor to previous publications by the Southern Poverty Law Center, which routinely demonized Constitutionalists and other libertarians by grouping them with white supremacists and other racist organizations.
And, unfortunately, it should be no surprise the FBI considers freedom-loving Americans a larger threat than violent Islamic extremists when previous actions by the federal government to suppress political dissidents are taken into consideration.
Earlier this month, a university consortium funded by the Department of Homeland Security designated sovereign citizens as the “number one domestic terrorist threat in America,” ranking them above Islamic extremism in agreement with the FBI’s terror assessment.
The University of Maryland’s National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) said sovereign citizens were the “top concern of law enforcement.”
It recommended that state and federal law enforcement share intelligence on sovereign citizens and other targeted groups, develop “tactical responses” to threats and “act on that information to prevent or mitigate threats.”
Similarly, in 2011, the FBI said it “considers sovereign-citizen extremists as comprising a domestic terrorist movement.”
But, as journalist Kurt Nimmo pointed out, sovereign citizens do not actually constitute a cohesive movement despite the government’s attempts to characterize them as such.
“The START report also neglects to mention that virtually all high-profile domestic terrorism plots in the United States after 9/11 were directed by the FBI and the U.S. government, a fact reported byThe New York Times,” he wrote.
Additionally, in 2009 the Missouri Information Analysis Center (MIAC) distributed a law enforcement bulletin entitled The Modern Militia Movement which instructed police to be on the lookout for Americans displaying “political paraphernalia” such as Gadsden flags and Ron Paul bumper stickers.
MIAC, a federal law enforcement information sharing hub more commonly known as a fusion center, described itself as a “mechanism to collect incident reports of suspicious activities” in order to “identify potential trends or patterns of terrorist or criminal operations within the state of Missouri.”
Similarly, and perhaps even more eerily, during the 2008 presidential election Obama’s campaign team asked Missouri law enforcement to “target anyone who lies or runs a misleading television ad,” as Russell Kinsaul with News 4 reported:
Alex Jones (of InfoWars) on Gang Stalking
A two-minute video clip of Alex Jones (of InfoWars) responding to a question by a caller about why he rarely discusses the subject of gang stalking.
Jones is enigmatic on gang stalking. In many respects Alex Jones is the quintessential conspiracy theorist, but this video clip shows that he is clearly reluctant to publicly acknowledge that gang stalking is real.
Jones acknowledges that governments – including the U.S. government – use nefarious tactics to punish individuals who are perceived as inconvenient to those in power, but he states that most discussion of gang stalking is not credible (which is true). His response does not, however, address the issue of disinformation.
Anyone who has seen his website knows that government disinformation is a regular topic, so it is difficult to understand why Jones would not suspect that disinformation would be used to mitigate the exposure of gang stalking.
There are several ways to interpret what he says in the video clip.
Personally, my guess is that he is either not sharp enough to grasp the nature of the disinformation game as it relates to counterintelligence subversion, or that he is too lazy to look into the matter. Perhaps it is a combination of both. I suspect that he sincerely believes that the countless paranoid-sounding accounts online about the gang stalking are actually posted by ignorant paranoid individuals. Otherwise, he would presumably have addressed the disinformation issue in his comments.
Alex Jones rarely drills-down in a serious way on the subjects he raises. He is not at all in the same league as say, Russ Baker, an investigative journalist at WhoWhatWhy. Baker is interested in conspiracies, but he is also willing to dig up facts to see what is true.
Another possibility of course, is that Jones suspects or realizes that gang stalking is real, but does not want to publicly say so for some reason. Although that is possible, it is difficult to square that with the fact that the obvious net effect of his entire website is to contribute to the public’s skepticism about the federal government’s integrity.
Coming soon to a town near you… The Night Of The Long Knives
Posted in: Gangstalking, Government Tyranny, The Conspiracy Philes. 2 Comments
Studying Gangstalkers in my own little microcosm known as the All Star Hotel, I was both shocked and intrigued at the infighting that I witnessed. At first, I thought that the feuding and bickering were surly just another bit of street theater put on for my benefit. Knowing these people for as long as I have however, allowed me to discern that their passionate hatred of each other was all too genuine.
I said to myself, “you mean to tell me that not only do Gangstalkers attack Targeted Individuals, but that they actually attack each other too?” Whoever said that a house divided could not stand? I’m still waiting for it to crumble from within. I know that they will (evil is a house of cards) but it won’t be fast enough for my liking. Unfortunately, it wasn’t fast enough to save our country either. I say this, with great remorse and anger.
When this house of cards that these evil idiots have built does fall, I will take the greatest of pleasure in knowing that much like judge Roland Freisler’s fate, it will come crashing down upon their heads.
There is a reason that you always find the greatest of evil people surrounded by genuinely good people. It is because the smartest of the bad people don’t like being surrounded by treacherous criminals like themselves. That has a certain logic to it, does it not? Well, that is what the above documentary is about, the purging of lower level lackeys. Stalin did it, Hitler did it and so has just about every President we’ve had in this country, but how many of us are paying attention?
You can see the very same conditions present here in the USA today, just like the state of affairs were way back in the Germany of 1935. Mulitple law enforcement, paramilitary domestic forces, federal, state and municipal forces all armed to the teeth and bristling with equipment. The perfect cauldron for competitive infighting and power grabbing. All that is needed now is some sort of catalyst to destabilize the tenuous order. You’ve got all the makings of a fight for total domination also known as, civil war.
Just as that night in Germany so long ago that everyone has seemed to have forgotten, our as yet to come “Night Of The Long Knives” has been engineered too. You can see it, can’t you? If anyone should be concerned, it should be those in law enforcement and the military. Guess who you will be fighting next? Let’s see, do we have any parallel domestic citizen based forces milling about anywhere, who are being told that YOU are the enemy? Now that I mention it, who are you being told is your enemy? I’m willing to bet your life that it ain’t anyone outside our borders. WAKE UP!
And for all you petty little peon Gangstalkers out there who think that you’re so smart and that you’re so special guess what, you will be “long knifed” too. Just think about it;
You’ve already proven yourselves to be treacherous and base
You know too much
When the job is done you will miss your former “power” and become disgruntled
You will no longer be needed
You will be the new threat
For proof, just look at how they are treating our military veterans now. You’re next.
Just as you are following a plan to get rid of little old me, there certainly exists a plan to get rid of you too. Amusing thing about it is, you are ensuring that the plan for your own demise works flawlessly. Dummies.
In other words, you are in fact, expendable and will be disposed of accordingly. Nobody wants you around post facto, especially not your Handler’s Handlers. Little do you understand that you are more hated than I am, at least I am respected for resisting. You are justifiably despised for being both corrupt AND STUPID.
It wouldn’t surprise me if you’ve already started to feel it, something just not quite right. It appears to me that there may be an exodus occurring right now, among those minions who are truly valuable. You know, the truly valuable good people that the system wants to replace you with, those good but misguided folks that I mentioned at the beginning of this post. They have a chance of surviving. You veteran Gangstalkers however, are goners.
Oh, and by the way, EVERYTHING THAT HITLER DID WAS LEGAL.
History always repeats itself unfortunately, you’ll see.
Night of the Long Knives
Although by 1934 Germany had become a one-party state under Nazi rule, the increasingly reckless SA violence directed against Jews, communists, socialists and other dissidents began to offend the traditional German sense of civic order, especially in the senior leadership of the army.[1] The sign reads: “Attention Germans! These Jewish owners of the 5 P.S. shops are the parasites and gravediggers of German trade! They pay German workers starvation wages! The principal owner is the Jew Nathan Schmidt.”
The Night of the Long Knives (German: Nacht der langen Messer (help·info)), sometimes called Operation Hummingbird or, in Germany, the Röhm-Putsch, was a purge that took place in Nazi Germany from June 30 to July 2, 1934, when the Nazi regime carried out a series of political murders. Leading figures of the left-wing Strasserist faction of the Nazi Party, along with its figurehead, Gregor Strasser, were murdered, as were prominent conservative anti-Nazis (such as former Chancellor Kurt von Schleicher and Gustav Ritter von Kahr, who had suppressed Hitler’s Beer Hall Putsch in 1923). Many of those killed were leaders of the Sturmabteilung (SA), the paramilitary brownshirts.
Adolf Hitler moved against the SA and its leader, Ernst Röhm, because he saw the independence of the SA and the penchant of its members for street violence as a direct threat to his newly gained political power. Hitler also wanted to conciliate leaders of the Reichswehr, the official German military who feared and despised the SA — in particular Röhm’s ambition to absorb the Reichswehr into the SA under Röhm’s leadership. Additionally, Hitler was uncomfortable with Röhm’s outspoken support for a “second revolution” to redistribute wealth. (In Röhm’s view, President Hindenburg’s appointing of Hitler as German Chancellor on January 30, 1933 had accomplished the “nationalistic” revolution but had left unfulfilled the “socialistic” motive in National Socialism.) Finally, Hitler used the purge to attack or eliminate critics of his new regime, especially those loyal to Vice-Chancellor Franz von Papen, as well as to settle scores with old enemies.[a]
At least 85 people died during the purge, although the final death toll may have been in the hundreds,[b][c] and more than a thousand perceived opponents were arrested.[2]Most of the killings were carried out by the Schutzstaffel (SS) and the Gestapo (Geheime Staatspolizei), the regime’s secret police. The purge strengthened and consolidated the support of the Reichswehr for Hitler. It also provided a legal grounding for the Nazi regime, as the German courts and cabinet quickly swept aside centuries of legal prohibition against extra-judicial killings to demonstrate their loyalty to the regime. The Night of the Long Knives was a turning point for the German government. It established Hitler as “the supreme judge of the German people”, as he put it in his July 13, 1934 speech to the Reichstag.
Before its execution, its planners sometimes referred to it as “Hummingbird” (German: Kolibri), the codeword used to send the execution squads into action on the day of the purge.[3] The codename for the operation appears to have been chosen arbitrarily. The phrase “Night of the Long Knives” in the German language predates the massacre itself and refers generally to acts of vengeance. Germans still use the term “Röhm-Putsch” to describe the murders, the term given to it by the Nazi regime, despite its unproven implication that the murders were necessary to prevent a coup. German authors often use quotation marks or write about the so-called Röhm-Putsch to emphasize this.[4]
1 Hitler and the Sturmabteilung (SA)
2 Conflict between the army and the SA
3 Growing pressure against the SA
4 Heydrich and Himmler
5 Purge
5.1 Against conservatives and old enemies
5.2 Röhm’s fate
6.1 Reaction
7 SA Leadership
Hitler and the Sturmabteilung (SA)
Hitler posing in Nuremberg with SA members in the late 1920s. Julius Streicher is to Hitler’s right, and Hermann Göring stands bedecked with medals beneath Hitler.
President Paul von Hindenburg appointed Hitler Chancellor on January 30, 1933.[d] Over the next few months, during the so-called Gleichschaltung, Hitler dispensed with the need for the Reichstag as a legislative body[e] and eliminated all rival political parties in Germany, so that by the middle of 1933 the country had become a one-party state under his direction and control. Hitler did not exercise absolute power, however, despite his swift consolidation of political authority. As chancellor, Hitler did not command the army, which remained under the formal leadership of Hindenburg, a highly respected veteran field marshal. While many officers were impressed by Hitler’s promises of an expanded army, a return toconscription, and a more aggressive foreign policy, the army continued to guard its traditions of independence during the early years of the Nazi regime.
To a lesser extent, the Sturmabteilung (SA), a Nazi paramilitary organisation, remained somewhat autonomous within the party itself. The SA evolved out of the remnants of the Freikorps movement of the post-World War I years. TheFreikorps were nationalistic organisations primarily composed of disaffected, disenchanted, and angry German combat veterans founded by the government in January 1919 to deal with the threat of a Communist revolution when it appeared that there was a lack of loyal troops. A very large number of the Freikorps believed that the November Revolution hadbetrayed them when Germany was alleged to be on the verge of victory in 1918. Hence, the Freikorps were in opposition to the new Weimar Republic, which was born as a result of the November Revolution, and whose founders were contemptuously called “November criminals”. Captain Ernst Röhm of the Reichswehr served as the liaison with the Bavarian Freikorps. Röhm was given the nickname “The Machine Gun King of Bavaria” in the early 1920s, since he was responsible for storing and issuing illegal machine guns to the Bavarian Freikorps units. Röhm left the Reichswehr in 1923 and later became commander of the SA. During the 1920s and 1930s, the SA functioned as a private militia used by Hitler to intimidate rivals and disrupt the meetings of competing political parties, especially those of the Social Democrats and the Communists. Also known as the “brownshirts” or “stormtroopers”, the SA became notorious for their street battles with the Communists.[5] The violent confrontations between the two contributed to the destabilisation of Germany’s inter-war experiment with democracy, the Weimar Republic.[6] In June 1932, one of the worst months of political violence, there were more than 400 street battles, resulting in 82 deaths.[7] This destabilisation had been crucial in Hitler’s rise to power, however, not least because it convinced many Germans that once Hitler became chancellor, the endemic street violence would end.[citation needed]
Hitler’s appointment as chancellor, followed by the suppression of all political parties except the Nazis, did not end the violence of the stormtroopers. Deprived of Communist party meetings to disrupt, the stormtroopers would sometimes run riot in the streets after a night of drinking. They would attack passers-by, and then attack the police who were called to stop them.[8] Complaints of “overbearing and loutish” behaviour by stormtroopers became common by the middle of 1933. The Foreign Office even complained of instances where brownshirts manhandled foreign diplomats.[9] The stormtroopers’ behaviour disturbed the German middle classes and other conservative elements in society, such as the army.[citation needed]
Hitler’s move would be to strengthen his position with the army by moving against its nemesis, the SA.[10] On July 6, 1933, at a gathering of high-ranking Nazi officials, Hitler declared the success of the National Socialist, or Nazi, brown revolution. Now that the NSDAP had seized the reins of power in Germany, he said, it was time to consolidate its control. Hitler told the gathered officials, “The stream of revolution has been undammed, but it must be channelled into the secure bed of evolution.”[11]
Hitler’s speech signalled his intention to rein in the SA, whose ranks had grown rapidly in the early 1930s. This would not prove to be simple, however, as the SA made up a large part of Nazism’s most devoted followers. The SA traced its dramatic rise in numbers in part to the onset of the Great Depression, when many German citizens lost both their jobs and their faith in traditional institutions. While Nazism was not exclusively – or even primarily – a working class phenomenon, the SA fulfilled the yearning of many unemployed workers for class solidarity and nationalist fervour.[f] Many stormtroopers believed in the socialist promise of National Socialism and expected the Nazi regime to take more radical economic action, such as breaking up the vast landed estates of the aristocracy. When the Nazi regime did not take such steps, those who had expected an economic as well as a political revolution were disillusioned.[g]
Conflict between the army and the SA
SA leader Ernst Röhm in Bavaria in 1934
No one in the SA spoke more loudly for “a continuation of the German revolution”, as one prominent stormtrooper put it, than Röhm.[h] Röhm, as one of the earliest members of the Nazi Party, had participated in the Munich Beer Hall Putsch, an attempt by Hitler to seize power by force in 1923. A combat veteran of World War I, Röhm had recently boasted that he would execute 12 men in retaliation for the killing of any stormtrooper.[12] Röhm saw violence as a means to political ends. He took seriously the socialist promise of National Socialism, and demanded that Hitler and the other party leaders initiate wide-ranging socialist reform in Germany.
Not content solely with the leadership of the SA, Röhm lobbied Hitler to appoint him Minister of Defence, a position held by the conservative General Werner von Blomberg.[13] Although nicknamed the “Rubber Lion” by some of his critics in the army for his devotion to Hitler, Blomberg was not himself a Nazi, and therefore represented a bridge between the army and the party. Blomberg and many of his fellow officers were recruited from the Prussian nobility, and regarded the SA as a plebeian rabble that threatened the army’s traditional high status in German society.[14]
If the regular army showed contempt for the masses belonging to the SA, many stormtroopers returned the feeling, seeing the army as insufficiently committed to the National Socialist revolution. Max Heydebreck, a SA leader in Rummelsburg, denounced the army to his fellow brownshirts, telling them, “Some of the officers of the army are swine. Most officers are too old and have to be replaced by young ones. We want to wait till Papa Hindenburg is dead, and then the SA will march against the army.”[15]
Despite such hostility between the brownshirts and the regular army, Blomberg and others in the military saw the SA as a source of raw recruits for an enlarged and revitalised army. Röhm, however, wanted to eliminate the generalship of the Prussian aristocracy altogether, using the SA to become the core of a new German military. Limited by the Treaty of Versailles to one hundred thousand soldiers, army leaders watched anxiously as membership in the SA surpassed three million men by the beginning of 1934.[16] In January 1934, Röhm presented Blomberg with a memorandum demanding that the SA replace the regular army as the nation’s ground forces, and that the Reichswehr become a training adjunct to the SA.[17]
In response, Hitler met with Blomberg and the leadership of the SA and SS on February 28, 1934. Under pressure from Hitler, Röhm reluctantly signed a pledge stating that he recognised the supremacy of the Reichswehr over the SA. Hitler announced to those present that the SA would act as an auxiliary to the Reichswehr, not the other way around. After Hitler and most of the army officers had left, however, Röhm declared that he would not take instructions from “the ridiculous corporal” – a demeaning reference to Hitler.[18] While Hitler did not take immediate action against Röhm for his intemperate outburst, it nonetheless deepened the rift between them.
Growing pressure against the SA
Franz von Papen, the conservative vice-chancellor who ran afoul of Hitler after denouncing the regime’s failure to rein in the SA in his Marburg speech.
Despite his earlier agreement with Hitler, Röhm still clung to his vision of a new German army with the SA at its core. By early 1934, this vision directly conflicted with Hitler’s plan to consolidate power and expand the Reichswehr. Because their plans for the army were mutually exclusive, Röhm’s success could only come at Hitler’s expense. Moreover, it was not just the Reichswehr that viewed the SA as a threat. Several of Hitler’s lieutenants feared Röhm’s growing power and restlessness, as did Hitler himself. As a result, a political struggle within the party grew, with those closest to Hitler, including Prussian premier Hermann Göring, Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels, SS Chief Heinrich Himmler, and Hitler’s deputy Rudolf Hess, positioning themselves against Röhm. While all of these men were veterans of the Nazi movement, only Röhm continued to demonstrate his independence from, rather than his loyalty to, Adolf Hitler. Röhm’s contempt for the party’s bureaucracy angered Hess. SA violence in Prussia gravely concerned Göring, Minister-President of Prussia.[19] Finally in the spring of 1934, the growing rift between Röhm and Hitler over the role of the SA in the Nazi state led the former Chancellor, General Kurt von Schleicher, to start playing politics again.[20] Schleicher criticized the current Hitler cabinet while some of Schleicher’s followers such as General Ferdinand von Bredow and Werner von Alvensleben started passing along lists of a new Hitler Cabinet in which Schleicher would become Vice-Chancellor, Röhm Minister of Defence, Heinrich Brüning Foreign Minister and Gregor Strasser Minister of National Economy.[20] The British historian Sir John Wheeler-Bennett, who knew Schleicher and his circle well, wrote that Bredow displayed a “lack of discretion” that was “terrifying” as he went about showing the list of the proposed cabinet to anyone who was interested.[21] Although Schleicher was in fact unimportant by 1934, increasingly wild rumours that he was scheming with Röhm to reenter the corridors of power helped stoke the sense of crisis.[22]
As a means of isolating Röhm, on April 20, 1934, Göring transferred control of the Prussian political police (Gestapo) to Himmler, who, Göring believed, could be counted on to move against Röhm.[23] Himmler envied the independence and power of the SA, although by this time he and his deputy Reinhard Heydrich had already begun restructuring the SS from a bodyguard formation for Nazi leaders (and a subset of the SA) into its own independent elite corps, one loyal to both himself and Hitler. The loyalty of the SS men would prove useful to both when Hitler finally chose to move against Röhm and the SA. By May, lists of those to be “liquidated” started to circulate amongst Göring and Himmler’s people, who engaged in a trade, adding enemies of one in exchange for sparing friends of the other.[22] At the end of May, two former Chancellors Heinrich Brüning and Kurt von Schleicher received warnings from friends in the Reichswehr that their lives were in danger, and they should leave Germany at once.[22] Brüning fled to the Netherlands while Schleicher dismissed the tip-off as a bad practical joke.[22] By the beginning of June, everything was set, and all that was needed was permission from Hitler.[22]
Demands for Hitler to constrain the SA strengthened. Conservatives in the army, industry, and politics placed Hitler under increasing pressure to reduce the influence of the SA and to move against Röhm. While Röhm’s homosexuality did not endear him to conservatives, they were more concerned about his political ambitions. Hitler for his part remained indecisive and uncertain about just what precisely he wanted to do when he left for Venice to meet Benito Mussolini on June 15.[24]Before Hitler left, and at the request of Presidential State Secretary Otto Meißner, Foreign Minister Baron Konstantin von Neurath ordered the German Ambassador to Italy Ulrich von Hassell — without Hitler’s knowledge — to ask Mussolini to tell Hitler that the SA was blackening Germany’s good name.[25] Neurath’s manoeuvre to put pressure on Hitler paid off, with Mussolini agreeing to the request (Neurath was a former ambassador to Italy, and knew Mussolini well).[25] During the summit in Venice, Mussolini upbraided Hitler for tolerating the violence, hooliganism, and homosexuality of the SA, which Mussolini stated were ruining Hitler’s good reputation all over the world. Mussolini used the affair occasioned by the murder of Giacomo Matteotti as an example of the kind of trouble unruly followers could cause a dictator.[25] While Mussolini’s criticism did not win Hitler over to acting against the SA, it helped push him in that direction.[25]
On June 17, 1934, conservative demands for Hitler to act came to a head when Vice-Chancellor Franz von Papen, confidant of the ailing Hindenburg, gave a speech at Marburg University warning of the threat of a “second revolution”.[26]Privately, von Papen, a Catholic aristocrat with ties to army and industry, threatened to resign if Hitler did not act.[27] While von Papen’s resignation as vice-chancellor would not have threatened Hitler’s position, it would have nonetheless been an embarrassing display of independence from a leading conservative.
Heydrich and Himmler
SS-Brigadeführer Heydrich, head of the Bavarian police and SD, in Munich, 1934
In response to conservative pressure to constrain Röhm, Hitler left for Neudeck to meet with Hindenburg. Blomberg, who had been meeting with the President, uncharacteristically reproached Hitler for not having moved against Röhm earlier. He then told Hitler that Hindenburg was close to declaring martial law and turning the government over to the Reichswehr if Hitler did not take immediate steps against Röhm and his brownshirts.[28]Hitler had hesitated for months in moving against Röhm, in part due to Röhm’s visibility as the leader of a national militia with millions of members. However, the threat of a declaration of martial law from Hindenburg, the only person in Germany with the authority to potentially depose the Nazi regime, put Hitler under pressure to act. He left Neudeck with the intention of both destroying Röhm and settling scores with old enemies. Both Himmler and Göring welcomed Hitler’s decision, since both had much to gain by Röhm’s downfall – the independence of the SS for Himmler, and the removal of a rival for the future command of the army for Göring.[29]
In preparation for the purge both Himmler and Heydrich, chief of the SS Security Service, assembled a dossier of manufactured evidence to suggest that Röhm had been paid 12 million marks (EUR 48.3 million in 2014) by France to overthrow Hitler. Leading officers in the SS were shown falsified evidence on June 24 that Röhm planned to use the SA to launch a plot against the government (Röhm-Putsch).[30] Göring, Himmler, Heydrich, and Victor Lutze (at Hitler’s direction) drew up lists of people in and outside the SA to be killed. One of the men Göring recruited to assist him was Willi Lehmann, a Gestapo official and NKVD spy. On June 25, General Werner von Fritsch placed the Reichswehr on the highest level of alert.[31] On June 27, Hitler moved to secure the army’s cooperation.[32] Blomberg and General Walther von Reichenau, the army’s liaison to the party, gave it to him by expelling Röhm from the German Officers’ League.[33] On June 28 Hitler went toEssen to attend a wedding celebration and reception; from there he called Röhm’s adjutant at Bad Wiessee and ordered SA leaders to meet with him on June 30 at 11h.[29] On June 29, a signed article in Völkischer Beobachter by Blomberg appeared in which Blomberg stated with great fervour that the Reichswehr stood behind Hitler.[34]
The architects of the purge: Hitler, Göring,Goebbels, and Hess. Only Himmler andHeydrich are missing.
Further information: Victims of the Night of the Long Knives
At about 04:30 on June 30, 1934, Hitler and his entourage flew into Munich. From the airport they drove to the Bavarian Interior Ministry, where they assembled the leaders of an SA rampage that had taken place in city streets the night before. Enraged, Hitler tore the epaulets off the shirt of Obergruppenführer August Schneidhuber, the chief of the Munich police, for failing to keep order in the city on the previous night. Hitler shouted at Schneidhuber that he would be shot.[35]Schneidhuber was executed later that day. As the stormtroopers were hustled off to prison, Hitler assembled a large group of SS and regular police, and departed for the Hanselbauer Hotel in Bad Wiessee, where Ernst Röhm and his followers were staying.[36]
Arriving in Bad Wiessee between 06:00 and 07:00, the SA, still in bed, were taken by surprise. SS men stormed the hotel and Hitler personally placed Röhm and other high-ranking SA leaders under arrest. According to Erich Kempka, Hitler turned Röhm over to “two detectives holding pistols with the safety catch removed”, and the SS found Breslau SA leader Edmund Heines in bed with an unidentified eighteen-year-old male SA senior troop leader.[37] Goebbels emphasised the latter in subsequent propaganda justifying the purge as a crackdown on moral turpitude.[38] Both Heines and his partner were shot on the spot — thus destroying any evidence — in the hotel grounds on the personal order of Hitler.[35]Meanwhile, the SS arrested the other SA leaders as they departed their train for the planned meeting with Röhm and Hitler.[39]
The fact that no plot by Röhm to overthrow the regime existed did not prevent Hitler from denouncing the leadership of the SA.[38] Arriving back at party headquarters in Munich, Hitler addressed the assembled crowd. Consumed with rage, Hitler denounced “the worst treachery in world history”. Hitler told the crowd that “undisciplined and disobedient characters and asocial or diseased elements” would be annihilated. The crowd, which included party members and many SA members fortunate enough to escape arrest, shouted its approval. Hess, present among the assembled, even volunteered to shoot the “traitors” himself.[39] Joseph Goebbels, who had been with Hitler at Bad Wiessee, set the final phase of the plan in motion. Upon returning to Berlin, Goebbels telephoned Göring at 10:00 with the codeword Kolibri to let loose the execution squads on the rest of their unsuspecting victims.[38]
Against conservatives and old enemies
General von Schleicher in uniform, 1932
Gregor Strasser in 1928
Willi Schmid, a victim of the purge, in 1930
The regime did not limit itself to a purge of the SA, however. Having earlier imprisoned or exiled prominent Social Democrats and Communists, Hitler used the occasion to move against conservatives he considered unreliable. This included Vice-Chancellor Papen and those in his immediate circle. In Berlin, on Göring’s personal orders, an armed SS unit stormed the Vice-Chancellery. Gestapo officers attached to the SS unit shot Papen’s secretary Herbert von Bosewithout bothering to arrest him first. The Gestapo arrested and later executed Papen’s close associate Edgar Jung, the author of Papen’s Marburg speech; they disposed of his body by dumping it in a ditch.[40] The Gestapo also murdered Erich Klausener, the leader of Catholic Action, and a close Papen associate.[35] The vice-chancellor himself was unceremoniously arrested at the Vice-Chancellery, despite his insistent protests that he could not be arrested. Although Hitler ordered him released days later, Papen no longer dared to criticise the regime.[41]
Hitler, Göring, and Himmler unleashed the Gestapo against old enemies, as well. Both Kurt von Schleicher, Hitler’s predecessor as chancellor, and his wife were murdered at their home. Others killed included Gregor Strasser, a former Nazi who had angered Hitler by resigning from the party in 1932, and Gustav Ritter von Kahr, the former Bavarian state commissioner who crushed the Beer Hall Putsch in 1923.[42] Kahr’s fate was especially gruesome. His body was found in a wood outside Munich; he had been hacked to death, apparently with pickaxes. The murdered included at least one accidental victim: Willi Schmid, the music critic of the Münchner Neuste Nachrichten, a Munich newspaper. The Gestapo mistook him for Ludwig Schmitt, a past supporter of Otto Strasser, the brother of Gregor.[43] Such unrestrained violence added to the fearsome reputation of the Gestapo, the Nazis’ secret police.
Several leaders of the disbanded Catholic Centre Party were also murdered in the purge. The Party had generally been aligned with the Social Democrats and Catholic Church during the rise of Nazism, being critical of Nazi ideology.[44]
Röhm’s fate
Röhm was held briefly at Stadelheim Prison[i] in Munich, while Hitler considered his future. In the end, Hitler decided that Röhm had to die. On July 2, at Hitler’s behest, Theodor Eicke, later Commandant of the Dachau concentration camp, and SS Officer Michel Lippert visited Röhm. Once inside Röhm’s cell, they handed him a Browning pistol loaded with a single bullet and told him he had ten minutes to kill himself or they would do it for him. Röhm demurred, telling them, “If I am to be killed, let Adolf do it himself.”[35] Having heard nothing in the allotted time, they returned to Röhm’s cell at 14:50 to find him standing, with his bare chest puffed out in a gesture of defiance.[45] Lippert then fatally shot Röhm three times. In 1957, the German authorities tried Lippert in Munich for Röhm’s murder. Until then, Lippert had been one of the few executioners of the purge to evade trial. Lippert was convicted and sentenced to 18 months in prison.
Hitler triumphant: The Führerreviewing the SA in 1935. In the car with Hitler: the Blutfahne, behind the car SS-man Jakob Grimminger.
As the purge claimed the lives of so many prominent Germans, it could hardly be kept secret. At first, its architects seemed split on how to handle the event. Göring instructed police stations to burn “all documents concerning the action of the past two days”.[46]Meanwhile, Goebbels tried to prevent newspapers from publishing lists of the dead, but at the same time used a July 2 radio address to describe how Hitler had narrowly prevented Röhm and Schleicher from overthrowing the government and throwing the country into turmoil.[43] Then, on July 13, 1934, Hitler justified the purge in a nationally broadcast speech to the Reichstag:[47]
In this hour I was responsible for the fate of the German people, and thereby I became the supreme judge of the German people. I gave the order to shoot the ringleaders in this treason, and I further gave the order to cauterise down to the raw flesh the ulcers of this poisoning of the wells in our domestic life. Let the nation know that its existence—which depends on its internal order and security—cannot be threatened with impunity by anyone! And let it be known for all time to come that if anyone raises his hand to strike the State, then certain death is his lot.
Concerned with presenting the massacre as legally sanctioned, Hitler had the cabinet approve a measure on July 3 that declared, “The measures taken on June 30, July 1 and 2 to suppress treasonous assaults are legal as acts of self-defence by the State.”[48] Reich Justice Minister Franz Gürtner, a conservative who had been Bavarian Justice Minister in the years of the Weimar Republic, demonstrated his loyalty to the new regime by drafting the statute, which added a legal veneer to the purge.[j] Signed into law by Hitler, Gürtner, and Minister of the Interior Wilhelm Frick, the “Law Regarding Measures of State Self-Defence” retroactively legalised the murders committed during the purge.[49] Germany’s legal establishment further capitulated to the regime when the country’s leading legal scholar, Carl Schmitt, wrote an article defending Hitler’s July 13 speech. It was named “The Führer Upholds the Law”.[50]
Almost unanimously, the army applauded the Night of the Long Knives, even though the generals Kurt von Schleicher and Ferdinand von Bredow were among the victims. The ailing President Hindenburg, Germany’s highly revered military hero, sent a telegram expressing his “profoundly felt gratitude” and he congratulated Hitler for “nipping treason in the bud”.[51]General von Reichenau went so far as to publicly give credence to the lie that Schleicher had been plotting to overthrow the government. In his speech to the Reichstag on July 13 justifying his actions, Hitler denounced Schleicher for conspiring with Ernst Röhm to overthrow the government; Hitler alleged both were both traitors working in the pay of France.[52] Since Schleicher was a good friend of the French Ambassador André François-Poncet, and because of his reputation for intrigue, the claim that Schleicher was working for France had enough surface plausibility for most Germans to accept it, though it was not in fact true.[52] The falsity of Hitler’s claims could be seen in that François-Poncet was not declared persona non grata as normally would have happened if an Ambassador were caught being involved in a coup plot against his host government. The army’s support for the purge, however, would have far-reaching consequences for the institution. The humbling of the SA ended the threat it had posed to the army but, by standing by Hitler during the purge, the army bound itself more tightly to the Nazi regime.[53] One retired captain, Erwin Planck, seemed to realise this: “if you look on without lifting a finger,” he said to his friend, General Werner von Fritsch, “you will meet the same fate sooner or later.”[54] Another rare exception was Field Marshal August von Mackensen, who spoke about the murders of Schleicher and Bredow at the annual General Staff Society meeting in February 1935 after they had been rehabilitated by Hitler in early January 1935.[55]
Election poster for Hindenburgin 1932 (translation: “With him”)
Rumours about the Night of the Long Knives rapidly spread. Although many Germans approached the official news of the events as described by Joseph Goebbels with a great deal of skepticism, many others took the regime at its word, and believed that Hitler had saved Germany from a descent into chaos.[k] Luise Solmitz, a Hamburg schoolteacher, echoed the sentiments of many Germans when she cited Hitler’s “personal courage, decisiveness and effectiveness” in her private diary. She even compared him to Frederick the Great, the 18th-century King of Prussia.[2] Others were appalled at the scale of the executions and at the relative complacency of many of their fellow Germans. “A very calm and easy going mailman,” the diarist Victor Klemperer wrote, “who is not at all National Socialist, said, ‘Well, he simply sentenced them.'” It did not escape Klemperer’s notice that many of the victims had played a role in bringing Hitler to power. “A chancellor”, he wrote, “sentences and shoots members of his own private army!”[56] The extent of the massacre and the relative ubiquity of the Gestapo, however, meant that those who disapproved of the purge generally kept quiet about it. Among the few exceptions were General Kurt von Hammerstein-Equord and Field Marshal August von Mackensen, who started a campaign to have Schleicher rehabilitated by Hitler.[57] Hammerstein, who was a close friend of Schleicher, had been much offended at Schleicher’s funeral when the SS refused to allow him to attend the service and confiscated the wreaths that the mourners had brought.[57] Besides working for the rehabilitation of Schleicher and Bredow, Hammerstein and Mackensen sent a memo to Hindenburg on July 18 setting out in considerable detail the circumstances of the murders of the two generals and noted that Papen had barely escaped.[58] The memo went on to demand that Hindenburg punish those responsible, and criticized Blomberg for his outspoken support of the murders of Schleicher and Bredow.[58] Finally, Hammerstein and Mackensen asked that Hindenburg reorganize the government by firing Baron Konstantin von Neurath, Robert Ley, Hermann Göring, Werner von Blomberg, Joseph Goebbels and Richard Walther Darré from the Cabinet.[58] Instead, the memo asked that Hindenburg create a directorate to rule Germany comprising Hitler as Chancellor, General Werner von Fritsch as Vice-Chancellor, Hammerstein as Minister of Defense and Rudolf Nadolny as Foreign Minister.[58] The request that Neurath be replaced by Nadolny, the former Ambassador to Moscow who had resigned earlier that year in protest against Hitler’s anti-Soviet foreign policy, indicated that Hammerstein and Mackensen wanted a return to the “distant friendliness” towards the Soviet Union that existed until 1933.[58] Mackensen and Hammerstein ended their memo with:
“Excellency, the gravity of the moment has compelled us to appeal to you as our Supreme Commander. The destiny of our country is at stake. Your Excellency has thrice before saved Germany from foundering, at Tannenberg, at the end of the War and at the moment of your election as Reich President. Excellency, save Germany for the fourth time! The undersigned Generals and senior officers swear to preserve to the last breath their loyalty to you and the Fatherland”.[58]
Hindenburg never responded to the memo, and it remains unclear whether he even saw it, as Otto Meißner, who decided that his future was aligned with the Nazis, may not have passed it along.[59] It is noteworthy that even those officers who were most offended by the killings, like Hammerstein and Mackensen, did not blame the purge on Hitler, whom they wanted to see continue as Chancellor, and at most wanted a reorganization of the Cabinet to remove some of Hitler’s more radical followers.[60]
Werner von Blomberg in 1934
In late 1934–early 1935, Werner von Fritsch and Werner von Blomberg, who had been shamed into joining Hammerstein and Mackensen’s rehabilitation campaign, successfully pressured Hitler into rehabilitating Generals von Schleicher and von Bredow.[61] Fritsch and Blomberg suddenly now claimed at the end of 1934 that as army officers they could not stand the exceedingly violent press attacks on Schleicher and Bredow that had been going on since July, which portrayed them as the vilest traitors, working against the Fatherland in the pay of France.[61] In a speech given on January 3, 1935 at the Berlin State Opera, Hitler stated that Schleicher and Bredow had been shot “in error” on the basis of false information, and that their names were to be restored to the honor rolls of their regiments at once.[62]Hitler’s speech was not reported in the German press, but the army was appeased by the speech.[62] However, despite the rehabilitation of the two murdered officers, the Nazis continued in private to accuse Schleicher of high treason. During a trip to Warsaw in January 1935, Göring told Jan Szembek that Schleicher had urged Hitler in January 1933 to reach an understanding with France and the Soviet Union, and partition Poland with the latter, and Hitler had Schleicher killed out of disgust with the alleged advice.[52] During a meeting with Polish Ambassador Józef Lipski on May 22, 1935, Hitler told Lipski that Schleicher was “rightfully murdered, if only because he had sought to maintain the Rapallo Treaty“.[52] The statements that Schleicher had been killed because he wanted to partition Poland with the Soviet Union were later published in the Polish White Book of 1939, which was a collection of diplomatic documents detailing German–Polish relations up to the outbreak of the war.[52]
SA Leadership
Hitler named Victor Lutze to replace Röhm as head of the SA. Hitler ordered him, as one prominent historian described it, to put an end to “homosexuality, debauchery, drunkenness, and high living” in the SA.[63] Hitler expressly told him to stop SA funds from being spent on limousines and banquets, which he considered evidence of SA extravagance.[63] A weak man, Lutze did little to assert the SA’s independence in the coming years, and the SA lost its power in Germany. Membership in the organisation plummeted from 2.9 million in August 1934 to 1.2 million in April 1938.[64]
The Night of the Long Knives represented a triumph for Hitler, and a turning point for the German government. It established Hitler as “the supreme leader of the German people”, as he put it in his July 13 speech to the Reichstag. Later, in April 1942, Hitler would formally adopt this title, thus placing himself de jure as well as de facto above the reach of the law. Centuries of jurisprudence proscribing extra-judicial killings were swept aside. Despite some initial efforts by local prosecutors to take legal action against those who carried out the murders, which the regime rapidly quashed, it appeared that no law would constrain Hitler in his use of power.[l] The Night of the Long Knives also sent a clear message to the public that even the most prominent Germans were not immune from arrest or even summary execution should the Nazi regime perceive them as a threat. In this manner, the purge established a pattern of violence that would characterise the Nazi regime: the use of force to establish an empire.
Röhm was purged from all Nazi propaganda, such as the film of the 1933 Nuremberg rally, although a print copy of the film by Leni Riefenstahl survived and was found in the UK many years later.
Der Sieg des Glaubens
Glossary of Nazi Germany
List of Nazi Party leaders and officials
White Book of the Purge
Victims of the Night of the Long Knives
The Damned (1969 film)
Jump up^ Papen, nonetheless, remained in his position although people quite close to him were murdered.
Jump up^ “At least eighty-five people are known to have been summarily killed without any formal legal proceedings being taken against them. Göring alone had over a thousand people arrested.” Evans 2005, p. 39.
Jump up^ “The names of eighty-five victims [exist], only fifty of them SA men. Some estimates, however, put the total number killed at between 150 and 200.” Kershaw 1999, p. 517.
Jump up^ In the November 1932 parliamentary elections, the Nazi Party won 196 seats in the Reichstag out of a possible 584. The Nazis were the largest party in the legislature but were still considerably short of a majority.
Jump up^ Through the Enabling Act of 1933 Hitler abrogated the nation’s legislative power and was thereafter effectively able to rule throughpromulgation of decrees that avoided the legislative processes of the Weimar Constitution
Jump up^ “The most general theory—that National Socialism was a revolution of the lower middle class—is defensible but inadequate.”Schoenbaum 1997, pp. 35–42.
Jump up^ “But in origin the National Socialists had been a radical anti-capitalist party, and this part of the National Socialist programme was not only taken seriously by many loyal Party members but was of increasing importance in a period of economic depression. How seriously Hitler took the socialist character of National Socialism was to remain one of the main causes of disagreement and division within the Nazi party up to the summer of 1934.” Bullock 1958, p. 80.
Jump up^ The quote is attributed to Breslau SA Chief Edmund Heines. Frei 1987, p. 126.
Jump up^ Ironically, Hitler himself had been incarcerated at Stadelheim Prison for about five weeks following the Nazi’s disruption of an opposing party’s political rally in January 1921.
Jump up^ Gürtner also declared in cabinet that the measure did not in fact create any new law, but simply confirmed the existing law. If that was indeed true then, as a legal matter, the law was entirely unnecessary and redundant. Kershaw 1999, p. 518
Jump up^ “It was plain that there was wide acceptance of the deliberately misleading propaganda put out by the regime.” Kershaw 2001, p. 87.
Jump up^ “After the ‘Night of the Long Knives,’ [Reich Minister for Justice Franz Gürtner] nipped in the bud the attempts of some local state prosecutors to initiate proceedings against the killers.” Evans 2005, p. 72.
Jump up^ Kershaw 1999, p. 508.
^ Jump up to:a b Evans 2005, p. 39.
Jump up^ Röhm-Putsch.
Jump up^ Reiche 2002, pp. 120–121.
Jump up^ Toland 1976, p. 266.
Jump up^ Shirer 1960, p. 165.
Jump up^ Evans 2005, p. 23.
Jump up^ Frei 1987, p. 13.
Jump up^ Wheeler-Bennett 2005, pp. 712–739.
Jump up^ Bessel 1984, p. 97.
Jump up^ Wheeler-Bennett 2005, p. 726.
Jump up^ Collier & Pedley 2005, p. 33.
^ Jump up to:a b Wheeler-Bennett 1967, pp. 315–316.
^ Jump up to:a b c d e Wheeler-Bennett 1967, p. 317.
^ Jump up to:a b c d Wheeler-Bennett 1967, p. 318.
Jump up^ Von Papen 1953, pp. 308–312.
Jump up^ Von Papen 1953, p. 309.
Jump up^ O’Neill 1967, pp. 72–80.
Jump up^ Bullock 1958, p. 165.
^ Jump up to:a b c d Shirer 1960, p. 221.
Jump up^ Kempka 1971.
^ Jump up to:a b c Kershaw 1999, p. 514.
Jump up^ Evans 2005, pp. 33–34.
Jump up^ Spielvogel 1996, pp. 78–79.
Jump up^http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005206
Jump up^ Fest 1974, p. 469.
Jump up^ Collier & Pedley 2005, pp. 33–34.
Jump up^ Höhne 1970, pp. 113–118.
Jump up^ Schwarzmüller 1995, pp. 299–306.
Jump up^ Klemperer 1998, p. 74.
^ Jump up to:a b Wheeler-Bennett 1967, p. 328.
^ Jump up to:a b c d e f Wheeler-Bennett 1967, p. 329.
^ Jump up to:a b Kershaw 1999, p. 520.
Bessel, Richard (1984). Political Violence and the Rise of Nazism: The Storm Troopers in Eastern Germany 1925–1934. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-03171-3.
Bullock, Alan (1958). Hitler: A Study in Tyranny. New York: Harper.
Collier, Martin; Pedley, Phillip (2005). Hitler and the Nazi State. New York: Harcourt. ISBN 978-0-435-32709-5.
Evans, Richard (2005). The Third Reich in Power. New York: Penguin Group. ISBN 978-0-14-303790-3.
Fest, Joachim (1974). Hitler. New York: Harcourt. ISBN 978-0-15-602754-0.
Frei, Norbert (1987). National Socialist Rule in Germany: The Führer State 1933–1945. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-631-18507-9.
Höhne, Heinz (1970). The Order of the Death’s Head: The Story of Hitler’s SS. New York: Coward-McCann. ISBN 978-0-14-139012-3.
Kempka, Erich (October 15, 1971). Erich Kempka interview. Library of Congress: Adolf Hitler Collection, C-89, 9376-88A-B.
Kershaw, Ian (1999). Hitler: 1889–1936 Hubris. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 978-0-393-32035-0.
Kershaw, Ian (2001). The “Hitler Myth”: Image and Reality in the Third Reich. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-280206-4.
Klemperer, Victor (1998). I Will Bear Witness: The Diaries of Victor Klemperer. New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-679-45696-4.
O’Neill, Robert (1967). The German Army and the Nazi Party 1933–1939. New York: James H. Heineman. ISBN 978-0-685-11957-0.
Reiche, Eric G. (2002). The Development of the SA in Nürnberg, 1922–1934. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-52431-5.
Schoenbaum, David (1997). Hitler’s Social Revolution: Class and Status in Nazi Germany, 1933–1939. W. W. Norton & Company.ISBN 978-0-393-31554-7.
Schwarzmüller, Theo (1995). Zwischen Kaiser und “Führer”: Generalfeldmarschall August von Mackensen, eine politische Biographie. Dtv. Paderborn. ISBN 978-3-423-30823-6.
Shirer, William L (1960). The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. New York: Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-0-671-72868-7.
Spielvogel, Jackson J. (1996). Hitler and Nazi Germany: A History. New York: Prentice Hall. ISBN 978-0-13-189877-6.
Toland, John (1976). Adolf Hitler: The Definitive Biography. New York: Doubleday. ISBN 978-0-385-42053-2.
Wheeler-Bennett, John (1967). The Nemesis of Power: The German Army in Politics 1918–1945.
Wheeler-Bennett, John (2005). The Nemesis of Power: The German Army in Politics 1918–1945 (2nd ed.). Palgrave Macmillan.ISBN 978-1-4039-1812-3.
Von Papen, Franz (1953). Memoirs. London: Dutton. ASIN B0007DRFHQ.
“Röhm-Putsch” (in German). Deutsches Historisches Museum (DHM), German Historical Museum. Retrieved 2012-05-15.
Evans, Richard J. (2004). The Coming of the Third Reich. New York: Penguin Group. ISBN 978-0-14-303469-8.
Maracin, Paul (2004). The Night of the Long Knives: 48 Hours that Changed the History of the World. New York: The Lyons Press.ISBN 978-1-59921-070-4.
Mau, Herman (1972). “The ‘Second Revolution’—June 30, 1934”. In Holborn, Hajo. Republic to Reich: The Making of the Nazi Revolution. New York: Pantheon Books. ISBN 978-0-394-47122-8.
Tolstoy, Nikolai (1972). Night of the Long Knives. New York: Ballantine Books. ISBN 978-0-345-02787-0.
The History Place – Triumph of Hitler – Night of the Long Knives
German Culture – The Third Reich – Consolidation of Power
The German Embassy in the United States – The Era of National Socialism
The Holocaust Museum – The Third Reich
1934 in Germany
Nazi terminology
Nazi SA
Nazi SS
Agent provocateur – Wikipedia
Posted in: Gangstalking, The Conspiracy Philes. Tagged: provocateur. Leave a comment
An agent provocateur (French for “inciting agent”) is an undercover agent who acts to entice another person to commit an illegal or rash act or falsely implicate them in partaking in an illegal act. An agent provocateur may be acting out of own sense of nationalism/duty or may be employed by the police or other entity to discredit or harm another group (e.g., peaceful protest or demonstration) by provoking them to commit a crime – thus, undermining the protest or demonstration as whole.
Picture of Ryan Chamberlain that is also in SF Gate, who did his thing on May 31, 2014. SF Gate uploaded this picture just a few days ago on June 6, 2014. click to goto SF Gate article. For a full explanation of why this guy’s picture is in this post, read the middle of my previous post entitled “Dennis Herrera sues City-contracted SRO hotel owners for rampant housing violations, false claims – BUT NOT THE ALL STAR HOTEL!”
To prevent infiltration by agents provocateurs,[1] the organizers of large or controversial assemblies may deploy and coordinate demonstration marshals, also called stewards.[2][3]
1 Common usage
2 By region
2.1 Russia
2.5 Mexico
An agent provocateur may be a police officer or a secret agent of police who encourages suspects to carry out a crimeunder conditions where evidence can be obtained; or who suggests the commission of a crime to another, in hopes they will go along with the suggestion and be convicted of the crime.
A political organization or government may use agents provocateurs against political opponents. The provocateurs try to incite the opponent to do counter-productive or ineffective acts to foster public disdain—or provide a pretext for aggression against the opponent (see Red-baiting).
Historically, labor spies, hired to infiltrate, monitor, disrupt, or subvert union activities, have used agent provocateur tactics.
Agent provocateur activities raise ethical and legal issues. In common law jurisdictions, the legal concept of entrapment may apply if the main impetus for the crime was the provocateur.
Notorious were the activities of agents provocateurs against revolutionaries in Imperial Russia. Yevno Azef and Father Gapon are examples of such provocateurs.
In the “Trust Operation” (1921–1926), the Soviet State Political Directorate (OGPU) set up a fake anti-Bolshevik underground organization, “Monarchist Union of Central Russia”. The main success of this operation was luring Boris Savinkov and Sidney Reilly into the Soviet Union, where they were arrested and executed.
In the United States, the COINTELPRO program of the Federal Bureau of Investigation includes FBI agents posing as political activists to disrupt the activities of political groups in the U.S., such as the Black Panthers, Ku Klux Klan, Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, and the American Indian Movement.
New York City police officers were accused of acting as agents provocateurs during protests against the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York City.[4]
Denver police officers were also alleged to have used undercover detectives to instigate violence against police during the2008 Democratic National Convention.[5]
In February 1817, after the Prince Regent was attacked, the British government employed agents provocateurs to obtain evidence against the agitators.[6]
Sir John Retcliffe was an agent provocateur for the Prussian secret police.
At the 2001 G8 summit in Genoa, police and security services infiltrated black blocs with agents provocateurs. Allegations first surfaced after video footage in which “men in black were seen getting out of police vans near protest marches” [7][8]
Francesco Cossiga, former head of secret services and Head of state of Italy, advised the 2008 minister in charge of the police, on how to deal with the protests from teachers and students:[9]
He should do what I did when I was Minister of the Interior. […] infiltrate the movement with agents provocateurs inclined to do anything […] And after that, with the strength of the gained population consent, […] beat them for blood and beat for blood also those teachers that incite them. Especially the teachers. Not the elderly, of course, but the girl teachers yes.
It is alleged by British Liberal Democrat MP Tom Brake that the Metropolitan Police made use of agents provocateurs during the G20 Protests in London.[10]
Example in France in 2010 where the police disguised as CGT (left trade union) interact with people during a demonstration.[11]
After the 2011 anti-cuts protest in London, a video filmed by the BBC was distributed throughout the internet, which might show an alleged agent provocateur being passed through police lines after displaying his identification to the officers. There are other explanations however, such as the man being a member of press.[12]
On August 20, 2007, during meetings of the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America in Montebello, three protesters were accused of being police provocateurs by Dave Coles, president of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada. The three masked protesters, one of whom was notably armed with a large rock, were asked to leave by protest organizers. After the three protesters breached the police line, they were brought to the ground, handcuffed, and taken away. The evidence that the arrested people were police provocateurs was circumstantial, including the fact that they were wearing boots identical to those worn by police.[13][14] According to veteran activist Harsha Walia, it was other participants in the black bloc who identified and exposed the undercover police.[15]
After the protest, the police force initially denied then later admitted that three of their officers disguised themselves as demonstrators; however, they denied that the officers were provoking the crowd and instigating violence.[16] The police released a news release in French where they stated “At no time did the police of the Sûreté du Québec act as instigators or commit criminal acts” and that “at all times, they responded within their mandate to keep order and security”.[17]
In December 2012, during the protests against the swearing in of next President of Mexico, there is evidence that agent provocateurs worked with the police. These individuals were paid 300 Mexican Pesos (about 20USD) for their acts of vandalism. Photos show the vandals waiting in groups behind police lines prior to the violence. Previous protests had been entirely peaceful, but on this occasion, in apparent response to violence, the police fired rubber bullets.[18] In contrast to the protests, there were no public celebrations for the new presidency.
Look up agent provocateur in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Denial and deception
Sting operation
Grant Bristow
Black Bloc
Terry Norman
Jump up^ Stratfor (2004)
Jump up^ Belyaeva et al. (2007), § 7–8, 156–162
Jump up^ Bryan, Dominic 013/F0020001/art00005?crawler=true The Anthropology of Ritual: Monitoring and Stewarding Demonstrations in Northern Ireland, Anthropology in Action, Volume 13, Numbers 1–2, January 2006, pp.22–31(10)
Jump up^ Dwyer, Jim (December 22, 2005). “New York Police Covertly Join In at Protest Rallies”. The New York Times. p. A1. Retrieved 2006-09-22.
Jump up^ Cardona, Felisa (November 7, 2008). “ACLU wants probe into police-staged DNC protest”. The Denver Post. p. A1. Retrieved 2008-11-07.
Jump up^ R. R. Palmer. A History of the Modern World. p. 460.
Jump up^ Rory Carroll, John Vidal, John Hooper, David Pallister and Owen Bowcott. Men in black behind chaos: Hardliners plan ‘actions’ away from main protesters. The Guardian, http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2001/jul/23/globalisation.davidpallister Monday 23 July 2001.
Jump up^ FAIR. Media Advisory: Media Missing New Evidence About Genoa Violence. http://www.fair.org/activism/genoa-update.html
Jump up^ Francesco Cossiga interviewed by Andrea Cangini, Quotidiano Nazionale, 23/10/2008 Italian quote:
“Maroni dovrebbe fare quel che feci io quand’ero ministro dell’Interno. In primo luogo, lasciare perdere gli studenti dei licei, perché pensi a cosa succederebbe se un ragazzino di dodici anni rimanesse ucciso o gravemente ferito. Gli universitari invece lasciarli fare. Ritirare le forze di polizia dalle strade e dalle università, infiltrare il movimento con agenti provocatori pronti a tutto, e lasciare che per una decina di giorni i manifestanti devastino i negozi, diano fuoco alle macchine e mettano a ferro e fuoco le città. Dopo di che, forti del consenso popolare, il suono delle sirene delle ambulanze dovrà sovrastare quello delle auto di polizia e carabinieri. Nel senso che le forze dell’ordine dovrebbero massacrare i manifestanti senza pietà e mandarli tutti in ospedale. Non arrestarli, che tanto poi i magistrati li rimetterebbero subito in libertà, ma picchiarli a sangue e picchiare a sangue anche quei docenti che li fomentano. Soprattutto i docenti. Non quelli anziani, certo, ma le maestre ragazzine sì.”
Jump up^ Doward, Jamie; Townsend, Mark (May 10, 2009). “G20 police ‘used undercover men to incite crowds'”. The Guardian (London). Retrieved 2009-05-10.
Jump up^ Youtube
Jump up^ “Agent Provocateur At 26th Of March London Demonstration”. World News Network (London). March 29, 2011. Retrieved March 29, 2011.
Jump up^ “Police accused of using provocateurs at summit”. The Star (Toronto). August 21, 2007. Retrieved April 23, 2010.
Jump up^ “canadian Agent Provocateurs caught in the act! SPP protest”. Toronto. June 3, 2011. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
Jump up^ Rabble TV “A Diversity of Tactics – A Diversity of Opinions” Rabble.ca, March 5, 2010
Jump up^ Bryden, Joan (August 22, 2007). “Police deny using ‘provocateurs’ at summit”. The Star (Toronto). Retrieved December 15, 2010.
Jump up^ “Quebec police admit they went undercover at Montebello protest”. CBC News. August 23, 2007.
Jump up^ “Provocadores cobraron $300 por actos vandálicos”. December 3, 2012.
Belyaeva et al. (2007) Guidelines on Freedom of Peaceful Assembly, published by OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. Alternative version
Espionage techniques
Law enforcement titles
Spies by role
This page was last modified on 10 August 2014 at 12:32.
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NFL Team Grades Week 9: Saints Stay Red-Hot
Filed Under:NFL, NFL Team Grades, Steve Silverman
By Steve Silverman
There are no more undefeated teams in the NFL, as the red-hot New Orleans Saints built a big lead, gave it all up and then regained their advantage to beat the Los Angeles Rams by a 45-35 margin. Despite the loss, there’s no reason to write off the Rams. It just means they won’t be joining the 1972 Miami Dolphins, the only undefeated Super Bowl champion in league history.
49ers 34, Raiders 3
San Francisco 49ers: A-. The Niners can’t help who is on their schedule, and they looked sharp, powerful and dangerous. How about unknown quarterback Nick Mullens, who threw for 262 yards and three touchdowns in his NFL debut.
Oakland Raiders: D-. The Niners are not a very good team, but they obliterated the Raiders from the start, and Jon Gruden’s team offered very little resistance. There is still a half-season to go, but the Raiders appear totally disinterested.
James Conner (Photo Credit: Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
Steelers 23, Ravens 16
Pittsburgh Steelers: B+. The Steelers have found their groove, as they went into the home of their archrival and took them down with a substantial effort. Running back James Conner was able to punish the Baltimore defense for 107 yards, and the Steelers won the physical battle in a somewhat surprising manner.
Baltimore Ravens: C-. The Ravens’ good start has now disappeared, as they have a losing record and show few signs of pulling out of it. Joe Flacco threw for 206 yards with no touchdowns, and John Harbaugh has to do something to save this team and potentially his job.
Bears 41, Bills 9
Chicago Bears: A-. The Bears took care of business on the road in a very demonstrative manner. They had two defensive touchdowns in the second quarter and looked like a team that knew it was quite a bit better than its opponent. These are heady days for the first-place Bears
Buffalo Bills: D. The Bills certainly understand that they can’t hope to compete on even terms with Nathan Peterman at quarterback. The beleaguered signal-caller threw three more interceptions in this game, but the worst part is the coaching staff tried to give him easy plays to avoid those picks. That strategy did not work.
Panthers 42, Buccaneers 28
Carolina Panthers: B-. The Panthers showed off their offensive skills in the first half of the game, as Cam Newton and Christian McCaffrey were just too good for the Stumble-Bucs. The Panthers appeared to lose interest in the second half, and the defense was not up to head coach Ron Rivera’s standards.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: C- The Bucs were on the wrong end of a blowout for 30 minutes, but Ryan Fitzpatrick deserves credit for getting the Bucs back in the game with his never-say-die attitude and his four TD passes. However, the sieve-like defense is a huge issue against good teams.
Patrick Mahomes (Photo Credit: Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)
Chiefs 37, Browns 21
Kansas City Chiefs: B. The Chiefs are almost certainly the best offensive team in the league, and that’s more than enough to get them past the lowly Browns. However, quarterback Patrick Mahomes needs his defense to start playing much better football, or the Chiefs could get exposed in the second half of the year.
Cleveland Browns: C-. The Browns no longer have to deal with Hue Jackson at head coach, but interim leader Gregg Williams may not be any better. Cleveland stayed in this game against a much better opponent, but there was never any reason to believe that rookie Baker Mayfield would lead them to a win.
Miami Dolphins: C+. The Dolphins didn’t do much to distinguish themselves, as their defense scored their only points of the second half. While Miami was at home and the Jets were not going to cause any problems with their offense, they could not put their opponent way. Head coach Adam Gase cannot be happy with his team.
New York Jets: C. The Jets are an undermanned team, and head coach Todd Bowles has to go into battle with as many key players on the injured list as he has on the roster. Still the Jets had a chance, even though their offense struggles and their rookie quarterback Sam Darnold threw a painful four interceptions.
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Vikings 24, Lions 9
Minnesota Vikings: A-. The Vikings have been largely disappointing throughout the season, but they played their best game, as they pummeled the Detroit quarterback with 10 sacks. Pass rusher Danielle Hunter had 3.5 sacks, and he was a man possessed throughout the game.
Detroit Lions: C-. After dropping a home game last week to the Seattle Seahawks, the Lions should have been heightened and ready to attack a divisional opponent. Instead, the offensive line was a shell of what it should have been, and quarterback Matthew Stafford was abused by the Vikings defense. Matt Patricia better figure this out in a hurry.
Matt Ryan and Ryan Kerrigan (Photo Credit: Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
Falcons 38, Redskins 14
Atlanta Falcons: A-. The Falcons are finally starting to play to their talent level after a very slow start to the season. In many ways, the Redskins were made to order for them, because they simply did not have the speed to keep up with the visitors. Matt Ryan was brilliant with 350 yards and four TDs.
Washington Redskins: C-. Even with the Redskins losing at home, they are still in first place in the NFC East. However, they are going to have a difficult time when they face elite teams, because they lack the speed on defense to keep up. This has been an issue for the Redskins for several seasons.
Texans 19, Broncos 17
Houston Texans: B. The Texans did not play particularly well, but they have reeled off six straight victories and have a substantial lead in the AFC South. While Deshaun Watson was ordinary, DeAndre Hopkins showed off his amazing hands, with 10 catches for 105 yards and a touchdown
Denver Broncos: C. The Broncos don’t have the talent level at this point to win games against the better teams in the league. Quarterback Case Keenum is a fine leader and a decent talent, and he threw for 290 yards and a touchdown against the Texans. However, staying close is about the best the Broncos can do.
Chargers 25, Seahawks 17
Los Angeles Chargers: B+. The Chargers were excellent on both sides of the ball for the majority of the game, but special teams were awful once again. Caleb Sturgis blew two extra points and missed a field goal, and that helped keep the Seahawks in the game. The Chargers have won six of seven, but their special teams are a major liability.
Seattle Seahawks: B-. The Seahawks came home after beating the Lions on the road, and they expected to win. After scoring a touchdown on their opening drive, the Chargers were the much better team and Seattle only had a chance because of Los Angeles’s mistakes in the kicking game.
Drew Brees (Photo Credit: Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
Saints 45, Rams 35
New Orleans Saints: A-. The Saints have served notice that they can play with any team in the league. While they should not have allowed the Rams to get back in the game, Drew Brees and Michael Thomas showed how dangerous they can be when the game is on the line. Thomas caught 12 passes for 211 yards and a touchdown, and he is basically unstoppable.
Los Angeles Rams: C+. The Rams walked into a very tough environment, and when the Saints got the momentum in the first half, the previously dependable defense could not do anything. The Rams fought back brilliantly in the second half, but they could not stop New Orleans down the stretch
Patriots 31, Packers 17
New England Patriots: A-. The Patriots do what they do best, and that’s come through with the game on the line. There are teams like the Rams and potentially the Chiefs that may be better than New England. However, underestimating or counting out the Pats is a big mistake. They just may have enough to figure out how to beat the best teams — once again.
Green Bay Packers: C+. The Sunday night contest was billed as Aaron Rodgers vs. Tom Brady, but football is never one quarterback against another. The Packers were good enough to be tied with the Pats into the fourth quarter, but the Packers could not play their best when the game was on the line. That’s indicative of a serious problem in Green Bay
Titans 28, Cowboys 14
Tennessee Titans: Grade: B+. The Titans proved worthy of the prime-time stage, as they went into Jerry’s World and shut down the Dallas offense. Perhaps the best part of their performance was the stepped-up effort of quarterback Marcus Mariota, who was decisive, accurate and made key plays throughout the game.
Dallas Cowboys: Grade: D. The Cowboys were uninspired and predictable. It was clear that head coach Jason Garrett did not have confidence in his offense to attack downfield. And they are not going to be able to earn a playoff spot if they don’t get more aggressive. The NFC East should be there for the taking, but the Cowboys are tentative and lack big-play ability.
Bye week: Bengals, Cardinals, Colts, Eagles, Giants, Jaguars
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Home News Closed Alpha Dates Announced for Crytek’s Hunt: Showdown
Closed Alpha Dates Announced for Crytek’s Hunt: Showdown
Crytek is the name behind plenty of plenty of AAA titles, most noticeably the Crysis franchise. Last year, the German game studio released the trailer for its upcoming game, Hunt: Showdown to build hype. While there is no update on when the game is scheduled for release, the company has just announced the dates for the first closed alpha of the game.
Starting January 31, 2018, Hunt: Showdown will be available for a select group of gamers as part of the game’s Closed Alpha testing phase. According to the Crytek’s official press release, this closed alpha will only be for PC Gamers and the game will be playable via Steam.
The Closed Alpha testers will be randomly chosen from the sign-up list, and those chosen will receive an email invite from the company. During the alpha testing phase, the Hunt: Showdown team will be testing gameplay, balancing, and backend functionality, as well as collecting feedback from the community.
Crytek’s Hunt: Showdown is a competitive multiplayer bounty hunting game that mixes PvP with PvE elements in a handcrafted sandbox environment. While the base concept is similar to a battle royale game, Hunt takes things up a notch. Although there are only ten players in each match, the concept behind them is what makes the game unique. During each match, the players, hunting solo or in teams of two, track and kill gruesome monsters for a bounty—when they aren’t tracking and killing each other in order to steal it.
The game studio has also stated that during the Closed Alpha phase, new content in the form of weapons, equipment, traits, and ranks will be continuously released and tested.
Invitations for the Hunt Closed Alpha will be sent out in multiple waves. In case you haven’t already, you can register for the Closed Alpha via the game’s official website.
So, are you excited to finally experience Crytek’s most anticipated game of the season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below.
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Bensalem (215) 638-9933
Bux-mont Foot and Ankle Center of Bensalem - Default
A bunion is an enlargement of the base joint of the toe that connects to the foot, often formed from a bony growth or a patch of swollen tissues. It is caused by the inward shifting of the bones in the big toe, toward the other toes of the foot. This shift can cause a serious amount of pain and discomfort. The area around the big toe can become inflamed, red, and painful.
Bunions are most commonly formed in people who are already genetically predisposed to them or other kinds of bone displacements. Existing bunions can be worsened by wearing improperly fitting shoes. Trying to cram your feet into high heels or running or walking in a way that causes too much stress on the feet can exacerbate bunion development. High heels not only push the big toe inward, but shift one's body weight and center of gravity towards the edge of the feet and toes, expediting bone displacement.
A podiatrist knowledgeable in foot structure and biomechanics will be able to quickly diagnose bunions. Bunions must be distinguished from gout or arthritic conditions, so blood tests may be necessary. The podiatrist may order a radiological exam to provide an image of the bone structure. If the x-ray demonstrates an enlargement of the joint near the base of the toe and a shifting toward the smaller toes, this is indicative of a bunion.
Wearing wider shoes can reduce pressure on the bunion and minimize pain, and high heeled shoes should be eliminated for a period of time. This may be enough to eliminate the pain associated with bunions; however, if pain persists, anti-inflammatory drugs may be prescribed. Severe pain may require an injection of steroids near the bunion. Orthotics for shoes may be prescribed which, by altering the pressure on the foot, can be helpful in reducing pain. These do not correct the problem; but by eliminating the pain, they can provide relief.
For cases that do not respond to these methods of treatment, surgery can be done to reposition the toe. A surgeon may do this by taking out a section of bone or by rearranging the ligaments and tendons in the toe to help keep it properly aligned. It may be necessary even after surgery to wear more comfortable shoes that avoid placing pressure on the toe, as the big toe may move back to its former orientation toward the smaller toes.
Copyright © Bux-mont Foot & Ankle Center of Bensalem | Site Map | Design by: Podiatry Content Connection
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58. The Kyiv Jewish Community is a secular organization operating under the auspices of Chief Rabbi Yaakov Dov Bleich. The writer spoke with Anatoly Shengait, Executive Director (Исполнительный директор) of KJC, who emphasized that KJC is an umbrella organization, striving to bring all Jewish organizations in the city together under one roof for community-wide actions. The organizations with which KJC tries to work include all Jewish religious denominations, all five Jewish day schools, and religious and non-religious Jewish organizations, e.g., Jewish youth groups, veterans clubs, and B’nai Brith. Most groups participate in most KJC programs, he said, but KJC now is generating fewer and smaller programs due to budgetary constraints.
Anatoly Shengait has worked with Rabbi Yaakov Dov Bleich for many years. He currently directs the Kyiv Jewish Community, a secular organization that operates under Rabbi Bleich's auspices. In common with many other Kyiv Jewish organizations, KJC is now experiencing serious financial constraints.
Especially noteworthy programs, said Mr. Shengait, are large community celebrations for Hanukah and Purim; participants from 20 smaller Jewish population centers are brought into Kyiv by bus. Discussion clubs for intellectuals, Holocaust commemorations, interfaith meetings, concerts of Jewish music, Jewish drama productions, and a Jewish children's theater are other projects. KJC also sponsors a periodic Jewish newspaper.
Mr. Shengait believes that interfaith work, including involvement of Ukrainian Christians in Holocaust commemorations, is very important. He observed that many Ukrainians still believe in "myths" (мифа) from the tsarist and Soviet periods, such as the old accusation that Jews kill Christian children so as to consume their blood on Pesach. The Jewish community must work very diligently to change such ideas, Mr. Shengait said.
When funds are available, KJC works in communities outside Kyiv. For example, they now are sponsoring some Jewish cultural activity in Bila Tserkva (better known as Belaya Tserkov, the Russia version of its name), a storied Jewish town southwest of Kyiv).
KJC also has been drawn into the Uman situation, said Mr. Shengait. As many as 30,000 hasids descend upon a small city with limited infrastructure. The pilgrims are from another world, Mr. Shengait declared, many with long beards, wearing long coats, and draped in prayer shawls. The contrast between them and local men, many still attired in shorts in the late summer heat, is extraordinary. The hasidim fight with each other and with Uman residents over housing and other amenities. Small disagreements escalate into major brawls, sometimes with serious injuries. KJC tries to coordinate the various service providers, stated Mr. Shengait, and also is working with Uman authorities to develop the tourism infrastructure.
In response to a question about financial support, Mr. Shengait said that Rabbi Bleich continues to support KJC, but the extent of the support diminishes from year to year. Several private individuals are helpful, he replied, and both JAFI and JDC provide some assistance for the large holiday celebrations. Some individuals from small towns who attend these holiday festivals pay their own way and/or raise money for the chartered buses, added Mr. Shengait. Student groups, he said, provide volunteer labor for the holiday celebrations.
59. The writer was unable to visit the Jewish Fund of Ukraine or the Ukrainian Jewish Committee.
International Jewish Organizations
60. The Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI; Sochnut) operates a multi-faceted program focusing on Jewish identity-building and encouragement of aliyah (immigration to Israel). In common with other Jewish organizations, it has faced severe budgetary constraints during the past several years and has curtailed some programs while preserving others only by working collaboratively with other groups.[100] The writer met with Bilana Shakur, who was then completing her fourth and final year as head of the JAFI Kyiv mission.
Bilana Shakur is a veteran JAFI emissary, having served two years in Tashkent and four years in Kyiv. She returned to Jerusalem to a JAFI management position in the area of Russian-speaking Jewry in summer of 2012.
Photo: the writer (in 2011).
Ms. Shakur said that aliyah from the region to Israel was proceeding at about the same pace as in 2011 when 526 people moved to the Jewish state. However, some small decreases had occurred in several areas, she noted. Due to economic distress, it is difficult to sell apartments in some cities. Also, budgetary cuts had forced JAFI to dismiss local aliyah coordinators in all but nine small cities, thus reducing enrollment in MASA and decreasing aliyah; experience has shown that ongoing personal contact is necessary to help MASA and/or aliyah candidates make appropriate decisions and feel comfortable about their forthcoming MASA experiences or absorption plans.[101] People generally do not trust information that they read on the Internet or in other media, Ms. Shakur said, so the Internet, while useful for general communication, is no substitute for a well-informed local coordinator able to interact personally with individuals.
About 640 serious candidates for aliyah within the next year or so are registered on a computerized JAFI list, Ms. Shakur continued, and JAFI maintains contact with all of them. In response to a question, Ms. Shakur said that about 80 percent of residents of large cities in Ukraine have computers with access to the Internet. The standard of living is much lower in smaller cities, she continued, and far fewer people in these smaller population centers can afford computers and Internet service. They cannot even afford mobile telephones, she added. However, she said, people with relatives in Israel consider computers and Internet access a priority; they manage to obtain computers and Internet service, complete with Skype, for communications purposes. She observed that parents with children in Naaleh or Selah previously came to the JAFI office to use JAFI computers to maintain contact with their offspring; now they communicate from home, she said.
Twenty-three JAFI Hebrew-language ulpans currently (May 2012) are operating in the region, Ms. Shakur stated. Classes in smaller cities and towns, in particular, are full of young Jews who see no future for themselves in Ukraine, she said. They are very serious about aliyah and very serious about their Hebrew studies. Many other ulpan students, continued Ms. Shakur, are planning to join relatives already in Israel. A small number of ulpan participants intend to remain in Ukraine and work in the tourism industry; the visa-free regime recently instituted by Israel and Ukraine has brought more Israelis to Ukraine as tourists, and Ukraine needs Hebrew-speaking tourist guides and other tourism professionals to serve them, she said. Ms. Shakur noted that ulpans offered by the Israel Culture Center are free of charge, whereas JAFI needs to charge people five to ten dollars monthly in small cities and $12 monthly in large cities.[102]
Large-scale holiday celebrations remain an important method of introducing Israel and aliyah to local Jews, stated Ms. Shakur. She was then planning an Israel Independence Day fair for the following week that was expected to draw between 700 and 800 participants. The event was to take place outside Kyiv on a property permitting several different programs to operate concurrently. JAFI would provide one or two buses for each Jewish day school in Kyiv and additional buses for other groups in the city and for Jews in nearby towns. The celebration would include recognition of Israel's founding and its history as a state, master classes, lectures, and programs for children. An exhibit and fair on MASA programs would be staged, enabling potential MASA participants and their families to obtain information about specific MASA courses. In addition to JAFI's own celebrations, it also participated in other Jewish community events, such as the Hanukah and Purim festivals organized by the Kyiv Jewish Community.
Summer camps are another critical component of the Jewish Agency program in the post-Soviet states. The Kyiv office would sponsor two 10-day camp sessions in 2012 at a site in the Carpathian Mountains, one session for 120 youngsters between the ages of 11 and 13 and the other for 120 teens between 14 and 17. Because the site is a ski resort, the owner offers JAFI a very good rate for his lean summer months when he has difficulty attracting other guests, said Ms. Shakur. Even with the cost of transportation (overnight train and bus) included, the cost of operating the camp in the distant Carpathians is less expensive than at a site closer to Kyiv. Campers' families pay a small portion of the actual expense.
Ms. Shakur said that the camp is unable to accommodate all of the youngsters who would like to attend. Places are made available to campers based on the total Jewish population of the cities/towns in which they live. The demand for places far exceeds the number of applicants from such cities as Chernihiv, Cherkasy, and Khmelnytskyi, she said.[103]
Another JAFI outreach program targeting Jewish teens is Moledet (Heb., Homeland), which provides informal Israel-centered education activities for seventh and eighth graders in Kyiv Jewish day schools and in a number of Sunday schools, Ms. Shakur stated. The activities are led by trained madrichim and are welcomed by the school administrators, whose teachers often lack the experience and expertise to engage youngsters in Israel education.
[100] The JAFI office in Kyiv is responsible for JAFI operations in both western Ukraine and Moldova. Moldova is located south of Ukraine. (See map on first page of this report.)
[101] Ms. Shakur noted that a serious illness caused a longtime local coordinator in Khmelnytnytskyi to leave her position; aliyah fell from 50 during her last year on the job to 15 in the next year.
[102] JAFI ulpans include Jewish identity-building components that are not part of the ICC Hebrew curriculum. Ms. Shakur did not mention independent ulpans, such as that offered by the Masorti movement (see pages 80-81) or private Hebrew courses (see page 75). Some people enroll in several different ulpanim concurrently.
[103] The writer visited the camp session for teens between 14 and 17 in July 2012. The ski resort consists of one large building, accommodating campers in hotel-type rooms for two people. Each room has its own en suite full bathroom. The building also has a number of medium-size and large multi-purpose rooms that are used for a variety of informal education and social events. Informal education stressed Jewish identity development, Jewish mutual responsibility, Jewish tradition, the Holocaust, Israel awareness, Israel opportunities (Naaleh, Taglit, MASA), and leadership development. Relatively little time is spent outdoors. Madrichim (counselors) included both Ukrainian Jews and Israelis. The Ukrainian Jewish madrichim were veterans of JAFI camps and had completed several madrichim-training courses. From what the writer was able to observe over several days, the campers appeared happy and engaged in the program; they were well-supervised by the counselors, who appeared creative and dedicated. The ski resort kitchen was kosher (supervised by Igor Karasik, see pages 72-73). Ms. Shakur said that no advertising was necessary to fill the camp; families heard about it through word-of-mouth and approached JAFI for places for their children.
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Sen. Elizabeth Warren Unveils Universal Child Care Plan in Glendale
Posted Tuesday, February 19, 2019 - 11:32 am
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren Monday evening unveiled her universal child care plan during what was billed as an organizing event for her campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in Glendale.
The plan covering children from birth until they are 5 years old would be funded by a 2 percent wealth tax on those making more than $50 million, Warren told a capacity crowd at the Alex Theatre, which seats 1,413.
“We could pay for universal child care and a whole lot more if just asked the one-tenth of 1 percent to pay a fair share,” Warren said.
Warren acknowledged that the plan would be “really expensive” — “about four times more than we have invested in our children, but that’s exactly what we need to do.”
Warren bills her campaign as “a grassroots movement to fight for big structural change.”
In her final tweets Sunday, Warren said, “Our fight is to change the rules so that our government, our economy, and our democracy work for everyone in Nevada and across the country.
“It’s time for Democrats to declare who we are. We are the party of the people. We are the party that believes that every kid should get a fighting chance to build a future. We’re going to take 2020 as our chance to build a movement and change this country for the better.”
California was the fourth state Warren visited in a three-day span. She was in South Carolina and Georgia Saturday and Nevada Sunday.
Nevada and South Carolina will hold early contests that could be crucial in deciding the nominee or at least winnowing down the field.
“As Elizabeth Warren brings her 2020 apology tour to the Golden State, she’s desperately hoping voters will forget about the disastrous handling of her false heritage claims that has clouded her campaign,” said Christiana Purves, a Republican National Committee regional communications director.
“Californians won’t be fooled by her political ambitions and will reject her harmful agenda to raise taxes and push government-run healthcare.”
California has moved its presidential primary from June to March to have more impact on the nominating process, although the vast majority of candidate visits over the next few months are expected to primarily be for fundraising.
Warren is the first candidate for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination to have an event in the Los Angeles area that is open to the public without an admission charge.
California Sen. Kamala Harris conducted two fundraisers in the Westside Feb. 2, New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand had a series of events with potential contributors in January and entrepreneur Andrew Yang held a fundraiser near the Beverly Center on Nov. 3.
Warren was elected to the Senate in 2012 and re-elected in November.
Warren was chair of the Congressional Oversight Panel for the Troubled Asset Relief Program from 2008-10 and an assistant to then-President Barack Obama and special adviser to then-Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau from 2010-11.
Warren was an early supporter of creation of the bureau to hold Wall Street banks and other financial institutions accountable.
She was a law professor for more than 30 years, including nearly 20 at the Harvard Law School, teaching courses on commercial law, contracts and bankruptcy.
CNS-02-18-2019 23:17
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Banking on Greed
Labeling GMO Foods
The Issue: Labeling GMO Foods
The Initiative: Just Label It! is an advocacy campaign that hopes to get Congress and the Food and Drug Administration to make the labeling of genetically-modified foods (GMOs) mandatory.
Vandana Shiva explains why corporations want to patent seeds in the first place.
Background: Genetically engineered (GE) foods, or GMOs as they are often called, have been altered at the molecular level in a laboratory for a variety of reasons, such as increasing crop yields, imparting extra nutritional benefits or speeding up the growing process of a fruit or vegetable (or salmon). Opponents question these benefits. One GMO crop that many people are familiar with is “golden rice,” which TIME magazine put on their cover in 2000 with the headline, “Grains of Hope.”
The truth is that GMO foods had been available in the United States for nearly a decade before that. The first GMO offered in America was the Flavr Savr tomato, which was made available in supermarkets in 1994 without any special labeling. Since then, public outcry in the European Union and elsewhere produced labeling laws in 40 European countries, Brazil, Japan and China. According to the AP, 18 states are considering similar legislation, but the only state that currently requires it is Alaska, where genetically modified fish and shellfish must be labeled.
The Just Label It! campaign is a coalition of over 500 partner organizations including consumer advocates, farmers, concerned parents, environmentalists and organic businesses, such as Amy’s Kitchen, Stonyfield and Earthbound Farms, among others. They think Americans have a basic right to know what they’re eating and the right to make informed choices about what’s for dinner. There are only 9 genetically engineered fruits and vegetables for sale in produce aisles in U.S. supermarkets: corn, soybeans, canola, cotton, sugar beets, alfalfa, Hawaiian papaya, zucchini and yellow crookneck squash. But wander away from the produce section and you’ll have a lot harder time identifying processed foods that contain GMO ingredients. Prevention magazine reports that genetically altered crops are in 80 percent of processed foods. They counsel: “[U]nless a packaged food is certified organic or specifically labeled non-GMO, chances are it contains modified ingredients.”
Visit the Just Label It! website to find out:
-more about the current FDA policy
-8 things that you can do to help get involved
-how to spread the word on this issue
From the show
Where Do the Candidates Stand on GMO Labeling?
Ensuring Healthy and Safe Food
From GMOs to Soda Taxes, Here’s What the Election Means for Your Fridge
An Insurance Policy for Climate Change? How Seed Banks Are Protecting the Future of Food
The Horrifying Reason Why Your Fruit Is Unblemished
Women and Biodiversity Feed the World, Not Corporations and GMOs
TAGS: california, environment, fda, ge foods, genetically modified food, gmo, take action, vandana shiva
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What Activism Tactics Are Most Effective?
In this Group Think, five activists share organizing tactics they use to produce results, not just rhetoric.
A Story of Self, A Story of Us
Professor, Harvard Kennedy School of Government
Moving Beyond Alinsky Activism
Saru Jayaraman
Director of the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United
Bringing Young and Old to the Climate Fight
Founder of 350.org
Preparing Stone Soup to Protest GMOs
Adam Eidinger
Mintwood Media Collective
Speaking to the Middle
Tim Makris
Executive Director, Sandy Hook Promise
SUGGEST A QUESTION
[si-contact-form form='5']
By Marshall Ganz, Professor, Harvard Kennedy School of Government
Marshall Ganz (Photo by Dale Robbins)
Public narrative is central to movement building, organizing and advocacy. It’s an articulation of the challenge, of the sources of hope, and of a pathway to action required to realize that hope; a response to those three questions posed by first century Jerusalem scholar, Rabbi Hillel: If I am not of myself, who will be for me? If I am for myself alone, what am I? If not now, when? A story of self, a story of us, and a story of now.
The core of a story is a plot, a moment of choice in which a protagonist is confronted by a challenge for which he or she is not prepared, but which he or she must nevertheless face, the outcome of which we take away as the “moral.” Why do we pay attention? Because it is in plot moments that we most fully experience the gift of agency as human beings – moments of real anxiety, to be sure, but also of exhilaration — when our choices matter most, but we are least prepared to make them. And because we identify empathetically with the protagonist, we not only “understand” the dilemma with our heads, but we experience the dilemma in our hearts. This is why our families, faith traditions, cultural traditions, organizations, movements and communities all teach through story.
Narrative is how we learn to make choices, how we learn to access the moral resources (hope, empathy, self worth) to respond mindfully and courageously to urgent challenges. As St. Augustine observed, it is one thing to “know” the good, but another to “love” it – and loving it calls forth action. Because values are emotional in content, they are sources not only of information about what we “ought” to do, but also of the motivation to do it. I say values, not interests, because while self-interest is sufficient to sustain the status quo, our values are sources of the courage to take the risks, make the commitments, and reach out to others that challenging the status quo requires.
By learning to tell a story of my calling — not my “career,” but my “calling” — I can communicate my values to others. By attending to the stories of others, and those we share with them, I can communicate values we share — a story of us. And by telling stories of the challenge to those values, the hope we can respond, and a path to action, we can inspire others to join us in action. Hope, however, is not the same as optimism. As Maimonides said, hope is belief in the plausibility of the possible, as opposed to the necessity of the probable. A realist recognizes that early in 2007 it was highly improbable a black man could be elected president, but it happened.
Marshall Ganz is a senior lecturer in public policy at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. As an organizer and strategist, he worked with the United Farm Workers for sixteen years, and played a pivotal role organizing students and volunteers for Barack Obama’s historic 2008 presidential campaign.
TAGS: activists, barack obama, community organizing, maimonides, marshall ganz, religion, st. augustine, story of self
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History of Bodiam
© 2018 Bodiam Castle
Web design by Wolf
History of Bodiam Castle
The beginnings of Bodiam Castle
Originally built in 1385, Bodiam Castle has spent centuries as one of the best loved and best known castles in England. Perhaps it is the design of the building, with an iconic moat and beautiful lush green scenery, or simply the amazing history of the building, which makes it so popular?
The castle was built by Sir Edward Dalyngrigge, who is known to have once been a knight of Edward III. With his knowledge of battles, he designed the castle with the intention of defending the beautiful area of Easts Sussex, from a possible invasion by the French, during The Hundred Years Wars.
Sir Edward Dalyngrigge was the youngest son within his family and this meant that he was the last in line to inherit anything from the estate. However, he married into a family that owned land, and it was during 1378 that he found himself owning the manor of Bodiam. During is knighthood, which spanned from 1379 to 1388 he found himself with enough money to build himself a home, which was the beginnings of Bodiam Castle.
A fortified home becomes a castle
Originally, Sir Edward decided to build himself a manor home, a place that was stately and impressive and was even home to weekly market and annual fair, held in the grounds.
It was 2 years later, when the people of England found themselves in a state of panic due to fleets of ship, that Sir Edward was allowed to take the steps towards fortifying his manor home and protecting his estate and his family.
Rather than using the building that he already called home, Sir Edward decided that he wanted to build an entirely new building instead. This was Bodiam Castle.
It became a large project, with the entire castle being built at the same time. This meant that the entire design and style of the castle is the same, which is not something that you often see in other examples.
At the same time as the castle was built, the gardens were landscaped and they featured a variety of different waterways around them.
An interesting example of a castle
Not only was Bodiam Castle built to protect its inhabitants, but it was also made to be an inviting home too. The design of the castle is something that still intrigues people in this modern time. It is a quadrangular design and features chambers on the outer walls as well as towers on each of the entrance points and the corners. These towers were important as lookouts for any potential attacks that would require a quick response.
It also features inner courts, which allowed for space for those living and working within the castle.
One of the most attractive parts of the castle had to be the moat, however, whilst this moat looked beautiful, it acted as a sewage system for some 30 different toilets that were found throughout the castle, perhaps not smelling as great as it looked!
The ownership of Bodiam Castle
Bodiam Castle was passed down through the Dalyngrigges family, until the line became extinct at there was no-one else from the family alive to live there. This is when it changed hands (via marriage) to the Lewknor family. Whilst it was taken away from them during the War of Roses, 2 years later it was returned to the family, who owned the castle until the 16th Century.
During the start of the English Civil War in 1641, the castle was owned by Lord Thanet, a descendant of the Lewknor family. He was a keen supporter of the cause of the Royalists, and he took the decision to sell the castle in order to pay for fines that were brought against him by the Parliament.
The castle was bought and dismantled, being left in ruin (albeit a beautiful ruin) until it was purchased in 1829 by John Fuller.
John Fuller took on the project to restore the castle partially, until it was sold to George Cubitt and then to Lord Curzon, both of which decided to further the restoration work and try to create a testament to the former glory of this fascinating building.
The castle became a Grade I listed building and has been owned by The National Trust since 1925, donated to them by Lord Curzon on his death bed, with the decision taken to open up the ruins to the public.
As Bodiam Castle was built to protect the South Coast from the French, it come as no surprise that it is fortified and perfect for any battle. However, if you consider the location of the castle, then it does seem strange that it was designed to protect a coast that it is quite far away from.
Not only was the castle made to protect, but it was also designed to look great too. Particularly if you look at the surrounding landscape. Much like some of the other aspects of the castle, it seems that some of the exterior isn’t quite as grand as it once was, however, enough remains that you can still get a great idea of how it would have once looked.
It also features a number of prime examples of architecture from the 14th Century, with a twin towered gatehouse entrance and plenty of towers creating a beautiful skyline for anyone who visits.
Bodiam Castle in ruins
Whilst Bodiam Castle is still a fascinating example of a medieval castle, it doesn’t hold quite the same impact as it once did. Unfortunately, this is because the interior of the castle has fallen into ruin.
Thankfully, those who are interested in the basic structure of the castle will find that the basic dimensions of the castle, in particular functional rooms such as the cellar and kitchen can still be identified.
So much so, that you can even create a floor plan of the layout of the castle, just using the remains to figure out how it would have once looked.
Not only this, but there is also a grand hall, a chapel and an antechamber, as well as the accommodation for the family that called Bodiam Castle their home. This meant that the castle was split into areas that were solely for the family and their high status visitors, as well as some areas that were for the use of the staff and the servants.
Rooms that would have been found within the castle include a Chapel, Household Apartments, Pantry, Kitchen, Lord’s Hall, Buttery, Chamber, North-West Tower (including a prison).
There would have also have been a Great Hall, which would have been the social hub of the castle, where the Lord would have entertained his guests.
The National Trust has taken on some restoration work on the ruins, adding new roofs to the towers and the gatehouse. During 1970, the moat was drained during excavations.
Recent Times
A beautiful place to visit and relive your childhood memories of knights in shining armour, Bodiam Castle is more than just some fascinating ruins, it also is packed with amazing and educational events too. Whether it is getting a glimpse into the past, or learning about the present castle and the wildlife that calls it their home, this is definitely a place to head to.
Not only this, but the style and well maintained exterior of the castle was chosen as the Swap Castle for the Monty Python and the Holy Grail, just showcasing how beautiful the castle is, despite its age.
Visiting Bodiam Castle
Bodiam Castle run by the National Trust is open throughout the year excluding Christmas. It opens at 10:30 and closes at dusk. It features a castle, the grounds, a well-stocked shop and a tea room, ideal for a day out.
So, if you are in the East Sussex area and you think it is about time that you took in some truly English heritage and history, then maybe it is time to visit Bodiam Castle.
Not only is it set within a beautiful rural backdrop, but it is also ideal for those that can appreciate fine architecture, capturing the perfect example of a castle, as well as Great British 14th Century design and workmanship!
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10 Best United Way Chapters
Every Tuesday, Charity Navigator features a new list of 10 highly-rated charities working on a particular cause or issue. This week we're highlighting the 10 United Way chapters with the highest ratings. United Way affiliates across the country work to address community needs by providing education, health, and financial support services. They also create countless opportunities for volunteers to get involved in giving back in their communities. Is your local organization on this list?
United Way of Central Indiana (Indianapolis, IN)
Live united.
The United Way of Central Indiana harnesses the collective impact of local partners specializing in education, financial stability, health and basic needs to focus on specific, measurable goals to improve the lives of everyone in Central Indiana. The organization focuses on increasing academic success by making child care more accessible, fostering reading skills, and supporting students until their graduation. And, provide physical and mental health services to students and their families to address the needs of the whole person. They also look after the basic needs of struggling families in their community and help them find reliable employment to get them back on their feet.
United Way of Central Alabama (Birmingham, AL)
The United Way has a rich history of helping neighborhoods and communities in Central Alabama. Since 1923, the United Way of Central Alabama has been helping communities solve problems and care for needs through partnerships with local agencies. Today, the organization’s impact has grown to include more than 80 programs and initiatives and a fundraising impact of more than $38 million. Throughout its history, the organization has never changed it’s basic purpose: to increase the organized capacity of people to care for one another and to improve their communities.
United Way of Southern Chautauqua County (Jamestown, NY)
The United Way of Southern Chautauqua County mobilizes their community help people improve their lives. The organization’s human and financial resources are dedicated to achieving measurable results in four key areas defined by the community: academic success, ready workforce, self-sufficiency, and health and independence. This year, the organization will invest $1 million in 39 community-based programs that align with these priorities. Funding decisions are made locally by a team of 45 community volunteers from all walks of life.
United Way of Southwest Virginia (Abingdon, VA)
United Way of Southwest Virginia fights for the health, education and financial stability of every person in Southwest Virginia because they are the building blocks for a good quality of life. Through an initiative-based cradle-to-career approach, United Way of Southwest Virginia is creating sustainable solutions to address the challenges facing tomorrow’s workforce. United Way convenes cross-sector partners to make an impact on the most complex problems in our region. Through collaboration with government, business, nonprofit and individuals, United Way innovates for positive, lasting social change.
United Way of Central Iowa (Des Moines, IA)
Since 1917, United Way of Central Iowa has brought together individuals and organizations from every corner of central Iowa to create and implement initiatives focused on producing real results in the areas of education, income, and health. United Way of Central Iowa is a "Collective Impact" organization. Their power comes from bringing together local nonprofits, businesses, elected officials and community leaders to collaborate and implement solutions to some of their community's most pervasive challenges.
United Way of Bartholomew County (Columbus, IN)
United Way of Bartholomew County brings together the most talented and passionate people in their community to develop innovative, lasting solutions to our community's most pressing social issues. Their community partners are the top thought leaders in local non-profit, public, private, and government community work. Together they work to create a community where every child is supported in and outside of the classroom, every family has their basic needs met, and every individual leads a stable, successful life.
United Way of the Plains (Wichita, KS)
The United Way of the Plains aims to improve lives by identifying community needs and mobilizing resources to meet those needs through a network of capable and innovative partnerships. They believe that by expanding educational opportunities, addressing child and family health, and working to increase financial stability for more people, they will strengthen their community. Last year, the organization helped more than 80,000 people in Central Kansas -- that’s more than 200 people each day!
United Way of Lee, Hendry, Glades, and Okeechobee (Fort Myers, FL)
The United Way of Lee, Hendry, Glades, and Okeechobee is a volunteer organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for all people in our community. They are a community collaborator that brings people and organizations together to create powerful partnerships that address issues and solve problems.
United Way of Brazoria County (Angleton, TX)
United Way of Brazoria County collaborates with community partners to mobilize resources, finding sustainable solutions that lead to a higher quality of life. Their pillars of impact focus on education, income, health and basic needs because these are the building blocks for a good quality of life. They recruit the people and organizations from all across the community who bring the passion, the expertise, and the resources needed to get things done. The organization provides many opportunities for volunteers to connect with a program or project they’re passionate about and encourages everyone in their community to consider volunteer service.
United Way of Pueblo County (Pueblo, CO)
The power of United Way of Pueblo County is a result of a community-wide collaboration to help those in need. The organization relies on hundreds of committed volunteers each year to raise and allocate funds to help solve the most critical issues in their community through various health and human service agencies. Knowledgeable volunteers are also dedicated to ensuring good stewardship of funds, and low overhead. Today, the organization has 12 partner agencies who provide service in the areas of youth development, basic food and shelter, domestic/child abuse, child care, health care for the indigent, proactive health care for seniors and family counseling.
You can use Charity Navigator’s Advanced Search Tool and Discover feature to find even more highly-rated United Way organizations.
Written by Ashley Post, Communications Manager at Charity Navigator.
Labels: Charity Navigator, donate, highly-rated charities, Live United, top 10, United Way, United Way of America, volunteer
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S464 Request to Equality Commission for Northern Ireland (ECNI) for a ‘Paragraph 11’ Investigation into the Department of Communities
Request to Equality Commission for Northern Ireland (ECNI) for a ‘Paragraph 11’ Investigation into the Department of Communities (DfC) into multiple failures to comply with Equality Scheme in relation to the Community Halls Pilot Programme (S464) This is a request to the Equality Commission to use its paragraph 11 powers under Schedule 9 of the...
S463 Submission to ECRI on draft revised General Policy Recommendation No. 2
Submission to the Council of Europe European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) on draft revised General Policy Recommendation (GPR) No. 2 on Specialised bodies to combat racism and intolerance at national level (S463). The Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ) is an independent human rights NGO with cross community membership in Northern Ireland...
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The Small Business B Membership
Small Business B
Gain full access to the CBA portal. Adds your company to the public directory on the CBA website and signs you up to receive emails, procurement alerts, free or discounted workshops, business development, and networking events.
$475 ($450 Annual Recurring Membership Fee + $25 One-time Application Processing Fee).
The Camden Business Association (CBA) is the leading business organization providing and facilitating advocacy, education, resources and opportunities for SMWBEs that are located in and/or do business in the city of Camden, NJ. We are a 501c6 non-profit.
info@camdenbusiness.com
#CamdenBizRising
© 2018 Camden Business Association
Lisa Joyner-Watson (formerly Lisa Joyner) is a founding board member and now serves as Vice President of the CBA. She is the owner and founder Joyner Construction, LLC, a general construction, and construction management firm serving both New Jersey and Pennsylvania and is also a licensed New Jersey & Pennsylvania Realtor. Lisa has expertise in contract management, contract negotiation, strategic planning and budget management.
As a founding board member, Lisa’s leadership skills and unique perspective of continuity and longevity inform her vision of the new CBA and the best course to move the organization forward. She understands the importance of promoting inclusivity for Camden businesses within the market and is a strong advocate of building positive relationships and collaborations in the small business community.
Patrick Collier is a results-focused executive, native to New Jersey and serves as the first Director for The Construction Consortium Center for The City of Philadelphia. Operated by The Enterprise Center, the Construction Consortium provides microenterprises (with a focus on Minority and Disadvantaged Businesses) greater access to public and private construction contracts within the City of Philadelphia. Through his role at The Construction Consortium Center, Mr. Collier leads, supports and equips underutilized minority, disabled, and women vendors with foundational knowledge, business acumen, and operational skills to assist in the growth and sustainability of businesses creating economic impact through local job creation. Before his new role as Director of The Construction Consortium Center, Mr. Collier was Associate Director for The Minority Business Development Business Center of PA/NJ/DE under The Department of Commerce and worked for large banking and financial institutions driving lines of businesses, leading regional sales divisions and building C-level relationships.
Patrick continues to serve The Minority Business Development Agency Business Center of PA/NJ/DE in the role of Business Development Consultant focusing on four pillars: Global Business Development, Access to Capital and Finance Management, Access to Contracts and Markets, and Strategic Business Consulting. Mr. Collier is a team leader who has cultivated an unequivocal forte in unearthing greater capabilities and opportunities in sales, marketing and operations. Strong family values shape Patrick’s profile as a husband and father, a superior work ethic, and integrity drove a competitive nature that inspires him to exceed and motivates others around him.
Originally native to Camden, Nichelle Pace comes to the CBA with 18+ years of film/video production, lifestyle marketing and an advertising agency background leading award-winning campaigns in large shops from New York to Chicago. Ms. Pace has been a steward for many global and domestic brands’ integrated and digital marketing efforts including Procter & Gamble, Estee Lauder, Stoli Vodka, and Sharp Electronics. She has also successfully developed and built integrated digital and social media departments within small to mid-size agencies in the mid-Atlantic region increasing client revenue.
Nichelle’s entrepreneurial spirit, experience, and leadership firmly laid the foundation for her to develop and launch online lifestyle publication, Stylemom.com in 2009, followed by opening her own boutique creative agency, Brand Enchanting Media in 2016. She has been an expert speaker/panelist at industry leading advertising, marketing and social media events and a featured marketing/lifestyle expert for Essence Magazine, The CBS Early Show, the Today Show, Social Media Week New York, BlogHer Conference – NYC, and developed Mashable Social Media Day Philadelphia and NJ conferences. Nichelle is a former Associate Vice President of MarComm for the Philadelphia Chapter of the American Marketing Association and her passion for helping businesses and brands succeed led her to launch the Small Biz Digital Bootcamp (™) workshops to help local small business in Camden and the region with affordable resources in branding and digital marketing.
Robert J. Incollingo has served on the CBA Board of Directors since October 2017. He practices law in Camden County and across South Jersey, focusing on litigation and transactions in construction, real estate and related business matters. Bob is a member of the Camden, Burlington, and New Jersey State Bar Associations, as well as the unified State Bar of California, and is a past co-chair of the New Jersey State Bar Association Construction Law Section. A graduate of Temple University and its School of Law, Bob Incollingo is a frequent speaker at professional conferences on construction and real estate law topics and serves as a commercial arbitrator by appointment of the Superior Court in Camden and Burlington Counties. Robert regularly shares his expertise with timely articles and news items of interest to the CBA membership on RJILAW.com
Chris Collins is a native of Camden, NJ and serves as a community leader in Camden city. In 1995, he started a faith-based and professional weekly newspaper, Anointed News Journal (ANJ), an exciting publication about people and provides positive information and resources that uplifts and empowers its readers. The Anointed News Journal has been distributed in 28 states nationwide and in 10 countries with a local weekly readership of 180,000 in print, and on social media serving as the official Camden city newspaper declared by former Mayor, Dana L. Redd.
Chris, along with his work at ANJ, has received many accommodations, including a letter of encouragement and gratitude from former President of the United States, Barack Obama. Since 1995, Mr. Collins has been at the forefront in developing leadership by offering training in workforce development, journalism, entrepreneurship, job readiness, life skills, marketing and public relations to individuals and nonprofit agencies in Camden, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Washington DC. He is the co-author of several curriculums; prison reentry, job readiness, financial literacy and youth development. He and his family are members of the Penn State University Alumni Assoc.
Ray Jones Sr. is a Camden native, entrepreneur and President/Owner of the Camden-based firm, We See You Security, a licensed and certified SBE, MBE, DBE, 8a and Hub Zone company serving NJ, PA, and surrounding Delaware Valley. Ray brings over 30 years of strong leadership experience spanning from being a retired police captain at UMDNJ, President of a local non-profit CHS 79 & Associates, and Treasurer of the Mid-Atlantic 8a Association. Mr. Jones is an expert in emergency management and a certified instructor for NJ state police security officer registration act (SORA), as well as trains and hires local residents to offer them a career in security and law enforcement.
As he takes the reigns as the President of the Camden Business Association, Ray has developed new operating principals for the organization to help promote Training, Education and Engagement opportunities for the advancement of our businesses – TEE Up. Ray holds a master’s degree from Fairleigh Dickerson University and is a graduate of Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program.
Bienvenido (Ben) Calaf, Jr has been a member of the Camden Business Association (CBA) since August 2017. Ben is Vice President and Co-Founder of Alston-Calaf & Associates, Inc. The insurance agency was founded in 1979 and is licensed in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware and is located at 116 no. Second Street, Camden, NJ. Alston-Calaf & Associates is a full-service insurance agency offering a wide range of personal and business insurance products, services and solutions. Ben is a graduate of Rutgers University, the South Jersey Professional School of Business and the Advance Minority Business Executive Program (AMBEP) from the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration at Dartmouth College.
Ben is a member and Chairman-Elect of the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of Southern New Jersey and a member of the St. John the Baptist Parade and Scholarship Fund. Ben has also served as a Camden City Councilman and a member of the Board of Directors of the South Jersey Federal Credit Union. He is also a member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. Other past Board Directorships have been on the PNC Bank Advisory Board, the Minority Supplier Development Council of PA-NJ-DE and the Business Consortium Fund, Inc (New York).
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Out of the Flames, Indeed!
So I read another rather interesting book lately...another that I would have never chosen on my own but it was recommended by a co-worker and he hasn't steered me wrong yet. =) It was non-fiction - basically about a book that was almost lost to us forever. But it was about SOOOO much more. It takes place during the reformation and I have to tell you that it's made me want to do so much more reading on this period of time. I mean, I knew about Pope Leo and I knew about the Medici family but I had NO idea that Pope Leo was of the Medici family! And I found it so interesting to learn that Martin Luther went to the monastery because he "wasn't the brightest bulb in the box". But I digress...
The book is really about two men and a book...Michael Servetus and John Calvin. (yes, that John Calvin) Michael Servetus was a genius and at 13, his father sent him to university at Zaragossa. There Michael came to the attention of Juan de Quintana who latched on to Michael, and made him his personal secretary. When Quintana left Zaragossa for Toulouse, he took Michael with him. This put Michael in a unique position where he mixed with powerful people. While working for Quintana, Michael was able to attend the coronation of Charles V. This made Michael question some of the things his Catholic church was teaching and doing. So he learned Greek and Hebrew so he could read the original bible and see where the Catholic church could make changes and thereby serve the people more correctly. He wrote a book entitled On the Errors of the Trinity, which, of course, since it took issue with a little something the Catholic church called the trinity, the church and the Inquisition felt was heretical. So at 19, Michael Servetus was condemned to death. He ran...to Switzerland and then to France. He changed his name and enjoyed the freedom of humanism which was flourishing at Paris University. He studied and wrote and argued...with among other men, John Calvin. Now John Calvin had his own ideas about religion and wanted to show Michael the errors of his ways. And Michael, naturally, was convinced of his rightness (which, by the way, I was convinced of as well) so he was having none of it. John, seeing the "success" of Michael and his book, thought he'd write his own book and thereby gain the popularity and power that he craved. Calvin's book was NOT a bestseller and Calvin, who was apparently a gigantic narcissist, decided it was Michael's fault in some way and so would spend the rest of his life hunting Michael down in order to have his life and ideas destroyed.
At some point, Servetus ended up back at the University of Paris and studied medicine this time. He later goes to Vienne and practices as a country doctor there. He also works on a book, Christianismi Restitutio, and corresponds with John Calvin, both of which would bring about his downfall. In the end, Calvin succeeded in his mission to destroy Servetus. He had Servetus burned at the stake along with all the copies of his book he could find. And he ordered that all Servetus' books be collected and destroyed. However, 3 copies miraculously survived...along with John Calvin's personal copy.
As a side story, Michael Servetus, while studying medicine at Paris University, actually discovered how the circulatory system worked...years before Vesalius, who is credited for the discovery. And if this book was never discovered, we'd never have known all the genius of Michael Servetus.
There is so much more to this story...the history of how the printing of books affected the reformation. How much of society that was under the control of the church. And how the church used the Inquisition to try to keep people under their rule while they themselves did things in such excess as to actually disgust those faithful who so loved the church and were so disgusted by the abuse they witnessed the church indulge in. Not to mention the history of how medicine was changed with the discovery of how the circulatory system functioned. And also the beginnings of modern medicine here in America. Oh, and also the history of a little branch of the christian church known as the Unitarian Church. I'm just barely scratching the surface in this review.
This book was so informative and inflammatory (but in a good way) for me. And it also created more questions for me. Oh, I will have to read more books! So I hope you'll check out this book sometime. And let me know what you think!
It's About a Circus?
I recently read The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. While at a swim meet, I had another parent see that I was reading it and ask what is was about. I had a hard time describing it, actually. I read it for book club with my co-workers and when we met to discuss it, I told them of this interaction. I said I kinda felt like this book defied definition. Although I'd heard it described as a romance a la Twilight, I don't think it fits in that category. It involves lot of magic but it's not really Harry Potter...So a few of my co-workers threw out their thoughts and I felt that one in particular described the book pretty well...a modern day fairy tale. So that's what I'm going with. =)
The Night Circus is primarily, in my opinion, an argument between two schools of thought fought on a world stage with players who haven't the slightest idea of the consequences of their actions (at least initially). Two men, one a teacher and the other once his student, have differing ideas on how best to teach magic and whether or not innate ability matters. They have been "challenging" each other for decades and a particular challenge is the focus of this story.
The magician, Prospero, issues a new challenge to his old tutor, the "man in the grey suit". Prospero is using his six-year old daughter as his pawn. The man in the grey suit chooses a student/opponent, in a much more detached manner. and thus the players are in place.
As the years pass and the "students" are groomed for their challenge, a stage is set. The place where this challenge will be played out will be in a circus...but not just any circus. A circus that defies the definition of circus; a circus that shows up out of nowhere, leaves while no one is watching and is only open at night.
Not part of the teachers' plans is for the opponents to meet and fall in love. And therein lies the flaw that will bring down the house of cards. Because neither party is willing to essentially remove the other from the playing field. So who wins in the end?
As I said, I really feel like this book defies description. And although I enjoyed it, I felt that the author could have done some things to draw the reader in a bit more. The book has a wide array of interestingly eccentric characters but because there are so many, we never really get to know any of them. I would have liked to know more about Prospero and the man in the grey suit. And I really would have liked enjoyed a more in-depth detailing of the relationship between Celia and Marco. Also, I felt Ms. Morgenstern's detailing of the circus itself as well as the other locations visited could have been done better. She took great pains to set up this whimsical world yet I never really felt a part of it.
Overall, I did enjoy the book. I just felt like it could have been so much more.
Posted by Bookworm Brandee at 8:45 PM No comments:
Soul Screamers II
I just finished My Soul to Save, the second in Rachel Vincent's Soul Screamers series. And I was NOT disappointed!
This time around, Kaylee gets involved in NetherWorld-ly intrigue in order to save the souls of Tod's ex and her little sister...who both sold their souls for fame and fortune but didn't really know what they were signing on for. Kaylee feels obligated to help in recompense for the souls her aunt "sold" and also because she believes that these kids, selling their souls to a media mogul, really don't know what they're agreeing to. And if she can save just two from that, she's making a difference.
She and Nash have to deal with the typical teenage issues like consequences to skipping school or missing your curfew. And then there's the NetherWorld issues of flesh eating plants and monsters...and not drawing the attention of creatures who are not so fond of bean sidhes. And add in Kaylee's lessons in bean sidhe ability...well, it's a lot for a teenage girl.
I really enjoyed this book! It has action and suspense and drama. And I find I admire Kaylee's pluck. She's a strong heroine and that appeals to me. I like how Rachel is dealing with the estranged relationship between Kaylee and her father. And I'm enjoying the growth of Kaylee's relationship with Nash. I also like the setting since I once lived in Arlington/Dallas and am familiar with the landmarks and highways, etc., that Rachel uses.
I can't wait to see what other mischief this pair gets themselves into!
Inspiration Found!
So this post is a little late as I read the book I'm gonna talk about awhile back but it was really good and I wanted to talk about it. =) Of course, not all the details are as clear now but the intensity of feeling this book brought forth is!
I read Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, for the book club I participate in with my co-workers. Unbroken is not necessarily a book I would have picked up left to my own devices...but I'm so glad that I did read it. Here's why:
I have long held the belief that a positive attitude...being a glass half full kinda person has a big impact on your life, both inwardly and outwardly. (Not that I'm always sunshine and rainbows =) I had this belief reinforced when my grandfathers were sick with cancer..one of my grandfathers lasted longer (despite the cancer being further advanced) because his overall attitude about life was more postitive. But never have I seen a more shining example of this belief than in Louis Zamperini's story!
First of all, in my opinion, Louie was lucky to survive past 10. If I'd been his mother, I'd probably have killed him before then! The things this boy got into and did...ugh! His poor mom. =) But apparently Louie was meant for bigger things. Although, it seemed Louie's whole life revolved around doing outrageous things either for the thrill or to meet girls! Once he got into high school, his older brother had figured him out. He theorized that poor Louie had never had all his "energy" properly channeled and so got Louie involved in running track.
Louie went from a kid who was always running from the law or an irate victim to running in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. He was also set to break a world record for running the mile. When World War II broke out, Louie became a bombadier and saw much combat. And in one fateful mission, he, the plane, and his crew mates went down in the Pacific Ocean. For 46 days, Louie survived being afloat on a life raft...fighting exhaustion, dehydration, hunger, shark attacks...not to mention being shot at by Japanese planes. He and his pilot Phil, survived to land on an island that was Japanese occupied. From there Louie endured the hell of being a prisoner of war...where everything imaginable was done to him to break his spirit, his body and his mind. But Louie refused to be broken. Louie proved to be resilient in life and in his faith and I found this book to be so awe inspiring on so many levels.
I like to think of myself as a positive person; however, I'm not so sure I would have the strength of character to survive all the Louie did. But his story is truly inspirational and completely reinforced my belief in the power of positive thinking. I hope you'll read it...and that you'll agree.
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Russian born Irina Koukhanova was educated at the Moscow Institute of Art and Industrial Design (Stroganovskoe), the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, MA and the University of Notre Dame, IN. Her devotion to using a wide range of materials emphasizing their inherited symbolism was developed into a body of work bridging the gap between installation art and object making. In recent years, Koukhanova has added a fourth dimension to her sculptural work by expanding into two-dimensional work through printing techniques and drawing. Her multi-media works often use mythological figures of folklore to comment on, and explore the spirit of upheaval, in contemporary society.
In the past ten years, Koukhanova has participated in numerous exhibitions both national and international. Her solo exhibition in 2010 at DKO Galerie, Zurich Switzerland, subsequently offered her a gallery representation. In 2013, she was awarded Best of Show in Box Heart Gallery's "Art Inter/National" exhibition. She was named BoxHeart's 2014 Artist of the Year, and her solo exhibition "Panoptic Landscape" took place from March 18th - May 16th, 2014. In 2015 Koukhanova's artwork was featured in the ND Alumni Sculptors and Professors exhibit at the Snite Museum of Art and the Sound Bend Museum of Art. Her artwork has been exhibited at LA Art Show Los Angeles California, Aqua Art during Art Basel Miami Beach and at the Superfine! Art Fair in New York City during Frieze.
Koukhanova has three completed public art commissions in which she dealt with all aspects of large scale project proposal and fabrication. The highlight of her temporary large scale outdoor work was included in Navy Pier Walk, Chicago, juried by David Pagel, where she exhibited a 16' high sculpture fabricated out of steel and marine vinyl. She has participated in and won awards at national juried group exhibitions at Boston Sculptors Gallery, MA, Owensboro Museum of Art, KY, Marlboro Gallery, MD, Indianapolis Art Center, IN among others. Koukhanova curated and juried a variety of exhibitions. In 2012 she was chosen to be a juror of a National Margo Harris Hammerschlag Direct Carving Award, N.A.W.A.
Koukhanova has received highly competitive full scholarship residencies at Sculpture Space, Utica NY, Santa Fe Art Institute, New Mexico (both sponsored by Joan Mitchell Foundation Grants), and Vermont Studio Center. She is currently the head of the sculpture program at Cleveland State University, and has been teaching in that capacity since 1999. She also has a continuing engagement with Summer Academy, Venice where she has taught Master classes in sculpture for the past six years. Koukhanova was also a Creative Workforce Fellow 2016. The Creative Workforce Fellowship is a program of the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture, made possible by the generous support of Cuyahoga County residents through a public grant from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture.
Irina Koukhanova: A Look Out
Irina Koukhanova: A Pairing III
Irina Koukhanova: A Pairing IV
Irina Koukhanova: Heads or Tails
Irina Koukhanova: Kinky Boots
Irina Koukhanova: Last Man Standing
Irina Koukhanova: Pilot
Irina Koukhanova: Spin Top
Irina Koukhanova: Tightrope Walker
Irina Koukhanova: Upside Down
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Tag: & The Conspirators
Logic, Slash, Behemoth, and More! October Lightning Round
Believe it or not, I missed a few this month! Here’s the first of what will become a new series on the last day of every month. Lightning round!
Luca Brasi 3 – Kevin Gates
Luca Brasi 3 is one of the most bland projects of the year. A few of the beats are fun, the lyrics range from inoffensive to cringeworthy, and Gates’ flow often struggles to find the beat. This album is nothing but basic trap and autocrooning with average execution which likely will not age well.
Traces – Steve Perry
If this album did anything for me, it made me appreciate the role played by the rest of the members of Journey. Perry’s voice has scarcely lost a beat, but the instrumentals behind him are often boring and at times unlistenable. The production is over polished, the lyricism is unimpressive, and the pacing is awful. True Journey fans may find something to enjoy here, but it’s a shell of Perry’s former glory.
Young Sinatra IV – Logic
To enjoy this record, you’ll need a love of two things: boom-bap and Logic. For me, I had the former in spades and the latter grew on me a bit. The beats are fun throughout, Logic’s flow is hard hitting, and the Wu-Tang feature is impressive. However, much of the lyricism can be a bit corny, a few of the hooks run a little long, and the second half sees a severe drop in quality.
Elephants on Acid – Cypress Hill
One of the more unique experiment rap albums I’ve heard in a very long time. The combination of rock, boom-bap, and international, particularly Indian, influences make for a set of constantly surprising instrumentals. A few of the flows aren’t as hard as I’d like them to be, and there are far too many repetitive, instrumental only tracks, but much of the experimentation works very well and it’s an interesting listen for fans of progressive trip-hop.
I Loved You at Your Darkest – Behemoth
Unsurprisingly for fans of the Polish death metal outfit, their 12th LP is a brutal slog. The Zbigniew Prominski’s drums are fantastic, and the lead vocal screams are guttural and powerful. At times, the group gets bogged down in their own virtuosic abilities, and some of the production leaves a bit to be desired. However, for fans of extreme black and death metal, this is worth a try.
Living the Dream – Slash feat. Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators
I was shocked by how much I enjoyed this record. Avoiding the possible pitfalls of sounding out of touch, two of the best rockers of the 80’s and 90’s craft a brazen celebration of that period, complete with roaring guitars and powerful vocals. The lyrics are a bit lacking and the production isn’t perfect, but the tempo rarely drops and the instrumentation will keep heads banging throughout the 50 minute runtime.
Hurry Up & Hang Around – Blues Traveller
Nearly 30 years after Blues Traveler’s debut, we find them in 2018 with a creative, singable, and above all, fun album. Joh Popper’s vocals and harmonica are excellent, as always, the lyricism is thoughtful and unique, and none of it overstays it’s welcome. While a few of the tracks are certainly misses, there are far more hits. Overall, it’s an enjoyable entry to a classic catalog.
Author brendonsbeatsPosted on October 31, 2018 February 1, 2019 Categories Lightning RoundsTags & The Conspirators, album, Behemoth, Blues Traveller, Cypress Hill, Elephants on Acid, Hurry Up & Hang Around, I Loved You At Your Darkest, Kevin Gates, Lightning Round, Logic, Luca Brasi 3, music, Myles Kennedy, October, Reviews, Slash, Steve Perry, Traces, Young Sinatra IV, YSIVLeave a comment on Logic, Slash, Behemoth, and More! October Lightning Round
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The Microsoft Blog
Behind the scenes at Microsoft Live Labs: Out of the box
By Joseph Tartakoff on March 6, 2009 at 2:59 PM
In mid-February, I toured Microsoft Live Labs in downtown Bellevue. Here’s the third in a series of posts on what I saw.
For one week every three months, regular work at Live Labs stops.
Instead, staffers work on a project of their choice.
It’s a strategy that Joshua Edwards, a project manager who played a major role in the launch of Photosynth, said was more effective than the 20 percent time given at a certain other Web-focused organization.
“By and large, the whole group (actually) does it,” he says.
Edwards showed me some of the results. Among them: An image of Bill Gates made up of photos of thousands of Microsoft employees. Zoom in on a photo and each photo of the employee is made up of thousands of other photos of employees. It was developed by Senior Program Manager Dan Cory.
Another “Out of the box” project: An organizational chart showing the structure of the company. Zoom in on a photo of Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and see his lieutenants. Zoom in on each of their photos and see photos of those who report to them. The photo chart includes all Microsoft employees.
Then, there’s MusicDragon, which was developed by Ian Gilman, who leads the Seadragon platforms and incubations team. Type in the name of an artist in an application and all of the artist’s albums show up. Zoom in on an album cover and the album starts playing.
The heavy photo emphasis — which is also apparent in Live Labs projects Photosynth and Seadragon — is not just for fun, Edwards said, because the underlying technology could get rid of “thumbnail hell.” Users could potentially bypass entirely the need to click on a thumbnail of an image before seeing the entire image. Instead, they could just zoom in, again and again and again.
Joseph Tartakoff
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(photo: Monty Rakusen Cultura/Newscom)
Over the past two decades, most of the changes in bilateral trade balances—the difference in the value of exports and imports between two countries—were explained by macroeconomic factors, according to IMF research.
These factors include fiscal policy, demographics, and weak domestic demand. They may also include exchange rate policies and domestic supply-side policies, like subsidies to state-owned enterprises or to export sectors.
In contrast, changes in tariffs played a much smaller role in influencing trade balances.
Our chart of the week from the April World Economic Outlook quantifies the drivers of changes in bilateral trade balances. It specifically looks at the roles of macroeconomic factors, tariffs, and how countries organize their production (the sectoral composition of countries’ production and demand).
The figure shows the contribution of each of these factors for a few pairs of countries. As you can see, macroeconomic conditions play an important role. For example, macroeconomic factors accounted for about 20 percent of the change in the US-Germany trade balance from 1995 to 2015, and these same factors accounted for over 95 percent of the change in the US-China trade balance.
Most of the changes in bilateral trade balances over the past two decades were explained by macroeconomic factors.
Changes in tariffs played a smaller role, reflecting their already low levels in many countries and the fact that reciprocal tariff reductions had offsetting effects on bilateral trade balances. Imposing a bilateral tariff on a trading partner is also ineffective to address aggregate trade imbalances (that is, the sum of a country’s bilateral trade balances with all its trade partners) because consumers will just switch their demand to other trading partners that face no tariffs.
But this doesn’t mean that tariffs don’t matter. Increases in tariffs would particularly hurt output, jobs, and productivity. And the integrated nature of the current global trade system suggests that a sharp increase in tariffs would also impact other countries, creating a ripple effect from one another and leaving the world economy worse off.
Policymakers should therefore continue to promote free and fair trade by undoing recently enacted tariffs and enhancing efforts to reduce existing barriers to trade. They should also avoid policies that distort the economy, such as governments stimulating the economy with additional spending when demand is already strong or heavily subsidizing exporting sectors, that create excessive—and possibly unsustainable—imbalances.
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Conlon, Edward
Riverhead, 2004
“A young Hispanic guy worked the door [through which he was selling drugs], in a white shirt and black tie, greeting customers like the maitre’d in a restaurant. After filling the van with buyers, we moved in and grabbed him, and though he wasn’t holding drugs, he had several hundred dollars in small bills. The maitre’d was a great explainer, unfailingly polite, maintaining a patient and sympathetic tone as he attempted to correct our benighted conclusion that he was a drug dealer. It was as if he understood that we were limited people presented with ambiguous circumstances, and he could hardly fault us for coming to foolish conclusions. At the precinct, his explanations were endlessly elastic, and we asked more and more questions just to see how far he could stretch; no, he didn’t live in the building, but his aunt did, and he waited in the lobby because he didn’t think she was home, and he let in those people because they knocked, of course, and it was the civil thing to do. Why did they all turn up with heroin in their pockets? He had no idea, but he had some of the cash because he had just been paid, from his job as a stockboy in Manhattan, and yes, it was more than a week’s pay, but the rest was from his wife’s baby shower, and he had to buy a crib . . . .
. . .I didn’t believe him . . . but there were times when I found myself wavering–not because of his technique as a liar, though it was excellent, but from the sincerity that welled up in his voice when he talked about his wife and baby, and how he could never, ever have anything to do with drugs because of them. . . it always amazed me to witness the passion and nerve that addicts brought to their falsehoods, tho they often lacked skill. Once, a huge woman bellowed at me as I took a crack vial from her open hand, ‘You planted that there!’ It reminded me of the Richard Pryor line about the man whose wife catches him in bed with another woman, ‘Who are you going to believe, me or your lying eyes?'”
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Tag Archives: Palaeolithic
Humans in Ancient Britain micro-exhibition
The Great North Museum: Hancock, in Newcastle, is shortly going to have a micro-exhibition about Humans in Ancient Britain with material on loan from the Natural History Museum, which includes the Swanscombe Neanderthal skull between 24 February and 7 April.
William King had been a curator at the museum and responsible for naming Neanderthals as a separate species, so especially appropriate for this exhibition. Related to the exhibition are a pair of evening talks and pair of family events based around local collections and Palaeolithic Britain in March and April.
Free Evening Talk at the Great North Museum: Hancock
Tuesday 22 March 2016, 18.30
‘Professor William King’s fossil bones and shells: The scientific legacy of a Geordie in Galway!’
Prof. David Harper
Professor of Palaeontology and Principal of Van Mildert College at Durham University
William King was the first person to name a separate species of human when he gave the species name Homo neanderthalensis to Neanderthals at the British Association for the Advancement of Science meeting at Newcastle in 1863. He was a self-educated man from Sunderland who became curator of the Newcastle Museum (later the Hancock Museum) and then a Professor of Geology and Mineralogy at Queen’s College, Galway. King was a controversial figure, both locally, where he fell out with his employers at the Museum, and nationally as part of the debate on evolution and anthropology. Professor Harper’s talk explores King’s life and legacy.
Please book in advance. Tickets are free and available from: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/date/234953
Wednesday 6 April 2016, 18.30
‘Palaeolithic Britain: one-million years of human prehistory’
Prof. Mark White
Professor in the Department of Archaeology at Durham University
Mark White is a specialist in the Palaeolithic (the Old Stone Age) of Britain and its near neighbours. He has worked on many of the key sites of early human occupation in Britain and also has an interest in the Victorian antiquarians who first excavated some of these locations. His talk will follow the early occupation of Britain and the evidence we have about people who have lived here over the last million years.
Free Family Activity Day
Thursday 31 March 11 – 3
Collectors Day
A day where we take William King, the former curator of this museum who named Neanderthals as a separate species, as the springboard to thinking about other local collectors. This day will include contributions from amongst others our own curators plus the Natural History Society of Northumbria, the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne.
Thursday 7 April 11 – 3,
Neanderthal Thursday
with support from archaeologists from Durham University (tbc), the opportunity to discover our collection of human evolution skull replicas and a hand silhouette cave art activity.
For further information contact;
Dr Kate Holden
Assistant Learning Officer
Great North Museum: Hancock
Barras Bridge
NE2 4PT
This entry was posted in E Newsletter and tagged Great North Museum, Museum, Newcastle, Palaeolithic on February 20, 2016 by cbanorth.
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Obituary of Stephen J. Saldutti
Stephen J. Saldutti, age 27, of Yorktown Heights, NY formerly of Golden’s Bridge, NY died suddenly on Tuesday, May 7th 2019.
Stephen was born on May 1st, 1992 in Fairfax, Virginia to Samuel Saldutti and the late Valerie (Hanrahan) Saldutti. Stephen was a beloved son, brother, nephew, cousin, friend and coach. Stephen grew up loving sports, starting with his love for basketball at the Boys and Girls Club. He continued on with his passion by playing for the Town of Lewisboro travel soccer and baseball leagues throughout his childhood. Stephen was a graduate of John Jay High School where he was the captain of the Varsity Basketball team and a member of the Varsity Lacrosse team. He continued his education at SUNY Cortland where he joined the club lacrosse team. Stephen soon became a lacrosse coach at The Harvey School in Katonah NY where he used his passion for sports to teach adolescents the skills needed to excel both on and off the field. Since then, Stephen has been working at Mount Kisco Sports as an Assistant Manager.
He is survived by his father: Samuel Saldutti and siblings: Michael J., and Lauren M., all of Yorktown Heights. Grandson of Richard Donald Hanrahan of Long Beach, NY and Nancy Joan Saldutti of Plymouth Meeting, PA; nephew of Mark (Mary) Hanrahan of Westport, CT; Kyle (Kenneth) Reitman of White Plains, NY; Corrine (Thomas) DiBari of Long Beach, NY and Brian (Lorraine) Hanrahan of East Meadow, NY. Stephen is also survived by his 12 cousins and his Labrador Retriever, Riley.
The family will receive friends on Friday, May 10th from 4:00 to 9:00pm at Clark Associates Funeral Home, 4 Woods Bridge Road, Katonah, NY.
The Funeral Service will be celebrated on Saturday, May 11th at 11am at Clark Associates Funeral Home, 4 Woods Bridge Road, Katonah, NY.
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HomeAboutCocking
Cocking, A Downland Village
Cocking is a small village in the South Downs National Park, about three miles south of Midhurst in the county of West Sussex. It nestles beneath Cocking Down over which the A286 runs south for 8 miles to Chichester, the local cathedral city and county town. The South Downs Way runs along the ridge of the Downs above Cocking on its route from Eastbourne in East Sussex to Winchester in Hampshire. Hikers and cyclists beating that long distance path can drop down Cocking Hill into the village to see the fascinating History Column and 11th Century Church. whilst there they can refresh themsleves at the Post Office, Moonlight Cottage Tea Rooms or Bluebell pub. They may also want to simply visit Cocking 'just because it's there'.
There is evidence, in the form of tumuli, of Bronze Age settlement in Cocking. The Romans, Saxons, Normans and Cluniac monks were also here while the village is named after Cocca, a Saxon warlord who thought that this was a good place to put down roots. The Domesday Book has an entry for Cochinges and at the other end of the time line, you are now reading about Cocking on the World Wide Web. If you are interested in the history of the village, look no further than the excellent "A Short History of Cocking" published in 2005 by the Cocking History Group, which can be purchased at the village Post Office, itself situated in an old toll house. The current Cocking now finds itself right in the middle of the new South Downs National Park, so although much in Cocking seems timeless, change is continual.
2001 Census - A document containing five pages of 2001 Census data about Cocking Parish is available for download - click here.
Note: The source of this information is the National Statistics website: www.statistics.gov.uk. Crown copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Controller of HMSO.
Click here to see the Geograph of Cocking - a collection of photos linked to the grid references
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Ultimate Spider-Man (2000) #74
Ultimate Spider-Man (2000) Comic
Ultimate Spider-Man (2000) Chapter 74
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Self Made Hero 2019 titles announced
Publishers SelfMadeHero have announced their new titles for 2019.
SelfMadeHero aims to publish works that provoke, entertain, inspire and inform through the medium of the graphic novel. We are proud to publish ground-breaking and beautiful work by authors and artists from across the globe, from the quirky and humorous to the political and profound. Find out more at http://www.selfmadehero.com
GUANTÁNAMO KID:
The True Story of Mohammed El-Gharani
A powerful, compelling true story about one of GuantánamoBay’s youngest detainees. Mohammed El-Gharani was no more than 14 when he left his native country, Saudi Arabia, in order to study English in Pakistan. Shortly after the 9/11 attacks, he was arrested and transferred to Guantánamo Bay. It took eight years for his innocence to be recognised. Written by journalist Jérôme Tubiana in collaboration with Mohammed El-Gharani, and drawn by Alexandre Franc, Guantánamo Kid is an important and deeply moving graphic novel that has been endorsed by Amnesty International.
BLOSSOMS IN AUTUMN
Belgian writer Zidrou and artist Aimée De Jongh (The Return of the Honey Buzzard) explore the underrepresented topic of finding love in later life. Since retiring, 59-year-old widower Ulysses has been in the grip of loneliness. When he meets Mrs Solenza, a former model who now runs a cheese shop, a relationship blossoms that surprises them both. A life-affirming, emotive exploration of growing old and falling in love.
CANNABIS:
An American History
From the acclaimed creator of Tetris and André The Giant, a timely and revealing history of cannabis in America. Box Brown traces the long and troubled relationship between cannabis culture and the U.S. establishment, from the drug’s arrival in the country (by means of an immigrant labour force), through dishonest and discriminatory campaigns spearheaded by legislators and the press, to the drug’s Schedule 1 classification. At a time of widespread legalisation in the States and fierce debate over the drug’s use for medicinal purposes in the UK, Box Brown hits a new high in bringing this extraordinary history to comic book form.
MEMOIRS OF A BOOK THIEF
Paris in the 1950s. In the heyday of Jean-Paul Sartre, a new literary star emerges. When poet and book thief Daniel Brodin seizes an opportunity to read a poem in front of the Parisian literati, he chooses not one of his own surrealist verses but that of an obscure Italian poet. It’s a triumph, but not every member of the audience is fooled. A witty and original drama from Alessandro Tota and Pierre Van Hove that explores the nature of protest and authenticity.
MAGGY GARRISSON
An unconventional new heroine is set loose on the streets of London. After two years of unemployment, Maggy Garrisson lands a secretarial job with a shady private detective. But when her new boss is beaten to a pulp, Maggy finds herself in the dangerous world of bent coppers, crooked businessmen and career criminals.
Acclaimed French writer Lewis Trondheim (Poppies of Iraq) and Stéphane Oiry offer an atmospheric, stylish mystery set in rain-soaked London.
BASQUIAT (Art Masters)
Hugely influential, especially on street art and hip-hop, Jean-Michel Basquiat has become a legend since he emerged on the New York art scene in the 1980s, feted by Warhol and Bowie and dating Madonna. Since his untimely death at the age of 27, his global popularity has skyrocketed. Julian Voloj and Søren Mosdal create a vivid picture of Basquiat’s life and times, from the SAMO graffiti project to the development of the addiction that would cost him his life.
You can catch up with some more titles from SelfMadeHero, including Apollo and Wolf, in the ComicScene UK Volume 1 Digi Pack at http://www.comicscene.tictail.com
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CPS Students Share Stage With Professional Musicians
Filed Under:Chicago Public Schools, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Lisa Fielding
CHICAGO (CBS) — Powerful messages about transgenderism, suicide and the nation’s political climate were prevalent as dozens of students from five Chicago Public Schools presented themes of courage through music, visual arts and the spoken word.
“It’s been remarkable to see how they have stepped forward and really shared their life experiences through this project,” said Jonathan McCormick, Director of Education the Negaunee Music Institute at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
The work by the students was created in collaboration with their teachers, CSO teaching artists and fellows from the Civic Chicago Orchestra.
“Throughout the season, we’ve been celebrating Sounds of Courage. This has made its way into concerts at Symphony Center, but also into what we do with schools. We are seeing today students stand up and express how they act courageously every day and doing so through the lens of their art.”
Students from Agassiz, Clinton, Disney, Edwards and Swift Elementary Schools each presented their own end-of-the year music project and shared the stage with Fellows from the Civic Orchestra. The event also included a performance of an excerpt from Richard Strauss’ “Don Quixote.”
Students from five CPS perform with members of the Chicago Civic Orchestra. (WBBM’s Lisa Fielding)
Famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma was also on hand to watch the performance.
“Yo-Yo brings such generosity of spirit and kindness to everything he does, so whether the students know he’s the most celebrated cellist of all time, you can relate to him,” McCormick said.
Ma is the Judson and Joyce Green Creative Consultant for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Tuesday’s performance was a culmination and celebration marking the end of the second year of a music education partnership between the Negaunee Music Institute at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the five schools involved in the program.
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04:30 AMCBS 2 Morning News
From Trump To #MeToo, Publishing Made Headlines In 2018
Filed Under:#MeToo, 2018, Becoming, Books, Margaret Atwood, Michelle Obama, Political Books, President Trump
NEW YORK (AP) — The publishing world made headlines in 2018, and not always by design.
A wave of best-sellers offered damaging accounts of Donald Trump’s White House, a million-selling memoir by Michelle Obama had readers longing for the previous administration and a political thriller by former President Bill Clinton had some taking a closer look at a White House scandal from the 1990s.
Meanwhile, some of the country’s top writers were called out for sexual harassment and a Dystopian novel written in the 1980s seemed ever more timely.
FIRE AND FURY: It landed in early January and quickly had the country talking and Trump threatening to sue (a way to boost sales that ranks with an Oprah Winfrey endorsement). Michael Wolff’s tale of backbiting and chaos in the Trump administration wasn’t so much a revelation, as a confirmation of what millions had suspected. Reporters questioned some of his facts but the book had at least one real consequence: Former senior advisor Steve Bannon, who didn’t deny speaking with the author and criticizing both the president and Donald Trump Jr., was forced out as executive chairman of the far-right Breitbart News. His old boss called him “Sloppy Steve.”
#METOO: It began in January with a comments thread on the website of School Library Journal: Stories of widespread harassment by some prominent writers for children and young adults, with the alleged harassers first unnamed, then named. Within weeks “Maze Runner” author James Dashner had been dropped by his publisher and “13 Reasons Why” novelist Jay Asher by his agent. Sherman Alexie, whom the American Library Association had just awarded a Carnegie Medal for his memoir “You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me,” declined the prize. And Daniel Handler of “Lemony Snicket” fame withdrew as commencement speaker at Wesleyan University. His replacement was well known to the #MeToo movement: Anita Hill, the woman who testified in 1991 that Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas had repeatedly harassed her. “Speaking out, despite the hardship,” Hill told the students, “can be self-liberating and can empower others.”
A HIGHER LOYALTY: In a spirit of anger, admiration and curiosity, readers wanted to know why James Comey re-opened the FBI investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails less than two weeks before Election Day and what he and Trump had said to each other before Trump fired him in May 2017, just four months into his administration. “This president,” Comey wrote, “is unethical, and untethered to truth and institutional values.” Only in the Trump era could a memoir by a former FBI director, one little known to the general public before 2016, sell hundreds of thousands of copies. And only in the Trump era would a sitting president refer to a former FBI director as an “untruthful slimeball.”
PASSAGES: Within eight days last spring, two of the country’s most celebrated writers died, Tom Wolfe and Philip Roth. But 2018 also was a year for welcoming new voices. Tara Westover’s “Educated,” a memoir about growing up in an isolated Mormon home, was a best-seller admired by everyone from book critics to former President Barack Obama. Tommy Orange’s novel “There There” was widely acclaimed and the rare work of literary fiction over the past year to succeed commercially. Other notable debuts included Jamel Brinkley’s story collection “A Lucky Man” and Lisa Halliday’s novel “Asymmetry,” which included a character based on a real-life former lover — Philip Roth.
THE PRESIDENT IS MISSING: The million-selling collaboration between Clinton and James Patterson was the novel of the summer, and launched a very different conversation from what the authors had intended. “The President is Missing,” a near-apocalyptic thriller, is a cautionary tale about preventing cyberattacks. But the book also included a chapter about a president facing impeachment — an experience Clinton is uniquely qualified to draw upon — and Clinton responded defensively to questions about his affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. “This was litigated 20 years ago,” Clinton told NBC’s Craig Melvin. The most notable thing about his answers, wrote New York magazine’s Rebecca Traister, was that “Clinton seemed to be shocked that he would be asked about his behavior in light of #MeToo.”
FEAR: Bob Woodward, a brand name for inside White House politics, seemed to withdraw during the Obama years. His two works on Obama, “The Price of Politics” and “The Last of the President’s Men,” made little impact compared to such early blockbusters as the Watergate-era “All the President’s Men.” And his only book during Obama’s second term was a return to the Nixon years: “The Last of the President’s Men,” about Alexander Butterfield, the White House aide who revealed to the world that Nixon had a taping system in the Oval Office. But Trump is a singular muse for political writers and with “Fear: Inside the Trump White House,” Woodward was fully back in the present. “Fear,” Woodward’s hottest seller in years, read like a more sober version of “Fire and Fury,” another tale of an uncontrollable chief executive and a staff that tries both to contain and encourage him. Trump’s verdict: “The Woodward book is a Joke.”
BECOMING: The initial headlines were about Trump, whom Michelle Obama vowed she would never forgive for promoting the “birther” lie that her husband was born in Kenya. But Obama’s book quickly became among the best-selling political memoirs ever. Reviewers cited the qualities which millions had admired her for — the warmth and humor of her courtship with the future president, her candor in describing their marital struggles and efforts to have children and the care and insight into how Michelle LaVaughn Robinson — a self-described “girl of the South Side” of Chicago — adapted to being the country’s first black first lady.
MARGARET ATWOOD: The Canadian author didn’t need to publish any new fiction to make news in 2018. “The Handmaid’s Tale,” released more than 30 years ago and dramatized in an acclaimed Hulu series, continued to rank with George Orwell’s “1984” as a defining dystopian text for the current time. Questions from readers about the imagined country of Gilead, a brutal patriarchy that didn’t seem very fictional, were so persistent that Atwood finally changed her mind about writing a sequel and announced that “The Testaments” would come out in 2019.
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Girls and young women are the most affected by poverty across the world especially those in rural and urban rural communities. From the moment they are born, girls face cultural, educa-tional and employment inequalities and injustice in their lives.
Girls and women experience physical and psychological violence in the form of sexual abuse, beatings, insults and early forced marriage. We know that helping girls again access to school, stay in school and progress to the highest level in the key to changing lives for good, not that of girls alone but that of families. An educated girl is more likely to grow up to be a healthy, empowered woman who can make her own choices, earn her own income, and pro-tect and educate her own children.
Getting girls into school and to stay in school
Millions of girls around the world are still being denied an education.
PRIMARY SCHOOL: • There are still 31 million girls of primary school age out of school. Of these 17 million are expected never to enter school. There are 4 million fewer boys than girls out of school. Three countries have over a million girls not in school: In Nigeria there are almost five and a half million, Pakistan, over three million, and in Ethiopia, over one million girls out of school.
LOWER SECONDARY SCHOOL: • There are also 34 million female adolescents out of school, missing out on the chance to learn vital skills for work.
SKILLS: • Slow education progress for children today will have lifelong effects: Almost a quarter of young women aged 15-24 today (116 million) in developing countries have never completed primary school and so lack skills for work. Young women make up 58% of those not completing primary school.
LITERACY: • Two-thirds of the 774 million illiterate people in the world are female.
Source: 2012 EFA Global Monitoring Report; UNESCO Institute for Statistics database.
Reasons why girls don’t go to school, or have to drop out:
Some parents still have to decide which child should have the privilege to go to school, boy or girl, in the face of economic challenges.
Parents often struggle to meet the costs , such as books and uniforms. Girls are often expected to support their families instead, either by doing child labor or through arranged marriage.
Sometimes schools don’t have proper facilities such as separate, safe toilets for girls.
Together with communities we create Child Protection Committees to develop School Perfor-mance and Improvement Plans (SPIP) and implement development activities that will im-prove the school environment and make it safer for girls. So we work with communities to promote education for girls, help parents afford the costs and toilet facilities, and run girls’ clubs and mentoring projects to support them through school.
Helping young teenage mothers earn a living
Dropping out school because of poverty and teenage pregnancy, many young women do not have the skills they need to earn an income. If they find some work, they’re paid less than men for the same number of hours, have no workers’ rights and often have to wait for days for their wages.
We offer women training in the skills they need to survive – such as soap and powder mak-ing, bread and pastries baking, business management, or sustainable farming techniques. This is so that they can earn a living, feed themselves and pay for their children’s education.
Ending violence against young women and girls
Girls and young women will experience some form of physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. Many young women and girls living in poverty in rural communities are threatened with violence every day: at home or at school.
In deprived communities, violence against young women and girls is often considered ac-ceptable, and offenders aren’t punished. This means there is often nowhere that women and girls can truly feel safe or get help. In one situation where we were into negotiation with tra-ditional leaders to commence girls and young women empowerment programme, we were confronted by this interpretation; “This men and women say they have come here to give power to young women and girls so that when they are disciplined by their husbands and they can fight back.” The lot of young women and girls in rural and rural urban communities live in suppression and fear.
We’re helping young women and girls to tackle violence and stand up for their rights. We im-plementing projects and offering services and demand justice for survivors of violence, and support programmes to empower young women and girls. We work with a Network of Help-lines which provides assistance to young women and girls whose rights abused and suffer vi-olence.
Gender & Empowerment
CRRECENT pursues projects to empower vulnerable young women in rural communities economically and psycho-socially through the provision of vocational skills training, counseling and micro credit. This project is part of our girl child empowerment programme for creating conditions for self-employment for mothers, especially teenage mothers (single parents) to increase their family income to reduce family poverty and increase chances for the girl child to progress from basic school to Senior Secondary School and the University. The Programme is part of the girl child empowerment for leadership and reintegration package for the released juveniles from Correctional Centers and Remand Homes in Ghana.
Girls of Aburi Girls Secondary School engaged in group discussions on the role and involvement of on young women in leadership
Girls and Boys of West Africa Secondary School engaged in group discussions on the role and involvement of on young women in leadership
Students from University of Ghana enroute to rural communities and schools on girls mentoring programme in partnership with CRRECENT
Peer Group Leaders from schools in rural communities in CRRECENT Girls’ Empowerment Programme preparing for community and school outreach programme for girls
Akuapem Mamponghene (Chief) siting in state at a durbar, addressing community on girls and young women empowerment for development during a courtesy call on him by female students from University of Ghana mobilised by CRRECENT to press home the importance of young women empowerment for development.
Girls and their Patron form Akropong Salem Schools ready to participate in football for development to enhance their confidence, assertiveness, hopefulness about their future, academic performance and good morals.
Girls and their Patron form Akropong Municipal Assemble Schools ready to participate in football for development to enhance their confidence, assertiveness, hopefulness about their future, academic performance and good morals.
Susan Sabaa addressing the Adawso Township during the 16 days Female Activism on girls and young women empowerment for leadership from a community radio station.
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Let There Be Light Review
Simon Columb September 19, 2017 FeaturedFilmFilm Reviews
“If we don’t crack fusion, then we are doomed”, says ITER physicist Mark Henderson, in Mila Aung-Thwin and Van Royko’s Let There Be Light. Unlike renewable sources, nuclear fusion is not considered a fashionable energy source, despite its lack of radioactive waste and the enormous quantity of energy it could provide. The title of this documentary invokes a biblical scale of invention. But if you are recreating a sun with the potential to save the future of mankind, the God-like terminology may actually be applicable.
In the South of France, roughly 50 miles north of Marseille, sits an enormous nuclear experiment. 37 countries are funding ITER and, if it manages to create energy from fusion, then our crisis with fossil fuels is at an end. Billions has been funnelled into this Tokamak invention, one of many possible methods to create nuclear fusion. There are alternatives, of course. Michel Laberge, founder of General Fusion, has another theory he is testing while, the smallest in scale, Eric Lerner of Focus Fusion, experiments within a small, old shop. The latter two don’t get the same substantial funding as ITER, but they are all searching for the “holy grail” of energy. Henderson compares their life’s goal as akin to Gaudi and the Sagrada Família, as the completion of such a magnificent achievement may not be in their lifetime. Let There Be Light informs, explores and naturally compares the different approaches. Considering fusion is not our current default choice of power, we wait with baited breath to see how close we are – or if it will ever happen at all. To ensure that the dense subject matter is accessible and engaging, directors Aung-Thwin and Royko employ smart, smooth animations to inform us of the variety of historical explorations into nuclear fusion. From the Russian tokamak to the American stellarator, and the interesting scientists, such as Ronald Richter and Andrei Sakharov (who were all funded greatly in their spurious and legitimate fusion tests in the 1950’s and 1970’s respectively), Let There Be Light ensures we know the complex details behind this mysterious source of power. Inevitably, funding becomes a grave issue as their research requires millions of dollars of investment, and below a certain level, it is unlikely they can even operate the machinery for fusion to ever occur. Can humans put their money and esteemed scientists into a foray that may impact the next generation more than the current one?
Let There Be Light globe hops between Russia, Argentina, France, Germany, America and further afield as we are dealing with one of the rare examples of cooperation, though politics does sometimes muddy the water. It is clear that, for decades of investment without a tangible and physical outcome except theoretical findings, politicians increasingly find it difficult to continue funding such a dream. Nevertheless, we see who does and who struggles, while a speech by Angela Merkel proves that some countries are aiming for the stars more so than others (Are the UK even investing in it?).
This is mistake-making on an enormous scale. In the early days, one man says “we had things blow up every day”, and of course, failed experiments are all part of scientific discovery. This infectious optimism in Let There Be Light lifts you to the same level of hope the scientists share and, by the final credits, when we see the current projections, you cannot help but be excited. It is a scientific gamble that is rooted in research, experiments and data. Surely, all this effort can’t be for nothing, can it? Those who have funded the endeavour (tax-payers money – so that’s you!), must wait to find out.
Let There Be Light will be screening on the opening night of Hot Docs London on 21 September 2017.
hot docs londonlet there be light
In The Name of All Canadians Review
Blurred Lines: Inside the Art World Review
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Interview: Gary Richards (Founder of HARD Music Festivals)
on October 20, 2011, 12:00pm
HARD Music Festivals have been on the map since New Year’s Eve of 2007, when they held the bash to end all bashes in downtown L.A. Since that night, the organization has grown into a full-fledged superpower in the world of electronic/dance music. With annual festivals in multiple cities, sponsored tours that span the country, on-going New Year’s Eve bashes, and a cruise scheduled to set sail in early 2012, they’ve taken over the genre. If you haven’t heard of HARD, you either really loathe dance music, or you’ve been living under a rock.
HARD has been home to the best and the brightest of both established musicians and up-and-comers. From Flying Lotus to Fatboy Slim and virtually everyone in between, every HARD event promises to be a who’s who of electronic music. Recently, Consequence of Sound was lucky enough to sit down with the brain behind the entire organization, Gary Richards (who also DJs under the moniker DESTRUCTO), for a few words just weeks before the 2011 installment of the annual HARD Haunted Mansion in L.A on October 28th.
It’s always riveting to hear anyone in the dance music industry’s take on the current state of the scene, but Richards gave us some particularly engaging insights regarding the future of not just HARD, but electronic/dance music as a whole.
For those of our readers less in tune with the electronic music world, can you describe HARD in your own words?
Uh, I would say its an amazing collection of international DJs where music comes first. Uh… [laughs] I dont fuckin know. Thats a tough question. Can we come back to that one?
Absolutely. Youve been pretty consistent in days past about making mostly electronic, primarily dance, music with a few live bands and a few rappers every now and again. Is this the aesthetic you plan to hold to for coming years?
Yeah, I mean, the backbone of HARD is always electronic, but well pepper in whatever music is cool, whatever fits. I like all kinds of music. Like, Im listening to some Mastodon right now. Whatevers cool, well chuck it in there, but just a little bit. Just a sprinkle, or, a like, squirt of lime in there.
Youve certainly got L.A. on lock, and youre reaching out to other cities all the time. Do you plan on being a huge presence like you are in L.A. in other cities?
Thats definitely the plan, and weve done two tours, so weve hit a lot of cities. We hit Austin, Toronto, Philly, D.C… So, yeah, the plan is definitely to grow into some of the bigger events in those markets. Just trying to do it in a nice, organic way, instead of trying to, like, force it in there, you know?
Photo by Jesse Bloch
Any international plans?
International [is] definitely on the plan. Its just a little bit more difficult. Weve been in talks with a lot of people from Europe to get over there, and our [Holy Ship!] boat goes in international waters, and were doing a private island in the Caribbean, so were kinda getting there. But, I feel like HARD is a little bit of a different brand or style, and I think theres definitely a place for it all over.
Theres always a lot of overlap in the rosters. For instance, Fatboy Slim, Skrillex, Rusko, and a few others are all playing Haunted Mansion as well as Holy Ship! in January. A lot of festivals shy away from repeat performers. Why doesnt this mindset affect your events so much?
I just think that a lot of our events are a little more intimate, like, not as big as some of the mega festivals. Well use Fatboy [Slim] as an example. Hes playing The Haunted Mansion and then the boat, which is, you know, on the other side of the country. So, we try and space it out a little bit, but I feel like some of the guys are just staples. Like Soulwax and 2manydjs? Id have those guys play every fuckin day if I could. I feel like theres a pool of super, super, super talented guys at the very, very top, and any chance I have to bring em, I will. Obviously, after a while, we try to give it a rest. I come from the record business, so I like not burning them out, but I think some of them definitely warrant multiple plays. So, you know, I dont want to just not bring them because Ive had em before. A lot of these guys, I could listen to em forever. Thats the feeling behind it, and I dont think anyones complaining.
Since the events carry an air of similarity conceptually as well as in lineup, how do you make sure each event is unique?
Well, we try to change up the stages all the time, the way that the stages look in their design, and we do a lot of different venues. Most of these events take place at different venues, different stages, different setups, but, mostly, its the people. I mean, weve got different people that come all the time to all of the different events, so I dont think that were gonna have the same people at Haunted Mansion that are gonna be on the boat. There will be a few, but for the most part, its gonna be a new experience. Plus, I mean, on the boat, youre gonna see Fatboy Slim on the sand on a private island, and at Haunted Mansion youre gonna see him in the night in front of 10,000 people. So, yeah, it varies from event to event.
Specifically, since well be covering the event this month, how will HARD Haunted Mansion 2011 be different from its predecessors?
With the Haunted Mansion, we dont have to change it from year to year. I mean, the lineups completely different, but I think that for us, with that event, if its not broke, dont fix it. The Haunted Mansion events been our best event to date, and I think we have a formula that works. Definitely the stages will be different, like the configuration of what youll see on the stage itself, but the layout is 95 percent the same. Its taken years to get to that place to figure out that this is what works best there. Its safe, the city likes it, the fans like it, so Im not changing it, you know? What changes is the acts. The acts are completely different from last year.
HARD is an impressive institution, when you look at the whole scope of everything. Its sort of all over the place. From a summer tour to a half-dozen festivals to HARD Presents, its a year-round gig. How do you stay on top of it all?
Its tough, dude. I have a good team that I work with that helps me keep it all together. And I DJ, so it helps me keep my ears open to always listening to whats new. I think thats the secret formula to what we do. I mean, its pretty obvious. You could go book Skrillex, or you could book Rusko and sell tickets, but were booking Kingdom, Jackmaster, The Magician, some of the smaller guys, L-Vis 1990 and SBTRKT. [We’re] trying to get the guys on the way up, keeping it fresh. But I think being a DJ helps me a lot, because I dont sit here and go, Hey, who should I book?, or call people up and be like, Hey whats hot? I make my own sets and whatevers in there, play. I play, and I book, you know?
I hear that youre also the father of two. Is that correct?
So, whats that like balancing home life vs. performing as DESTRUCTO vs. being in charge of HARD?
Its brutal. [laughs] Put it like this: Ill sleep in another lifetime. No, its tough, but every morning no matter what, when I wake up, Im pumped. Get up at like seven in the morning and hang with the kids for a bit, and then to the computer, and when I look at my computer to see whats going on, like everything that comes in is always exciting. I was thinking this the other day: I dont consider it work, really. Im like the luckiest guy on earth. This is the dream job to have.
[laughs] What was the first question again?
Oh, of course. What would you say HARD is, in your own words?
Were trying to be the electronic music festival that focuses on the music. I think its really important. Ive been involved with the music for almost 20 years. Im trying to be the guy that when you think of electronic music, the first thing you think of is good music instead of drugs. I think so many times over the years the electronic music scene has been ruined or dragged through the mud because of drugs. And you know kids come there, and they think its a place to come to party and do ecstasy or whatever, and my job as a responsible promoter is to make it a place where you can come and listen to great music, and if youre going to try and be stupid and sell drugs, or, you know, pop all these pills or whatever… Thats not what our festivals about, and thats not what were producing.
You know, were producing a festival working with everybody to make sure its safe and that it can continue. I wanna be known as the guy that, like, gave electronic music credibility. Because its always been that dance music has always had this cheesy kind of element to it, and Ive always tried to get people to focus that, hey, there are some really, really talented musicians and some great music that comes out of this world, but it gets overshadowed by all the other bullshit. And I think thats what HARD set out to do, and I think were doing it. I think in the beginning we just got lumped in as just another rave like everyone else, but now people are seeing like in the cities and with the local authorities, we walk the walk. Like, you know, were not just saying Oh, yeah were not a rave, and then we have 15-year-olds passed out on the floor. Most of our events are 18+, or sometimes 21+, and if someone shows up and theyre too shady, we dont let em in. We search em, and we really go the extra step to make it safe and make it so that were able to continue doing this for the next 10 years.
Gary Richards
HARD Haunted Mansion
Check Out: The King Khan Experience – “Come Levitate With Me” (CoS Premiere)
Death From Above 1979 announces Canadian tour dates
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Listen: Twin Shadow’s new single “To The Top”
Calling Sylvester Stallone. Or Dolph Lundgren.
by Michael Roffman
on April 15, 2014, 10:00am
Photo by Milan Zrnic
It’s a shame George Lewis Jr., aka Twin Shadow, wasn’t making music back in 1987. He would’ve been a prime candidate to score a theme song for Sly Stallone’s classic arm wrestling vehicle, Over the Top. At least that’s what one might gather upon listening to his latest single, “To the Top”.
After slumming it in Austin dumpsters, Twin Shadow returns with just the right anthem to bring him… back to the top, as the title and chorus suggests. And similar to anything off 2010’s Forget or 2012’s Confess, “To the Top” sounds straight out of ’80s FM radio, as Lewis matches his vocals with Foreigner’s Mick Jones and revisits just about every ’80s action ballad shipped to screen.
That’s just our take. Here’s his:
What is it when you realize that someone isn’t right for you? Or when you find that you do not and can not posses someone entirely? You want someone so bad and it feels like hell.
It’s not like the first time, once loved love evolves, and you no longer have as much control, and it frustrates you. I think because of this feeling we find ourselves constantly wanting to reset, like new years resolutions, like dreaming up moments from the past where the ending flips on its head, like true forgiveness…We just want to say “wait wait wait, this went too far in the wrong direction, can we try that again.”
Throw on some shorts, grease up those pecks, and hit the road below.
The song was recording in Los Angeles at Hollywood Forever Cemetery & Studio Zapata Zabala with longtime Twin Shadow musical cohort Wynne Bennet. According to a press release, Lewis is currently working on a new full-length studio album.
Listen: Swans’ new song “Oxygen”
Coachella 2014: Top 15 Sets + Photos
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Anniversaries, Cover Stories, Editorials,
Interviews, Lists, and Comprehensive Rankings
Berserktown II Festival: A Report
David Sackllah spends three days at Santa Ana's Observatory for one DIY punk rock Utopia
by David Sackllah
on August 17, 2015, 1:00pm
This year’s Berserktown was a special kind of festival. It was a festival without corporate sponsors featuring punk, metal, noise, and electronic acts from all around the world, some of which reunited after decades to play this one show. It was a festival of diversity, featuring groups from Canada, Spain, Australia, Denmark — everywhere. It was also a festival of diversity in the sense that out of all those bands, even the American ones, the lineup didn’t overlook female musicians. Without making a big fuss or crafting a shtick around the inclusion of bands with female members, Berserktown served as the ideal punk festival, crafting a lineup of some of the best bands around that offered a little bit for everyone.
Berserktown’s second year was a strange haven in the middle of sunny Orange County for all types of punks. The festival, organized by a small group of people, was the opposite of most summer music festivals. Rather than the live music serving as background noise for thousands of people gathered to get wasted, this was a place where people really did travel from far away specifically to see the bands on the lineup. As such, the atmosphere was filled with excitement as people went from room to room of the Observatory in Santa Ana, a venue that seemed slightly too nice to be hosting a punk festival, but did a good job thanks in part to its easy-to-navigate three-room layout.
While the first installment of Berserktown was primarily a hardcore fest, this year’s was more about punk as an attitude than a genre, featuring electronic/dance acts, black metal, psych rock, and garage rock acts; it was less about adhering to strict genre rules and more about DIY spirit. Berserktown was a haven for weird groups who might be niche acts at any other festival, but here were treated as heroes.
The festival really felt like a makeshift community of like-minded people. Outside were vendors from Texas, California, and Japan selling records, books, and other ephemera. Looking around the crowd at a given show, especially during legendary Detroit producer DJ Stingray‘s set on Friday night, you would see a crowd filled as much with other artists playing the festival as fans. Those who attended were truly interested and excited to see the bands, and it was a refreshing change of pace from the big festivals that typically dominate the summer conversation.
The first night, featuring a vast variety of groups, offered something for everyone. Tenement, the three-piece power-pop group from Wisconsin, kicked off the evening with a tight set containing highlights from their new triple LP, Predatory Headlights. The band played a solid set that ended abruptly, but people wanting more of that didn’t have to wait too much longer to see Tony Molina rock the same space to a packed room a couple hours later. Molina, a hardcore frontman turned indie rocker, may have been the only act of the night to have a set filled with guitar solos and hooks that could’ve fit on a Weezer record. As the most pop-oriented act of the night, Molina led his band through a slew of minute-long jams that fit surprisingly well sandwiched between a run of hardcore acts.
Hardcore was mostly relegated to the smaller side room that evening, and two acts who stood out were Back to Back and Dress Code, two young acts from Houston. Dress Code played a tight, energetic set to warm up the room, and an hour later Back to Back packed the space with one of the first real pits of the night. The group have built up a reputation for intense live performances over the past few years, and they delivered. Another Texas group that stood out was S U R V I V E, a synth-focused darkwave group from Austin. The group fit well in late night Orange County, playing the kind of music that could fit on the soundtrack for Drive if the film was even darker and more violent.
A big theme of night one was noise. Destruction Unit, the psych rock group from Arizona responsible for running the experimental tape label Ascetic House, were one of the main draws of the first night, playing a special set with “friends” that included The Germs’ Don Bolles, Hank Wood & The Hammerheads’ Logan Montana, and Alex Zhang Hungtai (formerly Dirty Beaches) on saxophone. In all, there were nine people on stage, half of which were on guitar. Destruction Unit are always known for squalor and extended jams at their live shows, and this performance expanded on that, as the members focused less on songs than sustaining a whirlwind of noise throughout.
Other standouts in that category were Sissy Spacek, a California grindcore group who were punishingly heavy. The band played an early set in the dance tent, and while they didn’t fit that categorization, they won the crowd over with an onslaught of noise that would outdo the energy of many of the hardcore groups throughout the weekend. While less chaotic, another noise act stood out with a restrained set that evening, as Nate Young of Wolf Eyes commanded a small crowd in the main room with an entrancing set. Young brought a harmonica onstage and performed spoken word material over his slow, creeping power electronics that made for a twisted version of the blues. A far cry from the manic insanity of the Wolf Eyes live set, this made for a stellar palette cleanser before the headlining acts that followed.
The night’s top-billed act, Thee Oh Sees, played a good set as always; they’re a group of consummate professionals. While they may have been the literal headliners, though, the true draw of night one was Australia’s Total Control. The post-punk group released their excellent second album, Typical System, to rave reviews in 2014, but never toured behind it. The Berserktown team convinced the group to embark on a small US tour including this stop, and talking to many in the audience, the rare chance to catch the group was many people’s reason for traveling across the country to watch the band. Dressed in an athletic jersey he later removed to reveal a DJ Screw T-shirt, singer Dan Stewart towered over the room with his commanding presence. The band packed the main room, their audience enraptured as the group tore through cuts the audience was getting to see live for the first time. By the end of the night, pretty much everyone there would agree it was worth the wait.
The second day brought out more people and a main stage filled with more hardcore acts than day one. Highlights among those were Cleveland’s Cruelster, whose irreverence and general awkwardness was a fun change of pace from many of the others. They would abruptly cut off songs seemingly midway through, engage in minute-long start-stop drum fills between songs, and take turns jumping up and down three or four times before starting a track. Another humorous group that played later in the night, but with far more intensity, was Boston’s Rival Mob. Vocalist Brendan Radigan gave some of the best stage banter of the night as the group tore through their invigorating set. Radigan remarked on how he was grateful to put 3,000 miles between him and his job, and on how he enjoyed coming out to Los Angeles so he could see all the sites from True Detective Season 2. “You enabled us. It’s your fault for flying us out here and giving us all this money,” Radigan said. While the banter was amusing, the set was something else, as they delivered one of the most thrilling sets of the night, drawing from all their records.
For those looking for an alternative to hardcore, day two had a lot to offer as well. An early afternoon set by experimental folk singer Weyes Blood served as a nice warm-up to the charged frenzy of the later bands. The artist took the stage accompanied only by her guitar and some tape loops, and she proceeded to play a captivating set of stark folk music. Serene and calming, her songs were impeccably crafted, and though she had to deal with the noise bleed coming through from the main stage, the crowd didn’t seem to mind. On the opposite side of the spectrum, rapper Antwon had the main room dancing along to his hard-hitting take on Bay Area hip-hop.
Another act that was a big draw of the weekend for many was Australian garage-soul revivalists Royal Headache, who release their second album August 21st. The band’s history is tumultuous, as singer Shogun has left and returned to the group on multiple occasions, and by all accounts they had broken up for good before the announcement of the Berserktown lineup and subsequent album. The fractured relationship between the band was on full display on stage, as Shogun would comment after certain songs that they were terrible and depraved, and before a brief encore mentioned that the only reason they were still together was so he could get out of Sydney for a bit. Whatever the reason was, it was a welcome treat to catch them, as his voice is one of the more pronounced around, taking cues from ‘50s soul and incorporating that into songs with a punk level of energy.
One band that never disappoints is Toronto’s Fucked Up, who played an energetic late afternoon set that packed the side room. Frontman Damian Abraham paraded shirtless around the audience and climbed up the bar as the band played excerpts from throughout their discography. While they’re currently in the midst of a tour playing songs from the Zodiac series of records (lengthy experimental tracks they release annually), the Berserktown set focused on their more accessible material. Abraham indicated this was the last time we’d see them for a while, as they were getting ready to go on another hiatus due to the impending birth of Abraham’s next child. They made the most of it with a signature set that proved why their blend of pop-punk and hardcore has won over so many fans around the world. Before entering into set closer “Son the Father”, Abraham indicated the importance of punk being about standing for something politically, not so much about parties but about fighting against systemic oppression. Let’s hope Fucked Up won’t take too long to return, because they’ve become one of the most consistently great live acts of the past decade.
Other international acts stole the show for the remainder of day two. Spain’s Juanita Y Los Feos delivered a thrilling and energetic set at the small stage in the early evening, playing manic punk songs with Spanish lyrics. In the dance tent later that night, Danish group Lust for Youth brought the rave to Orange County. Drawing mainly from their 2014 record International, the group played throbbing dance music that turned the room into its own mini EDM fest. The last band of the night was Danish punk group No Hope for the Kids, who played their first reunion show in years to a slightly smaller crowd than the previous night’s headliners.
The final day showed that the festival had saved the best for last. Focusing less on hardcore and more on punk, grunge, and psych groups, day three also had a little bit of something for everyone. The early afternoon featured a spellbinding set by Circuit Des Yeux, the experimental art-pop musician who led a band in what felt like a folk version of Swans, featuring the intensity and impending sense of foreboding doom that Michael Gira and co. are known for. Other early highlights were country-punk group Gun Outfit, who sounded like a cross between Meat Puppets and Silver Jews, and Philadelphia noise rockers Watery Love, a group that rarely tours and delivered a squalor-filled set that resulted in broken guitar strings.
The main theme of the afternoon and early evening was politically charged punk. Bands like Downtown Boys, Priests, White Lung, and Sheer Mag each played weekend-best sets filled with political messages that displayed the ethos of what punk should be. Downtown Boys kicked things off with a whirlwind of a set dedicated to singer Victoria Ruiz’s mother; it was her birthday and she was in the audience. Ruiz spoke at length in between songs about racism in social and economic contexts and then carried those messages forth in their songs. Priests singer Katie Alice Greer lunged her body back and forth around the stage as she led a frenzied set, peaking with the group’s 2014 song “And Breeding”, which featured Greer, hunched over, screaming, “Barack Obama killed something in me, and I’m gonna get him for it!”
While less overtly political, both White Lung and Sheer Mag continued those themes in their music. White Lung’s Mish Way gave a shout-out to an eight-year-old girl in the audience and then dedicated the song “I Believe You” to the girl, indicating that it was inappropriate but something she would have to learn eventually. The song, from the group’s excellent 2014 album Deep Fantasy, is about reaching out to a victim of sexual assault and the power of telling someone that you believe them and aren’t calling them a liar. The band also tore through a blistering set of highlights from both that album and 2012’s Sorry, proving that they’re one of the most exciting current bands to watch. A bit later, Philadelphia group Sheer Mag led another crowd-pleasing set full of politically charged messages about slumlords, income inequality, and oppression in general. Theirs is some of the catchiest power-pop released in the past five years, causing masses of hardcore and punk bands to sing “whoa-oh-oh”s at the top of their lungs.
For those averse to the more pop-oriented bands, there was plenty of harsh noise in the dance tent from Danish artists Puce Mary and Damien Dubrovnik, both of which played harsh and uncompromising sets. Other heavyweights included the FrenchCanadian black metal group Akitsa, who played a crushingly dark set at night at the side stage. Dressed in polos and with an eerie sense of calm, the group were awe-inspiring.
The big story of the night — and the festival — were the three headliners that ended the weekend. First up was Milk Music, the grunge band from Olympia, Washington, who played their first show in two years. The country-fried grunge was a nice segue into the final two bands. Next up was Dead Moon, the legendary garage-punk group from Portland that consists of husband and wife Fred and Toody Cole. It was a bittersweet night, as the band played without drummer Andrew Loomis, who was recently diagnosed with cancer. The band decided to play the festival, but made it sound like this would be their last tour for the foreseeable future. The whole venue was packed as people crammed in to get a chance to see the punk legends play one more show, and no one left disappointed.
Those who stayed all the way until the end got a chance to watch the one and only Royal Trux play their first show in 15 years. Neil Hagerty and Jennifer Herrema dissolved their band and cut ties in 2001, a breakup that was slightly acrimonious with no indication of a reconciliation, even after reissuing their discography. That is, until 2013, when Hagerty contributed writing to two songs on an album for Herrema’s current band Black Bananas. When both artists were already booked for the fest in separate bands, the team putting on the fest brought up the idea of a reunion as a long shot, but after consulting their record label, both Hagerty and Herrema agreed to do it. While both have indicated that the future is uncertain, they had decided to play at least one show together.
That show turned out to be a touching culmination of their prowess together, an appropriately loose and messy set that had everyone in the crowd dancing and freaking out at the chance to see this beloved group play again. Hagerty mostly stood in the corner while Herrema, a cap pulled down to hide her face, moved all about the stage, flailing and singing with a reckless attitude that worked with the songs. People who weren’t even old enough to be out of diapers when some of the songs were written were screaming along, not to mention members of the crowd who probably attended Royal Trux shows before the breakup. The band drew on songs from all throughout their career, from their 1988 self-titled debut to “Banana Question” off 1998’s Accelerator. Songs like “Ice Cream”, “Back to School”, and “Junkie Nurse” all drew admiration, and while it was apparent the group probably hadn’t rehearsed much, no one in the audience seemed to mind.
Berserktown was a weekend filled with memories of the rare opportunity to see a wide assortment of bands around the world, many of which rarely, if ever, embark on tours around the country. As a DIY endeavor full of people working together to create something special, the weekend was an unqualified success. Here’s hoping it continues to have a long history of providing an alternative outlet for weird music for years to come.
Cruelster
Damien Dubrovnik
Dead Moon
Destruction Unit
DJ Stingray
Gun Outfit
Juanita Y Los Feos
Milk Music
No Hope for the Kids
Puce Mary
Rival Mob
Royal Headache
Royal Trux
Watery Love
Berserktown
Psych Rock
Tracy Morgan to make TV return as host of Saturday Night Live
Autre Ne Veut announces US tour dates
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Meet The Most Powerful Operative In The Middle East
An Iranian general is gaining publicity as he spreads his country’s influence all the way from Lebanon to Afghanistan.
Qassem Suleimani is the commander of the Quds Force, a unit of the Revolutionary Guard designed to operate outside Iran’s borders. Pictures of Suleimani have been appearing in greater frequency in the past year, raising questions as to why this former covert operator would allow a degree of notoriety.
Once a shadowy figure, Suleimani has risen to near-celebrity status. The first reason for this shift can be explained as an “attempt to reach out to political decision makers, communicating that if they want to reach an agreement with Iran, they need to talk to him,” said Ali Alfoneh, an Iran expert at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
Evidence of this aim was a foiled assassination attempt on the Saudi ambassador while he ate at a restaurant near the White House in 2011. Suleimani hired a Mexican drug cartel to carry out the hit, but his operative accidentally approached an undercover U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration official in the cartel.
Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was secretly negotiating with the U.S. during this time, according to Alfoneh. Suleimani wasn’t so interested in whether or not it would be successful, but he wanted to derail any attempts to normalize Iran-U.S. relations.
On principle, Suleimani isn’t against nuclear negotiations or normalization with the U.S., but he wants to be in charge. In 2008, Suleimani sent an infamous text to former Gen. David Petraeus, saying he’s the one who decides Iran’s policies in the Middle East region.
Secondly, publicity provides a way for Suleimani to wage psychological warfare on the Islamic State. He’s released a photograph of himself sipping tea with Iraqi commanders outside Tikrit. This is Suleimani’s way of communicating the message that he’ll not only take the city, but he’s relaxed about it.
Of the 30,000 fighters involved in the Tikrit offensive, an estimated 20,000 are members of Iran-backed, Shiite militias. These groups are competing with each other for Suleimani’s favor, who is supplying arms, money and logistical support. The Iraqi military is officially responsible for the operation — but in reality, Suleimani is leading the offensive in Tikrit.
Alfoneh told The Daily Caller News Foundation:
He is perfectly happy with the fact that the Islamic State is present in Iraq. I am not so sure his end goal is to annihilate the Islamic State. I am thinking he is taking advantage of the fact, because this legitimizes Iran’s military presence in Iraq. This was something that was completely unacceptable just a couple years ago. Now, it has become legitimized.
The Islamic State is also a bargaining chip in the hands of Iran, as it conducts nuclear negotiations with the U.S. Both governments claim the terrorist organization is not a part of the process, but information has been exchanged about the Islamic State in Iraq.
“I would be deeply surprised if Iran is not taking advantage of its strong position in Iraq in order to force concessions from the U.S. in the nuclear issue,” said Alfoneh.
A third motivation for Suleimani’s shift is that he has some designs when it comes to domestic policy. He wants to be a known person in the Iranian public, and might have political ambitions in the future, says Alfoneh.
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Posts Tagged Libyan Revolution
International Criminal Court, Gaddafi, Libya and Exile
Posted by Dan Godzich in Exile, Libya, Middle East, World Affairs on June 27, 2011
The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Muammar Gaddafi, which will just cause him to dig in deeper. That is why I am re-issuing the blog post I wrote last December and then updated when NATO started the “kinetic military action” in Libya.
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Berlusconi, Gaddafi, ICC, International Criminal Court, Kinetic Military Action, Libya, Libyan Civil War, Libyan Revolution, Muammar Gaddafi
Libya, Saddam Hussein’s Weapons of Mass Destruction, Hillary Clinton and the slam dunk
Posted by Dan Godzich in Libya, Middle East, World Affairs on April 1, 2011
WASHINGTON DC – In a startling development Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced today that Saddam Hussein’s missing Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) have been discovered in Libya.
“It appears that the WMDs that were supposed to have been in Iraq have finally turned up in Libya,” said Secretary Clinton. When asked how certain the US is of this, she replied, “It’s a slam dunk.”
When reminded that the “slam dunk” phrase was used by a previous administration in regards to WMD in Iraq, Secretary Clinton said, “President George W. Bush was a baseball owner and President Barak Obama plays basketball. This administration knows what a ‘slam dunk’ really is.”
When asked how the US could know this when the President has promised to not have “boots on the ground” in Libya, Clinton responded, “We don’t have boots on the ground. Military guys wear boots. CIA guys wear shoes.”
When asked for a comment on this remark Director of Central Intelligence, Leon Panetta , said, “The Agency has a policy of not commenting on the footwear of our covert operatives.”
Reached by telephone for comment, former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld , said “What? In Libya?” then there was sound that sounded like a hand slapping a forehead, “Why didn’t we think of looking there?” Then the line was disconnected.
A question was posed to Secretary Clinton as to what kind of WMD had been found in Libya to which she replied, “Bad ones.” When questioned as to if there were any sort of “good WMD” she answered, “Good WMDs are ones that we or our friends control. Bad ones are in the hands of bad people.”
Since shortly after the invasion of Iraq, Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi claimed to have given up on his own nuclear and WMD programs. It was asked why he would have Saddam Hussein’s WMD.
“You just said it,” answered Clinton. “He gave up his own WMD because he already had Saddam’s, why did he need his own?”
Asked if this will increase the US operation Odyssey Dawn from just enforcing a “No-Fly” or a “No-Fly and No-Drive” Zone to something else, Clinton remarked:
“The Kinetic Military Action in Libya should more properly be referred to as a ‘Flying-by-the-seat-of-your-pants’ Zone.”
When the White House was called to have this matter confirmed by the National Security Advisor, Tom Donilon, the newly installed White House Press Secretary Jay Carney responded by saying, “Who?”
Current Defense Secretary Robert Gates was contacted for comment on the existence of Saddam Hussein’s WMD in Libya. He responded by saying, “Ask Valerie Plame.”
More of this story to come as it breaks, today, the first day of April…
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April Fool's, Barak Obama, CIA, Director of Central Intelligence, Gaddafi, George W Bush, Hillary Clinton, Khaddafi, Kinetic Military Action, Libyan Revolution, Libyan war, National Security Advisor, No-fly zone, Odyssey Dawn, President Bush, President Obama, Robert Gates, Rumsfeld, Saddam Hussein, Secretary of State, slam dunk, Tom Donilon, Valerie Plame, Weapons of Mass Destruction, WMD
Understanding Government Speak: Kinetic Military Action in Libya
Posted by Dan Godzich in Middle East, World Affairs on March 25, 2011
Allies, Barak Obama, Command and Control, Gaddafi, Government speak, Kinetic Military Action, Libyan Civil War, Libyan Revolution, Libyan war, Osama Bin Laden, Revenue Enhancement, Saddam Hussein, Taxes, the Chinese own us
Charlie Sheen, Conan O’Brian, Middle East Revolution and Paddy Chayefsky
Posted by Dan Godzich in Economics, Egypt Revolution, Middle East, Public Relations and business strategy, Technology, World Affairs on March 9, 2011
What do Charlie Sheen, Conan O’Brian and Steven Slater (the flight attendant who quit his job, grabbed a beer and slid down the emergency chute) have to do with protestors in the Egypt, Tunisia, Bahrain, Iran and possibly Saudi Arabia?
And what do any of these people have to do with a 1976 movie written by Paddy Chayefsky?
A lot. In that film, “Network”, a fictional news anchor, Howard Beale, decides that he is “mad as hell,” and that he is “not going to take it anymore!” The network decides to keep him on the air, he becomes a phenomenon and called a Mad Prophet.
Sheen, Conan O’Brian and Flight attendant Steven Slater were all frustrated with their employers. They all left their jobs loudly rather than quietly and became folk heroes in the process. Folk heroes fueled by the internet social sites, Facebook and Twitter in particular.
Chayefsky was three decades ahead of his time and the word “Network” today has a larger meaning. In the movie the public at large joined the “Mad as Hell and not going to take it anymore!” movement. Today people across the world are mad as hell.
People have been “mad as hell” for a while. The current global economic downturn has frustrated people across the planet. The difference is that now people have decided that they “…are not going to take it anymore.” The internet and social networking in particular, are providing a way to express the anger. More than that, the online world is providing a way to organize and get results.
The results are real. Conan O’Brian was able to keep his fan base despite being barred from broadcast television. Charlie Sheen may be onto a new career as an online Mad Prophet selling Tiger’s Blood and promoting “winning.” In the Middle East, two strongmen who held power for decades have fallen, one is in a civil war and others may still be deposed.
The plot twist in the 1976 movie was that the “Network” decided to keep the Mad Prophet on the air in a cynical ploy for ratings. In today’s network, the TV Networks could not keep Charlie Sheen, Conan O’Brian off the air- at least not off the internet. Neither could an Egyptian state run TV station silence a Google manager.
When people are Mad as Hell in this new Communications/Information age, those in power will have to listen – they can no longer just pull the plug. The Mad as Hell side is “winning.”
That changes everything.
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Charlie Sheen, Conan O'Brian, Egypt Revolution, Flight attendent who quit and jumped down emergency chute, Gaddafi, Howard Beale, Libyan Civil War, Libyan Revolution, Mad as hell, Mad as hell and not going to take it anymore, Mad Prophet, Network, Paddy Chayefsky, Steven Slater, Tiger's Blood, winning
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Deprecated features in SQL Server Reporting Services in SQL Server 2016
APPLIES TO: SQL Server Reporting Services (2016) SQL Server Reporting Services (2017) Power BI Report Server
For content related to previous versions of SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS), see SQL Server 2014 Reporting Services.
This topic describes the deprecated SQL Server Reporting Services features. The features are still available in the release in which they are deprecated; however the features are scheduled to be removed in a future release of SQL Server. Don't use deprecated features in new applications.
Features Not Supported in the Next Version of SQL Server Reporting Services
The following SQL Server Reporting Services features won't be supported in the next version of SQL Server. Don't use these features in new development work, and modify applications that currently use these features as soon as possible.
Deprecated feature
Report Server HTML4.0 renderer. Use the HTML5 renderer.
Features Not Supported in Previous Versions of SQL Server Reporting Services
SQL Server 2014 Reporting Services Deprecated Features
What's New in Reporting Services Backward Compatibility | Reporting Services
Behavior Changes to SQL Server Reporting Services in SQL Server 2016
Discontinued Functionality to SQL Server Reporting Services in SQL Server 2016
More questions? Try asking the Reporting Services forum
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