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> Custodio d’Avo
Custodio d’Avo
Global Brand Director
Custodio likes a good story… and has been telling them in beauty industry circles for nearly 30 years. Having worked for Chanel, Elizabeth Arden and La Prairie, as well as Swissline for the last 10 years, he knows the industry inside out. Building on his management experience in the fields of marketing and education, he has presented his fair share of product-related stories to the press, trainers and distributors in Europe, the Middle East & Asia. With an insightful vision when it comes to developing skincare products, and a passion both for the ingredients and the biology of the skin, Custodio can most definitely "talk the talk"!
"While collaborating with Swissline, I achieved my dream of playing creative director - bringing product ideas to life with the support of our chemists, explains Custodio. In some way, I like to think that I went from being a story teller in my previous jobs, to a… science teller.
Joining a team of scientists - while not being one yourself - gives you an edge in terms of creativity because you don’t have to always keep both feet on the lab's floor… the chemists will do that for you! In Switzerland, probably more than anywhere else on the planet, products are formulated with strict respect for the skin we were born in."
In the early 90’s, while completing his Philosophy studies at Catholic University of Portugal in Lisbon, Custodio took a sincere interest in fragrance, particularly in the evocative language associated with scents – the words used to describe a fragrance. Over the years, this became the theme for countless workshops and self-development courses that Custodio undertook at various addresses throughout France, including those in the early 90’s at Osmotheque in Versailles or Cinquième Sens in Paris.
Looking for the perfect words to convey a product’s essence, can be a wonderful obsession, something Custodio devotes himself to with abandon. For the past two decades, however, the world of fragrance became a personal diversion, whereas skincare became his professional focus.
He elaborates on the “science-teller” path:
"When I joined Swissline in 2007, we were focused on a new formulation genre addressing the needs of those having either undergone aesthetic procedures or planning to do so.
This new genre needed to embody a positive message about aging, and peel away antiquated terminology such as anti-wrinkle, anti-sagging, anti-this and anti-that, and provide a more contemporary style revolving around “youth-inducing”! Because skin has an endless power of self-recovery and healing, it was imperative for us to work with the skin, and not against it - not “anti”. When we support the skin's own recovery potential, skin will ingeniously defy aging."
The collection was later named Cell Shock Age Intelligence™, as it provides a directive on how to outsmart the signs of skin aging. But even more, it implies these formulas benefit from the input of various doctors and aesthetic surgeons in Switzerland who provide INTELLIGENCE, in other words, “insider information,” that gives these formulas a boost.
"When you apply Age Intelligence™ products for the first time you’ll immediately sense a difference, explains Custodio. Somehow the skin recognises the formulas, first and foremost, as something friendly. It always brings a smile to my face knowing this is the result of the intelligence we gathered from our “secret service.” With so much of the same-old, same-old, boring skincare out there, it is wonderful to see we can stand out from the crowd. Because of its personality, Age Intelligence will most likely always be my favourite child."
Father of two, a vegan, and passionate about cinema as well as birdwatching, Custodio lives in Zurich with his four parrots and a library devoted to his colourful, winged friends… some books dating back as far as 1830!
Custodio explains his fascination with parrots:
"The history of the relationship between men and parrots is that of the clash between two intelligent species, in which the feathered flock lost, immensely. Parrots are today the most endangered family of birds in the wild, with many species facing the threat of extinction, partly due to the illegal pet trade."
An active member of the World Parrot Trust, Custodio invites you to visit www.parrots.org and learn more.
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Election observers make recommendations
[TamilNet, Saturday, 25 December 1999, 08:41 GMT]
The International Observers Group which monitored Sri Lanka's Presidential election held last Tuesday, has submitted fifteen recommendations to the government to ensure a free and fair poll in future. The IOG tabled its report, at a press conference held Friday in Colombo's Hilton Hotel. Specific recommendations were made with regards to elections in Jaffna.
"We recommend that an Independent multi-member Election Commission with full financial autonomy be appointed by a nominating committee consisting of the President, the Leader of the Opposition and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. One of the Commission members should have judicial experience " said Prof.Lord Desai the Chairman of the IOG to the press yesterday.
Other fourteen recommendations are:
1. The Election Commission should review the Voter Card system which has caused problems in some districts.
2. There was concern among some observers about the role of the police. It was felt that closer communications between the officers at the polling stations and police HG would be helpful There should be a police presence in the vicinity of the polling booth. The Police should maintain order within the polling stations at voting.
3. Police officers ( DIGs,SSPs) should be required to report incidents during election time promptly to the District Secretary and go by his advice on the action required as well as on the disposition and deployment of forces.
4. The quality of the indelible ink should be reviewed.
5. The media funded by State should be required to give balanced and fair coverage to the view point of all parties and their candidates, as well as news and events concerning them to avoid being viewed as the propagande organ of the party in power.
6. The Election Commission and the Press Council should introduce a Code of Conduct both for the State owned and the privately owned sound and print media.
7. A transparent limit should be determined for election expenses by candidates and by political parties.
8. The Group noted that the law on the removal of posters was not enforced and recommends that consideration should be given to the relevance of the law.
9. The Group recommends that for future IOGs a better gender balance should be aimed at.
10.The Group recommends that government employees should not act as agents of political parties during a poll.
11. The National Consultation Committee on Election may be encouraged to act more efectively in collaboration with the Election Commission in resolving law and order and other campaign related issues in order to help conduct a free and fair election. Similar committees should be encouraged to function at the local level in collaboration with the Returning Officer.
12. It is prudent to make it a requirement to have all counting agents sign all certifying documents at the end of the count.
13. There should be Code of Conduct or Ethics for all political parties and candidates from the time of notification of the election.
14. To secure the integrity of the ballot papers a distinct seal instead of a simple perforation should be provided at each polling station and each ballot paper stamped at the time of issue to the voter.
The IOG has made the following specific recommendations for the Jaffna district in its report:
1. The Register of voters should be updated at the same time as the register of other districts.
2. Polling stations should be clearly numbered and directions clearly given. Additional polling stations should be provided.
3. International observers and their liaison officers/interpreters must be admitted unimpeded to the polling stations.
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Collusion, apathy said skewing medical legal reports
[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 February 2001, 22:02 GMT]
"There is inordinate delay in getting medical reports on rape and torture from the Batticaloa hospital" said Suganthi Kandasamy, state counsel, addressing a seminar on Community awareness and aspects of the law Sunday in the eastern town. She noted that it is very difficult to prosecute cases involving torture and rape in Batticaloa because medical legal reports are either not available or in some important cases, even the preliminary examination of the victim is not done by medical officers assigned for the purpose at the Batticaloa hospital.
The observations of Ms.Kandasamy come in the wake of a strong reprimand by the Vavuniya district judge, Manickavasagar Ilencheliyan in court last year of medical officers in that northern border town who, according to him, had acted in bad faith by reporting that nothing was wrong with persons bearing clear marks of physical torture that were shown in open court.
Ms. Kandasamy cited a case in which a woman in the village of Kaluwanchikudi, about 24 kilometers south of Batticaloa, who was raped by a person from the Sri Lankan security forces. She said that the woman had not even been examined at the Batticaloa hospital, despite the passage of several months since the date of the rape.
According to Ms. Kandasamy, even direct intervention by judges who gave directions that the medical legal reports be produced forthwith in cases involving rape and murdered yielded no results.
During the discussion that followed the Batticaloa state counsel's presentation, Mr.Aiyathurai Nadesan, the local correspondent for the Virakesari, the Tamil daily newspaper published from Colombo and numerous foreign Tamil media, corroborated Ms.Kandasamy's observations by drawing attention to the fact that the Sri Lankan government hasn't so far appointed a single Judicial Medical Officer (JMO) in the north and east, despite the fact that most of the extra-judicial killings, torture and rape in this region were allegedly or quite plainly were perpetrated by the SLA.
The patent apathy and corruption on the part of some medical officers in the north and east who certify that nothing is wrong with victims who have obviously been tortured, raped, maimed, and, or traumatised, exacerbates the situation, Ms. Kandasamy said.
Another person in the audience charged that some medical officers in Batticaloa, Vavuniya and Mannar were patently colluding with the Sri Lankan army to give it a clean sheet in cases involving unequivocal evidence of torture, rape and severe sexual harassment.
Ms.Kandasamy said that the sheer apathy of village officers (Grama Sevakas) in serving summons to the affected parties in rape and torture cases, regardless of the unique circumstances, is another key factor balking reasonable redress to the victims.
According to her, the Batticaloa judge has served an arrest warrant on a village officer for his incorrigible negligence.
Ms.Mangaleswari Manikkapodi, legal advisor to the Suriya women's movement who organised the seminar addressing the audience at the Hamsa Hotel in Batticaloa town Sunday.Photo:TamilNet
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Macroeconomic Environment
In: Business and Management
Submitted By nicole0276
Words 3455
INTRODUCTION **** marketing definition Macro economics is the study of the behaviour and trends in the economy as a whole involving the analysis of six major forces to identify possible opportunities and threats available to the organisation. To illustrate these forces, the hypothetical “Bamboo Company” (located in Sydney New South Wales) will be used. This organisation has prided itself on the use of recyclable and renewable resources where possible and as a result, has developed the Bambicycle. This entry level hybrid bicycle combines the best attributes of a road bike and a mountain bike in one as well as being constructed by bamboo which is one of the world’s fastest growing renewable resources.
An analysis of the six macroeconomic influences with reference to the Bamboo Company are as follows:
THE DEMOGRAPHIC ENVIRONMENT Demographics is the statistical study of the population as a whole, consisting of the following variables and how they will affect the bicycle marketing environment: – The changing age structure of population “Australia's population, like that of most developed countries, is ageing as a result of sustained low fertility and increasing life expectancy” (Australian Bureau of Statistics [ABS], 2010a para 7). The proportion of the population aged 65 years and over is projected to increase from 13% in 2007 to between 23% and 25% in 2056, and 25% and 28% in 2101 (ABS, 2010c para 15) with the first wave of baby boomers exiting the workforce in 2011. . – The Changing Family There is an increasing trend of families who no longer have children within the home such as the “empty nesters”. The proportion of families without resident children has increased from”35% of total families in 1997, 38% in 2003, and 40% in 2006-07 and 2009-10” (ABS, 2011b para…...
Analysis of the Macroeconomic Environment Within the Health-Care
...This report discusses macroeconomic factors that impact both the automotive and health-care industries. Interest rates, consumer price index (CPI), consumer confidence, Gross Domestic Product (GDP), wage rates, and inventory levels impact the macroeconomic environment to influence these industries in the short run. Consumption as a percentage of the GDP depicted in table 1 indicates a continuous declined in consumer spending from 2005 through 2010 and suggests that consumers are becoming more conservative with disposable income spent on elective health-care products and procedures as-well-as new vehicle purchases. As the nominal interest rates indicate in table 2, the FED attempted to encourage consumer spending by decreasing the interest rates to encourage expansionistic economic activity, which would also be a positive influencing factor for both the health-care and automotive industries. The automobile industry is volatile by nature and heavily influence by macroeconomic factors, while the health-care industry enjoys an inelastic environment. Macroeconomic factors influence the health-care industry, it is unlikely essential health-care demand will decrease in the short term; however, elective health-care products and services will likely suffer as will new vehicle purchases as consumers remain conservative. The future is not as bleak as one might anticipate. The automotive industry is traditionally volatile and dependent upon the macroeconomic environment and currently......
...Block IV MACROECONOMICS – II UNIT 17 Inflation 1-14 UNIT 18 Banking and Money Supply 15-31 UNIT 19 International Trade and Balance of Payments 32-50 UNIT 20 Economic Indicators 51-62 UNIT 21 Business Cycles 63-71 UNIT 22 Economic Growth, Development and Planning 72-84 Economics for Managers Expert Committee Dr. J. Mahender Reddy Vice Chancellor IFHE (Deemed to be University) Hyderabad Prof. Y. K. Bhushan Vice Chancellor IU, Meghalaya Prof. Loveraj Takru Director, IBS Dehradun IU, Dehradun Course Preparation Team Prof. Ramalingam Meenakshisundaram IFHE (Deemed to be University) Hyderabad Ms. Pushpanjali Mikkilineni IFHE (Deemed to be University) Hyderabad Mr. Pijus Kanti Bhuin IU, Sikkim Ms. Preetaq Dutta Rai IU, Jharkhand Ranchi Prof. S S George Director, ICMR IFHE (Deemed to be University) Hyderabad Dr. O. P. Gupta Vice Chancellor IU, Nagaland Prof. D. S. Rao Director, IBS, Hyderabad IFHE (Deemed to be University) Hyderabad Ms. Hadiya Faheem IFHE (Deemed to be University) Hyderabad Mr. Mrinmoy Bhattacharjee IU, Mizoram Aizawal Prof. Tarak Nath Shah IU, Dehradun Mr. Manoj Kumar De IU, Tripura Agartala © The ICFAI University Press, All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, used in a spreadsheet, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise – without prior permission in writing from The ICFAI University Press, Hyderabad. Ref. No. Eco Mgrs SLM – 09...
Words: 28786 - Pages: 116
...100% *21266* Fri, Nov 9, 2001 11:52 AM C H A P T E R The Science of Macroeconomics The whole of science is nothing more than the refinement of everyday thinking. — Albert Einstein 1 O N E 1-1 What Macroeconomists Study Why have some countries experienced rapid growth in incomes over the past century while others stay mired in poverty? Why do some countries have high rates of inflation while others maintain stable prices? Why do all countries experience recessions and depressions—recurrent periods of falling incomes and rising unemployment—and how can government policy reduce the frequency and severity of these episodes? Macroeconomics, the study of the economy as a whole, attempts to answer these and many related questions. To appreciate the importance of macroeconomics, you need only read the newspaper or listen to the news. Every day you can see headlines such as INCOME GROWTH SLOWS, FED MOVES TO COMBAT INFLATION, or STOCKS FALL AMID RECESSION FEARS. Although these macroeconomic events may seem abstract, they touch all of our lives. Business executives forecasting the demand for their products must guess how fast consumers’ incomes will grow. Senior citizens living on fixed incomes wonder how fast prices will rise. Recent college graduates looking for jobs hope that the economy will boom and that firms will be hiring. Because the state of the economy affects everyone, macroeconomic issues play a central role in political debate.Voters are aware of how......
Words: 188819 - Pages: 756
... Macroeconomic Theory Macroeconomic Theory A Dynamic General Equilibrium Approach Michael Wickens Princeton University Press Princeton and Oxford Copyright © 2008 by Princeton University Press Published by Princeton University Press, 41 William Street, Princeton, New Jersey 08540 In the United Kingdom: Princeton University Press, 3 Market Place, Woodstock, Oxfordshire OX20 1SY All Rights Reserved ? A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library This book has been composed in Times and typeset by T&T Productions Ltd, London Printed on acid-free paper press.princeton.edu Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 ∞ Contents Preface 1 Introduction 1.1 Dynamic General Equilibrium versus Traditional Macroeconomics 1.2 Traditional Macroeconomics 1.3 Dynamic General Equilibrium Macroeconomics 1.4 This Book The Centralized Economy 2.1 Introduction 2.2 The Basic Dynamic General Equilibrium Closed Economy 2.3 Golden Rule Solution 2.3.1 The Steady State 2.3.2 The Dynamics of the Golden Rule 2.4 Optimal Solution 2.4.1 Derivation of the Fundamental Euler Equation 2.4.2 Interpretation of the Euler Equation 2.4.3 Intertemporal Production Possibility Frontier 2.4.4 Graphical Representation of the Solution 2.4.5 Static Equilibrium Solution 2.4.6 Dynamics of the Optimal Solution 2.4.7 Algebraic Analysis of the Saddlepath Dynamics 2.5 Real-Business-Cycle Dynamics 2.5.1 The Business Cycle 2.5.2 Permanent Technology Shocks 2.5.3......
...Introduction In this paper is analyzing the business idea of cousin Edgar to invest in four gas stations in U.S. After conducting researches and analyzing information, there are factors that Cousin Edgar might need to consider before the investment and start up the business. Firstly, the country’s economy health needs to be examined, whether the microeconomic factors, such as the level of demand in gasoline, monthly and a year and the factors that influencing supply of gasoline. Subsequently, macroeconomic factors determine the business idea in producing high profit, and also determining the business span in the short run or even in the long run. Macroeconomic analyzes in oil price According to The World Bank (2014) the total macroeconomic impact of the U.S. oil and natural gas industry is significant. Moreover, the industry was directly and indirectly responsible for over $1 trillion of value- added, or 7.7% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Essentially the estimation that the oil and natural gas industry’s total impact on labor income in 2009 was $534 billion (including benefits), which flow to 9.2 million Americans in jobs directly or indirectly in the industry or in jobs supported by those in the industry. In 2007, it is estimated that the industry directly and indirectly contributed approximately $280 billion of revenue to federal, state and local governments. The industry’s impact goes beyond the operations of the companies actively engaged in exploration......
...macro environment macro data market environment Definitions (2)Add to FlashcardsSave to FavoritesSee Examples 1. The major external and uncontrollable factors that influence an organization's decision making, and affect its performance and strategies. These factors include the economic factors; demographics; legal, political, and social conditions; technological changes; and natural forces. 2. Specific examples of macro environment influences include competitors, changes in interest rates, changes in cultural tastes, disastrous weather, or government regulations. Macroeconomic Factors and the Management Environment by Leo Sun As a new business manager, the first thing you must be in tune with is the state of microeconomics and macroeconomics. While we are trained to pay attention to the former, the latter can often catch us by surprise and sink our business instantly. Microeconomic factors are company-specific trends. These are the factors in your business that keep it afloat. Revenue, earnings and margin are the key micro factors at your company. The size of your workforce, the production volume of your products and your advertising campaigns are all micro factors as well. In short, micro factors are parts of your business that can be fine-tuned and changed by the management. Macroeconomic factors are national and global events which are out of your control. The September 11th terrorist attacks, the financial meltdown of 2008-2009 and the European sovereign debt......
...ceteris paribus to focus on the relationship between two variables, (c) think in marginal terms, and (d) assume that rational people respond to incentives. • We use macroeconomics to understand why economies grow, to understand economic fluctuations, and to make informed business decisions. • We use microeconomics to understand how markets work, to make personal and managerial decisions, and to evaluate the merits of public policies. Learning Objectives 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. List the three key economic questions. Discuss the insights from economics for a real-world problem such as congestion. List the four elements of the economic way of thinking. List three ways to use macroeconomics. List three ways to use microeconomics. 1.1 What Is Economics? Economics is the study of how people, businesses, governments, and other organizations make choices when there is scarcity. Scarcity means that the resources we use to produce goods and services are limited. Human wants, however, are unlimited. For instance, you may earn enough money each month to make a lease payment on a Lexus, but if you do that you won’t have money to pay for rent and buy food. Because your resources are limited, you have to choose between a nice car, and food and a place to sleep. 1 ©2014 Pearson Education, Inc. 2 O'Sullivan/Sheffrin/Perez, Macroeconomics, 8e We call the resources used to produce goods and services factors of production and typically think of five types of factors: • • • • • Natural......
...Macroeconomics Term Paper: Wells Fargo in Ireland | | | | | | Wells Fargo was founded in 1852 by Henry Wells and William G. Fargo and opened for business in the gold rush port of San Francisco. Wells Fargo offered banking (buying gold and selling paper bank drafts as good as gold) and express delivery of the gold and anything else valuable. By the 1860s, Wells Fargo earned everlasting fame and its corporate symbol, the stagecoach. In 1888, Wells Fargo became the country’s first nationwide express company. By 1918, Wells Fargo was part of 10,000 communities across the country, however that year the federal government took over the nation’s express network as part of its effort in the First World War and Wells Fargo was left with just one bank in San Francisco eventually expanding in 1923 to two banking halls. In the 1980s, Wells Fargo expanded into a statewide bank, became the seventh largest bank in the nation, and launched its online service. In the 1990s, Wells Fargo returned to its historic territory throughout the Western, Midwestern and Eastern states. Today, Wells Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through more than 9,000 stores, 12,000 ATMs, and the Internet (wellsfargo.com), and has offices in more than 35 countries to support the bank’s customers who conduct business in the global economy. According to Forbes.com, as of May 2013 Wells Fargo’s market cap was $201.35 billion. ......
...Macroeconomics Final Paper Perfect Competition is a market structure of a commodity or service that has a fixed price. This market structure is designed to minimize loss and maximize revenue with a fixed cost. This fixed price may rise or fall however, no one firm or company that decides to enter this market has to be willing to accept whatever this price may be. A firm will not succeed in an attempt to make a profit by initially lower its price to out sell its competition. This strategy will not work in a perfect competition market, and the company will fail due to the framework and structure of this market. Perfect Competition price is not affected by the number of firms or companies that sell that same product because it would be a very small percentage of the total number of firms that produce this product globally. The demand or market price in the perfect competition of a market will continue to stay the same. Therefore, this market will not be affected by the actions of one or two firms within the market. The profit or revenue that each firm receives will depend on its total revenue minus its total cost or how much money it will receive from selling a unit of measurement of that commodity minus the total cost it takes to produce that commodity in a unit of measurement. Long run equilibrium is a scale or measure where firms earn just a normal profit and zero economic profit. Market supply and demand will adjust as firms enter or leave the industry or...
...CHAPTER 23 Measuring a Nation’s Income Economics PRINCIPLES OF N. Gregory Mankiw Premium PowerPoint Slides by Ron Cronovich © 2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning, all rights reserved In this chapter, look for the answers to these questions: What is Gross Domestic Product (GDP)? How is GDP related to a nation’s total income and spending? What are the components of GDP? How is GDP corrected for inflation? Does GDP measure society’s well-being? 1 Micro vs. Macro Microeconomics: The study of how individual households and firms make decisions, interact with one another in markets. Macroeconomics: The study of the economy as a whole. We begin our study of macroeconomics with the country’s total income and expenditure. MEASURING A NATION’S INCOME 2 Income and Expenditure Gross Domestic Product (GDP) measures total income of everyone in the economy. GDP also measures total expenditure on the economy’s output of g&s. For the economy as a whole, income equals expenditure because every dollar a buyer spends is a dollar of income for the seller. MEASURING A NATION’S INCOME 3 The Circular-Flow Diagram a simple depiction of the macroeconomy illustrates GDP as spending, revenue, factor payments, and income Preliminaries: Factors of production are inputs like labor, land, capital, and natural resources. Factor payments are payments to the factors of......
... Flexible Organization Macroeconomics, sixth edition is organized around two central parts: A core and a set of two major extensions. The text’s flexible organization emphasizes an integrated view of macroeconomics, while enabling professors to focus on the theories, models, and applications that they deem central to their particular course. The flowchart below quickly illustrates how the chapters are organized and fit within the book’s overall structure. For a more detailed explanation of the Organization, and for an extensive list of Alternative Course Outlines, see pages xiii–xv in the preface. INTRODUCTION A Tour of the World Chapter 1 A Tour of the Book Chapter 2 THE CORE The Short Run The Goods Market Chapter 3 Financial Markets Chapter 4 Goods and Financial Markets: The IS-LM Model Chapter 5 The Medium Run The Labor Market Chapter 6 Putting All Markets Together: The AS-AD Model Chapter 7 The Natural Rate of Unemployment and The Phillips Curve Chapter 8 The Crisis Chapter 9 The Long Run The Facts of Growth Chapter 10 Saving, Capital Accumulation, and Output Chapter 11 Technological Progress and Growth Chapter 12 Technological Progress: The Short, the Medium, and the Long Run Chapter 13 EXPECTATIONS THE OPEN ECONOMY Expectations: The Basic Tools Chapter 14 Financial Markets and Expectations Chapter 15 Expectations, Consumption, and Investment Chapter 16 Expectations, Output, and Policy Chapter 17 EXTENSIONS Openness in......
...I. The Country South Korea is situated in South East Asia. It consists of roughly 49 million people and has an annual population growth rate of 0.23%. (CIA, 2011) South Korea is a high-income developed country with a very high standard of living. It has a market economy and is one of the fastest growing and is among the 20 biggest economics in the world making it a member of the G-20 major economies. But it wasn’t always that way, for the past four decades South Korea has displayed diligence in its strength to become a high-tech industrialised economy. During the Asian financial crisis of 1997, South Korea’s GDP plunged by 6.9% due to the country’s high debt and abundance of short-term foreign money borrowing. The government then established numerous economic reforms, one being increasing the amount of foreign investment and imports. This saw the GDP to rise by 9%. (CIA, 2011) Their economy is highly dependent on international trade and is currently the tenth largest importer and the sixth largest exporter on the world scale. South Korea is also one of the few developed countries that have avoided the harsh global depression in 2008. South Korea in the year 2010; had a GDP of approximately USD$990 billion with a growth rate of 6.1%. Their GDP per capita totalled USD$30,200. (CIA, 2011) II. The Theoretical Basis For South Korea, I have chosen to use the Keynesian system rather than the Classical system to analyse their economy. Classical economists argue that the......
...MACROECONOMICS PRIYANKA DEY FT171068 What is actually Macroeconomics? The branch of economics concerned with large-scale or general economic factors, such as interest rates and national productivity. So the word can be interpreted as the driving forces, factors and decisions ultimately implemented as policies that corresponds to the growth of economy of the nation are included in Macroeconomics. Let’s focus on the prospects how China managed to enter into the race turning its macroeconomics strategies and outshine as one of the major economic success taker with respect to United States. UNITED STATES(18558.13 Billions of $ GDP)- The U.S. economy has been the largest and most important in the world. The U.S. economy represents about 20% of total global output, and is still larger than that of China. The U.S. economy features a highly-developed and technologically-advanced services sector, which accounts for about 80% of its output.The U.S. also has an important manufacturing base, which represents roughly 15% of output. The U.S. is the second largest manufacturer in the world and a leader in higher-value industries such as automobiles, aerospace, machinery, telecommunications and chemicals.The country has access to abundant natural resources and a...
Analysis of the Macroeconomic Environment Within the Health-Care and Automobile Industries
...Analysis of the Macroeconomic Environment within the Health-Care and Automobile Industries Abstract This report discusses macroeconomic factors that impact both the automotive and health-care industries. Interest rates, consumer price index (CPI), consumer confidence, Gross Domestic Product (GDP), wage rates, and inventory levels impact the macroeconomic environment to influence these industries in the short run. Consumption as a percentage of the GDP depicted in table 1 indicates a continuous declined in consumer spending from 2005 through 2010 and suggests that consumers are becoming more conservative with disposable income spent on elective health-care products and procedures as-well-as new vehicle purchases. As the nominal interest rates indicate in table 2, the FED attempted to encourage consumer spending by decreasing the interest rates to encourage expansionistic economic activity, which would also be a positive influencing factor for both the health-care and automotive industries. The automobile industry is volatile by nature and heavily influence by macroeconomic factors, while the health-care industry enjoys an inelastic environment. Macroeconomic factors influence the health-care industry, it is unlikely essential health-care demand will decrease in the short term; however, elective health-care products and services will likely suffer as will new vehicle purchases as consumers remain conservative. The future is not as bleak as one might anticipate. The......
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Boy fighting deadly brain cancer gets 14,000 Christmas cards
"If we have awareness, we have hope ..."
Boy fighting deadly brain cancer gets 14,000 Christmas cards "If we have awareness, we have hope ..." Check out this story on theadvertiser.com: https://www.theadvertiser.com/story/life/empowerment/2018/12/06/la-boy-8-fighting-deadly-cancer-wants-cards-christmas/2224750002/
Shari Puterman, Lafayette Daily Advertiser Published 8:48 a.m. CT Dec. 6, 2018 | Updated 10:33 a.m. CT Dec. 13, 2018
Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma, also known as DIPG, is a brain tumor that is found on a part of the brainstem called "the pons." Wochit
Drake has received more than 14,000 cards.(Photo: COURTESY OF THE FAMILY)
UPDATE: Last week, we published a story about Drake Quibodeaux, 8, who's fighting DIPG, a terminal brain cancer with no cure. His Christmas wish was to receive 190 holiday cards, and in less than a week, you've blown that number out of the water.
He has since received more than 14,000 cards, including one from President Trump, and he's going to watch the LSU Tigers play in the Fiesta Bowl, courtesy of the organization.
Drake's mother, Danielle, is overwhelmed by the outpouring of support.
"It just boggles me," she says. "My little boy is reaching the nation and bringing the Christmas spirit back. He said to me, 'Mama, they love me ... they say I'm strong.' Keep spreading awareness and spreading the word so nobody else has to go through this. That's what it's all about."
Read Drake's full story below:
A look at the pile of mail that Drake has been getting each day. (Photo: COURTESY OF THE FAMILY)
Danielle Quibodeaux, 34, speaks these words about a monster that's attacking far too many children.
Now, it's affecting her own.
On March 12, 2018, her son Drake, now 8, was diagnosed with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, or DIPG. It's the most deadly form of childhood cancer, with no known cure.
Drake, who lives in Vinton, Louisiana, is just like any other boy growing up in the South. He loves to hunt, fish, tear up the yard with his four-wheeler and, of course, cheer on the LSU Tigers.
In November, one of his wishes came true when he got to see the team play Rice. He got to spend time in the locker room with the players and meet Coach Orgeron.
Drake, 8, of Vinton, Louisiana, is a huge LSU fan. He is fighting terminal cancer. (Photo: COURTESY OF THE FAMILY)
But now that Christmas is upon us, there's a bigger project in the works.
"I just want him to know he's loved, and he's an amazing little man," Danielle says.
That's why the community has come together to flood his mailbox with Christmas cards.
"My friend, Jennifer, suggested doing this for the holiday," Danielle explains. "He asked for cards for his birthday in June, and he got about 70-80."
For Christmas, Drake wants to get 190 cards.
Let's blow that number out of the water.
If you want to send Drake a Christmas card, his address is:
2412 Hwy 388, Vinton, LA, 70668.
Teen rodeo champ wins big while fighting brain tumor
Read or Share this story: https://www.theadvertiser.com/story/life/empowerment/2018/12/06/la-boy-8-fighting-deadly-cancer-wants-cards-christmas/2224750002/
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'You don't come to my gig to be cool' says Frank Turner ahead of Victoria Warehouse shows
'You don't come to my gig to be cool' says Frank Turner
FRANK Turner has always been a musician with a mission and as her prepares to play two shows at Manchester’s Victoria Warehouse next week, he’s keen to continue to spread the message of his most recent album - the appropriately-named Be More Kind.
Released last year he said: “I feel like the world is becoming a less easily understandable place and a much more terrifying place. It’s a record about how we, collectively and individually as humans, react to a scarier and more hostile world.”
Be More Kind get its name from a Clive James poem in which the terminally ill poet (one of Frank’s favourite writers) talks about the end of his life;
To Frank, it is more than just an album title. “It’s a gentle piece of advice,” he said. “Being more kind won’t solve all the problems in the world but it is not a bad start.”
Frank admits that stepping out of his comfort zone to create the album has been a difficult one.
“It’s an important thing for artists to do, and I decided to do it more on this one than on previous records. I just like messing around with different technology; loops and synthesizers and so on,” he said.
“My aim was to satisfy my own creative urges and make what I think is the best record I’ve ever made.”
Frank has achieved a lot in his career. He has played sold-out arena tours, had three top three charting albums, written a book (and soon to release his second!) and even released a movie. He was also asked by Danny Boyle to take part in the London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony.
“It was an amazing thing, being asked to do something like that was totally surreal. It was flattering to be asked by Danny Boyle himself,” he said.
Frank occupies an interesting place in music.
“I’m not underground, but I’m not overground either. I guess maybe that means I’m ‘cult’…
“I’m definitely not a mainstream artist. I don’t get invited to birthday parties, and I wouldn’t go if I did!” he laughs.
Although his shows invariably sell-out he can still walk down the road largely unrecognised.
“It’s a great privilege. I’ve been doing this for a long time now,” he said.
Frank recounts how often he sees pop stars come and go and how he has managed to stick around. “In a way that doesn’t sound cruel, I’ve got used to the hoards of ‘hangers on’ and photographers freely passing me in one direction with somebody and I’ve got no idea who they are. And I know that six months later they’ll be gone”.
“An awful lot of people have no idea who I am and don’t know my name. I’m fine with that. And it does tend to mean that the people that are into my music have purer motives. No one as of yet has come to a Frank Turner gig to be ‘seen’ or to be ‘cool’, do you know what I mean? And I think that’s awesome, and I’d like to maintain that If I could.”
Frank is particularly pleased to be playing two night in Manchester.
“We’re excited to come back here again. Quite a few of my crew live in Manchester. We will be in town for a few days rehearsing before the tour starts which will be nice,” he said.
Frank notes how he feels about any North / South divide in his music. “I’m aware that I’m a southern chesty. Where I’m from (the deep south of Hampshire), London is up north! I’m always grateful that people from the North have allowed my southern kind of vibe and enjoy the music. Shows up North have a good reputation for having better crowds than down South, which is true. I’m looking forward to the show!”
Frank Turner, Victoria Warehouse, Manchester, Friday, January 25 and Saturday, January 26
Stranglers JJ Burnel looks ahead to Rebellion Festival date
Lisa Stansfield looks back with Affection on 30 year career
Lea Salonga going it alone for the first time at Opera House
Master songwriter Nick Lowe is making tracks for RNCM
Rain can't dampen first ever Crownsfest festival
Showtime for historic band which will be banging the drum for Bolton
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Professor and Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs, University of Alabama
Mid-Career Panelist
Viola L. Acoff received her bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. degrees in materials engineering from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She began working at The University of Alabama (UA), located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, in 1994 as an assistant professor of metallurgical and materials engineering, and was promoted to the rank of professor in 2004. In 2008, Acoff was appointed as head of the Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering. In 2009, she was also appointed as head of the Department of Metallurgical & Materials Engineering and for an entire year, she served as the department head for two different departments at the same time. In October 2014, Acoff was appointed Associate Dean for Undergraduate and Graduate Programs in the College of Engineering. For her outstanding achievements in leadership at UA, Acoff received the T. Morris Hackney Endowed Faculty Leadership Award and was named a Fellow of the Southeastern Conference Academic Leadership Development Program. She also received the UA Alumni Association Outstanding Commitment to Teaching Award for 2014. Also in 2014, Acoff was the inaugural recipient of the Ellen Swallow Richards Diversity Award given by TMS, presented at the First TMS Summit on Creating and Sustaining Diversity in the Minerals, Metals and Materials Professions (DMMM1). Acoff has been awarded more than $7 million in externally-funded grants related to welding research, including a National Science Foundation CAREER Award. She has published over 80 peer reviewed papers, co-authored 3 books, co-edited 3 books, and given over 100 invited and contributed talks on her research. She has also given a presentation on her research on every continent except for Antarctica.
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Le Cours, Rudy. "Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec". The Canadian Encyclopedia, 22 December 2015, Historica Canada. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/caisse-de-depot-et-placement-du-quebec. Accessed 19 July 2019.
Le Cours, R., Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (2015). In The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/caisse-de-depot-et-placement-du-quebec
Le Cours, Rudy, "Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec". In The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada. Article published February 06, 2006; Last Edited December 22, 2015. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/caisse-de-depot-et-placement-du-quebec
Le Cours, Rudy. The Canadian Encyclopedia, s.v. "Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec", Last Edited December 22, 2015, https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/caisse-de-depot-et-placement-du-quebec
Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec
Article by Rudy Le Cours
Originally modeled on the Canada Pension Plan, the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec was established on July 15, 1965, to manage funds deposited by the Régie des rentes du Québec, the province's pension board, which was created one month earlier.
Originally modeled on the Canada Pension Plan, the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec was established on July 15, 1965, to manage funds deposited by the Régie des rentes du Québec, the province's pension board, which was created one month earlier. The number of depositors to the Caisse, which has grown steadily since that time, currently exceeds 20 and consists primarily of public and parapublic pension funds and insurance plans.
The legal mandate of the Caisse is to increase the assets of depositors, a responsibility that traditionally it has sought to fulfil while promoting economic development in Quebec. In general, it has been successful in meeting this dual objective, with performance comparing favourably to the Canada Pension Plan, and, frequently, to other Canadian institutional portfolios and standard reference indices.
The early investments of the Caisse were essentially comprised of Quebec and Hydro-Québec bonds, a portion of which served as key backing for hydroelectric development in Churchill Falls, Labrador. In 1997, its incorporating act was modified to allow the majority of its assets under management to be invested in equities. The Caisse is currently Canada's largest institutional investor, the primary holder of TSX-listed stocks and the holder of the country's largest real property portfolio. To maximize yield, the fund has established multiple subsidiaries specializing in investments in open and closed-capital companies in communications, new technologies, small business and large corporations and real estate. Due to its size, the fund is increasingly turning to foreign investment, and has opened offices in Europe, Asia and Latin America to seek out the best investment prospects. The fund's current objectives include making Montreal a world-class financial centre and doubling its assets by 2005. It is currently prospecting worldwide to win management assignments for its skilled team of some 400 experts. The Caisse has made caution and bold action its watchwords.
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The CORE Institute’s Bone Health Program Expands into Sun City
Phoenix, Ariz. (October 3, 2016) The CORE Institute®, powered by Excellence Headquarters®, is pleased to announce that its Bone Health Program is expanding to include a clinic in Sun City, Arizona. This will be The CORE Institute’s second location in Arizona to offer the program, which is currently operating at the North Phoenix clinic. The Bone Health Program at the Sun City clinic will open on October 24, 2016.
The Bone Health Program will focus on prevention, diagnosis and treatment of metabolic bone diseases, particularly osteoporosis, with emphasis on patient care, research and teaching.
Physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners at The CORE Institute have received extensive training in specific areas of bone health, including the diagnosis and treatment of:
Osteoporosis and its complications (such as fractures in the elderly)
Metabolic bone diseases
Optimizing bone healing
“We are thrilled at the rapid success of the Bone Health Program at The CORE Institute’s North Phoenix clinic, and we’re excited to expand our service offerings to patients in Sun City and the surrounding areas,” said Debra Sietsema, Ph.D., RN, Director of Bone Health Clinical Operations at The CORE Institute. “Patients will immediately be able to start using these resources to ensure their bones are as healthy and strong as possible.”
There are over 2.1 million bone fractures in the U.S. annually as a result of osteoporosis. If bone healthcare is not provided after age 50, one in two women and one in four or five men will experience fragility fractures. Nearly 80% of people in the U.S. are not identified for osteoporosis screening or treated following a fragility fracture. The CORE Institute in Arizona intends to narrow that gap in care.
The CORE Institute’s Bone Health Program includes specialized NP or PAs, physicians, physical therapists, and researchers working together to offer the resources needed for comprehensive care. The program engages the Physical Therapy Department for exercise, strengthening, and home/environmental safety to increase strength and balance to prevent future falls and fractures. They collaborate with other physician specialists, radiologists, and nutritionists while keeping the primary care physician informed of the bone health plan of care. The program follows national standards of practice identified by the American Orthopaedic Association’s Own the Bone, National Osteoporosis Foundation, and the National Quality Forum.
The Bone Health Department can help with:
Minimizing the risk of a fragility fracture
Osteoporosis risk factor reduction
Exercise, core strengthening, and balance training
Osteoporosis prescriptive treatment
To learn more about The CORE Institute’s Bone Health Program or their other wide variety of services, visit www.thecoreinsitute.com/bone-health or call 866.974.2673.
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confessions Dec. 2, 2016
Joseph Gordon-Levitt Had No Idea Who Edward Snowden Was Until He Played Him
L: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, R: Edward Snowden. Photo: Getty Images
The Hollywood Reporter recently published a roundtable with a group of actors, including Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who played the titular role in Oliver Stone’s Snowden this year. However, as Gordon-Levitt revealed very early on in this interview, he had no idea who Edward Snowden — the former NSA contractor turned whistleblower who revealed the extent of the government’s surveillance programs — was until he played him.
When THR asked why he wanted to play Snowden, Gordon-Levitt explained:
When Oliver Stone asked me to do that part, I was excited, but then the next thought I had was, “Wait. Edward Snowden? I know I’ve heard that name, but which one is he and what exactly did he do?” Once I did some learning, I realized I’m really grateful for what this man did. There’s a lot of misinformation about what he did and didn’t do.
It’s unclear if Snowden has read Gordon-Levitt’s admission, but his facial expression upon hearing the news will likely match the one in the photo above.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt Had No Idea Who Edward Snowden Was
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Taxes in Russia. The Lessons of 2010
By S.G. Pepeliaev
S.G. Pepeliaev
Pepeliaev Group
Looking back on the year gone by, I will run through the most significant events affecting taxpayers, the business climate and the Russian tax system. It is encouraging to see that there is more good news than bad.
The main news is that one expected bad thing in particular did not happen. The State Duma did not pass the Finance Ministry’s proposed version of the transfer pricing bill. This gives us some hope that, in 2011, lawmakers will come up with a sensible law, rather than a passing vague one that could see businesses required — out of the blue — to pay additional tax.
The beginning of the past year was marked by amendments to criminal legislation, which mitigated liability for tax offences and restricted the limits for taking suspects into custody. Most importantly, criminal prosecution for tax offences is subject to such offences being established by a tax authority’s decision that has come into force.
The amendments saw a significant increase in the threshold amounts for large-scale and extremely large-scale tax evasion to constitute a criminal offence. Also, the amendments restored a special provision exempting first-time offenders from criminal liability if they have fully paid their tax arrears, fines and default interest. Both individuals and legal entities may now pay outstanding amounts of tax for a legal entity.
Amendments to the Tax Code dealing with tax administration and control as well as the entry into force of a fast-track procedure for VAT recovery have made relations between businesses and the tax authorities more streamlined and less unpredictable.
For instance, the amendments introduce the active use of electronic workflow management, including the use of electronic VAT invoices, to streamline tax control procedures.
The tax authorities are now required by statute to ensure that tax audit reports are accompanied by third-party evidence of tax offences allegedly committed by the taxpayer. The taxpayer is now entitled to view all files from a tax audit before the tax authority makes a decision based on such an audit.
The amendments specify situations where outstanding amounts of tax must be written off. Among these are cases where the court finds that the limitation period for tax collection has expired.
Interest is now payable on frozen funds where the tax authority incorrectly decided to freeze a taxpayer’s accounts, helping to ensure that such decisions are only taken where justified.
The steps taken by the Russian government and Finance Ministry defy unambiguous assessment.
Of considerable importance is the Protocol on the amendments to the Double Taxation Treaty with Cyprus, which sets clear guidelines for offshore business. Once the protocol is signed and ratified, Cyprus is expected to be removed from the Finance Ministry’s blacklist. Dividends distributed by Cyprus-based companies will then be exempt from Russian tax under the strategic participation income exemption provided for in the Russian Tax Code.
However, the preparation of a bill on combating tax irregularities has made no progress, despite President Dmitry Medvedev’s request to the Finance Ministry. Courts are still groping with this issue, their practice based on the increasingly outdated Resolution No. 53 of the Plenum of the Supreme Arbitration Court.
The government’s resolution introducing a levy to finance compensation to authors drew a lot of criticism from the business community. Manufacturers or importers of compact discs, computers, cell phones and other equipment now have to pay 1 percent of their customs value or selling price for the benefit of authors, performers and producers of phonograms intended for private use. Since the money cannot be collected from the end users of musical and other similar products, the government is targeting those who are next in the supply chain. Frankly, it has been a long time since we last saw such a legally uncertain and carelessly drafted regulation paving the way to arbitrary decision making and uncontrolled spending by private persons of funds compulsorily collected from businesses. It is astonishing to see our leaders create feudal-style institutions and grant income-generating fiefs to their vassals, despite the established principles of a modern tax system already in place for 20 years. It will evidently be a long time before those in power live up to their promises about respect for private property.
It also goes without saying that nobody is happy with the government’s stubborn refusal to cancel its decision to raise social insurance contributions.
The Constitutional Court issued just one resolution, albeit an important one. It agreed that resolutions of the Presidium of the Supreme Arbitration Court can set legal precedents, and it also ruled that clarifications by the Presidium may not be used retroactively if unfavorable for taxpayers.
The Supreme Arbitration Court, by contrast, was the key newsmaker in tax, its rulings resolving a number of important practical issues. More specifically, it allowed losses from writing off debt to be deducted from profit for tax purposes; it also ruled that taxpayers must undertake a complete tax restructuring when found to be using a tax evasion scheme; it limited taxpayers’ liability for their suppliers’ failure to pay tax; and it limited the expenses that only qualify for deduction for VAT purposes within allowable limits.
Another two resolutions should have a positive impact on the tax authorities’ practices. In Resolution No. 4903/10 dated Sept. 29, 2010, the Presidium of the Supreme Arbitration Court ruled that a tax officer who did not review the tax audit findings can not lawfully sign a decision holding the taxpayer liable for a tax offence. In Resolution No. 3299/10 dated Oct. 12, 2010, the Presidium ruled that the Budget Code (rather than Article 78 of the Tax Code) must govern the collection, under judicial decisions, of funds from budgets.
At the same time, practitioners have justifiably criticized a number of Supreme Arbitration Court rulings: on the lawfulness of imposing fines on taxpayers for missing the deadline for submitting advance payments calculations of profit tax, on calculating taxes based on estimates, on court proceedings not being applicable to additional tax being collected where taxpayers’ transactions are classed as being a sham.
The Presidium of the Supreme Arbitration Court addressed the settlement of tax disputes through administrative proceedings. It ruled that the tax authority does not have to invite taxpayers to appeal hearings, and that the taxpayer should not be allowed to claim as a loss expenditure on preparing objections to a tax audit report. These rulings are unfavorable for taxpayers.
On the other hand, the Presidium of the Supreme Arbitration Court allowed litigation costs to be claimed from the unsuccessful party when the judgement is enforced. This will not only help companies save on legal costs, but will also give debtors an incentive not to delay enforcement.
By and large, the Supreme Court rulings have made relations between the taxpayers and the tax authorities less unpredictable. Hopefully, this year will also see an end to retroactive application of court interpretations that are unfavorable for taxpayers. This would be the final step in dispelling the negative image of the Supreme Arbitration Court, often viewed by companies as a source of unwelcome surprises entailing the recalculation of tax already paid.
What we saw in 2010 was basically an adjustment and fine-tuning of the tax system as a follow-up to many years of tax reform, were it not for various new trends which can only give cause for concern: new tax legislation enacted in the final days of the year, tax rates on the rise, new taxes introduced, and some of the existing ones removed from the scope of the Tax Code. All this could signal the abandonment of the goals of the Russian tax reform that started more than 10 years ago.
Ukraine Introduces Duties on Russian Fuel
The measures come as economic relations between the countries continue to worsen.
inflation impact
Bank of Russia Says Inflation Drop Doesn’t Mean Bigger Rate Cut
The bank is expected to cut the interest rate on July 26.
global currency
Russia, Under Sanctions, Looks for Ruble Offshore Market
The deputy finance minister said the idea the ruble should become a reserve currency has not been ruled out.
stagnating economy
IMF Cuts Forecast for Russian 2019 GDP Growth to 1.2%, Calls for Reforms
The fund said the state's footprint needs to be reduced in favor of the private sector.
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From the Land of Pleasant Living, and Other News
A Baltimore icon slips into Russian hands.
Remembering John Berryman, whose centenary is later this month: “Berryman has not been forgotten, but his gnomic revelations have less force than they used to. His drinking and womanizing, his unsoothable anguish, seem less the stuff of heroism than of mutinous neurotransmitters. I can all too easily imagine him today, sitting at a seminar table in Palo Alto or Iowa City, buoyed by a decent dose of Wellbutrin, listening as some regular contributor to the Northwestern Maine Quarterly Review piously instructs impious John to simmer down, center himself, drop the unceasing allusions to Shakespeare, find his voice and tell us how he really feels.”
“As well as categorizing novels as well or poorly written, popular or unpopular, one could also, and perhaps more usefully, distinguish those that become part of the conversation, and those that do not. Jonathan Franzen’s The Corrections became part of the national conversation; Lydia Davis’s short stories, for all their brilliance, did not … John Updike’s Terrorist was arguably his least talked-about novel … But how does a book enter the conversation today?”
A good problem to have: “I am in the slightly embarrassing position where I write poems saying I am about to die and I don’t.”
An 1894 map by the New York Tenement-House Committee divides the city by nationality. But you won’t find Scotch, English, Welsh, Scandinavian, and Canadian New Yorkers on the map, because they were, according to its creator, “in small numbers and perhaps less foreign than the others.”
The Orioles are in the playoffs, which means Baltimoreans are swilling profligate amounts of Natty Boh, the greatest bad beer in the world and one of the city’s most cherished brands—it dates back to 1885. (At least one Baltimorean would drink a can right now, even though it’s nine-thirty A.M. and he’s in New York.) The only problem? “National Bohemian hasn’t been locally owned since the nineteen-seventies, and it hasn’t been brewed in Maryland in more than a decade … Last month, it was announced that the brand’s owner, Pabst, is being purchased by the Russian beverage company Oasis.” Say it ain’t Boh.
the national conversation
A Philip Roth Bonanza
New York, Not Too Long Ago
By Stephanie LaCava
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Home > News > Future Fund adds risk for short term
Future Fund adds risk for short term
Amanda WhiteMarch 5, 2018
Some short-term optimism in the global economy has led the Future Fund to increase risk, chief investment officer Raphael Arndt has said.
This is reflected in the portfolio by an increase in global equities, and a decrease in the cash allocation, during the last six months.
The increase in allocation to global equities was split between developed markets, which rose from 14.9 per cent to 18.6 per cent of the portfolio, and emerging markets, which rose from 6.9 per cent to 7.7 per cent. The fund’s cash allocation decreased from 21 per cent to 16.4 per cent in that time.
“The global economy is exhibiting synchronised growth – job creation and economic growth is occurring across developed and developing economies,” Arndt said. “This has led to us recently increasing risk in the Future Fund marginally, in light of the more positive shorter-term economic outlook; however, we remain cautious over the medium to longer term.”
Arndt, speaking at the 15th Annual Private Equity & Venture Forum Australia & New Zealand, said that in the current environment the team was attracted to flexibility and the ability to move the portfolio as its view on value, or the risk outlook, changes. He also said the team was seeking strategies that were uncorrelated with equity returns and focused on genuinely adding value to businesses, not just financial engineering or strategies that involve leverage.
About 12 per cent of the fund’s portfolio is in venture capital and private equity. Arndt said this was an integral part of the fund’s response to macro changes in the economy, including generational change and technological disruption.
“The PE program continues to play an important role in the Future Fund’s portfolio – currently standing at A$17 billion ($13 billion), and having delivered returns in the mid-to-high teens since inception,” he said. “Within this program, we seek to access strategies that invest into innovation and small company growth.”
The Future Fund private equity team of eight uses fund of funds, external managers and co-investments.
Disruption is something the team takes seriously, incorporating it into its process in three ways: offence, meaning investing in disruption; defence, or avoiding certain investments; and application, which means using the lessons from investments in its portfolio to improve how the team operates.
Joel Posters, who leads the fund’s ESG and investor stewardship function, is charged with working with the sector teams to share insights on disruption.
Arndt said all thoughtful investors need to be thinking about the impacts of disruption and generational change.
“Disruption creates winners and losers,” he explained. “Investors who are open to change will be rewarded in this environment and those who fail to engage with the changes that are occurring will risk failing.”
Below is Arndt’s full speech at the conference.
Speech by Dr Raphael Arndt, Chief Investment Officer, at the 15th Annual Private Equity & Venture Forum Australia & New Zealand, in Sydney.
Good morning, and thank you for the opportunity to speak to you today.
My organisation manages five funds on behalf of you – the people of Australia. In total, we currently manage about A$164 billion ($127 billion) on behalf of future generations of Australians.
The largest of these funds, the Future Fund, currently stands at about A$139 billion – and is Australia’s sovereign wealth fund. The fund was established in 2006 to strengthen the Australian Government’s long-term financial position.
Our mandate is to achieve a return of at least inflation plus 4 per cent per annum over the long term, without taking excessive risk.
Current Positioning
Let me begin by touching on the Future Fund’s current thinking and positioning.
I have been saying for some time that it is an incredibly tough time to be an investor – over the longer term the real economy faces headwinds from ageing demographics and a significant debt burden, with expensive asset prices supported by interest rates currently at unprecedented lows.
However, interest rates are now poised to begin rising as the world finally works through the surplus capacity created following the global financial crisis.
This challenging longer-term outlook remains – and is compounded by risks associated with growing populist movements across the world that have resulted from wealth inequality arising from the response to the global financial crisis.
In the long run, more protectionism can only detract from economic growth and create uncertainty for business.
However there is some reason for optimism when looking at the economy in the shorter term.
The global economy is exhibiting synchronised growth – job creation and economic growth is occurring across developed and developing economies.
This has led to us recently increasing risk in the Future Fund marginally in light of the more positive shorter term economic outlook; however, we remain cautious over the medium to longer term.
And we saw the return of volatility in early February, reminding us that equity exposure carries risks, particularly at the currently elevated valuations compared with history, and in an environment of rising interest rates.
In the current environment, we are, therefore, particularly attracted to:
Flexibility – the ability to move the portfolio if our view on value, or the risk outlook, changes – and as such we are currently managing our liquidity closely, and ensuring that any illiquid exposure we do take is well rewarded;
Secondly, investment strategies that are uncorrelated to equity returns. We have an exposure of more than A$20 billion to hedge funds – and further exposures to venture and growth equity, which I will talk more about shortly; and
Finally, investment strategies that are focussed on genuinely adding value to businesses – not just financial engineering or strategies that involve leverage. These include:
Our active approach to Property and Infrastructure, where we have been prepared to back managers to deliver on value adding business strategies and turn the portfolio over once these strategies have been realised; and
Our approach to Private Equity and Venture that involves growing businesses, rather than just the financial engineering of leveraging and ‘flipping’ assets.
Macro-trends
In addition to this backdrop, there are a number of macro-economic changes which are likely to increase in importance over coming years. These are generational change and technological disruption. The world is changing and any long-term investor needs to not just be aware of this, but to respond to it.
Generation Y – the ‘millennial’ generation – will displace other generations in the decades ahead. They are currently one-third of the workforce and in less than 10 years – together with their younger siblings, Generation Z – they will make up two-thirds. These generations work, interact and consume differently to their parents. They are comfortable with technology, and want experiences, collaboration and technological enablement – and are less interested in material possessions and accumulating ‘things’. Technological disruption means that business models must evolve, and businesses and investors can’t rest on their laurels because technology will erode margins and returns unless businesses can reinvent themselves to remain relevant to their customers. The successful businesses of the past will likely not be tomorrow’s champions unless they respond to the changing environment. Investors and businesses that can’t adapt to technological disruption and generational change will be consigned to the dustbin of history. On the other hand, new winners are emerging. If the leading companies of today can’t or won’t adapt then they will be replaced by a new generation of winners.
I will return to how we at the Future Fund think about this disruption in a minute, but let me first outline the role of Private Equity in the Future Fund portfolio, and how it is integral to our response to these changes going on in the world.
The Role of Private Equity
In September 2016, I spoke in some detail about the role of Private Equity and Venture in our portfolio.
I won’t repeat myself – other than to say we see PE and Venture as an important access point to invest in real businesses.
The PE program continues to play an important role in the Future Fund’s portfolio – currently standing at A$17 billion, and having delivered mid-to-high teens returns since inception.
Within this program we seek to access strategies that invest into innovation and small company growth. These strategies do not rely as heavily on the availability of cheap and plentiful credit or economic growth as large buyout strategies.
These venture and growth strategies are focussed on smaller businesses where there is more scope to grow or improve a company rather than just carve it up or merge it with another one – and it is these strategies that we have the largest exposure to within the PE program, with an exposure of more than A$8 billion.
The Future Fund’s Private Equity team of eight – some of whom are here today – use fund of fund, external managers, and increasingly co-investments alongside our managers to access these drivers.
Technological disruption is not new – and is not confined to any particular sector or investment asset class.
Let’s look at the auto industry as a study in disruption – quite topical at the moment, due to the emergence of electric vehicles.
But I am going to look back to a period before “EV” was a commonly used acronym for electric vehicles.
Detroit, Michigan grew from a population of 285,000 in 1900 to reach a peak of 1.9m in 1960.
Since 1960 the number of cars and vehicles in the US – and the world – has increased, significantly.
Despite this, between 1960 to now, Detroit’s population has fallen from 1.9m to 700,000 as auto manufacturers moved out of Detroit over the last fifty years and as manufacturing evolved to be less labour intensive.
This hasn’t just affected those who invested into automotive and related companies.
An investment in property – whether residential, commercial or industrial – in Detroit in the 1960s was a far worse investment than property investment here in Sydney, where population increased from around 2m to more than 5m between 1960 and today.
I hope this helps explain why investors need to think about disruption and its broader impacts.
By their nature, these types of changes are hard to predict, and come on suddenly. And by then it may be too late to change your positioning, especially if your holdings are illiquid.
So let me now explain how we at the Future Fund incorporate thinking about disruption into our processes.
We think of disruption through three lenses:
Offence – this is investing into disruption, principally through the venture program;
Defence – thinking about whether there are investments we should avoid;
Application – are there lessons we can learn from investments in our portfolio that we can apply to how we operate as investors, as we think about our own portfolio and activities. To put this into effect our Sector Teams have responsibility for investments relating to their area of expertise. And Joel Posters – who leads our Investment Stewardship and ESG function – has since last year had responsibility for working with our Sector Teams as a centre of excellence to share disruption insights across the investment team. We can look at an electricity network as a practical example. In this case, our approach to thinking about disruption, means we would seek to fully consider the impact of technological change and distributed generation such as rooftop solar PV if we were looking to invest in a regulated electricity network. It doesn’t mean we wouldn’t look at such an investment, but we would think about the payback period and we probably wouldn’t include an assumption that the experience of the last 30 years continues into perpetuity as our base case. This approach of looking at technological change and disruption could apply equally to thinking about: the impact of driverless cars on car-park assets; the impact of fintech developments on banks; and the impact of changes in the retail sector on shopping centres.
Importantly, in thinking about the impact of disruption, I want to make the point that those of us working in the financial services industry must not be complacent. For the Future Fund, we recognise that, like successful companies in every other industry, we cannot stand still. And we are part way through a significant multi-year journey to invest in our business – investing into new technology and systems that will give us more insight into our portfolio exposures in real time.
Australia’s private equity sector
Just as roles in stockbroking have been replaced by computers and online trading, Australia’s private equity sector won’t be immune from these disruptive changes that are occurring.
To stay relevant and attractive to LPs, you need to be investing in your businesses – and when thinking about the value proposition you offer prospective LPs, you need to be as tough on yourself as you are on prospective investments.
This means knowing where you add value, and being able to articulate that.
We have no interest in supporting managers that simply rely on leverage and a prayer that debt will remain cheap and economic growth will continue for the next decade.
Our very best PE managers are investing in their business. They have developed teams that include dozens, sometimes hundreds, of people with an operational background who go into investee companies and drive real operational improvements.
For instance, we have an example in our portfolio of a manager who has sent in teams of people with an e-commerce background into a traditional bricks and mortar luxury goods retailer that had a pretty basic web offering.
The approach involved optimising their online presence, including installing the ability to combine real-time analytics with a dynamic website to allow each user to experience a tailored landing page.
So a user visiting the website with a history of searching for handbags will see handbags displayed when they visit the website, while someone who has bought shoes previously will see shoes displayed more prominently.
This is in addition to streamlining the purchasing process to create a user friendly experience, including enabling people to purchase using WeChat Pay and other new payment platforms.
To be clear, the experts in this example work for our manager as employees and do this time and time again for their portfolio companies – helping them grow while making returns for their investors.
This ‘operational excellence’ function currently exists in the best PE managers, and the successful PE firms of the future will be those who can invest in their own business by resourcing up with the operational skills required to buy into investee companies and leave them stronger and better businesses on exit.
If the industry can adapt, I am optimistic that we are seeing the beginning of a renaissance for Australia’s private equity sector.
As a significant Australian based investor, the Future Fund seeks to remain active within the local PE community, to support the development of Australian businesses and commercialisation of Australian innovation and ideas.
We do this through our PE investment program, and through our work with AVCAL and the industry to build the capacity of Australia’s PE sector.
With you, we have a mutual desire to see Australia’s PE and Venture industry thrive, and with it, Australia’s small and medium businesses get the capital and expertise they need to reach their full potential.
In August last year the Future Fund and AVCAL co-hosted a day-long workshop with Greenspring Associates, one of the Future Fund’s US based venture fund-of-fund managers, and one of the most successful venture investors anywhere in the world. Greenspring has a successful track record spanning nearly two decades operating in Silicon Valley and the US East Coast, including increasing global activity.
The workshop introduced Australian venture managers to Greenspring, who outlined the standards they look for in venture managers seeking to raise capital – with the intent being to help facilitate the development of Australia’s venture sector to be in a position to raise domestic and offshore capital.
Key insights included:
the importance of GPs specialising by sector or theme – and having real expertise in their area of focus; the role of thought leadership and proprietary deal flow for GPs; and the need for GPs to build relationships with entrepreneurs. And I am pleased to see the Australian venture sector is active and growing.
Following the workshop last year we have been working with Greenspring and the Australian VC community to help promote a world class venture capital sector here in Australia. As part of our mandate with them, we have asked Greenspring to specifically look for opportunities to support Australian VC managers. Greenspring are actively monitoring the market and capital will be allocated as suitably strong opportunities are identified. This program, in bringing one of the world’s leading Venture Capital investors to Australia, is an example of the work the Private Equity team has been undertaking to find ways for the Future Fund to support Australian businesses with their growth aspirations. Of course some businesses mature past the Venture stage. There is no shortage of growing small and medium Australian businesses requiring capital. Their success is important to the development and diversification of the Australian economy, including ultimately our listed market should they go on to IPO. While banks have been the main funders of these companies, they have not been able to support all of the growth opportunities this sector has generated. And these businesses are too small to access debt or equity capital markets.
Given the large size of the Future Fund, and our model, which involves a relatively small investment team, it has always been challenging for us to find an efficient way to invest in these types of businesses. We believe there are attractive investment opportunities in this sector in which the Future Fund can invest. This will have the added benefit of supporting small and medium Australian businesses to realise their growth potential.
We are therefore thinking about how we operate in the Australian market. In doing so we are actively considering ways we can invest in these types of opportunities in an efficient way, and we will hopefully have more to say on this in the near future.
In conclusion, I reiterate the need for all thoughtful investors to be thinking about the impacts of disruption and generational change.
Those allocating capital like the Future Fund must continue to innovate and be open to the changing world we live in and the changing investment environment we operate in.
Disruption creates winners and losers – investors who are open to change will be rewarded in this environment and those who fail to engage with the changes that are occurring will risk failing.
Australia’s private equity and venture industry is well placed to capitalise on the huge changes going on in the world. Indeed Private Equity is one of the few asset classes available for investors to obtain this exposure early in its cycle.
The Future Fund looks forward to working with our managers and the Australian industry as a whole to take advantage of these opportunities.
cash allocation, caution, equities, Future Fund, Private Equity, Raphael Arndt, short term outlook risk, venture capital
At a glance: FIS Cambridge day three
An overwhelming number of delegates at the Fiduciary Investors Symposium said the funds management industry was not doing well in innovationMartin Gilbert, who started Aberdeen Standard Investments in 1983 and is now chair, said industry participants needed to innovate and disrupt themselves.
Amanda WhiteApril 10, 2019
Climate change risk to spur stress test
Mercer has quantified a ‘low-carbon transition’ premium in the sequel to its seminal climate change report, showing that a 2⁰C scenario equates to 11 basis points per annum to 2030 in a typical growth portfolio. Further, investors with the same asset allocation but greater exposure to sustainability and the companies delivering the transition solutions, could […]
Elizabeth FryApril 9, 2019
ATP’s approach to ESG
The giant Danish fund, ATP, takes a comprehensive approach to ESG including voting and engagement, as well as a large investment in green bonds. Ole Buhl is vice president and head of ESG at ATP explains.
Ole BuhlMarch 18, 2019
Good ESG data requires a framework
Initiatives such as the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board are vital for providing the consistent, regular, high-quality disclosure on the SDGs that investors need, a panel told delegates.
Sarah RundellSeptember 17, 2018
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Guardiola reveals huge release clause; insists De Bruyne is not for sale
Date published: Friday 14th September 2018 8:05
Pep Guardiola has issued a hands-off warning to Kevin De Bruyne suitors and revealed the Man City playmaker has a huge €250million release clause.
The Belgium midfielder is currently sidelined with a knee problem, which will keep him out until November, but Guardiola is more aware than ever of the value of the 27-year-old.
De Bruyne injured his right knee in a training-ground incident in August, damaging his lateral collateral ligament (LCL), but he will not require surgery.
The former Wolfsburg man signed a new six-year contract in January and there has been very little speculation surrounding the player, although his agent Patrick de Koster claimed in February that Real Madrid and Barcelona had expressed an interest in De Bruyne.
Guardiola though has labelled him “incredible” and he is Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa’s favourite player.
“He’s very good. He’s a very dynamic player,” Guardiola said in an interview with Universo Valdano.
“[Leeds United boss] Marcelo Bielsa told me he was his favourite player. He does everything.
“The other day, I met his parents and you often understand how the children are when you know the parents.
“He’s an incredible boy. The clause is €250m. I’m sorry, he’s not for sale.”
Kevin de Bruyne Manchester City
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Biography Of Mahatma Gandhi
By kanhiyachauhan | December 26, 2018
Biography Of Mahatma Gandhi | mahatma Gandhi Wikipedia | Mahatma Gandhi information |
mahatma Gandhi History
All of us feel free to breathe freely in the open air, but who is the credit for this open air and our independence? Thousands of patriots have sacrificed their lives and have given us freedom in the gifts, and in these landlords, there is a unique person who, wearing a dhoti shirt with a stick and without a smile on his face, fought with selflessness for our independence.
Many of us call them Mahatma Gandhi, many call them Bapu and many people know them as the Father of the Nation.
Although Mahatma Gandhi death has been very long before years, people still consider him as his guide and follow the principles of his, determine the direction of his life. They do not need any introduction, but today we will tell you in detail the biography of Mahatma Gandhi, which contains some facts that you probably do not know.
Mahatma Gandhi Family & Birth
Mahatma Gandhi ie Mohandas Karam chand Gandhi, that is his full name, Mahatma Gandhi was born on 2 October 1869 at Porbandar in Kathiawar, Gujarat.
His father’s name was Karam chand Gandhi. His mother, Putlibai, was the fourth wife of Karam chand and she was of religious nature. While living with her mother, she had compassion, love and selfless devotion towards God only awakened in her childhood whose image continued to appear in Mahatma Gandhi till the end.
Mahatma Gandhi Education
Mahatma Gandhi’s primary education was only in Kathiawar and after that in childhood, he got married to Kasturba Makhanji of 14 years. Did you know that Mahatma Gandhi was 1 year younger than his wife?
When he was 19, he went to London to get higher education from where he got a bachelor’s degree in law. Gandhi ji followed some English customs of abroad but did not adopt the non-vegetarian food there. Considering his mother’s words and according to intellectualism, he decided to be a life long vegetarian and also got a membership of the vegetarian society located there.
After some time, Mahatma Gandhi returned to India and started advocacy in Mumbai, in which he could not be fully successful. After this he selected Rajkot as his place of work where he used to write Letter for the needy people.
After that he went to advocate for an Indian firm in South Africa in 1893, where he suffered the harassment of discrimination from Indians. Here many unpleasant incidents happened with them that shook Gandhi ji for the injustice done to society. After that, he started raising questions in the interest of the British Empire against the atrocities in India and in the interest of his countrymen.
In 1906 Mahatma Gandhi was again in South Africa, where he played an important role in the war of Jullu. After this, he returned home in the year 1915. At the time when he arrived here, the country was being tortured by the British all around. With the power of the landlords, they used to get very little allowance to the affected people, which caused poverty everywhere around the country. Dirt and disease were spreading in all the villages.
The situation of Kheda village of Gujarat was also very sad due to the famine and suppression of the British. This is where Gandhiji’s important role in independence started.
First Hermitage in Kheda
By making an Hermitage in Kheda village of Gujarat, he and his supporters started the cleaning work of this village, and schools and hospitals were also built.
Due to Kheda Satyagraha, Mahatma Gandhi was arrested and ordered to leave the place, against which millions of people protested. Thousands of Gandhiji’s supporters raised rallies and raised the voice to release them without any condition, which resulted in them being released.
The landlords who exploited the farmers under the guidance of the British and damaged the poor, many demonstrations against them were guided by Gandhiji himself. Looking at the selfless service for his country and love for the countrymen, people addressed him as Bapu. After achieving success in Satyagrah in Kheda and Champaran, Mahatma Gandhi became the father of the entire nation.
Non-cooperation Movement
After freed Kheda village from British tyranny, Mahatma Gandhi made a war against the British in the interest of the people of the whole country, in which their main weapons were – Truth, Non-violence and Peace. The non-cooperation movement started by Gandhiji proved to be a Brahmastra against the British.
Non-Cooperation Movement After Jallianwala Bagh massacre and deflagration, Gandhiji condemned the massacre, according to him the violence was considered inappropriate. In view of the violence happening after this, Gandhi Ji focused his attention on the establishment of complete control over the country by the government institutions.
Boycott of Foreign Goods
Gandhi joined the Indian National Congress in 1921 and adopted the Swadeshi policy to persuade the countrymen to boycott foreign goods. Women also made an important part of their movement. Gandhi Ji urged the people of the country who were working for the British and their government jobs, to leave them.
Non-Cooperation Movement was withdrawn
Non-Cooperation Movement got success in the whole country and maximum people followed the indigenous policy. Unfortunately, after the violent incidents of Chauri Chaura, Gandhi had to withdraw the non-cooperation movement and he had to spend two years in jail. In February 1924, he was released.
Salt Satyagraha -Dandi March
Despite imprisonment, Gandhi Ji continued to resist violence and atrocities in the country. During his imprisonment, he made every effort to unite the Indian National Congress, which had been divided into two parts.
In 1928, Bapu demanded to handover power to the Indian Empire at the Congress session of Calcutta and talked about non-cooperation movement to give freedom to the country on protest. After this, Mahatma Gandhi started the Satyagraha movement against salt in 1930, in which Dandi March was dominant.
After this the people of the country were aware and seeing the enthusiasm, the government interacted with Bapu, which resulted in the Treaty of Gandhi-Irwin. According to this treaty, all political Indian prisoners were released in lieu of ending civil disobedience movement.
After this, Gandhiji came to attend the Round Table Conference as the main face of Congress, which resulted in negative. After this, the representation of Irwin’s successor increased the oppression of the Indians and Gandhiji was once again imprisoned. But this movement continued by his supporters and the British had to see the face of failure.
Movement started for Dalits
After this, in 1932 Bapu (Mahatma Gandhi) made a six-day fast, and after that he started a movement in the interest of the Dalits. He gave the name of Harijan to the Dalits and this movement was also called Harijan movement. But this did not succeed and the Dalits rejected Gandhiji and chose Ambedkar as his leader. After this Gandhiji continued to fight in support of him.
Quit India Movement
In World War II, he spoke of non-violent support to the British, in which there was no one in the side. Later Gandhiji also refused to form any party in the war and the Quit India Movement was further intensified.
Violence and arrest also took place in this universal movement, in which Bapu was no exception. Bapu asked entire India to fight for freedom by non-violence, do or die. Gandhiji and members of Congress were arrested again. This imprisonment was very dangerous for Gandhiji. At this time he also became ill and Kasturba died.
Despite his imprisonment, the Quit India Movement continued and succeeded. British decided to hand over power to India But Gandhiji asked the Congress to reject the proposal of the British cabinet because this proposal was taking India towards division. But in view of the dissatisfaction among Hindus and Muslims, they made a hunger strike in Delhi, and Pakistan was separated by paying Rs 55 crores.
Mahatma Gandhi’s Death
Nathuram Godse, responsible for the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, was a nationalist Hindu and considered Gandhiji guilty of weakening India because he had paid Rs 55 crores to Pakistan.
When Mahatma Gandhi was walking on the night of January 30, 1948 in Delhi’s Birla Bhavan, Nathuram Godse shot him and killed him. In November 1949, Nathuram Godse and his associates were also hanged.
Gandhiji was the leader of the country who took the arms out of this country without taking weapon. After sacrificing his family whole life he fought for the benefit of the country and in the end it became the martyr for the benefit of the country. His entire life and biography (Mahatma Gandhi Autobiography) became inspirational for all age groups of India.
The important statement of Mahatma Gandhi : “Do not look bad, do not listen bad, do not say bad.”
Category: Inspirational Biography Tags: Biography, biography of mahatma ghandhi, history of Mahatma Gandhi, journey of Mahatma Gandhi, life of Mahatma Gandhi, mahatma gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi movements, the legend of Mahatma Gandhi
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New strategy for preventing organ transplant rejection shows promise
Media Contact: Ian Demsky
Organ transplantation has been one of the greatest successes of modern medicine. But one of its largest limitations comes from a patient’s immune system treating the new heart, or lung, or liver like a foreign invader.
maillard.jpg
Ivan Maillard, M.D., Ph.D.
In order to protect the donated organ, many transplant patients spend the rest of their lives on drugs to suppress their immune systems — and still their body’s efforts to fight the outsider can slowly damage the transplanted tissue, leading to chronic rejection.
Researchers at the University of Michigan Life Sciences Institute and U-M Health System Department of Surgery, however, see promise in a new approach to increasing long-term survival — one that’s showing encouraging results in animal models.
Interrupting a key cellular signaling pathway for a short period of time immediately after transplantation significantly decreased rejection in a mouse model of heart transplantation, according to findings published in the Journal of Immunology.
The research identified a major role in rejection played by two proteins involved in the Notch pathway — the Dll1 and Dll4 ligands — making them attractive as potential drug targets, said study senior co-author Ivan Maillard, M.D., Ph.D., an associate research professor at the LSI, where his lab is located, and an associate professor in the Division of Hematology-Oncology at the U-M Medical School.
D. Keith Bishop, Ph.D., the study’s other senior author and, until his recent retirement, professor in the Department of Surgery at the U-M Medical School, notes that the Notch pathway appears to play a central role in the regulation of the body’s reaction to a transplant — making it important to better understand how the pathway is controlled, and how it interacts with other regulators of the body’s immune response.
The study also builds on Maillard’s previous work that showed inhibiting the pathway could help prevent graft-versus-host disease, an often deadly complication of bone marrow transplantation.
Physicians / Providers
Hematology (Internal Medicine)
Ivan Patrick Maillard MD
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U of C sports-related studies ranked among the top 30 in the world
Faculty of Kinesiology Dean, Dr. Penny Werthner as the University of Calgary Faculty of Kinesiology was ranked among top 30 in the world on Tuesday February 26, 2019. Darren Makowichuk/Postmedia
From its innovative human performance labs to its Olympic training facilities, the University of Calgary’s sports-related programs received high accolades Tuesday, as the institution was ranked among the best in the world for studying sports and exercise sciences.According to the latest data from (QS) Quacquarelli Symonds 2019 World University Rankings, U of C ranks 30th in sports related-studies among 1,000 universities across the globe, including programs in sports or exercise science, sports studies, kinesiology, sports psychology and sports management.Penny Werthner, dean of the faculty of kinesiology, says sports-related studies are seeing success through a multidisciplinary approach to human movement, sport and health.Recent research, she said, has focused on the benefits of exercise for all ages, from a biomechanics and exercise physiology perspective to a behavioural and social science perspective.“I’m so proud of all of our staff, they are great researchers, great teachers and wonderful colleagues all doing important work,” said Werthner.“We’re looking more closely at all the benefits of exercise and how movement, mobility helps us with our health at all ages.“We’re also looking at injury prevention, the psychological benefits of exercise and the connections between our brains and our body.”U of C has been particularly innovative in its concussion-prevention studies and last November received $12 million from the National Football League’s scientific advisory board. The pan-Canadian research program, led by Carolyn Emery, researcher in the faculty of kinesiology, will research ways to reduce concussions and their consequences in youth sport on a national level.In the QS rankings, U of C’s sports-related studies also rated highly for research quality and nurturing graduate employability, receiving scores of 92/100 for citation credit and 81/100 for employer satisfaction after recruiting U of C sports graduates.
While U of C’s veterinary sciences program ranked 47th, the school also had a strong showing in nursing, archeology, anatomy and physiology, ranking in the world’s top 51 to 100.Academic programs ranking in middle ranges, between 101 and 150, include medicine, chemical engineering and education, and ranked between 151 and 200 were civil engineering, English literature and history. The U of C Law School ranked in the 201 to 250 range.But ranking in the lowest range, from 251 to 300, were programs in the Haskayne School of Business, including accounting and finance, business and management studies, as well as economics, mathematics, and physics and astronomy.Jack Moran, spokesman for QS, explained that subject-area rankings were only pinned down to single digits in the top 50, but were estimated within larger ranges beyond that because less data was available for many of the lower-ranking universities.“In the lower ranges, the score differences between institutions become too small to justify individual ranks,” Moran said.But he said that subject-area rankings among universities are becoming more important than ever for students deciding on which post-secondary school to attend.“When students think about their educational future, they tend to pick their desired subject of study first, and they tend to be invested in studying that subject and fostering a career based on that subject choice,” Moran said.“They’re savvy enough to know that a university that’s great for one subject may not be quite as strong for another, and that even the very top universities will have specific strengths.”QS released more general survey findings last June, ranking major universities across the globe and within their individual countries.While U of C ranked 229 out of 1,000 universities overall, it still made Canada’s top 10, ranking ninth, ahead of Queen’s University but well behind the top-five schools. The University of Toronto ranked first, followed by McGill, University of British Columbia, University of Alberta and McMaster University, respectively.Last fall, the U of C kinesiology faculty took seventh place out of 372 universities in the ShanghaiRankings Global Ranking of Sport Science Schools and Departments, making the faculty No. 1 in North America.eferguson@postmedia.com
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200 years ago, we endured a 'year without a summer'
Snow in June, frozen lakes in July, killing frost in August: Two centuries ago, 1816 became the year without a summer for millions in the U.S. and Europe.
200 years ago, we endured a 'year without a summer' Snow in June, frozen lakes in July, killing frost in August: Two centuries ago, 1816 became the year without a summer for millions in the U.S. and Europe. Check out this story on USATODAY.com: http://usat.ly/1TH1hre
Doyle Rice, USA TODAY Published 1:06 p.m. ET May 26, 2016 | Updated 1:09 p.m. ET June 9, 2016
On April 10, 1815, the Tambora Volcano produced the largest eruption in recorded history.(Photo: NASA)
Snow in June, freezing temperatures in July, a killer frost in August: "The most gloomy and extraordinary weather ever seen," according to one Vermont farmer.
Two centuries ago, 1816 became the year without a summer for millions of people in parts of North America and Europe, leading to failed crops and near-famine conditions.
While they didn't know the chill's cause at the time, scientists and historians now know that the biggest volcanic eruption in human history, on the other side of the world — Mount Tambora in Indonesia in April 1815 — spewed millions of tons of dust, ash and sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere, temporarily changing the world's climate and dropping global temperatures by as much as 3 degrees.
In addition to food shortages, the natural climate change caused disease outbreaks, widespread migration of people looking for a better home and religious revivals as people tried to make sense of it all.
The gloom spread to the literary world, too: that foul, frigid year inspired the plot of Mary Shelly's epic horror novel Frankenstein.
And it could happen again. Big volcanoes can erupt at anytime and with little warning, potentially changing the climate and giving a temporary reprieve to man-made global warming.
"We cannot reliably predict exactly when a volcano will erupt, or how powerful it will be, until the eruption is nearly upon us," said Nicholas P. Klingaman, co-author of the book The Year without Summer.
A volcano erupts
The eruption of Tambora, on April 10, 1815, on the island of Sumbawa in what's now Indonesia, was 100 times more powerful than the 1980 Mount St. Helens blast, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, which ranked the eruption as a seven on its eight-level volcanic explosivity index.
The volcano spewed out enough ash and pumice to cover a square area 100 miles on each side to a depth of almost 12 feet, according to the book, The Year without Summer, by Klingaman and his father, William K. Klingaman.
It was by far the deadliest volcanic eruption in human history, the Klingamans wrote, with a death toll of at least 71,000 people, up to 12,000 of whom killed directly by the eruption, according to the journal Progress in Physical Geography.
When a volcano erupts, it does more than spew clouds of ash, which can cool a region for a few days and disrupt airline travel. It also spews sulfur dioxide, NASA reports.
Sulphuric gases rise from the crater of Mt. Tambora on the island of Sumbawa, Indonesia. The eruption of Tambora in 1815 was the largest volcanic eruption in human history and resulted in a period of global cooling known as "the year without a summer." (Photo: Haraldur Sigurdsson, University of Rhode Island)
If the eruption is strong enough, it shoots that sulfur dioxide high into the stratosphere, more than 10 miles above Earth's surface. Up there, sulfur dioxide reacts with water vapor to form sulfate aerosols.
Because these aerosols float above the altitude of rain, they don't get washed out. Instead they linger, reflecting sunlight and cooling the Earth's surface, which is what caused the weather and climate impacts of Tambora's eruption to occur more than a year later.
Miserable summer
Heavy snow fell in northern New England on June 7-8, with 18- to 20-inch high drifts. In Philadelphia, the ice was so bad "every green herb was killed and vegetables of every description very much injured," according to the book American Weather Stories.
Frozen birds dropped dead in the streets of Montreal, and lambs died from exposure in Vermont, the New England Historical Society said.
On July 4, one observer wrote that "several men were pitching quoits (a game) in the middle of the day with heavy overcoats on." A frost in Maine that month killed beans, cucumbers and squash, according to meteorologist Keith Heidorn. Ice covered lakes and rivers as far south as Pennsylvania, according to the Weather Underground.
By the time August rolled around, more severe frosts further damaged or killed crops in New England. People reportedly ate raccoons and pigeons for food, the New England Historical Society said.
Europe also suffered mightily: the cold and wet summer led to famine, food riots, the transformation of stable communities into wandering beggars and one of the worst typhus epidemics in history, according to The Year without Summer.
Scientists’ best estimate is that the global-average temperature cooled by almost 2 degrees in 1816 said Nicholas Klingaman, who is also a meteorologist at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom. Land temperatures cooled by about 3 degrees, he added.
How soon could it happen again?
Eruptions on the scale of Tambora occur once every 1,000 years on average, but smaller events can still substantially impact the climate, Klingaman said. Krakatoa's 1883 eruption in Indonesia caused global cooling nearly five years later, even though it ejected less material into the atmosphere than Tambora.
Similarly, Pinatubo in 1991 in the Philippines caused global temperatures to cool by about 1 degree, Klingaman said. Eruptions of that magnitude — about one-sixth the size of the Tambora eruption — happen about once every 100 years.
"Any of those other volcanoes could erupt again, perhaps on a scale of Tambora or greater," said Mike Mills, an atmospheric chemist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo.
The subject of how volcanoes affect climate is relatively new: Scientists didn't confirm the link between volcanic eruptions and global cooling until the 1960s and 1970s, Klingaman said.
A new area of research delves into how volcanic eruptions could interact with global warming, Mills said. The chemist says his own investigation found the role of volcano eruption in global climate change could be underestimated. And it could help explain why global warming appeared to temporarily slow down early this century when volcanic activity increased.
With global temperatures at record highs, a massive eruption today could halt man-made climate change. But the effect would be only temporary: Warming would pick up where it left off once all the stratospheric dust settled out, a process that could a few years or up to a decade, Weather Underground reported.
The fallout on the people affected by the event, though, could last far longer. The colorful, dusty skies from Tambora's epic blast inspired some of British artist J. M. W. Turner's most spectacular sunset paintings — some of which were painted decades after the eruption.
JMW Turner, 'The Lake, Petworth, Sunset, Fighting Bucks' c 1829 pic.twitter.com/i52zYVYPrg
— J. of Art in Society (@artinsociety) November 7, 2015
You can listen to USA Today's Charlene Washington chat with author Doyle Rice about this story below:
Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1TH1hre
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Report Says Excessive Fines for Street Vendors are Hurting the City (And Are Bad for Vendors, Too) | Village Voice
Report Says Excessive Fines for Street Vendors are Hurting the City (And Are Bad for Vendors, Too)
by Sam Levin
University of Wisconsin report.
A report released today argues that the city is excessively fining street vendors and in doing so is actually losing out on revenue it would get with a fine system that’s more fair.
The report, called “Fining the Hand that Feeds You,” from the University of Wisconsin, argues that high fines are less likely to be paid than lower, more reasonable fines — and that if the city made them easier to pay, they would bring in more money. It was released this morning in partnership with the the Street Vendor Project of the Urban Justice Center and with support from City Council members who are pushing legislation on the topic and held a hearing today on street vendors.
Last year, the report notes, the city handed out more than 26,000 tickets to street vendors — many costing vendors $1,000 for infractions that the authors say are minor and unrelated to health and safety, including vending too far from the curb or carrying their vending license in their pocket instead of wearing it around their neck.
Given their modest incomes, most street vendors simply aren’t able to pay $1,000 fines, the report argues.
The City Council is considering several pieces of legislation, sponsored by Councilman Stephen Levin, including one that would lower the fines for street vendors by reducing the maximum fine amount. Another would amend the administrative code of the city to define unrelated violations of vending rules and regulations as separate offenses.
Alfonso Morales, co-author of the report and associate professor of urban regional planning at the University of Wisconsin, told the Voice this morning that the fine system in New York City right now just seems outdated and illogical.
“The regulatory framework is too complex,” he says. “Giving a fine for a thousand dollars…feels sort of arbitrary.”
He said that these kinds of inefficient enforcement policies have been in place in cities for a long time.
“We often choke out the most entrepreneurial aspects of our lives,” he said. “The fines are so large that…they are no longer a disincentive to behaviors we don’t like. [Instead], they just choke out new businesses…and people’s aspirations.”
Morales added that in general, street vendors are an important part of the economy, because they are often immigrant businesses that can frequently lead to larger storefront operations that are good for the city.
The city needs to support them, not burden them with large fines, he said. “They can be source of future entrepreneurial activity.”
We were unable to attend the hearing today, but the city sent us remarks from Kathleen McGee, director of the mayor’s office of special enforcement, which is responsible for coordinating enforcement efforts across city agencies. In response to proposals to cap the maximum penalties for vending violations — and limit the circumstances in which graduated penalties are assessed for multiple violations — the city is basically unsupportive. The statement emailed to the Voice says that across the city, compliance with the vending rules and laws is poor at best, and complaints continue to be very high. McGee said she does not support decreasing penalties for vending violations, but would support clarifying the statute to reflect the Environmental Control Board’s current practice, which ensures that notices of violations issued on the same day carry the same penalty level.
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With “The Passion of Joan of Arc,” Carl Theodor Dreyer Writes History With Fire | Village Voice
With “The Passion of Joan of Arc,” Carl Theodor Dreyer Writes History With Fire
by Jaime N. Christley
If we dare to extract a meaning from “The Passion of Joan of Arc,” it should be: Believe women. Courtesy Janus Films
Joan, the Maid of Orléans, a/k/a “La Pucelle,” was canonized by Pope Benedict XV in 1920, meaning that her admission to sainthood still more or less qualified as breaking news when Carl Theodor Dreyer went into production on what would become the definitive cinematic representation of her trial, her execution, and, what’s more, her piety. By the lights of Joan’s convictions, her unassailable faith both in God and in France’s right to expel the English were an inseparable duality. Dreyer was already one of the best movie directors in the world by the time he began production on The Passion of Joan of Arc, but in its aftermath, he became something else, something greater. Words indeed run aground when trying to assess the enormity and sophistication of this 1928 film. Dreyer’s subsequent work during the sound era — about one feature per decade until his death in 1968 — indicate preoccupations with a group of themes (spirituality, the body, faith, memory) for which The Passion of Joan of Arc, the subject of a new 4K restoration being released by Janus Films, helped to render the blueprints.
There have been great Joan of Arc films and lousy ones. One of the earliest was by Georges Méliès, the man who pioneered trick films and cinematic special effects and who tended to produce jaunty fantasies and surreal comedies running less than two minutes in length. Méliès’s Joan of Arc (1900), with elaborate, hand-painted frames and no expense spared on costumed pageantry, ran a comparatively epic nineteen minutes. Ingrid Bergman played Joan twice, first at RKO (Walter Wanger’s 1948 Joan of Arc), and once more, six years after that, for her then-husband, Italian maestro Roberto Rossellini (Joan of Arc at the Stake). Otto Preminger’s 1957 adaptation of George Bernard Shaw’s play Saint Joan, starring overwhelmed novice Jean Seberg as the Maid of Orléans, is an honorable failure. One passes by Luc Besson’s 1999 version (The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc) without comment, but at least two French masters excelled: Jacques Rivette with his 1994 epic, Joan the Maid, clocking in at nearly six hours (all of them glorious), and Robert Bresson, whose characteristically underdemonstrative deliberation on the trial and execution (The Trial of Joan of Arc, from 1962) runs a spry 65 minutes.
Following The Passion of Joan of Arc, each subsequent movie Dreyer made seemed to advance toward a nirvana of material calm. Gertrud (1964), his swan song, is a memory melodrama told through characters who recline on unblemished sofas in immaculate parlors. Yet each of these later films was also, on an inverse trajectory, more conceptually radical than the last. Much of The Passion of Joan of Arc’s reputation as one of the highest masterpieces of the cinema rests on a possibly misremembered purity and placidity of a manner more accurately resembling that of Ordet (1955) or Gertrud. We’re correct to regard the 1928 film highly not only for its litany of indelible close-ups but also for the unvarnished truth-telling qualities in those intimate images, the way Rudolph Maté’s lighting makes a sandpaper moonscape of Maria Falconetti’s face as well as those of the actors playing Joan’s deceitful, smirking inquisitors. But The Passion of Joan of Arc also happens to be a war film, made in the shadows of the eschatological near-miss of the First World War.
Its reliance on the original court transcripts, proclaimed at its start (and a method revisited by Bresson’s version), suggests a miraculous, cameraless cinema, naked before the audience, enticing one to surrender tearfully and absolutely, as Nana (Anna Karina) did when she saw Dreyer’s film in Godard’s Vivre sa vie (1962). And you might do as much. But this is not a case of Dreyer’s intermediary hand concealed, endeavoring to invent a precursor to Direct Cinema. Dreyer films and edits the trial and execution within an elaborate nest of expressionist devices, canted angles, fish-eye lenses, and a host of other mechanical/visual distortions.
More recent to The Passion of Joan of Arc’s release than Joan’s 1920 canonization was a mid-decade wave of experimental cinema, chief among which was Fernand Léger and Dudley Murphy’s Ballet Mécanique (1924). Léger famously proclaimed that his radicalization as an artist pivoted on glimpsing a 75mm antipersonnel machine gun illuminated by sunlight. Artists like Léger (along with the surrealists, the Russian montage theorists, and so on) made it explicit that the cinema compresses itself into the crawl space between dreams and machines, and that it is inextricable from mass production and mass killing.
One should find that The Passion of Joan of Arc boils in this pot. With almost every camera mounted on tracks, topsy-turvy pans that glide like guillotine blades, and a montage accelerated by a spinning torture wheel, Dreyer’s arsenal of visual abstractions (which he would gradually cast aside over subsequent decades) in large part places The Passion of Joan of Arc on a continuum with Léger and Murphy’s landmark film, with Dimitri Kirsanoff’s Ménilmontant (1926), and with the early masterpieces by Jean Epstein and Sergei Eisenstein. The Passion of Joan of Arc is, finally, a storm, an ordeal that relentlessly tests a martyr’s devotion. Her trial and execution leads without obstruction or diversion to a violent insurgency in the public square, which itself rhymes succinctly with the conflagration that destroys Joan’s body and releases her to grace. No sooner have the flames reached their peak than armaments are handed down from parapets to crush the rioters. This is neither a hopeful nor a hopeless film, but one of feeling so colossal and resplendent, it can’t be constrained by prison or consumed by fire. If we can dare to extract one message from it, perhaps it should be: Believe women.
The Passion of Joan of Arc
Directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer
Janus Films
Opens November 24, Film Forum
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You are here: Home › USNO › About Us › CAPT Marc Eckardt, USN, Superintendent, USNO
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CAPT Marc Eckardt, USN, Superintendent, USNO
CAPT Marc Eckardt, USN
Superintendent, USNO
CAPT Marc Eckardt, a native of Cambridge, Md., is the 55th Superintendent of the United States Naval Observatory. He received a bachelor of science in oceanography from the United States Naval Academy, a master’s degree in physical oceanography and meteorology from the Naval Postgraduate School, and is also a graduate of the Joint Forces Staff College.
CAPT Eckardt’s sea tours include USS Hue City (CG 66) where he qualified as a Surface Warfare Officer, and USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), where he spent almost a year deployed as a Naval Oceanographer in support of Operations Enduring Freedom, Southern Watch, and Iraqi Freedom.
Ashore, CAPT Eckardt commanded Naval Ocean Processing Facility, Whidbey Island, Wash., where he was designated an Integrated Undersea Surveillance specialist and Information Dominance Corps Warfare Officer. Other shore tours include Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center, and METOC Staff Liaison for Naval Surface Forces and Naval Air Forces, then acting executive officer at the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Center, San Diego, Calif.
CAPT Eckardt also served as assistant oceanography community detailer, placement officer and community manager at Naval Personnel Command in Millington, Tenn., and as the senior meteorology and oceanography officer at United States Strategic Command, where he qualified as a Flight Meteorologist aboard the Airborne Command Post.
CAPT Eckardt was originally assigned to the staff of Commander, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command at Stennis Space Center, Miss., as deputy Hydrographer of the Navy and assistant chief of staff for Strategy, Plans, Policy, and International Engagements (N5). He assumed the role of Chief of Staff in August 2014.
His personal awards include Carrier Group Two Shiphandler of the Year award (1995) Commander, Naval Air Force Pacific’s Navy and Marine Corps Association Leadership Award (2003), and various other personal and unit awards.
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Utica prepares for Springfield
CRAIG MUDER
UC opens its Empire 8 Conference schedule at 12:30 p.m. Saturday (WUTQ AM 1550) against Springfield in the annual homecoming game at Gaetano Stadium.
UTICA - The first three games of the season have been a mixed bag of success and struggle for the Utica College Pioneers.
Now, the real test begins.
The Pioneers are 1-2 after a lopsided win in the opener against Becker and losses to Husson and RPI where the offense totaled three points.
Springfield is also 1-2, and Pioneers head coach Mike Kemp expects the Pride to come out strong on Saturday.
"They're in exact same situation they were two years ago when we beat them: losing two games in a row coming in here," Kemp said. "Obviously, they're not happy, and they're ready for a dogfight. But they're doubting themselves a little now.
"We know they're going to play hard and play for 60 minutes. So we want to go out and play for 60 minutes and try to make happen what happened two years ago."
UC upset Springfield 34-33 in 2005, one of the key games in a 6-4 season for the Pioneers. Last year, Springfield exacted revenge with a 41-7 win.
The Pride always poses a challenge because of its triple-option offense, and that will be especially true for a UC team that is having trouble scoring points and gaining yards. The Pioneers amassed just 271 total yards in their last two games, including just 66 on the ground.
"The off week last week gave us a chance to re-teach some things that needed attention," said Kemp, whose team has not played since Sept. 15. "We felt we were leaving some of our running backs on the field for too long, so this week we'll get back into more of a rotation. We also have to get our older kids like (wide receivers) Alex Conlon and James Proniewych more involved in the offense."
Proniewych, Conlon and the rest of UC's receivers haven't been involved in many big plays this year. Utica has passed for only 414 yards, but Kemp is convinced quarterback Greg Pinelli can ignite the passing game in the coming weeks.
"We've got to get teams out of the scenario where they're putting eight or nine guys in the box to stop the run," Kemp said. "That means going downfield, but throwing the ball downfield is the hardest part of the game. And it's not just the quarterback.
"Greg hasn't been bad, and he'll get better because he's still shaking off the rust from not playing the last two years. He's a very coachable player."
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Series | Process | Rights | Rights | Nov 26, 2018
Revamping the American Justice System
Series of Essays
Leading scholars and practitioners comment on a recent book that argues for a simpler, more streamlined legal system.
The American legal system is broken—or so claim Professor Benjamin H. Barton and Judge Stephanos Bibas in their recent book, Rebooting Justice: More Technology, Fewer Lawyers, and the Future of Law.
Barton and Bibas argue that criminal defense attorneys across the country too often shoulder the burden of meager salaries and overwhelming caseloads. Defendants who navigate the criminal justice system face barriers to access to justice and representation at every turn. And this undesirable state of affairs persists in spite of the requirement set forth by the U.S. Supreme Court in Gideon v. Wainwright to provide a free lawyer to a felony defendant who cannot afford to hire one.
The civil justice system fares no better, claim Barton and Bibas. Litigants frequently go to court without legal representation, which significantly decreases their chances of receiving adequate relief from courts. Moreover, most non-lawyers have difficulty understanding the complexities of civil courts, rendering these individuals vulnerable to being taken advantage of by large organizations and their lawyers.
Given these problems, the entire legal justice system requires revamping, urge Barton and Bibas. As they put it, “the legal system needs to go on a diet, to make it slimmer, faster, cheaper, and thus fairer.”
Against this backdrop, The Regulatory Review has invited leading scholars and practitioners to comment on the issues raised by Barton and Bibas’s new book and the solutions it offers. This series brings together the following contributors: Darryl K. Brown, a professor at the University of Virginia Law School; Cary Coglianese, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School; Judge Fern A. Fisher, a visiting associate professor at the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University; D. James Greiner, a professor at Harvard Law School; Erica Hashimoto, a professor at Georgetown University Law Center; Paul Heaton, a senior fellow at and the academic director of the University of Pennsylvania Law School’s Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice; John Hollway, associate dean and executive director of the Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice at the University of Pennsylvania Law School; and Catherine T. Struve, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
Simpler Justice
November 26, 2018 | Benjamin H. Barton, University of Tennessee College of Law, and Stephanos Bibas, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
Access to justice matters, all the more so in a country founded on the rule of law. But lawyers and procedures are means to justice, not ends in themselves. Courts have repeatedly created new rights to lawyers, but legislatures have repeatedly failed to fund them. Simplifying this system would be more democratic and would empower ordinary citizens.
The Legal System and Its Reform
November 27, 2018 | Cary Coglianese, University of Pennsylvania Law School
The U.S. legal system leaves far too large a proportion of society without adequate fairness in both process and outcomes. If there is to be any hope of improving the quality of justice for all individuals, then the nation needs to engage in the kind of thorough, clear-eyed assessment of both problems and solutions that is exemplified so well by Rebooting Justice.
A Simpler and Less Adversarial System Would Be More Just
November 28, 2018 | Fern A. Fisher, Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University
Lawyers and the public must embrace the fact that the adversarial system does not work for the millions of individuals who must navigate the justice system without lawyers. But I am not willing to accept reforms that increase access to tools that can resolve legal problems but which do not also assure adherence to the law and the achievement of fair outcomes.
Rebooting Justice for Inmate Litigants
November 29, 2018 | Catherine T. Struve, University of Pennsylvania Law School
Inmate litigation represents a subset—but a large and important one—of the problems that Barton and Bibas seek to address. They indict our legal system, but they also point out tools for its rehabilitation. It is in correctional institutions, as in society at large, that rehabilitation holds the possibility of positive change.
Preventing Error Requires Not Just More Resources, But Better Incentives Too
December 3, 2018 | Paul Heaton and John Hollway, Quattrone Center at the University of Pennsylvania Law School
Preventing error is not just a matter of insufficient defense resources, but also a matter of creating incentives for the right actors to direct existing resources towards harm reduction. Prosecutors need to be encouraged to focus resources and attention on preventing error.
Reforming Criminal Justice by Reforming Lawyers
December 4, 2018 | Darryl K. Brown, University of Virginia Law School
Barton and Bibas reframe the paucity of available legal assistance as a problem of regulation rather than funding. Instead of lobbying legislatures to fund unpopular programs, the challenge is lawyers’ vested interests in preventing reforms that would open them to competition. The hurdles posed by this regulatory problem might be easier to overcome than funding shortfalls.
Misdemeanor Cases Need Lawyers Too
December 5, 2018 | Erica Hashimoto, Georgetown University Law Center
Given the way the criminal justice system operates to process misdemeanor cases, modest savings from fewer appointments of lawyers in misdemeanor cases will not improve the quality of representation in most felony cases. And narrowing the right to counsel may have the unintended consequence of increasing the glut of misdemeanor cases prosecuted.
Evaluating the Grand Bargain
December 6, 2018 | D. James Greiner, Harvard Law School
Barton and Bibas take a holistic look at the role of traditional attorney representation on both sides of the house and their proposal takes the form of a “grand bargain.” With an understanding that their grand bargain is a triage problem, questions emerge.
Tagged: Access to Justice, Civil Justice, Criminal Justice System, Rebooting Justice, Regulatory Reform
Opinion | Rights | Process | Rights | Rights Dec 6, 2018
D. James Greiner
Triaging serious cases and simplifying criminal procedure could raise significant risks.
Erica Hashimoto
Barton and Bibas’s suggestions about misdemeanor would increase charges and harm defendants.
Darryl K. Brown
Revamping the regulation of legal services might be a first step toward overhauling criminal justice.
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Don't cry for Argentina Posted almost 5 years ago
“All we lacked was knowing how to win it,” said a desperately disappointed Argentina coach Daniel Hourcade after watching his side came agonisingly close to their first Rugby Championship victory over South Africa in Salta last Saturday.
Leading 28-16 with a little over 20 minutes remaining in the match, it looked as though the Pumas were closing in on an historic triumph and deservedly so having outplayed their formidable rivals for much of the contest to that point. But a bold and brilliant Boks side turned the game on its head and eventually claimed a narrow 33-31 victory.
It is a painfully familiar story for Argentina since being granted a long overdue place at the southern hemisphere’s top table.
In Mendoza in 2012 during their debut season in The Rugby Championship, under the guidance of Santiago Phelan, they held a lead over South Africa going into the final quarter only to allow the Bok to escape with a 16-all draw. Later the same year on the Gold Coast, it was a similar story against Australia who rallied late in the game to claim a 23-19 win.
The 2013 Rugby Championship included two painful maulings at the hands of South Africa in Johannesburg (73-13) and Australia in Rosario (54-17) but there were slightly more palatable defeats. They held a narrow lead over the Boks in Mendoza going into the final 10 minutes only for Morne Steyn’s boot to swing the match South Africa’s way (22-17). Momentum also took them to within striking range against Australia in Perth but they ran out of steam and had to settle once again for a narrow loss (14-13).
This year’s campaign has now begun with two narrow defeats to South Africa – the Boks claiming a 13-6 victory at a rain-swept Pretoria – and their Championship record now stands at Played 14, Won 0, Drawn 1, Lost 13. It doesn’t make for pretty reading but make no mistake, and don’t be fooled by the simply ridiculous International Rugby Board rankings that currently state that Argentina are the 12th best side in the world – behind such heavyweights as Fiji and Japan, they deserve their place in an annual competition alongside the elite.
Have they forgotten how to win these games? Some would suggest they have never known how to beat the world’s best having not once beaten New Zealand, a 21-all draw in 1985 being their best return, or South Africa – and not seen off Australia since 1997. Others may argue against this, pointing to their headline-grabbing run of form at the 2007 Rugby World Cup but the draw was kind to them and they avoided the southern hemisphere giants until the semi-finals where South Africa put them to the sword.
It is not that they are short of quality with the likes of Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe and Juan Martin Hernandez two stand out talents in a squad boasting power, pace and skill in abundance that troubled South Africa time and again in their two most recent encounters.
They have also survived the departure of a host of familiar faces and RWC’07 heroes such as Agustin Pichot, Felipe Contepomi and Rodrigo Roncero with development no doubt aided by exposure to such a competition at The Rugby Championship.
The physical and mental demands of The Rugby Championship are certainly a significant factor. Going from a standing start to playing the sport’s best six times in a relatively short period of time would test the mettle and depth of any side but you will not hear them complain.
Hourcade must also contend with the fact that the majority of his players are based in Europe which must impact on preparations although the forthcoming addition of a Super Rugby franchise in Buenos Aires from 2016 and the expected return of the country’s leading players will be a huge boost on that front.
Despite boasting plenty of Test caps in key positions, this is only their third year in the competition and so experience may also be telling especially in crucial moments. It is also worth remembering that they are playing the best in the world – all former world champions.
These are teams oozing with talent able to turn a game in an instant and possessing world-class players and leaders such as the Boks’ Jean de Villiers whose decision to turn down a shot at the posts late in the game in Salta in favour of a lineout that would eventually produce a try arguably the key moment. Do the Pumas lack that kind of composure and confidence when the heat is on?
It is hard for Argentina and it is not about to get any easier with New Zealand and Australia and thousands of air miles looming in the coming months. And they are not competing against just one side but all three rivals who, like the rest of the world, are well aware that a Pumas victory against any one of them would serve as an affirmation of their class and quality and further fuel their desire to unprecedented heights.
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Graham Jenkins
Here's what Jenks thinks...
Graham Jenkins is a freelance sports journalist who has been reporting around the rugby globe for over 20 years. A former editor of the leading rugby union website Scrum.com, he is a veteran of five World Cups and cites England’s 2003 triumph as the most memorable moment of his professional career - closely followed by a night out with Toulon owner Mourad Boudjellal.
Innovate or die? Rugby's continued quest to stay relevant.
The pressure on English rugby, and the game in general, to adapt and ensure the long-term success of the sport is evident in two innovations that are set to debut next season. Writer Graham Jenkins looks at these innovations and their possible positive effect on the game and its continued evolution.
Coaches should embrace ‘half game rule’ challenge
From the start of next season, all match day squad players at every level of youth, junior and minis rugby, from ages 6 to 18, must play at least half a game. A policy that has been in place in NZ and Wales for some years. Graham backgrounds the rationale behind the move and the impact on coaches.
on Coaches Corner
Is it time the Six Nations packed down behind the Nations Championship concept?
World Rugby’s plan for a ground-breaking annual Nations Championship uniting both hemispheres appeared to have little support when revealed last month but is it actually a concept we should all be embracing? Writer Graham Jenkins looks at the merits of the plan.
Are 'foracks' the future?
Last week Eddie Jones introduced the possibility of in the future backs playing the in the forwards. Writer Graham Jenkins, in his latest article, looks at whether Jones’ comments have merit or are just pre 6N tournament banter.
Is there a right time to walk away?
In the cut-throat world of elite sport, unfortunately coaches do not always get to choose when they step away from a role with their future more often than not defined by their employers. In his latest article Graham Jenkins examines the decision of the leading coaches who have met the success criteria of their bosses yet still opt to move on all the more interesting and perhaps revealing.
on Leadership & Management
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Edition No. 143 February 11 – 17, 2017
Fraser hypothesised that a new political force could emerge out of the ashes of the two major parties ... Its policies would be evidence-based and it would emphasise finding solutions to “wicked problems”. By Barry Jones .
Barry Jones
The need for a new political party
The year 2016 is likely to be recognised as one of those great turning points of modern history, even more than 1979, 1989 and 2001. Democracy faces its greatest existential crisis since the 1930s. What is sometimes called “the Enlightenment project” has come under sustained attack in the United States, much of Europe, and to a lesser degree, so far, Australia.
Donald J. Trump’s election as the 45th president of the US marked the beginning of a new political era – post-truth, post-evidence, post-courage – which is particularly confronting, considering that Americans, like Europeans and Australians, are part of the most highly educated cohort in their history, on paper, anyway. The truth of a proposition means nothing, and evidence is irrelevant.
Paradoxically, in the US, much of Europe and Australia, as levels of formal education rise, and information is readily available on an almost infinite number of issues, debate becomes infantilised and reduced to the narrowly economic and personal. There appears to be an inverse relationship between available knowledge and the operation of political systems.
At present there is a serious withdrawal from political engagement by people with high levels of education or professional skills.
The principal elements in any Trump speech are the ranting style; endless repetition, reminiscent of the Bellman in Lewis Carroll’s The Hunting of the Snark: “What I tell you three times is true”; reliance on slogans; the adoption of “truthiness”; inconsistency; hypersensitivity to criticism; vulgar abuse of opponents; use of childish language; sense of improvisation, as if he doesn’t know what he will say next; and lack of empathy or understanding of other points of view. For Trump, the most important subject is himself, something he returns to constantly, often referring to himself in the third person. Obviously many voters, but not a majority, see that style as authentic, and they identify with it.
Disconcertingly, he claps himself as he comes on stage, a distinctly North Korean touch. His presentation is reminiscent of Mussolini and Kim Jong-un.
But the most worrying factor about Donald Trump is his complete lack of curiosity. On the issues raised with him in the campaign, he either knows the answers already or he has no desire to hear the elements of discourse – the case for and against a proposition. He has surrounded himself with “yeasayers” who are of the one mind. He looks to simple solutions for complex problems. He seems to be bored by or hostile to science. He sees the environment as a barrier to development and employment.
Trump is unreflective, posturing in a way that may conceal deep insecurity, narcissistic, always personalising issues to the hero versus the devil. He talks – shouts, really – in slogans, endlessly repeated, with no evidentiary base. He appeals to fear, anger, envy and conspiracy theories. He is an incorrigible tweeter.
I grew up with the conviction that activists observed a problem, collected evidence, worked out a strategy, explained it, sought reactions, addressed objections or criticisms, corrected errors, then sought to act. Even after legislation was enacted, it still had to be explained until the community understood and accepted it. Now this approach seems obsolete. Evidence doesn’t matter. If you don’t like the facts, somebody can find alternative facts.
Malcolm Fraser, in his controversial period as prime minister from 1975 to 1983, was often seen as rigid and remote, although always good on race and refugees. After his defeat in 1983 he became increasingly progressive, resigning from the Liberal Party in 2009. On some issues, such as the republic referendum of 1999, he formed an unlikely alliance with Gough Whitlam, collaborating in campaigns.
He thought that both the Coalition and the Labor Party had become corrupted and timid, looking for immediate advantage, adopting a narrow focus on economics, as if humans could be defined as consumers only, as homo economicus; that the goals of life were entirely material, and that great long-term issues, involving the fate of the planet and non-commercial values, could be ignored.
In our conversations late in his life, Fraser hypothesised that a new political force could emerge out of the ashes of the two major parties.
I proposed the “Courage Party” as a working title for a new political force, although Fraser had some doubts about the name. It would not have been a “centre party”. It would not have been the sort of party that explored policy differences between the major parties – when any could be found – then split the difference, opting for something safe, in the middle, offending nobody. It would have been radical, more so than other parties on most issues, dedicated, to quote the Polish political philosopher Leszek Kołakowski, “to a number of basic values, hard knowledge and rational calculation”.
Fraser used his formidable networking skills to invite experts in foreign policy, taxation, defence, environment, science, health, education and law reform, including drug laws, to prepare detailed position papers, analysing evidence, proposing long-term solutions to intractable problems. All agreed. Each expert was dismayed by the failure of both government and opposition to act courageously on the great issues of our time.
Mike Richards – political scientist, author, former associate editor of The Age, who worked happily as chief of staff to John Cain and Simon Crean, and unhappily with Mark Latham – collaborated with Fraser in exploring alternative political structures and policy formulation.
Then in 2015 came two dramatic changes.
In March, Fraser died, unexpectedly. In September, Malcolm Turnbull displaced Tony Abbott to become prime minister. He traded a promise of inaction on contentious issues that he had advocated in his first period as Liberal leader and elsewhere in his life, such as climate change and the republic, to secure the votes he needed to defeat Abbott. This meant adopting most of Tony Abbott’s policies, as Abbott was quick to point out.
Membership of both the Liberal and Labor parties has become small and sclerotic. Public funding and compulsory voting are bomb shelters that protect the existing hegemonic parties and make reform virtually impossible. Most electors are loyal to the major parties on polling day but many cast their vote with pegs on their noses.
The creation of nationwide factions in the late 1980s led to the “privatisation” of Labor, in which factional leaders became traders and conviction politics was replaced by retail – or transactional – politics.
The central question about policy was no longer “Is it right?” but “Will it sell?” Factions are essentially executive placement agencies – and the members of each owe their primary allegiance to the faction or subfaction. Loyalty to a faction, or subfaction, is more important than commitment to a principle or ideal. Parties have become closed corporations, oligarchies. Political operatives have become traders.
Some citizens share the delusion that left and right are fighting tooth and claw on major issues and that there is a deep ideological divide in our parliament. This is not only wrong, but absurd. The bitterest fights in parliament are not on major issues, but on personalities, relative trivialities and “gotcha” moments.
Within the hegemonic political parties there are factions often described as “left” or “right”, but in practice these are just labels.
There is no significant difference between left and right on refugees, on taxation, on coal, on gambling, on a federal anti-corruption body, a bill of rights, a republic, on preservation of the ABC and CSIRO, on planning a post-carbon economy, on foreign and defence policy and the surveillance state. Or if there is one, I haven’t noticed.
The need for policies based on evidence, analysis and statistics is disputed by many, who prefer to rely on instinct, feelings and intuition, for example on global warming or refugees.
The treatment of refugees is described as “operational”, coded language for saying that the subject cannot be discussed. Neither of the two political oligarchies competing to form government will open up debate on the subject – so that evidence or statistical analysis is not just suppressed, it is treated as irrelevant.
There is too little dispute with this. It is as if voters say: “We are powerless. There are thousands of party insiders and only 15 million of us…”
Nature, notoriously, abhors a vacuum. At present there is a serious withdrawal from political engagement by people with high levels of education or professional skills. They have deserted the field of action with disdain, wringing their hands, expressing dismay or even contempt for the political process, but refusing to engage. I can understand those feelings but they lead to a deformation of how democracy works. The politics of reason are being displaced by the politics of frustration and anger.
There are at least two possible alternative models for a third political force. One on the left, one on the right.
Model A: This could be the Courage Party. It would be significantly based on our 4.5 million graduates, including professionals, teachers, performers, writers, artists, social workers, scientists, doctors, intellectuals and other knowledge workers. It would probably attract Greens supporters, frustrated reformers from Labor and some unhappy progressive Liberals. Unions and professional associations might affiliate. Its policies would be essentially evidence-based and it would emphasise finding solutions to what sociologists call “wicked problems”: refugees, a new taxation system, a post-carbon economy, biota sustainability, needs-based funding for education, ending toxic political culture.
Model B: We could call this the Left Behind Party. Its common elements are identifying victims and denouncing enemies; resentment about rapid change; nostalgia about the past; apprehension about the future and many aspects of modernity; responsiveness to fear about the unfamiliar, especially mixing with other races and cultures, particularly Muslims; finding simple explanations for complex problems. A Model B party has these characteristics: rejection of evidence, low levels of formal education, resentment of elites and “political correctness”, and a belief the 1960s was a “Golden Age of full employment”. Many of these voters used to be with the Labor Party but now are often, but not always accurately, identified with a nativist populism.
The Model B phenomenon resonates in the small towns and rural areas of most states. Unhappily, it may be the more likely prospect if the major parties – for all their deficiencies – fail.
Model B supporters are visible, and vocal. Model A supporters exist, but have other priorities and are not to be seen.
Great crises often produce great leaders – Lincoln, Churchill, Roosevelt, Curtin – but Australia, like most other Western nations, does not have heroic leadership on offer. Instead, our leaders are essentially followers. They lack courage and vision, and fail to explain, explain, explain to win public support on difficult issues. Instead, they read Newspoll obsessively and say, timidly, “I am their leader. The people will tell me what I must do.”
The precondition for a Courage Party would be courageous people prepared to sacrifice time, effort, money and thought, driven by strong convictions, knowledge and ethics.
Posterity will judge our generation harshly if we fail to act.
A version of this essay was a finalist for The Horne Prize.
This article was first published in the print edition of The Saturday Paper on Feb 11, 2017 as "The Courage Party". Subscribe here.
was a minister in the Hawke government and twice served as the ALP national president.
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81st annual St. Clair County 4-H and Youth Fair kicks off Monday
The fair runs from July 15 to 20 at Goodells County Park.
81st annual St. Clair County 4-H and Youth Fair kicks off Monday The fair runs from July 15 to 20 at Goodells County Park. Check out this story on thetimesherald.com: https://www.thetimesherald.com/story/news/2019/07/11/mega-trucks-michigan-chillers-author-new-st-clair-county-fair/1681146001/
Jeremy Ervin, Port Huron Times Herald Published 9:26 a.m. ET July 11, 2019 | Updated 9:31 a.m. ET July 11, 2019
A lamb looks out from a pen during the junior livestock auction Thursday, July 21, 2016 at the St. Clair County 4-H and Youth Fair at Goodells County Park. (Photo: JEFFREY M. SMITH, TIMES HERALD)
After a year of work, 4-H kids around St. Clair County get to have their week of recognition once again.The St. Clair County 4-H and Youth Fair kicks off Monday. The fair runs from July 15 to 20 at Goodells County Park.
"I think it's truly all about the kids," MSU Extension 4-H Program Coordinator Lori Warchuck said. "It's the culmination of all their hard work throughout the year. It's kind of our end of the year party."
New this year is an appearance by "Michigan Chillers" and "American Chillers" author Jonathan Rand, who will be signing books and meeting with readers starting 1 p.m. Wednesday in the entertainment tent. The Michigan Chillers series contains spooky stories aimed at children that take place in various Michigan towns.
Also new this year is the Mega Truck Show, a variation on the monster truck show introduced last year. It is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, July 17.
"They're a smaller bodied truck with a big wheels, but the do similar kind of thing," Warchuck said.
A cowboy rides a bucking horse Monday, July 16, 2018, at the Flying Star Rodeo at the St. Clair County 4-H and Youth Fair. (Photo: Brian M. Wells/Times Herald)
Monster trucks are back this year as well. Rides are available for $5 throughout the week, with a show on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
The livestock auction rolls out at 2 p.m. on Thursday, July 18. Sheep will go first, followed by beef, goats, veal, rabbits, poultry and swine.
Tickets are $9 per person, or a daily admission fee or $25 can be paid for one car and all of its occupants, according to the fair's website. Weekly admission passes are available for $60 if purchased by July 14. Weekly admission passes cost $70 if purchased at the gate during the week of the fair. Weekly passes can be purchased at the Community Building of the fairgrounds, or the MSU Extension, 4-H office at 200 Grand River Boulevard, Suite 102, Port Huron.
Anyone looking for more information on the fair can visit stclaircounty4hfair.org.
Support stories like these. Find our subscription offers here.
Contact education reporter Jeremy Ervin at (810) 989-6276 or jervin@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @ErvinJeremy.
Riders work their horses early Tuesday before the show starts at the St. Clair County 4-H and Youth Fair. (Photo: Liz Shepard)
Schedule Highlights
9 a.m. — Horse and Poultry/Pigeon Judging
12 p.m. — Opening Ceremonies
2 p.m. — Walking Fleece Sheep Show
4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. — Sheep Judging
4 p.m. to dusk — Chain saw carving
5 p.m. — Hands on Dairy
5 p.m. to 10 p.m. — Sterbeck Family Carnival
6 p.m. to 8 p.m. — 99.5 WYCD at the fairgrounds
7 p.m. — Flying Star Rodeo & country music by DeWayne Shaw
9 a.m. — Horse, rabbit and llama judging
11 a.m. to 8 p.m. — Blue Water Pet Therapy Club
12 p.m. — Diaper Derby
12:30 p.m — Candy Scramble
1 p.m. to 5 p.m. — Free vision screening for kids aged 1 through 5.
1 to 10 p.m. — Skerbeck Family Carnival
2 p.m — Home Depot Kids Workshop and Sand Art
3:30 — Veal judging
5 p.m. — Beef Judging and Hands on Dairy
6 p.m. to 8 — 101.1 WRIF at the Fairgrounds
7 p.m. — Monster Truck show
9 a.m. — Horse, rabbit and goat judging
1 p.m. — Michigan Chillers' author Johnathan Rand
Sensory Friendly Activities1 p.m. to 3 p.m. —
1 p.m. to 5 p.m — Free Vision Screenings aged 1 through 5.
1 p.m. to 10 p.m. — Skerbeck Family Carnival
2 p.m. to 5 p.m. — Eat Your Ag Pizza Possibilities
2:30 — Kids Contests (most freckles, longest hair, twins and more)
3 p.m. — Bike Giveaway
3 p.m. to 6 p.m. — Stan the Fireman - Magic Show and Rides
6 p.m. — Step By Step with PH X-Treme Dance Team and Dance Party for All
6 p.m. to 8 p.m. — 94.7 WCSX at the fairgrounds
7 p.m. — Mega Trucks
7 p.m. to 9 p.m. — Dog Agility/Nose Work
9 a.m. — Horse Judging
12 p.m. — Stick Horse Rodeo
1 p.m. — Rabbit Fun Classes
1 p.m. to 5 p.m. — Free Vision Screening aged 1 through 5.
2 p.m. — Livestock Auction
2 p.m. — Frog Jumping Contest and Hula Hoops
2 p.m. to 5 p.m. — Free Hands on Activities for Kids
2 p.m. to 6 p.m. — Silent Livestock Auction
5:30 p.m. — Pedal Tractor Pull
6 p.m. T.T.P.A. Tractor, Truck and Semi Pulls.
1 p.m. to 5 p.m. — Free Vision Screening aged 1 through 5
2 p.m. — Frozen T-Shirt Contest
2 p.m. to 5 p.m. — Spartain Spectacular
4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. — Horse Awards Presntation
5 p.m. to 8 p.m. — Mike N Jerry Summer Time Music
5:30 p.m. Pedal Tractor Pull
7 p.m. FWD Bump and Run
7:30 p.m. — Draft Horse Pull
8 a.m. — Open Horse Show
10 a.m. — Adult Showmanship and Sheep Herding Demonstration
11 a.m. — Mud Volleyball, registration at 10 a.m.
12 p.m. — Sweepstakes Showmanship and Sheep Herding Demo
1 p.m. — Cornhole Tournament, registration at noon
1 p.m. to 5 p.m. — Free vision screening aged 1 to 5.
1 p.m to 7 p.m. — Big Blue Blocks
1:30 p.m. — Awards Ceremony
2 p.m. — Sheep Herding Demonstration
3 p.m. Pet Parade
4 p.m. to 6 p.m. — Still Exhibit Silent Auction
4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. — Mike N Jerry Summer Time Music
7 p.m. Figure 8 RWD and FWD Stock Derby
Read or Share this story: https://www.thetimesherald.com/story/news/2019/07/11/mega-trucks-michigan-chillers-author-new-st-clair-county-fair/1681146001/
Downed line ignites 2 Burtchville Twp. homes
Three Detroit teens to be charged in Fort Gratiot jewelry store robbery
June sets water level record for 3 Great Lakes and Lake St. Clair
CN completes laying new track following tunnel derailment
This Michigan town hopes to be nation's nicest
Long-closed 'sinking' section of St. Clair Highway reopens to traffic
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Chateau Batailley Pauillac Bordeaux Wine, Complete Guide
Learn everything about Chateau Batailley, Pauillac, Fifth Growth, with wine tasting notes and wine with food pairing tips. Learn about the best vintages, a history of the property, information on the vineyards and winemaking. If you want to read about other important, Bordeaux Chateaux: Links to all Bordeaux Wine Producer Profiles
Chateau Batailley History, Overview
In the 1700’s, the Saint-Martin family were the owners of Batailley. Chateau Batailley was well-known in those days due to its history as it was one of the older Bordeaux wine estates dating back to the 1400’s. In fact, the property took its name from a famous military battle that took place in 1452, during the hundred year war.
In 1791 Marianne and Marthe Saint-Martin sold their part of Chateau Batailley to Jean Guillaume Pecholier. In 1816 Chateau Batailley was sold to Daniel Guestier of Barton and Guestier, a famous and important Bordeaux wine negociant firm.
He acquired most of the estate and began buying more shares and land, including plots adjacent to Lynch Bages and Grand Puy Lacoste to enlarge the estate. The Guestier family was was quite well-known in Bordeaux at the time, as they also owned Chateau Beychevelle by the time of the 1855 Classification of the Medoc.
Daniel Guestier renovated the Left Bank chateau and improved the Bordeaux wine making facilities of Batailley. He died in 1847. By that time, Chateau Batailley had a good reputation. The chateau was managed by Guestier’s three children until they sold it in 1866.
It was acquired by a Parisian banker Constant Halphen. Upon Halphen’s death in 1932, the Borie family purchased the estate and continued to make the wine for another decade before the vineyard was cut in two, which as you will see, gave birth to another wine.
Chateau Batailley The Modern Era
In 1942 Chateau Batailley was divided into two separate properties that we know today: Chateau Batailley and Chateau Haut Batailley. Francois Borie kept the smaller part of the Medoc vineyard which became Chateau Haut Batailley. The larger portion, including the chateau, which was owned by Marcel Borie naturally retained the original name of Chateau Batailley.
In 1961 the estate was transferred to Marcel´s daughter Denise and her husband Emile Casteja. Their son Philippe Casteja, with the help of his son, Frederic Casteja manages Chateau Batailley today. The family also owns Chateau Lynch-Moussas, Chateau Trottevieille and other Bordeaux estates as well as a massive Negociant company, Borie-Manoux, which dates back to 1870, when it was founded by Pierre Borie.
In 2006 Chateau Batailley renovated and modernized their vat rooms and winemaking facilities.
The best vintages of Chateau Batailley are: 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2012, 2010, 2009, 2006, 2005, 2003, 2000 and 1929. Older vintages could be good, it’s worth looking for in the auction market today.
Chateau Batailley Vineyards, Terroir, Grapes, Winemaking
The 57 hectare Bordeaux vineyard of Chateau Batailley is planted to 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. This shows a slight decrease in the Cabernet Sauvignon and a moderate increase in the amount of Merlot in the vineyard. However, today, the plans here are to once again, add more Cabernet Sauvignon to the vineyard.
The vineyard, which is divided into 4 main blocks, can be further subdivided into 60 separate parcels. The vineyard has a terroir of gravel, clay and sandy soils. There is more clay and sandstone below the surface.
Located inland, off the D1, the vineyard is close to the southern end of Pauillac. The majority of the vineyard is close to, and in front of the chateau, not far from the D1. The vineyards have good elevations, with much of the land rising up to 27 meters at its high-points. It is at the peak elevation, where you find their best terroir.
On average, the vines are 40 years of age. The vineyard is planted to a vine density of 8,000 vines per hectare. The estate is currently experimenting with biodynamic farming techniques on a 5 hectare parcel of vines.
To produce the wine of Chateau Batailley, vinification takes place in a total of 60, temperature controlled stainless steel vats that vary in size from 110 hectoliters to 130 hectoliters.
The vats do not vary much in size, as the majority of parcels are quite similar in size at close to 1 hectare per parcel. The 60 vats correspond directly to the number of parcels in the vines. Malolactic fermentation takes place in vat.
On average, the wine is aged in 55% new, French oak barrels for between 16 to 18 months, depending on the vintage. In 2015, Chateau Batailley introduced a second wine, Lions de Batailley. On average, close to 25,000 cases of wine are produced at Chateau Batailley each year.
When to Drink Chateau Batailley, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time
Chateau Batailley can be enjoyed on the young side with a few hours of air. But I find it too tannic to enjoy without cellaring. I find that the wine is usually better with 8-12 years of bottle age. Of course that can vary slightly, depending on the vintage character.
In the best vintages, the wine will be at its best when it reached peak maturity between 10-25 years of age after the vintage. Young vintages can be decanted for an average of 2-3 hours, give or take. This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume. Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment.
Serving Chateau Batailley with Wine, Food, Pairing Tips
Chateau Batailley is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift.
Chateau Batailley is best served with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised and grilled dishes. Chateau Batailley is also good with Asian dishes, hearty fish courses like tuna, mushrooms and pasta.
www.batailley.com
Château Batailley Wine Tasting Notes
20 Vintages 106,569 Views Sort by Vintage-Rating
2018 Château Batailley (Pauillac) 93
The crème de cassis is strong here and it's the perfect match for the full-bodied, ripe, round, dark, fresh, spicy red berry palate. The tannins are powerful, yet refined, which is perfect for all that juicy, peppery fruit in the finish. If you can wait and give this wine 7-9 years or more before popping a cork, you will experience all of its true Pauillac character. The wine was made from blending 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot, reaching 13.5% alcohol. 92-94 Pts
Cigar box, tobacco, crème de cassis and forestry create the aromatic profile. On the palate, the wine offers soft, polished, dark red fruits, spice, blackberry and tobacco. Nearly forward in style, this is a charming Pauillac that will age for at least 2 decades with little effort. The wine was made from blending 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot, reaching 13.6% alcohol.
Classic in nature, the cassis has a crispness to its that character you can bite into. Full-bodied, with sweetness to the fruits, freshness, you can easily find nuances of tobacco, cigar wrapper, cedarwood and hints of black pepper. The tannins are ripe and the structure is here for long-term aging potential.
Cassis and blackberries, creamy tannins, juicy, fresh berries, medium/full bodied with a blast of sweet, black currants in the finish, the wine has freshness, fruit and length and could be the best vintage in the history of the estate. Made from a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot, this wine reached 13.5% alcohol. The Grand Vin represents 70% of the harvest. The picking took place from October 3 to October 10. This is one of the latest harvests in the history of the property.
4,041 Views Tasted Apr 29, 2017 93
Tasty style of Pauillac, with soft tannins, concentration, dark red fruits and a blast of juicy, ripe, cassis, tobacco and very dark chocolate on the palate. This wine has freshness, with traditional Pauillac character. Give it 6-8 years in the cellar before popping a cork.
In the middle or at the top of my initial score range is where this is going to end up. The quality of the cassis is strong on this one. Full bodied, fresh and earthy, and already with a cigar in its mouth, this is a very good Paullac.
Sun-ripened blackberries, thyme and a hint of forest floor give way to a blast of succulent cassis, dark chocolate and tobacco on the palate. This wine has freshness, ripe tannins and a juicy, crisp finish with traditional Pauillac character. Made from a blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot, this wine reached 13.25% alcohol. The Grand Vin represents 60% of the harvest. 91 - 93 Pts
A sold example of a classic Pauillac, when the word classic is a good thing. Ripe, juicy, crisp and sweet, fresh cassis, with soft, but stern tannins that demand time in the cellar. A decade of patience will allow the tobacco, cedar and earthy notes to make their presence known, once the wine softens and comes together. The wine was made from a blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc.
3,787 Views Tasted Dec 21, 2017
Medium bodied with crisp red berries and tobacco and espresso on the nose, this lighter, uncomplicated style of Pauillac—produced from a blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot—will show best in its youth. 87-89 Pts.
The blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot produced a wine with cassis, black cherry, earth and a hint of oak on the nose, soft tannins and classic, Cabernet Sauvignon finish. This is showing much better in bottle than it did in barrel, which is always a good sign.
3,941 Views Tasted Mar 11, 2015
Forward, medium-bodied, early drinking, correct Pauillac with a fresh, bright character, ending with slightly dusty tannins, blackberry, cassis and a hint of cranberry in the background.
3,254 Views Tasted Dec 3, 2018
Only a few more years of bottle age has added a lot to this wine. Juicy cassis, blackberry, tobacco, smoke, cedar aromatics pop with no effort. Refined tannins and an elegant, medium.full bodied palate presence, with a bite of cassis in the end note are what you'll find here. This should be close to peak with another 7-8 years or so of age, and continue from there offering nice drinking for another decade or 2.
A very nice Pauillac filled with cassis, blackberry, olive tapenade, earth and some cigar box notes. From a blend of 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc. the wine has good concentration of flavor, ripe, but noticeable tannins and rich, spicy, cassis filled finish. This will only get better with time.
From a blend of 74% Caberent Sauvignon, 22% Merlot and equal parts Cabert Franc and Petit Verdot, this could be one of the best values in Pauillac from the 2009 vintage. Filled with fresh, blackberry, earth, cedar, tobacco and earth, soft tannins, round textures and a rich, delicious, earthy, ripe cassis and spice finish.
11,089 Views Tasted May 23, 2012
Young, as you would expect, the wine is solidly built, with crisp, red, bright, but still juicy, fruits. Medium/full bodied, with hints of secondary nuances starting to pop out, the finish offers classically styled, bright, red berries, pepper and cassis. Give it another 5 years or so. The wine was made from a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc.
My British friends would call this a perfect example of a luncheon Claret, and they are right. Fully ready to go, the wine is medium bodied, with a tobacco, cedar, dark red fruit and earthy, forest nose. The wine does not offer volume or weight, but its fresh, earthy, soft and with a bright, red, earthy, slightly herbal finish.
Still deep in color, with cigar box, cassis, fresh herbs and spice filled aromatics, the wine is medium/full bodied, with good freshness and crisp, red fruits in the finish. This is just starting to enter its prime time drinking window. But there is no hurry to drink it as should have at least a few decades of life and evolution in its future.
Firm, tannic, structured and filled with cassis, smoke, earth and tobacco, give this at least another 5 or more years for the tannins to soften.
3,394 Views Tasted Nov 19, 2013 90
Classic Pauillac, with tannin, structure. freshness, crisp fruit, firm elegance and a blast of cassis, cedar and tobacco. Still young, and seems to be holding some of its cards in reserve. Clearly, this has improved over the past decade and will definitely be more interesting to drink with another 5 years of bottle age.
4,105 Views Tasted Jun 27, 2015
From a blend of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, the wine is dark in color, with cassis, stone, plum and tobacco scents. With ample chewy tannins, good concentration of flavor and freshness, this traditionally styled Pauillac needs at least another decade before it softens and comes together.
8,039 Views Tasted Dec 26, 2011 90
Medium bodied, with fresh cassis, tobacco and cedar wood aromas, the tannins are fine, with no harshness, but there is an herbal, olive note in the finish some tasters will like more than others.
3,205 Views Tasted Jan 4, 2015
Nice, well priced, medium bodied, ready to drink classy Pauillac with loads of ripe, sweet fruit, tobacco, wet earth and thyme on the nose. There is freshness along with soft, dark red fruits and cassis in the finish. The wine was produced from a blend of blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot.
This has a lot of easy to like Pauillac charm with its cedar, cassis, tobacco and earthy profile. Tannic, giving the wine a backbone and the ability to age, but the tannins are not overwhelming, this classic wine is fine to drink now, but another 2-3 years will add more complexity to the wine.
3,666 Views Tasted May 8, 2014
Full developed, classic in style, with a strong lean to the bright, cassis and cranberry side of the classic, leaner style range, the wine offers notes of herbs, tobacco, green herb and leafy essences in the nose and palate. This is fully mature.
Classic style of Left Bank Bordeaux with a blast of cedar wood, tobacco, burnt wood, cigar box, cherry and cassis on the nose. Medium bodied, slightly stern in character, with a hint of rusticity in the tannins, the finish was fresh, with an earthy, spicy, red berry and cranberry ending. Fully mature, this was just popped and poured...
Sensual, with that silky, patina of age, sweet cassis and cherry, with Cuban cigars, tobacco, ash and earth. What a treat!
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– in the House of Commons at 5:21 pm on 8th April 2019.
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Jeremy Wright The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport 5:21 pm, 8th April 2019
With permission, Mr Speaker, I would like to make a statement. The Government have today published a White Paper setting out our proposals for making the internet a safer place. For so many people, the internet is an integral part of daily life; nearly 90% of UK adults are online, and for 12 to 15-year-olds the figure is 99%. As the internet continues to grow and transform our lives, we need to think carefully about how we want it to develop. In many ways, the internet is a powerful force for good; it can be used to forge connections, share knowledge and spread opportunity across the world. But it can also be used to circulate terrorist material, undermine civil discourse, spread disinformation, and to bully or abuse.
Our challenge as a society is to help shape an internet that is open and vibrant, but that also protects its users from harm. There is clear evidence that we are not succeeding. Over 8,000 sexual offences against children with an online element were reported to the police in 2017, and that figure is continuing to rise. Up to 20% of young people in the UK have experienced bullying online. The White Paper sets out many more examples of harms suffered. People are closing their social media accounts following unacceptable online abuse. For the vulnerable, online experiences can mean cyber-bullying and the risk of grooming and exploitation. We cannot allow such behaviour to undermine the very real benefits that the digital revolution can bring. If we surrender our online spaces to those who spread hate, abuse and fear, we will all lose.
This is a serious situation and it requires a serious response. The Government have taken time to consider what we might do and how we might do it. I am grateful to Members across the House, and indeed in the other place, for their consideration of these issues, in particular the Select Committee on Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. I am also grateful for the discussions I have had, including with Tom Watson and his Opposition Front-Bench colleagues. We intend to continue those conversations and to consult on what we propose, because it is vital that we get this right.
No one has done this before. There is no comprehensive international model to follow, and there are important balances to strike, in sustaining innovation in the digital economy and promoting freedom of speech, as well as reducing harm. None of that is straightforward, and the Government should not claim a monopoly on wisdom. That is why the consultation that will follow will be a genuine opportunity for Members of the House and others to contribute to these proposals.
It is also right to recognise that some work is already being done to make the internet a safer place, including by online companies themselves, but it has not been enough and it has been too reactive. It can no longer be right to leave online companies to decide for themselves what action should be taken, as some of them are beginning to recognise. That is why my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary and I have concluded that the Government must act and that the era of self-regulation of the internet must end.
The Government will create a new statutory duty of care, establishing it in law that online companies have a responsibility for the safety of their users. It will require companies to do what is reasonable to prevent harmful material from reaching those users. Compliance will be overseen and enforced by an independent regulator. The White Paper sets out the expectations for the steps that companies should take to fulfil the duty of care towards their users, and we expect the regulator to reflect those expectations in new codes of practice. In the case of the most serious harms, such as child sexual exploitation and abuse and the promotion of terrorism, the Home Secretary will need to approve codes of practice and will also have power to issue directions to the regulator about their content. The Home Office will publish interim codes of practice on these subjects later this year. We are consulting on the role that Parliament should have in relation to the codes, too.
If online companies are to persuade the regulator that they are meeting their duty of care to keep their users safe, there will need to be transparency about what is happening on their platforms and what they are doing about it. If they are unwilling to provide the necessary information voluntarily, the regulator will have the power to require annual transparency reports and to demand information from companies relating to the harms on their platforms.
It is also important to give users a voice in this system, so that they can have confidence that their concerns are being treated fairly. We will therefore expect companies to have an effective and easy-to-access complaints function. We are consulting on two further questions—how we can potentially provide users with an independent review mechanism, and how we might allow designated bodies to make super-complaints to defend the needs of users.
For a model based on duty of care to work, those subject to it must be held to account for how they fulfil that duty. That is why we have concluded that a regulator will be necessary, whether a new entity or an extension of the responsibilities of an existing regulatory body. The regulator must be paid for by the online companies, but it is essential that it commands public confidence in its independence, impartiality and effectiveness. We propose that the scope of the regulatory framework will be to cover companies that allow users to share or discover user-generated content or to interact with each other online, where that activity is currently unregulated. That includes a wide variety of organisations, both big and small, from a range of sectors, and the new regulatory regime will need to be flexible enough to operate effectively across them all.
There are two key principles in such an approach. First, the regulator will adopt a risk-based approach, prioritising regulatory action to tackle harms that have the greatest impact on individuals or wider society. Secondly, the regulator will require companies to take reasonable and proportionate actions to tackle harms on their services, taking account of their size and resources. The regulator will expect more of global giants than small start-ups. It is also necessary for the regulator to have sufficient teeth to hold companies to account when they are judged to have breached their statutory duty of care. That will include the power to serve remedial notices and to issue substantial fines, and we will consult on even more stringent sanctions, including senior management liability and the blocking of websites.
However, this regulatory approach is designed to encourage good behaviour as well as punish bad behaviour. Just as technology has created the challenges that we are addressing here, technology will provide many of the solutions, for example, in the identification of terrorist videos online and images of child sexual abuse or in new tools to identify online grooming. The regulator will therefore have broader responsibilities to promote the development and adoption of these technologies and to promote safety by design.
The truth is, however, that if we focus only on what Government or the online companies do, we miss something important. We all need the skills to keep ourselves safe online, and too few of us feel confident that we have them. We will therefore task the regulator to promote those skills, and we will develop a national media literacy strategy.
This White Paper does not aspire to deal with all that is wrong with the internet; no single piece of work could sensibly do so. This White Paper forms part of the Government’s response to the many challenges that the online world brings, but it is focused on some of the most pernicious harms found online and it expects much more of the companies that operate there in tackling those harms. These are big steps, but they need to be taken.
Some will say that the internet is global so no country can act alone, but I believe that we have both a duty to act to protect UK citizens and an opportunity to lead the world on this. With well-deserved worldwide reputations for fostering innovation and respect for the rule of law, the United Kingdom is well placed to design a system of online regulation that the world will want to emulate.
The more we do online, the less acceptable it is that content which is controlled in any other environment is not controlled online. A safer internet is in the interests of responsible online companies, which want their customers to spend more time online, and it is a legitimate expectation of those we represent. That is what this White Paper will deliver, and I commend it and this statement to the House.
Link to this speech In context Individually
(Citation: HC Deb, 8 April 2019, c55)
Tom Watson Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, Shadow Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport 5:31 pm, 8th April 2019
I thank the Secretary of State for his courtesy in giving advance notice of his statement. I also thank the members of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee for their meticulous work, much of which has made it into today’s document.
Let me outline what I think is at stake. We are at an inflection point in technological and human advance. Data can transform this planet almost beyond our current comprehension. The ideas of John von Neumann, I.J. Good and Ray Kurzweil tell us how accelerating intelligence and artificial intelligence can lead to a technological singularity. On health, for example, it will allow humans to take control of their own cellular biology; cancer patients worldwide will be able to share their data for the common good.
At the heart of this revolution, however, is a public policy question about the legitimate use of our personal data. That legitimate use has been imperilled because a couple of early big data pioneers distorted the market by making crazy amounts of money from targeted advertising and then protecting their market dominance.
These past months, this House has felt more divided than at perhaps any time in our recent history, yet one person and one cause has united elected representatives of all parties throughout the House—Mark Zuckerberg and the urgent need to bring social media giants into line.
It feels like we are living in a digital dystopia: a nightmare where a young girl commits suicide after being exposed to images of self-harm on Instagram; a business model where a massacre can be livestreamed on Facebook and the video shared thousands of times on YouTube; and a horror where a teenager is groomed in an online gaming community and then murdered in cold blood.
These companies are making billions extracting and monetising our personal data, and what do we get in return? Harms, hate speech and fake news filling our timelines and the minds of young and vulnerable people. It is no wonder that New Zealand’s privacy commissioner called the executives of Facebook “morally bankrupt pathological liars” after the company refused to acknowledge any need to change its policies following the Christchurch mosque attacks. I cannot disagree with him.
We found out today that Google avoided £1.5 billion of corporation tax last year. That could have paid for 60,000 nurses for our NHS. This from a company with a net worth of £645 billion. The abuses and harms perpetrated online represent one of the toughest social policy challenges of modern times. It is our duty, as elected representatives and policy makers, to rise to that challenge, and it is to the Secretary of State’s credit that he has clearly taken that duty seriously today.
Labour has already committed to many of the announcements in this White Paper. An independent regulator, a legal duty of care and a tough sanctions regime will support the Government in introducing these measures, but I have no doubt that the industry will fight back. The tech giants are certainly gearing up for a fight, hiring an army of lobbyists who I expect will be in touch with each of us very soon. I hope we can all make a commitment now that these measures will be the minimum standard of regulation and that we will not resile from any of the report’s recommendations.
There is much in this White Paper to be commended, but we also have concerns. Our biggest fear is that the announcements will take months, if not years, to come to fruition. When terrorists are recruiting, children are being exploited and disinformation wars are being waged online, we do not have time to spare. We need action now. Will the Secretary of State commit to bringing forward the legislation on the new regulator in the next parliamentary Session?
There is nothing in this report about protecting our democracy from dark third-party political advertising and those who wish to sow disinformation and discord. Even Mark Zuckerberg has said that Governments need to introduce regulation to protect electoral integrity. Does the Secretary of State admit that this White Paper fails to do that?
The duty of care codes and the codes of conduct sound like very important steps, but the devil will be in the detail. For example disinformation, such as anti-vaccination propaganda, is being spread unchecked in closed groups on Facebook, contributing to a burgeoning public health crisis. Will the Secretary of State explain how this White Paper might tackle that?
Underlying all the harms, hate and fake news on social media platforms is one central, fundamental problem: the distorted digital market dominated by a small number of data monopolies. These companies surveil our every like and share, extract our data and sell it on to advertisers 10 times over. They are hoovering up companies big and small, suppressing competition and innovation. They are now so dominant that they think themselves too big to fail—untouchable by mere national Governments.
We agree with the Secretary of State that this is only the start, and we respect what is in this White Paper and will work to help deliver it, but the truth is that, until we deal with the fundamental issue of data monopolists dominating the market, we will never really see the end of this digital dystopia.
Jeremy Wright The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman not just for what he has said this afternoon but for the open approach he has taken to the discussion of these matters. As he says, this is one of the toughest policy challenges we face, and I believe we will resolve it only if we are able to work across the House to make sure that what we produce is as robust as it can be.
As the hon. Gentleman also says, there will be a considerable amount of resistance to what is proposed in this White Paper, and we will all need to hold our nerve in the face of that pressure. He asks about legislation, and it is our intention to legislate in the next parliamentary Session, but he will understand that there is a tension between the urgency, which we all accept exists, to tackle these harms and, indeed, to legislate to do so and the need to make sure that we have taken account of the views and the thinking that others can contribute. He knows that I have sought to do that up to this point, and I will seek to do it from this point on. I want to ensure that we make this as robust as we can, that we get it right, that we have understood the detail, and that it will stand up to the kind of scrutiny and pressure that he rightly describes. With that tension in mind, we will move as quickly as we can.
On electoral integrity, the hon. Gentleman heard me say a moment ago that the White Paper does not represent the sum total of the Government’s action in relation to harms on the internet more broadly. He will know that the Cabinet Office will imminently be bringing forward its “defending democracy” piece of work. I hope he will find in that a good deal of the material he referred to. Indeed, while a good number of the Government’s responses to the excellent piece of work produced by the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee are, as he said, dealt with in the White Paper, some will be dealt with in that document.
Disinformation is, as the hon. Gentleman knows, one of the harms that we have identified in the White Paper as needing the attention of the regulator. We believe that a number of things can be done. We will expect the regulator, in its codes of practice and through the duty of care more broadly, to focus on the need to ensure that authoritative sources are prioritised over non-authoritative sources and that fact checking is available. There are other measures that the regulator could take, not least in respect of the point I made about public education. In relation to many of the issues on which disinformation is focused, we believe that the answer, at least in part, is to ensure that our fellow citizens are equipped with the skills they need to understand what they should be looking for to determine what they believe and what they do not. That is a legitimate focus for the regulator.
Finally, the hon. Gentleman mentioned competition, and I understand his focus on that. Again, I make the point that it will be dealt with, but that it will be dealt with elsewhere. He will know about the Furman review, which was recently completed at the Government’s instigation. We will take seriously what Professor Furman and his panel have said, and we will respond in due course. When we do so, the hon. Gentleman will have the opportunity to take the matter up again, and I know he will.
Damian Collins Chair, Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, Chair, DCMS Sub-Committee on Disinformation
I thank the Secretary of State for his kind words acknowledging the work of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee and for accepting so many of our recommendations in the White Paper. I want to ask expressly about the investigatory powers of the proposed new regulator. Does he agree that it is important that the job of the regulator is not just to identify that a failure in the duty of care has occurred, but to go into the company and investigate why that failure occurred, who knew about it and when, and what needs to be done to ensure that such a failure does not happen again? Only with that sort of internal investigation and scrutiny will we be able to set companies back on the right path.
I agree with my hon. Friend. He will see in the White Paper provisions to make transparency powers available to the regulator, not just so that it can ask for annual transparency reports from online companies, but so that when the regulator thinks it appropriate to do so, it can ask specific questions about information that it wishes to have. It will of course be important, as he will recognise from the work of the Select Committee, to make sure that the regulator is properly staffed with those who have the necessary skills and understanding to ask the right questions and then understand the answers. We will certainly attend to that, and I am grateful for the help of my hon. Friend and the Committee in developing some of the further detail.
Hannah Bardell Shadow SNP Spokesperson (Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
I thank the Secretary of State for advance sight of the statement. Although it is disappointing that the White Paper was delayed, I commend the Secretary of State and the Home Secretary on the sensible and robust plans, which the Scottish National party absolutely supports. The devil will, however, be in the detail.
The extended Ofcom or the new regulator that is created will have a big and serious job on its hands. Will the Secretary of State reassure us that any regulator will be properly resourced and have the full weight of the law behind it? The protection of vulnerable children is of particular concern to many of the stakeholders and schools I have spoken to in my Livingston constituency.
The Secretary of State made some important points about people closing their social media accounts because of abuse. The reality is that online abuse has a disproportionate impact on women and girls, who face sexism and misogyny, and are readily silenced online. I am sure that he will be aware of the work of Caroline Criado Perez and her book on this issue. In a world designed for men, women and girls are being rendered invisible. That cannot continue.
Just because a regulator is appointed does not mean it will be effective. The 2008 financial crash had to happen before the Financial Conduct Authority started to regulate effectively. Any regulator, the Secretary of State says, will be paid for by the online companies. Will he say more about how that will be levied? He also mentioned that the Home Secretary will publish an interim code of practice. Will he give us a sense of when that is to happen because, as we know, it is desperately needed?
I understand—we understand—that a balance needs to be struck with free speech. The tech companies seem to take the issues of terrorism, child abuse and paedophilia a bit more seriously, but the everyday abuse of people in public life and young people, particularly girls in schools, is a serious concern. I commend to the Secretary of State “The Burning” by Laura Bates, a brilliant book that draws on Laura’s own experience of talking to students in schools. It is about a young woman who is forced to move school and country because of the vitriolic abuse that she faced online.
The Secretary of State talks of a national media literacy strategy. That is welcome. I am sure that he is aware of the SNP-led Government’s child internet safety plan, and I hope that he will co-ordinate and work closely with the Governments in Scotland and the devolved nations.
Finally, it is imperative that any new regulation or legislation addresses the funding of political advertising online. The illegal activity of the leave campaign is a dark stain on our democracy. We must ensure that our democracy is not interfered with or damaged any further. We must get this right. For the sake of the family of Molly Russell and the victims of Christchurch, we must work together across this House to ensure that social media and tech companies are properly held to account.
I am grateful to the hon. Lady, and I agree with much of what she says. She asks some good questions, which I will try to answer.
It is important that we have a regulator that is properly resourced. I said that it was our intention to ensure that the industry pays for that regulator, which is of course what one would normally expect, but whether that is predominantly through a levy or fine income is a question we have asked for views on in the course of the White Paper. We look forward to hearing what people have to say. I am open to persuasion either way, or a combination of the two might be the best way to proceed, but obviously the weight of payment must be with the industry.
The hon. Lady asks whether the regulator will have the weight of law behind it. It will. As I indicated, we will need to legislate to set up the regulator; it will need statutory underpinning. I hope that she will be supportive of that effort when we bring legislation before the House.
The hon. Lady makes a good point about online abuse of women and girls in particular. One of the reasons that I am so keen to see this process continue is that if we do not give the citizens of this country the opportunity to speak up online, to participate in the debate on what is now one of the central forums for debate, we will lose a huge number of powerful voices in the course of making our country a better place. To women —young women in particular—who feel that that is a hostile environment in which to participate in debate, we have a particular duty. I believe that the regulator will help us to fulfil that duty.
The hon. Lady mentions codes of practice. She might not yet have seen that the social media code of practice is published alongside the White Paper, so that document is now available and I hope that online companies will start to take clear account of it. The work that the Home Office will now do will specifically be in relation to child sexual abuse and to the promotion of terrorism. Because of the seriousness of the harms, we believe it is appropriate for the Home Secretary to have input into the design of the codes of practice.
Finally, the hon. Lady has my assurance that we will continue to work with the Scottish Government. I have already had a very productive conversation with her colleague in the Scottish Government, Kate Forbes. We will seek to take forward that co-operation as we develop the proposals.
Iain Duncan Smith Conservative, Chingford and Woodford Green
I congratulate my right hon. and learned Friend on producing something that clearly binds all parts of the House together. There is much to be welcomed. I want to make two quick points. First, at the heart of the problem is the business model for such businesses. Because they are so light touch and therefore bear no responsibility for what they publish, they have in a sense been able to build up companies on the cheap. Making them publishers of their content is the quickest way to achieve our No. 1 purpose, which is to break up what Adam Smith in “The Wealth of Nations” called “cartelling”. May I direct the Secretary of State, as he looks at the legal constraints, to the idea that such businesses should be responsible, as publishers are, for the content on their websites? That would radically change everything. Has he had conversations with his counterparts in the United States to see whether there is commonality of purpose in what he requests?
The argument about whether such businesses are publishers or platforms takes up a great deal of time, and not necessarily to great purpose. It is better to ask how we can keep the focus on ensuring that online platforms take responsibility for what they do. We believe that the duty of care is the right method. It will not be sustainable any longer for online companies to say, “We have no responsibility for the harms that may appear on our platforms.” They will instead be required—by law if necessary—to look at what they can do to keep their users safe in any reasonably practicable way they can. If they do not do that, they will find that the regulator imposes sanctions upon them. That seems the right way forward.
I said earlier that it is appropriate for the United Kingdom to lead on this matter, and we should be proud that we are doing so, but I hope that other countries, including the United States, will see how we are approaching common challenges that the United States faces, too, and will seek to adopt similar proposals.
David Lammy Labour, Tottenham
Forty or 50 years ago, the tobacco industry was largely responsible for driving up cancer in our country. It took the Department of Health many years to start to regulate what was going on in the industry and deal with it on behalf of the taxpayer. It is clear from looking at some drill music and its relationship with knife crime and gang culture, and self-harm among young people, that mental ill health is being driven by much of this social media. Will the Secretary of State say something about the intersection between the Department of Health and Social Care, the chief medical officer and the new regulator?
The right hon. Gentleman makes a good point. As he will recognise, the White Paper deals with some of the harms that he mentions—serious violence and self-harm, in particular. It is right that all of government is behind the strategy. It is important that we ensure that the links between what this regulator does, what the health service does and what many other bodies within and outside Government do are sustained.
On social media, we all recognise that we cannot put the genie back in the bottle. Social media will continue to be a significant element in the lives of young people, in particular, with all the challenges to their mental health that we know it brings. Those who promote platforms for the kind of user-generated interaction that we are concerned with in this White Paper must accept that they can do something about some of the harmful material on those platforms. If they choose to do so, they will have nothing to fear from our proposals; if they choose not to, they will find that consequences follow.
Sarah Newton Conservative, Truro and Falmouth
I am sure many of my constituents in Truro and Falmouth will welcome these important measures. How can the Government ensure that the regulator is able to compete with the tech giants in attracting the best talent to keep pace with rapid technological change?
My hon. Friend makes a very good point. It will be a challenge to ensure that the regulator employs people of sufficient experience and ability, who can get to grips with the challenges we will expect it to confront. A linked challenge is that we must determine, in the process of designing the regulator, what rules we believe there should be about the progress that employees from the industry can make to and from it. That can be argued both ways. My hon. Friend puts her finger on one of the great design challenges, and we shall pursue it with vigour.
Christine Jardine Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Work and Pensions)
On behalf of my party, I welcome the Secretary of State’s statement. We need regulation in this area, but regulation alone cannot address issues such as the impact on the emotional development of children and young people. Schools must be able to educate about social harm, and parents must be empowered to support their children. What will the Secretary of State do with other Departments to ensure that that sort of action takes place?
The hon. Lady is right. She has heard me refer to education—I mean that in the broadest sense—for adults, as well as for children. She will know that my right hon. Friend the Education Secretary has recently made changes to relationships education in our schools. It is important that understanding the online world—digital literacy—is a key part of the education that we give all our young people. They now cannot manage without it.
Simon Hart Conservative, Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire
On the question of online addiction, the focus tends to be on the horrors of addiction to online gambling, but the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee is hearing evidence about the problems associated with addiction to online gaming. Will the Secretary of State give that as much attention as gambling when he looks at the legislative part of this?
I can give my hon. Friend that assurance. As he knows from the inquiries that he and his colleagues have been pursuing, there is considerable overlap between the two. We all need to turn our attention to the opportunities to engage in activity that looks very much like gambling within a gaming context.
Jo Stevens Labour, Cardiff Central
I welcome much of what is in the White Paper, but it does not address the serious concerns that our Select Committee raised about the need for transparency in relation to political advertising and campaigning, which has been the source of much disinformation on social media. It is vital that electoral law is brought up to date as soon as possible, and the possibility of an early general election or a confirmatory referendum makes that even more urgent. Will the Secretary of State be a bit more specific and tell us when the Cabinet Office will publish its proposals?
I cannot give the hon. Lady a date today, but it is imminent. When she sees that document, she will see that it complements what the Online Harms White Paper is designed to do. There is a huge amount to be discussed in relation to the challenges that the online world brings us. If I tried to put all of them in one document, it would have become pretty unwieldly. This White Paper is designed to deal with the harms that are set out within it, and the Cabinet Office documents will, I hope, deal with many of the points that she is concerned about.
Rebecca Pow Conservative, Taunton Deane
I welcome the White Paper and the fact that it has taken on board many of the recommendations of the DCMS Committee inquiry, which revealed some spine-chilling evidence about what is going on and how we are being manipulated. One of the keys is education, and I welcome the strategy for that. People need to know how vulnerable they are and how to distinguish truth from non-truth. Will the Secretary of State expand a bit more on the strategy and how we will make it effective?
As my hon. Friend says, the Select Committee helpfully focused on that area. We want the regulator to take responsibility for ensuring that more of this happens. It will, of course, be able to make use of the resources available to it to pursue education for all. We need to ensure that we do not just pursue education in a school context but give every member of our society the skills and capabilities they require to make sense of the online world. Some of that can be described in an over-technical way. Frankly, we sometimes require greater scepticism and less trust about what we see online so we can apply our critical faculties to it, but even if we do that, greater visibility is required. The point that Jo Stevens made about political advertising is right. We must ensure that we have the greatest possible visibility to add to our scepticism.
Paul Farrelly Labour, Newcastle-under-Lyme
I congratulate the Secretary of State on the White Paper and on the approach he has taken. This is not about censorship; it is about encouraging responsibility. Many of the recommendations of our Select Committee reports are echoed in the White Paper. In our reports, we left the identity of the new independent regulator unspecified. There will be a consensus that we should try to build on tried and trusted structures, rather than create a new, possibly overlapping and competing public body. In that respect, I draw attention to the growing work between Ofcom, the Information Commissioner’s Office and, where necessary, law enforcement. I encourage the people who respond to the consultation and the Secretary of State, as he takes it forward, to adopt a pragmatic approach.
Yes, I will certainly do that. I am grateful for what the hon. Gentleman says about the White Paper. As he will recognise, we have said already that we think freedom of speech is one of the issues that the regulator should concern itself with. Like him, I do not believe that there is any necessary conflict between the promotion of freedom of speech and the protection of the most vulnerable members of our society from some of the most pernicious harms.
On the identity of the regulator, the hon. Gentleman is right that this could become a congested space. He will see in the White Paper that, despite the fact that, initially at least, we have asked people to tell us what they think about the two possibilities as they stand—either a new regulator or the extension of the powers of an existing regulator—we have also envisaged a somewhat more comprehensive look at the way in which the regulatory structures currently operate.
Richard Drax Conservative, South Dorset
As a former journalist and broadcaster, I am used to being identified as the source of whatever I wrote, along with my colleagues, but trolling has the most appalling effect on many of our young and indeed—dare I say it—on many MPs who are subjected to it. Has my right hon. and learned Friend done anything about that, and can anything be done—I am afraid I am not an expert in this field—to end this and to identify those who put stuff online, because if they have nothing to hide, why can they not be identified?
I understand my hon. Friend’s point. Abuse and intimidation are of course covered in this White Paper, and it is important that online platforms do what they can to minimise that kind of activity. As he will recognise, harassment and intimidation can be criminal offences. Where they are or may be criminal offences, powers already exist to seek to identify those who may be responsible, and we should be making full use of them.
Liz Twist Labour, Blaydon
As chair of the all-party group on suicide and self-harm prevention, I welcome today’s online harms paper as a significant step towards protecting the most vulnerable young people, but the proof will be in the implementation, and a major challenge is that much of the damaging content is hosted outside the UK. What will the Government be doing to scale up their plans and to drive forward global change to protect young vulnerable people?
I am grateful to the hon. Lady and, indeed, the APPG for its work. I hope she will have the chance, with her colleagues, to look carefully at what we propose, respond to the consultation and give us her views.
On what the hon. Lady says about some of this content being hosted outside the UK, the important point is that companies that offer services to UK citizens will be within scope of these proposals. There is an enforcement challenge for some of the sanctions we have set out, but it is worth keeping in mind that some 85% or so of the traffic we are concerned about comes through platforms that have a significant corporate presence in the United Kingdom. That does give us a purchase on them, and it is important that we make use of it. I would also say that some of the other sanctions we are considering, including ISP blocking—although it would never be used except in the most extreme circumstances, and it does have technical challenges—would be applicable even to platforms that do not have a corporate presence in the UK.
Richard Graham Conservative, Gloucester
This is a great cross-party cause. I strongly support what the Secretary of State has said about extending the duty of care to social media firms. He will know that, some time ago, I advocated something similar in relation to the extension of the duty of care on teachers and youth workers to those who are coaching or training under-18-year-olds, particularly driving instructors or sports coaches, where there are one-on-one relationships with real child-grooming risks. The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children has now taken this up as part of its “Close the Loophole” campaign. What can my right hon. and learned Friend do about this duty of care issue as well?
That was a brave attempt to stretch the concept of online harms a very long way. I simply say to my hon. Friend that we are working on it.
John Bercow Speaker of the House of Commons, Chair, Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, Chair, Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, Chair, Commons Reference Group on Representation and Inclusion Committee
Well, I hope the hon. Gentleman feels that his elasticity has been suitably rewarded.
Chris Bryant Chair, Finance Committee (Commons)
One of the problems is anonymity, because people seem to feel able to write on social media things that they would never think of saying to another person or that they would never write if their name was revealed. Yet I have known instances, for my constituents and for myself personally, when it has taken months and months for the police to be able to get the identity of individuals from the internet companies, even when serious violence has been threatened. When are these companies going to do something about the anonymity, make sure that state actors from elsewhere, such as Russia and China, stop interfering in our political processes in this country, and clean up their act?
On anonymity, as the hon. Gentleman has heard me say and as he recognises, there are powers available; the issue is how quickly they can be used. When we come to consider a duty of care, it seems to me and my colleagues that one of the advantages of the duty of care approach is that it should bring about a change of attitude across a whole range of activities among the online companies. It will no longer be sufficient for online companies to say, “Well, we’ve met this rule or that rule.” Instead, they must demonstrate to a regulator that they are doing all they reasonably can to keep their users safe, and that includes being safe from some of the activities the hon. Gentleman has in mind. I do not promise that any of this will be a magic bullet or that things will be transformed overnight, but I do think that the approach we are setting out will start to change the culture of these companies and start to make them think about how they meet their responsibilities more effectively.
Julian Lewis Chair, Defence Committee
The briefing for this statement mentions, correctly, that all five terrorist attacks in the UK during 2017 had an online element, and online terrorist content remains a feature of contemporary radicalisation. Given that some of these companies have created applications with end-to-end encryption that they claim they cannot get into themselves, let alone the security services being able to get into them, what will these measures do to prevent online harm being done through these inaccessible applications?
My right hon. Friend identifies one of the most troublesome aspects of online harm—that encryption is extraordinarily difficult for us to wrestle with. That is of course because there are advantages to encryption, and we use it all the time in our daily lives, but he is right that those who choose to use it for criminal purposes must also be challenged. In relation to this White Paper, I would say to him that harms at the top end of the seriousness spectrum, including the promotion of terrorism, will receive the greatest possible attention from the regulator, and our expectations from the Government will also be higher, hence the Home Secretary’s close interest in the way in which codes of practice are developed, so that online companies are doing their utmost to ensure that this kind of behaviour is challenged.
Ann Coffey Independent, Stockport
I thank the Secretary of State for his statement. Catfishing is the theft of a person’s identity in order to sexually exploit vulnerable people on social media platforms. Of course we must help people become more resilient in relation to online grooming, but we also need to change the behaviour of those who exploit others. Has the Secretary of State had any discussions with the Home Secretary about making catfishing a criminal offence?
I have had no specific conversation with the Home Secretary on exactly that point, although the hon. Lady will recognise, when she has a chance to look at it, that the White Paper refers specifically to catfishing. If these are offences of fraud and misrepresentation, they may already be on the statute book, so it is worth looking at what the overlaps might be. However, I will take away what she says and make sure we discuss it with our colleagues in the Home Office.
Vicky Ford Conservative, Chelmsford
I thank the Secretary of State for this report. The recommendations are very much in line with the thoughts of the Science and Technology Committee inquiry. I am remembering last November, when 100 women MPs from 100 different countries met in this Chamber, and time and again we heard how the abuse that women politicians get is hampering them in doing their jobs and is a direct attack on democracy. They were looking to the UK to take global leadership, so I thank the Secretary of State for taking that leadership. Will he confirm that the duty of care is not censorship or curtailing freedom of the press, but that it will help to protect democracy as well as individuals?
Yes, I can confirm that. It is important to repeat that this is a process that we believe is necessary to level the playing field. These are abuses that, if they were happening in any other environment, would be controlled, and it is important that we do the same online. The point my hon. Friend makes about the abuse that female politicians have to endure very much echoes the point made by Hannah Bardell, who speaks for the Scottish National party, and she is right. Of course, it is not just politicians—female journalists and others in public life have to endure the same. It is unacceptable and it must stop.
Stephen Doughty Labour/Co-operative, Cardiff South and Penarth
I am pleased to see that the Secretary of State and the Home Secretary appear to have listened to many of the concerns raised by the Home Affairs Committee, including by me and the Chair, about the failure of social media companies to deal with online extremist and terrorist content. I look forward to action on that, but may I press the Secretary of State further on the integrity of our elections, our referendums and, indeed, our democracy on a day-to-day basis? Particularly in the light of the revelations in The Guardian last week about the millions in dark money that is being spent on advertising to influence votes going on at this very moment and to whip up hatred against Members of this House, does he not agree that we need action today, rather than to wait months for that to come?
I certainly hope the hon. Gentleman will not have to wait months. He raises fair concerns, and I have indicated that the Government are not blind to them. This particular White Paper does not deal with that subject, but the Government will produce very shortly a document that does.
Rachel Maclean Conservative, Redditch
Of course, it is not just the tech giants that are active in the digital space; it is also our local papers. The Redditch Standard and the Redditch Advertiser, for example, do a fantastic job of holding us local politicians to account. Can the Secretary of State confirm that the welcome measures in the White Paper will not affect the ability of our small local papers, which do not have a massive resource base, to do their job?
I can confirm that. We are concerned here with user-generated content, not with the activities of journalists or their editors. I would go further and say that it seems to me that the press—both local and national—and recognised journalists who do a good job of producing authoritative, sourced work are part of the solution, not part of the problem, particularly to the disinformation that has been identified across the House as one of the fundamental harms we are concerned about.
Liz Saville-Roberts Shadow PC Spokesperson (Home Affairs), Shadow PC Spokesperson (Women and Equalities) , Plaid Cymru Westminster Leader, Shadow PC Spokesperson (Justice), Shadow PC Spokesperson (Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy)
I am grateful for advance sight of the statement. I welcome the principles of the White Paper, and particularly the establishment of a statutory duty of care to users, but I note the proposal for codes of practice that are not compulsory. Is there not a risk that companies will be allowed to fulfil the duty of care as they see fit? How will the effectiveness of the alternative approaches that companies are allowed to take be evaluated, and how will the regulator sanction companies that fail to abide by their own policies?
I think there are two points worth making in response to the right hon. Lady. First, how well the platforms hold to their own terms and conditions may well give the regulator a good indication of how well they are complying with their overarching duty of care. Secondly, she is right that the White Paper envisages that a platform might say to a regulator, “We don’t wish to follow the codes of practice,” but if a platform chooses that path, it must be able to demonstrate to the regulator that the approach it takes instead is at least as effective in dealing with online harms as the codes of practice would have been. Of course, if the platform did not succeed in persuading the regulator that it had done that, the overarching duty of care would continue to apply to it. The duty does not rely on the codes of practice for its ongoing effectiveness.
Marcus Fysh Conservative, Yeovil
Like many families in south Somerset, I have been concerned about what exposure my children might have to various things online, so I welcome the look that is being taken at this issue. What are we going to do to try to stay ahead of new technologies that are able very efficiently to impersonate so that we can take action in advance? Are we looking at revising the legal framework around harassment and malicious communications to take account of that?
The answer to my hon. Friend’s second question is yes. The Law Commission is looking now at exactly how we may refresh the law on online harassment. On his first question, I think he refers to what are commonly described as deepfakes, which are technologically very challenging. As I said earlier, it is important that the process we suggest encourages online platforms to use technology to provide solutions as well as to recognise problems. We expect that, as technology develops to create deepfakes, so should technology develop to help identify them. This duty of care will put the onus on online platforms to do just that.
Barry Sheerman Labour/Co-operative, Huddersfield
I welcome the White Paper, but I warn the Secretary of State that he has a big, tough fight on his hands. These people are wealthy, they are well organised and they will fight back. They also have interfaces. I learned about this kind of danger in 2012, when Issenberg wrote “The Victory Lab”. He predicted much of what was going to happen in politics, but at that time the offline was solely influencing the online, so the data manipulation models were coming from financial institutions—particularly the banks. Will the Secretary of State look broadly at what is going on? Yes, some of it is online, but it has real links with data collectors in other sectors.
I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his support. He makes a fair point. He is of course right that there will be opposition to what is proposed, but it is worth noting that online companies, including Facebook, have recognised that forms of regulation are inevitable, and we shall expect them to co-operate in the design of these processes. If they choose not to, they will find that we shall regulate anyway.
Tim Loughton Conservative, East Worthing and Shoreham
Over the past 20 years, the thrust of children’s legislation has been to place a duty on public agencies to co-operate in the protection and safeguarding of vulnerable children, yet no such duty exists for social media companies. In that time, social media companies, using complicated algorithms, have become exceedingly skilful at trying to persuade me that I need to buy essential products that I never knew I could not live without. Will the duty of care require those companies proactively to use algorithms and artificial intelligence not only to block harmful sites in the first place, but to flag up vulnerable users who search for terms such as “kill myself” and clearly harmful websites so they are detected and helped?
I am grateful to my hon. Friend. He is right that we should be particularly concerned with the most vulnerable in our society—especially children. The way we envisage the duty of care operating is that online companies should do all they reasonably can to keep their users safe. The greater the user’s vulnerability, the more care they should take to do so. It follows that, in relation to children who may be using those services—of course, this will apply particularly to services that are attractive to children—there will be a greater onus on those responsible to act. We want to see a regulator pay close attention to what has been done—proactively, not simply reactively—to ensure that that harm can be avoided, whether by the use of algorithms or by other methods. The onus will be very clearly on those who provide the service to satisfy the regulator that they are doing all they can. If they are not, the consequences I described earlier can follow.
Debbie Abrahams Labour, Oldham East and Saddleworth
I, too, congratulate the Secretary of State on bringing forward the White Paper. It is certainly a step in the right direction. However, I echo the disappointment that a number of my colleagues have expressed about its relationship with the electoral reform process, and particularly the issue of political disinformation, which is penetrating social media so avidly. The Secretary of State mentioned that cultural change is needed. Does he have a sense of optimism about that from his conversations and dealings with social media platforms? If his optimism is limited, what pressure does he hope to apply with international partners?
The straight answer to the hon. Lady’s question about my level of optimism is that it is limited but it exists. It is probably necessary for us all to recognise that the online companies are making progress in the right direction, but not fast enough. We need to take action ourselves to ensure that the proper protections are in place for our citizens. As she says, we need a cultural change. We in the United Kingdom have every reason to act first and to be proud of doing so, but we must ensure—we certainly intend to do so—that we explain to our international colleagues the way we are approaching this, in the expectation and hope that, as they face similar challenges, they will want to take note of the way we have approached these subjects and approach them in a very similar way. I reassure her that the international conversation will continue.
Henry Smith Conservative, Crawley
As a parent, I of course want my children to be safe on the web, but as a civil libertarian, I want to ensure free speech. The Secretary of State spoke about the need to be sceptical and about challenging the perceived truth. People do not trust Governments, for very good reasons. With 194 other jurisdictions around the world, how does he envisage that important balance being struck through this White Paper?
I agree with my hon. Friend that that is indeed the balance to be struck. I hope that I can reassure him that it is our intention to do so and that we believe that free speech and safety online are not mutually exclusive. We can do both; we must do both. That is what the White Paper intends to do. As he says, it simply would not be right for Government to seek to determine the answers to the questions that we are concerned with. There must be an independent regulator to do so. It must be properly funded and must be properly robust in the opportunities that it has to hold online companies to account.
Chi Onwurah Shadow Minister (Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy) (Industrial Strategy)
Having spent 20 years in the tech industry, I can say categorically that the harms that the White Paper begins to address were well identified five or even 10 years ago, but it does nothing to address the growing harms associated with algorithms, artificial intelligence, the internet of things and data dominance. The Secretary of State says that other Departments or consultations will address them but, like the world we live in, those harms are all interconnected. Why is the Secretary of State allowing a piecemeal, ad hoc and at times knee-jerk legislative framework to develop, when what we need is a comprehensive, cross-departmental, evidence-based, forward-looking review of digital rights and responsibilities, so that we can have a regulatory framework fit for the future?
I do not wish to damage the atmosphere of consensus that has helpfully emerged this afternoon, but I have to say that I think that the hon. Lady is completely wrong. What we have set out is exactly designed to deal with the problem that she has identified: that if we are reactive—if we chase harms that emerged some time ago and do not think about harms that are yet to emerge—we will indeed miss the point. However, that is exactly what a duty of care is designed to do. Those who are subject to a duty of care will be obliged not just to look at the harms that they already know about, but to scan the horizon. If they see a harm coming and choose to do nothing about it, they will be answerable for that failure. That is exactly one of the advantages of the duty of care model.
Nigel Huddleston Conservative, Mid Worcestershire
May I congratulate the Secretary of State, the digital Minister and all stakeholders on the development of an excellent White Paper? Not surprisingly, already there have been some criticisms of the potential impact on freedom of speech, but does the Secretary of State agree that there is a world of difference between online banter and abuse and harassment, between expressing an opinion and promulgating disinformation, and between expressing a belief and spreading hatred and terrorist propaganda? In order to ensure that everyone understands those differences, in particular our children, will some of the money raised through a digital levy or similar be used to finance education and awareness?
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for what he says and, if I may say so, his help and his contribution during his time in the Department. I am privileged to lead in developing this piece of work; he deserves a share of the credit too, and he is right. This is not a challenge to freedom of speech. As we were discussing earlier, if we do not make the online environment safer for everyone, whoever they are, we will be damaging freedom of speech, not enhancing it. It is important that we all recognise that this is a proposal to apply the same levels of activity, control and restriction to the online world that already exist everywhere else. Our freedom of speech thrives well in this place and elsewhere within the confines of the law. The same will be true online.
In relation to my hon. Friend’s point about education and how it might be funded, it will of course be open to the regulator—we will encourage it to consider this—to spend some of its revenue on education, which we think is a key component of the White Paper.
Thangam Debbonaire Opposition Whip (Commons)
A vast number and variety of forms of behaviour that are quite properly illegal offline are entirely legal or unregulated online, which effectively makes parts of the internet a kind of lawless wild west, from fake cures for cancer to fake news and the bots that make it, and from harvesting of personal data to its unfettered exploitation for commercial gain. Does the Secretary of State agree that the entire online world needs a thorough review and is well overdue for regulation, so that it is put on a sure legal footing to take us into the future? Will he commit to looking at the full range of online harms?
The hon. Lady will see that there is a fairly extensive list of online harms in the White Paper already, and we do not regard it as exhaustive. As she heard me say to Chi Onwurah, we think it is important that the process should be able to deal with new harms as they emerge. However, she will recognise that it is important to ensure that we preserve what is good and special about the internet—the capacity for people to come up with new ideas, to have discussion and to have a free flow and exchange—while ensuring that the harms that she rightly points to are controlled. That is exactly what the White Paper seeks to do. We do not, as I have said, believe that everything in it will yet be perfect, but it is important that she and others contribute to the process over the next period of consultation and make it better.
James Cartlidge Conservative, South Suffolk
I very much welcome the statement, but returning to the earlier question from my right hon. Friend Mr Duncan Smith, does the Secretary of State accept that if we are not clear about the extent to which the new duty of care impacts on the issue of publisher versus platform, the courts will make that interpretation for us?
Harking back to a former life, in my experience there is always a risk of court involvement, but we should seek to be as clear as possible about the responsibilities of online companies. Whatever we choose to call them—platform, publisher or something else—it is their responsibilities and what they are engaged in doing that matter. That is what we are seeking to achieve, and once we have defined that with clarity, the necessary powers will need to be available to a regulator to deal with when that does not happen.
Roberta Blackman-Woods Shadow Minister (Housing, Communities & Local Government) (Planning)
This is an important White Paper; greater online regulation is long overdue. As the Secretary of State said, over 8,000 sexual offences against children with an online element were reported in 2017, and the tragic massacre in New Zealand showed just how quickly illegal, terrorist and extreme content can spread, so is publication by the Home Office of interim codes of practice for terrorist content and online abuse later this year soon enough or strong enough?
We think it is important to get those codes of practice right; therefore, it would not be feasible to produce them overnight. However, the hon. Lady makes a fair point, which is that we should not be waiting for these measures to be taken to see an improvement in the behaviour of online platforms. Online companies will be able to see the nature of the regulation that will come—they will also hear from this Chamber the support that exists for this kind of approach—so they will need to start to change their behaviour now. That is because when a regulator starts its work, it will want to know not just whether the online company has behaved itself for a week but for how long it has had in place the practices and procedures that we and the regulator will expect to show that it is doing its best to keep its users safe from harm.
Alison Thewliss Shadow SNP Spokesperson (Treasury), Shadow SNP Spokesperson (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Mandy Rose Jones, who founded the Empowered Woman Project, has been campaigning against online advertising of harmful rapid weight loss products, which are often given legitimacy when they are endorsed by celebrities and Instagram influencers. Will that be covered by the UK Government’s proposals?
The hon. Lady will recognise that there are a number of ways in which we might approach the problem that she describes, but the process that we are looking at relates to user-generated content, not necessarily commercial activities. I will have a look at what she says and perhaps write to her about how we might expect the White Paper to help.
Stephen Timms Labour, East Ham
The Offensive Weapons Public Bill Committee heard that some weapons that cannot lawfully be sold in the UK can readily be bought online on platforms such as eBay and Amazon. The Minister, in answering that debate, referred to the forthcoming White Paper. How will the proposals tackle this particular online harm?
The right hon. Gentleman will see among the list of harms exactly this type of activity. It is important that we place the obligation on those who operate online platforms to take their responsibilities seriously. I stress that we are predominantly interested in user-generated content, not so much the sales platforms, but he will see what is said in the White Paper. We will be grateful for his input on where he thinks we might develop ideas. I hope he will choose to respond to the consultation accordingly.
Emma Hardy Labour, Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle
The Secretary of State might be aware that I have been meeting the Minister for suicide prevention, the Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Jackie Doyle-Price, to discuss my deep concern and upset over the rising number of suicides in my constituency. Just last week, there were thousands of posts under the hashtag “suicide” on Instagram. What can the White Paper do to address that?
The hon. Lady makes a very important point. She will see in the White Paper that we think the prohibition of material that promotes suicide is exactly something that the online platforms should concern themselves with. They need to think why it is that in some cases when people enter certain search terms what comes up is material promoting suicide, rather than advice and guidance on what could be done to help. That is exactly the kind of action we will expect online companies to take. If they do not, it will be hard for them to persuade the regulator that they are doing all they reasonably can to keep their users safe.
Paul Sweeney Shadow Minister (Scotland)
My hon. Friend Chris Bryant made a very important point about the damaging effect anonymity and pseudonyms can have on social media platforms, particularly social media monopolies such as Twitter and Facebook. However, the Secretary of State was quite vague in his response and seemed to hope more than expect that their policies might change. What consultations has he had with the police on how policies and enforcement need to change to tackle the damage caused by anonymous trolls effectively and efficiently?
There is no vagueness here. We know what we are dealing with, and both the hon. Gentleman and Chris Bryant have identified the issue. It is not a lack of powers; it is how quickly those powers can be used. I can assure him that the Government are already in conversation with the law enforcement authorities and the online platforms about how that can be done more quickly.
Several hon. Members:
A short while ago Pete Wishart was keen to favour the House with his dulcet tones. Has he lost the appetite? We want to hear from the fella. [Interruption.] I call Jim Shannon.
Jim Shannon Shadow DUP Spokesperson (Human Rights), Shadow DUP Spokesperson (Health)
I thank the Secretary of State for his statement and for his personal commitment to change, which is very obvious to this House. The number of children contacting ChildLine in the past year rose by 30%, due in large part to anxiety caused by cyber-bullying and the pressure of social media. Does the Secretary of State agree that we need to target this specific area of online harm, and how does he intend to do that?
I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman because he gives me a chance to pay tribute to ChildLine. I was at its London centre last week. Those who volunteer and those who work for it professionally do remarkable work to help our young people deal with some of the challenges of our modern existence. He is right that cyber-bullying is particularly pernicious; it does not go away and it happens to young people whether they are at school or not. It is having a serious effect on their mental health. I hope that he will see in the White Paper, and what will follow it, a clear commitment to say to online platforms that they must do all they can to protect users from this kind of abuse. We do not expect anything unreasonable and we do not expect anything impossible, but where they can address this issue they must.
Madeleine Moon Chair, Defence Sub-Committee
Last week, the Minister for Security and Economic Crime informed the Defence Committee that 43% of the terrorist threat in the UK currently comes from far-right groups who find each other on the internet and meet in enclosed chat rooms in encrypted space. They then come on to the internet to spread fear and intimidation among people who are tackling and pushing back against their activities. Will the Secretary of State talk to the Security Minister to ensure that the proposed legislation is able to deal with the threat from the far right?
The security Minister and I have discussed the White Paper and we will do so again in view of the hon. Lady’s specific comments.
Justin Madders Shadow Minister (Health and Social Care), Shadow Minister (Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy) (Labour)
This is as much about morality as it is about technology. As the digital and physical worlds get ever closer and more blurred, it is important that we have consistency right across the board. I am sure we can all agree that the vast majority of issues we are talking about should have no place online or in the real world, but what about the issues on which there is a difference of opinion? Who will be the arbiter, and what role will this place have in discussing whether the threshold of harm has been met?
I hope this House will have a role not just in holding the regulator to account but in the design of codes of practice. We will consult on, among other things, how that might be done. We look forward to the hon. Gentleman’s contribution to that process. It is of course worth saying—the hon. Gentleman and others have expressed a concern—how judgments on individual pieces of content might be made. It is much more likely, in my view, that the regulator will be deciding whether or not the systems that an online platform puts in place are adequate or not in protecting their users from harm, than it is that the online regulator will be making a judgment on individual pieces of content. One only has to think about the sheer volume of material being considered to realise how impractical it would be for the online regulator to decide in each and every instance. So this is really about whether online companies have in place systems to keep their users safe in the majority of cases. The regulator will have to determine that when it looks into the matter and speaks to online companies individually.
Daniel Zeichner Labour, Cambridge
The Secretary of State mentioned the Furman review earlier. The White Paper references it, but does not take a view on some of its recommendations. Does the Secretary of State agree that getting more control for individuals over their personal data, so that they control where it is stored, would alter the balance of power between individuals and tech companies? That would have a range of benefits, including tackling internet harms.
The hon. Gentleman will recognise, because he is a fair man, that the Furman review was produced only in the past few weeks, and it is important that the Government take the time to look properly at its conclusions. He is right, however, that one of the significant aspects that Professor Furman and his panel picked up on was the potential advantage of users having more control over their data and the impact that that might have on the competition questions he was concerning himself with. The hon. Gentleman has my assurance that we will look carefully at the recommendations and respond to them fully.
Lisa Cameron Shadow SNP Spokesperson (Mental Health)
I thank the Secretary of State for an excellent White Paper. I am extremely pleased that a regulator will be taking things forward. Only last week, an individual pled guilty to sending me threatening messages which have had a grave impact on me and my family. What became difficult was understanding the extent of the abuse, because a victim is blocked very quickly and pages are closed down. What more can be done to allow the police to access closed pages and blocked accounts?
I am very sorry to hear about what has happened to the hon. Lady. As she knows and as others have said, she is sadly not alone. It is important that we consider what online platforms can do. As I have said, closed groups and encrypted communications are a particular challenge. None the less, we think that online companies should do everything they can, with the restrictions that apply to encrypted communications, to keep their users as safe as they possibly can. The regulator will be entitled to ask, as it is entitled to ask in relation to other matters, whether the platform really is doing everything it could. If it is not, there will be consequences.
Ronnie Cowan Shadow SNP Spokesperson (Infrastructure)
I was delighted when I got to page 26 of the White Paper to read the phrase “designed addiction”. My heart sank, however, when I got to “future action” and it talked about setting:
“the right expectations of companies to design their products in safe ways” and to
“set clear expectations for companies to prevent harm to their users.”
If we have recognised designed addiction, has the time not come to legislate and stop those companies?
When I visited the west coast to discuss these matters with a number of online companies, I had the privilege of meeting the inventor of the infinite scroll. He was, I am pleased to report, suitably apologetic. The hon. Gentleman is right. There are a certain number of technological responses that we might expect online platforms to adopt to deal with some of the harms we will expect them to tackle. As I have said, that will be a significant part of what the regulator should do to encourage those technological developments and ensure they are widely implemented.
Chris Elmore Opposition Whip (Commons)
I welcome the Secretary of State’s paper; I would argue that it is long overdue. He may be aware that last week, and three weeks ago, I launched a report by the all-party parliamentary group on social media and young people’s mental health and wellbeing. The report was about social media and its impact on young people. Many of its recommendations are in the White Paper, and I genuinely welcome that. One that is not is a 0.5% levy on social media companies’ profits, which could go into a social media health alliance. One thing that we heard during our inquiry from clinicians and young people was that we needed far more research into the impact of social media on mental health. Many individual areas of research need to be collated so that we can educate, inform and protect our young people as technology advances.
I agree, and I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his work and that of his colleagues. I hope that the House recognises that within the White Paper there are contributions from a large number of Members of the House. That is as it should be, because this is a shared challenge that we must address together. I agree with the hon. Gentleman on research. It is important that we understand these problems properly, and we will do all that we can to encourage that research to take place.
Ian Paisley Jnr Shadow DUP Spokesperson (Communities and Local Government), Shadow DUP Spokesperson (Culture, Media and Sport)
On a point of order, Mr Speaker.
We will come to points of order in due course. I await the hon. Gentleman’s point of order with eager anticipation, as will the House.
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UK to resume Zimbabwean deportations
Cash and aid repatriation packages worth up to £6,000 are to be offered to failed asylum seekers to go home voluntarily to Zimbabwe, the Home Office announced today.
Phil Woolas, the immigration minister, indicated at the same time that the first steps would be taken this autumn towards forcibly returning more than 10,000 failed asylum seekers who fled Robert Mugabe’s regime.
The forcible removal of Zimbabweans was halted in September 2006 pending a high court battle that ended in a ruling recognising that all those who were unable to demonstrate loyalty to Mugabe risked persecution if they were sent back.
Woolas said in a written ministerial statement that the enhanced cash package was intended to encourage failed asylum seekers to return voluntarily, "but where they choose not to do so we are bound to take steps, over time, to enforce the law".
The Home Office said it had carefully considered its position on enforced returns to Zimbabwe in the light of developments since the formation of a government led by the prime minister, Morgan Tsvangirai.
"The UK Border Agency will therefore be starting work over the autumn on a process aimed at normalising our returns policy to Zimbabwe, moving towards resuming enforced returns progressively as and when the political situation develops," Woolas said.
He insisted the Home Office took its obligations under the 1951 refugee convention seriously and said it would continue to consider individual cases on their merits. "However, we have always expected those found not to be in need of protection to return home. We prefer these individuals to return voluntarily."
The official Home Office position cites progress in political reforms, an abatement in indiscriminate violence in the past six months and improvements in the economy, schools and the availability of basic commodities as evidence of positive change in Zimbabwe.
Voluntary repatriation packages worth up to £6,000 have been available since February for those considering returning to Harare, but they have been available only "in kind" – such as vocational training, aid in setting up a business or meeting the cost of the flight.
Cash payments of up to £2,000 will be phased in over the next six months and paid through the International Organisation of Migration office in Harare. This will be available in addition to the basic £4,000 package of repatriation assistance paid in kind.
"Making cash available to those who go home will support economic reform in Zimbabwe, enabling people to return voluntarily and use their skills to support change and help rebuild Zimbabwe with capital behind them. The scheme will also be extended until 31 December and will be reviewed at that point," said the Home Office statement.
Donna Covey, of the Refugee Council, criticised the decision to consider forcing Zimbabweans to return. "In the past few days allegations of arrest, intimidation and harassment of supporters of the MDC and of human rights defenders have been widely reported. Our government is showing a cavalier attitude to the safety of refugees who have stood up for democracy and human rights," she said.
"After the farcical attempts to return Iraqis and Afghans in recent weeks against UN advice, it is of great concern that the government are now considering returns to Zimbabwe. It seems particularly inappropriate given Morgan Tsvangirai has begun boycotting the power-sharing arrangement and the United Nations special rapporteur on torture was deported yesterday."
Covey said the improvements to the voluntary repatriation package were welcome. "However, this has to be kept separate from attempts to begin forced removals. There were 89 returns under this programme from January to August this year, the equivalent to around 11 per month. This small number reflects the fear Zimbabweans continue to have about returning to their country which, however you look at it, is still ruled by Robert Mugabe."
The Zimbabwe Association in London said it believed there were 7,500 failed asylum seekers in Britain who benefited from last November’s high court ruling that it was too dangerous to send them back. Hundreds more were awaiting an initial decision on their refugee claims.
More than 2,000 new claims for asylum from Zimbabweans were rejected in 2008. SOURCE
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Thor, Matt Damon and the return of star power to the Indianapolis 500
“What’s my goal with the green flag?” Chris Hemsworth said one year ago, repeating a question shouted by a sweaty race fan pressed against the fence that lines the legendarily long front-stretch grandstand of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “Same as with my hammer,” the actor known as Thor answered. “I hope I am worthy enough to hold it … and not, you know, drop it into the middle of the Indianapolis 500.”
Moments later, as the field of 33 race cars roared by beneath him, Hemsworth proved he was indeed worthy of the task. He flicked his wrist just as he’d been instructed and whipped the green cloth firmly — and safely — to start the 102nd running of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. That same day, his latest film, “Avengers: Infinity War,” was No. 1 at the box office on its way to making $2 billion, and his Tag Heuer watch, the real reason he was there, was shined up and easy for any potential customers to spot as he gripped the flag’s handle.
So yes, Chris Hemsworth was plenty worthy of his assignment as the honorary starter of the 2018 Indianapolis 500. So are his 2019 successors, the just-revealed Academy Award-winning duo of Matt Damon and Christian Bale. They will wave dual flags. They will also be promoting a movie, this fall’s “Ford v. Ferrari” about the historic 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Worthy of the task. Worthy of promotional excellence. Worthy of making folks swoon as they walk through Gasoline Alley. The same as those who occupied the Indianapolis Motor Speedway flagstand long before them or Hemsworth.
“To me, that is one of the most exciting parts of the month of May at Indy: seeing all of the famous people who show up,” confesses 1969 Indy 500 winner Mario Andretti, who is just as famous as the famous people he is so excited to see. “As a driver, you get so caught up in getting ready for the race and fine-tuning that race car that you might not even enjoy Indy. Then, on race morning, Jack Nicholson walks by and says, ‘Hi, Mario,’ and you think to yourself, ‘OK, wow! This must be a big deal here today!'”
Over the past decade, the green flag has been waved by Nicholson, Jake Gyllenhaal, Chris Pine and Patrick Dempsey. On the track below them, the honorary pace car has been driven by Jay Leno, Morgan Freeman, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Dempsey (Dr. McDreamy is also a professional sports car driver). Meanwhile, the national anthem has been performed by Kelly Clarkson (back this year for the third time), Steven Tyler, Darius Rucker and … wait for it … David Hasselhoff. Race team owners have included Gene Hackman, Paul Newman and David Letterman. In 2010, the entire Kardashian/Jenner family was on the grid because a race car carried sponsorship from their endorsed diet regimen.
None of this takes into account the random celebrities who attend for unofficial reasons.
“Before every race, the last thing you always do is go to the bathroom, right?” asks three-time Indy 500 winner Bobby Unser. “Well, one year we all ran into the garage and did that, and as we’re running back out, my brother [four-time 500 champion Al Unser Sr.] says to me, ‘I think I just saw Bob Hope in the bathroom. Is he here today?’ And as he said it, I pointed and said, ‘Well, hell, I think that’s Dinah Shore. Let’s go ask her.'”
The first over-the-top-gigantic movie star to grace the Brickyard was Clark Gable. The Oscar-winning legend came to Speedway, Indiana, in 1947 to little fanfare. In fact, there’s only one known photo of his visit in the IMS archives. When he returned three years later, not only were cameras constantly trained on the “Gone with the Wind” star, but he also brought plenty of cameras of his own, shooting a film about an Indy 500 racer and his struggles with love titled “To Please a Lady.” When asked if he was planning to turn a lap around the 2.5-mile rectangle for real, he replied, “If I do, it won’t be a very fast one.”
The film hit theaters that fall. On the other side of the planet, a 10-year old Italian boy saw the movie and fell in love with the Indy 500. His name was Mario Andretti.
Thanks in no small part to Gable, Hollywood went all-in on Indy as a promotional tool during the 1950s. It was good business to have the newsreels that ran before feature films packed with footage of a studio’s stars hanging out with racing stars when Indy 500 highlights were shown. Gary Cooper and Jimmy Stewart looking manly as they posed alongside roadsters on the grid. Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis laughing it up with grease monkeys in Gasoline Alley. Roy Rogers, Hollywood’s most famous horseman, asking racers about horsepower.
In 1958, an up-and-coming young actress named Shirley MacLaine was in Victory Lane when Jimmy Bryan rolled in following the biggest win of his life. By MacLaine’s own admission, she really enjoyed the gig as the center of attention during both the prerace drivers meeting and the postrace celebration. The Indianapolis Star wrote that as MacLaine presented Bryan with the Borg-Warner Trophy, she was required to give him only one kiss but went for a second smooch and then asked for a third. The paper said Bryan replied, “Certainly, if you don’t mind getting your face dirty.”
“That was just standard operating procedure for the movie studios: to send an actress to pose with the Indianapolis 500 champion in the winner’s circle,” Indianapolis Motor Speedway historian Donald Davidson said a year ago during Hemsworth’s appearance, speaking of a practice that he says ran from 1947 through the end of the 1950s. “After that, this just became a must-do for celebrities, from movies to television, recording artists, sports stars.”
Davidson mentioned General Chuck Yeager, the first man to break the sound barrier, who drove the pace car twice in 1986 and ’88, during a time when that job was still given primarily to those with real racing experience. “I think I qualified,” Yeager quips now. Davidson has always loved the symmetry of Yeager’s appearances then paired with Indy’s first celebrity pace car driver — not to mention first woman given any official role at the Indy — Amelia Earhart as “honorary referee” in 1935.
But after the heady days of James Garner, Johnny Carson, Jack Benny and Walter Cronkite, the star power waned in the late 1990s as American open-wheel racing ripped itself apart from the inside. Yes, there were big names (Ali! Michael Douglas! Guy Fieri … ?!), but there wasn’t the sheer volume of superstars that there had been during Indy’s heyday.
Now, that has changed. Even the crustiest old Indy 500 curmudgeon has to admit that the buzz around the Brickyard over the past decade has increased at Pole Day-worthy speeds. Attendance numbers and the traffic that comes with them are a testament to that.
But in perhaps the most American sentence one could possibly write, the health of an event as it relates to the nation’s sport consciousness is evident in how many famous people show up. At the Indianapolis 500, they are once again rolling in by the limo-full, waving flags, driving pace cars, taking selfies and thumbing 200 mph rides with legends.
“In IndyCar racing, we have spent so much time over the last 20 years talking and worrying about, have we ruined this? Can we get it all back to where it used to be?” says Tony Kanaan, who hopes to make his 18th Indy 500 start next weekend and earn his second win. “Well, a few years ago, I remember seeing Lady Gaga go by me in a fire suit on her way to get into a two-seater IndyCar with Mario. I thought to myself, ‘Well, we must be doing something right again.'”
http://www.espn.com/espn/rss/news
← Latest Comelec tally: Bam in, JV out of ‘Magic 12’ , Villar still No. 1
The best heavyweights are fighting… just not each other, for now →
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NICKY ROMERO – BIOGRAPHY
“The main aim is to up my game at every possible turn without compromise.” – Nicky Romero
“The word wunderkind was pretty much invented for the likes of 24-year-old producer Nicky Romero.” – DJMag
Strike up a conversation about the current state of EDM and it won’t be long before Nicky Romero gets an emphatic mention. The breakthrough star with the bulletproof work ethic is credited as a driving force behind the fantastic health the scene currently enjoys. In every aspect of his life – as DJ, producer and label head – he is a tireless advocate for his art. Couple this with a distinctive signature sound and compelling output and it is no surprise that he exploded into the DJMag Top100 chart at number 17 in 2012 – the highest new entry that year.
Nicky Romero, real name Nick Rotteveel, was born January 6th 1989 in the small city of Amerongen, Holland. A keen interest in the drums and an early career spinning house and r&b quickly evolved into an unbridled passion for music production. Early releases, picked up by boutique outfit Once Records, caught the attention of some of the more established labels: Spinnin’, Fly Eye, Toolroom and Flamingo Recordings.
As he worked on honing his sound – a seductive blend of progressive house tinged with electro and acid – he sent a bootleg of David Guetta smash When Love Takes Over out into the world. The track’s online success piqued the interest of Guetta himself and in that moment Romero found his mentor and champion. They have since collaborated on multiple projects including Metropolis and Wild One Two, and in the summer of 2012 Nicky Romero accepted a residency at David Guetta’s infamous FMIF club night at Pacha/Ushuaia Ibiza.Today Nicky Romero is paying it forward with his Protocol brand, championing up and coming artists like Nilson and Tony Romera with his record label, club night and radio show. Despite only having been launched during ADE 2012, Protocol Radio already has more than 20 million listeners worldwide and continues to grow at a rapid rate, whilst out of Protocol’s four record releases, three have hit the number one spot on the Beatport charts.
Recent studio output includes a track on Rihanna’s album Unapologetic, a huge collaboration with Calvin Harris called Iron, a Madonna remix and releases with Fedde Le Grand, Nervo, and the collaboration with Avicii, I Could Be The One (Universal). His solo releases, tracks like Toulouse, Se7en and Generation 303 have received massive support from a veritable who’s who of dance music aristocracy. As a performer too, he is a force to be reckoned with. Behind the decks his tenacity and ability to work a room was rewarded as he rounded out an intense international touring schedule with sets on the mainstage of both Electric Daisy Carnival Las Vegas and Tomorrowland.
2012 may have been the best year yet for Nicky Romero, but there is no reason to expect the train will stop here. Pushing relentlessly forward and with the wind at his back, the Nicky Romero brand will continue to mature, becoming an increasingly influential and venerated force in the international music arena.
Source: http://www.nickyromero.nl/
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Home Press release Woolworths Successfully Implements Centric PLM
14th May 2019 Lydia Mageean 0
Woolworths Successfully Implements Centric PLM
14th May 2019 Lydia Mageean
South African retail chain expects improved efficiency and visibility following rollout of transformational PLM project
CAMPBELL, Calif., 14 May, 2019– Woolworths Proprietary Limited, a leading South African retail chain, has successfully implemented Centric Software’s Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solution. Centric Software provides the most innovative enterprise solutions to fashion, retail, footwear, outdoor, luxury and consumer goods companies to achieve strategic and operational digital transformation goals.
Woolworths South Africa, part of Woolworths Holdings Limited, is a leading retailer operating in South Africa and 11 sub-Saharan African countries. The retailer offers a unique blend of food, fashion, beauty, homeware and financial services.
Woolworths chose to implement Centric PLM to address challenges related to the company’s growth.
“Our previous product development process was inefficient and time consuming,” explains Shane Butlion, Head of Central Business Optimisation, Woolworths Fashion, Beauty and Home. “We lacked visibility across our product development lifecycle. Our business has evolved significantly, with expanded sourcing and trading regions, creating additional complexity in the management of these new channels.”
Woolworths selected Centric PLM to transform end-to-end product development and provide a platform for collaboration.
“Centric PLM is a modern and future-fit solution that can be accessed on the move,” says Butlion. “Centric’s Agile DeploymentSMproject approach and highly configurable system, as well as the culture fit between us, Centric and their local implementation partner, Cogworks, were critical to our decision. Centric is the PLM leader in our industry, and the fastest-growing PLM solution provider globally.”
Woolworths completed the initial implementation stage and is already enjoying the benefits of Centric PLM.
As Butlion says, “We approached this as a transformational project, not just a system implementation. With Centric’s guidance and best practice experience, we have introduced future-fit improvements to our ways of working. From our initial rollout we expect to see improved collaboration and teamwork in product development, costing efficiencies, better visibility, improved supplier collaboration, a single source of the truth for data, a full audit trail and improved milestone management.”
“It has been a pleasure working with the Centric team,” he concludes.
“We are delighted that Woolworths has successfully gone live on Centric PLM,” says Chris Groves, President and CEO of Centric Software. “Woolworths has undergone a total digital transformation with this implementation, and we are proud to partner with them in their business evolution now and into the future.”
Woolworths Holdings Limited (www.woolworthsholdings.co.za)
Woolworths Holdings Limited (WHL) is one of the top 40 companies listed on the JSE Limited Securities Exchange (JSE) with operations across the southern hemisphere and 34% of operating profit generated in Australia.
The Group consists of three major operating divisions:
Woolworths South Africa (Woolworths or WSA) based in South Africa and operating across 11 countries in sub-Saharan Africa;
David Jones (David Jones or DJ) based and trading in Australia; and
Country Road Group (Country Road Group or CRG) based in Australia and trading in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
Woolworths Financial Services (WFS) is a joint venture between Woolworths and Barclays Africa Group, with Barclays Africa Group owning 50% + 1 share. The WFS board is constituted with directors from both WHL and Barclays Africa Group, with direction on credit policy, risk and funding aspects received from Barclays and direction on customer integration from Woolworths.
The Group employs more than 44,000 employees across 14 countries and trades in more than 1,400 store locations.
Woolworths SA (www.woolworthsholdings.co.za)
Woolworths offers a unique blend of food, fashion, beauty, homeware and financial services with the vision to be a leading fashion retailer in the Southern Hemisphere. We employ over 31,000 people in South Africa and over 44,000 people across the Group in South Africa, Africa and Australasia to transform this vision into reality.
Centric Software (www.centricsoftware.com)
From its headquarters in Silicon Valley, Centric Software provides a Digital Transformation Platform for the most prestigious names in fashion, retail, footwear, luxury, outdoor and consumer goods. Centric’s flagship Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) platform, Centric 8, delivers enterprise-class merchandise planning, product development, sourcing, quality and collection management functionality tailored for fast-moving consumer industries. Centric SMB provides innovative PLM technology and key industry learnings for emerging brands. Centric Visual Innovation Platform (VIP) offers a fully visual, transformative experience via large touch-screens and mobile devices, revolutionizing group decision making and creative collaboration while dramatically condensing time to market and product innovation. Centric Software is majority-owned by Dassault Systèmes (Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA), the world leader in 3D design software, 3D Digital Mock Up and PLM solutions.
Centric Software has received multiple industry awards and recognition, including being named by Red Herring to its Top 100 Global list in 2013, 2015 and 2016. Centric also received various excellence awards from Frost & Sullivan in 2012, 2016 and 2018.
Centric is a registered trademark of Centric Software. All other brands and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.
tags: Centric
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Lydia Mageean Lydia Mageean has been part of the WhichPLM team for over six years now. She has a creative and media background, and is responsible for maintaining and updating our website content, liaising with advertisers, working on special projects like the Annual Review, and more.Joining mid-2013 as our Online Editor, she has since become WhichPLM’s Editor. In addition to taking on writing and interviewing responsibilities, Lydia has also become the primary point of contact for news, events, features and other aspects of our ever-growing online content library and tools.
17th July 2019 Justine Hanson 0
9th July 2019 Lydia Mageean 0
2nd July 2019 Lydia Mageean 0
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Radiation Oncology Medical Physicist Salary
Christopher Schultz, who is Professor and Chair of the Radiation Oncology Department at the Medical College. and in these early days a radiation oncologist and medical physicist are also in the.
Southeast Nebraska Cancer Center (SNCC) has been awarded a three-year term of accreditation in radiation. and medical physicists who are experts in the field. "We are very proud of this.
Surveys are conducted by board-certified physicians and medical physicists who are experts in the field. The surveyors report their finding to the ACR’s Committee on Radiation Oncology Accreditation,
lead medical physicist for Piedmont Healthcare’s radiation oncology department. “During my formative years, both of my parents struggled with major illnesses. I spent a lot of time with them around.
Historia De Alexander Fleming Alexander Fleming. Quite the same Wikipedia. Just better. To install click the Add extension button. That’s it. The source code for the WIKI 2 extension is being checked by specialists of the Mozilla Foundation, Google, and Apple. You could also do it yourself at any point in time. Scientific Topper For Wedding Cake Because ordering
nose and throat), radiation oncology, medical oncology, neurology, neuropathology, neuroradiology and rehabilitation medicine. The center is also staffed by nurse practitioners, registered nurses and.
The development of Elekta’s MR-linac platform demonstrates the company’s ability to collaborate with industry and academic partners and across disciplines of radiation oncology, radiology and medical.
California Science Center Journey To Space Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex offers education focused learning. The Minnesota Museum of Science, in St. Paul, opened Journey to Space in. Johnson Space Center, the California Science Center, and partner museums. California Science Center The California Science Center is a dynamic destination where families, adults and children can explore the wonders of science through
Fibonacci Sequence Sea Shell The spiral forms of many shells, fossils, horns, nails, and hairs closely resemble. and Fibonacci numbers in astronomy; Fibonacci Numbers and Nature, spiral. In the Fibonacci sequence, the ratio of a whole figure to its larger part is the same as the ratio of the larger part to its smaller part. This can be seen
SSM Health St. Clare Hospital’s Cancer Care Center has provided its patients with radiation oncology treatments for. added more specialists to its team of medical personnel, including a radiation.
ASTRO publishes three medical journals, International Journal of Radiation Oncology • Biology • Physics (www.redjournal.org), Practical Radiation Oncology (www.practicalradonc.org) and Advances in.
Le, who was selected for the position in a national search, received her medical degree. The Department of Radiation Oncology has three divisions — radiation therapy, radiation and cancer biology.
Scientific Topper For Wedding Cake Because ordering wedding cake is basically a science, you can be very specific with the quantity of cake you’re ordering. That means you’re able to purchase just enough for each guest. Con: There will. Wedding Cake Competition (10 p.m., Food) – In the Season 2 premiere, baking duos must create a cake topper that showcases
Is Economics A Social Science This reader is an attempt to define economics as a social science. In the first place, economics is a science. In the second place, economics is a social science. The summit, organized by the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences – now headed by Professor. policies centered on people’s social, economic and cultural rights, as well
Two nationally renowned experts are joining the Department of Radiation Oncology at NYU Langone Health’s Perlmutter Cancer Center. Andrew J. Evans, MD, became vice chair for clinical operations and.
. an advanced postgraduate degree and then undergo specialized clinical training in one or more medical physics disciplines, such as radiation oncology, diagnostic and interventional radiology,
Radiation Oncology, Medical Physics, and Bioengineering. The Imaging Radiobiology Laboratory, headed by Dr. Edward Graves, is an active member of the Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford (MIPS) as.
Dr. Evans joined the department as vice chair for clinical operations and medical director June 1. publications include pieces in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics;.
MANGALURU: Mangalore University is on the cusp of starting new MSc course in medical physics. This course is almost. The students will be eligible to become medical physicists/radiation physicists.
ASTRO publishes three medical journals, International Journal of Radiation Oncology – Biology – Physics (www.redjournal.org), Practical Radiation Oncology (www.practicalradonc.org) and Advances in.
Medical physicists are often found in the following healthcare specialties – diagnostic and interventional radiology (also known as medical imaging), nuclear medicine, radiation protection and.
CLEVELAND, April 23, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — ViewRay, Inc. VRAY, +2.09% announced today that the company’s MRIdian MRI-guided radiation therapy system. and by Miguel Palacios, medical physicist at.
and medical physicists with programs focusing on the practice of medical imaging and radiation oncology and the delivery of comprehensive health care services. For information about the MemorialCare.
In Chemistry What Is A Salt “I think the city does many things to maintain the roadway, whether it’s salt or sand. last winter but Riley said even. Authorities say they marketed their products as "potpourri," ”incense," and "aromatherapy." Officials say Ritchie and Galecki rented a warehouse in Las Vegas to create spice products with the. Apr 2, 2012. Methods of
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Bronxville To Botanical Gardens Metro North→
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St. Luke protects pedophile records
By - The Washington Times - Monday, June 17, 2002
A psychiatric hospital in Prince George's County that treats pedophile priests is not legally obligated to report abusers who come for treatment from another state, the facility's director said yesterday.
But an assistant attorney general has said the law requires all cases to be reported.
The Rev. Stephen Rossetti, speaking on NBC's "Meet the Press," said St. Luke Institute has a 1991 statement from the Maryland attorney general saying that priests from other states who come for treatment do not have to be reported.
He also said the facility was bound by law not to infringe on patients' privacy.
Father Rossetti spoke in response to a report released last week in which health inspectors said they found no records showing that St. Luke had given police the names of priests who had acknowledged abusing children.
Father Rossetti said the facility has turned over names of abusers from the state of Maryland.
Health officials also said the facility in Adelphi does not have a written policy on the matter.
People living or working near the institute told The Washington Times in April that they had no idea of its mission or who was treated there.
One man said he knew the institute treated drug- and alcohol-addicted nuns and priests, but not pedophiles.
Father Rossetti said at the time patients convicted of sex offenses are directed to register.
He said the one male patient listed on Maryland's Internet registry at the institute's address was the only current patient required to register of as many as 10 priests being treated for pedophilia.
A Maryland assistant attorney general, however, said Father Rossetti's interpretation of the state law is wrong. Wendy Kronmiller told The Washington Post last week that the reporting is required regardless of when the reputed molestation took place.
But Father Rossetti disagreed.
"We have a statement from the attorney general, [who] is her supervisor, saying that's not the case, and we've asked the state of Maryland to review that because we have a contradiction," he said yesterday.
Failure to follow the state reporting law was one of several deficiencies cited last week by the Maryland Office of Health Care Quality, which sent inspectors to St. Luke after the May 16 suicide of a patient in his room.
Carol Benner, director of the Office of Health Care Quality, has been critical of the facility's record-keeping.
After the suicide last month of the Rev. Alfred J. Bietighofer, Miss Benner ordered St. Luke to restrict its admissions and make improvements at the facility.
At the same time, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, a Chicago-based private agency that inspects hospitals and nursing homes on behalf of federal and state governments, moved to revoke St. Luke's accreditation.
The agency is to make a final decision on the accreditation of the institute June 26.
Since the hospital's founding in 1981, hundreds of priests have been treated at St. Luke for pedophilia, alcoholism and other disorders.
The hospital operates independently of the U.S. Catholic Church, but treatment costs are paid by the dioceses that refer priests to the institution.
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Soccer fever in France with drinking, strutting, placing bets and singing
By - The Washington Times - Sunday, June 23, 2002
I knew it was serious when I saw Colin with an English flag tied around his shoulders, cape-style: This was World Cup madness. Living in France, I was being properly introduced to the championship that I'd been insulated from in the United States, with our Super Bowl and "World" Series. England had beaten Argentina earlier in the day, and my friend Colin, a British expatriate, had been celebrating ever since. By celebrating I mean drinking, strutting around with his flag-cape, and shouting English football songs to squeamish French passers-by.
Paris has been transformed from a city gripped by politics to one consumed with soccer. A few weeks ago Parisians were discussing the second-place victory of extreme-right candidate Jean-Marie Le Pen in the presidential primary elections, and his subsequent defeat in the final. Now I'm being indundated with World Cup commentary from co-workers and friends. Enormous faces of star players greet me from posters in the subway. The same people who wouldn't be caught dead uttering the word "football" are now placing bets.
My crash course began in earnest when I returned to Paris from a recent trip to the United States. I was in my office. At 1:30 p.m. sharp, all activity ceased. Chairs swiveled. And all eyes turned to the giant-screen TV on the wall that usually broadcasts CNN or a French news channel. Now it was swarming with English and Argentinian men in shorts attacking a soccer ball and each other. The French colleague sitting across from me, bitter that France had tied with Uruguay a few days before, chanted "Argentina" to gall my English colleagues. I asked one whether there were commercials during the game, and he looked at me as if I'd suggested a marching band play through a church service. After England won the match, typically mild-mannered Brits rose out of their chairs, hands raised in glee.
This was nothing compared to the scene later that evening, when I met Colin the super-fan with his flag-cape and several of his buddies. Colin usually blends in fairly easily in his adopted country: He dresses well, his French is perfect, and he's got the harried look common to most Parisians. But football had brought out the wild patriot within. I was greeted with an English team song at top volume.
The French people around us glared. At the next bar his crew repeated the scene, and in the upscale restaurant where we had dinner. The song was an easy one to remember for a group that had been hoisting pints since the afternoon. It went something like this: "La la la, la la la la, la la la. ENGLAND!" The other drinkers at the bar did not appreciate the delicacy of the lyrics. But such is the way at World Cup time.
A couple of days later I had a dinner party and invited a mixed, international crowd: two Brits, two Americans and three French. It didn't take long for the conversation to turn to the hot topic of the day. It turned out that the only person who had watched the matches that day was an American girl. "I loved the Japanese players' haircuts," she said. "Those Argentinians could use some haircuts," I said. "Cute, but the hair's a little out of control." It may not have been expert play-by-play, but we were getting involved.
I actually had my first real exposure to "le football" last summer, when I went to a game between Paris St. Germain and Sochaux, a town in the western region of Alsace. Forget cheerleaders; the crowd chanted fanatically during the whole match, only taking a break at halftime. The fans were about 90 percent male, but the cameraman for the giant screen on the scoreboard inevitably found the supermodel-like women inexplicably in attendance.
We sat behind the goal. The most ardent fans were all around us, seated according to clubs with names like "Boulogne Boys" (for the stadium's location) and "Ultra." Fans carried flags and signs with club logos. One showed a hand with a screaming mouth in the palm. "Toujours fideles," it read: Always loyal.
Absent was the scent of hot dogs and popcorn, the cries of vendors racing up and down the aisles. It seemed spectators didn't want their mouths full while they yelled. A couple of guys with snare drums perched over the entrances, pounding away.
Periodically the crowd stood, arms outstretched, fingers wiggling. "Allez Paris Saint-Germain," they chanted, prompted by guys with bullhorns or microphones. Or "Allez Paris SG" or just "Allez Paris." Even "Let's go." Over and over and over again. Not very original, but exciting nonetheless. The same lyricists must do all the soccer songs; these ditties were relatives of the complex arrangements favored by my English friends. The French fans mixed it up by using different tunes, "Yellow Submarine" being a favorite. As in, "Allez allez allez allez allez allez allez, allez allez allez, allez allez allez." And repeat.
Then there was the actual game: not so exciting. As my friend who went with me said, "The great thing about soccer is that no one has to score for it to be a great game." When pressed, he admitted that this particular match did not fall into the category of "great game." Though indeed, neither team scored until the final two minutes when we were leaving. Thankfully it was Paris with the goal, and we peeked in from the ramp to see the ball hit the net.
During that game, and during the World Cup matches, I maintained what I liked to think of as a certain detachment interest, but not the obssession I saw in my friends. I was bound to break down.
Then the United States played South Korea one morning at 8:30 a.m. Paris time. The office was fairly silent as colleagues sipped coffee. The quiet was broken just after Clint Mathis scored for the Americans. "Yes!" a voice cried ecstatically. It was mine.
Julie Hyman is an American reporter working in Paris.
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How GMOs Might Save The American Chestnut Tree46:36
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A woman and a child pick up chestnuts on a field near Heidelberg, southwestern Germany, on Friday, Oct. 3, 2008. (Daniel Roland/AP)
With Meghna Chakrabarti
To save the American chestnut tree, researchers want to release genetically engineered trees into the wild to reproduce. It would be a first — a possible breakthrough and an irreversible experiment.
William Powell, director of the American Chestnut Research & Restoration Project. Professor at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Roosevelt Wild Life Station scientist-in-residence. (@ChestnutPowell)
Rachel Smolker, co-director of Biofuelwatch (@biofuelwatch). Organizer with Global Justice Ecology Project. (@rsmolker)
Hank Greely, director of the Stanford Center for Law and the Biosciences. (@HankGreelyLSJU)
From The Reading List
Endless Thread: "The 'Most Ambitious' Species Restoration Project In The World" — "You wouldn't know it from looking up at the tree from the side of the road, but the American chestnut is at the center of one of the most nutty stories of near extinction and resurrection ever heard in the United States. It involves genetic engineering, warring factions of tree enthusiasts, and a mysterious, destructive force that was first discovered at the Bronx Zoo.
"Up until the early 1900s, American chestnuts dominated the eastern forests of North America. They could grow up to 125 feet tall and 16 feet wide and were so big that loggers sometimes used actual dynamite to blow them up into smaller pieces. But it wasn’t just that the individual trees were large. The species as a whole had a massive footprint. They used to be so common along the East Coast of the United States that people would say a squirrel could travel from Maine to Georgia on chestnut tree branches alone without ever touching the ground.
"Chestnut wood — naturally rot-resistant, lightweight and straight-grained — was also highly valued, used for everything from utility poles to railroad ties to houses. But the gem of the American chestnut was really the nuts themselves. And the nuts were particularly important to Southern Appalachia, says historian Ralph Lutts:
"'It was not just a food that was a treat to them. It was a central part of their lives economically, particularly the very poor. And when you had the time of plenty in the autumn when the nuts were falling like manna from heaven, it was almost a community celebration.' "
Christian Science Monitor: "GMO could bring back the American chestnut. But should it?" — "Edward Kashmer has fond memories of the American chestnut tree. As a child in the 1930s in western Pennsylvania, he and his playmates would make use of the small, sweet nuts produced by the trees.
"'We couldn’t afford golf balls,' he says. 'So we used chestnuts.'
"Today, on the wall of his apartment in a retirement community in Jamesville, New York, is a regulator clock with an American chestnut cabinet that he says he carved in the 1990s. Mr. Kashmer, who says he owned a woodworking business for 20 years, points out the straightness and closeness of the wood’s grain. 'What makes it perfect are the wormholes,' he says indicating the pinpoints bored by insects.
"American chestnut trees were once plentiful from Maine to Georgia. But around 1904, a fungus clinging to a Japanese chestnut tree came to New York City. The spores spread on the wind, and within a few decades the American chestnut was all but wiped out. Most memories of mature, living trees reside only in the minds of people in their 80s and 90s."
Stop GE Trees: "Biotechnology For Forest Health? The Test Case Of The Genetically Engineered American Chestnut" — "The American chestnut, once a dominant species in eastern North American forests, was decimated in the first half of the 20th century by a fungal blight (Cryphonectria parasitica, also referred to as chestnut blight) and logging. Researchers at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry are developing a genetically engineered (GE) blight-resistant American chestnut (AC), and hope to win government approval for its unregulated release into the environment. If they are successful, the GE AC will be the first GE forest tree species planted specifically to spread freely through forests. Once the GE AC is released, there will be little potential to track or reverse its spread.
"The GE AC is promoted as a test case to sway public opinion toward supporting the use of biotechnology for forest conservation, and to pave the way for the introduction of other GE trees. However, most other GE trees in development would be grown in industrial monoculture plantations, for the commercial production of timber, pulp and biofuels. A close look at who is promoting the GE AC reveals direct and indirect financial and other links between the nonprofit The American Chestnut Foundation, the researchers developing the GE AC, tree biotechnology company ArborGen, biotechnology company Monsanto (now Bayer), Duke Energy, government agencies, and other entities including the Forest Health Initiative and the Institute of Forest Biosciences that are deeply invested in advancing the use of biotechnology for forest restoration as a public relations tool."
Science Magazine: "To save iconic American chestnut, researchers plan introduction of genetically engineered tree into the wild" — "Two deer-fenced plots here contain some of the world's most highly regulated trees. Each summer researchers double-bag every flower the trees produce. One bag, made of breathable plastic, keeps them from spreading pollen. The second, an aluminum mesh screen added a few weeks later, prevents squirrels from stealing the spiky green fruits that emerge from pollinated flowers. The researchers report their every move to regulators with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). 'We tell them when we plant and where we plant and how many we plant,' says Andrew Newhouse, a biologist at the nearby State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY ESF).
"These American chestnut trees (Castanea dentata) are under such tight security because they are genetically modified (GM) organisms, engineered to resist a deadly blight that has all but erased the once widespread species from North American forests. Now, Newhouse and his colleagues hope to use the GM chestnuts to restore the tree to its former home. In the coming weeks, they plan to formally ask U.S. regulators for approval to breed their trees with nonengineered relatives and plant them in forests.
"If the regulators approve the request, it would be 'precedent setting'—the first use of a GM tree to try to restore a native species in North America, says Doria Gordon, lead senior scientist at the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) in Washington, D.C. But deciding whether to unleash a GM tree into the wild could take years."
Vermont Public Radio: "Is Genetic Engineering The Way To Restore The American Chestnut Tree?" — "The once-ubiquitous American chestnut tree is now functionally extinct, nearly erased from the landscape by a blight that killed roughly 3 billion trees over 50 years. Now a nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring the tree is seeking federal approval to release a genetically engineered blight-resistant chestnut into the wild. But is a genetically engineered tree the right way to restore a virtually extinct species?
"The blight, an Asian fungus that girdles chestnut trees and eventually kills them, came to North America in around the 1900s. Years of federal and local forestry efforts failed to revive the species. The nonprofit American Chestnut Foundation was formed in the 1980s to continue that work and restore the trees to the wild.
"The ACF has bred hybrid trees resistant to the blight, but it's also pursuing a genetically-modified tree that combines genes from wheat and cauliflower into a tree resistant to the fungus. Much of that research is being done at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse."
Grace Tatter produced this hour for broadcast.
This program aired on April 29, 2019.
Endless Thread: The 'Most Ambitious' Species Restoration Project In The World
A Deep Dig On GMO And Crop Yields
In The Maine Woods, A Towering Giant Could Help Save Chestnuts
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Home»Archives»ISIS (Page 3)
Captured ISIS commanders were lured to Iraq by fake app messages
By World Tribune on May 13, 2018 Exclusives, Iraq, ISIS, Mideast, Syria, Top Story, World Links, World Tribune
by WorldTribune Staff, May 11, 2018 Four of the “Most Wanted” Islamic State (ISIS) leaders were captured after being lured to Iraq from Syria by fake messages on the Telegram app. U.S. President Donald Trump on May 10 tweeted about the capture of the terrorists, which included two of the highest-ranking ISIS commanders ever to […]
Meanwhile in Iraq: Elections feature three Shi’ite leaders with significant differences
By World Tribune on May 13, 2018 Exclusives, Iran, Iraq, ISIS, Mideast, Top Stories, U.S. Military
Special to WorldTribune.com Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty Iraqis started voting on May 12 in the country’s first parliamentary elections since Baghdad declared victory over the Islamic State (IS) and routed the extremist group from most Iraqi territory last year. Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi, a Shi’a who has sought to balance the competing influences […]
Reports: Egypt moving troops near Israel border for massive attack on ISIS affiliate
By World Tribune on May 3, 2018 Egypt, Exclusives, ISIS, Mideast, Rest of The Best, Top Stories, World Links, World Tribune
by WorldTribune Staff, May 3, 2018 The Egyptian military is deploying troops to its borders with Israel and the Gaza Strip in preparation for what was described as “extraordinarily massive attacks” on the Islamic State (ISIS) affiliate in the Sinai Peninsula, reports say. Egypt has informed Israel about the troop buildup, Haaretz reported on May […]
Iraq renews ties to Kurdish Peshmerga after re-emergence of ISIS
By World Tribune on April 5, 2018 Exclusives, Iraq, ISIS, Mideast, Rest of The Best, Top Stories, World Links, World Tribune
by WorldTribune Staff, April 5, 2018 Islamic State (ISIS) has re-emerged in Iraq in the absence of the Kurdish Peshmerga, prompting the Iraqi military to renew ties to the fighters who were a key factor in dismantling the terror group’s Iraqi “caliphate.” Kurdistan 24 reported that “cooperation between the Kurdish Peshmerga and Iraqi Security Forces […]
Egypt: ‘Operation Sinai 2018’ has killed 105 terrorists since February
By World Tribune on March 9, 2018 Egypt, Exclusives, ISIS, Mideast, Top Stories, World Links, World Tribune
by WorldTribune Staff, March 9, 2018 Egypt’s intensified campaign to eliminate the Sinai insurgency has resulted in the killing of 105 terrorists in the last month, a report said. Egyptian army spokesman Tamer Al-Rifai said Operation Sinai 2018, launched on Feb. 9, has been widely successful and Egyptian forces are carrying out the operation “with […]
Egypt, with Israel’s blessing, doubles number of troops in Sinai
By World Tribune on March 1, 2018 Egypt, Exclusives, ISIS, Israel, Mideast, Rest of The Best, Top Stories, World Links, World Tribune
by WorldTribune Staff, March 1, 2018 Egypt has more than doubled the number of troops it has stationed in the Sinai Peninsula, a Feb. 28 report said. Egyptian armed forces Maj. Gen. Mohammed el-Shahat said there are currently 88 battalions and a total of 42,630 soldiers in Sinai, Israel’s Channel 11 reported. The troop increase […]
Kurdish fighters capture last two British ISIS ‘Beatles’
By World Tribune on February 9, 2018 Exclusives, ISIS, Mideast, Syria, Top Stories, World Links, World Tribune
by WorldTribune Staff, February 9, 2018 The last two members of a group of British jihadists who carried out torture and executions for Islamic State (ISIS) have been captured by Kurdish fighters in Syria, a report said. Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh, part of a group of four ISIS jihadists known as the “Beatles” […]
Report: Israel, Egypt are ‘covert allies’ in war on Sinai jihadists
By World Tribune on February 4, 2018 Egypt, Exclusives, ISIS, Israel, Mideast, Rest of The Best, Top Stories, World Links, World Tribune
by WorldTribune Staff, February 4, 2018 Israel and Egypt have become “secret allies” in an effort to drive Islamic State-affiliated terrorists out of North Sinai, a report said. Israel, with the blessing of Egyptian President Abdul Fatah Sisi, has used drones, jets, and helicopters in Sinai to target jihadists in more than 100 airstrikes over […]
Tillerson: U.S. troops staying put in Syria to counter Assad, Iran
By World Tribune on January 18, 2018 Americas, Exclusives, Iran, ISIS, Mideast, Rest of The Best, Stateside, Syria, Top Stories, Top Story, U.S. Military, World Links, World Tribune
Special to WorldTribune.com By Christopher Sparks, January 18, 2017 The U.S.’s ultimate objectives in Syria include ensuring ISIS is fully defeated, “post-Assad leadership” and preventing Iran from bolstering its position. Therefore, the U.S. will “maintain a military presence” in the country, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Jan. 17. “A total withdrawal of American […]
White-bearded ISIS executioner captured in Mosul where he was hiding
By World Tribune on January 3, 2018 Exclusives, Iraq, ISIS, Mideast, Top Stories, World Links, World Tribune
by WorldTribune Staff, January 3, 2018 An Islamic State (ISIS) jihadist who was prominently featured in the terror group’s execution videos was found and captured in Mosul last week, according to Iraqi media. The white-bearded terrorist known as Abu Omar, who supervised several executions, was arrested after informers led Iraqi security personnel to his hideout […]
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26 Women Today
Spectrum FAQ
Family stands by man accused of killing 1-year-old
By Lia Fernandez |
Posted: Tue 7:44 PM, Jul 09, 2019 |
Updated: Tue 8:44 PM, Jul 09, 2019
News 12 at 6 o'clock/NBC at 7
Charles Sconyers has been charged with murder in the death of his girlfriend's 1-year-old child. (Source: Columbia County Sheriff's Office)
COLUMBIA COUNTY, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) --The family of former Augusta firefighter Charles Sconyers is standing by his side after being accused in the death of his girlfriend's one-year-old son Lincoln Davitte.
His family wanted to share their side of the story with News 12. We talked to Sconyers' ex-wife Michelle Sconyers, who says she's tired of hearing people speak badly of him and wants to tell people who the real Charles is.
A person that loves kids is not a killer.
"I've seen people say that it's cheaper to put a bullet in him, like how can somebody ever say that when they don't even know the story," said Sconyers.
Investigators say Charles Sconyers' story is not adding up when it comes to the death of Lincoln.
But his family says the accusations are what is not adding up.
"I don't like seeing people bashing the father of my child when I know he could never have done this," said Sconyers.
Michelle Sconyers is Charles' ex-wife. They were married for 5 years and together for 9.
"Our divorce wasn't pretty but we've always been there for each other no matter what," said Sconyers.
Michelle says he's always been there for their 6-year-old daughter too.
"That's been the hardest part, her waking up in the morning and crying for her daddy because they never go long without seeing each other," said Sconyers.
But with an overwhelming amount of support during an emotional court hearing, Charles was granted bond.
Michelle believes her ex-husband was just at the wrong place at the wrong time.
"If he had the power he would have saved that boy," said Sconyers.
Being a firefighter and EMT, Charles Sconyers has seen a lot but Michelle says it still wasn't easy.
"Honestly when he was having bad calls on that ambulance, up until right before this happened, he was still ending up in my lap crying over these pediatric calls he was having because it destroys him to see a child hurt," said Sconyers.
Thomson community comes together for vigil held for teen killed in crash
Weekend events happening across the CSRA: May 10-12
UPDATE: Woman finds "Angels" who saved her husband
Sen. Bernie Sanders making stops in Aiken and Denmark this weekend
Back to school: What's your back to school date?
Video: SCHOOL HOLD VIGIL FOR GIRL KILLED IN CRASH
Video: WAGT: Drying out Tonight, Hot and Stormy Tomorrow
Video: WAGT: Strong Storms in the Metro
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Showing posts with label April 9. Show all posts
Caught without his chain mail shirt
On this date in 1913:
Crime figure Amadeo Buonomo was buried April 9, 1913, in Queens, New York. He died of a gunshot wound on April 6, a casualty of the 1910s underworld warfare in East Harlem.
The conflict featured a number of New York gangland's more colorful figures:
- Pasquarella Musone Spinelli, owner of the "Murder Stable" and known as the wealthiest woman in the community at the time of her murder in spring 1912;
- Aniello "Zoppo" (the Gimp) Prisco, Black Hand racketeer hobbled after one of his legs was shot to pieces and later killed while in the act of extorting money;
- Giosue Gallucci, cafe owner and lottery racketeer, who was regarded as the "king" of Harlem's Little Italy until his reign was ended by bullets in May 1915.
(See: "Owner's killing is start of 'Murder Stable' legend" on Mafiahistory.us.)
Buonomo stood out from the group due to his unusual wardrobe. It was said that, after becoming involved in the gang war, about the time of Prisco's December 1912 death, he generally wore a chain mail hauberk beneath his clothes to protect against the blades of his enemies. As a Prisco disciple who swore to avenge the Neapolitan gang boss's killing, he had plenty of enemies.
A resident of 1758 Madison Avenue, between 115th and 116th Streets, Buonomo was proprietor of a restaurant at 331 East 114th Street. In addition to his business and the threats of rival gangsters, Buonomo also devoted much of his attention in the period to the plight of his younger brother, Joseph "Chicago Joe" Buonomo. Joseph had been convicted of first degree murder and was awaiting execution in Connecticut. (Joseph was part of a New York-Chicago human trafficking ring. His wife, known by the name Jennie Cavalieri, provided information on the ring to authorities and then ran off to Bridgeport, Connecticut. Joseph found her there and shot her to death on October 22, 1912. After Amadeo's death, Joseph won a new trial in Connecticut, but its result was the same. He was executed by hanging at Connecticut State Prison in Wethersfield just after midnight on June 30, 1914.)
According to published reports, the twenty-seven-year-old Buonomo was not wearing his protective chain mail one evening in early April (the reports suggest it was April 3), as he started down a stairway to a basement wine shop at 113th Street near First Avenue. But it probably would not have afforded him much protection on this occasion, as his attacker opted to use a handgun rather than a knife.
A bullet fired at close range entered his neck. Friends rushed Buonomo to Harlem Hospital, where he lingered for days before succumbing. There were a number of rumors relating to statements he made on his deathbed, but it is unlikely that Buonomo was able to say very much. According to the autopsy, the bullet wound caused internal bleeding into his throat, and Buonomo eventually asphyxiated, drowned by his own blood.
His April 9 funeral, directed by the Paladino and Pantozzi firm of East 115th Street, was an East Harlem spectacle. The hearse, drawn by six white horses, was followed by one hundred carriages of mourners and a forty-two-piece marching band. Buonomo was buried at Calvary Cemetery in Queens.
"Buonomo pays for killing," Bridgeport CT Evening Farmer, June 30, 1914, p. 1.
"Coats of mail still in use," Buffalo Enquirer, Oct. 27, 1913, p. 4.
"East Side gunmen take second victim," New York Tribune, April 30, 1913, p. 5.
"Feudists' bullets avenge slaying of gunman in Harlem," New York Evening World, April 11, 1913, p. 10.
"Two more Italians shot," New York Sun, April 18, 1913, p. 5.
"White slave's' life here," New York Tribune, Oct. 29, 1912, p. 7.
Amadeo Buonomo Certificate of Death, registered no. 11224, Department of Health of the City of New York, date of death April 6, 1913.
Critchley, David, The Origin of Organized Crime in America: The New York City Mafia, 1891-1931, New York: Routledge, 2009, p. 110-111.
New York City Death Index, certificate no. 11224.
Thomas, Rowland, "The rise and fall of Little Italy's king," Pittsburgh Press, Dec. 12, 1915, Sunday Magazine p. 4.
Labels: Amadeo Buonomo, April 9, Chain Mail, Chicago Joe, Connecticut, East Harlem, Giosue Gallucci, Human Trafficking, Jennie Cavalieri, Murder Stable, Pasquarella Spinelli, Thomas Hunt, Zoppo Prisco
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Showing posts with label May 28. Show all posts
He fought the law, and the law lost
Chicago Outfit boss DiFronzo,
89, dies following illness
John DiFronzo, reputed boss of the Chicago Outfit, died overnight May 27-28, 2018, at his home in River Grove, according to published reports. (Chicago Tribune reports he died early May 28) He was eighty-nine years old.
DiFronzo
Criminal defense attorney Joe Lopez told the media that the crime boss suffered with Alzheimer's disease and had been "extremely ill."
DiFronzo was widely suspected of involvement in the brutal 1986 murders of brothers Anthony and Michael Spilotro (depicted in the film Casino). His role was discussed during the 2007 Family Secrets trial of Outfit leaders. But DiFronzo was not a defendant in Family Secrets, and federal prosecutors were unable to assemble a convincing case against him.
Attorney Lopez told CBS-Chicago that DiFronzo's greatest achievement was "beating the G."
The press frequently referred to DiFronzo as "No Nose." The nickname sprang from an attempted robbery back in 1949, though the details of that story are disputed. Some sources say DiFronzo jumped through a window to escape capture and had a piece of his nose sliced off by the breaking glass. (Actually, he neither jumped through a window nor escaped, but a glass injury cannot be ruled out.) Others say a bullet fired by a police officer tore off the nose...
Read a biography of John "No Nose" DiFronzo
on the American Mafia history website.
ABC-7.
CBS-2.
NBC-5.
Chicago Tribune.
Labels: Casino, Chicago, DiFronzo, Family Secrets, May 28, No Nose, Obituary, Organized Crime, Outfit, Spilotro, Thomas Hunt
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Planning for Excellence at Baltimore Design School
Before there is art, there is planning- lots of planning. This is something that 7th graders at the Baltimore Design School know all too well. Without it, the mural that these students created under the guidance of YA roster artist Amanda Pellerin and art teacher Stephanie Cafaro would not be the magnificent work that it is.
The class began with brainstorming and list-making. “We asked the students, “What’s important to you?” Amanda Pellerin explained, “And we had different posters that asked, “What’s important to you at home? What’s important to you at school? What’s important to you in your city? What’s important to you in the world?”
YA roster artist Amanda Pellerin helps lay out Baltimore Design School students’ mural sketches onto clay.
From these ideas, Miss Cafaro had the students narrow down what they believed to be most important into one list of possible mural themes. Some suggested a tribute to President Obama or a better Baltimore. Others wanted to illustrate the power of protesting or important issues in the world today. “When I looked at this, I didn’t see 10 different murals,” Pellerin said. So, the artist proposed combining each idea into one single, powerful mural, and the students were all for it.
Before they could get to work on cutting and etching and glazing their tiles, however, the group first had to decide what the project was going to actually look like. After discussing composition and scale, and considering how the piece would flow visually, the group decided that the mural would feature three “larger than life” role models among a crowd of protesters. The class felt that President Obama, Harriet Tubman and a native American should stand out. The choices that the class made in the design process were purposeful. Role models weren’t chosen randomly, they were justified and carried significance for each student.
Small teams of students worked together to create each larger than life figure, then reunited to complete the picture and piece the mural together. In their finished artwork, historic role models protest alongside important figures of the present. The figures carry protest signs that reflect current issues with sentiments that students imagined each role model might express if given the chance today.
“We’re trying to help them understand that designers work as teams.“
From conception to execution, the class was instrumental in seeing the project to completion. Directing the vision of the finished piece allowed the students to take ownership of the artwork and truly see it as their project. “I love that they had to come up with a concept and work together,” noted Miss Cafaro. Every material that needed to be prepped and every decision that needed to be made happened because the class took charge, collaborated, and cooperated. “We’re trying to help them understand that designers work as teams,” Miss Cafaro said. “Even if it’s not their favorite idea, they’re part of a team and still need to contribute.”
Amanda Pellerin specializes in handmade tile murals and clay sculptures and has 20 years of experience in teaching both children and adults. Learn how to bring Amanda’s residency, Handmade Tile and Mosaic Murals, into your school.
Categorized: News
Tagged: Amanda Pellerin, Baltimore Design School, Black History, clay, middle school, middle school students, mosaic, mural
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Damascus suburb Douma was the site of alleged chemical weapons use by Assad
Chemical warfare watchdog says Douma mission to proceed as planned
Fact-finding mission by Organization for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to proceed with planned inspection of Douma, site of alleged chemical weapons attack by Syrian President Assad's regime; 'No doubt' about Assad's complicity with attack, France says, while British PM May vows retaliatory strike not about 'civil war, regime change' but deterring further use of chemical weapons.
Reuters|Published: 04.14.18 , 18:59
A global chemical warfare watchdog group said its fact-finding mission would go ahead as planned in Douma, where the apparent use of poison gas against civilians on April 7—which killed more than 40 people—compelled the Western allies to launch their attack. Damascus and Moscow deny blame for any such attack.
Security permitting, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons' (OPCW) fact-finding mission "will continue its deployment to the Syrian Arab Republic to establish facts around the allegations of chemical weapons use in Douma" on Saturday, the agency said in a statement.
Scenes from the alleged chemical attack in Douma (צילום: רויטרס)
Scenes from the alleged chemical attack in Douma
Syria agreed to give up its chemical weapons arsenal in 2013 and submit to OPCW inspections. It is meant to have destroyed all of its stockpiles of nerve agents. In the case of chlorine, it is permitted to possess it for civilian use, but not to use it as a weapon.
OPCW's probe into alleged chemical weapons use in Douma will proceed as planned Saturday (Photo: AP)
The OPCW will determine whether chemical weapons were used in the country's protracted civil war, but will not assign blame.
Despite a US-Russian agreement to completely eliminate Syria's chemical weapons program after hundreds of people were gassed with sarin in Ghouta on August 21, 2013, the OPCW had been unable to verify that all manufacturing, storage and research facilities were destroyed.
Among the sites reportedly hit overnight Friday was the Scientific Studies and Research Center (SSRC), a facility that has played a key role in Syria's chemical weapons program since the 1970s.
OPCW inspectors have raised questions about the SSRC since 2013, when Damascus joined the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention and agreed to do away with its stockpile to avert threatened strikes under President Barack Obama.
Syria has been unable to explain several findings by inspectors, including undeclared research and development sites, the presence of banned chemicals and missing munitions, sources have told Reuters.
France: 'No doubt' Assad regime behind Douma attack
Washington says it has confirmed that chlorine gas was used in the April 7, 2018 attack in Douma, and has unconfirmed suspicion that nerve agents may also have been used.
But France's foreign minister said there was "no doubt" the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was responsible, and threatened further retaliatory strikes if chemical weapons were used again.
"On the intelligence collected by our services, and in the absence to date of chemical samples analyzed by our own laboratories, France considers, beyond possible doubt, a chemical attack was carried out against civilians at Douma ... and that there is no plausible scenario other than that of an attack by Syrian armed forces," according to a declassified intelligence report.
"After examining the videos and images of victims published online, (intelligence services) were able to conclude with a high degree of confidence that the vast majority are recent and not fabricated," the report said.
Launch of French missile during US-led strike on Syria
The report added no deaths from mechanical injuries were visible and all symptoms were characteristic of a chemical weapons attack, particularly choking agents and organophosphorus agents or hydrocyanic acid.
"Reliable intelligence indicates that Syrian military officials have coordinated what appears to be the use of chemical weapons containing chlorine on Douma, on April 7," it said. It gave no other details on the intelligence.
The report, which provided a broad outline of the Syrian government-backed offensive supported by Russia on the eastern Ghouta region over recent months, also said French services had assessed that not all Syrian government chemical stockpiles and capacities had been declared to the UN.
Syria had omitted to declare many of the activities of its SSRC, the report said.
Syrian President Assad's regime had not abandoned its chemical weapons program, France accused
It said Syria had not answered questions on matters including possible remaining stocks of yperite (mustard gas) and DF (a sarin precursor), undeclared chemical weapons of small caliber and signs VX and sarin on production and loading sites.
British PM May: Strike not about 'civil war, regime change'
Britain participated in the US-led strike on Syria Saturday by firing air-launched cruise missiles to cripple President Assad's chemical weapons facilities and prevent what Prime Minister Theresa May cast as a global slide towards their greater use.
Four Royal Air Force Tornado jets from the Akrotiri base in Cyprus fired Storm Shadow missiles at a military facility near Homs, where it was assessed that Syria had stockpiled chemicals, Britain's Ministry of Defense said.
May said the strike was "limited and targeted" and came after intelligence indicated that Syrian military officials had coordinated a chlorine attack in the Damascus suburb of Douma on April 7.
Missile attacks by the United States, France and Britain had been aimed at deterring Assad's further use of chemical weapons and was not an attempt to topple the Syrian government, May said. The mission had been a success, she added.
British PM May said strike was intended to deter further use of chemical weapons (Photo: EPA)
"This is not about intervening in a civil war. It is not about regime change," May said in a statement made from her country residence at Chequers just minutes after US President Donald Trump announced the strikes from the White House.
May later told reporters in her Downing Street office that the Western missiles struck a chemical weapons storage and production facility, a chemical weapons research center and a military bunker involved in chemical weapons attacks.
By launching strikes without prior approval from parliament, May dispensed with a non-binding constitutional convention dating back to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. She said speed was essential and that military action was in the national interest.
"It was both right and legal to take military action," May said, adding that she would update parliament on Monday.
The Western missile strikes demonstrate the volatile nature of the Syrian civil war, which started in March 2011 as an anti-Assad uprising but is now a proxy conflict involving a number of world and regional powers and a myriad of insurgent groups.
The strike was unrelated to the broader context of the protracted civil war, May said (Photo: AFP)
Assad, May said, should not doubt the resolve of Britain, France and the United States but made clear that the strike was a specific response to the Douma attack that killed up to 75 people, including children.
May dismissed as "grotesque and absurd" a claim by Russia—which intervened in the war in 2015 to back Assad—that the Douma attack was staged by Britain. But she declined to give any signal about the future of Assad.
'Right and legal'
May referred specifically to last month's nerve agent attack on former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the southern English cathedral city of Salisbury that she has blamed on Russia. Moscow has denied any involvement.
"We cannot allow the use of chemical weapons to become normalized "either within Syria, on the streets of the UK or elsewhere," May told reporters in Downing Street.
She said almost a century of global acceptance about not using chemical weapons had been eroded in Douma and Salisbury.
The poisoning—allegedly by Russia—of spy Sergei Skripal was part of the reappearance of chemical weapons use, according to May (Photo: AFP)
May said Britain and its allies had sought to use every diplomatic means to stop the use of chemical weapons, but had been repeatedly thwarted, citing a Russian veto of an independent investigation into the Douma attack at the UN Security Council this week.
"So there is no practicable alternative to the use of force to degrade and deter the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime," she said.
See all talkbacks "Chemical warfare watchdog says Douma mission to proceed as planned"
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About the town crest
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Zelena hora
Castle Zdar
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The small town of Zdar was constructed immediately after the foundation of the monastery in 1252. It used the emblems from the crest of the Lords of Lichtenburk and of Lipe on its seal and then also in its coat-of-arms. These emblems were two crossed, rough-hewn trunks with four knots and a floating carp turned to the right above it. The rough-hewn were originally painted black on a gold coat-of-arms.
When Cardinal Frantisek of Dietrichstein gave Zdar tows status with a document dated 11th June 1607, he improved this crest, with patritioned coat-of-arms with a diagonally divided bottom half. He put six white or silver “pyramides“ in a red field into the bottom right section, representing the coat-of-arms of the parish church in Olomouc. Then there was the original crest of the black, crossed, rough-hewn trunks in gold (the carp was omitted) in the bottom left section. The top half of the coat-of-arms was diagonally divided into a gold red background. Two wine-knives, iron in colour, with golden handles and their edges turned up and out, were placed below and a golden royal crown (the coat-of-arms of the Lords of Dietrichstein).
The sign was improved again nearly one hundered years later by Emperor Leopold I in a document dated 21st May 1704, confirming the town's privileges and also improving the town's seal. The crest was improved by the Moravian Regional Presidency on 8th July 1706 and Emperor Josef I, confirmed this in a special document on 22nd February 1707. The crest is composed of a quartered coat-of-arms in the right half of which there is the original design from 1607 with the additing of the coat-of-arms of the abbot of the monastery of Zdar on the left side.
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S-300 Vs. F-35: Stealth And Invincible Are Not Exactly Synonyms
Authored by Andrei Akulov via The Strategic Culture Foundation,
How effective is the S-300 PMU-2 "Favorit" that Russia has just delivered to Syria? Especially when employed against the F-35 stealth fighters that Israel intends to make more use of when attacking targets in Syria? Who has the edge?
This is truly a hot topic for the press right now. It would be better, of course, to avoid the military hostilities and leave this as a theoretical, unanswered question, because no definite answer is possible until a real shootout takes place. Stealth technology includes both active and passive measures that reduce visibility and the chance of detection. Some of those are classified, as are the specifications and capabilities of the S-300. This makes it much more complicated to offer predictions or conclusions. But the known facts can be considered impartially and objectively.
Israeli officials play down the significance of the shipment of the S-300 to Syrian government forces.
“The operational abilities of the air force are such that those (S-300) batteries really do not constrain the air force’s abilities to act,” said Tzachi Hanegbi, Israel’s regional cooperation minister.
“You know that we have stealth fighters, the best planes in the world. These batteries are not even able to detect them.”
Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said in April that “if anyone attacks us, we will retaliate, regardless of S-300, S-700 or any anything else’s presence there”.
The Pentagon has also cast doubt on the S-300’s effectiveness.
Let’s give the devil his due. The F-35 is a fine example of low observable aircraft with extraordinary capabilities. It’s a formidable weapon, but so is the S-300. If the worst happens, Israel’s high-end F-35I Adir aircraft will be checkmated by this Russian-made, state-of-the-art air-defense system.
A stealth aircraft is not invincible. It has its strengths and weaknesses. In Syria, Israeli F-35s will be up against a tight, integrated air-defense network with multiple radars trying to detect and track the target from different directions.
Excessive use of stealth technology restricts the combat capabilities of an aircraft like the F-35. A plane based on stealth technology does not perform exceptionally well in combat. It cannot carry many weapons because everything is hidden inside the body. Its ability to remain invisible is reduced as soon as the radar is turned on. Low frequencies can detect a stealth aircraft. A bomb bay that has been opened to launch weapons will also give the plane away.
The S-300’s 48N6E2 missiles boast single-shot kill probability of 80% to 93% for an aerial target, 40% to 85% for cruise missiles. and 50% to 77% for theater ballistic missiles. The Russian system uses the 96L6 all-altitude detector and acquisition radar, which works in L-band. It has a 300 km range and enhanced resolution. The S-300 PMU-2 version can detect and track 100 targets. The radar is said to be able to detect stealth targets.
Large wavelength radiations are reflected by “invisible” aircraft. Radar that operates in the VHF, UHF, L and S bands can detect and even track the F-35 without transmitting weapons-quality track. It is true that no accurate targeting is possible, but at least you can tell where the plane is.
The S-300’s vertically launched missiles can be re-targeted during flight. The explosion is so powerful that no kinetic kill is needed. Multiple killing elements will strike targets throughout the vicinity.
The IAF F-35s still need to be integrated with other assets in order to enhance their chances of carrying out missions. Just to be on the safe side, they will probably be escorted by electronic warfare aircraft, which are not stealth, thus giving away their position and providing the enemy with enough time to take countermeasures. Israel has only 12 F-35s, with 50 more arriving by 2024. The price tag for each is about $100 million. It’ll be a long time before they are in place and integrated into the Air Force. And twelve are simply not enough.
Besides, the aircraft still needs to be upgraded with the full operational capability of Block 3F and subsequent Block 4 software and hardware configurations.
Once the S-300s are operational, all other Israeli non-stealth planes will face huge risks any time they fly an offensive mission into Syria. It should also be taken into account that Russia will jam the radar, navigation, and communications systems on any aircraft attacking targets in Syria via the Mediterranean Sea, as Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu warned on Sept. 24, 2018.
Israel boasts a broad repertoire of standoff weapons, along with highly advanced electronic warfare systems and enhanced cyber capabilities. It also has very experienced and well trained personnel. Nevertheless, the S-300 in Syria is a deterrent to be reckoned with. Hopefully, the peace process in that war-torn country will move forward and there will be no escalation to provoke an S-300 vs. F-35 fight.
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**uSwitch Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) under firm reference number 312850. The Home insurance comparison service is provided by Autonet Insurance Services Ltd, registered in England No. 3642372. Autonet Insurance Services Ltd has its registered office at Nile Street, Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent ST6 2BA United Kingdom. AutoNet Insurance Services Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) (Registration number: 308213).
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Sergeant Howard Ruebin Holloway
Sergeant Howard Ruebin Holloway was born in Middlesex, London England, before immigrating to Canada. He was raised in a family of 3 boys and 1 girl. Prior to enlisting in the Army, Holloway was a Drug Store Clerk for 6 months before changing jobs to Trucking for Harvey Flacombe in Saskatoon. By the time he enrolled in the army, his older brother was already serving with the RCAF. Holloway enlisted in the army at the 12 “A” District Depot in Saskatoon on December 13, 1941.
He was later taken on strength with the A-18 Advanced (MG) Training Centre on January 1, 1942 and promoted to L/Cpl on May 9 that same year. He transferred to the 121 Canadian Army Basic Training Centre (C.A.B.T.C.) and was promoted to A/L/Corporal with pay on May 9, 1942. He received another promotion in rank to A/Cpl with pay on August 1, 1942. By this time, Holloway had his sights set on joining the Paratroops, and requested a transfer. He was accepted and sent to the Parachute School in Fort Benning, Georgia and graduated on January 22, 1943. This was only the beginning of his adventures of being a Paratrooper.
Holloway was part of HQ Coy, PIAT platoon when he parachuted into Normandy on June 6, 1944 during Operation Overlord. He saw heavy combat in Normandy but was fortunate enough escape serious harm. Holloway embarked for the UK on December 25, 1944. He was promoted to Sergeant on February 17, 1945 and getting ready to head back into combat. Holloway parachuted during the day light hours into Germany on March 24, 1945 during Operation Varsity where he saw fierce combat once again. Holloway was extremely fortunate to discharge from the military with minimal injuries.
Sergeant Howard Holloway on the left and Cpl Arvid Pearson.
On the right is Sergeant Holloway the night of June 5, 1944 Operation Overlord.
Victory in Europe Day in Wismar Germany, left to right, Joe Pringle, Howard Holloway and Steve Kowbel.
Sergeant Holloway's badges and the Airborne Prayer.
Sergeant Holloway captured a few souviniers while overseas. This is a German smallpack.
Sergeant Holloway captured a few souviniers while overseas. This is a German smallpack with photos and money.
Projector Infantry Anti Tank (P.I.A.T.)
Below is a PIAT and bomb, which would have been similar to the one Sergeant Holloway used while overseas. The Projector Infantry Anti Tank weapons system, often referred to as a PIAT was employed by ground troops in order to disable tanks and other armoured vehicles. The effective range of the PIAT against a tank was 115 yards, which meant you required nerves of steel to allow a tank to get close enough before engaging. The PIAT could also be used for breaching buildings, which allowed for a greater distance, up to 350 yards and still be effective. The PIAT itself weighed 32 pounds and a bomb weighed approximately 2.5 pounds, being carried in a container of 3 rounds. The PIAT was heavy and cumbersome to carry around. It was also challenging to prepare for loading, making the rate of fire less than desirable. Courtesy of Collectors Source.
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A new murder crime in the file of the Egyptian Ministry of Interior
About 10 years after the death of lawyer Abdel Hareth Madani in May 1994, and about six months after the death of Mosaad Kotb in November 2003, today Akram Zoheiri is killed by the same hands that killed Abdel Hareth and Mosaad and others, and tortured thousands of Egyptians in the cells and offices of the State Security Intelligence.
Since 1994 we have been waiting for the forensic report explaining the death of Abdel Hareth Madani, We did not need the report in 1994 and we shall not wait for it in 2004, to identify the hands that killed those men. Evidence of torture, cigarette burns, electric shocks and bruises of beatings and suspension and the sexual harrassment of men and women in police custody do not await evidence any more.
Akram Zoheiri was killed by the Ministry of Interior and before him Mosaad Kotb and Abdel Hareth Madani. In the meantime many others were killed under torture, either directly or as a result of it. The irony does not stop at those murder crimes but extends to the investigations that follow. The investigator is the prosecutor and judge, who usually rules that there is no criminal evidence or that those citizens were killed by mistake. Whose mistake? Is it the mistake of the Ministry of Interior, which connected the bodies of those citizens to electric wires, pressed burned cigarettes into their bodies or indiscriminately beat them with whatever is within reach? Or is it the mistake of the citizen who could not tolerate all that and hence died because his or her body was unable to endure?
Torture leads to death in many instances. In itself it is a deliberate crime, whether or not it leads to death, intended to break the spirit of the victim and those surrounding him or her. Those people are not tortured by mistake. It is therefore that the death that follows is in many cases a deliberate crime of murder.
The murder of Akram Zoheiri provides news evidence that the government and its police apparatus does not know a limit in its oppression, and that its security forces have, without limits, transgressed and violated all international conventions signed by the government, and its own constitution and laws, including the emergency law.
It is new evidence, provided by the regime itself, that it is not capable of reform, that it does not seeks reform and that its rhetoric about democracy, dialogue, the rights of citizens to the rest of all the terminology of the era of “New Thought” is nothing but cheap cosmetics, that nobody believes any more and that targets the blessing of the international community and the US, while in reality it only underlines the ugliness of its oppression.
We the undersigned have had enough. We have had enough of sacrificing the bodies and souls of men and women of our country, who, it seems, have to suffer every day to provide one evidence after the other of the brutality of a regime that is not “reformable”.
We never accepted torture. Its wide spread will only strengthen our commitment to expose it and expose those who practice it, their supervisors who give them the orders to torture, those who provide them with protection and those who are protected by it.
Akram Zoheiri is not the first martyr of the Ministry of interior. However, we should do our very best to make him the last. What is happening in Egyptian police and state security intelligence stations is not different from what happened in Abou Gharib prison. The geography might be different, the nationality of the torturers might be different, but torture remains the same: a crime against humanity, against life.
One of the women in Helwan who has tasted the bitter taste of torture and humiliation by the hands of the Egyptian police has put it very simply: there is no space for reconciliation or negotiation. It is either they or we.
Akram Zoheir has martyred and there are tens like him who may meet the same destiny. We should work together to persecute crimes of torture and their perpetrators. Today, we warn the Egyptian Ministry of Interior and draw the attention of the Egyptian public in general and its human rights and humanitarian organizations, its political parties and its committees defending freedoms and democracy that there is no space for compromising the lives of citizens in exchange for what some might believe to be indicators of reform. There can be no reform with torture.. no reform with the persistence of the state security intelligence apparatus.. no reform with the impunity enjoyed by police officers.
– Call for the immediate release of all detainees
– Draw your attention that seven other detainees in state security case no. 462/2004are still in detention in the state security intelligence headquarters in Madinet Nasr. They are subjected to brutal torture inclusive of electricity, tying of their hands for long hours behind their backs, blindfolding, verbal abuse and humiliation. They run the risk of meeting the same fate of Akram Zoheiri.
– We call on the appointment of a magistrate to continue investigations with the rest of the detainees. It is not accepted that the investigation be carried out by the prosecution joining the roles of the prosecution and investigation in one.
– Last but not least we call for an immediate investigation in the murder of Akram Zoheiri in the presence of his lawyers who should attend each and every step of the investigation including the examination of his corpse. We demand that those accused of his murder be suspended from their work until the investigations are complete and they are judged by a public trial.
On the 26th of June we shall rally in protest in front of the office of the Prosecutor Genral. We shall carry the pictures of those killed under torture. We shall tell their stories and will hold the Ministry of Interior responsible for its crimes and murders. We shall also hold the general prosecution accountable for closing one file of torture after the other, freezing one complaint of torture after another in what appears to be a flagrant alliance with the perpetrators against their victims.
Let us join hands and efforts against Torture.. against the torturers of the Ministry of Interior.. against the complicity of the prosecution
Let us join hands and efforts for a society that provides no impunity to criminals.. a society where people are not detained because of their beliefs or political differences.. a democratic society, with no torture.. with no state security intelligence.
El Nadim Center for Psychological management and Rehabilitation
Hisham Mubarak Law Center
The Arab Network for Human Rights Information
The Egyptian Association against Torture
The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights
Cairo 10th of June 2004
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Tableau Software and Marketo Fire Up IPO Action Today
May 17, 2013 at 5:38 am PT
Today is going to be a busy day for tech IPOs. Two software companies are floating today, and there is a steady stream of IPO deals on the way behind them.
The bigger of today’s two is Tableau Software, which specializes in data visualization. Yesterday, the company announced that the shares priced at $31, raising north of $254 million in the process.
The company will be listing on the New York Stock Exchange with the ticker symbol DATA. Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley are running the deal. Credit Suisse, J.P. Morgan, UBS Investment Bank, BMO Capital Markets and JMP Securities are also underwriting.
Tableau’s biggest shareholder is the venture capital firm New Enterprise Associates, which led two investment rounds for a combined $15 million, the last being a $10 million series B in 2008 in a deal led by Forest Baskett. NEA’s stake amounted to about 37 percent before the sale, worth more than $607 million at the share offering price.
Founder and chief scientist Pat Hanrahan has about 18 percent of the company, worth about $295 million at the offering price. His co-founders — Christian Chabot, chairman and CEO, and Christopher Stolte, chief development officer — have about 15 percent each, with both stakes worth north of $235 million. Meritech Capital Partners has a stake amounting to about 6.5 percent, worth more than $102 million at the offering price.
The other one going today is Marketo, the cloud-based marketing software company. Market price yesterday was at $13 a share, raising almost $79 million. It will trade on the Nasdaq under the symbol MKTO.
Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse are leading the offering. UBS, Canaccord Genuity, Raymond James and JMP Securities are also underwriting.
Marketo’s biggest shareholder is InterWest Partners, which prior to the sale had a 33.3 percent stake worth more than $302 million. Storm Ventures has a stake of a little more than 17 percent, worth $66 million. Battery Ventures, which led a $50 million Series F in 2011, has a 7 percent stake, worth about $28 million.
Tagged with: Battery Ventures, Canaccord Genuity, cloud computing, Credit Suisse, Eloqua, Goldman Sachs, initial public offering, InterWest Partners, investment banking, IPO, JMP Securities, JP Morgan, marketing, Marketo, Meritech Capital Partners, Nasdaq, NEA, New Enterprise Associates, New York Stock Exchange, Oracle, Raymond James, Salesforce.com, SAP, stock markets, Storm Ventures, Tableau Software, UBS
There’s a lot of attention and PR around Marissa, but their product lineup just kind of blows.
— Om Malik on Bloomberg TV, talking about Yahoo, the September issue of Vogue Magazine, and our overdependence on Google
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The Keller Figurine is a 1,000-year-old stone depiction of a woman performing a corn ceremony, on display at the cultural center adjacent to the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site in Illinois. CarverMostardi / Alamy
CarverMostardi / Alamy
Suburban expansion threatens prehistoric sites near St. Louis
As development continues westward, a new batch of artifact-rich sites lies at risk
by Ryan Schuessler @RyanSchuessler1
CHESTERFIELD, Mo. — Mark Leach remembers the moment he discovered his passion for archaeology. Years ago, he and his sons were playing in their neighborhood creek in this outer suburb of St. Louis. They found a funny-shaped rock, which Leach thought resembled a knife.
He took it to an archaeologist, who confirmed its authenticity: It was a tool, probably about 4,000 years old. The archaeologist didn’t seem fazed, but Leach was fascinated.
“He told me, ‘You can’t turn over a shovel of soil in Chesterfield without finding artifacts,’” Leach recalled. “That sparked my curiosity.”
Leach’s find is just one of countless artifacts that have turned up in the archaeologically rich St. Louis area over the years. Many sites were destroyed as the city grew in the 1800s. As the population has moved west into St. Louis County over the past few decades — to communities like Chesterfield — experts warn that another round of prehistoric sites is at risk.
Mound City
Prehistoric mounds have been documented since the French settlers arrived in the early days of colonization and can still be found throughout the area. The largest is Monks Mound, above, in Collinsville, Illinois.
National Geographic Image Collection / Alamy
“Our area really was the center of prehistoric Native America,” said Leach, who has authored several books on the area’s history. “Because of its location. The rivers were the superhighways of the ancient people.”
St. Louis sits at the convergence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers as well as several smaller tributaries that, combined, link nearly the entire continent. Before the Mississippi River became a border between Missouri and Illinois, it ran through the center of a city that was one of the largest in the world nearly half a millennium before European contact. Remnants of that civilization — called Mississippian — can be found throughout the area, but most notably at the Cahokia Mounds site in Collinsville, Illinois, an eastern suburb of St. Louis.
Collinsville is also the site of the largest of the numerous earthen mounds built by ancient people in the region.
“St. Louis’ nickname used to be Mound City,” Leach said. The mounds have been documented since the French settlers arrived in the early days of colonization and can still be found throughout the area.
“This area was literally a Garden of Eden,” said Joe Harl of the Archaeological Research Center of St. Louis. “We’ve been trying to get the [cities] to watch out for this stuff.”
As the St. Louis metropolitan area has expanded, researchers and enthusiasts like Harl and Leach have watched the area’s remaining prehistoric sites be looted, damaged and even destroyed.
Harl recalled two mounds in the town of Fenton, Missouri, that were leveled to build a Walmart. The site of a 1,000-year-old village in Bridgeton, Missouri, was flattened to build an industrial park.
Missouri has few laws to protect these sites. If they are on private land, it’s typically up to the landowner to decide what happens to them, unless federal money is involved.
“It’s tough in Missouri to preserve archaeological sites,” Leach said. “There’s not a Missouri mound police or anything like that.”
An even bigger problem than development, Harl said, is looting. At the Fenton site, the city allowed archaeologists to excavate the mounds before they were destroyed. In most cases, looters looking to sell artifacts online get to them first.
“Almost every cave and rock shelter we know of has been dug into,” Harl said.
In 2010, the Riverfront Times reported that looters were digging through sites in St. Louis to fund their drug habits.
It has largely been left up to individuals and organizations to lobby for the preservation of these sites. When Leach came upon the Blake Mound in Chesterfield, he found an unsupported tunnel dug into the mound by looters. He and a team of volunteers moved 86,000 pounds of soil to repair the mound.
“We don’t want to turn back to the Stone Age,” Harl said. “But we want to protect these things.”
St. Louis doesn’t seem to have learned from its own past. This is the shame.
Archaeologist, Missouri Dept. of Transportation
‘Going to go soon’
The Missouri Department of Transportation unearths a colonial French settlement under the Poplar Street Bridge, just blocks from the St. Louis Arch.
Ryan Schuessler / Al Jazeera America
Harl’s office is currently sorting through artifacts from a colonial French settlement unearthed by the Missouri Department of Transportation under the Poplar Street Bridge, just blocks from the St. Louis Arch. That team is led by Michael Meyer, an archaeologist with the Missouri Department of Transportation (MODOT).
When federal money is involved, MODOT brings in Meyer and his team to look at a location, as there are federal laws protecting historical sites. However, there is no legal obligation for a developer to protect those sites during private or state enterprises.
“Most of the development here just goes on without any conservation, or any thought to it,” Meyer said. “What’s really of concern is when the development is occurring in areas that were prehistorically heavily populated.”
During a drought in 2012, low river levels exposed more artifacts, including a stone believed to be 1,200 years old that had a map of the region carved into it. Just weeks ago, human remains were unearthed as construction of an IKEA store began in St. Louis.
Most of the earthen mounds in what became the St. Louis metropolitan area have been destroyed. One of the largest was flattened to build the Northern Missouri Railroad. An additional 16 within the city limits were destroyed to prepare for the 1904 World’s Fair. Today, there is only one mound left in the city of St. Louis — Sugarloaf Mound, which was bought by the Osage Nation out of Oklahoma in order to preserve it.
“They’re going to hit bodies,” Harl said of new construction in the area. “Eventually.”
It may be too late for the mounds in the city of St. Louis, but there is still time to preserve prehistoric and historic sites in the outlying counties, Meyer said.
“St. Louis doesn’t seem to have learned from its own past,” he added. “This is the shame. These are not new issues.”
Most alarming is the Dampier Site, also in Chesterfield. Harl said it’s only a matter of time before development completely destroys what was a major market and civic-ceremonial center in A.D. 1100–1200.
At the site, pieces of marine shell beads from the Gulf of Mexico, mica from the Appalachian Mountains near South Carolina, copper from the Great Lakes and pumice from the Rocky Mountains have been found, highlighting the region’s importance as a trade center. Nearby was a temple or ceremonial center, as well as mounds that appear to align with celestial patterns in the sky.
“It’s going to go very soon,” Harl lamented. “All these McDonald’s, Walmarts — are they really setting these communities apart?”
Archaeology, Conservation, Development
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In this Jan. 24, 2015 photo, Emily Brankin, 21, of Cary, Ill. competes in a League of Legends tournament at Networx Gaming in Crystal Lake, Ill. Sarah Nader / Northwest Herald / AP
Sarah Nader / Northwest Herald / AP
The game of trolls and how to win it
Deterring online harassment requires that developers see women as desirable customers
March 28, 2015 2:00AM ET
by Megan Condis
You may have heard about #GamerGate, the campaign of harassment directed at female game developers and critics that was the inspiration for a recent episode of “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit.” Or you may have listened to the episode of the public radio show “This American Life” in which Lindy West, a writer who focuses on social justice and body image issues, confronted one of her longtime trolls on the phone. But it’s not just the so-called social justice warriors and feminist provocateurs who are on the receiving end of trolling and harassment. Women are harassed everywhere they go on the Internet, from social media to online dating sites. However, with the help of conscientious design principles, it’s possible to beat the trolls at their own game. Developing these troll deterrents relies on a simple principle: Convince software developers that attracting and retaining women as customers is worth their efforts.
In my research on masculinity in gaming culture, I describe trolling as a rhetorical meta-game that takes place in all the online venues where gamers gather. Trolls police their communities using harassment and ridicule as their weapons of choice against anyone they think does not belong. The evidence suggests that trolls generally see women as undesirable participants. According to the Pew Research Center, women ages 18 to 24 are more likely than any other group to experience the worst forms of online harassment, such as stalking and sexual harassment. The organization Working to Halt Online Abuse reports that 75 percent of the instances of harassment it documented from 2000 to 2013 were aimed at women.
Contrary to popular belief, trolls aren’t an inevitable part of life online, an annoyance everyone must stomach, and Internet users shouldn’t have to log off in order to avoid them. The mantra “Don’t feed the trolls” turns a blind eye to the Internet’s omnipresence in our lives. It’s not an easily abandoned outlet if we wish to remain productive and competitive on the job market and connected to our family and friends.
The good news is that if trolling really is a game, it is correctable — or at least minimizable — through good game design.
The power of design
The creators of the online dating app Tinder realized that design can help squelch trolling when it developed an interface for love seekers that feels more like a game than a matchmaking service. Tinder’s user interface is essentially a card game with simple, intuitive controls: Swipe right to express interest in someone or left to pass him or her by. The interface prompts users to think of time spent on the app as playing. Users must express mutual interest in order to enable direct communication. This protects women from a continuous cascade of rants, requests for nude pictures and sexual propositions and solves a problem that plagues online services: Women become a scarce resource because they’re turned off by the creepy onslaught. A dearth of female users makes for a lackluster straight dating service. Thus, it is in Tinder’s best economic interest to create an app that will boost the safety and comfort of female users.
Services like Tinder (including similar apps such as Antidate and Bumble, both of which require women to make the first move after a match) represent a paradigm shift in app development. These developers recognized the game that trolls play using the interfaces of traditional online dating sites. They also recognized that trolls were targeting women. The developers of these services then made the intuitive leap that, in order to successfully match up men and women for dates, they would need to provide a platform that was welcoming to both groups. They realized that providing women with safeguards against trolls would benefit the community as a whole and create a more profitable product.
We have a lot of fans, many of whom are neither straight nor male, and they deserve no less attention.
David Gaider
Lead writer, BioWare
The same lesson appears to be on the verge of transforming online gaming. A subculture that until quite recently has been considered the purview of adolescent straight white males is beginning to open up, as game producers calculate that a broad and diverse user base might be more profitable than a narrowly constructed, fiercely loyal but insular and combative crowd of self-professed gamers.
For example, Riot Games’ “League of Legends,” the world’s most played PC game with a 92 percent male player base, has extensively studied the problem of trolling, especially after the noxious community of this team-based tactical action game began garnering more attention than the game itself. The culmination of its research into user psychology resulted in a tribunal system in which players participate in punishing offenders, through restrictions of their in-game chat privileges or even outright bans. It recently instituted an instant ban system that brings even swifter justice to those who make racist or homophobic remarks or death threats against fellow players. According to Riot’s player behavior team, these changes have resulted in a decrease in reports of negative behavior and a decrease in the number of repeat offenders.
Microsoft is implementing a community-powered reputation model for users of its Xbox One gaming console. This system will aggregate data on players gathered from their online behavior and the reactions of their peers and run them through an algorithm in order to generate a reputation score of green (“good player”), yellow (“needs improvement”) or red (“avoid me”). Microsoft reasons that making the outcomes of these algorithms visible to other players will induce trolls to work toward a positive score.
Broaden the base
Gaming content is also diversifying in pursuit of a larger and more varied demographic base. BioWare’s popular “Mass Effect” and “Dragon Age” franchises allow players to explore both straight and queer romance options. When an angry fan demanded that BioWare refocus on its “main demographic: the straight male gamer,” lead writer David Gaider responded:
We have a lot of fans, many of whom are neither straight nor male, and they deserve no less attention. We have good numbers, after all, on the number of people who actually used similar sorts of content … and thus don’t need to resort to anecdotal evidence to support our idea that their numbers are not insignificant.
After protests on Twitter that users were unable to form queer romantic relationships in its game “Tomodachi Life” (think “The Sims” meets the cartoony “Animal Crossing”) and a flood of negative news coverage, Nintendo recently bowed to fans’ wishes. Nintendo apologized and promised to include the option of queer marriages in future installments of the series.
Trolling is still thought of as de rigueur in many circles. In order for women — and the other demographic groups that have long been undervalued participants of Internet culture — to be treated equally in online spaces, developers must recognize how the infrastructure of the communities they create can be exploited by trolls. We can use gaming mechanics to solve many of these problems, but only if we create a financial incentive for developers to play along with us. If we as consumers can make it profitable for them to cultivate a reputation for inclusiveness, they will make the tools we need to turn the Internet into a more welcoming space.
Megan Condis got her Ph.D. in English from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In the fall she will be joining the faculty of Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas. She writes about masculinity and sexuality in gaming culture. A video game version of her dissertation is available to play for free at her website.
Gender, Internet, Social Media
Tweets by @ajam
More From Megan Condis
Gaming’s shortsighted pay-to-be-gay strategy
Gender-neutral toy sections are good for boys, too
The invisible hordes of online feminist bullies
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Cops arrest over 30 for anti-social behaviour
(CNS): A clamp down by police at the weekend on driving infractions, anti-social behaviour and petty offences resulted in more than 30 people being arrested for speeding, drunk driving, disorderly conduct and for warrants re their failure to appear in court. Superintendent Adrian Seales said that officers in the eastern districts joined forces with the K-9 unit and also carried out operations dealing with, illegal drug use and antisocial behaviour on the beach leading to one teenager being arrested for smoking ganja in public.
Police said the 19 year old man who was a resident of East End was arrested for both possession and consumption after a quantity of ganja was recovered from a vehicle.
“It is sad to see that persons now think they can consume drugs in public and it is okay. They are wrong – persons breaking the law can look forward to more police company, especially on weekends,” said the Eastern Districts Area Commander Chief inspector Brad Ebanks.
During the clampdown which followed complaints of excessive speeding throughout the Eastern districts by motorist on weekends, especially on Sundays eight drivers were prosecuted for speeding. Police said that some people were travelling at more than twice the speed limit when they were stopped.
“Much of the traffic commute goes to the Rum Point and Kaibo areas, however we have decided to step up the intensity,” he said , of what was a broader police operation and one the RCIPS said they will be repeating over the next few weeks.
Harris to go it alone with morning chat
(CNS): Rooster’s long-standing talk show host, Austin Harris, has taken to the morning mike alone after his co-host, Jonathan Piercy, was dropped by the owners of Rooster, the station broadcasting the long running breakfast phone-in chat show, Crosstalk. According to the station boss, the duo appeared to be vying for the lead host spot, and as a result the format of the talk show was no longer working. With what appears to be room for only one ‘ego’, where the hosts often do much more talking than their guests or listeners calling in, Harris, who has been wearing the cans longest, won out, despite his on-going charges in the court over allegations of assault.
“After listening to show it was clear that the show no longer had a lead host and co-host,” Randy Merren confirmed Monday when Crosstalk returned to the air with Harris as sole host. “We had two lead hosts and it was not working. We feel that Austin is capable of hosting the show by himself.”
The radio boss said that they hoped that Piercy would still be available, however, as a stand-in for Harris when he is on leave.
Harris has had another difficult year following his arrest for assault causing actual bodily harm after he allegedly attacked a female friend at a social gathering in the Snug Harbour area of Seven Mile Beach in March. The talk show host denied the charges last month and is due to face trial next May.
Ex UCCI boss looks for new lawyer in $200k theft case
(CNS): The former president of the UCCI, who is accused of going on a $200,000 spending spree on a government credit card, is changing attorneys and has still not formally answered the charges against him. The 47-year-old, who is in poor health, appeared in court briefly on Friday to say that his attorney, James Austin-Smith, was coming off record and he would be seeking new counsel. The court heard that Syed is expected to answer the five counts of theft, three counts of obtaining a pecuniary advantage and seven counts of obtaining property by deception in November ahead of a trail set for March and will need to move quickly to find new representation.
Syed returned to Cayman from Switzerland earlier this year after he was arrested with assistance from Interpol. He volunteered to return to Cayman to answer the charges provided he was bailed in order to get the medical treatment he needs to fight cancer. He was granted bail on an electronic tag, with a surety of $400,000 and cash security of $50,000.
The arrest of the former university boss and subsequent extradition came as the result of several alleged unauthorized transactions on the university’s credit card during his time as president. With the highly publicized circumstances surrounding the investigation, the charges that were eventually laid against him included absconding from the Cayman Islands. He has been a fugitive since 2008.
Syed disappeared shortly after claiming to be extremely ill that year and having taken a salary advance to pay for medical expenses. During his first appearance the court heard that Syed had allegedly asked a colleague to wipe certain computer files clean and left for Jamaica.
At the time of leaving, he was still employed as the university’s president, though not long afterwards he resigned via phone. The credit card spending was then discovered by the auditor general. Syed is alleged to have bought Tiffany jewellery and paid for extravagant weekends away on the government credit card, running up bills of around $200,000.
No ‘evil agents’ say crown
(CNS): The crown prosecutor told the jury that there were no evil agents of the state urging McKeeva Bush to use his government credit cards in casinos and then lie about it, as he drew the crown's case agaisnt the former permier to a close. Bush is facing 11 counts of abusing his corporate credit card, and after some four weeks Duncan Penny QC adressed the jury Friday morning. He said that the claims Bush had made about a political witch-hunt were a distraction from his own actions as he knew he should not have been drawing cash on the government card to gamble with. He said the lies the former premier told were powerful evidence that he knew his conduct was dishonest and a breach of the trust placed in him by the people.
The crown’s lawyer stuck to his position that this was about a powerful man abusing his high office.
Penny reminded the jury that there are no witches in a court and if they focused on the evidence the jury would get it right. He said that the cash was withdrawn with gambling in mind, and for all the drama, the decision to charge Bush was not taken by the governor, Duncan Taylor, or the police commissioner but by the director of public prosecutions and the controversial emails were given to the defence by that office.
“Was there an evil agent of the state on the casino floor urging him to use the credit card and lie about it?” Penny asked rhetorically, pointing out that it was Bush alone who had made the attempted and successful cash withdrawals on dozens of occasions as he gambled away more than a quarter of a million dollars during the period in question of his own and government cash.
The lawyer pressed home that the case is about what Bush did and how he used the card, which was given to him for public benefit, for his own ends. He said no one fabricated the evidence and no one stood behind the former premier telling him to withdraw the cash on the government gold card and put it in slot machines in the early hours of the morning.
During a two hour address, in which he summed up the crown’s case against Bush, Penny emphasised the narrow issues in question and the policy regarding whether or not he could use the card. Given the email sent by the then chief financial officer, Josephine Sambula, in April 2009 which clearly stipulated that government credit cards were for official use only, Penny questioned how that could be interpreted as 'anything goes'.
Pointing to what he described as the escalating pattern of dishonest usage of the government card to supplement his own cash in his long slot machine gambling sessions, there was little doubt he was abusing the power to use the card.
He said civil servants in his office may have been reluctant to press Bush about the card use because of his powerful position. While Sambula had drawn the cash withdrawals to the attention of her boss, the chief officer Carson Ebanks, he had waved away herconcerns and said getting the money back was the important thing. But Penny said they did not know this money was being cashed in casinos and what use it was being put to. And they could not have known then that abuse would continue and that it would escalate.
The lies too, the lawyer said, showed that Bush knew full well he should not have used his CIG card to access a line of credit in casino. This demonstrated his culpability as he had tried to conceal the real purpose those cash advances were being put to, Penny said as he invited the jury to return guilty verdicts in all eleven counts.
Having opted not to take the stand and called no witnesses, Bush’s one opportunity to present his case will come with the former premier’s QC, Geoffrey Cox’s closing argument to the jury on Monday. Cox is expected to focus heavily on the lack of a formal written policy and the conspiracy to oust Bush from office.
Following the defence statement, the judge is expected to summarize the case for the jury and direct them in accordance with the law before sending them to deliberate later this week.
Keep following CNS for the latest reports from the trial.
Cubans report horrors of journey to Mexico
(CNS): A group of Cuban migrants drank their own urine and blood after the engine of their homemade boat failed, leaving them adrift in the Caribbean for three weeks without food or water, according to survivors who reached the United States this week. Six passengers are missing after they tried to swim to shore, while 11 others died of dehydration. The group set off from eastern Cuba in early August, but ran into trouble about 40 miles from the Cayman Islands when the boat's motor – a Hyundai diesel car engine, attached to a homemade propeller – failed on the second day at sea.
The group was eventually rescued by Mexican fishermen 150 miles northeast of the Yucatan peninsula and were briefly detained in Mexico before being released. Their story was told to Reuters by some of the survivors.
The migrants were in a 20-foot, home-made craft, made from aluminium roofing sheets riveted together and sealed with cloth and resin. When the engine failed, the vessel drifted up the Cuban coast as the passengers tried to flag down passing ships.
"No-one stopped even though they could see we were desperate," said Mailin Perez, 30, another survivor recovering in Austin, Texas.
The passengers heaved the engine overboard to reduce weight and fashioned a makeshift sail from sheets sewn together with cord. Six of the men decided to swim for the Cuban coast clinging to inner tubes, but have not been heard from since. Brief rain showers every three or four days provided the only water, rationed out in doses by medical syringes. One woman who was six months pregnant received extra rations. Eleven passengers died and their bodies were slid overboard.
More Cubans than ever appear to be leaving Cayman’s neighbouring island but their journey to the US is becoming even more treacherous. US authorities said last month more than 16,200 Cubans arrived without visas at the border with Mexico in the past 11 months, the highest number in a decade.
Last month Cayman signed a new MOU with the Cuban authorities to repatriate any Cubans who land in Cayman. However many opt to press on with their journeys regardless of the state of their boats or their limited supplies.
The US Coast Guard has virtually shut down the shorter route through the Florida Straits, which separates Cuba and Florida by only 90 miles at its narrowest point. So the longer western route to Honduras via the Cayman Islands, which is around 675 miles, is increasingly popular as the Honduran authorities give the refugees temporary visas allowing them to head north for the United States.
Boats that can withstand the journey charge around $500 and take around 10 days to cross the sea but with boats leaving weekly many do not make it and Cuban officials blame the US policy for encouraging migrants to risk their lives. The migrants told Reuters that economic reforms in Cuba have so far failed to improve living standards and conditions are getting worse. Those seeking to leave legally were told it could take five years before their cases would be determined by consular officials.
See full story
Case of $1M theft from security firm, adjourned
(CNS): Patti Jane Ebanks (49), who is accused of stealing almost $1 million from a local security company, will return to court at the end of this month to answer the charges against her. Although Ebanks was expected to formally respond on Friday, her case was adjourned, the court heard, because of delays in disclosure and legal discussions. Her attorney said he expected she would be able to respond to the allegations that she stole $936,048.90 over a three year period from the Security Centre Limited on 31 October. Ebanks is also charged with money laundering, forgery and making documents without authority. She was bailed until her next appearance.
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Research Fellow at the Institute of Science and Ethics which is part of the Oxford Martin School in the University of Oxford. Specialising in the theory of risk and currently researching judgement under uncertainty and model risk. 30 years experience in the London insurance market. Director of Conducter Ltd providing software and consultancy relating to Solvency II and insurance decision support.
Dr Simon Taylor
University Lecturer and Director, Master of Finance
Research interests are i) equity analysts and equity research; ii) financing of infrastructure, especially nuclear power; iii) Chinese banks
Richard Teather
Senior Lecturer in Tax Law
Taxation, in particular international business tax, low tax jurisdictions and international finance centres.
Mr Mark Tennant
Senior Adviser
JP Morgan is a US Universal Bank which encapsulates four international predecessor institutions: JP Morgan, Chemical Bank, Chase Manhattan Bank and Robert Fleming
Dr Andrea Teti
Director, Centre for GLobal Security and Governance
Dr Teti is Director of the Centre for Global Security and Governance at the University of Aberdeen. He specialises in EU and Middle East politics, with a particular focus on EU 'Southern Neighbourhood' policy and Egyptian politics. He is also Senior Fellow at the Brussels-based think tank The European Centre for International Affairs. He has worked as a consultant for both for-profit and non-profit sectors, and has appeared on national and international media (e.g. Al-Jazeera, BBC, France24, Deutsche Welle, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation).
Andrew Tettenborn
Professor of Commercial Law
Professor of Commercial Law, concentrating on admiralty, trade and carriage of goods law.
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Prof cassuto philippe
Professor of Hebrew and Semitic. Also expert in lifelong learning and APEL.
Dr Andrew Phillips
Dr Andrew Phillips specialises in structural biomechanics, and in particular the development of biofidelic free boundary condition numerical models. His most recent research has focused on creating finite element models of the pelvis and femur, in which the effects of muscles and ligaments are explicitly included, and the use of fixed constraints on bone is avoided. He has an ongoing interest in the development of constitutive and structure models, assessing whether components of the musculoskeletal system can be modelled and analysed using similar approaches to those used in structural engineering. He is head of the Structural Biomechanics group in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Director of Education in the Royal British Legion Centre for Blast Injury Studies at Imperial College London (CBIS).
Prof Nigel Piercy
Professor of Marketing & Strategy, Associate Dean
Mr Stephen Pinner
Managing Director, Goodacre UK
Stephen is the Managing Director at Goodacre UK. He has established several businesses on behalf of Goodacre UK's clients, including one of the largest share dealing companies in Europe, two private client Stockbrokers and an Institutional trading firm. Prior to establishing Goodacre UK, Stephen held board positions at Extel, Hoare Govett, Societe Generale Security Settlements and Cater Allen. He is a regular presenter on business development and operational issues and features regularly in the media on the full range of Securities Industry issues. Stephen is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment, Secretary of the Securities Industry Management Association and a Football Association referee.
Dr Wojciech Piotrowicz
Dr Wojciech Piotrowicz is Research Fellow and Tutor in Technology and Operations Management. He joined the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford in 2006. Wojciech’s research expertise was mainly gained during his participation in international research projects which covered the areas of: supply chain management, performance measurement and evaluation, transport policy, transport and logistics planning, retail, information and communication technology, performance improvement - in private and public sector (national and EU levels).
Dr Carlo Pirola
I am an International Lawyer specialised in International business law. I cooperate as visiting professor.
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Procurious
#webringthedonuts
iPad Competition Terms & Conditions
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Procurement Business Network FAQs
Procurement Business Network Partners
Quiz test
Category Archives: In The Press
20 Most Promising Procurement Solution Providers in 2015
July 18, 2015 Procurious HQ
Which companies have been recognised among CIO Review’s Twenty Most Promising Procurement Solution Providers?
CIO Review has published their list of the ‘Twenty Most Promising Procurement Solution Providers in 2015’.
The list of best in class providers features supply chain qualification leader, BROWZ along with other industry favourites; Ariba, SciQuest and Zycus to name a few. A complete listing of recognised providers can be found in this month’s edition of CIO Review.
CIO Review is a US technology magazine that informs readers on the enterprise solutions that will define the businesses of the future.
According to the publisher: “We present you with the 20 most promising procurement solution providers of 2015, featuring the best solution and service providers offering tools and services on the procurement landscape. The companies featured in this issue, have exhibited extensive business process knowledge combined with innovative strategies. A distinguished panel comprising of CEOs, CIOs, and analysts including the CIO Review editorial board have selected the top companies that are at the forefront of tackling challenges in the procurement landscape.”
Elaine Beitler, BROWZ, CEO, says “As a former CIO, I valued this magazine as a resource for information on new innovative technology solutions that could be applied strategically to advance the business. I’m proud of this accomplishment and congratulate all of those being recognized in this impressive list of companies.”
In addition to being named one of the ‘Twenty Most Promising Procurement Solution Providers in 2015,’ BROWZ is highlighted in a four page article of the magazine. In the article, Beitler discusses the challenges organizations face today when hiring and qualifying contractors and suppliers.
“Contractor screening is only one part of the equation,” says Beitler. “We’ve created a global compliance network that connects buyers and suppliers of goods and services. We work to ensure buyers have the solutions in place, to not only screen, but manage the ongoing compliance of their supply chain. Most organizations don’t have the resources or tools necessary to do an adequate job, especially once a bid has been awarded. We’re working with the world’s largest companies – ensuring they have safe, qualified and socially responsible supply chains. This is only possible when you have an end to end solution to address the risk that exists at all levels of the supply chain.”
Is a lack of collaboration to blame for procurement perception gap?
Is a lack of collaboration between procurement and critical business functions to blame for squandering budgets of UK businesses?
Procurement’s true value is held back by restrictive corporate cost saving edicts according to new research published today.
The ‘Procurement Perceptions’ study was carried out by Redshift on behalf of Wax Digital. It took into account the views of 200 procurement, finance, IT and sales & marketing department decision makers in medium to large UK organisations.
The main brunt of the report aims to address the scale of rule breakers using risky suppliers and spending without necessarily seeking permission from decision-makers.
Daniel Ball, Director, Wax Digital, says: “Business functions are not working effectively and closely with procurement experts to source the right suppliers, strategically manage their spending and ensure they are following compliant purchasing processes. This suggests a high level of maverick spending behaviour which can lead to poor value for money, cash flow issues and contract risk.
Daniel continues: “Procurement wants to control and influence departments’ supplier choices and spending, however, many of these other departments are pushing back, seeking more supplier and spending freedom and believing that procurement just gets in the way.”
The comments are backed-up by figures that reveal 24 per cent of procurement respondents said that supplier selection was a joint decision with the department in question. This is in stark contrast to the 8 per cent in IT, 6 per cent and 2 per cent in sales and marketing.
Procurement perception gaps
The study found that part of the problem lies in the perception of procurement amongst other departments. Procurement is typically viewed as being more administrative than strategic, while in reality the balance lies somewhere in the middle. In Wax Digital’s research Just 15 per cent of other department respondents saw procurement as mainly or wholly strategic but 46 per cent saw procurement as mainly or wholly administrative.
Other findings include: 54 per cent of procurement respondents say departments follow a formal tender process, compared to 24 per cent in sales and marketing.
36 per cent of procurement say they shortlist suppliers on behalf of these departments against their business requirements, but only 12 per cent in IT agree.
In conclusion Daniel offers a few recommendations: “This research indicates that there is still some distance to go by procurement, or a need for improved communication, before other critical departments understand the benefits of procurement, stop breaking the rules and close the perception gap.”
Businesses See Risky Supply Chains As Top Challenge
New survey says risky supply chains are a challenge for 77 per cent of businesses across North America and Europe.
Xchanging have recently issued the results of the second portion of its Procurement Study.
The survey polled 830 procurement decision makers regarding what they view as the top threats in the Procurement space.
Procurious covered the previous research here.
Xchanging’s research reveals the greatest external challenge for businesses’ operations is supply chain risk, with more than three quarters (77 per cent) of respondents claiming this is a challenge, and 17 per cent an ‘extreme challenge’.
Around two thirds of respondents claim to be challenged by regulation and audit (71 per cent); lack of supplier innovation (63 per cent); and fluctuations in currency (58 per cent) in their business operations.
Owing to the high number of respondents challenged by supply chain risk, Xchanging dug further into the specific supply chain threats faced by European and North American businesses.
Greek debt crisis and oil prices are both causes of concern
More than a quarter of respondents (28 per cent) see currency and exchange rate fluctuations as a significant external threat. This jumps to 35 per cent in respondents from mainland Europe, with the Euro still under pressure against the Pound and other major currencies, and nervousness in the region over Greece’s debt negotiations.
Similarly more than a quarter of respondents (26 per cent) also cite oil prices as a major external threat to their businesses. Notably global oil prices having fallen sharply in recent months (by more than 40 per cent since last summer), leading to significant revenue shortfalls in many energy exporting nations and concerns about oversupply in some markets.
Coupa Software has acquired Australia’s InvoiceSmash
To the cloud! Coupa acquires InvoiceSmash to drive B2B commerce transformation.
Cloud-based spend management provider Coupa last week acquired InvoiceSmash, an Australian company that manages the accounts payable and invoicing process.
The motivation for the acquisition is thought to be the fact that the data extraction capability of InvoiceSmash will facilitate further automation of Coupa’s invoicing and accounts payable offerings.
At the announcement of the acquisition it was claimed that the move was: “Designed to help enterprises of all sizes digitize and automate the often painful accounts payable and invoicing process, the InvoiceSmash innovations will be embedded into Coupa’s organic cloud-based platform to instantly convert emailed invoice attachments into the field formats required by Accounts Payable.”
Rob Bernshteyn, CEO of Coupa, said: “Our acquisition of InvoiceSmash is a huge step forward for the industry. The InvoiceSmash technology will help businesses large and small transact faster and easier than ever before with significantly less manual intervention,” said Bernshteyn.
“The InvoiceSmash technology will be a hugely value-added extension to our organic suite of capabilities and will drive immediate value, supporting the very essence of Coupa’s Savings-as-a-Service approach.”
How does InvoiceSmash work?
According to company’s website (which is now jointly branded with the Coupa logo), InvoiceSmash works in the following way:
Get it to InvoiceSmash – Send invoices to InvoiceSmash via your unique email address or upload it. InvoiceSmash extracts the data and prepares it for posting to your accounting system.
Your Approval – During approval you set the purchase just the way you want it. Contact, General Ledger, Job, Item and Inventory coding is fast and easy. Contact / inventory creation is just one click. Hands free auto-submission is also possible for repetitive invoices!
It Remembers! – After the invoice is posted to your accounting system, InvoiceSmash remembers your choices and will apply them to future invoices. Submitted invoices are archived in the cloud. No more data entry!
The InvoiceSmash system is said to be an intelligent learning solution that can detect changes in supplier invoice formats. New invoice layouts are memorised by the system, so that if they appear again they can be quickly processed.
At the time of writing, the terms of the acquisition had not been announced. Coupa did state however, that it expected to make the InvoiceSmash capabilities available to a select customer group by the end of 2015.
Is Your Organisation’s Sustainability Program As Good As This?
The Fruits Of Nespresso’s Sustainability Program Revealed.
On the one-year anniversary of The Positive Cup, Nespresso’s 2020 sustainability strategy, Jean-Marc Duvoisin, CEO of Nestlé Nespresso, has announced that significant progress had been made towards improving the lives of thousands of coffee farmers.
The Nespresso AAA Sustainable Quality Program was developed with the NGO the Rainforest Alliance to secure the supply of highest quality coffees, protect the environment and improve farmer welfare. Over 63000 farmers are now taking part in the program in 11 countries, benefiting from technical assistance, trainings, price premiums and investments in infrastructures.
Over the past two years Nespresso has been working with its partner TechnoServe to help rebuild the coffee sector in South Sudan, resulting in the country’s first-ever coffee exports in 2013, and its first non-oil export to Europe. Nespresso aims to produce a new rare coffee from South Sudan, while providing alternative sources of sustainable income to local farmers.
The fruits of the Nespresso AAA Program are already being felt, as Joseph Malish Thomas, a South Sudanese farmer, attests: “I have seen that there is great change within the community. We want to produce the right quality. People now have hope. We will be able to pay school fees for children and in the end develop the country.”
Nespresso aims to source 100 per cent of its coffee from its AAA Sustainable Quality Program by 2020. This depends heavily on the extension of the program into Kenya and Ethiopia, to support a more skilled, self-sufficient and sustainable farming community. In the last 12 months Nespresso and TechnoServe have provided training and technical assistance to over 10000 farmers, and will reach 50000 farmers by 2020.
Nespresso has also progressed with its agroforestry plan. The reintroduction of trees in coffee producing regions helps protect natural ecosystems, thereby strengthening coffee farms’ resilience to climate change and ensuring sustainable coffee production for the future. Around 130000 trees were planted in 2014 in Guatemala and Colombia as part of pilot programs. In the first half of 2015, approximately 200000 trees have been planted in Ethiopia and Guatemala, and another 300000 will be planted by the end of 2015 in Mexico and Colombia.
“The Rainforest Alliance has been working with Nespresso and the AAA Program since it was first created in 2003. Together we have seen great achievements that have delivered tangible improvement to lives of coffee farmers, families and communities, as well as environmental and biodiversity benefits,” said Tensie Whelan, President of the Rainforest Alliance. “The progress being delivered by Nespresso, the Rainforest Alliance and Pur Projet through the agroforestry plan is building on that success, helping farmers to improve their resilience to the real and present threat that is climate change. Working together we are showing that care for the environment and for coffee farmers is a fundamental part of supplying the highest quality coffee to Nespresso’s consumers around the world.”
ISM Reports US Manufacturing Has Risen To Five-Month High
July 8, 2015 Procurious HQ
The Institute of Supply Management sheds some light on the current state of manufacturing in the United States.
The Manufacturing ISM Report On Business is based on data compiled from purchasing and supply executives nationwide
In general respondents were upbeat about the economy. Some of the key insights from its June report include:
“Avian flu is having a huge effect on egg pricing and items manufactured with eggs.” (Food, Beverage & Tobacco Products)
“Automotive industry remains strong and is expected to stay that way through 2015.” (Fabricated Metal Products)
“Business continues to hold in the U.S., [but is] soft in Europe and in decline in Asia.” (Transportation Equipment)
“Manufacturing business has improved slightly.” (Chemical Products)
“Slight improvement in defense spending on future business.” (Computer & Electronic Products)
“Most prices are stable and business is stable.” (Nonmetallic Mineral Products)
“Downturn in oil and gas markets impacting demand.” (Miscellaneous Manufacturing)
“Stable. Extra capacity available if more orders come in.” (Textile Mills)
“A bit slow. Sales down from last year.” (Machinery)
“Business continues to be strong, with housing starts being up in our markets driving cabinet sales.” (Furniture and Related Products)
Barclays economists distributed the following note to clients following the release: “Looking ahead, the recent pickup in the forward-looking survey components suggests a modest improvement in output and employment for domestic manufacturing… We do not expect a robust rebound given the lingering effects of a stronger dollar and lower oil prices; however, we view a modest H2 manufacturing rebound as increasingly likely.”
H&M Struggle with Strong US Dollar
Fashion retailer H&M’s profits miss forecasts thanks to might of US dollar.
The world’s second largest fashion retailer, H&M, is facing a significant reduction in its profit outlook. The bleak outlook is due largely to changing currency valuations and their impact on the firm’s supply chain.
Despite rapidly increasing sales figures, the firm has warned of a “very negative” impact to its bottom line based on the growing strength of the US dollar.
H&M has suggested that the strengthening US dollar will cause second quarter profit figures to take a significant hit. It’s also likely that these troubles will continue into the second half of the year as analysts suggest the value of the US dollar will continue to improve against most other currencies.
The currency exposure the firm is facing is due to the structure of its supply contracts. H&M sources the majority of its products from Asian markets. The contracts for these garments are agreed and signed in US dollars. However most of the retailer’s sales take place in the European market and are conducted in either Euros or Pounds.
It therefore follows that as the value of the US dollar increases against the Euro and the Pound, the cost of H&M’s garments and raw materials experience a relative increase. This means that unless the firm elects to increase in-store pricing, the margin it makes from selling each garment reduces. Clearly, this has a detrimental impact on the firm’s profitability.
One would imagine that the procurement and supply chain departments at H&M identified this currency exposure some time ago and have established a form of currency hedging as means to minimise its impact. But, it should certainly prompt questions in the minds of procurement and supply chain managers with cross currency operations to take a closer look at their currency exposure.
New Runway Offers Freight Potential, While US Investigates ‘Collusion’
The airline industry is a popular news topic, appearing on two fronts this past week. The decision on a new runway for London got people talking about airfreight, while in the US, an investigation was announced by the Department of Justice into alleged collusion.
New Runway Plans
Last week, a UK Government commission selected Heathrow as the preferred location for a new runway to be built in London. Following the publishing of the report, UK Prime Minister, David Cameron, confirmed that a final decision would be made by the end of the year.
The plans for Heathrow, already the busiest passenger airport in Europe and third busiest in the world, appear to have beaten competition from London Gatwick and a proposal for a brand new airport in the Thames estuary.
While it appears that the debate will rage on until the final decision is made at the end of the year, business leaders and UK organisations have welcomed the decision. With Heathrow currently operating at 98 per cent capacity, many think that this is directly impacting business and freight.
‘Importance of air freight’
The freight industry believes that additional runway capacity at Heathrow is required in order to service new markets in Asia, South America and the Indian sub-continent.
The Chief Executive of the UK’s Freight Transport Association (FTA), David Wells, stated that, “80% of freight is carried in the holds of scheduled passenger aircraft using Heathrow Airport.”
“Whereas passengers could be persuaded to use a different airport, the diminution of Heathrow as an international air cargo hub favours neither the country nor the economy,” Wells concluded.
Future Exports
The commission report highlighted future exports for the UK as a reason for their decision. The report stated, “By 2030 advanced manufacturing industries such as pharmaceuticals or chemicals, whose components and products are predominately moved by air, are expected to be among the top five UK export markets by their share of value.”
Sir Howard Davies, Chairman of the Airports Commission, who compiled the report, went on to say that the Heathrow option provided the “greatest benefits for business passengers, freight operators and the wider economy”.
While it remains to be seen if the UK Government will go along with the Commission recommendation, it does appear that business might benefit from a new runway at Heathrow.
Collusion Investigation
Over in US, the industry is in the news for less positive reasons, with the Department of Justice (DoJ) announcing a new investigation into alleged collusion between some of America’s biggest airlines.
United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and Southwest Airlines have all confirmed that they are part of the investigation, which will focus on whether the airlines have been coordinating to keep tickets available at a steady number, artificially increasing demand and driving up prices.
The four airlines account for 85 per cent of the domestic routes across America, partly due to two high-profile mergers in the past year. The investigation also comes at a time when airlines are posting huge profits due to the falling oil prices.
Questionable Outcomes
However, many commentators believe that the investigation will not produce outcomes that will be of benefit to consumers. For one, it is hard to prove that airlines are actually colluding to keep availability low, as with better technology, information on both capacity and pricing can be found easily and immediately.
There is also an argument to say that it would be just as effective to let markets sort out collusive behaviour on their own. There are other ways to ‘collude’ beyond pricing, but ultimately, if inefficiencies appear in the market, new competitors will emerge or consumers will look elsewhere to satisfy their needs.
Whatever the final outcome of the investigation, it looks as though there will be greater scrutiny on the airlines in the coming months. While it may not lower prices in time for the busy summer holiday period, there is a chance it may push the airlines to be more transparent and act in a favourable way for consumers.
Do you live near Heathrow or commute through there regularly? What do you make of the decision for a third runway? Do you think the DoJ investigation will make any impact? Let Procurious know what you think.
While you think about that summer sunshine, have a read through the headlines from the procurement and supply chain world this week.
BP agrees to $18.7 Billion payout for deadly 2010 oil spill
BP agreed on Thursday to pay $18.7 billion for damages caused by its oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, an accident that resulted in the deaths of 11 people and the largest marine oil spill in history.
The settlement covers lawsuits filed by parties including the U.S. government, five U.S. states that were affected by the spill, and several hundred local government organisations. It also includes a civil penalty of $5.5 billion under the U.S. Clean Water Act.
The settlement, which comes in addition to the hefty sums that BP has already had to pay in legal and clean-up fees over the last few years, will be paid over 18 years and is expected to end the majority of BP’s litigation wars over the accident, though the company still faces shareholder lawsuits and some outstanding costs from a 2012 class action settlement.
With this new settlement, BP’s total bill for the spill climbs to $53.8 billion—a number that exceeds the company’s profits in the last three years.
Carl-Henric Svanberg, BP’s chairman, said in a statement that the agreement offers “a path to closure” for BP and the Gulf. “Five years ago we committed to restore the Gulf economy and environment and we have worked ever since to deliver on that promise,” he said.
Read more on Slate.com
Fast fashion retail market trends and opportunities 2015-2019 shared in new research report
The report titled “Fast Fashion Retail Market: Trends and Opportunities (2015-2019)” analyzes the potential opportunities, challenges, demand drivers and significant trends representing fast fashion industry in the world.
The report gives valuable insight into various types of brands of fast fashion such as ZARA, H&M, Uniqlo and GAP. It profiles and analyzes the leading five companies operating in this industry with an overview of their business and finance structure along with a brief discussion of their future business strategies.
The report also studies the growth pattern in the fast fashion retail market and the latest trends concerning fast fashion. Further, the report analyzes the current market size and project future market size of the overall fast fashion retail business for the years to come.
The complete report is available to download here
From trash to treasure: Adidas designs shoes made of ocean garbage
German sportswear brand Adidas has joined forces with Parley for the Oceans, an organisation formed in 2013 dedicated to undertaking projects to protect and conserve the Earth’s oceans.
To raise awareness about ocean pollution, Adidas has designed a prototype pair of sneakers with an upper made entirely from recycled ocean waste and illegal deep-sea gillnets.
These gillnets were retrieved by Parley for the Oceans partner Sea Shepherd, which spent 110 days tracking an illegal poaching vessel, finally catching it off the coast of West Africa.
“We are incredibly excited to join Parley for the Oceans as they bring the cause of the oceans to the attention of the United Nations,” said Adidas’ Eric Liedtke. “Adidas has long been a leader in sustainability, but this partnership allows us to tap into new areas and create innovative materials and products for our athletes. We invite everyone to join us on this journey to clean up the oceans.”
Read more at CNET
Supply chain workers urge Walmart to act on supplier standards
Walmart must do more to improve supply chain transparency and hold its suppliers accountable, according to a study from the Food Chain Workers Alliance. The report includes research on 11 different food-related industries in the retail giant’s supply chain, as well as on the corporation’s impact on local farmers.
The alliance said the retailer should do more to hold suppliers accountable to labour and environmental standards. The report, Walmart at the Crossroads: the Environmental and Labor Impact of Its Food Supply Chain, calls on the company to enforce its existing labour and environmental standards and fulfil its goals for local food purchases.
The report also contains a raft of recommendations for the supply chain. It said Walmart should improve its supply chain transparency by requiring suppliers to identify the names and addresses of all factories, farms, fishing vessels, or other entities that contribute to the product being purchased before a supplier contract is awarded. This information should be made public, the organisation which represents workers in the food supply chain said.
The study also called for an independent, third party body to monitor and verify supplier compliance with Walmart’s labour and environmental standards. Suppliers should have long-term contracts and be paid fairly, and should pay workers fairly.
Read more at Supply Management
Three-quarters of business leaders think Greece will leave Euro within the year
In the heat of the Greek banking crisis, an overwhelming majority predict Greece will leave the Euro behind.
In a survey conducted by the Institute of Directors (IoD), business leaders were quizzed on Greece’s monetary troubles. Three in four IoD members think it’s likely Greece will be forced to leave the European single currency within the next twelve months, against only 2 per cent who think it is very unlikely.
Procurious asks: What impact will a “Grexit” have on the UK economy?
The most probable outcome of “Grexit”, IoD members say, is a messy default which negatively affects financial markets and creates pressure on other Euro members. This outcome was considered likely by nearly two-thirds of the business leaders surveyed, while 45 per cent also think there was a risk of widespread bank runs in other southern European countries. Longer-term, 45 per cent of members say there is a good chance “Grexit” will be followed by other countries leaving the Euro.
While the direct exposure of IoD members to Greece is limited, with 77 per cent having no business interests in the country, nearly half think that a Greek exit from the Eurozone would have a negative impact on the UK.
Commenting on the results, Simon Walker, Director General of the Institute of Directors, told Procurious:
“British businesses are nervous about the potential knock-on effects of “Grexit” on the UK economy. They have reduced their direct exposure to Greece in recent years, but are worried that a messy divorce from the single currency would shake markets across the continent and destabilise the already fragile economies of other southern European countries. IoD members do not expect the chaotic situation in Greece they see on the evening news to end anytime soon.
“There is a heated debate going on about whether it would be better for the Greek people if they left the Euro, but it’s clear that their decision at the referendum on Sunday has significant implications for the whole of Europe.”
El Niño is coming: How it will impact your organisation
July 3, 2015 Jordan Early
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology has called it; we’re set for an El Niño year.
When I was younger I used to love the words El Niño. Although I knew nothing about this weather event, what I did know was that when we had El Niño conditions, we had great waves to surf.
Living in Australia, as time passed, I began to see El Niño through a different lens. The weather pattern tended to be reported in the news for causing droughts and bush fires, particularly on the country’s east coast.
I never understood El Niño; I didn’t even know what the name meant. It seemed to be used as a scapegoat in Australia for when things went wrong. “Geez, it’s hot today”… “Yeah its that El Niño mate” people would joke.
The fact of the matter is that El Niño has a distinct impact on global climatic conditions and these, in turn, have an impact on our ability to produce certain raw materials. Below I have tried to explain some of these impacts*.
So what exactly is El Niño?
Let’s start with the name. Peruvian fisherman named the weather pattern that we now know as El Niño. These fishermen noticed that in certain years, normally when water temperatures were higher, the anchovies they fished for were far less prevalent.
The fish shortage was normally noticed around Christmas time, hence the name El Niño (which directly translates from Spanish to ‘the boy’ but colloquially refers to Jesus Christ and explains the Christmas link).
Incidentally, the anchovies the fishermen were seeking weren’t in fact gone, they’d merely moved into deeper, colder, more nutrient rich water.
How does it form?
While definitive proof is yet to be established, an El Niño cycle is thought to begin in the tropical waters of the Pacific Ocean. Cyclical weather changes cause prevailing westerly trade winds to dwindle and this allows warm water to amass around the equator.
This warm water then begins to move eastward towards the Americas, and in its wake, leaves a trail of climatic changes that ripple out around the globe. Broadly speaking, El Niño climate cycles tend to result in drier, hotter conditions across the Asia Pacific region and cooler, wetter and stormier conditions in the Americas.
What’s all this got to do with the price of a coffee?
Changing weather conditions are, generally speaking, not a good thing for primary producers. As I mentioned earlier, the name El Niño comes from South American fishermen who saw their yields drop as a result of the changing water temperatures.
Pastoralists too, whether in Australia or the Americas, suffer from El Niño conditions, but for different reasons. While Aussie farmers may suffer through a drought, their counterparts in Brazil and Argentina will likely face issues due to too much rainfall, which can destroy grazing lands and reduce productivity.
Weather susceptible crops like coffee and cocoa also feel the effect of El Niño conditions. Similar to pastoralists, coffee growers in Colombia (where rainfall will increase) are likely to face different issues to those in Vietnam (where rainfall is expected to decrease). The similarity these producers share is that neither face ideal growing conditions for coffee production and harvests will decrease. With lower harvests comes higher prices and this means your morning cup of Jo may get a little more expensive should the predicted El Niño pattern eventuate.
It’s not all bad
It’s easy to get gloomy about these predictions, but it’s important to remember that El Niño conditions are not always bad for farmers. California’s drought and water restrictions have been well documented over recent years; I’m sure there are Californian farmers who would be more than keen to see a year of above average rainfall. Past El Niño years have proven fruitful for dairy and wine producers in the US, as well as wheat farmers in Australia. Whilst some will lose out, others will likely gain.
It’s not only food that’s impacted
Mines too are impacted by adverse weather. Increases in rainfall brought on from past El Niño cycles have wreaked havoc with mining operations in Southern America, causing landslides and halting work. Similarly, parts of Asia that rely on hydroelectric power will likely take a hit as rainfall levels decrease across the region.
What are your thoughts on El Niño? Will it impact your organisation’s operations?
* It must be noted that this description is a broad simplification of an incredibly complex meteorologic occurrence.
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How to Overcome Failure in the Music Industry: 8 Musicians Weigh In
Musician Success Guide, Motivation & Inspiration
Adam Bernard
Sick of Sarah knows how important it is to embrace failure. (Image via sickofsarah.com)
I hate to be the one to break it to you, but you're going to fail.
"Art is about taking risks and trying new things," Thomas Becker of Beautiful Bodies explains. "Inevitably, you are going to fail. I cannot tell you how many terrible songs I've written, or how often I've made a fool of myself onstage. If I didn't try these things, though, I never would have come up with my most creative songs or figured out how to perform live with confidence. Successful musicians accept that failure is inevitable, and they learn from their missteps."
Folk singer Royal Holland seconds this, saying, "I always find failure a catalyst for success. It truly spurs me on to understand why I failed, and how I can adjust my thinking to be certain it won't happen again. It's how we gain wisdom and experience. Those are two of the most invaluable things to be sought in this business."
With that in mind, I spoke with Becker, Holland, and six other musicians about overcoming failure and finding success in its wake.
1. Thomas Becker of Beautiful Bodies: Losing a competition sucks, but staying a sloppy band is even worse
"I was fortunate that the first band I played in had a sizable following in our local music scene. A friend asked us to play my high school's battle of the bands, and after continual prodding about it, we reluctantly said yes. We thought battle of the bands were silly. What is worse is that we figured winning would be a piece of cake since we were the only 'established' band in the competition. We quickly realized that we were wrong. The judges called us out on being sloppy, and the crowd was bored to death during our show. We lost.
"Although we did not care about the competition initially, losing was a blow. At first we were pissed, but then we started to examine why we lost. We did well in our music community, but that scene was comprised mostly of friends, and, frankly, we were merely a big fish in a very small pond. We were sloppy together, our songs were not particularly memorable, and we needed to practice our instruments. We realized that we had become comfortable getting by in our own uncritical scene, but to make it outside of that scene, we had to get our act together.
"We began to practice more frequently, and our songs and live show improved dramatically. Six months later, we got our first record deal offered to us. Losing that battle of the bands forced us to reflect on our band, and address our weaknesses. It was disappointing to lose, but continuing as a mediocre band would have been significantly more disappointing."
2. Royal Holland: In order to create great music, you need to take care of yourself first
"I was in the thick of recording my second EP, Volume Two: Flamingo, in early 2015, and struggling with seasonal depression. The kind where you feel as if you've somehow become a fake person, just going through mechanical predetermined movements. Brian Olive (who produced, engineered, and mixed the EP) noticed that I was having a rough time and asked me about it. I told him I really just wanted to give up on the whole thing. I told him the songs weren't any good, and that I couldn't see any point in making them. I had fallen into the trap of comparing myself to others. I was feeling like I was coming up short, feeling as if my art was somehow not valid because I didn't feel valid. My songs seemed so alien and foreign to me. My voice even felt like it was someone else's as I sang in the booth. It's like I was a stranger in the place where I usually feel most at home.
"I nearly scrapped the EP to wait for spring when I felt I could start over, but Brian was very influential and supportive. He told me we should just keep going with it, and see where it ended up. I'm very glad we did, because it turned out to be a very solid release that has led to important career-building relationships for me in the past year, and I'm finishing up my third EP, which we're in the thick of now. If I had scrapped it and waited until spring, the timing of things wouldn't have coordinated in the right way, and I'd likely have been, in a way, starting over again, instead of moving forward.
"It goes to show that you need to take care of yourself as a creative person. Being mentally unhealthy is a kind of failure to yourself, to your art, and to those who might relate to it in a very real way. If you've got the fire for it – and you'll know if it's there – don't give up making music. I tried it for a few years once, and it made me even more miserable."
3. Jessica Forsythe of Sick of Sarah: You can't control what happens, but you can control how you react
"My career has had its fair share of ups and downs, and I have made plenty of mistakes. Every show, every practice, every tour has its failure. Whether it's missed notes, broken sticks, or band drama, I have experienced quite a bit of it. It's been important to embrace the failure and grow from it. Failure is inevitable. How I choose to react and respond to failure is the key to being one step closer to success."
4. EagleWolfSnake: Sometimes one door has to close for another one to open
"When we had our shot in a previous band to 'showcase' for a major label, we did not get picked up. This could be viewed as a failure. This was followed by more showcases and working with management that had us chasing the dream by changing our name, clothes, music, etc., and of course, the band did not last through it. For us, though, it has been serendipitous, because it allowed that project to dissolve and for this new project to emerge that is truer to our indie spirit, and geared way more towards music, and much less towards 'making it.'"
5. Chrissy DePauw of ArtPeace: Every little setback has a purpose
"In 2007, I was being chauffeured into the offices of every major label, and being promised the world. When nothing panned out as planned, I found a producer and began executive producing my album. An investor then fell into my lap. I got to have full creative control of everything!
"When I was leaving those major label meetings I would always feel sick. Sick at the thought of giving up creative control. Scared of being shelved, or dropped. Everyone knows a new artist usually doesn't get to call the shots, and the chance of their album being released is pretty slim. So even though I felt like I failed by not getting signed when I thought [I would], I gained an amazing, fruitful experience that led me where I am today. I sold over 30,000 copies of my acoustic album and toured the college circuit, which is why the most amazing songwriter, Miss Taura Stinson, decided to take a chance on me! We are now in – as others describe it – a sophisticated dream-pop duo! Every little setback has a purpose. As long as you get up and start moving forward again, you will find your way!"
6. herMajesty: Experiencing failure helps you reconnect with what you truly care about
"A few years ago, I was in a band called Shades of Grey. We were offered a deal by a major indie label after our first NYC show. Our manager insisted that we could get a better deal with a major label, and convinced us to pass on the offer. Although, subsequently, we had the opportunity to work with Carlos Alomar (who is David Bowie’s ex-bandleader and guitarist), be represented by an established music law firm, and had several major labels pursuing us, we were unable to procure a record deal. The band did not survive this turn of events, and we disbanded. This was a major disappointment that left me reeling and doubting my ability to continue creating music.
"After much soul searching, I was able to define for myself why I chose to write and perform music in the first place, which helped to reconnect me with my muse. This experience gave me an opportunity to delineate success with writing honest, emotional songs that captured my experience, and not define success according to the industry terms of 'making it.'
Challenging situations allowed me to delve deeper into the songwriting process and helped to shape my identity as a musician and performer. I felt liberated and inspired to explore aspects of my world without pressure to do it for any other reason than the fact that it brings me tremendous joy. Judging by the way audiences respond to herMajesty's live shows, I know this is the right approach."
7. Audrey Karrasch: It's okay to laugh at yourself
"I was asked to sing the anthem at a Tampa Bay NFL game. I was really excited. I arrived, and they had a personalized jersey for me.... I was singing with in-ear monitors the stadium supplied because there’s about a four-second delay in a stadium that size. Unless you want to sing the longest and slowest National Anthem ever, it's imperative those earbuds work. The soundcheck went smoothly. I was singing comfortably, and even turned around to see how huge my face looked on those screens. I felt confident and prepared.
"The game was about to start, and I was escorted on the field. Cheerleaders were standing in formation, cameras were all up in my face. I walked ten steps out on the 50-yard line, and I hear this painful pop in my ear piece. 'Oh crap,' I think. I can't hear anything. The sound guys are immediately aware of what had happened, and they wanted to hide for me. I guess my ear monitors had exploded.
"The crowd got really quiet. I made a nervous face in the camera and decided to just give it a go. I took my right shoulder and jammed it as close to my ear as possible and shoved my index finger in my left ear. This was not a pleasant sight. As I was singing and trying to stay in time and on pitch with the four-second delay, I could hear people around me saying, 'What is she doing?!' The camera guy was unsuccessful in getting any angle of me that didn't look like I was dodging a group of bees. Somehow I finished the song. I walked off the field knowing it was a disaster.
"The sound people were perplexed. 'How could this happen?' they asked. 'This has never happened before.' I grabbed my mom's arm and smiled at her. Some people would recognize me as I was walking up the stands and I heard some reluctant 'well dones.' My mom and I just broke out in laughter as we ran to the nearest concession stand to devour some pretzels with cheese and act like it never happened.
"Sometimes stuff just happens. I have learned to never have expectations and never get my hopes up, [and instead] enjoy the moments I'm in, and look forward to the times ahead. I figure everyone has a bad day at work, right? It's important to learn how to laugh at it."
8. Sofia B: Nothing permanently knocks you down if you love what you do
"I attended Berklee College of Music on a scholarship and graduated with honors, worked in the music industry in NYC for a year, and still found myself unsigned. I was a good student, yet it wasn't enough! Maybe it was my own doing that I didn't find myself on the doorstep of a label to save me, but, pun intended, I never liked labels anyway. After writing an entire record in NYC (titled In The City), I ran out of visa time and money, and went back to the UK.
"Heartbroken – because every [international] musician dreams of making it in America – I decided to make the most out of it, and not forget my love for music. I went on tour with a good friend of mine, Siv Jakobsen, [who is an] up-and-coming Norwegian songstress, and sort of got to have the UK college experience I never got to have. I met some incredible people, and it really just made me take a step back and realize how even if you play a crowded bar/cafe/restaurant or what have you, getting the chance to sit for an assigned period of time to sing your heart out, literally, is enough for me. If I get paid, well, that just makes it all the more worth it!
"I suppose what I've learned from failure is that the only way to stop feeling like one is to pour love into everything you do, because nothing bad can come from love."
As all of these artists have pointed out, failure can reap numerous rewards. A failure can teach you a better way to go about something. A failure can put you on a path that turns out to be better for you. A failure can even save you from a situation you'll later realize you didn't want to be in. The only way a failure can have a finality to it is if you allow it to. We often think of failure as an inherently negative concept, but only you can make failure a negative thing.
Aaliyah once sang, "If at first you don't succeed, dust yourself off and try again." While maneuvering through your career as an artist, be prepared to dust yourself off a lot. Just know that each time you do, your career is going to be better for it.
The Top 3 Mistakes Musicians Have to Realize They're Making in Order to Become Better
The Artist Pep Talk: 10 Tips for Staying Positive in the Face of Rejection
8 Successful Musicians Who Prove It's Possible to Work Through Mental Health Issues and Reclaim Your Career
The 7 Biggest Challenges DIY Musicians Face – And How to Conquer Them
The Most Effective Ways to Crush Performance Anxiety On and Off the Stage
Adam Bernard is a music industry veteran who has been working in media since 2000. If you live in the NYC area, you've probably seen him at a show. He prefers his venues intimate, his whiskey on the rocks, and his baseball played without the DH. Follow him at @adamsworldblog.
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Every record collection tells a story. That's why we are thrilled to introduce our Curators -- vinyl lovers from the world of music who want to share their passion, their stories...
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May 22nd 2018
We're excited to announce a new feature on our website! The Wish List lets you shop thousands of titles with ease, save your favorites for later, and share your List with friends & family.
EXCLUSIVES: Beach Boys, Allman Brothers, Sublime
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We've got three new limited-edition records: The Beach Boys "Pet Sounds" in split yellow/green, Allman Bros "Live at Fillmore East" in red with black swirls, and Sublime's self-titled album in...
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EXCLUSIVES: Heart and Ike & Tina Turner
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EXCLUSIVE: Marvin Gaye Ltd. Edition Green Vinyl
Announcing "What's Going On" by Marvin Gaye in limited-edition translucent green vinyl! It goes on sale Friday Oct. 20, but you can get early access if you sign up for our text message service....
FEATURED CURATOR: Henry Rollins
Throughout his career as a musician, writer, actor, and radio DJ, Rollins has always been a serious vinyl collector. Discover his stories, insights, and album recommendations here.
FEATURED CURATOR: Don Was
From the studio control room to the corporate office, Don Was is on a mission to put out great music that sounds incredible. See his stories, insights, and recommendations here.
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BOUDICCA at Beit Ha'ir: Isolated Moments from a Cycle
14/08/2012 | boudicca, אגנישקה פולסקה, אנדראה צ'אבס, רגע בודד במעגל, שנה של אופנה, תמר הרפז | 0 comments
Chief Curator: Ayelet Bitan Shlonski
Art Director: Claudette Zorea
Tuesday, Aug. 28, 20:30
Beit Ha'ir, 27 Bialik St, Tel Aviv
Free admission on opening night
As part of the year of fashion announced by Beit Ha'ir in November 2011, the museum will open the exhibition Isolated Moments from a Cycle, which will include films, printed materials, photography, sound, sculptures and various objects created by Zowie Broach and Brian Kirkby, designers and founders of the British fashion house BOUDICCA. In addition, BOUDICCA will present designs from the current collection and from the archive collection.
Isolated Moments from a Cycle was created specifically for the circular structure of Beit Ha'ir andBialik Square, and deals with the cyclic nature of human existence and the current state of man.
The BOUDICCA Fashion House was founded in 1997, starting as a multidisciplinary fashion house with emphasis on art, dealing with the fields of cinema, sculpture and design.
In the first four years of its activity, BOUDICCA presented mainly in art galleries and exhibition spaces. In 2001, BOUDICCA was invited by the British Fashion Council to present officially during Londonfashion week and then in 2007, BOUDICCA was the first Independent British fashion house to be officially invited to become a guest member of Haute Couture inParis
BOUDICCA's designs have been presented in key exhibitions throughout the world, including the Victor and Albert Museum in London, Kensington Palace, as well as a collaboration with the London Royal Opera.
In the Fashion, A-Z: Part One exhibition, recently shown at the FIT in New York, BOUDICCA was selected by Dr. Valerie Steele, the museum's director and curator, as one of the 100 most important designers of the previous century, along with Vivienne Westwood, Chanel and others.
In addition to BOUDICCA, the exhibition will include Brazilian shoe designer Andreia Chaves, who will present designs from her last two collections, Polish video artist Agnieszka Polska and Israeli artist Tamar Harpaz.
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A Day Off - Staying Local
Over the weekend we had decided to map out what we definitely wanted to do on a calendar so we wouldn't run out of time. Buckingham Palace was slated for yesterday and the Churchill War rooms were scheduled for today, Tuesday. Then we discovered that Buckingham Palace is only open to the public from July 2 to early September when Queen Elizabeth goes on holiday to Scotland. Apparently everyone else knew this way before we did because when we went to get tickets the earliest we could get in was August 27th! That is why we did the War Rooms yesterday...
... and that is why this morning we all decided that today would be free- unscheduled - and that we would explore the local Hammersmith neighborhood. After a coffee at the Brackenbury Cafe, we walked across the way to check out the local butcher, and spent a good forty minutes talking to this wonderful Cockney butcher named John Stenton.
John greeted us at the door with a "'Ello, 'ow are ya? And where d'ya call 'ome?"
He was getting ready to go on vacation so he said he didn't have a full stock of meats. He specializes in catering to a large French population, but the French, too, have left for vacation. He was an absolutely delightful guy and we ended up buying three hamburgers made with 100% beef and three lamb sausages that he said were delicious. He said he wanted us to try his pork sausage as well so
he threw in three of those for free!
We told him we were in search of the Thames River. He pointed us in the right direction and said told us about a very good pub called The Dove, "if you can find it!"
So we headed towards the Thames and found we had to walk through a pedestrian Subway that took us underneath the highway to the riverside. We were looking at a map and I was trying to ask "Siri" where the Dove Pub was when a jogger came by and pointed about 20 yards down a walkway and there it was!
It turned out to be a wonderful place. It was built in the early 18th century. It was originally called the Dove Coffeehouse. Coffeehouses were all the rage in the 18th century patronized by scientists, philosophers, politicians, artists and others who came to drink coffee, chocolate, wine and ale and to gossip, read newspapers and transact business. (Sounds a little like San Francisco of today!!)
When you first enter the Dove there is a door that leads to the smallest bar room in Britain and has a Guinness World Record plaque to prove it. It measures 33 square feet and has a funny tale to explain it. In 1911 a new landlord took possession of the Dove and he wanted to acquire a full liquor license. But in order to serve beer and spirits a pub was required to have two bar rooms; the Dove had only one. So Mayes instructed his ship-building brother-in-law to build pre-fabricated bar off site and bring it in in the dark of night. Suddenly the Dove had two bars and the liquor license was granted with no fuss.
In the 20th century it is said that writers and actors such as Dylan Thomas, Alec Guinness and Ernest Hemingway propped up the bar.
We had a terrific meal at the Dove, Don ordering his usual fish and chips while I had a wonderful Lamb something which the owner told me was a specialty and very British.
It was a typical cloudy, rainy London day, but we left the pub with our umbrellas and went along the river walk. There were a number of rowing clubs along the way and several other pubs.
It is always so fascinating to me to see how old everything is in London compared to places in the US. This Blue Anchor pub was established in 1722 when "George 1st was King of England and Louis XV was on the throne of France."
This is the Hammersmith Bridge crossing over the Thames River. It was low tide and we saw houseboats wedged in the mud along the way.
We came back to the house for a bit of a lie-down and then Loren and I set out to meet Loren's second cousin whom he hadn't seen in over forty years!! Barbara had married a British actor and had moved to England many years ago. Loren had kept in touch with her brother, Randall, but hadn't seen Barbara since she was a small child. We met her at a pub and the two of them got caught up with family whereabouts and lore. We had a lovely time and hope to see her again before we leave.
We ended our day with a pint at a pub!
Loren's son, Dave is presently in Italy with his wife, Mel. He responded to my blog with his perspective of having just "done" Rome with all its history by saying, "I've been wondering about the ways in which we are fascinated with the past. Perhaps all of us who are enchanted with the past are, to greater or lesser degrees, uncomfortable with the present. Or perhaps just disappointed by it. Not completely, however; it's not as though we are hopeless or fatalistic. Just not rosy progressives. Just an idea."
He and Mel are continuing on to Florence, and he says, "Florence is different than it was 12 years ago. Not sure how yet, but I'm going to try to see the "present" in it instead of just the past as we take our walking tour tomorrow. Since last we were here, several events have occurred that must have left a mark: 9/11, the US invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan, the economic crisis and big changes in European immigration and demographic patterns. Curious to see what your take on the "London of Today" will be once you've really dwelt within its customs for a while."
Well, in a way, I felt we experienced the Present Day London today: walking around our neighborhood streets, encountering John, the local butcher, finding a tucked away "local" pub, meandering in a misty rain along the Thames, and then having dinner with a native family member. We did nothing that tourists would have done and it felt like a day in the life of a normal Hammersmithian! And we still have so much more of the people and the culture to take in before we leave.
Tomorrow we are hitting the theater district - going to Chorus Line at the grand Palladium Theater...
Posted by nanwebware at 4:12 PM
So fun to learn about Hammersmith and spend another day with you guys. Don't think I agree with Dave's interesting idea about those who are fascinated by the past. For me, anyway, it's more of a visceral thing. I feel it in my bones when I am in Paris. And I love to read about history because in many ways we learn that people don't change that much over time. Our evolution is, indeed, VERY slow. Things change, phones, cars, medicine, but emotionally we are still actors on a Shakesperan stage, don't you think? Miss you. Love, Carol
Glorita Jucá said...
Can't help but agreeing with both Carol and Dave. As much as we learn from the past and confirm that people don't change much over time, we may also be astounded by the failure of so many promises and dreams that we once believed in or thought would lead the path.
Anyway, what a lovely day you had! Love your appreciation of all things, you have such a beautiful spirit!
Are We Human, Or Are We Dancers
Never was so much owed by so many to so few
Sunday in the Park
Plans and Surprises
Minutiae and Majesty
A Slow Start...
Ghastly Trip; Brilliant Day!
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UN Independent Expert on the Effects of Foreign Debt and Human Rights
Human rights must be at the centre of measures by Sri Lanka to promote economic growth that would include everyone, says a UN expert.
“The Sri Lankan Government should undertake an assessment of the human rights impact of both its economic reform policies and infrastructure projects,” said Juan Pablo Bohoslavsky, the Independent expert on the effects of foreign debt on human rights, presenting a statement at the end of a nine-day visit to the country.
“The strategy chosen by the Government, as recommended by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), was to stabilize the economy by strengthening the fiscal and external sectors via International borrowing. It also included developing mega infrastructure projects, many of them launched during previous administrations,” said Mr. Bohoslavsky.
“Servicing this debt is now the country’s most important expenditure, and a significant amount of borrowing is being allocated for this purpose,” he added.
“However, social spending should not be cut in order to repay growing debts if less harmful policy options are available. There are other options to consider. These include boosting domestic demand through progressive tax reforms, expanding social benefits, increasing minimum wages and renegotiating the debt with creditors in order to generate revenues to ensure that no one is left behind,” Mr. Bohoslavsky stressed.
“There is a consensus that a greater mobilisation of resources is needed. It has been estimated that the majority of all illicit financial flows in the world are related to cross-border tax-related transactions. However, because tax evasion is not considered a predicate offence in the country, banks do not have a duty to report suspicious transactions of their clients in relation to tax evasion. I urge the Government to close this legal gap,” the expert said.
Since the end of the war in 2009, large-scale infrastructure projects including the Colombo Outer Circular Expressway, power plants, the Hambantota Port and Hambantota Airport have been started across the country.
“The Sri Lankan legal framework does not establish the obligation to conduct a comprehensive human rights impact assessment of such infrastructure projects before they are started. So, I advise the Government to pass robust and comprehensive laws on the issues based on existing international human rights standards,” said Mr. Bohoslavsky.
“I have also paid specific attention to microfinance, which has helped to lift many people around the world out of poverty by enabling borrowers to maintain their livelihoods. However, the number, frequency and seriousness of abuses by lenders that I have noted in the country call for urgent action by the State.
“I found that while there was a large number of borrowers, women in areas that are poor and affected by war, are specially targeted by microfinance lenders. Those institutions charge up to 220 per cent interest rates for their loans and apply compound interest. The mechanism has been designed to make huge profits for the lenders and put a very heavy burden on the shoulders of the largely poor female borrowers,” the expert stressed.
“It is common to see women with three or four outstanding loans from different lenders at the same time, while some others borrow more to avoid defaulting on the loans they already have. Collectors go to borrowers’ houses to collect the instalments due, sometimes on a daily basis. Some stay at the family home for hours until they are repaid.
“Women are at times exposed to psychological and physical violence by these collectors and it was brought to my attention that, in some cases, they were pressured by collectors to exchange ‘sexual favours’ for outstanding instalments. I have also learned of cases of borrowers who have tried to sell their kidneys for money to repay loans,” Mr. Bohoslavsky added.
“I urge the Government to establish an interest rate cap for these institutions and also to pass and implement robust and strict regulation. There should be guidelines in line with human rights standards on how microcredit lenders should assess credit risks. I also urge the Government to declare a moratorium on the debts, until this legislation is passed, in order to prevent groups in situations of vulnerability from being exploited and abused by lenders,” the expert stressed.
The Independent Expert will submit a comprehensive report about his visit to the UN Human Rights Council in March 2019.
Photo - Juan Pablo Bohoslavsky, UN Independent Expert on the Effects of Foreign Debt and Human Rights, delivers his End of Mission statement at the Media Briefing in Colombo.
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Audio Teaching
Prayer And The Prayer Meeting - Charles Henry Mackintosh
Prayer: Answered And Unanswered - Frank Binford Hole
The Scope of Christian Prayer - Michael Hardt
Prayer - William Henry Westcott
A Letter on Prayer - F. L. Harris
The Prayer of Jabez - Frank Wallace
The Prayer life of Daniel - Frank Wallace
The Prayers of Hannah - Frank Wallace
Epaphras - the Service of Prayer - Charles Henry Mackintosh
Prayer - Edward Dennett
More articles on Prayer
Understanding and Experiencing Prayer
E. J. Thomas
The Expression of Dependence
How blessed is the subject of prayer! And if Scripture research can assist the tried and buffeted saint to a better understanding of its principles, and how to utilize it more fully in daily difficulties, how welcome such a result! Let us, then, seek to enter upon the observation of some of the teachings of Scripture on this subject.
First - Prayer is the language of request addressed to God. It is important to distinguish between prayer and worship, though they may both be found together in the same address to God. In worship, we give something to God - our thanksgiving, praise, or adoration. "Let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name" (Heb.13:15). Praise, then, is an offering, but prayer is a request. The common phrase 'offering a prayer' is therefore a mistake. We may offer worship, praise, adoration, thanksgiving. Prayer, however, is not an offering to God, but a request of something from Him.
Secondly - Prayer is the expression of dependence. Dependence is the due attitude of the creature towards the Creator. God alone is sufficient to Himself. Every creature, whether he know it or not, is really dependent; and prayer, in its foundation principle, is the expression of this dependence. To acknowledge it, is to live in truth; to deny it - to live the prayerless life - is to walk in darkness. Man, as revolted, has lost the sense of dependence upon his Creator. He has slipped his moorings, got away from moral connection with the blessed Centre of the universe, and, wandering in sin and darkness, thinks it the finest and grandest thing to be independent. This, the very principle of his life, is a falsity; he "maketh . a lie" (Rev.21:27 AV).
It was to a new feature, therefore, in the life of Saul of Tarsus that the Lord directed the attention of Ananias, when, sending him to Saul, he said, "Arise, and go... and enquire... for one called Saul, of Tarsus; for behold, he is praying" (Acts 9:11 ). Here was a remarkable thing. Yesterday he was breathing out threatenings and slaughter; now he is upon his knees. Man, in this instance, had got back to his bearings; the creature was humbled before, and reconciled to, his Creator. Thus, prayer is one of the earliest, truest instincts of divine life in man; and in this view it may be said that the first genuine breathing of the soul to God is the beginning of an eternal communion. A stream has started which will flow, and flow for ever - like the water which Christ gives the soul, and which is in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. Not that this communion or intercourse will always have the character of prayer - that is the form which it takes from the nature of the scene where it occurs - a world of sin and of necessities. In the future scene the language of dependence will not be that of request, for satisfaction will have taken the place of need, and every vessel will be full. As is often sung,
"Hope shall change to glad fruition,
Faith to sight and prayer to praise,"
But in the present time, and in the place where we are, dependence, really felt, expresses itself in prayer. To be dependent on one who is capricious, or ill - willed, is misery; but to be dependent upon God, whose nature is love, and whose power is limitless - this is happiness!
Thinking Things Through
Read : Acts 9:11 . Philippians 4:6,7. Matthew 7:7-11. Hebrews 13:15.
Describe the difference between prayer and praise.
Explain the expression, "Prayer is the expression of dependence." Why is it so vital to realize our dependence upon God?
How does Paul exemplify the importance of prayer in the life of a young Christian?
List several things for which you feel directly dependent upon God. Are there also some things in your life about which you don't recognize your dependence? How can we increase our awareness of complete dependence upon God?
The Lord Jesus a Man of Prayer
The blessed Son of God, when becoming a man, though not Himself a creature, took so fully man's place of dependence that we find He prayed habitually.
" Cold mountains and the midnight air
Witnessed the fervour of His prayer."
Beautiful indications are the prayers of Jesus of the reality of His manhood - He kneels down and prays. Pre-eminent in all things, He is an example in this. So He entered upon His ministry with prayer (Luke 3:21 ). And may we not say, as a canon of Christian life, What is begun with prayer will end in praise? It was when praying thus at His baptism that the heavens were opened to Jesus. Prior to choosing apostles He spent the night in prayer to God (Luke 6:12 ,13). Again, in Luke 9:18 , we find Him "alone praying." It was "as He prayed" on the mount of Transfiguration that the fashion of His countenance was altered, and He received from God the Father honour and glory. He did not go up to the mountain to be glorified; He went up "to pray," and was glorified. The object was prayer, the result was glory (Luke 9:28 , ff.).
The principal recorded instances of the Lord's praying appear to be: (1) At His baptism (Luke 3:21 ). (2) On the first great spread of His fame (Mark 1:35 ; Luke 5:15 ,16). (3) Before choosing the apostles (Luke 6:12 ). (4) After feeding the five thousand (Matt.14:23; Mark 6:46). (5) At the virtual crisis of His testimony, when He forbids His being announced as Messiah, and predicts His death (Luke 9:18 ). (6) At the transfiguration (Luke 9:28 ). (7) Occasion not mentioned (Luke 11:1). (8) At the raising of Lazarus (John 11:41 ). (9) In view of His death (John 12:27 ). (10) His wonderful prayer to the Father, "The hour is come" (John 17). (11) Intercession for Peter (Luke 22:32 ). (12) Gethsemane (Matt.26:36 - 44; Mark 14; Luke 22). (13) Intercession for His murderers (Luke 23:34 ). (14) At death, commending His spirit to the Father (Luke 23:46 ).
We see then, that when, in the maturity of manhood, having patiently passed thirty years in privacy, He is at last about to enter on the momentous undertaking of His life, He does so with prayer. "And it came to pass, all the people having been baptised, and Jesus having been baptised and praying, that the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily form as a dove upon him; and a voice came out of heaven, Thou art my beloved Son, in thee I have found my delight" (Luke 3:21,22, JND Tn).
Following this, He is subjected to the temptation - the Spirit, who has just descended upon Him leading Him into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. Emerging victorious, He now, under the Baptist's testimony, becomes the Centre of gathering, calling upon men to follow Him (Luke 5:11 ,27; John 1:43 ), and exercising authority in bestowing a name upon one of them (John 1:42 ). He thus formally begins His work and testimony. So far, however, the work is in His own hands alone; the campaign is opened, but is only in its first stage. The field is white unto harvest. Now an important development takes place. There is a night of prayer. "And it came to pass in those days that he went out into the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God " (Luke 6:12 ). The result of this exercise is seen. When it is day He assembles His disciples, and out of them selects twelve to be apostles. He is already Centre of gathering; now He becomes Source of mission. The work widens, and He employs others under Him to carry the testimony throughout the land. Thus, in the record of the Lord's life great occasions are signalized, or brought about, by special prayer. Not only, however, did the Lord pray specially at special crises, but He had a practice. He would go, distinctly and on purpose, to pray. Thus, "And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray" (Matt.14:23). "And it happened, as He was alone praying." "Now it came to pass about eight days after these sayings, that he ... went up on the mountain to pray" (Luke 9:18 ,28). "He went, as He was accustomed, to the mount of Olives ... and He knelt down and prayed" (Luke 22:39 ,41). Shall we not be gently led by so sweet an example? He had not where to lay His head - but with Him the solitudes of the mountain served for the walls of a closed chamber; and thus, is it not true with regard to prayer, that "Where there is a will, there is a way"?
The Lord is never recorded as praying with His disciples. He taught them to pray. He prayed about them, prayed for them, not with them.[1] For His own position was unique. Our prayers are on the basis of what Christ is for us. He could draw near to God, as qualified in His own person and dignity; we, only in His name. This explains a verse which otherwise would seem a contradiction. "As He was alone praying, . his disciples joined Him" (Luke 9:18 ). The disciples were there, but He was "alone praying." And in Gethsemane He told the disciples to pray; but He, to pray, withdrew from them about a stone's cast (Luke 22:40 ,41). This is important, as everything is which affects our thoughts about Christ. Christians sometimes speak of the Lord as 'Our Elder Brother.' Scripture never does. "Ye call me Teacher and Lord," He says, "and you say well, for so I am." We cannot exaggerate the grace of Christ towards us, but it has been well said that: "The personal dignity of Christ is never lost in the intensity and tenderness of His love. True saints among the Moravians have called Jesus 'Brother,' and others have borrowed their hymns, or the expression. The Word never says so. He is not ashamed to call us brethren, but it is quite another thing for us to call Him so."
Read: Matthew 14:23; 26:36 - 44. Mark 1:35 ; 6:46 . Luke 3:21; 5:15,16; 6:12,13; 9:18,28; 11:1; 22:32; 23:34,46. John 11:41; 12:27 ; 17.
Describe and discuss at least five of the incidents recorded in Scripture of Jesus praying.
How would the prayers of Jesus differ from our prayers? What are the similarities?
Why is it wrong to call the Lord Jesus our "elder brother?"
What specifically have you learned in this lesson which will help your own personal prayer life?
The Prayer Meeting
Christian, you perhaps think little of your prayers. God does not. Cornelius was a man devout and prayerful. He "prayed to God always"; but, while praying on in patience, probably little thought that one day an angel would be sent to tell him, "Your prayers and your alms are come up for a memorial before God" (Acts 10:2 - 4). But if you wish God's estimate of His people's prayers, see Revelation 5:8, "The four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints." That is what they are. Golden bowls contain them; they are as the fragrance of incense before the throne of God. Think of a prayer meeting! Could the exercises of the saints be made visible you would see the odour ascending to God's presence. The room and the surroundings may be mean, but if the hearts are full of Christ, St. Peter's at Rome , with all its grandeur, can present nothing so fine. Those humblings of soul in prayer; those addresses of faith to God; the workings of hearts inwrought by the Spirit Himself, though invisible, are momentous: they are fraught with consequences which reach forth into eternity. Such is real prayer. Who that could be present would be absent from such a scene, and lose the privilege of a part in its activities?
It is possible that some, and that even amongst instructed Christians, have not quite a correct sense of the rank of the prayer meeting, regarding it as rather subordinate. Many who would feel condemned in their conscience at absence from the Lord's Supper look upon attendance at the prayer meeting as optional. But they have not noticed that the promise to be with two or three gathered to His name is, in Scripture, specifically attached to prayer. Often as that promise is quoted, its connection with prayer and the prayer meeting is almost overlooked. But verse 20 of Matthew 18 is really the validating principle of verses 18 and 19. Thus:
"Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven" (v.18).
"Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven" (v.19).
"For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them" (v.20).
On this let us note that:
(1) The promise about agreeing in prayer is linked by the conjunction "For" with the presence of Christ in the midst of two or three. It therefore does not relate, as often supposed, to an agreement of two isolated Christians to pray about a mutual subject when apart from each other. The common application really diverts the Scripture from its specific object, which is to show the special honour and efficacy which are attached to united prayer. It applies to two or three gathered together to Christ's name, and if they, though only two, are in real spiritual agreement in which they approach the Father, their prayer is successful (v.19).
(2) The Lord therefore, is in the midst at the prayer meeting as well as at the breaking of bread. Important fact! Possibly my reader has not looked at the prayer meeting in this light. Many, esteem it as merely a means of spiritual comfort and communion, one of many ways of gaining profit to our souls; and therefore omit attending it or not, according as they are disposed. But the Lord is there! Were the Prince of Wales announced to be at a meeting in London , what activity would be displayed, what effort to be present! The subject matter would, by the very fact, acquire a new importance. Persons who would not have troubled about attending, are now found quite zealous, and see a significance in the subject which they never saw before. But what is prince or king to the King of kings and Lord of lords, who is present with the gathering to His name?
(3) The Lord being present, then, the prayer meeting ranks as an assembly - meeting of the first order, second only to the Lord's Supper. So it is placed, in the divine record of what characterized the first company of the church. "They continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers" (Acts 2:42 ). At a lecture, a gospel preaching, etc., the Lord may be with His servant who speaks His word, and all present may share the blessing; but He is not with the company, even if consisting of saints, in exactly the sense in which He is with an assembly of only two or three simply gathered together unto His Name.
(4) This presence of the Lord both in the prayer meeting as well as other meetings, is a matter about which many are obscure. Some confuse it with the presence of the Holy Ghost - but that is a different thing. The Holy Ghost does dwell in the assembly, as well as in the body of each individual believer. [2] He does so permanently. But what is stated in Matthew 18:20 is not a permanent indwelling. It is a presence under conditions, namely, two or three being there, and they being gathered to His Name. Further, it is the presence of the Lord Himself that is guaranteed. 'But,' it will be said, 'Jesus is in heaven.' Yes, corporeally He is there - blessed be His Name! - but divinely He is with us here. He is the One who could say even in His days upon earth, "The Son of man who is in heaven" (John 3:13 ). And if He was divinely in heaven while corporeally on earth; so now He is divinely with the two or three on earth, though corporeally in heaven.
(5) The presence of the Lord in the midst draws out the specific affections of the saints for Himself. For as there are distinct persons in the Godhead, so the new nature in us has feelings and affections appropriate to each. When we think of the Father, we think of the infinite, uncaused, love in which He gave the Son for us. We think of the One who has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father! who Himself loveth us because we have loved Jesus, and have believed that He came out from God. And when we think of Christ in our midst, it is of that Person in the Godhead who became incarnate; who so loved us as to give Himself for us, who loved us unto death. The Holy Ghost present with us indeed gives us the spiritual apprehension of all this. He brings before our souls the things of Christ (John 16:13 -15), but the Person in our midst is the One who died for us. He, though waiting on the Father's throne, still so yearns over those whom He purchased with His blood, that where, in any quarter or corner of the globe, two or three are gathered to His Name, there is He in the midst. Would the Christian willingly be absent when the Lord is present? In this matter have we not sinned through lack of thought, or non - apprehension of what the prayer meeting really is?
Read : Revelation 5:8. Matthew 18:15 - 20. Acts 2:41,42; 4:23 - 33.
What is God's estimate of a prayer meeting among His saints?
What are the promises and principles of Matthew 18:15 - 20 in regard to the prayer meeting?
What is the difference in thought between the Holy Spirit being in the assembly and the Lord Jesus being in the midst of those gathered to His Name?
What do you think are the three most important ingredients for a successful prayer meeting?
Individual Prayer
Scarcely less important than united, is individual, prayer. It holds a remarkable place in the divine actings in the world.
Abraham prayed for the cities of the plain - a beautiful model of reverential yet earnest pleading with God. "but Abraham still stood before the LORD. And Abraham came near and said, "Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? "Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it? Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" (Gen.18:22 - 25). As a consequence of his intercession he obtains the promise that the city should be spared if only ten righteous were found in it, and though that number was not found, Jehovah accedes to His servant's plea for the righteous who might be there, and so the safety of Lot is provided for before ever judgment is allowed to descend upon the city. Again, to the king of Gerar it is announced, as a divine favour, that Abraham should pray for him (Gen.20:7). Indeed this intercessory prayer is an important piece in the machinery of God's proceedings.
Daniel was qualified for intercessory prayer by the purity of his own ways. He is one of three men, Noah, Daniel and Job, whom Jehovah Himself selected as eminent in righteousness (Ezek.14:14). The testimony of his enemies was, "We shall not find any charge against this Daniel unless we find it against him concerning the law of his God" (Dan.6:4,5); and in a foreign land, amidst foes and snares, his practice was to pray. "He knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God" (v.10). How precious are the exercises of such a soul! No cloud in his own relationship with God - he is free to intercede for the state of God's people - a type in this of the great Intercessor, hence we have the prayer and confession of Daniel 9: "Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. And I prayed to the LORD my God, and made confession, and said," etc. (vv. 3,4).
It is interesting to see that Daniel was heard as soon as he set himself to pray, although his prayer was not answered for some time afterwards. "Fear not Daniel, for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words"(ch.10:12).
So another testifies: "I cried to the LORD with my voice, and He heard me from His holy hill" (Ps.3:4). Again, "I sought the LORD, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears" (Ps.34:4). Fellow - believer, the same is our privilege! Such is "the boldness" we have towards Him, that "if we ask anything according to His will, he hears us" (1 John 5:14 ). This involves brokenness of our own wills, spirituality; without which our thoughts and feelings do not move in the line of His will. There has been One who could say, without limitation, "Father ... You always hear me" (John 11:41 ,42).
But Daniel's prayer, in the ninth chapter of his book, and Abraham's prayer, though individual, were in a certain sense public. That is to say, they were not about the private history, or the personal wants, of either Daniel or Abraham. Their subject matter was public. Daniel's prayer had reference to the fallen state of Israel as God's people, and to God's interests as bound up with them. Likewise Abraham's prayer had no relation to Abraham's own wants. He was secure from the judgments about to fall upon the wicked, but he pleads earnestly for the righteous who were intermingled with them and in danger of sharing their judgment. So, too, as to Paul's prayers in Ephesians, chapters one and three. They were individual prayers, but their scope and object were God's glory and Christ's interests in the church. This is a high order of prayer: that is, where a servant of the Lord is abstracted from private or personal needs, and is earnestly concerned about Christ's interests in His people. Indeed, Paul's prayers for the saints in Ephesians one and three were a reproduction in his measure, and so far as regarded the church, of the prayer and desires of the Lord Himself in John 17.
Private and Personal Affairs
But there is another field and class of prayer equally divine in authorization, but which, though not so lofty in scope, is more tender; has to do with smaller and more human, or everyday concerns. For the believer is privileged to have communion with God about the whole of his private and personal affairs. Thus: "Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered" (Luke 12:6,7). "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (Phil.4:6). "Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7).
Now, many Christians have a feeling that it is scarcely legitimate to expect that God would condescend to the small and petty affairs of our life. As in the case of some great dignitary amongst men, they feel as though they could not presume to trouble Him with their personal concerns. The thought may not be quite definite, and they would shrink from expressing it. But it lingers in the mind sufficiently to create hesitation and doubtfulness in prayer. It is important, therefore, to see that we have in these Scriptures ample warrant for regarding the whole interior of the life of a Christian, as under the purview of our God and Father. Is some item too small to be brought to Him in prayer? Is it too purely personal, too exclusively our own, for Him to consider? What stronger expression could the Lord employ to disabuse us of the notion, and to encourage confidence, than that the very hairs of our head are all numbered? Have we the feeling that some things we can take to God, but that some things we cannot? The Scripture says, " In every thing by prayer and supplication." Have we a request, as to which we have no strong confidence that it is according to His mind? Well, we can at least make it known to God, and the result for our souls when we leave it with Him will be "peace" - the request being submissively laid before Him, His peace will keep both heart and mind through Christ Jesus, and we can then be content, whether we have our petition or not.
It may be that we are in circumstances which our own wrongdoing has brought us into, and that we justly dread the consequences. Even that we can take to God, if we have sincerely confessed our sin; and all the anxiety of it, all the care, we may cast upon Him - "casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you." The case of Jacob and Esau is an illustration of how God can, and will, turn for us dreaded events into blessing, when we in brokenness wait upon Him. Jacob had deeply wronged Esau, and now, after years of separation, he has to face him; the brothers are about to meet (Gen.32). Jacob's conscience naturally makes him fear the resentment of Esau, who he learns is coming to meet him with four hundred men. But he lays it before God in prayer (v.11), with the marvellous result that the man whose vengeance he feared, "ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept!" (33:4).
Thus God is the refuge of the soul at all times. Blessed is prayer which is the outcome of an upright walk; but even when the fruits of our evil doings are springing up, yet if we are the Lord's, and have truly judged the evil of our ways, we may safely leave, in peace, all consequences to Him.
Individual, secret prayer and communion with God constitute the foundation of all godliness. Neither the prayer meeting nor the Lord's service is a substitute for them. They are the safeguard of the soul; where they fail, a fall is not far off.
Read : Genesis 18:22 - 25. Daniel 9:3,4. 1 John 5:14,15. Philippians 4:6,7. Ephesians 1:15 - 20; 3.
What are some good examples to follow in Abraham as a man of prayer? How about Daniel?
What are some of the prerequisites of an effectual fervent prayer life?
Discuss these three categories of individual prayer: (1) intercession for others; (2) personal requests; (3) confession.
Which is better: (1) a definite time set aside each day to pray using a prayer list, or (2) to pray about things and people throughout the day when and as they come to mind? Discuss the pros and cons of each.
The Holy Spirit in Relation to Prayer
Although Christ is the One to whose Name saints are gathered at the prayer meeting, it is equally necessary to recognize the function or office of the Holy Spirit in prayer; and that, whether in private or public. Consider the magnitude of the fact that the Holy Spirit came down at Pentecost, and, abiding with us for ever, is here today (John 14:16)! He dwells in the church which is built together for His habitation; He dwells in the individual believer (1 Cor.6:19,20; Eph.2:22). Such a fact cannot but have immense bearings. Now we find that this indwelling Spirit is our Instructor and Guide in prayer, and all true prayer is in the Spirit. "Praying in the Holy Spirit" (Jude 20). "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit" (Eph.6:18). "And in like manner the Spirit joins also its help to our weakness; for we do not know what we should pray for as is fitting, but the Spirit itself makes intercession with groanings which cannot be uttered. But he who searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because he intercedes for saints according to God" (Rom. 8:26 ,27).
When Christ was with His disciples He taught them to pray; John had similarly taught his disciples. But now all that is changed. It was expedient for the disciples that Christ should go away in order that the Holy Ghost should come; and He, being there, takes the office of forming our minds and hearts in prayer. Truly, we know not what we should pray for as we ought, but - as dwelling is us - the Spirit Himself maketh intercession. The words "for us" in Romans 8:26 , are not in the best texts, and like many well - meant additions to Scripture, only mar its perfectness. Maketh intercession for us inserted in this verse, would rather give the idea of the blessed Spirit and the saints as two distinct parties, and that He, externally to us, makes intercession for us. That this is not the sense, is clear from the next words "But he who searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because he intercedes for saints according to God"(v.27). Thus then, God who looks down into the heart, sees there the inwrought desires and prayers of the Spirit; and the intercession which the Spirit there makes, for and on behalf of the saints, is according to God. The structure of this scripture (Rom.8:26,27) is remarkable. As regards ourselves, the Spirit is so identified with us, that God, in searching the hearts, finds there the mind of the Spirit; and this is what He graciously takes up, not the workings of the flesh. But as regards God - whatever may be the Spirit's condescension to us - the Spirit stands in all His own power and dignity as a Person of the Godhead, to plead for the saints. What solemnity, what divine value, clothes the prayers of saints, when the form in which they come before God is that of intercession by the Spirit Himself! On our side this may reach down to an inarticulate groan; Godward it rises to the height of the Spirit's own intercession.
The bearing of this upon prayer is most encouraging. Here we find the Holy Spirit as dwelling in us, graciously identifying Himself in tender sympathy with our weakness, with our infirmities. The church which Christ has purchased with His own blood, is so precious that the blessed Spirit must come and dwell there and look after it. Being here He is our Paraclete; that is, Manager of our affairs. He opposes the flesh in us (Gal.5:17), helps our infirmities, condescends to our ignorance, and enters into our sorrows with groanings which cannot be uttered. We do not think enough of the sympathy of the Spirit of God with us. He is that "other Comforter" who, the Lord said, was to replace Himself on earth. Jesus took our infirmities; and the Spirit helpeth our infirmities; Jesus groaned at Lazarus' grave, and the Spirit intercedes for the saints with groanings which cannot be uttered. How great must be the interest of the Holy Spirit in us when He can come and dwell in us, not discontinuing His stay, albeit, alas, our ways so often grieve Him (Eph.4:30)!
When once grasped, this truth of the function which the Holy Ghost graciously assumes in the matter of prayer, easily disposes of some popular errors.
1. Praying to the Holy Spirit - If the Holy Spirit is in us, and is Himself the moving power and inditer of our prayers, then obviously to address our prayers to Him is an incongruity; it is " by Him " that we "have access . to the Father" (Eph.2:18). For addressing the Holy Spirit, Scripture gives us neither precept nor example. Such hymns, therefore, as that commencing, "Come, Holy Spirit, Heavenly Dove," however pious their intention, are not framed in an intelligent apprehension of Christian doctrine. When we address God indefinitely, of course the three Persons of the Trinity are included, but when we pray to the Persons distinctively, it can only be to the Father, or to the Lord Jesus Christ.
2. Forms of Prayer - By parity of reasoning, forms of prayer are quite inconsistent with the office of the Holy Ghost in the church. If He is Himself with us as inditer of our prayers, how unworthy to limit Him to certain forms of words! Suppose the greatest musical genius of the world came to reside with me that I might enjoy his compositions, and I, instead of listening to him, brought out a mean musical box, which could only regale me with its narrow stock of tunes, should I not be insulting my gracious guest? Admitted that we know not what we should pray for as we ought, the remedy is not that wise men should frame forms for us. Our resource is the Holy Spirit who helps our infirmities, condescends to our weaknesses, and intercedes with groans which cannot be uttered. When that Mighty Spirit condescends to undertake this gracious function, what dishonour to Him, what a want of faith, to substitute a dead form for His living guidance!
3. Using the Lord's Prayer - But some think, "However I may distrust my own prayers, and even the Prayer Book, which, though framed by good men, is not inspired; yet in 'the Lord's Prayer' which He Himself ordained - surely we are on safe ground in using that'?" This spirit of reverence for the Lord Jesus is certainly right, but the view expressed is oblivious of the immense change of affairs, consequent on the coming of the Holy Ghost, who, having descended on Christ at His baptism, descended upon the church at Pentecost, and is still here. In giving the prayer of Matthew 6, the Lord was performing the office of Comforter which is now performed by the Holy Spirit. That prayer was absolutely perfect for the time and circumstances for which it was prescribed.
It is not equally applicable to another time and altered circumstances. One or two points will be sufficient to establish this.
(1) The Lord Himself declared that in connection with the coming of the Holy Ghost there would be a change in respect of this very matter of prayer. In John 16, He is speaking of a future day, "When He, the Spirit of truth is come"(v.13), and in verses 23 - 26 deals with the subject of prayer in that day. He says, "Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full ... In that day you will ask in My name" (John 16:24 ,26). Now here we see that the Lord Himself was leading the disciples beyond "the Lord's Prayer" - for in the latter His name is not mentioned, and He tells them that, in the coming era, prayer was to be in His Name.
(2) Another indication of the incongruity of "the Lord's Prayer" to the present time is that its aspiration is for the coming of the kingdom, "Thy kingdom come." This was a proper Jewish hope, suited to the Jewish disciples for whom the prayer was ordained; but the church has an earlier and a brighter hope, even to see and be with the Lord Himself before the kingdom comes (1 Thess.4:16 - 18).
The Lord indeed taught the disciples to pray, and did so perfectly. But the office of Comforter on earth He has now relinquished to the Holy Spirit, to whose guidance therefore we are committed. Let us seek to be "praying in the Holy Spirit" - knowing that the Spirit enters, with fullest, minutest sympathy, into all our infirmities, all our circumstances; and will give us desires, sentiments, and expressions appropriate to every experience, either happy or sad, through which the soul can pass. "The Lord's Prayer" belongs to a past period, before the Spirit had been given. We have the Holy Ghost Himself now, to compose our prayers.
The way in which "the Lord's Prayer" is repeated by some Christians upon all occasions, and sometimes several times over, savours really of superstition, as if there were some charm in the mere repetition of the words.
Read : John 16:13,16,24,26. 1 Corinthians 6:19,20. Ephesians 2:22. Jude 20. Ephesians 6:18. Romans 8:26,27. Ephesians 4:30 ; 2:18 . 1 Corinthians 14:14,15.
What are some of the functions of the Holy Spirit in a believer and in the assembly?
Consider some of the verses which talk about praying in the Holy Spirit and with the Holy Spirit. How does this relate to Romans 8:26,27 where He is said to help our infirmities and make intercession? Why does the Scripture not tell us to address our prayers to the Holy Spirit?
How should a Christian regard a prescribed prayer recitation (such as the "Lord's Prayer") in view of the Holy Spirit indwelling us and inditing our prayers?
Relate a specific personal experience of the help or guidance of the Holy Spirit in your prayer life. If you have never had such an experience perhaps you should examine why.
Spiritual Opposition and Conflict
Satanic Opposition to Prayer
The record about Daniel sheds light upon the hindrances, not so much to prayer, as to the answering of prayer. How many devout supplicants are perplexed at not receiving what they pray for! Well, we find that though the answer to Daniel's prayer was delayed, the delay was not because he was not heard. "Then he said to me, "Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me" (Dan.10:12,13).
Thus, then, there were spiritual impediments, not to Daniel's prayer, not to its being heard and granted, but to the answer reaching him. Here there is good encouragement. For we are apt to suppose that our breath in prayer is lost if an answer is not received at once. But exercise of heart in prayer is never fruitless, though the result may be long delayed. "Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God," was said to Cornelius; and we know not how long he had been kept waiting before Peter was sent to him with the answer: it may have been years (Acts 10). As in Daniel's case, so in Cornelius', and so in ours, there is a time as well as a mode of answering, which rests in the wisdom and grace of God. But so subtle is the working of unbelief that saints often pray and pray earnestly, but yet the last thing that they seem to expect is that God will grant their requests! Old Zacharias had prayed that he might have a son; so it appears from Luke 1:13. He had faith to pray, but not to believe that God would grant his prayer; for when the angel Gabriel tells him that his prayer is heard and that his wife should bear him a son, instead of rejoicing and worshipping, he asks, "How shall I know this?" But our God is very gracious; for this unbelief He chastens Zacharias with dumbness for a season, yet does not withdraw compliance with his petition. Prayer is a great reality, and we know not what unseen transactions are taking place over supplications which we suppose to have been unnoticed or unheard; but let us be assured that if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us. The case of Zacharias is an instance of what perhaps often occurs - that saints are in their faith and hope not up to the level of their own prayers.
Satan Still in the Heavenlies
But in the account of Daniel's praying, what a curtain is uplifted from unseen things! Many suppose that above this world all is good. But Scripture lets us know that there are principalities, authorities, and spiritual powers of wickedness in the heavenlies, with whom, indeed, we are in conflict (Eph.6:12). Does it seem strange that wicked spirits should be there? The explanation is that there has been sin amongst spiritual creatures as well as in man, and that indeed before man existed. For we find that when only just ushered upon the platform of creation he is confronted by an insidious foe already in existence - that old serpent, the devil. However, man, the material being, though having sinned, has not yet been cast out of the earth, which is the home of his nature; he is still tolerated here, though in rebellion against God, and though he has risen up against, and crucified, the Son of God. Now heaven is the habitat of spiritual beings, as the earth is of material; and the spirits which have sinned are not yet expelled from the heavens, any more than man from the earth.[3]
So there are opposed beings in the angelic sphere. One of them obstructed for twenty - one days the heavenly messenger sent to Daniel. The hinderer is designated - the prince of the kingdom of Persia - while Michael, one of the chief princes, is The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people," that is, Israel (Dan.12:1). But there will come a time when there will be open war in heaven, resulting in Satan's expulsion thence with his angels, even then not receiving their final doom, which is the lake of fire, but being cast into the earth (Matt.25:41; Rev.12). It was this event which the Lord looked forward to, and saw in prophetic vision, when He said to His disciples, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven" (Luke 10:18 ). The Seventy had returned from their mission with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name"; and this casting out of demons from their lodgement in mankind was but an earnest of the grander dispossession which should take place when Satan and his angels should be cast out of heaven (Rev.12:7 - 9).
In the meanwhile, Satan and his hosts, not yet in confinement, still ranging the heavenlies (he is the prince of the power of the air, Eph.12), are incessantly seeking to thwart the purposes of God. Man, rejecting every divine testimony, plays into Satan's hands. The believer, however, is delivered from the power of darkness (Col.1:13), is no longer under Satan's authority, as once he was; but being, on the contrary, associated with Christ, he becomes the object of Satan's antagonism. The Christian's eyes are opened to the astounding fact that on the platform of this world a war is in progress against God; and that in this he is called to bear a part, to take a side. "We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the universal lords of this darkness, against spiritual power of wickedness in the heavenlies (Eph.6:12, JND Tn).
Prayer as a Weapon
In this warfare prayer is a distinct weapon, a part of the panoply of God enumerated in Ephesians six. "praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints -- and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel" (v.18,19). Epaphras illustrates prayer as a mode of spiritual conflict. The Authorized Version says, "Epaphras . saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers" (Col.4:12). But the true rendering of the word "labouring" is "combating". It is the same word as, in John 18:36 , is translated "fight" - "then would my servants fight." Prayer, the last mentioned piece in the panoply, is the active expression of the essential principle of the conflict, namely, dependence. Man has no strength against Satan, and, in nature, is his willing slave; and the Christian's resource is to lay hold upon a strength which is divine, and which alone can cope with the power of Satan. Hence the entire subject of the armour, and the believer's conflict, is introduced by laying down the foundation principle, "Be strong in the Lord, and in the might of his strength" (Eph.6:10, JND Tn). Man must get back to God, and to the creature's condition of dependence, or he remains the slave of Satan. And the saint must be genuinely cast upon the Lord in the sense of his weakness and dependence if he is to be a victor in the battle.
Read : Daniel 10:12,13. Ephesians 6:10 - 12,18,19. Luke 10:8. Revelation 12:7 - 9. Colossians 1:13 ; 4:12 ,13.
Why is it that answers to some prayers are delayed? Why does God allow these delays?
Why has God allowed Satan and his evil hosts to remain in heaven to oppose the people of God? When will they be cast out?
Discuss prayer as a combat and as part of the spiritual warfare of a Christian.
What are some of the specific steps which you as an individual must take to experience more victory in this spiritual conflict?
Hindrances and Helps to Prayer
Besides opposition to the answering of prayer, there are hindrances to prayer itself.
A Sin Unto Death
For instance, there are cases in which a person might be sick unto death, and yet in which his recovery could not be prayed for. The apostle John says, "If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death" (1 John 5:16 ,17). Upon this the first thing which many will ask will be, What is that awful sin which cannot be prayed for? Well, in the text it is indefinite. The very same act may be a thousand times more culpable in one person than another; and under one set of circumstances than in circumstances of a different character. Ananias and Sapphira told a lie; but they did so in the face of such vivid presence of the Holy Ghost, such light and power and grace, that their lie became a sin unto death: it acquired a peculiar enormity from the special circumstances in which the sin was committed. So Scripture does not define what may or may not be a sin unto death.
There is, however, an underlying principle which requires to be seen, in order to the understanding of this and several similar passages in Scripture. That principle is, that the Lord is now judging in the midst of His saints; and in pursuance of that judgment inflicts chastisement - a chief form of which is sickness, and even death. Scripture furnishes a clear illustration of this in the case of the Corinthians. Not only were gross social vice and sin amongst them, but they were profaning the Supper of the Lord, treating it as a secular feast; and some were even drunken at it. The apostle, on this, tells them that those so doing were eating and drinking judgment to themselves, adding, "For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep ... But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world" (1 Cor.11:30,32). This shows that sickness amongst God's people stands upon special ground. It may be on account of sin, and is thus invested with peculiar significance. The deep moral import of sickness in the church is, it is to be feared, but little seen, and less thought of. Thus illness happens to a Christian, and it is at once assumed to be a mere natural event: or, a Christian dies - cut off in the midst of his days, in the full tide of his work, which is left unfinished around him. Now it is a most solemn reflection that both of these events may be the direct hand of the Lord in judgment. If, however, Christians are not spiritual, they do not take a spiritual view of such happenings. Such events were occurring every day at Corinth, and their spiritual meaning was probably quite unperceived, for the saints there were far from spiritual, as Paul says, "I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal" (1 Cor.3:1). But when God is thus moving in solemn judgment, it would be lack of communion to pray that such souls might live. One led by the Spirit would surely be with God, in the necessary, though solemn, assertion of His holiness amongst His people. The language of John, however, is not absolute; he does not altogether forbid prayer, but - albeit significantly - says, "I do not say that he should pray about that."
Sickness and Prayer
The Epistle of James also treats sickness as connected with sin; but, in cases where there is faith to ask for it, says, "The prayer of faith shall save the sick." "Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the assembly, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up, and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him" (ch.5:14,15, JND Tn). The anointing with oil here, is, of course, Jewish, consistently with the general scope of the Epistle, which is addressed not to the church, but to the twelve tribes of Israel (ch.1:1).
Now these three Scriptures (1 John 5; 1 Cor.11; James 5) distinctly teach that sickness amongst Christians may be an infliction because of sin. If this were more recognized there would be more soul - exercise as to the purpose of God's dealings with us, and increased blessing would result.
One point should be cleared up before leaving the text in 1 John 5. When the apostle says, "There is a sin leading to death," the death he refers to is not eternal separation from God, but that temporal death of the body, which the Lord inflicts on His own as chastisement. This is made clear from 1 Corinthians 11:32, where Paul says, "When we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world." God's people are judged now; the world will be judged by and bye. Contrast the case of Ananias and Sapphira already referred to, with that of Simon in the eighth of Acts. In both cases the parties sinned, and sinned deeply. Ananias and Sapphira were judged with death. But Simon was perceived to be "poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity"; i.e. really an unchanged man, notwithstanding his nominal belief and his baptism. He is left to be judged with the world; while in the case of Ananias and his wife, awful as was their judgment, it was but temporal judgment and there is no reason to infer that their spirits will not be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus (1 Cor.5:5).
It ought not to be supposed, however, that illness, or indeed, other afflictions, are always chastisements. The branch that bears fruit is purged that it may bring forth more fruit (John 15). And in the case of Job, the grand mistake of Job's friends was to suppose that because of his terrible affliction, he must have committed some grievous sins. God allowed Job to be afflicted with painful and humiliating ills for his ultimate blessing, and so he does with many a saint today. He may send sickness, bereavements, setbacks, to break down the flesh, to wean us from the world, to produce brokenness of our wills, and spirituality, or to give warning to the believer where there is lack of carefulness in walk, or incipient departure from the Lord.
Marital Hindrances
The prayer of husband and wife may be hindered, as is taught in 1 Peter 3:7, which should be read thus, "Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered" (v.7). If the husband do not honour the wife as a co - heir of eternal life, communion in prayer must be hindered, and the effect lost of united prayer.
Moral Hindrances
James gives several moral hindrances to prayer. First, there is "double-mindedness"; no real godly earnestness or definiteness of purpose. "For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord" (ch.1:5 - 8). Second, asking amiss. "You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures" (ch.4:3). The word "pleasures," given in the margin of the Authorized Version is correct. It is not "lusts," but "pleasures" - and that, not necessarily bad pleasures. What is contemplated is self - pleasing, the mere desire of the natural mind; God's glory or our own spiritual profit, not considered at all; and God's people (see succeeding verse) living in friendship with the world, which is, spiritually, adultery.
The relation, however, to successful prayer, of the moral condition of supplicants, may be appropriately looked at later on when considering "Promises to Prayer."
Helps to Prayer
In connection with opposition and hindrances, let us take notice of a great and substantial aid to prayer, namely, thanksgiving. "In everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God" (Phil.4:6). "Persevere in prayer, watching in it with thanksgiving " (Col . 4:2). Probably the advantage of thanksgiving as an aid to the soul is not fully seen. How often when the well of prayer seems dried, thanksgiving will cause the stream to flow! The recollection of mercies received, and blessings in possession, refreshes the soul; begets the sense that we are in communion with a giving God; and imparts new courage to approach Him with our requests. How many answers are received to prayers gone by, which are not recognized as answers, because in the interval the very prayers that were made are forgotten! Thus is lost to the soul opportunity for praise and thanksgiving; a loss of happy and profitable exercise: but besides that, it is a failure in what is becoming towards God. Is it a fit thing to receive a gift and not return thanks? Between man and man it is a breach of manners; and that God takes notice of such failure towards Him is certain from the case of the ten lepers (Luke 17:11 - 19). Only one of the ten who had been cleansed returned to give thanks, and how touching is the comment of the Lord! "Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?" God looks for our gratitude, and that not only in the heart, but the positive expression of it; expression too, not merely in general way, but definitely as to definite instances. Praise is "pleasant", and "beautiful" (Ps.147:1). A thankful soul is a happy soul. We can never get into circumstances where we have not cause for thanksgiving, and thanksgiving naturally leads to prayer.
Reading God's Word
Another aid and stimulus to prayer is private reading - reading God's Word itself, and the valuable written ministry which in the present day He has supplied to His children so abundantly as to be within reach of all. Such reading, in a proper spirit, begets prayer. It awakes the sense of need, encourages confidence towards God, leading to prayer, with blessing as the consequence. In the Word, God is speaking to us; in prayer we are speaking to Him - in both together, the circle of communion with God is completed. Neither will do without the other. The Christian who prays without the Word tends to become mystic. He who reads much without a corresponding measure of prayer, will get his head stocked with barren knowledge, but his soul will be shrivelled.
Read : 1 John 5:16,17. 1 Corinthians 11:31,32. James 1:5 - 8; 43; 5:14 ,15. 1 Peter 3:7. Psalm 66:18. Proverbs 28:9. Philippians 4:6,7. Colossians 4:2,3. Luke 17:11 - 19.
Contrast the sin unto death for which prayer is not to be made (1 John 5:16 ,17) with the prayer of faith to prevent death in James 5:14 ,15. How do we distinguish when to pray and when not to pray in such cases?
In what ways are bad family relationships a hindrance to prayer? (1 Peter 3:7).
Discuss the hindrances to prayer mentioned by James. Also those mentioned in other Scriptures.
Why is thanksgiving such a great aid to prayer?
What is the greatest hindrance to your prayer life? How can you overcome this hindrance?
Promises to Prayer
The promises to prayer, of which the following are some of the more prominent, are, in general, dependent on specified conditions:
"And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive" (Matt.21:22). The condition attached to this verse is believing. It will be said that believing, or faith, is necessary to all prayer. Though this is true, Scripture recognizes specific faith about a specific thing. Thus one of the subjects of the miracles had faith to be healed [4] (Acts 14:9); and it is expressly taught in 1 Corinthians 12:9 that there is a distinct spiritual gift of faith which some have, and some have not - a gift alluded to in chapter 13, where Paul corrects the tendency to glory in gifts. "Though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing" (1 Cor.13:2). It is perhaps to this special character of faith that the Lord refers when He says, "whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them" (Mark 11:24 ). Genuine, divinely - given faith, not mystical or fancied faith, is what is here meant. Probably many have experimented upon this promise, only to be disappointed. Mahomet, it is said, audaciously commanded a mountain to come to him, and when his folly was manifested to all, tried to evade humiliation by saying, "If the mountain will not come to Mahomet, Mahomet will go to the mountain." But the promises of God, and the power of His Spirit, are not bestowed to be the subject of curious experiment, or the means of subserving private ends.
Further, the application of some of the promises in the Gospels was primarily to the apostles, however much the principle of them may extend to the humblest disciple. Take, for example, the promise we are considering. This, as well as the parallel passage in Mark 11, stands in relation to the incident of the barren fig - tree. The fig - tree was a type of Israel , to whom the Lord had come seeking fruit but finding none. He pronounced it fruitless forever. That is a picture of Israel after the flesh, producing only the leaves of profession. Any fruit - bearing must be from the living One - "Your fruit is found in Me" (Hosea 14:8). In connection with this the Lord says, "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done. And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive" (Matt.21:21,22). Now as the fig - tree symbolized Israel , in the character of fruit - bearer, so "mountain" here represents Israel as a political system, and accordingly as an answer to the faith of the apostles, Israel has been cast into the sea of the nations, and politically lost.
Still the promise in all its fulness is there, for faith to act upon. It is a large one, and its only limit is the reality of the faith which employs it. If God give faith He will as certainly give that to which the faith extends.
Abiding
"If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you" (John 15:7). This promise is equally large, and probably also meant for the apostles primarily - though the general principle may be applicable to all. But the limitation is a moral one. Even apostles, to whom the mighty work of inaugurating Christianity was entrusted, could not exercise their great powers as mere power - that is, apart from moral principle and purpose. Paul, for example, with all his mighty powers of healing, says, "Trophimus I have left in Miletus sick" (2 Tim.4:20). God had His own purpose in Trophimus' affliction, a purpose which might have been marred by the uncalled - for interposition of a miracle. And on Paul's part, his powers of miracles were not given him to be used at random, or at his own will, but in the service of his Master. So also with the church at Corinth . They came behind in no gift; they had miracles and gifts of healing; yet under God's chastening hand - not to be interfered with - many were sick and many died (1 Cor.1:7; 11:30 - 32; 12:28). It is indeed the same principle as that which, already mentioned under the heading of "Hindrances to Prayer," may in some cases, restrain prayer for the recovery of the sick. An unspiritual person influenced by blind sympathy might pray for his raising up, while one more in the secret of communion with God, would discern that such a request was not the mind of the Spirit. So also, the large power of prayer in our text, "ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you" is guarded by the moral conditions "if you abide in Me, and My words abide in you," conditions which involve not only godliness, but spirituality. If the words of Christ abide in one, they form the heart and mind. They suggest the motives, govern the conscience, and in this happy condition of the soul its requests naturally flow in the line of His revealed mind. Its instincts are correct, its desires according to His will, according to His "words".
Good Conscience
"For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight" (1 John 3:20 - 22). Here there are conditions of great importance: a practical conduct pleasing to God, and an uncondemning heart - a good conscience. These are imperative for intercourse with a holy God. False, imaginary deities may accept a compromise, such as penance or gifts. God must have the judgment of evil, in all those who draw near to Him. It is the same with prayer as with worship; there can be neither where there is defilement. "Holiness adorns Your house, O LORD, forever," is an abiding principle (Ps. 93:5). And again, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear" (Ps.66:18). But how blessed that God has provided for all the exigencies of His people in a defiling scene; and hence it is ordained that, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." When there is so simple a way of discharge, why should any walk with a burdened conscience? An upright and honest confession, and we are not only forgiven but cleansed. As Elihu says of the soul that has been brought to the moral judgment of itself, "He shall pray to God, and He will delight in him, He shall see His face with joy, For He restores to man His righteousness"(Job 33:26). The importance of this good conscience in connection with prayer is shown by the fact that Scripture links it even with asking the prayers of others, "Pray for us; for we are confident that we have a good conscience, in all things desiring to live honorably" (Heb.13:18). "The prayer of the upright" is indeed the Lord's delight (Prov.15:8); and it is the prayer of "the righteous" (in James 5:16 ) that is said to have much power.
Our text, however, though equivalent to a promise, is not exactly so in form. It is rather a positive statement that, given certain conditions, we do receive whatsoever we ask, and the conditions show very plainly that success in prayer depends upon a godly life, an uncondemning heart as an inward state, and obedience ("keep his commandments") as an outward manifestation and test of the state.
But in the verses which precede, there are some interesting points to notice, "My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him"(1 John 3:18 ,19). First, knowing "that we are of the truth" (v.19), does not mean knowing that we are Christians - which has been taken to be the sense; for the persons addressed were written to because they were Christians; because they knew the Father; because their sins were forgiven them for His name's sake (1 John 2:12,13). But, being exhorted to love not "in word, or in tongue, but in deed and in truth," the apostle adds, "by this we know that we are of the truth." This is, that we are actually walking in the truth; that we are possessed by, we are, "of, the truth." Love in deed and love in truth, gives us this consciousness and assurance of heart before God. We cannot enjoy it otherwise. If there are matters between us and God, it is useless to ignore them. God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. But if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God, and receive whatsoever things we ask, because we keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. It is not a question of being, or not being, children of God; it is a question of the children being on terms of happy confidence with their Father. If I owe a man a debt which I ought to have paid, there must be constraint on meeting him, but if there is nothing between us, and I believe in his generosity, I can confidently go to him with a request. Beautiful, happy condition for the soul to be in with God! This passage is a weighty one for the conscience of the believer, but its practical use has been much lost sight of through the misapplication just mentioned. The test is not as to whether we be children of God. It is one for saints to apply to their actual condition of soul. Are we thus before our God that with an uncondemning heart, we are in communion with Him, and, as a fact, habitually receiving His answers to our prayers?
Secondly, the apostle says, "let us not love in word or in tongue." This looks like tautology, but is not so. The term "logos," here translated "word," is of much wider signification than our "word." In English "let us not love in word or in tongue," certainly is repetition. But this word "logos" means, in Greek, not merely the word by which thought is expressed, but the thought itself. So that the force of what the apostle says is, that we are not to love in theory (or thought), neither in mere language ("in tongue"), but in deed and in truth.
For there is a pietistic state, by no means rare, in which emotions and thoughts are enjoyed, the truth intellectually delighted in, but without fruition. Love as a theory is held to be very beautiful - but is not practised. The heart deceives itself. This is loving in thought merely. The text in question is the converse of 1 Corinthians 13. There Paul treats of works without love; here it is, as it were, love without works, that is, mere sentimentality. But our passage crushes both of these errors: not only condemns love without deeds, but also deeds without love. It requires deeds, but the deeds must be from love; that is, not in theory, nor in talk, but in acts and in truth. Our God is love, and that alone will satisfy Him in His children - love "in deed and in truth." How penetrating is the word of God, exposing every mode in which the heart would either deceive itself or deceive others! It is sharper than a two - edged sword, laying bare the thoughts and intents of the heart. Many, in reading these verses, have supposed that the language was mere repetition; that it is not so only shows the wisdom which underlies every word of inspiration.
According to His Will
"Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him" (1 John 5:14,15). We have already seen that the formative power in the heart, of the words of Christ dwelling there, and an upright uncondemning heart with confidence in God, are the conditions of successful prayer. In the present verses, all that is assumed. It is supposed that we are asking according to His will, and what we have here is that, so asking, God always hears us. "He is not like man, often occupied so that he cannot listen, or careless so that he will not."[5] It is a precious and wonderful thing for the creature, man, notwithstanding the fall, to be so restored to moral harmony with God as to be able, under the guidance of the Spirit, to ask according to His omniscient will. We do not read that angels have this privilege. They "do His word, heeding the voice of His word" (Ps.103:20), but the intimacy with God which prayer affords is, apparently, conferred upon man only. Surely this bestowment is a proof of God's desire that man should enjoy communion with Himself. Do we prize this privilege as we should?
But our spirits are not always up to this level, and we have already seen that Romans 8:26 - 28 recognizes this case. We know not what we should pray for as we ought; but the Spirit helpeth our infirmities. And He who searches our hearts knows how to take up all that is of His own Spirit in those hearts. As to the result, "we know" that all things work together for good to them that love God. And this gives peace whether our requests are granted or not. So we are not to restrain prayer because we are not on the highest plane of communion. On the contrary it is our privilege "in everything" to let our requests be made known unto God (Phil.4:6). An instructive example of this is Paul's prayer about the thorn in the flesh (2 Cor.12:8,9). For this thing he besought the Lord that it might depart from him. But his prayer was not in the intelligence of God's mind, who had a better thing in store for Paul, which Paul would have lost had his request been granted. The believer may indeed, as a chastisement, receive that which in unbrokenness he clamours for, but the result will not be happiness - as we read, "He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul" (Ps.106:15). To present our requests, with submission, is, however, always our privilege. The example of Paul shows this. He besought the Lord for his desire not once only, but thrice. In result, such submission was wrought in his soul that ultimately he took pleasure in the very infirmities of which he had implored the removal. A discontented and unsubject heart may reproach God with not answering its prayers; but in the retrospect of eternity, how much cause for praise may be discovered in the requests which our gracious God now refuses to grant.
So far from restraining prayer, we really need more frankness with God. Scripture amply warrants this, and it is illustrated by the case of good Ananias (Acts 9:10 - 17). The Lord sends him to Saul of Tarsus to receive him after his conversion. But Ananias has a difficulty in his mind, and with beautiful simplicity and reverence, he lays it before the Lord. "And Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard from many concerning this man how much evil he has done to thy saints at Jerusalem; and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call upon thy name. And the Lord said to him, Go, for this man is an elect vessel to me, to bear my name before both nations and kings and the sons of Israel ... and Ananias went." The Lord, it will be observed, does not in the least reprove Ananias; and the incident left on record thus surely gives encouragement to us to tell the Lord with reverential intimacy about all our difficulties. Indeed this episode, and that of Paul in 2 Corinthians 12, previously referred to, are strikingly similar as precedents for freeness, yet reverence, of communion; and withal of perfect submission. The two instances are remarkably alike in tone and spirit.
In Philippians we are authorized to bring all our requests to God. "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (4:6,7). But here it is noticeable that the promise is not, as in 1 John 3:22, that we receive whatsoever we ask. But, having laid our requests with submission before Him, His peace keeping our hearts and minds, is the present effect. As to the requests, if He does not grant them, it is because He has for us something better. His child should not wish what is contrary to His will. But there is a higher example than Paul - even Jesus in Gethsemane. Not indeed, as so often in our own case, of prayer below the highest level - for even in that dark hour His communion was perfect - but here, as Man, He lays the incomparable exercises of His heart before God, mentioning something which He would desire if only compatible with the divine will. Spreading out the agony of His soul in prayer, He exclaims, "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will" (Matt.26:39). Here is perfection - alike in His communion as a Man with the Father about the appalling prospect before Him, and also, notwithstanding the prospect, in the absolute surrender of Himself to the Father's will, the Father's purpose. Yea, we need more frankness and confidence in our communion with God. "Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us" (Ps.62:8).
Agreement of Two or Three
"Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them" (Matt.18:19,20). The promise in this verse is peculiar; it is to united prayer. The essence of this promise lies in the assured presence of the Lord Himself with only two gathered in His name. The agreement in prayer of such a gathering is promised to be acceded to by the Father. But we have already looked at this in previous pages. The promises in John 14 and 16 are to prayers in Christ's name, and may be realized by the individual in his closet. The promise here, however, is to the concurrence in prayer of even only two "gathered together in His name."
Elijah's Prayer
Prayer in James presents most interesting features. First, there is the encouragement to prayer which the Holy Spirit addresses to our hearts by reminding us that Elias who wrought so wondrously was a man of like passions to ourselves (ch.5:17,18); as if to say, "There is an example for you; see what is open to you!" Secondly, James, by the Holy Spirit, makes a positive revelation of facts in Elijah's history, which otherwise we should not have known. The Historical Books give us the outward acts of Elijah; James reveals the process which brought them about. Elijah's first introduction to us is in 1 Kings 17:1, where the great drama of his exploits is opened with the simple statement that he "said unto Ahab," "As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word." This is the first mention of Elijah. Nothing is said of him but that he was a Tishbite of Gilead. Who he was; how it happened that this person with no official authority - no locus standi - should thrust himself into the presence of the king, and make such a dread announcement, the history does not say. But there is a great underlying principle. It is that when the official representation of God is false, God's Spirit will raise up a witness from outside. It is ever so. "When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him" (Isa.59:19). And there is nothing in which God's sovereignty is more displayed than in the instruments He chooses. When the civil rule is apostate, and eight hundred false prophets are loud in the land, He will act by whom He will. Now James reveals the secret of Elijah's surprising action. That secret was communion with God. "Elias was a man of like passions to us, and he prayed with prayer that it should not rain; and it did not rain upon the earth three years and six months; and again he prayed, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth caused its fruit to spring forth" (James 5:17,18).
Thus the Old Testament gives us the magnificent public action; James, the prayer on which it was based. This secret dealing of God with His servants is His constant way. David slays the lion and the bear, making experience of the power of God where no one sees him, ere he wields the weapon of faith before the armies of Israel. Moses, a learned man, has with "all that weight of learning," to pass forty years keeping a flock in the desert, before he is used to face Pharaoh and deliver Israel. And Elijah's proceedings, which read like the intrepid actings of a hero, are shown to be the product of prayer; and when afterwards his communion falls in its level, he is discovered as a man of like passions with ourselves, for the prophet who could boldly confront the majesty of the king flees for his life at the threat of the king's wife. This shows that it is only as sustained by God that we can act for Him. "Without me, you can do nothing."
Thirdly. The example of Elijah is given by James as both illustration and proof of a general principle, namely, that "the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much" (ch.5:16 AV). But this translation is admitted to be unsatisfactory. That a prayer which is "effectual" avails much is a truism. If it is effectual it avails completely, and it is anti - climax to say that it avails much when it is already admitted to avail perfectly. Mr Darby's translation gives, "The fervent (or, operative) supplication of a righteous man has much power," which is closer to the original than either the Authorized or the Revised Version. Probably the essential points of the Scripture are: (a) That the supplicant is a righteous man; (b) that his prayer is energetic; not a listless, pathetic, indolent performance, but the prayer of one who means it - as Paul on one occasion speaks of himself as "night and day, praying exceedingly," etc. (1 Thess.3:10); or as Jacob on another occasion, "I will not let You go unless You bless me." (c) That prayer of this character has indeed much power. This is the moral which the apostle James enforces.
Healing the Sick
Fourthly. Prayer in connection with sickness. A system has arisen and been much noised about, which takes the name of "Faith - healing." This, while ostensibly based upon James five, is little short of a pretense to miraculous powers. The published writings on the subject include gross false doctrine, which will not here be examined.
But a brief indication of the real bearings of the Scripture in question may perhaps be profitable. The passage is as follows: "Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much" (v.14 - 16).
Now in these verses we have at the outset a defining note which restrains the application of the passage beyond a certain limit. The application is expressly to the sick "among you" that is, the assembly of God's people. This Scripture therefore affords no warrant for a popular system of semi - miraculous cures administrated to all and sundry. Sickness amongst God's people stands on special ground. It is sometimes on account of sin, as we have seen; and this passage in James recognizes that the sickness about which the elders were sent for might be such, for it says, "If he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him." Not that this would be always so; but if so, his sins should be forgiven him.
Again, so far from a public proclaimed system of healing, this was essentially private. The sick one was to send for the elders of the church, and they were to pray over him.
Further, it might, or might not, be that the patient would himself have faith to be healed. The faith - healers imperatively require such faith; Scripture does not. The prayer spoken of in James is the prayer of the elders, and in reference to this it is said, "The prayer of faith shall save the sick." It may be easily supposed that the sick one would himself Join in the prayer, and that, with more or less assurance of faith - but it was the " prayer of faith " that carried efficacy.
Finally, nothing could be more outside the scope of the passage in James than the popular notion of faith - healing. The case contemplated in James is clearly one of a very serious nature, where death is imminent; and so also in 1 John 5. The idea of the Scripture being used as a substitute for medicines which God has provided in nature is not only unwarranted, but is contrary to the scriptural and apostolic principle of using remedies for ailments (see both 2 Kings 20:7, and 1 Tim.5:23). It is theological quackery.
Read : Matthew 18:19,20; 21:22. John 15:7. 1 John 3:21,22; 5:14,15. James 5:14 - 18. John 14:13,14.
In considering the above promises to prayer, discuss at least three of them and the condition attached to each.
Contrast a person abiding in Christ and surrendered to Him with a carnal Christian. Why is it so difficult for the latter to lay hold of God's promises by faith?
What is involved in asking according to God's will as stated in 1 John 5:14,15?
What are some of the lessons we learn about prayer from Elijah in James 5:16 - 18?
What promise about prayer means the most to you personally. Why?
Prayer in the Name of Christ
"And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full . In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God" (John 16:23 - 27). Has the reader ever noticed how a letter - knowledge of Scripture may sometimes hinder its spiritual apprehension? Perhaps it is thus with the expression, "in my name," so familiar as a phrase, yet its power so slightly understood. The fact is that prayer in the name of the Lord Jesus is one of the special distinctions of the present day of grace. The Lord indicates this by the statement, " Until now you have asked nothing in My name," and thus marks off our position in prayer from that of God's people in the past. Whether Abraham in Genesis 18, or Solomon at the dedication of the temple, Daniel in Babylon, or Hezekiah (2 Kings 19:15), each addressed God suitably according to the character, or the relationship, in which He was known. But the revelation of the divine nature was then only partial. Jesus, however, revealed the Father - yet, until the coming of the Holy Ghost, the disciples' comprehension of that revelation, as of much that He taught, was obscure. In the 16th chapter of John, however, the Lord is about to go away. He had already taught them to pray to God as their Father, but naming Him only by description, as "Our Father who art in heaven"; now, he announces a new thing, based on His ascension. They would approach the Father in His name, that is, not now one distantly described as "in heaven" (for He had not as yet shown them plainly of the Father, John 16:25), but One fully known as The Father: even as John states, I write to you, little children, Because you have known the Father" (1 John 2:13).
Praying in His name involves these points:
(1) Our title of access to the Father Himself. (2) That so approaching the Father we come in all the potency, all the value, of the name of the Lord Jesus. (3) That the Holy Spirit has come, and gives us, not only consciousness of our position as sons with the Father (Gal.4:6), but spiritual capacity to use this new privilege - we have access through Christ, by the Spirit to the Father (Eph.2:18).
This, it will be seen, is a deeper thing than the verbal tacking on the Lord's name as a form at the end of a prayer. Delightful, gracious way, in which the Lord puts it! "I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; for the Father Himself loves you." He, as it were, introduces us to the Father; and that in the tactful manner of one who would place us at ease in the atmosphere of the Father's love. Would that we realized more the immense power of our position with the Father, and the value of the name of Jesus in which to draw near! All this, it will be observed, depends upon the vast change implied in the words "because I go to the Father" (John 14:12). Man in His person would be entering into a position in which man had never been before; and He labours to convey to their minds what would be its significance for them.
The Negative Side
So far, as to the privilege and power of His name given to us for our prayers. This is the positive side; but there is also a negative. There is what His name excludes, as well as what it includes. "Whatsoever" is the promise, but that is defined and limited by "in my name." As another has said: "Whatsoever!" Were it alone, it would be boundless, and the Lord would thus have opened the door to all the desires of unbroken will among His people. But He adds, "in my name." This is His limit - the barrier he sets up." [6]
Having the Mind of the Spirit
Now, according to Scripture, what governs the granting of requests under the promise we are discussing is not the subjects of the prayers, but their being in Christ's name, that is, truly in Christ's name. Thus a prayer about gospel - work (which certainly is Christ's "own interest") may be out of harmony with the mind of the Spirit, astray from the Spirit's guidance as to place, time, or other matters, and therefore not truly in Christ's name; while on the other hand, a prayer about family, or business, or other personal needs or circumstances, may be fully under the guidance of the Spirit, and truly presented in Christ's name to the Father.
The real question then is not the subject of prayer, but having the mind of the Spirit about it: that is, whether what I ask about it is that which I can ask in Christ's name. The subject may be the smallest or the greatest, but if one is led by the Spirit to make the request in Christ's name, the prayer so presented will be honoured.
It may relate to any subject - illness, poverty, personal failure, business affairs, difficulties with unreasonable men, yea, everything that affects the pathway of the saint below, just as much as the state of assemblies, the gospel, or missions abroad - for the word is "in everything by prayer and supplication ... let your requests be made known to God" (Phil.4:6). What a deprivation would it be not to have the name of the Lord Jesus in which to go to God about all these things!
Now it is quite true that there is a class of prayer which is above the level of personal needs and circumstances. Examples of this are the magnificent prayer of the church in Acts 4:24 - 30; the two prayers of the apostle Paul in Ephesians (first, in ch.1:16 - 23, and secondly, in ch.3:14 - 21). The great requisite for prayer is to have the mind of the Spirit about the matter in hand, and this can only be acquired by being morally near to the Lord, abiding in Him experimentally. "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you" (John 15:7). Hence the humility, the self - distrust, submissiveness to the divine will, in which spirit only can true prayer be made; but whatever the Father recognizes as in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ will undoubtedly be granted. THERE IS, HOWEVER, NO OTHER NAME IN WHICH TO PRAY.
Read : John 16:23 - 27. Galatians 4:6. Ephesians 2:18. John 14:12-14.
What are some ways in which praying in the Name of Christ differs from prayer in previous dispensations?
Does praying in His Name mean merely tacking His Name on at the end of our prayers? What more is involved in it?
Give some examples of prayers which would not be in Christ's Name.
How does praying in the Name of Christ relate to the Lordship of Christ in your individual life?
Should Prayer Be Addressed to Christ?
Some may be surprised at any doubt on this point; for the instincts of the soul that has been born anew, lead it out frequently in prayer to the Lord Jesus, as well as to the Father. Still the question has been raised, and it may be useful therefore to refer to Scriptures which bear upon the subject.
That which has given rise to doubt is the following verse: "And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you" (John 16:23). Taken as it stands, this would seem conclusive that prayer should not be addressed to the Lord. But the translation is misleading; for two words of differing force in the original are here rendered by the one word "ask." The word rendered "ask" in the first sentence of the verse is erotao; that in the latter sentence is aiteo. Thus, "And in that day you will ask (erotao) me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask (aiteo) the Father in My name He will give you."
The former word (erotao) originally only meant to enquire, and in classic Greek is used in that sense only; but in Hellenistic, or New Testament Greek, it has the same double meaning as our English word "ask," namely, both to enquire and to make request, as in the instances: He asked the way to Richmond: He asked water.
The second word, "aiteo," means only to ask for something. But, "erotao" having two meanings, the question arises, in which of those meanings is it to be taken, in the verse we are considering? and this seems to be indicated by the context, for the Lord had just been answering the enquiries of the disciples; as it says in the nineteenth verse, Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him." Here the word translated "ask" is "erotao." Then He answers their questions, and in verse 23 adds, "In that day ye will not question (erotao) me." And now, passing on to treat of prayer, He leaves the word of double meaning, and employs one which only means to make request (aiteo Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you (aiteo) the Father in my name he will give you." So that when the Lord said, "In that day you shall ask me nothing," He was not forbidding prayer to Himself, but informing them that in a day soon to come they would no longer be interrogating Him. He, indeed, would not be here to be enquired of; He would be at the Father's right hand, and the Holy Spirit would be here to guide them into all truth. This verse therefore may safely be said to give no countenance to the view that prayer may not be made to the Lord Jesus.
Examples of Praying to Christ
Not only, however, does this Scripture furnish no objection against prayer to the Lord, but we have elsewhere in Scripture the highest positive authority for it, namely, Stephen, and the apostle Paul.
"And they stoned Stephen, praying, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And kneeling down, he cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge" (Acts 7:59 ,60).
And the apostle Paul tell us, "a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me" (2 Cor.12:7,8). Besides this there are prayers to which Paul gives utterance in the course of his epistles; and these are addressed both to the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Thus, "Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way unto you: and the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men" (1 Thess.3:11,12, RV). Again, "Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father which loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and stablish you in every good word and work" (2 Thess.2:16,17, RV). Once again, "And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patience of Christ" (2 Thess.15, RV).
To conclude, John 16:23 does not forbid prayer to Christ; and there is ample authority for it in the examples which Scripture records for our instruction.
Read : John 16:23. Acts 7:59 ,60. 2 Corinthians 11:7,8. 1 Thessalonians 3:11,12. 2 Thessalonians 2:16,17.
How do we reconcile John 16:23 with the examples of prayer addressed to the Lord Jesus in other Scriptures mentioned above?
When should we address prayer to the Father and when to the Lord Jesus - or does Scripture give guidance as to this?
What do we learn from those Scriptures where prayer seems to be addressed jointly to the Father and to the Lord Jesus?
Make a list of the five most important things about prayer which you have learned from this study. Opposite each entry, write how you plan to apply this to your own life.
[1] See Luke 3:21; 5:16; 6:12; 9:29; 22:40,41.
[2] John 14:16; Eph.2:22; 1 Cor.6:19, 20; Eph.1:13,14.
[3] That is, speaking generally. There is a class of spiritual beings who, having sinned in a special manner of wickedness, are not at large, but are in confinement, reserved unto the judgment of the great day (Jude 6).
[4] Not that faith was always required in the subject of a miracle, far from it.
[5] J.N.D. Synopsis, Vol. V. on 1 John 5.
[6] From a tract entitled "In My Name," by PJL, Loizeaux Brothers, New York.
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Anton Trubnikov: “Serious tournaments should be held in HMB format”
Organizers of "Battle of the Nations"think of standardization of tournaments according to HMB format. The information was conveyed byAnton Trubnikov, HMBIA President. The first steps will be made in Nuremberg in late spring 2014. "We plan to hold a serious event in Nuremberg (Germany) in May. An international festival and tournament will take place there. This year we want to make it more standardized according to HMB format.…
Competition of “medieval cheerleaders” at “Battle of the Nations”-2014
The 5th anniversary "Battle of the Nations" is promised to be held at a completely new level. Marina Amelokhina, Head of HMBIA PR & marketing committee conveyed the information. In particular, not only combat competitions will follow the principle of open access, but also the ones testing the skill of weapons handling. Contests for the best armor and authentic camp are expected as well. Cheerleading competitions will…
Surprises are expected from “Battle of the Nations” this year
This year both participants and spectators wait for a team able to compete with Team Russia, traditionally considered a favourite, on equals. Sergey Tsymbal, Deputy of HMBIA President for international relations, conveyed the news talking about the chances of teams in different categories. " At the moment, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Poland are the most serious competitors. However, this year we’ll see who will enter the category of…
Woman’s category will appear at “Battle of the Nations”-2014
This year, women will participate in duels at "Battle of the Nations". According to Marina Amelokhina, Head of HMBIA PR & marketing committee, there are more than 10 women among the participants of the championship at the moment, icluding Slavs, Europeans, women from Australia and Argentina. "It’s a new step for "Battle of the Nations", and many are interested in it. Many teams try to join the category, encourage…
“Battle of the Nations”-2014 will offer a separate fair of armourers
Armourers willing to bring their goods to "Battle of the Nations"-2014 will be able to set them out at a medieval fair separately from other goods. Marina Amelokhina, Head of HMBIA PR & marketing committee, conveyed the information. "Since we organize a cultural and sporting event, we focus on craftsmen manufacturing weapons and armor. That’s why we want to offer separate fairs dedicated to HMB equipment and other medieval goods.…
Adrian Russell (Team USA). The man with a brave heart and iron nature
“Never surrender!” This video was shot at the “Battle of the Nations” – 2013 at Aigues-Mortes (France). “21 vs 21” category, Team Russia vsTeam USA. The latest seconds of the battle, there’s one American “survivor” lasts… After the battle… All the Russians were stepping up to Adrian Russell to shake his hand and express their respect after the battle!
A film about “Battle of the Nations” featuring fighters from three continents will be released this year
Marina Amelokhina, Head of HMBIA PR & marketing committee This year we’re making an international documentary film featuring Russians, Ukrainians, Americans and Australians," - said Amelokhina. Previously, similar documentary has been shot by the British about their national team. The film has shown a story of a group of very ordinary people (including a shop assistant, game designer, blacksmith) preparing for the World Championship "Battle of the Nations" …
Organizing committee of “Battle of the Nations-2014″ informs – There are vacancies!
Not much time left before the start of the Jubilee World Championship "Battle of the Nations-2014". Festival organizers receive many letters from participants willing to show their best at the event and become well-known all over the five continents! Nevertheless, we want to remind you that we continue taking applications from: -craftsmen -acoustic medieval group musicians -dancers (men and women) -presenters…
The fifth continent joins “Battle of the Nations-2014″
"Battle of the Nations"-2014 has covered almost the entire world - the participants of the tournament have been joined by the fifth continent, represented by the national team of South Africa. Anton Trubnikov, HMBIA President, conveyed the news. "The guys were in contact with us for a long time and this year they’ve managed to find people and money to have a difficult and serious travel. They…
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Category Archives: Merchandise
Merchandise, Other, Toysadmin
One of the things that has become essential for any website is being compatible with mobile devices. More and more people are using their smart phones as the primary way they view websites and connect to the Internet. When Boulder-Hill.net was first launched this was not necessary. As such, the site has had to play catch up in that aspect.
The site was heavily updated for M.A.S.K. day in 2014, and part of that included a basic mobile mode. Unfortunately, it only included the home page of Boulder-Hill.net, things like the Toys and Figures were not easily accessible. This has always been a bit of a letdown and something I wanted to address.
Recently, I finally had a chance to handle it. With the help of our mysterious technical wizard the site is ready for any mobile visitor. All of the subsections are now accessible, and most have been formatted to run smoothly on a mobile device (the Audio and Video pages still have some work to be done). On top of all that, the site can now be saved in a stand alone app mode on Android and iPhones.
But that’s not all folks! We also have some new goodies. First up is some great photos of the box for the M.A.S.K. RV, Slingshot. That also means that the only toy from Series 2 left without box photos is Volcano, we’re getting closer! While in retrospect a recreational van might not be the coolest toy for a kid, Slingshot was a great vehicle because it had excellent mechanized action and a second vehicle inside.
The other item coming up on the site today is actually kind of rare and interesting. We all know the bright red boxes with beautiful artwork that the toys came packed in. But how did those boxes make it to the toy stores? Kenner had their own shipping boxes, and those boxes were specifically designed for each toy. I recently acquired the shipping box for the Adventure Pack line, and it is now up on the Merchandise section of the site.
With that, this update will wrap up. There is still a stack of toys and merchandise to photograph, so more updates will certainly come.
Christmas Time – The M.A.S.K. Way
Merchandise, News, Toysadmin
Thirty years ago, if you wanted M.A.S.K. toys you couldn’t go on eBay and type in a few key words and have them magically appear in front of you. The options were a lot more limited. Kids could either drag their parents into a toy or department store, or, they could look through one of the big Christmas catalogs that were put out each year. Unfortunately, we can’t still order from them. But as a Christmas treat, I am happy to present the Montgomery Ward Christmas Gifts ’85 catalog M.A.S.K. pages!
Seeing these catalog pages really makes you wish for a time machine. Who wouldn’t want to sleep in their M.A.S.K. sleeping bag, or eat a bowl of cereal wearing M.A.S.K. pajamas. At least we can enjoy these pictures. With that said, merry Christmas and a happy new year, see you in 2016!
30 Years of M.A.S.K.!
Figures, Media, Merchandise, News, Toysadmin
Thirty years ago today, M.A.S.K. made its television today. Flash forward to present day and it seems unlikely that the creators imagined people would still be collecting the toys and watching the show. It seems just as unlikely that this site is six years old. If you visited Boulder-Hill.net last year you probably remember that the M.A.S.K. Day update was a big one, hopefully this year does not disappoint.
Merchandiseadmin
Today is actually my birthday, so I thought I would give myself a small gift. Another piece of the M.A.S.K. merchandise machine. These cheap paper party masks came in packs of eight and are designed to look like Matt Trakker’s Spectrum visor (you might have to use your imagination to see it, production quality on this item is low). As many will recall, the elastic string used to hold cheap masks on children’s faces was never comfortable, these are no exception. If you would like to see a larger image of these party masks click on over to the Merchandise page.
That is all for this update, but keep your eyes peeled, the 30th anniversary of M.A.S.K. is fast approaching and there is plenty in store!
“There he goes again Matt, not making any sense!”
Media, Merchandiseadmin
To be perfectly candid, 2015 has not afforded as much time for Boulder-Hill.net and M.A.S.K. so far. With the aim of changing that, let’s take a look at some new stuff that has come across the digital desk.
If you keep up with Agents of M.A.S.K., you know I made an appearance on MASKast, along with Bill – from Matt-Trakker.com. The four of us had a great discussion about the Series 2 toy line. If you subscribe to the MASKast podcast you have undoubtedly heard the show already, but for anyone who does not follow MASKast (you really should!) the episode has now been added to the Boulder-Hill.net Audio archive.
On a more vintage note, if you were a kid in the ’80s you probably had a chance to play with Colorforms. If you don’t know what they are here is a quick crash course from Wikipedia:
Colorforms are paper-thin, die-cut vinyl sheet images and shapes that are meant to be applied to a shiny plastic laminated board, much like placing paper dolls against a paper backdrop. The images stick to the background by adhesion, which takes place when two highly polished surfaces come in contact. The Colorforms vinyl pieces can be repositioned to create new designs and scenarios.
The set that was acquired for Boulder-Hill.net is actually still sealed. While this is great from a collecting standpoint, it means that there won’t be any pictures of the contents at this point. At some point another – opened – wet will become available and Boulder-Hill.net will be sure to snatch it up. If you want to see a large image of the Colorform box point your browser to our Merchandise page.
Check back very soon for another update full of more M.A.S.K. goodness!
Hot off the presses!
Merchandise, News, Otheradmin
We had a mini milestone recently. Boulder-Hill.net passed 200 Likes on Facebook. To that, thank you to everyone who has clicked and reposted and shared, things like that help keep the site growing.
Boulder-Hill.net was contacted a while back by David Guivant. David is, among other things, an independent film maker and a M.A.S.K. fan! And he has been hard at work creating his own M.A.S.K. film and was kind enough to share some information with Boulder-Hill.net. And so, better late than never (sorry David!), here are the words and ideas of David Guivant.
"Post-production on my latest new project : Mobile • Armored • Strike • Kommand (Live action) has begun, inspired by THE 1980s hit cartoon and famous toyline M . A . S . K.
A very ambitious and non-profit project indeed as for those who are not familiar with the M.A.S.K franchise, this adventure is a cross between GIJOE and FAST & FURIOUS. Some other insight on the storyline which will take place many years after the first season of M.A.S.K and Scott is going through college, fans can expect some updated vehicles as well as a new and more compact T-BOB.
Principal photography already ended and the project is slated for a Dec 2016 release.
I also received a mail of praise from Joe Del Beato, original inker on the M.A.S.K comic book from DC Comics and Doug Stone (Original voice for Matt Trakker) also gave it’s blessing and is amazed that M.A.S.K is still popular after so many years."
Good luck David, it looks like you’ve taken on an amazing an ambitious project!
There is never a lack of things to post when it comes to M.A.S.K., despite the show being nearly thirty years old. This time, the new addition will find a home in our Merchandise section. Some time back, a set of M.A.S.K. party accessories made their way onto the site. Now they are joined by the party mask! Although it is M.A.S.K., it is hard to pretend these are anything other than a cheaply made product hoping to earn someone an easy buck. The masks are printed on cardboard and vaguely resemble the eye visor for Matt’s Spectrum mask. Despite the cheapness, it’s still M.A.S.K.! And so it will always find a home Boulder-Hill.net.
In more exciting news, a new G.I. Joe figure was just announced: General Mayhem! And as you can guess, it’s an update to Miles Mayhem. The news was revealed to us by GIJoeCon.com. The figure looks pretty great and will be a perfect pairing for Agent Trakker!
And to the faithful readers of Boulder-Hill.net, sorry about the delay for Bulldog. It’s coming soon, promise!
Odds ‘n’ Ends
Merchandise, Otheradmin
The backlog in the ‘M.A.S.K. Museum’ has started to get a little overwhelming, so it is time to make a tiny dent. As is always the case when things back up, other aspects of life have taken the front seat. But never fear, Boulder-Hill.net will always steer itself back on course!
For today, we have a few pieces that have trickled in over the past days, weeks, and yes, even months. First up is an original vintage M.A.S.K. enamel pin. The back does not have a date, but you can tell it is old. The front features, simply, the M.A.S.K. logo. For a close up view, head over to the Merchandise page of the site.
Second, M.A.S.K. was for kids, and what kid doesn’t love to color?! The Boulder-Hill.net archive is now the proud owner of three original M.A.S.K. coloring books. They are titled: Blackout, Highway to Danger and The Book of Power. Any fan of M.A.S.K. will notice these titles are lifted from episodes from the show (although in the show it was called Highway to Terror). And it should come as no surprise that the interiors feature stories based on these same episodes. Full sized images of the books can also be found on the Merchandise page.
The third, and final piece of today’s update is to let readers in on the other project that has been consuming much of the little spare time I have. Along with my brothers, we have launched the Cartoon Express Podcast. The show is dedicated to watching and reviewing cartoons we enjoyed as kids (and maybe a little older). In our most recent episode we covered M.A.S.K., episode 11, The Magma Mole. If you want to listen to three brothers dish it out and debate cartoons then you should definitely check it out. The website is http://cartoonexpress.net and you can find the podcast directly on iTunes as well.
That is going to wrap things up for today. Hopefully the post-holiday lull will create more free time, which translates into more Boulder-Hill.net time!
Old art, meet new art!
Art, Merchandiseadmin
Now that M.A.S.K. Day is over and the craziness has died down things can go back to their regular, calm pace. Today’s post is to put up a new piece of art by the the master draftsman, Darren Gregson. A fan favorite for sure, his newest work is of the M.A.S.K. big rig – Rhino.
This new work of Darren’s will be joining his others on the Artwork page, where you can also see it in full size!
The other addition today comes to us from back in the 1980s, when M.A.S.K. was first in production. This is an original pencil drawing from the production of the second season of M.A.S.K., commonly known as the Racing Series. The image shows Matt Trakker in his Goliath uniform and Boris ‘The Czar’ Bushkin in his only outfit, for Bulldog (or Bulldoze for those in Europe). This pencil drawing is from the original animation process, this is not a reproduction! The full size image has been added to the Merchandise of Boulder-Hill.net.
That is going to do it for today. As always there is more to add than can be done in a single post. So come back soon and see what’s new!
Happy M.A.S.K.iversary!
Art, Figures, Media, Merchandise, Newsadmin
Happy anniversary to our favorite cartoon! M.A.S.K. – Mobile Armored Strike Kommand – is celebrating the 29th anniversary of the original release of the show. If you follow the site you know that there has been a TON of work going on to get ready for this day. This article will take you through all the different things that have been happening, both here and on other M.A.S.K. sites. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the show!
If you’re buying, we’re selling
Merchandise, Newsadmin
This morning, our friend Paul – of PaulPants.com – sent over an email to let us know that his completely original Spectrum and Viper posters are going back into production. For those who have never seen them, the first run was printed at 18″ x 24″. This second run will be at a slightly reduced size of 12″ x 16″. The plus side is that Paul is able to price them to fly off the virtual shelf – only twenty dollars! The original run was beautiful and glossy on heavy poster paper and Paul says these will look just as good. Fair warning, the posters have not been printed yet. This is a pre-order, the printed posters will begin shipping on August 18th (roughly one month from now). Continue reading →
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Water woes in southern Nebraska loom again
A U.S. Supreme Court decision that breathed new life into a decades-long water-rights dispute on the Great Plains has renewed concerns among southern Nebraska farmers about what could happen to their livelihoods.
The dispute centers on the Republican River, from which Kansas contends Nebraska took more than its share of water in 2005 and 2006. In addition to some $72 million in damages, Kansas is seeking to force Nebraska to stop irrigating about 500,000 acres in the Republican River basin — about half of the basin's 1.2 million irrigated acres and nearly 9 percent of the basin's total 5.8 million acres.
"That would be devastating to our operation and just the whole economy here," said Dan Nelsen, 30, who farms 5,000 acres — half of them irrigated — near Curtis, Neb. "Irrigation plays a big part in our operation. It keeps our cow and calf operation viable. Without that, we'd have to liquidate our herd."
The Kansas attorney general's office maintains Nebraska hasn't lived up to its end of a 1943 pact among Nebraska, Kansas and Colorado that governs the Republican River's use. The Supreme Court earlier this week gave Kansas permission to file a new petition over allegations that Nebraska used 25.7 billion gallons more in water from the river in 2005 and 2006 than it was due.
According to Jasper Fanning, general manager of the Upper Republican River Natural Resources District, if Kansas were to get its way, scores of farms in southern Nebraska and even the state's entire economy would be hurt.
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ORDER OF THE GOVERNMENT OF THE KYRGYZ REPUBLIC
of January 9, 2019 No. 5
About reorganization of Public institution by Transk under the State committee of information technologies and communication of the Kyrgyz Republic
For the purpose of consolidation of interdepartmental fiber-optic communication links, in connection with the entry of the Kyrgyz Republic into the Eurasian Economic Union, according to the Civil code of the Kyrgyz Republic, articles 10 and 17 of the constitutional Law of the Kyrgyz Republic "About the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic" the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic decides:
1. Reorganize Public institution Transk under the State committee of information technologies and communication of the Kyrgyz Republic by accession to it of the State company of Government communication under the State committee of information technologies and communication of the Kyrgyz Republic.
2. Approve the enclosed Regulations on Public institution by Transk under the State committee of information technologies and communication of the Kyrgyz Republic.
3. Determine that the Public institution Transk under the State committee of information technologies and communication of the Kyrgyz Republic is legal successor of the State company of Government communication under the State committee of information technologies and communication of the Kyrgyz Republic.
4. Bring in the Order of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic "About procedure for use of reservoir of the allocated telephone network of the city of Bishkek" of December 6, 2007 No. 575 the following change:
- in paragraph one of Item 3 of the word to "The state company "Government Communication" under the Ministry of Transport and Communications" shall be replaced with words "To public institution Transk under the State committee of information technologies and communication".
5. Bring in the Order of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic "About approval of the List of strategic objects of the Kyrgyz Republic" of February 17, 2014 No. 99 the following change:
- in the List of strategic objects of the Kyrgyz Republic approved by the above-stated Resolution:
in the column "The Objects Important for Government" to declare item 4 of the Section "Category "A" (Especially Important Objects)" invalid.
6. Bring in the Order of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic "About questions of the State committee of information technologies and communication of the Kyrgyz Republic" of July 15, 2016 No. 402 the following changes:
- in the scheme of management of the State committee of information technologies and communication of the Kyrgyz Republic approved by the above-stated Resolution:
in the name in the text in official language of the word "on informatization" shall be replaced with words "information technologies";
"The state company Government communication" to exclude line item.
7. Recognize invalid.
- the paragraph of the eighth of Item 2 of the Order of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic "About the Ministry of Transport and Roads of the Kyrgyz Republic" of August 9, 2016 No. 436;
- Item 3 of the Order of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic "About modification and amendments in some decisions of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic" of December 12, 2016 No. 660.
8. To the state committee of information technologies and communication of the Kyrgyz Republic in accordance with the established procedure:
- take the necessary measures following from this Resolution;
- approve the transfer act and the separation balance sheet of the reorganized legal entity;
- provide the procedure of re-registration of the reorganized legal entity in judicial authorities;
- in two-month time to review the List of subscribers which are granted the right of connection to the allocated telephone network of the city of Bishkek, No. approved by the Order of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic of December 6, 2007 575, and to bring in accordance with the established procedure in Government office of the Kyrgyz Republic.
9. This Resolution becomes effective after ten days from the date of official publication.
10. To impose control of execution of this Resolution on department of construction, transport and communications of Government office of the Kyrgyz Republic.
Prime Minister of the Kyrgyz Republic
M. Abylgaziyev
to the Order of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic of January 9, 2019 No. 5
Regulations on Public institution Transk under the State committee of information technologies and communication of the Kyrgyz Republic
1. General provisions
1. The public institution is created by Transk under the State committee of information technologies and communication of the Kyrgyz Republic (further - Organization) according to the laws of the Kyrgyz Republic "About electronic control", "About the digital signature" and "About electric and mail service".
2. Founder of Organization is the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic.
3. In the activities the Organization is guided by the Constitution of the Kyrgyz Republic, the laws of the Kyrgyz Republic, Resolutions and orders of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic, other regulatory legal acts of the Kyrgyz Republic, acts of the State committee of information technologies and communications of the Kyrgyz Republic, and also this Provision.
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The Vikings In Ireland
The Viking invasion in Ireland marked a profound era in Irish history, one that is still visible in Ireland today.
The Vikings came from Scandinavia in search of land, slaves and treasures. They were known as Norsemen. How fearsome these strangers must have seemed to unsuspecting people of Ireland.
The Viking era in Ireland is classed by two distinct invasions. The first came in around 795 AD. They hit settlements quickly, took what they could and returned home to sell their treasures, leaving a trail of destruction and fear behind them. Their attacks were infrequent at first but became more forceful and organised as time went on. Many Christian monasteries were plundered and destroyed and the Vikings were brutal in their treatment of those who got in their way.
They eventually made settlements and using them as a base they carried out more extensive attacks to inland towns using a distribution of rivers. The first known settlements were Duiblinn – now known as Dublin, and Anngassan in what we know as Louth.
The second wave of Vikings came to Ireland around 851 AD. These Vikings were mostly Danes, and they slaughtered the Norse Vikings. They enforced their rule over Ireland but this eventually led to them being driven out of of Ireland. Some remained settled and mixed with the Irish. This was not the end of the violence however. Many acts of warfare continued between the High Kings of Ireland and the settled Vikings eventually leading to the great Battle of Clontarf when Brian Boru defeated the Viking army.
Viking Settlements in Ireland
The Vikings had a huge impact on the culture in Ireland. Before the Vikings came to Ireland there were no towns as such, but rather settlements around monasteries. The Viking settlements eventually evolved into towns and became important trading ports.
The Viking revived Celtic art just when it began to decline. There was a fusion in styles which can be seen in stone and metal carvings.
Many Viking surnames are still in existence today and there are even some Norse words used in the Irish language.
One of Ireland biggest protests took place in Wood Quay Dublin in 1978 to save a major Viking settlement from being built upon by Dublin Corporation. Over 20,000 people took to the streets to save a big part of our heritage. The protest was unsuccessful but it did buy some time to do some valuable excavation of the area.
The site revealed something of a time capsule when remains of over 100 houses and thousands of perfectly preserved artifacts including swords, pottery, jewellery, combs and a fully intact Viking skeleton.
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UK TV Satellites - Astra 2A, Astra 2B, Astra 2C, Astra 1N, Eurobird 1 - and reception in Spain
UK Satellite TV is provided by FIVE satellites.
Four of these satellites are operated by SES Astra of Belgium, and one, Eurobird, is operated by Eutelsat.
SES Astra operate Astra 2a, Astra 2b, Astra 2d and Astra 1N.
Eutelsat operate Eurobird 1.
These satellites provide the UK And Europe with the UK satellite TV channels, such as the BBC, ITV and those provided on the Freesat and Sky satellite platforms.
These five satellites are located at 28.2 to 28.5 degrees east of south.
Each of these satellites operate a number of "beams". Each of these beams have different reception characteristics, especially in fringe reception areas like Spain and the Costa Blanca. This is the reason why channels like Sky News can be reepived in Spain on a smller satellite dish than channels like BBC TV Channels, as these channels are distributed across these different beams.
There are a number of "siganl reception maps" or "footprints" for these beams, but they have to be treated with some caution. Many of them are the theoretical reecption, and are different to the actual reception.
Labels: astra 1n, astra 2a, Astra 2B, Astra 2C, Eurobird 1, reception in Spain, satellite footprint maps
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U.S. Bank Names New Global Chief Communications Officer
MINNEAPOLIS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–U.S. Bank announced today that David Palombi will be joining the company this month as global chief communications officer, reporting to Vice Chairman and Chief Administrative Officer Kate Quinn. In his new role, Palombi will lead the company’s public affairs and communications efforts, overseeing internal and external communications, reputation management, and government relations.
“David brings a wealth of communications expertise and experience to his new role and is ideally suited to advance our public affairs and communications strategies and enhance our reputation with key audiences,” Quinn said. “His leadership and strategic vision in complicated climates and industries will bring tremendous value to the organization.”
Palombi is a respected leader in the communications space with extensive experience leading communications functions in financial services, healthcare and consulting. Most recently, he was the senior vice president and chief communications officer at CVS Health, one of the largest and most innovative health care organizations in the country. In this role, he was responsible for corporate reputation, public relations, executive and employee communications, crisis positioning, public affairs and corporate social media, including leading communications for the company’s landmark decision to remove tobacco from all 8,000 CVS stores. Prior to that, he led corporate communications for the health insurance company WellPoint (now Anthem) during the debates over the Affordable Care Act, and for the secondary mortgage giant Freddie Mac during its multi-year $5 billion accounting restatement. Prior to that he led communications for two commercial banks: Barnett Banks, Inc. and The Riggs Bank of Washington, D.C. He also was Washington, D.C. bureau chief for a chain of newspapers based on the east coast.
Palombi holds a bachelor’s degree in English and journalism from the University of Delaware, and he is affiliated with The Arthur W. Page Society, Rhode Island Public Radio, The National Press Club and The Seminar. He will be relocating from Rhode Island to Minneapolis this summer.
U.S. Bancorp, with 74,000 employees and $476 billion in assets as of March 31, 2019, is the parent company of U.S. Bank National Association, the fifth-largest commercial bank in the United States. The Minneapolis-based bank blends its relationship teams, branches and ATM network with mobile and online tools that allow customers to bank how, when and where they prefer. U.S. Bank is committed to serving its millions of retail, business, wealth management, payment, commercial and corporate, and investment services customers across the country and around the world as a trusted financial partner, a commitment recognized by the Ethisphere Institute, which named the bank a 2019 World’s Most Ethical Company. Visit U.S. Bank at www.usbank.com or follow on social media to stay up to date with company news.
Rebekah Fawcett, U.S. Bank Public Affairs and Communications
rebekah.fawcett@usbank.com | 612.303.9986
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Book Review: Twenty-four Eyes by Tsuboi Sakae
2016 review of a book written
by an author whose family name starts with the letter
Every war necessarily leaves painful and indelible traces in society, but people’s souls are wounded not just during the war itself. Often the suffering begins already before it breaks out and lasts until long after its end because there’s always a more or less intricate history leading to open hostility and often unexpected aftermaths emerge long after the restoration of peace. World War II is no exception there. The holocaust, the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the bloody battles virtually all around the world are burnt into individual and collective memory forever. But also those who weren’t directly affected by such traumatising horrors suffered, though differently, less obviously. The pacifistic novel Twenty-four Eyes by Tsuboi Sakae evokes the years before, during and after World War II as a primary school teacher and the twelve pupils in the first class that she ever taught experienced them in a small Japanese village.
Tsuboi Sakae (壺井 栄) was born Iwai Sakae (岩井 栄) in the village of Sakate on Shōdo Island (now part of Shōdoshima), Kagawa Prefecture, Japan, in August 1899. After grade school, she worked as a clerk to support her family until she moved to Tōkyo in 1925 where she married the proletarian poet and writer Tsuboi Shigeji (壺井繁治) who was imprisoned for his political views several times during the 1930s. This is when Tsuboi Sakae began writing novels and children’s stories for magazines, both because she felt the urge and for a living. Her debut novel was 大根の葉 (1938; Radish Leaves). Apart from her famous novel Twenty-four Eyes (二十四の瞳: 1952) only the individual short stories The Moon of the Fifteenth Night (十五夜の月: 1942), Under the Persimmon Tree (柿の木のある家: 1948), Summer Oranges (夏みかんナツミカン: 1948), and Umbrella on a Moonlit Night (月夜の傘: 1953) seem to have been translated into English. Others of the most notable works of the prolific author are 母のない子と子のない母と (1951; The Motherless Children and the Childless Mother), 坂道 (1952; The Slope), and 風 (1954; The Wind). Tsuboi Sakae died in Tōkyo, Japan, in June 1967.
4 April 1928 is the first school day for twelve first graders in the isolated cape village on a lake-like bay on Shōdo Island in the Seto Inland Sea as well as for their “Lady Teacher” Hisako Oishi fresh from women teachers’ college. More than just their Twenty-four Eyes scrutinise the tiny young woman wearing a white shirt and a black jacket like a man’s instead of a kimono. The next morning she startles people in the poor fishing and farming community even more because she comes riding on a bicycle from her village five miles away. The adults call her “forward” for it and keep a distance, while their children quickly take to her. She is supposed to stay in the cape school for a year, but on the first day after summer holidays she falls into a sand trap on the beach and breaks her Achilles’ tendon which prevents her from coming to school for weeks. The children miss her terribly and decide to visit her at home.
“… But, being inexperienced in walking, the first graders could not imagine very well how long the distance would really be. It might be an awfully long way, yet the Pine Tree seemed to stand right across the bay. There was one thing that worried them a little: the fact that Lady Teacher’s village was farther than Ujigami Shrine. They had never walked as far as the Pine Tree. They had gone part of the way several times, to visit the shrine at the time of the annual festival, either on foot or by boat. No one knew, however, how long the rest of the distance would be. …”
They set out on the trip without the knowledge of their families and the walk seems to take no end. Just when they are about to give up, they meet Miss Oishi. After a meal and having a photo taken, she sends them home by boat. As for her, she doesn’t teach “her” cape children again until they are fifth graders because she is transferred to the main school in the principal village. She doesn’t stay on as a teacher for long, though. She gets married and when she is pregnant with her first child she quits. And she is glad to leave because she feels that she can no longer speak openly without fear of arrest. The cape children grow up and finish school. Then the war breaks out and the boys are all drafted into the army.
In the beginning Twenty-four Eyes seems to be just an engaging novel about a young primary school teacher and her first pupils in a poor isolated village by the sea, but as the story advances ever more critical undertones sneak in almost imperceptibly. There’s the tense economical situation of the villagers who have to cope with growing hardships during the Great Depression of the 1930s. With great skill and sensitivity the author evokes the desperation that makes two impoverished families give away their oldest girls (maybe in exchange for money) to remote relatives or strangers, destroying not only their promising future but also their souls. In addition, the novel draws attention to the fact that even very gifted children are often compelled to leave school as soon as possible to help to support the family or to marry. Criticism of Japanese politics in the first half of the twentieth century that produces an increasingly oppressive and bellicose atmosphere even in remote places is hardly less pronounced, but the focus clearly is on the futility of war. In my opinion, the author’s idea to make the useless sacrifice and the lasting suffering of the survivors palpable in a class reunion after the war is simply a stroke of genius.
It’s certainly true that Twenty-four Eyes by Tsuboi Sakae isn’t a particularly cheerful novel because being set in an economically difficult period of world history that culminates in war, the story almost necessarily takes several sad turns, especially towards the end. Thanks to its warm and vivid tone that never drifts into sentimentality or even bitterness it’s nonetheless a very pleasurable and more than just worthwhile read. Moreover, I experienced it as a really succeeded anti-war novel. I’m not surprised that the book was a bestseller when it first came out in 1952 and that it has been made into a film already twice since. It’s a pity that it is so little read today. Thus my recommendation.
This review is a contribution to
(images linked to my lists):
Edith LaGraziana um 17:00:00
Judy Krueger 30 September 2016 at 18:15
Wonderful find Edith! I have noticed in my reading over the years that most serious authors are anti-war. I am adding this to my list. It seems a wonderful addition to Japanese history.
Edith LaGraziana 1 October 2016 at 16:08
Yes, this book is a treasure - at the same time anti-war and a charmng read, not a usual combination ;-). I hope that you'll like this one, Judy!
Bellezza 1 October 2016 at 17:03
Even though it was written in the 50's, this book sounds so applicable today, especially to me, a teacher, because it's themes are timeless. War, education, poverty, parenting, there's so much to learn about each of these topics which can still baffle and confuse us. (Me.) I have added your review to the list, and am sad about my own apparent negligence. But! I have a lovely book of poetry for children I am going to review this weekend, and I also want to ask if you are interested in a read along of A True Love by Minae Mizumura which I am hosting in December. I will make a formal announcement on my blog soon, but several people indicated interest on Twitter. I hope you'll be interested, too! You are one of the dedicated Japanese literature readers this year, but I will try to catch up!!
Yes, some books are timeless and Twenty-four Eyes definitely is one of them. The more it's a pity that this charming novella is so little known... Tsuboi Sakae really had a gift for portraying children.
As for the read-along. I don't know. I've never participated in one, my reading schedule is so full and then it's just before Christmass. But I'll certainly think about it. :-) Thanks for inviting me anyway.
In glad you introduced this author to me, as 33 years of my life have been dedicated to children (in my classroom). And, I surely understand not having time for a read along, especially in December. This looks like a wonderful novel, which you can "absorb" from the sidelines of that suits you. xo
Yes, if I don't make up my mind to join the read along, I'll certainly follow :-) Looking forward to it!
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Song of the Week: “White Freightliner Blues” by Molly Tuttle
This is “White Freightliner Blues” by Molly Tuttle:
I stumbled onto a clip of Molly Tuttle singing and playing a few weeks ago. The only thing I really know about her is that she’s one heck of a guitarist.
Song of the Week: “Superheroes” by 9th Creation
This is “Superheroes” by 9th Creation:
I heard this 1979 funk party on The Huey Show on BBC 6 Music last Saturday. I’d never heard it before and I don’t really know anything about 9th Creation, but I’m impressed to discover this fact. Anyway, this song doesn’t break any particular new ground or even fly in from a new planet, but on the other hand, it is a lot of fun.
Song of the Week: “Which Wave?” by Sun Studies
This is “Which Wave?” by Sun Studies:
Sketches by Sun Studies
I’ve loved Reid Johnson’s songwriting and voice since I first encountered his band Schooner several years ago. I wrote a review of the first Schooner album, Hold on Too Tight, for The PhiLLer and reviewed a couple of other releases both there and on this site (search Schooner on the bottom right and you’ll find those reviews). Anyway, I’ve been looking forward to the release of this more stripped-back project for a while now, and here it is. Listen to that voice, both rich and fragile, an echo of Roy Orbison. Go to Bandcamp to buy the album and listen to seven beautiful songs.
Song of the Week: “On the Ball, City”
by Douglas Cowie on 3 May 2019
This is “On the Ball, City”:
Never mind the danger.
Last weekend Norwich City Football Club secured promotion to the Premier League. This weekend they’ll try to win the English Football League Championship with a win or draw against Aston Villa. “On the Ball, City” is the song Norwich City fans sing in the stands, in abbreviated form and at a much faster pace than this 1959 version, sung by I don’t know whom. Allegedly it’s the oldest football song still in use. Earlier this year my friend Ryan and I taught our friend Bill the words to this song, on our way from my friend Margot’s house to Carrow Road for what turned out to be a 2-2 draw against Sheffield United, the other team that could still win the league title this Saturday.
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Selina FerrisAge: 46 years1817–1863
Selina Ferris
Selina Ferris, daughter of … Ferries and Ruth Richardson, was born in 1817 in Northern Ireland and died on February 18, 1863 in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland at the age of 46. She married Adam Doggart, son of Adam Doggart and Elizabeth McDonald, on September 26, 1841 in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland. He was born in 1815 in Lisburn, Antrim, Northern Ireland and died on November 12, 1881 in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland at the age of 66.
Children of Selina Ferris and Adam Doggart:
Elizabeth Doggart (1843–1869)
Mary Doggart (1845–1862)
Sarah Doggart (1846–1856)
Adam Doggart (1848–1913)
Ruth Doggart (1851–1855)
Selina Doggart (1856–1856)
Thomas Doggart (1857–1860)
Arthur Doggart (1862–1912)
Elizabeth Doggart, daughter of Adam Doggart and Selina Ferris, was born in 1843 in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland and died on July 22, 1869 at the age of 26.
Children of Elizabeth Doggart:
Adam Watson Doggart (1864–1867)
Mary Doggart, daughter of Adam Doggart and Selina Ferris, was born in 1845 in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland and died on April 18, 1862 in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland at the age of 17.
Sarah Doggart, daughter of Adam Doggart and Selina Ferris, was born about 1846 in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland and died in 1856 in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland.
Adam Doggart, boilermaker, son of Adam Doggart and Selina Ferris, was born about 1848 in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland and died on March 5, 1913 in Workington, Cumberland, England. He married Mary Ann Aikens, daughter of Thomas Aikens, on April 8, 1873 in Belfast, Antrim, Northern Ireland. She was born about 1852 in Airdrie, Lanarkshire, Scotland and died in 1925 in Workington, Cumberland, England.
Children of Adam Doggart and Mary Ann Aikens:
Harriet Selina Doggart (1873–1963)
Alexander Aiken Doggart (1875–1941)
Thomas Aikens Norris Doggart (1880–1916)
John Spiers Doggart (1884–1948)
James Doggart (1886–1886)
Mary Ann Doggart (1886–1886)
Francis James Doggart (1888–1919)
William Doggart (1890–1890)
Mary Ann Norris Doggart (1890–1898)
Ruth Doggart, daughter of Adam Doggart and Selina Ferris, was born in 1851 in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland and died on March 9, 1855 in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland at the age of 4.
Selina Doggart, daughter of Adam Doggart and Selina Ferris, was born on March 6, 1856 in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland and died on June 30, 1856 in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland at the age of 3 months.
Thomas Doggart, son of Adam Doggart and Selina Ferris, was born on June 3, 1857 in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland and died on December 7, 1860 in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland at the age of 3.
Arthur Doggart, plumber, son of Adam Doggart and Selina Ferris, was born on May 3, 1862 in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland and died in 1912 in Lancashire, England at the age of 49. He married Jane Elizabeth Pickles in 1901 in Lancashire, England. She was born about 1871 in Colne, Lancashire, England and died in 1935 in Lancashire, England.
Children of Arthur Doggart and Jane Elizabeth Pickles:
William Spencer Doggart (1902–1975)
May Doggart (1904–1964)
James Arthur Doggart (1906–1954)
Adam Watson Doggart, son of Elizabeth Doggart, was born on February 11, 1864 in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland and died on February 22, 1867 in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland at the age of 3.
Selina Doggart, daughter of Elizabeth Doggart, was born on March 21, 1868 in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland and died on July 10, 1869 in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland at the age of 15 months.
Harriet Selina Doggart, daughter of Adam Doggart and Mary Ann Aikens, was born on August 28, 1873 in Belfast, Antrim, Northern Ireland and died in 1963 in Cumberland, England at the age of 89. She married Thomas “Curly Hill” Mitchelhill, son of Thomas Mitchelhill and Nancy Blair, on October 10, 1897 in Workington, Cumberland, England. He was born on April 4, 1875 in Carlisle, Cumberland, England and died in 1943 in Cumberland, England at the age of 67.
Children of Harriet Selina Doggart and Thomas “Curly Hill” Mitchelhill:
Mary Ann Aikens “Minnie” Mitchelhill (1898–1982)
Thomas Aikens Doggart Mitchelhill (1900–1974)
Nancy Mitchelhill (1906–1937)
Charles Mitchelhill (1908–1981)
Harriet Mitchelhill (1914–2005)
Alexander Aiken Doggart, son of Adam Doggart and Mary Ann Aikens, was born on November 16, 1875 in Workington, Cumberland, England and died on December 4, 1941 at the age of 66. He married Mary Mitchelhill, daughter of Thomas Mitchelhill and Nancy Blair, in 1909 in Cumberland, England. She was born on December 9, 1880 in Carlisle, Cumberland, England and died on January 12, 1943 at the age of 62.
Children of Alexander Aiken Doggart and Mary Mitchelhill:
Mary Anne Doggart (1910–1998)
Nancy Doggart (1914–1914)
Emily Doggart (1916–1991)
Adam Doggart, blacksmiths Striker, son of Adam Doggart and Mary Ann Aikens, was born on February 2, 1878 in Maryport, Cumberland, England and died on July 24, 1931 in Cumberland, England at the age of 53. He married Mary Ann Johnstone, daughter of Richard Johnstone, on September 8, 1900 in Cumberland, England. She was born on March 20, 1881 in Whitehaven, Cumberland, England and died on March 11, 1958 in Cumberland, England at the age of 76.
Children of Adam Doggart and Mary Ann Johnstone:
Hannah Doggart (1901–1978)
Selina “Lena” Doggart (1909–1999)
Joseph Doggart (1914–1985)
Thomas Aikens Doggart (1919–1981)
Thomas Aikens Norris Doggart, son of Adam Doggart and Mary Ann Aikens, was born in 1880 in Workington, Cumberland, England and died on July 14, 1916 at the age of 36. He married Elizabeth Piercy Hattle.
Children of Thomas Aikens Norris Doggart and Elizabeth Piercy Hattle:
Mary Elizabeth Doggart (1910–1976)
Frances Doggart (1912–1965)
Arthur Doggart, steelworker (on June 28, 1908) and iron Ore Miner, son of Adam Doggart and Mary Ann Aikens, was born on June 6, 1882 in Workington, Cumberland, England and died on October 4, 1957 at the age of 75. He married Sarah Jane Grimshaw in 1904 in Cockermouth, Cumberland, England. She was born about 1885 in Workington, Cumberland, England and was buried on November 24, 1951 in Workington, Cumberland, England.
Children of Arthur Doggart and Sarah Jane Grimshaw:
John Doggart (1906–1952)
John Spiers Doggart, son of Adam Doggart and Mary Ann Aikens, was born on May 27, 1884 in Workington, Cumberland, England and died in 1948 in Cumberland, England at the age of 63. He married Mary Agnes Mark in 1912 in Cumberland, England. She was born on September 20, 1893 and died on September 11, 1978 at the age of 84.
Children of John Spiers Doggart and Mary Agnes Mark:
Joseph Salisbury M Doggart (1915–1972)
Ann Isabella Doggart (1917–1917)
Ivy Doggart (1920–1992)
Elsie Doggart (1924–1948)
James Doggart, son of Adam Doggart and Mary Ann Aikens, was born in 1886 in Cumberland, England and died in 1886 in Cumberland, England at the age of 0 days.
Mary Ann Doggart, daughter of Adam Doggart and Mary Ann Aikens, was born in 1886 in Cumberland, England and died in 1886 in Cumberland, England at the age of 0 days.
Francis James Doggart, lamplighter, Steel Worker, Ballast train labourer, son of Adam Doggart and Mary Ann Aikens, was born on April 24, 1888 in Workington, Cumberland, England and died on March 10, 1919 in Workington, Cumberland, England at the age of 30. He married Sarah Emma Williams, daughter of Alfred Williams and Margaret Ann Worthy.
Children of Francis James Doggart and Sarah Emma Williams:
Sarah Emma Doggart (1918–1919)
Margaret Doggart (1919–1919)
William Doggart, son of Adam Doggart and Mary Ann Aikens, was born in 1890 in Cumberland, England and died in 1890 in Cumberland, England at the age of 0 days.
Mary Ann Norris Doggart, daughter of Adam Doggart and Mary Ann Aikens, was born in 1890 and died in 1898 in Cumberland, England at the age of 8.
William Doggart, , son of Adam Doggart and Mary Ann Aikens, was born in 1893 in Workington, Cumberland, England and died in 1962 in Cumberland, England at the age of 69. He married Mary Burgess in 1915 in Cockermouth, Cumberland, England. She was born on May 17, 1894 and was buried on December 22, 1960 in Workington, Cumberland, England at the age of 66.
Children of William Doggart and Mary Burgess:
Alexander A Doggart (1921–1921)
Harriet Selena “Lena” Doggart (1922–1927)
Ann Isobell “Bel” Doggart (1926–2005)
Selina Doggart, daughter of Arthur Doggart and Jane Elizabeth Pickles, was born on October 27, 1901 in Colne, Lancashire, England and died in 1976 at the age of 74.
William Spencer Doggart, son of Arthur Doggart and Jane Elizabeth Pickles, was born on October 8, 1902 in Colne, Lancashire, England and died in 1975 at the age of 72.
William Spencer Doggart had 2 children.
May Doggart, daughter of Arthur Doggart and Jane Elizabeth Pickles, was born on May 1, 1904 in Colne, Lancashire, England and died in 1964 at the age of 59.
James Arthur Doggart, son of Arthur Doggart and Jane Elizabeth Pickles, was born on September 14, 1906 in Colne, Lancashire, England and died on November 12, 1954 at the age of 48.
James Arthur Doggart had 1 child.
Census June 6, 1841 (Age 24 years)
Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland
Marriage Adam Doggart — View this family
#1 Elizabeth Doggart
#2 Mary Doggart
#3 Sarah Doggart
#4 Adam Doggart
Address: Union Street Glasgow Scotland
#5 Ruth Doggart
Census March 30, 1851 (Age 34 years)
Address: 24 Broad Street Glasgow Scotland
Death of a daughter Ruth Doggart
March 9, 1855 (Age 38 years) Age: 4
Cause: Whooping Cough
#6 Selina Doggart
Death of a daughter Sarah Doggart
1856 (Age 39 years) Age: 9
Address: 26 Union Place, Calton Glasgow Scotland
Cause: Consumption i.e TB
Death of a daughter Selina Doggart
June 30, 1856 (Age 39 years) Age: 4 months
Address: 16? Union Place, Glasgow, Scotland
#7 Thomas Doggart
Death of a son Thomas Doggart
Census April 7, 1861 (Age 44 years)
Address: 20 Union Place Glasgow Scotland
Death of a daughter Mary Doggart
#8 Arthur Doggart
Note: Stated parents marriage date of 11 Oct 1841 appears incorrect. It was 1841 but not 11th Oct.
Death February 18, 1863 (Age 46 years) Age: 44
Cause of death: phthisis
… Ferries
Birth: about 1781 — Ireland
Elizabeth Doggart
Mary Doggart
Sarah Doggart
Ruth Doggart
Selina Doggart
Thomas Doggart
Arthur Doggart
Birth: 1817 27 36 — Northern Ireland
Death: February 18, 1863 — Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland
Family with Adam Doggart - View this family
Anne Hamilton
William Doggart
Agnes Agnew
Hugh Doggart
Birth: 1815 30 28 — Lisburn, Antrim, Northern Ireland
Death: November 12, 1881 — Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland
Marriage: September 26, 1841 — Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland
Adam Watson Doggart
Birth: 1843 28 26 — Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland
Death: April 18, 1862 — Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland
Birth: about 1846 31 29 — Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland
Death: 1856 — Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland
Mary Ann Aikens
Harriet Selina Doggart
Alexander Aiken Doggart
Thomas Aikens Norris Doggart
John Spiers Doggart
James Doggart
Mary Ann Doggart
Francis James Doggart
Mary Ann Norris Doggart
Death: March 5, 1913 — Workington, Cumberland, England
Death: March 9, 1855 — Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland
Birth: March 6, 1856 41 39 — Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland
Death: June 30, 1856 — Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland
Birth: June 3, 1857 42 40 — Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland
Death: December 7, 1860 — Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland
Jane Elizabeth Pickles
William Spencer Doggart
May Doggart
James Arthur Doggart
Birth: May 3, 1862 47 45 — Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland
Death: 1912 — Lancashire, England
Adam Doggart + Anne Hamilton - View this family
Birth: about 1827 37 37 — Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, Scotland
Death: February 3, 1895 — Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland
Marriage: June 1, 1866 — Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland
step-son
Birth: January 17, 1867 52 40 — Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland
Death: about 1879
Adam Doggart + Agnes Agnew - View this family
Marriage: October 16, 1835 — Newtownards, Down, Northern Ireland
Birth: April 4, 1836 21 21
1841 Census: Barony, Age 20, Cotton Loom Weaver, Born Ireland 1851 Census: 24 Broad Street, age 32, married + 5 children 1861 Census: 20 Union Place, age 44, married + 3 children Died at Union Place, Green St, Calton, Glasgow age 44
Record file number
Family with Adam Doggart
Elizabeth McDonald
Adam Doggart + Anne Hamilton
William Hamilton
Elizabeth Lachlan
Adam Doggart + Agnes Agnew
Robert Agnew
Jane Corry
Selina Ferris(1817–1863)
Adam Doggart1841
Elizabeth Doggart(1843–1869)
Mary Doggart(1845–1862)
Sarah Doggart(1846–1856)
Adam Doggart(1848–1913)
Ruth Doggart(1851–1855)
Selina Doggart(1856–1856)
Thomas Doggart(1857–1860)
Arthur Doggart(1862–1912)
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Main Breaking
Qatari buys Banif to set up private banking
Keywords:QatariQatari private banks
One of the largest private companies in Qatar, Al Faisal Holdings, has bought Banif Portugal group’s 78.6 per cent shareholding in Banif Malta, ending a three-year attempt to find a buyer.
In February 2016, Oitante SA said it had reached an agreement to sell its shareholding for €18.4 million but gave no information about the acquirer – and, since then, Al Faisal’s investment arm has been scrutinised by the Malta Financial Services Authority and the European Central Bank in an intense due diligence exercise.
The other shares are split equally between Mizzi Capital Projects, PG Holdings SAK Ltd and Virtu Investments, and are not affected by the acquisition.
Established in the 1960s, Al Faisal Holdings has become a worldwide, multimillion dollar enterprise with an extensive range of business activities involved in real estate, commercial and industrial activities undertaken by over 20 companies that operate under the umbrella of Al Faisal Holding.
Michael Collis, the CEO of the holding company’s investment arm, said the first contact with Malta was made through trade missions to the Gulf, which piqued their interest for many reasons, including its EU membership, geography and political stability.
“That was how Malta came into the equation. The bank was an opportunity we saw around a year ago and thought it would fit in with what we wanted to do in terms of expanding into financial services,” he said.
Al Faisal Holdings is not completely new to banking as it has an eight per cent stake in a large commercial bank in Qatar as the second largest shareholder.
The plans are to retain Banif Malta’s business model – including its 12 branches – based on a mix of retail and corporate but to expand it to institutional and private banking.
“We believe that there is room in Malta for another strong player and we intend to provide the resources – including capital – for the bank to grow. Clearly, given where we are from, we will be looking at more opportunities going forward. As a financial services centre, Malta is a good location for private banking business. We think there will be significant interest from our region to invest in Malta and the surrounding region in the next few years. Banif Bank will be a good conduit…”
He said that Islamic finance was naturally of interest and that there were opportunities in Malta and in the region for this – as part of the product range, albeit not a core aspect.
“Islamic finance lends itself to infrastructure and there are various initiatives where this will possibly be of interest,” he said.
Al Faisal managing director Mohamed Shafiek told The Business Observer that Banif would not be the only transaction: “There will be other investments in the future. We are very diversified and are active in real estate, manufacturing, trade services, education and hospitality.
“Our partners are usually the ‘best in class’ and we are currently discussing with them the possibility of having manufacturing here, including pharmaceuticals and hi-tech.
“We are also interested in the hospitality sector and would be interested in buying or developing a hotel. In our group we have a division – Artic – which owns 35 hotels around the world, 15 of which are in Doha, with six in the US and others like the Grand Hyatt in Berlin. We deal with most of the brands, from Marriott to Four Seasons, to W.”
The company founder, Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani, is the chairman of the Qatari Businessmen Association which had hosted a trade mission to Doha from the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry – one of many delegations over the years. “We started with the first investment here but we believe that other Qatari businessmen will follow. Malta can be a model like Singapore as it is actually in a very good position geographically with Europe to the north and Africa to the south. We believe that our investment in the bank will maximise this role,” he told The Business Observer.
The sale, for an undisclosed amount believed to be less than the €18.4 million mentioned 10 months ago, was mandated after the Portuguese bank received a State bailout, one of the conditions being that it sold its investments abroad, including that in Malta, Brazil and the Cape Verde islands by 2017.
The divestment is similar to the forced sale of Volksbank in Malta after its parent company in Austria received state aid, and similarly has nothing to do with whether the assets being sold are profitable or not.
Indeed, Banif Malta made a pre-tax profit of €253,000 in 2013, which improved to €1.4 million in 2014 and again to €1.5 million in 2015.
Banif Malta CEO Joaquim Silva Pinto said the challenge since the forced sale was announced had been to keep the bank operating and profitable and within regulatory thresholds. The bank reduced its position in the market and increased its margin, and, in spite of the uncertainty, managed to retain most of its 160 staff.
“The main preoccupation is to generate the conditions for it to resume its previous growth, which has been on hold for these few years,” he said.
“The most important factor was the management criteria and we were controlling profits and losses very well and handling decisions in a faster way than usual. We are probably the fastest bank in the market when it comes to credit recuperation and do not take unnecessary risks.”
In the past Banif was hit by some high-profile impairments, but Mr Pinto said they have been handled and provisions had been taken.
“The governance model of the bank has imposed a routine within the bank which made it healthier than expected. And this is a routine that the bank does not want to lose. You have to control costs all the time.”
Source: www.timesofmalta.com
“Qatari Emir’s dead falcon sets the stage for diplomatic stir with Kazakhstan”
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All posts tagged "Kanye West"
Home / Posts tagged "Kanye West"
Album Review: Christina Aguilera’s Liberation
By Andrew on June 15, 2018
Christina Aguilera is undisputedly one of the greatest voices of her generation. Her vocal ability is unquestionable. However, she’s a voice without a sound. She...
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Dear Black Celebrities, If You Cape for Trump, Stop Using MLK to Justify Your Betrayal.
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Taylor vs. KimYe: Who won the PR battle?
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97 Words: Kanye West drops “FACTS”
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Single Review: “Four Five Seconds” by Rihanna, Kanye West and Paul McCartney
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Journey to Freedom, Week 4: Happiness
Last week’s word in Michelle Williams’ Journey to Freedom journal contest was “happiness.” For our playlist, I’ve selected five songs that always put me in a good mood...
Kanye West’s “All Day” is coming soon
By Vincent on August 12, 2014
Today, Kanye dropped the single cover for “All Day,” the upcoming single from his next project. Additionally, a low quality clip of the song has...
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Frontier Closed Area
Frontier Closed Area Explained
22.53°N 114.1°W
The Frontier Closed Area, established by the Frontier Closed Area Order, 1951,[1] is a border zone area in Hong Kong extended inwards from the border with China. For anyone to enter the area, a Closed Area Permit is required.
Established to prevent migrants from China and other illegal activities, the closed area is fenced along its perimeter to serve as a buffer between the closed border and the rest of the territory. Developments are tightly controlled within the area, which has become a natural habitat for animals and plants.
The area was established under the Frontier Closed Area Order, 1951.
In order to fight gun smuggling during the Korean War, a curfew was put in place in the closed area in 1952. Villagers had to stay inside from midnight to 4:00 am unless they acquired a special permit from the police.[2] Following the war, the curfew was retained to help control illegal immigration.
A simple chain link wire fence was built at the border between 1950 and 1953. It was later described as "flimsy" in the South China Morning Post, in that groups of refugees could press it flat simply by leaning against it.[3]
The boundaries of the Frontier Closed Area were adjusted under the Frontier Closed Area Order, 1959, gazetted on 20 February 1959.[4]
By 1962, thousands of illegal refugees were attempting to enter Hong Kong each day. In response, a second, more robust fence, made of Dannert wire, was built slightly south of the original fence in May 1962.[5] [3]
Under the Frontier Closed Area (Amendment) Order 1982, gazetted on 24 June 1982, the area was expanded by four square kilometres in western Mai Po, near Pak Hok Chau.[6]
The frontier area was further adjusted with the Frontier Closed Area Order 1984, gazetted on 7 September 1984. The amendments reflected the relocation of the Man Kam To Control Point, and also completely excluded Lei Uk Village from the closed area.[7]
Border patrol duties were transferred from the British Army to the Field Patrol Detachment in October 1992.[8]
The nighttime curfew in the Frontier Closed Area was discontinued from 1 August 1994. Secretary for Security Alistair Asprey stated this was to "balance individual rights and the need to combat illegal immigration".[9] [2]
Closed Area Permit
A Closed Area Permit is a document issued by the Hong Kong Police Force to allow for people with ties or residents in the area to travel in and out of the Frontier Closed Area. Visitors to the Mai Po Marshes are also required to apply for a Mai Po Marshes Entry Permit from the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department.
2006 reduction proposal
Reduction of the FCA from 28km2 (its size at the time) to 8km2 was proposed in September 2006 by the government. According to the adopted proposal, most of the FCA will be de-designated and the FCA only maintained around border crossings.
This will be made possible by the building of a secondary fence along the border roads, such that most villages in the FCA will fall outside of it without having to compromise the integrity of the border. A planning study was to have been undertaken by the Planning Department.
Depending upon the progress of the new fence, the reduction will be implemented in four stages with scheduled completion in early 2015. Members of the public will no longer need to obtain a permit to enter the excluded areas.
First phase of implementation
On 15 February 2012, areas around Sha Tau Kok (but not the town itself), as well as Mai Po, were taken out of the Frontier Closed Area, opening up 740ha of land for public access.[10] A checkpoint on the original perimeter, at Shek Chung Au, was decommissioned and its functions taken over by a new checkpoint outside of Sha Tau Kok.
See also: Involuntary park. Environmentalists and the WWF[11] have pointed out that the proposal will have negative impacts on the ecology of the excluded areas.[12] [13] [14]
Areas lying in Frontier Closed Area
1. Lok Ma Chau District (includes Lok Ma Chau Checkpoint, Lok Ma Chau Spur Line Checkpoint, parts of Lok Ma Chau compensation wetland, parts of Mai Po Natural Reserves and parts of Pak Hok Chau)
2. Ta Kwu Leng District(includes Lo Wu Checkpoint, small parts of Lo Wu Village, estuaries of Ng Tung River, Yuen Leng Tsai, Man Kam To Checkpoint and estuaries of Nam Hang River)
3. Sha Tau Kok District (includes Sha Tau Kok Town, Sha Tau Kok Checkpoint, parts of Shan Tusi, Yuen Tun Shan, Kong Ha Village, San Kwai Tin Village, Pak Kung Au and parts of Mo Lo Lau)
4. Chung Ying Street District
5. Whole Starling Inlet
Notes 1:Lin Ma Hang village had been released from the frontier closed area since 2016.However,The only road connecting the village and Ta Kwu Ling remained as a part of the closed area.Anyone aims to enter Lin Ma Hang must apply a closed area permit unless accessing there by mountain paths.A police post is set 1300 meters away from the entry of the village in order to prohibit illegal entry of the closed area.
Notes 2:Lo Wu Village was released from closed area since 2016.However,The only road connecting the village and Man Kam To main road remained as a part of the closed area.Large number of village house lie adjacent to the border fence.Anyone intends to enter the village must apply a closed area permit so that they can enter the village by using the road or railway.
Border Road
Border Road is a road along the south bank of Sham Chun River, and the northernmost road in Hong Kong. Since January 2016, it is amongst the only remaining places within the Frontier Closed Area (along with an area around and within parts of Sha Tau Kok). Currently it is used for patrolling purposes only and public entry is forbidden. It starts from Mai Po Nature Reserve in Yuen Long and ends along Lin Ma Hang Road.[15]
Policies of Frontier Closed Area
Hong Kong's border war over 'green buffer'. Peter Shadbolt. CNN. April 5, 2012.
Land Use Planning for the Closed Area – HK government site, shows maps of the Closed Area.
Frontier Closed Area on Openstreetmap
http://www.legco.gov.hk/1951/h510627.pdf
News: Griffin. Kathy. Curfew set to go despite rise in IIs. South China Morning Post. 8 July 1994. 7.
News: BORDER BARRICADE STRENGTHENED: Deterrent Against Unabated Flow Of Refugees. South China Morning Post. 18 May 1962. 1.
News: Frontier Closed Area Order. South China Morning Post. 21 February 1959. 9.
News: H.K.-China Frontier 'Most Peaceful In World'. South China Morning Post. 8 November 1965. 6.
News: Frontier area extended. South China Morning Post. 25 June 1982. 6.
News: Frontier line adjusted. South China Morning Post. 8 September 1984. 14.
News: Bishop. Karin. Beware the bushes – they may arrest you. South China Morning Post. 11 November 1994. 1.
News: Villagers free of 40-year curfew. South China Morning Post. 24 June 1994. 7.
http://www.news.gov.hk/tc/categories/infrastructure/html/2012/02/20120214_151825.shtml 邊境禁區範圍縮減首階段生效
The Apple Daily. 2013. WWF憂蠔殼圍禁區開放後生態受影響
http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/200609/07/P200609070222.htm Government proposes to reduce Frontier Closed Area
http://www.legco.gov.hk/yr06-07/english/panels/se/papers/secb2-1156-1-e.pdf LEGCO Review of the Frontier Closed Area - Result of Public Consultation
http://www.inmediahk.net/node/1003900 關注香港邊境禁區以及河套大學城的發展
http://www.legco.gov.hk/yr07-08/chinese/panels/plw/papers/dev0527cb1-1602-3-c.pdf
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Frontier Closed Area".
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Trump Calls California Bar Gunman A ” Very Sick Puppy”
by ExploreDogs Editor / Friday, 16 November 2018 / Published in Puppies
THOUSAND OAKS:
US President Donald Trump said on Friday the gunman who killed 12 people in a crowded South California bar this week was a “very, very sick guy,” as investigators tried to determine what could have motivated the 28-year-old Marine combat veteran.
Even as Thousand Oaks, a suburb 40 miles (64 km) northwest of downtown Los Angeles, mourned the dead, the city faced a fresh threat on Friday as wildfires raged in the area, forcing thousands of people from their homes.
Victims of Wednesday night’s rampage in the city of Thousand Oaks included an 18-year-old freshman student at Pepperdine University, a security guard at the bar, a graduate of California Lutheran University and a Marine Corps veteran.
Ian David Long, who served with the Marines in Afghanistan, walked into the Borderline Bar and Grill, which was packed with dancing college students, and opened fire, fatally shooting 12 people before apparently killing himself, law enforcement officials said.
CNN reported that Long had written on Facebook around the time of the massacre: “I hope people call me insane … wouldn’t that just be a big ball of irony?” He added, “Yeah.. I’m insane, but the only thing you people do after these shootings is ‘hopes and prayers’.. and wonder why these keep happening.”
Long’s Facebook page appears to have since been deleted.
“He is a very sick puppy,” Trump said of the gunman, speaking at the White House before leaving on a trip to Paris.
The FBI was seeking a motive for the country’s latest mass shooting.
Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean told reporters on Thursday that Long may have suffered from PTSD.
“He was a Marine, he was in the war, he served time, he saw some pretty bad things,” Trump said. “And a lot of people say he had PTSD and it’s a tough deal.”
Richard Berge, who lived near Long and looked after his mother’s dogs, told Reuters she had told him earlier this year she worried her son might take his own life but did not fear he would hurt her.
The Thousand Oaks massacre took place less than two weeks after a man shot dead 11 worshippers at a Pittsburgh synagogue, fuelling the debate over gun ownership in America.
One of the dead, Telemachus Orfanos, had survived the mass shooting at a country music concert in October 2017 in Las Vegas that killed 58 people, the worst such incident in modern U.S. history, ABC News said, citing a friend.
It was time for politicians to act, Orfanos’ mother, Susan Schmidt-Orfanos, told ABC News.
“I don’t want prayers. I don’t want thoughts,” she said. “I want gun control and I hope to God nobody else sends me any more prayers.”
The shooting came a day after the election of a Democratic governor who has pushed for tighter gun control in a state that already has some of the strictest firearms laws in the country.
The wildfire that started on Thursday has destroyed some homes on the outskirts of Thousand Oaks and forced the mandatory evacuations of 75,000 people, as well as closing some highways. A large plume of smoke grew on the horizon to the northeast of the city on Friday.
Andrea Campbell Conant, a public relations executive who grew up in Thousand Oaks, said even as she drove to one of the vigils for the 12 people killed on Wednesday night roads had begun to close.
“It’s almost like we haven’t had enough time to process how we feel,” she said in a telephone interview as she described a head-spinning shift from a tear-filled vigil to her and her friends getting calls from relatives who needed help after getting evacuation orders.
Although mass shootings have become commonplace in modern American life, Wednesday’s carnage still came as a shock to the 127,000 residents of Thousand Oaks, which was named the third safest city in the United States for 2018 by the Niche research company.
Heather Wynalda, 47, in Conejo Valley, a few miles west of Thousand Oaks, said her brother’s home had burned but he and his family were safe.
“It’s just devastating,” she said via Facebook messenger. “This community pulled together so beautifully in the midst of yesterday’s shooting … and today, it is being frantically scattered in an effort to escape the fires.”
Evacuation centres have been set up in Thousand Oaks, including a teen centre where frantic parents awaited news of their children after Wednesday’s shooting.
Pepperdine University, which held a prayer service in Malibu following the shooting, said Friday it was closing its Malibu and Calabasas campuses due to the wildfires.
“He is a very sick puppy,” Trump said of the gunman, speaking at the White House. (File)
Adorable Yorkie puppies ready for new home now!!.
How Raising a Puppy is Like Dealing with Diabetes – Hugging the Cactus
Puppy gets bamboozled by grass
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"Into Mars Orbit" by TFH (CG Mock-Up of Mars Mission Using Apollo Footage)
This entry was posted in Humor on February 28, 2013 by FriendlyHelper.
Gorgeous Interactive Panoramas by Andrew Bodrov
Interactive panorama from Mars: Curiosity Rover’s Self Portrait at “John Klein” Drilling Site by
Andrew Bodrov, photographer from Estonia, member of IVRPA (specializing in interactive
panoramic photography).
http://www.360cities.net/image/mars-panorama-curiosity-solar-day-177#-71.41,56.26,31.1
“This self-portrait of NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity combines 66 exposures taken by the rover’s
Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) during the 177th Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity’s work on
Mars (Feb. 3, 2013).
At the bottom of this panorama is the hole drilled in a rock. The drilling took place on Feb. 8,
2013, or Sol 182, Curiosity’s 182nd Martian day of operations. The sample-collection hole is 0.63
inch (1.6 centimeters) in diameter and 2.5 inches (6.4 centimeters) deep. The “mini drill” test
hole near it is the same diameter, with a depth of 0.8 inch (2 centimeters).
The images for full panorama obtained by the rover’s 34-millimeter Mast Camera. The mosaic,
which stretches about 30,000 pixels width, includes 113 images taken on Sol 170 and an
additional 17 images taken on Sol 176.”
Bodrov’s panorama of Mars from Curiosity rover received more that 1,700,000 views
(from August 2012):
http://www.360cities.net/image/curiosity-rover-martian-solar-day-2
Astronomy Picture of the Day:
[click to enlarge]
Curiosity Self-Portrait Panorama
Image Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech, MSSS – Panorama by Andrew Bodrov
Explanation: This remarkable self-portrait of NASA’s Mars Curiosity Rover includes a sweeping panoramic view of its current location in the Yellowknife Bay region of the Red Planet’s Gale Crater. The rover’s flat, rocky perch, known as “John Klein”, served as the site for Curiosity’s first rock drilling activity. At the foot of the proud looking rover, a shallow drill test hole and a sample collection hole are 1.6 centimeters in diameter. The impressive mosaic was constructed using frames from the rover’s Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) and Mastcam. Used to take in the panoramic landscape frames, the Mastcam is standing high above the rover’s deck. But MAHLI, intended for close-up work, is mounted at the end of the rover’s robotic arm. The MAHLI frames used to create Curiosity’s self-portrait exclude sections that show the arm itself and so MAHLI and the robotic arm are not seen. Check out this spectacular interactive version of Curiosity’s self-portrait panorama.
Photographer Andrew Bodrov, a member of the International Virtual Reality Photography Association (IVRPA), has been professionally engaged in panoramic photography for over 12 years. He has shot panoramas for the 3D Tallinn Project, Tallinn Song Festival, Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow, Baikonur Cosmodrome as well as hundreds of other panoramas from around the world.
http://www.360cities.net/profile/bodrov
This entry was posted in Andrew Bodrov, Sets, Surface Images on February 28, 2013 by FriendlyHelper.
‘Inspiration Mars’ Press Conference Slides
“It is time for America not to withdraw within itself, but to dream big dreams again. It is time for Americans to unite in accomplishing big goals again and reap the benefits in our educational systems, technical advancement and the economy that were realized when we first journeyed to the Moon.” NASA Astronaut, Jerry Ross, January 28, 2013
“I believe we can send humans to orbit Mars and return them safely to Earth. And a landing on Mars will follow. And I expect to be around to see it” President Barack Obama. Kennedy Space Center, April 15, 2010
Inspiration Mars Press Release:
http://inspirationmars.org/Inspiration%20Mars%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf
Inspiration Mars Feasibility Analysis:
http://inspirationmars.org/Inspiration%20Mars_Feasibility%20Analysis_IEEE.pdf
Thank you Dennis Tito!
______________________________________________________________________________Update: Additional Material Published Shortly After Annoucenement
“This type of private sector effort is further evidence of the timeliness and wisdom of the Obama Administration’s overall space policy and the enthusiasm to tap the innovative spirit of the private sector and share the interest people have in Mars exploration. It’s a testament to the audacity of America’s commercial aerospace industry and the adventurous spirit of America’s citizen-explorers. NASA will continue discussions with Inspiration Mars to see how the agency might collaborate on mutually-beneficial activities that could complement NASA’s human spaceflight, space technology and Mars exploration plans.” David Steitz, NASA Spokesman
This entry was posted in Inspiration Mars, Mission Plans, Oh Yeah Baby on February 28, 2013 by FriendlyHelper.
Bones "Asteroid Mining & the Schoolteacher Look" (Created by Hart Hanson)
“Okay, just think of it as an investment for our future. For Parker, for Christine. Asteroid mining? Yeah, asteroid mining. I did my research, okay? The head of the Jet Propulsion Lab says it’s possible, and the two guys who sent the rover to Mars, they agree. The microgravity technologies required to do so don’t even exist, Booth. You know what? There was a time when radios and-and railroads, they didn’t exist, but people, they got rich. Why are you looking at me like that? Like a schoolteacher. Every time I have a good idea… Anyway, just look at the bones. Why did the farmer run over the remains? He was an investment banker trying to get back to nature. I’m guessing the tractor didn’t handle like his Beemer. Well, according to the shallow grave here, shish kebob, he was definitely murdered. The presence of Nicrophorus americanus, along with some of its larvae, suggest the murder took place five days ago. Right. You believe in asteroid mining? Are you kidding me? It’s the only way that the species is gonna survive. Did you hear that? I am a visionary. You’re gonna be an asteroid miner? Yeah. I didn’t ask that. Don’t want to know. Please explain the difficulty to him of retrieving a 500-ton asteroid. No. Not my place. No, no, no. No, you just put it in a lunar orbit and send some guys up there. I think it’s really simple, actually. Is she looking at me like an angry schoolteacher? – Oh, yeah, yeah. She does that a lot.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bones_(TV_series)
This entry was posted in TV Series on February 28, 2013 by FriendlyHelper.
‘Inspiration Mars’ National Press Club Announcement at 1pm EST
InspirationMars.org
Register for a live feed of ‘Inspiration Mars’ from the National Press Club announcement, here:
http://www.visualwebcaster.com/event.asp?id=92584
This entry was posted in Dennis Tito, Inspiration Mars, Miles O'Brien, Oh Yeah Baby, STEM, Transcripts on February 27, 2013 by FriendlyHelper.
David Suzuki on the Biosphere
This entry was posted in Philosophy on February 27, 2013 by FriendlyHelper.
Apollo 11 Saturn V (9:32 am) Launch in High Def…go full screen, it’s the coolest ever
This entry was posted in Sets, Vehicles on February 27, 2013 by FriendlyHelper.
The Rockwell Retro Encabulator : )
Some of the Better Comments:
For God’s sake, I wish this guy would stop dumbing down everything. I’m not an idiot!
Ugh, you’re an idiot, didn’t you hear anything he said? If you have trouble following, maybe you should go back to school. JEEZE. Wtf do they teach now a days?
I actually used this video about 5 years ago to scare the tar out of my company’s sales force (I’m an engineer).
Boy, I sure am glad to see that I was’nt the ONLY person to recognize that shortcoming of the original Encabulator.
Is this guy a pastor?, they talk the same language.
Does anyone understand a word he just said? Patrick Carney told me to watch this, and I don’t know why!:(
try Google-ing any of the things he says. nothing that makes sence comes up. [LOL]
did he just say dinglearm?
What is the OSHA stance on this Entrapulator?
… so there really is a “dingle arm”?
I blame Dr. Seuss
I bought one on Ebay!!
my life is better thanks to the Rockwell Retro Encabulator. thak you Rockwell
My Engineers can get me to say anything. I wasn’t even sure they were kidding when they sent me this link!
I’ve had 3 of these and NONE of them worked!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turboencabulator
http://www.reddit.com/r/science/comments/dm0pp/engineers_had_this_made_by_1937_skip_to_153/
From: http://people.csail.mit.edu/bradley/turbo-encabulator.html
The Turbo Encabulator
I found the following at http://www.cs.purdue.edu/homes/spaf/Yucks/V3/msg00024.html, but that link is now broken. The poster thinks “Nobody knows who wrote it.” Actually it appears that some people do know who wrote it 🙂
I haven’t seen the original, but I found a reference to it on pages 64-65 of Robert R. Rathbone, Communicating Technical Information, A Guide to Current Uses and Abuses in Scientific and Engineering Writing, Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Reading MA, 1966. The following appeared in “The Turbo-Encabulator in Industry,” by J. H. Quick, in Student’s Quarterly Journal, Institution of Electrical Engineers, London, 1944.
Rathbone’s quotation differs slightly from the following:
Date: 21 Jun 93 04:31:27 EDT (Mon)
From: dscatl!lindsay@merlin.gatech.edu (Lindsay Cleveland)
Subject: cutie
To: spaf
Contributed by: hp-pcd!jimd
This article appeared in a mechanical trade journal around 1945. My
grandfather, editor of the Welder's Digest, kept it in his scrap-
book. Nobody knows who wrote it.
For a number of years work has been proceeding in order to bring
perfection to the crudely conceived idea of a machine that would not
only supply inverse reactive current for use in unilateral phase
detractors, but would also be capable of automatically synchronizing
cardinal grammeters. Such a machine is the "Turbo-Encabulator."
Basically, the only new principle involved is that instead of power
being generated by the relative motion of conductors and fluxes, it
is produced by the modial interaction of magneto-reluctance and
capacitive directance.
The original machine had a base-plate of pre-fabulated amulite,
surmounted by a malleable logarithmic casing in such a way that the
two spurving bearings were in a direct line with the pentametric fan.
The latter consisted simply of six hydrocoptic marzelvances, so
fitted to the ambifacient lunar waneshaft that side fumbling was
effectively prevented. The main winding was of the normal lotus-o-delta
type placed in panendermic semi-boloid slots in the stator, every
seventh conductor being connected by a non-reversible tremie pipe to
the differential girdlespring on the "up" end of the grammeters.
Electrical engineers will appreciate the difficulty of nubing
together a regurgitative purwell and a supramitive wennel-sprocket.
Indeed, this proved to be a stumbling block to further development
until, in 1942, it was found that the use of anhydrous nangling pins
enabled a kryptonastic bolling shim to be tankered.
The early attempts to construct a sufficiently robust spiral
decommutator failed largely because of a lack of appreciation of the
large quasi-piestic stresses in the gremlin studs; the latter were
specially designed to hold the roffit bars to the spamshaft. When,
however, it was discovered that wending could be prevented by a simple
addition to the living sockets, almost perfect running was secured.
The operating point is maintained as near as possible to the
h.f. rem peak by constantly fromaging the bitumogenous spandrels.
This is a distinct advance on the standard nivel-sheave in that no
dramcock oil is required after the phase detractors have been remissed.
Undoubtedly, the turbo-encabulator has now reached a very high
level of technical development. It has been successfully used for
operating nofer trunnions. In addition, whenever a barescent skor
motion is required, it may be employed in conjunction with a drawn
reciprocating dingle arm to reduce sinusoidal depleneration.
Asteroid Impact Craters on Earth
This entry was posted in Asteroids, Sets on February 26, 2013 by FriendlyHelper.
Depictions of Asteroid Impact Events
This entry was posted in Asteroids, Digital Art, Humor on February 26, 2013 by FriendlyHelper.
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Category Archives: Illustration
The Young Scientist Book of Space Flight (1976)
This entry was posted in Illustration, Infographics on November 5, 2018 by FriendlyHelper.
NASA: “Recruitment Posters”
This entry was posted in Illustration, Propaganda on October 1, 2018 by FriendlyHelper.
Lynx Art Collective
http://lynxartcollection.com
This entry was posted in Illustration, Posters on May 12, 2017 by FriendlyHelper.
NASA/JPL: “Explorers Wanted Posters”
http://mars.nasa.gov/multimedia/resources/mars-posters-explorers-wanted/
This entry was posted in Illustration, Posters on January 3, 2017 by FriendlyHelper.
Josh Sherrington: SpaceX’s Bridge to Mars
This entry was posted in Animations, Illustration, Infographics, Josh Sherrington on October 21, 2016 by FriendlyHelper.
Vintage Sci-Fi Covers
This entry was posted in Fiction Writing, Illustration on September 27, 2016 by FriendlyHelper.
Josh Sherrington: “How SpaceX Will Make Interplanetary Civilization a Reality”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMTLBhoCM8k
www.earthflag.co.uk
This entry was posted in Illustration, Propaganda, SpaceX on September 27, 2016 by FriendlyHelper.
WE ARE GO FL Vacations
http://wearegofl.com
https://www.facebook.com/WeAreGoFL
This entry was posted in Illustration on August 8, 2016 by FriendlyHelper.
JPL “Visions of the Future”
While there is much debate over which exoplanet discovery is considered the “first,” one stands out from the rest. In 1995, scientists discovered 51 Pegasi b, forever changing the way we see the universe and our place in it. The exoplanet is about half the mass of Jupiter, with a seemingly impossible, star-hugging orbit of only 4.2 Earth days. Not only was it the first planet confirmed to orbit a sun-like star, it also ushered in a whole new class of planets called Hot Jupiters: hot, massive planets orbiting closer to their stars than Mercury. Today, powerful observatories like NASA’s Kepler space telescope will continue the hunt of distant planets.
Delgado:
Saturn’s moon Enceladus is all about the plumes erupting from its south pole. At our first brainstorming session, someone called the plumes “Cold Faithful,” and that helped crystallize this idea quite quickly.
There’s no right way up in space, so for fun, we turned the surface upside down from the point of view of the visitors in the picture.
Harris:
This was the first poster we designed in the series. The concept was really clear from the very beginning and set the tone for everything that came after. When we showed it to the scientists, the only thing they wanted us to tweak was to make the color of one of the stars (and the shadow it casts) different from the other star.
The concept here was about how plants might be very different colors on planets around other stars, since the star’s spectrum of light would be different. So we played on an old saying, with “the grass is always redder on the other side of the fence.”
There’s whimsy in the design, making people wonder why there would be this white picket fence on an alien planet.
The big sign in this poster is inspired by the gateway in Reno that announces it as “the biggest little city in the world.” We kind of thought that might suit Ceres. It’s the biggest object in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter and probably has a lot of water ice underground.
We designed all of these posters as a group, and liked the way this looked with a very muted color palette.
There’s no place like home. Warm, wet and with an atmosphere that’s just right, Earth is the only place we know of with life – and lots of it. JPL’s Earth science missions monitor our home planet and how it’s changing so it can continue to provide a safe haven as we reach deeper into the cosmos.
Astonishing geology and the potential to host the conditions for simple life make Jupiter’s moon Europa a fascinating destination for future exploration. Beneath its icy surface, Europa is believed to conceal a global ocean of salty liquid water twice the volume of Earth’s oceans. Tugging and flexing from Jupiter’s gravity generates enough heat to keep the ocean from freezing. On Earth, wherever we find water, we find life. What will NASA’s Europa mission find when it heads for this intriguing moon in the 2020s
The basis for this poster was a Jupiter cloudscape by artist Ron Miller, who was very gracious in allowing us to modify his painting. In talking with a lead scientist on NASA’s Juno mission (which is getting to Jupiter in July), we locked onto his description of the brilliant auroras Jupiter has. It would truly be a sight to see.
This design fell right out of the tagline, “where the nightlife never ends,” which was perfect for a wandering planet that has no star.
We wanted to evoke a sense of elegance, so we leaned heavily on 1930s art deco for this one. It’s sort of retro-future fantasy, but again, there’s a bit of real science inspiring it.
The Grand Tour is the route the Voyager 2 spacecraft took to visit all four outer planets. We imagined this would be something people might want to repeat, since it’s a flight plan that’s possible every 175 years or so, when the outer planets are arranged just right. In the future, it might be considered “quaint” to experience a gravity assist.
Style-wise, the design came from some references we looked at from transparency overlays from the 1960s. It initially had a black background, but we inverted it and the design just clicked.
This was the very last poster we produced for the series. We wanted to imagine a future time where humans are on Mars, and their history would revere the robotic pioneers that came first.
There are a few fun things to point out here. You can see the silhouette of Olympus Mons in the background, there’s a hint of underground water, and the rover’s wheel is spelling out JPL on the ground in Morse code, just like the Curiosity rover does (for what the rover drivers call “visual odometry.”)
As we discussed ideas for a poster about super Earths — bigger planets, more massive, with more gravity — we asked, “Why would that be a cool place to visit?”
We saw an ad for people jumping off mountains in the Alps wearing squirrel suits, and it hit us that this could be a planet for thrill-seekers.
Frigid and alien, yet similar to our own planet billions of years ago, Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, has a thick atmosphere, organic-rich chemistry and a surface shaped by rivers and lakes of liquid ethane and methane. Cold winds sculpt vast regions of hydrocarbon-rich dunes. There may even be cryovolcanoes of cold liquid water. NASA’s Cassini orbiter was designed to peer through Titan’s perpetual haze and unravel the mysteries of this planet-like moon.
We tried a few different designs for Venus, starting with the surface, but the intent was to show things people might find pleasant, and Venus’ surface is anything but.
The scene is of a city in the clouds during a transit of Mercury across the sun. The Morse code for the number 9 is written on the side (signifying the inhabitants are “on cloud 9”).
JPL Visions of the Future Posters
A creative team of visual strategists at JPL, known as “The Studio,” created the poster series, which is titled “Visions of the Future.” Nine artists, designers, and illustrators were involved in designing the 14 posters, which are the result of many brainstorming sessions with JPL scientists, engineers, and expert communicators. Each poster went through a number of concepts and revisions, and each was made better with feedback from the JPL experts.
David Delgado, creative strategy:
The posters began as a series about exoplanets — planets orbiting other stars — to celebrate NASA’s study of them. (The NASA program that focuses on finding and studying exoplanets is managed by JPL.) Later, the director of JPL was on vacation at the Grand Canyon with his wife, and they saw a similarly styled poster that reminded them of the exoplanet posters. They suggested it might be wonderful to give a similar treatment to the amazing destinations in our solar system that JPL is currently exploring as part of NASA. And they were right!
The point was to share a sense of things on the edge of possibility that are closely tied to the work our people are doing today. The JPL director has called our people “architects of the future.”
As for the style, we gravitated to the style of the old posters the WPA created for the national parks. There’s a nostalgia for that era that just feels good.
Joby Harris, illustrator:
The old WPA posters did a really great job delivering a feeling about a far-off destination. They were created at a time when color photography was not very advanced, in order to capture the beauty of the national parks from a human perspective. These posters show places in our solar system (and beyond) that likewise haven’t been photographed on a human scale yet — or in the case of the exoplanets might never be, at least not for a long time. It seemed a perfect way to help people imagine these strange, new worlds.
The WPA poster style is beloved, and other artists have embraced it before us. Our unique take was to take one specific thing about the place and focus on the science of it. We chose exoplanets that had really interesting, strange qualities, and everything about the poster was designed to amplify the concept. The same model guided us for the posters that focus on destinations in the solar system.
Lois Kim, typography:
We worked hard to get the typography right, since that was a very distinctive element in creating the character of those old posters. We wanted to create a retro-future feel, so we didn’t adhere exactly to the period styles, but they definitely informed the design. The Venus poster has a very curvy, flowy font, for example, to evoke a sense of the clouds.
Credits for the posters
Creative Strategy:
Dan Goods, David Delgado
Liz Barrios De La Torre (Ceres, Europa)
Stefan Bucher (Jupiter Design)
Invisible Creature (Grand Tour, Mars, Enceladus)
Joby Harris (Kepler 16b, Earth, Kepler 186f, PSO J318.5-22, Titan)
Jessie Kawata (Venus)
Lois Kim (Typography for Venus and Europa)
Ron Miller (Jupiter Illustration)
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/visions-of-the-future/
This entry was posted in Illustration, Posters on July 10, 2016 by FriendlyHelper.
‘The Martian’ Concepts and Posters
This entry was posted in Digital Art, Illustration, Posters on January 28, 2016 by FriendlyHelper.
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A Better Conversation
Some time in the next few months Islanders will once more be thinking about fish kills. In mid July thousands of dead fish were found in three rivers in Western PEI. It was the most serious fishkill in recent memory and very troubling to many. Traces of pesticide were found in samples taken from the rivers. One farmer Avard Smallman has already pleaded guilty to a buffer zone violation and will be fined. Warren Ellis is the other farmer charged under the Environmental Protection Act. He will go to trial, or possibly reach a plea agreement first, in the next few weeks.
The fact that there were violations of the fifteen meter buffer regulation was a great relief to many in the farming community. If there hadn't been, then the critics of a fifteen meter buffer would have the ammunition to call for even stricter rules.
If there was anything positive to be taken away from this very disturbing incident, it's this: despite many heavy rain days, there were no fishkills in the majority of the province's watersheds. In a handful, there's been a conscious effort not to just follow the law, but do more. Here's a story I wrote a few months ago about an inspiring group of people in Eastern PEI. I think there are good lessons for us all in their experience.
Souris Watershed: A Rare Success or a Model for the Future
It took months of meetings, a lot of trust, and a heavy dollop of government money, but people in a large area of Eastern PEI are part of the most successful effort ever in the province to collectively protect and improve water resources.
It started with a series of public meetings through the Fall and Winter of 2005-2006. The two linchpins of the meetings were to speak honestly about the serious environmental degradation in the watershed, and just as importantly, to not lay blame, but figure out who had to do what to make things better.
The area’s farmers knew they’d be fingered by most as the cause of the problems, so they initially went to these meetings more to protect their interests than anything else. “I think farmers were really scared of having the community tell them what was going to happen.” Bear River farmer Kevin MacIsaac was one of the area’s farmers who was at these community meetings. “I think there was some fear in the room, and that was probably a reason to get more proactive, but that fear went away fairly quickly once everyone was in the room and talking about common goals.”
Retired school teacher Fred Cheverie agreed to be the coordinator for the meetings. “Once farmers understood that we weren’t trying to shut them down, but work with them, then people starting talking. I think the greatest thing to come out of it was the respect people developed for each of the industries.”
The Souris watershed had all the problems common to watersheds around the province: fish kills from pesticide run-off, high bacteria counts from poor manure handling, serious soil erosion, and high nitrate levels caused by excess fertilizer leaching into waterways. The nitrates, along with phosphorus, fertilize choking amounts of algae. That’s bad enough, but as the algae dies, bacteria breaking it down use up precious oxygen reserves in the water, weakening and often killing fish and shellfish stocks. So these meetings were made up of people with vastly competing interests, all seeing their livelihoods at stake. It was Fred Cheverie who insisted that the tone remain civil and respectful. He says it was the only way to move forward. “When farmers get respect, and they in turn respect the organization, things go a lot smoother.”
Respect is not something many Islanders feel towards farmers. The media dwells on the serious financial problems facing agriculture during the fall and winter, and environmental concerns the rest of the year. These same Islanders generally want to see a lot more sticks rather than carrots used to get farmers to take environmental protection seriously.
Without really knowing it, the community used concepts developed for what’s called “conflict resolution”. It essentially states that the default position for most people is to only see the differences between themselves and others, and to argue what these “others” are doing wrong. Conflict resolution theory suggests looking for common “interests” instead, in other words the goals that various groups can agree on. This requires time and trust, and the Souris Wildlife Federation used both.
“Go slow, take your time, make sure everyone understands everything, be up front, never make a promise you can’t keep, simple stuff, common sense” says Fred Cheverie. “You have to remember that the bulk of the land is owned by farmers, so you’re going to have to work with them, you’re going to have to get along with them.”
Farmer Kevin MacIsaac says Fred Cheverie’s stature in the community was critical. ”Everyone has respect for him. He’s seen the farming side, he’s also a fisherman and a hunter, and a wildlife person, so people knew he would be able to recognize both sides. Some of the people from wildlife and the watershed, they were just looking for ways to improve things, and that’s all we were too. It was important to get it all on the table, rather than have people walking behind each other and laying blame.”
This process had one other critical component, money, but that came only after the community had done the heavy lifting of developing a comprehensive watershed plan that almost all stakeholders committed to. (there was some money, available to any community, for coordination and costs for these early meetings).
This was the first time on PEI that governments used public funds to compensate farmers for taking steps beyond what the law requires, to protect water resources. At the time it had the awkward name “ecological goods and services”. Now it’s referred to something a little easier, Alternate Land Use Services, better known as ALUS. Here are some examples of land use practices that get small per hectare payments: retiring sensitive land by expanding buffer zones and grassed headlands, retiring high-sloped land, taking additional steps to prevent soil erosion.
Taxpayers may wonder why farmers need to be paid to do things that should be the law, or their civic duty at least. This is where the farm financial crisis comes in. There are increased demands for food safety and environmental protection, but no mechanism for farmers to recover these higher costs out of the market. In fact over the last decade debt levels on most farms have increased yearly, and are now at record levels. It’s instructive to look at how other jurisdictions view public money going to farmers who protect the environment. This is from the European Commission which spends $53 billion euros a year supporting agriculture. Farms in France for example get more than thirty thousand dollars a year for taking minimal steps to protect the environment. Farms on PEI get a few hundred dollars at best.
“European Union farmers benefit from income support for supplying the kind of public goods which cannot be provided purely by the market – environmental protection, animal welfare, highquality and safe food. European Union standards in these areas are amongst the highest in the world. As a consequence, producing food in Europe is more expensive than in countries where such standards are not obligatory.
As high-cost producers of food, European farmers would find it very difficult to compete
against farmers in other countries without public support. Indeed, as the impact of climate change increases, the cost of sustainable farming is only likely to rise.”
The Souris Watershed has become the poster child of co-operation between farmers and other interest groups. It’s been rewarded with a lot more government support than other watersheds in the province, more than half a million dollars for the initial two year project (most coming from the Federal government), then in June almost a million dollars to conduct research to quantify the impact of changing farming practices. (Government departments and university researchers will get this money, not farmers). This new research will look at the impact of fall versus spring plowing. Many farmers worry that if they don’t plow sod in the Fall, that a rainy Spring might put them weeks behind planting their crops. But there are serious environmental consequences linked to Fall plowing: land is bare through the winter, and that can mean considerable soil erosion. As well, researchers worry that the nitrogen in a sod/hay crop that’s plowed in the Fall will add to the already high nitrate load in this and other watersheds. Some are hoping that if Spring plowing releases enough nutrients from the sod that can then be utilized by the cash crop and cut down on the need for expensive fertilizer, that farmers will be given one more good reason to keep the plow in barn in the Fall.
It’s taken decades for the many environmental problems in the Souris watershed and elsewhere to develop. There have been numerous studies, Royal Commissions, new regulations, government threats and promises, but little tangible evidence that things are getting better. Throw in a lot of defensiveness, even hostility from primary producers that non farmers just don’t understand that fewer and fewer of them are expected to produce huge quantities of cheap food, and the challenges just get bigger.
The Souris watershed experience offers the best example for breaking this logjam. The trouble is there aren’t a lot of Fred Cheveries around the province who command the respect of people in the community, and have the time, patience and inclination to take on months of meetings. And there certainly aren’t the financial resources that Souris enjoyed because it was the first to see this process through.
There is a lot of evidence that public resources should be used to fairly cover the additional costs farmers take on to protect water resources, but this is a public expenditure that’s competing against many others during a time of restraint and cuts.
But there are other lessons from Souris that communities can draw on, that trust and respect are needed to move forward, and at least neither of these cost any money.
Posted by Petrie at 07:26 No comments:
Something Else You Can't Count On
Fair trade was always one of those rock solid programs that allowed me to shop and buy with a clear conscience. The idea is simple and powerful: products with the fairtrade logo are produced sustainably by farmers and producers who are paid fairly. In other words a fairer share of my dollar goes to the person who produced the product, not to a long list of middle people who grab most of the cash in a normal marketing chain. Over the years larger processors and retailers have gotten into the fairtrade game. These bigger companies mean more producers will benefit, so it's got to be a good thing. Right??
Now we learn that one fairtrade organization (it won't surprise you which one) wants to change the rules. Big companies like to deal with big suppliers. They feel assured they can get the consistency of supply and quality they're looking for, but it often leaves small producers unable to participate. We're not there yet, but this looks like an unfortunate first step.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/24/business/as-fair-trade-movement-grows-a-dispute-over-its-direction.html?_r=2&hpw
As Fair Trade Movement Grows, a Dispute Over Its Direction
By WILLIAM NEUMAN
A tempest in a coffee pot is bubbling in the world of “fair trade,” the socially responsible food movement that seeks to lift farmers in the developing world out of poverty by offering them a premium for crops like coffee, cocoa and bananas. And the fight will soon reach your local Starbucks, Wal-Mart and Whole Foods.
Fair Trade USA, the movement’s leading advocate in the United States, angered critics by saying it would cut its ties at year’s end with the main international fair trade group and make far-reaching changes in the sorts of products that get its seal of approval.
The changes include giving the fair trade designation to coffee from large plantations, which were previously barred in favor of small farms. The group is also proposing to place its seal on products with as little as 10 percent fair trade ingredients, compared with a minimum of 20 percent required in other countries.
The group says the changes will benefit more poor farmers and farm workers around the world and make it easier for large corporations to sell fair trade products. Sales of fair trade goods in 2010 were $1.3 billion in the United States and $5.8 billion globally. Fair Trade USA said it hoped to double sales in the United States by 2015.
Critics accuse Fair Trade USA of watering down standards, perhaps motivated by the bigger fees to be earned from certifying a higher volume of products. Some sellers of fair trade products fear small coffee farmers will lose market share to the big plantations and that companies will have an incentive to include only the minimum amount of fair trade ingredients in their products.
“It’s a betrayal,” said Rink Dickinson, president of Equal Exchange, a pioneer importer of fair trade coffee, chocolate, tea and bananas, based in Massachusetts. “They’ve lost their integrity.”
Paul Rice, chief executive of Fair Trade USA, said the fair trade movement was dominated by hard-liners who resisted needed changes. “We’re all debating what do we want fair trade to be as it grows up,” Mr. Rice said. “Do we want it to be small and pure or do we want it to be fair trade for all?”
He dismissed criticism that his group was seeking to increase revenue for its own sake. “The more we grow volume, the more we can increase the impact” of fair trade, he said.
As part of his efforts to expand the fair trade designation, Mr. Rice is cutting ties between his group and an umbrella organization, Fairtrade International, which coordinates fair trade marketing activities in close to two dozen countries. He said his group paid outsize fees to Fairtrade International — about $1.5 million last year — and received little in return. The international group has also rejected the changes put forth by Mr. Rice.
“The best thing we can do is make sure we’re staying true to the principles that got us to where we are,” said Rob S. Cameron, the chief executive of Fairtrade International. “I’m not going to water those principles down.”
The brouhaha has surprised many companies that sell fair trade products and will soon be forced to take sides. For consumers who pay attention to where their food comes from and how it is produced, the result could be confusion as they try to sort through a proliferation of competing fair trade labels with differing claims.
The logo overload will include a redesigned Fair Trade USA seal; a Fairtrade International seal, which previously did not appear in this country; and labels from smaller programs, like one run by Catholic Relief Services.
Coffee, which Mr. Rice said accounted for more than 70 percent of the fair trade market in the United States, is at the center of the dispute.
Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, which calls itself the largest buyer of fair trade coffee in the world, said that it would continue to work with Fair Trade USA as it sought to increase the amount of fair trade coffee it used.
The company is participating in a pilot project with Fair Trade USA involving a 500-acre organic coffee plantation in Brazil, a farm that previously would have been too large to get fair trade certification.
“Our ongoing commitment to small-scale farmers remains intact,” Sandy Yusen, a Green Mountain spokeswoman, said. “We also believe that Fair Trade USA’s vision presents new opportunities that allow us to impact even more farmers and workers.”
Ms. Yusen said that Green Mountain bought 26 million pounds of fair trade coffee in 2010; in that year, it paid $1.6 million in licensing fees to Fair Trade USA, making it the largest source of revenue for the nonprofit group, according to federal tax filings. The fees are meant to pay the cost of auditing a company’s production to make sure its fair trade claims are accurate.
Starbucks, which has about 11,000 coffee shops in the United States, also said that it planned to continue using Fair Trade USA to certify coffee it sells in this country. However, the company said that it had not decided whether to place a fair trade label on coffee grown on large plantations. Starbucks said that about 8 percent of the coffee used in its global operations came from fair trade farms in 2010, or about 21 million pounds.
Wal-Mart and Whole Foods also sell fair trade coffee and use fair trade ingredients in store-brand products; both companies said they were evaluating the situation.
About two dozen countries have fair trade labeling organizations that license companies to market fair trade products. Fairtrade International provides a uniform logo for use on packaging in most countries.
Most fair trade programs around the world already allow bananas, tea and flowers to be grown on large farms. But traditionally, fair trade coffee and cocoa had to come from small farms organized into cooperatives. The farmers receive a premium for use in community projects, like paying for schools or medical care.
Those poor farmers were once isolated from markets in the developed world and had to sell at a low price. Fair trade organizations help them improve product quality and, most important, give them access to a world market.
Mr. Rice said bringing large plantations into the fair trade sphere would mean that workers on those plantations, whom he called “the poorest of the poor,” could also begin to receive benefits. “We’ve developed a vision for that bigger, better model of fair trade,” he said.
But critics say that large plantations do not need help getting access to major markets, and the small coffee farmers who have been at the heart of fair trade could be squeezed out.
“Starbucks, Green Mountain and other coffee companies will be able to become 100 percent fair trade not because they’ve changed their business practices one iota but because Fair Trade USA has changed the rules of the game,” said Dean Cycon, founder of Dean’s Beans Organic Coffee Company, in Orange, Mass.
Seth Goldman, the co-founder of Honest Tea, said the rift had prompted his company, now owned by Coca-Cola, to take a closer look at the workings of fair trade. He said that in the first 10 months of this year, Honest Tea paid about $51,000 in premiums destined to help farmers or farm workers. At the same time, it paid $37,000 in licensing fees to Fair Trade USA.
Mr. Goldman said he would like to see more money go to help farmers and less to pay administrative and auditing costs.
He said the company would decide in the next few weeks whether it would continue to work with Fair Trade USA or arrange to use the Fairtrade International logo on its products instead.
He called the dispute a mess, but added, “Opening up a can of worms gives us a chance to understand what’s in the can.”
Lots of Cliches, Less Common Sense
Business commentators have been salivating for years at the prospect of putting the final nail into the coffin of supply management. It's really because of the public disclosure rules in these national marketing schemes that they have large numbers to throw around to make their case. I suspect if the total "goodwill" value of any profession (doctor,lawyer,accountant) were added up, the number would be pretty big too. And on the matter of income note below the fact that because dairy farmers make a middle class wage, and even worse, much more than other farmers, it follows that they're making too much. Back in March I wrote about supply management and the fight that was brewing. First a very smart (normally) National Post commentator who hammered supply management all week, and I re-posted the March piece.
John Ivison
Don't bet the farm on dairy quotas
Ed Fast was in typical ministerial doublespeak mode. Yes, supply management will be on the table in any forthcoming talks into a potential AsiaPacific free trade deal, the Trade Minister told reporters in the foyer of the House of Commons.
Yes, the Harper government will vigorously defend the protected dairy and poultry sectors.
No, he would not speculate on the outcome of any negotiations.
So if you are a dairy farmer who has borrowed $1-million to buy the quota that gives you the right to send milk to market, you are reassured, right?
There's no way the Conservatives are going to negotiate away the value of your asset, in order to win trade concessions from other countries at the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) talks, right?
Don't bet the farm on it. Personally speaking, knowing the issue is "on the table" would certainly make me less inclined to pay $28,000 for every cow (or at least the right to sell milk from that cow).
The total value of milk quotas in Canada now is a staggering $30-billion, with many farmers deeply in debt, having borrowed the money to enter the industry from banks. That $30-billion would be the cost of compensating all farmers at current values and creating a free market in dairy and poultry products overnight.
That is unlikely to happen. For one thing, the knowledge that the issue is "on the table" is likely to send quota prices south.
For another, were the government to decide it wants an orderly phaseout of supply management, it is far more likely to start issuing new quotas that would lower prices gradually.
In all trade negotiations there are winners and losers - and the losers in this case appear to be the farmers who have racked up debt to buy quotas that may end up being as worthless as Nortel stock.
One farmer told me that for $1-million in quotas, he would typically gross $230,000. With expenses running at about 70%, he is left with $70,000 on which to live and pay down debt.
Those are pretty generous profit margins, compared to the all-farm average, but it will still create a political firestorm if quota values of dairy farmers in Ontario and Quebec are slashed so Western beef farmers can gain access to overseas markets.
One potential solution could be for governments to use the proceeds from new quota sales to help compensate farmers who want to leave the business.
What's increasingly clear is that the writing is on the wall and it was inscribed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper when he accepted President Barack Obama's offer to explore membership of the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
The Dairy Farmers of Canada are one of the country's most powerful lobby groups and will likely fight a noisy and ugly rearguard action. If the government decides to use up its political capital, we can expect to see herds of Holsteins grazing on the lawn of Parliament Hill and ministers being egged by irate farmers.
But trade liberalization appears inexorable, as countries seek to kick-start their economies. Mr. Harper said in the House of Commons he intends to protect supply management at the TPP negotiating table, but the road to most successful free-trade deals is paved with similarly good intentions.
TPP participants such as New Zealand are determined Canada's protected dairy industry is going to be opened up, by dropping tariff levels to zero over 10 to 15 years.
This should be welcomed by Canadian consumers. More imports mean cheaper prices and relief from rates that are more than double those paid in the U.S. for liquid milk, eggs, butter and cheese. It could even prove a boon for efficient dairy farmers, who would be free to export to expanding markets, rather than eking out a living in a shrinking Canadian market.
The time is right for liberalization in the dairy industry. The Conservatives have just fought - and apparently won - a battle with the monopoly Wheat Board to allow farmers to sell on the open market.
If free trade really is a linchpin of the Conservative growth strategy, as Mr. Fast claimed Tuesday, this relic of 1970s command economics will have to go the way of Soviet-style pre-fabricated concrete architecture and rusty tractors.
Supply management in a handful of agricultural commodities in Canada (dairy, eggs and poultry) has the same allure as the designated hitter in baseball. Those that care, care a lot. The rest, not so much.
It's a highly regulated marketing system designed initially to tackle a decades long struggle to stabilize the dairy industry. The first scheme was set-up in 1974 by the godfather of supply management, Eugene Whelan, Minister of Agriculture under Pierre Trudeau. The government had been offering price subsidies to dairy farmers throughout most of the last century, but like the Americans and Europeans now, found that a subsidy, on its own, generally leads to huge surpluses. (see http://www.jstor.org/pss/20001616 if you want to know more.)
Whelan was determined to try something very different: limit the production of milk to what the market demands through the use of quotas , and in return guarantee farmers a fair return. Hence the term supply management. By law the cost of production formula must use the most efficient farmers. Table milk we use on our cereal is given the highest price, milk used for butter the lowest. The government would no longer be involved in propping up the price, it would flow through the dairies to the supermarket, and be paid by consumers. .
To make the system work, Canada had to bring in strict import controls. If say New Zealand butter, or American yogurt was selling for 10% less than Canadian dairy products, the system would quickly break down. Canada uses high tariffs, and other restrictions to keep most, but not all, imported dairy products out.
Many, many dairy farmers hated the idea at the time, sold their herds and went into pork production. Even Trudeau (so the story goes) had to tell the Liberal Cabinet, you may not like what Whelan's going to propose, but we're going to do it anyway.
Whelan later introduced supply management into egg and poultry production. All three benefit from being able to control production through management practices, unlike many other crops which are weather dependent, and production fluctuates year by year.
The business press hated it then, and hates it now. Columnists in the National Post, Globe and Mail, etc. repeatedly argue that Canadians pay too much at the checkout, that supply management only survives because of its importance to the huge Quebec dairy industry, and that it should have disappeared during past trade negotiations like the Americans wanted, but federal politicians didn't have the guts to kill it.
To an economist's eye, supply management is far from perfect. Whelan initially insisted that the quotas would belong to the people of Canada, and be free. Now the piece of paper with the quota contract is the most valuable thing on the farm. Banks allow farmers to use the quota as collateral to borrow money. More on what's wrong with supply management here: http://www.iedm.org/files/fev05_en.pdf
Other people, including myself, think that supply management is similar to what Churchill famously said about democracy: "Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time."
Yes consumers pay more than what an American does for cheese and chicken, but unlike Americans, as taxpayers, Canadians don't pay again with a subsidy check sent to the farmer in the mail.
There are a couple of other overlooked benefits. A PEI dairy farmer can manage a herd of seventy to a hundred cows and make a reasonable living. A dairy farmer in Maine would need two to three times that number of cows to make the same living. Supply management also leads to a much more even split of the consumer dollar between the farmer, the food processor, and the food retailer. Farmers usually get what's left over from the consumer dollar after everyone else has been paid.
Supply Management has most recently been vilified in the news because Canada has been refused a seat at on-going trade negotiations called the Trans-Pacific Partnership. It's an ambitious trade deal that includes important growing Asian economies. The hangup, those import restrictions on dairy products, but don't forget that Japan too is insisting it has to protect some parts of it farming community as well.
See: http://www.embassymag.ca/page/view/transpacific-01-06-2010
Now maybe there's a small reason that Canadians can get behind supply management. Throughout this week (March 1-5, 2011) there have been many alarming stories about rising food prices. Climate catastrophes in Russia, Australia, Western Canada, are driving up the price of wheat, cooking oil, sugar, and, wait for it, dairy products.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-01/milk-powder-prices-jump-15-4-to-record-amid-asian-demand-fonterra-says.html
But here's the thing. Supply management means dairy prices are established here by domestic rules and regulations, not by international trading forces.
So when you hear (as you will, even on CBC) or read, that dairy prices are going up because of global climate and insecurity issues, you can think, that's not true. When the dust settles it will be interesting to see where Canadian dairy prices are in relation to those on the world market. It might not look so bad. Remember that when you read Terence Corcoran in the National Post, or Jeffery Simpson in the Globe and Mail, and a host of other business writers lecturing about the evils of supply management. They probably stopped thinking about this issue twenty years ago. You can bring them up to date.
And It Continues (See Last Post)
Pacific trade talks could bring end of supply management in Canada
Nov. 14, 2011 •
Chris Wattie/Reuters
“Look, Barack, I'm serious. Canada is way bigger than Turks and Caicos.”
OTTAWA — Stephen Harper’s foreign policy has been governed by the desire to remain as friendly as possible with the United States, while still maintaining a fig leaf of self-respect.
In recent weeks, that policy has been called into question, as U.S. lawmakers have made a series of policy decisions – Buy America, the new entry fee for travellers, and the Keystone pipeline delay – that have left the impression that Canada’s clout in Washington is somewhere on a par with Turks and Caicos.
Yet, in Honolulu on the weekend, a remarkable shift in Canadian trade policy took place that may, in part, have been an attempt by U.S. President Barack Obama to mend fences with the Harper government.
At the APEC summit in Hawaii on Saturday, Ed Fast, Canada’s Trade Minister, made some lukewarm noises about this country’s participation in the new Asia-Pacific free trade group that includes the U.S., Australia, New Zealand and six other countries. The resistance to the Trans-Pacific Partnership was blamed on the insistence by some participants, principally the U.S. and New Zealand, that Canada first agree to dismantle the supply management system that puts tariffs on imports of milk, butter and cheese. “We have made it clear that Canada will not pre-negotiate, we believe all of those issues should be discussed at the negotiating table,” said Mr. Fast.
But less than 24 hours later, Mr. Harper was telling reporters that Canada had given a formal indication of interest in joining the TPP “demonstrating our commitment to further deepen trade links in the Asia-Pacific region.” While he defended supply management as “valuable” in fostering a healthy dairy and poultry sector, he said everything is on the table during negotiations.
So what happened to shift opinion? People close to the negotiations said Japan’s decision to explore participation made the difference. While Japanese business is keen to increase its range of free trade deals, the new Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda is conscious of the opposition that would be created if he granted access to subsidized U.S. and cheap Vietnamese rice.
Since the Americans are keen to bind the Japanese in a trade deal, it seems likely that Japan’s heavily subsidized rice sector will be sheltered, in the same way the U.S. intends to continue to protect its dairy, sugar and peanut producers by introducing a special “liberalization” schedule.
Having carved out an exemption for the Japanese, it looks as though Mr. Obama decided he was in Mr. Harper’s debt and made a similar arrangement for Canadian poultry and dairy, reversing the position of U.S. trade negotiators, who were keen to keep Canada out of the talks.
Peter Clark, one of Canada’s leading trade strategists, said the prospect of Canada joining the talks came up in the discussion between Mr. Obama and Mr. Harper, when the President said he’d like Canada and Mexico to participate. “It was totally unexpected – you’ve got two politicians here trying to make each other look good,” he said. Mr. Harper reciprocated at his press conference in Honolulu when he was asked to comment on the U.S. decision to delay the Keystone pipeline. While he made clear his government’s intention to attempt to diversify the market for Canadian energy exports into Asia, he resisted the urge to take Mr. Obama into the boards. “I think Canadians would be wrong to interpret any of these decisions as against Canada. This is simply political season in the United States and decisions are being made for domestic political reasons that often have little or nothing to do with what other countries may think,” he said.
With the Beyond Borders trade and security agreement likely to be signed by the President and the Prime Minister in early December, this weekend’s development is an affirmation of the Harper government’s prudent policy of reasonable accommodation of the U.S. – progress over the approach of successive Liberal governments, who, in the words of former diplomat Colin Robertson, delighted in “tweaking the beak of the American eagle to underline Canadian independence.”
It’s a good result for the Prime Minister but he is still left with the prospect of dismantling supply management – a system that inflates prices for Canadian consumers and flies in the face of everything else he believes in. Pre-negotiated reform may be off the table but concerted opposition remains among the other nine or so participating countries.
There will be pressure on Canada to phase out protection of the dairy and poultry industries over time and Mr. Harper’s decision to participate in the TPP talks may signal the slow death of supply management, regardless of the assurances to the contrary given in the House of Commons.
A free trade deal that includes the NAFTA countries and Japan is a glittering prize worth potentially billions of dollars, not least for Canada’s beef producers. The country’s economy cannot be held to ransom by 12,000 dairy farmers.
Now It Begins
I've written a lot about supply management (there's a search box at the bottom of the page). It's given egg, poultry and dairy farmers considerable stability. Prices are slightly higher than the U.S., but taxpayers/consumers only pay once, unlike what happens in the U.S. and Europe where government support is required. Dairy exporters like New Zealand and the EEC would love to crack open the import controls necessary to make supply management work, and want to use negotiations for a new trade deal to accomplish this. This is from a business publication:
"The Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement, or TPP, began as a four-country Pacific free trade agreement that came into force in 2006. Initially it encompassed only New Zealand, Chile, Brunei and Singapore. However, those countries want to expand to more markets. Canada could have joined years ago, but has so far remained on the sidelines while its major competitors jump on board."
The hang-up for Canada joining these talks: Canada's defense of supply management. Over the weekend that changed.
http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/11/13/canada-wants-to-join-u-s-and-asia-pacific-region-free-trade-deal-harper/
Canada to strike new U.S. and Asia-Pacific region free trade deal: Harper
By Jason Fekete
HONOLULU — Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced Sunday Canada will apply to join a new free trade agreement with the United States and the Asia-Pacific region, and suggested that Canada’s farm supply management systems could be on the table for negotiation.
Mr. Harper also said Canada will look further into selling its oil and gas to Asian countries due to U.S. delays in approving the Keystone XL pipeline.
Mr. Harper, who met U.S. President Barack Obama over lunch on the fringes of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Honolulu, said Canada will formally ask to join the emerging Trans-Pacific Partnership trade group of nine Asia-Pacific countries.
A handful of countries in the TPP negotiations — including possibly New Zealand and the United States — have been resisting Canada’s entry into the group because of the Canadian supply management system that protects fewer than 20,000 dairy and poultry farmers behind a tariff wall and hands them production quotas.
The Conservative government has repeatedly said it will strongly defend Canada’s supply management system and that it wasn’t yet in the country’s interest to join the trade group — something reaffirmed Saturday by International Trade Minister Ed Fast.
But Sunday, Mr. Harper stressed his government now wants into the TPP, currently being negotiated among the United States, Australia, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. He said he was informed that Mr. Obama has asked for Canada to join the trade agreement.
The Prime Minister said Canada can “easily meet” the broad strokes of the agreement unveiled Saturday by Mr. Obama, even if it means throwing into the mix a supply management system that forces Canadians to pay higher prices for products like milk, cheese, chicken and eggs.
“It has been told to me that President Obama, in fact, was very strong indicating that he would like to see Canada join the Trans-Pacific Partnership. We are indicating today our formal intention, we’re expressing formally our willingness to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership,” Mr. Harper said.
“We will make an application and I am optimistic we will participate in the future,” he added. “Whenever we enter negotiations, as we’ve done in the past with other countries, as we’re doing right now with Europe, we always say that all matters are on the table. But of course Canada will seek to defend and promote our specific interests in every single sector of the economy.”
Japan announced Friday it was entering negotiations into the TPP and appears willing to dismantle some of its tariff walls for rice and grain farmers.
The prime minister met Mr. Obama later amid a growing number of cross-border irritants, including the Keystone XL, Buy American provisions, the Beyond the Border initiative and new $5.50 travel surcharge to the United States.
Mr. Harper said he’s disappointed with the Obama administration’s decision to delay a ruling on the TransCanada Corp.’s Keystone XL pipeline and consider rerouting it, but believes the project will proceed because it’s critical for both the Canadian and American economies.
“We are disappointed. Nonetheless, I remain optimistic that the project will eventually go ahead because it makes eminent sense, and I would also point out, I think it’s important to note that there has been extremely negative reaction to this decision in the United States because this pipeline and this project is obviously what’s in the best interests of not just the Canadian economy but also the American economy,” Harper said.
“I do think as well though — and I think this is important to say — this does underscore the necessity of Canada making sure that we’re able to access Asian markets for our energy products and that will be an important priority of this government going forward and I indicated that (Saturday) to President Hu of China.”
The Obama administration announced Thursday it is delaying a final ruling on Keystone XL oil sands pipeline until after the November 2012 presidential election while the government looks to reroute it. The $7-billion Keystone XL would carry up to 830,000 barrels of oil per day from northern Alberta to refineries on the Gulf Coast of Texas.
The U.S. State Department said it’s ordering a new review of the project aimed at rerouting Keystone XL around sensitive ecosystems along its proposed path through Nebraska.
Canada’s ticket to selling its petroleum to Asia is Enbridge Inc.’s $5.5-billion Northern Gateway pipeline, which would ship oil sands bitumen from northern Alberta to a marine facility in Kitimat, B.C., where oil would be unloaded onto tankers for export.
The broader goal of the TPP is to create a tariff-free region and members view it as a critical multilateral agreement, especially with the ongoing troubles from the Doha Round of World Trade Organization negotiations.
Mr. Obama said Saturday he’s “confident” the TPP members can complete the free-trade agreement, hopefully within a year, and have it serve as a model for future pacts.
Mr. Harper, meanwhile, downplayed perceived strains in the Canada-U.S. relationship — be it on Keystone, Beyond the Border or Buy American — blaming domestic American politics for the decisions.
“Remember, not all these things are final decisions. I think Canadians would be wrong to interpret any of these decisions as against Canada,” Harper said. “This is simply the political season in the United States and decisions are being made for domestic political reasons that often have little or nothing to do with what other countries may think.”
He said negotiations on Beyond the Border — a bilateral trade and security agreement designed to better co-ordinate intelligence sharing and streamline cross-border trade — are going well and that he’s optimistic “a very strong program” will come out of it, with an “announcement in the very near future.”
A working group conducted public consultations on the measures and has completed a 30-point action plan. The Harper government originally said the plan would be ready by the end of summer, but details still haven’t been unveiled.
Other cross-border issues include the new $5.50 surcharge on Canadians and Mexicans travelling by air or boat to the United States — a move Harper has attacked as a bad policy designed to bail the U.S. out of a huge debt on the backs of Canadians and other visitors.
There has also been some tension between Canada and the U.S. in recent weeks after the White House included new Buy American provisions in Obama’s $447-billion job creation bill that could prevent Canadian companies from bidding on billions of dollars of infrastructure contracts.
The Harper government’s push into Asia-Pacific faces some stiff competition, though, from the United States.
Obama said Sunday, at the beginning of a day of talks with the 21 APEC member economies, that Asia-Pacific is “absolutely critical” to America’s economic growth and meeting his goal of eventually doubling U.S. exports.
“We consider it a top priority because we’re not going to be able to put our folks back to work and grow our economy and expand opportunity unless the Asia-Pacific region is also successful,” Obama said.
What Do You Think of Economics Now?
It's been called the "dismal" science, and it's not just because the news always seems to be grim. The characterization originally came from a reactionary Victorian "thinker" called Thomas Carlyle. He didn't like progressives of the time like Charles Darwin and John Stuart Mill advocating against slavery. Economists back then were also arguing in favour of equality. So Carlyle wrote this in December, 1849 in a London Monthly called Fraser's Magazine. His article was titled "Occasional Discourse on the Negro Question". Carlyle's view on Economics was that it's "quite abject and distressing...dismal science...led by sacred cause of Black Emancipation."
Now we look to economists to make sense of incredibly complex issues involving enormous sums of money that we really can't comprehend. The new element that has people so freaked out is that sovereign governments, which were always considered a safe bet, are starting to renege on their debts. The logic was that governments have the legal authority to tax (their citizens might not like it), so will always be good for the money they borrow. We're learning that's not the case.
I did take economics at university and remember a teacher who said at it's not so much a science as a confidence game. We have to believe that the pieces of paper and metal we carry around in our pockets have value, and that others feels the same way. It's why when Jim Flaherty speaks publicly you get the feeling that you're getting more of a pep talk from a hockey coach than a serious discussion of the days events. He has to keep us feeling confident that this enterprise we're all a part of will be OK If enough people lose confidence, then you get a run on the banks (although given the debt levels many Canadian families are carrying, it might not be so much a demand for all that's in a savings account, but telling the loans manager you won't be paying back that line of credit.) It was a run on the banks that really precipitated the Great Depression.
Anyone following U.S. politics knows there are libertarians like Ron Paul who argue that once the U.S. (and Canada and other developed countries) went off the gold standard under Richard Nixon, that paper money lost its value. It used to be that the currency in circulation was backed by gold bullion. Now central banks literally print money. Millions of people have benefited from this. (an expanding economy creates jobs and consumption, the risk is inflation, too much money chasing too few goods). Given how gold has soared in value over the last five years, there are a lot of people who think the same way Paul does, that when the dust settles it will be those with gold bullion stored somewhere who will prosper while the rest of us live off root crops, and burn the furniture to stay warm.
The Occupy movement has certainly gives us a little more insight into how people view the dismal science. Many think capitalism itself is beyond repair, while others that the rich and powerful have gamed the system to their advantage, and that's the problem (I don't have any doubt about that).
I admire writers who can take on complex issues and simplify (and be right in my opinion). Here are a couple. There are many others. John Kenneth Galbraith was my touchstone when I was a student. His book on the Great Depression had a real impact on me. There was a section where he wrote about the cruelty of governments not doing anything, demanding austerity to balance budgets. He wrote that there was demand for houses, hammers, nails and wood, people who were good carpenters, all that was missing was money. He argued it didn't make any sense for the government not to provide it. I guess that's why I'm not a libertarian.
http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2011/11/why-businesses-love-regulatory-complexity
Corporations Hate Regulation, Until They Love It
by Kevin Drum
The "Volcker rule" is a simple thing. Basically, it says that if you're a bank that takes deposits and benefits from federal deposit insurance, you can't also make risky trades that might blow up your bank and cost the taxpayers a bundle. Wall Street never liked the rule, because banks make a lot of their money these days trading for their own accounts and didn't want their trading profits cut off. They fought the idea in Congress, but in the end, the Dodd-Frank bill that passed in 2010 included a version of the Volcker rule in its final draft.
Was this a victory for common sense? Hardly. Last month regulators unveiled their first take on the actual implementation of the Volcker rule, and it had become a monster.1 "Only in today's regulatory climate could such a simple idea become so complex, generating a rule whose preamble alone is 215 pages, with 381 footnotes to boot," complained American Bankers Association Chief Executive Frank Keating.
Poor banks! But step back for a moment. How did Paul Volcker's baby get so bloated? Keating's crocodile tears aside, the answer is: banks. When it comes to financial regulation, fighting against new laws is merely their first line of defense. When they lose, as they did in the Dodd-Frank battle, the action simply moves to the regulatory agency charged with implementing the law. James Stewart explains what happened next:2
When the proposed regulations for the Volcker Rule finally emerged for public comment, the text had swelled to 298 pages and was accompanied by more than 1,300 questions about 400 topics.
…"Here's the key word in the rules: 'exemption,'" former Senator Ted Kaufman, Democrat of Delaware, told me. "Let me tell you, as soon as you see that, it's pronounced 'loophole.' That's what it means in English." Mr. Kaufman, now teaching at Duke University School of Law, earlier proposed a tougher version of the Volcker Rule, which was voted down in the Senate. "We've been through this before," he said. "I know these folks, these Wall Street guys. I went to school with them. They're smart as hell. You give them the smallest little hole, and they'll run through it."
This is probably the biggest reason that no one should take too seriously Republican complaints about burdensome regulations strangling the economy. The truth is that most reformers prefer fairly simple rules. In the tax world, they'd prefer to simply tax all income. In the environmental world, they'd prefer to set firm limits for pollutants. In the financial world, they'd prefer blunt rules that cut off risky activity at its knees.
But businesses don't like simple rules, because simple rules are hard to evade. So they lobby endlessly for exemptions both big and small. This is why we end up with tax subsidies for bow-and-arrow makers. It's why we end up with environmental rules that treat a hundred different industries a hundred different ways. It's why financial regulators don't enact simple leverage rules or place firm asset caps on firm size. Those would be hard to get around and might genuinely eat into bank profits. Complex rules, conversely, are the meat and drink of $500-per-hour lawyers and whiz kid engineers. If the rules are complicated enough, smart lawyers can always find ways around them. And American corporations employ lots of smart lawyers.
Keep this firmly in mind the next time you hear someone from the Chamber of Commerce complaining about how many thousands of pages of regulations they have to comply with. Some of that is inevitable: We live in a complex world, and that means the rules are sometimes complex too. But they don't have to be anywhere near as complex as they end up being. We could have a simple tax code, simple environment rules, and blunt financial regulations. We could probably cut the size of agency regulations by 10 times if we wanted to.
But business don't want to. Sure, they'd prefer no regulation at all, but they know that's not in the cards. So in public they bemoan complexity, but in private they fight endlessly for more of it. To their lawyers, every single extra page is an extra opportunity to make more money.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/11/opinion/legends-of-the-fail.html?ref=opinion
Legends of the Fail
This is the way the euro ends — not with a bang but with bunga bunga. Not long ago, European leaders were insisting that Greece could and should stay on the euro while paying its debts in full. Now, with Italy falling off a cliff, it’s hard to see how the euro can survive at all.
But what’s the meaning of the eurodebacle? As always happens when disaster strikes, there’s a rush by ideologues to claim that the disaster vindicates their views. So it’s time to start debunking.
First things first: The attempt to create a common European currency was one of those ideas that cut across the usual ideological lines. It was cheered on by American right-wingers, who saw it as the next best thing to a revived gold standard, and by Britain’s left, which saw it as a big step toward a social-democratic Europe. But it was opposed by British conservatives, who also saw it as a step toward a social-democratic Europe. And it was questioned by American liberals, who worried — rightly, I’d say (but then I would, wouldn’t I?) — about what would happen if countries couldn’t use monetary and fiscal policy to fight recessions.
So now that the euro project is on the rocks, what lessons should we draw?
I’ve been hearing two claims, both false: that Europe’s woes reflect the failure of welfare states in general, and that Europe’s crisis makes the case for immediate fiscal austerity in the United States.
The assertion that Europe’s crisis proves that the welfare state doesn’t work comes from many Republicans. For example, Mitt Romney has accused President Obama of taking his inspiration from European “socialist democrats” and asserted that “Europe isn’t working in Europe.” The idea, presumably, is that the crisis countries are in trouble because they’re groaning under the burden of high government spending. But the facts say otherwise.
It’s true that all European countries have more generous social benefits — including universal health care — and higher government spending than America does. But the nations now in crisis don’t have bigger welfare states than the nations doing well — if anything, the correlation runs the other way. Sweden, with its famously high benefits, is a star performer, one of the few countries whose G.D.P. is now higher than it was before the crisis. Meanwhile, before the crisis, “social expenditure” — spending on welfare-state programs — was lower, as a percentage of national income, in all of the nations now in trouble than in Germany, let alone Sweden.
Oh, and Canada, which has universal health care and much more generous aid to the poor than the United States, has weathered the crisis better than we have.
The euro crisis, then, says nothing about the sustainability of the welfare state. But does it make the case for belt-tightening in a depressed economy?
You hear that claim all the time. America, we’re told, had better slash spending right away or we’ll end up like Greece or Italy. Again, however, the facts tell a different story.
First, if you look around the world you see that the big determining factor for interest rates isn’t the level of government debt but whether a government borrows in its own currency. Japan is much more deeply in debt than Italy, but the interest rate on long-term Japanese bonds is only about 1 percent to Italy’s 7 percent. Britain’s fiscal prospects look worse than Spain’s, but Britain can borrow at just a bit over 2 percent, while Spain is paying almost 6 percent.
What has happened, it turns out, is that by going on the euro, Spain and Italy in effect reduced themselves to the status of third-world countries that have to borrow in someone else’s currency, with all the loss of flexibility that implies. In particular, since euro-area countries can’t print money even in an emergency, they’re subject to funding disruptions in a way that nations that kept their own currencies aren’t — and the result is what you see right now. America, which borrows in dollars, doesn’t have that problem.
The other thing you need to know is that in the face of the current crisis, austerity has been a failure everywhere it has been tried: no country with significant debts has managed to slash its way back into the good graces of the financial markets. For example, Ireland is the good boy of Europe, having responded to its debt problems with savage austerity that has driven its unemployment rate to 14 percent. Yet the interest rate on Irish bonds is still above 8 percent — worse than Italy.
The moral of the story, then, is to beware of ideologues who are trying to hijack the European crisis on behalf of their agendas. If we listen to those ideologues, all we’ll end up doing is making our own problems — which are different from Europe’s, but arguably just as severe — even worse.
http://www.progressive-economics.ca/2011/11/06/what-do-banks-actually-do-teach-in-with-occupy-toronto/
The Progressive Economics Forum
Nov. 6, 2011 •
Jim Stanford
What do banks actually DO? Create credit out of thin air.
Were Canadian banks bailed-out? Absolutely, to the tune of $200 billion. And they are still protected and subsidized more than any other sector of the economy.
What must be done with these banks? Tax them, control them, and ultimately take them back.
Those are the “take-aways” from a short talk on the banking system that I was honoured to give as part of an Occupy Toronto rally last weekend at the corner of King and Bay in downtown Toronto. Several folks have asked for the written version of my speech, which is posted below.
Well, here we are on Bay Street again, amidst all these gleaming towers, and all this luxury, and power, and affluence.
And what an amazing community we have formed here.
On behalf of the CAW and the CCPA, let me begin by thanking all of you for what you are doing. What you are building. The political and moral space you have opened up through the Occupy movement these past few weeks.
There’s no better place than right here to talk about what’s gone so terribly wrong in our society. About the enormous and immoral contrast between what we see here on Bay Street, and what things are like where most Canadians – the 99% of Canadians – live and work. Down on Main Street.
You already know that, that’s why you’re here. All this nonsense I’ve heard in the last two weeks about the Occupiers being naïve and confused, is so wrong. I have a Ph.D. in economics, and I can assure you that the people in this crowd today know more about economics – more about real economics – than all the stock brokers in these tall towers put together.
You know about work. About production. About sharing. And about sustaining.
They stand around throwing darts at the dartboard, to pick the next stock they’re going to buy. Proving every day that while government may or may not be able to pick winners, they can’t be any worse at it than the stock market is!
Work. Production. Sharing. Sustaining. That’s the basis of real economics, the real job of improving living standards and protecting the environment.
Not throwing darts. Not rolling dice. Not placing bets.
I often think about what goes on inside these towers. The plush offices, the oak paneling, the fine art on the walls, the private dining areas, the clubs and bars.
Not everyone down here works like that, of course. Most of the real work is done by hard-working office workers, who work hard for not much money.
But the ones who call the shots down here, and call the shots for our whole economy, they do very well. Every now and then I get to step inside one of those towers, in the course of my job. Into one of those investment banks. Those private dining areas. Those boardroooms.
The meals, the furnishings. And of course the compensation. Immoral, offensive compensation. All of it tax-deductible.
Then I compare all that to the generally shoddy state of public institutions and facilities in this city. Like the rec centre in my neighbourhood, out in Parkdale. Or the public schools where my kids go to school. Fine, wonderful schools. But underfunded and dingy, to be sure.
Rob Ford said he went to City Hall to stop the gravy train. When I compare public institutions in this city, to these towers here on Bay Street, I know that Rob Ford missed his target by about 3 blocks. He was 3 blocks too far north.
Want to stop the gravy train, Rob Ford? Come down here to stop the gravy train! A gravy train that’s funded with the proceeds of what, ultimately, is just gambling.
Ever since the Occupy movement came to Canada – even before that, actually – there’s been an enormous myth propagated that these guys here on Bay Street – the Canadian banks – did nothing wrong.
Our banks are strong and safe, they say. They were prudent. And they weren’t bailed out.
They pat us on the head, and they say: “Go to Wall Street to have your little protest. But don’t bother protesting here. Because we didn’t do anything wrong.”
Well that’s simply a lie. It’s a bald-faced, empirically refutable lie.
In the first place, Canadian banks were bailed out – and in a big way. Check the record:
At the end of 2008, and the beginning of 2009, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty and other federal officials moved heaven and earth to help Canada’s banks. Flaherty implemented a new program called the Extraordinary Financing Framework. Or “EFF” for short.
You know, I could think of another meaning for the acronym “EFF.” Elitist Friggin’ Financiers! That’s the real EFF.
It consisted of many different ways to help the banks – these powerful, prudent banks – during their hour of need.
Buying back mortgages in order to inject cash into the banks’ coffers. Providing huge loans, at near-zero interest rates, from the Bank of Canada, when commercial lenders wouldn’t dare. Providing other lines of credit, including in U.S. dollars. And backing the whole thing up with very weird forms of collateral – or sometimes with no collateral at all.
For example, the Bank of Canada was willing to accept asset-backed commercial paper, or ABCP, from the banks to back up some of these emergency loans.
Remember the ABCP debacle in Canada? That sophisticated, but highly unstable market totally froze up in Canada, even before the global meltdown.
If you owned ABCP as an individual, you couldn’t spend it. It was just paper in your pocket. But the banks held ABCP, and they were able to convert it into cold hard cash, courtesy of the Bank of Canada, when they needed it.
In total, various federal agencies offered the banks up to $200 billion in cash and short term ultra-low-interest loans, at a point in time when the banks could not attain this financing from normal commercial sources because of the global crisis.
They needed it. They got it. It was a bail-out, pure and simple.
It was a smart thing to do. The banks have paid the money back, with interest in some cases. (Not much interest, since the interest rates were near zero.)
But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a bail out.
So for the banks and their executives to lecture Canadians, and our governments, about the need to be prudent and fiscally responsible and tighten our belts, is the most offensive thing we could possibly hear.
If it weren’t for Canadian governments and taxpayers, they would quite possibly be out of business.
We’re in this together. Let’s start acting that way!
So the banks were bailed out, pure and simple. And moreover, they continue to be coddled and protected and subsidized by the state. Our government is indeed a “nanny state,” where high finance is concerned.
They are protected against foreign takeovers.
Tell me, if we can protect our banks against foreign takeovers, why can’t we protect our land, and our resources, and our factories, and our jobs against foreign takeovers? Why is it protectionist to protect people, but not protectionist to protect banks?
They are protected against crises of confidence by an extensive public deposit guarantee system, and a public mortgage insurance program that eliminates most of the risk of their lending.
And they receive enormous subsidies delivered through Canada’s distorted tax system.
Here’s just one example. Capital gains taxation. If you make money by buying and selling an asset, your speculative profit is called a “capital gain.”
In Canada, you only have to declare half your capital gains income on your tax return. It’s called “partial inclusion.”
If you flip hamburgers in a hot, greasy fast food restaurant all day, you have to declare every penny of your hard-earned income on your tax return.
But if you flip stocks and bonds all day in one of these towers, you only declare half.
That’s immoral. It’s inefficient: because it encourages gambling over real production. But most of all it’s offensive, when these subsidized fat-cats lecture the rest of us about tightening our belts.
Same goes for across-the-board corporate tax cuts. The federal CIT rate has been cut almost in half since 2000, from 29% to 15%. Tell me, have any of you had your tax rates cut in half since 2000? I didn’t think so.
But these banks have.
Those cumulative tax cuts (along with provincial rate cuts) have saved the financial sector over $10 billion per year. Just the new tax cuts that the Harper government implemented since 2006 alone (cutting the federal rate from 21% to 15%), put another $3 billion per year into the pockets of the banks.
Tell me, looking around Canada today, and all the problems we face. Is further enhancing the after-tax profits of the financial industry, really the top priority? Really the most important thing for Canada to spend $3 billion on per year?
Of course not. But in our society, it’s not priority that determines where money is spent. It’s power.
So banks are protected and subsidized, and bailed out when needed. But what do banks actually do, in return for all that money?
What is their actual economic function?
Let’s cut through the mystification of high finance, and ask that simple question: What do banks do? What do bankers actually produce?
The practical answer, in concrete terms, is simple: nothing. They produce nothing.
In that, the banks are different from the real economy, where hard-working people like you and I produce actual, concrete goods and services that are useful.
Banks, and the financial sector more generally, don’t produce goods and services that are useful in their own right. They produce paper. And then they buy and sell paper, for a profit.
Here’s a little economic lesson. You can’t live off paper. You need food, clothing, and shelter to survive – not paper. And since we are human beings, not animals, we need more: we need education, and culture, and recreation, and entertainment, and security, and meaning. Those are the fundamentals of economic life. Not paper.
What is paper actually good for? You can wallpaper your house with it. You can line your birdcage with it. In a pinch, you can wipe your butt with it.
But other than that, paper is just paper. It is not concretely useful in its own right.
How do banks create that paper? Let me put it bluntly again: They create it out of thin air.
It is not an economic exaggeration to state that the private banking system has the power to create money out of thin air.
Not cash. Not currency. Only the government can produce that.
But most money in our economy – over 95% of money in our economy – is not currency. Most money consists of entries in electronic accounts. Savings accounts. Chequing accounts. Lines of credit. Credit card balances. Investment accounts.
In that electronic system, new money is created, not by printing currency, but through creating credit. Every time a bank issues someone a new loan, they are creating new money.
It’s like a big magic machine, creating money out of thin air. And it’s called the private credit system.
One of my favourite economists, John Kenneth Galbraith, put it this way: “The process by which private banks create money is so simple that the mind is repelled.”
How do they do it? They start out with some capital. Let’s say a billion dollars. Then they lend it out. Then they lend it out again. And again. And again and again, 10 or 20 or 50 times over.
Each new loan, is new money. The economy needs that money, let’s be clear. Without new money, we wouldn’t be able to pay for the stuff we make. So we’d stop making it, and we’d be in a depression.
So the creation of new money (or credit) is as essential function for the whole economy. It’s like a utility. But we’ve outsourced that crucial task to private banks. We’ve given them a legal license to print money – and the freedom and power to do it on their own terms.
Their goal is not providing the economy with a sensible, sustainable supply of the credit we need. Their goal is using their unique power to create money out of thin air, to maximize the profits of the banks, and the wealth of the shareholders.
How does this system work, creating money out of thin air? It only works if:
Number 1: Not everyone comes to the bank to withdraw all this imaginary money, in the form of real cash, at the same time. And if…
Number 2: The banks keep lending to each other, which is essential to make sure each one has the cash it needs for withdrawals.
We can immediately see that this system is inherently fragile. Banks create new loans many times larger than their capital, profiting off the interest they earn. But the money was created out of thin air. It’s not actually there, if people want it at the same time, and if the banks won’t help each other out.
So Canada’s banks are fragile, too. True, our banks only lent their capital out 20 times over, not 50 times like the Europeans did. That’s because Canadian regulations capped the leverage at 20. But they’ve still got 20 times more loans out there, than they actually have money in the bank.
Confidence is essential to the stability of the whole system. But confidence is intangible and impossible to predict. If confidence went south, Canadian banks would collapse as surely as Lehman Brothers or Dexia did.
Now, what do the banks do with all that money they created out of thin air? They lend it out. Some of it flows into the real economy, to pay for homes and cars and capital equipment. But not enough goes there. That’s why our real economy is stuck. That’s why there are 2 million Canadians unemployed, official and unofficial.
What about the money that doesn’t flow into the real economy? Unfortunately, the banks use enormous amounts of it to place bets, enormous bets, buying and selling the paper assets that are created and traded in these towers. It’s gambling, not production. It’s legalized, subsidized gambling, all protected by the state.
The interaction of the private credit system, together with the speculative motive, that creates such turmoil and destruction, with each successive financial bubble. Without massive injections of new credit, the asset bubble could never expand so far – whether it’s sub-prime derivatives, dot-com stocks, or rare earth futures.
If speculators had to spend their own money on these asset bubbles, the prices could never rise to such precarious and destructive levels.
Now, there are two key problems with the operation of this private credit system, and its interaction with speculation, that we must understand in order to fight for change.
First, the flow of credit – created out of thin air by these banks – is like a roller-coaster, all depending on the mood swings of the bankers.
When their greed overwhelms their fear, they will lend to anyone with a pulse. But when their fear overwhelms their greed, and they want to hoard every penny possible against the feared run on the bank, they pull back loans even from their most reliable customers.
This roller-coaster, called the “bankers’ cycle,” is an inherent and destabilizing feature of the private credit system. And since the whole economy depends on the flow of new money, the flow of new credit, we are forced to follow the same roller-coaster.
The second problem is that there’s nothing underpinning the paper valuations of financial assets, when they’ve been pumped up by the combination of speculation and irresponsible credit creation.
Then, when speculators’ moods switch polarities, the whole thing comes crashing down. Quoting Galbraith again, “A popped balloon never deflates in an orderly manner.”
And then we all pay the price for a crisis we didn’t cause. And we all suffer the hangover from a party we weren’t invited to.
This cycle of paper expansion and contraction, euphoria and panic, is hard-wired into the DNA of the deregulated private financial system. The cycle has happened before. And it will happen again. The current crisis was no unfortunate accident, no “perfect storm.” This crisis is simply par for the course, for a system that values speculation over production – and that gives the private credit system free reign to throw gasoline on the fire, through unlimited, unregulated credit creation.
It will happen again and again, until we change the rules of this pointless, destructive game.
First, tax them. That’s the idea behind the Robin Hood Tax, that we are fighting for today. Make them pay a little bit, with every pointless, unproductive transaction, to help clean up the mess they left behind.
A transactions tax alone won’t solve the problem. It won’t stop the process. But at least it will support the public services that we need, all the more so in the wake of each financial meltdown.
Same goes for corporate tax cuts. Let’s reverse them. Put the federal rate back to 18% for the financial sector alone, and we’d raise $1.5 billion per year for essential public services.
Taxing the banks is important. But taxing the banks is not enough.
So, second, we must control them. Put in place rules that require them to use this immense power, the power to create money out of thin air, to use it sensibly and productively. Prohibit the gambling. Make sure loans are aimed at sustainable, productive purposes.
The new measures being promoted internationally by Mark Carney are a step in the right direction. But a tiny, tiny baby step. We need more powerful restrictions.
And friends, even controlling the banks is not enough.
What we ultimately have to do is take them back. There’s nothing magical about creating credit out of thin air. There’s no special technology or knowledge needed. Just the legal power.
We can create credit out of thin air, just as well as any private bank can. Ultimately, we need a public, democratic, accountable banking system. One that serves the Canadian economy, not the wealth of those who own banks.
If we can create money out of thin air to buy and sell sub-prime mortgage bonds, then by god we can create money out of thin air to pay for affordable housing that could end homelessness.
If we can create money out of thin air to buy short options on Greek sovereign debt, then we can create money out of thin air to invest in a green energy system to stop global climate change.
If we can create money out of thin air to speculate on international currencies, we can create money out of thin air to buy needed medicines to prevent hundreds of millions of needless deaths from disease in the Third World.
There’s no magic to it. These ideas are prudent and rational and economically sound. Because like we said at the beginning, it is work and production and sharing and sustaining that supports our real economy. Not gambling with paper.
These towers look powerful. But ultimately they are built on paper.
We’ve got the real power, with our ability to work and produce and share and sustain. We’ve got the power to build something new. We’ve got the power to replace these towers with a system that works.
And that’s exactly what we’ve started to do with this movement. Thank you for what you are doing! And let’s get on with the job!
You Know It's Bad When...
When the big insurance companies start announcing big quarterly losses. Companies like Sunlife, and Manulife are reporting multi-million dollar losses, a sign that there really isn't much to invest in these days.
From the Calgary Herald:
Turbulent time for Sun Life
•Shares of Sun Life hit their lowest level since the days of the 2008-09 stock market crash on Thursday after the insurer reported a $621-million third-quarter loss caused by marketrelated losses.
Sun Life generally maintains a dividend payout ratio - the percentage of profits paid out as dividends - of about 50 per cent. In reporting its third-quarter results late on Wednesday, Sun Life said it would take a charge of at least $500 million in the fourth quarter and said that its earnings sensitivity to movement in bond yields has increased.
So this isn't because of big payouts from natural or man-made disasters, but an inability to turn big pools of money (the premiums we all pay) into some kind of revenues. If they can't make money it's hard to see how the rest of us can.
Some stories that caught my eye over the last week (just started a new job so a little slack getting up new material up.. I will do better). In one, Canada's agriculture minister who's leading the charge to ditch the Canadian Wheat Board, surprisingly says some good things about supply management (when he stops it will be time for dairy, poultry and egg farmers to worry). Another story that got very little attention: measurement of green-house gas emissions show huge increases. A hard-ass business writer for the National POST is warning Canadians not to believe all the "energy super-power" hype. And Paul Krugman speaks honestly how the idea of government spending gets twisted depending on who's doing the talking.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/its-beyond-big-brother-ritz-says-of-wheat-board/article2226614/
Its beyond Big Brother, Ritz says of wheat board
by steven chase • Nov. 5, 2011
Agriculture Minister Gery Ritz stands on Parliament Hill on Thursday.
Dave Chan for The Globe and Mail
The man who’s about to shake up the ground rules for 70,000 western Canadian grain growers believes that all farmers should be masters of their own destiny, free to choose how they sell the fruits of their labour.
However, Gerry Ritz’s farmer-knows-best philosophy also means that elsewhere in Canada, producers are still free to wall themselves off from competition in the sheltered dairy and poultry businesses.
Mr. Ritz, the federal Agriculture Minister and a former grain grower from Saskatchewan, is bringing an emotionally charged battle over the 76-year-old Canadian Wheat Board to the country’s farming heartland.
He’s hitting the road again – as he has since May – for meetings in western provinces to defend and explain changes the Harper government is making that will free wheat and barley farmers from the obligation to sell through the board for the first time since the Second World War.
The wheat board’s defenders warn these controversial changes will leave farmers to fend for themselves and consign a Prairie institution to the margins of the business – an organization that through massive sales volume helped build Canada’s reputation as a grain powerhouse.
Mr. Ritz, 60, said farmers are ready to take matters into their own hands, noting they’ve long marketed products such as canola by themselves and don’t need an agency that dictates and interferes in their lives.
“It’s beyond Big Brother. It is the Nightmare on Elm Street on every farm across Western Canada,” he said of the wheat board. He hastened to add that “some farmers feel comfortable in those constraints, having someone else do the marketing for them.”
But even as Conservatives prepare to liberate western farmers in the name of “marketing freedom,” – they refuse to reform the heavily regulated and sheltered dairy, egg and poultry industries, which have a major presence in Central Canada.
Mr. Ritz understands risk, having tried his hand at raising ostriches before entering politics. At one point, he and a partner had about 800 of the flightless African birds that can be sold for their meat or leather.
“I got some tremendously expensive boots, but boy, they’re beautiful,” he recalls.
The witty quip is standard Ritz, colleagues say: a congenial way of negotiating conversations with everyone from farmers to reporters.
The minister doesn’t recommend the exotic ostrich business for everyone. “We were in that situation where we had too much for a local market and not enough for an export market.”
Nevertheless, it was an example of farmers making their own decisions, Mr. Ritz says.
The Harper government needs to introduce even more free-market thinking in a changing world, agriculture and trade experts say.
They warn that Canada’s share of export markets for food is shrinking on many counts, and say the country needs to open up the dairy and poultry markets to win more access abroad. Hefty tariff walls protect these sectors from significant foreign competition, and production is limited by a command-and-control approach that sets prices and output.
John Weekes, Canada’s chief negotiator for the North American free trade agreement, warns that this country’s unyielding protection of its dairy and poultry farmers is becoming a major obstacle to wringing better concessions from trade talks.
“Increasingly, I think, our supply management policies ... hamper our ability to be able to negotiate trade agreements.”
Mr. Ritz rejects this, noting Canada negotiated a trade agreement with Switzerland, a big dairy producer, and that, regardless of supply management, the European Union sells far more dairy products to Canada than vice versa. “So how is our system a problem for them?”
Mr. Ritz said there’s a benefit for dairy farmers in the managed Canadian system where prices are set ahead of time – and it’s not one that the Canadian Wheat Board offered grain farmers. “The setting of your price guarantees you a profit.”
Mr. Weekes, who also served as ambassador to the World Trade Organization in the 1990s, said Canada’s resolute defence of supply management appears to have cost it a seat at major Trans-Pacific Partnership trade talks between the United States and eight partners.
“The United States is saying they are now focused on [the trans-Pacific talks] as their key trade negotiations objective and they’re talking about this as the new gold standard for trade agreements,” Mr. Weekes said.
“If it does become the new gold standard, we don’t want to have other countries such as Australia and New Zealand having better access to the U.S. market than we have under Nafta.”
Mr. Ritz said U.S. farmers, for instance, envy the stability of Canada’s dairy and poultry system.
“At the same time the Americans are slagging our supply-managed system, farmers down there are saying ‘Boy, we like the way that works.’ ... We’ve got stability. We don’t have to wait for government largesse.’ ”
He noted the Americans approved $450-million (U.S.) last year to backstop their dairy industry.
How much did Ottawa spend on backstopping Canadian dairy farmers?
“Zip,” Mr. Ritz said.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/nov/04/greenhouse-gases-rise-record-levels?intcmp=122
Greenhouse gases rise by record amount
Levels of greenhouse gases are higher than the worst case scenario outlined by climate experts just four years ago
Emissions from a coal-fired power station. The output of greenhouse gases has jumped by the highest amount on record. Photograph: John Giles/PA
The global output of heat-trapping carbon dioxide has jumped by a record amount, according to the US department of energy, a sign of how feeble the world's efforts are at slowing man-made global warming.
The figures for 2010 mean that levels of greenhouse gases are higher than the worst case scenario outlined by climate experts just four years ago.
"The more we talk about the need to control emissions, the more they are growing," said John Reilly, the co-director of MIT's Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change.
The world pumped about 564m more tons (512m metric tons) of carbon into the air in 2010 than it did in 2009, an increase of 6%. That amount of extra pollution eclipses the individual emissions of all but three countries, China, the US and India, the world's top producers of greenhouse gases.
It is a "monster" increase that is unheard of, said Gregg Marland, a professor of geology at Appalachian State University, who has helped calculate department of energy figures in the past.
Extra pollution in China and the US account for more than half the increase in emissions last year, Marland said.
"It's a big jump," said Tom Boden, the director of the energy department's Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center at Oak Ridge National Lab. "From an emissions standpoint, the global financial crisis seems to be over."
Boden said that in 2010 people were travelling, and manufacturing was back up worldwide, spurring the use of fossil fuels, the chief contributor of man-made climate change.
India and China are huge users of coal. Burning coal is the biggest carbon source worldwide and emissions from that jumped nearly 8% in 2010.
"The good news is that these economies are growing rapidly so everyone ought to be for that, right?" Reilly said. "Broader economic improvements in poor countries has been bringing living improvements to people. Doing it with increasing reliance on coal is imperiling the world."
In 2007, when the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued its last large report on global warming, it used different scenarios for carbon dioxide pollution and said the rate of warming would be based on the rate of pollution. Boden said the latest figures put global emissions higher than the worst case projections from the climate panel. Those forecast global temperatures rising between 4 and 11 degrees Fahrenheit (2.4-6.4 Celsius) by the end of the century with the best estimate at 7.5 degrees (4 Celsius).
Even though global warming sceptics have criticised the climate change panel as being too alarmist, scientists have generally found their predictions too conservative, Reilly said. He said his university worked on emissions scenarios, their likelihood, and what would happen. The IPCC's worst case scenario was only about in the middle of what MIT calculated are likely scenarios.
Chris Field of Stanford University, head of one of the IPCC's working groups, said the panel's emissions scenarios are intended to be more accurate in the long term and are less so in earlier years. He said the question now among scientists is whether the future is the panel's worst case scenario "or something more extreme".
"Really dismaying," Granger Morgan, head of the engineering and public policy department at Carnegie Mellon University, said of the new figures. "We are building up a horrible legacy for our children and grandchildren."
But Reilly and University of Victoria climate scientist Andrew Weaver found something good in recent emissions figures. The developed countries that ratified the 1997 Kyoto Protocol greenhouse gas limiting treaty have reduced their emissions overall since then and have achieved their goals of cutting emissions to about 8% below 1990 levels. The US did not ratify the agreement.
In 1990, developed countries produced about 60% of the world's greenhouse gases, now it's probably less than 50%, Reilly said.
"We really need to get the developing world because if we don't, the problem is going to be running away from us," Weaver said. "And the problem is pretty close from running away from us."
http://opinion.financialpost.com/2011/11/04/terence-corcoran-the-energy-superpower-that-isn%E2%80%99t/
Terence Corcoran
The energy superpower that isn’t
Canada hardly rates a mention in Daniel Yergin’s new book
When a “global energy superpower” starts delivering tough talk to its potential customers, that superpower had better be sure that people will listen. It has also better be sure it is in fact a superpower; otherwise, it may find itself talking tough to the wind.
In recent weeks, Canada — a self-proclaimed global energy superpower — has been trying to throw its weight around over the Keystone XL pipeline, TransCanada Corp.’s $7-billion project to ship oil sands production from Alberta to Texas. In Houston on Tuesday, Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver let the Americans know that Canada had other options. “What will happen if there wasn’t approval [of Keystone] — and we think there will be — is that we’ll simply have to intensify our efforts to sell the oil elsewhere.”
Canadian oil executives, who have a lot invested in the superpower notion, are also issuing aggressive-sounding statements aimed at the United States. A headline in The Globe and Mail Friday sounded like a threat: “Oil patch to U.S.: OK pipe or lose our oil.” The story didn’t quite back up the headline, but the sense was that Canada was developing alternatives and that China is the big alternative.
If this was intended to spook the United States into approving Keystone XL, it may not be the best strategy. Mr. Oliver said Canada would “simply” have to intensify sales efforts elsewhere. There will be nothing simple about getting oil to China. Pipelines to the West Coast will have to be built over First Nations territory and through wilderness controlled by foreign-funded environmental groups. Opposition to tankers is strong.
China isn’t at Canada’s doorstep. And the Communist regime in China knows that if the U.S. doesn’t want Canadian oil sands production, then Canada has no option but to sell to China. Becoming a global energy superpower will require better negotiating positions than are shaping up around the oil sands.
Another factor playing against Canada’s claims to global prominence is the rapidly changing world energy order. Most expert assessments foresee dramatic changes in supply, technology and prices, with very little favouring Canada. Shale gas and shale oil developments in other parts of the world, from the U.S. to China and Europe, suggest the world will have plenty of supply and low prices (see Lawrence Solomon in an accompanying commentary1). Where does that leave Canada’s relatively expensive oil sands?
While Canadian government and industry officials have a lot invested in the idea of energy superpowerdom, few outside observers share the vision. Canada barely rates a mention in The Quest: Energy, Security and the Remaking of the Modern World, Daniel Yergin’s new book on the world energy market. A few pages are devoted to the oil sands, mostly to review the high costs and technical difficulties. “As the industry grows in scale, it will require wider collaboration on the R&D challenges, not only among oil companies and the province of Alberta, but also with Canada’s federal government.”
Far more impressive for the world’s energy future will be the impact of shale gas and shale oil. The “shale gale,” as Mr. Yergin calls it, has already transformed the U.S. gas market and shale oil could be next. Since Mr. Yergin’s book was written, the shale revolution has swept Europe and is about to transform China’s energy market.
A new study from Douglas Westwood, Unconventional Gas World Production and Drilling Forecast, says shale gas and other unconventional sources could make up one-third of growth in gas production by 2020, reports the Petroleum Economist. The United Kingdom, meanwhile, is sitting on what is widely viewed as a massive shale gas reserve.
How do Canada’s oil sands stack up against the shale revolution? Energy Business Reports, in a study titled Oil Sands, Gas and Oil Shales Market, sees shale gas as an energy-market “game changer.” As for Canada’s oil sands, it concludes that: “Oil sands producers are operating in a narrow financial window that may be shrinking over time. They want to avoid reaching an oil price ceiling, like the one at US$147/barrel in July 2008 that contributed to the oil price collapse below US$40/barrel.… But they also want to be confident of an oil price floor — now estimated at US$65-US$95 per barrel — to justify such long-term, capital-intensive investments. Oil markets have rarely maintained such stability … ”
Gas, of course, is not interchangeable with oil as a commodity, at least not in the short term. Oil is still and is likely to remain the dominant fuel for transportation. But low gas prices generated by the shale revolution, and lower costs to produce shale oil, could keep oil prices below levels needed for profitable oil sands production.
Canada’s claims to global energy superpower status may be hard to maintain in the years to come. Even the United States, which Canadian officials once viewed as dependent on Canadian energy supplies, may soon be in a strong position to secure more of its energy needs at home and elsewhere at cheaper prices.
None of this is a sure thing. But it already seems clear that Canada’s political and corporate energy leaders do not have the upper hand in the new world energy order.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/31/opinion/bombs-bridges-and-jobs.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=krugman&st=Search
Bombs, Bridges and Jobs
A few years back Representative Barney Frank coined an apt phrase for many of his colleagues: weaponized Keynesians, defined as those who believe “that the government does not create jobs when it funds the building of bridges or important research or retrains workers, but when it builds airplanes that are never going to be used in combat, that is of course economic salvation.”
Right now the weaponized Keynesians are out in full force — which makes this a good time to see what’s really going on in debates over economic policy.
What’s bringing out the military big spenders is the approaching deadline for the so-called supercommittee to agree on a plan for deficit reduction. If no agreement is reached, this failure is supposed to trigger cuts in the defense budget.
Faced with this prospect, Republicans — who normally insist that the government can’t create jobs, and who have argued that lower, not higher, federal spending is the key to recovery — have rushed to oppose any cuts in military spending. Why? Because, they say, such cuts would destroy jobs.
Thus Representative Buck McKeon, Republican of California, once attacked the Obama stimulus plan because “more spending is not what California or this country needs.” But two weeks ago, writing in The Wall Street Journal, Mr. McKeon — now the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee — warned that the defense cuts that are scheduled to take place if the supercommittee fails to agree would eliminate jobs and raise the unemployment rate.
Oh, the hypocrisy! But what makes this particular form of hypocrisy so enduring?
First things first: Military spending does create jobs when the economy is depressed. Indeed, much of the evidence that Keynesian economics works comes from tracking the effects of past military buildups. Some liberals dislike this conclusion, but economics isn’t a morality play: spending on things you don’t like is still spending, and more spending would create more jobs.
But why would anyone prefer spending on destruction to spending on construction, prefer building weapons to building bridges?
John Maynard Keynes himself offered a partial answer 75 years ago, when he noted a curious “preference for wholly ‘wasteful’ forms of loan expenditure rather than for partly wasteful forms, which, because they are not wholly wasteful, tend to be judged on strict ‘business’ principles.” Indeed. Spend money on some useful goal, like the promotion of new energy sources, and people start screaming, “Solyndra! Waste!” Spend money on a weapons system we don’t need, and those voices are silent, because nobody expects F-22s to be a good business proposition.
To deal with this preference, Keynes whimsically suggested burying bottles full of cash in disused mines and letting the private sector dig them back up. In the same vein, I recently suggested that a fake threat of alien invasion, requiring vast anti-alien spending, might be just the thing to get the economy moving again.
But there are also darker motives behind weaponized Keynesianism.
For one thing, to admit that public spending on useful projects can create jobs is to admit that such spending can in fact do good, that sometimes government is the solution, not the problem. Fear that voters might reach the same conclusion is, I’d argue, the main reason the right has always seen Keynesian economics as a leftist doctrine, when it’s actually nothing of the sort. However, spending on useless or, even better, destructive projects doesn’t present conservatives with the same problem.
Beyond that, there’s a point made long ago by the Polish economist Michael Kalecki: to admit that the government can create jobs is to reduce the perceived importance of business confidence.
Appeals to confidence have always been a key debating point for opponents of taxes and regulation; Wall Street’s whining about President Obama is part of a long tradition in which wealthy businessmen and their flacks argue that any hint of populism on the part of politicians will upset people like them, and that this is bad for the economy. Once you concede that the government can act directly to create jobs, however, that whining loses much of its persuasive power — so Keynesian economics must be rejected, except in those cases where it’s being used to defend lucrative contracts.
So I welcome the sudden upsurge in weaponized Keynesianism, which is revealing the reality behind our political debates. At a fundamental level, the opponents of any serious job-creation program know perfectly well that such a program would probably work, for the same reason that defense cuts would raise unemployment. But they don’t want voters to know what they know, because that would hurt their larger agenda — keeping regulation and taxes on the wealthy at bay.
I've done little planning, but been extraordinarily lucky. New opportunities seem to appear when I got bored, or my boss got tired of me. After teaching at high school and university, and market gardening when I went "back to the land", I spent 30 years working for the CBC, most of it when CBC had the resources to do things that mattered, not the media sweatshop its become now. Again, I was the lucky one.
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Michael Talbot
British born 1959
Michael Talbot is a figurative sculptor, born in Staffordshire. His dedication to his craft began at art school with studio pottery classes. This combined with his love of the human figure was further honed in life drawing classes. Michael combined his love of the properties of clay along with his passion for sculpting the human form and portraying its dramatic poetry.
Following his completion of a BA Hons degree in Sculpture, he gained a scholarship to the Royal Academy Schools, London for post graduate study and won the Landseer prize in 1983. He went on to further studies at The Sir Henry Doulton Sculpture school under Colin Melbourne ARCA and Dame Elizabeth Frink RA. Michael Talbot was elected a member of the Royal Society of British Sculptors in 1997.
Michael creates an original clay sculpture which he then casts into bronze, uniquely finishing and patinating each sculpture. This process allows him to enhance and refine the final image. Sculpture is wondrous in that it can be seen, touched and walked around giving the viewer pleasure, interest and intrigue from all angles.
Michael’s sculpture is in public and private collections throughout the world, including Patrick Lichfield, the former chairman of the arts council Lord Gibson and the Nat West Bank.
Seraphina - Moonlight
Solstice - Moonlight
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Is America Today In Worse Shape Than Japan During Its Lost Decade? - Washingtons Blog
Is America Today In Worse Shape Than Japan During Its Lost Decade?
As I noted last year:
Our savings is ... dramatically lower than Japan's when that country entered into its Lost Decade. So the Japanese were much better prepared than we are.
(I also noted that we're in worse shape than America was going into the Great Depression ... but that's another story).
Now, BIS - the central banks' central bank - agrees that Americans are in worse shape than the Japanese.
Specifically, a new BIS paper written by Shinobu Nakagawa (Director, Head of Investment and Market Research, International Department, Bank of Japan) and Yosuke Yasui (International Department, Bank of Japan) concludes that Japan was better able to weather the Lost Decade than the U.S. is able to weather our current economic woes, given three differences between the two cultures:
This paper aims to show the difference in vulnerability to financial shocks between Japan’s household sector and its banking sector and between the Japanese and US household sectors.
The average Japanese household has a financial balance sheet that is far more conservative than that of the representative household in other industrialised countries: in the case of Japan, cash and deposits represent half of total financial assets.... In contrast, the ratio for US households is only 16%, while Europeans hold about one fourth to one third of financial assets in these safe and liquid products.
Japanese households did not rely much on mortgage funding in the bubble period around 1990 .... The representative Japanese household accumulated the large down payment required for purchasing a home on credit and, unlike many homeowners in the United States, did not subsequently extract equity from the house through additional bank loans.
The conservative approach to debt taken by Japanese households mitigated the effects of the decade-long economic slump. Indeed, household bankruptcies were not widely recorded in that period because the quantity of safe and liquid buffer assets, such as bank deposits and postal savings, was always greater than debt on the average household balance sheet.
Credit risks are eventually concentrated in the Japanese banking system, which has
not changed fundamentally in decades.
Securitisation markets are, in contrast, well developed in the United Kingdom and the United States. UK and US banks are eager to transfer credit risks to a variety of investors in the financial system, including life insurers, pension funds and hedge funds.... Particularly for the markets in which off-balance sheet securitisation has deeply penetrated the credit markets – once credit, liquidity or other shocks occur, they could trigger the onset of risk contagion across a wide range of economic agents, including households.
The difference between the highest and lowest income groups [in the U.S.] is far greater than in Japan.... Net worth is much more evenly distributed in Japan [than in the U.S.]
The differences we found can be summarised as follows:
(1) Household leverage, relative to both safe and liquid assets and to GDP, is smaller in Japan than in other industrialised countries, and was so even during Japan’s bubble period.
(2) The finances of Japanese households were not severely damaged by the mid-1990s
bursting of the bubble. Banks, however, with their large accumulation of household
deposits on the liability side of their balance sheets, were a victim of their large
holdings of defaulted corporate loans and the resulting capital deterioration during
the bust; in response, banks tightened credit significantly during this period.
(3) Household net worth in Japan is not highly concentrated. Thus, regardless of income level, Japanese households are in general resilient to shocks thanks to a sizeable buffer of assets and moderate leverage. The situation is quite different in the United States, where the distribution of net worth among households is highly skewed in favour of the highest-income cohorts. With only a thin buffer of assets, low-income families in the United States – the subprime cohorts – could be vulnerable to market shocks.
On the other hand, U.S. age demographics aren't quite as horrible as Japan's.
The following chart shows that Japan has the worst demographics of all, with a staggering percentage of elderly who need to be taken care of by the young:
Chart 2: Old Age Dependency Ratios for Selected Countries
Source: http://data.un.org/
The chief economist for Standard and Poor's is now confirming the importance of national demographics:
But I don't think [a lost decade in the U.S. is] as likely over here. For one thing, one of the problems in Japan was the demographics. And we don't have the problem of a declining population to deal with, although the labor force is going to slow down considerably as soon as the baby boomers retire.
Similarly, CNN Money reported last month:
Some economists think there is a very important difference between Japan and the United States that can't be overlooked. And it could keep the U.S. from plunging into a long-term deflationary spiral. Demographics.
Simply put, the United States is not faced with as big of a percentage of people getting older and retiring as was the case in Japan during its Lost Decade.
According to research from Brockhouse Cooper, a brokerage firm based in Montreal, the percentage of people aged 65 or older nearly doubled in Japan between 1990 and 2008. Meanwhile, that percentage has stayed roughly the same in the U.S.
So even though there are a lot more people in the U.S. that are retiring as the Baby Boomer generation gets older, total population growth is rising due to high fertility rates and increased immigration. That's key since younger consumers tend to spend more.
"Demographics are the main difference between Japan and the United States. Aging in Japan was a huge issue that led to stagnation," said Alex Bellefleur, a financial economist with Brockhouse Cooper. "Senior citizens tend to have consumption patterns that are a lot different than their younger counterparts. They're not buying as many homes, cars and other durable goods."
There's also the issue of what governments have to do in order to support their aging populations. With a greater percentage of older retirees, that puts a bigger strain on fiscal budgets, which could contribute to deflationary pressure and economic sluggishness.
Along those lines, Japan currently has only 2.9 workers supporting retirees, said Tom Higgins, chief economist with Payden & Rygel, a Los Angeles-based money management firm. By way of comparison, there are 5 workers for each retired person in the United States.
For that reason, Higgins said it is an "overly simplistic generalization" to suggest that the United States is destined for its own Lost Decade just because the U.S. and Japan both experienced a nasty downturn following an asset bubble.
Simply put, the strain on the U.S. government by an aging population shouldn't be as severe as it was in Japan.
Indeed, as the following chart from Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs clearly shows, the aging of Japan's population from 1990 onward has far outstripped the projected aging of the American population (trace Japan from 1990 onward with your finger; then do the same for the U.S. starting in 2010):
(America's demographics are still horrible compared to those of countries like India, but still better than Japan's).
Moreover, as I've previously pointed out, the peak spending years are younger in Japan than in the U.S.:
The peak Japanese spending range has been estimated to be comprised of 39-43 year olds. The more 39-43 year olds Japan has at any given time, the more consumer spending there will be, as these are the folks who are the big spenders in Japan. Dent argues that the Japanese economy will tend to grow when the number of 39-43 year olds grows, and to shrink when it shrinks.
In the U.S., Dent says, 46-50 year olds are the biggest spenders, because that is when - on average - they are paying for their kids' college, paying mortgage on the biggest house they will own during their life, and making other big-ticket purchases.
In other words, aging hurts Japan more than it hurts the U.S., because the peak earning years are 7 years younger in Japan than in the U.S.
Of course, if unemployment doesn't decline, this point may be moot ... unemployed 46-50 year olds are not going to be peak earners.
Hat tip Tyler Durden.
NotZed September 22, 2010 at 6:18 AM
Well .. DERR yes of course it bloody well is.
One big issue (amongst many others ...) no universal healthcare ...
You're fucked. At least Japan maintained it's social contract.
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Hollywood Girls News
Phylicia Rashad to Make Broadway Directorial Debut with “Blue”
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Phylicia Rashad is returning to the theater, but this time she’ll be working behind the scenes. Deadline confirms the Tony-winning actress is making her Broadway directorial debut with Charles Randolph-Wright’s play “Blue.” The production is scheduled to bow in spring 2020.
“Blue” centers on the Clarks, a prominent family struggling to come to terms with its legacy. The Broadway production will be “infused with a searing jazz and soul score” by singer-songwriter and Labelle member Nona Hendryx.
“Part of the inspiration for writing ‘Blue’ was that I had never seen a family like mine on stage,” Randolph-Wright explained. “I am thrilled that ‘Blue’ will continue to open doors to a more diverse world, and also spread a little joy.”
Rashad is no stranger to “Blue”: she starred in the play’s original run at Washington, D.C.’s Arena Stage in 2000 and in its 2001 NYC premiere at the Roundabout Theatre Company.
“I am happy to be directing this play that brought me so much joy,” Rashad announced. “It affirms the importance of theater and its power to touch the human heart.”
This will not be Rashad’s first time in the director’s chair. She has helmed productions of four August Wilson plays: “Gem of the Ocean” (Seattle Repertory Theatre), “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” (Mark Taper Forum), “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” (Mark Taper Forum), and “Fences” (Long Wharf Theatre and McCarter Theatre). Rashad has also directed at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre and New York’s Signature Theatre.
Rashad won a Tony in 2004 for her performance as Lena Younger in a revival of Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun.” She received another Tony nod in 2005 for her role in “Gem of the Ocean.” Rashad’s other onstage credits include “August: Osage County,” “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” “Into the Woods,” “Dreamgirls,” and “The Wiz.” Probably best known as “The Cosby Show’s” matriarch, Clair Huxtable, Rashad has recently appeared onscreen in projects such as “This Is Us,” “Creed,” and “Empire.”
Offset Hit with 3 Charges for 2018 Arrest, Including Felony Gun Possession
Hot Docs 2019 Women Directors: Meet Marwa Zein – “Khartoum Offside”
Yung Joc says He’d Televise His Wedding for Free
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Tech Know consultants, our sister concern, has in house developed A Dehydration Process which works at room temperature an Ambient conditions –which means absence of Vacuum as well. This particular process conditions leads to a product which have the following benefits:
Retains Flavours, Colours, Taste and Micro Nutrients (Certified by Doctors of Southampton Medical College, U.K.)
Reduction in weight by almost 70 % Minimum.
No external preservatives or chemicals of any kind is required.
If stored under suggested conditions, product would easily have life more than a year.
This Techknowlogy is well appreciated and acknowledged on various fronts such as:
1. Certificate of Process Innovation in 2007 given jointly by IIT Bombay Alumni Association and The Indus Entrepreneur TiE, Pune Chapters.
2. Parivartan Sustainability Leadership Awards 2011 in Food & Beverage Sector for “Thought Leadership in Water Conservation“.
This process is most CLEAN TECHNOLOGY based unique Innovation which helps in Preserving all Perishables like Fruits, Vegetables, Herbs, Medicinal Plants, Culinary Herbs etc. leading to save POST HARVEST losses, an Issue facing the Country.
Comments of Technologists and Scientific Experts
Dr. Caroline Fall, DM FRCP FRCPC,
Dr. Barrie Margetts, Public Health nutritionist
Dr. Nick Brown, Paediatrician, Epidemiologist
MRC Environmental Epidemiology Unit, Southampton general Hospital SOUTHAMPTON SO16 6YD,Hampshire, UK
I have known Mr Lalit Meisheri for approximately 18 months.
Myself and other colleagues in the MRC Environmental Epidemiology Unit, University of Southampton, UK are conducting a project in an undernourished slum community in central Mumbai with the aim of improving the nutritional status of mothers, improving fetal growth and reducing infant mortality. We are working in collaboration with two community-based organisations in Mumbai which have a long track-record of providing primary health care and food supplementation, and development work, in this community.
The project is important because maternal under nutrition is a major cause of low birthweight and high death rates in early childhood in this population. In addition to the scientific imperative to find evidence-based nutritional interventions for such populations, we believe it is essential to address issues of sustainability, and to ensure that opportunities for development of the community’s skill-base and income-generating capacity are incorporated into any intervention.
Mr Meisheri has been helpful to us and to the project in a number of ways. His new technique for drying natural foods at room temperature, with preservation of the full nutritional content, has made it possible to create a tailor-made nutritious food supplement on a large scale. His expertise in food technology has been an integral part of the design and provision of the supplement. By setting up a local production system, his technology will also give us an opportunity to involve the women of the community in the production of the supplement for themselves, and ultimately to develop a commercially viable and sustainable enterprise. In this respect, Mr Meisheri’ s business experience and contacts with farmers as the suppliers of the raw foods will also be extremely helpful.
There is no doubt that Mr. Meisheri’s food-drying technique is a major innovation in the, field of food technology. Preservation of the nutritional quality of food is of major importance when there is seasonal variation in food availability. More that this, however, I would like to emphasise Mr. Meisheri’s dedication and helpfulness towards the Mumbai project. In my experience it is unusual to find people engaged in business who also have a thirst for applying their innovations for the betterment of human health, and who are willing to put their time, energy and expertise at the disposal of community enterprises such as this. – Dr Caroline Fall.
Dr. Shrinath S. Kalbag,
Eminent Food Technologist
Head of Pilot Plant section, Food Engineering; 1956-63, Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysore
Head of Engineering Science Division, Hindustan Lever Ltd. 1963-Dec 1982
“A drying trial was conducted in my presence. Karela was loaded into the trays and the drier started. The humidity dropped from ~60 to around 25 in a few minutes. The water was dripping from the outlet. When the load was put in, after some time ,(15-20 minutes, water was collecting in the receptacle. The water had a mild flavour”
“The claims of the supplier are substantially correct and the drier is a major invention and breakthrough. He is therefore justified in seeking a premium for his investment and invention”
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Author: Noah Stone
Orlando Magic Benching Bismack Biyombo In Favor Of Nikola Vucevic
Bismack Biyombo was one of the most wanted free agents after his successful stint with the Toronto Raptors last season when he averaged career-highs of 8 rebounds and 5.5 points while also blocking 1.6 shots per game. Even more important than his statistics, Biyombo was a force coming off the bench, making many teams believe he could join their team as a…
Oregon’s Bell declares for Draft
University of Oregon big-man Jordan Bell has declared for the 2017 NBA Draft this coming June. The Long Beach native will sign with an agent, thus ending his college career. ell saw his stock rise mightily through the NCAA Tournament where Oregon made the Final Four, losing in the National semi-final to North Carolina. Throughout the tournament Bell was an absolute beast in the paint…
NBA Global Games: The Importance of the Second NBA Africa Game
The NBA is on its way back to South Africa. After holding its inaugural first ever NBA Africa game on August 1st, 2015, the NBA announced in February that it will be holding its second NBA Africa game this year on August 5th at the Ticketpro Dome in Johannesburg, South Africa. The NBA Africa game consists of Team Africa vs. Team World,…
Minnesota Timberwolves: A Force To Be Reckoned With
Minnesota Timberwolves fans often don’t celebrate when playoff time comes around. And why should they? Their team has not found their way into the playoffs in 13 seasons, but this year, that might all change. The Timberwolves are bursting with young talent. With the likes of Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins, and Tyus Jones, plus the new additions of Jimmy Butler, Jeff Teague, Jamal…
Los Angeles Lakers Must Trade For DeMarcus Cousins Before The Trade Deadline
The Los Angeles Lakers are having a rough season, to say the least. The Lakers are currently in 14th place in the Western Conferenceand have the third-worst record in the league, only ahead of the Phoenix Suns and Brooklyn Nets. The Lakers are used to being an NBA powerhouse, winning the NBA championship 16 times. If the team wants to return to their former glory, they need to make a…
LeBron, Durant, and Melo Playing a Pickup Game is Mesmerizing
The NBA offseason really is a beautiful thing. Some incredible footage has surfaced featuring a few of the game’s biggest stars playing a pickup game together: Yes, that is LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Carmelo Anthony all balling out together on one court. Watching James and Anthony going back and and forth like that is pretty ridiculous. Combine that with Durant repeatedly nailing shots…
Justise Winslow Likely Out for the Season with Shoulder Surgery
Justise Winslow of the Miami Heat is one of the brightest young players in the NBA. He has shown stellar defensive skills and a below average shooting. Winslow has the potential to be a player such as Memphis Grizzlies’ Tony Allen. Allen has shown that he is one of the best defensive players in the NBA, when Kobe Bryant retired he…
John Wall And Markieff Morris Lift Washington Wizards Over Hornets
The Washington Wizards (24-20) came into the Spectrum center and beat the Charlotte Hornets (23-22) 109-99. Washington came into today’s game a half-game ahead of Charlotte in the division and Eastern Conferencestandings. John Wall has done what Wall has done for most of the season, which is carry the Wizards to a win with 24 points on 45% shooting from the field along with 7 assists…
Is Dion Waiters… The Next Dwyane Wade?
Without a doubt, the Miami Heat continue to find pieces that best compliment their winning-culture, even if they fail to have that same progress on the basketball court. The Heat are currently standing at a 15-30 record (14th in the Eastern Conference), but as of recent, they’ve been on nothing-short of an absolute tear. They’ve won their last four games — including…
Hoops Nation Picks The 2017 NBA Eastern Conference All-Stars
Wanna know who your favorite writer thinks deserves to start the NBA All-Star game? You’re in the right place. Here are their picks. Dylan Mitchell Guard: John Wall Guard: DeMar DeRozan Forward: Joel Embiid Forward: LeBron James Forward: Giannis Antetokounmpo Drew Sayers Guard: John Wall Guard: DeMar DeRozan Forward: Andre Drummond Forward: LeBron James Forward: Giannis Antetokounmpo Alex Jarvis Guard: John Wall Guard: DeMar DeRozan…
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Sean McKeon wasn't told that bodies were not meant to bend that way. (AP/Tony Ding)
"So why'd you come home to this faithless town?
Where we make a lifetime commitment to recovering the satellites
And all anybody really wants to know is
When are you're gonna come down, down, down, down, down
When you're gonna come down?"
--"Recovering the Satellites," Counting Crows, Recovering the Satellites, 1996
A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I got a pal in Kalamazoo. I flashed back to seven years ago when the Hoke era was new and in a rain-shortened game, Michigan rolled over the Broncos thanks to some turnovers and a touch of Denard. I wondered if we could find that feeling of hope, however shortlived it was, once more.
Today's weather was almost perfect, save perhaps a little too much wind, for a Michigan Stadium experience and after a quick hiccup on both opening drives, Michigan settled in on both sides of the ball and looked much more like the team we had heard about coming out of camp. Yes, they were at home. Yes, it was a MAC opponent, but this is the kind of performance you wanted to see from Michigan to have any kind of momentum swing toward optimism. Michigan was up three scores before the drum line did its thing and this tremendous feeling of relief washed over me. It wasn't completely out of the BPoNE, but I felt like we were somehow digging out.
(OK, side note, I've always wondered about digging out of a hole. It seems counterintuitive. I suppose you could start hacking at the sides to try and get a ramp going, but all I hear in my head is Wiggum saying "No, no, dig UP, stupid." from "Homer the Vigilante". I digress.)
There were so many things that happened today that you wanted to see. An elusive Karan Higdon breaking tackles, Chris Evans getting some carries and doing the same. Nico Collins doing the dang thing again, but this time getting six points out of it. Shea Patterson eluding, scrambling, and making some questionable decisions (the shovel pass while going down worked, but it could just have easily been picked. The throwaway when going down that could have been intentional grounding could have easily been much worse. You can get away with that against Western, I don't know if you want to do that against a Wisconsin or an Ohio State. I like the moxie, I want smart moxie.) The defense played well, not a bunch of sacks and such (just two, one in garbage time) but held Jon Wassink to a QBR of 11.3 (I know, it's an ESPN stat, but when Shea's was 90.5, you can see the difference.) When today's biggest Michigan Stadium drama was trying to get my ESPN app to update to see if EMU could pull off the upset at Ross-Ade, well these are the kind of problems you want to have.
What this felt like, more than anything else, was something closer to "normal". I know a couple of readers on MGoBlog made an argument against my concern last week about worrying that Michigan would never be Michigan again and while I am respectful of their points, I also would say that it is, perhaps, more about a feeling that facts or data. Yes, the world is never going to go back to an NCAA football without scholarship limits, television appearance limitations, and all of the other things that have changed since the days of my youth, but that feeling that you could look at the schedule before the season and know the record, which died in 2007, that's what I miss. That sense of invincibility, which was never real, which was never earned, was lost forever, perhaps for the better. I know it can never go back to "normal", we've learned too much, too much has happened between then and now to ever return to what was, but there is something to be said for coming back to a facsimile of that feeling like it once was. This win doesn't change that there are still major concerns about what happens when the opposition gets tougher, there is no doubt about this, but at least it wasn't like last year when the struggles against Cincinnati and Air Force were a harbinger of the difficulties to come that we almost willfully refused to acknowledge at that time. This game doesn't solve everything, it maybe doesn't even solve anything, but at least it was fun to watch, and that is at least better than a deathly slog. Let's keep recovering the satellites.
"Gonna get back to basics
Guess I'll start it up again
I'm falling from the ceiling
You're falling from the sky now and then"
(Also, two notes: First this is our 800th post. That's pretty cool because we like round numbers. Secondly, sidenote to the Michigan Student Section, Classical Art Memes has your back over the last couple of days.)
Posted by Craig Barker at 9:00 PM
Labels: column, columns, counting crows
Location: 1201 S Main St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, USA
Land lubber said...
Maybe "digging out of a hole" is like this. You are traveling down a potholed dirt road and your wheel goes into the hole up to the axle. You call your wife and say, "honey, I'm going to be late for dinner, I am in a hole, and I have to dig my way out." Then you get out your shovel and start digging.
Sunday, September 09, 2018 6:22:00 PM
Time and Time Again
Perfect Blue Buildings
Hanginaround
August and Everything After
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Home Professional development General Northland senior citizen irate as flu vaccine runs out
Northland senior citizen irate as flu vaccine runs out
A Northlander is angry at the government for encouraging people to have flu jabs when flu vaccines aren't available.
A senior citizen in Northland who can not access flu vaccine say it’s a bit of a joke for the government to advise people to get immunised when there aren’t any vaccines available.
Christopher Graham is nearly 70 and booked in for a flu shot with his GP in Mangawhai two weeks ago but said the medical centre rang him a day before his appointment to say they didn’t have any vaccines available.
“I asked them when are they getting them and they said they couldn’t get anymore. It’s a bit of a joke on the government’s part I say, especially when they are advertising for people to get immunised,” Graham said.
He was advised to try the local chemist which also didn’t have any flu vaccines available.
Figures released by the Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR) show Northland has the third highest rate of positive influenza cases in New Zealand on a per capita basis.
The Northland District Health Board is advising people, especially pregnant women, to get immunised against influenza as they were a priority group when vaccine supplies ran low.
ESR figures show 47 percent or 23 out of 48 patients tested by their GPs in Northland between April 21 to June 9 returned a positive result for influenza.
Graham said vulnerable group such as people over the age of 65 and those prone to sickness were likely to suffer from the non availability of flu vaccines.
“The strain of flu seem to be getting worse but the government is not funding their medicines.”
The Ministry of Health is asking GPs and pharmacies to ensure flu vaccine stock is closely managed and to prioritise the vaccination to those at greatest risk, including pregnant women, children under 4 with serious respiratory illnesses and those over 65.
Those with severe asthma, heart disease, diabetes and other serious health conditions that make them susceptible to flu are also at risk.
The ministry said already this season, distribution of influenza vaccine in New Zealand has reached near-record levels, with around 1.3 million doses distributed so far this winter.
“The ministry has asked providers to prioritise the stock remaining in clinics, estimated at around 20,000 doses, to those most at risk from the harmful effects of influenza.”
Pharmac and Seqirus have worked together to make 14,000 vaccines originally intended for the private market available to those who were eligible for publicly funded vaccines, the ministry said.
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Rishat June 26, 2019 at 7:11 pm
Researchers in Australia said that “killer T-cells”, found in more than half of the world’s population, showed that they were effective in testing against all common types of flu. I have t-cells significantly exceeded t-helper cells 1808 at a rate of 450-850, t-cytotoxic 945 at a rate of 270-540, T-lymphocytes 2835 at a rate of 600-2500, lymphocytes 4108 at a rate of 800-3600 and leukocytes 7900 at a rate of 4500 -8500. On the advice of a local immunologist, he made another immunogram after 20 days, the results are similar. A local immunologist said lymphocytosis as a result of t-cell activity. In the immunogram, the rate of lymphocytes is 38%. And in scientific journals the rate is up to 40%. And I have 49 lymphocytes. This means lymphocytosis. I agree with you to do, and even more so to copy the vaccine or medicine from my blood is very expensive, but during a pandemic, somebody will hardly look at the price. I want to help in the fight against influenza
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THE CHINA QUESTION: TIME TO FIND A NEW APPROACH TO BEIJING / DER SPIEGEL
| Etiquetas: China, The West
The China Question
Time to Find a New Approach to Beijing
China's Silk Road Summit was a clear demonstration of the country's political and economic heft. But with three major historical anniversaries approaching for the country, it is time for the West to fundamentally rethink its relations with Beijing.
By Bernhard Zand
"If you know the other and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles."
Sun Tzu, "The Art of War"
China's emperors used to receive their guests and vassals in the Forbidden City or in their summer residences. But today, their successors only rarely do so. There are simply too many of them coming. So to host large receptions, Chinese President Xi Jinping has had a sumptuous conference center built on the outskirts of Beijing, amidst lush gardens and pavilions, not far from the Great Wall.
Last week, it was packed, as delegations from 150 countries showed up, including 37 heads of state and government, almost twice as many as attend the annual G-20 summit. They were there at Xi's invitation for the second Silk Road Summit, celebrating China's global infrastructure and development program, officially known as the Belt and Road Initiative.
At the first summit two years ago, only 29 presidents and prime ministers attended. This time, in addition to stalwart Chinese allies from Asia, Africa and the Middle East, several high-ranking European officials, including the heads of government of Italy and Austria, made their way to Beijing. Germany sent Economics Minister Peter Altmaier.
But not all of the world's leading countries made an appearance: The U.S. decided to turn down the invitation, as did India, which had also skipped the first event.
The guest list of the Silk Road Summit is the diplomatic response to a number of far-reaching questions: How should the world deal with China? How closely should it cooperate with China? To what extent can it trust Beijing?
None Can Ignore It
China has achieved economic, political and technological greatness the magnitude of which the world has not seen since the rise of the United States. The question of how to deal with China is more important for some countries than for others, but none can ignore it.
With every new achievement reached and every human rights violation committed by Beijing, this question becomes increasingly difficult to answer. To say that China is complicated and contradictory is a platitude. It is the dimensions of its contradictions that distinguish China from other difficult countries.
China's achievements since the beginning of its reform and opening policy have astonished observers in industrialized and emerging countries alike. The country has undergone a degree of economic and social transformation that nobody thought possible 40 years ago while the prosperity and number of jobs created by its booming economy exceed any historical comparison. China's technological advances have debunked the popular notion that innovation only thrives in pluralistic societies.
But this progress has been accompanied by a level of repression and control which, in its digital dimension, eclipses even the situation in North Korea. China's leadership is subjecting the Uighur Muslim minority to a security regime that is reminiscent of what the world saw in the 1930s, according to a senior U.S. State Department official. There is concern that Beijing will expand the digital surveillance systems that it now uses to suppress the Uighur population in the Xinjiang region to other parts of the country -- and perhaps even export them one day.
The contradictions of modern China are so extreme that they prompt extreme reactions, ranging from uncritical admiration, particularly in business circles, to flat-out rejection of the "Chinese model," especially among human rights activists.
Beijing's juggernaut development drive represents both a political and intellectual challenge. It is difficult to form a consistent opinion of a country whose size, population and complexity are comparable more to a continent than to a Western nation-state. Do the conditions inherent to China's transformation justify the methods employed by its government? Do these methods devalue what the Chinese have achieved over the past 40 years? What concrete conclusions can be drawn?
There can be no conclusive answers to such questions because modern China remains a work in progress. Although the political leadership is endeavoring to convey the impression of dynastic stability and has declared Xi as head of state for life, the country is still undergoing massive changes. This year marks the anniversary of three events that have shaped the contradictions, image and self-image of today's China.
I. Exactly 100 years ago, on May 4, 1919, 3,000 students set off in Beijing to protest the decision by the victorious Allies of World War I not to return the region surrounding Jiaozhou Bay to China, a region which had been lost by the German colonial power, leaving it instead to China's regional rival, Japan. The Communist Party -- along with other political movements that would come to shape Chinese history -- traces its roots back to this "May Fourth Movement," making it a key date in the emergence of modern China.
Outside China, little is known about the significance of this event, and this ignorance is symptomatic of the imbalance in the relationship of many countries to Beijing. "China knows us. But we don't know China," German sinologist Marina Rudyak recently wrote in an essay for the Center for Liberal Modernity, a Berlin-based think tank. This lack of knowledge often leads to simplistic and ahistorical debates in the West about topics like China's global quest for power and the Silk Road Initiative.
Yes, the Communist Party has shamelessly rewritten Chinese contemporary history and manipulated it for its own benefit. But even beyond the propaganda, many Chinese have their own view of history, and this changes their perception of China's current trade conflicts and their understanding of globalization.
Beijing capitalizes on all of the advantages of its huge economy, subsidizes entire industrial sectors and exerts economic pressure on other countries, while limiting access to its own markets.
A long Memory
Many Chinese are surprised that Europeans find this objectionable. When the West laid down the rules of global trade, Europe's great powers didn't bother with subsidies or market restrictions. They sent warships up the Pearl River and the Yangtze, muscling their way into Chinese ports and establishing colonies, which they called "concessions," such as the region surrounding Jiaozhou Bay.
"The Chinese want to beat us because there's a long historical memory," one of Germany's leading business experts on China, BASF CEO Martin Brudermüller, recently said, adding that this explains "the drive and ambition of the Chinese." It is a worldview that one must be familiar with when it comes to dealing with the country.
Not only does China have a different view of history and more far-reaching memories of globalization than most Europeans, but on Chinese world maps America lies far to the east, while Europe often appears as a small peninsula to the northwest of Russia. The Pacific, the subcontinent and Africa appear much larger.
History, geography and globalization: measured against the problems of dealing with China, these terms could seem abstract, but they're not. They remind us just how little we in the West know about China. Europe -- especially countries like Germany that have close economic ties with Beijing - must significantly expand its China knowledge.
The Berlin-based Mercator Institute for China Studies remains one of the few think tanks in the world that specializes in China, but there are still far too few China experts in Europe. European media, including DER SPIEGEL, are not nearly as strongly represented in China as in America -- and are far behind the American media presence in China as well.
A desire to better understand China does not mean adopting a Chinese view of the world. On the contrary, it sharpens our perspective on the opportunities and risks of China's ascent and is a precondition for making difficult decisions.
II. It was 70 years ago that Mao Zedong proclaimed the People's Republic of China, with the Communist Party planning to celebrate the event on October 1 with a military parade. President Xi is to drive past the troops dressed in a modern stylized Mao suit and salute them with the words "Tongzhimen hao!" -- "Greetings, comrades!"
It will be a masquerade. Although the Communist Party today has about 90 million members and permeates all areas of public life, Xi's China is in many ways the exact opposite of Mao's China. Mao was a utopian who tried to keep his country in a state of permanent revolution. Xi Jinping is a bureaucrat of power who strives for order and stability, no matter what the cost.
Mao's one-and-a-half-ton portrait still hangs at Tiananmen Gate, but the party has transformed from an ideological movement into an instrument of power and a career vehicle. Millions of party members are currently collecting points on a propaganda app that quizzes them on their knowledge of Xi Jinping speeches -- although they take great pains not to exceed the score of the leader of their party cell. Those who take Marxism seriously are seen as troublemakers. When a group of leftist students campaigned for the formation of an independent union in a welding machine factory last summer, the police raided their homes and arrested around 50 of them.
But there is one thing that connects Mao's and Xi's vision of China: the global aspirations and the determination to change the world. As British sinologist Julia Lovell writes in a recent monograph, Maoism spread like a fever around the globe, as an intellectual fashion in many Western countries and as a murderous ideology that inspired militant movements in developing countries from Cambodia to Colombia.
A More Pugnacious Approach
China's current global vision is no fever, but rather ambition, poured in concrete. From airstrips on Pacific islands to dams on the Mekong River and the quay walls of ports on the Mediterranean, the New Silk Road -- Xi's multi-billion-dollar development program -- is designed to cement China's geopolitical objectives.
It was the U.S. that first realized that China was rocking the foundations of the established world order. Under President Barack Obama, Washington opted for a strategic "Pivot to Asia," while the Trump administration has opted for a more pugnacious approach, labeling China a "strategic competitor" and a "revisionist" power that is using cheap loans and political power to bring one country after the other under its influence. This spring, the European Union followed suit. Using almost the same words, the European Commission wrote in a strategy paper that China is "a systemic rival promoting alternative models of governance" and "an economic competitor in the pursuit of technological leadership."
It remains to be seen whether such declarations of rivalry will impress Beijing. Prime Minister Li Keqiang was reportedly surprised by the skepticism that he encountered on his last trip to Brussels. Sending a clear message to China is to be welcomed, even if the EU strategy paper will most likely initially contribute more to Europe's internal cohesion than to any change of course by China.
Of far greater importance, though, are concrete steps, such as French President Emmanuel Macron's decision to invite German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker to join him in talks with Xi during a state visit to Paris -- an impressive new development in the history of European diplomacy. The countries of the European Union will never be able to act together on foreign policy with the same degree of unity as the United States. But EU member states must rigorously coordinate their diplomatic approach to China on diverse issues, ranging from their stance on the controversial network supplier Huawei, to human rights issues and geopolitical conflicts, like the one brewing in the South China Sea.
The projects that Europe initiates to counter China's economic power -- in Europe and on its periphery -- must also be concrete. The U.S. has reacted to the Silk Road Initiative by launching a $60 billion fund to fully resume the tedious business of pursuing development cooperation in many countries around the world. Who is going to step in and do this in the emerging economies of North Africa and the Middle East? Who is willing to support energy and infrastructure projects from the Balkans to Morocco? If the conditions are fair and the bidding process is transparent, there is no reason why we shouldn't cooperate with China in those regions. But this is primarily a task for Europe as it struggles to cope with a constant influx of refugees.
III. It was 30 years ago, on June 4, 1989, that tanks rolled across Beijing's Tiananmen Square. The reformer Deng Xiaoping, who had launched China's economic miracle, crushed the largest democracy movement that the country had seen since 1919 and hundreds of people were killed, both students and soldiers. The exact number of fatalities remains unknown.
In early June of this year, no one in China will hear or read a critical word in the censored media about this traumatic event. The student leaders of 1989 are in exile, civil rights activists will be sent out of the big cities to the countryside weeks ahead of the anniversary, and the state has the press and the internet firmly under its control.
These are the "alternative models of governance" that the EU rightly condemns in its strategy paper. China has established a surveillance and security regime that is unrivaled anywhere else in the world.
The full extent of this sophisticated control apparatus has become apparent over the past two years in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region, where state security forces are monitoring and suppressing the predominantly Muslim minority Uighurs, who number roughly 11 million. Beijing justifies its crackdown by pointing to a spate of riots and attacks involving militant Uighurs and compares its actions with measures taken by Western countries to combat terrorism after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
But even some Chinese who support the goals of this policy are repulsed by how the state is pursuing it. All Muslim inhabitants of Xinjiang are intensively policed, both conventionally and with cutting-edge digital technology, by cameras that film every alley and every taxi, by "WiFi sniffers" that can harvest the data of their mobile phones at checkpoints, and by neighbors who are encouraged to denounce them. Anyone who acts suspiciously can be arrested. According to estimates by Adrian Zenz, a German researcher who has been focusing on Xinjiang, roughly one million people have been detained in prisons and internment camps, euphemistically called "re-education centers."
The government collects the personal data of all residents, including their DNA profiles. A new facial recognition software now even allows Uighurs to be identified by their biometric features. China is already applying similar technologies, which are not yet quite so advanced, in provinces outside Xinjiang. As the New York Times has reported, Chinese companies are also exporting such systems abroad, especially to authoritarian regimes, but also to Western countries.
Historic Obligation
Beijing's crackdown in Xinjiang is forcing Western governments to rethink their relationship with China. Only addressing human rights issues behind closed doors during state visits is no longer an option. EU countries like Germany, which are painfully familiar with the consequences of totalitarianism, have a historic obligation to bring their full weight to bear on this issue.
This does not invalidate the arguments put forward over the years by so-called China realists like former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and former German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt. When Kissinger travelled to China in the early 1970s on behalf of then-President Richard Nixon, the country was still in the throes of the Cultural Revolution, in which unspeakable crimes were committed. No one would deny that it was nevertheless right to establish relations with Beijing at that time -- just as it was right for President Bill Clinton to reach out to China five years after the Tiananmen massacre.
But 20th century political pragmatists had no way of knowing what technological progress would do for 21st century autocracies. The use of these digital tools of human control must be contained by negotiations, just as international treaties have curbed the spread of nuclear weapons. A foreign policy based on universal values must be prepared to bear the anticipated political costs of pursuing this type of policy.
In the U.S., 24 senators and 19 representatives from both sides of the aisle have urged the Trump administration to challenge Beijing on the Uighur question and impose sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Act against top-ranking Chinese officials in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region. The Magnitsky Act is the U.S. government's most potent weapon in dealing with foreign politicians implicated in humans rights abuses and allows it, among other things, to freeze the accounts of those affected and prohibit them from entering the country.
So far, the EU has no comparable diplomatic remedy at its disposal, but in March, the European Parliament voted to change that. The European Commission will hopefully approve the resolution, especially in view of recent developments in China.
Even more effective would be a broad initiative - one which includes the U.S. -- to establish global standards for the use of digital mass surveillance technology, similar to the push that led to the international disarmament negotiations in the 1960s and the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) process in the 1970s. As a digital power, the EU may pale in comparison to the U.S. and China today, but its data protection regulations are exemplary worldwide. In the interests of its citizens, Europe should work to ensure that these standards are not set by China in the future.
TIME FOR A TRUE GLOBAL CURRENCY / PROJECT SYNDICATE
| Etiquetas: Currencies, SDR´s, The Dollar
Time for a True Global Currency
The International Monetary Fund’s global reserve asset, the Special Drawing Right, is one of the most underused instruments of multilateral cooperation. Turning it into a true global currency would yield several benefits for the global economy and the international monetary system.
José Antonio Ocampo
NEW YORK – This year, the world commemorates the anniversaries of two key events in the development of the global monetary system. The first is the creation of the International Monetary Fund at the Bretton Woods conference 75 years ago. The second is the advent, 50 years ago, of the Special Drawing Right (SDR), the IMF’s global reserve asset.
When it introduced the SDR, the Fund hoped to make it “the principal reserve asset in the international monetary system.” This remains an unfulfilled ambition; indeed, the SDR is one of the most underused instruments of international cooperation. Nonetheless, better late than never: turning the SDR into a true global currency would yield several benefits for the world’s economy and monetary system.
The idea of a global currency is not new. Prior to the Bretton Woods negotiations, John Maynard Keynes suggested the “bancor” as the unit of account of his proposed International Clearing Union. In the 1960s, under the leadership of the Belgian-American economist Robert Triffin, other proposals emerged to address the growing problems created by the dual dollar-gold system that had been established at Bretton Woods. The system finally collapsed in 1971. As a result of those discussions, the IMF approved the SDR in 1967, and included it in its Articles of Agreement two years later.
Although the IMF’s issuance of SDRs resembles the creation of national money by central banks, the SDR fulfills only some of the functions of money. True, SDRs are a reserve asset, and thus a store of value. They are also the IMF’s unit of account. But only central banks – mainly in developing countries, though also in developed economies – and a few international institutions use SDRs as a means of exchange to pay each other.
The SDR has a number of basic advantages, not least that the IMF can use it as an instrument of international monetary policy in a global economic crisis. In 2009, for example, the IMF issued $250 billion in SDRs to help combat the downturn, following a proposal by the G20.
Most importantly, SDRs could also become the basic instrument to finance IMF programs. Until now, the Fund has relied mainly on quota (capital) increases and borrowing from member countries. But quotas have tended to lag behind global economic growth; the last increase was approved in 2010, but the US Congress agreed to it only in 2015. And loans from member countries, the IMF’s main source of new funds (particularly during crises), are not true multilateral instruments.
The best alternative would be to turn the IMF into an institution fully financed and managed in its own global currency – a proposal made several decades ago by Jacques Polak, then the Fund’s leading economist. One simple option would be to consider the SDRs that countries hold but have not used as “deposits” at the IMF, which the Fund can use to finance its lending to countries. This would require a change in the Articles of Agreement, because SDRs currently are not held in regular IMF accounts.
The Fund could then issue SDRs regularly or, better still, during crises, as in 2009. In the long term, the amount issued must be related to the demand for foreign-exchange reserves. Various economists and the IMF itself have estimated that the Fund could issue $200-300 billion in SDRs per year. Moreover, this would spread the financial benefits (seigniorage) of issuing the global currency across all countries. At present, these benefits accrue only to issuers of national or regional currencies that are used internationally – particularly the US dollar and the euro.
More active use of SDRs would also make the international monetary system more independent of US monetary policy. One of the major problems of the global monetary system is that the policy objectives of the US, as the issuer of the world’s main reserve currency, are not always consistent with overall stability in the system.
In any case, different national and regional currencies could continue to circulate alongside growing SDR reserves. And a new IMF “substitution account” would allow central banks to exchange their reserves for SDRs, as the US first proposed back in the 1970s.
SDRs could also potentially be used in private transactions and to denominate national bonds. But, as the IMF pointed out in its report to the Board in 2018, these “market SDRs,” which would turn the unit into fully-fledged money, are not essential for the reforms proposed here. Nor would SDRs need to be used as a unit of account outside the Fund.
The anniversaries of the IMF and the SDR in 2019 are causes for celebration. But they also represent an ideal opportunity to transform the SDR into a true global currency that would strengthen the international monetary system. Policymakers should seize it.
José Antonio Ocampo is a board member of Banco de la República, Colombia's central bank, professor at Columbia University, Chair of the UN Economic and Social Council’s Committee for Development Policy, and Chair of the Independent Commission for the Reform of International Corporate Taxation. He was Minister of Finance of Colombia and United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs. He is the co-author (with Luis Bértola) of The Economic Development of Latin America since Independence.
GOODBYE E.U., AND GOODBYE THE UNITED KINGDOM / THE FINANCIAL TIMES OP EDITORIAL
| Etiquetas: Brexit, Europe Economic and Political, Great Britain, United Kingdom
Goodbye EU, and goodbye the United Kingdom
The invented identity of ‘Britishness’ is unravelling as English nationalism takes hold
Philip Stephens
During the spring of 1975 the Wall Street Journal ran a powerful headline. “Goodbye Great Britain”, the American business newspaper declared. The UK was known as the sick man of Europe. Investors were taking flight in the face of its ruinous economic performance and endemic industrial strife. Greatness had made way for spiralling decline.
The prediction proved premature. Britain was bailed out by the International Monetary Fund and subsequently saved by North Sea oil and, some would say, by Margaret Thatcher’s economic revolution. In any event, a decade later Thatcher was dancing on the world stage with US president Ronald Reagan.
Britain faces another existential moment. The Brexit story was supposed to be about leaving the EU. It has turned into a runaway national crisis. The forces driving Brexit look set to sweep away much more than the institutional machinery, economic relationships and political ties created during decades of EU membership. Goodbye to Brussels is shaping up as the first act in a two-part drama. The second may well wave goodbye to the UK.
The other day I listened to Mervyn King say that the government should dispense with further talks with Brussels and opt for a no-deal Brexit, albeit after a six-month period of preparation. The costs, the former Bank of England governor said, would be manageable and temporary. Given Lord King’s complacency about the stability of financial markets before the 2008 crash, many will discount his economic judgment. What struck me, however, was his insistence that Brexit was really about identity and culture.
Though he sits on the opposite side of the European debate, the former Conservative chancellor Kenneth Clarke agrees. The impetus for Brexit, Mr Clarke says, comes from a resurgence of the rightwing English nationalist wing of his party. The project reflects a strain of Conservatism that has never come to terms with the loss of empire.
Leaving the EU — Independence Day, the Brexiters call it — is rooted as much in nostalgia as in the populist revolt against elites and outsiders that has supplied the European debate with such visceral anger. Hence the Brexiters’ fantasy of a new “Global Britain” and the ubiquitous allusions to the second world war and Winston Churchill’s readiness to stand alone. The bluster conceals a cry of pain.
Brexit is an English rather than a British enterprise. More specifically, it belongs overwhelmingly to provincial England. With the exception of Birmingham, the nation’s great cities — London, Manchester, Liverpool and Newcastle among them — were on the side of Remain. They were outvoted by Leavers in smaller English cities and towns and in rural areas.
Scotland backed Remain by a large margin. Pace the Brexiters of the Democratic Unionist party, Northern Ireland voted for continued EU membership. Wales followed England out.
Scotland voted in 2014 to stay in the union of the UK. It is hard to imagine it would do the same in another referendum. Five years ago, unionism offered proud Scots two supplementary identities. They could be at once British and European. After Brexit it will be either/or. The 1707 union with England handed Scotland an international role as a partner in empire. Outside of the EU it will be cut off from the rest of Europe.
Theresa May’s government insists that powers returned from Brussels will be hoarded at Westminster rather than shared with the Edinburgh parliament and other devolved administrations. The prime minister wants sharply to reduce immigration. Scotland wants more newcomers to oil the wheels of the economy. Why would that nation, with a political culture steeped in social market centrism, shackle itself to the rule of English nationalists?
Nor can Northern Ireland’s place in the UK any longer be taken for granted. The DUP has made a great fuss about ensuring that a settlement with the EU27 does not differentiate between the province and the rest of the UK. But their hostility to the EU is a minority position in Northern Ireland itself. Nothing has done so much as Brexit to reopen the question of Irish unification.
Britishness is an invented identity. It is deliberately expansive, calculated during the 19th century to cast empire as a joint project of the four nations of the UK. More recently, as the empire came home, it has provided a welcoming mantle for immigrants from former imperial outposts. British citizens of overseas heritage overwhelmingly identify as, well, British. Allegiance to England is seen predominantly as the property of the nation’s white communities.
The Leave side understood this during the 2016 referendum. It made two promises: to spend more money on the National Health Service and to shut out an (entirely imagined) influx of migrants from Turkey. Better to spend money on the health service, the less than subtle message ran, than see hospitals overrun by foreigners. The distance between such sentiments and the overt racism of extremists such as the English Defence League is perilously short.
To watch Britain’s descent into chaos in recent times has been to see the threads of Britishness, woven over centuries, unravel. Identity politics has elbowed aside common purpose. The tears in the fabric run alongside borders and within them. It is hard to imagine how they can be repaired.
THE BIGGEST QUESTION FACING THE FED / BARRON´S MAGAZINE
| Etiquetas: Economics, Inflation, The Fed
The Biggest Question Facing the Federal Reserve
Is the Federal Reserve right to be sanguine about inflation?
The central bank’s preferred measure of consumer prices grew just 1.6% in the 12 months ended March 31, compared with 2.0% in 2018. When asked about this at the press conference following this past Wednesday’s policy meeting, Fed Chair Jerome Powell declared there are “good reasons to think that some or all of the unexpected decrease [in inflation] may wind up being transient.” Stocks fell and real interest rates rose in response.
The immediate fear is that Powell’s interpretation of the recent data will cause monetary policy to be too tight. That could hurt stocks and other risky assets. It was only last year that excessive faith in the economy’s underlying strength led to interest rate increases that hit consumer spending, manufacturing, and housing.
Things have improved since then, in part because the central bank reversed course after realizing it had overshot, but the unnecessary slowdown may be partly responsible for the weak inflation readings of the past few months. Both the Atlanta Fed’s estimate of median wage changes and Tuesday’s Employment Cost Index, published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, suggest that pay growth has stopped accelerating.
The deeper concern is that the Fed may be backtracking on plans to change how it treats deviations from its inflation target, which would imply systematically tighter monetary policy and slower long-term growth.
The good news is that Powell may be right about inflation, in which case those fears would be unfounded. Some indicators suggest price increases are actually accelerating.
The Fed currently aims for consumer prices to rise by 2% each year. Keeping calm in the face of one-off events is a key part of its strategy. Whether the overall price index rises faster than 2% a year, perhaps because of a spike in oil prices, or slower than 2% a year, as it did after the introduction of unlimited mobile-data plans, the central bank tries to “look through” temporary misses and focus solely on getting inflation back to 2%. The theoretical justification is that the overshoots and undershoots are supposed to cancel each other out over time.
Since the financial crisis, however, almost all the “transient” events have been in the same direction: down. The result is that the Fed’s preferred price index has grown at a yearly average rate of just 1.5% since the start of 2010.
Fed officials fear this could undermine people’s expectations of future price increases. At some point, persistent bad luck may eventually start to look like a series of deliberate choices. There is some evidence this is already happening, with the average inflation forecast collected by the University of Michigan’s Survey of Consumers down about half a percentage point since the end of 2015 compared with its stable 1994-2014 average. In standard theory, that should eventually lead to a new, slower trend rate of inflation.
Besides raising real interest rates today, slower inflation could make it even more difficult for the central bank to boost the economy in a downturn. (Historically, the Fed has lowered real short-term interest rates at least five percentage points to fight recessions, which means it already lacks breathing room.) The danger is that longer recessions and sluggish recoveries will reinforce this process by progressively lowering trend inflation and hobbling the Fed even further.
One possible solution is to aim for average price increases of 2% each year over time. If inflation were too low in one year, the central bank would aim for inflation faster than 2% the following year. It is unlikely any central bank possesses the level of control necessary to fine-tune price changes so precisely, however. New York Fed President John Williams’ solution is to assume that inflation will slow during recessions, as it has tended to do historically. He therefore argues that inflation should run a bit faster than 2% whenever the economy is growing.
Some traders may interpret Powell’s apparent willingness to let inflation decelerate as a signal that the Fed is not moving in this direction. While that is possible, the simpler explanation is that the recent inflation data are misleading. Powell noted the Dallas Fed’s “trimmed mean” price index, which ignores price changes in the most volatile components, has been stable at 2%.
More fundamentally, the bulk of the recent slowdown can be attributed to categories in which price changes are difficult to measure. “Portfolio management and investment services” simply track the stock market, while “indirect securities commissions” are estimated rather than observed. Clothing, footwear, and jewelry are subject to the vagaries of fashion. Prescription drug prices are notoriously difficult to measure. New medicines for previously untreated ailments have no comparable prices, for example. The government claims drug prices have dropped in the past few months, but few Americans would likely agree with that assessment.
Spencer Hill, a senior economist at Goldman Sachs, recommends tracking inflation with an index based solely on goods and services with prices that are easy to measure, such as new motor vehicles, rent excluding utilities, restaurant meals, and household supplies such as soap and toilet paper. While this “well measured” price index grew just 1.3% a year between the start of 2012 and the middle of 2018, it has accelerated rapidly since then thanks to broad-based increases in the prices of appliances, furniture, household supplies, schooling, and veterinarian visits.
In the past, large moves in this price index have tended to coincide with changes in broader measures, such as the widely followed core index and the Dallas Fed’s trimmed mean. If that pattern holds, the conversation about inflation could change very quickly.
BEIJING´S BANK BAILOUT BETTER BE BOLD / THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
| Etiquetas: Banks And Banking, China, Economics
Beijing’s Bank Bailout Better Be Bold
To revive growth, China needs to take potentially painful steps to reform its interest-rate system
The International Monetary Fund in 2017 estimated that a severe downturn could punch a hole in Chinese banks’ balance sheets equal to about 2.5% of gross domestic product. Photo: SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg News
The cash needed to patch the holes in Chinese banks’ balance sheets probably isn’t far from the half-trillion-dollar U.S. government bank bailout after the financial crisis. But that staggering sum alone may be only the beginning of the pain.
Beijing’s half-hearted fixes since China’s deep downturn in 2015 have helped stave off an immediate financial crisis, but they severely damaged the dynamic private companies that drive growth. What’s really needed is far harder: overhauling a dysfunctional interest-rate system that breeds inefficiency.
That risks large-scale layoffs or social unrest, but failure to act could derail China’s ambitions to become a tech powerhouse and would spill over into the world economy.
International requirements for systemically important banks mean big Chinese banks still need hundreds of billions of dollars of new capital by the mid-2020s
The International Monetary Fund, in its last assessment of China’s financial system in late 2017, estimated a severe downturn could punch a hole in banks’ balance sheets equal to about 2.5% of gross domestic product, or around two trillion yuan ($300 billion). The problem would be particularly acute at smaller lenders, the IMF noted.
At first glance, Chinese banks now look well capitalized. Higher profits since 2016 have helped put topline capital adequacy on par with U.S. lenders.
A look under the hood is less encouraging. Most improvement has been at large banks, not the smaller lenders the IMF flagged. Overall loss provisions are equal to only 69% of problem loans, up from 2016 but down from 80% in early 2014. In the IMF’s scenario, losses at small lenders force their common equity tier 1 capital ratio—a common measure of banks’ resiliency—to just 3%. Large U.S. lenders bottomed out around 5% in 2009, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.
China’s current slowdown isn’t nearly that bad. But avoiding a structural decline in future growth requires a more efficient, competitive banking system. That means letting borrowing costs rise for some lumbering state-owned companies that receive underpriced loans. And that, in turn, would almost certainly convert many such troubled loans into real defaults.
State-controlled industrial firms show only a 4% return on assets—less than average bank lending rates of 5.6%. Real interest-rate reform therefore not only requires a substantial slug of cash to bolster the banking system but also a sea change in an economic policy that has kept key state companies afloat.
Case in point: While Beijing has taken steps to shore up bank profitability by cracking down on competition from China’s notorious shadow-banking system, the main effect has been to further bolster the country’s comfortable large banks. Smaller ones that do most small enterprise lending that drives the economy have been hurt as they’ve lost a crucial source of funding and fee income.
Industrial & Commercial Bank of China ,the world’s largest bank by assets, saw first-half 2018 net interest income rise 20% according Factset. But the net interest income of small banks barely grew at all in 2017 and 2018, estimates Natixis. Small-business lending has slowed sharply.
To solve the problem, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has told big banks to boost small-enterprise lending by 30% in 2019. This half-measure is unlikely to work without cutting off many state-owned enterprises, though, meaning more write-downs and capital destruction or tricks like shifting loans to small subsidiaries of big state-owned enterprises.
A more promising step is Beijing’s decision to permit perpetual bond issuance as a way to raise bank capital. In addition to Bank of China’s successful Jan. 22 issuance, at least four midsize lenders have announced such bonds totaling over 100 billion yuan. That is trifling, however, against the at least 1.7 trillion yuan of troubled Chinese bank loans for which no loss provisions have been made. International requirements for systemically important banks mean big Chinese banks still need hundreds of billions of dollars of new capital by the mid-2020s.
More aggressive measures are needed, like another big expansion of China’s gargantuan multi-trillion-yuan local government debt swap or a new, large-scale government-funded “bad bank.” That then needs to be followed by full liberalization of deposit rates to allow real competition for retail funds inside the banking system. This would force all banks to seek out higher-return lending opportunities.
How fast such measures materialize—and whether they even do at all—will be a key clue to China’s economic trajectory over the next several years. A timid response will mean ever-bleaker headlines about China’s slowdown.
THE U.S., IRAN AND A NEW AMERICAN DEPLOYMENT / GEOPOLITICAL FUTURES
| Etiquetas: Geopolitics, Iran, Israel, Middle East, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, U.S. Economic And Political
The US, Iran and a New American Deployment
Iran’s influence has spread across the Middle East, and the U.S. is pushing back.
The United States has announced that it is deploying a carrier battle group and a bomber group to the Middle East. The reason given is that U.S. intelligence has detected an Iranian threat against U.S. and allied assets in the region. The United States has stated that it does not want war with Iran but is prepared to defend its interests in the region. It’s not clear what threat the U.S. detected, but since this force will take some time to reach the area, we can assume that the threat is not perceived to be imminent. And we will assume that the type of threat the U.S. believes is posed by Iran can be countered by the type and amount of air power deployed. But as with all such deployments, there are military, psychological and political components that must be understood.
Fallout From the U.S. Drawdown
Since the Obama administration, Washington’s strategy has been to recognize that the United States’ massive interventions in the Middle East failed to achieve their political goals but imposed substantial costs on the U.S. military and unbalanced the U.S. global posture. They may have disrupted al-Qaida but did not create effective regimes that could themselves suppress jihadist groups. The deployments were neither achieving their goal nor supporting U.S. strategies. Washington understood that withdrawing U.S. forces from the region would have political consequences but concluded that the threat posed by these consequences was acceptable.
The drawdown in U.S. forces redefined regional dynamics. The underlying strategic issue in the region has been the relationship between the Arab world, surrounding non-Arab states like Israel, Turkey and Iran, and great powers, like the United Kingdom and the United States. With the U.S. drawdown, the latter became less significant, while the relationships among the Arab and regional non-Arab powers became critical. At the time, the greatest threat came from Iran. For Iran, the Arab world was a historic threat but one that presented an immediate opportunity.
The threat and opportunity coalesced in the rise of the Islamic State, which occurred in parallel with the slow drawdown of U.S. forces. Shiite-majority Iran saw the radical Islamic, Sunni and Arab force as a threat to its interests, and particularly to its historic interest in Iraq (of which the nearly decadelong war in the 1980s was just one manifestation). Tehran could not tolerate a jihadist government in Baghdad, so it intervened, organizing and leading the Iraqi army. Ironically, at that point, Iranian and American interests coincided; both simply wanted to break the Islamic State. Once IS was broken, the U.S. continued its drawdown in Iraq while Iran became an increasingly dominant political factor in an Arab country with a large Shiite population.
This created a much larger and historic opportunity for Iran. Iran’s strategy was to exploit the Arab world’s Sunni-Shiite divide, using its commonality with Shiites to challenge Sunni Arab powers – especially Saudi Arabia. In Lebanon, Iran had already established a powerful position through Hezbollah, a Shiite Arab force, and it saw another opportunity in Syria. While the Alawite regime of President Bashar Assad was secular, the Alawites are a Shiite sect with historical ties to Iran. During Syria’s civil war, Iran intensified its support of the Assad regime and aligned with the Russian intervention. Tehran and Moscow had a common interest in weakening U.S. power in the region and a shared strategy of using the U.S. drawdown to do so. Iran and Russia were historical antagonists, but both had an overriding interest to weaken the United States, psychologically if not in actual global power.
Pressure on Iran
Iran has therefore emerged as a major regional force. It is a dominant power in Iraq and Lebanon, a significant force in Syria and is deeply engaged in the war in Yemen. It is in the process of surrounding Saudi Arabia, a country with which it has fought wars going back to the 1960s; indeed, in many ways, the Saudi-Iranian enmity is the foundation of regional dynamics. In the past, as during Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, U.S. strategy would be to use main force to block Iran. But the new American strategy has been careful to limit American exposure. Therefore, the U.S. now wants to rely on regional powers to act when it is in their interests to do so, rather than to take direct action itself.
The result has been the emergence of an Israeli-Saudi coalition that includes nations on the Persian Gulf’s western coast. This force is dangerous to Iran. Iran has power around Saudi Arabia, but it is what might be called thin power. With the exception of Lebanon, its power in other countries is neither deeply rooted nor indestructible; rather, it is spread dangerously wide and shallow. And the cooperation that has emerged between Israel and Arab, anti-Iran powers is substantial. In addition to the political power being exerted on Iran, it’s under pressure from the economic sanctions put in place by the United States putatively because of Iran’s nuclear program. In reality, the sanctions fit into the U.S. strategy of reducing military exposure while using diplomatic and economic means to exert pressure. Iran, whose economy had been getting weaker on its own, has been significantly affected by U.S. economic actions.
Iran’s expansion has come under significant pressure. The Israelis have been attacking Iranian positions in Syria, and Russia – ostensibly Iran’s ally but one that’s not eager to see a powerful Iran in the Caucasus – has not made any attempt to stop them. Pressure in Yemen has also placed Iran in a difficult position. Iran remains influential in Iraq, but everywhere else, its expansion has run into serious problems.
Still, Iran has countered where it can. Tehran has been supplying Hamas for some time, but the relationship between the Sunni and Shiite entities has been necessarily complex. (Though Hamas still managed a significant rocket attack on Israel this weekend.) One of Iran’s political options is to draw Israel into attacks on Gaza and Lebanon and portray itself as the only major power in the Muslim world challenging Israel while many others are effectively allied with Israel. The problem with that strategy is that it could also energize jihadists, and they are not Iran’s friends.
Therefore, Iran has to either fold some of its cards or somehow strike. The U.S. has warned that an attack against its allies is possible. The issue now for the U.S. is that, given Iran’s economic problems and the broad but weak hold it has in the region, the drawdown of U.S. forces makes it less risky for Iran to take action. At the same time, reinserting large numbers of ground forces is not something the U.S. wants to do.
Instead, we see the deployment of U.S. air power in the form of a carrier battle group and land-based powers. The U.S. is positioning itself so that, if Iran carries out some operation to stabilize its position, the U.S. can respond with airstrikes. The problem is that, in Syria and Lebanon, Israel is capable of managing air power, and strikes in Iraq will find few targets worthy of the force. What the United States has threatened, without making any explicit threats, is airstrikes on Iran itself if it carries out operations against U.S. allies. But the force the U.S. is deploying is not large enough for a sustained air campaign. So, the threat it’s making at this time is one of limited air action, with further action readily available.
The U.S. deployment is a test of two things. First, whether air power is a significant enough threat to force the Iranians to refrain from aggressive actions in the region. Second, whether it is enough to reverse the Iranian expansion. Iran is embroiled in domestic issues, and the Iranian public, rather than rallying to the flag, might see American airstrikes as yet another miscalculation by the Iranian government. I certainly don’t know which it will be, nor do I think the U.S. government knows. But I suspect that the Iranian government doesn’t know for sure either, and that might limit their risk-taking.
Behind all this is the fact that the U.S. intervention in the region ultimately failed to achieve its political goals and led to the drawdown of the U.S. main force, leaving only limited forces pursuing very limited ends. Without a global power imposing force, the region rearranged itself, as the U.S. had hoped it would, but the rearrangement put Iran in a powerful position, which the U.S. certainly didn’t want. Anticipating that Iran will try to strike against the new anti-Iran coalition, the U.S. is trying to reassert its power without redeploying ground forces. In the end, the Israelis, the Saudis and the (hitherto unmentioned) Turks have more at stake than the U.S. and therefore need to take the risks, either way.
WE GIVE UP! PART 7: NOW EVEN REPUBLICANS WANT A DOVISH FED / DOLLAR COLLAPSE
| Etiquetas: Monetary Policy, The Fed
We Give Up! Part 7: Now Even Republicans Want A Dovish Fed
Not so long ago, the major US political parties had very different views on monetary policy. Democrats, representing labor, wanted high government spending, low interest rates and generally easy money to create as many jobs as possible. Republicans, representing capital, wanted relatively small government, low debt and tight money to give entrepreneurs a predictable future in which to build new factories.
But that was then. Today, across pretty much the entire sitting Establishment, easy money has become the goal of monetary policy, and the Fed is being reshaped to institutionalize this bias.
Consider this amazing headline and the article that explains it:
A Trump dilemma: Finding a dovish GOP ally to serve on Fed
The skeptical response to President Donald Trump’s choice of Stephen Moore for the Federal Reserve has thrown a spotlight on the tough task Trump has set for himself: Finding a rare conservative ally who both favors cutting interest rates and is respected enough to win Senate confirmation.
Frustrated by the Fed’s handling of rates under Jerome Powell — his own choice to be chairman — the president tapped two outspoken political boosters to fill a pair of vacancies on the Fed’s board. One, Herman Cain, withdrew from consideration last week amid renewed scrutiny of sexual harassment and infidelity allegations that first surfaced during his 2012 presidential campaign. The other, Moore, faces rising opposition on Capitol Hill both because of a slew of inflammatory commentaries he wrote and concerns that he isn’t qualified to serve on the world’s leading central bank.
Together, Cain, a former pizza company executive, and Moore, an economics commentator, represent a brash effort by Trump to reshape the Fed to his liking. Now, with Cain out of the picture and Moore’s selection in trouble, Trump might end up having to leave two of the seven seats on the Fed’s board unfilled.
Many economists, both liberal and conservative, have suggested that Moore was chosen mainly for his allegiance to Trump’s priorities. He had long identified as an inflation “hawk” who favored keeping rates high enough to fight inflation, even when the economy was weak. Now, he sounds much more like a “dove,” aligned with Trump’s demand for low rates even with the economy on solid footing.
Trump has only a shallow pool to pick from. He is pushing for the Fed to lower short-term rates, and he attacked Powell, in particular, for having overseen a rate hike in December, the fourth of 2018.
A few potential Fed nominees who might satisfy Trump’s hunt for a political conservative inclined to cut rates have emerged. One, David Beckworth, a research fellow at George Mason University, was a Treasury official in the George W. Bush administration and has seemed favorable toward rate cuts for years, Conti-Brown said.
This story has a lot of fascinating angles, including:
The current Fed, which has set short term interest rates at a level that would have been considered wildly, dangerously low in any other era, is being attacked by a Republican president for not cutting rates back to zero – at a time when growth is above 3% and official unemployment is below 4%.
Nothing like this has ever before happened.
President Trump, in trying to pack the Fed with easy-money Republicans is bumping up against the GOP’s sound money history. Today there are very few well-respected conservative economists who would agree that ZIRP (or NIRP!) is a good thing. That would be a contradiction in terms since if “conservative monetary policy” means anything, it’s that inflation is both very bad and caused by too-easy money. Finding someone who believes that and is willing to cut rates from here obviously isn’t easy.
On the other hand, Fed governors have cushy, high prestige jobs and want to keep them, so just nominating people like Cain and Moore will have a powerful institutional effect at the Fed, producing easier money than would otherwise be likely. So Trump wins either way.
And that’s assuming the Republicans stay in power after 2020. If they’re replaced by Democrats, the next president will have no trouble finding economists from the Keynesian left who are happy to engineer negative interest rates, eliminate cash from the economy, start buying equities with newly-created dollars – or just eliminate the whole debt/interest rate/taxation model and replace it with Modern Monetary Theory.
Either way, it’s easy money all the way down.
THE FED´S JOB MARKET EXPERIMENT / PROJECT SYNDICATE
| Etiquetas: Jobs, The Fed, U.S. Economic And Political, Unemployment
The Fed’s Job Market Experiment
Absent inflation, the Federal Reserve will let the unemployment rate keep falling
A job fair in Pittsburgh. Hiring was strong in April, with the Labor Department reporting that the economy added 263,000 jobs. Photo: Keith Srakocic/Associated Press
If it wasn’t apparent already, the April jobs report makes it plenty clear the Federal Reserve isn’t likely to cut rates anytime soon. But what would it take for the central bank to raise them?
Hiring was strong last month, with the Labor Department reporting that the economy added 263,000 jobs—more than the 190,000 economists expected. The unemployment rate, which is based on a separate survey, fell to 3.6%— its lowest level since 1969. But this came about because the share of the population participating in the labor force, and therefore included in the unemployment rate, slipped.
The implication is that, unless hiring slows sharply, the potential pool of workers employers can draw from won’t be able to grow fast enough to prevent the unemployment rate from falling further over the course of the year. And as employers compete for that shrinking pool of workers, wage growth ought to accelerate.
But, though wage growth has been increasing, so far it is hardly running hot. Average hourly earnings were up 3.2% in April from a year earlier, equal to March’s gain and short of the 3.3% economists expected.
Absent wages really picking up, Fed policy makers may decide they have little to worry about from the job market—particularly since they have signaled recently that they are focused on getting inflation higher, and that they would be comfortable with inflation for a time going through the 2% target they have set for it.
Moreover, even if wage growth does pick up, that doesn’t mean higher inflation will be a fait accompli. Companies would first have to raise prices in an attempt to pass their higher compensation costs on to consumers, which is no easy thing in a competitive marketplace. And then consumers would have to accept those higher prices.
Until then, the Fed may leave rates on hold even as the unemployment rate continues to decline and workers become increasingly scarce. It is hard to know what to expect when the unemployment rate gets driven down so low, but we may be on the way to finding out.
VENEZUELA: HOW TO GET RID OF NICOLAS MADURO / THE ECONOMIST
| Etiquetas: Venezuela
How to get rid of Nicolás Maduro
An attempt to depose the dictator appears to have failed. Try again
APRIL 30TH DAWNED promisingly in Venezuela. Juan Guaidó, acknowledged as the country’s interim president by many democracies and millions of Venezuelans, appeared outside an air-force base in Caracas flanked by national guardsmen to declare that the end of the dictatorship was imminent. By his side was a leader of the opposition, Leopoldo López, who had somehow been freed from house arrest. His presence, and that of the guards, suggested that Venezuela’s security forces were ready at last to withdraw their support for Nicolás Maduro, who has ruled his country catastrophically and brutally for the past six years.
Thus began two days of rumour, intrigue and violence (see article). As The Economist went to press the regime was still in charge and the generals were proclaiming their loyalty to it. Mr Maduro had appeared on television to declare that the “coup-mongering adventure” had failed. Yet this week’s events reveal that his hold on power is weaker than he claims. Mr Guaidó, the United States, which supports him, and the commanders of Venezuela’s security apparatus must work together to put an end to it.
That may well have been the plan. John Bolton, America’s national security adviser, said on April 30th that senior regime officials, including the defence minister and the commander of the presidential guard, had agreed to dump Mr Maduro and transfer power to Mr Guaidó. Mike Pompeo, America’s secretary of state, later insisted that Mr Maduro had been worried enough to have a plane waiting to spirit him to Havana but was dissuaded by his Russian allies.
How true these claims are and what went wrong is uncertain. A letter on social media attributed to the general in charge of Venezuela’s intelligence service, who has abruptly left his job, gave Mr Bolton’s assertion some support by saying that people close to Mr Maduro were negotiating behind his back. Some newspaper reports say that the plan was to remove him on May 2nd but that Mr Guaidó had acted early, perhaps because Mr Maduro had got wind of the plan. The plotters got cold feet.
The false start, if that’s what it was, shows the way ahead. Both Mr Guaidó and the administration of Donald Trump will need to induce the top brass to switch sides by making clear that there is a role for them in a democratic Venezuela. The army gave up power in 1958 and helped usher in civilian rule. Today’s opposition and soldiers could co-operate in a similar fashion. Although Mr Maduro and his closest associates need to go, Mr Guaidó should welcome less tainted leaders of the chavista regime into a transitional government, which would relieve the humanitarian crisis while preparing for free elections. That could yet take many months.
The Trump administration has lumped Venezuela in with Cuba and Nicaragua in a “troika of tyranny”. It seems as eager to dislodge Cuba’s 60-year-old communist regime as it is to get rid of Mr Maduro. To that end it recently intensified America’s embargo on the island, including by letting American citizens sue European and Canadian companies that do business using Cuban assets stolen after the revolution.
American disdain for Cuba’s regime is justified. Its hundreds of spies in Venezuela help keep Mr Maduro in power. But the swipes at Cuba will tighten this bond precisely when America should be trying to prise it apart. Lawsuits against European firms will frustrate concerted diplomatic action against Venezuela. In the cause of removing Mr Maduro, America should for the time being set its quarrel with Cuba to one side.
The crucial choice lies with Venezuela’s army commanders. Mr Maduro’s misrule offers them no future. It has crushed the economy, starved the people, strangled democracy and forced more than 3m Venezuelans into exile. The hardship is bound to worsen with new American oil sanctions this year. The generals must begin to act like patriots. They need to destroy the regime, before the regime destroys their country.
WINNING THE WAR ON POVERTY / THE NEW YORK TIMES OP EDITORIAL
| Etiquetas: Canada, War on Poverty
Winning the War on Poverty
The Canadians are doing it; we’re not.
Apartments in Memphis. According to recently released data, Americans could learn from Canada a better way to address poverty.CreditCreditDamon Winter/The New York Times
Jesus said the poor will always be among us, but there are a lot of people in Canada testing that proposition.
According to recently released data, between 2015 and 2017, Canada reduced its official poverty rate by at least 20 percent. Roughly 825,000 Canadians were lifted out of poverty in those years, giving the country today its lowest poverty rate in history.
How did it do it?
The overall economy has been decent but not robust enough to explain these striking outcomes. Instead, one major factor is that Canadians have organized their communities differently. They adopted a specific methodology to fight poverty.
Before I describe this methodology, let’s pause to think about what it’s often like in American poor areas. Everything is fragmented. There are usually a bevy of public and private programs doing their own thing. In a town there may be four food pantries, which don’t really know one another well. The people working in these programs have their heads down, because it’s exhausting enough just to do their own work.
A common model is one-donor-funding-one-program. Different programs compete for funds. They justify their existence using randomized controlled experiments, in which researchers try to pinpoint one input that led to one positive output. The foundation heads, city officials and social entrepreneurs go to a bunch of conferences, but these conferences don’t have much to do with one another.
In other words, the Americans who talk about community don’t have a community of their own. Every day, they give away the power they could have if they did mutually reinforcing work together to change whole systems.
In Canada it’s not like that. About 15 years ago, a disparate group of Canadians realized that a problem as complex as poverty can be addressed only through a multisector comprehensive approach. They realized that poverty was not going to be reduced by some innovation — some cool, new program nobody thought of before. It was going to be addressed through better systems that were mutually supporting and able to enact change on a population level.
So they began building citywide and communitywide structures. They started 15 years ago with just six cities, but now they have 72 regional networks covering 344 towns.
They begin by gathering, say, 100 people from a single community. A quarter have lived with poverty; the rest are from business, nonprofits and government.
They spend a year learning about poverty in their area, talking with the community. They launch a different kind of conversation. First, they don’t want better poor; they want fewer poor. That is to say, their focus is not on how do we give poor people food so they don’t starve. It is how do we move people out of poverty. Second, they up their ambitions. How do we eradicate poverty altogether? Third, they broaden their vision. What does a vibrant community look like in which everybody’s basic needs are met.
After a year they come up with a town plan. Each town’s poverty is different. Each town’s assets are different. So each town’s plan is different.
The town plans feature a lot of collaborative activity. A food pantry might turn itself into a job training center by allowing the people who are fed do the actual work. The pantry might connect with local businesses that change their hiring practices so that high school degrees are not required. Businesses might pledge to raise their minimum wage.
The plans involve a lot of policy changes on the town and provincial levels — improved day care, redesigned transit systems, better work-force development systems.
By the time Canada’s national government swung into action, the whole country had a base of knowledge and experience. The people in the field had a wealth of connections and a sense of what needed to be done. The two biggest changes were efforts in city after city to raise the minimum wage and the expansion of a national child benefit, which can net a family up to nearly $6,500 a year per child. Canada essentially has guaranteed income for the young and the old.
The process of learning and planning and adapting never ends. The Tamarack Institute, which pioneered a lot of this work, serves as a learning community hub for all the different regional networks.
Paul Born, the head of the institute, emphasizes that the crucial thing these communitywide collective impact structures do is change attitudes. In the beginning it’s as if everybody is swimming in polluted water. People are sluggish, fearful, isolated, looking out only for themselves. But when people start working together across sectors around a common agenda, it’s like cleaning the water. Communities realize they can do more for the poor. The poor realize they can do more for themselves. New power has been created, a new sense of agency.
Born doesn’t think you can really do social change without a methodology, without creating communitywide collective impact structures. But in many American communities we’re mostly scattershot. That’s the problem with our distrust and polarization. We often don’t build structures across difference. Transformational change rarely gets done.
David Brooks has been a columnist with The Times since 2003. He is the author of “The Road to Character” and the forthcoming book, “The Second Mountain.”
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The IACL
More about the IACL
Organs of the IACL
Statute of the IACL
Constitutions in the Age of the Internet
Constitution-Making and Constitutional Change
Constitutional Responses to Terrorism
Cross-Judicial Fertilization
Subnational Constitutions in Federal and Quasi-Federal Constitutional States
Algorithmic State, Society and Market - Constitutional Dimensions
Gender and Constitutions
Identity, Race and Ethnicity in Constitutional Law
Judicial Review and Electoral Law
Membership and Exclusions Under Constitutions
The Other Rule of Law Traditions in the World
Constitutionalism and Societal Pluralism
Human Dignity: A Global Constitutional Principle
New Frontiers of Federalism
Constitutional Interpretation
Establish a new group
IACL-AIDC.ORG
The International Association of Constitutional Law || l'Association Internationale de Droit Constitutionnel
Call for Papers: Counter-Terrorism at the Crossroad between International, Regional and Domestic Law
On June 13-14, 2019, within the International Association of Constitutional Law (IACL) the Research Group on “Constitutional Responses to Terrorism”, chaired by Prof. Kim L. Scheppele (Princeton University, USA) and coordinated by Prof. Arianna Vedaschi (Bocconi University, Italy), will organize its Annual Workshop on “Counter-Terrorism at the Crossroad between International, Regional and Domestic Law”. The venue of the event will be Bocconi University, Milan, Italy.
Download this call for papers
Workshop themes and format
This Workshop will address the evolving interaction between the international, regional and domestic level in framing counter-terrorism measures and policies. In particular, since the outbreak of the terrorist threat in 2001 the UN has developed counter-terrorism strategies and policies as well as issued resolutions with different binding force, in order to provide UN members with guidelines on how to address international terrorism. In such context, UN preventive measures or sanctions targeted at non-State players (and even individuals) are probably the most relevant innovation to deal with. How has this approach affected domestic law? What about the way UN members have implemented such resolutions? Moreover, UN measures have often impacted on regional bodies, including the EU. Hence, is the relationship between UN law and regional law changing, and to what extent? Ultimately, are we heading towards a UN-led global counter-terrorism law, and how beneficial is this for the enhancement of fundamental rights and personal freedoms recognized by national constitutions, regional charters and international standards? The previous are only some of the research questions that this Workshop will try to answer.
The event will feature the participation of former and current UN Special Rapporteurs on the promotion and protection of human rights while countering terrorism, Martin Scheinin, Ben Emmerson and Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, as keynote speakers. They will enrich the debate with their thorough “on-field” expertise and give us their invaluable insight into some core issues. For example, how does the UN architecture aimed at fighting terrorism work in practice? How does it interact with the Security Council, General Assembly and other UN entities? To what extent the principles of openness and transparency are respected? What structural changes have been undertaken since 2001, and what further changes might better serve adherence to international law, human rights and international humanitarian law compliance? What is the relationship of the counter-terrorism bodies to other external entities, e.g. the EU, FATF, GCTF?What might research ― and academia in general ― do in order to support the UN Special Rapporteur’s task?
In addition, the Organizers of the Workshop will welcome the submission of papers dealing with the intersection and interaction between international, regional (particularly EU) and domestic law in the field of counter-terrorism. Authors of selected proposals will be invited to present their work at the Conference.
Proposed topics for papers to be submitted include but are not limited to:
The UN Security Council, the Counter-Terrorism Committee and the limitation of fundamental rights: issues of legitimacy.
UN asset freezing and individual sanctioning regime: impact on fundamental rights.
The relationship between UN Security Council Resolutions and EU law from Kadi onwards: revising the hierarchy of norms?
Countering radicalization, violent extremism and incitement to terrorism: relationships between UN Res. 1624/2005, the CoE Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism, the EU Anti-Terrorism Directive and domestic law.
Foreign fighters between UN law, immigration issues and national border control.
The UN approach on the use of the Internet for terrorist purposes: the risks of cyberterrorism, preventive tools and paths of interaction between the public and the private sectors.
The UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy: latest revision, concrete impact and progressing implementation.
“New” areas of counter-terrorism, such as biometrics, data gathering, API, cyber security, weapons control.
The Organizers will welcome not only papers focused on a specific legal system– e.g., how a country implemented guidelines coming from the UN – and those resorting to the comparative method, but also proposals adopting an international or supranational perspective.
Submission guidelines and timing
Interested scholars are invited to submit an abstract (in English, no longer than 500 words) along with their CV, only via email and only to the following address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by December 15, 2018. The file shall be submitted in .doc, .docx or .pdf format and named “Surname_Name_CRTWS2019_Proposal.extension”. The subject line of the e-mail shall be composed as follows: “CRT WS 2019 submission – Surname Name”. Full name, email address and affiliation of the applicant shall be written at the head of the document. Abstracts will be reviewed by the Group’s Chair and Coordinator and acceptance will be notified by January 15, 2019.
Selected participants should send their full papers (no longer than 8000 words, including footnotes) no later than April 15, 2019.
In order to provide interested scholars with some ideas and suggestions on how to develop proposals, here are the reports by current and former UN Special Rapporteurs on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism and UN Security Council Resolutions dealing with terrorism.
Travel costs and accommodation:
Please note that the Organizers will not be able to cover travel and accommodation costs. All selected participants will be responsible for their own expenses.
Prof. Kim L. Scheppele, Princeton University, Research Group Chair
Prof. Arianna Vedaschi, Bocconi University, Research Group Coordinator
The IACL Research Group on Constitutional Responses to Terrorism: Who We Are and Our Activities
“Constitutional Responses to Terrorism” is an established permanent Research Group within the International Association of Constitutional Law (IACL). The Group aims at connecting scholars from all over the globe working in the field of counter-terrorism, human rights and national security, but also those focusing on related topics, in order to create an internationally active and specialized network of experts, joining their knowledge to build fresh and innovative understandings. The main goal of this Research Group is to contribute to academic research on the matter and, at the same time, enhance the awareness of policy makers, concretely drafting counter-terrorism measures, on the need to find a fair, but increasingly challenging, balance between fundamental rights and security. The Group constantly took part in past World Congresses (Seoul 2018; Oslo 2014; Mexico City 2010) and organized other thematic conferences (the latest on “Human Dignity and Human Security in Times of Terrorism”, in collaboration with the T.M.C. Asser Instituut, held in The Hague, Holland, on December 14, 2017).
Copyright © 2019 - IACL-AIDC.
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National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.
Kuras Institute of Political
and Ethnic Studies
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SCIENTIFIC REPORTS ON THE UKRAINIAN EECTIONS AT THE U.S. UNIVERSTIES
On April 23 and 25, 2019, Dr. Mykola Riabchuk, a Senior Fellow of the Institute of Political and Ethnic Studies of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, discussed the results of the Ukrainian presidential election at the Kansas University, Lawrence, USA, and the George Washington University in the U.S. capital. In his presentations he pointed out a recurrent feature of all Ukrainian elections: virtually all of them reanimated a three-decade long discussion about the identity split in the country and its discernible impact on political preferences of the voters. The 2019 presidential election has largely confirmed this pattern but also brought to the fore a different dividing line – that runs across the traditional one and makes the electoral fields of frontrunners quite often overlapping and mixed. This new line separates manifestly the old, presumably corrupt political class and the new, presumably decent leaders. They come, however, not from civil society but from the virtual space of the popular TV shows. So, it remains to be seen whether these new leaders would associate themselves with civil society and push through the much-needed reforms, or they would merely serve as a cover-up for the competing oligarchic clans. In any case, the 2019 election indicates that the identity-related issues loose their appeal as the primary factor of political mobilization, while the issue of the profound catching-up national modernization becomes increasingly important or even decisive.
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HomeFeatured
Review: Manhattan
By FarmerLenny on March 22, 2018 Featured Reviews
Manhattan: land of skyscrapers! But there’s a reason they call it the urban jungle, as conniving architects are constantly scheming to outdo one another, building the biggest and best (and most) skyscrapers in each of the six districts on the board and cutting down (or building over) whoever stands in their path. It might be safer for rival architects in an actual jungle. But you remain at your post because the rewards are great. Cream always rises to the top, and what a top in Manhattan!
Manhattan is a spatial puzzle/hand management/area majority game for two to four players. Players are architechts trying to build the best skyscrapers. The player with the most points wins.
Manhattan set up for four players.
To begin, each player receives an architect board and all the playing pieces of the matching color. Each player receives four cards from the deck, and one player is given the starting player token. The game begins.
The game is played in a number of rounds depending on the number of players. At the start of the round, each player chooses a number of pieces to be played that round and sets their other pieces aside. Play begins with the start player.
On a turn, a player must play a card which shows one of the nine sectors in each of the six districts on the board. (The player’s perspective–where the player is seated around the table–matters here.) The player then places one–and only one–of their buildings on that sector and draws a new card. Whoever has the top piece on a skyscraper owns the entire skyscraper, and the rule for placement is that when you place one of your pieces, you have to have at least as many floors in the skyscraper as the current owner of the building. Players have twenty-four pieces to work with over the course of a game–11 one-story pieces, 6 two-story pieces, 4 three-story pieces, and 3 four-story pieces.
Each player receives an architect board and the pieces of that color. The pieces come in 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4-story buildings.
After all players have played all their pieces for the round, there’s a scoring phase. The player who owns the tallest skyscraper earns 3 points. Next, each district is evaluated, and whoever owns the most skyscrapers in each district scores 2 points. (In both of these categories, there has to be an outright winner or no points are awarded.) Finally, players score 1 point for each skyscraper they own on the board. The first player marker passes, and a new round begins.
The game ends after the prescribed number of rounds (adjusted for player count). The player with the most points wins.
A New York State of Mind
Manhattan is one of those games that I’ve been eager to try for a while because of its designer pedigree (Andreas Seyfarth, designer of Puerto Rico and Thurn & Taxis) and its Spiel des Jahres win (an award that, as I’ve admitted before, I have almost blind devotion to). Unfortunately, it’s been out of print since I jumped into the hobby with both feet eight or so years ago. But if Vasel’s Law has taught us anything, it’s that a good game will always return to print. And so will some turkeys. So which is Manhattan?
Even twenty-four years after its Spiel des Jahres win, Manhattan is still a pretty good game.
Pretty good? I recognize that isn’t the most ringing endorsement and isn’t likely to adorn any sales copy, but that’s how I feel about it. While Manhattan is a design that I admire in many respects, it’s not one that I get overly excited to play or that is destined to become a favorite. That being said, I think there still is an audience for this one.
The state of the board at the end of round 1.
Even after two decades, there are some aspects of Manhattan that I just don’t see too often in games. One is the 3D building-up board that you would expect from a game about skyscrapers, but the main novelty here is that Manhattan is a game where a player’s perspective matters. There are the same number of cards in the deck for each of the nine sectors in a city, but the neat thing here is that where you’re seated around the table makes a difference. My top-right is your bottom-left. While each of the cards is equally represented in the deck, players have to be nimble in adjusting where they can place their buildings. This also makes the central square in each city coveted, as the central square is at the same orientation for all the players, meaning there are fewer opportunities to overtake it (as there’s only one perspective card that will work) but also that there are fewer alternate options when players have a center card to play.
The tallest building early in the game. Will its fame last?
This perspective idea makes the game a bit of a hand-management puzzle, as you need to have the cards on hand for big moves and to protect your gains. In Manhattan buildings are constantly changing ownership, so players want to keep the cards on hand that will allow them to make the big moves when they need to. On the other hand, players are tracking their holdings in six different areas on the board, so they have to ask themselves whether one sector is worth protecting or whether their presence is needed more elsewhere.
Not likely. Here’s the tallest building in the mid-game. The tallest building changes hands often. Players have to consider whether the promise of 3 points is worth the expenditure.
And really, divided attention is the name of the game, even down to the scoring conditions. Owning the tallest building on the board at scoring time is 3 points–nothing to sneeze at–but it often takes a good deal of effort to overtake and hold on to the tallest building. Gaining 2 points for owning the most buildings in a city is great, but as soon as you stake your claim, other players will be at your throat. Sprouting lots of small, grassroots buildings around all the different cities, spreading them evenly, might avoid the ire of your fellow players, but will it be enough to make up for losses in majority scoring? Players are being pulled in several directions by the scoring parameters, by the limited opportunities (represented by cards in their hands), and by their choices of buildings at the start of the round. (All players have the same twenty-four buildings at their disposal, so timing matters.)
The Manhattan board before the last round.
All of this makes Manhattan a more tactical than strategic game, but that’s okay with me. Players have to be opportunistic in what they build and where they build it, and each round involves weighing how to get the most bang for your buck from a single play. It’s satisfying to see the board both sprout new buildings and have previous buildings grow taller, and it’s satisfying, too, to parcel out the board between players, but trying to grab the largest slice for yourself. It’s helpful for me to think of Manhattan almost as a “stocks” game, where players are trying to be the majority shareholder in each sector, and sometimes being majority shareholder means strongarming other players out of their shares to swing the payout in your favor.
The deck is composed of these cards. Each card shows a sector, which will refer to a different space on the board depending on where you’re seated.
This might sound antagonistic, and it’s at this point that I should say, be warned: Manhattan can easily become a hard-feelings factory. Your gains have the potential to be constantly usurped, and while it’s not always a matter of personal vendetta or specific efforts to hamstring, that is small consolation when your buildings provide the foundation for another player’s points. There’s not really a way to play Manhattan “nicely.” So if the players in your group are sensitive to every grievance or just prefer to tend their own gardens, look elsewhere for your entertainment.
The final sprawl for Manhattan.
The parceling of the board in Manhattan also requires constant vigilance and policing for it to work properly. All area majority games are, in some ways, “bash the leader” games, but Manhattan is especially so because you don’t just outnumber your opponent; you can cover your opponent’s work, swinging a district by two in a single move. Because of this, players have to be careful who they’re covering up and who they’re competing with. In one game, I looked at the board and realized, “This is where I battle Matt, and this is where I battle Timothy, and this is where I battle David.” I was competing against each other player in at least one of the cities on the board. Obviously, players are in some respects at the mercy of the cards they draw, but if players take the short view of their own individualistic projects, they can miss the runaway leader in their midst, and it’s easy for unobservant players to become unwitting kingmakers. Manhattan works well with players of similar skill, but it can be frustrating if players aren’t paying attention. The game also seems best balanced with exactly four players: for one thing, all of the perspectives are represented, making each card (aside from the center one) equally valid in play. You can also avoid some of the inherent kingmaking of a three-player game.
The insert has a place for everything and everything in its place.
I’ve not seen the original Manhattan in person, but the components of this new edition are nice. The first thing you notice is the vibrant colors–on the board, on the cards, on the translucent pieces. Honestly, when I opened the box, it was a little overwhelming. (This, mind you, is coming from someone who wears mostly dark colors from a limited palette that my wife would describe as “boring.”) The game looks almost tropical, despite bearing the misleading title of “Manhattan.” But it’s easy to get over this. Once the game is set up and you’re playing, the game looks nice, the colors are not as garish as they first appear, and it’s easy to tell one player’s pieces from the next. Each building piece has windows on it corresponding to the number of floors, and the pieces are well made. Again, Manhattan is a very satisfying game to look at because you’re building up as you play, and the pieces achieve this effect marvelously (although if you get too high up, the pieces can become imbalanced–but you have to be playing suboptimally, as I found, for this to be a danger). The illustrations are nice. Overall this is a well-made production of a game that clearly is a labor of love.
A handy scoring table right on the board.
So the question is, does Manhattan still stack up well in 2018 versus 1994? I think so, as long as you know what you’re getting: a very low-barrier tactical game of tit for tat that looks great on the table and is satisfying if you have a thick skin. That’s a mouthful, and it might not fit the niche people are looking for these days–many if not most family games are not nearly as mean as Manhattan in 2018, and players who are interested in a mean, tactical game might want a little more meat on the bone. But despite its datedness in this respect, Manhattan, as I’ve said, does still have a fresh core that I’ve not seen many other games build on or exploit. The 3D upward building is still arresting to look at, and the hand-management perspective puzzle remains novel. For me, Manhattan is a game that is interesting if not exactly compelling. It’s more combative than I prefer, requires all players to be of similar skill and vigilance, and almost requires four players to shine. But if that’s the niche you’re looking to fill, Manhattan is still a great choice.
iSlaytheDragon would like to thank FoxMind for providing us with a copy of Manhattan for review.
User Ratings (0 Votes) 0
Your Rating: 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Still many novel ideas even nearly 25 years after release
The rules to the game are dead simple and easily grasped
It's satisfying to watch the board grow upward as the game goes on
Colorful artwork and buildings attract the eye
Manhattan is very tactical, offering little in the way of long-term planning
No way to play Manhattan nicely
Manhattan seems perfectly balanced for four players of equal skill; other configurations might be problematic
7.0 Lonely at the Top
Tags: 3DAndreas SeyfarthFoxMindManhattanperspectiveskyscrapersspatialSpiel des Jahrestactical
FarmerLenny
I'll try anything once, but my favorite games are generally middleweight Euros.
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Accessible to a wide range of ages and experience levels
45-60m (box says 45m)
2 to 4 (best with 4)
Andreas Seyfarth
English/French Edition
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Russell, Ks Wheelchair Van Sales & Service
Local Cities
Find Jay Hatfield Mobility only 123 miles from Russell, Ks. Your local wheelchair van dealer and handicap van rental location is: Jay Hatfield Mobility.
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Russell is the most populous city in and county seat of Russell County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 4,506. In 1865, the Butterfield Overland Dispatch established a short-lived station named Fossil Creek Station along its route from Atchison, Kansas to Denver near the site of modern Russell. In 1867, the Kansas Pacific Railway reached the area and built its own station, also named Fossil Creek, later just Fossil, north of the Butterfield station. That same year, the Kansas Legislature established the surrounding area as Russell County. In 1871, colonists from Ripon, Wisconsin established a permanent settlement at Fossil Station, renaming it Russell after the county. Russell was incorporated and named the provisional county seat in 1872, and, after a two-year dispute with neighboring Bunker Hill, it became the permanent county seat in 1874. In 1876, Volga Germans, mostly from the area around Saratov and Samara in Russia, began settling in and around Russell. The first discovery oil well in Russell County was drilled west of Russell in 1923. An oil boom ensued and lasted through the 1930s, attracting settlers from Oklahoma and Texas. Petroleum production became a staple of the local economy.
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Supt David O' Connor refuses to respond
(November 01, 2007)
This website has today been informed by Chief Supt Laurie Stewart of Northern Constabulary that the ball, "is back in David O' Connor's court to respond to enquires".
David O'Connor has been requested numerous times to give an account of his conduct whilst he was Area Commander at Dingwall. This website has received overwhelming evidence that O'Connor had failed to be truthful when responding to a victim who had complained about blackmail. He had insisted that Inspector Angus a.k.a. Gus MacPherson, who the Northern Constabulary claim is absent on sick leave had investigated the complaint and had given all the details of the enquiry to the victim.
This was found to be untruthful.
O'Connor is fully supported in his actions by Chief Superintendent Laurie Stewart, his Chief Constable Ian Latimer and the D.C.C. Adam Gary Sutherland. The Northern Constabulary have been invited by Robert MacDonald, Solicitor Advocate of Stronachs to make themselves available for a meeting. However, a period of over 40 months has elapsed and they have continued to be evasive and wholly untruthful in this matter.
Mr O'Connor's secretary today confirmed to this website that she had passed on all messages and that Mr O' Connor had recieved all the emails but she felt that as always, he was simply to ignore any matter upon which he was challenged.
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Producing and showcasing live music in Rockaway Beach
Apr 04, 2019 | 2880 views | 0 | 157 | |
Felix Cavaliere of The Rascals
Live music in the city outside of Manhattan has been concentrated primarily in Brooklyn for many years. Quietly a new nexus has been growing in Queens, out in Rockaway Beach.
The summer hot spot, which has been attracting increasing attention, particularly since recovering from Superstorm Sandy, has long been home to a thriving local music scene of cover bands playing the local bars and boardwalk establishments, concentrated mostly during the summer months.
Since Sandy, there has been an influx of newer musicians, with many creating original music. Among the many artists who have recently made Rockaway a permanent or part-time base have been Patti Smith, MGMT, Lewis Del Mar and Blac Rabbit.
What has been missing is a venue to present national touring acts. There are a plethora of venues ringing the New York suburbs, often in restored theaters such as Bergen PAC, Tarrytown Music Hall, Capitol Theater in Port Chester and Landmark on Main Street in Port Washington, in addition to Manhattan stalwarts City Winery and the Beacon Theater.
However, no venue in Queens or southern Brooklyn presents live music similar to those venues. For music lovers in the Rockaways, a trip of an hour or more each way is required to enjoy a show by someone other than their local heroes.
Bugalou Productions has now begun to answer that need. Bugalou is the product of Keith Goldberg, a singer in local band The Grayriders, and a coordinator for the CYO of the Diocese of Brooklyn.
Without a proper permanent venue, Goldberg rents out gyms and auditoriums at local churches St. Camillus and St. Francis de Sales, to present one show a month, outside of summer, pairing a national act with one of Rockaway’s many local bands.
The series began in October 2017 with Max Weinberg of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, and presents a mix of classic rock acts, roots music, and high quality tribute bands.
Other performers have included John Sebastian of The Lovin’ Spoonful, Joan Osborne and Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams, as well as a recent performance by internet sensations Blac Rabbit, which marked the first show to be headlined by a local act. Upcoming shows include Damn The Torpedoes, the premier tribute to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, on April 6, and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Felix Cavaliere’s Rascals on May 11.
NYC Ferry and Q52-53 Select Bus Service increases accessibility for those outside of Rockaway to make the trek, and the series is already attracting patrons from surrounding communities including Marine Park, Howard Beach, and Long Beach, as well as further afield.
Tickets and information are available at www.bugaloumusic.com for this welcome addition to live music in NY.
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Stringer aims to make child care more affordable
by Salvatore Isola Queens Ledger
Jun 11, 2019 | 731 views | 0 | 346 | |
More than half of all New York families with children under six have both parents working. As a result, child care is a necessity for many parents in New York, and it comes at a large cost.
In New York City, child care costs over $21,000 per year, three times the cost of CUNY tuition for in-state students.
For single parents working full-time at minimum wage, child care would consume two-thirds of their monthly budget, leaving only $850 for rent and food.
The city implemented universal pre-kindergarten for four year olds and is working on similar programs for three year olds, but there currently is no plan for children under three.
Not only is affording child care a problem, so is finding an open space in daycare. Half of all neighborhoods in the city are considered infant care deserts, meaning there are only enough daycare slots for 20 percent of those who need it.
Among the neighborhoods that suffer from the least capacity are Sunnyside and Woodside in Queens and Bushwick in Brooklyn, with ten times as many infants as available spaces.
To address the issue, Comptroller Scott Stringer is promoting his NYC Under 3 plan. On June 5, he met with members of the Day Care Council of New York at the Catholic Charities of Brooklyn and Queens near Borough Hall in Brooklyn.
“We want to give every parent a shot to make it here, and the best way is to make sure parents aren’t choosing between taking care of their child or their toddler or leaving the workforce,” said Stringer. “We want people to stay in the workforce, build their family economically, and also make sure children get the services that they need.”
In total, the plan is estimated to cost $660 million, funded by a payroll tax on businesses making over $2.5 million annually, which Stringer says exempts 95 percent of companies throughout the five boroughs.
"NYC Under 3 would allocate funding and grants for child care start-ups and expansions by dedicating $500 million over five years to increase capacity and add seats,” said Stringer. “We haven’t built a large enough child care infrastructure.”
If passed, the plan estimates a 10 percent increase in maternal employment, who would collectively contribute $540 million to the New York economy.
“Long term, I think they’re trying to push us into taking more infants, which is an infrastructure problem that is really very expensive,” said Joan-Ann Bostic, Chair of Lucille Rose Day Care Center in Rockaway
Michael Morgan, vice president of Clifford Glover Day Care Center, was concerned about support for special needs children.
“Right now, we take care of a lot of kids with disabilities, but we still are paid the same flat rate as a regular child, but that costs more,” he said. “But we still try to deal with it because we don’t want to separate any kids.”
Bostic and Morgan agreed that Stringer’s plan is well-intentioned.
“It sounds good,” Bostic said. “We’ll have to see how it’s implemented.”
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CDP scheme slammed
Aboriginal leader and Labor senator Pat Dodson says the Community Development Programme (CDP) work-for-the-dole scheme is a “national shame”.
Senator Dodson said the CDP has actually driven up poverty and crime in some remote Indigenous communities.
“People are going hungry because they can't access the bureaucracy that goes with the Centrelink system,” he said.
“[That is] leading to kids young people breaking and entering, getting into trouble with the law, because they're hungry, because their parents or people aren't accessing the system.
“It's a national shame in my view.”
The CDP covers about 33,000 jobless people, forcing them to work 25 hours a week to receive payments, several times longer than jobseekers in metro areas.
“There's got to be far greater participation by the local community in the delivery of these things, in the strategies to identify the jobs and the work that are capable of being done,” Senator Dodson said.
“But if they're operating from afar, this is a recipe for disaster, and it's proving to be so; those fines are an indication of that.
“This needs serious and radical reform.”
The West Australian senator recently spoke about CDP with communities in Kalgoorlie and surrounding areas.
The programme punishes participants for failing to turn up to work, charging penalties of between $48 and $57 from people who receive unemployment benefits of typically less than $290 a week.
Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion has issued statement saying the criticism “was not borne out by the facts”.
“Contrary to what Labor and the Greens are saying, the CDP is successfully delivering long-term employment outcomes and the impact of penalties on jobseekers has been minimal,” he said.
“The CDP has had a transformational impact on many thousands of remote jobseekers.”
Of about 33,000 people in the CDP, less than 3,500 have found full-time or part-time work lasting six months or more, according to Senate committee evidence.
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Environment Agency 'extremely short-sighted' over Ely mooring sales
September 2017 - Once again the Inland Waterways Association is berating the Environment Agency in the East of England, this time over the sale of assets as Peter Underwood reports.
The organisation wrote to Sir James Bevan, Chief Executive of EA, to ask him to withdraw the sale of three lengths of moorings in Ely ahead of the advertised closing date for sealed bids of 8th September. A plea that seems to have been ignored.
The plots amount to over 300 metres of river frontage in total and the IWA says that: “...disposing of this land is extremely short-sighted, given that the businesses and moorings at this location bring in an income to EA as the navigation authority.”
It also says it is: “... extremely concerned at the impact the sale will have on the three waterway-related businesses based on the site: Bridge Boatyard, which has been operating for over 40 years and which is now the only holiday boat hire company on the River Great Ouse, hotel barge Water Nimf and The Boat Yard boat restoration business.”
The association estimates that Bridge Boatyard brings between 2,000 and 2,500 people on to the river each year on their hire boats, and says the loss of the business would: “... have a serious effect on the tourism and leisure use of the river and consequently on the economy of Ely and other towns and villages along the river through loss of visitor spend.”
The IWA understands that the land is being sold as it is considered “surplus to operational requirements” but says that the moorings at the site are essential for income and the future sustainability of the river, and that the land should therefore be retained in EA ownership.
IWA National Chairman, Les Etheridge, said: “IWA considers that EA has a statutory duty, through the Anglian Water Authority Act 1977, to support recreational use of the River Great Ouse, not to hinder it.
“Whether the Environment Agency continues to be the navigation authority or whether these waterways are transferred to CRT, we think that ongoing income is essential in preventing further asset deterioration and waterway closures, and in optimising the leisure, tourism, health, well-being and economic benefits of these waterways.”
As well as asking for the sale of these three moorings to be withdrawn, the IWA has also asked Sir James for details of any other land, property or assets being considered for disposal elsewhere on the River Great Ouse, or on any other navigation run by the Environment Agency.
It says: “Where these are providing an income to EA or being used for moorings, IWA considers that they should be retained for long term benefit.”
In addition to writing to the EA, IWA has also written to local MPs and district and county council leaders, many of whom have also stated their concern at the implications of the sale.
IWA members and supporters have also written to their MPs objecting to the proposed sale and local waterway organisations such as the East Anglian Waterways Association are also campaigning about this issue.
The IWA says it has not yet heard the outcome of a meeting that was understood to take place last week between Lucy Frazer MP, the leaders of East Cambridgeshire District Council and EA to discuss the issue, and has to date received no reassurances from the Environment Agency.
Photo: Bridge Boatyard in Ely, under threat by proposed EA sell off. (picture courtesy of IWA).
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Clare M. Lopez
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Players Begin Savage Moves for Post-Assad Power Grab
by Clare M. Lopez
Radicalislam.org
http://lopez.pundicity.com/13118/post-assad-power-grab
"Intelligence Preparation of the Environment (IPE)" is a military term for analyzing the operational environment, including the adversary and his potential courses of action. The corollary to the IPE process is taking action to help shape that environment in ways advantageous for one's own side and detrimental for the enemy. Such action may be military, but also includes intelligence and psychological operations.
This is what's going on in Syria right now. Bashar al-Assad's regime is going to fall and the only question left is, "How soon?" The forces that will savage one another to succeed him in power in Damascus are beginning to make moves that are calculated to improve their position in the immediate post-Assad period.
Key players are being either removed from the chess board or strategically placed on it. For example, on March 19, 2013, the Turkey-based Syrian National Council (SNC) elected Ghassan Hitto, a senior member of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood, as head of an interim opposition government for Syria. Hitto was profiled in an extensive report by the Global Muslim Brotherhood Daily Report (GMBDR) later the same day.
The GMBDR notes that Hitto is a founding member of the Muslim Legal Fund of America and has served as Vice-President of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) Dallas-Ft. Worth chapter and Secretary-Treasurer of the American Middle Eastern League for Palestine (AMELP), another name under which the Islamic Association of Palestine (IAP) operated in the U.S.
CAIR and the IAP have been identified by the U.S. Department of Justice (in the Holy Land Foundation Hamas terror funding trial) and the FBI as part of the Hamas infrastructure in the U.S.
Further, the SNC leadership also includes another senior member of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood network who would now be one of Hitto's colleagues, Louay Safi, who (when not acting as an advisor and lecturer for the Pentagon) served as Executive Director of the Leadership Center for the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), acknowledged by the Muslim Brotherhood itself as one of its "organizations," as well as Research Director for the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT), another Muslim Brotherhood front group.
The response from the Syrian Free Army (SFA) to Hitto's election was not long in coming. They rejected it, asserting that they do not recognize the Qatar-backed Muslim Brother as the legitimate choice of the anti-Assad coalition.
Shortly thereafter, on March 24, 2013, Moaz Khatib, likewise closely affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood (he was the former Imam of the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus), but more closely backed by the SFA, announced his resignation (now apparently since then rescinded as Khatib took the Syrian seat at the Arab League meeting on March 27, 2013).
Khatib, an early opponent of the Bashar al-Assad regime, had been selected in November 2012 to head the Western and Gulf-backed National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces. Thus, Khatib remains in the fight despite what is described as interference from Saudi Arabia and complaints that unnamed Western nations have been channeling weapons to parties that support their own interests.
In between the Hitto election and the Khatib resignation, a massive explosion inside a Damascus mosque on March 21 killed at least 42 people, including one of the most important remaining Sunni clerical figures still supporting the Assad regime. The suicide bomber who killed Sheikh Mohammad Said Ramada al-Bouti, age 84, removed an influential figure in Sunni Islam and one whose support had been critical to providing religious legitimacy to Assad.
As if the mosque bombing and these moves at the top of the Syrian Opposition Coalition were not confusing enough, somebody tried to assassinate Col. Riad al-Assad, one of the top leaders of the Syrian Free Army, on March 24.
Col. Al-Assad has been described as opposed to the al-Qa'eda (Jabhat al-Nusra) and Muslim Brotherhood militias, which, despite forming a dominant part of the opposition fighting forces, openly tout their plans for a post-Assad Syria that involve establishment of an Islamic sharia-compliant regime.
The grenade attack on al-Assad's car did not succeed in killing him, but he had to have one leg amputated after being evacuated to a Turkish hospital for treatment. A flurry of false reports that made the rounds on the internet on March 24 and claimed that Syrian president Bashar al-Assad had been assassinated likely was a well-executed information operation, designed to cover Col. Al-Assad's successful evacuation.
The net effect of these events is to position the Qatar-Turkey-and-U.S.-backed Muslim Brotherhood forces firmly in line to control the post-Assad period. The effective removal from the chess board of Sheikh al-Bouti and Col. Al-Assad in particular, and the election of Hitto as the SNC's interim president, all point to IPE moves that marginalize (or remove) any who would stand in the way of a Muslim Brotherhood takeover.
While it is not known at this point who is responsible for the assassination attempt against Col. Al-Assad, a cui bono analysis points to an outcome that aligns most closely with the one preferred by the Qatar-Turkey-U.S. alliance.
This is deeply troubling on a number of counts: First, that the U.S. is not taking the lead to selectively support those elements of the SFA that do not seek another Muslim Brotherhood-dominated Islamic regime in the Middle East; and second, that the U.S. is actively supporting elements of the Syrian opposition that have made no secret of their intent to install another sharia-compliant Islamic regime in Damascus once Assad is gone.
Syria is poised for the next stage in its seemingly endless civil war, which is, in fact, an intra-Islamic struggle for power between the forces of Shi'a and Sunni Islam. While the anti-Assad opposition more or less hung together during the two-year fight to oust him, those factions are now beginning to make the chess board moves that will define the post-Assad scramble for succession power among themselves. If these early moves are any indication, that scramble promises to be savage.
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Star ocean: second evolution
Star ocean: second evolution. Star Ocean: The Second Story 2019-02-19
Tuesday, February 19, 2019 1:07:10 AM Terrence
Star Ocean: Second Evolution for PSP
Second Evolution was released for and in Japan during October 2015 and later in December 2015. Almost immediately afterwards, monsters began appearing, and natural disasters occurred with increasing frequency and intensity. . Cheats, game codes, unlockables, hints, easter eggs, glitches, guides, walkthroughs, trophies, achievements and more for Star Ocean: Second Evolution on Playstation 4. Archived from on December 30, 2008.
Taking place in a universe, the story centers around a young man named Claude Kenny, a cadet from a space-faring Earth organization who is stranded on an undeveloped, -level planet. If you are a fan of the original game or a fan of the Star Ocean series you will enjoy this game. Gameplay The game gives the player the choice of playing as Claude or Rena, with the journey evolving and ending differently depending on the choices one makes. The game features a comprehensive Skill system. In Arlia, it is explained to Claude that a meteorite crashed into Expel. The player goes from town to town and dungeon to dungeon, following the central story and occasionally branching off to perform. Though he explains that he is not the Hero of Light, Claude offers to investigate the Sorcery Globe, in the hopes that it might help lead him home.
Star Ocean: Second Evolution (USA) PSP ISO High Compresed
The choice has an impact upon the game's plot and story, though the vast majority of content is identical in both lines. As he approaches, the machine activates, teleporting him to Expel. Star Ocean: Second Evolution was the 90th best-selling game in Japan in 2008, selling 143,434 copies. Narl furthermore announces that Energy Nede has the ability to restore Expel by using powerful Heraldry to turn back time, but this is only possible if the Ten Wise Men are defeated. The game tells the stories of Claude C. Some skills raise a character's statistics; some unlock Specialty abilities; and some provide bonuses in battle such as the ability to counter-attack. Claude and Rena agree to help in the resistance, and embark on various voyages to strengthen themselves, obtain information and learn about the enemy.
Star Ocean: Second Evolution for PSP Reviews
The most trustworthy items get the most 'thumbs up' and appear first in their respective section. The series was serialized in , premiering June 22, 1999 and running until December 21, 2001 when it ended without reaching the conclusion of the story. Square Enix has no plans to release it outside of Japan. Archived from on May 24, 2013. They are met by Mayor Narl who explains who the Ten Wise Men are, why they were exiled, and that, now that they are back, they hope to destroy the entire universe using advanced Heraldry magic. Archived from on May 25, 2011.
It features newly animated cutscenes by , a re-recorded soundtrack, and additional story elements. There are ten other playable characters in the game, though the player can only recruit six of them to fill out their eight-member party, and some recruitment choices will make other characters no longer available. Based on the of the same name, it follows the exploits of Claude C. Kenny, a young ensign in the Earth Federation who finds himself stranded on the Planet Expel. Characters gain Experience Points from battle and level up as a result, becoming gradually stronger as time passes and more battles are fought. Archived from on September 12, 2008. Specialties allow the characters to create a wide variety of items, and include , Cooking, Writing, and , and.
D 2452 , twenty years after the original game,. Archived from on February 24, 2009. Yoshinori Yamagishi, producer of the series, stated that he wants the remakes to feel as though they are completely new games. Battles take place on a broad battlefield, over which the player's character can move without limit, allowing them to trade blows face-to-face with the enemy or circle around for a flanking attack. There are 86 possible endings or 87, depending on how one wants to count them.
G, a re-recorded soundtrack, and additional story elements. Archived from on June 30, 2015. Square Enix currently has no plans to release it outside of Japan. It features newly animated cutscenes by Production I. The game was the basis of and adaptations. However, it did not sell enough copies in North America to be rereleased in the range.
STAR OCEAN: Second Evolution Game
If not the battle system enough should be enough to make anyone enjoy this game. Kenny, son of Ronyx J. The player goes from town to town and dungeon to dungeon, following the central story and occasionally branching off to perform side quests. It like the original game is filled with a great story and great This remake of Tri-Ace's Star Ocean the Second Story is very well done. Second Evolution was later ported by Gemdrops and producer Yoshinori Yamagishi to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita in Japan during October 2015 followed by PlayStation 3 in December 2015. It was the 13th best-selling game of 1998 in Japan.
Star Ocean: Second Evolution Cheats & Codes for Playstation 4 (PS4)
Archived from on June 4, 2000. The player's main character either Claude or Rena can then interact with their allies, often with the option of making one of those allies like another character more or less. Also this game is an improvement on the original title with the addition of playable characters and the addition of cutscenes. After engaging the Ten Wise Men in battle, they are defeated. It was released in Japan on April 2, 2008, in North America on January 19, 2009, in Australia on February 12, 2009 and in Europe on February 13, 2009. Rena assists him as his native guide and hopes to find knowledge about her origin, being an orphan. Like in the original story there are many optional characters to choose from and this makes the game fun to play over again.
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A champion among the most enticing gatherings in shake history is setting off to Turner’s TNT this September, when Dave Matthews Band tour tickets for an exceptional 25th remembrance appear. Recorded as of late in the band’s fundamental home of Charlottesville, Va., bits of the execution will be displayed as a noteworthy part of Neighborhood Sessions, a constant course of action of music specials made by State Farm. The outstanding, conveyed by Live Nation and facilitated by Danny Clinch, will incorporate serious stories from the adjacent gathering profiling a part of the all inclusive community who continue affecting the band people’s lives and music.
Neighborhood Sessions including Dave Matthews Band indicate the third remarkable in the Neighborhood Sessions course of action, which gives the best names in music a chance to thank the neighbors who made them their personality today, and who continue helping life go suitable for people from their gatherings every day. The remarkable is slated to make a big appearance on TNT Sunday, Sept. 11, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT), taking after the season finale of the epic demonstrate The Last Ship.
The show at the point of convergence of the Neighborhood Sessions one of a kind components both new and hit Dave Matthews Band tunes and serves as the warm-up to their 25th celebration visit. All through the unprecedented, band people take viewers to better places in Charlottesville that influenced their lives. They furthermore introduce a segment of the neighbors who do their part to help other individuals and pass on useful change to the gathering, exhibiting that Good Neighbors Help Life Go Right™.
Encircled in Charlottesville in 1991, Dave Matthews Band accumulated clusters of early thought and a stalwart unfaltering fan base pulled in to the band’s overwhelming and unmistakable sound. This accomplishment threw the band into a champion among the best going to exhibitions of the past two decades. The band got its start when vocalist/guitarist Dave Matthews put a couple of songs he had formed on tape and searched for the assistance of drummer Carter Beauford and saxophonist LeRoi Moore, who were both satisfied jazz specialists in the adjacent music scene. They were soon joined by16-year-old bassist Stefan Lessard and violinist Boyd Tinsley.
Dave Matthews Band has since released eight studio accumulations and different live recordings, offering a total 38 million CDs and DVDs since the 1994 entry of its noteworthy stamp show up, Under the Table and Dreaming. The Grammy®-winning band’s many hits fuse “What Would You Say,” “Crash into Me,” “Too much,” “Consistent,” “American Baby,” “Engaging The Way It Is” and “Graciousness.” In 2009, the band released Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King, which paid tribute to setting up part LeRoi Moore, who passed away in August 2008. Dave Matthews Band has since welcomed long haul partners/going by entertainers Jeff Coffin (saxophone), Rashawn Ross (horns) and Tim Reynolds (guitar) to the band. With 2012’s Away From The World bowing at #1 on the Billboard 200, Dave Matthews Band transformed into the primary amass in chart history to have six persistent studio accumulations show up best the diagram. Famous for its live presentations, Dave Matthews Band has sold more than 19 million tickets since its introduction and has situated as the best ticket merchant worldwide of the earlier decade.
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__label__cc
| 0.724103
| 0.275897
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Collection:LSA
Place Covered: New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana, Louisiana General
Copyright Holder: Louisiana State Archives
Date Issued: 1996-06-9
Subjects: United States Ambassadors | United States Representatives | Boggs, Lindy, 1916-2013 | Boggs, Hale, 1914-1972 | Oral history
Boggs, Lindy Interviewee
Honeycutt, Leo Interviewer
Jackson, Sailor Jr. Photographer
Oral history with Marie Corinne Morrison Claiborne "Lindy" Boggs (13 March 1916 – 27 July 2013) conducted on 9 June 1996. Miss Boggs was a member of the United State Congress and a United States Ambassador to the Holy See. She was the widow of Hale Boggs, former Majority Leader of the United States House of Representatives.
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__label__wiki
| 0.936631
| 0.936631
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Notre Dame Heavily Damaged by Fire, but Building Appears to Have Been Saved
PARIS – The iconic Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, the culmination of Gothic architecture, suffered on Monday a devastating fire that destroyed part of its structure and threw France into turmoil.
Some 500 firefighters managed to prevent the entire 850-year-old cathedral from being reduced to ashes using water cannons that halted the spread of the fire, although not before two-thirds of the building’s roof and its celebrated spire had been destroyed.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who – along with other top government officials – went to the scene to monitor the work of firefighters and promised to rebuild the portion of the cathedral that was damaged or destroyed.
The fire, which erupted for as yet unknown reasons about 7 pm, also damaged a large portion of the interior works of art, although not the relics that adorn the church, including Christ’s crown of thorns.
When the first flames were detected, the cathedral’s bells were sounded, a clamor that has been much linked to both joyful and sad events in French history.
Given that the cathedral stands on an island in the middle of the River Seine, which runs through the heart of Paris, firefighters had difficulty accessing the site and then working there.
Although initially authorities feared that they might not be able to save the building, junior Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez sent out a message of hope late on Monday night saying that, although it was best to remain cautious, everything was pointing to the fact that the cathedral’s structure could be saved.
A huge portion of the French public was glued to the television sets on Monday evening during the course of the fire, and Macron tweeted that “I’m sad to see how a part of all of us is burning.”
“We will rebuild it,” said the president, on the verge of tears, from the cathedral’s esplanade, where he issued a call for donations to pay for the reconstruction work that will be needed to restore Notre Dame to its former splendor.
Msgr. Chauvet, the rector of the church, said that the cathedral’s main relics had been preserved.
Earlier Monday night, Paris firefighters battling the blaze said that they were not sure they can stop the flames from spreading across the roof, adding that if the fire reached the towers the consequences could be predicted.
Deputy Interior Minister Nuñez, who was at the scene of the blaze, said at the time that saving the cathedral “is not guaranteed.”
A spokesman for the firefighters, Jean-Claude Gallet, said that the priority during much of their work was to prevent the collapse of the north bell tower, which – if it were to topple – could have taken a good part of the overall structure with it.
The fire was reported shortly before 7 pm, after the monument closed to the public for the day.
Macron, accompanied by Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, went to the area near the cathedral to follow the work of the firefighters firsthand.
Other members of Macron’s government, including Defense Minister Florence Parly, Culture Minister Franck Riester and the Interior secretary of state also went to the scene and are supervising operations there.
Before he went to the cathedral, Macron had decided to postpone an important speech he had been scheduled to deliver on television at 8 pm and in which he had been expected to announce measures to try and end the so-called “yellow vest” crisis that broke out five months ago.
Images on social media show thick plumes of smoke billowing out of the top of the Gothic church, which is one of the most popular sites in the French capital.
Flames could be seen billowing around the central spire, which was surrounded by scaffolding, and spreading along the roof.
It is believed the blaze may have been linked to renovation works being carried out on the 850-year-old cathedral, which is visited by thousands of people every day and some 13 million people every year.
Police cordoned off the surrounding area and evacuated tourists from inside the church.
Kaissia Rouan, who was in the park beside the monument, told EFE that “when the firefighters arrived there were already a lot of flames coming from the roof.”
“We have seen a lot of smoke, we thought it was because of the works they are doing, there were more and more, we went to the front and we were evicted to avoid being affected by the smoke, we saw the flames leave the cathedral. Very sad,” the tourist said.
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