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Posted on November 19, 2021 November 18, 2021 by Reji Koduvath Canada, Indian Army
On November 16, 2021, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Purvanchal Expressway in Uttar Pradesh after landing on the highway airstrip in an Indian Air Force (IAF) C-130 Hercules plane. Kudos to the IAF for executing such a mission. The 3.2 km long airstrip has been constructed on the expressway to facilitate emergency landing by fighter aircraft. IAF carried out a few trial landings on the strip prior to the mission with the Prime Minister on board. The questions that came to my mind were:-
Is it safe to execute such missions with the Prime Minister on board?
What was the intended aim from the military/ strategic point of view?
Who can answer my queries the best other than Veteran Wing Commander Avinash Chikte of the IAF, our senior at the National Defence Academy (NDA) – E Squadron? He is former fighter pilot and now a commercial airline pilot. He is the author of two books and many blog posts. He answered my questions. Please read his blog about the incident @ https://www.indiatimes.com/explainers/news/purvanchal-expressway-why-some-highways-are-built-like-runways-554391.html
Why did these questions erupt in my mind?
While in our Grade 11 at school, on November 4, 1977, a VIP flight on the Tupolev-124, the Russian-made aircraft which was christened as Pushpaka by the IAF, crash landed at Jorhat in Eastern India with the then Prime Minister Morarji Desai on board. The Prime Minister was accompanied by his son Sri Kanti Bhai Desai, the director of Intelligence Bureau Sri John Lobo and the Chief Minister of Arunachal Sri PK Thungan.
The aircraft was carrying 11 crew and nine passengers. Five of the crew in the front portion were killed while some of the passengers and other crew were injured. The Prime Minister was unscathed. The plane went down nose first – a deliberate act by the crew in the cockpit in the front part of the aircraft – to ensure they took the main impact of the crash, saving the VIP passengers.
Mr Desai is accredited as the first non-Congress Party Prime Minister of India, but he was the brunt of many teenage jokes at our school. The jokes revolved around his bizarre drinking habit and being born on the Leap Day – February 29, 1896. Babies born on the Leap Day are referred to as Leaplings, Leapers, or Leapsters. The Leap Year must be evenly divisible by 4. If the year can be evenly divided by 100, it is not a leap year unless the year is also divisible by 400.- Year 2000 is a leap years, but 1900 and 2100 are not.
The list of Indian senior politicians who survived such crash landings may interest the readers.
Babu Jagjivan Ram was seriously injured in a BOAC airline crash in Iran shortly before Independence. Babu was lucky to survive the accident in which several people were killed, but was unlucky that he was the only cabinet minister who was unable to attend the Independence celebrations on August 15, 1947.
Sardar Patel too had a miraculous escape. The aircraft carrying him to Jaipur to to attend the inauguration of the new state of Rajasthan, force-landed near Shahpura about 65 km north of Jaipur on March 29, 1949. Although the aircraft was completely damaged, the skill of the IAF pilot ensured that no one was injured.
Other prominent Indian politicians who did not survive an aviation accident are Mohan Kumaramangalam and Madhavrao Scindia. Many Chief Ministers of various Indian states had miraculous escapes – mostly helicopter accidents – with former Maharashtra Chief Minister Fadnavis surviving five of them.
Recent Canadian Incident
A small plane on a training mission was forced to make an emergency landing on a Canadian highway in Toronto on October 27, 2021at 11 AM. The instructor-pilot declared May Day after running into mechanical issues and realising that he would not make it back to the airport. The pilot with his trainee managed to land the plane safely on the highway.
Canadian highways have two aprons on either side. The one on the right is marked with a continuous white line and can be used to stop the vehicles in an emergency. The one on the left is marked with a continuous yellow line and is meant for the emergency services vehicles like police cruisers, ambulance and fire-trucks. This lane was used by the aircraft to make the emergency landing.
By 2 PM, the plane took a ride on a flatbed truck to clear the highway, ending one of the rare Canadian highway incident in recent history
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3 thoughts on “Aircraft on a Highway”
Story goes our Cmde. Thayi Hari piloting a Sea Hawk landed on River Palar near Ranipet.
Can anyone expand it,
Ajit Seshadri , November 19, 2021 at 10:12 PM
Excellent inputs.
dagger19 , November 20, 2021 at 12:25 AM
I am not even going to say, ‘Beg to differ’.
A beginning made, yes. But what’s beyond that???
If a situation arises when airbases become non-functional, better think of heading for the caves.
The specialists and analysts can fill reams of paper about emergency use of roadways by an air force.
The operational airfields have been opened to civilian operations to save the money needed for developing civilian infrastructure elsewhere.
So, the Air Force can head for the roads.
Pre Poll necessity perhaps.
Dvs K , November 20, 2021 at 9:53 PM
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Watch Apple Watch 3.0 review: The best features for those who love simplicity and ease of use
Apple Watch 2.0 was not without its flaws, but Apple Watch Series 3, released in July 2016, is an even better experience than its predecessor.
The new watch has a more elegant design with a more contemporary feel, and a number of features, such as voice dictation, GPS, a fitness tracking app and an updated Apple Watch app are all here.
The main problem is the lack of support for the new Apple Watch bands, which means that Apple Watch users will have to wait until 2019 before they can update to the new bands.
WatchOS 3.1 is also arriving in the fall, but if you want to upgrade to the next generation of Apple Watch, it’s going to be a long wait.
For that reason, we’ve put together a guide to the most important features you should know about the new watch from the perspective of an Apple Watch user.
Watch Face When you pick up the new Watch, you’ll be presented with a small Apple Watch Face with the Apple logo and the time and date.
If you pick it up with a band, the Apple Watch will display the time, date and a countdown timer.
The watch face is very simple, with only the Apple name and the logo displayed.
When you tap on the Apple watch face, you can add a watch face to the watch face drawer.
The Apple Watch face on the new Series 3 is very clean and minimalistic.
The default watch face for the watch is called “Time” and it displays all the current time in real-time.
There’s no clock app on the watch, but you can turn it off by going to the Settings > Watch app and choosing to hide the clock app.
When it’s off, the clock will be displayed on the side of the watch.
Apple Watch UI The new Watch uses the Material Design language with a dark and elegant look.
The Watch is very minimalistic and clean, and Apple has created a design language that feels like a polished watch.
You can choose between three different watch faces.
The first is the default watchface that you can choose from the watch menu, and you can also set your own watch face.
The second watchface is “Time”, which is a very dark, minimalistic watch face that you will be able to switch between using the wrist or the crown.
The third watchface, “Lockscreen”, is a more polished, colorful, minimalist watch face with a different color palette and a clock icon.
The clock icon on the lock screen shows when you are about to unlock the watch and you will have three options: unlock with a password, unlock without a password or swipe the screen.
When the time is about to expire, you will see a countdown notification.
The notifications show a countdown clock with the current seconds and a short time counter.
You have a few options to customize the notifications, but the best way to customize notifications is to make the default notification app the default.
Apple has also included a “lock screen” option.
When a watch is set to “Lock” or “Neverlock”, a notification will appear on the screen that tells you when a password is required to unlock your watch.
The app has an alarm button that can be used to quickly unlock the AppleWatch with the lock ring.
Apple does not allow third-party apps on the Watch.
Apple also adds a new icon to the home screen to remind you to set a password when you enter the watch to prevent you from accidentally turning it on and setting a password on the wrong watch.
A new notification appears when you unlock the Watch with the password.
It displays a clock with a countdown, and the clock also shows when a time has expired.
The timer shows the current minutes and seconds of the current alarm, and also shows you how many minutes you have left.
You also get a new option for the Watch app: “Time.”
This is the “time” of the next alarm, the first time it has been set for.
It’s also available in two different styles, which are the “new” style and the “old” style.
The “new style” watch face will show the current hour, minute and second of the previous alarm, while the “current style” face will only show the last two minutes.
In addition, you have a new complication for the “New” watch faces that can only be set in “time,” while the previous complication can be set to any time.
You don’t have to enter the time yourself.
You only have to tap the “Show alarm” button on the home button on your watch to set the time.
If your watch has no alarm, Apple will automatically set the alarm for you.
The time shown on the Clock is displayed on a small timer.
You’ll notice a timer bar when you open the app.
This is where the Apple Music app lives, and it shows a clock that shows you when your music library has been downloaded.
The Clock also shows the
How to watch the Apple Watch sales this week
Google’s next smartwatch is Android Wear 2.0 and Google’s new watch could be the Google Watch
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Title XXI PUBLIC SAFETY AND MORALS
< > • Effective - 28 Aug 2017, 2 histories
321.246. Fire protection districts, sales tax authorized for districts within certain counties and cities — ballot contents — trust fund — collection by director of revenue — refunds. — 1. The governing body of any fire protection district which operates within both a county of the first classification with a charter form of government and with a population greater than six hundred thousand but less than nine hundred thousand and a county of the fourth classification with a population greater than thirty thousand but less than thirty-five thousand and that adjoins a county of the first classification with a charter form of government, the governing body of any fire protection district which contains a city of the fourth classification having a population greater than two thousand four hundred when the city is located in a county of the first classification without a charter form of government having a population greater than one hundred fifty thousand and the county contains a portion of a city with a population greater than three hundred fifty thousand, or the governing body of any fire protection district that operates in a county of the third classification with a population greater than fourteen thousand but less than fifteen thousand may impose a sales tax in an amount of up to one-half of one percent on all retail sales made in such fire protection district which are subject to taxation pursuant to the provisions of sections 144.010 to 144.525. The tax authorized by this section shall be in addition to any and all other sales taxes allowed by law, except that no sales tax imposed pursuant to the provisions of this section shall be effective unless the governing body of the fire protection district submits to the voters of the fire protection district, at a county or state general, primary or special election, a proposal to authorize the governing body of the fire protection district to impose a tax.
2. The ballot of submission shall contain, but need not be limited to, the following language:
Shall the fire protection district of ______ (district's name) impose a district-wide sales tax of ______ for the purpose of providing revenues for the operation of the fire protection district?
☐ YES ☐ NO
If a majority of the votes cast on the proposal by the qualified voters voting thereon are in favor of the proposal, then the sales tax authorized in this section shall be in effect. If a majority of the votes cast by the qualified voters voting are opposed to the proposal, then the governing body of the fire protection district shall not impose the sales tax authorized in this section unless and until the governing body of the fire protection district resubmits a proposal to authorize the governing body of the fire protection district to impose the sales tax authorized by this section and such proposal is approved by a majority of the qualified voters voting thereon.
3. All revenue received by a fire protection district from the tax authorized pursuant to the provisions of this section shall be deposited in a special trust fund and shall be used solely for the operation of the fire protection district.
4. All sales taxes collected by the director of revenue pursuant to this section on behalf of any fire protection district, less one percent for cost of collection which shall be deposited in the state's general revenue fund after payment of premiums for surety bonds as provided in section 32.087, shall be deposited in the fire protection district sales tax trust fund established pursuant to section 321.242. The moneys in the fire protection district sales tax trust fund shall not be deemed to be state funds and shall not be commingled with any funds of the state. The director of revenue shall keep accurate records of the amount of money in the trust and which was collected in each fire protection district imposing a sales tax pursuant to this section, and the records shall be open to the inspection of officers of the fire protection district and the public. Not later than the tenth day of each month, the director of revenue shall distribute all moneys deposited in the trust fund during the preceding month to the fire protection district which levied the tax. Such funds shall be deposited with the treasurer of each such fire protection district, and all expenditures of funds arising from the fire protection district sales tax trust fund shall be for the operation of the fire protection district and for no other purpose.
5. The director of revenue may make refunds from the amounts in the trust fund and credited to any fire protection district for erroneous payments and overpayments made and may redeem dishonored checks and drafts deposited to the credit of such fire protection districts. If any fire protection district abolishes the tax, the fire protection district shall notify the director of revenue of the action at least ninety days prior to the effective date of the repeal and the director of revenue may order retention in the trust fund, for a period of one year, of two percent of the amount collected after receipt of such notice to cover possible refunds or overpayment of the tax and to redeem dishonored checks and drafts deposited to the credit of such accounts. After one year has elapsed after the effective date of abolition of the tax in such fire protection district, the director of revenue shall remit the balance in the account to the fire protection district and close the account of that fire protection district. The director of revenue shall notify each fire protection district of each instance of any amount refunded or any check redeemed from receipts due the fire protection district. In the event a tax within a fire protection district is approved under this section, and such fire protection district is dissolved, the tax shall lapse on the date that the fire protection district is dissolved and the proceeds from the last collection of such tax shall be distributed to the governing bodies of the counties formerly containing the fire protection district and the proceeds of the tax shall be used for fire protection services within such counties.
6. Except as modified in this section, all provisions of sections 32.085 and 32.087 shall apply to the tax imposed pursuant to this section.
(L. 1997 S.B. 21, A.L. 2017 S.B. 112)
- All versions
Effective End
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321.246 7/7/1997 8/28/2017
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Home About Me Topics Newsletter Books
An unsuccessful coup
Why the best-laid plans of Soviet plotters often go awry, and what we could – and what we really shouldn’t – learn from Boris Yeltsin
Thirty years ago, in August 1991, Mikhail Gorbachev went on holiday to his dacha in the Crimea for a well-earned break. He was beset with problems and unpopular with the general public, but his position as leader of the Soviet Union was still secure. His perestroika and glasnost reforms had taken hold, he had forged a productive relationship with the US President, George H. W. Bush, and he was in the process of agreeing a new treaty to redefine the relationship between the Soviet Union’s constituent republics – one that he thought might just save that fragile union.
While he was gone, though, hard-liners opposed to his reforms took the opportunity to launch a coup. The plotters put Gorbachev under house arrest, cut his communications with the outside world, and announced a state of emergency. They had control of the military and the KGB; with Gorbachev out of the picture, everything should have fallen into place for them.
And yet the coup flopped, and its failure was mainly down to one man: Boris Yeltsin. Yeltsin was the President of Russia – at that point merely one of fifteen republics within the Soviet Union – and had few formal powers. He didn’t have control of the military or the ability to make laws. But he did have bags of charisma, a useful distance from the regime, a willingness to take borderline-insane risks, and an almost preternatural ability to read the mood of the public, instinctively sense the course of events, and predict which way the wind was about to blow.
Rather than hiding out, or taking on the plotters directly, Yeltsin headed straight into Moscow and occupied the White House, then the home of the Soviet parliament. He called upon the Moscow public to take to the streets, and they responded in huge numbers, building barricades around the White House. When the army were deployed, the public charmed them into submission:
“Muscovites, initially shocked by the appearance of tanks in their city, soon adopted a strategy that proved devastating for the coup: they simply charmed ‘the boys.’ Casual discussions with army veterans, pretty girls, and kindly grandmothers who shared whatever they had with the soldiers made them psychologically unfit for the task of crushing civilian unrest.”1
Wrong-footed by Yeltsin and facing a military who would rather mutiny than fire upon their fellow Russians, the plotters called off the assault on the White House, and the coup fizzled out. Gorbachev returned to Moscow to find the coup in disarray. But rather than returning to his previous role and to the priorities he’d left behind in early August, he found his former rival Boris Yeltsin in the driving seat, controlling the newly outspoken public and seizing power in what amounted to a coup of his own. Gorbachev would never again wield his former power, and his hopes of revitalising the Soviet Union were dashed; by Christmas, it was no more.
Working for IBM in the 1990s, Dave Snowden developed the cynefin framework, a way of making sense of the world and of complex systems within it. (Cynefin is a difficult-to-translate Welsh word meaning “the place of your multiple belongings”. The idea is that we ourselves are quite complex, with many disparate and competing influences that we’re only ever partially aware of, and that acknowledging that helps us make sense of the world.)
Cynefin identifies four different “domains” – different situations or contexts. Each one calls for a different approach, a different way of making sense of the situation, and a different way of making decisions:
Clear – clear situations are stable, the relationship between cause and effect is clear, and there are rules in place. It’s the domain of “known knowns”. Success comes from correctly identifying the sort of situation you’re facing, and then applying the current best practice. Examples might be fulfilling an order in a warehouse, or cooking a meal in a fast food restaurant.
Complicated – like the “clear” domain, this is a world of predictable relationships between cause and effect, but working in this domain requires more knowledge and expertise. Building a jet plane, for example, involves calculations and processes that are predictable and repeatable; you build the 100th plane the same as the first, give or take a few improvements. But doing so nevertheless requires an enormous amount of highly specialised and technical knowledge.
Complex – the complex domain involves “unknown unknowns”, murky relationships between cause and effect, and no “right” answers. In particular, complex situations are ones in which your actions change the situation itself. In these situations, cause and effect can be established in hindsight, but that relationship isn’t repeatable in future situations. Examples might include figuring out a response to climate change, or managing the economy; both are constantly in flux, changing in response to our actions, and in need of gradual, emergent solutions.
Chaotic – the chaotic domain is like the complex domain when everything’s on fire and you’re facing an emergency. Your job isn’t to figure out what’s going on, but rather to “staunch the bleeding” as Snowden puts it; success involves stabilising the situation and moving it from chaos to complexity. Examples might include a nuclear power plant at the first moment of meltdown, or police responding in the first few seconds of an emergency.
Cynefin’s four domains; the central section depicts “disorder”, where it’s unclear which domain applies.
The coup plotters failed because they thought they were in the complicated domain, where their expertise and knowledge of the structures of power would make the difference. They planned ahead and they followed the coup playbook; they thought that there would be a simple and predictable relationship between cause and effect, and that if they did the right things in the right order (establish a committee, declare a state of emergency, get Gorbachev to resign, derail the Union Treaty, retain power) then success was sure to follow.
Yeltsin was successful because he correctly identified that the situation was chaotic, and that any outcomes were far from certain. He sensed where there was stability (the mood of the people, the power of mass demonstrations on the street) and where there wasn’t (the political institutions of the centre). He pushed the situation from “chaotic” to “complex” by building on those points of stability, and by creating a focal point around himself and his occupation of the White House.
The result was that when events shifted, the plotters were thrown off course. It wasn’t that their plan was bad, and that if they’d had a better one they might have succeeded; they fundamentally failed to cope with changing events. Yeltsin, on the other hand, leapt from ice floe to ice floe, and eventually found himself on solid ground. But cynefin teaches us that Yeltsin’s advantage was only situational, it wasn’t absolute:
“Leaders who are highly successful in chaotic contexts can develop an overinflated self-image, becoming legends in their own minds. When they generate cultlike adoration, leading actually becomes harder for them because a circle of admiring supporters cuts them off from accurate information.”2
This was certainly true of Yeltsin. He was superb in a crisis. But when the crisis passed, he found himself at a loss. When he was forced to rule the Russia he’d prised out of the Soviet Union, it was a disaster. Economic shock therapy wiped out the savings of millions. The privatisation of state industry enriched a tiny cabal of plutocrats and impoverished the country as a whole. Corruption bloomed, and the country quickly returned to autocracy under Vladimir Putin.
Cynefin teaches us that knowing what domain we’re in, and applying the right sense-making approach, can mean the difference between triumph and disaster. But we also need to know our own capabilities, and the capabilities of those around us. Sometimes it’s good to ask “what would Boris Yeltsin do?” – and sometimes it’s very bad indeed.
Dave Snowden. “The Cynefin Framework” . CognitiveEdge (YouTube), 2010
Dave Snowden and Mary Boone. “A Leader’s Framework for Decision Making” . Harvard Business Review, November 2007
Serhii Plokhy. “The Last Empire: The Final Days of the Soviet Union” . Oneworld, 2015
“In Photos: The August Coup Attempt that Heralded USSR’s End”. Moscow Times, 18 August 2021
Felix Light. “It Was All For Nothing: Russia Marks August Coup With Regret, Indifference”. Moscow Times, 19 August 2021
Ivan Gutterman. “The Coup that Killed the USSR”. Radio Free Europe, 16 August 2021
Main photo: www.kremlin.ru, CC BY 3.0
Serhii Plokhy, The Last Empire ↩
Dave Snowden and Mary Boone, A Leader’s Framework for Decision Making ↩
Once a week I mail out a new article and some useful links to interested and interesting subscribers. No spam, ever, I promise.
© 2003– Rob Miller. I’m a strategist, techie, and marketer from London, where I’m Chief Strategist at big fish®. Find out more…
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REPUBLIC OF KOREA WALL OF HONOR
Unit: 9th Division
Han Geumnam
Master Sergeant Han Geumnam was born in Pyeongsan-ri, Nampyeong-eup, Naju-si, Jeollanam-do, Jan. 3, 1949. He was assigned to White Horse Division and was dispatched to Vietnam; stationed in the area of Ninh Hoa, Khanh Hoa Province. Master Sergeant Han Geumnam was killed in battle with the enemy Sep. 29, 1972 in the area of Ninh […]
SUBMIT PHOTOS LEAVE A REMEMBRANCE
Lee Gwanggyu
Sergeant Lee Gwanggyu was born in 559 Naechon-ri, Iwol-myeon, Jincheon-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do, May. 13, 1950. He was assigned to White Horse Division and was dispatched to Vietnam; stationed in the area of Ninh Hoa, Khanh Hoa Province. Sergeant Lee Gwanggyu was killed in a military action Sep. 27, 1972 in the area of Ninh Da, Ninh […]
Gang Bonggu
Sergeant 1st Class
Sergeant 1st Class Gang Bonggu was born in 768 Changnyeong-ri, Nakan-myeon, Suncheon-si, Jeollanam-do, Sep. 30, 1946. He was assigned to White Horse Division and was dispatched to Vietnam; stationed in the area of Ninh Hoa, Khanh Hoa Province. Sergeant 1st Class Gang Bonggu was killed in a military action May. 18, 1973 in the area […]
Seo Jeongil
Staff Sergeant Seo Jeongil was born in 509 Jangseungpo-dong, Geoje-si, Gyeongsangnam-do, Mar. 22, 1947. He was assigned to White Horse Division and was dispatched to Vietnam; stationed in the area of Ninh Hoa, Khanh Hoa Province. Staff Sergeant Seo Jeongil was killed in battle with the enemy Jan. 28, 1973 in the area of Ninh […]
Seong Jeongmok
Corporal Seong Jeongmok was born in 30-2 Pangok-ri, Muan-myeon, Milyang-si, Gyeongsangnam-do, Sep. 2, 1949. He was assigned to White Horse Division and was dispatched to Vietnam; stationed in the area of Ninh Hoa, Khanh Hoa Province. Corporal Seong Jeongmok was killed in battle with the enemy Oct. 27, 1972 in the area of Ninh Da, […]
Kim Hongwon
Staff Sergeant Kim Hongwon was born in 838 Sanje-ri, Bian-myeon, Uiseong-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Mar. 15, 1948. He was assigned to White Horse Division and was dispatched to Vietnam; stationed in the area of Ninh Hoa, Khanh Hoa Province. Staff Sergeant Kim Hongwon was killed in a military action Jul. 23, 1972 in the area of Ninh […]
Jeong Sung
Sergeant Jeong Sung was born in 369 Daegeum-ri, Jangmok-myeon, Geoje-si, Gyeongsangnam-do. He was assigned to White Horse Division and was dispatched to Vietnam; stationed in the area of Ninh Hoa, Khanh Hoa Province. Sergeant Jeong Sung was killed in a military action May. 5, 1972 in the area of Ninh Da, Ninh Hoa, Khanh Hoa. […]
Lee Cheolmo
Staff Sergeant Lee Cheolmo was born in 853 Yongpo-ri, Nakdong-myeon, Sangju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Sep. 17, 1940. He was assigned to White Horse Division and was dispatched to Vietnam; stationed in the area of Ninh Hoa, Khanh Hoa Province. Staff Sergeant Lee Cheolmo died during treatment at the hospital Mar. 25, 1972 due to malaria. He was […]
Lee Jeongin
Staff Sergeant Lee Jeongin was born in Gyesan-ri 1gu, Bongsan-myeon, Hapcheon-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do, Jun. 14, 1947. He was assigned to White Horse Division and was dispatched to Vietnam; stationed in the area of Ninh Hoa, Khanh Hoa Province. Staff Sergeant Lee Jeongin died at his post Feb. 27, 1972 in the area of Ninh Da, Ninh […]
Shin Donggu
Captain Shin Donggu was born in 34-1 Bukseong-ro 1ga, Jung-gu, City of Daegu, Feb. 16, 1948. He was assigned to White Horse Division and was dispatched to Vietnam; stationed in the area of Ninh Hoa, Khanh Hoa Province. Captain Shin Donggu was killed in battle with the enemy Jan. 10, 1972 in the area of […]
wall of faces by country
The Republic of Korea was one of six nations that contributed troops during the Vietnam War. The Republic of Korea lost more than 5,000 military personnel. The Republic of Korea Wall of Honor is a partnership between the Republic of Korea and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF).
VISIT VVMF'S WEBSITE: www.vvmf.org VISIT MINISTRY OF PATRIOTS & VETERANS AFFAIRS: english.mpva.go.kr
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Improving health conditions in Latvia
By Anders Svensson, member of the Rotary Club of Lindesberg, Sweden and District 2340 Rotary Foundation Chair (DRFC) and Project Leader Inese Priedniece, member of the Rotary Club of Riga, Latvia
In Latvia, Maternal and Child health is very important. The population in Latvia continues to decrease every year as a result of challenging economic conditions and limited access to health care.
Rotarians in Latvia looked for opportunities to improve daily life for people. Through discussions with pediatric doctors in the capital, Riga, we were told that newborn mortality in Latvia is still high. The doctors explained that every year the need for medical care for newborns grows. Despite our doctors being highly educated and skilled, they need access to modern technologies to achieve the best results and save the lives of newborns.
The doctors suggested that we help the Jekabils Hospital where the situation is the most difficult. The Rotary Club of Riga partnered with the club of Jekabpils and started the project with a visit to the hospital where we saw the situation and discussed needs with the hospital’s chief doctors. We built a strong relationship with them and also found the administration very trustworthy.
After the initial visit, we contacted clubs in Sweden, District 2340, to share about the need for modern equipment at the hospital’s prenatal and maternity department. Our Rotarian friends in Sweden, as Latvian neighbors, are always understanding of our situation in Latvia and were ready to help. Together, we immediately started to draft a global grant proposal. The Rotary Club of Riga also asked for help from their Rotary friends in Lithuania, the Netherlands and USA. It was amazing that so many clubs were ready to help us.
Through this project, we wanted to provide modern medical equipment. All staff are well educated for their professions but mainly work with old equipment. New equipment would provide early detection and access to immediate interventions. Mothers and new borns would have access to evidence-based health care. The number of children surviving early birth would increase. About 500 to 1000 children per year would benefit from this new equipment.
All the equipment was installed in the Spring and all staff were educated on how to use it. Participating Rotarians from the various different clubs and countries visited the hospital in Jekabpils. They received a guided tour of the two departments, prenatal and maternity, where they could see all the equipment working as planned. Chief Doctor Inguna Kaleja expressed her sincere gratitude for helping them save the lives of new born babies.
Rotary clubs in District 2340 and the Rotary Club of Riga have been working together since 2003. Earlier joint projects focused on schools and elderly homes. This is our 10th global grant project together, and today we have even more support from clubs. We are convinced that working together is most important to be successful in global grant projects. We inspire each other and together we have more competence and experience. This 10th project will be completed in 2018, the year when Latvia celebrates its 100th anniversary. That has inspired us even more.
Posted in Maternal & Child HealthTagged global grant, latvia, maternal and child health, maternal health
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One thought on “Improving health conditions in Latvia”
Mary Jane Calvey says:
Happ to work with you Inese and Rotary Clubs from Lithuania, Sweden and Latvia as a partner club. District 5750 in Oklahoma!
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New survey confirms positive outcomes from FAPESP programs supporting small businesses, international collaborations, and researcher training
Alexandre Affonso
Fabrício Marques
A recent assessment to estimate impact from three FAPESP programs supporting small businesses, international collaborations, and training for new researchers found substantially positive outcomes. FAPESP’s Research for Innovation in Small Businesses program (RISB, or PIPE in the Portuguese acronym), for example, has benefited more than 1,500 tech startups and firms employing up to 250 people since the initiative was launched in 1997. The survey found that 80% of sampled firms’ grant projects successfully converted into innovation—as well as jobs. Program beneficiaries grew from an average of 8.5 employees each before launching grant projects to 11.1 after project completion.
In international research collaborations, papers published as part of FAPESP’s 230 collaborations with foreign institutions had a 96% greater impact, as measured by citations in the Scopus database, than research by non-FAPESP collaborations funded by the Foundation. Former doctoral fellows who received Foundation support had a six-times greater Scopus citation impact than non-fellows. For master’s fellows, the survey found a five times greater impact. “Many of the hypotheses we tested to gauge program effectiveness were confirmed, which shows that program goals are being met,” says Sérgio Salles-Filho, a coordinator at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) Laboratory for Studies on the Organization of Research & Innovation (GEOPI), who led the assessment.
Data for the assessment was compiled from secondary sources such as resume and patent databases, quantitative and qualitative research indicators, data on employment and wages, and other sources. A quasi-experimental approach was taken to compare the performance of FAPESP-funded firms and researchers to their nonsupported counterparts, using statistical methods to approximate the attributes of treatment and control groups that were not directly comparable.
For the fellowship program, this method was used to assess the performance of three different groups. One group consisted of 12,600 former doctoral fellows, 15,800 master’s fellows, and 29,600 scientific initiation fellows who received Foundation fellowships between 2003 and 2017. The second group comprised 22,000 students in the same categories who were awarded fellowships from the Brazilian Federal Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education (CAPES) and the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), after unsuccessfully applying for FAPESP fellowships. And the third group consisted of 7,400 master’s and doctoral students who completed graduate studies with no financial support after unsuccessfully applying for fellowships from the Foundation.
FAPESP fellows performed substantially better in areas such as scholarly publishing, citations, and national and international collaborations. They were also more likely to go on to pursue a career as a researcher. The most marked difference was observed in the sample of former doctoral fellows: FAPESP fellows published 21% more scientific papers than their CAPES and CNPq counterparts, and 113% more than non-fellows. “The data are compelling,” says Salles-Filho. “FAPESP fellowships correlate with a step improvement in citations among doctoral fellows—a five-time increase compared to non-fellows. Papers by former doctoral fellows received nine times as many mentions in social media, blogs, news websites and other media than papers by non-fellows. This provides a measure of the extent to which scientific research is meaningful outside of academia.”
The use of secondary data only created a number of limitations. One limitation was in cohort diversity. The survey was unable to compare FAPESP fellows to CNPq or CAPES fellows who had not previously applied for a FAPESP fellowship, or to students who had neither been awarded nor applied for FAPESP fellowships, which would have offered a larger universe for comparison. Another limitation was related to scientific initiation students: the number of students in the non-fellowship cohort was statistically insufficient for comparison against other groups.
Differences in performance might also be attributed to the training students received before applying for fellowships, as Brazilian funding agencies each use different criteria in their selection processes. FAPESP fellowship candidates are assessed by a panel of advisors and must have an outstanding academic record, in addition to a robust research proposal. Other agencies might award fellowships to meet affirmative action quotas at universities, which have a mandate to award them to graduate students at their discretion. “The beneficial effect from FAPESP’s stringent fellowship prerequisites and peer review practices is further reinforced by a requirement for fellows to submit research reports throughout their projects,” explains Salles-Filho. Under ideal circumstances, the assessment would have compared students with similar performance—for example, those who barely failed to qualify for FAPESP fellowships to borderline successful applicants—but students with these profiles could not be identified.
The survey used Elsevier’s SciVal platform and its Topic Prominence metric to measure the relevance of fellows’ research projects. This indicator shows the extent to which the research interests of a scientist or research group are among the most prominent topics in their field. “In many fields, it provides a notion of what research is taking place at the frontier of knowledge,” explains Salles-Filho.
FAPESP fellows were more active than other groups in nearly all of the “hot” topics considered, especially in research on planets and galaxies, solar cells, and T-cell immunotherapy. Salles-Filho notes, however, that prominence indicators should be viewed with caution. There are some research topics in which Brazil has particular strengths, such as biofuels, but which are only prominent at a local level. This research will not rank as prominently at a global level, yet is vital for the country.
The assessment of international collaborations analyzed the scientific output of researchers supported by FAPESP from 1990 to 2018. The goal was to assess how research performance had evolved over time, especially since the mid-2000s, when the Foundation began to expand investment in international collaborations with foreign universities in a bid to further internationalize research programs in São Paulo. These collaborations, of which there are now more than 230, have helped to make research efforts more robust. Many involve large research programs that are designed and conducted jointly and on equal terms by researchers in Brazil and colleagues at foreign institutions. The first collaboration of this kind was established with the Research Councils UK (RCUK), followed by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the National Science Foundation, in the US. In an interview published in April (see Pesquisa FAPESP issue no. 290), Carlos Henrique de Brito Cruz, then scientific director at FAPESP, explained how things had changed as a result: “We imported some of their procedures, such as how to organize meetings, what types of forms to use, and how to extract better and more detailed assessments from our advisors. Our system as a whole was improved.” The upshot is that from 2008 to 2018, the share of research projects as part of institutional collaborations rose from 0.12% to 9.77% of total grants.
The assessment covered all collaborations between researchers in São Paulo and international peers from 1990 to 2018. Research projects as part of collaborations set up by the Foundation (572 in all) were compared to collaborations established directly by researchers with grant funding from FAPESP, but without the institutional support of collaboration agreements (2,055). “The Foundation wanted to know whether research through FAPESP-mediated collaborations had greater impact than other research,” says Salles-Filho. Four hypotheses were tested, of which two were not confirmed: no difference was found between the two groups in terms of the raw number of papers published; nor were international collaborations found to be more prolific in developing technology. Other hypotheses, such as research impact, were confirmed by the data. “An analysis of Scopus data showed that research papers published within FAPESP collaborations were cited 96% more than those in the control group,” says Salles-Filho.
The assessment of the RISB program analyzed the performance of small businesses that had successfully applied for 185 grants between 2006 and 2016, compared to 296 businesses that had applied unsuccessfully. Firms that never applied were not included in the assessment. One of the most important benefits observed was job creation in R&D: grant awardees had twice as many researchers employed two years after completing their grant projects compared to the other group. Lead investigators in grant projects largely had post-doctoral (37%) and doctoral (35%) degrees. “The assessment showed that some of the most important goals of the program are being met, such as helping firms to build technical capabilities and expanding the number of employees involved in R&D, as well as supporting jobs,” says Sergio Queiroz, a professor in the Department of Science and Technology Policy at UNICAMP and deputy coordinator of Innovation Research on the Science Board at FAPESP.
The RISB program was, unlike the other programs, assessed using primary data due to the limited availability of small business databases in Brazil. The firms participating in the assessment answered an online questionnaire about their business and their innovation performance and investment. This data was then collated with data on intellectual property, employment, and other aspects. In more than 60% of cases, a causal relationship could be established between RISB grant support and the development of innovation.
“Our company simply wouldn’t exist without the program,” says engineer Antonio Massato Makiyama, a founding partner at Vivax, a company in São Caetano do Sul that now has 10 employees. “I had a promising idea, but without the support I received from the program I would not have been able to develop it into a prototype and a market-ready product,” says Makiyama, whose company has now developed five projects with RISB funding. In 2018, Vivax launched a portable robot that supports upper limb rehabilitation in people who have suffered a stroke. “I had worked at medical equipment companies when living in the US, and saw an opportunity to develop the product when I returned to Brazil,” he says. The robot costs US$80,000 and has now been purchased by 11 hospitals in Brazil. Makiyama is currently developing a similar robot for lower limb physical therapy.
As an important input from the assessment, four distinct groups of firms were identified among successful and unsuccessful applicants, whose different profiles provide insight into the dynamics of São Paulo’s innovation ecosystem. Two of the groups consisted of companies with the most rejected grant applications: one comprising firms with only average performance indicators, largely with no high-tech products, and the other comprising software developers with limited R&D investment.
The other two groups were composed largely of grant beneficiaries. The first consisted of well-established tech firms that invest in R&D and regularly collaborate with universities. In the second group were typical tech startups; firms in this group had a strong presence of female staff, and of lead investigators who had completed either doctoral degree programs or postdoctoral internships.
These two groups are each faced with very different challenges, explains Queiroz. Well-established firms often require support to overcome technical barriers, but the expertise they have acquired in the market enables them to build research teams themselves to tackle the problem. Startups are often strong in technical capabilities, but weak in business acumen. “We created the PIPE Empreendedor [RISB Entrepreneur] program to address this gap,” says Queiroz, referring to a training program for RISB grant beneficiaries to ensure their projects are commercially successful and sustainable.
Contributions from doctoral alumni
Former fellows have produced award-winning theses
Personal archive Biologist Andrew Thomas after completing doctoral work under a FAPESP fellowshipPersonal archive
Several former FAPESP fellows were among the winners of the 2019 CAPES Thesis Awards, which recognize outstanding research across 49 disciplines. Fabrícia Jordão, who has a PhD in visual arts from the University of São Paulo (USP) and is now a professor at the Federal University of Paraná, received an award for a thesis that explored the visual arts scene during Brazil’s political opening and transition to democracy (1974–1989). Her research showed that prominent artists such as Rubens Gerchman, Cildo Meireles, and Carlos Zilio kept communication channels open with government institutions even though they openly opposed the military regime. “Under the regime’s cultural policy, creating symbols and preserving cultural heritage was seen as strategic, and this provided artists with an opportunity to engage in experimental work,” she says. These artists, she found, were able to influence government policy without being co-opted by it. Her FAPESP fellowship allowed Jordão to travel the country to research archives in multiple cities. “I was able to show that local artists networked with each other the same way as in major cities.”
Another award recipient was mechanical engineer Danilo Beli, who is now pursuing a postdoctoral internship at USP’s School of Engineering in São Carlos. His award-winning thesis explored a subject that combined physics and engineering: phononic crystals and metamaterials that exhibit unusual behavior, such as negative refraction and band gaps—or frequencies at which wave propagation is prohibited. “These properties allow them to filter and manipulate waves and have applications in acoustics and vibration, like creating acoustic barriers or filters, sensors, and acoustic cloaking materials.” Midway into his doctoral studies, he took a sandwich internship at Georgia Tech, in the US, in a collaboration with Massimo Ruzzene. “Being exposed to research activity happening outside Brazil was especially useful,” he says. In São Carlos, Beli is now involved in a thematic project led by Carlos de Marqui Jr. that is studying phononic materials and metamaterials with applications in structural acoustics. Also participating in the project is his doctoral supervisor, José Roberto de França Arruda, a professor at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) School of Mechanical Engineering.
Biologist Andrew Maltez Thomas received an award for a thesis investigating the relationship between gut bacteria and tumors. Using DNA sequencing and bioinformatics, he identified 16 bacteria in the human intestine that indicate the presence of colorectal cancer. His research could potentially lead to new methods of diagnosing the disease. “We used statistical and machine-learning approaches to analyze a large number of samples from around the world,” says Thomas. His interest in investigating the relationship between bacteria and cancer began during a master’s program in oncology, which he completed in 2012 at the A.C.Camargo Hospital Research Center under the supervision of Emmanuel Dias-Neto. His doctoral research in bioinformatics was supervised by João Carlos Setúbal, of the USP Institute of Chemistry, and co-supervised by Dias-Neto. During his research, he went for a sandwich internship at the University of Trento, in Italy, at a metagenomics lab under computer scientist Nicola Segata. Thomas is currently on a postdoctoral internship at the same laboratory, with funding from the European Union.
Personal archive Chemist Flavio Kock after completing doctoral work under a FAPESP fellowshipPersonal archive
Chemist Flávio Kock is on a FAPESP-funded postdoctoral internship at the University of Toronto, Canada. He won an award in the Chemistry category for a thesis on low-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance (LR-NMR) applications. His research at the USP Institute of Chemistry in São Carlos (IQSC), in a collaboration with EMBRAPA’s Instrumentation chapter and the Molecular Imaging Center at the University of Turin, in Italy, demonstrated how LR-NMR can be used to study molecules known as coordination compounds. He was able to conduct, for example, a rapid assessment of a new contrast agent that can interact with prostate tumor cells, potentially offering a new option to diagnose prostate cancer. Kock graduated and received his master’s degree from the Federal University of Espírito Santo. He conducted doctoral research with a fellowship from FAPESP under the supervision of Luiz Alberto Colnago from EMBRAPA. “The fellowship provided valuable support for high-level research in collaboration with the university in Italy, making an important contribution to a research program at IQSC in partnership with EMBRAPA,” he says.
Among the award recipients who are former FAPESP fellows is Iranian geologist Saeid Asadzadeh, who completed doctoral research at UNICAMP’s Institute of Geosciences (IG) and is currently doing postdoctoral research at the institution, again with funding from the Foundation. In 2013, Asadzadeh was looking for a university for his doctorate when a Canadian colleague of his recommended Carlos Roberto de Souza Filho, a professor at UNICAMP, to be his supervisor. “After doing some research about the professor’s previous work and the IG laboratories, I made my choice,” he says. He completed his first year of research under a CAPES fellowship, but was keen to apply for a FAPESP fellowship, which he did successfully in the second year. “My motivation was the prestige attached to a FAPESP fellowship.” In his research under Souza Filho, he developed a method of detecting hydrocarbons beneath the surface of the earth by analyzing remote sensing imagery. He credits the award to the impact his research has had in his field, including seven papers in some of the top geosciences journals. In his postdoctoral research, Asadzadeh is developing a method of analyzing the thermal properties of rocks to find evidence of oil using satellite imagery.
<br><p>This work first appeared on <a href='https://revistapesquisa.fapesp.br/'>Pesquisa FAPESP</a> under a <a href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/'>CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license</a>. Read the <a href='https://revistapesquisa.fapesp.br/en/research-impact/' target='_blank'>original here</a>.</p><script>var img = new Image(); img.src='https://revistapesquisa.fapesp.br/republicacao_frame?id=383520&referer=' + window.location.href;</script>
A recent assessment to estimate impact from three FAPESP programs supporting small businesses, international collaborations, and training for new researchers found substantially positive outcomes. FAPESP’s Research for Innovation in Small Businesses program (RISB, or PIPE in the Portuguese acronym), for example, has benefited more than 1,500 tech startups and firms employing up to 250 people since the initiative was launched in 1997. The survey found that 80% of sampled firms’ grant projects successfully converted into innovation—as well as jobs. Program beneficiaries grew from an average of 8.5 employees each before launching grant projects to 11.1 after project completion. In international research collaborations, papers published as part of FAPESP’s 230 collaborations with foreign institutions had a 96% greater impact, as measured by citations in the Scopus database, than research by non-FAPESP collaborations funded by the Foundation. Former doctoral fellows who received Foundation support had a six-times greater Scopus citation impact than non-fellows. For master’s fellows, the survey found a five times greater impact. “Many of the hypotheses we tested to gauge program effectiveness were confirmed, which shows that program goals are being met,” says Sérgio Salles-Filho, a coordinator at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) Laboratory for Studies on the Organization of Research & Innovation (GEOPI), who led the assessment. Data for the assessment was compiled from secondary sources such as resume and patent databases, quantitative and qualitative research indicators, data on employment and wages, and other sources. A quasi-experimental approach was taken to compare the performance of FAPESP-funded firms and researchers to their nonsupported counterparts, using statistical methods to approximate the attributes of treatment and control groups that were not directly comparable. For the fellowship program, this method was used to assess the performance of three different groups. One group consisted of 12,600 former doctoral fellows, 15,800 master’s fellows, and 29,600 scientific initiation fellows who received Foundation fellowships between 2003 and 2017. The second group comprised 22,000 students in the same categories who were awarded fellowships from the Brazilian Federal Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education (CAPES) and the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), after unsuccessfully applying for FAPESP fellowships. And the third group consisted of 7,400 master’s and doctoral students who completed graduate studies with no financial support after unsuccessfully applying for fellowships from the Foundation. FAPESP fellows performed substantially better in areas such as scholarly publishing, citations, and national and international collaborations. They were also more likely to go on to pursue a career as a researcher. The most marked difference was observed in the sample of former doctoral fellows: FAPESP fellows published 21% more scientific papers than their CAPES and CNPq counterparts, and 113% more than non-fellows. “The data are compelling,” says Salles-Filho. “FAPESP fellowships correlate with a step improvement in citations among doctoral fellows—a five-time increase compared to non-fellows. Papers by former doctoral fellows received nine times as many mentions in social media, blogs, news websites and other media than papers by non-fellows. This provides a measure of the extent to which scientific research is meaningful outside of academia.” The use of secondary data only created a number of limitations. One limitation was in cohort diversity. The survey was unable to compare FAPESP fellows to CNPq or CAPES fellows who had not previously applied for a FAPESP fellowship, or to students who had neither been awarded nor applied for FAPESP fellowships, which would have offered a larger universe for comparison. Another limitation was related to scientific initiation students: the number of students in the non-fellowship cohort was statistically insufficient for comparison against other groups. Differences in performance might also be attributed to the training students received before applying for fellowships, as Brazilian funding agencies each use different criteria in their selection processes. FAPESP fellowship candidates are assessed by a panel of advisors and must have an outstanding academic record, in addition to a robust research proposal. Other agencies might award fellowships to meet affirmative action quotas at universities, which have a mandate to award them to graduate students at their discretion. “The beneficial effect from FAPESP’s stringent fellowship prerequisites and peer review practices is further reinforced by a requirement for fellows to submit research reports throughout their projects,” explains Salles-Filho. Under ideal circumstances, the assessment would have compared students with similar performance—for example, those who barely failed to qualify for FAPESP fellowships to borderline successful applicants—but students with these profiles could not be identified. The survey used Elsevier’s SciVal platform and its Topic Prominence metric to measure the relevance of fellows’ research projects. This indicator shows the extent to which the research interests of a scientist or research group are among the most prominent topics in their field. “In many fields, it provides a notion of what research is taking place at the frontier of knowledge,” explains Salles-Filho. FAPESP fellows were more active than other groups in nearly all of the “hot” topics considered, especially in research on planets and galaxies, solar cells, and T-cell immunotherapy. Salles-Filho notes, however, that prominence indicators should be viewed with caution. There are some research topics in which Brazil has particular strengths, such as biofuels, but which are only prominent at a local level. This research will not rank as prominently at a global level, yet is vital for the country. The assessment of international collaborations analyzed the scientific output of researchers supported by FAPESP from 1990 to 2018. The goal was to assess how research performance had evolved over time, especially since the mid-2000s, when the Foundation began to expand investment in international collaborations with foreign universities in a bid to further internationalize research programs in São Paulo. These collaborations, of which there are now more than 230, have helped to make research efforts more robust. Many involve large research programs that are designed and conducted jointly and on equal terms by researchers in Brazil and colleagues at foreign institutions. The first collaboration of this kind was established with the Research Councils UK (RCUK), followed by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the National Science Foundation, in the US. In an interview published in April (see Pesquisa FAPESP issue no. 290), Carlos Henrique de Brito Cruz, then scientific director at FAPESP, explained how things had changed as a result: “We imported some of their procedures, such as how to organize meetings, what types of forms to use, and how to extract better and more detailed assessments from our advisors. Our system as a whole was improved.” The upshot is that from 2008 to 2018, the share of research projects as part of institutional collaborations rose from 0.12% to 9.77% of total grants. The assessment covered all collaborations between researchers in São Paulo and international peers from 1990 to 2018. Research projects as part of collaborations set up by the Foundation (572 in all) were compared to collaborations established directly by researchers with grant funding from FAPESP, but without the institutional support of collaboration agreements (2,055). “The Foundation wanted to know whether research through FAPESP-mediated collaborations had greater impact than other research,” says Salles-Filho. Four hypotheses were tested, of which two were not confirmed: no difference was found between the two groups in terms of the raw number of papers published; nor were international collaborations found to be more prolific in developing technology. Other hypotheses, such as research impact, were confirmed by the data. “An analysis of Scopus data showed that research papers published within FAPESP collaborations were cited 96% more than those in the control group,” says Salles-Filho. The assessment of the RISB program analyzed the performance of small businesses that had successfully applied for 185 grants between 2006 and 2016, compared to 296 businesses that had applied unsuccessfully. Firms that never applied were not included in the assessment. One of the most important benefits observed was job creation in R&D: grant awardees had twice as many researchers employed two years after completing their grant projects compared to the other group. Lead investigators in grant projects largely had post-doctoral (37%) and doctoral (35%) degrees. “The assessment showed that some of the most important goals of the program are being met, such as helping firms to build technical capabilities and expanding the number of employees involved in R&D, as well as supporting jobs,” says Sergio Queiroz, a professor in the Department of Science and Technology Policy at UNICAMP and deputy coordinator of Innovation Research on the Science Board at FAPESP. The RISB program was, unlike the other programs, assessed using primary data due to the limited availability of small business databases in Brazil. The firms participating in the assessment answered an online questionnaire about their business and their innovation performance and investment. This data was then collated with data on intellectual property, employment, and other aspects. In more than 60% of cases, a causal relationship could be established between RISB grant support and the development of innovation. “Our company simply wouldn’t exist without the program,” says engineer Antonio Massato Makiyama, a founding partner at Vivax, a company in São Caetano do Sul that now has 10 employees. “I had a promising idea, but without the support I received from the program I would not have been able to develop it into a prototype and a market-ready product,” says Makiyama, whose company has now developed five projects with RISB funding. In 2018, Vivax launched a portable robot that supports upper limb rehabilitation in people who have suffered a stroke. “I had worked at medical equipment companies when living in the US, and saw an opportunity to develop the product when I returned to Brazil,” he says. The robot costs US$80,000 and has now been purchased by 11 hospitals in Brazil. Makiyama is currently developing a similar robot for lower limb physical therapy. As an important input from the assessment, four distinct groups of firms were identified among successful and unsuccessful applicants, whose different profiles provide insight into the dynamics of São Paulo’s innovation ecosystem. Two of the groups consisted of companies with the most rejected grant applications: one comprising firms with only average performance indicators, largely with no high-tech products, and the other comprising software developers with limited R&D investment. The other two groups were composed largely of grant beneficiaries. The first consisted of well-established tech firms that invest in R&D and regularly collaborate with universities. In the second group were typical tech startups; firms in this group had a strong presence of female staff, and of lead investigators who had completed either doctoral degree programs or postdoctoral internships. These two groups are each faced with very different challenges, explains Queiroz. Well-established firms often require support to overcome technical barriers, but the expertise they have acquired in the market enables them to build research teams themselves to tackle the problem. Startups are often strong in technical capabilities, but weak in business acumen. “We created the PIPE Empreendedor [RISB Entrepreneur] program to address this gap,” says Queiroz, referring to a training program for RISB grant beneficiaries to ensure their projects are commercially successful and sustainable. Contributions from doctoral alumni Former fellows have produced award-winning theses Personal archive Biologist Andrew Thomas after completing doctoral work under a FAPESP fellowshipPersonal archive Several former FAPESP fellows were among the winners of the 2019 CAPES Thesis Awards, which recognize outstanding research across 49 disciplines. Fabrícia Jordão, who has a PhD in visual arts from the University of São Paulo (USP) and is now a professor at the Federal University of Paraná, received an award for a thesis that explored the visual arts scene during Brazil’s political opening and transition to democracy (1974–1989). Her research showed that prominent artists such as Rubens Gerchman, Cildo Meireles, and Carlos Zilio kept communication channels open with government institutions even though they openly opposed the military regime. “Under the regime’s cultural policy, creating symbols and preserving cultural heritage was seen as strategic, and this provided artists with an opportunity to engage in experimental work,” she says. These artists, she found, were able to influence government policy without being co-opted by it. Her FAPESP fellowship allowed Jordão to travel the country to research archives in multiple cities. “I was able to show that local artists networked with each other the same way as in major cities.” Another award recipient was mechanical engineer Danilo Beli, who is now pursuing a postdoctoral internship at USP’s School of Engineering in São Carlos. His award-winning thesis explored a subject that combined physics and engineering: phononic crystals and metamaterials that exhibit unusual behavior, such as negative refraction and band gaps—or frequencies at which wave propagation is prohibited. “These properties allow them to filter and manipulate waves and have applications in acoustics and vibration, like creating acoustic barriers or filters, sensors, and acoustic cloaking materials.” Midway into his doctoral studies, he took a sandwich internship at Georgia Tech, in the US, in a collaboration with Massimo Ruzzene. “Being exposed to research activity happening outside Brazil was especially useful,” he says. In São Carlos, Beli is now involved in a thematic project led by Carlos de Marqui Jr. that is studying phononic materials and metamaterials with applications in structural acoustics. Also participating in the project is his doctoral supervisor, José Roberto de França Arruda, a professor at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) School of Mechanical Engineering. Biologist Andrew Maltez Thomas received an award for a thesis investigating the relationship between gut bacteria and tumors. Using DNA sequencing and bioinformatics, he identified 16 bacteria in the human intestine that indicate the presence of colorectal cancer. His research could potentially lead to new methods of diagnosing the disease. “We used statistical and machine-learning approaches to analyze a large number of samples from around the world,” says Thomas. His interest in investigating the relationship between bacteria and cancer began during a master’s program in oncology, which he completed in 2012 at the A.C.Camargo Hospital Research Center under the supervision of Emmanuel Dias-Neto. His doctoral research in bioinformatics was supervised by João Carlos Setúbal, of the USP Institute of Chemistry, and co-supervised by Dias-Neto. During his research, he went for a sandwich internship at the University of Trento, in Italy, at a metagenomics lab under computer scientist Nicola Segata. Thomas is currently on a postdoctoral internship at the same laboratory, with funding from the European Union. Personal archive Chemist Flavio Kock after completing doctoral work under a FAPESP fellowshipPersonal archive Chemist Flávio Kock is on a FAPESP-funded postdoctoral internship at the University of Toronto, Canada. He won an award in the Chemistry category for a thesis on low-resolution nuclear magnetic resonance (LR-NMR) applications. His research at the USP Institute of Chemistry in São Carlos (IQSC), in a collaboration with EMBRAPA’s Instrumentation chapter and the Molecular Imaging Center at the University of Turin, in Italy, demonstrated how LR-NMR can be used to study molecules known as coordination compounds. He was able to conduct, for example, a rapid assessment of a new contrast agent that can interact with prostate tumor cells, potentially offering a new option to diagnose prostate cancer. Kock graduated and received his master’s degree from the Federal University of Espírito Santo. He conducted doctoral research with a fellowship from FAPESP under the supervision of Luiz Alberto Colnago from EMBRAPA. “The fellowship provided valuable support for high-level research in collaboration with the university in Italy, making an important contribution to a research program at IQSC in partnership with EMBRAPA,” he says. Among the award recipients who are former FAPESP fellows is Iranian geologist Saeid Asadzadeh, who completed doctoral research at UNICAMP’s Institute of Geosciences (IG) and is currently doing postdoctoral research at the institution, again with funding from the Foundation. In 2013, Asadzadeh was looking for a university for his doctorate when a Canadian colleague of his recommended Carlos Roberto de Souza Filho, a professor at UNICAMP, to be his supervisor. “After doing some research about the professor’s previous work and the IG laboratories, I made my choice,” he says. He completed his first year of research under a CAPES fellowship, but was keen to apply for a FAPESP fellowship, which he did successfully in the second year. “My motivation was the prestige attached to a FAPESP fellowship.” In his research under Souza Filho, he developed a method of detecting hydrocarbons beneath the surface of the earth by analyzing remote sensing imagery. He credits the award to the impact his research has had in his field, including seven papers in some of the top geosciences journals. In his postdoctoral research, Asadzadeh is developing a method of analyzing the thermal properties of rocks to find evidence of oil using satellite imagery.
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Mr. John R. Muether
Professor of Church History • Dean of Libraries • Assistant DMin Director
Resident Faculty | Orlando
Resources by Mr. John R. Muether
407-278-4439 jmuether@rts.edu
Gordon College, B.A.
Westminster Theological Seminary, MAR
Simmons College, M.S.L.S.
About Mr. Muether
John Muether joined RTS-Orlando as Library Director in 1989. Mr. Muether also serves as Professor of Church History, teaching core courses on education in the church, Christian engagement with culture and church government as well as elective courses on various topics.
Prior to joining RTS, Mr. Muether served on the library staff at Harvard Divinity School and directed the libraries at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, MI, and Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia.
Mr. Muether has authored and coauthored several books, including multiple works related to the history of Presbyterianism in America, a biography of Christian philosopher and theologian Cornelius Van Til, a discussion of Reformed church worship and a compilation of bibliographic references for theological research.
Mr. Muether has served his local church for years as a ruling elder and clerk of the session and has held regional and national leadership roles in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Mr. Muether serves as the denominational historian and sits on national committees for Christian education and ministerial training.
A native of Long Island, New York, Mr. Muether and his wife, Kathy, have four children. He and his wife co-edited a compilation of love stories set in Maine.
Co-editor with Danny E. Olinger and contributor, Confident of Better Things: Essays Commemorating Seventy-Five Years of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (Committee for the Historian of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, 2011)
Cornelius Van Til: Reformed Apologist and Churchman (P&R Publishing, 2008)
Co-editor with Kathryn Muether, Love on the Rocks: Stories of Rusticators and Romance on Mount Desert Island (Islandport Press, 2008)
Coauthor with D. G. Hart, Seeking a Better Country: 300 Years of American Presbyterianism. (P&R Publishing, 2007)
The First Forty Years: Reformed Theological Seminary (Reformed Theological Seminary, 2007)
Coauthor with D. G. Hart, With Reverence and Awe: Returning to the Basics of Reformed Worship (P&R Publishing, 2002)
Co-editor with Howard Griffith, Creator, Redeemer, Consummator: A Festschrift for Meredith G. Kline (Reformed Academic Press, 2000)
Index to the Minutes of the General Assembly of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, 1936-1996 (Committee for the Historian of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, 1998)
Coauthor, Fighting the Good Fight: A Brief History of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (Committee for the Historian of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, 1995)
Coauthor, Reference Works for Theological Research (University Press of America, 1992)
SELECT ARTICLES
“John Updike’s Christian America,” in R. Scott Clark and Joel E. Kim, eds., Always Reformed: Essays in Honor of W. Robert Godfrey. Escondido, CA: Westminster Seminary California (2010).
“Turning Points in American Presbyterian History” (co-author with D. G. Hart). New Horizons, 2006-2007 (fourteen-part series).
“The Whole Counsel of God: Westminster Seminary and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church,” in: David VanDrunen, ed., The Pattern of Sound Doctrine: Systematic Theology at the Westminster Seminaries. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R (2004), 223-245.
“Roger Nicole: Scholar, Gentleman, and Book Rat,” biographical introduction to: Standing Forth: Collected Writings of Roger Nicole. Fearn, Ross-shire: Christian Focus (2002), 1-5.
“So Great a Salvation,” Modern Reformation 10:3 (May-Jun 2001), 6-8.
“A Sixth Sola?” Modern Reformation 7:4 (Jul-Aug 1998), 24-28.
“The Story of an Encounter,” in Richard John Neuhaus, ed., Augustine Today. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans (1993), 111-156.
“The Theonomic Attraction,” in William S. Barker and W. Robert Godfrey, eds., Theonomy: a Reformed Critique. Grand Rapids: Zondervan (1990), 245-259.
“Evangelicals and the Bible: A Bibliographic Postscript,” in Harvie M. Conn, ed., Inerrancy and Hermeneutic. Grand Rapids: Baker (1988), 253-264.
“Contemporary Evangelicalism and the Triumph of the New School,” Westminster Theological Journal 50 (1988), 339-347.
Several articles in Tabletalk (Ligonier Ministries), Ordained Servant, New Horizons in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, and the RTS Reformed Quarterly magazine.
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The Poet and the Motherland: On the 119th Anniversary of Anna Akhmatova’s Birth
/ Главная / Russkiy Mir Foundation / Publications / The Poet and the Motherland: On the 119th Anniversary of Anna Akhmatova’s Birth
On June 23, 1889, Anna Akhmatova (Gorenko) was born in Odessa. It seems that everything possible has already been said about both her life and her work. To contemporary readers it is obvious that Akhmatova’s lines devoted to Pushkin – “idiot horse guardsmen and majestic privy counselors,” “oceans of dirt, betrayals, lies, indifference of friends and simple stupidity,” “heartless and, naturally, ignorant Petersburg,” “secret police surveillance of the poet,” and “the imperial court peeping into every nook and cranny” – relate largely to her own fate. But, on the other hand, in an angry passage by Zhdanov about “the lady gone wild, tossing and jerking between the powder room and her entreats,” finding in authority “erotic motifs, bound with motifs of sadness, melancholy, death, mysticism and resignation” there is a certain element of truth.
It is no coincidence, however, that the lines from her poem “Courage” became the tagline of the Russkiy Mir Foundation. Akhmatova wrote the poem in late 1942 while in Tashkent, where she had been sent from Leningrad, which was under siege at the time. In a matter of days – on March 8 to be precise – the poem was published in Pravda. Neither Akhmatova’s complex relations with Soviet authorities nor the fact that her son, Lev Gumilev, was still imprisoned in the camps kept the publication of her poem from the Communist Party’s main newspaper. This is not surprising given that its power over the people of a country at war was many times greater than the ideological potential of even the most furious leaflets with slogans such as “You will howl, Germany!” Akhmatova was able to find the right intonation and the right words to place this poem beyond time and ideology. The poem is neither pro-Soviet nor anti-Fascist. It is pro-Russian, but in a much wider sense of what constitutes Russianness. Above all, it appeals to language and culture.
We know what’s at stake and how great the foe’s power,
And what is now coming to pass.
The hour of courage has chimed on our clocks,
And our courage will hold to the last.
The bullets can kill us, but cannot deter;
Though our houses will fall, we shall remain.
And we will preserve you, Russian speech,
The great Russian word.
We will keep you free and pure,
And pass you on to our grandchildren,
Free from bondage
The call to defend the Russian language during war was hardly timely. In such times, people are more often called to defend homes, land, mothers, loved ones. In other words, they are drawn by some deep-seated and time-honored understanding. Simonov’s poetry of the war years in this sense was considerably more war-like and befitting of a soldier. In those years, a theme such as “preservation of the Russian language” required an explanation. But it was precisely in this apparent disconnect that the paradoxical strength of Akhmatova’s poem consisted. She truly and sincerely wrote about how it would be much more frightful to lose Russian – and the losses in her life at that time were not few – for it was the last point of refuge for the spirit. This sincerity coupled with the falling out of other poems in the war years (some bad, some very good) drew special attention. It is quite possible that precisely this poem formed for the first time in the Soviet Union the notion that language has inherent value and that language and culture have a much greater relationship to the “motherland” than any political or ideological circumstances. It was a notion that served as a lifeline for many even well after the Great Patriotic War and in much different circumstances. Twentieth century Russian history showed time and time again that the poem was by no means written coincidentally and certainly not solely for publication in Pravda.
This poem by Akhmatova, as well as her other poems on military and patriotic themes, proved extremely popular almost immediately. Already in May, a collection of Akhmatova’s works was published, the first in many years. She took part in public events, her own creative events were organized, and along her return to Leningrad, Akhmatova repeatedly visited the front for poetry readings. In the general choir of Soviet poets, writers and publicists, Akhmatova won over a major figure – the soldier’s mother, keeper of the home, if we mean by a home not only the hearth but also the Russian language and Russian culture. Akhmatova’s call to "that which bids farewell to what is pleasant" – "pain melting away into strength" sounded especially convincing. In the grand scheme of things, this old woman with a very complex destiny, who was painfully sick since the beginning of the blockade and even in the Tashkent sun wrapped herself up in her well-known shawl because of an inextricable "cold in her bones," had become a tangible embodiment of the Motherland-mother from an Irakli Toidze poster. It would be risky to assume that Soviet ideologues felt the impact in the similitude, and perhaps that is why after his release from prison Lev Gumilev was allowed to join the ranks of the army, which was not unique for political prisoners but not especially common either. Characteristically, in a post-war biographical essay Akhmatova wrote of herself – "I have not ceased to write poems. For me, therein lies my connection with time and with the new life of my people. When I wrote them, I lived by the rhythms that sounded in the heroic stories of my country.”
The comparison of Anna Akhmatova with Russia is, of course, hyperbole, although not at all inappropriate. Akhmatova’s fate bears a striking resemblance to the history of Russia during the first half of the 20th century. Her childhood in Tsarskoye Selo and studies at the Mariinsky Gymnasium were in Akhmatova’s own interpretation traditional, pastoral and almost worthy of Lydia Charskaya’s pen. Then there was her interest in new literary and intellectual trends, her marriage to Nikolay Gumilyov, the first poetry collections, and acmeism. And, like a logical continuation of the intellectual unrest of the Russian elite – 1917. In the first years of Soviet rule, Alexander Blok stood to the left of Akhmatova with his calls "to listen to music of revolution." To the right was the "conspiratorial" and "anti-Soviet" Gumilyov. Akhmatova herself was never able to come to terms with the revolution and whether to accept it. And then it was too late with the advent of War Communism. Neither Blok nor Gumilyov, both of whom died in August 1921, survived that era, although the first was awarded an official obituary while the latter received merely a bullet to the back of the head. "These graves were predicted by my word,” wrote Akhmatova, blaming herself for the loss of loved ones and for what had become a national tragedy. In the mid-1920s, publication of Akhmatova’s works ceased, and she was excluded from the writer’s organization. She was excommunicated from the world of literature virtually right up to the start of the war, forced into various types of day jobs ("oh, these translations, how you cause my head to ache"). But neither the lack of opportunity to engage in her favorite activity, nor the arrest of her husband (Nikolai Punin) and son in the 1930s could break her will to live. Akhmatova really learned to "live simply and wisely." It did not happen in 1912, when the young girl wrote these lines, but much later. Nonetheless, it happened.
And to live, which is most important, in Russia. Emigration had always been an unacceptable alternative for Akhmatova.
A voice came to me. It called out comfortingly,
It said, "Come here,
Leave your deaf and sinful land,
Leave Russia forever.
I will wash the blood from your hands,
Root out the black shame from your heart,
With a new name I will conceal
The pain of defeats and injuries.”
But calmly and indifferently,
I covered my ears with my hands,
So that my sorrowing spirit
Would not be stained by those shameful words.
Even more telling are the lines devoted to the artist Boris Anrep’s departure for England: “You are an apostate; for a green island, you betrayed, betrayed your native land…”
Akhmatova more than once had the opportunity to leave Soviet Russia. British diplomat Isaiah Berlin supposedly offered her and her son the opportunity to leave in 1945, but she refused. In 1946, Akhmatova was again expelled from the Writers’ Union (on the basis of attacks in Zvezda and Leningrad), and Lev Gumilev was arrested. But even when Akhmatova’s fortunes turned for the worse a second time, she didn’t regret her decision.
In her reflections in 1961, Akhmatova wrote:
Not under foreign skies
Nor under foreign wings protected –
I shared all this with my own people
There, where my people unfortunately were…
It must be said that in general, people, hold reciprocal feelings for Akhmatova. Her place in Russian literature is indisputable, much like that of Pushkin ("a swarthy lad", who in his childhood roamed the same alleys as Akhmatova). Last year in St. Petersburg, a monument to Anna Akhmatova was dedicated opposite the Crosses Detention Center on the bank of the Neva. Akhmatova had requested a monument herself where she “stood for three hundred hours and no one slid open the bolt.” The monument has already become a place with a cult following, and among the public all sorts of superstitions have emerged. According to one, after a successful visit with friends and relatives, prisoners should go and "bow to Akhmatova.” This is a somewhat unusual but unquestionably high honor to Akhmatova for the courage and patience with which she pestered Soviet officials, waited for the return of her husband and son from prison, and again bid farewell and again wrote petitions and again carried packages.
These are her toils – also one of the images of the Motherland-mother. And it is not worth lamenting the fact that for certain parts of the population some aspects of Akhmatova’s biography are much closer than her poems. This is also very Russian – to love a poet not necessarily for what he wrote but for how he lived…
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Reviews by Time Lady Rabeca
Review of 2000AD Into The Future submitted on 13th March 1997
The futuristic theme comes across clearly in this all-instrumental album. Several high-energy pieces (and a few slightly more mellow ones) flow nicely together, creating an excellent album to listen to at work. Better yet, just plug in some headphones and daydream away.
Review of No Expense Spared submitted on 13th March 1997
This album has a nice variety of music, from instrumental to touchingly serious songs, to songs I can only describe as one heck of a father and son jam session.
Review of Rick Wakeman's Greatest Hits submitted on 21st March 1997
The first CD in this set features some of Rick's best work with Yes, the second hilights his solo work. Both are completely instrumental, and overall it is a very mellow set. I like the style he redid the Yes material in -- just be prepared to drink a few cups of coffee if you need to stay awake, it tends to be a bit *too* relaxing at times :)
Review of Almost Live in Europe submitted on 28th March 1997
The vocalist on this CD was fairly unimpressive - he tended to take away from the experience of the music, though his voice fits in a bit better for the King Arthur tracks. However, Rick's playing for this album is amazing and more than makes up for the (IMHO) lousy vocalist.
Review of The Six Wives of Henry VIII submitted on 31st March 1997
This is a great instrumental album with heavy Classical influence, and a hint of Jazz. Jane Seymore blew me off my feet with Rick's work on harpsicord and pipe organ. This one is a must-have if you like Rick's classically influenced material.
Review of Rock n Roll Prophet Plus submitted on 20th August 1997
Overall, this is a very humorous album and a good one to listen to for a little something different from Rick. However, some of the 'plus' tracks sound as though they would be better off added to 2000 AD, since the keyboard voices are closer to that than the original Prophet. There is no particular 'style' I can pinpoint, though the 3 songs with lyrics seem on par with some of the pop music of the time. If you don't mind the change in 'sound' from the old to new, this is a great album, but for those more interested in continuity, I'd suggest moving all the plus tracks to either the beginning or end.
Review of Time Machine submitted on 16th December 1997
This album is basically rocked-up Rick, with an 80's pop music leaning. The closest album to this that I know of is No Expense Spared, but this beats No Expense by a mile. All the tracks except Elizabethan Rock have vocals (though many have nice long instrumental intros or solos), a switch from his normal style of several instrumentals on his albums. Ice is my favorite track, and though it may be more toward rock than much of Rick's stuff, has a great deal of energy packed into it. This would be a good one to get (if you can find it) for a change of pace from his classical leanings.
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Mt SAC Athletic Trainer Goes to the Olympics
Melody Waintal|December 1, 2016
Bill Ito is not only one of the head athletic trainers at Mt. SAC, but he’s actively involved in the USA Track and Field team and has been a volunteer in the United States Olympic Committee for over 10 years. In 2014, Ito had the opportunity of a lifetime to apply as a staff member in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic games. He was chosen to go to trials to see how the athletes worked with him and after a long process, Ito made it on the Olympic staff.
Working with the fittest people in the country comes with stories and behind the scenes that not everyone knows about. When the USA Women’s Relay Team was disqualified for dropping their baton, Ito knew the situation that was not shown on TV. He said the team was told that whatever happened, they had to finish the race in order for the team manager to be able to petition for an appeal.
At the time of the exchange, when Allyson Felix, one of the sprinters was bumped by a Brazilian runner and dropped the baton before giving it to English Gardner, Felix remembered what she was told and picked it up and continued the race. Ito added that one of the things the relay teams struggled with was running in close proximities to other runners. When the women were given the second chance and were allowed to run alone, it was the best opportunity they could have.
Not only was Ito able to work with the Track and Field Team, but he also had a chance to work with the gymnastics team. He did a session with Aly Raisman the morning before the team won the gold in the All-Round, and was able to “chit-chat” while working with her.
“It took some adjustment to work with other athletes because we know all of our Track and Field athletes. We’re like a big family. To see other people in Team USA gear that you didn’t recognize, you’re sharing the elevator with, or you’re seeing them at dinner…that was interesting.”
Mt. SAC pole-vaulter Lindy Rzonca, environmental science major, has suffered her fair share of injuries. She said it’s comforting to have an athletic trainer who has worked with Olympic athletes.
“Even Olympians, the best athletes, trust him. I think having an injury can make athletes feel extremely frustrated and even vulnerable and having someone so professional is reassuring,” Rzonca said.
Mt. SAC is notorious for their athletes. In their Notable Alumni list, Mt. SAC has football players who have gone to the NFL like Antonio Pierce, Bruce Irvin, Mike Hohensee, and Duane Allen, and basketball players who’ve moved on to the NBA. Olympic water polo silver medalist Joe Vargas and Mexican pole vaulters Giovanni Lanaro both attended Mt. SAC before their Olympic careers. The list goes on. While the athletes are recognized for their success, how many times do people hear about a staff member going to the Olympics… not just to watch the games?
For more information, visit the Mt. SAC athletics web page at www.mtsacathletics.com
USA Track and Field Team and Staff. Photo courtesy of Bill Ito.
Melody Waintal, Author
Melody Waintal is the Editor in Chief for SAC.Media. She is a journalism major and has been covering red-carpet events from movie premieres to The Academy Awards since she was 15.
SAC Sidelines
Women’s Water Polo Exacted Revenge Before Playoff Exit
Volleyball’s Great Season Comes to a Bitter Close
SACDAWGS SZN 4: Worth The Wait
Lakers Created Excitement Only To Disappoint Fans
This Is Why You Suck At Golf
Men’s Basketball Victorious In Tournament, Short In Opener
Women’s Basketball Tips Off
Volleyball Sweeps LA Harbor, Pulls Away from Long Beach City
Football Crushes Chaffey, Overcomes Numerous Penalties
Mountie Soccer Teams Back on the Winning Side
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SA History Bank
Lady Margaret Rymill
Add to Your Stories Media
Margaret Earle Cudmore
Place of Birth:
Mildura, Victoria
Occupations:
Lady Mayoress
Topics ›
Lady Margaret Rymill was Lady Mayoress, Married to the Lord Mayor, from 1950-1953.
Lady Margaret Rymill was born Margaret Earle Cudmore on the 8th of August in 1913 to Rowland and Annie Isabella Cudmore nee Porter of Mildura, Victoria. Her father was an orchardist who had taken up land in the area only eight years previously after serving with distinction during the Boer war. He and Annie were married in 1907 and welcomed their first child, Daniel, in 1908 then Colleen in 1912 and Margaret in August 1913. A few months later tragedy struck when, at the age of 34, Rowland was killed when his car overturned near Mannum while returning home from visiting his father in Victor Harbor. Margaret’s mother, now a widow, was unable to maintain the orchard and tend her family of three small children, all under the age of five. She engaged the services of Kenneth Milne, one of Adelaide’s leading architects, to design and build a home at Dutton Terrace, Medindie.
After leaving school, Margaret and her sister Colleen joined the smart set, attending dances, parties and weddings with other young ladies from prominent families. Margaret was Colleen’s bridesmaid when she married Geoffrey Bonython Angas-Parsons, the son of Justice Angas Parsons in March of 1934 and in June she attended a dance at the Embassy Ballroom, which was located where Regent Arcade is today. The dance was attended by 450 guests and was hosted by fourteen of Adelaide’s most eligible bachelors. We can be certain that Margaret, pretty in pastel pink ribbed velvet, made a lasting impression on the young Arthur Rymill, one of the fourteen bachelors who lined the entrance to formally welcome their guests.
Arthur or ‘Lum’ as he was known, at the age of 27, was a lawyer, company director, city alderman, jazz musician and sportsman, representing the state on the South Australian polo team. He was also a keen golfer and yachtsman however he was perhaps most famous for his exploits as the daredevil speedboat racer who, in February that year, had survived an accident when his craft flipped at 110kph at an interstate race meet.
Arthur and Margaret were married in a small ceremony at Saint Peter’s College chapel on the 27th of December 1934 and took their honeymoon in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) before returning to make their home at 39 Brougham Place North Adelaide. Their home was built in 1907 for his father, Arthur Graham Rymill and named ‘Whitehead.’ It now serves as the residence of the principal of Lincoln College. The couple welcomed their first daughter, Rosemary, in 1937.
With the outbreak of war in 1939, Arthur volunteered for the Royal Australian Navy but was told that the only suitable position available was for a stoker (engineer.) He enlisted as a private in the 2/14th Field Regiment (artillery) of the 2nd Australian Imperial Force and was commissioned as a Lieutenant in January 1941 but sustained a knee injury during training in New South Wales and was discharged in April. Arthur returned to his Adelaide law practice and the couple’s second daughter, Annabel, was born in 1942.
Public Life
Arthur was re-elected to the Adelaide City Council in December 1945 and was elected Lord Mayor in July 1950.
Margaret Rymill was a somewhat reluctant Lady Mayoress with ‘Lady Kitty,’ the one time ‘social editress’ of the Advertiser writing in a 1953 article that Margaret was ‘diffident’ about taking the role of Lady Mayoress but that:
‘Charm has won the day, and with tact and dignity she has attained a happy popularity.’
1951 marked the Jubilee of Australian Federation and the Lord and Lady Mayoress hosted various receptions and teas however a highlight of that year was the Children’s Jubilee Ball - a fancy dress ball for one thousand children between 7 and 13 years old held on 14 April. It was the first of it’s kind since Lady Bonython’s Red Cross Children’s Ball in 1928.
In July 1951 Adelaide received a widespread and heavy snowfall and the Lady Mayoress was photographed driving the Lord Mayor’s vehicle at Mount Lofty.
The coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on 2 June 1953 was the cause of much celebration with a Coronation Young People’s Ball on 6 June at the Adelaide Town Hall. Hosted by the Lord and Lady Mayoress and attended by one thousand guests including the Governor, the acting Premier and Chief Justice, the Town Hall was decorated by the Lady Mayoress with the assistance of her sister, Colleen Angas Parsons and others.
Later in 1953, perhaps inspired by the coronation of another young Queen, the Lady Mayoress’ room in Town Hall was renamed the ‘Queen Adelaide Room’ and a council committee authorised the expenditure of 300 pounds for cabinets to display relics of Queen Adelaide. The centrepiece of the decorations was a portrait of Queen Adelaide which had been loaned to council by Queen Elizabeth.
In December the Lady Mayoress opened a popular Christmas tree festival. The festival featured large trees decorated by national groups and 41 smaller trees decorated by prominent Adelaide hostesses and entered into a competition which was judged by Lady Bonython.
The undoubted highlight of Margaret’s tenure as Lady Mayoress was the 1954 royal visit of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip, the Duke of Edinburgh, the first visit of a reigning monarch to Adelaide and Australia. Two years before, in 1952, Princess Elizabeth had planned an official tour of Australia after her private visit to Kenya, however news of the death of her father had forced her to return to England. A year-long period of mourning and her subsequent coronation meant that the tour was delayed until 1954.
The Lord and Lady Mayoress hosted a garden party at the Elder Gardens;
‘... enabling Her Majesty and the Duke to mingle freely among the several thousand guests. She engaged in animated conversation with many South Australians from all walks of life.’
The Royal visit was Margaret’s last great reception as Lady Mayoress with Arthur not contesting the June mayoral election but remaining as a councillor, a position he held until 1964 when Rymill Park was named in his honour.
Sir Arthur received a knighthood in 1954 and was elected to the Legislative Council in 1956, serving until 1975.
Lady Margaret Rymill who had been feted for her floral arrangements during her time at Town Hall, turned her hand to painting and published a book of her floral paintings in 1984.
Sir Arthur Rymill died in 1989.
Lady Margaret Rymill died in 2004.
By Lincoln Schulz, HerStory Project
The HerStory project came about to recognise and celebrate the lives and the achievements of Women’s work in South Australia and was initiated in 2015 on the 175th anniversary of the City of Adelaide, by Genevieve Theseira-Haese, Lady Mayoress of Adelaide. The stories collected offer a unique perspective of Adelaide and South Australia that form a different history to what is often heard. This community built initiative is supported by the City of Adelaide and the History Trust of South Australia.
Lincoln Schulz, HerStory Project, ‘Lady Margaret Rymill ’, SA History Hub, History Trust of South Australia, https://sahistoryhub.history.sa.gov.au/people/lady-margaret-rymill, accessed 16 January 2022.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Australia License.
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Chronicle, 'Mt. Lofty Ranges', 26 July 1951, p22.
Lady Kitty, 'About People', The Advertiser, 10 January 1951, p10.
Manning, H, 'Rymill, Sir Arthur Campbell (1907–1989)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 18, (MUP), 2012.
The Advertiser, 'Crowd at Christmas Tree Festival', 5 December 1953, p17.
The Advertiser, 'Lady Mayoress' Part in Civic Life', 28 March 1953, p6.
The Australasian, 'Woman's Realm', 2 February 1935, p11.
The Mail, 'Brilliant setting at tonight's Town Hall Coronation Ball', 6 June 1953, p40.
The Sunday Herald, 'Queen Adelaide Room', 27 September 1953, p6.
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Healthcare Industry News: RITA Medical
Devices Personnel
OmniSonics Announces Additions to Senior Management Team
WILMINGTON, Mass., Jan. 9 (HSMN NewsFeed) -- OmniSonics Medical Technologies, Inc., developer of the Resolution® Endovascular System, today announced the appointment of Trent C. Reutiman, Vice President of Sales, and Jeffrey J. Vaitekunas, Ph.D., Chief Biophysicist, to its senior management team. The additions strengthen the Company's technical and sales leadership as it launches its first commercial product.
Mr. Reutiman joins the Company from RITA Medical Systems, Inc., where he was Vice President of Sales and Marketing. He brings to OmniSonics greater than 15 years of medical device sales experience. While at RITA, Mr. Reutiman assisted in transitioning the company through its IPO and provided key leadership as the sales team grew to greater than 45 reps. Mr. Reutiman's prior experience includes sales management positions with Cardio Thoracic Systems, a division of Guidant Corporation, and Cordis, a Johnson & Johnson company. Mr. Reutiman holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Colorado State University and a M.B.A. from the University of California, Irvine.
Dr. Vaitekunas is a nationally recognized scientist in the field of therapeutic ultrasound, holding 17 patents and authoring numerous publications. He played a key role in Johnson & Johnson's (J&J) successful acquisition and ongoing development of UltraCision® and its Harmonic Scalpel® line of products. In addition, he is a Patent Agent licensed to practice law in front of the United States Patent and Trademark Office and will have significant responsibilities for OmniSonics' extensive patent estate. He holds a B.S.E.E. from Purdue University, a M.S. in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics from Northwestern University and a Ph.D. in Bioengineering and Engineering Mechanics from the University of Cincinnati.
"Trent and Jeff are critical components in the completion of the build-out of our senior management team," noted Richard G. Ganz, OmniSonics' President and Chief Executive Officer. "With our initial sales team in place, Trent will provide direction and leadership for the launch of our first product and keep the team focused on clinician satisfaction and revenue growth. His experience allows us to aggressively build out our rep organization. In the field of therapeutic ultrasound, Jeff is one of the most respected and knowledgeable scientists. He will lead the technical development of OmniWave(TM) technology for new applications throughout the vasculature. We are delighted to have them both as members of the team," he added.
About OmniSonics Medical Technologies, Inc.
OmniSonics Medical Technologies, Inc., headquartered in Wilmington, Massachusetts, is a privately held medical device company focused on bringing breakthrough products for vascular occlusive disease to market. The Company's patented OmniWave technology is the first technology that enables the delivery of acoustic energy over an entire active length of a small diameter wire. OmniWave is designed to have broad applications in peripheral and coronary vascular occlusive conditions.
About the Resolution Endovascular System
The Resolution Endovascular System consists of two primary components, the Generator and the Resolution System Kit. The Resolution System Kit consists of a handpiece with attached wire and accessory irrigation tubing. The Generator controls an electrical signal to power the handpiece. The handpiece converts the electronic signal from the generator to low-power ultrasonic energy transmitted down the length of the Resolution Therapeutic Wire. The Resolution Therapeutic Wire distributes ultrasonic energy waves that generate a cavitational streaming effect that breaks the fibrin bonds.
The Resolution Endovascular System is easy to set up; Power-on -- Plug-in -- Prime. Treatment with the Resolution Endovascular System utilizes typical interventional technique and is compatible with common interventional devices (5Fr and .035" wire compatibility).
For more information, please visit the Company's website at http://www.omnisonics.com.
Source: OmniSonics Medical Technologies
Search: OmniSonics Medical Technologies
Search: Trent C. Reutiman
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Lieut. Harman Shanley, late 5th Connaught Rangers – an update
Nearly two years ago I published a post about an intriguing set of medals for sale on eBay, that had belonged to Lieut. Shanley of 5/Connaught Rangers. In addition to ‘Pip, Squeak and Wilfred’, there were also US and French Second World War medals. What was especially interesting for me, was that the British War Medal had a long list of unofficial bars, from the Battle of Kosturino onwards.
Recently I was delighted to hear from the current custodian of the medals, Peter Power-Hynes MA, FRGS, FRSA, FRSAI. Peter kindly provided some more information about Lieut. Shanley.
Patrick Harman Shanley was born in Athlone in 1896. He landed in Salonika just after the withdrawal from Gallipoli. He emigrated to USA in the 1930s and became a Roman Catholic Priest. He served as a US Army Chaplain during the Second World War, hence the US and French medals. In 1953 he became a Bishop and died in 1970 – coincidentally my first article was published on the 49th anniversary of his death! Bishop Hanley is buried in Florida and is commemorated online, where his unusual set of medals can be seen:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/23294569/patrick-h-shanley
Peter also tells me that there are quite a few letters from him in The Ranger Journal which was issued twice a year up to 1969 by his former commanding officer, Lieut. Col. HFN Jourdain.
Lt Col Jourdain and Captain J B E Massy (adjutant) outside the large bivouac shelter at Kajali, which was used as Battalion HQ whilst the 5th Connaught Rangers were in the line on Kosturino Ridge, November-December 1915. PHOTOGRAPHS RELATING TO THE SERVICE OF LIEUTENANT COLONEL H F N JOURDAIN WITH THE 5TH CONNAUGHT RANGERS DURING THE FIRST WORLD WAR” (click on image to see full size) © IWM (Q 55142)
The 5th Connaught Rangers preparing to march toward the front line in Serbia, November 1915. PHOTOGRAPHS RELATING TO THE SERVICE OF LIEUTENANT COLONEL H F N JOURDAIN WITH THE 5TH CONNAUGHT RANGERS DURING WWI (click on image to see full size) © IWM (Q 55131)
Men of the 5th Connaught Rangers with two Bulgarian prisoners at Tatarli, 28 November 1915. PHOTOGRAPHS RELATING TO THE SERVICE OF LIEUTENANT COLONEL H F N JOURDAIN WITH THE 5TH CONNAUGHT RANGERS DURING WWI (click on image to see full size) © IWM (Q 55129)
Finally, I’m sure Peter won’t mind me mentioning that, aside from his roles in various Irish organisations in London, he also happens to be Assistant Curator of the London Irish Rifles Museum. 2/18th (County of London) Battalion TF (London Irish Rifles) served in Salonika with 60th (2/2nd London) Division from the end of 1916 to mid-1917, when they went to Egypt.
London Irish Rifles Museum
2/18th (County of London) Battalion TF (London Irish Rifles) – an account of their time in Greece (and more)
Author scswebeditorPosted on 11th Dec 2020 Categories Salonika StoriesTags 10th Division, 60th Division, Resources, Roll of honour
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Matthew Scherer
Areas of Research: Democratization, Political Theory, United States, Religion, Secularism, Constitutionalism
Laurie Schintler
Associate Professor of Public Policy; Director, Transportation Policy, Operations and Logistics, Masters Program; Associate Director of Center for the Study of International Medical Policies and Practices
Areas of Research: Gender, Quantitative Methods, Regional Development, Science and Technology Policy, Transportation Policy, Social Media, “Big Data,” Information Technology
Alan R. Shark
Areas of Research: Technology Leadership in Government, Civic Media and Digital Service Delivery, IT Governance, Cyber Security Policy and Governance
Louise I. Shelley
Omer L. and Nancy Hirst Professor of Public Policy, University Professor; Director, Terrorism, Transnational Crime and Corruption Center
Areas of Research: Corruption, Human Trafficking, Illicit Trade, International Security, Soviet Successor States, Terrorism, Transnational Crime
J.P. Singh
Areas of Research: Global Political Economy, Cultural Economics, Global Governance and Development, Socio-economic Impact of Information Technologies, Global Diplomacy and Deliberations
Sita Nataraj Slavov
Professor of Public Policy
Areas of Research: Economic Policy, Microeconomics, Economics of Aging, Political Economy, Public Finance, Quantitative Methods
Rainer Sommer
Associate Professor of Public Policy and Enterprise Engineering
Areas of Research: Business Process Analysis, Change Management, Enterprise Engineering, Enterprise Resource Planning, Industrial Organization, Transportation Policy
Jessica Srikantia
Areas of Research: Leadership; Organizations; International Development; Democratization; Education Policy; Globalization, Structural Violence, and De-Globalization; Critical Management Studies; Peace and Justice Studies
Bonnie Stabile
Associate Professor; Associate Dean for Student and Academic Affairs; Director, Master of Public Administration Program; Director, Gender and Policy Center
Areas of Research: Gender, Policy Analysis, Program Evaluation, Bioethics, and Ethics in Public Policy
Matthew P. Steinberg
Associate Professor, Director, EdPolicyForward
Dr. Matthew P. Steinberg is an Associate Professor of Education and Public Policy in the College of Education and Human Development and the Schar School of Policy and Government and the Director of EdPolicy Forward: The Center for Education Policy at George Mason University. Dr.
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Home > JOURNALS > MULR > Vol. 57 > Iss. 1 (1973)
Testamentary Dispositions to "Children" as Including Illegitimates: A Change in Wisconsin Law?
William W. Taibl
William W. Taibl, Testamentary Dispositions to "Children" as Including Illegitimates: A Change in Wisconsin Law?, 57 Marq. L. Rev. 173 (1973).
Available at: https://scholarship.law.marquette.edu/mulr/vol57/iss1/8
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Science Market News
India’s renewable energy capacity expansions may reach a five-year high
Renewable capacity commissioning started to pick up as India’s second wave of Covid-19 faded. In the first seven months of FY2021/22, a record number of 8.6GW of the renewable energy (RE) capacity was installed, with 7.6GW of that being solar. When compared to year-over-year renewable deployments of about 5.7GW in the FY2019/20 as well as 2.6GW in FY2020/21, this is a significant increase. During the first 7 months of FY2021/22, investment in the RE industry increased dramatically, reaching US$14.2 billion, up from US$5.1 billion in the FY2019/20 as well as US$1.8 billion in the FY2020/21 for the very same period.
Since July 2021, when a 2.5-year solar anti-dumping tariff regime on the imported solar modules and cells ended, solar producers have been taking advantage of a “duty-free” window to import modules. The window will close in April 2022, when a 40 percent basic customs duty (BCD) will be levied. However, module prices have risen due to raw material supply chain bottlenecks in the solar module manufacturing industry. India is attempting to develop considerable domestic module manufacturing capacity in order to lessen its reliance on imported modules, which are subject to price fluctuation.
India’s renewable capacity additions could exceed 15GW at this rate of solar commissioning. Thermal capacity has suffered net losses on the grid over the same time period, having 2.1GW of the coal-fired capacity added vs 2.4GW withdrawn by October 2021.
To reach renewable energy ambitions, the investment must increase.
At COP26, India’s climate action promises drew mixed reviews. Many applauded the near-term goal of generating 50% of power from clean energy sources, but many were disappointed by the lack of a detailed plan to shut down coal power generation capacity. India, on the other hand, has pledged to phase out coal-fired power facilities. This is a significant commitment from a developing nation with lofty goals for economic growth and other social goals like energy security and job creation.
The shift to clean energy is going to be market-driven, given the pressing need to guarantee energy security as well as self-reliance in order to fulfill India’s expanding electrical demand. Renewables, as the most cost-effective source of electricity, are going to win the race in the long run.
Annual capacity additions will have to increase to 35GW by 2030 to fulfill the mega objective of about 450GW of the renewable energy capacity (500GW incorporating large hydro). This will necessitate significant investments not only in the renewable energy capacity, yet also in transmission and distribution network growth and modernization, as well as critical grid firming technologies like battery and pumped hydro storage.
The renewable energy business in India saw a lot of money flow in October 2021. This includes the following:
Adani Green Energy has completed its 100 percent acquisition of Soft Bank’s SB Energy for US$3.5 billion, with a total capacity of 5GW.
Reliance Industries’ newly-established division Reliance New Solar Energy has completed a 100 percent acquisition of REC Solar Holdings, Norway’s leading solar cell and module manufacturer.
The IREDA (Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency) has approved a loan of US$184 million to renewable energy firm Vector Green.
Cleantech Solar secured a loan of US$26 million from the NIIF (National Infrastructure Investment Fund).
NIIF, which is a sovereign wealth fund, partly held by the Indian government and backed by Axis, ICICI, HDFC, and Kotak Mahindra.
By Gregory Slominsky
Rocket Lab won the Synspective contract after launching two BlackSky satellites
Due to a lack of transmission infrastructure, a renewable energy hotspot in North Queensland has come to a halt
Greenbyte will help the UK’s National Energy to optimize its growing renewables portfolio
Despite agreements to reduce methane emissions, satellites show record-high levels
SOFIA argues for the continuation of operations
More Leostella satellite buses are being ordered by Loft Orbital
The Space Force will use navigation details from the LEO constellations to identify electronic interference
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Residential solar – New state policy, federal incentives could make this a break-out year
Peter Dye April 5, 2020 4:03 pm
By Guest Columnist PETER DYE, academic manager at Oglethorpe University and clean energy advocate Solar power is on the rise for Georgia’s businesses, and more and more companies are jumping on board this trend due to ...
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Georgia Legislature provides a few wins for environmentalists: Solar energy, plastic bags
David Pendered March 29, 2015 9:47 pm
Georgia lawmakers have resolved two bills in favor of environmentalists – by passing one bill that promotes the installation of solar power, and by killing another that aimed to prevent local governments from regulating plastic ...
Georgia’s solar industry adds jobs as PSC calls for more solar energy
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Georgia has climbed to 16th place in the nation in 2013 for the number of workers in the solar industry, according to a new report by The Solar Foundation. Georgia has added some 1,800 solar jobs ...
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Solar energy meeting follows PSC ruling that Ga. Power significantly expand its solar portfolio
David Pendered July 17, 2013 12:45 am
Now that Georgia's utility regulator has authorized the additional development of solar power in the state, attention is turning to questions of how that power will be governed. In less than a year, Georgia’s Public Service ...
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The Atlanta BeltLine Vision is Advancing in Momentous Ways People, Places & Parks Thought Leadership
By Rob Brawner, Executive Director of Atlanta BeltLine Partnership Over the past 15 years with the Atlanta BeltLine Partnership, I have witnessed the Atlanta BeltLine transform from concept to concrete—both figuratively and literally – and the momentum has never been stronger. As our partners at Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. (ABI) have captured in this year-end video, significant accomplishments were made in 2021 to move the full Atlanta BeltLine vision forward, including delivery of three new trail segments, the opening of Westside Park, the launch of the Legacy Resident Retention Program, substantial affordable housing production, and more. Like all BeltLine progress, these milestones could not be accomplished without robust public, private, non-profit, and community partnerships. The most important milestone, though, has been the commitment by Atlanta’s leaders and the community to complete the full 22-mile BeltLine trail corridor by 2030. Before 2021, funding for completion of the BeltLine’s backbone had been uncertain due to early litigation, recessions, the COVID-19 pandemic, and other funding challenges. Catalyzed by passage of the Special Service District (SSD) in March, more than $300 million of the $350 million needed to finish the trail corridor has been secured from local, federal, and philanthropic sources, and the remaining funds are being aggressively pursued. With every new section of the BeltLine improving connectivity, quality of life, and Atlanta’s economic competitiveness, the importance of locking in these funds cannot be overstated. A few key things made this possible, and they provide learnings that can be helpful for other components of the BeltLine and other city projects. Outcomes for people. While tempting to focus on the 15 miles of trail corridor that will be completed, the BeltLine and other infrastructure projects are ultimately investments to improve people’s lives. As Atlanta charted its course for an equitable economic recovery from the COVID-induced recession, our leaders recognized the BeltLine could create a stronger future for our residents. In addition to the clear health and wellness benefits, completion of the corridor will spur: A projected $10 billion in economic impact ($7.9 billion in private investment has been catalyzed through 2020) 50,000 permanent jobs (approximately 23,300 forecasted for 2019) 5,600 units of affordable housing (2,666 already delivered) $12 million in funding to support small businesses Up to $150 million in construction funds targeted towards minority-owned contractors Urgency. It has been difficult at times to elevate the BeltLine amid other competing civic priorities, as people tend to think there will always be enough time to finish a multi-decade project. That has changed. A major shift occurred when ABI and funding partners recognized that continuing a piecemeal approach to completing the corridor – which was necessary when the BeltLine was in a proof-of-concept phase – would not deliver the full 22-mile loop and its myriad benefits before the BeltLine’s main funding source, the Tax Allocation District (TAD), expires in 2030. Equally important was the understanding that the sooner we could provide certainty the trail corridor would be completed, the faster it would spur new development that, in turn, will increase the amount of TAD funding to deliver all BeltLine components, including affordable housing, transit, parks, art, and equitable economic development. Clear implementation and funding plan. Investors – including taxpayers, elected officials, federal agencies, and philanthropists – needed a clear roadmap to completion. Acknowledging there is uncertainty in any multi-year plan, BeltLine development is far enough along that ABI and its partners were able to set a clear schedule and budget based on their experience building the (very complex) BeltLine trail corridor. The $350-million funding plan, anchored by ABI’s $100 million commitment of TAD funding, was vetted and validated with key investors to build alignment that has resulted in multiple funding sources being committed. Public and private leadership. Many leaders across multiple sectors have come together to co-invest in this plan. Then-Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and Atlanta City Council led by passing the Special Service District (SSD) in March, matching ABI’s $100 million commitment. The seeds for the SSD had been planted years ago through the leadership of key commercial and apartment property owners who advanced it as a mechanism for those benefiting financially from the BeltLine to invest in its completion. Leadership from Georgia’s senators and congressional representatives, the Atlanta Regional Commission, and state agencies have helped secure critical federal funding, including the recent $16.46 million RAISE grant as well as Transportation Improvement Program grants. The philanthropic community has responded with an $80 million leadership gift from the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation through the Atlanta BeltLine Partnership that – together with other gifts being pursued as part of a broader campaign – will yield $100 million for corridor completion while also supporting new BeltLine parks, resident retention, and BeltLine programming. There is still much work to be done. Collaborative leadership from Mayor Andre Dickens and the new Atlanta City Council will be critical as ABI moves aggressively to complete the corridor in partnership with the PATH Foundation and others. At the Atlanta BeltLine Partnership, we continue to connect with new and longtime BeltLine donors to raise the remaining philanthropic funding needed to complete the BeltLine trail corridor and other BeltLine projects. For these donors, the Atlanta BeltLine is recognized as a proven investment that drives jobs, economic impact, and community well-being. Now is the time to be part of bringing the BeltLine vision to life for our city. Want to be part of Advancing the Vision? Contact Rob at rob@atlblp.org or call 404-446-4404 to find out more and how you can help. This is sponsored content.
MARTA Enters New Year With Safer System, Enhanced Security Programs Thanks to Efforts of MARTA Police Department
Advanced Training, Social Service Partnerships, & Collaborative Police Work Among MPD’s Accomplishments in 2021 The MARTA Police Department (MPD) ensured MARTA remained a safe, secure system for another year, accomplishing a significant reduction in violent crimes in 2021, providing additional training and certification for officers, and partnering with social service organizations to improve the customer experience. In 2021, MPD reported a 17 percent reduction in Part 1 crimes (violent and property crimes) compared to 2020, specifically a 32 percent reduction in robberies and 20 percent reduction in aggravated assaults. Additionally, the department boasted an almost 100 percent clearance rate for aggravated assault cases and an 87 percent clearance rate for robberies, meaning a criminal was arrested, charged, or turned over to the court system for prosecution. In the past year, MARTA police officers responded to over 100,000 calls for service from customers using 851 or MARTA’s See&Say app. New technology such as handheld fare readers and RapidID monitors, along with new weapons, and upgrades to the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) robot helped officers better handle crimes from fare evasion to a suspicious package. Officers underwent advanced training in crisis intervention, de-escalation techniques, and implicit bias, further assisting them in navigating situations where emotions and stress levels are high. MPD’s partnerships with fellow law enforcement agencies in the past year provided additional officer visibility and security to the MARTA system and surrounding communities. Last July, MPD’s Central Precinct partnered with the Atlanta Police Department and Georgia State University law enforcement on a joint crime suppression detail where an officer from each agency patrolled the Georgia State rail station and nearby neighborhoods. A similar detail consisting of MARTA and Atlanta bicycle officers patrolled the Lindbergh/Morosgo area and reported a seven percent reduction in crime. “These joint details are important community-style policing efforts that ensure people feel safe and that their property is secure whether they are riding MARTA or working and living near a rail station,” said MARTA Police Chief Scott Kreher. “I truly believe there is no more noble profession that law enforcement and I am proud of the work our officers are doing during a challenging time as the pandemic enters its third year.” MARTA Police Department Field Protective Specialists remain an integral part of the Authority’s MARTA Hope Program. These trained, unarmed specialists accompany social service professionals from HOPE Atlanta as they assist and support homeless individuals on the MARTA system. The program, started in August 2020 as COVID-related homelessness increased, is designed to find solutions that safeguard customers and employees, minimize the need to involve MARTA police in non-criminal activities, and treat everyone with dignity and respect. Since its inception, the program has engaged over 3,000 individuals and in many cases connected them with resources and support services. MPD’s accomplishments in 2021, that included certifying 19 new Tactical Field Officers and improving regional law enforcement partnerships with updated memorandums of understanding, earned the department an important recertification of state and federal accreditation standards. This is sponsored content.
The Importance of Building and Measuring Resilience in Our Community
As we look back on the last two years, everyone has experienced challenges. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, the negative mental health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic will continue their impact through 2029. Families First knows the families we serve were already hurting, and their trauma has been made worse during the pandemic. “I’ve got a full team of people here working on my behalf. All I have to do is hold up my end of the bargain too.” Darrell B., Families First Client We are seeing exciting progress with our clients with our wrap-around services focused on building resilience and ensuring they feel safer, more stable, and have access to the social and community support needed to move from surviving to thriving. Our families now benefit from new behavioral health assessments and services that help them learn to build psychosocial resilience. We pair our clinical services with a Navigator – a family quarterback – who stays at our families’ sides. We are meeting our clients where they are and helping them navigate to stability during unimaginable hardships. From March 2021 to October 2021, the Families First Navigator Model has served more than 90 households and impacted the lives of 379 individuals. Most of the individuals impacted were children and youth under 18 years of age (61%), while 39% were adults 18 years of age or older. The program has served more female clients (66%) than male clients (34%) and has also predominately served communities of color (97%). Our team has helped families like Darrell’s build their resilience and create a support network. One of the first steps in our Navigator Model is the Families First Resiliency Needs Screener (FFRNS-14), a fourteen-item resilience screening tool that measures three main areas of psychosocial resilience including: Access to health and mental health services Connectedness – social health Future & goal orientation We understand firsthand the needs of clients today, but we want to be intentional in helping people combat the needs of ‘tomorrow.’ The learned skills of resiliency can be passed along for generations to come. Used as a first line of “Access” the Screener helps families and professional helpers understand their healthcare resources so that in time of need they can be connected and/or help others to access these essential resources. Access transcends socioeconomic status. Whether you have healthcare insurance or not, people usually do not dive deep into knowing all the services for which they are eligible. We tend to be reactive naturally because of shifting priorities in our day-to-today lives. Many become aware of some of these services once a crisis has occurred, but preventive care is nonexistent. Families First’s Navigators pair the “Access” score with a client’s assessment of the Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) to customize a service plan that helps increase the scores in this area. “Connectedness” is a protective factor for stress related diseases. It is also a protective factor for suicidal ideation, and mood disorders. Connectedness, bonds, and alliance is one of the most (if not the most) fundamental survival mechanisms of humankind. Individuals who can master social growth are capable of significant achievements. Connection with others is the grounds for empathy and collaboration to achieve any goal. This concept is best known as social intelligence, which is the ability to connect with others, establish new relationships, and maintain them all in a healthy manner. It takes mental health support to increase scoring in this category. Between social coaching and psychotherapeutic services, the practitioner should see improvements in this category. This is where we have seen some of the most compelling increases with clients. We know this is a vital part of the social determinants of health and how our clients can build their resilience. When asked, “I know people who can connect me to the resources I need in the community, we saw the following increase in just four months: 11% to 54% agree that they now have these social and community connections 6% to 31% strongly agree that they now have social and community connections “Goal and Future Orientation” is a person’s ability to see their lives ahead. Ideally, future orientation is how a person views themselves in the future as achieving their aspirations or at least being on the right track to achieve their short and long-term goals. Next to connectedness, future orientation is a major motivator to making healthy changes in one’s life. A major barrier to psychosocial recovery is when the person has little to no vision or aspiration beyond what is currently happening in his/her life. The Practitioner can put together a customizable plan to foster the development of the client’s ability to establish goals and aspirations and prepare a plan towards the person’s goals and objectives. We are all ready for some normalcy. Emotional readiness however takes preparation and some planning. We have learned that events like natural disasters and health-related phenomena such as pandemics are factors that can reshape our lives. To help us prepare for what may come and cope better with changes you should consider checking your resiliency level and how you can increase your ability to handle tough challenges life brings. We work closely with community partners to achieve success within our Navigator Care Model. Community partners have access to our FFRNS to measure the resiliency of their clients and work with us to put together comprehensive care plans and community connections. One example of the importance of community collaborations is the ReCast Grant in Lawrenceville. Families First is part of a coalition of community partners including the City of Lawrenceville, Impact46 and Georgia Center for Opportunity. With the five-year, $5-million federal grant from the Resiliency in Communities After Stress and Trauma (ReCast) program administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA), this group is working together to increase access to mental health services and reduce trauma among high-risk youth and their families; increase access to social services; strengthen community relations; and increase diverse voices in city government. […]
ATL Action for Racial Equity Plan Attracts More Than 180 Regional Companies To Move the Needle on Racial Equity
Last week, the Metro Atlanta Chamber (MAC) announced ATL Action for Racial Equity, a multi-year, multi-step action plan designed to help address the ongoing effects of systemic racism impacting the Black community. In just a few days since launch, 30 additional metro Atlanta-based companies ranging in size and industry joined the initiative – to-date totaling more than 180 participating organizations. These companies and leaders will leverage the size, scale and expertise of the region’s business community to advance racial equity. Invitations to the initiative remain open, and MAC is inviting all businesses across metro Atlanta to sign on. ATL Action for Racial Equity focuses on measurable actions across corporate policies, inclusive economic development, education and workforce development – critical areas in addressing the region’s immobility and inequity challenges. See quotes below from the region’s business leaders on why they chose to participate and why this initiative is important, now more than ever. Reach out to atlactionforracialequity@macoc.com to learn more. Ed Bastian, CEO Delta Air Lines and 2021 Board Chair, Metro Atlanta Chamber: “In metro Atlanta, our differences are our strength. We work together to make our community and the world better. We are not perfect, but we are committed to preserving and holding up this region’s legacy, especially now. As we tackle economic recovery, public health and the disproportionate impacts on our Black community, our business community must do its part. This is a moral and economic imperative as we work to grow our region’s competitiveness today and into the future.” Jimmy Etheredge, CEO North America, Accenture: “Accenture is proud to collaborate with the Metro Atlanta Chamber and business leaders across Atlanta to take action on building a more equitable future for our community. Together, we are acting, we are leading, and we are driving change.” Steve Koonin, CEO, Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena: “We proudly support ATL Action for Racial Equity and promise that our franchise will continue taking the steps and supporting the causes that lead to equity for all in our city.” Rohit Malhotra, Founder and Executive Director, Center for Civic Innovation: “The Center for Civic Innovation mission and day to day operations are designed to fight for an equity-centered Atlanta. The business community in Atlanta has a long and complicated history with equity in our city— we’re glad to see the Metro Atlanta Chamber call on companies and institutions to take measurable actions that align with their publicly stated values and sentiments. It is in this city’s best interest for this effort to succeed.” Jenna Kelly, President, Truist Northern Georgia Region, Truist Bank: “At Truist, we firmly believe in building more just, inclusive, and equitable communities by standing for social justice, denouncing racism in all forms, and partnering with people and organizations who are as committed to equity we are. As we continue to have intentional dialogue around the role we can play in advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion, we’re excited to join the ATL Action for Racial Equity to do our part in making a positive difference throughout Atlanta.” Mary Schmidt Campbell, President, Spelman College: “If metro Atlanta is to close the region’s stark wealth gap, we all have to commit to bold innovative solutions. Spelman College, committed to the educational excellence of the 2000 Black women who attend the College, is also committed to the educational excellence of students in our neighborhood schools. For the past three years, our students have enjoyed major success in improving the reading scores of students in our neighborhood Washington Cluster Schools. We intend to launch a program that will accomplish improvements in math proficiency. This commitment to the improvement of K-12 education is aligned with the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce’s business and community imperative to advance racial inclusion. We are proud to partner with MAC in their strategic approach to advocating for equity.” Kyle Porter, CEO, SalesLoft: “The social justice and equity issues facing our companies, city, and nation are complex and intense. At SalesLoft we are committed to the necessary introspection, self-reflection, and action to be a more inclusive company because we believe it’s the right thing to do for our team, customers, and marketplace. SalesLoft is joining the ATL Action for Racial Equity because our internal efforts will be magnified and our progress accelerated through collaborative community work. Our community will become our ally and accountability partner providing the space to heed best practices, share wisdom, and generate ideas that will positively impact us all. Russ Torres, President, Kimberly-Clark Professional: “At Kimberly-Clark, we believe racial equity and justice are moral issues that must be addressed through comprehensive actions to enact meaningful and sustainable change. We are moving with urgency. Therefore, we are proud to partner with ATL Action for Racial Equity in this mission. Their disciplined, multi-year plan leverages the collective strength of metro Atlanta employers to support focused corporate policies that foster inclusive workforce and community development. With more than 1,500 Kimberly-Clark employees in the metro Atlanta area, this initiative is uniquely personal to us. We believe the success of our company depends on creating workplaces, communities, and experiences where inclusion and diversity are evident and thriving. Together with ATL Action for Racial Equity, we look forward to creating a vibrant and more inclusive region that offers opportunity, growth, and long-term value for all.” Elie Maalouf, CEO, Americas, InterContinental Hotel Group: “We applaud the Metro Atlanta Chamber on this initiative and stand with our peers in the Atlanta business community to advance diversity and inclusion. This commitment and collaboration reflect IHG’s values and inclusive culture, and builds on our own efforts to bring lasting, sustainable progress for the region and our colleagues.” Paul Bowers (Chairman and CEO) and Chris Womack (President), Georgia Power: “At Georgia Power, we deeply value the diversity of our team and the communities we serve. That’s why we are committed to creating an environment where employees and customers feel a sense of belonging and can be their true authentic selves. We’re proud to be a part of the Metro Atlanta Chamber’s ATL Action for Racial Equity efforts to do the same here in Atlanta. We believe businesses working together to ensure equality is how we can make a collective impact, and we’re …
Optimism for 2022: Three Things Happening This Year That Will Bring New Energy to Midtown’s Street-Level Experience
By Ellie Hensley, Editor and Producer at Midtown Alliance New year, new things to experience at street-level in Midtown. Over the past several decades, we’ve seen the district transform into a thriving place. With guidance from the City of Atlanta and the help of our partners, we’ve worked to build an exceptional urban experience through public improvement projects such as bike lanes, public art installations, public safety patrols, virtual and in-person events. Already in 2022, we’ve hit the ground running, building largely off our work plans from previous years. We also have exciting new initiatives planned throughout the year that we can’t wait to share with you. The best place to truly experience the positive transformation in Midtown is on the street, preferably on foot. Here’s a peek into three things you can expect to see in Midtown this year: – Expanded Homeless Outreach Efforts: Midtown Alliance is funding a full-time caseworker to spend time in the district via Intown Collaborative Ministries (ICM), a non-profit whose mission is to prevent and reverse homelessness and hunger. ICM’s goal is to get people who are experiencing homelessness into permanent housing. It also has established connections with shelters, medical facilities, mental health facilities and resources to help people with documentation to find jobs and housing. Bringing on a case manager who focuses daily on Midtown will better assist our Midtown Blue personnel in reaching those we haven’t been able to help in the past, and we’re excited about the impact this pilot partnership can have on our district. – An Invitation to Safely Reconnect: Several of Midtown’s public open space projects are poised to come online this year, building out the community’s aspirations that predate the pandemic to create small outdoor public spaces throughout the district. Construction is underway on the Peachtree Street at Peachtree Place Public Plaza, which will yield a small plaza with flexible use spaces, landscaping, lighting and art elements at a historic Midtown corner. We’re wrapping up maintenance on the southwest and southeast corners of Arts District Plaza, and we plan to add new street furniture early this year. Next up, we’re breaking ground on enhancements to 10th Street Park that include a dog park, play area and activity zone. After two years (and counting) of a public health situation that has kept many people indoors, spaces like these provide not only fresh air, but a place to safely reconnect with others. We aim to get them completed as soon as construction and supply chain timelines allow. – New Places to Discover: More than 50 small businesses opened in Midtown over the course of the last year, including a number of new additions to the restaurant scene. These included BK Lobster, Nagomiya, Cathy’s Ice Cream Sandwiches, Steak Market, Taste of Greece, and more than a dozen restaurants and food stalls at the reimagined Colony Square, which unveiled its food hall concept Politan Row last summer. And there’s more to look forward to this year, including Fin & Feathers, a “Nu American Soul” restaurant on Crescent Avenue, T’s Brunch Bar on Peachtree Street, and Fit For a Queen, an apparel shop opening this month. Find a list of ways to support these businesses here. We enter this new year with a lot of uncertainty and another spike in COVID-19 cases that is causing new disruption. But there is a lot to look forward to experiencing in Midtown in 2022. Onward! Check out our newsletters to stay up to date on what’s happening in our district. This is sponsored content.
Celebrating Criminal Justice Champions in Georgia
by Natasha Dowell, Lending Associate, Southeast, Reinvestment Fund The murders of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor in 2020 sparked a racial reckoning within our country and across the world. For Reinvestment Fund, the deaths of these and countless other Black people were painful, poignant reminders of our need to continue calling out and addressing the systemic causes of inequities in our society. We committed to expanding the focus of racial equity in our work, be anti-racists, and fight for justice and freedom from oppression. As a part of this commitment, Reinvestment Fund has awarded grants to five nonprofit organizations in Georgia and Pennsylvania for their work in criminal justice reform. For more than 35 years, Reinvestment Fund has disrupted inequitable investment practices and worked in places underserved by traditional capital sources. Part of this work includes our annual Community Champion Awards: a small grants program that recognizes nonprofit organizations aligned with Reinvestment Fund’s mission. Awardees are selected by an appointed staff committee that makes its choices from a pool of organizations nominated by staff. This year, the Community Champion Awards focused on criminal justice reform – the first time in the award’s history that it targeted a specific social issue. The award focused on nonprofit organizations that are effective change agents in criminal justice reform, recognizing that mass incarceration and inequities in policing and the justice system have significant impact on the communities we care about and its repercussions are far reaching. To demonstrate our commitment to supporting organizations that advance criminal justice reform, we increased this year’s award to four times the amount awarded in previous years, allowing us to donate to five organizations instead of one or two. The 2021 Community Champion Awardees are three organizations in Georgia and two organizations in Pennsylvania, where Reinvestment Fund has a main office: Georgia Justice Project Gangstas to Growers Southern Center for Human Rights Youth Sentencing and Reentry Project Terrance Lewis Liberation Foundation Georgia has the highest rate of people under correctional control in the country, which includes people who are incarcerated and on probation and parole. Georgia Justice Project, Gangstas to Growers, and Southern Center for Human Rights are each working to help Georgians affected by the criminal justice system. We talked with each organization to get an idea of the work they have done to advance criminal justice reform and the plans they have for the future. Georgia Justice Project Since 1986, Georgia Justice Project (GJP) has served Georgians impacted by the criminal legal system. GJP approaches social change in three distinct ways. First, GJP’s legal and social services span the entire criminal justice system: holistic criminal defense, reentry representation for incarcerated individuals, early termination of probation, criminal record clearing, and other reentry legal and social services – all provided free of charge to clients. Second, GJP advocates for a better Georgia and our policy work has resulted in 21 changed Georgia laws. Third, GJP works statewide to educate individuals and communities on criminal justice and reentry issues. Together these three approaches connect to achieve GJP’s overall goals to lower the number of people under correctional control and reduce barriers to reentry. “One mistake should not mean a lifetime without opportunity,” said Georgia Justice Project Executive Director Doug Ammar. “This support from the Reinvestment Fund will help GJP expand its commitment to Georgians impacted by the criminal justice system. The Reinvestment Fund’s support helps marginalized people get a second chance and furthers our mission to reduce crime and recidivism in our communities by empowering individuals to make positive changes in their lives.” Gangstas to Growers The second organization that received a Community Champion Award this year is Gangstas to Growers (G2G), the first program from The Come Up Project. The Come Up Project is a multi-faceted organization based in Atlanta that focuses on providing employment opportunities to formerly incarcerated people in marginalized communities. It provides a ‘come-up’ by developing the current and potential skill set of participants, while offering a pipeline into a viable career through placement or entrepreneurship. In 2016, the G2G program was launched. The program provides paid entrepreneurial internships for at-promise youth and formerly incarcerated individuals, to offer them a chance to participate in the legitimate economy. The overarching goal is to create a self-sufficient system that provides jobs, food manufacturing, paid education opportunities, selling power, and more for young people and their community. The Come Up Project and G2G founder Abiodun Henderson spoke about the intentionality with which the program works to achieve its vision. Henderson says: “We are proud that we are in this Pittsburgh Yards building, on ancestral land, and this is a historically Black neighborhood created by enslaved Black people. This land was used by Clark College before it became Clark Atlanta University for a farm in the early 1900s. Everything we do is with intention.” G2G has developed a robust curriculum with community partners where participants learn a wide range of life skills, including courses on communication, parenting, environmental responsibility, business development, political science, writing, finances, and repatriation. A key part of G2G’s work is centered on fostering entrepreneurship in agriculture and food. The program’s trainees developed a hot sauce called Sweet Sol that they make, package, market, and sell online and at Wadada Healthy Market and Juice Bar in West End, Atlanta. The program partners with many local urban farms like Truly Living Well and rural farms such as Wilburn farms and G4 Farms for their sauce ingredients and their bamboo operation. In September 2020, G2G won a James Beard Foundation Leadership Award for their work in keeping formerly incarcerated youth out of prison through jobs raising crops for their own communities. Southern Center for Human Rights Southern Center for Human Rights (SCHR) also received a Community Champion Award this year. In 1976, ministers and activities founded SCHR in response to the Supreme Court’s reinstatement of the death penalty as we as the horrific conditions in Southern prisons. Since then, SCHR has worked for equality, dignity, and justice for …
People, Places, and Parks
Great Parks and Recreation Systems Make Great Cities
By Michael Halicki, Park Pride’s Executive Director Amidst the excitement (and stress) that accompanied the end of 2021—family gatherings, Mayoral Inauguration events, and the emergence of Omicron—the City of Atlanta issued a press release that likely flew under the radars of all but those whose job it is to pay attention to such matters. Posted on December 30th, the headline reads: City of Atlanta Adopts New Master Plan to Advance Parks and Recreation. This is big news! The City of Atlanta hasn’t had a comprehensive plan for parks since 2009’s Project Greenspace under Mayor Shirley Franklin. And the fact that COVID-19 is likely to be with us for some time only underscores how essential our parks and recreation system has become. Since 2020, Atlantans have taken to local parks, trails, forests, rivers, and creeks in record numbers. There, they’ve found refuge, fresh air, and sunshine. The parks they visited helped combat depression linked to social isolation, allowing them to connect with family and friends safely and at a distance. Parks and recreation centers further served essential functions as food distribution points, COVID testing sites, and distance learning centers. It is clear now that parks are critical urban infrastructure—cornerstones of our community—that contribute to the resilience of our city. And it is time that Atlanta began to fund them as such. Park Pride is optimistic that the adoption of Activate ATL: Recreation and Parks for All (as the plan is known) will prove an important step towards this end. Among the many recommendations that have come out of this comprehensive plan for parks and recreation (which will require increased funding to implement), below are priorities that Park Pride is particularly encouraged by: Improve the condition of our existing facilities and prioritize locations, based on identified needs. Foster excellence in daily maintenance of parks and recreation facilities through investments in human capital, training, and resources. Invest in natural areas in parks for the dual purpose of preserving and protecting Atlanta’s abundant tree canopy and wildlife habitat, while encouraging visitation for human respite and refuge. Acquire park land strategically through property donations, purchases, public / private partnerships, or similar means to ensure parks are available and accessible throughout the city—with the goal of providing a park within a 10-minute walk of the population now and in the future. The adopted Activate ATL plan can be viewed in its entirety here: https://activate-atl.com/pdf/Activate_ATL_FullDocument_FINAL_Pages_WEB.pdf According to the City’s press release, Commissioner John Dargle of the Department of Parks and Recreation stated, “Activate ATL is rooted in the belief that great parks and recreation systems make great cities.” For our part, Park Pride is in the business of supporting communities to activate the power of parks and create great greenspaces. Over the coming weeks and months, we will continue to identify areas of alignment between Activate ATL and our strategic plan that can be leveraged for an even greater city-wide impact. Park Pride has been, and we will continue to be, collaborative partners with the Department of Parks and Recreation to achieve the ambitious goals for parks laid out in Activate ATL. This is sponsored content.
Experian and Operation HOPE Find Most Consumers Are Managing Credit Well Despite Pandemic Challenges
Average U.S. credit scores climb to 695 according to Experian’s State of Credit report and new HOPE Financial Wellness Index As we end the second summer since the arrival of COVID-19, Experian® today announced key findings from its 12th annual State of Credit report. This year’s report also serves as a launch for Operation HOPE’s all-new HOPE Financial Wellness Index, which will help shine a consistent light on the current state of consumer credit. Despite a challenging year and a half, the new data shows consumers are managing credit well with average credit scores climbing seven points since 2020 to 695 – the highest point in more than 13 years. “While consumers on average are managing their credit histories well, we know there are many communities in critical need of more financial education and resources” Tweet this According to Experian’s report, many consumers were managing credit well before the pandemic’s arrival and the accommodations afforded by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act may have helped consumers protect their financial health. At the same time, stay-at-home orders and record savings levels1 may have contributed to lower unsecured and total debt levels, lower credit utilization rates and fewer missed payments. This year, Experian is partnering with Operation HOPE – the nation’s largest nonprofit dedicated to improving financial literacy – to launch the HOPE Financial Wellness Index, which highlights the average credit score in every state and city. According to the index, consumers in Minnesota have the highest credit scores with an average of 726, followed by Vermont (719), New Hampshire (718), Washington (717) and Massachusetts (716). States with the lowest credit scores were found in the south, including Mississippi (666), Louisiana (669), Alabama (672), Oklahoma (672) and Texas (673). The HOPE Financial Wellness Index will be updated regularly and will be used to develop programming and identify communities most in need of financial education and resources. “We believe credit education plays an important role in driving financial inclusion and helping consumers reach their fullest potential,” said Alex Lintner, President Experian Consumer Information Services. “While these findings are positive, we recognize they do not tell the full story and many consumers face financial obstacles due to a limited credit history. We are committed to working with consumers, as well as our partners like Operation HOPE, to improve financial equity and access.” Given the unique circumstances of 2020, this year’s report compared credit trends over the last three years. While consumers took on more mortgage and auto debt, score improvements were supported by fewer missed payments, lower credit utilization rates and reduced card balances and total debt levels year-over-year and prior to the pandemic’s arrival. Highlights of Experian’s State of Credit report include: 2021 State of Credit Report 2019 2020 2021 Average VantageScore® 2 682 688 695 Median VantageScore 687 697 707 Average number of credit cards 3.0 3.0 3.0 Average credit card balance $6,494 $5,897 $5,525 Average revolving utilization rate 30% 26% 25% Average number of retail credit cards 2.50 2.42 2.33 Average retail credit card balance $1,930 $2,044 $1,887 Average nonmortgage debt $25,057 $25,483 $25,112 Average mortgage debt $210,263 $215,655 $229,242 Average auto loan or lease debt $19,034 $19,462 $20,505 Average 30–59 days past due delinquency rates 3.8% 2.4% 2.3% Average 60–89 days past due delinquency rates 1.9% 1.3% 1.0% Average 90–180 days past due delinquency rates 6.6% 3.8% 2.5% “While consumers on average are managing their credit histories well, we know there are many communities in critical need of more financial education and resources,” said John Hope Bryant, Operation HOPE founder and CEO. “By helping people raise their credit scores, we are empowering them to take advantage of one of our nation’s most democratic tools. From housing and employment to healthcare and education, credit worthiness can be leveraged to improve our overall quality of life. We’re committed to using the HOPE Financial Wellness Index as a force for good in the communities we serve.” Understanding generational differences State of Credit also spotlights how each generation is managing their debts, showing scores have improved for every generation year-over-year. This trend is attributed to declining utilization rates and fewer missed payments. Credit utilization rates have declined for nearly every generation since 2019 except Gen Z who saw a slight uptick year-over-year. Similarly, credit card balances decreased for consumers of all age groups except Gen Z who increased their balances by $115 year-over-year. Across the board, consumers are missing fewer payments, with notable improvements seen among the youngest consumers. Gen Z decreased their 90 – 180 days past due delinquency rate by 29 percent year over year to 1.73 in 2021. This is a 72 percent decrease from the same period in 2019. Millennials also decreased their 90 – 180 days past due delinquency rates to 1.73 percent in 2021, down from 4.4% in 2021 and 10.6 percent in 2019. Additional 2021 generational findings from Experian’s State of Credit report include: 2021 findings by generation Gen Z Gen Y Gen X Boomers Silent Average VantageScore® 660 667 685 724 730 Median VantageScore 674 678 699 755 741 Average number of credit cards 1.7 2.7 3.3 3.4 2.7 Average credit card balance $2,312 $4,569 $7,236 $6,230 $3,821 Average revolving utilization rate 31% 30% 30% 21% 13% Average number of retail credit cards 1.6 2.1 2.5 2.5 2.1 Average retail credit card balance $1,125 $1,819 $2,214 $1,887 $1,329 Average nonmortgage debt $12,524 $28,317 $32,898 $24,136 $11,725 Average mortgage debt $192,276 $255,527 $259,100 $198,203 $163,254 Average 30–59 days past due delinquency rates 2.1% 3.1% 3.0% 1.8% 1.1% Average 60–89 days past due delinquency rates 1.0% 1.3% 1.3% 0.8% 0.5% Average 90–180 days past due delinquency rates 1.7% 3.2% 3.4% 2.0% 1.3% A strong credit history and responsible credit management can help consumers save thousands of dollars over a lifetime. For example, a person with a low credit score may pay close to $3,000 more in interest to purchase a $10,000 used car3 and a person with a subprime credit score may pay $241 more per month or $86,503 more over the life of a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage loan than a person with a score of 760 or above4. …
Global Health: Low-Tech Donations Addressing Elderly Health Care in El Salvador
By Charles Redding, MedShare CEO & President El Salvador, like other Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries, faces significant challenges due to its fast-growing, aging population. In a recent article of ReVista – Harvard Review of Latin America, it was highlighted that the population over 60 years of age in El Salvador will represent 17 percent of the total in 2030, and 20 percent of the total population in the region by 2050. Unfortunately, for many very poor and elderly people, access to quality social services such as education, health and drinking water must be improved— measures that impact directly in the human and economic development of a country. Organizations like MedShare are working to improve access to quality healthcare for these marginalized communities, often by providing very low-tech donations that have profound impact on improving the overall quality of life. One of MedShare’s longstanding partners, Food for the Poor, brought to our attention a number of neglected elderly communities in El Salvador that developed a series of health-related issues due to the environment, diet and improper skin care. We partnered to deliver petroleum jelly to address a number of skin related issues that were leading to serious health issues. Sister Ana Beatriz, of the St. John of the Cross Health Clinic, shared that poverty remains very high, especially among the “peasants”. Though tourism helps to stimulate the economy, it has very few direct beneficiaries. Despite some advances, the residents of Laguna have not achieved much improvement in their living conditions over time because most of the La Montañona land is not suitable for subsistence agriculture. The elderly supports the very life of the community through subsistence agriculture. They leave their homes at 4 a.m. to take advantage of the morning freshness. They leave barefooted or at best in rubber flip flops. They reserve their shoes, if they have any, for going to church or official business in the town. The result is a rash of foot related skin diseases. Sister Beatriz also notes how the poor diet and excessive use of carbohydrates and sugar contribute to a rate of diabetes that is in excess of the national average. By 10 a.m. the sun is at its peak strength and the elderly suffer a loss of fluid in their bodies, which leads to dry skin on their legs, feet, elbows, and other areas. Dry skin can crack, causing infection. This is particularly dangerous to people with diabetes that have neuropathy. They may not realize they have a wound that has become infected. “Fortunately, with the donation of skin moisturizers from Food for the Poor and MedShare, we have been able to prevent these problems from happening by practicing good skin care habits,” said Sister Beatriz. In the department of Cabanas, the soil is acidic and volcanic. With more than 55 percent of the population being impoverished, the department ranks second in the country for poverty. Cabanas is home to cement production in El Salvador and the workers suffer from constant dry skin problems. Dry skin develops microscopic cracks which can cause more water loss from the skin. These cracks also allow irritants and bacteria to get into the skin. This small issue has often resulted in a serious one such as skin cancer or psoriasis. During the treatment of elderly patients, the Monsignor Rivera Damas Clinic staff noticed a higher rate of skin cancer in the past three years. According to the staff, the cement workers just did not pay attention to simple cracks in the beginning which changed to major life threatening situations. Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in El Salvador and the least likely to be detected. While not an exclusive solution to melanoma, skin moisturizers, like petroleum jelly, have helped to prevent incidences of cancer in rural communities. Often, simple donations such as petroleum jelly or shoes, can lead to lifelong health benefits, specifically in neglected communities with aging populations. We have witnessed the life-changing effect in El Salvador and in other countries dealing with skin diseases. The challenge we continue to hear is that the very poor do not value the health care made possible by a donation of something as simple as skin moisturizers and the temptation is to sell a bottled product in the market or not use it at all. However, these simple solutions can often prolong life. The petroleum jelly provided by MedShare were non resalable samples equal to a single day’s use. The clinics often gave a 2 – week supply to patients whom required skin care treatment. MedShare is grateful for partners, like Food for the Poor, that continue to fight to improve the conditions of marginalized communities by providing food, water, quality healthcare and hope. This is sponsored content.
Atlanta Region Matters
From the Hardwood to the Housing Market, Atlanta Businesses are Leading the Fight Against the Racial Wealth Gap
By Ashley Bell Amid the widespread racial justice movement that emerged last year following the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others, many large corporations were lauded for their work combatting the racial inequities that have plagued our nation since its inception. While these companies have certainly helped advance the cause, their efforts have fallen short of truly addressing the deeply entrenched inequalities in Black communities across the country. To be truly effective in this effort, we need companies and organizations of all shapes and sizes to step up to address the pressing issues of diversity, equity and inclusion, and provide resources to accelerate this much needed change. While this can seem like a daunting task, there are fortunately many groups that are already engaged that can provide a roadmap for those looking to get involved. Arguably one of the most well-known organizations taking up the mantle is the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks, which is refinancing the construction loan for the team’s Emory Sports Medicine Complex with a syndicate of Black-owned banks. The $35 million loan, which was facilitated with the support of the National Black Bank Foundation (NBBF), marked the first time that a professional sports franchise took out a significant loan that was underwritten exclusively by Black banks. To understand the significance of this loan, it is important to know the state of Black banks in the country today. Black banks are often the primary source for fair, non-predatory lending within the African American community, yet since 2001, their numbers have fallen by more than half. In 1976, there were 50 Black banks spread across the country, but according to the FDIC’s latest count, that number is now just 18. The loan taken out by the Hawks not only helps Black banks as it allows them to compete with the major commercial banks, but it is also a win for the Black community. The dearth of access to basic financial services in many Black neighborhoods has forced underserved populations to rely on predatory businesses like check-cashing and payday loans. But by supporting the health and growth of Black banks, the Hawks are not just helping these vital financial institutions but are ensuring equitable access to capital for underserved communities of color and helping close America’s racial wealth gap. It is not just professional sports teams and household names, however, that are working to upend racial inequities. There are many cases of less well-known organizations making a big impact in Black communities throughout the country. For example, there is the Atlanta-based real estate firm Ornstein-Schuler Investments (OSI), which has donated $25,000 to the NBBF to help modernize the Black banking sector. While OSI has contributed for the past two decades to improve the lives of the people in the communities they operate in, this particular donation could not come at a more opportune time. In 2019, 49 percent of Black households were underbanked or completely unbanked compared to just 15 percent of white households, according to the Federal Reserve. A large reason for this is the sad fact that the Black community has very few trustworthy banking options at its disposal. Investing in Black banks – whether it be by introducing new digital tools or expanding the number physical branch locations in minority neighborhoods – means also making an investment in Black-owned businesses and Black neighborhoods. That is why the Hawks’ and OSI’s contributions to the NBBF are so important to help modernize the black banking sector and ensure Black-owned businesses not only survive but thrive. The Atlanta Hawks and Ornstein-Schuler Investments are two great examples of organizations of different sizes doing their part to combat structural racism and inequities in Atlanta and beyond. But they can’t be the only ones. To make a real and lasting change, businesses and organizations large and small need to step up, speak out and make a difference through their voices and their donations. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once famously said “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter,” so do not be silent. Ashley Bell is a partner at the global law firm Dentons and co-founded the National Black Bank Foundation, which facilitated a first-in-professional sports deal between the Atlanta Hawks and 11 Black-owned banks. This is sponsored content.
Supporting Economic Development on the Westside
Westside Future Fund (WFF) is excited to be supporting thought leadership in the SaportaReport on Atlanta’s Historic Westside. At the October 15 Transform Westside Summit we announced the Westside Future Fund (WFF) PRI Program! A program-related investment (PRI) is low-cost capital that not-for-profit organizations can use to spur community development. Thanks to charitable support from Truist and PNC banks, WFF will provide low-cost loans to small, minority-owned businesses based in or serving the Historic Westside. This program builds on a pilot initially funded by AT&T and the Beloved Benefit. Our goal is to mobilize people with current, historical, or aspirational ties to the community to organically support the Westside’s economic development. The October 15 Transform Westside Summit highlighted the importance of economic empowerment of African American entrepreneurs with three special guest panelists – Courtney Smith from PNC Bank, Paul Wilson, Jr. from the Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs (RICE), and Keitra Bates of Marddy’s Shared Kitchen and Marketplace. A common theme from the panelists was the need for equity in access to capital for Black business owners. Keitra Bates noted that white startups have access to $100,000 from family, on average, while for black startups, it’s only $11,000. In June 2020, PNC Bank announced its bold $1 billion commitment to playing a role in combatting racism and discrimination. During the Summit, Courtney elaborated on PNC’s commitment to the Westside by helping end systemic racism by donating to WFF for program-related investments. Keitra Bates is a recipient of a WFF PRI that she used to renovate and expand her shared kitchen. Marddy’s focus is on economic inclusion, business development, and growth opportunities for local food entrepreneurs with their primary service groups of people of color, women, and other marginalized populations. With the help of RICE, the PRI recipients will have access to resources to innovate, grow, create jobs, and build wealth. Part business generator, innovation lab, and museum, RICE invests in African American entrepreneurs, strengthens businesses, and creates community. We have many miles to eliminate the wealth gap between white and black startups. Thanks to our panelists and the organization they represent, we are making progress and hopefully serving as models for others! Check out our newsletter to learn more about the October 15 Summit. This is sponsored content.
SHOWAbility brings opportunity and accessibility to artists and audiences with disabilities
By Nikonie Brown, content and social media associate, Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta “The disability community is the largest minority population in the country (20%, 1 in 5 people) and is the only minority group that anyone can join at any time. It crosses all ethnic groups, genders, nationalities, races and socioeconomic groups,” says Myrna Clayton. “There are 1.3 billion people with a disability worldwide.” Myrna Clayton, a professional singer and United States Cultural Ambassador, founded SHOWAbility in 2009. Formerly known as ABEL 2, SHOWAbility is designed to bring opportunities and accessibility to performing artists, audiences with disabilities and their networks. One of SHOWAbility’s goals is to be for the arts and entertainment industry what the Paralympics and Special Olympics are for the sports industry. Its work with people with disabilities in performing arts and creative enterprises illustrates arts at the intersections of health, workforce development and community engagement. Over the past year and a half, the organization has displayed the talent and excellence of performers with and without disabilities and worked as an advocate for social change. Some of the programmatic highlights include: To meet the needs of its target audience during the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, SHOWAbility successfully pivoted to virtual programming for self-care and encouragement by creating a two-week, twice-daily virtual arts initiative program. The organization expanded in 2021 by introducing a monthly Virtual Arts Masterclass Series, which honed and fulfilled the artistic needs and interests of people across the diverse disability spectrum (blind, deaf, intellectual, etc.) during the pandemic. SHOWAbility’s newly formed Talent Booking Agency is breaking new ground as it responds to requests from casting agents seeking authentic actors on the disability spectrum. This hard-to-find talent pool is missing from national casting agencies, and SHOWAbility’s coveted database of talented performing artists with disabilities fills that need. Since March 2021 (despite COVID), SHOWAbility has facilitated the hiring of 10 people with disabilities for jobs in Georgia’s film and television industry. On December 2, the Inclusive Chorus, a program made up of singers with and without disabilities, performed for Coca-Cola’s This-Ability BRG for International Day of Persons with Disabilities. As an advocate for social change, SHOWAbility is a thought leader in the space of performing arts and disability. Most leaders in arts and disability focus on the audience, but SHOWAbility insists on the need for venue accessibility for the artists. This persistence led to a National Endowment for the Arts-funded Feasibility Study through Fulton County Arts & Culture. The first of its kind, the study focuses on performing artists with disabilities, while previous disability-oriented studies only focused on audiences with disabilities. This study will assess the accessibility of stages, green rooms and tech areas in Fulton County area theatres. SHOWAbility seeks $50,000 to expand its operating budget to employ staff to support its growth strategy and extend its programming to reach underserved communities throughout metro Atlanta and Georgia. “Like all people, no one wants others to focus on their weaknesses. We all want to be known by our strengths. Yet weaknesses are what we pay attention to for people on the disability spectrum. Even their assigned label – “disability” – highlights what they cannot do rather than what they can do,” Clayton said. “People with disabilities are not broken or sick. They are human beings with unique strengths and abilities. SHOWAbility seeks to highlight their talents by valuing differences, celebrating similarities and embracing oneness of all people and all abilities.” Photo credit: Shine Huang This is sponsored content.
Emory students advance artificial intelligence with a bot that aims to serve humanity
A team of six Emory computer science students are helping to usher in a new era in artificial intelligence. They’ve developed a chatbot capable of making logical inferences that aims to hold deeper, more nuanced conversations with humans than have previously been possible. They’ve christened their chatbot “Emora,” because it sounds like a feminine version of “Emory” and is similar to a Hebrew word for an eloquent sage. The team is now refining their new approach to conversational AI — a logic-based framework for dialogue management that can be scaled to conduct real-life conversations. Their longer-term goal is to use Emora to assist first-year college students, helping them to navigate a new way of life, deal with day-to-day issues and guide them to proper human contacts and other resources when needed. Eventually, they hope to further refine their chatbot — developed during the era of COVID-19 with the philosophy “Emora cares for you” — to assist people dealing with social isolation and other issues, including anxiety and depression. The Emory team is headed by graduate students Sarah Finch and James Finch, along with faculty advisor Jinho Choi, associate professor in the Department of Computer Sciences. The team also includes graduate student Han He and undergraduates Sophy Huang, Daniil Huryn and Mack Hutsell. All the students are members of Choi’s Natural Language Processing Research Laboratory. “We’re taking advantage of established technology while introducing a new approach in how we combine and execute dialogue management so a computer can make logical inferences while conversing with a human,” Sarah Finch says. “We believe that Emora represents a groundbreaking moment for conversational artificial intelligence,” Choi adds. “The experience that users have with our chatbot will be largely different than chatbots based on traditional, state-machine approaches to AI.” Last year, Choi and Sarah and James Finch headed a team of 14 Emory students that took first place in Amazon’s Alexa Prize Socialbot Grand Challenge, winning $500,000 for their Emora chatbot. The annual Alexa Prize challenges university students to make breakthroughs in the design of chatbots, also known as socialbots — software apps that simplify interactions between humans and computers by allowing them to talk with one another. This year, they developed a completely new version of Emora with the new team of six students. They made the bold decision to start from scratch, instead of building on the state-machine platform they developed in 2020 for Emora. “We realized there was an upper limit to how far we could push the quality of the system we developed last year,” Sarah Finch says. “We wanted to do something much more advanced, with the potential to transform the field of artificial intelligence.” They based the current Emora on three types of frameworks to advance core natural language processing technology, computational symbolic structures and probabilistic reasoning for dialogue management. They worked around the clock, making it into the Alexa Prize finals in June. They did not complete most of the new system, however, until just a few days before they had to submit Emora to the judges for the final round of the competition. That gave the team no time to make finishing touches to the new system, work out the bugs, and flesh out the range of topics that it could deeply engage in with a human. While they did not win this year’s Alexa Prize, the strategy led them to develop a system that holds more potential to open new doors of possibilities for AI. In the run-up to the finals, users of Amazon’s virtual assistant, known as Alexa, volunteered to test out the competing chatbots, which were not identified by their names or universities. A chatbot’s success was gauged by user ratings. “The competition is extremely valuable because it gave us access to a high volume of people talking to our bot from all over the world,” James Finch says. “When we wanted to try something new, we didn’t have to wait long to see whether it worked. We immediately got this deluge of feedback so that we could make any needed adjustments. One of the biggest things we learned is that what people really want to talk about is their personal experiences. ” Sarah and James Finch, who married in 2019, are the ultimate computer power couple. They met at age 13 in a math class in their hometown of Grand Blanc, Michigan. They were dating by high school, bonding over a shared love of computer programming. As undergraduates at Michigan State University, they worked together on a joint passion for programming computers to speak more naturally with humans. “If we can create more flexible and robust dialogue capability in machines,” Sarah Finch explains, “a more natural, conversational interface could replace pointing, clicking and hours of learning a new software interface. Everyone would be on a more equal footing because using technology would become easier.” She hopes to pursue a career in enhancing computer dialogue capabilities with private industry after receiving her PhD. James Finch is most passionate about the intellectual aspects of solving problems and is leaning towards a career in academia after receiving his PhD. The Alexa Prize deadlines required the couple to work many 60-hour-plus weeks on developing Emora’s framework, but they didn’t consider it a grind. “I’ve enjoyed every day,” James Finch says. “Doing this kind of dialogue research is our dream and we’re living it. We are making something new that will hopefully be useful to the world.” They chose to come to Emory for graduate school because of Choi, an expert in natural language processing, and Eugene Agichtein, professor in the Department of Computer Science and an expert in information retrieval. Emora was designed not just to answer questions, but as a “social companion.” A caring chatbot was an essential requirement for Choi. At the end of every team meeting, he asks one member to say something about how the others have inspired them. “When someone sees a bright side in us, and shares it with others, everyone sees that …
Listen to students first; improvements in education will follow
By Rebecca Parshall As we conclude yet another semester of school amidst this pandemic, Learn4Life reflected on this year’s bright spots and challenges across metro Atlanta through our annual State of Education report and event. While we believe these resources are helpful in summarizing our region’s educational data and charting a path forward, some of our most insightful lessons this year came from listening to students. L4L partnered with VOX ATL, a platform for authentic and diverse teen expression and journalism, to ask students what issues are most pressing for them. Students revealed many of their concerns and posed these questions directly to our region’s school district superintendents. The themes we heard all focused on building a more supportive, equitable world. Four main ideas emerged: Students want equity in their school systems “I would like to see more social equity within schools. Acts of homophobia, racism, and anti-semitism are still being tolerated and they need to start having consequences.” – Alexis, age 15 “Why would people at a school, in the same county as another school, not get the same privileges as people at the other school?” – Lenore, age 9 Mental health matters and needs more attention “As a current senior, I’ve been dealing with the stress that comes with college applications, scholarships, and planning for my future. This stress can aggravate existing mental health disorders, and even lead to the development of new mental health disorders such as anxiety or depression… How will [districts] commit to providing additional and adequate mental health resources to your schools that you aren’t doing already?” – Zariah, age 17 Students need support navigating postsecondary options “My peers have little to no support at home when it comes to graduating and pursuing postsecondary options. We need some type of accessible, widespread curriculum that provides students with proper enlightenment and guidance… What are the school systems’ plans for expanding career pathway classes and certification accessibility?” – Rachel, age 17 Students want opportunities for civic engagement “I would love to see more civic participation and teaching students more about democracy and civic engagement. How do you plan to incorporate civic engagement and education into school curriculum?” – Sanjna, age 16 Our region’s students are leading with a commitment to advocate for their own needs and for the needs of their traditionally underserved peers. At L4L, we take this guidance as a call to action to co-build a more equitable Atlanta, and we are eager to continue partnering with educators and parents, as well as our business, nonprofit, and philanthropic partners. We believe our region’s educational disparities are best solved through collective action. Here are a few ways to join us on this journey: Read and listen to more incredible student voices at VOX ATL Check out L4L’s full State of Education report and event Join an L4L Change Action Network. All are welcome: Early Literacy, 8th Grade Math, Postsecondary Success This is sponsored content.
Tammy on MARTA names Collie Greenwood as its interim general manager: “My condolences to the Parker family . Congratulations Collie they are lucky to have u” Jan 16, 02:12
Jennifer Kelly on Update: MARTA CEO Jeff Parker hit by train at East Lake station: “My 🙏 condolences to his family. May God forgive and bless his soul that he may rest in peace.” Jan 15, 21:24
THOMAS JOSEPHINE on Update: MARTA CEO Jeff Parker hit by train at East Lake station: “MY THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS ARE WITH THE FAMILY AND FRIENDS OF MR. PARKER. I AM A MARTA RETIREE AND THIS…” Jan 15, 18:24
Anthony Ashley on Update: MARTA CEO Jeff Parker hit by train at East Lake station: “I am deeply saddened by this news.As a retiree, I felt that Jeff was committed to moving MARTA forward and…” Jan 15, 17:22
Serafino Frank on Update: MARTA CEO Jeff Parker hit by train at East Lake station: “My Condolences to his family and Members of service with MARTA. May he Rest in Eternal Peace.” Jan 15, 16:56
Noel M on Update: MARTA CEO Jeff Parker hit by train at East Lake station: “I am so deeply saddened by this news. First, Jeff Parker seemed in every respect to be an amazing leader,…” Jan 15, 16:21
Kenneth Gregor on Update: MARTA CEO Jeff Parker hit by train at East Lake station: “Maria, Having the opportunity of knowing and observing every Marta individual general manager, in my judgment Jeff was one of…” Jan 15, 14:23
Guardians of Atlanta's Future
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« National Football Strategies
WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING JOHOR GOVERNMENT AND POLICE FORCE »
Global Cooling: The Impending Catastrophe of Our Times
Be warned! Be warned! GLOBAL COOLING will be the death of us all!
We must rally together and pressure the governments of the world to take action before it’s too late, in order to prevent an ecological catastrophe! Perhaps by making an Academy Award winning documentary and flying around the world while leaving the lights on all the time at home (like this guy does).
Whoops! Did I say global cooling? Maybe I meant global warming. After all, that’s what Kyoto Protocol and An Inconvenient Truth are all about. Right?
But no, I really did mean global cooling.
Back in the 1970s, environmentalists and reputable scientists were warning us of the terrible threat that global cooling posed to the entire world. (NOTE: More media-propogated than science-supported, see http://tinyurl.com/mxlcr for details, kudos to ‘Tom Dubya’.)
The doomsayings were similar: Predictions that catastrophic climate change would destroy civilization, warnings that reduced agricultural output would lead to mass starvation, a media frenzy perpetuated by reputable publications, sweeping environmental restrictions put into place, and various knee-jerk reaction measures being taken by the public.
And today in the 2000s, we see the same pattern of panic and alarmism over global warming. Make up your mind, people! Which one is it?
Now, it’s not to say that just because global cooling was a false alarm, global warming is therefore also a false alarm.
But shouldn’t such a strikingly ironic lesson from the past lend pause to our fearful actions before we spend (or waste) trillions to accomplish nothing? Some citizens of 1975 believed in gobal cooling as much as some citizens of the present believe in global warming.
To give credits, I found this topic at, and copy-pasted the text and images from Sweetness & Light‘s blog (whether Sweetness & Light got it from somewhere else is another matter). Image of the entire Newsweek article from this link.
The Cooling World
By Peter Gwynne
Newsweek, 28 April 1975
There are ominous signs that the Earth’s weather patterns have begun to change dramatically and that these changes may portend a drastic decline in food production — with serious political implications for just about every nation on Earth. The drop in food output could begin quite soon, perhaps only 10 years from now. The regions destined to feel its impact are the great wheat-producing lands of Canada and the U.S.S.R. in the North, along with a number of marginally self-sufficient tropical areas — parts of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indochina and Indonesia — where the growing season is dependent upon the rains brought by the monsoon.
The evidence in support of these predictions has now begun to accumulate so massively that meteorologists are hard-pressed to keep up with it. In England, farmers have seen their growing season decline by about two weeks since 1950, with a resultant overall loss in grain production estimated at up to 100,000 tons annually.
During the same time, the average temperature around the equator has risen by a fraction of a degree — a fraction that in some areas can mean drought and desolation. Last April, in the most devastating outbreak of tornadoes ever recorded, 148 twisters killed more than 300 people and caused half a billion dollars’ worth of damage in 13 U.S. states.
To scientists, these seemingly disparate incidents represent the advance signs of fundamental changes in the world’s weather. Meteorologists disagree about the cause and extent of the trend, as well as over its specific impact on local weather conditions. But they are almost unanimous in the view that the trend will reduce agricultural productivity for the rest of the century. If the climatic change is as profound as some of the pessimists fear, the resulting famines could be catastrophic.
“A major climatic change would force economic and social adjustments on a worldwide scale,” warns a recent report by the National Academy of Sciences, “because the global patterns of food production and population that have evolved are implicitly dependent on the climate of the present century.”
A survey completed last year by Dr. Murray Mitchell of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reveals a drop of half a degree in average ground temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere between 1945 and 1968. According to George Kukla of Columbia University, satellite photos indicated a sudden, large increase in Northern Hemisphere snow cover in the winter of 1971-72. And a study released last month by two NOAA scientists notes that the amount of sunshine reaching the ground in the continental U.S. diminished by 1.3% between 1964 and 1972.
To the layman, the relatively small changes in temperature and sunshine can be highly misleading. Reid Bryson of the University of Wisconsin points out that the Earth’s average temperature during the great Ice Ages was only about seven degrees lower than during its warmest eras — and that the present decline has taken the planet about a sixth of the way toward the Ice Age average.
Others regard the cooling as a reversion to the “little ice age” conditions that brought bitter winters to much of Europe and northern America between 1600 and 1900 — years when the Thames used to freeze so solidly that Londoners roasted oxen on the ice and when iceboats sailed the Hudson River almost as far south as New York City.
Just what causes the onset of major and minor ice ages remains a mystery. “Our knowledge of the mechanisms of climatic change is at least as fragmentary as our data,” concedes the National Academy of Sciences report. “Not only are the basic scientific questions largely unanswered, but in many cases we do not yet know enough to pose the key questions.”
Meteorologists think that they can forecast the short-term results of the return to the norm of the last century. They begin by noting the slight drop in overall temperature that produces large numbers of pressure centers in the upper atmosphere. These break up the smooth flow of westerly winds over temperate areas. The stagnant air produced in this way causes an increase in extremes of local weather such as droughts, floods, extended dry spells, long freezes, delayed monsoons and even local temperature increases — all of which have a direct impact on food supplies.
“The world’s food-producing system,” warns Dr. James D. McQuigg of NOAA’s Center for Climatic and Environmental Assessment, “is much more sensitive to the weather variable than it was even five years ago.”
Furthermore, the growth of world population and creation of new national boundaries make it impossible for starving peoples to migrate from their devastated fields, as they did during past famines.
Climatologists are pessimistic that political leaders will take any positive action to compensate for the climatic change, or even to allay its effects.
They concede that some of the more spectacular solutions proposed, such as melting the Arctic ice cap by covering it with black soot or diverting arctic rivers, might create problems far greater than those they solve. But the scientists see few signs that government leaders anywhere are even prepared to take the simple measures of stockpiling food or of introducing the variables of climatic uncertainty into economic projections of future food supplies. The longer the planners delay, the more difficult will they find it to cope with climatic change once the results become grim reality.
This entry was posted on March 26, 07 at 3:29 pm and is filed under Global Warming Fears. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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William Maley
William Maley is Professor of Diplomacy in the Asia-Pacific College of Diplomacy at the Australian National University. He has been a visiting research fellow in the Refugee Studies Programme at the University of Oxford, and is a fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia.
Maley is a Barrister of the High Court of Australia, vice-president of the Refugee Council of Australia, and in 2002 was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM).
Refugees and human rights abuses: get informed
A Scribe reading guide to refugee and human rights issues.
William Maley’s book launch
Images from the launch of William Maley's book What is a Refugee?
What is a Refugee?
RRP: $29.99 Pub date: 17 Oct 2016 Category: Politics & government Cover view
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Birth place: Castilla-La Mancha
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000264/
Performer: Maura, Carmen, 1945-
Specialized Area of Interest: European Films
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Banderas, Antonio, 1960-(2)
Barranco, María, 1961-(1)
de Palma, Rossy, 1964-(1)
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Law of Desire
directed by Pedro Almodóvar, 1949-; produced by Agustín Almodóvar, 1955- and Miguel Ángel Pérez Campos, fl. 1977, El Deseo and Lauren Films; performed by Eusebio Poncela, 1947-, Carmen Maura, 1945-, Antonio Banderas, 1960- and Miguel Molina, 1963- (New York, NY: Sony Pictures Classics, 1987), 1 hour 42 mins,
Source: www.imdb.com
Set against the backdrop of mad, mad Madrid, this film swirls around an outrageous cast of characters. Our hero is absorbed in a cat-and-mouse game of obsessive love which before long entangles his transexual brother/sister, a father/son detective team and a mother who makes the Spider Woman look tame. Almodóvar...
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Set against the backdrop of mad, mad Madrid, this film swirls around an outrageous cast of characters. Our hero is absorbed in a cat-and-mouse game of obsessive love which before long entangles his transexual brother/sister, a father/son detective team and a mother who makes the Spider Woman look tame. Almodóvar brilliantly examines the idea and the attractions of absolute desire in this hilarious film.
Performer / Ensemble
Eusebio Poncela, 1947-, Carmen Maura, 1945-, Antonio Banderas, 1960-, Miguel Molina, 1963-
Agustín Almodóvar, 1955-, Miguel Ángel Pérez Campos, fl. 1977, El Deseo, Lauren Films, Bernardo Bonezzi, 1964-2012
Pedro Almodóvar, 1949-, Eusebio Poncela, 1947-, Carmen Maura, 1945-, Antonio Banderas, 1960-, Miguel Molina, 1963-
Topic / Theme
Sexual orientation, Transsexuals, Love interests, Murder, Gay men, Pablo Quintero, Tina Quintero, Antonio Benítez, Juan Bermúdez
Copyright Message
Copyright © 1987 Sony Pictures Classics
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
written by Pedro Almodóvar, 1949-; directed by Pedro Almodóvar, 1949-; produced by Pedro Almodóvar, 1949-, El Deseo and Laurenfilm; performed by Carmen Maura, 1945-, Antonio Banderas, 1960-, Julieta Serrano, 1933-, María Barranco, 1961- and Rossy de Palma, 1964- (New York, NY: Sony Pictures Classics, 1988), 1 hour 29 mins
Creating "one of the jauntiest of all war-of-all-sexes comedies" (Pauline Kael), Pedro Almodóvar, Spain's premiere writer-director, creates an off-kilter universe of madness, mayhem and pure fun. Nominated for the 1988 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and co-starring Antonio Banderas, Women on the Ve...
Creating "one of the jauntiest of all war-of-all-sexes comedies" (Pauline Kael), Pedro Almodóvar, Spain's premiere writer-director, creates an off-kilter universe of madness, mayhem and pure fun. Nominated for the 1988 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and co-starring Antonio Banderas, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown is a "wild, wanton, wickedly witty farce! (People)" High atop one of Spain's poshest penthouses, three women... Creating "one of the jauntiest of all war-of-all-sexes comedies" (Pauline Kael), Pedro Almodóvar, Spain's premiere writer-director, creates an off-kilter universe of madness, mayhem and pure fun. Nominated for the 1988 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and co-starring Antonio Banderas, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown is a "wild, wanton, wickedly witty farce! (People)" High atop one of Spain's poshest penthouses, three women have come to the end of their mental ropes. Super-sexy Pepa (Carmen Maura) is forever teetering around atop her skyscraper spikes as she obsesses over Iván (Fernando Guillén), the lover who just jilted her over the answering machine! Her neurotic best friend Candela (María Barranco) is seeking refuge at Pepa's place because she recently realized her lover is a Shiite terrorist. And Iván's ex-wife Lucía (Julieta Serrano) was just released from a 20-year stint in a mental institution. They're all mighty mad - in fact, they're on the verge of a nervous breakdown ... and one of them is about to commit murder unless the other half-crazed femme fatales can stop her! Show more Show less
Carmen Maura, 1945-, Antonio Banderas, 1960-, Julieta Serrano, 1933-, María Barranco, 1961-, Rossy de Palma, 1964-
Pedro Almodóvar, 1949-, El Deseo, Laurenfilm, Bernardo Bonezzi, 1964-2012
Pedro Almodóvar, 1949-, Carmen Maura, 1945-, Antonio Banderas, 1960-, Julieta Serrano, 1933-, María Barranco, 1961-, Rossy de Palma, 1964-
Romantic relationships, Anxiety, Pepa, Carlos, Lucía, Marisa, Candela
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Reciting From a Copy of the Qur’an (Mushaf) in Tarawih and Other Prayers
June 18, 2009 by Abdul Latif
Answered by Mufti Muhammad ibn Adam
Question: My question is regarding the recitation of the Qur’an while looking at the text during salah. I was reading a book and in it, it says that reading the Qur’an while looking at the text in salaah breaks the prayer. Is this true or are there certain circumstances when it is permissible? Is this permissible in Nafl or Tarawih prayers?
Answer: In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,
In the Hanafi School, there are two opinions regarding performing Salat while reciting from a copy of the Qur’an (mushaf).
Imam Abu Hanifa (may Allah have mercy on him), the head of this School, is of the opinion that it is impermissible to perform Salat while looking in and reciting from a Mushaf, or while reciting from any other area such as Qur’anic verses inscribed inside the Mihrab. Doing so will invalidate one’s prayer, whether one is an Imam, follower or praying alone, and whether it is an obligatory (fardh), Tarawih or a voluntary (nafl) prayer.
The second opinion is of the two students of the Imam – namely Imam Abu Yusuf and Imam Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Shaybani (may Allah have mercy on both). According to them, one’s prayer is not invalidated by reciting from a copy of the Qur’an (mushaf), although this practice is considered to be disliked (makruh).
It is stated in the famous Hanafi Fiqh primer, Maraqi al-Falah:
“(Amongst those things that invalidate prayer) is to recite, that which one has not committed to memory, from a Mushaf even if one does not hold the Mushaf, due to being inspired by an external element. However, if one has committed the text to memory and does not hold the Mushaf, then the prayer is not invalidated, due to the absence of [excessive] action and external inspiration.” (Maraqi al-Falah with the commentary of Tahtawi, P: 336)
Imam al-Kasani (may Allah have mercy on him) states:
“If the one offering prayer recites from a Mushaf, then his prayer is invalidated according to Imam Abu Hanifa (may Allah have mercy on him). According to Imam Abu Yusuf and Imam Muhammad, [however], his prayer is valid but it is disliked. Imam Shafi’i (may Allah have mercy on him) states that it is not [even] disliked.” (Bada’i al-Sana’i 1/236)
Imam al-Haskafi (may Allah have mercy on him) states:
“(Amongst those things that invalidate prayer) is to recite from a Mushaf meaning from anything upon which the text of the Qur’an is inscribed, under all circumstances (mutlaqan), because it amounts to taking [external] inspiration, unless if one has committed to memory that which one is reciting, and recites without holding the Mushaf. And it is said that one’s prayer will not be invalidated unless one recites a complete verse… Imam Shafi’i considers it [reciting from a Mushaf] to be permitted without dislike and Imam Abu Yusuf and Imam Muhammad consider it to be permitted with dislike, due to imitation of the people of the book (ahl al-Kitab), meaning if one intends imitation…”
The commentator of Haskafi’s al-Durr al-Mukhtar, Imam Ibn Abidin (may Allah have mercy on him) expands on the above text by stating that reciting verses of the Qur’an from a Mushaf or from elsewhere such as the Mihrab invalidates one’s prayer according to Imam Abu Hanifa (may Allah have mercy on him), whether one recites a small amount or a large amount, and whether one is an Imam or praying alone.
He further states that there are basically two reasons given for this position of Abu Hanifa. The first reason is that holding the Mushaf in one’s hand, reading from a text and turning over the pages amounts to excessive extraneous action (amal al-kathir). The second reason is that reciting from a Mushaf results in taking inspiration (talaqqi) from it, and as such, it is as though one’s recitation of the Qur’an in Salat is inspired from another person.
Based on the second reasoning, he says, one’s prayer would be invalidated whether one holds the Mushaf in one’s hand or not, whilst looking at the first reasoning, there would be a difference in the ruling between holding the Mushaf in one’s hand and placing the Mushaf elsewhere. The second reasoning is more correct. As such, regardless of whether one was to hold the Mushaf and turn the pages or not, the prayer would be invalidated.
The only exception is the situation where one recites the verses of the Qur’an depending on one’s memory, but merely has the Mushaf open in front of him. This is so because the recitation is primarily based on one’s memory, and not taking inspiration from the Mushaf.
He adds that some Hanafi jurists declared the prayer to be invalidated only if one recites an amount equal to Surat al-Fatiha. However, others said, prayer will be invalidated if one recites one complete verse from a Mushaf. This, according to him, is the more correct position. (See: Radd al-Muhtar ala al-Durr al-Mukhtar 1/624)
Imam Badr al-Din al-Ayni (may Allah have mercy on him) states in his commentary of Sahih al-Bukhari titled, Umdat al-Qari:
“Reciting from a Mushaf invalidates one’s prayer according to Imam Abu Hanifa (may Allah have mercy on him), since it amounts to excessive action. However, it is permitted according to Imam Abu Yusuf and Imam Muhammad (may Allah have mercy on them), because recitation by means of looking into the Mushaf is a form of worship (ibadah). However, it is disliked, since in it there is imitation of the people of the book. This [position of permissibility] is also the position of Imam Shafi’i and Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on them), and according to Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him), one’s voluntary (nafl) prayer is not invalidated by reciting from a Mushaf.” (Umdat al-Qari sharh Sahih al-Bukhari 4/314)
In light of all of the above, in the Hanafi School, it remains impermissible to recite from a copy of the Qur’an (mushaf), whether in a Fardh prayer, Tarawih prayer or Nafl prayer. If one does so, whether one is an Imam or praying alone, one’s prayer will be invalidated according to the position of Imam Abu Hanifa (may Allah have mercy on him). The basic Hanafi Fiqh primers (mutun), such as Maraqi al-Falah, merely convey this position of Abu Hanifa and consider reciting from a Mushaf to be amongst those things that invalidate one’s prayer.
The main evidence for this position of the Hanafis is that there are several Ahadith where the one unable to recite the Qur’an by means of memory is instructed by the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) to glorify Allah (tasbih) and praise Him (hamd) in prayer, rather than recite from a Mushaf.
Sayyiduna Rifa’a ibn Rafi’ (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said to a man whilst teaching him how to perform Salat: “….Then if you have portions of the Qur’an memorized, recite it, otherwise praise Allah, the Exalted, and utter the takbir, and utter the tahlil (la ila ha illallah)…” (Sunan Abi Dawud no: 857 and Sunan Tirmidhi no: 302)
Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Abi Awfa (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that a man came to the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) and said: “I cannot memorize anything from the Qur’an; so teach me something which is sufficient for me. He (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: “Say: Glory be to Allah, and praise be to Allah, and there is no god but Allah, and Allah is Most Great, and there is no might and no strength to do anything but with Allah’s help.” He replied: “O Messenger of Allah! This is for Allah, but what is for me? He said: “Say: O Allah! Have mercy on me, and sustain me, and keep me well, and guide me.” When he stood up, he made a sign with his hand [indicating that he had earned a lot]. The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: “This man has filled up his hand with good.” (Sunan Abi Dawud no: 828 and Sunan Nasa’i no: 795)
Imam Zafar Ahmad Uthmani (may Allah have mercy on him) states in his I’la al-Sunan that both these Hadiths indicate that whosoever is able to recite verses of the Qur’an by means of memory must recite as much as desired. However, if one is incapable of learning and memorizing a portion of the Qur’an which is necessary in prayer, then one will resort to the Dhikr of Allah. Had reciting from a Mushaf been permitted, the jurists (fuqaha) would have deemed it necessary and the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) would have directed it, because resorting to the Dhikr of Allah should have been an option only if one is even incapable of reciting from a Mushaf. This clearly indicates that reciting from a Mushaf is not a “legitimate” recitation with which one’s prayer is deemed valid. (See: I’la al-Sunan 5/59-60)
As pointed out earlier, it is permitted according to the Shafi’i and Hanbali Schools to recite from a Mushaf in Fardh and Nafl prayers, whether one has memorized the portion one is reciting or not. According to Imam Malik, it is permitted to do so in Nafl and Tarawih prayers. (See: al-Majmu’ of Imam Nawawi and Kasshaf al-Qina’ of Bahuti 1/361)
Their proof is the report recorded by Imam al-Bukhari in his Sahih without a chain of transmission (mu’allaqan) that “Sayyida A’isha (may Allah be pleased with her) would pray behind her slave Zakwan, who would recite from a Mushaf.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 1/245 and Fath al-Bari 2/239)
The Hanafi jurists (fuqaha) present various explanations for this report:
a) Imam Zafar Ahmad Uthmani states that Zakwan had actually memorized the portion which he was reciting, whereas the condition for the impermissibility of reciting from a Mushaf [according to the Hanafis] is that the one reciting has not memorized that which he is reciting in prayer. As such, Zakwan’s recitation was not dependant on external inspiration; but rather on his own memory. However, he would merely keep the Mushaf open to assist him for a word or two, which does not invalidate the prayer. (See: I’la al-Sunan 5/61)
b) Imam Badr al-Din al-Ayni states in his commentary of the Hidaya that the meaning of this report is that Zakwan would recite and memorize portions of the Qur’an from the Mushaf prior to commencing prayer. Thereafter, he would stand up, commence his prayer and recite by means of memory that which he had memorized. (al-Binaya fi sharh al-Hidaya 2/427)
c) Imam al-Kasani states in his Bada’i al-Sana’i that it is possible this report is describing two separate states, meaning Zakwan would lead in prayer, and would recite from the Mushaf in other than the state of prayer. (Bada’i al-Sana’i 1/236)
Nevertheless, in conclusion, this is a matter differed upon by the jurists of the four Sunni Schools of Islamic law. The Hanafi School does not permit reciting from a copy of the Qur’an (mushaf) during Salat, with Imam Abu Hanifa of the opinion that one’s Salat is invalidated should one do so. The other Imams have allowed this practice, but one should be cautious in terms of making too many movements whilst carrying the Mushaf, since it may invalidate the prayer according to them as well.
Finally, in the Hanafi School, praying behind an Imam who is reciting from a Mushaf invalidates the prayer of the follower. As such, one should avoid praying behind such an Imam.
However, this may be difficult to apply in mixed communities where there are many non-Hanafis or where such practices are common. In such a case, one may pray behind a Shafi’i or Hanbali Imam who is reciting from a copy of the Qur’an and thus follow the positions of Imam Abu Yusuf and Imam Muhammad (may Allah have mercy on both). This is closer to unity and helps avoid Fitna.
And Allah knows best
Muhammad ibn Adam
Darul Iftaa
Leicester , UK
Categories: ANS Hanafi Fiqh Tags: muhammad ibn adam, prayer, reciting from qur'an in tarawih, tarawih
https://seekersguidance.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Mosque-prayer-child-congregation.jpg 615 1200 Abdul Latif https://seekersguidance.org/svg/Logo/SG-Logo-Main.svg Abdul Latif2009-06-18 10:41:062020-05-02 01:00:26Reciting From a Copy of the Qur’an (Mushaf) in Tarawih and Other Prayers
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Web Page Builder|web Page Design Generation The world’s top five web sites that were blocked in 2018
The world’s top five web sites that were blocked in 2018
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the first blacklisting of the internet by the United Nations’ World Wide Web Consortium, or W3C.
In the first ever case, the US government blocked a number of sites in 2009, but the list has since expanded to include a number more countries and more countries with overlapping interests in internet governance.
The list includes sites like wikileaks.org, the website that has been dubbed the “Google of WikiLeaks” by the Wikileaks supporters, which was the subject of a massive US government hack.
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange and his organization are among those to have their domains blocked in the US.
The UK-based tech website the Verge, which has been criticized for supporting Wikileaks, was blocked from the internet last year, and the site was taken offline by a government-backed ISP last year.
The US government’s decision to block websites from the W3G is the latest in a series of actions by the US in recent years that have made the internet more difficult to access, but are not necessarily harmful.
“In the United States, the internet has been the most accessible and valuable platform for free expression in recent decades, but it has been increasingly under siege,” says Nick Grewal, the UK-born co-founder of the UK’s Open Rights Group.
“The US has always been more restrictive than most countries, but in recent months, the pace of new government moves to censor the internet have slowed.
The W3Gs latest decision to stop blacklisting the internet makes it easier for the US to claim that its censorship is being justified.”
The W4C’s blacklisting was launched in 2012 to address what it described as “the growing threat of malware and cyber-espionage” on the internet.
While many countries have implemented similar blacklisting efforts in recent times, the W4Cs first blacklist has largely been ignored by the public.
The new blacklisting is the first in which the US has attempted to block an entire site from being accessible, despite the fact that some countries are not even included in the list.
The site, wikileaks, has a wide range of online news, political, and tech content.
The most recent blocked page was an article on the UK government’s Home Office, which details plans to “roll back online surveillance and censorship measures” and “expand the reach of the Home Office’s powers of surveillance.”
The US Department of Homeland Security also blocked a page from the US Embassy in Washington, DC, which discussed how to “improve our surveillance of foreign governments, organizations, and individuals.”
A page in Saudi Arabia also received a ban, as did an article by the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem on the Israeli military’s “cyberwarfare” campaign against Palestinian protests.
However, in its announcement of the ban, the government cited the need to “combat terrorist propaganda.”
The UK and UK-administered countries are also on the W5, a list of countries with more than 100 domains.
The government has blocked several sites in the past, including those linked to Wikileaks and the Wikileaks Foundation, which promotes information about WikiLeaks and other whistleblowing organizations.
The Guardian reported last year that in 2015, the FBI, US Department Of Homeland Security, US Customs and Border Protection, and other US agencies blocked a variety of sites that are used to provide information on the countrys cyberwarfare capabilities, including the Wikileaks site.
The blocking of the Wikileaks website, however, came after the site’s founder Julian Snowden had revealed that the US National Security Agency had tapped the servers of Wikileaks to spy on foreign governments.
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Oakland Romney
≈ Comments Off on Oakland Romney
Mitt Romney, Republican presidential nomination, Ron Paul
You remember the saying about Oakland, California: “There’s no there there.” Translation: It’s a city without a core. It has no durable qualities or center of gravity. I visited Oakland just once, briefly, so I don’t even know whether the canard is true. The part of the city I saw wasn’t so attractive, but every city has districts like that. Let’s say it is true, though, that Oakland has no core. Then I can tell you that Oakland has to be Mitt Romney’s real first name. As a leader, he has no core.
He’s a smooth talker, though. If the Republican party nominates him as its candidate for president, we’ll have another demonstration, if we needed another one, that the political parties do not select candidates people want. You could say we are due for another Ronald Reagan, another Jack Kennedy, Franklin Roosevelt, or Teddy Roosevelt. We need good leadership more than once every twenty-five or thirty years.
I don’t want to undertake a lengthy critique of Romney’s capacity to lead our country. He has some strengths. His weaknesses are obvious. I live in Massachusetts, so I could observe his term as governor from 2003 to 2007 in my home state. The health care bill he passed here during his last year in office served as a model for the federal Affordable Care Act. Now he denies that an individual mandate to purchase health insurance is a good thing. Now he denies that the legislation he supported in 2007 is legislation he could support now. That’s all you need to know about him. He foisted a travesty of health care reform on his own state, saw it become national policy, then disowned it. That’s all you need to know about him.
I’ll tell you something else about him, anyway. He bad-mouthed his own state while he was still governor. As he prepared for his first presidential campaign toward the end of his term, he gave speeches to Republican audiences around the country. He mocked Massachusetts for its liberal ways, made unkind jokes about what he had to put up with here. That’s the kind of leadership you can expect from this gentleman. That’s the kind of leadership you get from a person who has no core principles.
Where does that leave the country? Where does that leave the Republican party? Does it have to choose between Oakland Romney and a man who reaches for a woman’s genitals after she asks him for help with a job search? If you think Sharon Bialek accuses Herman Cain falsely, watch her press conference and think again. Herman Cain is finished. The Republican party will not nominate him, no matter how much early support he has garnered.
Who will be the last person standing to contest the nomination with Oakland Romney? Right now, Ron Paul is the only candidate who has qualities that Oakland lacks: longstanding credentials, clearly recognizable core principles, policy proposals that don’t pander to narrow groups, intellectual and moral integrity, and a base of committed supporters. Yet journalists ignore Paul. You almost wouldn’t know he’s running, when you read articles about the contest. He should be Oakland’s strongest challenger.
Let’s say an unknown enters the race. Anything is possible. I would put my name forward for the nomination, except I haven’t been a governor or a senator. We’ve seen generals and vice presidents run, too, but lately it’s been governors and senators. You have to have your ticket punched or people won’t look at you.
As Mike Huckabee said after he ran for president in 2008, going for the White House is like sticking your face into a moving fan blade. Who would want to do that? Well, Oakland and Ron Paul have done us the favor, and we don’t have to have any doubt about who’s the superior candidate. If any newcomers step up to say, “I can do the job,” let’s welcome their willingness to mess up their face. Our country needs good leadership. Everyone knows it. If we accept an establishment candidate like Oakland at this critical point in our troubles, we’ll deserve the long, painful decline that follows.
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U.S.-affiliated university in Vietnam welcomes its first students
Lauren Monsen
Although Senator J. William Fulbright (1905–1995) was a cultural exchange advocate who launched the prestigious Fulbright Program for scholars around the world, there is only one university that bears his name: Fulbright University Vietnam (FUV), located in Ho Chi Minh City.
Established in 2016 with support from the U.S. and Vietnamese governments, FUV is the first independent, not-for-profit, U.S.-affiliated university in Vietnam. It promotes U.S. values — academic freedom, diversity, autonomy, meritocracy and transparency — while embracing Vietnam’s culture, history and traditions.
FUV aims to provide an education that builds Vietnamese leaders with the skills to tackle global challenges. The school offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs and offers financial aid for those in need.
In September, FUV admitted its inaugural undergraduate class — which includes Khang A Tua, a member of the Hmong ethnic minority group.
Khang A Tua (right), shown at Fulbright’s Crescent Campus, says Fulbright “is more than a university — it is a big and lovely family” that offers many areas of study. (© Jet Huynh/Fulbright University Vietnam)
At 25, Tua is older than his classmates, and he’s overcome many obstacles. Tua’s journey from the countryside to the campus he now calls home was not simple.
A native speaker of the Hmong language, Tua learned Vietnamese to further his education. For two years, he attended the Hanoi University of Science and Technology, before deciding it wasn’t right for him. He wanted to become a teacher, not a chemist.
When applying to FUV, because his English was limited, he used Google Translate to complete the application essay. But Tua was accepted, and his English improved rapidly.
Tua says he’s “very thankful” for Fulbright’s instructors. They inspire him as he plans to design an academic curriculum for Hmong children someday.
FUV is among 82 U.S.-affiliated colleges and universities outside the United States, with a combined enrollment of 17,000 students, says the nonprofit Cross-Border Education Research Team.
Promoting higher education abroad represents a uniquely American model for workforce development. The United States works with countries and local communities to establish long-term partnerships.
Recruiting students of diverse backgrounds, FUV will prepare them for careers “in the world’s best companies,” says the school. “In 25 years, Fulbright University Vietnam will be the top choice for students in Vietnam and across Asia.”
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SXSW & Public Service
How Panels, Presenters & the President Emphasized the Civic Duty of Innovators & Entrepreneurs
Somebody pinch me. After obsessively checking my email to learn whether I’d won the “lottery” to attend President Obama’s SXSW keynote, I was finally sitting in the same room with the President of the United States! Granted, it was a very large room – an auditorium, actually – and I was in the nosebleed section along with hundreds of my fellow global citizens. But still.
Obama’s keynote kicked off an inspiring SXSW Interactive week that shone a bright light on how government is meeting America and the world’s most pressing challenges in new and innovative ways. With a total of sixty-eight panels in the Government and Policy track, SXSW Interactive paraded government down the catwalk of this emerging technology conference.
And the Head Fed — the Chief Recruiting Officer himself, President Obama — baited the hook for those festival-goers who were more motivated to change the world than invent the next ride-sharing app. He challenged the audience with a question that no self-respecting do-gooder can refuse: “How can we start coming up with new platforms, new ideas, new approaches across disciplines and skill sets to solve some of the big problems we’re facing today?”
Now I’m a former Fed myself, having spent nearly ten years on the Pentagon’s policy staff, so it’s fair to say that I’m vulnerable to marketing hooks that invoke my sense of civic duty. But to do it at SXSW, a cultural mecca of emerging technology and human inventiveness, sent a different message, this one reminiscent of John F. Kennedy’s historic line from his 1961 Inauguration Address. Obama implored the SXSW digerati: “It’s not enough to focus on the cool, next big thing, it’s harnessing the cool, next big thing to help people in this country.”
The President’s message resonated throughout the rest of the week, as panel after panel showcased the ways that civic-minded entrepreneurs were making a difference. Here are my three main takeaways:
1. Government is the Original “Impact Investor. ”Government gets a bad rap, but it’s been doing the honorable trench work of finding new ways to solve the world’s toughest challenges since long before the Internet was a thing. During his keynote, President Obama said, “Every day government is delivering for everybody, whether you know it or not.” From the Human Genome Project to putting a man on the moon and inventing the packet-switching technology that became the foundation for the Internet, government was the lead investor in high-risk, history-making impact ventures.
Today, with new programs that provide red tape-free inroads for our nation’s top tech talent to apply their skills on behalf of the American people, government is again making the concept of innovation beguiling — and a magnet for talent. Examples? Programs like the U.S. Digital Service, launched as an emergency response to the 2013 Healthcare.gov debacle, sprinkle a little “Silicon Valley” on the slow-turning gears of Washington bureaucracy. Other federal programs like 18F and the Presidential Innovation Fellowship, plus municipal Entrepreneurship-in-Residence projects in cities like San Francisco, are creating opportunities to marry the ingenuity in today’s innovation economy with the complexity and social value of inherently governmental work.
2. Policy Entrepreneurship is a Real Thing. SXSW Interactive introduced me to the many ways that entrepreneurs — and their intrepid, innovative-focused counterparts, intrapreneurs — are finding new and creative ways to deliver critical citizen services and build thriving communities. Here are two of my favorite discoveries:
Upending procurement: Though not a riveting topic on its surface, procurement grabs my attention when Citymart CEO Sascha Haselmayer talks about it. On a panel entitled “Future Government: Market Creator or Destroyer?” presented by Washington DC Economic Partnership, Haselmayer posed this question: “What if, instead of prescribing the detailed requirements of a predetermined solution, governments issued RFPs in the form of questions framed around a challenge?” In a recent blog post on the company’s website, Haselmayer argues: “It [sustaining innovation] requires institutions like city governments to make problem-solving their primary business. Sounds obvious, but in a survey of 50 global cities in 2012, we found that none had an explicit mission or method to solve problems, and that 80% responded that they only trust solutions from companies they already know.”
Crowdsourcing policy: Now this is actually riveting: turning the typically top-down policy-making process on its head by asking the people. Sounds downright revolutionary, right? Well, organizations like Texas-based Glasshouse Policy are doing just that. According to its website, Glasshouse Policy uses online and offline tools to create “a forum for the general public, policymakers, academics, and all other interested stakeholders to debate, compromise, and ultimately craft citizen-sourced policy solutions to the major issues the public faces today.” Glasshouse Policy and other civic crowdsourcing and crowdfunding platforms like Citizinvestor and Neighborly are using digital tools and new forms of social engagement to revitalize communities.
3. Women (in Government) are Making Their Mark — with Loads of Panache
Throughout the conference, it was abundantly clear that women are leading the crusade to make government great again. Some of the most inspirational panels exploring the edge of civic innovation featured the work of phenomenal women:
Megan Smith, U.S. Chief Technology Officer and former Google VP, shared success stories of how tech talent is improving the delivery of government services through the U.S. Digital Service. In addition, U.S. Digital Service Deputy Administrator Haley Van Dyck, Digital Services Expert Clarence Wardell and Policy Adviser Aden Van Noppen discussed efforts to drive change at the Federal level, as well as innovations taking place in communities around the country.
Michelle Lee, another former Google executive and the first woman and Asian-American leader of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), shared her perspective on the role of intellectual property and the importance of promoting inclusivity – especially among women – to optimize American innovation.
Suzanne Fry, Director of the Strategic Futures Group at the National Intelligence Council (NIC), opened the U.S. intelligence community’s proverbial kimono to share with festival-goers several scenarios the U.S. intelligence community is using to shape how policy makers imagine the future. They’re publicly available and open for comment here.
And the list goes on. City of Austin’s Chief Innovation Officer Kerry O’Connor, Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and many more exemplify the kind of bold and innovative leadership that women are bringing to government.
These things make me optimistic about the future. (Funny that I had to travel from our nation’s capital to a tech conference in Texas to fall in love with government again!) This new sense of possibility could be summed up by President Obama’s opening remarks, when he reminded us that the most important office in a democracy is the office of citizen: “Whatever your field is, there is a way for you to engage and participate to take this democracy back in ways we have not seen in a long time.”
Written by Beth Flores, Nonresident Fellow, Atlantic Council, @Bethivywhy
Photo: Haley Van Dyck, U.S. Digital Service at The White House
April 20, 2016 / Leadership
Women @ SXSW
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Shaun O’Dell
M. WATERFALL
Mourning Air
I, Twenty Times
Feeling Easy Feelings
Looming Sound
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We Remember The Sun
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Road Ghosts Coming
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Sun, Oct 24th-27th, 2002
Smoking Heartmind
Extractor Ghost
Captain Mythopoesis
Silent Tree Liftoff
Oracle Falcon
Press Release For Ruined
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New New Masses
Sword and Sandals
Inman Gallery
Reception: Friday, November 10, 6 - 8 pm
At once investigations of surface and depth, representation and reality, Shaun O'Dell's newest body of works on paper are as much documents of broader philosophical inquiries as they are explorations of the physical and creative properties of volcanoes. The ten drawings included in More Love are part of a larger project and film titled At Last, in which two people travel along fault lines in Iceland, Greece, and California. Their pursuit of volcanoes charts a proposition about natural phenomena and authorship; that is, the project centers the volcano, with its earth-shaping eruptions as a formative progenitor of human concepts of meaning and representation. The volcano--and, by extension, the Earth--is a creative force.
"We are involved in these [geologic] processes, but also distanced from them," O'Dell says. In More Love, then, he pushes at the boundaries between these temporalities: the time of the human experience and the time of the shifting earth have their various speeds. In each, the momentum of change lends itself to narratives of emotional process, just at varying scales. Based on years of research on geologic time, water, seismic and volcanic activity, the works might be understood as images of processes--both personal and geologic--as they unfold. More Love Two, for example, might read as a bird's eye view of magma, a closeup of the sympathetic yet opposed elements water and fire, or blots of color in a Rorschach-like organism. In More Love Five, O'Dell overlaps various topographic silhouettes of volcanic forms, the repeating points and valleys divided by three horizontal lines. "The volcano produces a surface and a depth," he notes, suggesting a simultaneous relationship to abstractions of three-dimensionality. More Love Eight takes the specific outlines of the 1500 active volcanoes from around the world and describes them within a tightly choreographed rectangular shape, the tiny ink representations of volcanoes spiraling into a geometric form that vibrates in the viewer's eye, finding an uneasy tension between two- and three-dimensions.
Begun several years ago, as he was investigating the effects of the shift between the Pleistocene and Holocene eras, O'Dell's volcano research sprang from his interest in water and, especially, an urge to see what was behind waterfalls. More Love Four with its nod to the imagined spaces of Surrealist trompe-l'oeil has a series of spidery lines emerging from the center of a deep gray square. These delicate white lines might suggest a waterfall: behind it, the blackness of a solid block, and the edge of an iceberg-like blue protrusion. We see landscape forms in abstraction, as we see ourselves in clouds; the human and the natural orders are deeply intertwined, physically, psychologically, affectively, and productively, O'Dell reminds us.
Shaun O'Dell (born 1968, Beeville, TX) received a BA from the New College of California, San Francisco, in 2002 and an MFA from Stanford University in 2004. His work has been exhibited widely in the US and internationally. He has won numerous awards and honors including the Tournesol Award (2009, Headlands Center for the Arts), Diebenkorn Teaching Fellowship (2006, SF Art Institute), and the Artadia Award (2005, San Francisco). His work is included in a number of permanent collections, including the Museum of Modern Art, NY, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Berkeley Art Museum. O'Dell lives and works in San Francisco. More Love is O'Dell's fourth solo exhibition at Inman Gallery.
© 2022 Shaun O’Dell Credits: design by BOON dev by futureprüf
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Home Business Ford’s Battery Plant Will Bring Jobs, But Can It Power Economic Change?
Ford’s Battery Plant Will Bring Jobs, But Can It Power Economic Change?
by Liz Carey
On September 27, the Ford Motor Company announced it would be investing nearly $6 billion in Kentucky to build a plant in Hardin County that would produce the batteries needed to power electric vehicles. As part of a partnership with SK Innovation, the company will build Blue Oval SK Battery Park — twin battery plants employing 5,000 people to supply Ford’s North American assembly plants with batteries for its electric Ford and Lincoln vehicles.
“This is a transformative moment where Ford will lead America’s transition to electric vehicles and usher in a new era of clean, carbon-neutral manufacturing,” said Ford Executive Chair Bill Ford in a statement. “With this investment and a spirit of innovation, we can achieve goals once thought mutually exclusive — protect our planet, build great electric vehicles Americans will love and contribute to our nation’s prosperity.”
A rendering of the Blue Oval Battery Park planned to open in Glendale, Kentucky, in 2025.
And while the plant will have an economic impact on the state, economists say it is neither a game-changer nor a long-term sure bet as an economic engine. The economic impact will be most felt at the local level, they said.
“I think when you think about a plant, like this one … in terms of the state as a whole, this is going to be a relatively small share of employment,” said Michael Clark, director of the Center for Business and Economic Research and an associate professor of economics at the University of Kentucky’s Gatton College of Business and Economics. “But if you look at the Hardin County area, this is going to be a pretty large employer given the population size that they have. So, depending on what kind of geographic area you’re talking about you get really a different type of effect.”
Business leaders could look to Georgetown and the Toyota plant built in the 1980s to get a sense of how these localized impacts might be felt, said Kenneth Troske, economics professor at Gatton specializing in labor economics.
“It’s had a pretty significant impact on the community,” Troske said. “Obviously, the Georgetown community is a much different community because of that; Lexington is a much different community because of that. There are some businesses that have located here because of that … Kentucky is the leading auto parts-producing state in the union. That’s where we really fit into the auto manufacturing industry, and [the Ford plant] is going to continue to add to that.”
Just like adding Toyota’s 4,300 jobs did in the ’80s, Ford’s pledge to add 5,000 jobs to the local economy will have a significant impact, Clark said. The question is whether or not the plant will grow like Toyota did. The X-factor in the equation, he said, is what the plant was producing.
“There’s a lot more uncertainty, I think, with a battery plant,” Clark said. “With Toyota, one of the things we got was a really good company and a really strong brand. And so, we’ve been very fortunate that the total plant has continued to grow over time… With battery plants, there’s a lot of uncertainty about the long-term growth. There’s still a lot of questions about where the automobile industry is going to go in terms of fuel.”
The plant will include solar arrays and numerous amenities to help improve its energy efficiency and minimize its environmental impact.
While Ford seems to be preparing for electric vehicles to be a significantly larger part of the market, he said, there’s still uncertainty about whether the industry is going to go in that direction.
In May, Ford announced it would be investing $22 billion in electrification through 2025 as part of a plan to o.er electric versions of its Mustang, F-150 and Transit lines. The company has also pledged to o.er only electric vehicles in Europe by 2030, and to make significant reductions in the company’s greenhouse gas emissions globally, including by new vehicles sold, by 2035.
Research into other power sources and in other technologies may provide automobile manufacturers with other options though, the two economists said. Additionally, the battery being built at the newly announced plant is a lithium ion battery, which could prove to be unstable — like the batteries in the Chevy Bolt that were recalled — or could prove to be unsustainable to produce as the lithium and cobalt needed to make the batteries remain difficult to source, they said.
Still, the plant will provide jobs to the area, pulling labor in from all over the Central Kentucky region, Troske said, with people commuting in from rural counties and smaller towns along the I-65 corridor. Existing Ford workers, trained to work at the battery plant, would likely also move into the area, as would others from inside and outside of the state.
The employees who move to the area will be looking for housing, as well as businesses that will provide clothing, entertainment and dining options, he said.
But while the battery plant will add jobs, it will not be something that will transform the state’s economy, Troske said.
“This is more blue-collar production jobs,” he said. “This is not Nashville announcing it’s the new Amazon World Headquarters, right? ... This is not going to change the average level of education of people in Kentucky. And it’s probably not going to have that big of an impact on the average household earnings in Kentucky.
“It’s going to have an impact. It’s going to bring in some additional jobs and it positions Kentucky to continue to participate in the automotive industry but not at a completely different pace that we’re participating at right now.
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Copa America moving north for its Centenario? The perks of being a soccer fan in the United States
By Richard FarleyMay 1, 2014, 4:24 PM EDT
One of soccer’s worst kept secrets is a secret no more. South American soccer will be invading the U.S. in 2016, bringing its confederation championship to the United States for a joint CONMEBOL-CONCACAF Copa America. The details still need to be worked out, but the 16-team tournament is set to combine South America’s 10 teams with six from the northern half of the hemisphere. Copa America Centenario, as they’re calling it, could be the most prestigious competition in the States since the 2003 Women’s World Cup, the most anticipated since the 1999 women’s championship, and, in terms of overall popularity, end up being second only to the 1994 World Cup.
It’s easy to embrace those dreams now, two years from the event. We can see the seats teams like Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico have filled in the United States and use that to fuel dreams of a globally significant competition. This isn’t the Gold Cup, which has trouble resonating beyond soccer hardcores, and it isn’t the Women’s World Cup, which too many still won’t give a chance. This is an event that will have Lionel Messi, Neymar, Sergio Agüero and Arturo Vidal. It enthrall draw those that dismiss MLS. It will entice people who prefer Spain and Italy to Premier League soccer.
It’s hard to imagine a North America-based men’s soccer fan that won’t be excited by this event, but that doesn’t totally answer the obvious question: Why? Why is this event coming to the United States? This is the South American championship, isn’t it? Certainly, there’s a tradition of CONCACAF teams rounding out Copa America’s field, but the tournament still happens in South America. Why is CONMEBOL’s championship going to be waged on CONCACAF’s turf?
For the 100-year anniversary of the continental title, CONMEBOL clearly wants to do something special. That’s why they’re waging the quadrennial tournament in an off-year, after all. As evidenced by all the stadiums that sell out for visits from the Seleçao and Albiceleste, there’s a huge demand to see South America’s giants in this part of the world. And by including Mexico and the United States, the commercial opportunities for the competition explode. If you’re going to have the tournament in a special year, might was well be in a special place.
It’s that sentiment that gets to be the heart of this announcement: In the soccer world, there’s still no place as special as the United States. There are more hallowed grounds, and there are a number of nations around the world that have more colorful and robust traditions, yet the U.S. still holds the distinction of being the soccer world’s holy grail. As a nation, we’re not in love with the sport yet, but we have one of the most passionate sports markets in the world. It’s not only a matter of entities like CONMEBOL — as well as the myriad huge European clubs that tour here every year — looking at the U.S. and saying “if only we could tap into that.” Those actors have a chance to frame how U.S. soccer develops.
Brazil’s Neymar will be among the stars on display as Copa America comes to the U.S. in 2016. (Source: Getty Images)
Some people, besmirched, see that view as patronizing. U.S. soccer has its own soccer culture. The idea that South America or Europe can come in and instill their own, even in part, is insulting. If the United States is a type of holy grail — one of the few remaining places on the planet that soccer has yet to conquer — it’s a holy grail that will be protected by the people on the ground. Soccer is a growth opportunity in the U.S. It’s not a charity case.
All of that may be true, but the view undercuts the country’s potential. The U.S. can have a major, vibrant culture for domestic soccer, one that will always see the national teams as a focal point for the sport. It can also have a huge, eastern-looking group that will always love the standards and history of the European game. At the same time, it can have millions that look south to embrace the passion and traditions of the Latin and South Americans games. And in time, as leagues in Japan, South Korea, and China grow, we’ll have people who stay up until 2 a.m. Eastern to watch Guangzhou face Kashima in Champions League.
For fans in the United States, that’s what this tournament could be about. As much as the talents of Messi and the prestige of Brazil may dominate headlines, the subtext will be about the future. If a Copa America in the United States can meet our loftiest expectations, it will establish the country as the target location for any prestigious competition, be that a confederation title, club tournamenst, or a potential summer league of European teams that’s been hinted at by the Champions Cup. Whereas FIFA’s decision to award the 1994 World Cup to the United States was met with questions about potential apathy, the world is now racing to leverage two decades of growth.
There as never been a better time to be a soccer fan in the United States, and between the growth of Major League Soccer, the huge access to the club game on television, and events like Copa America’s Centenario, there may be no better place in the world to absorb the game. If Copa is successful, it will get even better.
Follow @richardfarley
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Tag: Pope Francis
Climate change is a very serious religious issue Featured
November 7, 2021 by Socialist Party Zambia in Opinions
Following last week’s COP26 in Glasgow the issue of climate change is still very much on my mind. And this Sunday I turn to the religious for leadership and guidance on this very serious and urgent challenge facing humanity.
There is a long history of religious thinking and attention to the role of humans as stewards of the earth and the environment. These theological underpinnings stem from the idea that God created earth and humans, therefore, God’s children have a responsibility to care for his creations. This perspective is shared across a number of faiths.
In June 2015, Pope Francis issued an encyclical urging Catholics and all people on earth to focus on a broad range of issues and problems in the environment including pollution, climate change, biodiversity and global inequality of ecological systems.In February 2006, a group of 86 evangelical leaders, under the auspices of the Evangelical Climate Initiative, challenged the Bush administration on global warming. Other religious groups and leaders in the USA, and other countries, have taken positions as well.
A robust policy strategy – regarding support in the religious community – should pay careful attention to the effects of both climate change and climate policy on the poor in both developing nations and the developed world itself. Understanding the cultural dimensions of climate change requires understanding its religious aspects. Insofar as climate change is entangled with humans, it is also entangled with all the ways in which religion attends human ways of being.
Religious leaders should continue to call for bold action in defense of God’s creation.Pope Francis, who attended the Earth Day summit, encouraged the leaders of the world’s largest economies to “take charge of the care of nature, of this gift that we have received and that we have to heal, guard, and carry forward.” These words are increasingly significant because of the challenge the world faces. As Pope Francis said, “We need to keep moving forward and we know that one doesn’t come out of a crisis the same way one entered. We come out either better or worse. Our concern is to see that the environment is cleaner, purer, and preserved. We must take care of nature so that it takes care of us.”Meeting the scale and scope of the climate crisis will require all religious leaders and activists, along with political leaders of all faiths and no faith, to unite around climate justice priorities.
The moral case to address the climate crisis is resounding in faith communities around the world. It’s up to political leaders to make the investments and changes necessary to safeguard and secure humanity’s survival and protect God’s creation.
Pope Francis is a great source of my daily inspiration – M’membe Featured
June 13, 2021 by Socialist Party Zambia in Opinions
I love this Pope – Francis. He is a great source of daily inspiration in my revolutionary work, and especially in these election campaigns. I closely follow his teachings.
Meeting a group of French priests pursuing higher ecclesiastical studies in Rome on Monday, Pope Francis recalled a favourite imagery of a pastor, urging that priests be “shepherds with the ‘smell of the sheep’”, grounded in the situation of their flock.
“The studies you undertake in the various Roman universities prepare you for your future tasks as pastors and enable you to better appreciate the reality in which you are called to proclaim the Gospel of joy”, he told some 19 priests of the ‘national church of the French’ in the Italian capital. He said they should not go into the field to apply theories without considering the environment in which they will be working or the people entrusted to their care. “I wish you to be shepherds with ‘the smell of the sheep'”, the Pope said, repeating once again the analogy he used in his homily at the Chrism Mass on March 28, 2013, a fortnight after his election.
He said pastors should be “people capable of living, of laughing and crying with your people, in a word, of communicating with them”. He expressed concern that sometimes reflections and thoughts on priesthood are laboratory sample: this priest, that priest and so on. He said priesthood isolated from the people of God, is neither a Catholic priesthood nor a Christian one.
“Strip yourselves of your pre-constituted ideas, your dreams of greatness, your self-assertion, in order to put God and people at the center of your daily concerns,” the Pope said, stressing that a pastor is one who puts God’s holy faithful people at the centre. For those priests who would like to be an intellectual, not a pastor, the Pope said, it is better for them to be lay persons. A priest has to be a pastor in the midst of God’s people because God has chosen him for that.
Pope Francis also advised the French priests regarding their community life, saying individualism, self-assertion, and indifference are some of the challenges of living together. He warned them against “the temptation to create small closed groups, to isolate oneself, to criticize and speak ill of others, to believe oneself superior, more intelligent”.
The Pope said that gossip is a habit of closed groups, of “bachelor’ priests who talk and malign others, undermining all. “We need to let go of this habit and look at and think about God’s mercy”. The Pope wished that they always welcome one another as a gift. “In a fraternity lived in truth, in the sincerity of relationships and in a life of prayer, we can form a community in which we can breathe the air of joy and tenderness.”
The Holy Father encouraged a community life of sharing and prayer with joy. He said, “The priest is a man who, in the light of the Gospel, spreads the taste of God around him and transmits hope to restless hearts”. To those visiting their community, they can communicate the Gospel values of a “diverse and supportive fraternity”, and make them feel the fidelity of God’s love and His closeness.
In this regard, the Pope offered to them the model of St. Joseph, inviting them to “rediscover the face of this man of faith, this tender father, model of fidelity and trusting abandonment to God’s plan”. St. Joseph, he said, teaches us that faith in God includes believing that He can work even through our fears, our frailties and our weaknesses.
Our frailties is a “theological place of encounter with the Lord”, the Pope said, adding, a “fragile priest”, who knows his weaknesses and talks about them with the Lord, will do well. Instead, “superman” priests end up badly. “With Joseph,” the Pope said, “we are called to return to the experience of the simple acts of acceptance, tenderness, and the Joy and sense of humour.
The Pope also urged the young French priests to build a Church that is entirely at the service of a world that is more fraternal and in solidarity. They should not be afraid to dare, to risk and to go forward, assured that with Christ they can be apostles of joy and be grateful for serving their brothers and sisters and the Church.
This joy should be accompanied by a sense of humor, the Pope pointed out, adding, a priest who does not have a sense of humor is not liked, something is wrong. “Imitate those great priests who laugh at others, at themselves and even at their own shadow,” he said, adding, “a sense of humor is one of the characteristics of holiness”, as he pointed out in his Apostolic Exhortation, Gaudete et Exultate.
Recalling their priestly ordination, he reminded them that they have been anointed with the oil of joy and are to anoint others with the oil of joy. He said only by remaining rooted in Christ can they experience a joy that moves them to win hearts. “Priestly joy is the source of your action as missionaries of your time”, he said.
Another virtue the Holy Father encouraged the young priests to cultivate is gratitude to God for what they are to one another. “With your limitations, your frailties, your tribulations”, Pope Francis reminded them, “there is always a loving gaze resting on you and giving you confidence”.
Gratitude “is always ‘a powerful weapon'”, he said, which “allows us to keep the flame of hope burning in moments of discouragement, loneliness and trials”.
(Image, Credit Reuters)
Statement of the Socialist Party to mark the International Day of Peace
September 21, 2020 by Socialist Party Zambia in Opinions
Each year, the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on September 21. The United Nations General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, through observing 24 hours of non-violence and cease-fire.
This year, it has been clearer than ever that we are not each other’s enemies. Rather, our common enemy is a tireless virus that threatens our health, security and very way of life. COVID-19 has thrown our world into turmoil and forcibly reminded us that what happens in one part of the planet can impact people everywhere.
In March, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called on all warring parties to lay down their weapons and focus on the battle against this unprecedented global pandemic. While the message was intended for armed parties, solidarity and cooperation across borders, sectors and generations are also needed to win this new fight against the worst public health crisis of our time.
In these difficult times of physical distancing, even though we may not be able to stand next to each other, we can still dream together about a world full of justice, equity and peace.
The 2020 theme for the International Day of Peace is “Shaping Peace Together”. Let’s celebrate this day by spreading compassion, kindness and hope in the face of the pandemic. Let’s stand together against attempts to use the virus to promote discrimination or hatred.
There’s need to preserve human existence and world peace in the face of complexities, dangers and challenges.
Peace has been the golden dream of humanity, and the peoples’ aspiration, at every moment in history. Thousands of nuclear weapons are hanging over humanity’s head. Preventing the most brutal war that could be unleashed has undoubtedly been the fundamental objective of efforts by religious leaders of churches directed by men such as Pope Francis, Pontiff of the Catholic Church, and His Holiness Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.
To struggle for peace should be the most sacred duty of all human beings, whatever their religion, country of origin, skin colour, advanced or youthful age may be.
Issued by Fred M’membe on behalf of the Politburo of the Socialist Party
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Forever Evil: Rogues Rebellion #5 (Comics Review)
The Rogues have been chased through Central City, Metropolis, Gotham and they are tired. They have been sundered, their relationships frayed, and now they have their backs to the wall. Everyone is after them, all the supervillains who now obey the Crime Syndicate that is. That’s been the theme of this mini-series from the start. The series has gone from situation to situation in each issue and I’ve wondered if there was any particular plan to all of it, whether it would all come together for something significant.
The latest issue, out this week, continues the story of the Rogues vs the Royal Flush Gang, and a gang they are indeed. The Rogues are now prisoners of the Royal Flush Gang, being taken back to Central City for a date with the Crime Syndicate. And this is when the Rogues really come back together. I loved this issue, quite frankly, because the story moved forward, and it went back to its roots of the Rogues’ rebellion against the Crime Syndicate. And the art was pretty much on point too.
Tags: Atomica, Brian Buccellato, Captain Cold, Carlos M. Mangual, Comics, Crime Syndicate, Declan Shalvey, Dezi Sienty, Forever Evil, Forever Evil: Rogues Rebellion, Gotham, Johnny Quick, Jordie Bellaire, New 52, Nick Filardi, Review, Review Central, Rogues, Rogues Rebellion, Royal Flush Gang, Scott Hepburn, Supervillains, The Flash, Trickster, Weather Wizard
Once again, a very light reading week, with no graphic novel reading at all. I took a trip to India and back over the weekend, mostly because preparations for a cousin’s upcoming marriage and mom’s treatment, so reading time was extremely limited. I’m even behind on my novel reading at the moment, so I’m generally not doing well on that front at all.
Some really fun titles launched this past week, such as Night of the Living Deadpool, so it was an entertaining week at least, for the most part.
Tags: Aliens, Amazing X-Men, Amazing X-Men #3, Azazel, Barbara Gordon, Batgirl, Batgirl #27, Beast, Black Magic, Black Mask, Bluebelle, Boom Studios, British Superheroes, Caitlin Kittredge, Captain Britain, Captain Cold, Clayface, Cloning, Coffin Hill, Coffin Hill #4, Colin Lorimer, Comics, Comics Picks of the Week, Cullen Bunn, Curse, Curse #1, Dark Angel, DC Comics, Deadpool, Ed Brubaker, Ed McGuinness, Elseworlds, Espionage, Eternal Warrior, Female Spies, Forever Evil, Forever Evil: Rogues Rebellion, Forever Evil: Rogues Rebellion #4, Gail Simone, Genetic Engineering, Gothtopia, Harada, Horror, Image Comics, Inaki Miranda, J.M. DeMatteis, Jason Aaron, Justice League, Justice League 3000, Justice League 3000 #2, Keith Giffen, Livewire, Marvel Comics, Marvel Now, Marvel UK, Michael Moreci, Monsters, Mr. Freeze, Mys-Tech, New 52, Night of the Living Deadpool, Night of the Living Deadpool #1, Nightcrawler, Ninjak, Ramon Rosanas, Revolutionary War, Revolutionary War : Dark Angel #1, Riley Rossmo, Robert Gill, Rogues, Rogues Rebellion, Royal Flush Gang, Science Fiction, SHIELD, Space Opera, Steve Epting, Storm, Superheroes, Supernatural, Supervillains, The Flash, Thriller, Tim Daniel, Unity #3, Valiant Comics, Velvet #3, Vertigo Comics, Werewolves, Witches, Wolverine, X-O Manowar
This month, the Forever Evil event moves into its second half. Till now, we have seen a lot of things happen here (yeah, I say that every time) and of all the four distinct books, Rogues Rebellion has been the most entertaining. It has sat on the fence between comedy and serious, with a mostly well-handled execution that makes it one of the best event comics DC has out at the moment. But, till now it has also been little more than a villainogue as I mentioned in my review of the previous issue. In fact, the entire event has been about that and lots of ignored, minor villains and supervillains have stepped up to the plate and it all has been quite interesting.
With the new issue, writer Brian Buccellato introduces a new (to New 52) supervillain group while also introducing one of Gotham’s more notable crime lords and his own gang. With the Rogues currently in full limbo and Captain Cold off on his own with Lex Luthor’s Injustice League, Rogues Rebellion has taken a rather interesting turn and I have to say that despite the fact that the series isn’t really moving forward all that much, I’m having fun. The art remains excellent and the writing is mostly consistent. There is little more that I could ask of this creative team.
Tags: Andre Coelho, Black Mask, Brian Buccellato, Captain Cold, Clayface, Comics, Crime Syndicate, DC Comics, Declan Shalvey, Forever Evil, Forever Evil: Rogues Rebellion, Gotham, Jordie Bellaire, Mr. Freeze, New 52, Nick Filardi, Review, Review Central, Rogues, Rogues Rebellion, Royal Flush Gang, Scott Hepburn, Supervillains, The Flash, Weather Wizard
Looks like its going to be the month of busy weeks. The last two weeks I’ve read two graphic novels each along with all my regular monthlies and this past week proved to be no different. Both Detective Comics Volume 4 and The Flash Volume 4 proved to be exceedingly good and now I have two more series that I need to catch up on for the New 52. Tall order, but doable. And as regards the usual monthlies, there were comics across the board, in all sorts of ways: genres, publishers, characters, etc, etc. The year has slowly transformed over the months into a really solid year for comics overall.
I still haven’t made any dent in the pile of graphic novels I have to read, but I’m not too worried about any of it, to be honest. Already used to that phenomenon from my novel reading.
Tags: Adventure, Amanda Conner, Andy Suriano, Animated Tie-In, Barry Kitson, Batman, Birds of Prey, Birds of Prey v1 Volume 5, Black Canary, Black Science, Black Science #2, Brian Buccellato, Brian Michael Bendis, Brian Wood, Cartoon Network, Chad Hardin, Comics, Comics Picks of the Week, Comics Review, Cyclops, DC Comics, Derlis Santacruz, Dimensional Travel, Dynamite Entertainment, Ed Benes, Emma Frost, Espionage, Evil, Fantasy, Female Superheroes, Forever Evil, Forever Evil: Rogues Rebellion, Forever Evil: Rogues Rebellion #3, Gail Simone, Gotham, Harleen Quinzel, Harley Quinn, Harley Quinn #1, He-Man, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, He-Man and The Masters of The Universe Volume 1, Heatwave, Heroic Fantasy, Hordak, Horror, Huntress, IDW Publishing, Illegitimates, Illegitimates #1, Image Comics, Inhumanity, Inhumans, Jean Grey, Jim Zub, Jimmy Palmiotti, Justice League of America, Justice League of America's Vibe #10, Keith Giffen, Kitty Pryde, Kris Anka, Lady Deathstrike, Laura Braga, Man-at-Arms, Man-Bat, Marc Andreyko, Marvel, Marvel Comics, Marvel Now, Matteo Scalero, Mirror Master, Mutants, New 52, Oracle, Poison Ivy, Pop Mhan, Prince Adam, Princess Adora, Pulp SF, Red Sonja, Red Sonja v2 #6, Review, Review Central, Rick Remender, Rogue, Rogues Rebellion, Ron Marz, Samurai Jack, Samurai Jack #3, Science Fiction, Scott Hepburn, Sterling Gates, Storm, Superheroes, Supernatural, Supervillains, Swords and Sorcery, Taran Killam, Teela, Terry Dodson, The Joker, The Rogues, Top Cow, Typhoid Mary, Uncanny X-Men, Uncanny X-Men #15, Urban Fantasy, Vibe, Vixen, Walter Geovani, Warrior Women, Witchblade, Witchblade #171, X-Men, X-Men v4 #8
Advent Review #22: Forever Evil: Rogues Rebellion #3 (Comics Review)
We are pretty much halfway through the Forever Evil event in terms of release chronology. There have been some pretty big, pretty major events that have switched around the status quo of the DC universe since the main heroes of three different Justice Leagues are all dead or presumed dead until proven otherwise, as far as the world at large is concerned. Given how big of an event it is, inevitability said that there would be quite a few tie-ins to this main event, and that’s where Rogues Rebellion steps in. It focuses on Flash’s premier New 52 villains, The Rogues, and how they defy the Crime Syndicate, the new “ruling” power.
For its first two issues, Rogues Rebellion has been a fairly good story that ticks all sorts of boxes, but there was still an undercurrent of unease that the six-issue mini-series would not quite live up to the mark. This week saw the release of the third issue, set in Gotham no less, and I was quite excited for it. Some of those expectations didn’t end up getting met since the story wasn’t as gripping this time around, but I have to say that on its own, its pretty good. It also doesn’t hurt that the artwork is so damn good here.
Tags: Brian Buccellato, Captain Cold, Comics, Crime Syndicate, DC Comics, Forever Evil, Forever Evil: Rogues Rebellion, Gotham, Man-Bat, New 52, Nick Filardi, Poison Ivy, Review, Review Central, Rogues, Rogues Rebellion, Scott Hepburn, Supervillains, The Flash, Weather Wizard
Forever Evil: Rogues Rebellion #2 by Brian Buccellato (Comics Review)
Well, they’ve gone and done it. First the Rogues decided to see what the Crime Syndicate was all about. They went to the big meeting at the location of the crashed Justice League Watchtower, they heard the spiel, they were mildly interested. They came back to Central City, only to find it pretty much wrecked and the heads of humans and apes mounted on sticks. Then the Deathstorm and Power Ring showed up and told them to destroy the city. Captain Cold said no. And that, as they say, was that.
Brian Buccellato’s take on the Rogues has been one of the best things about his work. Whether it is in the recent issues of The Flash or in the recent one-shots and the new mini-series Rogues Rebellion, he’s made the characters into a really interesting team, characters that you can get along with and be invested in. He continues that in the second issue of this Forever Evil tie-in mini-series, and he does it with style. The one big kicker though is that the first half of the issue was already done in Geoff Johns’ Forever Evil #3, and so half this issue is just recap material unfortunately. Entertaining though!
Tags: Brian Buccellato, Captain Cold, Comics, Crime Syndicate, DC Comics, Deathstorm, Forever Evil, Forever Evil: Rogues Rebellion, Gotham, Metropolis, New 52, Nick Filardi, Parasite, Power Ring, Review, Review Central, Rogues, Rogues Rebellion, Scott Hepburn, Supervillains, The Flash, Weather Wizard
This was another week with me reading far more non-DC comics than DC comics, as was the case in September. Lots of great variety in the comics this week, especially a lot of exciting new series with their first issues. There are a few other series that I’m looking forward to reading in the next few days, particularly catching up with some favourites like Bill Willingham’s Fables, of which I’ve read the first two volumes, and some Top Cow books.
Which brings me to the my usual complaint with my comics reading: the lack of being able to read any graphic novels. I fully expected to be able to move through at least two this week but I got caught up reading a really big fantasy novel that proved to be a tough slog, not to mention a sudden fascination with the Candy Crush game on my iPad and my smartphone, so I’ve been whiling away a lot of time. No idea what’s gonna happen this week, but as always, I’m hopeful!
Tags: Action, Aku, Arms of the Octopus, Batgirl, Battle of the Atom, Birds of Prey, Black Canary, Boom Studios, Brainiac, Brandon Montclare, Brian Azzarello, Brian Buccellato, Brian Michael Bendis, Bruce Banner, Bushido, Captain Cold, Cartoon Network, Christy Marx, Comics, Comics Picks of the Week, Comics Reviews, Cosmic, Crime, Crime Syndicate, Cyborg-Superman, Fantasy, Femme Fatales, Feudal Japan, Firestorm, Forever Evil, Forever Evil: Rogues Rebellion, Frank Miller, Greek Gods, Greek Mythology, Groot, Guardians of the Galaxy, Hulk, IDW Publishing, Indestructible Hulk, Indestructible Hulk Special #1, Iron Man, Jim Zub, Justice League of America, Khan Noonien Singh, Martian Manhunter, Marvel Comics, Marvel Now, Matt Kindt, Menton3, Michael Alan Nelson, Mike Costa, Mike Johnson, Mutants, New 52, OCP, Origin Story, Review Central, Rob Levin, Robocop, Robocop: The Last Stand, Rocket Girl, Rocket Raccoon, Rogues Rebellion, Samurai, Samurai Jack, Samurai Jack #1, Science Fiction, Slayers, Space Opera, Spider-Man, Star Trek, Star Trek: Khan, Stargirl, Steven Grant, Supergirl, Superheroes, Superior Spider-Man, Techno-Fantasy, The Flash, Time Travel, Top Cow Comics, Trinity War, Uncanny X-Men, Urban Fantasy, Vampire, Villain's Month, Wonder Woman, X-Men
The effects of Villain’s Month are still being felt in the DC universe that has resulted from the arrival of the Crime Syndicate from Earth 3 and the disappearance of all the major heroes, and more besides, from Earth Prime. Its all a strange new world where the villains are ascendant and the heroes are woefully missing, or just presumed dead. Where the Gem Cities are concerned, we’ve already seen a recently-freed Grodd attack the city rather brutally and lay waste to both of them. The question now is what the Rogues are going to do about it all.
In the Rogues one-shot for Villain’s Month, we got to see a behind-the-scenes look at the supervillains of the Gem Cities, a team of criminals who don’t really care about the whole superheroes vs supervillains thing, they are just out looking for the score, as Leonard aka Captain Cold would put it (and does so again in this issue). These are trying times for the Rogues and this new 6-issue mini-series is going to delve into how the Rogues are going to deal with the Crime Syndicate.
Tags: Brian Buccellato, Comics, Comics Reviews, Forever Evil, Forever Evil: Rogues Rebellion, New 52, Nick Filardi, Patrick Zircher, Review, Review Central, Rogues, Rogues Rebellion, Scott Hepburn, The Flash
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Around Charlotte
CLOSINGS ALERTFull List of Active Closings
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles criticized the canceled Juneteenth event at Latta Plantation Nature Preserve.
Event on Juneteenth depicting fugitive slave owner canceled
By Associated Press Charlotte
PUBLISHED 6:41 AM ET Jun. 12, 2021 PUBLISHED 6:41 AM EDT Jun. 12, 2021
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — Officials in North Carolina have denounced plans — now canceled — by a historic museum to put on a reenactment of a white slave owner being pursued by Union soldiers.
RELATED: Museum manager defends plans for canceled Juneteenth event
The reenactment was scheduled for June 19 - the traditional commemoration date of the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States, known as “Juneteenth.”
Officials in Mecklenburg County said via Twitter on Friday that the performances at Latta Plantation Nature Preserve, which among other things would have portrayed Confederate soldiers lamenting the downfall of the Confederacy, would not take place as previously announced.
“We immediately reached out to the organizers and the event was cancelled,” the tweet said.
The county said it has “zero tolerance” for programming that does not represent equity and diversity. As a result, the county said it was reviewing its contract with the facility vendor regarding future programming.
A screen grab from the museum website showed people were invited to the one-night event to hear stories from a “massa,” or an actor portraying the owner of an enslaved person during a time when federal troops were pursuing those who owned slaves. The word mocks the Black pronunciation of “master.”
Officials with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg NAACP didn’t immediately return a phone call seeking comment Friday.
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles tweeted late Friday: “We should not support any business or organization that does not respect equality, history, and the truth of the African-American people’s journey to freedom. Despite intent, words matter.”
On June 19, 1865, known as Juneteenth, 250,000 enslaved Black people were declared free be executive decree. That day should be celebrated and honored in the most humble way possible, with laser focus on the perspective of the inhumane treatment of an enslaved people.
— Mayor Vi Lyles (@CLTMayor) June 12, 2021
She added in a separate tweet of the June 19th anniversary that it should be “honored in the most humble way possible, with laser focus on the perspective of the inhumane treatment of an enslaved people.”
While the Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves in the South in 1863, it wasn’t enforced in many places until after the end of the Civil War two years later. Confederate soldiers surrendered in April 1865, but word didn’t reach the last enslaved Black people until June 19, when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to Galveston, Texas.
The plantation and museum is described on its webpage as a circa 1800 living history museum and farm, once the site of a cotton plantation. It offers educational and school programs featuring animals, workshops, camps, and reenactments, and the grounds include a carriage barn, cabins, and outbuildings.
In 2009, three Black students from a Union County elementary school were chosen out of a group on a field trip to the plantation to portray slaves, angering parents and leading the school to cancel future field trips to the site.
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Victorious Falcons Back in Nigeria with AWCON Trophy
Featured - breaking football newsFootball NewsNews Update
Presidency, NFF Welcome Team
By Our Reporter On Dec 2, 2018 0
Nigeria’s female football national team Super Falcons have returned to the country following their triumph at the just concluded 2018 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations (AWCON) championship.
The Chief of Staff to the President and Commander-In-Chief of the Federal Republic, President Muhammadu Buhari (GCFR), Alhaji Abba Kyari, was at the head of a delegation of prominent Nigerians and top officials of the Nigeria Football Federation that received the Super Falcons on arrival in Abuja on Sunday evening.
Nine –time African champions, Super Falcons, flew into the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport minutes before 4pm, aboard an ASKY Airline flight from Accra, and were received by Alhaji Kyari, NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, as well as other officials of the NFF.
On Saturday, at the Accra Sports Stadium, the golden girls prevailed over a resilient South African Banyana Banyana side 4-3 on penalties after a scoreless 120 minutes, to lift the top African women football diadem for the third successive time and ninth time overall.
Read Also: Falcons retain Nations Cup Trophy beat Bayana Bayana 4-3
Holding aloft the Women AFCON trophy, the Falcons were wildly cheered by Nigerians at the airport and responded gracefully before they entered the bus that conveyed them to their hotel in the Federal Capital.
At the Starview Hotel, Alhaji Kyari commended the girls for a job well done, praising them for their tenacity, energy, determination and patriotic fervour.
“On behalf of Mr. President, who is not in the country at the moment, we say welcome and well done to you. We are proud of you and your representation of the country.
Infact, as we were leaving the airport, two eminent Nigerians called and donated the sum of N50million and N25 million respectively to your team. Please rest very well. We will get back to you with the activities lined up for you in the coming days.”
Thenff.com learnt that the two eminent Nigerians who donated money are Alhaji Aliko Dangote (Chairman of Dangote Group) and Alhaji Abdulsamad Rabiu (Chairman of BUA company). It was also learnt that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Alhaji Mohammed Musa Bello, will host the team on Monday, 3rd December 2018.
Also at the hotel to receive the Super Falcons was the Honourable Minister for Women Affairs, Hajiya Aisha Abubakar.
General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, said: “On behalf of the leadership of the NFF, we are grateful for the support from the Nigerian Government which has seen the team excel at the Cup of Nations. The girls have promised to do their best to represent the country very well at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup.”
Super Falcons
Umpire ruined US Open final featuring Serena Williams, says expert
Ibrahimovic, Ronaldo Make Headline over Fresh feud
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Baseball History
How do you play major league baseball?
To play Major League Baseball, it is a good idea to being playing Baseball early. Play during college and work hard to get scouted by a major league team.
Q: How do you play major league baseball?
Can girls play major league baseball?
Yes, girls can play major league baseball.
How tall must you be to play Major League Baseball?
There is no height requirments to play major league baseball.
What do you do as a Major League Baseball player?
play baseball
Did Michael Jordan play Major League Baseball?
No Michael Jordan did not play major league baseball, he played for the White Sox minor league
Who of the 2 major league baseball leagues are the oldest?
The National League began play as a major league in 1876. The American League began play as a major league in 1901.
What is the minimum height requirement to play on Major League Baseball?
Answered priously. No there is no minimum height requirement to play major league baseball.
How many teams play in the mlb- Major League Baseball?
As of 2010 there are 30 Major League Baseball teams.
What baseball league are the Minnesota Twin in?
The Minnesota Twins play in the American League of Major League Baseball.
Minimum weight for baseball major league?
There is no minimum weight or height to play Major League Baseball..you just better be able to play well.
Is there a rule on how tall to play major league baseball?
Do you have to go to college to play major league baseball?
Did Elvis Presley play major league baseball?
How many teams takes part in Major League Baseball?
The amount of teams that play in Major League Baseball is 30.
What does it take to get in the Major League Baseball?
Umm.... play baseball good
Who was the first little league baseball player to play Major League Baseball?
joey jay
What was the first African American woman to play major league baseball?
There has never been a woman, African-American or otherwise, to play Major League baseball.
Is Major League Baseball 2k or Major League Baseball the show better?
I heard that the show is better for regular play, but 2k is better for online play.
Are girls allowed to play Major League Baseball?
No. But there is a similar softball league.
How many teams play Major League Baseball in the American League?
How many games do the Major League Baseball players play in a season?
162 games in each Major League Baseball Season
When will Alex Rodriguez play in the major league?
He has been playing major league baseball for 20 years?
Do you have to have a high school diploma to play Major League Baseball?
What sport does Alex Rodriguez play for?
Major League Baseball.
What sport does Alex Rodriguez play?
How many teams are in Major League Baseball?
There are a total of 30 teams in Major League Baseball. 14 play in the American League (AL) while 16 are in the National League (NL)
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Visits to Stanford Exhibit Israeli Multiculturalism
dkaye
During the 2012-2013 academic year, Stanford has seen visits from an Iranian-Israeli music icon and an eminent Iraqi-Israeli reporter. Collectively, they attest to the benefits of cultural integration…On the evening of November 3, the tones of soaring vocals and the shouts of excited fans reverberated through Dinkelspiel Auditorium.
This autumn, Stanford hosted Iranian-Israeli musician Rita Jahanforuz. The 50-year-old celebrity has delighted audiences in Israel for decades with her unique blending of music genres from throughout the Middle East. Rita holds her largest fan base in Israel, but also thrives as an international musician and political icon. While her act no doubt makes for a good show, Rita does more than entertain. Throughout her career, she has promulgated her intent to “puncture the wall of tension” between Israel and Iran. Her objective is unmistakable—she wishes to bridge divides between people through her multicultural personal background and musical medleys. As she puts it, her aim is to serve as an “ambassador of peace.” Melodious in both her ability to harmonize musical genres and her ability to harmonize people of various backgrounds through music, Rita is the quintessential multicultural success story.
Earlier in February, the esteemed reporter and radio show host Joseph Braude addressed how the prevalence of different ethnic and cultural demographics within Israel produces such multicultural sensations. Mr. Braude was invited to speak at Stanford on the topic of “Jews in the Arab World” from the perspective of a seasoned reporter and an Iraqi-Israeli. He endeavored to answer the question of from where this diversity stems and how these communities have become integrated into Israeli society through his experiences as a journalist specializing in Middle Eastern affairs. Braude’s talk, which was sponsored by JIMENA (Jews Indigenous to the Middle East and North Africa), highlighted the little known story of Jewish refugees from Arab countries.
JIMENA offers unique educational opportunities and publicizes the stories of the nearly one million Jews displaced from Arab lands. Middle Eastern and North African (Mizrahi) Jews contribute immensely to the great eclecticism that characterizes Israeli society and culture. The representation and advancement of Mizrahi Jews in every facet of Israeli society attests to their resilience, Israel’s inclination to integrate various peoples, and the efficacy of cultural immersion. Since Mizrahi-Sephardic Jews make up 50% of Israel’s population, JIMENA gives special emphasis to the histories and current realities of this central demographic group within Israel.
Mr. Braude expressed how grave circumstance led to the migration of Arab Jews from Arab lands after the Israeli War of Independence in 1948. Approximately 850,000 Jews were expelled or forced to flee from the Middle East and North Africa.
The dramatic decline of the once vibrant Iraqi-Jewish community punctuates the extent of this steep demographic shift. In the 1940s, the population of Baghdad was 40% Jewish, and currently, less than ten Jews reside in all of Iraq. Only one Jewish house of worship remains in the entirety of the country.
Just two significant Jewish communities remain in North Africa, in Morocco and Tunisia. The once robust community of a quarter million Jews in Morocco is now 6,000. The Tunisian Jewish population of 100,000 has dwindled to 2,000.
Mr. Braude emphasized how both of these communities express a great desire to branch out and connect with the outside world. As many of these displaced persons immigrated to Israel, the remaining populations in places like Morocco and Tunisia seek to link up with the current epicenter of Jewish-Arabs. He stressed that nearly half of the Israeli population is of Middle Eastern and North African descent, accounting for much of the diverse ethnic and cultural composition of Israel, which has roots in 70 countries. He emphasized that approximately 20% of the Israeli population is non-Jewish, and 14% identify as Arab-Muslim. All citizens, regardless of race or creed, are represented and participate fully in Israeli national politics. Arab-Muslims have held as many as 12 of the 120 seats in the Israeli parliament, or Knesset, and add significantly to the plurality of opinions and perspectives represented in Israeli society.
Visits from Rita and Mr. Braude to Stanford collectively demonstrated the fruitfulness of embracing cultural diversity. As Stanford students interested in gaining more comprehensive, nuanced, and accurate understandings of current developments around the world, including the Arab-Israeli conflict, it is imperative to familiarize ourselves with the stories of Jews from Arab countries as well as other minorities who have been affected by tension and intolerance. Understanding the origins of current demographic realities in the region will help us to more fully contextualize different narratives.
Doni Kaye ’15 is a StandWithUs Emerson Fellow and Campus Outreach Chair of the Stanford Israel Alliance. He can be reached at dkaye@stanford.edu.
Dear Readers, In the 19th century it was London and in the 20th, New York City. And now it is Silicon Valley, the cultural, intellectual,
Pro-life is Pro-life
A response to an article published in the Stanford Daily, “Pro-Choice is not Anti-life” by Alex Bayer. I believe that aborting a pregnancy is killing
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The Page Six JOE MILLIONAIRE: FOR RICHER OR POORER Date Night Prize Pack Sweepstakes is now closed.
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1. ELIGIBILITY: Page Six Joe Millionaire: For Richer Or Poorer SWEEPSTAKES (“Sweepstakes”) is open only to legal residents of the United States (excluding Rhode Island) and the District of Columbia, 21 years or older at the time of entry. Proof of residency and age may be required. All entrants must be “Authorized Account Holders” of the email address submitted prior to 12/20/2021. An “Authorized Account Holder” is defined as the natural person 21 years of age or older who is assigned to an email address by an Internet access provider, on-line service provider, or other organization (e.g., business, education institution, etc.) that is responsible for assigning email addresses for the domain associated with the submitted email address. Employees, officers, directors and representatives of NYP Holdings, Inc. (hereinafter, “Sponsor”), its respective parent companies, subsidiaries, affiliates, divisions, licensors and advertising/promotion agencies (collectively, the “Related Entities”) and immediate family members (spouse and parents, siblings and children and their spouses) and persons living in the same households of each of the above (whether related or not) are ineligible to enter or win a prize. Void where prohibited by law. All federal, state and local laws apply.
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Use of automated devices is not valid for entry. Any Entry or Additional Entry that is submitted with the use of an automated device will be void. Mechanically reproduced or computer generated Entry forms and Entries and Additional Entries (except as permitted in these Official Rules) are ineligible and will be disqualified. Sponsor is not responsible for lost, late, misdirected, illegible, incomplete, mutilated or stolen Entries or Additional Entries; printing errors appearing on any Registration form, within these Official Rules, in any Sweepstakes-related advertisements or other materials; or other errors of any kind whether mechanical, human, electronic or otherwise. Entries and Additional Entries that are late, illegible, duplicate/ multiple, incomplete, unreadable, damaged, destroyed, delayed, lost, tampered with, incomprehensible, forged, mutilated, misdirected, inaccurate, unintelligible or otherwise not in compliance with these Official Rules will be disqualified. Your Entry constitutes your consent to participate in this Sweepstakes and your consent for Sponsor to obtain and deliver your email address, and other information, for the purpose of administering this Sweepstakes and for other uses by Sponsor as permitted by applicable law. All Entries and Additional Entries become the property of Sponsor and will not be returned. All requested Entry information must be provided in English to enter and be eligible to win. By submitting an Entry or Additional Entry, entrant agrees to abide by the terms of these Official Rules and the Page Six Privacy Policy. The information you provide is subject to the Page Six Privacy Policy available at https://pagesix.com/privacy/.
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4. TWO (2) EXTRAORDINARY DATE NIGHT PRIZES: Two (2) Winners will each receive one (1) “extraordinary date night package.” The approximate retail value (“ARV”) of the prize is $1500. No transfer, substitution or cash equivalent of any prize permitted by prize winner. Sponsor may substitute the prize with one of equal or greater retail value if the advertised prize is unavailable or cannot be awarded for any reason. The ARV of the prize set forth above represents Sponsor’s good faith determination of the ARV thereof and the actual fair market value, as ultimately determined by Sponsor, cannot be challenged or appealed by the prize winner. In the event the stated ARV of the prize is more than the actual fair market value of the prize, the difference will not be awarded in cash. Reporting and payment of any applicable federal, state and local taxes are the sole responsibility of the prize winner. Prize is awarded as-is and Sponsor has made no warranty or guarantee in whole or in part, express or implied, in fact or in law, in relation to the use of any prize including, but not limited to, its quality, merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose or suitability for use and, further, accepts no responsibility for any additional expenses, omissions, delays, re-routing or acts of any government or authority. If the prize is unclaimed, it will not be awarded.
5. TWO (2) ORDINARY DATE NIGHT PRIZES: Two (2) Winners will each receive one (1) “ordinary prize pack,” which will include a gift card for a drink and/or food service. The approximate retail value (“ARV”) of the prize is $100. No transfer, substitution or cash equivalent of any prize permitted by prize winner. Sponsor may substitute the prize with one of equal or greater retail value if the advertised prize is unavailable or cannot be awarded for any reason. The ARV of the prize set forth above represents Sponsor’s good faith determination of the ARV thereof and the actual fair market value, as ultimately determined by Sponsor, cannot be challenged or appealed by the prize winner. In the event the stated ARV of the prize is more than the actual fair market value of the prize, the difference will not be awarded in cash. Reporting and payment of any applicable federal, state and local taxes are the sole responsibility of the prize winner. Prize is awarded as-is and Sponsor has made no warranty or guarantee in whole or in part, express or implied, in fact or in law, in relation to the use of any prize including, but not limited to, its quality, merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose or suitability for use and, further, accepts no responsibility for any additional expenses, omissions, delays, re-routing or acts of any government or authority. If the prize is unclaimed, it will not be awarded.
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Premont Hall
Dr. Marco J. Clark, Executive Director and Assistant Professor of Education
mclark12@stedwards.edu
The Holy Cross Institute sponsors a variety of programs for education, formation and transformation of board members, administrators, faculties and staffs, students and other members of school communities on the rich history, mission and traditions of Holy Cross. Additionally, we provide research into these values and their application in education, teaching and leadership in the present time and into the future.
2021 - 2022 Webinar Series
"Forming Citizens for this World and for Heaven"
January 2022 Webinar
5. Known, Loved, and Served: Finding God in Immersion Zeal (Click to register)
Jan. 20, 2022 5PM CT
January 20 th is the feast day of Blessed Basil Moreau, the founder of the Congregation of Holy
Cross. In his document, Christian Education, Moreau writes, “Zeal is the great desire to make
God known, loved, and served and thus, to bring knowledge of salvation to others.” Applying
Moreau’s framework of “known, loved, and served” one can also explore the transformative
possibilities of immersive service work. During this presentation, we will discuss the
importance of making God known through our individual narrative, sharing God’s love through
solidarity with our neighbor, and serving God in the way we honor our experiences of
encounter. The presentation will draw upon scripture, spirituality, and narrative as ways to
unpack the concept of immersion zeal. We will conclude by exploring the intersection between
these three concepts, immersion programs, and Catholic education.
The presentation will be led by Dr. Jimmy Menkhaus, Theology instructor at Gilmour Academy
and adjunct Lecturer at John Carroll University. He will be joined by Kat Rankin ’20 graduate of
Gilmour Academy and sophomore at the University of Kentucky who will provide the
perspective of a student who has participated in immersion programs. The content for the
presentation will draw upon themes from Dr. Menkhaus’ newly published book through New
City Press, Immersion: A Pilgrimage into Service.
4. The competence to see: A discussion on navigating expression in a polarized society
We are delighted to be joined by Dr. David Thomason, Associate Professor of Political Science and the Civics Lab, a student group dedicated to working on projects focusing on economics, politics, and society for this month’s webinar. During our November webinar we received feedback on the need for how to discuss civil discourse in and out of the classroom. This webinar will dive into how we can have those conversations, why we should reach out to groups beyond our own, and our shared civic virtue to advance the common good.
A Holy Cross school's mission includes helping students become active and informed citizens. We are reminded that Holy Cross was founded in the aftermath of the French Revolution, a time of division, distrust, death and despair. Fr. Moreau saw Christian Education as the vehicle for the restoration and transformation of the Church and society. Similarly today, our world is facing division, distrust, death and despair. As such, Holy Cross Education is as important and as needed as any time in our history.
Dr. David Thomason is a public policy, media, advocacy, and grassroot expert. He often writes op-ed articles in the Austin American-Statesman, his most recent piece last month was titled “Opinion: Transportation Choices Matter In The Fight Against Climate Change.” He will begin the webinar with a presentation on civic virtue.
This will be an engaging webinar and highly encouraged for all to attend.
“We shall always place education side by side with instruction; the mind will not be cultivated at the expense of the heart. While we prepare useful citizens for society, we shall likewise do our utmost to prepare citizens for heaven.” —Bl. Basil Moreau, Circular Letter 36
3. Who Is Our Family?: A Call To Solidarity.
Since the founding of the Congregation of Holy Cross in 1837 by Blessed Basil Moreau, Holy Cross men and women religious and lay educators have pursued, as disciples of Jesus, to “stand side by side with all people.” They have truly grasped that “we are burdened by the same struggles and beset by the same weaknesses,” that “we are made new by the same Lord’s love,” and that “we hope for a world where love and justice prevail” (Holy Cross Constitutions, 2:12).
For our November webinar we are honored to bring together a panel of esteemed leaders, theologians, and educators to discuss two of the principles of Catholic Social Teaching: community, family, and participation; and solidarity. The goal of this webinar is to explore more deeply what our Gospel calls us to be: “one body, individually members of one another” (Romans 12:4-8) “living rightly,” which means to love one another (Romans 13:8-10). Pope Francis further challenges us by stating, “To all people of good will who are working for social justice: never tire of working for a more just world, marked by solidarity! No one can remain insensitive to the inequalities that exist in the world” (Address to Varginha favela in Rio de Janeiro, July 25, 2013).
This webinar will explore some of these inequalities that exist in the world, like the call for racial justice, the work of DEI, responding to immigrants and the refugee crisis, and helping, supporting, and defending LGBTQ youth who face many challenges (USCCB statement, God is on Your Side: A Statement from Catholic Bishops on Protection of LGBT Youth). It will also offer tools and insights for reconciliation despite the magnitude of pain or misunderstanding that result from these inequalities.
The Constitutions of the Congregation of Holy Cross reminds us that “Our concern for the dignity of every human being as God’s cherished child directs our care to victims of every injury: prejudice, famine, warfare, ignorance, infidelity, abuse, natural calamity…” (2:16). Pope Francis articulates four verbs in describing this work: welcome, protect, promote, and integrate (Address to International Forum on Migration and Peace, February 2017). This webinar will feature six members of the St. Edward’s University community, representing a variety of perspectives, and will be moderated by our Assistant Director, Meigs Turgeon, in order to support men and women of grace and goodwill and to form “communities of the coming kingdom” (Holy Cross Constitutions, 2:12).
The panel consist of the following people:
Fr. Peter Walsh, C.S.C., Director of Campus Ministry
Dr. Lisa Kirkpatrick, Vice President of Student Affairs
Dr. Richard Bautch, Associate Dean of Arts and Humanities, Professor of Religious and Theological Studies, Chair of the Board of Governors
Ms. Liza Manjarrez, Associate Director of Campus Ministry
Mr. Al Baker, Doctoral Student and Alumni
Ms. Calista Rebledo, St. Edward’s Student
2. "Go to Joseph": St. Joseph, St. Andre, and the Oratory's Spiritual and Welcoming Mission
We are excited to have Fr. Michael DeLaney, CSC, rector at Saint Joseph's Oratory in Montreal, Quebec, join us for this month’s webinar. Since his ordination in 1987, Father Mike has served in various Holy Cross Schools around the world including The University of Portland, Notre Dame High School, Niles, IL, and later in Santiago Chile at Saint George's College and Colegio Nuestra Señora de Andacollo. In all of these places, the development and formation of the Holy Cross mission was a primary part of his work in these educational settings.
For 20 years Fr. Mike has participated in programs with the CSC secondary schools in the United States, and at the Holy Cross Institute since its founding. Even when in Chile he was able to participate in many of the Convocation meetings, and often was tapped for leading break-out sessions on International Education in Holy Cross and in the area of Peace Studies. In 2015, he returned to the USA to direct the Holy Cross Mission Center, and was able to work directly with Holy Cross schools and other ministries across the globe to help them grow and bring the mission of Holy Cross in Asia, Africa, Haiti, and Latin America.
As we continue to celebrate the year of St. Joseph, Fr. Mike will discuss the significance of Saint Joseph for us, and the important role that Joseph played in Jesus's life. He will talk about the mission of the Oratory today and help us come to know where St. Brother Andre has impacted the world. As rector of Saint Joseph’s Oratory, his hope is to collaborate with Holy Cross educators everywhere in ways to help bring the presence of Saint Brother Andre and Saint Joseph to their schools and communities.
1: Social Justice in the Holy Cross Tradition: Creating a World Where Love and Justice Prevail
In this new academic year, the theme for the 2021-2022 Holy Cross Institute Webinar Series is Forming Citizens for this World and for Heaven. From the very beginning, the charism of Holy Cross has included a special emphasis on a preferential option for the poor and the oppressed. This is outlined for us in the writings of Blessed Basil Moreau, C.S.C., Founder of the Congregation of Holy Cross, and further delineated in the Constitutions of the Congregation of Holy Cross. From Constitution 2:12 we read: As disciples of Jesus we stand side by side with all people. Like them we are burdened by the same struggles and beset by the same weaknesses; like them we are made new by the same Lord’s love; like them we hope for a world where justice and love prevail. Thus, wherever through its superiors the congregation sends us we go as educators in the faith to those whose lot we share, supporting men and women of grace and goodwill everywhere in their efforts to form communities of the coming kingdom. To kick off our year we are honored to be joined by Brother Richard Daly, C.S.C. and the new president at St. Edward's University, Dr. Montserrat Fuentes. Brother Richard, a member of the Moreau Province of Brothers, St. Edward's University alumnus, adjunct faculty member and Trustee served for more than 30 years as the lobbyist for the Texas bishops in his role as executive director of the Texas Catholic Conference. His presentation will focus on the seven principles of Catholic Social Teaching and how these principles align with the mission and charism of Holy Cross. Dr. Montserrat Fuentes has a vision for St. Edward’s University as a “Destination Social Justice University.” Dr. Fuentes, a native of Spain, is the first Hispanic president to lead St. Edward’s, representing a significant milestone for the university, which is a Hispanic-Serving Institution and is recognized in the top 10 in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Regional Universities in the West ranking. She is also the second female president in the university’s history, a role held by Patricia Hayes from 1984–1998. Dr. Fuentes is an accomplished administrator, professor of Statistics and researcher, and was most recently executive vice president and provost for the University of Iowa, where she championed entrepreneurial and real-world training, curricular initiatives, leverage of technology, and civic engagement to enhance student success. Throughout her career, Dr. Fuentes has sought to promote diversity, equity and inclusion. In recognition of her efforts, she received the Equity of Women award in 2013 for major contributions to the equity and wellbeing of women at NC State University. She was also selected as the NC State University faculty liaison for the Office for Institutional Equity and Diversity in 2014 to support women and minorities as they manage a successful career in academia with family responsibilities.
Celebrating the 200th Anniversary of the Brothers of St. Joseph: 1820–2020
To view the recordings of Webinars 1 thru 10, please scroll down and click a webinar title below, or go to the Holy Cross Institute YouTube channel. The HCI YouTube channel also has recordings from past HCI Convocations and from other events. Please feel free to enjoy these videos at your convenience. #HolyCrossBrothers200thAnniversary
1: Early History of the Brothers of Holy Cross
In recognition of the 200th anniversary of the Brothers of St. Joseph, now the Brothers of Holy Cross, the Holy Cross Institute at St. Edward's University sponsored a five-part webinar series featuring Holy Cross Brothers and Priests whose research and lived experiences reflect on this 200 year history.
The first webinar features Br. George Klawitter, C.S.C., who has written extensively on the life of Fr. Jacques Dujarie, founder of the Brothers of St. Joseph, and the mission and ministry of the early Brothers.
2: The History of the Congregation of Holy Cross
This webinar features Fr. James Connelly, C.S.C. and his recent work on The History of the Congregation of Holy Cross scheduled published in December 2020 by Notre Dame Press.
3: Holy Cross Education in the U.S. and Abroad
Brother Donald Blauvelt, C.S.C.; Assistant Provincial, C.S.C. Moreau Province
Brother Thomas Dziekan, C.S.C.; Provincial Superior, C.S.C. Moreau Provincial
4: Understanding the Journey of Being a Holy Cross Educator
Brother Robert Lavelle, C.S.C., Assistant Provincial, C.S.C. Midwest Province; and a panel of three leaders from Holy Cross schools will share their insights on how Fr. Moreau's vision and the Holy Cross charism is manifested today in our schools.
5: International Work and Ministries of Holy Cross
This webinar features Brother Paul Bednarczyk, C.S.C., Vicar General and First Assistant in the Congregation of Holy Cross, Rome, Italy. Brother Paul shares about the work and ministries of Holy Cross taking place in the 18 countries they serve. This includes parishes, schools, colleges and universities, and social services.
Welcome remarks were provided by St. Edward's University president Dr. George E. Martin, whose vision it was to found the Holy Cross Institute in 2004. Dr. Martin will be retiring at the conclusion of the 2020-21 academic year. His storied career helped propel St. Edward's University to a place on the U.S. News and World Report Top 10 College or University in the West list, for multiple consecutive years.
6: Marianites of Holy Cross: A Welcoming Presence
Sister Ann Lacour, M.S.C., Congregational Leader, Marianites of Holy Cross, shares the history, legacy and continued ministry of the Marianites today, and their special role in continuing the heritage and mission of Holy Cross, as well as insights into how the original sisters developed into three separate groups.
7: Postponed
Due to February's extraordinary weather conditions, St. Edward's University canceled both Homecoming and the HCI February 25th webinar. We hope to reschedule this webinar for sometime later this Spring.
Planned speakers included Holy Cross Brothers Larry Atkinson, CSC, George Klawitter, CSC, and John Paige, CSC.
8: The Sisters of the Holy Cross: Bringing Hope Around the World
Sister Irma Diane Cundiff, CSC, Directora Geral, Colegio Santo Domingo, Sao Paolo, Brasil, tells the exciting story of three sisters in Brazil and the work they grew from those small seeds to the thriving schools in Brazil and around the world today. Click the title line above to view the recording.
9: Dr. Geroge E. Martin, President of St. Edward's University
Dr. George E. Martin joined St. Edward’s University as president in 1999. In his time on the hilltop, undergraduate enrollment has doubled, and St. Edward’s has been ranked a top-10 university in the Western Region for 18 consecutive years by U.S. News & World Report. The university’s Holy Cross mission, which has guided it throughout its history, compels us never to educate the mind at the expense of the heart. Dr. Martin writes that, “By learning with their hearts to respect, value and love others — even those different from themselves — students learn that all people are equally entitled to fairness, kindness and justice. They also learn that education is about more than learning, intellectual growth and preparation for vocation. It is about understanding one’s role in advancing the cause of social justice in the world.” Dr. Martin is one of the most respected leaders in Catholic higher education. His commitment to the educational mission and charism of the Holy Cross Brothers is evident in his everyday work, interactions with students and faculty, written and spoken communications, and through his personal witness. He is truly Holy Cross. With the vision to create a center for resources, research and leadership development for Holy Cross schools around the globe, Dr. Martin spearheaded the founding of the Holy Cross Institute at St. Edward’s University in 2004. With only a few weeks left in his tenure as president at St. Edward’s, we hope you can join us for this conversation with this empowering Holy Cross educator and transformational leader who will reflect on his own leadership legacy and the unique charism of the Brothers of Holy Cross. He will also share his hopes and dreams for the future of Holy Cross and St. Edward's University. Click the title line above to view the recording.
10. Intercultural, Interreligious, Excellent: The Heroic Witness of Holy Cross in Bangladesh with Br. Jony Gregory, C.S.C.
In 1851, Propaganda Fide, the Vatican congregation that oversees the Church’s missionary work, asked Blessed Basile Moreau if Holy Cross would assume responsibility for the Church’s mission in East Bengal. Whereas other congregations had refused because of the region’s poverty and difficult climate, Moreau accepted. Despite several early setbacks that led to many deaths of Holy Cross religious due to disease and natural disasters, the Congregation persevered and has continued to grow throughout Bangladesh despite these difficulties. Although Christians constitute a small minority (about 0.3%) in this predominantly Muslim country, the Congregation is well-known and respected. Today, Holy Cross religious vocations continue to grow through the Final Professions and Ordinations of many Bangladeshi brothers and priests.
Educational excellence is a hallmark of a Holy Cross education. The Congregation administers over a dozen high schools and trade schools in two provinces in Bangladesh. Notre Dame College in Dhaka, founded in 1949, is the premier college and institution of higher secondary education in the country. In 2014, Notre Dame University in Bangladesh was established and is already a leading private university in the country. While educating some of the elite, the Congregation has a long history of advocating on behalf of the dignity and rights of the poor. We hope you will be able to learn more about the heroic witness of the Holy Cross men and women in Bangladesh from Br. Jony Gregory, CSC, a member of St. Joseph Province, Bangladesh. Br. Jony took his final vows in 2013 and is currently the Assistant Headmaster of St. Philip’s High School and College in Dinajpur, Bangladesh, and teaches English Language & Arts from 9th - 12th grade. He graduated from Loyola College, India, in 2010 with a bachelor's degree in English literature, and from the University of Notre Dame, Indiana, in 2019 with a master's degree in English language and literature.
Throughout the year, the Holy Cross Institute offers additional programs:
Mission-based programs
Affinity Group meetings
Leadership Development opportunities
Service Ministry opportunities
The HCI Executive Director also makes regular visits to school campuses and is available for:
keynote addresses,
special programs,
faculty and staff in-services,
retreat facilitation, and
coaching and consultation for leaders and aspiring leaders.
Blessed Basile Moreau, C.S.C., stated that our "union is that great lever in which we can move, direct and sanctify the whole world.”
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Tag Archives: guidance to social workers where children’s parent murders the other
Guidance to Local Authorities where one parent murders the other
Thankfully such cases are relatively rare – not perhaps as rare as one would hope – a third of female homicide victims are killed by their current or former partner (the figures for male homicide victims are 6% – males can of course be the victims of abuse, not just the perpetrators).
Dreadfully, the Home Office crime statistics reflected in 2001 and 2005 that this represented two women per week. (And even worse, if that is possible, the statistic that treating the physical injuries from domestic violence accounts for 3% of the annual NHS budget – Wellby 2004)
In such a case, what ought the Local Authority to do about it?
The High Court addressed the issue in Re N v B and Others 2013
http://www.familylawweek.co.uk/site.aspx?i=ed115442
The children’s father had killed the mother and was imprisoned as a result. The children went to stay with their maternal grandmother, who in due course applied for an adoption order in relation to them. There was considerable debate before the Court as to whether adoption or Special Guardianship was the right order to make – there being no dispute whatsoever that the placement with grandmother was the right one.
The Court analysed the issues to be taken into account when making such a decision very carefully
22. The paramount consideration of the court when considering this issue is the welfare of the child throughout his life, in accordance with section 1 Adoption and Children Act 2002 (‘ACA 2002’). The court must consider which order will better serve the welfare of the particular child (per Wall LJ Re S (Adoption Order or Special Guardianship) [2007] EWCA Civ 54 at para 47 (iii)). There is no presumption in favour of one order or the other, each case turns on its own facts. In accordance with ss 47 and 52 ACA 2002 in considering an adoption order the court needs to consider whether the welfare of the child requires the consent of the father to be dispensed with.
23. One of the relevant considerations in this case is whether an adoption order would skew the family relationships in the grandmother’s home. The grandmother’s brother is the father’s father; the children’s parents were first cousins. The children live with the grandmother and maternal aunts and uncles. They have contact with another maternal aunt who lives nearby with her husband and son, and their great maternal aunts who also live nearby. In the event of an adoption order their maternal grandmother would become their adoptive mother. Their aunts and uncles would become their legal half siblings. The paternal grandfather would become their paternal uncle and the father their first cousin. Following the death of the mother the grandmother has severed all contact with her brother and his family.
24. This shift in family relationships, in the event of an adoption order being made, was explained in some detail to the grandmother by a Senior Practitioner in the Local Authority Adoption Team, as described in the special guardianship report. She notes the grandmother had an understanding of the consequent shift in legal relationships throughout the family in the event of an adoption order being made.
25. InS v B and Newport City Council: Re K [2007] 1 FLR 1116 the impact of an adoption order in family placements was considered important by Mr Justice Hedley, when refusing to make an adoption order in favour of a special guardianship order. At paragraph 22, following a review of the underlying policy for adoption, he stated
‘One purpose of adoption is of course to give lifelong status to carers where otherwise it would not exist. In familial placement, that is not necessary because family status exists for life in any event. That is not to say that a familial placement may never be secured by adoption. One can imagine cases where the need for security against aggressive parents, including forensic aggression, may be overwhelming.’
26. The skewing of familial relationships is clearly an important factor to put in the balance.
27. Another important factor is the concern the grandmother has about the father seeking to exercise his parental responsibility.
The last point was a particularly significant one here, since under a Special Guardianship Order, the grandmother would have found herself in the position of having to regularly consult with the father (who was after all, the man who killed her daughter) about the children’s upbringing, whereas an adoption order would end his parental responsibility. The counterpoint to that is that it alters legally the relationship between the children, such that their grandmother becomes in law, legally their mother, their aunt becomes their sister, any cousins would become their nieces and nephews (and oddly, that their birth mother, becomes legally their deceased sister)
The Court concluded that in the circumstances of this case, the advantages of adoption far outweighed those of Special Guardianship
31. I have reached the clear conclusion, in the particular circumstances of this case the welfare of each of these children throughout their lives can only be met by an adoption order being made rather than a special guardianship order. I have reached that conclusion for the following reasons:
(1) What both children need now and for the rest of their minority and beyond is a secure home. That is what their grandmother can provide, supported by the maternal family who live there or nearby. They wish to remain in her care. As the Children’s Guardian submitted there is no birth parent that can care for them.
(2) Although it is right that an adoption order would skew family relationships I am confident that despite the shift in family relationships that would follow, the children will know the realities of the relationships within the family. That is clear from the grandmother’s recent statement and the observation in the special guardianship report that the grandmother and the family are ‘secure in their knowledge of the children’s identities and they know the children’s histories’. This view is supported by the conclusions of the Children’s Guardian at paragraphs 24 – 26 of his report.
(3) In this particular case a powerful consideration is the need for the grandmother not to have to share parental responsibility with the father. Particularly in circumstances where I am satisfied, from what the father has said, that he is likely to try and exercise it, even with a restriction under s 91 (14) and other restrictions under s 8. As recently as December 2012 he was declaring that it was unfair for him not to have contact with the children; that he will keep trying and will not give up; he seeks to maintain parental responsibility and will be able to carry on seeking contact with the children. The spectre of such applications will undermine the security of the placement that is so essential to the children’s future stability.
(4) Bearing in mind the background to the criminal offences the maternal family fear manipulation by the father, directly or indirectly, so that he could control the children’s lives. In the circumstances of this case that fear is very real due to the background of the father’s behaviour, and is confirmed by the papers in the court bundle from the criminal proceedings. In particular the psychiatric report, the pre-sentence report and the sentencing remarks from the Crown Court. He was described in the pre sentence report as being extremely controlling and highly dangerous. From what I have read I wholly agree with that description. I am satisfied that a special guardianship order, even supported with orders made under s 8 and 91 (14) CA 1989 severely controlling the father’s ability to exercise his parental responsibility, will not, in the circumstances of this case, provide the lifelong security that these children need in being securely placed with their grandmother.
(5) The grandmother has carefully considered the consequences of adoption and the lifelong nature of adoption. They have been explained to her by the senior practitioner from the adoption team, as set out in detail in the special guardianship report. She understands the change to the children’s birth certificate would mean that the mother’s name and details would be removed. She does not plan to change the children’s names.
(6) In her most recent statement the grandmother deals with the religious objections raised by the father to an adoption order. She sets out very clearly how she sees the adoption of the children by her in the circumstances of this case (where she does not intend to change the names, and where any limited inheritance consequences can be covered by putting arrangements in place). She is satisfied, in the circumstances of this case, with the arrangements that would be put in place by her, that adoption is acceptable under Islamic law. I agree. This is endorsed by the Children’s Guardian, who says he is confident the family can manage this with sensitivity and support.
(7) I agree with the recommendation of the Children’s Guardian that permanence and long term safeguarding for the children can only be guaranteed through the making of an adoption order. For the reasons outlined above it is the order that best meets their long term welfare needs.
In those circumstances, I will dispense with the father’s consent as the welfare needs of each of the children, in my judgment, demand I do so.
The Court was very critical of the Local Authority, who had been directed to file a section 37 report and did so very very late – 3 ½ months late (despite the circumstances of the case being one that an outsider might imagine that the LA would take seriously)
I imagine that this sentence may crop up in submissions in family law cases (in combination with the recent decision of Mr Justice Cobb that a Local Authority can be hit for costs when failing to undertake a proper s37 report)
I am quite satisfied the obligation is on the party seeking an extension of time to apply for one (in the absence of any other direction being given by the court). The court had made an order and the expectation is that it will be complied with.
(i.e, don’t just submit the report late, seek permission of the Court to do so in advance of the report being late. )
But then this bit is particularly important for Local Authorities
35. I wholly endorse the guidance given by Mrs Justice Hogg in Re A and B [2010] EWHC 3824 (Fam) in particular paragraph 2 which provides
“The local authority should give immediate consideration to the issue of proceedings and, whether it considers it appropriate or inappropriate to issue proceedings immediately, it should appoint a social worker specifically for the affected sibling group who should offer immediate practical help and keep the decision under constant review in conjunction with the local authority’s legal department.”
And this bit from the same case is important too
In the majority of cases the surviving parent with parental responsibility will be in custody or otherwise unable to exercise parental responsibility. In the aftermath of the killing there will be strong emotions on both sides of the extended family. It is critical therefore that the local authority is able to undertake that function. Any dispute regarding the responsible designated authority should be resolved at an early stage and should not cause initial assessments to be delayed. It is not appropriate to leave the extended family to attempt to resolve matters through private law proceedings. In the event that the case comes before the court as private law proceedings in the first instance then the court should direct that a Section 37 report is prepared by the relevant local authority
My initial thought was that it might not be utterly straightforward to establish that the threshold criteria was made out, and I had quite a long rambling discussion about that, which I can spare you all from.
The other reported case of Re A and B 2010 http://www.familylawweek.co.uk/site.aspx?i=ed82613 initially did not seem to help, as the threshold was dealt with by this single line
All parties agreed that the threshold criteria set out in Section 31 had been crossed in that the children had suffered significant harm by reason of their mother’s death at the hands of their father.
But the High Court later go on to say :-
1. In all cases where one parent has been killed by the other the threshold criteria will be met.
And thus, no further enquiry into the nature of the harm is needed. One does not need to explore how that harm is said to have manifested or would need to be evidenced. I can’t actually think of any other situation where threshold is so black and white – there’s no mitigation, no case specific issues, threshold is simply met in those circumstances.
(That of course, inadvertently means that a parent who kills the other in self-defence, perhaps during a violent assault by the other, has crossed the threshold and has significantly harmed the child; but crossing the threshold does not of course mean that the children would be removed. What about where one parent is driving, perhaps drunk and the passenger is killed? The surviving parent might well be charged with Causing Death by Dangerous Driving – it seems that the threshold would be crossed there as well)
Whilst one immediately thinks that it is one of the gravest offences that a human can commit and thus of course threshold is met, we know from many authorities, most recently Re J that being responsible or jointly responsible for the death of a child does not mean that the threshold is met in relation to other children in the future.
Local Authorities would need to be alert to cases where a parent murders the other, to ensure that they seize themselves of the matter and provide services and support to help meet the children’s needs at this dreadful time.
Posted in adoption, case law, threshold criteria and tagged domestic violence, guidance to local authorities in cases where children's parents murdered, guidance to social workers where children's parent murders the other, murder, one parent murders the other, re a and b, Re N and B, threshold criteria. Bookmark the permalink.
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Alasdair Foster 17 October 2020 Oceania
Marian Drew: Natural Wonders and Human Conceits
© Marian Drew ‘Bandicoot and Quince’ [detail] 2005
Art became like a religion for me.
It brought a framework to my everyday life – it was the reason for everything I did.
In ‘Still Life – Australiana’, Marian Drew embraces the formal properties of seventeenth-century European painting in a series of works which contrast the violence of ‘road-kill’ with the gentrified traditions of still life. Draping lifeless corpses over the best linen, these images are as disquieting as they are seductive.
Perhaps the most immediate difference between these images and the paintings they echo is that the species are not from the northern hemisphere. The hares, geese and pheasants of the European kitchen have been replaced by the possum, bandicoot and kookaburra of the Australian outback.
Many of Marian Drew’s images refer in particular to the genre of the ‘vanitas’ popular in the Netherlands in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries. These paintings often featured human skulls or worm-infested fruit as a reminder of the transience of life and a warning against overindulgence. In her modern-day antipodean images Drew’s animals have not been killed for food but have died in an unequal contest with human technologies. They have been killed by fast-moving cars, attacked by non-native domestic pets or electrocuted by high-tension power lines. They are casualties of urban growth and increasing human consumption in an ecological battle they are ill equipped to engage.
Her interest in the way nature is perceived and affected by humankind is revealed in her subsequent two series, one of which embellishes and defines the landscape by ‘painting’ it with light; the other in a delicate exploration of nature depicted in needlework decoration on table linen.
Marian Drew’s career has spanned more than thirty years, her art career has been defined by experimentation in form and method that has embraced performance, installation, innovative lighting techniques and art-historical research. However, the key to her work lies not in these skills themselves, but in the subtle yet insistent way in which she peels back the layers of habit and self-interest in which our ideologies are wrapped to question just how human beings can inhabit the landscape and share the natural world in a sustainable and equitable way.
© Marian Drew ‘Possum with Five Birds’ 2003
Alasdair: What made you become a photographer?
Marian: I liked drawing and had been studying fine art, but then took a two-year break from art school. When I went back I decided I should do something with a broader range of applications: something that might also get me a job! I went to Canberra School of Art. It was a new school and they taught photomedia as a Fine Art, which was unusual at the time. So, I was able to integrate my interests in drawing, sculpture and installation with photography. I loved that! But the school was also a place where I found like-minded people – an art community. Before this, I had had no real experience of artists or how art could contribute to society.
How did your career begin after Art School?
I was lucky enough to win a scholarship from DAAD [the German Academic Exchange Service] to study in Germany for a year [1984–85]. This was a pivotal experience for me, because I was able to travel all over Europe and see many of the great art works we had been studying in Australia, and to understand how important they were culturally and to society. Studying in Germany also clarified ideas in my own work and brought a new energetic context to its production. I understood how work changed depending on location and context.
[Left] © Marian Drew ‘Lorikeet with Green Cloth’ 2006
[Right] © Marian Drew ‘Rose Crowned Fruit Dove on Fancy Work’ 2009
Art became like a religion for me. It brought a framework to my everyday life – it was the reason for everything I did. I just kept working hard at making art and thought that the business would take care of itself. I was wrong! Consequently, my art career remained on a ‘low burn’. Looking back, that was perhaps a good thing in the long run.
There are external pressures from gallery directors and curators to produce a certain kind of work. I think you need to develop confidence in what you are doing and why, so as not to be constantly swayed by market opinion, because the commerce of the art world has little to do with the real processes of making art.
© Marian Drew ‘Kookaburra with Jug’ 2006
How did the series ‘Still Life – Australiana’ begin?
In Germany I had had an opportunity to study a lot of still-life paintings. Returning to Australia, I thought this could be a good way to make work about the many wild animals that are killed on our roads. I had always been fascinated by road kill because it’s one of the few times we get to see the wild animals that live around us. By setting them within still-life art works, I was able to transform the dead animals from something people found unpleasant and easy to dismiss into things of beauty, worthy of greater attention.
[Left] © Marian Drew ‘Butcher with Knife’ 2005
[Right] © Marian Drew ‘Tasmanian Rosella with Apple’ 2005
Those works have a very painterly feel to them. Was that conscious and how was it achieved?
I had been working with long exposures and ‘painting’ light into my photos since 1982, first at art school where I projected images onto tree trunks and later in Germany when I started to paint with torches. I make my photographs by using a film camera and opening the shutter for an extended period while I light the picture bit by bit. I use a selection of hand-held torches to illuminate the subject in front of the camera. I move the light over each part of the subject in my frame; the amount of time I spend on an area determines how bright it appears in the photograph. I think light is a material in itself and objects change depending on the kind of light, offering a palette of colours and textures depending on what it is interacting with.
© Marian Drew ‘Moon and Circle’ 2008
I sense that your next series continued your interest in the performative aspects of your earlier series.
‘Illuminated Landscapes’ developed from my interest in redefining the implicit human presence in landscape. Through cameras we tend to represent landscape as separate from us – something ‘out there’ – but the camera is also a tool that extends the idea of the garden; a natural space under the control of human beings. In the West, Landscape only emerged as an concept in the Seventeenth Century when the aristocracy began to have their estates and gardens designed, ‘perfecting’ natural ‘chaos’ to build narrative and allegorical scenes.
To make the images in ‘Illuminated Landscapes’ I walk into the landscape at night and add light, either by illuminating parts of the bush or by drawing a line, the length of which is determined by how far I can stretch my body. The rest of the image is lit by ambient nocturnal light. It’s like making a drawing. The final image is a record of an event that can only ever appear using the camera. The film collects the light, compressing an event that took many minutes into a single moment.
[Left] © Marian Drew ‘Inlet Mackay Highlands’ 2006
[Right] © Marian Drew ‘Light Circle’ 2008
How do you see the relationship between the performative work and the still-life images: one about movement, the other about stillness?
I guess I see the two bodies as connected in that they are both emphatically a physical engagement with landscape. Gathering road kill involves driving and observation, inspecting carcasses, carrying them home and freezing them until I can make the photograph. The animal carries the landscape within its form. By studying the animal you can see how it engaged with its environment, how and what it might have eaten, whether it burrowed, was nocturnal, how it lived …and also how it died. Both areas of work arise from my desire to engage with the natural environment and to acknowledge its importance in our lives. Movement and stillness are two sides of the same coin. In my case, I use movement to make something that is still.
Which do you prefer as a way of communicating your ideas and feelings?
Still life was a new development for me, and through it I became conscious of the function and value of beauty. I found the beauty of the animals seductive and I wanted to pass this feeling on to the viewer. I also had to move more carefully because I wanted to convey a sense of the metaphysical; to show my respect for these creatures that had once shared our ‘garden’. I also think that the still-life form is more fitting to my mature middle age. The performative work was a way of finding out, while in the still life work I began to share what I had learned.
© Marian Drew ‘Pelican with Turnips’ 2005
What kind of response do you get to your work from the public?
The response to my first exhibition of the road-kill works back in 2003 saw the audience a little unsure of how to take the work. It was new and I think people found it a bit shocking to see dead animals represented in photographs. But that is what the work was all about; getting people to look at animals that died because of careless things that people do. Over time the work has grown in popularity and now it is even the subject of study for high-school children in Australia. The work has been shown all around the world. Now, I get a lot of people telling me it’s beautiful and interesting. I think it touches a nerve and is increasingly relevant to our concerns about the environment.
What do you like best about the response?
I was just answering an email from a high school student. She wrote: “Your work is so wonderful! Many thanks, Mabel.” To be full of wonder is the best state to be in and when gratitude follows wonder that’s even better. So, I think Mabel’s comment is about as good as it gets.
© Marian Drew ‘Nature Unpicked’ 2010
Your latest work continues the still-life approach but focuses on hand-crafted representations rather than natural flora and fauna.
Yes. I was thinking about table decoration and what it suggests about our attitudes to nature and our sense of nostalgia. I have also become interested in the difference between real animals and our ‘conceited’ idea of nature. ‘Conceits of the table’, I have discovered, relate to playful deceptions intended to surprise and delight the diner: folding napkins to look like dogs or pheasants; glass fountains of chocolate; porcelain vessels in the shape of birds and animals. It was fun to play with the light-heartedness and humour of these depictions after all those dead animals… Here, a conceit is a kind of simple and convenient answer one might give to a complex problem.
[Left] © Marian Drew ‘Fancy Kingfisher Work’ 2010
[Right] © Marian Drew ‘Self Portrait with Birds’ 2010
Can you describe that problem?
It’s our relationship to nature and how our cultural heritage shapes our current attitudes. With escalating human populations and our devastating impact on the earth, we urgently have to reassess our ideas about never-ending growth and the belief that Nature simply exists for human consumption. Our ideologies are completely anthropocentric; perpetuating notions of human dominion and our increasing alienation from Nature. For example: forests, animals, rivers and the sea have no legal right of survival. The only way to maintain the diversity and health of our ecosystem is for humans to change their behaviour and take responsibility for the care of the natural world.
So, my ‘table conceits’ rearrange objects that reflect the existing models and the way they were constructed historically. I also think that through humour and optimism, art can play a more positive role in promoting this essential change of attitudes.
What is your view of art-photography today?
I think it’s an exciting time for art-photography because there are so many hybrid forms. The rule book has been thrown out the window. True, the collectors who buy from dealer galleries still prefer to invest in painting, but then commercial markets can be slow to change. Meanwhile, photography has become an important medium for communication and, as people are becoming increasingly literate visually, art photography is more important and relevant than ever. There are more people to appreciate it, and more reasons to innovate and exhibit.
© Marian Drew ‘Bird as Doily – Domestic Nature’ 2010
Marian Drew was born in Bundaberg, Queensland, in 1960. She has a Bachelor of Visual Art from the Australian National University and was subsequently awarded a DAAD Scholarship by the German government to study Experimental Photography at Kassel University. She taught fulltime at Queensland College of Art (QCA, 1986–2016), taking the role of QCA Deputy Director (2001–03) and Director of the Photography Program (2005–16). She is currently Adjunct Associate Professor at QCA.
Marian Drew has held more than twenty-five solo exhibitions in Australia, France, Germany, Hong Kong and USA, and her work has been included in more than one hundred group shows in many parts of the world. She represented Australia in the first Asia Pacific Triennial (1993), Pingyao International Photography Festival, China (2010), Photoquai, Paris (2011), and Dubai Photo (2016). Her work is held in many public and private collections including the John Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles; the Museum of Photographic Art, San Diego; Fonds National D’Art Contemporain (FNAC), Paris; the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra; the Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide; and the Queensland Art Gallery/Gallery of Modern Art (QAGoMA), Brisbane.
photo: Jorge Deustua
This article was first published in Chinese, in the November 2013 issue of PhotoWorld magazine, Beijing.
Posted in Oceania and tagged Conceptual, Constructed, Domestic, Found Objects, Mortality, Still Life, Sustainability. Bookmark the permalink.
The Mirror of Three Kingdoms: Shanxi Family Portraits
Alejandro Chaskielberg: A Radiant Darkness
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Hirving Lozano: Manchester United’s Mexican transfer target profiled
9th April 2017, 8:45 pm
Updated: 30th May 2018, 11:49 am
Manchester United target Hirving Lozano
Manchester United will be linked with several players this summer, no matter what their transfer plans actually are.
Already a number of rumours are cropping up, including the name of Mexican star Hirving Lozano, who has previously been connected with the Red Devils.
And now the player has issued a come and get me plea – of sorts – revealing he would prefer a move to Manchester United ahead of all other possible offers come the opening of the transfer window.
But what is Lozano all about? talkSPORT profiles the possible signing…
Full Name: Hirving Rodrigo Lozano Bahena
Current club: Pachuca
Date of birth: 30/07/1995 (21-years-old)
Birthplace: Mexico City, Mexico
What’s his background?
Signed up as a youngster by Pachuca in 2009, the attacking midfielder has been allowed to develop with the top Mexican side without the need to move elsewhere. He made his debut for the club in February 2014, aged 18, and has been one of their star players ever since. His rise to prominence was completed last year, as he helped his side to the Clausura title. He was also named the best offensive player for that season.
What are his international credentials?
Still just 21, Lozano was a regular as a youth international for Mexico and was part of their Under-23 team which went to the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. He’s been a senior star since his debut in February 2016 and now has 13 caps and one goal for his nation.
What type of player is he?
Usually found on the left-wing, despite favouring his right foot, Lozano is a direct runner with plenty of skill. He’s happy to beat his man on either side but is quite predictable and will eventually cut inside to his stronger foot. As he matures, he’s increased his goalscoring output, netting 15 goals in 26 appearances so far this campaign.
Questioned about his possible destinations, Lozano told Univision: “I believe many [leagues] are beautiful, I like the English and the Spanish very much.
“But let’s see how things are and decide.
“The one I would like most is Manchester [United], I like this club a lot and it’s a very important club.”
What do experts say about him?
“His speed and ability to go past [opponents] will take him far.
“Lozano has a great desire to learn with the national team. His strength is that he is a very low-key, low profile, very down to earth [person] and I think will go very far.” (Mexico coach Juan Carlos Osorio)
Hirving Lozano
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Showing http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/press/topic.aspx?topic=courtroom_access_press captured on Sep 23, 2008
Home > Topics > Press > Courtroom access
Overview>
By Douglas Lee
Lawyer, Ehrmann Gehlbach Badger & Lee
In 1884, Oliver Wendell Holmes, then a justice on the Massachusetts Supreme Court, held in Cowley v. Pulsifer (137 Mass. 392) that members of the public enjoy a right of access to civil trials. This right, he said, is rooted in democratic principles:
“It is desirable that the trial of [civil] causes should take place under the public eye, ... not because the controversies of one citizen with another are of public concern, but because it is of the highest moment that those who administer justice should always act under the sense of public responsibility, and that every citizen should be able to satisfy himself with his own eyes as to the mode in which a public duty is performed.”
In the almost 120 years since this ruling, courts have struggled to stay true to Justice Holmes’ commitment to openness. While the U.S. Supreme Court consistently has reaffirmed the public’s right of access to judicial proceedings, trial and appellate judges implementing that right frequently have sacrificed the public’s right to know in order to ease the administration of justice.
The U.S. Supreme Court spoke most clearly of the public’s right to witness court proceedings in 1980 in Richmond Newspapers, Inc. v. Virginia. In Richmond Newspapers, the Court for the first time held that the public and the press enjoy a First Amendment right to attend criminal trials. This right, the Court said, is rooted in the historical tradition of openness in the judicial system and can be overcome only if the trial judge, after a hearing, concludes that no other means exists to protect the defendant’s right to a fair trial. The other means that must be considered include a change of venue, sequestration of the jury, extensive questioning of potential jurors, postponement of the trial, emphatic jury instructions and gag orders on trial participants.
In 1984, the U.S. Supreme Court extended its ruling in Richmond Newspapers to jury selection. In Press-Enterprise Co. v. Superior Court of California, the Court ruled that the First Amendment right to attend criminal trials includes the right to attend jury selection in those trials. A public right of access to a proceeding exists, the Court said, if there has been a tradition of access to that proceeding and if access serves a positive role in the functioning of the judicial system. As in Richmond Newspapers, however, the Court held the right of access to jury selection is not absolute, ruling that the presumption of access can be overcome “by an overriding interest based on findings that closure is essential to preserve higher values and is narrowly tailored to serve that interest.”
This analytical framework remains in place today. The U.S. Supreme Court applied it again in Press-Enterprise Co. v. Superior Court in 1986, in holding that the public possesses a right to attend preliminary hearings in criminal cases. It also has been used in cases denying access to grand jury proceedings, as those proceedings traditionally have been conducted in secret. While the U.S. Supreme Court has yet to find a First Amendment right of access to civil trials, lower courts following the Richmond Newspapers analysis have had little difficulty extending the right of access to those proceedings.
Lower courts also have had little difficulty extending the right of access to court files and other court documents. These courts, however, have struggled to define the reach of that right. Courts across the country, for example, disagree about whether the news media are entitled to copies of videotapes, audiotapes and documents that are introduced as evidence. Courts also disagree about the circumstances under which it is lawful to seal settlement agreements and other court records. While courts more consistently hold that members of the press and the public are not entitled to obtain unfiled discovery materials or attend depositions, a few courts have held that discovery proceedings, including depositions, are presumptively open.
Limits on public access also are imposed by state legislatures. Access to information about minors, for example, is typically denied by statute. Many states also prohibit access to and publication of information about victims of sexual assault. Under a trilogy of U.S. Supreme Court cases, however, it is clear that news outlets, if they lawfully obtain such information, cannot be punished for publishing it.
The Court first addressed this issue in 1975 in Cox Broadcasting v. Cohn. In Cox Broadcasting, a television reporter obtained the name of a deceased rape victim from indictments that were available for public inspection as part of a court file. After the station broadcast the victim’s name, the victim’s father, relying on a Georgia statute that made it a crime to publish the names of rape victims, sued the station for violating his right to privacy. The Court dismissed the father’s case, holding that the First Amendment protected the accurate publication of information that was lawfully obtained from a public record.
In Smith v. Daily Mail Publishing Co., the Court in 1979 similarly held that newspapers that obtained the name of a youth charged with a juvenile crime by interviewing witnesses could not be punished for publishing the youth’s name, even though a state statute prohibited such publication. Then, 10 years later, the Court held in The Florida Star v. B.J.F. that a newspaper that obtained the name of a rape victim from a police report that was made public inadvertently could not be sued for damages for publishing, in violation of a state statute, the victim's name.
In response to these and other cases, courts concerned about unwanted media attention have taken steps to deny information to journalists. Many courts, for example, have ordered that participants in cases not speak with the news media (see separate section on gag orders.) In other cases, courts have refused to disclose jurors’ names and other identifying information about them. The increasing use of such anonymous juries, especially when used only to “protect” jurors from the media after the trial, appears inconsistent with the democratic principles cited by Justice Holmes and with the precedent establishing the openness of criminal and civil proceedings. To date, however, the U.S. Supreme Court has not addressed this issue.
An issue the Court might face before long is whether the Immigration and Naturalization Service can constitutionally close its administrative courts. Although INS regulations require that immigration proceedings be open to the public, security measures implemented after Sept. 11, 2001, have effectively closed these hearings. The new measures also have effectively sealed most INS records.
The U.S. Courts of Appeal disagree about whether the new rules violate the First Amendment. In August 2002, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held the rules unconstitutional, saying the First Amendment’s presumption of openness applied to immigration proceedings. “The only safeguard on this extraordinary governmental power is the public, deputizing the press as the guardians of their liberty,” the court said. “The Executive Branch seeks to uproot people’s lives, outside the public eye, and behind a closed door. Democracies die behind closed doors.”
The 3rd Circuit, however, upheld the secrecy rules in October 2002. In its decision, the court found that INS proceedings did not enjoy the same tradition of openness as criminal and civil courts and that openness in these cases threatened national security. Any First Amendment right of access, the court therefore concluded, must give way to the executive branch’s reasonable security concerns.
The resulting split in the circuit courts leads many to believe that the Supreme Court soon will address the issue.
Although Richmond Newspapers and its progeny are cited as key precedents in post-9/11 cases regarding press access to government activities and information, there is no way of knowing if the government was held to these standards in closed proceedings, particularly in the case of post-9/11 detainees. In M.K.B. v. Warden (2004), the Supreme Court denied certiorari for a detainee and also denied a media motion to intervene in the case, all without citing precedent or allowing the movants to read the government’s brief.
2nd Circuit: Vermont gadfly wrongly barred from courthouse
Three-judge panel's decision breaks new ground by declaring a First Amendment right for an individual to visit a courthouse. 10.08.04
Jackson trial opens amid access, records issues
Judge won't clear courtroom of press, observers for testimony of two accusers; he'll release indictment, grand jury transcripts when jury is seated. 01.31.05
AP: Thousands of federal cases kept secret
Most of 5,000 defendants in cases from 2003-2005 are involved in drug gangs, though lately small number come from terrorism cases. 03.08.06
Courthouse gadfly wins 7-year free-speech odyssey
Federal jury sides with Scott Huminski, orders former Vermont sheriff to pay $50,001 for barring self-described 'defender of justice' from courthouse grounds. 03.30.06
6th Circuit upholds Ky. juvenile-court secrecy
Panel rejects effort by press association to open proceedings involving people under 18 to public. 07.10.06
World watching Michael Jackson trial: How much will it see?
By Douglas Lee Judge Melville has kept press shackled so far; ultimate loser is the public, which needs to know how well justice is working. 01.31.05
3rd Circuit lets sunshine in on famous coroner’s trial
By Douglas Lee Jurors’ names to be public in trial of Cyril Wecht, forensic pathologist accused of improper conduct. 01.28.08
Last system update: Monday, January 28, 2008 | 11:50:22
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Freedom of Information issues
Libel & defamation
Prior restraint
Shield laws
Gag orders
Courtroom access
Journalist access
HIPAA & newsgathering
Privacy & newsgathering
Criminal libel
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Science September 28, 2020 <September 28, 2020
SpaceX has received U.S. military approval to launch reusable Falcon boosters
The United States has revised its military contract with SpaceX to allow future launches of reusable Falcon 9 boosters, saving the U.S. tens of thousands of dollars.
The GPS III satellites, built by Lockheed Martin, were launched by the U.S. Space Agency’s Space and Missile Systems Center on new boosters traditionally launched. The first two GPS III spacecraft were launched on the Falcon 9 and the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket.
The United States Air Force GPS III SV01 satellite will be launched into orbit on December 23, 2018 by the SpaceX Falcon 9B1054 Booster, a spacecraft that can be spent on the first single mission. (SpaceX)
An earlier contract was amended to allow Falcon 9 boosters to launch GPS III missions to attempt landing. In June, the Falcon 9 launched its third GPS vehicle from the Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. This is the first time a booster carrying a GPS III vehicle has been found.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 Booster B1060 is pictured on its way back to Port Canaveral after a successful recovery in June 2020. (Richard Angle)
“I am proud of our partnership with SpaceX, which has allowed us to successfully negotiate contract reforms for the upcoming GPS III missions, which will save taxpayers $ 52.7 million and maintain our unprecedented success record,” he said. Walt Lauderdale, Center for Space and Missile Systems Falcon Systems, Head of Operations Division, said in a statement issued by the U.S. Space Force Space and Missile System Center.
Gwynn Shotwell, President and Chief Operating Officer, SpaceX, commented: “We appreciate the efforts made by the U.S. Space Force to evaluate and are pleased to see the advances in technology. Our extensive experience with recycling has allowed us to constantly upgrade SpaceX and save valuable tax dollars on these launches. ”
The latest update to the GPS III launch services agreement allows Falcon 9 boosters not only to be redeemed, but also to be launched on previously flown boosters. However, this amendment will only apply to future launches of the GPS III SV05 and SV06 satellites.
See also The trio, who had been on the space station for six months, return safely to Earth
Payload Fairing with GPS III SV03 joins SpaceX Falcon 9 in June 2020. (SpaceX)
Plans to launch a series of GPS III satellites on the reused Falcon 9S were originally intended to begin in 2021 in the second phase of the launch service agreement. The current contract with the US Space Agency will end with the launch of the GPS III SV06 satellite. 2021. Contracts for the remaining four GPS III satellites of Phase 2 of the National Security Space Launch Program have not yet been awarded and will be auctioned off by SpaceX and the UAE.
Upcoming The launch of the GPS III SV04 satellite is currently scheduled for Tuesday, September 29th A new Falcon 9 booster (B1062) from SLC-40 will be used. On the morning of Friday, September 25, the new Falcon 9 conducted a healthy static fire test of its nine Merlin 1D engines. That evening, a Twitter user captured the encapsulated payload GoalieBear88 During the transfer from the nearby processing plant to the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station to mate with the Falcon 9 booster.
The GPS III SV404 mission will be launched on Tuesday, September 29 (0155-0210 UTC September 30) at 9: 55-10: 10 pm EDT, in a window that extends nominally until the intended launch date. The 45th Weather Squadron predicts that the weather will be mostly favorable with a 70% chance of acceptable conditions at launch. If a 24-hour recycle is required, the weather drops to 80%.
Check out Tesla Rati’s newsletter For prompt updates, on-the-pers perspectives, and exclusive footage of SpaceX’s rocket launch and recovery process.
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Why People Can’t Stop Talking About ‘Don’t Look Up’
If you’ve spent even a minute on the internet this week, you’ve definitely seen something about don’t look up. The Adam McKay Directed Movie is Netflix’s top film. It may also be the main reason why people are shitting their pants online lately.
The movie has a 55% reviewer rating on Rotten Tomatoes, reflecting the deep divisions in how people have experienced the film. The negative reviews were nothing short of damning. defector called it a “movie made by people who spend too much time online.” gawker said Don’t Look Up “transforms the underlying conflict [of how to address the climate crisis] from one action to another of simple faith: are you listening to scientists, or not?” McKay, along with co-creator and journalist David Sirota, for their part, have tweeted defenses of the film that have fueled more meta-criticism to the point where we’re all collectively getting lost.
I’d rather not argue whether Don’t Look Up is good as a work of art, satire, or as a substitute for real life. I just want to say that I thought the movie was thought provoking and well acted, although it has its blind spots, like the single US focus. What’s interesting isn’t just how polarizing the movie is, it’s the sheer amount of discourse it is generated – and what it says about our collective desires at this precarious moment.
Don’t Look Up, for you five who have avoided all contact with the film, is a star-studded affair about a planet-destroying comet headed for Earth and humanity’s response to impending doom. The comet is a metaphor for climate change, and the characters all play their part, from the scientists who scream into the void to the tech billionaire who wants to mine it for minerals using unproven technology.
There have been other climate films, from The Day After Tomorrow to First Reformed. They’ve shown big stars, and yet they’ve barely moved the public discussion about climate change. While Don’t Look Up was created in an age of widespread social media, it seems designed to spark a conversation. Still, that it accomplishes that mission to such an extent is testament to the fact that we’re starving for art and media grappling with the climate crisis.
The US, in particular, lives in a cone of climate silence. According to a 2016 Yale and George Mason University analysisMore than half of Americans “who are interested in global warming or think the issue is important, ‘rarely’ or ‘never’ talk about it with family and friends.” That may be driven in part by what the researchers termed a “climate silence spiral,” where the largest media outlets doesn’t cover it so it doesn’t seem important nor worth talking about.
Don’t Look Up was a deafening roar, with some of the biggest movie stars in the world, a media blitz to promote the film, and prominent placement on Netflix’s homepage and theater tents. The praise, vitriol and everything in between not only reflect people’s real reactions to the film, but also clarify the fact that we just don’t talk enough about the climate crisis.
The explosive discourse also reveals how difficult it has long been for many of us to talk about the issue without something tangible — like a movie — to serve as the crux of the conversation. Perhaps that’s because this existential threat is too great and depressing to really understand. Or maybe we just lack the vocabulary to honestly articulate the crisis. Probably both. Anyway, Don’t Look Up opened the door a crack, and suddenly everyone wants to burst into the debate room.
All of this points to the need for more media like Don’t Look Up and more discussions about it. Trust me, I know we’re well past the “let’s talk about it” phase of the climate crisis. This is all hands on deck time where the world has to be fast phasing out the use of fossil fuels, pick out a just switch, investing in public transport, and a hundred thousand other things, all while coping with the growing onslaught of climate disasters.
But it’s so hard to get those different balls rolling, in part because of the relative silence surrounding climate change. Other Yale and George Mason Research shows that there are countless reasons why most people shun the subject, from not knowing enough to agreeing we should do something to the dreaded “too political”. All this leaves polluters and politicians who invest in the status quo to set the limits of what is possible so that the boat for them rocks as little as possible.
We’ve been too scared to dream, let alone talk about what the world must be like if we don’t want to get hit by the metaphorical comet. Having those conversations is difficult, but the longer we delay them, the more the planet will fall into disrepair. That so many tumble out in the wake of a single film shows that the closet of our cultural imagination may not be empty yet. More than that, it shows that there is a desire for more.
Whether you don’t look up the best or worst climate film on a painfully short list is, in many ways, beside the point. As Defector noted, people seem excited to be yelling at McKay and Sirota on Twitter because it provokes a response. But there’s no reason why a few guys who made a single climate film should be the center of the conversation. (Not offensive to those guys!) In fact, it’s probably better if they aren’t, which is why we need more than a single climate film. Obviously the public wants it. That may seem like a pretty weak climate solution in light of so much destruction. But we cannot change the politics that have brought us to this place, we can only change the future that lies ahead.
How it works, features, comparison with Ethereum – gadgets to use
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Terminator: Dark Fate Review
Erin Tumminello, Staff Writer
Terminator: Dark Fate is the sixth installment in the Terminator franchise, which had began in the fall of 1984 with the release of the first movie. Although one may expect Dark Fate to pick up after the fifth Terminator movie, it actually takes place after the second, so it’s not needed to watch movies three through five, although they help give a better feel for the general lore of the franchise.
This movie was full of action and suspense, it had well-timed humor, and it also touches upon some important relevant issues. There were many scenes that made references to iconic scenes in the first few movies (such as a play on the famous “I’ll be back” line, spoken by Arnold Schwarzenegger), and there were also a good amount of plot twists and exciting scenes.
This movie also had amazing CGI, especially in one of the first scenes in the movie where it shows a flashback to shortly after the second movie took place. They were able to create almost an exact likeness of the actors in the scene in which they appeared nearly thirty years younger than they did in real life. It looked so realistic and it may not cross a person’s mind that anything was computer-generated.
The characters in this movie were also well-rounded and interesting, especially the female characters. They weren’t the stereotypical “strong female character,” either (regarding a female character who is good at fighting but not as plot relevant in other aspects). They were all complex and had their own stories and motivations and characteristics. They also went through a great deal of character development over the course of the movie.
There was also a focus on some important debatable topics going on today, as mentioned earlier. Toward the middle of the movie, there’s a scene that takes place in a detainment area at the border between the U.S. and Mexico, and it showed people crowded together and fenced into what weren’t too far from jail cells. This allowed some awareness to be spread about how people are currently being treated at the border, which hasn’t been reflected in the majority of other movies that aren’t specifically about topics relating to the border crisis.
This movie was also full of amazing, action-packed fight scenes, which were choreographed very well. In these scenes as well, the CGI was virtually flawless and incredibly realistic-looking. There were also quite a few scenes that were emotional, and such scenes were quite powerful.
All in all, Dark Fate was a very satisfying end to the Terminator franchise. It was extremely well done and definitely worth the time of anyone who enjoys intense action movies that will leave them on the edge of their seat.
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All About Almodóvar Livestream + Gazpacho Demo
Run Time: 60 min.
VIEW LIVESTREAM ON FACEBOOK
Join University of Michigan-Dearborn Professor Jorge Gonzalez del Pozo and Film Lab Founder Josh Gardner for a Livestream chat about all things Pedro Almodóvar. We’ll delve into his rambunctious ’80s beginnings, debate his best films, and demo how to make a Gazpacho that won’t leave you unconsciousness (wink wink to all you WOMEN ON THE VERGE fans!).
About Jorge Gonzalez del Pozo
Jorge Gonzalez del Pozo is a professor of Spanish at the University of Michigan-Dearborn where he has worked since 2007 teaching Spanish Literature, Film, Culture and Language. He has published more than 50 articles on Spanish contemporary literary criticism, film and history of film in top tier international journals. Moreover, he has released eight books on Spanish film literature and culture; particularly, it is worth mentioning his relevant manuscript: Hacia la obra de arte total: Identidad y autenticidad en la cinematografía de Pedro Almodóvar.
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Conservationists, veterinarians warn Sri Lankan plastic waste is killing region's elephants
By Brad Dress - 01/14/22 02:59 PM EST
Two elephants recently died in Sri Lanka after swallowing large amounts of plastic found in a garbage heap, prompting a renewed warning from conservationists about the issue.
The Associated Press reported that at least 20 elephants have died in the past eight years from eating plastic waste in the open landfill in Pallakkadu village.
The wild elephant population in Sri Lanka has plummeted 65 percent since the 19th century, with somewhere between 2,000 and 4,000 left, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Elephants are protected under Sri Lankan law, and killing one carries the death penalty.
Elephants have lost much of their wild habitats inside the island nation in the Indian Sea, pushing the animals closer and closer to waste landfills. Sri Lankan authorities have pledged to recycle more waste in garbage dumps, but the promise has never been fully carried out, according to the AP. An electric fence broke down in 2014 and hasn't been repaired.
Wildlife veterinarian Nihal Pushpakumara said hungry elephants will consume plastic waste, which makes them “stop eating and become too weak to keep their heavy frames upright."
"When that happens, they can’t consume food or water, which quickens their death,” he told the AP.
Plastic, which can take hundreds of years to decompose, also causes the death of 100,000 marine mammals every year, the WWF estimates.
Tags Sri Lanka
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Tag Archives: Texas SB9
Myth EXPOSED: How Texas Democrats Nailed GOP on Abortion
July 1, 2013 L. Wayne Ashley Leave a comment
For forcing a Special Session and protecting Women’s Rights, State Senator Wendy Davis is now a bonafide Texas hero. But as the bright spotlight has focused most of the attention on her, another huge part of the story has been overshadowed. As we head into a second Special Session, it’s critical to get this part of the story out to the world. And for this, you have to go over to the Texas House of Representatives, and their proceedings leading up to the bill’s arrival in the Senate. This is truly where the most important part of the fight happened, and it’s where to watch as the next round begins.
A big portion of these issues that’s getting muddled up in the national media coverage? These bills are not about a 20-week abortion ban. They are about closing health facilities. That’s why they set impossible goals for the facilities and doctors to meet. A Doctor’s office is not a hospital. If you have a cold or the flu (assuming you have health insurance), the first place that you go to is NOT going to be the ER. We have these places as separate facilities for a reason. But under the guise of HB60 and other TRAP laws, all facilities where a Doctor would give basic women’s health care have to be upgraded to “ER” status, Ambulatory Surgical Centers. This leaves Doctors with a nearly impossible choice… either spend Hundreds of Thousands of dollars to turn their small clinic into a full-fledged, fully staffed hospital, or close up shop.
Here’s an excerpt from an ABC News article, written by Emily DeRuy…
Republican Gov. Rick Perry says he’s fighting to protect the lives of unborn children, but he stands to hurt living, breathing Texans in the process.
Both men and women, particularly low-income minorities who are more likely to lack health insurance and medical-care options, rely on the “abortion clinics” for services like contraception, STD testing and even cancer screenings. One in four women in the state are uninsured.
“That is part of the concern that’s getting drowned out in the abortions versus pro-life soundbite,” Texas Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer (D) said during a Monday phone interview.
Right now, Texas has more than 40 clinics that not only perform abortions but also offer birth control and condoms. All but a handful will be prohibited from operating under the proposed bill. Those that could remain open are in a few urban areas, which would leave rural women with few options.
The restrictions “would represent a significant step backward for the health status of Texas women,” Dr. Lisa Hollier, chairwoman of the Texas District American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, wrote in testimony before the Senate Health and Human Services Committee.
Lawmakers in the Lone Star state barred Planned Parenthood from the state’s Women’s Health Program several years ago because the organization funds abortion clinics. The organization estimates that 130,000 women in Texas now go without preventive health care due to the state’s 2011 cuts to women’s health care funding.
Abortions make up just three percent of Planned Parenthood services in Texas, according to a spokeswoman for the organization. Thousands of women visit the organization’s clinics all over the state to receive STD treatments and other services. The organization also runs education programs to teach men and women how to avoid HIV and unwanted pregnancies.
Clinics not affiliated with Planned Parenthood provide similar services. The proposed law could force them to shutter their doors: In addition to banning abortions later than 20 weeks into a pregnancy, the bill requires abortion clinics to meet unusually high surgical standards and mandates that doctors who perform abortions must have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of their clinic.
Many of the clinics don’t currently meet such standards and would have to either remodel, relocate, or shut down if they perform more than several dozen abortions in a year. This is despite the fact that few people suffer complications from abortions in current clinics.
So even after being opposed by Texas ACOG, Republicans have continued to push the omnibus bill. Thankfully, House Democrats had plan to at least expose the lie that the bill has anything to do with women’s health or safety. The Democratic caucus submitted a slew of amendments to weaken the bill. But in the process, they forced the House to vote on each issue, instead of just rushing the whole thing through. Take a look at some of the amendments…
Rep Naomi Gonzalez offered this amendment to strike “medical evidence” and substitute “evidence, defined as the great preponderance of published peer-reviewed and scientifically based medical literature, knowing that the science surrounding fetal pain in support of the bill is inaccurate.
This amendment caused bill Sponsor Jodie Laubenberg to openly question studies from both the American Medical Association and Harvard Law Review regarding fetal development. The one study she produced to counter the claim had already been debunked. Voted DOWN by the GOP
Rep Senfronia Thompson submitted an amendment to create an exemption to the 20-week ban for victims of rape and incest. Given how emotionally traumatic the situation, a woman may need more time to make a very difficult choice. Voted DOWN by the GOP
Rep Mary Gonzalez offered an amendment to exempt abortion facilities that are located more than 50 miles away from the next nearest provider. Given how large of a state Texas is, and how few options currently exist for comprehensive care, this helps to protect the rights of women in rural Texas, and actually anyone living West of San Antonio. If a woman is going to seek an abortion, surely the GOP legislators would want her to have at least one safe option near her, correct? Why discriminate against women and make them travel up to 500 miles just because you don’t agree with their decision? Yep, you guessed it… Voted DOWN by the GOP
Rep Donna Howard offered several amendments to change the strict codes regarding upgrades to an Ambulatory Surgical Center, citing that state law already requires any abortion performed after 16 weeks to be done in an ASC. She asked to create exemptions to the space and height requirements, and exorbitant construction costs. Voted DOWN by the GOP
Rep Eddie Rodriguez offered several amendments to give clinics, at the very least, six more months to adjust to a slew of expensive new regulations. The bill, if signed by Governor Perry, would be effective immediately. That means any clinic not already in compliance has to shut its doors. Even the most ardent supporter of the bill would have to assume that any business needs time to transition, right? Voted DOWN by the GOP
The other amendments and record of the full vote are available here.
All throughout the amendment process, House Reps Jessica Farrar, Dawnna Dukes, Trey Martinez-Fischer and others debated GOP members on why changes to the bill were needed. So there you have it… the GOP caucus doesn’t truly care about what’s best for Texas women, and they proved it through their votes. They don’t care how many Doctors have to get put out of business, or how many people lose critical reproductive care. If so, then they would have passed any of several amendments to make the legislation more realistic. The above affirms that for the GOP, this bill is all about ratcheting up the religious Right flank so they can stay in office. Be on the lookout for more amendments in the next round.
Also important to note… What was formerly HB60 and SB5 in the first Special Session have been renamed HB2 and SB9 for this session.
Abortion bills health safetyDawnna DukesDonna HowardHouse Amendments HB2 HB60Jodie LaubenbergMary GonzalezSenfronia ThompsonSWTWTexas ACOGTexas HB2Texas SB9Trey Martinez-FischerWendy Davis
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Green Goblin to appear in Amazing Spider-Man 2?
Writer/director of To Kill Your Darlings may have spilled the beans.
We already know that Dane DeHaan is going to be the new Harry Osborn in the upcoming Spider-Man flick, a role played by James Franco in the previous trilogy. We’re also pretty sure that Harry will eventually become the Green Goblin, and have to fight with Spider-Man, since that’s how the story goes, but the thought so far has been that Osborn’s transformation would wait until the third film, as Jamie Foxx’s Electro has already been revealed as the primary villain.
However, at a press event for his new film, To Kill Your Darlings, writer/director John Krokidas introduced James Haan, who stared in the film, to the audience as the Green Goblin.
Of course, it could just be a joke, but it could also be an unintended reveal of an aspect of the role that perhaps Dehaan mentioned to Krokidas during their many hours of working closely together on To Kill Your Darlings.
The first Amazing Spider-Man film didn’t have a secondary villain, but I don’t think it would be a big surprise if this new one did, two villains in a feature-length super hero story is actually pretty typical. It also could be that the film’s epiphany reveals the emergence of Green Goblin.
Sony Pictures has not commented on the possibility.
When Osborn was not introduced at all in The Amazing Spider-Man, many assumed that he was simply being left out of this version of the story. How they’ll pull off a best friend who wasn’t around for the events of the first film, I’m not sure, but DeHaan certainly has the experience needed to play the regular guy who goes dark and edgy and villainous over time. He had that same role down pat in the indie super hero flick Chronicle.
The sequel will bring back Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield in the roles of Gwen Stacy and Peter Parker, and it’s been previously announced that Shailene Woodley will play Mary Jane Watson.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is slated to hit theaters on May 2, 2014.
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Shining the Spotlight on Amber Tamblyn (2014)
Posted byTiffany Vogt January 2, 2014 September 5, 2014 Posted inTiffany Vogt (author)Tags:Amber Tamblyn, CBS, Interview, Television, Two And A Half Men, WB Mondo
Amber Tamblyn
(Please do not repost these photos at other sites. Links only. Thank you!)
Jumping right smack in the middle of a successful sitcom is a huge challenge, but for Amber Tamblyn, she has hit the ground running on the CBS comedy TWO AND A HALF MEN. In a press interview at the Warner Bros. Mondo International Press Tour, Amber candidly shared some of the challenges, her advice for her character, and how hard it is to keep a straight face working with her illustrious co-stars.
What is it like to slip into such an iconic show so late in the game, especially when you have to take on such a powerful role?
AMBER: There’s something really enjoyable about coming into a well‑oiled machine, especially for someone like me who’s been doing this for 20 years. So often you do a pilot, and there’s a lot of people on that pilot that it’s their first show, and maybe it’s even a director ‑‑ it’s their first time — then you don’t even know if that pilot is going to get on the air. Then even if it gets on the air, you don’t know if that show is going to survive. You just don’t know. There’s so many variables. It’s really quite wonderful to just sort of slip into something that feels like full steam ahead. That’s really nice.
How much improvisation is allowed on this show? I mean, how much do you guys play off each other?
AMBER: Not at all. Off screen, yes. We have a great time. But it’s pretty much verbatim, which is ironic because the writers, in between scenes, come in and chop everything up and cut out jokes and bring in new jokes, and you have to just remember it right on the spot. And they roll again, and you just shoot it again with the new jokes in place. So it’s been a very interesting exercise for me and a very interesting experience to do that. Very challenging. It’s gotten a little easier, but, sometimes you’ll have a scene ‑‑ and these are not short scenes, these are not drama scenes, these are, eight, nine, ten pages long sometimes — and throughout that whole thing, they can just change this and change this and change this. And then it’s, “Jon, you’re going to not say this now. And, Ashton, cut your next four lines. And then, Amber, you say this. And then right after that, Jon, you say this.” And then you have a quick moment to rehearse that. Meanwhile there’s 400 people in an audience screaming, and there’s a guy getting them all excited, doing jokes and magic tricks and stuff. So you’re trying to block out that noise and remember these new lines. But the good news about that is that if you fail, if you forget something, the audience goes wild. They love it. They like to see you mess up. They just like to see it because you don’t ever get to see that. It really is breaking the fourth wall. For people who watch TV and film and theater, you never get to see that. So it’s a treat.
Did you know that when you got in, or it was surprise?
AMBER: I knew a little bit about it. I don’t think I quite knew the extent. I did seven years on a soap opera when I was a kid. So I remember my first week, Chuck sat down next to me and said, “So, you excited? You know, this is” ‑‑ “you ever done anything like this before?” And I said, “Oh, yeah. I did seven years on a soap opera.” And he just cut right in, and he’s like, “This is nothing like a soap opera.” And he was so right. Just because there’s similar stages and multicamera, and you go through a whole scene. There’s not setups. But it’s nothing like a soap opera at all.
Who is your character, in your eyes? Who is Jenny?
AMBER: Jenny is somebody without a moral compass at all, which is very fun to play as an actor. She’s someone who has not figured out yet what she likes or dislikes, which is very interesting. She likes everything. She doesn’t know what she dislikes yet. She doesn’t know what offends her, what upsets her, what hurts her. She is truly a sort of childish adult, somebody who just never really grew up. She might end up having to do that at some point. You never know. But right now it’s very fun to play somebody who doesn’t have those parameters; who’s still trying to figure out what those parameters are.
On the opposite, you had to grow up fast since you worked pretty early. So was it out of left field or refreshing to play a character like this?
AMBER: That’s a really interesting question. I suppose so, yeah. I think it’s interesting. I’ve certainly never played a character like this one before. But it is interesting. I mean, I have definitely lived a great life as well, personally and privately. So I don’t feel like I had to necessarily grow up so fast. But certainly I don’t live like Jenny. Yeah, that would be crazy.
Coming into the show as Charlie Harper’s daughter, have you gone back and watched his character over the seasons before?
AMBER: I have not. I saw one episode that was rerunning because it was on TV while we were rehearsing, and I was waiting between scenes. And I was like, “Oh, cool.” But I had never really seen it before. I also don’t watch a lot of TV. I grew up watching MISTER ROGERS and shows on PBS. I like documentaries. So I’ve only really gotten into a lot of TV stuff in the last maybe two or three years.
If you were to give your character Jenny some advice, what kind of advice would you want to give her?
AMBER: Oh, boy. Wear protection.
She’d likely actually know that already.
AMBER: Would she? I have no idea. Yeah, wear protection — and don’t have sex with animals. That would be my advice for Jenny. I don’t even know if for either of those, she’s done them or not. I’m just saying in general. There’s no way to know. (Laughs)
Do you laugh a lot or crack up a lot on set?
AMBER: Yes. Jon Cryer makes me laugh the hardest when he interrupts his own joke and starts laughing. It’s sort of infectious. Jon’s got the best laugh. His mouth spreads open and eats his whole head. He laughs with his whole body and his whole face. And sometimes he won’t even be able to get the whole joke out before he just breaks into laughter and our mouths will start to tremble. It’s sometimes really, really hard. The audience loves it because you just have to try to get through the joke about prostates or boobs. That’s what we talk about on our show. Yeah. One or the other, in some form.
Do you watch TV shows on DVDs or Blu‑rays or digital?
AMBER: Yeah, I watch on digital. And then sometimes, like if there’s a show that’s come out that I missed that I never saw ‑‑ for instance, THE WIRE — I watched that. I’ll watch them back to back, or on Netflix or Apple TV, something like that.
What’s the good thing about watching like that, several episodes in a row?
AMBER: I don’t know if there is anything good about it. I know people are so high on it. I enjoy it, but it’s sort of the idea that you can get anything at the touch of a button all at once. And there’s no time in between to process it and talk about it at dinner parties and wonder what’s going to happen the next week. I’m sort of old‑school in that way. I enjoyed the last several episodes of “Breaking Bad” that everybody was watching, sort of like in a countdown. That was really fun because you get to go to dinner or meet somebody or whoever you were spending time with and talk about it. So I’m sort of like “eh” about it.
Are you someone that goes online to see what people have to say about the show or about you?
AMBER: Yeah. I read pretty much everything. I am not of the mind that that’s super bad for you. Like I said, I’ve been doing this for 20 years, and I know that when people hate it, there’s nothing I can do to change them or change that. But I think it’s kind of your responsibility as an actor to keep your finger on the temperature of how people feel about it, because it’s your job — it’s your character. I don’t take anything personally, except for when someone is making fun of my teeth or my ears. Then I write them personally – like all of a sudden the dark side comes out. (Laughs)
To see all new episodes, TWO AND A HALF MEN airs Thursday nights at 9:30 p.m. on CBS.
R.I.P. – TV Shows Cancelled/Ending (2013)
KILLER WOMEN: Tricia Helfer Introduces Her Guns-A-Blazing Texas Ranger Series (2014)
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Rugby UnionNewsSport
Force forwards push for Wallaby call-up
SHAYNE HOPEThe West Australian
Tue, 11 May 2010 8:36AM
The Wallabies could have a distinctly West Australian look to their back row when they take on northern hemisphere heavyweights England at Subiaco Oval next month.
Wallabies coach Robbie Deans has been impressed with the development of Matt Hodgson, Richard Brown and young gun David Pocock in Super 14 ranks this season.
He said the Western Force trio were ready for increased roles in the international arena.
Deans is in Perth this week to promote the opening Cook Cup clash with England, to be played at Subiaco Oval on Saturday, June 12.
The Test match is the second on the crowded international calendar, which begins against Fiji on June 5 and features two Tests against England and one against Ireland before the Tri-Nations kicks off in July.
Deans said the likes of Hodgson, Pocock and Brown were among a large group of emerging players providing much-needed depth in the Wallabies set-up less than 16 months out from the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand.
"The players that came away with us on the UK tour at the end of last year, players that have been introduced to Test rugby in the last 18 months, are now starting to grow in maturity," Deans said.
"We've now got choice where we didn't have choice a year a go.
"It's a good problem to have but most importantly it's a good solution to have. Injuries and form won't derail our program."
Despite the Force's disappointing Super 14 season, Deans has made note of the form of several Force players and believes they can have an impact at a higher level.
The international retirement of George Smith and a serious knee injury to Wycliff Palu have opened the door for Pocock and Brown.
Hodgson also is knocking on the selection door and could complete a Force back-row triumvirate in Wallaby gold.
"It's not a probability but it's certainly not out of the way," Deans said.
"Pocock and Hodgson have shown in their performances this year that they've blossomed off the back of their experiences.
"They're really starting to assert themselves as recently as their performance (for the Force) against the Crusaders, where Richie McCaw was shut out of the game."
Second-rower Nathan Sharpe is set for a recall to the Wallabies after returning to top form during the Super 14 campaign and Deans said the Force captain also was in contention for a leadership role.
"Sharpe's really profited from his off-season," Deans said.
"He picked up an injury (shoulder) last year, so he didn't come to the UK with us, and there's no doubt that he's benefitted from that extra time off."
The Test match will be England's first visit to Perth since the 2003 World Cup, when they defeated South Africa and Georgia.
Tennis Australia boss Tiley should quit over Djoker shamblesPremium
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Carolyn Kirby, a former Writing Coach client, reached the short-list of this year’s Bridport Prize award for a first novel. In this guest post, Carolyn writes about her experience of entering the competition.
Carolyn at the prize-giving ceremony talking to Peter Chapman-Andrews about his mother’s life and work. Photograph by Graham Shackleton
A new category in the Bridport Prize
Like many new writers I’d heard of the Bridport Prize. It is well known around the world as a short story and poetry competition with over £16,000 in prize money which has been running since 1973. But I hadn’t realized until this year that the competition is also open to novels. In 2014 the Peggy-Chapman Andrews Award for unpublished first novels was added to the other categories in memory of the inspirational founder of this prestigious literary prize.
[tweet_dis]I had previously had some success with an early novel, Cloud Cover, a wartime love story that Jacqui had helped me to get started.[/tweet_dis] The book made it to several competition long-lists, including the Lucy Cavendish College Fiction Prize. But that was as far as it got. At the start of 2016, I had put the book away to work on a new idea for a Victorian-set thriller, Half Of You. This story follows a young woman’s search to uncover the dreadful secrets in her past through new ideas about nature versus nurture. I sensed that the opening to this novel was good, possibly better than Cloud Cover, but the work was at a very early stage, much too soon to submit it agents.
So I was excited to realise that the Peggy Chapman-Andrews offered a forum for novels in progress. Only 5000 words were needed to enter, so the competition could provide a wonderfully anonymous and impartial litmus test. I reasoned that if my entry was long-listed, I would have encouragement to keep writing. If it wasn’t, I could re-think of the story without having got too far. But either way, the prize would give me an incentive to write more chapters by July when the long-list was to be announced. At this point, 15,000 words would be required for the next round of judging. So I sent off the entry and got down to writing another 10,000 words. Just in case I was successful.
Making the Long-list
On 18th July, [tweet_dis]when I saw Half Of You on the long-list, it felt miraculous that my work had been plucked from such a vast sea of words.[/tweet_dis] There were 856 entries for the Peggy Chapman-Andrews award this year. Which added up to literally millions of words for the judges to consider and compare. I felt so grateful to the Bridport readers for the time they must have put in to this painstaking task.
So now I had to spend the summer preparing for the possibility that my entry would reach the short-list to be announced at the end of August. At this point 30,000 words would be required for the final stage of judging. The competition again gave me an excellent incentive to stay indoors at my laptop pressing on with the story.
I knew that in these latter stages of judging my fairly raw chapters would be subject to the intense scrutiny of professionals from top literary agency AM Heath, The Literary Consultancy and the Chair of judges, novelist and academic, Kerry Young. So, the day of the short-list announcement was, to say the least, tense. As I opened the e-mail from Kate Wilson, the Bridport’s lovely administrator, I was mainly focusing on keeping my heart rate within healthy limits. “Congratulations…” was all I needed to see. I instantly felt that I’d moved up to the next level in my writing journey.
Chair of judges, Kerry Young, makes the Peggy Chapman-Andrews Award presentations. Photograph by Graham Shackleton
Although my book didn’t win the overall prize, I was overjoyed to be a winner. The prize-giving lunch in Bridport Arts Centre was a wonderful occasion that gave me gave the chance to meet so many friendly, inspiring people including Peter Chapman-Andrews, Peggy’s son. Peter told me about his mother’s community work in Bridport and her visionary idea to fund a new Arts Centre through a creative writing prize. The prize continues to provide funding for Bridport Arts Centre to this day.
I am still in the throes of a first draft of Half Of You, but reaching the Peggy Chapman-Andrews Award short-list has given me a level of faith in the story that spurs me on. And I have written thousands more words than I would have done without the competition.
The 2017 Bridport Prize launches on 15th November 2016 (to close on 31st May 2017) and is open to residents of the Republic of Ireland for the first time. Any new writer looking for a way to energise their writing in the coming year should start preparing an entry. You never know where it might take you!
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bibleandculture Uncategorized April 16, 2013 3 Minutes
I don’t remember ever going to a movie on opening day, in fact I normally wait so long, I don’t go at all. But 42, the compelling story of the integration of baseball led by Branch Rickey and Jackie Robinson, grabbed my attention and did not disappoint. In fact, as some great one liners popped out throughout, I surprised myself by spontaneously leading the theater crowd in applause at one point. Fortunately, I was joined by others.
What’s so great about 42? Bottom line, it is the impact of the Gospel of Jesus Christ on culture. Yes, Christians were (and some still are) tragically complicit in the old racism of America, But it was not secular progressives who integrated baseball. The Gospel of Jesus Christ was the driving force behind Branch Rickey who was determined to end the barring of some of the best athletes from America’s game. And it was the Gospel of Jesus Christ that made it possible for Jackie Robinson to withstand the the pressure and the temptation to lash out at those who so severely demeaned him.
Rickey decided it was time to end a great evil. He looked for an athlete who shared Gospel values, who would fight the inevitable racial epithets, not with violence or even angry words, but with with an incomparable strength, “I”m looking for a ballplayer with guts enough not to fight back.”
Jackie Robinson was that man. He was not raised in the old south, but in Pasadena, California. He was a World War II veteran. He was a standout athlete at UCLA. But what made Robinson the man to successfully integrate baseball was his Christian faith. When he signed with the Kansas City Monarchs in the old Negro League in 1945, Robinson’s faith made him a laughing stock because he refused to live like his “whiskey drinking and promiscuous teammates,” and unashamedly voiced his commitment to save sex until marriage. He adopted a life long habit of kneeling by his bed to pray before going to sleep. In a later interview, he said of this nightly ritual, “It’s the best way to get closer to God, and a hard-hit ground ball.”
Rickey signed Jackie because he believed Robinson possessed the necessary strength of character. Rickey reminded him that “turn the other cheek” from the Sermon on the Mount was a necessary requirement. When asked how could this possibly work, Rickey responded, “…Robinson’s a Methodist. I’m a Methodist. God’s a Methodist! We can’t go wrong.”
But it sure had every reason to go wrong. 42 is painful to watch because of the grossly evil and brutal racial slurs, the constant taunting, the over the top attempts to injure Jackie, many of which could have been deadly. His own teammates rejected him, threatening to quit if he played. But Branch Rickey called their bluffs. Robinson played through the abuse. Teammates like Eddie Stanky and Pee Wee Reese began to come around as they witnessed courage and integrity under fire. Debate continues as to when and where it happened, but Pee Wee Reese responded to abusive fans in Cincinnati or Philadelphia by walking across the diamond and putting his arm of support around Robinson, silencing the crowd.
Robinson was the 1947 Rookie of the Year, and before his career ended, a perennial All Star, played in six World Series, was a World Series winner and a member of the Hall of Fame. He is the only player to have his number retired for all of major league baseball; except each year on April 15, when every player wears 42 in his honor What Branch Rickey and Jackie Robinson did opened the door for Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Bob Gibson and hundreds more top athletes to take their rightful place. But even more, it models the teaching of Jesus, the non-violent confrontation later adopted by Martin Luther King Jr. that changed the nation.
This film is PG 13 because of the racial slurs. It has many examples of misusing God’s name, a violation of the 3rd commandment, that should always be disturbing to hear. But it is generally faithful to history. I commend it as the best film I’ve seen in a long time.
The day after a cowardly terrorist attack in Boston on the day of the Boston Marathon, may we be encouraged by two truly courageous Americans, Jackie Robinson and Branch Rickey, who together lived out the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Several great commentaries are out there, including Jackie Robinson: Faith in Himself — and in God by Chris Lamb in the Wall Street Journal; and Jackie Robinson and the Pattern of Jesus, a blog post by David Mathis on the Desiring God website.
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New Pullman Hotel to open in Sharjah
Manazil Real Estate Group, a leading UAE developer, has unveiled its latest hotel project – Pullman Hotel – in Sharjah, which is set to open soon.
The five-star property will be managed by Accor Middle East and is considered the latest addition to Manazil Group’s projects. Building and developing high-quality projects in the hospitality and health care sectors, Manazil is internationally renowned for projects with unique designs and architecture, including Marjan Island Resort and Spa, with a panoramic view of the Gulf; Terhab Hotel and Towers Jumeirah (Jumeirah Village Dubai); and Terhab Hotel & Residence Sharjah
Engineer Abdul Mohsen Al Hammadi, CEO of Manazil Real Estate Group, the owner of Pullman Hotel Sharjah, said: “This is the latest addition to the group’s hotel portfolio, managed in collaboration with Accor Middle East. Being one of the fastest-growing groups in hotel management and hospitality industry in the region, Accor manages over 4,900 hotels and resorts globally; including the five-star Pullman Hotel Sharjah.”
Al Hammadi added: “The prime location, close to Sharjah Expo, is a key feature as Sharjah is increasingly attracting the region’s most important expos and conferences, supported by the Government of Sharjah and the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority.”
Al Hammadi continued: “The hotel includes several ballrooms and meeting rooms, equipped with latest technologies. The hotel will host conferences, exhibitions, seminars, workshops, training sessions, among others for Government entities, private sector organisations, as well as healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. Additionally, we will host other social events like wedding parties and birthdays. Pullman Sharjah also includes Oriana Hospital, the first of its kind in the region to promote medical tourism, supported by the Sharjah government.”
“Medical tourism is becoming highly competitive, which drives the demand for more affordable hotels and resorts for patients and their families,” he added.
The medical centre at the Pullman Sharjah offers best-in-class medical services in addition to common surgeries, with the highest levels of privacy. While staying at the hotel, patients can receive their treatment and undergo the needed surgery in the medical centre, then recover in their hotel rooms.
Moreover, the hospital would include a state-of-the-art OB GYN section, offering the best pre- and post-natal care.
“Through the five-star Pullman Sharjah, we aim to provide medical tourism and entertainment products for everyone. Furthermore, we are targeting GCC markets, some of the main markets for medical tourism, as well as European, Asian and African markets,” Al Hammadi said.
With 180 rooms and suites, Arabian architecture, and comforting atmosphere, Pullman Sharjah offers guests a seamless stay in rooms bigger than the typical five-star rooms. The hotel also offers a set of high-quality dining experiences, with a variety of foods and beverages for all tastes. The hotel also includes gym, spa and hair saloon facility. – TradeArabia News Service
WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A LIPEDEMA TREATMENT CENTER
I HAVE LIPEDEMA. WILL LIPOSUCTION HELP?
AM I A CANDIDATE FOR A TUMMY TUCK TO TREAT MY LIPEDEMA?
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Here's How Netanyahu Is Thanking Trump for Recognizing Israeli Sovereignty Over Golan Heights
Cortney O'Brien
@obrienc2
Posted: Apr 23, 2019 5:50 PM
Source: AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner
As a thank you to President Trump for his historic recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Twitter Tuesday that he's going to be naming a Golan community after the president.
I'm here on the beautiful Golan Heights. All Israelis were deeply moved when President Trump made his historic decision to recognize Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights. pic.twitter.com/ikgZhA01lt
— Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) April 23, 2019
Therefore, after the Passover holiday, I intend to bring to the government a resolution calling for a new community on the Golan Heights named after President Donald J. Trump
In his message, Netanyahu recognized “a need to express our appreciation by calling a community or neighborhood on the Golan Heights after Donald Trump. I will bring that to the government [for approval] soon.”
On March 9, Trump made history by becoming the first U.S. president to recognize Israeli sovereignty in the disputed territory.
Netanyahu won his fifth term in Israel's elections earlier this month. It was a nailbiter though and the leader is now working to form a government.
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Skylanders Sales Infographic
Thu, 2013-08-15 19:20 — News
Skylanders™ Figures Outsold All Other Action-Figure Properties in U.S. and Europe Year-to-Date in 2013(1)
Skylanders Giants #1 best-selling console and hand-held video game in dollars in both U.S. and Europe year-to-date in 2013(2)
SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- August 15, 2013 -- Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc., announced today that Skylanders™ figures outsold all action-figure properties in the U.S. and Europe year-to-date in 2013 -- and the Skylanders property outpaced all toy properties overall in the U.K. year-to-date as of June 30, 2013.(1)
As of July 31, 2013, the Skylanders franchise has generated life-to-date more than $1.5 billion in worldwide retail sales(2); and year-to-date in 2013, in both North America and Europe, Skylanders Giants™ was the #1 best-selling console and hand-held game overall in dollars.(2)
"We began something very special with Skylanders and the magic of bringing toys to life through a video game," said Eric Hirshberg, CEO, Activision Publishing. "But it's not just about the game. We know the toys have to be just as creative and imaginative as the kids that play with them, and that's why we're so excited to bring even more innovations to this genre when Skylanders SWAP Force™ comes out in October."
Skylanders Spyro's Adventure™ and Skylanders Giants were developed by Toys For Bob, and Skylanders SWAP Force is being developed by Vicarious Visions. The games are rated Everyone 10+ by the ESRB. For more information, visit www.skylanders.com.
About Activision Publishing, Inc.
Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products.
Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, Brazil, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, mainland China and the region of Taiwan. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company's website, www.activision.com.
SKYLANDERS, SKYLANDERS SWAP FORCE, SKYLANDERS GIANTS, SKYLANDERS SPYRO'S ADVENTURE, and ACTIVISION are trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc.
(1) According to The US NPD Group and Activision internal estimates through June 2013
(2) According to The US NPD Group, GfK Media Control and Activision internal estimates, including toys and accessory packs.
Skylanders Giants
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This article was published on July 24, 2013
Facebook now has 1.15 billion monthly active users and 699 million daily active users
Josh Ong
Josh Ong is the US Editor at The Next Web. He previously worked as TNW's China Editor and LA Reporter. Follow him on Twitter or email him a (show all) Josh Ong is the US Editor at The Next Web. He previously worked as TNW's China Editor and LA Reporter. Follow him on Twitter or email him at [email protected]b.com.
In its second quarter earnings results, Facebook revealed that it now has over 1.15 billion monthly active users, 819 million mobile monthly active users and 699 million daily active users.
Facebook’s overall user base grew 21 percent year-over-year, while its mobile division notched 51 percent growth during the period.
“We’ve made good progress growing our community, deepening engagement and delivering strong financial results, especially on mobile,” Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a statement. “The work we’ve done to make mobile the best Facebook experience is showing good results and provides us with a solid foundation for the future.”
The second quarter numbers are up from the 1.11 billion monthly active users, 751 million mobile users and 665 million daily users Facebook had in the first quarter of 2013. The company first passed the 1 billion user mark last October and achieved 1.06 billion users by the end of 2012.
Second quarter revenue was up to $1.81 billion from $1.18 billion a year ago. GAAP net income for the second quarter was $333 million and diluted GAAP earnings per share were $0.13. Investors have been impressed with Facebook’s performance, pushing the stock up 15 percent in after-hours trading.
Earlier this week, Facebook announced that its “Facebook for Every Phone” initiative for feature phones had passed 100 million monthly active users.
Photo credit: Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Published July 24, 2013 - 10:09 pm UTC
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Firefox Nightly gets WebRTC communications service powered by TokBox’s OpenTok video and voice platform
Emil Protalinski
Emil was a reporter for The Next Web between 2012 and 2014. Over the years, he has covered the tech industry for multiple publications, incl (show all) Emil was a reporter for The Next Web between 2012 and 2014. Over the years, he has covered the tech industry for multiple publications, including Ars Technica, Neowin, TechSpot, ZDNet, and CNET. Stay in touch via Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.
Mozilla today announced a new WebRTC communications feature has landed in Firefox Nightly. The company has partnered with TokBox, which not only helped with development of the project but is responsible for the OpenTok video and voice platform that powers the new service.
Details are still scarce as Mozilla is calling this an experimental feature. The company is promising, however, that the goal is to “connect everyone with a WebRTC-enabled browser” without any additional plugins or downloads.
Here is Mozilla’s pitch:
If you have a browser, a camera and a mic, you’ll be able to make audio and video calls to anyone else with an enabled browser. It will eventually work across all of your devices and operating systems. And we’ll be adding lots more features in the future as we roll it out to more users. It’s going to be awesome!
Big Tech wants to be your bank?
Let them deal with AI ethics first
For those who don’t know, WebRTC is an open project that provides Internet users with the ability to communicate in real-time via voice and video by simply using a Real-Time Communications (RTC) compatible browser. It enables Web app developers to include real-time video calling and data sharing capabilities in their products, which can range from games to video conferencing tools.
Mozilla has been a big proponent of WebRTC. In February 2013, it teamed up with Google to show off video chat between Chrome and Firefox development builds without the need to install a third-party plugin.
Clearly the company wants to make this a dedicated service that Firefox offers out-of-the-box. Yet it’s making sure not to over-promise anything: “But you shouldn’t expect a polished service quite yet. It’s early days and we’re just starting to test pieces of this service.”
If Mozilla gets its way, Firefox will be the browser not just for navigating the Web, but for communicating over it as well. That’s a big bet to make, but we’d be lying if we said we’re not interested in what Mozilla dreams up.
Top Image Credit: Jeroen Belen
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A map of Australia from the 1800s would look very much like it does now. Early on all of eastern Australia was known as NSW, but as each colony was granted self government the area known as NSW became much smaller. Each of the mainland states has regions of desert – this land is arid and receives little rainfall, as a consequence not many people live in desert regions, most people live on the coast.This lead to a series of colonies, which sprang from small settlements, the first Sydney followed by Hobart Brisbane Melbourne Adelaide and Perth – these cities all became the capitals of their respective states.
But Australia was just the name of the island continent. What we call Australia today was 6 separate colonies. Outposts of Mother England. 3 Million people scattered across a vast continent. Geographically distant and quite remote from each other. They behaved like separate countries – they had their own navies, and armies. The Geelong rifles would help to defend Victoria from NSW? Passing across boarders meant passing through customs. If travelling by train, you had to change trains because each colony had a different rail gauge. If you wanted to trade with the other colonies there were tariffs.
Now, we are now a federation of 6 states and 2 territories.
But combining the jealous bickering colonies was no easy task, it came about largely to protect the country from the wrong type of migrant.
The prevailing thought at the time was a superiority of immigrants from good old mother England. The driving force for Federation was that many thought that a united Australia might help control just who came here.
On October 24, 1889, then New South Wales Premier Sir Henry Parkes told a gathering at Tenterfield, that the time had come for the states to consider Australian federation.
In 1890, on Parkes’ initiative, the representatives of seven British colonies (which included New Zealand) met in Melbourne and agreed in principle to establish an Australian federation.
Draft constitution
A year later, a Federation Convention held in Sydney produced a draft Constitution for the Commonwealth of Australia.
Changes in government, the Depression and other factors held back Australian federation. In the meantime, referendums had been held, and more conventions set up. And in 1900 that a final draft Constitution was approved.
At the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve 1900, as the clock ticked into 1901 and the 20th century, whistles, gongs, church bells, rattles, pots, pans, accordions and all manner of noise-makers joined the sirens of boats on Sydney Harbour. It was in Sydney, in the city’s Centennial Park, that the federation of Australia’s six states was formally forged on January 1, 1901.
The constitution gave each state the rights to manage and control it’s own education system. At no time since has there been a united curriculum
By the early 1900 most children went to school until they were 12., In fact on the 1901 census, 2,992,915 people (84.2%), stated they could read and write, 77,058 people (2.2%), (36,621 males and 40,437 females) stated they could read only and 463,252 people (13.0%), (255,961 males and 207,291 females) stated they could not read or write.(9)
IN school, children had to sit up straight speak only when spoken to – classes were usually large, teachers were very strict, and bad behaviour was punished with the use of a strap or cane.
The school day was spent in reading writing spelling dictation arithmetic grammar history geography and singing, nature study was the new subject
Most of the time children learned their work off by heart – a good memory guaranteed good marks in exams. Very few children went to secondary school.
Private schools were a different consideration – later in the century they even took girls and some even completed secondary education. They wore special capes when being awarded prizes to distinguish them from other students.
Although in the 1920s more children were going to secondary school, most left after 8 years of elementary school. As late as 1938 only 20% of children in NSW continued to secondary schools. In Vitoria it was 15% and Queensland saw only 3 in every hundred doing so
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Author: Peace Olanipekun
Indigenous Protests Lead To Violent Arrests In Vancouver
An internal review is being promised by the Vancouver Police Department following the release of a video that captured the violent arrests of four Indigenous people by the police at the downtown headquarters of the Bank of Montreal on February 19th. This review will, however, not be truly independent as
Peace Olanipekun March 12, 2021
Rise Of Islamophobia Across The World
In recent years, Islamophobia has been spreading across the world, stretching from eastern countries like China to western countries such as Europe and the United States. In China, the government has been detaining more than a million Muslims since 2017. They are held in what the government calls “re-education” camps.
Peace Olanipekun January 26, 2021
More Than 330 Nigerian Schoolboys Kidnapped
On November 11, 2020, more than 330 Nigerian boys went missing from the Government Science Secondary School following an attack by gunmen. According to reports, the attackers arrived on motorcycles and proceeded to begin a fierce battle with the security forces on the ground as hundreds of the children ran
Peace Olanipekun January 4, 2021
Major Corporations Lobby To Weaken Forced Labour Bill
On November 29th, U.S. congressional staff leaked that big companies were intensely lobbying Congress to weaken the Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act and pass their own agendas. The Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act is an American bill that would prevent U.S. companies from selling goods that were produced in Xinjiang
Peace Olanipekun December 23, 2020
U.S. Sanctions Chinese Officials Following Democratic Crackdown
On November 7th, the United States placed sanctions and travel bans on 14 Chinese officials over their part in diminishing and cracking down on the country’s pro-democracy movement. Last month, four opposition members were removed from the legislature after China’s parliament gave Hong Kong’s government the power to curb dissension.
Political Unrest in Uganda Leads To Protest And Leaves Many Dead
Protests ignited in Uganda early last week following the arrest of Robert Kyagulanyi, a presidential candidate, more commonly known as Bobi Wine. Groups of young individuals came together setting up barricades with burnt tyres and piles of trash and random materials all over the capital city of Kampala and numerous
Peace Olanipekun December 7, 2020
“Never Again” Is Happening Again
Following the end of World War II, there was a distinct phrase that rang across the world and that was “never again”. The brutalities and horror experienced by Jewish people at the hands of the Nazis was so profound that the entire globe agreed to ensure no other group of
Mass Killings In Ethiopia
Amnesty International has confirmed reports that numerous and likely hundreds of people were stabbed and/or hacked to death in Mai-Kadra on November 9. Amnesty elaborated that they had examined and “digitally verified gruesome photographs and videos of bodies strewn across the town or being carried away on stretchers” as they
Decades Long War Between Armenia And Azerbaijan Ends As A Peace Deal Is Signed
A peace deal was signed between Armenia and Azerbaijan, both former republics of the Soviet Union located in the Caucasus region, a day many thought would never come as the ferocious war between the two countries has raged on for decades. The casualties in this brutal war have reached the
Peace Olanipekun November 25, 2020
Protests Erupt Over Poland Abortion Ban
Protests erupted in Poland early last month following a ruling which further bans abortion within the country. Already some of the strictest in Europe, Poland’s abortion laws allowed only three justifications for legal abortions: a woman is allowed to legally abort in the case of fetal abnormalities, a threat to
#EndSARS Trends As Nigerians Protest Police Brutality
This week, protests broke out in Nigeria led by Nigerian activists and celebrities calling for an end to police brutality within the country. These demonstrations were directed towards a specific Nigerian police unit known as the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). The nationwide protests were a culmination of weeks of anger
Peace Olanipekun October 15, 2020
Video By Indigenous Woman Displays Hospital Staff Taunting Her As She Lay Dying
On Monday, September 28th, an unsettling video was released that displayed staff in a Quebec hospital harassing an Indigenous woman who lay on her deathbed. Joyce Echaquan, a 37-year-old Atikamekw woman, arrived at Joliette hospital in Quebec on Monday, complaining of stomach pain. The mother of seven had previously suffered
Peace Olanipekun October 7, 2020
The Poisoning Of Alexei Navalny
On August 20th, the world was left reeling as news came that Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was in a coma and on a ventilator after a suspected poisoning. Navalny is a notable critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin. He has utilized his social media activism and transformed it into
Peace Olanipekun September 25, 2020
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Texas Occupational Therapy Definitions
The Texas occupational therapy legal and regulatory definitions.
“Accredited Educational Program” - An educational institution offering a course of study in occupational therapy that has been accredited or approved by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association.
“Act”- The Occupational Therapy Practice Act, Title 3, Subtitle H, Chapter 454 of the Occupations Code.
“AOTA”- American Occupational Therapy Association.
“Applicant”- A person who applies for a license to the Texas Board of Occupational Therapy Examiners.
“Board” - The Texas Board of Occupational Therapy Examiners.
“Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA)” -An individual who uses this term must hold a valid regular or provisional license to practice or represent self as an occupational therapy assistant in Texas and must practice under the general supervision of an OTR® or OT. An individual who uses this term is responsible for ensuring that he or she is otherwise qualified to use it by maintaining certification with NBCOT.
“Class A Misdemeanor”- An individual adjudged guilty of a Class A misdemeanor shall be punished by:
A fine not to exceed $4,000;
Confinement in jail for a term not to exceed one year; or
Both such fine and imprisonment (Vernon's Texas Codes Annotated Penal Code §12.21).
“Client”- The entity that receives occupational therapy; also may be known as patient. Clients may be individuals (including others involved in the individual's life who may also help or be served indirectly such as a caregiver, teacher, parent, employer, spouse), groups, or populations (i.e., organizations, communities).
“Complete Application”- Application form with photograph, license fee, jurisprudence examination with at least 70% of questions answered correctly, and all other required documents.
“Complete Renewal”- Contains renewal fee, renewal form with continuing education submission form, home/work address(es) and phone number(s), jurisprudence examination with at least 70% of questions answered correctly, and all other required documents.
“Continuing Education Committee” - Reviews and makes recommendations to the Board concerning continuing education requirements and special consideration requests.
“Coordinator of Occupational Therapy Program” - The employee of the Executive Council who carries out the functions of the Texas Board of Occupational Therapy Examiners.
“Endorsement”- The process by which the Board issues a license to a person currently licensed in another state or territory of the United States that maintains professional standards considered by the Board to be substantially equivalent to those set forth in the Act, and is applying for a Texas license for the first time.
“Evaluation”- The process of planning, obtaining, documenting and interpreting data necessary for intervention. This process is focused on finding out what the client wants and needs to do and on identifying those factors that act as supports or barriers to performance.
“Examination”-The Examination as provided for in §454.207 of the Practice Act (relating to License Examination). The current Examination is the initial certification examination given by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT).
“Executive Council”- The Executive Council of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Examiners.
“Executive Director”- The employee of the Executive Council who functions as its agent. The Executive Council delegates implementation of certain functions to the Executive Director.
“Intervention”- The process of planning and implementing specific strategies based on the client's desired outcome, evaluation data and evidence, to effect change in the client's occupational performance leading to engagement in occupation to support participation.
“Investigation Committee”-Reviews and makes recommendations to the Board concerning complaints and disciplinary actions regarding licensees.
“Investigator”- The employee of the Executive Council who conducts all phases of an investigation into a complaint filed against a licensee, an applicant, or an entity regulated by the Board.
“Jurisprudence Examination” - An examination covering information contained in the Texas Occupational Therapy Practice Act and Texas Board of Occupational Therapy Examiners Rules. This test is an open book, online examination with multiple choice and/or true-false questions. The passing score is at least 70%.
“License”- Document issued by the Texas Board of Occupational Therapy Examiners which authorizes the practice of occupational therapy in Texas.
“Medical Condition”- A condition of acute trauma, infection, disease process, psychiatric disorders, addictive disorders, or post surgical status. Synonymous with the term health care condition.
“NBCOT”- National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy.
“Non-Licensed Personnel”- OT Aide or OT Orderly or other person not licensed by this Board who provides support services to occupational therapy practitioners and whose activities require on-the-job training and supervision.
“Non-Medical Condition”- A condition where the ability to perform occupational roles is impaired by developmental disabilities, learning disabilities, the aging process, sensory impairment, psychosocial dysfunction, or other such conditions which do not require the routine intervention of a physician.
“Occupation” - Activities of everyday life, named, organized, and given value and meaning by individuals and a culture. Occupation is everything people do to occupy themselves, including looking after themselves, enjoying life and contributing to the social and economic fabric of their communities.
“Occupational Therapist (OT)” - An individual who holds a valid regular or provisional license to practice or represent self as an Occupational Therapist in Texas. This definition includes an Occupational Therapist or one who is designated as an Occupational Therapist, Registered (OTR®).
“Occupational Therapist, Registered (OTR)” - An individual who uses this term must hold a valid regular or provisional license to practice or represent self as an Occupational Therapist in Texas by maintaining registration through NBCOT.
“Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA)” - An individual who holds a valid regular or provisional license to practice or represent self as an Occupational Therapy Assistant in Texas, and who is required to be under the continuing supervision of an OT. This definition includes an individual who is designated as a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA®) or an Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA).
“Occupational Therapy Plan of Care” - A written statement of the planned course of Occupational Therapy intervention for a client. It must include goals, objectives and/or strategies, recommended frequency and duration, and may also include methodologies and/or recommended activities.
“Occupational Therapy Practitioners” - Occupational Therapists and Occupational Therapy Assistants licensed by this Board.
“Outcome” - The focus and targeted end objective of occupational therapy intervention. The overarching outcome of occupational therapy is engagement in occupation to support participation in context(s).
“Place(s) of Business” - Any facility in which a licensee practices.
“Practice” - Providing occupational therapy as a clinician, practitioner, educator, or consultant to clients located in Texas at the time of the provision of occupational therapy services. Only a person holding a license from this Board may practice occupational therapy in Texas, and the site of practice is the location in Texas where the client is located at the time of the provision of services.
“Rules” - Refers to the TBOTE Rules.
“Screening” - A process used to determine a potential need for occupational therapy interventions, educational and/or other client needs. Screening information may be compiled using observation, client records, the interview process, self-reporting, and/or other documentation.
“Telehealth” - A mode of service delivery for the provision of occupational therapy services delivered by an occupational therapy practitioner to a client at a different physical location using telecommunications or information technology. Telehealth refers only to the practice of occupational therapy by occupational therapy practitioners who are licensed by this Board with clients who are located in Texas at the time of the provision of occupational therapy services. Also may be known as other terms including but not limited to telepractice, telecare, telerehabilitation, and e-health services.
Tex. Occ. Code § 454.002
3 Tex. Admin. Code §362.1
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By Kelly P. Taylor Last updated Sep 10, 2021
Article 6 of the French amending finance law for 2020 of 23
March 2020 n° 2020-289 provides that the French State may
guarantee loans granted by credit institutions, finance companies
and crowdfunding lenders from 16 March 2020 through 31 December
2020 to non-financial undertakings registered in France, up to a
total guaranteed outstanding amount of EUR 300 billion. This scheme
is the subject of a regulation dated 23 March 2020 as amended
successively on 17 April 2020 and 6 May 2020. The Ministry of the
Economy also published a document entitled “Frequently Asked
Questions – State-guaranteed loans” dated 23 April 2020
(hereinafter the “FAQ“).
The objective of such State aid is “to remedy a serious
disturbance in the economy of a Member State” in accordance
with Article 107 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European
Union. The European Commission confirmed in decision SA 56709 of 21
March 2020 that the conditions for the granting of the guarantee by
the French State under this scheme were in line with the temporary
framework adopted by the European Commission on 19 March 2020,
which was subsequently amended on 3 April 2020.
A loan can thus be guaranteed by the State by up to 90% of the
principal, interest and accessories if the business has less than
5,000 employees in its last financial year (or 16 March 2019 if
this is its first financial year) and has a turnover of less than
EUR 1.5 billion.
For businesses employing at least 5,000 employees or with a
turnover of more than EUR 1.5 billion, this percentage is reduced
to 80% or even 70% unless there is a derogation. Some of the
following rules may also be subject to other derogations in the
case of such large businesses.
In this article, we shall examine (1) the terms and conditions
of State-guaranteed loans (“SGLs“) and
(2) the eligibility conditions of the companies to which these
loans may be granted.
1. Terms and conditions of SGLs
1.1 Maximum SGL amount
The loan amount may represent up to 25% of the business’s
turnover excluding tax in 2019 or the last financial year. If
certified accounts are not available, it is possible to have
recourse to a certificate from a chartered accountant.
There is a specific case concerning innovative companies or
those meeting at least one of the criteria set out in Article D.
313-45-1, II of the French Code for the Entry and Residence of
Foreigners and Right of Asylum. In this instance, the loan ceiling
is up to twice the total 2019 payroll (for France), excluding
employer contributions, if this amount is greater than 25% of the
2019 turnover excluding tax.
For companies founded on or after 1 January 2019, the maximum
amount of the SGL corresponds to the estimated French payroll for
the first two years of activity.
1.2 Purpose of SGLs
Funds from a State-guaranteed loan do not have to be allocated
to a specific purpose.
However, it is not possible to refinance earlier loans with
State-guaranteed loans since “the lending institution, or
participatory finance intermediary [crowdfunder] acting on behalf
of the lenders, must also demonstrate, in the event the guarantee
referred to in Article 1 is called, that after the grant of the
loan covered by that guarantee, the level of its assistance to the
borrower was higher than the level of its assistance to the
borrower on 16 March 2020, adjusted for reductions between those
two dates resulting from the amortisation schedule prior to 16
March 2020 or from a decision by the borrower”. This is why
State-guaranteed loans are generally considered “new
money” loans.
1.3 Duration and amortisation profile
The State-guaranteed loan automatically includes a one-year
deferral, i.e. the borrower has nothing to repay for the first 12
months. At the end of that year, the borrower has the right to
decide on the duration of the amortisation of the loan, up to a
maximum of five additional years (one, two, three, four or five
years). The borrower may also choose to prepay part of the loan at
the end of the first year and amortise the remainder.
1.4 Interest rates and margin
There is no legal provision, either in the law or in the decree,
which regulates the interest rate of loans, but the FAQ states that
“the banks, through the President of the French Banking
Federation, have undertaken to grant [these loans] ‘at
cost’.”
The FAQ also states that “in practical terms, this means
that the rate for the borrower is the so-called resource rate of
the lending bank, currently close to 0% for the first year, plus
the guarantee premium, applied to the principal of the loan and the
scale of which is public and depends on the size of the company and
the maturity of the guaranteed loan. As the cost of funds varies
from one bank to another, there may be small differences in the
rates on State-guaranteed loans from one bank to another”.
Thus, the cost of the loan is the result of the addition of the
interest rate of the relevant bank and the fee for the State
guarantee detailed below (1.5).
1.5 Guarantee fee due to the State
The guarantee fee due to the State shall be paid by the
borrower.
In the case of businesses (i) with no more than 250 employees
and (ii) with a turnover not exceeding EUR 50 million and/or a
balance-sheet total not exceeding EUR 43 million, the rate of this
fee is:
0.25% for the first year;
0.5% for the first additional year, where applicable;
0.5% for the second additional year, where applicable;
1% in the third additional year, where applicable;
1% in the fourth additional year, where applicable;
1% in the fifth additional year, where applicable.
For businesses with more than 250 employees or with both a
turnover of more than EUR 50 million and a balance sheet total of
more than EUR 43 million, the rate is twice the rate indicated
With regard to the base of these fees, the decree of March 23,
2020 specifies that they “are collected for the portion
guaranteed by Bpifrance Financement SA from the lending
institution, in the name, on behalf and under the control of the
State”. It specifies that 90% of the outstanding principal,
interest and accessories of the State-guaranteed loan is guaranteed
by the State if the company has fewer than 5,000 employees and less
than EUR 1.5 billion in turnover.
In regards to their due date, guarantee fees are levied in a
first instalment when the guarantee is granted, and in a second
instalment, where applicable, when the borrower exercises the
clause allowing the loan to be amortised over an additional period
calculated in terms of a number of years. However, according to the
FAQ, “in accordance with the State’s request that the
borrower should have nothing to disburse in the first year, the
professional or business will not be asked to pay these fees during
the first 12 months after signature: the bank will carry the cost
of the guarantee over the first 12 months”.
1.6 Security interests securing the portion not guaranteed by
If the loan is granted to a business with fewer than 5,000
employees and a turnover of less than EUR 1.5 billion, the 10%
share that is not guaranteed by the State cannot be secured by
another “guarantee or security interest”.
However, according to the FAQ, it is possible for a bank to
require credit life insurance and a State-guaranteed loan granted
under an agreement further to conciliation proceedings would
benefit from the conciliation lien.
2. Eligibility conditions for businesses
2.1 Eligible sectors of activity
Eligible borrowers are all businesses, whether incorporated or
not, including artisans, merchants, farmers, liberal professions
and micro-entrepreneurs, as well as associations and foundations
with an economic activity listed in the national business register,
credit institutions and finance companies, as well as
real estate civil companies (“sociétés
civiles immobilières”) other than construction-sale
real estate civil companies (“sociétés civiles
immobilières de construction-vente”), real estate civil
companies owning mainly classified or registered historical
monuments within the meaning of the law of 31 December 1913 on
historical monuments and which collect revenues related to the
reception of the public (for these companies, the turnover to be
taken into account is limited to the revenues related to the
reception of the public), and real estate civil companies wholly
owned by OPCIs (real estate investment trusts), SCPIs (investment
real estate civil companies) or OPPCIs (professional real estate
investment trusts).
The FAQ specifies that “sociétés
d’économie mixte (SEM)”, “entreprises
publiques locales (EPL)” and “établissements
public à caractère industriel et commercial
(EPIC)” are eligible, as are payment institutions, electronic
money institutions and portfolio management companies.
2.2 Exclusion of undertakings in difficulty
The regulation of 23 March 2020 as amended on 6 May 2020
excludes businesses which, as at 31 December 2019, were undergoing
a judicial liquidation or professional recovery proceeding in case
of natural persons or, in case of natural persons or legal
entities, were going through the observation period of a safeguard
or recovery proceeding. It’s noted that enterprises for which a
safeguard or recovery plan was ordered by a court prior to the date
on which the loan was granted remain in principle eligible for the
State-guaranteed loan according to the regulation.
According to decision SA 56709 of 21 March 2020, the scheme
cannot be granted either to undertakings in difficulty or which
were in difficulty on 31 December 2019 (but it can be granted to
those which became in difficulty following the emergence of the
COVID-19 pandemic), which is confirmed by the FAQ.
Decision SA 56709 and the FAQ refer to the definition of an
undertaking in difficulty in Article 2(18) of European Regulation
651/2014 of 17 June 2014, which also covers:
any limited liability company within the meaning of Directive
2013/34/EU (such as a “société à
responsabilité limiitée (SARL)”, a
“société par actions simplifiée
(SAS)”, a “société anonyme (SA)” or a
“société en commandite par actions (SCA)”)
which has lost more than half of its share capital or any so-called
unlimited liability company within the meaning of Directive
2013/34/EU (such as a “société en nom collectif
(SNC)” or a “société en commandite simple
(SCS)”) which has lost more than half of its capital as shown
in the company’s accounts, has disappeared due to accumulated
losses, except (in each case) if it is a small and medium-sized
enterprise within the meaning of this European Regulation (an
enterprise which employs fewer than 250 persons and has an annual
turnover not exceeding EUR 50 million or an annual balance sheet
total not exceeding EUR 43 million) which has been in existence for
less than 3 years;
any business that “fulfils, according to the national law
applicable to it, the conditions for submission to collective
insolvency proceedings at the request of its creditors”, i.e.
any business in a state of cessation of payments even if no
judicial recovery or liquidation proceedings are yet
commenced;
any business that “has received rescue aid and has not yet
repaid the loan or terminated the guarantee, or has received
restructuring aid and is still subject to a restructuring
plan”, it being specified that this could include a business
that is undergoing a safeguard or judicial recovery plan if it has
received a “restructuring aid”;
any business, other than a small and medium-sized enterprise
within the meaning of this European Regulation, if for the past two
the debt/equity ratio of the undertaking has been higher than
7.5; and
the EBIDTA interest coverage ratio of the undertaking has been
less than 1.0.
The eligibility criteria for State-guaranteed loans are fairly
clear and banks seemingly grant them quite easily, with the refusal
rate being less than 5% according to the French Banking
Federation.
If your business wishes to benefit from this scheme, it is
advisable to contact a bank to apply for a loan. After a review of
your business’s situation and the eligibility criteria set out
above, the bank will grant pre-approval. The formalities will then
be carried out on the Bpifrance website.
Article originally published on 7 May 2020
The content of this article is intended to provide a general
guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought
about your specific circumstances.
China does not want a new cold war
Writing the Cold War: What I Learned and What Surprised Me
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EHQ
EHQ Trademark Information
Trademark by ELEMENT BRAND HOLDING, LLC
Audio speakers; audio amplifiers; receivers, namely, stereo receivers, audio receivers and video receivers; computer hardware and software for use in connecting and operating wireless digital media systems components sound and video equipment and digital media networks; computer hardware and software for wireless digital content delivery and transmission; computer hardware and software for transmitting, delivering, receiving, reproducing, proc...
audio speakers audio amplifiers receivers stereo receivers audio receivers video receivers hardware software use connecting operating wireless digital media systems components sound video
This is a brand page for the EHQ trademark by ELEMENT BRAND HOLDING, LLC in *********, **********, ***** ****.
Write a review about a product or service associated with this EHQ trademark. Or, contact the owner ELEMENT BRAND HOLDING, LLC of the EHQ trademark by filing a request to communicate with the Legal Correspondent for licensing, use, and/or questions related to the EHQ trademark.
On Thursday, July 23, 2015, a U.S. federal trademark registration was filed for EHQ. The USPTO has given the EHQ trademark serial number of 86984199. The current federal status of this trademark filing is REGISTERED. The correspondent listed for EHQ is ELEMENT BRAND HOLDING, LLC of ********,********, ***** **** . The EHQ trademark is filed in the category of Computer & Software Products & Electrical & Scientific Products . The description provided to the USPTO for EHQ is Audio speakers; audio amplifiers; receivers, namely, stereo receivers, audio receivers and video receivers; computer hardware and software for use in connecting and operating wireless digital media systems components sound and video equipment and digital media networks; computer hardware and software for wireless digital content delivery and transmission; computer hardware and software for transmitting, delivering, receiving, reproducing, processing and streaming digital media, data, video, music and audio files; wireless communication devices for transmitting, delivering, receiving, reproducing, processing and streaming digital media, data, video, music and audio files; computer hardware and software for organizing, manipulating, transmitting, and reviewing digital media, data, video, music and audio files; wireless communication devices in the nature of audio and video hardware in the nature of audiovisual receivers and television for the distribution and receiving of voice, data, video, power and control; audio and video control hardware in the nature of television for the distribution and receiving of voice, data, video, power and control for organizing, manipulating, transmitting, and reviewing digital media, data, video, music and audio files; digital media distribution systems comprising television receivers and set-top boxes; digital media systems comprised of audio and video hardware in the nature of audiovisual receivers and television for the distribution and receiving of voice, data, video, power and control; audio and video amplifiers, audio speakers, wired and wireless network hardware, audio and video control hardware and software for transmitting, delivering, receiving, reproducing, processing and streaming digital media; digital audio systems comprising audio and video amplifiers, audio speakers, stereos, equalizers, crossovers and audio speaker housings; digital media hubs; digital media receivers; home theater systems, comprising digital media receivers and network players in the nature of decoders that receive and play digital content from a global computer network, digital media players, sound amplifiers, audio speakers, TV sets, monitors, electronic tuners, remote controls for stereos, remote controls for TV sets, stereos, FM and AM modulators; parts and fittings for the aforementioned goods.
Word mark: EHQ
Goods and Services: Audio speakers; audio amplifiers; receivers, namely, stereo receivers, audio receivers and video receivers; computer hardware and software for use in connecting and operating wireless digital media systems components sound and video equipment and digital media networks; computer hardware and software for wireless digital content delivery and transmission; computer hardware and software for transmitting, delivering, receiving, reproducing, processing and streaming digital media, data, video, music and audio files; wireless communication devices for transmitting, delivering, receiving, reproducing, processing and streaming digital media, data, video, music and audio files; computer hardware and software for organizing, manipulating, transmitting, and reviewing digital media, data, video, music and audio files; wireless communication devices in the nature of audio and video hardware in the nature of audiovisual receivers and television for the distribution and receiving of voice, data, video, power and control; audio and video control hardware in the nature of television for the distribution and receiving of voice, data, video, power and control for organizing, manipulating, transmitting, and reviewing digital media, data, video, music and audio files; digital media distribution systems comprising television receivers and set-top boxes; digital media systems comprised of audio and video hardware in the nature of audiovisual receivers and television for the distribution and receiving of voice, data, video, power and control; audio and video amplifiers, audio speakers, wired and wireless network hardware, audio and video control hardware and software for transmitting, delivering, receiving, reproducing, processing and streaming digital media; digital audio systems comprising audio and video amplifiers, audio speakers, stereos, equalizers, crossovers and audio speaker housings; digital media hubs; digital media receivers; home theater systems, comprising digital media receivers and network players in the nature of decoders that receive and play digital content from a global computer network, digital media players, sound amplifiers, audio speakers, TV sets, monitors, electronic tuners, remote controls for stereos, remote controls for TV sets, stereos, FM and AM modulators; parts and fittings for the aforementioned goods
ELEMENT BRAND HOLDING, LLC
Trademarkia-Network law firms can help you incorporate a business around your EHQ trademark in less than 5 minutes. Trademarkia makes the process easy and convenient, so start now!
ELEMENT BRAND HOLDING, LLC is a correspondent of EHQ trademark.
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EHQ is providing Audio speakers; audio amplifiers; receivers, namely, stereo receivers, audio receivers and video receivers; computer hardware and software for use in connecting and operating wireless digital media systems components sound and video equipment and digital media networks; computer hardware and software for wireless digital content delivery and transmission; computer hardware and software for transmitting, delivering, receiving, reproducing, processing and streaming digital media, data, video, m....
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Text Version | Wordperfect Version
Statement of Reed E. Hundt
The State of Competition in the Cable Television Industry
Before the
Committee on the Judiciary
Mr. Chairman, Congressman Conyers and members of the Committee, I am pleased to appear before you today to provide the Federal Communications Commission's perspective on the status of competition in the cable television industry. The Commission, and the Commission's Cable Services Bureau, are working hard to promote the development of competition and consumer choice in the marketplace for multichannel video programming.
Mr. Chairman, on February 8, 1996, when President Clinton signed the landmark Telecommunications Act of 1996, a new course was chartered for the nation's telecommunications industry. After many years of vigorous debate, Congress, in approving the 1996 Act, rejected nearly 100 years of monopoly and restricted entry in communications and replaced them with a national commitment to open markets, competition and deregulation. Congress correctly determined that competition -- the cornerstone of our free enterprise economic system -- in the communications markets will yield lower prices and more choices for consumers, rapid technological innovation and a stronger economy.
The Telecommunications Act of 1996 embraces the right principles, but it is not a perfect law. I recently had the opportunity to put forward and discuss a number of changes to the 1996 Act that would help clear away some of the legislative ambiguity and underbrush that I believe have served as a drag on competition, particularly in local telephone markets. Mr. Chairman, I will be happy to share and discuss those recommendations with the Committee this morning, and we may develop further suggestions in the future as we gain more experience with the statute and our implementing regulations.
We also must understand that "open to competition" is not the same as "competitive." Indeed, the removal of barriers to entry is just the first step toward full competition, not its achievement. I realize that when Congress broke down the legal and regulatory barriers to competition many expected an immediate, full-out, competitive war in the marketplace. That has not happened. But it will if we stay the course and stand by our commitment to a pro-competitive policy. All revolutions, even policy revolutions, take some time.
Today, we find ourselves in a period of transition in most of our communications markets. We are moving from communications markets characterized largely by monopoly to a more dynamic and competitive environment. This trend is slower than many of us desire, but it is irreversible. We are beginning to see signs in virtually every sector of the marketplace that competition is taking hold and consumers are starting to see benefits.
In the marketplace for video programming, the Commission's 1996 Annual Competition Report to Congress on multichannel video programming distribution competition tells us that while incumbent cable operators continue to be the dominate distributors of multichannel video programming, other video providers continue to increase their share of subscribers in many markets. Last year, subscribership for non-cable distributors accounted for 11% of the total multichannel video programming subscribership. And the data show that non-cable subscribership has been increasing at an average annual rate of 22% since 1990. Preliminary analysis for our 1997 Competition Report indicates that these trends are continuing. For example, it appears that cable's total market share declined to 87% over the past year.
However, even with the cable industry's decrease in its overall share of subscribers, the actual number of cable subscribers continued to increase in 1996. In fact, between our 1995 Competition Report and the 1996 Report, the number of cable subscribers increased by two million compared to the 2.3 million increase in combined subscribership for all multichannel video programming providers. Again, our preliminary research for the 1997 Report shows this trend continues.
We also know that, as a result of acquisitions and trades, cable operators continue to increase the extent to which their cable systems form regional clusters. The number of clusters of systems serving at least 100,000 subscribers increased approximately 40% in 1996, and these clusters now account for service to 50% of the nations's cable subscribers.
Our 1996 Report also found that vertical integration of national programming services between cable operators and programmers declined in 1996, primarily due to the sale of Viacom's cable systems. Of the 16 programming services launched in 1996, 10 are not vertically integrated.
Notwithstanding the imperfections of the 1996 statute and the slow pace of competitive developments in the market, I remain absolutely convinced today that we have the right policy. And the Commission and its staff have been hard at work developing rules to make this policy transition work for consumers and the American economy.
Marketplace for Video Programming
In the market for multichannel video programming, the Commission has been particularly prolific since the adoption of the 1996 Act. We have put a number of rules on the books in record time to foster the growth of competition and give American consumers greater choices in video products and services.
Over-the-Air Reception Devices (OTARD)
When Congress approved the Telecommunications Act of 1996, it asked the Commission to promulgate regulations that would prohibit restrictions on so-called "over-the-air reception devices" such as small satellite dishes, wireless cable antennas, and traditional TV antennas. Well before the Telecommunications Act became law, the Commission had been working on revising its existing regulations on satellite dishes, both large and small. Congress and the Commission recognized that local governmental and non-governmental restrictions were standing in the way of competition among alternative forms of video reception and denying consumers the option of choosing a new service provider. We had heard from the satellite equipment manufacturers, from the satellite programmers, and from video distributors that local zoning ordinances and homeowner association restrictions were preventing consumers from selecting alternative video providers. Specifically, we heard from the direct broadcast satellite industry that potential purchasers of small satellite dishes and programming packages were deterred -- effectively prevented -- from buying and using 18" satellite dishes because of local zoning rules and home owner association rules and restrictions. We also learned that although theoretically it is possible for associations to change restrictive covenants, it is often difficult, if not impossible, to do so because a near unanimous vote is needed. It became clear that many of these local restrictions were based on largely outdated concerns about large satellite dishes and had not been updated to recognize that many dishes were no larger than a pizza pan.
In August 1996, the Commission implemented section 207 of the 1996 Act, acting decisively to remove these restrictions by adopting the "Over-The-Air Reception Devices" rule. The rule (which took effect after OMB clearance in October 1996) prohibits the governmental and nongovernmental restrictions that were impeding competition in the delivery of video programming. The rule makes the necessary exceptions for bona fide safety restrictions as well as for restrictions needed to protect historic sites. The rule also allows restrictions that local governments or community associations want to impose for aesthetic reasons, provided the restrictions do not impair installation, maintenance or use of the antenna. Our rule applies to small satellite dishes (one meter [39.37 inches] or smaller, except in Alaska where there is no size limit), to wireless cable antennas that are one meter or smaller in diagonal measurement, and to TV antennas. Prohibited restrictions include those that impose unreasonable expense or unreasonable delay and those that would preclude reception of an acceptable quality signal. Currently, the rule applies in those cases where the consumer owns the property where the antenna would be installed (like a single family house or a townhouse) and has exclusive use or control (like a condo owner's balcony or deck, but not the roof that is shared by other unit owners). The rule also provides that local governments or associations may seek a waiver from the Commission if there are special circumstances that justify an exemption from the rule. And the rule permits any interested party to seek a declaratory ruling from the Commission or a court to decide whether a given restriction is or is not in compliance with the rule.
Rental property and common areas are not covered by the rule in effect today. The Commission has a proceeding underway to consider whether, and to what extent, the rule could be expanded without violating the Constitution and without causing serious practical problems. The Commission received more than 1600 formal and informal comments on these issues, and we expect to make a decision on these matters in the near future.
Our experience in the 11 months the rule has been in effect has been extraordinary and has borne out the wisdom of the Congress and the Commission in removing these restrictions. We have had a phenomenal level of interest from consumers, industry, local governments, and community associations. 8,000 inquiries have come into the Commission since we adopted the rule. Many of the callers (and e-mailers) are individuals who want to install a dish or other antenna and have encountered resistance from their homeowner associations. We provide them information on the new rule and describe how the rule works.
Most of the time, arming the consumer with information about the rule is enough. Sometimes a homeowner association needs a little more explanation. So the Commission's staff, from our cable contact representatives to attorneys, will contact the association and explain how the rule works and help to resolve the dispute. Many disputes -- in fact most -- are resolved informally. When a dispute is not resolved, the antenna user can file a petition with us seeking a formal ruling on whether the restriction in question should be preempted by the Commission's rule because it impairs installation, maintenance or use of the antenna.
The Commission has reviewed or is currently considering 24 petitions for declaratory ruling. But even after a formal petition is filed we continue to try to resolve the dispute quickly and informally. To date, we have informally resolved seven petitions and are currently attempting to resolve another eight. Nine petitions have gone or are going through the formal process. We issued an Order ruling on one of these formal petitions in July. In this Order, the only one concerning a local governmental restriction, we found that the Commission's rule preempts a Meade, Kansas ordinance because it impaired installation, maintenance or use of antennas covered by the rule. The ordinance required permits and prior approval of installation, compliance with unspecified placement restrictions, and provided for a $500 a day fine for violations. We also have heard, informally, from the satellite and wireless cable industry that this rule and the way we are enforcing it is working and helping to promote competition. Now satellite retailers and wireless cable distributors can compete with cable on the basis of which offers the best service and most appealing programming at the most reasonable price.
Inside Wiring
The Commission also is proposing to modify our cable inside wiring rules to more effectively promote competition and consumer choice in the video programming marketplace. One area of particular concern is the situation in apartment complexes and other so-called multiple dwelling unit buildings ("MDUs") which comprise approximately 28% of the nationwide housing market. Currently, alternative service providers often have difficulty competing to serve these buildings because the owners do not want additional wires running through the hallways and want the new provider to use the existing wiring. This resistance to multiple sets of wires can deny MDU residents the ability to choose among competing service providers. In addition, the incumbent provider often claims an ownership interest in the wiring and may refuse to sell the wiring to the new provider or to cooperate in any transition. The impact of these competitive barriers is very real and substantial. Access to these facilities is critical if new entrants are to compete effectively with incumbent video providers.
The Commission recently adopted a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking where we proposed to establish procedures that would provide a timely and reliable way for an alternative video provider to determine whether and how it will be able to use the existing inside wiring upon a change in service. These procedures would cover both the situations where the owner decides to convert the entire building to a new video service provider, and where the building owner is willing to permit two or more video service providers to compete for customers on a unit-by-unit basis. The Commission believes that these proposed procedures will encourage competition and consumer choice by bringing order and certainty to the process of changing service providers in apartment buildings and other MDUs.
The comments on the Commission's Further Notice are due tomorrow and reply comments are due next week. We intend to act quickly on these important issues. <
Program Access
In enacting the program access provisions of the 1992 Cable Act, Congress recognized that potential competitors to incumbent cable operators often face unfair hurdles when attempting to gain access to the programming needed to provide a viable and competitive alternative to cable. The Commission's program access rules prohibit unfair and discriminatory practices in the sale of satellite cable and satellite broadcast programming and prohibit or limit the types of exclusive programming contracts that may be entered into between cable operators and vertically-integrated programming vendors. In accordance with the 1996 Act, the rules have been extended to apply to common carriers or their affiliates that provide video programming, as well as to open video system operators.
The Commission's program access rules have been used as a tool to promote competition in the multichannel video programming distribution marketplace. Indeed, they have been credited as an important factor in the development of both the direct broadcast satellite and wireless cable industries.
To date, the Commission has resolved 28 program access matters. These include exclusivity petitions and complaints, unreasonable refusals to sell, and price discrimination complaints. For example, the Commission has resolved two complaints in favor of new entrants in the video marketplace that alleged vertically integrated programming providers unreasonably refused to sell them programming. The Commission's actions in these matters have helped to open the video marketplace to emerging competitors such as CellularVision (an LMDS licensee) and Bell Atlantic Video Services (an Open Video System operator).
Some alternative video providers have suggested that the Commission should modify its program access rules in a number of areas. For example, Ameritech New Media has filed a Petition for Rulemaking, asking the Commission to amend its program access rules to (1) impose a mandatory right of discovery to enable complainants to obtain information necessary to prove program access violations; (2) impose damages for violations of the program access rules to create an economic incentive to discourage violations of the program access rules; and (3) impose specific time deadlines for resolving program access cases.
Still other video providers have recommended that the Commission consider additional changes in our program access rules. The Commission is currently reviewing its program access rules and procedures, and may soon issue a Notice seeking public comment on the Ameritech Petition and other recommendations.
Open Video Systems
The open video system framework established in the 1996 Act provides a new alternative for local telephone companies and others to enter the market for the delivery of video programming. In accordance with Congress' statutory mandate, the Commission established final open video system rules in the six months following the adoption of the 1996 Act, including a reconsideration of those rules. The Commission's rules were designed to promote the competitive benefits that Congress sought to achieve: market entry by new facilities-based service providers, enhanced competition, streamlined regulation, investment in infrastructure and technology, diversity of programming choices and increased consumer choice.
Since the Commission finalized its rules, we have certified nine open video system applications. Each applicant that has applied for open video certification has been certified. Two open video systems are now operational and providing direct competition to the incumbent cable operators in their areas.
We are aware that some concerns have been raised about the OVS model as a viable alternative and our rules. For example, some have suggested that the Commission's rules have failed to address or resolve issues associated with the payment of fees to local authorities, the control of the OVS platform, and how telephone companies are to allocate their costs between telephone and video services.
In the 1996 Act, Congress did not require open video system operators to obtain a cable franchise. However, in return for this, the 1996 Act requires an open video system operator to make 2/3 of its capacity available to unaffiliated programmers, pay up to 5% of its gross revenues to the local government in lieu of a franchise fee, provide public, educational and government channels, and carry local broadcast signals. Congress intended the proposition to be either/or: either obtain a cable franchise and be regulated as a cable system operator, or operate an open video system and accept the requirements set out in the statute. Video providers have the option of complying with the cable franchise requirements or the open video system rules. It seems that some potential video providers want to have it both ways.
High Penetration Basic Cable Service
I also continue to believe that a high penetration basic cable service tier would produce several competitive and consumer benefits.
First, a high penetration basic tier would mean that cable service was affordable for most consumers. Second, by making it possible to extend the cable wire into an increasing number of households, the cable industry will find itself in a better position to exploit its network to compete in new markets for nonvideo communications services. Thus, increased cable penetration is likely to enhance competition in the markets for internet access and telephone services.
This is particularly true with internet access services where the cable industry's networks are tailor-made for the new emerging world of data services. No competitor currently has the advantages of cable's existing networks; cable's co-ax network to the home is 30 times faster than the fastest telephone-line connection. Current estimates indicate that cable modem service is now available to 2 million U.S. households, and the cable industry will have 300,000 internet access subscribers by the end of the year. Increased market penetration can only make the cable industry a more formidable competitor in the market for internet access services.
While more challenging from a technical standpoint, the same can be said for other nonvideo services like telephony. A two-wire world -- where cable networks reach into an increasing number of households -- will enhance the prospects for meaningful facilities-based competition in the market for local telephone service.
Finally, a high penetration basic cable service also may permit some cable operators the pricing flexibility they need to respond to new pressures in an increasingly competitive market for video programming. At the same time, by making a service tier that contains the over-the-air broadcast signals more widely available, many consumers will, for the first time, have a realistic option to subscribe to a second video provider for other programming services. This could give a boost to some of cable's competitors which currently do not provide local broadcast signals as part of a programming package. The Commission's Cable Pricing Flexibility proposal was designed to promote these policy objectives. While the Commission has not acted on the proposal, we should continue to pursue policies that will promote the increased penetration of basic cable service.
Social Contracts and Rate Resolutions
The Commission is aware that some concerns have been raised about the use of social contracts and rate resolutions. The Commission has found social contracts to be a useful tool for providing for the upgrade of cable facilities allowing operators to expand service offerings. It has found rate resolutions to be a fair and cost-effective way to deal with thousands of cable rate complaints. In some cases rate resolution provisions have been incorporated in social contracts. Both social contracts and rate resolutions have worked to provide certainty to operators about the operation of the rate regulation rules.
The Commission entered into social contracts with MediaOne (formerly Continental Cablevision, Inc.) and Time Warner, and has proposed to enter into a social contract with Comcast Corporation. These contracts arise from determinations the Commission made shortly after the adoption of the Cable Television and Consumer Protection and Competition Act of 1992. At that time, the Commission noted that one of the policy goals Congress established in the 1992 Cable Act was ensuring that cable operators continue to expand their capacity and the programs offered over their systems, where economically viable. The Commission stated that the goal of promoting economically justified system upgrades, as well as the goals of the 1992 Cable Act, could be advanced by the development of an incentive regulation approach to upgrading cable services, similar to the incentive plans the Commission had previously implemented for telephone carriers. The Commission determined that it would consider entering into social contracts where the contracts would permit operators to recover the cost of their upgrades, while continuing to provide stable and reasonable rates for their customers.
The Commission's social contracts with cable operators are designed to carry out this objective. The Commission has entered into social contracts with cable operators after it determines first, that the upgrades proposed by an operator are significant capital expenditures to be used to improve the quality of service or to provide additional services, and second, that the cost of the proposed upgrades attributable to rate regulated service equals or exceeds the additional charges that the social contract would allow. The Commission has not sought to determine what technology an operator would select for its upgrades, which specific franchise areas would be upgraded under a contract, or the time at which any particular upgrade will take place within a contract's term. Importantly, the Commission's social contracts have allowed recovery for upgrades only through adjustments to rates charged for cable programming services tiers, the tiers that are within the Commission's exclusive jurisdiction. They do not permit adjustments to pay for the contracted upgrades to rates for basic service tiers, equipment or installation.
The social contracts adopted by the Commission specifically state that they do not supersede any previous upgrades committed to by an operator and do not preclude any franchising authority from seeking upgrades in excess of those mandated by a social contract. Throughout the social contract process, the Commission has preserved the discretion of local communities to negotiate with cable operators as to the nature and amount of expenditures appropriate for their communities.
The Commission also has approved eight Rate Resolutions and Rate Resolutions with two companies are currently pending. The final Rate Resolutions have resolved more than 3000 rate complaints and have provided $29 million in total refunds to 17 million subscribers. The pending Rate Resolutions provide for approximately $6.7 million in refunds to more than 1.2 million subscribers. The rate resolution provisions of the two social contracts have resolved approximately 2,660 rate complaints and have provided nearly $16 million in refunds to more than seven million cable consumers. In total, the Commission's Rate Resolutions and social contracts will provide more than $50 million in consumer refunds and reasonable future rates.
In considering the adoption of social contracts as well as Rate Resolutions, the Commission has used procedures designed to maximize input from affected franchise authorities. Before adopting a social contract, the Commission issues a Public Notice summarizing its terms, specifying how copies of the proposed agreement can be obtained and announcing the commencement of a public comment period. Copies of proposed social contracts and Rate Resolutions have been mailed to the franchise authority for each affected franchise area. In addition, any time rate complaints are proposed to be resolved a copy of the resolution document has been mailed to each non-governmental complainant with an explanation of the comment period and how comments can be filed.
Comment periods have been for a minimum of 30 days for initial comments and 10 days for reply comments. However, in each case in which a franchise authority has asked that the comment period be extended, the Commission has granted the request for additional time. The Commission received extensive comments from franchise authorities and others in connection with each social contract and several Rate Resolutions and has made changes to proposed agreements to reflect those comments.
Cable Television Rates
The rates charged for cable television services also have been the focus of attention in recent months. Like most consumer products and services, the price for some cable television services has increased over the last year. Some measures suggest that cable rates are again rising much faster that the general rate of inflation.
To determine the behavior of cable rates and the reasons behind the changes in cable rates, the Commission initiated its annual Cable Price Survey in June. As directed by the 1992 Cable Act, the Commission will use the data collected in the Price Survey to compare rates charged by competitive cable systems with rates charged by systems that are not subject to competition.
The Cable Services Bureau is just beginning to assemble and review the data and information collected through the Price Survey. It is too early to draw any definitive conclusions from the information collected, but we believe the Survey will help us better understand the behavior of cable rates over the last 12 months.
A preliminary review of the information suggests that the bulk of the increase in cable rates in the past year can be attributed to the following four factors:
general inflation;
the addition of new channels;
increases in costs of programming already on the system; and
system upgrades (including upgrades required for conversions to digital service).
Mr. Chairman, this may be my last appearance as Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission before a Committee of Congress. I have mixed emotions about my imminent departure. I will always cherish this experience but do look forward to spending more time with my family, particularly my children.
It has been the highest privilege of my professional career to serve as Chairman of the FCC. I have often said that this is the best job in Washington that you don't have to be elected to. I really believe that.
There has never been a more exciting or eventful time to be involved in the communications policy arena. It has been a great honor, over these past four years, to work with the President, Vice President Gore, many Members of Congress, and the Commission staff to help shape and then implement the landmark Telecommunications Act of 1996.
Thank you for the opportunity to provide the Commission's perspective on these important matters. I will be happy to answer any questions.
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Go Public, Trauma Informed Education and EnCorps
By Thomas Ultican 7/5/2017
A story of intrigue, real education reform and wealthy ignorance.
A film maker, Rita Grant, called asking me to join an expert education panel at San Diego State University (SDSU). She said she found me when reading Diane Ravitch’s blog and thought I would be a good fit. The event was a screening of the film Go Public at EnCorps’ Summer Residential Institute, followed by question and answers with the panel. I was not familiar with EnCorps, Go Public or Rita but nothing ventured nothing gained. So, I went.
I arrived at the Aztec Student Center in time to see about 150 people in matching EnCorps tee-shirts posing for pictures. Apparently, all of them had worked in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) field and were recruited by EnCorps to enter the teaching profession. I was pleased to learn that it wasn’t another fraudulent path to becoming a teacher. Encorps recruits STEM professionals to become teachers or tutors. If they choose to teach, they are must complete an accredited teacher certification course.
EnCorps
I met a wonderful group of people, but their organization’s reason for being is misinformed. It’s another education reform organization created by a well-connected misinformed rich person with little relevant training or experience in education, Sherry Lansing.
To be fair unlike many wealthy education philanthropists, Lansing does have some experience. Her foundation web site says, she “spent four years after college teaching high school English and math at public schools throughout the Los Angeles area.” Lansing graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree from Northwestern University in 1966. Her short experience is from five decades ago, an era with slide rules, mimeographs and typewriters. Maybe that experience is why – uniquely among wealthy school reformers – she seems to be a friend of public schools.
Lansing is known mainly for her career as a motion picture executive. Her bio at Huffington post says,
“During nearly 30 years in the motion picture business, Lansing was involved in the production, marketing, and distribution of more than 200 films, including Academy Award winners Forrest Gump (1994), Braveheart (1995), and Titanic (1997). In 1992, she was named Chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures and began an unprecedented tenure that lasted more than 12 years. In 1980, she became the first woman to head a major film studio when she was appointed President of 20th Century Fox.
Lansing writes about founding EnCorps:
“California students rank 43rd in the nation in mathematics and science, according to the California STEM Learning Network. There are fewer than 1 in 6 in-state college students majoring in STEM, despite the fact that there are currently 1.5 million unfilled jobs in STEM fields in California, the STEM epicenter of our nation. How do we explain such sobering statistics?
“The solution to our STEM crisis is both obvious and exciting: Recruit and transition experienced STEM professionals into second careers as math and science teachers. They can both lead and revolutionize our most underserved school districts. Who better to teach and inspire our next generation of engineers and innovators than STEM professionals who have invaluable insight and real life STEM experience?
“This is the mission of the EnCorps Teachers Program, which I founded in 2007.”
Like the studies from the milk industry saying, “it does a body good” or drug companies selling us modernized snake oil, Sherry is citing statistics generated by an organization financed by Google, Cisco, Battelle and Time Warner. It’s wrong. There is not now nor has there ever been a shortage of STEM trained workers in California or America. Just a shortage of STEM trained workers willing to work as cheaply as some CEO’s would prefer.
Here is a quote from a 2013 article in the Columbia Journalism Review and this is not an outlier:
“Figures from the National Institutes of Health, the National Academies, the National Science Foundation, and other sources indicate that hundreds of thousands of STEM workers in the US are unemployed or underemployed. But they are not organized, and their story is being largely ignored in the debate over immigration reform.”
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers magazine, Spectrum proclaimed “The STEM Crisis Is a Myth.” They counselled “Forget the dire predictions of a looming shortfall of scientists, technologists, engineers, and mathematicians.”
Writing for the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal, Jay Schalin observed,
“Everybody knows that the best way to get ahead today is to get a college degree. Even better is to major in one of the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) subjects, where the bulk of the jobs of the present and future lie. Politicians, business leaders, and academics all herald the high demand for scientists and engineers.
“But they are, for the most part, wrong. The real facts suggest that, in many STEM specialties, there is a labor glut, not a shortage.”
“The apparent misinformation continues to this day. Microsoft founder Bill Gates has been particularly vocal about supposed shortages of skilled labor in the computer industry.”
Walter Hickey writing at the Business Insider stated,
“We clearly don’t have a STEM shortage. If we did, rudimentary economics would kick in and show either low unemployment for new majors or a rising price of computer science labor. People wouldn’t say they’re out of the industry because of no jobs.”
Michael S. Teitelbaum wrote a piece for Atlantic magazine titled “The Myth of the Science and Engineering Shortage.” He reported:
“A compelling body of research is now available, from many leading academic researchers and from respected research organizations such as the National Bureau of Economic Research, the RAND Corporation, and the Urban Institute. No one has been able to find any evidence indicating current widespread labor market shortages or hiring difficulties in science and engineering occupations that require bachelors degrees or higher, although some are forecasting high growth in occupations that require post-high school training but not a bachelors degree. All have concluded that U.S. higher education produces far more science and engineering graduates annually than there are S&E job openings—the only disagreement is whether it is 100 percent or 200 percent more.”
So, Sherry there is no STEM crisis, but even a blind old squirrel is rumored to get a nut now and then. There is a looming national teacher shortage. Your organization is contributing to solving that situation and your people are wonderful. I was impressed by the recruits I met at SDSU.
The main event of the evening was the screening of “Go Public,” a 90-minute long documentary to which Rita Grant was a contributor. “Go Public” is the story of one day at the Pasadena School District. Fifty film makers contributed segments that started with 5:30 AM alarm clocks going off in student homes and ended with those same students going to bed. It chronicled in detail a May Day in 2013 from the janitor unlocking school gates to students performing in after-school sports and music programs.
If you get a chance, see “Go Public,” do so. For any teacher, the scenes will be as if pulled directly from our own lived experience. “Go Public” shows how amazing public schools are and makes the point that everyone; parents, certificated staff and noncertificated staff, is key to the school’s success.
Rita told me that before she started making documentaries about public schools, she “had been drinking the Kool-aide.” I could relate. Before I started teaching, I believed that many teachers had become low quality burnouts who were failing students. Rita saw through the lenses of her cameras the reality of how amazing public schools are.
I believed I was on a quest to save public schools from “bad teachers.” At my first teaching assignment, I was startled to find nothing but dedication and professionalism. I have taught in both wealthy communities and poor ones, but the one constant has been the high quality of the teaching and dedication of the public-school staff.
Trauma Informed Education
The third member of our three-person panel was Godwin Higa, Principal of Cherokee Point Elementary School. Godwin is committed to “trauma informed education” for which his school is a model. Cherokee Point Elementary, part of the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD), is in a low-income ethnically dominated neighborhood known for many social problems: gangs, drugs, domestic violence, poverty, murder, incarceration, deportation, etc.
One-hundred percent of the students at Cherokee Point qualify for free and reduced lunch and all of the children have been exposed to adverse childhood experiences which are root causes for many issues including cognition being compromised. Principal Higa wrote about his school in EdWeek:
“The impact of childhood adversity and trauma–such as physical and emotional abuse or neglect, or mental illness, addiction or incarceration of a parent or close family member–can last through adulthood. Research shows that children exposed to adversity are at higher risk of chronic illnesses like heart disease and diabetes, learning difficulties in school, contact with the justice system, as well as addiction and economic hardship.”
Rita Grant has pointed her camera toward Principal Higa and the work he and his staff are doing. In this short video(6 minutes), the concept of a trauma informed school and restorative justice are highlighted. Instead of punishment, trauma informed is discipline through respect, dialog and understanding. Hige makes the point that knowing the students, their families and the issues they are living with is vital.
When Higa first arrived at Cherokee Point, he was receiving hundreds of student discipline referrals from teachers and others. In addition, there were several district level policies that mandated suspensions for certain categories of violations. Higa successfully lobbied the district into only enforcing the state mandated automatic suspension for bringing a weapon to school.
During our panel session, Higa said, that he did not suspend any students for the past three years and referrals have reduced to about 20 per year. Some of those twenty referrals were for things like “Phillipe missed breakfast this morning and he seems really hungry.” Mr. Higa said, “Those are the kind of referrals, I don’t mind getting.”
Higa described their method at Cherokee Point in his EdWeek article sited above:
“We follow a trauma-informed model and restorative justice practices that help students learn to cope with adversity and resolutions in a healthy and compassionate way. All of our teachers are trained to proactively engage students and their parents, and collectively create a plan to address both the conflict and the deeper underlying issues. Parent leaders are training other parents about trauma-informed care at monthly workshops. We also have trauma-informed and trained counselors on site who provide intensive support to students who suffer from major traumas that teachers alone are not trained to handle.”
In 2015, SDUSD adopted a plan to became a trauma informed district. Superintendent Cindy Martin was asked if she could see a difference at the pilot schools where trauma informed is in place. She said, “The minute you walk on the campus you can tell. The warmth of the school, the energy of the school and connectedness and kids that want to reach out and talk to you.”
Unfortunately, SDUSD is in a financial crush between the huge stranded costs associated with unplanned charter school expansion and spending on technology. The Voice of San Diego reports on the implementation of restorative justice and trauma informed schools:
“A lack of human and financial resources seems to be behind the slow rollout of San Diego Unified’s restorative justice program, in which students who’ve done something wrong work together with their victims to listen and heal. One district official said San Diego Unified allocates fewer financial resources to restorative justice programs compared with other school districts around the state.”
For more information about trauma informed schools visit the adverse childhood experiences web presence, Aces Too High.
There are some genuine school reforms that excite education professionals and trauma informed schools with restorative justice programs being one of them. It is too bad the billionaires are intent on computer based depersonalized education, blaming teachers for poverty and privatizing public schools. Their enormous wealth could do some good if they listened to professional educators instead of obsessing over their own biased uninformed opinions.
Tags: EnCorps, philanthropy, Public education, Restoritive Justice, Sherry Lansing, Teachers, Trauma Informed Schools
Categories Justice, School Experiences
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3 Responses to “Go Public, Trauma Informed Education and EnCorps”
Mike July 6, 2017 at 12:19 am #
Very interesting. Check your interrupted auto spell “even a blind old square”
Also, fourth paragraph from bottom “SDUSD” correct?
Ugh..“California students rank 43rd in the nation in mathematics and science.
tultican July 6, 2017 at 7:49 pm #
Thanks Mike. I fixed it.
ciedie aech July 6, 2017 at 5:46 pm #
A truly important statement identifying why we find ourselves so deeply in thrall to the Technocrats now pushing computerized education not only here, in the USA, but all across the globe: “There is not now nor has there ever been a shortage of STEM trained workers in California or America. Just a shortage of STEM trained workers willing to work as cheaply as some CEO’s would prefer.”
Leave a Reply to tultican Cancel reply
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By Michelle Brubaker
While waiting for a new heart, David Reynoso marries his love of 11 years, Vicky Young, at Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center at UC San Diego Health.
Two Hearts Become One While Waiting for Another
Patient waiting for a new heart is married at No. 1 ranked UC San Diego Health
Dressed in a Hawaiian shirt with a boutonnière pinned above the pocket and hair neatly combed back, David Reynoso was ready to get married to the woman he had first met 11 years earlier.
“We were planning on doing this later in the summer, but we think it’s best we get married now.”
That’s because instead of spending the past several weeks compiling lists of wedding guests or possible wedding gifts, Reynoso found himself on a list for a heart transplant.
A nurse leads Vicky down the "aisle" while throwing rose petals. The medical team who helped organize the wedding for David and Vicky say the happy moment was much needed during these trying times.
He waited for the life-saving donation while receiving care at Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center at UC San Diego Health. More than 67 percent of patients at UC San Diego Health are transplanted within three years, faster than the national average.
“Our patients have impressive survival on the waitlist for a multitude of reasons. We have outstanding physicians and allied health professionals, access to the best technology and excellent organ availability,” said Dr. Eric Adler, cardiologist and director of cardiac transplant and mechanical circulatory support at UC San Diego Health. “But what makes us special is that we are a team committed to doing exactly what we would do if the person walking into our clinic is family; that mindset makes all the difference.”
And it is that exceptional care and compassion that bonded Reynoso with his medical team. “He is a lovely patient,” said Kari Nielsen, a nurse at UC San Diego Health. “He definitely has a sick heart and needs a new one, but he just couldn’t wait to get married any longer.”
Because of the global pandemic, visitation at UC San Diego Health has been limited to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Staff at UC San Diego Health organized the wedding ceremony with extra touches, such as sparkling cider, a cake and flowers.
“We believe families and other loved ones are an important part of the healing process,” said Nielsen. “However, due to the outbreak of COVID-19, we must take extra steps to protect our patients, staff, visitors and community.”
But with special permission and safety measures implemented, Reynoso was able to have a most meaningful visit when his medical team organized a wedding ceremony in a secure area of the hospital.
“As you can imagine, we don’t do this every day,” said Nielsen. “The nurses are so excited to celebrate something happy during these trying times.”
Back in the hospital room on his wedding day, Reynoso gently put his mask on while a nurse assisted with the tubing that tethered the groom to needed fluids that would remain with him during his trip down the aisle. Together, the nurse and Reynoso slowly walked out of the room he occupied for 42 days.
With everyone in place, another nurse led Vicky Young, wearing a tied-dyed mask, toward her soon-to-be husband, throwing rose petals along the way. Nearby, there was a table with white and pink flowers, sparkling cider and a vanilla bunt cake. A “Just Married” sign hung between two IV stands.
With “I do’s” exchanged moments later, medical staff burst into cheers and clapped for the newlyweds. “I have never ever felt so special,” said Young.
Going above and beyond, combined with advanced care, is what has helped place the heart transplant program at UC San Diego Health among the nation's top performing transplant centers.
Indeed, the Cardiovascular Institute at UC San Diego Health is ranked among the nation’s best by the 2020-2021 U.S News & World Report, one of ten specialties at UC San Diego Health to receive this distinguished recognition.
Ranked no. 1 by U.S. News & World Report
UC San Diego Health has been ranked first in San Diego and sixth in California, placing it among the nation’s best hospitals, according to the 2020-2021 U.S. News & World Report.
2020 Open Enrollment Dates: October 29—November 24
As a UC San Diego employee, you can make changes to your health plan now instead of waiting until Open Enrollment.
Read more about 2020 Open Enrollment »
The annual rankings are designed to assist patients and their doctors in making informed decisions about where to receive care for a variety of health conditions, common elective procedures and complex surgeries.
“This is an extraordinary honor that recognizes the dedication of our entire staff and represents the intersection of UC San Diego’s tripartite mission of delivering outstanding patient care through commitment to the community, groundbreaking research and inspired teaching,” said Patty Maysent, CEO, UC San Diego Health.
For the 2020-2021 rankings, U.S. News & World Report evaluated more than 4,500 hospitals nationwide in 16 specialties and 10 procedures and conditions. In the 16 specialty areas, just 134 hospitals (2.9 percent) were ranked in at least one specialty. UC San Diego Health was ranked in the top 50 for 10 specialties:
Pulmonology (No. 10), Geriatrics (No. 13), Neurology & Neurosurgery (No. 22), Cardiology and Heart Surgery (No. 31), Gastroenterology and GI Surgery (No. 32), Nephrology (No. 34), Urology (No. 36), Orthopedics (No. 42), Gynecology (No. 46) and Cancer (No. 47).
“As San Diego’s only academic health system, UC San Diego Health is a recognized destination for patients with deeply complex diseases and conditions that require the multidisciplinary care and attention of nationally recognized experts,” said Maysent. “It is the tireless efforts that happen within our system that have been shown to make remarkable differences in the lab and at the hospital bedside.”
UC San Diego Medical Center in Hillcrest is home to the area’s only Regional Burn Center and one of only two Level I trauma centers in the county.
UC San Diego Health is also rated by U.S. News & World Report as “high performing” in eight common procedures and conditions, which cover a spectrum of care from heart procedures, such as bypass and valve surgeries, to cancer surgeries for the lung and colon.
“From having a baby to joint replacement surgery or cancer care, patients look to U.S. News & World Report rankings to help make critical health care decisions for themselves and their families, and we take that responsibility very seriously,” said Chad VanDenBerg, chief quality and patient safety officer at UC San Diego Health. “We are thrilled that our focus on high reliability is being acknowledged in this way.”
U.S. News & World Report “Best Hospitals” methodologies in most areas of care are based largely on objective measures, such as risk-adjusted survival and discharge-to-home rates, volume and staffing of nursing, among other care-related indicators.
Another key component of U.S. News & World Report rankings is the expert opinion score, which is based on physicians from around the nation voting for the best hospitals in their specialty.
“Hospital reputation is not only important to patients, but it allows UC San Diego Health to be more competitive with the recruitment of top trainees and faculty, as well as help drive physician referrals for challenging cases,” said Dr. Chris Longhurst, chief information officer and associate chief medical officer at UC San Diego Health. “It is these contributors that allow us to be successful and remain on the forefront of care both locally and nationally.”
“We are extremely proud,” said Maysent. “The rankings remind us as we continue to face a global pandemic, that our diligence and efforts make a difference and that we are extremely grateful to serve every patient who comes through our doors.”
New heart (and kidney) for the newlywed
After nearly nine weeks on the heart transplant wait list and approximately one month after he got married to Vicky, Reynoso underwent heart transplant surgery on July 15, 2020. He is doing well.
“I am feeling healthier every day,” said Reynoso.
Due to his deteriorating heart, other organs had also begun to fail. So, Reynoso received a kidney transplant the day after he received a new heart. “I would not be able to celebrate this second chance at life without these precious organ donations. Thank you to the individuals who saved me.”
With the help of his nurse, David slowly walks out of his hospital room for the first time in 42 days on his way to marry Vicky.
Reynoso was discharged from UC San Diego Health on July 25, 2020 after spending a total of 81 days in the hospital. “What made this day the most special, is it was my eldest daughter’s fiftieth birthday,” said Reynoso. “What I missed the most during my time in the hospital was my family and physical contact. I am so happy to be surrounded by my loved ones again.”
Reynoso is now undergoing physical therapy and cardiac rehabilitation to regain his strength.
“David’s outcome and our recent recognition from U.S. News & World Report would not be possible without our top multidisciplinary team that works around-the-clock every day to save the lives of patients, while providing an unbelievable bedside manner, such as planning a wedding that this couple will remember forever,” said Victor Pretorius, surgical director of cardiac transplant and mechanical circulatory support at UC San Diego Health, who was also Reynoso’s heart transplant surgeon.
Reynoso echoes that sentiment. “Vicky and I are beyond grateful to the doctors, nurses and staff who made my transplant journey an extraordinary one. I now have the gift of living my life to the fullest with my new organs and my new wife.”
Special Open Enrollment Period: As a UC San Diego employee, you can make changes to your health plan now instead of waiting until Open Enrollment. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government has given employees flexibility to make changes to group health plan coverage and more time to complete some transactions. The special enrollment period began June 1 and closes October 28, 2020.
UC San Diego Health’s network includes approximately 1,500 extraordinary primary care and specialty physicians.
Services at UC San Diego Health to provide the highest quality of care.
More primary care physicians: increased access for new patients to more PCPs, including new locations
Walk-in care: new Express Care and Urgent Care locations—now five locations where you can walk in or save your spot online
Video visits: depending on your condition and visit type, enjoy the convenience and safety of visits from your own home
MyUCSDHealth mobile application: one medical record to assure highly-coordinated, safe care
COVID-19 safety precautions: we’ve implemented extra safeguards to protect you, whether you’re receiving care or working in our clinical environment.
Access to nationally ranked specialty care for cancer, heart disease, stroke and other conditions.
Learn more about the special enrollment period and how you can switch.
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’74-’75 – A definition of a ‘sleeper hit’ from The Connells
It has been a long time since music was given coverage on my blog. You would have to go as far back as September 2017 to find that I had covered The Verve’s 20 Year Anniversary of their seminal album “Urban Hymns” in a Tableau data visualisation. This post is an unusual one as it involves a band that you may have never heard of.
That band I am talking about is from Raleigh, North Carolina and has been around for more than 30 years. Founded by brothers Mike (rhythm guitar) and David Connell (bass) with Doug Macmillan (vocals) and John Schultz (drums) in 1984, The Connells are one of the most underrated bands to come out of the United States.
The band still plays to its home state of North Carolina although the band only plays every so often in the South East region of the United States, mostly at benefit concerts and music festivals.
In the band’s heyday around the late-1980’s to early-1990’s was with the inclusion of George Huntley, Steve Potak and Peele Wimberley on guitar, keyboards and drums. Their 1987 album “Boylan Heights” took the band to great success before releasing two other albums in 1989 (Fun & Games) and One Simple Word in 1990.
The Connells are simply known for their one hit wonder in the mid-1990s from their seminal fifth album “Ring”. ’74-’75 is a song that provokes so many meanings towards me because it’s about reuniting with old school friends that you have not met for many years and revisiting life as a young person.
I must have listened and watched the music video hundreds of times. Every time I watch the video to ’74-’75 from Mark Pellington, the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. George Huntley and Mike Connell’s simple guitar playing along with Doug Macmillan’s and Peele Wimberley’s drums makes this one of my favourite songs of all-time.
Listening to the live versions of ’74-’75 on YouTube even though it does not include the classic “Ring” line-up, Mike Ayers on guitar and Joel Rhodes on flugelhorn breathes new life into the song. It sounds just as fresh as it was on a CD or cassette tape in the UK in 1995 even though I was born in February 1996!
Whenever I ask anyone if they have heard of The Connells and ’74-75′, their initial response is “I have never heard of them”. It’s not surprising considering they were Number 14 in the UK Singles Charts in 1995 despite the track not being a big hit in their home country, failing to chart in the Billboard Hot 100.
With that said, The Connells’ ’74-’75 is the sleeper hit of all hits because of its poignant lyrics fused alongside a Celtic-influenced sound to create an iconic one-hit wonder of the 1990’s. It is a song that’s definitely worth checking out 25 years later from its original release in 1993 whilst also viewing the 2015 update of the song’s music video.
Image credited to Spotify.
Posted in: Music | Tagged: '74-'75, David Connell, Doug Macmillan, Mike Connell, Music, Peele Wimberley, Steve Potak, The Connells, The Verve, Urban Hymns
#SWDchallenge – Basic bar charts – Tomb Raider PlayStation sales since 1996
Visualising the History of Tomb Raider
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Virginia Prison Justice Network
2019/2020/2021/2022 Bills
Prisoner Justice Blog
Prison News
Author: Phil Wilayto
Editor, The Virginia Defender Founding Steering Committee Member, Virginia Prison Justice Network Coordinator, Odessa Solidarity Campaign
Statements by VAPJN Prisoner Leaders for the Jan. 16 ‘Not One More Death!” car caravan
HASSAN SHABAZZ
Co-Founder & Steering Committee Member, Virginia Prison Justice Network – Augusta Correctional Center,Augusta County, Virginia
Peace and Solidarity to the Unified family:
First, I would like to thank everyone who has worked long and hard to make this event a reality and have braved the current conditions of Covid-19 to participate in this 4th annual Prison Justice Rally. When I look at the past 4 years there have been so many people who have advocated, supported, and dedicated their time and energy to the goal of progressive prison and criminal justice reform, and to all of you I would like to express my gratitude.
2020 was a year filled with many accomplishments mirrored by many losses. For the first time in 26 years in Virginia, prison reform laws were passed for Fishback, Juvenile Parole, and Good Time Credits, but at the same time we saw people take to the streets demanding justice in honor of those forever lost to the struggle such as George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery amongst many others too numerous to name. We continue to watch the fire of Covid-19 tear through our world, international and domestic, and while the hope of vaccines have shown some light at the end of the tunnel, it is still a tunnel we must go through, and undoubtedly it will be a long hard journey.
With all that is going on today, some may not see prison or criminal justice reform as something significant, but the truth is that we are all tied together in the struggle to escape oppression, in whatever form it may appear. Covid-19 has shown us that “No man is an island unto himself.” It doesn’t care about your race, nationality or status. I have seen the virus affect my own family and ravage the Reentry Community where I reside infecting men (including myself) that only have a few weeks to months left to serve and who are afraid that they may not make it home. I have seen men taken out on gurneys never to return. There is no parole for the majority of the population, so many of them are hoping for an early release through the Covid release plan or a vaccine. Covid-19 has shown just how ill prepared the DOC is to deal with a pandemic and more oversight is needed for the safety of those under their care.
As we continue to endure the pandemic we proceed to have thoughts of freedom, justice, and equality. We must not be satisfied with the accomplishments that we’ve made thus far and we cannot rest until justice prevails. From the issues of No-Knock Warrants and Community Policing, to Parole and Good Time Credits, we must press on. Let us not be discouraged when we do not succeed right away, rather, we must understand as I always say, “There are no microwavable solutions to problems that require an oven of activism.” Thank you for your time and participation, and with that, I leave you as I came, in peace and solidarity.
CHANELL BURNETTE
Virginia Prison Justice Network Steering Committee Member, Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women, Troy, Virginia
First and foremost, I would sincerely like to thank each and every one of you for coming out to support us on our mission. It is greatly appreciated!
If I may speak on the effects of COVID-19 for those of us on the inside, I must also offer a solution. For the attempts made at precautionary measures which are transpiring here at Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women, I can say, are simply not enough. The administration continues to prove itself inept at containing the virus. This is the only medical facility for women [in prison] in the state of Virginia, yet one [that] has repeatedly failed to provide adequate healthcare. And as conditions worsen with the spread of this deadly virus, the obvious need for outside oversight is nothing short of critical for our survival.
Vaccinations must be prioritized logistically, beginning with the elderly population of 65 years of age and older and those inmates suffering from terminal illnesses. Next in line should be those inmates who, if contracted the virus in addition to preexisting health conditions, would be at greater risk of deteriorating health or fatality. And lastly, vaccinations should be made available for anyone else who chose to receive one.
But even more importantly, we must focus on creating more space within these correctional institutions. The smaller the population, the less the susceptibility rate of contracting the virus. There are more ways to reduce the prison population than the slothful Inmate Early Release Plan.
In addition to such [a] plan, what about putting HB 5148 into effect immediately? Or consideration of the release of long-term inmates who have exemplary institutional records and have served their sentences wisely? Also to be cogitated, making an amendment to the Inmate Early Release Plan to allow those who meet all said criteria, but have more than 12 months left to serve on their sentences to be considered for early release as well.
There is much to be done, yet not enough actually being done. We need less talk and more action! If we are ever to begin to enact positive changes, the time is now! Thank you for your time.”
ASKARI DANSO
Co-founder, Prisoner of Conscience & the Virginia Prison Justice Network, North River Correctional Center, Independence, Virginia
This is the fourth annual prison justice rally organized by the Virginia Prison Justice Network. The Network was organized in an effort to bring all of the criminal justice organizations fighting to bring equity to the Virginia’s prison system under one umbrella. The vision was that we’d be able to share resources namely information and ideas.
Over the last four years we’ve seen a few positive reforms to state policy, but nothing of any real significance in repairing the constant racial injustice employed by this system. Now today after the BLM movement here in Virginia demanded changes to the criminal justice system, state leaders have co-opted the message and limited that demand to “police reform.” As a result, there’s been an enormous focus on police violence, abuse, and ultimately lack of accountability by state lawmakers. The solution has been to limit the force police can use, create civilian oversight mechanisms, and list those police officers with a history of abuse in a statewide database.
I want to be clear that, while many of us politically active prisoners applaud those changes, the fact is we’re left to wonder when will the state finally atone for and address its racist and unjust prison system? Here in Virginia, Black prisoners from urban areas are in rural prisons typically run by majority-white staff, causing significant cultural tension that often leads to abuse since the power dynamic between the groups is so disproportionate. Not to mention many of the highest ranking officials in administrative positions throughout VDOC started at prisons known for abuse and torture. Thus, Excessive Force, Retaliation, Breach of Duty, and so forth have become very much a part of the VDOC culture.
During the pandemic, these problems have been exacerbated. The entire state prison system has been on a “modified” lockdown since March, with visitation, transfers and all education, religious and treatment programs suspended. Prisoners have been stressed and there’s been superficial actions taken by the agency giving the appearance that they are addressing the enormous mental health crisis that’s developed in here, but those measures are largely ineffective.
With limited education, coping skills, and drug addiction histories, many prisoners tend to cope with the stress using antisocial mechanisms. The result is oftentimes confrontations with guards where corrections officers end up using disproportionate force to remedy what is essentially a mental health crisis. Remember, despite the legislative actions taken at the August special session, prison guards can still use choke holds, physical force during mental health crises, retaliatory searches and ransackings of our cells and so much more.
Add to that, prison environments themselves increase the risk of not only contracting the virus but also suffering complications as a result because of our poor diets, ventilation, hygiene & sanitation, dirty & contaminated water systems, chronic stress, etc. that lead to immunosuppression and many other health defects. For example there’s been a diabetes pandemic in VDOC for decades!!
That said, We are here to assert that Gov. Northam’s one-year early release program due to the Emergency Declaration (resulting from prisoners filing suit forcing a settlement agreement) doesn’t begin to address the enormous need to release many prisoners early who will be leaving in the next five years or less.
Lastly, all these problems make clear why we prisoners must be vaccinated immediately. There’s poor PPE in here, absolutely no way for us to social distance or self-isolate in prison and we’re oftentimes under the care of staff who don’t take the contagion seriously!
One thing this pandemic has done is highlight exactly how cruel and inefficient this prison system has been and continues to be. Please, on behalf of all Virginia prisoners I implore you, demand that your state treats its citizens better by embracing our requests! We want the state to create civilian review boards that have power to hold VDOC officials accountable to the law. We want a more diverse Board of Corrections with enough members to represent many communities with more power to create and enforce administrative policy. We want a more efficient early-release program that expands the time for eligibility to five years or less remaining. And lastly, We want prisoners to be recognized as the vulnerable population we are and prioritized for vaccination.
Phil Wilayto Uncategorized Leave a comment January 17, 2021 6 Minutes
Defying fear, VAPJN caravan demands COVID-19 protection for Va. prisoners
Staff Report – The Virginia Defender – https://virginiadefender.org
RICHMOND, VA, Jan. 17 — Three days before the presidential inauguration in nearby Washington, D.C., a state of emergency has been declared in Virginia. The FBI has warned of possible attacks this weekend on all 50 state capitols, including in Richmond. There was a bomb threat yesterday at the Virginia Supreme Court. And thousands of angry “gun rights” activists are expected to converge on the city tomorrow. Tensions are so high that even some county “militias” are saying they’re skipping that event out of safety concerns.
And yet none of that prevented nearly 50 cars from joining the “Not One More Death!” caravan that drove through downtown Richmond yesterday to demand protection for the state’s prisoners from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Organized by the prisoner-led Virginia Prison Justice Network, the mobilization attracted former prisoners and family members from around the Greater Richmond area and as far away as Stafford to the north and Suffolk to the south.
Led by the Richmond organizations Community Unity In Action and Virginia Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality, the mobilization was joined by members of Incarcerated Lives Matter VA, Bridging the Gap Virginia, Resource Information Help for the Disadvantaged & Disenfranchised (RIHD), Richmond For All, New Virginia Majority and anti-eviction activists, among others.
While people gathered in the parking lot of the Black-owned Supreme Flea Market in Henrico County, VAPJN organizer Lynetta Thompson explained the caravan demands:
1 – Outside oversight of the state’s prisons and jails by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or a similar agency.
2 – Classification of prisoners on the same level as residents of nursing homes for receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.
3 – Rapid expansion of the state’s early-release program to include a much wider pool of eligible prisoners.
Thompson and Defender Charles Brown then read statements from the three VAPJN prisoner leaders: Hassan Shabazz, incarcerated at the Augusta Correctional Center in Augusta County; Chanell Burnette, from the Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women in Troy; and Askari Danso, at River North in Independence. (The statements are posted on the VAPJN website: https://vapjn.wordpress.com.)
Defender Phil Wilayto then went over the logistics of the day and the ground rules for participants. (Richmond For All video of the presentations is here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CKHX67LlxRs – To view, cut and paste onto your browser.)
After drivers taped posters to their vehicles, the caravan set off, headlights on and blinkers flashing – a militant, defiant funeral procession paying homage to the 51 Virginia prisoners who have died from COVID-19, along with two prison staff members. Altogether, nearly one-third of the state’s 25,000 prisoners have contracted the disease. Many also have died in local and regional jails.
Once the caravan reached downtown Richmond, it turned north and made two swings by the Richmond city jail, which did not begin testing inmates until four months after the pandemic had hit Virginia, and then only after multiple protests by local prisoner advocates. By that time, one out of every eight inmates had been infected, with 90 percent showing no symptoms.
“The most impressive part for me was when we circled twice in front of the city jail and we all could see how many of us there were,” Thompson told the Defender. “And by the time we went around the second time you could see faces in the jail windows.”
Then it was back onto Broad Street and past the State Capitol, which has been shut down and fenced off, with plywood covering its windows. This is where the VAPJN has held rallies of hundreds for the past three years. The caravan continued through the Broad Street shopping area, the arts district and Virginia Commonwealth University campus, and finally past the Science Museum of Virginia, where the state legislature’s senate is meeting during the current General Assembly session. (The House of Delegates is meeting virtually.)
“The reaction from the people on the street, reading the signs, ‘Not One More Death!’ – it was amazing,” Thompson said. “We got a lot of fists up and ‘yeahs,’ and the cars just kept coming with their lights flashing – it was very impressive.”
“Despite the tensions, it was really important to be out on the streets,” Wilayto said. “We’ve been planning this since well before the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, and to have called it off or postponed it would have sent a very bad signal about the strength and determination of the progressive movement in Virginia. We considered all the possible dangers, prepared our security accordingly, and are very happy with the results.”
Editor’s Note: The Defenders put out $120.00 for a van rental and $150.00 for posters and route maps. To make a donation to help cover the costs, please log onto https://defendersfje.blogspot.com and click the “Donate” button on the right side of the home page.
Phil Wilayto Uncategorized Leave a comment January 17, 2021 January 17, 2021 3 Minutes
“NOT ONE MORE DEATH!”JAN. 16 CAR CARAVAN TO SUPPORT VIRGINIA PRISONERS!
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a life-and-death crisis in Virginia’s prisons and jails. Nearly one out of every four incarcerated Virginians have come down with the disease, due to overcrowding, poor health care, lack of outside oversight and many other factors.
In response, the VIRGINIA PRISON JUSTICE NETWORK will be holding a “NOT ONE MORE DEATH! CAR CARAVAN” on SATURDAY, JAN. 16.
We will be raising three demands:
3 – Rapid expansion of the state’s early release program to include a much wider pool of eligible prisoners.
WE WILL GATHER AT NOON ON SATURDAY, JAN. 16, in the very large parking lot of the Black-owned Supreme Flea Market at 3302 Williamsburg Road, Richmond, about seven miles from Capitol Square. We will then caravan downtown where we will circle the State Capitol. We will then return to the parking lot.
The caravan itself will take the form of a defiant funeral procession under the slogan “NOT ONE MORE DEATH!” with signs, banners and a portable sound system.
NOTE: This will be an outdoor, socially distanced event at which everyone will be strongly encouraged to wear a face mask out of concern for each other’s health.
Every January for the past three years, hundreds of former prisoners, family members and supporters have gathered at Capitol Square in Richmond for the VIRGINIA PRISON JUSTICE RALLY.
This annual event, the largest of its kind in Virginia, is sponsored by the VIRGINIA PRISON JUSTICE NETWORK, a prisoner-led alliance of more than 20 advocacy organizations that works to create a greater voice for incarcerated individuals and their family members who remain victimized by unjust laws and policies.
Each year the rally features statements from Virginia prisoners, remarks by former prisoners and family members and representatives from prisoner advocacy organizations. The goal is to call attention to the many injustices that exist within prisons, jails and the criminal justice system in the Commonwealth of Virginia and build support for bills to be presented to the 2021 session of the Virginia General Assembly that would correct these long-overdue inequities.
This year, because of restrictions the state is putting on events held at the Capitol, we will be holding a car caravan and posting prisoner and supporter statements online. (https://vapjn.wordpress.com)
YOU CAN HELP BY SHARING THIS INFORMATION AND INVITING YOUR FRIENDS TO THE EVENTS.
Website: vapjn.wordpress.com
On Facebook: 4th Annual Virginia Prison Justice Rally
Email (for the caravan): DefendersFJE@hotmail.comEmail for general VAPJN information): vapjn1@gmail.com
Phil Wilayto Uncategorized Leave a comment January 9, 2021 2 Minutes
THE COVID-19 RICHMOND JAIL CRISIS THAT COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED
By Phil Wilayto
for The Virginia Defender
RICHMOND, VA, Sept. 8 — “Some terrible mistake was made along the way.”
That was how a federal judge described the recent massive COVID-19 outbreak at a private immigrant detention center in Farmville, Va., the result of officials transferring a large number of detainees from Arizona and Florida without first quarantining them.
The same words could describe the coronavirus crisis at the Richmond city jail, where one out of every eight inmates now has the disease.
Back on April 27, Sheriff Antionette Irving told this reporter that no inmates at the jail yet had been tested for COVID-19. By that date, Virginia already had reported 13,535 cases, with 2,066 people hospitalized and 458 deaths.
Irving explained that her policy was to test any inmate who showed symptoms of the disease or who asked to be tested. But it is well-known that people infected with COVID-19 can show no symptoms and yet still pass the disease to others, especially in confined spaces such as nursing homes, jails and prisons.
Irving also stated that she didn’t have any COVID-19 test kits at the time.
In response, this reporter and other advocates on May 11 wrote to Dr. Danny Avula, director of the Richmond and Henrico County health departments, urging him to make test kits available to the jail administration.
Dr. Avula responded on May 15, stating, “To date, the Richmond City Justice Center has no confirmed cases, and as a result, we have not considered widespread testing.”
He added that his department had provided test kits to the jail “so that testing can be conducted on any inmates or staff who exhibit symptoms, and a PPS [representative testing] would be considered and likely recommended if COVID-19 was identified.”
In late July, the Defender sent a list of questions to the sheriff under the Freedom of Information Act asking for an update on the COVID-19 situation in the jail. Sheriff Irving’s office quickly responded, stating that 503 out of about 644 inmates had volunteered to be tested, with 340 being tested on July 7, 21 and 27. Of the 340, 12 were found to be infected, with four showing no symptoms.
According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the first case of COVID-19 in Richmond was confirmed on March 18 – nearly four months before this first mass testing in the jail.
Later, in response to a second FOIA request, the sheriff stated that, by Sept. 2, a total of 119 inmates had tested positive at the jail, with 109 – more than 90 percent – displaying no symptoms. By that date, there still were a total of 81 active cases among 675 inmates, meaning that 12 percent – one out of every eight inmates – had the disease.
Jail officials say they follow all guidelines recommended by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including “wearing masks, social distancing within the facility, and courts, hand washing/sanitizing, daily temperature checks, and increased janitorial cleaning throughout the day at the facility.”
The jail can house 1,132 inmates, including in the medical clinic and solitary confinement, so there should be room for isolating inmates with active or suspected cases.
Asked what happens if an inmate declines to be tested, the sheriff told the Defender, “They are quarantined and asked daily if they would like to test, and are educated in regards to COVID-19, and continuously assessed by the nursing staff to monitor if there are any signs or symptoms.”
And are inmates tested before they are released back into the community?
“No,” the sheriff responded, “but they are provided with resources and education in addition to VDH [Virginia Department of Health] contact person.”
So inmates who may have declined to be tested for COVID-19 and who have the disease but are not showing symptoms can be released back into the community, without being tested.
Unlike in prisons, most people confined in local jails are there for relatively short periods. According to a study by the General Assembly’s Joint Commission on Health Care, the average time an inmate spent in a local jail in 2017 was just 17 days.
And active cases aren’t limited to inmates.
Also by Sept. 2, according to the sheriff, 22 jail employees and/or contractors had tested positive – with none of them showing symptoms at the time they were tested. Staff and outside contractors, who pass in and out of the jail, would seem to be the most likely carriers of the disease. It is not known how many people in the community the infected but asymptomatic staff members or contractors may have infected.
Local activists have charged that one Richmond inmate has died from COVID-19, something Sheriff Irving has publicly denied. In response to a question submitted under FOIA, the sheriff told the Defender that by Sept. 2 no inmate had died from the disease, and no inmate who had the disease has died from what was determined to be other causes.
Meanwhile, by mid-June, officials at nearby Chesterfield County Jail had tested all inmates, resulting in positive tests for 41, of whom 31 were asymptomatic. The 41 represented about 20 percent of the more than 200 inmates. No employees tested positive at that time.
As of Sept. 1, the Chesterfield jail was reporting no active cases among inmates in the previous month.
Unlike in Richmond or Henrico County, the Chesterfield jail posts updated information about active COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths on its website, as does the Virginia Department of Corrections.
The tragedy is that if all Richmond city jail inmates and staff had been tested back in April – or earlier – the present outbreak in the jail may have been avoided.
One problem may have been the lack of outside pressure. Except for The Virginia Defender and the Richmond Free Press, there was little media coverage of the COVID-19 crisis in the city jail until 11 young activists were brutally arrested Sept. 1 during a protest outside the jail, resulting in wide media attention.
And, to the best of our knowledge, the Richmond and Henrico County health departments have not sought to make the crisis a public issue.
As of Sept. 2, the sheriff’s office stated that that jail had both testing kits and PPE [Personal Protective Equipment], adding, “We are always excepting [sic] more cleaning supplies PPE and testing kits for the appropriate outside escorts.”
Advocates including the Richmond Legal Justice Center, Richmond Community Bail Fund, Richmond Public Defender Tracy Paner, S.O.N.G, American Civil Liberties Union, Virginia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the Virginia Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality have been calling on jails to release more inmates because of the coronavirus pandemic. As of Sept. 2, 675 women and men were being held in the jail, a decline of 12.2 percent from the average of 769 held in January of this year.
Editor’s note: The formal name of the Richmond city jail is the Richmond City Justice Center. It is the policy of The Virginia Defender to use the more accurate term, “Richmond city jail.”)
https://virginiadefender.org/
https://defendersfje.blogspot.com/
Virginia Defender <virginiadefendernews@gmail.com>
Phil Wilayto Uncategorized 1 Comment September 8, 2020 5 Minutes
Support Prisoner-Organizers!
Read the Richmond Dispatch Times article on prisoner-organizer Askari Danso and the high cost of organizing prisoners: https://goo.gl/NrztLT
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Variety Plus Icon Read Next: Imagine Entertainment in Talks to Sell Majority Stake to London Investment Firm Centricus
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‘Golden Girls’ Veterans Salute Betty White: ‘If There Was an Opportunity to Laugh, She Found It’
By Cynthia Littleton
Cynthia Littleton
Business Editor
@Variety_Cynthia
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Betty White had a mischievous side, and she loved to have fun and crack jokes on the set of “The Golden Girls.” But there were times when she was all business.
Those times were often on Monday mornings. In the early years of the NBC comedy, White, the legendary performer who died this week at the age of 99, would often sit with “Golden Girls” executive producer Tony Thomas and dig into the overnight ratings for the hit sitcom that aired in Saturday time slots for the entirety of its 1985-1992 run.
“When I think of Betty, I think of fun,” Thomas told Variety. “She liked to have a good time at work. We laughed a lot. She was just the best.”
Thomas and White had a bond from their mutual experience of having grown up alongside with the medium of television. Thomas is the son of legendary entertainer Danny Thomas, an early TV star in the domestic comedy “Make Room for Daddy” who became a wildly successful producer of “The Andy Griffith Show,” “The Dick Van Dyke Show” and many other hits. Tony Thomas followed in his father’s footsteps as a principle of Witt/Thomas/Harris Productions.
White was a trailblazer as a local TV personality in Los Angeles and a multi-hyphenate producer and star of the 1950s sitcom “Life With Elizabeth.” That series, shepherded by future “My Three Sons” producer Don Fedderson, aired in Los Angeles on KLAC-TV (now KCOP-TV) and in other markets in an early form of syndication.
“We had a lot in common,” Thomas recalled. “We shared a lot of interests. She and I would go over the ratings very closely. She knew more about all of that than the other ladies.”
Stan Zimmerman, who was a writer on Season 1 of “Golden Girls” with his longtime writing partner James Berg, remembers how White’s immense talent shaped the series. He also recalled that she had an impressive “special connection” with the studio audience on filming days.
“She was a light bulb that just lit up, especially when the studio audience came in,” Zimmerman told Variety. “She had a bond with them. She would talk to them between takes. She just had a special connection with the television audience.”
One of White’s signatures in the guise of her “Golden Girls” character, the good-hearted Rose Nylund, was her wacky anecdotes about strange customs and locals she knew growing up in St. Olaf Township, a fictional Norwegian farming town in Minnesota. When writers and producers saw how well White delivered the first-ever tale crafted about St. Olaf, the immediate reaction was “oh, we have to lean into this,” Zimmerman recalled. “She told the stories in such a fun, innocent way. And they got crazier and crazier as we went into it.”
White more than held her own in the formidable ensemble with Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty. Thomas remembers White as unfailingly generous with her co-stars.
“She had it all. She could do physical comedy, she knew how to help react to a joke to help another person’s line work,” Thomas said. “She knew how to deliver her own line and follow-up with a rhythm that helped the comedy even more.”
Thomas credits the skill of the “all-star team” of stars for the remarkable longevity of “Golden Girls” as a pop culture touchstone. He notes that every so often, a new generation finds the show on cable, or nowadays on streaming platforms.
“College students find it, younger people watch the show with grandparents. They can all laugh together,” Thomas said. “The humor stands the test of time. But the show doesn’t go on like that, even with good writing, unless those characters are loveable and people you want to care about. That doesn’t happen without those ladies. They could deliver anything that needed to be delivered and assist each other in getting it done.”
White was nominated for lead actress in comedy series for all seven seasons of “Golden Girls.” She took home the trophy, one of her seven career Emmy wins, in 1986, after the show’s debut season. With all of her success, she was never anything but humble and kind to her colleagues, from her Emmy-nominated costars to every member of the crew.
“She was blessed with an unbelievably long career,” Thomas said. “She knew it. She was grateful for it. She showed her gratitude to everybody she worked with. She went out of her way to be kind to all.”
Moreover, as a co-worker, there was nobody better. “Ask any crew member,” Thomas said. “She lived to cut it up. If there was an opportunity to laugh, she found it.”
(Pictured: “Golden Girls” producers Paul Junger Witt, Tony Thomas, Betty White and Sunset Gower Studios CEO Bob Papazian at the 2006 dedication of the stage where “Golden Girls” was shot.)
Betty White,
The Golden Girls,
Tony Thomas
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PEPFAR’s New Leader Faces Challenges as Program Enters Second Decade
The US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which has provided life-saving antiretroviral therapy (ART) to more than 6.7 million HIV-infected people in developing countries since its launch in 2003, is beginning its second decade with a new leader and shifting strategies.
In April, the Obama administration appointed Deborah Birx, a US Army colonel and physician with deep roots in the global AIDS fight, as the new Ambassador at Large and US Global AIDS coordinator, placing her in charge of all international HIV/AIDS efforts, including PEPFAR, making her the program’s fourth leader.
Prior to joining PEPFAR, Birx led the US Military HIV Research Program (MHRP) during the launch of the RV144 AIDS vaccine trial in Thailand, which drew intense criticism at the time but eventually made history as the first and thus far only vaccine trial to demonstrate efficacy (see VAX Sep. 2009 Spotlight article, First Evidence of Efficacy from Large-Scale HIV Vaccine Trial). Birx left MHRP in the midst of the trial to head the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) global AIDS program.
Nelson Michael, who worked for Birx during the early days of the RV144 trial and took over the directorship of MHRP when she left, said the US$105 million trial would probably have derailed were it not for her single-minded determination. “It was a rocky time, and there was obviously a lot of discussion in the scientific press,” recalls Michael, referring to a policy forum in Science magazine in which leading scientists raised questions about the scientific rationale for the large trial. “But if she thinks something is right, nothing will deter her.”
One challenge facing PEPFAR, and now Birx, is the process of shifting responsibility of PEPFAR-established programs to the host country’s government. PEPFAR, which has already committed more than $52 billion to fight HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis, is now trying to strengthen capacity in recipient countries so they can manage their own treatment and prevention programs (see VAX Dec. 2009 Spotlight article, A Year of Progress). Eric Goosby, the previous head of PEPFAR, began this process before leaving PEPFAR late last year to lead a new center at the University of California in San Francisco.
This process of shifting control over to the recipient countries and getting them to shoulder the costs may be more difficult given the increasing political tension over new anti-homosexuality laws passed in several countries, notably in Uganda, the largest recipient of PEPFAR funding. In her first official comment, released a day after her swearing-in ceremony on April 10, Birx responded to this situation. “No matter how challenging the conditions, PEPFAR has never been deterred from continuing to do all we can to support comprehensive, non-discriminatory HIV services for all individuals, and we will not back down now,” she said. “As public health practitioners, our core ethical responsibility is to the people whom we serve, and this holds true even when we may disagree with host government policies that are at odds with sound science or good public health.”
Along with the anti-homosexuality bill signed into law earlier this year, the Uganda Legislature passed a bill on May 13 that includes mandatory HIV testing for pregnant women and their partners, and allows medical providers to disclose a patient’s HIV infection status to others. The bill, which Uganda President Yoweri Museveni is yet to sign into law, also criminalizes HIV transmission, attempted transmission, and behavior that might result in transmission by those who know their HIV status.
Birx responded quickly to the most recent legislation passed in Uganda. “I join with the many health practitioners, HIV/AIDS and human rights activists, multilateral institutions, and individuals everywhere—in Uganda and around the world—in calling for the people and the Government of Uganda to reject this regressive bill,” she noted, in a May 14 release.
Sounding the Alarm
Understanding the Bulk Production of Broadly Neutralizing Antibodies
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George Washington University Hospital Registered Nurse, RN NICU (Part Time) in WASHINGTON, District Of Columbia
The nurses in the Women’s Services Division of George Washington University Hospital (GW Hospital) are Defining Medicine through our capacity to think, research, evaluate, teach, learn, refine, and innovate. We are experienced RNs who are committed to serving the childbirth needs of the DC urban and surrounding metro community. Our nurses support mothers by honoring how they wish to birth, which may include natural childbirth with midwifery or doula, water births, Cesarean births, epidurals and options for high-risk situations. We are empowered to foster positive patient outcomes through a collaborative practice model and evidence-based nursing practice. The George Washington University Hospital is a Level I Trauma Teaching Hospital. A helipad opened in 2019, which expedites care to the critically ill or injured. The hospital seeks applicants with a strong sense of social responsibility to match the hospital’s commitment to the DC/Metro community. New hospital in DC’s East End, Primary and Urgent care development in the surrounding area. Visit gwhospital.com for more information.
The dedicated nurses and neonatal caregivers at our 24/7 Level III B NICU provide high-quality, family-centered care for critically ill or premature infants
Earn the recognition and support you deserve as a key member of our healthcare team
$1,000 annual certification bonus
Certification reimbursement
Monthly commuter subsidy
Up to $7/hr shift differential
Challenging and rewarding work environment with advanced technological systems, processes and practice
Significant opportunities to grow and develop through job-related training, continuing education, and mobility up
Competitive compensation and generous benefits, including 401(k) with company match, tuition reimbursement, and excellent medical, dental, vision and prescription drug plan
Shared Governance Model
Clinical Nurse Advancement Program with monetary reward
As part of our Caring for the Caregiver initiative at GW Hospital
All employees have resume masking based on DC DOH guidance.
Visitation is limited to mitigate exposure
All entrances, onsite and offsite, have staff checking temperatures, asking screening questions, and providing masks to all.
In concert with the G.W. University multiple testing sites vaccinations provided free to all employees
WHAT WE EXPECT OF YOU
We seek nurses who passionately support an individualized birth experience
Graduate of an accredited or NLN-approved RN program; BSN preferred.
DC license or eligibility
Commitment to our culture that Every Moment Matters
Commitment to the surrounding community
Ability and desire to work with diverse patient populations
The George Washington University Hospital (GW Hospital) is a 395-bed tertiary care, academic medical center located in downtown Washington, DC, next to the Foggy Bottom metro. GW Hospital serves a diverse group of patients — from local residents to our nation’s leaders. As an academic medical center, GW Hospital has the resources and clinical expertise necessary to provide specialized, complex care. This expertise includes cardiac, cancer, neurosciences, women’s health, trauma, and advanced surgery including robotic and minimally invasive surgery.GW Hospital is jointly owned and operated by George Washington University and a subsidiary of Universal Health Services, Inc. (UHS), one of the nation's largest healthcare management companies. The GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS), adjacent to the hospital, is the 11th oldest medical center in the country and the first in the nation’s capital.The mission of GW Hospital is to provide the highest quality healthcare, advanced medical technology, and world-class service to its patients in an academic medical center dedicated to education and research.
One of the nation’s largest and most respected hospital companies, Universal Health Services, Inc. (UHS) has built an impressive record of achievement and performance. Steadily growing from a startup to an esteemed Fortune 500 corporation, UHS today has annual revenue nearing $10 billion. In 2017, UHS was recognized as one of the World’s Most Admired Companies by Fortune; ranked #276 on the Fortune 500, and listed #275 in Forbes inaugural ranking of America’s Top 500 Public Companies.Our operating philosophy is as effective today as it was 40 years ago: Build or acquire high quality hospitals in rapidly growing markets, invest in the people and equipment needed to allow each facility to thrive, and become the leading healthcare provider in each community we serve.Headquartered in King of Prussia, PA, UHS has more than 81,000 employees and through its subsidiaries operates more than 320 acute care hospitals, behavioral health facilities and ambulatory centers in the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the United Kingdom.
*UHS is a registered trademark of UHS of Delaware, Inc., the management company for Universal Health Services, Inc. and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Universal Health Services, Inc. Universal Health Services, Inc. is a holding company and operates through its subsidiaries including its management company, UHS of Delaware, Inc. All healthcare and management operations are conducted by subsidiaries of Universal Health Services, Inc. To the extent any reference to "UHS or UHS facilities" on this website including any statements, articles or other publications contained herein relates to our healthcare or management operations it is referring to Universal Health Services' subsidiaries including UHS of Delaware. Further, the terms "we," "us," "our" or "the company" in such context similarly refer to the operations of Universal Health Services' subsidiaries including UHS of Delaware. Any employment referenced in this website is not with Universal Health Services, Inc. but solely with one of its subsidiaries including but not limited to UHS of Delaware, Inc.
UHS is not accepting unsolicited assistance from search firms for this employment opportunity. Please, no phone calls or emails. All resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at UHS via-email, the Internet or in any form and/or method without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of UHS. No fee will be paid in the event the candidate is hired by UHS as a result of the referral or through other means.
All UHS subsidiaries are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and teammates. UHS subsidiaries are equal opportunity employers and as such, openly support and fully commit to recruitment, selection, placement, promotion and compensation of individuals without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), genetic information, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.
We believe that diversity and inclusion among our teammates is critical to our success.
At UHS and all our subsidiaries, our Human Resources departments and recruiters are here to help prospective candidates by matching skillset and experience with the best possible career path at UHS and our subsidiaries. We take pride in creating a highly efficient and best in class candidate experience. During the recruitment process, no recruiter or employee will request financial or personal information (Social Security Number, credit card or bank information, etc.) from you via email. The recruiters will not email you from a public webmail client like Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo Mail, etc. If you are suspicious of a job posting or job-related email mentioning UHS or its subsidiaries, let us know by contacting us at: https://uhs.alertline.com or 1-800-852-3449.
George Washington University Hos...
Registered Nurse, RN NICU (Part ...
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» Companies & Portraits » Heura Foods Wins Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2020
Heura Foods Wins Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2020
Marc Coloma at Revista Emprendedores, courtesy of Heura
The magazine Emprendedores de España has awarded the 2020 Entrepreneur of the Year Award to Heura Foods, the Spanish vegan meat producer and the fastest-growing plant-based meat brand in Europe.
The award was presented in person to the company’s CEO and co-founder, Marc Coloma, who expressed his enthusiasm through his Linkedin page.
“The companies of the future are the ones that integrate the social and the economic, and transform society […] Traditions need to be updated and we are making a better meat that responds to global challenges.
“Nothing has more strength than an idea whose time has come and now is the time for vegan meat”.
The award can be seen from 21:10.
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Last month the company announced the launch of its products on the UK market which immediately sold out, in the same month the company announced it has developed the world’s healthiest hamburger. More on this to follow in our exclusive interview this week.
In April this year Heura announced that it had grown by 450% to date, and in May vegconomist broke the news that New Crop Capital led a convertible note round which had participation from Michiel van Deursen, Founder at Capital V.
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From the collection of The Royal Melbourne Hospital
The Royal Melbourne Hospital Archives Department was created in 1994 to facilitate the writing of a book celebrating the hospital's 150th anniversary history. The department serves to document the tradition and history of the hospital. It serves as the hospital's corporate memory by documenting the hospital's cultural heritage and unique identity. The collection supports the various educational and business activities of the hospital, including: administrative and legal requirements; educating staff and students on the traditions of the hospital; providing a sense of identity to the hospital community; providing research services; and assisting with public relations through exhibitions. The Archives Department aims to ensure the continuing preservation of records by applying recognised archival principles to the identification, collection, classification, storage, retrieval, display and reference use of the records in its possession.
The Royal Melbourne Hospital Archives
The Royal Melbourne Hospital is a public hospital and a part of the Melbourne Health Service. The Archives collects administrative records relating to The Royal Melbourne Hospital (Melbourne Hospital prior to 1935), Melbourne Health and records of another hospital within the Melbourne Health Service, The Royal Melbourne Hospital - Royal Park Campus (the former Immigrants Aid Society/Mount Royal Hospital). Some records of the now defunct Essendon and District Memorial Hospital are also held.
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Shannon and The Cabaret
By JOY HERNANDEZ
Contributing editor, Urban Times
Remarkable Women of the arts
Second in a series on women who have built arts organizations into the successes they are today. Part I, in the April issue, focused on Victoria Lyras of the Indianapolis School of Ballet and Indianapolis Ballet Co.
‘People are like, where’s The Cabaret now?” Shannon Forsell sat in the middle of a ’20s Deco time capsule, gesturing to the room around her – the fourth venue for The Cabaret since it rose from the ashes of the old American Cabaret Theatre a decade ago.
“Where is The Cabaret now? Forsell repeated. “This is where we are. There is no mistake!”
Forsell, the artistic director and CEO of The Cabaret, recounted the journey the organization took to get to this place, figuratively and literally. For her, the culmination came by way of the restoration of the historic marquee on the exterior of the building. The main performance room, designed by Ratio Architects, features a golden arch over the stage, glam chandeliers, champagne-colored chairs around small tables, and just enough of an industrial feel to keep guests rooted in the 21st century.
An anonymous donor sponsored the stage and declared it be named for the still-living (and somewhat happily embarrassed) Forsell, whose name is painted on the walls in large gold letters. “I also think that when I am gone, I’m going to put my urn under there, with a little spotlight on it, so I can still be, like, watching over it. They’re going to be, like, ‘how creepy is that!’ Bedazzled, a little bedazzled urn,” Forsell said with a laugh.
Located at 924 Pennsylvania Ave., an address and main entrance shared by the Arts Council of Indianapolis, this permanent home of The Cabaret went through many iterations over the last century.
“It’s a ’20s building, I think,” Forsell explained. “I feel like there was a printing company and I think there were things in between – but for the longest period of time, from the ’40s to 1979, was Rollerland Then was Jimmy’s, which was a very popular gay bar in the ’80s and ’90s. Forsell admitted she performed cabaret there during that time, performances that might not be appropriate today on The Cabaret’s stage.
Past uses of the building included a bar called The Jaguar, and, most recently, as indoor parking for the Arts Council of Indianapolis. Building owners Buckingham Companies, a Downtown developer, restored the marquee, lighting it back up for the first time since Rollerland closed in 1979.
“So, a unique history is appropriate,” Forsell said. “Roller skating, a gay bar, now jazz bag pipes…”
That’s right. Jazz bagpipes.
Swedish musician Gunhild Carling brought the concept to Indianapolis and The Cabaret in November 2018. For the uninitiated, jazz bagpipes sound more like a quickly played saxophone than the kilted Indianapolis 500 Gordon Pipers. Forsell lit up when describing Carling’s performance.
“She can play three trumpets at the same time. She’s like a one-woman Vaudeville show, but super talented, and then she plays jazz bag pipes. She’ll play all 11 instruments all within the same song,” Forsell said. “I’m mesmerized by just the talent. That is so uncategorizable [sic] that it can only be called ‘cabaret.’”
Shannon Forsell has lived her life in cabaret. She knows cabaret. She loves cabaret.
Forsell received her music degree from DePauw University, intent on becoming a performer. Shortly after graduation, she was hired by the American Cabaret Theater, the predecessor to The Cabaret. She found a home and a place to grow, especially in the larger ensemble, review-style shows performed during that time in the Athenaeum theater.
“There were many people in the show, but they still had a cabaret edge to them. They made you think about things a different way, look at a song a different way, because that’s one of the markers of cabaret. If you’ve heard this song, a lot of performers will do it in a way where you’re like ‘Wow! I never thought about the song that way!’ That’s just something totally different,” Forsell said.
“They were a resident company for 20 years and I was in almost all of their shows for ten years, when I was young and skinny,” Forsell said with a laugh. “Then I retired from
doing that, and went on and got a communications and marketing job. And then a whole bunch of things started to collide. The (American Cabaret Theatre’s) founding director retired and he was the person who kind of created those shows, and the agreement for the original lease went up, more than doubled, and the economy tanked. All in the same year, 2007 and ’08.”
Forsell described a large and storied organization undergoing an identity and financial crisis. The lease was unaffordable, many of their usual audience members were suffering the instant loss of home value or savings, and preserving large ensemble performances without a permanent home just felt untenable. The American Cabaret was at a turning point.
“Are we just going to say this was fun? Or are we going restructure this whole thing? And how can we have the magic of what was sort of the heyday of this organization?” Forsell said.
Forsell was tapped to help with artistic work, reimagining the performance style and what the new Cabaret would offer. But on her first day, she discovered the executive director had resigned, and everyone remaining had gotten a good look at the financial situation. “I’d already left my other job, so they said how do you feel about helping us restructure? And I said, ‘Well, I don’t have anything else to do! Let’s try it!’” Forsell said.
Forsell had spent some time in the previous year traveling to New York City and Ireland on a grant via the Arts Council of Indianapolis, studying cabaret in different settings. She said she based the “vibe” of this new, stripped-down plan on what she considered to be the best New York cabaret rooms. The new, reimagined Cabaret then spent a decade moving around to various locations, hosted by other venues such as the Connoisseur Room, the Columbia Club, and Indiana Landmarks – gaining momentum and a strong following no matter the address.
But a dedicated location would allow The Cabaret to host more performances, and to not have to compete with the more lucrative rental activities that often took place on prime performance days.
At the same time, Forsell decided to take The Cabaret down a path different than similar organizations around the country. She recognized that most cabaret rooms were for-profit entities, and she felt that a non-profit status for The Cabaret in Indianapolis would be a stronger way to go. An educational component became central to the non-profit mission, and a partnership was established with Ball State University and area high schools.
Forsell doesn’t find that many opportunities to perform anymore, but she’s okay with that. So much of her time is taken up with administration duties – and she loves seeing the results of her current work. She fully appreciates how hard it can be to be up on the stage, and how hard the regular staff of eight (including herself) works to pull off the newly expanded calendar.
All of that hard work frames the vulnerability the artists offer on stage. With no “fourth wall,” as in plays or musicals, cabaret artists can either be at the mercy of their audience, or find a way to connect with them.
“First of all, you have to decide, what am I going to share? And what am I going to say that is worth saying, and how vulnerable am I going to be – because they (the audience) want you to be vulnerable, and if you’re not, then you don’t have anything to give them,” Forsell said.
“We don’t have a connection if we don’t have any sort of common connection, so you have to be willing enough to put yourself out there and know that some people might not like it. People will like it, and you’re close enough to see their faces if they don’t.
“We all have these universal joys and struggles, it seems like, and you find out they’re human just like everyone else, but then they mesmerize you in the middle of it,” Forsell continued. “It’s just really about common humanity in this room and that’s what I love about it. It’s just real.”
The scheduled performances at The Cabaret are varied in their genre and tone, making for an eclectic set of offerings. Forsell described the various types of cabaret, based on their regions of origin. The “European style” of the art form is typically more “saucy” while the “American style” has an intertwining history with jazz. There are other cabaret rooms in Indianapolis, focusing on other styles or incubating new local acts, but Forsell sees The Cabaret as centered more on the American style, sometimes stepping into the European style, but always with the mission of presenting the best of the best in cabaret.
Her efforts have paid off. American-style cabaret has, historically, been centered on the coasts – New York and California – with even Chicago lacking a large cabaret presence (despite a musical portraying otherwise). The Minneapolis Star Tribune recently declared Indianapolis to be the cabaret capital of the Midwest, due to the success of this dedicated venue.
In mid-March, and as part of Women’s History Month, Broadway star Capathia Jenkins sang alongside Louis Rosen, her friend and composer. For the opening act, true to the educational mission of The Cabaret, a pair of students from the Asante Children’s Theatre sang to piano accompaniment as their classmates cheered from their section. The lead-in is most frequently handled by Ball State students.
Jenkins and Rosen took the stage, often sitting on or leaning against stools, with only Rosen’s guitar, or a piano and stand-up bass to carry them. To older millennials, or to Generation X, the presentation style recalls “MTV Unplugged,” complete with side stories (called “patter” in the cabaret world). Jenkins and Rosen told or sang stories of their work together, their backgrounds, and their families. Some songs were touching (“I sing for you, I sing for me, I sing for love…”), and others offered witty exchange (“Like Michelle needs Barack, like Barack needs Michelle, I need you like a preacher needs hell…”).
On that particular evening, Forsell was home on a rare sick day, but The Cabaret hummed along, a testament to her hard work; that the show can go on without a need for micromanagement, with no hiccups is evidence her staff trusts her, and she trusts her staff.
“Shannon is fantastic,” said Greg Showalter, as he ushered guests to their seats. “She’s an artist. She comes from the American Cabaret Theatre. She had many leading roles as the ingénue, but she decided to stay in Indianapolis instead of going to Broadway. She’s a realist, but also her heart is in the right place and she stayed home. So we’re really glad to have her.”
Even the guests were very impressed by their experience. Cabaret first-timer Terri Ware was taken by the elegance of the setting and the intimacy with the performers.
“When I started reading about it after I knew I was going to be coming, I was pretty impressed with everything I read. I just didn’t realize we had something quite like this,” Ware said. “But it’s very impressive. Fabulous job. Fabulous job. It’s perfect. I can’t think of anything I’d change of it.”
TaggedThe CabaretWomen in Arts
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Liz Claiborne profit tops view; year forecast cut
By Martinne Geller
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Liz Claiborne Inc said on Tuesday higher-than-expected sales helped first-quarter operating profit zoom past Wall Street estimates, sending the apparel maker's shares up 3 percent.
Despite the strong results, Liz projected weakness in the second quarter due to a calendar shift, disappointing sales trends in its Mexx Europe business, and discounting by U.S. retailers trying to get cash-strapped consumers to buy clothes and accessories.
Liz cut its full-year profit forecast, citing the weak U.S. economy.
"In providing this revised guidance, we note that higher food and energy prices, higher mortgage payments and declining consumer confidence anticipated for the second half of the year are reducing our visibility into key metrics that impact our performance," Chief Executive William McComb said in a statement.
Liz's first-quarter net sales rose 4.9 percent to $1.12 billion, topping analysts' average forecast of $1.10 billion, according to Reuters Estimates. But the rise was mostly due to the weak dollar, which boosts the value of international sales when converted back to dollars.
The New York-based fashion company, whose portfolio has expanded over the years to encompass more than 40 brands, put 16 of them up for sale last summer. In the end, it kept three, sold eight, discontinued or merged four into other labels, and licensed one to a department store.
It is focusing on its four "direct" brands -- Juicy Couture, Kate Spade, Lucky Brand and Mexx -- which have their own retail stores and younger, more fashionable customers than some of its older wholesale brands, such as Liz Claiborne.
In the first quarter, the direct brands' sales rose 28.2 percent to $620 million, while sales of the "partnered," or wholesale, brands fell 14.4 percent to $501 million.
The company, which also owns the Enyce and Narciso Rodriguez brands, reported a net loss of $31.0 million, or 33 cents per share, for the first quarter, ended April 5, compared with a net profit of $16.2 million, or 16 cents per share, a year earlier.
Excluding restructuring expenses, a loss on disposal of discontinued operations, and results of discontinued operations, earnings from continuing operations were 28 cents per share, far above analysts' average forecast of 10 cents.
Due to the "difficult economic environment," Liz said it now expects 2008 adjusted earnings per share to range from $1.40 to $1.60, down from a prior forecast of $1.50 to $1.70.
Liz shares, down 10 percent this year through Monday's close, were up 56 cents to $18.93 in morning trade on the New York Stock Exchange.
(Reporting by Martinne Geller; Editing by Derek Caney and Gerald E. McCormick))
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Bill Clinton's Radio Address on the Welfare Reform Act
Создано: 08 сентября 2011
Good morning. This week I had the honor of lighting both the national Christmas tree and the national menorah. Both are symbols of a time of year filled with joy, hope, and expectation, a time, too, when we reflect on what we've done and what is left to do, a time to honor our obligations to family and community.
Last summer we made a new beginning on one of our Nation's most vexing problems, the welfare system. When I signed the historic welfare reform law, we set out to honor a moral obligation for our Nation, to help many people in our national community to help themselves. This law dramatically changes the Nation's welfare system so that no longer will it fail our people, trap so many families in a cycle of dependency, but instead will now help people to move from welfare to work. It will do so by requiring work of every able-bodied person, by protecting children, by promoting parental responsibility through tougher child support enforcement.
We've worked a long time to reform welfare. Change was demanded by all the American people, especially those on welfare who bore the brunt of the system's failure. For decades now, welfare has too often been a trap, consigning generation after generation to a cycle of dependency. The children of welfare are more likely to drop out of school, to run afoul of the law, to become teen parents, to raise their own children on welfare. That's a sad legacy we have the power to prevent. And now we can.
I came to office determined to end welfare as we know it, to replace welfare checks with paychecks. Even before I signed the welfare reform bill, we were working with States to test reform strategies, giving 43 States waivers from Federal rules to experiment with reforms that required work, imposed time limits, and demanded personal responsibility. And we were toughening child support enforcement, increasing collections by 50 percent over the last 4 years. That's about $4 billion.
We were determined to move millions from welfare to work, and our strategy has worked. I am pleased to announce today that there are now 2.1 million fewer people on welfare than on the day I took the oath of office. That is the biggest drop in the welfare rolls in history.
Some of these reductions have been even more striking. The welfare rolls have dropped 41 percent in Wisconsin, 38 percent in Indiana—two States where we granted landmark waivers to launch welfare reform experiments.
Throughout the country we're working to make responsibility a way of life, not an option. That means millions of people are on their way to building lives with the structure, purpose, meaning, and dignity that work gives. And that is something to celebrate.
But this is just the beginning of welfare reform. We had a choice: We could have gone on as we had with a system that was failing, or start anew to create a system that could give everyone who's able-bodied a chance to work and a chance to be independent. We chose the right way: first, working over the last 4 years with the States to reform their own systems, then passing a new welfare reform law requiring even more change in every State and every community.
But there is still much to do, and it now falls to all of us to make sure this reform works. The next step is for the States to implement the new law by tailoring a reform plan that works for their communities. As required by the law, we have already certified new welfare reform plans for 14 States. Today I'm pleased to announce we're certifying welfare for four more States: California, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Alabama. All their plans will require and reward work, impose time limits, increase child care payments, and demand personal responsibility. And across the board, as we give welfare funds back to the States, we will protect the guarantees of health care, nutrition, and child care, all of which are critical to helping families move from welfare to work. And we'll continue to crack down on child support enforcement.
Welfare as we knew it was a bad deal for everyone. We're determined to create a better deal. We want to say to every American, work pays. We raised the minimum wage; we expanded the earned-income tax credit to allow the working poor to keep more of what they earn. Now we have to create a million jobs for people on welfare by giving businesses incentives to hire people off welfare and enlisting the private sector in a national effort to bring all Americans into the economic mainstream. We have to have help from the private sector.
Together we can make the permanent under class a thing of the past. But we have a moral obligation to do that through welfare reform, working together in our communities, our businesses, our churches, and our schools. Every organization which employs people should consider hiring someone off welfare, and every State ought to give those organizations the incentives to do so, so that we can help families reclaim the right to know they can take care of themselves and their own obligations.
Our future does not have to be one with so many people living trapped lives. The door has now been opened to a new era of freedom and independence. And now it's up to us, to all of us, to help all the people who need it through that door, one family at a time.
NOTE: The address was recorded at 5:25 p.m. on December 6 in the Roosevelt Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on December 7.
Citation: William J. Clinton: "The President's Radio Address," December 7, 1996. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project. http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=52323
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Located in the Arabian Gulf, the State of Qatar is a peninsula about the size of Connecticut and is attached to southern border of Saudi Arabia. Qatar is a constitutional monarchy that has been ruled by the Al-Thani family since the mid-1800s. HH Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, who reigned from 1995-2013, has been credited for transforming the nation with vast economic growth, primarily through its revenues of oil and gas. HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani is Qatar’s current Emir. Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani assumed his role as ruler in June of 2013 and promised continuity in the advancements made by his father. While ranked as having the highest GDP per capita in the world, Qatar is continuously implementing strategies towards expansion and development in the most modern context. Focusing on education, health care, infrastructure and communications, the country is inviting to economic activity and business opportunity from all corners of the globe. Qatar’s population is around 2.22 mil (2015) and consists of 12% native Qataris and 88% expatriates, mainly from India and Nepal. Doha is its capital and largest city with a population of around 800,000. It is also the official seat of the government and the economic center of the Gulf State.
QATAR WILL HOST
THE 2022 FIFA WORLD CUP.
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Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts
The High Contracting Parties,
Proclaiming their earnest wish to see peace prevail among peoples,
Recalling that every State has the duty, in conformity with the Charter of the United Nations, to refrain in its international relations from the threat or use of force against the sovereignty, territorial integrity or political independence of any State, or in any other manner inconsistent with the purposes of the United Nations,
Believing it necessary nevertheless to reaffirm and develop the provisions protecting the victims of armed conflicts and to supplement measures intended to reinforce their application,
Expressing their conviction that nothing in this Protocol or in the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949 can be construed as legitimizing or authorizing any act of aggression or any other use of force inconsistent with the Charter of the United Nations,
Reaffirming further that the provisions of the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949 and of this Protocol must be fully applied in all circumstances to all persons who are protected by those instruments, without any adverse distinction based on the nature or origin of the armed conflict or on the causes espoused by or attributed to the Parties to the conflict,
Have agreed on the following:
Article 1 - General principles and scope of application
1. The High Contracting Parties undertake to respect and to ensure respect for this Protocol in all circumstances.
2. In cases not covered by this Protocol or by other international agreements, civilians and combatants remain under the protection and authority of the principles of international law derived from established custom, from the principles of humanity and from dictates of public conscience.
3. This Protocol, which supplements the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949 for the protection of war victims, shall apply in the situations referred to in Article 2 common to those Conventions.
4. The situations referred to in the preceding paragraph include armed conflicts which peoples are fighting against colonial domination and alien occupation and against racist regimes in the exercise of their right of self-determination, as enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and the Declaration on Principles of International Law concerning Friendly Relations and Co-operation among States in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations.
For the purposes of this Protocol
(a) "First Convention", "Second Convention", "Third Convention" and "Fourth Convention" mean, respectively, the Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field of 12 August 1949; the Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of Wounded, Sick and Ship-wrecked Members of Armed Forces at Sea of 12 August 1949; the Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War of 12 August 1949; the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War of 12 August 1949; "the Conventions" means the four Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949 for the protection of war victims;
(b) "Rules of international law applicable in armed conflict" means the rules applicable in armed conflict set forth in international agreements to which the Parties to the conflict are Parties and the generally recognized principles and rules of international law which are applicable to armed conflict;
(c) "Protecting Power" means a neutral or other State not a Party to the conflict which has been designated by a Party to the conflict and accepted by the adverse Party and has agreed to carry out the functions assigned to a Protecting Power under the Conventions and this Protocol;
(d) "Substitute" means an organization acting in place of a Protecting Power in accordance with Article 5.
Article 3 - Beginning and end of application
Without prejudice to the provisions which are applicable at all times:
(a) the Conventions and this Protocol shall apply from the beginning of any situation referred to in Article 1 of this Protocol.
(b) the application of the Conventions and of this Protocol shall cease, in the territory of Parties to the conflict, on the general close of military operations and, in the case of occupied territories, on the termination of the occupation, except, in either circumstance, for those persons whose final release, repatriation or re-establishment takes place thereafter. These persons shall continue to benefit from the relevant provisions of the Conventions and of this Protocol until their final release repatriation or re-establishment.
Article 4 - Legal status of the Parties to the conflict
The application of the Conventions and of this Protocol, as well as the conclusion of the agreements provided for therein, shall not affect the legal status of the Parties to the conflict. Neither the occupation of a territory nor the application of the Conventions and this Protocol shall affect the legal status of the territory in question.
Article 5 - Appointment of Protecting Powers and of their substitute
1. It is the duty of the Parties to a conflict from the beginning of that conflict to secure the supervision and implementation of the Conventions and of this Protocol by the application of the system of Protecting Powers, including inter alia the designation and acceptance of those Powers, in accordance with the following paragraphs. Protecting Powers shall have the duty of safeguarding the interests of the Parties to the conflict.
2. From the beginning of a situation referred to in Article 1, each Party to the conflict shall without delay designate a Protecting Power for the purpose of applying the Conventions and this Protocol and shall, likewise without delay and for the same purpose, permit the activities or a Protecting Power which has been accepted by it as such after designation by the adverse Party.
3. If a Protecting Power has not been designated or accepted from the beginning of a situation referred to in Article 1, the International Committee of the Red Cross, without prejudice to the right of any other impartial humanitarian organization to do likewise, shall offer its good offices to the Parties to the conflict with a view to the designation without delay of a Protecting Power to which the Parties to the conflict consent. For that purpose it may inter alia ask each Party to provide it with a list of at least five States which that Party considers acceptable to act as Protecting Power on its behalf in relation to an adverse Party and ask each adverse Party to provide a list or at least five States which it would accept as the Protecting Power of the first Party; these lists shall be communicated to the Committee within two weeks after the receipt or the request; it shall compare them and seek the agreement of any proposed State named on both lists.
4. If, despite the foregoing, there is no Protecting Power, the Parties to the conflict shall accept without delay an offer which may be made by the International Committee of the Red Cross or by any other organization which offers all guarantees of impartiality and efficacy, after due consultations with the said Parties and taking into account the result of these consultations, to act as a substitute. The functioning of such a substitute is subject to the consent of the Parties to the conflict; every effort shall be made by the Parties to the conflict to facilitate the operations of the substitute in the performance of its tasks under the Conventions and this Protocol.
5. In accordance with Article 4, the designation and acceptance of Protecting Powers for the purpose of applying the Conventions and this Protocol shall not affect the legal status of the Parties to the conflict or of any territory, including occupied territory.
6. The maintenance of diplomatic relations between Parties to the conflict or the entrusting of the protection of a Party's interests and those of its nationals to a third State in accordance with the rules of international law relating to diplomatic relations is no obstacle to the designation of Protecting Powers for the purpose of applying the Conventions and this Protocol.
7. Any subsequent mention in this Protocol of a Protecting Power includes also a substitute.
Article 6 - Qualified persons
1. The High Contracting Parties shall, also in peacetime, endeavour, with the assistance of the national Red Cross (Red Crescent, Red Lion and Sun) Societies, to train qualified personnel to facilitate the application of the Conventions and of this Protocol, and in particular the activities of the Protecting Powers.
2. The recruitment and training of such personnel are within domestic jurisdiction.
3. The International Committee of the Red Cross shall hold at the disposal of the High Contracting Parties the lists of persons so trained which the High Contracting Parties may have established and may have transmitted to it for that purpose.
4. The conditions governing the employment of such personnel outside the national territory shall, in each case, be the subject of special agreements between the Parties concerned.
Article 7 - Meetings
The depositary of this Protocol shall convene a meeting of the High Contracting Parties, at the request of one or more of the said Parties and upon, the approval of the majority of the said Parties, to consider general problems concerning the application of the Conventions and of the Protocol.
Wounded, Sick And Shipwrecked
Article 8 - Terminology
For the purposes of this Protocol:
a) "Wounded" and "sick" mean persons, whether military or civilian, who, because of trauma, disease or other physical or mental disorder or disability, are in need of medical assistance or care and who refrain from any act of hostility. These terms also cover maternity cases, new-born babies and other persons who may be in need of immediate medical assistance or care, such as the infirm or expectant mothers, and who refrain from any act of hostility;
b) "Shipwrecked" means persons, whether military or civilian, who are in peril at sea or in other waters as a result of misfortune affecting them or the vessel or aircraft carrying them and who refrain from any act of hostility. These persons, provided that they continue to refrain from any act of hostility, shall continue to be considered shipwrecked during their rescue until they acquire another status under the Conventions or this Protocol;
c) "Medical personnel" means those persons assigned, by a Party to the conflict, exclusively to the medical purposes enumerated under e) or to the administration of medical units or to the operation or administration of medical transports. Such assignments may be either permanent or temporary. The term includes:
i) medical personnel of a Party to the conflict, whether military or civilian, including those described in the First and Second Conventions, and those assigned to civil defence organizations;
ii) medical personnel of national Red Cross (Red Crescent, Red Lion and Sun) Societies and other national voluntary aid societies duly recognized and authorized by a Party to the conflict;
iii) medical personnel or medical units or medical transports described in Article 9, paragraph 2.
d) "Religious personnel" means military or civilian persons, such as chaplains, who are exclusively engaged in the work of their ministry and attached:
i) to the armed forces of a Party to the conflict;
ii) to medical units or medical transports of a Party to the conflict;
iii) to medical units or medical transports described in Article 9, Paragraph 2; or
iv) to civil defence organizations of a Party to the conflict.
The attachment of religious personnel may be either permanent or temporary, and the relevant provisions mentioned under k) apply to them;
e) "Medical units" means establishments and other units, whether military or civilian, organized for medical purposes, namely the search for, collection, transportation, diagnosis or treatment - including first-aid treatment - of the wounded, sick and shipwrecked, or for the prevention of disease. The term includes for example, hospitals and other similar units, blood transfusion centres, preventive medicine centres and institutes, medical depots and the medical and pharmaceutical stores of such units. Medical units may be fixed or mobile, permanent or temporary;
f) "Medical transportation" means the conveyance by land, water or air of the wounded, sick, shipwrecked, medical personnel, religious personnel, medical equipment or medical supplies protected by the Conventions and by this Protocol;
g) "Medical transports" means any means of transportation, whether military or civilian, permanent or temporary, assigned exclusively to medical transportation and under the control of a competentauthority of a Party to the conflict;
h) "Medical vehicles" means any medical transports by land;
i) "Medical ships and craft" means any medical transports by water;
j) "Medical aircraft" means any medical transports by air;
k) "Permanent medical personnel", "permanent medical units" and "permanent medical transports" mean those assigned exclusively to medical purposes for an indeterminate period. "Temporary medical personnel" "temporary medical-units" and "temporary medical transports" mean those devoted exclusively to medical purposes for limited periods during the whole of such periods. Unless otherwise specified, the terms "medical personnel", "medical units" and "medical transports" cover both permanent and temporary categories;
l) "Distinctive emblem" means the distinctive emblem of the red cross, red crescent or red lion and sun on a white ground when used for the protection of medical units and transports, or medical and religious personnel, equipment or supplies;
m) "Distinctive signal" means any signal or message specified for the identification exclusively of medical units or transports in Chapter III of Annex I to this Protocol.
Article 9 - Field of application
1. This Part, the provisions of which are intended to ameliorate the condition of the wounded, sick and shipwrecked, shall apply to all those affected by a situation referred to in Article 1, without any adverse distinction founded on race, colour, sex, language, religion or belief political or other opinion, national or social origin, wealth, birth or other status, or on any other similar criteria.
2. The relevant provisions of Articles 27 and 32 of the First Convention shall apply to permanent medical units and transports (other than hospital ships, to which Article 25 of the Second Convention applies) and their personnel made available to a Party to the conflict for humanitarian purposes:
(a) by a neutral or other State which is not a Party to that conflict;
(b) by a recognized and authorized aid society of such a State;
(c) by an impartial international humanitarian organization.
Article 10 - Protection and care
1. All the wounded, sick and shipwrecked, to whichever Party they belong, shall be respected and protected.
2. In all circumstances they shall be treated humanely and shall receive, to the fullest extent practicable and with the least possible delay, the medical care and attention required by their condition. There shall be no distinction among them founded on any grounds other than medical ones.
Article 11 - Protection of persons
1. The physical or mental health and integrity of persons who are in the power of the adverse Party or who are interned, detained or otherwise deprived of liberty as a result of a situation referred to in Article 1 shall not be endangered by any unjustified act or omission. Accordingly, it is prohibited to subject the persons described in this Article to any medical procedure which is not indicated by the state of health of the person concerned and which is not consistent with generally accepted medical standards which would be applied under similar medical circumstances to persons who are nationals of the Party conducting the procedure and who are in no way deprived of liberty.
2. It is, in particular, prohibited to carry out on such persons, even with their consent:
(a) physical mutilations;
(b) medical or scientific experiments;
(c) removal of tissue or organs for transplantation, except where these acts are justified in conformity with the conditions provided for in paragraph 1.
3. Exceptions to the prohibition in paragraph 2 (c) may be made only in the case of donations of blood for transfusion or of skin for grafting, provided that they are given voluntarily and without any coercion or inducement, and then only for therapeutic purposes, under conditions consistent with generally accepted medical standards and controls designed for the benefit of both the donor and the recipient.
4. Any wilful act or omission which seriously endangers the physical or mental health or integrity of any person who is in the power of a Party other than the one on which he depends and which either violates any of the prohibitions in paragraphs 1 and 2 or fails to comply with the requirements of paragraph 3 shall be a grave breach of this Protocol.
5. The persons described in paragraph 1 have the right to refuse any surgical operation. In case of refusal, medical personnel shall endeavour to obtain a written statement to that effect, signed or acknowledged by the patient.
6. Each Party to the conflict shall keep a medical record for every donation of blood for transfusion or skin for grafting by persons referred to in paragraph 1, if that donation is made under the responsibility of that Party. In addition, each Party to the conflict shall endeavour to keep a record of all medical procedures undertaken with respect to any person who is interned, detained or otherwise deprived of liberty as a result of a situation referred to in Article 1. These records shall be available at all times for inspection by the Protecting Power.
Article 12 - Protection of medical units
1. Medical units shall be respected and protected at all times and shall not be the object of attack.
2. Paragraph 1 shall apply to civilian medical units, provided that they:
(a) belong to one of the Parties to the conflict;
(b) are recognized and authorized by the competent authority of one of the Parties to the conflict; or
(c) are authorized in conformity with Article 9, paragraph 2, of this Protocol or Article 27 of the First Convention.
3. The Parties to the conflict are invited to notify each other of the location of their fixed medical units. The absence of such notification shall not exempt any of the Parties from the obligation to comply with the provisions of paragraph 1.
4. Under no circumstances shall medical units be used in an attempt to shield military objectives from attack. Whenever possible, the Parties to the conflict shall ensure that medical units are so sited that attacks against military objectives do not imperil their safety.
Article 13 - Discontinuance of protection of civilian medical units
1. The protection to which civilian medical units are entitled shall not cease unless they are used to commit, outside their humanitarian function, acts harmful to the enemy. Protection may, however, cease only after a warning has been given setting, whenever appropriate, a reasonable time-limit, and after such warning has remained unheeded.
2. The following shall not be considered as acts harmful to the enemy:
(a) that the personnel of the unit are equipped with light individual weapons for their own defence or for that of the wounded and sick in their charge;
(b) that the unit is guarded by a picket or by sentries or by an escort;
(c) that small arms and ammunition taken from the wounded and sick, and not yet handed to the proper service, are found in the units;
(d) that members of the armed forces or other combatants are in the unit for medical reasons.
Article 14 - Limitations on requisition of civilian medical units
1. The Occupying Power has the duty to ensure that the medical needs of the civilian population in occupied territory continue to be satisfied.
2. The Occupying Power shall not, therefore, requisition civilian medical units, their equipment, their materiel or the services of their personnel, so long as these resources are necessary for the provision of adequate medical services for the civilian population and for the continuing medical care of any wounded and sick already under treatment.
3. Provided that the general rule in paragraph 2 continues to be observed, the Occupying Power may requisition the said resources, subject to the following particular conditions:
(a) that the resources are necessary for the adequate and immediate medical treatment of the wounded and sick members of the armed forces of the Occupying Power or of prisoners of war;
(b) that the requisition continues only while such necessity exists; and
(c) that immediate arrangements are made to ensure that the medical needs of the civilian population, as well as those of any wounded and sick under treatment who are affected by the requisition, continue to be satisfied.
Article 15 - Protection of civilian medical and religious personnel
1. Civilian medical personnel shall be respected and protected.
2. If needed, all available help shall be afforded to civilian medical personnel in an area where civilian medical services are disrupted by reason of combat activity.
3. The Occupying Power shall afford civilian medical personnel in occupied territories every assistance to enable them to perform, to the best of their ability, their humanitarian functions. The Occupying Power may not require that, in the performance of those functions, such personnel shall give priority to the treatment of any person except on medical grounds. They shall not be compelled to carry out tasks which are not compatible with their humanitarian mission.
4. Civilian medical personnel shall have access to any place where their services are essential, subject to such supervisory and safety measures as the relevant Party to the conflict may deem necessary.
5. Civilian religious personnel shall be respected and protected. The provisions of the Conventions and of this Protocol concerning the protection and identification of medical personnel shall apply equally to such persons.
Article 16 - General protection of medical duties
1. Under no circumstances shall any person be punished for carrying out medical activities compatible with medical ethics, regardless of the person benefiting therefrom.
2. Persons engaged in medical activities shall not be compelled to perform acts or to carry out work contrary to the rules of medical ethics or to other medical rules designed for the benefit of the wounded and sick or to the provisions of the Conventions or of this Protocol, or to refrain from performing acts or from carrying out work required by those rules and provisions.
3. No person engaged in medical activities shall be compelled to give to anyone belonging either to an adverse Party, or to his own Party except as required by the law of the latter Party, any information concerning the wounded and sick who are, or who have been, under his care, if such information would, in his opinion, prove harmful to the patients concerned or to their families. Regulations for the compulsory notification of communicable diseases shall, however, be respected.
Article 17 - Role of the civilian population and of aid societies
1. The civilian population shall respect the wounded, sick and shipwrecked, even if they belong to the adverse Party, and shall commit no act of violence against them. The civilian population and aid societies, such as national Red Cross (Red Crescent, Red Lion and Sun) Societies, shall be permitted, even on their own initiative, to collect and care for the wounded, sick and shipwrecked, even in invaded or occupied areas. No one shall be harmed, prosecuted, convicted or punished for such humanitarian acts.
2. The Parties to the conflict may appeal to the civilian population and the aid societies referred to in paragraph 1 to collect and care for the wounded, sick and shipwrecked, and to search for the dead and report their location; they shall grant both protection and the necessary facilities to those who respond to this appeal. If the adverse Party gains or regains control of the area, that Party also shall afford the same protection and facilities for as long as they are needed.
1. Each Party to the conflict shall endeavour to ensure that medical and religious personnel and medical units and transports are identifiable.
2. Each Party to the conflict shall also endeavour to adopt and to implement methods and procedures which will make it possible to recognize medical units and transports which use the distinctive emblem and distinctive signals.
3. In occupied territory and in areas where fighting is taking place or is likely to take place, civilian medical personnel and civilian religious personnel should be recognizable by the distinctive emblem and an identity card certifying their status.
4. With the consent of the competent authority, medical units and transports shall be marked by the distinctive emblem. The ships and craft referred to in Article 22 of this Protocol shall be marked in accordance with the provisions of the Second Convention.
5. In addition to the distinctive emblem, a Party to the conflict may, as provided in Chapter III of Annex I to this Protocol, authorize the use of distinctive signals to identify medical units and transports. Exceptionally, in the special cases covered in that Chapter, medical transports may use distinctive signals without displaying the distinctive emblem.
6. The application of the provisions of paragraphs 1 to 5 of this article is governed by Chapters I to III of Annex I to this Protocol. Signals designated in Chapter III of the Annex for the exclusive use of medical units and transports shall not, except as provided therein, be used for any purpose other than to identify the medical units and transports specified in that Chapter.
7. This article does not authorize any wider use of the distinctive emblem in peacetime than is prescribed in Article 44 of the First Convention.
8. The provisions of the Conventions and of this Protocol relating to supervision of the use of the distinctive emblem and to the prevention and repression of any misuse thereof shall be applicable to distinctive signals.
Article 19 - Neutral and other States not Parties to the conflict
Neutral and other States not Parties to the conflict shall apply the relevant provisions of this Protocol to persons protected by this Part who may be received or interned within their territory, and to any dead of the Parties to that conflict whom they may find.
Article 20 - Prohibition of reprisals
Article 21 - Medical vehicles
Medical vehicles shall be respected and protected in the same way as mobile medical units under the Conventions and this Protocol.
Article 22 - Hospital ships and coastal rescue craft
1. The provisions of the Conventions relating to:
(a) vessels described in Articles 22, 24, 25 and 27 of the Second Convention,
(b) their lifeboats and small craft,
(c) their personnel and crews, and
(d) the wounded; sick and shipwrecked on board
shall also apply where these vessels carry civilian wounded, sick and shipwrecked who do not belong to any of the categories mentioned in Article 13 of the Second Convention. Such civilians shall not, however, be subject to surrender to any Party which is not their own, or to capture at sea. If they find themselves in the power of a Party to the conflict other than their own they shall be covered by the Fourth Convention and by this Protocol.
2. The protection provided by the Conventions to vessels described in Article 25 of the Second Convention shall extend to hospital ships made available for humanitarian purposes to a Party to the conflict:
(a) by a neutral or other State which is not a Party to that conflict; or
(b) by an impartial international humanitarian organization,
provided that, in either case, the requirements set out in that Article are complied with.
3. Small craft described in Article 27 of the Second Convention shall be protected, even if the notification envisaged by that Article has not been made. The Parties to the conflict are, nevertheless, invited to inform each other of any details of such craft which will facilitate their identification and recognition.
Article 23 - Other medical ships and craft
1. Medical ships and craft other than those referred to in Article 22 of this Protocol and Article 38 of the Second Convention shall, whether at sea or in other waters, be respected and protected in the same way as mobile medical units under the Conventions and this Protocol. Since this protection can only be effective if they can be identified and recognized as medical ships or craft, such vessels should be marked with the distinctive emblem and as far as possible comply with the second paragraph of Article 43 of the Second Convention.
2. The ships and craft referred to in paragraph 1 shall remain subject to the laws of war. Any warship on the surface able immediately to enforce its command may order them to stop, order them off, or make them take a certain course, and they shall obey every such command. Such ships and craft may not in any other way be diverted from their medical mission so long as they are needed for the wounded, sick and shipwrecked on board.
3. The protection provided in paragraph 1 shall cease only under the conditions set out in Articles 34 and 35 of the Second Convention. A clear refusal to obey a command given in accordance with paragraph 2 shall be an act harmful to the enemy under Article 34 of the Second Convention.
4. A Party to the conflict may notify any adverse Party as far in advance of sailing as possible of the name, description, expected time of sailing, course and estimated speed of the medical ship or craft, particularly in the case of ships of over 2,000 gross tons, and may provide any other information which would facilitate identification and recognition. The adverse Party shall acknowledge receipt of such information.
5. The provisions of Article 37 of the Second Convention shall apply to medical and religious personnel in such ships and craft.
6. The provisions of the Second Convention shall apply to the wounded, sick and shipwrecked belonging to the categories referred to in Article 13 of the Second Convention and in Article 44 of this Protocol who may be on board such medical ships and craft. Wounded, sick and shipwrecked civilians who do not belong to any or the categories mentioned in Article 13 of the Second Convention shall not be subject, at sea, either to surrender to any Party which is not their own, or to removal from such ships or craft; if they find themselves in the power of a Party to the conflict other than their own, they shall be covered by the Fourth Convention and by this Protocol.
Article 24 - Protection of medical Aircraft
Medical aircraft shall be respected and protected, subject to the provisions of this Part.
Article 25 - Medical aircraft in areas not controlled by an adverse Party
In and over land areas physically controlled by friendly forces, or in and over sea areas not physically controlled by an adverse Party, the respect and protection of medical aircraft of a Party to the conflict is not dependent on any agreement with an adverse Party. For greater safety, however, a Party to the conflict operating its medical aircraft in these areas may notify the adverse Party, as provided in Article 29, in particular when such aircraft are making flights bringing them within range of surface-to-air weapons systems of the adverse Party.
Article 26 - Medical aircraft in contact or similar zones
1. ln and over those parts of the contact zone which are physically controlled by friendly forces and in and over those areas the physical control of which is not clearly established, protection for medical aircraft can be fully effective only by prior agreement between the competent military authorities of the Parties to the conflict, as provided for in Article 29. Although, in the absence of such an agreement, medical aircraft operate at their own risk, they shall nevertheless be respected after they have been recognized as such.
2. "Contact zone" means any area on land where the forward elements of opposing forces are in contact with each other, especially where they are exposed to direct fire from the ground.
Article 27 - Medical aircraft in areas controlled by an adverse Party
1. The medical aircraft of a Party to the conflict shall continue to be protected while flying over land or sea areas physically controlled by an adverse Party, provided that prior agreement to such flights has been obtained from the competent authority of that adverse Party.
2. A medical aircraft which flies over an area physically controlled by an adverse Party without, or in deviation from the terms of, an agreement provided for in paragraph 1, either through navigational error or because of an emergency affecting the safety of the flight, shall make every effort to identify itself and to inform the adverse Party of the circumstances. As soon as such medical aircraft has been recognized by the adverse Party, that Party shall make all reasonable efforts to give the order to land or to alight on water, referred to in Article 30, paragraph 1, or to take other measures to safeguard its own interests, and, in either case, to allow the aircraft time for compliance, before resorting to an attack against the aircraft.
Article 28 - Restrictions on operations of medical aircraft
1. The Parties to the conflict are prohibited from using their medical aircraft to attempt to acquire any military advantage over an adverse Party. The presence of medical aircraft shall not be used in an attempt to render military objectives immune from attack.
2. Medical aircraft shall not be used to collect or transmit intelligence data and shall not carry any equipment intended for such purposes. They are prohibited from carrying any persons or cargo not included within the definition in Article 8 (6). The carrying on board of the personal effects of the occupants or of equipment intended solely to facilitate navigation, communication or identification shall not be considered as prohibited,
3. Medical aircraft shall not carry any armament except small arms and ammunition taken from the wounded, sick and shipwrecked on board and not yet handed to the proper service, and such light individual weapons as may be necessary to enable the medical personnel on board to defend themselves and the wounded, sick and shipwrecked in their charge.
4. While carrying out the flights referred to in Articles 26 and 27, medical aircraft shall not, except by prior agreement with the adverse Party, be used to search for the wounded, sick and shipwrecked.
Article 29 - Notifications and agreements concerning medical aircraft
1. Notifications under Article 25, or requests for prior agreement under Articles 26, 27, 28, paragraph 4, or 31 shall state the proposed number of medical aircraft, their flight plans and means of identification, and shall be understood to mean that every flight will be carried out in compliance with Article 28.
2. A Party which receives a notification given under Article 25 shall at once acknowledge receipt of such notification. 3. A Party which receives a request for prior agreement under Articles 25, 27, 28, paragraph 4, or 31 shall, as rapidly as possible, notify the requesting Party:
(a) that the request is agreed to;
(b) that the request is denied; or
(c) of reasonable alternative proposals to the request. It may also propose prohibition or restriction of other flights in the area during the time involved. If the Party which submitted the request accepts the alternative proposals, it shall notify the other Party of such acceptance.
4. The Parties shall take the necessary measures to ensure that notifications and agreements can be made rapidly.
5. The Parties shall also take the necessary measures to disseminate rapidly the substance of any such notifications and agreements to the military units concerned and shall instruct those units regarding the means of identification that will be used by the medical aircraft in question.
Article 30 - Landing and inspection of medical aircraft
1. Medical aircraft flying over areas which are physically controlled by an adverse Party, or over areas the physical control of which is not clearly established, may be ordered to land or to alight on water, as appropriate, to permit inspection in accordance with the following paragraphs. Medical aircraft shall obey any such order.
2. If such an aircraft lands or alights on water, whether ordered to do so or for other reasons, it may be subjected to inspection solely to determine the matters referred to in paragraphs 3 and 4. Any such inspection shall be commenced without delay and shall be conducted expeditiously. The inspecting Party shall not require the wounded and sick to be removed from the aircraft unless their removal is essential for the inspection. That Party shall in any event ensure that the condition of the wounded and sick is not adversely affected by the inspection or by the removal.
3. If the inspection discloses that the aircraft:
(a) is a medical aircraft within the meaning of Article 8 (10),
(b) is not in violation of the conditions prescribed in Article 28, and
(c) has not flown without or in breach of a prior agreement where such agreement is required,
the aircraft and those of its occupants who belong to the adverse Party or to a neutral or other State not a Party to the conflict shall be authorized to continue the flight without delay.
(a) is not a medical aircraft within the meaning of Article 8 (10),
(b) is in violation or the conditions prescribed in Article 28, or
(c) has flown without or in breach of a prior agreement where such agreement is required,
the aircraft may be seized. Its occupants shall be treated in conformity with the relevant provisions of the Conventions and of this Protocol. Any aircraft seized which had been assigned as a permanent medical aircraft may be used thereafter only as a medical aircraft.
Article 31 - Neutral or other States not Parties to the conflict
1. Except by prior agreement, medical aircraft shall not fly over or land in the territory of a neutral or other State not a Party to the conflict. However, with such an agreement, they shall be respected throughout their flight and also for the duration of any calls in the territory. Nevertheless they shall obey any summons to land or to alight on water, as appropriate.
2. Should a medical aircraft, in the absence of an agreement or in deviation from the terms of an agreement, fly over the territory of a neutral or other State not a Party to the conflict, either through navigational error or because of an emergency affecting the safety of the flight, it shall make every effort to give notice of the flight and to identify itself. As soon as such medical aircraft is recognized, that State shall make all reasonable efforts to give the order to land or to alight on water referred to in Article 30, paragraph 1, or to take other measures to safeguard its own interests, and, in either case, to allow the aircraft time for compliance, before resorting to an attack against the aircraft.
3. If a medical aircraft, either by agreement or in the circumstances mentioned in paragraph 2, lands or alights on water in the territory of a neutral or other State not Party to the conflict, whether ordered to do so or for other reasons, the aircraft shall be subject to inspection for the purposes of determining whether it is in fact a medical aircraft. The inspection shall be commenced without delay and shall be conducted expeditiously. The inspecting Party shall not require the wounded and sick of the Party operating the aircraft to be removed from it unless their removal is essential for the inspection. The inspecting Party shall in any event ensure that the condition of the wounded and sick is not adversely affected by the inspection or the removal. If the inspection discloses that the aircraft is in fact a medical aircraft, the aircraft with its occupants, other than those who must be detained in accordance with the rules of international law applicable in armed conflict, shall be allowed to resume its flight, and reasonable facilities shall be given for the continuation of the flight. If the inspection discloses that the aircraft is not a medical aircraft, it shall be seized and the occupants treated in accordance with paragraph 4.
4. The wounded, sick and shipwrecked disembarked, otherwise than temporarily, from a medical aircraft with the consent of the local authorities in the territory of a neutral or other State not a Party to the conflict shall, unless agreed otherwise between that State and the Parties to the conflict, be detained by that State where so required by the rules of international law applicable in armed conflict, in such a manner that they cannot again take part in the hostilities. The cost of hospital treatment and internment shall be borne by the State to which those persons belong.
5. Neutral or other States not Parties to the conflict shall apply any conditions and restrictions on the passage of medical aircraft over, or on the landing of medical aircraft in, their territory equally to all Parties to the conflict.
Missing and Dead Persons
Article 32 - General principle
In the implementation of this Section, the activities of the High Contracting Parties, of the Parties to the conflict and of the international humanitarian organizations mentioned in the Conventions and in this Protocol shall be prompted mainly by the right of families to know the fate of their relatives.
Article 33 - Missing persons
1. As soon as circumstances permit, and at the latest from the end of active hostilities, each Party to the conflict shall search for the persons who have been reported missing by an adverse Party. Such adverse Party shall transmit all relevant information concerning such persons in order to facilitate such searches.
2. In order to facilitate the gathering of information pursuant to the preceding paragraph, each Party to the conflict shall, with respect to persons who would not receive more favourable consideration under the Conventions and this Protocol:
(a) record the information specified in Article 138 of the Fourth Convention in respect of such persons who have been detained, imprisoned or otherwise held in captivity for more than two weeks as a result of hostilities or occupation, or who have died during any period of detention;
(b) to the fullest extent possible, facilitate and, if need be, carry out the search for and the recording of information concerning such persons if they have died in other circumstances as a result of hostilities or occupation.
3. Information concerning persons reported missing pursuant to paragraph 1 and requests for such information shall be transmitted either directly or through the Protecting Power or the Central Tracing Agency of the International Committee of the Red Cross or national Red Cross (Red Crescent, Red Lion and Sun) Societies. Where the information is not transmitted through the International Committee of the Red Cross and its Central Tracing Agency, each Party to the conflict shall ensure that such information is also supplied to the Central Tracing Agency.
4. The Parties to the conflict shall endeavour to agree on arrangements for teams to search for, identify and recover the dead from battlefield areas, including arrangements, if appropriate, for such teams to be accompanied by personnel of the adverse Party while carrying out these missions in areas controlled by the adverse Party. Personnel of such teams shall be respected and protected while exclusively carrying out these duties.
Article 34 - Remains of deceased
1. The remains of persons who have died for reasons related to occupation or in detention resulting from occupation or hostilities and those or persons not nationals of the country in which they have died as a result of hostilities shall be respected, and the gravesites of all such persons shall be respected, maintained and marked as provided for in Article 130 of the Fourth Convention, where their remains or gravesites would not receive more favourable consideration under the Conventions and this Protocol.
2. As soon as circumstances and the relations between the adverse Parties permit, the High Contracting Parties in whose territories graves and, as the case may be, other locations of the remains of persons who have died as a result of hostilities or during occupation or in detention are situated, shall conclude agreements in order:
(a) to facilitate access to the gravesites by relatives of the deceased and by representatives of official graves registration services and to regulate the practical arrangements for such access;
(b) to protect and maintain such gravesites permanently;
(c) to facilitate the return of the remains of the deceased and of personal effects to the home country upon its request or, unless that country objects, upon the request of the next of kin.
3. In the absence of the agreements provided for in paragraph 2 (b) or (c) and if the home country or such deceased is not willing to arrange at its expense for the maintenance of such gravesites, the High Contracting Party in whose territory the gravesites are situated may offer to facilitate the return of the remains of the deceased to the home country. Where such an offer has not been accepted the High Contracting Party may, after the expiry of five years from the date of the offer and upon due notice to the home country, adopt the arrangements laid down in its own laws relating to cemeteries and graves.
4. A High Contracting Party in whose territory the grave sites referred to in this Article are situated shall be permitted to exhume the remains only:
(a) in accordance with paragraphs 2 (c) and 3, or
(b) where exhumation is a matter or overriding public necessity, including cases of medical and investigative necessity, in which case the High Contracting Party shall at all times respect the remains, and shall give notice to the home country or its intention to exhume the remains together with details of the intended place of reinterment.
Methods and Means of Warfare; Combatant and Prisoners-Of-War
Methods and Means of Warfare
Article 35 - Basic rules
1. In any armed conflict, the right of the Parties to the conflict to choose methods or means of warfare is not unlimited.
2. It is prohibited to employ weapons, projectiles and material and methods of warfare of a nature to cause superfluous injury or unnecessary suffering.
3. It is prohibited to employ methods or means of warfare which are intended, or may be expected, to cause widespread, long-term and severe damage to the natural environment.
Article 36 - New weapons
In the study, development, acquisition or adoption of a new weapon, means or method of warfare, a High Contracting Party is under an obligation to determine whether its employment would, in some or all circumstances, be prohibited by this Protocol or by any other rule of international law applicable to the High Contracting Party.
Article 37 - Prohibition of Perfidy
1. It is prohibited to kill, injure or capture an adversary y resort to perfidy. Acts inviting the confidence of an adversary to lead him to believe that he is entitled to, or is obliged to accord, protection under the rules of international law applicable in armed conflict, with intent to betray that confidence, shall constitute perfidy. The following acts are examples of perfidy:
(a) the feigning of an intent to negotiate under a flag of truce or of a surrender;
(b) the feigning of an incapacitation by wounds or sickness;
(c) the feigning of civilian, non-combatant status; and
(d) the feigning of protected status by the use of signs, emblems or uniforms of the United Nations or of neutral or other States not Parties to the conflict.
2. Ruses of war are not prohibited. Such ruses are acts which are intended to mislead an adversary or to induce him to act recklessly but which infringe no rule of international law applicable in armed conflict and which are not perfidious because they do not invite the confidence of an adversary with respect to protection under that law. The following are examples of such ruses: the use of camouflage, decoys, mock operations and misinformation.
Article 38 - Recognized emblems
1. It is prohibited to make improper use of the distinctive emblem of the red cross, red crescent or red lion and sun or of other emblems, signs or signals provided for by the Conventions or by this Protocol. It is also prohibited to misuse deliberately in an armed conflict other internationally recognized protective emblems, signs or signals, including the flag of truce, and the protective emblem of cultural property.
2. It is prohibited to make use of the distinctive emblem of the United Nations, except as authorized by that Organization.
Article 39 - Emblems of nationality
1. It is prohibited to make use in an armed conflict of the flags or military emblems, insignia or uniforms of neutral or other States not Parties to the conflict.
2. It is prohibited to make use of the flags or military emblems, insignia or uniforms of adverse Partie while engaging in attacks or in order to shield, favour, protect or impede military operations.
3. Nothing in this Article or in Article 37, paragraph 1 (d), shall affect the existing generally recognized rules of international law applicable to espionage or to the use of flags in the conduct of armed conflict at sea.
Article 40 - Quarter
It is prohibited to order that there shall be no survivors, to threaten an adversary therewith or to conduct hostilities on this basis.
Article 41 - Safeguard of an enemy hors de combat
1. A person who is recognized or who, in the circumstances, should be recognized to be hors de combat shall not be made the object of attack.
2. A person is hors de combat if:
(a) he is in the power of an adverse Party;
(b) he clearly expresses an intention to surrender; or
(c) he has been rendered unconscious or is otherwise incapacitated by wounds or sickness, and therefore is incapable of defending himself;
provided that in any of these cases he abstains from any hostile act and does not attempt to escape.
3. When persons entitled to protection as prisoners of war have fallen into the power of an adverse Party under unusual conditions of combat which prevent their evacuation as provided for in Part III, Section I, of the Third Convention, they shall be released and all feasible precautions shall be taken to ensure their safety.
Article 42 - Occupants of aircraft
1. No person parachuting from an aircraft in distress shall be made the object of attack during his descent.
2. Upon reaching the ground in territory controlled by an adverse Party, a person who has parachuted from an aircraft in distress shall be given an opportunity to surrender before being made the object of attack, unless it is apparent that he is engaging in a hostile act.
3. Airborne troops are not protected by this Article.
Combatants and Prisoners of War
Article 43 - Armed forces
1. The armed forces of a Party to a conflict consist of all organized armed forces, groups and units which are under a command responsible to that Party for the conduct or its subordinates, even if that Party is represented by a government or an authority not recognized by an adverse Party. Such armed forces shall be subject to an internal disciplinary system which, inter alia, shall enforce compliance with the rules of international law applicable in armed conflict.
2. Members of the armed forces of a Party to a conflict (other than medical personnel and chaplains covered by Article 33 of the Third Convention) are combatants, that is to say, they have the right to participate directly in hostilities.
3. Whenever a Party to a conflict incorporates a paramilitary or armed law enforcement agency into its armed forces it shall so notify the other Parties to the conflict.
Article 44 - Combatants and prisoners of war
1. Any combatant, as defined in Article 43, who falls into the power of an adverse Party shall be a prisoner of war.
2. While all combatants are obliged to comply with the rules of international law applicable in armed conflict, violations of these rules shall not deprive a combatant of his right to be a combatant or, if he falls into the power of an adverse Party, of his right to be a prisoner of war, except as provided in paragraphs 3 and 4.
3. In order to promote the protection of the civilian population from the effects of hostilities, combatants are obliged to distinguish themselves from the civilian population while they are engaged in an attack or in a military operation preparatory to an attack. Recognizing, however, that there are situations in armed conflicts where, owing to the nature of the hostilities an armed combatant cannot so distinguish himself, he shall retain his status as a combatant, provided that, in such situations, he carries his arms openly:
(a) during each military engagement, and
(b) during such time as he is visible to the adversary while he is engaged in a military deployment preceding the launching of an attack in which he is to participate.
Acts which comply with the requirements of this paragraph shall not be considered as perfidious within the meaning of Article 37, paragraph 1 (c).
4. A combatant who falls into the power of an adverse Party while failing to meet the requirements set forth in the second sentence of paragraph 3 shall forfeit his right to be a prisoner of war, but he shall, nevertheless, be given protections equivalent in all respects to those accorded to prisoners of war by the Third Convention and by this Protocol. This protection includes protections equivalent to those accorded to prisoners of war by the Third Convention in the case where such a person is tried and punished for any offences he has committed.
5. Any combatant who falls into the power of an adverse Party while not engaged in an attack or in a military operation preparatory to an attack shall not forfeit his rights to be a combatant and a prisoner of war by virtue of his prior activities .
6. This Article is without prejudice to the right of any person to be a prisoner of war pursuant to Article 4 of the Third Convention.
7. This Article is not intended to change the generally accepted practice of States with respect to the wearing of the uniform by combatants assigned to the regular, uniformed armed units of a Party to the conflict.
8. In addition to the categories of persons mentioned in Article 13 of the First and Second Conventions, all members of the armed forces of a Party to the conflict, as defined in Article 43 of this Protocol, shall be entitled to protection under those Conventions if they are wounded or sick or, in the case of the Second Convention, shipwrecked at sea or in other waters.
Article 45 - Protection of persons who have taken part in hostilities
1. A person who takes part in hostilities and falls into the power of an adverse Party shall be presumed to be a prisoner of war, and therefore shall be protected by the Third Convention, if he claims the status of prisoner of war, or if he appears to be entitled to such status, or if the Party on which he depends claims such status on his behalf by notification to the detaining Power or to the Protecting Power. Should any doubt arise as to whether any such person is entitled to the status of prisoner of war, he shall continue to have such status and, therefore, to be protected by the Third Convention and this Protocol until such time as his status has been determined by a competent tribunal.
2. If a person who has fallen into the power of an adverse Party is not held as a prisoner of war and is to be tried by that Party for an offence arising out of the hostilities, he shall have the right to assert his entitlement to prisoner-of-war status before a judicial tribunal and to have that question adjudicated. Whenever possible under the applicable procedure, this adjudication shall occur before the trial for the offence. The representatives of the Protecting Power shall be entitled to attend the proceedings in which that question is adjudicated, unless, exceptionally, the proceedings are held in camera in the interest of State security. In such a case the detaining Power shall advise the Protecting Power accordingly.
3. Any person who has taken part in hostilities, who is not entitled to prisoner-of-war status and who does not benefit from more favourable treatment in accordance with the Fourth Convention shall have the right at all times to the protection of Article 75 of this Protocol. In occupied territory, any such person, unless he is held as a spy, shall also be entitled, notwithstanding Article 5 of the Fourth Convention, to his rights of communication under that Convention.
Article 46 - Spies
1. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Conventions or of this Protocol, any member of the armed forces of a Party to the conflict who falls into the power of an adverse Party while engaging in espionage shall not have the right to the status of prisoner of war and may be treated as a spy.
2. A member of the armed forces of a Party to the conflict who, on behalf of that Party and in territory controlled by an adverse Party, gathers or attempts to gather information shall not be considered as engaging in espionage if, while so acting, he is in the uniform of his armed forces.
3. A member of the armed forces of a Party to the conflict who is a resident of territory occupied by an adverse Party and who, on behalf of the Party on which he depends, gathers or attempts to gather information of military value within that territory shall not be considered as engaging in espionage unless he does so through an act of false pretences or deliberately in a clandestine manner. Moreover, such a resident shall not lose his right to the status of prisoner of war and may not be treated as a spy unless he is captured while engaging in espionage.
4. A member of the armed forces of a Party to the conflict who is not a resident of territory occupied by an adverse Party and who has engaged in espionage in that territory shall not lose his right to the status of prisoner of war and may not be treated as a spy unless he is captured before he has rejoined the armed forces to which he belongs.
Article 47 - Mercenaries
1. A mercenary shall not have the right to be a combatant or a prisoner of war.
2. A mercenary is any person who:
(a) is specially recruited locally or abroad in order to fight in an armed conflict;
(b) does, in fact, take a direct part in the hostilities;
(c) is motivated to take part in the hostilities essentially by the desire for private gain and, in fact, is promised, by or on behalf of a Party to the conflict, material compensation substantially in excess of that promised or paid to combatants of similar ranks and functions in the armed forces of that Party;
(d) is neither a national of a Party to the conflict nor a resident of territory controlled by a Party to the conflict;
(e) is not a member of the armed forces of a Party to the conflict; and
(f) has not been sent by a State which is not a Party to the conflict on official duty as a member of its armed forces.
Civilian Population
General Protection Against Effects of Hostilities
Basic rule and field of application
Article 48 - Basic rule
In order to ensure respect for and protection of the civilian population and civilian objects, the Parties to the conflict shall at all times distinguish between the civilian population and combatants and between civilian objects and military objectives and accordingly shall direct their operations only against military objectives.
Article 49 - Definition of attacks and scope of application
1. "Attacks" means acts of violence against the adversary, whether in offence or in defence.
2. The provisions of this Protocol with respect to attacks apply to all attacks in whatever territory conducted, including the national territory belonging to a Party to the conflict but under the control of an adverse Party.
3. The provisions of this section apply to any land, air or sea warfare which may affect the civilian population, individual civilians or civilian objects on land. They further apply to all attacks from the sea or from the air against objectives on land but do not otherwise affect the rules of international law applicable in armed conflict at sea or in the air.
4. The provisions of this section are additional to the rules concerning humanitarian protection contained in the Fourth Convention, particularly in part II thereof, and in other international agreements binding upon the High Contracting Parties, as well as to other rules of international law relating to the protection of civilians and civilian objects on land, at sea or in the air against the effects of hostilities.
Civilians and civilian population
Article 50 - Definition of civilians and civilian population
1. A civilian is any person who does not belong to one of the categories of persons referred to in Article 4 (A) (1), (2), (3) and (6) of the Third Convention and in Article 43 of this Protocol. In case of doubt whether a person is a civilian, that person shall be considered to be a civilian.
2. The civilian population comprises all persons who are civilians.
3. The presence within the civilian population of individuals who do not come within the definition of civilians does not deprive the population of its civilian character.
Article 51 - Protection of the civilian population
1. The civilian population and individual civilians shall enjoy general protection against dangers arising from military operations. To give effect to this protection, the following rules, which are additional to other applicable rules of international law, shall be observed in all circumstances.
2. The civilian population as such, as well as individual civilians, shall not be the object of attack. Acts or threats of violence the primary purpose of which is to spread terror among the civilian population are prohibited.
3. Civilians shall enjoy the protection afforded by this section, unless and for such time as they take a direct part in hostilities.
4. Indiscriminate attacks are prohibited. Indiscriminate attacks are:
(a) those which are not directed at a specific military objective;
(b) those which employ a method or means of combat which cannot be directed at a specific military objective; or
(c) those which employ a method or means of combat the effects of which cannot be limited as required by this Protocol;
and consequently, in each such case, are of a nature to strike military objectives and civilians or civilian objects without distinction.
5. Among others, the following types of attacks are to be considered as indiscriminate:
(a) an attack by bombardment by any methods or means which treats as a single military objective a number of clearly separated and distinct military objectives located in a city, town, village or other area containing a similar concentration of civilians or civilian objects; and
(b) an attack which may be expected to cause incidental loss of civilian life, injury to civilians, damage to civilian objects, or a combination thereof, which would be excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated.
6. Attacks against the civilian population or civilians by way of reprisals are prohibited.
7. The presence or movements of the civilian population or individual civilians shall not be used to render certain points or areas immune from military operations, in particular in attempts to shield military objectives from attacks or to shield, favour or impede military operations. The Parties to the conflict shall not direct the movement of the civilian population or individual civilians in order to attempt to shield military objectives from attacks or to shield military operations.
8. Any violation of these prohibitions shall not release the Parties to the conflict from their legal obligations with respect to the civilian population and civilians, including the obligation to take the precautionary measures provided for in Article 57.
Civilian objects
Article 52 - General Protection of civilian objects
1. Civilian objects shall not be the object of attack or of reprisals. Civilian objects are all objects which are not military objectives as defined in paragraph 2.
2. Attacks shall be limited strictly to military objectives. In so far as objects are concerned, military objectives are limited to those objects which by their nature, location, purpose or use make an effective contribution to military action and whose total or partial destruction, capture or neutralization, in the circumstances ruling at the time, offers a definite military advantage.
3. In case of doubt whether an object which is normally dedicated to civilian purposes, such as a place of worship, a house or other dwelling or a school, is being used to make an effective contribution to military action, it shall be presumed not to be so used.
Article 53 - Protection of cultural objects and of places of worship
Without prejudice to the provisions of the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict of 14 May 1954, and of other relevant international instruments, it is prohibited:
(a) to commit any acts of hostility directed against the historic monuments, works of art or places of worship which constitute the cultural or spiritual heritage of peoples;
(b) to use such objects in support of the military effort;
(c) to make such objects the object of reprisals.
Article 54 - Protection of objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population
1. Starvation of civilians as a method of warfare is prohibited.
2. It is prohibited to attack, destroy, remove or render useless objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population, such as food-stuffs, agricultural areas for the production of food-stuffs, crops, livestock, drinking water installations and supplies and irrigation works, for the specific purpose of denying them for their sustenance value to the civilian population or to the adverse Party, whatever the motive, whether in order to starve out civilians, to cause them to move away, or for any other motive.
3. The prohibitions in paragraph 2 shall not apply to such of the objects covered by it as are used by an adverse Party:
(a) as sustenance solely for the members of its armed forces; or
(b) if not as sustenance, then in direct support of military action, provided, however, that in no event shall actions against these objects be taken which may be expected to leave the civilian population with such inadequate food or water as to cause its starvation or force its movement.
4. These objects shall not be made the object of reprisals.
5. In recognition of the vital requirements of any Party to the conflict in the defence of its national territory against invasion, derogation from the prohibitions contained in paragraph 2 may be made by a Party to the conflict within such territory under its own control where required by imperative military necessity.
Article 55 - Protection of the natural environment
1. Care shall be taken in warfare to protect the natural environment against widespread, long-term and severe damage. This protection includes a prohibition of the use of methods or means of warfare which are intended or may be expected to cause such damage to the natural environment and thereby to prejudice the health or survival of the population.
2. Attacks against the natural environment by way of reprisals are prohibited.
Article 56 - Protection of works and installations containing dangerous forces
1. Works or installations containing dangerous forces, namely dams, dykes and nuclear electrical generating stations, shall not be made the object of attack, even where these objects are military objectives, if such attack may cause the release of dangerous forces and consequent severe losses among the civilian population. Other military objectives located at or in the vicinity of these works or installations shall not be made the object of attack if such attack may cause the release of dangerous forces from the works or installations and consequent severe losses among the civilian population.
2. The special protection against attack provided by paragraph 1 shall cease:
(a) for a dam or a dyke only if it is used for other than its normal function and in regular, significant and direct support of military operations and if such attack is the only feasible way to terminate such support;
(b) for a nuclear electrical generating station only if it provides electric power in regular, significant and direct support of military operations and if such attack is the only feasible way to terminate such support;
(c) for other military objectives located at or in the vicinity of these works or installations only if they are used in regular, significant and direct support of military operations and if such attack is the only feasible way to terminate such support.
3. In all cases, the civilian population and individual civilians shall remain entitled to all the protection accorded them by international law, including the protection of the precautionary measures provided for in Article 57. If the protection Ceases and any of the works, installations or military objectives mentioned in paragraph 1 is attacked, all practical precautions shall be taken to avoid the release of the dangerous forces.
4. It is prohibited to make any of the works, installations or military objectives mentioned in paragraph 1 the object of reprisals.
5. The Parties to the conflict shall endeavour to avoid locating any military objectives in the vicinity of the works or installations mentioned in paragraph 1. Nevertheless, installations erected for the sole purpose of defending the protected works or installations from attack are permissible and shall not themselves be made the object of attack, provided that they are not used in hostilities except for defensive actions necessary to respond to attacks against the protected works or installations and that their armament is limited to weapons capable only of repelling hostile action against the protected works or installations.
6. The High Contracting Parties and the Parties to the conflict are urged to conclude further agreements among themselves to provide additional protection for objects containing dangerous forces.
7. In order to facilitate the identification of the objects protected by this article, the Parties to the conflict may mark them with a special sign consisting of a group of three bright orange circles placed on the same axis, as specified in Article 16 of Annex I to this Protocol [Article 17 of Amended Annex]. The absence of such marking in no way relieves any Party to the conflict of its obligations under this Article.
Article 57 - Precautions in attack
1. In the conduct of military operations, constant care shall be taken to spare the civilian population, civilians and civilian objects.
2. With respect to attacks, the following precautions shall be taken:
(a) those who plan or decide upon an attack shall:
(i) do everything feasible to verify that the objectives to be attacked are neither civilians nor civilian objects and are not subject to special protection but are military objectives within the meaning of paragraph 2 of Article 52 and that it is not prohibited by the provisions of this Protocol to attack them;
(ii) take all feasible precautions in the choice of means and methods of attack with a view to avoiding, and in any event to minimizing, incidental loss or civilian life, injury to civilians and damage to civilian objects;
(iii) refrain from deciding to launch any attack which may be expected to cause incidental loss of civilian life, injury to civilians, damage to civilian objects, or a combination thereof, which would be excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated;
(b) an attack shall be cancelled or suspended if it becomes apparent that the objective is not a military one or is subject to special protection or that the attack may be expected to cause incidental loss of civilian life, injury to civilians, damage to civilian objects, or a combination thereof, which would be excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated;
(c) effective advance warning shall be given of attacks which may affect the civilian population, unless circumstances do not permit.
3. When a choice is possible between several military objectives for obtaining a similar military advantage, the objective to be selected shall be that the attack on which may be expected to cause the least danger to civilian lives and to civilian objects.
4. In the conduct of military operations at sea or in the air, each Party to the conflict shall, in conformity with its rights and duties under the rules of international law applicable in armed conflict, take all reasonable precautions to avoid losses of civilian lives and damage to civilian objects.
5. No provision of this article may be construed as authorizing any attacks against the civilian population, civilians or civilian objects.
Article 58 - Precautions against the effects of attacks
The Parties to the conflict shall, to the maximum extent feasible:
(a) without prejudice to Article 49 of the Fourth Convention, endeavour to remove the civilian population, individual civilians and civilian objects under their control from the vicinity of military objectives;
(b) avoid locating military objectives within or near densely populated areas;
(c) take the other necessary precautions to protect the civilian population, individual civilians and civilian objects under their control against the dangers resulting from military operations.
Localities and zones under special protection
Article 59 - Non-defended localities
1. It is prohibited for the Parties to the conflict to attack, by any means whatsoever, non-defended localities.
2. The appropriate authorities of a Party to the conflict may declare as a non-defended locality any inhabited place near or in a zone where armed forces are in contact which is open for occupation by an adverse Party.
Such a locality shall fulfil the following conditions:
(a) all combatants, as well as mobile weapons and mobile military equipment must have been evacuated;
(b) no hostile use shall be made of fixed military installations or establishments;
(c) no acts of hostility shall be committed by the authorities or by the population; and
(d) no activities in support of military operations shall be undertaken.
3. The presence, in this locality, of persons specially protected under the Conventions and this Protocol, and of police forces retained for the sole purpose of maintaining law and order, is not contrary to the conditions laid down in paragraph 2.
4. The declaration made under paragraph 2 shall be addressed to the adverse Party and shall define and describe, as precisely as possible, the limits of the non-defended locality. The Party to the conflict to which the declaration is addressed shall acknowledge its receipt and shall treat the locality as a non-defended locality unless the conditions laid down in paragraph 2 are not in fact fulfilled, in which event it shall immediately so inform the Party making the declaration. Even if the conditions laid down in paragraph 2 are not fulfilled, the locality shall continue to enjoy the protection provided by the other provisions of this Protocol and the other rules of international law applicable in armed conflict.
5. The Parties to the conflict may agree on the establishment of non-defended localities even if such localities do not fulfil the conditions laid down in paragraph 2. The agreement should define and describe, as precisely as possible, the limits of the non-defended locality; if necessary, it may lay down the methods of supervision.
6. The Party which is in control of a locality governed by such an agreement shall mark it, so far as possible, by such signs as may be agreed upon with the other Party, which shall be displayed where they are clearly visible, especially on its perimeter and limits and on highways.
7. A locality loses its status as a non-defended locality when its ceases to fulfil the conditions laid down in paragraph 2 or in the agreement referred to in paragraph 5. In such an eventuality, the locality shall continue to enjoy the protection provided by the other provisions of this Protocol and the other rules of international law applicable in armed conflict.
Article 60 - Demilitarized zones
1. It is prohibited for the Parties to the conflict to extend their military operations to zones on which they have conferred by agreement the status of demilitarized zone, if such extension is contrary to the terms of this agreement.
2. The agreement shall be an express agreement, may be concluded verbally or in writing, either directly or through a Protecting Power or any impartial humanitarian organization, and may consist of reciprocal and concordant declarations. The agreement may be concluded in peacetime, as well as after the outbreak of hostilities, and should define and describe, as precisely as possible, the limits of the demilitarized zone and, if necessary, lay down the methods of supervision.
3. The subject of such an agreement shall normally be any zone which fulfils the following conditions:
(a) all combatants, as well as mobile weapons and mobile military equipment, must have been evacuated;
(d) any activity linked to the military effort must have ceased.
The Parties to the conflict shall agree upon the interpretation to be given to the condition laid down in subparagraph (d) and upon persons to be admitted to the demilitarized zone other than those mentioned in paragraph 4.
4. The presence, in this zone, of persons specially protected under the Conventions and this Protocol, and of police forces retained for the sole purpose of maintaining law and order, is not contrary to the conditions laid down in paragraph 3.
5. The Party which is in control of such a zone shall mark it, so far as possible, by such signs as may be agreed upon with the other Party, which shall be displayed where they are clearly visible, especially onits perimeter and limits and on highways.
6. If the fighting draws near to a demilitarized zone, and if the Parties to the conflict have so agreed, none of them may use the zone for purposes related to the conduct of military operations or unilaterally revoke its status.
7. If one of the Parties to the conflict commits a material breach of the provisions of paragraphs 3 or 6, the other Party shall be released from its obligations under the agreement conferring upon the zone the status of demilitarized zone. In such an eventuality, the zone loses its status but shall continue to enjoy the protection provided by the other provisions of this Protocol and the other rules of international law applicable in armed conflict.
Article 61 - Definitions and scope
For the purpose of this Protocol:
(1) "Civil defence" means the performance of some or all of the undermentioned humanitarian tasks intended to protect the civilian population against the dangers, and to help it to recover from the immediate effects, of hostilities or disasters and also to provide the conditions necessary for its survival. These tasks are:
(a) warning;
(b) evacuation;
(c) management of shelters;
(d) management of blackout measures;
(e) rescue;
(f) medical services, including first aid, and religious assistance;
(g) fire-fighting;
(h) detection and marking of danger areas;
(i) decontamination and similar protective measures;
(j) provision of emergency accommodation and supplies;
(k) emergency assistance in the restoration and maintenance of order in distressed areas;
(l) emergency repair of indispensable public utilities;
(m) emergency disposal of the dead;
(n) assistance in the preservation of objects essential for survival;
(o) complementary activities necessary to carry out any of the tasks mentioned above, including, but not limited to, planning and organization;
(2) "Civil defence organizations" means those establishments and other units which are organized or authorized by the competent authorities of a Party to the conflict to perform any of the tasks mentioned under (1), and which are assigned and devoted exclusively to such tasks;
(3) "Personnel" of civil defence organizations means those persons assigned by a Party to the conflict exclusively to the performance of the tasks mentioned under (1), including personnel assigned by the competent authority of that Party exclusively to the administration of these organizations;
(4) "Matériel" of civil defence organizations means equipment, supplies and transports used by these organizations for the performance of the tasks mentioned under (1).
Article 62 - General protection
1. Civilian civil defence organizations and their personnel shall be respected and protected, subject to the provisions of this Protocol, particularly the provisions of this section. They shall be entitled to perform their civil defence tasks except in case of imperative military necessity.
2. The provisions of paragraph 1 shall also apply to civilians who, although not members of civilian civil defence organizations, respond to an appeal from the competent authorities and perform civil defence tasks under their control.
3. Buildings and matériel used for civil defence purposes and shelters provided for the civilian population are covered by Article 52. Objects used for civil defence purposes may not be destroyed or diverted from their proper use except by the Party to which they belong.
Article 63 - Civil defence in occupied territories
1. In occupied territories, civilian civil defence organizations shall receive from the authorities the facilities necessary for the performance of their tasks. In no Circumstances shall their personnel be compelled to perform activities which would interfere with the proper performance of these tasks. The Occupying Power shall not change the structure or personnel of such organizations in any way which might jeopardize the efficient performance of their mission. These organizations shall not be required to give priority to the nationals or interests of that Power.
2. The Occupying Power shall not compel, coerce or induce civilian civil defence organizations to perform their tasks in any manner prejudicial to the interests of the civilian population.
3. The Occupying Power may disarm civil defence personnel for reasons of security.
4. The Occupying Power shall neither divert from their proper use nor requisition buildings or matériel belonging to or used by civil defence organizations if such diversion or requisition would be harmful to the civilian population.
5. Provided that the general rule in paragraph 4 continues to be observed, the Occupying Power may requisition or divert these resources, subject to the following particular conditions:
(a) that the buildings or matériel are necessary for other needs of the civilian population; and
(b) that the requisition or diversion continues only while such necessity exists.
6. The Occupying Power shall neither divert nor requisition shelters provided for the use of the civilian population or needed by such population.
Article 64 - Civilian civil defence organizations of neutral or other States not Parties to the conflict and international co-ordinating organizations
1. Articles 62, 63, 65 and 66 shall also apply to the personnel and matériel of civilian civil defence organizations of neutral or other States not Parties to the conflict which perform civil defence tasks mentioned in Article 61 in the territory of a Party to the conflict, with the consent and under the control of that Party. Notification of such assistance shall be given as soon as possible to any adverse Party concerned. In no circumstances shall this activity be deemed to be an interference in the conflict. This activity should, however, be performed with due regard to the security interests of the Parties to the conflict concerned.
2. The Parties to the conflict receiving the assistance referred to in paragraph 1 and the High Contracting Parties granting it should facilitate international co-ordination of such civil defence actions when appropriate. In such cases the relevant international organizations are covered by the provisions of this Chapter.
3. In occupied territories, the Occupying Power may only exclude or restrict the activities of civilian civil defence organizations of neutral or other States not Parties to the conflict and of international co-ordinating organizations if it can ensure the adequate performance of civil defence tasks from its own resources or those of the occupied territory.
Article 65 - Cessation of protection
1. The protection to which civilian civil defence organizations, their personnel, buildings, shelters and matériel are entitled shall not cease unless they commit or are used to commit, outside their proper tasks, acts harmful to the enemy. Protection may, however, cease only after a warning has been given setting, whenever appropriate, a reasonable time-limit, and after such warning has remained unheeded.
(a) that civil defence tasks are carried out under the direction or control of military authorities;
(b) that civilian civil defence personnel co-operate with military personnel in the performance of civil defence tasks, or that some military personnel are attached to civilian civil defence organizations;
(c) that the performance of civil defence tasks may incidentally benefit military victims, particularly those who are hors de combat.
3. It shall also not be considered as an act harmful to the enemy that civilian civil defence personnel bear light individual weapons for the purpose of maintaining order or for self-defence. However, in areas where land fighting is taking place or is likely to take place, the Parties to the conflict shall undertake the appropriate measures to limit these weapons to handguns, such as pistols or revolvers, in order to assist in distinguishing between civil defence personnel and combatants. Although civil defence personnel bear other light individual weapons in such areas, they shall nevertheless be respected and protected as soon as they have been recognized as such.
4. The formation of civilian civil defence organizations along military lines, and compulsory service in them, shall also not deprive them of the protection conferred by this Chapter.
1. Each Party to the conflict shall endeavour to ensure that its civil defence organizations, their personnel, buildings and matériel are identifiable while they are exclusively devoted to the performance of civil defence tasks. Shelters provided for the civilian population should be similarly identifiable.
2. Each Party to the conflict shall also endeavour to adopt and implement methods and procedures which will make it possible to recognize civilian shelters as well as civil defence personnel, buildings and matériel on which the international distinctive sign of civil defence is displayed.
3. In occupied territories and in areas where fighting is taking place or is likely to take place, civilian civil defence personnel should be recognizable by the international distinctive sign of civil defence and by an identity card certifying their status.
4. The international distinctive sign of civil defence is an equilateral blue triangle on an orange ground when used for the protection of civil defence organizations, their personnel, buildings and matériel and for civilian shelters.
5. In addition to the distinctive sign, Parties to the conflict may agree upon the use of distinctive signals for civil defence identification purposes.
6. The application of the provisions of paragraphs 1 to 4 is governed by Chapter V of Annex I to this Protocol.
7. In time of peace, the sign described in paragraph 4 may, with the consent of the competent national authorities, be used for civil defence identification purposes.
8. The High Contracting Parties and the Parties to the conflict shall take the measures necessary to supervise the display of the international distinctive sign of civil defence and to prevent and repress any misuse thereof.
9. The identification of civil defence medical and religious personnel, medical units and medical transports is also governed by Article 18.
Article 67 - Members of the armed forces and military units assigned to civil defence organizations
1. Members of the armed forces and military units assigned to civil defence organizations shall be respected and protected, provided that:
(a) such personnel and such units are permanently assigned and exclusively devoted to the performance of any of the tasks mentioned in Article 61;
(b) if so assigned, such personnel do not perform any other military duties during the conflict;
(c) such personnel are clearly distinguishable from the other members of the armed forces by prominently displaying the international distinctive sign of civil defence, which shall be as large as appropriate, and such personnel are provided with the identity card referred to in Chapter V of Annex I to this Protocol certifying their status;
(d) such personnel and such units are equipped only with light individual weapons for the purpose of maintaining order or for self-defence. The provisions of Article 65, paragraph 3 shall also apply in this case;
(e) such personnel do not participate directly in hostilities, and do not commit, or are not used to commit, outside their civil defence tasks, acts harmful to the adverse Party
(f) such personnel and such units perform their civil defence tasks only within the national territory of their Party.
The non-observance of the conditions stated in (e) above by any member of the armed forces who is bound by the conditions prescribed in (a) and (b) above is prohibited.
2. Military personnel serving within civil defence organizations shall, if they fall into the power of an adverse Party, be prisoners of war. In occupied territory they may, but only in the interest of the civilian population of that territory, be employed on civil defence tasks in so far as the need arises, provided however that, if such work is dangerous, they volunteer for such tasks.
3. The buildings and major items of equipment and transports of military units assigned to civil defence organizations shall be clearly marked with the international distinctive sign of civil defence. This distinctive sign shall be as large as appropriate.
4. The matériel and buildings of military units permanently assigned to civil defence organizations and exclusively devoted to the performance of civil defence tasks shall, if they fall into the hands of an adverse Party, remain subject to the laws of war. They may not be diverted from their civil defence purpose so long as they are required for the performance of civil defence tasks, except in case of imperative military necessity, unless previous arrangements have been made for adequate provision for the needs of the civilian population.
Relief in Favour of the Civilian Population
Article 68 - Field of application
The provisions of this Section apply to the civilian population as defined in this Protocol and are supplementary to Articles 23, 55, 59, 60, 61 and 62 and other relevant provisions of the Fourth Convention.
Article 69 - Basic needs in occupied territories
1. In addition to the duties specified in Article 55 of the Fourth Convention concerning food and medical supplies, the Occupying Power shall, to the fullest extent of the means available to it and without any adverse distinction, also ensure the provision of clothing, bedding, means of shelter, other supplies essential to the survival of the civilian population of the occupied territory and objects necessary for religious worship.
2. Relief actions for the benefit of the civilian population of occupied territories are governed by Articles 59, 60, 61, 62, 108, 109, 110 and 111 of the Fourth Convention, and by Article 71 of this Protocol, and shall be implemented without delay.
Article 70 - Relief actions
1. If the civilian population of any territory under the control of a Party to the conflict, other than occupied territory, is not adequately provided with the supplies mentioned in Article 69, relief actions which are humanitarian and impartial in character and conducted without any adverse distinction shall be undertaken, subject to the agreement of the Parties concerned in such relief actions. Offers of such relief shall not be regarded as interference in the armed conflict or as unfriendly acts. In the distribution of relief consignments, priority shall be given to those persons, such as children, expectant mothers, maternity cases and nursing mothers, who, under the Fourth Convention or under this Protocol, are to be accorded privileged treatment or special protection.
2. The Parties to the conflict and each High Contracting Party shall allow and facilitate rapid and unimpeded passage of all relief consignments, equipment and personnel provided in accordance with this Section, even if such assistance is destined for the civilian population of the adverse Party.
3. The Parties to the conflict and each High Contracting Party which allows the passage of relief consignments, equipment and personnel in accordance with paragraph 2:
(a) shall have the right to prescribe the technical arrangements, including search, under which such passage is permitted;
(b) may make such permission conditional on the distribution of this assistance being made under the local supervision of a Protecting Power;
(c) shall, in no way whatsoever, divert relief consignments from the purpose for which they are intended nor delay their forwarding, except in cases of urgent necessity in the interest of the civilian population concerned.
4. The Parties to the conflict shall protect relief consignments and facilitate their rapid distribution.
5. The Parties to the conflict and each High Contracting Party concerned shall encourage and facilitate effective international co-ordination of the relief actions referred to in paragraph 1.
Article 71 - Personnel participating in relief actions
1. Where necessary, relief personnel may form part of the assistance provided in any relief action, in particular for the transportation and distribution of relief consignments; the participation of such personnel shall be subject to the approval of the Party in whose territory they will carry out their duties.
2. Such personnel shall be respected and protected.
3. Each Party in receipt of relief consignments shall, to the fullest extent practicable, assist the relief personnel referred to in paragraph 1 in carrying out their relief mission. Only in case of imperative military necessity may the activities of the relief personnel be limited or their movements temporarily restricted.
4. Under no circumstances may relief personnel exceed the terms of their mission under this Protocol. In particular they shall take account of the security requirements of the Party in whose territory they are carrying out their duties. The mission of any of the personnel who do not respect these conditions may be terminated.
Treatment of Persons in the Power of a Party to the Conflict
Field of application and protection of persons and objects
The provisions of this Section are additional to the rules concerning humanitarian protection of civilians and civilian objects in the power of a Party to the conflict contained in the Fourth Convention, particularly Parts I and III thereof, as well as to other applicable rules of international law relating to the protection of fundamental human rights during international armed conflict.
Article 73 - Refugees and stateless persons
Persons who, before the beginning of hostilities, were considered as stateless persons or refugees under the relevant international instruments accepted by the Parties concerned or under the national legislation of the State of refuge or State of residence shall be protected persons within the meaning of Parts I and III of the Fourth Convention, in all circumstances and without any adverse distinction.
Article 74 - Reunion of dispersed families
The High Contracting Parties and the Parties to the conflict shall facilitate in every possible way the reunion of families dispersed as a result of armed conflicts and shall encourage in particular the work of the humanitarian organizations engaged in this task in accordance with the provisions of the Conventions and of this Protocol and in conformity with their respective security regulations.
Article 75 - Fundamental guarantees
1. In so far as they are affected by a situation referred to in Article 1 of this Protocol, persons who are in the power of a Party to the conflict and who do not benefit from more favourable treatment under the Conventions or under this Protocol shall be treated humanely in all circumstances and shall enjoy, as a minimum, the protection provided by this Article without any adverse distinction based upon race, colour, sex, language, religion or belief, political or other opinion, national or social origin, wealth, birth or other status, or on any other similar criteria. Each Party shall respect the person, honour, convictions and religious practices of all such persons.
2. The following acts are and shall remain prohibited at any time and in any place whatsoever, whether committed by civilian or by military agents:
(a) violence to the life, health, or physical or mental well-being of persons, in particular:
(i) murder;
(ii) torture of all kinds, whether physical or mental;
(iii) corporal punishment; and
(iv) mutilation;
(b) outrages upon personal dignity, in particular humiliating and degrading treatment, enforced prostitution and any form of indecent assault;
(c) the taking of hostages;
(d) collective punishments; and
(e) threats to commit any of the foregoing acts.
3. Any person arrested, detained or interned for actions related to the armed conflict shall be informed promptly, in a language he understands, of the reasons why these measures have been taken. Except in cases of arrest or detention for penal offences, such persons shall be released with the minimum delay possible and in any event as soon as the circumstances justifying the arrest, detention or internment have ceased to exist.
4. No sentence may be passed and no penalty may be executed on a person found guilty of a penal offence related to the armed conflict except pursuant to a conviction pronounced by an impartial and regularly constituted court respecting the generally recognized principles of regular judicial procedure, which include the following:
(a) the procedure shall provide for an accused to be informed without delay of the particulars of the offence alleged against him and shall afford the accused before and during his trial all necessary rights and means of defence;
(b) no one shall be convicted of an offence except on the basis of individual penal responsibility;
(c) no one shall be accused or convicted of a criminal offence on account or any act or omission which did not constitute a criminal offence under the national or international law to which he was subject at the time when it was committed; nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than that which was applicable at the time when the criminal offence was committed; if, after the commission of the offence, provision is made by law for the imposition of a lighter penalty, the offender shall benefit thereby;
(d) anyone charged with an offence is presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law;
(e) anyone charged with an offence shall have the right to be tried in his presence;
(f) no one shall be compelled to testify against himself or to confess guilt;
(g) anyone charged with an offence shall have the right to examine, or have examined, the witnesses against him and to obtain the attendance and examination of witnesses on his behalf under the same conditions as witnesses against him;
(h) no one shall be prosecuted or punished by the same Party for an offence in respect of which a final judgement acquitting or convicting that person has been previously pronounced under the same law and judicial procedure;
(i) anyone prosecuted for an offence shall have the right to have the judgement pronounced publicly; and
(j) a convicted person shall be advised on conviction or his judicial and other remedies and of the time-limits within which they may be exercised.
5. Women whose liberty has been restricted for reasons related to the armed conflict shall be held in quarters separated from men's quarters. They shall be under the immediate supervision of women. Nevertheless, in cases where families are detained or interned, they shall, whenever possible, be held in the same place and accommodated as family units.
6. Persons who are arrested, detained or interned for reasons related to the armed conflict shall enjoy the protection provided by this Article until their final release, repatriation or re-establishment, even after the end of the armed conflict.
7. In order to avoid any doubt concerning the prosecution and trial of persons accused of war crimes or crimes against humanity, the following principles shall apply:
(a) persons who are accused or such crimes should be submitted for the purpose of prosecution and trial in accordance with the applicable rules of international law; and
(b) any such persons who do not benefit from more favourable treatment under the Conventions or this Protocol shall be accorded the treatment provided by this Article, whether or not the crimes of which they are accused constitute grave breaches of the Conventions or of this Protocol.
8. No provision of this Article may be construed as limiting or infringing any other more favourable provision granting greater protection, under any applicable rules of international law, to persons covered by paragraph 1
Measures in favour of women and children
Article 76 - Protection of women
1. Women shall be the object of special respect and shall be protected in particular against rape, forced prostitution and any other form of indecent assault.
2. Pregnant women and mothers having dependent infants who are arrested, detained or interned for reasons related to the armed conflict, shall have their cases considered with the utmost priority.
3. To the maximum extent feasible, the Parties to the conflict shall endeavour to avoid the pronouncement of the death penalty on pregnant women or mothers having dependent infants, for an offence related to the armed conflict. The death penalty for such offences shall not be executed on such women.
Article 77 - Protection of children
1. Children shall be the object of special respect and shall be protected against any form of indecent assault. The Parties to the conflict shall provide them with the care and aid they require, whether because of their age or for any other reason.
2. The Parties to the conflict shall take all feasible measures in order that children who have not attained the age of fifteen years do not take a direct part in hostilities and, in particular, they shall refrain from recruiting them into their armed forces. In recruiting among those persons who have attained the age of fifteen years but who have not attained the age of eighteen years the Parties to the conflict shall endeavour to give priority to those who are oldest.
3. If, in exceptional cases, despite the provisions of paragraph 2, children who have not attained the age of fifteen years take a direct part in hostilities and fall into the power of an adverse Party, they shall continue to benefit from the special protection accorded by this Article, whether or not they are prisoners of war.
4. If arrested, detained or interned for reasons related to the armed conflict, children shall be held in quarters separate from the quarters of adults, except where families are accommodated as family units as provided in Article 75, paragraph 5.
5. The death penalty for an offence related to the armed conflict shall not be executed on persons who had not attained the age of eighteen years at the time the offence was committed.
Article 78 - Evacuation of children
1. No Party to the conflict shall arrange for the evacuation of children, other than its own nationals, to a foreign country except for a temporary evacuation where compelling reasons of the health or medical treatment of the children or, except in occupied territory, their safety, so require. Where the parents or legal guardians can be found, their written consent to such evacuation is required. If these persons cannot be found, the written consent to such evacuation of the persons who by law or custom are primarily responsible for the care of the children is required. Any such evacuation shall be supervised by the Protecting Power in agreement with the Parties concerned, namely, the Party arranging for the evacuation, the Party receiving the children and any Parties whose nationals are being evacuated. In each case, all Parties to the conflict shall take all feasible precautions to avoid endangering the evacuation.
2. Whenever an evacuation occurs pursuant to paragraph 1, each child's education, including his religious and moral education as his parents desire, shall be provided while he is away with the greatest possible continuity.
3. With a view to facilitating the return to their families and country of children evacuated pursuant to this Article, the authorities of the Party arranging for the evacuation and, as appropriate, the authorities of the receiving country shall establish for each child a card with photographs, which they shall send to the Central Tracing Agency of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Each card shall bear, whenever possible, and whenever it involves no risk of harm to the child, the following information:
(a) surname(s) of the child;
(b) the child's first name(s);
(c) the child's sex;
(d) the place and date of birth (or, if that date is not known, the approximate age);
(e) the father's full name;
(f) the mother's full name and her maiden name;
(g) the child's next-of-kin;
(h) the child's nationality;
(i) the child's native language, and any other languages he speaks;
(j) the address of the child's family;
(k) any identification number for the child;
(l) the child's state of health;
(m) the child's blood group;
(n) any distinguishing features;
(o) the date on which and the place where the child was found;
(p) the date on which and the place from which the child left the country;
(q) the child's religion, if any;
(r) the child's present address in the receiving country;
(s) should the child die before his return, the date, place and circumstances of death and place of interment.
Article 79 - Measures or protection for journalists
1. Journalists engaged in dangerous professional missions in areas of armed conflict shall be considered as civilians within the meaning of Article 50, paragraph 1.
2. They shall be protected as such under the Conventions and this Protocol, provided that they take no action adversely affecting their status as civilians, and without prejudice to the right of war correspondents accredited to the armed forces to the status provided for in Article 4 (A) (4) of the Third Convention.
3. They may obtain an identity card similar to the model in Annex II of this Protocol. This card, which shall be issued by the government of the State of which the Journalist is a national or in whose territory he resides or in which the news medium employing him is located, shall attest to his status as a journalist.
Execution of the Conventions and of its Protocols
Article 80 - Measures for execution
1. The High Contracting Parties and the Parties to the conflict shall without delay take all necessary measures for the execution of their obligations under the Conventions and this Protocol.
2. The High Contracting Parties and the Parties to the conflict shall give orders and instructions to ensure observance of the Conventions and this Protocol, and shall supervise their execution.
Article 81 - Activities of the Red Cross and other humanitarian organizations
1. The Parties to the conflict shall grant to the International Committee of the Red Cross all facilities, within their power so as to enable it to carry out the humanitarian functions assigned to it by the Conventions and this Protocol in order to ensure protection and assistance to the victims of conflicts; the International Committee of the Red Cross may also carry out any other humanitarian activities in favour of these victims, subject to the consent of the Parties to the conflict concerned.
2. The Parties to the conflict shall grant to their respective Red Cross (Red Crescent, Red Lion and Sun) organizations the facilities necessary for carrying out their humanitarian activities in favour of the victims of the conflict, in accordance with the provisions of the Conventions and this Protocol and the fundamental principles of the Red Cross as formulated by the International Conferences of the Red Cross.
3. The High Contracting Parties and the Parties to the conflict shall facilitate in every possible way the assistance which Red Cross (Red Crescent, Red Lion and Sun) organizations and the League of Red Cross Societies extend to the victims of conflicts in accordance with the provisions of the Conventions and this Protocol and with the fundamental principles of the red Cross as formulated by the International Conferences of the Red Cross.
4. The High Contracting Parties and the Parties to the conflict shall, as far as possible, make facilities similar to those mentioned in paragraphs 2 and 3 available to the other humanitarian organizations referred to in the Conventions and this Protocol which are duly authorized by the respective Parties to the conflict and which perform their humanitarian activities in accordance with the provisions of the Conventions and this Protocol.
Article 82 - Legal advisers in armed forces
The High Contracting Parties at all times, and the Parties to the conflict in time of armed conflict, shall ensure that legal advisers are available, when necessary, to advise military commanders at the appropriate level on the application of the Conventions and this Protocol and on the appropriate instruction to be given to the armed forces on this subject.
Article 83 - Dissemination
1. The High Contracting Parties undertake, in time of peace as in time of armed conflict, to disseminate the Conventions and this Protocol as widely as possible in their respective countries and, in particular, to include the study thereof in their programmes of military instruction and to encourage the study thereof by the civilian population, so that those instruments may become known to the armed forces and to the civilian population.
2. Any military or civilian authorities who, in time of armed conflict, assume responsibilities in respect of the application of the Conventions and this Protocol shall be fully acquainted with the text thereof.
Article 84 - Rules of application
The High Contracting Parties shall communicate to one another, as soon as possible, through the depositary and, as appropriate, through the Protecting Powers, their official translations of this Protocol, as well as the laws and regulations which they may adopt to ensure its application.
Repression of Breaches of the Conventions and of this Protocol
Article 85 - Repression of breaches of this Protocol
1. The provisions of the Conventions relating to the repression of breaches and grave breaches, supplemented by this Section, shall apply to the repression of breaches and grave breaches of this Protocol.
2. Acts described as grave breaches in the Conventions are grave breaches of this Protocol if committed against persons in the power of an adverse Party protected by Articles 44, 45 and 73 of this Protocol, or against the wounded, sick and shipwrecked of the adverse Party who are protected by this Protocol, or against those medical or religious personnel, medical units or medical transports which are under the control of the adverse Party and are protected by this Protocol.
3. In addition to the grave breaches defined in Article 11, the following acts shall be regarded as grave breaches of this Protocol, when committed wilfully, in violation of the relevant provisions of this Protocol, and causing death or serious injury to body or health:
(a) making the civilian population or individual civilians the object of attack;
(b) launching an indiscriminate attack affecting the civilian population or civilian objects in the knowledge that such attack will cause excessive loss of life, injury to civilians or damage to civilian objects, as defined in Article 57, paragraph 2 (a)(iii);
(c) launching an attack against works or installations containing dangerous forces in the knowledge that such attack will cause excessive loss of life, injury to civilians or damage to civilian objects, as defined in Article 57, paragraph 2 (a)(iii);
(d) making non-defended localities and demilitarized zones the object of attack;
(e) making a person the object of attack in the knowledge that he is hors de combat;
(f) the perfidious use, in violation of Article 37, of the distinctive emblem of the red cross, red crescent or red lion and sun or of other protective signs recognized by the Conventions or this Protocol.
4. In addition to the grave breaches defined in the preceding paragraphs and in the Conventions, the following shall be regarded as grave breaches of this Protocol, when committed wilfully and in violation of the Conventions or the Protocol:
(a) the transfer by the occupying Power of parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies, or the deportation or transfer of all or parts of the population of the occupied territory within or outside this territory, in violation of Article 49 of the Fourth Convention;
(b) unjustifiable delay in the repatriation of prisoners of war or civilians;
(c) practices of apartheid and other inhuman and degrading practices involving outrages upon personal dignity, based on racial discrimination;
(d) making the clearly-recognized historic monuments, works of art or places of worship which constitute the cultural or spiritual heritage of peoples and to which special protection has been given by special arrangement, for example, within the framework of a competent international organization, the object of attack, causing as a result extensive destruction thereof, where there is no evidence of the violation by the adverse Party of Article 53, subparagraph (b), and when such historic monuments, works of art and places of worship are not located in the immediate proximity of military objectives;
(e) depriving a person protected by the Conventions or referred to in paragraph 2 of this Article of the rights of fair and regular trial.
5. Without prejudice to the application of the Conventions and of this Protocol, grave breaches of these instruments shall be regarded as war crimes.
Article 86 - Failure to act
1. The High Contracting Parties and the Parties to the conflict shall repress grave breaches, and take measures necessary to suppress all other breaches, of the Conventions or of this Protocol which result from a failure to act when under a duty to do so.
2. The fact that a breach of the Conventions or of this Protocol was committed by a subordinate does not absolve his superiors from penal or disciplinary responsibility, as the case may be, if they knew, or had information which should have enabled them to conclude in the circumstances at the time, that he was committing or was going to commit such a breach and if they did not take all feasible measures within their power to prevent or repress the breach.
Article 87 - Duty of commanders
1. The High Contracting Parties and the Parties to the conflict shall require military commanders, with respect to members of the armed forces under their command and other persons under their control, to prevent and, where necessary, to suppress and to report to competent authorities breaches of the Conventions and of this Protocol.
2. In order to prevent and suppress breaches, High Contracting Parties and Parties to the conflict shall require that, commensurate with their level of responsibility, commanders ensure that members of the armed forces under their command are aware of their obligations under the Conventions and this Protocol.
3. The High Contracting Parties and Parties to the conflict shall require any commander who is aware that subordinates or other persons under his control are going to commit or have committed a breach of the Conventions or of this Protocol, to initiate such steps as are necessary to prevent such violations of the Conventions or this Protocol, and, where appropriate, to initiate disciplinary or penal action against violators thereof.
Article 88 - Mutual assistance in criminal matters
1. The High Contracting Parties shall afford one another the greatest measure of assistance in connexion with criminal proceedings brought in respect of grave breaches of the Conventions or of this Protocol.
2. Subject to the rights and obligations established in the Conventions and in Article 85, paragraph 1 of this Protocol, and when circumstances permit, the High Contracting Parties shall co-operate in the matter of extradition. They shall give due consideration to the request of the State in whose territory the alleged offence has occurred.
3. The law of the High Contracting Party requested shall apply in all cases. The provisions of the preceding paragraphs shall not, however, affect the obligations arising from the provisions of any other treaty of a bilateral or multilateral nature which governs or will govern the whole or part of the subject of mutual assistance in criminal matters.
Article 89 - Co-operation
In situations of serious violations or the Conventions or of this Protocol, the High Contracting Parties undertake to act jointly or individually, in co-operation with the United Nations and in conformity with the United Nations Charter.
Article 90 - International Fact-Finding Commission
1. (a) An International Fact-Finding Commission (hereinafter referred to as "the Commission") consisting of 15 members of high moral standing and acknowledged impartiality shall be established;
(b) When not less than 20 High Contracting Parties have agreed to accept the competence of the Commission pursuant to paragraph 2, the depositary shall then, and at intervals of five years thereafter, convene a meeting of representatives of those High Contracting Parties for the purpose of electing the members of the Commission. At the meeting, the representatives shall elect the members of the Commission by secret ballot from a list of persons to which each of those High Contracting Parties may nominate one person;
(c) The members of the Commission shall serve in their personal capacity and shall hold office until the election of new members at the ensuing meeting;
(d) At the election, the High Contracting Parties shall ensure that the persons to be elected to the Commission individually possess the qualifications required and that, in the Commission as a whole, equitable geographical representation is assured;
(e) In the case of a casual vacancy, the Commission itself shall fill the vacancy, having due regard to the provisions of the preceding subparagraphs;
(f) The depositary shall make available to the Commission the necessary administrative facilities for the performance of its functions.
2. (a) The High Contracting Parties may at the time of signing, ratifying or acceding to the Protocol, or at any other subsequent time, declare that they recognize ipso facto and without special agreement, in relation to any other High Contracting Party accepting the same obligation, the competence of the Commission to inquire into allegations by such other Party, as authorized by this Article;
(b) The declarations referred to above shall be deposited with the depositary, which shall transmit copies thereof to the High Contracting Parties;
(c) The Commission shall be competent to:
(i) inquire into any facts alleged to be a grave breach as defined in the Conventions and this Protocol or other serious violation of the Conventions or of this Protocol;
(ii) facilitate, through its good offices, the restoration of an attitude of respect for the Conventions and this Protocol;
(d) In other situations, the Commission shall institute an inquiry at the request of a Party to the conflict only with the consent of the other Party or Parties concerned;
(e) Subject to the foregoing provisions or this paragraph, the provisions of Article 52 of the First Convention, Article 53 of the Second Convention, Article 132 or the Third Convention and Article 149 of the Fourth Convention shall continue to apply to any alleged violation of the Conventions and shall extend to any alleged violation of this Protocol.
3. (a) Unless otherwise agreed by the Parties concerned, all inquiries shall be undertaken by a Chamber consisting of seven members appointed as follows:
(i) five members of the Commission, not nationals of any Party to the conflict, appointed by the President of the Commission on the basis of equitable representation of the geographical areas, after consultation with the Parties to the conflict;
(ii) two ad hoc members, not nationals of any Party to the conflict, one to be appointed by each side;
(b) Upon receipt of the request for an inquiry, the President of the Commission shall specify an appropriate time-limit for setting up a Chamber. If any ad hoc member has not been appointed within the time-limit, the President shall immediately appoint such additional member or members of the Commission as may be necessary to complete the membership of the Chamber.
4. (a) The Chamber set up under paragraph 3 to undertake an inquiry shall invite the Parties to the conflict to assist it and to present evidence. The Chamber may also seek such other evidence as it deems appropriate and may carry out an investigation of the situation in loco;
(b) All evidence shall be fully disclosed to the Parties, which shall have the right to comment on it to the Commission;
(c) Each Party shall have the right to challenge such evidence.
5. (a) The Commission shall submit to the Parties a report on the findings of fact of the Chamber, with such recommendations as it may deem appropriate;
(b) If the Chamber is unable to secure sufficient evidence for factual and impartial findings, the Commission shall state the reasons for that inability;
(c) The Commission shall not report its findings publicly, unless all the Parties to the conflict have requested the Commission to do so.
6. The Commission shall establish its own rules, including rules for the presidency or the Commission and the presidency of the Chamber. Those rules shall ensure that the functions of the President of the Commission are exercised at all times and that, in the case of an inquiry, they are exercised by a person who is not a national of a Party to the conflict.
7. The administrative expenses of the Commission shall be met by contributions from the High Contracting Parties which made declarations under paragraph 2, and by voluntary contributions. The Party or Parties to the conflict requesting an inquiry shall advance the necessary funds for expenses incurred by a Chamber and shall be reimbursed by the Party or Parties against which the allegations are made to the extent of 50 per cent of the costs of the Chamber. Where there are counter-allegations before the Chamber each side shall advance 50 per cent of the necessary funds.
Article 91 - Responsibility
A Party to the conflict which violates the provisions of the Conventions or of this Protocol shall, if the case demands, be liable to pay compensation. It shall be responsible for all acts committed by persons forming part of its armed forces.
Final Resolutions
This Protocol shall be open for signature by the Parties to the Conventions six months after the signing of the Final Act and will remain open for a period or twelve months.
This Protocol shall be ratified as soon as possible. The instruments of ratification shall be deposited with the Swiss Federal Council, depositary of the Conventions.
Article 94 - Accession
This Protocol shall be open for accession by any Party to the Conventions which has not signed it. The instruments of accession shall be deposited with the depositary.
Article 95 - Entry into force
1. This Protocol shall enter into force six months after two instruments of ratification or accession have been deposited.
2. For each Party to the Conventions thereafter ratifying or acceding to this Protocol, it shall enter into force six months after the deposit by such Party of its instrument of ratification or accession.
Article 96 - Treaty relations upon entry into force or this Protocol
1. When the Parties to the Conventions are also Parties to this Protocol, the Conventions shall apply as supplemented by this Protocol.
2. When one of the Parties to the conflict is not bound by this Protocol, the Parties to the Protocol shall remain bound by it in their mutual relations. They shall furthermore be bound by this Protocol in relation to each of the Parties which are not bound by it, if the latter accepts and applies the provisions thereof.
3. The authority representing a people engaged against a High Contracting Party in an armed conflict of the type referred to in Article 1, paragraph 4, may undertake to apply the Conventions and this Protocol in relation to that conflict by means of a unilateral declaration addressed to the depositary. Such declaration shall, upon its receipt by the depositary, have in relation to that conflict the following effects:
(a) the Conventions and this Protocol are brought into force for the said authority as a Party to the conflict with immediate effect;
(b) the said authority assumes the same rights and obligations as those which have been assumed by a High Contracting Party to the Conventions and this Protocol; and
(c) the Conventions and this Protocol are equally binding upon all Parties to the conflict.
Article 97 - Amendment
1. Any High Contracting Party may propose amendments to this Protocol. The text of any proposed amendment shall be communicated to the depositary, which shall decide, after consultation with all the High Contracting Parties and the International Committee of the Red Cross, whether a conference should be convened to consider the proposed amendment.
2. The depositary shall invite to that conference all the High Contracting Parties as well as the Parties to the Conventions, whether or not they are signatories or this Protocol.
Article 98 - Revision of Annex I
1. Not later than four years after the entry into force of this Protocol and thereafter at intervals of not less than four years, the International Committee of the Red Cross shall consult the High Contracting Parties concerning Annex I to this Protocol and, if it considers it necessary, may propose a meeting of technical experts to review Annex I and to propose such amendments to it as may appear to be desirable. Unless, within six months of the communication of a proposal for such a meeting to the High Contracting Parties, one third of them object, the International Committee of the Red Cross shall convene the meeting, inviting also observers of appropriate international organizations. Such a meeting shall also be convened by the International Committee of the Red Cross at any time at the request of one third of the High Contracting Parties.
2. The depositary shall convene a conference of the High Contracting Parties and the Parties to the Conventions to consider amendments proposed by the meeting of technical experts if, after that meeting, the International Committee of the Red Cross or one third of the High Contracting Parties so request.
3. Amendments to Annex I may be adopted at such a conference by a two-thirds majority of the High Contracting Parties present and voting.
4. The depositary shall communicate any amendment so adopted to the High Contracting Parties and to the Parties to the Conventions. The amendment shall be considered to have been accepted at the end of a period of one year after it has been so communicated, unless within that period a declaration of non-acceptance of the amendment has been communicated to the depositary by not less than one third of the High Contracting Parties.
5. An amendment considered to have been accepted in accordance with paragraph 4 shall enter into force three months after its acceptance for all High Contracting Parties other than those which have made a declaration of non-acceptance in accordance with that paragraph. Any Party making such a declaration may at any time withdraw it and the amendment shall then enter into force for that Party three months thereafter.
6. The depositary shall notify the High Contracting Parties and the Parties to the Conventions of the entry into force of any amendment, of the Parties bound thereby, of the date of its entry into force in relation to each Party, of declarations of non-acceptance made in accordance with paragraph 4, and of withdrawals of such declarations.
Article 99 - Denunciation
1. In case a High Contracting Party should denounce this Protocol, the denunciation shall only take effect one year after receipt of the instrument of denunciation. If, however, on the expiry of that year the denouncing Party is engaged in one of the situations referred to in Article I, the denunciation shall not take effect before the end of the armed conflict or occupation and not, in any case, before operations connected with the final release, repatriation or re-establishment of the persons protected by the Convention or this Protocol have been terminated.
2. The denunciation shall be notified in writing to the depositary, which shall transmit it to all the High Contracting Parties.
3. The denunciation shall have effect only in respect of the denouncing Party.
4. Any denunciation under paragraph 1 shall not affect the obligations already incurred, by reason of the armed conflict, under this Protocol by such denouncing Party in respect of any act committed before this denunciation becomes effective.
The depositary shall inform the High Contracting Parties as well as the Parties to the Conventions, whether or not they are signatories of this Protocol, of:
(a) signatures affixed to this Protocol and the deposit of instruments of ratification and accession under Articles 93 and 94;
(b) the date of entry into force of this Protocol under Article 95;
(c) communications and declarations received under Articles 84, 90 and 97;
(d) declarations received under Article 96, paragraph 3, which shall be communicated by the quickest methods; and
(e) denunciations under Article 99.
Article 101 - Registration
1. After its entry into force, this Protocol shall be transmitted by the depositary to the Secretariat of the United Nations for registration and publication, in accordance with Article 102 of the Charter of the United Nations.
2. The depositary shall also inform the Secretariat of the United Nations of all ratifications, accessions and denunciations received by it with respect to this Protocol.
Article 102 - Authentic texts
The original of this Protocol, of which the Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish texts are equally authentic, shall be deposited with the depositary, which shall transmit certified true copies thereof to all the Parties to the Conventions.
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Opposition slams Parliament’s oversight
31 May 2017 • Local, News • No Comments
A day before President Jacob Zuma is due in Parliament, opposition parties decried what they call the legislature’s failure to hold the president and his executive to account.
A groan was audible from the ANC benches when Agang MP Andries Tlouamma stepped up to the National Assembly’s podium to deliver his speech in the debate on parliament’s budget.
“This Parliament is held hostage by the president and the Guptas,” he said.
“Honourable speaker, you must try to escape from the shadow of the president,” he said to Speaker Baleka Mbete, who listened to him with a slight smile.
Freedom Front Plus MP Dr Corné Mulder said it was in dealing with the Nkandla matter where “Parliament went completely wrong”.
“The integrity of Parliament has been completely destroyed,” he said.
“By you!” an ANC MP interjected.
Mulder said the level of debate in the fifth Parliament is the lowest it has ever been since 1994.
He also quoted the Constitutional Court’s ruling on Nkandla in 2016 that Parliament flouted its oversight duties.
Congress of the People MP Deidre Carter said the democratic principle of the separation of powers was introduced to prevent tyranny.
“As the extent of the treasonous actions of a gang of thieves, a mafia, with Mr Zuma and the Guptas at its apex … it confirms that under the majoritarian tyranny of the ANC Parliament, it has failed in its cardinal duty of ensuring that power is not abused by not exercising oversight and holding the executive accountable,” she said.
“Treason has been committed. The traitor in chief must fall, and the ANC must fall.”
‘Parasitic vampires’
Democratic Alliance chief whip John Steenhuisen said, “President Jacob Zuma’s cabinet are captured parasitic vampires sucking the very lifeblood out of the state”.
Steenhuisen said the Nkandla ruling should have been a wake-up call for Parliament to exercise its oversight role, but this has not been the case.
“The shielding of the executive has continued unabated,” he said.
Two of the ANC MPs who spoke in the debate, Mnyamezeli Booi and Vincent Smith, served on the standing committee on public accounts (Scopa), which in recent months took a firm stance on corruption and poor governance.
“Corruption is the enemy of good governance,” said Booi.
Smith said Parliament must not be a “lame duck institution”.
“As MPs, we’ll always be stronger when we act together,” said Smith, who chaired the ad hoc committee that investigated the SABC board. This committee was characterised by a unity among MPs from different parties, thus far unseen in the fifth Parliament.
“Parliament must at all times respond to our people’s aspirations.”
The loudest applause of the day, from all the parties, was heard when house chairperson Thoko Didiza in her speech mentioned that MPs did not receive salary raises in 2016.
“I hope this time I will be the best shop steward and ensure you get something,” said Didiza, to rapturous applause.
On Wednesday, Zuma will address the National Assembly to deliver the presidency’s budget. Six hours are scheduled for this debate.
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Cat and Mouse is a Deadly Game to Play – Stalked (Film Review)
ByPaul Harris
Jan 9, 2020 horror, low budget, stalked, Thriller
The premise of Stalked is simple enough; Sam (Rebecca Rogers) is a newly single mother to a five month old baby who’s father is useless. It is these circumstances, coupled with Sam’s position in the military and accommodation on an estate which is conveniently un-populated over the weekend – I say ‘conveniently’ because it suits the set-up. In a plot device which felt like it had been written to accommodate the low-budget nature of the production, Sam leaves her baby alone in the house to get medication from the pharmacy, and is then abducted.
The rest of the film takes place inside a non-descript warehouse which is seemingly full of advanced military hardware and is patrolled by an assailant who is invisible to the naked eye. Without wanting to offer any more plot details, anyone who is familiar with this type of low-budget B-Movie horror making can make a fair assumption as to how the rest of the film plays out; whilst the genre is probably closer to being a horror-inflected suspense thriller.
There is an inventive use of the limited space within the warehouse which is made to feel claustrophobic and although it does at times have a sense of being more of an escape room – where there is everything required to escape if only you can find all the pieces.
What Stalked does do well is build tension and give you a real sense that everything will not necessarily be alright in the end. It also manages to make you as a viewer have a genuine investment in its lead and although Sam is not necessarily three-dimensional, she is certainly two and half.
As the film progressed it required increasingly great leaps of faith about the accessibility of cutting edge military equipment (and indeed, the capability of said equipment)and it would not have been detrimental to the film’s effectiveness to have trimmed back on the sci-fi. With that said, the film is at least consistent in how the technology works and that isn’t something which can be said for some of even the largest blockbusters.
There is a lot about Stalked which shows promise, both from Rogers’ performance and from the film as a whole – even if it’s not quite there just yet.
Dir: Justin Edgar
Scr: Justin Edgar
Cast: Rebecca Rogers, Nathalie Buscombe, Billy Cooke, Vanessa Donovan
Prd: Philip Arkinstall
DOP: Graham Allsopp, Liam Iandoli
Music: Phil Mountford
Stalked is available now On Demand.
Diamonds are a man’s best friend – Uncut Gems (Film Review)
‘You Know How This War Will End? Last Man Standing’ – 1917 (Film Review)
By Paul Harris
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Popular cities to stop between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore
How far is Kuala Lumpur to Singapore by car
Nonstop drive time
How far is the distance between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore? The direct drive from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Singapore, Singapore is 228 miles or 367 km, and should have a drive time of 4 hours in normal traffic.
Kuala Lumpur to Singapore drive time with breaks
Driving from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore takes about 4 hours if you do it nonstop, and given that it's just 4 hours, you probably can do it in one go without issues.
If you want to stop along the way, though, there are definitely interesting sights to see! Take a look at the best stops on a Kuala Lumpur to Singapore drive for some inspiration.
What cities are between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore?
If you're thinking of driving between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore and thinking of staying a night, it's worth looking at a few of the cities that are on the route. The most popular cities to stop between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore are Melaka, Johor Bahru, and Putrajaya. Melaka is the most popular city on the route — it's 2 hours from Kuala Lumpur and 3 hours from Singapore.
Going back? How far is Singapore from Kuala Lumpur?
Honestly, it shouldn't differ by too much, but if you're curious about the drive back, check out the reverse directions to see how far Singapore is from Kuala Lumpur.
On your trip from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore, stop by Melaka, Johor Bahru, and Putrajaya! Make sure to visit Melaka, the most popular city on the route, and see Melaka's top attractions like Jonker Street, Malacca River, and Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum.
Putrajaya is a city in Malaysia, south of Kuala Lumpur. It’s known for its late-20th-century architecture including the Putra Mosque, made from rose-colored granite with a pink dome. Nearby is the immense, green-domed Perdana Putra, which contains the prime minister’s office complex. The 3-tiered Putra Bridge is inspired by Iranian architecture, with 4 minaret-type piers overlooking the man-made Putrajaya Lake.
12% as popular as Melaka
13 minutes off the main route, 12% of way to Singapore
Malacca is a Malaysian state on the Malay Peninsula's southwest coast. The capital, Malacca City, has a colonial past seen in its preserved town center, the site of 16th-century, Portuguese St. Paul’s Church. It's also home to Christ Church, built by the Dutch in the 18th century. Next to Christ Church in Red Square is the Stadthuys, the Dutch-era town hall now housing a museum of Malaccan history and ethnography.
Johor Bahru, capital of the Malaysian state of Johor, sits at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. With a causeway across the Straits of Johor connecting it to Singapore, it’s a gateway for exploration of that island nation. On the Johor Bahru's waterfront is Istana Besar, a royal palace built by Sultan Abu Bakar in 1866 that now houses the Royal Abu Bakar Museum.
5 minutes off the main route, 86% of way to Singapore
Planning a trip to Singapore?
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The Washburn Review • October 25, 2015 • https://washburnreview.org/7898/news/scream-queens-proves-to-be-a-mixed-bag/
‘Scream Queens’ proves to be a mixed bag
Hallee Haar
What am I watching? I found myself asking that several times throughout the whole three episodes of “Scream Queens” that are available on Hulu. Despite this, I actually found myself semi-addicted to the show. Good, bad, I can’t quite tell what this show is yet.
The plotline resembles a modern “who dunnit” with lots of twists and turns in the first few episodes. Every five minutes or so, I found myself shocked and questioning what I knew so far. Nothing in the show seems set in stone, and the writers seem to have no problem killing off any of the cast in a heartbeat.
The cast themselves have a wide array of personalities, ranging from fairly interesting to annoying. Some of the characters seem a bit one dimensional. Excluding Grace, the main character, all of the sorority girls, so far have only shown one side of their personalities.
The cast is full of celebrities. Lea Michele, Nick Jonas, Emma Roberts, Jamie Lee Curtis and Diego Boneta are all main characters in the show. With an all star cast like that, the acting in the show is fantastic.
If you look at the show as a satire, then all of the characters make sense. However, if you watch it just for entertainment, the show appears fairly homophobic with a rude cast of egotistical characters.
It is a mystery who the killer is that wears the red devil costume (the school mascot). It is revealed that there are two killers, and while there is one hint to their identities that is revealed (I will not spoil that for you) the other one is a complete mystery.
While the cast has been okay at best, the show got a lot of points back when you look at the plot. A serial killer is on campus going after sorority women and possibly a group of golfing guys (I am not sure yet if they are being targeted like the women).
Grace, the newest member of the sorority, teams up with Pete, a guy who works for the newspaper, to find out who the killer is. Their original goal, however, is to take out Chanel, the sorority president.
The whole sorority seems obsessed with Chanel doing whatever she wants, no matter how ridiculous it is. It is kind of funny to watch the ladies run around and act crazy for her, but I could not help but feel bad for them when they have to slap themselves for not knocking on her door.
The only character that I hated more than Chanel was her boyfriend Chad. He reeked of overconfidence and went around screaming about how everyone wants to sleep with him. Don’t get me wrong, he was attractive, but he was too much of a jerk for that to matter at all.
The show portrays a popularity contest among college students, and shows how self-centered college students can be. As a comedy, I laughed quite a bit, but it was mostly just okay. As a horror, it’s a bit better, because I am desperate to find out who the red devil killers are. The show is pretty great in terms of entertainment.
So overall, the show is really ridiculous and makes you feel bad for several members of the cast while hating others, like any good writing should. Despite my confusion on my mixed opinion of the show, I will be tuning in next week to see what happens next.
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Home » Explore the WaterFire Arts Center » WaterFire Arts Center | Exhibitions » Julia Samuels: Landscapes in Relief
Julia Samuels: Landscapes in Relief
LANDSCAPES IN REFLECTION
Recent work by Julia Samuels
The exhibition will run through January 31, 2020, and will be open weekdays from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Several of the pieces in this exhibition have been generously donated to the WaterFire Arts Center by Dr. Joseph Chazan and will remain on long-term display.
“My most recent work has been depicting neighborhoods around Providence. I love how the maze of transmission lines acts as both a conduit for current activities and shows the legacy of growing through different types of technology. I want the viewer to feel a sense of interconnectedness- with the neighborhood, the city, and when we expand our view, an interconnectedness with all of America and the world. I want the viewer to consider our collective responsibility and personal implications as we think about the ever-looming threat of global warming.”
About Julia Samuels
Julia Samuels is an artist primarily working within relief printmaking. Her work focuses on the tragedy and beauty of environmental damage. Julia was born in Portsmouth, NH and received her BFA in Printmaking from Pratt Institute in 2007. In Brooklyn, she participated in building and managing the Gowanus Studio Space and also volunteered during the formative years of 596 Acres, an agency that helps neighbors gain access to vacant land in their communities. Julia received her MFA in Printmaking from Rhode Island School of Design in 2015 and has since founded Overpass Projects, now located in Pawtucket, RI. As the master printer and director of Overpass Projects, Julia publishes and prints her own work as well as collaborative fine printmaking with other artists, bridging barriers between artistic disciplines and promoting cross-pollination between techniques. Julia’s work is in the permanent collections of RISD Museum, Davison Art Center at Wesleyan University, The Ford Foundation, New York Public Library, NYU Langone Medical Center, Allen Memorial Art Museum at Oberlin College, Chazen Museum of Art at the University of Wisconsin, Spencer Museum of Art at the University of Kansas as well as various private collections. Julia’s work is currently available at Lore Collection, 144 Brook St Providence, RI, WaterFire Arts Center shop as well as her website, overpassprojects.com
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Ryan Peek
Filters: Author is Anna E Steel [Clear All Filters]
Peek, R. A., O'Rourke S. M., & Miller M. R. (2021). Flow modification associated with reduced genetic health of a river‐breeding frog, Rana boylii. Ecosphere. 12(5),
Corline, N. J., Peek R. A., Montgomery J., Katz J. V. E., & Jeffres C. A. (2021). Understanding community assembly rules in managed floodplain food webs. Ecosphere. 12(2), e03330.
Yarnell, S. M., Stein E. D., Webb J.A., Grantham T. E., Lusardi R. A., Zimmerman J., et al. (2020). A functional flows approach to selecting ecologically relevant flow metrics for environmental flow applications. River Research and Applications. 36(2), 318–324.
Yarnell et al. 2020 RRA (759.84 KB)
Peek, R. A., Bedwell M., O'Rourke S. M., Goldberg C., Wengert G. M., & Miller M. R. (2019). Hybridization between two parapatric ranid frog species in the northern Sierra Nevada, California, USA. Molecular ecology. 28, 4636–4647.
Yarnell, S. M., Peek R. A., Keung N., Todd B. D., Lawler S., & Brown C. (2019). A lentic breeder in lotic waters: Sierra Nevada Yellow-Legged Frog (Rana sierrae) habitat suitability in northern Sierra Nevada streams. Copeia.
Steel, A. E., Peek R. A., Lusardi R. A., & Yarnell S. M. (2018). Associating metrics of hydrologic variability with benthic macroinvertebrate communities in regulated and unregulated snowmelt-dominated rivers. Freshwater Biology. 63(8), 844-858.
Milner, V., Yarnell S. M., & Peek R. A. (2018). The ecological importance of unregulated tributaries to macroinvertebrate diversity and community composition in a regulated river. Hydrobiologia. 829, 291-305.
Howard, J. K., Fesenmyer K., Grantham T. E., Viers J. H., Ode P., Moyle P. B., et al. (2018). A Freshwater Conservation Blueprint for California: Prioritizing Watersheds for Freshwater Biodiversity. Freshwater Science. 37(2),
Yarnell, S. M., Peek R. A., Epke G., & Lind A. J. (2016). Management of the Spring Snowmelt Recession in Regulated Systems. JAWRA Journal of the American Water Resources Association. 52, 723-736.
Grantham, T. E., Fesenmyer K., Peek R. A., Holmes E., Quiñones R. M., Bell A., et al. (2016). Missing the Boat on Freshwater Fish Conservation in California.
Missing the Boat on Freshwater Fish Conservation in California (1.35 MB)
Howard, J., Klausmeyer K., Furnish J., Gardali T., Grantham T. E., Katz J., et al. (2015). Patterns of Freshwater Species Richness, Endemism, and Vulnerability in California. PLoS ONE. 10(7),
Read full study (3.16 MB)
Yarnell, S. M., Peek R. A., Rheinheimer D. E., Lind A. J., & Viers J. H. (2013). Management of the Spring Snowmelt Recession. 137.
CEC_Recsn_Limb_Draft_Final_Report.pdf (8 MB) Management of the Spring Snowmelt Recession in Regulated Systems (AGU 2013 presentation) (1.87 MB)
Viers, J. H., Purdy S., Peek R. A., Fryjoff-Hung A., Santos N. R., Katz J. V. E., et al. (2013). Montane Meadows in the Sierra Nevada: Changing Hydroclimatic Conditions and Concepts for Vulnerability Assessment. Center for Watershed Sciences Technical Report. 63.
Montane Meadows in the Sierra Nevada: Changing Hydroclimatic Conditions and Concepts for Vulnerability Assessment. CWS Report (4.08 MB)
Yarnell, S. M., Bondi C., Lind A. J., & Peek R. A. (2011). Habitat Models for the Foothill yellow-legged frog (Rana boylii) in the Sierra Nevada of California. 139.
Yarnell et al FYLF modeling final report CWS.pdf (3.69 MB)
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Spotlight on Women Business Owners: Liz Butcher, Butcher’s Bunches Handcrafted Preserves
January 23, 2019 Eve Rickles
Love for the Land
Liz Butcher has always felt a strong connection to the land. Her grandparents immigrated to the United States from Italy and became farmers on the East Coast. Her husband grew up in a farming community in Northern California. When they got married, he told her he wanted a garden. They began growing produce together and selling it a local farmer’s market. When the recession hit, they noticed all of their neighbors began growing produce on small plots and flooding the market with cheaper produce.
Liz had been canning and making jam with her excess produce for years. Her son has autism and special needs, so she had always made her jams with no added sugar. She took a chance and brought her canned goods to the market one week instead of the produce. She sold out the first week. A specialty shop owner from Salt Lake City approached her a few weeks later. He tried her jam and ordered 48 cases for his store. She quit her job to focus on jamming full time.
One of the biggest challenges Liz has faced in running her business is not taking things personally. She runs a family business and it’s very personal to her, so if a store drops her product, it’s hard not to feel hurt. She is lucky to have a supportive business partner in her husband, and he often handles the difficult accounts so she won’t have to.
Liz has never been shy about reaching out for help. She didn’t learn about many of the free resources available to her as a business owner until later on, but before that she knew the people. Ann Marie Wallace, State Director of the Women’s Business Center of Utah, offered her help and advice along the way. Later, she discovered SCORE and her local BRC. She pays it forward and always helps others who approach her with questions.
One of the most rewarding aspects of owning a business for Liz has been the validation. People like her products and they want to buy them. Companies now come to her with opportunities. She finds it so cool that she gets paid to make these products and run her business the way she wants, with respect for the farmers and the food. She involves her whole family; her son comes up with names for each of the jams.
Her advice for women thinking of starting a business: when you think, you’ll doubt yourself and go backwards. Just do it.
What’s next for Liz Butcher? Retirement! She jokes. Her husband has been losing his vision and she feels so blessed that she’s able to employ him. If he worked for someone else or in a different industry, he might not be able to do his job properly. She is able to work with him and keep her family business running smoothly.
You can find Butcher’s Bunches at Cost Plus World Markets nationwide, Standard Market, Whole Foods, Smith’s, select Fred Meyers, as well as smaller stores in Utah and surrounding states. She’s excited to be selling in Salt and Honey at the Gateway in Salt Lake City. Follow her on Instagram @butchersbunches and www.butchersbunches.com.
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iPods can damage hearing
In the age of the iPod, where the music never stops, how can users of personal stereos ensure their ears don’t give out? By turning down the volume, taking breaks from listening or using noise-canceling earphones, according to the American Speech-Language Hearing Association.
Now, those who have Nano or video-capable iPods can download software that limits the top volume of the units.
Although the unregulated volume of Apple Computer Inc.’s iPods can reach more than 115 decibels, 85 decibels is the “line of demarcation,” says Pam Mason, the association’s director of professional audiology practices. At that level, listeners can use the units continuously for eight hours.
For each increase of 5 decibels, users should cut listening time in half, Mason says. So, if you were listening at 90 decibels, “you’d wear them for four hours.” If you’re listening at 120 decibels, you would tune in for only five to 10 minutes before taking a break.
Taking a break from loud noises is very important, Mason says. “Our ears have natural resiliency built into them. After a loud concert, your ears are ringing and sounds are muffled. But in the morning, you don’t have those symptoms. Those are temporary effects of excessive noise, and you do recover your hearing.” But “continual exposure is going to lead to a permanent hearing loss.”
Mason uses a “three-foot rule” as a guide: If you’re standing three feet from someone listening to a personal stereo and you can hear what’s playing, the music is too loud. If you’re listening to a music player and you can’t hear someone three feet away speaking to you, lower the volume.
It’s time to play ball!
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Chelsea FC: Injury News
Conte gives injury update for Southampton match, keeps faith in 3-4-3 despite West Ham loss
The Chelsea head coach addressed the media in his pre-match press conference on Friday.
By Fellipe Miranda Oct 28, 2016, 6:00pm BST
Share All sharing options for: Conte gives injury update for Southampton match, keeps faith in 3-4-3 despite West Ham loss
Chelsea had a mostly unfortunate day and performance in our last game, getting eliminated from the League Cup with a 2-1 loss at West Ham. But this weekend, we can continue our successful run in the Premier League. Chelsea enter the weekend in fourth, but just a point off the top.
Head coach Antonio Conte sat down for his customary pre-match press conference earlier today, and he started with some team news. According to Conte, midfielder Cesc Fàbregas remains out of contention, but right back Branislav Ivanovic is now available to feature.
"The situation for injured players is the same [as West Ham] but Fàbregas is not available. Ivanovic has fully recovered. Compared to the last games, I think there is nothing new. We have all the players available. I have to take the best decision for the starting XI."
-Antonio Conte; Source: Get West London
Wednesday's loss was the first defeat in four games when using the three-man setup, but despite the loss, Conte saw many positive things, and he isn't planning on tinkering further with our tactical systems any time soon.
"I watched the video of the game against West Ham - I think that we played a good game with good intensity against a tough team because West Ham played with the same players who played in the [league]."
"For me, we started very well then we conceded the goals and that changed the situation. I would prefer to stay in the game, not to concede the second goal, then I see a good reaction and spirit of my players because until the end we played to avoid losing the game."
"I think it is not a win or a defeat that can change my idea or the players' confidence. I think it is the right way for the players because it is a good fit for the team, this system. We have found a good balance and also we have a good offensive situation because in every game we scored a goal."
"For sure we must continue to work with the offensive situation, to memorise some movements, and also in defensive situations because it is not easy. It is different when you defend with the four and when you defend with the three, but I see a lot of positive things and we want to continue on this aspect and we are working hard to improve. We understood this way is the right way."
-Antonio Conte; Source: Sky Sports
During the last match, we saw the re-introduction of captain John Terry to the starting lineup, playing for the first time in six weeks due to an ankle injury, and playing for the first time in a back three. As the leftmost center back of the line, the Chelsea captain didn't exactly have his best game, struggling to come to terms with the requirements of his new position while also failing in a few basic defensive tasks.
Conte defended Terry's efforts, both on and off the pitch as a captain, leader, legend. Though it's doubtful Terry will start again as long as the back three of Cahill, David Luiz, and Azpilicueta maintain their record of clean sheets.
"I don’t like to talk about individual players and their performances. We win together and lose together. John was coming back from an injury and it’s not easy to start quickly and adjust to the shape, but I’m satisfied with him and the team."
"We wanted to win and continue in the cup but it didn’t happen, which is a pity. On Sunday we have another tough game so now we must stay concentrated on this game."
"John is an important player for us whether he plays or not, around the changing room, for his team-mates and the club. What’s important is the team. I have to always make the best decision for the team and never for an individual player."
This match will mark the quarter-way point of the season, and the high drama of the title race is already shaping up to be one for the ages. There are currently five teams at the top of the table within 1 point and a +2/-2 goal difference of each other. With Manchester City, Arsenal, Spurs, and Liverpool in the hunt (and Manchester United lurking a bit further below), Chelsea's task to maintain our current top four position will not be easy.
Conte sees consistency as the crucial point in this regard. The boss also urged the players not to look at the table, and keep their focus on the game-by-game work needed instead.
"This league is very difficult because in every game anything can happen. For this reason it’s important to get consistency in results and performances."
"There are five teams who are very close but we shouldn’t look at the table, we must be focused on our work on the pitch. It’s too early to talk about the table or the title. We must improve game by game and trust in the work, that’s the most important thing."
-Antonio Conte; Source: Chelsea FC
As far as this weekend's opponents, Conte said he was impressed by the showings of Southampton in the league, especially in their draw against Manchester City last weekend at the Etihad Stadium. He expects the game against the Saints to be a different, tougher challenge compared to our recent matches.
Conte says Southampton are very strong and he is impressed with the offensive football they play. #CFC
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) October 28, 2016
Conte notes their performance at Man City last weekend was excellent. He says it will be a 'good test' for his team. #CFC
Conte: 'This test is different. We are playing away against a team in good shape. It's a big test for our ambition.' #CFC
Last season, Chelsea lost at home to the Saints 3-1, but paid it back with a 2-1 win at St. Mary's with a last-minute winning goal from Branislav Ivanovic. Despite the changes in the offseason at both clubs, including new managers, this weekend's match-up certainly won't be any easier.
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Categories: ChiropracticMind Body and Spirit
Mindfulness Alone May Not Improve Back Issues
Proponents of mindfulness-based stress reduction claim it can improve relationships, mental health, weight and more. But, one complaint it’s unlikely to fix is lower back pain, researchers now say.
Lower back pain doesn’t respond to the programs, which embrace meditation, heightened self-awareness and exercise, according to a review.
Although short-term improvements were reported, “no clinical significance” was found in terms of overall pain or disability when mindfulness was compared to standard treatment, said study lead author Dennis Anheyer. Anheyer is a psychology research fellow in the faculty of medicine at the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany.
About eight out of 10 American adults will experience lower back pain at some point in their lives, according to the U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Roughly one in five of them will struggle with chronic lower back pain, lasting three months or more, which is a major cause of job-related disability.
Because no sure-fire treatment of back pain exists, many patients try complementary therapies such as mindfulness.
Mindfulness and Stress Reduction for Back Pain
Mindfulness programs, which are growing in popularity in the West, derive from the Buddhist spiritual tradition and are used to treat pain. They include sitting meditation; walking meditation; hatha yoga and body scan along with focusing attention sequentially on different parts of the body.
The seven studies that were reviewed involved close to 900 patients who had lower back pain for at least three months. Six of the studies were conducted in the United States; the seventh in Iran.
Some patients were offered standard back pain treatment, such as physical therapy and exercise routines that aim to strengthen the back and abdominal muscles; prescription and over-the-counter pain medications; ice packs and heat packs; and spinal manipulation and/or massage (chiropractic care). In some cases, surgery is recommended for chronic back pain.
Other patients engaged in mindfulness programs aimed at stress relief. Six of the programs were variations on an eight-week program developed at the University of Massachusetts. Most had a weekly 2.5 hour group session; one also had a day-long silent retreat.
Practitioners were also encouraged to engage in 30 to 45 minutes of meditation at home, six days a week. “We found that mindfulness-based stress reduction could decrease pain intensity at short-term, but not at long-term,” said Anheyer. Despite the negative findings, Michigan orthopedist Dr. Rachel Rohde isn’t ready to rule out mindfulness as a back-pain treatment.
The size of the research review was relatively small, said Rohde, an associate professor of orthopedic surgery at the Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine.
Also, “pain” is perceived differently by everyone, she said. In the case of chronic pain, people tend to try everything they can to feel better, making it difficult to figure out exactly what works and what doesn’t, she added.
The idea that changing the way you think can change the way you feel — the premise of cognitive behavior therapy — is used as a treatment for chronic pain, Rohde continued. “I think that mindfulness-based stress reduction is somewhat of an extension of this and probably would work very well for some and perhaps not so well for others,” she added.
The researchers behind the new review suggested that future studies look at specific components of mindfulness programs, such as yoga and mindful meditation. Yoga, they said, has been shown to increase function and decrease disability in patients with low back pain.
SOURCES: Dennis Anheyer, M.A., B.Sc., psychology research fellow, faculty of medicine, University of Duisburg-Essen, department of internal and integrative medicine, Kliniken Essen-Mitte, Essen, Germany; Rachel S. Rohde, M.D., associate professor of orthopedic surgery, Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, Michigan Orthopaedic Institute, P.C., Royal Oak, Michigan; April 24, 2017, Annals of Internal Medicine
The scope of our information is limited to chiropractic and spinal injuries and conditions. To discuss options on the subject matter, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900 .
Additional Topics: Whole Body Wellness
Maintaining overall health and wellness through a balanced nutrition, regular physical activity and proper sleep is essential for your whole body’s well-being. While these are some of the most important contributing factors for staying healthy, seeking care and preventing injuries or the development of conditions through natural alternatives can also guarantee overall health and wellness. Chiropractic care is a safe and effective treatment option utilized by many individuals to ensure whole body wellness.
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The four seasons of the year are well defined in Canberra, which has a predominantly dry climate. Summers are hot, with approximately nine hours of sunshine per day and temperatures ranging between 12o and 27o C. The winters on the other hand are cold and they give about five hours of sunshine per day and temperatures between 1o and 12o C. The spring is quite a highlight, covering the city with the unique colorful flowers.
The city provides a safe, relaxed and welcoming environment.
The first European expeditions to land in Canberra arrived in the early 1820s, setting up the first settlements around 1824. The growth was slow. The story began to change with the debates over Federation, in the late nineteenth century, which resulted in the founding of Australia. Melbourne and Sydney had fought for decades to be the capital of the new country, and in 1901 they reached the consensus that the capital would not be in any of these cities, but within the state of New South Wales, which in 1906 agreed to give up a piece of its territory. Competing with ten other cities, Canberra was chosen in 1908 to be the administrative headquarters, which would be part of a larger area called the Australian Capital Territory, or ACT.
A major international competition was held to select the best project for the construction of the city. The winner was the Chicago (USA) architect Walter Burley Griffin, in 1912. Canberra was officially founded in March 1913 and construction began that same year. In spite of the initial enthusiasm, the two Great Wars and the Great Depression of 1929 delayed the project, and for a long time Canberra was nothing more than a capital in the middle of the woods. Griffin was fired as well as others responsible for the construction, until in the 1950s Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies resumed construction. To do so, he counted on the advice of the British urban planner William Holford, who had been one of the judges who chose the project of Lúcio Costa for Brasilia. Among the innovations of Holford, an artificial lake inspired by Lake Paranoa, which was named in honor of the original project architect, Burley Griffin.
In the following decades, sculptures and monuments were built, as well as important buildings such as the National Library, High Court and National Gallery, as well as new suburbs, many of them named after politicians such as Barton, Deakin and Reid. In 1988, the new and definitive Parliament House was opened on Capital Hill, making it one of Canberra's most iconic postcards.
Monthly estimate for one person (without rent): AU$ 1,137
Since it’s a planned city, public transportation is very organized and fast, with bus lines that run through the city in approximately 40 minutes and cover virtually all attractions of the city, having as intersection points four main terminals: City, Woden, Tuggeranong and Belconnen. To make everyday life easier, the MyWay Rechargeable Card is great for speeding things up.
For cyclists, Canberra has one of Australia's best and most extensive bicycle paths, which makes it virtually possible to ride the entire city without pedaling on a highway. It is very convenient and safe.
Estude e trabalhe em CANBERRA
Located in the far north of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), 280km southwest of Sydney and 660km northeast of Melbourne, Canberra is the capital of Australia. “Meeting Place”, in Aboriginal, Canberra was chosen in 1908 to be the capital, ending a political dispute between Sydney and Melbourne. Modern, safe and multicultural, Canberra, like Brasília, is also a planned city, that despite having been inaugurated in 1913, was only really done during the second half of the twentieth century, even relying on the consulting of renowned architect British William Holford, who was one of the judges who chose the Lúcio Costa project for Brasilia. Not by chance, Canberra has among its highlights beautiful public buildings, streets lined with trees and an artificial lake.
1) Why study in Camberra
Fourth best student city in Australia and 22nd in the world, according to QS World University Rankings 2018, Canberra, like other Australian cities, is very well ranked in the "student mix" category, reflecting the country's diverse population. Another factor that contributes to the good Canberra ranking is the presence of the Australian National University (ANU), the 20th best university in the world, according to the QS Ranking 2018, and Australia's number one.
With a safe, chilled out and welcoming environment, Canberra is also very well evaluated in terms of "desirability", which is based on factors such as quality of life and students' needs. Although it’s one of the few major Australian cities that’s not located on the coast, Canberra has many natural attractions, starting with Lake Burley Griffin itself in the centre of the city, and numerous others on the outskirts like mountain ranges to the east, alps to the west and dozens of wineries.
2) 9 reasons to study in Canberra
International students can work 40 hours per fortnight (and full time during vacations);
Elected the fourth best city in Australia for students and the 22nd in the world by the reputed QS World University Rankings;
It has one university among the 20 best in the world (Australian National University);
Headquarters of Australian National University, elected the best university in Australia;
Modern, safe and multicultural city;
Canberra provides a safe, chilled out and welcoming environment;
Very well ranked in the "student mix" indicator;
City with easy urban mobility;
Capital with the best bike path network in Australia.
3) About Canberra
Canberra is located within the Australian Capital Territory, which is surrounded by the Great Dividing Range to the east and the Australian Alps base to the west. In the surroundings, renowned wineries, the beautiful beaches of the South Coast of NSW - including Jervis Bay -, historic countryside cities and the magnificent snowy mountains of the Australian Alps.
In the heart of Canberra is the Burley Griffin artificial lake, used for leisure and sports activities such as sailing, canoeing, windsurfing and cycling, as well as hiking and running around it. Scattered throughout the city, dozens of small art galleries keep a vibrant artistic community alive, which has as its major reference the National Gallery of Australia, one of the most important museums in the Southern Hemisphere.
Being the administrative capital of the country, Canberra is home to a number of social and cultural institutions such as the Government house of Australia, the Parliament, the official residence of the governor-general and the Supreme Court, as well as the Australian War Memorial, Australian National University, Royal Australian Mint, Australian Institute of Sport, National Museum and National Library.
4) Accommodations in Canberra
When researching a place to live in Canberra, it’s very important that it be close to your school or that you can easily get there by public transport. We divided the accommodations into two types, according to the duration of the trip:
5) Work In Canberra
In Australia, as soon as classes begin, the student can work 40 hours per fortnight (and full time during vacations). In order to do that, it’s important to open a student account at a bank and make the Tax File Number, a record on the Australian Taxation Office that will allow you to get paid by the employer and have your income tax in order.
Since its the country’s administrative headquarters, virtually a third of Canberra’s population are civil servants. The hospitality and food industry, which includes establishments such as hotels, bars, pubs and restaurants, is what traditionally most employs international students. In the case of Canberra, it accounts for only 3.2% of jobs in the city, but is still the main option, along with construction (5.7%) and retail (6.4%).
6) Attractions in Canberra
Floriade, the flower festival that marks the beginning of spring in Canberra, is perhaps the city’s most famous event. In the summer, everything revolves around the many outdoor activities, especially in the waters of Lake Burley Griffin and its surroundings. In the fall, when the trees in the parks have special shades, the dawn service at the Australian War Memorial during the Anzac Day festivities is a must-see, as is the Canberra District Wine Harvest Festival. In the cold winter season, the Fireside Festival, which motto is to fill the belly next to a campfire, takes place in Canberra and in neighboring villages such as Yass, Hall, Murrumbateman and Gundaroo, providing a month of food, wine and entertainment .
Regardless of the season, there is always something going on in the dozens of small Canberra art galleries, museums - especially the iconic National Museum and National Gallery of Australia - as well as the city's many buildings and public areas such as the Parliament House , Old Parliament House, Australian National Botanic Garden and Australian Institute of Sport, among others.
Nearby, Jervis Bay is a paradise on the coast, with white sand beaches that are great for surfing and surrounded by nature. During the winter, the Australian Alps is the ideal place for skiing and snowboarding. You can reach them through Namadgi National Park, just a 45 minutes’ drive from Canberra. And if the idea is to taste good wines, there are over 30 wineries spread within a 35-minute radius of downtown Canberra.
'Honor'
The Burley Griffin artificial lake, inspired by Lake Paranoa, in Brasilia, was named in honor of original Canberra project architect, the American Burley Griffin.
'Consultant'
William Holford, a British urbanist who was one of the judges who chose Lúcio Costa's project for Brasilia, was a consultant in the construction of Canberra.
'Brasilia'
Canberra, a planned capital, was inspired in Brasilia, and vice versa.
'Ngunnawal'
In the language of the Ngunnawal people, Canberra means “meeting place".
'Early Adopters'
Canberra has the highest percentage of early technology adopters in Australia.
'Volunteers'
Canberra has the highest percentage of volunteers in Australia.
Mapa de CANBERRA
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Winnipegger's viral TikTok videos show challenges of living with a disability
A Winnipegger is giving an inside look at the realities of day-to-day life when living with both a visible and invisible disability.
Christen Roos was born with Thrombocytopenia Absent Radius syndrome, a condition that results in short arms. She was also born with low platelets, which required 56 blood transfusions to save her life.
She said her disabilities affect nearly every facet of her daily life.
“It’s pretty basic, down to cooking and how I do my makeup,” she told CTV News Winnipeg.
“Everybody asks me how I do my nails, and when I tell them I do them myself, they’re like ‘oh wow.’ I just got to keep going and figuring out ways to make things accessible to my disability, to my short arms.”
This curiosity from able-bodied people is part of the inspiration behind Roos’ popular TikTok account @lifewithshortarms.
She launched the account in April with a video about buying a jean jacket with short arms. Slowly but surely, her videos picked up thousands of views, showing everything from cooking to shopping to doing laundry.
“By making videos on TikTok, I’m just trying to normalize having a disability, and I’m just living my life every day. I do it a bit differently, but we still continue on and figure out ways to make it short arm-friendly and easy for me to be independent,” she said.
Roos also wants to use her platform to advocate to make the city more accessible for all. She said she hopes to meet with the City of Winnipeg to discuss the importance of sidewalk snow removal.
“Snow is a big part to living in Winnipeg,” said Roos, who has lived downtown for 13 years.
“I’m hoping to move forward with the City of Winnipeg and chat more about making sure that the sidewalks are cleared off, that we have access to the skywalks downtown and just understanding where those barriers impact us so greatly when essential services are cut off to access doctors, pharmacy, and even fun things like Jets games at Canada Life Centre.”
In the meantime, Roos said TikTok is a great platform to spread awareness and promote positive conversations about disabilities.
“The more that we have these conversations and talk about how disabilities affect our everyday lives, the better that we can move forward together,” she said.
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April 15, 2019 April 19, 2020 Danielle TV Reviews, TV Shows
Good Girls Season 2 Episode 7: ‘The Dubby’ Review
[Header Image: Christina Hendricks as Beth Boland | NBC]
Firstly, let’s take a moment to appreciate (and scream about) the fact that Good Girls has already been renewed for season 3. While I’m not too surprised that it got renewed, I am surprised that it happened now. I was really expecting to have to wait until the end of the season but we finally have this fantastic news which means we get to enjoy the rest of season 2 knowing full well that we get more!
Anyway, with that being said, this episode primarily saw Beth trying to balance her business life and her family life and it’s safe to say that it isn’t working out. Good Girls is amazing at a lot of things but it is particularly good at intriguing montages. This time around we see one of Beth’s average routine. She gets up ridiculously early, leaves cute little post-it notes for her children, and then goes off to deal with the day. When she leaves in the morning it’s dark and when she returns it’s to a quiet house, it’s dark once again. She does this day in and day out. It’s even gotten to the point where she has a planner for her “business” side of things.
While it seems like she has the routine down, we do see that her getting up that early every morning and doing those long days is exhausting for her. On top of that, things aren’t so great at home. Dean is frustrated that she isn’t around much anymore and he has to do everything, which is hilarious considering for the last decade or so Beth was probably in his exact same position and it continues to add to the idea that Dean grossly underestimated what she did for him and the family. However, it’s not just Dean that’s feeling negative. Her kids miss her and it doesn’t help that Beth misses the chance to see Jane perform because she’s outside talking to Rio about business. Beth is really struggling to find that balance and at one point is forced to take her kids to drop off one of Rio’s cars at a drug dealer’s house.
That in and of itself wasn’t completely eventful but then Jane went and left her blanket (which she calls her “dubby”) in the car. This causes a bit of a meltdown and Beth does everything she can to find it before realising where it is. After the exhaustion of trying to balance business and family and ultimately failing, I’m actually not too surprised that she went back for the blanket. It was all intense to the pointing of being oddly hilarious. It really felt like a highlight to Beth’s breaking point and it only went from bad to worse after that.
[Mae Whitman as Annie Marks, Christina Hendricks as Beth Boland, and Retta as Ruby Hill | NBC]
Despite talking herself, Annie, and Ruby out of a bad situation with the drug dealers, Jane goes missing. Now, we know it had nothing to do with what happened but Beth doesn’t know that at this point. She’s distraught and goes to the one person she thinks might be able to help: Rio.
The Rio and Beth scene is super interesting. Beth is still an amateur who is learning as she goes so it does make sense that she would make mistakes, especially when we’ve seen how much she’s struggling with balancing work and family, however, her screw up was (or could have been) pretty severe. That in mind, it’s no surprise that Rio laid into her and told her a thing or two. He was right about everything he said but I do think it’s possible for Beth to find some kind of balance. She just has to learn so she doesn’t make the same mistakes because if she does, she might not be so lucky next time. Right now, I’m just wondering if Rio will outright teach her or if he’ll wait for her to figure it out on her own. Regardless, that scene between the two of them was a big one. Towards the start of the episode they were bickering but that seemed to be tame and of no real threat but this talk, after Jane goes missing, is much more serious.
To his credit, Rio does reassure her that the drug dealers wouldn’t have taken Jane and by the end, we get one of the best scenes of the entire episode (and a personal favourite of mine in terms of Rio and his relationship with Beth), when she gets a package with ‘Elizabeth’ handwritten on it (same writing as the letter she received in 2×03). Inside is Jane’s blanket and it would appear that Rio, despite calling her out, went and got the blanket for her. Whatever you want to call it, there is clearly a connection between these two and the fact that he did something like that, really shows it.
[Christina Hendricks as Beth Boland and Manny Montana as Rio | NBC]
But Beth isn’t the first to see the package, Dean is. He knows instantly who it’s from and it just adds to his hatred. At the end of last week’s episode, we saw Dean attempt to get information towards potentially having Rio killed. As he grows more and more frustrated this episode, he also becomes more determined and even desperate.
He manages to get the contact information for someone who might be able to do the job and as things continuously go wrong, he seems to think about it more and more. At one point he even tries to rope Stan into the whole situation but luckily that doesn’t seem to have taken hold. Already we can see how blinded he is by jealously and hatred but it’s also becoming even clearer how twisted his marriage is. He claims it’s because he loves Beth and can’t live without her but it looks more and more like ownership. It’s like a “if I can’t have her, no one can” type of situation. I think he would be upset if she went off with anyone. Dean wanting to kill Rio is down to being shot and with the latter being a criminal, if neither of those things were true, Dean wouldn’t jump to murder but he still wouldn’t want Rio and Beth to be together. Dean simply hides behind who Rio is and the fact he got shot.
[Matthew Lillard as Dean Boland | NBC]
Speaking of Stan, things aren’t looking great for him and Ruby. She has been recording her conversations with Beth and Annie but has so far come up with nothing. On top of that, an investigation has been opened into the missing pen cap. With the pressure piling on, and Stan being so worried and stressed out, Ruby starts to up her game. She plans to take photos and get more information, leading to her finding Beth’s planner.
From her conversation with Jane, we know that Ruby thinks the world of Beth (not that we doubted that) and we can see how torn she is. Despite this, she does takes Beth’s planner and we see her studying it at the end. However, she makes a phone call but in the promo for next week, we see Ruby talking to Beth (with the planner laid out in front of them) and there’s another scene where Ruby asks Turner if he’ll go easy on her (which we’re assuming means Beth). I want to believe that she calls Beth first but we won’t know for sure until next week. However, it does appear that the truth of what’s been happening does come out so things are only going to get more intense with this whole situation.
I don’t blame Ruby, I really don’t. She’s in an impossible situation but this show and these three women are notorious for turning a bad situation around. I’m sure something will be figured out but in the meantime it’s horrible to see Ruby deal with all of this.
[Retta as Ruby Hill | NBC]
Some other things:
Things still aren’t looking too great for Annie and Sadie and the former is thrown into a state of panic after Jane goes missing when she can’t get ahold of Sadie. While it doesn’t look like they’re going to be back to their old ways any time soon, Sadie could clearly see the concern in Annie’s face and it seemed to have an effect. I do hope they figure it all out soon and I’m curious to see how things will change once they do.
There’s a new manager at Fine & Frugal and I don’t trust him at all. It just seems a bit too convenient. I want to trust him because it would be nice for Annie but I can’t help but think there’s going to be a twist.
I mentioned it briefly but Beth and Rio bickering towards the start of the episode was hilarious and it was like watching an old, married couple fighting.
In the montage from the start we also saw that Beth has been collecting a lot of money and she, Annie, and Ruby have opted to bury it in several locations in her back garden.
Annie talking about her car running on fumes when she comes to pick up Beth and the kids was hilarious. Annie is such a disaster but we love her.
Beth lying on the floor after she realises what happened to Jane’s blanket and Ruby just sitting there with her – “Why is everyone on the floor?” “I just found her that way.”
Tagged good girls, nbc, reviews, tv review, tv series, TV Shows, TV: 2010s
Good Girls Season 2 Episode 6: ‘Take Off Your Pants’ Review
Good Girls Season 2 Episode 8: ‘Thelma & Louise’ Review
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Where to watch Copa Libertadores on US TV
If you’re wondering where to watch Copa Libertadores on U.S. TV, we have the answers you’re looking for.
A truly underrated competition, the Copa Libertadores is essentially a South American version of the UEFA Champions League in Europe. This tournament is regularly filled with the top teams on the continent such as Independiente, Boca Juniors, River Plate, Flamengo, Sao Paulo, Grêmio, Santos, Atletico Nacional, and Colo-Colo.
Beginning in 1960, the first few editions of the Copa Libertadores consisted of just league champions from the seven biggest countries in South America. However, runners-up from the septet of leagues were admitted into the tournament in 1966.
Under the current format of the tournament, 47 clubs from 10 countries compete for the top prize in South America. Matches of the Copa Libertadores can be found on beIN SPORTS and beIN SPORTS en Español here in the United States.
Many different television providers carry beIN SPORTS, but fuboTV, Fanatiz, and Sling TV are top options. First, fuboTV currently has plans starting at $33 per month, which includes beIN SPORTS among its channels. Then, Fanatiz is essentially a way to access beIN SPORTS on its own (along with GolTV) for just $8 per month. Finally, Sling Latino also carries beIN SPORTS, but it doesn’t come with the same bells and whistles that the other streaming services have.
Founded in 2012, beIN SPORTS also currently has the U.S. television rights to Ligue 1 (France), Coupe de France, Coupe de la Ligue, Turkish Super Lig and Africa Cup of Nations matches, among other competitions.
Copa Libertadores Schedule
The schedule of matches for the Copa Libertadores is updated on our web site for your convenience.
Courtesy of World Soccer Talk, download a complimentary copy of The Ultimate Soccer TV And Streaming Guide, which features details on where to watch all of the leagues from around the world on U.S. TV and streaming.
League: Copa Libertadores
Genre: Sports
Looking to watch Copa Libertadores matches online from your office, home or on the go? If you live in the USA, there are several options to catch all the action.
U.S. Only.
Don’t have beIN SPORTS? Where to watch Copa Libertadores on U.S. TV
If you can’t find a streaming platform that fits your needs or just rather watch the Copa Libertadores in a more social setting, there are bars/pubs all over the country that will air these matches live. Also, Many pub owners purchase these extra sports television packages to attract more customers into their businesses and provide a great atmosphere to watch soccer matches with fellow fans.
Guides on how to watch leagues
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A Texting Driver’s Education
By MATT RICHTEL SEPT. 13, 2014
On Sept. 22, 2006, Reggie Shaw, 19, climbed into his sport utility vehicle to head to a painting job. He picked up a Pepsi at the local gas station and started over the mountain pass between Tremonton, Utah, his hometown, and Logan, the big city to the east, near the Idaho border.
It was 6:30 in the morning, and freezing rain was falling. Just behind Reggie was John Kaiserman, a farrier, who was driving a truck and trailer carrying a thousand pounds of horseshoes and equipment. Mr. Kaiserman noticed Reggie swerve several times across the yellow divider and thought: This guy is going to cause us all some trouble.
Reggie came over a big crest and headed down a hill, traveling around 55 miles an hour as he hit a flat stretch. He crossed the yellow divider again. This time, he clipped a Saturn heading the other direction on the two-lane highway. Inside the Saturn were two men, Jim Furfaro and Keith O’Dell, commuting to work.
The Saturn spun out of control and across the road, behind Reggie, and was hit broadside by the farrier. The Saturn slammed into a gully, and Mr. Furfaro and Mr. O’Dell were killed.
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Unit HomeLeaders1st Marine Division Leaders
Download High res photo
Battalion Commander, 3D Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion
Lt. Col. John S. Kinitz
A native of Bethlehem, PA, LtCol Kinitz enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve in June 1995. He completed Recruit Training and attended the School of Infantry and received the MOS of 0311. In December 1995, he reported to Company E, 2/25 in Harrisburg, PA. He attended Shippensburg University while serving in the Reserves and graduated with a BS in Criminal Justice. During college, he attended Officer Candidates School and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in May 2000. After graduation from The Basic School and the Infantry Officer’s Course, he attended the LAV Leader’s Course and was assigned to 2nd LAR Battalion at Camp Lejeune. From November 2001-May 2003 he served as a platoon commander and company executive officer. During this time he participated in combat operations in support of OIF I. From June 2003 to September 2004 LtCol Kinitz served as LAR Detachment Platoon Commander for BLT 1/6, 22nd MEU. During this time, he participated in combat operations in Afghanistan in support of OEF V.
In November 2004, LtCol Kinitz was transferred to The Basic School where served as the Squad an Patrolling Tactics primary instructor for two years and as Staff Platoon Commander for two Basic Officer Course student companies. In November 2007, Major Kinitz was transferred to Fort Knox, KY to attend the Maneuver Captains Career Course and Calvary Leaders Course.
In June 2008, LtCol Kinitz was transferred to 1st LAR Battalion. Assigned as the Assistant Battalion Operations Officer, he deployed to Iraq in support of OIF 9.1. Upon redeploying, he was assigned as Company E Commander. He deployed to Afghanistan in support of OEF 10.1. Detached from 1st LAR Battalion the entire deployment, LtCol Kinitz led his company in support of RCT-7 in security operations outside of Marjeh and was later detached to support Task Force Helmand.
In January 2011, LtCol Kinitz was transferred to the School of Infantry West, Advanced Infantry Training Battalion, Light Armored Vehicle Training Company. He served as the Company Commander, responsible for the four programs of instruction that make LAV Crewman and provide career progression training for all Light Armored Vehicle Crewman and company grade officers assigned to LAR Battalions.
In June 2013 LtCol Kinitz was transferred to 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment where he served as the Battalion Executive Officer. He deployed with 1/1 on UDP-W, participating in a training rotation at Camp Fuji and Exercise Cobra Gold.
In July 2015, LtCol Kinitz attended Command and Staff College, earning a Masters in Military Studies. In 2016, he was transferred to The Basic School where he served as a Basic Officer Course Company Commander and the Warfighing Director, TBS Chief Instructor, where he served until assuming command of the Wolfpack.
His personal awards include the Meritorious Service Medal with gold stars in lieu of second and third awards, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with combat distinguishing device and gold stars in lieu of second and third awards, the Navy Achievement Medal, the Combat Action Ribbon with gold star in lieu of second award and the Reserve Good Conduct medal.
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The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Relapsing Fever in California
Attempts to Transmit Spirochaetes of California Relapsing Fever to Human Subjects by Means of the Bite of the Vector, Ornithodoros Hermsi Wheeler
Author: Charles M. Wheeler
Author: Abraham Horwitz
Inhibition of Plasmodium berghei Liver Schizont Development and Reduction of Cytokine Production Capacity in Rats by Dietary Fish Oil Supplementation
Authors: Stephen G. S. Vreden, Willem L. Blok, Robert W. Sauerwein, Maria C. Oettinger, Jan-Peter Verhave, Joseph E. T. H. Meuwissen, Jos W. M. Van Der Meer, and Maries F. Van Den Broek
Clinical Parasitology
By Charles Franklin Craig, M.D., M.A. (Hon.), F.A.C.S., F.A.C.P., Col., U. S. Army (Retired), D.S.M., Professor of Tropical Medicine in The Tulane University of Louisiana, New Orleans, Louisiana and Ernest Carroll Faust, M.A., Ph.D., Professor of Parasitology in the Department of Tropical Medicine, The Tulane University of Louisiana, New Orleans, Louisiana. Octavo, 733 pages, illustrated with 243 engravings. Lea and Febiger, Philadelphia, Pa
Author: Richard P. Strong
The International Municipal Water Supply Program: A Health and Economic Appraisal
John A. Logan
Department of Civil Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.1960.9.469
One of the most significant events in the history of sanitary engineering in the twentieth century may well be the decision made by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Cooperation Administration (ICA) to cooperate in the promotion of a global program of municipal water supplies.
The World Health Assembly, meeting in Geneva in May, 1959, re-emphasized its previous stand regarding the need and importance of public water supplies, and unanimously approved the Environmental Sanitation Division's plan for a spearhead attack as the first stage in a global program. While WHO has consistently advocated the use of safe water as an important public-health measure, the global plan has two important new features. It recognizes the economic importance of public water supplies and that only part of the cost of a supply is chargeable to health protection.The bulk of the expenditure,to quote the minutes of the Assembly, “is for the provision of a convenience and a commodity”— water supplies should not be promoted as a kind of dole but should be—“operated,managed and maintained on sound business lines.”
https://www.ajtmh.org/view/journals/tpmd/9/5/article-p469.xml
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Family awarded $10 million for oral surgery death
By Rabia Mughal, DrBicuspid.com contributing editor
March 11, 2009 -- A New Jersey jury ruled last week that a Perth Amboy oral surgeon committed medical malpractice that resulted in the death of a patient and awarded the patient's family more than $10 million in damages.
The total amount of the jury award includes interest, which means the patient's family will ultimately receive more than $12 million, said their attorney, David Mazie, in an interview with DrBicuspid.com.
On August 4, 2005, 21-year-old Francis Keller of Hopelawn, NJ, went to George Flugrad, D.M.D., to have his wisdom teeth removed. Keller was referred to Dr. Flugrad by John Madaras, D.D.S., of Fords, NJ.
The morning after the procedure, Keller's throat swelled in reaction to the surgery, and he began to have trouble breathing. He ultimately suffocated to death.
The jury found that Dr. Flugrad committed malpractice by extracting the patient's wisdom teeth despite being aware that Keller had an immune deficiency that precluded any surgery or other dental work.
Keller suffered from hereditary angioedema, a genetic disorder in which minor trauma to tissue, such as a tooth extraction, can trigger life-threatening laryngeal edema.
Keller's family sued Dr. Flugrad, claiming that he acted below the standard of care when he performed oral surgery.
"Despite having knowledge of the immune deficiency and the fact that Mr. Keller presented only for an initial evaluation, Dr. Flugrad proceeded to perform the extraction of three of Mr. Keller's wisdom teeth on that same day," stated a complaint filed by Keller's family.
The lawsuit also named Dr. Madaras. Keller had gone to Dr. Madaras in August 2005 because of pain in his jaw and gums. Dr. Madaras referred Keller to Dr. Flugrad to be evaluated for a possible wisdom tooth extraction procedure. At the time of the referral, Dr. Madaras was aware of Keller's condition, according to the complaint.
Throughout the trial, Dr. Madaras' and Dr. Flugrad's lawyers blamed the other party for Keller's death, Mazie said. Dr. Flugrad claimed that he was told by Dr. Madaras that Keller was medically cleared for the procedure. Dr. Madaras' attorney claimed that no such conversation occurred with Dr. Flugrad, according to Mazie.
Dr. Madaras was found not guilty of negligence.
"In the current legal environment, a dentist has to be aware of all circumstances while making the appropriate referral," said Marty Jablow, D.M.D., a fellow New Jersey dentist who referenced the case in a recent posting on his blog.
"It is believed that this is the largest oral surgery medical malpractice verdict in New Jersey history and one of the largest in the nation's history," Mazie's office stated in a press release.
Calls to Dr. Flugrad's and Dr. Madaras' offices for comments were not returned.
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Oral history interview with Tony Natsoulas, 2004 August 9-11
Natsoulas, Tony, 1959-
Ceramicist
Size: 54 Pages, Transcript
Format: Originally recorded on 3 sound discs. Reformatted in 2010 as 4 digital wav files. Duration is 3 hrs., 59 min.
Summary: An interview of Tony Natsoulas conducted 2004 August 9-11, by Liza Kirwin, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, in Sacramento, California.
Natsoulas speaks of growing up in Davis, California.; visiting museums as a child; early memories of working with clay; school art projects; taking art classes at the University of California, Davis while in high school; going to college at Sacramento State College and UC Davis; studying at Maryland Institute College of Art; attending art summer schools such as the Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture; making life-sized clay figures; exhibiting his work; making caricature heads of famous people; including humor and nostalgia in his work; how his work has changed during his career; teaching at Penland School of Crafts; being part of the Funk art movement; choosing themes for his figures; his home studio; his working process and materials; the influence of art periodicals; working on public and private commissions; his teaching philosophy; collaborating with artist Fred Babb; influential art exhibitions; his Greek heritage; his friendship with artist Clayton Bailey; his recent solo exhibition at the Crocker Museum; titling and pricing his work; his art collection; and making artist websites. Natsoulas also recalls Robert Arneson, David Gilhooly, Francesco Clemente, Peter Voulkos, Viola Frey, Roy De Forest, and others.
Tony Natsoulas (1959- ) is a ceramicist from Sacramento, California. Liza Kirwin is the Curator of Manuscripts, Archives of American Art, Washington, D.C.
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.
Funding for this interview was provided by the Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America. Funding for the digital preservation of this interview was provided by a grant from the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service.
The following oral history transcript is the result of a tape-recorded interview with Tony Natsoulas on August 9 and 11, 2004. The interview took place in Sacramento, California, and was conducted by Liza Kirwin for the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. This interview is part of the Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America.
Tony Natsoulas and Liza Kirwin have reviewed the transcript and have made corrections and emendations. The reader should bear in mind that he or she is reading a transcript of spoken, rather than written prose.
DR. KIRWIN: This is Liza Kirwin interviewing Tony Natsoulas at his home in Sacramento, California, for the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, August 9, 2004.
And, Tony, you are just going to tell us everything in your life.
MR. NATSOULAS: Oh, great.
DR. KIRWIN: So, could you tell me when you were born, the year, and something about your early childhood, family background?
MR. NATSOULAS: I was born in 1959, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. My father was teaching at the university there. At that time he was a graduate student at the University of Michigan.
DR. KIRWIN: What was he teaching?
MR. NATSOULAS: Psychology. We moved to Middletown, Connecticut, after being in Michigan, and from there to Madison, Wisconsin, and then to Davis, California. We moved to California when I was five or six. I grew up in Davis, California, where my dad taught psychology at the University of California, Davis. That's about it for the beginning.
DR. KIRWIN: What did your mother do at this time?
MR. NATSOULAS: She was a housewife, "a household engineer."
DR. KIRWIN: [Laughs.] Okay. Well—
MR. NATSOULAS: Not only was she a wife and mother, she studied anthropology throughout my childhood.
DR. KIRWIN: Oh, at the university too?
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes.
DR. KIRWIN: What are your early recollections of Davis?
MR. NATSOULAS: The city?
DR. KIRWIN: Yes, and growing up there.
MR. NATSOULAS: Davis was a really small college town that you could get anywhere on bicycle. I think there were 20,000 people living there at the time. Half of the people living in Davis were working at the university or going to school there. There was no crime and it was very quiet. There were probably 20 kids on my block that were my age, which was great, because I had a whole group of friends to hang out with and do different things with. We had sleepovers, cub scouts, and doorbell ditching. It was an interesting place to live, because the university was there and we got to reap all of the benefits of living near it.
DR. KIRWIN: You were on the campus a lot then?
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes, for different lectures, movies, and functions. It was wonderful and stimulating living in Davis at that time.
DR. KIRWIN: So you really grew up in a faculty environment.
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes, at the time I had no idea about the rest of the world. I just thought that everyone was liberal, environmentally conscious, and I did not understand what I saw on the news about the rest of the world. I did not understand why there was prejudice and other social problems. It didn't make any sense to me. Davis was a fantasyland, sheltered and safe.
DR. KIRWIN: Did you go to public school?
DR. KIRWIN: – elementary school?
DR. KIRWIN: And all through –
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes, all through high school too.
DR. KIRWIN: – your education?
MR. NATSOULAS: There was a point in the middle of fourth grade and all of fifth grade I was in a private hippie school. The school had diagnosed that I had dyslexia. I had a really hard time in school concentrating and doing my work. My parents took me out of public school and put me into this hippie school, which was not structured at all. I learned a lot of creative things, but not a lot of academic things.
DR. KIRWIN: What was your first exposure to art?
MR. NATSOULAS: During a school field trip in grammar school, we went to the Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco; I saw a [David] Gilhooly sculpture there of a fertility goddess that was a casserole dish. The frog fertility goddess was adorned with a lot of breasts, and I thought, boy, this is cool. I also saw a lot of art at UC Davis. My parents, who are from New York City, exposed me to art. We would go back east every summer to visit relatives, and would go to museums and galleries. This was in the '60s and '70s, so I saw all of the Pop art that was going on at that time by all the big-deal artists. I remember seeing [Edward] Kienholz's work and George Segal's. Both artists profoundly influenced me. Painters like Warhol as well. That was my beginning of being exposed to art.
DR. KIRWIN: How long would you stay there on your visits?
MR. NATSOULAS: I don't remember. My parents and I did not fly, so we would take the train. With that kind of investment in travel time, I am sure we stayed for quite some time. My father got summers off from his teaching.
DR. KIRWIN: Did you go with your parents to museums or –
MR. NATSOULAS: Oh, yes.
DR. KIRWIN: So your parents were –
MR. NATSOULAS: They are intellectuals who exposed me to all sorts of things. Art, literature, politics, film. These trips back east started when I was very young till I was an adult.
DR. KIRWIN: Do you remember what it was about Kienholz or Segal that impressed you?
MR. NATSOULAS: I think what impressed me the most about the work was, both artists were making full-sized people in environments. It was incredible that they'd have these sculptures that were as big as we were and they were artworks. I also loved the dioramas at the Natural History Museum, and that tied into the installations that Kienhloz and Segal were doing. Their works were also dioramas. I wouldn't really want to have [those sculptures] in my house and look at [them] every day, because they have pretty depressing subject matters, but they impressed and inspired me.
DR. KIRWIN: Did you see people like Duane Hansen at the same time, too?
MR. NATSOULAS: No, I don't remember seeing Duane Hansen's work back then. I do remember seeing a show of Danish modern furniture, which I found to be beautiful. It was all so contemporary – the odd materials, odd shapes.
DR. KIRWIN: Where did you see that?
MR. NATSOULAS: I think it was the Museum of Modern Art, but it may have been the Crafts Museum [now called the Museum of Arts & Design, New York City]. I think it was the Museum of Modern Art. I've tried to go back and get the catalogues from that show, but I haven't been successful yet. There was also a shoe show I saw at the Crafts Museum that was of artists' made shoes.
DR. KIRWIN: Was there a gallery on campus at Davis that when you were young you saw?
MR. NATSOULAS: There was a gallery on campus, called the Nelson Gallery, but I don't remember visiting the gallery at that time.
DR. KIRWIN: Where did you go to high school?
MR. NATSOULAS: Davis Senior High. It is the only high school in town.
DR. KIRWIN: Did they have a good art program?
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes, an incredible program. They had a whole classroom that was dedicated to clay.
DR. KIRWIN: That's very unusual for a high school.
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes it was. In the classroom they had kilns and wheels, with a teacher that just taught ceramics.
DR. KIRWIN: Wow.
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes, it was a great opportunity to be in an environment like that. I just jumped into it.
DR. KIRWIN: Is that where you started clay?
MR. NATSOULAS: No. I started working in clay when I was younger. I made that piece over there, that little dragon.
DR. KIRWIN: Kind of describe it. Okay.
MR. NATSOULAS: It's a little dragon – all glazed blue with its eyes popping out of its head.
DR. KIRWIN: Okay.
MR. NATSOULAS: I made it in fourth grade
DR. KIRWIN: Oh, really.
MR. NATSOULAS: I made the dragon around the corner from my parents' house at a friend of mine's mother's studio/garage. After that, my parents had given me some oil-based clay to work with.
DR. KIRWIN: Could you go back to the making of the dragon?
MR. NATSOULAS: My friend's mother had a ceramics studio in the garage, where I was able to make my first clay piece. With the oil-based clay my parents had given me, I made little vignettes. Little sculptures where I'd have narratives happening. I started sculpting right away. Maybe it was out of boredom, I don't know. But I do remember going to the art department at UC Davis and getting Styrofoam. For some reason they had a lot of Styrofoam there. I built houses with the Styrofoam and had all these little creatures inside, a whole fantasy world. In the summer between fourth and fifth grade, I had taken a three-dimensional art class at the local junior high school, which is pretty weird to have a class like that, I think, for someone as young as we were then.
DR. KIRWIN: For that age, yes.
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes. It was a summer school class, and my teacher had introduced us to clay immediately. I was just thinking that I still know this teacher and have kept in contact with him all these years.
DR. KIRWIN: What is his name?
MR. NATSOULAS: His name's Mr. Neu. Dennis Neu. N-E-U. We initially started out in his class working in clay. I made more dragons for some reason. I did about five of them. I couldn't stop with the clay. Mr. Neu wanted me to work with wood and paper mache. He wanted us to try different kinds of media. I'd half-heartedly do the assignments but always would go to back to the clay. I even remember him taking the clay away. Then at the end of the class he was going to fail me because I didn't do all the assignments. I finally came in with a little wooden sculpture, so he gave me a C-minus.
DR. KIRWIN: So really you were kind of hooked on clay.
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes. In junior high school I took his class again, which was general art. And we did more clay. And then in high school I had another teacher named Donna Hands.
DR. KIRWIN: H-A-N-D-S?
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes. She encouraged me to do sculptures when everyone else was throwing pots. I started making these big fingers. Why? I don't know?
DR. KIRWIN: They had wheels?
MR. NATSOULAS: They had wheels and all kinds of equipment. It was great.
DR. KIRWIN: Had she gone through the program at Davis?
MR. NATSOULAS: I don't think so. I don't know exactly where she studied. She was definitely trained as a potter. She probably studied somewhere in the Bay Area. I haven't kept track of her. I don't know where she went off to. She and her family lived on my block and I went to school with her son. So I knew her throughout my childhood. She was originally from Montana.
DR. KIRWIN: So you made hands?
MR. NATSOULAS: No, I made fingers. Three-foot-tall fingers. I don't know why.
DR. KIRWIN: Any finger in particular? [Laughs.]
MR. NATSOULAS: No, just really large fingers. They always had large fingertips. Maybe it was some phallic thing? I don't know. [Laughs.] Really odd. They were really realistic. I also made some other large pieces, some big fish and birds, but cartoony. My grandfather loved to fish and I really liked him, so I think that's when I became interested in making sculptures of fish. Mrs. Hands saw me doing these large sculptures, and she said, "You really should go to UC Davis and take a class there." They had this program where you could take classes concurrently with high school classes. So I signed up for a ceramics class, which happened to be taught by Robert Arneson. In the class, I made pieces that looked a lot [like] Gilhooly's – David Gilhooly, who was a student of Arneson's in the '60s.
DR. KIRWIN: How old were you when you—
MR. NATSOULAS: I was 18; it was the second half of my senior year in high school. When I took the class with Arneson, he had a graduate student there named Kelly Detweiler. Kelly was the artist who did that piece over there, that wall piece [indicating a work of art in his home.] Kelly was the graduate student at TB-9 [Temporary Building #9 at UCD.] He was teaching the class, for Arneson, but Arneson would come into class and supervise. Later that year I took another class from him.
DR. KIRWIN: From Kelly?
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes. Another encouraging thing early in my education was entering a high school art competition at the local bank, Sacramento Savings and Loan. Mrs. Hands had me put two of my large sculptures in the competition. I won best of show, best of the ceramics category. I won $100. I thought, hey, I enjoy making art and I can make money at it, so why not make this a career?
DR. KIRWIN: Uh-huh. And what did your parents think about this?
MR. NATSOULAS: They thought it was great.
DR. KIRWIN: What was your first impression of Arneson?
MR. NATSOULAS: He was a really interesting person. For all the whimsy and all of the loudness that he portrays in his sculpture, he's really a quiet, shy guy. As I got to know him, I found that he was really funny, an avid reader, and was really knowledgeable about a lot of different things. It was just great. He really took teaching college very seriously. He wasn't just teaching art; he was teaching philosophy through art.
DR. KIRWIN: What were those classes? Were they sculpture classes?
DR. KIRWIN: – credit classes?
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes, they were all sculptural credit classes through the UCD. UC Davis is a research school. They don't teach the technical aspects of a subject. They take a philosophical approach to teaching. You can't take a welding class there. You can't take a throwing class there either. You can't take any classes that only concentrates on technique.
DR. KIRWIN: Like a fundamental technique?
MR. NATSOULAS: You could take a drawing class and you learned how to draw, but you always had the philosophy of drawing or philosophy of art behind it. It wasn't, "Draw this cup." It was more like, "Why are you drawing this cup?" "What does the cup mean to you?" "What are you trying to say about the cup?" That was interesting to me.
DR. KIRWIN: Then you went to Davis?
MR. NATSOULAS: No, since I could not get into UC Davis after high school, because I didn't have good grades in high school, I went to Sac State – Sacramento State College. There I took throwing classes from Ruth Rippon. I did all my college requirement classes at Sacramento State. I also took a ceramic sculpture class from Robert Brady. I think I actually took two classes from him and two classes from Ruth Rippon. I also took a class from a sculpture teacher who, halfway through the class, told me to quit, because I made funky narrative sculptures. He was an abstract artist. It was really the first time I ran into resistance about my work. I also took drawing classes. I was there for a year and a half. I was so excited to get back to Davis that I did everything I could to get back there.
DR. KIRWIN: Did you learn anything specific from Brady?
MR. NATSOULAS: It was, what, 1977? I'm sure I did, but I can't remember specific things. I still have really good friends today that I went to school with back then. After Sac State, I went to UC Davis for another three and a half years. I wanted to study with Arneson again. So that we would have other influences, Arneson would take off a quarter every year and would have visiting artists come teach in his place. He invited an artist from Canada, Joe Fafard. Joe inspired me to make figures. He is a wonderful figurative sculptor.
DR. KIRWIN: Who were the other ceramic people at Davis at that time there? It wasn't just Arneson was it?
MR. NATSOULAS: Just Arneson.
DR. KIRWIN: Oh, it was just him?
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes, just one teacher, and that's the reason why he would take a quarter off every year and get visiting artists.
DR. KIRWIN: Oh.
MR. NATSOULAS: Not the reason, but it was sort of a –
DR. KIRWIN: Relief?
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes, for him and a different learning experience for us.
DR. KIRWIN: Yes.
MR. NATSOULAS: It expanded our horizons to have visiting artists come in his absence.
DR. KIRWIN: Right.
MR. NATSOULAS: And then I thought – after graduating from UC Davis, I wanted to go and see what the East Coast had to offer. I wanted a diverse education. I applied to RISD [Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI], but I did not get in. I applied to the Maryland Institute College of Art and was accepted. I spent a year in Baltimore, and that was the first time I'd lived outside of Davis. It was just a complete eye-opener. I didn't like being there at all; it was too much big city reality to deal with. I didn't like it. People were getting beaten up on my doorstep and people breaking into my apartment even while I was home. I had never had these kinds of experiences before. And poverty. It was all so foreign to me.
DR. KIRWIN: Where did you live in Baltimore?
MR. NATSOULAS: I lived on Washington Square, where Peabody [The Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University] is. I lived right across the street from Peabody School.
DR. KIRWIN: Gee, that's a nice area.
MR. NATSOULAS: Is it?
DR. KIRWIN: [Laughs.] All the buildings are beautiful there.
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes, they are beautiful. I had a basement apartment and lived with a roommate who went to Peabody.
DR. KIRWIN: And you'd just walk over to the Maryland Institute?
MR. NATSOULAS: Well, actually at that time—it was 1983—disco was raging, and so I would roller-skate everywhere. I roller-skated all over UC Davis as well. [Laughs.] Three o'clock in the morning I would be roller-skating from the Institute back home. It was a cheap, easy way to get around, and it kept me in shape.
DR. KIRWIN: Who were the teachers at Maryland Institute?
MR. NATSOULAS: Doug Baldwin and another artist named Ron Lang, who both are really good artists. I was the only graduate student in clay, and so it was really lonely. I didn't really have anyone else to pal around with, and of course, the painters' attitudes were, "Oh, you're doing clay?" Except for one painter, who changed my way of looking at art.
DR. KIRWIN: Who's that?
MR. NATSOULAS: Eddie Bisese, the best painter in the whole entire world [Ed Bisese is married to Dr. Kirwin]. No, he did really change my outlook on art. Eddie left halfway during the year. So I decided to leave Maryland Institute because of the crime and isolation. Grace Hartigan was a painting teacher upstairs at the Maryland Institute. She asked me to stay and get my degree in painting there. Was she your teacher? [asking Ed Bisese, who is also in the room.] I told Grace, "Oh, no, no, forget it, I can't do it. I can't get my M.F.A. in painting when I want to do clay." I was doing some paintings and trying to do two-dimensional work. It was just so difficult to do two-dimensional work for me.
DR. KIRWIN: Eddie was talking about your time at Maryland Institute, that you were managing the clay studio.
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes, I was the technician for the ceramic studio.
DR. KIRWIN: What did that entail?
MR. NATSOULAS: Fixing the kilns, mixing clay, mixing glazes, and making sure the kids didn't do anything dangerous. It was a great education to be there, and I'm glad I went. But I had to go back to Davis. I had to get out of there. I learned a lot of things, technical things, that I didn't learn at Davis that I am grateful for.
DR. KIRWIN: Had you thought about going to New York then?
MR. NATSOULAS: Arneson kept telling me to get a gallery in New York. A lot of my friends had gone to New York before me, and it was a nightmare for most of them. How do you fire your work there? How do you make enough money to live? Living to work and not working to live.
MR. BISESE: I just wanted you to know that at Maryland Institute Tony did a lot of gathering the painters to come downstairs to try clay.
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes, that's right.
DR. KIRWIN: Oh, yes?
MR. BISESE: He made the clay room a lot more interesting than I think it would have been otherwise.
MR. NATSOULAS: I don't remember that.
MR. BISESE: He would go on a little pilgrimage and take someone by the hand –
DR. KIRWIN: Gather people up?
MR. BISESE: – and bring them downstairs.
MR. NATSOULAS: "Come. Come downstairs and make clay sculptures; It'll save your soul! Say, 'Hallelujah!'"
DR. KIRWIN: [Laughs.]
MR. NATSOULAS: There were a lot of characters at the Maryland Institute. Man, oh, man. God, it was incredible. At Davis, for some reason, it seemed so homogenized. I guess because Baltimore is such a big city. I like Baltimore now. I've been back since, and I think it's great, a great city. I'd live there in a minute. I don't know if my wife would, but – I'm really glad I went to school there. In the summer after Baltimore, I went to Skowhegan School of Art [Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture, Skowhegan, Me]. It is a nine-week summer program in Maine.
DR. KIRWIN: So directly from Baltimore to Maine?
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes, Skowhegan was a school placed in the middle of a forest with really famous artists teaching there. It was a great learning experience to able to see the artists work on their artwork firsthand. I was able to show them my work, although it was really frustrating, because the school was not set up for clay whatsoever. Just to make a little, teeny sculpture you would have to pay a lot of money to make it and fire it there. I just couldn't afford to make my large sculptures, so I was painting most of the time and learned how to weld. I made some large welded figures.
Francesco Clemente would come over to my little studio space, where I would have these little ugly sculptures that I was working on. Thank God I could show him my slides and not rely on what I was making there. I wanted Francesco to know that I had been making major works prior to being at Skowhegan. When I was at Davis, I had started making life-sized figures as an undergraduate. I showed Francesco slides of my life-size figures and he really liked them. He wanted me to make a blank head out of clay so that he could manipulate it and see how well he could work in clay, since he was a painter. I never did the blank. I should have, because we could have maybe worked together like Picasso and the Ramiés [Georges and Suzanne].
DR. KIRWIN: So he wanted to collaborate and –
MR. NATSOULAS: Well, not really collaborate; he wanted me to make a form so he could make a piece that he would claim as his own. He did not know the first thing about sculpting in clay. I remember him telling me that at his level in the art world, he could not make any mistakes. I didn't do it. I thought, oh, God, why doesn't he learn how to do his own clay sculpture?
DR. KIRWIN: Who else was there at Skowhegan?
MR. NATSOULAS: Judy Pfaff, an installation artist. I love her work. She was a wonderful person and was really encouraging. [Earlier] I went to another art camp called Ox-Bow [Ox-Bow Summer School of Art, Saugatuck, MI] that is attached to the Chicago Art Institute. Ellen Lanyon, who's a Chicago artist, helped in getting me a job at Ox-Bow, as the assistant technician in ceramics. I met her when she was out as a visiting artist at UC Davis. I think it was '80. Maybe it was '81.
DR. KIRWIN: Mm-hmm, I have it here.
MR. NATSOULAS: Oh.
DR. KIRWIN: Summer 1980.
MR. NATSOULAS: Saugatuck, Michigan.
DR. KIRWIN: – Michigan?
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes. I met a lot of artists there. I met Andrew Ginzel, a big-deal New York artist now. He was just a kid then. He constructs giant installations. They are just amazing, and a great guy. I met a ceramic artist named Cynthia Carlson and Jody Pinto, a printmaker. Jody was so nice and she encouraged me make prints. I made lithographs there, which I hadn't done before.
DR. KIRWIN: Let me get the chronology straight. You were at Davis. Then you went to Ox-Bow?
MR. NATSOULAS: I was hired at Ox-Bow in the summer between my first and second year as an undergraduate student at Davis.
DR. KIRWIN: Okay. And then you also have down here "visiting artist at the Can Building, Syracuse." What was that?
MR. NATSOULAS: Every summer I'd try to go to a different art school. One of those summers, I went to work with Margie Hughto, a ceramic artist and teacher at Syracuse University. She had a program where she would invite abstract painters to work in clay. This is probably where I got my idea to go up to Grace Hartigan's class and drag painting students down to the ceramic studio. Friedl Dzubas, a '50s abstract painter, was supposed to come that summer but did not make it. So I was left with graduate students. I was really looking forward to working with him. Helen Frankenthaler was also a painter that was invited to work in clay.
DR. KIRWIN: Dzubas.
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes, Friedl Dzubas,
DR. KIRWIN: He was at – he was teaching in Boston.
MR. NATSOULAS: Was he?
MR. NATSOULAS: Another artist who came to work there before I came was Ken Noland.
DR. KIRWIN: He did the targets.
MR. NATSOULAS: Right. [Laughs.] Margie was an abstract artist. It was really great to get a different perspective on making ceramic sculptures than I had been taught. I was hoping to get that different point of view by going to an East Coast graduate school. I think everybody needs balance between abstract and figurative work.
While in Syracuse, I did a whole body of abstract sculptures. Because of making abstract work, it made me more fluid in my sculpting. The Can was an old can company in downtown Syracuse that Margie had made into a giant ceramic studio. Margie gave me a very large studio there to work in. I was too young to really take advantage of it. I wish I was doing my figures at that point, but I wasn't. Margie would mix a bunch of colored clays or colored porcelains to make her work. I had never worked with this technique before.
DR. KIRWIN: Well, speaking of abstraction, how did [Peter] Voulkos figure into your thinking about clay?
MR. NATSOULAS: For the longest time I thought, ugh, God, his artwork was so ugly. Since those naïve days I have realized what a major impact his work had on my work. There are really two schools of thought in the clay world. One way of thought is Voulkos's school, which is the expressiveness of the raw clay, and the other one is the petting of the clay to death school. I'm saying this in a critical manner, but actually, I really like both views.
Marilyn Levine makes her ceramics look like they are made of something other then clay. I'm sure that kind of work comes out of the tradition of throwing and making pristine work. Then there's Voulkos. You can never dispute it was made out of anything but clay. Not cement, plastic, metal, but clay. He had the same idea as the abstract expressionists, that this is paint and we're going to move the paint around; it's going to be nothing but paint or clay. I don't want to be critical of the people who aren't treating clay in this way, but it's a more honest way of dealing with the clay. That's what all my work was about. These are my fingerprints in the clay. These are my tool marks in the clay; recording everything I have done to the clay. Arneson pounded away at us about Voulkos. I remember that he truly respected Voulkos as an artist. While I was in school, my peers thought my work was sloppy and that I was being lazy, but in fact, I was just trying to make the surfaces of my work electrified. My perspective is this is clay, and this imprint in the clay was made by a tool recording my gesture. I used these Voulkos techniques even though I may have been sculpting a pair of pants, or face, and not an abstract sculpture. So I melded the two forms of sculpture, the figurative and the Voulkos abstraction.
DR. KIRWIN: Did Arneson bring Voulkos to UC Davis?
MR. NATSOULAS: No. And I don't know why he didn't. In the five years I was there, I don't know why we didn't go to his studio either. So, that was very strange, now that I think of it.
MR. NATSOULAS: Getting back to Skowhegan, Mark di Suvero came while I was there. I showed him my slides. He said to me, "Figurative art is out." I thought that was the funniest thing, because he does abstract sculpture, so therefore he would want abstract to be "in." William Wegman was there as well.
DR. KIRWIN: How was Skowhegan set up? Did they have people come in and then give lectures or –
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes, there were a lot of lectures. There were visiting artists, and there were resident artists staying for the whole nine weeks, like Francesco and Judy.
DR. KIRWIN: di Suvero?
MR. NATSOULAS: No, di Suvero just came in for a couple of days.
DR. KIRWIN: Judy Pfaff?
MR. NATSOULAS: Judy Pfaff was there as a resident artist as well as others. I had the great opportunity to paint frescoes there too. I got to work on a giant fresco while I was there. I had never done frescoes before.
MR. NATSOULAS: They had this big barn there, and they would let students fresco it over and over. Every year they would take down the last fresco for the next group of artists to do their fresco.
MR. NATSOULAS: [Back at Davis] I ate, slept, and breathed to make life-sized clay figures. When I started sculpting life-size figures at TB-9, the technician's name was Joe Mannino.
DR. KIRWIN: Joe Mannino?
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes, Joe is currently teaching at Carnegie Mellon [Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA]. He was great. Joe was the one who taught me a lot about technique. Arneson just wanted to teach the theory and the philosophy of clay.
DR. KIRWIN: You were a student of Joe's?
MR. NATSOULAS: No, he was the technician, but I would talk to him about how to make large sculptures successfully.
DR. KIRWIN: He ran the studio?
MR. NATSOULAS: Joe took a few of us one day to see Viola Frey, who was making life-sized figures at that point. It was probably 1980, 1981, something like that. Viola's whole backyard, and I'm not exaggerating, was filled with her life-sized figures. It was a normal-sized backyard being used as storage for all of her completed pieces. Viola was another major influence on me. I was able to see how she put her figures together and how she applied her glazes to them. Arneson at that point wasn't glazing his work in a painterly fashion. He was basically just glazing them. He used some green highlights, and then would glaze his faces pink. But Viola was using different colors on her surfaces, which were more like three-dimensional paintings. Her glazing technique really took a hold of me, and ever since then I have been trying to make my sculptures more painterly.
MR. NATSOULAS: Arneson had let me teach the same class that Kelly had taught all those years ago when I was a high school student. I fashioned the class so that the final sculptures made up a large installation of life-size figures at a party. We had a big opening at the end. It was wonderful. I thought I was going to teach after getting my M.F.A. from Davis. After graduating I did get a job teaching ceramics at Cal State; Stanislaus, in Turlock, California. I think I earned $500 a month for teaching one class. When I was at UC Davis, Rena Bransten came out from the Rena Bransten Gallery in San Francisco and asked if she could represent me. She's one of the major players in the art world in S.F. DR. KIRWIN: This was when you were in graduate school?
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes. Which was pretty remarkable. She was representing Viola at the same time. She sold a lot of my work. Rena sold a life-sized figure every other month for me and gave me a one-person show in '86. I sculpted that entire show in a teeny little office that I was using as a studio at Cal State Stanislaus. I don't think it was bigger than 8 foot by 8 foot. There were 12, larger-than-life-size figures I made for that show, and she sold half of them. As my career took off, I was in a lot of different shows in museums and galleries around the United States.
After living in Turlock for two years, I moved up to Chico, California, to teach at Butte College. I started making art right away and had another show with Rena that same year. I had a nice, big studio. It was in a horrible tin warehouse, but I loved it. Chico is an hour and 45 minutes north of Sacramento, and the weather is much hotter than Sacramento. From the heat in the tin studio, I could have fired my work without the use of a kiln. I was making a lot of sculptures there and showing quite a bit. Two years later Rena decided that she didn't want to focus on showing clay anymore, except for Viola Frey and Ron Nagle, so she let me go.
I was sort of lost for a while. I learned that making sculptures was what I really wanted to do for my career, and not teach. I stopped teaching, moved back to Davis to be closer to the art scene, and got a studio. I met my wife [Donna George] and got married. We've been married for 12 years now. Since being married it has made me focus 100 percent on making my art, showing in museums, teaching workshop,s and lecturing.DR. KIRWIN: That brings us right up to the present.
DR. KIRWIN: We need to backtrack some. I have some questions that we are asking everyone.
MR. NATSOULAS: Sure.
DR. KIRWIN: In your experience and the people that you've interacted with, what is your sense of the difference between a university-trained artist and a craft artist who comes up through an apprentice system, or outside academia?
MR. NATSOULAS: The two ways of study are different on the surface, but both schools want the same thing, to make great works. I got my master's of fine art in art and not clay. I know in my instance I do not look at myself as a craft artist but a fine artist working in a craft medium. I don't know what a craft artist is. I don't know if materials have to do with being a crafts artist. I really need to talk to someone who's a crafts artist and ask them why they're a crafts artist and not an artist.
The differences between us, I suppose, is that someone who's outside academia is probably more apt to throw and make functional work. I'm not. I'm concerned about showing my audience my personal vision of the world. Crafts artists are more like abstract artists. I think that they may be more interested in form, line, and color. I believe that they are interested in not only how many potatoes can fit in a bowl, but is it an aesthetically pleasing bowl to place potatoes in, too? So it's a little different from abstract sculpture in that the art has a function.
A lot of people say that crafts is lower form than fine art, which is the general feeling in the art world, but as you can see, I have a huge collection of craft in our home side by side with fine art. I have pottery and hand-blown glass along with paintings, drawings, and prints. I love it all. I have just as much respect for craftsmen as someone who paints a painting or makes a sculpture.
DR. KIRWIN: Okay. Well, let's talk about some of the ideas in your work.
There does seem to be a divide between people who make functional things and what you are doing.
MR. NATSOULAS: Mm-hmm. You are correct; there is a divide. It comes from the thought that craft artists are only concerned with technique, and fine artists are only concerned with ideas. Which is not necessarily true.
DR. KIRWIN: Is large-scale figurative work drawn from a lot of popular culture influences, and if you would speak a little bit about what inspires you to take on these large works? It's wonderful to see them in the environment of your home, because I think you have some common aesthetic that you're involved in here.
MR. NATSOULAS: Inspiration is a very elusive thing. Absurd television shows, people, toys, cartoons, plays, and movies that are nostalgic inspire me the most. I also look at other artists for inspiration, such as Robert Arneson, Clayton Bailey, Red Grooms, David Gilhooly, Big Daddy Roth to name a few. Recently, I have been concentrating on larger-than-life, exaggerated ceramic busts of people that have inspired me on many different levels. For example, as a child we watched a television show entitled the Honeymooners. It starred Jackie Gleason as Ralph Kramden an overweight, loud, and very opinionated man who was married to Audrey Meadows, who played his wife, Alice. During the days that this program aired women were portrayed as mothers, wives, and happy homemakers. They had no opinions, made no fuss, and everything was a neat and tidy package of dribble. The character played by Meadows, Alice, was very different from the rest of the housewives on television. She stood up for what she believed; she was not afraid of her loud, overbearing husband. She was wise, firm, loving, and still was able to be feminine. I admired the character of Alice, and was drawn to sculpting her and immortalizing her in clay.
In this series of busts I also sculpted Inspector Clouseau, Hercule Poirot, Uncle Fester, Auntie Mame, Pee Wee Hermann, the Duchess from Alice in Wonderland, and more. Our art collection and my work have similar aesthetics. Humor, pop art, bold color, figurative, narrative.
DR. KIRWIN: Your vision. If you could talk about—these are your works, they're—sometimes they're –
MR. NATSOULAS: What?
DR. KIRWIN: – empowering.
MR. NATSOULAS: My vision was—when I started out—was to try to straighten out the world. I wanted to straighten the world out because I thought and think it's crooked. [Laughs.] I was making these life-sized figures to make my political statements, trying to remind people that there are good ways of going about things, and bad ways. Then my work progressed into a more formal way of sculpting. How can I push this clay figure as far as possible? How can I make the figure stand on its head or stand on one leg? Pushing the limits of the figure in clay with balance and expression.MR. BISESE: Concerned with form.
MR. NATSOULAS: Concerned with form, right.
MR. BISESE: Not formal like a tuxedo.
MR. NATSOULAS: Right, concerned with form. I have made some sculptures dressed in tuxedos, though.
MR. BISESE: That was your formal.
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes. [Laughs.]
MR. NATSOULAS: I tried to balance the formal aspects of sculpture with subject matter. My main concern was to concentrate on the gesture of the figures and how to make them in any position I wanted. About six years ago my friend, Ross Turk, a collector of mine said, "Have you ever considered making smaller works, maybe busts?" Ross brought up the point that busts might be easier to ship, fit into the ever day person's house and be easier to move around. I really respect Ross; he's always been my biggest supporter and he has always looked out for my best interest.
MR. NATSOULAS: We're going to visit him and see his great art collection on Friday.
MR. NATSOULAS: I thought, well, okay, I'll start doing some smaller works. I decided to make half-sized figures, but wanted to sculpt them with bigger heads, so I could still have the exaggeration, as I did in the larger sculptures. These works were much smaller in the beginning, but they grew. I am compelled to make everything the size of my kilns, which are three foot by two and a half feet by two and a half feet. I started making this new body of work, concentrating on who the figure was, as opposed to just an anonymous person. This was the first time I really focused on making specific portraits. I probably had made 130 life-size figures between 1980 and 2000. So I was ready to change the format of my sculptures.
I started concentrating on the sculptures' personalities. First I sculpted a self-portrait for a self-portrait show I was in at a local gallery. Then later, the Everson Museum in Syracuse, New York, selected the piece to be in their Ceramic National exhibition that traveled for two years to other museums throughout the United States. I'm really a nostalgic person. I wanted to make a series of characters that I felt nostalgic about. I sculpted Pee Wee Herman, Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, and Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau, and others. It really taught me how to do somewhat realistic portraits, not only capturing their likeness, but their personalities as well.
When I was at UC Davis, they did not teach portraiture. [Wayne] Thiebaud was there at that time, and I took classes from him. I learned a lot of formal aspects about painting and drawing, but nothing about portraiture. Wayne's classes were pretty straightforward: still lifes and color theory.
MR. BISESE: What was it? Street-tilting? [Joking.]
DR. KIRWIN: [Laughs.] Street-tilting. Cakes?
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes. Street-tilting and cakes, yes, exactly. It was a whole class on street-tilting and cakes put together. I mean, you have all these cakes rolling down the hill.
DR. KIRWIN: [Laughing.]
MR. NATSOULAS: No, it was still life, and figure drawing. The other teachers at that time had a '60s mentality even though it was the early '80s. They would put a still life on the table, put on some groovy music, and then tell the students to draw whatever they wanted. They were good teachers, but I didn't learn anything about academic art whatsoever, and so I tried to make up for that with the series of heads. Sculpting specific people and learning how to sculpt in a more academic way.
DR. KIRWIN: How did other people respond to your experiments?
MR. NATSOULAS: People really liked them a lot; I received a great response from them.
DR. KIRWIN: How did they connect with them?
MR. NATSOULAS: I think they connected more with the big heads than the raw treated life-size figures. People were telling me that my new work was more polished and more refined than that of my previous work.
DR. KIRWIN: Well, the surfaces are very different.
MR. NATSOULAS: They are.
DR. KIRWIN: Do you want to explain how the expression of the surfaces changed, because people just hearing this might not know?
MR. NATSOULAS: In the beginning I started with a kind of "Voulkosesque" approach to the clay. I would take boards, and I would hit the sculpture's wet clay pants to try to make an abstract pattern look like folds. I was not looking for realism. You would see the mark the wood left in the clay. I was into that kind of technique of texturing and still am to a certain extent, but it's more controlled "Voulkosism." Expressionism is really what I was trying to go for. I really like the German expressionists. I really like that whole idea of beating up the clay and making it not just a pair of pants, but a pair of pants alive with texture. I love doing abstract textures, in the hair, where I just claw it with my hands or I have a loop tool or I make it look like my fingers have run through it.
Then when I started making the specific portraits, I had to make the surfaces a lot smoother. I made a second series of busts that included the Beatles and Uncle Fester from The Addams Family TV series from the 1960s. I took figures from my childhood or my teenage years that I found nostalgic. I sculpted Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot from the public television series. I have produced 20 or more sculptures for this series.
DR. KIRWIN: Say something about personalities that appealed to you.
MR. NATSOULAS: Well, they were—
DR. KIRWIN: They were part of your—
MR. NATSOULAS: They were part of my childhood. I'm really nostalgic about that whole era – the '60s and '70s. I set out to do the minor celebrities, like Alice of The Honeymooners instead of Ralph, because I think she should get as much credit as he did. She was just great. She stood up to this big bully and didn't care he yelled at her. She was feminine, funny, and loving. She was never afraid of him. They seemed like equals. I also made Peter Sellers in The Pink Panther. I didn't sculpt the big-deal actors, because I'm more interested in the minor ones. After that I made a series of my friends and wife, dressed as 18th-century people. I love that period, the baroque period.
DR. KIRWIN: Well, there's a lot of common experience with those characters.
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes. In both series. The pop culture and baroque series.
DR. KIRWIN: Well, could you talk a little about that series? The piece you showed me yesterday.
MR. NATSOULAS: I wanted to do figures from the baroque period because I love the styles and the outrageousness of their dress and attitude. I wanted to sculpt specific people, because when I don't have a specific model, I don't think my work is as strong. I also wanted to carry on working in portraiture. I decided to use my friends and wife as my models, not only because they were easily accessible for me to take pictures of, but I also wanted to use models that were part of my life. I incorporated objects that represent each models' personality, along with things they love. When using subjects like the Beatles, Cary Grant, and different celebrities, I had to rely on the Internet and books. It was a challenge, because I couldn't get the correct angles. I was telling Eddie that the Beatles were so hard to sculpt because there weren't any side views of any of them. It was great using my friends as models because I could capture every angle I needed with my digital camera.
DR. KIRWIN: Have you talked about your involvement with any current schools like Penland [Penland School of Crafts, Penland, NC]?
MR. NATSOULAS: I went to Penland last spring [2004] and taught there for two months.
DR. KIRWIN: What did you teach?
MR. NATSOULAS: I taught portraiture. [Laughs.] It was supposed to be portraiture and caricature mixed together, although we didn't really get into caricature that much. I had eight students. It was great, although I never felt like I fit in, because I always felt like I am more of a fine artist as opposed to a crafts artist. I'm so used to being around painters and sculptors, and at Penland I was interacting with jewelers, metalsmiths, and glassblowers. They come from a different perspective, in that their work can stand alone with out a narrative. Which must be pretty freeing. Once I got to know them—like the jewelry teacher, Marjorie Simon, she knew more than I about fine art and [she] knows a lot art history. I felt more at home after realizing that there was little difference between fine artists and crafts artists. It was great, because it expanded my awareness of what other artists, or crafts people, were thinking.
DR. KIRWIN: Did you do any other kind of work while you were there?
MR. NATSOULAS: I learned how to enamel, and I made some jewelry.
MR. BISESE: Glass?
MR. NATSOULAS: I blew one little teeny object in glass. I was able to do a lot of different kinds of firings there in kilns that I don't have at home. I was able to do wood- firing, salt firing, soda, and raku. They had a lot of great equipment, like a sandblaster. I borrowed a sandblasting technique from the glass teachers and used it on one of my clay pieces.
DR. KIRWIN: And what were the students like?
MR. NATSOULAS: They were at different levels of abilities and had different goals.
MR. BISESE: Tony, I think you should explain your students, because you had an observation about the type of person who's available to spend eight weeks at Penland.
DR. KIRWIN: Oh, tell me about it.
MR. NATSOULAS: I don't want to be critical of them.
MR. BISESE: It was an observation. It wasn't—
MR. NATSOULAS: Okay. I tried to figure out what kind of person could take an eight-week course. Before I got there, I thought many of them would be college students and retired people.
[End Tape 1 Side B; Begin Tape 2 Side A.]
DR. KIRWIN: This is Liza Kirwin interviewing Tony Natsoulas at his home in Sacramento, August 9, 2004, this summer, and we're talking about the students at Penland, of who is available for—
MR. NATSOULAS: Okay.
DR. KIRWIN: Well, you talked about who was likely to be a—
MR. NATSOULAS: Right. I found when I got there the students that could take the time off to go to Penland were college students in transition or had just graduated from undergraduate school. Most of the students didn't know what they were going to do with their lives. They didn't know what they were going to do next, and so they went to Penland. They thought the eight weeks away would give them time to figure out where they were going next and what they wanted to do. Some had just broken up with their girlfriends or boyfriends. They needed a place to go to, for a separation. So it was kind of an odd mixture of people. But there were some good students, a few. I think there were 85 students in all.
DR. KIRWIN: In this whole class?
MR. NATSOULAS: No, in the whole session.
MR. NATSOULAS: Most everyone there, with an exception of just a few, I felt they were a part of my family. It was intense to be there night and day for eight weeks in this small community. We ate together, watched slides together, worked together, and talked together. It was almost like being back in Davis again, as a kid, where there was no crime, nothing bad happened there; I don't know if that's a good thing or not, but it's kind of a fantasy world. There was no TV, radio, or newspapers.
DR. KIRWIN: Well, there are some people that go and never leave.
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes, they buy houses, make art, and live happily ever after there.
DR. KIRWIN: Did you go to meet any of the other clay people in the area?
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes, sure. Cynthia Bringle.
DR. KIRWIN: Oh, yes—
MR. NATSOULAS: There was an artist who just moved there, that I knew from California, named Lisa Clague. She graduated a year after I did, but from the College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland under Viola Frey. We are sort of contempories-ish.
DR. KIRWIN: Have you been to Haystack [Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Deer Isle, ME]?
MR. NATSOULAS: No, I haven't had the pleasure but hope to go sometime. I had a great experience teaching at Penland, so I can imagine how wonderful it would be to teach at other schools as well.
DR. KIRWIN: Did you find that the students there had expectations of you at Penland that you would give demonstrations? I know the crafts people are really involved in the demo.
DR. KIRWIN: And did you have—
MR. NATSOULAS: I didn't realize that the students wanted a lot of demos. I did some demos, but I didn't realize that the students relied on demos so much. When I was going to school at Davis, we just found our own way and techniques.
MR. BISESE: That was one of the only criticisms you got from your students, wasn't it?
MR. BISESE: That you didn't give any demos.
MR. NATSOULAS: Well, not enough, in their opinion. The metals teacher next door would give a demonstration every single day of the eight weeks, and she enjoyed it. I was taught to teach using the "do your own thing" method. That was what every teacher, except for Thiebaud, would say, just find your own way and do whatever you want to do. So that's how I taught.
DR. KIRWIN: It's a very different teaching philosophy.
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes, it's a completely different way of teaching. I did teach the students a lot and they were able to make some really good sculptures in the end. I think they did come a long way from where they started. I was there morning, noon, and night. They should have taken more advantage of my knowledge.
Next time I teach a workshop, I will do a lot more demonstrations. I realize that students do need a lot of guidance in that manner. The conflict, though, comes when teachers demonstrate, showing students exactly how each teacher makes their own work; you turn out a whole bunch of students who are doing work that looks just like yours and not their own. The teachers I had were shying away from that method of teaching, making their students strong artists with their own individual styles.
MR. BISESE: Is imitation a bad thing in the crafts world?
MR. NATSOULAS: I don't know. It is in the fine art world.
DR. KIRWIN: It can be, yes.
MR. BISESE: But you'd expect from the tradition of demonstrations that you get people just imitating what's—
MR. NATSOULAS: That is my point.
MR. BISESE: Then it's a bad thing in crafts. It's bad in art.
MR. NATSOULAS: Some people say, imitation is the highest form of flattery. I don't know if I agree with that. I just think it is important that people come up with their own ideas and techniques to feel comfortable with their decisions, making their work unique. Otherwise all work looks like same and is watered down and becomes stagnant.
MR. BISESE: How valuable is flattery?
MR. NATSOULAS: [Laughs.]
DR. KIRWIN: Would you identify yourself with the school of Davis? Are you part of an artistic legacy at Davis?
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes, oh, definitely. I'm proud of it, too. In the present, from my perspective, the art world doesn't seem to have any kind of particular movement anymore. Isn't it called pluralism now? Where anything goes, and there is not one major style? For the last few years conceptualism has been in the forefront. I feel like I've been left behind in a way, passed by into conceptualism. But other artists keep telling me that the pendulum always swings back and forth. I really relate to painters more than I relate to sculptors. A lot of painters will make figurative art, and I really relate to it. I relate to the color and their ability to do what they want. They can make a person floating in the air; I wish I could do that, but it would be quite [impossible] because of gravity. Well, I guess I can do it in fiberglass, but not clay.
DR. KIRWIN: You have.
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes, I have worked in fiberglass, and have made my sculptures float in the air.
DR. KIRWIN: Does your work have any connections with Pop Art?
MR. NATSOULAS: I do feel my art in some degree connects with Pop Art. There was the Pop movement, and there was also the Funk movement. Funk was actually started in the '50s or the '60s by some conceptual artists. Bruce Connors and Bruce Nauman were part of that, among others. Then the clay world stepped in and said, "No, Funk Art is ours," and so I'm part of that movement. I don't think that Funk Art is Funk clay, because Funk Art was supposed to be making art out whatever was around, like found objects and such.
DR. KIRWIN: See, now we think of Funk as clay.
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes, The whole idea was that Funk clay—or Funk Art—was thumbing their noses at artists that were using traditional materials. I think Funk clay took over the idea of thumbing their noses at traditional potters, and also at the general art world. So, yes, I'm part of all that. I'm probably the last little remnant of the Funk clay movement. The first Funk show was in '65 in Berkeley at the Berkeley Art Museum, 40 years ago now. [Laughs.] The vestiges of time. Neo-Expressionism was happening when I was just getting out of college, and I really relate to that, even though my art probably doesn't look like it, but it really had a huge influence on me. I really like this new movement, called Post-Pop. Have you seen this yet?
DR. KIRWIN: Explain it to me.
MR. NATSOULAS: I could show you a magazine?
DR. KIRWIN: Sure.
[Pause as Mr. Natsoulas finds magazine.]
MR. NATSOULAS: What it is, is commercial artists doing fine art and in a tattoo manner.
MR. NATSOULAS: Tattoo art is really, really big here on the West Coast.
DR. KIRWIN: So this magazine's called—
MR. NATSOULAS: Juxtapoz.
DR. KIRWIN: —Juxtapoz.
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes. My art is not wild like that, not crazy, but I just love it. It's kind of Surrealism, but it's really an updated Surrealism.
DR. KIRWIN: Hmm. I've never seen this magazine.
MR. NATSOULAS: Oh, it's really great. Some of the art goes so overboard I can't even look at it, but most of it I really like.
DR. KIRWIN: This is where you're moving?
MR. NATSOULAS: Well, yes, and I kind of want to join their club, but I don't know if they're going to let me.
DR. KIRWIN: [Laughs.] You just muscle your way in there.
MR. NATSOULAS: I don't know if I actually want to do work like theirs, because their work is a little too abrasive, and sometimes too much for me.
DR. KIRWIN: Well—so this really—yes, it is wild stuff.
MR. NATSOULAS: This style was underground for a number of years, and now it's sort of popping up in different places. New York is showing some of it. I know Los Angeles is as well.
DR. KIRWIN: It's very—
MR. NATSOULAS: Very, very narrative. Very explosive. Very extreme.
DR. KIRWIN: Yes, very extreme.
DR. KIRWIN: Fantastical.
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes, yes. That's right up my alley, though.
DR. KIRWIN: Well, it may be the Robert Crumb influence.
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes, it did. But their technique is amazing, they're really good artists. I think you should have all your work in these magazines also, Eddie.
DR. KIRWIN: You should subscribe to this, Eddie.
MR. BISESE: I think I should.
DR. KIRWIN: Yes. Okay, does religion play a part in your work?
MR. NATSOULAS: [Laughs.] Absolutely none.
DR. KIRWIN: None? Okay. Does spirituality? No?
MR. NATSOULAS: No, I don't think so.
MR. BISESE: Are you avoiding it on purpose?
MR. NATSOULAS: Mmm, probably.
MR. BISESE: I mean—what I mean. Are you—
MR. NATSOULAS: I'm not antireligious, but—
MR. BISESE: Do you naturally ignore it, or are you antireligious?
MR. NATSOULAS: I'm not antireligious. I'm just neutral. Plus, I'm not supposed to make images of people, right?
DR. KIRWIN: Graven images?
MR. NATSOULAS: Graven images.
DR. KIRWIN: You talked a little bit about issues of gender in looking at this piece of Alice Kramden. Do you explore issues of gender, race, and ethnicity?
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes I do. In the time I was doing life-sized figures, I was afraid to explore certain issues, because everybody looked at my art as being cartoony and thought I was making fun of people. I don't know exactly why they thought I was making fun of people, because I wasn't. I was just making expressionistic figurative pieces. So for a long time, I stayed away from making sculptures of women or minorities because I didn't want anyone to interpret that I was criticizing anyone. Now that I am sculpting more specific people, it's not an issue anymore. Like this sculpture here; this one is definitely about women standing up to overbearing men [the sculpture of Alice Kramden]. So yes, I do deal with difficult issues, but in sort of a roundabout way.
DR. KIRWIN: Uh-huh, uh-huh. Just in the people that you choose to represent—
DR. KIRWIN: – those who are –
MR. NATSOULAS: I don't know what to say about race, really. I've never dealt with race. I have done some African Americans like Miles Davis. I also did a sculpture of Maceo Parker, who is saxophone player for James Brown. I never think about race when sculpting; I just sculpt people I find interesting.
DR. KIRWIN: But is this hero worship?
MR. NATSOULAS: Well, no, it's just [a] reminder of things or people I love. What makes me feel good. When I am able to reminisce back to being young, looking at different things and remembering, oh, I used to watch The Honeymooners, and wasn't that great, that whole feeling of seeing these TV shows for the first time and how wonderful and magical that was. When I look at this sculpture of Alice Kramden, I feel that magic again, even though I've seen it 100,000 times – the sculpture 100,000 times—because it's in my house, I always feel nostalgic.
DR. KIRWIN: You're not really looking at it as a social critic.
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes, I look at myself as a social critic. I made Alice Kramden honoring women and their spirit to stick up for who they were and what they believed in, in a time when women were looked at as housewives and mothers only. I am happy about the opportunity to make the sculptures that I'm making for the Little League Park Commission. I am going to make the players all different genders and races, to include everybody that has played on this Little League field.
DR. KIRWIN: Well, this is very—this is a very, pretty white area, Davis, isn't it? I mean, there isn't a lot of—
MR. NATSOULAS: When I was going to high school, I think there were four black kids, some Hispanic kids, but we all blended together.
DR. KIRWIN: Of course. But it wasn't necessarily your experience growing up.
DR. KIRWIN: I was at a public school with 800 kids, and I think there were two African Americans.
MR. NATSOULAS: Oh, really? I would have liked it if it had been much more diverse than what it was. I'm sure my parents would have liked me to be in a much more diverse atmosphere, as well. At the university where my father taught, it was much more diverse than the city of Davis was at that time.
DR. KIRWIN: Do you want to talk a little bit about your relationship with dealers? You talked about one dealer early on who took you in, represented you, and promoted you through their gallery. Have you had other dealers that came along?
MR. NATSOULAS: Mm-hmm, Rena Bransten was great, very professional. Others have been down right rotten. They sold my work and did not pay me. Lately, I've been concentrating on nonprofit spaces to show my work. I think that I have more freedom that way. I can show whatever I like, although the curators do have a certain control over what is being shown. I think they're more open than a gallery dealer. If an artist wants to show a controversial piece, a museum would probably show it more likely than a gallery would. A gallery needs to sell.
DR. KIRWIN: Have there been dealers that have told you to do certain things or make smaller pieces or—
MR. NATSOULAS: Mm-hmm, yes.
MR. NATSOULAS: And I would always get into trouble when I listened to them.
DR. KIRWIN: Uh-huh.
MR. NATSOULAS: Every time I would facilitate their ideas, it would backfire on me. "Oh, why don't you do a guy playing golf?" So I would make a golfer, and it would never sell. No one wanted it. Then I would have to cart it around with me for the rest of my life. I don't have space to store pieces that are someone else's mediocre ideas, not that mine are all that great, but they mean something to me.
DR. KIRWIN: Could you describe some of the qualities of your working environment here in your studio?
MR. NATSOULAS: It's a 20-foot-by-20-foot studio along with an attached 10-foot-by-20-foot kiln room. It is our two-car garage that I converted into a studio.
DR. KIRWIN: Could you talk about—
MR. NATSOULAS: I live in a suburban neighborhood of all contemporary 1960s houses. I love my studio because I can open my door and look out and see my neighbors and see them mowing their lawns, walking with one another, or walking their dogs, and it's just great. It's a nicer environment than a lot of artists who live and work in industrial spaces that are unhealthy and dangerous. I'm a spoiled brat now for having all this, but I can work on my work, and I don't have to worry about someone climbing through a window or whether there's toxic waste dripping through the basement floor. It's an ideal work situation for me. It is a very pleasant, clean, spacious environment. I am able to go inside and eat any time I want, or use the phone or get on the Internet for pictures.
DR. KIRWIN: Do you listen to music while you're working?
DR. KIRWIN: What kind of music?
MR. NATSOULAS: All sorts. Everything but country music. Heavy Metal, Swing. Big band, Funk, and Jazz are what I listen to the most. Santana and Tower of Power are my favorites.
DR. KIRWIN: [Laughs.] Eddie always has the TV on when he's working.
MR. NATSOULAS: Really? I can't watch TV and work.
DR. KIRWIN: He doesn't watch it. He just listens to it
MR. BISESE: Just hearing the story.
MR. NATSOULAS: I can't do it. I can't even listen to books on tape.
DR. KIRWIN: Really?
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes, I would stop working to watch the TV. I have to have the droning of music in the background at all times when I work in the studio.
MR. NATSOULAS: And I have to have it.
MR. BISESE: When you say all kinds of music, is there a time period that you're – you have music? Does your collection—
MR. NATSOULAS: Well, it's everything from the '50s to now. A lot of jazz, some disco.
MR. BISESE: A lot of people have kind of high school/college –
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes, I like a lot of music from the '70s.
DR. KIRWIN: So when you're working, it's nostalgic?
MR. NATSOULAS: When I was sculpting the portraits of the Beatles, I would listen to all the Beatles songs that I could find. It took me about two months to make them, so for two months we'd listen to nothing but Beatles music day and night. When I was making the Baroque series, I did get some Bach and tried to listen to that. When making the portraits of Cary Grant or Audrey Hepburn, I would watch the movies they acted in, but not while I sculpted. The music was very important to creating an environment to sculpt in. It inspired me.
DR. KIRWIN: Do you have any people that help you in the studio?
MR. NATSOULAS: My wife helps me sometimes.
DR. KIRWIN: Let's talk about some of the most powerful influences in your career. And you've talked a bit about that. How about technological developments? Anything along those lines that have really changed—
MR. NATSOULAS: Digital cameras have changed my life completely, as far as doing the portraits. I was telling Eddie, the next time I do portraits of famous people, I'm going to get a DVD player on my computer so I can stop live action. I was saying before, I couldn't get side views of the Beatles. I'll be able to find a DVD of them getting interviewed, and if they turn their face, then I can stop it and print it, which will just be incredible, because that will be just like having them right in the studio, which would be really wonderful.
DR. KIRWIN: Do you ever sketch? Or do you just look at the photographs?
MR. NATSOULAS: No. I've tried to draw, and I've tried to do sketches in clay – little models. But I really like to just tackle the work head on. I find that all the other preliminary work just stops me from getting to the meat of it all.
DR. KIRWIN: So you—
MR. NATSOULAS: It is actually easier for me to do a sketch in clay, like a little mask, and then do the figure, but I'm just too excited to do the piece. I know it's good for me to do a drawing beforehand, but I just want to get to it and work it out as I go.
DR. KIRWIN: With the baseball heads, those are like little maquettes.
MR. NATSOULAS: Well, I had to do that for the proposal. I wouldn't have made the maquettes normally.
DR. KIRWIN: You wouldn't have?
MR. NATSOULAS: If someone said, "Do baseball players, you don't have to do a proposal," I would have just done the pieces, without maquettes. They are not necessary for the way I work.
DR. KIRWIN: Oh, okay.
MR. NATSOULAS: I have it all up here in my head. I just have to get [it] out. The other technological device that I am using is a computer in my kilns. It allows me to program a firing and walk away. There are also new paints out that I use that are glossy that match my ceramic glazes. If I'm not happy with something, I can paint on it, and you can bake it in the kiln.
DR. KIRWIN: Could you talk a little bit about your process of making one of these large pieces, from the start to finish, and how you put it together?
DR. KIRWIN: What clay you use?
MR. NATSOULAS: I use very groggy clay. Right now I'm using clay called Sonora White; I think it's 40 percent grog, maybe even 50 percent. Grog is already-fired clay that's been pulverized and then mixed back into the clay. This allows the clay (since part of it's already been fired) to have less shock when it is fired. It's really gritty, so it stops me from doing any kind of really fine detail. I want to stay away from fine details.
When I get ready to make a sculpture, I go through the Internet and try to find as many pictures of the subject as I can. If I am sculpting my friends, I'll take pictures of them and I'll print them out, which is another great technological tool that I use in my art making. I have a printer and I don't have to go to the store to get the photographs developed. I put the pictures up on my studio wall to look at for reference, and I start building the sculpture.
I start by putting a slab of clay on my sculpture stand. I set slabs of clay vertically in a ring for the bottom of the bust. Then I build it up with slabs that are about seven inches tall. Every day I build the piece up; after I get each section gets to be leather hard, so it's not wet and not dry. I'll build the body and let that get leather hard, and then I build the head inside of that body so the neck hole is completely open. The sculpture is now in two separate pieces, so I can pick them up easily. The hands are usually separate in case I break the fingers. I can make new hands and stick them back in. Whatever objects the sculptures will be involved with, I also make separately. All pieces are fired together yet are separate and are assembled together after the pieces have been fired and set up.
DR. KIRWIN: And the head—the head is—
MR. NATSOULAS: My work is all made of slabs. I don't have patience to do the coil thing. That's a traditional craft thing for small objects and pots, not my sculptures.
DR. KIRWIN: And is it hollow on the inside?
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes. The walls are probably three quarters of an inch thick. I make them thick so they are sturdier.
DR. KIRWIN: And the features are built up on the outside of the slab?
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes, solid. Then I fire the work really slowly. I fire them for three days. The firing is really gradual. I close the kiln up slowly, and I turn it up slowly.
DR. KIRWIN: So it doesn't crack?
MR. NATSOULAS: Sometimes work does crack, but it is quite rare. The grog that I was describing earlier helps with cracking. I then take the piece out of the kiln and glaze it; I put as much glaze as I can on each piece. Then I fire it again and put the sculpture all together. That's how I build the sculptures. Does that make sense?
MR. NATSOULAS: If I need a little more color, I put these gloss paints on, very sparingly. And if I need to glue something on, like her notebook into her hands, I use silicone rubber.
MR. NATSOULAS: The silicone is supposed to last 50 years, and if you bump it, it has some give, but you can't pull it off. It's just a silicone window caulking.
DR. KIRWIN: They must be very heavy.
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes. Probably 100 pounds. Like I said, I make them in two pieces so I can lift them.
DR. KIRWIN: So does her head—the head comes off?
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes, and her ponytail.
DR. KIRWIN: Well, it must be really hard to ship something.
MR. NATSOULAS: No, it's not bad.
DR. KIRWIN: No?
MR. NATSOULAS: No. You put them in a crate and call Yellow Freight, and they pick it up and send it. It's just expensive.
DR. KIRWIN: How would you say how your work's been received over time? Are there particular people that have written about your work that you think, they got it?
MR. NATSOULAS: My art has been received very well, and I have been given a lot of press regarding my work and accomplishments. I think most people really respond to figurative work. My work lends itself well to print like newspapers and magazines. As far as who "gets" my work, the curator at the Crocker [Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA], Scott Shields is one. I had a show at the museum two years ago, and he wrote some articles about my work and me. The Australian magazine Art and Perception and a Greek magazine Kerameiki Techni both published Scott's articles about my work and [the] Baroque series. American Craft also published an article on me, the latest was written by Elaine Levin, who is ceramic historian out of the Los Angeles area. There are also collectors, fellow artists, and other museum directors and curators who get my art.
DR. KIRWIN: Do you pay attention to craft magazines and do you get the magazines?
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes, I get them all—all the ceramics and craft magazines. I used to get all of the art magazines as well, but haven't subscribed to them for years now. When conceptual work got big and has continued to be the in thing, it just made it so hard for me to read about or look at, because that work is not interesting to me. I hate to say this, but it's just too wordy—as soon as the pendulum swings back, I'll start getting the art magazines again.
DR. KIRWIN: So you subscribe to American Craft –
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes, Ceramics Monthly, and the Greek magazine, which is called Kerameiki Techni. There's another one called Ceramics Art and Perception from Australia. American Ceramics, American Craft, American Style, Artweek, Juxtapoz, and some others I can't remember right now. And I used to get Sculpture magazine; I've got to start getting that again. I used to get Art in America and ARTnews and Artforum.
DR. KIRWIN: Do you think that these specialized periodicals have played a role in your development as an artist?
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes, I can see a lot of art that I probably wouldn't see normally; I've gotten articles in them, so it's elevated my career. I have more opportunities to meet other artists and see other work and be in shows with people that I probably wouldn't have if I did not receive the magazines.
DR. KIRWIN: You talked earlier about putting these figures in different attitudes that would defy gravity. What are the limitations of clay that you seem to always be pushing? Do you think there are limitations to the medium that you've chosen? What is it about the clay that is the best thing to express what you're trying to express?
MR. NATSOULAS: The thing about clay is that it's really great to work with, but it does have limitations, because it weighs a lot and yet it's fragile. Those two things are almost insurmountable, although there are still a lot of artists who continue to work with it. An easy way to work with clay directly is to use an armature; that's great, but that entails hollowing out the piece when it is done, and I don't want to get into that on a day-to-day basis. Clay records everything you do to it. So it's such an incredible medium. Ultimately it'd be great to sculpt in clay and cast in another material, like the fiberglass sculptures you saw at the downtown plaza that I was commissioned to sculpt. Some of them are 14 feet long, and they may weigh 70 pounds; if you drop it, they don't necessarily break. They may chip a little bit, I made them look like they're made of glazed clay by painting the sculptures with car paint. I wouldn't mind working in fiberglass again.
DR. KIRWIN: So it's not necessarily the clay itself, but the final product that you're after?
MR. NATSOULAS: I love working in clay, but the final product doesn't have to be clay, in my eyes. The only reason why I don't work in fiberglass is the cost. It's $3,000 every time you want to cast apiece.
DR. KIRWIN: You have done some things in bronze.
DR. KIRWIN: That seems like a much different look to me, but could you talk about bronze and some of the things—how do you decide to make something in bronze?
MR. NATSOULAS: In placing a public piece, the sculpture has to be durable, and so I have the piece cast in bronze. I then paint sculptures to make it look like as if they were made in glazed clay. I don't like that brown look of raw brown bronze. I think it's ugly and depressing to have a bronze—natural bronze. You have to make the sculpture durable and safe in a public setting for the sculpture to exist. Most people think my bronzes are clay sculptures.
DR. KIRWIN: You've made it look like clay.
DR. KIRWIN: Could you tell us about some of the big commissions that you've had?
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes, my first commission was for the city of Davis. It was two life-size bronze sculptures of people running in opposite directions [The Joggers]. It was done in the summer of '85, right after graduate school. Arneson was so nice. I didn't have a studio at that point, so he let me work in his studio at school on the pieces. I had the pieces cast, and then decided not to paint them because it was my first bronze and I thought, "Oh, I should do a traditional look." Back then jogging was a big thing in Davis. I sculpted joggers jogging in opposite directions; the woman sculpture was looking back at the male sculpture pointing in the opposite direction. As if to say, "You're going in the wrong direction; come with me this way." I put it on the corner of the street in front of the old police station.
A city inspector, who was there while we were installing the pieces, was supposed to check out whether we were doing the cement correctly, said, "You have it back too far, pull it forward so it would be closer to the sidewalk" So I pulled it forward three feet, and I thought this is great, to have it so close to the sidewalk. Three weeks later, there was a letter in the local paper from a woman complaining about Davis. She said, "The water's terrible, the air's terrible, and the students are awful." And in the last sentence, she mentioned, "and those sculptures! Someone's going to poke their eye out on that finger." The female jogger has her finger out like this, and it's at eye level. The piece is so large that you couldn't help to see it before you would ever run into it, let alone impale yourself on it. So then the city council got all upset and said, "We want you to do something about this finger, because we don't want to be sued."
DR. KIRWIN: It goes back to the finger. You started working in fingers.
MR. NATSOULAS: That's right. It's weird, huh? [Laughs.] What does it mean? Maybe I should sculpt some more fingers. Anyway—so luckily there is a law in California—I think it covers the whole United States now—that you cannot alter or destroy a piece of artwork unless you get written permission from the artist. So they couldn't do anything, and they knew it. They kept saying, "Come on; you've got to do something." They wanted me to cut the finger off, and I said, "No." They wanted me to take the sculptures and turn them around the opposite way, so that she's pointing at the police station. I thought, oh, no, no, this is too weird; it would have looked like she's saying, "Don't attack me; the police station's right there." So that wouldn't have worked.
I told them that, "I'd be happy to cut the finger off, but you're going to have to build a pedestal that sits right in between the pieces that would be 20 feet tall so I could put the finger on the pedestal showcasing it and protecting the public from the harm it would cause them." They didn't like my idea. I said, "Okay, well, I'll change it if you rubberize all the sidewalks and all the signs, the stop signs, fire hydrants, and the bicycle racks, so that people don't get hurt on any of them either. The fire hydrants – somebody could just trip over one of them and hurt themselves."
The silliest thing was, when it was all said and done, we moved the sculptures right back where I had originally placed them to begin with. The city then had someone build flowerbeds to obstruct pedestrians from getting too close to the sculptures. Narrowing the path that the joggers were traveling on. It's much better now, but you could trip over the flowerbeds and break your head. So we finally resolved it all, but how silly it all was.
The next public commission I got was to do a bronze piece for the Bing Maloney Golf Course in South Sacramento [This is not a Game, 1989].
DR. KIRWIN: Tell me, did you have a golfer ready?
MR. NATSOULAS: No. With public commissions, I do not have work that is pre-made before I get the job. This golfer would be standing in a fountain a water trap.
Basically what happened was that a city landscape architect had designed this fountain for a golf course. The Sacramento Metropolitan Arts commission got involved with the site since it was a public golf course and was a new construction, and two percent of the building budget had to be spent on public art. You know how landscape architects are? [Making a joke for the benefit of Ed Bisese, who is a landscape architect, as well as a painter.] Not listening. So the city arts commission came in and said, "Now, wait a minute, we need a fountain there by an artist, not by a city landscape architect." So, needless to say, his design was thrown out and never used. Because of this, throughout the entire project the landscape architect just hated me and was giving me so much trouble about everything.
I did a sculpture of this guy hitting his golf ball out of a water trap. This time I painted the bronze because I didn't like the brown patina. So I painted the sculpture really colorful with car paint to look like my clay pieces. Ten years later somebody took the golf club out of the sculpture's hands, and somehow broke the bronze golf club off' and broke into the pro shop, stealing a lot of merchandise. I felt bad that someone would do such a thing' and a little guilty they used my artwork to help do such a thing.
DR. KIRWIN: You provided the weapon.
MR. NATSOULAS: I provided the weapon.
MR. BISESE: Determination. You can't do anything about that.
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes, you're right. I epoxied a stainless steel club in since then; hopefully they won't steal that one. I haven't been back there for a while to look in on it.
Then I made a commission for the Downtown Plaza, the one we saw yesterday, the sculpture with all these everyday things piled on top of his head [Balancing Act, Too, 1993]. When I was making this piece, I was thinking about what it meant to go to the mall and shop. What do people do, and what are they thinking about? We're always balancing things, right? Always balancing a checkbook, whether you can afford something you want to buy or not. I have a figure balancing on a cylinder. I had remembered in a philosophy class about a concept that we need these basic instinctual things that we need or have to have before we actually do anything else. We have to have shelter, food, sex, and some other things as well. So I have these objects representing those human needs on his head. And, again, I painted it with a lot of color, using auto paint.
I have had problems with every single public sculpture, because people are so offended—by art—whether it's in a gallery or in the public. But they're not offended by billboards and other crap like that [that] or bad architecture. There was this woman who owned the Music Box store at the mall where I was installing the piece. She came storming out of her store screaming and throwing her arms up into the air "That is the worst thing I've ever seen in my life; I'm losing customers because of it. I shouldn't have to look at that every day." And blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. I said, "Sorry it's here to stay."
I asked her why she was so offended and why she would get so mad about a piece of art. She could not answer me. I told her that I did not particularly like that store, but I would never yell and scream about it being there, that I would just walk by if I didn't like it. I guess the sculpture has not hindered their business, because they are still there and have been since 1993.
It is wonderful to go to the plaza and see people taking Christmas card photos, or just photos next to my piece. I have seen people put money in the sculpture's hand, go up and pet him, or put half-eaten food in his hands. He is a real fixture there now.
DR. KIRWIN: Did you go through a competition?
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes. For all three of the commissions.
DR. KIRWIN: Kind of nice—it's at a nice spot now in front of that natural spotlight there.
MR. NATSOULAS: Except for those stupid kiosk shops that completely surround the sculpture now, but they do protect it from being vandalized.
DR. KIRWIN: Yes, the merchants' carts—
MR. NATSOULAS: But there's nothing I can do about them being there. Three years later the same mall commissioned me to do several fiberglass pieces of flying shoppers, a magic carpet table cloth with a hamburger, fries, and milk shake on it, a huge coffee cup, and a fork. These sculptures were to entice shoppers to go upstairs and to draw their eyes towards the second level with all of the color. I used my wife, Donna, and a friend's daughter as my models. I had never worked in fiberglass before then, and it really showed me how wonderful fiberglass is. It is really strong, very durable, and light. I really want to use it again sometime on other pieces I make. Those are all of the public pieces I have done but I have also made a lot of work for private parties' sculpture commissions as well.
DR. KIRWIN: What are some of those private pieces?
MR. NATSOULAS: One sculpture I was commissioned to make was of a life-sized figure made of clay sitting on the balcony of a two-story house pouring a bucket of water onto the people below on the first level. The "water" was made of transparent glass, so it looked very realistic. Another commission I made was of Neptune jumping into a big old bunch [of] water, all made of clay. I made it into a fountain for my dentist's backyard. I made fish that are jumping out of the clay water that sprayed Neptune with real water. I just made another commission, two clay murals for a winery in Chico that my dentist owns. One is of an underwater scene for the men's restroom, and one is of musical scores and instruments for the women's rest room. I have also been commissioned to make busts of collectors, or musicians as well.
DR. KIRWIN: Do you think about teaching now?
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes, I do think about teaching, but I don't want to teach full time. I'm always happy to teach one class a semester or go to do a workshop. I really want to concentrate on my artwork, and I've made my overhead low enough that I don't need to teach full time. A soon as I pay the house off it'll be even better. My wife, Donna, is very supportive, and has helped me with the business end of my art along with helping me in the studio. I want to spend time with her and concentrate on making my art.
DR. KIRWIN: She's an artist, too.
DR. KIRWIN: Do you want to talk about how you met?
MR. NATSOULAS: I put an ad in the local paper. I don't go to church and I don't drink so I never went to bars; I thought, I want to meet someone, and I was ready to settle down. So, I thought I would be able to meet someone special if I took out a personal ad asking for all the qualities in a person I was looking for. Donna never saw the ad, but her friend did and urged Donna to call it. Her friend was looking out for her that day.
Donna was not going to ever call an ad, so her friend dialed the number from my ad and put me on speaker phone so that Donna could hear the message I left about myself and what type of person I was looking for. She thought that I was funny; she thought I was so funny her message to me was of her laughing so hard the machine cut her off. She felt bad and called me back, but said she would not go out with me, but she knew a lot of people in Davis and wanted to know if I knew any of them. Within minutes I called her back. At the time she was living in Sacramento, but she lived in Davis for a while and knew people that I had grown up with and went to high school with. When we spoke on the phone, she asked me who I knew in Davis, and where I had gone to school. Funny thing is she knew my artwork—and so she called her friends up.
DR. KIRWIN: She did a little background check.
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes, I was okayed and cleared. So that's how we met, and we've been together ever since, inseparable, and making art as a career for 13 years now. Donna's just been so supportive of everything I've done, and do.
[End Tape 2, Side A; Begin Tape 2, Side B.]
MR. NATSOULAS: Donna helps me do everything, and she's the wind beneath my wings. [Laughs.]
DR. KIRWIN: And she makes purses?
MR. NATSOULAS: She recently has been hand-painting on retro, vintage purses.
DR. KIRWIN: Hand-paints found purses.
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes. She went to CCAC—The College of Arts and Crafts [now The California College of the Arts, Oakland, CA] before I met her. She was taking animation, and drawing classes, but she got sidetracked. She had to make money to live, so she quit school to work to support herself. It's very expensive to live in the Bay Area, so she stopped doing art for a while.
DR. KIRWIN: Okay, well, we can talk a little bit about the similarities or differences between your early work and your recent work. Have you reflected much on how your work has changed over the years, and why?
MR. NATSOULAS: I started out being more aggressive with the subjects and subject matters I chose to work on. I did a lot of political and environmental work. As my life became more comfortable and I was much more happy, I began making more comical and fun pieces that were not so biting. That is one major change. And that's why I want to get back to this magazine [Juxtapoz]—what this magazine represents. The work is on the edge, wacky, and very critical on society, and politics. For some years now, I have not been critical in my art or subject matter. I think that it's one of the jobs of an artist to criticize society. I don't know why, but I think it is. [Laughs.]
I had an English teacher at Sacramento State who said that it's an artist's job and duty to poke at the fat of society, and I really like that idea. I think Arneson did too. I think that's why he was drawn to Funk Art and throughout his career he made socially critical pieces like the whole series of antinuclear pieces, poking fun at everything. The Mayor Moscone pieces and the Jackson Pollock series were all very socially critical. I think he related to Pollock, and wasn't really criticizing him, but empathizing, which was odd, based on most of his content and subject matter in his work.
I started out kind of critical, and then as I got more comfortable, it sort of went into another direction. It's interesting, the whole way things move and evolve. I have been making these big heads, but I am not poking fun or being critical about our gluttonous society while making them. I'm just having fun making them. I guess I am softening in my old age, but I have this obsession to make pieces fun; [that] is stronger than my guilt for not making more deeply meaningful sculptures. [Laughs.]
DR. KIRWIN: Well, I wanted to talk a little about your teaching. You have done some school teaching, and do you have any particular teaching philosophy that you impart to students?
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes. And Penland really helped me sharpen my teaching skills. I started the Penland class out by saying the hardest assignment that you're going to have is to not make work that looks like mine, because that's what happens sometimes [when] a teacher teaches an intense class. The students work looks like their teacher's artwork. Then I was talking to a friend of mine who teaches ceramics, and he told me that that is what teachers are supposed to do; they are supposed to make protégés. I don't know if that is true, and if it is, if I believe it.
Arneson didn't teach as if he were making protégés. Bob didn't teach his students anything technical. It was mostly the philosophy of making art. You always have to get the students to do a wide variety of exercises and do techniques that they wouldn't usually do. Arneson was always trying to get us to work in the opposite way of how we were working. If you were making small work, he would want you to make it big; if you're making big work, he would want you to make it small—always trying to push the limits of the students, and I try to do that, too.
The problem with the students at Penland was that they didn't look at enough arts and crafts. I'm always looking, going to art shows, galleries, looking on the Internet, looking at TV, trying to see what is going on in the art world and what other artists are doing. It's like there's a bar. It's like these people are doing this quality of work; I should be up there with them raising the bar. My art shouldn't look like I'm an amateur, because—anyone can be an amateur, but you need to raise yourself up, not just in skill level as far as techniques go, but what you're making art about. I sure pounded away at the students at how important it is for artists to go and see art. I dragged them down to the Mint Museum [Mint Museum of Craft & Design, Charlotte, NC] to see a show of 250 teapots done by artists that were absolutely amazing ["The Artful Teapot," January 31 – May 30, 2004]. Did you see that show?
DR. KIRWIN: No.
MR. NATSOULAS: Oh, man. It was incredible. How far are you guys from Charlotte?
DR. KIRWIN: Pretty far. About six hours.
MR. NATSOULAS: Oh. You could fly there. Anyway, it was a great show. And the other thing about students is that they get so uptight that the piece that they are working on has to be the way they envisioned it and it can't become something else. They wanted to make a head that is supposed to be a woman and that's that. It can't turn into a man or something else entirely different. They were not open to experimenting.
DR. KIRWIN: Do you think that your work evolves like that as you're working on it?
MR. NATSOULAS: It used to more in the past. Now I work on specific people. From 1980 to, let's say, like 1988, I said to myself, "Okay, I'm going to make a man sitting on a shoe stool selling some shoes." Right? Or whatever the subject. I knew what I was going to make specifically, and I did it. Then I had probably a year, maybe a year and a half where I had a block. So one day I just couldn't stand it anymore. I had to make something; I sat down and began building a base. I made a foot, I made a leg, I made the leg going this direction, made the hips; I had no idea what it was going to look like.
It was the best thing to have happened to me at that time. I had always heard of intuitiveness and the concept of to just start sketching and the rest would come; I'd never worked in this manner before. After the piece was completed, I was able to interpret it along with any other viewer, because I didn't know what it was. I had no preconceived idea about what it was going to look like or the content. I learned to trust myself to do a great sculpture without laboring over what it was going to look like. From that point on, I made life-size sculptures without a set plan and made many sculptures in this way, until I started this present series of the portrait heads.
It was freeing to work intuitively, because when I had a preconceived idea, my audience would interpret the piece differently than what I had intended. The audience would look one of my sculptures and say, "Well, I don't get it," or "Oh, I know what this is about," and it would be completely different then what I had in mind when making the piece. It dawned on me that people can only interpret or read into a sculpture or a piece of art using their own lives references, unless you're going to write it out, and then you might as well have a book in the gallery to tell what the art is about. So this worked perfectly, because I was interpreting the sculpture's content my way and you could interpret it in a completely different way. So it worked out really, really great. And then for some reason I stopped doing it. [Laughs.]
DR. KIRWIN: So there was a kind of built-in ambiguity about the piece?
MR. NATSOULAS: Well, actually, when I was done, there was no ambiguity.
DR. KIRWIN: To you.
MR. NATSOULAS: It wasn't ambiguity, because your mind immediately starts making up stories and references for the sculpture. Your brain and imagination want to interpret whatever you come in contact with, wanting to understand. No matter what the
circumstance. I guess that's it. [Laughs.] It really worked well.
DR. KIRWIN: Well, you did talk about your sources of inspiration over the years, that they have changed.
MR. NATSOULAS: They have changed in that I am always looking at new things and artists' work. There are a whole slew of things that inspired me. There are old movies and all the old TV shows, and definitely Eddie. I don't care if he hates me saying this, but he has really been a big inspiration through his artwork and his friendship over the years. Along with Arneson, and those other people I was talking about earlier.
DR. KIRWIN: You've had a long friendship with Fred Babb, too.
MR. NATSOULAS: Fred inspired and inspires me, as well. I think he's a genius. I always tell him that he's the King Midas. Everything he touches turns to money.
DR. KIRWIN: Where did you meet Fred?
MR. NATSOULAS: We were showing at Michael Himovitz Gallery in Sacramento in 1985 together, and have been the best of friends ever since. We have made several collaborative artworks together and kibitz back and forth. He is wonderful and a wonderful artist.
DR. KIRWIN: What were some of your collaborative things?
MR. NATSOULAS: We made paintings together, and sculpture, along with art-related T-shirts. Fred even painted a T-shirt on one of my sculptures. Fred for years had his own art T-shirt business and got quite well known for his art and illustration. We've lived in different parts of California, so it's sort of been hard to collaborate at times. We've shown a lot together in galleries and museums.
DR. KIRWIN: What are those circumstances of showing together?
MR. NATSOULAS: The Davis Art Center. The Michael Himovitz Gallery in Sacramento, where we showed quite a few times together. Fred also owned an art gallery and art-related store in Cambria, California, where we also showed together. Cambria is where the Hearst Castle is, near San Simeon. Michael Himovitz, through his gallery, got Fred and I into shows that traveled to France and Japan.
DR. KIRWIN: Did you go there?
MR. NATSOULAS: No, because I wasn't flying at that point. I had a fear of flying.
DR. KIRWIN: And Fred went, and you didn't go?
MR. NATSOULAS: No, Fred didn't go. The art went. I don't think any artists went. Another artist friend of mine, Paul DiPasqua, who I met when I was living in Chico, also has inspired me. He does figurative found object sculptures. He takes anything he finds and makes these figures that are incredible. They're whimsical, and I think he's another artistic genius.
There was a show when I was an undergraduate that inspired me quite a bit of Richard Avedon. He had a show at the Berkeley Museum [University of California, Berkeley Art Museum] that just floored me. The show was of all his works, all prints. The series he made were of life-sized prints of Humphrey Bogart and Marilyn Monroe, Andy Warhol, and other famous people. Absolutely amazing. I think I was an undergraduate. Maybe I was a graduate student. But that show shook me. All of his subjects, models, beautifully photographed and all were life-sized. They were in black and white, but you could study every single thing about them.
There were a lot of different shows during the years that really knocked my socks off. There was also a show at the Whitney [Whitney Museum of American Art, New York City] called "Six Ceramic Sculptors" ["Ceramic Sculpture: Six Artists," 1981. Included Peter Voulkos, David Gilhooly, Robert Arneson, Kenneth Price, Richard Shaw, and John Mason].
DR. KIRWIN: Did you have any interaction with Jim Melchert?
MR. NATSOULAS: No. I didn't. I think I met him once. We haven't been in the same circles. Richard Notkin, who is a phenomenal artist, has inspired me too. Arneson had him come and show slides, and I absolutely loved these chess games that he did: little, teeny pieces. I think they were four or five inches tall. I use a lot of pieces that balance on my sculptures' heads, and Richard made sculptures that were balancing umpteen books and checkers, and other objects as well on top of one another. Frozen, yet had movement. I really like his work, and [he] has been another source of inspiration to me. I saw a retrospective of George Segal's work when I was a kid, and it, as well, was very inspirational.
DR. KIRWIN: Have you ever thought about casting people?
MR. NATSOULAS: No, I'm much more interested in sculpting. I do like the final object, but I would rather go through the time to sculpt the piece than just have it done.
DR. KIRWIN: Are you involved with craft organizations, like NCECA [National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts]?
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes. I've shown with them and have also been a member. I've gone there [to NCECA conferences], but I haven't gone for years. I used to go a lot to their conferences. I used to go to the CAA [College Art Association], but that was when I was trying to get a job.
DR. KIRWIN: How about the ACC [American Craft Council] shows?
MR. NATSOULAS: Oh, yes, I've gone to them. I haven't participated in them, I have a whole other line of smaller sculptural work that I do as a production line. For a while it was my bread and butter, bringing in an income when the larger sculptures were not shown or sold.
DR. KIRWIN: Because—what's the show in Philadelphia?
MR. NATSOULAS: Oh, the Rosen Show.
MR. NATSOULAS: I did that, right, with the production work I made.
DR. KIRWIN: And those were?
MR. NATSOULAS: Brightly glazed ceramic fish that hang on the wall, teapots, and shoe sculptures, all of my smaller works. I was trying to figure out a way to buy a house. The way I actually was able to buy a house was that I sold six pieces at this Crocker Museum show, and a life-size piece after the show came down. I am also a member in the Association of Clay and Glass Artists of California.
DR. KIRWIN: I've never heard of that group.
MR. NATSOULAS: It's a small group. There are 500 members; it's clay and glass artists only. The organization puts on shows, art festivals, or ceramics and glass festivals. They produce publications as well as calendars and such. All the people that are in it are pretty good – I don't want to say artists, but they're really good craftspeople.
DR. KIRWIN: Have you met a lot of people through that association?
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes. And I've made a lot of connections to art lovers through doing their shows. Gallery owners, art collectors, and art consultants.
DR. KIRWIN: Do you work with people that try to place your pieces in public spaces?
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes, but I've never been successful at finding a consultant to work with that actually follows through on anything.
DR. KIRWIN: – public –
MR. NATSOULAS: I mean, consultants call me up and tell me, "Oh, yes, yes, I've got the collector that wants it," or that they have a big client looking for public or corporate art and that my work is just what they are looking for and want. Then they never follow through, and seems it will never come through. I know it will someday.
DR. KIRWIN: Has your working process changed over time?
MR. NATSOULAS: It's the same as when I started in high school with those fingers I used to sculpt. I use slabs when I build, just like I did back then. I used to have to put newspaper in the clay using it as a form or armature, and now I don't put newspaper inside for an armature. I've figured out how not to do that. I have better tools and better glazes now, along with the knowledge of different techniques and application of glazes.
[Audio break.]
DR. KIRWIN: Okay. This is Liza Kirwin with the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, interviewing Tony Natsoulas at his home in Sacramento, California, August 11, 2004.
MR. NATSOULAS: So my name is Natsoulas. (Pronounces "Nat-sue-less.")
DR. KIRWIN: Natsoulas?
MR. NATSOULAS: Instead of Natsoulos. (Pronounces "Nat-soo-los.")
DR. KIRWIN: It is?
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes. It's A-S. Just for the fun of it.
DR. KIRWIN: Well, we didn't talk about your Greek heritage—
MR. NATSOULAS: We didn't.
DR. KIRWIN: – the other day – no. But this autobiographical statement is really interesting about your background. Do you want to talk a little bit about your "Greekness"?
MR. NATSOULAS: Well, let's see. I don't know exactly what to say about it. Both my parents are Greek. My mother was born in Greece. My father was born in New York City, but both sets of grandparents were born in Greece.
DR. KIRWIN: Do they speak Greek?
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes, they spoke Greek all the time when I was growing up, but they didn't teach me how to speak it. And I'm not sure exactly why, but I have a feeling that because they were immigrants, they wanted me to assimilate into the American culture. So I think that's why, but I could be wrong.
DR. KIRWIN: But did they introduce you to Greek culture in other ways?
MR. NATSOULAS: Greek food, and we'd go to church now and then. I think there's a whole vitality to Greek and Italian, or Old World, Mediterranean cultures, with their lust for life; they take on the day and do whatever has to be done and enjoy life to the fullest while doing it. As opposed to other cultures that are much more subtle and laid-back, I don't know how much of that is passed on through [heredity] or how much it is the culture. But it's definitely there.
I don't know how much influence this was, but my grandmother on my father's side—and my grandmother on my mother's side too, but more my grandmother on my father's side—would crochet, and of course make food all the time. I guess they used to make these things out of straw that looked like giant hotplates, but I don't think they were because they were also very decorative. They must have been some centerpiece that you put bowls on or something like that on them. Anyway, I think possibly that that may have influenced me to go into something as a career where I would use my hands all the time. My Ya Ya was always crocheting, always making some sort of scarf, blanket, or preparing food.
My parents didn't make anything. They were really into education and books and theories. I don't think I ever saw my father mow the lawn or wash a car or do regular things, which is fine. He had me to do it, which is fine, too. And I did it reluctantly back then, but—[laughs]—but that whole hands-on thing is what I am getting at that was so important in their culture. And I think that possibly that's why I started doing sculptures, because I could make something with my own hands. Ya Ya was a peasant and she had to make things in order to have things. People had to make items instead of buying things that they could not afford. I think that was part of the hierarchy of her culture.
DR. KIRWIN: Where were they coming from?
MR. NATSOULAS: My grandmother on my father's side was from Cyprus, and my grandfather, who I never met, was from Macedonia. I guess there's a Greek Macedonia. And my other grandmother and grandfather were from a little island called Symi that was a sponge-diving colony. My grandfather made a living sponge diving. They all immigrated to New York in the 1930s, becoming U.S. citizens. I think my grandfather on my father's side polished silver for the New Yorker Hotel, which I don't think exists anymore. I think it got knocked down. And then my other grandfather was an elevator operator.
I have another story that is not related to being Greek, but to my uncle, my mother's older brother. Uncle George polished floors and washed windows for all of these buildings in New York City for years and years until, I don't know, probably 10 or 15 years ago. One day—this was when I was in college—he was trying to relate to me and to what I was doing. He said, "I remember going down to Soho in the '60s, where I was hired to wash the floors, polish the floors, and wash the windows at this art gallery. I was looking around, and there were all these sculptures"—well, he didn't say sculptures, he said, "There were all these smashed cars in the gallery." And he thought that was completely absurd. Uncle George didn't quite understand what was going on, and it turned out that it was John Chamberlain at Leo Castelli. So that was kind of interesting, because it's a small world—my uncle's cleaning Leo Castelli's floors. [Laughs.] So anyway that's a non-Greek thing, but a family thing.
DR. KIRWIN: Did you ever go back to Greece?
MR. NATSOULAS: No. But some day I would like to go and see all of the historic sites.
DR. KIRWIN: No, you've never been? Did your parents go back?
MR. NATSOULAS: No. We were all afraid to fly.
DR. KIRWIN: No? Okay. We talked about your education. There's something that came out—actually at the tour of the di Rosa Preserve [Napa, CA] yesterday –
MR. NATSOULAS: Oh, yes, about the decision I was going to make.
MR. NATSOULAS: I completely forgot about that. Sorry.
DR. KIRWIN: I don't know how much of a conflict it was early on with music.
MR. NATSOULAS: I was really into playing saxophone, and my parents had actually bought me a saxophone for my high school graduation. I was trying to choose a major, and it was between art and music, and I decided on art, because you had to learn German to major in music at UC Davis.
DR. KIRWIN: In music?
MR. NATSOULAS: I thought that would be too hard to learn.
DR. KIRWIN: That you didn't want to learn German?
DR. KIRWIN: Did you play in a band?
MR. NATSOULAS: I played in a jazz band in high school and some college. I played in big band jazz kind of situations. I wasn't very good, because I really have a hard time doing things over and over again, like practicing. I don't have the patience for that kind of thing. So that probably was another reason for not majoring in music, not just the having to learn the German language.
DR. KIRWIN: You also mentioned yesterday that you had dyslexia.
DR. KIRWIN: And I know there are varying degrees of that.
MR. NATSOULAS: Oh, it was minor. Really minor. But it was enough that I had a hard time reading when I was a child. But according to my mom I got over it in the sixth grade. I don't know exactly what happened back then. To this day I still see some letters sideways – or backwards, but I think it's as much as anyone else. Or maybe it wasn't dyslexia and they misdiagnosed me. I don't know. I remember I had to go to special reading classes, and to this day it's hard for me to read, so—it's much easier for me to sculpt something.
DR. KIRWIN: And yesterday we visited Clayton Bailey at his home, and you've had a long relationship with Clayton.
DR. KIRWIN: Can you talk about when that began and what that friendship has meant to you?
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes. 1977. I'd never heard of him before. Nineteen-seventy-seven was the year that I had taken classes from Kelly Detweiler under Arneson; Kelly had taken us to Clayton's studio, no, he took us to the Eight Wonders of the World, or what does Clayton officially call his museum? Is it Wonders of the World Museum [April 1976-October 1977]? Kelly took us to Clayton's museum that was housed above the famous Juanita's Restaurant [Warehouse Café] in Port Costa, California. It was the most amazing place I'd ever seen or been to in my life. I went to Disneyland, and this was 100 times better, because one guy made it, and it was the most fanciful thing I'd ever seen. We even got to sit down and talk to Clayton after the tour through his museum.
DR. KIRWIN: Can you describe—
MR. NATSOULAS: The pieces?
DR. KIRWIN: Yes, what it was that you saw.
MR. NATSOULAS: It was a pseudo museum. It was pretty small. But you walked in, and he had all these artifacts under glass boxes. Clayton also had other artifacts that were on pedestals. He had a full skeleton of Bigfoot that he had made from clay but looked very real. He had a giant skull of a cyclops. He had sculptures of doctors working on patients— absolutely gross, but I loved them. He also had this little plaque on the wall that was really wild. I was 18, so I was still a kid. The plaque showed a comparison between human penises and Bigfoot penises. The plaque said that the Bigfoot penises were double-jointed and how much better they were then the human's. What was it he was saying yesterday? He was saying that they were—
DR. KIRWIN: He showed us the bone.
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes, but he said that they were good for birth –
DR. KIRWIN: Contraception.
MR. NATSOULAS: Birth control, because you could tie it in a knot or something like that.
MR. NATSOULAS: That whole experience blew me away so much that I thought, oh, my God, I want to be able to do anything I want, like Clayton does. I didn't want to do what he did exactly; it looked like everything was from his childhood, which was the '40s, '50s. The experience opened my eyes, and I thought, we could do anything we want as artists. I didn't see Clayton for years after that; I was a kid, and so he—I'm sure he didn't remember me. Later on when we were showing in a lot of the same galleries, we got to know each other, and became very good friends. I went and showed my slides to his students at the school where he was teaching.
DR. KIRWIN: And where was he teaching then?
MR. NATSOULAS: Hayward State University, California [California State University, Hayward]. Clayton has put me into two shows where artists select other artists to show with that had been inspirational to them or they to the other artist. I think that was really nice of him to do. It's so wonderful to meet someone that had such a profound impact on you, and then to go on to become friends with them later on in life. To see your hero and become friends with him. It's such an honor. Every time I go over to his house and studio there's more stuff to see, his art, and their collections, and he's always so genuinely encouraging. He has always been so good to me.
DR. KIRWIN: And he marries people—
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes he does. We asked him to be our reverend—at our wedding—and he said he would be honored to marry us. The strange thing is we thought since he's so wacky—we thought that he was going to do something really funny, but he took our wedding, and him presiding, very seriously. He takes that really, really seriously. He had the wedding sermon written and planned out. It was really wonderful and very special that he would do something that intimate and so personal for us. It meant so much to us both to have someone we know, love, and respect marry us. And who knows us, both Clayton and his wife Betty. Clayton made us a sculpture called the Bone of Contentment. He presented it to us while marrying us. The sculpture is a huge gold-leafed wishbone with both our hair encapsulated in it and our names and wedding date embedded in the lettering on it.
DR. KIRWIN: Can you talk a little bit about your wedding? Because you had hula dancers there as well.
MR. NATSOULAS: We got married on the UC Davis campus in the Garden of White Roses. It's this little place on the Arboretum at Davis, and there's nothing but white roses all around, with greenery and a round gazebo. Clayton married us there, and then after the wedding ceremony, we all went to the reception that was held at an artist's house in Davis. Our friends, Arthur Gonzalez, who's another ceramic sculptor, and his wife, Christine, hula-danced for us for half an hour. And it was great. They did the courting/marriage dance. He and his wife have been learning how to dance hula all these years. It was very touching and a very personal tribute they both made in our honor.
MR. NATSOULAS: At the wedding reception, we had a blues band there that was made up of other artists we knew. People danced. It was really wonderful and magical.
DR. KIRWIN: And we also saw Roy De Forest yesterday and you had taken some classes from him that you—
MR. NATSOULAS: I took two classes from Roy. He was also on my graduate committee. He's a great painter.
DR. KIRWIN: What were the classes that you—
MR. NATSOULAS: Oh, I took a color class from him, and I took materials and carriers—painting materials and carriers. They were great classes. I learned a lot, but there is a big difference between two dimensions and three dimensions, and I felt more comfortable with sculpting.
DR. KIRWIN: Yes. Do you think Clayton and Roy De Forest have much cross-pollination there since they're right up against each other?
MR. NATSOULAS: It doesn't look like it.
DR. KIRWIN: It's so—well, I could say for the tape yesterday, we went and visited them, and they live in the middle of nowhere.
MR. NATSOULAS: Seems like in the middle of nowhere.
DR. KIRWIN: But they're smack dab next to each other. [Laughs.]
MR. NATSOULAS: They do live right next to each other.
DR. KIRWIN: It's so funny.
DR. KIRWIN: And it's a really beautiful area.
MR. NATSOULAS: Clayton doesn't use a lot of color in his artwork, and Roy does use a lot of color and doesn't make much clay. He did a couple of pieces years ago with Robert Arneson. They were called Bob and Roy pots.
DR. KIRWIN: I wanted to go back to Ohio State University. What did you do when you were there?
MR. NATSOULAS: Oh, I was a visiting artist, and I taught two classes and a graduate seminar.
DR. KIRWIN: When was that?
MR. NATSOULAS: I think it was '87.
DR. KIRWIN: Did you like that?
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes, it was an incredible experience.
DR. KIRWIN: How did you get that job?
MR. NATSOULAS: I applied for it. But, like I was saying the other day, I didn't have a lot of formal or technical training, so when I went there, I learned a lot about glazes, firings, and techniques I had never tried before. At Davis we concentrated on low-fire glazes and low-fire clay. It was really great, because I actually probably learned more than I taught while at Ohio State.
DR. KIRWIN: [Laughs.] That's always good.
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes, oh, it was great.
DR. KIRWIN: Do you mix your own glazes? You don't?
MR. NATSOULAS: No.
DR. KIRWIN: You don't, do you?
MR. NATSOULAS: No, and I don't mix my own clay either. I really do relate to the painters a lot in that. Painters don't mix their own paint or knit their own canvases. I figure, well, why should I? I'm too excited to make the piece; to sit there and make glazes that I could go buy at the store would just drive me nuts. I use so many different colors in my work that I would be mixing glazes all day and night if I made my own. On these big pieces I use a lot of glazes.
DR. KIRWIN: What kind of glazes do you buy?
MR. NATSOULAS: Duncan and Mayco glazes. Duncan used photos of my sculptures as advertising in their color catalogue, which was nice.
DR. KIRWIN: An advertisement for colors?
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes. The same thing goes with mixing clay—both mixing clay and glazes are so dangerous to mix, with the lead content and the clay dust itself. I want to keep my health so I can keep making more sculptures. And anyway it's kind of contrary to what the crafts people are doing. They're mixing their clays and trying to find the right clay and the right glaze, and they're keeping all their glaze recipes secret so no one else copies them. It is great that they do it, but I don't. Like I said before, I'd rather sculpt my sculptures in clay, glazing them any way I like, or to cast them in fiberglass and paint them anyway I like. [Laughs.]
MR. NATSOULAS: I'm trying to head towards that point.
DR. KIRWIN: Yes. What's been your most satisfying exhibition of your work so far?
MR. NATSOULAS: The Crocker Museum.
DR. KIRWIN: Could you talk about the space and the circumstance of the exhibition?
MR. NATSOULAS: My father had brought home a book of Meissen ceramics for me, German ceramics, when I was an undergrad. Are you familiar with the work? I fell in love with them. I remember the next year going to New York and seeing them in person at the Met. Absolutely incredible. I mean, the content is cornier than hell, but the poses, the colors, the fluidity of the poses just blew me away. I wanted to sculpt life-sized renditions of them. But that would be huge feat. There would be two or three people on these big ceramic bases, so I didn't take it on. I've always wanted to do that, so it's always been ticking away in the back of my head. I had the curator of the Crocker Museum come down to my studio on Broadway, and—
DR. KIRWIN: What was his name?
MR. NATSOULAS: Scott Shields. This was four years ago.
DR. KIRWIN: Was he new to the museum then?
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes, brand new.
DR. KIRWIN: And he was going out doing studio visits?
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes. He was trying to get familiar with artists around town.
MR. NATSOULAS: And the director was new, too, and she had come, too, which was nice.
DR. KIRWIN: What was her name?
MR. NATSOULAS: Lial Jones. She had come from Delaware. So Scott came, and he said, "Oh, yes, we definitely have to have a show of yours." I hadn't had any museum attention at all until this point. I mean no one coming to my studio, even though a few museums owned my work, but the pieces in those museums were donated by collectors. Scott said, "But we can't have your show until 2005," because they're building a new building." I thought, oh, gosh, there's got to be some way to show the work earlier, because, again, I'm impatient. So I looked around the museum, and I thought, God, this ballroom, it looks—sort of like a baroque ballroom, why don't I do this Meissen-themed series in the ballroom as an installation?
So, instead of doing the life-sized figures, I decided to make larger-than-life-sized busts, since I was doing busts at the time. I placed all of the sculptures along the walls and put ropes in front of them like it was an exhibit as opposed to an art exhibit. I made 12 sculptures for the show, using my wife and my friends as models. I sold six pieces in that show and a life-sized piece, as well, at my opening for the show; there were 300 people or more that came that evening. Everybody loved it. The models were there at the reception—all but one—people were taking pictures of the models in front of the pieces I had sculpted of them. People were asking the models and myself to sign their photos in the catalogue the museum made for the show. It was great. I got three articles from major ceramics magazines as a result of the show. I had never had articles that were this big before with as many pages and color photos. Everything seemed to blossom from there. I was really happy with the show. Not only was it successful, but also it was successful artistically in my mind. So that was the best show so far.
DR. KIRWIN: What year was that?
MR. NATSOULAS: I think it was 2002, summer.
DR. KIRWIN: When was the Oakland show?
MR. NATSOULAS: That was a year before that. It was wonderful because it was in this giant space with three walls of windows that went up three stories, so it was very beautiful and the work showed off well there. I sold a few of the pieces before they even reached the show. There were no sales from the show put together by the Oakland Museum at their annex.
DR. KIRWIN: No sales from that?
MR. NATSOULAS: Not from the show itself. I'm sure a lot of people saw it. The artists opening reception was small.
DR. KIRWIN: What do your pieces sell for?
MR. NATSOULAS: They're $6,500 now—the busts. But then the commissions are a lot more. I just received a commission for $100,000 for five figures.
DR. KIRWIN: And you were also instrumental in introducing Scott to a number of local artists in the area, weren't you?
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes, well, not a number, but a few. Yes.
MR. NATSOULAS: I always try to plug my friends, because I think they are really great artists.
DR. KIRWIN: That's really nice. Who were those people that were your friends that you connected with him?
MR. NATSOULAS: Well, they actually had applied to show, but I encouraged Scott, so I don't know if I can take any of the credit.
DR. KIRWIN: Could you talk about some of the themes in your work? Because there were a lot of musicians, and we looked at one yesterday at the di Rosa Collection, and you had mentioned that you have a series of different musicians. Are there other similar themes in your work?
MR. NATSOULAS: I did that whole series of people sitting on chairs. I bought the most interesting chairs I could, and then I tried to use them as a starting point. I had one figure sitting in a barber chair, and another one sitting on a shoe salesman's chair, and others were on bus seats and bar stools. It's harder to make someone sitting down in clay than standing up. Part of the problem is that the sculpture is top heavy and if it is on a chair like the bar stool it would fall over if I do not engineer it right. The other thing is, the clay shrinks. So you have to resolve this problem on how to get the feet to touch the floor. Plus you have to build from the legs and the hips down, whereas if you build a piece standing on the ground, you're building from the feet up, so you have the support.
DR. KIRWIN: How many musicians did you do?
MR. NATSOULAS: I did quite a few. I probably did 15 or 20—saxophone players and guitar players and bass players, trumpet players.
DR. KIRWIN: Any famous people or just—
MR. NATSOULAS: No, they were totally anonymous, because that was what I was doing then. I thought the most important thing was the gesture of the sculpture. I was not making specific people at that time.
DR. KIRWIN: You are a self-taught portraitist.
DR. KIRWIN: And what was your process in learning that?
MR. NATSOULAS: Just doing it. And actually going to Penland really helped me with it, because I had to teach portraiture for the first time in my life and I really figured out that you're supposed to not just start making the sculpture, but you're supposed have a general plan and then you go more specific. I didn't realize that's what I was doing, for one, and, two, that made sense why some portraits were harder than others, because I would start generally, but some of them I would start on the nose and finish the nose, and then I was kind of stuck, because the eyes weren't in the right place. So it's kind of a problem. When teaching, you really become aware of a lot of things you do unconsciously. I didn't realize that you could learn a lot while teaching.
DR. KIRWIN: Well, it's just you have to clarify. You have to explain it to someone else.
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes. Now I'm ready to teach more so I can learn some more. When you don't teach—I'd go for years without teaching, and then—I'd do a little workshop or I'd teach a little class, "Gosh, I sure know quite a bit about this subject." Not in an egotistical way. There's this chunk of knowledge that you have to have to make big pieces, and you don't realize it until you start telling people how to do it. So it's kind of nice, because you think, well, I actually do know stuff. [Laughs.]
DR. KIRWIN: Yesterday we also saw a piece at Roy De Forest's, who was one of your teachers. Well, it would be interesting if you could describe the piece but also what that particular person meant to you as a teacher.
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes, but I don't remember him actually teaching me anything specific. It was a realistic portrait of Roy sitting in a chair with a can of beer in his hand.
MR. NATSOULAS: He was my teacher; the artist [another portrait] was Joe Fafard, and he's a Canadian artist; he does specific portraits of people. That's all he did back then. He did Roy De Forest. He did Bill Cosby. He did Arneson. He did the Queen. He did a multitude of people. When I saw this piece of Roy at his—Roy's—house, it brought back all of what Joe was all about. I hadn't seen the piece for what—twenty years probably. It's a beautiful little piece. I just love it. I just—I want to steal it away from him. Joe's got this wonderful naturalistic sensibility, but he's got this flair to make the portrait in the most simple way, so it's not like this tight little portrait; it's like you recognize him, but you recognize him in this general way. He generalizes a lot, but somehow it works. They're little things.
I remember thinking to myself, these figures should be life-sized and I don't know why Joe doesn't make them life-size, so I'm going to show Joe how to make life-size people. That was the beginning of me making large-scale sculptures. That was 1980. Arneson had invited Joe to teach a quarter while Bob was on sabbatical. He had come in the spring of '79, and we were friends for quite a while, but I've lost track of him now. I did go to visit him once when I was in Canada.
DR. KIRWIN: Was he teaching up there or was that his own studio?
MR. NATSOULAS: He was such a successful artist, he didn't have to teach, so—but he's up there in Regina, Saskatchewan, in the middle of snow, in the middle of nowhere. It's absolutely a desolate place to live. But he loves it. He had a studio at his home.
DR. KIRWIN: Can we talk about the difference between your work and Viola Frey's?
MR. NATSOULAS: I did talk about how we went to her studio?
MR. NATSOULAS: I liked her Grandmother series. After that her pieces got really large and really generalized; I didn't quite like them as much.
DR. KIRWIN: Because yours have a sense of movement.
MR. NATSOULAS: My life-size sculptures were about movement, and hers were about sheer size and color, and so it is quite a bit different. I really respect what she did. I'm glad she was there to do what she did. There's one little story that I could tell.
DR. KIRWIN: Go ahead.
MR. NATSOULAS: When I was first starting to do life-sized figures, I remember Arneson sitting me down and saying, "This is a great direction you are going in and you ought to make interchangeable parts." He thought that it'd be great to do these life-sized figures and make each part interchangeable, and you could have a whole show with 12 pieces. And then have another show with different heads and hands—or the same hands, but changed all around. But I never did it, and I think I should have. The problem is that you have to be patient and you have to make each neck hole exactly the same as the other one. Arneson had the patience to do this and I did not. Maybe some day I will try his idea. I thought that was wonderful that he sat me down and took me seriously enough to give me an idea for my work. I could talk more about him if you want.
DR. KIRWIN: Yes, that'd be great. One thing yesterday – I guess maybe everybody knows the story that he wanted to be packed in clay and cremated.
MR. NATSOULAS: I'm not really clear about the whole story, but there are videos on him actually telling the story.
MR. NATSOULAS: Gosh, that's another place you really need to visit, is the Nelson Gallery at UC Davis. Anyway, there's a video there where Arneson talks about what he wanted done to his body when he died. From what I can remember is that he wanted to be placed on a hillside, packed in clay like a kiln, and he wanted the smokestack to be coming out where his penis was and then fired. He wanted his ashes to be made into a glaze and put on a pot. When I first met Arneson, I think by then he was in his fifties.
MR. BISESE: He's getting younger.
MR. NATSOULAS: He's getting younger? He was born in 1930; I was first at TB-9 in '79, so that would make him only 49. Well, anyway, the difference between us was that I was 21, and he always seemed so much older than me. We didn't have a lot to relate to except for art; we'd go to restaurants, and he'd always want me to drink with him. "Oh, take a drink! What are doing, Tony? Come on, you're not Greek if you don't take a drink—get drunk." I don't like the taste of alcohol at all. I have never had an entire beer or glass of wine or alcohol. He was really into sports, and I wasn't at all. He was kind of this macho guy, and I'm not. But we got along really well.
I remember David Gilhooly had a show at the de Saisset Museum of Art at Santa Clara University. David had written about his relationship with Arneson. He said that he felt like a fifth son. Arneson had four sons. And that's how I felt, too. I don't know if it was the way he felt about David, or me, but he always seemed fatherly to me. He was definitely my hero. Clayton was my hero too, but first it was Arneson. Sorry, Clayton. [Laughs.] On the exterior he seemed to be a really gruff guy. Sometimes he was not encouraging whatsoever. He would say, "Oh, that's crap" or, "You don't have a sense of humor." I believe that he was in pain the whole time I knew him from cancer. I'm sure that had a lot to do with it.
At the same time, he would go out of his way to get his students into shows and get us grants. When I was in Baltimore, he wrote me encouraging letters, paid for my bus ticket to come and see him in New York. I think we went to Manuel Neri's show at some big gallery there. He introduced me to all the people there. It was fantastic. I remember walking down the street with him and meeting George Segal. The most out of place and sentimental moment was when he saw me after not seeing me for a year; he kissed me on the cheek, and I was—what—I was 23 or 24. It took me by surprise. [Laughs.] I was really excited to see him, and I remember we were in some dark bar and I was trying to show him slides of what I had done in Baltimore. And, of course, he couldn't see them. He couldn't hear very well, and we were in this noisy bar. He took all of us out to dinner later that night.
DR. KIRWIN: Did a lot of people – people were showing up to see him all the time at UC Davis.
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes. I remember the day that he installed a sculpture he made of the mayor of San Francisco, who had been shot and killed. Mayor [George] Moscone? Do you know about this?
DR. KIRWIN: I know some of the controversy.
MR. NATSOULAS: He sculpted a big head of the mayor for the new Moscone Center. Bob had portrayed how he died on the bottom of the pedestal. He had also included his entire life in graffiti-style writing along, with graphic images around the pedestal. The new Moscone Center was built as a convention center where millions of people would visit yearly. The mayor at that time of Bob's installation was Mayor Feinstein. She didn't like the sculpture even though Moscone's wife had come to his studio and liked the piece.
I remember the day that it was unveiled, and the news reporters were camped outside of TB-9 in Davis. Bob wouldn't let them in; it was our critique day, the last day of the class. He made them all wait out there all day until 5:00 pm. What was so odd was Bob was really, really shy, but he was macho at the same time. In my eyes, it was a really weird conflict. I remember him barely getting the words out, during the interview, where the press surrounded him in the studio.
He was more than generous to so many of his students. It was really interesting the way he ran the studio. He didn't do a lot of work at the studio by the time I got there. He used the studio at school for years and years as his private studio, but then I guess when he moved to Benicia, he had a studio over there, so he did all the work there. He treated all of us like we were his equals and we were all artists together at TB-9. We weren't students and teacher. It was amazing when you think back, because there are a lot of teachers have the attitude that "you're the students; you do exactly what I say. I can't learn anything from you." Bob was just the opposite.
DR. KIRWIN: Were there women in the programs studying with Arneson at that time?
DR. KIRWIN: And how many graduate students—
MR. NATSOULAS: What I have been describing is my undergraduate and graduate years.
MR. NATSOULAS: So there were women in the graduate department, and then, of course, there were women in the undergraduate. Bob could be pretty brutal with everybody; I think he did like to pick on women. I thought he must have been a sexist, although he picked on me as much, although he never made me cry. He did make a lot of women cry.
But I was talking to Lisa Clague about Viola Frey, who did exactly the same thing. Lisa said, "If you were working on a small piece, you make it big. If you're working on a piece with no color, you make it red." Viola was always negative. I think it was a way of teaching back then, but I don't think that Arneson and Viola went to the same schools to learn how to teach. I think it their way to toughen you up.
My point of view of it is, if you could take criticism from this big, famous artist who gets into the all the museums and sells his work for thousands and thousands of dollars and critically acclaimed around the world, if you could take it from him, you could take it from anyone. If I got rejected from galleries or museums or whatever, I have a thick skin because of this experience. Where other people were crushed and couldn't function for days, I on the other hand could just keep going. I'm not talking about him [pointing at Eddie] but—
DR. KIRWIN: You're not talking about Eddie?
MR. NATSOULAS: No, I wouldn't talk about Eddie that way [joking]. I know people that when they get rejection letters, they say, "Oh, my God, I'll never paint again." I look at it as it is just one person's opinion. Some people like spaghetti. Some people like fish. It's all about taste. A lot of people think Bob was a bastard, but I never did. When I was applying for jobs, there were a lot of people who didn't like him. I think part of the problem was that he had broken clay open from being a traditional medium. I remember going to the CAA, and people would say, "You study with Arneson, huh? Hmm," grumbling about how horrible his work was. His art was too brazen for them.
DR. KIRWIN: Any Arneson stories? Was he always around the department then?
MR. NATSOULAS: No, I think he came in two days a week, because he lived in Benicia. I saw a lot of him, though. I used to go down to visit him at his studio in Benicia a lot and see what he was working on. When he was at home in his studio, there were people coming and going all the time. Curators, gallery dealers, and other artists. I don't know how he got anything done. It's amazing. But I guess he had other days that he just wouldn't let anyone in. I don't know. Well, he also had an assistant. That was a good thing.
I also remember in graduate school he really liked this wall piece I made and he wanted to trade me, but he wouldn't trade me any of his artwork for it, so he traded me a ton of wet clay for this piece. I needed the clay. Actually he got mad at me, too. I had made this big theater piece of five figures with clay seats. It was a giant piece. I threw it all out because I wasn't happy with it. After that, he said, "Oh, you've got to start buying your clay" – because they were giving us clay for free. He thought that I was wasting it. But in lieu of that, I guess he felt bad after he said that, and few weeks later said, "Here, I'm going to give you this clay; give me the wall piece." He took the wall piece home, and he put it in his studio bathroom above the toilet. There's a mirror on the wall, so if you were standing up using the toilet, you would be looking straight into my sculpture's eyes. If you were sitting on the toilet, you would be looking in the mirror in front of you, which had him looking at directly you. DR. KIRWIN: [Laughs.] Well, was it just a face?
MR. NATSOULAS: It was from the waist up, and was based on the same character as the piece that's in our backyard—the life-size sculpture that's pointing.
MR. NATSOULAS: I called it Anthony Baltimore, about my time spent in Baltimore. Both pieces were of a man wearing a little fedora, and he had a cross hanging around his neck. Both sculptures were a semi-self-portrait. They were of tough guy representing the East Coast, which I felt was tougher than Davis. I thought that was really great that Bob wanted it.
DR. KIRWIN: How do you arrive at the titles for your pieces? Is it something that you think of while you're working on it, or is it a surprise?
MR. NATSOULAS: No, I don't think of the title until after I've finished the piece. I want something to capture the essence of what I was thinking, so that the audience has some reference to what I was thinking. In the Crocker Museum show I included my models' names, along with some attributes in the titles. I also mixed in some baroqueness into the titles as well.
There are other artists that I have friendships with. There's David Gilhooly, who was Arneson's most famous student. My friendship with David started the same way as it did with Clayton. I saw his work when I was a kid and just thought it was the greatest. I became friends with David after showing together. We've been friends for years now. He's a quirky guy who has been really encouraging me to pursue my art. And he's taught me a lot.
DR. KIRWIN: Did any of these people give you advice about showing in galleries and things like that?
MR. NATSOULAS: No, I think they all have contempt for galleries.
MR. NATSOULAS: I was thinking why is it that I am so addicted to comedy and anything humorous. I tried to look back at what happened in my childhood. I remember when I was in junior high school and high school, I was a pretty depressed kid. I was telling Eddie about this and he said, "Oh, well, that's how teenagers are." But I think that's not always the case.
My father and I went and saw every foreign film there was on the UC campus, every single one.
DR. KIRWIN: Swedish—
MR. NATSOULAS: Oh, everything.
DR. KIRWIN: Melodrama?
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes, well, I'm sure that they wouldn't think it was melodrama, though. Who was the big famous moviemaker?
DR. KIRWIN: Ingmar Bergman.
MR. NATSOULAS: Ingmar Bergman. We saw Ingmar Bergman after Ingmar Bergman. Oh, my God—
DR. KIRWIN: [Laughs.] So you were depressed.
MR. NATSOULAS: It was so depressing. I was talking to my dad the other day, and he said, "I took you to those? I can't believe I took you to those." We saw that one called The Bedroom which was a three-hour movie of two people in a bedroom yelling at each other. I think I was 11 or 12, watching this. I'm sure my parents didn't mean any harm by it, but it was just so depressing. Now, I can hardly watch a movie about anything to do about World War II or psychological drama. I remember seeing The Discreet Charm of Bourgeoisie. Agh, my God! There's no hope in these movies at all. I remember going and seeing them and feeling horrible. I think that that's why I want to do humorous work, because I don't want to ever feel that way again. It was so painful. Or maybe I am just shallow. [Laughs.]
DR. KIRWIN: But talk about some of the people that you have in your own art collection. It's just phenomenal.
MR. NATSOULAS: What my wife and I are doing is trying to live in a piece of art, and we are. Even our toothbrushes are colorful and fun. Our washer and dryer are painted hot pink. Also we've collected a whole bunch of toys from our childhood. There's a Kelly Detweiler that he sold to me for $20 when I was just a kid. When I was a student of Bob Brady's, he sold me a small piece for $20, too. So I've been amassing this collection for a number of years.
DR. KIRWIN: And this guy over here?
MR. NATSOULAS: Oh, yes, Mike Stevens. I've got two incredible pieces of his. He didn't sell them to me for $20. [Laughs.] And then—of course, then my wife buys me art for Christmas, like the Diehard battery of Bob Brady's. And the Scott Schoenherr–Nash Metropolitan car with the Airsteam trailer—that was commissioned for my birthday and wedding anniversary present.
DR. KIRWIN: How about Paul DiPasqua?
MR. NATSOULAS: Oh, yes, we love Paul's work and have a lot of his work around the house and in the yard. And Fred Babb's work as well.
[End Tape 3 Side A; Begin Tape 3 Side B.]
MR. NATSOULAS: I've been making websites for artists. They're just so stuck, they can't get the idea that having a website's a good thing, and so I'm always trying to encourage them to have one, because I think it is a really good tool.
DR. KIRWIN: You have a really great website. You designed it yourself?
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes, I did. Thanks a lot.
DR. KIRWIN: And what kind of interaction has this brought you, just through the web? And how has it changed your life?
MR. NATSOULAS: Well, I haven't had to send out any slides for probably three years. When people ask where they can see my work, I tell them, "tonynatsoulas.com." Because sending slides out, you're limited to what? Twenty slides and a résumé. With the website I have a résumé, and within the résumé you can click on links and see more information. There are more than 20 images there. The producer for the Carol Duvall Show, which is on the HGTV network, discovered me through my website. They were looking at ceramics sculpture, and my—
DR. KIRWIN: Were you on the show?
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes. They were here for five hours, filming me in my studio and interviewing me for a five-minute segment on their show. It's just strange.
DR. KIRWIN: TV is like that. Yes. Well, do you think there's a strong art community here in Sacramento?
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes, definitely. And there's a lot of history here. Many artists have made groundbreaking artwork here and have shown in important exhibitions around the world, I think especially for ceramics in the greater Sacramento area, which has been a hotbed since the '60s. And we got this great house here in Sacramento.
DR. KIRWIN: I love the colors in here too—bright green and—
MR. NATSOULAS: That's all Donna. Donna does all the decorating, picks paint colors, and she paints the walls
DR. KIRWIN: And you're wearing Fred's [Fred Babb]—
MR. NATSOULAS: I'm wearing Fred's shirts. I always wear Fred's shirts.
DR. KIRWIN: Fred's shirt yesterday.
MR. BISESE: Almost exclusively.
MR. NATSOULAS: Yes, of course he gave them to me for free, so—[laughs]—no, I love them. They're really great, so—I'm sure there's some other story that I've left out, but maybe I can add to it later.
DR. KIRWIN: And if we think of something, we can turn it on again.
DR. KIRWIN: Okay, good. Thank you.
MR. NATSOULAS: Thank you. I really appreciate you coming to do this interview Liza. It has been fun reminiscing with you and Eddie.
[END OF INTERVIEW.]
Transcript available on line
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Tony Natsoulas, 2004 August 9-11. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Kirwin, Liza, 1957-
Penland School of Handicrafts
Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America
Ceramicists -- California -- Interviews
Art -- Philosophy
Art -- Technique
Artists' materials
Art -- Periodicals
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Correspondence, 1948-1999, bulk 1957-1997
Administrative Files, 1941-1999, bulk 1970s-1990s
Exhibition Files, 1951-1999
General Files, circa 1952-1999
Anniversary Shows, circa 1952-1999
Benefit Shows, circa 1952-1999
Group Shows, circa 1952-1999
Solo Shows, circa 1952-1999
Solo Shows, Other Galleries, circa 1952-1999
Artists Files, 1913-1999, bulk 1960s-1990s
Artists Files, 1938-1999
Photographs, 1913-1998
Printed Materials, 1949-1998
General, 1949-1998
Leo Castelli, 1951-1998
Subject Files, 1963-1995
Posters, 1959-1997
Artwork, circa 1960s-1990s
Castelli Graphics, circa 1950-1999, bulk mid 1970s-early 1990s
Correspondence, 1969-1996
Administrative Files, 1969-1993
Exhibition Files, circa 1950-1996
Sales Records, 1969-1993
Financial Records, 1969-1999
Castelli/Sonnabend Tapes and Films, 1969-1998
Artists' Files, 1969-1989
Printed Materials, circa 1974-1987
Rentals and Sales Records, 1973-1994
Awards and Recognition, 1962-1998
Photographs, circa 1880-1997, bulk 1960s-1990s
Photographs, circa 1918-1997
Photograph Albums, circa 1880-1994
Sound and Video Recordings, 1959-2000
Leo Castelli Gallery records, circa 1880-2000, bulk 1957-1999
This site provides access to the records of the Leo Castelli Gallery in the Archives of American Art that were digitized in 2015. The bulk of the Exhibition Files and the Photographs Series (Series 3 and 10) have been scanned and total 31,875 images.
Leo Castelli (1907-1999) was one of America's most noted contemporary art dealers and opened the Leo Castelli Gallery in New York City in 1957. The gallery showcased cutting edge American contemporary art, including Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, Neo-Dada, Pop Art, Op Art, Color Field painting, Hard-edge painting, Lyrical Abstraction, Minimal Art, Conceptual Art, and Neo-expressionism, among other movements.
Leo Castelli was born as Leo Krauss on September 4, 1907 in Trieste, of Italian and Austro-Hungarian Jewish origin. He married art dealer Ileana Sonnabend in 1932 and the couple lived in Paris up until World War II. They had a daughter, Nina Castelli Sundell. In Paris, Castelli opened his first gallery in 1939. At that time, he was interested in the European Surrealists.
For years after Castelli moved to New York, he worked in his father-in-law's garment business. However, he organized his first American exhibition in 1951, the famous Ninth Street Show of 1951, a seminal event of Abstract Expressionism.
In 1957, he opened the Leo Castelli Gallery in his townhome on E. 77th Street between Madison and Fifth Avenues in New York City. Castelli initially featured European Surrealism, but also curated exhibitions of American Abstract painters, including Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Cy Twombly, Friedel Dzubas, and Norman Bluhm.
In 1958, Castelli discovered Pop artists Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns and forged a life-long nurturing relationship with both artists. The gallery then began focusing more on Pop Art, Minimalism and Conceptual Art. Beginning in the early 1960s, Castelli's stable included Richard Artschwager, Lee Bontecou, Chryssa, John Chamberlain, Ronald Davis, Dan Flavin, Donald Judd, Ellsworth Kelly, Joseph Kosuth, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Morris, Bruce Nauman, Larry Poons, James Rosenquist, Ed Ruscha, Salvatore Scarpitta, Richard Serra, Frank Stella, Andy Warhol, and Lawrence Weiner.
Leo and Ileana divorced in 1959, and Ileana returned to Europe. She later moved back to New York and opened a gallery close to Castelli's. The two remained close and together they established the joint venture of Castelli-Sonnabend Films and Tapes to accommodate artists interested in new media.
In the 1970s Leo Castelli opened a downtown SoHo branch of the Leo Castelli Gallery at 420 West Broadway. In the 1980s he opened a second larger downtown exhibition space on Greene Street also in SoHo.
Leo Castelli's second wife was Antoinette Castelli, with whom he also opened Castelli Graphics, an art gallery devoted to prints and photographs, mostly those by Castelli artists. The couple also had a son together, Jean-Christophe Castelli. In 1995 Leo Castelli married Italian art historian Barbara Bertozzi Castelli. She directs the Leo Castelli Gallery today, showing many of the same artists of the gallery's past.
Leo Castelli's unparalleled eye for quality, combined with his extraordinary skill for nurturing and promoting new art and artists, secured his position as one of the most respected and influential advocates of contemporary art for nearly five decades.
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau holds a press conference in Ottawa Friday, March 5, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
Trudeau holds firm on premiers’ health-care funding demands, COVID-19 aid comes first
Premiers argue that the current amount doesn’t keep pace with yearly cost increases of about five per cent
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government will keep its spending focus on emergency aid and won’t talk about hiking long-term health-care funding until after the COVID-19 pandemic is over.
He says Ottawa needs to keep supporting those hit hard financially by the pandemic, having sent billions in aid to businesses and individuals, as well as to provinces.
Speaking at a midday press conference, Trudeau said that short-term outlook can’t yet give way to longer-term concerns about the effect COVID-19 is having on the Canada’s provincially run health-care systems.
On Thursday, the country’s premiers reiterated their demand for a handsome increase in the unconditional transfer payments the federal government sends provinces and territories each year for health care.
But Trudeau held firm on Friday, telling reporters he wouldn’t yet negotiate on long-term health care funding.
“As we get through this pandemic, and once we’re on the other side, it is obvious that there will be a need for greater financing of health care in this country, including through the Canada Health Transfer,” Trudeau said.
“As I’ve said to premiers, we will be there to increase those transfers. But that conversation needs to happen once we are through this pandemic because right now, the supports we’re giving to Canadians are the ones that are needed to get through this pandemic.”
The federal government this year will transfer to the provinces nearly $42 billion for health care, under an arrangement that sees the amount rise by at least three per cent each year.
Premiers argue that amount doesn’t keep pace with yearly cost increases of about five per cent, which would mean Ottawa would have to add $28 billion this year to cover just over one-third of national costs, and about $4 billion annually thereafter.
Quebec Premier François Legault, chair of the premiers’ council, stressed Thursday that the pandemic-related expenses Ottawa has incurred are one-time costs.
One they roll off, he argued, federal finances could recover over time and end in far better shape over the long run than provinces mired in debt.
In late November, Finance Department officials tried to estimate how much more provinces had spent on health care during the pandemic in a briefing note to Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.
The figures in the back of the briefing note, obtained by The Canadian Press under the Access to Information Act, suggested the pandemic had by the fall added hundreds of millions in costs for some provinces, subject to a giant asterisk.
Officials cautioned that information on the short-term impacts of the pandemic on health-care spending was “scarce.”
The briefing pointed to a study by the Conference Board of Canada that estimated health care costs due to COVID-19 were in a range of $20.1 billion and $26.9 billion in the 2020-2021 fiscal year.
“Longer-term cost projections vary greatly and will depend largely on the evolution of the pandemic and vaccine development and administration,” officials wrote.
COVID denier fined $2,300 for hosting gathering in her home: Burnaby RCMP
B.C. recorded $505-million liability for cleanup of contaminated sites
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Witness: Sailor was in area where fire started on US warship
by: JULIE WATSON, Associated Press
Navy Seaman Apprentice Ryan Sawyer Mays arrives for a hearing at Naval Base San Diego Monday, Dec. 13, 2021, in San Diego. The Navy is set to hold a hearing to review whether there is enough evidence to order a court martial for a San Diego-based sailor charged with setting the fire that destroyed the USS Bonhomme Richard in the summer of 2020. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
SAN DIEGO (AP) — A key witness in the Navy’s case against a junior sailor accused of setting the fire that destroyed a U.S. warship last year testified Tuesday that he is certain that he saw the suspect in the area where the flames ignited, but acknowledged changing the account he initially told investigators.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Kenji Velasco blamed his nervousness for the changes to his story and said in military court during a preliminary hearing that he was now “100 percent” sure that he saw the suspect, Ryan Sawyer Mays, descend to the ship’s lower vehicle storage area on the day of the fire. Mays, 20, was a seaman apprentice at the time and has since been promoted to seaman.
Another sailor, Carissa Tubman, who was assigned to escorting Mays to the brig on Aug. 20, 2020, testified that she heard a stunned Mays mumble to himself: “I’m guilty, I guess. I did it.” Then she said he mumbled some more before she heard him say: “It had to be done.”
Defense attorneys said he was joking and speaking sarcastically after being surprised that he was being locked up.
Mays has denied igniting the blaze that burned for nearly five days on the USS Bonhomme Richard in July 2020, injuring dozens of personnel aboard and sending acrid smoke wafting over San Diego. It marked one of the worst noncombat warship disasters in recent memory. The amphibious assault ship was damaged so badly that it had to be scuttled.
Mays is charged with aggravated arson and the willful hazarding of a vessel. The hearing that started Monday is expected to wrap up Wednesday when the defense is expected to call its witnesses to the stand. The hearing will determine whether there is enough evidence for the case to proceed to a military trial.
Defense attorneys challenged several of the government’s witnesses about their accounts given to investigators a year ago, after several of them recalled details differently or not at all during the hearing.
About 160 sailors and officers were on board when the fire started on the 840-foot (256-meter) vessel, which had been docked at Naval Base San Diego while undergoing a two-year, $250 million upgrade.
Investigators concluded that cardboard boxes in the lower vehicle storage were ignited, and the blaze rapidly spread in the area cluttered with forklifts, hoses, pallets, and other equipment used by contractors.
Officials assessing the ship’s damage found three of four fire stations on the ship had evidence of tampering: Fire hoses had been disconnected and one was cut, according to court documents.
Defense attorney Gary Barthel said thousands of contractors were coming and going from the ship at the time. Some were caught smoking on board in violation of the rules, and there was a problem with brass parts being stolen, and contractors cutting hoses.
Barthel said there was a roster with 12,000 contractors but “there was no way to monitor who went on and off the ship.”
Navy prosecutors have alleged that Mays did it because he was “disgruntled” after dropping out of Navy SEAL training on the fifth day and being assigned to the ship’s deck duty, which largely involved cleaning the vessel.
Velasco and two other sailors, including his superior, testified Tuesday that Mays was combative, disrespectful and had a poor attitude.
Mays’ lawyers grilled Velasco about not naming Mays as the person he saw until more than a week after the fire. Initially, Velasco told investigators he did not recognize the person he saw that morning and said whoever did it did not belong to his deck department, which Mays did.
Velasco also contradicted himself about whether he saw Mays directly or from the side and about what time he saw Mays descend to the area.
He agreed with a defense attorney that he was told by investigators at one point “you just keep flip flopping around” so they did not know what had happened.
But Velasco said things became more clear in his mind after he thought about them more.
“I just wanted to make sure it was him that I saw,” Velasco said.
Mays has insisted he was on the ship’s hangar bay when the fire started. Mays attorneys said no physical evidence ties Mays to the crime, and they said at least one other sailor saw another person run out of the lower area that morning.
Investigators said they looked into him and were able to verify that he had left base before the fire started. They said they also did background checks and interviewed scores of contractors.
Federal investigator Al Porter said Mays stood out for his hatred of the fleet and his desire to get back to SEAL training.
“I was kind of shocked at how descriptive he was about his disdain for it (the Navy),” he said.
Porter, a former SEAL, said he caught Mays in lies while interviewing him Aug. 20, including exaggerating his SEAL training experience.
Mays told him the ramp was the only way out of the lower area, though later when he toured the charred ship with Porter and another investigator he admitted he had used a ladder in a well to get out of the area. The investigators had found the hatch to the well had been left open after the fire, indicating someone had gone through there to escape unnoticed.
After Mays was interviewed by investigators, the command ordered him to the brig.
More than 60 sailors and civilians were treated for minor injuries, heat exhaustion and smoke inhalation.
Dozens of Navy officials, including several admirals, face disciplinary action for systematic failures that investigators said prevented the blaze from being put out sooner, according to investigators.
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Gaggle podcast: How southern Arizona's Congressional District 2 will sway the 2020 election
Taylor Seely
Arizona's Congressional District 2 has a history of voting for both Republicans and Democrats, but as COVID-19 upends life for residents across the state, the question of which direction the district will lean in the 2020 election is in flux.
The district is located in the southeast corner of Arizona, abutting Mexico and New Mexico. It includes parts of Tucson, Willcox, Benson, Sierra Vista and Bisbee. It’s represented by Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick.
In this week's episode, listeners visit Congressional District 2.
It's part of a miniseries The Gaggle: An Arizona politics podcast launched this year. Leading up to the election, hosts Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Ronald J. Hansen introduce you to the district leaders and residents, explaining how the most pressing issues for voters could affect the 2020 election.
This year, the district will play a large role in races like Arizona's U.S. Senate seat between Republican Martha McSally and Democrat Mark Kelly, the U.S. House seat between Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick and Republican Brandon Martin and the presidential race between President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
In recent years, the district has swayed in favor of Democrats. In the 2016 election, when Arizona as a whole favored President Donald Trump by a margin of 3.5 points, Kirkpatrick's district had a 4.8 point margin in favor of Hillary Clinton.
But factoring in the district residents' decisions this year on who to vote for are prominent issues such as access to quality and affordable health care, job security, economic prosperity, and immigration and border security.
Hear more from Arizona voters:
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