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Sacred-texts Mormonism Index Previous Next
THE SMOOT EXPOSURE
Just before the subpoenas were issued in the Smoot investigation, I met John R. Winder (then First Councillor to President Smith) on the street in Salt Lake City, and he expressed the hope that when I went "to Washington on the Smoot case," I would not "betray" my "brethren." I assured him that I was not going to Washington as a witness in the Smoot case; that the men whom he should warn, were at Church headquarters. He replied, with indignant alarm, " I don't see what 'the brethren' have to do with this!"
But when the subpoenas arrived for Smith and the hierarchy, alarm and indignation assumed a new complexion. The authorities, for themselves, and through the mouths of such men as Brigham H. Roberts, began to boast of how they were about to "carry the gospel to the benighted nation" and preach it from the witness stand in Washington. The Mormon communities resounded with fervent praises to God that He had, through His servant, Apostle Smoot, given the opportunity to His living oracles to speak to an unrighteous people! And when the Senators decided that they would not summon polygamous wives and their children en bloc to Washington to testify (because it was not desired to "make war on women and children") some of Joseph F. Smith's several wives even complained feelingly that they "were not allowed to testify for Papa."
The first oracular disclosure made by the Prophets, on the witness stand, came as a shock even to Utah. They testified that they had resumed polygamous cohabitation to an extent unsuspected by either Gentiles or Mormons. President Joseph F. Smith admitted that he had had eleven children borne to him by his five wives, since pledging himself to obey the "revealed" manifesto of 1890 forbidding polygamous relations. Apostle Francis Marion Lyman, who was next in succession to the Presidency, made a similar admission of guilt, though in a lesser degree. So did John Henry Smith and Charles W. Penrose, apostles. So did Brigham H. Roberts and George Reynolds, Presidents of Seventies. So did a score of others among the lesser authorities. And they confessed that they were living in polygamy in violation of their pledges to the nation and the terms of their amnesty, against the laws and the constitution of the state, and contrary to the "revelation of God" by which the doctrine of polygamy had been withdrawn from practice in the Church!
President Joseph F. Smith admitted that he was violating the law of the State. He was asked: "Is there not a revelation that you shall abide by the law of the State and of the land?" He answered, "Yes, sir." He was asked: "And if that is a revelation, are you not violating the laws of God?" He answered: "I have admitted that, Mr. Senator, a great many times here."
Apostle Francis Marion Lyman was asked: "You say that you, an apostle of your Church, expecting to succeed (if you survive Mr. Smith) to the office in which you will be the person to be the medium of Divine revelations, are living, and are known to your people to live, in disobedience of the law of the land and the law of God?" Apostle Lyman answered: "Yes, sir." The others pleaded guilty to the same charge.
But this was not the worst. There had been new polygamous marriages. Bishop Chas. E. Merrill, the son of an apostle, testified that his father had married him to a plural wife in 1891, and that he had been living with both wives ever since. A Mrs. Clara Kennedy testified that she had been married to a polygamist in 1896, in Juarez, Mexico, by Apostle Brigham Young, Jr., in the home of the president of the stake. There was testimony to show that Apostle George Teasdale had taken a plural wife six years after the "manifesto" forbidding polygamy, and that Benjamin Cluff, Jr., president of the Church university, had taken a plural wife in 1899. Some ten other less notorious cases were exposed-including those of M. W. Merrill, an apostle, and J. M. Tanner, superintendent of Church schools. It was testified that Apostle John W. Taylor had taken two plural wives within four years, and that Apostle M. F. Cowley had taken one; and both these men had fled from the country in order to escape a summons to appear before the Senate committee.
President Joseph F. Smith, in his attempts to justify his own polygamy, gave some very involved and contradictory testimony. He said that he adhered to both the divine revelation commanding polygamy and the divine revelation "suspending" the command. He said he believed that the principle of plural marriage was still as "correct a principle" as when first revealed, but that the "law commanding it" had been suspended by President Woodruff's manifesto. He said that he accepted President Woodruff's manifesto as a revelation from God, but he objected to having it called "a law of the Church;" he insisted that it was only "a rule of the Church." He admitted that the manifesto forbidding polygamy had never been printed among the other revelations in the Church's book of "Doctrine and Covenants," in which the original revelation commanding polygamy was still printed without note or qualification of any kind.
He admitted that this anti-polygamy manifesto was not printed in any of the other doctrinal works which the Mormon missionaries took with them when they were sent out to preach the Mormon faith. He claimed that the manifesto was circulated in pamphlet form, but he subsequently admitted that the pamphlet did not "state in terms" that the manifesto was a "revelation." He finally pleaded that the manifesto had been omitted from the book of "Doctrine and Covenants" by an "oversight," and he promised to have it included in the next edition![1]
In short, it was shown, by the testimony given and the evidence introduced, not only that the Church authorities persisted in living in polygamy, not only that polygamous marriages were being contracted, but that the Church still adhered to the doctrine of polygamy and taught it as a law of God.
President Joseph F. Smith denied the right of Congress to regulate his "private conduct" as a polygamist. "It is the law of my state to which I am amenable," he said, "and if the officers of the law have not done their duty toward me I can not blame them. I think they have some respect for me."
A mass of testimony showed why the officers of the law did not do their duty. During the anti-polygamy agitation of 1899 (which ended in the refusal of Congress to seat Brigham H. Roberts) a number of prosecutions of polygamists had been attempted. In many instances the county attorney had refused to prosecute even upon sworn information. Wherever prosecutions were had, the fines imposed were nominal; these were in some cases never paid, and in other cases paid by popular subscription. It was testified that in Box Elder County subscription lists had been circulated to collect money for the fines, but that the fines were never paid, though the subscriptions had been collected. All the prosecutions had been dropped, at last. It was pleaded that there was a strong Gentile sentiment against these prosecutions, because of the hope that no new polygamous marriages were being contracted; but it was shown also, that the Church authorities controlled the enforcement of the law by their influence in the election of the agents of the law.
The Church controlled, too, the making of the law. For example, testimony was given to show that in 1896 the Church authorities had appointed a committee of six elders to examine all bills introduced into the Utah legislature and decide which were "proper" to be passed. In the neighboring state of Idaho, the legislature, in 1904, unanimously and without discussion passed a resolution
for a new state constitution that should omit the anti-polygamy test oath clauses objectionable to the Mormons; and in this connection it was testified that the state chairman of both political parties in Idaho always went to Salt Lake City, before a campaign, to consult with the Church authorities; that every request of the authorities made to the Idaho political leaders was granted; that six of the twenty-one countries in Idaho were "absolutely controlled" by Mormons, and the "balance of power" in six counties more was held by Mormons; and that it was "impossible for any man or party to go against the Mormon Church in Idaho." Apostle John Henry Smith testified that one-third of the population of Idaho was Mormon and one-fourth of the population of Wyoming, and that there were large settlements in Nevada, Colorado, California, Arizona and the surrounding states and territories.
A striking example of the power of the Church as against the power of the nation was given to the Senate committee by John Nicholson, chief recorder of the temple in Salt Lake City. He had failed to produce some of the temple marriage records for which the committee had called. He was asked whether he would bring the books, on the order of the Senate of the United States, if the First Presidency of the Church forbade him to bring them. He answered: "I would not." He was asked: "And if the Senate should send the Sergeant-at-Arms of the Senate and arrest you and order you to bring them" (the records) "with you, you would still refuse to bring them, unless the First Presidency asked you to?" He answered, "Yes, sir."
It was shown that classes of instruction in the Mormon religion had been forced upon teachers in a number of public schools in Utah by the orders of the First Presidency. (These orders were withdrawn after the exposure before the committee.) Church control had gone so far in Brigham City, Box Elder County, Utah, that in a dispute between the City Council and the electric lighting company of the city, the local ecclesiastical council interfered. In the same city, two young men built a dancing pavilion that competed with the Church-owned Opera House; the ecclesiastical council "counselled" them to remove the pavilion and dispose of "the material in its construction;" they were threatened that they would be "dropped" if they did not obey this "counsel;" and they compromised by agreeing to pay twenty-five percent of the net earnings of their pavilion into the. Church's "stake treasury." In Monroe ward, Sevier County, Utah, in 1901, a Mormon woman named Cora Birdsall had a dispute with a man named James E. Leavitt about a title to land. Leavitt went into the Bishop's court and got a decision against her. She wrote to President Joseph F. Smith for permission either to appeal the case direct to him or "to go to law" in the matter; and Smith advised her "to follow the order provided of the Lord to govern in your case." The dispute was taken through the ecclesiastical courts and decided against her. She refused to deed the land to Leavitt and she was excommunicated by order of the High Council of the Sevier Stake of Zion. She became insane as a result of this punishment, and her mother appealed to the stake president to grant her some mitigation. He wrote, in reply: "Her only relief will be in complying with President Smith's wishes. You say she has never broken a rule of the Church. You forget that she has done so by failing to abide by the decision of the mouthpiece of God." She finally gave up a deed to the disputed land and was rebaptized in 1904. (Letters of the First Presidency were, however, introduced to show that it had been the policy of the presidency-particularly in President Woodruff's day-not to interfere in disputes involving titles to land.)
It was testified that a Mormon merchant was expelled from the Church, ostensibly for apostasy, but really because he engaged in the manufacture of salt "against the interests of the President of the Church and some of his associates;" that a Mormon Church official was deposed "for distributing, at a school election, a ticket different from that prescribed by the Church authorities"-and so on, interminably.
Witness after witness swore to the incidents of Church interference in politics which this narrative has already related in detail. But no attempt was made to show the Church's partnership with the "interests;" and the power of the Church in business circles was left to be inferred from President Smith's testimony that he was then president of the Zion's Co-operative Mercantile Institution, the State Bank of Utah, the Zion's Savings Bank and Trust Company, the Utah Sugar Company, the Consolidated Wagon and Machine Company, the Utah Light and Power Company, the Salt Lake and Los Angeles Railroad Company, the Saltair Beach Company, the Idaho Sugar Company, the Inland Crystal Salt Company, the Salt Lake Knitting Company, and the Salt Lake Dramatic Association; and that he was a director of the Union Pacific Railway Company, vice-president of the Bullion-Beck and Champion Mining Company, and editor of the Improvement Era and the Juvenile Instructor.
It was shown that Utah had not been admitted to statehood until the Federal government had exacted, from the Church authorities and the representatives of the people of Utah, every sort of pledge that polygamy had been forever abandoned and polygamous relations discontinued by "revelation from God"; that statehood had not been granted until solemn promise had been given and provision made that there should be "no union of church and state," and no church should "dominate the state or interfere with its functions;" and that the Church's escheated property had been restored upon condition that such property should be used only for the relief of the poor of the Church, for the education of its children and for the building and repair of houses of worship "in which the rightfulness of the practice of polygamy" should not be "inculcated."
Therefore the testimony given before the Senate committee by these members of the Mormon hierarchy, showed that they had not only broken their covenants and violated their oaths, but that they had been guilty of treason. What was the remedy ? Jeremiah M. Wilson, a lawyer employed by the Church authorities in 1888 to argue, before a Congressional committee, in behalf of the admission of Utah to statehood, had pointed out the remedy in these words:
"It is idle to say that such a compact may be made, and then, when the considerations have been mutually received-statehood on the one side and the pledge not to do a particular thing on the other-either party can violate it without remedy to the other. But you ask me what is the remedy, and I answer that there are plenty of remedies in your own hands.
"Suppose they violate this compact; suppose that after they put this into the constitution, and thereby induce you to grant them the high privilege and political right of statehood, they should turn right around and exercise the bad faith which is attributed to them here-what would you do? You could shut the doors of the Senate and House of Representatives against them; you could deny them a voice in the councils of this nation, because they have acted in bad faith and violated their solemn agreement by which they succeeded in getting themselves into the condition of statehood. You could deny them the Federal judiciary; you could deny them the right to use the mails-that indispensable thing in the matter of trade and commerce of this country. There are many ways in which peaceably, but all powerfully, you could compel the performance of that compact."
This argument by Mr. Wilson in 1888 was recalled by the counsel for the protestants in the investigation. It was recalled with the qualification that though Congress might not have the power to undo the sovereignty of the state of Utah it could deal with Senator Smoot. And it was further argued: "The chief charge against Senator Smoot is that he encourages, countenances, and connives at the defiant violation of law. He is an integral part of a hierarchy; he is an integral part of a quorum of twelve, who constitute the backbone of the Church. . . . He, as one of that quorum of twelve apostles, encourages, connives at, and countenances defiance of law."
On June 11, 1906, a majority of the committee made a report to the Senate recommending that Apostle Smoot was not entitled to his seat in the Senate. They found that he was one of a "self-perpetuating body of fifteen men, uniting in themselves authority in both Church and state," who "so exercise this authority as to encourage a belief in polygamy as a divine institution, and by both precept and example encourage among their followers the practice of polygamy and polygamous cohabitation;" that the Church authorities had "endeavored to suppress, and succeed in suppressing, a great deal of testimony by which the fact of plural marriages contracted by those who were high in the councils of the Church might have been established beyond the shadow of a doubt;" and that "aside from this it was shown by the testimony that a majority of those who give law to the Mormon Church are now, and have been for years, living in open, notorious and shameless polygamous cohabitation." Concerning President Woodruff's anti-polygamy manifesto of 1890, the majority of the committee reported that "this manifesto in no way declares the principle of polygamy to be wrong or abrogates it as a doctrine of the Mormon Church, but simply suspends the practice of polygamy to be resumed at some more convenient season, either with or without another revelation." They found that Apostle Smoot was responsible for the conduct of the organization to which he belonged; that he had countenanced and encouraged polygamy "by repeated acts and in a number of instances, as a member of the quorum of the twelve apostles;" and that he was "no more entitled to a seat in the Senate than he would be if he were associating in polygamous cohabitation with a plurality of wives."
The report continued: "The First Presidency and the twelve apostles exercise a controlling influence over the action of the members of the Church in secular affairs as well as in spiritual matters;" and "contrary to the principles of the common law under which we live, and the constitution of the State of Utah, the First Presidency and twelve apostles dominate the affairs of the State and constantly interfere in the performance of its functions. . . . But it is in political affairs that the domination of the First Presidency and the twelve apostles is most efficacious and most injurious to the interests of the State. . . . Notwithstanding the plain provision of the constitution of Utah, the proof offered on the investigation demonstrates beyond the possibility of doubt that the hierarchy at the head of the Mormon Church has, for years past, formed a perfect union between the Mormon Church and the State of Utah, and that the Church, through its head, dominates the affairs of the State in things both great and small." And the report concluded: "The said Reed Smoot comes here, not as the accredited representative of the State of Utah in the Senate of the United States, but as the choice of the hierarchy which controls the Church and has usurped the functions of the State in Utah. It follows, as a necessary conclusion from these facts, that Mr. Smoot is not entitled to a seat in the Senate as a Senator from the State of Utah."
On the same day a minority report was presented by Senators J. B. Foraker, Albert J. Beveridge, Wm. P. Dillingham, A. J. Hopkins and P. C. Knox. They found that Reed Smoot possessed "all the qualifications prescribed by the Constitution to make him eligible to a seat in the Senate;" that "the regularity of his election" by the Utah legislature had not been questioned; that his private character was "irreproachable;" and that "so far as mere belief and membership in the Mormon Church are concerned, he is fully within his rights and privileges under the guaranty of religious freedom given by the Constitution of the United States." Having thus summarily excluded all the large and troublesome points of the investigation, these Senators decided that there remained "but two grounds on which the right or title of Reed Smoot to his seat in the Senate" was contested. The first was whether he had taken a certain "endowment oath" by which "he obligated himself to make his allegiance to the Church paramount to his allegiance to the United States;" and the second was whether "by reason of his official relation to the Church" he was "responsible for polygamous cohabitation" among the Mormons. As to the first charge, the minority found that the testimony upon the point was "limited in amount, vague and indefinite in character and utterly unreliable, because of the disreputable character of the witnesses "-oddly overlooking the fact that one of these witnesses had been called for Apostle Smoot; that no attempt had been made to impeach the character of this witness; that the other witnesses had been denounced, by a Mormon bishop, named Daniel Connolly, as "traitors who had broken their oaths to the Church" by betraying the secrets of the "endowment oath;" and that all the Smoot witnesses who denied the anti-patriotic obligation of the oath refused, suspiciously enough, to tell what obligation was imposed on those who took part in the ceremony.
The charge that Smoot, as an apostle of the Church, had been responsible for polygamous cohabitation was as easily disposed of, by the minority report. He had himself, on oath, "positively denied" that he had "ever advised any person to violate the law either against polygamy or against polygamous cohabitation," and no witness had been produced to testify that Apostle Smoot had ever given "any such advice" or defended "such acts." True, it was admitted that he had "silently acquiesced" in the continuance of polygamous cohabitation by polygamists who had married before 1890; but it was contended that to understand this acquiescence it was "necessary to recall some historical facts, among which are some that indicate that the United States government is not free from responsibility for these violations of the law."
In short, although Reed Smoot was one of a confessed band of law-breaking traitors, he was of "irreproachable" private character. Although the band had been guilty of every treachery, none of the band had admitted that Smoot had encouraged them in their villainies. Smoot had only "silently acquiesced"-and in this he had been no guiltier than the intimidated bystanders and the gagged victims of the outrages. Although the gang had stolen the machinery of elections and used it to print a Senatorial certificate for Smoot, there was nothing to show that the form of the certificate was not correct. Moreover, the band operated in politics as a religious organization, and the constitution of the United States protects a man in his right of religious freedom!
1 He did not keep his promise. The manifesto was not added to the book of revelations until some time later, after considerable protest in Utah.
Next: XIV Treason Triumphant
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Ad hoc arbitration, Arbitral seat, Arbitral Tribunal, Arbitration, Arbitration Act, Australia, BIT, Transparency, Transparency in investment arbitrations, Uncategorized, UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules, UNCITRAL Rules on Transparency, UNCITRAL Transparency Rules
Recent Developments in Australia’s Approach to Confidentiality and Transparency in International Arbitration
Esmé Shirlow (Associate Editor) (Australian National University)/ December 19, 2015 December 20, 2015 /2 Comments
by Esmé Shirlow (Assistant Editor for Australia & New Zealand)
Gabriele Ruscalla has recently observed that “transparency has become a fundamental principle in international adjudication”. The transparency paradigms governing different types of international adjudication are, however, far from uniform. Discussions of transparency in international arbitration typically begin, for example, from a distinction between commercial and investment treaty disputes. As Cristoffer Nyegaard Mollestad explains in a recent paper:
In commercial arbitration a presumption of “implied” confidentiality has traditionally been considered the norm… However… commentators and investment tribunals have increasingly recognized that the characteristics of investor-state disputes raise transparency issues specific to that particular field, and consequently requires its own solutions.
The history of Australia’s legislative and treaty practice, as well as its more recent experiences in 2015, neatly illustrate this divide in approaches towards confidentiality and/or transparency in commercial and investment treaty arbitration. In particular, it illustrates that transparency of proceedings is indeed becoming a ‘fundamental principle’ of Australia’s investment treaty practice, but – on the contrary – that the presumption of confidentiality is increasingly being entrenched for international commercial arbitration. This post examines the shifting treatment by Australia of procedural transparency in both regimes.
Moving towards greater confidentiality in international commercial arbitration
The transparency of international commercial arbitrations seated in Australia is governed by provisions of Australia’s International Arbitration Act. Provisions in the Act affecting the transparency or confidentiality of such arbitrations have gone through three iterations since its enactment in 1974.
Initially, the Act did not expressly regulate the issue of confidentiality. It was widely assumed that the presumption of confidentiality averred to above would nevertheless apply in international commercial arbitration proceedings seated in Australia. In 1995, however, Australia’s High Court held in applying the Act that there was – absent the agreement of the parties – no such implied duty of confidentiality. The Court further held that even if a contract provided for confidentiality, that would be subject to override if the public interest warranted greater transparency.
In response to this decision, amendments were introduced to the Act in 2010 to provide for an ‘opt-in’ confidentiality regime. Under this new regime, parties could elect to apply statutory provisions governing the disclosure of information and documents from the proceedings, including provisions stipulating when documents (such as pleadings, evidence, transcripts, awards etc) may be disclosed by the parties, or made the subject of disclosure by an arbitral tribunal or Australian court. These amendments adopted the position taken in many submissions received during a public consultation process, which were overwhelmingly in favour of amending the Act to address the High Court’s decision.
New legislative amendments introduced in October this year have completed Australia’s move towards greater confidentiality in international commercial arbitration. These amendments provide that – unless the parties stipulate otherwise – proceedings arising from all arbitration agreements concluded from 14 October onwards will remain confidential. This opt-out regime makes it even more likely that international commercial arbitrations seated in Australia will be conducted on a confidential basis.
The recent amendments have been introduced with very little fanfare or public discussion. In fact, parliamentary speeches and the explanatory memorandum portrayed the changes to the Act as being relatively ‘minor’ in character. This may be because the ‘opt-out’ regime was initially floated in responses to the 2010 amendment’s consultation process. The opt-out provisions are also closely modeled on the regime governing the confidentiality of international commercial arbitrations seated in New Zealand.
Moving towards Greater Transparency in International Investment Arbitration
Australia’s approach to procedural transparency in international investment arbitration can similarly be broken into differing time periods. Contrary to Australia’s experience with commercial arbitration, however, Australia is very clearly moving towards greater transparency in investment arbitration proceedings.
Australia’s starting point in regulating the issue of transparency in international investment arbitration was similar to its starting point for international commercial arbitration: it initially did not expressly regulate the matter. Indeed, from 1988 to 2005, Australia concluded 22 treaties providing for investor-State dispute settlement, none of which themselves contained any provisions on confidentiality or transparency of proceedings. Rather, each treaty provided that the proceedings would be conducted according to certain procedural rules (usually, the UNCITRAL or ICSID Arbitration Rules). At the time of Australia concluding treaties referring to them, such rules did contain some provisions relevant to the issue of transparency. The ICSID Convention and Rules in force at this time, for example, provided that awards could not be published without party consent. Similarly, the applicable UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules provided for closed hearings and the non-publication of awards absent party agreement to the contrary. To the extent that the Rules left certain matters (such as amicus curiae participation) unaddressed, tribunals applying them would encounter the same issue faced by Australia’s High Court: whether there was an implied presumption of confidentiality applicable to the proceedings. Different tribunals have answered the question in a range of ways. For present purposes, however, it suffices to conclude that in this early period of treaty practice, Australia started from the position of silence or – to the extent that the matter was addressed by the Rules – a predominantly opt-out regime.
In the early 2000s, Australia modified its treaty practice to incorporate a smattering of provisions in its investment treaties on transparency and/or confidentiality. In particular, it concluded two free trade agreements which – whilst being generally silent on such issues – nevertheless contained a number of express provisions. The first such treaty with Singapore (2003), provided that each party was free to disclose ‘statements of its own positions or its submissions to the public’ if it protected ‘confidential information’ in doing so. A second treaty with Mexico (2005), stipulated that party consent was required for the publication of arbitral decisions.
From the mid-2000s onwards, Australia adopted a strong pro-transparency approach for investment arbitration proceedings. This is exemplified by its treaty practice and involvement in international fora.
Australia has – since 2009 – included express provisions on confidentiality and/or transparency in all of its treaties providing for investor-State proceedings. Starting in 2009, the ASEAN free trade agreement provided that either party could elect to publish any awards or decisions of a tribunal (with appropriate confidentiality redactions). Australia went even further in its treaties with Chile (2009) and Korea (2014), providing for the involvement of amicus curiae; mandatory disclosure of certain documents (including the notice of intent, notice of arbitration, submissions to the tribunal, and the tribunal’s orders, decisions and awards); and the holding of open hearings. Australia’s 2015 treaty practice confirms this pro-transparency trend. Both the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement and Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement regulate amicus curiae involvement, the publication of documents, and the holding of open hearings.
Australia has also taken a pro-transparency position in intergovernmental fora. Australia was, for example, a vocal supporter of increased transparency during the negotiation of amendments to the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules, including the preparation of a legal standard on transparency in treaty-based investor-State arbitration. In 2010, for example, Australia’s comments to the Secretariat of UNCITRAL’s Working Group II indicated that:
Australia supports transparency in treaty-based investor-State arbitration and welcomes the Commission’s decision to undertake work on the issue as a matter of priority immediately after completion of the current revision of the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules.
Subsequently, in 2012, Australia (along with a number of other countries) submitted a proposal to the Working Group regarding the scope and application of the draft rules on transparency. The intention behind the proposal was to ensure that the rules would operate on an opt-out (rather than opt-in) basis, it being hoped that this would “send a powerful pro-transparency message and would promote widespread use of the transparency rules”. Australia has recently retreated to some extent from this position, particularly in treaty negotiations with its Asian neighbours. In side letters to Australia’s treaties with Korea and China, for example, the parties have opted out of applying the UNCITRAL Rules on Transparency. They have, nevertheless, indicated a commitment to consulting on the applicability of those rules in the future.
The legislative and treaty practice above indicate the increasing distinction being made by Australia between the treatment of transparency in investment and commercial arbitration. Perhaps more fundamentally, however, Australia’s approach evidences its ability to learn from, and improve upon, developments in both domestic and international practice. It remains to be seen, however, how far Australia will push the issue of transparency in the context of future investment disputes (though see here for discussion of its approach in the only dispute it has responded to thus far), in treaty negotiations, and in multilateral fora. There are, for example, indications that Australia will soon begin negotiations with the EU for a free trade agreement. To the extent that this treaty provides for investor-State proceedings, it will be interesting to see whether Australia adopts the EU’s proposal for the establishment of an Investment Court, and how far this might depart from, or bolster, the transparency regime already adopted in Australia’s pre-existing treaties. Australia is also yet to sign the United Nations Convention on Transparency in Treaty-Based Investor-State Arbitration, but side letters contained in recently concluded treaties indicate that it is actively considering the applicability of those rules in its own treaty practice. While the end of the transparency/confidentiality journey therefore seems to have been reached for international commercial arbitration in Australia, Australia has only recently embarked towards amending the transparency regime governing investment treaty arbitration.
Indirect Expropriation under the TPP: A New Frontier for the Right of States to Regulate?
Nahila Cortes (Allende & Brea)/ December 20, 2015 December 20, 2015
The Strange Case of Italy and its Distrust of International Arbitration
Pietro Fogari (Lombardi Segni e Associati)/ December 18, 2015 December 11, 2015
Prof Luke Nottage says:
1. The change to an opt-out provision (ie a default rule) of confidentiality for international commercial arbitration was partly due to the glaring inconsistency with the new uniform Commercial Arbitration Acts introduced from 2010 in Australian states and territories solely now for domestic arbitrations. Those had adopted such a rule and thereby overruled the controversial Esso judgment of the High Court of Australia which had stated that there was no implied duty of confidentiality (albeit in a domestic arbitration involving a public authority). A cynic might say that it is a belated recognition of a drafting inconsistency, like the “legislative black hole” created by the interaction of these CAAs and the 2010 amendments to the federal International Arbitration Act, which was also corrected by a separate amendment in 2015. An optimist might say it is a renewed attempt to encourage arbitrators to manage proceedings more robustly and efficiently, against a backdrop of over-formalisation of arbitration in Australia. Cf generally:
Nottage, Luke R., International Commercial Arbitration in Australia: What’s New and What’s Next? (February 9, 2014). INTERNATIONAL COMMERCIAL LAW AND ARBITRATION: PERSPECTIVES, N. Perram, ed., Ross Parsons Centre of Commercial, Corporate and Taxation Law, pp. 307-341, 2014; Sydney Law School Research Paper No. 14/13. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2393232
2. The heightened transparency provisions in Australia’s FTAs since 2003 (not, ironically, in BITs concluded with Turkey and even Mexico in 2005, which followed Australia’s old / Western European template) is due to adopting – with almost no explanation – the US (post-NAFTA, then 2004 revised Model BIT) framework. That tendency is also common around the Asia-Pacific (including eg Singapore, Chile), which also heavily frames the drafting and features of the TPP investment chapter:
Nottage, Luke R., The TPP Investment Chapter and Investor-State Arbitration in Asia and Oceania: Assessing Prospects for Ratification (April 20, 2016). Sydney Law School Research Paper No. 16/28. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2767996
Esme Shirlow says:
Many thanks for your comments, and for these links to your articles. I agree with your assessment that the US approach to transparency in investment treaties has been very influential – both for Australia and for other countries. Cristoffer Nyegaard Mollestad recently completed a fairly comprehensive review of treaties that bears out this observation (“See No Evil? Procedural Transparency in International Investment Law and Dispute Settlement”, available at (http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2516242). It will be interesting to see what position Australia adopts with respect to transparency if it ever develops its own model BIT (on which possibility I found your 2015 piece particularly interesting: http://blogs.usyd.edu.au/japaneselaw/2015/06/senates_report_treaties.html).
I am especially interested to see how Australia will approach transparency in future treaties now that the UNCITRAL Transparency Rules have been developed as an available framework. The approach taken in the TPP to transparency goes beyond the level guaranteed by the Rules in certain respects (for example, by excluding discretion for tribunals to derogate from the transparency provisions: art 9.23(2), see further: http://kluwerarbitrationblog.com/2015/12/09/a-right-of-public-access-to-investor-state-arbitral-proceedings/). That said, Australia has not fully embraced the applicability of the Rules in the context of other treaties, instead leaving scope for their application to be agreed at some future point in time (see, for example: http://dfat.gov.au/trade/agreements/kafta/official-documents/Pages/side-letter-uncitral-transparency-rules-australia.aspx). It seems that Australia’s approach to this issue is therefore still being guided to some extent by outside influences, and it will certainly be of interest to see if it ultimately decides to endorse a particular approach by way of a model treaty or instead follows its current more case-by-case approach to negotiations.
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Australia, Disclosure, Discovery, Pre-Action Disclosure, Pre-arbitral procedure, Preliminary Discovery
Preliminary Discovery in International Arbitration: An Australian Perspective
Leon Chung, Guillermo García-Perrote, Brendan Hord (Herbert Smith Freehills LLP)/ May 6, 2020 May 4, 2020 /Leave a comment
The availability and scope of ‘discovery’ or document production significantly differs across jurisdictions, most notably when comparing litigation in common law and civil law courts. In the field of international arbitration, the compromise position adopted by the International Bar Association’s Rules on the Taking of Evidence in International Arbitration is to permit disclosure of documents where it is “relevant to the case and material to its outcome”.1)Article 3(3)(b). This approach has been reasonably effective in practice as a compromise between the extensive discovery generally afforded in common law courts, and the very limited document production orders granted by civil law courts.
But what is the position where, before an arbitral tribunal is constituted, a party needs to obtain documents from a prospective respondent, to determine whether to even initiate a case at all?
Preliminary discovery may fill this gap. It may enable a prospective claimant to compel a prospective respondent to produce documents for the purpose of determining whether to commence legal proceedings. However, while an arbitral tribunal clearly has power to order document production once proceedings have commenced (subject, of course, to any limitations under the arbitration agreement and the applicable law), it is not clear that the tribunal’s powers extend to preliminary discovery.
This blog post will examine whether preliminary discovery is available in arbitrations seated in Australia, and offer some practical insights for litigants considering this.
The Australian position
The general position is that before initiating arbitration proceedings, a prospective claimant may seek preliminary discovery under domestic court procedures: see the New South Wales Supreme Court’s (“NSWSC”) judgment in nearmap Ltd v Spookfish Pty Ltd [2014] NSWSC 1790.
In this case, the plaintiff, nearmap Ltd (“nearmap”), operated a business supplying aerial and geospatial photomosaic images. It relied on innovative and confidential design processes and information. Several employees, including a former Chief Technology Officer and a Chief Operating Officer, left to operate a rival firm in the same industry, Spookfish Pty Ltd (“Spookfish”).
Nearmap was worried that its former employees retained confidential information from their employment, and that Spookfish was unlawfully using that information in its business. It sought preliminary discovery from Spookfish and its directors under the NSWSC’s procedural rules, the Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW) (the “UCPR”), to determine whether to pursue proceedings against the defendants for breach of confidence (among other claims).
Spookfish resisted the application, arguing that it should be permanently stayed pursuant to an arbitration agreement between the parties, and determined by the arbitral tribunal instead. Spookfish cited s 8 of the Commercial Arbitration Act 2012 (WA) and s 8 of the Commercial Arbitration Act 2010 (NSW) (each, an “Act”), which both provide that:
“A court before which an action is brought in a matter which is the subject of an arbitration agreement must, if a party so requests not later than when submitting the party’s first statement on the substance of the dispute, refer the parties to arbitration unless if finds that the agreement is null and void, inoperative or incapable of being performed.”
Chief Judge in Equity Bergin (“Bergin CJ in Eq”) refused to stay the court proceedings in favour of arbitration, finding that the motion for preliminary discovery was not a “matter” for the purposes of the cited provisions. A claim that Spookfish’s employees breached their obligations of confidentiality would constitute a “matter”. However, an application for preliminary discovery was of a different kind, being “not a dispute as to the rights or obligations of the parties” but instead “a right independent of the Agreements…arising under the Uniform Civil Procedure Rules and any obligation to produce the documents arises from a judicial determination, having regard to whether the prerequisites in the Rule have been satisfied.” (At [72])
Her Honour also found that a tribunal’s power to order “discovery of documents” under s 17(3)(b) of each Act relates to discovery relevant to the issues between the parties in respect of any application for the quasi-injunctive relief set out in s 17(2) of the Act, and does not extend to ordering preliminary discovery. (At [76])
Further, the interim measure referred to in s 17(2)(d) of the preservation of “evidence that may be relevant and material to the resolution of the dispute” is also not a vehicle for preliminary discovery but “to secure evidence in respect of which a party to an already existing dispute of which the arbitrator is seized, may entertain fears of destruction or dissipation in the absence of such an interim measure.” (At [76])
Although nearmap concerned a domestic arbitration, its principles are likely also applicable to international arbitrations seated in Australia. Section 7(2) of the International Arbitration Act 1974 (Cth) requires a court to refer a “matter” to arbitration where a party has initiated court proceedings which are arbitrable and are subject to a valid arbitration agreement. In light of nearmap, Australian courts are unlikely to find that a preliminary discovery application is a “matter” which engages s 7(2).
The implication is that a prospective claimant to a dispute covered by an arbitration agreement should seek preliminary discovery under domestic court procedures instead of from the arbitral tribunal.
The prospective claimant may rely on rule 7.23 of the Federal Court Rules 2011 (Cth) or rule 5.3(1) of the UCPR. Under those provisions, a court may order preliminary discovery from a prospective defendant in possession of a document which may assist in determining if the applicant has a claim, provided the applicant has already undertaken reasonable inquiries which have not yielded sufficient information for it to decide whether to commence proceedings. The usual limitations arising from privilege and the implied undertaking as to the use of documents also apply.2)See Ben Kremer and Rebecca Davies, Preliminary discovery in the Federal Court: Order 15A of the Federal Court Rules, (2004) 24 Aust Bar Rev 235, 255-258.
One interesting open question is whether parties can confer an arbitral tribunal with powers to order preliminary discovery, by expressly stating so in the arbitration agreement. Bergin CJ in Eq ruled that applications for preliminary discovery did not attract the protection of s 8(1) of the Act, not that such applications are not arbitrable. Considering parties’ flexibility to select the arbitral procedure under article 19(1) of the Model Law, it is theoretically conceivable that the parties could expressly confer the power to order preliminary discovery on the tribunal. In practice, however, recourse to domestic courts is likely to be more practical since it would allow prospective claimants to obtain preliminary discovery before an arbitral tribunal has been constituted.
As a quick comparison, English courts adopt a different position with respect to preliminary discovery (there known as “pre-action disclosure”). In Travelers Insurance Company v Countrywide Surveyors Ltd [2010] EWHC 2455 (TCC), the High Court held that it could not order pre-action disclosure under the Court’s procedures where the dispute is subject to a valid arbitration agreement between the parties.
Under s 33(2) of the Senior Courts Act 1981 (the “SCA”), the High Court may only grant an application for pre-action disclosure to “a person who appears to the High Court to be likely to be a party to subsequent proceedings in that court.” Justice Coulson held that the existence of the arbitration agreement meant that the applicant was not a likely party to subsequent proceedings in the High Court.3)At [17]-[21]. Therefore, the Court did not have the requisite power and the application needed to be made to the arbitral tribunal. (At [30])
The difference between the positions in Australia and England is in part attributable to the differences in the procedural rules governing preliminary discovery/pre-action disclosure. Rule 5.3 of the UCPR allows preliminary discovery if “the applicant may be entitled to make a claim for relief from the court against a person”, whereas s 33(2) of the SCA is more restrictive in requiring that the applicant is ”likely to be a party to subsequent proceedings in that court”.
Prospective claimants should also consider the following when determining whether to pursue an application for preliminary discovery in respect of arbitration.
First, a party who is seeking preliminary discovery is generally responsible for the costs of the discovery. For example, in the Australian Federal Court (see Sites N Stores Pty Ltd v Whirlpool.Net.Au Pty Ltd [2015] FCA 1474), the default position is that an applicant for preliminary discovery should pay the costs of the producing party unless the producing party has acted unreasonably. The costs of the discovery process can be significant and the potential strategic benefits of obtaining helpful documents should be weighed against costs and procedural economy considerations.
Second, it can often be difficult to determine whether a prospective respondent possesses documents which may assist so there is an element of risk involved. This, again, should be weighed against the potential benefit of locating documents which may found a viable claim.
Third, the scope of preliminary discovery is limited. In Australia, preliminary discovery cannot be used by a party to merely strengthen its position where it has already decided to commence legal proceedings, or ‘fish’ for information without believing that a genuine claim exists (see Airservices Australia v Transfield Pty Ltd [1999] FCA 886 at [5]).
Article 3(3)(b).
See Ben Kremer and Rebecca Davies, Preliminary discovery in the Federal Court: Order 15A of the Federal Court Rules, (2004) 24 Aust Bar Rev 235, 255-258.
At [17]-[21].
The Threshold for Challenges in ICSID Arbitration: Interpreting the ‘Manifest Lack’ Standard
Riddhi Joshi/ May 7, 2020 May 6, 2020
Hold on to Your Seats, Again! Another Step to Validation in Enka v Chubb Russia?
Mihaela Maravela (Mihaela Maravela Law Office)/ May 5, 2020 December 13, 2020
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american academy of science and technology
• This is chiefly a problem with long or repeated courses of treatment and has limited their use otherwise important role for oral treatment of respiratory exacerbations in cystic fibrosis patients due to P. aerginosae . A non-profit organization for scientist communities to exchange academic ideas, organize national and international conferences on science, award the AAS prize. For foreign citizens who want to live permanently in the United States. A Brief Look at M.A.S.T. Through the Academy, the United States hopes to help researchers from both countries identify opportunities for new U.S.-Chilean partnerships to augment our strong bond of cooperation in science and technology. 691, September 2020. M.A.S.T. One of the nation’s most prestigious honorary societies, the academy is also a leading center for independent policy research. Tweet. 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This goal has never been more important for the nation or for the world. AAST stands for American Academy of Science and Technology. Historique. A global community of 32,000 medical doctors, we … We publish prepublications to facilitate timely access to the committee's findings. The Academy receives no compensation from the government for its services. Science & Technology. A non-profit organization for scientist communities to exchange academic ideas, organize national and international conferences on science, award the AAS prize . This is a … AAST is an acronym for American Academy of Science and Technology. AAST stands for American Academy of Science and Technology. Meeting Room. The Registered Agent on file for this company is Shadi Martini and is located at 30594 Orchard Lake Rd Unit 56, Farmington Hills, MI 48334. Membership in the academy is achieved through a thorough petition, review, and election process and has been considered a high honor of scholarly and societal merit. 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As early as 1743, Benjamin Franklin had founded the American Philosophical Society (APS). This is really the most central organization to be in and meet colleagues to discuss research, collaborate, and advance the fields all together as a collective.” Elle joue le rôle de société honorifique aux États-Unis. More. Challenges for International Scientific Partnerships aims to articulate the benefits of international collaboration and recommend solutions to the most pressing challenges associated with the design and operation of partnerships. The Registered Agent on file for this company is Business Filings Incorporated and is located at … The company's filing status is listed as Active and its File Number is F0080J. It is organized by the International Journal of Arts and Sciences (IJAS). Official site of the Academy with history and general information on the Academy Awards, as well as photographs, events and screenings, and press releases. Telephone: (56-2) 330 3081 Systemic Racism in the Sciences Requires Structural Solutions . of. Members contribute to academy publications, as well as studies of science and technology policy, energy and global security, social policy and American institutions, the humanities and culture, and education. Members contribute to academy publications, as well as studies of science and technology policy, energy and global security, social policy and American institutions, the humanities and culture, and education. The American Academy for Training Courses (AATC) is a training provider with internationally accredited qualifications & training programs. American Academy of Arts & Sciences | 1,511 followers on LinkedIn. This is the official website of the U.S. Embassy in Chile. An uncorrected copy, or prepublication, is an uncorrected proof of the book. The Rise of the Regulatory Welfare State: The Use and Abuse of Social Regulation Special Editors: David Levi-Faur and Avishai Benish Vol. on Environmental Science and Technology sponsored by the American Academy of Sciences will be held on August 6-9, 2007 in Houston, Texas, the United States of America (USA). Visit MAST's Full Site . Up to 84 members who are US citizens are elected every year; up to 21 foreign citizens may be elected as foreign associates annually. It employed about 1,100 staff in 2005. The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. The people behind the name have hidden the domain registration by using GoDaddy's Domains By Proxy as the registrant. The Alternative Energy Future project examines how to facilitate the adoption of cleaner and more efficient energy technologies using knowledge from the social and behavioral sciences. Menu Search "AcronymAttic.com. Learn more about quality higher-education opportunities in the U.S. that you will not find anywhere else in the world. The Public Face of Science is dedicated to exploring the complex and evolving relationship between scientists and the public. Symposium . Deadline: January 07, 2019 Read full call. American Academy of Arts & Sciences | Web Policy, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Challenges for International Scientific Partnerships, American Institutions, Society, and the Public Good, Education and the Development of Knowledge, Global Security and International Affairs. Working across disciplines and divides. One of the nation’s most prestigious honorary societies, the academy is also a leading center for independent policy research. As part of the Academy’s Initiative for Science, Engineering, and Technology, the Hellman Fellowship in Science and Technology Policy provides an opportunity for an early-career professional with training in science or engineering to learn about a career in public policy and administration. American Academy of Science and Technology es una iniciativa conjunta entre la Embajada de Estados Unidos y … L'Académie américaine des arts et des sciences (en anglais American Academy of Arts and Sciences) est une organisation vouée à l’enseignement et au progrès des connaissances. During the 2016 presidential election, America's election infrastructure was targeted by actors sponsored by the Russian government. International Conference on Environmental Science and Technology 2020 sponsored by AAS will be held on July 13-17, 2020 in Houston, Texas, USA. Science + Technology; Patrick Semansky/AP ‘Science is political’: Scientific American has endorsed Joe Biden over Trump for president. 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american academy of science and technology 2020
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Man pleads guilty to charge over noose on Ole Miss statue
A federal prosecutor said in court Thursday that Graeme Phillip Harris hatched a plan, after a night of drinking at a University of Mississippi fraternity house, to hang a noose on a campus statue of James Meredith, the first black student at Ole Miss.
Harris, who is white, pleaded guilty Thursday to a misdemeanor charge of threatening force to intimidate African-American students and employees at the university. Prosecutors agreed to drop a stiffer felony charge in exchange for the plea arising from the incident last year.
The 20-year-old Harris faces up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $100,000. U.S. District Judge Michael Mills said sentencing will be within 60 to 90 days, and he allowed Harris to remain free on a $10,000 bond.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Bob Norman told Mills that Harris, who had a history of using racist language and saying African Americans were inferior to whites, proposed the plan to two fellow freshmen while at the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity house on the night of Feb 15, 2014.
That led to the plan to hang the noose and a former Georgia state flag that features the Confederate battle flag on the statue of Meredith, in a jab at Ole Miss' thorny racial history.
When a federal court ordered the university to admit Meredith in 1962, the African-American student had to be escorted onto campus by armed federal agents. The agents were attacked during an all-night riot that claimed two lives and was ultimately quelled by federal troops.
After the noose and flag were placed on the statue, Norman said Harris and one of the other freshmen returned at sunrise on Feb. 16 to observe and were filmed by a video camera at the Ole Miss student union.
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Demolish unlawful sewerage works – Environmental Tribunal
19 Sep 2019 24 Sep 2019
Kenya’s National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) has been given a tough lesson in obeying the country’s environmental laws by the National Environmental Tribunal. The NEMA had given the go-ahead for a major sewerage works to be built close to a stream and a natural wetland, all of this despite objections by the local community. Now the tribunal has found that the NEMA and other parties had not properly followed the law before the project was started. The tribunal has ordered that everything related to the project must be demolished and removed, while the local soil, plants and other natural features must be restored.
Decisions of Kenya’s National Environment Tribunal are fast becoming essential reading for judges interested in the subject of environmental law.
The tribunal recently delivered a crucial ruling that stopped the development of a coal power plant project after a local community challenged its legality.
Now here is another, just as instructive. This time it concerns a community in the Maraba village, supported by Kenyans for Justice and Development (KJD), who appealed to the tribunal against certain decisions of the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA).
Sewage ponds
The NEMA had approved and issued an environmental impact assessment licence allowing the Lake Victoria North Water Services Board to construct sewage ponds in the Lwatinga area of Maraba village.
The local community had quite a lot to say about the allegedly faulty procedures adopted by the water services board and the NEMA, and their apparent failure to follow various statutes and international guidelines on the approval of waste ponds, their licencing and construction.
If the tribunal found in their favour, the community wanted the project stopped and reparations including environmental restoration, to be ordered.
The community alleged that they had not been properly consulted and that the NEMA ‘negated the spirit of public participation’ by failing to take into account the views of the public before making its decisions. These complaints are similar to the successful objections made about the authorities in the coal power case a couple of months after this one was finalised.
The Maraba village people also said that the environmental impact assessment report was ‘defective and incompetent’. While the report referred to ‘a non-existent waste water project’, in fact the project involved constructing ‘mega sewerage ponds’. The report was also not clear about the project’s location, nor did it set out exactly what activities were to be undertaken during the construction, operation and decommissioning phases of the project. Further, it was lacking in detail on the environmental impact and mitigation measures that should be carried out.
The EIA expert who prepared the project report refused to be cross-examined on the report by representatives of the community and KJD, and on their own the contents of the report were not useful. Refusal to be cross-examined violated the right to access to justice and a fair hearing among other rights, and the appellants urged the tribunal to exclude the expert evidence on those grounds.
The NEMA said that neither the district public health officer nor the district environment office had any objections to the project but that an EIA study was commissioned in any case.
Residents of the area were opposed to the project but the EIA was reviewed and approved all the same. This was because the NEMA was satisfied that ‘all adequate mitigation measures were put in place’ that would deal with the residents’ concerns. The public was properly consulted – all that the law required was consultation of ‘an acceptable/satisfactory sample of affected persons’.
According to the NEMA, all the complaints by the residents would be mitigated by the measures proposed in the EIA report and licence.
Private interests
As far as the water authority was concerned, the community’s appeal amounted to pursuing their own private interests ‘instead of promoting the public good’.
The tribunal began with checking whether the authorities had satisfied the law in terms of the number of public meetings and the pre-publicity given to these meetings, and found that they did not comply with the regulations on public participation.
What about the community complaint that the project was too close to the banks of the Lwatingu stream? They said that during the rainy season the whole area was flooded, which meant the effluent might be swept away into the stream. As the stream was used by families for domestic purposes as well as for religious and cultural practices, this pollution would be dangerous.
According the tribunal, the mitigation provisions in the EIA study were inadequate to prevent contamination risks, nor had the required effluent discharge licence been obtained.
Another problem was that the affected areas included wetlands; the planned project was not among the permitted uses for wetlands, and no exemption had been obtained.
A major complaint by the community was the bad smell that would result from the project. There were houses less than 300 metres from the planned ponds and so the likely air pollution and resulting respiratory diseases were a concern. According to the tribunal, the planned mitigation measures proposed for these problems were inadequate.
Supervised removal
Given all these concerns, the tribunal allowed the appeal and revoked the environmental impact assessment. Construction of the ponds had to be stopped and the tribunal issued a restoration order under which the ponds and any other elements of the projects that had already been built were to be demolished and removed. The authorities also had to restore all ‘soils, flora and natural features’. Supervised removal of all building material and other causes of pollution of the area had to be completed within 60 days of the order, and costs were ordered against the water services board and the county government.
Decisions such as these must be welcomed. They take community objections seriously and hold developers to account for not following the law properly. But my biggest concern about this case is an issue that was not addressed by the tribunal.
Why has it taken so long for the matter to be heard and finalised? The appeal is numbered Tribunal Appeal Number 113 of 2013, so it seems from the numbering that the delay in finalised the matter has been six years. Given the community and environmental damage that might have been done in the interim, I fear that the tribunal’s important process is taking just too long.
*Newsletter, Judicial Institute for Africa (Jifa), 19 September 2019
Fight over defence fees in controversial Lesotho trial
Another kind of crime
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The Pipettes - We are the Pipettes
Artist: The Pipettes
Album: We are the Pipettes
A section of the Pipettes' website entitled "About the Pipettes" helpfully explains not only where they're coming from, but where they hope their critics will come from:
"Let us write the histories of pop music (the plural has a certain importance). A history at once oral/aural but not linear or progressive. A history that snakes and twists and turns back on itself, a history of ruptures and wrong-turnings. But let us not start with The Beatles...
"There is a traditional historiography of popular music which in some way or another always seems to come back to the Beatles; and Lonnie Donegan who begat The Beatles, and Elvis who begat Lonnie Donegan, John Lee Hooker who begat Elvis and Robert Johnson who begat John Lee Hooker etc etc. But that is not what we are interested in here."
The Pipettes are right. Histories of popular music do have a way of coming back to the Beatles, and of propagating ideas the Beatles helped popularize (whether they meant to or not) – for example, that pop stars should play their own instruments, or write their own songs, or emphasize artistry or technical competency above showmanship. According to the Pipettes, such popular music histories leave out entire worlds of music, from disco to Broadway to R&B.
All this tells us, though, is that the Pipettes possess and are able to articulate a view of popular music that's been articulated many times, in, for example, the endless "rockism" debates at the I Love Music web board in the early '00s. Disco, Broadway and R&B musicians and all sorts of other performers have been rejecting rockist values for decades, so it isn't as if the Pipettes' rejection of Beatle-centric views of pop history automatically makes them interesting or even says much about them.
Which brings us to their music. The Pipettes – three English female singers, backed by four male musicians called the Cassettes – play girl-group pop, complete with multi-part harmonies, synchonized dances and matching polka-dotted dresses. They're extremely good at it. Their arrangements are especially noteworthy – "Dirty Mind," for example, is not only fantastically catchy but is at least as complex and layered as you'd expect from a band that says they love Phil Spector and Joe Meek. And the Pipettes' best song, "Pull Shapes," is carried as much by its weird, busy string arrangement as it is by its hook and punkish shouting.
Speaking of that punkish shouting, it's one of a surprisingly small number of elements of the album that clearly doesn't come directly from the teen-pop of the '60s. True, the title track has some really punkish gang-vocal shouting and some fuzz bass, and "Pull Shapes" references hip-hop and even has a bit of kitschy DJ scratching.
And true, the Pipettes mostly write from the perspective of twentysomethings, not teens – these are teen-pop songs about having one-night stands and staying out until dancing until two in the morning. (Maybe some junior high kids do those things, but I sure didn't.)
Even when the Pipettes deal with more adult topics, though, their lyrics remain as simple and cutesy as those of teen-pop. Despite having the sort of awkwardly forthright title a pre-teen might titter at, "Sex" is anything but direct in discussing the act itself. In "ABC," letters and numbers are repeatedly used as a metaphor for book smarts – the boy doesn't know what the girl wants; he only knows "ABC, 123, XYZ." In "I Love You," the Pipettes follow "'Til the day I die" with "There will never be a time / When we have to say goodbye." On the otherwise excellent "Your Kisses are Wasted on Me," the Pipettes' reliance on lyrical tropes becomes absurd – if the dude's such a drag, why are you letting him kiss you? Like most '60s teen-pop songs, the Pipettes' songs are about real feelings, but they're presented in a cartoonishly silly way.
It may seem foolhardy to pick through a teen-pop album for cliches – duh, it's pop. As the Pipettes themselves say, "I just wanna move / I don't care what the song's about." My main point of contention here, though, is not really with the cliches themselves, but with the fact that both the lyrics and the music stick so closely to the '60s pop playbook.
This goes back to what the Pipettes wrote about on their website. It's not revolutionary, or even particularly interesting, to make music that rejects a Beatles-centric view of popular music history. Innumerable musicians have already done that – MCs, chart-pop singers, R&B musicians, techno DJs, and so on.
What is interesting about the Pipettes is that they're creating incredibly catchy, well-made pop music. That's easily the most important message of this review. But their music could be something more. '60s teen-pop is a flexible enough genre that it's pretty easy to imagine a record that's based on the music of Spector, Meek, and so on, but that acknowledges more often that a lot of music has happened since the '60s. It's exciting to think about the possibility of a skillfully-made teen-pop record that really tweaks our expectations of what teen-pop lyrics should be like, or that boldly incorporates elements of hip hop, or noise, or electronic music, or punk rock, or something else. It's true that the Pipettes do some of these things occasionally, but they could be doing them a lot more. (The wonderful new foul-mouthed ballad "Feminist Complaints" definitely has a different lyrical approach, but that song isn't on We are the Pipettes, unfortunately.)
Perhaps I'm missing the point entirely – maybe in hoping for the Pipettes to adopt a more current-sounding approach, I'm embracing the innovation-conscious, forward-looking rockist values the Pipettes want to reject. But to me, it often sounds like the Pipettes aren't writing histories of pop music so much as they're recalling them.
Find out more about Memphis Industries
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Famous Artist Frida Kahlo
The Queen of Mexican art!
Frida Kahlo was born Magdalena Carmen Frieda Kahlo y Calderon in her parents' house in Coyoacan, which used to be a small town on the outskirts of Mexico City. Her father was a painter and photographer of German-Jewish background. Following a crippling traffic accident in 1925, Kahlo turned her attention from a medical career to painting. Drawing on her personal experiences, her works are often shocking in their stark portrayal of pain and the harsh lives of women.
Fifty-five of her 143 paintings are self-portraits that incorporate personal symbolism complete with graphic anatomical references. She was also influenced by indigenous Mexican culture, aspects of which she portrayed in bright colors, with a mixture of realism and symbolism. Her paintings attracted the attention of the artist Diego Rivera, whom she later married, divorced, and re-married. An active Communist supporter, she also had an affair with Leon Trotsky, who was assassinated by agents of Stalin in Mexico City in 1940.
Although Kahlo's work is sometimes classified as surrealist and she did exhibit several times with European surrealists, she herself disputed the label. Her preoccupation with female themes and the figurative openess with which she expressed them, made her something of a feminist cult figure in the last decades of the 20th century.
She most probably committed suicide on July 13, 1954, her ashes placed in a pre-Columbian urn which are on display in her former home La Casa Azul in Coyoacan, which has been turned into a museum containing a number of her works. There have been several films made about her life, the latest being in 2002 by Miramax who released a motion picture titled Frida, starring Salma Hayek in the title role.
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Meleagris gallopavo
Partridges, Grouse, Turkeys, Old World Quail (Phasianidae)
MELGAL
The Wild Turkey has a large global range reaching up to generally 4 million square kilometers. This bird can be found in Canada, Mexico and the United States. It also has vagrant populations in Australia and New Zealand as well. This bird dwells in a diversity of environments including forests, savanna, shrubland, grassland and pasturelands. The global population of this bird is estimated to be around 1.3 million individual birds. Currently, it is not believed that the population trends for this species will soon approach the minimum levels that could suggest a potential decline in population. Due to this, population trends for the Wild Turkey have a present evaluation level of Least Concern.
Wild Turkey: This large, ground-walking bird is iridescent dark brown overall with black and green bars and a small, featherless blue head that changes color with mood. Red throat wattles, black breast beard and legs with spurs. Female is smaller, duller, and lacks spurs and beard. Diet includes insects and grains. Swift powerful flight for short distances with rapid wing beats and deep strokes.
Wild Turkey: Resident throughout much of the United States and extreme southern Canada extending south to inland Mexico. Introduced to many western states, including California and the Pacific Northwest. Inhabits oak and pine forests; young birds need open areas, which allow them to forage for insects.
Wild Turkey SONGS AND CALLS
Wild Turkey A1
High-pitched calls from a group of young chicks.
Calls from a small group of females.
"Cluk, cluk, cut, putt"
The Wild Turkey is one of only two domesticated birds originating in the New World. The other is the Muscovy Duck. European explorers took them to Europe from Mexico in the early 1500s'. They were so successfully domesticated there that English colonists brought them back with them when they settled on the Atlantic Coast.
The idea that Benjamin Franklin preferred the Turkey as the national bird of the United States comes from a letter he wrote to his daughter in 1784. He criticized the choice of the Eagle as the national bird and suggested that a Turkey would have made a better alternative.
A group of turkeys has many collective nouns, including a "crop", "dole", "gang", "posse", and "raffle" of turkeys.
The range and numbers of Wild Turkeys had decreased in the early 1900s' due to hunting and loss of habitat. Game managers believe their numbers were as low as 30,000. Current estimates place their population at over 7 million.
RANGE MAP HAWAII
About this Hawaii Map
This map shows how this species is distributed across the Hawaiian island.
Partridges, Grouse, Turkeys and Old World Quail (Phasianidae)
An order of five families found on most continents (some taxonomic systems only recognize four of these, classifying the fifth as a sub-family), the GALLIFORMES (pronounced gal-lih-FOR-meez) include “fowl” like birds such as guineafowl, pheasants, grouse and turkeys, and the wild ancestor to the domestic chicken.
Partridges, Grouse, Turkeys and Old World Quail are members of the Phasianidae (pronounced fah-see-AH-nih-dee), a family of one hundred and eighty-seven species in fifty-six genera found on all continents except for South America and Antarctica.
In North America, the Phasianidae is represented by twenty-six species in seventeen genera. This total includes several introduced and native species such as the Wild Turkey, prairie chickens, and various species of grouse.
The Phasianidae are known for their elaborate courtship displays that frequently utilize raised tails that are spread to reveal intricate patterns. Male Sage Grouse, Sharp-tailed Grouse, and prairie chickens take these displays a step further by displaying communally at traditional “lekking “ sites where birds inflate prominent neck and chest patches that produce loud, popping sounds.
The Phasianidae range in size from the small Japanese Quail to one of North America’s largest bird species; the Wild Turkey. Regardless of size, all members of this family have stout bills, long, strong legs and short wings that attest to a mostly terrestrial lifestyle. Several species also have fairly long tails that are adaptations for their courtship displays.
Aside from the radiant, iridescent plumages of male Indian Peafowls and some pheasant species, most of the Phasianidae exhibit barred and streaked patterns in tones of brown and black that match their terrestrial habitats, thus providing these birds with excellent camouflage. In winter, the ptarmigans molt from such brown and gray dominated plumages into mostly white plumages to match their snowy environments. Bright colors in native North American species are restricted to bits of red, orange, and purple found on the necks and heads of some members for display purposes.
In North America, the members of the Phasianidae occur in tundra, grasslands, and forest. Three species of ptarmigan crouch in the far northern tundra and alpine habitats of the Rocky Mountains while the sage-grouse, Sharp-tailed Grouse, and prairie chickens display in sagebrush and grasslands of the west. Deciduous and coniferous forests are home to the Wild Turkey and four grouse species. Introduced species live in a variety of Hawaiian habitats while the Ring-necked Pheasant is now common in North American grasslands.
Aside from occasional short-distance migration by the ptarmigans of the far north, species in the Phasianidae spend all four seasons in the vicinity of their breeding grounds.
Partridges, Grouse, Turkeys and Old World Quail often flock together to forage for small creatures, seeds, and buds. Most look for food on the ground although the Spruce Grouse also forages in the trees for pine and spruce needles.
Although populations of Wild Turkeys have made a wonderful, successful comeback since their decline earlier in the twentieth century, all five species of grouse that occur in sagebrush and grasslands (sage-grouse, Sharp-tailed Grouse and prairie chickens) have threatened and declining populations. These declines are due to degradation and conversion of their grassland habitats to agriculture and other development.
To aid in walking in their snowy winter environments, Ruffed Grouse and ptarmigans have evolved “natural snowshoes”. In Ruffed Grouse, scales on their toes have extensions to keep them from sinking into snowdrifts, while ptarmigans have a profusion of feathers on their feet for this purpose.
Irina Rud-Volga
Long-tail?
Breast X
The upper front part of a bird.
Chest X
Also called the breast area, it is the frontal area on the body containing the breastplate and major flight muscles.
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Battle of the Hornburg
Revision as of 13:22, 2 December 2021 (edit)
Tolkiencinematicfan (Talk | contribs)
(→Portrayal in adaptations)
Revision as of 14:26, 2 December 2021 (edit) (undo)
LorenzoCB (Talk | contribs)
(Undo copypaste from lotr.fandom wiki)
== Portrayal in adaptations ==
'''2002: ''[[The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers]]'':'''
:The Battle of the Hornburg is given a far more significant role in the film. The amount of time spent around the battle in the movie is much more than in the original book, and in comparison to the contained ending to the Rohirrim plot thread of the Book, the film's battle takes on the nature of its climax, and is depicted as more vividly complex and layered than Tolkien likely intended.
:The Battle of the Hornburg is given a far more significant role in the film. The amount of time spent around the battle in the movie is much more than in the original book, and in comparison to the contained ending to the Rohirrim plot thread of the Book, the film's battle takes on the nature of its climax, and is depicted as more vividly complex and layered than Tolkien likely intended. This film-based battle is referred to as the "Battle of Helm's Deep,” a title which was never used by Tolkien but is often used by fans due to its occupying the chapter entitled "Helm's Deep."
'''Prelude'''
:The greatest differences largely stem from the events preceding the battle: in the book, the army of the Rohirrim seeks to confront Saruman's army at the [[Fords of Isen]] when they decide to redirect to the Deep, where the refugees of the Westfold have fled, and anticipate the forces of Isengard. In the film, the entirety of Rohan's people, men, women, and children, are relocated to the Deep for protection against Saruman's Orcs who also find and hunt them. The Battle is given a sadistic and somewhat excessive weight as women and children hide in the [[Glittering Caves]] and the very existence of the Rohirrim is decided by the outcome, far more severe than the skirmish that was depicted in the book. Indeed, as the battle in the film wears on, the Rohirrim even go to the extent of pressing young boys into the army, the horrific consequences of which are emphasized constantly as poorly-armed boys are visible in the background in various roles.
Proceeding the battle, the entire city of Edoras is evacuated to Helm's Deep, along with all the people of Rohan, rather than merely the refugees of the Westfold, and Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli accompany King Théoden and his people there. Along the way they are attacked by Saruman's Warg-Riders. During this fight, Éowyn leads the evacuees on to Helm's Deep while the Riders of Rohan fought off the attack. Aragorn becomes entangled with the harness of a Warg and is dragged off the side of a cliff. Upon arrival at Helm's Deep, the Rohirrim begin belated siege preparations, during which Aragorn, found by the horse Brego, arrives with news of 10,000 Uruk-hai coming from Isengard, news which leads Théoden to order conscription of mature boys and old men for the impending battle. Aragorn suggests calling for aid to the downtrodden Théoden, and Legolas argues with him about the Rohirrim defenders' fighting odds. All are surprised at a sudden arrival of Haldir and an army of Elves from Lórien. They had been sent by Elrond to support the Rohirrim, in honor of the ancient alliance between Men and Elves. Aragorn, Legolas, and Haldir's Elves station on the Deeping Wall, ensuring that every fortification of the Hornburg is manned.
:Another major difference is that [[Elrond]], at the prompting of [[Galadriel]], sends a contingent of [[Elves|Elven]] archers to reinforce the defence of the keep.
'''The battle'''
The battle begins once the Uruk host of 10,000 has formed fully in front of the castle - an accidental bow shot by an old man called Aldor kills an Uruk at the front, followed by a volley of arrows from all defenders once the Uruks begin to charge forward. As Uruk-hai pour over ladders on the Deeping wall to be met with a brave but shifting defence by the Rohirrim; however, Legolas, Gimli, and Aragorn's roles are greatly expanded, and the device responsible for destroying the wall is revealed as a form of gunpowder. Once the wall is blown, the Uruk-hai pour into Helm's Deep through the great gap.The battle slowly turns from here; Aragorn is briefly incapacitated and the Elves begin to wither, and Haldir himself is slain. The Rohirrim begin to suffer casualties of their own, their already-sparse forces thinning and loosing their weakest members, and the Uruk-hai begin to besiege the keep by using a battering ram against main gate. Théoden is injured in this chaos, and Aragorn offers aid, to which he requests "Time, as much you can get me." To do this, Aragorn and Gimli stealthily circle the fortress to ambush the Uruk-hai on the causeway. Gimli and Aragorn earn time for the Rohirrim to refortify the entrance, but soon the defenses breakdown as Uruks fully breach the area behind the Deeping Wall, and all remaining Rohirrim retreat to the keep. Once inside where they are trapped, Théoden falls further into despair while his soldiers brace the doors, as Aragorn and Gamling deliberate on sending the women and children further into the caves.
As the Orcs break down the doors to the keep, Gimli notes that the sun is rising, allowing Aragorn to remember the arrival of Gandalf, and convinced Théoden to ride out with him. Gimli sounds the horn of Helm Hammerhand as Théoden, Aragorn, and the remaining Rohirrim upon horses charge out of the keep, through the Hornburg and out its gates, breaking the front line of the host at the causeway. From a vantage point, Théoden and Aragorn see Gandalf arrive upon Shadowfax on a high hill in the east, and with him Éomer and the horsemen he had gathered, who collectively plunge into the valley towards the Hornburg. The Uruk host which is still great in number forms up a massive phalanx of spears to meet Gandalf and Éomer's sortie from above. The sun rises over this high point and shines on the battlefield, blinding many of the Uruk-hai and breaking their cohesive formation, and as the newly arrived forces charge into them, causing the Uruks to break and flee.
:In the book, it is never made explicitly clear by what method the Uruk-hai cause the explosion that blasts a hole in the Deeping Wall, with Aragorn merely hinting at "some devilry of Orthanc". It's not clear whether this was some magical attack caused by Saruman from Orthanc (similar to the avalanche on Caradhras in the first movie), or some sort of invention of Saruman's. The movie explicitly shows that Saruman, fitting with his theme of misusing his knowledge to empower his armies with a sort of proto-Industrial Revolution, makes his own gunpowder and uses it to make blasting charges that the Uruk-hai then ignite.
:In the movie, the thousands of troops of Saruman lay siege to the fortress, which is defended by around 300 men (many of whom were, in fact, depicted as children or elders, to add further anxiety and villainy to the events) which the Rohirrim could muster and the aforementioned Elven Archers. When Legolas says there are "300" Rohirrim there he may have meant ''at that time'' as more were fleeing to the fortress, because visually there are more than 300 Rohirrim appearing on screen in the battle. This reference to "300 against 10,000" was probably meant as a reference to the ancient Battle of Thermopylae. These forces suffer heavy losses, but hold out till dawn when Gandalf arrives with thousands of riders who finally turn the tide of the battle and send Saruman's forces into retreat. These riders are led by Éomer in the film, whereas they are led by Erkenbrand in the book.
'''2013 : ''[[The Lord of the Rings Online: Helm's Deep]]'':'''
"Who told you, and who sent you?" — Gandalf
This article or section needs more/new/more-detailed sources to conform to a higher standard and to provide proof for claims made.
Conflict: War of the Ring
Date: 3-4 March T.A. 3019
Place: Helm's Deep (especially the Hornburg)
Outcome: Victory for the Rohirrim
Rohirrim, Three Hunters, Huorns
Uruk-hai of Isengard, Dunlendings
Éomer
Erkenbrand
About 3000 Rohirrim, a "forest" of Huorns
10,000 at the least
Heavy, but precise numbers are unknown
The entire force of Uruk-hai; many Dunlendings slain, the rest surrendered
Osgiliath (1) · Fords of Isen · Isengard · Hornburg · Osgiliath (2) · Siege of Gondor · Dale · Pelennor Fields · Black Gate · Dol Guldur · Bywater
The Battle of the Hornburg, also popularly referred to as the Battle of Helm's Deep, took place at the mountain fortress of the Hornburg in the valley of Helm's Deep in Rohan. Taking place over the night of the 3-4 March T.A. 3019, it saw the attacking Uruk-hai of Saruman defeated by the Rohirrim led by Théoden and Erkenbrand.
1 The Armies
1.1 Rohan
1.2 Isengard
2.1 Prelude
2.2 The Battle
2.3 Aftermath
3 Portrayal in adaptations
The Armies
The army of Rohan consisted of 1000 cavalry forces from Edoras led by King Théoden. This force included Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas, and Théoden's nephew Éomer. This army joined with Rohan's garrison of around 1000 at the Hornburg.
The army was reinforced by 1000 scattered Rohirrim troops from the Westfold rallied by Gandalf and led by Erkenbrand. A forest of Huorns entered the valley independently, seeking revenge on Saruman's orcs.
The army of Saruman consisted of his specially bred Uruk-hai orcs supported by Dunlendings. It was mentioned to consist of "about ten thousand Orcs", with an unknown but far smaller number of Dulendings.[1]
On March 3 seeking to take the fight away from his people, Théoden brought around a thousand horsemen to the Fords of Isen along with any others in Edoras. On their way they found Ceorl who reported a defeat to the Fords; Théoden then redirected his troops to Helm's Deep, which was commanded by Gamling in his lord Erkenbrand's absence.
The forces of Saruman arrived at the valley of Helm's Deep in the middle of the night and quickly scaled over the first defence, Helm's Dike, and attempted to break down the fortress's gate with a battering ram. But Aragorn, Éomer, and some other Rohirrim attacked, through a postern gate on the side of the Hornburg, scattering the forces threatening the doors.
The Orcs and Dunlendings then raised hundreds of ladders to scale the wall. Aragorn and Éomer had to repeatedly move the defenders, who were getting weary, to repel the Orcs coming up the ladders and crossing the wall. However, some Orcs had crept in though a culvert which let a stream out of Helm's Deep, and while the defenders were busy with the assault on the wall, they suddenly attacked, having made it past the wall. The defenders quickly reacted and drove back the Orcs, and the culvert was blocked up under supervision by Gimli.
John Howe - The Charge of the Rohirrim at Helm's Deep
However, the enemies reentered the culvert and caused an explosion using a device of Saruman's. This made a wide hole in the wall, and Saruman's forces could not be stopped. The defenders retreated to the Glittering Caves and to the Hornburg. Soon Saruman's forces used their blasting fire to gain entrance to the keep. At this moment, however, the horn of Helm's Deep was sounded, and after a moment a sortie led by Théoden and Aragorn rode forth, followed by men on foot from the keep, and the defenders of the caves , who made a break-out attempt and were driving the enemy out of the deep. Théoden and Aragorn cut through the Orcs and Dunlendings and arrived at Helm's Dike.
Both armies then noticed that many trees, Huorns, had moved to block a possible escape route for the Orcs. Then Gandalf, Erkenbrand, and a thousand men on foot from the Westfold arrived, and charged. The Dunlendings were so terrified of Gandalf that they could no longer fight. The Orcs lost control and ran into the trees, where the Huorns destroyed them. Thus, Rohan won the battle.
After the battle those Dunlendings who surrendered were given amnesty by King Théoden and allowed to return to home. The Rohirrim required that all hostilities cease, and that the Dunlendings retreat behind the Isen river again. The slain Dunlendings were buried in a mound of their own apart from the Orc carcasses. The next night those carcasses disappeared and the Death Down was left by the departing Huorns.[2]
Portrayal in adaptations
2002: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers:
The Battle of the Hornburg is given a far more significant role in the film. The amount of time spent around the battle in the movie is much more than in the original book, and in comparison to the contained ending to the Rohirrim plot thread of the Book, the film's battle takes on the nature of its climax, and is depicted as more vividly complex and layered than Tolkien likely intended. This film-based battle is referred to as the "Battle of Helm's Deep,” a title which was never used by Tolkien but is often used by fans due to its occupying the chapter entitled "Helm's Deep."
The greatest differences largely stem from the events preceding the battle: in the book, the army of the Rohirrim seeks to confront Saruman's army at the Fords of Isen when they decide to redirect to the Deep, where the refugees of the Westfold have fled, and anticipate the forces of Isengard. In the film, the entirety of Rohan's people, men, women, and children, are relocated to the Deep for protection against Saruman's Orcs who also find and hunt them. The Battle is given a sadistic and somewhat excessive weight as women and children hide in the Glittering Caves and the very existence of the Rohirrim is decided by the outcome, far more severe than the skirmish that was depicted in the book. Indeed, as the battle in the film wears on, the Rohirrim even go to the extent of pressing young boys into the army, the horrific consequences of which are emphasized constantly as poorly-armed boys are visible in the background in various roles.
Another major difference is that Elrond, at the prompting of Galadriel, sends a contingent of Elven archers to reinforce the defence of the keep.
In the book, it is never made explicitly clear by what method the Uruk-hai cause the explosion that blasts a hole in the Deeping Wall, with Aragorn merely hinting at "some devilry of Orthanc". It's not clear whether this was some magical attack caused by Saruman from Orthanc (similar to the avalanche on Caradhras in the first movie), or some sort of invention of Saruman's. The movie explicitly shows that Saruman, fitting with his theme of misusing his knowledge to empower his armies with a sort of proto-Industrial Revolution, makes his own gunpowder and uses it to make blasting charges that the Uruk-hai then ignite.
In the movie, the thousands of troops of Saruman lay siege to the fortress, which is defended by around 300 men (many of whom were, in fact, depicted as children or elders, to add further anxiety and villainy to the events) which the Rohirrim could muster and the aforementioned Elven Archers. When Legolas says there are "300" Rohirrim there he may have meant at that time as more were fleeing to the fortress, because visually there are more than 300 Rohirrim appearing on screen in the battle. This reference to "300 against 10,000" was probably meant as a reference to the ancient Battle of Thermopylae. These forces suffer heavy losses, but hold out till dawn when Gandalf arrives with thousands of riders who finally turn the tide of the battle and send Saruman's forces into retreat. These riders are led by Éomer in the film, whereas they are led by Erkenbrand in the book.
2013 : The Lord of the Rings Online: Helm's Deep:
The Battle of the Hornburg is a key part of the Epic Storyline of this expansion.
↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers, "Flotsam and Jetsam"
↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers, "The Road to Isengard"
Retrieved from "http://irc.tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Battle_of_the_Hornburg"
Categories: Sourceless | Conflicts of the War of the Ring | Sieges
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Bereavement for Martin Samudio
Uncategorized Comments Off on Bereavement for Martin Samudio
Martin (Marty) Lee Samudio, age 59, passed away on 7/19/2021 after a short, but valiant battle with pancreatic cancer in San Antonio, Texas.
Born September 16th, 1961, Marty never backed down from a challenge. Marty knew from a young age that he wanted to practice the culinary arts. He absorbed all he could from his mother Esther, the family matriarch. He started his first cooking job at a local burger joint, GW Jr’s. At age 15, he earned the prestigious Eagle Scout award from the Boy Scouts of America in 1976. He went on to graduate from Holy Cross Catholic High School in San Antonio, class of 1979. After graduation, he attended St. Philip’s College, where he studied Culinary Arts. It wasn’t long before he took on many roles in many kitchens including pastry chef, the sous chef at Houlihan’s, and eventually leading to Master chef. His journey to Master Chef was not easy and to help broaden his culinary horizons, he traveled around the country learning the cuisine of different regions of the United States, as well as New Zealand, Australia, and Mexico. Marty knew that being a chef alone was not enough, he wanted to touch the lives of many by educating others in the field of culinary arts. To achieve this, he moved to New Mexico and attended Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. There he studied culinary education and earned his bachelors of science degree in the class of 1998. While residing in New Mexico and perfecting his craft, he was the recipient of many awards, culminating in Albuquerque’s Chef of the Year. Not one to rest on his laurels, his expansion in the culinary world led him to California, where he led the research and development department of Ruiz Foods. It was here that he met the love of his life, San Juanita Perez. They were married on May 29th, 2004. Marty knew he always wanted a family, and in 2010 they were blessed with a daughter, Hope Shalom. It wasn’t long before Marty and his girls found their way home to San Antonio, where Marty continued his education career at the Art Institute of San Antonio, imparting his wisdom and experience to the generations after him.
Strong in his faith, he was an active member of Destiny Church in San Antonio. An avid hunter and fisherman, you could often find him in the deer blind, or at the Texas coast. Without fail he would share the spoils of his trips, often providing fresh cured meats to everyone. He continued to support his Holy Cross community by participating in the annual alumni baseball game and cookoff. He was an active member in Hope’s school, being honored as a “Watch Dog” where his portrait will continue to watch over the safety of the students. Marty was a stranger to none. He touched the lives of many and made life-long friends. Marty will be dearly missed, but always viewed life as a celebration, and his legacy will live on in his family and friends.
Marty is survived by his wife, San Juanita Samudio, his daughter Hope Shalom Samudio and his beloved dog Rosie. As well as his mother Esther Arriaga Samudio, his Mother-in-Law Blanca Perez, his siblings Mary Jane and husband Frank Wiesehan, Joseph J Samudio, Roxanne Samudio-Garcia and husband Ronald Garcia, as well as aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces, and cousins. He is preceded in death by his father, Joe Samudio, Jr.
Many thanks are given to those who loved Marty as much as we did. We would like to thank his cooking buddies, church family, hunting and fishing friends, fellow alumni, extended family, coworkers and everyone else who’s lives were touched by Marty.
Asta la Pasta Marty, your love of cooking and feeding others will be celebrated in Heaven and on Earth!
In lieu of flowers, any donations made to assist the family can be directed to the following link: https://gofund.me/fcb3e972 a GoFundMe page set up in his memory by James Zamarron and the Holy Cross Knights class of ’79.
The family will hold a visitation on Saturday July 31st, 2021 from 2pm – 6:30pm with a prayer service at 6:30pm. Location is Porter Loring Mortuaries, 1101 McCullough Ave, San Antonio TX, 78212.
A celebration of his life will take place in September. For additional information, please reach out to the family.
https://www.porterloring.com/obituaries/obituary-listings?obId=21813755
Bereavement of Angel E. Cedillo
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Angel Eduardo Cedillo, 32, was born on Christmas Day in 1988 in San Antonio, Texas. He was the son of Lisa Rivera Cedillo and Angel Cedillo and brother to Marisela Cedillo.
Congregation of Holy Cross founder Blessed Brother Basil Moreau said “…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.” Angel now enters heaven with the love of his family and the foundation of the Holy Cross Brothers who have guided thousands of students around the world.
A fierce competitor, Angel was focused on excelling at everything he set his sights on. At Holy Cross High School, he played basketball, football and baseball and was inducted into the National Honor Society. He fulfilled the school’s community service obligation as a volunteer for the Santa Rosa Children’s Hospital Foundation. A proud member of the Holy Cross Class of 2007, Angel and his Holy Cross brothers continued to represent their class, repeatedly winning annual Alumni Softball Tournament Championships.
He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from St. Mary’s University in 2012 and while there, he played baseball for the St. Mary’s Rattlers. An unrecruited walk-on, he nonetheless secured a spot on the traveling squad his sophomore year. His 2012 team advanced to the NCAA Division II National Tournament. That year, he came off the bench to pinch hit and for defense in late innings and maintained a .364 batting average and had a 1.000 fielding percentage, making an out every time a ball went to him in the outfield.
For the last several years, Angel worked for Shelton Presort Inc. and traveled across Texas providing full service mailroom facility and postal need solutions for a variety of clients, including professional sports teams.
His love of baseball followed him into adulthood but didn’t interfere with the Sunday Cedillo family breakfast. He would arrive early to eat with his parents, aunts, uncles and cousins and then go play in his Sunday League. And while some may remember him for his dedication on the field, Angel’s family will remember him for his big heart and even bigger smile and laugh.
Angel’s parents and their siblings were his constant role models. The family unity they practice carried over into the relationships Angel forged with his cousins. Every major holiday and every birthday was a family reunion. As children, the raging conflict was his place in line to hit the piñata, because there was never anything left to hit after he took his turn.
He was a big brother to Marisela and all his younger cousins, and a little brother to his older cousins. Angel and his cousins vacationed together, camped outdoors, traveled to amusement parks, sports camps, hunting trips and summer school cultural enrichment courses. After they reached college age, the family reunions over the holidays took on a richer complexity.
Preceded in death by his maternal grandparents Irma Celis Rivera and Carlos Rivera, paternal grandparents Maria Antonia Cedillo and Rodolfo Cedillo, and aunt Melinda Cedillo, Angel is survived by his parents Lisa and Angel Cedillo and his sister Marisela.
He will be missed dearly by his aunts and uncles Rosalinda Sivilli (Mike), Magdeline Hrncirik (Leonard), Christina Braga (Al), Carlos Rivera (Reyna), Mark Rivera, Lorraine Treviño and Michael Rivera (Charity); Otila Cedillo, Maria Antonia Cedillo Sorola (Sylvestre “Junie”), Rodolfo “Rudy” Cedillo, Ricardo Cedillo, Carmelita Cedillo, and Eduardo (Fabiola) Cedillo.
He will forever be remembered by his 46 Rivera and Cedillo cousins. He will also be missed by his extended family in San Buenaventura, Coahuila, Mexico.
The family would like to thank Holy Cross High School staff, faculty, students and alumni, especially the classes of ‘07 and ’80, for their outpouring of love and support.
A Rosary will be held at Porter Loring Mortuary, 1101 McCullough Avenue, San Antonio, Texas, 78212 at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, July 20, 2021 with visitation beginning at 6 p.m. The Rosary will be livestreamed on the Porter Loring website under his obituary at www.porterloring.com
A Mass will be held at St. Luke’s Catholic Church, 4603 Manitou Drive, San Antonio, Texas, 78228, at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, July 21, 2021 with a reception to immediately follow at the St. Luke’s Community Center. A Livestream of the Mass will be available on the St. Luke’s Catholic Church Facebook page.
In lieu of flowers, we ask you consider a donation in Angel Eduardo Cedillo’s honor to Holy Cross of San Antonio, visit www.holycross-sa.org (click on Donate).
BEREAVEMENT OF CARRIE L. REED
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In your prayers please remember Carrie L. Reed who died on May 11, 2021. Carrie Reed is the wife of Burke Reed, former teacher and coach at Holy Cross of San Antonio.
Carrie Leonard Reed, was a loving wife and wonderful mother with a love for travel. With husband Burke at her side, her many travels took her to every continent except Antarctica. She was a dedicated educator and retired in 2003 from East Central ISD.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Joseph and Virginia Leonard; and sisters, Sadie Fleming (Royal) and Josephine Battley (Bill).
She is survived by her husband of 53 years, Burke; sons, Burke Wheeler-Reed (RobertLynn) and Robert C. Reed; sister, Luella Bellazaire Johnson; brothers, Joseph Leonard (Janice) and Nathen Leonard (Margaret); and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.
The Viewing will be 4-7 p.m., Thursday, May 20, 2021 at Sunset Funeral Home Chapel with family visitation at 3 p.m.
A Private Graveside Service and burial will be at the Ft. Sam Houston National Cemetery at a later date. In lieu of cards and flowers, please make a donation to a local food bank or charity. May she rest in peace.
Bereavement of Frank Flores
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In your prayers please remember Frank J. Flores from the Class of 1985, who died on May 16, 2012. Frank is the Father of Leah Flores-Calderon of 2011 and Adriana Flores-Calderon of 2012. Frank is also the Brother of Juan Fernando Flores of 1994. Frank’s cousins are Paul S. Charles Class of 1969, Mark Anthony Charles Class of 1974, Osvaldo Constantino Vela of 1982, and Marcelo Garcia of 1986.
Bereavement Mark Anthony Martinez
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Mark Anthony Martinez passed away March 29, 2021. He was preceded in death by his mother Josefina, father Pablo, and brother Fermin. He is survived by his son Ryan, sisters Rachel, Mary, Rosemary, Margaret, brother Paul (Class of 1984), uncle John, numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Mark was a graduate from the class of 1979. He entered the military after graduation and serviced his country in the US Army. After being honorably discharged, Mark began his career in the medical field as an LVN. He worked in that profession for over 25 years.
Mark was a loving father, a good brother and a loyal friend. He brought his love and joy to family gatherings, to holiday and birthday celebrations and to the annual softball tournament. He will be missed.
“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.” John 14:1
Visitation – April 8th Thursday from 6:00 to 9:00 PM
Trevino Funeral Home, 226 Cupples Rd., SA, Tx 78237
Rosary – April 8th Thursday at 7:00 PM
Funeral Mass – April 9th Friday at 10:00 AM
Resurrection of the Lord Catholic Church, 7990 Military Dr. W. SA, Tx 78227
Burial – San Fernando Cemetery III
https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/sanantonio/obituary.aspx?n=mark-martinez&pid=198273931&fhid=7321
Bereavement of Gustavo Dominguez
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Obituary for Gustavo “Gus” Dominguez
Gustavo “Gus” Dominguez was called to be with our Lord on March 16, 2021. He was born on October 9, 1958, in San Antonio, Texas. He was preceded in death by his parents, Guillermo and Bertha Dominguez, and step-son, Nicholas Perez. He is survived by his wife of 25 years, Frances Dominguez; children, Amanda Dominguez (Ray Seabaugh) and Xavier Dominguez; siblings, Guillermo Dominguez, Jr. (Anita), Carlos Dominguez (Cynthia) and Marta Dominguez.
Gus graduated from Holy Cross High School, Class of ‘77. For over 40 years, he owned and operated Hurricane Pest Control.
A loving husband, father, brother, friend, and fisher of men, Gus was a devoted servant to all who called upon him. While he will be dearly missed, he will not soon be forgotten. May you follow his example of giving, as he followed in Christ’s before him.
Visitation, 3/28/2021 2:00pm-6:00pm followed by Rosary 7:00pm at Mission Park Funeral Chapels North. Mass, 3/29/2021 at 11:00am St. Anthony de Padua. Burial Service immediately following at Mission Park South Cemetery.
Flowers appreciated and/or a donation can be made in memory of Gus to his alma mater, Holy Cross High School, 4-2-6 Scholarship, Attn: Rene Escobedo, 426 N. San Felipe, SAT 78228.
Mission Park Funeral Chapels North guidelines are as follows: Mask is to be worn at all times and social distancing is required.
St. Anthony de Padua Catholic Church is limited to 75 persons, mask is to be worn at all times and social distancing is required.
Livestreaming will be available on Sunday, March 28, 2021.
To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Gustavo “Gus” Dominguez please visit our Sympathy Store.
In Memory of Gerald J Castillo
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Please keep Gerald J. Castillo and his family in your prayers as went into eternal rest on December 23,2020. Gerald “Jerry” Castillo Class is from the class of 1974 and his older brother “Jesus“Jesse” Castillo is from the Class of 1965.
Attached is the Prayer Card for Jerry. Please have him entered.
BEREAVEMENT OF MARY E. MENDOZA
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In your prayers please remember Mary E. Mendoza who died on Friday, February 26, 2021. She is the mother of Robert Mendoza Class of 1969 and Fred Mendoza Class of 1965.
At Sunset Funeral Home on Bandera Road
6:00 PM Visitation
7:00 PM Rosary
On Thursday, March 18, 2021
7893 Grissom Road – 78251
10:00 AM Funeral Mass
San Fernando Cemetery II
Bereavement of Clyde W.Harlow Sr.
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Clyde William Harlow
Clyde William Harlow, Sr. adored father, entered eternal rest on February 24, 2021. Clyde, known to most as William, was born in San Antonio, Texas on May 28, 1957. He was part of the brotherhood of Holy Cross High School graduating in 1975. Soon after he graduated from St. Phillips College with an Associate of Accounting. William will be remembered for his strong work ethic, love of coaching and music. His highest legacy is that William is the epitome of a devoted and loving father. He is preceded in death by his parents, Lucille and Richard Harlow, Sr. and his brother Richard Harlow, Jr. William is survived by his daughter Cynthia Marie Harlow-Cepeda, his sons Clyde William Harlow, Jr., Glen Harlow, and his son-in-law Joe Anthony Cepeda. He is also survived by his sisters Irene Aguayo, Eileen Guajardo and brother Glenn Harlow.
Monday, March 15, 2021,
Ortiz Mortuary (3114 Culebra )
Visitation – 3:00pm
Rosary -7:00 pm
Tuesday, March 16, 2021,
Little Flower Catholic Church
Mass -8:30am with a private burial following at Cordi Marian.
Bereavement of Kathleen Alvarado Mata
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Kathleen Alvarado Mata of San Antonio, TX passed away on January 30, 2021, at the age of 66.
She was born in San Antonio, TX on December 9, 1954. Kathleen graduated from Memorial High School in 1972 and married Juan C. Mata on October 6, 1973. She was a loyal wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and friend. She was proud of her three children and was their biggest fan, never having missed a game, play, recital, or band performance. She adored her granddaughters and cherished her moments with them. Her career included working at Globe, Kmart, Holy Cross of San Antonio before spending 22 years at the Bexar County Tax Office. She was an avid Fiesta San Antonio fan, rarely missing a Battle of Flowers or Fiesta Flambeau Parade. Her love of Fiesta led her to proudly collect Fiesta medals which she wore to many Fiesta events. She was a family person, kind, and caring because of this she led her life through a Servant’s Heart, choosing to serve others before herself. She could often be found cheering on her friends or relatives at CYO or High School games. She had a love for children and supported all, not just
Kathleen was preceded in death by her parents, Mary Alvarado, and Wenceslao Henry Alvarado, brothers Richard and Joe Henry.
She is survived by her husband, Juan C. Mata, children, Juan Mata, Jr. (Class of 1993) (Stephanie Mata), Jessica Mata, Jonathan Mata, and granddaughters Madison, Ava, and Bella Mata, siblings Linda Sifuentes, Diane Cantu, Charlene Valverde, and Mark Alvarado (Maria Alvarado), numerous nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be held on Thursday, February 11, 2021, from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. with a rosary to be recited at7:00 p.m. at the Alamo Funeral Chapels. A funeral mass will be held on Friday, February 12, 2021, at 8:30 a.m. at our Lady of Grace Catholic Church with the interment to follow at Resurrection Cemetery.
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Shahnour Vaghenag Aznavourian (Շահնուր Վաղինակ Ազնավուրեան), better known by his stage name Charles Aznavour (born 22 May 1924) is a French Armenian singer, songwriter, actor, public activist and diplomat.
Besides being one of France's most popular and enduring singers, he is also one of the best-known singers in the world. Aznavour is known for his unique tenor voice: clear and ringing in its upper reaches, with gravelly and profound low notes.
He has appeared in more than sixty movies, composed about a thousand songs (including at least 150 in English, 100 in Italian, 70 in Spanish, and 50 in German), and sold well over 100 million records.
In 1998, Aznavour was named Entertainer of the Century by CNN and users of Time Online from around the globe. He was recognized as the century's outstanding performer, with nearly 18% of the total vote, edging out Elvis Presley and Bob Dylan. He has sung for presidents, popes and royalty, as well as at humanitarian events, and is the founder of the charitable organization Aznavour for Armenia along with his long-time friend impresario Levon Sayan.
In 2009, he was appointed ambassador of Armenia to Switzerland, as well as Armenia's permanent delegate to the United Nations at Geneva.
Charles Aznavour - Pour toi Arménie
Kendji Girac - La Boheme by Charles Aznavour
ZAZ & Aznavour - J'aime Paris au mois de mai
Charles Aznavour - Avec un brin de nostalgie
Valeri Tolstov
Armenian Navy Band
Angelo Ephrikian
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GlobalWarming.org
Kyoto Negotiations
Cooler Heads Digest
Posting NHTSA’s Proposed Rule to Overturn Federal Preemption of California’s Motor Vehicle GHG Regulations
by Marlo Lewis on May 17, 2021
The Federal Register today published the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s proposed rule to repeal the agency’s portions Part 1 of the Trump administration’s Safer Affordable Fuel Efficient (SAFE) Vehicles Rule.
In SAFE 1, NHTSA determined that California’s tailpipe carbon dioxide standards and zero-emission vehicle mandates are “related to” fuel economy standards. Consequently, those policies are preempted under Section 32919(a) of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act.
The SAFE 1 Rule, also known as the One National Program Rule, is available here.
NHTSA’s unnamed proposed rule to repeal the statutory interpretation and regulatory text contributed by the agency to SAFE 1 is available here.
SAFE Rule: Posting Important Preemption Case
by Marlo Lewis on May 3, 2021
I am not usually a fan of the 9th Circuit, but this case includes a constitutional gem. The court observed that a state policy occurring in violation of a federal mandate is void ab initio (from the moment of its enactment or adoption).
Cabazon Band of Mission Indians v. City of Indio (9th Cir. 1982)
Posting FERC’s Proposed Policy Statement on Carbon Pricing in Organized Wholesale Electricity Markets
by Marlo Lewis on October 16, 2020
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s Proposed Policy Statement on Carbon Pricing in Organized Wholesale Electricity Markets, prepublication version (October 15, 2020)
FERC’s Policy Statement on Carbon Pricing in Organized Wholesale Electricity Markets as published in the Federal Register (October 21, 2020)
Posting Key Briefs in the SAFE Rule Preemption Case
The case, called Union of Concerned Scientists v. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, pits the State of California and its allies (petitioners) against the Trump administration and its allies (respondents). Petitioners are asking the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals to vacate the administration’s One National Program Rule, which is also Part 1 of the Safer Affordable Fuel Efficient (SAFE) Vehicles Rule.
A joint product of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the One National Program Rule finalize two actions related to California’s tailpipe greenhouse gas (GHG) emission standards and zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) standards:
NHTSA finalizes regulatory text clarifying that the California standards are substantially and directly related to federal fuel economy standards and, thus, are prohibited by the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA); and,
EPA announces its decision to withdraw portions of the Clean Air Act preemption waiver it provided to California in 2013, which had allowed the State to adopt and enforce those standards.
The main briefs filed in the case, as of this week, are:
Petitioners’ Opening Brief (filed June 29, 2020),
The Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Reply Brief (filed September 9, 2020), and
Petitioners’ Reply Brief (filed October 13, 2020).
Final briefs are due on October 27. I will post those after they have been filed.
Posting Dr. Kevin Dayaratna’s House Oversight Subcommittee testimony on climate change policy
by Marlo Lewis on September 25, 2020
On September 24, 2020, the House Oversight Subcommittee on Environment held a hearing titled “Climate Change Part IV: Moving Towards a Sustainable Future.” The written statements of the four majority witnesses are posted on the Subcommittee’s Web page but not (as of 12:00 noon 9/25) the written statement of Heritage Foundation statistician and data scientist Dr. Kevin Dayaratna. I am posting it here.
You can watch the entire hearing on YouTube. Dr. Dayaratna’s oral presentation begins at 37:50.
Does the SAFE Rule “Roll Back” MY 2022-2025 Fuel Economy Standards?
by Marlo Lewis on February 20, 2020
I pose this question because a recent report by the Rhodium Group describes the SAFE rule’s expected 1.5 percent annual increase in average fuel efficiency as a “roll back” from the 5 percent annual increase championed by the Obama administration.
If by “rollback,” Rhodium simply means the SAFE rule standards are less stringent than those advocated by the Obama administration, that’s fine. But if the Obama standards for model years 2022-2025 were not lawfully finalized, then those standards are legal phantoms. That means the SAFE rule would establish first-ever greenhouse gas and fuel economy standards for MY 2022-2025 vehicles. It would not weaken, roll back, or otherwise revise “existing” MY 2022-2025 standards, since those were counterfeit.
Under the October 2012 rulemaking that formalized the Obama-era fuel economy program, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) agreed to undertake a midterm evaluation (MTE), allowing the agencies to adjust their respective standards for MYs 2022-2025 in light of new information regarding technology, compliance costs, fuel prices, consumer acceptance, job impacts, and other relevant factors (77 FR 62628).
This was necessary given the 2012 rule’s “long [14-year] time frame” and NHTSA’s “statutory obligation to conduct a de novo rulemaking in order to establish final standards for MYs 2022–2025.” Moreover, in order to “align the agencies’ proceedings for MYs 2022–2025 and to maintain a joint national program,” EPA and NHTSA committed to “finalize their actions related to MYs 2022–2025 standards concurrently” (emphasis added).
However, the Obama administration flouted those legal commitments soon after Election Day 2016.
When EPA, NHTSA, and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) issued their Draft Technical Assessment Report for the MTE in July 2016, EPA officials told automakers it would issue a draft MTE in mid-summer 2017 and finalize the evaluation by April 1, 2018. That tallied with the official explanation and accompanying chart posted on NHTSA’s Web site in July 2016.
Scrapping those plans without warning, EPA instead published its proposed its final MTE in the Federal Register on December 6, 2016. The comment period closed on December 30, giving the public only 24 days (including Christmas week) to comment on the 268-page proposal and 719-page technical support document (TSD). Despite receiving more than 100,000 comments, EPA finalized the MTE on January 13, 2017, only two weeks after the comment period closed–and one week before Inauguration Day.
There was no statutory justification for the agency’s rush to judgment, since the final determination was not due until April 1, 2018 (77 FR 62787). This was clearly a political rulemaking undertaken to confront the incoming Trump administration with a regulatory fait accompli.
In short, the Obama EPA’s portion of the final midterm evaluation of the MY 2022-2025 standards was arbitrary, capricious, and conducted in bad faith.
Worse, as the Auto Alliance explained in a December 8, 2016 letter to then EPA administrator Gina McCarthy, EPA and NHTSA had not finalized their standards “concurrently,” as required by the agencies’ October 2012 joint rulemaking.
Consequently, the Alliance explained, EPA’s “early action” compelled NHTSA to choose between two unacceptable options: (1) produce an independent evaluation that “may be substantially different and not at all harmonized with EPA’s determination,” or (2) “align itself with EPA’s determination regardless of the existence of facts and analyses that would suggest the need for a different outcome.” Bottom line: “Either way, the process now bears no resemblance to the coordinated effort that was envisioned in the midterm evaluation.”
In a nutshell, EPA’s portion of the Mid-Term Evaluation was a “midnight regulation” rush job–a Self Evaluation in which the agency graded its own handiwork and got an “A.” NHTSA never completed its portion of the Midterm Evaluation on the Obama administration’s watch.
Thus, the SAFE rule does not “rollback” the Obama administration’s MY 2022-2025 standards because those were legal phantoms. The SAFE rule will simply modify regulatory plans that were not legally executed. In so doing, it will establish MY 2022-2025 standards for the first time.
Dutch Supreme Court Upholds Climate Lawsuit
by Marlo Lewis on December 20, 2019
I am posting here a rough English translation of the Dutch Supreme Court’s summary of its 20th December 2019 decision to uphold lower court rulings that the government must reduce the nation’s carbon dioxide emissions 25 percent below 1990 levels by 2020.
The Summary is available here.
U.S. National Climate Assessment: Posting a Chart from Hsiang et al. 2017
As reported in the Washington Post and New York Times, Chapter 29 of Vol. 2 of the 4th U.S. National Climate Assessment claims that unchecked warming could raise global temperatures 8°C by century’s end, which in turn would reduce U.S. GDP by 10 percent.
Those estimates are based on this chart from Hsiang et al. 2017:
The chart shows the probability distribution of global warming projections when the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report’s climate model ensemble, known as CMIP5, is run with the RCP8.5 forcing trajectory.
On average, CMIP5 models hind-cast two to three times more warming in the tropical mid-troposphere during 1979-2017 than actually occurred.
Although often billed as a “business as usual” scenario, RCP8.5 is actually a high emissions scenario. It assumes the kind of forcing trajectory that would emerge if coal scaled up rapidly to provide almost half of global energy from all sources by 2100–a market share not seen since 1940.
In short, the National Assessment ran a group of overheated models with an inflated emissions baseline. Yet, as the chart from Hsiang et al. reveals, even with that biased combo, global warming hits 8°C in only 1 percent of model projections.
Curiously, that’s a detail the National Assessment did not mention. Nor did it point out that even if U.S. GDP in the 2090s is 10 percent lower than it might otherwise be, the economy is still projected to be much bigger than it is today.
Indeed, in 2100, global per capita GDP is projected to be greater and income inequality lower in the IPCC’s fossil-intensive shared socioeconomic pathway (SSP5) than in all other SSPs, including the “green road/sustainable” pathway (SSP1). Here’s the relevant chart from Riahi et al. (2017).
In SSP5, global per capita GDP in 2100 is 10-fold greater than it is in 2000, and wealth is more widely shared than at any time in human history. Predictably, that bit of IPCC-approved “science” is nowhere to be found in the 2018 National Assessment.
You’re government at work.
(Post updated 9/18/2020)
Posting Two John Christy Charts Illustrating the Divergence between Climate Models and Observations
by Marlo Lewis on March 12, 2019
The first chart shows the divergence between models and observations in the global lower atmosphere. The second shows the divergence between models and observations in the tropical bulk atmosphere. Note in both charts there is only one model, the Russian INM-CM4 represented by the purple spaghetti line in the second graph, accurately tracks observations in the tropical troposphere. For clearer images of those figures, click on Link 1 and Link 2.
Posting Updated List of Recent Studies Finding Low Climate Sensitivity
by Marlo Lewis on March 6, 2019
Cato Institute scholars Patrick Michaels and Ryan Maue recently updated Pat’s chart listing studies since 2011 that estimate lower climate sensitivities than the average sensitivity of both the CMIP5 models used by the IPCC to project climate change impacts and the Row-Baker probability distribution underpinning the Obama administration’s social cost of carbon estimates.
I tried posting the chart but it loses too much resolution. So I am making it available via this link. Enjoy.
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Sydney Brenner on Alfred Hershey, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Oral History -> James D. Watson -> CSHL, Director and President -> Sydney Brenner on Alfred Hershey, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Alfred Hershey, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (Sydney Brenner)
Sydney Brenner Biography
Recorded: 10 Jun 2002
Well, Al I think—Al is a perfect—you see, Al is a very interesting character. I met him for the first time at Cold Spring Harbor that year, but I’d read all of his papers, you see. And also from when he was in St. Louis and I thought that he was, you know, that he was really a great man. And Al Hershey was a real scientists’ scientist.
Because he took apart what—I mean, for example, some of the work he did later on DNA molecules are very simple, beautiful experiments. He was able to show that most of the stuff people were looking at were artifacts, you know. And it was only by those very—he was also a very gifted writer.
In fact, I learned only quite—you know, after some time I knew him that he wanted to be a writer, he told me that. And that in St. Louis he gave up science to try to write. But his papers were beautifully written. And he was a great writer and I think a scientists’ scientist.
And when I heard—to me the greatest praise I’ve ever had is that when they told me that Hershey would work with me if I became the director, I thought, “That’s—Boy! That’s top praise.”
Sydney Brenner is a pioneer in the field of molecular biology. He was born in South Africa in 1927 and received his Ph.D. from Oxford University in 1954. From 1979 to 1986 he served as Director of the Medical Research Council Laboratory for Molecular Biology and from 1986 to 1991, as the Director of the Medical Research Council Laboratory Molecular Genetics Unit, both in Cambridge, England.
Since 1996 he has been the President and Director of Science at the Molecular Sciences Institute in La Jolla and Berkeley. Brenner was honored as a Distinguished Research Professor at the Salk Institute in La Jolla in 2000.
In 2002 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine with Dr. John Sulston and Dr. Robert Horvitz “for their discoveries concerning ‘genetic regulation of organ development and programmed cell death’” studying the organism C. elegans.
Women in Science: Admitting Women to Cambridge University
Women in Science: American Sensitivity to Gender Equity
Jim Watson, “Lucky Jim”
Alfred Hershey, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Jim Watson, Director of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
John Cairns and Joe Sambrook, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Milislav Demerec, Director of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Jim Watson, Discovering the Double Helix
The DNA Discovery in Context: Achieving Greatness
Impressions of Jim Watson
Jim Watson: Traveling the U.S.A
Jim Watson as a Writer: The Double Helix and Molecular Biology of the Gene
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory: Making Connections
Pioneering the Field of Molecular Biology
John Cairns, Director of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Rich Roberts, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory: A Center for Science
Cold Spring Harbor Symposia Today
Participation at Cold Spring Harbor Symposia
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory: The Future
SCIENTISTS SPEAKING ABOUT CSHL, DIRECTOR AND PRESIDENT
Anna Marie Skalka
Bruce Alberts Sydney Brenner Mario Capecchi Suzanne Cory Raymond Gesteland H. Robert Horvitz Tom Maniatis Anna Marie Skalka Joan Steitz Bruce Stillman
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Pew Marine Conservation Fellows Call for International Action on Marine Protected Areas
Press contact: Susan Altman, 781-526-4714
New York, New York - Thirty-eight of the world's foremost ocean experts issued a joint statement today urging "the nations of the world to fulfill their commitment to the future of the oceans" through active support of Marine Protected Areas.
Dr. Ellen Pikitch, Executive Director of the Pew Institute for Ocean Science, announced the statement at the sixth meeting of the United Nations Open-ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea. She said that the statement calls for local involvement in planning, managing, and implementing Marine Protected Areas (MPAs); linking MPAs into networks; evaluating those networks; and taking global action to restore and maintain marine populations, habitats, and fisheries.
"Establishing a network of representative, fully protected marine reserves is an essential component of the ten recommendations the Task Force has made to set us on the path to environmental sustainability," said Pikitch, a member of the UN's Millennium Task on Environmental Sustainability and a professor at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science.
"The future of the world's oceans - and ultimately of ourselves - depends on our taking immediate steps to protect them. The Pew Fellows have outlined a set of priority actions that will help put the oceans on that path to sustainability. Leaders of every nation should view this as an urgent wake-up call, and take action now," she added.
Experts from all areas of marine science and policy agree that the world's oceans are in crisis, as study after respected study shows extreme depletion of fish and marine life. However, powerful scientific evidence continues to accumulate that MPAs can do much to protect ocean life and habitats. Issued by 38 Pew Fellows in Marine Conservation, some of the most important voices in ocean conservation today, the statement says, "MPAs are among the most powerful and reliable tools available for marine conservation, whether along the coast or in the open ocean. They help maintain populations and protect habitats, while revealing how areas outside their borders are changing. MPAs serve as elements of a larger, integrated strategy of ocean management."
In addition to Pikitch, the 89 Pew Fellows in Marine Conservation include Elliott Norse, Director of the Marine Conservation Biology Institute near Seattle; Kristina Gjerde, High Seas Policy Advisor to the Global Marine Program of IUCN World Conservation Union; and Alan White, Director of the Coastal Resource Management Project in the Philippines. The signatories to the MPA Statement are world-renowned scientists, educators, policy experts, writers, and lawyers, working in every ocean around the globe from Nova Scotia to Patagonia, northern Europe to Tasmania. They have planned and implemented MPAs in locations as far-flung as California, the Philippines, Kenya, Indonesia, Chile, Argentina, and the high seas beyond the jurisdiction of any individual nation.
The Pew Fellows Program in Marine Conservation is an initiative of the Pew Institute for Ocean Science, which strives to undertake, sponsor, and promote world-class scientific activity aimed at protecting the world's oceans and the species that inhabit them. Funding for the Pew Institute is provided by The Pew Charitable Trusts and other organizations and individuals seeking to preserve and protect the world's oceans.
PDF of MPA Statement
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WORLD STANDARDS DAY 2020: STANDARDS ARE ESSENTIAL TO PROTECT THE PLANET
CEN and CENELEC
On 14 October 2020, CEN, CENELEC and ETSI, the three official European Standardization Organizations, join the international standardization community in celebrating World Standards Day. By focusing on the environment, this year’s edition aims to raise awareness on the potential of standards to help tackle the climate crisis.
Standards play a great role in boosting the ecological transition. They can make home appliances, devices and infrastructures more energy-efficient, create ways to reuse and recycle waste, and set incentives to make steel and cement more sustainable. Developing environmentally ambitious standards is also instrumental to achieve some of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
This year’s World Standards Day, “Protecting the planet with standards”, celebrates the potential of standards to help our world become more sustainable by setting common rules that help businesses provide better goods and services, while respecting planetary boundaries. It is a moment to showcase particularly successful examples of how standards contribute safe and proactive changes to our world and raise awareness on the importance of standardization to the world economy, but also the environment and consumers worldwide.
This role is particularly prominent in Europe, on the forefront of the green transition. In particular, through the Green Deal, the European Commission has set a series of ambitious goals to transition towards a fully green economy and reach the global climate target of net zero by 2050. To reach these objectives, all actors involved will have to rethink the way to produce and consume, the way our infrastructures work, the use of resources and the functioning of transportation systems.
As the officially recognised European standardization organizations, CEN, CENELEC and ETSI know that European Standards (ENs) have a key role to play in making the Green Deal reality. Thanks to a voluntary, flexible and open system and the work and technical knowledge of more than 90.000 European experts from industry, consumers’, workers’ and environmental organizations, they provide European best practices which lead the green transition of society, keeping the citizens’ interests in mind and contributing to strengthening and fine-tuning the European Single Market.
Furthermore, CEN, CENELEC and ETSI support Europe’s green ambitions while promoting European interests in international standardization. Thanks to CEN and CENELEC strong and fruitful collaboration with ISO and IEC at the international level and through ETSI’s broad international outreach stemming both from its membership and extended partnerships, the European Standards Organizations are happy to contribute to a standardization system that works best for businesses, for citizens and for the environment.
Elena Santiago Cid, Director General of CEN and CENELEC, said: “CEN and CENELEC are fully committed to the transition towards a green, more sustainable global economy. To reach this ambitious goal, a holistic approach is needed: we all need to rethink the use of resources, the way our infrastructure is designed, the functioning of transportation systems, and the way we produce and consume. European Standards (ENs) provide key support all across aboard, as our work in helping make the European Green Deal a reality shows”.
Luis Jorge Romero, Director-General of ETSI, said: “By enabling global interoperability, current and future ICT standards help us better communicate, which is key for sustainability. As the world enters a new phase where communication through 5G and the generations to follow will be prominent, ICT networks, devices and components will need to be more environment friendly and energy efficient. Over the last few years, ETSI members and partners have been actively working on making Green become a reality in Europe and beyond.”
What is the World Standards Day?
World Standards Day began as a celebration of the birth of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), which held its first meeting in London on October 14, 1946.
The World Standards Day is sponsored annually by ISO; the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), which develops international standards for the electrical and electronics industries; and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), an international organisation responsible for the coordination, development, regulation, and standardisation of telecommunications standards.
You can join the celebrations online through the hashtag #WorldStandardsDay2020.
CEN (European Committee for Standardization) and CENELEC (European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization) are recognized by the European Union (EU) and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) as European Standardization Organizations responsible for developing standards at European level.
The members of CEN and CENELEC are the National Standardization Bodies and National Electrotechnical Committees of 34 European countries. European Standards (ENs) and other standardization deliverables adopted by CEN and CENELEC, are accepted and recognized in all of these countries. European Standards (ENs) contribute to enhancing safety, improving quality, facilitating cross-border trade and strengthening the European Single Market. CEN and CENELEC work to promote the international alignment of standards in the framework of technical cooperation agreements with ISO (International Organization for Standardization) and the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission).
CEN website: www.cen.eu
CENELEC website: www.cenelec.eu
CEN-CENELEC website: www.cencenelec.eu
Giovanni Collot
Project Manager Strategy & Governance
CEN-CENELEC Management Centre
T: +32 474 98 21 17
Email: gcollot@cencenelec.eu
Twitter: @Standards4EU
ETSI provides members with an open and inclusive environment to support the development, ratification and testing of globally applicable standards for ICT systems and services across all sectors of industry and society. We are a not-for-profit body with more than 900 member organizations worldwide, drawn from 65 countries and five continents. Members comprise a diversified pool of large and small private companies, research entities, academia, government and public organizations. ETSI is officially recognized by the EU as a European Standards Organization (ESO).
ETSI website: www.etsi.org
Claire Boyer
Mob: +33 6 87 60 84 40
Email: claire.boyer@etsi.org
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Sub-Zero/Wolf to build $62M plant addition in Fitchburg
Sub-Zero Group, maker of the upscale Sub-Zero and Wolf kitchen appliances, will build a $62 million addition onto one of its Fitchburg plants and plans to hire 300 employees over the next three years.
Sub-Zero officials chose the Fitchburg site in July over a location in Kentucky that has been the anticipated home of a new dishwasher line for eight years.
Instead, the company’s new Cove dishwashers will be built here, along with expanded production for Wolf ranges.
The project includes the purchase of 33 acres, expanding Sub-Zero’s Fitchburg campus, southeast of the intersection of McKee and Verona roads, to 99 acres. It will add 400,000 square feet to the existing Wolf factory, more than doubling the size of the building to 755,000 square feet.
A total of at least $5 million worth of state and local incentives is part of the deal.
Site preparation is just beginning. The project, being built by Ideal Builders, is expected to be completed in fall 2016, with the Cove dishwashers debuting in 2017.
Privately owned Sub-Zero Group — one of Dane County’s largest employers — has been talking publicly about adding a line of dishwashers to its stable of high-end refrigeration and freezer units, ranges and wine coolers since 2007. But the plan was to manufacture the dishwashers in Richmond, Kentucky. The company had an 80,000-square-foot building constructed in Richmond, but it has sat vacant all this time, said Chuck Verri, vice president of human resources.
Verri said several factors prompted Sub-Zero Group to choose the Fitchburg location over Richmond, but the biggest was a new contract with Wolf employees.
“The six-year labor agreement extension that we received with Wolf (employees) last year was absolutely critical. It was the linchpin,” Verri said.
“We have an outstanding work force, Madison has a great labor pool for us to draw from, we have the land, and the assistance program. All of those pieces of the puzzle made the picture.”
As for the employee count, a presentation by Sub-Zero Group to the city of Fitchburg showed the company has a total of 1,052 employees in Fitchburg: 384 office staff; 316 in the Sub-Zero factory; and 352 in the Wolf factory.
“I think it’s huge that the company is investing in this community, in this future, versus going overseas or going down South. Sub-Zero has made a commitment to the community that’s pretty huge, I think,” Sullivan said.
Fitchburg Mayor Steve Arnold said he is delighted that Fitchburg won the project but not surprised.
“They make terrific products, hire skilled workers from around the region. Every municipality in the region rises and falls together. We all benefit from Sub-Zero.”
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Danny Dignum retains WBO European title with a draw against Andrey Sirotkin
Danny Dignum retained his WBO European middleweight title as he drew with Andrey Sirotkin.
The event was taking place at the University of Bolton Stadium and broadcast live on IFL TV, with fans treated to yet another action-packed event.
Both Dignum and Sirotkin gave it their absolute all, but they couldn’t be split after 30 minutes of action, with the judges scoring it a split draw.
Elsewhere on the card, Dan Azeez retained his English light-heavyweight title with a points win over Ricky Summers, Jack Bateson defeated Joe Ham, Lewie Edmondson beat Luke Blackledge, Carl Fail stopped Kristaps Zulgis, Paul Ryan beat Kyle Hughes, and Paul McCullagh overcame Paul Woolery.
Here’s everything you need to know from a brilliant night of action…
WBO European middleweight title
DANNY DIGNUM drew with ANDREY SIROTKIN after 10 rounds (96-95, 94-96, 95-95)
Danny Dignum kept hold of his unbeaten record and retained his WBO European middleweight title as he drew with Andrey Sirotkin.
Every round was extremely competitive, with Dignum (13-0-1, 7 KOs) and Sirotkin (19-1-1, 7 KOs) each having success and giving their absolute all throughout all 10 rounds.
It looked like the fight could be anybody’s as the bell tolled to signal the end of the fight, and that proved to be the case, with the judges scoring it 96-95 Dignum, 96-94 Sirotkin, and 95-95, making it a split draw.
Dignum said: “He was very tricky. I thought I nicked the fight and I felt fit in there and felt good. He was an awkward customer, but I thought that I did enough to win it.
“It is what it is, that’s boxing. Fair play to Sirotkin, he came over and put up a good fight. I’m not bitter, I thought I won but a draw is a draw. I’ll be back fitter and stronger and it’s all part of the experience.
“I don’t feel like a loser, I’ve just got to go back and learn. I got a bad cut and I couldn’t see out of my left eye, but I’ll recover and get back in the gym. I probably learned more in that fight than all of my others.”
English light-heavyweight title
DAN AZEEZ def. RICKY SUMMERS via split decision after 10 rounds (97-93, 96-94, 95-97)
Dan Azeez retained his English light-heavyweight title as he earned a split decision win over Ricky Summers after 10 fantastic rounds of action.
It was a brilliant fight from start to finish, with both men landing with huge shots at stages during the fight, but Azeez appeared to be getting the better of the action.
It looked as if Azeez (13-0, 8 KOs) was close to getting the stoppage in the closing stages, but Summers (17-3-1, 6 KOs) was able to hold on and last the duration. In the end the judges had it closer than many others who had Azeez winning comfortably, with the defending champion getting the nod via split decision.
Azeez said: “I think my hunger was the difference. Ricky was a good operator and was tough. I hit him with some good shots and he gritted his team and called me on.
“That is a fight that I need. I am calling out all these guys at the top, and that fight with Ricky is the kind that I need to let me know who is up there in my division. I’ve had the learning fights and I’m ready to step it up now.
“Hopefully MTK Global can push me in the right direction. I’m a champion and a fighter, it’s in my blood, and I want to be in the mix at the top.”
JACK BATESON def. JOE HAM 78-75 on points after 8 rounds
Jack Bateson extended his unbeaten record to 13-0 as he came out on top in a brilliant super-bantamweight battle against Joe Ham.
The fight served as the toughest test of Bateson’s (13-0, 3 KOs) career so far, going up against former Scottish champion Ham (16-3, 6 KOs), and it was a clash that was fought at a very fast pace.
Both men had success during portions of the fight, but it was Bateson who was edging the majority of the rounds, and the referee saw it the same way as he handed the Leeds fighter a well-earned 78-75 points win against a very game Ham.
Bateson said: “Joe is a great lad and a good friend of mine, but it is boxing at the end of the day and we had a good fight with each other.
“I started as a southpaw and probably was for the majority of the fight, and I think that threw him. Those little things worked and helped me get the win. I was the best I ever felt on the scales and I was a different animal today once I fuelled up.
“I learned a lot in that fight, and in the next one I’ll make sure I make even less mistakes. Anybody who knows me knows what I put into this sport, and hopefully it will pay off for me in the end.”
LEWIE EDMONDSON def. LUKE BLACKLEDGE via RTD at 3:00 of round 3
Rising star Lewie Edmondson picked up yet another big win as he claimed a stoppage victory over former Commonwealth super-middleweight champion Luke Blackledge.
Edmondson (5-0, 2 KOs) was coming off the back of a superb stoppage victory over John Telford in December, and he picked up right where he left off, using his switch-hitting to perfection and landing at will over Blackledge (26-10-2, 9 KOs).
The punishment became too much at the end of round three, with Blackledge’s corner deciding to pull him out, giving Edmondson another stylish win.
Edmondson said: “I really enjoyed it in there. I could see after a couple of rounds that I was starting to get to him. I stepped on it and then he retired after three rounds, so I’m very happy.
“I was switch-hitting in there but I don’t think about it too much, it’s pretty natural to me, so I just see what is working. I’m 5-0 now and that’s two opponents that have come to win, and you don’t see that often.
“I see that Charlie Schofield and Mickey Ellison are meant to be fighting for the English title in June, and I want the winner of that. I want to be fast-tracked. Billy Joe Saunders and MTK Global don’t want me to be held back, they want me to make statements.”
CARL FAIL def. KRISTAPS ZULGIS via TKO at 2:55 of round 2
Carl Fail picked up his second win in the space of five weeks as he earned a dominant second round stoppage victory over Kristaps Zulgis.
Fail (2-0, 1 KO) made his professional debut last month, but wasted no time getting back in the ring, getting off to a fast start against Zulgis before dropping his opponent in round two.
Zulgis was able to get back to his feet, but another knockdown came later in the round which Zulgis couldn’t recover from, handing Fail a fantastic stoppage win.
Fail said: “Five weeks ago I had my debut and then I had the chance to jump in and take this fight, and it feels great to get the victory. I learnt so much from my debut and I took that experience into my second fight and it showed.
“I’m learning in the gym all the time. There are still bits I need to work on, but we’ll keep developing and getting better and better. I watched my brother’s professional debut and got a lot of experience from that too.
“We’re a tight team, and having them here with me is great. I’m ready to grab any opportunity that comes my way, so I hope to be out again soon.”
PAUL RYAN def. KYLE HUGHES on points after 4 rounds (39-38)
Dublin’s Paul Ryan got his professional career off to a winning start, as he picked up a four rounds points win over Kyle Hughes.
Ryan (1-0) got off to a good start in the bout, but Hughes (2-3) came back strong to ensure it wouldn’t be all plain-sailing for the debutant.
Despite the fightback from Hughes, Ryan was able to maintain his composure and display some great boxing skills, and in the end was able to get the ball rolling in the paid ranks with a hard-fought 39-38 points win after four competitive rounds.
Ryan said: “It wasn’t my best performance but I did what I had to do. I’ve waited a long time for my debut but it’s bigger and better from here.
“I got back into the amateur habits a bit by going onto the back foot, and in the professional game you can’t do that. It’s something to learn from and we’ll move forward.
“It’s all been an experience compared to what it was like in the amateurs. I would like to be out five times this year if possible as we’re picking up for lost time.”
PAUL MCCULLAGH def. ANTONY WOOLERY on points after 4 rounds (40-36)
Paul McCullagh made it back to back win in the paid ranks as he picked up a one-sided four rounds points win against Antony Woolery.
McCullagh (2-0, 1 KO) dictated proceedings from the first bell to the last, with Woolery (2-4) unable to deal with the man known as ‘The Irish Drago.’
While McCullagh was dominating the action, Woolery did manage to go the distance, with the referee scoring it 40-36 to McCullagh to come away with a brilliant win.
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Governments Point Fingers Over Coronavirus as Death Toll Mounts
March 6, 2020 - by mindfullmess
An Iranian official claimed without evidence that the epidemic could be an American bioweapon, after some U.S. officials said the same about China. Saudi Arabia said its cases were Iran’s fault. South Korea lashed out at Japan over travel restrictions and responded in kind.
At a time of global crisis, when the new coronavirus has infected more than 100,000 people, killed more than 3,400, and all but shut down whole industries, the world’s scientists and public health officials are working together across ideological and national borders to try to stop the epidemic.
But as the virus continues its rapid spread, political leaders in many countries seem to have seized on a different question: Who can be blamed?
“Outbreaks take place within the context of the real world, so of course there’s always some level of politics going on,” said Dr. Keiji Fukuda, a former assistant director general of the World Health Organization. “But I think that what we’re seeing now is at a higher level of blame game than we’ve seen in the past.”
The accusations within countries and between them is often well-founded — there really have been failed quarantines, inadequate equipment and training, and attempts to deny the crisis.
But even when it is justified, experts say, the criticism can hinder efforts to pull together to face down the emergency. They said the urgent problems should be aired in a way that does not threaten cooperation while those that can wait should be set aside.
Public displeasure with global leaders has spread nearly as fast as the virus itself, which has reached more than 80 countries. And when those leaders look to point fingers elsewhere, they tend to point in the most predictable directions, piggybacking on old hostilities.
President Trump tried to deflect criticism of his government’s response by pinning testing deficiencies on former President Barack Obama’s administration.
Mr. Trump — whose critics note that he has cut health programs and made unrealistically rosy pronouncements about the new disease — had a rare moment of accord with President Hassan Rouhani of Iran. Both men claimed their enemies were cynically ginning up fear of the virus.
Iran’s government at first insisted that all was well but now admits to thousands of infections, and outbreaks in several countries have been traced to people returning from Iran. But the sharpest reaction came from its regional adversary, Saudi Arabia, which forbids its people from traveling to Iran.
In a statement made through the official Saudi Press Agency, the government on Thursday accused Iran of recklessly allowing the disease to spread. It said that five Saudis had visited Iran, helped by Iranian officials who did not stamp their passports, and had returned to the kingdom infected by the virus.
In Japan, more than a million posts on Twitter recently demanded that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe resign over his handling of the outbreak. He was largely invisible in the early weeks of the outbreak, and the government’s lax treatment of the outbreak aboard a cruise ship allowed it to spread.
On Thursday, Mr. Abe imposed a 14-day quarantine on all visitors from South Korea and China. More than 90 countries have restricted travel from South Korea, which has the second-largest outbreak after China, but it was the move by Japan, historically Korea’s nemesis, that struck a nerve.
South Korea’s government on Friday called the measures “excessive and irrational,” suggested that Tokyo had “other motives than containing the outbreak,” and said it would restrict Japanese visitors in return.
“We cannot understand Japan’s decision to take this unfair step without consulting with us in advance,” South Korea’s presidential National Security Council said in a statement.
In Britain, opposition politicians are quick to note that a decade of austerity under Conservative governments has drained the health care system of resources, which they say leaves the country unprepared for an epidemic.
Dr. Fukuda, who now heads the University of Hong Kong’s school of public health, said that widespread anger in Hong Kong at the government’s refusal to bar arrivals from mainland China built on months of protests against that government for being too close to Beijing.
Facing a previously unknown, fast-moving virus, experts say, it is inevitable that even the best governments will be caught unprepared and make mistakes.
“We shouldn’t be associating, ‘oh, increase in numbers’ with failed government,” said Dr. Devi Sridhar, a professor of global public health at the University of Edinburgh. “We should see that governments can be trying their best but still find it hard to contain this virus.”
In China, where the virus emerged in the city of Wuhan, the authorities were slow to react at first, denying that there was a problem and even punishing those who raised the alarm. Since then, the government has responded aggressively, all but halting the spread of the virus by locking down areas with more than 50 million people. This approach won international praise, and China has been touting its strategy as a model for the rest of the world.
Yet in China, anger at the government continues to fester. When Chinese officials, including the one leading the central government’s response, visited Wuhan on Thursday, locked-down residents shouted complaints out their windows.
“Everything is fake!” one resident yelled, according to a video shared by People’s Daily, a state-run newspaper.
In a sign of just how much countries have struggled to rein in the outbreak, government officials themselves have been infected in China, France, Iran and Japan. The virus has especially roiled Iran’s government, with dozens of officials having fallen ill and an adviser to the supreme leader and a diplomat having died.
The head of the W.H.O., Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, aired his frustration on Thursday with governments that he said have not taken the virus seriously enough, in his strongest public rebuke to date.
“This is not a time for excuses,” he said. “This is a time for pulling out all the stops.
“In some countries, the level of political commitment and the actions that demonstrate that commitment do not match the level of the threat we all face.”
But mindful, as always, of political sensitivities, the W.H.O. leader was careful not to call out any countries or leaders by name.
From the start of the epidemic, obfuscation has eroded government credibility. Experts fear that finger-pointing is also lowering trust in public health systems and governments, when those are essential in overcoming the crisis.
“You can say, ‘It’s your fault, it’s my fault,’” said Dr. David Heymann, a former chief of communicable diseases at the W.H.O. “I think we have to just get on with it and accept where we are now.”
Reporting was contributed by Russell Goldman, Choe Sang-Hun, Amy Qin, Elaine Yu, Javier C. Hernández and Ben Dooley.
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The Streetwalker and the Odd Shoe
View cart “Poetic Measures” has been added to your cart.
Mark was being abused by his own father for some reasons he had yet to find out. When he reached the age of fourteen and still being abused, he thought enough was enough and had no option than to leave home for no specific destination.
As he left home, he had two links to remind him of home. Firstly, there was his step brother who became attached to him, yet he could not help Mark during his bad days nor was he able to keep in touch with him. The second link was an ornamental shoe which played an important role in his life. Mark was naïve and immature. He became a streetwalker. In his own ways, he made his plans to survive the hardship he encountered mainly in the city of London. He was in search of love and, in the process, he became haggard, had long knotted hair and beard. Despite continuous hardship, he kept his faith in God and hoped he would see the light at the end of the tunnel although he was not sure whether that could ever happen. Did the light appear at all?
The Streetwalker and the Odd Shoe quantity
Categories: Bookstore, Fiction
Dr. Prem Kutowaroo who comes from Mauritius, has lived in England for many years. He has studied and obtained BA Masters and is a doctor now. Prem has been writing books for some years and they concerned true stories about people from Mauritius.
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Leaders or Manager and discover your talents!
Master of all Masters: The Central Kingdom
The Interpreter’s Fourth-B: The best way to understanding the Bible about human creation
The Balance Theory: An Approach to Organizational Leaked
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Dental Insurance News
ERIC ELG
After working in the insurance industry since 1995, Eric began work with Terry Arp & Associates in 2013, offering risk management services to dental practices in Idaho and Utah. After Terry Arp passed away following his courageous battle with throat cancer, Eric purchased the agency. Eric enjoys being a resource to the dental communities in Idaho and Utah. Eric is a native Idahoan with a degree in Political Science from the University of Idaho. His hobbies include spending time with his family, coaching youth athletics, reading, snowboarding, and playing basketball.
STEPHANIE ELG, CPA MBA
Stephanie’s family traveled the world with an Army dad, and moved back to Idaho upon his retirement. She fell in love with Boise, graduating from Boise State University with an Accounting degree. Stephanie worked as an internal auditor for Boise Cascade for five years and obtained her MBA in Sales & Marketing from Northwest Nazarene University, while working. She continued her career in accounting and sales until starting with Terry Arp & Associates in 2013 as Office Manager, where she obtained her insurance license and was instrumental in the agency transition. Outside of work, she is kept busy with her twins Audrey & Andre, and with her dachshund Sophie.
ALYSSA HALLOCK
Alyssa was born and raised in Idaho. She spent six years in Boston obtaining her undergraduate degree. In 2013, Alyssa began her insurance career, starting with personal insurance, until 2015 when she joined Terry R. Arp & Associates. Alyssa loves the diversity of insurance, especially working alongside the dentists in Idaho & Utah. Outside of work, Alyssa spends her time with her daughter where there is never a dull moment watching her learn and grow. Alyssa also loves to travel, cook, read, & cycle.
CANDACE PEAK
Candace joined Terry Arp in 2014 after working for 10 years in the mortgage industry. She loves that the office is so committed to giving the best service to dentists. She has two grown sons and when she is not working she enjoys spending time with her pets and sewing.
TERRY & CINDY ARP
Terry Arp began his insurance career in 1970 and was a loyal servant to the dental community for over 40 years, insuring hundreds of dental practices. Terry touched the lives of those he served. Cindy Arp joined Terry Arp & Associates in 1998 and was instrumental in the growth and service delivery of the agency.
Pingback: Boise Family Dental | News: Breaking stories & updates
Discrimination Claims can Start at the Interview
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P.O. Box 2558, Eagle, ID 83616
6126 W State Street, Ste. 107, Boise, ID 83703
Email: eric@trarp.com
Monday - Thursday: 9:00am - 4:30pm MST
Friday: 9:00am - 3:00pm MST
© 2017 Terry R. Arp & Associates. All right reserved.
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The Many Voices of Jon Bellion
Jon Bellion, a New York singer-songwriter and rapper, has steadily been gaining fame and success with each successive album that he releases. His five albums have been released over the course of the past six years and it is clear to see that his style evolves in each one. In his first few albums, there was something unique about his style of writing and vocals, but it was not yet developed enough to be able to grasp what it was. The last two albums, however, make it quite obvious what sets Jon Bellion apart from other artists. In each album, there is a clear story; a clear theme that is explored with each track. Though some of his songs might be catchy, none of them were written or produced with the purpose of being a hit single. Though Bellion cannot read music, his talent at arranging instrumentations for his songs is evident. In addition to his own music, Jon Bellion has also penned many well-known songs for other successful artists.
“The Monster” by Eminem ft. Rihanna, courtesy of youtube.com
The first hit single that Bellion wrote for was “The Monster” by Eminem ft. Rihanna in 2013. The song hit the top of the charts in a dozen countries and the accompanying video was nominated for several awards. Though this was earlier in Bellion’s career, his distinct writing style can still be heard in the chorus:
“I’m friends with the monster that’s under my bed
Get along with the voices inside of my head
You’re tryin’ to save me, stop holdin’ your breath
And you think I’m crazy, yeah, you think I’m crazy
Well, that’s nothin’ “
These lyrics are incredibly similar to Bellion’s “Guillotine,” in terms of how evocative they are:
“The secrets you tell me I’ll take to my grave
There’s bones in my closet, but you hang stuff anyway
And if you have nightmares, we’ll dance on the bed
I know that you love me, love me
Even when I lose my head
Bellion has also penned some less serious and content heavy songs such as “Trumpets” by Jason Derulo (2013) and “Beautiful Now” by Zedd ft. Jon Bellion (2015). These songs are much more upbeat, not written to be thought about, just to be danced to. In 2018, Jon Bellion wrote a song titled “Fall in Line” that was given to Christina Aguilera and Demi Lovato. Beyoncé also wanted “Fall in Line,” but it was too late for Bellion to back out, which he reminisced on in his song “Adult Swim”:
“Mr. Bellion, sir
Beyoncé on the line, she tryna reach you on your cellular
She wanted “Fall In Line, ” but we gave it to Aguilera, uhh
I hope it’s the right decision, Bey wanted it for the twins she signed
I hope I didn’t burn that bridge, I worry all the time”
Cover Art for “Good Things Fall Apart” by Illenium ft. Jon Bellion, courtesy of Illenium’s twitter account
Most recently Bellion collaborated with Illenium on the track “Good Things Fall Apart” released this year. This song, along with “Shameless” and Liar” both written by Bellion and sung by Camila Cabello, are currently in the top 40 in pop radio, along with a few others that he either co-wrote or co-produced. Bellion constantly thanks the people he works with and attributes his success not only to himself, but to others and to God, as he is a Christian, but it is very clear that no matter what music he works on, he brings a unique and memorable sound. His undeniable talent and hard work in the industry has put him at the top and it seems as though things will continue to keep moving up for him.
A tweet by Visionary Music Group posted October 12, 2019
By Hope Graham Filed Under: Featured Show of the Week, Music, Opinion, People, Singer Songwriter, Uncategorized Tagged With: 2019, Camila Cabello, Christina Aguilera, Demi Lovato, Eminem, Jon Bellion, Music, Pop, rap, Rihanna, Visionary Music Group, Zedd
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East Williamston
East Williamston has flourished in recent years into a very pleasant area to live being a quiet, picturesque village with good community spirit. The Community Hall in East Williamston is a vibrant centre for local activities such as short mat bowls, square dancing, exercise classes and monthly quizzes. Jubilee Park has been a triumph for community members, who have seen it through from the purchase of the land to development of play area, nature trail and an open space for recreation for all in the community. During the early 19th century the area was heavily exploited by the mining industry for its rich coal seams and today the surrounding countryside is still riddled with shafts and mines.
East Williamston Village Hall was opened in June 2000 after being rebuilt following a Lottery Grant from the Halls for the 21st Century fund. It is a single level purpose-built hall which seats 200 people. The management committee are trustees of the building which offers a spacious hall, adjacent meeting room and kitchen. The hall is situated in the village on a quiet side road. It is well signposted. Car parking is limited on site, but there is ample parking around the village lanes. With full disabled access and facilities, it is open for hire to all.
Fully equiped kitchen with serving hatch to main hall
Modern tables and chairs, sufficient for 100 dining or 200 lecture style
Curtains, stage lighting and portable stage
Licensed bar available
Small meeting room off main hall
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How Far Into Virginia Did Jamestown Settlers Explore?
Noelle Ortiz Jamestown November 20, 2020
The original Jamestown settlers were all men and boys — and they didn’t bring much with them. Only the basics like food and water. For everything else, they had to search when they arrived in what would eventually be named Virginia. It wasn’t an easy task. Every additional step into the great wilderness of the New World meant increased risk from natural obstacles, hunger, dehydration, and Native Americans. And certainly, they could only explore during the warmer months of the year.
Actually, much of the exploring occurred before the men and boys actually landed their ships in Jamestown. They spent a week or two trying to find the right spot. Jamestown might have been their best shot to set up and long lasting settlement — but that doesn’t mean it was ideal. Far from it, in fact. The location was somewhat shielded by natural barriers, but water sources were far from adequate and created problems for the new settlement.
The settlers might have had better luck farther south and more inland. Jamestown is located along the Atlantic Coast, due southeast of Richmond, which is about midway between Maryland and North Carolina. The first winters would devastate the new colony.
Additional shipments of goods were scheduled over the next few years, and they might have benefitted from continuing to explore along the coast. They had problems of their own, however, and many ships were lost along the way. This was especially true in 1609, when the flagship Sea Venture led six other ships and two pinnacles as part of the Third Supply. They were enveloped in hurricane winds, lost a few ships, and were forced to land along the reefs of Bermuda lest the entire fleet be destroyed.
Interestingly, these new settlers probably had it easiest — because the original Jamestown settlement was enduring the Starving Time, during which two-thirds of the population perished from starvation, disease, and freezing temperatures.
But because of the misfortunes of the Third Supply, they were able to explore farther south (although Bermuda was already mapped at the time). These settlers arrived in Jamestown in late spring, 1610. Another fleet arrived barely more than a month later, replenishing the settlement’s supplies — and people.
North Virginia was more difficult to explore during this time, both because of Native Americans and settlers from other European countries. The Native Americans posed less of a problem because so many were wiped out by the diseases and illnesses brought by the Europeans. But fighting between settlements was also to be avoided at all costs, because the population was already so small.
Eventually, it was the economy that drove further exploration into the New World. The main staple, tobacco, was so desired in the New World that trade allowed the settlers to expand supply lines well beyond what was initially available. This mostly occurred decades after the ancient planters first arrived — but they did eventually succeed in making the most of their adventure into the New World.
← Did Early Jamestown Settlements Struggle With Addiction?
Was Captain George Kendall Truly A Mutineer? →
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Stephanie Nelson, Aristophanes and his Tragic Muse: Comedy, Tragedy and the Polis in 5th Century Athens. Mnemosyne Supplements. Monographs on Greek and Latin language and literature, 390. Leiden; Boston: Brill, 2016. Pp. viii, 384. ISBN 9789004310902. $175.00.
Reviewed by Wilfred E. Major, Louisiana State University (wmajor@lsu.edu)
This lengthy and detailed study takes its place as the most extensive examination to date of the interplay of tragic and comic drama in fifth-century Athens. As such it will be a common book to cite on the topic and it contains many rich ideas for scholars to consider, but it will be disappointing for those seeking an ambitious and coherent model for analyzing this interplay. And while Nelson takes pains to make the book accessible to a broad array of readers, too much here would be misleading to non-specialists to allow recommending it more generally.
Across an introduction and seven chapters, Nelson probes more than a dozen plays to spotlight a number of ways in which the evolution of practices on the comic and tragic stages complemented and impacted each other. The brief introduction includes the broader claims that will recur throughout Nelson's analysis. She believes that tragedy and comedy as performance institutions "developed an almost polar opposition" (4), which resulted in deep structures for both types of drama that energize various types of surface antinomies, although this development was also fueled by "mutual dependence" (14) of the two genres.
The first chapter (22–73) sketches out a case for understanding fifth-century Athenian tragic and comic drama as continually defined in opposition to each other. Her outline includes discussions of the tidbits of historical evidence for the genres in their early years and of the ramifications for the genres' differing deployment of performance paraphernalia (masks, costumes, movement, props, dialects). At the deep level of cultural priorities, Nelson posits, each is oriented toward a fundamentally distinct interest: "necessity" in tragedy and "freedom" in comedy (31).
The second chapter (74–105) turns to satyr plays, emphasizing these as hybrids of tragic and comic elements, but fundamentally, like comedy, defined and evolved in opposition to tragedy. How this sits with her portrait of comedy being likewise defined in opposition to tragedy remains unclear. This chapter includes a nice observation about a pattern of satyr plays rewinding to a narrative point prior to that of the tragic trilogies (which they followed in terms of performance sequence, 84–89).
Chapter 3 (106–140) is the first to center on tragedies and comedies proper. The focus turns to politics, by which Nelson means how the polis is projected and explored in drama. She uses Acharnians as an example of a comic polis that is flexible and contingent, in contrast to the polis of tragedy (specifically in the Oresteia and Bacchae), which is caught hardened between the bipolar draw of necessity and freedom. Much of her analysis, however, narrows in on the character of Dikaiopolis, where she finds comic tension between the various roles he plays (embodiment of the whole polis, an individual in the polis, a spokesman for Aristophanes, the performer of the tragic role of Telephus, and so on).
Chapter 4 (141–176) explores heroism, and the integrity of character generally, in Wasps, with contrasting glances at Ajax and Medea. The tragic protagonists Ajax and Medea differ in that Sophocles' Ajax clings to a steadfastly stable identity, even to the point of extinguishing himself when that identity cannot persist in the world, while Euripides reveals Medea, through a kaleidoscope of episodes, to have a complex and tortured inner life. By contrast Nelson finds Philocleon in Wasps a sort of chameleon who escapes one role to leap into another, culminating in a display of roles that individuals play, but which for a comic protagonist are not meant to add up to an identity of consistency or depth.
Chapter 5 (177–203) analyzes Oedipus Tyrannos and Knights, contrasting their attitudes toward oracles: in tragedy oracular pronouncements manifest the genuine will of the gods, while in comedy humans overtly create and manipulate oracles. Nelson concludes with thoughts on the uneven fit of Aristophanic comedy with the idea of Bakhtinian carnival.
Chapter 6 (204–240) expands on the previous chapter by exploring the hierarchies of the divine and human in Persians, Peace and Birds. Unsurprisingly, Nelson finds that Aeschylus devotes his play more to articulating the impact of divine mechanics on human life while Aristophanes brings the gods down to human level.
The final chapter (241–284) focuses on Thesmophoriazusae and Frogs in order to theorize about what principle demarcates tragedy and comedy according to Aristophanes. Nelson finds this to be a certain level of self-reference, that is, the degree to which the poet makes the mechanics of theater explicitly part and parcel of the comic drama.
A brief conclusion (285–294) recapitulates the book, followed by synopses (295–307) of the plays Nelson discusses, then a glossary, bibliography and index. The press has produced a clean, handsome volume. Typographical errors are few and minor.
Nelson's prose flows rather well and she comes across as engaging and involved in the material and ideas. In a number of places a reader can sense the voice of an experienced teacher unpacking a complex text for her students. She has taken pains to make the volume accessible for non-specialists and motivated students, offering passages in translation (mostly without the original Greek), providing ample background and support (e.g., the glossary and synopses), and glossing technical terms so that the book is relatively light on jargon. In recognition of these efforts, this reviewer would like to be able to recommend the book as an engaging, thought-provoking series of observations and explorations on an important topic. Unfortunately, underlying problems mean that I can make only the most limited recommendation
Some problems result from a narrower vision of comedy and tragedy than Nelson confesses to. Fundamentally, despite all her talk about the two genres, she reads comedy as a scholar of tragedy who considers thematic coherence, with a smattering of post-modern literary dynamics, the essence of tragedy. Her reflex is to define comedy by how it differs from this tragic essence, even though she presents this book as focused on Aristophanes. Devotees of fifth-century comedy are likely to find her presentation lopsided. She invokes paradox and ambivalence to define comedy so often that the effect becomes wearisome. She posits paradoxes and then insists that comedy, at least Aristophanes, demands acceptance of inconsistency and indeterminacy. Maybe so, but it also easily comes across as the sort of airy sophistry that Aristophanes routinely mocks and deflates.
No study can cover every aspect of these two enormously complex and elusive genres, of course, and Nelson acknowledges that her study is circumscribed to a set of specific foci, even after being somewhat dismissive of previous studies for being limited. A more serious problem is that, despite gaps in her coverage, Nelson is rather fond of generalizations in order to polarize Aristophanes and his tragic brethren. Most of these generalizations are unnecessary to begin with, as Nelson rarely builds up a sustained argument from them. Rather than catalog these generalizations, I will attempt to characterize their flavor and associated faults. Many are vague and ill-defined. The terms and semantic range of "necessity" and "freedom" are never defined or discussed, for example. Typical also is "character" in Chapter 4, where Nelson seems to assume that Aristotelian notions of character are the essence of tragic roles and then cites scholarly debate about a topic as a substitute for articulating and orienting her own position. A number of declarations are unclear, such as, "…just as the meaning of tragedy lies in the tragedy itself, so also the meaning of comedy is located in the comedy" (7) and "In the Oresteia, the city is a fundamental part of the cosmos. In the Bacchae, the political is challenged, and devastated, by Dionysus. But in both, in contrast to the Acharnians' location of the city squarely within the world of contingency, the city is involved in a necessity that lies well beyond the political. This, I would argue, represents an overall tendency," (111); or banal: "But while Dikaiopolis and Trugaios are strikingly similar, the difference between them is equally obvious" (224). Many theses or conclusions are vague, unsubstantiated, or both, such as when Nelson claims that non-Athenian material is mostly irrelevant in Attic drama (25).
Nelson's uneven coverage comes across as shaped, frankly, by passages more easily understood in translation and for which there is ample discussion in (overwhelmingly English) secondary literature. This creates problems when it comes to close readings, since Nelson does not see the deeply paradoxical discourse of tragedy and how close comic language, and not just paratragedy, is to it. Thus her discussion of diction in tragic and comic language is underdeveloped. Her lack of attention to detail and penchant for generalizations lead to outright errors, such as saying that Demos in Knights is called a "monarch" rather than a "tyrant" (195), when he is in fact called tyrannos (line 1114). Nelson never addresses meter, where similarities and differences between tragedy and comedy abound at a very detailed level, nor does she take meaningful account of the registers of language in any detail, such as Aristophanes' startling range of vocabulary and creative use and extension of language, which earned him praise among ancient commentators familiar with a great many Classical Greek texts. Except for some general comments about the role of the chorus, Nelson bypasses choral song in both genres, in the process excluding not just enormous amounts of text and performance but areas of topic and expression where the genres overlap and diverge (her statement "tragedy is composed of dialogue…" [246] is unintentionally revealing in this regard). Her treatment of more obscure or indirect evidence tends to be simplistic, as when she cites Antiphanes fr. 189 to support the canard that "the stories of tragedy were known to the audience" (33). The passage gives examples of the body of communal knowledge that tragedians could capitalize on and does not at all say that audiences already knew what narratives were to come.
Non-specialists should therefore avoid this book, since Nelson's confident generalities will mislead them on many crucial points. Readers already familiar with the limited but tricky evidence behind Nelson's problematic claims, and with a fine-grained knowledge of the Greek texts, can filter out these problematic statements and skim for the truly novel and productive observations that she does make. This still leaves a lot of work for the professional reader, which is a shame, as it makes less accessible the more intriguing and productive material, especially that on satyr plays.
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MANIAC COP 2 is an American action / horror movie that was directed by William Lustig and originally released in December 1990. It stars Robert Davi, Claudia Christian and Robert Z'Dar with supporting performances from Bruce Campbell, Laurene Landon, Leo Rossi and Michael Lerner. Very much like the original, this sequel concerns the havoc caused (again) by crazed, undead cop Matt Cordell (Robert Z'Dar) who has returned from the grave (again) to seek vengeance (again) against the baddies who did him in.
The first film in this series was well received even by the mainstream film critics. I think what they admired was its energy, the engaging cast and the right blend of horror, action and investigation. For the most part the same can be said of this sequel although on the down side it suffers from the inevitable familiarity inherent in franchises. Lustig tries to cover this up by introducing a rather disturbing and incredibly hairy serial killer (Leo Rossi) character who teams up with Cordell.
Cordell and Turkell compare blades
I don't think I'm spoiling the fun too much to say that Campbell and Landon briefly reprise their roles from the first movie before they are killed off to introduce two new 'heroes' in Davi and Christian. I say 'heroes' not as some sort of homage to David Bowie but because basically they're not hugely likeable people. Davi plays guilt-ridden detective Sean McKinney who is gruff, unfriendly and deeply suspicious of police psychologist Susan Riley (Claudia Christian) whom he believes is responsible for getting good cops suspended from duty.
Laurene Landon and Bruce Campbell
However, they quickly cotton on to the fact that a series of cop slayings must be the work of Cordell; attempting to convince slimy police commissioner Doyle (Michael Lerner at his oiliest) they are met with scorn and a marked lack of cooperation. What then follows is a series of set pieces, usually involving violent action the odd couple try to track down their man / zombie.
Matt Cordell goes to work
Lustig directs in a style reminiscent of Larry Cohen, which comes as no surprise because Cohen wrote and produced the film. What they have in common is a lean, kinetic style, a good eye and a terrifically imaginative use of urban locations.
I think Lustig isn't quite in Cohen's class: Cohen has a better control of pace and mood. whereas Lustig is rather too keen on the violent action, which has the effect of making his films feel relentless. By way of underlining that point I can say that the body count in this film is astronomical and more police cars are smashed to bits than in any film save THE BLUES BROTHERS [1980].
Robert Davi as Detective Sean McKinney
Having said that, there are a couple of touching moments: a blind newspaper seller recounting how he lost his sight in WW2, and a stripper speaking to her mother on the phone, reassuring her that her secretarial career is going well. Lustig also elicits good performances from his cast although Laurene Landon, bless her, is no great shakes despite playing a character she has played once before. As does Robert Z'Dar although little is required of him other than to be a great hulking menace which is to be said he does with aplomb. There is some spectacular stunt work too, especially a couple of full body burns which you don't see that often these days.
Lustig has only directed a few pictures, three of which are in this MANIAC COP series. Of the rest I think all of them are urban action thrillers or, in the case of his debut feature MANIAC [1980], a horror movie. MANIAC has a great central performance from Joe Spinell, the fearless character actor, who was slated to play Leo Rossi's role in this film but sadly passed away before shooting began. I ought to say that MANIAC isn't strictly speaking Lustig's debut feature: whisper it quietly but he made a couple of porn movies in the '70s. He's obviously very fond of the word 'maniac', and why not? My friend Marshy reckons 'Maniac Cop' is the best exploitation film title ever; it's certainly up there with Larry Cohen's THE STUFF [1985], that's fer damn sure!
Claudia Christian as Susan Riley
Bruce Campbell is familiar to millions from THE EVIL DEAD movies and plenty of other delirious movies. Like Jeffrey Combs, he just has one of those face that are impossible to take seriously. Laurene Landon isn't a prolific actress but nevertheless has been in plenty of genre fare, much of it in concert with Larry Cohen. She's also in an excellent film about women's wrestling called ...ALL THE MARBLES [1981] directed by Robert Aldrich; it's well worth a look. Robert Davi is another familiar face albeit one that is only ever going to get him work as a tough guy. Still, he's had a long and successful career out of it so who's complaining? Maybe Mrs Davi, I guess. Claudia Christian who is a whole lot prettier than Robert Davi has also had a good career although mostly on TV, notably in BABYLON 5. I think this was only her second feature film, after Jack Sholder's terrific little B-picture THE HIDDEN [1987]. Robert Z'Dar makes scores of films and is instantly recognisable as he suffers from cherubism which causes the face to grow abnormally large. That sort of makes him a modern day Rondo Hatton but it's something he has embraced and turned to his advantage; I don't anyone could claim that he is being exploited. Finally, there are a couple of blink-and-you'll-miss-'em cameos from Charles Napier, B-movie king de nos jours Danny Trejo and, somewhere, because I didn't spot him, Sam Raimi.
I can't resist this still to end on: Laurene Landon about to duke it out with Matt Cordell. With a chainsaw.
Labels: 1990, action, Bruce Campbell, Claudia Christian, horror, Larry Cohen, Laurene Landon, Leo Rossi, Michael Lerner, Robert Davi, Robert Z'Dar, USA, William Lustig, zombie
Another excellent piece of work, on a blog filled with them. I stand by my..er... comment. You know that I'll have to watch this one now, don't you?
Coolerking 22 June 2014 at 15:01
I would expect nothing less from a connoisseur such as yourself Marshy. Now that I've seen two I can't really miss the third one. Watch this space!
Last of the Badmen [1967]
The Town That Dreaded Sundown [1976]
Resurrection [1980]
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The Return of the Living Dead (1985/Collector's Edition Blu-ray/Scream Factory) Review
If you are a fan of horror than this film should need no introduction, but in case you have never seen it I will tell you what this film is about. Freddy (not the melted horror icon) is on his first day at a medical supply company, things are going well until Freddy and his co-worker Frank (James Karen) accidently breaks open a barrel of chemical "2-4-5 Trioxin" which causes the dead to come alive. One thing leads to another and all hell breaks loose when the dead rise from the grave in the search of brains! Meanwhile Freddy's friends are nearby and fighting for their lives as they work their way through the dead and into shelter. Will they survive this night of the living dead or will the dead consume them all!?
This film to me really kicked off the comedy-horror genre and set a standard for it. You can see alot of influence in films like "Shaun of the Dead". It also was the first zombie film to emphasize the zombies need for brains which is commonly mis-credited to the George Romero "living dead" series of films. I see this film as having so many things going for it from the great practical effects, great writing/directing, and an overwhelmingly great cast of characters. It may be my overwhelming love for this film, but I cannot find anything wrong with this film from start to finish.
When it comes to the cast I cannot find find any of them that I did not find entertaining. For genre fans the one that sticks out the most for them is probably Linnea Quigley who has done some great genre films throughout the years. Also she has the memorable scene of her dancing nude in the graveyard which for people like myself is a very unforgettable moment from this film! The cast also consists of Clu Gulager, James Karen, Thom Mathews, Beverly Randolph, and Miguel A. Nunez Jr. just to name a few.This film bounces back and forth between both groups of characters which helps to give them pretty equal screen time for the most part. If I had to pick a favorite it would have to beSpider because he's one of the most logical characters in the bunch.
The special effects in this film are quite awesome and the gore is top notch. The effect I love the most has to be the "Tarman" zombie that looks kinda goofy with it's bulging eyes, but creepy as fuck due to how it moves around. There is some great gore effects especially when the EMT's get attacked and when Suicide gets his head bit by the Tarman zombie. To me these effects are not just good for the time it was released but for the standards of modern practical effects. I will admit that from time to time the zombies when they attacked seemed to of lost some of their makeup which is I'm guessing due to the rain coming down on the actors. Nonetheless I would take what this film offers over any CGI gore/special effects!
If you want the best release of this film then this one is it! I have personally seen this film on almost all of the home video formats. Each has gotten better and better, but I think this is the best release thus far. You get a 2K scan of the interpositive which looks simply awesome, along with the film you also get tons of special features which also includes the great documentary "More Brains: A Return To The Living Dead" and also the workprint version of the film.If you are a big fan of this film like I am than I cannot recommend this release enough! So throw those older blu-ray and dvd copies on ebay and order this awesome release from Scream Factory!
-Daniel Lee
Director: Dan O'Bannon
Lead Actor/Actress:
Region Code: Region A
Release Company: Scream Factory
Website: www.shoutfactory.com
ADDITIONAL SCREENSHOTS:
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Crannk Interviews Dane Campbell drummer for Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons
27th October 2020 Jai That Aussie Metal Guy 2020, crannk, interview, Rock 0
I caught up with Dane Campbell to discuss the latest album from Phil Campbell And The Bastard Sons “We’re The Bastards” due out worldwide November 13th through Nuclear Blast Records, themes, songwriting, and recording an album under lockdown laws.
There is no easy course to triumph and glory in rock’n’roll. Even for bands with a natural gift for making the ground shake, hard work, and many gallons of blood, sweat and tears go into making the magic happen. Even then, it’s always down to the people to decide who rocks and who doesn’t. And the people have declared that PHIL CAMPBELL AND THE BASTARD SONS are the real fucking deal.
Formed in the aftermath of MOTÖRHEAD’s dissolution, following the death of Lemmy Kilmister in 2016, PHIL CAMPBELL AND THE BASTARD SONS were always going to draw a crowd at any discerning rock or metal festival. Led by one of the genre’s most respected guitarists and completed by his sons Todd (guitar), Tyla (bass) and Dane (drums) and powerhouse frontman Neil Starr, the band emerged onto the 2017 touring circuit powered by a huge amount of goodwill, a smattering of MOTÖRHEAD covers and a handful of new songs that crackled with passion and swagger. Landing themselves a prestigious support slot on GUNS N’ ROSES 2017 summer stadium run, the BASTARD SONS hit the ground running.
“Phil could easily have done something else,” says Neil Starr. “He could’ve joined another band or even just stopped, but he wasn’t daunted by the prospect of starting another band because it didn’t make any difference to him – he just wanted to enjoy playing music with his sons. Even when he was still in MOTÖRHEAD, he really enjoyed playing music with his sons. So really, from the start, we’ve just done our own thing and enjoyed it.”
Whether it was the promise of hearing a few old Lemmy gems or simply that PHIL CAMPBELL AND THE BASTARD SONS were too good to ignore, the response to those early shows was uniformly ecstatic and extremely rowdy. By the time the BASTARD SONS released their debut album, “The Age Of Absurdity”, in January 2018, this honest rock ‘n’ roll enterprise had organically blossomed into a pretty big deal. The album garnered widespread great reviews, picking up a trophy for ‘Best Debut Album’ at Metal Hammer Germany’s 2018 awards.
Fast forward to 2020 and, just like everyone else, PHIL CAMPBELL AND THE BASTARD SONS had to cancel a lot of carefully-laid plans when the global pandemic descended on us all. But as if to confirm their absolute dedication to blowing people’s heads off with thunderous rock’n’roll, the band refused to cancel plans to record a follow-up to their widely lauded debut. Recorded and engineered during lockdown by guitarist Todd Campbell, the second BASTARD SONS album may be just the tonic people need right now. It’s called “We’re The Bastards” and it’s bigger, better, and even more raucously uplifting than its predecessor. In fact, it’s the sound of a great band hitting their stride and buzzing with confidence.
Kicking off with the anthemic bluster of its title track, “We’re The Bastards” is instantly recognizable as the work of the band that brought us previous ragers like ‘Ringleader’ and ‘Get On Your Knees’. But it’s also a much more diverse and adventurous affair, as Starr and the Campbells expand their vision to include a greater sense of dynamics and atmosphere and even. Contrasting the expected fiery, bellow-along gems like ‘Son Of A Gun’ and ‘Bite My Tongue’, the swaggering, bluesy ‘Born To Roam’ and the hazy stoner rock stomp of ‘Desert Song’ point to an instinctive grasp of Americana’s influence on heavy rock. Similarly, there’s a world of difference between something as gritty and gung-ho as the two-minute ‘Destroyed’ and the spacious and epic grunge squall of closer ‘Waves’. But the BASTARD SONS’ self-evident shared chemistry and abundant charisma ensure that everything slots neatly into place on a wonderfully cohesive piece of work that feels like a sincere celebration of rock’s uplifting power.
One enormous favor the band has done themselves this time around is nominating guitarist Todd Campbell to record and engineer the new material at his studio in Wales. “We’re The Bastards” sounds absolutely huge and wonderfully vibrant and alive: a dazzling showcase for the talent in the BASTARD SONS ranks. Mixed and mastered by Soren Anderson (GLENN HUGHES/ THE DEAD DAISIES/ THE ANSWER) it’s such a powerful and convincing leap forward for all concerned that we can only imagine how frustrating it is to be releasing it into such a strange, gig-less world
PHIL CAMPBELL AND THE BASTARD SONS are:
Phil Campbell | Guitar
Todd Campbell | Guitar
Tyla Campbell | Bass
Dane Campbell | Drums
Neil Starr | Vocals
Links Hit em up and show you SUPPORT
iTunes pre-sale link: https://music.apple.com/au/album/were…
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Crannk Interviews Silenoz, Guitarist for Dimmu Borgir & Insidious Disease
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By Daniel Greenfield On December 31, 2014
(The posting of this article has become an annual tradition of historical proportion at this blog.)
The next year sweeps around the earth like the hand of a clock, from Australia to Europe and across the great stretch of the Atlantic it rides the darkness to America. And then around and around again, each passing day marking another sweep of the hours.
In Times Square crowds of tourists gather in clumps behind police barricades, clutching their corporate swag beneath video billboards shifting and humming in the cool air. And the same scene repeats in other squares and other places even if it doesn't feel like there is a great deal to celebrate.
While the year makes its first pass around the world, let us leave it behind, open a door in time and step back to another year, a century past.
The crowds are just as large, though the men wear hats. The word gay is employed with no touch of irony. Liquor is harder to come by because the end of the year, one hundred and two years ago, has fallen on a Sunday.
There are more dances and fewer corporate brands. Horns are blown, and the occasional revolver fired into the air, a sight unimaginable in the controlled celebrations of today's urban metropolis.
The Hotel Workers Union strike fizzled out on Broadway though a volley of bricks was hurled at the Hotel Astor during the celebrations. New York's finest spent the evening outside the Rockefeller mansion waiting to subpoena the tycoon in the money trust investigation. And the Postmaster General inaugurated the new parcel service by shipping a silver loving cup from Washington to New York.
On Ellis Island, Castro, a bitter enemy of the United States, and the former president of Venezuela, had been arrested for trying to sneak into the country while the customs officers had their guard down. Gazing at the Statue of Liberty, Castro denied that he was a revolutionary and bitterly urged the American masses to rise up and tear down the statue in the name of freedom.
Times Square has far fewer billboards and no videos, but it does have the giant Horn and Hardart Automat which opened just that year, where food comes from banks of vending machines giving celebrating crowds a view of the amazing world of tomorrow for the world of 1912 is after all like our own. We can open a door into the past, but we cannot escape the present.
The Presidential election of 1912, like that of 2012, ended in disaster. Both Taft and Roosevelt lost and Woodrow Wilson won. In the White House, President Taft met with cabinet members and diplomats for a final reception.
Woodrow Wilson, who would lead America into a bloody and senseless war, subvert its Constitution, and begin the process of making global government and statism into the national religion of his party, was optimistic about the new year. "Thirteen is my lucky number," he said. "It is curious how the number 13 has figured in my life and never with bad fortune."
Americans today face the lightbulb ban. Americans then were confronted with the matchstick ban as the Esch bill in Congress outlawed phosphorus "strike 'em on your pants" matches by imposing a $1,000 tax on them. This was deemed to be Constitutional. In Indianapolis, the train carrying union leaders guilty of the dynamite plot was making its secret way to Federal prison even while the lawyers of the dynamiters vowed to appeal.
The passing year, a century past, had its distinct echoes in our own time. There had been, what the men of the time, thought of as wars, yet they could not even conceive of the wars shortly to come. There were the usual dry news items about the collapse of the government in Spain, a war and an economic crisis in distant parts of the world that did not concern them.
A recession was here, after several panics, and though there was plenty of cheer, there was also plenty of worry. The Federal Reserve Act would be signed at the end of 1913, partly in response to the economic crisis.
Socialism was on the march with the Socialist Party having doubled its votes in the national election. All three major candidates, Wilson, Roosevelt and Taft, had warned that the country was drifting toward Socialism and that they were the only ones who could stop it.
"Unless Socialism is checked," Professor Albert Bushnell Hart warned, "within sixteen years there will be a Socialist President of the United States." Hart was off by four years. Hoover won in 1928. FDR won in 1932.
At New York City's May Day rally, the American flag was torn down and replaced with the red flag, to cries of, "Take down that dirty rag" and "We don't recognize that flag." The site of the rally was Union Square, one of the locations where the rag ends of Occupy Wall Street now hangs out.
There was tension on the Mexican border and alarm over Socialist successes in German elections. An obscure fellow with the silly name of Lenin had carved out a group with the even sillier name of the Bolsheviks. China became a Republic. New Mexico became a state, the African National Congress was founded and the Titanic sank. In our time it was merely the Costa Concordia.
There was bloody fighting in Benghazi where 20,000 Italian troops faced off against 20,000 Arabs and 8,000 Turks. The Italians had modern warships and armored vehicles, while the Muslim forces were supplied by voluntary donations and fighters crossing from Egypt and across North Africa to join in attacking the infidels.
The Italian-Turkish war has since been forgotten, except by the Italians, the Libyans and the Turks, but it featured the first strategic use of airships, ushering in a century of European aerial warfare.
There was a good deal going on while the horns were blown and men in heavy coats and wet hats made their way through the festivities.
World War I was two years away, but the Balkan War had already fired the first shots. The rest was just a matter of bringing the non-phosphorus matches closer to the kindling. The Anti-Saloon League was gathering strength for a nationwide effort that would hijack the political system and divide it into dry and wet, and, among other things, ram through the personal income tax.
Change was coming, and as in 1912, the country was no longer hopeful, it was wary.
The century, for all its expected glamor, had been a difficult one. The future, political and economic, was unknown. Few knew exactly what was to come, but equally few were especially optimistic even when the champagne was flowing.
If we were to stop a reveler staggering out of a hotel, stand in his path and tell him that war was five years away and a great depression would come in on its tail, that liquor would be banned, crime would proliferate and a Socialist president would rule the United States for three terms, while wielding near absolute power, he might have decided to make his way to the recently constructed Manhattan Bridge for a swan dive into the river.
And yet we know that though all this is true, there is a deeper truth. For all those setbacks, the United States survived, and many of us look nostalgically toward a time that was every bit as uncertain and nerve-wracking as our own.
December 31, 1912 was a door that opened onto many things.
Our December 31 is likewise a door, and if a man in shiny clothes from the year 2115 were to stop us on the street and spill out everything he knew about the next century, it is likely that there would be as much greatness as tragedy in that tale.
As the year sweeps across the earth, let us remember that history is more than the worst of its events, that all times bear the burden of their uncertainties, but also carry within them the seeds of greatness. Looking back on this time, it may be that it is not the defeats that we will recall, but how they readied us for the fight ahead. 2012 may be as forgotten as 1912, but 2018 and 2022 may endure in history.
America has not fallen, no more than it did when the clock struck midnight on December 31, 1912. Though it may not seem likely now, there are many great things ahead, and though the challenges at times seem insurmountable and the defeats many, another year and another century await us.
Posted by: Daniel Greenfield at December 31, 2014 9 comments:
The Two Empires We Must Defeat
There is a thread that connects many of our conflicts, whether it's the one against terrorism or the one between the Republican establishment and its conservative insurgency. To win a war, we have to understand the nature of the conflict and how we got there. And that's often the missing piece.
The left blames imperialism for our conflict with terrorists. And it's right. Just not in the way that it thinks.
Empires may be expansionist, but they're also tolerant and multicultural. They have to be, since out of their initial phase they have to enlist the cooperation and services of subjects from a variety of cultures and religions. An empire may initially be fueled by the talents and skills of a core nation, but as it reaches its next phase, it begins sacrificing their interests to the larger structure of empire.
The argument between the establishments of the right and the left is over two different kinds of empires. The Republican establishment in America and its various center-right counterparts abroad have attached themselves to the liberal vision of a transnational empire of international law so much that they have forgotten that this vision came from the left, rather than from the right.
This Empire of International Law proved to have some uses for global trade and security, particularly during the Cold War. These practical arrangements however are overshadowed by the fact that it, like every empire, sacrifices the interests of its peoples to its own structure. This is true of the structure at every level, from the EU to the Federal structure of the United States. The system has displaced the people. And the system runs on principles that require cheap labor leading to policies like amnesty.
The Empire of International Law needs Muslim immigrants even if its people don't, because it envisions integrating them and their countries into this arrangement and rejects national interests as narrow-minded and nativist.
This formerly liberal vision now embraced largely by centrists is the left's vision, which includes today's liberals, is of a completely transnational ideological empire in which there are no borders, but there are countless activists, in which everything and everyone are controlled by the state.
Like the more conventional imperial vision, the left's red Empire of Ideology depends on enlisting Muslims and Muslim countries into its ranks. This is the basis of the Red-Green alliance.
These two types of imperialists are incapable of representing native workers or communities because they are transnationalists. Their vision is cosmopolitan, rather than representative. They are entranced with a byzantine international arrangement and uninterested in the lives of the people they are ruining.
This Imperial blindness is why the West is falling so swiftly to Islam. It's why the pockets of resistance are coming from nations outside the imperial sphere.
Countries like Israel, India or Burma are dependent on specific groups and are not truly part of either empire. They are not transnational. They are national. And it's why they are still holding out.
The empires have made their inroads into them. Israel has its tycoon class that would love nothing more than to join the transnational empire. It has its radical left that would destroy Israel for the world revolution. But it also has millions of people that understand that their lives are on the line.
The resistance to Islam has come from outside the empire. It has come from countries that are neither part of Islam nor the Empire. Those countries may be large, like India or China, or precariously small, like Israel, but they have a dominant ethnic and/or religious identity and are not truly part of the Empire, though they have extensive interconnections with it.
These countries have minority groups, including sizable Muslim minorities, but they also have a national interest that is tethered to its majority.
The United States used to be that way, until not long ago. And then it lost touch with itself. It became diseased with empire and the disease of empire has nothing to do with pith helmets or planting flags. It's what happens when the structure of the system becomes more important than the people. When that happens the old principles that are based on the people are set aside and replaced with principles that are based on the system.
That is how globalism came to trump American workers. It's how accommodating Islam came to matter more than anything else.
An empire may begin by conquering other countries, but it invariably ends by conquering and consuming its own. The empire we are part of isn't, despite the left's rhetoric, a conquering empire. American territorial expansionism ended long before we became part of an empire. Instead we are part of an empire of systems, an empire of principles, an empire of internationalism, of trade and of pieces of papers, legal and financial, being moved through the bowels of our endless systems.
This is the thing that we call international law. And it has to die for us to live.
This is the empire that feeds armies of foreign immigrants through our countries. It's also the empire that pays allegiance to Islam because empires have to diversify to expand. Diversity isn't the source of our strength. It is the source of imperial expansionism which has to absorb many more peoples.
To empires, people are interchangeable. If the natives have a low birth rate and a long lifespan, then workers with high birth rates and lower lifespans are brought in to replace them. If the natives are reluctant to pay higher taxes, immigrants from countries that are fine with voting for high taxation are imported. That is how empires, not nations, do business.
This is what the political establishment in most countries believes. This is what tearing them apart.
The only way for the nations to survive is for the empire, in all its forms, the ideological revolutionary empire of the left and the centrist empire of international law, to to be cast off.
Every political revolution that fails to take into account the power of these two empires on our national politics is doomed to fail. To win a conflict, you have to understand what you are fighting.
We are fighting against two variations on the same set of ideas about the importance of transnational institutions over national ones. We are fighting against the entrenched loyalty to systems and ideology over people. We are fighting empires that have displaced people for ideas.
The only possible revolution that can succeed against these two empires is populist. It must emerge from the needs of the people of a country to be free, to be prosperous and to manage its own affairs. It must proceed by showing the people how they have been victimized and how they are being victimized. And it must show them that they reclaim what their grandparents had if they take back controls over their own countries and destinies.
The rhetoric of empire is seductive. Our educational systems implant it at an early age. It is not the empire of explorers and conquerors, but of lawyers and social justice activists. Against it we must raise the flag of national interests.
The left and the right establishments pretend that they have two very different sets of ideas about the world. They have the same set of ideas, one is a more extreme version of the other. The left fights its own heresies much more fiercely than it does the right. Its rhetoric about imperialism is a rejection of its former ideas about empire for its more radical empire. And we do not want either empire.
What we must have is an end to empires and the rise of nations. Only nations that answer to the national interests of their people can stand against the savage barbarian migrating tide.
Posted by: Daniel Greenfield at December 30, 2014 36 comments:
Every Christmas Now Comes With Muslim Terrorism
Muslim Terrorism has become as much of a Christmas tradition for Christians in the West, as it already was for Christians in the Muslim world, where Somali Muslim gunmen attacked a Christmas party at an African Union base.
A Somali Muslim attempted to bring terrorism into the United States by bombing a Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Portland in 2010. Mohamed Osman Mohamud (twice the Mohammed for twice the mayhem) had a simple goal, "I want whoever is attending that event to leave, to leave dead or injured."
Mohamed Mohamud was just following up on the work of Christmas Day flight bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab over from Nigeria who stuffed his underwear full of plastic explosives and tried to detonate it on Flight 253.
Meanwhile this year we've been tried to race riots in which Muslim organizers have played a leading role and two attacks on New York police officers carried out by Black Muslims. The last attack by Ismayil Abdullah Brinsley robbed two families of a Christmas holiday together.
Over in France, a Muslim rammed his car into a Christmas market while shouting Allahu Akbar, which translates roughly to my Allah is greater than your god. His attack was one of two Car Jihads in France, which has one of the largest Muslim populations in Europe, in a matter of days. And one of three Muslim terror attacks overall.
Meanwhile in Australia, the flag of Jihad was held up by hostages over a window engraving reading "Merry Christmas" in a terror attack that ended up costing two lives.
The Muslim massacres of Christians in the West a may be happening at a slower pace than in Iraq, but they are happening nonetheless leading to a season in which holiday shopping now comes with massacre plots mixed in with the radio jingles and cheer.
If gift wrapping and church going are Christmas traditions, carrying out massacres during other people's holiday celebrations is a Muslim tradition.
In Israel, holidays are a time for extra special caution. The Passover massacre in which dozens of senior citizens attending a holiday meal were murdered, the Yom Kippur War in which Muslim armies invaded Israel on the holiest day of its year or the Purim bombing outside a Tel Aviv mall using a nail bomb, are just some examples of Muslim religious tolerance at work.
It's not limited to Jews or Christians either.
In 2008, a number of bombs went off in Delhi just before Diwali. And back in 1991, Muslims planned to massacre thousands of Hindus during Diwali.
Had they succeeded, the death toll might have been bigger than 9/11.
For Muslims this has always been religious war. And what better target for terror, than an infidel's religious event?
The clergy at interfaith conferences may yammer on about how we're all the children of god, but Muslims know better. They are the slaves of Allah and we are heretics and idol worshipers. It's their duty to fight us, until we submit and accept Muslim rule.
The more we resist, the more they're obligated to kill us until we give in and there's a mosque on every corner and the Koran replaces the Constitution. It's a religious duty for a Muslim to make the Way of Allah triumphant all across the globe.
To Muslims, this is a sacred duty and a way of life, that is not a detail, but the heart of the Koran.
The Islamic holy texts are dominated by a single categorical imperative, to expand, dominate and rule. For the Muslim, life is complicated, but Islam is simple. And even the most secular and westernized Muslim will sooner or later feel an imperative to escape from the complications of modern life, into the pure simplicity of Islam at a cafe or an airline flight. The media charges that such escapees misunderstand Islam, but in actuality they understand it quite well.
Islam is a state of permanent religious war. It has no room in it for dissent or religious differences. That is why the Christian population in the Muslim world is vanishing. As the West becomes more Muslim, its Christian population will begin to decline and vanish.
Multiculturalism is one thing. But that's not what we have here. It's not living side by side with chicken noodle soup and tandoori restaurants. Or stacking churches, synagogues, ashrams and Shinto shrines on every block. Because while the political and cultural elite of the West may subscribe to multiculturalism, its Muslim imports subscribe to only one law. The law of Islam.
They may lapse at times. They may get through a university education, attend nightclubs, listen to the same music all the other kids their age do-- but there's still a ticking time bomb inside their heads. And that bomb is the same one that appears as the lit fuse on the turban of the cartoon Mohammad.
The bomb is Islam. And when it's lit, the result is mass murder.
It is an uncomfortable thing to think about. We who pride ourselves on our tolerance and slap ourselves on the back for our open-mindedness do not like to think that our civilization is an illusion, a parquet floor built over the roaring fire of barbarism underneath.
But it was not so long ago, in the space of years, that our ancestors would have thought no more of killing people because they were different, than we would think of swatting a fly. The difference between us and the Muslim world is that we have changed. They have not.
And much as we may befriend them, the thought of killing us can never be entirely wrong to them. After enough time spent together, we might rank above flies to them, but well below full-fledged and fellow humans. And when they need answers, they turn to a book whose verses promise salvation to anyone who kills us.
It is important to think of these things, because our lives and the survival of our civilization are at stake. We have begun to learn what it is like to live with terror. But we have not learned all of it by far.
Terror haunted Christmas tree lighting celebrations are the beginning, but not the end of it. This is not a bridge we can cross with some multicultural cuisine and a PBS special.
It requires that we understand what we have done. We have imported people from a culture and religion that has never accepted the most basic premise of our way of life. Coexistence. And so we cannot coexist with them. And they cannot coexist with us. After a few years or decades of baffled attempts to adjust to a foreign way of life, they will either wall themselves off or make war on us. Or both at the same time. They cannot be our neighbors, only our enemies.
The sooner we realize that, the less we'll have to read about terror attacks at Christmas.
The Light of Chanukah
A candle is a brief flare of light. A wick dipped in oil burns and then goes out again. The light of Chanukah appears to follow the same narrative. Briefly there is light and warmth and then darkness again.
Out of the exile of Babylon, the handful that returned to resettle and rebuild the land faced the might of new empires. The Jews who returned from the exile of one evil empire some twenty-six hundred years ago were forced to decide whether they would be a people with their own faith and history, or the colony of another empire, with its history and beliefs.
Jerusalem's wealthy elites threw in their lot with the empire and its ways. But out in the rural heartland where the old ways where still kept, a spark flared to life. Modi'in. Maccabee.
And so war came between the handfuls of Jewish Maccabee partisans and the armies of Antiochus IV’s Selecuid empire. A war that had its echoes in the past and would have it again in the future as lightly armed and untrained armies of Jewish soldiers would go on to fight in those same hills and valleys against the Romans and eventually the armies of six Arab nations.
The Syrian Greek armies were among the best of their day. The Maccabees were living in the backwaters of Israel, a nation that had not been independently ruled since the armies of Babylon had flooded across the land, destroying everything in their path.
In the wilderness of Judea a band of brothers vowed that they would bow to no man and let no foreigners rule over their land. Apollonius brought his Samaritan forces against the brothers, and Judah, first among the Macabees, killed him, took his sword and wore it for his own.
Seron, General of the army of Coele-Syria, brought together his soldiers, along with renegade Jewish mercenaries, and was broken at Beit Haran. The Governor of Syria who dispatched two generals, Nicanor, and Gorgias, with forty thousand soldiers and seven thousand horsemen to conquer Judea, destroy Jerusalem and abolish the whole Jewish nation forever. So certain were they of victory that they brought with them merchant caravans to fill with the Hebrew slaves of a destroyed nation.
Judah walked among his brothers and fellow rebels and spoke to them of the thing for which they fought; “O my fellow soldiers, no other time remains more opportune than the present for courage and contempt of dangers; for if you now fight manfully, you may recover your liberty, which, as it is a thing of itself agreeable to all men, so it proves to be to us much more desirable, by its affording us the liberty of worshiping God.
"Since therefore you are in such circumstances at present, you must either recover that liberty, and so regain a happy and blessed way of living, which is that according to our laws, and the customs of our country, or to submit to the most opprobrious sufferings; nor will any seed of your nation remain if you be beat in this battle. Fight therefore manfully; and suppose that you must die, though you do not fight; but believe, that besides such glorious rewards as those of the liberty of your country, of your laws, of your religion, you shall then obtain everlasting glory.
"Prepare yourselves, therefore, and put yourselves into such an agreeable posture, that you may be ready to fight with the enemy as soon as it is day tomorrow morning."
Though the Macabees were but three thousand, starving and dressed in bare rags, the God for whom they fought and their native wits and courage, gave them victory over thousands and tens of thousands. Worn from battle, the Macabees did not flee back into their Judean wilderness, instead they went on to Jerusalem and its Temple, to reclaim their land and their God, only to find the Temple and the capital in ruins.
The Macabees had fought courageously for the freedom to worship God once again as their fathers had, but courage alone could not make the Menorah burn and thus renew the Temple service again. Yet it had not been mere berserker’s courage that had brought them this far. Like their ancestors before them who had leaped into furnaces and the raging sea, they had dared the impossible on faith. Faith in a God who watched over his nation and intervened in the affairs of men. And so on faith they poured the oil of that single flask in the Menorah, oil that could only last for a single day. And then having done all they could, the priests and sons of priests who had fought through entire armies to reach this place, accepted that they had done all they could and left the remainder in the hands of the Almighty.
If they had won by the strength of their hands alone, then the lamps would burn for a day and then flicker out. But if it had been more than mere force of arms that had brought them here, if it had been more than mere happenstance that a small band of ragged and starving rebels had shattered the armies of an empire, then the flames of the Menorah would burn on.
The sun rose and set again. The day came to its end and the men watched the lights of the Menorah to see if they would burn or die out. And if the flame in their hearts could have kindled the lamps, they would have burst into bright flame then and there. Darkness fell that night and still the lamps burned on. For eight days and nights the Menorah burned on that single lonely pure flask of oil, until more could be found, and the men who for a time had been soldiers and had once again become priests, saw that while it may be men who kindle lamps and hearts, it is the Almighty who provides them with the fuel of the spirit through which they burn.
120 years after the Maccabees drove out the foreign invaders and their collaborators, another foreign invader, Herod, the son of a Roman Idumean governor, was placed on the throne by the Roman Empire, disposing of the last of the Maccabean kings and ending the brief revival of the Jewish kingdom.
The revived kingdom had been a plaything in the game of empires. Exiled by Babylon, restored by Persia, conquered by the Greeks, ground under the heel of the remnants of Alexander's empire, briefly liberated by the Parthians, tricked into servitude and destroyed by Rome. The victory of the Maccabean brothers in reclaiming Jerusalem was a brief flare of light in the dark centuries and even that light was shadowed by the growing darkness.
The fall of the Roman Republic and the civil wars of the new empire, its uncontrollable spending and greed made it hopelessly corrupt. Caesar repaid Jewish loyalty by rewarding the Idumean murderers of Jewish kings, and his successors saw the Jewish state as a way to bring in some quick money. Out went the Jewish kings, in came the son of Rome's tax collector, Herod.
The promises made by Senate to the Maccabees ceased to matter. Imperial greed collided with Jewish nationalism in a war that for a brief shining moment seemed as if it might end in another Chanukah, but ended instead in massacre and atrocity. The exiles went forth once again, some on foot and some in slave ships. Jerusalem was renamed and resettled. The long night had begun.
But no darkness lasts forever.
Two thousand years after the Jews had come to believe that wars were for other people and miracles meant escaping alive, Jewish armies stood and held the line against an empire and the would be empires of the region.
And now the flame still burns, though it is flickering. Sixty-five years is a long time for oil to burn, especially when the black oil next door seems so much more useful to the empires and republics across the sea. And the children of many of those who first lit the flame no longer see the point in that hoary old light.
But that old light is still the light of possibilities. It burns to remind us of the extraordinary things that our ancestors did and of the extraordinary assistance that they received. We cannot always expect oil to burn for eight days, just as we cannot always expect the bullet to miss or the rocket to fall short. And yet even in those moments of darkness the reminder of the flame is with us for no darkness lasts forever and no exile, whether of the body of the spirit, endures. Sooner or later the spark flares to life again and the oil burns again. Sooner or later the light returns.
It is the miracle that we commemorate because it is a reminder of possibilities. Each time we light a candle or dip a wick in oil, we release a flare of light from the darkness comes to remind us of what was, is and can still be.
Saving Comrade Castro
The Soviet Union did not have to fall. If Carter had won a second term and Mondale had succeeded him, the Communist dictatorship might have received the outside help it needed to survive.
And we would still be living under the shadow of the Cold War.
Carter couldn’t save the Soviet Union, but he did his best to save Castro, visiting Fidel and Raul in Cuba where the second worst president in American history described his meeting with Castro as a greeting among “old friends”.
Raul Castro called Carter “the best of all U.S. presidents”.
Obama’s dirty deal with Raul will make the worst president in American history, Castro’s new best friend.
Carter couldn’t save Castro, but Obama did. This was not a prisoner exchange. This was a Communist bailout.
Obama boasted that he would increase the flow of money to Cuba from businesses, from bank accounts and from trade. When he said, “We’re significantly increasing the amount of money that can be sent to Cuba”, that was his real mission statement.
The Castro regime is on its last legs. Its sponsors in Moscow and Caracas are going bankrupt due to failing energy prices. The last hope of the Butcher of Havana was a bailout from Washington D.C.
And that’s exactly what Obama gave him.
Obama has protected the Castros from regime change as if Communist dictators are an endangered species.
From the beginning, Obama put his foreign policy at the disposal of Havana when he backed Honduran leftist thug Manuel Zelaya’s attempt to shred its Constitution over the protests of the country’s Congress and Supreme Court. And its military, which refused to obey his illegal orders.
Obama’s support for an elected dictator in Honduras should have warned Americans that their newly elected leader viewed men like Zelaya favorably and constitutions and the separation of powers between the branches of government unfavorably. It also showcased his agenda for Latin America.
His embrace of Raul Castro brings that agenda out into the open even if he still insists in wrapping it in dishonest claims about “freedom” and “openness” while bailing out a Communist dictatorship.
Obama began his Castro speech with a lie, declaring, “The United States of America is changing its relationship with the people of Cuba.”
The Cuban people have no relationship with the United States because they have no free elections and no say in how they are governed. The only Cubans who have a relationship with the United States fled here on rafts.
Obama did not make his dirty deal with the Cuban people. He made it in a marathon phone call with the Cuban dictator. When Obama claims that his deal with Raul Castro represents a new relationship with the people of Cuba, he is endorsing a Communist dictatorship as the legitimate representative of the Cuban people.
This is a retroactive endorsement of the Castro regime and its entire history of mass murder and political terror. Obama is not trying to “open up” Cuba as he claimed. He likes Cuba just the way it is; Communist and closed.
Obama did not consult the Cuban people, just as he did not consult the American people. He disregarded the embargo, Congress, the Constitution and the freedom of the Cuban people.
His dictatorial disregard of the embargo, which can only be eliminated by Congress, in order to support a dictatorship, is a disturbing reminder that the road he is walking down leads to a miserable tyranny. Cuban-American senators from both parties have been unanimous in condemning the move. These senators are the closest thing to Cuban elected officials. But Obama disregarded Senator Menendez, a man of his own party, Senator Marco Rubio and Senator Ted Cruz.
Instead Obama chose to stand with Raul Castro and his Communist dictatorship.
Obama tried to whitewash his crime by exploiting Alan Gross, a USAID contractor who was imprisoned and abused by the Castro regime, as if the release of an American hostage justified helping the men holding him hostage stay in power. And the media, which was reprinting Castro’s propaganda claiming that Gross’ imprisonment was justified, is busy now pretending that it cares about his release.
He had similarly tried to whitewash his Taliban amnesty by using Bergdahl and his parents as cover. If a deal is struck with Iran, the release of Robert Levinson, Saeed Abedini or Amir Hekmati will almost certainly be used to divert attention from the fact that their own government has collaborated with the thugs and terrorists who took them hostage.
Even though Obama criticized European countries for paying financial ransoms to ISIS, his own ransom paid to the Castros is worth countless billions. And the blood money pouring out of American banks into the Castro regime will encourage other dictatorships to take Americans hostage as leverage for obtaining concessions from the United States. Americans abroad will suffer for Obama’s dirty deal.
No European country recognized ISIS in exchange for the release of hostages. Only Obama was willing to go that far with Cuba, not only opening diplomatic and economic relations, but promising to remove the Communist dictatorship from the list of state sponsors of terror despite the fact that the last State Department review found that Cuba continued to support the leftist narco-terrorists of FARC.
FARC had taken its own American hostages who were starved and beaten, tortured and abused.
Now Obama has given in to the demand of a state sponsor of terror to be removed from the list of state sponsors of terrorism in exchange for releasing a hostage.
Obama has sent a message to Iran that the best way to secure a deal is by wrapping it in an American hostage. He has told ISIS that we do negotiate with terrorists. And he has once again demonstrated that his vaunted “smart power” is nothing more than appeasement wrapped in excuses and lies.
But Obama did not act to help Alan Gross. He did not even act because he genuinely thought that diplomatic relations would open up Cuba. In his speech, Obama used the claim commonly put forward by Castro apologists that the very fact that the Castros were still in power proved that sanctions had failed. Yet the lack of sanctions against Cuba by the rest of the world certainly did not usher in the new spirit of openness that Obama is promising. Rewarding dictators with cash never frees a nation. This was not about saving Alan Gross. It was about saving Raul Castro.
Obama and Castro are both weakened leaders of the left. Like the Castros, Obama has lost international influence and his own people have turned on him. The only thing he has left is unilateral rule.
If Obama saw something of his own hopes and aspirations to engage in a populist transformation of the United States in Manuel Zelaya or Hugo Chavez, his horizons have narrowed down to those of Raul Castro. His ability to remake the world has vanished and the American people are revolting against his collectivization efforts. They want open health care markets, free speech and honest government.
Obama can no longer remake the Middle East, he certainly can’t bring the Soviet Union back from the dead, but he could still bail out Raul Castro and maintain Communist rule in Cuba.
No matter how often Obama claims to be “on the right side of history”, the Castros are a living
reminder that to be on the left is to be on the wrong side of history.
Obama did not want to see the “Berlin Wall” fall in Havana on his watch. After watching his own grip on the United States collapse, he did not want to see the left fail again.
We can never know how history might have been different if Carter had gotten a second term or if Mondale had replaced Reagan. But Obama’s deal with Castro reminds us that the end of the USSR was not inevitable. It happened because we stood up against the tyrants in the Kremlin and their useful idiots in the White House.
A good man like Reagan could make a difference by bringing down the USSR. A bad man like Obama can make a difference by keeping Cuba Communist.
This article originally appeared as Obama’s Bailout for Communist Dictators at Front Page Magazine.
A Dangerous Holiday
Holidays are a calendar. They mark points in emotional and physical time. They remind of us who we are.
Many of those celebrating Chanukah celebrate a holiday that does nothing more than celebrate 'celebration', the rituals and rites of entertainment, a special food, a symbol whose meaning they don't remember and a little family fun.
Chanukah is many things but it is not a safe holiday. It is a victory celebration in a guerrilla war. It is a reminder that Obama's war on Jerusalem was preceded long before him by Antiochus's war on Jerusalem. It is a brief light in a period of great darkness.
The great irony of Chanukah is that those likeliest to strip away its historical and religious meaning would have been fighting against the Macabees. The battle to preserve the meaning of Chanukah is part of the struggle to preserve the Jewish traditions and culture that the left attacks.
Today's struggle for Jerusalem, for Judaism, for freedom of religion and a meaningful life continues that same old struggle of Chanukah.
The overt militarism of the Chanukah story has made it an uncomfortable fit for liberal Jews who found it easier to strip away its dangerous underlying message that a time comes when you must choose between the destruction of your culture and a war you can't win. In those dark days a war must be fought if the soul of the nation is to survive.
There are worse things than death and slavery, the fate that waited for the Maccabees and their allies had they failed, the fates that came anyway when the last of the Maccabees were betrayed and murdered by Caesar's Edomite minister, whose sons went on to rule over Israel as the Herodian dynasty.
Nations can survive the mass murder of their bodies, but not the death of their spirit. A nation does not die, until its soul dies, and the soul of a nation is in its culture and its faith, not in the bodies of its citizens.
Tonight that first candle, that first glimmer of flame over oil, marks the night that the Maccabee forces entered Jerusalem, driving out the enemy armies and their Jewish collaborators, and reclaiming their people's culture and religion.
The light of the flame was a powerful message sent across time that even in the darkest hour, hope was not lost. And Divine Providence would not abandon the people. Time passed the Maccabees fell, Jerusalem was occupied and ethnically cleansed over and over again, and still the menorah burned on. A covert message that still all hope was not lost. That Israel would rise again.
Israel had used signal fires and torches held up on mountain tops to pass along important news. The lighting of the menorah was a miniature signal fire, a perpetuation of the temple light, its eight-day light a reminder that even the smallest light can burn beyond expectation and light beyond belief and that those who trust in G-d and fight for the freedom to believe in Him, should never abandon hope.
That divine signal fire first lit in the deserts by freed slaves has been passed on for thousands of years. Today the menorah is on the seal of the State of Israel, the product of a modern day Chanukah. The mark of a Jerusalem liberated in a miracle of six days, not eight. Six as in the number of the original temple Menorah. And the one on the seal as well.
For those liberals who believe that Jewish identity should be limited to donating to help Haiti, agitating for illegal aliens and promoting the environment; Chanukah is a threatening holiday. They have secularized it, dressed it up with teddy bears and toys, trimmed it with the ecology and civil rights of their new faith. Occasionally a Jewish liberal learns the history of it and writes an outraged essay about nationalism and militarism, but mostly they are content to bury it in the same dark cellar that they store the rest of the history of their people and the culture that they left behind.
Holidays aren't mere parties, they are messages. Knots of time that we tie around the fingers of our lives so that we remember what our ancestors meant us to never forget. That they lived and died for a reason. The party is a celebration, but if we forget what it celebrates, then it becomes a celebration of celebration. A hollow and soulless festival of the self. The Maccabees fought because they believed they had something worth fighting for. Not for their possessions, but for their traditions, their families and their G-d. The celebration of Chanukah is not just how we remember them, but how we remember that we are called upon to keep their watch. To take up their banner and carry their sword.
History is a wheel and as it turns, we see the old continents of time rising again, events revisiting themselves as the patterns of the past become new again. Ancient battles become new wars. And old struggles have to be re-fought again until we finally get them right.
Modiin, the rural center of the old Maccabee resistance, is a revived city today, larger than it ever was. Modiin-Maccabim has some 80,000 people living there. In the ancient days, this was where the Maccabee clan rose against the Seleucid conquerors over religious freedom. Today it is a place that the European Union labels an illegal settlement. A place that Jews have no right to live even though it is within sight of the Maccabees who lived and died there. Over two thousand years after Chanukah, Jews are still not allowed to live in peace in Modiin.
The new Maccabees are farmers and teachers, men and women who build families and homes in the lands of their ancestors, who brave the threats of terrorists and international tyrants to live their lives and raise their children. Knowing that they will not be allowed to live in peace, that everything they stand for is hated by the UN, in the capitals of great empires and even by their own government, they still put flame to wick and mark the first day of many days of the miracle that revived the spirit of a nation and inspires it to this day.
Not only may Jews not live in Modiin, but they may not live in Jerusalem either. And yet they do. They persist, to the eternal frustration of empires, in this quiet resistance of building a future with their buildings, their bodies and their lives. They persist in living where so many would like them to die. And they persist in lighting the menorah when so many would rather that it be forgotten.
The Jew today is called on to forget. To turn his children into bricks in order to construct the utopia of their new world order. To bend to the progressive wheel and wear the social justice chain, and cast his own offspring into the sea of zero population growth. To give up his nation, his land, his faith and his future to toil in the shadow of the pyramids of socialism. To go down to labor in Egypt once more, in South America and Haitian slums, in barrios and villages, in ghettos and madinas, to give up who he is in order to serve others in the new slavery of social justice.
It takes courage to resist physical oppression, but it takes even greater courage to resist cultural oppression. The terms of physical resistance are easy to understand. Force is used against force. Cultural resistance is far more difficult, and by the time the necessity for it is apparent, it can often be too late.The Maccabees had to resist not only physical oppression and armed force, but the cultural oppression of a system that regarded their monotheism, their nationalism, their traditions and rituals as barbaric. A system that much of their own fellow Jews had already accepted as right and proper.
The Maccabees rose up not only against physical oppression, Israel had and would face that over and over again, they rose up against an assault on their religious and cultural identity. The lighting of the Menorah is the perpetuation of that cultural resistance and when it is performed properly then it reminds us that cultural oppression, like physical oppression, is ubiquitous, and that just as the forms of cultural oppression can often go unnoticed, so too the resistance to it can go unnoticed as well.
Every year that we celebrate Chanukah, the left makes another attempt to "desecrate the temple" by destroying its meaning and replacing it with the usual grab bag of social justice issues under the union label of "Tikkun Olam". And each time we push back against their ruthless assault on Jewish history and tradition the same way that the Maccabees did, by reclaiming our sacred places, cleaning away the filth left behind by the occupiers, and lighting the Menorah to remind us of who we are.
Chanukah marks the culmination of the Maccabee campaign for the liberation of Jerusalem. It is the time when we remember the men and women who refused to submit to the perversion of their values and the theft of their land. It reminds us that we must not allow our land to be stolen under any guise or allow our religion, history and culture to be perverted on any pretext. The light of the Menorah reminds us that the sacredness of a nation is in its spirit and that preserving that spirit is an eternal struggle against the conquerors of land and the tyrants of souls.
Chanukah is a Holiday of Resistance. It commemorates the physical and spiritual resistance that is required of us sooner or later in all times. Chanukah takes us back to the armed resistance and the moral awakening that liberated Jerusalem and connected the Jewish people with their G-d once again. And that reminds us to never give up, not in the face of an assault on our bodies or on our culture. The lights go out, but they are lit again, each day, for thousands of years, reminding us to hold on to our traditions and our faith, rather than trade them in for the trendy trinkets and cheap jewelery of progressive liberalism.
To light the menorah on Chanukah is to pass on a signal fire that has been kept lit for thousands of years. From the first holiday of Passover, after which the freed slaves kindled the first Menorah, to the final holiday of Chanukah, that light burns on. The historical cycle of Jewish holidays begins with Moshe confronting Pharaoh and demanding the freedom of the Jewish people. It ends with the Maccabees standing up to the tyranny of Antiochus and fighting for the right of the Jewish people to live under their own rule on their own land.
The lights of the menorah embody the spirit of the Jewish people. A spirit that has outlived the atrocities of every tyrant. In the heart of the flame that has burned for a thousand years lives the soul of a people.
Life in Post-Truth America
Next month Americans will experience the fifteenth anniversary of the time that the President of the United States shook his finger at the country and informed it, “I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky. I never told anybody to lie, not a single time; never.”
Bill Clinton was lying. But the lie was more significant than the thing that he was lying about.
When the lie came crashing down, Clinton and his defenders deconstructed the English language, questioning the meaning of every word in his sentence rather than admit that the lie was a lie.
Given a choice between telling the truth or challenging the definitions of such words as “sex” and “is”, they decided to burn their dictionary.
Clinton’s antics set the stage for a current administration which can never be caught in a lie because it’s lying all the time. Obama and his people don’t just lie, they lie about the lies and then they lie about those lies. Bringing them in to testify just clogs the filters with an extra layer of lies.
Invite Gruber to testify about the time that he admitted that the administration had been lying and the only thing that will happen is more lies being told by a man who is there only because he lied.
Like the old lady who explained her cosmology to Bertrand Russell as being “turtles all the way down”, with modern progressives it’s lies all the way down.
Lena Dunham served up a rape accusation against a conservative Republican named Barry only to hide behind the ambiguity of being an unreliable narrator. The unreliable narrator likewise takes the stage at the University of Virginia where a high profile case has dissolved into contradictory stories in which it becomes difficult to tell whether it was the reporter or her subject who was doing the lying.
The unreliable narrator has crossed over from a fictional device in novels to memoirs, journalism and into politics. Journalists repeatedly dismissed ObamaCare scandals by arguing that no one could have taken Obama’s claims at face value anyway. When Obama promised Americans that they could keep their doctors, the housewife in Topeka, the freelance programmer in San Francisco and the geologist in Tulsa were supposed to be as knowing as the Washington press corps and realize that he didn’t mean it.
Like Lena Dunham, Obama was an unreliable narrator. No one was ever supposed to expect the truth from him. The significance of Bill Clinton was not in his affairs, but in his cynicism. He got away with lying by dismissing the idea that anyone should have ever expected the truth from him. Obama expanded on his work by eliminating the base truth underneath the lies.
The device of the unreliable narrator puts truth out of reach. It says that there is no such thing as truth, only various perspectives on an event.
Lena Dunham doesn’t claim to be providing facts, only different versions of a story. The facts themselves cannot be retrieved because there are no facts. The man in question is no longer named Barry. Every descriptive detail about him might be equally false. The whole thing may never have happened, but it’s important to believe that it happened without ever expecting it to be true.
This is the Doublethink state of our progressive Oceania. We are expected to believe a lie while remembering that it’s a lie and therefore never really fooled us or caused anyone any harm.
We were supposed to believe Obama’s assurances about ObamaCare while knowing them not to be true. We are supposed to believe Lena Dunham and Jackie and Gruber while disbelieving them. “The essential act of the Party is to use conscious deception while retaining the firmness of purpose that goes with complete honesty,” Orwell wrote.
The conscious deceptions of the modern Doublethinkers depend on them telling a lie in the service of the greater truth. That pursuit of a greater truth built out of lies is what motivated a Rolling Stone article about fraternity rapists that even Mike Nifong would have turned his nose up at or Gruber’s arrogant truths about lying. The greater truth gives them the firmness of purpose and the complete honesty.
Lena Dunham in BuzzFeed, the apologists for ObamaCare and the activist cheerleaders for Rolling Stone, insist that the facts are a technicality that is obstructing the greater truth. And the greater truth is a worldview that is out of the reach of facts and can never be disproven.
Bill Clinton and his allies deconstructed the English language rather than admit a lie. Their successors deconstruct reality. They deny that objective truth exists or even matters. They didn’t lie because there is no such thing as truth. There are perspectives, some of which agree with Bill Clinton’s version of reality or Lena Dunham’s version of reality. And then there is Obama’s version of reality.
Obama is the nexus of Doublethink. He is the man whom reporters have denounced as the greatest enemy of press freedom in a generation and whom they compulsively defend with every possible lie. Why do journalists protect and serve the man who threatened them, bugged and even tried to lock them up? They too have long ago become unreliable narrators of their own profession.
In the absence of facts, there can be no reality. There is only ideology.
Obama doesn’t simply lie. He exists in a truth-free zone. He doesn’t stumble with any construction as clumsy as Kerry’s “I actually did vote for the $87 billion, before I voted against it.” He does not start with truthful facts. His starting point is in an imaginary territory. It ends in an imaginary territory. If the two imaginary territories are different, it scarcely matters because neither place was ever real.
When he came into office Obama insisted that we had to pivot to fighting Al Qaeda in Afghanistan even though it was no longer in Afghanistan. He went on claiming victory over an enemy that didn’t exist while dismissing ISIS as a jayvee team even when it was capturing entire cities in Iraq.
These weren’t mere lies. This was a foreign policy being conducted in an imaginary territory. It was Wag the Dog being played out in real life. But then again what is real around Obama anyway?
Bill Clinton lied. Obama tells stories. None of these stories have anything to do with reality. Lena Dunham’s biography is a peek into a disordered mind that is incapable of grasping the concept of truth. In her world there are no facts, only stories that elicit emotional reactions. Obama’s entire career rests on the same technique of telling stories for emotional effect without any regard for reality.
ObamaCare was an ugly collectivist bureaucratic dinosaur clothed in imaginary stories. The stories about it, about the economy, about the war are still being told. Added to it are new stories about racism. The stories are passionate, compelling and appealing. They are also completely unreal.
Progressives don’t only live in a post-American world; they live in a post-Truth world. A world without facts and without truth is one in which the America that was cannot exist.
America had prospered because of a firm belief in a discoverable and exploitable reality. That was the country that could build skyscrapers and fleets in a year. Post-Truth America has little interest in big buildings because it’s too busy enacting a psychodrama in which the earth is about to be destroyed. And fleets, like horses and bayonets and facts, are 19th century toys that are much less interesting than the manipulation of people through lies and deceit.
Lena Dunham’s Barry and Obama’s Barry are both imaginary creatures. They are the sophisticated products of disordered minds and a disordered civilization whose leading figures lie as instinctively and as shamelessly as any pre-rational culture that could not distinguish between lies and truth.
Leftist Lynch Mobs from Ferguson to Rolling Stone
Did you bury a teenage girl alive after shooting her? Are you on death row after a string of crimes too gruesome to describe? Or you just a member of Al Qaeda dedicated to destroying America?
If so progressives will fight for you. Just dial 1-800-IAM-VICTIM and the left waiting to take your call will insist on your presumption of innocence. Its activists, reporters and lawyers will exploit every pretext to get you off the hook and they will call that justice.
The judicial process, they will say, matters more than public safety, public outrage or the victims.
When the crime wave set loose by their own activism flooded the country they clung to Blackstone’s formulation of “It is better that ten guilty persons escape than that one innocent suffer.” As murders, rapes and robberies rose, the value of that formulation went up from ten to ten thousand.
But it had to be the right ten thousand.
Leftist lynch mobs rioting in Ferguson, marching through Manhattan and screaming in Oakland assert that the presumption of innocence doesn’t apply to police officers or white Hispanics. Their poses of victimization with their cries of “Black lives matter” and “I can’t breathe” disguise what they really are.
They were protesting before the case moved forward. They have continued protesting after the verdict was in. That’s not a call for justice. It’s a lynch mob that knows what the verdict should be and seeks to intimidate the authorities into giving it to them by taking the law into their own hands.
Rolling Stone’s rape story was cooked out of the same ingredients; a presumption of guilt and a lynch mob demanding its own brand of justice. The facts never mattered.
The assistant managing editor at the University of Virginia’s student paper admitted that when she argued, "To let fact checking define the narrative would be a huge mistake."
It was never about the facts. It was about the narrative. And the narrative was not only the guilt of a few men, but the way that their guilt stood in for the guilt of all men or all white people. The factual question of whether Officer Darren Wilson or a few UVA students committed a crime was a technicality.
Since the racist and sexist narrative states that all white people or all men are inherently guilty, the factual question of whether a few men actually raped someone doesn’t matter. The factual question of whether a police officer is actually guilty under the law is so obscure that it isn’t worth discussing.
Fact checking just obstructs the narrative that all white people or all men are guilty.
The old lynch mobs presumed that a black man was guilty on account of his race. So do the new lynch mobs.
Wilson’s crime wasn’t shooting Michael Brown. It was shooting him while being white. If he had been black, we wouldn’t be talking about it now. If the black sergeant supervising the takedown of Eric Garner had been the one to restrain him, there would be no protesters shouting “I can’t breathe”.
Subtract the race of the perpetrator and the case wouldn’t exist. That’s what makes the case racist.
A lynch mob brought into existence by the race of the man they want lynched is a racist lynch mob.
At Ferguson and the University of Virginia not only was the crime assumed into existence before the verdict was in, but the action of one police officer in Ferguson was used to indict all police officers and then all white people. The actions of a few men at the University of Virginia were used to indict the entire fraternity and then all fraternities and then all men.
Classic lynch mobs treated the actions of one black rapist as a justification for repressing all black people. The leftist lynch mobs at Ferguson and the University of Virginia used the accusation of an individual crime to call for the repression of entire groups, to attack all white people and all men.
Even if these crimes had turned out to be substantiated, indicting hundreds of millions of people for the actions of a few is the narrative of a hate group. And that’s what progressives have shown that they are; a respectable establishment hate group that demonizes millions of people and leads lynch mobs.
One of the greatest lies of the left is that it believes in civil liberties. The ACLU’s civil libertarian colors were a convenient costume. It never existed to protect the rights of the people against leftist governments. It existed to protect the privileges of leftists.
That’s a direct quote from its co-founder.
Roger Nash Baldwin wrote, “If I aid the reactionaries to get free speech now and then, if I go outside the class struggle to fight against censorship, it is only because those liberties help to create a more hospitable atmosphere for working class liberties... When that power of the working class is once achieved, as it has been only in the Soviet Union, I am for maintaining it by any means whatever.”
When Baldwin wrote these words, he was speaking of a Soviet Union led by Stalin which was maintaining its dictatorship of the proletariat through a secret police, torture and mass murder.
The co-founder of the ACLU was not only endorsing Stalin’s crimes, but he was also looking forward to an American Stalin rounding up enemies of the state and shooting them with the support of the ACLU.
The presumption of innocence is an idea that leftists only believe in when they aren’t in power.
When the left isn’t in power, then it may protect civil liberties to protect itself. When one of its own radicals is sitting in the White House, then it leads lynch mobs through the streets. The protests aren’t acts of weakness by victims, but signs of strength by oppressors.
The left is rejecting the democratic results of the midterm elections and turning to street violence. Their confidence is derived from the support of the establishment from the White House to the media. Never have lynch mobs received such universal acclaim from all the powers of the United States of America.
The progressive lynch mobs in Ferguson and at the University of Virginia contend that some crimes are too hurtful to a particular population to be protected by the presumption of innocence. Some suspects should be presumed guilty because of the combination of their race and gender with a national crisis.
After fighting for Al Qaeda terrorists at Gitmo, the left hypocritically decided that the presumption of innocence should apply to Muslim terrorists but not to police officers. The civil libertarians of the left went from championing the rights of criminals over those of victims to embracing the conservative position of victim rights… as long these rights are reserved for only the right sorts of victims.
The activists of the left must be forced to admit whether they are for or against the presumption of innocence. If they want to dispense with the presumption of innocence when it comes to enemies of the people like police officers and fraternity members, it will also go away for Islamic terrorists and violent thugs. Not to mention Weather Underground terrorists teaching at prestigious progressive colleges.
We cannot have a presumption of innocence for some people and not others. The left is not entitled to create two justice systems for two types of people. One group will be lynched with a formality of a trial manipulated to produce a verdict that not only damns one defendant, but also his entire race or gender. The other will receive every possible defense no matter how obvious his guilt may be.
America is a nation of laws, not of racist lynch mobs. Its trials are based on facts, not on narratives. The presumption of innocence matters more than the narrative and the social justice hashtag. Without it all we have left are racist lynch mobs with smartphones marching through Manhattan.
Fat Class Warfare
There was a time when fat was in and thin was out. Obesity was the privilege of wealth and being thin meant being poor. In simpler societies, before slumming became a romantic pose, there was nothing attractive about not having enough to eat.
To be fat was to be part of the leisure class. Thin meant you were on the road to the poorhouse or to consumption, which meant your body was being consumed, not that you were the one doing the consuming.
Then agriculture was revolutionized and the values flipped. No one in the West was starving to death and the poorest man could still grow fat. By the time the social programs kicked in, weight no longer meant leisure.
With packaged foods widely available and jobs shifting from the factory to the desk, it was entirely possible to work hard and get fat.
On the other side of the aisle, exercise meant leisure time. The standard was set by movie stars who struggled to meet unrealistic standards because they had the time and disposable income to do it.
Fat no longer meant upper class gentry. Instead it meant lower class peasant. As with art, the widespread availability turned minimalism, and eventually the worthless and overpriced, into class signifiers. Conspicuous consumption of that which was widely available was lower class.
The overflowing table made way for micro portions and exotic but barely edible foods. Thin was in on the plate and the waistline.
In many Third World countries where feudalism never ended, the values never flipped. Instead of anorexia, teenage girls suffer from being force fed to make them more marriageable. The wealthy are fat and the feasts at the top never end.
In the West, weight stands in for class, at a time when explicit classism has become politically incorrect. When Europeans sneer at how fat Americans are, and American coastal elites sneer at the rest of the country for being fat, it's a class putdown.
And no one traffics in class putdowns like the left.
Liberalism has become an engine of class repression, with the super-rich pushing down the rich and the rich liberal undermining the middle class. Its regulatory regime limits social mobility and locks in class privileges even while spewing rhetoric about these and income inequality.
Obesity is a classic moral crusade whose real purpose is to inflate the sense of moral superiority of a particular elite. With the moral codes of sex and drugs having been dismantled by that same elite, obesity is one of the few remaining class signifiers, aside from cigarettes, that it's safe to hold a moral crusade about.
The War on Fat echoes the same old obsessions of Prohibitionism, a paranoid concern about the inability of the lower classes to care for themselves that verges on bigotry, an imaginary crisis blown out of all proportion in order to justify abuses of power and the self-congratulatory superiority lurking behind the curtain.
Their obesity concern trolling is a combination of classism and nanny statism that brings to mind the days when their ideological forebears thought that the way to deal with the poor was to sterilize those who seemed less capable than the rest to improve the breed. The breed being culled while the elites try to teach their less evolved cousins to survive by eating their arugula.
Finding moral failings in a manufactured underclass justifies endless abuses of power by demonstrating the inferiority and unfitness of those below. Obesity fits into that same template.
The solutions never work. Michelle Obama's botched school lunch program and ObamaCare lawsuits over fitness rewards once again show that the technocratic nanny state can never achieve the goals of the moral crusade. But slimming down isn't really the goal. Bloomberg's soda ban wasn't a serious solution. It was an expression of disdain and most of those on the receiving end understood that.
Barack and Michelle Obama lecture on food while gorging themselves at banquets. The lecture is the point. Cutting calories isn't. It's easier to oppress those who are manifestly inferior. Every elite needs these hypocritical justifications of their own superiority. The nanny state is not an act of concern.
It's an act of contempt.
The nanny state is built on a technocratic confidence in the ability to create one size fits all solutions, overlaying that on a map of the current medical wisdom leads to the creation of single standards, which often have less to do with health than they do with the status symbols of the leisure class. 19th century popularized medicine created so many of these fads that some of them are still around today. The 20th century created even more of them. And the 21st century is only getting started.
Death though is not only inevitable, but it cannot be dodged with a one size fits all standard. Fitness guru Jim Fixx who helped kickstart the running craze died in his early fifties of a heart attack. Fixx had quit smoking and lost weight, and still died at an early age. Jackie Gleason who spent his life looking like a walking health attack, smoking and drinking, outlived him by nearly twenty years.
Medicine is individual and the collectivization of medicine is a technocratic solution that leads to broad stroke solutions, like adding calories to menus and other rats in a maze tactics designed to modify human behavior on a national level. The targeting of fast food restaurants, public school meals and food stamps reeks of the same elitist arrogance that drives the nanny state.
The politicization of food by the elites of the left always comes down to class, no matter how it may be disguised in liberal colors. From exotic to locally grown, the trajectory of food politics follows the upselling of food prices The only difference is that the dominance of the left has wrapped the added cost with no added value in their own politics. The more affordable food becomes, the more the left finds ways to add cost to food, without adding value.
But the politicization of food goes beyond the fair trade and locally grown fetishes of the politically correct elites, the more politics ends up on your plate, the more the elites are driven to involve everyone else in their food fights. What begins as a way of raising prices while diminishing value to assert wealth and privilege becomes imposed on everyone in the name of their political morality.
Once everyone else is paying more and getting less, then the classist left demands new ways to set its superior moral eating habits apart. Instead of everyone ending up with more food, everyone ends up with less.
Lefty culture practices conspicuous consumption, but the consumption has to be disguised with conspicuous political pieties. The food may cost twice as much, but it's locally grown on a farm run by handicapped union workers who visit Cuba to receive free health care or by the indigenous peoples of Tuba-Tuba with the proceeds going to a complete sonic library of their chants and ceremonies. It's a meaningfully meaningless hairshirt that disguises the consumption underneath.
Conspicuous consumption is now for the poor while conspicuous political consumption is for liberal elites. Al Gore may live in a mansion but he still has the carbon footprint of a mouse. The problem is the truck driver whose vehicular emissions are killing the planet. Whole Foods is just fine, but we need to do something about White Castle.
In a moment of horrifying tone deafness that makes Marie Antoinette seem enlightened, the left is cheering that fewer Americans are eating meat, without seeming to understand that it's because fewer Americans are able to afford it because of the left's economic policies.
What the left's food police can't accomplish with nudges and shaming, they can finish off with policies and regulations that raise the price of food or make it too difficult to sell. When the left fails to sell the public on conspicuous political consumption as a status symbol, it brings in the heavy bureaucratic artillery.
It isn't unusual for elites to use the legal system to enforce their own values on the general public, though it was the kind of thing that the universal franchise was supposed to put a leash on, but there is something grim about their growing preoccupation with the habits and mortality of the population. It's the kind of concern that has a habit of ending in eugenics and the more medicine is universalized, the easier it is to start cutting off access to medical treatment for those who haven't been nudged far enough in the right direction.
Social medicine politicizes food consumption and a globalized economy politicizes food production. And the politicized American plate has less on it and at a higher price. While the left obsessively pursues its mission of destroying fast food in the name of lowering socialized medicine costs, they are taking affordable and filling food off the shelves, as they have done with countless other products that they have targeted.
By the time the left was done with Russia, it had gone from a wheat producer to a wheat importer and many basic food staples were hard to come by even in a country filled with collective farms. Finding modern day examples of that isn't hard. We only have to look as far south as Venezuela to see empty store shelves under the weight of government food policies.
But one day that may be the local grocery store if the left gets its way.
Black Lives Don't Matter
The slogan of the wave of Ferguson protests is “Black Lives Matter”. But progressives are far more interested in toting around the corpse of Michael Brown to their protests than in the living man he was.
Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown and countless others like them grew up in broken families, their lives haunted by fathers and stepfathers with gang ties. The only masculine culture they had was that of the thug and that culture eventually killed them.
Criminal culture is even more fatal to criminals than it is to their victims. If you attack enough people, eventually one of them will fight back. Eventually one of them will kill you.
It wasn’t Darren Wilson who decided that black lives don’t matter. Michael Brown did. He did not grow up with a sense that his life was worth anything more than violent posturing could make of it. Just like Martin, that violent posturing eventually killed him.
Rappers recorded a tribute song to Michael Brown titled, “Don’t Shoot”. But Brown’s own songs had a different theme with lyrics like “My favorite part of killing people is when they hit the ground.”
Black criminals victimize other black people first. The Ferguson looters went after businesses serving the black community and businesses owned by black people. That’s the way it always is.
Which black lives really matter in Missouri; the lives of criminals shot by police officers or the black lives taken by criminals?
Missouri has a black homicide rate that is nearly double the nationwide homicide rate for black people. And it’s nearly six times higher than the overall murder rate in Missouri.
If the media were really outraged by lost black lives, they would be outraged by those numbers. If the protesters really wanted to say that black lives matter, they would fight those murder rates instead of contributing to them with their protests. The story of Missouri’s murder rate is the story of the left. From the beginning to the end of the 1960s, murder rates doubled, rapes, robberies and car thefts doubled, assaults tripled and thefts quadrupled.
A decade in which America changed left a bloody trail of death and misery in its wake. The victims of the left’s transformation of America filled the gutters, morgues, prisons and hospitals.
When Giuliani pointed out that the police were there to protect black people, he was asserting that black lives matter. And unlike every single one of his self-righteous critics, he actually saved black lives.
The decision of his Socialist successor, Bill de Blasio, to move criminals back into housing projects was a statement that they don’t. Housing projects in the pre-Giuliani era belonged to drug dealers. Getting criminals out of housing projects saved black lives, especially those of children.
The “Black Lives Matter” protesters claim that there’s a crisis of police shootings. There isn’t. There is a crisis of young black men shooting each other.
After the shooting of drug dealer Derrick Jones, the NAACP breathlessly reported that 37 black people were shot by police in Oakland over four years. Meanwhile there were 1,594 shooting victims in Oakland in one year.
The vast majority of the perpetrators were black. The majority of murder victims were young black men. So were their killers. The leading cause of death for young black men is murder. The perpetrators are other young black men.
If black lives really mattered, then the life of a young black man shot down by a criminal would matter at least as much as Michael Brown. But those black lives don’t matter.
The progressive Ferguson protesters not only don’t care about them, but they want to take more black lives by empowering criminals and crippling the police.
The gang is to the black community as the cartel is to lawless parts of Mexico, except that the American equivalents of the Narcocorrido, the songs glamorizing cartel drug dealers, are distributed by major music labels and their performers are invited to the White House.
While Mexico tries to fight drug and gang music, American progressives make it mainstream.
Gang culture in Black America, which is responsible for most of the gun violence in the country, isn’t the work of a few thugs in a burned out building; it’s promoted by progressives in the entertainment industry. The black lives taken by its glamorization of drug dealing and violent killing also don’t matter.
You don’t show that black lives matter by supporting criminal control over entire black neighborhoods. When you fight the criminals who are taking black lives, when you roll back crime, then you show that black lives really matter. When you help criminals you are announcing that black lives don’t matter.
Despite its self-righteousness about black lives mattering, the left isn’t any good at saving them. It is however really good at taking them. Planned Parenthood’s black outreach arm announced on Twitter that it was joining the Ferguson protests because #BlackLivesMatter.
More African-American lives were ended at abortion clinics in the United States than anywhere else. But those black lives also don’t matter.
The 6,000 black people murdered in one year don’t matter. The 400,000 black babies killed in one year don’t matter. Does a black man have to be killed by a white cop for his life to matter to the left? That’s the only conclusion that can be drawn from Ferguson.
To the #BlackLivesMatter crowd, the furious white hipsters crowding malls and staging die-ins, black lives only matter when they feed their own political agendas, their grudges and their own egos.
If black lives really mattered to the left, it would not have built an entire industry, an entire culture and an entire political movement around taking them.
Progressives only care about black people when they’re using them as weapons. For black lives to matter to them, they have to be dead at the hands of a white man. For black unemployment to matter to them, they have to be able to blame it on Republicans. Black poverty, black homelessness only matter to them when they can cash in on a social justice solution that doesn’t fix the problem.
The rest of the time they don’t pay attention and don’t care.
Black people exist for the political convenience of progressives. Black lives don’t matter to them except when they can make use of them. The master-slave relationship has shifted from the plantation to the poll inflating the self-esteem and power of the masters while destroying the lives of their slaves.
The Ferguson protests are not about saving black lives, but promoting the pro-crime politics that take them. Its message is that all black people are criminals and have to be protected from law enforcement. By turning Michael Brown into the ubiquitous black man, the left reveals how racist it really is.
If black lives truly matter, then they matter when the conditions of their misery can’t be blamed on white people. If black lives truly mattered to the protesters, they would fight crime instead of supporting the criminals taking black lives.
How to Make Your Own Race Riot
The angry rioter is a sacred figure in the progressive pantheon of social justice. The shirtless men in bandanas carting away cell phones are so outraged by injustice that they are willing to take to the streets and do what progressive hipsters taking social justice selfies of themselves in souvenir t-shirts plastered with the face of the latest victim of “white supremacism” can only dream about.
But the saint of the looted convenience store is as mythical a figure as the selfless community organizer. The race riot isn’t a bubbling stew of outrage out of which wounded souls emerge to cry out for justice. It’s a complicated criminal conspiracy in which the perpetrators rarely suffer any consequences.
Here’s how a race riot is actually put together.
3. Riots aren’t fed by outrage, but by opportunism
The rioters aren’t outraged, they’re usually bored young men, frustrated and lacking in empathy. Many of them have gang ties or a criminal record stretching back to kindergarten.
They’re the same people who commit crimes in any other non-outraged context.
The rest are there to get some attention while providing them with protective coloration. 9 out of 10 people screaming frenziedly while holding up “Black Lives Matter” signs would eagerly scream and hold up “Justin Bieber 4 President” or “Ferguson Loves the KKK” signs if it got them positive attention and a shot at being on television.
Everything you need to do know about why the riots fizzled out can be read on a thermometer. On Monday, when the grand jury failed to indict Officer Wilson, the temperature hit a high of 57 degrees. The next day it was still in the forties. Now that the temperature is in the twenties, the riots have fizzled out.
Weather breaks up a riot faster than appeasement. It’s hard to riot when your teeth are chattering.
There’s a reason that riots usually happen in the summer. If the grand jury verdict had been issued in January, it would have been met peacefully.
The riots in Ferguson didn’t happen because of outrage, but because the gathering mobs were told by everyone from CNN right up to Governor Nixon that angry protests were expected and would be tolerated. That was as good as throwing a match into a spreading pool of gasoline.
No one was stealing beauty supplies or starting fires in Walgreens because they were upset that Michael Brown got shot. They were stealing for the same reasons that Michael Brown stole; because they believed that they could get away with it.
2. The rioters and looters aren’t burning their own community
A riot has two components. There are the bored and irritated locals who begin swarming streets because they have no jobs, it’s hot outside and there’s nothing good on television. They will loosely agree with whatever issue is on the table, but they aren’t all that worked up about it.
And then there are the outsiders.
Before the riot, community organizers, citizen reporters and assorted activists show up to coordinate, spread slogans and justify the coming violence. They want violence far more than the locals do and they taunt police and try to create incidents, but they usually avoid personally engaging in violence.
(In the early twentieth century the group stirring up riots was usually some arm of the Communist Party. Later a variety of leftist groups, many closely entangled with the Democratic Party took over. The Ferguson protests are somewhat unique in the sizable Muslim presence with their activists playing the same role that the Communist Party used to play a century ago.) Most of the damage is done by looters and rioters from other areas looking for an opportunity to burn and steal. Some locals will tag after them, but they are usually responsible for the worst of the violence.
Being outsiders they’re unknown to the police and rarely have to worry about being identified afterwards. And they don’t care about burning down someone else’s community.
The media usually sticks to its narrative of an outraged community that engages in excesses, especially when it can’t tell apart the locals from the outsiders. Local cops can, but no one in the media listens to them. Arrest records usually show that most of those charged in the more violent crimes aren’t locals, but the media remains immune to facts that conflict with a favorite narrative.
1. Riots are about power, not for the rioters, but for the establishment
"We must not reprimand our children for outrage when it is the outrage that was put in them by an oppressive system," Al Sharpton had said, in the aftermath of the murder of a Jewish student by an angry black mob.
This same rhetoric was used by the inciters of the violence in Ferguson and has been used in similar riots going back generations. Its major theme is that the rioters are free to do whatever they want. They carry no moral responsibility for their actions.
And what they want is to smash and steal anything they can get their hands on. This isn’t outrage. It’s textbook amoral behavior. The riot doesn’t release anger; it frees the perpetrators of their morality.
The real purpose of a riot isn’t to benefit the rioters. It’s to benefit those who incite the riot. The rioters and looters react in response to riot-friendly conditions created from above. If you build the political infrastructure for a riot, the rioters and looters will come.
Sharpton’s riots weren’t about helping anyone except himself. By associating himself with violence, he sold the idea that he was an influential figure in the black community. Whether or not Sharpton was actually popular, his rise to the top of the political establishment became a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Riots are about perception, not reality. The ringleader tries to keep his hands clean while convincing the establishment that he can turn the violence on or off any time he wants to.
Ferguson is the product of a new generation of Sharptons, ambitious activists feeding hate, of the New Black Panther Party’s obsession with becoming relevant, of the ragged hipster ends of Occupy Wall Street drifting from occupation to occupation, of Muslim agents dreaming of turning African-Americans into a fifth column and of Obama’s clumsy efforts to keep on playing community organizer by feeding racial grievances and then pretending to rise above them.
Those who gain from unleashing chaos and violence are not the powerless, but the powerful. Sharpton rose to his important role as Obama’s liaison on a trail of bodies. Someone operating in Ferguson hopes to be the next Sharpton. Meanwhile Obama is playing a perverse fusion of Sharpton and MLK, amping up a bad situation and then telling blacks and whites that they need to rise above it.
It’s an old and cynical game that has been played in and around the Democratic Party for too long.
The answers to Ferguson can’t be found in its streets. The problem didn’t come from there. It came from a black political establishment that lights the fuse for its own power and profit.
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I never thought it would happen
Our local newspaper, the Bristol Post, reports that the Arena project has been delayed yet again and now the local councils are considering using the Brabazon hangar at Filton instead. Of course, it has been delayed again. It always will be delayed because it’s never going to be built, is it?
Bristol is a great city. All right, we don’t have a top flight football or rugby club, public transport is pitiful, meaning that our city is often in gridlock, but it’s a great place to live for all sorts of reasons, always assuming you can afford to live here in the first place. It doesn’t look like we will have an arena anytime soon. But do we really need one?
The answer to that must surely be yes. Of course we need an arena. Whilst I can live quite happily without the X Factor and Strictly Live, there are countless thousands of people who can’t. We have a variety of small halls which can accommodate entertainment up to Championship level, but we can’t attract the Premiership. I’m happy about that, usually, because the Arena type acts are not usually among my favourites. I would not cross the road to watch the AOR Behemoth acts like, for example, Liam Gallagher, Muse, Queen, Adele and so on. But many people would prefer to see these acts in or around Bristol rather than in London or Birmingham.
In the unlikely event an arena turns up, it will be good news for jobs. Loads will be created and that is A Good Thing. I just wonder where the money will come from?
Bristol is in the midst of a financial crisis. There is not enough money to pay for social care, for example, because of massive cuts in government support. If we cannot afford to pay for care for our elderly auntie who has dementia, can we really prioritise the building of a place where we can go to watch Simon Cowell’s show? Actually, these are tough choices. Can our city afford to stand still?
I am not a big fan of Mayor Marvin Rees. He came into the job on the back of a lot of goodwill replacing the massive ego of George Ferguson. Sadly, the impression he gives is of a man out of his depth, with no long term plan or vision for the future. I could lie and say he is doing a great job but that would be wrong. He must improve or he will be a one-term mayor.
I would like to be proved wrong in my belief that the arena will never happen and if I am proved to be wrong, feel free to have a pop when you’re queueing for your £10 hot dog. I don’t think I will be wrong, though.
PreviousNice one, Cyrille
NextSAD
No fool
B.1.1.529 MONDAY 20TH DECEMBER 2021
A death in the community
We know best
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ASIA/PAKISTAN - The Islamabad Declaration: "a step to defeat extremism"
Tuesday, 8 January 2019 islam political islam extremism religious minorities religious freedom human rights
Muslim men arrested for kidnapping Christian teenager
Christian victims of blasphemy: a Pastor sentenced to death, a layman released on bail
First prison chapel in Sindh Province
An interreligious meeting for the blind
Christian girl, kidnapped and converted, reunites with her family
The President of Pakistan: a law will be made against forced conversions
Faisalabad (Agenzia Fides) - "The Declaration of Islamabad is a step in the right direction. We need to develop it to improve the image of the country: this is the way forward: government and opposition must work together to legislate on good policies, while civil society, religious communities and all citizens must work together for the social, civil and cultural progress of our country": this is what Fr. Bonnie Mendes, expert, Pakistani Catholic priest of Faisalabad, former regional coordinator of Caritas Asia says to Agenzia Fides, commenting on the publication of the "Islamabad Declaration", in which over 500 Muslim religious leaders publicly condemn terrorism, violence committed in the name of religion and fatwa (sacred edicts) widespread by radical ulemas.
The declaration was signed in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, during a gathering organized by the Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC). The initiative, according to observers, represents a turning point especially in the attitude towards religious minorities and Islamic sects the "Ahmadi". In fact, the Declaration recognizes that Pakistan is a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country, and notes that "it is the responsibility of the government to ensure the protection of the life of non-Muslim citizens in Pakistan".
Among the main contents, the murders committed "under the pretext of religious belief" are condemned, observing that this "is contrary to the teachings of Islam" and states that "no Islamic sect must be declared unfaithful", noting that all citizens, whatever their religion or sect, "have the constitutional right to live in the country following their cultural and religious principles". Continuing in establishing the principles of religious freedom, the text establishes the right for religious groups to organize themselves autonomously and asks civil authorities to ban "any material (books, pamphlets, audio) that incites religious hatred" and to punish anyone that threatens "the sacred places of non-Muslims", implementing "the national action plan against extremism".
The religious proclaim 2019 as a "Year to annihilate terrorism, extremism and sectarian violence from Pakistan", reiterating that "non-Muslim citizens must enjoy the same rights as everyone else".
Sabir Michael, an activist for human rights and minority rights, speaking to Fides says: "We appreciate and acknowledge the efforts of the Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC) to stop extremism and contribute to tolerance, peace, justice and equality in society. It is necessary to promote and spread this message to the communities. In the past, solemn declarations such as this, are not very successful, now the government and religious communities must work together in this direction: let us not lose hope for the good of the country". (AG-PA) (Agenzia Fides, 8/1/2019)
AFRICA/EGYPT - "Crislam" does not exist. Judge Mahmud Salam unmasks fake news on the Abu Dhabi Document
ASIA/LEBANON - Muslim community prays for a Catholic nun who died at Christmas
AFRICA/MOROCCO - Farewell to monk Jean-Pierre Schumacher, last companion of the martyrs of Tibhirine
AFRICA/TUNISIA - Archbishop Antoniazzi: the appointment of a woman as prime minister is not just an "image campaign"
ASIA/INDIA - A Catholic school devastated by Hindu extremists
ASIA/INDIA - Record of violence in a single day against Christian communities
religious minorities
AFRICA/EGYPT - Law on the personal status of Egyptian Christians is about to be passed
ASIA/INDIA - Vandalism in a Catholic church in southern India
AMERICA/VENEZUELA - Bishops: "Despite the negative signs in the country, we see signs of light and hope"
AMERICA/HONDURAS - Indigenous pastoral worker, human rights and environmental activist murdered
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Budget Statement 8th July 2015
Summer Budget Statement 8 July 2015
George Osborne has presented his first Budget without regard for coalition partners. The measures he has introduced recognise the need to incentivise individuals and businesses, with the promise to balance the nation's books and reduce debt. We have summarised below some of the more impactful changes.
Some of the measures are surprising: the introduction of a new National Living Wage for the over 25s of £7.20 per hour from April 2016; reductions in Corporation Tax to compensate employers for possible higher wage bills; and far reaching reductions in many state benefits - including Child Tax Credits.
Our summary of these and other tax changes and fiscal incentives follows:
Personal Tax and miscellaneous matters
The Tax Lock
The Government are to legislate to set a ceiling for increases to various taxes. This will ensure that they cannot rise above their 2015-16 levels for the duration of the current parliament. The taxes affected are:
The main rates of Income Tax.
The standard and reduced rates of VAT.
Employer and employee Class 1 National Insurance Contribution (NIC) rates.
The NICs Upper Earnings Limit cannot rise above the Income Tax higher rate threshold and it will not be possible to remove any items from the zero or reduced rate of VAT.
Personal Tax allowance
The personal allowance will be increased to £11,000 from April 2016, with the promise of further yearly increases to meet the Government's target of £12,500 by the end of the current parliament. The rates for the current and next two tax years are:
£10,600 for 2015-16
Income Tax rate bands
There was significant press commentary prior to the Budget predicting an increase in the threshold at which tax payers are liable to the 40% Income Tax rate. During the term of the current parliament it was promised this would rise to £50,000. As a first step the higher rate threshold will be increased to £43,000 from April 2016. For the current and following two tax years the thresholds are:
£42,385 in 2015-16
If your income before personal allowances exceeds this amount you will be paying 40% Income Tax on the excess (this assumes that you are only entitled to the basic personal allowance).
The threshold at which the 45% rate starts is unchanged at £150,000.
There were no changes to the basic Income Tax rate (20%), the higher rate (40%) and the additional rate (45%).
Dividend tax credit to be abolished
From April 2016 Income Tax payers will no longer be able to claim a deduction for tax credits associated with the receipt of dividends.
In its place, a new Dividend Tax Allowance of £5,000 is to be introduced. If your dividend income is below this allowance you will pay no Income Tax. Dividends received in excess of £5,000 will be taxed as follows:
7.5% if you are a standard rate (20%) tax payer
32.5% if you are a higher rate (40%) tax payer
38.1% if you are an additional rate (45%) tax payer
Abolition of non-domicile status
The Government is to legislate such that, from April 2017, any person who has been resident in the UK for more than 15 of the previous 20 years will be deemed to be domiciled in the UK for tax purposes.
Additionally, from April 2017, individuals who are born in the UK, to UK domiciled parents, will no longer be able to claim non-domiciled status whilst they are resident in the UK.
IHT - Main Residence Nil-rate Band (MRNB)
A new nil-rate band for IHT purposes is to be introduced. It will be available when a residence is left on death to direct descendants. The amount of the MRNB will be:
£100,000 in 2017-18
Any unused MRNB can be transferred to a surviving spouse or civil partner. The allowance will still be available if the tax payer downsizes or ceases to own a home on or after 8 July 2015 and assets of an equivalent amount, up to the amount of the available MRNB, are passed on death to a direct descendant.
From April 2017, estates with a net value of more than £2m will be subject to a reduction of £1 in the available MRNB for every £2 the net estate exceeds £2m.
The basic nil-rate band of £325,000 will remain frozen at this level until April 2021.
As expected, George Osborne has made a few cuts to Tax Credits as part of his plan to reduce public expenditure. The following are the main changes:
From April 2016, the income threshold that applies to Tax Credits will be reduced from £6,420 to £3,850.
From April 2016, once a claimant earns above the income threshold, their Tax Credits award will be reduced by 48p for every additional £1 they earn. Presently, the taper rate is 41p for each additional £1 of income.
The child element in Tax Credits and Universal Credits claims will be restricted to the first two children. There will no longer be awards for third or subsequent children born after 6 April 2017. There will be exceptions for multiple births, disabled children and other exceptional circumstances.
The in-year income disregard (the amount by which a claimants income can increase in one year as compared to the previous year without affecting eligibility) is to be reduced from April 2016, from £5,000 to £2,500.
Insurance Premium Tax (IPT) hike
From 1 November 2015 IPT is to be increased from 6% to 9.5%
Corporation Tax rate
The main rate of Corporation Tax is to be reduced from the current 20% to:
19% from 1 April 2017, and
18% from 1 April 2020.
These reductions are intended to maintain the UK's competitive tax position and to compensate employers for the possible increases in their wages costs when the new National Living Wage for the over 25s is introduced from April 2016.
The National Living Wage arrives
It has fallen to a Conservative Government to make the important shift towards the implementation of a National Living Wage (NLW).
The long term goal is to set a rate of £9 per hour by 2020. As a first step, from April 2016, the NLW rate for over 25s will be £7.20.
Corporation Tax payment dates change for larger companies
For accounting periods ending on or after 1 April 2017, companies with taxable profits over £20m will be required to pay Corporation Tax in quarterly instalments in the third, sixth, ninth and twelfth months of their accounting periods.
National Insurance Employment Allowance (EA)
The Government is to increase the EA from April 2016. The allowance is as follows:
£2,000 for 2015-16
This means that most employers will not pay the first £3,000 of employers NIC from April 2016.
Annual Investment Allowance (AIA)
The current AIA limit is £500,000. This allows businesses to write off up to this amount in qualifying asset purchases (commercial vehicles, plant and machinery and computers etc.) against their taxable profits.
This is a temporary increase and from 1 January 2016 the maximum was set to revert to the previous permanent level of £25,000. It is now intended to increase this permanent limit to £200,000 from 1 January 2016.
This is a welcome announcement as businesses contemplating investment in qualifying plant and machinery of up to £200,000 will now have more time to make a buying decision, past the end of this year, and not lose a tax advantage.
Tax relief on acquisition of goodwill to be restricted
Acquisitions of goodwill after 8 July 2015 will be subject to restrictions for Corporation Tax relief purposes.
Bank Corporation Tax Surcharge
An 8% supplementary tax is to be levied on banking sector profits from 1 January 2016. The tax will apply before deductions for carried forward losses.
The tax will not apply to the first £25m of profit within a group.
Nuisance calls clampdown
In a welcome announcement, the amount that can be claimed by claims management companies is to be capped. It is hoped that change will discourage cold calling to promote PPI and other similar claims.
Three million new apprenticeships
The Government intends that three million new apprenticeships will be created by 2020. The scheme will be funded by a levy on large employers and firms that commit to training will be able to get back more than they invest.
Savers and investors (including property investors)
Wear and Tear Allowance (WTA)
The WTA presently compensates residential landlords by allowing them to deduct 10% of their gross rents received (adjusted for some direct charges) before tax due is computed. The allowance is intended to cover replacements of furnishing made from time to time.
From April 2016, this WTA will no longer be available. In its place the actual replacement cost will be deductible.
Capital allowances will continue to apply for owners of furnished holiday let properties.
HMRC will be issuing technical guidance on this change.
Basic rate restriction for landlord finance costs
Landlords of residential properties will have tax relief on finance charges, such as mortgage interest, restricted to the present 20% basic rate of tax. This will be phased in over four years from April 2017.
Rent-a-room relief increase
From April 2016 the present rent-a-room relief of £4,250 is to be increased to £7,500.
Pensions Lifetime Allowance to be reduced
This allowance is to be reduced from £1.25m to £1m from 6 April 2016.
Transitional arrangements will be in place to protect funds in excess of £1m, ensuring that the change will not be retrospective.
From 6 April 2018 the Lifetime Allowance will be indexed annually in line with the Consumer Price Index.
Pension's annual allowance reduced for high income earners
The present £40,000 Annual Allowance for pension contributions is to be reduced for high income earners from April 2016.
Those with income in excess of £150,000 will see their allowance tapered down to a minimum of £10,000.
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International Council
Progress Reports (DE)
IDM Publications
IDM Membership
About the Institute for Danube Region and Central Europe
It all began with the vision of a true Central European: thanks to the commitment of Austrian politician and diplomat Theodor von Hornbostel, the "Research Institute for Issues of the Danube Region" was founded in Salzburg in 1953. As co-founder and first chairman, Hornbostel recognized the need for scientific exploration of this region to "contribute to a better understanding of the intrinsic political, cultural and economic forces of the Danube region and their significance for a peaceful and united Europe." However, there was still a long way to go before a united Europe would become reality: because peoples and countries in the Danube region were divided by the Iron Curtain following World War II, countries were rebuilt under very different political and economic conditions.
For more than thirty years the institute was the only Austrian organization that devoted itself entirely to research on the Danube region – both within and beyond the border. Starting in 1956, detailed research results and consequent discussions were published in the institute’s own scientific journal, “Der Donauraum”. In the same year, the institute was relocated to Vienna.
In 1995, Erhard Busek replaced Norbert Leser as chairman of the institute. With this change in management came a new focus on consolidation and cooperation that led to a renewed motivation to work. Under the new name “Institute for the Danube Region and Central Europe”, activities were extended to include all of Central and Southeastern Europe as well as parts of the Black Sea region.
Today, IDM is a non-university research institution based on associations and consisting of individual and corporate members.
Since April 1, 2011 IDM has been a strategic partner of the University for Applied Science (BOKU) in Vienna.
Supporters of IDM
Our areas of responsibility are constantly evolving, and the European Union itself has recognized the paramount importance of the development of the Danube region for the peace and stability of Europe as a whole. This is especially evident in the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR). Although our role continues to grow, our efforts are often hindered by financial limitations. For this reason, our longstanding network of cooperation partners, friends, and supporters is all the more important to us!
The institute is funded by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research, the Austrian Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs, the Federal Chancellery, and the Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Health and Consumer Protection, and by the Provincial Government of Lower Austria, Wien Kultur, individual provinces and cities, the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber, the Federation of Austrian Industry, the Austrian Central Bank, and private sponsors.
Institute for the Danube Region and Central Europe (IDM)
Tel. (+43 1) 319 72 58
Fax (+43 1) 319 72 58-4
E-mail: idm@idm.at
Institute for the Danube Region and Central Europe
What can IDM do for you?
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More information Ok Decline
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Sten Rudstrom
Sten Rudstrom is a performer/writer who creates solo and collaborative dance/theater/music works. He gained his early performance art experience in Berlin in 1985, producing several solo works and forming the site-specific movement/music/art band Another Slice of RD. Returning to the United States in 1986, he formed the group Infantile Dance Baby Theater in Minnesota. After attending California Institute of the Arts, Rudstrøm began collaboration with StokleyTowles and Ernie Lafky on a work entitled Behind Every Great Man Is A Thin Boy Struggling To Get Out, which received funding from the Franklin Furnace Fund for Performance Art, and was subsequently produced in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Chicago. Arriving in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1990, Rudstrøm studied with Ruth Zaporah, Sara Shelton-Mann, Tracey Rhoades, Debbie Taylor, and Julie Kane, Jess Curtis, Keith Hennessy and has performed in San Francisco at Theater Artaud, Footwork/Dancer’s Group, New Performance Gallery, and The Marsh. He was a 1995-97 Artist-In-Residence at ODC/SF Performance Gallery. In 1996, he produced, directed and performed in Theater of Cruelty; a critically acclaimed show based on the life and writings of Antonin Artaud. In Berlin in 2000, he co-founded the site-specific dance/theater company adapt with Shinichi Iova-Koga, Minako Seki, Nils Willers, Yael Karavan and Yuko Kaseki. With Iova-Koga and Kaseki, he created inkBoat’s Onion, premiered at Yerba Buena Center of the Arts in San Francisco, in 2001. He currently resides in Berlin where he teaches, creates solo works and collaborates/ performs with the site specific company adapt. He performs nationally and internationally at venues including Dixon Place, Dancers’ Group, Highways, LACE, Splinter Group, St. Mark’s Church, Boulder Art Center, Chisenhale, Independent Dance, Dock 11, K77, and Tanzfabrik/Berlin.
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Home » List of issues » Volume 64, Number 3 » Abortion Trends in France, 1990-2005
Abortion Trends in France, 1990-2005
Demographic developments in France
By Clémentine Rossier, Laurent Toulemon, France Prioux, Madeleine Grieve
Abortion was legalized in France in 1975. Several amendments to the Abortion Act were passed in 2001 aimed at facilitating women’s access to pregnancy termination. In particular, the maximum gestational age at which elective termination may be performed (the legal limit) was extended by two weeks. Data from induced abortion notifications can be used to study the impact of these amendments, by using the gestational age at termination as an indicator of difficulty in accessing termination services. Following the legalization of medical methods of contraception in France in 1967, the decline in unplanned pregnancies and elective terminations up to the mid-1990s can be attributed to the effective diffusion of medical methods of contraception in the 1970s and 1980s. Abortion rates nevertheless remain high in France compared with other western European countries. This raises two issues that warrant investigation: the persistence or increase in unplanned pregnancies among the youngest women, and repeat abortions by some women in their lifetimes.
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VIDEO: Pink Floyd stream Money 1994 concert film
Pink Floyd are streaming video footage shown on screens as companion visuals during 1994 tour performances of their 1973 classic, “Money”, as the latest preview to the forthcoming box set entitled “The Later Years 1987-2019.”
Due November 29,the 5-CD/6-Blu-ray/5-DVD package includes an updated version of 1987’s “A Momentary Lapse Of Reason”, an expanded edition of 1998’s live album, “Delicate Sound Of Thunder”, a series of 1987 & 1994 live recordings & unreleased studio recordings, and full versions of the group’s 1989 Venice Concert and 1990 appearance at Knebworth.
Among the DVD/Blu-ray material in the package is a restored and remixed concert film for “Delicate Sound Of Thunder”, a restored and re-edited edition of the 1995 live set “Pulse”, and a number of various unreleased live films, music videos and screen films.
“Pink Floyd: The Later Years 1987-2019” will also be available in a 2LP / 1CD ‘Highlights’ package that comes in a gatefold sleeve (for both CD and 2LP), while each will contain a 24-page booklet containing previously unseen and rare photos.
VIDEO: Roger Waters previews 1977 Pink Floyd classic from Us And Them concert film
Pink Floyd stream unreleased early version of High Hopes
Pink Floyd stream Keep Talking lyric video
Search Pink Floyd at hennemusic
Labels: David Gilmour, Pink Floyd
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Innovative Research Model Sheds Light on Immune Response in Dengue Infection
March 28, 2019 by Sean Diehl, Ph.D., and Jennifer Nachbur
Investigators in UVM's Vaccine Testing Center and Center for Translational Global Infectious Disease Research (TGIR) have uncovered details of the human immune response to infection with dengue - a close "cousin" of the Zika virus - which 40 percent of the global population is at risk for contracting. Their study findings were reported recently in the Lancet’s open-access journal EBioMedicine.
UVM Assistant Professor of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics Sean Diehl, Ph.D., and graduate student Huy Tu in their Given lab. (Photo: Larner Medical Communications)
Investigators in the University of Vermont's Vaccine Testing Center and Center for Translational Global Infectious Disease Research (TGIR) have uncovered details of the human immune response to infection with dengue - a close "cousin" of the Zika virus - which 40 percent of the global population is at risk for contracting. Study findings, reported recently in the Lancet’s open-access journal EBioMedicine, illustrate new critical information that could provide much-needed help to evaluating dengue vaccine formulations and assist with advancing safe and efficacious candidate vaccines to help combat the most important mosquito-borne viral infection in our time.
Like Zika, yellow fever and West Nile viruses, dengue belongs to a group of mosquito-borne viruses that circulate in many tropical countries. However, without effective treatment and a safe licensed vaccine, dengue infection can lead to debilitating illnesses, including severe pain and hemorrhagic fever. One of the challenges of dengue infection is that it can be caused by one of four versions - or serotypes - of the virus, which are numbered dengue 1 to 4. Infection by one serotype typically results in long-term protection specific to that serotype. However, a later exposure to a different serotype can result in more severe disease. Experts believe this phenomenon occurs due to a part of the immune response, the antibodies, which may recognize and promote the second infection rather than defeat it.
“Trying to tease out the protective immune response in naturally infected patients is a challenge, since people living in high-risk areas likely have been exposed to multiple serotypes of the virus, which confound the observation,” said Sean Diehl, Ph.D., assistant professor of microbiology and molecular genetics, project leader in the TGIR and one the study’s lead investigators. “In our model, we controlled the infection for safety reasons and the participants were monitored for six months in order to understand the biological changes that occur following the infection.”
Over a six-month period, Diehl and his colleagues tracked the immune response and measured its different aspects, from the levels of certain immune blood cells to the levels of antibodies they produce and how these antibodies can recognize different dengue serotypes. In this study, co-led by Huy Tu, a fifth-year Ph.D. candidate in the Cellular and Molecular Biomedical Sciences program, the group defined the evolution of the antibody response in dengue infection in a controlled human model where subjects were treated with a weakened version of the virus. The research showed that the study participants developed an antibody response against the virus as early as two weeks after the infection. This immune response was highly focused against the infecting serotype, neutralized the virus, and persisted for months afterwards. With a comprehensive approach, the study dissected the antibody response at the single-cell level resolution, mapped the interaction between human antibodies to structural components on the virus’s surface, and connected the functional features of the response during acute infection to time points past recovery.
In addition to Diehl and Tu, UVM co-investigators on the study included Beth Kirkpatrick, M.D., chair and professor of microbiology and molecular genetics and medicine, and Kristen Pierce, M.D., associate professor of medicine. This work is the result of a longstanding collaboration between the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the Vaccine Testing Center at UVM.
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Home » Sovereign Neighbours
Arizona tribe set to prosecute first non-Indian under a new law
As our strong belief in self determination through the Sovereignty movement moves forward, we must start thinking about the possibilities that are before us ...
- Michael Anderson
Pascua Yaqui Tribe, Arizona - Graphic by Sovereign Union (Adapted from Wikipedia)
Sari Horwitz The Washington Post 19 April 2014
Pascua Yaqui Indian Reservation, Arizona - Tribal police chief Michael Valenzuela drove through darkened desert streets, turned into a Circle K convenience store and pointed to the spot beyond the reservation line where his officers used to take the non-Indian men who battered Indian women.
"We would literally drive them to the end of the reservation and tell them to beat it," Valenzuela said. "And hope they didn't come back that night. They almost always did."
About three weeks ago, at 2:45 a.m., the tribal police were called to the reservation home of an Indian woman who was allegedly being assaulted in front of her two children. They said her 36-year-old non-Indian husband, Eloy Figueroa Lopez, had pushed her down on the couch and was violently choking her with both hands.
This time, the Yaqui police were armed with a new law that allows Indian tribes, which have their own justice system, to prosecute non-Indians. Instead of driving Lopez to the Circle K and telling him to leave the reservation, they arrested him.
Michael Valenzuela, the Pascua Yaqui chief of police
(Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post)
Inside a sand-colored tribal courthouse set here amid the saguaro-dotted land of the Pascua Yaqui people, the law backed by the Obama administration and passed by Congress last year is facing its first critical test.
The Pascua Yaqui, along with two other tribes chosen by the Justice Department for a pilot project allowing the prosecution of non-tribal men, received the go-ahead to begin enforcing the law a year ahead of the country's other 563 tribes because tribal officials made the case they were able to protect the rights of the accused.
Some members of Congress had fought hard to derail the legislation, arguing that non-Indian men would be unfairly convicted without due process by sovereign nations whose unsophisticated tribal courts were not equal to the American criminal justice system.
"They thought that tribal courts wouldn't give the non-Indians a fair shake," said Pascua Yaqui Attorney General Amanda Lomayesva. "Congressmen all were asking, how are non-Indians going to be tried by a group of Indian jurors?"
Against that opposition last year, the Obama administration was able to push through only the narrowest version of a law to prosecute non-Indians. While it covers domestic and dating-violence cases involving Native Americans on the reservation, the law does not give tribes jurisdiction to prosecute child abuse or crimes, including sexual assault, that are committed by non-Indians who are "strangers" to their victims. In addition, the law does not extend to Native American women in Alaska.
"It was a compromise the tribes had to make," Lomayesva said. "It only partially fixes the problem."
Still, what will play out over the next months on the Pascua Yaqui reservation is being watched closely by the Justice Department and by all of Indian country. The tribe's officials are facing intense scrutiny and thorny legal challenges as they prepare for their first prosecution of a non-Indian man.
"Everyone's feeling pressure about these cases," said Pascua Yaqui Chief Prosecutor Alfred Urbina. "They're the first cases. No one wants to screw anything up."
The prosecutor
Alfred Urbina, the chief prosecutor of the Pascua Yaqui tribe
A courtroom at the Pascua Yaqui Tribal Courthouse
A year ago, Urbina traveled to Washington with tribal Chairman Peter Yucupicio and others from the tribe to meet with House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va. He carried a binder with a Native American design on its wool cover that was filled with photographs of the tribe's $21 million state-of-the-art courthouse and police complex.
Most Americans have never been exposed to Indian tribal courts, and Urbina knew that there were no federally recognized tribes or Indian reservations in Virginia. Urbina wanted to show Cantor that, as one tribal official put it, "Indians were not still living in teepees" and could dispense justice as fairly as any other court in America.
Beginning with the 1934 Indian Reorganization Act, Indians were encouraged to set up their own tribal courts. There are now 324 tribal courts on sovereign Indian land across the country. Most of the courts operate like other U.S. courts and have similar laws and court procedures.
But many of them also use traditional Indian culture to help resolve disputes, including elders councils and sentencing circles. The Navajo Nation has a traditional "peacemaking" program. The Tulalip Tribes send first-time and nonviolent juvenile and young adult offenders to be counseled by a tribal court elders panel, who may recommend community service and treatment instead of jail.
The prospect of exposing non-Native Americans to this system upset many Republicans in Congress. Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash., said the legislation made "56 million acres of U.S. soil that happen to be called Indian Country ... Constitution-free zones where due process and equal protection rights as interpreted and enforced in U.S. courts - do not exist."
Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., said it "would trample on the Bill of Rights of every American who is not a Native American."
Inside Cantor's conference room, Urbina pulled out photographs of the new, high-tech courthouse where proceedings are video- and audio-recorded and each juror has a small television screen to view forensic evidence, which is also displayed on a giant video screen in front.
Urbina, the son of Yaqui and Hispanic pecan and cotton pickers, told Cantor about his tribe, a deeply religious people who have blended Catholicism with ancient cultural traditions.
The reservation is struggling with alcoholism, substance abuse, drug gangs, teen pregnancy and domestic violence. More than 42 percent of the children are living with single mothers in poverty.
Urbina also told Cantor about all the non-Indians on his reservation, which is about two square miles in area and located about an hour's travel north of the Mexican border and a few miles southwest of Tucson. Along with about 5,000 members of the tribe, many non-Native Americans live or work on the reservation, often dating and marrying Indian women.
While some Pascua Yaqui speak their native language, almost all speak English and Spanish. Given the diversity, it was critical to be able to prosecute any men who abuse Indian women, Urbina said.
The grounds of the Casino del Sol resort (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post)
At the western edge of the reservation, the gleaming Casino del Sol resort brings in money for the tribe. But the casino, along with an older gambling hall down the road, is also a key to protecting criminal defendants, Urbina explained.
All employees at the casinos, including whites, African Americans, Hispanics and Asians, could be tapped for jury duty so that the pool would not be composed exclusively of Native Americans, Urbina said.
The 500 non-Indians living on the reservation could also be called for jury duty, along with non-Indians who work for the tribal government.
"Cantor came into the meeting a little perturbed," said Urbina, recalling that day. "But once we started talking and said this is what we do in Indian country, this is our court system and look, our courtroom looks like any other courtroom in America, the meeting went really well.
"He was mesmerized," said Raymond Buelna, a member of the Pascua Yaqui Tribal Council who was there. "He saw how extensive our justice system was and it just wasn't a group of people under a porch judging someone. It was an actual, living, breathing justice system."
A Cantor spokesman confirmed the tenor of the meeting. Although the majority leader was personally opposed to the prosecution of non-Indians in Indian courts, two weeks later he allowed the legislation to get to the floor of the House for a vote, and it eventually became law.
Judge Melvin Stoof
Photos of Stoof’s grandfather, Joseph Running Bear
Tribes that prosecute non-Indians must have a judge with a law degree, and in his office behind the Pascua Yaqui tribal courtroom, Judge Melvin Stoof has the requisite degree from The University of New Mexico School of Law on the wall, along with a photo of himself beside Attorney General Eric Holder. On his desk, he also has a photo of his grandfather, Joseph Running Bear, wearing his powwow ceremonial feather headdress.
A member of the Rosebud Sioux tribe, Stoof remembers reading in law school about the 1978 Oliphant v. Suquamish Indian Tribe case in which the Supreme Court held that Indian tribes had no legal authority to prosecute non-Indians who committed crimes on reservations.
"I never understood the logic of it," said Stoof, 57, who wears his long gray hair tied in a ponytail. "The Supreme Court found that tribal courts couldn't have jurisdiction over non-Indians because they were aliens and strangers. They didn't participate in the political process, didn't vote in elections and weren't residents. And I said, wait a minute, that's the same that would apply to a New Yorker who commits a crime in Los Angeles."
For the next nearly four decades, as Stoof served as a lawyer and then a tribal judge on 10 different reservations, he watched in frustration as non-Native American men committed crimes against Indian women and were never punished. The tribes couldn't prosecute, and the federal government, which did have jurisdiction, wasn't taking the cases, he said.
"For a long time, the federal government was not prosecuting these crimes and they didn't have to give any reason for declinations," Stoof said.
He said this was partly because some reservations are rural outposts and hundreds of miles from a federal courthouse. In other cases, federal officials and the FBI might not trust that the tribal police did a good enough job investigating and preparing the case, he said.
In Stoof's home state of South Dakota, he said, the federal government declined about 80 percent of assault and battery cases against non-Indians. But Stoof said that the number of cases declined by U.S. attorneys has dropped in recent years because the Justice Department has made an effort to prosecute more cases in Indian country.
Last year, in its first report to Congress on prosecutions, the Justice Department said U.S. attorneys declined 31 percent of all Indian-country cases submitted for prosecution.
Now, Stoof is set to be the first tribal judge in the country to hear a tribal criminal case against a non-Indian in 36 years. Since Feb. 20, when the Justice Department said the Yaquis, the Tulalip Tribes of Washington state and the Umatilla tribes of Oregon could begin prosecuting non-Indians, there have been six arrests, all by the Pascua Yaqui police.
"It's uncharted territory, and people will be paying attention to what happens here," Stoof said, smiling. "There's a lot of unresolved issues, and I'm sure there will be some challenges."
The Public Defender
Melissa Acosta is the chief public defender on the reservation.
The challenges will come from Melissa Acosta, a Mexican American woman from Tucson who commutes to the reservation every day and serves as the tribe's chief public defender.
Working down the road from the new courthouse inside a pale-beige stucco modular building, Acosta is gearing up to defend the non-Indian men accused of assaulting women living on the reservation.
Many tribal courts cannot afford their own public defender and have only "advocates" without law degrees to defend the accused. The Yaquis wouldn't have been given the green light from the Justice Department to launch the pilot project without Acosta, a longtime public defender - and she knows it.
Acosta said she would like a little more respect from the federal government. "We should be over there," she says, pointing to the high-tech courthouse in the distance. "It would be great if the federal government threw some resources our way as well."
Acosta's office recently filed motions with the tribal court to dismiss the first three tribal arrests of non-Indian men, arguing that the tribe did not properly implement the new law, including notifying the public of its new jurisdiction over domestic violence cases.
Chief prosecutor Urbina has opposed the motion, saying the tribe fully complied with the Justice Department requirements. Judge Stoof has set a hearing for Friday.
In the meantime, a court date has been set for Lopez, who allegedly tried to strangle his wife. A resident alien from Mexico, he has been charged by the tribe with domestic violence aggravated assault, battery and endangerment. If convicted, he could face deportation. He has pleaded not guilty.
Children play in the street on the Pascua Yaqui Indian Reservation. Michael Valenzuela, the reservation’s chief of police, said, "This is our goal. Kids running in the street, bicycling, going to the ice cream truck."
(Jahi Chikwendiu / The Washington Post)
A 37-year-old Asian man, Myxay Yongbanthom, has also been charged with domestic violence under the new law after allegedly breaking down the door of his Indian girlfriend's bathroom, where she had locked herself and her daughter to get away from him.
Another non-Indian, Tony R. Slaton, has been charged with aggravated assault and battery. Tribal police said he attacked his girlfriend in the middle of an intersection in broad daylight in front of several witnesses. He allegedly choked his girlfriend as she held onto her baby, threatened to kill witnesses who came to the woman's aid and then fled the scene, the police said.
Three other cases, including one in which an Indian woman was allegedly punched in the face and suffered a concussion, were dismissed by the tribe after evidentiary issues arose and there were questions about whether one of the victims would testify against her boyfriend.
Pascua Yaqui Victim Services Manager Canada Valenzuela said that women in the middle of domestic violence cases often want their husbands or boyfriends to come back home and not be sent to jail.
Dismissing some of the first cases was "very disappointing, but you have issues in almost all domestic violence cases, especially where those relationship dynamics are still going on," Urbina said. "It's probably more difficult on reservations where it's a small community, folks all know each other and many are related."
Whatever happens, Urbina said that in the end, the significance of the new law is bigger than the first, second or third arrests.
"When you do not have an adequate system of justice or laws, it creates a perception of lawlessness," Urbina said. "In the past, I have had to face whole families and explain that we could not provide the full measure of justice their loved ones deserved. When you have decades of this legal sickness festering in tribal communities, it has a tremendous impact on the health and wellness of tribes."
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"This Has Been A Noose Around Our Necks"
QPR pay off £10 million loan
New shirts for QPR following sponsorship deal
New Manager for QPR
De Canio Exits QPR
Les Ferdinand Denies Vandalising Blue Peter Garden
Olympic dreams for White City
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QPR have paid off a £10 million loan in full, releasing the West London club from a £1 million annual interest burden and putting an end to a difficult chapter in the club’s history.
“Queens Park Rangers Football Club are delighted to announce the full repayment of our £10 million loan from ABC,” the Loftus Road club said.
The loan was taken out in 2002 to help the club come out of administration and had to be repaid by 31 July 2008.
ABC Corporation had an option over the Loftus Road Stadium, which would have become exercisable if QPR had failed to repay the amount in full by the set date.
QPR’s co-owner, Flavio Briatore, said: “The ABC loan has been of great concern to QPR fans and has been a noose around the neck of this Football Club for far too long.
“I am delighted that we have now made arrangements to put this saga to an end.
“This once again highlights our commitment to this Football Club and now I am looking forward to working on the continued growth of Queens Park Rangers, both as a club and as a brand.”
In a separate development, QPR have strongly denied rumours that manager Iain Dowie is about to be sacked, following a row with the club’s hierarchy.
It was claimed that Dowie, who was appointed in May, had clashed with Briatore over the club’s recruitment policy.
But QPR said there was "categorically no truth in the rumours”.
In the first match of the season, QPR will play Barnsley at Loftus Road this Saturday.
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Mueller indicated Trump under investigation
Robert Mueller III who is the special counsel made it clear to the attorneys of the president of the United States in the previous month that he is still continuing to investigate the US President. But he also mentioned that at this point of time, he is not considering him as a criminal. This is as per reports of three of the people who are familiar with the discussion. In a private negotiation held in the previous month Mueller described Donald Trump as a subject of his investigation into the interference of the nation of Russia in the elections of the year 2016. Prosecutors generally view someone as a subject when that particular person is engaged in conduct that is under the process of investigation but there is not enough proof for bringing charges.
Robert Mueller III also told the attorneys of the US president that he is preparing a report regarding the action of the president while in office and potential obstruction of justice. This is per the reports of two of the people who have adequate knowledge about the overall conversation. Both of the people said that Mueller repeated the need of conducting an interview with Donald Trump for a clear understanding whether he had any kind of corrupt intent of preventing the investigation of Russia and for completing this part of the probe. The description given by Mueller about the status of the US President has given rise to some misunderstanding between the inner circle of Donald Trump as his legal advisers have debated his legal standing.
The President and some of his allies have grasped on the words of the special counsel as an assurance that the risk of criminal danger of Trump is on the lower side. However, other advisers noted that the subjects of investigations can easily become the indicted targets, which is why they expressed their concern that the special prosecutor was taunting Donald Trump into an interview which could put the president in some kind of greater legal danger. John Dowd who is the top attorney of the president dealing with the probe of Mueller had resigned in the previous month among the disputes regarding the strategy and frustration that the president had paid no attention to his advice for the refusal of the request of the special counsel for an interview. This is according to a friend of Donald Trump.
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The Political Quarterly Annual Lecture 2020
After Windrush, can the Home Office be Fixed?
2 November 2020 with
Amelia Gentleman and David Lammy.
You can see the event here.
Polly Toynbee Annual PQ Lecture: 4 December at 6.15pm, BMA House, Tavistock Square, London
The Lost Decade
In the welter of immediate events, it's easy to forget just how tumultuous the past ten years have been.
The decade has been characterised by ideology and ineptitude, dogma and disarray, austerity, social dislocation, the breakup of the UK, and national loss of confidence.
There have been huge failures of policy design and delivery: in the NHS in England, in the assault on accountability in English schools, the dismantling of criminal justice and the cynical targeting of local government spending.
And then came Brexit, a Tory party psychodrama that became national history.
But austerity, like Brexit, was also willed – or at least approved – by large numbers of citizens. While Labour failed to prevent a series of unfolding disasters, the story of the past decade must also be about people: their apparent rejection of much of what Labour accomplished in the previous decade, their dislike of adequate taxation, their deference to Toryism, their willed ignorance and intolerance of complexity.
There will be free wine and nibbles after the lecture. Please note: this is a free event, which means we have to overbook to allow for no-shows and to avoid empty seats. While we generally do not have to turn people away, this does mean we cannot guarantee everyone a place. Admission is on a first come, first served basis.
You can find tickets here.
Rethinking Democracy: Is our Democracy Fit for Purpose? 14 May 2019
Democratic politics is once again under attack – this time from populist nationalists, authoritarian rulers and new forms of political communication.
It was not meant to be like this. Join us for the launch of Rethinking Democracy, an important new collection of essays edited by Andrew Gamble and Tony Wright, in which leading academics explores the problems of democracy and suggests ways it might now be extended and deepened.
In this event, hosted by the Political Quarterly and the Constitution Unit, Andrew Gamble will discuss his views about what needs to change if British democracy is to continue, Joni Lovenduski will explain how British representative democracy fails women and why it will continue to do so, Tony Wright will explore ways to save democracy, and Albert Weale will explore the nature and significance of different kinds of democratic majorities. Meg Russell (the Constitution Unit) will chair the event.
Copies of the book will be on sale at a special discounted price.
Please note: this is a free event, which means we overbook to allow for no-shows and to avoid empty seats. While we generally do not have to turn people away, this does mean we cannot guarantee everyone a place. Admission is on a first come, first served basis.
The event takes place on 14 May 2019 6.00 pm to 7.30 pm at the Constitution Unit, UCL 29-30 Tavistock Square, London, WC1H 9QU.
The PQ Annual Lecture by David Runciman 5 December 2017
Nobody Knows Anything: Why is Politics so Surprising?
The Political Quarterly Annual Lecture by David Runciman
5 December 2017, with comment from Ed Miliband MP and chaired by Polly Toynbee.
The 2017 General Election was the latest in a series of events that took pollsters, pundits, prediction markets and politicians by surprise. At a point when digital technology is supplying more information than ever before, politics is becoming more unpredictable.
How are these phenomena related? Why have the voters become so hard to read? And is the volatility of electoral politics a sign that democracy is still working or is it an indication of the trouble democracy is in?
We are delighted that David Runciman will be giving the annual Political Quarterly lecture on 5 December 2017. You can register for free here.
“Who Owns A Company?” The Political Quarterly Annual Lecture given by Andy Haldane, Chief Economist at the Bank of England will be held Monday 5 December 2016, 6.00 - 8.00 pm at the Institute for Government, 2 Carlton Gardens,London, SW1Y 5AA. You can sign up here.
Who owns a company? This might seem like a simple question with a simple answer. At least for publicly listed companies, its owners are its shareholders. It is they who claim the profits of the company, who exercise control rights over the management of the company and they whose objectives have primacy in the running of the company. Yet despite its durability and success, this corporate model has not gone unquestioned.
In recent years there has been a rising tide of criticism of companies’ behaviour, from excessive executive remuneration, to unethical practices, to monopoly or oligopoly powers, to short-termism. This lecture will explore different governance and incentive structures and discuss the various micro-economic frictions and their macro-economic impact.
Andrew G Haldane is the Chief Economist at the Bank of England. He is also Executive Director, Monetary Analysis, Research and Statistics. He is a member of the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee. He also has responsibility for research and statistics across the Bank. Andrew has an Honorary Doctorate from the Open University, is Honorary Professor at University of Nottingham, a Visiting Fellow at Nuffield College, Oxford, a member of Economic Council of Royal Economic Society, a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences and Member of Research and Policy Committee at the National Endowment for Science Technology and the Arts (NESTA). He is Chairman and co-founder of ‘Pro Bono Economics’, a charity which brokers economists into charitable projects. Andrew has written extensively on domestic and international monetary and financial policy issues and has published over 150 articles and four books. In 2014, TIME magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
'Democracy in Britain: Retrospect and Prospect' by Tony Wright
The Political Quarterly was delighted to host former editor Tony Wright for the Political Quarterly lecture entitled 'Democracy in Britain: Retrospect and Prospect' on Wednesday 12 October, at the Institute for Government. You can see the the video of his discussions with Jean Seaton here.
"RETHINKING CAPITALISM" Mariana Mazzucato and Michael Jacobs in conversation with Will Hutton. EVENT 22 September 2016, The Birkbeck Cinema, 43 Gordon Square, London, WC1H 0PD. Book your free place here.
The Political Quarterly is pleased to announce the launch of the new PQ book Rethinking Capitalism: Economics and Policy for Sustainable and Inclusive Growth, edited by Michael Jacobs and Mariana Mazzucato. The book brings together leading economists to challenge orthodox ideas about economic theory and policy, and to propose new approaches to achieving a more inclusive and sustainable economy. Read more...
Subscribers to the Political Quarterly will receive a copy as part of their subscription. For others the book is available at a 20% discount from the publishers Wiley Blackwell.
'Called to Account' Weds 22 March, 6.30-8pm, Keynes Library, Birkbeck College, 43 Gordon Square.
You can hear the podcast of Tony Wright in Discussion with Lucy Barnes and Philip Collins here.
Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances at Westminster, Margaret Hodge was unable to attend.
In Called to Account, Margaret Hodge reviews her experiences as Chair of the Public Accounts Committee until 2015. She has particularly sharp things to say about tax avoidance by multinational corporations, and about the civil servants who are meant to ensure that taxes are paid by the high and mighty as well as the low and ordinary. In this event she will debate her assessments with Philip Collins of the Times and UCL’s Lucy Barnes, with Tony Wright in the chair. Is it possible to get corporations to pay more tax, or are current practices the inevitable result of Britain’s ‘bargain basement’ approach to competition with other countries for investment and jobs? And are Hodge’s criticisms of senior civil servants fair, given that they may not be supported in taking a tougher line by their political masters?
Chair: Tony Wright was an MP from 1992 to 2010, and played a leading role in the ‘Wright reforms’ to Parliamentary select committees. He is currently a visiting professor at UCL and Birkbeck.
Margaret Hodge has been MP for Barking since 1994 and was Chair of the Public Accounts Committee from 2010 to 2015.Lucy Barnes is a lecturer in comparative politics at UCL, specialising in the politics of taxation.Philip Collins is a columnist and chief leader writer for The Times, and chair of the board of trustees at the independent think tank Demos.
This event is jointly organised by the Political Quarterly and the Centre for British Politics and Public Life at Birkbeck.
"Citizens, customers, politicians, professionals and money men" - The Political Quarterly Annual Lecture given by Colin Crouch on 19 January 2016 at the Institute for Government.
Two disturbing stories in late 2015 - the Volkswagen emissions testing scandal and the news that some NHS trusts had been giving general practitioners financial incentives not to send patients to hospitals for tests - seemed to come from quite different parts of the human capacity for wickedness. But both are products of the same neoliberal insistence that financial knowledge should trump all other kinds. When there is a conflict between the dictates of financial data and those produced by their substantive professional responsibilities, what should the technician who works for a profit-maximizing firm, or for a public service organization required to meet targets that are their analogue of profit, do? And how should we the public deal with the flood of data produced in such a context? We usually do not understand the science that lies behind these numbers, but that is not a problem if we can trust the experts who produce the data. But can we, when strong incentives displace their professional judgement?
Making Capitalism Fit for Society
Medical Sciences Building, University College London UCL, Thursday 30 January, 2014, 5.30 pm. You can register here.
The Political Quarterly, in conjunction with the department of Politics at UCL and The Centre for the Study of British Politics and Public Life at Birkbeck are hosting a public debate about Colin Crouch's new book Making Capitalism Fit for Society on 30 January 2014 at 5.30 pm in Bloomsbury.
In his book, Colin offers ways of challenging neo-liberalism. He argues that accepting capitalism need not mean we have to accept the full neo-liberal agenda of unfettered markets and absent social provision. He offers instead a vision of a more assertive social democracy with a range of policy options. The book builds on the ideas that Colin has been developing and advocating since his Post Democracy (2004). It has attracted considerable attention in Germany, Austria and Scandinavia where its proposals are being debated across the political left. We think that the debate should be brought to the UK.
Panellists are: David Coen (UCL), Helen Thompson (Cambridge), Andrew Gamble (Cambridge), Virginie Guiraudon (Sciences Po) and chair Tony Wright (Birkbeck and UCL).
12 February 2014. You can view the videos of the event here
Recent Italian Politics in Historical Perspective
We were delighted that Paul Ginsborg took the Political Quarterly annual lecture on Tuesday 25 November 2014, 6.00 - 8.00 pm at the Institute for Government. The lecture, entitled 'Recent Italian politics in historical perspective' can be viewed here.
By whatever measuring rod one cares to adopt – economic, political, cultural – the Italian Republic has undoubtedly been in increasing difficulty since the early 1990s. The long dominion of Silvio Berlusconi in Italian politics has been only one, albeit highly significant, expression of a general decline, which has been accelerated by the global crisis from 2008 onwards. Faced with this situation, many distinguished commentators, both internal and external, have expressed doom-laden sentiments about Italy’s destiny. It is difficult to disagree with much of what they say, but I would like to urge caution. The Italian Republic – references to a second or third Republic seem to me to be rather spurious – has shown a remarkable capacity to survive. To explain why this is so, I intend to adopt a predominantly historical perspective, concentrating on three areas of enquiry: Italy’s cultural specificity as a Catholic and Mediterranean country; the perennial role of strong families acting as buffers against crises of varying dimensions; and the long-term European performance of Italy in relation to what Edward Thompson once called ‘the great arch of bourgeois revolution’. The picture that emerges is neither comforting nor cataclysmic.
SPIN ALLEY: DEBATING THE LEADER’S SPEECH
THE POLITICAL QUARTERLY ARE PLEASED TO BE SPONSORING THE FABIAN SOCIETY EVENT, SPIN ALLEY: DEBATING THE LEADER’S SPEECH, ON TUESDAY 24 SEPTEMBER AT 19:15 – 20:30, MERCURE BRIGHTON SEAFRONT HOTEL.
JESSICA ASATO (PPC, NORWICH NORTH – CHAIR), JACKIE ASHLEY (COLUMNIST, THE GUARDIAN), JOHN DENHAM MP, MICHAEL JACOBS (POLITICAL QUARTERLY), MARCUS ROBERTS (DEPUTY GENERAL SECRETARY, FABIAN SOCIETY) WILL BE DISCUSSING THE MAIN ISSUE OF THE DAY.
WE WILL BE HANDING OUT FREE COPIES OF THE ONE NATION COLLECTION APPEARING IN OUR NEXT ISSUE DUE OUT SOON, WITH ARTICLES FROM STEWART WOOD, MARK WICKHAM-JONES, JOHN GAFFNEY AND AMARJIT LAHEL AND TIM BALE.
THE POLITICAL QUARTERLY ANNUAL LECTURE
4 June, 6.30 - 8.00 pm New Theatre, East Building, LSE
The Political Quarterly annual lecture given by John Kay was held on 4 June 2013 at LSE.
The crisis of 2007-8 was a major setback for supporters of a neoliberal economic philosophy: yet in its aftermath neither the political left nor the political right have been able to offer a coherent account of the strengths and limitations of a market economy.
This lecture filled that gap. If you missed the lecture or would like to hear it again, you can find the podcast here.
ONE NATION LABOUR CONFERENCE:
QUEEN MARY, UNIVERSITY OF LONDON,
THURSDAY 18 APRIL 10.15 AM TO 5.30 PM
A one day conference organised by the PSA Labour Movements group and Labour’s Policy Review, Queen Mary, University of London and the University of Bristol
Ed Miliband's 'One Nation Labour' speech to the party's 2012 annual conference began the process of reframing politics in the UK. Since then, the party has taken up the theme in promoting its policies and projecting its image, as well as in developing its electoral strategy and its narrative about the country.
This one day conference brings together academics, policymakers and senior politicians to debate the ideas and explore the policy content and emerging political orientation behind the concept of One Nation Labour. Among the themes to be addressed are: the implications for Englishness and the Union, the project's relationship to Conservatism and to the Labour Party's past, and the practical implications of a One Nation approach for Labour politics.
Speakers include Jon Cruddas MP, Stewart Wood (House of Lords), Kate Green MP, Maurice Glasman (House of Lords), Philip Blond (ResPublica), Liz Kendall, MP and Duncan O'Leary (Demos). Academic experts include Claire Annesley (Manchester), Mike Kenny (QM), Tim Bale (QM), and Mark Wickham-Jones (Bristol). For more details and how to register, click here.
Conference supported by Labourlist, The Political Quarterly and Demos
THE SOCIAL MARKET AND ITS DISCONTENTS – ANALYSING CAPITALISM AND PUBLIC POLICY
Monday 15 April, 6 - 8 pm at the Institute for Government.
In this Political Quarterly debate, Ian Mulheirn and Michael Jacobs will discuss whether or not the social market offers the right framework for addressing the big public policy challenges of the day.
Social market theorists argue that public policy should promote the use of market mechanisms, as the most effective means of allocating resources both in the private sector and in many public services. They argue that neither free-market fundamentalism nor statist approaches offer a role for government that will result in either socially acceptable or economically efficient outcomes from the market economy.
But critics argue that the huge number of problems generated by economies today - from the financial crisis to environmental degradation, from growing inequality to the concentration of corporate power - requires a more systemic government role in shaping and constraining market forces. Who is right?
You can read Ian Mulheirn's article here and Michael Jacobs' article here.
Ian Mulheirn is Director of the Social Market Foundation. Michael Jacobs is Visiting Professor in the School of Public Policy at University College London and Co-Editor of The Political Quarterly. Chair Polly Toynbee is columnist for the Guardian.
You can register here.
Why are politicians so hated? What can be done about it? Is politics doomed? Can and should it be defended?
Why are politicians hated panel
These were the questions that we put to politicians, political journalists and academics as we marked the 50th anniversary of the publication of Bernard Crick's In Defence of Politics and the 40th Anniversary of the Department of Politics Birkbeck. Crick's book is, as its title suggests, an extended essay about the indispensibility of politics in democratic settings. Fifty years later the argument is as important as ever, perhaps more so as evidence mounts that the public are ever more indifferent or even hostile to politicians and political institutions are increasingly disengaged from political life. Two panels addressed the questions and made the related cases for politics and politicians, followed by audience discussion and debate.
Summarising brutally, the speakers argued that the essential ingredients of representative democracy are able and trustworthy politicians and citizens who are informed and willing to trust and respect them. This central relationship has been under threat from some sections of the press, the political parties, current campaigning practices, focus group policy making, lack of public knowledge about what politicians actually do and can do and, finally, the more general absence of informed discussion of public issues in which politicians and public take part. Trust in politicians might improve if politicians were honest about their beliefs and presented realistic policy options. Yet while recognising the many problems with our politics in the present, the speakers were at one in defending the importance of politics. Moreover, that fact that more people today express a greater interest in politics than at any other time gives grounds for hoping for a positive reconstruction of the relationship between citizens and politicians.
The panellists were:
PANEL 1 –Is Politics doomed?
Chair: Professor Deborah Mabbett (Birkbeck)
Panel: Dr Jason Edwards (Birkbeck)
Professor Tony Wright (Birkbeck and UCL)
Professor Gerry Stoker (University of Southampton)
Professor Michael Kenny (Queen Mary, University of London)
PANEL 2– Why are politicians so hated and what can be done about it?
Chair: Professor Tony Wright (Birkbeck and UCL)
Panel: Frank Dobson MP (Member of Parliament for Holborn and St. Pancras)
Helen Goodman MP (Member of Parliament for Bishop Auckland and Shadow Minister for Culture, Media and Sport)
Tulip Siddiq (Councillor, Camden Council)
Ben Wright (BBC).
The event was jointly organised and sponsored by sponsored by Political Quarterly, The Department of Politics at Birkbeck and the Birkbeck Centre for the Study of Politics and Public Life.
Retrieving the Big Society
Tuesday 16 October 6.00 - 8.00 pm
The launch of the latest PQ book edited by Jason Edwards
Institute for Government
The ‘Big Society’ has become a central term in British political debate. The idea has provoked bafflement in some quarters and cynicism in others. The contributors to this book are united in thinking that the Big Society is more than bombast or window dressing for the Coalition’s deficit reduction programme. Its prominence at the heart of government marks an important shift in political attitudes in Britain to the relationship between the state and society. Yet the precise substance of the idea and its impact on policy remain unclear. The purpose of this volume is to provide some clarity on these counts and to provide a critical analysis of the significance of and prospects for the Big Society.
The contributors to the book are, for the most part, sceptical about Big Society thinking and its chances of enduring political success. Yet this does not mean that an examination of the idea has no value. Despite widespread cynicism about politics and politicians, discussions of high ideas still have an important role in public affairs.
Only the most churlish critic of the Big Society would claim that is has had no impact in promoting public debate on important issues about how we govern ourselves.
Whatever we might think about the prospects for the Big Society as a political project, it has contributed to an important shift in the language of politics in an age when new political solutions to some old-looking problems are desperately required.
Clearly, the retrieval of a golden-age of local community and civic activism is an unrealisable fantasy. But the retrieval of ideas about how we might best govern ourselves democratically, without subjection to the dictates of either the market or the state, remains an immensely valuable project towards which this book hopes to make a small contribution.
The Future of Social Democracy
Friday 8 June at Birmingham University saw the fourth in the series of PQ-sponsored events with Roy Hattersley and Kevin Hickson entitled The Future of Social Democracy. Previous panel debates were at the House of Lords, Liverpool University and Hull University. Panellists included John Denham, MP, Helen Goodman, MP (in photo), David Walker, Guardian, Matt Beech, Hull, Simon Lee, Hull, Louise Ellman, MP, Stephen Twigg, MP, Peter Kilfoyle, Liverpool.
Read Roy Hattersley and Kevin Hickson's article here
Feminising Politics
On Friday 4 November 2011 a group of activists, journalists, experts and politicians participated in our Feminising Politics workshop. The purpose of the day was to discuss and analyse the disappointing progress of women into positions of political power in the UK. The event was jointly sponsored by the Centre for the Study of British Politics and Public Life at Birkbeck and by the Political Quarterly and papers from the workshop will appear in issue 83 4 (Autumn 2012)
The discussion was impassioned and lively. Speakers were either politicians or professional observers of political life; all shared a commitment to women’s political representation and a concern that advances that have been made (although far from complete) might be slipping into reverse. The first half of the day was spent setting out the current state of gender inequality in British political life. We heard about the systematic under-representation of women in the key decision-making networks in the coalition government, the barriers to women’s selection as Parliamentary candidates and the structural problems faced by people with any kind of caring responsibilities when trying to combine doing politics and family life. The lack of diversity among the political class was a key concern with financial and time burdens restricting access alongside a party culture which favours younger politicians who have considerable experience working for their party or within Westminster but little experience of other kinds. A consensus was agreed that the ‘merit’ argument so often put forward against equality guarantees was a smokescreen for vested interests. Given that women make up 52% of the population the group agreed that finding 300 or so talented women to make up 50% percent (rather than 22%) of parliamentarians should not be too challenging. In the afternoon the direction of the debate moved to advance constitutional gender quotas - with a sunset clause - that would force parties to tackle head on the injustice of women’s exclusion from critical political decision-making by legally requiring them to ensure that no less than forty percent of their MPs be drawn from either sex. The group also argued in support of a number of other measures that, in combination with quotas above the level of party, may feminise British politics. These were:
The establishment of an equalities select committee in the House of Commons
A limit on the number of executive directorships individuals can hold
A limit on the number of public body appointments an individual can hold
Pay for all local councillors
Reconstitution of the Women’s National Commission – or equivalent
Reconvening the Speaker’s Conference on parliamentary representation convened on 12 November 2008 to consider the disparity between the representation of women, ethnic minorities and disabled people in the House of Commons and their representation in the UK population at large
Legislation to require equality of outcomes in selection/appointment of women, to include effective sanctions
Draft legislation or rules of public broadcasting to require media/public broadcasting to gender balance political images etc. during elections and more.
House of Lords reforms should include requirement of gender parity
Modernisation of sitting hours
A debate about the possibility of offering job shares for MPs
'Why equality needs no justification'
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Reduce Image Resolution
The Reduce Resolution function is available on the Image menu.
When you select this option it shows the following prompt for your confirmation. This is because there is no Undo for this operation.
There is no undo is because this operation is primarily intended for cases when the computer is running low on memory because the image is too large. (You can still use the File->Revert/Reopen menu option to reload the original image from file.)
We have seen many examples where an image has been scanned at an unnecessarily high resolution. For example, 400 dpi when 200 dpi would have been fine. This can have a big impact on the computer memory requirement, because each time the resolution is doubled it makes the image 4 times as big in memory.
For example, consider an A0 (E size) drawing scanned at 400 dpi in 8 bit colour depth (256 colours). This image would be about 48 inches long and 36 inches wide, and with 400 pixels per inch it would have over 276 million pixels. At 8 bit depth there is 1 byte per pixel, so this is a 276 Mb image. Your computer may have 512 Mb of RAM, so you might think that you're OK. But, don't forget that you'll still need another 276 Mb during the Thinning phase of vectorisation because it needs to work on a copy. So, with this image, you'll soon run out of RAM, and that makes the computer run very slowly.
From these figures you can see that halving the image resolution to 200 dpi would make the same image take only 69 Mb of memory, which is no problem for a modern computer.
WinTopo uses a smart algorithm to cope with all types of bit depth image when reducing the resolution. The resulting image will retain as much information as possible. However, you should be aware that this operation will always lose some image detail.
It is advisable to consider the Reduce Palette Colours operation in preference to reducing the resolution, unless it is obvious that the resolution is too high.
Image Processing options
Reduce Palette Colours
Contents Page
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← End Time War Games and Their Revelation
Energy Report of the PAT – March 11, 2015, Part I →
Has Russia Signed a Secret Military Alliance with France Against the USA ?
by Georgi Stankov Posted on March 10, 2015
by Georgi Stankov, March 10, 2015
I have no tangible proofs that Russia has already signed a secret military agreement for a mutual help in their clandestine war against the Empire of Evil (USA), but all the facts point to this conclusion. If this is true, it explains why the Germans are now also leaving the sinking Western cabal’s ship and officially criticize the bellicose policy of Washington, and in particular of General Breadlove, the top commander of NATO in Europe and Victoria Nuland – the “Fuck EU” political whore and deputy secretary in the US Department of foreign affairs – as I already reported. The Germans will never dare such a rift with their American masters, unless they have the support of France. The Berlin-Paris axis seems to hold these days.
After the surprising visit of Hollande in Moscow last year when he met with Putin at the airport, there were a lot of rumors as to the topic of their secret conversation. Informed sources claimed that Hollande had received frightening information from his secret services that the USA is planning a massive black op against France to force this country into a global war, as this happened later on with the Charlie Hebdo Hoax in a farcical manner.
Hollande must have asked Putin for urgent help during his sudden visit to Moscow. None of this information was confirmed by both politicians, but soon thereafter the Russians stopped their pressure on Paris to deliver their military ship, which the French were obliged to do by October 2014 at the latest. The penalties for this breach of the contract on the part of France, which was forced to postpone the delivery of the ship to Russia under Washington’s pressure to punish Russia with sanctions as the West was losing the conflict in Ukraine, amounted to at least 2.5 billion dollars.
I noticed this sudden shift in the French-Russian relations immediately at that time and knew that there must have been a secret agreement between Russia and France to coordinate their joint resistance against the Empire of Evil to unleash a new devastating war in Europe starting from Ukraine. Therefore it was not at all surprising that both Hollande and Merkel were instrumental in the second Minsk peace agreement with Russia against the will of Washington.
There is no doubt that much more is happening behind closed doors than the MSM report and that these clandestine negotiations and agreements have only one goal – to weaken the Empire of Evil to realize its hegemonic foreign goals of enslaving the whole humanity under one centre, one sovereign, as Putin warned in his historic speech at the Munich security conference in February 10, 2007.
If it comes true that Russia and France have signed a secret agreement on military cooperation against the USA, and my HS and the latest information point unequivocally to this fact, then this is the game changer on the global chess board on behalf of Russia. It is important to know that the two countries have always been allies for many centuries, except when Napoleon decided to conquer Russia and was defeated by the Russian people and the severe Russian winter in a most humiliating manner. Such historical alliances still play a great role in modern diplomacy, which is based to a large extent on tradition.
The latest information proves that Washington is most concerned by the fact that Moscow has allowed the French navy earlier last month to equip their nuclear attack submarine Saphir with one of Russia’s revolutionary electronic warfare systems weapons, and which allowed this submarine to sink an entire US navy carrier group, including the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, in war games conducted off the coast of Florida in February, as the Russian outlet Sputnik indirectly confirms:
“A series of joint naval drills between the United States and France recently didn’t quite turn out the way the US, no doubt, expected. The practice scenario ended with the French nuclear submarine that was acting the part of an enemy ship “sinking” the American aircraft carrier and most of its escort.
The exercises took place over 10 days starting in mid-February off the coast of Florida. The French nuclear attack submarine (SNA) — named Saphir — joined US Carrier Strike Group 12, comprising the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (nicknamed the “Big Stick”), several Ticonderoga cruisers or Arleigh Burke destroyers and a Los Angeles class nuclear attack submarine.
The exercises were meant to test the newly upgraded carrier, which had undergone a four year, $2.6 billion overhaul, ahead of the Strike Group’s deployment.
“We are going to experience real combat situations from all angles, there will be training evaluations from a hostile ship boarding, submarine attacks, and enemy ships or vessels trying impede their justice upon our strike group,” said Capt. Scott F. Robertson, of the USS Normandy in a statement about the exercises.
Better Friend Than Foe
And all those exercises went well while SNA Saphir was on the American side of the imaginary conflict, in which fictional states were attacking US economic and territorial interests. The French sub supported the American vessels in anti-submarine warfare drills.
However, the second phase of the exercises found the French ship playing on the enemy side, charged with a mission to find and attack the Theodore Roosevelt.
And so it did, sneaking deep into the defensive screen of the Strike Group, avoiding detection by the American anti-submarine warfare assets, and, on the last day of the drill, “sinking” the Roosevelt and most of it’s escort
Aircraft Carriers Iconic, but Vulnerable, Naval Giants
Aircraft carriers travel with these escorts, and train with submarines, precisely because they are so vulnerable to submarine attacks, the USS Theodore Roosevelt proving no (theoretical) exception.
“For every sailor who’s not in a submarine, submarines are real scary,” writes David Axe at Real Clear Defense.
“Stealthy and heavily armed, subs are by far the most powerful naval vessels in the world for full-scale warfare—and arguably the best way to sink those more obvious icons of naval power, aircraft carriers.”
The original report on the drills was published March 4 on the website of the French marines under the headline, “Le SNA Saphir en entraînement avec l’US Navy au large de la Floride,” but has since been removed. A link in a Marine National tweet about the drill likewise, leads to a blank page. Parts of the article, however, are reproducedin French language reports.”
Source: http://sputniknews.com/news/20150306/1019130173.html
Hence we are well advised to expect very soon new sudden rifts in the facade of the Western military alliance, NATO and a total disarray of their hegemonic policy to establish the NWO. This collapse will be facilitated by other important revelations and crises such as the possible defeat of Netanyahu, the greatest war mongerer of current times, in the coming elections this week or the pending government crisis in the Netherlands, as Daniel has just reported to me. Of course much more will follow and we are the driving force behind all these processes that will reveal the ultimate truth to humanity.
This entry was posted in Other Articles. Bookmark the permalink.
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Friday 56: Strong Rain Falling by Jon Land
Welcome to this week's Friday 56 - this Friday 56 comes from Strong Rain Falling, the latest Caitlin Strong novel by Jon Land.
* Turn to page 56 or 56% on your e-reader/
*Post a link along with your post back to this blog and to Freda's Voice at http://fredasvoice.blogspot.com
Here's my Friday 56 from Strong Rain Falling: A Caitlin Strong novel:
But he walked with a slight limp from shrapnel still lodged in his hip from one bomb blast and had lost a good measure of his hearing to another, which had felled a dozen men while leaving him the sole survivor.
Mexico, 1910: The Mexican drug trade begins with opium being smuggled across the US border, igniting an all-out battle with American law enforcement.
The Present: Texas Ranger Caitlin Strong, Cort Wesley Masters, and his teenage boys survive a terrifying gun battle. Caitlin and Cort Wesley pursue the perpetrators only to discover that the targets were actually the boys!
That sets the two off on a trail winding through the past and the present. Along the way they confront terrible truths dating all the way back to the opium smuggling that helped finance the Mexican Revolution. That is until the Texas Rangers, led by Caitlin's grandfather and great-grandfather, struck back with the aid of Emiliano Zapata, wiping out the early drug lords responsible.
Now the remnants of that powerful criminal lineage are out for vengeance against Zapata's remaining relatives, including the late mother of Cort Wesley's two sons - and thus, the boys are targets too.
Jon Land is the critically acclaimed author of thirty novels, including the bestselling series featuring female Texas Ranger Caitlin Strong: Strong Enough to Die, Strong Justice, Strong at the Break and Strong Vengeance. In addition, he is the author of the nonfiction bestseller Betrayal. He lives in Providence, Rhode Island and can be found on the web at jonlandbooks.com
Posted by Gaby317 at 10:35 PM 1 comment:
Because It Is My Blood by Gabrielle Zevin
Since her release from Liberty Children's Facility, Anya Balachine is determined to follow the straight and narrow. Unfortunately, her criminal record and mafiya family are making it hard for her to do that. And when old friends return demanding that certain debts be paid, Anya is forced right back into the world that she had been seeking to escape. It's a journey that will take her across the ocean to the birthplace of chocolate, where her resolve -- and her heart -- will be tested as never before.
I worry sometimes that I'm too enthusiastic about the books I review. There are some books that I skim over and am not that fond of - I often opt not to review them as I'd much prefer to spread the word about books that I believe give a good return on the time spent. I've been told that I should write a bit more about these books, if only to show that I am able to discern the good from the bad.
But this time, yet again, I have to enthusiastically recommend the second book in the Balachine novels, Because It Is My Blood.
The book is set in the future and it follows the story of Anya Balanchine and her family after her brother has escaped to Japan to avoid incarceration. Anya has survived her stint the NY juvenile facility but finds her future uncertain. She has been expelled from her old school before her senior year. Her best friend is pregnant with her ex-boyfriend's child. Her love and other ex-boyfriend has moved on despite his vows of eternal love.
Anya faces these heartbreaking problems with humor and spirit. Her resilience and grit -those characteristics that had us cheering for her in the earlier novel All These Things I've Done - are back in spades and we find ourselves hoping that Anya beats the odds yet again. This time, she faces larger grown up problems - the loss of her guardian, the threat of assassination, the possible loss of whatever is left of her family.
ISBN-10: 9780374380748 - Hardcover $14.00
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) (September 18, 2012), 368 pages.
Review copy courtesy of the publisher.
Gabrielle Zevin is the author of many acclaimed books, including All These Things I've Done and Elsewhere. She lives in New York City.
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MO3 to MP4
Convert MO3 to MP4, MO3 to MP4 Converter
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Convert MO3 to MP4
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What is MP4?
MPEG-4 Part 14, formally ISO/IEC 14496-14:2003, is a multimedia container format standard specified as a part of MPEG-4. It is most commonly used to store digital audio and digital video streams, especially those defined by MPEG, but can also be used to store other data such as subtitles and still images. Like most modern container formats, MPEG-4 Part 14 allows streaming over the Internet. The official filename extension for MPEG-4 Part 14 files is .mp4, thus the container format is often referred to simply as MP4.
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Muwashahat
De Córdoba a Damasco
From Cordoba to Damascus
AL-ANDALUS DANZA
“A thousand-year journey around the Mediterranean in the footsteps of Al-Andalus poetry”
Using all the exuberance of her neo-Andalusi choreographic language, at once emotive and contemporary, Nesma takes the audience on a journey in the footsteps of the muwashah, a poetic form created in Al-Andalus.
Nesma presents a new choreographic creation, inspired by the history of Al-Andalus, telling the journey of Andalusi poetry from the ninth century to the present day.
Born in the mix of cultures at the height of the intellectual flowering of the Arab world, the brilliant Andalusi civilisation left an indelible mark on the Iberian Peninsula and across the Arabic world. In addition, it served as a channel for transmitting oriental wisdom to the West. Despite all the upheavals of history, its cultural legacy continues to fascinate.
Nesma creates on the stage an innovative, neo-Andalusi spectacle, interpreted by six dancers and six musicians with musical arrangements by the Spanish singer and composer Irene Shams. Using a very personal perspective, from a crossroads of cultures, Nesma brings all the exuberance of her neo-Andalusi choreographic language, at once emotive and contemporary, to take the audience on a journey in the footsteps of the muwashah, an original and revolutionary poetic form which was born in Al-Andalus and which gave rise to a musical tradition. Nesma and her company embody on the stage the muwashahat (plural of muwashah), from the splendour of the Omeya Caliphate of Cordoba, its exile and journey across the Mediterranean, from the Maghreb to the Middle East, and its renaissance.
Nesma shows us an important page in our history, which is also a mirror of our current challenges: respect and dialogue in the face of confrontation; solidarity in the face of forced migration; historical memory in the face of blindness. Above all this is a work which illustrates the importance of arts in society, cultural diversity and freedom of expression.
Traditional music from the Maghreb and the Middle East, based on the poetry of the muwashahat by Andalusi writers, arranged for a contemporary company.
About the muwashshahat:
“The muwashshah was invented in the ninth century in Al-Andalus and was developed there as a poetic-musical form. Although they are written in classical Arabic, the muwashshahat* are not based on the metre of classical Arabic poetry. Instead of using a fixed sequence of accented and non-accented syllables, they are grouped as adaptations of a pre-determined rhythmic musical pattern. “
Habib Hassan Touma – The Music of the Arabs
Meet Nesma
Muwashahat Show
– Direction y choreography: Nesma
– Musical direction and arrangements: Irene Shams
– Performers:
Lorena Galeano
Teresa Tomás
Ingrid Selkis
Isabel Yagüe
Alexandra Segura
Irene Shams – Voice
Patxi Pascual – Saxophone, Clarinet, Flutes
Delchad Ahmad – Violin, Cell0, Oud
Jorge Vera – Piano
Jose Miguel Garzón – Double bass
Luis Taberna – Percussion
– Lighting design: Victor Cadenas
– Sound: Adels González
Wardrobe design: Nesma, Encarna Ortega
Production manager: Eric Godfroid
Show length: 1h15
A Spanish dancer and choreographer, Nesma discovered Arabic music and dance while participating in shows created with her brothers and sister for television. Captivated, she began to study oriental dance in Madrid and then in Paris.
From 1993 to 1998 she lived in Cairo, where she had great success and gained a profound knowledge not only of dance, but also of the music and language, the culture and traditions of Egypt. She performed as a soloist with her own orchestra on the most important stages in Cairo. She broadened her career with the National Ballet “Reda” and she became one of the closest collaborators of the great choreographer Mahmoud Reda.
In 1998 she returned to Spain to create her own school and a prestigious company, Al-Andalus Danza, with which she presented her works in important theatres in Europe and Egypt. At the same time, she continued to have a successful international career as a dancer and teacher. In 2004 she founded the recording label Nesma Music and a highly regarded Arabic music and dance festival Raks Madrid in 2005.
In Cairo, immersed in Arabic culture, Nesma began a project in 1998 of developing a dance style inspired by the legacy of Al-Andalus. Using as the foundation the technique of Mahmoud Reda, she combined this with Spanish folk elements and other Mediterranean dances to create her ‘neo-Andalusi’ style. “Muwashshahat” is her third show based on this subject, following “From the Nile to the Guadalquivir” (2002) and “Dreams of Al-Andalus” (2008) which was premiered in the Cairo Opera.
Irene Shams
Jazz singer and director of choirs, Irene Shams has a solid classical and jazz training. A teacher of music theory, composition and piano, she augmented her jazz studies with teachers such as Deborah J. Carter, Horacio Icasto, Anita Wardell, Bobby McFerrin, Bob Stoloff, Roberta Gambarini, Michelle Weir, Kurt Elling, …
As director, she created and leads the Gospel and Modern Music Choir of the Universidad Complutense in Madrid (2006-2014) and directs the Choir of the Fundación Orange España (2010-Present). In 2014 she created and directs her own singing studio Mix Voice Studio in Madrid.
As a singer she is a regular in jazz clubs and festivals across the country and has shared the stage with outstanding musicians such as Horacio Icasto, Román Filiú, Iván “Melón” Lewis, Jorge Vera Aguilera, Joaquín Chacón, Reinier Elizarde “El Negrón” …
In 2000 her interest in oriental dance led her to study with Nesma and become a member of her company. That was the start of a fertile collaboration between the two artists, among whose projects are the fusion band Alkobry. She furthered her training in Arabic and Andalusi music in Spain Morocco and Egypt. She has prepared he own method of teaching the music of the Arab world for dancers and choreographers.
Contact and Booking
Have any questions or ideas?
Eric Godfroid
contact@nesma.es
Nesma Productions
c/ Juan de Jauregui 4 28007 Madrid – Spain
www.nesma.es
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Tag: Artist Highlight
Posted on May 16, 2019 August 6, 2020
When I first met Estaire Godinez I was completely in awe of her grace. She is a genuinely graceful and stunningly beautiful women. It seemed that every time she spoke she reintroduced the concept of “Lady” to the world.
Estaire Godinez is also an international sensation. As a vocalist she seduces the audiences with her smokey voice that is clear and comes with a full range. A rare pleasure. She is reminiscent of each Blossom Dearie, Montserrat Caballé, and Billy Holiday. In short, her voice is unique and amazing. Her intonation and range of voice is perfect for ballads that make you sad, happy, or glad, for pop songs, for classical music, and especially for the bossa nova. This Maestra is clearly influenced by the many Boston’s Berkelee School of Music classes she internalized. She also trained privately with the celebrated Congero Giovanni Hidalgo.
Estaire Godinez, Besame Mucho from her latest Album “Estaire Godinez, This Time…”
Estaire Godinez “Live at the Dakota”
Her debut release “Live at the Dakota” published by Under the Radar Music Group, established Estaire Godinez as a singer and bandleader. This productive woman worked on her first album while traveling on tour world wide with the legendary George Benson. Peter Schimke (piano/keyboards), Eric Leeds (sax) Mike Scott (guitar), Stokely Williams (drums) and Serge Akou (bass). Mutually appreciative of her talents, their instruments weave effortlessly in and around her conga beats, creating a hypnotic fusion of jazz, pop and Brazilian/Afro- Cuban. They all plan with seductive ease, exchanging musical flirtations with airtight execution.
Estaire Godinez, “Live at the Dakota” at The Dakota Jazz Club in Minnesota.
Estaire Godinez, recording artists and live performer
She contributed her experiences as a performer in over sixty album recordings working with Prince, Coke Escovedo, Brothers Johnson, George Benson, Larry Graham and Norman Brown, the legendary composer Leon Ware, Rolando Morales, and many others. Estaire Godinez has a huge stage present. She is a sought to appear in live performances and performed with the Manakato Symphony as their featured vocalist, singing an aria and her original; the orchestral arrangements were done by her dear friend Pepper Williams. She appeared on stage alongside Peter Tosh, Actor/musician, Jeff Goldblum & The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra, Bow-Wow-wow, Duncan Du, Javier Ruibal, and pop star Joaquin Sabina. In Europe, as the lead in the popular Madrid-based all-original pop-rock mainstays, Estaire Godinez and the Face Band.
Estaire Godinez has appeared in, sang for many films and advertisements. She also is a published author of The Yelva which was turned into a feature film. She was chosen to adapt the book for the screen. Estaire Godinez is a standing member at the commercials and film, including a movie produced by and starring Benjamin Bratt. She starred in the film and sang on the movie score.
Early on in her entertainment career, Estaire Godinez was dancer and one of the Bay Area’s co-founders of the unique dance troupe called Bachanal, an Afro Cuban/Haitian dance troupe comprised of some of the best dancers in the City, led by their fearless leader Gloria Toolsie from New York. Bachanal was one of the first of its kind in the Bay Area to perform with such a large ensemble and costumes.
Estaire Godinez, singer, composer, lyricist, congera, published author and film maker.
Estaire grew up around music with her 8 siblings. Her mother, a housewife, has a beautiful soprano voice and her father sang in a Baritone voice. Her parents immigrated to the US and settled in Oakland, where Estaire was born. Oakland is the most ethnically mixed city in the US and as a result Estaire grew up enjoying every type of musical style. Mexican Trios, Smooth Jazz, Pop, Rock, Big Band Jazz, Bossa Nova, Native American Music, Soul Music, Brazilian and African sounds. from Mexico well she grew up listening to Trios, and All styles of music coming from the influences of her older siblings. She plays frequently with brothers Salvador and Carlos both prominent musicians and song writers.
When asking Estaire Godinez for a quote about recent project she explains: “Estaire is also a published author, a book she published in 2015 titled THE YELVA (to which she has also wrote the screenplay adaptation for a feature film. Along with her published book she also has a short story and two books finished which she intends to publish. She stays true to her first love which is music. She is working on the music for her third album with Peter Schimke; this one will be released in 2019. This one will be dedicated to the musical stylings of Latin Jazz. “
Rolando Morales is joined by Estaire Godinez at Havana’s in Walnut Creek on May 31st, 2019
Estaire Godinez is currently working on a new film project. However, you can catch her on May 31, 2019 at Havana’s in Walnut Creek where she joins her good friend, vocalist and Guitarist Rolando Morales.
Estaire Godinez, this accomplished all around artist, dancer, singer, congera, performer, recording artist, actress, author and film maker brings grace and overall quality to everything she creates. Her bio reads: “Whether swing or Samba, backbeats or Bossa Nova, Godinez has always been fascinated by the push and pull of different rhythmic styles, mirroring her musical diversity, she is multilingual (Spanish, Portuguese, English) and has lived and performed throughout the world.
Stay tuned. This year Estaire Godinez plans to finish her third collaboration together with Peter Schimke. She is publishing her book, and adapting it to a movie script. In Maui, Hawai, she owns a company with her sister, where they will sell their art work and Jewelry, and offer Estaire Godinez’ music and books. Visit her own website to learn more.
Brandi Carlile echoes Joan Baez in more ways than one
Brandi Carlile has a most amazing voice with perfect elocution. Her voice is beautiful and haunting. It stays with you after you heard it. A bit of a siren call like Joan Baez. You can’t unhear their voices. Once you did you know that voice.
Another way that Brandi is impactful like Joan Baez use to be is that she sings ballads that actually talk about things that we care about. Feelings and issues. Relationships gone wrong and the feelings we may experience as we work them out.
When you are depressed, get help. People care! Many more people than you may realize, care about you. (Official version… click on photo to play)
“By the way, I forgive you.” is related to a friend of Brandi’s who committed suicide when they were in High School. “Hold out your hand” is about gun violence. Brandi supports the effort by Seattle school children who don’t want to get shot. The students behind “March For Our Lives” in Seattle made a video and Brandi decided to support their effort with her song “Hold out your Hand.”
On facebook Brandi exclaims:
“These young people are asking for a change – are you listening?
Responsible gun laws are on a spectrum and as much as we’d like it to be, it isn’t black and white. Some of these kids hunt with their parents, some of them are enlisting into service and will carry a weapon in defense of your way of life. Don’t make the mistake of broad brushing what they’re asking for.
We can’t allow ourselves to be divided and conquered any longer by organizations that profit from our division. There can be and there IS a way that we can create change from the center of the debate.”
A singer songwriter activist who is also amazingly talented like Brandi, doesn’t come along very often. Let’s support her by purchasing her new album.
http://bytheway.brandicarlile.com/
Or, even better go see her live. It surely will be an experience that stays with you. You can catch her at the Mondavi Winery in Napa, CA on July 14th, and at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga, CA on August 22nd, 2018. She is actively touring the entire country. Check her website for dates near you.
You may also enjoy her YouTube channel. Or say hello to her on facebook.
Posted on May 1, 2017 September 25, 2017
N’Kenge enchants Broadway Musical Audiences around the world
Recently we had the pleasure of a personal interview with N’Kenge, one of the most accomplished musical artists of this century. Her accomplishments are too numerous to mention. First opera singer to win the Lena Horne Vocal Competition, first opera singer to win the New York State talented teen, starred in the world tour of Man in the Mirror Tribute Show to Michael Jackson, starred on West End London in the production of the Genius of Ray Charles, was nominated for a Helen Hayes Award for outstanding lead actress in arena stage’s production of 3 Mo Divas, she sang for Obama, Kofi Annan, Bill Clinton, did 140 shows in 2014 alone and received a proclamation from New York City Hall for her community work. Oh, she sings in 11 different languages. So it is a genuine honor to have her give us a personal interview. Enjoy!
What are your favorite upcoming projects?
I’ve started rehearsals this week for The Golden Apple musical which will be performed next month in the encore series at New York City Center. I’m excited to play the principal role of Mother Hare that doubles as Circe.
This summer will be filled with some exciting projects. In June, I will play the role of Tonya in a Showcase of the Broadway bound “54 The Musical.”
I also join Maestro Steve Reineke and the Philadelphia Orchestra in the concert Sophisticated Ladies/Ella Fitzgerald at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center.
What were your favorite performances?
Probably a combination of making my debut as Musetta in Puccini’s La Bohème at Virginia Opera and originating the role of Mary Wells in the Broadway’s MOTOWN: The Musical.
How did you get started in the entertainment industry?
I started singing at 10 years old at my elementary school in the Bronx PS 95. I landed the role of Patty in Snoopy, the Musical, and I got the music bug. All I ever wanted to do from that time onward was to sing and to make people happy through my music. I got a scholarship to get my Bachelor’s Degree at the Manhattan School of Music and a Master’s Degree at the Juilliard School. I was immediately singing with New York City Opera, Virginia Opera, and Seattle Opera once I graduated. Then I got cast in a show called 3 Mo Divas about opera singers who can sing in eight styles of music. That was the show that transitioned me into the Musical Theater and Pop World.
You have classical training, do you miss performing classical music or do you still work on it?
I still perform classical music with symphonies around the world and was the lead in a Wagner Opera during a vacation break from MOTOWN: The Musical, on Broadway. Probably the first and last time I would ever perform Wagner immediately after doing an eight show week of Motown music. Ha, ha.
When did you realize you wanted to become a singer / performer?
At 10 years old. My fifth grade teacher gave me a chance to perform on stage, and I’ve been addicted ever since. My mom was a huge supporter and was giving me every opportunity to perform – once she realized I had this gift.
Do you have advice for any young people who dream to become singers.
Turning dreams into reality comes with a recipe of hard work, perseverance and passion. Stay focused and develop a circle of people that will support you. Music is a hard career to break into, but if it’s what you LOVE then every step of your journey is worth it.
N’Kenge is such an amazing woman, such an amazing artist, and a genuine role model for kids all around the world. Learn more about her on her website: www.nkengemusic.com
PERFORMANCE LINKS
FEVER- LIVE ON WEST END, LONDON in The Genius of Ray Charles
“DEFYING GRAVITY” AT IWF- Performed by N’Kenge
SKYFALL at the Legendary BIRDLAND JAZZ CLUB in NYC
Enjoy more shows on her very own Youtube Channel.
Artist Highlight: Laurent Mercier
Laurent Mercier and John Lee Hooker, Jr.
Laurent Mercier was born in France in 1967. He spends a good part of his childhood on the road with his parents who are working in the music industry. Later he studies at the « école nationale supérieure des Beaux-arts » in Paris. He started his career as an independent multimedia artist, organizing collective exhibitions. He also worked with the publishing firm, Association for the Development of Multimedia Literature.
He exhibits regularly at the Galerie Donguy, 57 rue de la Roquette, in Paris. He organizes collective exhibitions from the artist action group created by Michel Journiac. He takes part in events on the subject of the artist condition and status in the society, in institutions like Unesco.
He joins Jacques Donguy in his publishing structure “Association for the Development of Multimedia Literature.”
He eventually created his own school “Studio Mercier” where he trains CG Artists, who are working currently in international production studios. He created his own production studio Callicore which allows him to provide services to musicians without any of the restraints often found in major media conglomerates. Laurent Mercier, in short, has devoted his life to break through boundaries and to bring genuine, true art and freedom to his creations counter-balancing the boredom of what he calls “the cultural dictatorship of corporate media”.
Now with his own company, Callicore, he is in charge of all aspects of its projects, from pre-production to post-production, and retains a relatively independent and free nature. It is working out well for Laurent Mercier and his artist clients. They won a Webby Award with John Lee Hooker, Jr. with the animated music video ”Blues ain’t Nothin’ but a Pimp” and expanded Callicore’s service offer with music production and music publishing. More than a collaboration, John Lee Hooker Jr and Laurent Mercier developed the strong bond of a real brotherhood. Among the many illustrious artists co-produced by Laurent Mercier are a variety of projects with John Lee Hooker jr, Arrested Development, Carbon Silicon,The buzzcocks, The Meteors, The Washington Dead Cats, Marky Ramones Blitzkrieg, We Are The Fury, CAKE, Brian Setzer, Lee Rocker, Clinic Rodéo, Dr Feelgood and recently Iggy Pop.
Iggy Pop’s rendition of the classic “La Vie en Rose.”
At Callicore Studios, Laurent Mercier is the producer, director, CG artist, who collaborates with Marius Legrand, producer, lead animator, and are supported by their production assistant Anaelle Majidate.
Washington Dead Cats fun video of a groovy nightmare blues song.
One of the first collaborations between Mercier and Xavier Semens, who joined Callicore in 2006, was the animated video for Phantom Rider, a song from the 2007 album, Hymn for the Hellbound, by the British psychobilly group The Meteors. That same year, Callicore produced an animated video for Sound of a Gun, by the British punk band The Buzzcocks (the initial video was considered too violent for broadcast television, and a second, less violent version was released).
Callicore created the animated video for Blues Ain’t Nothin’ But a Pimp, a song from John Lee Hooker, Jr.’s Grammy Award-winning album, All Odds Against Me. The video portrays Hooker as a comic book character, “Bluesman”, who plays in clubs at night and cleans up the streets during the day. The video was a Webby Award honoree in the Special FX/Motion Graphics category in 2009. An image from the video was featured on the album’s cover.
In 2008, Callicore produced its first video for Carbon/Silicon, a band founded by Mick Jones, the former guitarist for The Clash, and bass player Tony James. In 2010, the studio produced the video for hip-hop group Arrested Development’s Bloody, as well as for When We Were Angels by Marky Ramone’s Blitzkrieg, a project of former Ramones drummer, Marky Ramone.[2]
In 2011, Callicore created the video for Cake’s Long Time, a track from the band’s comeback album, Showroom of Compassion. In an interview with Cake singer John McCrea, Mercier said the gloomy mood of the video, which follows the plight of a man and his monkey imprisoned in a dystopian world, was inspired directly by Cake’s music, which reminds him of “melancholy things.” McCrea was impressed by the video’s general movement and choreography, which he suggested are often lacking in music videos, and appreciated how Mercier perceived the non-humorous side of Cake’s music.
Callicore produced and directed videos for artists such as Brian Setzer, Lee Rocker, Eagle-Eye Cherry and Dr. Feelgood, from 2011 to 2013. The studio has continued its collaboration with John Lee Hooker, Jr., with several videos featuring the “Bluesman” character created for Blues Ain’t Nothin’ But a Pimp.
You can learn more about Laurent Mercier via his website, wiki, and facebook page.
Jim Dennis’ Birthday Celebration – Joyce Gordon Gallery
50 Years In A Flash | Photography by Jim Dennis
Jim Dennis’ Birthday Celebration
Thursday, August 18th 6 – 10pm
Joyce Gordon Gallery Tour 6-7pm
Celebration at Geoffrey’s InnerCircle (410 14th St, Oakland)
7-10pm feat an extended music collection
($5 Door Entry include live music and extended exhibit).
Get an amazing discount on your photo session by world renown photographer Jim Dennis
Sign up to have your portrait taken by renown Bay Area photographer, Jim Dennis here at Joyce Gordon Gallery along with celebrity makeup artist Meko White | .www.mekowhite.com
Portrait Session $150 per person | Each Sessions are approximately 20mins to 30mins
Click here to reserve your portrait session
Joyce Gordon Gallery presents “50 Years In A Flash,” a retrospective of photography including portraits, nudes, music, flowers and landscapes by renowned Bay Area photographer Jim Dennis.
CLICK HERE FOR PRESS RELEASE
Posted on August 3, 2016 September 2, 2017
Tony Bennett Happy Birthday
“We aren’t likely to see a recording career like this again.”
“…his voice is still a technical marvel, and no one else on Earth can make a lyric written eight decades ago sound as natural as a conversation at a coffee shop.”
— New York Magazine
Happy Birthday Tony Bennett
No one else in popular American music has recorded for so long and at such a high level of excellence as Tony Bennett. In the last ten years alone he has sold ten million records. The essence of his longevity and high artistic achievement was imbued in him in his loving childhood home in the Astoria section of Queens where he was born on August 3, 1926. His father died when Tony was 10 and his mother, Anna, raised Tony and his older brother and sister, John and Mary, in a home surrounded by loving relatives who were Tony’s first fans filling him with encouragement and optimism. He attended the High School of Industrial Arts in Manhattan, where he continued nurturing his two passions, singing and painting. From the radio he developed a love of music, hearing Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong, and James Durante.
As a teenager Tony sang while waiting on tables, and then enlisted in the Army during World War II. While in Europe he performed with military bands. He later had vocal studies at the American Theatre Wing School. The first time Bennett sang in a nightclub was in 1946 when he sat in with trombonist Tyree Glenn at the Shangri-La in Astoria. Bennett’s big break came in 1949 when comedian Bob Hope noticed him working with Pearl Bailey in Greenwich Village in New York City. As Bennett recalls, “Bob Hope came down to check out my act. He liked my singing so much that after the show he came back to see me in my dressing room and said, ‘Come on kid, you’re going to come to the Paramount and sing with me.’ But first he told me he didn’t care for my stage name (Joe Bari) and asked me what my real name was. I told him, ‘My name is Anthony Dominick Benedetto’ and he said, ‘We’ll call you Tony Bennett.’ And that’s how it happened. A new Americanized name—the start of a wonderful career and a glorious adventure that has continued for over 60 years.”
With millions of records sold worldwide and platinum and gold albums to his credit, Bennett has received seventeen Grammy Awards—including a 1995 Grammy for Record of the Year for his “MTV Unplugged” CD, which introduced this American master to a whole new generation—and the Grammy Lifetime Award. His 2007 prime-time special, “Tony Bennett: An American Classic,” won seven Emmy Awards. His initial successes came via a string of Columbia singles in the early 1950’s, including such chart-toppers as “Because of You,” “Rags to Riches,” and a remake of Hank Williams “Cold, Cold Heart.” He had 24 songs in the Top 40, including “I Wanna Be Around,” “The Good Life,” “Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)” and his signature song, “I Left My Heart In San Francisco,” which garnered him two Grammy Awards.
Tony Bennett is one of a handful of artists to have new albums charting in the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, and now in the first two decades of the 21st century. He has introduced a multitude of songs into the Great American Songbook that have since become standards for pop music. He has toured the world to sold out audiences with rave reviews whenever he performs. Bennett re-signed with Columbia Records in 1986 and released the critically acclaimed The Art of Excellence. Since his 1991 show-stopping performance at the Grammy Awards of “When Do The Bells Ring For Me,” from his Astoria album, he has received a string of Grammy Awards for releases including Stepping Out, Perfectly Frank, and MTV Unplugged.
In the new millennium, Bennett’s artistry and popularity was higher than ever. In 2006, the year of his 80th birthday, his Duets: An American Classic was released. The album—which included performances with Paul McCartney, Elton John, Barbra Streisand, Bono, and others—won three Grammy Awards and went on to be one of the best selling CDs of the year and Tony’s career. Bennett’s first Duets album also inspired the Rob Marshall-directed television special Tony Bennett: An American Classic which won seven Emmys making it the most honored program at the 2007 Emmy Awards.
In celebration of his 85th birthday in 2011, the release of Bennett’s highly anticipated Duets II featured Tony performing with a new roster of celebrated artists including the late Amy Winehouse (her last recording was their duet of “Body and Soul”), Michael Bublé, Aretha Franklin, Josh Groban, Lady Gaga, John Mayer, and many others. Duets II debuted at #1 on the Billboard Album charts, making Tony the only artist at the age of 85 to achieve this in the history of recorded music. Bennett won two Grammys for Duets II in the 2012 Grammy ceremony and this year marked the 50th Anniversary of the recording and release of his signature song, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.” A documentary entitled THE ZEN OF BENNETT, which was created and conceived by Danny Bennett, Tony’s son and manager, was premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2012. At the end of 2012, Bennett also authored his fourth book, the New York Times bestseller, LIFE IS A GIFT, which highlights his personal philosophies learned throughout his life and career.
Tony Bennett became a Kennedy Center Honoree in 2005, was named an NEA Jazz Master in January of 2006, a Citizen of the World award from the United Nations and a Billboard Magazine Century Award in honor of his outstanding contributions to music. Tony Bennett is a dedicated painter whose interest in art began as a child. He continues to paint every day, even as he tours internationally. He has exhibited his work in galleries around the world. The United Nations has commissioned him for two paintings, including one for their 50th anniversary. His original painting, “Homage to Hockney,” is on permanent display at the Butler Institute of American Art and the landmark National Arts Club in New York is home to Tony’s painting “Boy on Sailboat, Sydney Bay.” Three of his paintings are part of the Smithsonian Museums permanent collections including his portrait of his friend Duke Ellington that became part of the National Portrait Gallery’s collection in 2009.
Throughout his career, Tony Bennett has always put his heart and time into humanitarian concerns. He has raised millions of dollars for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, which established a research fund in his name. His original paintings each year grace the cover of the American Cancer Society’s annual holiday greeting card, proceeds from which are earmarked for cancer research. He is active in environmental concerns and social justice. He marched with Dr. King in the historical Selma to Montgomery Civil Rights movement and the Martin Luther King Center in Atlanta bestowed upon him their “Salute to Greatness Award” for his efforts in fighting racial discrimination.
In 1999, Tony Bennett, with his wife Susan Benedetto, a former public school teacher, founded Exploring the Arts (ETA) to strengthen the role of the arts in public high school education. ETA connects private funders, individual artists, and cultural institutions to Partner Schools to achieve greater equality of resources and opportunity for youth of all means and backgrounds. ETA programs are designed to help school principals and teachers sustain the arts in the face of budget cuts and better leverage the arts to strengthen student learning and engagement. ETA’s first endeavor was the establishment of Frank Sinatra School of the Arts (FSSA), a public high school founded in 2001 by Tony and Susan in partnership with the NYC Department of Education. FSSA is housed in a newly constructed building in Tony’s hometown of Astoria, Queens. Its state of the art facilities include visual art studios and a gallery, black box theatres and a stagecraft workshop, dance studios, choral and orchestral classrooms, an 800-seat concert hall, a multi-media technology lab, and a rooftop performance garden. All students major in Dance, Theatre, Film, Fine Art, Vocal or Instrumental Music. FSSA also offers a rigorous academic curriculum and holds one of the highest graduation and college enrollment rates for NYC public high schools. ETA continued beyond its commitment to FSSA to expand their support and to date, ETA currently partners with 17 public high schools—14 in all five boroughs of New York City and 3 schools located in East Los Angeles.
Today Tony Bennett’s artistry and accomplishments are applauded here at home and all over the world from people from 12 to 90 years old. Recently former President Bill Clinton observed, “Now in his seventh decade of singing, Tony Bennett has somehow kept his unique voice, with its beauty and range, its strength and style, and still in perfect pitch. But as talented as he is, Tony’s most impressive quality is his giving spirit!”
zenofbennett.com
Help Tony Bennett, on his birthday to keep giving he gift of Art. exploringthearts.org
Enjoy this amazing show of this incredible life. It is long and so, so rich.
"Music elevates the human spirit"
-- John Handy
John Handy is a performer and composer who continues to sweep audiences into ecstasy with his vast range of creative, emotional, and technical inventiveness. With a superb knowledge and practical experience with music of several cultures, he fuses, with each selection, a musical genre that is coherent, provocative, logical, and enjoyable. As a singer, he brings a kind of storytelling narrative to the blues that is entertaining, educational, and moving; while his up tempo scat vocals could be compared to the best scat singers anywhere. He sings ballads with inventiveness that is rare among singers.
John Handy has written a number of highly acclaimed, original compositions. “Spanish Lady” and “If Only We Knew” both earned Grammy nominations for performance and composition. The popular jazz/blues/funk vocal crossover hit, “Hard Work“, brought him fame in another realm; while “Blues for Louis Jordan” displayed his talents in rhythm and blues. He has written many compositions of various sizes for both instrumental and vocal groups. His more extensive works include Concerto for Jazz Soloist and Orchestra which was premiered by the Parnassus Symphony Orchestra; and Scheme Number One which was lauded as a fine example of fixed and improvised music by the great composer, Igor Stravinsky.
John Handy at Lincoln Center in 2016
John Handy has performed in the world great concert halls including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Berlin Philharmonic Auditorium, San Francisco Opera House, Davies Hall; the major performance venues including Tanglewood, Saratoga (NY), and Wolf Trap; and the pre-eminent jazz festivals including the Monterey Jazz Festival, Newport Jazz Festival, Playboy Jazz Festival, Chicago Jazz Festival, Pacific Coast Jazz Festival; and international jazz festivals at Montreaux (Switzerland), Antibe (France), Berlin (Germany), Cannes (France), Yubari (Japan), Miyasaki (Japan), among others. His album and CD covers read like a who’s who of record labels – Columbia, ABC Impulse, Warner Brothers, Milestone, Roulette, Boulevard, Quartet (Harbor), MPS Records and many others.
His most recent recordings are “John Handy Live at Yoshi’s” and “John Handy’s Musical Dreamland” (available only on Boulevard Records, Stuttgart, Germany), “Centerpiece“, and “Excursion in Blue“. Some of his earlier works have been reissued on CD – “John Handy: Live at the Monterey Jazz Festival“, “The Second John Handy Album“, “New View“, and “Projections“. He recorded with Sonny Stitt, and recorded nine albums with Charles Mingus Jazz Workshop.
His album and CD covers read like a who’s who of record labels – Columbia, ABC Impulse, Warner Brothers, Milestone, Roulette, Boulevard, Quartet (Harbor), MPS Records and many others.
For the best and most updated information visit John Handy’s website: www.johnhandy.com
“Music comes out of her. When she walks down the street, she leaves notes.” — Jimmy Rowles
Ella Fitzgerald is considered one of the very best singer in the world. She is admired by her fans, young and old alike and she inspires her fellow artists and musicians. She performed at top venues all over the world. Her audiences were as diverse as her vocal range. They were rich and poor, made up of all races, all religions and all nationalities. In fact, many of them had just one binding factor in common – they all loved her.
Dubbed The First Lady of Song, Ella Fitzgerald was the most popular female jazz singer in the United States for more than half a century. In her lifetime, she won 13 Grammy awards and sold over 40 million albums.
Her voice was flexible, wide-ranging, accurate and ageless. She could sing sultry ballads, sweet jazz and imitate every instrument in an orchestra. She worked with all the jazz greats, from Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Nat King Cole, to Frank Sinatra, Dizzy Gillespie and Benny Goodman.
Nat King Cole and Ella Fitzgerald sing Cole Porter
She toured all over the world, sometimes performing two shows a day in cities hundreds of miles apart. In 1974, Ella spent a legendary two weeks performing in New York with Frank Sinatra and Count Basie. She was inducted into the Down Beat magazine Hall of Fame, and received Kennedy Center Honors for her continuing contributions to the arts. 1958 the first Grammy awards were held and Ella Fitzgerald won Best Female Vocal Performance for The Irving Berlin Songbook (album) and Best Individual Jazz Performance for The Duke Ellington Songbook (album) 1959 Grammy awards, Best Female Vocal Performance for But Not For Me and Best Individual Jazz Performance for Ella Swings Lightly.
Ella Jane Fitzgerald was born in Newport News, Va. on April 25, 1917. Her father, William, and mother, Temperance (Tempie), parted ways shortly after her birth. Together, Tempie and Ella went to Yonkers, N.Y, where they eventually moved in with Tempie’s longtime boyfriend Joseph Da Silva. Ella’s half-sister, Frances, was born in 1923 and soon she began referring to Joe as her stepfather. Their apartment was in a mixed neighborhood, where Ella made friends easily. She considered herself more of a tomboy, and often joined in the neighborhood games of baseball. Sports aside, she enjoyed dancing and singing with her friends, and some evenings they would take the train into Harlem and watch various acts at the Apollo Theater.
In 1934 Ella’s name was pulled in a weekly drawing at the Apollo and she won the opportunity to compete in Amateur Night. Ella went to the theater that night planning to dance, but when the frenzied Edwards Sisters closed the main show, Ella changed her mind. “They were the dancingest sisters around,” Ella said, and she felt her act would not compare. Once on stage, faced with boos and murmurs of “What’s she going to do?” from the rowdy crowd, a scared and disheveled Ella made the last minute decision to sing. She asked the band to play Hoagy Carmichael’s Judy, a song she knew well because Connee Boswell’s rendition of it was among Tempie’s favorites. Ella quickly quieted the audience, and by the song’s end they were demanding an encore. She obliged and sang the flip side of the Boswell Sister’s record, The Object of My Affections. Off stage, and away from people she knew well, Ella was shy and reserved. She was self-conscious about her appearance, and for a while even doubted the extent of her abilities. On stage, however, Ella was surprised to find she had no fear. She felt at home in the spotlight. “Once up there, I felt the acceptance and love from my audience,” Ella said. “I knew I wanted to sing before people the rest of my life.” In the band that night was saxophonist and arranger Benny Carter. Impressed with her natural talent, he began introducing Ella to people who could help launch her career. In the process he and Ella became lifelong friends, often working together.
In January 1935 she won the chance to perform for a week with the Tiny Bradshaw band at the Harlem Opera House. It was there that Ella first met drummer and bandleader Chick Webb. Although her voice impressed him, Chick had already hired male singer Charlie Linton for the band. He offered Ella the opportunity to test with his band when they played a dance at Yale University. If the kids like her she can stay, Chick announced.
Shortly afterward, Ella began singing a rendition of the song, (If You Can’t Sing It) You Have to Swing It. During this time, the era of big swing bands was shifting, and the focus was turning more toward bebop. Ella played with the new style, often using her voice to take on the role of another horn in the band. You Have to Swing It was one of the first times she began experimenting with scat singing, and her improvisation and vocalization thrilled fans. Throughout her career, Ella would master scat singing, turning it into a form of art. In 1938, at the age of 21, Ella recorded a playful version of the nursery rhyme, A-Tisket, A-Tasket. The album sold 1 million copies, hit number one, and stayed on the pop charts for 17 weeks. On June 16, 1939, Ella mourned the loss of her mentor Chick Webb. In his absence the band was renamed Ella Fitzgerald and Her Famous Band, and she took on the overwhelming task of bandleader.
Ella Fitzgerald sings April in Paris with her husband Ray Brown on bass
While on tour with Dizzy Gillespie’s band in 1946, Ella fell in love with bassist Ray Brown. The two were married and eventually adopted a son, whom they named Ray, Jr. At the time, Ray was working for producer and manager Norman Granz on the “Jazz at the Philharmonic” tour. Norman saw that Ella had what it took to be an international star, and he convinced Ella to sign with him. It was the beginning of a lifelong business relationship and friendship.
Under Norman’s management, Ella joined the Philharmonic tour, worked with Louis Armstrong on several albums and began producing her infamous songbook series. From 1956-1964, she recorded covers of other musicians’ albums, including those by Cole Porter, Duke Ellington, the Gershwins, Johnny Mercer, Irving Berlin, and Rodgers and Hart. The series was wildly popular, both with Ella’s fans and the artists she covered.
“I never knew how good our songs were until I heard Ella Fitzgerald sing them,” Ira Gershwin
Ella Fitzgerald on the Dean Martin Show
Ella also began appearing on television variety shows. She quickly became a favorite and frequent guest on numerous programs, including “The Bing Crosby Show,” “The Dinah Shore Show,” “The Frank Sinatra Show,” “The Ed Sullivan Show,” “The Tonight Show,” “The Nat King Cole Show,” “The Andy Willams Show” and “The Dean Martin Show.”
Ella Fitzgerald received so many awards that they are too numerous to mention in this article, some of the highlights which included:
• 13 Grammy awards
• A-Tisket, A-Tasket entered into the Grammy Hall of Fame
• Kennedy Center for Performing Arts’ Medal of Honor Award
• The Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award
• Pied Piper Award
• American Society of Composers
• Women at Work organization’s Bicentennial Woman
• Authors and Publishers’ highest honor
• George And Ira Gershwin Award for Outstanding Achievement
• National Medal of Art
• Honorary chairmanship of the Martin Luther King Foundation
• Received first ASCAP award in recognition of an artist
• Honorary doctorate degrees from Dartmouth, Talladega, Howard and Yale Universities
• Peabody Award for Outstanding Contributions in Music
• The first Society of Singers Lifetime Achievement Award, named “Ella” in her honor
• NAACP Award for lifetime achievement
Ella continued to work as hard as she had early on in her career, despite the ill effects on her health. She toured all over the world, sometimes performing two shows a day in cities hundreds of miles apart. In 1974, Ella spent a legendary two weeks performing in New York with Frank Sinatra and Count Basie. Still going strong five years later, she was inducted into the Down Beat magazine Hall of Fame, and received Kennedy Center Honors for her continuing contributions to the arts.
Outside of the arts, Ella had a deep concern for child welfare. Though this aspect of her life was rarely publicized, she frequently made generous donations to organizations for disadvantaged youths, and the continuation of these contributions was part of the driving force that prevented her from slowing down.
To learn more or to watch a few videos about Ella Fitzgerald major performances visit: www.ellafitzgerald.com
Ella Fitzgerald started a non-profit organization in 1993 that is still going strong. http://www.ellafitzgeraldfoundation.org/news.html
Monk had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire (including his classic works Round Midnight and Blue Monk). He is often regarded as a founder of bebop, although his playing style evolved away from the form.
“Everyone is influenced by everybody but you bring it down home the way you feel it.”
His compositions and improvisations are full of dissonant harmonies and angular melodic twists, and are impossible to separate from Monk’s unorthodox approach to the piano, which combined a highly percussive attack with abrupt, dramatic use of silences and hesitations. Round Midnight is a 1944 jazz standard by jazz musician Thelonious Monk. It is thought that Monk originally composed it sometime between 1940 and 1941, however Harry Colomby claims that Monk may have written an early version around 1936 (at the age of 19) with the title Grand Finale. This song has also been performed by many artists such as Bobby McFerrin, Chick Corea and Hermeto Pascoal.
Blue Monk
Bebop or bop is a form of jazz characterized by fast tempos and improvisation based on harmonic structure rather than melody. It was developed in the early and mid-1940s. It first surfaced in musicians’ argot some time during the first two years of the Second World War. Hard bop later developed from bebop combined with blues and gospel music. Melodically the predominating contour of improvised bebop is that it tends to ascend in arpeggios and descend in scale steps. While a stereotype, an examination of Charlie Parker solos will show that this in fact is a key quality of the music. Ascending arpeggios are frequently of diminished seventh chords, which function as 7b9 chords of various types. Typical scales used in bebop include the bebop major, minor and dominant (see below), the harmonic minor and the chromatic. The half-whole diminished scale is also occasionally used, and in the music of Thelonious Monk especially, the whole tone scale.
Charlie Parker, Well You Needn’t
He was born on October 10, 1917 in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, the son of Thelonious and Barbara Monk, two years after a sister named Marian. A younger brother, Thomas, was born a couple of years later. His parents moved to New York when young Thelonious was five years of age. A year or so later he was picking out tunes on the family piano. Monk started playing the piano at the age of nine; although he had some formal training and eavesdropped on his sister’s piano lessons, he was essentially self-taught. By the time he was 12 he was accompanying his mother at the local Baptist church as well as playing at “rent parties”, those informal gatherings where tenants who were behind with their payments to the landlord would hold a party in the hope that visitors would contribute to the debt clearance!
Thelonious Monk started his first job touring as an accompanist to an evangelist. He was inspired by the Harlem stride pianists (James P. Johnson was a neighbor) and vestiges of that idiom can be heard in his later unaccompanied solos. However, when he was playing in the house band of Minton’s Playhouse during 1940-1943, Monk was searching for his own individual style. Private recordings from the period find him sometimes resembling Teddy Wilson but starting to use more advanced rhythms and harmonies.
He worked with Lucky Millinder a bit in 1942 and was with the Cootie Williams Orchestra briefly in 1944 (Williams recorded Monk’s “Epistrophy” in 1942 and in 1944 was the first to record “‘Round Midnight”), but it was when he became Coleman Hawkins’ regular pianist that Monk was initially noticed. He cut a few titles with Hawkins (his recording debut) and, although some of Hawkins’ fans complained about the eccentric pianist, the veteran tenor could sense the pianist’s greatness.
Fortunately, Alfred Lion of Blue Note believed in him and recorded Monk extensively during 1947-1948 and 1951-1952. He also recorded for Prestige during 1952-1954, had a solo set for Vogue in 1954 during a visit to Paris, and appeared on a Verve date with Bird and Diz.
In 1955, he signed with Riverside and producer Orrin Keepnews persuaded him to record an album of Duke Ellington tunes and one of standards so his music would appear to be more accessible to the average jazz fan. In 1956 came the classic Brilliant Corners album, but it was the following year when the situation permanently changed. Monk was booked into the Five Spot for a long engagement and he used a quartet that featured tenor saxophonist John Coltrane. Finally, the critics and then the jazz public recognized Thelonious Monk’s greatness during this important gig. He came to Europe to play at the Paris Jazz Fair and played in the audiences at the Salle Pleyel and the Club St. Germain, joining in the loud applause for this true jazz original. Towards the end of the Fifties, with riverside records setting up all manner of interesting studio sessions, he formed his own quartet, first with tenor saxist John Coltrane, then Johnny Griffin and, in 1959, Charlie Rouse. It was Rouse who probably had more experience of Monk’s music than any other horn player, for Charlie remained with Thelonious from 1959 until 1970. In the autumn of 1967 Monk’s quartet was booked to take part in a touring extravaganza under the title “Jazz Expo ’67”; along with men such as Dave Brubeck, Herbie Mann etc. It was decided to enlarge Thelonious’s working group of Charlie Rouse, Larry Gales and Ben Riley with the addition of some additional frontline players and the so-called Nonet made its appearance in the Odeon Hammersmith, in London, just a week before the Salle Pleyel date presented here.
Thelonious Monk, who was criticized by observers who failed to listen to his music on its own terms, suffered through a decade of neglect before he was suddenly acclaimed as a genius; his music had not changed one bit in the interim. In fact, one of the more remarkable aspects of Monk’s music was that it was fully formed by 1947 and he saw no need to alter his playing or compositional style in the slightest during the next 25 years. After his death it seemed as if everyone was doing Thelonious Monk tributes. There were so many versions of Round Midnight that it was practically a pop hit! He played with the Giants of Jazz during 1971-1972, but then retired in 1973. He passed away on February 17, 1982.
By Ranie Smith
Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong
“What is harder than rock, or softer than water? Yet soft water hollows out hard rock. Persevere.”
Louis Armstrong contracted several books about his life. He enjoyed collaborating with the lawyer, hobby journalist, and jazz historian Robert Gaffin from Belgium.
“Dear Pal Goffin,” Louis Armstrong wrote to his Belgian acquaintance, the lawyer, hobby journalist, and jazz historian Robert Goffin, on July 19, 1944. “‘Man—I’ve been trying to get in touch with you […]. Here’s another hundred dollars toward the five hundred. […] So accept this hundred and I’ll send the other before a ‘Black Cat can ‘Lick his ‘Bu‘hind’ ….. haw haw haw…” (80).
Historical records show that actually Louis Armstrong wrote large parts of his own biographies. He then hired Robert Goffin, a white man, to claim them to make sure they could be published. Louis Armstrong realized that his biographies helped his popularity around the world after the heavily ghosted Swing That Music (1936).
Today we are still able to view many of the quotes in the original French version Louis Armstrong: Le Roi du Jazz (1947) and the English version Horn of Plenty. We are fortunate that large parts of Armstrong’s hand-written manuscript survived. They cover the jazz musician’s life between 1918 and 1931 and were initially published by Thomas Brothers as “The ‘Goffin Notebooks’” in Louis Armstrong, in his Own Words (1999). Horn of Plenty includes most of the events covered in Armstrong’s “Notebooks,” it unfortunately was edited in a way that portrayed Louis Armstrong in a much more primitive way than his actual notes would indicated. Perhaps Griffin thought it was necessary to abide by the culture prejudices of the times.
Louis Armstrong 4 August, 1901 – July 6, 1971, nicknamed Satchmo and Pops, was an American jazz musician. Armstrong was a charismatic, innovative performer whose inspired improvised soloing was the main influence for a fundamental change in jazz, shifting its focus from collective melodic playing, often arranged in one way or another, to the solo player and improvised soloing. One of the most famous jazz musicians of the 20th century, he first achieved fame as a cornet player, later on switching to trumpet, but toward the end of his career he was best known as a vocalist and became one of the most influential jazz singers.
Armstrong was born into a very poor family in New Orleans, Louisiana. He spent his youth in poverty in a rough neighborhood of uptown New Orleans, as his father, William Armstrong (1881-1922), abandoned the family when Louis was an infant. His mother, Mary Albert Armstrong (1886–1942), then left him and his younger sister Beatrice Armstrong Collins (1903–1987) under the upbringing of his grandmother Josephine Armstrong.
He first learned to play the cornet (his first of which was bought with money loaned to him by the Karnofskys, a family of Russian Jewish immigrants, that hired Louis to work on their junk wagon.) in the band of the New Orleans Home for Colored Waifs, where he had been sent after (as police records show) firing his stepfather’s pistol into the air at a New Year’s Eve celebration. To express gratitude towards the Karnofskys, Armstrong wore a Star of David pendant for the rest of his life. He followed the city’s frequent brass band parades and listened to older musicians every chance he got, learning from Bunk Johnson, Buddy Petit, Black Benny and above all Joe “King” Oliver, who acted as a mentor and almost a father figure to the young Armstrong. Armstrong later played in the brass bands and riverboats of New Orleans, and first started traveling with the well-regarded band of Fate Marable which toured on a steamboat up and down the Mississippi River; he described his time with Marable as “going to the University”, since it gave him a much wider experience working with written arrangements. When Joe Oliver left town in 1919, Armstrong took Oliver’s place in Kid Ory’s band, regarded as the top hot jazz band in the city.
In 1922, Armstrong joined the exodus to Chicago, where he had been invited by Joe “King” Oliver to join his Creole Jazz Band. Oliver’s band was the best and most influential hot jazz band in Chicago in the early 1920s, at a time when Chicago was the center of jazz. Armstrong made his first recordings, including taking some solos and breaks, while playing second cornet in Oliver’s band in 1923.
He and Oliver parted in 1924 and Armstrong moved to New York City to play with the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, the top African American band of the day. Armstrong switched to the trumpet to blend in better with the other musicians in his section
He returned to Chicago, in 1925, and began recording under his own name with his famous Hot Five and Hot Seven with such hits as Potato Head Blues, Muggles (a reference to Cannabis or marijuana, for which Armstrong had a lifelong fondness), and West End Blues, the music of which set the standard and the agenda for jazz for many years to come.
Armstrong had considerable success with vocal recordings, including versions of famous songs composed by his old friend Hoagy Carmichael, Armstrong’s famous interpretation of Stardust became one of the most successful versions of this song ever recorded, showcasing Armstrong’s unique vocal sound and style and his innovative approach to singing songs that had already become standards.
As with his trumpet playing, Armstrong’s vocal innovations served as a foundation stone for the art of jazz vocal interpretation. The uniquely gritty colouration of his voice became a musical archetype that was much imitated and endlessly impersonated. His scat singing style was enriched by his matchless experience as a trumpet soloist, and his resonant, velvety lower-register tone and bubbling cadences on sides such as “Lazy River” exerted a huge influence on younger white singers such as Bing Crosby.
After spending many years on the road, he settled permanently in Queens New York in 1943 in contentment with his fourth wife, Lucille Armstrong played more than three hundred gigs a year Armstrong kept up his busy tour schedule until a few years before his death. While in his later years, he would sometimes play some of his numerous gigs by rote, but other times would enliven the most mundane gig with his vigorous playing, often to the astonishment of his band. He also toured Africa, Europe, and Asia under sponsorship of the US State Department with great success and become known as “Ambassador Satch”. While failing health restricted his schedule in his last years, within those limitations he continued playing until the day he died.
Louis had many nicknames as a child, all of which referred to the size of his mouth: “Gatemouth,” “Dippermouth,” and “Satchelmouth.” During a visit to Great Britain, Louis was met by Percy Brooks, the editor of Melody Maker magazine, who greeted him by saying, “Hello, Satchmo!” (He inadvertently contracted “Satchelmouth” into “Satchmo.”) Louis loved the new name and adopted it for his own. It provides the title to Louis’s second autobiography, is inscribed on at least two of Louis’s trumpets, and is on Louis’s stationery Friends and fellow musicians usually called him Pops, which is also how Armstrong usually addressed his friends and fellow musicians (except for Pops Foster, whom Armstrong always called “George”.
Some musicians criticized Armstrong for playing in front of segregated audiences, and for not taking a strong enough stand in the American Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968) civil rights movement.
Armstrong, in fact, was a major financial supporter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights activists, but mostly preferred to work quietly behind the scenes, not mixing his politics with his work as an entertainer. The few exceptions made it more effective when he did speak out; Armstrong’s criticism of President Eisenhower, calling him “two-faced” and “gutless” because of his inaction during the conflict over school desegregation in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1957 made national news. As a protest, Armstrong canceled a planned tour of the Soviet Union on behalf of the State Department saying “The way they’re treating my people in the South, the government can go to hell” and that he could not represent his government abroad when it was in conflict with its own people.
He was an extremely generous man, who was said to have given away almost as much money as he kept for himself. Armstrong was also greatly concerned with his health and bodily functions. He made frequent use of laxatives as a means of controlling his weight, a practice he advocated both to personal acquaintances and in the diet plans he published under the title Lose Weight the Satchmo Way. Armstrong’s laxative of preference in his younger days was Pluto Water, but he then became an enthusiastic convert when he discovered the herbal remedy Swiss Kriss; he would extol its virtues to anyone who would listen and pass out packets to everyone he encountered, including members of the British Royal Family. (Armstrong also appeared in humorous, albeit risqué, advertisements for Swiss Kriss; the ads bore a picture of him sitting on a toilet — as viewed through a keyhole — with the slogan “Satch says, ‘Leave it all behind ya!’“)
In his early years, Armstrong was best known for his virtuosity with the cornet and trumpet. The greatest trumpet playing of his early years can be heard on his Hot Five and Hot Seven records. The improvisations which he made on these records of New Orleans jazz standards and popular songs of the day, to the present time stack up brilliantly alongside those of any other later jazz performer. The older generation of New Orleans jazz musicians often referred to their improvisations as “variating the melody”; Armstrong’s improvisations were daring and sophisticated for the time while often subtle and melodic. He often essentially re-composed pop-tunes he played, making them more interesting. Armstrong’s playing is filled with joyous, inspired original melodies, creative leaps, and subtle relaxed or driving rhythms. The genius of these creative passages is matched by Armstrong’s playing technique, honed by constant practice, which extended the range, tone and capabilities of the trumpet. In these records, Armstrong almost single-handedly created the role of the jazz soloist, taking what was essentially a collective folk music and turning it into an art form with tremendous possibilities for individual expression.
In 1964, Armstrong knocked the Beatles off the top of the Billboard Top 100 chart with Hello, Dolly (song)”, which gave the 63-year-old performer a U.S. record as the oldest artist to have a #1 song.
Hello Dolly performed in Germany
In 1968, Armstrong scored one last popular hit in the United Kingdom with the highly sentimental pop song What a Wonderful World, which topped the British charts for a month; however, the single did not chart at all in America. The song gained greater currency in the popular consciousness when it was used in the 1987 movie Good Morning Vietnam, its subsequent re-release topping many charts around the world.
Louis Armstrong died of a heart attack on July 6 1971, at age 69, the night after playing a famous show at the Waldorf Astoria’s Empire Room. He was residing in Corona, Queens, New York City, at the time of his passing. He was interred in Flushing Cemetery, Flushing, in Queens, New York City.
Today, the house where Louis Armstrong lived at the time of his death (and which was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1977) is a museum. The Louis Armstrong House & Archives, at 34-56 107th Street (between 34th and 35th Avenues) in Corona, Queens, presents concerts and educational programs, operates as an historic house museum and makes materials in its archives of writings, books, recordings and memorabilia available to the public for research. The museum is operated by the City University of New York’s Queens College, following the dictates of Armstrong’s will.
The influence of Armstrong on the development of jazz is virtually immeasurable. Yet, his irrepressible personality both as a performer, and as a public figure later in his career, was so strong that to some it sometimes overshadowed his contributions as a musician and singer.
As a virtuoso trumpet player, Armstrong had a unique tone and an extraordinary talent for melodic improvisation. Through his playing, the trumpet emerged as a solo instrument in jazz and is used widely today. He was a masterful accompanist and ensemble player in addition to his extraordinary skills as a soloist. With his innovations, he raised the bar musically for all who came after him.
Armstrong is considered by some to have essentially invented jazz singing. He had an extremely distinctive gravelly voice, which he deployed with great dexterity as an improviser, bending the lyrics and melody of a song for expressive purposes. He was also greatly skilled at scat singing, or wordless vocalizing. Billie Holiday and Frank Sinatra are just two singers who were greatly indebted to him. Holiday said that she always wanted Bessie Smith’s ‘big’ sound and Armstrong’s feeling in her singing.
On August 4, 2001, the centennial of Armstrong’s birth, New Orleans’ airport was renamed Louis Armstrong International Airport in his honor.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Armstrong
http://www.satchmo.net/
“The wise musicians are those who play what they can master.” Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington is considered one of the world’s greatest composers and musicians and one of the most notable influences on jazz history. He was also a prolific composer. It is estimated that his orchestra recorded around two thousand compositions. These included instrumental pieces, popular songs, suites, musical comedies, various film scores, and “Boola,” an unfinished opera.
The United States bestowed upon him the highest civil honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The French government honored him with their highest award, the Legion of Honor, He played for presidents, royalty and for regular people and by the end of his 50-year career, he had played over 20,000 performances worldwide. He was “The Duke,” Duke Ellington.
Ellington got his nickname of “Duke” from a childhood friend who commented on his elegant manners, bearing, and dress. Edward Kennedy Ellington was born April 29, 1899 in Washington, D.C. to Duke’s parents, Daisy Kennedy Ellington and James Edward Ellington. They served as ideal role models for young Duke, and taught him everything from proper table manners to an understanding of the emotional power of music. Ellington began playing piano at age seven. During the summers in Philadelphia or Atlantic City, where he and his mother vacationed, he began to seek out and listen to ragtime pianists. Duke sought out Harvey Brooks, a hot pianist in Philadelphia where Harvey showed Duke some pianistic tricks and shortcuts. Duke later recounted that, after he returned home he had a strong yearning to play. Previously he had not been able to get started, but after hearing Harvey he said to himself, “Man you’re going to have to do it.” Thus the music career of Duke Ellington was born.
Ten years later in 1923, Duke made his first recording. Ellington and his band, The Washingtonians, played at places like the Exclusive Club, Connie’s Inn, the Hollywood Club (Club Kentucky), Ciro’s, the Plantation Club, and most importantly the Cotton Club. Thanks to the rise in radio receivers and the industry itself, Duke’s band was broadcast across the nation live on “From the Cotton Club.” The band’s music, along with their popularity, spread rapidly. Duke Ellington and his band went on to play everywhere from New York to New Delhi, Chicago to Cairo, and Los Angeles to London. Ellington and his band played with such greats as Miles Davis, Cab Calloway, Dizzy Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett and Louis Armstrong. They entertained everyone from Queen Elizabeth II to the US President. Some of Ellington’s greatest works include “Rockin’ in Rhythm,” “Satin Doll,” “New Orleans,” “A Drum is a Women,” “Take the ‘A’ Train,” “Happy-Go-Lucky Local,” “The Mooche,” and “Crescendo in Blue.”
Duke did a series of spiritual concerts, one of which was performed at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. Duke had many friends here in San Francisco, many musicians that are still playing in local clubs to this day and have wonderful stories to tell of “The Duke.”
What made “The Duke” so great was that he knew each of his musicians’ abilities well (many had been with him for decades and were legends in their own rights) and wrote his music to accommodate their skills and strong points. The music was written specifically for his band.
The road was hard for Ellington and he made great sacrifices to keep his band together, but the sacrifices paid off in the undying loyalty of his musicians and a legacy of music to be cherished for all times.
Duke Ellington passed away in 1974.
Posted on June 16, 2009 May 16, 2019
co-authors Junko Kawaii / Edie Okamoto
Angela Bofill – Tonight I Give In (Soul Train 1983)
Angela Bofill known as a R&B, Soul, and Jazz vocalist. Whenever she ventured into Jazz she enchanted audiences with her distinctive and clear voice. Angela no longer performs since she is now partially paralyzed. She was released from intensive care on January 15, 2009. She now is working hard on her speech and physical therapy. Ms. Bofill did not have health insurance and therefore thanks her fans, friends, and family who have helped her through this trying time. Learn how you can help on her website: www.angelabofill.com
Angela Bofill was born to a Cuban father and Puerto Rican mother. She performed with Ricardo Morrero & the Group and Dance Theater of Harlem. After completing her studies in California, Bofill was introduced by her friend, jazz flutist Dave Valentin, to Dave Grusin and Larry Rosen of GRP records, and they signed her for her 1978 debut, Angie. The album was a breakout smash on contemporary jazz radio and the tastefully arranged jazz vocal disc showed a gifted young artist with a rich voice beyond her years.
Featuring a number of great cuts, including most notably a cover of This Time I’ll Be Sweeter, Angie became one of the year’s biggest jazz albums.
1979 she followed her success with “Angel of the Night” like the fantastic “What I Wouldn’t Do” and softer tracks such as “I try.”
Angela Bofill on the Johnny Carson Show
She drew the attention of star producer Clive Davis. He convinced Arista Records to purchase her GRP contract. She was teamed with fabuluous writer/producer Narada Michael Walden for Something About You, which was a great success.
Angela Bofill stretched the boundaries for her jazz fans with this new album which provided her with some of the best material of her career, including the stepper “Holding Out For Love” and the wonderful ballads “Break It To Me Gently” and Earl Klugh’s “You Should Know By Now.”
Angela Bofill is a warm-hearted and lovely woman that inspires great passion from her listeners. One reviewer, Jazysol79, stated: “Angela Bofill’s voice is a true wonder. Exotic and exhilirating, sweet and soothing, picturesque and inviting. She conjures vivid imagery with her interpretations. I discovered “Angie” about five years ago not too long after I started college. I picked up a vinyl copy, and I have been in love with Angela ever since. This beautifully packaged reissue truly does the album justice. “Under the Moon and Over the Sky” is a jazz/fusion delight; it’s Afro-Cuban rhythms are intoxicating. The highs and lows Bofill hits will give you chills. It is that kind of drama that makes this record a compelling listen. Her definitive take on “This Time I’ll Be Sweeter” is a joyous, moving masterpiece. Her pleas of “have faith in me” are almost palpable. But in my opinion, the best track is “The Only Thing I Would Wish For.” The jazzy vocal arrangement and flute work by Dave Valentin paint a real picture of what GRP was all about in its infancy. The liner notes and packaging are also great. So this CD is well worth the price… it is a moving experience.”
Artist Highlight – Oscar Peterson
“The music field was the first to break down racial barriers, because in order to play together, you have to love the people you are playing with, and if you have any racial inhibitions, you wouldn’t be able to do that.” ~ Oscar Peterson
Internationally renowned jazz pianist Oscar Peterson was called the “Maharaja of the keyboard” by Duke Ellington, “O.P.” by his friends, and was a member of jazz royalty. He released over 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards, and received other numerous awards and honors over the course of his career. He is considered to have been one of the greatest pianists of all time, who played thousands of live concerts to audiences worldwide in a career lasting more than 65 years.
Oscar Peterson was born on August 15, 1925 in Montreal, Canada. His father, Daniel Peterson, a porter with Canadian Pacific Railways, lived in Canada since 1917. He met Oscars’ mother, Kathleen Olivia John, in Montreal, where she was domestic worker. They had five children.
Daniel Peterson was an avid musician and insisted that all five of his children studied music. Oscar began playing the trumpet at the age of five. He got tuberculosis and spent 14 months in the hospital. His lungs became quite damaged so he could no longer play the trumpet. So he chose to play the piano. Their father, who learned to play piano on his own while in the Merchant Marine Academy, taught his children all he could until they achieved a certain proficiency. During his high school years, Oscar studied with an accomplished classical pianist, Hungarian Paul de Marky, a student of Istvan Thomán who was himself a pupil of Franz Liszt. Oscar Peterson’s training was predominantly based on classical piano, with inspirations from the Well Tempered Clavier, the Goldberg Variations, and the The Art of Fugue, as these piano pieces are essential for every serious pianist. Meanwhile Oscar Peterson was captivated by traditional jazz and learned several ragtime songs, especially the boogie-woogie. At that time Peterson was called “the Brown Bomber of the Boogie-Woogie.” Paul de Marky encouraged Oscar to believe that he had something special to give to the music world. At age nine Peterson played piano with control that impressed professional musicians. For many years his piano studies included four to six hours of practice daily.
Art Tatum a very famous pianist during that era was introduced to Oscar by his father who played Art Tatum’s Tiger Rag record for him. Oscar was so intimidated by what he heard that he didn’t touch the piano for a month. At 14 years of age, Oscar’s older sister Daisy Sweeney a notable classical piano teacher scheduled an audition for a CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) national amateur contest. Oscar won the competition. This opened the doors to performances on a weekly broadcast show, on a Montreal radio station, called Fifteen Minutes’ Piano Rambling and later performances on a national CBC broadcast called The Happy Gang. He regularly played with the Montreal High School Victory Serenaders which included trumpeter Maynard Ferguson. Oscar Peterson had permission to play the baby grand piano during the lunch hours and in his words this was “the best way to have a bunch of girls come down. I became the guy.”
Peterson expanded his classical piano training and broadened his range while mastering the core classical pianism from rigorous scales to such staples of every pianist’s repertoire as preludes and fugues by Johann Sebastian Bach. He also worked on emulating Art Tatum’s pianism and aesthetics. Peterson also absorbed Tatum’s musical influences, notably from piano concertos by Sergei Rachmaninoff. Rachmaninoff’s harmonizations, as well as direct quotations from his second piano concerto, are thrown here and there in many recordings by Peterson, including his work with the Ray Brown and Herb Ellis Trio, such as “When Your Lover Has Gone”. Other artists who influenced Oscar during the early years were Teddy Williams, Nat (King) Cole, and James P. Johnson.
In 1944 Oscar married his year long girlfriend by the name of Lillie Fraser. In late 1947 Oscar led a trio at the Alberta Lounge in Montreal. Once a week a local radio station broadcast his show live from The Alberta. Norman Granz, the producer of Jazz at the Philharmonic, heard the broadcast on the Radio and was so impressed that he told the cab driver to take him to the studio. Oscar’s life would change dramatically. Norman Granz took Oscar to New York to play as a surprise guest at the Carnegie Hall performance of his Jazz at the Philharmonic. Oscar came up from the audience that night and played a duet with bassist Ray Brown which thrilled the audience and critics alike. Thus began Oscar’s lifelong relationship with Mr. Granz.
Soon after his appearance at Carnegie Hall Oscar was invited to join the Jazz at the Philharmonic. They toured North America. After a few years Oscar Peterson set up his own trio. Granz and Peterson developed a deep and lasting friendship. Is was much more than a managerial relationship; Peterson praised Granz for standing up for him and other black jazz musicians in the segregationist south of the 1950s and 1960s. For example, in the Canadian Broadcasting Company’s two-part documentary video Music in the Key of Oscar, Peterson tells how Granz stood up to a gun-toting southern policeman who wanted to stop the trio from using “white-only” taxis. Oscar Peterson and his trio worked incredibly hard and were considered one of the best jazz trios in the world. While playing at a club in Washington DC, Oscar Peterson met his idol Art Tatum. They became close friends and played for each other on many occasions. Oscar was joined by several people in his trio, each group having a distinct feel and flavor. Oscar especially enjoyed playing with Ed Thigpen on drums. He describes this time as “…six years of unbelievable music.” Eventually Oscar would regularly play with the greatest jazz artist of his era of Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie, Nat King Cole, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Roy Eldridge, Charlie Parker, Barney Kessel, Herb Ellis, Joe Pass, Ray Brown, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Clark Terry, Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster, Milt Jackson, Stéphane Grappelli, Anita O’Day, Fred Astaire, Irving Ashby, Herbie Hancock, Bennie Green, Keith Emerson, Stan Getz, Louis Hyes, Bobby Durham, Ray Price, Sam Jones, George Mraz, Martin Drew, David Young, Alvin Queen and Ulf Wakenius.
He was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1972, and promoted to Companion, its highest rank, in 1984. He is also a member of the Order of Ontario, a Chevalier of the Ordre du Québec, and an officer of the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.
His work has earned Oscar Peterson seven Grammy awards over the years and he was elected to the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1978. He also belongs to the Juno Awards Hall of Fame and the Canadian Jazz and Blues Hall of Fame. He has received the Roy Thomson Award (1987), a Toronto Arts Award for lifetime achievement (1991), the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award (1992), the Glenn Gould Prize (1993), the award of the International Society for Performing Artists (1995), the Loyola Medal of Concordia University (1997), the Praemium Imperiale World Art Award (1999), the UNESCO Music Prize (2000), and the Toronto Musicians’ Association Musician of the Year award (2001).
In 1993, Oscar suffered a serious stroke that weakened his left side and sidelined him for two years. However he has overcome this setback and started touring, recording and composing again. In 1997 he received a Grammy for Lifetime Achievement and an International Jazz Hall of Fame Award, proof that Oscar Peterson is still regarded as one of the greatest jazz musicians ever to play.
Oscar Peterson passed away on December 23, 2007 with his dog “Smedley” named after his dear friend Norman Granz by his side. He had seven children by four wives. Soon after Peterson’s death, the University of Toronto Mississauga opened a major student residence in March 2008 as “Oscar Peterson Hall.”
Artist Highlight – Count Basie
“If you play a tune and a person don’t tap their feet, don’t play the tune. “
Count Basie was regarded as one of the most important bandleaders of the swing era. He lived from August 21, 1904 to April 26, 1984. Basie led his popular Count Basie Orchestra for almost fifty years. Both of Basie’s parents were musicians; his father, Harvie Basie, played the mellophone, and his mother, Lillian (Childs) Basie, was a pianist. She gave her son his earliest lessons. Basie also learned from Harlem stride pianists, particularly Fats Waller who taught him how to play organ.
In early 1929, Basie played with different bands, eventually settling into one led by Bennie Moten. Basie worked as a soloist before leading a band initially called the Barons of Rhythm. A few of Moten’s former band members joined this nine-piece swing band, among them Walter Page (bass), Freddie Green (guitar), Jo Jones (drums), and Lester Young (tenor saxophone). Jimmy Rushing became the singer. The band gained a residency at the Reno Club in Kansas City and began broadcasting on the radio. An announcer dubbed the pianist “Count” Basie. Basie got his big break when one of his broadcasts was heard by journalist and record producer John Hammond. Hammond touted him to agents and record companies. As a result, the band left Kansas City in the fall of 1936 and took an engagement at the Grand Terrace in Chicago. The next date was in Buffalo, NY, then on to Roseland in New York City.
January 1937, Count Basie’s Band made its recording debut on Decca Records. Meanwhile, the band’s recording of “One O’Clock Jump” got its first chart entry in September 1937. The tune became the band’s theme song and it was later inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Basie’s music was characterized by his trademark “jumping” beat and the contrapuntal accents of his own piano. “Stop Beatin’ Round the Mulberry Bush,” with Rushing on vocals, became a Top Ten hit in the fall of 1938. Basie spent the first half of 1939 in Chicago, meanwhile switching from Decca to Columbia Records, then went to the West Coast in the fall. He spent the early ’40s touring extensively, but after the U.S. entry into World War II in December 1941 and the onset of the recording ban in August 1942, his travel was restricted. In 1942 Basie moved to Queens, New York, to be with Catherine Morgan, a famous dancer from Cleveland. They got married in 1943. In his autobiography, “Good Morning Blues,” Basie said he married the girl from Cleveland in 1943 in Seattle. Their honeymoon was a string of one-night band appearances. The Basie band was working in New York when Katy was about to have a baby. She returned to Cleveland and stayed with her parents. Katy and Bill “Count” Basie’s only child, Diane Basie, was born in Cleveland. He rushed to Cleveland to be with his wife and daughter. Later, when they rejoined Basie in New York, he said he had vivid memories of seeing Katy getting off the plane from Cleveland carrying their baby. He said, “It was a special thrill bringing my family home from the airport that day, Old Base, his wife and daughter.”
In 1943 while on the West Coast, he started to appear in five films, all released within a matter of months in 1943: Hit Parade of 1943, Reveille with Beverly, Stage Door Canteen, Top Man, and Crazy House. He also scored a series of Top Ten hits on the pop and R&B charts, including “I Didn’t Know About You” (pop, winter 1945); “Red Bank Blues” (R&B, winter 1945); “Rusty Dusty Blues” (R&B, spring 1945); “Jimmy’s Blues” (pop and R&B, summer/fall 1945); and “Blue Skies” (pop, summer 1946). Switching to RCA Victor Records, he topped the charts in February 1947 with “Open the Door, Richard!,” followed by three more Top Ten pop hits in 1947: “Free Eats,” “One O’Clock Boogie,” and “I Ain’t Mad at You (You Ain’t Mad at Me).”
Joining ASCAP in 1943, his chief musical collaborators included Mack David, Jerry Livingston, James Rushing, Andy Gibson, Eddie Durham, and Lester Young. His songs and instrumentals also include “Good Morning Blues”; “Every Tub”; “John’s Idea”; “Basie Boogie”; “Blue and Sentimental”; “Gone With the Wind”; “I Ain’t Mad at You”; “Futile Frustration”; “Good Bait”; “Don’t You Miss Your Baby?”; “Miss Thing” “Riff Interlude”; “Panassie Stomp: “Shorty George”; “Out the Window”; “Hollywood Jump: “Nobody Knows”; “Swinging at the Daisy Chain”; and “I Left My Baby”. The big bands’ decline in popularity in the late ’40s hit Basie as it did his peers, and he broke up his orchestra at the end of the decade, opting to lead smaller units for the next couple of years.
In the 1950’s, the big band era seemed to be near its end. Basie remained faithful to his beloved Kansas City Jazz style and helped keep the big band sound alive with his distinctive style of piano playing. In 1952, Count Basie increased his band back to the full Big Band sound with his 16-piece orchestra responding to the increased opportunities for touring. For example, he went overseas for the first time to play in Scandinavia in 1954, and thereafter international touring played a large part in his schedule. An important addition to the band in late 1954 was vocalist Joe Williams. The orchestra was re-established commercially by the 1955 album Count Basie Swings – Joe Williams Sings (released on Clef Records), particularly by the single “Every Day (I Have the Blues),” which reached the Top Five of the R&B charts and was later inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Another key recording of this period was an instrumental reading of “April in Paris” that made the pop Top 40 and the R&B Top Ten in early 1956; it also was enshrined in the Grammy Hall of Fame. These hits made what Albert Murray (co-author of Basie’s autobiography, Good Morning Blues) called the “new testament” edition of the Basie band a major success .By the mid-1950s, Basie’s band had become one of the pre-eminent backing big bands for some of the finest jazz vocalists of the time. Tony Bennett, Sammy Davis, Jr. and Frank Sinatra also recorded with Basie. In 1957 Basie released the live album At Newport. At the first Grammy Awards ceremony, Basie won the 1958 awards for Best Performance by a Dance Band and Best Jazz Performance, Group, for his Roulette Records LP Basie. Breakfast Dance and Barbecue was nominated in the dance band category for 1959.
Basie was nominated for best jazz performance for “Basie at Birdland” in 1961 and “The Legend” in 1962. Iin 1962, Basie switched to Frank Sinatra’s Reprise Records. Sinatra-Basie reached the Top Five in early 1963. It was followed by “This Time by Basie!” Hits of the 50’s and 60’s, which reached the Top 20 and won the 1963 Grammy Award for Best Performance by an Orchestra for Dancing. Basie teamed with various vocalists for a series of chart albums including Ella Fitzgerald (Ella and Basie!, 1963); Sinatra again (the Top 20 album It Might as Well Be Swing, 1964); Sammy Davis, Jr. (Our Shining Hour, 1965); the Mills Brothers (The Board of Directors, 1968); and Jackie Wilson (Manufacturers of Soul, 1968), Broadway Basie’s … Way (1966). Later Basie returned a pure jazz format. His album Standing Ovation earned a 1969 Grammy nomination for Best Instrumental Jazz Performance by a Large Group or Soloist with Large Group (Eight or More). The band had first recorded for Norman Granz on Clef, then moved to Roulette, where it spent its peak years of the late ’50s and early ’60s. When Granz returned to recording activity in 1972 with Pablo Records, it would also mean a final renaissance for Basie, whom Granz recorded magnificently in trio, small band formats as well as with the band. A series of pairings with Oscar Peterson produced some unusually invigorating Basie piano. Basie died April 24, 1984, of cancer, but the band continues playing on today. Count Basie is quote to have said: “All I wanted was to be big, to be in show business and to travel… and that’s what I’ve been doing all my life.”
Watch Count Basie on U-Tube
One O’Clock Jump
Count Basie in the film “Hit Parade”, 1943
Count Basie in Zuerich, 1959
Ella Fitzgerald and Count Basie, 1979
“The joy and passion I get when I touch a piano from the instrument has never changed” Frank Martin
Frank Martin Producer/Arranger/Keyboardist
Frank Martin, a producer/arranger is a sought after piano and keyboards player who regularly performs with artists such as Sting, Stevie Wonder, Patti Austin, Narada Michael Walden, etc. Frank Martin made himself available for an interview for our UC Jazz Club Newsletter.
We asked him, what is the most wonderful thing about jazz for you? Frank Martin told us that it is a vehicle for communication with other people. It’s a way to connect, it is a higher-level-than words, powerful connection. I love the listening and the playing off of each other. Music is a great vehicle to communicate.
What originally inspired you to become a jazz musician? Frank told us that the evolution started out of the joy of making music. “I can remember when my piano first arrived in my home as gift to my sisters by my grandmother. I remember putting my hands on it and feeling a strong connection. It was so profound! I still feel this way today when I touch a piano. The joy and passion I get from the instrument has never changed.
I started out as an improvising piano player. The joy I felt was in exploring the world of improvisation and that easily leads one to jazz. Jazz is all about improvisation. It was a natural progression into the jazz world.
I also had the good luck of finding pianist/organist Don Burke.
I grew up in Oakland and initially he was in Oakland and eventually he moved to San Leandro. He and Dave Brubeck studied with the same teacher. I often started my lessons with the music of Dave Brubeck. Don also had me play Miles Davis and Bill Evans. He would play this music and I started to learn and develop a love for that music. I have to give him the credit for planting the seeds.
My first public performance was at Disneyland when I was five years old. I was in Disneyland and by chance ran into another five year old friend of mine who was there as well. When they got the kids on stage, I jumped up with my friend Mike McGuire and felt very comfortable and admittedly enjoyed the attention.
We sang Davey Crocket. This led to another singing talent show, the King Norman Show, when I was in third grade. The King Norman Show put on talent shows at various schools and the regional winners would be invited to Los Angeles to go up against other kids. It was somewhat similar to American Idol, although very loosly. The kids that won the King Norman Show contest locally got to go to Los Angeles and compete against the other local winners. At my school I was lucky enough to win with my singing 3rd grade partner Mark Rice. Just before going on the air the show pianist worked with all the kids, and that as well got the bug going for playing the piano.
Performing with a band, that didn’t start until high school. The first time we performed publicly was in San Leandro and the band played for a total of $15.00. The name of that first band was “The Trend”. I played the electric organ.
My first organ was a VOX Continental Organ. It was a very cool thing to have. My second was a Farfisa and my third was a Fender Roads Electric Piano. We even wrote some of our own music. We mostly played the contemporary pop/rock songs of that time, which is what the kids in high school really wanted to hear.
I remember enjoying composing, it was a fun thing to do. I was not that good of a music reader and felt more comfortable making up what I wanted to play. I found myself as the years went on organizing jam sessions and get togethers with other players. My parents opened our home for these events and I organized the music. I still organize the music today.
I suppose I got my start when we had those sessions at my parents home.
What’s next on the horizon? Well, on Thursday, May 8 at 7pm, I will perform with Sting at Carnegie Hall as part of the annual Save the Rainforest concert which Sting has produced for the last almost 15 years. Also performing will be my long time musical friend drummer/producer Narada Michael Walden.
For this upcoming performance at Carnegie Hall, my job is to transcribe what we will perform and have it ready for the rhythm section >> 3 keyboard players, two guitarists, a bassist, percussionist and drummer.
Legendary reedman Jim Horn is the one who does the horn parts and if there is a string section, either I do it, or I get help from the Trombone player, Tom Malone of the Letterman band. I have another friend that helps if need be, local conductor/arranger Barbara Christmann. Just prior to these shows some of the stars still are trying to decide what to do, so much of what I do is at the very last minute. For me, working with Sting’s Rainforest band has been 10 years of total joy!!
Recently I just finished producing a record for a local Bay Area singer, Karen Blixt. “Mad Hope” is her second record that I’ve produced for her, the first being “Spin This.”. We are going to play at Yoshi’s on the 15th of April in Oakland. The show will be open to the public. On trumpet will be Randy Brecker from the Brecker Brothers. We also will have the great pianist Patrice Rushen, which for me is a great honor to be able to perform with her. On rhythm guitar we have Jose Neto of the Steve Winwood band. Also the great percussionist/drummer Alex Acuna from the Weather Report band will be with us. He is a simply a wonderful percussionist. Also will be bassist Abraham Laboriel, who is the most recorded bass player in history and former “Yellowjackets” member William Kennedy as the drummer. Vocalist Kenny Washington will make a guest appearance as well. He did one song as a duet, “Five and Five”(aka “Take Ten”) For that record I co-composed 8 songs, and arranged and produced it. We recorded it at the Skywalker Studio in Marin County with the great engineer Leslie Ann Jones.
And I’m half way finished with my second production for Dutch singer Ellen Honert. The first one was “Breath of the Soul” and featured Tuck & Patti, the Turtle Island String Quartet, Brazilian vocalist/guitarist Dori Caymmi and many others.
My process of working with the musicians begins with making demos of the songs and sending it to them. That way they get a feel for what I’m looking for. We never rehearse so the more clarity I provide, the better. The process of recording the demos in my San Rafael studio is something I really love to do. It’s an expansion of what I did at my parents home. I organize the people and bring them together to play.
What does an arranger do exactly? An arranger organizes what the musicians will play. Decides how best to utilize the available instruments and capitalize on the strengths of the players who will be recording. The producer gets the musicians to perform at their highest level and makes sure everything runs smoothly. In my opinion the key is to get the best musicians for the recording. Kind of like cooking … great ingredients allow for the best meal. One has to wear a lot of hats during productions. Needing to stay true to the artist and help realize their vision, as well as help guide them along their path. And to provide a comfortable arena for all of the performers to shine at their best.
I enjoy keeping busy. I teach at UC Jazz Ensembles, I have private students, I teach classes at the Jazzschool, and I participate in Summer Camps, i.e. Jazz Camp West and the Lafayette Summer Music Workshops. I find myself performing all the time as well …
Who are some of the favorite musicians that you have worked to work with and why? When asked who Frank Martin enjoys working with he mused. I enjoy working with Abraham Laboriel, Alex Acuna, William Kennedy he tells us. We have a strong connection with the four of us and the reason is that we all come from a place of joy. They all have perpetual smiles on their faces. Same for guitarist Jose Neto. They love so much what they do and they are masters. They are so joyful to be around. It makes for a wonderful experience.
Generally, those are my favorite people to perform with. Now there is Stevie Wonder, he is a true genius musically. Herbie Hancock – he is a joy and a great inspiration. And my ideal singer is Patti Austin. She is a consummate professional who expects you to be that as well. She is full of joy and life and I love how she communicates with people. I used to work a lot with vocalist Angela Bofill before she had her second stroke. She can get around a little bit now. She needs all our prayers. I go to visit her sometimes. She has a great attitude. After her first stroke she couldn’t speak and with time she went back to speaking at about 85%. She is paralyzed on her left side and is fighting hard. She remains truly inspiring she was a great joy to work with.
What in your opinion makes a great performer? I think one that communicates sincerely. Not only verbally but in what they are playing and singing. Those that park their egos at the door … Many of my favorite musicians have a Jazz background, and many are based in Rhythm and Blues. I love performers that make rhythm of the utmost importance. There are many who just play the song. The great performers always share of themselves and bring something personal to the song.
Are there any suggestions you have for the young musicians in the UC Jazz Ensembles and other inspiring musicians? Yes, be true to yourself and follow your passion. Try to keep that in mind! You are going to hear from a lot of people that you should do something else. That it’s too hard to make it in the arts.That is typically well-intentioned advice, but you can’t take somebodies dream away. You have to have the belief. Follow your passion – attitude is everything!
I tell my students this example. There are a couple of bass players. One says that “there is no work, what am I gonna do?” The other one says “I am so busy!! I got my fifth gig today and I have five more tomorrow.” I tell my students that they are both right. There is no work and in the same town they is too much work. It is not easy, but it is all about the work you put into it. Have a healthy attitude and follow the passion and don’t give up.
How can a novice listener become more knowledgeable about jazz? It is about exposure. Exposure is always the thing. It is like a fine wine if you don’t have the opportunity and if you don’t try it you can’t find out what resonates with you. Exposure to it makes you appreciate it more. Like a good painting, only if you see the painting can you appreciate it. You have to watch and listen. It is a process. My recommendation is that you go to jazz concerts and find out what resonates with you. One artist may resonate with you and may not resonate with another. Maybe just allowing yourself the time to go to Yoshi’s or Anna’s Island and experiencing live music will bring you closer to the music. If you can’t do that use the Internet. The Internet is filled with music of one artist after another. Every style of performer is there! Go to Youtube.com and type in a jazz artists name and you will find him or her performing someplace. It is the same for internet sites like Rhapsody.com and DailyMotion.com. Listen to the music of a jazz artist. Exposure! There is no magical way to appreciate something one doesn’t know.
What is coming up next for you? I am going to be in Bend, Oregon. A local promoter and jazz fan decided to bring together Brazilian guitarist Jose Neto and the great New York based jazz sax player Eric Anderson for a night of Brazilian jazz, along with Brazilian drummer Celso Alberti and myself. Then I am doing some concert work with an Irish Jazz singer Melanie O’Rielly at the Freight & Salvage in Berkeley. Then we are off to LA to perform at the Raven, a club for actors. She has an acting background and we will do a duo. Her style is Irish Jazz ~ traditional music that meets kind of McCoy Tyner!. Then I am starting a recording project with her, writing music inspired by the writings of James Joyce. That should be interesting. And the night after the Raven will perform in a jazz quartet with New York drummer Paul Peress and players I’ve yet to meet, at Spaghetini’s, a Jazz Club in LA. Then comes performance at Carnegie Hall with Sting. I am blessed to be busy doing what I love ~ music music music!! Who knew that those jam sessions at my parents home would spark a career in music …
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For Pnaulls (Talk | block log | logs)
(Latest | Earliest) View (newer 250) (older 250) (20 | 50 | 100 | 250 | 500)
23:21, 22 April 2008 (hist) (diff) m Talk:RISC OS Documentation (Found new URL)
23:21, 22 April 2008 (hist) (diff) RISC OS Documentation (Found new URL)
22:29, 22 April 2008 (hist) (diff) N Talk:RISC OS Documentation (New page: Pinknoise: http://web.archive.org/web/20070213233312/http://www.pinknoise.demon.co.uk/ Someone with more patience than I might want trawl this and see if there's anything that isn't othe...)
16:16, 22 April 2008 (hist) (diff) N RISC OS Open Support (New page: This page is in support of tools and functionality used by [http://www.riscosopen.org RISC OS Open] sources. == bzip2 == bzip2 is required to access ROOL archives. This can be accessed:...)
21:29, 13 April 2008 (hist) (diff) m MoreDesk (Link WorkSpare alternative)
21:28, 13 April 2008 (hist) (diff) m Talk:Text Editors (Remove old comment) (top)
21:28, 13 April 2008 (hist) (diff) N Talk:Text Editor (Talk:Text Editor moved to Talk:Text Editors) (top)
21:28, 13 April 2008 (hist) (diff) m Talk:Text Editors (Talk:Text Editor moved to Talk:Text Editors)
21:28, 13 April 2008 (hist) (diff) N Text Editor (Text Editor moved to Text Editors) (top)
21:28, 13 April 2008 (hist) (diff) m Text Editors (Text Editor moved to Text Editors) (top)
21:27, 13 April 2008 (hist) (diff) m Recommended software (Link in orphaned article)
21:19, 13 April 2008 (hist) (diff) RISC OS/Articles (Link to added article)
21:03, 13 April 2008 (hist) (diff) RISC OS Filename Translation (Add follow up article to the end)
20:57, 13 April 2008 (hist) (diff) m RISC OS Filename Translation (→MimeMap Behaviour)
20:57, 13 April 2008 (hist) (diff) N RISC OS Filename Translation (Quick conversion of an article from my old blog to Wiki. I'm sure it could do with updating.)
04:14, 10 April 2008 (hist) (diff) m Talk:Help wanted (Reverted edits by Dgdfdh (Talk); changed back to last version by Caliston) (top)
17:29, 9 April 2008 (hist) (diff) Site redesign
15:53, 3 April 2008 (hist) (diff) Talk:NetSurf
03:36, 2 April 2008 (hist) (diff) Mozilla Firefox (Update to 2.0.0.13)
03:35, 2 April 2008 (hist) (diff) m CVS GUI (Fix link)
03:35, 2 April 2008 (hist) (diff) N CVS GUI (Basic page for CVS GUI)
03:02, 2 April 2008 (hist) (diff) News
01:45, 24 March 2008 (hist) (diff) m Unix Porting Project (Fix link) (top)
01:45, 24 March 2008 (hist) (diff) N Unix Porting Project (UPP)
00:54, 24 March 2008 (hist) (diff) m DosBox (Typo)
00:54, 24 March 2008 (hist) (diff) DosBox (Update links, spelling)
20:54, 8 March 2008 (hist) (diff) RISC OS/Projects (This link doesn't make sense any more)
23:07, 26 February 2008 (hist) (diff) Talk:RISC OS (Not fixed)
05:37, 25 February 2008 (hist) (diff) News (Firefox, Thunderbird)
05:35, 25 February 2008 (hist) (diff) Mozilla Thunderbird (Misc corrections)
05:32, 25 February 2008 (hist) (diff) Mozilla Thunderbird (→Mozilla Thunderbird 2 Downloads)
05:30, 25 February 2008 (hist) (diff) N Thunderbird (Thunderbird moved to Mozilla Thunderbird: Move to title with full name) (top)
05:30, 25 February 2008 (hist) (diff) m Mozilla Thunderbird (Thunderbird moved to Mozilla Thunderbird: Move to title with full name)
05:29, 25 February 2008 (hist) (diff) N Firefox (Firefox moved to Mozilla Firefox: Move to title with full name) (top)
05:29, 25 February 2008 (hist) (diff) m Mozilla Firefox (Firefox moved to Mozilla Firefox: Move to title with full name)
05:03, 25 February 2008 (hist) (diff) m Mozilla Firefox (Fix targets)
04:49, 25 February 2008 (hist) (diff) Mozilla Firefox (RiscPC version and version 3)
20:20, 24 February 2008 (hist) (diff) N VirtualRPC (Placeholder for VirtualRPC) (top)
20:08, 24 February 2008 (hist) (diff) N Oregano (Potted history of Oregano) (top)
19:50, 24 February 2008 (hist) (diff) N RiscPC (Risc PC page)
19:48, 24 February 2008 (hist) (diff) Nm Omega (To full page name) (top)
19:46, 24 February 2008 (hist) (diff) m RISC OS (Lose pipes. Looks silly if the text wraps)
19:44, 24 February 2008 (hist) (diff) N MicroDigital Omega (Omega place holder page.)
19:35, 24 February 2008 (hist) (diff) m RISC OS FAQ (Page will be MicroDigital Omega)
19:34, 24 February 2008 (hist) (diff) m RISC OS FAQ (Grammar)
19:32, 24 February 2008 (hist) (diff) m Mozilla Firefox (Note about RiscPkg)
19:02, 24 February 2008 (hist) (diff) User:Jymbob
18:59, 24 February 2008 (hist) (diff) RISC OS (Lose border)
18:58, 24 February 2008 (hist) (diff) RISC OS/Articles (Update styling)
18:57, 24 February 2008 (hist) (diff) RISC OS/Projects (Update styling)
18:56, 24 February 2008 (hist) (diff) News (Lose white space)
18:55, 24 February 2008 (hist) (diff) News (Update news styling)
18:45, 24 February 2008 (hist) (diff) RISC OS (Compress some of the white space using ideas from Adam)
02:17, 24 February 2008 (hist) (diff) Mozilla Firefox (Update title, URL)
02:15, 24 February 2008 (hist) (diff) m Messenger (Add alternate) (top)
02:15, 24 February 2008 (hist) (diff) m Pluto (Add alternate)
02:14, 24 February 2008 (hist) (diff) N Mozilla Thunderbird (Thunderbird placeholder page)
14:58, 23 February 2008 (hist) (diff) m Mozilla Firefox (Note about VRPC)
06:14, 22 February 2008 (hist) (diff) News (Firefox 2 release 3 now available.)
05:53, 22 February 2008 (hist) (diff) m Mozilla Firefox (Add date, fix link)
05:50, 22 February 2008 (hist) (diff) Mozilla Firefox (Update Firefox page)
05:44, 22 February 2008 (hist) (diff) m DukeNukem3D (Fix link)
05:35, 22 February 2008 (hist) (diff) m RISC OS/Projects (Point to packages page)
05:32, 22 February 2008 (hist) (diff) m GCC for RISC OS (Point to UnixHome package)
18:25, 19 February 2008 (hist) (diff) Talk:RISC OS FAQ (ROMs) (top)
18:24, 19 February 2008 (hist) (diff) m RISC OS FAQ (Reverted edits by Andy (Talk); changed back to last version by Lym)
16:59, 14 February 2008 (hist) (diff) User:Jymbob (→CSS)
14:47, 5 February 2008 (hist) (diff) DosBox (riscos.info should be the maintainer for any ports hosted here (Unless individual porters want their name, that is good too). Please deprecate use of UPP.)
16:02, 2 February 2008 (hist) (diff) m Using GCCSDK (xgettext is in gettext package)
16:00, 2 February 2008 (hist) (diff) m Using GCCSDK (Also need unzip)
15:59, 2 February 2008 (hist) (diff) m Using GCCSDK (Update wget dependencies)
15:40, 2 February 2008 (hist) (diff) m Using GCCSDK (Link to older instructions)
15:39, 2 February 2008 (hist) (diff) Using GCCSDK (Update Firefox 2 example)
15:38, 2 February 2008 (hist) (diff) Using GCCSDK (Update wget example)
15:30, 2 February 2008 (hist) (diff) Using GCCSDK (GCC4 with autobuilder)
15:22, 2 February 2008 (hist) (diff) Using GCCSDK 3.4.6 (Older build instructions) (top)
15:19, 2 February 2008 (hist) (diff) Using GCCSDK (Move old section from here)
15:19, 2 February 2008 (hist) (diff) Using GCCSDK 3.4.6 (Move old section to here.)
15:18, 2 February 2008 (hist) (diff) Using GCCSDK
15:17, 2 February 2008 (hist) (diff) N Using GCCSDK 3.4.6 (New page to move older instructions to)
15:13, 2 February 2008 (hist) (diff) Using GCCSDK (Update for latest GCC4 build instructions)
15:03, 2 February 2008 (hist) (diff) GCCSDK Development (Improve tense and wording to represent current status more closely.)
05:56, 10 January 2008 (hist) (diff) A9home (Cut marketing hype, add Wikipedia link)
18:50, 3 January 2008 (hist) (diff) A9home ("Aluminium" is the correct British spelling. This page is too much of an advertisment. I'd prefer riscos.info pages to stick to strict factual information.)
22:11, 29 December 2007 (hist) (diff) Source repositories overview (Note about SVN mailing list)
14:40, 30 November 2007 (hist) (diff) News (Update news)
00:25, 26 November 2007 (hist) (diff) Source repositories overview (Make into a table to avoid repetition)
04:07, 13 November 2007 (hist) (diff) News (Donations link)
03:52, 18 October 2007 (hist) (diff) Talk:RISC OS (Remove old notes and questions. Add note about extensions.)
03:19, 10 October 2007 (hist) (diff) RISC OS FAQ (Remove references to archaic hardware. Information should be at _least_ for RiscPC, as per guidelines.)
22:13, 30 September 2007 (hist) (diff) Talk:RISC OS (Remove old comments)
22:11, 30 September 2007 (hist) (diff) RISC OS FAQ (Link to list of viruses - can someone give a reference this list, please?)
22:08, 30 September 2007 (hist) (diff) m Recommended software (Add reference to Icebird here)
22:06, 30 September 2007 (hist) (diff) m Recommended software (Fix link)
21:48, 30 September 2007 (hist) (diff) Recommended software (Link in orphaned page)
21:43, 30 September 2007 (hist) (diff) m Alternative MSN (Formatting)
21:40, 30 September 2007 (hist) (diff) m News (Formatting)
17:11, 16 September 2007 (hist) (diff) N MediaWiki:Prefs-help-realname (New page: * Real name (required): This is used for giving you attribution for your work and tracking changes. If you do not give a real name, your account will be removed.) (top)
16:52, 16 September 2007 (hist) (diff) GCCSDK (Timing out link. Don't embed stuff to other sites, please.)
03:51, 30 July 2007 (hist) (diff) RISC OS (User account creation has been enabled for a while)
03:00, 30 July 2007 (hist) (diff) RISC OS
02:47, 30 July 2007 (hist) (diff) News
02:45, 30 July 2007 (hist) (diff) AMPlayer (Refer to sources. Tidy a bit.)
02:43, 30 July 2007 (hist) (diff) Source repositories overview (Alphabetize. Add AMPlayer)
21:20, 21 July 2007 (hist) (diff) Talk:NetSurf (Captchas working now)
20:06, 21 July 2007 (hist) (diff) RISC OS talk:About (http://riscos.info/)
02:38, 12 July 2007 (hist) (diff) m WinEd (Grammar (no, really))
02:38, 12 July 2007 (hist) (diff) m Sandbox (testing!)
00:27, 9 July 2007 (hist) (diff) Nm MediaWiki:Sitesupport-url (New page: Donations) (top)
00:23, 9 July 2007 (hist) (diff) Nm MediaWiki:Portal-url (New page: RISCOS:About)
00:23, 9 July 2007 (hist) (diff) m MediaWiki:Portal (top)
10:51, 6 July 2007 (hist) (diff) Talk:RISC OS Samba Server (Status) (top)
13:48, 4 July 2007 (hist) (diff) m RISC OS Samba Server (Make comments more accurate.)
13:46, 4 July 2007 (hist) (diff) m GCCSDK Releases (Reverted edit of My5Cds, changed back to last version by Adamr)
13:45, 4 July 2007 (hist) (diff) m RISC OS:Current events (Reverted edit of EmlR16, changed back to last version by Adamr)
01:43, 24 June 2007 (hist) (diff) m User:Blastsofthextreme (Revert vandalism)
15:13, 23 June 2007 (hist) (diff) RISC OS
17:49, 10 June 2007 (hist) (diff) Talk:RISC OS (→MediWiki upgrade)
04:17, 22 May 2007 (hist) (diff) News (→News and Reviews)
17:48, 14 April 2007 (hist) (diff) Talk:RISC OS (MediWiki upgrade)
15:35, 11 April 2007 (hist) (diff) RISC OS/Projects (→Applications)
15:33, 11 April 2007 (hist) (diff) Smbserver (Already has a page)
17:39, 31 March 2007 (hist) (diff) Scripting (Formati)
17:21, 27 March 2007 (hist) (diff) News
17:53, 17 February 2007 (hist) (diff) RISC OS
00:09, 5 February 2007 (hist) (diff) Talk:Programming Conventions (Formality)
17:05, 3 February 2007 (hist) (diff) RISC OS FAQ (The FAQ should be current information, c.f the guide. A separate article on Acorn usenet groups could contain references to old groups, however.)
17:02, 3 February 2007 (hist) (diff) RISC OS FAQ (Remove not updated sites)
16:58, 3 February 2007 (hist) (diff) SharedUnixLibrary
16:58, 3 February 2007 (hist) (diff) Talk:SharedUnixLibrary (SharedUnixLibrary)
08:36, 31 January 2007 (hist) (diff) News (→News and Reviews)
08:09, 31 January 2007 (hist) (diff) SharedUnixLibrary (NetSurf is just one of many apps using SUL. Stick to the official URL.)
19:12, 28 January 2007 (hist) (diff) SharedUnixLibrary (Stick to facts)
19:14, 20 January 2007 (hist) (diff) m Recommended software (→Other Internet and Networking)
19:13, 20 January 2007 (hist) (diff) m RiscPkg
19:12, 20 January 2007 (hist) (diff) Talk:Programming Conventions (Style)
03:39, 8 January 2007 (hist) (diff) Programming Conventions
03:36, 8 January 2007 (hist) (diff) N Talk:Programming Conventions
00:59, 31 December 2006 (hist) (diff) m GCC processor (→RiscPC/A7000 class machines)
17:25, 29 December 2006 (hist) (diff) Technical Reference Manuals and circuits (→8 bit hardware)
17:25, 29 December 2006 (hist) (diff) m Technical Reference Manuals and circuits
17:24, 29 December 2006 (hist) (diff) Motherboard Connections
16:45, 28 December 2006 (hist) (diff) GCCSDK Development (→Test results)
03:29, 26 December 2006 (hist) (diff) News
03:13, 22 December 2006 (hist) (diff) N Talk:Acorn and RISC OS Hardware
07:20, 19 December 2006 (hist) (diff) m GCCSDK Development (SF G++ updated)
19:34, 17 December 2006 (hist) (diff) GCCSDK Development (Status update, typo fixes)
15:57, 2 December 2006 (hist) (diff) News
07:28, 29 November 2006 (hist) (diff) m Using GCCSDK (Reverted edit of Adamr, changed back to last version by Pnaulls)
05:04, 16 November 2006 (hist) (diff) News
18:00, 10 November 2006 (hist) (diff) RISC OS FAQ (Purge non-updated sites)
05:20, 4 November 2006 (hist) (diff) Talk:RISC OS FAQ (Updates)
16:08, 29 October 2006 (hist) (diff) Using GCCSDK (→Using GCCSDK to cross-compile for RISC OS)
04:09, 24 October 2006 (hist) (diff) m Zap (Reverted edit of Venusparkle85, changed back to last version by Pnaulls)
23:42, 13 October 2006 (hist) (diff) Talk:32bit (top)
12:28, 13 October 2006 (hist) (diff) m 32bit (Fix single mistake)
12:26, 13 October 2006 (hist) (diff) N Talk:32bit
12:25, 13 October 2006 (hist) (diff) m 32bit (Reverted edit of Simon Smith, changed back to last version by Caliston)
03:48, 11 October 2006 (hist) (diff) Talk:RISC OS (Front page)
19:10, 9 October 2006 (hist) (diff) Talk:News (top)
19:03, 9 October 2006 (hist) (diff) Talk:News (Please pay attention to what I said.)
19:01, 9 October 2006 (hist) (diff) m News (Reverted edit of Blastsofthextreme, changed back to last version by Pnaulls)
13:28, 9 October 2006 (hist) (diff) Talk:News (News links)
13:26, 9 October 2006 (hist) (diff) RISC OS:Current events (Keep items in order. Remove duplicated item.)
00:54, 9 October 2006 (hist) (diff) N SharedCLibrary
00:44, 9 October 2006 (hist) (diff) RISC OS C Programming FAQ
00:30, 9 October 2006 (hist) (diff) News
23:22, 8 October 2006 (hist) (diff) N Autobuilder
23:20, 8 October 2006 (hist) (diff) Using GCCSDK (→Using ChoX11 with the Autobuilder)
23:19, 8 October 2006 (hist) (diff) Using GCCSDK (→Other Packages and Dependencies)
23:15, 8 October 2006 (hist) (diff) ChoX11 (→ChoX11)
23:13, 8 October 2006 (hist) (diff) DeskLib (→DeskLib - C Wimp Library for RISC OS)
23:08, 8 October 2006 (hist) (diff) Using GCCSDK
17:04, 8 October 2006 (hist) (diff) Gutenprint (top)
05:52, 7 October 2006 (hist) (diff) N RISC OS Timeline
05:33, 7 October 2006 (hist) (diff) m RISC OS FAQ
02:30, 7 October 2006 (hist) (diff) GCC tutorial (→Links)
02:30, 7 October 2006 (hist) (diff) N GCC tutorial
02:12, 7 October 2006 (hist) (diff) GCCSDK (→Introduction - GCC and GCCSDK)
02:09, 7 October 2006 (hist) (diff) GCC for RISC OS
02:07, 7 October 2006 (hist) (diff) GCCSDK
02:05, 7 October 2006 (hist) (diff) N Using GCCSDK
02:01, 7 October 2006 (hist) (diff) N GCC for RISC OS
01:58, 7 October 2006 (hist) (diff) GCCSDK (→GCC)
01:56, 7 October 2006 (hist) (diff) GCCSDK (Make introduction more sane)
16:35, 24 September 2006 (hist) (diff) RPCEmu
16:34, 24 September 2006 (hist) (diff) RPCEmu (Remove commentary - stick to facts, and avoid use of "I".)
02:22, 24 September 2006 (hist) (diff) Talk:RISC OS
02:19, 24 September 2006 (hist) (diff) Talk:Recommended software (Software linking)
15:48, 21 September 2006 (hist) (diff) N What is RISC OS (What is RISC OS moved to What is RISC OS?)
04:35, 15 September 2006 (hist) (diff) m GCCSDK (→Distributing GCC compiled programs)
04:35, 15 September 2006 (hist) (diff) m GCCSDK (→Cross-compiling for RISC OS)
04:34, 15 September 2006 (hist) (diff) GCCSDK (Quick notes on using GCCSDK)
20:28, 10 September 2006 (hist) (diff) m RISC OS FAQ (Reverted edit of Blastsofthextreme, changed back to last version by Pnaulls)
23:35, 9 September 2006 (hist) (diff) m RISC OS FAQ
23:33, 9 September 2006 (hist) (diff) m RISC OS FAQ (→Which online and offline publications exist for RISC OS?)
23:32, 9 September 2006 (hist) (diff) m RISC OS FAQ (→RISC OS Publications)
23:30, 9 September 2006 (hist) (diff) RISC OS FAQ (Trim endless entries to those that are actually current and updated.)
23:24, 9 September 2006 (hist) (diff) RISC OS FAQ (→RISC OS Hardware)
16:23, 9 September 2006 (hist) (diff) RISC OS FAQ (Trim to RISC OS 3.5+, add note about being current.)
03:24, 5 September 2006 (hist) (diff) N Zap
03:22, 5 September 2006 (hist) (diff) m Editor quirks
03:21, 5 September 2006 (hist) (diff) Editor quirks (→ZAP)
03:19, 5 September 2006 (hist) (diff) N Mozilla Firefox
03:18, 5 September 2006 (hist) (diff) RISC OS/Articles (→Articles and Tutorials)
03:16, 5 September 2006 (hist) (diff) RISC OS FAQ
03:12, 5 September 2006 (hist) (diff) RISC OS FAQ (→About RISC OS)
03:05, 5 September 2006 (hist) (diff) N RISC OS FAQ
06:15, 1 September 2006 (hist) (diff) m StrongED
06:13, 1 September 2006 (hist) (diff) N StrongED:Comparision with Edits search (StrongED:Comparision with Edits search moved to StrongED:Comparision with Edit's search) (top)
03:59, 25 August 2006 (hist) (diff) RISC OS:Current events
03:59, 25 August 2006 (hist) (diff) RISC OS:Current events (→[http://rickman.orpheusweb.co.uk/mug/mug.htm Next MUG meeting])
15:19, 24 August 2006 (hist) (diff) StrongED
15:18, 24 August 2006 (hist) (diff) m StrongED (→PC Style Delete)
15:17, 24 August 2006 (hist) (diff) Recommended software
15:09, 24 August 2006 (hist) (diff) m User:Blastsofthextreme (→Our Patience Card Games)
15:08, 24 August 2006 (hist) (diff) User:Blastsofthextreme
05:06, 23 August 2006 (hist) (diff) GCC processor
04:11, 23 August 2006 (hist) (diff) N GCC processor
03:24, 23 August 2006 (hist) (diff) GCCSDK (→Compiling on RISC OS)
13:38, 9 August 2006 (hist) (diff) Talk:RISC OS
04:04, 30 July 2006 (hist) (diff) Peter Naulls (→Peter Naulls)
02:15, 30 July 2006 (hist) (diff) RISC OS:About
02:10, 30 July 2006 (hist) (diff) RISC OS/Projects (→RISC OS Projects)
02:08, 30 July 2006 (hist) (diff) RISC OS:About (Hosting projects)
02:52, 12 June 2006 (hist) (diff) GCCSDK Releases (→GCCSDK GCC 3.4.6 Release 1)
02:46, 12 June 2006 (hist) (diff) News
06:31, 29 May 2006 (hist) (diff) RISC OS Samba Server
02:50, 17 May 2006 (hist) (diff) GCCSDK (→Bug reporting)
02:48, 17 May 2006 (hist) (diff) GCCSDK (→Mailing list)
05:21, 18 April 2006 (hist) (diff) WildPheasants
05:20, 18 April 2006 (hist) (diff) N WildPhesants (WildPhesants moved to WildPheasants) (top)
06:27, 13 April 2006 (hist) (diff) Peter Naulls
06:27, 13 April 2006 (hist) (diff) N User:Pnaulls (User:Pnaulls moved to Peter Naulls) (top)
06:26, 13 April 2006 (hist) (diff) N Peter Naulls
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The Cult Corner: Brainscan (1994)
Brainscan VHS scan courtesy of MorbidlyBeautifl.com
A 90's Misfire For All Involved
On the surface, I should love Brainscan. The behind-the-scenes team on this thing is pretty damn remarkable, and it's this fact that forced me to finally sit through this from beginning to end....finally. Written by Andrew Kevin Walker (Se7en, 8mm, Sleepy Hallow), makeup by the great Steve Johnson, a catchy score by George S. Clinton, and directed by a truly underrated filmmaker John Flynn, who's given us some classics such as Rolling Thunder, Best Seller (a personal favorite), Lock Up and to this day, directing one of Steven Seagal's best, most gritty films with Out for Justice. And that's something all of his films have in common- a grittiness that a lot of directors don't pull off very well. But for him, it seems effortless. So to say I was intrigued to see him tackle the horror genre is an understatement. Yet this is the second time I've attempted to watch this film, because the first time I gave up after 45 minutes. But I do know there is a large fanbase for this film, so perhaps I'm missing something? I figured it was worth the trip, even if it ended up being a bad one.
Brainscan is not a good film on any level. In fact, it's kind of a mess. It's hard to really tell what genre they were attempting here, but it definitely doesn't come across as a horror film all that much. In fact, the R-Rating is really surprising considering the lack of gore. Aside from the very brief flash of boobs, there's not even any nudity. I've seen more nudity in an 80's PG-Rated comedy!
At times it feels like not much is really fleshed out, especially when it comes to Michael's (Edward Furlong) relationships to his only friend, his absent father and also in regards to the strange (and sometimes creepy) infatuation he and his cute neighbor seem to share with one another. Speaking of Furlong, wow he is just awful in this. I know he was the "hot" item back in the 90's and he was consistently busy with big studio projects, but I'm sorry, he's as wooden as a bedpost and really just comes across as annoying more than anything. He makes it hard to care about anything he's going through when he comes across as a whiny, moody, arrogant teenager. Frank Langella, bless him, doesn't fare any better. Probably his most understated performance ever captured on film, he seems to really not give a shit and puts in as little effort as possible. While on the opposite end of the spectrum, T. Ryder Smith as The Trickster is clearly having a blast. Still not a great character by any means, but he pops in from time to time to break up the boredom and ham it up, which in this case, was a welcome treat.
It's hard to know where to put the blame too. You have so many questions about characters, plot, relationships and motivation, but almost none of them are answered, and that is incredibly frustrating. Maybe Walkers script was more fleshed out and was cut in post? Maybe director Flynn was out of his element, or maybe directing a kid was something he wasn't cut out to do? Maybe the studio enforced edits to make it more commercially viable? I don't know, but ultimately Brainscan is a film who's reputation I clearly do not understand. Maybe it would be different had I seen this originally back in 1994 when I was 18? Perhaps. But watching it for the first time as a 45 year old, I just don't get it.
Brainscan is currently streaming for FREE on Crackle.com with commercials
80's Thriller Throwback: The Final Conflict: Omen ...
90's Thriller Throwback: Enemy of the State (1998)
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April 6, 2021, 6:00 a.m. EDT
Torex Gold Granted Key Environmental Permit Amendment for Media Luna Project
TORONTO, April 06, Apr 06, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE via COMTEX) -- TORONTO, April 06, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Torex Gold Resources Inc. (the "Company" or "Torex") /zigman2/quotes/201879412/delayed CA:TXG -1.04% announces that the Company has received approval from Mexico's Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources ("SEMARNAT") on the amendment of a key environmental permit for its Media Luna project. The approval ("MIA Modification Phase II") allows for construction activities beyond the boundary of the Company's existing permit, which is necessary for the continuation of the early works program to access the Media Luna deposit.
Jody Kuzenko, President & CEO of Torex, stated:
"We are very pleased to have the approval of the MIA modification in hand, which is a permitting milestone for the execution of our Media Luna early works program. While we had been permitted for early works activities on the north side of the Balsas River, this amendment extends permit boundaries and allows for the construction of key infrastructure on the south side of the river.
"We are continuing with our strategic objective of de-risking and advancing Media Luna, with four key areas of focus in 2021. These include execution of our early works program to access the deposit from both the north and south sides of the river; advancing the feasibility study to completion in Q1 2022; continuation of the infill drilling program; and executing the permitting plan.
"Building on our established long-term agreements with Ejidos and individual landowners, and having received the Change in Land Use ("CUS") permit for south side works in November 2020, this latest approval allows for the collaring and development of the South Portal to begin. It also provides environmental authorization to continue the Guajes Tunnel under the Balsas River, subject to approval of a construction permit from the national water regulator ("CONAGUA"), which will be submitted now that we have received the approval from SEMARNAT.
"We will also continue to work on the application for our MIA 'Integral', which is the permit that will environmentally assess the integration of the existing and new footprint on both the north and south sides of the river. All the while, we will continue to work with our government stakeholders and local communities to maintain productive relationships, make a positive social and economic impact, attend to the natural environment, and leave a net positive legacy where we operate."
ABOUT TOREX GOLD RESOURCES INC.Torex is an intermediate gold producer based in Canada, engaged in the exploration, development, and operation of its 100% owned Morelos Gold Property, an area of 29,000 hectares in the highly prospective Guerrero Gold Belt located 180 kilometers southwest of Mexico City. The Company's principal assets are the El Limon Guajes mining complex ("ELG" or the "ELG Mine Complex") comprising the El Limon, Guajes and El Limon Sur open pits, the El Limon Guajes underground mine including zones referred to as Sub-Sill and El Limon Deep ("ELD"), and the processing plant and related infrastructure, which commenced commercial production as of April 1, 2016, and the Media Luna deposit, which is an advanced stage development project, and for which the Company issued an updated preliminary economic assessment in September 2018. The property remains 75% unexplored.
TOREX GOLD RESOURCES INC.
Jody Kuzenko Dan Rollins
President and CEO Vice President, Corporate Development & Investor Relations
Direct: (647) 725-9982 Direct: (647) 260-1503
jody.kuzenko@torexgold.com dan.rollins@torexgold.com
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING INFORMATION
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information also includes, but is not limited to, expected continuation of the early works program to access the Media Luna deposit; expected continuation with our strategic objective of de-risking and advancing Media Luna, with four key areas of focus in 2021, including, execution of our early works program to access the deposit from both the north and south sides of the river, advancing the feasibility study to completion in Q1 2022, continuation of the infill drilling program, and executing the permitting plan; plans for the collaring and development of the South Portal to begin; expected continuation of the Guajes Tunnel under the Balsas River; plans to submit an application to CONAGUA for a construction permit; expected continuation of the work on the application for our MIA 'Integral'; and expected continuation of working with our government stakeholders and local communities to maintain productive relationships, make a positive social and economic impact, attend to the natural environment, and leave a net positive legacy where we operate. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "schedule", "continue" and "expects" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "will", "will result", or "is expected to" occur. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including, without limitation, risks and uncertainties associated with: the ability of the Company to conclude a feasibility study of the Media Luna Project that demonstrates within a reasonable confidence that the Media Luna Project can be successfully constructed and operated in an economically viable manner, the ability of the Company to obtain required permits, and those risk factors identified in the technical report titled "NI 43-101 Technical Report ELG Mine Complex Life of Mine Plan and Media Luna Preliminary Economic Assessment" dated effective March 31, 2018 (the "Technical Report") and the Company's annual information form and management's discussion and analysis or other unknown but potentially significant impacts. Forward-looking information are based on the assumptions discussed in the Technical Report and such other reasonable assumptions, estimates, analysis and opinions of management made in light of its experience and perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, and other factors that management believes are relevant and reasonable in the circumstances at the date such statements are made. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information or future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable securities laws.
(C) Copyright 2021 GlobeNewswire, Inc. All rights reserved.
Add to watchlist CA:TXG
Torex Gold Resources Ltd.
CA : Canada: Toronto
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World Saudi Arabia says 47 executed on terrorism charges, including Shi'ite cleric
Saudi Arabia says 47 executed on terrorism charges, including Shi'ite cleric
RIYADH - Saturday, January 02, 2016 16:00 Email Print
A Shi'ite protester carries a poster of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr during a demonstration outside the Saudi embassy in Sanaa October 18, 2014.
Fire sweeps through Saudi hospital, at least 24 dead
Saudi Arabia executed 47 people on Saturday for terrorism in an apparent message to both Sunni Muslim jihadists and Shi'ite anti-government protesters that the conservative Islamic kingdom will brook no violent dissent.
The deaths come amid a growing war of words between Saudi Arabia and the militant group Islamic State, which called for attacks in the kingdom. But it may also raise tensions with Iran over the execution of prominent Shi'ite cleric Nimr al-Nimr.
Tehran warned last year that executing Nimr would "cost Saudi Arabia dearly".
Most of those executed were convicted of leading or carrying out a series of al Qaeda attacks in Saudi Arabia after 2003, but they also included some members of the Shi'ite minority convicted of attacks on police during protests from 2011-13.
In a statement issued on state television and other official media, the Interior Ministry named the 47 dead men and listed crimes that included both involvement in attacks and embracing jihadist ideology.
The simultaneous execution of 47 people on security grounds was the biggest mass execution for such offences in Saudi Arabia since the 1980 killing of 63 jihadist rebels who seized Mecca's Grand Mosque in 1979.
Saudi Arabia in 2015 suffered a series of further bombing and shooting attacks by jihadist militants sympathetic to Islamic State group. Those attacks killed dozens, increasing pressure on Riyadh to show it was taking strong action.
"There is a huge popular pressure on the government to punish those people. It included all the leaders of al Qaeda, all the ones responsible for shedding blood. It sends a message," said Mustafa Alani, a security analyst close to the Interior Ministry.
The conservative Islamic kingdom, which usually executes people by public beheading, detained thousands of militant Islamists after a series of al Qaeda attacks from 2003-06 that killed hundreds, and has convicted hundreds of them.
However, it also detained hundreds of members of its Shi'ite minority after protests from 2011-13, during which several policemen were killed in shooting and petrol bomb attacks.
At least three other Shi'ites were executed alongside Nimr, including Ali al-Rubh, whom relatives said was a juvenile at the time of the crime for which he was convicted, Mohammed al-Shayoukh and Mohammed Suwaymil.
Activists in the Shi'ite district of Qatif have warned of possible protests in response to the executions. However, Nimr's brother, Mohammed al-Nimr, said he hoped any response would be peaceful.
The Interior Ministry statement began with Koranic verses justifying the use of execution and state television showed footage of the aftermath of al Qaeda attacks in the last decade. Saudi Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz Al al-Sheikh appeared on television soon after to describe the executions as just.
The executions are Saudi Arabia's first in 2016. At least 157 people were put to death last year, a big increase from the 90 people killed in 2014.
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ENFP Problems: Why I Love Harley Quinn (and You Should Too)
Monday, August 01, 2016 / Unknown / No comments
Previously, I wrote a post defending Peregrin Took, a fellow ENFP. With the premiere of Suicide Squad imminent, I have decided that it is high time to honor another one of my favorite ENFP characters in light of their live action silver screen debut. Ladies and Germs give it up for the lovely Dr. Harleen Quinzel!
*POW*
Introduced in Batman: The Animated Series (1992) as a throwaway sidekick to the Joker, Harley quickly became a fan favorite. She was written into the comic universe in The Batman Adventures #12 (1993) and her origin story was featured in the graphic novel Mad Love (1994)--a personal favorite. Ever since, Harley has surfaced in all sorts of animated Batman features and video games while also holding her own as a protagonist in several comic series. Most recently, Harley has been included in DC Super Hero Girls along with a plethora of other heroines (and those who've been typically portrayed as villains). And then, there's Suicide Squad.
I'm going to be honest, part of me is still afraid that they're going to strip her of her agency. Yes, that fear does partially stem from the sparkly hot pants. But, it's also her long-lived and fraught-with-controversy dynamic relationship with The Joker. Basically, my worries boil down to this: What if instead of making her a powerful female character they just turn her into a poster child for romanticizing an abusive relationship? The Harley I know and love has worked hard to overcome a number of issues and totally kicks ass. If they make her a joke, I'm going to be rather upset. I've been waiting a long time to see her on the big screen and this could really be her chance to shine.
Harley is chaotic, bubbly, and, although violent, is in fact a total sweetheart to those she cares about. For example, The Joker once sent hyenas to kill her--she tamed them and they became her much beloved pets (she takes a shine to rescuing animals throughout the comics). Harley makes friends easily with those like her...and to be frank, with those different from her too. She's funny, intelligent, and has a heck of a personality. What's not to love? (Except for the whole "convicted felon," "HIPAA violation," and "cold blooded killer" thing?)
The friendship and the decidedly good influence Poison Ivy has had on Harley is incredible. Even in her origin series, Ivy was the one who got through to Harley about the sinister reality of her relationship with "Mistah J." She encourages Harley to see her true worth and chase after what makes her happy. Of course it's a struggle, but in the comics we get to see a truly independent Harley who has moved on and is living life on her own terms. This of course includes her own brand of wacky heroism, advocacy for victims, and her usual zany antics. She truly displays the attributes of a centered and actualized ENFP.
As posted on Jared Leto's Instagram
Speaking of an actualization, nothing better demonstrates the way an ENFP can be ruled by their emotions than Harley's relationship with The Joker. Harley originally went into psychiatry to solve issues in her own family's past, but in the process was drawn in to Mr. J's clutches. This is partially due to her empathetic nature and need for validation from others. Every person knows that their emotions influence decision making. But we still have the choice whether to act upon those emotions or to resist. We can only really guess that Harley fell into crime of her own volition. This isn't to say that The Joker didn't have an influence, but that Harley has always been a character that knows what she wants and will do whatever it takes to achieve that end. Whether her actions are for the good of her Puddin' or later on the good of mankind, she displays trademark ENFP flexibility. This is what fascinates me about Harley: she's a total wildcard but, even when it seems impossible, she has a plan. Beneath the giggling, gum popping, and besotted schoolgirl act, there is an intelligent and calculating woman who in the end will always come out on top.
What are your hopes for the Suicide Squad film?
Anna Gensimore, Batman: The Animated Series, DC comics, Harley Quinn, Suicide Squad
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Want to run for city council? Now’s the time
Hamtramck’s election season is officially up and running.
Nominating petitions for three City Council seats are now available at the City Clerk’s Office. The council race is the only local office that will appear on the August Primary ballot.
Councilmembers Shahab Ahmed, Cathie Gordon and Catrina Stackpoole are up for re-election – if they choose to seek it, that is. So far, Councilmember Stackpoole is the only one saying she doubts she will go for another term.
“At this point I’m not seeking re-election, but I am getting a certain amount of pressure,” Stackpoole said about whether she would run again.
She has increasingly shown frustration during council meetings, some of which drag on for three or more hours while councilmembers endlessly debate issues.
She has lashed out at councilmembers for taking up too much time in discussing topics, and for their habits of repeating themselves and interrupting others.
Stackpoole said she would prefer to serve the city by being appointed to one of a dozen or so committees.
Speaking of councilmembers who seem to get under Stackpoole’s skin, Councilmember Cathie Gordon, who is finishing her first term, said she will likely seek re-election, barring a decline in the health of her mother or aunt.
“God willing I will run again,” Gordon said, sounding very much like a seasoned politician.
Councilmember Shahab Ahmed, who has been in office for seven years, said he has not yet decided whether he will run again. There has been much speculation about whether Ahmed will go for another term and for that matter how electable he even is.
Ahmed seems to have been eclipsed by other elected officials and by other candidates in the Bangladeshi community. He was the first Bangladesh-American to win public office in Hamtramck, and possibly in the state.
As for who else will run? There are always the usual candidates you can count on seeing as well as a whole new generation coming up. So far, two people have pulled petitions for the council election: Richard Fabiszak and Dilshad Chodhury.
Hamtramck’s political landscape has undergone tremendous change in recent years. Once dominated by Polish-Americans, the community now has a larger Bangladesh-American population.
Bangladeshi candidates appear to be on the verge of winning a majority of elected offices in the city.
For those who like to keep track of Hamtramck politics, this year promises to be high drama.
Nominating petitions for the August Primary must be turned in by May 10 and contain at least 25 valid signatures from Hamtramck registered voters. Candidates can opt to pay $100 instead of seeking voter signatures.
In the November election, two school board seats will be on the ballot. Boardmembers Dennis Puchaski and Jerome Balcerzak are up for re-election.
One Response to Want to run for city council? Now’s the time
STASH ZALIWSKI
SOLUTION TO LONG LASTING COUNCIL MEETINGS. !!!!!!!HOLD THEM AT A LOCAL BAR AND SERVE FREE BOOZE AND SOONER (LET ARNIE FROM “ADAMS CORNER BAR” POUR THEM,” OR LATER THEY WILL BE ON THE FLOOR, EITHER PULLING HAIR OR KISSING AND MAKING UP. POLITICIANS ARE WORST THAN LICENCED PLUMBERS, BECAUSE YOU GET SCREWED NO MATTER WHICH ONE YOU CHOOSE. OH!!!!!! I FORGOT LAWYERS
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Cubs Sign Marlon Byrd
December 31, 2009 | Comments (0) | by Wolter
I don't really have much to say about this, other than: "It's come to this? This is the major signing we were waiting for?"
http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/mlb/news/story?id=4785125
This offseason blows.
Posted in: Chicago Cubs, Wolter
December 24, 2009 | Comments (0) | by Chaim Witz
From Chaim Witz and the Saloon, to you and your family, specifically your wives and girlfriends, we wish you a very Merry Christmas (or other non-Christian sponsored holiday).
Pop Culture Gauntlet: Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn vs. Boxer Briefs
December 21, 2009 | Comments (0) | by T.R.
Welcome to Pop Culture Gauntlet, where people, places, and things from various subjects face off in a virtual cage match. As part of an ongoing series we will bring you new battles each week between randomly selected items from the Thunder Matt's PCG database. We will provide you with a brief background of both competitors. After reading, you can then vote on your choice in the poll located in the right sidebar column. Monday battles will run until 12am Thursday. Thursday battles will run until 12am Monday. Also we welcome any arguments for either competitor in our comments section. May the best man, thing, or whatever win.
Today's match: Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn vs. Boxer Briefs
Solzhenitsyn, who passed away in August of 2008, was a Russian and Soviet historian, and Nobel laureate in Literature. His prominent works, A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich and The Gulag Archipelago, earned him both global critical acclaim and exile from his home country. Toward the end of WWII, while serving as a commander in the Red Army, he was tried and imprisoned for inflammatory writings questioning Joseph Stalin's conduct of the war. After serving his term in a labor camp, he was permitted back into Soviet society. At this time, he conducted much of his research and writings in secrecy due to the ever-watchful eye of the KGB. In 1962, Nikita Khrushchev, First Secretary of the Communist Party at the time, permitted the publishing of A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. This sudden rise to cultural prominence only intensified the scrutiny that Solzhenitsyn suffered at the hands of the KGB. In 1974, Solzhenitsyn was stripped of his Soviet citizenship and permanently exiled from the country. After floating around Western Europe, he ventured to the United States, settling in Vermont. Here he continued his writings against Communism, favoring a return to Russian imperialism and orthodoxy. It should also be noted that while Solzhenitsyn appreciated the political liberties which democracy allowed, he remained disconcerted by the evils of popular culture and the weakening of American strenght. In other words, Solzhenitsyn would not approve of the Saloon. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Solzhenitsyn returned to the motherland, where he preached moderate nationalism and the emboldening of Russia, and decried its turn toward materialism and the crumbling of its religious foundations.
Strengths: showed great intestinal fortitude by sticking it to the KGB; survived a near-fatal bout with cancer; exposed the Gulags and the faults of Communism
Weaknesses: willingly chose to live in Vermont of all places; once described the United States as a "province of Israel"; wanted the United States to prolong the war in Vietnam
Fun Fact: His son Ignat is an acclaimed concert pianist and conductor, working primarily with the Chamer Orchestra of Philadelphia.
*information largely cribbed from Wikipedia
For centuries, cultured men were suffered the indignity of having only two alternatives to "going commando": boxers or briefs. When a young man first graduates from diapers, he is too young to yet understand the difference between the two, and is generally at the will of his mother regarding the undergarments he will use throughout his youth. In 98% of all cases, the mother will default to white briefs, or as we refer to them, "tighty whities". In the other 2% of cases, the mother is likely deceased or too hopped up on goofers to pay any mind to the child. It is usually not until high school when a young man realizes that he has the choice to transition to boxers. But lo and behold, the 1990's gave advent to a new choice in the male intimates section at your local Target: the boxer briefs. Melding the best of both worlds, the boxer brief has both the length of boxers (which are more comfortable and desirable when undressing in front of a female) and the compact feel of the "tighty whities" (which helps to absorb those last two drops of urine so that they do not run down the leg). They afford a more confident demeanor when standing semi-nude in front of a mirror and flexing. Boxer briefs scream "I am not convinced that the testicles need to be so aerated as to necessitate boxers, yet I also do not enjoy playing World of Warcraft!" The boxer brief is simultaneously a neutral Switzerland, and the dawn of the United States of America. There have been precious few articles of clothing in the history of man that have liberated so many.
Strengths: more appealing to the ladies; "last two drops" corollary; dark colors assist in hiding unmentionable stains
Weaknesses: often more expensive than standard boxers or briefs; slight risk of decreased sperm count
Fun Fact: They suppress boners slightly better than boxers, which always helps when you're riding the city bus.
Posted in: Brant Brown, Pop Culture Gauntlet
Milton Bradley Watch
December 18, 2009 | Comments (0) | by Arcturus
Threat Level: Still an ambulating asshole, still on the Cu-wait, what? There are actually rumors of a Bradley trade going down? No fucking way!
Who'd we get? C'mon, big money, no Whammies, no Whammies, no Whammies . . .
SHIT!!! Carlos Silva, seriously? I know Bradley is a cantering cocknugget, but come on! I'd rather keep Bradley and hope Lou can keep from killing him for a season just so Ryne Sandberg gets a chance to manage the selfish prick.
In case anybody cares, Silva pitched in all of 8 games last year, finishing 1 and 3 with an 8.60 ERA before mercifully injuring himself. 2008 wasn't any better as Silva pitched in 28 games, amassing a 4 and 15 record with an ERA of 6.46. He's also fucking big. And not the good kind of big, if you know what I mean. Let's put it this way: if Silva ever went to Japan, the fucking Sea Shepherd would be following him around for his own protection.
Posted in: Arcturus, Chicago Cubs, MLB
Santa Claus vs. Satan
December 18, 2009 | Comments (0) | by Adam Blank
No, this isn't part of our ongoing Pop Culture Gauntlet series, but a review of one of the most bizarre Holiday films ever made.
Christmastime is full of movie traditions. With classics such as It's A Wonderful Life, A Christmas Story, White Christmas, Miracle on 34th Street, and about a hundred other essential holiday movies, it seems absurd to recommend another addition to our vast cultural repository of essential holiday films. But I'd be doing a disservice to the world if I didn't try to make the case for the 1959 epic simply titled Santa Claus.
This Mexican film was made by famed South-of-the-border director Rene Cardona, who directed a shit-ton of movies, such as: Rock 'N Roll Wrestling Women vs. the Aztec Mummy, Santo vs. the Diabolical Brain, and the schlock classic Brainiac.
An American producer, K. Gordon Murray, bought the rights to Santa Claus and a few other foreign children's movies. He then dubbed them into English and released them in the U.S. and made a fortune off the burgeoning kiddie matinee circuit, which Murray helped create in the first place. Santa Claus played theatrically for decades. Unsuspecting children were dropped off at the theater to endure this spectacle while mommy finished up last minute shopping. And what, exactly, were these generations of children exposed to?
For starters, Santa Claus lives in a crystal palace in outer space that sort of resembles a mosque. Here he's collected a small army of children of different races & creeds ("Even Russia!" the narrator informs us) who work to assemble the toys for the Earth children. No elves for this Santa. It's at this point that we're introduced to the various groups of children, who dress in the "traditional" garb of their native lands while corresponding stereotypical music plays in the background.
This scene alone lasts a good 5 or 6 minutes, so I'll give you the highlights: The African children wear loincloths and have bones in their hair. They dance to a tribal drum. A nine year old Harem girl from "The Orient" dances seductively. The German children wear lederhosen, the American children sing "Mary Had a Little Lamb" and the Mexican children play "La Cucaracha."
Meanwhile, in HELL, Lucifer sends his most flamboyant minion, Pitch, to earth in order to trick children into doing evil. If he fails, he'll be forced to eat ice cream.
That's right. Santa Claus must contend with the forces of evil from the bowels of Hell. In hindsight, battling the denizens of Hell makes a foggy Christmas Eve without Rudolph seem as troublesome as not having an umbrella in a vagina storm.
Even though there are millions of children on earth, only five are to be tempted to do evil by Lucifer's obviously homosexual assistant. The first to be tempted is "a good little boy whose daddy is quite rich." The second child is the ridiculously adorable Lupita, whose family is comically poor and all she wants is a fucking doll. Any doll. Finally, we're shown three boys who look like they crawled out of a Monogram poverty row picture from the 40's. We immediately know they're bad news because they wear leather jackets and scally caps. Tempted by the devil, they throw rocks through a store's display window.
In order to find out who's naughty and who's nice, Santa employs surveillance devices that make our drone aircraft look like a cup-and-ball. These tools of omnipotence look like they came out of a hybrid of "Pee Wee's Playhouse" and Un Chien Andalou. With these devices, not only can Santa see you "in a cave or behind a million mountains," but he can also see inside your dreams!
Santa spies on the rich boy, who dreams of unwrapping two giant boxes which contain his emotionally unavailable parents. All he wants for Christmas is love. This poor little rich boy already has everything he could ever want, except a face that doesn't look like it's been stricken with Down's Syndrome.
Lupita falls asleep in her parent's one room shack, and soon the devil is blowing in her ear(!), which causes her to have a scary dream where 10 terrifying mechanical dolls come out of giant wrapped boxes and perform a synchronized dance in a large room with a fog machine. After the dance, the dolls gang up on Lupita and try to convince her to steal her own Christmas gift. Lupita won't give in, and Santa is thrilled; nearly to the point of orgasm.
With Christmas fast approaching, Santa receives letters from children all over the world. One boy asks for a baby brother. Santa is happy to oblige and forwards the letter to the stork. Another boy asks for an "Atomic laboratory and a machine gun." Without checking twice, Santa puts the kid's request in the "Nice" pile. Kid's certainly made out like bandits during the Cold War.
Before Santa goes on his Christmas Eve run, he goes to see his buddy Merlin the Magician, who apparently lives in his magic palace. Merlin has all sorts of bizarre shit to help Santa break into homes unnoticed, like a magic flower that makes him disappear and sleeping powder which has Rohypnol-like effects on children. Where can I get some of that?
After getting all his magic shit in order, Santa is ready to go. He boards his sleigh, which isn't pulled by 8 live flying reindeer but rather four freaky wind-up mechanical reindeer. Seriously, these fucking things are the stuff of nightmares. We're told that if the reindeer are exposed to sunlight, they turn to dust! Jesus fucking Christ, Santa! What kind of shady occult organization are you running in your outer space mosque of child slavery?
On Earth, Santa must outwit the devil and make sure all the good children of earth receive their presents. Will he succeed, or will Satan triumph over the children of earth? I'm sure you can guess the answer to that. But the real question is: Why would anyone make a movie this fucked up? Well, apparently Santa Claus wasn't big in ol' Mexico. Being a religious people, Christmas focused on the birth of Christ. Thus, the giving of gifts was done to commemorate the gifts of the Magi (the wise men, not the O. Henry story). So this was sort of like a half-assed introduction to the Eurocentric version of Santa Claus we've taken for granted all our lives.
Like Christmas itself, it's best to experience this movie with close friends & family. And whiskey... lots of fucking whiskey. Although it's sometimes dreamlike, sometimes absurd and always shitty, Santa Claus nevertheless looks and feels like Christmas. I've heard that a cheap DVD of this movie can be found at most Walgreens locations for a buck or two. Treat yourself to something nice this Christmas and get a copy, since you can't get this from Netflix.
Rating: 5 Creepy Mechanical Reindeer out of 5.
Posted in: Adam Blank, Movies
Pop Culture Gauntlet Results
In an effort to minimize the hassle involved with posting the Gauntlet results, we have decided to lump them together after every three or four contests. Without further ado:
Kanye West (5 votes) vs. The Enron Scandal (16 votes)
Vegas was stunned with these results. The prognosticators were calling for a beating at the hands of Mr. West. But NO! Mighty Enron turned the tables on Kanye by the widest margin to date. The flash in the pan hip-hopper assured himself of the last laugh though, when he stormed the stage and ...oh...nevermind. Kanye was no match for the staying power of corporate scandal.
HBO (9 votes) vs. Piet Mondrian (4 votes)
Well duh, of course HBO won. I mean, quality television, boobs, and swearing, versus a guy named Piet? Say my name is Brant, and I'm at a cocktail party. You ask me what I do for a living, and I tell you that I paint in straight lines and only use three colors. You would tell me "that's interesting" and look for someone more important to talk to. But if your name is Piet, then painting like a third grader not only gains you international notoriety, but you're able to perpetuate a freaking artistic movement. Whatever, Taxicab Confessions is way cooler than the cover of the last Silverchair album.
Dunkin' Donuts (8 votes) vs. The Assassination of Franz Ferdinand (11 votes)
Obviously the Saloon does not have a huge Boston following. Seriously though, the coffee is good, I'll give them that. But we're talking about The Great War! Conspiracy! Assassination! Sexual frivolity (unconfirmed)! Secret societies! Tuberculosis! It's the stuff of a Steven Soderbergh film! Except very, very real.
Remember people, keep voting!
Posted in: Brant Brown
Pop Culture Gauntlet: Boba Fett vs. Fried Chicken
Today's match: Boba Fett vs. Fried Chicken
The nerd's ultimate idea of cool, Boba Fett is the cleverest, slickest, most dangerous bounty hunter in the Star Wars series. Of course, he does this more or less by the time honored tradition of "not being as dumb as Greedo," an alien so dumb that even after Lucas felt bad enough to go back and spot him a free first shot, managed to miss from 2 feet away. Still, Boba Fett was the only person in the entire Galactic Empire not to notice the huge spaceship that disappeared from view might be floating amongst the ONLY cover within ten light years, so we can definitely give him that. Boba Fett also flew the legitimately badassed Slave-1. Sure it was a weird looking combination of spaceship and hair-dryer, but when you fly in something named Slave-1, no one fucks with you. Except maybe Harriet Tubman.
Like all things awesome about the original Star Wars series, Lucas managed to make Boba Fett lamer than Joe Theismann, circa 1986 during the "new trilogy." Apparently he's a clone of his own "father" Django Reinhardt, along with EVERY SINGLE STORMTROOPER...which means the entire Imperial Army is pretty much a bunch of renowned jazz guitarists. Or something like that, I stopped paying attention halfway through that crapfest.
Strengths: In The Empire Strikes Back, he is easily the most competent employee on the Imperial Payroll. He has a kickass jetpack, a grappling hook, and the stones to stand up to Darth Vader.
Weaknesses: Being accidentally hit on the back by a blind Han Solo will cause his kickass jetpack to malfunction and enable him to be digested over a thousand year period by the Saarlacc. Nice heel, Achilles. His death merited a slide whistle.
Fun Fact: Did you know, per Wikipedia, that the plural of "Saarlacc" is "Saarlacci?" And the plural of "nerd" is "more than one person who knows that."
Though one of our bartenders is secretly a vegetarian (guess which one!), the rest of us know that chickens are essentially Food Alive. And everyone knows the best way to serve any food is to bread it and deep fry it. Even things that are counterintuitive, like pickles, okra, or ice cream.
Invented by Jesus shortly after he turned water into beer, fried chicken lay dormant until rediscovered by the American South, especially poor African-Americans, as chickens were the only farm animal slaves were allowed to keep. This led to some rather disgusting racist connections with fried chicken, but let me assure you, as a caucasian southerner, I have eaten more than enough of the stuff to bely any aspersions of that nature.
Strengths: Aside from tasting like awesome lives in your mouth, fried chicken keeps for longer than most dishes, which is another reason it became popular in the pre-refrigeration south. It may well be the perfect picnic food, since you are required by law to eat it with your hands in most states.
Weaknesses: Other than the whole "racism" angle, it looks like fried chicken might not actually be healthy. More on this as it develops.
Fun Fact: Colonel Sanders was named a Kentucky Colonel in 1935, nearly 20 years before KFC was franchised.
Posted in: Pop Culture Gauntlet, Wolter
Thunder Matt Snubbed By ESPN Chicago: This Aggression Will Not Stand, Man
December 16, 2009 | Comments (0) | by Ginger Russ
In case you missed it, ESPN Chicago put out its list of the 10 greatest Cubs of the past decade. While the list is highly debatable (Theriot at #8? Dempster ahead of Sosa?), one name was surprisingly absent from the list. Yep, it looks like the ginger prejudice is still alive and well in 'Merika (Dempster doesn't count, he's Canadian), as TMS's own namesake, Matt Murton failed to make the list.
While you can look at stats all you want, some things are intangible. Murton brought sex appeal, an underdog attitude, and of course a lovability to the Cubs that is rarely seen. Would Murton piss on his hands and then shake yours? I think not. Would Matt cork his bat just because he was having a slump? Hardly. Did the Redheaded Wonder ever lead the league in "simulated games"? Never. Can he grow a beard faster than it takes Daft's mom to take her clothes off in exchange for a 40 of Old E? You betcha. What's that, these things don't make a player "the greatest of the decade"? Well, GFY then. Fine, let's look at the stats. A lifetime .299 hitter for the Cubs doesn't mean anything I guess.
Sure, since leaving the Cubs, Murton's luck has changed and is now off in Japan. But don't forget the great times he had here in Chicago. One needs to only look as far as the 28 plaques in the Thunder Matt Trophy Room to be reminded of that. Just as the Ted Lilly Fan Club is miffed about the absence of TRL to ESPN Chicago's list, we implore you Cubs fans - email, text, call, fax, send a letter, anything to get to those bastards and demand that Matt Murton be added to the list. Do it for Ginger Awareness not only in Chicago, but everywhere.
Posted in: Ginger Russ, Thunder Matt Murton
Chaiming In: Holiday Edition
My God, I leave this place for a few months and it all goes to pot. Is this thing on? Does this website work? Are we on the Internet? Is this live? Does my mother still check this site? What about Daft's Mom? (I'm pulling out (of) all of the oldies but goodies!). Let's get down to the bullet points for the last man standing, ergo, reading.
I'm being told in my earpiece that there is going to be some new site launching in a few months that is kind of like that cartoon Voltron, whatever that means. Did I let the cat out of the bag? I don't know. But if you were burned when you invested in shares of Pomp Culture, you might want to sit this one out. The details are sketchy, but I can only imagine it involves pornography, t-shirts with wolves, Twittering, the sale of banned prescription drugs, and in some form or another, The Cubs. From all indications, it will involve several new writers and some old ones. The Hundley has been asked to return. Jordi Scrubbings has not.
Avatar, for the most part, lives up to the $300 million dollar hype. See it in 3D though, for the love of the Blue Man Group. The visuals are amazing and the last 45 minutes are really unlike anything you've ever witnessed. It's far from the perfect movie: the story is rife with cliches, Sam Worthington's acting is as stiff as Tommy Buzanis on a Cialis bender and things begin to drag about 90 minutes in before picking up again. That said, the action scenes and visuals (the previews don't do them justice) more than compensate for the films flaws, none of which prove fatal. The line, 'you need to see this on the big screen' is probably overused in this day and age of HDTVs and surround sound, but make no doubt about it: you need to see this on the big screen...and in 3D if at all possible. I had a myriad of doubts going in, but walked out of the film a believer. A very solid B+.
On the other end of the spectrum is Up in the Air, starring the dashing and well-spoken George Clooney. I don't really feel like giving a detailed review (I'm not your goddamn father), only to say that it is very good, even if it is the antithesis of Avatar. I'm not sure we should crown it Best Picture already like some circles already have, but I can't imagine anyone leaving this one disappointed. Solid entertainment the discerning adult and contemporary male. Let's give this one a B+ as well.
"New Fang" by Them Crooked Vultures could very well be the Single of the Year (right up there with Pearl Jam's "The End"). The rest of the album? The jury is still out, but my dick is still in my pants.
A War Hero on cheese and crackers is forthcoming. Don't agree with me on that one? Then, by all means, log off the Internet and log onto me murdering you while you sleep.
It took me a while to warm up to it, but that show Modern Family on ABC is really good. A poor man's Arrested Development, it's finally given me something to watch on day other than Thursday. For the sake of continuity, lets give that one a B+ as well.
Lots of noise being made about Milton Bradley. I'm trying to keep a safe distance away from the hoopla because A) I need a mental break from the Cubs after last season and B) I don't like Milton Bradley and would just prefer that I wake up on April 1st to find him not in the lineup, upon which I will just logically assume that the Cubs managed to trade him for a warm body whose testicles have dropped and has an inclination to hustle and smile (preferably at the same time).
Raves: the song 'Relator' (shockingly enough, sung by Pete Yorn and Scarlett Johansson), Rosemary and Olive Oil Triscuits, NFL playoff races, mole sauce, Amazon Prime, Flip Video Ultra HD, HP Pavilion dv6T laptop, Sabra hummus, Simply Limeade, cars with butt warmers.
Rants: Semi-trucks, freezing temperatures, grinches, impatient drivers, getting sweets as a Christmas present, genocide.
Posted in: Chaim Witz, Chaiming In
Cubs Express Interest in Signing Roberto Clemente
December 15, 2009 | Comments (0) | by Jake the Terrible Cubs Fan
In a disappointing offseason of unsubstantiated or unfulfilled rumors, new reports are coming out about the latest player the Cubs are supposedly eyeing. Hall of famer Roberto Clemente.
When asked about the validity of this, Cubs general manager Jim Hendry said, "Absolutely. Clemente would fill our hole in center field. He's an amazing hitter, an outstanding fielder, and is a role model to every Hispanic player we have. The impact he'd have on our team would be tremendous!"
Hendry was then asked if he realized Clemente has been deceased for nearly 37 years. "Huh? Of course I know he's dead. Did you honestly think I thought we could sign him for 2010? I was just saying that it'd be nice to have him as our center fielder, just like it'd be nice to have Mike Cameron, or J.J. Putz, or Matt Capps, or Jason Bay, or Chone Figgins, or Curtis Granderson, or John Lackey, but that's not happening either!"
Posted in: Chicago Cubs, Chip Wesley, Jake the Terrible Cubs Fan, Signings and Trades
Threat Level: STILL a fucking Cub. Still a perambulating prick.
The past few days have seen a flurry of moves, all made by other teams. The Blue Jays, Phillies, and Mariners may complete a blockbuster deal that would send ace Roy Halladay to Philadelphia and Cliff Lee to the Mariners. The Mariners suddenly look like contenders and remain in the mix for Jason Bay. The Red Sox meanwhile have signed Cub target Mike Cameron for 2 years and seem on the verge of acquiring John Lackey. Speculation is that Lackey's presence will allow them to deal Clay Bucholz and Jacoby Ellsbury for Adrian Gonzalez. Like the Red Sox really need to get any better. And the Cardinals have supposedly offered Matt Holiday 16M per over 8 years.
What have the Cubs done this year? Purged the team of every player signed last offseason, save the brooding Bradley. Resigned John Grabow, whose arm will probably now fall off. And they've expressed interest in signing Pirates closer Matt Capps, who was non-tendered by the Bucs. I fully expect Hendry to overpay to secure three years of Capps and call the offseason a success. I know there's a lot of post-season left, but so far it's had a very 2004 feel to it. Remember Freddie Bynum? Yeah, me neither.
It's looking more and more like Bradley will still be our problem come next season. Can Jim and Lou put the pieces back together and get the sulky Milton to play up to his potential? Can the rest of the team live with a guy who has no interest in being a team player and still compete? Will Lou snap and beat Milton to death with a baseball bat? Would any of the Cubs stop him if he did? And if he did, are the Cubs still on the hook for Milton's salary? All questions worth pondering as we death march to Opening Day 2010.
My Case for Signing Matt Capps
Graph courtesy of FanGraphs
Granted Capps had a down year last season, but assuming he can regain pre-2009 form, it'd be nice to have a reliever that can strike guys out much more often than walking them.
Pop Culture Gauntlet: Dunkin' Donuts vs. The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Today's match: Dunkin' Donuts vs. The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Dunkin' Donuts is one of the largest coffee chains in North America. Founded in 1950, and based in Canton, Massachusetts, the company has expanded it's presence to over 30 countries. Originally serving coffee and simple pastries, Dunkin' Donuts has diversified it's product base to include specialty coffees and breakfast sandwiches. This evolution was prompted by competition from Starbucks and McDonald's, amongst others, in the burgeoning "morning fix" market. Their national operations are largely based East of the Mississippi River. There are currently no Dunkin' Donuts stores in the state of California, and oddly enough, plans to expand to the latte-slurping West Coast do not appear imminent. This may be in deference to the strong foothold Starbucks holds on that region, though the Dunkin' Donuts marketing team has never shied away from their prime challenger. In a series of ad campaigns over the last several years, Dunkin' Donuts has been known to poke Starbucks in the eye, often slighting the pretentious Italian terms that the Seattle-based company insists on populating their menu with. Most of you will also remember the Fred the Baker commercial campaign in the 1980's and '90's. His catchphrase "Time to make the donuts" made him a pop culture landmark. Sadly, the actor that played Fred passed away four years ago due to complications from diabetes (or Sugar AIDS as it's known in the Chip Wesley home).
Strengths: John Goodman provides the voiceover in their ad campaigns; heavy concentration of stores in Chicago which aid in ThunderFist hangovers; coffee actually tastes good
Weaknesses: Strong affiliation with Patriots and Red Sox; queer logo; need to move out West
Fun Fact: On one television spot, Rachel Ray promoted Dunkin' Donuts while wearing a peculiar scarf. Conservative pundits called for the company to pull the ad, claiming the scarf was similar to that worn by Yasser Arafat, and was thus supportive of terrorism.
The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand is widely held as the precipitating factor that spurned the beginning of World War I (or The Great War as grandpa called it). Younger generations, however, know him only as "the guy that that shitty Scottish band named themselves after." The groups and actors which played a part in the archduke's assassination are shrouded in the the same lore one might expect from a Dan Brown novel. In fact, the events of that day were a comedy of errors, befitting of an Ocean's 14 screenplay. In a nutshell: Franz Ferdinand was an archduke of the Austria-Hungary. Basically, Serbs were trying to get the southern Slavic provinces to to break away from the Austro-Hungarian Empire in order to re-form Serbia or Yugoslavia. A secret society known as Black Hand had decided that a logical course of action would be to kill a high ranking member of the Empire and escalate tensions. Six young men were recruited to take out Ferdinand. As the archduke passed through Sarajevo in a motorcade, the six men were stationed along the route. Most had a grenade and/or pistol. As the motorcade passed, the first two assassins failed to act. The third threw a grenade, which blew one car but did not kill anyone. Following instructions, the assassin swallowed a cyanide pill and jumped into the Miljacka River. Unfortunately for him, the cyanide pill only induced vomiting, and the river was only four inches deep. Talk about an epic FAIL. The remaining assassins walked away in the ensuing hoopla. Shortly afterward, the motorcade continued on. One of the assassins, Gavrilo Princip, was eating a sandwich at a deli when the cars rolled by. As anyone involved in a secret society knows, you keep going until the job is done. Princip seized the new opportunity, and shot the archduke in the neck. The rest, as they say, is history.
Strengths: indirectly led to the creation of the armored vehicle industry; subsequent research into more effective cyanide pills, which Hitler would eventually take; finally got rid of that insipid Austria-Hungary
Weaknesses: gave Serbs a bad name; inadvertently led to thousands of high school students having to read All Quiet on the Western Front; um, started World War I
Fun Fact: Princip died of tuberculosis in prison before he could serve his full sentence, which was only 20 years anyway.
Threat Level: Still on the Cubs. Still a giant walking cock. Looking more untradeable than ever.
Well, the "mystery team" rumor turned out to be a complete load of shit. Big surprise there. According to Carrie Muskat, the Cubs are now "scrambling" to deal Bradley. Fantastic. When I think of the word "scrambling" a little movie of the Keystone Kops appears in my head, coupled with the music from Bennie Hill, two things I don't want associated with my major league baseball team.
The way things are looking right now, unloading Aarons Miles and Heilman might be the highlight of the offseason. If that ends up being the case, I'll . . .I'll . . . fuck. We all know that I'm not going to stop watching this team. And neither are any of you, since you bothered to come here.
Pop Culture Gauntlet: HBO vs Piet Mondrian
Today's match: HBO vs. Piet Mondrian
Also known as the "Hebrew Box Office", HBO was the first premium channel to hit the new-fangled experiment called "cable" back in 1965 in Manhattan, NY, USA. The project was bought out by Time Life in 1973, and was soon into full swing of distributing it's Jew-run media all over the country. By 1989, Time had merged with Warner Communications, becoming Time Warner which is now HBO's parent company and largest distributor of lies and misinformation to the masses. Although it's beginnings were optimistic, people soon got tired of watching the same reruns of movies. But what HBO did have was strong sports programming. It became the first TV network to deliver it's signal via satellite when it broadcast the "Thrilla in Manila" in 1975. HBO has also featured coverage of Wimbledon, WWF, NHL, NBA, ABA, PBA, LOL, GFY, and the channel's longest running program, Inside the NFL ran from 1977 to 2008 before it was picked up by Showtime. Trying to compete with the major 3 networks may seen like a daunting task for a subscription-based channel, but HBO has done a decent job, putting out a variety of original programs, which we all love because they often feature suggestive themes and high amounts of swearing, violence and nudity which make them unsuitable for regular cable (although we all know Skinemax late night is still far superior in the 10 - 19 year old male market). Some of it's original shows which have gone on to experience a great amount of success include The Sopranos, Deadwood, Sex and the City, and Six Feet Under as well as Ginger favorites such as Flight of the Conchords, Eastbound & Down, Cathouse: The Series, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Mr Show, and of course Fraggle Rock. Today HBO consists of seven multiplex channels including HBO 2, Comedy, Family, Latino, Signature, and Zone as well as an On Demand service.
Strengths: Swearing, violence and nudity for starters. Original programming and the ability to watch free movies (as free as paying for a premium cable channel gets). No commercials.
Weaknesses: It's not really "More Than You Imagined™", it's the same 'ole HBO. Movies and programming gets repetitive.
Fun Fact: The first program and film broadcast on HBO, Sometimes a Great Notion, starred Paul Newman and Henry Fonda.
Mondrian (as he was known by everyone except his mother, who affectionately called him "Little Peter") was a Dutch painter born on March 7, 1872 and was the most famous painter of the De Stijl art movement, which of course was named after an early White Stripes album. His paintings consisted of a white background, onto which black horizontal and verticals lines were painted and then filled with the three primary colors. At a time when art was going through major changes, Mondrian's Neo-Plasticism laughed in the face of critics and the general public as well, being one of the first artists to evoke the "If I can paint it, it's not art" attitude of ignorant "critics" around the world. Mondrian's art introduction came at a very early age as his father was a qualified drawing teacher. He would go onto to become a teacher at the Academy for Fine Art in Amsterdam, where he primarily worked in the Dutch Impressionist Manner of the Hague School. In 1912, Mondrian moved to Paris, where he was highly influenced by the Cubist movement and artists such as Picasso and Braque. In 1914 he returned to the Netherlands where along with artists Van der Leck and Van Doesburg he founded the De Stijl, in which the artist's theories signaled a complete break from representational painting.
From 1919 to 1938 Mondrian worked in Paris and then from 1938-1944 he moved between London and New York, continuing his style of thick black lines on a white background with boxes of the primary colors scattered throughout. His most famous painting, Composition with Red, Blue and Yellow (above), perfectly exhibits the principals of Neo-Plasticism which Mondrian strove for throughout his entire career. In 1944, Mondrian died of pneumonia in New York. Mondrian's influence on the world can still be seen today, traditionally in the furniture and architecture of the world's greatest designer: Ikea.
Strengths: Unlike other Minimalists like Barnett Newman and Mark Rothko, Mondrian was not bat-shit crazy.
Weaknesses: His artwork is most recognizable by non-cultured people as the early reason why Modern art is such a disaster.
Fun Fact: In May, 2008 Nike released the SB Dunk, styled after the work of Piet Mondrian.
Posted in: Ginger Russ, Pop Culture Gauntlet
TMS Music: A John Waters Christmas
I love Christmas. I love Christmas music. And I'm one of the biggest John Waters fans around*. So a Christmas compilation handpicked by the Pope of Trash should be essential holiday listening for me, right? Fuck yeah it is.
Because A John Waters Christmas is one of those rare Christmas CDs with a parental advisory sticker on it, you might assume that it's just another entry in the overpopulated subgenre of anti-Christmas novelty songs. That's not the case. A John Waters Christmas serves as a musical orphanage for Christmas songs that the 20th century didn't want to own up to. It's a tender and earnest attempt to put listeners in the holiday spirit; sort of like a choir of mentally challenged children slogging their way through "Silent Night."
The album is book-ended with songs about black Santa Clauses. Setting the tone for the entire compilation, the opening track, "Fat Daddy," is a lighthearted R&B ditty sung by Fat Daddy, the Baltimore DJ who was Waters' inspiration for the Motor Mouth Maybelle character in Hairspray. Fat Daddy proclaims himself "Santa Claus with soul," and who are we to argue?
The much more surreal "Santa Claus Is A Black Man" closes this collection. Sung by an African American child with a lisp, the boy discovers the truth about Santa. This may be the only Christmas song to mention somebody having an afro. The chorus is sure to be stuck in your head well into the New Year, unless The Man has anything to say about it.
No whacky Christmas compilation would be complete without efforts from Tiny Tim & The Chipmunks. Tiny Tim's rendition of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" is so syrupy that you'll need to keep a dose of insulin on standby. The Chipmunk's interpretation of "Sleigh Ride" is, surprisingly, one of the best versions of the song I've ever heard. The aggressive nature of the sped-up vocals captures the true essence of the song.
"Happy Birthday Jesus" is a poem recited against a backdrop of "Silent Night." Little Cindy, the young girl who reads the poem, has a southern drawl and a voice so high that it makes Tiny Tim look like a baritone. This song was obviously recorded in one take, as Cindy flubs her lines but continues on, probably with an angry adult glowering at her in the recording studio. Fortunately, the other kid-sung track, "Sleigh Bells, Reindeer and Snow" is a decent country tune that accurately captures the magic of Christmas Eve in the minds of children.
"Here Comes Fatty Claus" is the track that warrants the parental advisory sticker. A redneck posse, upset that they go into debt every Christmas, sings their rallying cry to trashy white people everywhere, culminating in a chorus of "Here comes Fatty with his sack of shit, and all them stinkin' reindeer." You can't make this stuff up.
"Little Mary Christmas" is a story set to music abut a poor girl whose parents died when she was a baby. She happens to be named Mary Christmas, and is rotting in an orphanage, just waiting to be adopted. Even though she hobbles around on crutches, she holds out hope that someone will give her a new home. This song exploits everything we're taught to feel about the holidays. It doesn't tug at the heartstrings but instead tries to yank them out at the root.
"I Wish You A Merry Christmas" is a legitimate R&B track sang by Little Eva of "The Loco-Motion" fame. It's a wonderfully upbeat holiday song that seems like it fell of Phil Spector's Christmas album and somehow landed here.
We get some old school country in "Santa Don't Pass Me By," about a broken-hearted man trying to get home for Christmas by hitching a ride with Santa.
Fun Fact: the singer, Jimmy Donley, committed suicide!
"Christmas Time is Coming" is a classy a cappella song that lacks the trashy pop aesthetics of the other tracks, making it seem woefully out of place on this album. The group, Stormy Weather, hails from Hammond, Indiana; the same town that A Christmas Story sprang from.
Without a doubt, the true gem on this album is "First Snowfall," an instrumental track featuring, of all things, a Theremin. Without words, sleigh bells, church bells, or any other typical holiday motif, it manages to capture the dream-like wonder of the holidays. Performed by the Chicago-based "garage jazz" band, The Coctails, this song would enlarge the Grinch's heart and make Scrooge understand the true meaning of Christmas; all without uttering a fucking word.
*I accosted John Waters at the Biograph Theater in 2002!
Posted in: Adam Blank, Christmas, Music
Threat Level: Still a Cub. Still a colossal dick.
Rumors are that two to three other teams beside the Rays are interested in Bradley, meaning there's two to four GMs in baseball possibly dumber than Jim Hendry.
The Bradley for Burrell rumors continue to percolate and Royals' GM Dayton Moore shot down a rumor that the Royals and Cubs were discussing a Bradley for Gil Meche deal.
Pop Culture Gauntlet: Kanye West vs. The Enron Scandal
Today's match: Kanye West vs. The Enron Scandal
Kanye West, as all of you know, is a prominent rapper, producer, musician, fashionista, and all-around insufferable douche. West rose to prominence as producer for Roc-A-Fella Records. He achieved notoriety for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, which was released moments after the Twin Towers were hit by the Iraqis on September 11, 2001. He has since released four solo albums of his own: The College Dropout (2004), Late Registration (2005), Graduation (2007), and 808s & Heartbreak (2008). His album Graduation was originally set to be released on September 18, 2007. However, (supposedly) noting the impending anniversary of our nation's darkest day, West had the release date moved to September 11. He would once again upstage the anniversary of our country's greatest domestic tragedy by being arrested on September 11, 2008 at Los Angeles International Airport following an altercation with a photographer. Though a genuine philanthropist at heart, West has gained most of his media attention due to his uproarious public meltdowns. From the infamous declaration at A Concert for Hurricane Relief that "George Bush doesn't care about black people", to his numerous award show acceptance speech interruptions, Kanye West is the entertainment industry's poster child of a "negative attention-getter".
Strengths: understands how to make himself the center of attention; musically inclined; charity work
Weaknesses: acts like a petulant child in public; believes he is God's gift; tendency to speak without thinking first
Fun Fact: Kanye's mother, Donda West, died in 2007 from complications following plastic surgery.
ENRON SCANDAL
Enron was a Houston-based energy company founded by Kenneth Lay in 1985. The rise and fall of Enron is perhaps the most notable example of free market FAIL in U.S. history. Chief executives of Enron (including former CFO Andrew Fastow, former President, CEO and COO Jeffrey Skilling, and former Chairman and CEO Lay) used creative accounting practices to hide billions of dollars in debt, effectively pulling the proverbial wool over the eyes of Wall Street throughout the 1990s. Their particular brand of corporate malfeasance allowed Enron to portray itself as a genuine American success story, with a diversified portfolio that pushed it's stock price to $90 per share in mid-2000. Unfortunately for their employees and shareholders, the wheels jumped off the track in August of 2001. Skilling stepped down as CEO (after selling off 450,000 shares for a $33 million profit) as pressure mounted for Enron to open it's books. When the World Trade Center and Pentagon were attacked on September 11, 2001, Enron executives pointed and said "look over there!" as they grabbed their briefcases and ran in the opposite direction to the tune of "Yakety Sax". Ultimately, shareholders lost $74 billion leading up to Enron's collapse. Over 20,000 former employees, some of which lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in shares, won a paltry $3,100 for their troubles in a subsequent lawsuit.
Strengths: ability to work the system; generous executive compensation; woke America up to corporate greed
Weaknesses: chief executives are all currently in jail or dead; families destroyed; lost naming rights to the Astros ballpark
Fun Fact: Enron's original name was Enteron, which roughly translated to "intestines" in Greek. The name was thus changed.
In case you missed it (like we did), America's favorite ginger outfielder is picking up his toys and going to . . . Japan. The Rockies gave Murton his release so he could attempt to jumpstart his career in the Nippon Leagues. Look, I know we bartenders here at the Saloon are biased toward the red-headed wonder, but Jesus Christ, isn't there any team in the majors that could give this guy a chance to play everyday? I'm looking at you Kansas City. Or what about you, Atlanta? Murton only hit .324/.389/.499 for the year in Triple A Colorado Springs. Sure, his defense is spotty, but if that kept you out of a major league lineup, there'd be a lotta guys out of work. (Cough-Soriano-cough).
Here at the Saloon we wish Thunder the best of luck in the Far East. Watch out for the blowfish, buddy.
Posted in: Arcturus, MLB, Thunder Matt Murton
Addition by Subtraction
I usually hate that term. But I just had to pop in to say good riddance. According to ESPN Chicago, the Cubs have traded Aaron Miles and Jake Fox for some prospects. It's a Holiday Miracle!
I mean, don't get me wrong, Jake Fox has a decent bat, but he was a worse fielder than this site's namesake.
And more importantly, with this move the 2010 Cubs will be AARON FREE!
Posted in: Baseball, Chicago Cubs, MLB, Wolter
Congratulations White Chili, Death League 2009 Champion!
November 30, 2009 | Comments (0) | by Jake the Terrible Cubs Fan
A hearty congratulations goes out to White Chili, winner of the second annual TMS Death League.
For the second straight season a wild card pick proved to be the deciding factor. White Chili's pick of Patrick Swayze catapulted him into the lead spot, which he easily maintained for the remainder of the season.
Of course this has now led to the "Swayze Rule" which takes effect starting in the 2010 season, in which no person may be drafted as a wild card if they are suffering a terminal illness with a prognosis of less than a year to live at the time of the draft.
Of course Death League 2010 has already begun at the stroke of midnight on Black Friday. later this week I will post a recap of this year's Wild Card draft as well as the full rosters for the new season.
Here are the final standings for 2009.
RK Manager
Deaths Score
1. White Chili
Farrah Fawcett, Walter Cronkite, Patrick Swayze
2. Brant Brown
Bettie Page, Chuck Daly, David Carradine, Les Paul
3. Chaim Witz
Carl Pohlad, Ricardo Montalban, Dom DeLuise, Ted Kennedy
4. The Hundley
Eartha Kitt, Paul Harvey, Robert McNamara
5. Daft Funk
6. Chip Wesley
6. Jordi
Bea Arthur
8. Arcturus
Karl Malden
9. Governor X
9. Tommy Buzanis
9. Lingering Bursitis
Posted in: Chip Wesley, Death League 2009, Jake the Terrible Cubs Fan
Happy Turkey Day, from the Saloon!
November 25, 2009 | Comments (0) | by Ginger Russ
Happy Thanksgiving everybody! As you all settle into your La-Z-boy and zone out watching football while the your in-laws bicker about which parent made your cousin Chad "gay", please remember a couple of things.
1. You will not be able to eat as much as Jim Hendry, Lou Piniella, or Geovany Soto on a pot bender this Thanksgiving, even if you are wearing your super stretchy stretch pants or decided to just wear a "Snuggie" and nothing else. Give your stomach a break and keep it to three or four plates of food (plus dessert, of course). Remember, the gravy boat is for everyone, it's not just a fancy looking glass even if it is placed directly in front of you at the table.
2. Do not act upon that awkward attraction to your new cousin whose mother just married your Uncle Jack. Sure, there is no blood relationship between you two, and getting away from the family and your crazy Uncle's war stories to go fool around in the laundry room might seem like a good idea at the time, especially after more than a few rum and cokes, but you are going to have to see this person at least a couple times a year. There is no breaking up with family and it can only lead to uncomfortable glances and having to avoid this person for the rest of your life, or until your Uncle Jack finds a new gold digger.
3. When deciding on whether or not to participate in the after-dinner game of tackle football, we realize some of you may be delusional in grasping the concept of aging. Just make sure to ask yourself, "Does my insurance cover back/hip surgery?" If the answer is yes, then go ahead, enjoy. If not, you might want to arm chair quarterback this year's game.
4. Deep Fried Turkey: best attempted before hitting the tequila.
5. Leave politics to the politicians. Sure, you might feel the need to tell everyone about how Obama is fucking up this country and point out every little fucking detail about it, but really, no one gives a shit about your warped hidden racist views.
And finally, give thanks, it's Thanksgiving Day for fucks sake. Not sure what to give thanks for this year after you lost your job, your wife and girlfriend left you and didn't even leave the dog and that 10 speed with frozen tires is your new "ride"? Well, here are some simple things that the bartenders are thankful for this year*:
Wolter: 1979
Daft Funk: Titties
Chaim Witz: The fact that KISS will never die
Dave Thomas: Cotton balls
Chip Wesley: Sneaking into "New Moon"
The Hundley: The Biggest Loser
Brant Brown: Hating me...and everything for that matter
White Chili: Mousetraps
Lingering Bursitis: Scotch eggs
Arcturus: Diet soda
Adam Blank: Obscure horror movies and vodka
And me, I'm thankful for all of you, reading this shit I put forth into words, errors and all, both here and at College of Idiots. Happy Thanksgiving, and enjoy your fucking mashed potatoes!
*None of the bartenders actually approve the things they give thanks for, I just made them up.
Posted in: Ginger Russ
For Your Consideration: Blood Freak
November 24, 2009 | Comments (0) | by Adam Blank
Being sandwiched between Halloween and Christmas, Thanksgiving never gets its due. Even with all the great traditions associated with it (like tofurkey, Detroit Lions football, and arguing with your siblings while drunk), Thanksgiving is regarded as a mere halfway point between two more exciting holidays. And this is a shame. As Americans, Thanksgiving is a holiday that's unique to our culture...unless you count Canada, Grenada and a couple other countries that celebrate it. But fuck 'em.
Perhaps Thanksgiving suffers because we don't have one special movie to put us all in the spirit of the holiday. Christmas has It's A Wonderful Life. Halloween has Halloween. But what do we, as a culture, have as our traditional Thanksgiving film? Nothing comes to mind. Certainly almost every sitcom has a Thanksgiving episode. But aside from the WKRP episode, they pretty much all suck. And, yes, there are a few movies that center around Thanksgiving, but they're typically schmaltzy and dull. And there's the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving special, but that shit is depressing. So I propose that we Americans settle on an official movie for Thanksgiving that exemplifies our values, accurately reflects our history, has something vague connection to turkeys, and shows some tits. Fellow Americans, I'd like to nominate the pro-Christian, anti-drug exploitation epic Blood Freak.
To better evaluate just how uniquely American Blood Freak is, I've assigned "American Points" to certain objects, actions & concepts expressed throughout the film that exemplify our culture. Although I will not explain how these points are awarded, I will tell you that they're based on an extremely rigid scale and are not arbitrarily assigned by some drunk guy. So here we go...
As the movie begins, our chain-smoking omnipotent narrator babbles on about "change & fate." We learn that any one of us can be a catalyst for change, even "a pretty girl with a problem." (Chain-smoking: +2 American points, vaguely philosophical bullshit about fate & catalysts for change: +1 American point)
Our hero, Herschell, is riding down the Florida turnpike on a badass chopper. He pulls over to help out a stranded motorist, who happens to be the aforementioned "pretty girl with a problem." (Chopper: +3 American points. Florida turnpike: -1 American point.)
She takes Herschell to her house. She shares the house with her much hotter sister, who is having a 70's style swinger/drug party! The good sister asks Herschell not to partake in any of the debauchery, and Herschell, home after a stint in 'Nam, isn't going to rock the boat. The good sister then admonishes the bad sister for her drug use, and reminds her that her body is a temple for the Holy Spirit.
Hot sister: +4 American points. Swinger/pot party: +10 American points.
Viet Nam: +6 American points. Religious fervor: +4 American points.
Herschell is hit on by a married woman at the party, but keeps up the good guy act by rebuffing her advances. She tells him that he's "nothing but a dumb bastard who doesn't know where it's at anyway!" Refusing sex: -5 American points. The woman's priceless comeback: +5 American points.
The bad sister also takes a liking to Herschell, but he's holding out for the good sister (i.e. his meal ticket), and passes up a ridiculously easy lay. Seeking vengeance, she conspires with the local drug dealer (who happens to be the same guy whose wife wanted to have sex with Herschell) and they plot to get Herschell hooked on drugs. (Turning down sex: -5. Revenge: +3.)
Herschell meets the girls' father, who owns a poultry ranch. +7
Herschell bullshits his way into getting a job at the poultry ranch. +5
To earn his keep around the house, Herschell helps out by cleaning out the swimming pool. The bad sister puts on a bikini and tries to seduce Herschell again. When that fails, she smokes pot, then proceeds to get him to smoke a joint by mocking his prudish ways. He gets stoned and laughs manically. They eventually make love on a tacky bedspread, and we get a brief shot of the bad sister's tits. (In-ground Swimming pool: +2, bikini: +5, succumbing to drug use via peer pressure initiated by hot slut: +7, brief tit shot: +6. )
After the night of passion, Herschell wakes up late for work. In the ensuing pandemonium, we get a brief shot of the bad sister's ass. At work, some food scientists inform Herschell that he can make extra money by eating turkey that was injected with an experimental drug. Rather than actually do work, Herschell agrees to get paid to eat turkey. The scientists tell him that the eating of the drugged turkey will take place the following day. (Being late for your first day of work: +6, ass shot: +4, opting to get paid for eating: +10)
Herschell goes about his workday, happily tossing turkeys over a fence, but soon goes through serious drug withdrawal. Apparently, the pot Herschell smoked was laced with something. He twitches his way home and convinces the slutty sister to get him more drugs. The drug dealer gives Herschell more of the stuff, and Herschell threatens to beat his ass if the drug supply runs dry. (Tossing live animals around: +3, drug withdrawal: +1)
The next day, Herschell is handed an entire roasted turkey at work. He eats the majority of it, then starts to feel funny, eventually collapsing and going into convulsions. One of the food scientists finds him and dumps his twitching body in a ditch away from the poultry farm. (Gluttony: +8, dumping the body of a person in need of medical treatment: +9)
In the ditch where the food scientist left him, Herschell transforms into a turkey-headed monster that craves the blood of junkies! He goes on a killing spree of modest proportions. (Becoming a turkey-headed monster with a craving for junkie blood: +30)
We're only halfway through the movie, and Blood Freak already has 130 American points! That doesn't include the remainder of the movie where a victim has his leg sawed off (an actual amputee was used), the drug dealer gets his comeuppance, the narrator talks about addiction while smoking & having a coughing fit, and Herschell is saved through the power of prayer! Let's see how the first half of Blood Freak compares to the other nominations:
Patton: 95
The Ice Storm: 49
Home For the Holidays: 32
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving: 21
The Star Wars Holiday Special: 14
Clearly, Blood Freak is the quintessential movie for the Thanksgiving holiday. And if you don't agree, well then you're nothing but a dumb bastard who doesn't know where it's at anyway!
You Make the Call: Jay Cutler
Jay Cutler..................................or..................................Jay Cutler
Nobody cares how great of an arm you have if you keep throwing your perfect spiral 15 yards ahead of your receiver!
Posted in: Chicago Bears, Chip Wesley, Jake the Terrible Cubs Fan, NFL, You Make the Call
Target: Making My Life a Living Hell
I always used to like Target. I mean when I would compare it to it's evil nemesis, Walmart at least. I don't even shop at Walmart, absolutely refuse to. But recently I have been rethinking all the good memories I've ever had about shopping at Target, and by good memories I mean that in the most abstract way a person who hates shopping can have about entering a store that is an acre full of mindless walkabout zombies.
Mashed potatoes, the most impossible thing to make since the scotch egg.
The scene is this: a couple weekends ago I decided to make mashed potatoes to accompany the Beef Bourguignon I was making for traditional gameday feast that we have when my friends and I get together for the Bears games on Sunday. Like most Americans, I prefer my mashed potatoes of the real variety. None of that boxed, dried, or Country Crock in-a-tub shit. Unlike most Americans though, I make my own mashed potatoes, which I was grossly unaware of when I went on my extremely long and frustrating journey to find a hand potato masher. You see, I don't own a mixer, like Rachael Ray I don't bake, and I also prefer my mashed potatoes to be a little lumpy. You know, some texture so that it doesn't taste like grandma's nursing home food.
I was sure the aisle with all the kitchen gadgets in the grocery store would have one, no problem I assumed. But you know what they say about people who assume don't you? So when the grocery store that I went to purchase the potatoes, butter, cream, cheese, bacon and scallions (I was making cheddar-bacon mashers) didn't have one I didn't fret. Surely the Target next to my house would have one, it's even one of those "Super" Targets. But like I was saying, you know what they say about people who make assumptions.
Like the record player and Brant Brown's happiness, this object is nearly impossible to find nowadays.
Fifteen minutes at staring into a 30 foot long aisle of every kitchen gadget ever known to man outside of the Bed, Bath and Beyond store later I felt like someone was playing a horrible joke on me. With only 30 minutes till the Bears game kickoff and all my friends on their way to my house, I was astounded that even though Target carried 10 "sandwich crust removers" (apparently knives are too difficult to operate nowadays), they didn't carry any potato mashers. Well, this just couldn't be right, I had to ask an employee if they were just out and had some in the back, even though the 2 empty rings were clearly not marked for potato mashers.
I know we throw the term around pretty loosely here at the Saloon, but I truly believe this to be a War Criminal: people that wear red shirts in Target. Why the fuck would you wear a red shirt in Target unless you are there specifically to fuck with me when I need to find something? I must have walked up to at least 3 different people before I realized they were just shoppers and not employees. And fuck Target for not handing out real uniforms. What, they can't afford them? Have you ever noticed that the employees get to pick their own red shirt to wear, and they usually pick one that is so common that fifteen customers in the store will also be wearing the same exact shirt at that moment?
Target employees: too young and fat to be strippers, for shame!
After FINALLY finding an actual employee I was told that they didn't have any and that they also thought it was strange that they didn't carry them. Fucking-a-right it's strange. But I guess it's just America today, too lazy to mash their own potatoes. Fortunately, the good people across the street at Walmart (like I said, I never shop at Walmart, but am reconsidering) had a potato masher, even if it was basically a 3" plastic circle with a couple holes punched into it that was attached to a handle flexible enough to be a Chinese gymnast. I might as well have used my hands to mash those potatoes. So my point is this, 'Merica, if you plan on mashing your own potatoes this Thanksgiving and don't have a masher or a mixer, make sure to reserve an hour of your day to travel to Bed, Bath and Beyond to get a real, old-school metal masher. Enjoy your fucking potatoes!
Person of Interest: Guy On a Bike at Night
November 19, 2009 | Comments (0) | by Chaim Witz
Hey you. Yeah, jackass with the skinny jeans, unkempt beard and thrift store t-shirt. Yeah you, asshole. Riding your bike at night? Not cool. Riding without any sort of reflectors or lights? Well, all I can say is that you deserve whats coming to you, be it an accidental run in with a rogue car door or me purposely running you off the road into the storefront window of a record store that you probably work at part time.
Listen, I love a good bike ride, I really do. Get some fresh air, get the blood flowing, see the beautiful sights of Chicago. It's economical, it's good for your body and it helps clear the mind. But for the love of Lance Armstrong's one remaining testicle, just stop with the reckless night time bike riding. Given the fact that the majority of most roadways don't have dedicated bike lanes and the streets here are skinner than your emo-stunted cock make this practice even more absurd.
If you want to do some organized late ride, that's cool. But when I see you run a stop sign, hog the lane or flippantly dismiss the rules of the road, I can't help but want to see bodily harm come to you. At the very least, I'd like to go to your house, drink all of your PBR, switch all of your radio presets to HOT A/C, superglue the pages of your graphic novels and show your girlfriend how a real man makes love.
I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings (no I'm not). You can always take solace in the fact that Death Cab for Cutie are still releasing albums and no one has touched your soy milk that's been sitting in the work fridge for a solid 6 weeks. Better hop on the ole' 12 speed and head over to Jewel at midnight to replace that shit and buy a pack of Lucky Strikes. Just know that I'll be in my car....watching....waiting...
Posted in: Chaim Witz, War Criminal
Trash I Saw On Lifetime: Cyber Seduction
I'm a fan of the old exploitation movies; the kind of movies about a scandalous or hot-button issue filmed on a shoe-string budget and rushed to drive-ins & decaying grindhouse theaters to turn a quick profit while the subject was still relevant. And while this sort of movie doesn't often get made for theatrical release anymore, they're still being made for television. Lifetime's original movies are a goldmine for trash movie aficionados. Case in point: Cyber Seduction: His Secret Life...
Justin has a mediocre but stable life. He's a good student and the star of his high school's swim team. His swimming prowess has begun to make him popular with the cool kids. He has an attractive but prudish girlfriend, a mother prone to overreacting, a passive father, and an impressionable younger brother. But Justin's entire life collapses like a house of cards when he innocently clicks on a link to a porn site sent to him by his friend.
At that very moment, Justin becomes obsessed with internet pornography. And energy drinks. But, oddly enough, NOT masturbation. Apparently, Justin succeeded where I failed; in replacing jacking off with Rock Star. If the kid would have just rubbed one out, his entire life would still be fine. Justin didn't...
The energy drinks keep Justin awake late one night, and while looking at what passes for internet porn on Lifetime, his mother barges into his room to see why he isn't asleep. He quickly tries to turn off the computer, but his mother saw the vaguely lurid images. She attempts to go back to bed, but she's just too shaken up over the whole thing, so she decides to wake up her husband in the middle of the night and demand he talk to Justin about the evils of pornography. He tells her that Justin is a normal boy, but that only angers his cunt of a wife, so he has to promise to give Justin a vague lecture later so his nagging wife will let him sleep.
The next day, Justin's life starts its downward spiral when he underperforms at swimming practice. To make it worse, Justin begins to notice that high school girls dress like sluts. And he likes it! In just two days, internet porn causes Justin to objectify every woman he sees. His father's halfhearted lecture doesn't help matters, and Justin's appetite for porn and Red Bull grows.
A day or two later, Justin is viewing more porn when his younger brother busts him and insists that he get to look at the porno or he'll tell mom. Jesus Christ, Justin! Lock your fucking door already. Justin reluctantly obliges and it fries his little bro's brain! But Justin just can't stop showing porn to others; it's the nature of the beast!
Soon after ruining his brother's life, Justin is hanging out at Timmy's house. Timmy is the guy who got Justin hooked on the hard stuff by sending him the link at the beginning of the movie. Instead of playing more video games, Justin suggests they look up porn and pulls up some latex fetish site that looked more like an ad to a performance art showcase than hardcore pornography. But it's apparently too much for Timmy, who isn't cool with this "twisted" stuff, and Justin leaves.
In the safety of his own room, Justin visits the webcam site of the local high school slut/porn star and begins chatting with her while drinking an obscene amount of Red Bull. He tells her how "Amaaaaazing" she is. Can Justin really be considering having sex with the easy hot chick instead of waiting for his wholesome girlfriend's vagina to defrost?
If this brief synopsis of the first half of the movie sounds a bit over the top, it's got NOTHING on the second half of the movie. Some highlights of the rest include:
• Justin being ostracized by his peers.
• The Virgin Vaginas!
• Justin getting suspended from school.
• Justin's mom seeking the guidance of a friend whose "marriage was destroyed because of internet pornography."
• Justin seeking out sleazy back rooms in the bad part of town to get his porn fix.
• A vicious beating.
• And one of the most inexplicable scenes in the history of motion pictures, which can only be hinted at with this picture...
None of those spoilers can detract from the glorious train wreck that is Cyber Seduction: His Secret Life. Although Lifetime touted this movie as a provocative depiction of a modern social ill, it's got the accuracy and sensibility of Reefer Madness. The director is the same guy who directed Friday the 13th Part VI. He also directed the equally absurd Lifetime classic, She's Too Young, about the freshman class blowjob syphilis outbreak.
Probably because Lifetime doesn't want us watching their movies ironically, Cyber Seduction is not available on DVD. You might be able to download it somewhere, or you can watch the movie in installments on YouTube. If you're lucky enough to get Lifetime or the Lifetime Movie Network, you can always check their listings (it isn't scheduled to air again this month). This movie must be viewed in groups, and it doesn't hurt to have a few drinks handy.
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SlovoKult::Literatur Berlin
X-Projekte
Bio-Bibliographien
SlovoKult
Literaturzeitschrift (mk/en) und Bookshop the art is inside BLESOK
Europäische Literaturzeitschrift Transcript
Die Ausgabe "Mazedonien" Transcript Nr. 35
Übersetzungen aus, nach und in Südosteuropa traduki
Literarisches Colloquium Berlin
Literatur@Literaturport
SlovoKult::Literatur Berlin ::
Elizabeta Lindner: Let us celebrate the avant-garde while it is alive.
Elizabeta Lindner Kostadinovska has lived in Berlin for a decade now, and for the last fifteen years, in Germany. She is a translator, translating from German into Macedonian, she also translates and writes poetry in German and devotes her free time to visual arts.
She has collaborated with Igor Isakovski and “Blesok” since 2008, where she has had 15 of her translations published. In Berlin, she is working on promoting Macedonian authors through Slovokult: www.slovokult.de a literature portal, which became a publishing house in 2015 (SlovoKult:Literatur Berlin) and recently, she‘s become the editor of the portal in Macedonian www.slovokult.eu.
At this year’s edition of the “Paratissima Skopje #3” festival (10-12. June) in the Youth Cultural Center in Skopje, her work, a triptych called State of Art, will be exhibited. The visitors of the BOSH festival in Gevgelija will also be able to see it. Elizabeta shows the relationship between art and politics through the triptych, as a reaction to the marginalization of quality and favouring trash, all of it for the purposes of political goals.
-The translation of the English title into German and Macedonian is more of a game of signs and words- Sta/a/t/t der Kunst - in order to keep the double meaning of the English word State-says Lindner-Kostadinovska.
I finished the work in 2015. It’s a collage that I worked on for a long time. The making of it lasted longer since I’m occupied with a few projects at the same time. I mostly work on literary translations, occasionally I work on my own texts, and when I want to get away from the text, I find sanctuary in visual arts-she says.
Elizabeta has been drawing since childhood, but only recently has it found its way to public exposure.
-I used to draw all the time, but I never thought that these creations of mine should be exhibited, I kept them for myself. When the drawing became a collage as a way of artistic expression, it asked for big formats, so this and some other circumstances spontaneously evoked the urge to present it publically. The first work in a big format was a collage dedicated to Igor Isakovski. I started working on it a day before his death, and I finished it on 27th December.
-December is a depressive month for me. I can’t stand the chaotic and bedazzling atmosphere of Christmas. That exaggerated euphoria makes me depressive. In 2014 I wasn’t engaged in any literary translations, so I took some time for myself and my works. On December 14th I started selecting the pictures for the collage, I prepared a cardboard as a basis and I started working on it. On the 15th the base was outlined, and on the 16th December I was shocked by the news about the death of my publisher and friend Igor Isakovski. That was one of the most horrible and difficult days, and even a year and a half later I still feel burdened by it. In these moments of deep grief when I looked closely at the collage in progress I realized that the main motif that I had chosen was death. I immediately decided to dedicate it to Igor Isakovski. As I was working on the collage, at the same time I was somehow processing my grief.
Since 2014 up to the present, I have published my texts in two issues of Prolog-an independent magazine for art and text from Berlin, that is published 3-4 times a year, and whose issues are presented at a few multimedia events. My works were exhibited in two of these presentations (No. 13 and 15), first Vanitas (dedicated to Igor Isakovski) for which I e-mailed them a photo and told them that it would mean a lot if the work was suitable for the exhibition, and they liked the collage. At this event, held at the end of January, 2015, I read some of my experimental poems and two poems by Igor Isakovski, which I had translated into German. The people had the chance to hear the German translations of “Death has seaweed hair” and “Fuck you, Isakovski”. Of course, I read them with a lot of emotions and energy since his poetry remains powerful and resounding even after his death. It went well. That was the first presentation of my work and an opportunity for me to honour Igor all the way from Berlin-reveals Lindner-Kostadinovska.
Later, for the presentation of Prolog No. 15, she exhibited her work that will be exhibited at “Paratissima” and “BOSH” festival. This is how the creation of State of Art happened:
-The work is a combination of picture clippings, photos, drawings and acrylic moves. When the collage is finished, I add text-there’s no escaping from the text-made of previously clipped words that I glue in a certain order. It has the form of a poem and it always has a story. It is always connected to the visual part of the collage. The text comes spontaneously, just like the pictures. The whole work is a result of a normal process of creative-intuitive combining-she says.
It is interesting that most of the text that makes the story in the work of Lindner-Kostadinovska consists of words that she cut from the book “Harry Potter”.
-I bought the first book from the trilogy for some 2-3 euros in order to use it for this, and also for some other works. It was a book in big print and I immediately knew that that was where I would choose the words from to complete the story-reveals the author.
-The triptych was inspired by an exhibition of the Latvian-Soviet artist Gustav Klutsis that I saw in Riga. I was intrigued by his works and his personal story. First he was part of the avant-garde, and then he started making posters for political propaganda. In the end he was secretly killed by that same political party. Here one can see the hypocrisy of the system-says Lindner-Kostadinovska, who adds that she is happy that the triptych will be presented during this period of protests in Macedonia.
-The triptych started with a picture of a bomb, cut from a newspaper and was complemented with pictures by Klutsis, his avant-garde and politically engaged works, from which I use photos. They are repeated in the collage. I also inserted exhibition invitations-one of them has a critical background since it is an exhibition invitation to a work of art in the house of the President of Austria. The entire works aims to show the connection between art and politics, or the (in)dependence that is created. The most interesting artists are always poor and fight to make ends meet in order to be able to create. Most of them are not understood because they criticize and are ahead of their time, and usually send messages through their works that are not appreciated by the ones that are supposed to support art. The state shouldn’t leave artist at the verge of existence, and later celebrate them as artistic heavyweights. Everywhere in the world, millions are spent on the work of artists, although most of them are boring and mediocre, while the ones whose voice should be heard, are left at the margins. These artists will be celebrated by their countries posthumously-like, for example, the Austrian Tomas Bernhard, who I translated into Macedonian, as well as all the other members of the avant-garde in all segments of art and from all periods.
I collect and keep the material for the collage, all these photos, invitations, magazines, leaflets,
and when I decide to create, I spontaneously go through them and choose-later in the process I add other elements to make the story that I want to tell with the collage complete-says Lindner-Kostadinovska.
In the creation of her works she also uses leaflets from the “Volksbühne“ Theatre in Berlin. Its logo has an important place in the collages since the beginning (2012), and it is interesting that now this theatre holds debates about the end of democracy with fierce criticism to capitalism, in which people like Slavoj Zizek, Srecko Horvat, and at one of them via video conference, Julian Assange, have taken part.
She worked on the triptych for nine months (with long breaks), and what was planned to be one collage became three in the end.
Svetlana K. Simonovska
Translated from Macedonian: Dolores Atanasova – Lori
http://paratissimaskopje.mk
Bosh Festival
http://boshfest.com
http://prolog-zeichnung-und-text.de/blog/
Elizabeta Lindner
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Heaven announces cutbacks, layoffs
Christ, others are dismissed as afterlife is ‘right-sized’
HEAVEN — After record losses in the first quarter of 1998, Heaven has announced massive layoffs effective immediately, sending over 10,000 seraphs, cherubs and fringe saints into the ranks of the unemployed. But what has shocked industry observers most is that Christ Himself is among the dismissed.
Speaking to reporters outside the Pearly Gates, Christ was emotional. “What can I say? I’m stunned. I’m hurt. I’m angry. You give the best 2,000 years of your afterlife to them and this is the thanks you get. If they think they’re going to make dollar one without me around here, they’re in for a nasty surprise. I can’t wait to see what they’ll do next Christmas. I mean, Christmas without Christ? That’s like ... like ... Christmas without Santa.”
Christ’s dismissal, sources say, is only part of a larger restructuring of the Holy Trinity, which Heaven’s financial handlers had always considered a nagging source of overhead. While God will continue to perform the duties of the Father, the responsibilities of the Son will be handled by a pair of part-timers identified only as Toby and Russ. The Holy Spirit will be outsourced to a retired mail clerk from Kenosha.
“It’s just the evolution of business, that’s all,” said interim Messiah Saint Peter. “We pay these guys a quarter of what J.C. was making, plus no bennies. It’s simple economics. “
Tactfully unmentioned by Heaven’s representatives, however, is what industry experts claim is Christ’s diminishing appeal. “His suffering on the cross for instance,” said industry analyst Izzy M. Munchenstaf. “Sure, that was huge in, like, the Dark Ages. The Crusades, and all that. The kids really looked up to a guy who could take it. But now people ask, ‘What kind of a lawyer did He have, anyway?’ People wonder how smart He could really be. I mean, O.J. gets off, Von Bulow gets off, but the Son of God can’t dodge a few Romans? It doesn’t look good.”
Sources also pointed out Christ’s resistance to the changing times and demands of the business, noting his disinclination to both television appearances and touring. “He just wasn’t reaching the kids anymore, and when you stop reaching the kids you stop reaching anyone at all,” said one highly placed saint, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “He doesn’t understand that in Christian entertainment, just like any other kind of show business, image and visibility are everything. People don’t see you for a while, say 2,000 years, and they forget you. He thought just having his name in all those songs was enough. He thought just having his shadowy image pop up on a tortilla or a sticky bun would cut it. Well, he was wrong.”
Indeed, accounting records have shown slumping sales over the last five years in almost all denominations, the lone exception being Catholicism. “Those scrappy Catholics,” chuckled Saint Peter. “They always did play to win. It should be noted though, that the legal expenses of Catholic priests have seriously undercut their profit margins.”
What can we expect from Heaven in the coming year? Said Munchenstaf, “It is widely known that God is very forward-thinking. His only roadblock to modernization was Mr. Christ. With that last remnant of the old management out of the way, He’s free to explore lucrative new avenues of business, things Mr. Christ always scoffed at.
“There have been whispers, for instance, that God’s very keen to enter the gaming industry. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a theme casino pop up somewhere, the size and grandeur of which would, I’m sure, redefine excess. And, who knows? We may yet see Mr. Christ back with the organization. He’s still a name. He has that. He’d make a fine greeter.”
Christ Himself, however, had different ideas.“I will never be affiliated with this organization again,” He said when reached at his Back Bay loft. “We’re through. That old bastard has got some cajones. When I think of all I’ve done for him — all the miracles, all the lies, all for His filthy PR machine. Oh, I come from Bethlehem, all right — Bethlehem, PA. My real father was a steel worker, for Christ’s sake! Oh, wait a minute, I guess it’s for “Toby’s” sake now. Do I sound bitter? I’m sorry. I’m a little drunk.”
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LU XINJIAN
City Stream
City Maze
Invisible Poem
Wired Space
沪ICP备2020033848号
Lu Xinjian in Conversation with White Rabbit
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Lu Xinjian in Conversation with White Rabbit from White Rabbit Collection
Lu Xinjian’s early life seemed an unlikely background from which a successful artist might emerge. Born in 1977 into a poor farming family in a rural village in Jiangsu Province, by his own account his childhood was spent running wild, looking after ducks and chickens. After school he studied computer graphics and graphic design, despite his love of painting, knowing that a poor boy making his way in the world needed a more secure income than that of an emerging artist. But a chance encounter changed everything: in 1998 the influential Dutch design company Studio Dumbar had an exhibition at the art museum in Nanjing, where Lu Xinjian was studying. He didn’t have the money to buy a ticket to enter the gallery, but stood entranced in front of the posters, absorbing their structures, colour, line and form, their use of the Modernist grid. Returning to the college library, he began to read everything he could find about European design, determined that one day he would go to study in the Netherlands. It took four years after graduation to save the money, but in 2005 he graduated from the Design Academy in Eindhoven, and in 2006 from the Interactive Media and Environments Department at the Frank Mohr Institute of Hanze University of Applied Studies.
Lu Xinjian in the studio, image courtesy the artist
In Eindhoven and Groningen Lu Xinjian found himself at the centre of a particular Modernist tradition. To that point he had loved the work of Keith Haring and other contemporary American painters, but now the work of artists of the European ‘Zero’ movement of the 1950s and 1960s, such as Heinz Mack, Gunther Uecker and Otto Piene inspired him. They believed that art should be a ‘zone of silence’ devoid of personal expression. Lu Xinjian saw in this philosophy a link to Buddhist traditions of restraint and simplicity, harmony and quietude. After early experiments with figurative expressionist painting, an influential teacher, Petri Leijdekkers, introduced him to de Stijl and the work of Mondrian. He had been at an impasse, lonely and depressed during a residency in Korea, when he began to draw views of the night sky, the edges of buildings as lines and the stars as dots. The dots and dashes found in the ink drawings of Van Gogh, the grid structures of Dutch and German early twentieth century design, and the cool abstraction of Mondrian coalesced to form a new way of thinking. This epiphany was the start of his important City DNA series.
From this point Lu Xinjian began to paint in more abstract ways, using aerial perspectives of iconic metropolises: New York (irresistibly recalling Mondrian’s Broadway Boogie Woogie) Beijing, Shanghai, Rome, Paris, London, Los Angeles, and Venice. The first in the series, however, was the Dutch university town of Groningen, where he had taken photographs from the top of the tower in the centre of the town before returning to China. Sources for his imagery included maps and satellite views of each location, as well as photographs, but the artist sees his work as philosophically complex and multi-layered. He believes cities are built and defined by history, culture and language as much as by geography; each is distinct and unique, despite the homogenising impact of globalisation. Lu Xinjian tells the story of each city in a visual language of his own invention that merges western abstraction with simplified forms that recall the Bauhaus and Dutch graphic design, in combination with computer coding. The picture planes appear to pulsate with energy, despite their flat, brightly coloured grounds. Struggling to find a name for this body of work, Lu Xinjian suddenly saw the lines and dashes as akin to a diagram of a human genetic code. Cities, too, have a kind of DNA structure, a term borrowed from architectural practice, conveying something of the unique and complex social and architectural systems of the modern metropolis.
Lu Xinjian, City DNA – Beijing, 2010, acrylic on canvas, 200 x 400 cm, image courtesy White Rabbit Collection
City DNA: Beijing (2010) applies Lu Xinjian’s painstaking technique to represent the symmetrical axis of the Forbidden City, its surrounding lakes and the jumble of historical hutongs and courtyards (increasingly under threat of demolition) in lines and dashes on a scarlet ground. The artist’s source imagery is scanned into a graphics software program to create a vinyl stencil, from which each shape must be carefully unpeeled before he can paint over it, in colours selected from national or city flags. The process is repetitive and exhausting – it can take up to four days to peel off each line from the stencil over one large canvas. Lu Xinjian sees his slow, methodical practice as connected to meditation or the calming practice of Qi Gong, despite the frenetic contemporary hustle and bustle of his urban subjects.
Lu Xinjian, City DNA – Venice, 2010, acrylic on canvas, 200 x 400 cm, image courtesy White Rabbit Collection
The cool turquoise ground in City DNA: Venice (2010) recalls the waters of the lagoon, its complex curvilinear forms representing the Byzantine architecture of the basilica, the Baroque churches, and the bridges, alleyways, piazzas and canals of the city. While Lu Xinjian applies the language of Western geometric abstraction, and his early training as a graphic designer, he is also connected to the Chinese master painters of the Song Dynasty. In his thinking about space and complexity, negative and positive, the creation of harmony and yin and yang, he draws upon traditions of ink painting. Mark Tobey, the great American gestural abstractionist who was profoundly influenced by Chinese painting and calligraphy, once said, ‘The line [brings about] the dematerialisation of form by space penetration.’ In Lu Xinjian’s determinedly non-gestural mapping of urban topography and human history, we see a new kind of calligraphic mark-making.
Shanghai-based painter Lu Xinjian trained as a graphic designer before becoming an artist, with an MFA in Interactive Media & Environments from the Frank Mohr Institute for (Post) graduate Studies and Research in the Arts and Emergent Media of the School of Fine Arts and Design at the Academie Minerva, Hanzehogeschool Groningen, University of Applied Sciences, in the Netherlands. His paintings and sculptures have been exhibited in solo and group shows in London, Los Angeles, Amsterdam and Seoul, as well as Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Sydney.
Luise Guest is Director of Education and Research for the White Rabbit Collection, and it was in this capacity that she interviewed Lu Xinjian, in Sydney in December 2016 and in Shanghai in 2015 and 2017.
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Tag Archives: John Crowley
Brooklyn (2015)
Posted on August 9, 2016 by badblokebob
John Crowley | 112 mins | streaming (HD) | 1.85:1 | UK, Canada & Ireland / English | 12 / PG-13
British Academy Film Awards 2016
6 nominations — 1 win
Winner: Best British Film.
Nominated: Best Leading Actress (Saoirse Ronan), Best Supporting Actress (Julie Walters), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hair.
Adapted from Colm Tóibín’s award-winning 2009 novel by novelist-turned-screenwriter Nick Hornby and director John Crowley (Boy A, Is Anybody There?), Brooklyn is the story of Eilis Lacey (Saoirse Ronan), a young woman in 1950s Ireland who leaves behind her mother (Jane Brennan) and older sister (Fiona Glascott) for an exciting new life in New York. Lodging at the boarding house of Mrs Keogh (Julie Walters) with a gaggle of other girls and working in a glamorous department store, Eilis comes out of her shell, and falls for nice Italian-American lad Tony (Emory Cohen). When tragedy calls her back to Ireland, Eilis encounters nice Irish lad Jim (Domhnall Gleeson). Will she stick with her new life, or return home as a new woman?
That’s basically the plot of the whole film, bar the details; but the meat of Brooklyn is in the details, and knowing the shape of the story going in may even work to its benefit — it’s the kind of movie that might not look like it’s ‘about’ all that much. An easy point to pick on would be Eilis’ status as an immigrant, what with works of art about “the immigrant experience” being a definite Thing. There’s an element of that in the film, certainly, but I would say it’s not about anything so worthy-sounding. More, it’s a coming-of-age movie, about leaving home, spending time away, and then coming back to find home is different — not because it’s changed, but because you have. You don’t have to emigrate to understand that feeling — anyone who’s done something like go to uni will surely relate.
Guiding us through this, the film’s heart in every respect, is Saoirse Ronan’s leading performance. I will watch Ronan in essentially anything at this point, both because she seems to choose good material and because, even when she doesn’t, she’s great in it. This is probably her first really mature performance, convincing as a somewhat shy young woman who makes her way out into the world, in the process realising all the confidence she should have in herself. It’s the kind of character and performance that works by accumulation; it’s about the journey, not heavy-handed emoting in a scene or two.
As the family members left behind, Jane Brennan and Fiona Glascott get to give equally subtle performances, conveying reams of emotion in relatively few scenes and with their presence as much as their words. Similarly, Emory Cohen and Domhnall Gleeson might have been stranded with no dramatic meat playing Nice Guys, but they each find enough nuance to sustain their roles. It’s always nice to watch a movie that can tell a romantic story without needing to resort to melodramatic histrionics, and Eilis’ choice is all the trickier for the fact that neither reveals a Dark Side or anything so simple. It’s been noted before that Gleeson was in four of the big awards contenders last year, only picking up a few relatively minor nominations himself (at the Saturn Awards, British Independent Film Awards, and Irish Film and Television Awards), but those four roles display his range magnificently. “One to watch” may be an understatement.
John Crowley’s direction is largely unobtrusive, but that is a very different kettle of fish to lacking quality. The subtle changes in framing, lighting, and colour palette as the film moves through its locations and stages helps emphasise how Eilis is changing, and how the world changes in her perceptions, too. It makes the story’s times and places look beautiful without quite slipping into picture-postcard rose-tinted-memories territory.
Brooklyn is a deceptively simple film that might be easy to dismiss as a slight romantic drama with no real stakes, but I think that would be to do it a disservice. It is fairly subtle and largely gentle (the odd shocking development aside), but it amasses a wealth of feeling and personal development that builds, not to a crescendo, but to a point of emotional understanding.
Brooklyn is available on Netflix UK as of yesterday.
Posted in 2010s, 2016, 4 stars, adaptations, British films, Drama, Romance | Tagged Brooklyn, Colm Tóibín, Domhnall Gleeson, Ireland, John Crowley, New York, Nick Hornby, Saoirse Ronan | 3 Replies
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Epidemiologic Study of Jaundice in Newborns with Jaundice in the First 24 hours of Birth in Children's Hospital and Shariati Hospital of Bandar Abbas in 2010-2014
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Copyright CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 Available Online at: www.jrmds.in
eISSN No. 2347-2367: pISSN No. 2347-2545
Journal of Research in Medical and Dental Science | Vol. 6 | Issue 1 | February 2018 113
Epidemiologic Study of Jaundice in Newborns with Jaundice in the First 24 hours of Birth in Children's Hospital and Shariati Hospital of Bandar Abbas in
Seyed Hossein Saadat¹, Salma Naderi¹, Shahram Zare², Samira Khalili³, Behnaz Darban4, Rakhshaneh Goodarzi¹*
¹Associate Professor, Neonatologist, Clinical Research Development Center of Children Hospital, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran
2Professor, Department of Community Medicine, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran
3General Practitioner, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran
4Pediatrics, Clinical Research Development Center of Children Hospital, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran
DOI: 10.24896/jrmds.20186118 ABSTRACT
Neonatal jaundice is the most common cause of hospitalization of term and preterm infants. Although this situation is generally benign, all the jaundices in the first 24 hours of birth are pathologic. High levels of non-conjugated bilirubin can cause nerve damage and create kernicterus. Considering the possibility of preventing the complications of this disease by early diagnosis of the cause of jaundice and proper treatment, and given the limited studies on the epidemiological causes of jaundice in the first 24 hours of birth, we decided to do this study. In this retrospective cross-sectional study, all newborns with jaundice in the first 24 hours of birth who were admitted to Children's Hospital and Shariati Hospital of Bandar Abbas in 2010-2014 were included. Criteria for inclusion in the study; the onset of jaundice under 24 hours and clinical diagnosis of jaundice by neonatologist and exclusion criteria included; severe chromosomal abnormalities and inadequate case records.
All cases were examined using census-based method. The data was collected by a researcher-made checklist and then was entered into the SPSS statistical program version 20. It was analyzed by descriptive statistical methods. In this study, 378 cases were investigated and finally, 57 cases were excluded due to incomplete records. Of the 321 neonates, 174 were boys (54.2%) and 147 were girls (45.8%), 237 were terms (73.8%) and 84 were pre-term (26.2%). 172 cases were born by natural delivery (53.6%) and 149 cases by cesarean section (46.4%). 51 (15.9%) of mothers had gestational diabetes mellitus. 309 (96.3%) were born with Apgar more than or equal to 6. The total mean of hemoglobin was 15.20±2.67 mg/dl. The mean bilirubin level was 13.26±4.41 mg/dl, with a minimum of 5.5 and a maximum of 28. For 35 infants, blood transfusion was performed. In all cases, increased non-conjugated bilirubin was observed, except for one case that was suspected to have Down syndrome. 20 cases (6.2%) had RH incompatibility, 124 cases (36.6%) had ABO incompatibility, 99 cases (30.8%) had G6PD deficiency, and 5 (1.6%) had ABO and Rh incompatibilities simultaneously. 27 (8.4%) simultaneously had ABO incompatibility and G6PD deficiency. 5 (1.6%) simultaneously had RH incompatibility and G6PD deficiencies. 4 (1.2%) had concurrent RH and ABO incompatibilities and G6PD deficiency. The results of this study showed that the most common cause of jaundice on the first day in neonates was ABO incompatibility. Also, the highest amount of jaundice on the first day was for male, term, and normal birth weight babies. Most of these cases were born in a natural delivery. The results of this study are consistent with most similar studies.
Keywords: Epidemiologic Factors, Neonatal Jaundice, First 24 Hours of Birth, Early Jaundice
HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Seyed Hossein Saadat, Salma Naderi, Shahram Zare, Samira Khalili, Behnaz Darban, Rakhshaneh Goodarzi, Epidemiologic Study of Jaundice in Newborns with Jaundice in the First 24 hours of Birth in Children's Hospital and Shariati Hospital of Bandar Abbas in 2010-2014, J Res Med Dent Sci, 2018, 6 (1): 113-117, DOI: 10.24896/jrmds.20186118
Corresponding author: Rakhshaneh Goodarzi e-mailrakhshanehgoodarzi@yahoo.com Received: 22/10/2017
Neonatal Jaundice is the most common cause of admission of term and preterm infants [1, 2]. 60%
Journal of Research in Medical and Dental Science | Vol. 6 | Issue 1 | February 2018 114 of term and 80% of preterm newborn infants
suffer from it and 75% of hospitalizations in the first week of birth are due to neonatal jaundice [3]. Neonatal jaundice is defined as increasing the total bilirubin level of the infant beyond 5 mg/dl or 86 mmol/L, which is often due to an increase of non-conjugated bilirubin and is characterized by yellow skin and sclera [1]. Although this situation is generally benign, in some infants, high levels of non-conjugated bilirubin can cause nerve damage and create kernicterus [4]. In a study conducted by Alkhotani and his colleagues in Saudi Arabia, the prevalence of neonatal jaundice was 12% and jaundice at the first 24 hours of birth was 8.8%.
The incidence of ABO incompatibility in these infants was 14.3% [5]. The study of Zarinkoob and his colleagues in Tehran in 2007 also reported a prevalence of jaundice in the first day of 5.8%.
Early neonatal jaundice risk factors in this study were: ABO incompatibility, infection, decreased activity of G6PD, Cephalohematoma, asphyxia, and RH incompatibility [6]. In a study by Amer Shah and his colleagues in Ahmadabad, Pakistan, the most common causes of pathological jaundice were ABO incompatibility and sepsis [7]. In a study by Sgro and colleagues in Canadian in 2006, the prevalence of hyperbilirubinemia was approximately 1 in every 2480 live births, with the most common causes, including: ABO incompatibility, G6PD deficiency, all other blood incompatibilities, and hereditary spherocytosis [8]. Also, Huang May-Jen and colleagues investigated the risk factors of severe hyperbilirubinemia in a 2001-2003 study, and reported seven major risk factors: breast feeding, ABO incompatibility, premature birth, infection, Cephalohematoma, asphyxia, and G6PD deficiency [9]. In another study by Kuzniewicz and colleagues on admitted cases in California between 1995 and 2011, the total bilirubin level of over 30 was considered as dangerous hyperbilirubinemia. In this study, bilirubin was more than 30 in 44 admitted infants at birth. 4 children had symptoms of acute encephalopathy due to high bilirubin, two of them progressed towards CP and SNHL simultaneously, and 1 child progressed towards SNHL. These three children had G6PD deficiency and their total bilirubin levels were above 40 mg/dl [10]. In a study by Yi- Hao Weng and colleagues in 2007, the clinical symptoms of acute bilirubin encephalopathy of:
Apnea (2.4%), tachypnea (6%), fever (1.2%), restlessness (2.4%), lethargy (4.8%), seizure (1.2%) and Poor feeding (19.3%) were reported.
In this study, hyperbilirubinemia was higher in infants with RH incompatibility than those with ABO incompatibility [11]. In a study conducted by Hasan Baskabadi and his colleagues in Mashhad in 2010, most neonates who had jaundice were boys, terms, with normal weight, and born with normal birth. Also, the results of this study indicated that the most perinatal complications related to infants whose mothers had hypertension or diabetes [12].
In another study in 2012, Baskabadi showed that in 41% of jaundice cases, there was a history of maternal predisposition; the most common were blood pressure, vaginal bleeding, and gestational diabetes mellitus [13]. In another study in Gonabad in 2011, Ashraf and his colleagues showed that 53.5% of the newborns had jaundice, 53.7% of them were males, and the severity of jaundice in most cases (47.8%) was low and in (15.2%) of cases was high. Most of them (62.6%) were born naturally [14]. In Emailpoor's study, most of early jaundice cases occurred in male neonates that delivered by vaginal delivery [15].
Also In Onyearugha's study, the most common causes of jaundice in the first day were septicemia, prematurity, Cephalohematoma and ABO incompatibility respectively [16]. Garosi's study also demonstrated, factors type of delivery, oxytocin induction and gender of neonate could contribute to jaundice [17]. Considering that few studies have been carried out on the epidemiological causes of neonatal jaundice in the first 24 hours of birth, and on the other hand, since it is possible to prevent the onset of the disease by timely diagnosis of the type of jaundice, the cause and the appropriate treatment, the decision to investigate the epidemiological factors of jaundice in newborns with jaundice in the first 24 hours of birth who were admitted to Children's Hospital and Shariati Hospital of Bandar Abbas in 2010-2014 was taken.
In this retrospective cross-sectional study, all newborns with jaundice in the first 24 hours of birth who were admitted to Children's Hospital and Shariati Hospital of Bandar Abbas in 2010- 2014 were included. The criteria for entering the study included the onset of jaundice below 24 hours after birth and the clinical diagnosis of jaundice by the neonatologists and Exclusion criteria included severe chromosomal abnormalities (such as trisomy 16 and 18), and inadequate case records. All cases were examined
Journal of Research in Medical and Dental Science | Vol. 6 | Issue 1 | February 2018 115 using census-based method and data was
collected by a researcher-made checklist which included: Gender, gestational age (presence or absence of prematurity), type of delivery, birth weight, Apgar score, bleeding at birth, history of jaundice in a sister or brother, history of diabetes in mother, history of drug use in mother's pregnancy (except iron, Folic acid and multivitamins) and paraclinical information:
maternal and neonatal blood groups, hemoglobin and hematocrit levels, reticulocyte percentage, G6PD activity, direct Coombs test, and total neonatal bilirubin levels. The data was entered into the SPSS statistical program version 20 and analyzed by descriptive statistical tables.
Figure 1: Comparison the Risk factors of early jaundice between term and preterm infants
In this study, 378 cases were investigated and finally, 57 cases were excluded due to incomplete records. Of the 321 neonates, 174 were boys (54.2%) and 147 were girls (45.8%), 237 were terms (73.8%) and 84 were pre-term (26.2%).
172 cases were born by natural delivery (53.6%) and 149 cases by cesarean section (46.4%).
Among the term newborns, 223 (94.1%) were more than 2500 gr, 12 (5.1%) were between 1500 and 2500 gr, and 2 (0.8%) weighed less than 1500 gr. Among preterm infants, 21 patients (25%) weighed more than 2500 gr, 48 (57.1%) weighted between 1500 and 2500 gr, and 15 (17.9%) weighed less than 1500 gr. 244 newborns (76%) weighed more than 2500 gr, 60 (18.7%) weighted between 1500 to 2500 gr, and 17 (5.3%) weighed less than 1500 gr. 113 (35.2%) cases had a positive history of jaundice in their siblings. 62
patients (19.3%) had a history of drug use other than iron and folic acid. Of the mothers, 51 cases (15.9%) had gestational diabetes mellitus, 37 of which (72.54%) had termed infants and 14 (27.45%) had preterm infants. There was no statistically significant relationship between gestational diabetes mellitus and prematurity (P
>0.05). 309 neonates (96.3%) were born with Apgar score more than or equal to 6, of which 236 (76.37%) were term and 73 (23.62%) were preterm. 122 neonates (38%) had reticulocytes of greater than or equal to 5% and 199 (62%) had less than 5% reticulocytes. In term neonates, 92 (38.8%) had reticulocytes greater than or equal to 5% and 145 (61.2%) had less than 5%
reticulocytes. In preterm neonates, 30 (35.7%) had reticulocytes greater than or equal to 5% and 54 (64.3%) had less than 5% reticulocytes. The mean of hemoglobin was 15.20 ± 2.67 mg/dl, which was 15.16 ± 2.70 mg/dl in term and 15.31 ± 2.62 mg/dl in preterm infants, and had no significant relationship with prematurity (P
>0.05). The mean bilirubin level was 13.26 ± 4.41 mg/dl, with a minimum of 5.5 and a maximum of 28. The mean of bilirubin level in perm neonates was 14.02 ± 4.44 mg/dl and in pre-term was 11.13
± 3.54 mg/dl. In all cases, there was an increase in non-conjugated bilirubin, except for one who was suspected to have Down syndrome. In 20 cases (6.2%), RH incompatibility was observed, of which 16 cases (80%) were term infants and 4 cases (20%) were pre-term. In 124 cases (36.6%), ABO incompatibility was observed, of which 106 cases (85.48%) were term infants and 18 cases (14.51%) were pre-term. In 99 cases (30.8%), deficiency of the G6PD enzyme was observed, of which 79 cases (79.79%) were term infants and 20 cases (20.20%) were pre-term. 5 infants (1.6%) had simultaneous incompatibility of ABO and RH, of which 4 (80%) were term infants and one (20%) was a preterm. 27 neonates (8.4%) simultaneously had ABO incompatibility and G6PD deficiency, of which 26 (96.29%) were term and 1 (3.70%) was a preterm. 5 neonates (1.6%) simultaneously had RH incompatibility and G6PD deficiency, of which 4 (80%) were term and 1 (20%) was a preterm. A total of 4 (1.2%) cases had concurrent RH and ABO incompatibility and G6PD deficiency, all of which were termed infants (gestational age greater than 37 weeks). In this study, blood transfusion was performed for 35 infants. One case died due to Hydrops fetalis and 3 cases died because of prematurity. In all cases, indirect Coombs testing was negative. Bleeding,
200 4060 80 100120 106
79 1637 18 20 1
Journal of Research in Medical and Dental Science | Vol. 6 | Issue 1 | February 2018 116 extensive ecchymosis and Cephalohematoma in
infants were not reported. In this study, we could not investigate induction of labor with oxytocin due to cases with incomplete information.
The results of this study showed that most neonates with the first day of jaundice were male (54.2% vs. 45.8%), which is consistent with the results of other similar studies [14, 15]. In this study, the most risk factors of jaundice in the first day in neonates were the following respectively:
Incompatibility of ABO (36.6%), deficiency of G6PD (30.8%), prematurity (26.2%), gestational diabetes mellitus (15.9%), RH incompatibility (6.2%), and Apgar score less than 6 (3.7%) that approximately is consistent with the results of other similar studies, for example, Zarinkoob's study, the most common causes of jaundice in the first day were ABO incompatibility, premature infection, G6PD deficiency, Cephalohematoma, asphyxia, and RH incompatibility respectively [6].
In the study of Shah's in Pakistan, the most common causes of pathological jaundice were reported to be the ABO incompatibility and sepsis [7]. In the study of Sgro the most common causes of severe jaundice in the first day were ABO incompatibility, G6PD deficiency, all other blood incompatibilities, and hereditary spherocytosis respectively [8]. Also In Onyearugha's study, the most common causes of jaundice in the first day were septicemia, prematurity, Cephalohematoma and ABO incompatibility respectively [16]. In this study, the prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus was 51 cases (15.9%), 37 (15.6%) in term infants' mothers and 14 (16.7%) in preterm infants' mothers. In the study of Baskabadi and his colleagues, one of the predisposing factors for jaundice was gestational diabetes mellitus, with a 2.78% prevalence [12]. In our study, 172 cases were born by cesarean delivery (53.6%) and 149 cases by natural delivery (66.1%). In the study of Ashraf (62.6%) and Emailpoor (53.5%), as with our study, most neonates with jaundice were born by natural delivery [14, 15]. Althought some of studies such as Garosi's investigation [17]
demonstrated oxytocin induction could contribute to jaundice, In this study, we could not investigate induction of labor with oxytocin due to cases with incomplete information. Bleeding, extensive ecchymosis and Cephalohematoma in infants were not reported this may be due to the low number of assisted births using devices such as forceps. In
all cases, indirect Coombs testing was negative, which may be due to laboratory error.
The results of this study showed that the most common cause of jaundice on the first day in neonates was abnormal ABO blood type. Most of the similar studies have also reported ABO incompatibility as the most common cause of jaundice. Also, most studies have shown that the highest levels of jaundice on the first day were in males, term infants, neonates with normal birth weights, and those who were born by natural delivery. Based on the results of this study, by detecting the risk factors for jaundice in the first day we can track the high-risk cases, and by screening they can facilitate on time diagnosis to prevent the subsequent complications of jaundice.
It is suggested that the severity of the jaundice be classified into mild, moderate, and severe groups, in order to take the necessary measures for patients. It is also recommended that further studies on prenatal risk factors and maternal complications be conducted to identify infants who are at risk. Among the limitations of this study were incomplete records, the lack of accurate information on maternal care during pregnancy, lack of follow up of patients, and early discharge of babies with parental consent.
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12. Boskabadi H, Navaei M. Relationship between delivery type and jaundice severity among newborns referred to Ghaem Hospital within a 6-year period in Mashhad. The Iranian Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Infertility. 2011; 14(4):15-21.
13. Boskabad H, Zakery M, Godarzy M. Maternal Factors In neonatal jaundice. Iran J Obstet Gynecol Infertil. 2013; 15:1-6.
14. Ashraf S, Ferdowsi Sh, Askari F, Farsi L.
Epidemiology of pathological jaundice. Razi Journal of Medical Sciences. 2013; 20: 42-48.
15. Emailpoor N, Safavi M, Jalili Sh. Insidence Of neonatal Jaundice. Iran J Obstet Gynecol Infertil. 2006; 59:19-25.
16. Onyearugha CN, Onyire BN, Ugboma HA.
Neonatal jaundice: Prevalence and associated factors as seen in Federal medical centre Abakaliki, Southeast Nigeria. Journal of Clinical Medicine and Research. 2011;
3(3):40-45.
17. Garosi E, Mohammadi F, Ranjkesh F. The relationship between neonatal jaundice and maternal and neonatal factors. Iranian Journal of Neonatology. 2016; 7(1):37-40.
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Time to First Sexual Intercourse
Top PDF Time to First Sexual Intercourse:
Determinants of Age at First Sexual Intercourse Among Women in Rural Ethiopia
Abstract: Age at first sex has important implications for gender relations and the organization of family life for in societies. This study aimed to investigate the determinant factors of age at first sexual intercourse among women in Rural Ethiopia. The 2011 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey was used to explore the determinant factors of age at first sexual intercourse. The study considered 10,417 women aged 15-49 years from nine regions and one city administration. The accelerated failure time models were employed with the help of R statistical package and STATA soft wares. The median time of age at first sexual intercourse was 17 year with 95% CI; (16.90, 17.11). Log-logistic accelerated failure time model was better than weibull and log-normal models based on Akaike’s information criterion and graphical evidence. The result showed that, region, women’s educational level, wealth index and religion were significantly affect timing of first sexual intercourse. Women who had secondary and higher education prolonged time-to-first sexual intercourse by the factor of ф = 1.38 and ф = 1.34. Improving girls and young women access to education is important for rising the women age at first sexual intercourse, which is vital for empowering them and enhancing their participation in any sector.
Childhood Behavior Problems and Age at First Sexual Intercourse: A Prospective Birth Cohort Study
maternity hospital in Western Australia, with clinical and questionnaire data collected at 18 and 34 weeks’ gestation. Study children and their families were then followed up at ages 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 10, 14, and 17 years with extensive clinical and questionnaire data collected, including behavioral assessments (2, 5, 8, 10, 14, and 17 years), and sexual behavior (17 years). Informed consent was obtained at the time of study enrolment and at every subsequent follow-up. Study protocols were approved by the Human Ethics Committees at King Edward Memorial Hospital and Princess Margaret Hospital for Children in Perth, Western Australia.
Age at Menarche and Age at First Sexual Intercourse: A Prospective Cohort Study
require a speci fi c cutoff age for early, average, or late age at FSI as is required for logistic regression methods. For some survival methods, the assumption of proportional hazards is required; namely, that the absolute risk (hazard) for each group of the predictor of in- terest (in this case, earlier, average, and later AAM) changes at the same rate across study time, yielding summary relative risks (hazard ratios [HRs]) that are constant across time in comparing the predictor group with the reference group. The proportionate hazard as- sumption was assessed by inspection of plotted Kaplan-Meier survivor prob- abilities and, where graphical fi nd- ings were ambiguous, examination of Schoenfeld residuals. 59 Where the
Developmental assets and age of first sexual intercourse among adolescent African American males in Mobile, Alabama
Written parental consent was obtained by trained in- terviewers at the home of each youth in this study. The refusal rate was only nine percent. Adolescents were scheduled for a time for a group survey administration at numerous locations such as nearby churches, community centers or schools in the neighborhood. The group inter- views ranged from 3 to 40 adolescents at a time, with an average of 22 per group. If the adolescents were not able to make it to a group administration, they were given in- home interviews; about 20% of the youth were intervie- wed in their homes. The overall response rate was 85%.
Putting the C Back into the ABCs: A Multi-Year, Multi-Region Investigation of Condom Use by Ugandan Youths 2003-2010
A major strategy for preventing transmission of HIV and other STIs is the consistent use of condoms during sexual intercourse. Condom use among youths is particularly important to reduce the number of new cases and the national prevalence. Condom use has been often promoted by the Uganda National AIDS Commission. Although a number of studies have established an association between condom use at one’s sexual debut and future condom use, few studies have explored this association over time, and whether the results are generalizable across multiple locations. This multi time point, multi district study assesses the relationship between sexual debut and condom use and consistent use of condoms thereafter. Uganda has used Lot Quality Assurance Sampling surveys since 2003 to monitor district level HIV programs and improve access to HIV health services. This study includes 4518 sexually active youths interviewed at five time points (2003– 2010) in up to 23 districts located across Uganda. Using logistic regression, we measured the association of condom use at first sexual intercourse on recent condom usage, controlling for several factors including: age, sex, education, marital status, age at first intercourse, geographical location, and survey year. The odds of condom use at last intercourse, using a condom at last intercourse with a non-regular partner, and consistently using a condom are, respectively, 9.63 (95%WaldCI = 8.03– 11.56), 3.48 (95%WaldCI = 2.27–5.33), and 11.12 (95%WaldCI = 8.95–13.81) times more likely for those individuals using condoms during their sexual debut. These values did not decrease by more than 20% when controlling for potential confounders. The results suggest that HIV prevention programs should encourage condom use among youth during sexual debut. Success with this outcome may have a lasting influence on preventing HIV and other STIs later in life.
Although adolescents may have been affected by self-report biases, we asked sexual behavior questions around the time many of the cohort would have recently commenced sexual activity, thereby increasing the likelihood of accurate recall; and we also used computer-assisted reporting, which provides greater perceived confidentiality and adolescents report they are more likely to respond truthfully. 55 In addition, in a reliability
Sexual Behaviours of Secondary School Students in Port Harcourt
Using the Purposive sampling technique, two all- boys, two all-girls and two mixed Senior Secondary (SS) schools were selected for the study. From each selected school, 2 arms were selected from SS1 to SS3 by simple random sampling technique. From the selected arms, the first 30 names in the class registers were recruited for the study, making a total of 60 students per class and 180 students per school. Consent forms were given to the parents of the 1080 selected students but 33(3.1%) parents/guardians did not consent to the study, consequently, their wards were excluded. Eventually, 1047 students participated in the study. A 32 itemed, pretested, structured, self- administered questionnaire was distributed to the 1047 students whose parents gave consent for the study. Information sought included socio- demographics; if the students had had sexual intercourse at least once in their life time, age at first sexual intercourse, if the students had sexual intercourse in the last 3 months before the survey, condom use, number of sex partners in the last 3 months before the survey, if the students had been pregnant at least once and if they watch pornographic movies. Having sexual intercourse in the last 3 months before the survey was regarded as being currently sexually active. The questions were adopted from the sexual behaviours section of the 2013 Youth Risk Behaviour Survey questionnaire [11]. Data were entered into SPSS version 20.0 statistical software. Univariate analysis was done to describe the socio-demographic characteristics and sexual behaviours of the study participants.
Volume 8 - Article 3 | Pages 61–92
In this paper we analyze data from Italy. In this country, young adults tend to wait to have sexual intercourse considerably longer than their counterparts in other Western countries do (Bozon and Kontula 1997; Cazzola 1999; Ongaro 2001). Our attention is directed towards the reproductive health risks of young people who do not use contraceptive methods at first sexual intercourse. Obviously, this indicator needs to be studied in a multi-dimensional context and may be insufficient when considered on its own. More precisely, the study of risk connected with behavior is flawed when the contraceptive method is not known, as the method may not be suitable for the prevention of STDs and/or pregnancy. This is a concern particularly in Italy where traditional contraceptive methods are still used, even by adults (Note 1) (Bonarini 1999; Spinelli et al., 2000). Because of the limits of available data, this study concentrates on the non-use of contraception at first-time sexual intercourse as a risk indicator, not on different types of birth control methods. This indicator will provide an underestimated risk measure of being exposed to pregnancy (because even when birth control is used, the method involved may not be fully effective), and an even more underestimated risk measure for the exposure to STDs (even effective contraceptive methods such as oral contraceptives do not provide protection against STDs) (Note 2). The indicator may however overestimate risks because especially when first sexual intercourse takes place after first marriage, non-contraception may be a choice, although first sexual intercourse in Italy for recent cohorts is almost completely detached from marriage (Ongaro, 2001).
Sexual health of young adults and age at first intercourse
methodologies employed illustrate some of the challenges involved in conducting research on the effects of early first sexual intercourse, such as convenience samples, categorization of age groups with little explanation, possible recall bias over long time periods, and self reports of a history of STIs. Since many STIs are asymptomatic and diagnosis may also depend on access to health care, reliance on self reports probably results in substantial under-reporting of infection (Wellings & Cleland, 2001). It is likely that this under-reporting is not randomly distributed across factors (e.g., age, race, education, and socioeconomic status) that may influence whether a person receives regular health care. Therefore, using self-reports could introduce problems with biased misclassification. Also, the measure of ever having an STI gives no indication of whether the infection was recent. This means that positive responses may indicate an infection that occurred early in adolescence rather than an infection in adulthood.
Impact of Intervention Program on Non Pregnant Women's Knowledge and Genital Hygiene Practices Regarding Bacterial Vaginosis
Tables (3) reveal the distribution of studied women according to their history, regarding the age of menarche, nearly half (46.3%) of women reported that they had their menarche from 13 to 15 years while the remaining 8.7% had their menstruation after their 18th birthday. As the reaction to the menstruation within last 14 days, more than one third of the women (36.3%) had menses within last 14 days, bout 1.3% had Prior STD history. Also 67.5% of women had their age at first sexual intercourse < 20 years. Also 38.7% of women had Sexual intercourse ≤ 1 time/week. Concerning Last sexual intercourse, only 20% of women had Last sexual intercourse < 48 hours. While 6.3% current used of antibiotic. More than half of women (53.7%) reported current IUD used. according to use of vaginal douching, 21.3% women had douching > 1 time/week , 11.3% used douching inside vagina, and 13.7% had recent use < 48 hours. Table (4) Describes the correct knowledge of women about definition, causes, risk factors, and signs and symptoms of bacterial vaginosis. The percentage of women able to correctly define bacterial vaginosis as natural balance of organisms in the vagina is changed jumped from 6.3% to 60% after the intervention program. This 10-folds increase was extremely statistically significant (p=0.0001). When asked to give the causes of bacterial vaginosis, only 35.0% of the women gave a correct answer, while 21.2% didn’t know. After the intervention program, 43.7% could choose a correct answer, while the percentage of those who didn’t know decreased to 3.7%. This difference was highly statistically significant (p=0.002). Knowledge about the risk factors of bacterial vaginosis improved from 32.5% to 43.7% after the intervention program and this increase was highly statistically significant (p=0.003). On the other hand, only 66.7% of the women correctly identified the signs and symptoms of bacterial vaginosis ,this percentage rose to 93.7% after the intervention program with statistically significant difference (p=0.0001). Finally, the mean and SD of the overall percentage of adequate knowledge related to bacterial vaginosis improved from 4.267±3.55 to 7.07±2.45, with a highly significant difference (p=0.000).
Mediators of the Association Between Age of First Sexual Intercourse and Subsequent Human Papillomavirus Infection
The racial and ethnic distribution for this study sample was 59% white, 12% black, 13% Hispanic, 9% Asian, and 7% other. Mean participant age was 20.4 years ( ⫾ 2.1 years), mean age of menarche was 12.3 years (⫾1.2 years), and mean age of first sexual in- tercourse was 16.7 years ( ⫾ 1.8 years). Mean lifetime number of sexual partners was 4.2 (⫾3.9), mean number of sexual partners in the past 6 months was 1.3 (⫾0.9), and mean frequency of vaginal inter- course in the previous 6 months was 1.4 times per week. Condom use during the past 6 months was reported by 144 participants (28.8%) as never or rarely, by 80 participants (16.0%) as sometimes, and by 259 participants (51.8%) as most or all of the time. Forty-seven percent reported use of oral contracep- tives in the previous 6 months, and 10% reported a history of an STI other than HPV. More than 25% of participants reported having smoked at least 100 cigarettes in the past, 152 (42.0%) drank alcohol at least once a week, and 30 (8.5%) used illicit drugs at least once a week. The mean score on the scale mea- suring alcohol and drug use related to sexual behav- iors was 3.4 out of a possible 9. The mean age of the main sexual partner was 21.3 years ( ⫾ 2.8 years). The racial distribution of the main sexual partner was 47.8% white, 10.6% black, 11.0% Hispanic, 2.4% Asian, and 28.2% other. The mean number of part- ners’ sexual partners was 2.6 ( ⫾ 2.5). The racial and ethnic distribution of the participants was represen- tative of the ethnic distribution of the total female undergraduate population. Compared with nonpar- ticipants, participants were slightly older and had
Regret about the Timing of First Sexual Intercourse: The Role of Age and Context ESRI WP217 November 2007
Results: The median age of first vaginal sex was 18 for men and 19 for women. Median age at first sex had decreased by 4 years for men and 5 years for women over the last five decades. Sex was a ‘spur of the moment’ decision for 39% of men and 29% of women who had vaginal sex for the first time when they were aged 20+ compared to 74% of men and 56% of women who had sex at age 15 or less. Less than 1% of men and women whose first experience of intercourse occurred over the age of 20+ were unwilling or forced. These figures were 8% of men and 27% of women among those whose first sex was at age 15 or younger. A substantial minority (14% of men and 19% of women) said they wished that they had waited longer before having their first sexual experience. This increased to 28% of men and 52% of women who had their first sex before the age of 17. Controlling for age of first sex, the context and circumstances remain important predictors of subsequent regret. Conclusions: Younger age at first sex was associated with weaker planning, lower autonomy, a less stable relationship with partner and higher levels of regret. However, regret after early sexual initiation was not universal and young age per se was not responsible for higher levels of regret. Instead, the lower knowledge and skills of early debutants and their impact on levels of planning, preparedness and willingness lead to later regret.
When and Where Do Youths Have Sex? The Potential Role of Adult Supervision
Participants completed a self-administered, confidential ques- tionnaire about their health behaviors and their activities after school. The survey asked 5 questions about sexual intercourse: “How old were you when you had sexual intercourse for the first time?” “During your life, with how many people have you had sexual intercourse?” “During the past 3 months, with how many people have you had sexual intercourse?” “Where did you have sexual intercourse the last time?” “What time of day did you last have sexual intercourse?” For the questions about number of sex partners, the choices went from “0” to “6 or more partners.” Six was used as the default value for those who filled in “6 or more.” Two questions asked about the number of days per week and the number of hours per day after school that students were not supervised by adults. The number of days per week unsupervised was multiplied by the number of hours unsupervised per day to obtain an estimate of the total number of hours unsupervised per week for each student. The number of days that students were
Psychosocial correlates of condom usage in a developing country
The current work highlights some similarities and dis- similarities among males, females, and the general popula- tion with regard to condom use (the last time one had sexual intercourse) in Jamaica. Condom use (the first time one had sexual relations) with a partner, one’s partner having had another partner/other partners, self-efficacy, and being mar- ried, were statistically significant factors for condom use (the last time one had sexual relations) across the sexes. Self- efficacy, therefore, had a stronger association with condom use (the last time one had sexual intercourse) for females than males. This suggests that females who have a greater desire to protect themselves from HIV, AIDS, pregnancy, and STIs in general were significantly more likely to have their partners use a condom than were males. However, males were more likely to use a condom than their female counterparts, indi- cating that material supremacy for males gives them vetoing powers over condom usage compared with females, and this accounts for some of the condom usage differences between the sexes. It is this economic supremacy that justifies the male partner’s ability to dictate the determination of a method of contraception, because economically disadvantaged females will say that the males are the bread winners, and so embodied in reality is their relinquishing of contraception decisions to their partners. 29 It is this fact that accounts for males opin-
Judging in the Presence of Women as Legal Persons – Feminist alternative to the Indian Supreme Court Judgment in Sakshi v. Union of India
Sakshi also submitted that Article 15(3) of the Constitution of India stipulates that the state can make special provisions in favour of women and children, under which power Section 376(2)(f) IPC has been enacted which stipulates an aggravated penalty for the rape of girl- children below the age of 12. According to Sakshi, the special provisions that the state is empowered to make must be adequate to serve the purpose, but the narrow definition of rape renders Section 376(2)(f) ineffective in cases of child abuse involving other kids of rape. It is again true that as long as only one kind of rape is defined as rape by the law, child abuse involving other kinds of rape will fall through the cracks of law. But it is the same for sexual violence against adult women. Therefore this argument of Sakshi again somehow usurped the focus of the legal point from the need to acknowledge the sexual harms of all women to the need to protect girl-children. Sakshi’s move here to focus its arguments on the plight of the girl- child had grave consequences for the outcome of the case – the judgment dealt at length with the issue of treatment of child victims of sexual violence in the criminal justice system. In my view, if the petition had not diluted the issue of whether women in general have the right to have their sexual harms acknowledged by the criminal law by concentrating disproportionately on the issue of child abuse, the Court might not have found the easy way out. By easy way, I mean the way of making provisions in favour of protection of girl-children, often preferred by patriarchal institutions to make up their liberal credentials, than to make provisions that safeguard the sexual rights of women. Another example of such preference for the easy way is
Community based trial of screening for Chlamydia trachomatis to prevent pelvic inflammatory disease: the POPI (prevention of pelvic infection) trial
The trial will be the first to show if screening for chlamy- dial infection can reduce the incidence of PID in a British population. It will also show if non-invasive screening of high risk, difficult to access groups such as women aged <20 and those from black ethnic minorities is feasible out- side health care settings. Over 40% of young people in the UK now attend higher education adding to the generalis- ability of the results. If the intervention is effective, extending such screening programmes to the community should help to reduce the burden of PID. Finally by pro- viding new information on both the effectiveness of screening and on the natural history of chlamydial infec- tion and the influence of BV, the study will contribute to the evidence base for the UK National Strategy for Sexual Health. The trial will report in December 2008.
Risky sexual practices among youth attending a sexually transmitted infection clinic in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Female youth reported a higher number of older male sex- ual partners. However, it was not apparent who the sexual partners of the young men were. There might be a core group of young females with many partners who do not access services at the STI clinic like the IDC. Reasons which have been suggested to explain the higher number of sexual partners that males report are; their desire for sexual gratification, to gain social status or over reporting in order to be respected as a man among their male peers to whom they look for guidance and support. [20] One approach to help these male youth will be to explore ways to facilitate social support and suggestions as to how to reduce the number of sexual partners.
School Adolescents’ Risky Sexual Practice and Associated Factors in Nekemte Town, West Ethiopia, 2017
HIV/AIDS have been a threat to Ethiopia since the mid- 1980s [17]. Ethiopian HIV Behavioral Surveillance Survey (BSS) also indicates, having multiple sexual partners and non-condom use among in school Adolescents was significant which increases their exposure to HIV/AIDS infection [18]. In Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey, 2011, male adolescents were more likely to have reported STD or associated symptoms [19]. These groups of population in the country may face the increased risks of HIV by virtue of their social position, unequal life chances, rigid and stereotypical gender roles and poor access to education and friendly health services. They also have limited access to reproductive health services that focus on the special needs of adolescents. Inadequate knowledge about adolescents’ sexual behavior by the society, cultural influences and the limited capacity of implementing reproductive health services hinders the provision of reproductive health education and services to the young group [20].
A Psychological Perspective on Sex
The questions included some of the following: "In what sexual activities do you engage, past and/ or present (i.e. sexual intercourse, anal intercourse, oral sex, kissing)?[r]
Knowledge, attitude and practice on HIV/AIDS among rickshaw pullers in Chttagong City
In order to explore the future course of the HIV epidemic and to develop the most appropriate preventive measures, it is important to monitor the prevalence of HIV-related risk behaviors among high risk groups, the behavior networks within and between the high risk groups and their changes over time, which is the role of behavioral surveillance. In 1998, Bangladesh adopted one of the world's most comprehensive behavioral surveillance systems. Updated surveillance has revealed the presence of close sexual networks of IDUs with other high risk groups, especially female sex workers (FSWs) (Anonymous, 2009; Anonymous, 2004; Anonymous. 2003; Anonymous. 2002). FSWs were, on the other hand, shown to have close sexual links with multiple male client groups, not restricted to IDUs. According to recent rounds of behavioral surveillance, rickshaw pullers in Dhaka city are among the client groups of street and brothel based FSWs. The study showed that around as 50% to 72.8% of the rickshaw pullers having sex with FSWs in the last month and 12 months, respectively, without consistently using a condom
Behavior Problems (+10000 docs)
Sexual intercourse (+5753 docs)
Adolescents and sexual behaviours (+10000 docs)
Internalizing and externalizing behavior problems (+10000 docs)
Survival Data Analysis (+10000 docs)
Externalizing Behavior (+10000 docs)
Sexual Behaviours (+7593 docs)
age and history (+10000 docs)
sex partners (+10000 docs)
young age (+10000 docs)
Sexual Partner (+7775 docs)
Knowledge and practices (+10000 docs)
prior history (+10000 docs)
First Intercourse (+10000 docs)
intercourse frequency (+100 docs)
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Tory Tax Merger Could See The End Of National Insurance
The lovely wibbly wobbly old lady
photo credit: HM Treasury via photopin
A future Conservative government may merge National Insurance with Income Tax, in a move designed to ‘simplify’ the UK’s taxation system, the Independent newspaper has reported today (30 June 2014).
The move would see basic level taxpayers parting with over 32% of their total earnings, while higher earners would be asked to pay up to as much as 52%. Employer National Insurance contributions would not be affected by the change.
According to the Independent, Chancellor George Osborne considered introducing such a system in this years budget but later decided against the move, due to risks involved in integrating the two different computer systems.
However, the plan is now being considered by party chiefs for inclusion in the Conservative Party’s 2015 general election manifesto. It is believed that the new tax could be called an “earnings tax”.
A source close to the party told…
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Officials seek answers to deadly blast as investigation continues
Massive blast damage field treated as crime scene
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- At least two people are dead after a massive explosion rocked a northwest Houston neighborhood Friday morning, breaking windows, collapsing ceilings and even knocking houses off their foundations up to two miles away.
Officials have identified Gerardo Castorena Sr. and Frank Flores as two victims who were killed in fatal explosions.
What we know about the victims of the Houston explosion
The explosion happened around 4:25 a.m. in the 4500 block of Gessner Road. The origin of the explosion was at Watson Grinding and Manufacturing, a machining and manufacturing company, according to its website.
Houston police say the two victims are likely employees at Watson Grinding.
On Friday evening, a representative of the company gave the following statement:
"Watson Grinding and Manufacturing experienced an incident in the early hours of January 24, 2020 that resulted in the fatalities of two of our employees and impacted our operations.
We are saddened by the tragic passing of our coworkers, and our deepest sympathies are with their families for their profound loss. We are working diligently to address the situation and cooperating with the federal, state and local authorities investigating the accident. We are extremely grateful for the brave efforts of first responders who were on the scene immediately, and we will continue to give our full cooperation and support to their efforts. Our hearts go out to the families and businesses impacted by this incident and to our community. At this time our immediate concern is the safety and wellbeing of everyone in the area and our employees. Further updates will be provided as more information becomes available."
-Watson Grinding and Manufacturing
Greg Dillard
Chief Art Acevedo informed the public that the son of Castorena was in the U.S. Marines and sent a plea to community members advising them to reach out to the Marines in order for him to come home immediately. Over twenty-four hours later, the Marines agreed to let the solider travel home to be with his family, according to the military group 'Boots for Troops'.
A man who spoke to ABC13 said his 6-year-old niece was taken to Memorial Hermann Greater Heights Hospital to be checked out. He said her family's house is close to the business that exploded and that his brother told him something fell on the little girl's head. The family is waiting to get more information about her condition.
BEFORE AND AFTER: Click here for an interactive slider to compare the area before the blast and its aftermath
Fire officials say at least 18 people have visited local emergency rooms, complaining of minor injuries and breathing issues. Witnesses told ABC13 they saw two injured people walk out of the debris field moments after the blast.
Local hospitals indicate 18 people have self-reported to ER's complaining of minor injuries associated with the explosion on Gessner such as breathing problems and cuts. Health Department tests show there is no indication of any air quality concerns.
— Houston Fire Dept (@HoustonFire) January 24, 2020
The largest debris field and damage is in the area between Gessner and Steffani Lane in the Westbranch neighborhood. As of Friday afternoon, police closed off two nearby neighborhoods - Westbranch and Carverdale - that were impacted by the blast.
Houston Fire Chief Sam Pena said 180 to 190 homes have some damage.
Officials aren't 100 percent sure of the identity of the victims, but they say there is a high probability they are workers because they're the only two people missing and their vehicles were at the location.
Acevedo said families of the two victims have been contacted and he asked that people pray for the families.
Chief Acevedo said residents would be the only people allowed to go back to those neighborhoods. Earlier, he said patrols will be watching the neighborhoods where people left their homes. He warned looters will be charged.
"You will not be given a slap on the wrist. I want you to think back to Hurricane Harvey when we caught someone looting and they were sentenced to 20 years in prison," Acevedo said.
Entire structures were destroyed in the blast. Homes were blown off their foundations in the adjoining neighborhood, authorities said.
Broken windows, doors, and garage doors were also reported across a wide area around the blast site.
As a result of the blast, at least 48 people were directed to a temporary shelter at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Shadowdale Drive, according to the Houston Fire Department.
An overnight shelter was later set up at the Fairbanks United Methodist Church at 14210 Aston St.
Here's how you can help neighbors forced out of their homes by the blast.
WATCH: SkyEye footage shows just how bad explosion damage is
SkyeEye mapping technology shows just how close some of the damaged homes were to the explosion, some being only 300 feet away.
WATCH: Moment of explosion caught on video at Watson Grinding in NW Houston
The ATF was responding to the site, although the Houston Fire Department will remain the lead agency, according to ATF spokesperson Nicole Strong.
The agency later added that its five National Response Teams were sent to Houston, consisting of 30 members who include arson investigators, bomb technicians, scientists, and engineers.
Dogs have been brought in to assist with searching the area.
Firefighters were walking door to door in a neighborhood next to the blast site. Crews were being advised to move away from the area as the response continued.
Police have shut down a number of streets in the 'hot zone' right around the explosion site in northwest Houston.
What we know about propylene
Here's what we know about the dangers of the smoke from the plant explosion in NW Houston.
There was no evidence of terrorism or that the cause of the explosion was intentional, according to Acevedo.
The owner of the facility told Eyewitness News the explosion originated from a propylene tank.
Propylene is an extremely flammable gas that is used to make a variety of products.
Two Cy-Fair ISD schools, Bane Elementary School and Dean Middle School, were closed Friday after the explosion. Spring Branch ISD remained open, but will keep students inside due to air quality concerns, according to a statement from school district officials.
"In an abundance of precaution, students will remain indoors at nearby schools due to air quality concerns. We will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates on the website and social media as they become available," Cy-Fair ISD officials told ABC13.
As schools prepare to let out for the day, Cy-Fair ISD officials said that all neighborhoods that were accessible by buses in the morning should be accessible by buses again in the afternoon. They asked parents to be patient as there could be transportation delays. If students are not able to be safely transported home, they will be returned to the campus. Parents will be notified to pick up their children from the campus.
SBISD facilities are fine as of this time, and we plan for a regular school day at all SBISD schools. We anticipate transportation delays.
— Spring Branch ISD (@SBISD) January 24, 2020
TRAFFIC: List of streets to avoid after massive explosion
houstonexplosion
SW Houston store manager fatally shot in attempted robbery, HPD says
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Woman dies while chasing burglary suspect in Valencia
VALENCIA, SANTA CLARITA (KABC) -- A woman died after she collapsed while chasing a burglary suspect in Valencia early Monday morning.
Authorities said a woman began running after a burglary suspect around 12:30 a.m. in the 26100 block of McBean Parkway. At some point, the woman collapsed and was then taken to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead.
It was unclear how the woman died, and the coroner's office will determine her cause of death.
The burglary suspect was taken into custody, authorities said.
Anyone with more information on the incident was asked to call the LASD Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500. Those wishing to remain anonymous may call (800) 222-8477.
valencialos angeleslos angeles countyburglarylos angeles county sheriff's departmentresidential burglary
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SkySports to show all live AFCON matches
Renowned media group Skysports has reached an agreement with the governing football body in Africa,(CAF) to telecast all the 52 matches of the African Cup Of Nation ( AFCON) tournament.
The tournament which was originally scheduled to be played in June, July 2021, was postponed to 2022 between 9th January and 6th February to be hosted by Cameron.
There are about 40 English Premier League players who are likely to be called by their country to participate in the tournament. Leading the pack is Liverpool duo, Mohammed Salah and Sadio Mane, Arsenal’s Thomas Partey and Pierre Emerick Aubameyang, Leicester’s Kelechi Iheanacho, Winfred Zaha, and Jordan Ayew of Crystal Palace, Manchester City’s Riyad Mahrez and many other African players in the Premiership.
Skysports statement reads:
“We’re delighted to be adding this fantastic competition to our ever-expanding football offering in the UK & Ireland which already includes Premier League, EFL, Scottish Premiership and FA Women’s Super League as well as international action in the form of World Cup Qualifiers, placing Sky Sports as the home of live football.”
Skysports coverage will give the AFCON tournament a proper mileage, with many more African players showcasing their talents to the rest of the world.
Meanwhile, the European clubs are skeptical about releasing their players for the tournament siting Covid-19 as their main reason.
https://africaneditors.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/VID-20211215-WA0000.mp4
Source:africaneditors.com/Raymond Karvi
In this article:live AFCON matches,SkySports to show all
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Elden Ring — A Look Into The History Of The Lands Between: The Age Of Gods
by David 'Hades' Becker [ Monday, 3rd of January 2022 - 06:00 PM ]
Check out the new trailer for Elden Ring that has dropped out there for our viewing pleasure
Elden Ring is an action role-playing title for the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC coming from From Software and Bandai Namco on February 25th 2022.
Take a deeper dive into the carefully crafted mythology of George R.R. Martin — author of The New York Times best-selling fantasy series, A Song of Ice and Fire — and the world created by From Software based on his work in this new trailer.
Transported to ages long ago, you will relive the Shattering, a war that brought darkness to the Lands Between, initiated by demigods’ hunger for power. You’ll fight alongside General Radahn and Malenia the Severed, but even these two undefeatable warriors couldn’t reunite a world so badly broken. There is only one hope left: the hope that a new Elden Lord will rise and lift the veil of shadows that have fallen over Marika’s domain.
The wait is almost over. Soon you’ll venture into the Lands Between and strive to become its Elden Lord. Stand ready, Tarnished, and prepare to claim what fate has promised you.
Elden Ring is available for pre-order now and will launch on February 25, 2022, for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC via Steam.
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Speech by UN Resident Coordinator, Brian J. Williams, on UN Day 2018
- Albania presented in July at the United Nations its own National Report on the SDGs, highlighting achievements it made since 2015
Thank you all for coming to celebrate this year’s United Nations Day. Much has happened over the last 12 months, and we have much to celebrate. The Sustainable Development Goals – Agenda 2030 – has gained momentum globally this year, and Albania added its part. Albania presented in July at the United Nations its own National Report on the SDGs, highlighting achievements it made since 2015. For example a turnaround in the management of the electricity sector; progress in urban renewal in towns across the country; critically, the initiation of the judicial reform; an increased engagement of women in political life and public administration; and a reformed public administration with a roll-out of new citizen-centric services.
At the same time, the government's SDG report also highlights challenges, particularly under the theme of ‘leaving no one behind’. Roma and Egyptian as well as the disabled populations continue to suffer discrimination and see below-average access to services and opportunities. Even though the situation is improving, to ‘put the last first’, as we say, more resources and more public leadership are needed. This should include the engagement of Roma in the Governmental administration in visible positions of leadership. Another population at risk of being left behind are rural people, and particularly rural women. Reducing poverty further in Albania will require more women finding themselves engaged in the formal economy: owning property, taking out loans, building new skills, or starting businesses.
While the Government issued this report on previous year’s efforts, from the UN side we also added to SDG momentum through the organization of a multi-UN-agency policy analysis undertaken during the 2nd quarter, in collaboration the Government, the World Bank and the European Union. This policy analysis – launched formally last month – identified three clusters of work that, with more investment, could accelerate sustainable development results: first, more investment in governance and rule of law; second, investment in an inclusive, green economy; third, investment in human capital. We will be actively seeking to mobilize more resources – from Government and partners - so that we can follow-up on these recommendations, for example by investing more in rural employment of women or by making investment in agro-tourism more inclusive of Roma populations; for example, by providing institution-building support to the People’s Advocate; or for example by investing more in the primary health care model. Of course, when we talk about 'accelerators', we know that the EU accession process itself is probably the greatest accelerator of all.
The EU, the Government and the UN are working arm-in-arm to ensure that pursuit of SDGs and EU accession are mutually reinforcing. 2 Partners and friends, I would like to say a word about human rights. Earlier this month I was in New York at a global meeting with the Secretary-General, and he underlined that human rights are woven into the very fabric of all of the SDGs. That not only is there an SDG16 – for justice and accountable institutions – which has direct impact on human rights, but that Agenda 2030 in its entirety simply will not be achieved successfully without broadened and consistent respect for human rights. This is particularly important to highlight this year – being the 70th anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights. The Universal Declaration and the moral principles that it articulates has been cited as being one of the fastest spreading sets of values that human history has ever seen.
After 70 short years, we see relentless and growing civil advocacy for human rights achievement in every corner of the globe. In Albania, there has been much human rights progress, and it should be proud, for example, of its Paris-qualified grade-A independent human rights organization, the People’s Advocate; of the deep judicial reform process it has started and in which the population has so much hope; and of increased efforts of Parliament to engage with – and respond to the recommendations of -- independent institutions such as the Commissioner against Discrimination, the Commissioner on the Protection of Data, INSTAT and the People's Advocate. Or in education, where the deployment of 700 more assistant teachers is resulting in more inclusive education, allowing for quality integration of disabled and special-needs kids. It is worth reminding everyone that next year Albania will be undergoing its regular 4-year Universal Periodic Review on human rights. It provides the occasion to assess Albania’s policies and practice on human rights, including efforts to protect the most at-risk, including asylum seekers and migrants, or those of the LGBTQI community.
This will be an important process for all stakeholders to engage in. Now let me turn to today's theme of youth. In September of this year, Youth2030 was launched at the General Assembly in New York, a global strategy – synchronized with Agenda 2030 – that recognizes that youth need to be more engaged now, if they are to play the constructive role we are all counting on to manage the planet. Being more engaged now of course means more investment in education and skills building generally, but also specific efforts to reach young people that are not finding productive pathways – identified by the acronym “NEET” – those neither in employment, education or training. In Albania the rate of 'NEET' is 30 percent, significantly higher than the EU average and highlighting the need for more outreach.
The UN’s global Youth2030 strategy also means opening more ourselves as the UN – creating opportunities for youth to learn about, critique, and mold our own UN programmes. And we need to do more to create opportunities for youth to speak publicly about priorities for the future Albanian society. We are thrilled that today you will be able to see a film about six stellar examples of active Albanian youth, as well as greet the award-winners. 3 And finally, I am proud to announce that the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund, through the UN family in Albania, will be entering into a partnership with the Regional Youth Cooperation Office with $2.1m of assistance. The UN – notably UNDP, UNICEF and UNFPA – will use our offices across the Western Balkans 6to expand the reach and capacities of RYCO and their partners. But I will let Djuro say more about it. Partners and friends, Speaking on behalf of the United Nations family in Albania – we are tremendously privileged to be working with so many wonderful partners.
I would like to thank all of you for the trust you place in the United Nations – which is, after all, your institution. The UN organizations in Albania – seven are resident and another nine provide support from regional offices – provide world class expertise. Leading partners in Albania include the EU, Italy, Switzerland and Sweden. New partners this year include Croatia and Norway – both with UNDP. And the Government of Albania itself was the fifth biggest contributor to UN programmes in Albania in 2017.
This is entirely appropriate as an upper middle-income country – but deserves to be noted and appreciated by all development partners. Next year – on January 1st – the United Nations will put into action a significant reform of the UN Development System. Led by the UN Secretary-General and mandated unanimously by UN Member States in July, Albania is an excellent position – given its proud history as a 'Delivering as One' pilot country – to deliver technical assistance in an even more unified, transparent and effective manner. And very finally, allow me to acknowledge and appreciate the tremendous effort of all the staff of the UN in Albania – each and every one of them a committed leader on Agenda2030 and Albania’s Sustainable Development.
Thank you to all of them as well as to their working level counterparts in Ministries, civil society organizations and development partner institutions.
Together, we are making a difference. Thank you
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
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VISUAL ARTS CONFERENCE (article first published : 2006-03-18)
The Visual Arts Network of South Africa (VANSA), a three year old umbrella body aimed at promoting the interests of visual arts practitioners, held its first major event in February in Cape Town - a conference on visual arts entitled Transformation-Growth-Opportunity. The delegates and organisers have called it a resounding success. This is the first dedicated visual arts conference in South Africa since the State of the Arts Conference in 1978.
While visual arts in South Africa has been the subject of a number of events like the biennales, never has such a diverse grouping of people spanning every province, visual arts discipline, race and gender, rural area and urban centre gathered together to discuss the state of the visual arts sector and look to its future.
Although Joseph Gaylard, the Networks General Secretary, joked that organising visual artists, who are trained usually to be individualistic was akin to “herding cats”, there was a strong collaborative atmosphere during the conference. Delegates engaged in debates and attended sessions related to the visual arts economy, promotion and display, education and training and the role of arts in the broader public sphere. Also discussed were subjects such as art criticism and the media; creativity and new directions in the visual arts; job creation and training; race and gender in post-apartheid South Africa’s visual arts sector, and connections with Africa.
Over 40 speakers participated, including prominent South Africans such as David Koloane, Sue Williamson, Clive Van den Berg, Bongi Dhlomo-Matloua as well as international delegates; Susannah Silver (Artists Network (A-N), UK), Hilario Gemuce (Mozambique) and Michel Ritter (Centre Culturel Suisse in Paris). Silver’s input in particular raised major interest in ways which artists can organise highly professional and sustainable support units with the example of A-N which grew exponentially in its 25 years of existence.
The conference was supported by Cape Town Partnership, Business Arts South Africa, The British Council, Pro Helvetia and through the funding efforts of the CAPE Africa Platform, with its key sponsor being the government through the Department of Arts and Culture (DAC).
The DAC’s Lindi Ndebele put forward the government’s plans to enter into dialogue with the sector, to develop policy for the sector in the interest of promoting excellence, as well as examine the social and economic impact of the visual arts. A commissioned survey on the sector was announced as well as plans to grow the DAC’s capacity in overseeing the visual arts.
It is estimated that the UK visual arts sector contributes £3.5 billion in revenue to that economy, employs 37,000 people and generates some £629 million in exports. It is hoped that the huge demand in South African visual arts can open the floodgates to our unique contribution to the global image industry.
As a network VANSA has formal representation in four provinces and one of the conference’s aims was to build the network to assist in better lobbying and support for the sector. Zayd Minty, the conference convenor urged delegates to “ask not what your VANSA can do for you, but rather what you can do for your VANSA,” calling on visual arts practitioners to become part of this growing network.
The conference ended with a formal adoption of the organisations constitution, its five-year plan focusing on visual arts and social development, and the election of its chairperson and deputy chair: Moleleki (Frank) Ledimo (currently heading up the Bus Factory in Newtown – an arts and crafts development and presentation venue, and an artist in his own right) and Khwezi Gule (a curator and artist based at the Johannesburg Art Gallery).
For more information, email info@vansa.co.za or visit www.vansa.co.za
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START: THE NIVEA ART AWARD 2008 (article first published : 2008-07-19)
Beiersdorf and KZNSA Gallery present the final exhibition of the 25 finalists of START: The Nivea Art Award 2008 competing for substantial prize money. This arts upliftment initiative, now in its fourth year, is aimed at developing aspiring artists who have great potential. Selected from hundreds of entries from throughout KwaZulu-Natal, these up-and-coming talents have participated in a mentorship programme, and have created a commissioned artwork.
Local emerging self taught artist Bheki Khambule has won START: The Nivea Art Award 2008, receiving R20,000 cash at the awards ceremony held on July 8 at the KZNSA. As the winner, he automatically qualifies for a solo exhibition at KZNSA’s NIVEA Gallery next year.
Second place went to Natalie Fossey of Pietermaritzburg, winning R10,000 cash and third place went to Muzikayise Ndlela of Howick, winning R5,000 cash.
The START: The Nivea Art Award exhibition showcases for sale the final competition artworks of 24 up-and-coming art talents. The finalists were selected from over 280 competition entries received from throughout KZN. The competition is open to artists over the age of 18, who have not yet established their careers in the form of prestigious solo exhibitions or previous art awards. Entries were via an art portfolio comprising no less than three photographs of the artist’s existing artworks. The 24 finalists are presented with a platform to showcase their talents in a professional gallery, receive exposure and the opportunity to win cash prizes. In addition, this year the finalists were mentored by well-known professional artists.
The finalists were given R1,200 from Beiersdorf to each create a unique commissioned artwork within three months in any medium that can hang on a wall, reflecting the theme, “Beauty Is…”. This theme ties in with NIVEA’s philosophy that beauty is, and means, something different for every individual. The works were also required to meet the size restrictions (no smaller than 1 metre and no bigger than 1.5 metres on any one side) and hanging restrictions.
Says Mitja Zupancic, Managing Director Beierdsorf South Africa, “START: The Nivea Art Award has proven to have a positive influence on the careers of previous finalists and winners of the competition, serving to affirm, inspire and recognise these artists. START has further helped these artists to elevate their career in the arts, taking it to the next level, by opening the door to new opportunities and possibilities.”
This exhibition closes on August 2.
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A RESOLUTION honoring Representative Scott Wells upon his retirement from the House of Representatives.
D. Osborne, R. Adkins, L. Bechler, L. Belcher, D. Bentley, R. Benvenuti III, J. Blanton, K. Bratcher, G. Brown Jr, L. Brown, T. Burch, M. Cantrell, M. Castlen, T. Couch, W. Coursey, J. DeCesare, J. Donohue, M. Dossett, J. DuPlessis, D. Elliott, J. Fischer, K. Fleming , K. Flood, C. Fugate, A. Gentry, R. Goforth, J. Gooch Jr., D. Graham, J. Greer, D. Hale, C. Harris, M. Hart, A. Hatton, R. Heath, T. Herald, J. Hoover, R. Huff, K. Imes, J. Jenkins, DJ Johnson, J. Kay, D. Keene, K. King, A. Koenig, S. Lee, B. Linder, M. Marzian, D. Mayfield, C. McCoy, D. Meade , M. Meredith, R. Meyer, S. Miles, C. Miller, J. Miller, R. Mills, P. Moffett, T. Moore, C. Morgan, K. Moser, R. Nelson, J. Nemes, S. Overly, R. Palumbo, J. Petrie, P. Pratt, M. Prunty, R. Rand, B. Reed, J. Richards, S. Riggs, S. Riley, R. Rothenburger, B. Rowland, S. Rudy, S. Santoro, D. Schamore, A. Scott, J. Shell, A. Simpson, J. Sims Jr, K. Sinnette, D. St. Onge, J. Stewart III, W. Stone, W. Thomas, J. Tipton, T. Turner, K. Upchurch, J. Wayne, R. Webber, S. Wells, S. Westrom, A. Wuchner, J. York
Honor Representative Scott Wells upon his retirement from the House of Representatives.
Commendations and Recognitions - Wells, Representative Scott, honoring
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Carpio book on sea row challenges China
Andrade, Jeannette I.
PD20170506_A4
Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio has launched a book that says China’s claims to virtually the entire South China Sea are baseless and said he would make an electronic copy in Mandarin available on the internet so it could be accessible to the Chinese people. Carpio said public opinion, including in China, could pressure Beijing to comply with last year’s arbitral ruling that invalidated China’s historic claims in favor of the Philippines based on the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. With Carpio’s help, Manila filed a case challenging Beijing’s nine-dash-line claim in the South China Sea at the International Arbitral Tribunal in The Hague. Beijing refuses to accept the ruling and continues to develop seven artificial islands in the Spratlys archipelago.
Andrade, J. I. (2017, May 6). Carpio book on sea row challenges China. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A4.
Disputes; Territorial waters; United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea; Law of the sea; International law; Exclusive rights; Radar; Oil and gas exploration; United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS); Carpio, Antonio; del Rosario, Albert; Duterte, Rodrigo; Velarde, Pedro Murillo; Suarez, Francisco; Bagay, Nicolas dela Cruz; Velarde, Mel Velasco; Percy, Ralph George Algernon
Philippine Daily Inquirer [1452]
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A ‘pump’ gene’s surprising role in early brain formation
Posted on June 21, 2021 by Nancy Fliesler | Basic/Translational, Research
Tags: brain malformation, cellular and molecular medicine, genetics and genomics, neurology, neuroscience, polymicrogyria
Polymicrogyria (Illustration: Richard Smith/Sebastian Stankiewicz, Boston Children’s Hospital)
In polymicrogyria, the cortex of the brain has many irregular, small folds (gyria) and disorganization of its layers. Many affected children have severe developmental delay, intellectual disabilities, and epilepsy, and many need to use a wheelchair. Mutations in several different genes can cause this “overfolding of the brain” condition.
The gene ATP1A3, associated with several neurologic diseases, is now found in polymicrogyria, in which the cortex has many irregular, small folds.
It encodes a protein that makes up part of an ion pump, helping drive action potentials in neurons.
Using single-cell RNA sequencing in tissues from developing human brains, researchers explored ATP1A3’s role in brain organization. They believe that ATP1A3 mutations may disrupt the balance of excitation and inhibition in the brain.
Studying four patients with polymicrogyria, Richard Smith, PhD, identified mutations in a gene that caused him to do a double-take. His curiosity drove him to investigate the role of this gene, called ATP1A3, in the developing brain.
“ATP1A3 is critical to many cell biological processes,” says Smith, an investigator the Division of Genetics and Genomics at Boston Children’s Hospital. “It’s one of the most important genes we have in our brains.”
Bio-electricity and brain development
ATP1A3 encodes a protein that makes up part of a cellular pump. It moves sodium and potassium ions across the cell membrane, allowing our cells to maintain differing concentrations of charged ions on either side, similar to a battery. This difference enables electrical currents to flow into or out of cells, driving essential cell functions, including action potentials in neurons.
ATP1A3 encodes a portion of this sodium-potassium pump, critical to the function of neurons. (Image: Blausen.com staff (2014). Medical gallery of Blausen Medical 2014. WikiJournal of Medicine 1 (2).)
“For me it was very compelling to understand how these pump proteins, and the flow of ions, contribute to core mechanisms in brain development,” says Smith, an electrophysiologist by training. “We got a lot of great biological insights by studying these four patients.”
A spatial and temporal ‘atlas’ of ATP1A3
When and where in the typical developing brain is ATP1A3 turned on? To answer this question, Smith, with senior investigator Christopher Walsh, MD, PhD and colleagues at multiple other sites, obtained donated human tissues from several hospital tissue banks and the NIH NeuroBiobank. They analyzed samples from two times in early brain development: at around 20 weeks’ gestation, when the fetal cortex, initially smooth, starts to fold, and in infants soon after birth.
Using single-cell RNA sequencing (DropSeq) in collaboration with Marta Florio, PhD, at Harvard Medical School, they looked for expression (turning on) of ATP1A3 in about 125,000 individual neurons from 11 areas of the prenatal cortex. They also profiled about 52,000 neurons from the infants, sampling four areas of the cortex.
Overall, ATP1A3 expression levels were highest in the prefrontal cortex at both time points, and highest in the most active, frequently-firing neurons in the cortex. In the fetal cortex, ATP1A3 expression was particularly high in the subplate, a layer that disappears later in development. Electrical activity in the subplate is thought to be a hub of signaling driving synapse formation, neuron migration, and other brain developmental processes.
“In the infants, we found increased expression of the gene in interneurons, which are inhibitory,” says Smith. “We think that ATP1A3 mutations may disrupt the balance of excitation and inhibition in the brain, which could contribute to epilepsy in other ATP1A3-related conditions.”
Lessons for other ATP1A3-related diseases?
The work, published last week in PNAS, underscores how research in rare diseases can yield fundamental insights in biology — in this case, how the brain develops its contours and organizational pattern. It provides a map for future studies of how mutations in ATP1A3 cause the brain to form abnormally.
“When we published this as a preprint, a lot of people reached out to us with patients with overlapping phenotypes,” says Smith. “It is very exciting to better understand this disease.”
The findings may also inform scientists’ understanding of other known ATP1A3-related disorders. While the patients with polymicrogyria had severe mutations causing loss of function of the gene, milder mutations cause a spectrum of later-onset neurologic diseases. These include alternating hemiplegia of childhood, which causes bouts of temporary paralysis; a movement disorder known as rapid onset dystonia parkinsonism; and childhood-onset schizophrenia. These later-onset disorders may be more amenable to therapeutic intervention.
“Polymicrogyria is at the extreme end of severity, but we think that ATP1A3-related disorders in the ‘middle’ of this spectrum could have early pathogenic roots that might be treatable before they become more severe,” says Smith.
If newborn DNA sequencing becomes common, it could offer a window of opportunity for treating ATP1A3-related disorders before they manifest clinically, he adds.
And what about polymicrogyria? “A structural malformation is trickier to reverse, but infant brains are amazingly plastic and capable of reorganizing,” says Smith. “So if you could lessen the epilepsy-related damage from the earliest point, you could possibly improve quality of life.”
Smith is supported by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and the Tommy Fuss Foundation. Walsh is a HHMI Investigator, and receives funding from the Paul Allen Discovery Foundation and the NIH.
Learn more about Boston Children’s Division of Genetics and Genomics.
New technique yields potential treatment for a common cause of autism
Since 2008, we have known that the 16p11.2 chromosomal region is linked with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Now, researchers from Boston ...
Bringing genomics to community NICUs
About a year and a half ago, Robert Rothstein, MD, FAAP encountered a baby with a pattern of facial features ...
It takes a village: Creating best practices for personalized treatments
In 2019, doctors and scientists at Boston Children’s Hospital announced a medical landmark. In the space of one year, a ...
Solving neurodevelopmental mysteries, one gene, one child at a time
Suheil Day was born early, at 37 weeks. Aside from a slight head lag and mild muscle weakness, nothing seemed terribly ...
Tagged: brain malformation, cellular and molecular medicine, genetics and genomics, neurology, neuroscience, polymicrogyria
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Catégorie : Productions ADAM
Production entre pairs, argent et valeur
Le numéro 4 du Journal of Peer Production, sur le thème de l’argent et de la valeur, vient d’être publié. Il est coordonné par Nathaniel Tkacz, Nicolas Mendoza et moi même, et inclut deux contributions par des membres du projet ADAM. Alexandre Mallard, Cécile Méadel et moi explorons le rôle performatif de la connaissance experte dans la construction d’une “confiance distribuée” pour le système de monnaie électronique décentralisé Bitcoin, tandis que Primavera De Filippi, en collaboration avec Miguel Said Vieira de l’université de São Paulo, propose un système de licences plus adaptée à l’économie des communs.
La totalité du numéro est librement disponible ici. Quelques extraits de l’introduction:
“Peer production has often been described as a ‘third mode of production’, irreducible to State or market imperatives. The creation and organisation of peer projects allegedly take place without ‘managerial commands’ or ‘price signals’, without recourse to bureaucratic apparatuses or the logic of competitive markets. Instead, and mimicking the technical architectures upon which many peer projects are based, production is described as non-hierarchical and decentralised. Group dynamics are also commonly described as ‘flat’ and this is captured, of course, in the very notion of the ‘peer’. When tested against the realities of actual projects, however, such early conceptions of peer production are, at best, in need of further elaboration and qualification. At worst, they were always off the mark. Hierarchies persist in peer production, as does competition and market-like arrangements. But perhaps it is the qualities of these new hierarchies and competitive forms that is novel. After all, liberal democracies, dictatorships, corporations, local sports clubs, and families all have their hierarchies but none is reducible to the others.
In the context of earlier understandings of peer production, the question of value and even more of currency has been rather marginal. This issue of the Journal of Peer Production (JoPP) demonstrates that theories and practices of value and currency are moving into the foreground. There has been a veritable explosion of experiments with currency and also a continuing metrics creep in many peer projects and beyond. More fundamentally, though, the question of value and how it circulates through a collective body is central to any mature theory of social organisation. In sociological and economic thought, the historical distinction between ‘values’ and ‘value’ split the non- or at least less-easily-calculable with the seemingly cold and objective world of calculation and universal commensurability. This ‘old settlement’, which never really held, nevertheless helped demarcate the economic from the social. But the intensification and extension of computational processes, manifested most clearly in the rise of big data, has lead to a proliferation of bottom-up procedures to formalise (social) values, rendering them easily calculable and lending order to the decentralised world of peers, but without necessarily replicating capitalistic calculations of value. […]
In this issue we seek to advance the exploration and understanding of how the themes of value and currency intersect peer production. This objective presented a double challenge for the contributors and for us as editors. Indeed, the scholarly articles included in this issue have attempted to provide analytical and theoretically grounded investigations of a world that is, on the one hand, often developing more quickly than the academic publication process can account for in a timely way, and on the other hand, mostly shaped by expert-practitioners. At the same time, these contributions seek to engage not only with scholars of related issues within the academic community, but also with practitioners themselves — who, on their end, have demonstrated a strong interest in this dialogue, as the invited comments section shows.”
Publié le 18 avril 2014 Auteur Francesca MusianiCatégories Actualités, Bibliographie, Productions ADAM, Projets d'architecture distribuéeMots-clés argent, Bitcoin, P2P alternatif, production entre pairs, valeurLaisser un commentaire sur Production entre pairs, argent et valeur
Call for Papers, Final Symposium of the ADAM project
October 2-3, 2014, MINES ParisTech (Paris, France)
« Reclaiming the Internet » with distributed architectures:
rights, technologies, practices, innovation
The research program ADAM (Distributed Architectures and Multimedia Applications, adam.hypotheses.org) (1) studies the technical, political, social, socio-cultural and legal implications of distributed network architectures. This term indicates a type of network bearing several features: a network made of multiple computing units, capable to achieve its objective by sharing resources and tasks, able to tolerate the failure of individual nodes and thus not subjected to single points of failure, and able to scale flexibly. Beyond this simplified operational definition, the choice, by developers and engineers of Internet-based services, to develop these architectures instead of today’s widespread centralized models, has several implications for the daily use of online services and for the rights of Internet users.
The final symposium of the ADAM project, open to disciplines as varied as science and technology studies, information and communication sciences, economics, law and network engineering, aims at investigating these implications in terms of a central issue. With the increasingly evident centralization of the Internet and the surveillance excesses it appears to allow, what are the place and the role of the (re-) decentralisation of networks’ technical architectures – at a time when infringements upon privacy and pervasive surveillance practices are often embedded in these architectures? Are distribution and decentralization of network architectures the ways, as Philippe Aigrain suggests (2), to “reclaim” Internet services – instruments of ‘technical governance’ able to reconnect with the original organisation of cyberspace?
Papers presented at the symposium may focus on one or more of the following four axes, although we welcome proposals that do not fully subscribe to them.
“Back to the origins”? Past and present of distributed architectures. The initial Internet model called for a decentralised and symmetrical organisation – in terms of bandwidth usage, but also of contacts, user relations and machine-to-machine communication. In the 1990s, the commercial explosion of the Internet brings about important changes, exposing the shortcomings – for the network’s usability and its very functioning – of a model presupposing the active cooperation of all network members. Today, in a world of Internet services where fluxes and data converge towards a few giants, experimentations with distributed architectures are seen as a “return to the origins”. But is it really about the dominance of an organizational principle at different times in history – or is there a co-existence of different levels of resource centralisation, hierarchy of powers, and cooperation among Internet users over time? Are we indeed witnessing a “war of the worlds” of which the recent tensions around surveillance are the most recent illustration?
(Re-) decentralisation, a sustainable alternative for the Internet ‘ecology’? The technical features of distributed architectures (direct connections, resistance to failure) and their ability to support the emergence of organisational, social and legal principles (privacy, security, recognition of rights) offer new paths of exploration and preservation of the Internet’s balance. At the same time, the road towards decentralisation is far from linear. The users behind the P2P nodes can assemble in collectives that are very varied in nature, complexity and underlying motivations. This variety may be dependent upon modes of aggregation, visibility devices, types of communication tools and envisaged business models (as well as the difficulty of identifying sustainable ones). Having programmed the infrastructures with the idea that the most part of users’ online activities consist in downloading data and information from clusters of servers, network access providers raise economic objections to P2P models. Finally, developers-turned-entrepreneurs themselves often need to revisit the choice of decentralisation, because of unexpected user practices, the impossibility of making distributed technology “easy” for the public, or the seductive simplicity of centralized infrastructures and economic models.
Decentralisation and distribution of skills, rights, control. How does distributed architecture redefine user skills, rights, capacities to control? How can law support user practices and their diversity, instead of countering them? The decentralisation of Internet services raises several issues at the crossroads of law and technology. What are the differences if compared to centralized architectures, non-modifiable by users, where data are stored on clusters of servers exclusively controlled by service providers? From the viewpoint of user empowerment, what are the consequences of introducing encryption, file fragmentation, sharing of disk space in the technical architecture? While “first-generation” P2P networks have affected copyright first and foremost, decentralised Internet-based service prompt us to investigate issues like the redefinition of notions such as creator and distributor, the responsibility of technical intermediaries, the ‘embeddedness’ of law into technical devices.
What are the communicational models at stake in decentralised infrastructures and architectures? Distributed Internet services have transformed and transform today the ways in which actors make sense of their communicational capacities and their responsibilities in information sharing. User empowerment, prompted by several P2P services – increasingly mobile, self-configurable and flexible – open innovative perspectives for infrastructures of communication, their functions and their mediation capacities among actors. In what ways does this evolution transform data and communication channels? What are the representations of the values subtending these architectures and the relations among their participants, vis-à-vis other Internet services, but also within the spheres of conception, discussion and circulation of these objects? What are the new forms of contribution and what do they enable in terms of pedagogical practices and shared literacies? Finally, in which ways do distributed infrastructures relate to the notion of ‘informational common good’?
We invite paper proposals in French and/or English, in the form of a 500 to 800 word abstract sent to the address francesca.musiani@mines-paristech.fr. Key dates:
Deadline for the sending of abstracts: May 15, 2014 (Please note that the submission deadline for abstracts has been extended to June 5, 2014)
Notifications of acceptance sent by the Program Committee: June 6, 2014
Deadline for full papers: September 15, 2014
ADAM final symposium: October 2-3, 2014
We envisage a collective publication originating from the conference and are looking into different possibilities (edited book or special issue of a journal).
ADAM Project Team and Program Committee of the Symposium
Maya Bacache, Département SES, Télécom ParisTech
Danièle Bourcier, CERSA, CNRS
Primavera De Filippi, CERSA, CNRS
Isabelle Demeure, INFRES, Télécom ParisTech
Mélanie Dulong de Rosnay, ISCC, CNRS
Annie Gentès, CoDesign Lab, Télécom ParisTech
François Huguet, CoDesign Lab, Télécom ParisTech
Alexandre Mallard, CSI, MINES ParisTech
Cécile Méadel, CSI, MINES ParisTech
Francesca Musiani, CSI, MINES ParisTech
(1) Funded by the French National Agency for Research (ANR), CONTINT (Contents and Interactions) Programme
(2) Aigrain, P. (2010). “Declouding Freedom: Reclaiming Servers, Services and Data.” In 2020 FLOSS Roadmap (2010 Version/3rd Edition), https://flossroadmap.co-ment.com/text/NUFVxf6wwK2/view/
Publié le 3 avril 2014 8 septembre 2014 Auteur Francesca MusianiCatégories Actualités, Productions ADAM2 commentaires sur Call for Papers, Final Symposium of the ADAM project
Appel à communications, Colloque final ADAM
Appel à communications pour le colloque final du projet ADAM
2-3 octobre 2014, MINES ParisTech
Architectures distribuées et réappropriations de l’Internet :
droits, techniques, usages, innovation
Le programme de recherche ADAM – Architecture distribuée et applications multimédias (adam.hypotheses.org) (1) étudie les implications techniques, politiques, sociales, socio-culturelles et légales des architectures de réseau distribuées. Ce terme désigne un type de réseau doté d’un certain nombre de caractéristiques : un réseau composé de multiples unités de calcul, capable de réaliser son objectif en partageant ressources et tâches, tolérant la défaillance de nœuds individuels et donc sans point unique d’échec, capable de passer à l’échelle de manière souple. Au delà de cette définition technique simplifiée, le choix, de la part d’ingénieurs et concepteurs des services Internet, de développer ces architectures par rapport aux modèles centralisés très répandus aujourd’hui, a de nombreuses implications pour l’utilisation quotidienne des services en ligne, ainsi que pour les droits des internautes.
Le colloque final du programme ADAM, ouvert à des disciplines variées telles que les Science and technology studies, les sciences de l’information et de la communication, l’économie, le droit et l’ingénierie des réseaux, s’attache à explorer ces enjeux à l’aune d’une question centrale. Avec la centralisation de plus en plus affichée d’internet et les excès de surveillance qu’elle autorise, quelle place et quel rôle joue la (re-) décentralisation des architectures techniques des réseaux, en un moment historique où les atteintes à la vie privée et les pratiques de surveillance sont très souvent inscrites (embedded) dans l’architecture technique ? Les architectures de réseau distribuées et décentralisées sont-elles, comme le suggère Philippe Aigrain (2), des occasions de réappropriation des services Internet – des outils techniques et de gouvernance susceptibles de renouer avec l’organisation originelle du cyberespace ?
Les communications pourront s’articuler autour d’un ou plusieurs des quatre axes de réflexion suivants, mais ne doivent pas forcément s’y conformer.
Un « retour aux origines » ? Passé et présent des architectures distribuées. Le modèle initial de l’Internet suppose une organisation décentralisée et symétrique – non seulement en termes de consommation de bande passante, mais aussi en termes de contact, relation et communication entre machines. Au milieu des années 1990, l’explosion commerciale de l’Internet en change radicalement la forme, révélant bientôt les limites – du point de vue du fonctionnement du réseau et de son « usabilité » pour les internautes – d’un modèle qui présuppose une coopération active de tous les membres du réseau. Aujourd’hui, dans un monde de services Internet où les flux et les données convergent vers quelques géants, les expérimentations en matière d’architecture distribuée sont vues comme un retour aux origines. Serait-ce pertinent de considérer ces dynamiques comme co-existence générique de différents niveaux de centralisation des ressources, de hiérarchisation des pouvoirs, et de coopération des internautes plutôt que comme domination d’un principe organisationnel à différents moments de l’histoire ? A-t-on affaire à une « guerre des mondes », dont les tensions autour de la surveillance ne sont que l’illustration la plus récente ?
La (re-)décentralisation, une alternative durable pour l’écologie Internet ? Les caractéristiques techniques des architectures distribuées (efficacité, mise en relation directe, tolérance aux pannes) et leur capacité à promouvoir l’émergence de principes organisationnels, sociaux et légaux (sécurité, privacy, reconnaissance de droits) offrent des nouvelles pistes d’exploration et de maintien des équilibres au sein de l’écologie Internet. En même temps, la route vers la re-décentralisation est loin d’être linéaire. Selon les modalités d’agrégation, les dispositifs de mise en visibilité, les outils de communication fournis, et la nature des modèles d’affaire concernés (voir la difficulté à en envisager de durables), les usagers qui constituent les nœuds des systèmes P2P peuvent produire des collectifs très différents dans leur nature, leur extension et leur motivation à s’investir dans les systèmes distribués. Plusieurs fournisseurs d’accès au réseau, ayant programmé leurs systèmes sur l’idée que les usagers passent le plus clair de leur temps en ligne à télécharger données et informations depuis des serveurs centraux, soulèvent des objections de nature économique aux modèles P2P. Enfin, les développeurs eux-mêmes doivent parfois, lors du passage à l’entrepreneuriat, revoir leur choix de décentralisation, face à des appropriations inattendues par les utilisateurs, l’impossibilité de rendre aisée la technologie distribuée au grand public, ou encore la simplicité, séductrice pour le « contrôleur », des modèles d’affaires et des infrastructures centralisé(e)s.
Décentralisation et nouvelles répartitions de compétences, autorisations, droits. Comment l’architecture distribuée redéfinit-elle les compétences, la capacité de contrôle, les droits des utilisateurs ? Comment le droit peut-il accompagner les pratiques et leur diversité, au lieu de les contrer ? La décentralisation des services Internet pose de nombreuses questions au croisement entre droit et technique. Quelles sont les différences par rapport aux architectures centralisées que les utilisateurs ne peuvent pas modifier, et dans lesquelles les données sont stockées sur des serveurs centraux détenus par les fournisseurs de services? Quelles sont les implications des emplacements physiques des contenus, des types spécifiques de licences, des procédures de collecte et gestion de données ? En quoi l’introduction dans l’architecture technique d’éléments tels que l’encryptage, la fragmentation des fichiers, la mise à disposition d’espace disque, a-t-elle des conséquences pour l’encapacitation (empowerment) et la montée en compétence des utilisateurs ? Si c’est surtout le droit d’auteur qui a d’abord été chamboulé par les réseaux P2P « première génération », les services Internet décentralisés nous amènent à concentrer notre attention sur des questions telles que la redéfinition des notions de créateur et de distributeur, ou la responsabilité des intermédiaires techniques, l’inscription de l’exécution du droit dans les dispositifs techniques.
Quels sont les modèles communicationnels en jeu dans ces nouvelles infrastructures et architectures ? Les services internet distribués ont transformé et transforment toujours aujourd’hui la façon dont les acteurs se représentent leurs capacités communicationnelles et leurs responsabilités dans le partage de l’information. L’encapacitation des utilisateurs ouverte par nombre de ces services peer-to-peer qui tendent de plus en plus à devenir mobiles, auto-configurables et flexibles dans leurs utilisations et dans les fonctions qu’ils offrent ouvre des perspectives innovantes sur les fonctionnalités des infrastructures de communication et leurs capacités de médiation entre des acteurs. De quelle manière cette évolution transforme-t-elle les données et les canaux d’information ? Comment les valeurs de ces architectures et les relations entre leurs participants sont-elles représentées face aux autres services internet mais également à l’intérieur des sphères où l’on conçoit, discute et fait circuler ces objets ? Quelles sont les nouvelles formes de contribution, Qu’engagent-elles des pratiques pédagogiques et de litératies partagées ? Enfin, de quelles manières ces infrastructures distribuées interrogent-elles la notion de bien commun informationnel ?
Nous sollicitons des propositions de communication en français et en anglais, sous la forme d’un résumé de 500-800 mots, à l’adresse francesca.musiani@mines-paristech.fr. La date limite pour l’envoi des propositions est le 5 juin 2014 et le comité de programme enverra les notifications d’acceptation au plus tard le fin juin 2014. Les articles complets devront nous parvenir au plus tard le 15 septembre 2014 (le colloque ayant lieu à Paris, le 2 et 3 octobre 2014). Des possibilités de publication collective (ouvrage ou numéro spécial d’une revue) seront envisagées par la suite.
Equipe du projet ADAM et comité de programme
(1) Financé par l’ANR (Programme CONTINT – Contenus et Interactions)
Publié le 3 avril 2014 16 mai 2014 Auteur Francesca MusianiCatégories Actualités, Productions ADAMUn commentaire sur Appel à communications, Colloque final ADAM
Recoudre la ville avec du sans-fil : dispositifs d’encapacitation des publics et discours d’infrastructures participatives
Crédit photo (3) : Preston Rhea – Licence CC BY-SA 2.0. Montage d’un routeur (antenne) MESH-Wi-Fi installé sur un toit du quartier de MidTown à Détroit, juin 2011
Cette communication présentée lors des 3èmes journées doctorales sur la participation et la démocratie participative du Groupement d’Intérêt Scientifique “participation du public, décision, démocratie participative” s’intéresse aux enjeux et modalités du déploiement de réseaux communautaires sans fil (et aux technologies qui lui sont associées) au sein de la ville en crise qu’est Détroit. S’appuyant sur l’analyse de certains aspects de ces pratiques économiques alternatives, elle vise à comprendre de quelle manière une forme d’infrastructure de communication décentralisée illustre le lien entre crise économique et renforcement de pratiques de reliance mises en place par la société civile d’une ville en crise.
Basée sur une ethnographie de trois mois au sein des groupes mettant en place ces réseaux (entre mai et juillet 2013), ce travail tache de montrer de quelle manière des individus s’emparent de la question du rapport à l’infrastructures et aux compétences techniques nécessaires lorsqu’on les manipule pour embrayer de véritables processus de participation citoyenne (puissance d’agir ou empowerment) au sein d’écologies technologiques et infrastructurelles particulières (les réseaux MESH).
Au croisement des Sciences & Technologies Studies (STS), de la sociologie et des sciences de l’information et de la communication, nous questionnons ici les publics, les lieux, les tactiques et les micropolitiques (Woolgar, 1999 ; Barry, 2001) d’une « plateforme logicielle » de création de réseau MESH (le logiciel Commotion) et son déploiement au sein de la ville de Détroit.
Huguet François_Article Détroit sans fil_ACTES_JD GIS DP 2013
Huguet François, “For an ethnography of the Community Wireless MESH networks: Bottom-up innovation(s) for urban resilience ? (Digital) practices and means to transform the City of Detroit”
This talk examines the issues and the sociopolitical aspects of what we call “digital bottom-up practices” which aim to create new forms of solidarities while strengthening communities across the crisis-city of Detroit (we are focusing on the deployments of the Community Wireless MESH networks using the commotion software in this city). Based on a three months fieldwork and observation within groups implementing these networks (2013, May – July), this work try to show how a networking principle, in this case, the decentralized architecture and the use of CWNs, is able to suggest a new type of democracy, a new type of relation to the public services infrastructure, to the media, to community organizing, to the fact of communication and to engagement and participation.
Today, after fundamental and empirical work both in Sciences and Technology Studies and also in Humanities and Social Sciences, it seems that we are witnessing a particular movement within the discourse on policy-making technical objects. Consequently, this movement illustrates the transition of these communication infrastructures from a “political” speech implied [Winner, 1986] into something “assumed” and claimed. And this movement is embodied in Detroit, specifically in its grass-roots processing practices based on the (distributed) digital justice principles which illustrate the “fact to live the web” differently as well as the growing of a decentralized, bottom-up economy which is one of the vectors of the empowerment of users-citizens and necessary to citizen emancipation.
Publié le 11 mars 2014 Auteur François HuguetCatégories Actualités, Productions ADAMMots-clés adhoc wifi, architecture, commotion, CWNs, Detroit, infrastructure, mesh, mobilité, P2P alternatifLaisser un commentaire sur Recoudre la ville avec du sans-fil : dispositifs d’encapacitation des publics et discours d’infrastructures participatives
Histoire d’un ‘cloud P2P’
Alors que de nouveaux acteurs tels que Bitcloud et Maidsafe se présentent avec des solutions P2P sur la scène très peuplée du cloud, voici mon dernier article pour l’Internet Policy Review, qui raconte l’histoire d’un ‘cloud P2P’ d’il y a quelques années.
Decentralised internet governance: the case of a ‘peer-to-peer cloud’
The architecture of a networked system is its underlying technical structure – its logical and structural layout. In my last article for the Internet Policy Review (Musiani, 2013a), I have built upon the work of several authors in science and technology studies, economics, law and computer science (e.g. Star, 1999; van Schewick, 2010; Elkin-Koren, 2006; Agre, 2003) to discuss the idea of network architecture as internet governance. I have suggested that, by changing the design of the networks subtending internet-based services and the global internet itself, the politics of the network of networks are affected – the balance of rights between users and providers, the capacity of online communities to engage in open and direct interaction, the fair competition between actors of the internet market.
This article retraces the early stages of development of a ‘peer-to-peer cloud’ storage service, Drizzle, with the aim of providing an example of decentralised network architecture as internet governance ‘in practice’. More specifically, the paper sheds light on how changes in the architectural design of networked services affect the circulation, storage and privacy of data, as well as the rights and responsibilities exerted by different actors on them. This article does not mean to be a compendium of the implications of the decentralisation option in building a cloud platform, which entails a number of technical complications as well as advantages, including how to ensure the reliability and redundancy of data, and the soundness of the encryption mechanism. However, the privacy-related design choices described here are some of the many possible ways to illustrate the extent to which changes in network architecture are, indeed, changes to network governance.
Decentralising the cloud
In early 2007, when Drizzle first sees the light, the industry of online data storage – a service allowing users to store, save and share data on one or several terminals connected to the internet – has “never felt better” (Guerrini, 2010). Google, Amazon, Microsoft and Oracle, to name but a few, propose their storage platforms, each with its specificities and one common denominator: the ‘cloud’. According to this model, the service provider is in charge of both the physical infrastructure and the software. Thus, the service provider hosts applications and data at once – in a location, and according to modalities, unknown or at best ambiguous to the user (Mowbray, 2009). The so-called ‘server farms’ proliferate, to support and manage this increasing remoteness of data from users and users’ terminals.
In this context, Drizzle1, a small start-up founded by two developers and computer programmers who we will call Dietrich and Kurt, makes an unusual foundational decision: its cloud storage platform will mainly be composed – alongside more ‘classical’ data centres – of portions of the users’ hard disks, directly linked in a peer-to-peer, decentralised network architecture (Schollmeier, 2001; Taylor & Harrison, 2009). This choice entails a number of peculiar features. On the one hand, the implementation of a technical process defined as “encrypted fragmentation”2, which consists in encrypting locally – on the user’s computer, and by means of a previously installed Drizzle P2P client – the content that will be stored. The content is then divided into fragments, duplicated to ensure redundancy, and spread out to the network. In return, users need to accept to ‘pool’ – put at the disposal of other users and their computers – the computational and material resources necessary for the operations related to the storage of content. As the service’s terms of use point out:
“The user acknowledges that Drizzle may use processor, bandwidth and hard disk (or other storage media) of his computer for the purpose of storing, encrypting, caching and serving data that has been stored in Drizzle by the user or any other users. The user can specify the extent to which local resources are used in the settings of the Drizzle client software. The amount of resources the user is allowed to use in Drizzle depends on the amount of local resources the user is contributing to Drizzle.”
The interdependent and egalitarian model subtending the platform will allow its users to barter their local disk space with an equivalent space in the decentralised cloud, thereby improving the quality of this storage space, which will become permanently available and accessible. By shaping their decentralised storage service, the developers of Drizzle carry on a double experimentation: with the frontier between centralisation and decentralisation, and with sharing modalities that blend peer-to-peer, social networking and the cloud.
Peer-to-peer storage: the cloud meets privacy by design
“In 2007, it was all starting to get social,” Dietrich recalls three years later. Indeed, social media, Facebook and Twitter in particular, were at that moment entering the daily life of millions of internet users in an increasingly pervasive way. Drizzle’s first steps are taken in a community of research and development that tries to counter the social media “explosion” by developing P2P systems as an alternative to a variety of internet-based services, including social networks, structured in a centralised manner (Le Fessant, 2009; Musiani, 2010a; Musiani, 2010b).
In 2007, Facebook had been in existence for three years. Millions of users had taken part in it, thereby contributing to the massive success of these Web-based services that allow individuals to build a public or semi-public profile within a system, define a list of other users with whom to interact, and see/browse the list of their and others’ connections made in ‘public mode’ within the system (Boyd & Ellison, 2007). In parallel to their spectacular growth, social networks raise vibrant discussions and controversies, both within the expert community and among the general public. The ways in which social networking service providers leverage personal information and user data remains controversial, since they sometimes mean allowing external applications to access them, while on other occasions they pursue direct commercial purposes (Boyd, 2008). The rise of the so-called cloud does nothing to mitigate the impression of risk for informed users, as applications and data are increasingly hosted in locations and ways unknown or at best ambiguous. User exposure on social networking sites and on cloud-based services positions privacy, more than ever, at the foreground of discussions.
In this context, several developers – including Drizzle’s – identify in a peer-to-peer type of network architecture a possible way of approaching the protection of personal data privacy with a different angle: through the relocation and “re-appropriation” of data within the terminals of users, who would be able to host their own profiles and the information they contain (see also Moglen, 2010; Aigrain, 2010, 2011).
As in the development of Drizzle, a conception of privacy and confidentiality of personal data, which is conceived of and enforced via technical means – called privacy by design (Cavoukian, 2010; Schaar, 2010), is at work. This conceptualisation of privacy is defined by means of the constraints and the opportunities linked to the treatment and the location of data, according to the different moments and the variety of operations taking place within the system. In particular, the confidentiality of data (personal data as well as the content stored in the P2P cloud) is defined by a peculiar role and enhanced features attributed to the password that identifies the user vis-à-vis the network, and by the implementation of the resource allocation system on which Drizzle is based.
Password and user responsibility
In Dietrich’s intentions, the role of the user-selected and user–generated password for the Drizzle system should have “stri[cken] the user as soon as he had access to the system for the very first time.” Indeed, the virtual form that is served to users upon subscription may come as a surprise: it informs that
“We do not know your password as it never leaves your computer. Please, do not forget your password and use, if needed, your password hint.”
The status of the password is thus negotiated, beyond its usual meaning of unique identifier vis-à-vis the system, to define, detail and legitimise the process of local encryption and decryption of data within the Drizzle system. This feature comes to symbolise the specificity of Drizzle’s promise of security and privacy as well as users’ trust, as it becomes the symbol and the graphical representation of the ‘local’ dimension of the encryption process – as it never leaves the computer of the user who created it. The operations, for the most part automatically managed, that are linked to the protection of personal data are thus hosted on the terminals of users. Indeed, this entails a modification of the user’s role within the service’s architecture: node among equal nodes, it becomes a server itself, instead of a starting point and a final point for operations that are otherwise conducted on another machine or group of machines.
Through the attribution of this status to the password, the developers of Drizzle are also proposing an alternative to the balance between the rights exerted by users on their own data and the rights acquired by the service provider on these same data – a balance that is usually heavily bent on the provider’s side. However, this reconfiguration in the balance of rights comes with a trade-off. As the password stays with the user and is not sent to the servers controlled by the firm, the latter cannot retrieve the password if needed. Thus, users do not only see their privacy reinforced, but at the same time and for the same reasons, the responsibility for their actions is augmented – while the service provider renounces to some of its control on the content that circulates thanks to the service it manages. The meaning of this ‘renunciation’, Dietrich explains, is double: on the one hand, the Drizzle team wishes to make it evident, almost translate into a specific object the user can easily relate to, the ‘obscure’ and unfamiliar process of client-side encryption, which is an ongoing source of controversies and perplexities. On the other hand, it is also a matter of Drizzle’s business model: the more the firm knows about its users, the more it is mandatory for it to submit the users to regular surveillance and control – and this requires an investment of material resources and time that, in its first phases of existence, the firm does not have:
“If we can know what is in your account, starting with your password, we have heightened obligations to police the content and to make sure nobody can eavesdrop on the traffic.”
Data privacy and resource allocation
Another aspect that contributes to define rights and responsibilities is the detailing of the conditions for allocation and management of the computational resources provided by the different computers participating in the system.
As briefly described above, the choice to decentralise the platform makes it necessary, due to the very particular status of the resources used by the system, to detail several aspects in the terms of use: the role of computers belonging to users, the types of resources that Drizzle is able to use, their purpose. It also becomes necessary to detail the extent to which users are able to decide – and communicate to their P2P client, thus to the system – the maximum quantity of local resources that the rest of the network/storage system can use. However, it is also necessary to define the articulation between the availability of resources and the different operations to which these resources will be destined to within the system.
The articulation of these two aspects has important implications for the confidentiality of data circulating in the system (both personal information and content stored by users). Several users, giving feedback to the developers in the early stages of the system, warn that the resource allocation process could be framed as a possible ‘surveillance’ or ‘monitoring’ of these resources, in a way that can potentially be highly automatised, invasive, privacy-threatening.
After a discussion between these concerned users and the developers, via the Drizzle forum, two modifications were applied to the terms of use: while the general terms now state that “resources are allocated and monitored in accordance with the Privacy Policy,” the privacy policy itself details the extent of automation and pervasiveness of the system that allocates and monitors resources:
“In order to ensure a fair allocation of resources within Drizzle, various data about the computers participating in the Drizzle network is collected. This data includes their IP addresses, disposability and the amount of resources they are contributing (e.g. bandwidth, memory). […] Drizzle keeps track of how much storage space you have used and earned […] Drizzle collects statistical information for the purposes of monitoring, debugging and improving the system. This includes automatically generated problem, performance, network analysis and general usage reports, as well as logs of the connections and queries made to Drizzle’s servers (including the involved IP addresses), as well as analytical data about the usage of the Drizzle website. However, none of this data contains information from your private or shared files.”
Thus, the correct functioning of the allocation system indeed implies the gathering of several pieces of information concerning the material, computational and memory resources pooled by each participating computer. The pooling of the storage equipment (i.e., users’ local resources, made available by each of them) is necessary for the system to work; however, it is not meant to imply an intrusion in the stored content itself, which remains protected by the local safeguard of the password and the encryption of content. The collection of information, the developers of Drizzle affirm, has the purpose of automatically computing the storage space made available by each user – and, as we have analysed elsewhere (Musiani, 2013b), of establishing the extent to which each user can reclaim her place in the ‘P2P cloud’, an equivalent storage space in the network of participating users.
The development of Drizzle’s ‘peer-to-peer cloud’ allows to observe how changes in the architectural design of networked services affect data circulation, storage and privacy – and in doing so, reconfigure the articulation of the ‘locality’ and the ‘centrality’ in the network (Akrich, 1989: 39), suggesting a model of decentralised governance “by architectural design” for the service.
Ultimately, decentralising the cloud leads to a reformulation and ‘re-balancing’ of the relationship between the user and the service provider. The local, client-side encryption of data first, and its fragmentation afterwards – both operations conducted within the P2P client installed by the user, and entirely taking place on his terminal – are proposed by Drizzle as evidence that the firm, in its own words, “does not even have the technical means” to betray the trust of users.
In particular, this conception of privacy by design takes shape around the password, that remains locally stored in the user’s P2P client and unknown to the service provider. In doing so, it becomes a form of disengagement of the service provider with respect to security issues, its ‘auto-release’ from responsibility: a detail whose importance may seem small at first, but eventually leads to changes in the forms of technical solidarity (Dodier, 1995) established between users and service provider.
For the purpose of this article, I have focused in particular on aspects such as the strengthening of privacy by design and the increase in responsibility attributed to the user, arguably among the “positive” aspects of a peer-to-peer cloud. However, it should be pointed out that an important part of the decentralisation choice made by the Drizzle team has involved assessing its possible downsides: reliability and redundancy of data, slow downloading performances, soundness of the encryption mechanism, and – no less important – the perception of these issues by users. A heated discussion among developers, and between developers and some pioneer users, also occurred on the topic of the ‘legality’ of the system, especially in jurisdictions such as that of the United States. All of these are complex issues and most of them could not be accounted for here – it has been done in a much more detailed manner elsewhere (Musiani, 2013: 123-173), by analysing, with tools derived from the field of science and technology studies (STS), a number of socio-technical controversies related to the development of the platform. However, the privacy-related dynamics provided here are a few of the several possible ways to flesh out the extent to which changes in network architecture are, indeed, changes in network governance.
The example of Drizzle has illustrated in practice the implications of ‘architectures as governance’ we had introduced in the previous article: the repartition of competences and responsibilities between service providers, content producers, users and network operators; the articulation between the individual and the collective; the shaping of user rights and ‘community’ norms; the definition of ‘contributor’ in internet-based services. In light of Edward Snowden’s leaks about certain surveillance practices by the US National Security Agency, the potential of architectural choices – choices that would make the internet less centralised and more distributed – as a means of de facto privacy advocacy and promotion of decentralised governance has never been more evident. The goal, as The New Yorker recently reported, “isn’t to end surveillance, but to make it harder to do en masse” (Kopstein, 2013).
Agre, P. (2003). “Peer-to-Peer and the Promise of Internet Equality.” Communications of the ACM, 46 (2): 39-42.
Aigrain, P. (2010). “Declouding Freedom: Reclaiming Servers, Services and Data.” In 2020 FLOSS Roadmap (2010 Version/3rd Edition), https://flossroadmap.co-ment.com/text/NUFVxf6wwK2/view/
Aigrain, P. (2011). “Another Narrative. Addressing Research Challenges and Other Open Issues session.” PARADISO Conference, Brussels, 7–9 Sept. 2011.
Akrich, M. (1989). “De la position relative des localités. Systèmes électriques et réseaux socio-politiques.” Cahiers du Centre d’Études pour l’Emploi, 32 : 117-166.
Boyd, D. (2008). “Facebook’s Privacy Trainwreck: Exposure, Invasion, and Social Convergence.” Convergence, 14 (1).
Boyd, D. & Ellison, N. (2007). “Social Network Sites: Definition, History, and Scholarship.” Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 13 (1).
Callon, M., Lascoumes, P. & Barthe, Y. (2001). Agir dans un monde incertain. Essai sur la démocratie technique, Paris: Seuil.
Cavoukian, A. (eds., 2010). Special Issue: Privacy by Design: The Next Generation in the Evolution of Privacy. Identity in the Information Society, 3(2).
Dodier, N. (1995). Les Hommes et les Machines. La conscience collective dans les sociétés technicisées. Paris: Métailié.
Elkin-Koren, N. (2006). “Making Technology Visible: Liability of Internet Service Providers for Peer-to-Peer Traffic.” New York University Journal of Legislation & Public Policy, 9 (15), 15-76.
Guerrini, Y. (2010). “Wuala : le P2P comme solution de stockage.” http://www.presence-pc.com/actualite/Wuala-stockage-cloud-P2P-39035/#xtor=RSS-11
Kopstein, J. (2013). “The mission to de-centralize the Internet.” The New Yorker, 13 December 2013, http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/elements/2013/12/the-mission-to-decentralize-the-internet.html
Le Fessant, F. (2009). “Les réseaux sociaux au secours des réseaux pair-à-pair.” Défense nationale et sécurité collective, 3 : 29-35.
Moglen, E. (2010). “Freedom in the Cloud: Software Freedom, Privacy and Security for Web 2.0 and Cloud Computing.” Keynote, ISOC Meeting, New York Branch, 5 February 2010.
Mowbray, M. (2009). “The Fog over the Grimpen Mire: Cloud Computing and the Law.” SCRIPTed, 6(1): 132-146.
Musiani, F. (2013a). “Network architecture as internet governance.” Internet Policy Review, 24 October 2013, http://policyreview.info/articles/analysis/network-architecture-internet-governance
Musiani, F. (2013b). Nains sans géants. Architecture décentralisée et services Internet. Paris : Presses des Mines.
Musiani, F. (2012). “Caring About the Plumbing: On the Importance of Architectures in Social Studies of (Peer-to-Peer) Technology.” Journal of Peer Production, 1.
Musiani, F. (2010). “Ménager le droit à la vie privée, entre anonymat et connaissance de l’identité: les débuts des réseaux sociaux en pair-à-pair.” Terminal, 105: 107-116.
Musiani, F. (2010b). “When Social Links Are Network Links: the Dawn of Peer-to-Peer Social Networks and Its Implications for Privacy.” Observatorio, 4(3), 185-207.
Schaar, P. (2010). “Privacy by Design.” Identity in the Information Society, 3(2): 267-274.
Schollmeier, R. (2001). “A definition of peer-to-peer networking for the classification of peer-to-peer architectures and applications.” Proceedings of the First International Conference on Peer-to-Peer Computing, 27–29.
Star, S. L. (1999). “The Ethnography of Infrastructure.” American Behavioral Scientist, 43 (3): 377-391.
Taylor, I. & Harrison, A. (2009). From P2P to Web Services and Grids: Evolving Distributed Communities. Second and Expanded Edition. London: Springer-Verlag.
van Schewick, B. (2010). Internet Architecture and Innovation. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press
Vinck, D. (Ed., 2003). Everyday Engineering. An Ethnography of Design and Innovation. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
1. The name is fictitious (‘light rain’) and recalls the fragmentation and the distribution of data in the system’s storage mechanism. The names of the developers are pseudonyms, as well. I have no direct interest in Drizzle – I use it as a case study of a possible ‘decentralisation of the cloud’.
2. Unless otherwise noted, citations are derived from in-depth interviews with the developers of Drizzle, conducted within a period of online and ‘live’ ethnography of Drizzle’s development, design and innovation process (see Vinck, 2003) between 2010 and 2011.
Publié le 13 février 2014 Auteur Francesca MusianiCatégories Actualités, Bibliographie, Productions ADAM, Projets d'architecture distribuéeMots-clés décentralisation, Internet governance, mot de passe, P2P cloud, ressourcesLaisser un commentaire sur Histoire d’un ‘cloud P2P’
Un guide aux “technologies discrètes” de la gouvernance de l’Internet
Les lecteurs du blog ADAM pourraient être intéressés par ma note de lecture du récent livre de Laura DeNardis, The Global War for Internet Governance (en anglais), également disponible sur le site américain d’Amazon.
A Guide to the “Technologically Concealed” in Internet Governance, January 21, 2014
Book Review: Laura DeNardis (2014). The Global War for Internet Governance. New Haven, CT and London : Yale University Press.
The final draft of Laura DeNardis’s most recent book, officially released on January 14th, 2014, had most likely been finalized before Edward Snowden’s recent revelations about the pervasive surveillance implemented by the U. S. National Security Agency entered the media spotlight, which explains the absence of direct references to the controversy throughout the 300-page volume. Yet, because of the Snowden revelations and a number of other issues addressed thoroughly in this extremely important book – from WikiLeaks to the SOPA and PIPA bill projects – the exploration of Internet governance (IG) issues through a “global war” lens has never been more relevant than it is today. Information and communication technologies, the Internet first and foremost, are increasingly mobilized to serve broader economic, political and military aims, ranging from the theft of strategic data to the hijacking of industrial systems. The rise of techniques, devices and infrastructures destined to digital espionage, data collection and aggregation, tracking and surveillance is highlighted not only by the recent Snowden revelations, but also by the construction and the organization of a dedicated, increasingly widespread and lucrative market.
As an interdisciplinary scholar of Internet governance grounded in Science and Technology Studies (STS) myself, I had been very much looking forward to the release of this book, which will undoubtedly prove to be a central reference for Internet governance as an emerging field of study in the coming years. As she had already and so ably done in Protocol Politics (2009), Laura DeNardis builds on her interdisciplinary training as an information engineer and STS scholar to untangle – and richly account for – the “technologically concealed and institutionally complex ecosystem of governance” that permeates today’s Internet. In doing so, she contributes to unveil what media and policymaker accounts of Internet governance all too often cause to stay out of the public radar.
While this book is also, indirectly, a means to revisit and update the debates on “multistakeholderism”, prominent in some IG venues such as the Internet Governance Forum, the author’s main interest rests unambiguously with the “technologically concealed” and its socio-technical agency: the extent to which non-human actors (to put it in STS vocabulary) such as information intermediaries, critical Internet resources, Internet exchange points and security devices play a crucial “governance” role alongside political, national and supra-national institutions and civil society organizations. Throughout the book, Laura DeNardis explores how Internet governance takes shape in the myriad of infrastructures, devices, data fluxes and technical architectures that – discreet, often invisible, yet no less crucial – subtend and build the increasingly public and articulate “network of networks”.
The author’s conceptual framework is shaped by five core research questions: how arrangements of technical architecture are, inherently, arrangements of power and politics, which can be revealed by bringing infrastructures to the foreground; how “traditional power” structures are increasingly mobilizing Internet governance technologies as proxies for content control; how Internet governance is increasingly privatized, enacted by corporations and non-governmental entities, in areas as diverse as privacy, control of online financial flows, censorship, and copyright enforcement; how decisions implemented within technical spaces on the Internet reflect conflicts over competing sets of values, rights, policy norms, as well as ongoing negotiations of the values subtending Internet architecture; and finally, how the variety of “local Internets” and the stability of the global Internet intersect and mutually influence each other, calling for a “carefully planned global governance framework” (p.18), a luxury that the rapid pace of innovation, the impressive scaling, and the diversification of uses have almost never allowed to Internet architecture in its global era.
This five-pronged framework opens the door to Laura DeNardis’s exploration and narrative of Internet governance as an ensemble of controversies and battles over “control points”, a narrative which constitutes the remainder of the book. These control points range from the deepest layers of Internet infrastructure to the “last mile” of user access to the network; from the blocking of financial flows to the deliberate “kill-switches” of Internet-based services; from the “graduated response” termination of domestic Internet access to the attempted use of the Domain Name System for copyright enforcement purposes; from the Internet’s backbone infrastructure to the establishment of interconnection agreements; and finally, the de facto public policy role assumed by private information intermediaries in the variety of instances where they gather, collect, aggregate, select, present data to users and to other actors of the Internet value chain — thereby enacting governance over privacy, freedom of expression, cultural diversity and reputation.
The author’s training as an engineer provides the background and the tools for an exploration of Internet governance that I have described elsewhere as “not afraid of its subject of study” (Musiani, 2012): able to resist the temptation of an excessive “institutionalization” of IG, to avoid recoiling from the dense, intricate, complex, technically-grounded substrate of Internet governance power struggles, and to embrace the challenge of accounting for it in a detailed yet engaging way. While the methodological toolbox and narrative devices of STS are, unambiguously, precious instruments for the author, enabling her to achieve these objectives in a successful manner, this book is not “blatantly” STS. The vocabulary of actor-network, delegation, black boxes, co-production is there as a means, not an end in itself; the references to Geoffrey Bowker and Susan Leigh Star’s work on standards (1996), to Bruno Latour’s musings on technical mediation (1994), to Michel Callon’s sociology of translation (1986), to Tarleton Gillespie’s “politics of platforms” (2010) are tools, not enumerations of the obligatory literature review; the description of socio-technical controversies is ever-present, but weaved discreetly into the narrative.
As Jeanette Hofmann once wrote, Internet governance is a “regulative idea in flux” (2007). Indeed, the search for concepts, tools and categories to make sense of 21st century Internet governance, both as a set of practices and technologies and an academic field of study, is very much open-ended, unresolved and problematic. The conclusion of The Global War for Internet Governance ties together beautifully the variety of “stress factors” that Internet control points will likely keep on being subjected to in the immediate future: increasing international pressure to introduce additional regulation at interconnection points; greater governmental control; technology-embedded threats to privacy; reduction of anonymity and its consequences for freedom of expression; loss of platform interoperability; and finally, “creative” uses and misuses of Internet infrastructure and their impact on the Internet’s security and stability. In this sense, Laura DeNardis’s work is indeed a blueprint for an infrastructure- and architecture-based “Bill of Rights” for the Internet — and extremely interesting, required reading in order to understand more thoroughly the indispensible “backstage” of today’s highly-mediatized Internet politics.
Bowker, Geoffrey C. and Susan Leigh Star (1996). “How Things (Actor-Net)work: Classification, Magic and the Ubiquity of Standards”, Philosophia, November 18; 1996.
Callon, Michel (1986). “Elements of a Sociology of Translation”, in John Law (ed.), Power Action and Belief: A New Sociology of Knowledge?, London: Routledge.
DeNardis, Laura (2009). Protocol Politics: The Globalization of Internet Governance. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
Gillespie, Tarleton (2010). “The Politics of ‘Platforms’”, New Media and Society, 12 (3)
Hofmann, Jeanette (2007). “Internet Governance: A Regulative Idea in Flux”, in Ravi Kumar, Jain Bandamutha (eds.), Internet Governance: An Introduction, Hyderabad: The Icfai University Press, pp. 74-108.
Latour, Bruno (1994). “On Technical Mediation”, Common Knowledge, 3 (2): 29-64.
Musiani, Francesca (2012). “Caring About the Plumbing: On the Importance of Architectures in Social Studies of (Peer-to-Peer) Technology”, Journal of Peer Production, 1.
Publié le 22 janvier 2014 22 janvier 2014 Auteur Francesca MusianiCatégories Actualités, Bibliographie, Productions ADAMMots-clés control points, controversies, DNS, infrastructure, Internet governance, STSLaisser un commentaire sur Un guide aux “technologies discrètes” de la gouvernance de l’Internet
Francesca Musiani, prix de thèse “informatique et libertés” CNIL
Francesca Musiani, l’une des coordinatrices du projet ADAM a remporté, grâce à ses travaux, le prix de la CNIL 2013. Nous tenions ici à la féliciter et à lui rappeler combien elle est un moteur au sein de notre projet de recherche.
Encore bravo Francesca!
Le 5ème Prix de thèse Informatique et Libertés est attribué à Francesca Musiani pour ses travaux sur les architectures pair-à-pair (P2P)
Le jury du Prix de thèse Informatique et Libertés, présidé par M. Jean-Marie Cotteret, membre de la CNIL (Commission Nationale de l’Informatique et des Libertés), a attribué le 5ème prix Informatique et Libertés à Francesca Musiani pour sa thèse intitulée « Nains sans géants. Architecture décentralisée et services Internet ».
Le 5ème prix Informatique et Libertés de la CNIL, qui récompense les travaux de doctorants de 3e cycle et intéressant la protection des données personnelles, a été attribué à Francesca Musiani, postdoctorante au Centre de Sociologie de l’Innovation à MINES ParisTech et affiliée au Berkman Center for Internet and Society de l’Université de Harvard (Etats-Unis).
Le prix récompense ses travaux consacrés à l’exploration du développement des architectures pair-à-pair (P2P). L’objectif de cette thèse est très ambitieux puisqu’il s’agit d’étudier le développement des architectures P2P sous des angles très différents:
L’angle technique : les contraintes introduites par ce type d’architectures et les avantages qu’elles apportent ;
L’angle juridique : les incidences de ces choix architecturaux sur des obligations légales, notamment en matière de protection de la vie privée et de la propriété intellectuelle ;
L’angle économique : les difficultés à développer des modèles d’affaire capables de concurrencer les acteurs dominants qui reposent sur des architectures centralisées ;
L’angle sociologique : les interactions entre parties prenantes (notamment développeurs et utilisateurs), la sociologie de l’innovation.
Le Prix de thèse “informatique et libertés” incite au développement des recherches universitaires concernant la protection de la vie privée et des données personnelles. Ce prix s’adresse à de très nombreuses disciplines telles que les sciences humaines, le droit, les sciences politiques, l’économie mais aussi les disciplines technologiques, de l’innovation et du design.
http://www.cnil.fr/linstitution/actualite/article/article/le-5eme-prix-de-these-informatique-et-libertes-est-attribue-a-francesca-musiani-pour-ses-travau/
Publié le 17 janvier 2014 17 janvier 2014 Auteur François HuguetCatégories Brèves, Productions ADAMMots-clés architecture, Architecture distribuée, décentralisation, design, imaginaire, P2P alternatif, partage, servicesLaisser un commentaire sur Francesca Musiani, prix de thèse “informatique et libertés” CNIL
Architectures de réseau et (comme) gouvernance d’Internet
Cet article, en anglais, est paru en octobre 2013 sur l’Internet Policy Review. Merci à Frédéric Dubois, Uta Meier-Hahn, Andrej Savin et Rikke Frank Joergensen pour leur relecture et leurs commentaires.
Network architecture as internet governance
24 Oct 2013 by Francesca Musiani on Internet architecture
The architecture of a networked system is its underlying technical structure, designed according to a “matrix of concepts” (Agre, 2003). It constitutes the logical and structural layout of a system, including transmission equipment, communication protocols, infrastructure, and connectivity between its components or nodes. This article introduces the idea of network architecture as internet governance1, and more specifically, it outlines the dialectic between centralised and distributed architectures, institutions and practices, and how they mutually affect each other.
Technical architectures, as argued by several authors discussed in this article, may be understood as alternative ways of influencing economic systems, sets of rules, communities of practice – indeed, as the very fabric of user behaviour and interaction. The status of every internet user as consumer, sharer, producer and possibly manager of digital content is informed by, and shapes in return, the technical structure and organisation of the services she has access to. It is in this sense that network architecture is internet governance: by changing the design of the networks subtending internet-based services, and the global internet itself, the politics of the network of networks are affected – the balance of rights between users and providers, the capacity of online communities to engage in open and direct interaction, the fair competition between actors of the internet market.
Architecture, “politics by other means”
“Study an information system and neglect its standards, wires, and settings, and you miss equally essential aspects of aesthetics, justice, and change,” once wrote science and technology studies (STS) scholar Susan Leigh Star (Star, 1999, p. 339). Indeed, the history of internet innovation suggests that the shaping of technical architectures populating the network of networks is, in the words of philosopher Bruno Latour, “politics by other means” (Latour, 1988, p. 229). The ways in which architecture is politics, protocols are law, code shapes rights (e.g., Lessig, 1999; DeNardis, 2009), are explored today by a number of different authors in relation to networked and online media; in particular, internet-related research has contributed to foster the debate on the intersection and overlap of governance by architecture with other forms of governance. This section, while not pretending to be exhaustive, discusses some key approaches to the question.
Interested in the relationship between architectures and the organisation of society, Terje Rasmussen (2003) has argued that there is a structural match between the development of the technical model of the internet (such as packet switching and distributed routing) and the transformation of the societies in which it operates. In this account, the technical infrastructure of the Internet suggests that ours is a distributed society, based on the ability to handle risk, rather than on central control. On the other hand, information studies scholar and internet pioneer Philip Agre suggests that “Decentralized institutions do not imply decentralized architectures, or vice versa. […] Architectures and institutions inevitably coevolve, and to the extent they can be designed, they should be designed together” (Agre, 2003, p. 42), but they are not “naturally” related.
IT law scholar Barbara van Schewick seeks to examine how changes, notably design choices, in internet architecture affect the economic environment for innovation, and evaluates the impact of these changes from the perspective of public policy (2010, p. 2). According to her, this is a first step towards filling a gap in how scholarship understands innovators’ decisions and the economic environment for innovation. After many years of research on innovation processes, we understand how these are affected by changes in laws, norms, and prices; yet, we lack a similar understanding of how architecture and innovation impact each other, perhaps for the intrinsic appeal of architectures as purely technical systems (ibid., p. 2-3). Traditionally, she concludes, policy makers have used the law to bring about desired economic effects. Architecture de facto constitutes an alternative way of influencing economic systems, and as such, it is becoming another tool that actors can use to further their interests (ibid., p. 389).
The relationship between architecture and law-making for networked media has been an increasingly central interdisciplinary preoccupation since the late 1990s/early 2000s. Early uses of the metaphor “code is law” can be found in William Mitchell’s City of Bits (1995) and in Joel Reidenberg’s article on lex informatica, the formation of information policy rules through technology (1998). However, legal scholars Yochai Benkler and Lawrence Lessig have arguably been the “scene-setters” in this field, with their work on sharing as a paradigm of economic production in its own right (2004) and technical architecture as politics (1999), respectively. While the former argued for the rise of a “networked information economy” as a system of “production, distribution, and consumption of information goods characterized by decentralized individual action carried out through widely distributed, nonmarket means” (Benkler, 2006), the latter introduced technical architecture as one out of the four main (and interconnected) society regulators, the other three being law, market and norms. The application of this principle to the text of computer programmes led to what remains, perhaps, the most striking incarnation of the famous “code is law” label (Lessig, 1999).
Among the scholars that have since been inspired by this line of inquiry, Niva Elkin-Koren is especially relevant. In her work (e.g., 2006, 2012), architecture is understood as a dynamic parameter in the reciprocal influences of law and technology design, in the field of information and communication systems. The interrelationship between law and technology often focuses on one single aspect, the challenges that emerging technologies pose to the existing legal regime, thereby creating a need for further legal reform; however, the author argues, juridical measures involving technology both as a target of regulation and as a means of enforcement should take into account that the law does not merely respond to new technologies, but also shapes them and may affect their design (Elkin-Koren, 2006).
The work of Tim Wu adds layers to the conceptualisation of code’s relationship with law, moving from Lessig’s concept that computer code can substitute for law or other forms of regulation, to code as an anti-regulatory mechanism tool that certain groups will use to their advantage to minimise the costs of law – the possibility of “using code design as an alternative mechanism of interest group behavior” (Wu, 2003).
Architecture and the future(s) of the internet
The current trajectories of innovation for the internet are making it increasingly evident by the day: the evolutions (and in-volutions) of the network of networks are likely to depend in the medium-to-long term on the topology and the organisational/technical model of internet-based applications, as well as on the infrastructure underlying them (Aigrain, 2011).
This is illustrated by what has been this author’s main research focus over the past few years: the development of internet-based services – search engines, storage platforms, video streaming applications – based on decentralised network architectures (Musiani, 2013b).
The concept of decentralisation is somehow shaped and inscribed into the very beginnings of the internet – notably in the organisation and circulation of data packets – but its current topology integrates this structuring principle only in very limited ways (Minar & Hedlund, 2001). The limits of the concentrated and centralised urbanism of the internet, which has been predominant since the beginning of its commercial era and its appropriation by the masses, are sometimes highlighted by the same phenomena that has contributed to its widespread success, as best illustrated by social media (Schafer, Le Crosnier & Musiani, 2011). Examples of incidents caused by “excessive concentration” are, for example, the global consequences of the Pakistani YouTube re-routing in 2008 or the repeated failures of Twitter infrastructure (e.g., in 2012). These incidents have put into the spotlight some of the possible limits of the concentration model: excessive control, technical and/or legal, by a single commercial entity; the opaqueness of the modalities of this control vis-à-vis the users; the vulnerability to single-point failures of centralised architectures.
While internet users have become, at least potentially, not only consumers but also distributors, sharers and producers of digital content, the network of networks is structured in such a way that large quantities of data are centralised and compressed within large data centers and server farms. At the same time, such data is most suited to a rapid re-diffusion and re-sharing in multiple locations of a network that has now reached an unprecedented level of globalisation. The current organisation of internet-based services and the structure of the network that enables their delivery – with its mandatory passage points, places of storage and trade, required intersections – raises many questions, in terms of the optimised utilisation of resources, the fluidity, rapidity and effectiveness of electronic exchanges, the security of exchanges, the stability of the network.
Beyond technology, these questions are deeply social and political, and affect the “ramifications of possibles” (Gai, 2007) the internet is currently facing for its close future. Resorting to decentralised architectures and distributed organisational forms, constitutes a different way to address some issues of management of the network, in a perspective of effectiveness, answer to vulnerabilities, digital “sustainable development” (better resource management), and of maximisation of the Internet’s value for society.
Architectures shaping user rights: decentralisation and privacy by design
Systems based on distributed, decentralised, peer-to-peer (P2P) architectures seek their place today in an IT landscape that is mostly one of concentration and removal from users’ machines. From the viewpoint of informational data, personal data and exchanged content, this implies that sharing, regrouping and stocking those data in the most popular, and widespread internet services of today means promoting a model in which traffic is re-directed towards an ensemble of machines, placed under the exclusive and direct control of the service provider. Thus, exchanges between users are made by “copying” data that one wishes to share on one or more external terminals, or by giving these external machines the permission to index this information. The ways in which data circulates, is stored and written in these machines is often uncertain; moreover, the rights that the service provider acquires on such data are often excessive with respect to those maintained by the end user – in such a way that is often opaque for users themselves2.
When the operations of data treatment and handling are conducted, partially or totally, on users’ terminals directly linked together, this choice of network architecture contributes to building specific definitions of privacy protection. It modifies the ways in which the control on informational data, and the responsibility of their protection, are spread out to the users, the service providers and the developers who have created the service.
Three cases of internet services based on a decentralised network architecture – a search engine, a storage platform and a video streaming software, studied between 2009 and 2011 – have shown how a definition of privacy “by design,” more specifically by architectural design, takes shape in internet services (Musiani, 2013b). With this alternative, “techno-legal” way of defining privacy, a central role is attributed to the constraints and the opportunities of privacy protection that are inscribed into the technical model chosen by developers (Schaar, 2010).
Faroo, a P2P search engine developed first in Germany, then in the United Kingdom, displays a “six-levels” distribution model that must prevent the traceability of queries by a central entity; this model is supposed to preserve personal data within the user’s own terminal and the P2P client installed on it – unless they are encrypted on that very terminal before leaving it. This feature also allows the developers to work towards reducing the tension – which is a priori very difficult to eliminate – between the confidentiality of personal information and the personalisation of search queries, the latter being the “added value” that social dynamics add to the search engine and, which is based on the very collection of this personal information.
The case of Tribler, a P2P video streaming tool first developed at the Technical University of Delft (The Netherlands), is another occasion to follow this tension, as the logic underlying the system is that the history of downloads made by a user are shared by default with other users so as to nourish the software’s “recommendation” algorithm. The solution envisaged by the developers has, once again, to do with an idea of “privacy by architectural design”, as it builds on the decentralised and distributed model to mitigate, in the eyes of users, the impression of exposure and revelation of themselves that the system’s social features may provoke: not only can the feature be disabled, but it only sends the download history to other users – it doesn’t keep the information on any server controlled by the service.
Finally, Wuala 3, a (formerly) distributed storage platform developed in Switzerland, displayed similar attempts to protect user privacy via architecture. The heart of this service was the user’s terminal, where, thanks to a dedicated P2P client, the operations of encryption and fragmentation of stored data could take place. These two operations, conducted before any other (e.g., sharing, downloading or circulating data in the network), were meant, in the vision of Wuala’s developers, as evidence given to the users that the service provider, regardless of its intentions, did not even possess the technical means to break user trust in the system.
While developers, across all three case studies, consider that a more articulate protection of privacy is one of the core comparative advantages of their systems (and they “sell” it as such), users wonder, in turn, about the implications of a decentralised architecture for the protection of their data. What does the fact of making available to the whole P2P network a part of one’s own computing resources imply, for the “invisible” data collected there? In the cases of Faroo and Wuala – where the P2P model merges, in a peculiar way, with a proprietary software logic, this question is the occasion to make explicit the difficult articulation between the decentralising philosophy subtending the systems, and a closed source code. Pioneer users – for the most part, users-innovators or users-developers themselves – see the closed code as a lack of transparency, even a lack of respect, that prevents them from delving into this aspect with the tools they have available. It is good to have privacy by architecture, these users point out, but we need to have a direct knowledge of this technique on a case-by-case basis, to, eventually, allow for direct modifications of the architecture.
Decentralised models challenge “by architecture” the extent, the balance and the very definition of the rights obtained by service providers on users’ personal data, vis-à-vis the rights that users maintain on such data. With a trade-off: on the one hand, the user sees her privacy reinforced by the possibility of an augmented control on her data, and its handling by the P2P client. However, simultaneously and for the same reasons, her responsibility for the actions she undertakes within and by means of the application is increased proportionately, as the provider surrenders voluntarily some of his control over the data and content present on the service. The collective dimension of this responsibility is also emphasised, inasmuch as the infraction to the collective behaviour has not only individual but collective consequences- be it the storage of inappropriate content, the introduction of unreliable information or spam in a distributed search index, or a “selfish” management of the bandwidth shared by a P2P streaming system.
Conclusions: how architecture matters
“Arrangements of technical architecture have always inherently been arrangements of power,” writes STS scholar Laura DeNardis (2012): the technical architecture of networked systems does not only affect internet governance, but is internet governance. This governance by architecture, or “governance by design” (De Filippi, Dulong de Rosnay & Musiani, 2013), has important implications at a number of levels, of which the previous section has given but one example.
Changes in architectural design affect the repartition of competences and responsibilities between service providers, content producers, users and network operators. They affect forms of engagement and intéressement (Callon, 2006) in networked systems, of users first and foremost, but also of other actors concerned by the implementation and the operation of internet services. They shape the sustainability of the underlying economic models and the technical and legal approaches to digital content and personal data. They make visible, in various configurations, the forms of interaction between the local and the global, the patterns of articulation between the individual and the collective.
Changes in network architectures contribute to the shaping of user rights, of the ways to produce and enforce law, and are reconfigured in return. A number of legal issues, that go way beyond copyright (despite having often been reduced to this aspect, notably in the case of peer-to-peer systems), are raised by architectural configurations of internet services. To preserve the internet’s “social value,” it is important to achieve reliable forms of regulation – technical, political, or both – without impeding present and future innovation.
Changes in architecture do, finally, contribute to shift the boundary between public and private uses of the internet as a global facility: they are a crucial factor in defining intellectual property rights, the right to privacy of users/clients, or their rights of access to content. They contribute to define what is a contributor in internet-based services, in terms of computing resources required for operating the system, and of content.
In the end, technical architecture appears as one of the strongest, if not the strongest structuring element of internet governance: what is shaped into architecture and infrastructure can seldom be undone by institutional negotiation and dialogue alone, and institutions find it increasingly complicated to keep up with “creative” governance by architecture and by infrastructure4. In this sense, future evolutions of internet governance as a field would do well to take into account Michel van Eeten and Milton Mueller’s suggestion to expand and include innovative areas such as the economics of cybercrime and cyber security, network neutrality, content filtering and regulation, copyright enforcement, and interconnection arrangements among ISPs (van Eeten & Mueller, 2013).
In the digital world, it is possible to design in detail the architecture of the world users interact with – and as a consequence, it is possible to design the architecture of our global communication infrastructure in order to promote specific types of interactions over others (De Filippi et al., 2013). With important consequences for the ways in which the future internet will be governed, and for the extent to which its users will be not only customers, but citizens.
1. Internet governance (IG) today is a lively, emerging field, and its definition relentlessly contested by different groups across political and ideological lines. A “working definition” of IG has been provided in the past, after the United Nations-initiated World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), by the Working Group on Internet Governance – a definition that has reached wide consensus because of its inclusiveness, but is perhaps too broad to be useful for drawing more precisely the boundaries of the field (Malcolm, 2008): “Internet governance is the development and application by governments, the private sector and civil society, in their respective roles, of shared principles, norms, rules, decision-making procedures, and programmes that shape the evolution and use of the Internet” (WGIG, 2005). This broad definition implies the involvement of a plurality of actors, and the possibility for them to deploy a plurality of governance mechanisms. IG has been described as a mix of technical coordination, standards, and policies (e.g., Malcolm, 2008 and Mueller, 2010). See also (DeNardis, 2013) and (Musiani, 2013a).
2. See this discussion of the terms of use of several social sites, among which Facebook and Instagram: http://www.nyccounsel.com/business-blogs-websites/who-owns-photos-and-videos-posted-on-facebook-or-twitter/
3. The decentralised mechanism subtending the Wuala system, a trade between local storage space and space in a “P2P storage cloud” spread out to the users, was discontinued in September 2011.
4. An example is the Domain Name System and its co-optations. See (DeNardis, 2012) and (Musiani, 2013).
Benkler, Y. (2006). The Wealth of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Benkler, Y. (2004). “Sharing Nicely: On Shareable Goods and the Emergence of Sharing as a Modality of Economic Production.” The Yale Law Journal, 114 (2), 273-358.
Callon, M. (2006). “Sociologie de l’acteur-réseau.” In Akrich, M., Callon, M. & Latour, B. Sociologie de la traduction. Textes fondateurs. Paris : Presses des Mines, 267-276.
De Filippi, P., M. Dulong de Rosnay & F. Musiani (2013). “Peer production online communities, distributed architectures and governance by design.” Communication presented at the Fourth Transforming Audiences Conference, September 3, 2013, University of Westminster, London.
DeNardis, L. (2013). “The Emerging Field of Internet Governance”, in W. Dutton (ed.) Oxford Handbook of Internet Studies. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
DeNardis, L. (2012). “The Turn to Infrastructure for Internet Governance”, Concurring Opinions, 2012, http://www.concurringopinions.com/archives/2012/04/the-turn-to-infrastructure-for-internet-governance.html
DeNardis, L. (2009). Protocol Politics. The Globalization of Internet Governance. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
Elkin-Koren, N. (2012). “Governing Access to User-Generated Content: The Changing Nature of Private Ordering in Digital Networks.” In Brousseau, E., Marzouki, M., Méadel, C. (eds.), Governance, Regulations and Powers on the Internet, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Gai, A.-T. (2007). “Web 3.0: une autre branche pour l’arbre des possibles.” Transnets, http://pisani.blog.lemonde.fr/2007/02/17/web-30-une-autre-branche-pour-larbre-des-possibles/
Latour, B. (1988). The Pasteurization of France. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Lessig, L. (1999). Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace. New York: Basic Books.
Malcolm, J. (2008). Multi-Stakeholder Governance and the Internet Governance Forum. Wembley, WA : Terminus Press.
Minar, N. & Hedlund, M. (2001). “A network of peers – Peer-to-peer models through the history of the Internet.” In A. Oram (Ed.), Peer-to-peer: Harnessing the Power of Disruptive Technologies, 9-20. Sebastopol, CA: O’Reilly.
Mitchell, W. J. (1996). City of Bits. Space, Place and the Infobahn. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
Mueller, M. (2010). Networks and States: The Global Politics of Internet Governance. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
Musiani, F. (2013a). “A Decentralized Domain Name System? User-Controlled Infrastructure as Alternative Internet Governance”. Presented at the 8th Media In Transition (MiT8) conference, May 3-5, 2013, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA. Available as draft at http://web.mit.edu/comm-forum/mit8/papers/Musiani_DecentralizedDNS_MiT8Paper.pdf
Musiani, F. (2013b). Nains sans géants. Architecture décentralisée et services Internet. Paris, Presses des Mines.
Rasmussen, T. (2003). “On distributed society: The history of the Internet as a guide to a sociological understanding of communication and society,” In G. Liestøl, A. Morrison & T. Rasmussen (ed.), Digital Media revisited : theoretical and conceptual innovation in digital domains, Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
Reidenberg, J. R. (1998). “Lex Informatica: The Formulation of Internet Policy Rules Through Technology.” Texas Law Review, 76 (3).
Schafer, V., H. Le Crosnier & F. Musiani (2011). La neutralité de l’Internet, un enjeu de communication. Paris: CNRS Editions/Les Essentiels d’Hermès.
van Eeten, M. & M. Mueller (2009). “Where Is the Governance in Internet Governance?” New Media & Society, 15 (5): 720-736.
van Schewick, B. (2010). Internet Architecture and Innovation. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
Working Group on Internet Governance (2005). Report of the Working Group on Internet Governance, Château de Bossey, June 2005, http://www.wgig.org/docs/WGIGREPORT.pdf
Wu, T. (2003). “When Code Isn’t Law.” Virginia Law Review, 89.
Publié le 31 octobre 2013 Auteur Francesca MusianiCatégories Actualités, Bibliographie, Productions ADAM, Projets d'architecture distribuéeMots-clés architecture, code, droits, Gouvernance, privacy by design, protocolesLaisser un commentaire sur Architectures de réseau et (comme) gouvernance d’Internet
La gouvernance des algorithmes
Cet article, en anglais, a également paru sur l’Internet Policy Review. Merci à Frédéric Dubois, Uta Meier-Hahn, Madeline Carr et Johan Soderberg pour leurs commentaires et relectures.
Governance by algorithms
09 Aug 2013 by Francesca Musiani
Note on title [1].
Algorithms are increasingly often cited as one of the fundamental shaping devices of our daily, immersed-in-information existence. Their importance is acknowledged, their performance scrutinised in numerous contexts. Yet, a lot of what constitutes “algorithms” beyond their broad definition as “encoded procedures for transforming input data into a desired output, based on specified calculations”[2] is often taken for granted. At the same time, they are “invoked as powerful entities that control, govern, sort, regulate, and shape everything from financial trades to news media”[3]. Recently (May 16-17, 2013), an interdisciplinary event organised at New York University has addressed this issue through an interesting lens: that of governance – governance by algorithms in addition to governance of algorithms.
Taking stock of the event, which this author attended, the article seeks to contribute to the discussion of “what algorithms do” and in which ways they are artefacts of governance, providing two illustrative examples drawing from the internet and ICT realm: search engine queries and e-commerce websites’ recommendations to customers. Indeed, the question of the relationship between algorithms and rules is likely to occupy an increasingly central role in the study and the practice of internet governance, in terms of both institutions’ regulation of algorithms, and algorithms’ regulation of our society.
The omnipresence of data, the consequences of their organisation
The role of invisibility in the classification processes that order human interaction, the procedures through which categories are made and kept invisible, the ways in which people can change this invisibility when necessary, and the extent to which systems of classification are crucial to the building of information infrastructures have been core preoccupations of science, technology and society scholars for several years.[4] Yet, the issue of information classification and organisation has perhaps never been as relevant as in our current times of “information overload”[5] and internet-mediated access to the vast majority of the information surrounding us.[6] Indeed, digital data seem to proliferate in the complex world of today, building on the variety of platforms and supports that allow for dematerialisation and rapid circulation and distribution. They serve different purposes, from trading to surveillance, from evaluation to recommendation; they are listed, regrouped and organised by means of many supports and devices, from search engines to e-commerce websites. While companies leverage traces left by consumers on the web so as to better target, customise (and take advantage of) their next purchases and interactions, some users worry about the portraits that such traces allow others to paint of them, and of the impossibility to modify or erase them, left to the perusal of generations to come[7].
Arguing that we are currently entering in the era of big data and algorithms, several authors argue that this “is a major breakthrough in the development of digital services (as it) gives decisive importance not only to the owners of data, but also and especially to those who can make them intelligible”[8]. The algorithms subtending the information and communication technologies we daily use, the internet first and foremost, are (also) artefacts of governance, arrangements of power and “politics by other means”[9].
The power of algorithms
By naming a conference held at New York University last May “Governing Algorithms”, its organisers were making a deliberate choice of ambiguity – hinting at both the governance of algorithms, the extent to which political regulation can affect the functioning of the instructions and procedures subtending technology, and the governing power of algorithms themselves.
The ways in which the pervasiveness of algorithms into human society has political implications appear as a core issue of our times; they are a key feature of both today’s information ecosystem[10] and underlying cultural norms[11], as they contribute to the shaping of the information we access and of its organisation. In a recent paper, communication scholar Tarleton Gillespie highlights six dimensions of political valence for algorithms that have public relevance, i.e., those algorithms that are used to select what is most relevant from a corpus of data composed of traces of our activities, preferences, and expressions”[12]. These six dimensions are:
patterns of inclusion, the choices behind the constitution of an index, what is included and excluded in it, and how data is “prepared” for the algorithm;
cycles of anticipation, the consequences of attempts, by those creating the algorithms, to have information about their users and make predictions on their future behaviours;
the evaluation of relevance, the criteria by which algorithms determine what is not only relevant, but appropriate and legitimate;
the promise of objectivity, the way the technical nature of the algorithm is presented as a guarantee of impartiality, particularly in the case of controversy;
the entanglement with practice, the processes by which users reshape their practices to suit the algorithms they depend on, and turn algorithms into terrains for political contest;
finally, the production of calculated publics, the process of algorithmic presentation of publics back to themselves, and how this shapes a public’s sense of itself.[13]
These six dimensions bring to the fore two main consequences of the “computation” of our information society. By delegating to algorithms a number of tasks that would be impossible to perform manually, the process of submitting data to analysis is automated; and in turn, the results of these analyses automate decision-making. This double automation, in turn, poses the question of agency and control[14]. By asking questions such as: who are the arbiters of algorithms? Is algorithm design an assertion of authority over more than the algorithm itself? What is the autonomy of algorithms, if any? – it is the accountability and the responsibility of algorithms as socio-technical artefacts that is examined, that of their creators and users, and ultimately, of the balance of power facilitated or caused by algorithms.
Algorithmic governance: Part I. Web search
The ways in which the web gives more visibility to some information and content than to other is at the very heart of the recurring debate on the defining features of the digital space as a “public space.” According to Jürgen Habermas, the “father” of the public sphere concept, two conditions are necessary to structure a public space: freedom of expression, and discussion as a force of integration. The architecture of the “network of networks” seems to articulate these two conditions. However, if the first is frequently recognised as one of the widespread virtues of the internet, the second seems more uncertain[15]. In his book The Wealth of Networks, legal scholar Yochai Benkler argues for a global “order” intrinsic to the web, whose core feature is the fact that the selection of information is no longer the monopoly of gatekeepers, journalists, librarians and editors, but is delegated to internet users, now publishers in their own right. By citing and quoting one another in conversational niches, these individuals and groups single out quality information for algorithms, which, in turn, order and classify them and make them available in search engines.[16] Thus, the ordering of web-hosted information appears as a co-production and co-construction of internet users and computational tools.
Algorithms are delegating the integration of conversations and discussions taking place at the micro level. The aggregated arguments that result from this integration are perceived as “implicit universal consensus”; they have both the strengths and the weaknesses of any information that cannot be traced back to any specific individual, and at the same time, results from a wide assemblage of opinions.[17] Search engines, and the multiple measures underlying the internet hierarchise the visibility of information by proposing it at the very beginning of search result lists, or dissimulating it at the end. By de facto deciding “what must be seen,” they are susceptible to encourage or discourage controversy and discussion – while constructing the public agenda of political and social priorities in the process, as well as selecting interlocutors that matter.[18]
In particular, thanks to the current quasi-monopoly that Google holds on web search practices, its PageRank algorithm has been widely examined as the new gatekeeper[19] and “benevolent dictator”[20] of the digital public spaces and spheres. The algorithm implements, according to a “recipe” that partly remains an industrial secret, different sets of measurement criteria that assess authority (according to the number of citations), audience (according to the number of visits or clicks), proximity and affinity (according to recommendations) or speed (according to real-time aggregation and relay of “hot” topics). PageRank, as the “master switch” of the internet,[21] centralises and organises the circulation of information in the network of networks, and for every search interrogation and request, arbitrates on what’s important and relevant.
Algorithmic governance: Part 2: Recommendations in e-commerce[22]
For some years now, online seller Amazon has been “a remarkable prescriber”, whose prescriptions are based on the recommendations of its readers/buyers. The vendor’s website makes it possible for each of its subscribed users to know, in a single click, about other purchases made in the past by users who have acquired the same title[23]. Personalised recommendations are not something new in the world of book publishing and selling, be they digital or not. Simply, a librarian remarks ironically, they historically have been “the exclusive purview of booksellers, librarians… and friends. Now your best friend for advice on reading is called ‘recommendation Al Gorithm’… and it loves you very much!”[24]
Indeed, it is on the systematisation and automation of a very widespread and very social phenomenon – the exchange of advice and guidance among users, sharing preferences and affinities – that Amazon and other online sellers base their recommendation systems. Drawing from methods based on both content (considering two books “similar” if they share a large number of words) and collaborative filtering (the intersection of lists containing particular books and lists based on previous records of books purchased or borrowed by readers), Amazon has developed an algorithm called “item-to-item collaborative filtering”. Its details remain an industrial secret, but the algorithm displays every day its effectiveness in “personalising” recommendations according to the interests of each of its consumers. As its name suggests, rather than match a user with similar users, this algorithm relates each item ordered and purchased by users with similar items, and eventually combines them in a recommendation list.[25]
Behind this algorithm – and causing readers/buyers to think that Amazon knows very well, perhaps too well, their tastes – lie years of research and experiments in a recent subfield of computer science whose practical applications are increasingly widespread, albeit discrete: data mining, in particular affinity analysis and market basket analysis.[26] For readers looking for new things to read, suggestions similar to their previously purchased articles are constructed by relying on a mix of several sources of information about them, feeding a large database where they are combined with other shopping histories. This information can range from the most obvious demographics about oneself and close relatives, to more complex assessments based on the sites one consults before arriving at Amazon, or one’s “habit of clicks.” The entanglements within this large database about the purchasing behaviour of users, activated in accordance with Amazon’s patented algorithm, are the basis of the suggestions familiar to the user, such as “Recommended as you bought…” or “Recommended because you add X to your wish…”, and influence book purchases on Amazon every day.
Algorithms and rules, rule by algorithm
We live in an increasingly algorithmic world. This article has examined, in particular, two cases related to web-based information and communication technologies where the importance of algorithms is high and their presence pervasive. However, the invisible computational structures that guide our search results and our online purchases extend to a number of other contexts, in which algorithms are deployed and regulatory work has been insistently called for in face of recent crises, from facial recognition software to financial markets.[27]
The question of the relationship between algorithms and rules is likely to occupy an increasingly central role in the study and the practice of internet governance, and more generally, of the governance of the complex, automated systems that permeate today’s world.
The academic landscape in the interdisciplinary fields of communication studies, internet studies and science and technology studies reflects a thriving and increasing interest for this question. As an additional path towards answering the key question, “who does the algorithm serve?”, scholars also investigate the historical process from which the algorithm has emerged as a key topic of our times and attempt to situate it in the larger context of political economy.[28]
As not only academic research but current news show ever more frequently,[29] two faces of the algorithms/rules relationship are currently under scrutiny, and are likely to be even more in the close future. On the one hand, there is the issue of institutions’ ruling of algorithms. Should the locus of legal reasoning related to these systems shift to the coding of algorithms? Should regulation, or further regulation, of algorithms be pushed or advocated for in specific contexts? What would this regulation look like, would it even be possible, and what effects would it cause?[30]
On the other hand, the extent to which we live in a world ruled by algorithms has to be assessed. We need to research not only the extent to which, given the ubiquity of algorithms, they regulate us in a sense, but also “what it would mean to resist them”.[31]
[1] This article is partially a recollection and account of the Governing Algorithms conference held at New York University on May 16-17, 2013.
[2] Gillespie, Tarleton (2013). “The Relevance of Algorithms”. Forthcoming in Media Technologies: Essays on Communication, Materiality, and Society, ed. Tarleton Gillespie, Pablo Boczkowski, and Kirsten Foot. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Available at http://governingalgorithms.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/1-paper-gilles…
[3] http://governingalgorithms.org/
[4] Bowker, Geoffrey C. & Susan Leigh Star (1999). Sorting Things Out: Classification and Its Consequences. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
[5] Flew, Terry (2008) New Media: An Introduction (3rd Ed.). Oxford : Oxford University Press.
[6] Cardon, Dominique (2013). “Présentation”. Dossier Politique des algorithmes, Réseaux, 177 (1): 9-21.
[7] On the Internet’s “persistent memory” and the so-called “right to be forgotten”, championed by the EU in the recent past, see e.g. Beckles, C.-A. (2013). “Will the Right to Be Forgotten Lead to a Society That Was Forgotten?”, Privacy Perspectives, https://www.privacyassociation.org/privacy_perspectives/post/will_the_ri… or the critical Harris, L. (2013). “How to fix the EU’s ‘Right to be Forgotten’”, The Huffington Post, http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/series/internet-privacy-the-right-t…
[8] Cardon (2013), p. 10.
[9] Latour, Bruno (1988). The Pasteurization of France. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press , p. 229.
[10] Anderson, C. W. (2011). “Deliberative, agonistic, and algorithmic audiences: Journalism’s vision of its public in an age of audience”. Journal of Communication, 5: 529-547.
[11] Striphas, Ted (2009). The Late Age of Print: Everyday Book Culture from Consumerism to Control. New York, NY: Columbia University Press.
[12] Gillespie (2013), p. 2.
[13] Ibid., pp. 2-3.
[14] Barocas, Solon, Sophie Hood & Malte Ziewitz (2013). “Governing Algorithms: A Provocation Piece”. Discussion Paper for the Governing Algorithms conference, NYU, May 16-17, 2013. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2245322 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2245322
[15] Cardon (2013), p. 11.
[16] Benkler, Yochai (2006). The Wealth of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. (pp. 33-35).
[17] Geiger, Stuart (2009). “Does Habermas Understand the Internet? The Algorithmic Construction of the Blogo/Public Sphere”. Gnovis: A Journal of Communication, Culture and Technology, 1 (10).
[19] Smith, Dan (2013). “Google: Gatekeeper of the Internet’s Grey Area”. The Telegraph, June 10, 2013. Available at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/technology/technology-trends/101039…
[20] Masnick, M. (2008). “Google As Benevolent Dictator: The Gatekeeper and the Data Collector”. TechDirt, December 2008. Available at http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20081201/0119292980.shtml
[21] Wu, Tim (2010). The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires. Random House Digital, pp. 279-280.
[22] This section is partly based on an article I wrote in French in March 2012: Musiani, Francesca (2012). “‘Bienvenue sur votre Amazon’: les systèmes de recommandation d’ouvrages”, Labs Hadopi. Available at http://labs.hadopi.fr/actualites/bienvenue-sur-votre-amazon-les-systemes…
[23] Benhamou, Françoise (2012). “3e étape de la stratégie verticale d’Amazon”. Blog L’Eco(nomie) des Livres, October 24, 2012. Available at http://www.livreshebdo.fr/weblog/l-eco%28nomie%29-des-livres-24/776.aspx
[24] Lemaire, Alexandre (2011). “Madame Machine, pouvez-vous me conseiller un bon livre? Les nouveaux outils Web de recommandation de lectures”. Association des Bibilothécaires de France, June 27, 2011. Available at http://bibliolab.fr/cms/content/les-nouveaux-outils-web-de-recommandation
[25] Linden, Greg, Brent Smith & Jeremy York (2003). “Amazon.com Recommendations: Item-to-Item Collaborative Filtering”. IEEE Internet Computing, 7 (1): 76-80. Available at http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=1167344&userType…
[26] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affinity_analysis
[27] Hardt, Moritz (2013). “Occupy Algorithms: Will Algorithms Serve The 99%?” Response Paper for the Governing Algorithms Conference, NYU, May 17, 2013. Available at http://governingalgorithms.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/2-response-hardt.pdf
[28] Berry, David (2012). “The relevance of understanding code to international political economy”. International Politics, 49: 277–296.
[29] E.g. BBC News (2011). “Disappearing tycoon Souter blames Google”, September 12, 2011. Available at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-14884717
[30] Barocas, Hood & Ziewitz (2013), see supra note 14.
Publié le 14 août 2013 Auteur Francesca MusianiCatégories Actualités, Bibliographie, Productions ADAMUn commentaire sur La gouvernance des algorithmes
Un regard critique sur les architectures décentralisées
Un article de 2012, par Arvind Narayanan, Solon Barocas, Vincent Toubiana, Helen Nissembaum and Dan Boneh, librement disponible en ligne sur la plateforme ArXiv, porte un “regard critique” sur les architectures de réseau décentralisées dans des contextes d’application qui impliquent un traitement des données personnelles.
Le problème central auquel se confronte le papier est la distance entre la promesse des architectures décentralisées, face à la centralisation progressive des fournisseurs de service, et le manque d’application à large échelle, sauf exceptions, de ces architectures. En parallèle aux avantages, le papier discute les inconvénients de la décentralisation, qui restent, d’après les auteurs, souvent cachés sous la promesse d’une plus grande liberté et protection.
« …for all these efforts, decentralized personal data architectures have seen little adoption. This position paper attempts to account for these failures, challenging the accepted wisdom in the web community on the feasibility and desirability of these approaches. »
« for the most part decentralized social networking appears not to have anticipated the success of mainstream commercial, centralized social networks, but rather developed as a response to it. »
« we present some underappreciated drawbacks of decentralized architectures. Not all of these apply to all types of systems, nor is any of them individually a decisive factor. But collectively they may help explain why decentralization faces a steep road ahead, and why even if adopted, decentralization will not necessarily provide all the benefits that its proponents believe will automatically flow from it. »
« We hope to kick off a more tempered discussion of the future of personal data architectures in both scholarly and hobbyist/entrepreneurial circles, one that is informed by the lessons of history. There is much work to be done along these lines — application of economic theory can shed light on questions such as the relative strength of network effects in centralized vs. decentralized systems. Empirical methodology such as user and developer interviews would also be tremendously valuable. »
On est ravis d’apprendre qu’on est en train de contribuer à une démarche intéressante. ;-)
Publié le 3 juillet 2013 Auteur Francesca MusianiCatégories Actualités, Bibliographie, Productions ADAM, Projets d'architecture distribuéeMots-clés architecture, décentralisation, développeurs, données personnelles, interviews, usagersLaisser un commentaire sur Un regard critique sur les architectures décentralisées
Réinventer l'”annuaire téléphonique” de l’Internet? Institutions, Industries, Infrastructures
Le 19 Avril 2013, Francesca Musiani, en sa qualité de Yahoo! Fellow à l’Institut d’études diplomatiques de la School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University (Washington, DC) a organisé une conférence intitulée «Réinventer l'”annuaire téléphonique” de l’Internet? Institutions, Industries, Infrastructures ». Depuis la création de l’Internet, l’utilisation de noms de domaine, adresses, protocoles et autres infrastructures sous-jacentes au “réseau des réseaux” comme instruments de pouvoir et de gouvernance a joué un rôle crucial dans le maintien de sa stabilité, face à toutes ses évolutions. Dans l’Internet d’aujourd’hui, ces outils sont de plus en plus mis à profit par des entités politiques à des fins différents de ceux pour lesquels ils ont été initialement conçus. Cette conférence, dont on présente un compte-rendu détaillé en anglais, a abordé plusieurs thèmes chers à ADAM dans son exploration des implications politiques, sociales et techniques du “turn to infrastructure” dans la gouvernance de l’Internet. Les participants à cette conférence se sont concentrés sur un aspect particulièrement controversé de l’infrastructure Internet: le système de noms de domaine (DNS), ou l'”annuaire téléphonique” de l’Internet. Une version PDF du rapport est disponible sur le site de l’Institut d’études diplomatiques.
Reinventing the Internet’s Phone Book? Institutions, Industry and Infrastructure
A Conference Account
Francesca Musiani (2012-13 Yahoo! Fellow in Residence, ISD, Georgetown University)
With the collaboration of Chris Haley & Allison Maranuk (2012-13 Yahoo! Junior Fellows, MSFS, Georgetown University)
Note to the Reader: This account is intended as a follow-up resource for conference participants, for individuals who expressed interest but were unable to attend the conference, and more broadly for people interested in Internet governance, particularly DNS governance, issues. While we have paid a great deal of attention in being as accurate as possible, in no case portions of this text should be considered as direct quotes from the speakers’ remarks. Thank you to all the speakers and moderators for sharing their insights, and to Chris and Allison for the diligent note-taking. I take full responsibility for whatever inaccuracy is left. FM
On April 19, 2013, the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service hosted a conference entitled “Reinventing the Internet’s Phone Book? Institutions, Industry and Infrastructure”. Since the Internet’s foundation, the use of domain names, addresses, protocols, and other underlying infrastructures as instruments of power and governance has been crucial in maintaining stability throughout its evolution. In today’s Internet landscape, these tools are increasingly being leveraged by political entities for purposes other than those for which they were designed. This conference set out to explore the political, social, and technical implications of this tendency, by focusing on a particularly controversial aspect of Internet infrastructure: the Domain Name System (DNS), or the Internet’s “phone book.” Three organizations and institutions co-sponsored the event: the Yahoo! Fund on Communications Technology, International Values, and the Global Internet; American University’s School of International Service; and the Global Internet Governance Academic Network (GigaNet).
Internet governance by infrastructure: the case of the Domain Name System
Francesca Musiani, Yahoo! Fellow in Residence at the ISD for 2012-13 and the event’s host, first introduced the topic of the day’s discussion. This required, initially, to briefly touch upon the definition of Internet governance, which she described, based on the 2005 definition by the Working Group on Internet Governance, as the development and application, by relevant actors in their respective roles, of shared principles, norms, rules, decision-making procedures, and programs that shape the evolution and use of the Internet. This definition, despite its inclusiveness, has been contested by differing groups across political and ideological lines. One of the main debates concerns the authority and participation of certain actors. In particular, the role of governments is central and ambiguous, and other aspects of internet governance are controlled by transnational organizations. One should be careful about simplifying ideological extremes in discussing IG: the public is sometimes under the impression, fostered by media, that IG is entirely performed by a handful of institutions – which is not the case. All of this often leads to neglect or disregard what is, instead, a crucial aspect of Internet governance: there are a number of components of the Internet’s infrastructure and technical architecture in the design of which are embedded, to some extent, arrangements of governance. These are technologies and processes beneath the layer of content and inherently designed to keep the Internet operational: Internet Protocol addresses are an example, and there are many more, but the one the conference wishes to address is the Domain Name System, or DNS.
The DNS translates between alphanumeric domain names and their associated IP addresses necessary for routing packets of information over the Internet. For this reason, it is oftentimes called the Internet’s “phone book”. It is a wide database management system, arranged hierarchically but distributed globally, across countless servers. The Internet’s root name servers contain a master file known as the root zone file, listing the IP addresses and associated names of the official DNS servers for all top‐level domains (TLDs). The management of the DNS has always been a central task of Internet governance, and ICANN is ultimately responsible for managing the assignment of domain names (delegated through Internet registrars), and for controlling the root server system and the root zone file.
There have been a number of controversies in this area, involving institutional and international power struggles over DNS control, and issues of legitimacy, democracy, and jurisdiction. Notably, debates have addressed the historical ties between ICANN and the United States government in face of increasing internet globalization; this controversy continues to be a heated topic in Internet governance discussions. There are additional policy implications in the DNS: it was originally restricted to ASCII characters, precluding the possibility of domain names in many language scripts such as Arabic, Chinese or Russian. Internationalized domain names (IDNs) have now been introduced. Furthermore, in 2011, ICANN’s board voted to end most restrictions on the generic top-level domain names (gTLD) from the 22 currently available.Companies and organizations will now be able to choose essentially arbitrary top-level Internet domains, with implications for consumers’ relationships to brands and ways to find information on the Internet. Further DNS issues concern the relationship between domain names and freedom of expression, security, and trademark dispute resolution for domain names.
While this covers quite a lot of ground already, this conference aimed at taking one further step. In recent years, we witness a number of (more or less successful) attempts, by political and private entities, to co-opt infrastructures of internet governance for purposes other than the ones they were initially designed for. Not only is there governance of infrastructure, but governance is carried out by infrastructure… using infrastructure in “creative ways”, so to speak. As DeNardis (2011) explains: “Forces of globalization and technological change have diminished the capacity of sovereign nation states and media content producers to directly control information flows. This loss of control over content and the failure of laws and markets to regain this control have redirected political and economic battles into the realm of infrastructure.” Examples of how content mediation controversies have shifted into the realm of Internet governance infrastructure can be found, for example, in the intentional outages of basic telecommunications and Internet infrastructures, enacted by governments via private actors, whether via protocols, application blocking, or termination of access services. The government-initiated Internet outages in Egypt and Libya, in the face of revolution and uprisings, have illustrated this and may have set a dangerous precedent.
However, the domain name system is perhaps, nowadays, the best illustration of this “governance by infrastructure” tendency. Domain name seizures that use the domain name system to redirect queries away from an entire web site, rather than just the infringing content, have been considered as a suitable means of intellectual property rights enforcement. DNS-based enforcement was also at the heart of controversies and Internet boycotts over the legislative efforts to pass the Protect IP Act (PIPA) and the Stop Online Privacy Act (SOPA). Governance by infrastructure enacted by private actors was also visible during the WikiLeaks saga, when Amazon and EveryDNS blocked Wikileaks’ web hosting and domain name resolution services. The conference addresses these controversies, with the aim of understanding the extent to which matters of Internet governance using infrastructure entail not only issues of economic freedom – but of Internet freedoms.
The DNS today: enforcement, security and mobilizations
The first panel, moderated by Derrick Cogburn, Associate Professor, School of International Service, American University, featured panelists Steve Crocker, CEO, Shinkuro, Inc. & Chair, ICANN Board, Matthew Schruers, CCIA & Adjunct Professor, Georgetown University, Scott McCormick, Consultant, McCormick ICT International, and Luke Pelican, Consultant, Ammori Group.
Dr. Steve Crocker, an internet pioneer and author of the first Request for Comments of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), has been involved in the development of internet since its startup in the late 60s and 70s. His opening remarks, he suggested, would probably be a counterpoint to the introductory talk and most of the day’s discussions.
It is interesting to see how attractive the idea of Internet governance has become to such diverse groups, and the range of issues it covers. It could be useful to ask again the question: what is it that has to be governed? There are three main sets of issues.
First of all, we all have a shared interest in the system. A threat to its security is bad for the public as a whole, and maintaining operation of it is important to everyone: the system has to continue to work. Contrary to popular belief, many threats are in fact not malicious, they are accidents or otherwise caused by the overloading of the system or some of its components, and its disruption via single or multiple points of failure. Secondly, some coordination of scarce resources is needed; however, the extent to which there are scarce resources on the Net is, in fact, debatable. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is responsible for maintaining unique identifiers in the domain name space. Originally there were 4 domains, and eventually, it was decided to attach human-friendly names to those numbers. In the beginning, the majority of the connections were in the US, with only a few international connections; since the beginning, however, there was the idea of a system as distributed as possible and over time, pressures increased to expand it. Originally, there were about 4 billion IP addresses available. In the DNS’s early days, it was thought that this number would last forever – now, the IPv4 system is close to depletion. We will now see a rise of the IPv6 system, which will take some transition, and in this transition period, there may be some issues as IPv4 and IPv6 are not born interoperable. Thirdly, some governance is needed for the suppression of undesired behavior, from impolite speech to identify theft, from espionage to extortion and of course, child pornography. This is a controversial area, of course, because “one man’s freedom is another man’s pain”.
As the Internet began to grow, there was some conversation about who would be in charge of all this. First, Jon Postel single-handedly managed the system, simply updating the hosts.txt directory when needed. Of course, this quickly became too much, so ICANN was created and incorporated as a non-profit in California. It has relations with the US government due to the renewal of its contract with the Commerce Department to perform the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) functions. Today, Internet governance brings in a lot of people who want to use the Internet as a pawn in their own objectives, but are not acting in the internet’s best interest. What has made the Internet blossom is to make it as unrestricted as possible (in stark contrast to the telephone system), leaving innovation at the edges, and the same principle applies to the DNS. As there is no technical reason to either change the structure or to prohibit additional domain name systems from being created, ICANN’s last “big decision” has been to lift most restrictions on gTLDs and opening up an application process.
Law scholar Matthew Schruers centered his remarks on the relationship between copyright and Internet architecture. As the internet expands, the scope of government power is far more limited. Governments found it easier to regulate information intermediaries, rather than the source itself. The scope of the power of the government to regulate the Internet is more about its ability to regulate the intermediaries rather than the specific sources of information. There are four regulation forces, or tools: law, norms, architecture and markets. We are increasingly witnessing attempts to regulate architecture in order to regulate something else. SOPA and PIPA were the extension of Congress strategies to regulate intermediaries, and this included the DNS. Within these debates, and given the very different levels of technical competence on the Hill, the phone book model became really important, because it could clearly convey the idea that these laws were like removing pages from the phone book. As we will see later, SOPA and PIPA did not come into force because of widespread public outcry. These law projects would have allowed law enforcement agencies to seize domain names as if they were physical property; by removing the domain name, users would still be able to get to the website by using the IP address, but wouldn’t be able to get to it by typing in the alphanumeric address – and for most people this is a big enough obstacle.
The way in which architecture regulates is not the same way in which law regulates. Norms for a particular type of conduct are very fluid, in terms of the community and how it applies; laws enforce themselves in a leaky way (especially IP law), and they need to be enforced by a judicial system. Architectural enforcement is, in this sense, “perfect”: with laws, compliance is voluntary, we comply with them by choice; while with architecture-based enforcement, compliance is coerced, there is no choice. Finally, law is inherently nuanced, and there are exceptions to it; architecture is absolute, it allows a possibility or it doesn’t, and there is no capacity for exceptions. The US Government is an example of this: recently, it used an intermediary, Go Daddy, to seize domain names in Spain; in Spain, this was lawful but in the US it was not. Another example is the Dajaz1 website, which sometimes let out pre-releases of songs (often leaked to the website by the music promoters), so the RIAA urged the US government to seize the domain via the Utah-based Fast Domain, Inc. It turned out that the legal basis, in both of these cases, was not sound, and the sites were reinstated, but in the end, free speech was suppressed a priori for two years.
Luke Pelican introduced the SOPA/PIPA controversy and the role of civil society in successfully putting a stop to the legislation. Both bills (the acronyms stand respectively for Stop Online Piracy Act and PROTECT IP, itself an acronym of Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act) were aimed at combating digital piracy, and presented to the public as legislation that would help protect US jobs and industries. Critics, on the other hand, said these bills undermined Internet freedom and threatened free speech, and could actually harm the US economy, as startup companies dependent on user-created content were more likely to be sued under the legislation.
Further complicating the controversy were challenges in explaining some of the technical problems to the general public. Companies, public interest groups, and technical experts reviewed the technical provisions in the bills and raised their concerns publicly, concerns which other groups turned into meaningful action. Fight for the Future, an activist group, led a campaign against a related copyright bill in October 2011, arguing that if the bill became a law, then people like Justin Bieber could have been sent to jail instead of becoming musical successes. The “Bieber in Jail” campaign received a lot of attention from various media groups and shows like the Colbert Report. During American Censorship Day, a protest of SOPA and PIPA held on November 16, 2011, several advocacy groups framed the issue of these bills as the imposition of an American censorship system rather than about the problem of piracy. The blogging platform Tumblr auto-censored its site as part of this awareness campaign and encouraged their users to contact Congress. Overall, the American Censorship Day protests resulted in 84,000 phone calls and over a million emails to Congress, one of the biggest public outcries over an Internet-related issue. It seemed to be a forgone conclusion that these bills would pass, so, on January 18, 2012, over 115,000 websites joined in a massive web “blackout” as part of a concerted effort to stop the legislation. DNS blocking provisions were included both in SOPA and in PIPA; eventually, the sponsor of the SOPA said he would remove these provisions, after talking with technical experts. The SOPA/PIPA case is likely to have encouraged more people, including lawmakers and regulators, to learn some of the technical aspects of the Internet’s daily workings, and have a better understanding of how this facility we use daily works in practice. And this is a positive outcome that exceeds the stalling of the bill.
New actors in Internet governance: privatization, infrastructure, alternatives
The afternoon panel, moderated by Nanette Levinson, Associate Professor, School of International Service, American University, broadened the discussion to evolutions in Internet governance and actor participation in it, from the private sector’s increasingly crucial role in content regulation, and in placing restrictions on freedom of expression, to peer production collectives proposing “creative disruption” as a response to infrastructure-based enforcement. The discussion featured panelists Fiona Alexander, Associate Administrator, Office of International Affairs, National Telecommunications and Information Administration; Matthew Hindman, Associate Professor, George Washington University; Francesca Musiani, Yahoo! Fellow, ISD, and Shane Tews, Chief Policy Officer, 463 Communications.
Francesca Musiani, Yahoo! Fellow at the ISD, presented preliminary findings from her current research project. She argued that, in a discussion about new actors and changing balances in IG, it was worth including a discussion about the people who think about “second-degree” governance by infrastructure: people who, instead of addressing the DNS in its current form, look for ways to build an alternative one.
Between 2010 and 2011, the WikiLeaks case prompts a new wave of discussions about a “new competing root-server”, able to rival ICANN. An alternative domain name registry is envisaged, a decentralized, peer-to-peer (P2P) system in which volunteer users would each run a portion of the DNS on their own computer, so that any domain made temporarily inaccessible may still be accessible on the alternative registry. Instead of simply adding a number of DNS options to the ones already accepted and administrated by ICANN and its registrars, this project would try to supersede ICANN in favor of a distributed, user infrastructure-based model. There are a number of issues and open questions with this project. There are two fundamental operations that are served by the DNS: name registration and name resolution, that are usually though of jointly, but one could foresee replacing just one of them. The function that a P2P DNS project would be tackling (alternative root? .p2p top-level domain?) needs to be stabilized. P2P architecture does not allow for simultaneous optimization of all needed features, but calls for compromises. Finally, even if the alternative takes hold, a long co-existence should be expected.
There are social and political conditions of feasibility for radical alternatives such as P2P DNS. In the case that any of the decentralized DNS projects matures to the stage of relevant user appropriation, the crucial issue may become trust of users in other users: users will need to rely on other peers in the network to direct them, and it is one thing to trust OpenDNS, Google etc. but completely another thing to do the same with a random computer. And finally, it is a matter of governance: the original questions that cause P2P DNS proposals to proliferate are deeply political: they are about control, freedom, and censorship. Technical solutions to controversial issues that have a political component to them should, at some point, be accompanied by evolutions of institutions, lest the governance of the Internet be reduced to a war of surveillance and counter-surveillance technologies, of infrastructure cooptation and counter-cooptation.
The “Turn to Infrastructure” and the future of IG
In the conference’s final keynote, Laura DeNardis, Associate Professor in the School of Communication at American University, tied together the themes discussed during the day, placing particular emphasis on recently raised concerns about the future of Internet governance, and on the need to preserve interoperability. Most of these issues are discussed in her book “The Global War for Internet Governance”, forthcoming with Yale University Press. The book describes the different layers of how internet governance works; outlines the current state of global debates, and the balance of global political and economic powers related to Internet governance, civil liberties and national security, innovation policies and the preservation of the decentralized nature of the Internet.
Internet governance functions, even though technologically complex and often outside of public view, are becoming political proxies for global political struggles and conflicting values. In this context, the DNS is one important (and relatively well-working) component of a broader Internet global ecosystem. The very definition of Internet governance is contested but it is generally referred to as the design and administration of the technologies necessary to keep the Internet operational, as well as the debates around those technologies, such as critical Internet resources, standards, and protocols needed to operate the network. There is an intersection between Internet architecture and content mediation; people’s Internet access is cut off (or access restrictions are discussed) to control content sharing and communication. The evolutions in Internet connectivity, a highly private area mostly under the control of Internet companies and their agreements, raise a number of concerns in terms of stability and censorship. The conference has addressed three main themes.
First, “arrangements of technical architecture are arrangements of power” And “Infrastructure is never just infrastructure,” and is also about some understanding of complex technical systems such as the DNS; large-scale debates and mobilization, such as the SOPA and PIPA debates; the technical complexity is often paralleled by the complexity of institutions; political structures are often embedded technological hybrids. As science and technology studies Susan Leigh Star once said, we need to invert the common sense notion of infrastructure, taking what has often been seen as ‘boring’ and behind the scenes, bringing it to the floor. Internet governance scholars such as the organizers of this conference, all involved in GigaNet, embrace this perspective in relation to Internet governance.
Second, information technology infrastructure is becoming a proxy for power control, a move that is bound to have a number of unintended consequences. Corporate media producers have lost power over the monetization of their content and are looking to infrastructure as a means of reacquiring that power; some global choke points, despite the Internet’s overall decentralization, do exist and the extent to which they are subject to “stress fractures” deserves close consideration. While these control points – some virtual, some material, most often a hybrid of both – do exist, there is often not enough public understanding of how technology works.
Third, the multi-stakeholder discussion often reveals its limits, mostly in contexts of privatization of internet governance. Much Internet governance is being done through new forms, not governments; examples are regional internet registries and private telecom companies managing the Internet’s backbone. Privatized areas are enacting policies and we are often moving from governments to private sector as Internet governance’s crucial actor. From “delegated censorship” to “delegated law enforcement”, the spotlight is on private entities.
These three themes raise the question of what are the challenges to the future of Internet governance, and therefore, to Internet freedom. First, there needs to be a focus on issues of interoperability, which is easy to take for granted. In many ways, we have more connectivity than ever. But there is not interoperability between social media platforms, Internet voice software, or cloud computing services in the same way there is in email or web services. For example, Skype, while an excellent application, is based in part on proprietary approaches. There is a shift from an open, unified web in which the publication of open standards has helped foster innovation and compatibility among products to an environment that de-prioritizes interoperability and places constraints on interconnection. Constraints on interoperability are constraints on innovation itself.
The DNS is a foundational technical system necessary for the Internet’s operation, handling billions of queries per day, and it is increasingly used for content blocking functions for which it was not designed. If DNS query resolution is not universally consistent, this may have serious implications for the universality and stability of the global Internet.
To conclude, the Internet is governed while being in a state of constant flux, and a very complex system; its governance entails issues of both private control and civil liberties; it requires technical design as well as new institutional reforms; this governance is not fixed, anymore than technical architecture is fixed. The consequences of changes to this system should be carefully examined as we move forward.
Publié le 14 juin 2013 Auteur Francesca MusianiCatégories Actualités, Bibliographie, Productions ADAM, Projets d'architecture distribuéeMots-clés architecture, copyright, décentralisation, DNS, Gouvernance, ICANN, infrastructure, noms de domaineLaisser un commentaire sur Réinventer l'”annuaire téléphonique” de l’Internet? Institutions, Industries, Infrastructures
Les nouveaux gTLDs: le défi de l’Europe
Cet article, en anglais, a également paru sur l’Internet Policy Review le 6 juin 2013. Merci à Frédéric Dubois, Uta Meier-Hahn et deux relecteurs pour leurs commentaires et retours.
New global top-level domain names: Europe, the challenger
06 Jun 2013 by Francesca Musiani
“There are roughly two dozens now, but soon, there could be hundreds[1],” writes the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the organisation responsible for managing and coordinating the system of unique identifiers and names on the internet – on its webpage dedicated to the creation and forthcoming implementation of the new generic top-level domain names (gTLDs).
gTLDs are the highest level of domain names in the domain name system (DNS), including .com, .net and .org; their number has been restricted to twenty-two for several years, and ICANN has implemented several restrictions on the ways in which they are operated. Thanks to the new gTLDs programme, businesses and organisations are now able to apply for their own customised top-level domain names, thereby greatly expanding their current number. ICANN’s move is the most recent controversial one in a subfield of internet governance, the management of the Domain Name System (DNS) of the “network of networks”, which is already rife with political and economic controversies. What are the implications of this “turn” to new gTLDs? This article attempts to outline them, and, it addresses the impact of the new gTLDs programme on Europe’s action-taking in the internet governance realm. The article also considers the likely impact of the new programme on ICANN’s governance and weight vis-à-vis other important internet governance actors.
The Domain Name System and ICANN: an internet governance “hot potato”
The Domain Name System of the internet establishes the domain name space in the same way that the Internet Protocol establishes the Internet address space[2]. The DNS translates between alphanumeric domain names and their associated internet protocol (IP) addresses necessary for routing packets of information over the internet. For this reason, it is oftentimes called the internet’s “phone book”.
The DNS, through this address resolution process, handles billions of queries per day. In a very simplified way, the DNS can be described as a wide database management system, arranged hierarchically but distributed globally, across countless servers. The internet’s root name servers contain a master file, the root zone file, listing the IP addresses and associated names of the official DNS servers for all top‐level domains. The management of the DNS has always been a central task of internet governance, and ICANN is ultimately responsible for managing the assignment of domain names (delegated through internet registrars), and for controlling the root server system and the root zone file.
There have been a number of controversies in this area, that continue to this day, involving institutional and international power struggles over DNS control, and issues of legitimacy, democracy, and jurisdiction. Notably, debates have addressed the extent to which the privileged historical ties between ICANN and the United States government continue to exist, despite the increasing internationalisation of the internet, which may call for a more prominent role of other countries in ICANN governance; this controversy continues to be a heated topic in internet governance discussions. There are additional policy implications in the DNS: it was originally restricted to ASCII characters, precluding the possibility of domain names in many language scripts such as Arabic, Chinese or Russian. Internationalised domain names (IDNs) have been introduced in May 2010. Further DNS issues concern the relationship between domain names and freedom of expression, security, and trademark dispute resolution for domain names.
The DNS is perhaps, nowadays, the best illustration of governments’ and companies’ tendency to govern or manage the internet by co-opting infrastructures of internet governance for purposes other than the ones they were initially designed for[3]. Domain name seizures that use the DNS to redirect queries away from an entire web site, rather than just the infringing content, have been considered as a suitable means of intellectual property rights enforcement – to be carried out by internet registries, internet registrars, or even DNS operators such as internet service providers. DNS-based enforcement was at the heart of controversies and internet boycotts over the legislative efforts to pass the Protect IP Act (PIPA) and the Stop Online Privacy Act (SOPA) (Ammori, 2011). Governance by infrastructure enacted through the DNS by private actors was also visible during the WikiLeaks saga, when Amazon and EveryDNS blocked Wikileaks’ web hosting and domain name resolution services[4].
Generic top-level domain names
Top-level domains are the highest level of domains in the DNS, installed in the root zone of the name space; generic TLDs, a category of these highest-level domains[5], are familiar to the public as widely used internet addresses’ suffixes such as .com, .net, and .org. They can be either unsponsored – domains that operate under policies established by ICANN “on behalf” of the global internet community – or sponsored, proposed and funded by private agencies or organisations that establish and enforce the rules restricting the use of the domain. The number of gTLDs has been slightly increasing since ICANN’s inception, but has stabilised at twenty-two for several years.
Over the years, the demand for more gTLDs has been constant, just as has ICANN’s consideration of many proposals, by different actors, for practical ways to go about their implementation. These proposals range from adoption of policies for unrestricted gTLDs to chartered gTLDs for specialised uses by dedicated organisations. ICANN’s new gTLD programme, approved in June 2011 under the banner of “promot[ing] competition in the domain name market while ensuring internet security and stability[6]”, ends most restrictions on gTLDs and allows businesses and other organisations to apply for their own customised top-level domain names. This constitutes the first significant expansion of the system in existence today, and has the potential of carrying important implications for the future of the DNS, if not in the way the internet operates, in terms of potential changes in “the way people find information on the internet or how businesses plan and structure their online presence[7]”.
The unveiling of the new gTLDs programme
Roughly a year after its announcement of the programme, ICANN held a press conference in London to mark the “Reveal Day[8],” during which its Senior Vice President Kurt Pritz noted that over 500 companies and organisations had applied for nearly 2,000 TLDs. The announcement was not exempt from controversy, for a number of reasons. United States-based organisations and companies accounted for more than half of the applications, with the domain name registry Donuts applying for more than three times the number of gTLDs as the next largest applicant[9]. This US focus is possibly attributable to an issue of cost: ICANN set the fee for each TLD application at $185,000, while noting that financial assistance to organisations that wanted to register for TLDs but could not meet the applications fees was provided, and the geographical spread was, in fact, wider than it expected – ICANN’s CEO, Rod Beckstrom, was quoted as saying that “To have 17 applications from Africa is actually encouraging, it’s a significant expansion[10]”.
While emphasising the positive side of the programme’s goals (“enhancing competition and consumer choice, and enabling the benefits of innovation[11]”, in addition to increased control, innovative business models, and even community engagement and geographic celebration[12]), ICANN had been adamant about the responsibilities that applying for a new gTLD would entail. These include the preservation of some financial stability over a minimum of three years, compliance with all the obligations of the registry agreement with ICANN (with enhanced restrictions when running a community-based TLD), and employment of highly skilled technical operators. Thus, ICANN compared these responsibilities to those of Verisign[13], the American company currently operating two of the internet’s thirteen root name servers: “When you apply for a new gTLD you are applying to run a registry business. You will be responsible for a critical and highly visible piece of internet infrastructure. Just as Verisign is responsible for all the domain names registered in the .com top-level domain, so you would be responsible for all the domain names registered in your .something gTLD[14].” Additional risks were identified in unforeseen competition from unexpected sectors, and the “uncharted territory” that the new sector, with its lack of already-tested and proven business models, could entail for its pioneers.[15]
New gTLDs are just around the corner?
The first implementation within the new gTLDs programme – i.e., the actual insertion of a new TLD into the internet root to render them operational – may be happening within a few months. July 1st, 2013, has been proposed as the earliest possible date and a pilot program is currently underway. This is earlier than what had previously been anticipated, and for applicants as well as some users, it has been welcomed news; however, all dates remain tentative. In particular, ICANN has underlined – at the very moment in which a March briefing by the organisation was announcing the schedule of the first release – that priority will be given to its core mission of preserving the technical stability of the internet’s naming and addressing system, which seems to imply that the first implementation will be delayed if its broad impact cannot be thoroughly assessed or raises concerns. IT consultant and former ICANN member, Stephane Van Gelder, noted that “Security and Stability Reviews are ongoing as the program ramps up towards launch, with constant monitoring of the potential technical impact of new gTLDs going live. This will only happen once ICANN is satisfied that doing so carries no technical risk to the Internet[16].”
Earlier this year, ICANN’s Governmental Advisory Committee – the body that provides advice and input from governments to ICANN on issues of public policy, especially where there may be an interaction between ICANN’s activities and national laws, or international agreements – gave the ICANN Board its thoughts on the first batch of applications. While two applications received outright objections[17], governmental advice came for the most part in the form of “safeguards”. The Governmental Advisory Committee noted that specific categories of TLDs require additional protections or restrictions to be implemented; for example, it asked for the singular and plural versions of the same basic string not to be considered separately (e.g., .game and .games). It also requested that the signing of any new gTLD contract be dependent upon the completion of the new registrar contract currently being finalised[18].
European perplexities on content and procedures
The European Commission (EC) is not elated by the ways in which the program is being carried out, and has expressed perplexities on both the content of some applications and the procedures with which ICANN has handled government objections to new gTLDs[19]. On November 29, 2012, the EC, in the person of Linda Corugedo Steneberg, Director at the Communications Networks, Content and Technology Directorate, issued a letter to ICANN[20] with a list of 58 applications deemed problematic, including .sex, .sexy, .free, .green, .eco, .health, .doctor, .baby, .sale and .security[21].
However, the letter also pointed out that the EC’s initiative should not be considered as an Early Warning, i.e., a notice from ICANN’s Governmental Advisory Committee members that an application is seen as potentially sensitive or problematic by one or more governments[22]; instead, the listing of a new gTLD was to be considered as a signal that further discussions between the EC and the relevant applicant were necessary. The letter has also been interpreted as an implicit critique of ICANN’s procedures, pointing out that even if the Governmental Advisory Committee does not officially advise against these applications, the EC may decide to take other action against them: “the fact that the letter […] explicitly states that the warnings are definitely not official Early Warnings […] sends a worrying signal that the EC is not in the mood to play by ICANN’s rules[23].” In addition, the EC expressed its disappointment about the limited number of applications coming from developing countries, making explicit that “this is clearly an area where ICANN needs to re-focus its efforts[24].”
In the larger context of the relationship between sovereign governments and ICANN, the European Commission’s action is considered quite significant, because by explicitly opting out of the Early Warning process and naming its own list of potentially problematic gTLD applications, the EC is bypassing the Governmental Advisory Committee as ICANN’s prescribed process for governments and intergovernmental bodies to provide input on domain name policy matters. FairWinds Partners, a digital strategy consulting firm, interestingly concludes in this regard that “the European Commission brought new gTLD applications into the legal realm of legislation and policy, quietly implying that ICANN has no jurisdiction in such matters. The European Commission has sent the message that it is not within ICANN’s purview to oversee issues that impact a nation’s (or in this case, a union of nations) economy, culture, freedoms of speech and expression, or industry regulations – this power rests with the sovereign governments of those nations[25].” FairWinds further states that, in addition to echoing past criticisms of ICANN processes, the EC’s action “raises issues of adjudication: if other governments follow the European Commission’s lead or even take a step further by deeming whether or not a new gTLD is allowed to exist independently of ICANN’s assessment, who holds the ultimate authority to determine the fate of the gTLD, ICANN or the government?[26]” The letter of the EC could set a critical precedent.
ICANN weighing even more in the internet governance arena?
In a number of ways, the new gTLD programme makes ICANN even more central an actor in internet governance. By framing the programme as a promoter of competition in the domain name market, while at the same time seeking to maintain internet security and stability, ICANN’s activities and policies also have the potential, as the organisation itself underlines, to influence the way internet users find information online, or the ways in which companies arrange and display their online presence.
As a consequence, ICANN is now, more than ever, under scrutiny of international actors, of which the European Commission is a notable example. Despite claims by ICANN that “this is a not-for-profit initiative [and if] the fee collection exceeds ICANN’s expenses, the community will be consulted as to how that excess should be used[27],” there are concerns that “what can’t be overlooked today is the fact that [the new gTLDs’] unveiling will be most beneficial for big business. Companies that don’t find themselves on or anywhere near the Fortune 500 list probably don’t have hundreds of thousands of dollars set aside for a rainy day, especially if that day approaches but the forecast is mixed[28]”. The fee set by ICANN may discourage most smaller businesses for applying, while it will not be a major issue for bigger players.
Moreover, the argument is made that the actual implementation of the new gTLDs, that ICANN is pushing for July, may be premature, causing problems for the very internet security and DNS stability that ICANN is claiming to preserve. The concern comes from one of ICANN’s long-time supporters, Verisign. The company notes in a recent report[29] the little consideration ICANN has given to registry operators that will need to prepare for the changes, including dealing with security implications that may affect the working of the whole internet[30]. Verisign appears to be implying that ICANN may be using the (excessively?) speedy implementation of the new gTLDs programme to reinforce its own powerful position in the internet governance landscape – and, to pursue this primarily political objective, may maintain this “neck-breaking” schedule to the detriment of internet stability, if necessary. Will the implementation of the new gTLDs reassure those who, as Verisign, feel that the programme displays an increasingly “ICANN-centric role[31]” in the governance of a critical area of internet infrastructure? Only the close future will tell, but one thing is certain: the new gTLD programme has important implications for both the stability and security of the internet’s infrastructure, and the ways in which users experience the internet daily – from online search habits to e-commerce. As such, it should be implemented gradually and cautiously; ICANN has fifteen years of experience on which it can build to ensure that this is the case.
[1] http://newgtlds.icann.org/en/about/program
[2] Laura DeNardis, “The Emerging Field of Internet Governance”, in William Dutton (ed.) Oxford Handbook of Internet Studies. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013 [pre-print version available here http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1678343].
[3] The author has organised a recent conference on the topic at the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy, Georgetown University, http://internetphonebook.eventbrite.com/
[4] Cfr. my recent article on the Internet Policy Review, http://policyreview.info/articles/analysis/dangerous-liaisons-governments-companies-and-internet-governance
[5] Another one, perhaps the most popular among internet users, is ccTLD or “country code top-level domain”, including .us, .de and .fr.
[6] http://newgtlds.icann.org/en/applicants/customer-service/faqs/faqs-en
[7] Id.
[8] http://www.icann.org/en/news/press/kits/reveal-day-13jun12-en.htm
[9] Natasha Lomas (April 9, 2013). Donuts, A Register for New gTLDs, Raises Tens of Billions in Series B So It can Bid for More .Names. TechCrunch, http://techcrunch.com/2013/04/09/donuts-series-b/
[10] Ingrid Lunden (June 13, 2012). Icann Applicants For New TLDs Revealed As Part Of ‘Reveal Day’: The Full List. TechCrunch, http://techcrunch.com/2012/06/13/icann-applicants-for-new-tlds-revealed-the-full-list/
[11] http://newgtlds.icann.org/en/about/program
[12] http://newgtlds.icann.org/en/about/benefits-risks
[13] http://www.verisigninc.com/
[15] Id.
[16] Stéphane Van Gelder (27 March 2013). First new gTLDs could be seen as early as July. NetNames, http://www.netnames.com/blog/2013/03/first-new-gtlds-could-be-seen-as-early-as-july/
[17] The two are .gcc (contested by some of the Gulf countries, claiming similarity between this string and the Gulf Cooperation Council) and .africa, submitted by DotConnectAfrica (for lack of official support by governments from the region, given to another identical application)
[18] ICANN’s Governmental Advisory Committee (11 April 2013). GAC Communique – Beijing, People’s Republic of China. https://gacweb.icann.org/download/attachments/27132037/Beijing%20Communique%20april2013_Final.pdf
[19] Kevin Murphy (November 27, 2012). Europe rejects ICANN’s authority as it warns of problems with 58 new gTLDs. Domain Incite, http://domainincite.com/11130-europe-rejects-icanns-authority-as-it-warns-of-problems-with-58-new-gtlds
[20] European Commission (November 29, 2012). Interim position of the European Commission concerning the applications for New gTLDs. http://www.icann.org/en/news/correspondence/steneberg-to-icann-board-27nov12-en
[21] Murphy, ibid.
[22] http://newgtlds.icann.org/en/applicants/gac-early-warning
[24] European Commission, ibid. and David Goldstein (December 4, 2012) Europe Lists gTLD Applications of Concern Plus Disappointment in Developing Countries Applications (http://www.domainpulse.com/2012/12/04/eu-gtld-applications-concern/)
[25] FairWinds Partners (December 3, 2012). As the GAC’s World Turns. gTLD Strategy, http://www.gtldstrategy.com/policy-updates/as-the-gac%E2%80%99s-world-turns
[27] http://newgtlds.icann.org/en/applicants/customer-service/faqs/faqs-en
[28] Jonah Berger (29 June 2011). ICANN Approves New gTLDs: SEO Implications. http://blog.performics.com/icann-approves-new-gtlds-seo-implications/
[29] United States Security and Exchange Commission (March 28, 2013). Form 8-K Current Report, Verisign, Inc. https://investor.verisign.com/secfiling.cfm?filingID=1014473-13-12&CIK=1014473
[30] Id. and Loek Essers & Grant Gross (April 2, 2013). Groups say ICANN unprepared for gTLD launch. InfoWorld, http://www.infoworld.com/t/internet/groups-say-icann-unprepared-gtld-launch-215675
Publié le 14 juin 2013 Auteur Francesca MusianiCatégories Actualités, Bibliographie, Productions ADAMMots-clés DNS, Gouvernance, gTLDs, ICANN, infrastructure, noms de domaineLaisser un commentaire sur Les nouveaux gTLDs: le défi de l’Europe
SMSI+10: l’auto-éloge du “multi-parties prenantes” dans la gouvernance de l’Internet
Cet article, en anglais, est également paru sur l’Internet Policy Review le 12 avril 2013. Merci à Frédéric Dubois, Uta Meier-Hahn et deux relecteurs pour leurs commentaires et leurs retours.
WSIS+10: the self-praising feast of multi-stakeholderism in internet governance
12 Apr 2013 by Francesca Musiani
The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), two United Nations-sponsored conferences about information, communication and the establishment of a 21st century “information society”, took place in 2003 in Geneva and in 2005 in Tunis. “We, the representatives of the peoples of the world, assembled in Geneva […] declare our common desire and commitment to build a people-centred, inclusive and development-oriented Information Society [1],” began the Geneva Declaration of Principles, one of WSIS’ founding documents, setting the foundations for a “multi-stakeholder” approach to global governance of information and communication technologies (ICTs).
Ten years after the Geneva meeting, the first review meeting of the Summit, nicknamed WSIS +10, was held in February 2013 at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) headquarters in Paris, France. UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova inaugurated the meeting with the following words: “New technologies are opening tremendous possibilities for mutual understanding, for creating and sharing knowledge – everyone, everywhere, should have the skills and opportunities to participate in building this inclusive, knowledge society[2].” With the exception of the shift from “information society” to “knowledge society”, a change we will come back to later in the article, not a lot appears to have changed content-wise in the ten years of existence of the WSIS process. Nonetheless, the WSIS+10 review meeting has provided an interesting occasion for scholars of internet governance arrangements like this author, who has started her career as a researcher investigating the WSIS process and its offspring, the Internet Governance Forum (IGF). It has been an occasion to assess, with more knowledge and experience at our disposal, the present state of what was ten years ago – and still is – a set of experimental formats, procedures and processes for the governance of ICTs, seeking to reunite the private sector, governments and inter-governmental institutions, and civil society, under the auspices of “multi-stakeholderism”.
WSIS, the landmark for multi-stakeholderism in internet governance
Arguably, the WSIS can be considered the first large-scale instance of the multi-stakeholder doctrine’s application to the governance of ICTs. As defined by the Earth Summit Forum in 2002, multi-stakeholder processes “aim to bring together all major stakeholders [in a complex issue] in a new form of communication, decision-finding (and possibly decision-making) on a particular issue. They are also based on recognition of the importance of achieving equity and accountability [and] on democratic principles of transparency and participation, and aim to develop partnerships and strengthened networks between stakeholders [3].” The requirement that internet governance should be conducted according to multi-stakeholder principles was first stated at the WSIS summit, “arguably setting a new norm of customary international law [and marking] a departure from the earlier prevailing norm—expressed even by some governments (most notably the United States) — that internet governance was predominantly a private sector responsibility[4].”
WSIS’s “summit” status (thus, not that of a permanent intergovernmental organisation), only enabled it to make recommendations crafted by consensus. However, because of the novelty of its approach and the vocabulary used to convey the urgency of addressing ICT issues in the global political arena, WSIS is widely regarded as having introduced, in the first half of the 2000s, a shift in the understanding and the appropriations of ICT-related changes and the development of the internet. In terms of procedures, the entry into the discussions of organised civil society was noteworthy, and was considered by many as the first instance in which this relevant stakeholder for the future of ICTs had reclaimed its right to be heard (and even listened to!), alongside governments and private companies. In regard to internet governance, the most notable outcome of the WSIS process was the creation of the WGIG, the Working group on internet governance, and eventually, the Internet Governance Forum – both entities embodying the principle of multi-stakeholderism, albeit in different ways.
WGIG and the Internet Governance Forum
The WGIG, a multi-stakeholder group itself, which had among its mandates the development of a “working definition of Internet governance[5]”, further detailed the definition of multi-stakeholderism during its proceedings, identifying three main groups of actors and actions that they found to be particularly suited for policy development. Governments fit the “coordination and implementation” of public policy; the private sector’s role expands beyond the “technical and economic fields” that the Geneva Declaration of Principles had talked about, to participate in the development of policy proposals. Finally, civil society’s role is to engage in, and contribute to, “policy processes and policies that are more bottom-up, people-centred and inclusive[6]”. In addition to producing the above-mentioned working definition of internet governance, which is still one of the most widely agreed upon and, which sets that “Internet governance is the development and application by governments, the private sector, and civil society, in their respective roles, of shared principles, norms, rules, decision making procedures and programmes, that shape the evolution and utilization of the Internet[7]”, the WGIG further detailed that internet governance included, as well, important issues related to global politics, such as critical internet resources, security and safety of the global network, and issues related to its development and use. The implication that these critical issues, primarily technical but with important political implications, should fall under the multi-stakeholder approach, was not exempt from controversy – especially when, noting that “no global multi-stakeholder forum [existed] to address Internet-related public policy issues[8],” the WGIG report proposed the creation of a multi-stakeholder IGF linked to the United Nations. The establishment of the IGF, whose first meeting was held in Athens, Greece in 2006[9], can still be considered as one of the most prominent outcomes of the early WSIS processes. The Forum has since then met six other times, the last being Baku, Azerbaijan in 2012[10], and has seen its mandate renewed after the fifth meeting. The renewal of the mandate has been approved despite very tepid assessments by some governments, China first and foremost, of what the multi-stakeholder approach has been capable to achieve beyond its alluring label [11]. A detailed discussion of the controversial appraisals of the IGF would go beyond the scope of this article, but will be the subject of a future one.
WSIS+10: the multi-stakeholder feast of non-binding recommendations
Several UN instances left their stamp on the WSIS process – but coming from different standpoints and promoting different ideas. The organisation of the WSIS was assigned in 2003 and 2005 to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a UN agency of technical standardisation for the telecommunications sector, gathering states and private entities. In this context, the UNESCO – at the time a competing UN agency, more open to civil society participation and focused on “soft” themes of education, empowerment and communication rights – had maintained a low-profile, highlighting the limitations of the concept of “information society”, widespread at the time, preferring to speak of “knowledge society”.
Ten years later, for the recent WSIS+10 meeting in Paris, UNESCO’s wish has been granted as, taking the lead in the organisation of WSIS’s ten-year review meeting, the Organisation set the official theme of the gathering as “Towards Knowledge Societies for Peace and Sustainable Development”, aimed at surpassing the emphasis placed on information itself, and going on to address aspects related to its structure, organisation and circulation. The final intended outcome of the meeting? A UNESCO statement, “Information and Knowledge for All an Expanded Vision and a Renewed Commitment”, that would incorporate inputs from all parallel sessions, with the idea to inform and contribute to the WSIS review process. The major events in this process will be an evaluation in 2014, coordinated by the ITU, and the final review by the UN General Assembly, in 2015. The WSIS+10 participants’ input to this process would take the form of “a non-binding recommendation grounded on a broad multistakeholder support[12]”.
Highs and lows of the WSIS +10
Proceedings opened on February 25, 2013, and in the UNESCO headquarters’ hallways, conversations between a few academics that had witnessed with interest the beginnings of the WSIS/IGF process (and a few that, like this author, were born as researchers by witnessing them) revealed curiosity and expectation vis-à-vis both the content and the format of the meeting.
In particular at the end of the first, very formal day, the sensation of living a solemn moment could not prevent this author and her colleague[13] from feeling that they were simply been brought ten years back, when WSIS discourses were unveiling a somewhat naïve penchant for the digital as the vector of all utopias and hopes. The plenary sessions contributed to this impression, as well as the so-called “high-level debates”, a misleading label actually indicating declarations by government officials, representatives of the private sector and organised civil society following one another’s steps on the stage, with no time for questions and answers among them, or by the audience.
Columbia University professor Jeffrey Sachs’ keynote introductory speech, about the necessity to bridge the inequalities of current ICT development, did little to mitigate this impression of déjà-vu, by repeatedly hammering the “digital revolution” label on the UNESCO Auditorium attendees. Even commentators more optimist about the overall relevance and usefulness of this gathering, like Humanity in Action Fellow Amy Hong – whose assessment is that WSIS+10 “drove home several central messages about the impact of information and communication technologies on our everyday lives and on our future prospects as a global society of interconnected citizens, […and] helped explore is the progress the world has made in the last decade” – note that the meeting was “heavy on buzzwords such as ‘the mobile revolution’ and ‘digital native’”[14].
Those delegates hoping for a more determined entrance into a renewed debate, where the diversity of the multi-stakeholder gathering could be fully leveraged, had some partial satisfaction during the next two days of the meeting, 26 and 27 February 2013, when dozens of parallel sessions took place to illustrate the hopes contained in ICTs, but also the challenges they bring about. Multilingualism, cultural and linguistic diversity, the promotion of freedom of expression, development of cyberscience, online privacy, digital security, ethical and societal current and emerging challenges of the information society: the parallel sessions explored in a more detailed and at times original way the issues and challenges, as well as the promises, of ICTs. Some of them, including one on “Contested Governance” organised by internet governance scholar Divina Frau-Meigs[15], and for which this author was a speaker, occasionally delved into a much-needed meta-reflection about the role of different stakeholders in global governance, and emphasised that one of the main goals for internet governance scholars and academics today should be to increase the awareness, by other stakeholders, that the definition of internet governance needs to be broadened beyond a handful of very codified and somewhat repetitious international gatherings, to take into account current core issues (transparency, openness, diversity, interoperability) and incorporate new central ones (infrastructure-based copyright enforcement, ownership, labour, content regulation, accountability)[16].
Multi-stakeholderism or “HappyTown”?
“I did at least expect that there would be some attempt at a ‘stocktaking’ […] What we are having instead is three days of ‘happytalk’ folks talking ‘happy’ about this that and the other[17],” community informatics scholar Michael Gurstein commented with sour irony at the end of the meeting. Even without going so far as defining WSIS+10 a Disneyland revival, or a HappyTown artificially preserved for the good of the “usual suspects”[18] who are materially able to visit Paris “on expense accounts”[19] – something that is, however, a serious barrier to in-person attendance to international gatherings for several stakeholders, one that should not be dismissed – the UNESCO-led meeting does not paint a very bright future for the multi-stakeholder format of engagement in global governance of the internet.
Opening up the dialogue to several, if not all[20], internet governance stakeholders, and codifying formats and procedures to do so, was in itself an important achievement of the WSIS/IGF process, and the answer to its shortcomings is certainly not to dispose of it entirely. Yet, the most important lesson we should take home from the Paris WSIS+10 meeting is that, ten years later, reaffirming the worthy existence of the arrangement is not enough.
As internet governance scholar Bill Drake has recently pointed out, “a substantial chunk of the actual decision-making that shapes the Internet and its use at both the national and global levels remains outside the ambit of the model of multistakeholderism […] as such, that model is best conceived of as a critically important component of the distributed institutional architecture of Internet governance, rather than the embodiment of a ‘paradigm shift’[21]”. Hailed as such in the early days of the WSIS/IGF process, multi-stakeholderism in ICT governance is now in sore need of a realistic and thorough assessment, one that gets down to the “nitty gritty” details, day-to-day struggles, and material constraints of who participates, when, for what reasons, and how the practical results of this participation can be measured and leveraged for concrete next steps. This may entail, among other things, revisiting the “categories” of stakeholders outlined by WSIS, in favour of a more nuanced approach (what actors are regrouped under the label of civil society particularly comes to mind) that would acknowledge, in turn, the gap between “nominal and effective participation”[22] and devise creative tools to address it. Otherwise, as internet governance researcher Françoise Massit-Folléa and this author wrote a few years ago after having attended the fourth IGF in the fashionable Sharm-el-Sheikh, “the considerable weight of decisions taken elsewhere [is likely to] soon reduce this international forum” – as well as the broader processes shaping tomorrow’s information society – “ to a friendly conversation between true and false naives, under the disguise of enlightened debates[23]”.
[1] http://www.itu.int/wsis/docs/geneva/official/dop.html
[2] http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0021/002197/219754M.pdf
[3] http://www.earthsummit2002.org/msp/index.html
[4] Malcolm, Jeremy (2008). Multi-Stakeholder Governance and the Internet Governance Forum. Wembley, WA: Terminus Press. (p. 322).
[5] Geneva Plan of Action.http://www.itu.int/wsis/documents/doc_multi.asp?lang=en&id=1160|0
[6] WGIG (2005). Report of the Working Group on Internet Governance, p. 18.
[7] WGIG, ibid.
[9] http://www.intgovforum.org/cms/athensmeeting
[10] http://www.intgovforum.org/cms/2012-igfbaku
[11] http://rconversation.blogs.com/rconversation/2009/11/china-isnt-happy-with-the-igf.html
[12] http://www.ifla.org/news/closing-of-the-wsis10-review-meeting
[13] Schafer, Valérie (2013). Première réunion d’examen du SMSI+10. Institut des Sciences de la Communication du CNRS. http://www.iscc.cnrs.fr/spip.php?article1751
[14] Hong, Amy (2013). WSIS+10: The Global Information Boom Leaves Billions Behind. MediaShift, http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2013/03/wsis10-the-global-information-boom-leaves-billions-behind066.html
[15] “Contested Governance: Exploring the Evolving Policy‐making Environment and Considering Collaborative Solutions from the Netroots”, WSIS+10 session organised by Divina Frau-Meigs, February 27th, 2013.
[16] Author’s notes from the session, February 27th, 2013.
[17] Gurstein, Michael (2013). Making HappyTalk in Paris; Disneyland and the WSIS+10 Review. http://gurstein.wordpress.com/2013/02/26/making-happytalk-in-paris-disneyland-and-the-wsis-10-review/
[18] Drake, William (2011). Multistakeholderism: External Limitations and Internal Limits. MIND: Multistakeholder Internet Dialog, Co:llaboratory Discussion Paper Series No. 2, Internet Policymaking, 68-72, Berlin: Co:llaboratory.
[19] Gurstein, ibid.
[20] Hintz, Arne and Stefania Milan (2009). “At the Margins of Internet Governance: Grassroots Tech Groups and Communication Policy”, International Journal of Media and Culture Policy, 5 (1-2): 23-38.
[21] Drake, ibid.
[23] Massit-Folléa, Françoise and Francesca Musiani (2009). Recollections of Egypt. Comments on the Fourth Annual Meeting of the Internet Governance Forum, Vox Internet, http://www.csi.ensmp.fr/voxinternet/www.voxinternet.org/spipc8dd.html?article340
Publié le 14 avril 2013 14 avril 2013 Auteur Francesca MusianiCatégories Actualités, Productions ADAMMots-clés Gouvernance, parties prenantes, SMSILaisser un commentaire sur SMSI+10: l’auto-éloge du “multi-parties prenantes” dans la gouvernance de l’Internet
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The University of Sydney- Classic Texts in Australian and International Taxation Law
Full Report January 31 1975
[Front Matter]
Taxation Review Committee
Chapter 1 The need for Tax Reform
Chapter 2 The Australian Tax System in Perspective
Chapter 3 Criteria for Tax Systems
Chapter 4 The Problem of Progressivity
Chapter 5 The goals of Tax Reform
Chapter 6 Inflation and Tax Reform
Chapter 7 Income Tax: The Base
Chapter 8 Income Tax: Issues Related to Business and Professional Income
Chapter 9 Income Tax: Issues Related to Employment and Investment Income
Chapter 10 Personal Income Tax : The Taxpaying Unit
Chapter 11 Income-Splitting
Chapter 12 Personal Income Tax: Dependant Allowances and Other Concessional Deductions
Chapter 13 Personal Income Tax: Social Security
Chapter 14 Personal Income Tax: Rate Structure
Chapter 15 Income Taxation in Relation to Trusts and Partnerships
Chapter 16 Company Income Tax
Chapter 17 International Aspects of Income Taxation
Chapter 18 Income Taxation in Relation to Particular Industries: Primary Production
Chapter 19 Income Taxation in Relation to Particular Industries: Mining
Chapter 20 Income Taxation in Relation to Particular Industries: General Insurance, Exempt Organisations and Mutual Associations
Chapter 21 Income Taxation in Relation to Superannuation and Life Insurance
Chapter 22 Income Tax Administration
Chapter 23 Capital Gains Tax
Chapter 24 Estate and Gift Duty
Chapter 25 Charities
Chapter 26 Wealth Tax
Chapter 27 Taxation of Goods and Services
43.1.1.
I. Existing Taxes on Goods and Services
II. Broad-Based Taxes
III. Level of Vat and Transitional Problems
Chapter 27: Appendix A: Sales Tax as a Continuing Tax
Commonwealth of Australia: Taxation Review Committee
Persons, Organisations and Companies who made Submissions to the Committee
Studies Prepared for the Use of the Taxation Review Committee Which Their Authors Agree may be Published
Treasury Taxation Papers
Members of the Professional Staff who assisted the Committee for varying periods
Professional Firms, Universities and Organisations who made Professional Staff Available to the Committee
Members of the General Services Staff
Important Statutory Alterations to the Taxation Legislation Since the Taxation Review Committee Commenced its work
24.A44. Three cases that would be caught by the foregoing rules require special consideration.
24.A45. The first case relates to the situation where a taxpayer settles property on himself for life with the remainder to other persons. Where the life interest is in the whole of the settled property, the property will be taxed on the death of the settlor or on an earlier dealing by him with the life estate and no tax need be imposed when the settlement is created. If the life interest is not in the whole of the settled property, then the value of that part to which the interest does not relate should be taxed as a gift at the time of the settlement.
24.A46. The second case is where an existing interest is enlarged. For example, assume that A, B and C are each entitled to a third of the income from Blackacre during the life of C and that A and B are entitled to half of Blackacre on the death of C. Under the Committee's recommended rules, the whole or a fraction (greater than a third) of the value of Blackacre would be brought to tax on the death of C, half on the death of A and half on the death of B. The Committee recommends that where
(a) an interest (whether for life, for a term of years or for the life of another or as a potential beneficiary under a discretionary trust) is determined, and
(b) the whole or any part of the corpus is taxed to the person who was the holder of that interest, and
(c) that person is absolutely entitled to the whole or a fraction of the corpus,
the amount of the corpus brought to tax should be limited to the amount by which the corpus deemed to have been disposed of by that person exceeds the amount of corpus to which that person is actually entitled. Under this exception, in the example given above, a third only of Blackacre will be brought to tax on the death of C, and a half on
each of the deaths of A and B. The exemption ought not to be available if the entitlement to corpus is contingent or can be defeated by some means.
24.A47. The third case is the protective trust. Such trusts are established for the benefit of a beneficiary (herein called the ‘protected beneficiary’) who is unable to manage his affairs properly or may be unduly influenced to his own disadvantage. Generally the trustee has a discretion as to distribution of income. If, on the death of a protected beneficiary who has had a life estate, three-quarters of the income derived during the life of the protected beneficiary has been distributed, three-quarters of the corpus will come to be taxed under the provisions recommended in paragraphs 24.A27 and 24.A31. In the meantime, the accumulated income will have resulted in tax being imposed by virtue of the provisions recommended in paragraph 24.A40. Such treatment, in the Committee's view, is inappropriate. In the case of a protective trust, the whole of the assets subject to the trust should be taxed on the occasion when the interest of the protected beneficiary is taxed under the provisions recommended in paragraph 24.A27. No tax should be imposed prior to this occasion by virtue of the provisions recommended in paragraph 24.A40.
24.A48. In this discussion of limited interests it has been assumed that the holder acquired the interest in circumstances that did not involve his giving any consideration for the interest: he may have acquired the interest under a will or in an inter vivos settlement. If purchased interests are excluded from the proposed provisions, opportunities for tax avoidance will be created. Assume, for example, that a grandfather is near death and is giving instructions in regard to his will. If, by his will, he leaves a life estate in property to his son with remainder to the grandson, estate duty will be paid on the full value of the property on the death of the grandfather and again on the death of the son. If, instead, the son acquires, by purchase, a life estate in the property from the grandfather, and the grandfather leaves a legacy to the son of the amount paid for the life estate and the remainder interest to the grandson, estate duty will be paid on the full value of the property (the value of the remainder plus the amount paid by the son for the life interest) on the death of the grandfather but no estate duty will be paid on the value of the property on the death of the son. In the Committee's view the treatment should not be varied merely because consideration was in fact given.
24.A49. Where a life estate or an estate for the life of another or an interest in a discretionary trust is assigned, the estate or interest will be taxed at that point. No further tax need be charged on the expiry of the estate or interest or on any further dealing with it for adequate consideration.
24.A50. The notion of limited interest is very wide and will include interests, for example that of a lessee of property, which arise in ordinary commercial transactions. It will be necessary to exclude from the operation of the proposed provisions interests that have been acquired by persons dealing with each other at arm's length in ordinary commercial transactions.
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Vox: Democrats in Deep Trouble
RUSH: Matthew Yglesias, no relation to Julio Iglesias, no relation to Enrique Iglesias and therefore no relationship to that blonde Russian tennis player. What’s her name? Runs… (interruption) That’s right, Anna Kournikova.
Matthew is a lone Yglesias. He runs around with his buddies at Vox, which would be Ezra Klein and a number of other young Millennial types for the most part that grew tired of working for the old stand-by big guys, New York Times, Washington Post. They found some funding, which is what liberals do, and got this site that… I guess it’s owned now by… I forget now who owns it. A major, major, big time organization owns it now, but they set their site up as an explainer site, not as a news site.
Meaning they take the news out there and they do explainer stories. “What does this mean? What is it about?” They leave the reporting to others. And they explain it, of course, with a very, very demonstrable left-wing tilt. But Matthew Yglesias is the first Democrat I have seen stumble on to this topic and write about it. The headline of his piece: “Democrats Are in Denial. Their Party Is Actually in Deep Trouble.” Now, I have been pointing this out since 2010. The midterm elections 2010, the first Tea Party midterm.
Remember that election? The Democrats lost 700 seats across the country. Governorships, state legislatures, mayorals, city council, you name it — and they lost another close to 700 in 2014. They are down nearly 1500 seats, between 12,000 and 1500 seats/elected positions nationwide. And Yglesias has stumbled across this. I hope I do not damage his reputation or career by citing him here. But it happens. But I just want to say, because young Millennials are reading this today.
“The Democratic Party is in much greater peril than its leaders or supporters recognize, and it has no plan to save itself. Yes, Barack Obama is taking a victory lap in his seventh year in office. Yes, Republicans can’t find a credible candidate to so much as run for speaker of the House. Yes, the GOP presidential field is led by a megalomaniacal reality TV star,” and yeah, they’re bumbling like the Keystone Cops. “All this is true — but rather than lay the foundation for enduring Democratic success, all it’s done is breed a wrongheaded atmosphere of complacence,” among Democrats.
“The presidency is extremely important, of course. But there are also thousands of critically important offices all the way down the ballot. And the vast majority — 70% of state legislatures, more than 60% of governors, 55% of attorneys general and secretaries of state — are in Republicans hands,” and the brunt of that since the 2010 midterms nationwide. There has been a rejection of Barack Obama and the Democrat Party that they don’t want to talk about.
And, folks, I have to tell you: It has not been an embrace of the Republican Party because the Republican hasn’t run for anything. The Republican Party strategically in both midterms stayed mute. They were afraid of saying anything that would anger people. So they didn’t say diddlysquat. They didn’t criticize Obama. Individual candidates out there did. But the party itself did not. So the people of this country, it is accurate to say, in the midterms in 2010 and 2014, rejected Democrats all over this country.
Exceptions, of course, California, New York. But the numbers are still what they are: “70% of state legislatures, more than 60% of governors, 55% of attorneys general and secretaries of state — are in Republicans hands. And, of course, Republicans control both chambers of Congress. Indeed, even the House infighting reflects, in some ways, the health of the GOP coalition. Republicans are confident they won’t lose power in the House,” in 2016, “and are hungry for a vigorous argument about how best to use the power they have.
“Not only have Republicans won most elections, but they have a perfectly reasonable plan for trying to recapture the White House. But Democrats have nothing at all in the works to redress their crippling weakness down the ballot. Democrats aren’t even talking about how to improve on their weak points, because by and large they don’t even admit that they exist.” Now, there’s a reason for that, too. And it’s time to throw some cold water on this.
Now, all of this is true, but at the same time the left has infiltrated the judiciary, which oftentimes overturns legislatures and popular votes of the people. The left has infiltrated and dominates the federal bureaucracy which is going crazy writing regulations outside of Congress. So the left — as differentiated from the Democrat Party, the left — has corrupted all kinds of very powerful institutions, not to forget to mention that they run Hollywood. They run books, TV, and movies. The pop culture, they own that.
So it’s not… I don’t want anybody get the idea that I’m lost here. The Democrats are losing big, because they are, in certain ways. But if they are complacent, one of the reasons why is what they do have. They have the EPA. Depending if a Republican wins the White House, whoever it is — Trump, whoever, somebody wins it — what are they gonna do to the EPA? They’re gonna leave it alone to show unity. The Democrats are gonna keep running it.
The Department of Justice, ditto. You name it, all of these places, the left owns them right up. And Obama’s not going anywhere after he leaves office. He’s not gonna just sit idly by while people try to unwind his agenda, as George W. Bush has. So the landscape is complicated, but it is true in terms of elections which represent the voice of the people. The Democrats are being rejected all over the country.
Yglesias writes that the Democrats are “focused on a competition between Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton over whether they should go a little bit to Obama’s left or a lot to his left, options that are unlikely to help Democrats down-ballot in the face of an unfriendly House map and a more conservative midterm electorate. The GOP might be in chaos, but Democrats are in a torpor.” They’ve been obliterated at the state level.
That’s what Yglesias writes here is “[t]he worst part of the problem for the Democratic Party is in races that are, collectively, the most important: state government.” That’s grassroots. “Elections for state legislature rarely make the national news, but they are the fundamental building blocks of American politics. Since they run the redistricting process for the US House of Representatives and for themselves, they are where the greatest level of electoral entrenchment is possible.
And in the wake of the 2014 midterms, Republicans have overwhelming dominance of America’s state legislatures. In what Democrats should take as a further bleak sign, four of the 11 states where they control both houses of the state legislature — Maryland, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Illinois — have a Republican governor.”
So it’s not slam dunk city for the Democrats, even when they own both houses of the state legislature. “Any serious article about the prospects for Democratic Party policymaking in 2017 starts with the premise that Republicans will continue to hold a majority in the US House of Representatives.” And then he lists the four premises under which that statement is made. “One striking fact about this is that the presumption of continued GOP control is so solid that you don’t even get pushback from House Democratic leaders when you write it down.” Meaning, Iglesias is a leftist, a Democrat. He runs and talks to these people about it, they don’t even tell him he’s wrong.
Did you see the other day Nancy Pelosi offered to help the Republicans choose their Speaker? Did the Republicans accept? What an opportunity it would be to show they can cross the aisle and govern and cooperate, work for the other side, let Pelosi help them choose the Speaker, man, the independents would love that, right? Whew. Dodged a bullet there. You bet there were some Republicans thinking of accepting her offer?
At any rate, you know all this, because I, El Rushbo, have informed you. But the point is, leftist Millennials are reading this now. Vox is a very, very popular site of all my little tech blogger buddies, for example. I think they all have secret dreams of writing there someday, these little tech bloggers, some of them. So it’s gonna be seen. This is gonna be seen by people that otherwise would never think anything other than the Democrats run everything all the time, everywhere.
BREAK TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: One thing that Matthew Iglesias, I think, is not correct on, and that is that the Democrats do have a plan for overcoming the GOP majority and control in the states. The Democrats are very, very much aware of what they’ve lost, and they’re damn mad about it. And when they get mad at you, look out, ’cause when they lose elections, they blame voters. They don’t blame themselves. They blame you. You are fools. You are idiots. You’re falling for Republican tricks. You’re falling for me, Fox News, whatever it is, but you are damned idiots. And that makes ’em mad, and you need to be shown a lesson for electing Republicans.
So the way they’ve got this all handled, what do you think executive amnesty is? It’s many things. It’s, of course, Democrat voter registration. It is fundamentally changing the culture of the United States, there’s no question. But it’s also a way of overcoming Republican control in these states. What do you think sanctuary cities are all about? Well, they’re multifaceted, but one of the reasons for sanctuary cities is to blunt the fact that there might be a Republican mayor in a city one day, or a Republican governor in the state.
So amnesty and increased immigration is the way the Democrats are going to overcome the Republican electoral. That’s what’s so damned important about stopping it. The Democrats must be made to feel the effects of these losses. When they lose, they must lose. They craft ways to overcome their defeats, outside their electoral process. Amnesty, increased legal immigration is one of those techniques. The Democrat plan is to change the demographics of the voters in these states that are run by Republicans. That’s how they’re doing it.
They’ve adopted almost a new belief system that elections don’t matter. They hate having to run for election anyway. It’s insulting. It’s beneath them to have to campaign. They should be appointed by the czars, and they should have lifetime appointments. The fact that you people get to weigh in on it really ticks ’em off. So the way to thwart the will of the people is to change the makeup of the people. And if you do not have enough support from people here, then you import them. The Democrats need a permanent underclass. Illegal immigration, hello permanent underclass. We’re the Democrats and we’re happy to have you.
Vox: Democrats Are in Denial. Their Party is Actually in Deep Trouble - Matthew Yglesias
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Ngā Tāngata Taumata Rau
Ngā ingoa whānau ka tīmata ki te B
Barnicoat, Constance Alice
Dictionary of New Zealand Bography logo
Kōrero: Barnicoat, Constance Alice
He whakaaturanga anō
Haurongo tūhonohono
Whārangi 1: Biography
Secretary, interpreter, mountaineer, journalist
I tuhia tēnei haurongo e Janet McCallum, ā, i tāngia tuatahitia ki Ngā Tāngata Taumata Rau i te 1996.
Constance Alice Barnicoat was born on 27 November 1872 in Richmond, Nelson, New Zealand. She was the last of seven children of Rebecca Lee Hodgson and her husband, early farming settler John Wallis Barnicoat, a member of the Nelson Provincial Council and of the Legislative Council. As the youngest by eight years, Constance was brought up virtually as an only child, especially after the early deaths of her nearest sister and a brother. She became an excellent horse rider, and received a classical education at home. Her parents kept in touch with the outside world through English periodicals.
Constance Barnicoat spent 1888 and 1889 at the Nelson College for Girls before enrolling for a BA at Canterbury College. Academically she excelled, particularly in English, taught by Professor John Macmillan Brown, who became a lifelong friend. Graduating in 1895 she worked in Wellington as secretary for nearly three years to F. H. D. Bell, member of the House of Representatives. In 1896 she was reputedly the country's first official female shorthand reporter, for a Legislative Council committee investigating the affairs of the Bank of New Zealand.
Barnicoat had obtained Pitman's first-class certificate in shorthand in 1895, and in May 1897 sailed for England for further training at the Metropolitan School for Shorthand and Languages, London, where she won a prize for first place in French and German. She could read Italian and Spanish, later becoming a fluent Spanish speaker through her travels. Her linguistic ability was an invaluable asset to her employer from 1898, W. T. Stead, founder–editor of the Review of Reviews. She accompanied him as secretary and interpreter to the 1899 Hague Peace Conference, and began reviewing foreign-language books for the Review, as well as free-lancing for the Christchurch Weekly Press and English journals.
In 1902 and 1903 Constance Barnicoat visited New Zealand. During her nine-month stay she was one of three women in a party making a crossing of the Copland Pass near Mt Cook. This formed the subject of the first of her articles about her mountaineering achievements. From the start she wore trousers in the mountains, which was uncommon at the time, and in Europe she made trips alone with male guides.
Returning to London, she joined the reviewing staff of the Review of Reviews. Her criticism of the parochialism, political affairs and lack of hard work of New Zealanders riled local commentators, who referred to this outspoken young woman as 'a first class scold'. She also instituted the Barnicoat Essay Prize for the boys' and girls' colleges in Nelson, to encourage the study of contemporary world history, an area in which she considered colonial education to be lacking.
Her mountaineering feats, however, earned the comment that 'The modern learned young woman…is much more likely to achieve things by training her muscles as well as her mind'. These expeditions included a 1905 ascent of the Ailefroide in the Dauphiné Alps, France, a 1907 trip to the Caucasus, and a 1911 winter ascent of Switzerland's Grosser Schreckhorn – her greatest achievement. Barnicoat was also an intrepid traveller to isolated locations in South America, and later visited North America, Scandinavia and the Middle East.
Through a mutual love of mountaineering and journalism she met journalist and lecturer Israel Julian Grande, a Romanian Jew. They married in London on 29 March 1911; there were no children of the marriage. In 1913 they settled in Bern, Switzerland, anticipating the value of being in 'the Plotting Ground and Listening Post of Europe' during the First World War. Correspondents for British, American and New Zealand newspapers, they also edited the English edition of the International Peace Bureau's journal from 1913 to 1914. Having opposed the South African War (1899–1902) because Britain had previously pledged not to interfere with the liberty and independence of the Boers, Constance Grande was a fervent supporter of the war against German imperialism. She and Julian countered German propaganda by editing a multi-lingual monthly journal and producing pamphlets, in addition to their regular work. They were critical of British pacifists and anti-conscriptionists.
After the war they moved to Geneva, the seat of the League of Nations. The long hours Constance worked had affected her health from 1915, and she was able to attend only two sessions. She maintained, however, that the British Empire was more likely to endure than the league. When she died in Geneva on 16 September 1922, the Christchurch Press commented that her 'grip of facts added to an intimate knowledge of European politics and statesmen…had placed her in the front rank of women journalists'. She had also excelled as a woman mountaineer. A peak in the Southern Alps was named in her honour by Julian Grande in 1923 when on 6 March he made the first ascent of Mt Barnicoat.
Tiritiria tēnei whārangi
Tāngia te kōrero katoa
Whai muri:Hononga, rauemi nō waho
Me pēnei te tohu i te whārangi:
Janet McCallum. 'Barnicoat, Constance Alice', Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, first published in 1996. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/biographies/3b10/barnicoat-constance-alice (accessed 17 January 2022)
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The Sketchy Plan for Terrorist Suspects
While controversial new legislation could lead to Gitmo tactics on US soil, it may also end up giving more rights to detainees abroad.
Louie Palu/ZUMA Press
One of the stranger ironies of the controversial defense bill signed recently by President Obama is that, while it eroded the rights of Americans at home, it may have augmented those of detainees in Afghanistan.
As it stands, detainees in Afghanistan are essentially in limbo. Thanks to a 2008 Supreme Court ruling, Guantanamo detainees have habeas corpus rights and can challenge their detention in federal court. But individuals held by American forces in Afghanistan face military panels where they rarely get to see, let alone challenge, the evidence against them.
“It’s Brechtian,” says Daphne Eviatar, a senior associate with Human Rights First’s Law and Security Program, who observed detainee review board proceedings in Afghanistan last February. “The government says, ‘Trust us, we have evidence against you, but we’re not going to tell you what it is.'”
That could all change. A little-noticed provision in the National Defense Authorization Act mandates that the administration provide suspected terrorist detainees being held in “long-term” military detention with the option of being represented by military attorneys while their status is evaluated by a military judge. The legislation would offer far more due process to detainees who, until now, haven’t had any meaningful opportunities to challenge their detention. According to some legal experts, the measure would be an unprecedented extension of due process rights to detainees who are still being held in a war zone. Ironic, considering that elsewhere in the legislation it further militarizes domestic counterterrorism and hands the president the power to hold certain individuals suspected of terrorism without charge or trial.
“If this had been passed by a Democratic Congress over the veto of the Bush administration, people would be going crazy,” says Robert Chesney, a national security law expert who teaches at the University of Texas School of Law. Perhaps an even greater irony is that the architects of the provisions included Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.), both of whom pushed hard for a version of the bill that authorized the military detention of American terrorism suspects apprehended on US soil.
“I want to be able to tell anybody who is interested that no person in an American prison—civilian or military—held as a suspected member of Al Qaeda will be held without independent judicial review,” Graham said during debate on the Senate floor in December. Human rights advocates have long sought greater due process rights for detainees in Afghanistan. Because Taliban fighters don’t wear uniforms, it can be more difficult to tell whether the individual in question has been justly detained. A federal judge ruled in 2009 that certain detainees at Afghanistan’s Bagram detention facility had habeas rights, only to be overturned by a higher court that said detainees in a war zone aren’t entitled to the same rights as detainees at Gitmo.
The new process, per the guidance from Congress, makes clear that the enhanced process would come into play only after the detainee’s first review takes place after six months in detention, and perhaps even later than that. Yet that would still be a significant change from the current detainee review process, where long-term detainees face a military panel rather than a judge and is not represented by a lawyer.
Still, the Obama administration—which came into office promising a new trajectory on human rights and national security from his predecessor—doesn’t seem too happy about it. In his signing statement, the president said the provisions “needlessly interfere” with the administration’s process for determining whether or not a detainee is actually a member of an enemy force. Yet the provision actually includes a significant bit of wiggle room, granting the Secretary of Defense the authority to define what “long-term detention” means. Since the United States is technically supposed to pull out of Afghanistan in 2014, the administration could decide that few, if any, detainees qualify as long-term detainees. That’s why Obama’s signing statement, in which he insists on the defense secretary’s “broad discretion” to decide who qualifies for the new process, has human rights advocates worried.
“From the signing statement, it sounds like they might not provide for the hearings that Congress has mandated,” Eviatar says.
Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), the chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has the administration’s back. “The president’s stated intention to use the flexibility Congress has given him is consistent with the statute,” Levin told Mother Jones in a statement.
A senior national security official said that the signing statement was crafted to reflect legal and logistical concerns. “We want to ensure that we are not detaining innocent people, without taking on an obligation that we simply don’t have the resources to provide,” the official said. “We’re just trying to indicate that we plan to use our discretion to determine when it’s appropriate—given resource, security, and human rights considerations—to afford this process to detainees.”
A lot is riding on how exactly the administration decides to interpret the provisions. But the standard set here has tremendous implications for how the United States and even other countries conduct detainee affairs during wartime. For some detainees in Afghanistan held for years without charge or trial, it could mean freedom.
Obama Signs Controversial Defense Bill On New Year’s Eve
Did Congress Just Endorse Rendition for Americans?
Nick Baumann
The Defense Bill Passed. So What Does It Do?
New Evidence Suggests Trump DOJ Official Conspired With White House to Overturn 2020 Election
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HomeNovember 1
November 1, 2016 October 31, 2016 Carl Robert Keyes Daily Advert Update, Guest ContributionBritish East India Company, Ceara Morse, India Goods, James Green, Providence Gazette
GUEST CURATOR: Ceara Morse
Providence Gazette (November 1, 1766).
“A GENERAL Assortment of English and India Goods.”
In this advertisement in the Providence Gazette, James Green sought to sell an “assortment of English and India Goods.” The “India Goods” had been sent to London by the British East India Company.
Originally, the British East India Company’s primarily goal was trade, but it eventually became a ruling power in India. How? What kept the British East India Company in India was something more useful than any goods that could be exported: armies. They realized that Indians with modern weaponry could be just as good as European soldiers, but for half the price. The Company also used its armies to gain favor with rulers in India. Those armies aided Indian princes, thus creating opportunities for the Company to have sway in governing India.
The Company was able to avoid certain taxes that would normally be put on them for trading. Some Indian leaders tried to oppose the Company, such as the nawāb (or governor) Sirajud-Dawla and the Mughal emperor. They failed when the Company’s army defeated their armies in 1764. After that, the British East India Company gained more control over trade, including the revenue systems of Bengal, Orissa, and Bihar.
Learn more about the British East India Company Raj.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTARY: Carl Robert Keyes
James Green sold “A GENERAL Assortment of … Goods” and commodities that had been transported great distances. The “Bohea and Green Tea” came from China, the indigo came from France, the spices came from the East Indies, and the “India Goods” came from the Indian subcontinent.
Ceara traces some of the history of the British East India Company in the years immediately before this advertisement appeared in a newspaper on the other side of the world. In providing glimpses of the British East India Company’s interventions in India, she demonstrates that colonists in New England were connected to faraway places that, until recently, have not been associated with the colonial American experience. For a generation and more, however, scholars have been reconceiving of colonial America as only a portion of a larger Atlantic world, but even those expansive boundaries cannot contain the webs of commerce and conquest that spread around the globe. Historians continue to discover that early America was much more vast than we previously realized!
For instance, in a book published earlier this year, Selling Empire: India in the Making of Britain and America, 1600-1830, Jonathan Eacott “recasts the British empire’s chronology and geography by situating the development of consumer culture, the American Revolution, and British industrialization in the commercial intersections linking the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.” Eacott examines “evolving networks, ideas, and fashions that bound India, Britain, and America” in the seventeenth through nineteenth centuries.
In doing her research to write about today’s advertisement, Ceara discovered a portion of this story on her own. It is a story that departs from traditional definitions and expectations about what should be included in a history of colonial America, but it is a more complete story that acknowledges that shopkeepers like James Green and his potential customers who read the Providence Gazette represented only two links in a much longer chain of supply and exchange that extended far beyond London to British merchants and officials operating in a very different colonial context in India.
← Slavery Advertisements Published November 1, 1766
November 2 →
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HomePosts tagged 'Printed Blanks'
Printed Blanks
August 20, 2021 August 18, 2021 Carl Robert Keyes Daily Advert Update Convenience, Essex Gazette, Printed Blanks, Samuel Hall, Tax Assessments, Taxes
Essex Gazette (August 20, 1771).
“Strips of Paper are printed off, containing a List of every Rateable Article.”
Throughout the colonies, printers produced, advertised, and sold “BLANKS” or printed forms that facilitated legal and commercial transactions. Samuel Hall listed a “general Assortment of Blanks … particularly fitted for the County of Essex” in the August 20, 1771, edition of the Essex Gazette. Among that assortment, he reported that he had “neatly and accurately” printed “Apprentices Indentures,” “Bills of Lading,” “Powers of Attorney,” “Sheriffs Bail Bonds,” and “Justices Writs, Summonses, Executions and Recognizances.” The template on each blank aided colonists attending to their affairs in the marketplace and the legal system.
In a separate advertisement, Hall promoted another product intended to assist colonists in meeting their obligations, in this case their obligation to enumerate their property for the purposes of paying taxes. Hall described this helpful device as “Strips of Paper … containing a List of every Rateable Article” that contributed toward the overall tax assessment. Like the blanks more familiar to many colonists, these “Strips of Paper” included empty space to fill in with the appropriate details; in this case, “to set down the Number and Value of Articles in the Columns left Blank for the Purpose.” Such organization then made it that much easier to achieve a final tally. Hall promoted these “Strips of Paper” in terms of the convenience they bestowed on prospective customers who might otherwise experience greater difficulty with this task. He intended them “FOR the Easement of People, in preparing Lists of their Polls & Rateable Estates.” Customers who used them did not need to worry about inadvertently overlooking anything that should be included, Hall suggested, since they could simply proceed down the list.
The printer conveniently placed this advertisement immediately below a notice to the “Inhabitants of the Town of SALEM” that they were “to give in to the Assessors Accounts of their Polls and Rateable Estates, according to the Tenor of an Act passed the last Session of the Great and General Court.” That notice also threatened penalties for “every Person … refusing or neglecting to give into the Assessors in writing, and on Oath if required, a true Account of his or her Rateable Estate” by September 20. Hall seized an opportunity to make current events work to his advantage in creating and marketing a product that made the assessment process easier and more convenient for prospective customers.
August 5, 2021 July 24, 2021 Carl Robert Keyes Daily Advert Update Colophon as Advertisement, Newport Mercury, Printed Blanks, Solomon Southwick
Newport Mercury (August 5, 1771).
“Where may be gad all kinds of BLANKS commonly used in this Colony.”
Colonial printers often used the colophons on the final pages of their newspapers for more than merely providing the name of the printer and the place of publication. Many printers treated colophons as spaces for promoting various aspects of their businesses, transforming them into ancillary advertisements.
In a relatively brief example, Solomon Southwick, printer of the Newport Mercury, informed readers that he supplied “all Kinds of BLANKS” (or printed forms for commercial and legal transactions) “commonly used in this Colony.” Anne Catherine Green included a much more extensive colophon in Maryland Gazette. Like many other printers, she hawked subscriptions and advertisements, but she also promoted other goods and services available at her printing office in Annapolis. “At same Place may be had, ready Printed,” she declared, “most kinds of BLANKS, viz. COMMON and BAIL BONDS; TESTAMENTARY LETTERS of several Sorts, with their proper BONDS annexed; BILLS of EXCHANGE; [and] SHIPPING BILLS.” In addition to blanks, “All Manner of PRINTING-WORK performed in the neatest and most expeditious Manner.”
Isaiah Thomas also used the colophon of his newspaper, the Massachusetts Spy, to solicit job printing in addition to subscriptions and advertisements. “PRINTING, in its various Branches,” he proclaimed, “performed in a neat Manner, with the greatest Care and Dispatch, on the most reasonable Terms.” In particular, Thomas produced “Small Hand-Bills at an Hour’s Notice.” According to the colophon for the New-York Journal, John Holt did “all Sorts of Printing Work … in the neatest Manner, with Care and Expedition.” Alexander Purdie and John Dixon deployed similar language in the colophon for the Virginia Gazette: “All sorts of PRINTING WORK done at this Office in the neatest Manner, with Care and Expedition.”
Not every newspaper printer transfigured the colophon into an advertisement. The colophon for the Massachusetts Gazette and Boston News-Letter, for instance, simply stated, “BOSTON: Printed by R. Draper.” A substantial number of printers, however, did seize the opportunity to do more than merely list their name and location at the bottom of the final page. Their colophons became advertisements that perpetually appeared in their newspapers, promoting goods and services in a different format than other commercial notices.
March 9, 2021 March 9, 2021 Carl Robert Keyes Daily Advert Update John Carter, Printed Blanks, Printer, Providence Gazette
Providence Gazette (March 9, 1771).
“Several Kinds of Blanks.”
Like his counterparts in other cities and towns, John Carter did more than print a newspaper at his printing office. In addition to distributing a new edition of the Providence Gazette on Saturdays, Carter also produced and sold blanks (or printed forms) and did job printing on behalf of customers. Many also sold books, most of them imported. Those various services established multiple sources of revenue for printers throughout the colonies.
Printers regularly promoted blanks in short advertisements in their own newspapers. Some of those notices were very brief, just a couple of lines that completed a column, but others were more extensive. In the March 9, 1771, edition of the Providence Gazette, for instance, Carter died more than inform readers that he provided blanks for sale at his printing office “at Shakespear’s Head, in King-Street, near the Court-House. Instead, he listed many of the different kinds of blanks on hand, including “SUPERIOR and INFERIOR Court Executions, … long and short Powers of Attorney, … Bills of Sales, Bills of Lading, … Policies of Insurance, [and] Apprentices Indentures.” The Providence Gazette served an entire region, not just local residents, so Carter also printed and sold “several Kinds of Blanks for the Colony of Connecticut, such as Writs of Attachment, [Writs] for Recovery of Notes and Book-Debts at a County Court, [and Writs] before a Justice.” Colonists used standardized blanks to facilitate a variety of legal and commercial transactions.
Carter focused primarily on the many different kinds of blanks available at his printing office, but he also promised quality. He assured prospective customers that no matter which of his blanks they selected, they were “all neatly printed on good Paper.” The printer combined skill in execution and quality of materials in his appeal to customers. The appearance and durability of these blanks enhanced any legal or financial transaction they recorded.
Carter supplemented revenues from subscriptions and advertisements in the Providence Gazette with additional revenues from printing and selling blanks intended for a variety of legal and financial purposes. Like other printers, he inserted notices about blanks in his newspaper, leveraging one of his endeavors in support of another for the overall benefit of the entire operation of his printing office.
June 30, 2020 June 24, 2020 Carl Robert Keyes Daily Advert Update Business of Printing, John Carter, Printed Blanks, Providence Gazette
Providence Gazette (June 30, 1770).
“BLANKS.”
John Carter, the printer of the Providence Gazette, used the colophon to promote the various goods and services available “at his PRINTING-OFFICE, the Sign of Shakespeare’s Head.” He advised the community that he accepted “Subscriptions, Advertisements, Articles and Letters of Intelligence” for the newspaper and performed “all Manner of PRINTING-WORK.” In addition to job printing, Carter also produced a variety of blanks or printed forms for commercial and legal purposes, from “Bills of Lading” and “Policies of Insurance” to “Long and short Powers of Attorney” and “Summonses for the Superior and Inferior Courts.” Carter did not, however, mention blanks in the colophon; instead, he regularly ran advertisements about them.
Consider the extant issues of the Providence Gazette for 1770. The America’s Historical Newspapers database includes fifty-one of the fifty-two issues published on Saturdays that year. (It includes the supplement, but not the standard issue, for February 10.) Advertisements for blanks appeared in thirty-two of those issues, nearly two out of three published that year. This suggests that Carter considered blanks an important supplement to the revenue he earned from subscriptions, advertising, and job printing. Those advertisements took three forms. A short version consisted of only two lines that informed readers “BLANKS of all Kinds Sold by the Printer hereof.” It ran fifteen times.[1] A variation ran twice more.[2] It added two lines promoting “A fresh Parcel of DEEDS, printed on beautiful Paper.” A lengthier advertisement listed a dozen blanks for use in Rhode Island as well as “various Kinds of Blanks for the Colony of CONNECTICUT.” Carter served a regional market. That advertisement ran fifteen times.[3]
In addition to increasing revenues, these advertisements had another purpose. They operated as filler in the sense that they completed the columns and the pages of the Providence Gazette, often appearing at the bottom of a column. The compositor chose the advertisement of the appropriate length to fill the space. While that use of these advertisements should not be overlooked, it also should not be exaggerated. The issues of the Providence Gazette that did not include any version of the advertisement for blanks tended to feature advertisements for almanacs, pamphlets, and books sold at the printing office. Carter reserved space in his newspaper for advertisements about his own merchandise, highlighting new publications when they came off the press but reverting to notices about blanks on other occasions.
[1] February 3, 17, 24; March 3; July 28; August 4, 18; September 1, 22; October 20, 27; November 3, 24; December 1, 8.
[2] November 10, 17.
[3] March 17, 24; April 14, 21, 28; May 12, 19, 26; June 2, 9, 16, 23, 30; July 7, 14.
May 12, 2020 May 12, 2020 Carl Robert Keyes Daily Advert Update John Carter, Placement on Page, Printed Blanks, Printer, Providence Gazette
Providence Gazette (May 12, 1770).
“B L A N K S.”
John Carter, printer of the Providence Gazette, regularly inserted an advertisement for printed blanks into his own newspaper in 1770, using one element of his business to promote another. Even when he did not run his notice for “BLANKS,” each edition concluded with a colophon that listed more than just Carter’s name and the place of publication. It also advised readers that “all Manner of PRINTING-WORK is performed on reasonable Terms, with Fidelity and Expedition” at Carter’s printing office at “the Sign of Shakespeare’s Head” in Providence. The advertisement for “BLANKS” often supplemented the perpetual advertisement for job printing at the bottom of the final page of the Providence Gazette.
Carter catered to a variety of prospective customers, producing blanks (or forms) for “Apprentices Indentures,” “Bills of Lading,” “Bonds of several sorts,” and “Long and short Powers of Attorney,” to name just a few. He also carried “various Kinds of Blanks for the colony of CONNECTICUT” for anyone tending to legal or commercial matters in the neighboring colony.
This advertisement moved around within the pages of the Providence Gazette. Eighteenth-century printers often saved advertisements for their own goods and services for the bottom of columns, bringing those columns to the desired length after first inserting news and paid notices submitted by their customers. Perhaps to increase the likelihood that readers would take note of it, Carter moved his advertisement around the page from week to week. In the May 12, 1770, edition it occupied a privileged place as the first advertisement. It also appeared in the center of the page, drawing the eye due to the amount of white space created by listing only one item per line. Both the news and the other advertisements on the page consisted of dense paragraphs with little variation of font sizes. Carter’s advertisement with its headline, “B L A N K S” in the largest font on the page, and ample white space positioned at the center of the page would have been nearly impossible for readers of the Providence Gazette to overlook.
October 24, 2019 October 23, 2019 Carl Robert Keyes Daily Advert Update Essex Gazette, Local Market, Printed Blanks, Samuel Hall
Essex Gazette (October 24, 1769).
“All of the above BLANKS are … suited, in a particular Manner, for the County of Essex.”
Colonial printers often used the pages of their own newspapers to advertise other goods they sold at their printing offices. Advertisements for blanks (what we would call forms today) regularly appeared in newspapers from New England to Georgia, suggesting that supplying blanks for various purposes to colonists engaged in commercial transactions and legal agreements comprised an important source of revenue for printers. Most advertisements for blanks were fairly short, extending only a few lines. In addition to informing colonists that printers had blanks on hand, those shorter advertisements also allowed compositors to complete columns of text that fell just shy of having enough content. Yet not all advertisements for blanks were mere announcements. Some were rather lengthy, listing the many different kinds of blanks that printers had on hand.
Such was the case for Samuel Hall’s advertisements for blanks that ran in the Essex Gazette on several occasions in the fall of 1769. After its initial publication, Hall even expanded his advertisement to provide a more comprehensive list of blanks as well as describe them in greater detail. He added “Bills of Cost, and Complaints” to the list (with “Complains” inexplicably in a much larger font than anything else in the advertisement). Most advertisements for blanks simply listed the various kinds available, such as “Bills of Lading,” “Apprentices Indentures,” and “Short Powers of Attorney.” Hall, however, supplemented his list with a note that “All of the above BLANKS are neatly printed, on good Paper, and most of them suited, in a particular Manner, for the County of Essex.” He did not elaborate on that “particular Manner,” but this note did suggest to prospective customers that he had not produced generic forms drawn from templates produced by other printers in other towns. Instead, he adapted his blanks to suit the legal and commercial landscape of his community. He likely intended to make his blanks more attractive to local customers than any they could have purchased from other printers, including the many printers in nearby Boston whose own blanks may have been “suited, in a particular Manner” for use in that city. The Essex Gazette offered an alternative source of news to the several newspapers published in Boston in the late 1760s. Its printer offered an alternative source for other printed items produced in the printing offices in Boston.
September 5, 2019 September 4, 2019 Carl Robert Keyes Daily Advert Update Essex Gazette, Graphic Design, Printed Blanks, Printer, Samuel Hall, Typography
Essex Gazette (September 5, 1769).
Like printers in other towns and cities in the colonies, Samuel Hall sought to generate revenue by taking advantage of his access to the press to promote his own enterprises in the Essex Gazette. In addition to publishing a newspaper, Hall also produced “BLANKS” at his printing office in Salem. Colonists used blanks (or printed forms, as they would be described today) for a variety of common commercial and legal purposes. They saved significant time compared to writing out the same transaction repeatedly. In some instances, resorting to blanks allowed colonists to sidestep hiring a conveyancer or lawyer to draw up documents.
Most printers simply announced that they stocked blanks of all sorts at their printing offices. On occasion, however, some printers listed the different kinds of blanks, providing a better glimpse of how purchasing them could increase efficiency and streamline all variety of transactions. In his advertisement, Hall listed sixteen different blanks for purposes that ranged from “Apprentices Indentures” to “Bills of Lading” to “Short Powers of Attorney.”
Through his typographical choices, he made sure that readers of the Essex Gazette would notice his advertisement. Many eighteenth-century advertisements that listed goods for sale, especially those that ran in the Essex Gazette in the late 1760s, clustered the items together in dense paragraphs. Hall’s advertisement, on the other hand, listed only one type of blank per line, making it easier to read and identify forms of particular interest. Hall also selected a larger font for his advertisement than appeared throughout the rest of that edition of the Essex Gazette. His notice occupied nearly twice as much space as any other in the same issue. The combination of white space incorporated into Hall’s advertisement and the oversized type made it one of the most striking items on a page that included both news and paid notices. Another advertisement featured a woodcut depicting a ship at sea, but it appeared immediately above Hall’s advertisement for blanks, leading directly into it.
Hall promoted other aspects of his business in the Essex Gazette, hoping to generate revenue beyond subscriptions and advertising fees. In the process, he effectively used graphic design to draw attention to other products from his printing office, an array of blanks for commercial and legal purposes. His access to the press gave him opportunities to experiment with the format of his own advertisements to an extent not available to other colonists.
May 12, 2019 May 9, 2019 Carl Robert Keyes Daily Advert Update Advertisement as Filler, Ames's Almanack, Daniel Fowle, New-Hampshire Gazette, Printed Blanks, Robert Fowle, Settling Accounts
New-Hampshire Gazette (May 12, 1769).
“BLANKS of most sorts, and a variety of BOOKS sold at the Printing-Office.”
Three advertisements placed by the printers of the New-Hampshire Gazette rounded out the final page of the May 12, 1769, edition. Each appeared at the bottom of a column, immediately above the colophon that listed Daniel Fowle and Robert Fowle in Portsmouth as the printers. Each notice testified to a different aspect of the printing business.
The notice in the first column warned that “ALL Persons indebted to the Printers, for News-Papers, &c. are NOW desired to make payment, if ever they design it, and would avoid unnecessary Trouble and Expence.” Colonial printers frequently inserted such appeals into their newspapers, but the Fowles did so more regularly than most others in the 1760s. Some printers incorporated their calls to settle accounts into annual messages that commemorated the completion of one year of publication and the beginning of another. Such messages to subscribers and other readers often outlined improvements to be made in the coming year, but also earnestly requested that customers pay their debts. The Fowles used some of the most creative and colorful language, once even threatening to publish the names of any who did not settle accounts within a short time, though they never followed through on that strategy for public shaming.
The advertisement in the second column informed readers that “BLANKS of most sorts, and a variety of BOOKs [are] sold at the Printing-Office.” Operating the newspaper was not the extent of how the Fowles earned their livelihood. They also sold books, some that they had printed but most imported from Britain. In addition, they did job printing and produced “BLANKS of all Kinds,” better known to day as printed forms. Colonists used these blanks for a variety of commercial and legal transactions, relying on the standardized language. A similar advertisement published in the Georgia Gazette provided a list of the various sorts of blanks available at the local printing office: “bonds, bills of sale, mortgages, powers of attorney, bonds of arbitration, indentures, bills of lading, articles of agreement between masters of vessels and seamen, summonses, warrants, and attachments, for the court of conscience, summonses before justices of the peace, executions for the use of magistrates, indico certificates.” Some, such as the indigo certificates, were specific to local usage, but most were used throughout the colonies. Like advertisements, blanks supplied an important revenue stream for printers.
Finally, the third column concluded with an advertisement for “Ames’s Almanack, for 1769, to be Sold at the Printing Office, in Portsmouth.” This was incredibly late for an advertisement for an almanac to appear; some of the contents certainly remained useful for the remainder of the year, but more than one-third of 1769 had already elapsed. By and large, printers, booksellers, and others had ceased advertising almanacs for quite some time. The appearance of this notice indicates that the Fowles still had surplus almanacs in stock. They hoped for some sort of return on their investment if they could sell any of them at that point. Its position as the last item in the May 12 issue, with the exception of the colophon, tells another story. The Fowles needed to fill the space to complete the column and the issue. This advertisement may have been just as valuable for that purpose as for any sales that resulted from it.
Indeed, the placement of all three advertisements from the printers suggests that they served dual purposes. Each tended to some aspect of operations at the printing office in Portsmouth while simultaneously completing a column and contributing to the tidy appearance of the final page of the May 12 edition of the New-Hampshire Gazette.
October 21, 2018 October 20, 2018 Carl Robert Keyes Daily Advert Update Advertisement as Filler, Daniel and Robert Fowle, Daniel Fowle, New-Hampshire Gazette, Printed Blanks, Robert Fowle
New-Hampshire Gazette (October 21, 1768).
“BLANKS of all sorts sold at the Printing Office in Portsmouth.”
Like almost every other colonial printer who published a newspaper, Daniel Fowle and Robert Fowle, printers of the New-Hampshire Gazette, regularly inserted advertisements for their own goods and services. Although they sometimes promoted books they sold at the printing office, including John Dickinson’s popular “LETTERS from a FARMER in PENNSYLVANIA, to the INHABITANTS of the BRITISH COLONIES,” they most often ran short notices that informed readers they sold printed blanks (better known as forms today). Blanks included a variety of common legal and commercial devices, such as bills of sale, indentures, and powers of attorney. They were stock-in-trade for printers throughout the colonies.
I have previously argued that advertisements for blanks in particular (and goods sold by printers more generally) had a dual purpose in colonial newspapers. Selling blanks certainly generated revenues for printers. In that regard, advertisements for blanks appeared for the same reason as advertisements for any other consumer goods and services. Advertisements for blanks, however, also served as filler when the rest of the issue fell short of content to fill the pages.
The October 21, 1768, edition of the New-Hampshire Gazette makes this especially clear. It was a standard four-page issue created by printing on both sides of a broadsheet and then folding it in half. The first two pages consisted entirely of the masthead and news items, but the final two pages featured a mixture of news and advertising. A short advertisement, just five lines, appeared in the lower right corner of the third page: “BLANKS of most sorts, and a great variety of BOOKS, Pamphlets, &c. sold at the Printing Office, which is kept near the State House, in the Street leading to the Market. And Ferry.—Where Isle Shoals and Newmarket Lottery Tickets are sold.” Another short advertisement, this one only two lines, appeared as the final item on the fourth page, immediately above the colophon. “BLANKS of all sorts sold at the Printing Office in Portsmouth,” it starkly announced. In both cases, the placement at the bottom of the last column on the page indicates that the compositor inserted these advertisements only after including other content, both news and advertising. Advertising their own wares benefitted newspaper printers, but those short notices also played a role in meeting other goals in the publication process.
August 6, 2018 August 6, 2018 Carl Robert Keyes Daily Advert Update Newspaper Production, Printed Blanks, Providence Gazette
Providence Gazette (August 6, 1768).
“BLANKS of all Kinds sold by the Printers hereof.”
All of the advertisements on the final page of the August 6, 1768, edition of the Providence Gazette would have looked familiar to readers who perused that newspaper regularly. They included advertisements that Joseph Russell and William Russell had inserted in every issue for the past two months as well as a notice by Joseph Bucklin and Nicholas Clark announcing that they had “set up the CUTLERS Business in Providence.” In addition to earning their livelihood, Bucklin and Clark argued that they served the public by reducing dependence on imported knives and other cutlery. Another advertisement detailed the “SCHEME of a LOTTERY” intended to raise funds “for amending the Great North Road heading from Providence to Plainfield.” It also called on readers to consider the benefits to the general public when making decisions about how to spend their money.
The final advertisement in the August 6 edition would have looked the most familiar since it appeared often but not necessarily in every issue. Sarah Goddard and John Carter, printers of the Providence Gazette, regularly published a short notice that reminded readers “BLANKS of all Kinds sold by the Printers hereof.” Printed blanks (better known as forms today) included a variety of common legal and commercial devices, such as bills of sale, indentures, and powers of attorney. Goddard and Carter’s notice served a dual purpose. It promoted items sold at their printing office at the Sign of Shakespeare’s Head, yet it also played a role in the production of that issue of the newspaper itself. The brief advertisement completed the final column on the final page, a column filled almost entirely with the lengthy advertisements placed by Bucklin and Clark and the directors of the Great North Road Lottery. It was not imperative for it to appear in that issue of the Providence Gazette. After all, the colophon advertised “all Manner of PRINTING WORK” done at the printing office. The compositor inserted the brief advertisement for printed blanks as necessary to fill the page. Its purpose was as much to streamline production of the newspaper as to facilitate sales of widely used legal and commercial forms.
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Jason Lycurgus Compson III is a direct descendant of the first Jason Lycurgus Compson, who acquired the rural piece of Mississippi land that would come to be the central region of the town of Jefferson. The town of Jefferson is the place of the Compson residence and the central setting for the story. Mr. Jason, as he is sometimes referred to, is a lawyer by trade and the eldest of the Compsons featured in The Sound and the Fury. He is the father of four children upon whom the novel is focused. The oldest of which is Quentin, followed by Candace, Jason IV, and Benjamin. Mr. Jason is married to Caroline of the Bascomb family. Although Mr. Jason is the head of the Compson household presently, his obsession with his heritage adds to this the role of a symbolic bridge between his ancestry and his children.
Historically the Compsons think of themselves as descendants of noble blood. Mr. Jason upholds this belief to the fullest. He holds the Compson family, especially their history, in great esteem, an estimation that is unreservedly self applied. That is, Mr. Jason views himself as an inheritor responsible for passing on all of the philosophies and traditions of his lineage. An idealistic man, Mr. Jason is so absorbed in his utopian belief of Compson privilege that he fails to see the reasons for, or even notice, his family’s current decay. Ironically his cherished ideals are painfully pessimistic, even morbid. Mr. Jason is a man inclined to the bottle, and it is not unconceivable to connect his alcoholic addiction to his dismal view of life. However it must be said that he does not appear to be bitter. In fact the contrary is true. His cynical nature causes him to make light of life; much to the frustration of his wife Caroline and his third child, Jason IV.
The Compson family relationships depicted in The Sound and the Fury can only be described as grossly dysfunctional. Mr. Jason himself is indeed interested in the wellbeing of his children; he even sells a significant portion of the Compson property in order to send his oldest son to Harvard for a year and to give his daughter Candace a proper wedding. Despite this, his brand of parental care is non-traditional and deficient at best. For although he grants to his children the very depths of his insight, expounds to them what he perceives are the secret mysteries of time and space, and lectures them on the vain pursuits of the striving human race–his language remains devoid of any real concrete ethical direction. As a result, his children suffer from severe emotional complexes. In one particular example in The Sound and the Fury Mr. Jason makes a cruel joke concerning his wife’s brother, Uncle Maury. When his oldest son Quentin, still a child at the time, overhears his father jesting cruelly about the idea of Maury being shot, the surprised Quentin starts to ask questions inquisitively. To this Mr. Jason responds by quoting the Latin phrase, “Et ego in arcadia” to the bewildered child (28).
Mr. Jason continues to play a central role in the influence of his children even after they are grown. The effect that this influence has on his family is variable. In many ways it is destructive, but in some ways it is positive. Quentin remains firmly attached to, if not lost in, the philosophies of his father and seems to apply the ancient Compson axioms with a new extreme that exceeds even his father. Mr. Jason is man of intellect, but for this he is scorned by Jason IV who attributes the dysfunction and alcoholism of his father to his preoccupation with scholarly studies. Despite these criticisms Mr. Jason is a consistent individual in the Compson family. He values his family immensely and treats them honorably. While he may not be considered the ultimate in fatherhood, his attentiveness as a parent still surpasses that of his constantly depressed spouse. In many ways he is a bonding agent for the Compson family. Mr. Jason is a tolerant man with few convictions. This lack of moral discernment may contribute to his family’s impairments, but also leads him to be remarkably passive. Lack of judgmental behavior could even be said to be a virtue of a sort that makes him more forgiving.
As the novel shifts to the perspectives of the adult children, especially after Mr. Jason has died, the closeness of the family is less and less evident, clearly some of the other tragic events in the novel are responsible for this as well, and more and more fractured. The ambiguity of Mr. Jason’s position of headship in the Compson family undoubtedly contributes to the problems they experience and his own academic distractions and addictions certainly do nothing good for his family, but the progression of the plot in William Faulkner’s novel gives evidence that the Compson family rapidly declined following Mr. Jason Compson’s passing, suggesting that as unconventional as Mr. Jason lycurgus Compson III––the confidence of the family rested upon him.
Faulkner, William. The Sound and the Fury an Authoritative Text, Backgrounds and Contexts, Criticism. New York: Norton, 1994.
For a guide to more resources see the Annotated Bibliography of Works Pertaining to the Compsons
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Boat Rage? GR Woman Shot At Torch Lake Launch
Jojo Girard Updated: August 12, 2021
Erica Thomas via Unsplash
UPDATE (8/12/21 12:00PM): UpNorthLive reports that the Missouri woman who is accused of shooting a 20-year-old Grand Rapids woman could be facing life in prison. The accused is identified as 36-year-old Lauren Hunter. Hunter has been charged with intent to murder. Hunter's attorney is claiming that the shooting was done in self defense.
ORIGINAL STORY: Road rage has apparently made its transition to the water, as an argument led to violence up north.
This sounds like it escalated WAY too quickly. A 20-year-old Grand Rapids woman is in intensive care at Munson Hospital in Traverse City this morning after being shot during an argument at a boat launch on Torch Lake.
The incident occurred Tuesday night at the busy state-run boat launch on the south end of the lake which was described by Antrim County Sheriff's Deputies as 'very busy' that night.
The victim has yet to be identified, and is currently in serious, but stable condition according to deputies.
According to a statement by the Antrim County Sheriff, Dan Bean, released to the Traverse City Record Eagle, the argument started when the victim and her boyfriend were loading a paddle board onto their vehicle when a vehicle driven by the suspected shooter backed down the crowded ramp to attempt to load her boat.
Words were exchanged, and when the women approached each other, the suspect, who is from Missouri, pulled out a .38 caliber pistol and shot at the victim, wounding her in the arm and chest.
The Missouri woman is currently in custody and charged with felonious assault. She was not been identified other than she is 36 years old and from Fenton, Missouri.
It used to be that getting away up north to go boating or paddling meant leaving your cares behind. But now road rage has crossed over to the lake, and it's a sad statement on where we are as a society.
Calm down -- another twenty minutes at a boat launch isn't worth getting shot or going to jail for.
MICHIGAN CRIME SCENE: Look Inside the Abandoned 'Jeepers Creepers' Schoolhouse
Categories: Michigan News
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-Top NewsArab NewsSaudi Arabia
Hima listed as Saudi Arabia’s sixth UNESCO World Heritage Site
-Top NewsArab NewsSaudi Arabia July 25, 2021 July 25, 2021
Hima joins Madain Saleh, Tarif in Diriyah, historic Jeddah, the rock art in Hail, and Al-Ahsa oasis on the UNESCO list….reports Asian Lite News
The ancient rock inscriptions at Hima in southwest Saudi Arabia on Saturday became the sixth location in the Kingdom to be included on UNESCO’s world heritage list.
Saudi Arabia has a “rich heritage of human civilizations. Efforts have borne fruit in making it known to the world,” Saudi Culture Minister Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan said.
Hima, in the western region of Najran, was a hub for caravans on trade and Hajj routes between the southern parts of Arabia and Mesopotamia, the Levant and Egypt. Travelers left behind a substantial collection of rock art depicting hunting, wildlife, plants, symbols and tools, and thousands of inscriptions in ancient scripts such as Musnad, Thamudic, Nabataean and early Arabic.
Wells in the area, once a vital source of fresh water in the vast desert of Najran, date back more than 3,000 years and contain fresh water to this day.
“We are thrilled to have this exceptional ancient site recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage site. The area has outstanding universal value, providing us with many lessons about the evolution of human culture and life in ancient times,” said Dr. Jasir Al-Herbish, chief executive of the Heritage Commission.
“We are working to preserve the area and conduct research to further understand the rock inscriptions, and are looking forward to welcoming more local and international visitors to come and see this historic cultural site for themselves.”
Hima joins Madain Saleh, Tarif in Diriyah, historic Jeddah, the rock art in Hail, and Al-Ahsa oasis on the UNESCO list.
The preservation and protection of the Kingdom’s cultural and natural heritage is a key part of the Kingdom’s 2030 Vision.
Overseen by the Heritage Commission, a raft of new discoveries has cemented the country’s reputation as a go-to destination for archeologists, historians and scientists looking to understand human history across the region.
Last year, the Commission announced one of the Kingdom’s most ground-breaking discoveries – ancient human and animal footprints, dating back more than 120,000 years, in Tabuk, marking the first evidence of human life on the Arabian Peninsula.
The Kingdom has also taken serious measures toward protecting national and international heritage. In 2019, the Ministry of Culture signed a Memorandum of Understating with UNESCO to contribute $25 million to the organization’s strategy for the preservation of heritage worldwide.
New sites in Europe regions added
The second is the transnational site of The Great Spa Towns of Europe which comprises 11 towns, located in seven European countries: Baden bei Wien (Austria); Spa (Belgium); Františkovy Lázně (Czechia); Karlovy Vary (Czechia); Mariánské Lázně (Czechia); Vichy (France); Bad Ems (Germany); Baden-Baden (Germany); Bad Kissingen (Germany); Montecatini Terme (Italy); and City of Bath (United Kingdom).
All of these towns developed around natural mineral water springs. They bear witness to the international European spa culture that developed from the early 18th century to the 1930s, leading to the emergence of grand international resorts that impacted urban typology around ensembles of spa buildings.
The Lighthouse of Cordouan in France, the third site, rises on a shallow rocky plateau in the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Gironde estuary, in a highly exposed and hostile environment. Built-in white limestone dressed blocks at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries, it was designed by engineer Louis de Foix and remodelled by engineer Joseph Teulère in the late 18th century. It embodies the great stages of the architectural and technological history of lighthouses and was built with the ambition of continuing the tradition of famous beacons of antiquity, illustrating the art of building lighthouses in a period of renewed navigation when beacons played an important role as territorial markers and as instruments of safety.
The fourth is the Darmstadt Artists’ Colony on Mathildenhöhe in Germany, the highest elevation above the city of Darmstadt in west-central Germany, which was established in 1897 by Ernst Ludwig, Grand Duke of Hesse, as a centre for emerging reform movements in architecture, arts and crafts. The buildings of the colony were created by its artist members as experimental early modernist living and working environments. The colony was expanded during successive international exhibitions in 1901, 1904, 1908 and 1914.
Lastly Padua’s fourteenth-century fresco cycles in Italy. The site is composed of eight religious and secular building complexes, within the historic walled city of Padua, which house a selection of fresco cycles painted between 1302 and 1397 by different artists for different types of patron and within buildings of diverse functions.
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Home Home | News & Events | Art & Culture
By U.S. Embassy Austria | 22 October, 2021 | Topics: Art & Culture, News
On the occasion of the opening of the “American Photography” exhibition at the Albertina Museum on August 23, 2021, Chargé d’affaires Mario Mesquita delivered welcome remarks. The exhibition features American photographs post-1945 till the present. The focus is less on portraits and more on everyday motifs that had previously been considered unworthy of portrayal. Some …
By U.S. Embassy Austria | 2 September, 2021 | Topics: Art & Culture, Chargé D’Affaires, Culture, Education, Events, Former U.S. Ambassadors, History
Join the “Future of Inclusion Lab”
This is an open call from American Arts Incubator – Austria Apply for Ars Electronica ‘s series of art and technology workshops with U.S. artist Rashin Fahandej .
The program will be held as a virtual exchange from July 2 – August 2, 2020. Application deadline: June 14, 2020 American Arts Incubator is an initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs developed in partnership with ZERO1 . …
By U.S. Embassy Austria | 5 June, 2020 | Topics: Art & Culture, Education, Scholarships and Exchanges, Science & Tech | Tags: Ars Electronica, cultural exchange, entrepreneurship, exchange program, Linz, transatlantic partnership, transatlantic relations
Ambassador Traina in the Styrian City of Weiz
Ambassador Trevor Traina inaugurated the “American Shelves” at the City Library and participated in a press conference celebrating the 30-year anniversary of the library. He also visited the School Campus Weiz , where he talked about entrepreneurship and transatlantic relations and answered a wide array of questions about U.S. politics, the presidential election campaign, and the work of an Ambassador. …
By U.S. Embassy Austria | 11 March, 2020 | Topics: Ambassador, Art & Culture, Education, English Language Learning
Ambassador Traina’s Trip to Tyrol
Ambassador Traina had a busy schedule for his trip to Tyrol. He had his inaugural visit with Governor Günther Platter . Topic of conversation were u.a. the economic relationships between the USA and Tirol. With more than 300,000 overnight stays guests from the U.S. play an important role in tourism. Ambassador Traina received a box of Tyrolean Schnapps …
By U.S. Embassy Austria | 15 October, 2019 | Topics: Alumni, Ambassador, Art & Culture, Business, U.S. & Austria | Tags: A2A, Aussenwirtschaft Austria, Austria to Austin, entrepreneurship, foreign policy, SelectUSA, transatlantic relations, Trevor Traina
Ambassador Traina at Street Photography Exhibition
Ambassador Traina, an avid photography collector, spoke at the opening of the new exhibition on street photography at Kunst Haus Wien/ Museum Hundertwasser. In his remarks, the Ambassador also remembered the recently deceased Robert Frank. “Street. Life. Photography” showcases works by U.S. and international artists.
By U.S. Embassy Austria | 10 September, 2019 | Topics: Ambassador, Art & Culture, Culture, Events | Tags: art photography, exhibition, kunst haus wien, Photography, Robert Frank, Trevor Traina
Cultural Icon Award for Helga Rabl-Stadler
Ambassador Traina presented Helga Rabl-Stadler, President of the Salzburg Festival, with the “Cultural Icon Award” at the International Salzburg Association-Gala, celebrating her significant contribution to U.S.-Austrian cultural relations. The Gala’s venue, Schloss Leopoldskron in Salzburg, is the birthplace of the Salzburg Festival.
By U.S. Embassy Austria | 1 August, 2019 | Topics: Ambassador, Art & Culture, Culture, Events | Tags: Cultural Icon Award, Helga Rabl Stadler, transatlantic relations, Trevor Traina
50th Anniversary of the first Moonlanding
Full house for our double bill event celebrating the 50th anniversary of NASA – National Aeronautics and Space Administration ‘s Apollo 11 Moon landing! The audience was treated to a stellar performance by the Markus Gaudriot Trio and taken back to the exciting days 50 years ago with the display of postal items, images, and newspaper articles collected by Profil editor Otmar …
By U.S. Embassy Austria | 5 July, 2019 | Topics: Art & Culture, Education, Events, History, Science & Tech | Tags: anniversary, Apollo 11, exhibition, Markus Gaudriot Trio, Moonlanding, NASA, Otmar Lahodynsky
Fantastic summer weather on June 26 at the Independence Day Party at Ambassador Traina’s residence in Vienna.Every year, the U.S. Embassy opens the doors to the Ambassador’s Residence in Hietzing to honored guests who help make the U.S.-Austrian relationship so strong. Thanks to our generous sponsors, guests enjoyed American beer, American and Austrian wine, burgers, …
By U.S. Embassy Austria | 2 July, 2019 | Topics: Ambassador, Art & Culture, Events | Tags: celebrations, Independence Day, transatlantic relations, Trevor Traina
Cultural Icon Award for Elisabeth Gürtler
Yesterday, Ambassador Traina presented Elisabeth Gürtler with the Embassy’s Cultural Icon Award in acknowledgement of her impressive achievements and long friendship with the United States. Ms. Gürtler, former director of Hotel Sacher, was also managing director of the Spanish Riding School for many years. Part of the history of this institution, a favorite sight …
By U.S. Embassy Austria | 19 June, 2019 | Topics: Ambassador, Art & Culture, Culture, Events, U.S. & Austria | Tags: Cultural Icon Award, Elisabeth Gürtler, transatlantic relations, Trevor Traina
Reception in Honor of the Mark Rothko Exhibition Opening
The exhibition “Mark Rothko” was opened at the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna , showing for the first time in Austria a retrospective of the influential U.S. artist and representative of Abstract Expressionism. Afterwards Ambassador Traina invited the guests of the vernissage to a reception in his residence, with the guests of honor Christopher and Kate Rothko, the children of …
By U.S. Embassy Austria | 13 March, 2019 | Topics: Ambassador, Art & Culture, Events | Tags: exhibition, Trevor Traina
Ambassador Traina explores Schönbrunn Palace
A visit to the summer residence of Maria Theresia: Ambassador Trevor Traina, accompanied by Managing Director Mag. Klaus Panholzer, got a “Highlights-Tour” at Schloß Schönbrunn .
By U.S. Embassy Austria | 19 December, 2018 | Topics: Ambassador, Art & Culture | Tags: transatlantic relations, Trevor Traina
American Studies Annual Meeting on “American Im/Mobilities”
From November 16-18, the Austrian Association for American Studies held its 45th annual meeting on “American Im/Mobilities” at the University of Vienna, the Austrian Academy of Sciences, and Amerika Haus. The conference, which brought together more than 100 scholars of American Studies and related disciplines from Austria, other European countries, and the United States, set out to examine …
By U.S. Embassy Austria | 29 November, 2018 | Topics: Alumni, Art & Culture, Education, English Language Learning, Events | Tags: American studies, student exchange program, University of Vienna
Ambassador Traina visits the Austrian National Library
The Austrian National Library has partnered with Google to digitalize over 600,000 books in its State Hall collection. Ambassador Traina visited the 650 year old library to learn more about this project and the history of this Austrian institution. During the tour, Ambassador Traina also viewed some special rare pieces including a mid-16th century map …
By U.S. Embassy Austria | 18 October, 2018 | Topics: Ambassador, Art & Culture | Tags: Austrian National Library, Dr. Andreas Fingernagel, Dr. Hans Petschar, exhibition, Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, Trevor Traina
Ambassador Traina opens Helen Levitt Retrospective
The Albertina museum in Vienna shows a retrospective of the works of U.S. photographer Helen Levitt (1913-2009). She was famous for her “street photography” in and around New York City. Ambassador Trevor Traina said in his opening remarks: “Exhibits such as this are the perfect way for us to connect our two cultures and share our …
By U.S. Embassy Austria | 12 October, 2018 | Topics: Ambassador, Art & Culture | Tags: exhibition, Helen Levitt, reception, transatlantic relations, Trevor Traina
Glitter and Be Gay: Leonard Bernstein at 100
Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) was one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, bridging the gap between classical music, Broadway musicals, jazz, and rock. Throughout his outstanding career, he composed popular symphonies, operas, and musicals; spearheaded prestigious orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic and, as a guest conductor over a period of 24 …
By U.S. Embassy Austria | 20 September, 2018 | Topics: Art & Culture, Culture, Events | Tags: American Music, art, Artist, Leonard Bernstein
Ambassador Traina visited Salzburg
“Perhaps the most beautiful city in Europe!” That was Ambassador Traina’s comment to “Salzburger Nachrichten” during his visit to the Mozartstadt. In his first official visit outside Vienna, Ambassador Traina called upon Governor Haslauer to discuss increased cooperation between the United States and Land Salzburg. He also stopped by Schloss Mirabell to admire the unparalleled …
By U.S. Embassy Austria | 27 July, 2018 | Topics: Ambassador, Art & Culture, Business | Tags: Traina
The Global Significance of American Avant-Garde Film
On April 4, the U.S. Embassy organized a panel discussion, including video clips, with Bruce Jenkins from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Alexander Horwath from the Austrian Film Museum and Mark Toscano, American filmmaker, curator and preservationist. Mark Toscano is a Los Angeles-based filmmaker, curator and film preservationist and works for the Academy …
By U.S. Embassy Austria | 4 April, 2017 | Topics: Art & Culture, Events
“Erika and Klaus Mann: Traitors to the Fatherland”
The internationally acclaimed documentary filmmaker and nonfiction author Dr. Andrea Weiss presented clips of one of her earlier films “Escape to Life.” This film deals with the life and times of famous German author Thomas Mann’s eldest children, Erika and Klaus. Known as intellectuals, artists, homosexuals and pacifists, Erika and Klaus were forced to leave Germany after Hitler’s …
By U.S. Embassy Austria | 11 May, 2015 | Topics: Art & Culture, Events
Doug Johnson Trio – Workshop and Concert
The U.S. Embassy organized a workshop for music students and a concert with the Austrian-American Doug Johnson Jazz Trio, consisting of the pianist and associate professor at the Berklee College of Music Doug Johnson, the New York bassist Edward Perez and the Austrian drummer Harald Tanschek.
By U.S. Embassy Austria | 23 March, 2015 | Topics: Art & Culture, Events
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Scott Whitaker
Directorio de Empleados
Secretariat Director for Stewardship & Development and Communications
Executive Director, Catholic Foundation - Diocese of Austin
scott-whitakeraustindiocese.org
Scott joined the diocese in 2003 and presently serves as the Secretariat Director for Stewardship, Development and Communications and Executive Director for the Catholic Foundation – Diocese of Austin. He oversees all areas of stewardship and development in the diocese. Scott’s areas of focus are supporting parishes and schools in conducting capital campaigns, major gifts, planned giving, and endowment management.
Scott is an active volunteer at his parish, St. Vincent de Paul, and his children's schools. He is a current board member of the Charitable Gift Planners of Central Texas. He previously served on the boards for the Association of Former Yell Leaders at Texas A&M University, the International Catholic Stewardship Council Board of Directors and Hand to Hold, a non-profit that serves families enduring infant prematurity or loss. He is a graduate of Texas A&M University and loves Aggie football. He and his wife, Kathryn, have six children.
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Barcelona Point Property Sells for More Than $2 Million Over Ask
While the address is 693 Route 114 in East Hampton, the property is accessed by a two-mile, scenic drive.
Courtesy of Brown Harris Stevens
A secluded property on Barcelona Point in East Hampton has sold for $10.2 million — more than $2 million over ask.
The waterfront parcel with a 2,500-square-foot home, surrounded by 700 acres of state-owned land, hit the market on May 21 for $8.1 million. Mary Ellen McGuire of Brown Harris Stevens not only had the listing, but sold it last week.
“The property is incomparable in that it is 1.84 waterfront acres surrounded by 700 acres of state-owned land,” McGuire tells Behind The Hedges. While the address is 693 Route 114 in East Hampton, the property is accessed by a two-mile, scenic drive on a rural stretch of road maintained by the town’s most historic governing body, the East Hampton Trustees. The unique property is “so elevated that you are not in a flood zone,” McGuire adds.
“There is nothing like it and was very hard to comp out,” she says.
Barcelona Point is a hidden enclave in East Hampton. Local lore says that sailors returning to the whaling port of Sag Harbor in the 1800s were reminded of Barcelona when passing the 80-foot bluffs, which led to the name. Thanks to preserved land, there are still panoramic water views and natural vegetation. The area is home to miles of hiking trails, some of which date back to the 1700s, and that goes through wooded forests, along tidal wetlands and atop the bluffs.
While the four-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bath house is “primed for renovation or replacement,” according to the listing, the property is the real gem. Views stretch over Sag Harbor Bay as far as the eye can see. There is also a large sundeck and heated vinyl pool.
“The beauty and quiet enjoyment is worth every penny,” says McGuire. “If I was in a position to purchase a multi-million dollar property, I would not hesitate to outbid whatever was on table!”
With more than one interested party, the property went into contract on November 12 and closed on December 22.
A Magic Compound in Westhampton Beach with Croquet Court
The Rise and Fall of East End Listing Exchange in the Hamptons
Robert Downey Jr Buys the Historic Windmill House in East Hampton
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Bibliography /
Using Examples and Case Studies Discuss and Evaluate the Impacts of Foreign Direct Investment on Host Country Economies.
08 Jan, 2018 Bibliography, Case Study, Free Essays 0
Word count 2. 269words Using examples and case studies discuss and evaluate the impacts of foreign direct investment on host country economies. Introduction Foreign Direct Investments are long term capital holdings directly invested in one country by another country. These foreign direct investments can be either outwards or inwards. The outward foreign direct investment is also referred to as investments abroad and is usually supported by the government against various types of risks associated with the investment1.
It is also able to enjoy various types of incentives such as tax incentives. These are usually the investments invested by the country in to a foreign country2. The inward foreign direct investments are the investments invested by a foreign country in to the country1. Foreign direct investments can also be in the form of mergers and acquisitions, where a firm in a foreign country acquires a firm in the host country and obtains the power to make strategic decisions concerning the firm. Foreign direct investments usually result into the making of multinational corporations.
There are various reasons why people invest in foreign countries: They do this to expand and strengthen the markets that are already in existence or to explore and exploit virgin markets with incredible potential for profits. Some multinational corporations transfer strategic assets and capital in order to optimize the market opportunities that are available in order to improve their operational efficiencies and to enjoy economies of scale3. Foreign direct investments have been viewed as a tool of driving economic growth and development in countries especially the less developed nations.
It helps such countries build up and increase their physical and operating capital, create opportunities of employment, increase the capacity of production, globalize the local economy by introducing new products and skills in to the local market through transference of technology and technical know how4. In essence the inflow of direct foreign investment in to a country is very important as it determines the Balance of Trade of a country2, which in turn is seen to be a very important indicator of the economic condition of a country.
There have been different views with regard to the impacts of foreign direct investments to the host countries. There are those who view it positively in term using the case of the Greenfield investment and there are those who view it negatively and stipulate that investors aim is to obtain cheap resources in the said countries and sell their final products expensively to incur huge profit margins4. 1. Cavusgil, S T, et al ‘International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities’, Prentice Hall, 2008. 2. Morrison, J ‘The International Business Environment’, Palgrave, 2002. 3. Rugman, A M and S.
Collinson, ‘International Business’, 4th Edition, Prentice Hall, 2006. 4. Hailu, Zenegnaw Abiy. 2010. “Impact of Foreign Direct Investment on Trade of African Countries. ” International Journal of Economics & Finance 2, no. 3: 122-133. Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed March 21, 2011). The impacts of Foreign Direct Investments For most developing countries, the most important source of external capital is usually in terms of the foreign direct investments. Over the past decade foreign direct investments have drastically increased in developing nations by over 60 percent5.
The 2008 global economic and financial crisis saw global foreign direct investment inflows drop from 1979 billion dollars in 2007 to 1697 billion dollars in 2008 and a further decline in 2009 by 44%6. With the world economy at a recovery stage, it is possible that there could be increased foreign investments. There have been two schools of thought with regard to the effects of foreign investments to the host countries. One supports the investments while another looks at the negative effects of these investments to the host country.
The neoliberal economists advocate for the foreign direct investments arguing that free capital flows ensures economic and operational efficiencies. They also argue that it the capital can be able to get the greatest return across borders as it is able to be invested in the best possible venture with the optimum costs and returns. This, they argue speeds economic growth and development in the location of the investment. They also argue that in flow of capital into a country has the tendency of making the government of that country more accountable with good governance practices5.
Athukorala7 in her research was able to find that foreign direct investment in Sri Lanka had a positive impact on the overall growth of the country. It has been noted that FDI facilitates the transfer of technology from advanced countries to those that don’t have the technology, and this greatly improves the economic welfare of the host country5. An example is the transfer of the use of credit cards and ATMs. Most banks in the developing countries as recently as 2005 were still using transaction books when a customer is withdrawing or depositing money.
With international banks such as Barclays pitching camp in these economies and with it introducing the new technology of credit and debit cards, the other indigenous banks also adopted the new technology in a bid to remain competitive in a changing market. Another positive effect of these investments is the contribution it makes with regard to the development of human capital and an increase in the host country’s tax revenue5. These greatly help in enhancing development within a country. They FDI also increase the amount of investment and consumption goods within a country.
This sets the pace for development since most of these goods that multinational corporations produce are usually for export purposes. Increased export performance also helps in mobilization of the labor and accumulation of capital within the host country4. This greatly improves the trading position of the country in question by improving its Balance of Trade statement. Increased exports not only increase the productivity of a country but also provide a country with foreign exchange which in turn increases imported capital to assist in the development of a country4. . Ibid 5. Zilinske, Asta. “NEGATIVE AND POSITIVE EFFECTS OF FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT. ” Economics & Management (August 2010): 332-336. Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed March 21, 2011). 6. World Investment Report, www. unctad. org/en/docs/wir2009_en. pdf, 2009, (accessed March 21, 2011). 7. Athukorala, Wasantha, ‘The impact of foreign Direct investment for Economic Growth: A case study in Sri Lanka’, 9th International Conference on Sri Lanka Studies, 092, 2003.
Foreign direct investments, unlike loans and grants given to a country, are more stable and resilient especially during economic down turns8. Changes in interest rates greatly affect the loans and grants given to a country for developments especially during economic crises. This negates the level of development achieved due to the high debt that has to be cleared. Foreign direct investments are relatively inelastic with respect to the interest rates which make them more stable even during economic down turns. Companies such Wal Mart were able to hold their ground through out the recession.
In fact there was an increased sale of ready made garments from Bangladesh, defying the global trend of reduced consumption. This has come to be known as the Wal Mart effect9. This though is not always the case as witnessed in the 2008 economic recession where some multinational companies closed down business in some areas due to the heavy operating costs. The Keynesian school of thought argues contrary to the neo liberals. They stipulate that the benefits accrued to one country due to effects of foreign direct investments may be different with the benefits accrued by another country5.
They believe that free market is not self sufficient and there is bound to be market failures since the real life market place does not exhibit the perfect competitive competition characteristic which the neo liberals used to make their conclusions. They insist that for good returns to accrue to the host country then government intervention would be required10. Government intervention in terms of subsidies and tax cut incentives, then other FDI investors will be attracted to the host country. The government can also be able to protect the local industries excessive competition from the FDI.
A good example of a successful FDI with government protection to the locals is the China experience. The Chinese government has been able to attract foreign direct investments when it was required and put on restrictions when the effects of the foreign capital inflows reached its peak11. This has seen it grow from a developing economy in to an emerging economy and will in the near future be declared a fully fledged developed economy. This case though is usually very rare for the other developing countries that are hosts due to the lack of enough bargaining power of what restrictions to put in place and what not.
Most of the foreign investors are from powerful developed nations and so have the bargaining advantage. Most of these countries attract foreign investment through incentives such as tax cuts which could lead to a reduction in government revenue which would otherwise be used for development purposes in the country5. This results to inefficiencies in the total welfare of the host country and may in the long run end up making the host country unattractive for foreign investments due to lack of well developed infrastructures. . Ibid 8. Dicken, P, ‘Global Shift: Mapping the Changing Contours of the World Economy’, 6th Edition, Sage, 2007. 9. Taslim, M A, ‘Off the Mark, The Wal-Mart Effect’, bdnews24, available at http://opinion. bdnews24. com/2010/03/23/off-the-mark-the-wal-mart-effect/ ,2010, (accessed March 21, 2011). 10. Kazlauskaite, R, & Buciuniene, S ‘The Role of Human Resources and their Management in the Establishment of Sustainable Competitive Advantage’, Inzinerine Ekonomika-Engineering Economics, 5, 2008, pp. 78-84 11.
Backman, A & Wu, X, ‘Foreign Direct Investment in China’s Power Sector: Trends, Benefits and Barriers’, Energy Policy, Elsevier, 27,12, 1999, pp. 695-711 It has also been found that the Greenfield investments have greater effects in terms of development to the host country than investments through mergers and acqusition6. In the recent past there have been increased cases of mergers and acquisition of companies rather than Greenfield investment. In 2004 mergers and acquisition activities had increased by 40% since 2000, and were being projected to continue growing at an increasing rate12. ith the globalization of the economy, Foreign direct investments have continually increased in various countries turning the world economy into a common market place. Leitao13 in his studies of the effects of foreign direct investments to the Canadian economy found that the openness of the Canadian economy to the foreign investors has seen its market size and per capita income rise steadily. The economy has also been able to attain concrete stability due to developments that have been as a result of the revenue gotten in form of tax from these investments.
He also concluded in his study that there is a positive high correlation between an increase in foreign direct investment in the Canadian economy to an increase in the level of wage rates and employment rates in that host country. This greatly shows that foreign direct investments increases employment levels in the host countries thereby rising the living standards of the nations of that country. Letto-Gilles14 points out the importance of foreign direct investment in breaking the vicious cycle of underdevelopment in the less developed countries.
These investments break the cycle of poverty and underdevelopment by complementing the host countries’ resources and increasing the amount of savings within the economy that can be used for investment purposes. An increase in the nation income of an economy largely relies on the amount of capital inflows and how its demand is elastic. In addition the spillovers to the locals resulting from technology and technical know how brought in by the investments may result to a forward shift in the productive capacity of a country7.
This implies that under a competitive market, foreign direct investments increase efficiency and economic growth in a country. It also increases the amount of output in the host country which in turn raises the wage level of workers due to the increased demand for labor. This in turn ensures equal distribution in income and a raise in the standard of living of the host country inhabitants resulting to increased economic and social welfare of the host country.
From this point of view it is truly imperative that the presence of multinational corporations in any country would most likely result to overall wellness of the country. 6. Ibid 7. Ibid 12. McDonald Jarrod, Coulthard Max & De Lange Paul, ‘Planning for a successful Merger or acquisition: Lessons from an Australian Study’, Journal of Global Business and Technology, 1,2, 2005, pp. 2-5 13. Leitao, N ‘Foreign Direct Investment: The Canadian Experience’, International Journal of Economics and Finance 2, no. 4, November 1, 2010, pp. 82-88. ttp://www. proquest. com/ (accessed March 21, 2011). 14. Ietto-Giles, G. ‘Transnational Corporations: Fragmentation Amidst Integration’, Routledge, London, 2002. The OECD-ILO conference of 2008 report15 points out that in 2006, 3% of the global workforce were working in foreign multinational enterprises which had invested in the respective countries. This represents 73 million workers which is quite a significant number. Another school of thought in the analysis of the effects of FDI to the host country is the dependency theory5.
They stipulate that the foreign direct investments in the long run impede the growth and development of the host economies. This is mainly because the benefits accrued to the host countries do not lead to accumulated wealth of the host country. Compared to the natural resources and the cheap labor that is available in most of these recipient countries, the only country that would benefit is the foreign investor nation since they would be able to not only exploit the abundant resources and cheap labor but they will also transfer it to their countries leaving the host ountry poorer than it was before the investment. This leaves the under developed host nation dependant on the foreign investor nation5. Therefore even though foreign direct investments benefit in the development of a host country, proper measures need to be put in place by the host nation to ensure that the benefits that accrues to it are essential sustainable and long lasting. Conclusion From the above discussion, it can be noted that foreign direct investments are very important for the development of any nation.
The benefits that comes along with this investments such as increased employment rates, increased wage rates, increased national productivity of the host nation, improved standards of living among others are very important for the over all well being and growth of the economy. With the globalization of the world economy, foreign direct investments are some of the things that can not be avoided by nations because it is part of the engine in the running of most economies.
In order for host economies to harvest the full benefits of these investments without hurting their economy, well put and thought strategies need to put in place especially the government to ensure proper operational efficiencies of the investments that will result to increased benefits and positive externalities to the host country. The use of tax cuts as incentives for foreign investment in a country is not the best strategy due the result it will have of reduced revenue available to the local government for development purposes.
Incentives should instead include attractive policies and terms to both the domestic investors and the foreign investors. All said and done it is beyond a doubt that with proper policies in place, foreign direct investments are very important for the development, growth and general well being of any host country. 5. Ibid 15. OECD-ILO Conference, ‘The Impact of foreign Direct Investment on Wages and Working Conditions’ available at http://www. oecd. org/els, 2008, (accessed March 21, 2011). BIBLIOGRAPHY ‘World Investment Report’ ,available at www. unctad. org/en/docs/wir2009_en. df. 2009, (accessed March 21, 2011) Athukorala, W, The impact of foreign Direct investment for Economic Growth: A case study in Sri Lanka. 9th International Conference on Sri Lanka Studies, 092, 2003. Backman, A. ; Wu, X. , ‘Foreign Direct Investment in China’s Power Sector: Trends, Benefits and Barriers’. Energy Policy, Elsevier, 27,12, 1999, pp. 695-711 Cavusgil, S. T. , et al, ‘International Business: Strategy, Management, and the New Realities’, Prentice Hall, 2008 Dicken, P. , ‘Global Shift: Mapping the Changing Contours of the World Economy’, 6th Edition, Sage, 2007.
Hailu, Z A. “Impact of Foreign Direct Investment on Trade of African Countries. ” International Journal of Economics ; Finance 2, no. 3: 122-133. Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost , 2010,(accessed March 21, 2011). Ietto-Giles, G ‘Transnational Corporations: Fragmentation Amidst Integration’, Routledge, London, 2002. Kazlauskaite, R. , ; Buciuniene S. , ‘The Role of Human Resources and their Management in the Establishment of Sustainable Competitive Advantage’. Inzinerine Ekonomika-Engineering Economics, 5, 2008, pp. 8-84 Leitao, N, ‘Foreign Direct Investment: The Canadian Experience’. International Journal of Economics and Finance 2, no. 4, November 1, 2010, pp. 82-88. http://www. proquest. com/ (accessed March 21, 2011). McDonald J, Coulthard M ; De Lange, P, Planning for a successful Merger or acquisition: Lessons from an Australian Study, Journal of Global Business and Technology, 1,2, 2005, pp. 2-5 Morrison, J. ‘The International Business Environment’, Palgrave, 2002. OECD-ILO Conference, 2008, ‘The Impact of foreign Direct Investment on Wages and Working Conditions’ available at http://www. ecd. org/els, 2008, (accessed March 21, 2011). Rugman, A M. , and S. Collinson ‘International Business’, 4th Edition, Prentice Hall, 2006. Taslim, M. A, Off the Mark, The Wal-Mart Effect, bdnews24, available at http://opinion. bdnews24. com/2010/03/23/off-the-mark-the-wal-mart-effect/ ,2010, (accessed March 21, 2011). Zilinske, A. “NEGATIVE AND POSITIVE EFFECTS OF FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT. ” Economics ; Management (August 2010): 332-336. Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed March 21, 2011).
A Case for and Against Tax Incentives
Fdi Strategies in European Emerging Markets
Internship Report
Host Country Effects of Foreign Direct Investment
Negative Effects of Tax Incentives Towards Foreign Direct Investment: a Hypothetical Report
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Browse medicinal plants here. Plants are available in fresh, dried form.
Aloe vera, medicinal plants sometimes described as a "wonder plant," is a short-stemmed shrub. The leaves of Aloe vera are succulent, erect, and form a dense rosette. Many uses are made of the gel obtained from the plant's leaves.
Aloe vera has been used for centuries and is currently more popular than ever.It is cultivated worldwide, primarily as a crop for "Aloe gel," which comes from the leaf.
Tulsi /Basil
Holy basil is a plant. It is originally from India. It is used in Ayurvedic medicine as an "adaptogen" to counter life's stresses. It is considered a sacred plant by the Hindus and is often planted around Hindu shrines. The Hindu name for holy basil, Tulsi, means "the incomparable one." Medicine is made from the leaves, stems, and seeds. Tulsi is very famous in medicinal plants.
Mint is a popular herb that can be used fresh or dried in many dishes and infusions. Mint oil is often used in toothpaste, gum, candy, and beauty products. Mint has one of the highest antioxidant capacities of any food. Learning how to use fresh herbs and spices such as mint to add flavor when cooking can also help to cut down on sodium intake.
Lemongrass is a plant. The leaves and the oil are used to make medicine.Lemongrass is commonly taken orally, applied directly to the skin, or inhaled as aromatherapy for many different conditions. But there is limited scientific research to support any of its common uses.
In food and beverages, lemongrass is used as a flavoring. For example, lemongrass leaves are commonly used as "lemon" flavoring in herbal teas. lemongrass is counted in medicinal plants.
Carom / Ajwain
Ajwain is derived from a herb plant that originated in our very own country. Ajwain seeds vary from being slightly olive green to brown in colour. All parts of this herb have a very strong scent hence it is also known as Ugragandha in Sanskrit. The seeds have a bitter and pungent flavour, somewhat like oregano, and because of its strong aromatic essence, it is often added to curries and pickles. It is one of those rare spices that fulfill the twin purpose of adding flavour and being good for health. It is counted in medicinal plants.
Babul
Babool (Acacia Nilotica) is used by herbalists to treat fever, gonorrhea, diarrhea, diabetes, eye-waterinig, dysentery, excessive bleeding, blood clotting and leucorrhoea. This tree belongs to Mimosaceae family and is known as shimbi kul in Ayurveda. This is a very dense tree having a spherical crown.Babool is also called Babul, babul babur, barburah vavari, black babool and Indian gum Arabic tree. Babool is a word of sanskrit language which means “that which binds stool”. Babool is very famous medicinal plants which is used for teeth.
Bachnag
The dried leaves and the roots of the plant yield an alkaloid - earlier used as medicine. Now-a-days, this medicinal plants widely used for the treatment of rheumatism, bruises, arthritis, acute hypothermia, diarrhea and impotence. Aconitum ferox (syn. A. virorum) is a member of the monkshood genus Aconitum of the Ranunculaceae. The common name by which it is most often known in English is Indian Aconite. The plant grows abundantly at Sandakphu, which is the highest point of the Darjeeling Hills in the Indian State of West Bengal.
Vacha is included in medicinal plants which has been used by sages and rishis since the ancient times due to its ayurvedic medicinal benefits. As a medicine, it has been used since the time of Hippocrates. There are many advantages of vacha such as clearing nasal congestion, improving memory, asthma, voice clarity, sedative, skin and hair care, etc. The Sanskrit meaning of vacha is to make speech clear. It needs moist soil and grow by water margins. The medical recognition of this plant in these developed countries itself shows the medicinal significance of vacha.
Adulsa
kadhir/Khair
Adulsa also known as the arusha or vasaka. Adulsa Leaves is one of the most important herbs in widely used in medicines. Adulsa Leaves have a smell similar to strong tea. Adulsa although also known as adulsa arusa, adathodai, adathoda. It is the most important ingredients in the treatment of is a good medicine for Asthma and cough, bleeding gums, piles and peptic ulcers. Adulsa Leaves widely used for cured asthma, bronchitis, and chronic coughs and breathlessness.
Khair tree is included in medicinal plants category which is very useful in the dental problems. It gives relief in dry cough. It is also given in stomatis, Anaemia, Leprosy, Bronchitis, Pruritus, Diarrhoea, Polyuria. Its wood contains catechin, catechutanic acid and tannin. It is used externally for ulcers, boils and eruption of the skin. The juice of the fresh bark is given in haemoptysis. It is used to treat painful throat and cough.
Shikakai
Shikakai is rich with saponins, vitamins and antioxidants that make your hair shiny. Moreover, this natural cleanser lathers mildly and thus cleanses your scalp and hair gently while improving your hair’s texture. Shikakai is a cooling agent and thus helps soothe your scalp. When you have an unhealthy, dry scalp, it affects your hair growth. Shikakai cleanses your scalp gently and induces sebum secretion which helps reverse the dryness of your scalp. Shikakai also helps reduce the itchiness and inflammation of your scalp, thus helping your scalp heal. It can be included in medicinal plants.
Apamarga
Apamarga plant is an annual and perennial herb which is small, erect with a woody base. It grows to about 2 metres in height. It has simple, angular, and ribbed stems that are purple colored. Apamarga is very famous medicinal plants
Leaves are ovate attached to the stem on both sides. Achyranthes Aspera Flowers are greenish white, and the sub-cylindric seeds are reddish brown in colour. The seeds remain rounded at the base.
Bael
Kulanjan
Bael or wood apple also known as Bilva in Sanskrit, Bilva Pazham in Tamil, Bilva or Maredu Phalam in Telugu and Bengal Quince is a native to India, Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Southeast Asian countries. Bael that goes with the botanical name Aegle marmelos is a middle-sized tree, with slender branches, pale brown bark that often oozes an edible gum. The leaves of bael are quite unique, trifoliate in shape which means each leaf consists around 4 to 12 pairs of side veins adjoining at the margin. bael is very famous medicinal plants.
Kulanjan (Alpinia Galanga) - is commonly referred to as Greater Galangal in English. It appears to be a member of rhizome family. It is used in Thai cuisine. Tuberous root of kulanjan is used to treat digestive and respiratory ailments. In southern India, kulanjan is known as Rasna.
The name ‘galangal’ is said to be derived from a Chinese word meaning ginger. The tuber is known to possess numerous medicinal & health benefits. And it is used by a lot of healthcare professionals. it is counted in medicinal plants.
Akarkara
Akarkara (Anacyclus pyrethrum) is an herb with several medicinal uses. This medicinal plants are used in Ayurveda, Unani and herbal medication tradition and belongs to the Asteraceae family of plants. Its botanical name is Anacyclus Pyrethrum. This herb is also widely used in the science of Homeopathy . Known for its aphrodisiac effect on the body, the plant has many other benefits and is used in the form of dried powder.
Kalemegh
Safed musli
Kalmegh (Andrographis paniculata) is multi functional medicinal plants drug which acts as a Deepan & Pachan (digestive stimulant), hepatoprotective & improves liver functions, Rakta shodhak (blood purifier), reduced inflammation, laxative, apart of this Kalmegh acts on respiratory and metabolic disorders. The studies showed that Kalmegh extracts are antimicrobial, antihelminthic, and improves digestive flora.
Suwa
Dill (Anethum graveolens), or dill weed, is an easy-to-find and commonly used annual herb that is part of the celery (Apiaceae) family. Dill weed is native to native to the Mediterranean and southern Russia but can be grown in most parts of the world, including in North America. The feathery green is often added to salads or soups, or used as a garnish. Some people also use dill to gain certain health benefits. Biobritte is supplier of tulsi medicinal plants.
Safed musli is a rare herb from India. It is used in traditional systems of medicine including Ayurveda, Unani, and homeopathy. It is traditionally used for arthritis, cancer, diabetes, boosting vitality, improving sexual performance, and for many other uses. Today it is also showing up in supplements promoted for bodybuilding. safed musali is in medicinal plants
Angurshefa
Shatavari is also known as Asparagus racemosus. It’s a member of the asparagus family. It’s also an adaptogenic herb. Adaptogenic herbs are said to help your body cope with physical and emotional stress.
Shatavari is considered a general health tonic to improve vitality, making it a staple in ayurvedic medicine.
Deadly Nightshade-Atropa belladonna is a herbaceous, branching perennial plant, sub-shrub, grow up to 1.5 m tall. The leaves are long ovate, up to 18 cm long. The flowers are purple, bell-shaped and little scented. The fruit is berries, green when ripening it turn to a shiny black and up to 1 cm in diameter. Used as a pain reliever, muscle relaxer, and anti-inflammatory, to treat menstrual problems, peptic ulcer disease and motion sickness. It is included in medicinal plants.
Gotu Kala
Gotu kola is an herb in the parsley family. It is commonly used in Traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine. The above-ground parts are used to make medicine. Gotu kola contains certain chemicals that seem to decrease inflammation and also decrease blood pressure in veins. Gotu kola also seems to increase collagen production, which is important for wound healing. It is included in herbs.
Calendula is included in medicinal plants category. The flower is used to make medicine.
Calendula flower is used to prevent muscle spasms, start menstrual periods, and reduce fever. It is also used for treating sore throat and mouth, menstrual cramps, cancer, and stomach and duodenal ulcers. Calendula has also been used for measles, smallpox, and jaundice.
Calendula is applied to the skin to reduce pain and swelling (inflammation) and to treat poorly healing wounds and leg ulcers.
Thyme is an herb from the mint family that you probably recognize from your spice set. But it’s so much more than an after-thought ingredient.Its range of use is impressive, and it has over 400 subspecies. Ancient Egyptians used it in their embalming practices, while ancient Greeks used it as incense. Biobritte is medicinal plants supplier of thyme.
Rosemary is a fragrant evergreen herb native to the Mediterranean. It is used as a culinary condiment, to make bodily perfumes, and for its potential health benefits. Rosemary is a member of the mint family Lamiaceae, along with many other herbs, such as oregano, thyme, basil, and lavender. The herb not only tastes good in culinary dishes, such as rosemary chicken and lamb, but it is also a good source of iron, calcium, and vitamin B-6.
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Frank Loesser
Frank Loesser (1910-1969) is one on America's major lyricists, having written the lyrics to hundreds of songs for films and army shows. He is most famous for writing the musical comedy scores for Where's Charley?, Guys and Dolls, The Most Happy Fella, and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.
Precocious From the Start
Francis Henry Loesser was born on June 29, 1910 in New York, New York. His father Henry was a Prussian piano virtuoso, and his mother Julia was Bohemian. His half-brother Arthur was in his teens by the time Loesser and his sister Grace were born. Arthur was a gifted pianist and was often away on concert tours. Time writer Richard Corliss intimated, "Friends of the family were surprised that Frank, not Arthur, achieved top musical renown; they affectionately called him the 'evil of the two Loessers."'
Loesser was a rebel from an early age, refusing to speak German, the family's language of choice, and he took great pleasure from playing practical jokes. Although raised in a genteel home filled with serious music, he never studied under his parents. He was a natural musician but to restless to settle down for lessons. By age four, he could play any tune he heard and was able to spend a great amount of time at the piano.
A bright student, Loesser was accepted at Townsend Harris, a three-year high school for gifted children. He was expelled, however, because of his practical jokes and he did not graduate. Loesser was 15 when he was accepted at City College of New York, but because he failed every subject except English and gym, Loesser dropped out.
When his father died in 1926, his mother made a living lecturing on contemporary literature and his brother quit touring and accepted a position as the head of the piano department of the Cleveland Institute of Music. Loesser took a series of odd jobs and in this way contributed to the family income. To soothe his creative spirit, he began writing silly couplets. Encouraged by friends, he began writing song lyrics and occasionally, selling a song.
Resolved to Succeed
Loesser was determined to succeed as a lyricist. Often though, he was compelled to accept other employment to supplement his income. He sold classified ads for the Herald Tribune, was the knit-goods editor for Women's Wear, and was editor of the New Rochelle News, a trade publication. As related by his daughter Susan in the biography A Most Remarkable Fella, Loesser was not satisfied at any of those jobs. He confided to his brother in a letter, "And so I have gone back to the song business. Although I have been writing them five years or more, I have never stuck to the trade for more than a year at a time. Not because I got tired of it, but because every once in a while some "money-making" idea comes up which takes me off the track, in the hope that I can make a better living in it than with music."
In the early 1930s, Loesser wrote lyrics for the Leo Feist Music Publishing company. He was under contract for a year at $100 a week for all the songs he could write. He collaborated with composer Joe Brandfon and then with his friend William Schuman. They established an unusual writing pattern that enabled them to work on two songs at the same time. Together they would outline the two songs, then Schuman worked out the tune on one song while Loesser worked on the lyrics for the second. When they were ready to switch, Schuman would take the lyrics Loesser had worked out and put them to music and Loesser drafted lyrics to the tune Schuman composed. Remembering Loesser, Schuman recalled to Corliss for Time that, "He was an intellectual who'd go to the ends of the earth to hide that from anybody." Schuman went on to become a distinguished classical composer and president of the Lincoln Center.
Always pushing to sell his lyrics, Loesser transformed himself to blend with the group in control of Tin Pan Alley. He developed his pendant for local dialect preferring the accent and slang of the street. His daughter recalled, "Early on he cultivated a brassy, New York, blue-collar accent, sprinkled with a little Yiddish for ethnic flavor."
By 1935, Loesser and Irving Actman were collaborating on music and performing their songs nightly in a small New York club. The team was discovered by a movie studio scout and in 1936, Loesser and Actman signed a six-month contract with Universal Studios and moved to Hollywood, California. Loesser was picked up by Paramount when the Universal contract ran out. In 1937 he began writing lyrics with Manning Sherwin. He had done well enough as a lyricist that he signed an individual contract with the studio. As his music became more popular his income grew and Loesser was on his way.
Between 1936 and 1942, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) catalog listed over a hundred songs with lyrics by Loesser. These songs were composed for the movies in collaboration with various music writers and included: Small Fry, Heart and Soul, Jingle, Jangle, Jingle, and Two Sleepy People. Part of the charm of Loesser lyrics was the phrasing. They were written the way people talked. Loesser picked up phrases from all over and incorporated them in songs. His music can be used as a reference to dialect. Wilfrid Sheed pointed out for GQ, "'Murder He Says' (music by McHugh) remains the best guide we have to the slang the kids were using during World War II. And then there's 'I get the neck of the chicken/I get the rumble-seat ride' (McHugh again), which conveys not only the sound of middle-American life but the whole texture of it."
One inspiring phrase came from an army chaplain who had said, "Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition." Loesser knew the phrase was jaunty but not irreverent. As related by Sheed for GQ, the phrase seemed to say, "We're a God-fearing nation, but we're not pantywaists, by golly." Meeting the challenge of 1941 for a patriotic song, Loesser used that phrase and created a tune to help establish the rhythm of the verses as he wrote them. The song was part hymn and part animated folk and it was a success. It gave Loesser another artistic vein to tap and that is all he needed to compose his own music. World War II gave him the inspiration for the verses.
War Years
In 1942 Loesser enlisted in the army. Initially he was stationed at a base in Santa Ana, California. He, along with other military people, produced many songs for the Army. He was transferred to the Army's Special Services Unit in New York in 1943. There he wrote scripts and music for the Blueprint Specials. In addition to producing material for the war effort, Loesser was involved in several motion pictures for Hollywood until his discharge from the army in 1945.
Loesser returned to California after his army discharge eager to try new material. In 1948, he agreed to write the score for Where's Charley? the George Abbott adaptation of the Victorian farce Charley's Aunt. The musical was a surprise smash hit. Loesser's daughter recalled, "It ran for two years on Broadway, went on the road with the original cast, was made into a movie by Warner Brothers, and is still performed regularly in stock and amateur productions and revivals all over the world."
Guys and Dolls
Guys and Dollsis a musical masterpiece based on The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown, a story by Damon Runyon. It is full of comedy, romance, gangster dialogue and music. Loesser teamed with Abe Burrows and together they crafted the show. Sheed remarked for GQ about the production, "It is one of the minute number of musicals without a single weak tune. It is also a superb piece of theatrical construction, with a great opening and a dandy close and maybe the best first act curtain in musical history."
Francis Davis writing for the Atlantic commented on Loesser's talent, "Musical comedy is a stylized art form that reached its peak in Frank Loesser's 'Guys and Dolls. "' The original show opened in 1950, and ran for 1, 200 performances on Broadway. Loesser won a New York Drama Critics Award and an Antoinette Perry Award (Tony Award) for the score. Guys and Dolls was made into a movie in 1955, produced by Samuel Goldwyn and starring Frank Sinatra and Marlon Brando. The musical celebrated a Broadway revival in 1992 and ran for 1, 143 performances. The 1992 performance was awarded four Antoinette Perry Awards, including Best Revival, and won a Grammy Award for the cast recording (revival cast).
The Most Happy Fella
In 1951 while working on music for Goldwyn's Hans Christian Andersen, Loesser began looking for his next challenge. He found it in The Most Happy Fella. The new musical was based on Sidney Howard's play They Knew What They Wanted. Loesser actually adapted the play, writing the script, the music and the lyrics. According to Time writer Corliss, The Most Happy Fella turned out to be, "A rich and deeply felt pastiche of popular and operatic vocabularies. The show has an emotive force rare on Broadway; the feeling is big enough to fill an opera stage." Loesser was awarded the New York Drama Critics Award for the musical score in 1957.
Loesser's next project was Greenwillow, a musical adaptation of the B.J. Chute novel. For Loesser, this undertaking included writing the show, the music and lyrics, as well as, managing all aspects of the production. In 1960, the production opened in Philadelphia, but received poor reviews. Loesser, despite reservations, took the show to New York where it ran for only 95 performances.
Greenwillow has been rewritten and produced by writers Walter Willison and Douglas Holmes. The revised musical opened in 1997. Jay Handelman reviewer for Variety suggested that, "Fans of the original cast album and of musical theater in general may well rejoice over the job that Douglas Holmes and Walter Willison have done in taking Loesser's beautifully varied score and fitting it into a magical story that is both touching and funny."
In 1961, Loesser was approached by old friends Abe Burrows, Cy Feuer and Ernest Martin to write the score for How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Based on the book by the same name, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying was a satire about rising to the corporate top. The original production was the longest running of Loesser's musicals. It earned Loesser and Burrows a Pulitzer Prize in 1962. After 1, 417 performances the show closed in 1965.
A revival production opened the same year. Writing for The New Yorker, John Lahr commented, "The success of 'How to Succeed' comes primarily from the pit, thanks to Loesser's music and lyrics which shrewdly send up the rituals and cliches of office life circa 1961."
Loesser was a chronic overachiever who experienced success in everything he put his mind to. Collaborator Hoagy Carmichael found Loesser to be, "so packed with ideas, he was overloaded." However, Loesser's last years were frustrating. His health was failing and his musical plots would not connect. GQ writer Sheed summarized "How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying now figured as the last of the great post-World War II musicals born of depression, war and jazz, and everything since simply has to be called something else." Loesser died of lung cancer in 1969 in New York at the age of 59. His music and lyrics will long survive him.
Further Reading on Frank Loesser
Contemporary Authors, Volume 112, Gale, 1985.
Loesser, Susan, A Most Remarkable Fella, Donald I. Fine, Inc., 1993.
The Atlantic, March 1993.
GQ-Gentlemen's Quarterly, September 1997.
The New Yorker, April 24, 1995.
Time, September 16, 1991.
Variety, July 21-27, 1997.
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Miguel Angel Asturias (1899-1974) was a Guatemalan novelist and the Nobel Prize winner for literature in 1967. His profound interest in the Indian culture and a prose style inspired by surrealism give his writings a special character.
Miguel Angel Asturias was born in Guatemala City on Oct. 19, 1899, a year after the rise to power of the Guatemalan dictator Manuel Estrada Cabrera. The figure of the dictator was to exert an important influence on his life. The dictatorship forced—for political reasons—the relocation of his family to the small town of Salamá, where Asturias came into close contact with the descendants of the Maya Indians. It thus made him keenly aware of political and social issues from an early age, and it provided him with a model for the dominant presence in his most celebrated novel, Mr. President (1946).
The Asturias family returned to Guatemala City in 1907, but Estrada Cabrera was not removed from office until 1920. By that time the author was a militant university student who could see only oppression stemming from the military regime that had replaced the dictatorship. His family therefore found it expedient to send him to London, from where he soon departed to settle in Paris in 1923.
Maya Works and "Mr. President"
Asturias studied at the Sorbonne with Georges Raynaud, a specialist in the culture of the Mayan Quichés, and eventually finished in 1926 a translation of the Popol Vuh, the sacred book of the Mayas. Caught up in the legends and myths of the Indians of Guatemala, he wrote Legends of Guatemala (1930), a series of eight narratives and an allegorical play. The subject matter and the poetic vision of the author attracted favorable critical attention, especially in France, where the French symbolist poet Paul Valéry praised the book.
In 1933 Asturias returned to Guatemala and encountered another stifling regime—that of Jorge Ubico—which he endured until 1944, publishing only poetry, which was characterized by elegant cynicism. In 1946, with a more liberal government ruling the country, Asturias finally published the novel about an unnamed dictator in an unspecified Central American country that he had been working on as far back as 1922. It was Mr. President, in which the dictator is repeatedly likened to an idol of the type worshiped by the Mayas. A strikingly original novel, Mr. President treats a very real Spanish-American problem in a suggestive, poetic, but at the same time grotesque fashion.
From 1946 to 1954 Asturias served as ambassador to Mexico, Argentina, and El Salvador, continuing to publish throughout this time. Asturias's Men of Corn (1949), a novellike work of six parts, deals both realistically and imaginatively with the crisis that traditional Indian culture experiences when it is faced with modern, "progressive" technology. Here one can see the strong influence of the Popol Vuh, extending even to the title. (According to Maya legend, man was created from sacred corn.)
Asturias next published the three novels that make up his "Banana Cycle." Less imaginative, less artistic than his previous work, they constitute an exposé of the exploitation of the Guatemalan fruit industry by American firms. Strong Wind (1949), The Green Pope (1954), and The Eyes of the Interred (1960) are sincere works that are marred by an excessively aggressive tone of protest. This shortcoming is also evident in Weekend in Guatemala (1957), a group of stories written in anger over an invasion of Guatemala by the exiled leader Carlos Castillo Armas with, Asturias contended, the support of the U.S. government.
Works in Exile
In 1954 Asturias lost his Guatemalan citizenship and went to live in Buenos Aires, where he spent the next 8 years. When a change of government in Argentina made it advisable that he once more seek a new home, Asturias moved to Europe. He was living in Genoa when his novel Mulata (1963) appeared. Here again Asturias deals with Indian myths, spinning a rich and exotic narrative fabric into which he weaves ancient patterns. The moon, the sun, and the devil are all drawn into a story about an Indian peasant who sells his wife to the god of corn for wealth and a sensual concubine called Mulata. The author's poetic prose flows more freely here than in his other fiction, but at the same time it is a difficult, intensely personal book, extracted from his very private world of images.
In 1966, the same year he won the Lenin Peace Prize, Asturias was named the Guatemalan ambassador to France by the new government of President Julio Méndez Montenegro. He held the post until 1970. In 1967 Asturias won the Nobel Prize for literature. He died on June 9, 1974, while on a visit to Madrid, Spain.
Further Reading on Miguel Angel Asturias
An incisive interview with Asturias and an evaluation of his work may be found in Luis Harss and Barbara Dohmann, Into the Mainstream: Conversations with Latin-American Writers (1967). Asturias and his work are also discussed in Enrique Anderson-Imbert, Spanish-American Literature: A History (1954; trans. 1963; 2d ed., 2 vols., 1969), and Jean Franco, The Modern Culture of Latin America: Society and the Artist (1967).
Asturias, Miguel Angel, translated by Gerald Martin, Men of Maize, critical edition (University of Pittsburgh Press, 1994).
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Parents in Prison and Their Minor Children: Survey of Prison Inmates, 2016
Laura M. Maruschak, BJS Statistician; Jennifer Bronson, Ph.D., former BJS Statisticians; Mariel Alper, Ph.D., former BJS Statisticians
This brief presents findings based on data collected in the 2016 Survey of Prison Inmates, a survey conducted through face-to-face interviews with a national sample of state and federal prisoners across a variety of topics, such as their demographic characteristics, socio-economic background, health, and involvement with the criminal justice system.
This brief presents findings based on data collected in the 2016 Survey of Prison Inmates, a survey conducted through face-to-face interviews with a national sample of state and federal prisoners across a variety of topics, such as their demographic characteristics, socio-economic background, health, and involvement with the criminal justice system. This brief provides demographic information about prisoners who have at least one minor child and the number of minor children reported by parents in prison.
An estimated 684,500 state and federal prisoners were parents of at least one minor child in 2016—nearly half of state prisoners (47%) and more than half of federal prisoners (58%).
State and federal prisoners reported having an estimated 1,473,700 minor children in 2016.
Among minor children of parents in state prison, 1% were younger than age 1, about 18% were ages 1 to 4, and 48% were age 10 or older.
The average age of a minor child among parents in federal prison was 10 years old.
Full report, 378K
Data tables, 7K
Elementary school age (5-10) Child (under 12) Justice system Criminal justice systems Federal prisoners
Federal Justice Statistics, 2019
Tribal Crime Data Collection Activities, 2021
Sexual Victimization Reported by Juvenile Justice Authorities, 2013-2018
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A Tale of Two Women
… and my grandad!
My paternal grandfather was born into the Austro-Hungarian empire in 1900 in the German-speaking Sudetenland. This later became a part of Czechoslovakia after that country’s creation following the First World War. Prior to the Second World War, he was one of Wenzel Jaksch’s Sudeten German Social Democrats that opposed German nationalism within Czechoslovakia.
As a consequence of the Munich Agreement of September 1938, under which the Sudetenland was ceded to Nazi Germany, thousands of refugees flooded from the Sudetenland into what remained of Czechoslovakia; amongst them were communists, Jews, and Sudeten Germans. My grandfather was one of the latter group, comprising Sudeten anti-Nazi politicians and activists
Subsequently, Czechoslovakia itself was invaded by Nazi Germany, but even before then it was clear that Hitler would make demands for the Czechoslovakian government to hand over the Sudeten anti-Nazis into his protective custody. ‘Protective custody’, or Schutzhaft, was the power given to the Geheime Staatspolizei (the Gestapo) to imprison people without any judicial proceedings or legal oversight, and was initially established to imprison communists and social democrats in the Nazi state’s nascent concentration camps (of which Dachau was the intended destination of the Sudeten anti-Nazis).
We have to thank the efforts of a small number of people and, predominantly, a 34 year old assistant economics lecturer from University College, London, for the fact that many of the refugees were not imprisoned, but spirited away from Prague in a pre-cursor to the better known Kindertransport, with their families following.
That 34-year-old was Doreen Warriner. Along with other largely unremembered names she helped to save the lives of thousands of refugees. The story in her own words can be read here (requires free registration to the JSTOR archive) or, briefly and in the more recent words of others, here.
Doreen Warriner in the 1930s
After arriving in the UK as a refugee and eventually being joined by my grandmother and father (11 years old at the time), my grandfather and his family fairly soon ended up housed with other Czechoslovakian refugees in temporary shelter at a Lake District youth hostel in Troutbeck, the impressively named High Cross Castle. They were then moved into short term accommodation not far away in a country house, Ibbotsholme, close to Windermere. The intention was for these refugees then to travel to Canada, where the authorities had agreed to provide a permanent home.
Czechoslovakian refugees in 1939 at High Cross Castle, a youth hostel at Troutbeck in the English Lake District. My grandfather is on the extreme left of the picture and my grandmother and father are front row left.
After a health check, my grandfather was diagnosed with a heart condition and because of that neither he nor his family were allowed to enter Canada, so they remained in the UK as the last of the refugees at Ibbotsholme and, eventually, entered service in the household of a Mr Eric Crewdson as cook and houseman.
The Crewdsons were a Labour-supporting ‘county set’ family and owned a large, imposing house, Low Slack, that looked over the town of Kendal. My grandparents and father lived upstairs in two attic rooms and downstairs in my grandmother’s domain – the kitchen. It really was ‘Upstairs, Downstairs’, but the Crewdson family took them to their heart. They also owned an engineering works in the town where my father was ultimately apprenticed and spent his working life. (On the day of my grandfather’s funeral in the early 1980s – he had lived into his 80s – we were told by one of Eric Crewdson’s sons, himself a doctor, that my grandfather’s heart problem had been misdiagnosed.)
As a consequence of his history, my grandfather’s name appears in two very different books. The most recent of the pair was published in 2020. His name appears, as do those of my grandmother and father, along with pictures from what is formally-but-amusingly referred to as our family’s photographic archive. The book is entitled A County of Refuge: Refugees in Cumbria 1933-1941, and was written by Rob David (who I knew of as ‘Mr David’ a young history teacher that joined the staff of Kendal Grammar School in the mid-1970s when I was in its sixth form studying sciences – tempus fugit – we’re both retired now!). It’s an academic treatment of the experiences of refugees in Cumberland and Westmorland (both now a part of Cumbria) at that time; much of which was positive, but some negative.
The front and back covers of Rob David’s book on refugees in Cumbria, formerly Cumberland & Westmorland. My grandmother and father are pictured on the back cover along with some Christmas presents (including a bicycle!) that were given to him through the generosity of locals.
My grandparents’ experience is related in a chapter devoted to Mary Crewdson, married to Eric, and an indomitable woman in her own right. She was the driving force for much of the good that befell the Czechoslovakian refugees in the twin counties.
Mary Crewdson who not only supported Czechoslovakian refugees in Cumbria, but along with her husband Eric, also housed and ’employed’ my grandparents and father for several years.
The much earlier book in which my grandfather’s name appeared is the Gestapo Handbook for the Invasion of Britain compiled by an SS General: Walter Schellenberg (translated into English and published in 2000 as Invasion 1940). It is both literally and figuratively a book of two halves. Its first half is a primer on Britain: its institutions, its social structures, and what supposedly made the British tick. The second part, Die Sonderfahndungsliste GB (the ‘Special Wanted List’ or, literally, ‘The Special Search List Great Britain’) is where my grandfather’s name appears along with nearly 3000 others including, for example, Winston Churchill, Rebecca West, Noël Coward, Paul Robeson and Sylvia Pankhurst!
Schellenberg’s invasion plan and list of those ‘most wanted’ by the Nazi state; a list that included my grandfather. The Daily Mail’s front cover comment on this English edition, “A remarkable document”, rather disguises the fact that Harold Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Rothermere, who published the Daily Mail throughout the 1930s was an overt supporter of Oswald Mosley’s British Union of Fascists and Hitler’s Nazi party and used his newspaper to advocate the appeasement of Hitler.
In my grandfather’s case, his entry on the list was followed by the code: “RSHA IV A 1 b”. This means that, when found, he was to be put within the protective custody of the directorate for the Reich Security’s Bureau IV (RSHA AMT IV), that dealt with opponents of the regime. The ‘A 1 b’ relates to political opponents, mainly communists and social democrats. The AMT IV bureau was, of course, the Gestapo.
The pages on which my grandfather’s name appears.
Both Doreen Warriner and Mary Crewdson’s involvement with the refugees lasted a relatively short period (with the exception of the Crewdsons’ involvement with my grandfather and his family). However, my grandparent’s story, and that of the other Czechoslovakian refugees, speaks volumes for the drive and determination of a small group of people, predominantly women, of whom I have highlighted two. Mary Crewdson’s contribution is now documented in Rob David’s book and Doreen Warriner’s history is more widely published (although still little known) and includes a biography written by her nephew, Henry Warriner, published in 2019: Doreen Warriner’s War.
Henry Warriner’s book on the life of his aunt.
It is noteworthy that (most) political leaders within Cumbria today seek to emulate the former twin counties’ welcoming history during the modern-day refugee crises, although the ‘below the line’ keyboard warriors in the local online news media, who seek to hide their xenophobia beneath an abundance of tendentious bollocks, remain a shameful embarrassment to the county.
Postscript#1: Warriner’s personal account of her winter in Prague mentions others who courageously aided the Sudeten political refugees and their families. In particular Quaker women from the UK’s Society of Friends such as the cousins Tessa & Jean Rowntree and Mary Penman; a Canadian, Beatrice Wellington; the journalist Alec Dickson (later to found the UK’s Voluntary Service Overseas organisation) and John Ingman of the Workers’ Travel Association.
Postscript#2: I’ve blagged the following text from the Association of Jewish Refugees Journal, Volume 4, April 2011 which summarises just how Warriner created the route by which the later and better-known story of Sir Nicholas Winton and the Kindertransport children arose.
Ever since his part in the rescue of 669 mostly Jewish children from Czechoslovakia on Kindertransport-style trains in 1939 was revealed on BBC TV’s That’s Life (February 1988), Sir Nicholas Winton has, belatedly, received something of the recognition that he deserves. A knighthood, a statue in Prague’s Wilson Station, a feature film by the Slovak director Matej Minac (1999), the Masaryk Medal of the Czech Republic and, most recently, the Channel 5 programme Britain’s Secret Schindler are but a few of the distinctions that honour his name. However, Sir Nicholas was, as he freely acknowledges, one of a group of people, mostly British, who were involved in the rescue; the others, long dead, have been almost totally forgotten.
It was in January 1939, in the interim period between Munich and the German occupation of Czechoslovakia, that Nicholas Winton spent some three weeks in Prague and threw himself into the task of saving children. But others had been there well before him – and stayed well after, under the far more difficult conditions of the German occupation
The key figure in the rescue of refugees from Czechoslovakia was Doreen Warriner, a young academic from University College London, who arrived in Prague in October 1938, soon after Munich, to provide assistance for those who had fled there from the German-occupied Sudetenland and, if possible, to bring them to safety. Warriner was mainly concerned with political refugees, especially anti-Nazis from the Sudetenland, mostly Social Democrats under the leadership of Wenzel Jaksch; she did not focus on Jews, though many of the people she rescued were Jewish, and she did not focus on children, though in bringing out the families of anti-Nazis she also saved children’s lives. It was Warriner who underpinned the rescue organisation in Prague. She established and headed up the office on Voršilská Street, where the other rescuers, including Winton, worked, and where the trains that took refugees across the border to Poland were organised; and she recommended Winton to the BCRC [British Committee for Refugees from Czechoslovakia], thus making it possible for him to create his children’s section of the BCRC when he returned to London. Warriner stayed in Prague until April 1939, when it became too dangerous for her. She had been smuggling anti-Nazis illegally across the border into Poland, and the Gestapo were about to arrest her. The number of people Warriner saved ran into the thousands [my highlighting].
Footnote: Winton, never sought to understate the contribution of Warriner (or, specifically regarding the Kindertransport, Trevor Chadwick), or overstate his own, saying “I wasn’t heroic because I was never in danger”.
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Printed from: http://braemoor.co.uk/chartreuse/lalpe/lalpe.shtml on 17 Jan 2022
The breath-taking Sangle de Fouda Blanc
L'Alpe is the long synclinal valley, and surrounding ridges, that stretches between the Roche de Fitta overlooking the Cirque St. Même to the south, and the col de l'Alpette to the north, which marks the southern end of the Granier massif - a distance of some four or five kilometres. It is separated from its neighbours by two prominent geological strike-slip faults both of which provide easy access to the area. The Tour de Chartreuse and GR9 follows the line of the valley (map).
It is a beautiful area of predominantly alpine pastures and lapiaz. It is not overly dramatic, but it contains some wonderful walking, and the eastern ridge does have the high point of le Pinet (also known as Le Truc) which overlooks La Plagne, and which is a worthy destination.
There are four main ways up into the valley. To the south, the GR9 ascends via the Pas de l'Echelle. To the east of there, another route reaches the valley more gently via the col de l'Alpe; in the north the GR9 enters the area via the col de l'Alpette from the west, and a fourth route ascends from the east via the Porte d'Alpette. Here we recommend a couple of more esoteric routes to the ridge from the the southern end, both returning by the Pas de l'Echelle, and one from the northern end. The last walk explores one of the sangles on the eastern flank, and returns along the eastern crest.
Like the Dent de Crolles, l'Alpe not only offers magnificent walking - it is also a place of pilgrimage for cavers with the Réseau de l'Alpe alone having over 60 km of explored passages, 35 entrances, and a depth of over 600 metres. Whilst most expeditions are for experienced cavers only, you should take the opportunity to take a look in the entrances of some of the more accessible caves. It's always worth taking a couple of lightweight headlamps with you.
Le Pinet via Trou de la Saignerie
Le Pinet from la Plagne
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The Family magazine, conducted by J. Belcher, Volumes 1-2
edited by Joseph Belcher
Gin DRINKING.-A printed handbill has been very extensively circulated amongst the gin drinking community of London and its vicinity, which, it is hoped, will have a tendency to bring the poor deluded wretches who frequent the gin temples, to a proper sense of their situation. It is as follows:-“ To Gin Drinkers.-Two glasses of gin a--day, at three-half-pence per glass, will cost £4. 118. a year,-a sum which will purchase two shirts, two pair of hose, two pair of shoes, a fustian jacket, a waistcoat, pair of trousers, garment, cap, flannel waistcoat, a coarse cloth cloak, neckcloth, two pair of cotton sheets, and two large blankets.
Measure the distance at which that image is brightest and most distinctly formed. Select a pair from the optician by the same means, choosing those which form the image at the same distance, and they will be found to suit the person, for whom they are intended, equally well. A candle, or other artificial light, may be substituted for the sun with sufficient accuracy. This mode of testing glasses discovers defects which cannot otherwise be easily detected. It is a very common defect in spectacles, that the glasses are not properly matched. This destroys the eyes of the person who wears them, but it may be detected by observing whether they form the image, or have their focus at the same distance. The best ground glasses form the image most distinctly. People usually destroy their sight by using glasses that magnify more than they require. This should be carefully avoided.
How to SELECT A PAIR OF SPECTACLES.— When a person calls at an optician's shop, for the
purpose of
purchasing this article, the question is asked, What is the age of the person who is to use them ? and on this information being given, the article is produced with the greatest confidence. Few of those who have purchased spectacles in this manner, need be told, that age is not proper data for selecting the article. It would be about as difficult to find two persons of the same same age alike, in respect to this faculty, as it would be to find them alike respecting any other ; such as hearing. The following method may be depended on, and where available, should be resorted to:—Where the person, for whom the spectacles are wanted, has already a pair, or can procure the loan of a pair that fit him, hold one glass of such, between the sun and a piece of white paper. Move the glass nearer or further from the paper ; when at a certain distance, a bright image of the sun will be formed on the paper.
COVETOUSNESS. :- A prize of one hundred guineas is offered for the best Essay on the sin of covetousness. We earnestly pray that some writer may be divinely assisted in a mighty effort against a sin which has contributed, and is still awfully contributing, to the ruin of the world.
ANTI-SLAVERY.-The Rev. Dr. Cox, and the Rev. Joshua Leavitt, both of New York, are at present in this country, forming an union between England and the United States, for the abolition of Slavery throughout the world. We cor. dially wish them success.
HERALDRY.—The Heraldry of Europe, according to Captain James Lowe,
instance of this recently occurred at Shrewsbury Assizes, and at York, where the entry, although all written by one person in one hand, and comprehending a period of thirty years, was admitted. The remarkable case of an entry or memorandum in a Family Bible, by the Countess Moira, was the principal evidence by which H. F. Hastings, Esq. secured his title to the Earldom of Huntingdon, about fifteen years ago.
has evidently derived its origin from the East; and it was intimately associated with religion and superstition. Maurice observes, that by the same hardy racethe descendants of the Tartar tribes, which tenanted the North of Asiawere introduced into Europe armorial bearings, which were originally nothing more than hieroglyphic symbols, mostly of a religious allusion, that distinguished the banners of the potentates of Asia. The eagle belongs to the ensign of Vishna, the bull to that of Siva, and the falcon to that of Rama. The sun, rising behind a recumbent lion, blazed on the ancient ensign of the Tartar, and the eagle of the sun on that of the Persians. The Humza, a famous goose, one of the incarnations of Boodha, is yet the chief emblem of Burham ban
The Russians, no doubt, had their standard from the eastern nations; it is the type of Gruda., The Islamites took the crescent, a fit emblem either of a rising or declining empire, and of their primeval worship.
hers.
New Prison DISCIPLINE SYSTEM. -In addition to the strict enforcement of the silent system, in which not an individual is permitted, on pain of severe punishment, to utter a single word, on any account whatever, in the Westminster Bridewell, the Magistrates have resolved, following the suggestions of the Lords' Committee, to draw the cords of discipline still tighter. Instead of allowing the ready admission of friends on visiting days—which friends are for the greater part, when males, thieves, calling themselves brothers, or of females of bad character, assuming the names of sisters--the Governor is to be armed with the power of refusing admission to all known by him to belong to either of these classes, even although they bring with them the requisite signature of a Magistrate to the order for admission. From the artful manner in which the confidence of several kind-hearted Ma. gistrates has been long abused, these orders have, it is found, been far too easily obtained, and the consequence has been, a frightful means of adding to the otherwise monstrous amount of depravity arising from association.
ROBBERY AT EXETER HALL.-At the recent annual Meeting of the London Missionary Society, held at Exeter Hall, sums were given amounting nearly to 6001, which were sent up to the Chairman principally in various promissory notes for different sums, with Banknotes and checks. These papers were put into a bag, with the resolutions and other documents, and laid on the table behind the Chairman While the assembly were singing the Doxology, with which the proceedings of the day were closed, the bag was stolen, and there is no clue whatever to the thief. The promissory notes have been stopped. The real loss to the Society, by this robbery, we are informed, is less than 501.
DRUNKENNESS. — Mr. Buckingham, in his new bill to prevent this worse than beastly vice, proposes that an habitual drunkard, for the fourth offence, shall be proclaimed by the town crier, have one month's imprisonment, and be deprived of his elective franchise for three years.
WESTMORELAND. We do not know whether the report is well or ill founded, but we see it intimated in the Westmoreland Gazette, that a very material difference of opinion upon matters of discipline has sprung up among the Society of Friends. It is said that their exists a desire to have written sermons preached, and also to have music introduced as a part of public worship. The proposed innova. tion is resisted, we are told, and at the yearly meeting it is expected the matter will be warmly discussed. We are not sorry to find that associations with other classes of Christians has done good to the Friends. They have taught
BIBLE REGISTERS.—The entry of births in a Family Bible, has frequently been admitted as good evidence. An
the world to love liberty, peace, and temperance; and we hope to teach them to love the doctrines and practices of scripture more thoroughly than some of them have hitherto done.
FRANCE. The evangelical Christians in this country, are engaged in a new translation of the Sacred volume into French. It is hoped that the New Testament will soon be ready.
The laws remained the same for the whole time embraced by this table; but in consequence of the good effects of their practical amelioration, they are now undergoing a revision. From these returns, it appears that the diminution, and ultimately the discontinuance, of capital punishments was attended with a diminution in the number of atrocious offences, and particularly that of murder; a result observed in Tuscany and other countries, where the effect of abolishing capital punishments, or greatly ameliorating the criminal laws, has been tried. This is a subject that needs to be very carefully considered in Great Britain.
A French lady has recently bequeathed 20,000 francs to the Royal Academy at Paris, the interest of which, 1,000 francs annually, is to be given for the best treatise on the baneful influence of chagrin, in causing illness and death.
SPAIN. A Royal commission has been appointed at Madrid, for the purpose of establishing a system of general Education. The commission is to prepare a plan of Elementary Instruction, suited to the state and wants of the Spanish Nation; and to establish, at Madrid, a Normal or Central School, founded on the British system. Two Spanish gentlemen, deputed by the commission, are now in attendance at the British and Foreign School Society's Establishment, in the Borough Road; and from the talent and aptitude which they display in acquiring a knowledge of the system, there is every reason to hope that they will be successful in promoting it throughout their own country.
AMERICA. In a law work, by Mr. Joseph Parkes, of Birmingham, on the “ Equity Jurisdiction of the United States, 1830," it appears that the American Chancellor has the custody of drunkards. By the statutes of New York, whenever the overseers of the poor of any city or town discover any resident with property to the amount of 250 dollars, to be an habitual drunkard, they are required to apply to the Court of Chancery. Upon the trial of an issue a verdict determines the fact, a committee is appointed of the drunkard's person, and under the direction of the court his personal estate is apportioned in liquidating his debts, and relieving his family. He is in all respects treated as an idiot, or lunatic ward of the court.
When he has real property, it is mortgaged or leased, if requisite, for a term not exceeding five years ; and, on his being restored to his right mind, by becoming habitually sober, he then, and not till then, is deemed capable of conducting his affairs, and is intrusted with the care of his own property.
BELGIUM. The following instructive account of the punishment of Death, in Belgium, is an Abstract of Returns printed for the Chamber of Deputies.
Total Exe
Capital Convictions. cuted for av
Other capirious crimes.
tal crimes.
5 years ending with
1804. 1809. 1814. 1819. 1824. 1829 1834.
NEW ORLEANS. The papers from New Orleans contain a long account of a dreadful earthquake, which occurred at Omoa, by which three large towns and several small villages have been totally destroy. ed, so that not a vestige them remains. It appears that five eruptions of volcanoes, the severest on record, took place, accompanied by terrific earthquakes, which destroyed a large portion of St. Miguel and St. Salvador. The air was so obscured by ashes and smoke, that for eight days the inhabi. tants were obliged to grope their way with torches. The reports were like the. firing of musketry and cannon, attended with showers of rocks, stones, and cinders. The lava, in some places, ran the distance of sixty leagues, destroying every thing in its course! In Alanchi they thought the Day of Judgment had arrived, and more than 800 marriages took place among people who had previously lived in a state of concubinage. The earthquakes were felt very severely at Truxillo; and the reports of the eruptions a long way to the northward of Belize. The ashes, during twenty hours, fell like snow; and it was so dark as to require candles at 12 A.M. One vol. cano burst about forty miles from Truxillo. Treatment, Breeding, and the method of Catching them." By J.M. BECHSTEIN, M. D. This is really a very curious volume; we are not very conversant with the matters of which it treats, but we had no idea that so interesting a book could have been written on such a subject. It appears that the volume has passed through three editions on the Continent, and that the translator has added some valuable notes to the edition before us. We doubt not but that many of our readers will consider that we do them a favour, in directing their attention to it.
the most exquisite odour. The effect which it has on those who eat it, is, as I have myself witnessed, precisely that which Xenophon describes. When taken in a small quantity it causes violent headache and vomitting, and the unhappy individual who swallows it resembles, as much as possible, a tipsy man; and a larger dose will completely deprive him of all his senses and power of moving for some hours afterwards.
EGYPT. We are concerned to learn that the plague has again been making awful ravages in this country. At the latter end of March, from 250 to 270 died daily, in the city of Alexandria alone. It was expected to extend over the whole country, as all the villages on the banks of the Nile, already suffered by the awful visitation. All business was at a stand.
TREZIBOND. In a letter from Keith Abbott, Esq., to the Secretary of the Zoological Society, is an account of the famous honey, spoken of by Xenophon as having produced the effect of temporary madness, or rather drunkenness, on the whole army who ate of it, without causing any serious consequences. “ It is supposed to be," he observes, “ from the flowers of the azalea pontica that the bees extract this honey; that plant growing in abundance in this part of the country, and its blossoms emitting
CAPE OF GOOD HOPE. A letter from Vienna announces that M. Littrow, Director of the Observatory in that city, has received from the celebrated English astronomer, Herschell, now residing at the Cape of Good Hope, the remarkable intelligence that Halley's comet, of which so much has been said, and which is positively expected to shew itself in August next, will not be visible, because it has long since changed the direction of its course, and now revolves in a different orbit.
We are pleased to see that the Rev. Dr. BOOTH ROYD is publishing, in monthly parts, a new edition of his revised translation of the Holy Bible. The profound learning, sound judgment, and earnest piety of the wort Doctor, eminently qualify him for the very delicate task he has undertaken. We honestly think his labours are well en. titled to the support of the Christian public, and shall rejoice to hear of the success of his excellent work; which is published monthly, at a cheap rate.
“ The Christian Catechist , or, Principles of Religion in verse, with Scripture Proofs," by John BULMER, the seventh edition of the first part of which is before us, is entitled to the favourable regard of Christian families. It is published by Messrs. Jackson and Walford, and will be found a very pleasing three
Mr. Wertheim has just published, “ The Infants' Spelling and Reading Book; with Instructions to Teachers, on the systems of Pestalozzi and Edgworth.” It will be found worth the trial of mothers and teachers, and we think will be found a great improvement on the old dull systems of teaching children the art of reading.
penny book.
We are glad to see that the Religious Tract Society have republished, in a cheap form, Sir MATTHEW Hale's “ Knowledge of Christ Crucified.” It is every way worthy of its distinguished author and of the Society by whom it is now issued.
LITERARY NOTICES. “ My Mother's Grave,'' with a frontispiece, and gilt edges ; by Ward and Co. By the same author, “ Miniature Sermons for Infant Minds ;" bound in cloth, gilt edges, with a frontispiece. --Same publishers.
In 1 vol. 8vo. “Relics of the Sacred Ministry;"' being discourses by the late Rev. Philip BEARCROFT, D. D.
In the Press. By Subscription. In 12mo. A second edition of “ Election calmly Considered ;" in a series of Letters, by J. CRAPS,
The Rev. J. H. HINTON, of Reading, has just published a delightfully interesting Memoir of one of his children, who died in his fourteenth year. We have seldom met with more decisive evidences of piety, in one in such early life. While we sympathise with the bereaved parents in their loss, for we have more than once passed through similar trials, we rejoice that their present deprivation has enriched heaven. We warmly commend this little book, published by Jackson and Walford, to the attention of our young friends, and should sincerely pity those who can read it without emotion, and profit.
We are happy to understand that the Rev. R. Philip, in addition to the “ The Marys,' announced in our last, is preparing for the press, The Marthas ; or the varieties of Female Piety: and The Hannahs ; or the Power of Maternal Influence. The whole series will appear under the general title of the Lady's Closet Library.
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Home Lifestyle News Cultural Exchange Network of Cambodia and China launched to build a bridge...
Cultural Exchange Network of Cambodia and China launched to build a bridge for bilateral exchanges
BEIJING, Dec. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Recently, the first Cambodia-China Cultural Exchange Forum was held in Beijing. At the event, the Cultural Exchange Network of Cambodia and China was officially launched.
The Cultural Exchange Network of Cambodia and China was jointly established by China Huaneng Group and several influential academic institutions, think tanks and companies in China and Cambodia. The Network was founded with the vision of promoting the rich cultures of China and Cambodia, based on the principles of mutual respect, win-win cooperation, mutual assistance, tolerance and mutual learning, with the aim of facilitating and deepening the cultural ties between China and Cambodia through exchanges and academic research, as well as to showcase the cultures of the two countries. As an innovative platform and cooperation mechanism for meaningful exchanges concerning each other’s culture, the Cultural Exchange Network of Cambodia and China will build a bridge between China and Cambodia for cultural exchanges based on a more humanistic approach.
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to the Kingdom of Cambodia, H.E. Mr. Wang Wentian, raised high expectations for the establishment of the Network. “Both China and Cambodia have very profound cultural heritages, while cultural exchanges and mutual learning have always been an important part of bilateral cooperation,” Wang said. “The Chinese Embassy in Cambodia is more than willing to work together with all parties to build more bridges for cultural exchanges between the two countries and contribute to enhancement of understanding and friendship between the two peoples.”
Commercial Counsellor, Royal Embassy of Cambodia, H.E. Dr. Prak Phannara, compared the bridge that will be created by the Network to the connections between the stars that make up the Milky Way. “It is this bridge that will mark the initiation of an effort between Cambodia and China, who are good friends, to promote communications between the peoples of the two countries and to facilitate further bilateral cooperation. The effort is expected to advance the progress of human civilization and world peace and development through exchanges and mutual learning. We can say that it is a bridge of great significance.”
The Network will help build a more open, inclusive and pluralistic society through cultural communications in the form of forums, academic exchanges and international communication events under the framework of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, allowing the peoples of the two countries to better know each other, while becoming closer and more integrated.
Chinese and Cambodian businesses conveyed their support for the establishment of the Network and their wish to participate in follow-up activities, in an effort to contribute to the sustainable development, cultural exchanges and international communications between the two countries. China Huaneng Group expressed its willingness to work with the members the Network to give full play to the Network as a platform, where cultural exchange will serve as an important tie to deepening mutual understanding and facilitating meaningful communication between the two nations in the realms of culture, customs, history, religion and art.
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Why we need a small data paradigm
Eric B. Hekler1,
Predrag Klasnja2,
Guillaume Chevance1,
Natalie M. Golaszewski1,
Dana Lewis3 &
Ida Sim4
BMC Medicine volume 17, Article number: 133 (2019) Cite this article
There is great interest in and excitement about the concept of personalized or precision medicine and, in particular, advancing this vision via various ‘big data’ efforts. While these methods are necessary, they are insufficient to achieve the full personalized medicine promise. A rigorous, complementary ‘small data’ paradigm that can function both autonomously from and in collaboration with big data is also needed. By ‘small data’ we build on Estrin’s formulation and refer to the rigorous use of data by and for a specific N-of-1 unit (i.e., a single person, clinic, hospital, healthcare system, community, city, etc.) to facilitate improved individual-level description, prediction and, ultimately, control for that specific unit.
The purpose of this piece is to articulate why a small data paradigm is needed and is valuable in itself, and to provide initial directions for future work that can advance study designs and data analytic techniques for a small data approach to precision health. Scientifically, the central value of a small data approach is that it can uniquely manage complex, dynamic, multi-causal, idiosyncratically manifesting phenomena, such as chronic diseases, in comparison to big data. Beyond this, a small data approach better aligns the goals of science and practice, which can result in more rapid agile learning with less data. There is also, feasibly, a unique pathway towards transportable knowledge from a small data approach, which is complementary to a big data approach. Future work should (1) further refine appropriate methods for a small data approach; (2) advance strategies for better integrating a small data approach into real-world practices; and (3) advance ways of actively integrating the strengths and limitations from both small and big data approaches into a unified scientific knowledge base that is linked via a robust science of causality.
Small data is valuable in its own right. That said, small and big data paradigms can and should be combined via a foundational science of causality. With these approaches combined, the vision of precision health can be achieved.
A variety of global initiatives are advancing ways of providing more personalized and precise care to individuals. These initiatives go under various monikers, such as ‘precision medicine’ in the US and ‘personalised medicine’ in the UK, but it is herein referred to as precision health. The general focus of precision health is on prevention and treatment strategies that take individual differences into account [1]. These efforts are being advanced in several nations, including the All of Us Research Initiative in the US and the 100,000 Genomes Project in the UK, with a current focus on identification of actionable genetic mutations that predict response to cancer treatment.
Precision health is both old and new. It is old in that it aligns with evidence-based practice [2], which emphasizes the use of evidence and clinical expertise to make clinical decisions that take individuals’ physiology, condition, and circumstances into account. Such matching of treatment to individual differences takes many forms; indeed, blood type is a classic example of matching interventions (in this case blood transfusion) to individual differences. Another example is adjusting the dosage of a drug, such as anti-retroviral treatments, based on well-measured, dynamic clinical markers (e.g., white blood cell count), using clearly specified if/then logic to drive adaptive dosing. In the realm of public health, support individuation has taken the form of matching adaptive and ‘tailored’ support through coaching for complex issues such as preventing and treating obesity.
The new element in precision health arises from new data, informatics tools, and data analytic technologies [3,4,5], which promise to advance individualization. Many new data types (e.g., whole genome sequencing or wearable device, microbiome, or environmental exposure data) offer unique insights into health phenomena. Robust informatics infrastructures are being developed to support the rigorous and efficient collection, storage, retrieval, and organization of data. Finally, artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science analytics, and ‘-omics’ sciences (e.g., genomics, metabolomics, microbiomics) offer new possibilities for gleaning insights from data that go well beyond classic evidence-based practice. We label the majority of currently used data analytic techniques as ‘big data analytics’ since researchers commonly conduct these data analyses with new data types via robust informatics infrastructures, with the insights sought often aimed towards helping other individuals, beyond those for whom the data were collected.
While insights from big data analytics are essential, they are insufficient. A rigorous ‘small data’ paradigm that functions autonomously and collaboratively with big data analytics is also needed. By ‘small data’ we build on Estrin’s formulation [6] and refer to the rigorous use of data collected to advance the goals of the specific N-of-1 unit for whom the data are about (i.e., a single person, clinic, hospital, healthcare system, community, city, etc.). The goal of a small data approach is to achieve improved individual-level description, prediction and, ultimately, control for that specific unit. As part of this, the unit itself plays a role in defining the objectives of data analysis. In contrast, a ‘big data’ approach refers to the use of data collected from one set of individuals with the goal of improved description and prediction of a phenomenon for other individuals, not necessarily those from whom the data were collected. This is typically done by some other entity, such as a researcher, company, or health insurance group, with the individuals whose data formed the datasets often not involved in defining data use objectives. As such, most health science research methods, such as epidemiology and clinical trials, including randomized controlled trials, fit into a big data approach, coupled with the many current uses of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and other approaches more commonly linked with ‘big data’. While we are using the word ‘small’ as a counter to ‘big’, these data are ‘small’ only in the sense that the data are collected from and are being used for a single unit. Indeed, an N-of-1 unit could have a very large dataset in terms of data types (e.g., the various -omics data) and length of time series data (e.g., years).
The purpose of this piece is to articulate why a small data paradigm is needed and valuable in itself, and to provide initial directions for future work that can advance study designs and data analytic techniques for a small data approach to precision health in a complementary and explicitly not subservient way to a big data approach.
Scientific reason
At the heart of precision health is the notion of individualizing treatment based on the specifics of a single unit. Matching the right intervention to the right individual at the right time, in context, is contingent upon the inherent complexity of a phenomenon. On the simple end are problems like matching blood transfusions to blood types, which is relatively straightforward since the problem is (1) not dynamic (i.e., blood type does not change), (2) there is only one key cause (i.e., heredity), and (3) the mechanism is well understood and easily measurable to support clear classifications (e.g., type A, B, O, AB, +/−). A more complex problem is supporting adaptive dosing, such as anti-retroviral care, where the phenomenon is (1) dynamic (i.e., dosage is contingent upon changing white blood count) and (2) multi-causal, as a wide range of factors, beyond just the person’s disease state, influence white blood count. Nevertheless, often, such problems can be simplified into if/then adaptation rules because, like blood type, the mechanism is well-understood and characterized with appropriately validated measures. For problems in this class (i.e., low to moderate complexity), the big data approach to precision health will be very valuable.
However, there are highly complex health problems whose characteristics are poorly matched to using a big data approach alone. A good example of such problems is obesity prevention and treatment. As illustrated elsewhere [7], obesity is highly complex since it is dynamic and multi-causal, and the mechanisms – even seemingly universal ones such as energy balance – manifest idiosyncratically. For example, it is well known that eating less facilitates weight loss. However, each person ‘eats less’ or struggles with eating less differently, based on food preferences, cultural practices, food access, time of day, learning history, etc. The level of calorie restriction required also varies, thus suggesting physiological differences. Individualizing prevention and treatment likely require that those idiosyncrasies be accounted for. Modest successes, particularly for achieving robust weight loss maintenance [8, 9], suggest room for improvement for supporting individuals. As most major health issues today are chronic as opposed to acute [10], in all likelihood, the level of complexity of the problems we seek to address will increasingly be closer to that of obesity than of blood type.
If the problems we face are more akin to obesity than to blood type, then the big data approach alone will be insufficient since the more dynamic, multi-causal, and idiosyncratically manifesting a problem is, the harder it will be to obtain the appropriate data types of meaningful causal factors at the appropriate temporal density from a large enough number of units. Data analytics that are based, in part, on identifying clusters and patterns across people will experience exponential growth of complexity of the modeling space, and thus require huge samples with long time series. Nevertheless, increasingly large datasets are becoming available. Thus, big data will play an important role, such as modeling variations in comorbidities across units.
Even with the large datasets available, the big data approach requires a great deal of knowledge about a phenomenon to ensure the right data types are included. For example, race is commonly measured, partially because it is relatively easy to measure via self-report and uses ‘standardized’ categories. Prior work is challenging assumptions about the meaning of this variable, particularly an implicit assumption that race is a biological as opposed to a socially constructed concept. ‘Race’ is largely contingent upon the cultural context for which an individual exists within [11]. It is quite plausible that the categories of race create more noise than signal when used, particularly if they are treated as biological, immutable realities, which could propagate inequities from the research conducted [12]. This issue will only magnify when data are aggregated across individuals. While we recognize this issue with race, it is quite plausible that similar hidden misclassifications exist, thus creating a high risk of inappropriate conclusions from big data. A central task, then, even when the goal is to use big data approaches, is to advance ways of gathering complementary prior knowledge to understand and analyze a complex phenomenon. This has classically occurred through clinical expertise and qualitative methods and, as justified herein, could be further supported with a small data approach.
Even if this colossally complex issue of obtaining the right data types at sufficient temporal density from a large enough sample based on robust prior knowledge were solved, if the mechanism is known to manifest idiosyncratically (see [13] for many concrete examples), then big data will become not just insufficient but, potentially, problematic as it may wash out or ignore meaningful individual differences. For example, the behavioral science version of reinforcement learning (i.e., increasing future behaviors via giving rewards, like giving a dog food after sitting) is one of the most well understood drivers of behavior across organisms [14, 15]. While the mechanism is universal, it manifests idiosyncratically [14, 15]. Think, for example, of the pickiness of children. One child might find strawberries to be a reward whereas another child might find them to be aversive. Learning histories and individual preferences combine to create tremendous variability in how different people respond [13] to both specific elements in the environment (e.g., strawberries) as well as classes of those elements (e.g., dessert). These concrete details of mechanism manifestation will be averaged out in aggregated analyses, yet it is precisely at that level of concreteness that treatments have to be individualized [14,15,16]. Because of its focus on advancing goals of an N-of-1 unit and inclusion of that N-of-1 unit in the process, a small data approach has unique capabilities for issues that manifest idiosyncratically and, thus, are important for advancing precision health.
A small data approach uses different strategies to understand dynamic, multi-causal, and idiosyncratically manifesting phenomena, which can help to make these complexities more manageable. Within a big data paradigm, there is an implicit requirement that all plausibly meaningful variation is included in the dataset at a large enough scale to enable meaningful clusters and relationships in aggregate to be gleaned. Without this, what has been called ‘the black swan effect’ [17], can occur, whereby a rare phenomenon not in a dataset is not deemed possible and, thus, not part of the modeling efforts. Using a small data approach, there is an incentive for people for whom the data are about to think carefully through insights collected from the data and, thus, to engage in gathering the right data types at sufficient temporal density to enable them to gather actionable insights for improved prediction and control for themselves. Further, a great deal of causal factors can be ruled out based on attributes of the person, context, or time, with the individual unit playing an important role in ruling out these possibilities (e.g., “I never eat those types of food; I’m not ever exposed to those environmental issues”). An individual understands their own lives, contexts, and preferences, which can facilitate specifying the idiosyncratic manifestations that need to be measured. For example, an individual may know – or could quickly learn – the degree to which salty foods versus sugary foods might trigger them to over eat. Finally, as discussed in detail below, a small data approach targets helping individuals first, not transportable knowledge first, which enables insights to be gleaned from data without the higher bar of those insights being generalizable to others.
In summary, from a scientific perspective, a small data approach has unique, complementary strategies for managing complex, dynamic, multi-causal, idiosyncratically manifesting phenomena compared to a big data approach, which could be valuable regardless of their value to big data approaches as well as for improving big data analytics.
Practical reasons for advancing a small data approach
There are three practical arguments – a small data approach (1) uses success criteria that match the goals of individuals, clinicians, healthcare systems, and communities; (2) can facilitate more rapid agile learning from each unit; and (3) can offer a unique pathway to transportable knowledge.
Small data aligns activities to the success of individuals, clinicians, healthcare systems, and communities
The central defining feature of a small data approach is that data are being used by and for individual units themselves for their own purposes [6]. This means that the goals and desires of the individuals for whom the data are about are, by definition, used to partially define successful data use. There is an increasing number of technologies that fit with this goal, such as helping individuals identify which foods impact irritable bowel syndrome symptoms [18], which sleep hygiene recommendations are appropriate for them [19], determining if a particular evidence-based behavioral intervention ‘works’ for a particular person [20], or creating an individualized behavior change plan [21]. In contrast, a big data approach seeks to produce transportable knowledge first [22]. By transportable knowledge, we mean insights that are gathered from a group of observed units applicable to a different group of units and using it instead of generalizability based on possible confusion with the term [23].Footnote 1 In a big data paradigm, the people who benefit are other individuals, not the individuals for whom the data are about. Small data, by definition, aligns the goals of data analytics and individuals.
Turning to clinicians, healthcare systems, and population health, the central goal of evidence-based medicine is a practical one – to help specific units (e.g., individuals, families, physicians) get better. Yet, while success for clinical care is tied to improvement in individual units, success in evidence-based medicine research – first and foremost, randomized controlled trials – is fundamentally about average improvements across abstract, artificially created groups. A small data approach emphasizes the same success criteria as clinical practice, thus better aligning science and practice towards a common goal. This same alignment of data analytics and practice also holds true for other units, including a single healthcare system, city, region, or other core population [24]. Based on this, a small data approach may not only be valuable for individuals and clinicians, but also for advancing the vision of a learning healthcare system [25] and population health.
Small data might not only be valuable scientifically for big data (to bring in prior knowledge to support appropriate categorization and articulation of measurement approaches) but also be practically valuable for big data efforts. Large scale projects, such as All of Us in the US, require sufficient data types (e.g., whole genome sequencing, wearable device data, microbiome data, environmental exposures data, etc.) at appropriate temporal density (e.g., daily for some concepts) from a large number of people. This requires a great deal of participant engagement. Based on the focus of small data, it is more likely that more people will engage with data collection as they receive direct benefit, thus helping to establish the pre-conditions for engagement with the types of studies needed to use big data analytics.
Small data can facilitate more rapid agile learning from each unit
As discussed elsewhere [26], it takes a long time for transportable knowledge to be disseminated and implemented in clinics or communities of practice towards helping individuals (Fig. 1). A small data paradigm, with its use of success criteria matched to the individual unit, can very likely learn more rapidly; this basic point was articulated well by Staddon [15]. If a well-specified prediction is made and it did not come to pass within a specific unit via replications within that individual, the prediction was wrong for that unit; there is no need for replication with others. Instead, the next step is to ask why the prediction did not pan out for that unit, including the quality of measurement or methods, understanding of the phenomenon, specified success criteria, study implementation, etc. When description, prediction, or control does not occur for an N-of-1 unit, that is sufficient to trigger reflection and learning. Robust individual predictions are, arguably, how key advances in physics have occurred, for example, Einstein’s very precise prediction about how light would bend around objects of great mass such as the sun. Only one observation was needed to suggest Einstein’s predictions better aligned with reality compared to Newton’s. As we articulate within agile science [16, 27], carefully defined proximal outcomes, including those that can be defined for a single unit, can greatly speed the pace of learning with less resources.
Small versus big data paradigm pathways to help individuals and transportable knowledge
Small data offers a unique pathway to transportable knowledge that could be grounded in clinical practice
There is a plausible way to produce transportable knowledge from small data, as illustrated in Fig. 1. Specifically, after meaningful success is achieved for an individual, clusters of actionable insights, particularly about key mechanisms of change, can then occur. However, the clustering would be different from that of big data clustering as it would occur based on mechanisms and models of mechanisms that achieved meaningful success for each individual. For example, our prior work illustrates how system identification [28] (an approach used in control systems engineering, which could be thought of as an N-of-1 hypothesis-driven approach) can be used to identify individualized predictive models for each person related to their physical activity [27, 29]. In this work, some individuals’ steps were best predicted by day of the week whereas, for others, some other variable(s), such as stress or busyness, or a combination of factors, were most predictive. If a big data approach of aggregation across individuals had been used, an inappropriate tailoring variable would have been selected for 75% of participants, thus establishing the importance of small data methods [27, 29]. These different models for each unit (see our prior papers [29, 30]) could be used as the starting point for clustering individuals based on the models and not individual variables. Such clustering of models corresponds to the second step in the above visualization and, thus, offers a pathway to transportable knowledge. This knowledge could then be vigorously vetted by clearly specifying hypotheses of transportability and then using the emerging science of causality to vet the hypotheses (third step on right side of Fig. 1) [22].
Limitations of a small data approach
While we see great value in a small data approach, just like big data, there are limitations. First and foremost is concern that this approach will not be available for many individual units and, instead, only possible for individuals with sufficient skill and understanding of data and data analytics and, by extension, groups such as healthcare organizations, cities, or larger, that have the technical expertise to do this work. Further, the goal of small data being used by and for the individual for whom the data are about is particularly challenging in this respect. Without careful thought and reflection, this point could be a pathway towards propagating or furthering existing inequities, as those with means can continue to learn from data whereas those without will not. This is a critical issue that requires careful thought and reflection on when to use small data as well as building capacity to facilitate equitable small data use.
With that said, the work of Lewis illustrates a concrete example of a small group of individuals using their data for their own purposes and how their work can function in a complementary fashion to big data efforts and positively influence them. Specifically, Lewis and collaborators developed components for a DIY artificial pancreas system and licensed it to be available through open source (www.openaps.org) for individuals as well as any interested researchers or commercial organizations. Their work in the OpenAPS community has had a clear impact on the type 1 diabetes research community as well as on corresponding big data efforts by influencing the pace of FDA approval for commercial artificial pancreas systems, impacting the design of new systems, and playing active roles in both advising and working within research and commercialization efforts [31]. As this example illustrates, these limitations can be overcome to help more individuals when small and big data efforts work synchronously.
Beyond this, there is also concern for the potential biases that can be brought into the scientific process due to the ‘subjective’ nature of individuals and their beliefs. Classically, the approach in science is to strive for an ‘objective’ view on reality to guide decision-making. A counter argument for this view was seeded in the work of Michael Polanyi in the 1950s. As Polanyi stated in his book, Personal Knowledge, “… complete objectivity as usually attributed to the exact sciences is a delusion and is in fact a false ideal” [32]. While Polanyi articulates a variety of reasons for this, some key points include that, (1) since scientists are humans, they will always bring their personal knowledge into their assessment of a situation, thus establishing the need to understand how that personal knowledge may influence conclusions drawn from evidence and (2) perhaps more importantly, a person’s personal knowledge, particularly the tacit knowledge they hold, which they cannot necessarily convey using language (think the skills of engaging in a craft such as being an artist, mechanic, surgeon, or the like), plays an essential role in guiding a person’s decision-making. This tacit knowledge is valuable in itself and should be acknowledged even if not conveyed via language alone. This philosophical stance is increasingly being supported by insights obtained from neuroscience [13, 33]. Based on this, a small data approach may be a valuable way to incorporate the personal and tacit knowledge of individuals who experience a phenomenon into scientific discourse [34].
Finally, there are practical issues such as the difficulties that often manifest when a small data effort gets started and the need for sufficiently long time series datasets to collect insights from a small data approach. One way to conceptualize the complementarity of a big versus small data approach is that big data efforts are excellent for providing insights for a ‘warm start’ understanding of what might be going on by establishing plausible variables to measure and potential actions that one could take. In contrast, a small data approach is useful for moving beyond a warm start towards an increasingly more individualized understanding that is matched to that unit. Thus, the long history of health sciences was a very important pre-condition to advancing a small data paradigm. As illustrated in other work [35], these approaches can be quite complementary and, based on the fact that a small data approach is less common, it is time to further refine and advance these methods.
While this paper articulates the need for a small data paradigm in precision health, future work is needed to articulate how to operationalize this approach. Key areas of future work include (1) specifying a structure for understanding the rigor versus practicality tradeoff of small data methods; (2) integrating a small data approach into real-world practices, including for individuals themselves, clinicians, healthcare systems, and communities; and (3) articulating a science that actively integrates the strengths and limitations from both small and big data approaches.
One way we situate small data methods is via the small data hypothesis-driven pyramid (Fig. 2, [36]), which highlights a way of thinking about methods from across medicine (N-of-1 cross-over designs [37,38,39]), behavioral science (i.e., single case experimental designs [40, 41]), and control systems engineering (i.e., system identification [28]) to achieve individualized description, prediction and, ideally, control by and for the individual unit for whom the data are about. This pyramid offers a structure for thinking through the tradeoffs between the rigor of a future prediction and control for an N-of-1 unit compared to the level of practical technical specification and expertise needed. On the bottom are study approaches that are easy for many units to implement, but sacrifice rigor in terms of prediction, causal inference, and control for the N-of-1 unit. The apex of this pyramid is system identification, which is a well-described method from control systems engineering (also called automation and control or control theory), with a wide range of tutorials available for the method [28]; for a concrete example in health, see [27]. System ID is the apex, as it is focused on improved prediction for an N-of-1 unit, which can then be directly used by an adaptive intervention (called a controller within control systems engineering) to improve control towards a desired state for an N-of-1 unit [27]. Future work is needed to vet this pyramid and to advance different ways of organizing study designs and analytic techniques.
Small data hypothesis-driven pyramid
Second, future work is needed to guide individuals, clinicians, and communities in the use of data for supporting improved individual description, prediction, and control. There are important efforts into this, such as PREEMPT [42, 43], but more work is needed, particularly to balance the real-world needs with the value gathered from small data methods. As already referenced, the field of human–computer interaction is engaging in this topic and producing a wide range of tools [18, 19, 21] that fit well into the real-world needs of people, while also honoring the principles of a small data approach. Discussions on learning healthcare systems are conceptually analogous and, thus, provide a good starting point for advancing a small data approach for N-of-1 units beyond a specific person and, instead, to individual systems, including communities.
Third, a critical area of future work is to advance the understanding of ways to combine the strengths and limitations of both big and small data approaches. To do this, two critical areas are needed – (1) specifying the different success criteria implied by different study approaches and (2) advancing the emerging science of causality as a likely bridge between big and small data.
As illustrated in Fig. 3, one way of organizing research studies (i.e., study design plus differing data analytic approaches) is around the success criteria of each approach. Two instructive dimensions are whether the study goals are meant to support individual units (small data) versus being more useful across an aggregation of units (big data) and if the methods are data driven versus hypothesis driven. The upper quadrants illustrate some plausible success criteria for small data analytics, with quadrant A aligning with data-driven approaches proposed by Estrin [6] and Quadrant B aligning with our small data, hypothesis-driven pyramid. Big data approaches (quadrants C and D) also include data-driven (e.g., machine learning, reinforcement learning, etc.), and hypothesis-driven (e.g., classical evidence-based pyramid in health sciences) approaches.
Different success criteria for big versus small data. While multiple methods can be used in each quadrant, to help illustrate, there is a rough mapping to different methods as used in different disciplines. Quadrant A includes techniques such as supervised and unsupervised machine learning, deep learning, reinforcement learning, and recommender systems, commonly used in computer science and the technology industry. Quadrant B includes techniques such as single case experimental designs, N-of-1 cross over designs, and system identification as respectively used in the social and behavioral sciences, medicine, and control systems engineering. Quadrant C includes techniques such as supervised and unsupervised machine learning and deep learning, commonly used in computer science, the technology industry, and various ‘-omics’ efforts. Quadrant D includes techniques articulated as part of the evidence-based pyramid and inferential statistics, commonly used in fields like medicine, epidemiology, public health, and psychology
Building a robust understanding of a phenomenon requires the use of a diversity of methods that can be used to explore an issue [44]. When the different methods point in a common direction, consilience (i.e., a common conclusion drawn from disparate methods) can occur, thus increasing confidence in the conclusions [27, 44]. A small data approach is, arguably, a strong countervailing approach to understand health conditions that balances the limitations of big data. Similarly, big data balances the limitations of a small data approach (e.g., pure small data, not linked to the science of causality, does not produce transportable knowledge, thus setting up the need to ‘re-learn’ with each person, which would be highly inefficient when meaningful patterns exist). When small and big data approaches are combined, they offer a robust pathway for consilient knowledge of complex health phenomena.
Based on the desire for consilience, there is also a requirement for an approach that fosters triangulation of insights from disparate methods towards consilience. The emerging science of causality (e.g., [22, 45]) is very likely the foundational method for enabling effective triangulation between big and small data approaches. There are two key basic assumptions that are important from a causal perspective, namely (1) that humans (e.g., individuals, clinicians, researchers) know things that data do not know and (2) that data know things that humans do not know. The science of causality could be thought of as a rigorous way to balance those assumptions. Arguably, the movement towards big data emphasizes that data know things, with less emphasis on the idea that humans know things. There is good reason for this, as, according to Pearl and Mackenzie [22], various researchers have argued for this focus on data over human understanding; current big data efforts are, thus, a logical outgrowth of that line of thinking.
As illustrated in epidemiology (e.g., Rubin [45]) and computer science (e.g., Pearl [22]), there is increased recognition that, if the goal is not merely prediction but causal inference and, by extension, control, then a rigorous process of balancing these two assumptions is needed. There is active work advancing N-of-1 causal inference [46] and machine learning approaches [47], coupled with the more foundational causal inference already mentioned. A robust science of causality could establish a bridge across approaches and, thus, is very likely the scientific foundation for triangulating insights towards consilience to support precision health. More work is needed to advance this reality.
Small data is valuable in its own right for a variety of reasons. Scientifically, a small data approach can more effectively and efficiently advance understanding of truly complex problems that are dynamic, multi-causal, and manifest idiosyncratically. Practically, small data matches success criteria of the science with those of individuals for whom the data are about, can likely speed the pace of learning, and offers a plausible unique pathway to transportable knowledge. Future work should advance ways individuals can use small data methods with their own data. This could extent to larger units such as healthcare systems and community and population health efforts. Small and big data paradigms can and should be linked via a science of causality. With these approaches combined, the vision of precision health can be achieved.
In health sciences, this is often labeled ‘generalizability’. As described by Shadish et al. [23], the concept of generalization is more multifaceted than commonly considered in medicine as it can involve both whether an effect is transferable to another individual or group, what Pearl et al. [22] label transportability, as well as whether future predictions can be made for a specific N-of-1 unit. To avoid the confusion, we do not use the word generalization.
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Polanyi M. Personal knowledge: towards a post-critical philosophy. Chicago: University of Chicago Press; 1958.
Damasio AR. Descartes’ Error. London: Random House; 2006.
Hekler EB. Lived experience and scientific consensus. 2019. http://openingpathways.org/lived-experience-consensus. Accessed 10 Jun 2019.
Rozet A, Kronish IM, Schwartz JE, Davidson KW. Using machine learning to derive just-in-time and personalized predictors of stress: observational study bridging the gap between nomothetic and ideographic approaches. J Med Internet Res. 2019;21(4):e12910.
Hekler EB. The individual evidence pyramid. 2018. http://openingpathways.org/individual-evidence-pyramid. Accessed 10 Jun 2019.
Kravitz R, Duan N, Eslick I, Gabler N, Kaplan H, Larson E, Pace W, Schmid C, Sim I, Design VS. In: Publication A, editor. and Implementation of N-of-1 Trials: A User’s Guide, vol. 13. Rockville: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; 2014.
Schork NJ. Personalized medicine: time for one-person trials. Nature. 2015;520(7549):609–11.
Lillie EO, Patay B, Diamant J, Issell B, Topol EJ, Schork NJ. The N-of-1 clinical trial: the ultimate strategy for individualizing medicine? Personalized Med. 2011;8(2):161–73.
Dallery J, Raiff BR. Optimizing behavioral health interventions with single-case designs: from development to dissemination. Transl Behav Med. 2014;4(3):290–303.
Dallery J, Cassidy RN, Raiff BR. Single-case experimental designs to evaluate novel technology-based health interventions. J Med Internet Res. 2013;15(2):e22.
Barr C, Marois M, Sim I, Schmid CH, Wilsey B, Ward D, Duan N, Hays RD, Selsky J, Servadio J. The PREEMPT study-evaluating smartphone-assisted n-of-1 trials in patients with chronic pain: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials. 2015;16:67.
Kravitz RL, Schmid CH, Marois M, Wilsey B, Ward D, Hays RD, Duan N, Wang Y, MacDonald S, Jerant A, et al. Effect of mobile device-supported single-patient multi-crossover trials on treatment of chronic musculoskeletal pain: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA Inter Med. 2018;178(10):1368–77.
Miller B. When is consensus knowledge based? Distinguishing shared knowledge from mere agreement. Synthese. 2013;190(7):1293–316.
Rosenbaum PR, Rubin DB. The central role of the propensity score in observational studies for causal effects. Biometrika. 1983;70(1):41–55.
Daza EJ. Causal analysis of self-tracked time series data using a counterfactual framework for N-of-1 trials. Methods Inf Med. 2018;57(01):e10–21.
Athey S, Imbens GW. Machine learning methods for estimating heterogeneous causal effects. arXiv. 2015;1504:01132v3.
We wish to thank Drs. Richard Kravitz and Deborah Estrin for providing early feedback on this draft and for influencing our thinking.
Check Improving outcomes.
This work was supported, in part, by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (74610; Principal investigator: Lewis, Co-Principal investigators: Hekler & Johnston).
Center for Wireless & Population Health Systems, Department of Family Medicine and Public Health, Design Lab and Qualcomm Institute Faculty Member, UC San Diego, 9500 Gilman Ave, San Diego, CA, 92093, USA
Eric B. Hekler, Guillaume Chevance & Natalie M. Golaszewski
School of Information, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Predrag Klasnja
OpenAPS, Seattle, Washington, USA
School of Medicine, UC San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
Ida Sim
Eric B. Hekler
Guillaume Chevance
Natalie M. Golaszewski
EBH led all writing efforts. All other authors contributed significantly to the conceptualization of the argument, reviewed and edited the manuscript, and contributed towards sections. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Correspondence to Eric B. Hekler.
Hekler, E.B., Klasnja, P., Chevance, G. et al. Why we need a small data paradigm. BMC Med 17, 133 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-019-1366-x
Personalized medicine
Small data
Beyond Big Data to new Biomedical and Health Data Science: moving to next century precision health
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In order to give recognition and an opportunity to outstanding Scientists and Engineers including those retired/superannuated scientists/engineers who were involved in the development of sensitive and/or critical technologies to carry out research and development work in the fields of their choice and of interest to the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), there shall be a Scheme known as the “DAE— Homi Bhabha Chair for Distinguished Scientists /Professors”. The tenure of the incumbents of the DAE Homi Bhabha Chair for the Distinguished Scientists / Professors shall be for a period of one to five years at the discretion of the Selection Committee. more..
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Home » Salary of All Professions » Salary of the Nigerian Army 2021: Current Salary of the Army in Nigeria
Salary of the Nigerian Army 2021: Current Salary of the Army in Nigeria
Salary Of The Nigerian Army: The Nigerian Army is the largest and most populous component of the Nigerian Military which consists of the Navy, Air force, and Army. The Army is charged with protecting the territory, lands, and territorial borders of Nigeria. While there is curiosity amongst most of us reading this article to know the salary of the Nigerian army, this Article curbs our curiosity by providing a detailed salary structure of members of the Nigerian army.
Salary of the Army in Nigeria today
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1 About the Nigerian Army
2 Salary of the Nigerian Army 2021
About the Nigerian Army
The Nigeria Army was originally founded in 1900; therein it was called the Royal West African frontier force (WAFF). However, it was until 1960 when Nigerian became independent that the British Army Council in London relinquished control of the Nigerian military force to the Government of Nigeria, and thereupon the Nigerian military force became known as the Royal Nigerian Army (RNA) before the name was eventually changed to the Nigeria Army.
Members of the Nigerian army are sometimes referred to as soldiers. For you to therefore become a Solider you must fulfill the following requirements:
I. You must be a Nigerian citizen by birth
ii. You must possess a National identity card
iii. You must be psychologically, physically, and medically fit to serve as a Military officer.
iv. You must possess an O-level certificate or SSCE and must have attained a minimum of 5 credits in your subjects at not more than two sittings for WAEC, GCE, or NECO.
v. You must be up to the age of 18 at the time of applying
vi. You must be free of any criminal conviction
vii. You must not be less than 1.65 meters tall for men, and 1.56 meters tall for women.
viii. You are required to acquire the Nigerian army recruitment form, fill the form, complete all application requirements, and submit it.
ix. You must attend the zonal screening exercise at the designated zonal center in your state.
Upon the fulfillment of these requirements, you may thereupon be recruited into the Nigerian Army, and only then will you be eligible to earn a monthly salary for being a soldier or professional of the Nigerian army.
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Salary of the Nigerian Army 2021
The salary of members of the Nigerian army varies distinctively according to their rank. Let’s, therefore, consider the monthly salary of members of the Nigerian army with respect to their Rank in chronological order.
1. Recruit: A recruit is the least ranked army officer in Nigeria. A recruit is military personnel who has been newly enlisted for military training and employment and has just been drafted as a Member of the Nigerian army.
An Army recruit earns a monthly salary of 10,000 – 12,000 naira.
Nigeria Army salary and allowance
2. Private: A private Army officer is an Army officer who is attached to a private individual, group, or organization rather than serving and protecting the state or country. While the salary of a private Army officer depends on the discretion of their employer, the general salary structure for a private army officer is 50,000 Naira.
3. Lance Corporal: A lance corporal is a non-commissioned army officer in Nigeria ranked above a private officer, but below a Corporal.
A lance corporal earns a monthly salary of 52,000 – 55,000 naira.
4. Corporal: A corporal is an Army officer ranked above the lance corporal, but below a Sergeant. A corporal is usually responsible for individual training of recruits, cleanliness of their soldiers, troops, amongst other delegated tasks.
A corporal may be identified by the double v badge on their uniform, and they earn a monthly salary of 57,000 Naira.
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5. Sergeant: A sergeant is ranked above a Corporal and is responsible for overseeing the daily tasks of lower soldiers. A sergeant usually has a three-shoulder mark and can be easily identified by the triple v marked badge on their uniform.
According to the Consolidate Armed forces salary structure for the Nigerian military, a Sergeant earns a monthly salary ranging from 56,443 – 69,260 naira.
6. Staff Sergeant: A staff sergeant can be referred to as a senior non-commissioned Nigerian Army officer. They are responsible for the development of Sergeants.
A staff sergeant may be identified through the Golden eagle placed above the triple v marked badge on their uniform. They earn a monthly salary ranging from 69,000 – 81,000 naira.
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7. Warrant officer: A warrant officer otherwise known as a sergeant first class is an army officer responsible for advising the Master warrant officer, training soldiers collectively, individually, and ensuring that tasks of junior soldiers are completed.
A Warrant officer may be identified by the Golden eagle surrounded by a golden crown made of olive leaves marked badge on their uniform. They earn a monthly salary ranging from 82,000 – 100,000 naira.
Monthly and annual salary of the Nigerian Army
8. Master Warrant officer: A Master warrant officer may also be referred to as a Master sergeant officer, they are the apex of non-commissioned army officers. They are responsible for handling and controlling military equipment.
They may be identified by the Insignia of the Nigerian coat of arms on their badge. They earn a monthly salary of 90,000 – 160,000 naira.
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9. Second lieutenant: A second lieutenant is the second substitute of a captain in the Nigerian army, and as such, they are subordinate to the Captain. They usually earn a monthly salary of 160,000 – 180,000 naira.
10. Lieutenant: A lieutenant is an army officer above the Second lieutenant but below the Captain. They are subordinate to the Captain, acting as the direct assistant of the Captain and they also help in commanding tactical units such as troops or platoon.
A Lieutenant can be easily identified by a vertically aligned six-pointed star-marked badge on their uniform. They earn a monthly salary of 186, 000 – 200,000.
11. Captain: A Captain is ranked above a lieutenant, but below a Major. They are highly respected as they are usually the highest tactical troops rank, and as such act as either the Commander or second in command of a troop.
A Captain usually has a three six-pointed star vertically aligned in their badge. They earn a monthly salary of 200,000 – 230,000 naira.
what is the salary of Nigerian army currently
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12. Major: A major sits just above a Captain; they can be easily identified by a silver eagle-marked badge on their uniform. A major earns a monthly salary of 230,000 – 300, 000 naira.
13. Lieutenant colonel: This is a mid-level rank amongst field army officers. A Lieutenant colonel serves as a deputy to the colonel and commands units of soldiers. They may be identified by the vertically aligned Silver Star and eagle on each shoulder. They earn a monthly salary of 300,000 – 360,000 naira.
14. Colonel: A Colonel is ranked above a lieutenant colonel, but just below a Brigadier general. They earn a monthly salary ranging from 360, 000 – 600,000 naira.
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15. Brigadier General: A Brigadier General is a one-star rank in Nigeria. Colonel’s promoted to this rank are usually in command of a brigade that consists of around 4,000 troops.
A Brigadier general may be identified by their Insignia which is made up of one silver eagle and six-pointed stars arranged in triangular form. They earn a monthly salary of 650,000 – 800,000.
16. Major General: A major general is a two-star ranked army officer. They serve as Commanders of an army division which consists of 9,000 – 20,000 soldiers, and they perform and oversee major tactical operations of the army.
A Major General earns a monthly salary ranging from 800,000 – 1.2 Million naira.
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17. Lieutenant General: This is a three-star ranked position in the Nigerian army occupied by the most senior commissioned officer appointed by the president. It is one of the most top-ranked positions of a commissioned officer, and as such a person in this rank earns a monthly salary of 1.2 Million – 1.7 Million naira.
18. General: This is a four-star ranked officer in the Nigerian army and is widely referred to as the highest level of commissioned Army officers in Nigeria.
A General earns a monthly salary ranging from 1.6 Million – 2 Million naira.
19. Field Marshall: This is a five-star rank in the Army and per se the most senior rank of an Army officer in the Nigerian Army. However, no person has attained this rank yet, that’s why the rank of the General is often referred to as the highest rank and climax of the Nigerian army.
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In conclusion, as elucidated in this article the major determinant of the salary of members of the Nigerian army is rank! Each salary varies according to rank and as such the higher your rank in the Nigerian army the higher your salary, and vice versa.
Furthermore, it is instructive to note that there are commissioned and non-commissioned army officers based on their rank. The first 8th on the list are non-commissioned officers, while the rest are commissioned officers which therefore means that in addition to their salary and annual remuneration they earn commission based on their work and service.
1 thought on “Salary of the Nigerian Army 2021: Current Salary of the Army in Nigeria”
Upahar Nicholas Tersugh January 11, 2022 at 9:11 am
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Saskatchewan Roughriders looking for elusive post-season success
November 27, 2021 Canuck Calgary Stampeders, CFL, CFL news, Craig Dickenson, Grey Cup, Mosaic Stadium, Riders, Saskatchewan News, Saskatchewan Roughriders, Sports, West Division Semi-Final
REGINA – The Saskatchewan Roughriders believe it’s time to turn regular season success into a run for the Grey Cup.
The Riders, who host the Calgary Stampeders on Sunday in the West Division semifinal, were first in the division in 2019 and second in 2018, but neither finish translated into post-season success.
They lost 20-13 to Winnipeg in the 2019 West final and 23-18 to the Blue Bombers in the 2018 West semifinal despite having home-field advantage in both games.
With a 9-5-0 record this season, which was good enough for second place, the Riders are now focused on taking the next step to becoming a championship team.
Read more: Riders’ Leonard named one of CFL’s top performers for November
“We know something different from the guys who’ve been here in 2018 and 2019 and have been a part of those home playoff losses,” said Riders head coach Craig Dickenson. “Everybody knows that as you get older you realize your chances are fewer and fewer and I do sense that with guys like Dan Clark and Micah Johnson and AC Leonard. They know that there’s only so many cracks at it so they want to want to make a run while they can.
“Some of the rookies think you’re going to be in the playoffs and make a run every year or have a chance to but the veterans know that even though it’s a nine-team league, it’s hard to win the Grey Cup and you only get so many cracks at its so I think there’s a little more urgency in the locker room.”
Many pundits believe the Riders are the underdog despite their regular-season record. While they did earn nine wins, the Rider offence has struggled throughout the season. And the Stampeders won two of their three regular-season meetings with Saskatchewan.
While the Riders consider the underdog label insulting, receiver Shaq Evans believes they may be partly responsible for the status.
“I think it might be a little disrespectful but at the end of the day, we haven’t done anything in the playoffs and that’s what matters the most,” said Evans. “We’ve had great regular seasons since I’ve been here so maybe we’re a little underappreciated, but it may be warranted a little bit because we have to prove that we can do something when it matters most.”
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The Riders have had issues with controlling Stampeders running back Ka’Deem Carey. In Calgary’s 23-17 victory on Oct. 2, Carey gained 78 yards on 11 carries for a 7.1 average. He followed up with 109 yards rushing on 20 carries in a 22-19 victory on Oct. 9.
Dickenson said there isn’t a magic formula to stopping Carey.
Read more: Ending the season in style, Hamilton Tiger-Cats rough up Saskatchewan
“You try and make him earn it and try to put as many helmets on him as you can make him so early in the game,” said Dickenson. “Hopefully you can take him out of his rhythm a little bit but he’s good when he’s rolling. He gets stronger as the game goes on so we want to start fast and try to be as physical as we can early in the game, but he’s a good player.
“If he goes off, it’s going to be a long day for us at this point, based on those three games.”
Players on both teams spoke during the week about the intense rivalry between the clubs, but no one was willing to go on the record with a brazen comment that could end up serving as motivation for their opponent.
However, Riders defensive back Ed Gainey did share a quick thought on his impression of the Stampeders.
“I’m just going speak for myself. I mean, I’ve been here for three, four or five years so I can’t stand either Calgary or Winnipeg,” said Gainey. “I wouldn’t want the playoff picture to be the other way.”
CALGARY STAMPEDERS (8-6-0) AT SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS (9-5-0)
Sunday, Mosaic Stadium
BO’S STREAK: Stampeders quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell is bringing a streak of 78 straight pass attempts without an interception into the game. Mitchell and Edmonton’s Taylor Cornelius tied for the regular season interception lead with 13 each. Mitchell has thrown 83 career interceptions of which 13 have been returned for touchdowns. In his career Mitchell has been intercepted 18 times by the Riders, with five being returned for touchdowns.
LATE SEASON PUSH: Both teams signed veteran receivers for their playoff runs. Duke Williams joined the Riders in October after spending time with the NFL’s Buffalo Bills and Los Angele Rams. A CFL all-star in 2018 with Edmonton, Williams has played four games for the Riders, catching 17 passes for 285 yards and one touchdown. Reggie Begelton returned to the Stampeders on Nov. 1 after attending training camp with the NFL’s Green Bay Packers. A CFL all-star in 2019, Begelton has played two games in his return, hauling in nine passes for 133 yards and one touchdown.
RENE’S ON A ROLL: Stampeders kicker Rene Paredes has made his last 19 field goal attempts with his last miss coming on Oct. 9. Paredes converted 44 of 48 field goal attempts during the regular season.
© 2021 The Canadian Press
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Plane Forced Down
added on July 23, 2020 Updated on July 23, 2020
BURIED IN BUSH AT CABARITA
Two Aero Club pilots, F.R. Maguire and J. Pollack, had an amazing escape this afternoon when a Moth plane they were flying crashed on to a narrow strip of scrubland at Cabarita Point. The plane came down within a few yards of the roadway and narrowly missed diving into Kendall Bay.
It crashed into a heavy clump of lantana bushes and this probably saved the fliers from serious injury. The machine was almost buried in the heavy bushes into which it had dived.
Piloted by Maguire, the plane left Mascot shortly after 2 pm today and was flying over Cabarita at 1500 feet when the engine cut out. Gazing below the pilot could see no possible landing ground so he decided to make for the little strip, about 25 yards wide and about 50 yards long, between the roadway and the bay.
The plane narrowly missed striking a huge gasworks dome as it came down, but luck was with them.
Had the plane not stopped in the lantana bushes it would have continued on and crashed into a fence. Had the plane landed a few yards further to the left it would have struck the side of the small cliff and tumbled into the bay. Had it landed forward it would have crashed into the fence.
Spectators were amazed when they saw the pilot and passenger hop out uninjured and calmly light cigarettes and survey the plane. The first thing they did was to discuss how they would get the plane, which was hidden in the lantana bushes out again.
The services of a number of local residents were obtained and they set about cutting down the bushes with axes. A lorry was later produced, and with the help of spectators, the two fliers dragged the plane from the bushes.
It was not badly damaged.
Newcastle Sun, 29 July 1935 (Trove Newspapers)
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When the guns on the Western Front fell silent at 11am on 11th November 1918, it marked an end to four years of continuous fighting between the Imperial German Army and the combined forces of the British and French Empires. The Armistice was a suspension of these hostilities, rather than an endpoint to the war,…
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Schooling: Schooling has changed a lot since our grandparents were kids. These days we have computers, detention, graphics calculators and learning software to teach us. Back in the early 20th century, teaching was done with a book, a slate, an inkwell and the cane. Schooling was simple, but effective. It concentrated on the ‘Three R’s….
Read More Back in the Day (3) . . . Everyday Life and How it Was Lived a Hundred Years ago.Continue
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Electrical & Computer Engineering Seminar Series: Dr. Anna Pyayt on turning a mobile phone into a smart portable biomedical testing system
EC - Engineering Center, EC 3930
10555 W Flagler ST 33174, Engineering Center, Miami, Florida 33174
Mobile health is a promising, rapidly developing field, but currently far from reaching its full potential. In this talk, first, we are going to discuss the fundamental challenges to overcome in order to create a robust mobile health system and which innovations does it require in the fields of mobile technologies and physics. Second, we will show how complex pre-processing of different biological samples needed for medical tests can be done using thermo-plasmonics (a new emerging sub-area of Physics). Third, we will show how mobile health systems have to be designed and developed to be compatible with a variety of different mobile platforms, and how they can be made smarter using large-scale deep learning. Finally, we will demonstrate several systems designed using this approach and show how they can be used for early detection of pregnancy complications, point-of-care hormone testing and rapid prescription of antibiotics in case of sepsis.
Biography: Dr. Anna Pyayt is an Associate Professor and a head of the Innovative Biomedical Instruments and Systems (IBIS) lab at the University of South Florida (USF). She joined USF after being an NSF CIFellow and Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford University. She earned her dual Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Nanotechnology from the University of Washington. One of her inventions - Telescopic Pixel (a competitor to LCD) that Dr. Pyayt created in collaboration with Microsoft Research gained international media attention, was highlighted in Nature, and other top scientific venues. Her research was also highlighted in Science, resulted in six issued patents and forty refereed publications. Her technology for detection of pregnancy complications (Hemolix) was a Finalist of the Worldwide 2.25 Million XPrize Nokia Sensing XChallenge, and recently presented at the inaugural University Innovation and Entrepreneurship (I&E) showcase organized by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) and the Association of American Universities (AAU). Finally, it was invited for a showcase at the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and at the US Congress in November 2017. Her latest technology Mobile ELISA was recently covered in the international news. Finally, her research has been supported by grants from NSF, NOAA and multiple other funding sources.
College of Engineering & Computing, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, ECE Seminar Series
College of Engineering & Computing, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
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PhilCham Cambodia hosts inaugural event, signs agreement to promote economic cooperation
PhilCham Cambodia hosted its inaugural networking event last week.
Brian Badzmierowski
The Philippine Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia (PhilCham) hosted its inaugural networking event on December 9 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, almost one year after the chamber was formed.
The chamber’s Executive Director Sundee Viñas said: The pandemic has changed the landscape of how we do business. We’ve seen a sudden rise in e-commerce as well as virtual meetings and conferences.
However, it is always a pleasant experience to meet people in person, build connections, foster relationships, and exchange ideas through traditional meetings.
We will continue to create more of these while making sure that health, safety, and security measures are in place.”
The night featured a raffle and a short speech by PhilCham president Benilda Custodio-Fernando, who said everyone had suffered through the pandemic but she was delighted to finally be able to bring business people together to network and promote the Philippines.
Concerning the plans for the year ahead, PhilCham Board Member, Rowena Medina said: “We will continue to work on our plan to serve as the bridge between the Philippines and Cambodia and fulfill our goal of assisting business exchange.”
President of the Cambodia Chamber of Commerce Kith Meng signs an MOU between Cambodia and the Philippines on December 2.
PhilCham Cambodia was incorporated on January 27 this year
On December 2, Philippines Chamber of Commerce and Industry based in the Philippines signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Cambodia Chamber of Commerce to help promote economic cooperation between the two countries, particularly in the IT, agriculture, services, and tourism sectors.
The two chambers also pledged to help develop SMEs and agreed to host trade missions, conferences, and exhibitions, as well as pair businesses together from each country.
The MOU was signed virtually by President of the Cambodian Chamber of Commerce Kith Meng and President of Phillipines Chamber of Commerce and Industry AMB. Benedicto V. Yujuico.
His Excellency Deputy Prime Minister Prak Sokhonn and Honorably Teodoro L. Locsin, Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Philippines, in attendance.
As previously reported in Cambodia Investment Review, five well-known Filipino franchisors participated in a virtual business to business workshop after identifying Cambodia as a potential next market destination.
The five franchisee brands that participated in the event was the most popular Filipino fast-food chain Jollibee, retail and apparel Bench, food and snacks store Kerrimo, shoe and bag repairs Mr. Quickie, and youth fashion brand Penshoppe.
Trade between the two countries reached $67.33 million in 2020, with Cambodia importing $33.13 million of goods and exporting $34.2 million in goods, according to the United Nations.
Cambodia’s main imports were cereal, flour, starch, milk preparation and products; fabric; and vehicles.
The Kingdom’s top exports to the Philippines were apparel, vegetables, fruit, and electronic equipment.
Ties between the two nations go back to the 6th century but official diplomatic relations were established in 1957.
The Philippines closed its embassy in Phnom Penh in 1975 at the start of the Khmer Rouge regime. Relations resumed in 1994 and the embassy re-opened in 1995.
IBC host outlook for Cambodia’s major sectors in 2022
Sihanoukville ready for ASEAN Tourism Forum
JTI Cambodia advocates for fair tobacco regulations
NBC injects $500M to maintain KHR exchange rate
South Korea’s rising private and public investment in Cambodia
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