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Topsfield, MA 01983 * Info@thewhalemobile.com * 617-838-2646
The Whalemobile
inspiring the next generation of ocean advocates
About Cynde
Cynde McInnis grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Oddly enough, although surrounded by farms, she fell in love with whales at the age of eight. In 1994, she graduated from Dartmouth College with a degree in Psychology, focusing on learning and development. In August 1994, she interned with Ocean Alliance and Cape Ann Whale Watch of Gloucester, MA. Told she would eat, sleep and think whales, she thought, “What could be better?”
This three-month internship turned into a career, and for 24 years, she developed and led Cape Ann Whale Watch’s Field Research and Marine Education Internship, training over 100 interns and numerous volunteers in data collection techniques and presentation of educational programs aboard whale watch boats. She has led around 2000 whale watch trips and taught hundreds of thousands of people about whales and the threats they face in our oceans today.
In 2002, she completed a master’s degree from Lesley University, in Interdisciplinary Studies, creating her own program of study focusing on whale watch education. For her thesis, she developed a curriculum for whale watch trips; to cultivate respect for our oceans, to educate about their environmental threats and to inspire people to make a commitment towards their protection.
While working for Ocean Alliance, Cynde participated in the Voyage of the Odyssey, a five-year global expedition designed to gather comprehensive research on the health of the worlds' oceans and the toxicity of whales. By gathering and analyzing blubber and skin samples from sperm whales, Ocean alliance was the first organization to document toxic levels of DDT, heavy metals, flame-retardants and PCB's in sperm whales all over the world.
Cynde has also coordinated and participated in teacher training programs sponsored by the University of Georgia and The Museum Institute for Teaching Science, MITS. She has led camps for children in the Gloucester area and teaches at Maritime Gloucester. She was the education chair for the American Cetacean Society for two years and Vice-President of Cetacean Society International for two years. She currently sits on the Board of Aeon for Oceans.
Currently, Cynde is very involved with whale conservation from many angles. She is a Board member of Aeon for Ocean She is an adjunct professor at Salem State University! She teaches Environmental Interpretation, Intro to Tourism as well as co-teaches a freshman seminar on, you guessed it--whales! Most recently, she is co-organizing a conservation campaign called 2020 Year of the Right Whale to ensure right whales get the protection they need by 2020.
About Nile
Nile--the real humpback whale
Nile is an adult female humpback whale that lives in the North Atlantic (NA). In the Western NA, humpbacks are named after marks on their tails. Nile has a large black line on the left side of her tail that looks like the Nile River. She was born in 1987 to a whale named Mars. Mars was first sighted in 1979; we aren't sure how old she is because she wasn't seen as a calf. She has returned to the coast of Massachusetts with 11 different calves (including Nile) over the past 40 years and counting. Nile herself has been a mom six times, with her most recent calf in 2016.
See nile in the wild
Nile is one of Cynde's favorite whales. The first trip she did as naturalist by herself was in early October, 1995. It was a beautiful calm day, and Nile surfaced head first right next to the boat. She was a very friendly whale, meaning she would come spend time next to the boat, seeming to check it out. Cynde remembers when Nile returned with her first calf in 1998, a whale given the name Amazon. Cynde saw Nile every year (except one) that she worked as a naturalist. It's no surprise that Nile is the whale that Cynde chose to make a replica of.
We encourage you to go whale watching out of Gloucester or Newburyport! From Newburyport, you are closest to Jeffreys Ledge but can reach the Northwest corner of Stellwagen Bank. Jeffreys Ledge often has a high diversity of critters to see. From Gloucester, you can go to Stellwagen Bank OR Jeffreys Ledge--depending on where the whales are. Both provide educational experiences on the water, and if you are lucky, you might get a glimpse of Nile herself!!
Cape Ann Whale Watch
Seven Sea Whale Watch
Newburyport Whale Watch
Copyright © 2018 The Whalemobile - All Rights Reserved.
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In addition to their antioxidant activities, bioactive food compo
In addition to their antioxidant activities, bioactive food components, such as polyphenols, can promote a healthy life (Hertog, Feskens, Hollman, Katan, & Kromhout, 1993). Several flavonoids, such as luteolin, quercetin and quercitrin, which are abundant dietary LY294002 mw flavones, are active against some species of Leishmania ( Mittra et al., 2000, Muzitano et al., 2006, Sen et al., 2008 and Tasdemir et al., 2006). Quercetin and derived
flavonoids are active by oral administration in experimental cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis infections produced in vivo ( Gomes et al., 2010 and Muzitano et al., 2009). We have recently shown that quercetin, quercitrin and isoquercitrin are potent inhibitors of Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis arginase (ARG-L) ( da Silva, Maquiaveli, & Magalhaes, 2012a). Luteolin and quercetin promote k-DNA linearization mediated by topoisomerase II, decrease DNA synthesis, arrest the cell cycle and promote check details apoptosis of parasites ( Mittra et al., 2000). Flavonoid dimers have been
developed as potent antileishmanial agents ( Wong, Chan, Chan, & Chow, 2012) and can reverse multidrug resistance in Leishmania. New therapeutic targets have been considered to treat neglected diseases. For diseases caused by trypanosomatids, such as Chagas disease, African sleeping sickness and leishmaniasis, the exploration of the polyamine (PA) enzyme pathway has been important in drug development (Colotti & Ilari, 2011). PAs are valuable targets for antiparasitic chemotherapy because they play an essential role in the proliferation, differentiation and synthesis of macromolecules and the antioxidant mechanism in Leishmania ( Birkholtz et al., 2011 and Colotti and Ilari, 2011). The PA spermidine is the substrate for the synthesis check of trypanothione (N1, N8-bis (glutationil) spermidine) in Leishmania. Trypanothione promotes the removal of reactive oxygen
species ( Fairlamb & Cerami, 1992) and reactive nitrogen species ( Bocedi et al., 2010), thus protecting the parasite from oxidative stress and endogenous reactive species produced by the host’s defence system. The ARG-L hydrolyses l-arginine into l-ornithine and urea in the first step of PA biosynthesis. Double knockout of the ARG-L gene in L. (L.) donovani showed that arginase plays a central role in polyamine synthesis ( Roberts et al., 2004). In L. (L.) major, double knockout of the ARG-L gene showed that the parasite becomes auxotrophic for PAs ( Reguera, Balaña-Fouce, Showalter, Hickerson, & Beverley, 2009). ARG-L participates in a complex balance that determines the fate of l-arginine, and its subcellular localization in glycosomes may be essential for the physiological rhythm of the parasite ( da Silva, Zampieri, Muxel, Beverley, & Floeter-Winter, 2012b). In mammals, there are two arginases: the hepatic arginase (ARG-1) and the extra-hepatic arginase (ARG-2). ARG-1 can be induced in macrophages under the TH2 lymphocyte response (Wanderley & Barcinski, 2010).
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Inner Harbour
#1 in Best Things To Do in Victoria & Vancouver Island
S. Greg Panosian/Getty Images
Wharf Street
Sightseeing, Free, Neighborhood/Area Type
The Inner Harbour is Victoria's primary tourist neighborhood. The harbor itself – home to various fishing boats and colorful floating homes – is framed by wide pedestrian streets, often frequented by street vendors and buskers. Numerous cafes and restaurants line the sidewalks and provide the perfect locale to savor an afternoon cup of tea while keeping your eyes peeled for whales playing in the open water. The Inner Harbour also hosts some of Victoria's most popular attractions, including the Royal British Columbia Museum and the Parliament Buildings. If you're embarking on a boat or ferry tour, this is where you'll likely start your journey.
Although the majority of recent visitors recommended spending a few hours at the Inner Harbour for the view, some suggested devoting at least half a day as there is always something interesting to see and do. For an even more charming scene, return in the evening, when the Parliament Buildings are lit up.
At the heart of Victoria, the Inner Harbour welcomes sightseers all day, every day. You don't have to pay to explore, but you should keep some cash on you in case your stomach starts to grumble or a souvenir catches your eye. You'll find the Inner Harbour across the street from the Parliament Buildings and the Fairmont Empress.
Hotels near Inner Harbour »
See all Hotels in Victoria & Vancouver Island »
More Best Things To Do in Victoria & Vancouver Island
Parks and Gardens Type
#2 The Butchart Gardens
These world-renowned gardens have impressed Victoria visitors since 1904. Resting on 55 acres about 15 miles north of the Inner Harbour, Butchart Gardens were carefully constructed by Jennie Butchart on her husband's former limestone quarry. Today, more than 1 million people stop by each year to meander along the property's flower-lined paths, which contain more than 900 varities. Visit on a summer evening to see the gardens illuminated by colored lights and to enjoy some musical entertainment. If you're planning a summer visit and want to avoid the crowds, heed the advice of garden staff and stop by before 10:30 a.m. or after 3:30 p.m.
Travelers describe the gardens as incredibly beautiful with awesome views and recommend that you bring a camera. They also advised setting aside several hours to make the most of the experience. If you need a break, retreat to one of the three eateries located on-site. There is also a carousel and boat tours available on-site.
bernson74/Getty Images
See full list of Best Things To Do in Victoria & Vancouver Island »
Explore More of Victoria & Vancouver Island
#2 in Best Family Vacations in Canada
#11 in Best Adventure Vacations in the U.S.
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Fight against impunity: Tunisia shirks its international commitments once again
ACAT, OMCT and TRIAL International express their dismay over the decision of the Tunis Court of Appeal in the Rached Jaïdane case.
This judgment seems to sound the death knell for transitional justice in that the acts of torture suffered by Rached Jaïdane in 1993, and during the 13 years of imprisonment that followed, are considered to fall outside of the prescription period. Following this case, hundreds, even thousands, of victims of the Bourguiba and Ben Ali eras may see their torturers shielded from justice.
Moreover, the Court of Appeal judgment flagrantly contravenes the Convention against Torture, and the decision of the Committee Against Torture reached last October, following a complaint filed by Rached Jaïdane. In its decision, the Committee had strongly condemned Tunisia for multiple violations of the Convention and had asked the state to resume the investigation and prosecute Rached Jaïdane’s torturers for offenses reflecting the seriousness of the acts.
Finally, the Court of Appeal’s judgment casts serious doubt on the Tunisian authorities’ repeated commitment to eradicate the torture phenomenon. The fight against impunity is essential not only for victims’ recovery but also for the prevention of torture. The decision in the Jaïdane case, shielding the torturers from justice, sends the message that perpetrators of serious human rights violations can continue to act with impunity.
ACAT, OMCT and TRIAL International call on the Tunisian authorities to make good this mistake and take all necessary measures to comply with their international commitments by implementing the decision of the Committee Against Torture.
Case summary:
In 1993, Rached Jaïdane, a university teacher in France, went to Tunisia to attend his sister’s wedding. On July 29, State Security agents arrested him at his home without a warrant. There followed 38 days of incommunicado detention and torture at the Ministry of the Interior under the direct supervision of top officials of Ben Ali’s security regime. Rached Jaïdane was questioned about his alleged links with a leader of the Islamist party, Ennahda, living in exile in France. Subject to beatings, he ended up signing confessions without reading them in which he notably admitted having incited an attack against Ben Ali’s party. After 3 years of judicial investigation conducted by an enforcement judge, Rached Jaïdane was sentenced to 26 years in prison following a 45-minute trial. He was released in 2006, after 13 years of torture and ill-treatment in Tunisian prisons.
The story of Rached Jaïdane is emblematic of the Tunisian torture system, which the post-revolution governments promised to leave behind by bringing justice to the victims. And yet…
Just after the revolution, Rached Jaïdane brought an action for torture. The investigation was sloppy. The indescribable torture he suffered was labelled as a simple offense of violence, punishable by up to five years imprisonment. This was on the grounds that the crime of torture did not exist in the penal code at the time of the events. Nevertheless, many other options were available to the judge to classify the acts as a crime.
The trial was constantly postponed. The verdict was delivered in April 2015: the prescription period had expired! The events were considered too old. The representative faces of the torture system walked free.
The decision of the Committee Against Torture, issued following a complaint lodged by ACAT and TRIAL International, went against this verdict. It was heavy with meaning and demands regarding the Tunisian justice system. While reminding Tunisia of the “obligation (…) to hand down appropriate sentences to the perpetrators of torture in view of the seriousness of the acts”, the Committee:
indicated that the Tunisian justice system could in no way retain the prescription period as it did in the Jaïdane case;
required, in cases where judges could not legally classify acts of torture committed prior to 1999 (date of criminalization of torture in the Penal Code), that they retain a classification reflecting the seriousness of the acts and allowing prosecution.
A clear call to break with practices of impunity that, beyond the pain they inflict on the victims, give carte blanche to the Tunisian security forces which continue today to resort to torture and ill-treatment.
media@trialinternational.org
www.trialinternational.org
ACAT (Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture)
Mariam Chfiri
mariam.chfiri@acatfrance.fr +33 (0)1 40 40 40 24/ +33 (0)6 28 75 47 94
OMCT (World Organisation Against Torture)
ch@omct.org
The brutal crackdown led by the Syrian regime against its civil society since March 2011 escalated in a conflict that cu...
In 1974, the Communist military regime, known as the Derg, overthrown the Emperor Haile Selassie I and seized power in E...
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Graduate students Sean Joyce (l) and Todd Fulton (r) work in the new DURIP-funded electrical engineering laboratory.
For the past 10 years, Stephen Gedney, professor and chair of electrical engineering, has been involved in multiple programs funded by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) that are focused on the prediction and removal of magnetic signatures from naval vessels. Thanks to funds from the ONR Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP), Gedney has established a new lab focused on such research.
While at sea, naval vessels endure tremendous changes in magnetic or mechanical stress encountered during maneuvering, from changing wave states and temperature variations, as well from the large changes in hydrostatic pressures experienced by underwater vehicles. In fact, dynamic stresses can be the largest contributors to changes in magnetic susceptibility and permanent magnetization in a vessel’s steel members, which impact the vessel’s magnetic signature.
Magnetic signatures above a certain threshold must be removed or else the vessel is susceptible to detection by hostile forces. This is accomplished through the use of longitudinal, vertical and athwartship degaussing coils placed around the ship. Unfortunately, assessment of the magnetic state of a ship currently has inherent delays and uncertainty.
The most accurate assessment of a vessel’s magnetic state is through the use of off-board sensors; however, measurement cannot realistically be done in real time and requires an auxiliary measurement system or vehicle. There is uncertainty in predicting the signature using onboard sensors because of an inability to directly assess the magnetic and magnetostrictive hysteresis (or history) of the ship’s ferrous materials.
The goal of Gedney’s ONR-sponsored research is to be able to predict the magnetic state of a ship given the ship’s location, movement, stress and thermal history, with the objective of first being able to predict the ship’s magnetic signature in real time and second to use this capability as part of a closed-loop degaussing system.
The success of this research is strongly dependent on the ability to model the physical magnetic properties of the ship’s ferrous materials, typically high-tensile steel. Accurate models must represent the impact of the magnetic properties under the influence of varying magnetic fields; axial, biaxial and shear stresses; temperature; and eddy currents, as well as magnetic viscosity and creep. To date, the research into the fundamental physics of ferromagnetic hysteresis for each of these phenomena remains incomplete.
The new ONR DURIP-sponsored laboratory allows Gedney’s team to solidify the laws for these physical properties of ferromagnetic materials and to develop physics-based mathematical models that describe them. The new laboratory provides a controlled environment to carefully study the phenomena independently and in cooperation, thus enabling the accurate prediction of the changes in magnetization and magnetic properties due to changes in mechanical, thermal and magnetic stresses. Such nonlinear and hysteretic models can then be used by the advanced software developed by Gedney’s team to greatly enhance the impact of degaussing system design and the employment of closed-loop degaussing systems.
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MURRAY CRAVEN AN ARCHITECT FOR LAS VEGAS
alumni-news Murray Craven nhl
Article Courtesy: Josh Cooper - Yahoo Sports/Puck Daddy
Murray Craven doesn’t have an official title with the Las Vegas NHL team but that’s because he doesn’t have one specific role in one specific area.
He’s helping the team design their locker room. He’s working on the Summerlin-area construction of the practice facility, which also includes the team’s office space. He guided billionaire owner Bill Foley to hire George McPhee as the team’s general manager.
“At this point I just do the work,” said Craven who played 1,071 games in his NHL career between the Detroit Red Wings, Philadelphia Flyers, Hartford Whalers, Vancouver Canucks, Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks. “I know what’s out there. I know what needs to be done and that’s what I do.”
The 52-year-old Craven is a living, walking embodiment that timing can help in the successes of life. If he hadn’t met Foley while playing golf in Whitefish, Montana in the early part of last decade, he may not have had this opportunity – to help mold and create the first major pro sports team in Las Vegas.
But his ability to successfully do his job is more than just luck. Through those trips to the golf course and personal time with Foley the two have built up a level of trust and understanding where Craven has quickly become one of the few people who can help build this team in Foley’s image.
Because Craven didn’t want to go strictly into hockey after he retired, commercial real estate and construction opportunities made him more well-rounded for this moment.
“What I do see is yes, am I fortunate to be in the right place at the right time? No doubt I’m fortunate,” Craven said. “Do I apologize for that? Not a bit. I was in the right place in the right time but what I’m doing? I’m much better prepared than I would have been 10 years ago. I’ve had some businesses. I’ve gone through some of the trials and tribulations. I’ve gone through some failures and some successes from hockey and I’m smarter for it than I would have been coming out as a 37-year-old guy who left the game and moved right into management. I have a different perspective now.”
When Craven was younger, he and his family would go to Whitefish for one week in the winter and one week in the summer.
The place became special to Craven mostly because, “It was the only place we ever went.”
When he started his NHL career and it became financially possible for him to purchase an offseason home, the choice was easy. The Medicine Hat, Alberta native could have either worked on a ranch with his family or found his own place where he could relax his body and enjoy the scenery. In 1991 he purchased a home in Whitefish.
“It had been my offseason home for about nine years because my last year was 2000. That was the timeframe where I kind of established some roots,” Craven said. “When I was done playing in San Jose, it was easy. I went back for the summer time and never left.”
After he finished playing, Craven took a player development job with the Sharks for one year. He would go to the team’s top minor league affiliate in Cleveland on a monthly basis, but always had different matters on his mind.
“I was in a precarious place in my life because I had a young family but we just had a child born, so I had a baby, a 3-year-old and a 5-year-old, and I know the path of staying in the game,” Craven said. “I knew that was going to entail a lot of movement on my part and I really wasn’t – it really didn’t appeal to me at that point because of where I was in my family life at the time with my children.”
Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images
So Craven returned to Whitefish where he immersed himself in several local opportunities such as commercial real estate and construction. He also got to see his family grow up, which was important in his life at that time.
He never stayed completely out of the game and often conversed with some of his friends who were involved in the sport. He said two of his best friends are Detroit Red Wings assistant coach Doug Houda and Pittsburgh Penguins assistant coach Rick Tocchet. But at the time he had different passions he needed to pursue.
“I missed it. I stayed in touch and stayed relevant so that never went away, but the actual day-to-day stuff I had to pull back,” Craven said. “I wasn’t willing to move my family around the country for the next ‘X’ amount of years until I figured out where I fit in in the hockey world post playing.”
Craven doesn’t specifically remember the first meeting between him and Foley. It was more them seeing each other at the golf course at multiple points in the early 2000s and chit chatting a few times before striking up a true friendship. Foley also has a place in Whitefish, though his home is in Las Vegas.
Foley hadn’t thought of owning a pro sports team and it was Craven who said he first planted the seed in the billionaire’s head.
“I said to Bill, I used to say it more than once, I said ‘why won’t you buy a pro sports team? What greater enjoyment would have you have being able to pick up the paper in the morning and seeing how your team did or go to watch your team?’” Craven said.
Foley wasn’t dismissive of Craven’s idea, but he didn’t look into it seriously until around three years ago when the idea to bring an NHL franchise to Las Vegas started to make sense to Foley according to Craven.
“He kind of threw the shot over the bow of, ‘hey I want to put a team in Las Vegas’ and I was skeptical like everybody else was,” Craven said. “As time moved on it kind of morphed and incrementally it got a little more serious and serious.”
Since then, Craven has been with Foley every step of the way to first help the bid get approved and now turn it into a successful organization.
According to Craven a lot of the work arrived quickly. This is because he said Foley’s group wasn’t 100 percent sure it would get a team until the unanimous Board of Governors votes were cast on June 22. Since then it has been full speed ahead.
One of the first items involved finding a general manager. Craven looked to his contacts to try to figure a list of people to put in front of Foley and eventually he and Foley decided on McPhee. Craven didn’t know McPhee especially well, but admired McPhee’s management style from Craven’s time with the Vancouver Canucks – where McPhee was assistant GM.
Even though Craven helped pick McPhee he is quick to point out that hockey operations, a coaching decision and player personnel, are McPhee’s choice. But if McPhee wants Craven’s opinion, Craven will certainly give it.
“Ultimately George is going to be held accountable. I’m going to premise that with yeah we talk. We talk about guys, we talk about scouts, we talk about lists of people who have called both of us as far as résumés go. Everyone that we’ve ever talked to, we go through them together,” Craven said. “Again he’s the general manager. Make no mistake about it. He’s the general manager of the hockey team. If I can help him in any way, I’m more than willing to do that.
Added Craven, “My connections in the league are extensive. When you’ve played as many years as I’ve played, you build up relationships with a lot of people as far as my contemporaries were all on the outside of the business. They’re in management and that side of it now. I can pick up the phone and call any team in the league and know someone in their organization to talk to.”
The only input Craven doesn’t have is on the team name or logo, which is all Foley. Craven chuckles when this is brought up.
“Yes I’ve been in the meeting. There’s only one person who is going to make the call,” Craven said. “This is not going to be done by committee. It may be listened to by committee, but it’s not decided by committee.”
Craven has essentially moved from Whitefish to Las Vegas. At 6 a.m. he’s up and rolling at whatever that day brings. On a Wednesday in late July he was in the office involved with construction meetings. He met with UNLV and then a marketing firm. He also talked to someone involved with the organization’s corporate sponsorship group to go over office space. He also had to help the team prepare for an upcoming ticket open house the following week.
“You name it, I’m doing it,” Craven said.
What is the future for Craven with the Las Vegas organization? Does he want a management job in hockey operations? Does he want to work more on the business side? Does he want to coach? Is he fine just being Foley’s main confidant?
Really he’s OK with giving his best day-by-day and then seeing where he ends up when the dust settles.
“I’m not coming into a certain per-conceived role because we’re not able to do that at this point in time,” Craven said. “You’ll eventually get to that, but we’re a startup company. For anyone who has been around a startup company knows that if you think you’re only going to do one thing, you’re probably mistaken.”
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Henry Louis Gates Jr. on Identity, History and the Most Amazing Facts
Dr. Henry Louis 'Skip' Gates Jr. attends 'Black America Since MLK: And Still I Rise' Philadelphia screening at the Museum of Archeology and Anthropology on Oct. 28, 2016.
Gilbert Carrasquillo—Getty Images
By Lily Rothman
Lily Rothman is a senior editor at TIME
The scholar is busy with a new book, 100 Amazing Facts About the Negro, a forthcoming anthology and the fourth season of Finding Your Roots
Which of the facts in your book do you think is most amazing?
The first African American was Juan Garrido, who joined Ponce de Leon’s expedition to Florida, searching for the fountain of youth–the fact that there was a black man present at that event. One of the most shocking facts to me is that there were black slaveholders.
You write about how the 1957 book that inspired this one used genealogy to debunk racial purity. How does that square with your mission on Finding Your Roots?
I have a couple of missions. One is to show that we’re all descended from people who came to this country from somewhere else. Secondly, that we’re all related. If you go back far enough, everybody came out of Africa. This idea still makes some people uncomfortable.
You’ve spoken of yourself as someone who loves being black. How do you see that fitting together with the fact that we’re all related?
Ulysses is about 24 hours in the life of a Jewish man in Dublin, but if a student wrote that summary, you would say, “You missed the point.” You don’t read Hamlet to learn about princes in Denmark. The only way you can get to the universal is through a specific cultural history. To me that specificity is the African and African-American experience.
What do you think of the role of personal identity in American culture?
I had this injection for my sciatica, and when the doctor said, “It’s going to pinch,” I wasn’t thinking about Frederick Douglass. I was thinking about how somebody was about to put this needle in me. You’re not thinking, “Well, as an African American …” at every point in the day. It’s silly to try to consign the great multiplicity of our lives to one single identity, even one as resplendent as the African-American tradition.
You co-edited the new Annotated African American Folktales. One of your books is about facts and one is about myths. How do you balance those?
How do you put an explanation on the fact that we walk this earth and then you’re gone? It’s one thing to be able to just narrate what you see around you, but it’s another thing to put it in figurative language. You have to do both.
You’ve described the role of the griot, a traditional West African storyteller, as telling the community the truth about itself.
Yeah, the griot was not going to be elected President. People were trying to kill him.
What truth do you think our society needs to hear right now?
One is that America is a nation of immigrants. The contributions of any of its many elements are just as great as the contributions of any of its other elements.
What do you think should be done about Confederate statues?
Moving the statues to museums would be one idea. Often people think, If I take down that statue, I will erase the racism that the person represented and the statue embodied. It doesn’t work that way. So I would also encourage an additive approach. Maybe if there’s a statue of Robert E. Lee, he needs to be surrounded by Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth. The one thing I know is, when you take down a statue, you give people cause. We need to build bridges rather than barriers.
Are you optimistic about our ability to do that?
Yeah. I think that, in many ways, we’re in a crisis right now. Those who love truth, justice and the great American tradition of democracy have to determine that we’re not going to succumb to temptations to demonize. That is a dead end.
Write to Lily Rothman at lily.rothman@time.com.
This appears in the November 13, 2017 issue of TIME.
TIME Ideas hosts the world's leading voices, providing commentary on events in news, society, and culture. We welcome outside contributions. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of TIME editors.
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Top 10 Elevator Rides Around The World
Nothing compares to the thrill and excitement of admiring a city in its entire splendor from an elevated position. Elevators seem to be most popular choice when it comes to enjoying city views, so we compiled a list of 10 of the best elevator rides in the world.
1. CN Tower, Toronto, Canada
The world’s tallest tower is a sheer stiletto that defines the Toronto skyline. A glass-fronted elevator whisks you up to the outdoor observation platform in 58 seconds.
Then, if you’re brave, ascend another 33 floors for three more look-out levels. The ultimate, vertigo-inducing view is at 1,465 feet (447 meters) from the Sky Pod, which requires another ticket.
2. Maritime Museum of British Columbia, Victoria, Canada
The oldest operating birdcage elevator in North America was installed in 1899 in this elegant building, which then housed the Provincial Law Courts.
It was intended for the use of the second Chief Justice, but since he died before the elevator was ready it has provided material for numerous ghost stories. Step inside the elaborate, gilded car with its lacy grillwork and relive some spectral moments in style.
3. Westin St. Francis Hotel, San Francisco, California
Take one of the five exterior elevators—the fastest in the city—from the lobby. Push 32. Brace yourself as you catapult upward at 1,000 feet (305 meters) per minute.
A panoramic view of San Francisco unfolds in less than 30 ear-popping seconds. The downward plunge is the closest you can come to being swallowed up by the city. Not for those with weak stomachs!
4. Empire State Building, New York City
One of the world’s greatest urban views is of the heart of Manhattan from the Empire State Building, whose 103 floors are served by 73 cars pulled by 120 miles (193 kilometers) of ropes operating at a rate of 600–1,000 feet (183–305 meters) per minute.
The observatory on the 86th floor has a glass-enclosed area and outdoor promenades on all sides; viewing at night is spectacular. There is also an observatory on the 102nd floor.
5. Taipei 101, Taiwan
This is where you experience rocket travel without leaving Earth. The 1,667-foot (508-meter), 101-story building has 67 elevators, including two to the observation deck that are the world’s second fastest. Other elevators are two stories high and open on two floors simultaneously.
6. Baiyoke Sky Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand
Scan the Asian metropolis from the exterior glass elevator of Thailand’s tallest hotel (1,076 feet/328 meters). Besides the observatory, there’s a roof deck revolving 360 degrees on the 84th floor. Don’t miss the night view from the Sky Lounge.
7. Eiffel Tower, Paris, France
Ascend this iconic symbol of France and take a close look at the structure that caused outrage when it was built for the World Fair of 1889.
The 1,050-foot (320-meter) climb ends in a panoramic view of Paris, especially lovely at sunset. Don’t miss Gustave Eiffel’s imposing elevator engines in the basement, still in use after being restored and computerized more than a century after they were built.
8. Hammetschwand Lift, Bürgenstock, Switzerland
Hike the splendid path along the cliffs of the Bürgenstock peninsula to where the Hammetschwand plateau juts out into Lake Lucerne. Here you will find the highest exterior elevator in Europe.
In less than a minute you’ll rise 502 feet (153 meters), taking in dizzying views on the way, to find yourself at the summit of the Hammetschwand. From here the panorama of the Swiss Alps and lakes is matchless.
9. Burj Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
See the shape of things to come. Burj Khalifa (Khalifa Tower, known as Burj Dubai during construction), with a design using Islamic elements and based on a desert flower, opened in 2010.
The world’s fastest elevator with double-decker cars serves the world’s tallest building at more than 150 stories and 2,600 feet (792 meters) high, with an observation deck on the 124th floor.
10. Suur Munamägi, Võrumaa, Estonia
Take an elevator atop an isolated hill in one of the world’s least spoiled places. Suur Munamägi (Big Egg Hill) in Haanja, south Estonia, is the highest point (1,043 feet/318 meters) in the Baltic States.
This thoroughly new machine takes you up the 95-foot (29-meter) observation tower that looks out on the primeval forests and lakes of Estonia, Latvia, and Russia.
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New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Today, indie sensations Samuel Proffitt and Adrian Galvin, aka Yoke Lore, team up for the slow-burning, cinematic new song "Stringsnoise." The track comes just in time for winter and will be the first single from Proffitt's forthcoming EP Good Death, set for release in early 2019.
Proffitt, an artist who explores memory, life, and death, woven in with various collegiate studies at Brown University and Boston College; his music deemed "steamy" on The FADER and "marvelously moody" by Vice's Noisey. Galvin, a creator on a parallel path of self-exploration, has received love from Consequence of Sound, NYLON, and the one and only Taylor Swift. Together they craft the raw and contemplative "Stringsnoise."
"This song is about physicalizing your fears in order to face them," shares Galvin. "Sometimes, when we have issues or struggles, it's hard to even address them because they stem from such abstract aspects of our personalities that can be ineffable from time to time. Make it real. Make it tactile, so you can fight your demons. Don't just try to be less self involved, or more attentive, or whatever it is for you. Do it in the moment through the body when you can see it, and feel it, and taste it. It is more direct and more difficult to address and alter yourself in these moments, but it is in the acting that the change occurs. Location, location, location. First, deal with the physical, and then the psychological will follow naturally."
"'Stringsnoise' was written at a snow-clad cabin in Maine," Proffitt explains, "it was a sub-two-minute banjo demo Adrian had written with vocals recorded through his MacBook's built-in microphone; it was raw and beautiful with striking vocal layering and an equally powerful chorus: 'before you get a heart, you gotta get taken apart.' I wanted to capture the setting of where I was, while harkening back to my earlier compositions, to write something cinematic, meandering, straying from a normative song structure, and within a few hours, I sent Adrian the first iteration of "Stringsnoise." As the song coalesced over the subsequent months, I made the decision to preserve the original vocals from Adrian's demo session, and with the aid of Midoca on percussion and Ariel Loh with mixing, "Stringsnoise" was shaped into a poignant, phantasmagorical piece"
Samuel Proffitt's music finds its home in the veiled margins of the human experience, acting for him as a palpable embodiment of, and a ceaseless reflection on, what has come to define him. Through his artistic output, and in particular Good Death, Samuel confronts the audience with an acute, weighty deluge of tones and sonic layers allowing a momentary entry into his world, in which the listener is encouraged to question, like the artist himself, what it means to be human.
Samuel grew up in Houston, TX, entrenched in a mix of screamo, punk, indie, folk, and jazz; however, his own music stems from personal writings, poetry, and interest in philosophy, taking the time to learn chords on his guitar in order to express his thoughts in a more sonorous form.
Today, Samuel Proffitt continues to challenge genres and musical boundaries. He has been featured in prominent publications like the Fader, Vice, Rolling Stone, Noisey, as well as having recorded multiple live sessions with Paste Magazine's Daytrotter. Alongside his remixes on record labels such as Sony, Glassnote, Jagjaguwar, and Okami, his songs "Andre" and "Drown" were premiered by KCRW, while "Andre" was also placed on Spotify's Top 50 Viral Songs in the U.S. and Best of Fresh Finds, while also accumulating over one million streams on his last EP without any official playlisting.
Website: samuelproffitt.com
Instagram: @samuel_proffitt
Facebook: /SamProffittMusic
Twitter: @samuel_proffitt
The former Walk the Moon and Yellerkin member's solo musical endeavor combines echoing waves of banjo, vocals, and percussion to create unforgettable pop songs with tactile sincerity and conviction. Galvin first hit the ground running in 2016 with Yoke Lore's debut EP, Far Shore, released on B3Sci Records. In 2017, the title track of his 2017 EP "Goodpain" hit #1 on Hype Machine, and quickly after his songs caught fire on Spotify, racking up over 10 million plays throughout the year.Goodpain also garnered attention from major tastemakers such as NYLON, Consequence of Sound, Billboard and more.
Following the success of his song "Goodpain," Galvin was invited to Spotify's New York City studio to record a stripped-down version the track, as well as two covers for his Spotify Singles: "Last Christmas" by Wham! and "Truly Madly Deeply" by Savage Garden. His holiday song graced Spotify's Holiday Singles playlist alongside covers by Demi Lovato, Sam Smith, and Miley Cyrus. After a successful first-ever run of headline tour dates, Yoke Lore found a unexpected new fan in pop idol Taylor Swift, who added his cover of "Truly Madly Deeply" to her "Songs Taylor Loves" Spotify playlist in 2018. Galvin released his third EP, Absolutes, in July 2018 after a cross-country spring tour withFRENSHIP. He then headlined a run of west coast shows in October, leading up to a show supporting Bastille.
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Read Next: Evelyn Warfel Promoted to Showrunner on 'Price Is Right,' John Quinn to Run 'Let's Make a Deal' (EXCLUSIVE)
February 2, 2018 6:00PM PT
‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’ Boss on Season 3’s Time Jump and Her ‘Female Filmmaker Friday’ Initiative
By Danielle Turchiano
Danielle Turchiano
Senior Features Editor, TV @https://twitter.com/danielletbd FOLLOW
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SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched the 11th episode of the third season of “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” entitled “Nathaniel and I Are Just Friends!”
With the season finale of “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” looming, showrunner Aline Brosh McKenna admits that Rebecca Bunch (Rachel Bloom) has been a “little stuck.”
The answer to this storytelling conundrum for McKenna and her writers’ room was to push the show months into the future, with a time jump that highlighted just how far some of the other characters had come — while also showing that Rebecca was still struggling with her recovery.
The 11th episode, “Nathaniel and I Are Just Friends!” took that jump midway through the hour, revealing that Heather (Vella Lovell) came through on her offer to carry Darryl’s (Pete Gardner) baby, Paula (Donna Lynne Champlin) was taking on additional responsibilities at the law firm, and Valencia (Gabrielle Ruiz) was in a new relationship with former client Beth (Emma Willmann). And Rebecca was still sleeping with Nathaniel (Scott Michael Foster) — even though he was dating someone else.
Variety spoke with McKenna about the reasons for the time jump, what’s next for Rebecca and Nathaniel, and what’s ahead for the finale.
Why do a time jump at this point?
Where the inspiration came from was trying to think of a way to not be so quickly [moving] through Rebecca’s recovery that she would get to an unrealistically settled place. So we wanted to move forward in time and show that she’s been dealing with the same issues of recovery, and in doing the things that’s been asked of her, there are still some struggles that she has. The jump allowed us to say, “There she is trying to take these big steps forward, being successful in some regards, while other people have a lot of momentum in their lives.”
How much did not wanting to spend episode after episode with a pregnant Heather factor into that decision?
That’s the second thing — trying to figure out how to advance the pregnancy story. The impetus for Heather being the surrogate was to give her something that she couldn’t quit. We wanted to dramatize it in a Heather-y way: she goes into it because she loves hobbies and activities and to help people, and this seemed like a great and easy thing to do. But it’s [something] she can’t quit, and she’s stuck with the ramifications of her decision.
Between her job, her relationship with Hector (Erick Lopez), and having this baby for Darryl, Heather really seems like the one who has changed the most and is the most together right now.
In a lot of ways she’s one of the smartest characters on the show, and the catalyst of Rebecca in her life has led her to do things she might never have done before, going back to her dating Greg and confronting him with his ambivalence and moving out of her parents’ house. She’s moved on a bit, and it all kinds of clicks into place for her where she thinks she can take on this pregnancy. “It’s not going to be a big deal. It’s not going to be harder than when I took up archery. How is this going to be any different?” But the design of the pregnancy was to give Heather something she can’t quit when she realizes she wants to.
What is the plan for integrating a baby into the show?
Well, people on the show have children, so we’ll see it when we feel it’s interesting, but we have a lot of parents on the show. So [the baby] will be seen on an as needed basis.
Rebecca has been doing the work in her recovery, but she’s gone back and forth in terms of making good and bad decisions.
Always with good intentions, though!
Did you approach her not knocking on Nathaniel’s door at the end of the episode as a good decision she was making because she was ready to put herself first?
It is a good decision, but it’s a sad decision, too. He’s not a perfect person, but he has been consistent about how he feels about her, and there is a world where she says to him, “Look I’m not perfect, you’re not perfect, but let’s work on this” — but she’s too afraid to do that. She just feels like if this doesn’t work out for her, it can lead to something that puts her in real physical danger. So she has more reason than most people do to be hesitant. I don’t think it’s about somebody who’s ready to embark on a relationship. It’s about somebody who has to face her fears, which is what she sings about at the end, and I think the fact that she stopped herself at all is another sign of growth — which she can’t really see. Dr. Akopian has said to her she has done better, she is moving forward, but if there’s someone she cares about she deserves to at least try — but she doesn’t feel like she’s there yet.
So it was more about the fear than intentionally putting herself first.
Yeah, I think in that moment she’s really letting the fear of intimacy and the fear of making mistakes in the relationship and the fear of “Do I know myself enough? Do I know him enough? Do I want to jeopardize the place that I’ve gotten to?” Rachel and I, when we had our conversation about the back half of the season, the thing we were most interested in was where she had moved forward in these nine months and where had she not. And I think you do see that in a lot of ways she’s more centered and more grounded, and she’s able to have a relationship with a man that has limits. But it’s partly because he’s otherwise occupied, which is not the greatest thing. So if you feel that the only circumstance under which you can have a relationship with someone is if they’re involved with someone else, that’s not great. Rebecca’s gotten better in some respects, and she feels that to protect the amount of recovery she has — which is pretty significant when you consider where she started — put herself into a state of romantic hibernation, in a way.
Does the decision stick?
As we get toward the end of the season, they’re a very compelling couple and they’re amazing together, but what we always have most in our minds is where is she in terms of her emotional, spiritual, moral development? And she’s so lovable I think it can be easy to forget that in her past there were some questionable decisions along the way. And so the end of the season she’s having to face these decisions about her love life and her future, but there’s also the sense of the ramifications of the decisions she made at the beginning of the season. She has a tendency to be a bit Teflon as a person, but she’s become someone who is trying to occupy her place in the world in a more honest way, so she’ll have to face some of the things she’s done, and that has meaning in all of the areas in her life — her work life, her personal life, her friendships. So how is she going to confront these challenges of owning up to the things she’s done when she’s in the midst of this recovery, which is still very new?
Valencia is the only one in a healthy, happy relationship right now. Does that make it harder to keep her in the mix because there’s less conflict?
She is, and we show that very rarely on the show. People have a lot of difficulties, and we’re not saying they’re perfect — and we’re going to show their issues — but Rachel and I have always wanted to balance out the difficulties [with] the ease of when you meet someone and you just click with someone and their personal goals are aligned and their professional goals are aligned. She’s the first person to really think Valencia’s funny — and Valencia, I think, would love to be funny! So it’s not a story turning point — it’s sort of a fact of her life that she has a new love interest. Again, it shows how the people around Rebecca are inspired by her because [Rebecca] is the one who’s really responsible for freeing Valencia from that extremely unsatisfying relationship with Josh. Valencia’s now open to the world in a completely different way. Valencia is still finding her place in the world. For some characters it’s the romantic part that they’re missing and for some it’s other bits of their lives that they’re missing, and in this sense, Valencia meets someone she’s very compatible with, but there are other things she’s dealing with, and that’s what the next episode is about.
Looking ahead towards the season finale, what are the most important elements in showing that even when she stumbles or gives into fear for a moment, Rebecca is still working toward being healthy?
A lot of the characters in the show have shown her a lot of kindness and humanity, and she’s gone through this in a different way than she expected because I don’t think she had close friendships before. But she’s not as kind to herself. I think “Stupid Bitch” from the first season is still sort of the summary of the places she can go to, and obviously she got to a very dark place this year. It’s hard for her to show kindness and humanity to herself, and I think that’s what she’s still developing — her ability to be happy and have her needs met in a way she feels comfortable with because she still has trouble accepting herself.
You also launched a #femalefilmmakerfriday initiative on social media last week, asking women to post photos of themselves at work on sets. Is that going to be an ongoing campaign? What inspired you to do it?
It was a very informal thing. I saw Tamra’s [Davis] post on her own Instagram — it was a picture of her directing and she said, “We need more images of female directors.” I emailed her and said, “What do you think about coming up with a hashtag and asking a lot of people to do it all on one day?” The dates got messed up — I had asked people to do it a week from Friday. But people went for it, and honestly it was just sort of a desire I had because I thought those images were really cool and just wanted to see them. And it is an inspiring thing to see. It does make the distance shorter, being a young girl sitting on your bed imagining it, if you have an image of someone doing it. I thought it would be fun, and I am on hiatus, so I’m not as busy. It took off in such a great way. There are images of a girl loading a 16mm camera under a blanket to Ava DuVernay and everybody in between. There were a lot of people that I didn’t even know had directed, so I think it also just kind of got the word out about some female directors that people didn’t even know existed. So I think, why not keep it going?
“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” airs Friday nights at 8 p.m. on the CW.
Aline Brosh Mckenna
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Harmony before Insight? The Destruction of Western Man
Susie Green
August 17, 2012, 01:13 AM
Previously by Susie Green: Jews, Leftists, Immigration: My Journey To Nietzsche
It is common for those in the West to talk of the decline in our countries—from the decrease in civility to the rise in violent crime. However, no one ever seems to be able to offer a coherent reason for these phenomena.
Yet, when one examines truthfully the actions of Western Man since the end of World War II, it is clear that the West has turned against the values of its own forefathers.
In our schools, teachers distort or dissemble or slander our forefathers. For example, Abraham Lincoln is now considered the “epitome of racial egalitarianism,” when, in fact, he never questioned the “inferiority of the black race” and had a plan to return the freed slaves to Africa. And Darwinism is denuded of its true implications—mankind evolved from the apes, but there are supposedly no differences evolved among groups of men after that. When nature is arbitrary and capricious, how can that be?
Without a single coherent thought, Western societies have created conditions that have already lowered the human animal to a more primitive state. Current policies are accelerating this trend. Western societies have supported the massive increase in the least productive and most violent of humankind, with a corresponding reduction in the birthrate of the High. This is leading to the destruction of our genius and capability.
We are also losing our vast middle, which is essential to the support of the top of the Bell Curve. This massive overall growth in the world’s least productive population is unsustainable.
The preponderance of historic and scientific evidence suggests that almost all human ability and sensibility flows through what is innate. Since there are material genetic differences among groups of people, one only has to follow this truth to reach a disturbing logical conclusion: We are bound to descend over time, to a place where the more violent and less intelligent human animals will roam across the vast expanse of a once-civilized world and destroy what remains.
Through compassion and false guilt we burden ourselves, and our future, with massive transfers of funds, medicines, and technology to undeserving Third World people. We do this without imposing responsible behavior on their part—a task that the Low is unable or unwilling to accomplish on its own.
In Africa alone, a population that was once relatively small, a mere 470 million in 1980, has grown to one billion in 2010. Africa’s population is now expected to double to two billion in a little more than 100 years. How can this be sustained?
A destructive philosophical movement now dominates the world. This movement has promoted the idea that the poor, the weak, the Lowly, are the good and the powerful and the High have caused their suffering. The “deprived”, the less intelligent, the violent, all exist because of our exploitation and racism, capitalism, or some other evil.
This philosophical movement holds that, because all groups are inherently equal, any differential in a group’s performance can be fixed by the massive infusion of funds, new systems, or the manipulation of the environment.
The result will be that we become slaves to the Low. Though once fanatically pursued mainly by the Cultural Marxists, egalitarian and multicultural beliefs have dressed up this premise in a new guise, with monstrous results.
It is understandable that Cultural Marxism appeals to those in the Third World. But the adoption of this credo in the civilized world is a recipe for suicide.
These Cultural Marxists and their cultural and philosophical allies have taken hold of Western civilization and turned our institutions against us. Starting as a small intellectual coterie, they have captured the major educational, religious, and cultural institutions of Western civilization—aided now by submissive and clueless conservatives. They have corrupted the universities, the Main Stream Media, the government, the church, and the arts.
It has taken generations of skilled work, cunning and outright dishonesty to generate this deep nihilism and bad conscience among Western people.
But every movement that seeks to alter radically the prevailing orthodoxy needs fertile ground to grow. Cultural Marxism would have remained largely irrelevant if not for several events in modern history:
1) A deep malaise spawned in the West by two great wars. Millions of Europeans and Americans emerged from the war years weary and suspicious of traditional values. Although they labored to achieve material benefits, they had no philosophical direction to offer to themselves or their progeny.
Thus, these children, the first generation to be born into abundant material wealth, had no direction. They asked themselves: why should they be rich and others poor? And Cultural Marxism was ready with answers.
2) In the past, Western communities had grown in large part due to the desire to “be fruitful and multiply,” a fundamental tenet of the Judeo-Christian faith. But this has now turned on its head: Western man has failed to replace himself and, instead, encouraged the reproduction of the Low.
Laws were written to institutionalize this change: among others, the Civil Rights laws; the immigration laws, the expansion of welfare,—now being replicated in Europe too. With no belief in God, Westerners attempted to establish a “heaven on earth”— a fundamental violation of natural laws.
And in an act of extreme hypocrisy, European-Americans tried to segregate themselves from the results of their own laws by running away from the miserable world of the Low.
What emerged was not a philosophy to live by, but hypocrisy and guilt (Nihilism). The viability of any philosophy is whether one can live by its tenets. This is clearly not the case here.
3) As Peter Brimelow has pointed out, “Hitler’s Revenge,” the specter of Nazism, haunts any study of innate group differences.
Atrocities carried out in the name of group differences helped pave the way towards the opposite view—that essentially all human attributes are not innate and can therefore be changed by our efforts.
And if these efforts prove insufficient, the High had to double down and continue to try to uplift the Low—“by any means necessary.”
If equality is the unquestioned premise, then it follows that Higher people are oppressing the Lower groups. How else are we to explain these glaring group differences? The Low are encouraged to exhibit resentment, envy, and jealousy toward the High.
It is important to understand that there is a consensus for this: “conservatives” only want to use other means.
The High has degraded and subordinated itself to the Low. The weak, the Low, and the other have to be protected at all costs. Western Civilization is an historical accident, or achieved illegitimately, not based on the talent or hard work of a High people. Our accomplishments, once a source of pride, are now evidence of our exploitation.
We have become hypocrites. Moving to white communities while loudly proclaiming our love of diversity. Supporting the forced integration of schools, but only for the children of other people. In our self-righteous world of moral outrage and public theater, what we say is more important than what we do.
The indoctrination is largely complete. Our civilization recedes, desirable communities grow fewer and smaller, and human misery comes ever closer. Through a bad conscience, and the myth of equality, we are closing in on the destruction of ourselves
If we want humans in the future to be wiser, stronger and smarter, then we need the courage to understand and accept what is innate. The survival of everything that has been achieved, and the future of mankind, is at stake.
We must train ourselves to reject a false perception of harmony in favor of truth, every truth, even plain, harsh, ugly, repellent, unchristian, immoral truths—for such truths do exist.
Aren’t our true leaders the ones who have faced adversity with courage and tried to rid themselves of superstition? Great men such as our Founding Fathers, Friedrich Nietzsche, Winston Churchill, Galileo, took these risks. There are many others in our past.
Where are they today?
Susie Green (email her) is an American of Jewish background. She has worked in New York City all of her professional life in various high-level managerial jobs. She is married and has a large blended family of children and stepchildren.
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Live From Lincoln Center
Cynthia Erivo in Concert
Preview: Season 44 Episode 2 | 30s
Enjoy a soulful evening of song from one of Broadway’s brightest stars. Seamlessly making the transition from the stage to the big screen, British-born Cynthia Erivo won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in The Color Purple before starring in several films, including Steve McQueen’s Widows.
Live From Lincoln Center is made possible with generous support from the Family of Robert Wood Johnson III, The Robert and Renée Belfer Family Foundation, Mercedes T. Bass, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Cynthia Erivo: A Collection of Voices
Cynthia Erivo reflects on her setlist and the artists who made her who she is.
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American Porn
Porn is one of the largest and fastest growing forms of media in the United States. The industry’s profits have skyrocketed as we become increasingly reliant on technology for our entertainment. Why has this happened, and will the trend continue?
Funding for FRONTLINE is provided through the support of PBS viewers and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Major funding for FRONTLINE is provided by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Additional funding is provided by the Abrams Foundation, the Park Foundation, The John and Helen Glessner Family Trust, and the FRONTLINE Journalism Fund with major support from Jon and Jo Ann Hagler on behalf of the Jon L. Hagler Foundation.
Season 38 Season 37 Season 36 Season 35 Season 34 Season 33 Season 32 Season 31 Season 30 Season 29 Season 28 Season 27 Season 26 Season 25 Season 24 Season 23 Season 22 Season 21 Season 20 Season 19 Season 18 Season 17 Season 16 Season 14 Season 13 Season 3 Season 1
It’s a multibillion-dollar business – and growing. In a wired world, can anything stop it?
Inside the Teenage Brain
What’s behind teen’s seemingly inexplicable behavior?
Explore an island nation threatened by climate change through the eyes of three children who call call it home.
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Learning from Spanish Immigrant Youth Gang Members
Poverty, Migration
2013•05•13 Barcelona
Academics, youth justice officials, prison officers and others with personal experience of youth gang membership joined the staff of the UNU Institute on Globalization, Culture and Mobility (UNU-GCM) to explore notions of gang membership in Barcelona and Madrid on 10 April 2013, in the art nouveau Sant Pau complex. In the forum “Seeking Respect: Re-examining Assumptions about Gang Membership Among Immigrant Youth in Barcelona and Madrid”, experts offered insights into a variety of issues around membership of “las bandas” or “los pandilleros”.
Accepted mainstream assumptions about gangs and immigrant gang membership were challenged. Three key observations emerged.
Emphasis was placed on the hierarchical structure of the gangs that exist in Barcelona and Madrid, and their connection to gangs in the Latin American home countries of their members.
It was notable that gangs were described as surrogate families for young people, by providing caring environments. Indeed, one former gang member described this as “falling in love” with a gang.
It was noted that gangs often sought the attention of wider society, which led to the view that media responses to gangs that focus on the violence associated with them may in fact reinforce the need for violence in order to achieve recognition.
This discussion was the first in a series of Open Forum events, in which UNU-GCM brings together a range of participants to discuss questions relating to migration, mobility and media.
Listen to recording of the forum conversation (in Spanish) at the link below.
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Tag concerts
On this date in history, 7/18/2018, The Twins Of Evil Tour featuring Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson, and Deadly Apples made an appearance at Deer Creek in Noblesville, IN (or Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center if you insist on being technical)! It is no secret that I am an enormous fan of all things Zombie and Manson, so my anticipation at seeing them both together was astronomical to say the least. This was my 10th time seeing Rob Zombie (twice with White Zombie and 8 times solo) and my 9th time seeing Marilyn Manson and this tour definitely lived up to the hype. Deadly Apples started the show with a good set of original material. I was unfamiliar with them, but learned they hail from Canada and this was their first tour in 8 years. Their sound was really well produced and at times they would build up this big crescendo of power, only to bring it down and kind of let the moment slip away. I’ve seen better and I’ve seen worse. Speaking of better and worse, Manson has had his ups and downs on live stages, and I was thrilled that he seems to be back to caring about his craft again. His latest album, Heaven Upside Down, is a killer, and this performance included a couple of tracks off of it in addition to a handful of classics from Antichrist Superstar and Mechanical Animals. Manson brought out two different pulpits to perform from, both songs being highlights of his set. The final song was a cover of the song Cry Little Sister from the movie Lost Boys. Like all the other covers he has done throughout his career, this one received the Manson touch and sounded suitably goth and menacing. As soon as Rob Zombie hit the stage there was absolutely no disputing who the true headliner was. Zombie pulled out all the big screens and every flashing light in the known galaxy to accentuate his ghoulish party anthems. Ironically, half of Zombie’s band spent time in the employ of Manson, making this a reunion show of sorts. The Zombie band consisting of Ginger Fish on drums, Piggy D on bass, and the astonishing John 5 on guitar, were in crushing form, delivering devilishly diabolical stadium sized riffs and rhythms without any pauses. When Zombie announced that he was going to do a song with his new BFF, the place went wild as Manson joined him for a high energy blast, covering Helter Skelter by The Beatles, complete with images of the infamous Charles Manson and his “family” projected on the screens accompanying the song that will forever be linked to them. Another short highlight was the unveiling of the official trailer for Zombie’s next movie, Three From Hell, due in 2019. All in all, The Twins Of Evil Tour was loud, fun, entertaining, and never a dull moment. I foresee adding to my numbers for both Manson and Zombie, because they still do that shock rock stuff better than anyone who isn’t named Alice Cooper!
Written By “The Concert Critic” aka Braddon S. Williams
On This Date in History
July 23, 2018 VinylLAIR Leave a comment
On this date in history, 6/6/2018, I traveled to the Riverbend Music Center in Ohio to be part of International Slayer Day, also singer Tom Araya’s birthday, also one date of Slayer’s farewell tour. Slayer is one of my all-time favorite bands of any genre, but specifically they are nearly universally regarded as one of the undisputed champions of thrash metal. Alongside Anthrax, Megadeth, and Metallica, Slayer are one of the Big 4 of thrash. Their farewell tour finds them doing something that very few bands do voluntarily. They are going out on their own terms, and at the top of their game. For this, they have my utmost respect. Due to traffic and travel conditions, my friends and I arrived just after Testament finished their opening set. I have seen Testament before, and I am pretty sure they played a tight and killer show. Behemoth were on stage when we arrived, and although I really like their music, I have been underwhelmed the last 2 times I have seen them. Anthrax followed, and played an absolutely ripping set of high energy, fun filled thrash. I hope their own farewell tour is far in the future, because they are kings of metal in their own right. Lamb Of God were the final band before the main event, and they raised the bar just where it needed to be, bringing savage intensity and the roar of Randy Blythe’s vocals, crushing a set of their best stuff. Slayer arrived to a wave of adoration from their fans, some of the most fiercely loyal maniacs in the music world…and it is well deserved. I have seen Slayer in nearly every possible formation, from the original 4, to the final four, which now includes Exodus shredder Gary Holt filling in for the late, great (and beloved) Jeff Hanneman, Paul Bostaph, filling in for the greatest thrash drummer ever, Mister Dave Lombardo (and doing an excellent job of it), and the remaining original masters, Kerry King and Tom Araya himself. Slayer delivered all the classics and some newer stuff as well, opening with Repentless, dipping back in time for Blood Red, hitting the obligatory crowd favorites Raining Blood, Angel Of Death, Seasons In The Abyss, Dead Skin Mask, Chemical Warfare, War Ensemble…on and on South Of Heaven. Tom spoke to the crowd a few times, very quiet, obviously emotional. At the very end he thanked us for 37 years of sharing this dream with them…and then he simply stated, “We’re going to miss you guys!” And then they were gone…
Written By Braddon S. Williams aka The Concert Critic
June 8, 2018 VinylLAIR Leave a comment
Fan-filmed video footage of GHOST‘s May 8 concert at Revention Music Center in Houston, Texas can be seen below.
GHOST played the first official show of the “Rats! On The Road” U.S. tour on Saturday night (Saturday, May 5) at Riverside Municipal Auditorium in Riverside, California. In addition to the previously released new single “Rats”, which opened the concert, GHOST played four more songs from “Prequelle” album, including “Faith”, “Dance Macabre”, “Miasma” and “Pro Memoria”. “Miasma” featured a saxophone solo from Papa Nihil, the aged “original” Papa Emeritus.
The band broke its show up into two sets, with the first featuring 12 songs and the second consisting of 11 numbers. The group spread out the new material across both sets, interspersed with fan favorites and hits like “Cirice”, “From The Pinnacle To The Pit”, “He Is”, “If You Have Ghosts” and show closer “Square Hammer”.
The band has expanded its onstage lineup to include at least eight musicians, not including the guest appearance from Papa Nihil.
GHOST next performs in Cincinnati, Ohio on Friday night (May 11).
The Swedish-based act also played a surprise warm-up show on Friday night (May 4) at the Roxy nightclub in Los Angeles, where it aired three new songs during a 45-minute set. The Roxy concert was only announced one day earlier and tickets — priced at $6.66 — were made available starting at noon the day of the show.
GHOST will release its new album, “Prequelle”, on June 1 via Loma Vista Recordings. The record was tracked last year at Artery studios in Stockholm with producer Tom Dalgety (OPETH, ROYAL BLOOD) and mixed in January at Westlake Studios in West Hollywood, California with Andy Wallace (NIRVANA, SLAYER).
Watch GHOST Perform In Houston
May 12, 2018 VinylLAIR Leave a comment
On this date in history, 5/3/2018, I witnessed AVATAR whip a capacity crowd into a frenzy at Piere’s in Ft. Wayne, IN. There is something so thrilling about seeing a band poised on the brink of massive success playing at an intimate club and generating a magical performance. This band has been active since 2001 and have only had one membership change since that time. Comprised of drummer John Alfredsson, bassist/backing vocalist Henrik Sandelin, the twin guitar arsenal of Tim Öhrström and Jonas Jarlsby, and front man extraordinaire, Johannes Eckerström, AVATAR hails from Sweden. Their show drenched perfection, from the pristine sound to the nonstop energy of the entire band, covering a wide stylistic range of original material from their excellent catalog. Eckerström is a born performer with a chameleon voice capable of deep soothing baritone croons, piercing highs a la Rob Halford in his prime, and throat shredding metal growls and screams. Add this to his face painted “clown” persona, the man never stopped moving throughout the performance, with the exception of the several times he spoke to the crowd and described the correlation of the energy give and take between a band and its audience. I feel I can speak for that audience tonight. We all felt something special was going on, and AVATAR knew it, responded to it, and were genuinely moved by it. This band is going places, and I was part of something truly remarkable tonight.
May 4, 2018 VinylLAIR Leave a comment
On this date in history, 3/29/2018, I returned to the luxurious Old National Centre’s Murat Theatre in Indianapolis to witness my 9th Alice Cooper show. Everyone in attendance at this one caught the final night of his current tour, and it was an electrified event of stellar proportions. Having just seen Alice at this same venue roughly a year and a half ago in October of 2016, I noticed a lot of similarities to the previous show, along with some streamlined changes, too.
Any act that has been touring as long as Alice has will have the songs that are set in stone in their sets, and the classics were well represented here, with “Billion Dollar Babies”, “I’m Eighteen”, “School’s Out”, and several others being crowd favorites. A lesser known gem, “Halo Of Flies”, returned as the band feature, with an absolutely sensational drum solo from Glen Sobel. Alice’s current hot shot (and literally HOT) lead guitarist, Nita Strauss, similarly had a solo spot earlier in the evening where she blazed away in guitar hero(ine) fashion…proving conclusively that women are shredding on equal ground with men and “plays pretty good for a girl” can be retired from discussion forever!
One of Alice’s heaviest songs, “Brutal Planet”, opened the show and set the tone for the hard rocking band’s performance throughout. In addition to Strauss, long time Cooper guitar ace Ryan Roxie, and Indianapolis native Tommy Henriksen rounded out the triple threat lead guitar arsenal, aided by the bottom end bass badassery of Chuck Garric. Alice even played some harmonica on one of the new songs.
During the encore of School’s Out (complete with bubbles, balloons, and the singalong edit of Another Brick In The Wall’s immortal “We don’t need no education” chorus) Alice introduced the band and his wife/dancer Sheryl. At the end of the introductions, he said the part of Alice Cooper was played by King Herod, a reference to him preparing to appear in NBC’s live broadcast of Jesus Christ Superstar (airing on Easter Sunday).
The 70 year old legend was in great voice, and aided by an absolutely energetic, entertaining, and astonishingly talented band, continues to be at the top of his game.
As long as the Coop is out there touring, I will make every effort to be in the audience. Long live the Coop!
April 1, 2018 April 1, 2018 VinylLAIR Leave a comment
On this date in history, 2/14/2018, a good friend who had free tickets and a kind heart asked me to accompany her to the Resurrection Tour featuring Black Veil Brides, Asking Alexandria, and Crown The Empire. This concert took place at Old National Centre’s Murat Egyptian Room in downtown Indianapolis. I must confess that I didn’t have too much knowledge of any of the bands’ music going in, which I really enjoyed, as it allowed me to witness all of them with an open mind and ears.
Crown The Empire started the show with an energetic set of basic lightweight metalcore. The audience seemed to enjoy them and they fit in well with the styles of the 2 headlining acts. I grew tired of the lead vocalist’s voice pretty early in their set, but he was on pitch and hit his high notes with ease, so it was just a matter of opinion for my not liking it.
From the very beginning, the production on this show was top notch. Excellent sound for all 3 bands and super lights, too. Asking Alexandria was on one of the Mayhem tours and I remember seeing them and noting that Danny Worsnop is a most excellent vocalist. I discovered that he had left the band a couple of years ago and then returned, apparently rejuvenated. He was in great voice on Valentine’s night, but the band’s lead guitarist, Ben Bruce, had flown back home to England for personal reasons. In addition to missing a key member, the band’s bass player was ill and had to leave the stage for a brief time, forcing them to perform a couple of simple songs with just acoustic guitar and vocals. This little change of plan turned out to be a real highlight for me, and Worsnop was really enjoying the break in the normal routine. Even with their having to perform at less than full strength, Asking Alexandria played a hell of a great rockin’ set. They gained a whole lot of respect from me in rising above their obstacles.
Black Veil Brides rounded out a great concert with an industrial strenght onslaught of prime old school rock and roll showmanship. Inspired by Kiss, Motley Crue, Van Halen, Poison, and any other great high energy live band you care to name, the Brides came out swinging, and never let up on the intensity and enthusiasm. They were all killer and no filler, delivering one song into the next and riding the wave of the delirious energy put out by the predominantly young female audience, who loudly sang along with virtually every anthem the boys threw at them.
The execution was tight and precise, and they never stopped moving for very long, keeping the adrenaline pumping throughout their set.
Andy Biersack had the crowd under his spell from the moment he hit the stage, and the entire band seems intent on keeping that time honored tradition of the big rock show alive and kicking…and that isn’t a bad thing at all, is it?
Hats off to whoever put this tour together, because these 3 bands truly complimented each other’s styles and delivered a great night of music for their demographic crowd, and that is what every working musician strives to do…satisfy their fans and make them dance, sing, sweat and create memories.
February 17, 2018 VinylLAIR Leave a comment
On this date in history, 2/13/1997, a good friend and I witnessed the diabolical Marilyn Manson utterly destroy a capacity crowd at the Pepsi Coliseum in Indianapolis. Manson was touring the Antichrist Superstar album and he was at the height of his popularity/notoriety. There was definitely a feeling in the air that literally ANYTHING could happen. The opening all female band, L7, had just played a really solid set and as we waited for the former Brian Warner and his interestingly named band mates (Twiggy Ramirez, Madonna Wayne Gacy, Ginger Fish, and the mysterious new guitar player, Zim Zum) to take the stage, the power tripping security steroid squad decided to make us all sit on the floor. Needless to say, a Manson crowd tends to be full of malcontents and non-conformists, so we didn’t take this order too kindly! When Manson hit the stage to the crushing industrial martial onslaught of “Angel With The Scabbed Wings”, we were up and frenzied! This was the first time I saw Manson headline and he was inspired. As crazy looking as the entire band was, it was the sinister and coldly charismatic front man who commanded our attention. He did some really creative theatrical stuff up there, from the stark lighting effect of him holding a simple construction lamp on an extension cord to illuminate himself during “Sweet Dreams”, to the pulpit where he tore pages from a bible and then threw the ruined book into the crowd during “Antichrist Superstar”, he knew he would be getting strong reactions! This was one of the few times I’ve ever witnessed people outside the venue protesting before a concert. They didn’t stop us…and we witnessed an incredible show. It’s not for everyone, but the best things never are!
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Home > node > An Open Book: Quentin Blake
An Open Book: Quentin Blake | reviews, news & interviews
An Open Book: Quentin Blake
From a biography of Rimbaud to Annie Proulx's collage-like prose, we delve into the celebrated illustrator's literary tastes and habits
Quentin Blake: 'cumulatively, books have made all the difference in the world'Photo: Peter Jones
Quentin Blake, illustrator, cartoonist and children’s author, has, to date, illustrated over 300 books. He is most famously associated with Roald Dahl, but he’s worked with a number of children’s writers, most recently David Walliams, illustrating the actor's debut novel The Boy in the Dress. He is a patron of The Big Draw which aims to get people of all ages drawing throughout the UK, and of The Nightingale Project, a charity that puts art into hospitals. Since 2006, he's produced work for several hospitals and mental health centres in London and in France. He has, he says, drawn ever since he can remember, and published his first illustration while still at school, aged 16, in Punch.
What books are you currently reading?
I am generally reading several; some I never finish. At the moment I am halfway through a biography of Arthur Rimbaud. It is in a Gallimard biography series – relatively short books compared with many biographies but which give a good general idea of the life in question. I have just finished a similar volume on Voltaire. I am also reading, very slowly, a biography of Alexis de Tocqueville; in some ways not so much a biography as a study of the genesis of his book about democracy in America. Within the past week I have also discovered a book by Antoine Compagnon called Un été avec Baudelaire. It is actually a collection of talks for French radio in an easy and conversational style. It’s helped me to get to read Les Fleurs du mal with some understanding even if it doesn’t make me feel more sympathetic to Baudelaire as a person. Baudelaire was Tocqueville’s much younger contemporary – difficult not to notice the contrast in their attitudes to human wrongdoing and the possibilities of social improvement.
I also do another kind of reading, which is reading aloud – to a friend. I read while she draws. I always assume she is listening, though I read the whole Shadows on the Rock by Willa Cather, of which she claims to have no recollection whatsoever. However, she certainly heard a great deal of our latest book The Old Ace in the Hole by Annie Proulx. I bought it remembering that I enjoyed The Shipping News, though this is a very different kind of work. The hero, Bob Dollar, at work in Texas on the lookout for hog-farm sites for Global Pork Rind, is a surprisingly Candide-like figure who would equally be in a novel by Evelyn Waugh; but Proulx’s particular fascination seems to be with bizarre and idiosyncratic names of towns and people, abandoned industrial architecture and the effects of weather which make the book nearer to a visual work of art – assemblage or collage – than any other novel I have read.
Do you have a favourite non-fiction writer?
I have enjoyed the non-fiction works of Ford Maddox Ford – his book on Provence, and the books of reminiscences, though apparently, we are given to understand, there are elements of fiction in these too. It’s quite a long time since I read them, though I am reminded of one vignette where Ford, still a young Edwardian man-about-town and on his way home, is accosted by a policeman stepping out of the shadows. Ford’s instinctive reaction: “God damn and blast you, man – you nearly made me jump out of my skin!” to which the constable responds: “Sorry, sir. I didn’t realise you were a gentleman.”
Who are your favourite novelists?
Dickens is the novelist I would be most ready to re-read, and in fact have re-read; in particular Bleak House, Little Dorrit, Great Expectations, Hard Times. The novelist who has become a favourite relatively recently is Arnold Bennett. I think that when I was reading English Literature at university a long time ago he was hardly mentioned – perhaps looked down as an unimaginative pedestrian realist. Also Bennett didn’t help himself as far as I was concerned by calling his best novel The Old Wives’ Tale, when it is actually the story of two sisters, one who stays in the town of her birth and the other who goes to Paris to run a hotel, from adolescence to the end of their lives. I think the Clayhanger trilogy is the same order of achievement.
Do you read poetry?
I don’t habitually read poetry, though I have read a fair amount at one time and another – most of the familiar names. Not so long ago I re-read Byron’s Don Juan, and I have found Arthur Hugh Clough interesting – narrative and colloquial. I don’t really know anything about English verse after Ted Hughes, Thom Gunn and Philip Larkin.
Is there a poet or poem you often return to? If so why?
Now, probably, Thomas Hardy. He invokes feelings in a tone of voice that seems natural but curiously his own.
Crime or sci-fi?
Crime, only Maigret, and not for the crime. No sci-fi at all, unless you count Terry Pratchett, which I don’t suppose he would. They are memorable entertainment. The Truth, his parody of the development of newspapers, is probably the one I like best of those I have read.
You don’t, incidentally, have a question about humour. I don’t often nowadays go back to Thunder and Perelman, but from time to time I look again at Max Beerbohm's A Christmas Garland.
Do you enjoy graphic novels?
I am afraid that I don’t normally get on well with graphic novels or with bandes dessinés, though some of the people who draw them are brilliant draughtsmen. They often seem to me like a form of very slow cinema, and I suppose I prefer to think of illustration as theatre.
Tell me about your favourite books on art.
I have read many books of art criticism, but the art books I value most are the ones that give extensive reproductions of favourite painters that I can’t get to see in reality as often as I would like: Tiepolo, Tintoretto, Paolo Veronese.
Do you think criticism is an art form?
I hope not.
Has a book or a poem ever affected your outlook on life?
Not, as far as I know, any individual work; cumulatively of course they have made all the difference in the world. That must be one main reason why I read.
Name four writers you'd like to invite to an intimate dinner party.
I don’t give intimate dinner parties.
You can see Quentin Blake's latest exhibition Life Under Water – A Hasting's Celebration at Jerwood Hastings until 6 September
@FisunGuner
Gallery: click image to enlarge. All images © Quentin Blake
Life Under Water, 2015, at Jerwood Hastings
Ice Lollies, 2015, at Jerwood Hastings exhibition
The Pirate Family, 2015, at Jerwood Hastings
A self-portrait, 2015, at Jerwood Hastings
Illustration for Roald Dahl's The BFG, 1982
Illustration for Roald Dahl's Matilda, 1988
Illustration for Roald Dahl's Fantastic Mr Fox, 1970
Illustration for David Walliam's The Boy in the Dress, 2008
Graphic novels often seem to me like a form of very slow cinema, and I suppose I prefer to think of illustration as theatre
Gallery: Honoré Daumier and Paula Rego - a conversation across time
Daumier: Visions of Paris, Royal Academy
Matilda the Musical, Cambridge Theatre
Winnie-the-Pooh: Exploring a Classic, V&A review - nostalgic family fun
Listed: Poems inspired by paintings
Fascinating interview!
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Home / The Four Books
The Four Books
Translated by Carlos Rojas
Published by Vintage, Chatto & Windus
In the ninety-ninth district of a sprawling labour camp, the Author, Musician, Scholar, Theologian and Technician are undergoing Re-education, to restore their revolutionary zeal and credentials. In charge of this process is the Child, who delights in draconian rules, monitoring behaviour and confiscating treasured books. The inmates – and hundreds of intellectuals just like them - must meet challenges set by the higher-ups: to grow an ever-spiralling amount of wheat, and to smelt vast quantities of steel. The stakes are high: they can win their freedom if they are awarded enough of the small red blossoms. Medium red blossoms and pentagonal stars are given out for effort, obedience, and informing on others. But when bad weather arrives, followed by the ‘three bitter years’ of The Great Famine, the intellectuals are abandoned by the regime and left on their own to survive. Divided into four narratives, echoing the texts of Confucianism and the four Gospels of the New Testament, The Four Books tells the story of one of China’s most controversial periods. It shows us the power of camaraderie, love and faith against oppression and the darkest odds.
Yan Lianke was born in 1958 in Henan Province, China. He is the author of numerous novels and short-story collections, including Serve the People!, Dream of Ding Village and Lenin's Kisses. The winner of multiple literary awards in China, including the Lao She, Lu Xun and Hua Zhong World Chinese Literature Prize, he was also awarded the Franz Kafka Prize in 2014, and has been previously shortlisted for both the Man Booker International Prize and the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize. He currently lives and writes in Beijing.
Carlos Rojas is the author of The Naked Gaze: Reflections on Chinese Modernity, The Great Wall: A Cultural History, and Homesickness: Culture, Contagions, and National Reform in Modern China, which looks at Chinese discourses of corporeality and infection over the long 20th century. He is the co-editor, with David Der-wei Wang, of Writing Taiwan: A New Literary History, with Eileen Cheng-yin Chow, of both Rethinking Chinese Popular Culture: Cannibalizations of the Canon and the The Oxford Handbook of Chinese Cinemas, and, with Andrea Bachner, of The Oxford Handbook of Modern Chinese Literatures. He also co-translated, again with Eileen Chow, Yu Hua’s two-volume novel Brothers, and is the translator of Yan Lianke’s novels Lenin's Kisses and The Four Books. He teaches on a variety of topics ranging from prostitutes and vampires to cities, migration, and disease.
The Man Booker International Prize 2016
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Centre for Digital Media Accepting Applications for Inaugural Executive Masters of Digital Media Cohort
Mar 14, 2012 By admin
The Centre for Digital Media is pleased to announce that 2012 will mark the debut of its Executive Masters of Digital Media (EMDM) program. The flexible program, which begins in July, will allow digital media professionals to expand their skill sets while continuing their careers and earning a Masters degree granted from the four leading post-secondary institutions in British Columbia.
Kicking off with an intensive 2 week on-site “bootcamp” followed by courses offered either online or on-site, the EMDM program is designed to accommodate busy schedules of working professionals. The program requires a low on-campus commitment and students can earn their degrees in as little as 20 months, or as long as five years. The curriculum is identical to the existing Masters of Digital Media (MDM) program – Canada’s first professional Masters program in digital media – with allowances for distance learning and remote collaboration.
"I am so excited to take our partnership with the digital media industries and the four universities to the next level with this Executive Masters of Digital Media program – a program that enables professional growth while continuing your career," notes Dr. Richard Smith, Director of the Masters of Digital Media Program and longtime digital media proponent.
As with the existing MDM program, students will have an opportunity to work on innovative projects with a diverse faculty and student body, as well as with a range of industry partners. EMDM students will also have the option of attending MDM industry events and masterclasses.
Applications to the EMDM program are flowing in steadily, and the initial (and subsequent) offerings of the program promise to challenge professionals while playing off of their strengths. For more information on the Executive Masters of Digital Media and how to apply, visit emdm.gnwc.ca
Executive Masters of Digital Media Program
Masters of Digital Media Program
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Belsen was in the beginning bearable and we had bunks to sleep on, and a small ration of soup and bread. But as the camp got fuller, our group and many others were given a barracks to hold about seven hundred lying on the floor without blankets and without food or anything. It was a pitiful scene as the camp was attacked by lice and most of the people had typhus and cholera ... Many people talk about Auschwitz -- it was a horrible camp. But Belsen, no words can describe it ... From my experience and suffering, Belsen was the worst.
At the liberation of Dachau and its sub-camps in April 1945 about thirty percent of the camps inmates were Jewish. During its twelve –year existence Dachau was always a “political camp” , the political prisoners who had been there first and knew the conditions best, held most of the key positions in the so-called prisoners’ internal government, which had been established by the SS.
Polish authorities protested against a scene in which soldiers dressed in Polish uniforms executed Jewish prisoners. The poles didn't have any "Quisling army" during the war. The scene was trimmed and now shows the rifles and the arms of the soldiers in question. Even so, both versions apparently remained in circulation as Danish TV originally showed the original version, and Swedish TV the trimmed version within weeks of each other. See more »
German soldiers question Jews after the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in 1943. In October 1940, the Germans began to concentrate Poland's population of over 3 million Jews into overcrowded ghettos. In the largest of these, the Warsaw Ghetto, thousands of Jews died due to rampant disease and starvation, even before the Nazis began their massive deportations from the ghetto to the Treblinka extermination camp. The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising -- the first urban mass rebellion against the Nazi occupation of Europe -- took place from April 19 until May 16 1943, and began after German troops and police entered the ghetto to deport its surviving inhabitants. It ended when the poorly-armed and supplied resistance was crushed by German troops. #
By October 1944, there was a shortage of coal in all of Germany and the dead could no longer be cremated. A new cemetery was opened on a hill north of the camp, called Leitenberg, where the last Dachau victims were buried in unmarked mass graves. Ashes of earlier unknown victims are buried in the area north of the new crematorium. Markers were placed on the sites of the mass graves of ashes between 1950 and 1964.
Dachau was mainly a camp for Communist political prisoners and anti-Fascist resistance fighters who were captured in the Nazi-occupied countries. On the day of the liberation of Dachau, the political prisoners were in control, as Commandant Wilhelm Eduard Weiter had left the camp on April 26, 1945, along with a transport of prisoners who were being evacuated to Schloss Itter, a subcamp of Dachau in Austria. Former Commandant Martin Gottfried Weiss was in charge of the camp for two days until he fled, along with most of the regular guards, on the night of April 28, 1945.
Established in March 1933, Dachau was the first Nazi concentration camp.12 The camp originally housed political prisoners and those opposed to the Nazi regime. Individuals and groups who were considered inferior to Germans, such as Jehovah Witnesses, Gypsies and homosexuals were sent to Dachau. The first Jews imprisoned at Dachau were sent there because they were considered enemies of the Reich.13 Over time, more Jews were sent to Dachau than any other group.
The name 'Belsen' invokes tremor in Jews' hearts. Belsen is engraved in the Jewish consciousness as one of the most cursed places in Germany, where the bones of tens of thousands of Jewish victims are buried. The Belsen camp is, in Jews' memories and in the memories of all people in the world, a camp of starvation, and unbelievable filth which caused diseases and plagues. Belsen has become a symbol of man's inhumanity to man.
Jehovah's Witnesses, homosexuals, and emigrants were sent to Dachau after the 1935 passage of the Nuremberg Laws which institutionalized racial discrimination.[26] In early 1937, the SS, using prisoner labor, initiated construction of a large complex capable of holding 6,000 prisoners. The construction was officially completed in mid-August 1938.[13] More political opponents, and over 11,000 German and Austrian Jews were sent to the camp after the annexation of Austria and the Sudetenland in 1938. Sinti and Roma in the hundreds were sent to the camp in 1939, and over 13,000 prisoners were sent to the camp from Poland in 1940.[26][27]
With an increasing number of transports of female prisoners, the SS dissolved the northern portion of the camp complex, which was still in use as a POW camp, and established the so-called "large women's camp" (Grosses Frauenlager) in its place in January 1945. This camp housed women evacuated from Flossenbürg, Gross-Rosen, Ravensbrück, Neuengamme, Mauthausen, and Buchenwald concentration camps, as well as various subcamps and labor camps.
Those who could prove their intention to leave Germany were released, and indeed most of them were released within a few months of their arrest. Non-Jews were also arrested for helping Jews, in Berlin on 23 October 1941 a German Catholic priest, Bernhard Lichtenberg, who had been a military chaplain in the First World War, was arrested for his protests against the deportations to the East.
After the German surrender on May 7, 1945, the American Army took over the barracks of the SS garrison and set up a command post called Eastman which they occupied until 1973. On the orders of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, all available American soldiers were brought to Dachau so that they could be eye-witnesses to the existence of the homicidal gas chamber, disguised as a shower room.
Miconic 10 was introduced in 1996, and was the industry first of an innovative type of control systems now known as hall call destination system. The system features keypads and LED screens instead of hall button stations whereby riders enter their desired floor before entering an elevator car. The system then directs the rider to a specific elevator car while grouping riders traveling to nearby floors together. Schindler claims this minimizes the number of stops, and decreases congestion and travel time—especially during peak traffic periods. The system was continuously further developed and new functions were amended eventually evolving in systems which guarantee highly efficient and energy saving traffic management. Especially in high rise buildings traffic management systems like Miconic 10 and Schindler ID allow building designers to maximize rentable space and transport efficiency. Moreover, access control becomes feasible.
The names of the Nazis who are mainly responsible for the cruelty toward and murder of the prisoners are the following: Weckerle, Erpsmüller, Dr. Frank, Steinbrenner, Heini Straus, Hofmann and Kantschuster. The great majority of the Storm Troopers did not take part in the torturing of the prisoners. Some of the guards even had the courage openly to oppose the torturing and murdering of prisoners. They were placed in “protective custody.” Several of the Special Police sympathized with the prisoners, so that every third week the guard had to be changed, and only the most brutal were kept permanently at the camp.
The wounds of the Holocaust–known in Hebrew as Shoah, or catastrophe–were slow to heal. Survivors of the camps found it nearly impossible to return home, as in many cases they had lost their families and been denounced by their non-Jewish neighbors. As a result, the late 1940s saw an unprecedented number of refugees, POWs and other displaced populations moving across Europe.
Some former inmates and a few historians have claimed that Jews were put to death in gas chambers at Bergen-Belsen. For example, an "authoritative" work published shortly after the end of the war, A History of World War II, informed readers: "In Belsen, [Commandant] Kramer kept an orchestra to play him Viennese music while he watched children torn from their mothers to be burned alive. Gas chambers disposed of thousands of persons daily." /31
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The camp physician, Dr. Katz of Nuremberg, was also a prisoner. At first he was well treated because the guards and even the Commander admired his courageous attitude, but after he had witnessed the torture inflicted upon the prisoners, it became dangerous for the Nazis to release him. It was reported later that he had hanged himself in a detention cell—a few days before his anticipated release. His presence in the cell, however, was never explained.
The whole corner where the barracks stand is enclosed by a high wire entanglement. The prisoners are warned that these are live wires, but this is a false alarm. This enclosed area is about 1,800 feet square, and contains a pool filled with muddy water, which, shrewdly photographed, appeared in the Munich Illustrierte Zeitung of July 16, 1933, as a swimming pool for the prisoners. From this enclosure leads a gangway, also protected by barbed wire and machine guns, to a spacious workshop, part of which is the kitchen and the other part drill-room and mess hall. Farther away are the guard houses, equipped with heating facilities. They are the officers’ quarters and contain workshops for cobblers, cabinet-makers, etc.
Almost all Jews within areas occupied by the Germans were killed. There were 3,020,000 Jews in the Soviet Union in 1939, and the losses were 1–1.1 million.[400] Around one million Jews were killed by the Einsatzgruppen in the occupied Soviet territories.[401][402] Of Poland's 3.3 million Jews, about 90 percent were killed.[369] Many more died in the ghettos of Poland before they could be deported.[403] The death camps accounted for half the number of Jews killed; 80–90 percent of death-camp victims are estimated to have been Jews.[394] At Auschwitz-Birkenau the Jewish death toll was 1.1 million;[286][404] Treblinka 870,000–925,000;[405] Bełżec 434,000–600,000;[406][287] Chełmno 152,000–320,000;[407][288] Sobibór 170,000–250,000;[408][291] and Majdanek 79,000.[289]
They built roads, worked in gravel pits, and drained marshes, reclaiming them as arable land, initially, production in the camps was directly under the control of the individual camp commandant. But as the camps continued to grow, the range of production expanded, and the SS industries that were served by the camp labour were centralised under their main office in Berlin. In the first winter of the war the Dachau camp was used to set up the SS Totenkopf Division.
The camp was not really inefficient before you [British and American forces] crossed the Rhine. There was running water, regular meals of a kind -- I had to accept what food I was given for the camp and distribute it the best way I could. But then they suddenly began to send me trainloads of new prisoners from all over Germany. It was impossible to cope with them. I appealed for more staff, more food. I was told that this was impossible. I had to carry on with what I had.
A final and complete deterioration of the prisoners living conditions set in when tens of thousands of prisoners poured in – survivors of the death marches who had been evacuated from the camps in the east. These included 20,000 women prisoners from the Auschwitz- Birkenau concentration camps who had passed through the Gross- Rosen concentration camp on the death march to Bergen-Belsen.
According to a book published by the US Seventh Army immediately after the war, entitled "Dachau Liberated, The Official Report by The U.S. Seventh Army," there was a total of 29,138 Jews brought to Dachau from other camps between June 20, 1944 and November 23, 1944. This report says the Jews were brought to Dachau to be executed and that they were gassed in the gas chamber disguised as a shower room and also in the four smaller gas chambers, which were designed to be disinfection chambers. The report also says that 16,717 non-Jewish, German prisoners were executed at Dachau between October 1940 and March 1945.
Treatment inside the concentration camps were horrible. Prisoners were given tiny rations of food and forced into physical labor. They often slept more than three to a bed without pillows or blankets, even in the winter months. In many concentration camps, Nazi doctors conducted medical experiments on prisoners against their will, in many cases killing the prisoners in the process.
In February 1942, the Nazis began systematically rounding up all the Jews in Germany and the Nazi-occupied countries, and transporting them to what is now Poland or the area that is now Belarus, in a program of extermination, which had been planned at the Wannsee conference on January 20, 1942. The title of the conference was "The Final Solution to the Jewish Question."
His grip on German society tightened and those who publicly objected to Nazi policies were often sentenced to hard labour in the rapidly expanding concentration camp system. Jews were subjected to further laws restricting their rights, but rising anti-Semitism in Europe wasn’t limited to Germany. In the UK, Oswald Mosley’s British Union of Fascists gained support from sections of the public and press, even filling the Royal Albert Hall in April.
Anti-Jewish measures were introduced in Slovakia, which would later deport its Jews to German concentration and extermination camps.[175] Bulgaria introduced anti-Jewish measures in 1940 and 1941, including the requirement to wear a yellow star, the banning of mixed marriages, and the loss of property. Bulgaria annexed Thrace and Macedonia, and in February 1943 agreed to deport 20,000 Jews to Treblinka; all 11,000 Jews from the annexed territories were sent to their deaths, and plans were made to deport an additional 6,000–8,000 Bulgarian Jews from Sofia to meet the quota.[176] When the plans became public, the Orthodox Church and many Bulgarians protested, and King Boris III canceled the deportation of Jews native to Bulgaria.[177] Instead, they were expelled to the interior pending further decision.[176] Although Hungary expelled Jews who were not citizens from its newly annexed lands in 1941, it did not deport most of its Jews[178] until the German invasion of Hungary in March 1944. Between 15 May and 9 July 1944, 440,000 Hungarian Jews were deported to Auschwitz.[179] In late 1944 in Budapest, nearly 80,000 Jews were killed by the Hungarian Arrow Cross battalions.[180]
A book entitled "Dachau Liberated, The Official Report by the U.S. Seventh Army" was released only days after the camp was liberated. The information in this book was obtained from interviews with the Dachau survivors; half of the prisoners at Dachau on the day it was liberated had only been there for two weeks or less and some had arrived only the day before. The following quote is from page 48 of this book:
Josef Kramer statement (1945) in: R. Phillips, ed., Trial of Josef Kramer and Forty-Four Others, p. 737. Also quoted in: A. Butz, Hoax, p. 275; Essay by Alan Moorehead, "Belsen," in: Cyril Connolly, ed., The Golden Horizon, pp. 109-110; Dr. Russell Barton, "Belsen," History of the Second World War (Editor: Barrie Pitt, Copyright BPC publications, 1966), Part 109, 1975, p. 3025.
As discrimination against Jews increased, German law required a legal definition of a Jew and an Aryan. Promulgated at the annual Nazi Party rally in Nürnberg on September 15, 1935, the Nürnberg Laws—the Law for the Protection of German Blood and German Honour and the Law of the Reich Citizen—became the centrepiece of anti-Jewish legislation and a precedent for defining and categorizing Jews in all German-controlled lands. Marriage and sexual relations between Jews and citizens of “German or kindred blood” were prohibited. Only “racial” Germans were entitled to civil and political rights. Jews were reduced to subjects of the state. The Nürnberg Laws formally divided Germans and Jews, yet neither the word German nor the word Jew was defined. That task was left to the bureaucracy. Two basic categories were established in November: Jews, those with at least three Jewish grandparents; and Mischlinge (“mongrels,” or “mixed breeds”), people with one or two Jewish grandparents. Thus, the definition of a Jew was primarily based not on the identity an individual affirmed or the religion he or she practiced but on his or her ancestry. Categorization was the first stage of destruction.
At the dawn of World War II, Hitler came to believe that restricting the daily activities of Jews in Germany and the countries annexed by the Nazis would not resolve what he considered to be his “Jewish problem.” Nor would isolated acts of violence against Jews serve a purpose. Instead, the chancellor determined that the sole solution would be the elimination of every European Jew.
In nearly every country overrun by the Nazis, the Jews were forced to wear badges marking them as Jews, they were rounded up into ghettos or concentration camps and then gradually transported to the killing centers. The death camps were essentially factories for murdering Jews. The Germans shipped thousands of Jews to them each day. Within a few hours of their arrival, the Jews had been stripped of their possessions and valuables, gassed to death, and their bodies burned in specially designed crematoriums. Approximately 3.5 million Jews were murdered in these death camps.
"Ceremony Recalls Victims of Bergen-Belsen," The Week in Germany (New York: German Information Center), April 27, 1990, p. 6; A figure of 50,000 is also given in Time magazine, April 29, 1985, p. 21; According to a stone memorial at the Belsen camp site, 30,000 Jews were "exterminated" there; A semi-official Polish account published in 1980 reported 48,000 Belsen "victims." Czeslaw Pilichowski, No Time Limit for These Crimes (Warsaw: Interpress, 1980), pp. 154-155.
Although she struggled with resentment towards her late husband for his womanizing and marital neglect, Emilie still had profound love for Schindler. Revealing her internal dialogue when she visited his tomb almost 40 years after his passing, she had said to him: "At last we meet again . . .I have received no answer, my dear, I do not know why you abandoned me . . . But what not even your death or my old age can change is that we are still married, this is how we are before God. I have forgiven you everything, everything. . ."
The first prisoners arrived in Dachau on March 22, 1933, two days after the acting Munich Chief of Police and Reichsführer SS Heinrich Himmler announced the camp’s creation. Many of the initial prisoners were Social Democrats and German Communists, the latter group having been blamed for the February 27 fire at the German parliament building, the Reichstag.
In November 2008, Eva Olsson, who was born into a family of Hasidic Jews in Satu Mare, Hungary, told an audience of 550 delegates to the Upper Canada District School Board's ACT Now! Symposium in Cornwall that she was sent to the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp on May 19, 1944; she also mentioned the gas chambers at Bergen-Belsen where she was later transferred. Eva Olsson and her younger sister Fradel were the only members of her extended family of 89 people who survived the Holocaust, according to her story, published in a news article in the Seaway News on November 6, 2008.
The photo above shows some of the members of the International Committee of Dachau. The second man from the left, who is wearing a cardigan sweater and a coat, is Albert Guérisse, a British SOE agent from Belgium, who was hiding his identity by using the name Patrick O'Leary. He was one of five British SOE agents who had survived the Nazi concentration camps at Mauthausen in Austria and Natzweiler in Alsace before being transferred to Dachau. Guérisse greeted Lt. William P. Walsh and 1st Lt. Jack Bushyhead of the 45th Infantry Division and took them on a tour of the camp, showing them the gas chamber and the ovens in the crematorium.
In 1988, West Germany allocated another $125 million for reparations. Companies such as BMW, Deutsche Bank, Ford, Opel, Siemens, and Volkswagen faced lawsuits for their use of forced labor during the war.[463] In response, Germany set up the "Remembrance, Responsibility and Future" Foundation in 2000, which paid €4.45 billion to former slave laborers (up to €7,670 each).[465] In 2013, Germany agreed to provide €772 million to fund nursing care, social services, and medication for 56,000 Holocaust survivors around the world.[466] The French state-owned railway company, the SNCF, agreed in 2014 to pay $60 million to Jewish-American survivors, around $100,000 each, for its role in the transport of 76,000 Jews from France to extermination camps between 1942 and 1944.[467]
One of the witnesses to the liberation of Bergen-Belsen by British soldiers on April 15, 1945 was Iolo Lewis, a 20-year-old soldier from Wales. He recalled that, as he arrived at Belsen, Commandant Kramer and his assistant, Irma Grese, were standing at the gates to greet them. Most of the SS men, who were the guards in the camp, had escaped before the British arrived. Commandant Josef Kramer and 80 of the SS men and women had volunteered to remain in the camp to carry out their duties. He said that he counted 13,000 unburied corpses at the time of the liberation, and that the haunting memory never left him, particularly the pearly colour of the piled-up bodies, small, like the bodies of children.
To prosecute the leaders of the Holocaust, the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg was formed in 1946. The U.S., the UK, the Soviet Union and France each supplied two judges (a primary and an alternate) and a prosecution team for the trial. Twelve leading Nazi officials were sentenced to death for the crimes they had committed, while three received life sentences in prison, and four had prison terms for up to twenty years.
One prisoner, Aaron, son of a Bamberg attorney, died of his injuries a few days later. The official cause of death, which in every other case was agreed upon between the camp commanders and the Special Police, could not in this case be made to appear as “Shot while trying to escape,” or “Found hanged in his cell,” since the body showed no marks of shooting or hanging. The Commander, however, found a way out of this fix: that very night the shed in which the corpse was laid out was burned down. The corpse was sufficiently scorched to destroy the marks of the beating, and the official announcement read, “Died of heart disease.” The body was delivered to the parents in a sealed coffin.
Construction on Baracke X began in July 1942, using the labor of the Catholic priests who were the only prisoners not forced to work in the factories at Dachau. The building was finished in 1943, but a sign that was put in the gas chamber in 1965 inexplicably informed tourists that this room was never used for gassing people. By May 2003, the sign was gone and a poster on the wall of the undressing room next to the gas chamber said that the gas chamber "could have been used" to kill prisoners.
Established in March 1933, the Dachau concentration camp was the first regular concentration camp established by the Nazis in Germany. The camp was located on the grounds of an abandoned munitions factory near the medieval town of Dachau, about 10 miles northwest of Munich in the state of Bavaria, which is located in southern Germany. Heinrich Himmler, in his capacity as police president of Munich, officially described the camp as “the first concentration camp for political prisoners.”
For the role, Spielberg cast then relatively unknown Irish actor Liam Neeson, whom the director had seen in a Broadway play called Anna Christie. “Liam was the closest in my experience of what Schindler was like,” Spielberg told The New York Times. “His charm, the way women love him, his strength. He actually looks a little bit like Schindler, the same height, although Schindler was a rotund man,” he said. “If I had made the movie in 1964, I would have cast Gert Frobe, the late German actor. That’s what he looked like.”
There were no charges of killing prisoners in a gas chamber brought against the accused in the proceedings against the staff members of the Dachau camp, which were conducted by an American Military Tribunal at Dachau in November 1945, although a film of the gas chamber was shown at the Nuremberg International Military Tribunal on November 29, 1945, while the Dachau tribunal was in progress. This documentary film was taken by the Allies, under the direction of famed Hollywood director George Stevens; it showed the pipes through which the gas flowed into the gas chamber and the control wheels which regulated the flow of gas that came out of the shower heads.
In most ghettos, Nazis ordered the Jews to establish a Judenrat (Jewish council) to administer Nazi demands and to regulate the internal life of the ghetto. The Nazis routinely ordered deportations from the ghettos. In some of the large ghettos, 1,000 people per day were sent by rail to concentration and extermination camps. To get them to cooperate, the Nazis told the Jews they were being transported elsewhere for labor.
Estimates of Jewish participation in partisan units throughout Europe range from 20,000 to 100,000.[323] In the occupied Polish and Soviet territories, thousands of Jews fled into the swamps or forests and joined the partisans,[324] although the partisan movements did not always welcome them.[325] An estimated 20,000 to 30,000 joined the Soviet partisan movement.[326] One of the famous Jewish groups was the Bielski partisans in Belarus, led by the Bielski brothers.[324] Jews also joined Polish forces, including the Home Army. According to Timothy Snyder, "more Jews fought in the Warsaw Uprising of August 1944 than in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising of April 1943".[327][r]
Throughout German-occupied territory the situation of the Jews was desperate. They had meagre resources and few allies and faced impossible choices. A few people came to their rescue, often at the risk of their own lives. Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg arrived in Budapest on July 9, 1944, in an effort to save Hungary’s sole remaining Jewish community. Over the next six months, he worked with other neutral diplomats, the Vatican, and Jews themselves to prevent the deportation of these last Jews. Elsewhere, Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, a French Huguenot village, became a haven for 5,000 Jews. In German-occupied Poland, where it was illegal to aid Jews and where such action was punishable by death, the Zegota (Council for Aid to Jews) rescued a similar number of Jewish men, women, and children. Financed by the London-based Polish government in exile and involving a wide range of clandestine political organizations, Zegota provided hiding places and financial support and forged identity documents.
Oskar Schindler was born into a German Catholic family on April 28, 1908. After attending trade schools, he worked for his father’s farm machinery company. He worked for German intelligence and later joined the Nazi Party. An opportunist businessman with a taste for the finer things in life, he seemed an unlikely candidate to become a wartime hero. During the war, however, he operated a factory that employed more than 1,000 Polish Jews, saving them from concentration camps and extermination. In 1993 his story was made into the Steven Spielberg feature film Schindler's List.
In January 1945 a trainload of 250 Jews who had been rejected as workers at a mine in Goleschau in Poland arrived at Brünnlitz. The boxcars were frozen shut when they arrived, and Emilie Schindler waited while an engineer from the factory opened the cars using a soldering iron. Twelve people were dead in the cars, and the remainder were too ill and feeble to work. Emilie took the survivors into the factory and cared for them in a makeshift hospital until the end of the war.[74][73] Schindler continued to bribe SS officials to prevent the slaughter of his workers as the Red Army approached.[75] On 7 May 1945 he and his workers gathered on the factory floor to listen to British Prime Minister Winston Churchill announce over the radio that Germany had surrendered, and the war in Europe was over.[76]
Paradoxically, at the same time that Germany tried to rid itself of its Jews via forced emigration, its territorial expansions kept bringing more Jews under its control. Germany annexed Austria in March 1938 and the Sudetenland (now in the Czech Republic) in September 1938. It established control over the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia (now in the Czech Republic) in March 1939. When Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, the “Jewish question” became urgent. When the division of Poland between Germany and the Soviet Union was complete, more than two million more Jews had come under German control. For a time, the Nazis considered shipping the Jews to the island of Madagascar, off the southeast coast of Africa, but discarded the plan as impractical; the Nazis had not prevailed in the Battle of Britain, the seas had become a war zone, and the resources required for such a massive deportation were scarce.
On April 26, 1945, as American forces approached, there were 67,665 registered prisoners in Dachau and its subcamps. Of these, 43,350 were categorized as political prisoners, while 22,100 were Jews, with the remainder falling into various other categories. Starting that day, the Germans forced more than 7,000 prisoners, mostly Jews, on a death march from Dachau to Tegernsee far to the south. During the death march, the Germans shot anyone who could no longer continue; many also died of hunger, cold, or exhaustion.
After a day’s journey, we arrived at Bergen-Belsen. This concentration camp was hopelessly overcrowded and we were not accepted. The right hand no longer knew what the left hand was doing, so we were sent to an adjoining Wehrmacht compound. As the soldiers of the Wehrmacht marched out, we moved in. The confusion was unbelievable; this time it was disorder with German perfection. We were moved into clean barracks, equipped for human beings with excellent bathrooms and clean beds stacked three on top of each other. After all we had experienced in the preceding year, this was sheer luxury. There was no mention of the usual camp rituals, no roll calls and no work, but also no food.
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Tag: #RashidaTlaib
The mess on our southern borders continues to get worse by the day, and nobody has quite known what to do. It came as a big relief to everyone genuinely concerned about the fate of our Southern American neighbors, who have come to us for help, that the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives has passed a bill to give these people some relief.
The House voted 230 to 195, mostly down party lines late Tuesday night to approve a $4.5 billion measure to send humanitarian relief to the southern border, addressing concerns about conditions of detention centers where migrant children are being held.
This whole time we have barely heard or seen a thing. Many have feared the worst. Finally CNN got to go inside, and there’s no doubt that it was about time, but still, no one knows for sure what they’re up to; about all we do know is it doesn’t involve mass graves. We know they’re not ordering mass shootings, but other than that there is very little positive to say.
The following observations were made by Clara Long and Nicole Austin-Hillery, the journalists assigned to the story’s coverage by CNN, but they spoke for us all when they published them.
We have been speaking out urgently, since then, about the devastating and abusive circumstances we’ve found. The Trump administration claims it needs even more detention facilities to address the issue, but policy makers and the public should not be fooled into believing this is the answer.
The situation we found is unacceptable. US Border Patrol is holding many children, including some who are much too young to take care of themselves, in jail-like border facilities for weeks at a time without contact with family members, regular access to showers, clean clothes, toothbrushes, or proper beds. Many are sick. Many, including children as young as 2 or 3, have been separated from adult caretakers without any provisions for their care besides the unrelated older children also being held in detention.
These meathook findings leave little room for equivocation and help to shed critical light on a basic fact of critical importance.
We are dealing with the totally awful here, combined with more than a dash of the hideously absurd, although all of us are used to that by now. It’s Trump, after all.
Among other things, we had to actually have a vote about whether or not these little kids should be able to get soap and toothpaste. In the world’s richest country. What an insult to the history of the world’s remaining superpower.
Republicans are boasting about the worst thing they’ve done since Iraq, but even they and Trump seem mostly miserable. They’re not handling this situation well, but they didn’t create it, either. It’s a problem for us all at this point and a highly complex one. It should be noted that the Senate passed relief legislature as well, so that’s good.
Certainly, medieval solutions such as walls are a laughable measure. These people are coming here because our laws allow them to. Unless that changes, the wall would be nothing but a pointless and ugly disaster. They’re coming in through legal ports anyway. It’s almost like the right is starting to see that a wall’s not going to stop legal asylum seekers, but of course, that is probably a pipe dream. Bipartisan is practically a curse word to the modern right wing Party.
Democrats, as usual, are desperately trying to clean up what we can and keep it from getting any worse. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi was the one who put this relief bill together, to the surprise of absolutely no one, and her ability to keep her caucus in order has allowed us to keep things up and running. We even got some Republican votes.
Only one group of people in all of this wide nation’s Democratic Party stood in a bloc to oppose a bill that should have been a no-brainer for any progressive.
The Democratic Socialists of America all voted in a bloc against giving the kids soap and toothpaste.
How unbelievable is that? This is Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar we’re talking about here. Omar’s father was a Somalian cab driver who was able to get in here only at the cost of great difficulty, and now she is a famous Representative with an important voice to be heard in the Democratic Party. She blew it badly here. We gave her a chance before, and wrote “#WeStandWithIlhan-This Time.”
No way are we sticking up for her now. Not on your life.
At least the moderate core of the Party remains decent. I don’t have a thing to say for the rest. I guess Ilhan Omar can’t be outright proven a terrorist, so there’s that. But she sure does have some awful friends, and by this I mean Bernie Sanders, who she just co-authored a bill with, just as much as the Council of American-Islamic Relations. They’ve been right here to undermine us whenever it has counted all along, and look what it could have led to this time! The sheer physical revulsion I feel towards that vote they made is indescribable. Let no one say that we have not reached out; we have. Over and over again. But they just don’t share our values.
Regretting the need to keep this article about the kids and not the endless evils of the socialists, it’s disappointing from anyone to vote for refusing soap to caged immigrant children. Why was it not possible for Democrats of all stripes to come together and pressure Trump into buying these kids some soap and toothpaste? The guy does not mind at all putting on these displays of pettiness, unreal for the richest country in the world, but we do!
So much for Giving me your tired and poor. Our citizens are mostly the types of people who bought into all that Statue of Liberty stuff about the “huddled masses yearning to break free”. They opened up a Japanese internment camp for one particularly lucky huddled mass. I hate the term “masses” anyway and find it smarmily arrogant and superior. Those are people in there, not chewed and processed cud.
That last is a rather dehumanizing metaphor, which brings us to our next troubling observation. These people are not being discussed in the language of respect we should use when we hear of the plight of other humans, wherever or whoever they may be. They’re being referred to as pests and vermin. This cannot be allowed. We’re on a slippery slope at this point.
This really is Nazi-like, and not in the same overdramatic and irresponsible sense that Ocasio-Cortez used to compare what’s going on right now to the Holocaust. It’s in the sense of negating the basic human value possessed by every human.
Respect and kindness from our fellows ought to be a birthright, possessed by all members of our species. It’s always been unequal, and that sucks enough. But now Trump and the right wing are removing it altogether. The next step really could be mass graves and the death camps, and if it does come down to that we’ll be up against it even worse than ever. We now have these four time bomb socialist candidates to deal with on top of the mountainous pile of our other challenges.
Three Republicans voted in favor of the bill, and just four Democrats opposed the vote — they were all freshmen Democrats, and arguably the highest profile freshmen from the 116th Congress: Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib and Ayanna Pressley. All four said earlier in the week they would vote against the bill due to its funding of Immigration and Customs (ICE), which they have called for to be abolished.
There they are! The usual suspects, on again about the abolishing of ICE. Is this really the time? Make a speech or something, if you want to make a meaningless gesture. This is the same thing they pulled when Ocasio-Cortez refused to vote to help us re-open the government.
Oh, and those pictures of her showing up like a dynamo on the border today like some kind of a Terminatrix? They weren’t even recent! The shame of it all!
How in God’s holy name are we going to get those kids out of those cages, if we can’t even come together on giving them toothpaste? There’s no end to the outrage we ought to feel! It’s like living in a Nazi cartoon! If only we weren’t so beat up and numb already, from the previous three years of traumas! And let NO one forget, not a single bit of any of it could have been possible except with the help of Bernie Sanders!
That is why people now are getting murdered down there wholesale, in many cases by predator Americans who have gone there to act out their violent fantasies.
Removing from the German public their perception of their Jewish neighbors as humans like themselves proved invaluable to the Nazis when they locked down all of Europe and began to hunt them down and kill them off. It needs to be clearly noted that we’re far from saying they’re doing anything like what the Nazis were doing- yet.
We do not wish at all to trivialize the Holocaust, which dwarfed in proportion by far any other human tragedy. AOC made a big mistake there. She then made it obvious that she’s anti-Israel completely by refusing a visit to Auschwitz with a number of survivors, another big mistake. But just because she’s shrill and hysterical doesn’t mean she doesn’t have a wildly overstated point. The longer this goes on, the more vicious Trump will get, and we all know how he looks up to that savage lot. There’s no telling where it all might end.
Sincere people of all political persuasions should be able to get that we need to take care of children. The fact that we can’t just says it all about the state of the nation today. One thing is for sure, and one alone. The radicals are not helping on either side. The Democrats are the only ones who can, so we need to support each other now more than ever. All old grudges should be piled up like fall leaves and lit afire. The stakes are too high.
Going forward, the plan is clear. We have got to do what it takes to link hands with our people down there on the southern border, and we’ve got to do it now. We want you to give us those kids back, Trump, and a rage is growing in us because you won’t. The Point of No Return is now on your horizon. Turn back now, and you may yet reach the shore. History will revile you anyway, there’s no getting around that anymore, but only as Mussolini, not as Hitler. Take it or leave it.
And give those bars of soap to those dog-caged children!
themillennialdemocrats Climate, Culture, Immigration, Millennial Op-Ed, Politics and Current Events, World 4 Comments June 27, 2019 7 Minutes
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Why Hillary shouldn’t take Secretary of State post
The cabinet is the graveyard of presidential hopes
By JOSHUA SPIVAK
With his search for cabinet members taking shape, all eyes are turning on Barack Obama's possible choice of his chief rival, Senator Hillary Clinton, to serve as Secretary of State.
There may be a number of reasons Clinton would want to head the State Department, but the one that should not motivate her is improving her chances for another run at the White House. As Clinton must know, the cabinet is the graveyard of presidential hopes.
This may be surprise to voters and foreign observers, who may think that the cabinet is a good springboard to the presidency. After all, cabinet members hold high executive offices and are appointed to the position because of their deep connections and frequently because they also possess a substantial popular base of support in the electorate.
In other countries, which admittedly have significantly different electoral processes, a position in the cabinet is the main route to serving as president or prime minister.
But there is another strong reason for the belief that a cabinet member may have an advantage in a future White House run -- a misreading of American history. Many of the early memorable presidents were former cabinet members. Starting with Thomas Jefferson, the first non-president or vice president to win office, five of the next six presidents had first served as Secretary of State. At that time, the State Department was the incubator of presidents.
But that quickly changed. Since Martin Van Buren, only three presidents have served in any cabinet-level job. Plenty of cabinet members have tried to run, including Bill Richardson and Tommy Thompson this year. But the last time a cabinet member was either nominated by a major party or elected was in 1928. And none of those three President/Cabinet members were rated highly by voters of their time or by historians -- former Secretary of State James Buchanan, former Secretary of War William Howard Taft, and former Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover. All were one-termers, and two of them, Buchanan and Hoover, presided over the worst catastrophes in U.S. history.
It is not just that cabinet members are not elected, they are not even nominated. You have to go back even further to find a former cabinet member who was nominated for the presidency by a major party and lost -- Republican Presidential candidate James G. Blaine in 1884, who served a brief one year stint as Secretary of State in 1881.
Cabinet members are not even popular running mates. Despite former Defense Secretary Dick Cheney's overwhelming presence in the White House, cabinet members are rarely selected to serve as VP. Outside of Cheney and Bob Dole's running mate Jack Kemp, the last cabinet member to be picked for a run was Secretary of Agriculture Henry Wallace in 1940. And Wallace was promptly dumped by FDR in favor of Harry Truman in 1944.
Why the complete failure of the cabinet members to move up the ladder? There are a number of possible explanations. Some are basic, such as the fact that there are many fewer Secretaries than there are Senators or Governors -- the two other key positions outside of Vice President. Another is the recent near total domination of the presidential nomination process by vice presidents. Until this year, every election since 1952 has had either an incumbent president or vice president running for the presidency. The vice president has become the de facto successor to an incumbent president, which crowds out any favored members of the cabinet from trying to run for the position.
Being a cabinet member also ties down and limits the actions of a presidential hopeful. Unlike a governor or a senator, positions which allow a significant amount of independent action and cover a number of critical policy issues, a cabinet secretary is tied to a narrow field of focus.
Then there is the issue of credit -- whatever good they do in the administration, they will not get the full credit for -- that goes to the president. However, if the president is particularly unpopular, the cabinet member could be weighed down with a large share of blame for the president's actions, even if they had nothing to do with that work.
Instead of being a presidential incubator, the cabinet serves the opposite role. Many heavyweight politicians actually seek a cabinet appointment to cap their career -- which seems to be the goal of someone like John Kerry, who has also been suggested as possible Secretary of State.
But all indications are that this motivation is not the case for Hillary Clinton. There seems little reason to believe that she is ready to end her public service career. And since there is a good chance that many of her fervent supporters are ready to rally around her candidacy in 2016, or even in 2012 if Obama slips up, why would she want a Secretary of State post?
It is possible that, in addition to wanting the power and responsibility of Secretary of State, she is playing a political calculation. She may feel that Vice President Joe Biden, who will be 73 at the end of an Obama second term, will not run for president. Then, as the senior and most noteworthy member of the Obama team, she would be well positioned for a run, inheriting his and her husband's mantle. There is a possibility that such a move may work, but it is risky. As she undoubtedly knows, it is easier to run for president as a sitting elected official -- like every single major party nominee since 1980.
Joshua Spivak, a public relations executive and attorney, is a research fellow at the Hugh L. Carey Center for Government Reform at Wagner College.
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« TOP 10 most powerful weapons of the Israeli Army ( That we know of )
The German AfD party has surged and Europe is falling apart »
Misrepresenting Germany in ‘The New York Times’
Misrepresenting Germany in ‘The New York Times’, PJ Media, Bruce Bawer, September 25, 2017
YouTube screenshot from New York Times documentary about a refugee in Germany
It is strange to think that there was a time when I bought The New York Times every morning and pored through it over my coffee, genuinely convinced that I was reading the most reliable news source on the planet. In my defense, I was very young. And The New York Times was a better paper then, although nowhere near as good as I thought it was. It has, in any event, long since become a travesty – a propaganda sheet that systematically, and dangerously, distorts the truth about the most crucial issues of our time.
Case in point: a 14-minute “Times documentary” entitled “Seeking Asylum in Germany – and Finding Hatred.” Credited to Ainara Tiefenthäler, Shane O’Neill, and Andrew Michael Ellis, and posted front and center on the Times website last Thursday, it’s about Abode, a tall, lanky 22-year-old Libyan refugee who, at the beginning of the film, has been living in the Saxon town of Bautzen (pop. 41,000) for over two years.
From the outset, Abode is presented as an innocent victim of racist hatred. We see him in his room at the Bautzen asylum center, talking softly, his large brown eyes oozing sensitivity. We see a cell-phone video in which a young white woman half his size kicks and hits him, apparently without provocation. We see him rehearsing for a hip-hop stage adaptation of Romeo and Juliet in which he plays Mercutio; the theater director, a middle-aged woman, speaks of him glowingly.
Providing contrast to this peaceable young man, we see a ragtag neo-Nazi group in Bautzen’s town square, waving flags and praising Donald Trump. And we see close-ups of racist online comments (in German) about refugees.
Abode says that when he used to see pictures of Europe on TV, he thought it looked wonderful. But now he hates it. “Libya is the land of good,” he says. Germany, by contrast, is a land of Nazis.
“Nazi” is a word he uses a lot. He says he’s had “problems with Nazis and the police” ever since his arrival in Germany. Eventually we discover that he’s been described in the local media as the head of a gang of refugees who engage in rioting and violence. We see a newspaper front page featuring a picture of him aiming a machine gun.
But Abode has explanations. The picture with the gun, he says, was taken at a wedding, where the guests fired rounds to celebrate. He claims that he’s never started a riot, but only acted in self-defense. He admits to having committed an act of violence, but only because he “blew up” at the sight of a Nazi rally. The theater director makes a curious statement: “He is someone who steps to the front when there is conflict.” She makes it sound as if he’s some kind of peacemaker, trying to put an end to conflict – not a gang leader, inciting conflict.
Toward the end of the documentary, we jump to “three months later.” An intertitle reads: “Since last year’s clashes between far-right locals and refugees in Bautzen, the police have opened up two dozen investigations of Abode.” Clashes? Why haven’t we see any of these “clashes”? Investigations? Two dozen? For what? The film doesn’t tell us.
We’re told Abode has been identified as “a public safety risk.” Why? The implicit message is that Abode is a victim of untiring police harassment. We’ve heard him complain about his “problems with Nazis and the police.” The film seems to want us to equate the two.
Finally, we’re shown Abode on the asylum center roof, threatening to jump. An end title informs us that he didn’t jump, has been relocated to an asylum center in another town, and is banned from Bautzen for three months. Finis.
After seeing Abode depicted as an undeserving object of hatred in a town full of neo-Nazis, I turned to the local German newspapers. They told a different story. Abode’s real name, I discovered, is apparently Mohamed Youssef. (The papers do him the favor of reducing his surname to an initial, “T” for Targi.) He came to Germany in 2014.
Here’s one detail omitted by the documentary: our hero calls himself “King Abode,” just as a Mafia don in a Sicilian village might call himself its king. One source points out something that’s obvious from the first moments of the film: while Abode claims to be from Libya, he doesn’t look Libyan – my guess would be he’s really from Somalia.
According to the German papers, Abode has caused plenty of trouble in Bautzen: he’s committed robberies, sold drugs, harassed women, thrown bottles at cops. And more, much more. But town authorities have gone soft on him in the name of “peaceful coexistence.” His asylum application was rejected, but he can’t be deported because it’s on appeal. What’s more, in defiance of the ban mentioned at the end of the film, Abode has returned repeatedly to the asylum center in Bautzen. Instead of punishing him for this, town officials have tried to work out a compromise, such as allowing Abode to stay at the Bautzen asylum center but asking him to stay away from the town square.
To read these stories about Abode is to see the narrative of the Times documentary completely unravel. Far from being a victim of police brutality, he turns out to be a thug who thumbs his nose at the law. Instead of being Nazi bullies, the folks that run Bautzen out of town prove to be toothless — scared to subject even the most dangerous of rejected asylum seekers to even the mildest of punishments. No surprise here, of course: if this town really were full of Nazis, as the film suggests, Abode would’ve beat a hasty retreat long ago — or ended up in a shallow grave in the woods.
The German newspapers make the facts crystal clear: this young man is a predator who’s been allowed to torment and terrorize an entire town for over two years, and whom multiculturalism-infatuated local officials, police, and courts have been terrified to touch.
That’s Germany today – the very opposite of what the New York Times wants you to believe.
Explore posts in the same categories: Germany and "Nazis", New York Times
This entry was posted on September 26, 2017 at 7:15 PM and is filed under Germany and "Nazis", New York Times. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments.
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As part of its obligations under the Freedom of Information Act, the University of Warwick has adopted a Publication Scheme that has been approved by the Information Commissioner and that follows the standard format used by Higher Education bodies in the United Kingdom. The Scheme sets out details of classes of information the University will routinely make available to anyone who consults it, how the information will be published, how the information can be obtained and whether any charge will be made for this information. If you notice any errors/broken links with the University's Publication Scheme, you should contact the Legal Compliance Team in the first instance at infocompliance@warwick.ac.uk who may be able to help.
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Transcript of The Key to Success? Taking Care of Your Community
Transcript of The Key to Success? Taking Care of Your Community written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing
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John Jantsch: Who doesn’t love Copyblogger? Really been around since the dawn of the online era. Brian Clark and I have been friends for a really long time and they have certainly set the standard on how to build a business, how to build a brand, how to take care of a community. In this episode of the Duct Tape Marketing podcast, I catch up with Brian and we just talk about a whole host of things. Why don’t you sit in and listen with us? You don’t want to miss it.
Hello and welcome to another episode of the Duct Tape Marketing podcast. This is John Jantsch and my guest today is Brian Clark. He is the CEO of Rainmaker Digital, founder of Copyblogger, host of unemployable and curator of further. Brian thanks for joining me. This is about your third time on at least.
Brian Clark: John, it’s always good to be here. Always good to talk to you.
John Jantsch: Yeah so you’ve got a lot going on in your world always. We always enjoy, I think, we forget there’s an audience listening even sometimes and enjoy just chatting about this online world that we’ve both been in for a long time. Tell me what’s new at Copyblogger and Rainmaker.
Brian Clark: There’s two big developments that have happened in the last six months or so. One was the launch of Studio Press Sites. For those that are familiar with Studio Press, it was pretty much the industry standard for word press things for many, many years powered by the [Janis 00:01:44] framework, which is our design framework that makes word press more powerful and easier to use. That was a company founded by Brian Gardener who is a principle here in Rainmaker Digital. We came together in 2010. That was part of our overall initiative to build what became known as the Rainmaker platform. As a bootstrap company without investors we always have to use cash flow as our development and maintenance funds.
Studio Press was a work horse for many years as we did development of Rainmaker, which was released in 2014 and then a couple years of rapidly trying to iterate that more ambitious marketing automation website email total solution type thing. When we finally came up for air, which was last fall, we started thinking about an idea that we had had for several years which was the idea of a hybrid between an all in one solution like a Square Space or a Wix, but without limiting all the functionality that you can do with word press. It’s a hard thing to do because what makes word press so powerful is just being able to use any plug-in, any theme, mix and match, put it together your own way.
Of course, as an open source project when you start mixing all these elements together from different sources, you have possible compatibility issues, you have security issues, you’ve got ease of use, who can you trust, who do you go for support, all that kind of stuff. That’s what we tried to solve with Studio Press Sites which is a little up market of say a Blue Host or an entry level thousand on a box type very inexpensive solution. Still, nowhere near the higher pricing that you would see. That rolled out at the very beginning of February. We’ve been thrilled with the reception level while we’re taking in all the feedback and improving and trying to do the same thing there with rapidly making that more in line with what we’re hearing from our customers, which has been pretty good.
There’s that side of things. That was our chance to revitalize Studio Press. The brand was always so important to us, but just again, by the nature of being a small bootstrap company even though we made it to eight figures in the last couple years, you know how it is when you’re running a small business you choose your priorities and you focus. At least that’s what we do and that’s the only way we’ve been able to make things work. That was a revisiting of Studio Press, which we’re really excited about.
On the Rainmaker side we evolved the platform. It’s kind of like Hub Spot if you will. That’s the easiest way for people to understand what it is. It was designed to be more accessible and more affordable because we started with word press and then we tricked it out heavily just as we do for our own sites. We got to thousands of customers and millions in recurring revenue. We started seeing the writing on the wall, I’d say at least a year ago where, again, you’ve got to listen to your customers. If there’s frustration, if there is something standing in the way of your customer’s success, even if it’s their own staffing, it’s their own skill levels, anything, ultimately it becomes your fault. Right? If you don’t solve the customer’s problem and provide a mechanism for success. We saw people, they were just running into roadblocks whether it be content development, design, any myriad of subset of that SEO, which of course you’re having a nice focus on custom development. All of that kind of stuff we realized we needed to do that, even though from the beginning that wasn’t really what we aspired to do. We weren’t trying to have a client type business. It was always at the customer level.
The thing we found with that model, to make it affordable and easy to use, you spend an incredible amount of time on onboarding, documentation, just trying to figure out every possible way to keep a paying customer on track and successful. I think we did a pretty good job at that, but when you spend all your time on that type of stuff, not all of it but a substantial part, that’s just taking away from development of new features. Again, even beyond that it was still take my credit card. Why can’t you just make me the content? Why can’t you do design for me? Why can’t you just set this up for me? It was amazing how much of that we got.
John Jantsch: You and I talked about this a couple times I think probably about a year ago. I think that’s always gonna be a challenge in there are 700 million variables and how you plan for every one that every person wants. Right? Everybody wants their thing. In the end, like you said, everybody really just wants somebody to do it for them. Rainmaker, I think, at the outset was incredibly ambitious. What’s the right term? You’ve enhanced it? Is that the right term?
Brian Clark: I think what we’ve done is listened to the market. It’s going to be a little bit upstream, not enterprise level, but certainly more than 150 bucks a month just for the platform. We’re gonna create just more bundled solutions as well as a la carte services. We had started that, and again you’re right, you and I had a conversation because of course you have this network of talented consultants and our friend Michael Port same thing. There’s some congruency here. Of course, that’s what Hub Spots model was and other similar platforms, they rely almost 100% on agency reseller arrangements. Right? They’re the point of contact for the sale, but they’re also doing the substance of work for them as well. We had to consider are we gonna be a me too, again, we didn’t take 100 million bucks like Hub Spot and we’re not trying to go public, so for us it made sense to why don’t we make power house hybrid agency where you have technology solutions, website, email, marketing automation, but also the creative services that back that up. Everything from strategy design, SEO, and whatnot.
Really when you think about it, I have two Rainmaker sites. I wouldn’t go back to word press if you paid me. Just the interface alone of word press scares me sometimes because I’m spoiled now with what we did with Rainmaker. I’ve never had an issue. Here’s the difference, my Rainmaker sites were set up for me by someone on the team, my designs were done by [Raphal 00:09:15]. You know? It was seamless. I don’t ever have a problem. I just go in there and I post my content and I do what I need to do. I send my emails. It’s wonderful. I can imagine if I had to start from scratch, even with all the onboarding work we did, even with all the extensive documentation and videos and everything, for me, I’d be like just do this for me. My time is more important than my money. Right? Now imagine you’ve got someone in a similar position to me, but they haven’t been doing content marketing for 20 years. They need a whole lot more help than even I need. That’s just the reality of where we’re at.
John Jantsch: Well and I think the other thing that a lot of people really neglect to is I find increasingly we used to live in a world where you could go get somebody to design your website and then you could get a content producer to help you produce content and then you could get an SEO person to SEO it all. I think we increasingly live in a world, a business and marketing world, where all that stuff has to be done together. Developing your website is strategy now and developing your content is strategy and developing your SEO is strategy.
Brian Clark: Right. We’ve been preaching that for awhile. You have. I know [Lee Odin 00:10:33] wrote a whole book about it. It is true. It is one thing. I think people are coming around to understanding that. That’s one aspect of it. Then also look at where we’re going with consumers and prospects are expecting personalized experiences as long as you don’t creep them out with your automation and whatnot. That’s just adds another layer of complexity. Within the strategy, it’s not just content and SEO and design, it’s entire choose your own adventure sequences of if then, then that so that you’re creating, not only from a conversion standpoint, but from their perspective, their experience of this is perfect, this is for me, without them ever knowing what’s going on behind the scenes. It’s when you pull back the curtain on the wizard that people get creeped out by automation technology. Right? That takes skill and that takes strategy. That’s a whole new brave world. I don’t think there’s that many people on the planet who can say they’re really good at that. But that’s where we’re going.
John Jantsch: What’s gonna be the role, I’m gonna go down a whole path I didn’t know I was gonna go down here, but what’s gonna be the role of AI in all of that?
Brian Clark: That’s the interesting question. That was another thing that kept me up at night. Again, we’re a successful, profitable company, but we don’t have a war chest. We don’t have investors. I started thinking we may be on the cusp of seeing the website radically, what’s the word here, just when you think about it, websites have changed a lot in the last 20 years, mainly by content not by structure. We’ve had the same metaphors for navigation, organization, some better than others, user experience interface, but if you look at how people use chat bots and if that experience can get to true AI, and plus machine learning on the fly, that is the first chance I think we’ll have where we see the website that’s been with us since the nineties essentially radically reinvent. You’re still gonna need content, you’re still gonna need design, everything, but you could get caught flat footed as a CEO of a company like mine if that change happens before we could adapt to it. Then all of a sudden we find ourself losing customers, not making new sales because we just couldn’t move fast enough.
Now, I am encouraged because everything from chat bots to AI to even some machine learning stuff, is being developed so that it can be plug and play. That’s encouraging. You start with your core platform and then you have something like [inaudible 00:13:27] for integrations and then we should be able to do anything. It still return to me that desire for it to be done for them, then again, my own experience, would I take the time to do all this myself. That doesn’t make sense to a person in my position right now. If you’re just starting out and you don’t need all the bells and whistles, hey we got Studio Press for that. But eventually people who are successful, I think, are gonna have to look long and hard about what is the next level of experiential marketing and personalization that people are gonna start expecting because the leading edge companies are gonna start doing it and then it’s gonna start becoming expected. To answer your question on that, as far as timing, I don’t know. What do you think about that John? How fast do you think the potential for change is happening given the rapid acceleration in AI technology?
John Jantsch: I think it’s gonna be like a lot of things. Remember how long we talked about mobile is coming?
Brian Clark: I made that comment just today. Every year since ’98 was the year of mobile and it didn’t really happen until the iPhone 2007.
John Jantsch: I feel like AI is gonna be the same way. Everybody’s talking about it, they’re seeing like demonstrations of it, people are experience good and bad of it, but when it becomes behavior that dictates … It’s like unseen. It just dictates, you expect it, to me that’s a few years off. There’s so many forces, I think, that are driving at that. Everybody’s developing this stuff, Facebook’s embracing it. Then you’ve got Google. Google still today, whether it’s gonna go away or not, who knows, but I think still today drives a great deal of how websites are positioned, how websites are designed. I think they want to keep everything. Now to find a local business, quite often we don’t need their website. Their website has to inform Google. It has to tell Google what the phone number is and what the address is and what the hours are, but there’s a lot of consumers today that click three times inside of Google and find themselves out of business and never went to that person’s website. I think Google holds a lot of the reigns on what role a website actually plays for a business.
Brian Clark: That’s a good point. To think that there are still millions of websites out there that are effectively brochures. They missed the entire last 10 years of the content revolution. Things to move slower than those of us who [inaudible 00:16:11] worrying about what the next level of change is, and yet I was afraid that that type of thinking might put me in a complacency a little bit. No matter what happens, I think our new model in which we’re effectively taking the Rainmaker portion of the business, you know we’re a multi-product line company, and forming a new entity that is merging with an existing agency. One thing that we did not feel like we were gonna try to do on our own was try to start an agency from scratch. That didn’t make a whole lot of sense to me at all.
We’ve done a lot of work on the technology side and that was a valuable asset that allowed us to remain the majority partner in this new effort, but really all we’re doing is responding to what we’re hearing, what people want, and then also being able to be in a position to where if things do radically change with AI concepts, that’s so much easier to deal with on a custom development level than it is from trying to make something one size fits all. Can you imagine the onboarding process when you have to start programming in? Effectively you’re trying to create a person. They’ve got chat bots off the shelf, but you’re gonna have to personalize that even further. It’s interesting times John. I’ll tell you.
John Jantsch: Hey thanks for listening to the Duct Tape Marketing podcast. Are you an independent marketing consultant or an agency owner? You might want to check out the Duct Tape Marketing consultant network. It is a growing group of independent marketing consultants and agencies that are partnering and collaborating and using the Duct Tape Marketing tools and really scaling their business. Check it out at ducttapemarketingconsultant.com.
Is the new venture live and online or is it still in beta? This is June of 2017 when we’re having this conversation. Is it ready to roll?
Brian Clark: Yeah. We’ve been moving pretty fast, but not that fast. Basically we announced what we were doing in May. As we’re recording this the platform, as it’s currently sold as online [SAS 00:18:30] where you do a free trial and then you put in your credit card and then you buy, that’s coming off the market in a couple days. That was the next necessary step. From there, I would say around August 1 would be a target date for when we start rolling things out. We do have a substantial customer base that we’re gonna to first. You know, what can we do for you? Some of you have definitely been asking. That will be a way to roll it out behind the scenes. Then of course, basically it becomes agency record for Copyblogger. Beyond that, you know how it is, you just have to see what the reaction is, see what the further demand is, and tweak and go from there.
John Jantsch: Let’s change gears a little bit here. I like asking people this question because you and I have been doing this for a long time, blogging seems easy to us, but if somebody’s starting out today what would you tell them, and they wanted to build an online business or they wanted to build a brand, what advice would you give somebody starting out right now? Where should they focus?
Brian Clark: I came back to writing on Copyblogger this year after really being neck deep in development and other I guess you would call traditional CEO stuff and I got away from writing as much, so when I came back at the beginning of the year I had already decided that the thing people need to start with that most people don’t, even at the [b to b 00:20:14] content marketing level, these are high powered companies with big ticket prices and they have no documented strategy whatsoever. Right? Only 34% according to Content Marketing Institute take the time to document their strategy, what they’re trying to accomplish, which is insane. Now think about the average blogger and why thousands of blogs are started probably every week and a fraction of those ever stick around or succeed. I think it’s for the same reason, which is you got an idea for a topic, maybe it’s something you’re passionate about, that gets you going, but that’s not gonna sustain you number one, and number two, you’re not really gonna be mindful of attracting the right kind of audience. The right kind of audience has to match what your actual goal is. Are you selling products, services, advertising sponsorships? You have to have a general idea of what you’re trying to accomplish.
I started trying to document the process I use and really all of us use inside the company when we were launching something new. The only caveat to that I’ll say for a lot of stuff with our existing audiences, I’ve been with them for a decade so the most important part of strategy is knowing who you’re talking to. Right? You know that. I have a good feel. I’ve got a good relationship with this audience. It gets easier. If you’re just starting out, you’ve got to sit down and figure out why am I doing this, who am I trying to reach, my important point on that is choose your audience according to your own core values instead of trying to put out content that offends no one. You’ll just get ignored. Right? It’s almost like these days if someone doesn’t dislike you then no one likes you. You’re trying to engage heavily with some people. You’re never gonna please everyone. Number one mistake people make. They don’t want to offend anyone. They don’t want to get trolled. It’s gonna happen. You’ve got to just deal with it.
You’ve got to know what type of information this people need. What kind of journey do they need to go on in order to feel like they’ve been helped by me? They’re the hero of their own journey, but you become a hero to them by helping them out. Right? Then what’s the order of that information? Then finally, it’s how do you say it, which I think a lot of new bloggers come … They want to be writers. Maybe they are accomplished writers with a great style and voice, and yet they’re writing for themselves and not necessarily in a language and the terminology of the audience. That’s fine. If you just want to start a blog and express yourself, great. But if you are trying to make a commercial venture out of something or promote an existing business, you really need to sit down and come up with a documented strategic plan.
John Jantsch: Alright so last question. What are you most excited about right now? What’s going on out there in the world or in your world that you’re most excited about right now?
Brian Clark: Well for the last four months since we launched, I guess it’s a little over four months now, launching Studio Press Sites. I’ve been really into that because we tried to create something that was unique, that filled a market need that we kept hearing needed to be filled. I’ve been jazzed about that, which is interesting because, again, I think some people thought we were just taking Studio Press for granted. That wasn’t the truth at all. I was excited to get back to that. We’ve been experimenting with what’s gonna work. Right? You watch the conversion rates go up. That to me is just the old school reason I started Copyblogger in the first place, which is the thrill of using words and content that provide value in order to get people to buy stuff. Still to this day never bores me. I’m not jaded yet.
On the other hand, I haven’t done client based marketing since 2005 when I swore I’d never do it again. What I swore is I’d never personally serve the clients again. In my role on the new side of Rainmaker I am evangelist and trainer as opposed to the guy who does the work. I’m excited about that because this is really a new animal for us. We’ve been a multiple … We’ve launched I don’t know how many things over the last 11 years. They’ve all succeeded. That’s been all great, but this is a different animal and I think there’s a need for it. It’s also a personal challenge. That’s what keeps me going each year, John. It’s like what can we do new and different that’s gonna excite me instead of that feeling where I got to go to work? I never want to have that feeling. That’s, I guess, what drives me.
John Jantsch: Yeah. There’s no question the need for what you’re talking about immense and growing every day. I think that where you have a really interesting spot is there are a lot of people out there that have the expertise and the partnerships and the services, but your technology platform, I think, is gonna be in a way an interesting test of if that gives you a leg up or not.
Brian Clark: It has been interesting and it did influence my thinking. We get pitched by vendors all the time for various things. We had a company that had developed technology that made Q and A testing, a SAS platforms more efficient. It’s software with a service. That’s where you’re seeing the market evolved to. Stand alone SAS, unless it’s for a very simple repetitive task, say something like buffer or [inaudible 00:26:15] those are great SAS’s because anyone can just sign up for it. It’s not that hard. Figure it out. It makes your life easier on a repetitive task. Once you get a little bit more complicated than that … Okay. Let me put it this way. The hard part, despite all the technology advancements that we’re seeing and continue to see, the hard part is the content itself. There you have it.
John Jantsch: Biggest source of stress for business owners today I think. Absolutely. Well Brian it’s always great to catch up with you. Congratulations on the new ventures and hopefully we’ll see you soon somewhere in Colorado.
Brian Clark: Absolutely. I would love to see you in October. See if we can work that out.
John Jantsch: Hey thanks for listening to this episode of the Duct Tape Marketing podcast. I wonder if you could do me a favor. Could you leave an honest review? Your ratings and reviews really help and I promise I read each and every one. Thanks.
Duct Tape Marketing IFTTT
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Florence and the Machine: Our Generation’s Stevie Nicks
Florence Welch doesn’t look like a rockstar when she’s not flying around the stage. Yet, the woman who’s been chosen to replace the word’s greatest rock band also had Bonnaroo’s best set.
Welch probably wouldn’t turn your head if she passed you on the street, but her voice is impossible to ignore.
The London singer/songwriter took to the Bonnaroo main stage before festival closer Billy Joel. Sandwiched among larger-than-life headliners like Marcus Mumford, Jim James of My Morning Jacket, Kendrick Lamar, and of course Billy Joel, Welch’s humble approach shined. The singer looked in awe during the applause after every song. Her career hasn’t lacked success by any means, but she still seemed surprised that so many would turn out to see her at a 7 o’clock headlining spot.
Although humble, Welch displayed her quiet confidence as she sprinted across the stage, barefoot, and down the rocky aisles into the crowd, all the while showcasing her powerhouse vocals. Clad in John Lennon-like drapey white shirt and pants, she smiled graciously after every song, catching her breath from her sprinter performance during each song.
Florence Welch is our generation’s Stevie Nicks. The music moves her just as much as she moves the music. Every second of her performance was spiritual. Welch can even turn playing tambourine into a religious experience (I wrote that exact sentence after seeing Fleetwood Mac this year). Hell, she apparently even started a witches coven while at school. The similarities are getting uncanny aren’t they?
But, Welch is also powerful enough to stand on her own without any comparison. Her music can stand on its own without comparison. As can her performances. The same crowd that had seen Bleachers or Twenty One Pilots or even Billy Joel knew all the words to her hits like “Dog Days are Over” and “Shake it Off.” The show turned into one of the world’s most positive dance party during the latter and one of Florence’s best, “Ship to Wreck.”
Her latest material, though, may be her most touching and sincere. Still, it doesn’t lack melodic hooks, and her set proved that the songs have enough life in them to have serious staying power. “What Makes a Man” is the perfect sassy, mid-tempo power ballad. The EDM hit “Sweet Nothings” was dressed up as a gorgeous acoustic-based ballad, that ditched the laptop for harp.
Everything seems better and lighter for Welch, who cut her drinking during the recording of the latest album. She floats around stage instead of battling demons and one word that her performance continually conjured was empowerment. She even made the day of an audience member holding a “hugs?” sign, by telling her that if she could get to the stage she could have that hug, which then became two.
Florence Welch is a new kind of rockstar. She may be the closest thing to Stevie Nicks our generation has seen, but she’s her own artist. She’s a rockstar on her own terms. She doesn’t need the meat dresses of Gaga, the electronica of her fellow pop darlings, the guitar rock of the Foo Fighters. Florence and the Machine relies on Florence Welch simply being herself. She may seem an unlikely candidate, but there’s no doubt that Florence Welch is one of the world’s greatest rockstars.
Previous Bonnaroo: final day- Kirk
Next Album Review: Health- Death Magic
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Battery Park City, Features
A Suburban Enclave in Manhattan: Peeking Into Battery Park City
Posted On Thu, July 31, 2014 By Dana Schulz In Battery Park City, Features
As New Yorkers, we learn to be resourceful. We can turn a tiny patch of grass into a full-on park, double the space of our 400-square-foot apartment with lofted rooms and suspended shelving, and get all of our reading in on the commute to work. But for some, this sacrificial lifestyle becomes too much, and daydreams of suburbia set in.
Not ready to pack your bags for Jersey or Westchester just yet? Look to Battery Park City, a suburban-like enclave that’s just a five-minute walk from Wall Street. The 92-acre planned residential community is the largest “green” neighborhood in the world, with more than one third of its total acreage covered in parks and gardens. Additionally, the area boasts spectacular waterfront views, large apartments, slightly more affordable prices than its Financial District neighbors, and an impressive collection of public art.
Image of construction via Wiki Commons
The idea of Battery Park City was first conceived in the 1960s as a means to revitalize the run-down, poor section of Lower Manhattan. Private developers proposed the idea of using landfill from the World Trade Center construction to build out the island, and by the mid-70s, infrastructural work commenced. Gateway Plaza was the first collection of residential buildings to welcome inhabitants to Battery Park City in the mid-80s. Located at the southern section of the community, it was comprised of moderate-income rentals. Throughout the 90s, more rentals continued to open, but after 9/11 Battery Park City was devastated. Residents were unable to return home for months, and half of the population decided not to return due to concerns of poor air quality and security threats. Landlords offered lower rents and other incentives, and the community rebounded, with population eventually surpassing pre-2001 levels.
Battery Park City has seen some of its highest sale prices this year, with condos averaging $1,194/square foot, up from $1,040 in 2013. The most expensive 2014 transactions occurred at the Residences at the Ritz-Carlton, a 40-story, mixed-use tower that contains 311 hotel rooms and 114 condominium apartments with access to hotel amenities. In fact, the building currently has bragging rights for being home to the city’s most expensive listing—a three-unit combo stretched across two floors that’s on the market for $118.5 million.
The Ritz-Carlton’s closest competitor is the Riverhouse (aka One Rockefeller Park), a 32-story, Gold LEED building known as the “greenest residential building on the East Coast.” It features twice-filtered air and water; low pollution-emitting paints, carpets and acoustical treatments; triple-glazed windows; and a 50-foot aqua-tile lap pool. Though the eco-friendly residence has attracted celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio and Sacha Baron Cohen, the Ritz Carlton’s average of $2,301/square foot surpasses the Riverhouse’s average sale price of $1,727/square foot.
L to R: Residences at the Ritz Carlton, Riverhouse, Visionaire
Like the Riverhouse, the Visionaire is another well-known, environmentally friendly building that opened after the Battery Park City Authority published its new green guidelines in 2000. The city’s first LEED Platinum building, it features an in-building wastewater treatment system, solar power, pesticide-free roof garden on which rainwater is harvested, and a charging station for electric cars. The Visionaire has the community’s third-highest sales, with an average price of $1,167/square foot.
L to R: Cafes and walkways, The Winter Garden at the World Financial Center; Walkway at the South Cove
Now that Battery Park City’s population is at an historic high, new commercial enterprises are also moving in. By next spring, Brookfield Place will complete its $250 million renovation, which will include 40 high-end boutiques, six restaurants, and a 25,000-square-foot marketplace. Just last month, Brookfield opened Hudson Eats, a food hall with 14 casual dining spots, and throughout the summer they are hosting a wide variety of community events and outdoor performances. This is all in addition to Battery Park City’s current foodie offerings, including three popular Danny Meyer restaurants, North End Grill, Blue Smoke, and Shake Shack.
Liking the sound of all this? There are currently 53 units listed for sale in Battery Park City, ranging from a 2,156-square-foot, four-bedroom apartment at the Riverhouse with an asking price of $4.3 million, to a studio at 300 Rector Place listed at $447,000.
[Via CityRealty]
All images courtesy of CityRealty unless otherwise noted
Tags : Battery Park City, Battery Park City Authority, Battery Park City real estate, Brookfield Place, Lower Manhattan real estate, Residences at the Ritz Carlton, Riverhouse, Visionaire
Neighborhoods : Battery Park City
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Diosas Imperfectas
Personal exhibition at Garage Beer Co
Diosas Imperfectas it’s Spanish for “Flawed Goddesses”
Goddesses are not perfect, they’re the highest example of reality, at its purest level. They can be guidance, examples or warning for the human kind. Beautiful, powerful and real. Just like women. This series is a celebration of a few goddesses and their stories, in their whole truth.
NEFELE
TALASSA
From the top left corner:
ISIS One of the most important deities of ancient Egypt, her name is the Greek form of an ancient Egyptian word for “throne”. Married to king Osiris, she was an example for all the women during his reign. After his brother Seth plotted to kill and tear Osiris into pieces to get the throne, she managed to find her dead husband and make him whole again (fun fact, only his penis was nowhere to be found). Of course she also helped their son Horus to avenge his rightful throne. Definitely one of the most badass goddess around, Isis is the protector of children, healer of the the sick, and goddess of life and magic.
NEFELE In Greek mythology, Nephele was the cloud-nymph wife of Lord Athamas of Athamantia in Boeotia (central Greece). She was divorced by her husband and when Athamas' second wife Ino plotted to have Nephele's children sacrificed to the gods, she sent the golden-fleeced Ram to carry them away to safety. Another great example of mother love, right there.
MAIA In ancient Greek religion, she is the oldest of the Pleiades, seven sisters transformed into a constellation. In ancient Roman religion and myth, Maia embodied the concept of growth and she was explicitly identified with Earth (Terra, the Roman counterpart of Gaia) and the Good Goddess (Bona Dea).
CERERE Ceres was a goddess of agriculture, grain crops, fertility and motherly relationships. Her name means "to satiate, to feed", and share the same root with the Latin crescere "to grow" and through it, the English words create and increase. Goddess of marriage, human fertility and nourishment, patron and protector of plebeian laws, rights and Tribunes.
MORGANA Morgan le Fay is a powerful enchantress in the Arthurian legend. Described as skilled in the arts of healing and of changing shape, her magic powers were explained as learned from books and from the enchanter Merlin. Step-sister of King Arthur, she was always jealous of her brother and his wife's happiness, often trying to destroy it with all her power. She is the goddess of magic, symbol of the female payback, and of the chaos that surrounds everything.
CALIPSO Calypso is a sea nymph in Greek mythology, whose name derives from Greek kalyptō, "to conceal". In Homer's Odyssey, Calypso attempts to keep the fabled Greek hero Odysseus on her island to make him her immortal husband. He was enchanted by her singing and kept prisoner for 7 years. Gained his conscience back, he prays his Gods to help him going back home to his wife and Zeus himself orders Calypso to free him. After having angrily commented on how the gods hate goddesses having affairs with mortals, she releases and help him achieving his dream. She embodies the obstinacy and symbolizes the unrequited love.
SELENE In Greek mythology, Selene is the goddess of the moon, considered its personification. Sister of of the sun-god Helios and Eos, goddess of the dawn, she drives her moon chariot across the heavens. Her cult was prominent magic, folklore, and poetry. A symbol for the feminine soul and a strong influence on women, the Moon has a central role in their life both physically and psychologically.
TALASSA In Greek mythology, Thalassa was the primeval spirit of the sea and the personification of the Mediterranean Sea. She was the daughter of Etere (the Superior Sky) and Emera (the Day). Mother of the all the fishes in the sea, she gave birth to Afrodite and Egeo.
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Iraq VP vetoes new election law
National polls scheduled for January in doubt as Tariq al-Hashemi objects to key article.
Al-Hashemi said he did not object to the whole law but to parts that he called unfair to displaced Iraqis [AFP]
Parliament must now reopen debate on the proposed law, passed earlier this morning, meaning that there could be a delay to the election.
'Difficult situation'
The country's presidential council, comprising Jalal Talabani, the president, and two vice-presidents, had already demanded a greater say in the election for minorities and nationals living abroad.
Video: Interview with Tariq al-Hashemi
Inside Iraq: The future of Nouri al-Maliki
Inside Iraq: The Iraqi national movement
Inside Iraq: The Iraqi diaspora
Inside Iraq: Improved democracy?
Faultlines: Christopher Hill, Us ambassador to Iraq
Riz Khan: Iraq's rocky road to elections
Inside Story: Iraq's election law
Qasim Al Aboodi, a spokesman for the electoral commission, said he was surprised at al-Hashemi's decision and said the whole process is now up in the air.
"Now we have no exact day of election. It's a very difficult situation," he told Al Jazeera.
"I didn't expect [the veto], because I talked to the vice-president the day before yesterday for two hours and tried to explain how the vote of the people outside Iraq would affect the result of the election.
"I tried to convince him to give up a veto against the law, and he promised to, if we found a solution to the problem.
"Yesterday we suggested a proposal to solve the problem by making them one constituency [which] would make their votes exactly equal to Iraqis who are inside Iraq."
Mosab Jasim, Al Jazeera's Iraq producer, said: "This means we are back to square one. MPs will have to discuss the law again and make amendments requested by the vice-president; vote on them, then send them off to the ratification council.
"Al-Hashemi is in a very serious position, because if elections are delayed, he will be blamed for delaying them."
Kurdish concerns
Kurdish political leaders on Tuesday had similar concerns about the election law and have threatened to boycott national elections unless Kurdish areas received more seats in parliament.
Ala Talabani, an Iraqi MP with the Kurdish PUK party, said that the vice president's veto was not surprising, but will mean "days of tough discussions" ahead for members of parliament.
"If we could pass this law and vote again within the coming days there will be a possibility to have the election at least before the end of January, because that is the constitutional date for having the election in Iraq," she told Al Jazeera.
"Otherwise if we continue having discussions and arguments and we can't vote again, there are many people who think the election will be postponed two months."
The office of Masoud Barzani, the Kurdistan regional president, said the way seats were distributed after the passage of the law was unfair to Kurds.
"Unless this seat allocation formula is reconsidered in a just manner, the people of [the] Kurdistan region will be compelled to boycott the election," a statement posted on Barzani's website said.
Iraqi legislators had celebrated the passage of the key election law on November 8, needed to carry out the national polls.
But the Kurdish demands coupled with the Sunni vice-president's veto could derail the vote.
Kurdish anger
The Kurds had originally voted in favour of the law when it was passed in parliament, but they say it was only over the weekend that they found out their provinces had received fewer seats than they believe they deserved.
Parliament was expanded from 275 to 323 seats to reflect population growth, but only three of the new seats were allocated to Kurdish provinces, giving them 38 total, according to the Independent High Electoral Commission's website.
Barzani wants more seats to be allocated for the Kurdish region [AFP]
Other regions saw much larger growth. For example, Ninevah province which borders the Kurdish region, grew from 19 seats to 31. Basra province in the south grew from 16 seats to 24.
Mahmoud Othman, a Kurdish member of Iraq's national parliament, said the Kurds had been expecting about 17 additional seats.
Three northern provinces make up the Kurdish autonomous region, and are represented by their own parliament and president.
The US has tied its withdrawal of all combat troops to the national vote and US military officials have said they will begin to draw down forces about 60 days after the election, hoping for assurances by then that Iraq is on stable footing.
Under a plan by Barack Obama, the US president, all US combat personnel must be out of Iraq by the end of August 2010. The rest of the troops, such as trainers and support personnel, must leave by the end of 2011.
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Israel seizes Gaza aid boat
Voyage organised by European Jewish groups to condemn "collective punishment against 1.5 million Palestinians".
Israeli soldier turned peace activist Itamar Shapira is among the eight Jewish activists on board the Irene [AFP]
An aid ship carrying eight Jewish activists from Europe, Israel, and the US was apprehended by the Israeli navy just miles off the coast of Gaza after being warned by a warship.
Navy commandos boarded the Irene, and then the passengers were led off the boat.
Rich Cooper, an organiser with Independent Jewish Voices, told Al Jazeera that his group is now demanding the immediate release of the activists.
The ship had left the port of Famagusta in Turkish-held northern Cyprus on Sunday afternoon.
The Israeli army had said it would offer to transfer the ship's aid supplies to the port of Ashdod and then ask the crew to turn back.
Ehud Barak, Israel's defence minister, had repeatedly warned that Israel will intercept any ship nearing Gaza, which is governed by the Palestinian group Hamas.
"In the tradition of the civil rights movement ... we assert our right to continue to Gaza under international law," Glyn Secker, the Irene's captain, told Al Jazeera on Monday.
Jewish gesture
The 10-metre catamaran was tiny in comparison with the six-ship May 31 aid convoy that contained 10,000 tonnes of aid and over 700 activists.
But the voyage was a gesture by left-leaning European Jewish groups to highlight what they see as a flawed Israeli policy of collective punishment against 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza.
Yousef Rizka, a Hamas official, said: "The government has received Jewish activists heading to Gaza before. The government positively views all attempts to break the siege on Gaza".
Israel eased its naval blockade following harsh international condemnation for storming the Mavi Marmara. The nine deaths aboard the Freedom Flotilla were a public-relations disaster for Israel.
Since then, groups from Iran, Ireland, Lebanon, and Libya, among others, have been trying to reach Gaza - with varying degrees of success.
Groups represented on board the Irene included the UK-based Jews for Justice for Palestinians and the German Jewish Voice organisation.
"The boat's cargo includes symbolic aid in the form of children's toys and musical instruments, textbooks, fishing nets for Gaza's fishing communities and prosthetic limbs," read a statement from European Jews for a Just Peace movement, the activist network that co-ordinated the voyage.
"We stand in the proud Jewish tradition of justice, of championing the rights of the downtrodden, of implacable opposition to prejudice and racism."
Kate Katzenstein-Leiterer, a leader of the German Jewish Voice, was quoted in June as saying, "We want Israel to behave in a way that it can be recognised as a democratic state. Now it is recognised as a criminal state. That is not what we want."
'One future'
Reuven Moskovitz, an 82-year-old Holocaust survivor among the passengers on the British-flagged vessel, is a founding member of the Jewish-Arab village Neve Shalom (Oasis of Peace).
"We are two peoples, but we have one future," Moskovitz said in a statement on the Jewish Boat to Gaza website.
Another passenger was Rami Elhanan, an Israeli whose daughter died in a 1997 suicide bombing at a Jerusalem shopping centre.
Eli Osherov, a reporter from Channel 10 in Israel, was also on board.
Andy David, Israel's foreign ministry spokesman, described the voyage as "a provocative joke that isn't funny".
Secker, the Irene's captain, told Al Jazeera Monday that the organisers had "a particular point to make, as the voice of Jews who have an alternative opinion to that of the Israeli establishment".
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Entertainment. Health. Tech. Optimized.
The 15 Best Films of 2015
January 5, 2016 Marc Aces
I'm often able to squeeze in a dozen or more films in the last couple weeks of December - mostly stuff that others have told me is worth checking out that I either missed when it came out in Chicago or titles that simply never came out locally. I hope you dig the list and that it gives you some ideas for purchases, streaming, rentals, and most importantly, going to the theater and checking them out on the big screen (a few of these are still in theaters). I saw a lot of good movies this year, so condensing this to 15 was not easy...
In Film Tags Marc Aces, film, movie, Cinderella, Kenneth Branagh, Lily James, Richard Madden, Cate Blanchett, Ex Machina, Yakuza Apocalypse, Takashi Miike, science fiction, horror, fairy tale, The Hateful Eight, Quentin Tarantino, Samuel L Jackson, Sicario, emily blunt, Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin, Denis Villeneuve, Hardcore, The Walk, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Crimson Peak, Guillermo del Toro, Tom Hiddleston, Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikowska, Star Wars, The Force Awakens, JJ Abrams, The Martian, Matt Damon, Black Mass, Johnny Depp, The Witch, Robert Egger, Creed, Ryan Coogler, Michael B. Jordan, Rocky, Sylvester Stallone, The Revenant, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Mad Max, Fury Road, Charlize Theron, George Miller
Black Mass Movie Review
September 23, 2015 Marc Aces
It’s no small compliment from me when I tell you that I believe Scott Cooper’s Black Mass can run with Scorsese’s mob trilogy of Goodfellas, Casino and, especially, the South Boston-flavored The Departed. It's that dirty, nasty and compelling. Now there’s no question that Cooper is retracing steps that were laid in the blood-soaked mud by Scorsese’s enormous shoe. But if you dialed into the madness and menace of those aforementioned crime sagas, then Black Mass is right up your alley.
In Film Tags Black Mass, Scott Cooper, Scorsese, Johnny Depp, gangster, Joel Edgerton, Kevin Bacon, Marc Aces
Best Films of 2018
AQUAMAN Review
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Mormon Culture
Community of Christ Sets Conditions for Membership and Joins NCC
Date: November 27, 2010Author: FireTag 81 Comments
National Council of Churches logo
During the first 10 days of November, the Community of Christ made two historic transitions that profoundly alter its relationship with both Mormonism and Protestantism. First, the church issued new guidance entitled “Baptism, Confirmation, and Church Membership”.
Then, a few days later. the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA — usually known simply as the National Council of Churches, or NCC — accepted the application of the Community of Christ to become its 37th denominational member. The NCC is probably the premier echumenical institution of the Christian left in the United States and includes most of the major Protestant denominations, as well as traditional peace churches, orthodox churches, African American churches, and progressive traditions with evangelical roots.
Although the CofChrist has been moving toward membership in the NCC for decades (having passed multiple World Conference Resolutions to that end), the timing of these two events so close together is hardly coincidental. Years ago, opponents of the move published information showing adoption of the new conditions of membership to be a prerequisite for acceptance in the NCC (and, eventually, into the World Council of Churches).
Nevertheless, the guidance was issued by the CofChrist’s Prophet with a strong personal testimony in his cover letter of his comfort with the theology behind the action defining the meaning of baptism and confirmation (and, by implication, priesthood authority) within the Community of Christ:
“While I was prayerfully considering this direction, I sought more confirmation. Like many others, for years I was taught that rebaptism was required to become a church member. On several occasions the Spirit impressed on me that the church should not unnecessarily ‘hinder’ those who had experienced the power of baptism through the grace and authority of Jesus Christ from responding to the Spirit guiding them to membership.
“An experience I had while traveling in Asia reinforced this understanding. I talked with a man who had been baptized secretly in a cave pool years before Community of Christ became accessible to him. He described the suffering and persecution he and others experienced because of their Christian commitment. I sensed the witness of the Spirit that his baptism should ‘be respected’ and that his commitment far exceeded that of some church members who viewed their baptisms in casual terms.”
President Veazey thus places the Conditions of Membership as a continuation of the trend previously seen in opening Communion and ordaining women to the priesthood: personal relationships with and giftedness from Christ are to take precedence over the forms and roles we have used to uphold those relationships in particular times and cultures.
Under the guidance, a person can become a member of the CofChrist in one of three ways:
Baptism and confirmation by CofChrist priesthood in the traditional manner after the candidates reach the age of accountability.
Voluntarily chosen rebaptism and confirmation of previously baptized Christians by CofChrist priesthood in the traditional manner after the candidates reach the age of accountability
Confirmation of previously baptized Christians by CofChrist priesthood following certain procedural steps
The procedural steps include signing an affirmation that their baptism was of water (though immersion is expressly not required); occurred after the age of accountability; represented a personal expression of faith in Jesus Christ; and was performed by a Christian minister, clergyperson, or pastor. In addition, they must normally have been active in their local CofChrist congregation for approximately six months before becoming a candidate (with some exceptions for remote areas). They must also understand and embrace the principles of the church as expressed in church-provided resources. This includes — which is a new requirement for membership — embracing principles of financial contributions to both the World Church and local programs.
At the time I planned this post, I had intended to close with a smiley-face note to Restoration harmony that the Community of Christ was now at least acknowledging that baptisms by LDS priesthood were as valid as those performed by our own priesthood. After all, we trace our priesthoods through the same lines of authority and baptize at the same age and in using the same rite.
Then I read the NCC’s letter explaining their basis for accepting the membership application from the Community of Christ — and now I’m less certain about that interpretation. It seems we made some very important additional theological concessions, actively or by omission, in order to be accepted. The NCC report, published here, makes clear that the NCC is letting the CofChrist join because they believe the CofChrist is sufficiently far from its historical Restoration roots.
Specifically, the report states that the founder of the Community of Christ was Joseph Smith III, not — you know — that other Joseph Smith. This will come as a large surprise to a number of people, including Emma Hale Smith and Joseph Smith III himself, who never would have come to lead the Reorganization if not convinced he was taking up his father’s work. And it does make 100+ sections of our Doctrine and Covenants, including those that authorize the leadership structure itself, somewhat awkward. After all, it’s the other Joseph Smith who wrote those.
Another area of concern to the NCC was the Book of Mormon. Here, their opinion may be disturbingly factual:
“But it is not, in any sense, equivalent to the Bible in the life of their communion. Subscription to its teaching is not required for membership or ordination. While the Book of Mormon is sometimes used for worship, there are parts of the COC that seldom refer to it.”
And that impression was gained after an extensive conversation in October by the NCC membership committee with the Prophet, one of the Twelve in charge of ecumenical relations, and the Dean of the church’s Seminary, until a few months ago, a member of the Presidency of the Quorum of High Priests. So there was plenty of opportunity to correct any mistaken impressions.
As Rich Brown put it in a Saints Herald blog post:
“Clearly there are those who view this moment in the church’s long history as a leap into religious maturity while others see it as damning proof of apostasy.”
So what do you think? Did the Community of Christ just build a bridge between the Restoration and the other elements of Christianity? Or did it just rift the gap open wider? Did it narrow the differences between the LDS/RLDS traditions, or did those differences just grow?
baptismBook of Mormonchurch policyCommunity of ChristconfirmationJoseph SmithLDSMormonMormon CultureMormon theologyNational Council of ChurchespriesthoodreligionWheat & Tares
Published by FireTag
A physicist with a musician wife and a daughter who got the best of both of us. A 3rd generation RLDS member who is affiliated with the Community of Christ but perfers to reserve the latter term for something bigger than a religion. A writer of occasional scientific and theological papers and many, many, many reports, plans, forecasts, speeches, and proposals destined to be seen only by government bureaucrats and their political supervisors. And, yes, I frequently do work in my pajamas. View all posts by FireTag
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81 thoughts on “Community of Christ Sets Conditions for Membership and Joins NCC”
MH says:
So, are LDS baptisms acceptable for membership into the CoC?
Do you think membership in the NCC is a good idea?
I guess I should attempt to tackle some of you questions before asking my own. I know that the RLDS have tried to reconcile with various Mormon groups (such as the Temple Lot Mormons) with some success, and I know there have been attempts to “merge” with the LDS church in the early 20th century (and they were rebuffed.) I don’t know if there are any serious discussions to merge, but I would view such concessions by the CoC to the NCC as inhospitable to any type of closer relations with the LDS church.
I do think there has been improved sharing of historical resources between the CoC and LDS churches, and I think that is a wonderful thing. I hope it continues. But it does seem that the liberalization of the CoC makes it very tough for closer ties between our churches.
FireTag says:
MH:
By internal logic of the Conditions of Membership documents alone, LDS baptisms should be accepted. But I’m not able to see a lot of internal logic in the NCC acceptance, because that is the document that raises the questions of whether even traditional RLDS beliefs qualify as Christian. Do we have to give up the idea that Joseph Smith was a Christ-called prophet and that most of the 19th Century Scriptures forming the bulk of our canon were inspired by Christ in order to be taken in by Christianity? If so, I don’t think that’s MY community, even if the Community of Christ is becoming a great place for Restorationists who want to be Protestants.
Jeff Spector says:
Kind of sounds like you might be in a heap of trouble here. It sounds like quite a bit of bending and re-shaping going on in your Church to appease the NCC. Well above and beyond even what the LDS Church has always claimed about the RLDS.
Throwing Joseph under the bus? I don’t get that. What is the point of being just another Protestant-style Christian denomination.?
Mike S says:
I look at this as somewhat of an outsider, but I see it as something churches do. There are pressures on the CofC to find their role in the society around them, and they made what appear to be some significant changes.
But it happens to the LDS Church as well. We changed polygamy, which was seen as a fundamental and eternal way of marriage, merely because of outside pressures. The OD#1 changing things says as much.
Around the time of civil rights, BYU protests, world expansion, etc., we also changed our attitude towards blacks and the priesthood, something which previous prophets and apostles also taught was an absolute and eternal principle. The change was couched in revelatory language, much like Pres Veazey’s statement, but the question was raised in response to outside influences.
Exactly. Apostle Luffman, in writing the announcement for the CofChrist, noted that we are a people who have been marginalized and so had something to contribute to the larger Christian Community about marginalization. I’m not finding it a very strong testimony if what we have to teach is that you solve the problem of marginalization by expecting people to give up the aspects of their identity for which they have been marginalized in order to conform to the community.
“Do not even the publicans the same” comes to mind.
Acceptance as Christians by most groups like the NCC never has been logical, so I wouldn’t expect logic to rule the day with this decision and the attendant decisions regarding Joseph and his recorded revelations in your D&C.
What I find interesting is the implication in the post that these issues were not reconciled prior to the decision to join the NCC. That, more than anything else, gives me pause – since it implies almost a desperation and a giving up of nearly all things unique.
Did I read that incorrectly – or do you think the move was made with the understanding / belief that it was worth it no matter the historical or theological cost? In all honesty, if it means denying Joseph was a Christ-called prophet – and if it means accepting the stance that Joseph III was the actual founder of the CofC – and if it means accepting a formal declaration that the Book of Mormon really isn’t all that important, might not be “true scripture” and absolutely is secondary to the Bible, I would think the NCC has won a major victory and the CofC has sold its soul for a very small sum – especially since I just don’t see the membership upside to that. It’s not like thousands of NCC Christians are going to embrace the CofC now that it is a member denomination.
What do you believe the root motivation was for this move – and do you think I’m reading way more into this than I should be doing?
I meant that I don’t see thousands of NCC Christians “joining” the CofC – not just embracing it as a legitimate Christian denomination.
Ray:
The original motivation goes back nearly a half-century. I believe it arose out of our attempts to take the Restored Gospel to non-European cultures and getting our heads handed to us theologically speaking. Many of our leading Apostles found those cultures did not care about the things differentiating the Restoration from other Christians (ironically). The Apostles also were stunned by the immediacy of the suffering they saw. Rewards in the Celestial Kingdom or a Zion in the indefinite future seemed inadequate to the needs.
So there are potentially noble reasons for this move: trying to throw our weight behind organizations whose social policy positions match those of the leadership; trying to get our declining membership to safety inside Protestantism; the hope that if we are radical enough in our faith in building Zion, god will make it work out for the church.
But each of those motives depend on some other assumptions being true that I’m not confident I’m seeing the evidence for.
For example, we canonized a revelation some decades ago that stressed the importance of our being in the forefront of those organizations that are recognizing the worth of persons. I think it’s an open question whether the intent was for our LEADERS to associate with the LEADERS of other churches — particularly if we diminish the theological bases for our leaders’ authority in the process.
I’m of the mind that I too question the benefit to the CoC in this move as it seems extremely unlikely that this will yield more converts, but I suppose time will tell. I would certainly think this adds substantial distance between CoC and the LDS church, probably forever. This also could open the CoC to other future mergers with small Protestant sects or to be subsumed by a larger one. At least that’s my outside perspective. Fascinating news, though.
Thanks for the additional input, Fire Tag. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out over time.
utahprincipal801 says:
As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I am intrigued concerning the few similarities now between the Community of Christ and mainstream Mormonism. I find the differences monumental, especially the emphasis of each concerning the Book of Mormon, and now baptism by priesthood authority. I am wondering what makes one choose belonging to the Community of Christ over the other thirty-six sects that belong to the Churches of Christ group? I went to the web site of C of C and was shocked to see the similarities to all other mainstream protestant religions. What was the “restoration” according to the C of C that Christ had Joseph Smith restore? It appears to me that C of C is now just back to what Joseph went into the grove to find out was wrong.
I think you get to the heart of the dilemma. This is a little like Joshua telling the children of Israel that the purpose of Moses leading their generation into the wilderness was so they’d realize Egypt wasn’t that bad and they were supposed to turn around. The mental gears freeze up.
One of the implications of believing that there is not ONLY one church with a calling from Christ is that you have to ask the next, obvious question: to which calling does God call me? We seem to be studiously ignoring that question.
Jamal says:
FireTag: I’m hardly an expert on things CoC, but I’ve followed some of your posts and comments over time. I’m as curious about what this means to you and other like-minded CoC members as anything. Some of the comments above I thought you would have found extremely harsh and unkind. I certainly wouldn’t have made them. And yet I see you responding not just in a very calm manner, but it seems agreeing that at least many of the charges raised are in fact serious and worthy of consideration. Could I ask you to perhaps strip the caveats aside and make a blunt assessment of what you personally really think this all means, both for yourself and the general membership of the CoC? Of course, I understand that you might find doing so inappropriate and perhaps just an unnecessary burning of bridges, so no offense if you decline. But if you do feel it appropriate, I’d really be curious to hear your current view if you had to come down and declare what you think this really means.
I have found none of the comments to be disrespectful, although I suspect one (now removed) to be spam. 😀
I’ll answer as honestly as I can; it’s not like I can hide my thoughts from God anyway. I do not believe that BOTH of the following postulates can be true:
1) Joseph Smith was NEVER called by Christ as a prophet;
2)The current President of the church (either yours or mine) IS called as a prophet.
If I assume, or if someone convinces me, that the first premise is true, I have little reason to consider any organization within the Restoration as the place for my proper response to Christ.
But if JS was inspired at any point, then I have to view my personal testimony and covenant, as well as those of my family, my parents, and my grandparents, as remaining in force. And that covenant, for me, implies taking personal responsibility to respond to what I hear God saying. After all, if I can’t trust my own ability to hear the Spirit, why do I ultimately trust my ability to distinguish the claims of others that they hear?
At important times in my life, when I was about to go down a path that was in serious error, God has intervened to show me directions to take. I have guidance as to what I think I should do; I’m simply allowing time to be corrected if I’ve misheard before I take steps down the path.
Leigh Sheppard says:
I must say I find the civility of this thread to be extremely refreshing and encouraging. This is a sensitive subject, and one that could easily expose yourself, the Community of Christ, the NCC, and even the LDS church to all kinds of abusive commentary from all sides.
I also appreciate your willingness to put your heart-felt impressions, and some of the internal turmoil that this move has caused you, in writing. I appreciate your honest assessment of the situation and can also appreciate the difficulty of the questions that arise given the direction this is leading the church.
You sound like an honest seeker of truth, and as such are in a similar situation that Joseph Smith Jr. found himself in 1820.
“What is to be done? Who of all these parties are right; or, are they all wrong together? If any one of them be aright, which is it, and how shall I know it?”
Thanks to you and so many others for your thoughtful and considerate comments.
MarkG says:
As a member of the LDS Church, I remember growing up with a sense that the LDS and RLDS ( at the time ) churches were in competition as to which church truly represented the church and teachings established by Joseph Smith. It seems to me, from the outside looking in, that the CofC has in effect given up, taken the position that there never was a contest to begin with, and have gravitated to mainline Protestant beliefs. I mean no disrespect, but it is with a feeling of sadness that I see my CofC brothers and sisters apparently abandon the Restoration. Is my perception wrong ?
Arius says:
Firetag, I was transfixed by this post, torn by strong competing sympathies as I read.
The liberalization of the CoC is appealing to me on many levels: steps toward affirming homosexuality, toned down emphasis on authority and “one true”-ness, a willingness to be frank about historical problems. Indeed John Hamer’s recent baptism has piqued my interest in the CoC considerably.
On the other hand, I recognize with discomfort that much of this liberalization approaches rejecting the inspiration of Joseph Smith himself. And if Joseph wasn’t a prophet, there never was one. I can still hold in my hands the tangible miracle that is the Book of Mormon. No Bible prophet has given me anything comparable.
I had hoped that the CoC would offer the best of both worlds: Joseph Smith’s Restoration and progressive Christianity. This post, however, indicated it may only offer me the second. And I think that’s largely because those two worlds are inherently in conflict, and always have been.
Clay Whipkey says:
The fact that they formally claim JS III as the founder does not mean they are disavowing JS jr. Also, one doesn’t have to claim that JS jr. is the founder in order to treat 100+ D&C sections as scripture, just as you don’t have to claim Moses, or Abraham, or Elijah, etc. as founders in order to treat the Bible as scripture.
The original post is a cynical interpretation. And no, I’m not a member of the CofC. I’m simply stating the obvious.
I’m not a believer, so I don’t really have a dog in the fight, but I think there is plenty of flexibility in a mature faith to take a healthy distance from Joseph Smith Jr. while still honoring the aspects of his life that were inspired, if you believe in that kind of inspiration. This action is just as plausibly a maturation of faith and theology.
Utah: You stated: As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I am intrigued concerning the few similarities now between the Community of Christ and mainstream Mormonism. I find the differences monumental…
I think that JS would say the same between the Church in his day and both churches. In my opinion, there are many areas in which the CofC is CLOSER to the church restored by JS than the LDS Church. In the early days of the restored Church, women gave blessings, church leaders drank wine including in the temple, members actually voted on various callings and revelations (as opposed to our current “sustaining vote”), sections continued to be added to the D&C by current prophets, etc. These things are all found in the CofC today, but have been jettisoned by the LDS Church to a large degree.
Rigel Hawthorne says:
I agree with Clay that proclaiming JS III as the founder doesn’t disavow JS Jr, but decanonizing the BoM seems to accomplish that. As I understand it, there has been no official decanonization, but the above contingency statement seems to imply just that. I’ve also read statements on the Saint’s Herald blog that some factions argue that it should be decanonized and minister as if it has already happened. For someone who was taught from youth that the BoM is the ‘keystone of our religion’, that creates an odd feeling. I can still respect and admire the accomplishments and strength of CoC members in spite of this. I look at our kinship as a loose one, but still having many common bonds. It’s kind of like being an LDS missionary in Japan, and after door after door of uninterested Buddhists, you meet a JW who has read and studied the bible and you might hope that the common ground there would continue. When it doesn’t (after some unfruitful debating) you simply learn to appreciate common strengths build friendships.
Clay:
I think the more problematic comparison of the BofM and the D&C is Luke-Acts. Since they are generally considered to be a continuation of the same story by the same writer, the question of who Luke was may be unimportant, but it is passing strange to regard Acts as Scripture but Luke as not.
The early D&C is no more or less inspired or fantastical than the BofM.
Clay, If the decisions were being made entirely within the CofC as strictly internal considerations, I might agree with you. My “concern” is that everything seems to be happening in the context of joining the NCC – which has a not-hidden agenda of distancing from and diminishing the idea that Mormons are Christians.
What better way to do that than to admit into its fold a church that has to downgrade the scriptural and prophetic standing of the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith in order to enter that fold?
In most ways, I couldn’t care less what the NCC thinks or wants – and I also have NO problem accepting that the CofC leadership can do whatever it wants “according to the dictates of their own conscience”. It’s just that part of me feels sorrow that it appears they are jettisoning their founding in order to join the NCC – just as I feel sorrow when the LDS Church softens some of the stances from its own past. (even thought I don’t feel sorrow over other changes in the slightest) It’s not so much the changing of views and practices and doctrines that bothers me; rather, it’s the seismic shift from a Restoration movement to a mainline Protestant church that troubles me.
I realize that I haven’t yet answered your question about what I think this all means for the Community of Christ as a whole — perhaps because I’m preoccupied with sorting out what it means for me as an individual, but also because I think the decision to deal with the issue of homosexuality in Section 164 through a culturally-specific framework is going to lead to a US/Canadian Community of Christ that is very different from its international components.
There is a post written by a member of the CofChrist’s Standing High Council and a very broad discussion thread illustrating some of the complexities at:
http://mattfrizzellonline.com/2010/11/17/what-is-the-future-of-the-community-of-christ-in-a-north-american-post-rlds-perspective/
Arius, Mark G and Mike S.:
I’d like to respond to you together by citing a geneological model. The LDS and RLDS traditions spent a lot of time debating who was closer to our common ancestor. Perhaps we need to think of ourselves as children of the same parents, but with very different individual personalities, like the twelve tribes descended from Jacob.
In fact, if we look broadly enough, there are a great many tribes of Mormons, from those to the right of the LDS to those well to the left of the Community of Christ. There really is a spectrum of institutions within Mormonism, though the Mainstream LDS dominates.
In nature, there are some creatures so close to the line between plant and animal that you can’t tell which they are, but not many. They tend to have to choose one way of life or the other, or they go extinct. It may be practical to evolve liberal Mormonism if that’s what tribe one’s suited for and that is the Divine intent — it certainly has proven possible to evolve very conservative (evangelical) Protestantism — but the division between Mormonism and Protestantism seems more decisive. I’m unconvinced we can straddle that line in the family tree of Christianity.
Robert William Robinson Jr says:
It saddens me that the CoC is rejecting their past for the “garlic and onions” of the world. I can see why they would, they want to be accepted as “true” Christians. But they are giving up everything that made them unique.
firetag, do you get a sense that section 164 was more of a concession to the ncc than a revelation? do you think that other members view these recent developments with alarm?
It was not a SUDDEN revelation insofar as the conditions of membership were concerned. There was a formal process of discernment about the questions, and that process itself was well documented as originating in long-term considerations by the leadership. Long contemplation, in and of itself, neither validates nor invalidates the content of the revelation.
As to the “alarm” question, I think that was foreshadowed by a quote from the first post of this series back on Mormon Matters:
“The second largest demographic bloc in the church consists of relatively aged, relatively conservative members still very committed to the uniqueness of the Restoration and uncomfortable with any suggestion that their sacrifices would have been just as meaningful in another denomination.
“Consequently, following the 2007 Conference, the First Presidency was left with an “action item” to address the issue of the “conditions of membership”, and has been directing a formal discernment process intended to lead to the January 17 guidance to the church.
This issue is considered sufficiently divisive that the leading quorums had clearly indicated a desire not to deal with other divisive matters until the church has proven it can work through the issue. The schism that resulted in the church in the 1980’s over extension of priesthood to women has clearly instilled caution in the church leadership.”
The entire post was at:
http://mormonmatters.org/2010/01/05/canonizing-modern-revelation-a-tourist-guide/
This is such a conundrum for me, even as an outsider. I met the prophet Stephen Veazey this past summer and was impressed with his comments that he wanted to turn the members of the CoC into “a prophetic people”. I mean that’s a cool idea, and something I can whole heartedly endorse–even wish our church put forth an emphasis on becoming a prophetic people. (Because it sure seems like our church would rather have a bunch of sheep following the shepherd, not being shepherds.) So I watched the canonization process with great delight, and thought it was interesting.
Now to look back on it as using “mormon” language of revelation to instead introduce protestant ideas–and this movement has been going on for probably decades–but clearly it seems the leadership has wanted to do this since at least 2007, well, that’s a new spin on things.
I get the idea not to move too quickly. I guess the same analogy as Moses not entering the promised land but wandering for 40 years until all the conservative (idol-worshiping) old-timers die off so there won’t be a schism. But it sure looks like the NCC is pulling the strings at the CoC, and the people aren’t really the same sort of “prophetic people” that I envisioned when I first heard Veazey use the term.
The term “a prophetic people” was first emphasized by Brother Veazey’s predecessor, Grant McMurray, although a search of our D&C might turn up use of the phrase somewhere earlier.
When the CofChrist presidency uses the term, however, they use the term in the sense of mainstream or leftist Christianity rather than anything having to do with end-times or foretelling the future. It means actualizing a set of lifestyles of peace and justice that reflect the highest ideals of the OT prophets. “Prophetic” becomes almost a synonym for “Zionic” or “Christ-like”.
That’s obviously a wonderful thing, and in this context many are interpreting the Restoration as a new call to reengage in the pursuit of this eternal ideal.
But I think the price we pay for that interpretation is effectively to allow ourselves to defer achievement of the ideal to an eternally far-off future.
I think there is another sense in which we should view the prophetic: as interpreting what God is doing in history and helping people align their lives with those movements IN TIME TO MATTER. It is ultimately a view about whether God actively makes the “prophetic” future or whether God passively wants the “prophetic” future.
The revelations of Joseph Smith, whether in the BofM or the D&C, stands as a direct challenge to the latter, more mainstream Christian view, and where we come down on that question ultimately influences the optimal way we align our lives with God’s purposes.
“And I think that’s largely because those two worlds are inherently in conflict, and always have been.”
It was always the case.
“I’m not a believer, so I don’t really have a dog in the fight…”
TH says:
Firetag,
You wrote, “the NCC is letting the CofChrist join because they believe the CofChrist is sufficiently far from its historical Restoration roots.”
I was a delegate at the last world conference where a head of NCC gave a welcome/speech to the conference. He stated in the speech that he “knew who the Community of Christ was…” and he “know who the Community of Christ was NOT…” It was clear that the “NOT” referred to Mormons. So, that supports what you have stated. I always tell our church that it’s a mistake to try to NOT be like Mormons…if the church stopped distancing itself, it might be more successful. 🙂
A good example of the logical end result of “Rejectionism”. i.e. disbelieving something rather than believing in something.
Rejectionism never represents a logically coherent worldview. All religions have a sort of Rejectionist and Believing strain within it, of course. But some slide too far towards Rejectionism and either die or have to content themselves long term with harvesting discontents of some Believing religion that they have choose to define themselves as “not that religion.”
Rev. Dr. Kinnemon’s address to the Community of Christ World Conference as NCC head is linked here as a two-page pdf file
http://www.cofchrist.org/wc2010/sermons/Kinnemon_address_041010.pdf
Bruce:
The Matt Frizzell post linked in comment 24 discusses in some detail the problem of the CofChrist defining its identity negatively as NOT-Motmon and NOT-Protestant.
FireTag, thanks for all your thoughts here. I realize this post is getting long in the tooth, but I am genuinely interested in your thoughts. It sounds from what you say that a burning question between being a restoration embracing or rejecting denomination is coming to a head. Let us assume that this does come to a break point and the CoC decides to fully embrace the NCC view. That the CoC’s membership basically jettisons the idea of the restoration or so waters it down that it lacks the meaning that most CoC members have thought it to have for most of the church’s history. What do you think that means to CoC members who continue to hold to that belief? Is the implication a schism and the need for a rejuvenation movement? Even as mainstream LDS we talk of the ancient scriptures being a cycle of apostasy and restoration. Is that the implication you think? Is there a thought that perhaps the mainstream LDS church was right and it’s time to go back or is the historical evolution simply way too far gone for the vast majority to even consider that even if they don’t like where things are going in the CoC? Is there some means of meaningfully reconciling the two sides? Is there some other way I’m not even thinking about here? Genuinely interested in your thoughts.
The number of CofChrist conservatives who go to the LDS over this, I predict, will be very small. We’ve been apart for almost as long as the US has been separate from Britain. Remember that our MOST conservative members left a long time ago unless there was something isolated about their local congregations.
The RLDS has split off independent “Restoration Branches” to the right of the church (in the same way that there are fundamentalist LDS churches to the right of the LDS) since the late 60’s or early 70’s. Many do not even ordain women, so they’re 25 years divided from the CofChrist themselves. So any schism is likely to be like a comet shedding its tail than a break-up into two distinct churches.
I think there is a better chance of the CofChrist forming a liberal North American church and an evangelical third-world church, like seems to be happening to the Anglicans over gay rights. Section 164 has some things in it that suggest that might be a future direction.
Since the LDS is so much larger than the CofChrist, leakage of LDS liberals toward the CofChrist “comet tail” is likely to be large enough to dwarf any movement from the CofChrist to these conservative RLDS bodies — without the LDS even needing to take notice.
Gotcha, thanks. If there’s a general trend towards North American Liberal and Developing World conservative splintering, which (or either) do you think will cling more to Restoration doctrine? I seem to recall past comments about Developing World parts of the CoC not necessarily being as connected to Restoration doctrines, while liberals in North America I would think would be fading from it anyways. Given that as you say most of the most conservative North Americans have already gone their own way, do you think this means CoC trend churches’ connection to the Restoration is essentially fading beyond a very few tiny sparks off the comet tail? Or am I misreading and you would think the Developing World CoC would keep its restoration links more?
John Hamer says:
Joining the NCC is not like merging and becoming part of the UCC. The UCC (United Church of Christ) is a denomination that is formed from historic churches that merged together and merged their past, individual historic identities together into a joined identity. The NCC, by contrast, is a just club of churches.
Look for a second at the member list: http://www.ncccusa.org/members/index.html
On the one hand you have UCC, the ELCA, the Episocopal Church, the Presbyterian Church USA, the United Methodist Church, i.e., all the big, mainline liberal Protestant churches.
On the other hand you have the Coptic, Ukrainian, Serbian, and Russian Orthodox Churches in North America, the Quakers, the Moravian church, the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the Swedenborgian Church, and now the Community of Christ.
In other words, you got the big liberals + the diversity that liberals want to celebrate. The Swedenborgians are in the tent, folks. It’s not about giving up your identity — it’s about celebrating the diversity of identities.
The Book of Mormon has not been decanonized, and the D&C not only remains canon, new sections of canon continue to be added. The Community of Christ is governed by World Conference Resolutions, not the NCC’s report. What’s happened here is that a group of liberal Christians has recognized that Community of Christ is Christian without requiring the Community of Christ to give up its Restoration scripture. In other words, it’s the mainline Christians who blinked or compromised. That’s the news here that’s remarkable.
There are a couple distinct issues around the question who “founded” the church. The church in 1830 was explicitly not “founded” by Joseph Smith Jr. It was explicitly “organized.” This is because JSJr and the other early Saints made the theological claim that Jesus Christ was the founder of their church, that it had merely been in a state of “disorganization” and it was now being “reorganized” by them. The same exact claim was made by JSIII and the other early RLDS members. The Latter Day Saint church was in a state of disorganization because of the Apostasy of the apostles who had led much of the membership away into a barren wilderness of sin (Utah polygamy). The church, which had still been founded by Christ and only reorganized by JSJr now needed to be reorganized again.
These faith claims are not institutional history; they are theological. JSJr did found the church in 1830. From the standpoint of institutional history, it was not just the reorganization of Jesus Christ’s church. From this institutional historical vantage, there is no question that JSIII is the founder of Community of Christ (conceding that his foundation built on a tiny organizational precursor of the Gurley/Briggs church).
My personal view is that Brigham Young was a usurper. I also don’t think he was a good person. But my personal beliefs aside, when I look at the history in an institutional sense, it must be conceded that one of the things Brigham “usurped” was the bulk of the existing corporate structure of the church that JSJr founded in 1830. That institutional historical analysis has zero bearing on the question of divine mandate, since traditional Restoration theology includes the idea that institutions can fall into Apostasy, i.e., the primary institutional heir of the early Christian church is the Catholic Church, but this hasn’t made Mormons accept the Catholic Church as “the true church.”
The view that the Reorganization was the only true continuation of the original church was also a theological claim, held by early members of the Reorganization. Community of Christ abandoned this claim decades ago when it came to understand that the very act of making the claim to be “the one and only true church,” is a sign that you aren’t it (i.e., because there isn’t just one).
Theologically early Mormons believed that they were the Restoration of the New Testament church in every sense, including recovering all the actual historical practices and institutional authority. This was a faith position that was zealously believed, but which cannot be shown to be possible in an actual historical sense. This is no shame on them; people regularly have these notions — the people of the Renaissance actually believed they had given birth anew to the Classical era. Of course they hadn’t. They created something new, because you can never go home again. Likewise the 1830 organization was something new. And the 1860 reorganization, although possessed of vast continuity of membership, belief, and practice with the 1830 organization, was (in fact) a new foundation in an institutional historical sense.
This institutional historical analysis has no bearing on the canonical status of JSJr’s revelations, as Clay correctly notes (#19).
Welcome to the discussion. The arguments you make here are essentially parallel to the long discussion regarding the Strangites at Mormonheretic,
http://www.mormonheretic.org/2010/06/12/the-strangites-another-mormon-group/
so I think I understand in detail what you are saying: founding and organization and theological authority all mean different things, and from an institutional-historical view nothing has changed, or has changed only minutely.
But as you point out, these changes do add up and over time have produced profound changes in the Community of Christ, just as minute changes in the early Christian changes quickly produced something that was not the original. The Community of Christ is to the RLDS as the RLDS (or the LDS) is to the 1830 organization — a descendant that has evolved from the interbreeding of its church forbearer and its secular cultures. I have no problem with the notion that the church will change: no change –> we stay a non-Zionic people, and that idea would violate everything for which generations of my family have labored, and in some cases, suffered.
However, in the case of the CofChrist, every question about whether the change was of God was first deflected by church leadership with a variation of the argument that “nothing had really changed”. (Church Historian Roger Launius documented this idea — and got in trouble with the Prophet for doing so — in an article published, I believe, in Restoration Studies VIII; I no longer have my copy.) Yet, somehow, we DID go from believing that the RLDS was the only true church to believing that the RLDS and then the Community of Christ was one of multiple true churches.
I think the idea that there is more than one true church is correct, but we did not honestly address the question of truth by refusing to acknowledge that the idea was NEW in the church.
You are correct that joining the NCC is not merging the church. The NCC is a church “club”, but it is a particular kind of club to which only a minority of those in the US who self-identify as Christians may apply. LDS can not qualify, which is why I noted that our acceptance was secured, as you can see by reading the NCC report linked in the OP, because the NCC committee stressed that we WERE NOT Mormons. By reading the report, people can come to their own conclusions as to whether the important distinctions to the NCC were institutional or theological.
The NCC is not JUST a club, it espouses certain theological beliefs and lobbies for government policy, often in close coordination (meaning, for example, near simultaneous release of legislative positions and talking points) with non-religious political movements. Membership is extended on the basis of fidelity to those policy positions — which is why some Baptists are in, but most Baptists are not. So, again, this is not a simple institutional decision, but a movement of the church in a definite theological direction. It has implications for those who do not regard the policies of the political left as morally wise or effective.
You are also right in saying that the BofM has not been decanonized. You are mistaken if you think it has not been deemphasized. Since I was first ordained to the priesthood, we’ve gone from a time when our services used to quote from the BofM as often as you’d hear today in a typical LDS General Conference address. Again, to deny that the change has been dramatic is to ignore the experience of those who lived through the change. The change HAS been dramatic, and justification for doing so that has been offered would apply with equal validity or invalidity to most of the D&C. It’s the EXISTENCE of the scriptural visions and our reliance on their authority to drive our lives as direction from God that bother our Protestant Brethren as much as the theological content of the visions.
There is an old cold war joke about a TV weathercaster giving the day’s weather report:
“Radar shows a line of severe thunderstorms approaching the city from the west. However, radar also shows a line of Russian ICBMs approaching the city from the east, so don’t sweat the thunderstorms!”
As I showed in the link in the third paragraph of my earlier post on “Middle Day Saints”,
http://www.wheatandtares.org/2010/10/23/middle-day-saints-or-church-mortality/
the Community of Christ is locked in a long-term decline in the United States and Canada which has not been affected by recent theological changes. Indeed, the longer article from which those graphics are taken demonstrates that our membership trajectory has been statistically INDEPENDENT of anything we do and has been that way for at least 130 years. Our theology and programs determine who joins us, but has no impact on how many join. The “how many” is determined by changes in the societal rather than the denominational level. So, the processes of schism/reorganization in our church are up against a ticking clock. The evolution of American society (which I certainly hope God is guiding) rather than our own plans are going to determine how far these membership trends advance before the mathematical regime changes.
However, the trends suggest that both the North American and international portions of the CofChrist will look less and less like the Restoration and more like evangelical or liberal Protestantism if they continue, IMO
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Firetag, I don’t think that nothing has changed. Things have changed profoundly. I applaud much of the change. I wouldn’t have joined the church in 1830 or 1860 or even 1980, (had I been me now in those eras); however, I’m proud to be a member of the church as it exists in the here and now.
I’m responding here to the implication in the comments that the Community of Christ made an exchange with the NCC to the effect of: “we’ll disavow Joseph Smith and decanonize the Book of Mormon if you let us join the NCC.” Nothing could be further from the truth.
My point is that the opposite is true. The NCC let the Community of Christ join with the Book of Mormon as canon; the change occured on their end; they blinked. Since Protestants (unlike Catholics and traditional Restoration believers) view the canon of scripture as the sole source of authority, inviting people with a weird and continually growing canon into the club is actually a big deal on their parts.
I didn’t say that the Book of Mormon hasn’t been deemphasized; I’m sure it has. People in my congregation quote from pretty much every week, but I don’t imagine that’s universal. On the other hand, I do think the Community of Christ emphasizes the Doctrine and Covenants to a much greater degree than the LDS Church does.
As a club, does the NCC do things? Sure. Does it emphasize some core values, lobby, etc.? Yes. Sounds like a fine thing for a club to do.
As far as I can see, it’s a liberal Christian group composed of the large, mainline liberal denominations + a bunch of little churches with weird backgrounds to provide diversity.
I think that liberal Christians need to stand up and say that backwards fundamentalists aren’t Christians. If some Baptists are kept out of the NCC, I personally approve of that rare illustration of liberal backbone. I’m very happy to lobby against Christianist fundamentalists like the Southern Baptists; I believe they should be encouraged to reform or condemned for failing to reform.
You may safely assume that I will not resolve my dilemma by converting to the Southern Baptists. 😀
I think Bruce does a very good job of comparing and contrasting our positions on this issue in the Millennial Star link at #42. We disagree on who gave what; we don’t seem to misunderstand each other.
I find myself in a mirror position to that which you describe in your first paragraph. “Had I been me” now being introduced to the Community of Christ denomination NOW under the current conditions of membership, I would not find it reflected my understanding of God’s intent for the Restoration to a sufficient degree to invest the time to join or support it.
The implications of what our RLDS/CofChrist tradition has taught ME is that the Community of Christ must be seen as nothing less (and maybe much more) than a planetary civilization in which we are to find our INDIVIDUAL places of service as called by Christ. If, as Section 164:2 says, some baptized Christians are called to “further focus their response through church membership”, the clear implication is also that SOME ARE NOT. It boils down to where one best has opportunity to use giftedness in promotion of the overall mission and cause of Christ.
Firetag — The implication you’re citing, that some people in life are called to things other than membership in Community of Christ, would seem to be self-evident? I totally agree with that implication of D&C 164:2. Many people have other good things to do than be members of this church. However, the church exists for a good purpose and many people are called to be a part of that purpose.
Glad we’re not losing you to the Baptists ;).
Thank you for the kind words, both here and on Millennial Star.
I think the implications of what I’m saying are decidedly NOT self-evident to those, in both the LDS and the CofChrist, who hold to the “only true church” view. Even less clear is the idea that one doesn’t just have permission to stay outside a denomination, but may actively be called from inside to somewhere else, either because the denomination or the person evolves toward a new calling.
The most stunning thing is that a true church might have to express its truthfulness by being faithful unto institutional death.
One of the comforting things about believing oneself to be in the only true church is the notion that surely God will save the church from death, even if there are individual martyrs. If that was ever true (Jesus WAS crucified), there is no reason to believe God preserves ALL true churches when there is more than one.
The comforting thing about that idea is that sometimes moral issues become clearer when you don’t feel compelled to preserve the institution.
“I believe they should be encouraged to reform or condemned for failing to reform.”
John, in all honesty, I applaud you for saying this. It is very clear to me that the position that there can in fact be more than one “true” religion is a logical impossibility. (I had thoughts on this subject in this post.)
However, I am at a loss as to how you can make sense of this position you hold when you also say things like this:
“Community of Christ abandoned this claim decades ago when it came to understand that the very act of making the claim to be “the one and only true church,” is a sign that you aren’t it (i.e., because there isn’t just one).”
Granted “Church” and “Religion” are not always synonyms, though generally they are for LDS people.
But you clearly do hold certain beliefs that you feel are God’s own truth and all other “churches / religions” must conform to that point of view to be God’s in your opinion.
In short, when I say I see no alternative to the idea that there can be only one true religion, I mean it exactly as you practice it.
So it seems to me that the only way to read your objection is as a more limited objection: you are not objecting to there being a certain set of beliefs that are God’s only truth, you are only objecting to there being only true ‘institution’ set up my God. Is that correct?
If so, can you please explain how you justify such a position outside of pure revelation? Once you accept that there is in fact only one true ‘religion’ having ‘one institution setup directly by God’ is not a large hop, skip, and jump. So certainly there can be no ‘logical’ objection to that position.
Oh, and please don’t tell me that the reason you can’t have “one true institution” is because its offensive to other institutions. Because I’m guessing Baptists are just as offended that you draw your circle of “churches that have the true beliefs” to exclude them.
“John, in all honesty, I applaud you for saying this”
I got off track and failed to explain this comment. What I meant was that I’m firmly of the opinion that it’s incredibly important for everyone to have a core set of beliefs and to hold to them. More to the point, we should all accept that, in so far as others believe something mutually exclusive to those beliefs, that they are wrong and we are right.
I know some people try to get around this via many logical absurdities. I ‘applaud you’ for not falling into that trap.
I’d be hypocritical if I choose to believe my beliefs but insisted others shouldn’t believe theirs. So I definitely applaud you for having a core set of beliefs that you feel God commands all religions to hold and that anyone that does not is more then merely mistaken — they should be condemned or reformed and you are going to actively work towards that goal to convert them to the truth as you believe it to be.
In a world increasingly full of religious absurdities, this really is a refreshing position that should be celebrated even if it puts us religiously at odds with each other. But I think that is what ‘tolerance’ is all about: respectfully disagreeing and respectfully working to convert each other to what we think the truth really is. I think this is the only way for real truth to emerge in discourse and you seem to agree.
Oh, I thought of another relevant question.
From within your religious framework, in what sense do you believe that Brigham Young is a usurper?
This seems dangerously close to me to insisting that God had institutional goals for the original Church and BY took the institution away from those goals.
Admittedly you do not believe that there is more than one true religion in terms of your core beliefs, so I can see that you may have felt BY starting teaching falsehoods that made the LDS Church no longer one of God’s true religions.
But still, doesn’t the fact that almost every member of the early Mormon Church (that stayed Mormon anyhow) chose to follow BY count at least a little against his status as a usurper?
And even if that hadn’t been true — if, say, BY had merely captured say 5% of the early Mormon church and the RLDS had captured the rest — doesn’t the fact that that 5% choose to follow him basically make it impossible to count BY as a usurper?
I won’t try to interpret what John may mean by the comment that there is more than one true church — and I wouldn’t use the term usurper at all in this context. However, I’d suggest that the easiest reference to how there can be more than one true church is to look at the NT analogy of the “body of Christ.” The body dies if it ever “succeeds” in turning all of the liver cells into heart cells. There are organs that carry out individual functions for the health of the entire body.
The CofChrist has come to see God’s work as vastly greater than the work of the church, in large part because we are more focused on building Zion than on our fates in the afterlife. We tend to believe that, at minimum, trusting in Christ allows us to focus on what we’re supposed to do and be here as the best preparation for what comes after.
AC says:
thanks for posting this, it has been enlightening to read. I hope you don’t mind me butting in, but I’d like to share my kindred frustration with you.
I’m nominally LDS but in reality a lost sheep of the Restoration, I was born in an unchurched Anti-Mormon family in Utah but as a college Freshman became LDS and a year later was a missionary in Chicago, as a result I estranged all but a couple of my family members, returning from my mission my faith in the LDS leadership was shattered by my negative mission experiences.
I longed for a spiritual home and began looking at the CofC as a possibility, but hearing how far CofC has moved from the foundation of the Restoration literally made me weep.
It seems there is no place for a moderate in the religious world, either you have Conservative authoritarians like the LDS or liberal authoritarians like the CofC; consider Armand Wijckman being locked out of his own meetinghouse and the CofC suing small Restoration Branches who used the RLDS Church name if you don’t agree that the CofC does have its own issues with ministerial heavy handedness.
I pray for the day when God will give an organization that respects both Traditionalists and Modernists and allows each their expression and helps them to be reconciled and that the mentality of “backward fundamentalists must reform” and “liberal heretics must be cast out” will fade to memory. I don’t think Christ wants that for us.
And its a tragedy that people like myself fall through the cracks as a result. I lost my entire extended family and have yet to heal the wounds with my immediate family, all in the name of the Restoration and yet I haven’t been actively attending LDS meetings for two years. My adventure in Restorationism has wrecked my life and all I have to show for it is a melancholy certainty that JS Jr was a Prophet and the the BoM is true (to what extent its literal history is irrelevant to me, that Book changed my heart and speaks to my inmost soul).
At any case, I’m glad to see I’m not the only person with some frustration, a “long dark night of the Soul” as St. John of the Cross said.
PS sorry if that sounds like a negative self pity tirade, but I think the Liberal/Traditionalist dichotomy and the questions of ministerial authority are very pertinent to present situation in the Community of Christ, particularly with reference to joining the NCC, and for the record I do accept the BoM to be historical. 😀 AC
Firetag — I believe God will save the church. You don’t have to be worried about it, if you’re called to worry about other things, but I do feel called and compelled to save the institution. I believe the institution has a value beyond what individuals can do on their own and I believe the church has an important calling still to fulfill, even if we do accept the idea that other important callings exist outside the church (which I do accept).
Bruce — Your logic (in the essay you link to) is flawed because you’re proceeding from a false premise “all belief systems are equal,” which is distinct from the idea that “all belief systems have truth.” All belief systems are not equal. Simple black-and-white belief systems appear strong because they have simple answers to simple questions, which appear to some of their adherents to be eminently logical. Unfortunately those same belief systems are inferior as world-views to more sophisticated world-views from the standpoint of their capacity as models to predict results in the real world.
In other words, all belief systems are not equal. Specifically, I believe that simplistic world-views or religions are inferior to sophisticated world-views or religions regarding such important goals as defining and predicting how the world actually operates. My religion is not the “one and only true church,” but — with all respect to adherents who believe otherwise and who have the right to believe otherwise — it has more truth than any unsophisticated religion which does make such a claim.
As you say, this puts us at odds with each other. This doesn’t mean I think ill of you. I don’t want to make my point in a way that is attacking you, but I do want to answer the question you posed.
You write: “Admittedly you do not believe that there is more than one true religion in terms of your core beliefs, so I can see that you may have felt BY starting teaching falsehoods that made the LDS Church no longer one of God’s true religions.”
I don’t think any such thing. Churches are not true or false. Churches are institutions, the same way banks, schools, or trade unions are institutions. Is General Motors a true car company? What value does that question even possess?
GM, as an institution, performs its various roles and it can be judged according to how well it achieves various goals. As a result, depending on the goals you value, you can call it a success or you can call it a failure, but it’s meaningless to say it’s true or false. It’s not a proposition, it’s an institution.
You ask: “But still, doesn’t the fact that almost every member of the early Mormon Church (that stayed Mormon anyhow) chose to follow BY count at least a little against his status as a usurper?”
(1) This is a false statement; while a large majority of the members at church HQ moved west, the membership at church HQ represented a minority of the Saints baptized between 1830-44. (2) The answer is “No.”
How are you defining “usurper,” Bruce? Are you saying that if somebody somewhere (or 5% of somebodies) follows a usurper, he was no usurper? Usurpers often win and almost everyone ends up following them.
AC: I didn’t say “backward fundamentalists must reform.” I said backward fundamentalists should be encouraged to reform or condemned for failing to reform. There’s a difference between me holding a carrot (encouragement) and a stick (condemnation), which refer to my own personal policies and actions, and the statement you ascribe to me: i.e., that someone other than me must do this or that.
I’m not saying that anyone /must/ do anything; people are free to do what they want. However, I am saying that when they do things of which I disapprove, my response is to encourage them to modify that behavior, or to condemn them for failing to do so.
Bruce: I think I see the confusion. I wrote above if a church claims to be the one and only true church that’s a sign that it’s false. And then I later wrote that churches aren’t true or false.
I stand by both statements. In my own paradigm, Churches aren’t actually true or false because they are institutions, not principles — (that’s the broader perspective).
However, within the paradigm of a belief system that claims churches are true or false, the fact that you’re in such a false framework should indicate to you that such a church is false from the standpoint of the paradigm itself. (Why was that confusing? :P) In the end, the proposition is false and the world-view is less sophisticated and less good, but church advocating both is not actually “false” in the broader world-view. Outside its own limited and less useful paradigm, it is merely an institution that can be judged according to how well it performs or fails to perform various goals.
@#50:
I am directly admiting that there is nothing logically inconsistent with accepting that God works through multiple institutions. Therefore I am in no way arguing with that position. (At least not at this time.)
Indeed, my point is actually its logical corrallary: that if there are in fact truths worth having that are superior to their logical altenative (a point that even John agrees with and that seem to just logically follow from the very concept of “truth”) then there can’t be anything logically false about choosing (by revelation or by fiat) to believe that God *did* choose one institution to be His own. In other words, I’m arguing that *both positions are logically coherent.*
In other words I’m arguing not against the idea that God has multiple institutions but only against John more limited point (articulated but not explained in #56) that it is somehow an irrational position that is self contradictory. John believes this, but I don’t see how he’s deriving it at all.
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I started writing a response to you and it got long. Give me a chance later to engage all of your points. I agree with you on many things, it seems, but somehow I see your conclusions as the opposite of what they should be from within your own world view.
In the mean time, I wanted to clarify one point of mine you seem to have misunderstood.
My point was that if God chooses to not have one institution — as you are asserting is the case — then there really isn’t any legitimate sense in which we can say BY is a usurper. Or at least I don’t yet see how that could ever logically follow.
Again, if all you meant was that BY led the Church to believe in things you personally disagree with, and since you do believe your beliefs to be universally true for everyone (i.e. they are a sort of one true religion for you) then I suppose I can see you saying BY is a usurper in this very limited sense.
But this isn’t the sense you originally indicated. It really seems to me that you directly contradicted yourself. You started out claiming that God intended the Church to be a certain way and that BY usurped the institution and took it a different direction. But that is literally impossible within your worldview. The most it would seem you could say is that BY started another institution for people with those sorts of interests and the old institution died out. But since God does not have ‘true’ or ‘false’ institutions, this is basically non problematic.
In short, I’m pointing out what to me seem like a pretty nasty contradiction on your part and also subtly pointing out that both of your beliefs here really only have one thing in common — they are both anti-LDS Church. But they also don’t go together.
I might be reading too much in here, so I look forward to your further explanation.
I had gone to bed here on the East Coast before you posted last night, but O wanted to respond to you before I read the later comments.
In Section 164 there is a sort of epilogue that the prophet testified came after he thought the experience was done. I don’t want to get into the directions given, because that was CofChrist-specific, but I do want to note the salutation, because I’ve been impressed that it applies to all of us.
“BELOVED CHILDREN OF THE RESTORATION, your continuing faith adventure with God has been divinely led, eventful, challenging, and sometimes surprising to you. By the grace of God, you are poised to fulfill God’s ultimate vision for the church.” (CofChrist D&C 164:9a)
There are no lost sheep of the Restoration; there are only beloved children. No matter what we do to each other, we are still beloved. Maybe you did not so much fall through the cracks as escape between the bars to the place from which your own freedom and potential may best be found. That’s the job for all of us: find where God wants us to be and get there NOW.
Bruce, there is no contradiction in what I said — the contradiction is among all the baggage you attached to what I said.
On the statement you’re plucking out, I specifically said, “My person view is…” I’m not sure how I can more explicitly indicate that this is a personal view of mine and not a theological principle.
You write: “You started out claiming that God intended the Church to be a certain way and that BY usurped the institution and took it a different direction.” What? Where did I claim that? I don’t think that’s true at all. I don’t believe that God intended the church to be a certain way or that BY took it in a different direction. BY definitely took it in a different direction than it would have gone had any other person seized control — because history isn’t pre-determined and vast differences might have been possible if there had been tiny changes at different points. Not having BY in charge would not have been a tiny change. On my view about how little changes might produce big differences, cf. http://mormonmatters.org/2008/03/25/what-if-they%E2%80%99d-put-nauvoo-in-iowa/
My personal view of Brigham Young is a personal judgment. At most it’s useful as a model for historical comparison and contrast.
Firetag-
Thanks for your kind words, I’m sure Pres. Veazey was influenced by the Holy Spirit to write that verse, they definitely ring true to me. I think the crux of the matter is while here on this site and this page one may academically discuss the ramifications of policy, such as the current action of the CofC in joining the NCC, but lets consider the practical application of what policy can cause; ie the LDS Church has a policy of asking those who dissent to remain silent or, to put it flatly, seek fellowship elsewhere. That policy hurts people. The Community of Christ has pursued policies which have led to liberalization and ecumensim. Its true that has hurt many of its members, and the org itself as it is in financial and numerical decline. Nominally the CofC stills upholds the BoM as canon, but it is disused to the point that its canonicity is meaningless, the BoM is not an important part in the life and ministry of the CofC, which is why the NCC isn’t concerned with it in CofC’s admission to membership. Nominally, CofC is a product of the Restoration, but practically I’d submit to you that the CofC is not very different than the United Church of Christ. I hope and pray the best for the CofC and I’m saddened that it can’t be the Spiritual Home I long for. Best wishes, AC.
Mr. Hamer-
I ascribed no words to you at all, I was making a general statement which I did not intend as directed toward you at all, and I apologize if you perceived it that way.
However, since you felt the need to clarify with me, I will do so with you, what I ascribe to you is a world view that I feel is not productive to the building up of the Kingdom of God and is all to pervasive in our society today, the result of such a mentality is enmity between those who ought to be fellow laborers in the Cause of Zion. Whether liberal or fundamentalist, the mentality of “Think as I think or you are abominably wicked; you are a Toad” only serves to divide and weaken, we must remember the counsel of Paul “Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided?” So why must there be those of the “Sophistication” and those of the “Simplicity”? Because Satan wants us to be divided and puts contention into man’s heart. RLDS Apsotle Arthur Oakman once said that the Church had the resources to build Zion, but that there was “too much sin in the Church.” I think this very issue was the “sin” of which he spoke. A True Church must able to be a Spiritual Home for both Fundamentalists and Liberals, where both can offer their talents to building up the Kingdom. Mr. Hamer you have demonstrated why I do not join the CofC even though I had desire to do so at one time. I have no further use for any condemnation for failing to accept what another “encourages” to me if the Holy Spirit does not commend it to me, and I think your attitude is definitely in tune with the prevailing attitudes in the CofC leadership (or membership for that matter).
At any case, I will sir be a toad 😉 best wishes to you and btw I enjoyed the interview you did with John Dehlin for “Mormon Stories.” AC
“The UCC (United Church of Christ) is a denomination that is formed from historic churches that merged together and merged their past, individual historic identities together into a joined identity.”
When I was on my mission in South Carolina, I attended a Wednesday evening session at the Church on Christ in Spartanburg, SC. The topic of the meeting was “the one true church”, which caught my attention. I remember being struck by the similarities of the principles being taught with our church, and had heard that the Church of Christ had ties to Mormon origins, but I have yet to learn anything confirmatory to these rumors.
I know that there are many “Churches of Christ” in the Missouri area with Mormon origins, but was unclear if the SC Church of Christs had any ties to these Mormon Churches of Christ, or were more similar to the Alexander Cambpell/Baptists churches of Christ from the 1830’s. Are you saying that some of these groups have tied together Mormon/Campbellite histories together?
Thanks for your responses and clarifications. Let me respond back. I’m going to do it in separate comments out of necessity at this point.
First a few nits:
@53 – “Your logic (in the essay you link to) is flawed because you’re proceeding from a false premise “all belief systems are equal,”
The essay argued logically you can’t have all belief systems be equal. So I’m at a loss how you misunderstood it to mean the opposite.
@54 -What I said: “But still, doesn’t the fact that almost every member of the early Mormon Church (that stayed Mormon anyhow) chose to follow BY count at least a little against his status as a usurper?”
John’s response: “This is a false statement; while a large majority of the members at church HQ moved west, the membership at church HQ represented a minority of the Saints baptized between 1830-44.”
It’s like two ships passing in the night. 🙂 By “this statement is false” you apparently mean “this statement is true.” Since after all the membership that stayed behind didn’t “stay Mormon” just like I said. Are you claiming otherwise? Is there some hidden majority of Mormons that formed some unknown church?
Let’s compromise on this one. I will admit that you were right and that I was too. I think you just read in more than I intended here.
Neither of these seem like big deal, since we are really in agreement. As for the first, I think a key point is that we both believe that not all belief systems are equal. This is very important to what I’ll say next.
In #54 you said some things that are clearly not true. But then I accept that you corrected yourself in #56 so I’ll pick up from there.
A key point you make is that church’s are institutions not principles, so they can’t be “true.” Okay, fair enough. But I’m sure you’re smart enough to know that when LDS people say the Church is “true” that it’s a cultural short hand for “the beliefs taught by that institution are the correct (or most correct) ones.”
So let’s dispense with this strawman. I’ll agree that the LDS is not “true” from within my own beliefs, but rather just the institution that happens to teach the most truth and let’s move on from there. Will this work for you?
Also, I agree the LDS Church (and all Church and religions) must be judged by how well they perform. But the correct measure should be, in my opinion, how well they perform for their adherents. This should be obvious. The fact that the LDS Church brings little meaning to a Catholic just doesn’t matter to anyhow. And for my own life, it’s performed quite well, so that’s the judgment that should matter the most to me. And I’m hardly alone in feeling this way.
For those that it did not work for, I wholly encourage them to pay the LDS Church no head and prayerfully follow there own path without becoming “Rejectionist” and feeling the need to try to make the LDS Church ineffective for those it is working for.
I’m more curious about what you mean by this: “the fact that you’re in such a false framework should indicate to you that such a church is false from the standpoint of the paradigm itself”
I am at a total loss here unless you were just still confused as to what “the Church is true” is short hand for.
In fact, the logical behind why the LDS Church believes their religion is the “true” (or “most true”) one is so obvious that a child can do it. And it’s logic that applies to your own worldview. So here it is:
1.You already accept that not all belief systems (religions) are equal.
2.This implies some are “more and less true” compared to some (perhaps hidden) “standard of truth.”
3.Therefore it logically follows that the existence of an ‘advantaged religion’ (i.e. one that clearly has more truth compared to others) is plausible and not contradictory. (One note here: that ‘advantaged religion’ could logically be atheism. But you already told me you are not an atheist.)
4.In fact, it’s not just plausible, it’s probable. Or in any case, if you wish to assert there is no advantaged religion in terms of truth then you owe us an explanation of why that happens to be the case whe it seems so plausible that it should have been otherwise.
5.Since there can be an advantaged religion, and probably is one, it would at a minimum make good sense for those that hold those ‘advantaged beliefs’ to get together (or have God get them together, if you believe in such things) to form an institution that teaches these truths. (And here I note that I see nothing wrong with you claiming the NCC is that institution made up of several denominations.)
In any case, when it comes to logic, I have no idea why you think the idea of having a “most true believe system” is somehow a contradiction when it’s obvious that logic almost forces it upon us.
My point here isn’t to try to convince you that the LDS Church is the keeper of that advantaged religion. My point is only that you are to the point of anger and condemnation over a belief the LDS Church holds that you apparently hold too. (And is probably unavoidable that everyone holds it in some way.)
#61 – “On the statement you’re plucking out, I specifically said, “My person view is…” I’m not sure how I can more explicitly indicate that this is a personal view of mine and not a theological principle.”
I need to also point out this quote from you in #55: “I’m not saying that anyone /must/ do anything; people are free to do what they want. However, I am saying that when they do things of which I disapprove, my response is to encourage them to modify that behavior, or to condemn them for failing to do so.”
Here I think we get to the crux of AC’s concern and mine as well. The fact is that you somehow don’t see that you are one of the single strongest “there is only one true belief system in the world and it’s mine!” people around. Even as an LDS Church member, you make me blush.
Your defense here is that your view is “not a theological principle” because apparently you are not saying people *must* do what you say and “people are free to do what they want.”
Yet what you believe or don’t believe about God personally *is your theological principles.*
Plus, you now need to allow all Churches you condemn the right to use your argument above. How many belief systems do you know of that claim an advantaged position that don’t believe people are free to do what they want?
Which is why it’s so strange you use words like “usurper” for BY. Usurper of what exactly? You insist he “seized control.” But Churches are all voluntary. There is nothing to “seize control” of. What you apparently mean by “seize control” is that BY (and the 12) convinced people this was God’s will and they willingly decided they believed him.
The premise of the LDS Church, as Hinckley talked about, is that it is true or it’s not. Joseph Smith either experienced what he did or he didn’t. And the fundamental LDS story is the First Vision (much like Mohammed’s first vision or Buddha’s awakening). In the official version: I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt
And there it is, in black and white. If you truly accept JS’s story, you must also accept the “One True Church” thought.
I’m not sure what this subsequently means:
1) Does the converse apply: ie. If you believe that there is more than one correct church, does this necessarily imply that you cannot believe in JS’s story?
2) Can divergent paths, all ultimately tracing back to JS, ALL be true? Or does the presence of multiple Restoration faiths mean that only ONE is true and the rest are apostate?
Adam Greenwood says:
As someone who has a soft spot for institutions of all kinds, even for institutions that are opposed in some sense to my own church, this is sad news. Yet another group with its own history and identity is dissolving into the general sludge, joining the throng who are resolved to be irresolute, adamant for drift, solid for fluidity . . .
There are a lot of unexamined assumptions in Hinckley’s statement. First, there is the LDS premise — which came years after the First Vision — that truth and apostasy follow institutional boundaries exactly. Second, that truth or apostacy are permanent conditions; note that JS built into the D&C provisions for dealing with a fallen prophet, indicating he thought it was a real possibility. Third, that institutional statements by God in 1820 apply to statements about individuals at all times; think of Alma as a priest of the perverted religion of King Noah and the call of the Spirit he then experienced, without the intervention of a church organization beforehand.
So what the Community of Christ more precisely says is that we see the Spirit of God calling people to mission, including administration of sacraments God honors, on the Authority of the Spirit. The authenticity of the call is shown by the power and fruits of the Spirit it brings — and that is true inside or outside the church.
I’ll leave it at that, because I start to have serious quibbles about how my own church has begun to interpret the relationship of the priesthood to the institution in recent years.
FireTag: …we see the Spirit of God calling people to mission, including administration of sacraments God honors, on the Authority of the Spirit. The authenticity of the call is shown by the power and fruits of the Spirit it brings — and that is true inside or outside the church.
I really like this as it reflects my feelings. It is much more organic and less hierarchal than what I have experienced in the LDS Church.
AC: Glad you enjoyed the podcast and I hope you find the spiritual home you seek! Good luck and be well!
MH: I don’t know of any Restoration related Churches of Christ down there. The problem is that there are just too many churches of that name from such a wide variety of backgrounds that it’s often very hard to say without looking very closely at the fine print.
Bruce: On your first nit — I said that backwards. I don’t mean you believe “all beliefs are equal.” What I’m saying was your argument presumes that finding truth in all traditions somehow suggests that “all beliefs are equal” — in other words, you create a straw man (as you like to say) and proceed to stab it.
As far as “usurper” goes, you write: “But Churches are all voluntary. There is nothing to ‘seize control’ of.” I don’t agree. There’s plenty to seize control of: for example, the institution itself. Can individuals quit a church more easily than they can quit say, a country? Most likely in most all cases yes. Which is why it would be possible for someone to take control of something (like, say, the local Elks club) and have it immediately collapse, i.e., because everybody quits. But that doesn’t mean that the guy didn’t take control of something. A church is not nothing; it’s something.
On the more truth and less truth business —
I’ve explained my criterion for how we can judge whether a world-view is “more true” or “less true” — I define this as the degree to which the world-view is able to accurately describe the world that it is a view of, and the degree to which it can, as a result, accurately explain and predict outcomes in that world. In other words, how effectively reality-based is the world-view?
The core problem for people who are LDS is not that they consider there church to be true or most true — I said above that’s a sign (or symptom) of the core problem. (Although in this case the sign itself does tend to promote hierarchical authoritarianism and leader-worship, which are real problems.) The core problem for many LDS people, and, indeed for all scriptural literalists, is that a scriptural literalist world-view describes reality with relatively less accuracy than certain other world-views which are not founded upon this type of reading of scripture.
For example, if person believes that the text of the Book of Abraham was in some appreciable sense composed by the historic figure Abraham, this is a place where the world-view clearly contradicts reality (although obviously the person who believes it is able to deny the evidence to themselves). This is likewise the problem that I have with southern Baptists (that I mentioned above) and, indeed, that I also have with scriptural literalists who are Muslim or any other religion — these world-views have less truth (by my definition) because are not reality-based. This detachment from reality, in turn, leads people who are caught up in literalism and scriptural authorlitarianism to make all sorts of bad judgments, however logical and internally consistent they may be, because they are working from poor premises.
That said, again I do not say that people must not retain these traditions — I have many friends and family members who view the world this way. Indeed, there are a number of people in my congregation who are scriptural literalists and who share their views in talks on Sunday. They are very free to, and I’m pleased they do and I listen to them respectfully and I engage them in dialogue as the friends they are. I value the institution I am a part of because it is non-credal and it values those exchanges.
So, you and I have marked our boundaries. We’ve said why we think the other is wrong and — as usual when you and I get into this — I don’t know that we accomplished much else. You can certainly write and say why you think everything I’ve just said is illogical to you (and thereby have the last word as far as I’m concerned) or you can save yourself the effort and throw your arms up at me in exasperation now.
John: How would you address the earliest missionaries who left Jesus’ side to convert the world – or our own ancestors who left wives and children for extended periods of time to do the same? Was their belief that they were right and all others wrong a sign that they were wrong – and, if so, what does that say about the original Christian missionaries and their modern counterparts?
Given those questions, if I am reading your meaning correctly, I renew my concern that the CofC is abandoning its Restoration roots and joining a group (NCC) that more accurately reflects its newer, decidedly Protestant orientation.
(and, for the record, that comes from someone who believes deeply that there is truth all over the world, regardless of religion and denomination – that God inspires people who live and worship in radically different ways – that Jacob 5 says unequivocally that elements of apostasy (bitter fruit) will exist in God’s vineyard (and in “the true church”, whatever that might mean) until the very end – that women have the same right to spiritual gifts as men, including things like healing – etc. I’m rock solid, believing LDS – but I’m certainly not orthodox or fundamentalist.)
I don’t know how long it will be before John will see this comment, and I don’t want to speak for him, but let me anticipate by replying the way I suspect the CofChrist leadership might reply.
I think they would argue that early Christians thought that acceptance of Christ REQUIRED obedience to Jewish rituals, specifically circumcision, as well. In Acts we read of Peter being shown a vision in which he was commanded to eat food forbidden by Jewish law. When he protested, he was commanded to not call unclean that which God had made clean.
The leadership has argued the situation with priesthood authority is analogous: they assert that they see legitimate acts of priesthood authority being manifested in others, AND THAT ONLY THE HOLY GHOST CAN HAVE PRODUCED THOSE ACTS.
It’s up to us to decide, of course, whether we see that evidence, or buy that interpretation.
FireTag, I understand all of that – and I don’t even disagree with it as you’ve written it.
My concern is that there is WAY more to the “true church” designation than just Priesthood authority to do marvelous things through the Holy Ghost – and, in fact, even more than having “God’s authority to act in His name”. For example, at the very least, every person who has been baptized in the LDS Church has covenanted to take his name upon them, so, in a very real sense, even rather young children can act in his name in some significant ways through the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. I have NO problem extending that to those of other religions – even outside of Christianity, given the Mormon concept of the light of Christ and recognition that the Holy Ghost can inspire anyone of any faith tradition.
My question simply is how John, or anyone else, can reconcile the obvious **conversion** aspect of early Christian missionary efforts and modern Mormon missionary efforts with the idea that there is nothing exclusively critical within the church that sends out those missionaries.
If the CofC simply won’t try to convert other Christians (except, perhaps, Mormons and Catholics and Jehovah’s Witnesses and others who aren’t “really” Christians in the eyes of the NCC), believing that their declaration of faith in Jesus is enough, my question is answered – but isn’t that also a repudiation of everything the Restoration was and Joseph Smith as the Prophet of that Restoration? Isn’t that approach just another Protestant Reformation approach? If the CofC takes that approach, doesn’t that make them, de facto, a branch of the Protestant Reformation that just happened to originate outside it?
Again, this is something I can’t answer for John, (or for the CofChrist, but only for myself, obviously.
Several decades ago, now, the Presiding Quorums of the then RLDS church brought in a consultant from a seminary in the Kansas City (i.e., Independence) area to help them understand issues in which expertise in “mainstream” theology was important. (We had no seminary of our own at the time, simply a religion department at Graceland College.)
His white papers have circulated around more conservative elements of the church ever since, and he made several public presentations about them. The most accessible was recently published in the epilogue of “Book of Mormon — An Inconvenient Truth” by Richard Rupe, which is probably still available from
http://www.bofmtruth.com
When I first saw the theologian’s conclusions several years ago, one struck me and stayed with me: “The world has absolutely no need for another Protestant denomination.”
If that is where the CofChrist is headed — and I think you may well be right about that — then I can’t go there. I am a Restorationist Christian, not a Protestant Christian, and I have been given personal guidance that I take to mean there is no safety or mission-fulfillment for MY people in Protestantism, however wonderful a role Protestantism has in God’s plan.
gibson says:
I will have to share this with my older brothers who are still CofChrist while I converted to LDS in 1999. I doubt that they are even aware of these latest changes. Their tendency, like their congregations, is to have an isolationist attitude.
I knew the church wouldn’t be able to implement open baptism without allowing methods other than immersion. It’s all about appeasement. My wife wondered how are they going to verify the baptism occured at age eight? If the candidate says seven I’m sure the response will be “Eh, close enough”
I don’t know quite what to make of this, but the following was published this week in the Community of Christ’s Monthly “10 Minute News” report:
“Membership preparation materials for baptism and confirmation are being produced. Community of Christ welcomes and accepts the baptism of other Christian denominations as a result of new policy established through Doctrine and Covenants 164. An interim policy will be effective January 1 and official policy will be effective September 2011…
…Invite children, youth, and their families into the ministries and fellowship of the church, for their baptism in another Christian faith community is welcome here. Reach out and embrace them, for their presence enriches our lives and the church.”
So, after stressing the change in our baptismal policies on lofty theological grounds of recognizing the spiritual validity of the baptismal covenant of others, the very first thing we do is try to get into our denomination people who either: a) are unchurched because they DID NOT take their recent baptismal covenants seriously, or b) who we’re trying to poach from their covenants rather than support them to their previous denominations?
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George E. Williams says:
The only comment I have to make is the same as I have always said.
In the mid 1980’s, Elder Richard Price of the old RLDS Church (now the,Community of Christ) was called on the carpet by superiors and told he would be “silenced,” (defrocked) if he did not stop publishing falsehoods about the First Presidency of the church.
Price asked his inquisitors point blank to positively id3ntify one thing that he had published that was falsehood. The inquisitors verbally stumbled and then toof Price that he had published that the First Presidency intended to take the church into the NCC. Price was told that this was,absolutely untrue,m, and that alone was eniugh to justify his silencing if he,did not recant. He was silenced and eventually excommunicated.
The point is that the top leadership of the church was lying, and was having figurative witch burnings,for anyone who dared point out their bald-faced lies.
Why would anyone want to belong to a church whose leaders behave that way?
The current administration apparently agrees with what went on at that time, because it’s approach is to pretend that there was merely unpleasantness, and the church leadership did not go out of its way to behave monstrously. That is insufficient
Currently, my view is that the church is guided by borderline atheists who are attracted to Marxist ideals, but firmly appreciate the power that religion gives them to stampede the believers in what the leadership believes is the appropriate direction.
ambassadorofthekingdom says:
This has been a long read on this thread, and we are not sure if contribution will be worthwhile but perhaps the CoC has missed the point of the restoration itself! A great debate has been had about Joseph Smith Jr toward the last part of this life, from 1835 onward and certainly when Nauvoo became a city. One question does come to mind, did Joseph actually have the experiential experience when a lad in the grove which precipitated the restoration?
When he described this event he described two personages, Father and Son. If the entire restoration with its many permutation as a result was predicated upon this event, then another question is equally important.
Did this young lad understand what was meant by NOT joining any other organization because of the ‘power thereof’?
And this question begs still another, did Joseph follow this admonition?
And lastly, was he given any information on the apostasy which had spilled out all about him later?
We would submit he indeed was given this information in the form of a joint vision with Sydney Rigdon in 1832, but neither men discerned or understood the apostasy being presented in a greater understanding of the degrees of universe and in relationship to the human condition.
In the CoC (RLDS) it is Section 76 and this vision is found in most of the restoration splintering.
This very simply is twenty-one centuries of Jesus’ teachings as morphed by one person, and that person was Saul (Paul in Greek) and those that followed his ‘Christian’ message.
Thus, when Joseph went into the grove he knew NOT to join any organization, because as he said in this testimony of the moment, “they deny the power thereof”.
The Book Of Mormon was but a ‘side-bar’ to the point. Joseph was too young in that moment to understand, it took a few more years and another vision to bring this enlightenment of the apostasy which had grown and metastasized over the centuries.
Did Joseph understand this profound information? No, of course not.
But once given it was given to the wise to understand what this would mean in the last days of this dispensation of time.
As Jesus said, “they that have ears, listen”. The truth resides in this vision.
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Today is Halloween. For some it has it’s roots in Pagan festivals such as the Gaelic Samhain, the Welsh Calan Gaeaf or the Cornish Allentide. For others it is a festival of purely Christian origin. Either way, it’s definitely about death. At the end of October everything around you seems to be dying. The leaves are falling from the trees, plants wither away, even the sun is not looking too good. It’s really not surprising that, gathered around a fire, surrounded by flickering shadows and contemplating the long winter ahead, the thoughts of our ancestors turned a bit morbid.
The transition between the very end of harvest and the darker half of the year was seen as a liminal time, which means ‘on the threshold’. Celtic people believed whatever separated our world from the world of gods, powerful spirits and the dead became less distinct. For Gaelic people this meant that the aos sí, the fairy folk, could easily pass into our world. So you had to be pretty careful. Gaelic fairies are not at all like the ones you meet in children’s fairy stories. They are volatile and capricious. If you left offerings of food and drink outside their dwellings at Samhain, they might allow your livestock to survive the winter. The aos sí lived underground, beneath great mounds of earth. When the mounds were excavated in later times by archaeologists, they were found to be ancient burial mounds. So likely the aos sí are a folk memory of ancient, long dead ancestors. This explains why people also believed Samhain was a time when their dead relatives might be able to return to them. This doesn’t seem to be something they were afraid of. Candles would be left burning to guide the dead back home.
From at least the sixteenth century, the celebrations often included people dressing up and going form house to house asking for small gifts in return for a verse or a song. In some areas of Ireland and Wales, they also brought along the decorated skull of a horse. In the early 1850s, a man named William Hackett of the Kilkenny Archaeological Society describes a parade of youths, blowing cow horns and led by a man dressed in a white sheet topped with a horses head. The poem they recited, he said, was obviously pagan and contained two names that would not be tolerated, had they been uttered elsewhere. Mysteriously, he goes on to say that archaeologists will know which names he means. I, however, do not know. The homes visited by such processions could expect good fortune as a reward for their gifts or terrible disasters if they refused to comply. Perhaps originally the visitors represented the fairies or the souls of the dead and were accepting gifts on their behalf. It’s easy to see how the tradition of trick or treating might have come about. The Halloween lanterns, which were carved from turnips and carried on the procession, may have represented the souls of the dead. But perhaps they were just added to make the whole ordeal seem more frightening.
As well as honouring the dead, people also believed that the blurring of the world of fairies and magic with our own gave them powers of divination. There are many games and customs associated with Halloween which are about predicting who a person will marry, or who will die in the following year. Roasting nuts over a fire was supposed to indicate whether your lover would be faithful or not. If the nut cracks or jumps, that is not a good sign. Apples were often used in divining your future spouse. If you could cut off the peel in one single length and throw it over your shoulder, the way it landed would reveal the first letter of your future partner’s name. Or if you ate an apple while gazing into a mirror, their face would appear behind your shoulder. If you saw a skull however, it meant that you would die before you married. Most of these seem to have been games played by young women, but the Scottish poet Robert Burns tells us about one played by men. Three luggies (dishes) would be placed on the hearth. One contained clean water, one dirty water and the third was empty. Each man would be blindfolded and asked to dip his fingers in one of the bowls, which had been shuffled about to prevent cheating. If he chose the bowl of clean water, he would marry a maid, the dirty water meant he would marry a widow and the empty bowl, that he would die a bachelor. Speaking as a widow myself, I don’t much care for being likened to a bowl of dirty water, but luckily, we live in more enlightened times.
Death was very much on the minds of people celebrating Calan Gaeaf in Wales. There, everyone would write their names on stones and place them around a bonfire. When the fire died down, everyone would run home because there was an evil spirit about. This spirit took the form of a tailless black sow and a headless woman who would devour their souls, which is pretty disquieting. In the morning, they would go back and look at the stones. If anyone’s was missing, it meant that they would die in the following year.
Apples feature very heavily in the Cornish Halloween festival of Allentide, named for Saint Allen, about whom we know nothing. The most important part of the celebration was the giving of shiny red apples to family and friends as tokens of good luck. There was a time when no child would sleep happily on Halloween night without an Allen Apple tucked safely beneath their pillow. Apples are a pretty big feature of Halloween in general. Bobbing for apples is well known, but we came across a more dangerous version associated with Allentide. A cross would be made from two pieces of wood and four candles would be placed on each arm of the cross. It would be hung from the ceiling with apples dangling on strings underneath. The purpose was the same, to get a bite of the apple, but if you weren’t quick enough, the hot wax from the candles would drip in your face.
Some of the older Christian beliefs connected with Halloween are no less disturbing. All Hallows Eve was a day to pray for the souls of the recently departed. You might find groups of men dressed in black walking the streets and ringing a mournful sounding bell to remind us all about it. People believed that the souls of people who had died during the year could not get to heaven until All Saints Day on November 1st. So if any of the dead had any grievance with you, Halloween was their last chance to get at you. So it was best to go about in disguise on that day. It was also possible that all the dead could rise up from their graves on that night, for a wild and hideous carnival known as the Danse Macabre. The image features in many medieval church decorations and reminds us that whoever we are, death awaits us all.
Posted on October 31, 2015 October 31, 2015 Categories british and brilliantTags allentide, british isles, calan gaeaf, danse macabre, fairies, halloween, samhainLeave a comment on Night Of The Living Dead
Today is the anniversary of the 1938 CBS radio broadcast of ‘The War of the Worlds’ which was directed and narrated by Orson Welles. It was one of a series of plays called ‘Mercury Theatre on the Air’, broadcast live between 8 and 9 pm Eastern Standard time on a Sunday night. History would have you believe that it caused nationwide panic and hysteria. This is not really true.
The play was an adaptation of the 1898 novel of the same name by H G Wells about a Martian invasion of Earth. The play used a modern setting and transferred the action from the south of England to New Jersey. The broadcast almost didn’t happen at all. Five days before it was due to air, its writer, Howard Koch, was finding it almost impossible to adapt the novel into a play. Together with his secretary and producer he managed to work out a script, but it was still quite boring. Welles heard a recording of the first draft two days later and thought it needed more urgency and excitement; eyewitness accounts and newsflashes. The script was reworked overnight and the names of real people and places were added. But CBS thought that made it too real and several had to be changed, which was probably just as well. The following day, Saturday, the play was rehearsed with a sound effects team and on Sunday the orchestra arrived and they were all set for their live broadcast of the play.
The programme was listed in the Sunday newspapers as a drama and the New York Times had it among their leading events of the week as “Tonight – Play: H G Wells War of the Worlds.” It was also stated clearly at the beginning of the broadcast that it was a play. Yet popular myth makes us think that everyone who listened to it believed that they were really being invaded by Martians. The first two thirds of the drama are presented as new flashes interspersed with musical interludes. If you tuned in during this part, as some people clearly did, it would be easy to believe that you were listening to a news story unfolding in real time. Though if you were paying attention, you might notice that events escalate rather quickly. But radio was in its infancy and perhaps people weren’t wise to that sort of thing.
Just over half an hour into the performance, the station supervisor received a telephone call asking him to interrupt the broadcast to make an announcement about its fictional content. With the planned break less than a minute away, he waited. The planned break announcement clearly stated that it was a play. By this time a few policemen had begun to arrive. Soon the room was full of policemen, and CBS employees struggled with them to prevent them from breaking into the studio and stopping the show. As the play ended, the producer’s phone began to ring. It was the mayor of a mid-western town who was furious because he said there was rioting in the streets. But he had to hang up on the angry mayor, because, at that moment, the police burst in. Everyone involved in the play was hustled straight into a back room and locked in. Meanwhile other network employees gathered up all scripts and records of the broadcast and either destroyed them or locked them away.
Then, the press were let loose on the cast. They were faced with a barrage of questions. How many deaths did they think they had caused? Did they know about the riots? The traffic accidents? The suicides? Of course, they had been shut up in a studio and didn’t know anything. They were mortified. The station’s telephone switchboard was jammed with incoming calls and Welles thought his career was over.
The cast were eventually let out by a back door and Welles went straight to an all night rehearsal of a play at the Mercury Theatre that was due to open the following week. One of the cast members arrived late, shortly after midnight, and told everyone that the news about War of the Worlds was being flashed in Times Square. They all went out to have a look. The lighted bulletin that surrounded the New York Times building read: “ORSON WELLES CAUSES PANIC.”
After the night rehearsal, Wells had only three hours sleep before he was called to a press conference. Reporters accused him of making his play too dramatic. While he was very sorry, and not a little surprised, to hear that his broadcast had caused so much upset, he does point out it is not the business of a melodrama to be more boring than real life.
While there was some panic amongst listeners, particularly those who had tuned in part way through, the widespread hysteria was largely an invention of the press. Very few, if any, people believed America was being invaded by Martians, because people aren’t generally that stupid. In 1938 the world was an uncertain place, teetering on the brink of world war. Radio broadcasts were often interrupted by news from Europe. For the most part, the people contacting radio stations, newspaper and the police thought that the Germans were invading New York. If you missed the bit where they mentioned the Martians, this could be an easy mistake to make. Many newspapers assumed that all the phone calls and scattered reports of people fleeing their homes was evidence of a mass panic. In fact, this kind of reaction was not a common one. There was a problem in the town of Concrete, Washington, where the broadcast coincided with a power blackout. This meant that the phone lines were also down and they were unable to call friends to calm their fears, or hear the assurance that it was just fiction. So people were pretty upset there. Once the press heard about it, their experience was soon known all over America.
The New York Times would have us believe that the streets of the city were heaving with people anxious to leave town. Yet a reporter from another newspaper remembers, as he sped in a taxi towards the CBS studio that evening, that the streets were almost deserted. Only a tiny amount of listeners had actually heard the broadcast, and if they had anything to complain about it they had mostly forgotten about it in a few days. Newspapers, on the other hand, went on and on for weeks about what a terrible and unreliable thing radio was.
It’s interesting to learn that, in the late thirties, newspapers were losing a lot of advertising revenue to the new medium of radio. So they had a vested interest in discrediting it. Meanwhile, a short and hastily written play that was heard by almost no one, secured Welles’s fame as a dramatist.
Posted on October 30, 2015 Categories brilliant americansTags america, new york, orson welles, radio, theatre, war of the worlds1 Comment on Melodrama
photo credit: daniel torres jr.
On this day in 1964, a pair of amateur jewel thieves, Allan Kuhn and Jack Murphy, broke into the American Museum of Natural History in New York and got away with stones worth $410,000. The gems were part of the Morgan-Tiffany collection and included the ‘Star of India’, a star sapphire the size of a golf ball. It is one of the largest such stones in the world. Also taken were the Midnight Star Sapphire which is a large violet stone, the DeLong Star Ruby, the Eagle Diamond, several emeralds, two large aquamarines and over a hundred other natural diamonds. Historically speaking, the collection was priceless, but because the premiums were prohibitively high, it was not insured.
Murphy and Kuhn, along with their accomplice Roger Clark, had come to New York from Miami to visit the World’s Fair. They also saw a film, Topkapi, which is about a jewellery theft at a Museum in Istanbul. The prosecution would later suggest that they were inspired by the plot. When they visited the City’s Natural History Museum and saw the gems, they began to hatch their plan. They made frequent visits to the museum and thought they could easily get in by climbing up the outside and getting in through a window.
It does seem to have been remarkably easy. They climbed over an eight-foot fence and up a ladder on the outside of the building. This took them up to the fourth floor, where the Gem Hall was situated. From there, they climbed to the floor above, tied a rope to a pillar and used it to swing down to a window ledge. Every one of the nineteen sash windows of the Gem Hall had been left open. A gap of two inches at the top provided ventilation. It was an easy matter to slide down the window and get in. Using a glass cutter, they emptied a case of diamonds and a case of emeralds. Then, they turned their attention to the case containing the Star of India, the DeLong Ruby and the Midnight Star. Here, the glass cutting went less well and they had to smash their way into the case. It was noisy, but no one seemed to hear. When they lifted the Star of India from its display, they saw a needle pop up. It was the only stone that had been attached to an alarm. When they heard nothing, they assumed it was a silent alarm and left quickly with their haul. In fact the battery on the device had been dead for months and no alarm sounded anywhere.
The theft was not discovered until the following morning. No prints were found, but the men hadn’t been very discreet about their operation. The place where they had been staying was soon found and searched. There, the police found a floor plan of the museum, books about gems and their accomplice Roger Clark. He told them that Murphy and Kuhn had flown to Miami. There was a bit of a fiasco in which they were all arrested, released on bail and then arrested again for a different crime. Then the police were faced with the problem that the men they had under lock and key were the only ones who could help them recover the jewels. Kuhn was allowed to return to Miami under a heavy police escort. The case had been highly publicised and they found themselves struggling to stay one step ahead of the reporters that pursued them everywhere. On January 8th 1965, two bags were recovered from a locker at Miami’s bus station. Inside were the Star of India, the Midnight Star, five emeralds and two aquamarines. The ruby and smaller gems were still missing.
The three men were sentenced to three years on Riker’s Island for their crime. The DeLong Ruby was recovered eight months later, after a $25,000 dollar ransom was paid, from inside the roof on a Miami telephone box. The Eagle Diamond and other smaller stones were never recovered.
Most of the stones taken in the robbery have a well documented provenance, we know where they came from. This is not so with the Star of India. We know that it was mined in Sri Lanka. George Frederick Kunz, who acquired it for the collection, told us that it had a three hundred year history, but he never told us what it was or how he got hold of the stone in the first place. Perhaps October 29th 1964 was not the first time it was stolen.
Posted on October 29, 2015 October 29, 2015 Categories brilliant crimeTags america, gems, museum, new york, star of india, theftLeave a comment on Night At The Museum
My favourite fact for October 28th is an event mentioned by Robert Chambers in his Book of Days. It involves a form of punishment meted out by a community on one of its members. Although it can happen at any time, Chambers tell us that he definitely heard of it happening on this day, though he doesn’t tell us where or to whom. But it’s pretty good, so let’s go with it.
Known as ‘Riding the Stang’ in the north of England and ‘Rough Music’ in the South, in this instance it was a punishment for a husband who mistreated his wife. It was intended to draw attention to the person, humiliate them and generally make them take a long, hard look at themselves.
Everyone would gather together all their pans, kettles, tin lids, shovels, buckets, pokers, cow horns, really anything they could find that would make an awful noise when rattled and banged. Then they would go to the persons house in the early hours of the morning and give them a bit of a concert. They would also shout and jeer and implore the miscreant to show himself. Often the proceedings would be led by someone who took the part of a herald who would read the charges in the form of a short poem, with the crowd joining in where appropriate. Here is an example:
Ran, tan, tan; ran, tan, tan,
To the sound of this pan
This is to give notice that (insert name)
Has beaten his good woman!
For what, and for why?
‘Cause she ate when she was hungry,
And drank when she was dry.
Ran, tan, ran, tan, tan;
Hurrah hurrah! for this good woman!
He beat her, he beat her, he beat her indeed,
For spending a penny when she had need.
He beat her black, he beat her blue;
When Old Nick gets him, he’ll give him his due;
Ran, tan, tan; ran, tan, tan;
We’ll send him there in this old frying-pan;
Hurrah hurrah! for his good woman.
Unsurprisingly, it’s also known as ‘rantantaning’. This treatment could go on for several days. Sometimes they would build an effigy of the person and tie it, facing backwards, to a mule and parade it around the town. Sometimes the offender himself would be hoisted onto a pole and carried about. It’s really the same thing as being rode out of town on a rail. Chambers assures us that, in the case he describes, the community managed to achieve what the local constabulary and magistrates had failed to do. They reformed a brutal husband. Of course, whether this is a good thing or not rather depends on what your fellow villagers decide is a bad thing.
Robert Chambers helpfully provides us with a list of other punishments that have used public humiliation as the key to reform, such as the stocks and pillory which had all been banned by 1862. There was one we hadn’t heard of though. It is the ‘Drunkard’s Cloak’. Drunkenness had been made an offence in 1551, and was particularly frowned upon during the Commonwealth. The culprit was forced to parade around the town wearing a barrel. It was also known as a Newcastle Cloak. It looks pretty uncomfortable and quite heavy. It would definitely stop you drinking though, as there’s no way you could get a glass up to your mouth when you’ve got a barrel on.
Posted on October 28, 2015 October 27, 2015 Categories british and brilliantTags british isles, punishment, riding the stang, robert chambers, rough musicLeave a comment on Crime And Punishment
Seasoned Traveller
Today I am celebrating the life of Ida Pfieffer who died on this day in 1858. She had a fairly unassuming but difficult life until she was forty-five. Then she became an explorer, she journeyed alone and went around the world, not once, but twice. She travelled a total of 150,000 miles over sea and 20,000 miles over land.
Ida was born in Vienna in 1797 and grew up with five brothers. She enjoyed all sorts of sports and outdoor games and was allowed to dress in boy’s clothes and she dreamed of a life of adventure. When she was nine, her father died and her mother tried to make her wear dresses instead. She was so upset by the idea that she made herself ill. Her boys clothes were returned to her on the advice of her doctor. She didn’t really take to female attire until she was thirteen. Around that time her mother employed a tutor for her. As they later fell in love, these two events are probably not unconnected.
Unfortunately, they were forbidden to marry and she eventually married a lawyer called Mark Pfeiffer when she was twenty-two. He was twenty-four years older than her and had a grown up son. Pfeiffer lost his job after exposing corruption amongst government officials. Then he managed to lose the money she had inherited from her father by lending it to someone who didn’t pay it back. She struggled to support herself, her two sons and sometimes her husband by teaching drawing and music. When her mother died in 1831, she inherited enough to give her sons a good education and have a little left over. Her husband died in 1838 and once her sons had grown up and left home, she started to make travel plans.
When she told everyone of her plans to visit the Holy Land, they thought she was mad. So, in 1842 she told them she was off to visit a friend in Constantinople. She set off there by way of the Danube and the Black Sea. But then she went on to Syria and Palestine, then back via Egypt, Sicily and Italy. She was gone for nine months. The book she published of her travels funded her next journey. Her style of writing is pretty straightforward and matter-of-fact. She can be a little judgemental sometimes but often she is surprisingly open-minded, considering the time she was writing. In Constantinople, she found the Turkish people more honest than the Europeans she met, which was not a commonly held opinion.
In 1845 she travelled through Iceland and Scandinavia. This time, as well as publishing her journals she also sold geological and botanical specimens that she had collected along the way. She seems to have found the people she met kind and helpful for the most part. Though in Iceland, she found the diet rather dull and admitted that it was her ‘misfortune not to be fond of fish’.
The proceeds from that expedition funded a much grander plan. In May 1846, she set off around the world. She told her family that she was only going to Brazil. She did go to Brazil, but from there she went round Cape Horn, across the Pacific to Tahiti, then on to China, across India, Persia and Asia Minor, back to Constantinople and down to Greece, before returning to Vienna in November 1848. Her account of this journey was published as ‘A Lady’s Voyage Round the World.’ It was extremely successful and was translated into both English and French. Her journals are packed with details about her journey. We learn that monkey is much nicer to eat than parrot. At Cape Horn, when the captain told her that on one journey, the current was so strong that his ship: “danced, turning round in the passage at least a thousand times.” Far from being afraid, she was disappointed that the ship didn’t turn even once.
This was still not enough for Ida. In 1851, with a grant of £150, she set off around the world again, this time in the other direction. She travelled to Capetown, then on to Singapore and Borneo. Here, against the advice of others she visited the Dyak tribe, who were known to be headhunters. When she met them and saw their display of shrunken heads, she thought the Europeans had really done far worse things in their history. Ida found the Dyak to be good-natured and honest and said: “I should be inclined to place them, in these respects, above any of the races I have ever known.”
In Sumatra, again against the wishes of her advisers, she met with the Batak. They were known cannibals who had never let any Europeans into their territory. They treated her as an object of curiosity and passed her from tribe to tribe. She was uncomfortable, as they made it clear they might eat her. But she managed to persuade them that she was far too old and tough to make a good meal. From Indonesia, she recrossed the Pacific to California, travelled down to South America, then up to New Orleans, onward to the Great Lakes and Niagara, over to New York and back across the Atlantic, arriving in Liverpool in 1854. She travelled home via the Azores, where she visited her son.
Her last trip was to Madagascar in 1857. She accidentally became involved in a coup and was imprisoned for a time by Queen Ranavalona. On her journey home, she contracted malaria, from which she never recovered. She died in Vienna, a year later.
Ida Pfeiffer had dreamed of adventures and travelling the world as a child. Although she had to let go of those dreams for a long time, the financial hardships she endured during her marriage coupled with her boisterous upbringing gave her the confidence to face the many challenges she encountered. I love it when I come across a woman who, freed from the shackles of domestic responsibility, manages to build a whole new life for herself. Ida is all the more remarkable for having done it all in the mid-nineteenth century.
Posted on October 27, 2015 October 27, 2015 Categories brilliant adventures, brilliant europeans, brilliant womenTags adventure, around the world, ida pfeiffer, womenLeave a comment on Seasoned Traveller
A Warning From History
Unusually today, I am celebrating someone’s death. Gilles de Rais was executed on this day in 1440 and, if the charges brought against him were true, the world was a better place for it. He was accused and found guilty of torturing and killing perhaps over a hundred children between 1431 and 1440. No one knows how many. I have no desire to go into the nature of these crimes, and beyond a certain point, I cannot do so, as many of the details were so shocking that they were stricken from the record.
What I can do is take a look at his increasingly odd behaviour that led up to the point where he thought it would be okay to lure children into his castle and murder them. De Rais was born into a wealthy family. His parents both died when he was ten and he was raised by his maternal grandfather. He inherited a great deal of wealth and acquired more through his marriage to Catherine de Thouars in 1420.
De Rais was a soldier who fought bravely alongside Joan of Arc and seems to have saved her life more than once. He was recognised for his valour following the siege of Orleans in 1429. He even officiated at the coronation of King Charles VII. Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in 1431 and, although he wasn’t present, he seems to have gone a bit wrong after that. The following year his grandfather died, leaving the sword and breastplate that should have gone to Gilles to his younger brother René. It was a protest against Gilles’s profligate spending of his fortune. It didn’t stop him because the year after that, he’d sold most of his property and was down to his last two castles.
By 1434 he had left the army to pursue his own interests. He built a Chapel of Holy Innocents, where he officiated wearing robes of his own design. He also poured a lot of his financial resources into a mystery play about the Siege of Orleans. The play had 140 speaking parts and required 400 extras. He also provided unlimited food and drink for his audience and lavish costumes that were worn once, discarded and made anew for subsequent performances. His family became increasingly concerned about his spending habits and gained a royal edict that forbade him from selling any more property and anyone else from doing business with him.
In 1435 he fled to Brittany and by 1438, according to witnesses at his trial, he had become involved with the occult. He was trying to use alchemy to summon a demon in the hope that it could restore his wealth. When the demon failed to appear, he was asked for, and happily provided, the body parts of a child as a sacrifice. He was arrested and tried in 1440 after he kidnapped and imprisoned a cleric. He was sentenced to be hanged and the burned along with two of his servants, but spared the burning part at the last moment.
His daughter Marie built a memorial on the site of his execution, which oddly became a place of pilgrimage for pregnant mothers who wished to pray for an abundance of breast milk. There have been efforts in recent years to exonerate Gilles de Rais and many have suggested that the charges were made up by his enemies. I am very wary of absolving anyone who may have been guilty of such horrific crimes. I also think it’s as well to be circumspect when looking at people who are apparently very public spirited, dress flamboyantly and enjoy the company of children.
The crimes of Gilles de Rais are often thought to be the inspiration behind the story of Bluebeard, a man who murders not children, but his wives and hides their bodies in a cellar for his subsequent wives to discover. Quite when or why it was decided that murdering wives was less of a problem than murdering children isn’t clear. It seems the same to me. It’s an extremely bloodthirsty story and it’s heroine is rather a passive character who is eventually rescued by her brothers. If you’re looking for a heroine with a bit more about her, have a look at Fitcher’s Bird, which clearly has the same roots as Bluebeard. She fools her murdering magician husband, rescues her sisters, escapes in disguise and lures him to his death with a decorated skull.
Posted on October 26, 2015 July 23, 2016 Categories dead brilliantTags bluebeard, fitcher's bird, gilles de rais1 Comment on A Warning From History
Today is Saint Crispin’s Day which, if you know your Shakespeare, you might recognise as the anniversary of the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. This was a battle in which the English army, led by King Henry V, beat the French. The odds were against the English. They had just fought another battle at Harfleur, were ravaged by dysentery, had marched for miles and were outnumbered six to one. The English won mainly because they were pretty great with a longbow. King Edward III had made a law that every man in England must practise his longbow skills every Sunday. There is evidence of where the practice grounds were all over the country in places called things like ‘Butt Road’. A butt was the name for a target. Hence, the people of Shepshed, Leicestershire who live on Butthole Lane are very proud of its name and refuse to change it, despite all the jokes.
But I digress, The Battle of Agincourt is also famous because of the rousing speech Shakespeare gave to the king in his play Henry V. It’s all about how much more glorious their victory will be because there are so few of them and how everyone at home will be sorry they missed it. It ends like this:
And gentlemen in England, now a bed,
Shall think themselves accurs’d they were not here;
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon St. Crispin’s day.’
As for Saint Crispin himself, we don’t know much about him. He shares his feast day with his twin brother Crispinian. They fled from Rome, or from Canterbury, after their father was killed. In some stories they settled in Soissons in France and in others in Faversham, Kent. They preached Christianity in the day and at night, they earned their living making shoes. Perhaps they provided cheap shoes for the poor, perhaps an angel provided them with leather. They seem to have been martyred some time in the third century. The story of their martyrdom includes them having thongs cut from their flesh and being thrown into the sea with millstones around their necks. Also maybe the man who was torturing them became so angry and frustrated that he fell into a vat of boiling oil.
None of these vague stories explain why they were martyred or how they came to be venerated. But they became the patron saints of shoemakers. Anyone who made shoes got a day off to celebrate Saint Crispin’s Day and choose from among their number, a King Crispin. Emperor Charles V once tried to get his shoes fixed on Saint Crispin’s day and found himself invited to a massive party instead. The only other interesting reference I could find to Saint Crispin’s day celebrations was in the town of Tenby in Wales, some time previous to 1858. The people of the town would build an effigy of the saint on the eve of his feast day and hang it from a steeple. The next day they would cut it down and carry it round in a procession to visit every shoemaker in town. There, they would read a document which they said was the last will and testament of Saint Crispin and leave behind an article of the effigy’s clothing in what Robert Chambers tells us was ‘a memento of the noisy visit’. When there was nothing left of Saint Crispin but his padding, they made it into a football and kicked it round the town until they were tired. I don’t think this was meant to be an honour to Saint Crispin or the shoemakers. Possibly the shoemakers didn’t think so either because they used to do exactly the same thing to Saint Clement on his feast day. Saint Clement is the patron saint of blacksmiths. I can only assume that the shoemakers and blacksmiths of Tenby didn’t get on.
Posted on October 25, 2015 October 25, 2015 Categories brilliant saintsTags agincourt, saint crispin, saint crispinian, saints, shoemakers, tenbyLeave a comment on Band Of Brothers
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U.S. to pursue citizenship question on census but path unclear
Mark Sherman and Jill Colvin
In this June 27, 2019, file photo, Demonstrators gather at the Supreme Court as the justices finish the term with key decisions on gerrymandering and a census case involving an attempt by the Trump administration to ask everyone about their citizenship status in the 2020 census, on Capitol Hill in Washington. The Justice Department said Tuesday that the 2020 Census is moving ahead without a question about citizenship. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo, File)
The Justice Department said Friday it will continue to look for legal grounds to force the inclusion of a citizenship question on the 2020 Census, hours after President Donald Trump said he is “very seriously” considering an executive order to get the question on the form.
Trump said his administration is exploring a number of legal options, but the Justice Department did not say exactly what options it has now that the Supreme Court has for now barred the question.
The government has already begun the process of printing the census questionnaire without that question.
The administration’s focus on asking broadly about citizenship for the first time since 1950 reflects the enormous political stakes and potential costs in the once-a-decade population count that determines the allocation of seats in the House of Representatives for the next 10 years and the distribution of some $675 billion in federal spending.
The Census Bureau’s own experts have said the question would discourage immigrants from participating and result in a less accurate census that would redistribute money and political power from Democratic-led cities where immigrants tend to cluster to whiter, rural areas where Republicans do well.
Trump, speaking as he departed the White House for a weekend in New Jersey, said he might take executive action.
“It’s one of the ways that we’re thinking about doing it, very seriously,” he said.
An executive order would not, by itself, override court rulings blocking the inclusion of the citizenship question. But such an action from Trump would perhaps give administration lawyers a new basis to try to convince federal courts that the question could be included.
“Executive orders do not override decisions of the Supreme Court,” Thomas Saenz, president and general counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, said in a statement Friday. The organization is representing plaintiffs in the census lawsuit in Maryland.
Later Friday, Justice Department lawyers formally told U.S. District Judge George Hazel in Maryland the administration is not giving up the legal fight to add the citizenship question to the next census. But they also said it’s unclear how they will proceed, according to a court filing.
“They still say they don’t have clear instructions on what to do,” said Saenz, who took part in a conference call with the judge and lawyers for both sides in one of three lawsuits seeking to keep the question off the census. The other two are in New York and California.
Hazel had expressed mounting frustration with the mixed signals the administration was sending, first telling him on Tuesday that the question was off only to have Trump tweet the next day that the administration was “absolutely moving forward” with efforts to include the question.
Trump’s administration has faced numerous roadblocks to adding the question, like last week’s Supreme Court ruling that blocked its inclusion, at least temporarily. Both the Justice and Commerce departments indicated on Tuesday that they were moving forward with the census, minus the citizenship question.
But Trump has insisted otherwise, pushing his administration to come up with a way to include the controversial query. He suggested Friday officials might be able to add an addendum to the questionnaire with the question after it’s already printed.
In the Supreme Court’s decision last week, Chief Justice John Roberts joined the court’s four more liberal members in saying the administration’s current justification for the question “seems to have been contrived.”
The administration had pushed the Supreme Court to decide the case quickly, citing a July 1 deadline to begin printing the forms. The court made the rare move of taking up the case directly from a trial court in New York before an appeals court had weighed in. As recently as June 20, Solicitor General Noel Francisco reminded the justices of the need for a quick decision, writing that “for all practical purposes, the Census Bureau needs to finalize the 2020 questionnaire by June of this year.”
The Trump administration had said the question was being added to aid in enforcement of the Voting Rights Act, which protects minority voters’ access to the ballot box.
But the question’s opponents say recently discovered evidence from the computer files of a Republican redistricting consultant who died last year shows that, far from helping minority voters, discrimination against Hispanics was behind the push for the citizenship question.
Hazel is considering reopening the Maryland case to take account of the new evidence, which could provide a separate basis for blocking the citizenship question.
Preparations for the $15.6 billion 2020 Census are intricately choreographed. More than 425,000 people have already started applying for the half million positions needed for the 2020 Census. The bureau also is in the middle of a test run, with 480,000 households sent questionnaire information, according to the bureau’s monthly status report from May.
The ongoing legal wrangling itself could hurt the census, said John Yang, president and executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice. The group is a plaintiff in the Maryland case. “The government is trying to sow seeds of confusion in the public,” Yang said.
Associated Press writers Michael Kunzelman in College Park, Maryland, and Michael Schneider in Orlando, Florida, contributed to this report.
Trump’s racist tweets: A foretaste of toxic 2020
White racism was at the root of Donald Trump's 2016 candidacy, and so it will be again in 2020.
Trump’s census surrender: Even a loss can look like a win
One is tempted to believe that his latest failure is further evidence of his weakness and ineptitude.
Netroots Nation draws 3,000 to Philly for annual progressive convention
The annual liberal political convention Netroots Nation attracts Democratic devotees, and presidential candidates, to Philadelphia for the first time.
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Home » Educational Resources » Author Resource Review » August 2016
New Scholars Writing for Publication
Deborah A. Chyun, PhD, RN, FAHA, FAAN
Associate Editor, Nursing Research
Susan J. Henly, PhD, RN, FAAN
Editor, Nursing Research
Aspiring scholars rightly recognize publication of their first peer-reviewed paper as a critical career milestone. It signals active engagement with the discourse in a field and contribution to the body of knowledge. As editors, we celebrate along with those who receive a decision letter beginning with “Congratulations!”, even as we also applaud the efforts of all students advancing into the publication arena with query letters and first submitted papers.
Student and trainee publication is thrilling in a positive way when it is successful but, in many cases, is also fraught with challenges and pitfalls. Inexperience and competing interests in the high-stakes endeavor of academic publishing can generate a quivering of negative emotion when the process goes awry. As editors, we see the gamut of beginning publication experiences. Our purpose in writing these editorial comments is to provide information about some common issues and guidance about how to best approach them to engender a positive experience.
Learning About Publication
Publication is central to the larger process of scientific communication. The communication process continues to include traditional seminars, colloquia, and conference proceedings1 but has now been extended to include dissemination via e-journal sites, aggregator sites, and digital libraries and archives.2 Across all these activities, the key concept is communication, the exchange of information that allows accumulation and use of new knowledge within and between disciplines. Author/investigators communicate with scientists from the past when they read and cite seminal articles or catalogue and critique the history of an idea in a review of literature, they share ideas with their contemporaries in face-to-face venues and current contents of journals, and they convey their ideas and accomplishments to future scientists in their field when their papers are published. New scholars benefit from front-of-mind awareness of these communication dynamics when they compose their papers.
Scientific communication is a competitive endeavor, where writers jockey for space in journals and the attention of readers. Naturally, success in joining the scientific dialogue by publishing a peer-reviewed paper requires knowing the nuts and bolts of the process. A good idea and the skill to communicate it in writing are essential. As in other spheres of life, enjoyment of the activity eases the labor, and practice improves performance.3 Consistent with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing4 curricular elements for PhD programs, most PhD programs in the United States require that students obtain competence in scholarly tools involving speaking and writing for dissemination.5 Skills can be learned in a formal classroom setting or as part of research practica or assistantships, where students and trainees work with investigators to develop ideas and write papers arising from their joint work on a research project. Students and trainees also learn about writing and taking part in the dissemination process as part of a hidden curriculum, where they receive unwritten, unofficial, and sometimes unintended lessons about the values and perspectives of a group such as a community of scientists.6 The hidden curriculum conveys expectations about rigor, originality, and ethics in scientific work; transparency in communication with editors and responses to reviewer comments; fairness in allocation of authorship credit; and linkages among publication, application for grant support, and promotion in academic positions. In the best situations, the formal and hidden curricula impress a discipline of the mind needed for careful, accurate, original scientific work throughout a student’s career. In unfavorable situations, students learn that “successful” competition is the be all and end all of scientific publishing; regrettably, this perspective may be associated with lack of transparency in communications, irregularities in allotting authorship credit, and salami publishing (where the “winner” is the author with the most articles).
Writing to Learn, Learning to Write for Publication
Students and trainees write many papers during the course of their academic careers. Many times, assignments are designed to facilitate student learning about a topic, a research method, or a dissemination component (e.g., literature review). Not all papers are suitable for publication. For example, the Information for Authors for Nursing Outlook states that “papers written to meet course requirements are not accepted unless they have been edited and conform to the mission and scope of Nursing Outlook.”7 This is a reasonable and clear expectation arising from differences in the objectives when writing to learn compared with writing for research publication.
An assignment to “write a paper for publication” offers the opportunity to dissect the anatomy of a scientific paper. Nursing scientists publish in a variety of literatures, which creates the additional challenge of learning to write following multiple styles of scientific writing defined by diverse publication manuals such as the American Psychological Association’s Publication Guideline8 and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors’ Recommendations,9 for example. The anatomy of papers written using these styles is very different, especially in terms of presentation of the argument and evidence for the research being reported and the preparation of citations to the literature. Styles should not be mixed. Regardless of style, learning to write an informative title is critical. Titles should be concise and informative; often, the methodology should be included. Clever or funny titles should be avoided. It is helpful to learn to use MeSH keywords (https://www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/) in titles. Well-written titles aid discoverability of a published work and entice readers to delve more deeply into a paper. Whatever referencing format is used, the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association should be required reading for all PhD students; Chapter 2 titled “Manuscript Structure and Content” is especially helpful.8 When papers written to learn to write for publication address significant topics, have potential to add to the literature, match the editorial mission of a journal, and are prepared following instructions for authors, they may be submitted for peer review and consideration for publication.
Authorship is defined as “not only those who do the actual writing but also those who have made substantial scientific contributions to a study.”8 Authorship poses many challenges for new scholars, both in regard to who they should include on their publications as well as when and where they should be included on someone else’s manuscript. The question often arises in relation to a dissertation committee being included as authors. In most instances, provided that they are an active member of the core dissertation committee, authorship would be appropriate. Internal or external readers may or may not be suitable to include, depending on the level of involvement and feedback. Students and new scholars often have opportunities to work with more senior faculty or researchers on a manuscript or study, and here, they should be clear on their role early on in the project. Will they make a contribution to justify authorship, and if so, where in the order of authors will their name appear? Principal authorship and the ordering of other authors should be determined by the contribution that everyone has made, with the person who has made the primary contribution being listed first.8 In terms of the dissertation, if the work is “an independent and original contribution devised by the student,” the student should be listed first on all subsequent papers.8 In all instances, the scholar should make authorship order clear, along with the expectations of everyone on the team to maintain authorship. It should be understood, however, that levels of contribution may change and this may have implications for authorship order.
The traditional four- or five-chapter dissertation serves to organize and comprehensively present all aspects of the research project, showing that the student has synthesized the available literature, identified the knowledge gap/problem to be studied, developed questions/aims, detailed appropriate methods to address the problem under study, presented the results of the data analyzed, and discussed the findings in light of other research findings, along the implications for clinical practice, policy, and further research. The dissertation should serve as the basis for subsequent dissemination, usually in the form of one or more manuscripts. The problem is that, often, these dissertation-related manuscripts are never developed for a variety of reasons. Research is meant to be disseminated; in fact, there is an ethical imperative to disseminate results. In an attempt to assure that research findings are shared so that they can then contribute to further knowledge development, many PhD programs are now providing a three-paper option rather than the traditional dissertation format. In addition, other formats have been suggested such as digital dissertations that engage the reader or intended audience.10
The limitations of a “single dissertation” publication are many and support the acceptance of the three-paper option. The underlying literature review is often worthy of publication in its own right. When it appears as part of one research article, it has been so shortened by space constraints that valuable insights are lost. Innovative methods, including analytical approaches, can also experience the same fate, and frequently, study findings cannot be adequately presented in a single paper. Students should be encouraged and assisted in developing these manuscripts, and when the three-paper option is not appropriate, publication of the dissertation findings should still be the expectation.
In considering the three-paper option, option is the key word. Not all dissertations will be suitable for this approach. In deciding on which option is right for the individual student, in addition to the characteristics of the dissertation, student ability must be taken into account. Reducing the traditional dissertation into a publishable manuscript has proven difficult for many students, and “skipping” the step of having all the elements in one cohesive whole is not going to simplify that process. Even if the research problem under study is amenable to a three-paper option, this may not be the best approach for all students. Careful consideration must be made, and the manuscript option must be individually evaluated for each student. PhD programs vary widely in the mentorship experiences provided to students with regard to writing and publication. Requiring that one or more manuscripts be accepted for publication before graduation demands that learning opportunities and adequate support are provided to students throughout their course of study. It is not the journal’s responsibility to transform a poorly written manuscript into a publishable paper so that the student can graduate. This is the responsibility of the student, the dissertation committee, the PhD program, and the program’s faculty. This process begins on admission with assessment of the student’s writing ability and continues throughout course work where writing should be stressed and detailed feedback should be provided on all writing assignments and opportunities for revision of course and/or candidacy papers. Students also learn to write by critiquing the work of others, so that in addition to stressing critique of published literature, opportunities for mock reviews of grants or critique of other student papers provide helpful learning opportunities, as do publishing opportunities with faculty. Nursing Research’s Open Manuscript Review provides a learning opportunity for both faculty and students to see how peer-review process assists in manuscript development. Advanced PhD students and postdoctoral trainees can gain invaluable experience by participating in peer review of papers submitted to research journals, and journals and authors/investigators also benefit from insights of new voices with recent, cutting-edge research training. At Nursing Research, new scholars are invited to serve on the review panel once they have been first author on a published paper. In addition, Nursing Research reviewers may involve predoctoral students and postdoctoral trainees in manuscript reviews as long as permission of the editor is obtained in advance and the protocol posted in the Reviewer Guidelines is followed (for Reviewer Guidelines, see http://journals.lww.com/nursingresearchonline/Pages/reviewerguidelines.aspx).
Academic Requirements and Journal Priorities
Requiring publication of manuscripts, regardless of whether they are related to the dissertation, has somewhat shifted responsibility for the student’s success to journal editors and reviewers. This needs to be reframed, and cautions about requiring journal acceptance need to be acknowledged. Journals, and research journals in particular, publish cutting-edge, high-quality research consistent with their mission and of interest to their readers. Topics important to the student and their dissertation committee may not be of interest to journals. The dissertation is usually the beginning of one’s research career, and the product may not be suitable for publication. Lack of adequate funding may not allow the student to attain a large enough sample size or other necessary methodological requirements. Doctoral research is, after all, a learning experience. (Reviews are available at http://journals.lww.com/nursingresearchonline/Pages/openmanuscriptreview.aspx) We also all know that it is difficult to get papers with nonsignificant findings published. What happens in this case, as the decision of what type of dissertation product to produce, is made well before results are available. From an academic standpoint, should there be distinction between journals in which students would be allowed to publish? Will Open Access, impact factors, and other types of ratings be a consideration? Should they be? What are the criteria—submission versus acceptance versus publication? Academic requirements may not always be consistent with journal priorities and timelines. Academic requirements need to take publishing considerations into account, particularly time and the need for multiple revisions before acceptance. Journals do not publish papers to accommodate academic calendars and meet student deadlines. Many journals provide an opportunity for shorter, brief research reports. These may be more suitable for dissertation findings, yet will these be acceptable from an academic standpoint? (At Nursing Research, brief reports are peer reviewed and, if published, are indexed like regular articles.) It is rare that any paper is accepted for publication on first submission. How will student authors reconcile reviewer recommendations with those of the dissertation committee when there are conflicts?
Communicating With the Editor
Submission of a paper involves communication with the journal editor. Queries, submission letters, responses to critiques, and questions should have a professional tone. As these documents are prepared, awareness of the roles and responsibilities of editors is helpful to know. Editors select content, oversee the editorial office, manage peer review for accurate and fair appraisal of submissions, and ensure the integrity of the scientific record; these responsibilities are the foundation for concerns that editors raise in correspondence. Many editors like to receive queries before submission (we do at Nursing Research) because they allow us to provide developmental feedback to authors and plan for peer review. Queries should include a proposed title for a paper, authors, and a structured abstract. Letters to the editor included with manuscript submissions should address issues including approval of the protocol by relevant institutional review boards or institutional animal care and use committees; conflicts of interest; and a complete list of all other papers published, in press, or under review based on the same research database as the submission. Our view is that it is helpful to know that a submission is based on new scholar research because it aids in understanding issues that may arise, especially related to authorship, but the information is not used in any way as a criterion for publication. Questions often arise during the review of a manuscript, so editors query authors to obtain relevant information. A query from an editor should be answered in a straightforward manner so that questions can be answered and issues can be resolved.
As editors, we are excited at the prospect of having more high-quality manuscripts submitted and having a role in developing future nursing scientists. It is critical, however, that PhD faculty and programs provide the needed student support to adequately prepare them for publication. We are committed to advancing nursing science and working collaboratively with students, while keeping in mind the different roles of faculty advisors/mentors and the dissertation committee and that of journal editors and reviewers. We look forward to hearing from new scholars about their research and engaging with them in the publication process.
Garvey, W. D., & Griffith, B. C. (1972). Communication and information processing within scientific disciplines: Empirical findings for psychology. Information Storage and Retrieval, 8, 123–136.
Hurd, J. M. (2000). The transformation of scientific communication: A model for 2020. Journal of the American Society for Information Science, 51, 1279–1283.
Saver, C. (2014) Anatomy of writing for publication for Nurses (2nd ed). Indianapolis, IN: Sigma Theta Tau International.
American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2010). The research-focused doctoral program in nursing: pathways to excellence. Retrieved from http://www.aacn.nche.edu/education-resources/PhDPosition.pdf
Wyman, J. F.,& Henly, S. J. PhD programs in nursing in the United States: Visibility of AACN core curricular elements and emerging areas of science. Nursing Outlook, 63(4), 390-397.
The Glossary of Education Reform. (2015). Hidden curriculum. Retrieved from http://edglossary.org/hidden-curriculum
Nursing Outlook. (2015). Editorial policies. Retrieved from http://www.nursingoutlook.org/content/authorinfo
American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed). Washington, DC: Author.
International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. (2014). Recommendations for the conduct, reporting, editing, and publication of scholarly work in medical journals. Retrieved from http://www.icmje.org/recommendations
Morton, P. G. (2015). What is the future of the PhD dissertation? [Editorial]. Journal of Professional Nursing, 31, 1–2.
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The structure of gover...
described all governments as consisting of three branches – the legislature, the executive and the judiciary. Each branch had distinctive functions, performed everywhere no matter whether the system was monarchical, parliamentary, or separation of powers. The legislature prescribed general rules, the executive implemented those rules and the judiciary resolved conflicts between private parties, or between the state and private parties, about the rules’ application. The purveyors of early versions of the three-branch account understood that it concealed real complexities. Concerned in part about war-making, for example, John Locke identified a prerogative power in the executive to act against the law, as well as a federative power, also located in the executive, to engage in relations with other nations.
The idea that the sovereign was immune from challenge in “its” own courts posed another challenge: How could a system of government be designed that provided some assurance of fair treatment for complaints by individuals that executive officials had failed to comply with the rules set down by the legislature? Albert Venn Dicey summarized the tradition associated with common law systems in writing that any official “who exceeds the authority given him by the law … is amenable to the authority of the ordinary courts” (Dicey 1915: 389). By the time Dicey wrote in the late nineteenth century other national systems of government had adopted a different solution. Officials understood to be employed within the executive branch implemented the legislature’s general rules, with the low-level officials who actually did much of the...
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Home » News » Media Releases » Flight Attendant Union Urges Congress To Stop Hurting Families And End Government Shutdown
Flight Attendant Union Urges Congress To Stop Hurting Families And End Government Shutdown
Washington, DC – The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA) today implored Congress to display responsible leadership for the nearly two million families who will be harmed without a paycheck during this government shutdown and to restart the federal government before the damage becomes irreversible:
“While some politicians are using this shutdown as a way to posture and position, it is the hundreds of thousands of women and men who work behind the scenes to keep our country running who are bearing a disproportionate share of the burden.
“Once again, misguided ideologues have eviscerated the jobs of hard-working Americans. Today, it is middle-class American families who are shouldering the impact of obstructionists in Congress who stand in the way of responsible funding of government.
“While essential FAA and TSA safety-related functions continue, infrastructure projects that are providing essential services that allow our country to operate and compete with the world, and which are employing people in communities all over the country, will come to a halt. This includes the implementation of NextGen. The longer this shutdown continues, the more devastating trickle-down effect it will have.
“The House and Senate are playing a political game of chicken over passage of a continuing resolution to keep the government operating and this is likely to be the first of several budget fights this fall. It is time to put an end to this government shutdown. It is time that those who are stalling progress step aside so Congress can pass a clean spending bill that restores our country to full working order.”
The Association of Flight Attendants is the world’s largest Flight Attendant union. Focused 100 percent on Flight Attendant issues, AFA has been the leader in advancing the Flight Attendant profession for 68 years. Serving as the voice for Flight Attendants in the workplace, in the aviation industry, in the media and on Capitol Hill, AFA has transformed the Flight Attendant profession by raising wages, benefits and working conditions. Nearly 60,000 Flight Attendants come together to form AFA, part of the 700,000-member strong Communications Workers of America (CWA), AFL-CIO. Visit us at www.afacwa.org .
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Cocktail king Dale DeGroff on the 3 basics you need to become a great bartender
Max AllenDrinks columnist
Updated Aug 22, 2018 — 10.23am, first published at 12.15am
I meet Dale DeGroff for a drink and a chat in The Mayfair, a bar and restaurant in the Paris end of Melbourne's Collins Street. The veteran American bartender's nickname is King Cocktail so he should feel right at home here: a classically styled, dimly lit bar with plenty of cut glass and brass and marble, a chandelier and booths in the restaurant area, early 20th-century jazz and blues on the speakers.
It's also home to Joe Jones, one of Melbourne's top bartenders, who is part-owner of both The Mayfair and the nearby Romeo Lane cocktail bar. When I rang Jones earlier, to line up the interview and check that we can take a photo of DeGroff in his bar on this busy Friday evening, he could barely contain his excitement.
"Are you kidding?" he said. "I would love to have that man in my bar. To people like me, he's a legend."
Home from home: legendary US bartender Dale DeGroff at The Mayfair in Melbourne. Arsineh Houspian
The bar is bustling as DeGroff and I settle into one of the booths, and when Jones brings over two martinis in small, antique-looking glasses, it soon becomes obvious how the 70-year-old has gained his reputation as a raconteur and author over his four-decade career. (His 2002 book, The Craft of the Cocktail, is regarded as an essential textbook by budding mixologists).
DeGroff insists the younger bartender take a seat with us, and launches into a yarn about his time running the legendary Rainbow Room on the 65th floor of New York's Rockefeller Centre in the late 1980s.
"Let me tell you the story about this glass," he says, gently taking the martini by the stem. "The Rainbow Room had just been renovated to take it back to its heyday in the 1930s. [Restaurateur] Joe Baum, my genius mentor, the guy who created the Four Seasons, Windows on the World, so many others, decided at the Rainbow we would serve 'dishes with tradition and drinks with tradition'. We needed glasses that fit the bill, so Joe told me to go to this place called Minners Designs, who'd been doing glassware for hotels and restaurants since the 1800s. He said I might find something there."
DeGroff was a fan of the Thin Man films from the 1930s; he loved how the main characters, Nick and Nora Charles, seemed to spend most of their time on-screen drinking cocktails.
The perfect cocktail glass
"They'd always have seven martinis at a clip," he says. "But they were never in the familiar big V-shaped glass, they were always a smaller bowl on a stem. So, I asked Minners: do you have that? And they said well, we'd better look in our old catalogues. And there it was, an old-fashioned small martini glass. So, I started ordering it, and I called it the Nick and Nora glass on the order forms.
"It became, in New York, the glass. And when the craft cocktail movement came along in the 2000s and everyone realised you didn't need to have a bathtub-sized glass to have a decent f---ing drink, everyone wanted to use this sized glass again."
DeGroff has been brought out to Australia by liqueur company De Kuyper to conduct a two-week tour of masterclasses, presenting to bartenders and consumers. It's his fourth visit here: he tells me he has fond memories of drinking in Sydney's Bayswater Brasserie in the mid-2000s, and helped establish a bar in Melbourne at the end of that decade.
Here, as in the United States, he says, we are living in an era when both bartenders and consumers are well educated. This is obviously a good thing, and a vast improvement on the 1970s, when he started. But, he says, some of the younger bartenders coming up in the craft cocktail movement want to skip too many steps, thinking that because they can just look something up on the internet, they don't need to do the hard yards.
"They're like chefs who want to be making menus before they've done an apprenticeship," he says. "But how can you possibly think about becoming the chef of your bar if you don't know what all the ingredients taste like, and how they go together?"
This is one of the reasons, he says, why some modern cocktail concoctions stray too far from the fundamentals.
A "Nick and Nora" glass, inspired by the martini-swilling characters in The Thin Man movies from the 1930s. Ryan Stuart
It's an opinion that has sparked controversy.
"I had a little spat on Facebook about this," says DeGroff. "I didn't intend it to be a spat but it turned into one. There's this wonderful bar in London called Dandelyan. It's very creative, and I read about a drink there that had been inspired by the 19th-century countryside of Scotland, the history of farming sheep, all that. It brought together flavours of tequila and Islay scotch and rhubarb – and this gamey-tasting tincture of lamb."
After reading the article, DeGroff suggested on Facebook that the drink sounded like it would perhaps have made a better historical paper. Whatever happened to the good old-fashioned notion of deliciousness, he wanted to know.
"I have a lot of followers," he says, shrugging. "That quick sentence started a five-day 'conversation'. I only intended to make simple comment: that deliciousness is underrated these days."
Nick and Nora Charles (William Powell and Myrna Loy) in a film clip from 1934. MGM / Ronald Grant Archive / Alamy Stock Photo
We talk some more, about his love of music ("at the Rainbow Room we had Rosemary Clooney, we had Tony Bennett, we had everybody – and I was a saloon singer before any of the bartending stuff; I love singing jazz and I love doing it in saloons, and I did it a lot"). Then the trumpet in The Mayfair stops and the drum solo kicks in – and I head off into the night, leaving DeGroff back at the bar, where Joe Jones is mixing another martini.
Cocktail tips from the King
Chill, baby, chill
"Simple rule," says DeGroff. "Hot food, hot plate, cold drink, cold glass. And cold garnish! There's nothing worse than getting one of those Texas-style martinis with three of those Texas-style olives that are dead warm, skewered on a pick. It brings the drink up to room temperature immediately."
The trick when making cocktails, he says, is to ensure everything is chilled, from the spirits to the glass to the garnish. And make sure you use bigger ice cubes: they don't melt as fast as the regular-size ice you'll get in most domestic fridges, which means they stay colder longer and don't dilute your drink so much.
DeGroff ran New York's Rainbow Room bar from the late 1980s to the late 90s. AP
Quality not quantity
DeGroff is no fan of the big, V-shaped martini glasses that have become ubiquitous in cocktail bars around the world. He calls them "steakhouse glasses", and says they ruin the experience because by the time you get to the end of the drink, it's warm. Instead, he suggests using smaller glasses such as the Nick and Nora martini glass he reintroduced to New York's Rainbow Room bar in the 1980s. With a capacity of around 150ml – as opposed to the 250ml of most standard martini glasses – and a rounded, more wine-glass shape, you won't spill your drink as easily, and it stays cool to the last drop.
Study the classics
"The advice I give people interested in cocktails," says DeGroff, "is the same advice as in baking: don't f--- with the recipe when you're learning. Pay attention and do it right. Only f--- with the recipe when you're a master. After you've started to get some chops, then you can buy some exotic fruits and muddle them up and fool around."
He recommends going back to basics by mastering the three main styles of cocktail.
"French chefs have their basic repertoire of sauces," he says. "The espagnole, the hollandaise, the tomato, etc. We have three main cocktails: the sour style (the margarita, the sidecar); the strong spirit style (the martini, the manhattan); and the old fashioned style. These are our three basic sauces. In the same way hollandaise sauce can become béarnaise sauce, can become this, can become that, start with those three drinks and then vary the ingredients and you can open the door to literally hundreds and hundreds of other drinks."
Max Allen is The Australian Financial Review's drinks columnist. He is an award-winning journalist and author who has written about wine and drinks for close to 25 years. Connect with Max on Twitter. Email Max at max@maxallen.com.au
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DEFEATING THE DEVOS AGENDA
WHEREAS, Betsy DeVos was not qualified to be U.S. secretary of education when she was confirmed; and
WHEREAS, over the course of the 18 months that she has had the job, she has continued to display her lack of qualification by demonstrating through her actions that her goal is to hurt, not help, public education; and
WHEREAS, even though early in her term she accepted an invitation to visit a quality public school in Van Wert, Ohio, and saw the impact those teachers have on their students and community, she has demonstrated no further interest in visiting, listening to or learning about public schools and their students, educators or communities, preferring instead to visit only private schools and charter schools that fit her “choice” agenda; and
WHEREAS, while DeVos often speaks of “choice,” she never lifts up public schools as quality choices, showing that this rhetoric of choice cloaks her true education agenda, which is to defund and destabilize public education in America, from early childhood through college; and
WHEREAS, from her confirmation hearing, where she identified the threat of grizzly bears as a reason to bring guns to schools and was unable to answer basic questions about federal education law; to her testimony on the federal budget; to her most recent sparring with a state teacher of the year over DeVos’ prioritization of private schools over public ones, she has consistently demonstrated she does not have the prerequisite knowledge of the programs that she is supposed to be overseeing; and
WHEREAS, DeVos is not respected by the general public, given that polls have found DeVos’ “very unfavorable” rating is higher than any other Cabinet member included in the polls; and
WHEREAS, the DeVos agenda of privatization and disinvestment—which is the result of an intentional, decades-long campaign to protect the economic and political power of the few against the rights of the many—has taken the form of division and expresses itself as racism, sexism, classism, xenophobia and homophobia; and
WHEREAS, with the support of the Trump administration, DeVos proposed nearly $9 billion in unprecedented cuts in education programs, including eliminating class-size reduction, after-school and professional development programs; and
WHEREAS, even the Republican-led Congress has rejected the DeVos proposal for a federal voucher program and has so far rejected her proposal to slash the federal investment in public education; and
WHEREAS, DeVos eliminated the requirements that states be required to explain to the Department of Education how they have worked with stakeholders to develop their plans to implement provisions of the Every Student Succeeds Act, indicating support for top-down education reform without regard for participation from the field; and
WHEREAS, under DeVos’ leadership, the Department of Education has favored wealthy former for-profit college executives over students and has failed to execute the department’s mission to promote student access to continued and postsecondary learning, by removing regulations designed to protect borrowers, allowing student loan servicers like Navient and Nelnet to engage in deceptive practices and defraud borrowers, leading them deeper and deeper into debt; and
WHEREAS, in conjunction with the one-year anniversary of DeVos’ tenure as education secretary, the AFT and stakeholders with an interest in promoting the success of public education collected 80,000 comments from teachers, students and parents encouraging her to do her job to strengthen and support the great work happening in public schools across the country; and
WHEREAS, the overwhelming majority of those comments indicate that DeVos is failing to listen to those who educate in, learn in and send their children to public schools—the schools that 90 percent of America’s children attend:
RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers and our members call for Betsy DeVos to do her job as secretary of education by prioritizing and championing public schools and public school students, parents and educators; and
RESOLVED, that the AFT will continue to educate and mobilize everyone in our communities who shares our values and our support for public education, and will work to defeat the DeVos agenda because of the danger her policies and agenda pose to public education and our students; and
RESOLVED, that the AFT will urge federal and state lawmakers to reject the DeVos efforts to defund and destabilize public education and to instead invest in public education, including early childhood education and higher education.
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Phoenix bishop issues new norms on distribution, reception of Communion
PHOENIX – Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted has issued new norms for the distribution of Communion in the Diocese of Phoenix that entrust to pastors the decision to make available Communion under both kinds in their parishes.
Promulgated Nov. 7, the new norms for the Diocese of Phoenix are intended to promote greater reverence for the Blessed Sacrament. They are based on three church documents that provide guidance for celebrating Mass: the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, “Redemptionis Sacramentum” and the Norms for the Distribution and Reception of Holy Communion Under Both Kinds in the Dioceses of the United States of America.
Previously, The Catholic Sun, Phoenix diocesan newspaper, had reported that the norms, which were incomplete at the time, would restrict the availability of the precious blood to a limited number of occasions, such as certain feast days, retreats or special celebrations. What the norms state is that the distribution of Communion under both kinds will be based on eight conditions.
Evaluating whether these conditions are met – and whether Communion under both kinds may be offered at Mass – is at the discretion of the parish pastor or a priest chaplain to whom a community has been entrusted.
“The question was whether the new General Instruction of the Roman Missal was restricting when the chalice was offered, or whether it was expansive,” said Father Kieran Kleczewski, executive director of the diocesan Office of Worship.
In preparing the new guidelines for Communion, the bishop and the Office of Worship determined that the General Instruction of the Roman Missal sought to expand and normalize the occasions for when the precious blood could be offered.
“This discussion has served as a reminder to us of the need to safeguard the Eucharist,” Father Kleczewski said. “It calls us to a renewed catechesis of what we receive at every Mass.”
In his monthly column for The Catholic Sun, Bishop Olmsted discussed the new norms and the conditions found therein.
Among the conditions, the new norms call for the faithful to be properly catechized on the reality of the Eucharist. Additionally, if both kinds are offered, priests and deacons must be able to purify all the sacred vessels during or immediately after the conclusion of Mass.
If the precious blood is to be offered, the norms dictate there cannot exist any danger of it being profaned.
“Profanation does not only mean that the sacred species is intentionally abused or mistreated,” the bishop wrote, “but that it is merely treated as ordinary food and drink, rather than what it truly is, the body and blood of Christ.”
A large number of communicants could make it difficult to gauge the amount of wine to be consecrated. Pastors should be cautious so that more than a reasonable quantity of the precious blood does not remain after distribution.
There should also be an adequate number of ordinary ministers of the Eucharist. If not, there should be an adequate number of “properly deputed and trained” extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist.
That said, the number of extraordinary ministers should not obscure the role of the priest and deacon. Pastors should also consider health concerns, such as influenza or other contagious diseases, which might deter the faithful from approaching the chalice.
Also, following the Holy See’s instruction “Redemptionis Sacramentum” (“The Sacrament of Redemption”), pastors should take note when a sizable portion of the faithful prefers not to receive from the chalice. That circumstance is to be avoided because “the sign of unity would in some sense be negated.”
“The reality is that there’s going to be a variance in practice of when the chalice is offered,” Father Kleczewski said. “No two parishes are the same.”
Nonetheless, the norms permit pastors to provide for the reception of Christ under the outward form of wine for those who cannot receive the consecrated host for health reasons, such as gluten allergies.
On the same day as the promulgation of the Phoenix norms, Bishop Patrick J. McGrath of San Jose announced to Catholics in his diocese that “Communion under both kinds is not only permitted but also encouraged and is expected to be the norm at every Sunday and feast day Mass.”
Since 2003, Bishop McGrath has left the decision about whether to permit the distribution of Communion under both kinds up to individual pastors, as long as the faithful have been well instructed; there is no danger of profanation of the sacrament; and there is no danger of the rite becoming difficult because of the large number of participants or some other reason.
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Commonly called "mums" or "tansies", this popular perennial's name comes from the Greek chrysos (gold) and anthos (flower). The Chusan daisy became the "pompom chrysanthemum" so called because in France, where it was first grown, it looked like the pompons on sailors' hats.
Chrysanthemums had been cultivated in Chinese gardens for more than 2,500 years before first being exhibited in England in 1795. Brought by visiting Buddhist monks, the chrysanthemum arrived in Japan in AD 400.
The chrysanthemum has been the focus of Oriental adulation for centuries.
In China, the chrysanthemum's association with autumn stems from its tendency to bloom in the fall. Consequently, the ancient Chinese chose the Chrysanthemum ("chu hua") as their Flower for October, a symbol of the rest and ease that followed the season's final harvest. Mums were considered one of the four Chinese "noble plants" (the others being bamboo, the plum, and the orchid), and were the official badge of the Old Chinese Army. Since chrysanthemums were considered the flower of the Chinese noble class, they were prohibited in a lower-class person's garden. The Chinese believe that a chrysanthemum given to one's beloved, after its being used to wipe one's mouth after drinking wine, will ensure undying love and fidelity.
Called "kikus" in Japanese, chrysanthemums were featured on the Imperial Crest of Japan, and were so beloved by Japanese emperors that they sat upon chrysanthemum thrones. The Japanese still hold the chrysanthemum as a symbol of the sun, and they consider the orderly unfolding of the mum's petals to be a symbol of perfection.They also presume that a single chrysanthemum petal placed in the bottom of a wine glass encourages a long and healthy life.
While chrysanthemums generally denote cheerfulness and rest, individual colors do carry specific messages: red for love, good luck and best wishes; white for truth; and yellow for slighted love. Chrysanthemums will be welcomed throughout the British Isles and North America for any occasion. In Italy, however, their exclusive association with the dead makes chrysanthemums acceptable only for funerals.
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Gear/Fashion
AC ADVENTURES
Dressage Today
Horse & Rider
Justbaughtahorse.com
Logo Licensing and Reprints
This cowboy artist is equally devoted to painting and rodeo.
Lauren Feldman
Cowboy artist Chance Hays comes by his talents honestly—his father was a professional bulldogger and tie-down roper and his mother was an art teacher. However, the original perspective and incredible drive he applies to pursuing his dual passions of art and rodeo is entirely his own.
Hays, 31, grew up in a small town in southwest Kansas. From an early age, he was equally devoted to both art and cowboying, spending just as much time with a rope in his hand as a pencil and paintbrush. He pursued his interests into college and graduate school, competing in college rodeo for Panhandle State University and Oklahoma State while picking up a handful of degrees, eventually earning his master of fine arts from West Texas A&M University.
Breaking into the professional art world and actively rodeoing are difficult endeavors by themselves, but to do both at the same time, as a college student no less, requires a work ethic that eludes most 20-somethings.
“I worked my tail off!” Hays laughs. “Through college I worked by gathering winter wheat cattle and riding young horses. I tried every way I could to keep both my art career and my roping career going at the same time while completing my education.”
It was in college that Hays developed his distinctive style—using mixed media in a colorful, contemporary, expressionistic take on traditional cowboy subject matter. It’s a style Hays believes will appeal to a younger generation and to those who might not be receptive to the aesthetics of traditional Western art.
The unrealized Western art fan is exactly who Hays wants to see his work, which is why he travels to unconventional markets to promote his paintings. He explains, “I choose to go to New York and Pennsylvania and Florida and California because those are the audiences that don’t always have access to the cowboy West. I want to show them this way of life. I want to give them an in. I want to give the folks in New York a reason to think about cows, and cowboys, and Oklahoma.”
All the while, Hays continues to compete in tie-down roping, scheduling art shows to coincide with rodeos. In fact, during the interview for this article, he was hauling two trailers: one full of artwork and the other full of horses.
Between advancing his art career and tackling the rodeo road, Hays’s plate is certainly full, but his drive and dedication have paid off. He’s a four-time International Finals Rodeo qualifier, is represented by the Vail Fine Art Gallery, was the artist-in-residence at MGM Grand during the 2016 National Finals Rodeo, and is collaborating on a new clothing line with Wrangler.
His full-throttle approach is inspired by his philosophy on putting yourself out there, showing up to do the work, and staying true to yourself.
“If you don’t take the risk you won’t know what you’re capable of,” he says. “If you don’t saddle that horse, you’re never going to set an arena record. If you don’t buy that canvas and brush, you’ll never get an art gallery show. Not trying has a guaranteed outcome.
“I make sure everything that I have my hands on represents what I stand for. From the rope I use to the horses I train to the art I create—it all reflects me and where I come from.”
For the Love of the Horse
Casey Tibbs
Rodeo Like a Girl
Top 10 Western books
At Home with Chef Lenny
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A Dream that Spans Generations
Dreams aren’t always rooted in the future — and Jasmine Parsons is proof! For as long as she can remember, she and her grandfather, Jim Bernatow, have bonded over their shared passion of learning all they can about their culture and family history. For them, connecting with their past and staying close to their roots has become an integral part of their present and future.
Here’s the story: Jasmine’s great-great grandparents immigrated to the United States from Lithuania in the early 1900’s, leaving much of their family and culture behind. And, because of some strained family ties, their history remains quite a mystery. So, not being able to discover the information they crave here in the states, the next step to pursuing their shared dream seemed a no-brainer to Jasmine — travel to Lithuania!
What an awesome dream. But a big one at that! And being a college senior at the time, she wasn’t expecting her dream to become reality any time soon. That is until she met Mitch Matthews at a BIG Dream Gathering. Upon hearing her story and becoming inspired by her passion and selflessness, Mitch granted her the first Dream Boost Scholarship, allowing her to surprise her grandfather with the trip of a lifetime.
“About three years ago, I started thinking about how cool it would be to take my grandfather to Lithuania since this is something we’ve shared for so long. And winning the Dream Boost Scholarship made that a reality!” says Jasmine. “Surprising my grandfather was definitely one of the most rewarding parts of this experience because he had never thought to dream this big.”
From eating traditional Lithuanian cuisine to taking in the major sites and exploring the streets their ancestors once walked, their trip was truly an immersive experience they’ll never forget. And now, their culture doesn’t seem so far away.
“It made our history seem more tangible, and now when we talk about our family or the country we came from, we can draw on real experiences to share with others,” says Jasmine.
Now, after graduating, kicking off her career and starting the next phase of her life, Jasmine will always take the experience with her, saying that going on this trip has only fueled her desire to keep on dreaming.
“It is such an amazing feeling to accomplish a dream that you’ve had for a while, especially one you didn’t think would happen anytime soon, and now I’m hooked!” she explains. “Having been connected to Mitch and the Big Dream Gathering team, I’m more inspired now than ever to always set aside time for the things that make me happy and keep me going every day.”
But the help she received through the scholarship and the inspiration she gained from Mitch weren’t the only reasons she was able to accomplish her goal — she’s a dreamer at heart and has what it takes to truly pursue her passions! Being someone we can all learn from, she has some advice for those who may be struggling to get their goals off the ground.
“Pursuing your dreams can often be difficult and scary, especially if you have no idea where to start. One of the biggest pieces of advice I can give is to simply have conversations about your dreams,” she encourages. “Don’t be afraid to let people know what you’re passionate about and what you want out of life.”
Beyond taking the first steps and gaining confidence in your goals, Jasmine says it takes a certain mentality to really make it across that finish line — and it doesn’t involve staying in your comfort zone.
“It is so easy to get comfortable with the life you have and the things you’ve done so far. But if you get out there and push yourself, you can accomplish amazing things and bring that much more happiness to your life! Keep on dreaming and challenging yourself, and work towards living the kind of life you’ve always wanted to live,” she concludes. And what better advice is there than that?
The BIG Dream Gathering helped Jasmine in her dream pursuit, and now it’s here to help you! Learn more about this inspiring event and mark your calendar for when they’ll be in your city.
Related Topics: Family , Passions , Travel
4 Tips for Tackling a Mountainous Dream
Seasoned rock climber Eric Barnard has some tips that can help with any dream pursuit. See how he’s overcome fear and embraced the uncomfortable to fulfill his greatest goals, and become inspired to do the same.
Dream of Going Green? Here's How to Start.
Think sustainability requires a lot of time, energy and money? Think again. We’ve got some simple, savvy tips to help you get started down a healthier, happier, greener lifestyle. Begin the process of reducing your footprint today!
Pave a New Path: How to Walk Boldly Towards Your Dream
Changing careers or pursuing new dreams can be scary. But it’s worth it! Take it from Britton Murdock, founder of the Biggest Little Fashion Truck. Learn how she left a stable job to go after her true passion.
Top-notch Travel Resources
Have big travel dreams but don’t know how to get started? We’ve put together a list of tips to help you save money and get the most out of your vacation, no matter if you’re headed to a remote island or the big city.
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NAIDOC Week Awards
Bangarra's Stephen Page announced as the winner of the 2016 NAIDOC Lifetime Achievement Award.
Published: 12 July, 2016
Following close on the heels of the awarding of the JC Williamson Award to Stephen Page for his outstanding contribution to Australia’s live performance culture, the NAIDOC award acknowledged his 25 years as Artistic Director of Bangarra and his leadership in both the national arts landscape and the Indigenous community over that time. The award also recognised Stephen’s impact on the cultural life of our nation, and on the advancement of his people.
Stephen said, “The stories we share are sacred and I feel privileged to play a role in the vital care taking of these stories, through the intimate weaving of culture and contemporary dance.” Accepting the award he went on to say, " It's about the maintenance of ceremonies and cultural customs - they need to be taken care of. And with that comes language - and they are a huge part of our culture, our kinship system and they need to be maintained."
His stated goal is to provide opportunities for the next generation of Indigenous storytellers. He has nurtured dance and culture with thousands of school children living in disadvantaged communities through workshops and Bangarra’s own youth program Rekindling.
NAIDOC is the National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee. Its origins can be traced to the emergence of Aboriginal groups in the 1920s which sought to increase awareness in the wider community of the status and treatment of Indigenous Australians.
Held annually in July, NAIDOC Week is a time to celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, culture and achievements and is an opportunity to recognise the contributions that Indigenous Australians make to our country and our society.
In 2008, Stephen was named the NSW Australian of the Year for his pioneering choreography work, he received the NAIDOC Award for Artist of the Year in 2012 and, in 2015, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Creative Arts by the University of Technology Sydney.
The other 2016 NAIDOC Award winners were:
Manymak Energy Efficiency Project (NT) – Caring for Country Award winner
Elijah Douglas (QLD) – Youth of the Year
Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu (NT) – Artist of the Year
Layneisha Sgro (WA) – Scholar of the Year
Montana Ah-Won (WA) – Apprentice of the Year
Jade North (NSW) – Sportsperson of the Year
Professor MaryAnn Bin-Sallik (NT) – Female Elder of the Year
Dr Robert Francis Isaacs (WA) – Male Elder of the Year
Professor Chris Sarra (QLD) – Person of the Year
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[[missing key: search-facet.tree.open-section]] banking and finance (1)
financier or moneylender (1)
[[missing key: search-facet.tree.open-section]] Manufacture and trade (10)
[[missing key: search-facet.tree.open-section]] manufacture of chemicals (10)
manufacturer of pharmaceuticals (1)
plastics manufacturer (3)
[[missing key: search-facet.tree.open-section]] Science and technology (10)
[[missing key: search-facet.tree.open-section]] chemistry (10)
chemist (10)
inventor (general) (3)
scientific administrator (1)
chemist x
manufacture of chemicals x
Baekeland, Leo Hendrik (1863-1944), chemist and inventor
Anthony N. Stranges and Richard C. Jones
Baekeland, Leo Hendrik (14 November 1863–23 February 1944), chemist and inventor, was born in St. Martens-Latem, near Ghent, Belgium, the son of Karel Baekeland, a cobbler, and Rosalia Merchie, a housemaid. A government scholarship enabled Baekeland to enter the University of Ghent, where he studied chemistry in the School of Exact Sciences. He received a B.S. in 1882 and a D.Sc. in organic chemistry in 1884, passing the examination with highest honors. The following year he became an assistant to Theodore Swarts, a professor of chemistry at Ghent. In 1887 Baekeland won a traveling scholarship in an academic competition sponsored by the Universities of Ghent, Liege, Brussels, and Louvain. He postponed travel and instead continued as an assistant professor and then as associate professor from 1888 to 1889 at Ghent and at the nearby Higher Normal School at Bruges from 1885 to 1887. In 1889 he married Swarts’s daughter, Céline, an artist; they had two children. The couple used Baekeland’s scholarship for travel to France, Britain, and the United States that year....
Dreyfus, Camille Edouard (1878-1956), industrial chemist and entrepreneur
Stephen H. Cutcliffe
Dreyfus, Camille Edouard (11 November 1878–27 September 1956), industrial chemist and entrepreneur, was born in Basel, Switzerland, the son of Abraham Dreyfus, a banker, and Henrietta Wahl. Camille and his younger brother, Henri (later Americanized to Henry), both received their education at the University of Basel, being awarded their Ph.D.s in chemistry in 1902 and 1905, respectively. Camille also pursued postgraduate study at the Sorbonne in Paris until 1906. After working several years in Basel to gain industrial experience, Camille and his brother established a chemical laboratory in their home town. Seeking a product that the public would readily buy, they developed a synthetic indigo. Although they made some money in this venture, it quickly became clear that synthetic indigo did not have a sufficient market. Consequently the Dreyfus brothers focused their attention on celluloid, which at that time was produced only in a flammable form. They recognized that a large potential market existed for nonflammable celluloid, if it could be developed. They focused on cellulose acetate and were shortly producing one to two tons per day. Half of their output went to the motion picture industry for film, with the other half going into the production of toilet articles....
Ellis, Carleton (1876-1941), chemist and inventor
Albert B. Costa
Ellis, Carleton (20 September 1876–13 January 1941), chemist and inventor, was born in Keene, New Hampshire, the son of Marcus Ellis, a merchant, and Catherine Goodnow. Ellis received a camera from his father for his eleventh birthday and became an amateur photographer. Obsessed with the chemistry of photography, he pursued experiments in a home laboratory to the dismay of his parents, who considered this a wasteful extravagance. In 1896 he entered the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, receiving a B.S. in chemistry in 1900 and serving as an instructor in chemistry until 1902. In 1901 he married Birdella May Wood of Dayton, Ohio; they had four children....
Hill, Henry Aaron (1915-1979), chemist and businessman
Kenneth R. Manning
Hill, Henry Aaron (30 May 1915–17 March 1979), chemist and businessman, was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, the son of William Anthony Hill II, the head waiter at a local hotel, and Kate Anna Evans. Hill attended public elementary and secondary schools in St. Joseph and graduated from Bartlett High School in 1931. After completing his first year of college at Lewis Institute in Chicago (later a part of the Illinois Institute of Technology), he attended Johnson C. Smith University, an all-black institution in Charlotte, North Carolina. He graduated in 1936 with a B.S. cum laude in mathematics and chemistry....
Mallinckrodt, Edward, Jr. (1878-1967), chemical manufacturer and chemist
Jane A. Miller
Mallinckrodt, Edward, Jr. (17 November 1878–19 January 1967), chemical manufacturer and chemist, was born in St. Louis, Missouri, the son of Edward Mallinckrodt, a chemical manufacturer, and Jennie Anderson. Mallinckrodt’s father, a leader of the large St. Louis German community, was owner of Mallinckrodt Chemical Works, a firm founded in 1867, and the family was well-to-do by midwestern standards. Mallinckrodt graduated from Smith Academy, a local preparatory school. He pursued a B.A. in chemistry at Harvard University, graduating cum laude in 1900. He remained at Harvard, studying with the renowned chemist ...
Morehead, John Motley (1870-1965), electrochemist, diplomat, and philanthropist
Herbert T. Pratt
Morehead, John Motley (03 November 1870–07 January 1965), electrochemist, diplomat, and philanthropist, was born in Spray (now Eden), North Carolina, the son of James Turner Morehead, a prominent textile manufacturer, and Mary Elizabeth Connally. After preparatory and military school training, he entered the University of North Carolina and graduated with election to Phi Beta Kappa in 1891....
Plunkett, Roy Joseph (26 June 1910–12 May 1994), chemist and research director
George B. Kauffman
Plunkett, Roy Joseph (26 June 1910–12 May 1994), chemist and research director, was born in New Carlisle, Ohio, the son of Joseph Henry Plunkett and Elizabeth May Garst, farmers. His parents belonged to the Church of the Brethren, whose members were known as Dunkards, or Dunkers, and he was raised strictly in the faith. He graduated from Newton High School in Pleasant Hill, Ohio, in 1927 and entered Manchester College, a Dunkard school, in North Manchester, Indiana, from which he received his A.B. in chemistry in 1932. He roomed and was friends with future (1974) Nobel chemistry laureate ...
Squibb, Edward Robinson (1819-1900), physician, chemist, and manufacturing pharmacist
Jonathan J. Bean
Squibb, Edward Robinson (04 July 1819–25 October 1900), physician, chemist, and manufacturing pharmacist, was born in Wilmington, Delaware, the son of James Robinson Squibb (occupation unknown) and Catherine Bonsall. After Squibb’s mother died in 1831, the family moved to Philadelphia. In 1837 Edward became a pharmacist’s apprentice. Five years later he entered Jefferson Medical College; he received his M.D. degree in 1845....
Warren, Cyrus Moors (1824-1891), chemist and manufacturer
Martin D. Saltzman
Warren, Cyrus Moors (15 January 1824–13 August 1891), chemist and manufacturer, was born in West Dedham, Massachusetts, the son of Jesse Warren, a blacksmith and inventor of iron implements, and Betsey Jackson. Though a skilled blacksmith, Warren’s father proved to be a poor businessman. The family consequently moved many times, first from Massachusetts to Vermont and then twice within Vermont, making it difficult for young Cyrus to receive the type of education he wished. Cyrus and his next older brother, Samuel, resolved that the only way to get the education they desired was to start a business and thus obtain financial independence. In 1846 Samuel moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, to establish a business making tar paper, which was just being introduced as a roofing material. Cyrus joined Samuel in 1847, and the business proved to be such a success that Samuel was soon free to study the law. The success of the business was due in part to the brothers’ use of coal tar instead of the usual pine pitch for coating the paper....
Weightman, William (1813-1904), manufacturer, chemist, and financier
Michelle E. Osborn
Weightman, William (30 September 1813–25 August 1904), manufacturer, chemist, and financier, was born in Waltham, Lincolnshire, England, the son of William Weightman and Anne Farr. Weightman emigrated to the United States when he was sixteen at the suggestion of his uncle John Farr, a chemist and founder of the firm Farr & Kunzi, established in 1818. Farr & Kunzi was the first company to experiment with conchona alkaloids in the United States, at the same time that Pellatier and Gaventou were announcing their discovery of that substance in 1820. Weightman entered the firm in 1820, and when Kunzi retired in 1836, Weightman and another associate, Thomas Powers, formed Farr, Powers & Weightman. In 1841 Weightman married Louise Stelwagon; they had three children....
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WILLIAM ARATA JOINS WGI IN ITS FORT LAUDERDALE OFFICE
WGI is pleased to announce that William “Bill” Arata joined the firm’s Geospatial Division as a senior project manager in its Ft. Lauderdale office. He comes to WGI with almost 40 years of surveying experience.
Bill worked for the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) for 35 years, specializing in surveys for roadway design and right-of-way mapping. He has worked on most of the state roads from Monroe to Indian River counties. Most recently, Bill was the FDOT District 6 surveying and mapping administrator.
Moving forward, Bill will utilize his experience by working collaboratively with WGI’s Geospatial group – also taking on the responsibility of managing surveying and mapping projects and developing new business for WGI’s geospatial services in Florida.
“I’m excited to work where I can lend my experience and learn,” he says. “WGI’s pioneering leadership in geospatial technologies will continue to grow the surveying & mapping capabilities here in the Florida market,” he says.
David Wantman, PE, and CEO of WGI, says, “We are extremely lucky to have Bill join our team. His extensive FDOT experience will allow him to successfully manage complex, detail-oriented projects. Furthermore, he has a strong customer focus which seamlessly aligns with WGI’s steadfast commitment to client services excellence.”
Bill has been a registered Professional Surveyor & Mapper since 1992 and is an active member of the Geomatics Engineering Professional Advisory Committee at Florida Atlantic University.
ABOUT WGI
As a multidisciplinary consulting firm, WGI has 14 offices in six states, serving an active client base in over 30 states, specializing in the following disciplines: Land Development/Municipal Engineering, Transportation Engineering, Parking Solutions, Geospatial Services, Subsurface Utility Engineering, Structures, Landscape Architecture, Environmental Sciences, Architecture, Land Planning, and Creative Services. The Zweig Group ranked WGI #11 on its 2018 Hot Firms list and #23 on the 2018 Best Firms to Work For list. South Florida Business Journal ranked WGI #5 on its 2018 Top 25 Engineering Firms, WGI #61 in its 2017 Top 100 Private Companies, and #16 in the $25M and over category as a 2017 “Fast 50” Honoree from the same publication. In 2018, ENR ranked WGI #250 on its list of the Top 500 Design Firms, #24 on its Top Southeast Design Firms, and #10 in the Florida market. In 2018, WGI ranked #4380 on the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in America. For more information, please visit www.wginc.com.
WGI Contact:
Sima Narcus
Client Services Manager
Tawnya Pugsley
Alchemy Communications Group
O: 561.935.9953 x.104
< Show All Articles
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Lacuna Coil to Unleash ‘Black Anima’ Album in October
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
Lacuna Coil will release their ninth studio album, Black Anima, on Oct. 11. The effort marks the Italian metal vets follow-up to 2016’s Delirium and is their first studio album in nearly four years.
The group took to Twitter to break the news. See the post below. In a statement, co-vocalist Cristina Scabbia says: “Black Anima is all of us. It’s you and it’s me, it’s everything we hide and fiercely expose to a world that’s halfway asleep. It is the fogged mirror we are peering into searching for the truth. It’s sacrifice and pain, it’s justice and fear, it’s fury and revenge, it’s past and future… Human beings in the magnificence of a disturbingly ambiguity. The black core that balances it all… as without darkness light would never exist. We proudly present to you our new work and can’t wait to welcome you in our embrace. We are the Anima.”
Back in May, Scabbia revealed via Instagram that the group was in the studio and was making serious progress. “I am in LOVE with the new stuff from my black bubble of enjoyment,” she stated. “I feel immensely grateful for you constant support: it is because of you all that we are able to do what we love the most on a professional level and I NEVER take all this for granted.” She added that the new music “could definitely be heavier. Because that’s what we like to perform onstage.”
Lacuna Coil released The 119 Show: Live in London concert album and DVD back in November to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their first album In a Reverie. The band will take the stage at Rock USA 2019 in Oshkosh, Wis. on July 19 and will perform a sold-out two-night stand at the Gramercy Theater in New York City on July 22 and 23. They kick off a full-fledged European tour in November to support the new album with Eluveitie and Infected Rain. Check their tour dates here.
Top 50 Hard Rock + Metal Frontwomen of All Time
Source: Lacuna Coil to Unleash ‘Black Anima’ Album in October
Filed Under: lacuna coil
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Oliver Plachkov
Nationality: of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
Oliver Plachkov started playing basketball when he was 6 years old. His first team was "KK Aerodrom" and he played there for 2 years. After he celebrated his 8 birthday he joined a basketball club called "Junior" and he stayed there for 6 years. In this club he learned a lot about basketball and not only how to play the game but how to be a team player.After 6 years he decided that it is time to change the club and go to a team that is more mature and can develop his potential so a coach approached him and asked if he can join his team. The team was "KK Feniks 2010" and his position in this team was point guard (PG) and shooting guard (SG). He played in "KK Feniks 2010" for 4 years and he was captain of the team. When he was 17 years old he was named "Youngest best player in third macedonian league" and his averaged score was 26.7 pts and 7.8 ast. After his beautiful career in "KK Feniks 2010" he was approached by another coach in Macedonia and the team was "KK Karposh Sokoli". He signed with "KK Karposh Sokoli" for 2 years. Within his first year of his contract, the team had a successful year and they got the silver ( they finished 2nd in Macedonia). In his second year of his contract they also had a successful year where they finished 3rd in macedonian second league. "KK Karposh Sokoli" was the youngest team in the macedonian second league. He was the key player for the success of the team.... show moreless
KK Karpos Sokoli current team
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Northchurch, England
Grave of Peter, the Wild Boy of Hanover
"The Most Wonderful Wonder that ever appeared to the Wonder of the British Nation."
Tombstone of Wild Peter at St. Mary's Church. Neale Monks/Wikimedia (Creative Commons)
Engraving from "Curiosities of Human Nature," 1849. "Curiosities of Human Nature," 1849. (Public Domain)
Martin/geograph.org.uk (Creative Commons)
In 1725, a young boy was discovered in the woods outside of the German town of Hamelin.
Longplayer
A musical composition 1000 years in length plays at the Trinity Buoy Wharf in London.
Added by LongNow
Logan Rock of Treen
A legendary rocking stone, returned to its clifftop perch.
Two plaques commemorate the site of Shakespeare's first theatre.
Added by Leslie McIntyre
He was disheveled and dirty, spoke no words, and walked on all fours. He appeared to be in his early teens, and became known as Peter, the Wild Boy of Hanover, the first documented feral child and, later, the pet of the British Royal family.
Peter immediately caught the attention of King George I, himself of Hanoverian stock. King George had the boy brought to his court and cared for. He was then brought to England where his strange appearance and erratic behavior caused a sensation. The fervor inspired satires by Jonathan Swift (“It Cannot Rain But It Pours; or, London Strewed with Rarities” and the wonderfully named “The Most Wonderful Wonder that ever appeared to the Wonder of the British Nation”) and Daniel Defoe (“Mere Nature Delineated”). His portrait was painted in Kensington Palace, and Carl Linneaus created a new category of human in his Systema Naturae just for him called “Juvenis Hanoveranus.”
Peter became the ward of Princess Caroline, who looked after his education. Despite all efforts, Peter never learned to speak, only ever able to repeat back a few words, although people who met him reported that he seemed to understand what was being said to him.
At the time, Peter’s presence in England brought up questions of nature versus nurture, and the delicate line between humans and wild animals. More modern studies of the case theorize that rather than being feral, Peter had probably been abandoned and was severely mentally disabled.
After George’s death in 1727, Peter was sent to live on a farm in Hertfordshire, his care paid for by Queen Caroline. Because of his propensity to wander and get into trouble, he was fitted with a leather collar inscribed with the words “Peter, the Wild Man of Hanover. Whoever will bring him to Mr Fenn at Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, shall be paid for their trouble.”
Peter died on February 22, 1785, at about age 72. He is buried in the cemetery at St. Mary’s Church, his tombstone located directly outside the main door. Inside the church, on the south wall of the nave, there is a brass tablet with a short biography of Peter. In London, the portrait of Peter can still be seen on the east wall of the King’s Stairwell in Kensington Palace. His collar is kept in the collection of the Berkhamsted Collegiate School.
catacombs, crypts, & cemeteriesmemento mori
Annetta Black
Roger Moorhouse: Peter the Wild Boy: http://www.rogermoorhouse.com/article4.html
Feral Children: Living With Beasts (September 2009): http://cogitz.com/2009/09/03/feral-children-living-with-beasts/
Georgian London: Peter the Wild Boy of Hanover: http://www.georgianlondon.com/he-frightened-me-peter-the-wild-boy-of-hanove
Wikipedia: Peter the Wild Boy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_the_Wild_Boy
St Mary's Church
Northchurch, England, HP4
Berkhamsted, England
Berkhamsted Castle
This early Norman castle was the first historical monument protected by an act of Parliament.
Frithsden, England
Devil's Bridge on Spooky Lane
A mysterious bridge built on a sunken Roman road.
Added by Fuch77
Aldbury, England
Aldbury Stocks and Whipping Post
A relic of medieval punishment marks the center of this quintessential English village.
Bridgewater Monument
You can climb to the top of the column built to honor the "father of British inland navigation."
Exeter, Rhode Island
Grave of Mercy Brown
The final resting place of New England's last vampire.
Added by JWOcker
Nazca, Peru
Chauchilla Cemetery
Plundered and left asunder by grave robbers, this ancient necropolis has been painstakingly pieced back together.
Dargavs, Russia
Dargavs Village: City of the Dead
This ancient village and its adjoining cemetery have a beautiful history of death and remembrance.
Added by ekoptev
First Maryland Regiment Mass Grave
The mass grave of a heroic Revolutionary War regiment sits below an empty lot near the Gowanus Canal.
Added by Oliver Hong
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Report: Anime Production Industry Reaches Record High Income With 200 Billion Yen
posted on 2018-08-17 17:00 EDT by Karen Ressler
Study of 2017 industry looks at 255 production companies in Japan
The financial research firm Teikoku Databank published an investigation of the anime production industry on August 10, and reported that the industry saw a record high income of 203.721 billion yen (about US$1.8 billion) in 2017. The total income rose 39.6% year-on-year, continuing a three-year positive trend. The actual profit saw a 54.9% increase.
Teikoku Databank gathered data from 255 anime production companies in July 2018. About 90% of the companies were located in Tokyo, and 150 were established after the year 2000.
For the first time in seven years, the per-studio average reached 800 million yen. This average peaked in 2007 with 1.175 billion yen, but had for several years been on the decline due to an increase in start-up companies and the outsourcing of anime production to other parts of Asia.
While the average income was over 800 million, 82 studios had incomes of less than 100 million yen, and 72 had incomes between 100 and 300 million yen. Many of the studios are very small; 86 companies had five employees or fewer, 83 had between 6 and 20, and 51 had between 21 and 50. (Overall, 94.5% of the companies had fewer than 100 employees.)
Studios that are primary contractors or major subcontractors had an average income of 1.65 billion yen, while specialty studios had an average income of 273 million yen. Both totals went up in 2017. Teikoku Databank attributed the rise in primary contractor income to video streaming and license fees from the production committees. On the other hand, the fierce competition among smaller specialty studios has led to a decline in each studio's price for work and an increase in the amount of work taken on, in spite of the small staff.
Teikoku Databank noted that four of the companies it studied filed for bankruptcy in 2017, two ceased operations or were dissolved. This total of six companies closing is the third highest in history, after 2010, when eight companies closed, and 2009 and 2011, when seven companies closed.
Source: Teikoku Databank via Yaraon!
this article has been modified since it was originally posted; see change history
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Anne Newman Artist
8 May 2019 / Challenge
Tintoretto – The Rebel of Venice
Self Portrait (Credit http://www.jacopotintoretto.org)
Recently I saw a film about Tintoretto, an artist about whom I knew little. It was a fascinating insight to this remarkable man who had no formal training.
Jacopo Robusti (1518-1594), (hero image is his self portrait), eldest son of a dyer or tintore, became known as Tintoretto and lived in the 16th century renaissance period. Surrounded by dyes and vibrant colours he dabbled with paint on the factory walls and it soon became apparent that he was a born painter.
A rival to Titian - in fact he attended classes under Titian - legend has it, Tintoretto was kicked out as Titian saw his abilities and a possible threat. However, Titian may also have recognised a very a stubborn man who would not benefit from Titian’s training. In any event Tintoretto continued to develop his own style with no formal training whatsoever.
Titan’s painting style was precise, delicate with soft colours which appealed to monarchs and nobility, with many commissions for portraits, while Tintoretto was considered a rebel.
He lived his whole life in Venice and most of his 300+ paintings are located there. He was renowned for the speed of his painting and although a religious man often featured workers and slaves as the central figures rather than Christ or the saints: quite radical at the time. He prepared his canvases with a dark base, unheard of then, and was criticised for lack of detail.
Below is a comparison of one of Tintoretto’s painting of the Last Supper with one by Titian.
Last Supper - Titian (Credit: Arthive); Last Supper - Tintoretto (Credit http://www.jacopotintoretto.org);
Titan uses the usual horizontal plane, with Christ in the centre, surrounded by fine brush strokes to define the disciples with a detailed background – Titian would have started with a white base on his canvas. Tintoretto on the other hand uses a vertical plane, giving the painting a greater depth of field – the central figure at the front is actually a servant, while Christ is well back (quite controversial at the time) and the background subdued. Due to the dark background he didn’t feel the need to add detail, one of his secrets to speedy results.
The composition of Tintoretto’s paintings is likened to a box theatre set, in fact he often set up plaster casts in boxes and added candle light to study the effect on the figures and shadows. Perhaps Adoration of the Golden Calf (1546), one of his signature works situated in the Madonna dell’Orta, started in a box? Tintoretto was a great admirer of Michelangelo and studied his painting and replicated his model in plaster casts.
Adoration of the Golden Calf (Credit http://www.jacopotintoretto.org)
Dark bold colours with a theatrical style was considered to be very contemporary - David Bowie was very taken with his works and bought one. He named his record label Tintoretto.
Tintoretto’s style allowed him to churn out paintings, fast and furious, under cutting the price of his competitors and delivering a completed work quickly. Some things never change!
A key to success was the support of a patron and Tintoretto vied for the attention of Pietro Aretino, an art critic with a lot of influence, and Titian’s patron. I gather Aretino quite liked Tintoretto’s work, having a portrait commissioned and a ceiling painted in his home, however Titian would have none of it.
Not to be daunted Tintoretto often completed works in a church or public building for cost price or no charge at all, just to win favour. In 1560, five principal painters, including Tintoretto, Titian and Paolo Veronese, were invited to send in trial-designs for the centre-piece of the small hall named Sala dell'Albergo, in the Scuola di S. Rocco. Scuole or schools of Venice were more in the nature of hospitals or charitable foundations than of educational institution and run by those of influence.
Sala dell'Albergo in Scuola di S. Rocco (Credit: Venezia.net)
Apparently, there was some skulduggery with bribes paid to ensure Tintoretto would not win. As you have gathered this didn’t stop Tintoretto. Rather than produce a sketch, he acquired the exact dimensions and then proceeded to paint and instal a fully completed work which he offered as a gift to the Scuola. The competitors remonstrated, not unnaturally; but the artist, who knew how to play his own game, gifted the painting, and, as a bylaw of the foundation prohibited the rejection of any gift, it was retained in situ. Tintoretto painted the remainder of the ceiling at no charge. As a result, he was commissioned to complete all the paintings in the Scuola di S. Rocco which is now regarded as a shrine to Tintoretto and his own genius. One of the most famous paintings being The Crucifixion.
The Crucifixion (Credit http://www.jacopotintoretto.org)
In the The Crucifixion (above) the background is filled with spectators and we feel invited into the foreground.
One of my favourites is Susanna and the Elders – a bibilical tale from the Book of Daniel - Susanna was a particularly beautiful young Jewish woman whose husband Joakim had invited the elderly men as guests to their home.
Susanna and the Elders (Credit Tintoretto.net)
They decided to spring upon her once she was alone in the garden and threatened her with consequences if she rejected their advances. This distasteful behaviour is all the worse as they are considered friends of both Susanna and her husband.
His crowning glory and last influential work -Paradise in Scuola della Misericordia, is the size of a tennis court, and reputed to be the largest painted canvas in the world - 500 figures and required 50 canvases to be stitched together. It has fallen into disrepair, but thankfully free of inexpert restoration – it must be a sight to behold even today.
Paradise (Credit http://www.jacopotintoretto.org)
Paradise - detail (Credit http://www.jacopotintoretto.org)
His son, Domenico assisted with this work as with many others, a recognised artist in his own right.
Tintoretto outlived Titian and got his final comeuppance over him - Domenico continued with the family studio which was successful for more than 60 years, while within Titian's family, due to infighting his studio fell into oblivion soon after his death.
And welcome aboard to a new subscriber M of Tottenham in the UK. I just happen to know that this person is an exceptionally good artist in her own right so we will gain much from her joining us.
— Anne Newman Artist —
Science and Art as Partners in Space: A New Frontier for Humanity
The Present Meets The Past in the Sky
Getting All Steamed Up
America’s First Sculptor: a woman of many talents
I've been reading up on early sculptors and was delighted to find that the first recognised American colonial born sculptor was Patience Lovell Wright who came from New Jersey where one of the
Anne Newman
Chinese Calligraphy & Painting
Xiao Lang: Watercolour on Paper Scroll (Credit: ICollector.com)Trevor in Canberra has just attended the exhibition of Calligraphy and Painting from the National Museum of China being presented by the National Museum
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Suspicious package delivered to Ecuador's embassy where Julian Assange is staying
Brennan Weiss
Feb 6th 2018 4:45PM
London police responded to reports of a suspicious package at Ecuador's embassy in the city on Tuesday.
Police reported no injuries and appeared to have the scene under control.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is currently staying at the embassy, where he has been living since 2012.
A suspicious package was sent to Ecuador's embassy in London on Tuesday, local authorities in the UK said. The embassy is home to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who is living there as he evades a warrant for his arrest on breach of bail charges.
"Police are in attendance at the Ecuadorian Embassy in SW1 following reports of a small suspicious package," officials said in a tweet. "There are no reported injuries. The item is being assessed by specialist officers."
Several reporters at the scene noted the sequence of events and posted video footage of police inspecting the package.
BREAKING - London Police are responding to a “suspected suspicious package” at the Ecuadorian Embassy, the current home of @wikileaks founder, Julian Assange. #assange@JulianAssange@9NewsAUS@TheTodayShowpic.twitter.com/nvNjXYIrwh
— Seb Costello (@SebCostello9) February 6, 2018
The incident occurred on the same day that a UK judge upheld an arrest warrant against Assange, who is wanted by London police for breaching his bail conditions after surrendering to authorities, and then absconding, in 2012.
Assange's lawyers had requested that police drop its warrant for the Wikileaks founder's arrest.
But the judge, Emma Arbuthnot, said she was "not persuaded that the warrant should be withdrawn," without elaborating why, The New York Times reported.
After Arbuthnot's rejection, Assange's lawyers asked her to drop the arrest warrant, arguing that it was no longer in the public interest. She said she would make that ruling on February 13, according to The Times.
Assange has been at the embassy for six years. He has refrained from leaving, he said, because he fears that if he does, the British government will extradite him to the US, where he is facing multiple charges for leaking classified information.
RELATED: A look at Julian Assange
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange makes a speech from the balcony of the Ecuadorian Embassy, in central London, Britain February 5, 2016. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/Files
A supporter of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange holds a banner outside the Ecuadorian embassy in London as he marks three years since Assange claimed asylum in the embassy on June 19, 2015. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange clocks up three years inside the Ecuadoran embassy in London today, after claiming that Swedish prosecutors cancelled a landmark meeting in his case earlier this week. AFP PHOTO / JUSTIN TALLIS (Photo credit should read JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP/Getty Images)
A supporter of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange holds banners outside the Ecuadorian embassy in London as he marks three years since Assange claimed asylum in the embassy on June 19, 2015. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange clocks up three years inside the Ecuadoran embassy in London today, after claiming that Swedish prosecutors cancelled a landmark meeting in his case earlier this week. AFP PHOTO / JUSTIN TALLIS (Photo credit should read JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP/Getty Images)
Julian Assange, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of WikiLeaks speaks via video link during a press conference on the occasion of the ten year anniversary celebration of WikiLeaks in Berlin, Germany, October 4, 2016. REUTERS/Axel Schmidt TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange appears on screen via video link during his participation as a guest panelist in an International Seminar on the 60th anniversary of the college of Journalists of Chile in Santiago, Chile, July 12, 2016. REUTERS/Rodrigo Garrido
File photo dated 05/02/16 of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who will publish more confidential documents on the US Central Intelligence Agency once a "key attack code" has been disarmed, he has revealed.
File photo dated 5/2/2016 of Julian Assange who has defended the release of emails by WikiLeaks about US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange speaking from the balcony of the Ecuadorian Embassy in London where he has been living for more than three years after the country granted him political asylum.
BERLIN, GERMANY - OCTOBER 4: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange participates via video link at a news conference marking the 10th anniversary of the secrecy-spilling group in Berlin, Germany on October 4, 2016. (Photo by Maurizio Gambarini/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
The Spanish journalist Ignacio Ramonet presents in Quito, Ecuador, on June 23, 2016 the Ecuador 's book " When Google found Wikileaks". Julian Assange made his appearance to the world in 2010 with the publication by WikiLeaks of thousands of secret documents revealing conspiracies , corruption, crimes , lies, and incriminate several governments and particularly the United States as the main actor illegalities. (Photo by Rafael Rodr�uez/ACGPHOTO/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 05: Wikileaks founder Julian Assange prepares to speak from the balcony of the Ecuadorian embassy where he continues to seek asylum following an extradition request from Sweden in 2012, on February 5, 2016 in London, England. The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has insisted that Mr Assange's detention should be brought to an end. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 05: A panel of WikiLeaks representitives and press look on as WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange speaks at a press conference at the Frontline Club via video link from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London on 5 February 2016 in London, England. Mr Assange's speech comes a day after it was announced that the UN panel ruled he was being unlawfully detained at the Ecuadorian Embassy. (Photo by Chris Ratcliffe/Getty Images)
Australian founder of whistleblowing website, 'WikiLeaks', Julian Assange speaks to media after giving a press conference in London on July 26, 2010. The founder of a website which published tens of thousands of leaked military files about the war in Afghanistan said Monday they showed that the 'course of the war needs to change'. In all, some 92,000 documents dating back to 2004 were released by the whistleblowers' website Wikileaks to the New York Times, Britain's Guardian newspaper, and Germany's Der Spiegel news weekly. Assange also used a press conference in London to dismiss the White House's furious reaction to the disclosures. AFP PHOTO/Leon Neal (Photo credit should read LEON NEAL/AFP/Getty Images)
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - MAY 21: (AUSTRALIA OUT) Wikileaks founder Julian Assange poses during a portrait shoot on May 21, 2010 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Mark Chew/Fairfax Media/Fairfax Media via Getty Images).
Assange initially sought refuge in Ecuador's embassy to prevent British authorities from extraditing him to Sweden over an allegation of rape, which he has denied. But last year, Swedish prosecutors dropped their investigation into the matter, bringing an end to the seven-year legal stand-off.
Last month, Ecuador granted Assange citizenship, but he says he still fears he will be arrested if he leaves. Assange also requested diplomatic status, which would allow him to leave the Ecuadorian embassy without being arrested.
The UK's Foreign Office rejected that request.
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SEE ALSO: Julian Assange has just been granted citizenship in Ecuador
DON'T MISS: Swedish prosecutors are dropping their investigation into Julian Assange — but he's not a free man yet
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A Lay Assessor and Member of the Westminster Assembly
A jvdicious speech made by the Right Honourable the Lord Kimbolton, in Parliament, Ianuary 3, 1641 (1642) by Edward Montagu
According to His Majesties especial command to me signified for avoiding the great dangers happening by fire (1662) by Edward Montagu
Earl of Manchesters speech to His Majesty, in the name of the peers, at his arrival at White-Hall (1660) by Edward Montagu
Manchesters resolution against the Lord Strange (1642) by Edward Montagu
Reasons delivered by the Right Honourable the Earle of Manchester: for nulling the forc’d votes, and against the high and visible insolencies of those that forced the Houses. (1647) by Edward Montagu
The right honourable the Lord Kimbolton his speech in Parliament, Ian. 3. 1641 (1642) by Edward Montagu
The speech of the Right Honorable Edward Earl of Manchester, lord chamberlaine of His Majestie’s houshold, delivered at the Guild-hall London, on Thursday, being the first day of Dec. 1664 (1664) by Edward Montagu
Three speeches delivered at a common-hall (1643) by Edward Montagu
To the church wardens and constables (1644) by Edward Montagu
Tvvo speeches spoken by the Earl of Manchester, and Jo: Pym Esq (1643) by Edward Montagu
Whereas divers troopers, dragooneers, and foot-souldiers belonging to the army under my command, raised for the defence of the associated counties, have lately absented themselves from their colours and the army, and are gone to the places of their former abode, and to other towns and places within this association, to the great prejudice of the service for which they were set forth, and bad example of the whole army (1643) by Edward Montagu
Biography of Edward Montagu:
Edward Montague, second Earl of Manchester (1602–1671), born in 1602, was the eldest son of Sir Henry Montagu, first earl of Manchester, by Catherine, second daughter of Sir William Spencer of Yarnton in Oxfordshire, who was the third son of Sir John Spencer of Althorp, Lincolnshire. After a desultory education, he entered Sidney Sussex College Cambridge, on 27 Jan. 1618 (Admission Registers). He represented the county of Huntingdon in the parliaments of 1623-4, 1625, and 1625-6. In 1623 he attended Prince Charles in Spain, and was by him created a knight of the Bath at his coronation on 1 Feb. 1625-6. On 22 May 1626, through the influence of the Duke of Buckingham, he was raised to the upper house with the title of Baron Montagu of Kimbolton. In the same year he became known by the courtesy title of Viscount Mandeville, on his father being created Earl of Manchester. Being allowed but a small income from his father, Mandeville resided little in London, and mixed much with the relations of his second wife, the daughter of Robert Rich, second earl of Warwick. By them he was led to lean towards the puritan party, and to detach himself from the court.
On 24 April 1640, during the sitting of the Short parliament, he voted with the minority against the king on the question of the precedency of supply (Cal. State Papers, 1640, p. 66). In June 1640 he signed the hesitating reply sent by some of the peers to Lord Warriston’s curious appeal to them to aid the Scots in an invasion of England [see Johnston, Archibald] (Gardiner, Fall of Charles I, p. 402; Mandeville, MS. Memoirs in Addit. MS. 15567, ff. 7-8). Mandeville signed the petition of the twelve peers (28 Aug. 1640) urging the king to call a parliament, and with Lord Howard of Escrick presented it to Charles on 5 Sept. In the same month he obeyed the king’s summons to the grand council of peers at York, and was one of those chosen to treat with the Scottish commissioners at Ripon on 1 Oct. In the negotiations he took an active part, passing frequently to and fro between Ripon and York, urging an accommodation (Harl. MS. 456, ff. 38-40), and drawing up the articles (Borough, Treaty of Ripon, pp. 44,55).
Mandeville was during the early sittings of the Long parliament an acknowledged leader of the popular and puritan party in the lords. He was in complete accord with Pym, Hampden, Fiennes, and St. John, and he held constant meetings with them in his house at Chelsea (Evelyn, Diary of Correspondence, iv. 75-6). On the discovery of the ‘first army plot,’ in May 1641, he was despatched by the lords to Portsmouth with a warrant to examine the governor [see Goring, George, Lord Goring], and to send him up to London to appear before parliament (Lords’ Journals, iv. 238). He was one of the sixteen peers chosen as a committee to transact business during the adjournment from 9 Sept. to 20 Oct. 1641. On 24 Dec. he protested against the adjournment of the debate on the removal of Sir Thomas Lunsford from the command of the Tower.
His position was very clearly defined when his name was joined with those of the five members who were impeached by the king of high treason on 3 Jan. 1642, although his inclusion appears to have been an afterthought (Nicholas Papers, Camden Soc., i. 62). When the articles of impeachment were read, Mandeville at once offered, ‘with a great deal of cheerfulness,’ to obey the commands of the house, and demanded that, ‘as he had a public charge, so he might have a public clearing’ (Lords’ Journals, iv. 501). This demand he reiterated in the house on 11 Jan., and again on 13 Jan., notwithstanding the message from the king waiving the proceedings (ib. pp. 505, 511). A bill was finally passed by both houses in March 1642 (ib. p. 649), clearing him from the accusation (cf. v. 564).
Having thus identified himself with the popular party, he was among the few peers who remained with the parliament in August 1642, and in the following month he took command of a regiment of foot in Essex’s army. When the king retired to Oxford, Mandeville (who had succeeded his father as Earl of Manchester in November) returned to London and occupied himself in raising money for the army (Comm. for the Advance of Money, p. 1), and in the negotiations for the cessation of arms. He was made lord-lieutenant of Huntingdonshire and Northamptonshire by the parliament in 1642. On the first suspicion of the Tomkins and Challoner plot [see Waller, Edmund], Manchester, with Viscount Saye and Sele and others, managed (on Sunday, 28 May 1643) to elicit from Roe, a clerk of Tomkins, so many important secrets, that the whole conspiracy was speedily discovered. He afterwards acted as president in the resulting court-martial in June and July (Sanford, Studies, p. 561, quoting from D’Ewes). Manchester was one of the ten peers nominated to sit as lay members in the Westminster Assembly of Divines in July of the same year.
The fortunes of the parliamentary forces in the eastern counties had in the early summer been seriously imperilled by local quarrels. Cromwell recognised the danger, and appealed to parliament to appoint a commander of high position and authority. On 9 Aug. accordingly the commons resolved to make Manchester major-general of the associated counties in the place of Lord Grey of Wark. The choice was confirmed by the lords on the following day, and Essex at once complied with the request to give him the commission (Gardiner, Civil War, i. 224-6). Cromwell and Manchester were thus brought into close connection. They were already well acquainted with each other. Each belonged to a leading family of Huntingdonshire, had been educated at Sidney Sussex, Cambridge (Sanford, Studies, pp. 202-5), and had been concerned in a dispute relating to the enclosing of common lands in the eastern counties, which had been before a committee of the House of Commons (Clarendon, Life, 1857, i. 73-4; Carlyle, Cromwell’s Letters and Speeches, 1866, i. 90).
By 28 Aug. Manchester, in his new capacity, was besieging Lynn-Regis in Norfolk; the town capitulated 16 Sept., and the governorship was bestowed upon him (21 Sept.) On 9 Oct. he joined Cromwell and Fairfax, then besieging Bolingbroke Castle, and the three commanders won Winceby or Horncastle fight on 11 Oct. (see Manchester’s letter of 12 Oct. in Lords’ Journals, vi. 255-6). On 20 Oct. the town of Lincoln surrendered to Manchester. On Cromwell’s motion (22 Jan. 1644), Lord Willoughby of Parham, who had been commanding in Lincolnshire as serjeant-major-general of the county, was ordered to place himself under Manchester’s orders. Charges of misconduct had been brought against Willoughby, who resented the position now forced on him, and challenged Manchester as he was on his way to the House of Lords. Both houses treated Willoughby’s conduct as a breach of privilege, but after Manchester had defended himself against Willoughby’s complaints, the subject dropped (Harl. MS. 2224, ff. 12-16), and Willoughby returned to his duties under him.
On 22 Jan. 1644 (Husband, p. 415), Manchester was directed to ‘ regulate ‘ the university of Cambridge, and to remove scandalous ministers in the associated counties. On 24 Feb. he accordingly issued his warrants to the heads of colleges, and began the work of reformation. About the same time (19 Dec. 1643) he authorised William Dowsing to destroy ‘superstitious pictures and ornaments.’ In February 1644 Manchester became a member of the new committee of both kingdoms, meeting at Derby House. In April he was again with his army watching the movements of Prince Rupert. The town of Lincoln had been retaken by the royalists in March, but Manchester successfully stormed the close on 6 May, and thus secured the county for the parliament (True Relation, E. 47 [2], Manchester’s letter read in the House of Commons on 9 May). A bridge was thrown over the Trent at Gainsborough, and Manchester marched to the aid of Lord Fairfax and the Scots, who were besieging York. This junction was effected on 3 June. On the same day the committee of both kingdoms sent Vane to York, ostensibly to urge the generals to send a force into Lancashire to arrest Prince Rupert’s progress, but in reality to propose the formation of a government from which Charles was to be excluded. Manchester and his colleagues rejected the suggestion, but Cromwell, Manchester’s lieutenant-general, probably accepted Vane’s proposals, and to this difference of view may be traced the subsequent breach between the two (Gardiner, Civil War, i. 431-3). Cromwell at the battle of Marston Moor (1 July) commanded Manchester’s horse, while the earl himself exercised a general control as a field officer. Though carried away in the flight, he soon returned to the field, and successfully rallied some of the fugitives. After the surrender of the city of York on 16 July, the armies divided, and Manchester marched to Doncaster, which he reached on 23 July. While there Tickhill Castle surrendered (26 July) to John Lilburne , who had summoned it contrary to Manchester’s orders, Sheffield Castle surrendered (10 Aug.) to Major-general Lawrence Crawford , and Welbeck House to Manchester himself (11 Aug.) But Pontefract Castle had been passed by, and Manchester paid no attention to the entreaty of the officers to blockade Newark (Pickering’s Deposition, Cal. State Papers, 1644, p. 151). Proceeding leisurely to Lincoln, he subsided into inaction. The committee of both kingdoms (3 Aug.) directed him to march against Prince Rupert, but he (10 Aug.) shrank from ‘ so large a commission, and a worke so difficult,’ in the unsatisfactory condition of his men, and the lateness of the season (Quarrel of Manchester and Cromwell, p. 9), and though constantly urged to make his way westward, the earl made no movement till the beginning of September (ib. pp. 20-4). By 22 Sept. he was at Watford, on his way to the general rendezvous at Abingdon, and reached Reading on 29 Sept. Here he remained till the middle of October, notwithstanding the urgent desire of the committee in London that he should move forwards. He had reached Basingstoke by 17 Oct., was joined by Waller on the 19th, and by Essex on 21 Oct. For the command of the three armies thus united, a council of war, consisting of the three generals, with Johnston of Warriston and Crewe, had been appointed by the committee of both kingdoms.
At the second battle of Newbury, on 28 Oct., Manchester’s lethargy became fatally conspicuous. Delaying to make the attack assigned to him till too late in the day, he failed in his attempt on Shaw House, and the royalist army under cover of the darkness made its escape westward, within ‘little more than musket-shot ‘ of the earl’s position (Watson’s Deposition, Cal. State Papers, 1644-5, p. 150). At the council held the following day Manchester opposed Waller’s and Cromwell’s advice to pursue the enemy, and preferred to summon Donnington Castle. Failing in his attempt to storm it on 1 Nov. he leisurely withdrew, and the castle thus abandoned was relieved by the king on the 9th. At a council of war at Shaw Field on 10 Nov. Manchester plainly declared his horror of prosecution of the war. ‘ If we beat the king 99 times,’ he said, ‘ he is king still, and so will his posterity be after him; but if the king beat us once, we shall be all hanged, and our posterity be made slaves.’ On 17 Nov. he left Newbury for the purpose of protecting the besiegers of Basing House. But Basing was never reached. His starving men were deserting him, and with the remains of his army he made his way to Reading. The siege of Basing House was necessarily abandoned (Gardiner, Civil War, i. 518).
Manchester’s religious views, though sincere, were not very deep. He inclined to presbyterianism from circumstances rather than from conviction, and had not attempted to curtail Cromwell’s efforts to ‘ seduce ‘ the army ‘ to independency ‘ (Baillie, Letters and Journals, ii. 185). Discords among his officers were growing, and in September he had paid a hurried and fruitless visit to London in the hope of healing them [see Cromwell, Oliver, and Crawford, Lawrence]. But the breach between him and Cromwell was soon irreparable. On 25 Nov. Cromwell laid before the House of Commons a narrative, charging Manchester with neglect and incompetency in the prosecution of the war (Quarrel of Manchester and Cromwell, Camden Soc., pp. 78-95). He called attention to ‘ his Lordshipe’s continued backwardness to all action, his aversenes to engagement or what tendes thereto, his neglecting of opportunityes and declineing to take or pursue advantages upon the enemy, and this (in many particulars) contrary to advice given him, contrary to commands received, and when there had been noe impediment or other employment for his army’ (Cromwell’s Narrative in Quarrel, p. 79). Cromwell’s charges were probably not exaggerated. Manchester, a civilian at heart, was always of opinion ‘ that this war would not be ended by the sword, for if it were so concluded, it would be an occasion of rising again or of a future quarrel, but it would be better for the kingdom if it were ended by an accommodation’ (Pickering’s Deposition, Cal. State Papers, 1644-5, p. 152). Manchester defended himself in the House of Lords on 27 Nov., when a committee of inquiry was appointed (Lords’ Journals, vii. 76), and made a vigorous attack on Cromwell (Camden Miscellany, vol. viii.) But the presentation of the bill for new modelling the army turned the course of public debate from the shortcomings of individuals to more general principles. The commons (26 Dec., 30 Dec., and 1 Jan.), although urged by the lords to deliver their reports respecting Manchester, centred all their energies on the struggle for the passing of the self-denying ordinance, and on 2 April 1645 (the day before the ordinance passed the lords) Manchester, like Essex and Denbigh, resigned his commission in the army. Forty of his officers in January 1645 signed a petition for his continuance in the service, fearing that his removal would ‘ breed a great confusion amongst them by reason of the differences between the Presbyterians and Independents ‘ (Whitacre, Diary, Addit. MS. 31116, f. 185).
Manchester, although relieved of military duty, still (4 April) retained his powers for regulating the university of Cambridge, was a constant attendant on the committee of both kingdoms, and frequently acted as speaker of the House of Lords. In the propositions for peace at the end of 1645 it was recommended that he should be made a marquis. He was one of those to whom Charles on 26 Dec. 1645 expressed himself willing to entrust the militia, in accordance with the Uxbridge proposals, and was a commissioner for framing the articles of peace between the kingdoms of England and Scotland in July 1646 (Thurloe, State Papers, i. 77-9). With William Lenthall he was entrusted with the charge of the great seal from 30 Oct. to 15 March 1648. Early in 1647 he was busy with other leading presbyterian peers in sketching out a pacification more likely to meet with the royal approval. When the houses of parliament were attacked by the London mob in July 1647, Manchester, notwithstanding his presbyterian leanings, fled to the army on Hounslow Heath with the independent members, and signed the engagement of 4 Aug. to stand by the army for the freedom of parliament (Rushworth, vii. 754). On 6 Aug. he returned to London escorted by Fairfax and resumed his duties as speaker of the upper chamber.
Manchester stoutly opposed the ordinance for the king’s trial in the House of Lords on 2 Jan. 1649, and retired from public life when the formation of a commonwealth grew inevitable. After the death of the Earl of Holland he was, on 15 March 1649, made chancellor of the university of Cambridge, a post of which he was deprived in November 1651 for refusing to take the engagement (see letters in Hist. MSS. Comm. 8th Rep. pt. ii. p. 64). Cromwell summoned him to sit in his upper house in December 1657 (Parl. Hist. iii. col. 1518), but the summons was not obeyed. Manchester took an active part in bringing about the restoration, and as speaker of the lords welcomed the king on his arrival (29 May). He was speedily invested with many honours. On 27 April 1660 he was appointed one of the commissioners of the great seal, on 22 May was restored to his lord-lieutenancy of the counties of Northampton and Huntingdon (Hist. MSS. Comm. 8th Rep. pt. ii. p. 65), and on the 26th to the chancellorship of Cambridge. He was made lord chamberlain of the household on 30 May, privy councillor on 1 June, and was also chamberlain of South Wales.
From 9 to 19 Oct. he was engaged on the trial of the regicides, and appears to have inclined to leniency (Exact and most impartial Account, E. 1047 [3], p. 53 b). At the coronation of Charles II on 23 April 1661 he bore the sword of state, and was made a knight of the Garter. He became joint commissioner for the office of earl-marshal on 26 May 1662, and was incorporated M.A. in the university of Oxford on 8 Sept. 1665. When, in 1667, the Dutch appeared in the Channel, Manchester was made a general, and a regiment was raised under his command (15 June). He was a fellow of the Royal Society from 1667 till his death. He died on 5 May 1671, and was buried in Kimbolton Church, Huntingdonshire.
Manchester was of a generous and gentle disposition. Burnet (Own Time, i. 98) speaks of him as ‘of a soft and obliging temper, of no great depth, but universally beloved, being both a virtuous and a generous man,’ and this view is corroborated even by Clarendon (Hist. of the Rebellion, ed. Macray, i. 242, ii. 545). Sir PhilipWarwick (Memoirs, p. 246) describes him as ‘ of a debonnair nature, but very facile and changeable,’ while Baillie (Letters and Journals, ii. 229) calls him ‘ a sweet, meek man.’ Peace, a constitutional monarchy, and puritanism were the objects at which he aimed, and his inactivity in the army dated from the time when protracted war, the rule of the people, and independency seemed to be the inevitable outcome of the struggle. It was easy to begin a war, he was in the habit of saying, but no man knew when it would end, and a war was not the way to advance religion (Cal. State Papers, 1644-5, Pickering’s Deposition, p. 152). When actually in the field, his sense of duty and his humanity prompted him to activity. To encourage his men he marched among them for many a weary mile (Ashe, Particular Relation), or spent the night after an engagement in riding from regiment to regiment, thanking the soldiers and endeavouring to supply their wants (Sanford, Studies, p. 608). The same longing for peace and accommodation is exemplified in his religious connections. A presbyterian member of the assembly of divines, he used his influence to have Philip Nye, the independent, appointed to the vicarage of Kimbolton, and in the hearing of Baxter pleaded for moderate episcopacy and a liturgy (Sylvester, Reliq. Baxterianæ, p. 278). Baxter, while designating him ‘ a good man,’complains that he would have drawn the presbyterians to yield more than they did, and was earnest in urging the suppression of passages that were ‘too vehement’ (ib. p. 365).
A portrait by Vandyck belongs to the Duke of Manchester. Engraved portraits of him have been published in Vicars’s ‘ England’s Worthies,’ 1647, p. 16, by Hollar in 1644; in Ricraft’s ‘England’s Champions,’ London, 1647, p. 17, reproduced in an edition of the work entitled ‘Portraits of the Parliamentary Officers,’ London, 1873, p. 20; in Clarendon’s ‘History,’ Oxford, 1721, vol. i. pt. i. p. 54, by M. Vandergucht; in Birch’s ‘Heads,’ London, 1751, p. 31, by Houbraken; in Smollett’s ‘History of England,’ 1759, vii. 209, by Benoist; in Lodge’s ‘Portraits,’ vol. iii., by Dean, from a painting at Woburn Abbey. Many of Manchester’s letters on army business are in the British Museum (Egerton MSS. 2643 ff. 9, 23, 2647 ff. 136, 229, 241, 319; Addit. MS. 18979, f. 158; Harl. MS. 7001, ff. 170, 172, 174, 202) and in the Bodleian Library (Tanner MSS. lxiii. f. 130, lxiv. f. 91, lxii. ff. 431, 471,lvii. f. 194).
Manchester married five times. His first wife was Susanna, daughter of John Hill of Honiley in Warwickshire, and of his wife Dorothy Beaumont, sister to the Duke of Buckingham’s mother. Pecuniary arrangements between the duke and Manchester’s father were amicably concluded by means of the match. The marriage ceremony, which took place early in February 1623, was performed in the king’s bedchamber, where James was confined to his bed. He was not, however, incapable of throwing his shoe after the bridal party as they left the room. Susanna Montagu died in January 1625. As Lord Mandeville, Manchester married at Newington Church, on 1 July 1626, Anne, daughter of Robert Rich, second earl of Warwick, lord admiral of the Long parliament, by whom he had three children: Robert, his successor, noticed below; Frances, who married Henry, son of Dr. Robert Sanderson, bishop of Lincoln; and Anne, who married Robert Rich, second earl of Holland and fifth earl of Warwick. Anne, lady Mandeville, died on 14 or 19 Feb. 1641-2, and was buried at Kimbolton. There is a portrait of her at Kimbolton Castle. His third wife was Essex (d. 28 Sept. 1658), daughter of Sir Thomas Cheke of Pirgo in Essex, by his wife Essex Rich, daughter of Robert, first earl of Warwick, and widow of Sir,Robert Bevil (d. 1640) of Chesterton in Huntingdonshire, by whom he had six sons and two daughters. Of the daughters, Essex (born 1644) married, in June 1661, Henry Ingram, viscount Irwin. Of the six sons, Edward, Henry, Charles, and Thomas were members of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. Manchester married a fourth wife in July 1659; she was Ellinor, daughter of Sir Richard Wortley of Wortley in Yorkshire, and he was her fourth husband. She had previously married Sir Henry Lee, first baronet (d. 1631), of Ditchley in Oxfordshire; Edward Radcliffe, sixth earl of Sussex (d. 1641); and Robert Rich, second earl of Warwick (d. 1658) (the father of Manchester’s second wife). She died in January 1666-7. In August 1667, at St. Martin’s-in-the-Fields, Manchester married his fifth wife, Margaret, daughter of Francis Russell, fourth earl of Bedford, a widow of James Hay, second earl of Carlisle (d. 1660). She died in November 1676, and was buried at Chenies, Buckinghamshire.
Robert Montagu, third Earl of Manchester (1634-1683), was born in the parish of St. Margaret’s, Westminster, and baptised there on 25 April 1634. He represented Huntingdonshire in the Convention parliament of 25 April 1660, and in the following month was one of the members who waited upon the king at the Hague. He was again elected for Huntingdonshire in the parliament of 1661. In 1663 he was sent on a mission to the French king; on 8 Sept. 1665 he was created M.A. by the university of Oxford, and in February 1666 he succeeded the Earl of Newport as gentleman of the bedchamber to the king. In 1666 and 1667 he commanded a troop of horse in the eastern counties while the Dutch were on the coast. He died at Montpellier on 14 March 1683, and was buried at Kimbolton. He married, on 27 June 1655, at St. Giles’s-in-the-Fields, Anne, daughter of Sir Christopher Yelverton of Easton Maudit in Northamptonshire, by whom he had five sons and four daughters. His two eldest sons, Edward and Henry, dying young, he was succeeded by his third son, Charles, who became first duke of Manchester, and is separately noticed. His widow afterwards married Charles Montagu, earl of Halifax
[Burke’s Peerage; Harl. MS. 7038, f. 355; Official List of M.P.s, i. 458, 464, 469; Forster’s Grand Remonstrance, pp. 251-2n.; Manchester’s Memoirs (Addit. M.S. 15567); Borough’s Notes of the Treaty of Ripon. ed. Bruce (Camden Soc.), pp. 2, 29, 47, 54; Borough’s Minutes of the Treaty with tho Scotch Commissioners, 1640-1 (Harl. MSS. 456, 457, passim); Cal. of State Papers. Dom. Ser. 1619-67. Much information as to Manchester’s military movements is in the Calendar for 1644; the Calendar for 1644-5. pp. 146-61, contains an epitome of the Depositions against Manchester in his quarrel with Cromwell; Rushworth’s Historical Collections; Nalson’s Affairs of State, i. 447 et seq., 456, ii. 272-275, 815, 835; Hardwicke State Papers, ii. 257, 279, 290, 293, 298; Clarendon’s Hist. of the Rebellion, ed. Macray; Forster’s Arrest of the Five Members, passim; List of the Army raised under the Earl of Essex (E. 117 [3]); Sanford’s Studies of the Great Rebellion; Lords’ Journals, iii. iv. v. vi. vii. xi. passim; Commons’ Journals, ii. iii. iv. vii. passim; Lightfoot’s Journal of the Proceedings of the Assembly of Divines (Works, 1824, vol. xiii.); Hetherington’s Hist. of the Westminster Assembly, p. 123; Richards’s Hist. of Lynn, ii. 755-6; Bell’s Memorials of the Civil War, i. 62-3; Walker’s Sufferings of the Clergy, pt. i. pp. 111-14; Querela Cantabrigiensis, Preface; Dowsing’s Journal, passim; Good’s Continuation of True Intelligence (E. 6. {{hws|17), pp. 4-7; Husband’s Ordinances, pp. 275, 360; Hunter’s Hallamshire, p. 141; Quarrel of Manchester and Cromwell (Camden Soc.), passim;|17), pp. 4-7; Husband’s Ordinances, pp. 275, 360; Hunter’s Hallamshire, p. 141; Quarrel of Manchester and Cromwell (Camden Soc.), passim; Gardiner’s Hist. 17), pp. 4-7; Husband’s Ordinances, pp. 275, 360; Hunter’s Hallamshire, p. 141; Quarrel of Manchester and Cromwell (Camden Soc.), passim; Gardiner’s Hist. of the Great Civil War; Harl. Misc. iii. 247-8; Holles’s Memoirs, pp. 146-7; Addit. MS. 5850, f. 192; Gumble’s Life of Monk, pp. 260-1; Wood’s Fasti (Bliss), ii. 283-4; Lists of the Royal Society; Le Neve’s Monumenta Anglicana, 1650-79, pp. 63-147; Lysons’s Environs, iii. 297, 590; Collins’s Peerage (Brydges), ii. 81-3; Nichols’s Herald and Genealogist, v. 444-5; G. E. C[okayne’s] Peerage; Harl. Soc. Publ. xxvi. 283; Lady Verney’s The Verneys in the Civil War, i. 242, 268, 272-3, 275; Chester’s Marriage Licenses; Hist. MSS. Comm. 1st Rep. pt. i. p. 26, 5th Rep. p. 146, 7th Rep. p. 461, 8th Rep. pt. ii. p. 64; Manchester’s Court and Society from Elizabeth to Anne, i. 312-14, 375, 377, 381-2; Masters’s Hist. of Corpus Christi Coll. Cambr. ed. Lamb, pp. 368-9, 480; Foss’s Lives of the Judges, vi. 457; P. C. C. 80, Duke; Admissions Registers of Sidney Sussex and Corpus Christi Colleges, Cambr., per the masters; Cambr. Univ. Reg.; Notes and Queries, 3rd ser. xii. 324.]
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Sherman Earns Career-First Pork Pole at SoBo
(DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - February 9, 2011) - The Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 is the Automobile Racing Club of America’s (ARCA) version of the Daytona 500, the Super Bowl of Stock Car Racing and with Stuart, Florida native nestled just two and a half hours away from the 2.5-mile superspeedway, it’s no wonder he has already been tapped as a pre-race favorite for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards season opener at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.
And, if he isn’t a pre-race favorite because of his notoriety of being a native of the Sunshine State, his team’s announcement of hoisting the historic National Speed Sport News (NSSN), America’s Motorsports Authority as the primary sponsor on the team’s No. 11 Ford Fusion in Saturday afternoon’s race is bound to draw some attention which equals waives of new fan support.
Silas, always known for being one of the series’ most popular drivers will help spread the word of Andy Hillenburg’s Fast Track Blue Collar Hero Driver Challenge presented by Speed Sport News.
Andy Hillenburg’s Fast Track Blue Collar Hero Driver Challenge presented by Speed Sport News is the newest creation in an effort to find racing’s next future star. Set to begin in March and conclude in June at the track known as “The Little Rock” in Rockingham, North Carolina, the challenge is out to breed the next up-and-comers, who will have one shot during the three month contest (25 days of competition will be held during the three month run) and advance from a Fast Track High Performance Driving School car to a full-executed ARCA Racing Series stock car against one of racing’s finest stars all in one day. The overall winner will be approved to compete in ARCA’s return to Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis for the running of the Ansell Protective Gloves 200 on Thursday, July 28, 2011 live on SPEED. The best part is, it’s affordable!
“What an honor it is to be associated with a respectable and award-winning organization like National Speed Sport News,” said Silas, who will make his fifth career start at the 2.5-mile superspeedway Saturday. “Also, what a neat idea Andy (Hillenburg) has created with the Fast Track Blue Collar Hero Driver Challenge. It’s an affordable contest with unimaginable results. Andy has always been on the racer’s side and this challenge fits right into his platform. I’m just thrilled to be associated with it.”
The ARCA pro knows that in order to put his owner’s newest conception into the spotlight, he must have an equal performance from last February. After qualifying a stout and superspeedway career-best of fifth, the Fast Track Racing pilot survived the chaos of the 80-lap event to notch a ninth place finish, his best ever on the 2.5-mile oval.
Silas speaks out freely about last year and how important it would be to kick off his fifth season of ARCA competition again in the right direction. “Last year was a lot of fun,” added Silas, who will make his 92nd ARCA start this weekend. “We had a good car and were able to capitalize on a strong weekend with a top-10 finish. This year, I’m looking for a little bit more as far as our finishing position is concerned. I’m hoping we can sneak in a top-five or maybe even earn that first win!”
Should Silas be able to pull off the biggest win in his racing career by capturing the checkered flag in the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200, the splashing of Gatorade and cheers and celebration from victory lane would be nothing new to the Fast Track Racing team as two-time DIS winner and former ARCA champion Andy Hillenburg will return to his duties as the primary spotter for the 23-year old sensation.
“It’s always refreshing to have Andy spot,” Silas mentioned. “He brings a sense of calmness over the radio, especially in a very intense and demanding type of race like Daytona. Dave (McClure) will crew chief the car this weekend, so it’s going to feel like old times again. I’m looking forward to having some fun and hopefully kick off the 2011 race season in S-T-Y-L-E!”
Rockingham (N.C) Speedway join National Speed Sport News as an additional sponsor of Silas’s Ford Fusion.
For more on Bryan Silas please visit, BryanSilasRacing.com.
For additional information on Andy Hillenburg’s Fast Track Blue Collar Hero Driver Challenge presented by Speed Sport News, please visit FastTrackRacing.com or call 704.455.1700. Hurry fast, because space is limited for this opportunity of a lifetime!
Be sure to get in the groove with NSSN and click online at NationalSpeedSportNews.com.
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Neuromodulators >
Dermal Fillers >
Baldone Reina Dermatology.com > Meet Dr. Baldone, New Orleans Dermatologist
Meet Dr. Baldone, New Orleans Dermatologist
Dr. Rhonda R. Baldone received her medical degree from L.S.U. School of Medicine in Shreveport where she was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society. She completed an internship in internal medicine at the Ochsner Foundation Hospital followed by a residency in dermatology at L.S.U. Medical Center in New Orleans where she holds an appointment as an assistant clinical professor of dermatology. Dr. Baldone established her dermatology practice in Mandeville in 1998. She is board certified in dermatology and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology. Dr. Baldone is a member of the Women’s Dermatological Society and the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery. She is also a member of the Louisiana State Medical Society, St. Tammany Paris Medical Society, and the Louisana Dermatological Society, for which she served as secretary. Dr. Baldone has served as the State Chair of the Leader’s Society of the Dermatology Foundation and is on the medical staff of University Medical Center in New Orleans. She currently resides in Mandeville with her husband, David, who is an anesthesiologist.
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About Studio A Studio B Studio C Gallery Staff Equipment Clients News Contact
AboutStudio AStudio BStudio CGalleryStaffEquipmentClientsNewsContact
Eric Valentine
Owner and chief visionary, Eric Valentine's constant experimentation and exacting standards are what has molded Barefoot into the studio it is today.
From his very first Tascam 244 Portastudio to the Neve 88R, Eric has had his hands on just about every piece of equipment designed for the purpose of recording sound. He brings the perspective and vision of an end user – that is still actively making records every day – to the design process. Striving to fulfill needs and solve the problems of today’s record makers, Eric created Barefoot and Undertone Audio as outlets for these ideas to be available to musicians, engineers, and producers.
Tim O’Sullivan
Chief Engineer and Studio Manager Tim O’Sullivan has been around Barefoot since 2012 when he worked at UTA wiring consoles. After a stint in Brooklyn, Tim has returned to Barefoot as Studio Manager and Engineer.
Tim has worked with Karen O, The YYY’s, Nick Zinner, N.A.S.A., Anderson Paak, Grace Potter, Doyle Bramhall II, Lizzo, and Money Mark.
http://www.osullivanaudio.com/
Justin Long is a producer/engineer/songwriter who has been at Barefoot since 2013. He’s worked on projects alongside Eric for Nickel Creek, Keith Urban, 5 Seconds of Summer, and Grace Potter, as well as engineered various other artists such as Sleater-Kinney, The Wombats, and Fitz and the Tantrums.
photo by Jason Lowrie
David Martinez began his recording career in 2002 during his time at Cal Poly Pomona. After several years of serving in the U.S. Army, he has worked at various recording studios in the LA area. David has been fortunate enough to have worked with artists such as Melissa Etheridge, Steve Jordan, Willy Weeks, LeAnn Rimes, Carole King, and many others. David is a student of Niko Bolas and the late Gary Denton and continues to put what he has learned to good use at Barefoot.
Jacob Johnston
Jacob Johnston is a newer addition to Barefoot Recording. After going to CRAS and moving to Los Angeles from Arizona in July of 2018, Jacob has worked along side the engineers and producers at Barefoot on recordings with Sleater Kinney and St. Vincent, Grace Potter, HOLYCHILD, Andrew Bird, Madison Cunningham, The Head And The Heart, Money Mark, Chicano Batman, Leonard Cohen, among many others.
Barefoot Recording
1014 Vine Street,
tim@barefoot-recording.com
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http://www.barrons.com/articles/looking-for-the-international-everyman-1513384865
Mutual Fund Profile
Looking for the International Everyman
Sarah Max
Fidelity’s Sammy Simnegar looks for international companies benefiting from global megatrends Tony Luong for Barron's
Sammy Simnegar found his way to investing via the colorful pages of the comic books he began collecting as a kid in California; he and his family, who are Jewish, moved there from Iran as a result of its 1979 revolution. Simnegar still owns many of the comics he discovered in his youth, including an X-Men #1, now worth thousands of dollars, and early Avengers. “My biggest regret is I couldn’t buy Action Comics #1, with the first appearance of Superman,” says Simnegar, who in junior high school tried to pitch his mom on buying the $10,000 comic. In 2016, it sold for about $1 million.
Although his interest in “buying and selling things” eventually took him to Columbia Business School and a career at Fidelity, his investment strategy doesn’t hinge on highflying companies or superhuman CEOs. He wrote “Boring is beautiful” across the whiteboard in his office as a reminder of what works in the long run: quality growth companies with price momentum, strong cash flow, trustworthy management, and business models supported by megatrends. When he finds companies he likes, he gives them equal overweighting based on the benchmark plus 0.5 percentage point, rebalancing weekly.
The strategy helps him avoid unwanted plot twists. His $2.2 billion Fidelity International Capital Appreciation fund (ticker: FIVFX), which he has managed since 2008, has returned an average of 11.3% annually over the past five years, better than 90% of its peers. His $5.1 billion Fidelity Emerging Markets fund (FEMKX), which he took over in 2012, ranks in the top decile of its category for every trailing period during his tenure. Both funds outrank their peers on upside capture (outperforming in up markets) and downside capture (minimizing losses in down markets).
Roughly half of the holdings in each fund overlap—up to 35% of the international fund can be in emerging markets and up to 15% of the emerging market fund can be in developed. More importantly, says Simnegar, 44, his observations as an international manager give him more perspective into emerging markets, and vice versa.
Simnegar is interested in the rise of the emerging market consumer and the disruptive forces of e-commerce. He looks for companies that can benefit from megatrends, regardless of which ones end up the winners. Take electric cars. Whether Tesla (TSLA) is a buy or sell he doesn’t know; he doesn’t own the stock. “What I do know is all the other makers and all the other auto suppliers are now being massively disrupted,” he says, adding that some European countries are taking steps to ban traditional combustion engines over the next 10 to 20 years. “Any company that makes spark plugs or anything tied to the internal combustion engine is getting disrupted.” His first objective is to avoid companies that will be disrupted; his second is to find companies that will benefit. Examples: Belgian battery materials provider Umicore (UMI.Belgium) and German semiconductor outfit Infineon Technologies (IFX.Germany), a supplier to eight of the 10 top-selling electric vehicles, he says.
The same is true of food and beverage companies. The trend of “infinite shelf space” has made it possible for small start-ups and private labels to take market share from the big brands, which have used big ad budgets and prime shelf space to their advantage. Rather than try to pick the winners, Simnegar focuses on the flavor and fragrance companies that supply them.
“If you’re launching a new product and you want organic strawberry flavor, or you want some chili picante flavor, you still have to buy from these guys,” he says, adding that once a brand launches a product, it rarely messes with the flavor, offering a nice moat for flavor makers. Simnegar has positions in Symrise (SY1.Germany) in Germany, Kerry Group (KRZ.Ireland) in Ireland, and Frutarom Industries (FRUT.Israel) in Israel, which he bought a few years ago when it had a $1 billion market cap and a price/earnings ratio in the midteens. The company’s market cap has since increased fivefold; its earnings have tripled; and free cash flow has doubled, even while it spends to integrate acquisitions. “They’ve done a fantastic job at not only growing organically, but also buying small companies and adding capability to their franchise,” he says, noting that return on equity has been 18%.
While Simnegar does own his share of luxury brands, including LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (MC.France), and consumer-products companies, such as Unilever (ULVR.UK), he has found other outlets to play the emerging middle-class consumer. That includes Housing Development Finance Corp. (HDFC.India), a leading lender in India, where mortgage penetration is still very low, roughly half of what it is in other Asian markets. The stock’s market cap and net income have tripled since Simnegar first bought shares in 2008. Yet, with only a few companies in India positioned to fulfill the growing demand for home loans, there’s a tremendous runway for growth.
In China, meanwhile, the growing middle class is driving demand for insurance products. One beneficiary is Hong Kong’s AIA Group (1299.Hong Kong), which Simnegar first bought when it went public in 2010. From 2015 to 2030, roughly 235 million new customers are expected to shop for insurance in China, and those demographics are already bearing fruit. In the first half of 2017 alone, AIA’s underwriting growth lifted after-tax operating profits, 16%; free cash flow, 13%; and dividends, 17%.
Emerging markets consumers are traveling more. Rather than try to pick the winning airlines, Simnegar shops the airport operators, including Mexico’s Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste (ASURB.Mexico). There are roughly a dozen privately owned airports globally, with footprints ranging from Auckland, New Zealand, to Zurich, he says. Aeronautical operations are a cost of doing business, he says, but two-thirds of a well-run airport’s operating profits come from retail business. While regional malls have been squeezed by e-commerce, airports have the benefit of a captive audience. “Anytime an airport adds a new terminal,” he says, “it’s like adding a shopping mall, where people are willing to pay $5 for water.”
Email: editors@barrons.com
Fidelity Manager Turns “Boring” Companies Into Beautiful Returns
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28th 07 2016 0 comments
Student named winner of second SkillFRIDGE regional heat
An air conditioning and refrigeration student from Bath College has been named the winner of the second SkillFRIDGE regional heat.
Steven Monk will now wait to see if he has won a place to compete in the national finals at the Skills Show in November.
The top scorers from three regional heats go through to the final where they could be selected for the WorldSkills UK training squad.
Steven, 29, from Bristol, is a Level 2 first year apprentice studying at Bath College and working as an apprentice at Bath-based company Ambient Engineering Limited.
He said: “I wasn’t expecting to win at all, I’m over the moon.
“It was tougher than I expected. Although I’m studying air conditioning and refrigeration, I was out of my comfort zone because I normally do air conditioning (rather than refrigeration) in my day job.
“It’s good to challenge yourself and set yourself goals.”
SkillFRIDGE is a national competition for apprentices studying air conditioning and refrigeration from Level 2 to Level 3.
Competitors at the regional heat, hosted by tutor Simon Robinson at Bath College, spent a day completing three tasks under the watchful eye of competition judges.
The aim of competition is to improve students’ knowledge and experience, and to promote career opportunities within the industry.
Bath College students Adam Jackson, who works for Space Engineering, and Chandler Davison, who works at Thermocold in Wiltshire, also entered the competition alongside students from Eastleigh College.
Chandler said: “It’s a tough challenge but we can all do it.
“You have to think about it and go through it slowly. It teaches you how long you should be doing tasks and improves your confidence.”
Bath College is one of only 15 colleges in the UK offering air conditioning and refrigeration qualifications, from Level 2 to Level 3.
Students enrolling on the college’s access to building services engineering Level 1 course also study refrigeration for 12 weeks, as well as electrical engineering and plumbing.
The course gives students an introduction to refrigeration, allowing students to progress to a Level 2 full-time course or an apprenticeship.
With a skills shortage in the industry, students are in high demand from companies who need engineers to design, install and maintain cooling systems.
Tutor Simon Robinson said: “I would like to see more students coming into the refrigeration and air conditioning industry.
“We feel our industry needs to be better recognised and holding such events will help to raise awareness.
“I want to demonstrate the high skillset required to be a top apprentice in our industry and let the industry and employers know about the high-quality students we have here.
“The students I put forward have shown natural ability and a genuine interest in the refrigeration industry. Taking part in these competitions will give them a great confidence boost.”
SkillFRIDGE is organised by Datateam Business Media and WorldSkills, which is responsible for running the international WorldSkills Competition every two years.
Head judge Mark Forsyth said: “This competition is held to raise the standard of professionals in the industry. This should be a benefit for employers, who will see the level of delivery to their clients improve.
“What the students learn here and what the employers experience should be managed back at the college to improve their standards.
“So the individual comes back out of the college, enters another competition and the level increases. We actually raise the standard of the competition because we’re raising the capability of the entrants.”
For more information about air conditioning and refrigeration courses at Bath College click here.
Traineeship is life-changing for young man with Asperger’s Syndrome
A six-month traineeship with Somer Valley FM has made a big difference to the life of a young man with Asperger’s Syndrome.
Jamie Marsden, from Keynsham, found a traineeship at the radio station through Bath College’s pre-apprenticeship programme.
During his traineeship, he learnt how to script a local news bulletin and read the lunchtime and afternoon news.
He has grown in confidence thanks to the support of radio station manager Dom Chambers and a job coach from Bath College.
As a result, Jamie has a new job as a data controller, is re-taking his A-levels to go to university, and plans to move into supported living.
Jamie, 22, said: “My traineeship started with an interview with Dom. Despite my difficulties, he engaged with me really well.
“I felt welcome and able to make a meaningful contribution. For the first time, I was actually excited to work.
“Asperger’s Syndrome is a disability which makes things like talking to other people and basic tasks really hard.
“This was especially true when it came to answering the phone or the door. I’d go into work every day hoping that I wouldn’t have to answer them.
“I did, and I improved. Thanks to my experiences at Somer Valley FM I got interviews for the first time in years.
“I also began to take charge of my life.”
Bath College’s pre-apprenticeship programme is aimed at young autistic people, aged 16 to 24, who want to be able to work independently.
Following Jamie’s success, Somer Valley FM has taken on three new trainees, with two trainees starting in May and another starting this month.
Jamie said: “When I applied for jobs I didn’t get to the interview stage.
“Jobs I was interested in I lacked a degree for and those jobs which would consider me did not match my aspirations. Sometimes I’d be turned away on the grounds of being overqualified.
“I was stuck in a downward spiral, but I leave my traineeship a changed man. On the last day of my traineeship I was interviewed by BBC Somerset.
“I never thought that would happen, it just goes to show how much of a difference six months can really make. I’m not the Jamie defined by my Asperger’s but a new Jamie defined by my aspirations.
“I am really proud to have done my traineeship at Somer Valley FM.”
Radio station manager Dom Chambers said: “My job is to facilitate an environment for others to get on and succeed with their aspirations.
“Jamie made the most of his traineeship and leaves us with a set of skills and expectations that would have surprised him six months ago.
“A lot of this was down to his own drive and determination. I could not be more pleased that he leaves us going into a job he wants to do and I wish him ongoing good fortune as he develops his career.”
Bath College Principal Matt Atkinson said: “Traineeships are a great way for employers and colleges to work with people to build confidence and give them the essential skills requited to get on the first rung of the career ladder.
“We are very pleased that we are able to work with Somer Valley FM on this joint programme and we wish Jamie well.”
Opportunities for traineeships at Somer Valley FM are available. To find out more about Bath College’s pre-apprenticeship programme click here.
Students celebrate at Bath College’s higher education graduation ceremony
Hard-working students from all walks of life gathered to celebrate their achievements at Bath College’s higher education graduation ceremony.
There were plenty of smiles and proud faces as students gathered at the college to collect their caps and gowns before heading to Bath Abbey for the ceremony.
More than 70 students won the right to graduate after completing courses at Level 4 or higher in subjects such as construction, computing, music, fashion and sport.
They graduated from a range of college higher education programmes, including programmes validated by the University of Bath and Bath Spa University.
Charlotte Wise, 20, from Radstock, has spent two years studying at Bath College and graduated with an HND in sport and exercise science.
In September, she will start a year-long course at Gloucestershire University to convert her qualifications into an honours degree.
Miss Wise said: “I did my A-levels and then came straight to college, it was the best decision for me. I couldn’t imagine sitting in a lecture hall with hundreds of people.
“Being at college we got a lot more support from staff. I have put in a lot of hard work so it’s nice to be rewarded at the end.”
Graduate Sarah-Jane Doman attended the ceremony as a newly qualified teacher and a new member of staff at Bath College.
Sarah-Jane, from Frome, has just completed a Level 5 diploma in education and training, and has been offered a job teaching hairdressing.
The 35-year-old, who begins at the college in August, decided on a new career after developing RSI.
She said: “This is the first time I have graduated and I am really excited. I want to make my parents proud and throw my hat in the air!
“I was cutting down my work load in the salon due to RSI. Becoming a teacher in the industry seemed like the next best step for my career.
“Completing a Level 5 course is quite an accomplishment for me. My tutor Clive has been nothing but an inspiration and extremely supportive through the entire course.
“I have met some fantastic characters in the group, most of which work in the college, so I look forward to our paths crossing in the future.”
Bath College Principal Matt Atkinson said: “At Bath College we are the place where people come to enter the world of work,
“We are the place where people come to improve their place in the world of work and we are the place where communities come together to keep learning.
“Our graduates today have made the decision to undertake a higher education programme at their local college, knowing that the learning and skills they develop will prepare them well for their futures.
“Many of them will have had to overcome challenges – we should not underestimate how difficult it is to complete a higher education programme while holding down a job and managing home and family commitments.
“We have the utmost respect for our higher education students – they certainly add to the richness and diversity of our college.”
Interested in a higher education course at Bath College? Click here to find out more.
June: Student Takeover – A day in the life of a Principal
So this month was our student takeover, where a number of students were able to apply to takeover a role in college. I’m going to hand the reigns over to Oliver Watkins for this months blog post who was Principal for the day, but I will let him tell you all about it…
Student Takeover Blog: Becoming College Principal for the day – Oliver Watkins
On Monday 13th June 2016, I had the privilege of acting as Co-Principal of Bath College for the day, witnessing and becoming involved in critical decision-making areas for the entire college, which for me was very exciting, interesting and fascinating.
At the start of the day, my activities included an introductory meeting with Matt Atkinson; the College Principal and his PA, who would be monitoring and guiding me throughout the day. Meeting Matt and introducing myself to him was an exciting experience. He introduced me to his role and the daily activities of his job as the Principal. An example of this was reviewing and assessing inquiries made by different college departments and requesting suitable employment of new people for the departments’ needs.
Having the chance to sit in Matt’s office I witnessed Matt assessing with one management colleague discussing the most appropriate course of action to take in relation to their HR inquiries. It was fascinating to see how the College’s strategic management team deliberated and took consideration into staff recruitment and human resource processes.
After this, Matt informed me about the planned day ahead for me, which included sitting in a weekly strategic meeting with College executives. The primary task of the day was for me to be given the responsibility to investigate and decide whether ‘Bath College should become smoke-free?’
Weekly Strategic Meeting
After the initial brief with the Principal, I was invited to sit in the weekly senior team meeting, which lasted 2 hours. Discussion included present issues impacting staffing, performance and administration at Bath College. I found it very cool and exciting to be present in the situation where major management discussions were being made, as this can lead to decisions that can have a major impact on the working lives of 1000s of employees and students at this college.
For many people of my age, sitting in a meeting for over 2 hours may seem a long and daunting experience to endure; at first, I even thought the information being discussed would be far beyond my comprehension. However, happily, I proved myself wrong. Everything being discussed was fully engaging and thought-provoking but at the same time very clear to understand. Witnessing these exciting discussions even at one point encouraged me to speak out and give my independent opinion on a topic of concern. So all in all, this was a very fascinating and surprisingly enjoyable experience for me to be part of. Perhaps one day, with much hard work I could see myself in more of these types of settings.
After the meeting, I was invited to lunch with the Principal at the Shrubbery restaurant, where I was able to take the opportunity to talk on a more relaxed and informal basis, asking questions more to do with his day to day role and his plans and aspirations for the future once he has left the college.
After lunch, I met up again with Matt’s PA, who had created a timetable for me of all the people I had arranged to meet for my upcoming task of deciding whether Bath College should become smoke-free.
The Task
Finally, it was time to start my main task of investigating and concluding with recommendations for whether the College should become smoke-free. I needed to be finished by 4 pm to be ready to present my recommendations to Matt and the College’s Chair of Governors. Personally speaking, this was the most exciting and enjoyable part of the day. It involved me taking up the challenge of hearing others’ opinions from the different areas of the college such as the Estates department and Student Participation, which empowered me to make actual strategic recommendations that could impact the whole college. Moreover, by being given the chance to hear each argument as part of the interviewing process, I had the opportunity to decide and weigh out the positives and negatives for each argument. This, in turn, would influence the actions of Matt, the Principal himself and others from the board of governors. This made for a very fine sense of achievement; that will never be forgotten. Just knowing I had played a factor in the organisation’s policy felt surreal.
Once my task had been completed, I presented my findings and recommendations to Matt and the Chair of Governors, where I decided to recommend that the ‘college should become smoke-free by 2020’ and that ‘there should be provision to cover and protect the area allocated for bikes from potential damage’.
After my meeting with Matt and the Chair of Governors, my role as acting Co-Principal for Bath College had finished in what had been a thoroughly enjoyable, and empowering day. I could easily say yes to doing this again if the opportunity ever arises.
Since that day, I was honoured with a sense of achievement to hear that shortly after my investigation a strategic meeting was held that considered my recommendations and put forward plans to make the city campus smoke free by September later this year.
To summarise, I am very glad and proud of myself for taking on this wonderful opportunity and would strongly encourage any student to apply for this role. As well as this, I would like to thank the college personally and thank the people involved in setting up this day, and huge thanks for giving me the chance to come here to experience a very different day that was both challenging and fantastic.
Thank you so much Bath College!
Fashion student creates shoes to challenge stereotypes
Not many students studying fashion would describe themselves as a tomboy, but Chippenham teenager Jasmin Barber is keen to challenge stereotypes.
Jasmin, 19, has just finished studying fashion at Bath College and chose to create a series of shoes examining gender perceptions for her final major project.
As a female football player, who came as a bisexual this year, the project was a deeply personal one for Jasmin.
Her shoes, which went on display at the college’s end of year show, were modelled on shoes worn by both men and women – brogues, football boots, Doc Martins and Converse.
The laces, made with the help of an electronic embroidery machine, featured words from songs referencing sexuality, sexism and homophobia.
Jasmin, who plays for FC Chippenham Ladies, said: “I’ve been playing football ever since I was small in a boys’ team, but when I couldn’t play with the boys I joined the ladies.
“I met some football friends last year who helped me discover who I am and now I feel so content in myself. This year I went to Bristol Pride for the first time.
“The project is about identity. You look at peoples’ shoes and you make an assessment about them.
“I made the shoes using masking tape – which is a neutral colour. There’s still that stereotype that pink is for girls and blue is for boys, but I was very much a tomboy growing up.
“When I was younger I wanted to play professionally, but it’s hard work (physically and financially). It’s sad that top quality female footballers have to have more than one job to survive financially.
“What they earn in comparison to men is insignificant. In that respect we still have a way to go to make progress.”
In September, Jasmin starts at Brighton University studying for a degree in fashion and communication.
Her project was filmed for Bath College’s annual fashion show, giving her the chance to explain her thoughts to people in the audience.
She said: “My friend was in audience when the film was playing. I didn’t know what the reaction would be, but she looked round and saw people nodding their heads, so they understood it.
“I want to learn about the business side of fashion. I’m interested in communicating ideas and concepts, which I think I explored in this project.
“I’ve found what I want to do, going from school to college and onto further education. I really like all my tutors. They helped encourage my work and my ideas.”
Project SEARCH students share their stories at graduation ceremony
Five students who have been on a life-changing journey preparing them for the world of work shared their stories at this year’s Project SEARCH graduation ceremony.
Project SEARCH, run in partnership with Bath College, Bath and North East Somerset Council and Sirona Care & Health, is a year-long employability programme for young people with learning difficulties and disabilities.
Ashley Westcott, from Bath, was the first student to receive a full-time permanent position as a result of the project and is now working with the housekeeping team at the Assembly Rooms.
The 22-year-old was cheered by family and friends as he collected his certificate at the graduation ceremony and spoke about his work placements.
Young people aged 18 to 24-years-old are placed on three 10-week work placements as part of the Project SEARCH programme.
Mr Westcott said: “It feels good to be working. The people at the Assembly Rooms are friendly, I got to know them when I was at my work placement and it progressed from there.
“They saw what I could do and they put in a good word for me. At times I thought I wasn’t going to get a job. I think I’ve grown in confidence, my work placement at the recycling centre helped me with this.
“When you’re on your lunch break everyone talks to each other and brings you into the conversation. If someone wants to get a job they should come to Project SEARCH.
“If I hadn’t signed up to this course I would be sitting at home and I didn’t want that, I wanted to be working.”
Students Kyle Longstaff, Gabriella Falcone, Katie McDonald and Chelsea Lovell also graduated at the ceremony, held at the Guildhall.
Throughout the year, the group have learnt about health and safety, equality and diversity, customer service and finance. They took part in mock interviews with the Bath Building Society and helped to host the Project Search European conference.
Principal Matt Atkinson said: “For the young people we work with, we’re doing everything we can to prepare them for the world of work.
“We have 9,000 students that come to the college to study with us. Of all the programmes we run, Project SEARCH probably has the most impact on peoples’ lives.
“The problem with the education system is it assumes that everyone will go one way. What Project SEARCH does is recognise that we can develop very personal individual programmes.
“Working and earning money gives people a sense of purpose, a sense of participation in society, and Project SEARCH allows young people to do just that.”
Alan Hale, Chairman of Bath and North East Somerset Council, said: “It was so nice to be able to attend the Project SEARCH conference and share time with the people who make a difference to students’ lives.
“I’m very proud to stand here representing this council and know we’re playing a big part in doing that. We must all talk to people about Project SEARCH and let them know what’s happening.”
For more information about Project SEARCH click here.
IT Students design new website for Yeovil Youth Theatre
Students at Bath College are planning, designing and hosting websites for customers to improve their employability skills and build up a portfolio of their work.
Level 3 IT students Alex Ball and Matthew Barnett have just finished work on a new website for aspiring performers at Yeovil Youth Theatre.
The website, built from scratch, will help recruit new creative talent and pull in customers for Yeovil Youth Theatre’s popular shows.
The pair, who are both due to start at Plymouth University in September, worked on the project with Yeovil Youth Theatre director and committee member Alan Forster.
They were part of a team of students working to build websites for local organisations and businesses over the course of a year.
Matthew, 18, from Radstock, said: “I’m glad that we had this opportunity. It was good to follow the whole process from start to finish.
“We had built practice websites, but this time we were building a website for a client. It’s taught us how to communicate. We’ll definitely be using these skills when we go to university.”
Yeovil Youth Theatre caters for young people aged 13 to 18 with an interest in performing, as well as sound, lighting, costume design and set design.
Mr Forster said: “We’re an inclusive company. We’re trying to give as many people the opportunity to get involved.
“We were running without a website for 18 months and it was critical to everything we did. It was the one place you could go to get any information you needed, whether you were a prospective member or a current member.
“This opportunity came along which seemed too good to miss. The students should be proud of what they have come up with. “
Alex, 18, from Corsham, said: “Developing the website has been very interesting, I’m glad to see it has come together.
“It’s given us some challenges. If we did this again we would do it even better and build the website faster.”
Bath College lecturer Steve Harries said: “This gives our students a chance to build a portfolio, develop a reputation as website developers and to challenge themselves.
“The students have had the opportunity to work for an external customer on a project, receive and respond to constructive feedback of their work and then make improvements.
“For some of the students, it has opened up opportunities to work in industry and some are now considering full-time employment in website design.”
Next year’s students will start their website projects in October.
Websites are free to design and build and cost £20 per year to host. Customers need to invest their time and meet with students throughout the project.
If you’d like a website designed by students at Bath College please e-mail Steve.Harries@bathcollege.ac.uk
To visit the website when it goes live go to www.yeovilyouththeatre.org.uk
4th 07 2016 0 comments
Fashion students step onto the catwalk for end of year show
Fashion students at Bath College had their moment in the spotlight when they walked down the catwalk for their end of year show.
The hour-long show featured a stunning selection of designs created by students studying Level 3 fashion and textiles.
Students worked as a team to organise the show, becoming models and stylists, and organising refreshments, music and lighting.
Catwalk models showcased a wide variety of creations, including bomber jackets, print dresses, denim tops and satin kimonos.
Mia Raghunath, 19, from Shepton Mallet, won the DIA (Design and Industries Association) Gane Trust award.
The Gane Trust, managed by a team of eight trustees, was set up in 1954 by Crofton Gane, a pioneering furniture designer.
Trustees award an annual prize of £500 to a fashion student at Bath College, choosing the student with the best clothing collection.
Mia, who will study costume design and making at Nottingham Trent University, collected her prize from trustee Peter Metcalfe.
She said: “I couldn’t believe it. I’m just shocked and really grateful. I have absolutely loved being here at college, it’s a lovely atmosphere and I have really been able to expand my skills.
“I want to go into the film and TV industry, so I’m looking forward to progressing at university and being a bit more crazy with my designs.”
Fashion and textiles lecturer Fiona Coombs said: “It’s massive doing the fashion show. It’s hard work, in the last few days there’s been a lot of pressure, but when you see the show it’s so exciting you forget all that.
“All the students are either going on to employment or university. They’re all going onto diverse courses: fashion and design, textile design, fashion buying, and fashion promotion.
“They have worked really hard and you feel so proud of them. Tonight, they have their parents and friends here and it’s their moment. It’s great to see everyone clapping and enjoying the show.”
1st 07 2016 0 comments
Apprentice of the Month: Liz Doughty from the Bath Vet Group
Bath College works with over 260 businesses, who employ over 450 apprentices, making it the largest provider of apprenticeships in the Bath and North East Somerset area.
Liz Doughty is studying at the college and working for the Bath Vet Group. In this interview, she shares her thoughts on her time as an apprentice.
To find out about apprenticeships at Bath College click here.
How did you secure an apprenticeship?
I got a job as a kennel assistant at the Bath Vet Group. They were advertising for a trainee to study veterinary nursing and because of my age (and the way the funding worked) they put me onto an apprenticeship.
What do you enjoy about your apprenticeship?
Doing an apprenticeship is fun way to study. There’s a lot of pressure, but you’re not sat in a classroom all the time. I like working at the same time as studying, it helps you apply what you’ve learnt. You can relate what you’ve learnt to the animals you’re working with.
What have you learnt during your apprenticeship?
It’s a very intense course (the amount they pack into the two years) but our tutor at Bath College has been amazing. I have had a lot of support and I get on with the rest of the group.
We have just finished studying anatomy and physiology. I like doing the operations at work. I like preparing the animal for the operation, doing the anaesthetic and watching the vet complete the operation. I find that really interesting now I know how things work and what I’m looking at.
How has your apprenticeship helped you?
It’s given me a route into the career I wanted. I didn’t think it was possible before, but now I can see what I want to do for the rest of my working life.
What’s the best bit about your chosen career?
I worked in rescue care before and found it really rewarding. It’s the care and the healthcare that you’re able to give to the animals. You get really nice people and owners. Some can be difficult, but that just comes with the job. They care so much about their animals they can get emotional. Communication with owners is a big thing and very important.
Do you have any tips for someone looking for an apprenticeship?
I had an interview for my apprenticeship and I got a phone call the next day. I think some people find it more difficult to get an apprenticeship, but I found it quite easy. It helps to do a job in a veterinary practice beforehand and it helps to do a veterinary assistant course at college. I’d recommend getting a job in a practice (even if it’s just work experience) so they can see how hard-working you are.
Interested in an apprenticeship? Let us know!
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Somerset selected
Powerchair football teenager wants to be star of sport
A 13-year-old Somerset teenager, who has cerebral palsy, has been told he has "great potential" as a powerchair footballer.
Josh Lancaster has been playing for the Frome Falcons for just over a year and says he "loves the sport".
"It can be tough seeing my brother playing with a rugby ball outside, but this sport gives me a chance to play sport and just have fun," he said.
The club, which was set up last year, currently has 17 members.
Headcoach Jenny Rutter said the teenager was a "very natural player".
"We knew from day one that he had great potential," she said.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-somerset-48643148/powerchair-football-teenager-wants-to-be-star-of-sport
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Business selected
UK economy returns to growth but slowdown fears persist
The UK economy returned to growth in May after shrinking in April, but the news failed to allay fears of a future slowdown.
The economy grew 0.3% from the month before, after declining 0.4% in April, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Growth for the three months to May was 0.3%, with all sectors showing growth.
But economists say that June's growth figures will have to be strong to avoid contraction in the second quarter.
A partial recovery in car production, which had fallen sharply in April, was the main reason for the economy's upturn in May, said Rob Kent-Smith, head of GDP at the ONS.
Factory shutdowns designed to cope with disruption from a March Brexit had slashed UK car production in April by nearly half.
However, despite this rebound, the levels of output in the car industry are below those seen in the months leading up to April 2019, the ONS said.
"GDP grew moderately in the latest three months, with IT, communications and retail showing strength. Despite this, there has been a longer-term slowdown in the often-dominant services sector since summer 2018," Mr Kent-Smith added.
In May, growth in services was flat, following growth of 0.1% in April.
Faisal Islam, economics editor
A return to work in car factories that shut down in preparation for a no-deal Brexit drove a return to growth in the economy in May of 0.3%. But that rise did not make up for all the fall in the previous month.
Monthly figures are volatile and should be taken with a pinch of salt. However, against a backdrop of a marked softening in a slew of surveys of manufacturing, services and retail, there is an indication of an economy stalling and possibly contracting in the second quarter that has just ended, between April and June.
In the three months till May, however, growth was higher than expected because of a better March than had been previously calculated.
The impact of stockpiling, though, can clearly be seen in the big economic figures. Sterling has fallen more than 5% in recent weeks against the world's three major currencies, on expectation of lower interest rates for longer, political uncertainty and rising expectations of a no-deal Brexit.
Ben Brettell, senior economist at Hargreaves Lansdown, said the latest figures suggested the economy grew overall in the second quarter, although probably at a much slower rate than the 0.5% recorded in the January-to-March period.
Those second-quarter figures, covering April to June, are due to be released on 9 August.
"Storm clouds look to be gathering over the UK economy, as consumers and business remain hamstrung by Brexit uncertainty," he added.
Last month, the Bank of England said it expected economic growth to be flat in the second quarter of the year.
Does GDP tell the whole economic story?
Bank warns of 'more frequent' rate increases than expected
Factories rush to stockpile for Brexit
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Politics selected
Brexit: Bid to make no deal more difficult scrapes through Commons
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-48930417
Image copyright PA Media
MPs have voted by the thinnest of margins for a process that would make it more difficult for a future prime minister to prorogue Parliament.
Tory MP Dominic Grieve wanted to amend the Northern Ireland Bill to stop a future PM forcing through a no-deal Brexit by suspending Parliament.
His amendment - to require ministers to regularly report on the situation in Northern Ireland - passed by one vote.
It could provide a tool for MPs to block a no-deal Brexit in October.
Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer said the approval of Mr Grieve's proposal was a "tight but important victory".
He tweeted that it "makes it much harder for incoming prime minister to suspend Parliament".
The UK had been due to leave the EU on 29 March, but this date was delayed after MPs repeatedly rejected Theresa May's deal. Currently, the date for exit is 31 October.
If that date is reached without a deal being agreed on the separation process, then the UK will leave without one.
MPs have consistently voted against this option, but the prime minister could try to get around that by closing Parliament - proroguing - in the run-up to Brexit day, denying them an opportunity to block it.
Why there's more to the Northern Ireland bill
Can the new prime minister force a no-deal Brexit?
Mr Grieve had sought to get MPs' backing for a package of measures he hoped would require Parliament to sit through October in the run up to the UK's departure.
One amendment, stating that MPs should be recalled to debate reports on Northern Ireland if Parliament is closed, wasn't selected for debate by Speaker John Bercow - although it could be introduced in the Lords later.
That took some of the force out of Mr Grieve's efforts.
However, two other amendments designed to make prorogation harder were put to a vote.
The first - approved by 294 votes to 293 - requires the government to produce fortnightly reports from October until December on the progress towards restoring the power sharing arrangements in Northern Ireland.
The second - which would have required the government to schedule debates on those progress reports - was defeated by 293 votes to 289.
'Catastrophic'
While the success of that one amendment probably won't block prorogation, it could make it more difficult - especially if the House of Lords subsequently revives Mr Grieve's more forceful attempt to stop Parliament being temporarily suspended.
During the debate on Tuesday, Mr Grieve said: "If the other place (House of Lords) in its wisdom decides to look at the totality of our amendments and decides that the amendment new clause 14 (on preventing prorogation) would add value and places it in, this House will have an opportunity before this Bill goes through in order to consider that and either reject it or accept it."
Mr Grieve said he did not think democracy would survive Parliament being prorogued to allow for a no-deal Brexit.
He added: "Heaven knows, if I've tried to do anything during this Brexit process it's to try to encourage a sound process and to prevent catastrophic cliff edge moments and to enable this House to make reasoned decisions."
During the debate, Northern Ireland minister John Penrose said the government disagreed with Mr Grieve's suggestion for regular fortnightly reporting, with a vote on each occasion, calling it "an excessive and unnecessary level of procedure".
Why there's more to the Northern Ireland bill than meets the eye
Politics Sections
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Opinion: Women's rights offer best solution to world's woes
Credit: World Bank Photo Collection
Students in an English language class at Zanaki Primary School in Tanzania
How educating girls affects the climate crisis
What’s the top solution for resolving the human-caused climate crisis? According to Paul Hawken, it’s educating girls and improving family planning.
Hawken is the author of Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming. “Drawdown” is “the point at which levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere stop climbing and then steadily decline, ultimately reversing global warming.”
For the book, now grown into a project and website, Hawken and a team of researchers used peer-reviewed evidence to find the top 100 solutions to climate disruption under seven categories: energy, food, women and girls, buildings and cities, land use, transport and materials. Solutions range from solar and wind power to farmland restoration and marine permaculture.
The study looked at three scenarios. “Plausible” solutions “are adopted at a realistically vigorous rate over the time period under investigation, adjusting for estimated economic and population growth.” “Drawdown” considers adoption of solutions optimized to achieve drawdown by 2050. “Optimum” is when “solutions achieve their maximum potential, fully replacing conventional technologies and practices within a limited, competitive market.”
Although the top single solution is, surprisingly, refrigerant management, the best result comes from combining two related solutions, educating girls and family planning, which fall at 6 and 7, respectively, on the list. Drawdown finds these measures could reduce atmospheric greenhouse gases by 120 gigatonnes and human population by one billion by 2050.
According to Project Drawdown, “Access to education and voluntary family planning are basic human rights and should be secured simply because they are, yet significant gaps remain around the world today.” Advancing these rights affects fertility rates and population growth, which drive “demand for food, transportation, electricity, buildings, goods, etc., all with attendant emissions.” In addition to education and family planning, Project Drawdown includes addressing inequity in agriculture, mainly through equal access for women smallholders to “a range of resources, from land rights and credit to education and technology.”
Educating girls would result in “improved livelihoods, delayed onset of marriage, delayed childbearing, and fewer children than peers with less education.” Family planning, “including access to contraception and reproductive health resources,” would reduce fertility rates and slow population growth. Providing “resources, financing, and training to women smallholder farmers around the world” would improve agricultural yields and reduce deforestation.
Drawdown team member Katharine Wilkinson notes that climate change disproportionately affects vulnerable people, including women. “There's greater risk of displacement, higher odds of being injured or killed during a natural disaster,” she said at a TEDWomen talk in California last year. “Prolonged drought can precipitate early marriage, as families contend with scarcity. Floods can force last-resort prostitution as women struggle to make ends meet. These dynamics are most acute under conditions of poverty.”
Education, family planning and women’s rights are extremely important for many reasons—avoiding climate catastrophe is just one—but many forces worldwide, especially religious, have prevented women from being treated equally and with respect. In many parts of the U.S., a growing backlash against all forms of birth control, including abortion, is threatening hard-fought rights women have gained over many years.
Over the past 50 years, as exponential population growth has increasingly strained Earth’s resources, the globally influential Catholic Church has remained steadfast in its opposition to all but “natural” birth control. That’s despite Pope Francis’s powerful 2015 encyclical regarding the need for change in the face of ecological crises such as human-caused global heating.
We’ve seen progress, but some is more in word than deed. The UN notes 143 countries had recognized constitutional equality between women and men by 2014, but 52 countries had not, and “Stark gender disparities remain in economic and political realms.”
The UN also says many of its recent 17 sustainable development goals recognize “women’s equality and empowerment as both the objective, and as part of the solution.”
There’s no single solution to climate disruption and other environmental crises we’ve created. Our refusal to take necessary action for so long, even though we knew about the problems, means we have to urgently employ every means possible.
Women’s rights—including education, family planning and equal opportunity in all aspects of society—are necessary for stabilizing population growth, creating a better world and ensuring the well-being and survival of our species.
David Suzuki is a scientist, broadcaster, author and co-founder of the David Suzuki Foundation. Written with contributions from David Suzuki Foundation senior editor and writer Ian Hanington
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On the Ledge: Jessica McDonald
Paul Willcocks
Jessica-McDonald-5.jpg
What can be said about Jessica McDonald? Her rapid ascent, according to a consultant who has done time in government, was “like taking someone seen as a good but not spectacular player from the junior league and putting them on the all-star team… People were taken aback – really shocked.”
The job of deputy minister to the premier has only ever been occupied by the big guys, in every sense of the word. McDonald replaces Ken Dobell, who is sticking around as an advisor, and follows heavyweights like Norman Spector, David Emerson, David Poole and Bob Plecas. She’s not from the same mould. She’s slender, soft-spoken – and, of course, a woman in what is often seen as a big boy’s club. But don’t underestimate her grit. McDonald was diagnosed with cancer in her early 20s, and a friend planned to meet her at a Vancouver hospital for her first chemo treatment. When the friend arrived, McDonald was sitting on the curb outside. She’d gone into the clinic, and had seen that all the pictures on the wall were in memory of people who had died. That’s not what patients need to see, she said. Take them down or I don’t come back in. And they did. “To me, that is Jessica,” says the friend, who still works in the public sector and, like most people interviewed for this article, asked not to be identified. Maybe that’s because McDonald still seems very much a work in progress. Ken Dobell’s place in the pantheon was never in question. The same cannot be said of his successor. Eight months into the job, she’s still being watched warily by people inside and outside government. So far she’s earned as much praise as criticism from a tough audience. But one question she hasn’t been able to shake is: Just who is she? Finding the answer can be a little like chasing Howard Hughes. McDonald has refused to talk to reporters through her first two years in the premier’s office, insisting politicians should be the ones in the public eye. This interview with BCBusiness was initially out of the question; then it was on, then off again, as various intermediaries pleaded the magazine’s case. Finally, McDonald said she would sit down to talk, but wanted to limit her comments to the public service. McDonald’s office is above Campbell’s in the West Annex of the legislature, a two-storey sanctuary connected to the main building by a dramatic stone bridge. Just outside her door, a circular staircase lets people dash between floors without having to go through the small lobby with its ever-present security person. The tape recorder had barely started rolling when McDonald made it clear that she wasn’t going to talk about herself. “I understand there’s a readership out there that has interest, but I’m not crazy about the idea of doing sort of a ‘look at me’ article,” she says. “I’m not inclined to answer questions about my personal life.” She was not, she added, willing to talk about policy, that being the preserve of the politicians. But McDonald’s job puts her at the point where politics and policy come together. She’s the head of the bureaucracy, but she’s also Campbell’s deputy minister, advising him on options and all the ramifications of decisions. “There is another discrete side of this office which is the political side of the administration, and certainly I guess I’m as close as you can get to working there,” she says. McDonald’s rise began 15 years ago when she was fresh out of UBC with an arts degree and some pretend political experience as the student ombudsman, leading a campus campaign against racist and homophobic graffiti. The office was revitalized under McDonald, successor Carole Forsythe noted, adding that to put in that kind of effort “you have to be nuts.” McDonald headed straight into a legislative internship after graduation, a move that took her back home to Victoria, where she went to high school, and plunged her into the heart of one of B.C.’s wildest political rides. One of four interns assigned to the Socred caucus in 1990, McDonald slogged away on research assignments while the Vander Zalm government self-destructed. She had a bleacher seat for the infighting, chaos and collapse. It was good training – one of those regular B.C. public spectacles on how not to run a government. And the stint produced some good connections. Martyn Brown, now Campbell’s chief of staff and top political advisor, was only three years out of the same internship program and already the Socred’s research chief, doling out assignments to McDonald. Now the two – along with deputy chief of staff Lara Dauphinee – are the people Campbell relies on most. Connections matter. McDonald isn’t just a bright person who happened to catch the eye of a premier looking for someone to take on a huge job, one of those Horatio Alger success stories. Back when McDonald was moving through the internship and into the public service, she was Jessica Mathers. The McDonald name comes from husband Mike, one of Campbell’s key supporters since his days as Vancouver’s mayor. McDonald did his stint as a legislative intern two years after Jessica – notice a pattern here? He went from there to a job as a political aide to then-mayor Campbell, and has been part of the inner circle since. McDonald directed Campbell’s campaign for the Liberal leadership and worked for the Liberals in different roles. He resigned as director of caucus communications when Jessica was hired in the premier’s office, talking about being a stay-at-home dad to daughter Charlotte. But that’s left him time to manage Liberal election campaigns and run his own consulting company, Rosedeer Strategies, from their home in the country south of Nanaimo. The company, to no surprise, is known for having a uniquely superb understanding of how things work in the B.C. government. Of course, it’s never been suggested that Jessica McDonald got her top job because her husband has been a full-time Campbell supporter since university. But for the 35,000 government workers who didn’t know either of the McDonalds, her sudden ascent has raised a lot of questions that aren’t answered by the sketchy six-sentence bio released by the premier’s office. Untangling her story begins with understanding why McDonald headed straight into a government job after her internship – and the Socred years – ended in 1991. She signed a BCGEU membership card and starting work as a researcher. Politics wasn’t the lure. “I wanted a career in the public service because of my curiosity about public policy issues,” McDonald says. In government she got the chance to work on a wide range of issues quickly, she says, from international business and immigration to family justice review to Crown land management and pricing. McDonald made steady upward progress over seven years working in government, but nothing suggested she was on track to become the big boss. [pagebreak] By 1996, she was one of 10 senior policy advisors in the land-use branch, and in 1998 she was promoted to a mid-level management job in the Crown lands branch. But that same year, McDonald saw opportunity in the mounting battles over land-use issues in B.C. The old days, when Crown land was just handed over for industrial use, had ended. Everyone was struggling to figure out how things were going to work now that environmentalists, First Nations, corporations and communities were all demanding a say. So McDonald quit and launched Tupelo Consulting, a one-woman shop. (True to form, she won’t disclose why she left, though Gordon Campbell hints at her dissatisfaction with the NDP government of the day.) Clients included First Nations, companies and other governments, but McDonald’s stint in government provided valuable contacts. Tupelo was paid $25,000 by the province for contracts in its first year. By 2000, government billings were up to $67,000. In the first full year of the Liberal government, Tupelo received $215,000 worth of government contracts.
It’s never been suggested that Jessica McDonald got her top job because her husband has been a full-time Campbell supporter since university. But her sudden ascent has raised a lot of unanswered questions
In the fall of 2003, a call came from the premier’s office, and McDonald jumped onto the fast track. She was hired as deputy minister for special projects, with her first assignment to sort out the same kind of land use and environmental issues she’d been dealing with as a consultant. The Liberals were frustrated that they were having the same problems the NDP did in resolving land-use issues and creating some certainty – in part because even within government, ministries couldn’t agree on a common approach. McDonald got the mandate to cut across government and figure out how to get the decisions made. She did so well that in the fall of 2004, McDonald got a new assignment that hinted at bigger things ahead. She would now report directly to Campbell, and would prepare the plans for the Liberals’ second term in government. McDonald would lead a thorough examination and evaluation of government operations. She’d look at the structure of ministries, the planning processes, organization and how services were delivered. Everything was on the table, and her reach extended to Crown corporations such as ICBC and BC Hydro. It was a huge job – one that signaled big things ahead and gave McDonald a chance to prepare for them. Campbell says he was thinking about succession planning. Ken Dobell was getting ready to retire, and it was time to think of a replacement. McDonald made the most of her assignments, he says: “What I saw in her was the ability to set goals, to bring people together.” McDonald can see long-term strategic issues and come up with the plans to get ahead of them, he says. She can execute, the premier says, and manage people, pushing and persuading and demanding as necessary. Campbell points to her work on land-use issues and economic planning as the kind of effort that persuaded him she was right for the top job. McDonald was able to get ministries and stakeholders working together and win agreement on stalled land-use plans for the Central and North Coast, he says. “She clearly shone.” The Central Coast plan got especially good reviews from First Nations and environmental groups, while business was just glad to get some certainty. But McDonald cemented her place with the bigger assignment of creating a ‘New Relationship’ with First Nations. The deal, reached last November after six months of hush-hush negotiations, marks a radical swing in Liberal policy. It commits the province to shared decision-making on land and resource management in areas claimed as traditional territories, and promises First Nations a share of the revenue and economic benefits. The deal was negotiated entirely by the premier’s office, without any significant role for ministries. And McDonald – along with the premier – made it happen. That’s exactly what’s making some people nervous, inside and outside government. B.C.’s business community, like everyone else, found out about the New Relationship agreement after the election, when the deal was already done. It made them edgy. Just what First Nations laws are going to govern forestry, wondered Rick Jeffery of the Coast Forest Products Association. Where are they written down, and how is this going to work? And they were more nervous because McDonald is an unknown – at least to them – with limited experience and no clear track record. Add to that the lack of consultation, and worries mount, even among people rooting for success. “She’s the great hope for making the New Relationship work,” says one business leader. “We don’t know whether she is going to pull it off or not. We have to hope that she understood the implications.” But Dan Doyle, a recently retired veteran deputy minister, says the New Relationship demonstrated McDonald’s leadership skills, inside and outside government. “She was alone except for a few people supporting her,” Doyle notes. But she made the arguments and won support, breaking the destructive government-First Nations deadlock. Doyle has seen deputy premiers come and go, and he’s been a fan of McDonald’s since watching her stint overhauling resource management. “It wasn’t going very far or very fast until she showed up,” he says. “What she brought to it was the ability to get the job done.” McDonald is bright and works incredibly hard, he says. “I had midnight calls from Ken [Dobell], and from Jessica, on things they were working on,” he says. The job takes toughness, he says. The deputy premier is often the one who delivers the bad news to cabinet ministers when their pet projects are being shelved. McDonald has already shown she deals with tough issues head-on. “She knows how to stick to her point and hold her ground,” he says.
Stumbles bring useful scar tissue. But they can also make managers wary of future wounds and overly cautious about decisions, and some senior government officials fear that’s happening with McDonald
McDonald is also scoring high marks from surprising sources outside government. Doug Kelly, an elected Soowahlie chief and co-chair of the First Nations’ Summit, says McDonald’s leadership on the New Relationship was impressive. “She certainly earned the respect and admiration of the First Nations leadership,” he says. McDonald listened well, and was quick to cut to the essential issues, he says. She was clear about what she could do, and what wasn’t going to happen. “There were times when we had some harsh exchanges,” he recalls. But McDonald kept at it. “She’s slowly winning our confidence,” he says. People can still underestimate an attractive younger woman, Kelly says. “That’s a mistake with Jessica.” [pagebreak] There’s every evidence that the government is also looking for a new relationship with public sector unions after four years of head-banging. It’s certainly on Finance Minister Carole Taylor’s agenda, and on McDonald’s. She’s off to a good start, says David Vipond, the negotiations director for the BCGEU. George Heyman and others from the union sat down with McDonald shortly after she got the job. “She has a genuine interest in improving the public service,” Vipond says. The union had its own concerns about the post-election government re-org, he says, and they were addressed within weeks. McDonald has fixed other problems within a day of getting a call. But she’s no pushover. “She gives as good as she gets – she’s pretty straightforward,” he says. “I wouldn’t underestimate her.” But other observers – inside government and out – have their worries. Mostly it comes back to inexperience. Aside from her brief stint as a relatively junior manager, McDonald had spent barely 18 months in the premier’s office before she got the top job. Managers learn by making mistakes on the way up, where they matter less, says one public service veteran. “You make a mistake at this level and you’re wearing it,” he notes. There have been stumbles. A couple of the elements of the post-election re-org had to be reversed, most notably the shuffling of responsibility for child mental health out of the children and families ministry – a move that left others in the public service grumbling about the lack of consultation in the top-down effort. And the government’s embarrassing last-minute rejection in December of BC Hydro’s long-term energy plan sparked suggestions the premier’s office had fumbled. Hydro executives trusted that the rest of the government was being canvassed. It wasn’t, and when the caucus saw the plan – which includes the controversial multi-billion-dollar Site C dam on the Peace River – everything went off the rails. The dam worried some MLAs, and the way private power producers were shut out as electricity suppliers worried others. Hydro execs were ordered to cancel a press conference and major launch campaign with only 24 hours’ notice. Stumbles bring useful scar tissue. But they can also make managers wary of future wounds and overly cautious about decisions, and some senior government officials fear that’s happening with McDonald. Too many issues that should be dealt with quickly at the ministry level are getting bogged down in the premier’s office, say critics. The system is gridlocked with briefing materials, ministry staff complain. The one person who really matters isn’t worried about McDonald’s relative inexperience. Gordon Campbell even gets a bit prickly about the question. “I was mayor of Vancouver when I was 38,” he says. “It’s not unusual for young people to be leaders. This isn’t something that happens because you’ve been around the longest.” But McDonald’s job is more complex and demanding than being the mayor, especially because she’s supposed to deliver a big change in the way government works in B.C. Campbell doesn’t want ministry boundaries to get in the way of dealing with problems – many of the issues government faces can’t be dealt with by one ministry. It takes a cross-government approach. Dealing with a threatened wildlife species could involve forests, environment, mines and agriculture, says McDonald. Having each respond in isolation risks conflict and inefficiencies. “So we pulled someone out of a ministry to take a look across all of those ministries,” she says. “How are we managing species at risk? What are the pressures? Where are we really getting to in terms of outcomes? Are we managing the crisis of the day, or are we looking out beyond that?” The result was a plan to set up a species-at-risk co-ordination office. Deputy ministers backed the proposal once they saw the benefits, McDonald says. “Nobody’s mandate has been taken away or removed. Nobody’s processes and responsibilities have been removed from them. Instead, they’re part of a new team approach.” Breaking down silos is what Campbell calls the process, and it’s one of the abilities he saw and liked in McDonald. But the changes haven’t always been smooth. The day after he was named environment minister, Barry Penner was maintaining he was responsible for endangered species. In fact, the new co-ordination office is over in the agriculture and lands ministry. And not everyone is happy with the shake-up in roles and responsibilities. Ministries have traditionally operated independently. The minister, guided by cabinet, conveys policy – sort of a chairman of the board. The deputy minister, a senior civil servant, is the COO who makes it happen. There are always divided loyalties – deputy ministers’ careers depend much more on the premier’s office than on the minister of the day. The premier’s office decides if deputies’ next moves are up, down – or out; but deputies generally thought of themselves as accountable to the minister. That’s changing. Cross-ministry efforts have to be co-ordinated and directed from somewhere, and that’s generally the premier’s office. McDonald has two deputy ministers, one for social policy and the other for resources and economic development, and the premier’s office has grown its own staff of policy people. One veteran observer with years in government says ministers have lost some of their ability to get things done in what are supposed to be their areas of responsibility. “You’ve got a huge increase in central authority,” he says. “Deputies say ‘I can’t give you an answer until I talk to the premier’s office.’” The centralized management of even routine issues creates delays and leaves ministers frustrated. And that, he says, will quickly become a big problem. McDonald will find cabinet ministers can become formidable adversaries if they see their ability to do their jobs undermined. The bad news for McDonald is that those cabinet ministers may soon be the least of her problems. There are big challenges brewing in the bureaucracy. “There’s an incredible rate of turnover,” she says. “What we’re going to face in the next 10 years is the loss of about 40 per cent of our junior managers, 60 per cent of our middle-level managers and 70 per cent of our senior managers,” she says. “That’s an incredible rate of turnover.” The government has to position itself as a great place to work to compete for the best candidates, she says. People have to be sold on the career value of spending some time inside government learning how things work, even if they don’t stick around. “There’s no other work or workplace like the public sector in terms of the kind of experience and the kind of contribution you can make,” McDonald says. “The career paths that we offer are really incredible.” And none, so far, more incredible than her own.
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by: ROBERT BURNS and MATTHEW LEE, Associated Press
In this July 8, 2019, photo, acting Secretary of Defense Mark Esper waits for the arrival of Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to the Pentagon. The Pentagon says that Esper expects to be formally nominated for the top job very soon, setting off a complicated leadership replacement shuffle at top Army, Navy and senior Defense Department levels(AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. edged closer to crisis Friday with NATO ally Turkey, which began receiving components of a Russian-made air defense system in defiance of Trump administration warnings that the deal would mean economic sanctions and no access to America’s most advanced fighter jet.
The Turkish Ministry of Defense announced it received the first shipment of the S-400 system, although it is not yet fully in place or ready for use. For months, Washington urged Turkey to buy the American-made Patriot air defense system instead and has insisted that buying from Russia would result in economic and military penalties. Turkey has said it was not offered favorable terms on the Patriot.
Among the U.S. penalties would be cutting Turkey out of the multi-national F-35 production program, depriving the Turks of the sophisticated stealth aircraft and the economic benefit of helping to build them.
The U.S. concern is that the S-400 could be used to gather data on the capabilities of the F-35, and that the information could end up in Russian hands. But more than technology is at stake. Turkey has long been a key to the defense of NATO’s southeastern flank, and some believe its willingness to buy key weaponry from Russia — long identified as NATO’s main adversary — suggests the possibility that its alliance status is in jeopardy.
President Donald Trump recently expressed sympathy toward Turkey’s decision to complete the Russia deal, although President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government has been told that the S-400 is incompatible with NATO air defense systems and is seen by alliance officials as a threat to the F-35.
On Capitol Hill, Republicans and Democrats alike expressed dismay at the Turks’ move.
“By accepting delivery of the S-400 from Russia, President Erdogan has chosen a perilous partnership with Putin at the expense of Turkey’s security, economic prosperity and the integrity of the NATO alliance,” the top members of the Senate committees on Foreign Relations and Armed Services said in a joint statement.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has long complained that NATO is designed to target Russia. Some see the Russian sale as an attempt to drive a wedge between NATO allies.
In their joint statement, the Senate committee leaders also called the Turkish action “a troubling signal of strategic alignment with Putin’s Russia” and a threat to the F-35 program.
Derek Chollet, a senior defense official in the Obama administration, said Turkey’s decision to begin taking delivery of the S-400 was not a surprise.
“It is a major problem for NATO – at best it will limit Turkey’s role in the alliance, and at worst things could spin out of control,” Chollet said. “Because our shared interests are so compelling I believe Turkey’s place in the alliance will endure, but this will do lasting harm – starting with no F-35s, U.S. sanctions, and broader intelligence concerns.”
Acting Defense Secretary Mark Esper said after Turkey’s announcement that he was aware of the development and would discuss it later in the day with his counterpart, Hulusi Akar. The Pentagon and State Department did not immediately comment more directly on what actions the U.S. would take against Turkey.
U.S. officials have previously warned that sanctions would be imposed under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act if Turkey went ahead with the S-400 purchase. Sanctions would mark a new low in the already-tense relations between Turkey and the U.S. Last year the United States imposed sanctions on Turkey over its detention of an American pastor, triggering a Turkish currency crisis.
The prospect of a further rupture in Turkey’s relations with Washington also raises a delicate issue rarely mentioned in public: the status of American nuclear weapons stored at Turkey’s Incirlik air base. Turkey has had a nuclear role in NATO for decades, but this new split is likely to cause some in Washington to question the wisdom of keeping those nuclear bombs at Incirlik. Locations of U.S. nuclear weapons abroad are not publicly acknowledged by the U.S. as a matter of policy.
Turkey has refused to bow to U.S. pressure, insisting that choosing which defense equipment to purchase is a matter of national sovereignty.
There is a bipartisan consensus in Congress that Turkey should not be allowed to remain in the F-35 program if it refused to back out of the Russia deal.
Four senators — two Democrats and two Republicans — issued a joint statement Friday expressing disappointment that Turkey has chosen to buy a Russian-made system designed to “target and destroy” the F-35.
“Turkey is trying to play both sides, but we will not allow sensitive U.S. military technology in the F-35 to be at risk,” the senators said. “Turkey cannot have both Russian and American defense equipment sitting side by side.”
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Home News The Kilauea v...
The Kilauea volcano eruption in Hawaii is visible from space — here are the dramatic photos
Alexandra Ma, Business Insider US
The eruption from Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano has been so massive, astronauts said they could easily see it from space.
A.J. (Drew) Feustel/Twitter
The Kilauea volcano in Hawaii erupted last week and has shown no signs of stopping.
Two NASA astronauts said it was easy to see the eruptions from space.
They posted some dramatic photos of the ash plumes from above.
The ongoing volcanic eruptions from Hawaii have been so massive that astronauts can see them from space – and the pictures are incredible.
Ricky Arnold and AJ Feustel, US astronauts stationed on to the International Space Station, posted dramatic photos to Twitter of the ash plume emerging from the Kilauea volcano on the east of the Big Island.
Ricky Arnold/Twitter
The volcano erupted last Thursday and is showing no signs of slowing down.
The crater is already emitting noxious fumes which can make breathing difficult for children and elderly people. The ash cloud has reached as high as 12,000 feet about sea level.
Feustal wrote: “It is easy to see the activity on Hawaii’s Kilauea Volcano from the International Space Station. We hope those in the vicinity of the eruption can stay out of harm’s way.”
Lava and molten rock bursting from the volcano’s fissures also destroyed at least 26 homes and four other buildings over the weekend, forcing 1,700 people to evacuate.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) on Tuesday issued a rare “red alert” warning, which means a major volcanic eruption is imminent or underway, and that the ash clouds could affect air traffic.
Here’s a shot of the volcano from a lot closer to the ground:
A US Geological Survey photo of ash rising from the Puu Oo vent on Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano.
Kevan Kamibayashi/US Geological Survey
Kilauea volcano
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Genetic Predisposition to Breast Cancer: when public awareness demands clarity
By Dr. Luis Costa, Director of Oncology at Santa Maria Hospital, Lisbon.
Ever since last May, a great deal of attention has been focused on news that the actress Angelina Jolie underwent a preventive bilateral mastectomy after learning that she was a carrier of a pathogenic gene mutation (1) known to be responsible for a higher incidence of breast and/or ovarian cancer.
Among the many media messages emerging from Jolie’s revelation was that carriers of such a mutation should consider preventive surgery and that non-carriers could rest easy that they were in a lower risk category. While these messages have opened up useful opportunities for dialogue between a woman and her doctor, the truth behind genetic testing is much more complex.
Women who have a heritable BRAC1 or BRAC2 gene mutation such as Jolie’s bear the same characteristic or genetic defect that gives them a higher genetic susceptibility to cancer. Research into these mutations has been of incredible valuable in identifying women who may benefit from certain preventive measures.
Indeed, once found to be carriers, patients’ relatives can be also screened and can then make informed decisions as to precautionary strategies going forward.
Yet not only does a genetic predisposition for breast cancer represent only an average of 5% of all cases but the cumulative lifetime risk of cancer varies between 15% and 85%. It is also important to remember that the absence of a BRAC1 or BRAC2 genetic mutation does not necessarily mean that a woman is not at high risk for breast cancer, as is the case with women suffering from breast cancer at a young age with a family history of the disease but not showing any mutation. In the future, these cases may perhaps be explained by new mutations that are not yet specifically recognized as pathogenic mutations.
In terms of genetic screening itself, certain criteria in a woman’s clinical history can be used to determine whether she should be referred for genetic consultation. Some criteria are obvious, such as a personal history of breast cancer at a young age or a history of breast and ovarian cancer in an immediate relative.
At other times, however, clinical history is not as suggestive but may nevertheless meet criteria for genetic testing, such as the example of a young woman suffering from an aggressive type of breast cancer known as “Triple Negative” but with no known instances of cancer in her family.
Finally, before going ahead with genetic testing, it is essential that women with breast cancer and their relatives be equipped with all of the information available from reliable, supportive sources, including psychological evaluation and support. Where a pathogenic mutation is detected, women can choose from a broad spectrum of treatment options, from intensive surveillance to hormonal treatment to preventive breast and/or ovarian surgery.
The public awareness created by Angelina Jolie’s decision should therefore be seen as an opportunity to help those women who are carriers of the mutation, as in Jolie’s case, to seek accurate information and advice when they too are facing difficult yet crucial decisions.
1. Ford D, Easton DF, Stratton M, et al: Genetic heterogeneity and penetrance analysis of the
BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes in breast cancer families: The Breast Cancer Linkage Consortium. Am J Hum Genet 62:676-689, 1998
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HomeDr Adam Gordon
Dr Adam Gordon
Vice President, Academic Affairs
Adam Gordon is Clinical Associate Professor in Medicine of Older People at the University of Nottingham.
His research interests are predominantly in how healthcare is delivered in care homes but he has also done work around peri-operative geriatrics and has recently begun to work in the field of sarcopenia as part of the Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research at the University of Nottingham. He maintains an active educational portfolio and played a key role in developing the UK and European recommended undergraduate curricula in geriatric medicine. He is a firm believer in bringing more clinicians into research and in ensuring that healthcare professionals and patients understand the impact of research in the real world.
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Backyard Envy
Backyard Envy Goes Back to Black
Will the homeowners choose "Black of Night", "Black Forest", one of the other endless shades of black?
More Season 1 / Episode 3
Preview Backyard Envy Goes Back to Black
Show Highlight James DeSantis has Doubts About Melissa Brasier's Reclaimed Wood Design
Preview Melissa Brasier's Reclaimed Wood Recall
Before and After: Concrete Slab to Lush Entertainment Spot
Garrett Magee
Garrett Magee was born in Texas and raised in Tennessee. At an early age Garrett knew he had a creative eye, and has been a nature lover from his first memories growing up in the beautiful wooded South. Garrett attended the Art Institute of Chicago to study graphic design and fine arts. After working in corporate design for many years Garrett grew frustrated with always working in front of a computer and decided to broaden his horizons, and go back to his roots. He began attending classes at the New York Botanical Gardens for landscape design to tap into his calling as a true “plant whisperer”. It was there that he honed his craft in exterior design and co-founded Manscapers, which grew into an exclusive exterior design and high-end landscaping firm. Garrett currently resides in New York and enjoys traveling the world, photo-documenting his life, lending his green thumb, and spending time with his triplet-nieces.
James DeSantis
James DeSantis grew up in upstate New York in a close-knit lakeside community. He knew that there was more to life beyond his small town, and with his larger than life ideas he embarked on a journey to New York City. James studied and attended design school to learn how to bring all his fabulous visions to fruition. Using his innate talents from his designer parents, James honed his blanket throwing and pillow chopping skills and learned to truly express himself. While attending the Fashion Institute of Technology, James met his future business partner Melissa, where they partnered together and learned everything about the design world, concluding that there was more to it than simply interiors. James hustled hard in New York and earned a job with internationally acclaimed retailer Ralph Lauren. While traveling the world he later returned to his home base to create Manscapers with his best friends Melissa and Garrett. James wears many hats, as an interior and home designer, registered yoga instructor and top rate schmoozer. He brings his eclectic upbringing, world travels and over the top personality into all aspects of the business.
Melissa Brasier
Originally hailing from the city of lights, Las Vegas, Melissa Brasier began her career as a modern dancer who studied and toured with Alvin Ailey. Melissa knew she needed a change from movement and dance and ventured on to major in Interior Design at the internationally recognized Fashion Institute of Technology. After graduating Melissa worked for elite clients in commercial construction and interior design. Fiercely driven in the design field for over a decade, Melissa took a leap to co-found Manscapers with her two best friends and partners, where she truly puts the WOMAN in Manscapers as the construction lead. Melissa loves gardening, flea market shopping, home renovations and dancing and teaching yoga in her free time. She currently resides in Brooklyn and is also the proud mother of two daughters. Melissa’s endless creativity always keeps her motivated.
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Reunion Exclusives
Who Spread Kelley's Nude Photo?
Why is Kelley Johnson retweeting mean things about Jennice Ontiveros? And did she spread those nude photos? Did anyone think this would last?
Show Highlight Who Spread Kelley's Nude Photo?
Behind-the-Scenes of the Below Deck Reunion
Lee Rosbach
@capthlr
Captain Harold Lee Rosbach has spent more than 20 years in the yachting industry. Born and raised in landlocked Saginaw, Michigan, he discovered his untapped love for the water later in life when he was managing a restaurant in Turks & Caicos and an acquaintance invited him to serve as a mate on a sailboat delivery to earn extra cash. At the age of 35, Lee obtained his Captain’s license and left the restaurant business behind to pursue his newfound passion. Some of the mega yachts that have since been under Captain Lee’s command include 163’ Cuor di Leone, 162’ Mustang Sally, 155’ Ohana, 140’ Just Enough, 135’ Atlantica, 135’ Feadship Sea Ghost, 120' Sovereign, Pauly D, Insatiable, Morganstar and Mostro. Next on the horizon for Captain Lee is his upcoming memoir Running Against the Tide that will be available in Winter 2018.
@gypsy_homemaker
Amy Johnson, 31, a southern belle known for her spirited attitude and enthusiastic personality, grew up in the small town of Wichita Falls, Texas. Amy graduated from Texas A&M with a business degree in Marketing and was recruited to the nation's top selling Cadillac dealership as a sales representative, where she remained for several years. Realizing she was lacking two things she loved most, travel and adventure, she moved down to Florida. Amy's impeccable work ethic, positive approach and adaptable personality allowed her land a job on yacht with no prior experience. After eight years in the industry, countless adventures, and unbelievable experiences—she credits her faith and a smile as the key to her success.
Andrew Sturby
@AndrewSturby
Andrew Sturby, 26, was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada before moving to Nassau, Bahamas in his early teens. He attended a university-preparatory school in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada where Andrew excelled in football and crew. Immediately after high school, he became a working, traveling international model for high fashion and commercial brands such as Abercrombie & Fitch, West Coast and Roots Canada. He has enjoyed living in the Bahamas, Italy, France, the Philippines and Canada as a well-traveled individual. Andrew currently lives in West Palm Beach, Florida and is close with his parents and older brother. Living in the sunshine state, he renewed his love for the ocean ultimately finding himself seeking out work as a deckhand in the yachting industry.
@benrobinsonchef
Chef Ben Robinson is accomplished on both land and sea. He worked under Italian master chefs in Florence and gained an apprenticeship at three-Michelin Star restaurant The Fat Duck, based in the United Kingdom. Ben has been the head chef on yachts for over ten years, including the largest sailing yacht in the world. He was born in Oxford, England and continued to attend boarding school there when his parents moved to the U.S. Currently residing in Ft. Lauderdale, Ben has recently become a Certified Health Coach, specializing in weight loss, cancer and addiction. He also has a booming catering business for which he travels all over the world. Ben believes food is medicine and art, continuing to develop cutting edge cuisine with a nutritional awareness.
Eddie Lucas
@ed_lucas6
Eddie Lucas was raised on the East Coast attending boarding schools and exploring recreational diversions on the Chesapeake and Buzzards Bays. Early on he learned to ski, fish and took advantage of any offered outdoor educational opportunities including earning a degree in Adventure Education from Green Mountain College, becoming proficient in rafting, rock climbing and scuba diving. After surviving a car accident five years ago, Eddie learned to live life to the fullest and to appreciate everything he has.
Jennice Ontiveros
@jenniceco
Born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Jennice Ontiveros, 25, first learned to love the water on Elephant Butte Lake. With a dream to live closer to Hollywood and the beach, she moved to the Los Angeles area at the age of 18 to pursue a B.A. from Whittier College in Business Administration & Theatre and Communications Arts. A job in documentary television brought Ontiveros to Chicago shortly after graduation, but her need for adventure and travel left her feeling unfulfilled. After a bit of research, opportunity and luck, Jennice landed her first deck/stew position on Lake Michigan during the summer of 2013. Within a few months in the industry she packed her bags and moved to Fort Lauderdale in search of a bigger and better "yachty" lifestyle.
Kat Held
@KatOState
Over-the-top and free spirited, this 29-year-old has been traveling as a yacht stewardess for the past five years. Held began a career in yachting after a summer of recreation sailing in her home state of Rhode Island. Shortly after graduating from the University of Rhode Island, she gained an interest in discovering more of what the outside world has to offer. Tired of watching mega yachts sail in and out of Newport Harbor without her, she purchased a book on how to become a yacht stewardess. Following the tips of the book led her to finding her first job as a yacht stewardess in Miami, Florida. Kat is always looking for a new adventure and believes freedom is one of the most rewarding feelings in life.
Kate Chastain
@Kate_Chastain
Chief Stewardess
Florida native Kate Chastain began her yachting career in 2007. Initially, she only planned on taking a “gap year” after college graduation to work on boats, however once she started as a third stewardess on her first yacht, she immediately fell in love with the exotic and exciting industry and never looked back. While travelling throughout the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Central America, and New England, Kate worked her way up the onboard ranks until finally reaching the position of Chief Stewardess. Best known for planning and executing lavish theme parties, Kate has entertained royalty, celebrities, and business tycoons around the world.
After a few years of international adventures and glamorous guests, Kate began to compile her stories from the sea hoping to one day share them with the world. In 2016, those stories were published in her book, Lucky Charming, which quickly became an Amazon #1 Best Seller in the Humor Category. Now, after a decade spent globetrotting with the rich and famous, conquering the yachting world, and even writing a book about it, Kate is starting to focus on building a more domestic life on land. In 2017, she opened up Genesis Boutique, a non-profit upscale resale store where all proceeds go to Genesis House, Inc. Based in Melbourne, Florida, Genesis House has been providing emergency and transitional housing to homeless women and children for over 40 years. Running the Genesis Boutique with the help of a great team of volunteers keeps Kate quite busy during the off season but fortunately, still gives her the freedom to take a freelance yachting job whenever the urge for adventure strikes.
Kelley Johnson
@KelleyWJohnson
Bosun
Kelley Johnson, 29, was born and raised in Wichita Falls, Texas, with his older sister and former cast member, Amy. His love for the water became apparent even as a toddler, when his mom discovered fishing television shows were the quickest way to calm him down. Kelley lived to fish, and his love for being out on the water continually grew especially while spending his summers on the coast of Georgia, visiting his grandparents. Kelley's brave and courageous spirit led him to join the Marine Corps as the tension in the Middle East was at its height. His commitment to excellence and strong leadership abilities enabled him to excel over the next four years while on active duty. He was part of the operation that helped rescue Captain Phillips and was selected with a small group to monitor and escort the Somali Pirate and turn him over to officials in Djibouti. After leaving the Marines, Kelley moved to Florida to be near his sister and close to the ocean. A romantic at heart, he left his first job on a yacht to pursue a land-based relationship and went to work in the corporate world. After the relationship failed, feeling unsatisfied with his job, Kelley gladly left his desk job to rejoin the yachting industry. Getting to live and work on the water while being able to fish in his free time is the ideal life for this Texas native.
Logan Reese
@leftfin
Born and raised in Shawnee, Oklahoma, Logan Reese attended Oklahoma State University and earned a Bachelor's degree in hotel and restaurant administration. Reese's love of boats started at an early age when he would design them using his toy legos. He took that passion one step further and, after college in 2004, moved to the U.S. Virgin Islands and worked on sailboats as a deckhand for a year and a half. Reese loves exploring new opportunities and moved to New Zealand for two years where he worked as a canyon guide. Upon coming back to the states in 2012, he went back to his roots and decided to try his luck in the yacht industry. While not a typical "yachtie" (he sports a three quarter-length sleeve tattoo and usually has a beard), his sense of adventure and love of the water tells him he should be part of this industry.
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NOW Moment of the Week: Bank of Mauricio
Mauricio's Major Moments
Holding a Grudge Against Mauricio
The Magic of Mauricio
Ken vs. Mauricio
All About Mauricio
Mauricio and Ken Head to Court
Mauricio's Unwanted Advice
Trying to Offset Cranky Teenagers
Wanna Get a Manolo in Your Eyeball?
Is Adrienne Really Married to This Man?
The Couple That Works Out Together
Toasting the Truth
Teddi's Kids' Lemonade Stand Collected Major Cash!
This Is Teddi's Easy, Healthy "Go-To" Breakfast Recipe
Dorit Kemsley Dazzles in a Green Dress for Her Birthday
Brandi Glanville Is Grateful to Scheana Shay: "She Saved Me"
Bravoleb Summer Wedding Guest Dress Ideas
Is Denise's Husband About to Adopt Her Daughter Eloise?
@DENISE_RICHARDS
Denise Richards is an accomplished actress, business woman, philanthropist and New York Times Best-Selling author of memoir The Real Girl Next Door.
Richards made her big screen debut in the cult classic hit Starship Troopers. She garnered international recognition for her leading Bond Girl role as Dr. Christmas Jones opposite Pierce Brosnan in The World Is Not Enough. Previous film credits include Wild Things and a cameo in the hit romantic comedy Love Actually. Additional film credits include: Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Witness Protection, Blonde & Blonder, Scary Movie 3, Yo Puta, Empire, Undercover Brother, The Third Wheel, Good Advice, Drop Dead Gorgeous and Tail Lights Fade. Recently, she was seen in American Violence, American Satan, The Toybox, Destined to Ride and Christmas Break-In. Richards can be seen next in the upcoming films Saturday at the Starlight, Dally & Spanky, Amazon Lost, The First Key and 1stBorn.
Richards currently stars as the newest cast member in the hit Bravo show The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. She joined the cast of CBS’ The Bold and the Beautiful as character Shauna Fulton. She is currently in production, with her first episode set to air in April 2019. Her television credits include notable guest appearances on NBC’s 30 Rock, Spike TV’s Blue Mountain State, FX’s Anger Management and ABC Family’s drama, Twisted. Richards co-starred in the Lifetime television film Blue Lagoon, a remake of the 1980 film. Richards was also seen in the hit CW comedy Jane The Virgin as well as Girlfriend’s Guide to Divorce on Bravo.
Along with standing out on screen, Richards has advanced her professional career to develop prime business partnerships and to support causes close to her heart. Her collaboration with Shoedazzle to design the “Eloise” heel, raised over $ 15,000 for the Kidney Cancer Association. Teaming up with world renowned hair stylist Christophe, Richards helped develop Volume Extend, an integrated hair care system. As an animal rights advocate, Richards’ commits her ambitious nature & her love of animals to Best Friends Animal Society as Ambassador. Since her involvement, Richards has furthered the cause, saved lives, raised awareness and fostered her own rescues. Denise joined the Will Rogers Institute’s longtime summer theatrical PSA campaign to benefit Brave Beginnings, a program that works to improve the lives of premature babies by providing hospital grants to purchase essential equipment and critical services.
Richards currently resides in Los Angeles with her husband and three daughters.
Dorit Kemsley
@doritkemsley1
At 19, Dorit Kemsley left her hometown of Woodbridge, Connecticut, to fulfill her childhood dream of traveling the world. She ended up in Italy, where she put her Bachelor’s degree in marketing, design, and communication to use working at a global swimwear company for 10 years. Dorit decided to move to New York to start her own business, Dorit, specializing in Italian resort and swimwear. While living in the Big Apple, she met her husband, Paul “PK” Kemsley, at a restaurant. They moved to Los Angeles in May 2015 and today share two young children, son Jagger and daughter Phoenix. There is never a dull moment in their 10,000 square foot home that is filled with staff, children, and the company of PK’s live-in client and music icon, Boy George. A dedicated full-time mom, this business-savvy fashionista also works alongside her husband in overseeing all aspects of their management agency Nixxi Entertainment. Dorit expertly juggles her home life with sensitive business dealings, even managing to co-host glamorous events with PK. Outside of this, she is an active philanthropist dedicated to preventing children’s injuries by supporting Safe Kids. Dorit made a big splash in the fashion world last year with her swimwear line and is now expanding it to a lifestyle brand that includes women’s cover-ups, active wear, menswear, and boys’ shorts.
Teddi Mellencamp Arroyave
@TeddiMellencamp
Born in Bloomington, Indiana and raised in Hilton Head Island, SC, Teddi Mellencamp Arroyave made a name for herself at a young age as a competitive Equestrian. Her love of the sport started at age 4 and she found herself competing throughout the country with the venerable Don Stewart Stables. After winning the stakes class in her final year competing, Teddi relocated to Los Angeles at 17 where she worked at CAA and UTA. Teddi’s profession as an accountability coach and fitness influencer arose from her desire to help others achieve healthier lifestyles, stemming from her passion in achieving her own goals. While not a certified fitness instructor or nutritionist, Teddi’s boutique business has flourished into a multi-million dollar company called All In by Teddi. Teddi and her husband Edwin Arroyave, CEO and founder of Skyline Security Management, Inc., live in Los Angeles and have two children: daughter Slate and son Cruz. Teddi is also stepmother to Isabella, Edwin’s daughter from a previous relationship.
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Last Chance Kitchen
Alaskan River Salmon
Show Highlight The Top Chef Season 16 Winner Is...
Show Highlight Padma Lakshmi's Special Message to the Top Two Finalists
Show Highlight And the Top Two Chefs Are...
Preview And Then There Were Three...
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Show Highlight The Chefs Are Tasked With Blending Their Own Heritage With the Local Cuisine
Show Highlight The Chefs Receive the Ultimate Surprise...Their Moms!
Preview The Chefs Work With the Smelliest Ingredient Ever
Scott Conant Dropped 30 Pounds by Cutting These 2 Foods
Padma's Daughter Uses This Fridge Staple to Soothe a Sunburn
Richard Blais Is Catching Hell Right Now for an Unpopular Opinion
Richard Blais Gave Cooking Advice to a Stranger at Costco
Richard Blais Reveals How Chefs Feel About Signing Autographs
Carla Hall Reveals Why She Almost Didn't Do Top Chef
See the "Before" Picture That Became Richard Blais "Motivation"
@padmalakshmi
Emmy-nominated Padma Lakshmi is internationally known as an actress, food expert, model, and The New York Times best-selling author, as well as the recipient of the 2016 NECO Ellis Island Medal of Honor. Padma also serves as host and executive producer of Bravo's Emmy award-winning Top Chef, currently in its 15th season.
Padma was born in India and grew up in America. She graduated from Clark University with a Bachelor's Degree in Theatre Arts and American Literature. Known as India's first supermodel, she began her career as a fashion model, working in Europe and the United States.
Padma established herself as a food expert early in her career, having hosted two successful cooking shows and writing the best-selling Easy Exotic, which won the "Best First Book" award at the 1999 Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. She followed this success with the publication of her second cookbook, Tangy, Tart, Hot & Sweet, which has over 150 recipes from around the world alongside intriguing personal essays. In 2016, She released her food memoir, The New York Times best-selling Love, Loss and What We Ate, followed shortly thereafter by The Encyclopedia of Spices & Herbs.
In addition to her food writing, she has also contributed to such magazines as Vogue, Gourmet and both British and American Harper's Bazaar, as well as a syndicated column on fashion and food for The New York Times.
For the Food Network, she hosted Padma's Passport, where she cooked diverse cuisine from around the world. She also hosted Planet Food, a documentary series on the Food Network and broadcast worldwide on the Discovery Channel. Padma was nominated for an Emmy Award for her role as host and judge on Bravo's Top Chef, which won an Emmy for Outstanding Reality Competition Show. Other television credits include co-hosting Rai Television's Domenica In, Italy’s highest-rated morning news program.
In 2009, Padma co-founded the Endometriosis Foundation of America alongside world-renowned Advanced Gynecological Surgeon Tamer Seckin, MD. After suffering from the disease for decades herself, she has been able to make amazing strides with the foundation, like launching the first interdisciplinary research facility in the country for Gynepathology as a joint project between Harvard Medical School and MIT, where she gave the keynote address at the Center’s opening in December 2009. Her efforts were recently recognized on the floor of the New York State Senate, where she succeeded in passing a bill related to teen health initiatives. The organization’s ENPOWR program has currently educated over 15,000 students about endometriosis in high schools across the state of New York.
In addition to these projects, Padma is a savvy businesswoman with multiple companies of her own. Her debut home décor line, The Padma Collection, hit Bloomingdale's stores nationwide with tabletop dishware, stemware and hand-blown glass décor pieces. She also created Padma's Easy Exotic, a collection of culinary products ranging from frozen organic foods, fine teas, and natural spice blends, to hard goods.
@tomcolicchio
One of the culinary world's most celebrated figures, Tom Colicchio returns once again as lead judge for Bravo's 16th season of the Emmy and James Beard Award-winning culinary series Top Chef, and also serves as mentor to the competing chefs on the series, guiding them through their various challenges. He also hosts BravoTV.com's Emmy-Winning Digital Companion Video Series Top Chef: Last Chance Kitchen.
Tom is also the chef and owner of Crafted Hospitality, which currently includes New York's Craft, Riverpark, Temple Court and newest edition Small Batch; Los Angeles' Craft Los Angeles; and Las Vegas' Heritage Steak and Craftsteak. Born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Tom made his New York cooking debut at prominent New York restaurants including The Quilted Giraffe, Gotham Bar & Grill and Gramercy Tavern before opening Craft in 2001. Outside of his fine dining restaurants, Colicchio opened 'Wichcraft – a sandwich and salad fast casual concept rooted in the same food and hospitality philosophies as Craft – in New York City in 2003.
He has published Think Like a Chef (2000), which won The James Beard Foundation "KitchenAid" Cookbook Award in May 2001; Craft of Cooking (2003); and a sandwich book inspired by 'wichcraft (2009). In May 2010, Tom was awarded The James Beard Foundation's coveted "Outstanding Chef" award, the culmination of his 30 years of hard work in the restaurant industry.
Tom appears in and served as executive producer on A Place at the Table, Participant Media's documentary about food insecurity in America, produced and directed by his wife, Lori Silverbush, by Kristi Jacobson. A Place at the Table, which premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and was released by Magnolia Pictures in 2013, has become the launchpad for a national movement centered on ending hunger in the United States.
In an effort to broaden his long-standing social and political activism, Tom co-founded Food Policy Action in 2012 in collaboration with national food policy leaders, in order to hold legislators accountable on votes that have an effect on food and farming. He has also been an outspoken voice on issues like GMO labeling and the use of antibiotics in food sources, and he continues to lobby for better anti-hunger policies in America.
Tom and his restaurants give back to the community by serving on the boards of Children of Bellevue, City Harvest, Wholesome Wave and Food Policy Action. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Lori Silverbush, and three sons. When he's not in the kitchen, Tom can be found tending to his garden on the North Fork of Long Island, enjoying a day of fishing or playing guitar.
Graham Elliot
@grahamelliot
Graham Elliot, a critically acclaimed chef, restaurateur and television personality, is one of the most recognized faces cooking in America today. Graham, a self-proclaimed "Navy brat" who has traveled the world and all fifty US states, has accrued many prestigious accolades including multiple James Beard Foundation Nominations.
Graham serves as judge on Bravo's Emmy and James Beard Award-winning series Top Chef alongside Padma Lakshmi, Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons. He is also the host and star of Bravo's digital series "Going Off the Menu." Before returning to the Top Chef franchise where he appeared on two seasons of Top Chef Masters, Graham spent 10 seasons with MasterChef & MasterChef Jr. As a life-long baseball enthusiast, Major League Baseball has recently tapped him to be the host of their MLB Grub Tour as well as their Culinary Correspondent.
At age 27, Graham became the youngest four-star chef to be named in any major U.S. city and was named one of Food & Wine magazine's "Best New Chefs” in 2004. In May of 2008, he opened his eponymous restaurant, Graham Elliot, which went on to "become one of only 15 restaurants in the U.S. to be awarded two Michelin stars.
Graham returned to Lollapalooza in 2017 as the culinary director, an honor he's held for the past decade. He is also gearing up to launch his first ever restaurant project in Asia, Coast in the upcoming MGM Cotai. In addition, he’ll also be unveiling his new concept, Gideon Sweet on the historic Randolph street in West Loop.
Graham resides full time in Chicago with his wife Allie and his three boys, Mylo, Conrad, and Jedediah.
Nilou Motamed
@niloumotamed
Nilou Motamed is a globally recognized food, travel, and lifestyle authority, and has been named one of AdWeek’s 30 Most Influential People in Food. She is the former Editor-in-Chief of Food & Wine magazine, and is a recurring judge on Season 16 of Bravo’s Emmy Award–winning Top Chef.
Prior to Food & Wine, Nilou served as Editor-in-Chief of Condé Nast’s Epicurious; during her tenure the digital food brand saw unprecedented growth and record-setting site traffic. As the first-ever Director of Inspiration for Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Nilou reimagined the guest experience and concierge programs for 24 luxury properties around the globe. For 14 years Nilou was the Features Director & Senior Correspondent for Travel + Leisure magazine, overseeing the brand’s James Beard Award–winning restaurants coverage and its annual Food & Travel Issue.
In addition to her role on Top Chef, Nilou is a frequent guest on NBC’s Today, CBS This Morning, and CNN. She hosted the Travel Channel series Travel Spies and the restaurant review show Reservations Required. She is a regularly featured speaker at international travel and food conferences, and a longtime panelist for the James Beard Foundation Restaurant and Chef Awards.
In 2017 Nilou co-founded Story Collective, a brand consultancy specializing in voice, strategy, and storytelling for the world’s top luxury hotels, restaurants, and destinations. Born in Iran, raised in Paris and New York, Nilou attended Binghamton University and the Sorbonne and is fluent in four languages. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, writer Peter Jon Lindberg.
@gailsimmons
Gail Simmons is a trained culinary expert, food writer, and dynamic television personality. Since the show’s inception in 2006, she has lent her extensive expertise as permanent judge on Bravo’s Emmy-winning series Top Chef, currently in its 16th season. She was head critic on Top Chef Masters, host of Top Chef Just Desserts, Bravo’s pastry-focused spinoff of the Top Chef franchise, and was a judge on Universal Kids’ Top Chef Jr. She also hosts Iron Chef Canada and was the co-host of The Feed..
Her first cookbook, Bringing It Home: Favorite Recipes from a Life of Adventurous Eating, was released by Grand Central Publishing in October 2017. Nominated for an IACP award for Best General Cookbook, it features recipes inspired by Gail’s world travels—all made with accessible ingredients and with smart, simple techniques for successful family meals and easy entertaining. Gail’s first book, a memoir titled Talking With My Mouth Full, was published by Hyperion in February 2012.
Gail joined Food & Wine magazine in 2004, where she directs special projects, writing a monthly column and working closely with the country’s top culinary talent on events and chef-related initiatives. During her tenure, she has been responsible for overseeing the annual Classic in Aspen, America’s premier culinary event. Prior to working at Food & Wine, Gail was the special events manager for Chef Daniel Boulud’s restaurant empire.
Born and raised in Toronto, Canada, Gail moved to New York City in 1999 to attend culinary school at what is now the Institute of Culinary Education. She then trained in the kitchens of legendary Le Cirque 2000 and groundbreaking Vong restaurants, and worked as the assistant to Vogue magazine’s esteemed food critic, Jeffrey Steingarten. Throughout her career, Gail has contributed to several books, including It Must’ve Been Something I Ate by Steingarten, Chef Daniel Boulud: Cooking in New York City and The New American Chef, by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page.
In 2014, Gail and her business partner Samantha Hanks, founded Bumble Pie Productions, an original content company dedicated to discovering and promoting new female voices in the food and lifestyle space. Their first series, “Star Plates”—a collaboration with Drew Barrymore’s Flower Films and Authentic Entertainment—premiered in Fall 2016 on the Food Network.
In addition, Gail makes frequent television appearances on NBC’s TODAY, ABC’s Good Morning America, and the Rachel Ray Show, among others. She has been featured in publications such as People, New York magazine, Travel + Leisure, GQ, Entertainment Weekly, US Weekly, Los Angeles Times, and was named the #1 Reality TV Judge in America by the New York Post. Along with her annual appearance at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, she makes regular appearances at the nation’s foremost culinary festivals, including the Austin Food & Wine Festival and Charleston Wine & Food Festival.
In February 2013, Gail was appointed Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Babson College, a mentoring role where she works with student entrepreneurs, helping them develop food-related social enterprises. In April 2016, she received the Award of Excellence by Spoons Across America, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating children about the benefits of healthy eating. She is an active board member and supporter of City Harvest, Hot Bread Kitchen, Common Threads, and the Institute of Culinary Education.
Gail currently lives in New York City with her husband, Jeremy and their two children, Dahlia and Kole.
Eric Adjepong
Current Residency: Washington, DC
Occupation: Chef/Owner Pinch & Plate
Born and raised in New York City, Chef Eric Adjepong is a first generation Ghanaian-American. He resides in Washington, D.C., where he is a personal chef, a caterer and public health & nutrition professional. He has degrees from Johnson & Wales in Culinary Arts, Culinary Nutrition (BS) and International Public Health Nutrition (MPH). Eric has cooked in some of NYC’s premiere restaurants including two different Michelin Star rated establishments. Chef Eric’s inspiration comes from various cultures and regions of the world and he sources a lot of his flavors from the foods that he grew up eating. Eric is currently focused on his pop-up series Pinch & Plate that he works on with his wife.
Sara Bradley
Current Residency: Paducah, KY
Occupation: Chef/Owner, freight house
Sara Bradley hails from Kentucky and is the chef and proprietor at freight house, a unique southern inspired restaurant and bourbon bar located in Paducah, KY. Chef Sara grew up surrounded by strawberry fields and pit BBQ in Paducah, KY, eating elaborate meals with her family every night. Sara’s Jewish mother and Appalachian father exposed her to a wonderful culinary upbringing. She developed her skill set under the tutelage of Michelin star chefs, John Fraser at Dovetail, as well as David Posey and Paul Kahan of Blackbird, before opting to return to her roots to indulge in the flavors the Ohio Valley and Western Kentucky have to offer. Inspired by her upbringing in her own family’s kitchen, Sara’s mission is to bring fresh, local ingredients from the community, to the community, while working to define the flavor of the “new south.” At freight house, she aims to bring regional ingredients to her dishes by sourcing the majority of her products from farmers within a day’s drive, while working within the community to help educate it on how to employ “farm-to-table” practices in their own kitchens. Whether she’s cooking at the James Beard House, on a BBQ pit, or for her traditional Sunday family meal, mixing the flavors of her rich agricultural community and keeping with traditional recipes is a task she takes pride in tackling.
Kelsey Barnard Clark
Current Residency: Dothan, AL
Occupation: Executive Chef/Owner, KBC
Kelsey Barnard Clark is a born and raised “Gulf Southerner” from Dothan, Alabama. She got her start in the food industry as a middle school student with a baking obsession and catered her first wedding at age 15. Kelsey’s most impressionable memories were made at the beach catching, gutting and eating fresh fish with her large family. At 20 years old, Kelsey dropped out of college and left the deep South to attend the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. While in New York, she fine-tuned her skills and learned the art of elevated food by working under Gavin Kaysen at Cafe Boulud and then in pastry at John Fraser’s Dovetail. Kelsey's passion is cooking from the heart, and from her memory. Her dishes are inspired by southern classics with her French techniques sprinkled throughout. Kelsey runs her restaurant and catering company, KBC, in Alabama with her husband, baby Monroe, and two horse-dogs.
Edmund "Eddie" Konrad
Current Residency: Philadelphia, PA
Occupation: Chef De Cuisine, Laurel Restaurant
Edmund Konrad is currently Chef de Cuisine at Laurel, a French-inspired New American restaurant in South Philadelphia, from Top Chef winner Nicholas Elmi. Eddie was born and raised in Philadelphia where he attended Mercy Vocational High School and studied culinary arts. He realized at a young age that being in the kitchen made him feel like he was finally a part of something. After he graduated, Eddie attended Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island where he met his wife, Keri Lynn and many other close friends within the culinary field who he still works with today. Eddie has worked in many influential restaurants in New England and across the Mid-Atlantic including Del Posto in New York City and Le Bec Fin back home in Philadelphia. With training in Italian and French techniques, Eddie focuses on refined, ingredient driven cuisine. He has always strived to improve his own skills as well as provide an educational environment for his fellow chefs and employees. As a father, Eddie is a natural teacher and mentor to those who work around him. His focus on creating experiences for his guests is always at the core of his culinary work.
Pablo Lamon
Current Residency: Miami Beach, FL
Occupation: Chef De Cuisine, 27 Restaurant & Bar
Pablo Lamon grew up in Buenos Aires, Argentina and recognized his passion for cooking at a young age. When Pablo was 22, he was in a motorcycle accident that left him unable to walk for one year. Experiencing such pain and hardship early in his life, Pablo was able to realize his true strength. He began his culinary career working at the Award Winning Palacio Duhau Park Hyatt Buenos Aires. At 23 years old, he left Argentina to travel the world and work in the kitchens on luxury cruises and yachts, cooking for rock stars, politicians and celebrities. Since settling in Miami, FL., he has worked for Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Top Chef winner, Jeremy Ford. Currently, Pablo is the Chef de cuisine of 27 Restaurant & Bar in Miami Beach.
Natalie Maronski
Occupation: Executive Chef/Owner, Underground Concepts
Natalie Maronski was born in Monterey, CA to a Vietnamese immigrant mother and an Army officer father. As a child, she moved every few years to diverse locales such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Hawaii and Virginia. After graduating high school in Virginia, Natalie moved to Philadelphia to attend Drexel University’s culinary program, while she also minored in business. Although she spent time working in NYC during and after college, her heart is clearly owned by Philly. She worked for nearly ten years with nationally acclaimed chef Jose Garces, where she rose through the ranks and helped open multiple restaurants spanning a variety of cuisines including: Peruvian, Chinese, Spanish, Basque and fine dining New American. These culinary experiences, coupled with her heritage, and living with rheumatoid arthritis has influenced and shaped her focus on flavor, techniques and healthy cooking. Natalie is currently working on launching "Underground Concepts, LLC" which will include four venues within a nationally historic and iconic Philadelphia landmark. Her goal is to deliver local and approachable food along with unique and fun experiences across the intersection of food, music, art and culture. When she is not cooking, Natalie can be found bicycling, walking her dog Wilma, and playing recreational sports around Philadelphia.
Michelle Minori
Current Residency: San Francisco, CA
Occupation: Chef
Michelle Minori grew up in the small town of Lodi, California. After graduating with honors from The California Culinary Academy Le Cordon Bleu in San Francisco, she went on to cut her teeth at some of the city’s top Michelin restaurants including Aqua, Acquerello and La Folie. In these kitchens, Chef Michelle developed technical fine dining skills as well as the grit and work ethic that it took to succeed in kitchens of this caliber. She moved on to run the kitchen at Flour + Water where she found a love and respect for handmade pasta, whole animal utilization and bread baking. She later helped open Faith and Flower in Los Angeles where she developed the pasta and bread programs for the restaurant. Michelle returned to San Francisco where she served as Executive Chef of Barzotto, a fast casual, high-quality pasta restaurant. During her tenure there she garnered press and accolades including being named 2017 “Rising Star Chef” in the San Francisco Chronicle. Michelle has since left Barzotto to pursue her own professional endeavors that build community, promote equality, and celebrate the people who grow and make our food. It’s the relationships she’s developed with farmers and memories of growing up picking fresh veggies in the garden that inspires her to cook with quality ingredients and lots of respect for their origins and history.
Nini Nguyen
Current Residency: Brooklyn, NY
Occupation: Executive Chef/Culinary Director, Cook Space
Nini Nguyen is the Culinary Director of Cook Space in Brooklyn, NY where she uses her experience to teach home cooks how to cook like the professionals. Hailing from New Orleans, LA, Nini is the daughter of Vietnamese immigrants, and she embraces both culinary influences in her cooking style. Nini pursued a traditional college career, and earned a degree in business marketing from Louisiana State University, but realized her true passion was in cooking. She started working in her home town, New Orleans, at Sucre and Coquette, specializing in pastries. In 2012, Nini decided to move from the Big Easy to the Big Apple where she honed her skills at Eleven Madison park and nationwide at Dinner Lab. As an extremely curious person, Nini loves to roam through markets in different cities, tasting, smelling and squeezing every kind of produce she can get her hands on.
Brandon Rosen
Current Residency: San Mateo, CA
Occupation: Private Chef
Chef Brandon Rosen grew up immersed in his family owned and operated chocolate factory, Leah Gold’s Fantazamadazzle Magical Chocolate Factory in Howell, Michigan. When Brandon was a teenager, he began working at a number of small town establishments where he fell in love with cooking. At age 16, he competed in his first culinary competition with the American Culinary Federation, led by coach and mentor, Chef Scott Swamba. After graduating high school early, Brandon left rural Michigan to chase his dreams in the big city, where waited outside Alain Ducasse at The Essex House day after day before getting hired. After working through the restaurants closure, he transitioned to Eleven Madison Park, before moving west to work in the kitchens at The French Laundry, Benu and Redd in California. Presently, Brandon is an Executive Private Chef in the Silicon Valley. Throughout his career he has come to understand that true American cuisine is defined by the many different cultures that have migrated together and he strives to represent these flavors in his dining experiences.
Kevin Scharpf
Current Residency: Galena, IL
Occupation: Executive Chef/Owner, Brazen Open Kitchen & Bar
Kevin Scharpf is the Chef and Owner of Brazen Open Kitchen & Bar in Dubuque, Iowa. Born in Dubuque and raised in Galena, Illinois, Kevin started watching Emeril Lagasse on TV, and fell in love with the art of cooking. At 16, Kevin knew that the culinary world was calling his name and enrolled in Le Cordon Bleu in Minneapolis, MN. For his externship, he traveled to NYC to train at Daniel where he was offered a line cook job that he turned down to move back to the Midwest with his family. He has also staged at Elizabeth in Chicago and Spoon and Stable in Minneapolis. Being passionate about small community and the people in it, Kevin landed back in the Midwest with his wife, Lyndsi and their two children Lola and Lloyd. In 2015, he opened Brazen Open Kitchen & Bar and has been named one of Full Service Restaurant Magazine’s “40 Under 40 Rising Stars.” He also works hand in hand with small farms in his area and is passionate, not only about the produce, but the people growing it. Kevin is hoping to put Iowa on the culinary map.
Caitlin Steininger
Current Residency: Cincinnati, OH
Occupation: Executive Chef/Owner, CWC, The Restaurant
Chef Caitlin Steininger grew up in Cincinnati, OH and tweaked her culinary prowess with classic French training at Le Cordon Bleu in Chicago. An independent spirit, Caitlin started a website and brand with her sister called Cooking with Caitlin, which features recipes, video demos and podcasts. For years, Caitlin traveled all over the United States and internationally to Italy feeding and entertaining guests at intimate pop-up events. In 2017, Caitlin opened CWC, the Restaurant, as a natural extension of the food-focused Cooking with Caitlin brand. The restaurant landed among Cincinnati Magazine’s Best New Restaurant List. She is currently working on opening their second restaurant Station Family + BBQ. A wife and mother of four, Chef Caitlin is a mercenary for food experiences, a lover of the community and a devotee of Cincinnati eats.
Justin Sutherland
@chefjsutherland
Current Residency: St. Paul, MN
Occupation: Executive Chef, Handsome Hog
Hailing from St. Paul, MN, Justin Sutherland spent his childhood in the kitchen learning from his mother and grandmother. Growing up his favorite TV show was “Yan Can Cook” and on his fifth birthday he asked for an easy bake oven. After graduating from Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Atlanta, he moved back home to hone his skills in some of Minneapolis’ top restaurants including Meritage and Brasserie Zentral. Sutherland is currently the Owner sand Executive Chef of two restaurants in the Minneapolis area, Handsome Hog & Pearl and the Thief. He recently competed and won on “Iron Chef America.” Justin is fearless in his craft, is dedicated to discipline, and never settles for anything but the best.
David Viana
Current Residency: Asbury Park, NJ
Occupation: Executive Chef/Partner, Heirloom Kitchen
Growing up with Portuguese parents, David Viana fostered a love of food at an early age and remembers helping his family in the kitchen cook for his relatives that would come over every Sunday. After attending the Institute of Culinary Education, and working for Bobby Flay, Anthony Bucco, and Michael White, Chef David sharpened his skills in world-class kitchens including Eleven Madison Park and Two Star Michelin restaurant Villa Joya in Portugal. He received distinguished recognition as the Executive Chef at The Kitchen at Grove Station, receiving three stars from the New York Times who described his dishes as “magical” and “hypnotizing.” At Heirloom Kitchen, David continues to impress, receiving three-and-a-half stars from The Star-Ledger within weeks of the restaurants opening. He was also nominated in 2018 for a James Beard Award—Best Chef in the Mid-Atlantic. When David is not at work, he spends his time with his young son Cole.
Adrienne Wright
Current Residency: Boston, MA
Occupation: Executive Chef, Boston Urban Hospitality
Adrienne Wright is the executive chef for Boston Urban Hospitality, managing teams of chefs and cooks at Deuxave, Boston Chops Downtown, Boston Chops South End and dbar, all located in Boston, Massachusetts. She grew up in Goshen, Connecticut on a small family farm where she learned the importance of knowing where your food comes from and the beauty of growing your own food. She has culinary and nutrition degrees from Johnson & Wales in Rhode Island and has lived in New England her whole life. With an enthusiastic nature and focused determination, Adrienne climbed her way to the top of the Boston Urban Hospitality Group working for Chef Chris Coombs. In 2015, Adrienne was featured on Zagat Boston’s “30 under 30” list. She loves to travel and draws inspiration from her own heritage as well as the cultures she has experienced. Her passion is making elevated and inspired dishes that blend flavors, techniques and ethnicities. A competitor at heart, she was part of the winning team in 2017 for Boston’s Culinary Fight Club.
Brian Young
Occupation: Chef De Cuisine, Cultivar
Born in New Hampshire and raised in Nashville, Chef Brian Young sought to express himself creatively as both a chef and a musician from an early age. After years of touring as a musician and cooking barbeque at the historic BB King’s Blues Club, he set his focus on a career as a chef, enrolling in the culinary arts program at New England Culinary Institute in Montpelier, Vermont. After graduation, Brian traveled west to Big Sur, CA, where he began his fine dining career at Sierra Mar at the prestigious Post Ranch Inn. From there, he returned to his New England roots as a sous chef in Saint Albans, VT, before joining Chef Mary Dumont’s team at Harvest as executive sous chef. Chef Brian then served as the executive chef at Citizen Public House and Oyster Bar, chef de cuisine at Post 390 and co-chef at Townsman alongside Chef Matthew Jennings. In 2013, he was named to Zagat Boston’s “30 under 30” list. Chef Brian has competed on “Beat Bobby Flay,” cooked at The James Beard House and at many Cochon 555 events across the country.
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Pasadena Awarded $1 Million for Affordable Housing
SACRAMENTO, CA – The California Housing Finance Agency's (CalHFA), Housing Enabled by Local Partnerships (HELP) program has awarded the Pasadena Community Development Commission $1 million to augment its Affordable Housing Revolving Loan Program. This represents one of nine California localities awarded a total of $9.1 million in low interest HELP loans to acquire, develop, rehabilitate, or preserve affordable rental or ownership housing.
The Commission will leverage the HELP program financing by pooling it with other sources of affordable housing funds. These funds provide short-term bridge loans to developers for the financing of site acquisition, predevelopment and construction costs for development and the rehabilitation of ownership and multifamily rental units.
The Commission received a commitment of $1.5 million for this program in 2004. In addition, the Commission received a $1 million commitment in 1999 under the HELP program's first round of funding that was used to rehabilitate a "blighted" 313-unit multifamily rental project.
With the funds, the Commission intends to develop approximately 200 units of homeownership and multifamily rental units over the next ten years. Of the funded projects, a minimum of 25% of the rental units will be made available to households at or below 50% of the area median income. The same ratio applies to units in funded ownership projects that will be reserved for households with incomes at 100% of area median income or less.
"CalHFA is pleased to partner with the Pasadena Community Development Commission to provide safe, decent and affordable housing," said Theresa Parker, CalHFA Executive Director. "Supporting the city's affordable housing goals is a 'win-win' for CalHFA and the community."
Since 1998, the HELP program has partnered with more than 94 local government entities to fund $140 million in affordable housing. CalHFA funding provides additional resources to address the localities unmet affordable housing needs by using a competitive process to award loans with repayment terms up to ten years at a 3% percent interest rate. Through the HELP program, CalHFA offers two funding cycles of approximately $10 million in the fall and spring of each year. Recipients of the semi-annual award are evaluated on six criteria: affordability, cost efficiency, maximization of benefits, implementation readiness, resource impact and comprehensiveness of program design.
The California Housing Finance Agency was established in 1975 to meet the housing needs of low and moderate income Californians. To date, HELP funding has participated in the financing of nearly 18,000 units of affordable housing for Californians that are most in need. More information on the HELP program and the full complement of CalHFA programs is available at 800.789.2432 or www.calhfa.ca.gov.
Contact: Melissa Flores
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More people being murdered than dying in wars or terrorist attacks
Jay Jackson/UN News
For all of the attention it gets, particularly from governments, terrorism is the least of the world's worries when it comes to death and destruction.
Terrorism is just a footnote, compared to the ravages of cancer and heart disease. Drink-driving alone causes more deaths each year than terrorism.
In stark contrast, according to a study, the details of which were released on Monday, murder kills far more people each year than armed conflict.
In fact five times as many people died as a result of homicidal violence in 2017, compared to all those killed in wars being waged across the world, including in Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, various countries in Asia, Africa and the Americas.
Some 464,000 people across the world were victims of homicidal violence in 2017.
According to the study by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Central America is the most dangerous region to live, where the number of homicides – or unlawful killings - rises in some "hotspots", to 62.1 per 100,000 people
The safest locations are in Asia, Europe and Oceania (Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia), where murder rates are 2.3, 3.0 and 2.8 respectively – well below the 6.1 global average, the UN agency's Global Study on Homicide 2019 shows.
At 13.0, Africa's homicide rate was lower than the Americas (17.2), which had the highest percentage in 2017 since reliable data-gathering began in 1990, UNODC said, while also pointing to significant data gaps for some African countries.
Organized crime accounts for nearly one in five murders
One constant since the beginning of this century is the link between organized crime and violent deaths, according to the report.
Crime alone was responsible for 19 per cent of all homicides in 2017 and caused "many more deaths worldwide than armed conflict and terrorism combined", Yury Fedotov, UNODC Executive Director said Tuesday.
Like violent conflict, organized crime "destabilizes countries, undermines socioeconomic development and erodes the rule of law", according to UNODC, while Mr. Fedotov insisted that unless the international community takes decisive steps, "targets under Sustainable Development Goal 16 to significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates by 2030 will not be met".
Young men at highest risk in all regions
From a gender angle, the UNODC report also finds that while girls and boys aged nine and under, are more or less equally represented in terms of victim numbers, in all other age groups, males make up more than 50 per cent of the toll, according to data from 41 countries.
In all regions, the likelihood of boys becoming victims of homicide increases with age, while those aged between 15 and 29 are at the highest risk of homicide globally.
In the Americas, for instance, the victim rate among 18 to 19-year-olds is estimated at 46 per 100,000 – far higher than for their peers in other regions, while firearms are also involved "far more often" in homicides in the Americas than elsewhere, the UN report maintains.
"High levels of violence are strongly associated with young males, both as perpetrators and victims," the report says, "So violence prevention programmes should focus on providing support to young men to prevent them from being lured into a subculture of… gangs (and) drug dealing."
Femicide 'too often ignored'
While women and girls account for a far smaller share of victims than men, they continue to bear "by far the greatest burden" of intimate partner and family-related homicide, the report finds, adding that more than nine in 10 suspects in homicide cases are men.
"Killings carried out by intimate partners are rarely spontaneous or random," Mr. Fedotov said, noting too that the phenomenon is often under-reported and "too often ignored".
In a bid to help Governments tackle homicide, the UNODC report identifies several drivers of the problem, in addition to organized crime. They include firearms, drugs and alcohol, inequality, unemployment, political instability and gender stereotyping.
'Targeted' anti-corruption policies needed
The study also underlines the importance of addressing corruption, strengthening the rule of law and investing in public services – particularly education; these are "critical" in reducing violent crime, it insists.
Highlighting the report's broad scope – which covers everything from lethal gang violence involving firearms to links with inequality and gender-related killings - Mr. Fedotov maintained that it "is possible" to tackle the threat from criminal networks with "targeted" policies.
These include community engagement and police patrols, as well as policing reform, whose aim is to strengthen trust in officers among the local population.
For those young men already caught up in criminal gangs, they need help "so that they can extricate themselves" through social work, rehabilitation programmes and awareness-raising about non-violent alternatives.
These efforts could be more effective if they took place in "certain countries in South and Central America, Africa and Asia" and "even in countries with high national rates of homicide", the report insists.
"Killings are often concentrated in specific states, provinces and cities," it says. "Bringing down overall homicide rates depends ultimately on tackling lethal violence in these 'hotspots'".
Although the UNODC study shows that the number of homicides increased from almost 400,000 in 1992 to more than 460,000 in 2017, it explains that the actual global rate has declined (from 7.2 in 1992, to 6.1 in 2017) when measured against population growth.
(Photo credit: James Carmody | ABC).
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Thunder trade Westbrook to Houston for Paul, picks
New York - Russell Westbrook has been traded from the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Houston Rockets for Chris Paul and two first-round NBA draft picks, according to multiple reports Thursday.
The Houston Chronicle and ESPN, each citing unnamed sources, reported the agreement, the latest blockbuster move in an NBA off-season of major relocations for NBA stars and huge lineup changes for many clubs.
Eight-time All-Star Westbrook, the 2017 NBA Most Valuable Player, will be reunited with 2018 NBA MVP James Harden, his former Thunder teammate who was traded to the Rockets in 2012.
Harden and Westbrook had wanted to reunite the backcourt tandem they enjoyed for three seasons with the Thunder.
"It'll be very interesting and fun," Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta told Houston's Fox 26 TV. "James and Russell wanted to play together.
"I said at the end of the year we're never going to stand pat. We're always going to try to get better. I think this makes us a better team. I hate to lose Chris Paul, but we felt like we did what we had to do to become a better team."
Paul, who at age 34 could be looking at yet another trade deal, according to reports, joins a rebuilding Thunder squad along with Houston's first-round NBA Draft selections in 2024 and 2026 as well as the right for the Thunder to swap first-round picks with the Rockets in 2021 and 2025.
Harden has led the NBA in scoring the past two seasons, averaging 36.1 points a game this past campaign.
Westbrook has averaged triple doubles for the past three seasons, this past campaign producing 22.9 points and career highs of 11.1 rebounds and 10.7 assists.
Together, Harden, 29, and Westbrook, 30, form a super pairing as potent as any in the Western Conference, which now includes last month's NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and ex-Thunder star Paul George with the Los Angeles Clippers, plus LeBron James and Anthony Davis with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Add improved teams in Denver, Utah and Portland and Stephen Curry-led Golden State -- NBA finalists the past five years -- and the Western Conference next season figures to be up for grabs after years of dominance by the Warriors.
Oddsmakers like Rockets
Caesars Sportsbook in Las Vegas improved the odds of the Rockets winning next year's NBA title from 10-1 to 7-1, putting Houston fourth behind the Lakers (7-2), Clippers (4-1) and Milwaukee Bucks (9-2).
The first major off-season move came June 30 when Golden State's Kevin Durant and Boston's Kyrie Irving both signed with Brooklyn.
The next blockbuster came when the Clippers sent five first-round picks and two players to Oklahoma City for George, which enabled them to win a three-team pursuit for Leonard, who departed Toronto after leading the Raptors to an NBA crown.
Oklahoma City has added eight first-round draft picks and four pick swaps through 2026 in the haul from the Rockets and Clippers. Combined with its own selections this will enable the Thunder to quickly rebuild, plus use some picks in deals to land veteran talent with plenty to spare.
Westbrook has four years at $171 million remaining on his contract. Paul has three years at $124 million remaining on his deal.
The Thunder reached the playoffs in all three seasons with Harden and Westbrook in the backcourt, taking eighth in the West in 2010, fourth in 2011 and second in 2012, when Oklahoma City lost to James-led Miami in the NBA Finals.
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NDR 2018: Government will do its part to alleviate concerns about cost of living, says PM Lee
With Singaporeans still feeling the squeeze from rising cost of living, the Government will do its part to help alleviate these worries, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Sunday (Aug 19). Deborah Wong reports.
By Tang See Kit @SeeKitCNA
19 Aug 2018 07:31PM (Updated: 19 Aug 2018 11:22PM )
SINGAPORE: With Singaporeans still feeling the squeeze from rising cost of living, the Government will do its part to help alleviate these worries, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Sunday (Aug 19).
“People still feel cost of living pressures,” he said in his Chinese speech at the National Day Rally, where he highlighted four contributing factors to the worries about living costs despite Singapore seeing steady economic growth, low unemployment and higher wages.
“They sense that they have to spend more and that their earnings never seem to be quite enough.”
Mr Lee said the Government is looking at housing, education and healthcare costs “very closely” given that these major expenditure items are the top concerns among Singaporeans, especially young families and the sandwiched generation.
"We will make sure that HDB housing, healthcare and education are affordable so Singaporeans do not have to worry about them."
Meanwhile, price increases and an improved standard of living have also pushed up living costs.
Measures are in place to allay worries related to the rise in water and electricity prices, but Mr Lee said Singaporeans also have a responsibility to “look after (their) own wallets” amid lifestyle changes.
The rise in prices of goods and services here can be attributed to inflation, which has been “relatively modest” according to statistics, said Mr Lee.
Singapore has also done better than most developed countries in terms of overall wage gains though this has not occurred across the board.
“I know that not everyone’s wages grew,” said Mr Lee. “For some, their wages have stagnated. Others worry about losing their jobs because of economic restructuring. Some have lost their jobs but they are the minority fortunately.”
There are also retirees who no longer have incomes and are worried about their savings running out, he added.
“Therefore, for these Singaporeans, when prices increase ... they feel as if ‘their wallets have shrunk’.”
Mr Lee said the Government has tried to keep inflation low and prices stable, but it cannot completely prevent prices from increasing.
Water prices, for instance, have gone up for the first time in nearly 20 years following last year’s announcement of a 30 per cent hike that was implemented in two phases.
Mr Lee said the Government has put off the increase “for as long as (it) could” but it had to do it in the end given significant increases to the cost of producing clean water over the years, as well as the need to build more NEWater factories and desalination plants.
“Water will always be a precious resource for us, a strategic and security issue, as well as a sensitive foreign policy matter,” he said in his speech delivered at the Institute of Technical Education College Central in Ang Mo Kio.
(AFP/Fred Tanneau)
Moving on to the recent increase in electricity prices, Mr Lee said electricity tariffs today are actually lower compared to 2008 as he showed a chart that plotted the fluctuations of tariffs over the past 10 years.
According to that chart, the electricity tariff stood at 25.07 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) in the third quarter of 2008. Since then, it has gone up and down over the years and is now at 23.65 cents per kWh.
“Unfortunately, we all remember vividly when the electricity tariff goes up but when the tariff comes down, we forget quickly.”
With Singapore importing almost all of its energy, it cannot control electricity tariffs that track changes in global oil prices, said Mr Lee.
On why the Government does not fix electricity tariffs, the prime minister explained that doing so will involve costly subsidies as Singapore is not an oil producing country.
“This is not financially sustainable in the long run,” he said.
In addition, having such a policy will mean that those who consume more electricity will receive more subsidies.
With the well-to-do more likely to have higher consumption, subsiding the cost of electricity by fixing a low tariff is not the best way to help low-income families, Mr Lee said.
The more effective way is to give direct subsidies to low-to-middle income families for their utilities bills, such as the U-Save rebates for all households living in HDB flats.
"I hope people will understand that we have adopted the best approach to lessen the burden of Singaporeans," he added.
HIGHER SPENDING WITH LIFESTYLE CHANGES
Lifestyle changes alongside economic growth and technological progress have also contributed to higher cost of living, said Mr Lee.
Items that were once considered luxury items or did not exist before, such as air conditioners and smartphones, have now become daily necessities. People are also eating out more, while enjoying more entertainment and leisure options, he said.
"Our standard of living have gone up. That is a good thing because it means that our lives have improved.
"However to sustain this higher quality of life, people are spending more than before and that can put pressure on them," said Mr Lee.
Handphones, for one, have completely changed lifestyles and how people communicate.
With households doing away with landlines and every family member using a handphone, telecommunication bills have increased, with some low-income families having bills as much as S$300.
This accounts for more than 10 per cent of their household incomes, said Mr Lee.
This compared to how telecommunications bill was about S$8 a month or S$100 a year in the 1990s, he added.
Mr Lee also touched on how many young parents are concerned about the cost of infant milk formula in Singapore.
For that, the Government has since set up a task force led by Senior Minister of State of Trade and Industry Koh Poh Koon.
The task force has attempted to tackle the issue in various ways, such as simplifying import processes, as well as bringing in more brands and parallel imports.
Public hospitals have also begun offering more affordable brands, with private hospitals also coming on board.
The Government has also indicated clearly that it will tighten regulations for the labelling of infant formula and put a stop to misleading advertising.
Amid these initiatives, Mr Lee said the average price of formula milk has dropped.
"Through these efforts, there are now more reasonably priced options for consumers to choose from," he said.
"More importantly, young parents are better informed. They are now able to make better choices, based on their needs and budget."
Lastly, Mr Lee turned to how fewer families cook at home these days and are eating out more, given that it is more convenient especially for dual-income families.
While this lifestyle change in completely understandable, he said it pushes up the cost of living.
The Government will help Singaporeans manage the cost of eating out by building more hawker centres. Seven new centres have been built in the last few years and 13 more are on the way, he said.
“Stalls in the new hawker centres are required to provide affordable food choices. Almost every stall will offer at least one economical meal option, priced at S$3 or less.
“In other words when we tender out the hawker centres, we do not assess bids just on their tender price alone but also whether the operators can offer affordable options," said Mr Lee.
But while the Government will do its part to alleviate concerns that people have about cost of living, Mr Lee said that Singaporeans also have a responsibility to look after their own wallets.
“Each of us has a responsibility to ‘look after our own wallets’ – save water, save electricity, and at the same time, shop around for the best prices and be a smart consumer,” he said.
Source: CNA/sk
NDR 2018
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Austeja Mackelaite
Courtauld Institute of Art
Project Title: Encounters in the Eternal City: Netherlandish drawings after antique sculpture in Rome, 1522 – 1617
My PhD research investigates the importance of ancient sculpture to Netherlandish artists who travelled to Rome during the sixteenth century. With the discovery of the Laocoön in 1506, Rome became the school of the world, and its fame quickly transcended national boundaries. From Jan van Scorel (1495-1562) to Hendrick Goltzius (1558-1617), artists from the Low Countries journeyed to the Eternal City with the explicit goal of studying Classical art and used drawing as a way of recording their daily encounters. My research analyzes these surviving sketches as instances of the Northern artists’ evolving attitudes towards Antiquity, and situates them within the broader historical context of the rediscovery of ancient art both North and South of the Alps.
Supervised by Prof Joanna Woodall.
Rome, Netherlands, Antiquity, migration, drawing
Find out more about me at: https://vle.courtauld.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=818
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Cher Not Huge Cher Fan. Loves Being Cher
“Can we do it in bed?” Cher asked, smiling slyly as she emerged from a knot of corridors in her sprawling hotel suite in Midtown Manhattan at about 9 p.m. on a sultry August night. Who would say no?
“I’m freezing in here!” she said. The rooms were meat-locker cold. So I trailed her back to the much warmer bedroom where she reclined on a king-size bed in all her Cher-ness: a trim black sweatshirt and jeans set off by the biggest, most sparkling belt ever worn outside a prizefighting ring. Waves of dark hair spilled around her shoulders; a printed bandanna was tied over the crown of her head. Her feet were bare.
She’d spent the last several hours in a recording studio, putting the final touches on “Dancing Queen,” her new album of Abba covers, which will be released Sept. 28. It was inspired by her return to the big screen in the movie musical “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” in July, and precedes the debut of “The Cher Show,” the Broadway musical about her life, with performances beginning Nov. 1.
Suddenly, a wave of uncertainty crashed over me: Was I supposed to get on the bed, too?
“Where’s your drink?” she asked, as I worried. Cher, 72, had ordered us frozen hot chocolates from Serendipity 3 — “the most magical place in New York,” she said. (“I wish I’d bought it when it was for sale.”) I picked up my cup from the bedside table. “Good, sit there,” she said, pointing to the chair beside the bed.
For the next 90 minutes she talked about the sweep of her life and multi-multi-hyphenate career. From variety show TV star to pop diva. From flamboyant concert headliner to Oscar-winning actress. And now, activist and legend: Her Twitter feed, with almost 3.5 million followers, is often politically bracing. She will be awarded a Kennedy Center Honor in Washington on Dec. 2, the night before “The Cher Show,” which she is co-producing, officially opens on Broadway. And in a reflective mood, Cher offered a cleareyed assessment of how her ultra-splashy public persona has coexisted with her naturally quiet self for more than 50 years. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.
When you left home, at 16, was it to become a singer or actress, or did you just not want to be at home anymore?
I didn’t want to be bossed anymore. Little did I know I was going to get bossed a lot more. But that’s the way Sonny [Bono, her ex-husband] was. He was a Sicilian man of his generation.
It’s weird to hear you say that. You were such a boss on “The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour.”
Well, I really was confident before I met Sonny. I was this teenage ball of fire with unbelievable energy but no focus. And Sonny was all focus. He was like, “O.K., you’re going to go this way; you’re going to go that way.” And I was thrilled because I had no way. I was just bouncing off walls.
But singing wasn’t the goal?
No, that’s not what I started out to do. But I’d always sung. My mother, my uncle, my grandfather — there was always singing and guitars. My favorite thing in the world is to rehearse. I can pick any song and just stand there and sing it. No one in the audience to judge me. And I love the way singing feels in my body — because it’s so big, and I’m not. But the music comes out in the biggest way.
So, if you could do anything in the world, it would still be singing?
I was talking to Barbra Streisand one day, and she asked, “Why do you still sing?” And I said, “Because there’s going to come a day when I can’t.” No one will want to come and see me, and I won’t be able to sing the way I’m singing now. I have unbelievable pipes! My doctor says I’m a freak. But if I couldn’t sing, I’d be miserable.
And all the other things you do — the acting, the concert spectaculars, the tweeting — those are lesser …
I don’t account for things that way. I just do them. I’ve never planned a single thing in my entire life. It’s like this Abba album. I did the film. I didn’t ask to do it. My friend Ronnie Meyer called and said, “You’re doing ‘Mamma Mia,’” and hung up.
But you didn’t say no.
Ronnie used to be my agent. He ran Universal, and he’s my dear friend. So when he hung up, I thought, “Damn!” Then I thought, “Well, it’s going to take five minutes, and no one will even know I’m there.”
I hate to tell you, but you stole that movie.
I haven’t seen it. But can I tell you, I don’t remember doing anything memorable, except singing “Fernando.” Afterward, when Jen [her assistant] and I were packing to go home, I said, “You know what might be fun?” This is how I get myself into all kinds of trouble. “It might be fun to do an Abba album.” The songs are easy to sing, but they’re complicated, too. Some of them are hard as hell, which is why I was in the studio again tonight.
Had you ever considered an album of covers before?
Never. But everyone loved the idea when I suggested it — like I’d been planning it for a million years. “You’re a genius!” But I just thought it might be fun.
How are your versions of the songs different from the originals?
I wasn’t a big fan of Abba in the ’70s. Benny [Andersson] took the girls and used them like instruments. Sonny used to do that to me. He would carve out a place for them in the songs, and they would fit in that little place. But he didn’t give them space to sing the way they might have wanted to.
And your versions?
Mine are a lot freer. And it was a great time to do it. I’m a news junkie, and these are rough times. But when I was recording, I got swept up in the fun of it. The songs are silly and crazy, and for the album, I chose the ones that are saddest and the most fun.
When did you start feeling confident as a singer?
I never feel confident. Off and on, I’ve felt good about my singing. But I’ve never been a huge Cher fan. I like doing it more than hearing it. So except for a couple of albums …
What’s your favorite?
It’s probably between “Believe” and a highly underrated album called “Closer to the Truth.” There’s not a bad cut on either one of them. I’ve made millions of albums, and most of them are absolutely no good. But some of them aren’t bad.
Let’s talk about acting. When your TV variety show went away and your pop career stalled for a minute, you moved effortlessly, it seemed, to acting. You said you didn’t set out to sing. Did you set out to act?
I set out to be famous! I set out to be Cinderella. I saw two movies when I was a kid: “Dumbo” and “Cinderella.” And on the way home, I started singing the songs in the car. My mother punched my dad and said: “Listen! She’s singing songs from the movie.” I’d never heard them before. I didn’t understand the reality. I just knew I wanted to be on that screen.
Was it hard to get into rooms with directors like Robert Altman and Mike Nichols?
I knew all these famous people, but none of them would give me the time of day. I went to Mike Nichols one day for a part in a movie called “The Fortune,” and he said: “No. You’re wrong.” I just looked at him and said: “You know what? I’m very talented, and one day you’re going to be sorry.” I have no idea why I said that.
And when I was doing “5 & Dime” [“Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean”] on Broadway, Mike came to see me backstage, and he said: “You’re very talented. And I’m sorry.” Then he asked if I wanted to do a film with him and Meryl Streep. I said sure. I was actually more interested in something else that day, but I thought: This could be fun.
Did you like the script?
When we started filming “Silkwood,” I had no part whatsoever. It was tiny. And then Mike would say, “Cher, I want you in this scene.” Or: “Cher, I want you to say that.” I had no idea I was even working — or acting. “Sit on the couch and eat popcorn, and when the kids come in, say this.” That’s what it was like. I just knew that everyone was my friend, and Mike was like my dad. I even called him “Dad.” It was like playing.
For many people, acting is extremely hard work.
It didn’t feel that way to me. Also, I didn’t have to look at an audience. My whole life, I had to look out at the audience and go: “How am I doing? Do you like this?” But when you act, you only have to look at the other actors. You just have to trust them and find a way to become this other thing.
Were the people in your life surprised you were good at it?
When “Silkwood” came out, Mike called and told me that the trailer was playing at this theater in Westwood [in Los Angeles]. He said: “You’ve got to see it. It’s great.” So, I went. They showed scenes from the movie, but I didn’t really look like Cher. And the announcer said, “Starring Meryl Streep,” lots of applause. “And Kurt Russell,” more applause. “And Cher,” and everyone in the theater started laughing. I was really hurt, but I kept thinking, No, this is their honest reaction. So I called Mike and said, “Dad, they all laughed.” And he said, “They might be laughing before the movie, but they won’t be laughing after the movie.”
In fairness, the big feat of your acting career is that you’re able to submerge your gigantic public persona into these human-size roles.
Listen, people have all kinds of ideas about me. There’s the sparkly me and the quiet me. But the quiet me comes more naturally. If I could do “Silkwood” for the rest of my life, I’d be very happy.
You made a spate of good films: “Mask,” “The Witches of Eastwick,” “Moonstruck” — your Oscar. But then they stopped. Did you start saying no, or did the offers dry up?
No, I got really sick [with the Epstein-Barr virus]. For two years, I couldn’t work. It was terrible. I ended the second year with pneumonia. All these movie offers were coming in, but I had to turn them all down. I was really, really upset about it. And when I came back, I had to work my way back up from the beginning — doing concerts and stuff like that.
Was there ever a partner in your life — Sonny, Gregg Allman, David Geffen — or a good friend who was a great adviser to you? Or have you always relied on your own instincts?
Before I met Sonny, I was very much a person who relied on her own instincts. But I was very young and just handed that over to Sonny. Then when I left him, I was real happy. But I started to make huge mistakes in front of everyone because I was still 16 inside. I hadn’t grown.
What kind of mistakes?
Like marrying Gregory [Allman] and getting divorced so fast. But I had to make my mistakes in front of everyone.
Because you were so famous?
Yeah. And then I went to Las Vegas, and people thought I was an idiot because I had this big show with all these costumes. I was so bored. The last thing I wanted to do was just stand there and sing. And then I wanted to be an actress. I remember Francis [Ford Coppola] came backstage after a show. He looked at me and said, “Why aren’t you doing movies?” I just broke down sobbing. And that’s how I got myself, in a roundabout way, hooked up with Robert Altman and “5 & Dime” in New York.
Let’s talk about “The Cher Show,” the Broadway musical of your life that features a host of your hits. The premise is three versions of you — teenage Cher, pop-star Cher and mature Cher — all interacting with one another. Was that your idea?
No, that was the idea Rick Elice [the show’s book writer] always had. It was what kept me coming back to him. It took years and years to develop this show. But I think it’s a great idea because I’ve lived for so long that I really have been distinct personalities.
Right now, which version jumps out at you?
The young girl, [called] Babe [played by Micaela Diamond], is so brilliant. She just graduated from high school, and it was either go to college or come do this show. She took a big gamble. And she’s so much like me when I was young that she doesn’t even have to do anything. But they’re all working to find me at different points in my life. That’s the great hook.
Your life has been so public. Did you want to use the musical to correct the story of your life or add to it?
We go back and forth on this a lot. You have to know something more about me after the musical. That’s important to me. Listen, I didn’t have a play about myself before, and I was living very happily. So, I want it to be true and fun and like life is: Sometimes you’re great, and sometimes you’re pathetic. Sometimes you’re tired, and sometimes you break down. It should be like that. And nothing should be glossed over.
Can you feel tender toward young Cher now? The mistakes she made?
I try not to think about her much. Everybody has good things happen and bad things happen, and long stretches where nothing happens at all.
How about in reverse? Would young Cher look at you on that bed and say: Well done!
Of course! But look at where she is. She’s young; she knows nothing. She only wants to be this. [Cher points at herself.]
But you’ve always been more than “this” — feather headdresses notwithstanding.
Well, every time I go out and talk to an audience, I try to put that across. “Here’s the glitz, and here’s who I really am.”
You’ll be receiving a Kennedy Center Honor this year. Has it annoyed you not to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame?
It used to annoy me. But I know it’s just a boys’ club, and they don’t think I’m cool enough. But that’s O.K. My life is humming along without it. It’s humming along even without the Kennedy Center Honor. I was just terrified that Trump would be there.
Do you worry about alienating Trump supporters with your freewheeling, often political Twitter feed?
Trump voters don’t like me anyway. And I don’t blame them. I say terrible, true things about him. I hate him because he’s using his job to make money. But mostly, I hate him because he’s tearing this country down, and it’s going to take generations to put it back together, if we even can.
I guess if you held back, you wouldn’t be Cher.
That’s true. I’ve gotten death threats from his supporters — with pictures of me in the gas chambers. People writing, “The wrong Bono went skiing that day.” [Sonny Bono died in a skiing accident.] But I can’t hold back. It’s about character. My mom would beat me to death if I lied. I’m not starting now.
Source – NEW YORK TIMES
Cher Not Huge Cher Fan. Loves Being Cher, 10.0 out of 10 based on 5 ratings
One Response to Cher Not Huge Cher Fan. Loves Being Cher
Jason Babcock
Wow…Cher you’ve been such an inspiration and an important positive role model for many of us who had to learn to put one foot in front of the other and make our way, “our own way”, when life, and people, and social rules didn’t align with our own rules of who were are. So many things about you I adore, in particular how you never let your stage accomplishments define you as a person. God bless you and your family!
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Paying a high price
Chicago’s prosecution of drug offenders is inefficient and discriminatory
David Kaner
$142—that’s enough money to subsidize the lunches of several dozen schoolchildren. Or purchase a slew of new books for the public library. Or keep an extra cop on the beat at night.
It’s also, incredibly, the cost of locking up a person for a single night in jail in Chicago. More than 23,000 times last year, these expensive lockups occurred not because the arrestee had committed murder, rape, or theft, but because he or she was caught with a small amount of marijuana.
Local judges frequently dismiss low-level drug charges at a preliminary hearing, but by the time this hearing occurs, the accused may have spent anywhere from a couple of days to three weeks in jail. The end result? Hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars funneled towards keeping people locked up unnecessarily.
This summer, Cook County faced a budget shortfall estimated at $315 million. The city of Chicago’s deficit is projected to be more than $635 million next year.
Forced by circumstances into a budget-cutting frenzy, local governments have cut millions, adversely affecting the quality of life for teachers and other public employees, students, the elderly, transit riders, and highway users. In fact, it’s hard to conceive of anyone in the Chicago area who isn’t being hit in some way or another.
It is outrageous, at a time when funds are being stripped from essentials like education, that we continue to squander money on pointless arrests. On pure economic utility grounds, Chicago cops should stop arresting people on minor possession charges.
Yet the waste of public funds, bad as it is, is the far lesser of two evils associated with drug arrests in Chicago. The numbers tell the story. In 2009 and 2010, in a city that is one-third black, nearly 80 percent of arrests for possession were of blacks. Of the small fraction of cases that were not dismissed, 89 percent of people who pleaded or were found guilty were black, 9 percent were Hispanic, and only 2 percent were white.
Either the arrest record reflects the reality, and only 2 percent of the pot smokers in Chicago are white, or there is a deeply insidious set of circumstances at work here. Any rational person can guess which one it is.
Put frankly—equal justice under the law—a concept so important to our legal code that it is carved into the front of the Supreme Court building, is a beleaguered notion in this city. In black neighborhoods, cops often make drug arrests that stem from infractions like minor traffic violations or jaywalking.
Many convictions result from police officers stating that the arrestee, upon seeing them, makes the improbable move of throwing the drugs on the ground in front of them (which means no search was necessary, and more importantly no inconvenient constitutional issues surrounding the search can come up in court). To be arrested for marijuana charges as a white person, one generally has to do something like run a stop sign while smoking a joint in the process.
Some will argue that the disparity is a result of police being more on the lookout for drug use in areas with high crime and known narcotics—areas which tend to be predominantly black—rather than overt racism on the part of the police. Regardless of motives, this behavior still places an unjust burden on the black community.
There are some claims to be made that making small time drug arrests is part of the “broken window theory”: if cops target people for minor violations, it engenders a sense of lawfulness in the community, which drives down crime rates. But do these arrests not also engender suspicion of the police, and undermine its effectiveness in troubled neighborhoods? Furthermore, couldn’t the time it takes the cop to process the offender be better spent on the beat, targeting more serious crimes?
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, who until last year represented part of Hyde Park as an alderwoman, made national headlines this summer by advocating for a change in local drug policy. She’s called the War on Drugs a “failure,” arrests for small amounts a “waste of time,” and has tried to convince the police department to issue citations instead of jailing people. She even went as far as to publically state her support for the decriminalization of small amounts of marijuana. It’s an uncommonly brave position for a politician to take, and she should be commended for it.
Perhaps Chicago, where the economic and social justice arguments against these unnecessary arrests seem particularly acute, can be a test case for reform. I suspect doing so would save money and bolster the cause of equality without affecting public safety.
President Preckwinkle is on target, and it’s time our police department, mayor, and other public officials join her in rethinking current policies.
David Kaner is a second-year in the College majoring in Law, Letters, and Society.
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Women more likely than men to face poverty during retirement
| CHICAGO
In this photo provided by Adam Allington, taken June 17, 2016, shows Marsha Hall. During their working years, women tend to earn less than men, and when they retire, they
During their working years, women tend to earn less than men, and when they retire, they're more likely to live in poverty.
These are women who raised children and cared for sick and elderly family members, often taking what savings and income they do have and spending it on things besides their own retirement security.
The National Institute on Retirement Security, a nonprofit research center, reports that women are 80 percent more likely than men to be impoverished at age 65 and older. Women age 75 to 79 are three times more likely.
While experts cite a pay gap as a major cause for retirement insecurity, other factors play a role, from single parenthood and divorce to the fact that women typically live longer than men.
For Marsha Hall, 60, the process of trying to save for retirement has been nearly impossible.
"I've had jobs that included a 401(k) and I was able to put some money aside, every month," she says. "But then I would get laid off and have to cash out the 401(k) to have money to live on."
Born and raised in Detroit, Hall is divorced and doesn't have any children. She works part time as a file clerk. She and her siblings pitch in to care for their 75-year old mother. Hall says she tries not to think about what her situation will be like at that age.
"My bills are current, I have food," she says, "but I'm still living paycheck to paycheck, if it wasn't for Section 8 (a housing subsidy), I don't know where I'd be living."
Joan Entmacher, vice president for family economic security at the National Women's Law Center, says "the solution to the retirement (funding) crisis starts with the earnings and wage gap."
That gap narrowed between the 1970s and 1990s, but stopped shrinking in 2001. Women earn about 76 cents to 79 cents on the dollar, compared with men.
Women are more likely to report that Social Security is the biggest source of income — 50 percent to 38 percent for men, according to a recent poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Women are 14 percentage points less likely to say they will receive a pension.
Entmacher says women are more likely to take on caregiving responsibilities, which increases the likelihood they will end up working part-time jobs, often for lower wages, and without benefits such as pensions, sick leave and health care.
"The bulk of stay-at-home moms are not these high income, well-educated women that you read about," she says.
Over a 40-year career, the pay gap between men and women adds up to an average of $430,480, accordion to the Census Bureau. For minorities and women of color, the number is much higher.
"If we are talking about a 65-year-old black woman, she was born before desegregation," says Karen Lincoln, a professor at the University of Southern California and director of a center for geriatric social work.
"This has a huge impact on things like the quality of education they receive, the employment opportunities available to them, and their ability to accumulate wealth," Lincoln says.
Lincoln points to additional census data showing African-American women are paid 64 percent that of white men, compared with 54 percent for Hispanic and Latina women. In addition to making less, women are much more likely to be single parents, putting additional economic strains on them. In 2013, almost 83 percent of custodial parents were mothers, according to the census.
Starting with the Johnson administration's "War on Poverty" in 1964, and the creation of safety-net programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, poverty rates among both men and women have been falling steadily. In 1966 the percentage of women over 65 living below the federal poverty line stood at 32 percent, compared with 12.1 percent in 2014. For men over 65, the numbers are 23.5 percent and 7.4 percent, respectively.
Yet some analysts say the poverty rate is a poor gauge to assess the quality of life for aging seniors.
"The poverty rate is a deceptive number, it doesn't reflect the money they (men and women) need to actually exist," says Jennifer Brown, manager of research at the National Institute on Retirement Security.
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Brown says that increasing life spans mean a woman in the United States today will live five years longer than the average man, and about four years longer than her grandmother.
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"Those increases in longevity come with huge increases in medical costs," Brown says. "Especially if you're taking about things like long-term care or treatment for mental disabilities such as dementia and Alzheimer's."
Medicare does not cover long-term care. To get some subsidized coverage, seniors would need to spend down their assets to qualify for Medicaid or have a long-term care insurance policy.
In 2016, the census poverty threshold for a single person is $11,880. According to UCLA's Elder Index, a measure of the cost for housing, food, transport and health care, for a 65-year-old renter, the base cost pay for these needs is $24,024 and growing.
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The 18 prisoners of conscience of the China 18 represent thousands of men and women in China who work at their peril to promote and advocate for the rule of law, religious freedom, democracy, and basic human rights. As a result, these brave Chinese citizens face harassment, incarceration, torture, and often with similar consequences for their family members. Thus, we urge you to raise the cases of the China 18 by name, press for their immediate and unconditional release, and make it clear to Chinese government authorities that the international community will not let their efforts be in vain.
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Pastor John Cao served as a missionary in Myanmar’s Wa State, transforming the lives of more than 2,000 impoverished minority children by building 16 schools and worked to fight poverty in the region. Chinese officials knew that he repeatedly crossed the border between China and Myanmar because of his work and allowed him to do so for three years.
John Cao
Liu Xianbin, who uses the pen name Wan Xianming, is a human rights activist, China Democracy Party organizer, and writer and signer of Charter 08, a manifesto calling for reform of China’s human rights, is serving a 10-year prison term.
Liu Xianbin
Tang Jingling is a human rights lawyer whose clients have included villagers fighting government corruption and victims of illegal land appropriation.
Tang Jingling
Alimujiang Yimiti, a Uyghur Christian house church leader, was criminally detained on Jan. 12, 2008, for “inciting separatism” and “unlawfully providing state secrets to overseas organizations” and formally arrested on Feb. 20.
Alimujiang Yimiti
Guo Feixiong is the pen name of Yang Maodong, a writer, activist, self-taught legal defender. He has been held since Aug. 8, 2013 in a local detention center in Guangzhou, south China’s Guangdong province for “assembling a crowd to disrupt order in a public place.”
Guo Feixiong
Liu Ping, a grassroots civil rights activist in China and member of the New Citizens’ Movement, is currently serving a 6 1/2 year prison sentence for several charges.
Liu Ping
Award-winning human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng has handled a number of high-profile cases, including a dispute over government-seized oil fields in Shaanxi, the cases of Christians in the far west region of Xinjiang, and Falun Gong cases.
Gao Zhisheng
Li Chang, a retired PRC Ministry of Public Security, was coercively summoned by authorities on July 20, 1999, two days before the official ban of Falun Gong, and put under residential surveillance for three months until his official arrest on Oct. 19, 1999.
Li Chang
Gulmira Imin was detained on July 14, 2009 in Asku, a city in China’s far western Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region for her alleged involvement in the organization of the July 5, 2009 protests in Ürümqi, the regional capital.
Gulmira Imin
Wang Bingzhang, a permanent resident of the United States and a Christian, is a veteran of China’s pro-democracy movement currently serving a life sentence on charges of espionage and terrorism.
Wang Bingzhang
Lobsang Tsering was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Jan. 31, 2013 for “intentional homicide” in connection to the self-immolation of eight Tibetans, although five of the self-immolations never occurred.
Lobsang Tsering
Gao Yu, a veteran Chinese journalist and political activist, is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence for allegedly leaking state secrets.
Gao Yu
Pastor Zhang Shaojie, of Nanle County Christian Church in China’s central Henan, is currently serving a 12-year prison term for “gathering a crowd to disrupt the public order” and a fabricated fraud charge.
Zhang Shaojie
Hu Shigen, a pro-democracy activist and renowned church elder, currently waits out a seven-and-a-half year sentence on falsified charges of “subversion of state power.”
Hu Shigen
Ms. Yang Rongli and her husband, Wang Xiaoguang, were the leaders of the 50,000-member Linfen house church in inland Shanxi province, until they were arrested in 2009.
Yang Rongli
Chen Kegui, nephew of prominent rights defender and blind legal activist Chen Guangcheng, served a three-year, three-month prison sentence for assault in a case related to the older Chen’s escape from illegal house arrest.
Chen Kegui
Wang Zhiwen was released from prison on Oct. 18, 2014. According to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, Wang was “immediately sent to what his family describes as a ‘brainwashing center’ for 10 days.” Wang’s freedom of movement has been restricted since his release.
Wang Zhiwen
Dhondup Wangchen is a Tibetan filmmaker who served six years in a Chinese prison.
Dhondup Wangchen
Zhu Yufu, a veteran political activist and a Christian, is serving a seven-year prison term for “inciting subversion of state power.” Zhu has previously been imprisoned twice for a total of nine years.
Zhu Yufu
Guo Quan was an associate professor at Nanjing Normal University until he was dismissed based on criticism he published. He is currently serving a 10-year prison term for “subversion of state power.”
Guo Quan
Khenpo Karma Tsewang, also known as Khenpo Kartse, is a Tibetan monk who was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison in a secret trial in the summer of 2014.
Khenpo Karma Tsewang
Li Guozhi, better known as his alias, Yang Hua, has been serving a two-and-a-half year sentence in Guiyang, Guizhou, and has suffered multiple counts of torture on account of his work as a pastor.
Yang Hua
Writer, renowned literary critic, one of China’s leading political activists, and the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Liu Xiaobo was perhaps China’s most well-known political prisoner currently behind bars. He was in prison in northeast China’s Liaoning province serving an 11-year sentence for subversion until his death on July 13, 2017.
Peng Ming, a veteran pro-democracy and human rights activist and a Christian, served a life sentence in his native Hubei province starting 2005 until his death in Nov. 29, 2016. His family believes he was murdered, and the prison refused to allow an autopsy and forbade his family from attending his funeral.
Peng Ming
Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, a prominent member of the Tibetan exile, died after serving 13 years of a life sentence in China for “terrorism and inciting separatism” on July 12, 2015 at the age of 65. He was falsely accused of having orchestrated a bombing in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province.
Tenzin Delek Rinpoche
Yang Tianshui, a well-known journalist, participated in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. He is currently serving a 12-year prison term after being convicted of “inciting subversion of state power.”
Yang Tianshui
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135 | How To Leverage A Modest Income With Joel From How To Money
By Sarah Sharkey
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Brad and Jonathan talk to Joel from How to Money about his path to Financial Independence. Joel has pursued FI on a relatively low income and has used pure hustle to fill in the gaps.
Joel’s Story
In the beginning, the first thing that made Joel think about money was his parents’ bankruptcy. After years of spending at the upper limit of what they could afford, disaster struck and pushed the family into bankruptcy. At the time, Joel was 12 years old and the whole encounter really changed the way he approached money.
He realized that if you do not know how to handle money well, then it can lead to a stressful and difficult life. The hard times affected his outlook on life. At a young age, Joel decided that he wanted a different future for his family.
That’s not what I want for my family someday. It’s really really important for me to figure out the nuts and bolts of how I get my money act together so that money doesn’t become an issue someday when I get married and have kids.
Although his parents were not wild spenders, they did spend largely on housing and cars. One memory that has really stuck with Joel is the brand new Dodge Durango in the driveway. His parents had bought it even though they couldn’t afford it. Once his dad lost his job they knew that it was just a matter of time before the Durango was repossessed.
You can’t predict when you’re going to have a job loss, but you can prepare for it.
Choosing A Different Path
Instead of emulating his parents, Joel did the exact opposite at the time of his first major purchase. He mowed lawns and worked at a fast food place for years to save up the money to buy his first car. He wasn’t even aware that you could buy a car with money you didn’t have.
It was a quick first lesson. Already, he was on-board with buying cars in cash. Plus, it is well known in the FI community that there are awesome cars with a few years on them.
Related: Longest Lasting Cars On The Road Today
Although he didn’t quite know what to do with his money yet, he knew that he wanted to be frugal. His frugality bordered on the miserly but it was a starting point for growth. He knew that he could make his life much more difficult by spending more money than he should so he paid attention to where the pennies were going.
Finding A Financial Education
After witnessing his dad lose a job, he knew two things. He couldn’t spend more than he was bringing in and he wanted to have a job that he loved.
I had to figure out something in regards to money. I had to find some sort of help…it made me decide that I wanted to keep more of the money I made, as opposed to buying stuff… if I make a decision like [buying the brand new Dodge Durango], I can completely sink a lot of the other things around me. I can really make life a lot harder than it has to be.
At 22 years old, he landed his second job out of school as a producer on the Clark Howard show. Working on this show became the crash course in finances he had been looking for. And although the job paid around just $24,000 a year, Joel loved the job.
Joy Of Going To Work
He warns anyone that wants to go into the radio industry that the low salary is fairly typical for the business. For Joel, it is worth the relatively small paycheck because he loves the job.
Frugality was essential because I really just wasn’t making very much money…the salaries aren’t amazing, but you know what, the joy of getting to go to work every day and enjoying what I do, that to me was worth it.
Plus, he was given a financial education on the job while producing the Clark Howard show. Joel says that his mindset and skill set have grown due to the show and that is worth it to him.
Even on this relatively low salary, Joel has been able to put himself and his growing family on the path to FI through real estate.
Moving Towards FI
From an early age, Joel had the frugality aspect down. If he was going to reach FI on a smaller income, then frugality would have to be a key component.
Your approach to FI changes when you’re making less money. And so, for me, the best thing I had at my disposal was, first, continuing to be frugal. But then, on the other side, funneling my money into investments I could understand.
Joel knew that it was not enough to just save the money, he also needed to invest it in places he understood. The first place to start was his 401(k). He contributed enough to receive his employer’s match. The next place investment vehicle that he understood was real estate, so he decided to funnel his savings there.
Joel’s First House
In order to save up 20% down for his first house on a yearly salary of $24,000, Joel had to hustle. He picked up a side gig of pressure washing houses in the mornings before work. The side hustle helped him accelerate his savings towards a down payment.
The timing of Joel’s first house purchase coincided with the market collapse. Although it was a scary downturn, Joel knew that this was his opportunity of a lifetime. So, he purchased a home for $89,000 with 20% after saving for just 2.5 years on a salary of $24,000.
I realized quickly ‘what if I can replicate this?’ And that’s when I came up with this two year rule. If I could buy a house every two years, if I could just accelerate and bank that savings, bank the extra, and save that towards another down payment. Well, this is something highly replicable in my life.
That first house has been a building block towards FI. After he bought the house, he brought in a roommate that paid most of the mortgage. Without a lot of living expenses hanging over his head, Joel was able to save another down payment of 20% for his next home purchase. The next purchase was also a single family home that he was able to move into and completely rent out the first.
The Next House
Joel chose to owner occupy his home purchases because it gave him many benefits. First, the financing opportunities are better for an owner occupant. Secondly, living in the house allowed him to understand his investment better. For example, he knew what things he would likely have to replace soon and anything that might go wrong with the house.
With the goal of buying a new home every two years, Joel was able to amass five doors that he self-manages in the area near his house. Now that he has a wife and three kids, they will not be continuing the owner occupant strategy. However, they do still rent out the back part of their home to a roommate to cover some of the mortgage. This has allowed his wife to stay home with their young kids.
Joel’s Real Estate Portfolio
Today, Joel owns three single-family homes and one duplex. He self-manages all of these properties and does what he can to keep expenses down. The idea behind self-managing is–why pay someone to do something that you can do yourself. Plus, no one will care more about your investment than you do.
The ultimate goal of the real estate portfolio is for real estate to pay all of their expenses. Currently, it brings in around $20,000 a year.
Although he bought a property in 2017 and 2018, Joel is not currently looking for a new buy. For now, he is looking into investments with less hands-on management required. However, in the future, that may change. Joel says it is possible for the portfolio to produce enough income to put 25% down on a property every single year.
If Joel resumes buying properties, then he plans to focus on multi-family properties instead of single-family homes.
How To Get Started Building Your Real Estate Portfolio
As a general place to start, Joel likes the 1% rule. The 1% rule means that if you buy a house for $150,000 then the monthly rent of the unit should be $1,500. He also looks for houses that will likely appreciate over time or houses that he can buy at a deal.
Depending on your market, some of these guidelines may be more helpful than others. For example, if you live in Denver then the 1% rule may seem laughable. However, if you live in a stagnant market, then the idea of looking for a property that will appreciate is equally laughable.
I look for that 1% rule, I want to see appreciation over time, and I also want to see cash flow. But again, this is market specific.
Do the research in your own area to determine what you should be looking for in a property. Make sure the numbers make sense before jumping on what seems to be a deal.
In terms of property management, Joel likes the do-it-yourself approach. However, it is not for everyone. Know what you are getting into before you sign up to manage a new investment property. Regardless if it is by yourself, or through a property management company.
If you are starting today, Joel recommends buying a multi-family unit. You can live in one of the units and have the other units cover the mortgage. With that, you have the opportunity to build up your savings quickly and potentially buy more properties rapidly.
Working On The Clark Howard Show
Joel loves going to work every day. As a producer of the Clark Howard show, Joel’s approach to money has been understandably altered. Listening to one of the largest personal finance shows in the world every day has helped shape his mindset about money.
For me, it was this overall mindset shift… Money has a lot of value. I don’t have to just cling to everything. I can actually use it well. And I can use it well to invest and to care for others.
In addition to the takeaways in the real estate space, there have been many others during his 12 years on the show. From cutting down monthly bills to being more generous with his money, the show has changed many things.
It’s about helping people think about money in a completely new way. And they think about their money bills in a way that they hadn’t thought about before.
“How To Money”
After years of learning from the show, Joel decided to put more information out into the world from a personal perspective. With his co-host, Matt, they discuss money topics in a light way. The goal is to help people recognize that they do not have to give everything up to be financially successful.
Joel’s Approach To Life
Joel has leveraged a small salary and hustle into a growing real estate empire. Although he does not have a FI date in mind, it could be in the next several years.
Joel’s goal is to continue to do something that he loves every single day. And if it takes getting to FI a little longer because of that, that’s ok.
Whether he chooses to invest more into his side hustle or decides to take a mini-retirement, Joel is content in his choice to lead a fulfilled life on his journey to FI.
Listen to Brad and Jonathan’s review of this episode here.
You can find Joel’s podcast “How To Money” wherever you download your podcasts. Also, check out howtomoney.com for more ways to connect with Joel’s content.
Favorite Blog: Instead of a blog, Joel shared his favorite podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience. Specifically, a favorite episode was an interview with Colin O’Brady, the man who pulled a sled across Antarctica.
Favorite Article: #48: Everything Costs More Than You Think
Biggest Life Hack: Ride your bike more. In particular, a cargo bike.
Biggest Financial Mistake: Thinking that buying cheap stuff was a good idea. Just because something is on sale does not make it a good purchase.
The advice you would give your younger self: Be more generous. A miserly approach to money is not a good way to live with money.
Bonus! What is the purchase you have made over the last 12 months that has brought the most value to your life? AfterShokz bone conduction headphones Full Disclosure: We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase, at no additional cost to you. .
Related Episodes And Articles
What Is House Hacking
Podcast Episode: House Hacking With Coach Carson
New to FI? Be sure to check out Episode 100: Welcome To The FI Community!
Sarah Sharkey
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1 thought on “135 | How To Leverage A Modest Income With Joel From How To Money”
Nice interview.
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Chichester area Talking News
The FREE service designed to keep you informed and in touch
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Local News, Recorded Locally for Visually Impaired People
Every fortnight, Chichester area Talking News (CaTN) produces an hour of local news on memory stick and CD for blind and partially sighted people in the Chichester, Bognor Regis, Midhurst and Petworth areas. That is to say - the areas covered by the three editions of the local Observer newspaper - from the coastal towns and villages as far north to Haslemere, east to Elmer and west to Emsworth and Rowlands Castle.
Founded in 1975, CaTN celebrated its 1,000th Edition in August 2014. To mark this achievement, we produced a Commemorative Programme for you to listen to.
Every quarter, CaTN produces INSIGHT - a 75 minute magazine programme which is also distributed free to listeners. With its own dedicated producer, presenter and technical operator, it seeks out interesting items of local and general interest. Over the years it has covered subjects as varied as the work of various charities - ranging from the Mary Rose project at Portsmouth to the Weald and Downland Museum in Singleton. INSIGHT has reported on local agricultural businesses and unearthed the history of the area with items by the local Public Records office. In addition, the literary work of the people from the area, famous and not so famous, is included, along with all manner of quirky reports covering a wide range of human activities. The passing seasons are reflected with items from Richard Williamson, the cultural life of the area is celebrated, and interviews and profiles of well known local people past and present pop up from time to time. We know from our postbag that many of our listeners look forward to each edition and often keep it to listen again to a particular favourite item.
Really Local News
Most of us rely on our local newspaper to keep in touch with what is happening in and around the area in which we live, providing information that does not reach us by means of television or radio. This is the really local news from which the visually impaired are completely cut off unless they happen to have a relative or friend who can spare the time to read to them regularly. The "talking newspaper" produced by CaTN fills this gap, and plays an important role in helping to restore their independence as well as creating the opportunity for them to continue to take an active interest in the community.
© Copyright Chichester Area Talking News Association.
Registered Charity: Number 273279
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United States defeats Sweden 2-0, clinching Group F in Women's World Cup
By Thom Craver
Updated on: June 21, 2019 / 10:04 AM / CBS News
U.S. defeats Sweden in Women's World Cup, advances to knockout round
The United States women's national team beat No. 9 ranked Sweden in their final group stage match of the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup, with a final score of 2-0.
With the win, the U.S. wins Group F and will now face Spain in the knockout phase. Second place Sweden will face Canada, who were runners up in Group E. Both matches are Monday, June 24.
USA vs. Sweden recap
Tobin Heath of the USA in action during the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup France group F match between Sweden and USA at Stade Oceane on Thu., June 20, 2019, in Le Havre, France. Getty
The United States wasted no time getting on the board earning a corner kick in the third minute of play. U.S. forward Megan Rapinoe sent a low bouncing ball into the box that somehow missed every Sweden defender. It found its way to Lindsey Horan who made no mistake getting into the net quickly for the first goal of the game.
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After some back and forth play, each team had some good chances to add tallies. But after the first 45, the U.S. took a 1-0 lead into the break.
It took until the second half for the U.S. to get on the board again. A long ball was played into the box for Tobin Heath who danced in close to get it into the net. After review, the tally was marked as an own goal, touched in the end by Sweden's Jonna Andersson. The goal was the 18th of the tournament for the U.S., setting a record for most goals by a single team in the group stage of the tournament.
While it wasn't the blowout fans have come to expect, it got the job done. The USWNT ties Germany as the only two teams to win their Group seven times. Head coach Jill Ellis extends her all-time World Cup record to nine wins and one draw.
The @USWNT cruise past Sweden to finish the group stage without allowing a goal.
Watch the full game highlights with our 90' in 90" ⬇️#BelieveWithUS #FIFAWWC pic.twitter.com/Qehu8Mdool
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 20, 2019
Women's World Cup bracket schedule
The knockout phase of the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup begins Saturday, June 22 with the Round of 16. Here's the compete schedule. Download your printable bracket from our friends at CBS Sports.
Germany vs. Nigeria, 11:30 a.m. ET on FS1
Norway vs. Australia, 3 p.m. ET on Fox
England vs. Cameroon, 11:30 a.m. ET on FS1
France vs. Brazil, 3 p.m. ET on Fox
Spain vs. USA, Noon ET on FS1
Sweden vs. Canada, 3 p.m. ET on FS1
Italy vs. China, Noon ET on FS1
Netherlands vs. Japan, 3 p.m. ET on FS1
Final group standings
Here are the final standings at the end of the group stage of the Women's World Cup. Teams earn three points for a win and one for a draw (tie). Parenthetical numbers after each team are for wins, draws and losses. Parenthetical numbers at the end of each line are the goal differential - the difference between goals scored and goals allowed - for each team. This is the first tiebreaker after total points earned.
France (3-0-0), 9 points (GD: +6)
Norway (2-0-1), 6 points (GD: +6)
Nigeria (1-0-2), 3 points (GD: +3)
South Korea (0-0-3), 0 points (GD: -7)
Germany (3-0-0), 9 points (GD: +6)
Spain (1-1-1), 4 points (GD: +1)
China (1-1-1), 4 points (GD: 0)
South Africa (0-0-3), 0 points (GD: -7)
Italy (2-0-1), 6 points (GD: +5)
Australia (2-0-1), 6 points (GD: +3)
Brazil (2-0-1), 6 points (GD: +3)
Jamaica (0-0-3), 0 points (GD: -11)
England (3-0-0), 9 points (GD: +4)
Japan (1-1-1), 4 points (GD: -1)
Argentina (0-2-1), 2 points (GD: -1)
Scotland (0-1-2), 1 point (GD: -2)
Netherlands (3-0-0), 9 points (GD: +18)
Canada (2-0-1), 6 points (GD: +2)
Cameroon (1-0-2), 3 points (GD: -2)
New Zealand (0-0-3), 0 points (GD: -4)
United States (3-0-0) 9 points (GD: +18)
Sweden (2-0-0) 6 points (GD: 0)
Chile (0-0-2) 0 points (GD: -3)
Thailand (0-0-2) 0 points (GD: -19)
First published on June 20, 2019 / 3:05 PM
Thom Craver
Thom is a technical analyst for CBS Interactive.
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Obama creates "resilience area" for Alaskan natives along Bering Strait
December 9, 2016 / 5:28 PM / AP
ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- President Barack Obama responded to appeals from Alaska Native villages and gave them more of a say in the federal management of marine resources of the Bering Sea.
Obama signed an executive order Friday to create a Northern Bering Sea Climate Resilience Area that will focus “locally tailored” protections on marine resources.
The newly created resilience area covers 112,300 square miles and stretches from north of the Bering Strait to north of Bristol Bay.
The marshy, tundra landscape surrounding Newtok is seen from a plane on July 6, 2015 outside Newtok, Alaska. Andrew Burton/Getty Images
The order requires more focused federal consultation with Alaska tribes and 39 communities that line the west coast of Alaska, along with state officials.
The area supports what may be the world’s largest annual marine mammal migration of bowhead and beluga whales, Pacific walrus, ice seals and migratory birds.
The order also withdraws from federal petroleum leasing 40,300 square miles of Norton Basin and the offshore area around St. Matthew Island, two places already recognized as important marine mammal hunting areas.
Kawerak Inc., a regional non-profit corporation that provides social services to Alaska Native Villages along Alaska’s west coast, and the Bering Sea Elders Group in June urged Obama to give villages more of a voice to promote self-determination in management of natural resources and habitat.
Residents of coastal villages have seen dramatic changes brought on by climate change, mostly in the form of sea ice that forms later in the winter and disappears sooner in spring. Changes in ice have modified migration patterns of marine mammals, in some cases making hunting uncertain and more dangerous.
Loss of sea ice also has opened opportunities for expanded cargo traffic, offshore petroleum drilling, tourism and other commercial activities, changes that that villages may not welcome and that could affect the security of their traditional food from the sea.
The executive order establishes a task force with village representation that will consult on federal management activities in the area and work to protect cultural and subsistence activities.
Obama’s order elevates Alaska Native comment on projects such as a port access route study nearing completion by the Coast Guard. With increased shipping, the agency is working on vessel traffic control measures through the Bering Strait, the choke point between North America and Asia.
The decision would require village comment on expansion of large-scale commercial fishing that could affect subsistence life, such as trawling.
Agencies were directed to consider Alaska Native traditional knowledge in their Bering Sea management decisions.
Fred Philip, executive director of the Native Village of Kwigillingok, said in a statement that Obama recognizes his people’s need for self-determination and is the first president to require that traditional knowledge and expertise be applied to federal management.
“This is real progress,” he said.
Harry Lincoln, a Yupik elder from Tununak, and the chairman of the Bering Sea Elders Group, thanked Obama.
“It is the Native elders’ vision that the northern Bering Sea and the resources that our people rely on be protected because they are the foundation of our culture and way of life,” he said.
Alaska Gov. Bill Walker and Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott in a joint statement said while they support Bering Strait tribal leaders who worked to provide economic opportunities while protecting resources, they have other concerns.
“The State of Alaska is concerned about any further erosion of our ability to support much needed resource development at a time when the state is grappling with declining oil prices and production,” they said.
Messages requesting comment from Alaska’s all-Republican congressional delegation were not immediately returned Friday. Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan and U.S. Rep. Don Young on Thursday sent a letter to Obama warning of their strong objections to withdrawing any more acreage in the Arctic Ocean north of the Bering Strait, which is projected to hold 23.6 billion barrels of oil.
“President Obama has canceled lease sales, made permits all but impossible to acquire, and excluded Arctic basins from the next offshore leasing plan,” Murkowski said. “That’s more than enough damage for one administration.”
First published on December 9, 2016 / 5:28 PM
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Coming Attractions.
Kip Mooney November 20, 2015
On The Night Before, And The Rest Of The Weekend’s New Film Releases.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 2.
Director: Francis Lawrence.
Writers: Peter Craig, Danny Strong.
Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Donald Sutherland.
Playing At: Wide.
The games are over as the districts unite to overthrow President Snow (Donald Sutherland). Part 1 was a good first half of a movie, but occasionally too grim. Hopefully Part 2 closes out on a more hopeful, thrilling note. This series has been miles ahead of Twilight and Divergent, but that's not a high bar to clear. This one needs to wrap up the loose threads in a way that doesn't feel like an obligation.
The Night Before.
Director: Jonathan Levine.
Writers: Jonathan Levine, Kyle Hunter, Ariel Shaffir, Evan Goldberg.
Cast: Seth Rogen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anthony Mackie, Jillian Bell.
Ever since I heard the guys playing Kanye West's “Runaway” on the giant piano at F.A.O. Schwarz, I knew this movie would be right up my alley. Seth Rogen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Anthony Mackie play three buddies who go out for one last Christmas Eve bacchanal. That sounds like my kind of night.
Secret in Their Eyes.
Director: Billy Ray.
Writer: Billy Ray.
Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Nicole Kidman, Julia Roberts, Alfred Molina.
Like all remakes, this one will draw endless comparisons to the original, which won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. Julia Roberts plays a detective hell-bent on finding her daughter's killer, due process be damned. This film has a stacked cast, but it still can't help but beg the question, “Why?”
Brooklyn.
Director: John Crowley.
Writer: Nick Hornby.
Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Domhnall Gleeson, Emory Cohen, Julie Walters.
Playing At: Angelika Plano, The Magnolia.
Saoirse Ronan, one of the most exceptional young actresses working today, plays Ellis, an Irish immigrant to the titular borough. Though she struggles to make it as a shopgirl, she falls in love with Tony (Emory Cohen). But then a family emergency calls her back to Ireland, and she's stuck between her uncertain but exciting life in America and her comfortable but possibly still fulfilling life in Ireland. It sounds old-fashioned, but critics have unanimously praised it for being extremely well-done and gentle and romantic.
Trumbo.
Director: Jay Roach.
Writer: John McNamara.
Cast: Bryan Cranston, Helen Mirren, Diane Lane, Louis CK.
Bryan Cranston gets his cinematic role of a lifetime as Dalton Trumbo, the outspoken screenwriter who was blacklisted in the '50s for his support of the Communist party. But he kept on writing, using his quick wit to avoid prison and churn out great movie after great movie. Expect a lighter take on a dark time in our nation's history.
By the Sea.
Director: Angelina Jolie Pitt.
Writer: Angelina Jolie Pitt.
Cast: Angelina Jolie Pitt, Brad Pitt, Melanie Laurent, Melvil Poupaud.
Playing At: Angelika Dallas, Cinemark West Plano.
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie Pitt drink, smoke, brood, fight and screw at a seaside hotel in France. Unsurprisingly, many people found that to be dreadfully boring. But more power to them for wanting to make the movie they wanted to make, instead of a blockbuster or romantic comedy.
The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution.
Director: Stanley Nelson.
Playing At: Angelika Dallas.
This PBS documentary takes a volatile look at the activist group as it approaches its 50th anniversary. Sadly, many of the things they were rallying against all those years ago are still happening today.
Hot Sugar's Cold World.
Director: Adam Bhala Lough.
Playing At: Texas Theatre.
DJ Hot Sugar experiments with natural sounds (or unnatural, depending on how you view drums made out of human skulls) to create his aural wonders. This doc takes a look at his creative process, including collaborations with iconoclasts like Neil deGrasse Tyson and Jim Jarmusch.
Repertory Pick of the Week.
Singin' in the Rain.
Directors: Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly.
Writers: Adolph Green, Betty Comden.
Cast: Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds, Jean Hagen.
Playing At: The Magnolia.
Showing: Tuesday, November 24.
I don't like to mince words. This is my favorite movie of all time. Nothing can top the colorful musical numbers, the endless one-liners and the boundless joy it brings me. The cast is impeccable, the movie beautifully shot and the songs are some of the best ever recorded. Seeing this in a theater could quite possibly change your life.
Previous ArticleThings To Do This Weekend.
Next ArticleD-Rated.
Kip Mooney
Kip Mooney is a pop culture junkie and die-hard Dallas Mavericks fan. With an unquenchable passion for film, a healthy appetite for politics, and a keen interest in religion, he's been writing for Central Track since 2014. He cares about all things Dallas, except the Cowboys.
Angela Travis July 11, 2019
Travis McMillan July 11, 2019
[Film Review] Spidey’s Latest Ain’t Too Far From Homecoming.
Javier Fuentes July 3, 2019
[Film Review] The Sun Doesn’t Quite Shine On Midsommar.
Angela Travis July 3, 2019
Coming Attractions: Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, Midsommar & More.
Kip Mooney July 1, 2019
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Commissioner Rob Manfred denies conspiracy theory on Chief Wahoo; praises Cleveland as All-Star host
Updated Jul 9, 2019 ; Posted Jul 9, 2019
Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred speaks at the baseball owners meeting in Atlanta, Thursday, Nov. 15, 2018. (AP Photo/Paul newberry)
By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- There has been a conspiracy theory dancing about since the Indians were awarded this year’s All-Star Game and dropped Chief Wahoo as their mascot.
Cleveland and the Indians were awarded the All-Star Game, which will be played Tuesday night, on Jan. 26, 2017. Just over a year later, on Jan. 29, 2018, it was announced that the team would drop Chief Wahoo as their long-time mascot, starting in the 2019 season.
Commissioner Rob Manfred, a driving force behind the Indians dropping the Chief, said Tuesday afternoon that there was no link between the Indians getting the All-Star Game and dropping the Chief.
“The All-Star Game was awarded to Cleveland by Commissioner (Bud) Selig before I even had one conversation about Chief Wahoo,” said Manfred, at his annual All-Star meeting with members of the Baseball Writers Association of America. “You can write that as fact.”
Selig retired as commissioner on Jan. 24, 2015 and was succeeded by Manfred.
Manfred said he did not expect there to be a “blowback” on this year’s All-Star Game because the Chief was dropped.
“I think the fans love the game, so I didn’t think there would be any blowback on the game,” said Manfred. “I thought there might be a little blowback at me. No, I’m kidding. I think people understand what we did there. I really do.”
Manfred complimented Cleveland as a host for the 90th All-Star Game. It’s the sixth time Cleveland has played host the Midsummer Classic going back to 1935.
“Cleveland has been an absolutely phenomenal host,” said Manfred. "On Sunday the Celebrity Softball Game was played as Cleveland vs. the World. The World won and there were about 26,000 people at the ballpark and they actually booed. To me that’s a great thing ... a really, really great thing. It’s just one indication of the engagement we’ve had here.
"The logistics of Cleveland are particularly positive. Everybody can get to all the events on foot, which is a really nice thing. It’s very convenient for the fans.
“Most important, this market has real fans. You look at our Sunday crowd. It was awesome. Last night (Home Run Derby) was going to be good. Tonight (All-Star Game) is going to be good. I just think it’s an indication of how avid the fandom is here. It goes all the way back to the sellout record. It’s just great fans here.”
The Indians sold out 455 straight games from June 12, 1995 through April 4, 2001.
Tim Mead, new president of the Baseball Hall of Fame, accompanied Manfred on his meeting with the BBWAA.
“Cleveland should be proud,” said Mead. “This is the model for how you want to run an All-Star Game.”
Get Tribe Insider texts in your phone from Paul Hoynes: Cut through the clutter of social media and communicate directly with the award-winning Indians reporter, just like you would with your friends. It’s just $3.99 a month, which works out to about 13 cents a day. Learn more and sign up here.
Buy MLB All Star Game gear: Fanatics, Nike, Amazon, MLB Shop, Lids
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» Geological Storage
Mon, 08 Jul 2019 | Geological Storage
Ladbroke Grove _ Yolla Taranaki Basin Figure 5.11 Examples of natural accumulations of CO2 around the world. Regions containing many occurrences are enclosed by a dashed line. Natural accumulations can be useful as analogues for certain aspects of storage and for assessing the environmental impacts of leakage. Data quality is variable and the apparent absence of accumulations in South America, southern Africa and central and northern Asia is probably more a reflection of lack of data than a...
Ships for CO2 transportation
Fri, 05 Jul 2019 | Geological Storage
4.3.1 Marine transportation system Carbon dioxide is continuously captured at the plant on land, but the cycle of ship transport is discrete, and so a marine transportation system includes temporary storage on land and a loading facility. The capacity, service speed, number of ships and shipping schedule will be planned, taking into consideration, the capture rate of CO2, transport distance, and social and technical restrictions. This issue is, of course, not specific to the case of CO2...
Olivine Carbonation
Wed, 10 Oct 2018 | Geological Storage
7.2.1 Definitions, system boundaries and motivation Mineral carbonation is based on the reaction of CO2 with metal oxide bearing materials to form insoluble carbonates, with calcium and magnesium being the most attractive metals. In nature such a reaction is called silicate weathering and takes place on a geological time scale. It involves naturally occurring silicates as the source of alkaline and alkaline-earth metals and consumes atmospheric CO2. This chapter deals, however, with so-called...
Wed, 12 Apr 2017 | Geological Storage
6.9.4 Cost of carbonate neutralization approach Large-scale deployment of carbonate neutralization would require a substantial infrastructure to mine, transport, crush, and dissolve these minerals, as well as substantial pumping of seawater, presenting advantages for coastal power plants near carbonate mineral sources. There are many trade-offs to be analyzed in the design of an economically optimal carbonate-neutralization reactor along the lines of that described by Rau and Caldeira (1999)....
Sun, 12 Feb 2017 | Geological Storage
The purpose of CO2 capture is to produce a concentrated stream that can be readily transported to a CO2 storage site. CO2 capture and storage is most applicable to large, centralized sources like power plants and large industries. Capture technologies also open the way for large-scale production of low-carbon or carbon-free electricity and fuels for transportation, as well as for small-scale or distributed applications. The energy required to operate CO2 capture systems reduces the overall...
Wed, 23 Nov 2016 | Geological Storage
Aresta, M. (ed.), 1987 Carbon dioxide as a source of carbon biochemical and chemical use. Kluwer, the Hague. Audus, H. and H. Oonk, 1997 An assessment procedure for chemical utilisation schemes intended to reduce CO2 emission to atmosphere. Energy Conversion and Management, 38(suppl. Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Carbon Dioxide Removal, 1996), pp S409-414. Audus, H. and P. Freund, 1997 The costs and benefits of mitigation a full fuel cycle examination of technologies for...
Oxyfuel indirect heating steam cycle
Sun, 09 Oct 2016 | Geological Storage
In these systems, the oxy-fuel combustion chamber provides heat to a separate fluid by heat transfer through a surface. It can be used for either process heating, or in a boiler with a steam cycle for power generation. The indirect system can be used with any hydrocarbon or carbon-containing fuel. The application of oxy-fuel indirect heating for CO2 capture in process heating and power generation has been examined in both pilot-scale trials evaluating the combustion of carbonaceous fuels in...
Co2 Capture Separation With Membranes
Sat, 08 Oct 2016 | Geological Storage
The main application of CO2 capture is likely to be at large point sources fossil fuel power plants, fuel processing plants and other industrial plants, particularly for the manufacture of iron, steel, cement and bulk chemicals, as discussed in Chapter 2. Capturing CO2 directly from small and mobile sources in the transportation and residential & commercial building sectors is expected to be more difficult and expensive than from large point sources. Small-scale capture is therefore not...
Postcombustion capture systems 331 Introduction
Thu, 26 May 2016 | Geological Storage
Current anthropogenic CO2 emissions from stationary sources come mostly from combustion systems such as power plants, cement kilns, furnaces in industries and iron and steel production plants (see Chapter 2). In these large-scale processes, the direct firing of fuel with air in a combustion chamber has been (for centuries, as it is today) the most economic technology to extract and use the energy contained in the fuel. Therefore, the strategic importance of post-combustion capture systems...
Aasen, and T. Bruun, 2003 Advanced Zero Emissions Gas Turbine Power Plant, ASME Turbo Expo Conference, paper GT-2003-38120, Atlanta, USA. Haines, M.R., 1999 Producing Electrical Energy from Natural Gas using a Solid Oxide Fuel Cell. Patent WO 99 10945, 1-14. Hazardous Substances Data Bank, 2002 US National Library of Medicine, Specialized Information Services Hazardous Substances Data Bank. Carbon dioxide. 55 pp. Hendriks, C., 1994 Carbon dioxide removal from...
C - 2
Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage
Characterization and performance prediction for identified sites
Characterization of identified sites
Co2 - 2
CO2 flow and transport processes
Co2eor
Conclude injection commence post injectionpre closure period
Construction of land pipelines
Contents - 2 3
Coordinating Lead Authors
Cost of CO2 capture
Doublegrip packer Seating nipple
Ecbm
Environmental monitoring risk and legal aspects of capture systems
Executive Summary - 2 - 2
Exis ting technologies
Gaps in knowledge
Info - 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119
Injection well technology and field operations
Introduction - 2 3
Ipieca
Land pipelines
Legal issues codes and standards
Mineralization
National codes and standards
O - 2 3
O S 4
Ocean storage
Of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
Pc Igcc
Purposes for monitoring
References - 2 3
Review Editors
Risk safety and monitoring 441 Introduction
Security of Geochemical Trapping
Share of CCS in cumulative CO2 omissions reductions 20002100
Sleipner East Field
Sofc
Storage mechanisms and storage security
Technical Summary
Time since injection stops years
Ukdti
Lpg Storage Process Flow Diagram
Aquaponics Projects Beginners
Simple Hydroponics Plans
Ideas Surviving Food Shortages
Ayurveda Science Life
Surviving Global Financial Crisis
Shrimp Farming Guide
The Complete Grape Growing System
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Clugston Group
UK and European Road Freight Solutions
Global Air Freight Solutions
Global Sea Freight Solutions
Distribution and Warehousing
Bulk Powder Logistics
Bulk Fuel Logistics
Commercial Vehicle Maintenance
Silo Evacuation Services
Clugston Logistics
Privacy Notice - Suppliers and Business Contacts
Privacy Notice - Job Applicants
Privacy Notice - Employees
Clugston Distribution Services provide road haulage services for hazardous and non-hazardous products and vehicle maintenance and repair.
Caring about the environment is a core value of the business. Clugston Distribution Services is therefore committed to minimising and adverse environmental effects of its activities.
We will identify those aspects of our operation that pose a risk to the environment and carry out those operations in such a manner that any adverse impacts on both the local and global environment are minimised. The aspects identified will be used to inform the objectives and targets implemented. We are also committed to comply with applicable legislation and other requirements that the business subscribes to.
The requirements of the Environmental Policy are communicated to all persons working for or on behalf of Clugston Distribution and environmental consideration is actively promoted to all individuals through effective consultation.
We are committed to the continual improvement of our environmental performance and to the prevention of pollution. This is an integral part of our overall business performance and includes:
Hazardous and non-hazardous waste generation, storage and disposal
Use of resources and consumables
Discharges to water
We will review this Policy, our procedures and environmental objectives periodically taking the appropriate action if necessary to ensure effectiveness.
We are committed to providing adequate resources, information and training to ensure that the company can deliver the objectives set by the Board and for continuous improvements to be made year or year.
The Policy is implemented through the company’s Environmental Management System which follows the requirements of IOS 14001, the international standard for environmental management systems.
The Directors and Managers are responsible for ensuring that the policies, procedures and standards are delivered and promoted throughout the business.
If you want to learn more about our services and the benefits that Clugston can bring to your business, then please get in touch.
Registered Office: Clugston Group Limited, St. Vincent House, Normanby Road, Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, DN15 8QT.
© Clugston 2019
Registration Number: 333188. Place of Registration: England
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Malcolm H Carter (c.1920-1983)
Marylebone Nocturne, c.1970, Oil on canvas laid on board, 20 x 16 in
[CAS 23] Acquired in 1973
A painter and sculptor Malcom H Carter has been described as “a distinguished looking gentleman with a white moustache, an unmistakable old-fashioned hearing aid with a pair of earphones and a twinkle in his eye” (1). Born deaf, Carter never went to school but studied with a private tutor who taught him “interesting and useless things” and in later life found that his “contemporaries had forgotten all the things he had never learned” anyway.
Unable to join his family’s law firm in the City of London he went into farming, setting up in Layer Breton in 1943. Although his family included several painters and a grandfather who was a successful engraver (2), he was unable to devote himself to art until retirement, and he called himself an ’amateur, sort of on the edge’. A situation he accepted in the same way as he accepted his deafness – with grace and humour. Malcolm Carter was a character, who seemed very much loved by his contemporaries.
He was a Colchester Art Society member from 1967 to 1982 and a committee member in 1968-9. He was a part-time tutor at Colchester Art School.
From Carter’s retrospective exhibition in 1983 emerged a number of paintings depicting local scenes in Layer Marney, Layer Breton, West Mersea and Peldon, but also views of Crete, where he must have spent some considerable time. What is perhaps more surprising is his choice of animal portraits, which include a painting of Pig-Tailed Macaques, a species of monkey native of South East Asia, a panther, some dolphinsand a white boar – probably all from Colchester Zoo, which opened in 1963. Carter also seems to have enjoyed painting trees including willow trees (2) and a few personal portraits, one of them with the puzzling title Inexperienced Persons.
This painting of Marylebone at night was the only urban (London) painting exhibited in the Colchester retrospective, and it well expresses his individual love of pictorial drama, achieved through an effective use of chiaroscuro. The strong contrasts between the darkness and the brightness of the buildings create a sense of mystery but also of volume, accentuated by lines of perspective. On the cover of the exhibition catalogue, which is illustrated by the painting of a restaurant scene, probably in Crete, the artist uses the same method. The strong contrast between the darkness of the restaurant room with carefully aligned tables and the brightness of the street with geometric building in the background very effectively give us, this time, a feeling of coolness as opposed to intense heat.
These are two very accomplished and intriguing works, the perfect embodiment of three dimensional painting.
There is a painting by Malcolm Carter of Abberton Reservoir at Sunset in the Colchester and Ipswich Museums collection, dated c.1970.
The Minories, Colchester, Robert and Harold Warner and Malcolm Carter, 1973, CAS sponsored; Malcolm Carter, a retrospective exhibition (No 1), 1983 (10th September - 9th October)
Colchester Art Society, 1967-1977
(1) Nicholas Butler, Malcolm Carter, introduction to the 1983 retrospective exhibition at the Minories.
(2) This might be James Carter (1798-1855), an English engraver born in Shoreditch, who gained a Society of Arts silver medal for drawing and engravedBenjamin West's First Essay in Artamong other works.
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When your #metoo feels like #metoo?
There are some stories, in which it was no surprise when we found out the name of the perpetrator - men so rich in power, money and control, with little to no accountability, that it was easy to see how they could twist and exploit circumstances for their own gain. And, to be clear, sexual assault is about power and control; this is not a conversation about men with a high sex drive - this is a conversation about men who get what they want in business, and expect what they want in all other areas of life, at the expense of consent.
And, then, there are some stories in which the perpetrator is a surprise or, even, a disappointment. Last week was one of them - Aziz Ansari, a man so many of us considered to be an ally. A self-proclaimed feminist! A friend of Amy Poehler! His credentials were so good, and we were so surprised. Almost immediately, there was a backlash, even within progressive and feminist spaces, that this encounter wasn't assault-y 'enough'; 'why didn't she leave?', 'this is just bad sex', 'she should have known what men are like', 'this has happened to all of us'. And, immediately for me, my heart went to all the women I've worked with, or spoken to, or known of, and all those not known to me, who have had their own stories questioned, and who have had to fight for the validity of their experience of sexual assault. The women who hesitated before sharing their #metoo experiences, because it was... #metoo? I think?
So it felt really important to write about this - to say.... this is assault, and in my practice room it is recognised as such; you will be believed. And to align with victims and survivors around the world for whom this story represents yet another attack - an attack of the validity of their experience, and of themselves.
'Why didn't she leave?'
This is a question that women have had to answer throughout time. Until relatively recently, the answer was clear - where would she go? How would she survive? History has done a pretty good job of tying the survival of women to the whims of man. Why do women wear heels? So they can't run. Why do dresses not have pockets? So that women could take less if they left. The vulnerability of women has often been by design, and we are a legacy of our foremothers. We are as much a legacy of the ones who couldn't leave, as we are the ones who fought so we could.
I consider this to be cultural abuse; when a culture around an issue is so toxic that it is abusive. Oh, how I wish that our culture were more trauma informed! So often, women ask me in their sessions - why didn't I leave back then? Why didn't I leave earlier? And I share with them the analogy that I learned in my training - the frog in water. If a frog is put into a pan of hot water, it would instinctively jump straight back out again. Clever. But if a frog is put into cold water, and then the heat is very slowly and gradually turned up, the frog thinks it's safe. It doesn't notice the water gradually warming up, until its nervous system is compromised and its ability to leap is impaired. So it is with abuse - the heat is gradually turned up.
In those times, it's not our cognitive mind that is in charge (eg we don't simply think, 'there is a door and that will provide access to exit and escape - I will work to that door and leave) - it's our instinctive mind that's ruling the roost when there is threat around. When we are in these vulnerable situations, it provokes Acute Stress Response - that is, our Flight, Fight, Flop, Freeze or Friend response. Our choice of response happens in a split second, based on what is likely to give us the best chance of survival; it is out of awareness and always well-intentioned and self-protective. Do you see a couple of options there that you didn't know before? Flop (play dead), Freeze (like a deer in a headlights) and Friend (where we attempt to win our attacker over with charm and flattery) are all recognised acute stress responses, but rarely get spoken about because they are the more passive options. But, passive or active, we choose our response based on what is likely to provide the greatest chance of survival, based on thousands of years of nature, and a lifetime of nurture.
When I read the account of 'Grace', I recognised it. I recognised the hard push of men, who then back off to let things cool down, and start all over again five minutes later; the shady area where Unacceptable Behaviour overlaps with Routinely Culturally Accepted Non-Acceptable Behaviour. There was just enough rest time in between those pushes, to allow Grace to think the heat had been turned down. To calm her Acute Stress Response, and to allow her to feel that she was safe again, before her out-of-awareness risk assessment had to start all over again.
'This is just bad sex'
Um, this is a cultural issue too, and one that presents often in the counselling room, when women turn their experience over and over, wondering how they contributed to their own assault, or how whether it was even an assault at all. The bar has been set *low* for women's experience of sex and, when even women are signing off on this assault as being 'just bad sex' we know how entrenched this message is. We can read the account, we can see the coercion... and still it's not his problem! Still, it is the woman's problem - just bad sex, just her cross to bear. As Judith Lewis Herman says:
In practice, what constitutes rape is set not at the level of women’s experience of violation but just above the level of coercion acceptable to men
— Judith Lewis Herman
Coercion seems to be an accepted part of the prelude to sex, and we need to challenge this again and again. Again, in terms of cultural abuse, this is cultural gaslighting - our culture normalises harrassment and abuse to such an extent that we are left questioning whether our definition is even accurate. Again, to say it explicitly, it is not ok to coerce a woman into sex through flattery or persistance. Our culture romanticises this idea - the woman pinned against the wall by a handsome man, fighting (often slapping) advances, until she relents to the kiss. It's underpinned by popular culture (have you ever looked at the lyrics to 'Baby, It's Cold Outside' through the lens of rape culture? And don't *even* get me started on Blurred Lines), and reinforced by porn, where the preamble to sex is often an unwilling woman being coaxed into sex that turns out to be what she really wanted all along (spoiler alert - it isn't what she wanted all along). But coercion isn't flirtation - flirtation has a strong foundation of mutual empathy, desire and enthusiasm. And unwanted sexual attention isn't 'bad sex' - it's assault.
'She should have known what men are like'
This is basically the grown up version of 'boys will be boys', which is to say that the not-ok behaviour of men is often dismissed as being inherently male. And, truly, that's just an insult to men. It is an insult to think that men are inherently violent and controlling, or that they inherently don't have the mental capacity to understand consent. It's one of the reasons I'm so passionate about working with men - because I believe that these messages are socialised, and I believe we can unlearn toxic behaviour and choose healthier ways of being and relating.
The argument that ‘boys will be boys’ actually carries the profoundly anti-male implication that we should expect bad behavior from boys and men. The assumption is that they are somehow not capable of acting appropriately, or treating girls and women with respect
— Jackson Katz
'She should have known what men are like' is often something we hear from other women, which can kick hard; we assume we can count on our gender as our allies. But internalised misogny runs deep, and it serves an out-of-awareness purpose; it can keep us safer, by keeping us 'in' with those who are more likely to hurt us. When the news broke yesterday of the all-male charity event that allowed women only as hostesses to be groped, one of the first 'talking heads' I heard was a woman on the Radio 2, who dismissed the affected women as 'airheads' who 'should have known better' - 'what did they expect?' as she had often seen this behaviour in her local rugby club. Under scrutiny, as Jackson Katz says above, it's a profoundly anti-male statement, but then often widely held views don't bear scrutiny - it's why challenging ourselves and bringing ourselves into awareness can be a destabilising experience. This belief is everywhere and, for victims and survivors of sexual assault and abuse, it can feel unsafe. And it's one of the reasons why I wanted to write this article; to shine a light on this issue, and establish my practice as one in which I am committed to ongoing challenging beliefs, values and attitudes, before claiming them as my own, or rejecting them as harmful or unhelpful.
this has happened to all of us
This is, I think, a profound sadness of women, that in order to acknowledge that Grace was assaulted, we then might have to reexamine our own histories, and reframe how we saw previous encounters. And, when we have to do that, we feel vulnerable and violated, and often very angry. That's an uncomfortable process, and one that so many people try to avoid, and understandably so. We're humans, and we naturally want to feel safe. If you want to read one woman's process of the Aziz Ansari story, head here for a brave and honest account of her response.
A changing cultural approach to consent will result in loss; necessary losses, but losses nonetheless. For women, it will result in the loss of innocence; to accept that some of our memories weren't flattering or flirtatious, but were something darker and more threatening. And, for men like Aziz and Louis CK and James Franco et al, it will result in the loss of being able to rely on sex, because of a power dynamic that works in their favour. For all men, it *should* result in the loss of some time, as they examine some of their own sexual encounters and whether they have always behaved in a respectful, consensual way to women. And, as a culture, we need to engage in this process, to move to a more 'yes means yes' approach to consent; the absence of 'no' isn't enough - consent needs to be ongoing, enthusiastic and affirmative - here's a great breakdown of this approach to consent by the ever-lovely Courtney Act.
no greater honour
As counsellors and therapists, we usually seek to keep maintain impartiality; that we don't bring our own selves in to the counselling room, so as to leave the space solely for the client. And I have thought twice about how explicit to make the message in this article, because I am as committed as I ever have been to providing a non-judgmental therapeutic experience where we can work collaboratively to process your experiences, to make the changes you want to make, and to increase your satisfaction in your life. But the old Freudian belief that the counsellor is a blank screen is outdated and, in instances of sexual abuse and trauma, can be actively harmful, if the client is questioning whether the person in front of them is a reliable and trustworthy witness to their experience. It's for these reasons that I decided to write a pretty long, pretty clear article in response to this news story.
My shero when I was training was Judith Lewis Herman, who wrote Trauma and Recovery, my most annotated book ever (and that includes my A Level copy of Dubliners!). She's such an authority of this area of work that she is the foundation of my understanding of the dynamics of power and control in abusive circumstances; hence why I'm just about to quote her for the second time in this article. She is an inspiration in how to maintain therapeutic boundaries whilst displaying integrity and congruence, and says it better than I could:
Though frightening, these attacks [on therapists that have stood with oppressed groups] are an implicit tribute to the power of the healing relationship. They remind us that creating a protected space where survivors can speak their truth is an act of liberation. They remind us that bearing witness, even within the confines of that sanctuary, is an act of solidarity. They remind us that moral neutrality in the conflict between victim and perpetrator is not an option. Like all other bystanders, therapists are sometimes forced to take sides. Those who stand with the victim will inevitably have to face the perpetrator’s unmasked fury. For many of us, there can be no greater honor
Vicky Bellman January 25, 2018
The Walled Nursery, The Old Fire Station, SeasonsVicky Bellman February 28, 2018 snow, policy, winter
Attending to 'emotional grazes' - how to administer emotional first aid
Vicky Bellman November 23, 2017 Concentric Counselling with Vicky Bellman
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Do you wake up with the urge to go out and change the world? Are you a lover of music with a desire to use your passion to inspire generations to come? Do you dream of equipping the leaders of tomorrow with the tools to live with ferocious authenticity, dedication, and creativity that cannot be stopped?
In Dorchester, one of Boston’s most vibrant and ever-changing communities, we invite you to consider a career at Conservatory Lab Charter School. We proudly serve 450 students in Pre-K – Grade 8 at two Dorchester campuses.
We take pride in enriching our community through performance, service, and collaboration. As a laboratory school, we develop and disseminate innovative educational approaches that will positively impact children in other schools and programs.
Conservatory Lab Charter School believes in the power of music and learning to transform the lives of students and their families. At the core of our pioneering curriculum is the hybrid of two proven and exemplary programs: El Sistema and EL Education (formerly Expeditionary Learning). Both programs emphasize the experience of breaking through barriers in the pursuit of excellence. Together, they create a culture and habit of perseverance and motivate and nurture our students to become dedicated scholars and compassionate leaders.
Now in its 8th year, our El Sistema program has expanded to include seven full orchestras, three wind ensembles, a percussion ensemble, music literacy, choral music and instrumental technique classes with Resident Artists. In the past year alone, students have performed for audiences on 38 occasions at locales ranging from the Massachusetts State House to neighborhood health centers, as well as at the Hatch Shell, side-by-side with professional musicians from both the Boston Philharmonic and Landmarks Orchestras.
We understand the tough work that goes into inventing and growing your role as an educator, and recognize that finding that perfect job is no easy feat.
At Conservatory Lab Charter School we are confident that we do an exceptional job at supporting your choice to lead and succeed. You’ll be challenged to push the limits of what you currently know. You might lead a poetry slam at a library, or take students out in the field to do water testing. As a teacher at Conservatory Lab, you will have the opportunity to collaborate in a professional learning community to create a curriculum. By owning what you teach, you will also inspire students to take ownership of their learning!
Become a part of our growing community, have a direct impact on students, and take advantage of a unique opportunity to reshape your way of thinking, working, and living.
If you’re ready to apply, we suggest taking a look at available career opportunities.
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OK DOT to use new tech to assess bridges after earthquakes
Sylvian L on Flickr
Hallie Busta @halliebusta
The Oklahoma Department of Technology plans to use new technology from the U.S. Geological Survey to determine which bridges need inspections after a major seismic event, according to News 9.
Called ShakeCast, the tool looks at factors such as ground movement, earthquake magnitude and the age and condition of the bridges in real time to show which ones are at the greatest risk of damage.
The software has a two-year, two-part, $650,000 contract with Infrastructure Engineers, in Edmond, OK, to come up with an earthquake response protocol.
Oklahoma’s DOT isn’t the only agency to employ ShakeCast.
California has used the technology to review its Caltrans rail system’s more than 11,000 bridges and overpasses after a seismic event and to inform potential delays or rerouting. The Los Angeles Unified School District is also using the technology to improve its earthquake response system for its more than 700,000 students across more than 1,000 school and office buildings.
While the West Coast is at a higher risk of significant seismic activity than anywhere else in the country, other states are testing out new technology to inspect bridges for wear and other damage.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation is creating an infrastructure monitoring and early warning system for structural failure of its bridges. To do so, the agency has been studying vibration data from the St. Anthony Falls Bridge on Interstate 35 since 2008. That bridge was built to replace the I-35W Mississippi River bridge, which collapsed in August 2007, killing 13 and wounding 145.
Data collected at the new bridge include how its concrete structure responds to vibrations from traffic, wind and temperature changes. Similar data is being gathered at the 21-story Green Building at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where researchers are looking at how such vibrations and other environmental conditions impact the building structure. The goal is to find and strengthen potential weak spots before a seismic event.
News 9 ODOT Finds New Way To Identify Bad Bridges After Quakes
Follow Hallie Busta on Twitter
Filed Under: Technology Infrastructure
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555 West 24th Street, New York, NY
November 6–December 18, 2004
37 West 57th Street, New York, NY
Paul Pfeiffer critiques mass media and pop culture with a droll wit and existential despair, while giving a nod to the pioneers of film and video art. The centerpiece of his two-gallery show is Empire, a three-month-long, real-time video of a wasp colony; unlike in Warhol’s eight-hour film of the same name, Pfeiffer’s subjects are actually doing something—albeit very, very slowly. In Desiderata, he manipulates TV footage from The Price is Right to place unwitting contestants in a surreal world of blinking lights, colorful props, and absolute isolation. Known for exploring the heroic status of sports stars, Pfeiffer also digitally alters photographs to depict lone basketball players as transcendent icons and, at the Project, portrays soccer players in a state of religious ecstasy.
Originally published in Flavorpill 233 on November 23, 2004.
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Author Title Index
Operations Subject Index
vol2no1
Strategic Thinking and Air Intelligence
APPROVED FOR RELEASE 1994
CIA HISTORICAL REVIEW PROGRAM
18 SEPT 95
Major General James H. Walsh
My purpose in this article is to discuss, in very broad terms, some of the significant aspects of air strategy for the future and the vital functions that intelligence must perform in order to insure the success of future air operations. The suspicions currently entertained that the Soviet sputnik may be getting intelligence of both meteorological and cartographic nature required for accurate firing of ICBMs illustrate some of the possible relationships between air power and intelligence. In a rudimentary way, even the first earth satellites point up the tasks and capabilities of future intelligence systems required for survival under conditions of international technological competition - intelligence systems which must meet three basic criteria: global coverage, instantaneous discovery, and absolute accuracy.
I believe that we have a reasonably good understanding of past and present concepts of air warfare and the relation of intelligence to those concepts. It is far more difficult to look into the future and to do so with the precision and clarity needed to prepare ourselves effectively for the trials and dangers ahead.
The reason for this basic uncertainty is not that many people have neglected the problems of aerial technology and its strategic implications. The reason is rather that we are in the midst of a technological revolution. Changes are becoming so rapid, so penetrating and, in many instances, so contradictory that the direct and indirect results of the technological revolution tend to control - and at the same time to confuse - the nature and application of tomorrow's air strategy. Nevertheless, it is in this setting of dynamic technical change and a world beset by what often seems an unlimited number of related and unrelated political, economic, and military problems that we must attempt to examine the future direction of air power.
To begin with, we already have seen major alterations in the basic nature of air forces since World War II. The transition to jets, nuclear weapons, sonic speeds, countless black boxes, and to a degree, missiles typifies the changed environment which governs today's air capabilities as compared with those of 1945.
Fifteen years ago the RAF qualitatively was the world's leading air force. Today it is in third place. More important, it is not in a class, by a broad margin, with the air forces of the US and the USSR. It has neither the aircraft, the equipment, the bases, the research and development, nor the funds to become again a truly self-sufficient force, with strategic capabilities as required by world conditions.
Fifteen years ago the Soviet Air Force was an adjunct of the Russian army. Statistically it represented a force in quantity, but it had poor operational know-how and no strategic capability. Its aircraft were fair, at best. Today the Soviet Air Force is the largest in the world. It is equipped with modern weapons, some of them as advanced as those of any other nation. It has a well-funded and aggressive research and development program. Although it still has many weaknesses, the Soviet Air Force is making a bid for world air mastery.
The US Air Force also has come of age in the postwar period. It has held the quality lead for most of that time and still holds it for most of the important equipments. Its personnel are superior in training and efficiency. But the USAF has problems, especially in areas outside the SAC program. Its progress is not to be belittled, but in some areas its progress perhaps has not been so fast or so forward as we would like it to be.
The fortunate aspect is that during the postwar period the USAF has grown to be a global force. In fact, to this date, the USAF - not forgetting its naval support - is the only global force extant. This American capability is a fact of overriding importance. It will remain a controlling factor in the international power equation, to a certain extent, irrespective of technological slippage and of the inevitable acquisition by the Soviet Union of a global missile force.
The most important single change since World War II is that atomic airpower has become the dominant military force. The only way a nation can deliver nuclear firepower over long distances and in a short time is through the air. Sea and ground delivery of nuclear warheads is important, particularly in special situations. But in terms of a global nuclear war, these systems -and some of the secondary means of aerial delivery - can do no more than furnish local, regional, and tactical support to the strategic air strike forces.
One of the changes upon us deals with defense in nuclear aerial war. Whereas the offense still seems to have outdistanced defense, the old axiom that like weapons are the best defenses against like weapons again could become true.
For the moment, there is very little one can do when an atomic explosion occurs except to be underground, fully equipped with food and non-contaminated water or, preferably, plenty of Irish whiskey. Nevertheless, the very possession of nuclear weapons for defensive purposes may act as a "preventing" factor - not because even the best defense would be capable of halting an attack, but because a good defense system would boost the force requirements of the attacker, lower the probability that he can execute his plan with full success, and thus, in some cases at least, tend to induce him to delay his aggression until he has reached the required force and technological levels. It is in the nature of a "race," that the aggressor may be unable to achieve such a posture of superiority that he can dare take the risk of nuclear attack. If this should be a vain hope, for example, because the defender has failed to keep up with the pace of the race, the actual use of nuclear warheads against incoming vehicles should reduce the effectiveness of the offense.
Some of our forward looking scientists are optimistic about the feasibility of employing anti-ICBM missiles, which would take advantage of the greatest point of vulnerability of the early ballistic missile, its fixed trajectory. Many ideas have been proposed about nuclear pre-detonation and sophisticated employment of modern electronics to interfere with incoming nuclear attack.
There are a number of passive defensive steps which could be taken to lessen the vulnerability of our retaliatory force. These include the dispersal of aircraft and missiles, shelters, and other forms of base hardening, short exposure times, rapid reaction procedures, and maintenance of a substantial portion of the alert force in the air at all times.
Unfortunately, such systems can be very costly. They are limited in their coverage and may not be reliable enough for the safety of personnel and certain equipment. Elaborate passive defenses tend to disrupt and slow the ability of an air force to retaliate as rapidly as required. For these reasons the strategic effectiveness of passive defense is predicated upon effective warning. By warning I refer to technical alarms such as radar and infrared sensing and to interrelated strategic and tactical indications intelligence.
The true effectiveness of defense will be a function of the scope, size, quality, and mental effort put into requisite weapons systems needed to furnish capabilities for protection, warning, interception, and countermeasure tasks. It may be dubious whether or not even the best defensive system pitted against combinations of different types of attack weapons ever will attain a high kill rate, but this may not be the critical point.
Rather, counter-systems embodying nuclear warheads and built around effective warning and reaction responses suggest that a nation may be able to close the gap between the power of the offense and present limitations on defense. Such systems could pre-empt the advantage of surprise by sneak attacks by an aggressive nuclear delivery force. They would force the attacker into more elaborate and costly delivery means, primarily large and massive raids which are susceptible to strategic and tactical detection and to interception measures.
Through all these means and measures the offensive may not necessarily be priced out of business, but its effectiveness should be reduced against its primary objective -the opponent's retaliatory force. Thus, it would be hoped, the attacker would be induced not to strike because of the uncertainty over the success of his initial blow and also because he would have to risk his main force at excessive loss rates. In nuclear war the first blow must be decisive: the retaliatory force must be killed.
It is quite clear that intelligence influences the effectiveness of defense. Whatever the technical proficiency of a defense system, it can be improved by better intelligence, whereas even the technically most promising defenses can be invalidated through intelligence failure anywhere along the "assembly line" - from scientific intelligence to tactical warning. Perhaps it should be observed that good intelligence would allow the utilization of foreign scientific and technological achievements for the improvement of our own posture. Beyond providing us with better design patterns, such intelligence also would enable us to build our equipment to such specifications as to optimize its capabilities against the enemy's weapons.
I should like to turn now to a discussion of various technological factors, some of them here now and some on the horizon, and try to relate them into a strategic pattern.
During the years ahead we shall be approaching practical terminal limits in certain key parameters of weapons systems. We already may have reached what could be called terminal explosive power, not that it would be impossible to achieve higher yields.
Within the next few decades vie probably will attain terminal speeds, at least for terrestrial operations. We cannot exceed certain speeds without being forced from the earth's gravitational field. Before we achieve theoretical terminal velocities we should reach a far lower practical speed limit for operations directed against targets on the ground. We must remember that the attainment of maximum speed in flight may require more time than would be necessary to reach a terrestrial target at lesser speeds.
We certainly shall be capable of terminal ranges in the sense that future air and missile systems will be able to circumnavigate the globe at least once. I am convinced that there will be no practical limits to altitude, although there may be temporary barriers to surmount before manned and powered space flight becomes a reality. Such restrictions could occur in metallurgy, engines, communications, aero medicine, and nuclear components, among other fields.
Let me dwell for a moment on the relationship of altitude to tomorrow's air strategy. In the immediate future, altitude essentially will be a matter of tactical advantage inasmuch as, with respect to powered flight, we still shall be competing in heights measured by thousands of feet. We have come to recognize that the attack force with the higher altitude capability, generally speaking, is the force with the greater penetration capability. To achieve tactical altitude advantage we are moving into speeds up to Mach 3 as a result of improved rocket fuels, higher thrust engines, aerodynamic advances, and even newer black boxes. I am talking about situations up to 100,000 feet.
But today we also stand on the threshold of entirely new altitude dimensions. Space vehicles already have been climbing to heights of 600 miles, and unpowered satellites, or sputniks, are flying around the earth approximately every hour and a half, at heights up to over 1,000 miles. This altitude is by no means a limit but soon will be exceeded. Disregarding the future development of orbital flight, even at this point the significance of the recent quantum jump is that we are acquiring the capability of staying in the air.
This overriding technological fact will have the most profound impact upon military operations. At present altitudes, the airman must worry about hurricanes, fog, winds, and other weather factors characteristic of the dense air which lies just above the earth. Tomorrow's space flyers must be concerned with meteoric showers, cosmic radiation, electronic barriers, and Buck Rogers' conditions within his cabin. Instead of using flight as a means of traveling from one point on the earth's surface to another, either for friendly or unfriendly purposes, the new problem will be to reach an orbit, maintain it, and utilize non-powered flight for scientific, military, and probably economic purposes.
The flying machine of outer space will not spend 90 percent of its time on the ground, but 100 percent of its time aloft. In simple statistics, we are moving from transonic speeds and periodic flights of several thousands miles in length into an environment where speeds will be of the order of 16,000 knots and "ranges," depending upon the height and shape of the orbit, easily may exceed 1 million miles per day and hundreds of millions of miles per year.
The development of terminal weapons - in terms of explosive power, range, endurance, and speed - will not bring the technological race to an end. Strategies will capitalize on the new dimension of altitude and perhaps endurance rather than distance as a decisive area of military competition. Military superiority will be dependent upon relative advantages in electronics, warning, and deception. Thus the sciences of instrumentation and intelligence will become truly decisive elements in the equation of a strategy in which the chief maneuvers seek to conquer altitude and achieve enduring control from the ground to outer space.
Modern air strategy will be affected by a number of additional problems, each of which could become crucial in varying circumstances. There is, for example, the requirement that a portion of the aerial strength must be on constant readiness status. A strike force that requires one or two days to get ready is a military liability. Even in today's war it would be caught on the surface.
An effective air force must be numerically strong and able to get its combat aircraft into the air in time. It must be located on a large number of bases, preferably distributed on several continents and located at varying distances from the enemy. Moreover, it must be supported by reconnaissance forces operating vigilantly around the clock. Only such an air force is in a position to achieve a strategic, though not necessarily physical, invulnerability.
In former wars, material strength was the decisive factor. The speed with which fire power could be delivered was an important but still a subsidiary element. The nature of a future war is essentially no longer a dispute about territory but a competition for gains in the time dimension. This is because, in the first place, technology is a variable in time. The speed with which this factor varies will continue to increase as long as technological progress continues. In the second place, surprise being a key to success in air and missile warfare, the initial rounds of conflict are little more than a contest to operate faster than the opponent. Surprise attack will be successful if the attacker moves faster than the defender. It will fail if the defender's "reaction time" deprives him of targets and disrupts the attack schedule.
Intelligence must come to closer grips with the time dimension. We are dealing not with one uniform period but with a whole set of different time categories. There is the time problem of maturing manpower, scientific discovery, and technological invention - measured in generations. There is the duration of research and development programs, decision making, production, and incorporation of weapons into battle orders - a period of years to decades. There is the complex problem of warning - ranging all the way from advanced strategic warning measured in weeks, months, or even years, to tactical warning, measured in minutes. There is the problem of reaction time and interception, measured in seconds and microseconds Pre-emptive, retaliation, deterrence, counterforce, retardation, and disruption attacks all, in one way or another, are tied to a specific time requirement. The more mobile warfare becomes, the more moving targets are assuming significance, the less it is a question of mere "capability" than of "capability in time." An airplane carrying a high yield weapon can knock out an air base; the problem is to destroy it at a time when the target will be most lucrative - for example, just before the moment when an attack is to be launched from that target. Need I add that only intelligence can provide this all-important "timing capability"?
Perhaps an additional illustration will clarify this thesis further: "Reaction time in guided missiles." It is important to count missiles in terms of numbers, warhead yields, and the like. But the foremost problem is that of reaction time or response.
If it takes a strategic missile force four hours to launch, whereas the opponent can launch within minutes, the obvious advantage belongs to the side with the shorter reaction time - provided it has adequate warning. The 4-hour reacting force will never leave the ground; its threat will be pre-empted. If this is correct, it appears to be a mistake for intelligence to count the degree of deterrent power primarily in numbers of missiles or warhead yields. It will be necessary to assess, above all, relative times of reaction.
Earlier we discussed the new parameters of altitude. It is appropriate, I believe, that we reflect on the purpose of operating at such altitudes. The use of outer space will permit almost continuous observation of any point on the earth, a situation which, although not entirely without precedent, marks a new departure in modern strategic warfare. Space platforms are becoming indispensable elements of effective warning systems against future means of weapons delivery. Unless we conquer space, a great deal of the scientific knowledge which we require to remain in the technological race will not be available.
Furthermore, orbiting vehicles eventually will be used as weapon carriers and thus will develop into crucial components of offensive and defensive missile warfare.
All this poses the spectre of outer space military conflict which will involve three phases: first, the competition to get vehicles into space in sufficient quantities to occupy desirable orbits and to make profitable scientific use of orbital flights; second, the development of military techniques for operating from our own orbits and for countering the enemy's militarily significant orbital activities; and third, the ability to neutralize or destroy terrestrial and aerial components of orbital systems.
This new sphere of warfare raises some perplexing problems in world relations. In addition to traditional surface boundaries, there will arise sovereignties over vacuous orbits and the areas beneath them-a system of interlaced surface and spatial boundaries thousands of miles in depth and tens of thousands of miles in length.
A new pattern of international relations must be developed in which orbits are occupied peacefully or conquered and in which orbits must be delineated. During peacetime the nations must respect each other's scientific and security operations in the orbits, and in wartime, of course, the purpose will be to eliminate all of the opponent's space vehicles. In turn, there must be capabilities for protecting the satellites. It is clear that this involves entirely new types of "aerial" operations, as it is also clear that the diplomats and international lawyers will have to do some hard thinking to settle peacefully the problems of orbit allocation and orbit sovereignty.
The introduction of the orbital dimension into warfare signifies that factors such as Iron Curtains, the dispersal of air bases and missile sites, and the ability of navies to "hide," so to speak, in the vastness of the oceans will tend to lose significance. The nature of the new implements is definitive enough to suggest that the use of truly underground and of undersea facilities may dominate the terrestrial scene. As a result, the roles and techniques of surprise will undergo very profound changes, the exact nature of which we cannot predict.
For a nation to exist and survive under these conditions, its intelligence system must become a predominant security technique. Such a system must meet three criteria: global coverage, instantaneous discovery, and absolute accuracy. The system must be fully operational both in war and peace. Intelligence must be run not only for the benefit of, but by those who are responsible for decisions of life or death.
I believe I have reached the point where it is necessary to examine this strategic framework with its epochal implications in the practical light of where we are today and to consider the future directions we must take.
The problems of strategic and technological surprise are becoming increasingly serious. The danger of tactical surprise is not lessened when the enemy, in addition to a high altitude and rapid strike capability, also has a capability for low altitude air attack and may be developing mixed high and low altitude offensive forces.
Taking an even broader view, we can say that the nuclear explosive and the supersonic delivery vehicle have appeared at a moment when society is quite defenseless against such weapons. During the last few centuries, war has taken place at the margins of society. Society supported the war from its production surpluses and remained intact as a going concern despite losses and devastations.
You recall that during ancient times, the situation was different. During the Middle Ages, every town had to be self-sufficient for defense, with walls, moats, shelters, food, and water reserves. Practically every citizen had to bear arms. The American frontier town serves as a more recent example of this dangerous way of life.
I believe that society eventually will adjust itself to the modern technology of destruction. Perhaps we may have to become troglodytes; our ancestors were. Architects may develop new types of resistant houses and "safe" urban settlements. Perhaps we shall develop anti-radiation protection. The principle of "hardening" can be applied to many human needs.
I am predicting only that the human mind will not stop inventing. After it realizes the grim threat of modern weapons, society gradually but inevitably will take measures to assure its survival. I am basing this prediction on my faith that modern man, morally and intellectually, is not inferior to previous generations of 700 and 2500 years ago.
Whether this process of social adjustment is going to last 20 or perhaps 50 years I am unable to say. But during this interim phase, humanity well may be passing through the greatest peril of its existence. A war five years from now probably will be immeasurably more destructive than a war around 2000 A. D. Our security, therefore, must be tailored to get us and the Free World safely through this immediate period of extreme hazard.
It is this interim character of the present military situation which confronts us with many perplexing problems. Defense planning, which includes intelligence, is faced with numerous paradoxes.
In this age of maximum offensive strength, there may be a great deal of reluctance to use up-to-date weapons, simply because no one wants to unleash a nuclear war. Yet we must prepare ourselves for a contest which requires us to put the bulk of our resources into nuclear armaments. As a result, we may have only limited capabilities to wage war in which nuclear weapons do not provide the basic fire power.
Yet some people have gone so far as to advocate the retention of full-fledged non-nuclear forces in addition to atomic forces. It is generally agreed that we should prepare ourselves to fight with nuclear weapons. Yet some contend that we also should retain a capability to fight in the style of World War II - high explosives on the ground, at sea, and even from the air.
We probably could agree that the availability of non-nuclear forces would be very advantageous. Several types of non-nuclear explosives will remain with us, even in the nuclear age. Under certain tactical conditions, those may be even more effective than nuclear materials, which is the main reason why they should be retained.
Unfortunately, the question is not one of advantage or disadvantage, or even of choice. The question is one of capability in all aspects - manpower, military organization, research, funds, training, equipment, tactics, and so on.
Suppose that we maintain both a nuclear and a non-nuclear defense establishment. There is the high probability or near-certainty that the investment in non-nuclear arms would be invalidated as soon as the first atomic weapons are used. This will happen, almost inevitably, at the first serious military setback of either belligerent.
But the question of non-nuclear armaments is not just a matter of duplication. The cost of matching atomic systems with non-nuclear weapons in terms of relative military effectiveness would be exorbitant. More significant, such a second force could not be established on any reasonable scale unless we acquire two sets of our national resources, two sets of our qualified manpower, and two sets of our country.
I am not raising the issue of limited versus general war. The requirements of any local war situation can be met from available and programmed forces and resources.
Rather, I am addressing myself to the problem of attempting to build a non-nuclear force at the expense of our atomic strike and defense units, which must be maintained at an increasing degree of readiness because of the overwhelming priority of the Soviet nuclear threat to the US and the Free World. We cannot turn back. There may be a collapse of nuclear courage, but no longer can there be any doubt that we have crossed the nuclear Rubicon.
A similar paradox confronts us in disarmament. If the danger of attack could be eliminated by reductions of force levels and by the outlawing of particular types of weapons, the security of all nations unquestionably would be enhanced. The trouble is that with the power of modern weapons, even minor infractions to disarmament agreements may prove fatal.
After 1919, the Western Powers tried to control German armaments. But practically every week a German arms violation of the Versailles Treaty was reported. Many work shops repeatedly were discovered in which, it was said, machine guns were being produced under the guise of baby carriages.
Nevertheless, the security of the Western Powers did not seem vitally threatened, despite the fact that the Germans maintained secret arsenals and continued surreptitiously to produce weapons which they were not supposed to have. These weapons did not seem powerful enough to pose a real threat to Western security. Neither were the camouflaged divisions which the Germans maintained secretly.
But in our time a nation which produces perhaps as few as 50, or as many as several hundred high-yield weapons could become a real threat to the peace, even with makeshift delivery vehicles, especially if other nations faithfully adhere to their disarmament agreements. You are well aware of ominous infractions to such agreements in North Korea.
The point is that we cannot go back in history and undo the discoveries of nuclear fission, electronics, and aviation. We have to live in the modern world. Technological progress will tend to "break through" even the most elaborate and sophisticated disarmament "controls." Each breakthrough will necessitate renegotiation of agreements. There will be little, if any, stability and durability, let alone guarantee of assured international safety in such arrangements.
I confess that this is a very dismal picture. It will not be changed by expectations that the human race will become peaceful and angelic in the next 20 years. There are two brutal facts which we have to remember. The first is that the Soviet regime still is around. Although it sometimes seems to be showing signs of middle or even old age, there is no new evidence that proves that Kipling was wrong when he wrote "Make ye no peace with Adanizod, the Bear who walks like a man."
The Soviets have not changed their basic objectives. Their policies have remained constant in areas that count, including their fantastic military preparedness effort. It is clear that the Soviets do not expect that the millennium of peace has dawned. While they prepare for war we cannot turn our backs. When they talk conflict, we cannot risk to ignore the peril. When they arm themselves with the most modern weapons, we cannot reduce the magnitude of the threat by wishful thinking about their supposed inability to do that which manifestly they are doing.
We can philosophize that the Soviet Union will enter into an evolution which, after some time, will transform the present Bolsheviks into Jeffersonian Democrats or Puritan pacifists. I do not believe that anyone who has studied Russian and other revolutionary history seriously expects such a mutation will take place.
Naturally, I do not postulate eternity for the Soviet system: their time will come. The question is, when? So far, reports about their demise usually proved quite "exaggerated" Their resilience has been extraordinary. Distinguishing our hopes from realistic planning assumptions, we would be foolhardy not to give them an additional life expectancy of one or two decades. We must assume that they will remain in power during the entire period when the technological challenge to the US will be at a maximum.
It is not certain, of course, that the Soviets deliberately will launch an attack on the US. But at the same time we cannot be sure they will not. In the same vein, there is no doubt but that the social system of Russia is changing in many ways.
But is this necessarily a favorable development? One danger surely is that if the Soviet dictatorship were liquidated by force or otherwise, this event - which only optimists expect at this time - could precipitate a major internal crisis. Such a crisis would be uncontrollable. This means that it could lead very easily to a world conflagration. There just is no way by which we could conjure away the ominous dangers in our future. This leads me to the second point of pessimism about peace in the foreseeable future. It is a mistake to consider the Bolsheviks as the only cause of conflict. Wherever we look at the continents today, there is plenty of politically combustionable material. Old political structures are breaking down. New nations are emerging. Most of them have their own imperialistic ambitions, and some of the older nations show frightening signs of decay. Economic difficulties, cultural transformations, intellectual crises, and ideological passions acerbate many of these political changes, not to mention inflammatory propaganda campaigns, political warfare, and the like.
Unfortunately, many of the political minds still function as though we were living in the time of gun powder and sea power. Few have grasped the significance of the modern technology. There is a dangerous time lag between political thinking and technological reality. As industrial technology advances, psychological stability weakens. We must admit the possibility that world society will grow sicker and ever more unstable, even as the descendants of Icarus reach out for the moon.
It is unjustified, therefore, to expect that all nations will observe restraint in order to avoid nuclear conflict. Perhaps most nations will, but the odds are that there will be a few who will act irresponsibly. Hitler was not the last specimen of his type.
Recent sociological research asserts that a large percentage of political rulers and regimes have been, historically speaking, criminal in motivation and action. There is no doubt that many rulers, especially those who acquired unlimited powers, may have been, at least partly, insane. In fact, a German historian coined the term "Caesarian insanity" in order to describe the actions of many Roman emperors.
Although we have made some political progress, the world nevertheless has had more than its share of insane, criminal, and power-hungry rulers during the 20th century. Crime and insanity rates tend to rise as industrial civilization advances. It may be very convincing to us to say that because of the existence of hydrogen weapons the power-seekers should mend their ways. This type of argument remains unconvincing to the evil doer who is willing to accept the risk, regardless of the consequences.
There is only one way to reduce the probability of criminal aggressiveness. That is, to remain militarily overpowering and mentally more vigilant than the would-be aggressor - to outsmart and outarm him at every turn and to apply persuasive techniques to protect him - and us - from making a miscalculation. It is not enough to possess what could be called a "statistical posture of deterrence." The aggressor also must be convinced that it is inadvisable for him to break the peace. But do we master the techniques by which we could have such an impact on the opponent's mind?
We are in the midst of a lasting crisis which Mao Tse-tung has described as "protracted conflict." Political and psychological weapons are being used every day to advance the Communist cause. In modern conflict, even though actual shooting may not be taking place, air power and the threat of almost instantaneous massive destruction have become the key elements of the psychological as well as the physical struggle.
The extent to which we can deter the opponent from attacking us determines our freedom of action on many of the world's battlefields. If the level of our ready deterrent strength is too low to provide the assurance that the enemy will not react with an all-out attack, we could be inhibited in executing proper defense actions in subsidiary theaters.
Deterrence is a necessary condition for the maintenance of peace - and the waging of limited war - but it cannot be a static condition if it is to keep that peace. If any nation acquires a more effective weapons system, the best posture of deterrence existing before the technological mutation is subject to rapid nullification. We live in a world where the threats to tomorrow's peace are developing today in the laboratories and on the drawing boards.
It is true that so long as the two main competitors run neck to neck, even a major advantage in one or more technological fields may not necessarily upset the balance. A state of mutual deterrence may be reached which essentially would mean that a world conflagration could occur against the deliberate planning of both the US and the Soviet Union. Hence I do not believe that the Soviets merely are trying to catch up in the technological race. On the contrary, they seem to have organized themselves to win the technological race on a broad front, not only in many significant scientific areas but also in combat operational strengths as distinguished from mockups and prototypes. In other words, they may be trying to surpass us simultaneously by at least one whole and perhaps two weapons generations.
The technological race is the very essence of protracted conflict. It is the main event which we cannot afford to lose. The essence of this conflict is not, as many of our contemporaries believe, a series of limited wars in the jungle and in the desert. Any American intervention into limited war depends crucially upon our relative technological posture. If we lose the technological race we cannot fight on local and regional fronts. Nor will an increase in our capability to fight in Bali or Timbuctu improve our over-all deterrence. It certainly is not likely that, should the US fall behind in technological capability, the Russians will press their advantage merely to get a few fringe benefits. The struggle between Rome and Carthage is more meaningful to our times than the formalized and restrained war-tournaments of some epochs in the history of Christian Europe.
Technological superiority in means of delivery is the essence of success in nuclear war. The idea that nuclear war will take the form of an exchange of mutual blows perhaps forecasts correctly what is going to happen. However, this is not necessarily a concept on which the military planner should work. The purpose of planning for nuclear war is to achieve such a predominance of strength that a nuclear blow can be delivered, without the undue risk that a deadly retaliatory blow will be returned. Even the Soviet military leaders who, during the Stalinist period, belittled the importance of military surprise now appear to recognize that surprise could be the condition of nuclear success.
The acquisition and maintenance of a dynamic capability to deliver a rapid and devastating blow - plus a proportionately dynamic defense - are prerequisites to survival. The nation which insures that its retaliatory force is, in fact, effective at all times, is obtaining maximum protection against preventive and pre-emptive attacks. The success of preventive war and pre-emptive nuclear launchings depends upon the achievement of triple or quadruple surprise - technological, tactical, timing, and conceivably strategic. The US can keep its retaliatory guard up only if it is able to render those surprises too costly, too impractical, and too uncertain. Thus surprise attack will be too risky for enemy resort only if the US keeps ahead in technology and intelligence, as well as in its force levels and, above all, in reaction times.
Should we lose tempo and should one or more of these four pillars of our security crumble, the enemy's superiority may become such that he need not use nuclear weapons except as a threat. The so-called ultimate threat of large hydrogen weapons could become "demilitarized" - by manipulated fear. Suppose the aggressor says: "I grant that you can retaliate, but you will be completely devastated through my first blows. We leave it to you whether or not you want to elect your own death. If you retaliate, you will die, at best with the comforting thought that you have killed some of us. Or you may survive under our whip. That is your alternative." It is known that the Soviets are doing considerable research on conditioned reflexes and brain-washing techniques. Manipulated fear and the conditioning of the opponents' mental and psychological reactions are strategic concomitants to nuclear weapons. The Soviets don't overlook a bet.
Previous wars have lasted for years. Ever since the emergence of a modern industrial society with its long mobilization requirements, war could not be short. A future war may be decided within a matter of a few hours. I think it is wrong, however, to place all attention on the destructive phase of this type of conflict.
In previous times, the length of the war allowed us to remedy the shortcomings and omissions of peace. Today and tomorrow, once the climax of the conflict has come, we shall be the prisoners of our previous decisions. In that critical phase we shall not be able to increase our force levels, acquire a new set of technological weapons, adjust our tactics to outdo those of the enemy, or even reassure the fearful and give orders to the panicky.
The protracted conflict may last longer than any previous war. Although the climactic or decision phase of this conflict may be short, still, the conflict could endure for many decades. We are in the battle now. As a consequence, the main battles are being fought by military forces in continued readiness, by warning and intelligence services, by the research and development community, by national and industrial planners, and by budget makers, as well as by moral and intellectual attitudes.
Militarily speaking, the decisive phase could be won or lost by the staff and operational officers who 5 to 10 years before the shooting select or reject certain weapons systems, succeed or fail in shortening lead times, organize offensive and defensive forces, determine the balance between force elements, and plan deployment and reaction times. It also may be won or lost by the executive and congressional branches which decide, with a timelag of 2 to 3 years, the force levels to be maintained in any technological phase; by the weapons requirement, procurement, and logistics planners within the military; and by industry, all of whom, together, have the task of developing and producing superior weapons faster and in larger quantity than the enemy; finally, by intelligence officers who must try to forecast the relative strengths and weaknesses of the strategic equation 5 to 10 years ahead. The latter will succeed - or fail - depending on whether or not they convince the powers-that-be that their best estimates are valid.
In protracted conflict, the climactic phase may be war in its most extreme form. If the climax is a matter merely of threat and surrender, it will be the most "peaceful" of all wars. To intelligence its most significant aspect should be that protracted conflict is a war during peace.
It is easy to enumerate the need to win the technological race, the requirements for adequate numbers of weapons and forces, the advantage of hardened and dispersed base locations, the necessity for fast reaction times, and so forth. But the basic reason these requirements are difficult to satisfy is that no nation has the economic capability to live up to the exigencies of protracted conflict in the early period of the nuclear age.
I am not talking about budgets which can be increased and reduced. I do not mean various degrees of economic mobilization and readiness. Rather, I refer to more fundamental limitations.
To win the technological race a nation needs numerical and qualitative superiority in technicians and inventive geniuses. Unless the most revolutionary educational changes are made, it is unlikely that sufficient scientists and technicians will be produced to satisfy the growing needs of increasingly complex military programs. Even a program which marshaled all educational resources into scientific and technical curricula probably would be inadequate for acquiring that degree of technical superiority and material effort which makes the launching of a nuclear attack or the psychological threat of such an attack a relatively risk-less affair.
The cost of weapons systems is rising geometrically, while the increase in productive capabilities proceeds much slower. There is the problem of protecting and rebuilding our cities and facilities to survive in a nuclear environment. This is a problem - so far largely untouched - which clearly accentuates the severe limitations on our economic capabilities to meet the challenge of the nuclear age. In this time of economic plenty, scarcity still is the supreme fact of civilian and, above all, military economics.
Material resources are not the only limiting factor. Time, which is a major resource, also is in short supply. For example, the time needed to transform a blueprint into a modern weapons system has become such that a military force never possesses an active arsenal without at least some obsolescence. I mean obsolescent in the sense that certain tasks simply cannot be accomplished against opposition or must be undertaken at excessive risks and costs.
There is one inescapable conclusion from this discrepancy between requirement and capability. It is this: the future strategist has the potential choice of an entire technological spectrum of weapons. At least several weapons systems will be able to do the same task.
Because of the technological potential available to both sides, he will have to decide whether to select a faster or slower weapon, an explosive with greater or lower yield, a weapon of endurance or of stealth. Should he guard against high or low level attack? Should he dispense with manned bombers in favor of missiles? Should he select an earth satellite "anchored" approximately 21,000 miles above its target to deliver nuclear firepower -or should he use a submarine from which to launch a missile?
In practical terms the strategist can select only a limited number of systems from this entire technical spectrum, which will grow as we progress further into the scientific era. Strategists on the other side have to make similar eliminations. The chances are that the choices may not be identical because of different strategic objectives, production capabilities, operational doctrines, concepts of defensive warfare, and so forth. In turn, because the choices probably will be different on both sides, the possibility of surprise and other major military initiatives will increase.
Therefore, intelligence must forecast, in ample time and correctly, the enemy selection so that proper defenses can be designed. Of course, the choice of the enemy may impose the need for counter-weapons, which may have a feedback against our original weapons choice.
It is necessary to insure that the relationship between what we actually have and what we require to counter the enemy's principal threats is such that we are not accepting undue risks. If we made a poor or overly narrow selection from the spectrum, if intelligence fails to guide the research and development community concerning the enemy's probable selections, we might invite attack, provide inadequate defense, and jeopardize life and liberty. But if our intelligence is keen and our armament effort generous we might ensure peace for the period of the technological cycle.
We are in a conflict which has and undoubtedly will endure for decades but which at present is changing complexion. General J. F. C. Fuller coined the term "machine warfare" to describe World Wars I and II. This expression no longer fully applies to future "technological warfare."
I am afraid that the Communists have shown a rather sophisticated understanding of the strategic problems involved in this new form of technological struggle. They seem to understand interrelations between social conflicts and technical and economic competition. More than that, they are organizing themselves to achieve an overwhelming strategic posture in the technological realm. They are girding to win the technological race against the US. Whatever the disadvantages of a dictatorial system, their regime responds to rapid decision making.
In this area, we do not seem to have matched their strategic comprehension. We are said to have made the decision never to strike the first blow. At the same time we have neglected to introduce sufficiently into our thinking the fact that if the opponent is allowed opportunity to achieve a broad tactical success through an initial blow, the retaliatory strategy must be more costly and complicated in order to compensate for the risk and loss which could occur at the outset and weaken the retaliatory force before it goes into battle.
Under the postulate that the enemy strikes first, defense must be more expensive than under the postulate that we shall not surrender the initiative. It follows that we must not be reluctant to pay the price of our security against an opponent to whom we present the gift of the deliberate surprise attack.
The technological race has engulfed us exactly as a fast flowing river occasionally catches the unsuspecting oarsman. Such a situation cannot be met and overcome by preaching to the river, by throwing away the oars, or by using only one of two hands. In such a situation, all skills and all strengths are needed to ride out the rapids and not get smashed against the rocks.
The fundamental conclusion I want to leave is that the technological race, because of various economic limitations and political climates, may not be won by any super power engaging in the competition, even with all its strengths. But this race very well may be lost by a country which fails to put its continued best efforts into the challenge.
It is to a large extent the duty of the national intelligence community to explain to our nation's leadership the true nature of this strategic problem. I pray that we will not fail in this task which is indispensable not only to our survival but to the survival of civilization.
Intelligence has been getting the facts about the Soviet Bloc, or at least enough of them to enable many right decisions to be made. But we have not been able, often enough, to get our information and evaluations accepted and acted upon. The somber fact is that as professional intelligence people we have not entirely grasped the meaning of protracted conflict in the nuclear missile age.
I believe it not unfair to state also that as professional intelligence people we have been disappointingly slow in under standing the nature of the pressing problems which are confronting us. Only too often our categories of analysis and estimates still reflect the strategic realities of a passing age. We know all about the deposits of even the least important raw materials, but we may miss major scientific discoveries. Our battle orders of the infantry are considerably better than those of earth satellites. We are adept in measuring floorspace, but we are rarely engaged in comparing lead times. We are able to refine our calculations of weapons yields to the first decimal, but the analysts worrying about Soviet neuropsychology have yet to break through to the national estimates. We produce mountains of "data," but our progress in data handling paraphrases Lenin's title, "one step forward, two steps backward." We are considerably better in post mortems than in warning. Our understanding of man's greatest resource, time, has remained fuzzy in most areas.
All in all, although we often express our conviction as to how important intelligence is to national security, we ourselves have not quite realized the crucial position we are occupying in the present power struggle. It is really the effectiveness of intelligence which, together with the effectiveness of our scientists, is the basis of technology. Beyond the development phase, intelligence is either a multiplier or a divisor of military strength in-being. It is the one "weapons system" which by necessity is in constant touch with the enemy, regardless of whether there is war or peace. And in war, of course, intelligence remains a key condition of success.
But we must elevate our sights beyond the old saw of intelligence being the "first line of defense." Intelligence is the factor which should make defense economically practical, technologically superior, and strategically victorious. In the missile age, intelligence literally will merge with the decisive weapons system, lest the missiles be entirely ineffective.
But intelligence will not be able to do this job unless it comes of age as a technological system in its own right. We must get the equipment our ubiquitous, instantaneous, and encyclopedic mission requires. We must have the forces to operate these tools. We must develop utilization techniques which are at par with or better than those equipments. And we must be able rapidly to feed our information to all users.
One feature will remain unchanged: the ability to think. Electric computers and space telescopes are no substitutes for common sense and judgment. Reasoning by false analogy, preoccupation with minor problems to the detriment of major issues, emphasis on decimals and disregard for the large magnitude, wrong philosophies about the rules of evidence, delusionary procedures such as the piling of estimates upon estimates - not to mention normal human failings such as prejudices, wishful thinking, parochial interest arguments, and subversion - all those will remain possible in the era of technological warfare. The machines, even the electrons, are no better than the brains they are designed to serve. It is gratifying to think that when the machine proves to be inadequate - for example, because it may take three months to "program" it - common sense and "conventional thinking" still will be called upon to take its place.
The plain fact is that the machine, however good, will not replace the analyst. The machine will make the human brain a more powerful tool - this is the main reason we need it in intelligence. Intelligence technology is indispensable for the rapid handling of thousands of data and for the reduction of innumerable variables to manageable factors. This technology is the key to speed, coverage, and accuracy; to computation; and to experimentation with, and testing of, our conclusions and estimates (for example, through "gaining" techniques).
But intuition and insight are necessary to make the machines work. In turn, intelligence technology will make its greatest contribution if it allows deeper insights and ever more creative intuitions. Man has remained the key factor in technological warfare, as he was the key to victory when rocks and clubs were the most powerful weapons. Military, or in a broader sense, conflict intelligence will be at its best when it is based on brain intelligence: IQ's plus wisdom.
Pending the dawn of the technological age in intelligence, we should face up more courageously to the facts of life, however bitter.
As a nation and as the core of the Free World alliance, we have been underrating the danger for more than twelve years. Why was intelligence not more reliable? Why did we fail to see the obvious? Our own thought patterns and our intellectual isolationism have proved to be far more dangerous enemies to our security than the Iron Curtain and the ominous developments behind it.
Last Updated: Aug 03, 2011 01:29 PM
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Paper pips iBooks and iPad for speed
Study shows reading e-books are slower than reading it the old fashion way - on paper.
By Ian Paul
It will take you longer to read a book on an iPad or Kindle compared to the printed page, according to a recent study. Dr. Jakob Nielsen of the Nielsen Norman Group--a product development consultancy that is not associated with Nielsen, the metrics company--compared the reading times of 24 users on the Kindle 2, an iPad using the iBooks application, a PC monitor and good old fashioned paper. The study found that reading on an electronic tablet was up to 10.7 percent slower than reading a printed book. Despite the slower reading times, Nielsen found that users preferred reading books on a tablet device compared to the paper book. The PC monitor, meanwhile, was universally hated as a reading platform among all test subjects.
Nielsen's findings were based on the performance of 24 users who "like reading and frequently read books." The subjects each read different short stories by Ernest Hemingway on all four platforms, and were measured for their reading speeds and story comprehension. Overall, it took each user an average of 17 minutes and 20 seconds to read a story regardless of the platform and comprehension levels were virtually identical on all four reading formats. However, Nielsen says the printed book was the clear winner in terms of speed. Users were reading 6.2 percent slower on an iPad compared to paper, and 10.7 percent slower on the Kindle 2. Nielsen did not provide any statistics on the reading time for the PC monitor.
Interestingly, Nielsen's results appear to show that reading on the iPad is significantly faster compared to the Kindle 2. But Nielsen was quick to dismiss this conclusion arguing that the reading speeds between the two devices were "not statistically significant." "The difference [between reading times on the iPad and Kindle 2] would be so small that it wouldn't be a reason to buy one over the other," Nielsen wrote.
The study also asked each user to rate how they liked each format on a scale of 1-7. The iPad, Kindle 2 and printed book were nearly tied at 5.8, 5.7 and 5.6 respectively, while the PC monitor ranked last at 3.6 points. The test subjects said that reading on the PC felt too much like being at work, while they found it more relaxing to read a printed book than on an electronic device.
Tablets Still Can't Beat the Book
So it appears technology hasn't quite figured out yet how to replicate the experience of the printed page. That said this study leaves a lot to be desired owing to its small test group size, but it would be interesting to see a similar study on a much larger scale. I'd be curious to find out, for example, if there's any big difference in reading speeds based on age groups.Would people in their 20s read faster on a screen than a book since they've spent a majority of their lives consuming digital content? How would the younger group compare to people in their late thirties and early forties who also grew up with electronic devices such as the Commodore Vic-20, the original Mac and IBM clones?
This study also left out reading on a laptop, which is a far more mobile reading experience than a desktop PC and could therefore be more enjoyable. I'd also like to know if the iPad would remain a faster reading experience than the Kindle in a larger study. On the one hand, the iPad can render a new page faster than the Kindle, which could account for the uptick in speed. But you would think the Kindle's ability to closely mimic the printed page, thanks to its e-ink display, would bring its reading speeds closer to the traditional book.
Regardless of how fast people can read on an electronic device, the e-reader is becoming more popular every year. E-books raked in $313 million in 2009 growing by 176.6 per cent compared to 2008 overtaking audio book sales. In 2010, e-book sales are currently growing at a rate of 217.3 per cent versus 2009, according to estimates by the Association of American Publishers.
If you want to check out Nielsen's findings for yourself, you can find it here. It's a fairly short read, but if you're pressed for time you might want to print it out.
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£40m investment fund launched for Cornwall and Isles of Scilly SMEs
The British Business Bank has today (June 28) launched the £40m Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Investment Fund (CIOSIF), aimed at boosting the local economy by providing debt and equity finance to help growing small businesses across the region.
The fund has been established in partnership with the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and UK Government to provide local businesses with more funding options to help them grow and create jobs.
CIOSIF has been designed following input from local business groups, funders, business advisers and the LEP and will provide debt and equity finance from £25,000 to £2 million. It is expected to unlock a further £40 million of private investment.
Small Business Minister Andrew Griffiths said: “Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, supporting more than 1 million jobs in the South West alone and 13 million across the UK. This new fund will help us deliver on the ambition set out in our modern Industrial Strategy, with investment that will ensure the region’s small businesses can access the finance they need to grow and succeed.”
Ken Cooper, Managing Director, Venture Capital Solutions at the British Business Bank, said: “Our role is to make the finance markets work better for smaller businesses at all stages in their development. The Cornwall and Isles of Scilly investment fund has been specifically designed to support growth businesses in this area and is part of a co-ordinated approach to help them realise their potential.”
Mark Duddridge, chairman of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly LEP, said: “This fund has been a long-held ambition of the LEP and our partners and we believe it will prove transformational by creating an enduring legacy of business investment, innovation and growth in our region.”
CIOSIF is operated by appointed fund managers FSE Group
The fund has been established to address specific funding needs in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. There is an identified market gap in the provision of debt and equity finance, where access to finance has been identified as a much higher barrier to growth than the England average.
Half the fund (ca £20 million) will be in the form of debt finance providing loans between £25,000 and £1 million. This will be aimed at growing businesses with a viable proposal that are unable to access all the debt finance they need from commercial sources, maybe due to a lack of collateral or track record.
The other half of the fund will be in the form of equity funding from £50,000 to £2 million for growing companies. This aims to close an identified equity gap, especially in start-up, early stage and development capital. Despite having 1% of the UK’s SMEs, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly have just 0.1% of all UK equity deals.
CIOSIF is supported financially by the European Union using funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020. Further investment has come from the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership and HM Government.
For more information about the Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Investment Fund, please visit www.ciosif.co.uk of follow the fund on Twitter at @CIOSIFBBB2
"" data-summary="The British Business Bank has today (June 28) launched the £40m Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Investment Fund (CIOSIF), aimed at boosting the local economy by providing debt and equity finance to help growing small businesses across the region. The fund has been established in partnership with the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and UK Government to provide local businesses with more funding options to help them grow and create jobs. CIOSIF has been designed following input from local business groups, funders, business advisers and the LEP and will provide debt and equity finance from £25,000 to £2 million. It is expected to unlock a further £40 million of private investment. Small Business Minister Andrew Griffiths said: “Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, supporting more than 1 million jobs in the South West alone and 13 million across the UK. This new fund will help us deliver on the ambition set out in our modern Industrial Strategy, with investment that will ensure the region’s small businesses can access the finance they need to grow and succeed.” Ken Cooper, Managing Director, Venture Capital Solutions at the British Business Bank, said: “Our role is to make the finance markets work better for smaller businesses at all stages in their development. The Cornwall and Isles of Scilly investment fund has been specifically designed to support growth businesses in this area and is part of a co-ordinated approach to help them realise their potential.” Mark Duddridge, chairman of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly LEP, said: “This fund has been a long-held ambition of the LEP and our partners and we believe it will prove transformational by creating an enduring legacy of business investment, innovation and growth in our region.” CIOSIF is operated by appointed fund managers FSE Group The fund has been established to address specific funding needs in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. There is an identified market gap in the provision of debt and equity finance, where access to finance has been identified as a much higher barrier to growth than the England average. Half the fund (ca £20 million) will be in the form of debt finance providing loans between £25,000 and £1 million. This will be aimed at growing businesses with a viable proposal that are unable to access all the debt finance they need from commercial sources, maybe due to a lack of collateral or track record. The other half of the fund will be in the form of equity funding from £50,000 to £2 million for growing companies. This aims to close an identified equity gap, especially in start-up, early stage and development capital. Despite having 1% of the UK’s SMEs, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly have just 0.1% of all UK equity deals. CIOSIF is supported financially by the European Union using funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020. Further investment has come from the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership and HM Government. For more information about the Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Investment Fund, please visit www.ciosif.co.uk of follow the fund on Twitter at @CIOSIFBBB2">
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Clean Missouri supporters unhappy with bills seeking to close records
Home News and Updates Posts Clean Missouri supporters unhappy with bills seeking to close records
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Originally posted in the Jefferson City News Tribune on February 24th, 2019.
After Missouri voters last November overwhelmingly passed Amendment 1 to the Constitution, known as the Clean Missouri proposal, supporters have been upset with lawmakers who have proposed, or voted for, several bills and rule changes this legislative session that aim to undo some of the new amendment’s requirements.
And last week’s committee approval of Sen. Ed Emery’s Senate Bill 132 is just the latest point of unhappiness.
“It’s happening again,” Sean Soendker Nicholson said in an email last Wednesday, a day after the Senate’s Government Reform Committee recommended the full Senate debate and pass the bill.
“A Missouri Senate committee just passed a new bill designed to allow legislators to dodge the Sunshine Law, even though we just passed Amendment 1 barely three months ago,” Nicholson wrote.
Amendment 1 received 1,469,093 “yes” votes Nov. 6, or 62.021 percent of the total 2,368,706 votes cast, to 899,613 “no” votes, or 37.979 percent.
For many people, that’s considered a popular mandate.
And, Emery told the News Tribune last week, he’s not trying to ignore the people’s will.
“We’re trying to absolutely preserve that,” he explained. “We all have oaths of office that we take and voters to answer to.
“We’re all up there for the same purpose,” to represent their constituents’ interests as best as they can.
The main issue involves records that, before voters passed the Clean Missouri amendment, most lawmakers considered to be closed to the public.
Many felt that position was supported by a 2016 state appeals court ruling that Missouri’s Constitution expressly provides the House and Senate “may determine the rules of (their) own proceedings.”
But the Clean Missouri amendment included a requirement that legislative records and proceedings be open to the public under the Sunshine Law.
It’s that provision that, Nicholson told the News Tribune on Saturday, Emery’s bill seeks to change.
“Emery’s bill violates the clear language of the state Constitution,” he explained. “The General Assembly is required to follow the same generally applicable open records laws that are set for city councils, mayors, the governor.
“The law of the land right now (is): ‘Legislative records shall be public records and subject to generally applicable state laws governing public access to public records, including the Sunshine Law.’
“Any attempt to carve out the General Assembly from open records laws violates this clear mandate from voters.”
Emery said he only wants to protect communications with constituents — that often are very personal in nature, involving problems that constituents think the lawmaker can help resolve but wouldn’t want the general public to know about — and communications among lawmakers that are focused on the actual legislative process.
“Originally, (they) would have been confidential,” Emery said.
The Sunshine Law, found in Chapter 610 of Missouri’s Revised Statutes, includes 24 different exemptions to the basic concept of open records.
As modified by the committee, Emery’s bill would add a 25th exemption, that: “Any record retained by the office of a member of the general assembly that is related to a constituent of the member” would be a closed record under the law.
The proposed law explains: “As used in this subdivision, ‘constituent’ shall mean any person who is a resident of the legislative district of the member, any person who owns real property within the legislative district of the member, or any person who owns an interest in, or is an employee of, a business entity operating within the legislative district of the member.”
Emery said he’s trying to keep the Sunshine Law limitations very narrow.
Nicholson strongly disagreed, arguing that the definition of “constituent” is too broad.
“Under this framework,” he said, “communications to or from any employee of any business that happens to have a storefront in a district becomes secret.
“It’s not hard to imagine ways this would be abused.”
At a Thursday afternoon news conference, Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia, told reporters: “We have always been really concerned (about) the constituent information. We want to make sure that constituent interaction is protected.
“Beyond that, we’ve got to get it right. I think we have to be very diligent and very mindful of how we do what we do.”
But he believes a majority of the Senate’s Republican members think “something needs to be done” to modify what voters approved in Amendment 1.
Emery told the News Tribune he understands the Clean Missouri amendment clearly targeted “the outside influences” on the legislative process, and his proposed law change clearly doesn’t include “a person who is registered as a lobbyist or a lobbyist principal, as such terms are defined in (state law), regardless of whether such person otherwise meets the definition of ‘constituent.'”
Under that language, a number of Jefferson City residents who earn their living as lobbyists would have all of their communications with their representative, Dave Griffith or Rudy Veit, depending on where they live, and Sen. Mike Bernskoetter open to a public or media inquiry under the Sunshine Law — even if that communication was about a personal or family issue.
Emery’s bill also would add a 26th exemption to open records: “Any record retained in the office of a member of the general assembly, an employee of either house of the general assembly, or an employee of a caucus of either the majority or minority party of either house that contains information regarding proposed legislation or the legislative process — however, nothing in this subdivision shall allow the closure of a record that has been offered in a public meeting of a house of the general assembly, or any committee thereof.”
Emery said lawmakers’ strategy discussions, including proposals to amend or rewrite bills, shouldn’t become public until they actually are introduced in either the House or the Senate.
He argued neither the Republican or Democratic caucuses, for example, want the “other” side to know what their strategies are while negotiations are underway involving proposed laws or constitutional amendments.
Rowden said: “The work product discussion is a broader one — but we’ve got to get it right.”
Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz, R-Sullivan, added: “For the most part, what voters want to see and understand is that, if there is anything nefarious going on, and making that information available — I don’t think anybody has a problem with producing and seeing that.”
Senate Minority Leader Gina Walsh, D-Bellefontaine Neighbors, said the voters “already have spoken I think it’s up to us to work within the guidelines and parameters of what (voters) have said, and to move forward.”
Nicholson said: “Any attempt to carve out the General Assembly from open records laws violates this clear mandate from voters.
“Why can’t the General Assembly just start following the Sunshine Laws that everyone else has to follow?”
Rowden, who manages when bills are brought up for debate, said last week he didn’t know when Emery’s bill would be debated.
Mahoney’s Minute: “This seems to be some lawmakers ducking for cover.”
EDITORIAL: Diluting the Sunshine Law undermines transparency
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Rick Pitino sought mercy for Richie Farmer before sentencing
Rick Pitino was among writers asking judge for mercy for Richie Farmer before sentencing
Rick Pitino sought mercy for Richie Farmer before sentencing Rick Pitino was among writers asking judge for mercy for Richie Farmer before sentencing Check out this story on courier-journal.com: http://cjky.it/1nerEne
@ap Published 4:24 p.m. ET April 11, 2014 | Updated 9:56 p.m. ET April 11, 2014
Richie Farmer(Photo: C-J file photo)Buy Photo
University of Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino asked a federal judge to show mercy when sentencing former Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer and allow him to "become a productive citizen again" after the basketball star's political and personal fall from grace.
Pitino's letter is among 29 pieces of correspondence sent to U.S. District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove in the weeks leading up to Farmer's sentencing in January for abusing public office. The judge sentenced Farmer to 27 months in federal prison. He is serving the sentence at a prison in Bruceton Mills, W.Va.
Van Tatenhove unsealed the letters Thursday evening.
MORE: See the 29 letters
Many of the letters were from family and long-time friends, including former Kentucky basketball star and current University of Florida assistant basketball coach John Pelphrey. Pitino coached both men at Kentucky from 1989 through 1992. Pitino and Pelphrey were the only people connected to Farmer's college basketball career to write to the judge.
Farmer and Pelphrey were part of the 1991-1992 team known as "The Unforgettables" for their gutsy play and for turning the Wildcats around after a couple of years on probation.
Farmer had been a rising star within the Kentucky GOP until an unsuccessful run for lieutenant governor in 2011 on a ticket with Republican state Senate President David Williams. They lost overwhelmingly to incumbent Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear, in part because of the brewing scandal.
Pitino, a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, described Farmer as a "very down-to-earth person" who cared about his teammates and the university more than individual accomplishments. Pitino also said Farmer would "learn a great lesson" from the legal proceedings and wouldn't appear in court again.
"Richie is very remorseful for his misconduct," Pitino wrote on Jan. 8. "It causes him and me great pain to see his family broken up because of his actions."
Pelphrey, the former head coach at the University of Arkansas, has known Farmer since they were high school rivals in the 1980s in eastern Kentucky. Pelphrey told the judge about Farmer making personal sacrifices for the good of the team and that he cared about his teammates more than himself.
Pelphrey also asked Van Tatenhove to give Farmer an opportunity to see his three sons grow up, despite making poor choices and decisions while in office.
"Politics is a tough game," Pelphrey wrote. "But Richie is not a criminal. He does not belong in Jail or Prison. There are other punishments that fit his sins better than those options."
Farmer, 44, pleaded guilty in September to two counts of misappropriating government resources. He was also ordered to pay $120,500 in restitution. He admitted to hiring friends and having them do little to no work and using state employees to build a basketball court at his home.
As a high school standout, Farmer was named Kentucky's Mr. Basketball in 1988. He played shooting guard for Kentucky from 1988 to 1992, and had career averages of 7.6 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game.
The Wildcats' run in the NCAA Tournament ended in a regional final against Duke, a matchup often cited as the greatest college game ever played. The Blue Devils survived an overtime thriller when Duke forward Christian Laettner caught a long pass near the free throw line, took one dribble and hit the jump shot at the buzzer to win the game.
Farmer, Pelphrey and teammates Deron Feldhaus and Sean Woods became well-known and their jerseys, including Farmer's No. 32, were retired.
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$3B Water Street Tampa Development Kicks Off This Fall
The upcoming 9 million-square-foot project will transform the downtown neighborhood, bringing new office, residential, retail, hospitality, cultural and public space over a 10-year build out.
Gail Kalinoski
Water Street Tampa, Downtown Tampa’s much-anticipated 50-acre mixed-use waterfront neighborhood that is being developed by Strategic Property Partners
After several years of planning and accumulating properties in downtown Tampa for a transformative mixed-use waterfront district, Strategic Property Partners LLC said the first phase of the $3 billion, 9 million-square-foot Water Street Tampa project will begin this fall.
More than 4 million square feet of office, residential, hospitality, retail and cultural space across 10 blocks is slated for completion by 2020. Subsequent phases are expected to be completed by 2027. When it is built out, Water Street Tampa will have 2.6 million square feet of office space—the first new office towers to be erected in downtown Tampa in nearly 25 years—along with 1 million square feet of retail, cultural, educational and entertainment space; 3,500 new rental and for-sale residences; and two hotels with more than 650 guestrooms, including the city’s first 5-star hotel.
SPP donated an acre of land to the University of South Florida, which will relocate the Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute to downtown Tampa from its suburban location to a new 380,000-square-foot facility by the fall of 2019.
A live-work-play community
The development team, a joint venture between Cascade Investment LLC, controlled by Microsoft founder Bill Gates, and Jeff Vinik, who owns the Tampa Bay Lightning, estimate that 23,000 people will live, work and visit Water Street Tampa each day.
“Water Street Tampa is a story of opportunity and well-being, with culture, community and character on each block. At every level, we aspire to create a well-crafted place that attracts people to come to discover, create and live their own life stories,” James Nozar, SPP CEO, said in a prepared statement. “By bringing together many of the world’s leading talent in architecture, planning, placemaking and community design, we aim to connect people both to each other and to a vibrant and stimulating environment in downtown Tampa.”
John Burpee, CEO of NAI Tampa Bay, said his firm helped assemble the majority of the parcels for the developers and “saw the larger picture right from the start.”
“Once the project is completed, we feel it will relocate the core business district from its present location. Given that the majority of office and housing is 30-plus years old, any new energy-efficient construction is sure to be well-received,” Burpee told Commercial Property Executive.
Calling it the “worst kept secret in the Bay Area for a long time,” Burpee said news that the massive waterfront project was in the planning stages likely spurred other commercial real estate activity in downtown Tampa.
“In my opinion, this is why you are seeing over 1,000 new Class A units being slated for the downtown core market,” Burpee said. “The Old Times building is a perfect example of how developers are looking to capitalize on the influx of employment this project will bring.”
Burpee was referring to the former Tampa Tribune newspaper building that was closed after the newspaper was bought in 2016 by the Tampa Bay Times. Related Group is turning the waterfront site into an eight-story, 400-unit apartment community.
“We also feel that you will see additional housing projects added to the fray as the project (Water Street Tampa) is built out. We have several developers we are currently working with asking us about sites in the core and outlying areas,” Burpee noted.
SPP said it is working with 10 award-winning architectural firms on the design of 18 district buildings and 12.9 acres of new and enhanced public space. Construction of over $200 million in new infrastructure began in the summer of 2016. The goal is to transform the district and connect current community anchors like the Tampa Convention Center, Amalie Arena, Tampa Bay History Center and Florida Aquarium with a network of new parks and public space.
Water Street Tampa aims to set a new standard for wellness and sustainability. Part of that will come from a new central cooling facility that will begin construction this fall. The individual buildings will benefit from efficient and reliable district-wide cooling, which will free up the rooftops for landscaped terraces with views of Downtown Tampa and Hillsborough Bay.
SPP said it is pursuing both WELL and LEED building certification on individual buildings and anticipates that Water Street Tampa will become the world’s first WELL-certified community under the WELL Community Standard currently being developed by the International Well Building Instititute.
Cascade Investment
International WELL Building Institute
Strategic Properties Group
The Related Group
Tampa Distribution Center Trades for $69M
SPP Breaks Ground on Tampa Office Project
ITG Brands Renews 238 KSF Industrial Lease in Tampa
CBRE Adds New SVP in Tampa
Compass Self Storage Buys FL Facility
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About Governance
Ecological Determinants Group on Education
Election Procedures
Honorary Awards Operational Procedures
2019 Honorary Awards
Corporate Sponsorship Policy
Richard Musto, MD, FRCPC
Benita Cohen, RN, MSc, PhD
Katie-Sue Derejko, MPH, M.A., PMP
Caitlin Johnston, BA, MSc-PPH
Donika Jones, MPH, BSc, B.A.
Nancy Laliberté, PhD (c), MPH
Sume Ndumbe-Eyoh, Hons BSc, MHSc
Manasi Parikh, BHSc
Vamini Selvanandan, BSc, MD, CCFP
Julie Stratton, BSc, MHSc
Ingrid Tyler, MD, CCFP, MHSc, MEd, FRCPC
Richard is a Public Health and Preventive Medicine physician recently retired from Alberta Health Services but still enjoying his role as a Clinical Professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences at the University of Calgary. His public health career began as a community medicine specialist with what is now the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch of Health Canada and continued with a sequence of Medical Officer of Health roles within the various manifestations of health services in Alberta. Over the years his areas of responsibility spanned the discipline with an increasingly sharp focus on matters of health equity. A privilege and abiding passion has been the opportunity to learn from and work with Indigenous communities.
Benita is an Associate Professor in Nursing at the University of Manitoba, where she focuses on mentoring students to become health equity champions. Her research projects have included exploring public health nurses' role in addressing child and family poverty; an equity scan of Canadian tobacco control policy; a health equity impact assessment of a provincial parenting program; development of a conceptual framework of organizational capacity for public health equity action; and a systematic review of public health's role in advocacy for health equity. Benita received the 2013 Community Health Nurses of Canada Award of Merit for her contributions to the field of public/community health. As a CPHA Director, she will work to strengthen public health system capacity to promote health equity and social justice.
Katie-Sue works for the Government of the Northwest Territories as the Manager of a program that works across sectors to implement systems change through identifying structural inequities that negatively impact the determinants of wellbeing for the most vulnerable. Prior to this, Katie-Sue was Senior Policy Analyst for Public Health at the Assembly of First Nations. She also conducted research on housing first and mental health recovery in New York City. Katie-Sue holds a Master of Public Health from New York University specializing in Global Health Leadership, and a Master of Arts from McMaster University specializing in Indigenous Health Policy. She has an array of global health experience in both non-governmental organizations and the private sector. She is also the co-founder of Katrime Integrated Health.
Caitlin is a Program Manager at BC Women’s Hospital + Health Centre. Caitlin’s portfolio includes the Sexual Assault Service, a free provincial contraception program, Oak Tree HIV clinic, and newcomer and primary care services. Caitlin leads several community-based research (CBR) and service projects in Canada and abroad. She co-founded, U-Tena Arts and Education Society (U-Tena), registered in Kenya and Canada. U-Tena uses arts-based methods to provide sexual and reproductive health education to communities with low levels of literacy. Caitlin is also the Principal Investigator on a CBR study exploring public influence on sexual assault survivor disclosure.
Donika currently works as a Health Promotion Specialist in chronic disease with the Department of Health at the Government of Nunavut. She provides leadership on the territorial chronic disease file. She also works collaboratively with governmental and non-governmental stakeholders to develop and support alcohol harm reduction and cancer screening initiatives. Donika is interested in health equity, social justice and accessible health systems. She is committed to better understanding how these disciplines intersect and interconnect. She currently volunteers with the Nunavut Black History Society. She was awarded the 2017 Governor-General’s Achievement Award in Jamaica for her volunteerism and work within the Jamaican diaspora.
Nancy Laliberte, PhD (c), MPH
Tansi, I am Cree/Métis from the Beaver River area of the prairies and I currently live on the traditional, ancestral territory of the Chippewas of Rama First Nation. I have a history of over 20 years in research in the downtown eastside (DTES) of Vancouver in homelessness, mental health, problematic substance use and opioid replacement. It was there that I was mentored in harm reduction, Indigenous rights and social justice. The remarkable people of the DTES were a fundamental part of my education as they generously shared teachings with me. At present I am working as a consultant in Indigenous Health. I completed a Master of Public Health in 2012 from UBC’s School of Population and Public Health (SPPH). The majority of my time is spent working the The’ye’lh Smun’eem Indigenous Youth Wellness project in my fifth year of study in the PhD program at SPPH.
I live and work on the traditional and ancestral Indigenous territory of the Mississaugas of the New Credit. As a Senior Knowledge Translation Specialist at the National Collaborating Centre for Determinants of Health, I lead initiatives focused on public health practice related to health equity and the social determinants of health in partnership with stakeholders across Canada. I have previously worked in regional, provincial and global organizations on HIV/AIDS, tobacco control, equity-oriented organizational change and womens’ rights. I have served in an advisory capacity for working groups and committees led by the Public Health Agency of Canada, Canadian Institute for Health Information and others. As a former board member of the Health Equity Council (Ontario), I provided leadership and informed health equity initiatives in the Ontario context. I hold a Master of Health Science in Health Promotion and Global Health from the University of Toronto and I am interested in how public health approaches can be better informed by critical social science perspectives.
Manasi is a first-year medical student at McMaster University and received a Bachelor of Health Sciences (Honors), with a specialization in Global Health from McMaster University. Manasi founded the McMaster Public Health Association and has a keen focus in engaging students and young professionals in public health. She is also spearheading a Technology in Public Health working group. Manasi was a panelist on a World Leadership Dialogue at the World Congress on Public Health last year, which was focused on highlighting her work with engaging students and young professionals in public health in Canada. She was also selected to attend the Women Leaders in Global Health conference at Stanford University and has presented her research at the World Congress on Public Health, Public Health 2017 and the American Public Health Association’s Annual Conference (2017). Her interests include technology in public health, student engagement in public health, improving access to healthcare and health systems and policy evaluation. In her free time, she enjoys hiking and exploring new bike trails.
Vamini is a family physician with experience in primary care, emergency medicine and women’s health in Canada and the developing world. She has practiced medicine in several rural, remote and indigenous communities in Canada. Her educational background includes a Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Toronto, Family Medicine training at the University of Ottawa and she is completing a Master of Public Health (health promotion) at the University of Alberta. She has been involved with projects promoting sexual health in Alberta, improving access to cancer screening programs in rural Africa and Central America, and is currently working to address workplace injuries and discrimination related to immigrant workers. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Bow Valley Primary Care Network and the Health Committee of the Bow Valley Immigration Partnership.
Julie is currently the Manager of Population Health Assessment with Peel Public Health. With a Masters of Health Science in Epidemiology and Bachelor of Science in Environmental Health, Julie has over 20 years of experience in public health as a public health inspector and epidemiologist. In addition, Julie has completed an EXTRA (Executive Training Program) fellowship with the Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement with a focus on enhancing public health staff competencies around the use of health data; specifically in the areas of assessment and analysis, and the public health sciences. She has been treasurer, vice-president and president for the Association of Public Health Epidemiologists in Ontario. Her interests and areas of expertise include epidemiologic methods, and using health status data to inform strategic thinking and planning.
Ingrid Tyler MD, CCFP, MHSc, MEd, FRCPC
Dr. Ingrid Tyler is a Medical Health Officer at the Fraser Health Authority in British Columbia and is the Medical Director for the Wellness Program within Population and Public Health. In this role she works directly with communities and municipalities across the full spectrum of public health practice and provides direction to the Healthy Communities and Healthy Schools Programs. She also supports strategy and coordination for healthy living initiatives in mental wellness, physical activity, healthy eating and tobacco. She recently held an interim role at Fraser Health Authority as the Medical Director for the Communicable Disease and Harm Reduction Program during the early phases of the emergency opioid overdose response. Prior to Fraser Health she worked at Public Health Ontario in the areas of health promotion, chronic disease and injury prevention.
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Go to a Football Game, Get a Free Genetic Test!
By R. Lewis Dark | From the Volume XXIV, No. 13 – September 18, 2017 Issue
Drug Testing Labs in Texas, California Deal With Fraud Charges
GENETIC TESTS REPLACED BOBBLEHEAD DOLLS AS THE GIVEAWAY at yesterday’s Baltimore Ravens home game against the Cleveland Browns. That’s a first in the world of professional sports!
Tens of thousands of football fans received a fee DNA test kit as they entered the stadium on Sunday. The event was sponsored by Orig3n, a genetic testing company based in Boston. Orig3n is offering a free test of four genes.
News reports said that one gene being tested is described by the company as helping to “predict an increased risk of low levels of Vitamin D.” ACTN3 was the only other gene included in the test that was identified. It was described as “yielding information on whether a person ‘is likely to have enhanced performance in power and sprint activities or is considered normal.’”
During the game, fans can use the collection kit to swab the inside of their cheeks. The samples can be left at collection bins inside the stadium and the consumer will then register online with Orig3n to obtain the results.
Critics were quick to point out the many problems that could result from such a free genetic testing effort. “There’s nothing in this that I think is a good idea,” stated Toni Pollin, MS, PhD, an associate professor at University of Maryland School of Medicine, in an interview with the Baltimore Sun. “The tests they are talking about are not going to be useful for a particular individual.”
On the other hand, this could be a marketing coup for Orig3n, founded in 2014. Where the Ravens play, the M&T Bank Stadium, seats about 71,000 fans. In one afternoon, the gene testing company reaches tens of thousands of people with a free sample of its genetic test. It also benefits from the many news stories about this unique free genetic testing program.
What is most significant about this free genetic testing program at a professional football game is how it confirms that genetic testing is becoming almost commonplace. If a professional football team can allow free genetic tests for fans, what unorthodox setting will gene testing companies use next to get their tests out to the public?
I wonder if an analysis of one’s genes would demonstrate the potential for enhanced performance in power and sprint activities? In my school days, my football and rugby coaches figured that out on their own, without the benefit of a genetic test. And their findings were reliable, reproducible, and accurate!
Tags: dna test, gene test, gene testing, genetic test, genetic testing, genetic tests
Volume XXIV No. 13 – September 18, 2017
Positive Patient ID System Catches Patients Cheating on Toxicology Tests
Pathologist’s Error and Hospital’s Cover-up Lead to CMS Investigation
NYU Langone and Sonic Healthcare Create Laboratory Outreach Joint Venture
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