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__label__wiki	0.966608	0.966608	FA Trophy draw: Orient at home, Daggers visit Hill's Fleet George Sessions The FA Trophy (pic: Simon Cooper/PA Images) PA Archive/PA Images Justin Edinburgh's men will entertain Beaconsfield Town in the first round while Peter Taylor's Daggers visit Ebbsfleet United The draw for the first round of the FA Trophy took place this afternoon and Leyton Orient and Dagenham & Redbridge discovered their opponents live on talkSPORT 2. In the end it was a kind draw for Justin Edinburgh’s O’s, who are top of the National League table after 21 games. Orient will play host to Buckinghamshire-based Beaconsfield Town with the Rams plying their trade in the Southern League Premier Division South. Town defeated Leiston 3-1 on Saturday to reach the first round and give themselves a chance of a memorable first round tie. The winner of the clash in E10 will pocket £6,000 and O’s will fancy their chances of making it through. Peter Taylor’s Dagenham have a much trickier tie with the Victoria Road club set to visit league rivals Ebbsfleet United on December 15. The game will see Daggers go up against their former manager Garry Hill, who took over at the Kent outfit earlier this month. Boss Edinburgh hails Orient after the Dragons are slayed Justin Edinburgh	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10812
__label__wiki	0.587581	0.587581	Indian Worker Found Dead in UAE Home, Police Probe Suicide Angle The victim's roommate found him hanging at the accommodation in Al Sajja and tried to cut him loose, but he was already dead. Updated:November 9, 2018, 3:11 PM IST Image for representation Sharjah: A 25-year-old Indian worker was found hanging in his accommodation here, a Sharjah Police official said. The worker is believed to have committed suicide, Gulf News quoted the official as saying on Thursday. The victim's roommate found him hanging at the accommodation in Al Sajja and tried to cut him loose, but he was already dead, he added. The police have launched a probe into the case.	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10813
__label__wiki	0.791723	0.791723	Tense stand-off as Marikana miners bear down on hospital Security was tightened in Marikana, in North West, when a group of armed Lonmin mineworkers marched towards a local hospital. Moments after they left the open field they had occupied since morning, several police Nyalas and a private security company truck took up position in a street near the Andrew Saffy Memorial Hospital. As the protesters approached, police barricaded the hospital’s entrance with four vehicles. A police helicopter hovered overhead. By 4pm, there was a tense standoff. The protesters were carrying pangas, knobkerries, golf clubs, arrows and spears. One of their leaders, Loyiso Mtsheketshe, said they wanted to instruct the hospital to stop discharging injured miners into police custody. A protester said they also wanted to convey their concerns to the hospital about its role in the ongoing strike. Police fired on protesting mineworkers on a hill near Lonmin’s Marikana mine last month, killing 34 people and wounding 78. Another 260 were arrested at the scene, and 10 more upon their discharge from hospital. The protesters claimed the police instructed hospitals to tell them when the wounded mineworkers were being discharged, and arrested them then – some even before they left the hospital premises. This morning, the striking Lonmin mineworkers flocked from all directions to an open space in Marikana for the beginning of another day of protest in demand of a wage increase. They brought umbrellas with them to shield them from the scorching Rustenburg sun. Media crews, many of them international, had set up camp there and observed the crowd. There were also armed police in the area, with four police Nyalas parked at the entrance to a shaft at the nearby Karee mine. » Media24 Investigations and City Press set out to tell the stories of the Marikana. View our special reports page. View an interactive timeline of the events at Marikana.	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10814
__label__cc	0.590966	0.409034	Sad, 20 yrs to Pak cricket and still clarify personal life: Shoaib IANS ¦ Jun 18, 2019 05:39:47 PM (IST) New Delhi: Experienced batsman Shoaib Malik, who is drawing flak after Pakistan's embarrassing defeat to India, has lashed out at the country's media for claiming that he and other players were out partying and smoking sheesha hours before the crucial encounter in Manchester. India hammered Pakistan by 89 runs (D/L method) in a one-sided, rain interrupted tie on Sunday. Ever since the defeat, Pakistani cricketers have been hounded on social media, not only by the fans, but by former cricketers as well for their lacklustre performance against the Men in Blue. There were questions raised about the Pakistan players' fitness and the apparent flouting of the curfew norms after a series of photos and videos showed certain members of the team allegedly socialising past curfew. The posts went viral online even as the Sunday's match was in progress. Malik though has claimed that the purported video is of June 13 and not before the night of the match. "When will Pak media be accountable for their credibility by our courts? Having served my country for +20 years in international cricket, it's sad that I have to clarify things related to my personal life. The videos are from 13th June and not 15th," he tweeted. Alluding to the fact that his wife and Indian tennis star Sania Mirza is also being targeted, the Pakistan all-rounder said: "On behalf of all athletes I would like to request media and people to maintain respect levels in regards to our families, who should not be dragged into petty discussions at will. It's not a nice thing to do." Sania too took to Twitter to answer potshots being aimed at her post the defeat. She battled Pakistani actress Veena Malik as she denied taking their kid to the Sheesha bar. "Veena, I have not taken my kid to a sheesha place. Not that it's any of your or the rest of the world's business cause I think I care bout my son a lot more than anyone else does. Secondly I am not Pakistan cricket team's dietician nor am I their mother or principal or teacher," she tweeted. This was after the actress tweeted: "Sania, I am actually so worried for the kid. You guys took him to a sheesha place isn't it Hazardious? Also as far as I know Archie's is all about junk food which isn't good for athletes/Boys. You must know well as you are mother and athlete yourself?" The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has also disputed the claims in the media that the players violated curfew hours before the high-profile World Cup fixture against India. "The videos and photographs that went viral (on social media) are from two days before the match. The day before the match against India, all the players were in their hotel rooms by curfew time," the spokesperson was quoted as saying by the Dawn. Sania Mirza's sister to marry Azharuddin's son? Pray for peace instead of spreading more hate: Sania Mirza AJ Hospital22 hangyo ice creams26 ideal ice cream XXIV	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10815
__label__wiki	0.753952	0.753952	Academic & Professional Books Reference Career and Professional Development The Slow Professor Challenging the Culture of Speed in the Academy By: Maggie Berg(Author), Barbara K Seeber(Author), Stefan Collini(Foreword By) 115 pages, no illustrations Publisher: University of Toronto Press ISBN: 9781487521851 Paperback Oct 2017 Usually dispatched within 6 days ISBN: 9781442645561 Hardback Apr 2016 Usually dispatched within 6 days If there is one sector of society that should be cultivating deep thought in itself and others, it is academia. Yet the corporatisation of the contemporary university has sped up the clock, demanding increased speed and efficiency from faculty regardless of the consequences for education and scholarship. In The Slow Professor, Maggie Berg and Barbara K. Seeber discuss how adopting the principles of the Slow movement in academic life can counter this erosion of humanistic education. Focusing on the individual faculty member and his or her own professional practice, Berg and Seeber present both an analysis of the culture of speed in the academy and ways of alleviating stress while improving teaching, research, and collegiality. The Slow Professor will be a must-read for anyone in academia concerned about the frantic pace of contemporary university life. 1. Time Management and Timelessness 2. Pedagogy and Pleasure 3. Research and Understanding 4. Collegiality and Community Conclusion: Collaboration and Working Together Maggie Berg is a professor in the Department of English at Queen's University. A winner of the Chancellor A. Charles Baillie Award for Teaching Excellence, she held the Queen's Chair of Teaching and Learning from 2009 to 2012. Barbara K. Seeber is a professor in the Department of English at Brock University. She received the Brock Faculty of Humanities Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2014. "I love this book. Mentors should give it to newly hired faculty members. Advisors should buy it for their graduating PhDs. Individual faculty should read it to reclaim some of their sanity." – Nancy Chick, University Chair in Teaching and Learning and Academic Director of the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning, University of Calgary "I read this book with the intensity and engagement that I read a novel. It's a fresh and insightful study that reaches out to readers with wisdom as well as information." – Teresa Mangum, Director of the Obermann Center for Advanced Studies, University of Iowa "Thoughtful, reflective [...] The best thing this book accomplishes is its unabashed encouragement to talk to our colleagues in order to increase solidarity and togetherness in the combat against changing and challenging professional environments." – Kate Mattocks, Journal of Higher Education 8211; September 2016 "The Slow Professor recognizes the psychological strains of academic work, but subtly points toward explicitly political responses to the emotional toxins we absorb; but, it also avoids the fate of most subject-centred therapeutic exercises which are mainly courses in adaptation and resignation. Although it is no call to arms, no manifesto, nor a shout of defiance at the authorities, for insightful readers, the next step beyond self-awareness will be obvious." – Howard A. Doughty, CAUT Bulletin, September, 2016 "It's a beguiling book, written in controlled anger at the corporatized university, overrun by administrators and marketers." – Rick Salutin, The Toronto Star, September 9, 2016 "A welcome part of a crucial conversation." – Rachel Hadas, Times Literary Supplement, July 29, 2016 "'Thrilling' isn't a word I often apply to books about higher education, but these pages galvanized me." – Barbara Hunt, National Public Radio (NPR), May 13, 2016 "What Maggie Berg and Barbara Seeber are doing in The Slow Professor is protesting against the "corporatization of the contemporary university", and reminding us of a kind of "good" selfishness; theirs is a self-help book that recognises the fact that an institution can only ever be as healthy as the sum of its parts." – Emma Rees, Times Higher Education, May 26, 2016 "The fact that precarious labour is becoming the norm in the academy impacts everyone, including those with tenure." – Christina Turner, Rabble.ca, May 26, 2016 "While The Slow Professor has already raised some eyebrows as an example of "tenured privilege," it's at once an important addition and possible antidote to the growing literature on the corporatization of the university." – Colleen Flaherty, Inside Higher Education, April 19, 2016 Bestsellers in Career and Professional Development How to Do Ecology The Science of Strategic Conservation The Effective Ecologist Data Management for Researchers Working in Entomology Essential Laboratory Skills for Biosciences Write No Matter What The Effective Scientist The Secret Life of Science Zookeeping: An Introduction to the Science and Technology Patent Strategy for Researchers and Research Managers The Oxford Handbook of the Science of Science Communication Browse titles in Career and Professional Development Other titles from Toronto UP The Slow Professor The Natural History of Canadian Mammals Larvae of the North American Caddisfly Genera (Trichoptera) The Butterflies of Canada A Bird-Finding Guide to Ontario Land, Stewardship, and Legitimacy Why the Porcupine Is Not a Bird Biology of Sex Life Forms in the Thinking of the Long Eighteenth Century Browse titles from Toronto UP	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10819
__label__wiki	0.585867	0.585867	Alcohol-use disorders Alcohol-use disorders: prevention Public health guideline [PH24] Published date: June 2010 Uptake of this guidance 2 Public health need and practice 3 Considerations 5 Recommendations for research 6 Updating the recommendations 7 Related NICE guidance Appendix A: Membership of the Programme Development Group (PDG), the NICE project team and external contractors Appendix B Summary of the methods used to develop this guidance Appendix C: The evidence Appendix D: Gaps in the evidence Appendix E: supporting documents Evidence statements Fieldwork findings This appendix lists the evidence statements from 4 reviews (2 effectiveness reviews and 2 cost-effectiveness reviews) and the economic modelling report provided by the public health collaborating centre (see appendix A). It links them to the relevant recommendations in section 4. (See appendix B for the key to quality assessments.) The evidence statements are presented here without references – these can be found in the full reviews (see appendix E for details). It also sets out a brief summary of findings from the economic analysis. The 2 effectiveness reviews, 2 cost-effectiveness reviews and economic modelling report are: Effectiveness reviews: Review 1: 'Interventions on control of alcohol price, promotion and availability for prevention of alcohol-use disorders in adults and young people' Review 2: 'Screening and brief interventions for prevention and early identification of alcohol-use disorders in adults and young people'. Economic analysis: Review 3: 'Prevention and early identification of alcohol-use disorders in adults and young people. Macro-level interventions for alcohol-use disorders: cost-effectiveness review' Review 4: 'Prevention and early identification of alcohol-use disorders in adults and young people. Screening and brief interventions: Cost-effectiveness review' Economic modelling report: 'Modelling to assess the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of public health-related strategies and interventions to reduce alcohol attributable harm in England using the Sheffield alcohol policy model version 2.0'. Evidence statements numbered 1.1 to 3.8 are from review 1. Evidence statements numbered 5.1 to 7.7 are from review 2. Evidence statements numbered e1.1 to e2.3 are from review 3. Evidence statements numbered e5.1 to e6.2 are from review 4. Modelling statements numbered M1 to M50 are from the economic modelling report. Where a recommendation is not directly taken from the evidence statements, but is inferred from the evidence, this is indicated by IDE (inference derived from the evidence). Recommendation 1: evidence statements 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.27, 2.30, e1.1; modelling statements M12, M21, M22, M23, M24, M26, M27, M29, M34, M35, M36, M37 Recommendation 2: evidence statements 2.19, 2.20, 2.21, 2.22, 2.24, 2.25, e.2.3; modelling statements M51, M55, IDE Recommendation 3: evidence statements 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.6, 3.7, 3.8 Recommendation 4: evidence statements 2.4, 2.5, 2.8, 2.9, 2.19, 2.20, 2.21, 2.22, 2.24, 2.25 Recommendation 5: evidence statements 7.1, 7.2, 7.6 Recommendation 6: IDE Recommendation 7: evidence statements 5.7, 5.9; IDE Recommendation 8: evidence statements 5.1, 5.2, 5.5, 5.6, 5.7, 5.9, 5.10, 5.11, 7.3, 7.4, 7.5, 7.7, e5.1; modelling statements M2, M3 Recommendation 9: evidence statements 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4, 6.10, 7.3, e6.1, e6.2; modelling statement M6; IDE Recommendation 10: evidence statement 6.11; modelling statement M6 Recommendation 11: IDE Please note that the wording of some evidence statements has been altered slightly from those in the review team's report to make them more consistent with each other and NICE's standard house style. Evidence statement 1.1 A comprehensive systematic review was identified that demonstrated a clear association between price/tax increases and reductions in consumer demand for alcohol (++).These conclusions were based on 2 rigorous meta-analyses of price elasticities. Further evidence was supportive of a negative relationship between the price of alcohol and alcohol consumption among young people (1 UK and 1 USA [not graded]). A positive relationship between alcohol affordability and alcohol consumption operating across the European Union was identified (1 EU). A systematic review reported that there is some evidence that young people, binge drinkers and harmful drinkers tend to show a preference for cheaper drinks (++). A limited evidence base was identified that indicated that minimum pricing may be effective in reducing alcohol consumption (1 [++] and 1 UK [not graded]). Consulted members of the community were supportive of such measures (1 [++]). An evidence base comprising a large number of primary studies was identified that demonstrated a relationship between price/tax increases and reductions in harms (1 [++] systematic review). Additional evidence indicates that decreases in the price of alcohol contribute towards increases in alcohol-related deaths, particularly in deaths attributable to chronic causes such as alcoholic liver disease (1 [++] Finland). Population groups specifically affected included the older population, the unemployed and individuals with lower levels of education, social class and income (1 [++] Finland). However, the same authors observed no increase in interpersonal violence rates following the decrease in alcohol prices (1 [++] Finland). A time series analysis demonstrated that increases in tax were associated with decreases in alcohol-related disease mortality (1 [++] USA). Evidence was identified demonstrating that serving staff in alcohol outlets were disapproving of under-age sales (1 [+] USA) and generally positive of implementing under-age checks, including electronic age-verification devices (1 [++] USA). The commitment of managers and licensees towards their legal responsibilities relating to under-age sales was variable (1 [+] UK and 1 [+] USA). The effectiveness of enforcement checks in reducing alcohol sales to under-age young people was variable (1 [+] systematic review).Compliance checks conducted by local police were not effective in reducing arrests in those aged under 18 years or reducing under-age sales (1 [+] and 1 [++]) in the UK. Other studies showed favourable outcomes of compliance checks by local authorities in reducing under-age alcohol sales (2 [+] USA, 1 [++] USA and 1 USA [not graded]). Checks enforced with a 30-day licence suspension or a fine were effective in reducing sales (1 [+] USA). However, the deterrent effect of enforcement was found to decay over time (1 [+] USA and 1 USA [not graded]). Additional UK-specific evidence demonstrated that enforcement of laws relating to under-age sales supported by a local multi-agency community alcohol partnership, helped reduce possession of alcohol and antisocial behaviour and improved the relationship between enforcers and retailers. A study based in Fife, Scotland indicated that on- and off-licensees perceived the most effective approach to preventing under-age sales to be test purchasing carried out in conjunction with a new, nationally-accepted proof-of-age card. Evidence statement 2.19 Other UK-specific studies of the effects of changes in licensing hours presented mixed findings, with some studies reporting no apparent effects on alcohol-related outcomes (2 [++] UK). However, following the extension of licensing hours, 1 (+) UK study reported an increase in admissions for self-poisoning by overdose in which alcohol was also involved. Another UK study found increases in the occurrence of slight accidents in the workplace. Extensions in trading hours in Australia were typically associated with increased violence (1 [++]), motor vehicle crash rates (1 [++]) and an increase in the apprehension of impaired male drivers aged 18 to 25 years (1 [++]). Local community restrictions on alcohol availability were found to have modestly favourable outcomes, including reductions in alcohol consumption and violence. However, in 1 evaluation of the restriction of take-away trading hours and volumes for alcohol sales in Australia, many customers shifted their purchases to cheap cask port, providing an illustration of the ways in which consumers may respond to limitations in alcohol availability. An increase in alcohol-related road traffic accidents followed the removal of the ban on Sunday sales of packaged alcohol in New Mexico (1 USA [not graded]). The introduction of unrestricted serving hours in Reykjavik, Iceland resulted in increased police work episodes, more emergency ward admissions for weekend nights, increased suspected drink-driving incidents, and more people circulating in the city centre at 6am (1 [+]). The Saturday opening of alcohol retail outlets in Sweden also led to an increase in sales (2 ++) but no apparent change in alcohol-related harms (1 [++]). A range of evidence from Scandinavia, based on largely small-scale, local natural experiments, showed the variable impact of changes in alcohol licensing, with decreased alcohol consumption typically observed as a result of restrictions. However, a USA-based study suggested that restrictions on Sunday alcohol sales had no apparent impact on consumption, whilst earlier closing hours in bars appeared to result in increased alcohol sales. A clear positive relationship between increased outlet density and alcohol consumption among adults was demonstrated in a range of association studies (3 USA [not graded], 1 [++] USA, 2 [++] Canada and 1 Canada [not graded]). However, 1 USA study (not graded) found no significant association between alcohol outlet density and heavy drinking. A positive relationship between alcohol outlet density and alcohol consumption was also observed in studies focusing on young people (1 USA, 1 Australia, 2 Switzerland and 2 New Zealand [not graded]). A number of natural experiments demonstrated the effects of changes in alcohol outlet density on alcohol consumption and alcohol-related outcomes. Increases in alcohol outlet density tended to be associated with increases in alcohol consumption and alcohol-related morbidity and mortality in Scandinavia. A literature review found that the privatisation of alcohol retail monopolies in the USA, Canada and Scandinavia (not graded) was linked with higher outlet densities, longer hours or more days of sale and changes in price and promotion, typically resulting in increased alcohol consumption (international). A positive association between alcohol outlet density and gonorrhoea (1 USA [not graded]) was also observed following the civil unrest in Los Angeles. An evidence base, within 1 literature review, was described demonstrating positive relationships between outlet density and a range of outcomes including rates of violence, drink-driving, pedestrian injury, and child maltreatment. Evidence was identified that pre-drinking [drinking before going out] is a prevalent activity, both in the UK (1 [++] UK and 1 UK [not graded]) and within 1 international literature review. Evidence was identified that demonstrated that pre-drinking is associated with heavy alcohol consumption (1 [++] UK and 1 international [not graded])and increased risk of alcohol-related harm (1 [++] UK). One systematic review (++) demonstrated a small but consistent relationship between advertising and alcohol consumption at a population level. A systematic review of longitudinal studies found that exposure to alcohol advertising and promotion was associated with the onset of adolescent alcohol consumption and with increased consumption among adolescents who were already drinking at baseline assessment (++).Another systematic reviewpresented evidence of a small but consistent relationship between advertising and alcohol consumption among young people at an individual level (++).Another review concluded that the evidence base suggested the existence of an association between exposure to alcohol advertising and promotion and alcohol consumption among young people (++). Further literature reviews were also indicative of alcohol advertising having an impact on young people. There was evidence of awareness, familiarity and appreciation of alcohol advertisements among this age group. One systematic review presented evidence of a moderate but consistent association between point of purchase promotions and effects on alcohol consumption among under-age drinkers, binge drinkers and regular drinkers (++). A systematic review reported that outdoor and print advertising media may increase the probability of onset of adolescent alcohol consumption and also influence quantity and frequency of alcohol consumption among young people (++). Another review included 1 USA-based study that reported that outdoor advertising media did not have any effect on alcohol behaviour, but was a predictor of intention to use alcohol among adolescents (++). One systematic review reported that evidence from longitudinal studies consistently demonstrated that exposure to television and other broadcast media was linked with the onset of and levels of alcohol consumption (++). Further evidence was included in a review thatindicated that exposure to alcohol portrayals via television (including advertisements aired during sports programmes) and other broadcast media may be linked with alcohol use among adolescents (++). The content of alcohol advertising was reported to be attractive to young people, conveying desirable lifestyles and images of alcohol consumption. Younger age groups and girls aged15 to 17 years were reported to be potentially experiencing the greatest impact of alcohol advertising (++).A further UK-specific report showed that, despite changes to the Advertising Code, while advertising recall fell (potentially due to reduced television advertising expenditure over the study period), there was an increased perception among young people that television alcohol advertisements were appealing and would encourage people to drink. However, there was a decrease in the proportion of young people who considered alcohol commercials to be aimed at them. A literature review stated that there was no scientific evidence available to describe the effectiveness of self-regulation in alcohol advertising. Inconclusive evidence was identified, within 1 systematic review (++) and 1 literature review (not graded), of the impact of advertising bans on alcohol consumption . The Alcohol-use disorders identification test (AUDIT) is effective in the identification of hazardous and harmful drinking in adults in primary care (3 [++] systematic reviews, 1 [++] Finland, 1 [++] UK and 1 literature review [not graded]). The use of lower thresholds in conjunction with alcohol screening questionnaires was recommended for women (1 [++] Finland, 1 [++] Belgium, 1 [++] systematic review and 1 literature review [not graded]). Optimal screening thresholds for the detection of hazardous or harmful drinking using AUDIT appeared to be greater than or equal to 7 or 8 among men (2 [++] systematic reviews) and greater than or equal to 6 to 8 among women (1 [++] systematic review, 1 [++] Finland and 1 literature review [not graded]).Optimal screening thresholds for identifying binge drinking using AUDIT were greater than or equal to 7 or 8 for adult males (no data available for females) (1 [++] Finland).Primary studies included in a systematic review (++) recommended higher AUDIT thresholds for males (5 to 8) than females (2 to 6). The evidence for the effectiveness of shorter versions of AUDIT in adults in primary care was variable. Some authors of cross-sectional diagnostic evaluations observed comparable performance between the full AUDIT and shorter versions (2 [++] Finland, 1 [++] Belgium and 1 [++] USA). Other findings drawn from primary care were more cautious of the utility of the shorter forms of this questionnaire (1 [++] systematic review).The optimal screening threshold for the detection of hazardous drinking using AUDIT-C was greater than or equal to 3 among men and women (1 [++] systematic review and 1[++] USA).However, thresholds of greater than or equal to 5 for the detection of heavy drinking among femalesand greater than or equal to 6 for identifying bingeing moderate and heavy drinking men were also recommended (1 [++] Finland). Primary studies included in a systematic review recommended higher AUDIT-C thresholds for males (3 to 6) than females (2 to 5) (1 [++]). FAST was described, within a literature review (not graded), as being effective in the detection of alcohol problems at a cut-off point of greater than or equal to 1 in males and females in a primary care setting in the UK. Only a limited amount of evidence could be identified relating to the performance of alcohol screening questionnaires in hospital settings. The 'Five-shot questionnaire' was shown to detect alcohol misuse in adult male inpatients at a cut-off of greater than or equal to 2.5 (1 [++] Belgium). AUDIT was effective in screening UK male and female adult general medical admissions for hazardous and harmful alcohol consumption (1 [+] UK). AUDIT was also reported to perform effectively among general hospital inpatients (1 [++] systematic review). Evidence was identified for the use of alcohol screening questionnaires among adults in emergency care settings. One study found that the CAGE questionnaire was effective in screening for a lifetime diagnosis of alcohol dependencein trauma centre patients ([++] USA). AUDIT-C was shown to effectively identify hazardous drinking among male and female adult traffic casualties in an emergency department (1 [+] Spain). One literature review indicated that FAST displayed good screening properties in the identification of alcohol problems among males and females presenting to an A&E setting in the UK. The 'Paddington alcohol test' has been shown to be rapid, feasible to use, be UK-specific and to have reasonably good screening properties for the detection of alcohol misuse when implemented in response to clinical 'trigger' conditions in A&E care. These are listed as follows: fall; collapse; head injury; assault; accident; unwell; non-specific gastrointestinal conditions; psychiatric; cardiac; repeat attender (3 [++] UK). AUDIT was shown to perform more effectively in the identification of alcohol abuse or dependence (when used at a cut-off of greater than or equal to 10) than CAGE, CRAFFT (car, relax, alone, forget, friends, trouble) or RAPS-QF (rapid alcohol problems screen) questionnaires among young people (median age of 19 years) (1 [++] USA). AUDIT was also demonstrated to have higher sensitivity (when used at an optimal cut-off of greater than or equal to 3) than CAGE, CRAFFT or POSIT (problem oriented screening instrument for teenagers) in the detection of problem use (that is, hazardous or harmful consumption not reaching the diagnostic threshold for an alcohol-related disorder, abuse and dependence) in a sample aged between 14 and 18 years (1 [++] USA). The identified evidence for the effectiveness of SASSI (substance abuse subtle screening inventory) in screening for alcohol misuse was limited and inconclusive (2 [++] USA and 1 [+] USA). AUDIT was found to perform reasonably well in elderly populations (1 [++] systematic review), while AUDIT-5 was described as showing potential as an appropriate tool for use among older people (1 [+] systematic review). The screening properties of questionnaires were influenced by the ethnicity of recipients and authors suggested that the use of appropriate cut-off scores should be considered (1 [++ systematic review, 1 [++] USA and 1 literature review [not graded]). Laboratory markers are of limited value in the detection of alcohol misuse when compared with alcohol screening questionnaires (2 [++] UK, 1 [++] Belgium and 1 [+] Germany). However, the use of blood-alcohol concentration testing may complement the use of later questionnaire screening in the identification of alcohol misuse among patients treated in the emergency department resuscitation room (1 [++] UK). A number of clinical indicators were described, within a cross-sectional study, a literature review and a case study, as being associated with excessive alcohol consumption (1 [++] Spain, 1 literature reivew and 1 UK [not graded]). Awareness of such indicators may be useful in alerting health professionals to alcohol-related physical problems. Twenty seven systematic reviews provided a considerable body of evidence supportive of the effectiveness of brief interventions for alcohol misuse. Brief interventions were found to reduce alcohol consumption, alcohol-related mortality, morbidity, injuries, social consequences and the consequent use of healthcare resources and laboratory indicators of alcohol misuse. Six systematic reviews (all [++]) demonstrated that interventions delivered in primary care are effective in reducing alcohol-related negative outcomes. Three systematic reviews specifically focusing on the use of brief interventions in emergency care(1 [+] and 2 [++]) found limited evidence of effectiveness. A further review (++) presented inconclusive evidence of the effectiveness of brief interventions in inpatient and outpatient settings. A systematic review of brief interventions for alcohol misuse in the workplace presented limited and inconclusive findings for the effectiveness of interventions in this setting (++). Brief interventions are effective in reducing alcohol consumption in both men and women (7 [++]). Most of the primary evidence was drawn from populations with an age range of 12 to 70 years. Therefore, brief interventions for adults have been shown to be effective among adult populations. Extensive heterogeneity was evident in the characteristics of evaluated brief interventions. However, limited evidence would suggest that even very brief interventions may be effective in reducing alcohol-related negative outcomes, (1 [++] systematic review) with inconclusive evidence for an additional positive impact resulting from increased dose (3 [++] systematic reviews). Evidence from an additional review (++) suggests that brief interventions are effectivebut the impact of including motivational interviewing principles was unclear. Extended brief interventions were demonstrated to be effective in the reduction of alcohol consumption (evaluated interventions consisted of two to 7 sessions with a duration of initial and booster sessions of 15 to 50 minutes (1 [++] systematic review) or 10 to 15 minutes in 1 session with a number of specific booster sessions of 10 to 15 minutes duration (1 [++] systematic review). Organisational factors such as adequate support and resources can influence the acceptability and implementation of screening and brief intervention for alcohol misuse. Implementation of screening and brief interventions is influenced by factors other than effectiveness. Positive support from the government, management and involvement of non-clinical members of staff are more likely to result in successful implementation. There is also evidence from a range of studies in primary care settings that adequate practitioner training and support in alcohol misuse screening and use of brief intervention materials facilitates – or would facilitate – effective implementation rates and appropriate detection of 'at risk' drinkers. Evidence suggests that the extent of training and support available to practitioners is variable. One RCT ([++] USA) showed more successful implementation of screening and brief intervention where there was prior experience of this type of work, management stability and positive support in terms of coordination of programmes. Financial incentives and successful management of staff changes, as well as assistance from receptionists, were also important. However, barriers to success included competing priorities and lack of time. The importance of financial and other incentives for GPs along with readily available materials and training was also highlighted in 1 survey in New Zealand (+). Evidence from RCTs (1 [++] USA, 1 [+] USA and 1 [+] UK) suggests that the extent to which brief interventions are implemented, though not necessarily the appropriateness of implementation, is increased with use of a training and support intervention for GPs and nurses. One cross-sectional study ([++] Germany) provides evidence that GPs holding a qualification in addiction medicine are more likely to detect problem drinkers. However, a cross-national survey (++) found that training did not improve baseline role insecurity for GPs. One cross-sectional study([+] Finland) and 1 qualitative study ([++] Finland) found that practitioner training rates and ratings of their own familiarity with screening tools and knowledge of brief intervention content was low. The importance of training to practitioners in this survey was evident, as were practitioner views that they lacked training to carry out counselling ([++] UK). The latter point was also evidenced in 1 cross-sectional study ([++] UK). A Delphi survey ([++] UK) provides evidence in the form of expert opinion that practitioner training should help raise awareness of risk factors and typical presentations of individuals with potential drinking problems. Evidence from qualitative studies show that some nurses in the UK (1 [++]) see training as an incentive to carrying out alcohol-related work. A sample of GPs in Finland perceived that they lacked training in identifying the early stages of alcohol misuse; and GPs in a Danish focus group study (+) felt they lacked training in counselling skills. In a probationary setting, forensic medical examiners in a UK qualitative study set in custody suites (-) felt they lacked the required training to carry out assessments of drinking behaviour. Extending the current practitioner workload is a potential barrier to implementing screening and brief interventions on a large scale, particularly if all young people and adults are screened as routine practice. The extra time that implementation demands can be a barrier to acceptability and therefore a willingness to deliver such a programme. Implementation of routine screening and brief intervention programmes requires team-working between physicians, nurses and non-clinical personnel, with consideration required regarding the extent of involvement and specific roles of team members. Evidence from 1 systematic review ([++] Denmark) challenges the model of universal screening. The study concluded that implementation of universal screening does not benefit sufficient numbers of individuals to warrant the extra workload required. Nurses in 1 qualitative study ([++] UK) felt 'overloaded' with preventative work generally, with resources such as space, staff and sufficient time in short supply. In another qualitative study ([+] Denmark), the additional workload of screening and brief interventions was found to be creating stress among practitioners in primary care. In terms of time available, a Canadian qualitative study (++) found that time was constrained in terms of assessing each patient. A qualitative study of Finnish GPs(++) showed that they felt they lacked time to carry out a drinking assessment in the context of other consultation demands and weak evidence. One (-) study in Sweden found that nurses regarded time constraints as a barrier to engaging in alcohol prevention. There is mixed evidence from 1 RCT ([++] USA) for the utilisation of non-clinical staff in implementation in order to delegate work and thus to decrease the workload of clinicians. Another RCT found that receptionists did not have a particularly positive attitude to being involved in this type of work without adequate reimbursement ([++] UK), or to changing their perceived role ([++] USA). In an emergency care setting, 1 cross-sectional study ([-] USA) provides weak evidence (from a survey of physicians) that, despite support for brief interventions in theory, lack of time is a barrier to implementation. A further UK-based study set in an emergency department also reported that lack of time was viewed as a limiting factor in delivering screening (++). In a briefly reported UK qualitative study set in custody suites (-), forensic medical examiners felt they lacked the required time to carry out assessments of drinking behaviour. There is evidence that implementation of screening and brief interventions would be facilitated by use of environments where alcohol can be discussed in a non-threatening way. Integrating screening and advice into general lifestyle discussions might increase the acceptability of screening and brief intervention for users. In a range of studies, providers and experts emphasise the importance of appropriate contexts for discussion of alcohol use with users in order to increase acceptability. Clinical consultations for non-alcohol-related medical problems can be an inappropriate time to discuss alcohol use, given that users are focused on the condition for which they are seeking advice. Instead, sessions such as new patient registrations and well-person clinics, where health promotion is often discussed, provide a less threatening opportunity to discuss drinking, as part of a general discussion on lifestyle issues such as diet, exercise and smoking. Evidence was found from a cross-sectional study ([+] Sweden) that primary care users attending for scheduled appointments are more likely to be asked about their drinking behaviour. This suggests that practitioners deem certain contexts as more appropriate or more convenient in some way for carrying out screening and a brief intervention. A Delphi survey ([++] UK) also provides expert-view evidence that clinics and new registration sessions are an appropriate context for assessing drinking behaviour (in terms of user acceptability). This study also suggests that interventions might be more acceptable to users if they are tailormade to the individual rather than global in design. There is further evidence from 5 UK qualitative studies (4 [++] and 1 [+]) that practitioners and users regard clinics, registration sessions and routine consultations as opportunities for discussions in a less-threatening environment and context. That is, they provide an opportunity to discuss drinking in a context that is related to the purpose of the visit (such as lifestyle assessment or chronic condition monitoring). Emergency care and probation settings are regarded as 2 contexts that provide a potential opportunity to carry out alcohol screening and give advice. However, there is scarce evidence available. One survey of Scottish emergency care units (++) and 1 qualitative study ([-] UK) set in custody suites found that staff thought the location unsuitable for alcohol screening and intervention. However, 2 surveys from the US (both [+]) reported that both patients and surgeons found the emergency care setting acceptable and appropriate. One US evaluation (+) provided evidence that emergency care staff may not feel adequately supported either by management or financially, with training and workload as 2 particular concerns. One UK survey (+) provided mixed views, with some nurses preferring an holistic approach, and others prioritising care of injuries over health promotion. A further UK-based (++) study found that the majority of consulted professionals judged the emergency department to be an appropriate place to perform alcohol screening but that implementation rates were low, potentially due to clinical inertia. The importance of having resources in place to rapidly refer positively screened patients from the emergency department for a brief intervention was emphasised, because the rate of attendance for brief interventions dropped off markedly 2 days following referral (1 [++] UK). Implementation of alcohol screening and brief interventions in emergency care settings is not as consistent as in primary care. The setting differs from primary care in terms of patient population and types of presenting cases, and as such, account needs to be taken of barriers and facilitators to implementation that are specific to the emergency care context, where attendance is brief and often traumatic, patients are more likely to be injured, traumatised, or intoxicated, and staff may feel less prepared to give advice. There is evidence that service users have preferences regarding the status of the person dealing with their alcohol issues. Although experts consider alcohol and counselling specialists to be better qualified to carry out interventions, service users might feel stigmatised or rejected should their needs be referred on to such practitioners. Evidence from 1 RCT ([+] USA) carried out in a general medicine setting showed that service users are no more likely to attend for counselling with an alcohol specialist than with a physician or nurse. In addition, qualitative evidence from the UK (1 [++]) focusing on user views shows that counselling with alcohol specialists can sometimes be perceived as stigmatising. These views contrast with expert views (1 [++] UK) that alcohol workers and counsellors might be best placed to deliver a brief intervention. There are mixed views from 3 UK studies (all [++]) in that professionals and some users perceive the nurse as having more time for discussing drinking with users, whereas other users report that they are more likely to discuss alcohol-related issues with their GP. There is some evidence that service users are generally positive about screening and intervention. There is also evidence for general under-activity in discussing drinking with service users. Negative service user behaviour, such as aggression at being asked about their drinking, while rare, may serve as deterrents to practitioners approaching the topic of drinking with users. Actual drunkenness at consultations limits the likelihood that users will appreciate or remember the advice given. Practitioners may benefit from training in dealing with such situations, and in approaching the topic with individuals that they perceive as 'low risk' in appropriate contexts. Two studies (1 [+] USA and 1 [++] UK) provide evidence that the majority of service users are positive about screening, and another ([+] Finland) that they are positive about discussing drinking. However, 2 qualitative studies (1 [++] UK and 1 [+] Denmark) found that some professionals had encountered negative reactions from users in terms of embarrassment and unease, and that this led some to change their GP practice. Evidence from 2 UK cross-sectional studies (both ++) shows under-activity in terms of practitioner management of hazardous drinking, with a majority of GPs in the first study only intervening in between 1 and 6 cases of hazardous drinking per year. Even in cases of heavy drinking, service users are not being asked about their consumption ([+] Finland). Another cross-sectional study ([+] Sweden) found that advice on drinking behaviour is provided less often than for other lifestyle behaviours, such as exercise, diet, and smoking, and less often than service users expect. One cross-sectional study ([++] Finland) found that the time being spent on asking users about their drinking was typically less than 4 minutes, and another recent cross-sectional study ([+] Germany) found that detection rates of problem drinkers are low, at 1 in 3. Possible reasons are found in a Finnish qualitative study (++) of GPs, who reported their reluctance to ask users about their drinking unless they saw clear signs of risky drinking behaviour. Evidence was found that provider attitudes, knowledge, skills and behaviour can influence the implementation of screening and brief interventions for alcohol misuse. There is evidence from primary care practitioner views of a shortfall in perceived knowledge in terms of detecting 'at-risk' individuals. There is also evidence of confusion regarding current guidelines around drinking behaviour, and the known benefits of drinking in moderation. This can affect practitioner confidence in, and motivation towards, implementing screening and brief intervention programmes effectively. In addition, the practitioner's own drinking behaviour and the user-practitioner relationship may affect the way that alcohol-related interventions are implemented. One UK qualitative study (++) provides evidence that GPs found difficulty in identifying early-stage heavy drinkers. The study also reports difficulty working with multiple definitions of problematic drinking. One qualitative study ([+] Finland) found that GPs and nurses saw the lack of clear guidance as a barrier to carrying out brief interventions. Utilising the skills of receptionists can be useful, but there is evidence from 1 RCT ([++] UK) that receptionist attitudes toward the work may be less positive than that of clinicians, and that this might have an impact upon implementation. There is weak evidence ([-] UK) that forensic medical examiners perceive that they lack the knowledge to carry out an assessment in custody suites in the UK. Two UK qualitative studies (1 [++] and 1 [+]) found that nurses saw alcohol as a difficult and emotive topic to broach with users. In addition, nurses reported confusion for themselves and service users around the issue of standard drink units, and the potential benefits of alcohol that create ambiguity in discussing drinking from a health promotion perspective. Other studies (1 [+] UK and 1 [+] Finland) found that GPs relationship with alcohol could affect their behaviour in terms of addressing service user drinking, with feelings of guilt and hypocrisy potential barriers to open discussion, or facilitators to empathy. There is qualitative evidence from 3 studies focusing on user views (2 [++] UK and 1 [+] USA) that discussing drinking is facilitated by a good relationship with the health professional. In addition, there is evidence (1 [+] Denmark) that practitioners are concerned not to offend users by discussing alcohol for fear of disturbing the therapeutic relationship. Evidence was identified that shows disparities in the way screening and brief interventions for alcohol misuse are implemented in realtion to certain groups within the population. While certain groups, such as males and high earners, are more 'at-risk' than others from alcohol misuse, individuals from groups that are 'low-risk' – such as females, younger and older people – may be missed. Conversely, over-targeting can also occur due to misconceptions of the populations most at-risk of alcohol misuse. One systematic review (+) provides inconclusive evidence that socioeconomic status affects the uptake of brief interventions. However, 1 cross-sectional study ([++] UK) found that unemployed individuals were more likely to receive a brief intervention than those in employment. In terms of ethnicity, there is evidence from 1 cross-sectional study ([+] USA) that minorty ethnic groups, in this instance black and Hispanic, and particularly Hispanic people, were more likely to be approached by practitioners regarding their alcohol consumption. Four cross-sectional studies (1 [++] UK, 1 [+] Sweden, 1 [++] Germany and 1 [+] Finland) provide evidence that primary care users most likely to be given advice on drinking are males. Another cross-sectional study ([+] Finland) suggests that males, as well as heavy drinkers, are also more likely to adhere to the advice provided in a brief intervention. One qualitative study ([+] Denmark) found that GPs were reluctant to address drinking with young people as they felt that they would be likely to grow out of the habit of hazardous drinking. Evidence statement e1.1 There is limited evidence of the cost effectiveness of price controls in a UK setting. One systematic review (+) suggests that the available evidence is limited to 2 studies, 1 which takes an international perspective, and 1 set in Estonia. The review reports that the evidence is suggestive that in areas with a high prevalence (greater than 5%) of hazardous drinkers, as is the case in the UK, taxation will be more cost effective than other alcohol misuse macro interventions, but that the evidence base for this is not strong. There is limited evidence of the cost effectiveness of opening hours interventions in a UK setting. One study of moderate quality that takes an international perspective (+) provides evidence that reducing licensing hours provides relatively small quality of life benefits compared to other alcohol misuse interventions. One study shows that the AUDIT test is a more cost effective screening tool than measures of y-glutamyltransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, per cent carbohydrate deficient transferrin, and ethrocyte mean cell volume. This is because AUDIT is both cheaper and more effective than these other tests ([+] UK). The evidence does not allow a ranking of the cost effectiveness of these other screening methods. Cost effectiveness evidence for screening and brief interventions in the emergency care setting is scarce. The available evidence does not allow firm conclusions regarding the long-term cost effectiveness of these interventions in a UK setting. However, the evidence does suggest that brief interventions in the emergency care setting may be cost effective in the UK. One study suggests that screening plus a brief intervention may produce long-term cost savings ([+] USA), but the applicability of this evidence to the UK is uncertain. One UK study suggests that a brief intervention administered by alcohol health workers in a hospital setting will reduce consumption in the short term without significantly increasing costs, but long-term evidence is lacking (++). Cost effectiveness evidence for screening and brief interventions in the hospital setting is scarce. The available evidence does not allow conclusions regarding the cost effectiveness of these interventions in a UK setting to be made. A UK study presents evidence for screening by doctors and nurses in a general hospital setting (+), but this does not allow a conclusion to be reached regarding the most cost-effective screening method. One study suggests that screening plus a brief intervention may produce long-term cost savings ([-] Australia), but the reliability of this evidence is low due to the uncertainty in resource use estimates. Modelling statement M2 A policy of screening and brief intervention at next GP registration is a more phased approach over time than screening at next GP consultation. The former approach would screen an estimated 39% of the population, with 36% of hazardous and harmful drinkers receiving a brief intervention over the modelled 10-year screening programme. A policy of screening and brief intervention at next GP consultation is a very large-scale implementation, with an estimated 96% of the population screened after 10 years (of whom the majority would be screened in the first year of implementation), and 79% of hazardous and harmful drinkers receiving a brief intervention. Screening and brief intervention in an A&E setting is estimated to screen 78% of the population within 10 years, but because the estimated uptake of brief interventions is just 30%, only 18% of hazardous and harmful drinkers are estimated to receive the brief intervention. Sensitivity analysis shows that even fairly long brief interventions (for example, 25 minutes) would appear cost effective versus a 'do nothing' policy. There is currently no conclusive evidence of the differential effectiveness of delivery by different types of staff. On this basis, decision makers might consider the less costly staffing options that were modelled for screening and the brief intervention to be attractive. Evidence around the differential effectiveness of interventions of different duration is also inconclusive. Sensitivity analyses show that shorter duration interventions remain cost effective when using the best available evidence on the relationship between duration and effectiveness. Modelling statement M12 Increasing levels of minimum pricing show very steep increases in effectiveness. Overall changes in consumption for 20p, 25p, 30p, 35p, 40p, 45p, 50p, 60p, 70p are: --0.0%, -0.1%, -0.4%, -1.1%, -2.4%, -4.3%, -6.7%, -11.9% and -17.7%. Higher minimum prices reduce switching effects. Note that estimates for lower minimum prices are subject to less modelling uncertainty than those for higher minimum prices. This is because the consideration of supply-side responses and, in particular, a possible restructuring of the market following large mandated price increases in sections of the market, was outside the scope of the model. As an example, a minimum price of 40p per unit has the following estimated effects: % change in consumption Deaths p.a. (full effect ) Hospital admissions p.a. Crimes pa Work absences (days p.a.) Un-employment (persons p.a.) As prices increase, alcohol-attributable hospital admissions and deaths are estimated to reduce. Prevented deaths occur disproportionately in harmful drinkers. On balance, the health-harm reductions mostly relate to chronic diseases rather than acute conditions such as injuries. This is because much of the alcohol-attributable health harm occurs in middle or older age groups at significant risk of developing and potentially dying from chronic disease. For chronic diseases, the time for a change in consumption to achieve the full effect in changing the prevalence of disease is important in the modelling. The reductions in health-harms, for chronic disease, observed 1-year following implementation are estimated to be around one tenth of the level that will accrue when the full effect of consumption changes occurs. Crime harms are estimated to reduce as prices are increased. The crime reductions observed for policies take place across the spectrum of violent crime, criminal damage and theft, robbery and other crimes. A minimum price of 40p is estimated to reduce total crimes by 9,000 per annum. The evidence base for under-age purchasing is limited (because the youngest ages for which purchasing data exists in the 'Expenditure and food survey' are 16 and 17, and there are concerns on reliability even for this). Given this caveat, crime harms are estimated to reduce particularly for young people aged 11 to 18 years because they are disproportionately involved in alcohol-related crime and are affected significantly by targeting price rises at low-priced products. Unemployment harm estimates [that is, estimated unemployment due to alcohol consumption], reduce proportionately more than health or crime harms. Generally, all policy options that target harmful and hazardous drinkers are effective in reducing alcohol-related harm in the workplace. The size of the effect is dependent on the extent of price increases. Unemployment due to alcohol problems among harmful drinkers is estimated to reduce as prices increase: for example, a 40p minimum price is estimated to result in 11,500 avoided unemployment cases, while a 50p minimum price is estimated to result in 25,900 avoided unemployment cases. Absence reductions are particularly focused on hazardous and harmful drinkers: for example, for 40p, the 134,000 estimated reduction in days absence is made up of 38,000 days for hazardous and 78,000 days for harmful drinkers. The societal value of harm reduction for many of the potential policies can be substantial. When accumulated over the 10 year time horizon of the model, many policies have estimated reductions in harm valued over £500m. For example, a 40p minimum price is valued at £4bn over the 10-year period. The financial value of harm reductions becomes larger as prices are increased. Moderate drinkers are affected in only very small ways by the policy options examined, both in terms of their consumption of alcohol and their spending. In terms of the differential effectiveness for priority groups, harmful drinkers are expected to reduce their absolute consumption the most, but in the more effective policy options, they also spend significantly more on their purchases. Policies which target low-priced alcohol affect harmful drinkers disproportionately. This is because moderate drinkers tend to drink a smaller proportion of the very low priced products available. There are significant effects on harmful drinkers, but important health gains also occur in hazardous and moderate drinkers. Even though moderate drinkers are at a lower risk of health-related harms, small changes in the consumption of the large number of moderate drinkers feed through in the model to small changes in risk and appreciable changes in population health. Though smaller than price effects, outlet density reductions have been proven to reduce both consumption and harm. As an example, the 10% reduction in outlet density has the following estimated effects: Deaths per annum (full effect) Hospital admissions per annum Crimes per annum Work absences (days per annum) Un-employment (persons per annum) - 2.3% Modelling a 10% change in licensing hours produces changes in alcohol consumption based on 3 studies of -1.2% (Canadian), +0.2% (US), and -3.5% (Swedish). As an example, the 10% reduction in licensing hours has the following estimated effects: Work absences (daysper annum) The cost-effectiveness reviews and economic modelling showed that increasing the price of alcohol is likely to be a cost effective way of reducing consumption and alcohol-related harm. This could involve a general price increase, imposing a minimum price per unit or placing restrictions on discounting. There was limited evidence on the effectiveness of reducing the availability of alcohol and restricting or banning advertising. Exploratory analyses suggested that policies to address these issues would probably have a smaller positive effect than that expected by a price increase. The cost effectiveness reviews and economic modelling suggested that screening plus a brief intervention at the next GP consultation, the next registration with a new GP, or the next A&E visit would be cost effective when compared against 'doing nothing'. Fieldwork aimed to test the relevance, usefulness and feasibility of putting the recommendations into practice. The PDG considered the findings when developing the final recommendations. For details, go to the fieldwork section in appendix B and 'Alcohol-use disorders: preventing the development of hazardous or harmful drinking'. Fieldwork participants who work within the alcohol field were positive about the recommendations and their potential to help prevent alcohol-use disorders. However, they felt that a number of areas should be given further consideration as follows. A treatment pathway should be provided which not only illustrates the stages of care that the recommendations cover, but also outlines the roles and responsibilities of different professional groups. Good communication is needed between NICE and organisations in non-healthcare settings to ensure alcohol is tackled as part of partnership working. NICE should work closely with the National Treatment Agency (NTA) to ensure commissioners' concerns about the relative lack of investment in alcohol services (compared with drug services) is considered. The term 'motivational counselling' should be reconsidered or clearly differentiated from other motivational approaches. The presentation of the guidance will contribute to its impact and likely adoption. A standard approach should be used whereby each recommendation is preceded by a short statement of the evidence and a discussion of the likely outcomes of implementing the proposed actions. The contribution that community and voluntary groups make to reducing alcohol-related harm should be acknowledged and organisations working in these sectors should be mentioned throughout the guidance.	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10822
__label__wiki	0.508654	0.508654	Daily Dose: Smartphones Have Become a Staple of the U.S. Media Diet Media \| 04-21-2016 When it comes to technology, sometimes there is a world of difference between wanting something and actually needing something. In the case of smartphones, the devices’ ubiquity in terms of U.S. penetration of 82% and cross-platform functionality definitely put them in the latter category. According to Nielsen’s fourth-quarter 2015 Comparable Metrics Report, smartphones across all adult demographic groups are the most used platform, in terms of days per week among users of each medium—with adults 18+ using their devices nearly every day in the week (5.8 times per week), followed by television (5.5 times per week). Adult TV viewers watch an average of 5.5 days per week. Tablets are used more often by people ages 35-49 than ages 18-34. Penetration among ages 50 and over is only 19%, but those owners use tablets most often. Smartphone owners within the age range of 35-49 use their phones most often. (This includes app and web usage, not talk, text or email). “Smartphone penetration is nearly as high as TV set and radio ownership, and consumers carry their phones everywhere. High penetration plus portability and customized functionality have made them a staple of consumers’ media diet,” said Glenn Enoch, SVP of Audience Insights at Nielsen. “Smartphones provide advertisers and marketers with the opportunity to reach consumers with information throughout the day.” As consumers continue to be presented with a proliferation of media devices and services, analyzing media usage with comparable metrics provides an apples-to-apples view of consumption across platforms, as marketers and advertisers continue to plan for the future. audience measurement \| mobile \| radio \| smartphone \| TV \| video https://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/article/2016/daily-dose-smartphones-have-become-a-staple-of-the-us-media-diet/ What Do You Know, What Do You Say: Audiences Rely on Traditional Influences in a Content Crazy World From smartphones to tablets to smart TVs, access to this type of content has never been easier. But the luxury of choice also serves as a double-edged sword. With a world of info and entertainment at their fingertips, how do audiences decide what to consume? The Nielsen Total Audience Report: Q3 2018 In this edition of the Nielsen Total Audience Report, we are happy to share year-over-year comparisons of media use to show how consumer behaviors have shifted across comparable measurement intervals. Nielsen Local Watch Report: The Evolving OTA Home As of May 2018, more than 14% of all TV households—or 16 million homes—had “over-the-air” (OTA) TV status, and that number is on the rise. As consumers look for more on-demand and cost-effective options, there has been a resurgence in this cable status segment.	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10824
__label__wiki	0.571971	0.571971	LSE: A History of the London School of Economics and Political Science 1895-1995 Ralf Dahrendorf Published to Oxford Scholarship Online: October 2011 Part I An Epic of Clare Market 1 The Founding Years 2 Growth and Growing Pains Part II A Second Foundation 3 An Academic Miracle 4 Social Sciences Coming of Age 5 Discontents, Distractions, and a Long Farewell Part III Strength in Adversity 6 A Safe Pair of Hands 7 The School in Full Swing 8 Towards the Centenary A Safe Pair of Hands (p.332) (p.333) 6 A Safe Pair of Hands This chapter focuses on the changes affecting the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) between 1937–1995. By the departure of William Beveridge in 1937, the work of creation and establishment had been done. From now on, LSE would be faced with different challenges originating partly in the vagaries of the times, and partly in persistent pressures for growth. The decades following Beveridge's resignation were full of incident — the wartime evacuation of Cambridge, the two waves of post-war university expansion, and from the 1970s an environment increasingly hostile to higher education in general and the social sciences in particular. In Alexander Carr-Saunders, the School found a safe pair of hands to direct it through the transition from its heroic age to normality, and more particularly through the upheavals of the war and reconstruction. His character helped bring about the steadying influence that he exerted on the troubled institution he had inherited, and which was much needed in the turbulent times that would soon engulf it. Keywords: London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE, William Beveridge, Alexander Carr-Saunders	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10826
__label__cc	0.747962	0.252038	Literally Nobody Asked For a New Kevin Spacey Film! Vertical Entertainment, a film distributor, have decided that enough time has passed for audiences to get over that whole ‘Kevin Spacey accused of multiple issues of sexual misconduct’ oopsie. What’s a few months between producers, right? Billionaire Boys Club was filmed over two and a half years ago and was sitting on a shelf way before the Spacey allegations were revealed, but now seems as good a time as ever. Explaining their decision to release the film, the company said: ‘We don’t condone sexual harassment on any level and we fully support victims of it. At the same time, this is neither an easy nor insensitive decision to release this film in theaters, but we believe in giving the cast, as well as hundreds of crew members who worked hard on the film, the chance to see their final product reach audiences.’ It is true that a lot of talented people worked on this movie - and also Ansel Elgort - but it’s tough to see how a film with Spacey featured so prominently in recent advertising can find an audience now. Is anyone crying our for this movie? Was anyone crying out for it before Spacey came under the spotlight with these accusations? Separating the art from the artist is one thing, but it seems naive at best to assume there’s any real hunger for that right now. My guess is that there were contractual obligations in place that forced the distributor to give this film the absolute bare minimum release. For the record, Vertical Entertainment are the same distributor and production company behind Gotti. ← Vanessa Trump Cannot Read a Room Lawyer On Twitter Gets Dragged For Victim-Blaming Victims of Upskirting →	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10827
__label__cc	0.573289	0.426711	Contact Us Now Tap Here To Call Us New York City: (212) 835-6768 Philadelphia: (215) 331-6487 Princeton: (609) 480-3080 New York City Intellectual Property Lawyers Paleudis Law Firm Home Contact Putnam County Trademark Lawyer Paleudis Law Firm Michael J. Paleudis David Dahan Demetrios K. Tsatis Adam I. Kleinberg On-Premises Applications Off-Premises Applications 500 Foot Rule SLA Violations Cabaret License Oath: NYC Health Board Wholesale Matters Employment & Labor Litigation Entity Choice & Formation Sports Photographers File New York Copyright Infringement Lawsuit Against the NFL and Others In October, the National Football League (NFL) was hit with a copyright infringement lawsuit that was filed in New York by several freelance sports photographers. In Spinelli, et al. v. National Football League, et al., seven photographers accused Getty Images and the Associated Press (AP) of providing their photos to the NFL without paying the appropriate royalties. According to the complaint, the NFL allegedly used its market power to obtain the images without charge from both Getty and the AP. The photographers who filed the lawsuit claim their images are used by both Getty and the AP under a type of agreement that allows each of the photographers to retain control over image licensing. Despite that the agreements require Getty and the AP to track usage of each image and pay the photographers based on the frequency of each photo’s use, the NFL was allegedly allowed to use many images free of charge. The plaintiffs claim the NFL secured use of the images without compensating the photographers by threatening each image company that the other would be made the official and exclusive league image service. According to the lawsuit, Getty, the AP, and the NFL infringed on the freelance photographers’ copyrights when the NFL was allowed to display numerous sports photos without payment to the plaintiffs. In addition, Getty and the AP are accused of breach of contract for allowing the alleged infringement. The NFL has responded by filing a motion to be dismissed from the case. In its motion, the league claims the sports photographers’ real dispute is with the co-defendant image companies. The NFL argued that it did not infringe on the plaintiffs’ copyrights because the league obtained valid license to use the images at issue from Getty and the AP. The AP also sought dismissal of the case due to the purportedly broad rights the image company obtained through the photography agreements. Interestingly, Getty did not seek to have the case dismissed but instead filed a demand for arbitration pursuant to the terms of the photography contracts. If you are facing a copyright or other intellectual property dispute, contact the knowledgeable New York City intellectual property lawyers at the Paleudis Law Firm, LLC. Our experienced attorneys are available to help you analyze the key issues and develop a litigation strategy that best suits your business needs. The hardworking lawyers at the Paleudis Law Firm, LLC have more than 45 years of experience assisting clients who are located in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. To speak with a skilled advocate about your intellectual property or other business law claim, please contact the Paleudis Law Firm, LLC through the law firm’s website or give us a call at (212) 949-0138 in New York City, (914) 220-8270 in White Plains, or (203) 355-3635 in Stamford, Connecticut. Cracker Barrel Trademark Dispute Will Keep Restaurant Chain’s Products Off of Grocery Shelves in New Jersey and Elsewhere for Now, New York City Business Litigation Lawyer Blog, November 29, 2013 Decision in Apple v. Samsung Patent Dispute May Make it More Difficult for Companies to Obtain a Permanent Injunction in New York and Nationwide, New York City Business Litigation Lawyer Blog, November 21, 2013 Photo credit: mr_write, morgueFile (212) 835-6768 (215) 331-6487 (609) 480-3080 Princeton* 100 Canal Pointe Blvd We serve the following localities: Bronx County, The Bronx, New York County, New York, Putnam County, Brewster, Carmel, Cold Spring, Mahopac, Patterson, Putnam Valley, Westchester County, Briarcliff Manor, Cortlandt Manor, Mohegan Lake, Mount Kisco, Peekskill, White Plains, Yorktown Heights, Queens County, Astoria, Bayside, East Elmhurst, Floral Park, Flushing, Jamaica, Long Island City, Maspeth, Middle Village, Rego Park, Whitestone, and Woodside. Copyright © 2019, Paleudis Law Firm, LLC	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10829
__label__wiki	0.532074	0.532074	Home/About Us/Leadership Team Leadership Teamparallelwireless2019-06-18T13:41:59-04:00 Steve PapaCo-Founder, Chairman, and CEO Steve leads the senior management team in setting the company’s strategic direction and is guiding the company’s evolution from its successful first customer deployment into broad commercialization and growth. Steve has been part of reimagining the technology landscape for over 20 years. As founder and CEO of Endeca, he reimagined the database to support faceted information ultimately leading to Oracle acquiring the company as its 6th largest acquisition ever when announced (reported at $1.1 billion). He was part of the team creating Akamai that reimagined global Internet content distribution – now carrying peaks of 15 terabits/s of web traffic on any given day – and led the team at Inktomi that reimagined the network cache to create carrier class caching. Earlier he worked with AT&T Teradata where enterprise computing was reimagined with the first use of Intel processors for enterprise servers. He has a BS from Princeton University and MBA from Harvard Business School. Keith Johnson COO Keith brings to the organization a tremendous amount of business, technology and thought leadership expertise. As Chief Technology Officer at his previous company, Fuze, Keith led innovation and differentiation strategy for Fuze’s product portfolio. Prior to Fuze, Keith was co-founder and CEO of Parlai, a Boston-based startup focused on cloud-based email analytics. Before Parlai, he held the position of SVP of Engineering for 10 years at Endeca, one of the great Boston-based enterprise software success stories, where he led the teams that reimagined the company’s pioneering customer experience management, enterprise search, and business intelligence applications. After Endeca was acquired by Oracle, Keith became Group Vice President, Software Development and was given expanded responsibility over the Information Discovery, Oracle Web Center Sites, Oracle Secure Enterprise Search, and Oracle Language Technologies product lines. Keith holds a BSE in Civil Engineering and Operations Research from Princeton University. Rajesh MishraCo-Founder, President, and CTO Rajesh is a visionary who, together with the other company founders, accurately identified the need for easy to deploy, resilient and cost effective LTE network architecture that would overcome many of the legacy technical challenges associated with wireless communications — the foundation upon which Parallel Wireless was born. Rajesh co-founded the company after 21+ years of reimagining the wireless, wireline, and cable industry and leads the technology behind the Parallel Wireless’ solutions. As one of the industry’s pioneers in convergence technologies, he led the development of next-gen VoLTE and 3G/4G Femtocell convergence servers at Tatara, led transformation of first commercial softswitch into a Wireless MSC product at Bell Labs/Lucent, reimagined cable industry leading IMS servers at Cedarpoint, and led a commercial mobile ad hoc networks (MANETS) development at Powerwave Cognition. He has 25 US and international patents pending and issued. He holds a BS in Computer Science from IIT. Kaitki AgarwalCo-Founder and Chief Product Officer As Chief product officer Kaitki is responsible for leading product strategy, product management and engineering. Kaitki co-founded the company after 20+ years of leading and managing worldwide product development teams who reimagined the Packet Core. She has been instrumental in managing and scaling the development of Starent/Cisco Multimedia/VoLTE strategic product line that generated multimillion dollar revenue. Prior to that, as a founding member of several successful startups, Kaitki was responsible for SS7 & SIP Signaling at Cedarpoint, Wireless MSC at Lucent/Bellabs and was involved in reimagining Base Station Controller (BSC) for wireless network at Tellabs. Kaitki has 20+ US patents pending and issued. Kaitki holds MBA from Babson College and a BS in Computer Science from IIT. Sridhar DonepudiCo-Founder and EVP, Customer Experience Sridhar co-founded Parallel Wireless after 20+ years as a proven technology leader with focus on reimagining traffic/policy management, base stations, Class 5 Switching, IMS Core, Wireless MSC and Telephony Application Server. As the Sr. Principal Architect of Next-Gen Products, Sridhar reimagined the design and development of Cedar Point/Genband 3GPP traffic and policy management solution. He was a founding member of several successful startups such as Cedar Point (acquired by Genband) where he was Technical Director of Call Processing, Excel Switching/Lucent (Technical Lead) where he led the design of Lucent soft switch and Tellabs Wireless where he led design of PCS base station. He has 15 US patents pending and issued. He holds an M.Tech, Applied Electronics from CIT and B.E, Electronics Engineering. Simon MellorVP, Worldwide Services Simon has over 30 years of experience as a telecom and defense industry Executive. Simon was the founder and CEO of Axis Network Technology and reimagined the remote radio head with a next-generation re-configurable digital radio platforms company. As a result of the company’s technology and significant market share, it was acquired by a leading Korean manufacturer AceAxis and its products have been deployed in numerous cellular networks around the world. Prior to AceAxis, Mr. Mellor led technology strategy at Airtech as Chief Technology Officer, where he reimagined base station and coverage enhancement equipment. As a head of Global Business Development and then European Sales for REMEC, he achieved significant growth in multiple OEM accounts. Simon holds an MSc, Microwave and Modern Optics from U. of London, BSc, Electronic Physics from Royal Holloway, University of London and MBA from The Open University. Yisrael NovVP, Worldwide Sales Yisrael has over 30 years of experience in business development and account management where he’s driven revenue growth and led strategic planning, budgeting, forecasting, and deal pricing. At Gilat, he sought out and sourced new clients by developing networks and independently identifying and developing relevant resources for sales and business development. Yisrael also refocused Gilat’s portfolio from satellite solutions to include cellular solutions to drive a year increase of 42% in company revenue. Previously, as a General Manager at EMI System in Nigeria, he performed P&L and R&D responsibility for ‘full options’ security solutions to high profile clients in the private and public sectors across Nigeria while also directly managing a global team responsible for product planning, product marketing, new product introduction, software development, network level testing, solutions development, and post-sales support. He has an MA from MeA SheArim, Jerusalem. Sean FalveyVP of Finance Sean has over 25 years of experience in finance and finance leadership.at Endirance, he led international financial planning and analysis as well as financial process and forecasting. At Veracode, Sean created a detailed forecast process, published financial and management reporting, and reviewed these reports with the departmental stakeholders. He also managed a cross-functional team in driving the first bottoms-up, fully integrated financial and operational plan and led a team on the successful implementation of Netsuite’s Adaptive Planning budgeting and forecasting tool. At Endeca, he worked closely with the CFO to institute the FP&A function and with leadership team to create financial visibility to drive business goals and influence decision making, supporting the Services and Maintenance business and being the chief financial resource & decision support developing budget, forecast, revenue recognition models and processes. Sean has a BS in Science, Accounting from Salem State College. Eugina JordanVP of Marketing Eugina has over 19 years of strategic marketing experience leading corporate marketing and communications for small and large global technology companies. At Cisco, she was responsible for fiscal planning, managing a 20m+ budget, and all integrated marketing activities for SP Mobility and IPNGN product and solutions portfolios globally. She also led a GTM strategy for the launch of next-generation virtualized routing family that won an Ad Age BtoB Best Award for integrated campaign under 200K. Prior to Cisco, she was Marketing Manager for Starent since nearly the company’s inception and developed and managed the marketing communications strategy for the launch of Cisco’s $2B Starent Networks acquisition at Mobile World Congress 2010. She orchestrated a blend of communication, presentation and AR/PR initiatives to build the Starent brand. Eugina has a Masters of Teaching from Moscow University, and studied computer undergrad from CDI College in Toronto, Canada. Matt RoweGeneral Counsel Matt brings over 15 years of global law firm and GC experience with technology companies through all stages of growth. At Shoobx and Gazelle, he was a member of the executive teams and responsible for all legal operations and strategy to support the growing businesses. At Endeca, he was responsible for overseeing corporate compliance and governance initiatives, managing commercial transactions, intellectual property matters, international operations and expansion, and providing legal support to the sales and services organizations. He was responsible for legal aspects of the successful negotiation and sale of the company to Oracle. As an attorney at Goodwin Procter LLP, Matt represented public and private growth technology companies and advised clients on general corporate, SEC compliance, corporate governance, venture capital transactions, and mergers and acquisitions and technology licenses. Matt has a BA in Political Science from Boston College and a JD from Boston College Law School.	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10831
__label__wiki	0.663454	0.663454	Guided-mode resonance photonic crystal slab sensors based on bead monolayer geometry Lina Shi, Pierre Pottier, Yves-Alain Peter, and Maksim Skorobogatiy Engineering Physics Department, Ecole Polytechnique de Montréal, Montréal (QC) H3C 3A7, Canada L Shi P Pottier Y Peter M Skorobogatiy Lina Shi, Pierre Pottier, Yves-Alain Peter, and Maksim Skorobogatiy, "Guided-mode resonance photonic crystal slab sensors based on bead monolayer geometry," Opt. Express 16, 17962-17971 (2008) Photonic Crystals and Devices Guided mode resonance Photonic crystal sensors Photonic crystals Reflection coefficient Photonic crystals (050.5298) Sensors (130.6010) Micro-optical devices (230.3990) Resonance (260.5740) Original Manuscript: September 5, 2008 Revised Manuscript: October 17, 2008 Manuscript Accepted: October 17, 2008 Virtual Journal for Biomedical Optics Vol. 3, Iss. 12 Using finite-difference time-domain method, we investigate photonic crystal slabs consisting of spherical voids or silica beads embedded into a dielectric slab as bio-chemical sensors. We study the dependence of the spectral position of guided-mode resonances on the refractive index of a slab material. The most sensitive design is based on voids filled with analyte. We also study the effects of the slab and analyte thicknesses on guided-mode resonance properties. We eventually demonstrate an aqueous analyte sensor with high sensitivity at visible wavelength as electro-magnetic energy distribution in some guided-mode resonances can be strongly localized in the analyte region. Dependence of guided resonances on the structural parameters of terahertz photonic crystal slabs Tushar Prasad, Vicki L. Colvin, and Daniel M. Mittleman J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 25(4) 633-644 (2008) Optical bistability based on guided-mode resonances in photonic crystal slabs Quang Minh Ngo, Khai Q. Le, and Vu Dinh Lam J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 29(6) 1291-1295 (2012) Sensitivity enhancement in photonic crystal slab biosensors Mohamed El Beheiry, Victor Liu, Shanhui Fan, and Ofer Levi Photonic crystal slab sensor with enhanced surface area Christopher Kang, Christopher T. Phare, Yurii A. Vlasov, Solomon Assefa, and Sharon M. Weiss Double-layer Fano resonance photonic-crystal-slab-based sensor for label-free detection of different size analytes Zheng Wang, Chao Wang, Fujun Sun, Zhongyuan Fu, Zekun Xiao, Jiawen Wang, and Huiping Tian W. Lukosz, “Principle and sensitivities of integrated optical and surface plasmon sensors for direct affinity sensing and immunosensing,” Biosens. Bioelectron. 6, 215–225 (1991). J. Homola, Surface Plasmon Resonance Based Sensors (Springer, 2006). B. Gauvreau, A. Hassani, M. F. Fehri, A. Kabashin, and M. A. Skorobogatiy, “Photonic bandgap fiber-based Surface Plasmon Resonance sensors,” Opt. Express 15, 11413–11426 (2007). R. Magnusson and S. S. Wang, “New principle for optical filters,” Appl. Phys. Lett. 61, 1022–1024 (1992). S. Peng and G. M. Morris, “Resonant scattering from two-dimensional gratings,” J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 13, 993–1005 (1996). M. Kanskar, P. Paddon, V. Pacradouni, R. Morin, A. Busch, J. F. Young, S. R. Johnson, J. MacKenzie, and T. Tiedje, “Observation of leaky slab modes in an air-bridged semiconductor waveguide with a two-dimensional photonic lattice,” Appl. Phys. Lett. 70, 1438–1440 (1997). M. Boroditsky, R. Vrijen, T. F. Krauss, R. Coccioli, R. Bhat, and E. Yablonovitch, “Spontaneous emission extraction and Purcell enhancement from thin-film 2-D photonic crystals,” J. Lightwave Technol. 17, 2096–2112 (1999). V. N. Astratov, I. S. Culshaw, R. M. Stevenson, D. M. Whittaker, M. S. Skolnick, T. F. Krauss, and R. M. De la Rue, “Resonant coupling of near-infrared radiation to photonic band structure waveguides,” J. Lightwave Technol. 17, 2050–2057 (1999). V. Pacradouni, W. J. Mandeville, A. R. Cowan, P. Paddon, and J. F. Young, “Photonic band structure of dielectric membranes periodically textured in two dimensions,” Phys. Rev. B, 62, 4204–4206 (2000). A. R. Cowan, P. Paddon, V. Pacradouni, and J. F. Young, “Resonant scattering and mode coupling in two dimensional textured planar waveguides,” J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 18, 1160–1170 (2001). S. Fan and J. D. Joannopoulos, “Analysis of guided resonances in photonic crystal slabs,” Phys. Rev. B65, 235112 (2002). M. Szekeres, O. Kamalin, R. A. Schoonheydt, K Wostyn, K. Clays, A. Persoonsc, and I. Dékány, “Ordering and optical properties of monolayers and multilayers of silica spheres deposited by the Langmuir Blodgett method,” J. Mater. Chem. 12, 3268–3274 (2002). W. Suh, M. F. Yanik, O. Solgaard, and S. Fan, “Displacement-sensitive photonic crystal structures based on guided resonance in photonic crystal slabs,” Appl.Phys.Lett. 82, 1999–2001 (2003). O. Kilic, S. Kim, W. Suh, Y. Peter, A. S. Sudb03, M. F. Yanik, S. Fan, and O. Solgaard, “Photonic crystal slabs demonstrating strong broadband suppression of transmission in the presence of disorders,” Opt. Lett. 29,2782–2784 (2004). V. Lousse, W. Suh, O. Kilic, S. Kim, O. Solgaard, and S. Fan, “Angular and polarization properties of a photonic crystal slab mirror,” Opt. Express 12, 1575–1582 (2004). L. Landström, D. Brodoceanu, N. Arnold, K. Piglmayer, and D. Bäuerle, “Photonic properties of silicon-coated colloidal monolayers,” Appl. Phys. A 81, 911–913 (2005). A. Rosenberg, M.W. Carter, J. A. Casey, M. Kim, R. T. Holm, R. L. Henry, C. R. Eddy, V. A. Shamamian, and K. Bussmann, “Guided resonances in asymmetrical GaN photonic crystal slabs observed in the visible spectrum,” Opt. Express 13, 6564–6571 (2005). K. B. Crozier, V. Lousse, O. Kilic, S. Fan, and O. Solgaard, “Air-bridged photonic crystal slabs at visible and near-infrared wavelengths,” Phys. Rev. B73, 115126 (2006). Z. Jian and D. M. Mittlemana, “Characterization of guided resonances in photonic crystal slabs using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy,” J. Appl. Phys. 100, 123113–123118 (2006). T. Prasad, V. L. Colvin, and D. M. Mittleman, “The effect of structural disorder on guided resonances in photonic crystal slabs studied with terahertz time-domain spectroscopy,” Opt. Express 15, 16954–16965 (2007). J. L. Skinner, A. A. Talin, and D. A. Horsley, “A MEMS light modulator based on diffractive nanohole gratings,” Opt. Express 16, 3701–3711 (2008). L. Prodan, R. Hagen, P. Gross, R. Arts, R. Beigang, C. Fallnich, A. Schirmacher, L. Kuipers, and K-J Boller, “Mid-IR transmission of a large-area 2D silicon photonic crystal slab,” J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 41, 135105–135111 (2008). Y. Nazirizadeh, J. G. Mller, U. Geyer, D. Schelle, E. Kley, A. Tünnermann, U. Lemmer, and M. Gerken, “Optical characterization of photonic crystal slabs using orthogonally oriented polarization filters,” Opt. Express 16, 7153–7160 (2008). G. Alagappan, X. W. Sun, and M. B. Yu, “Out-of-plane diffraction of a two-dimenisonal photonic crystal with finite dielectric modulation,” J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 25, 1098–1103 (2008). B. Cunningham, P. Li, B. Lin, and J. Pepper, “Colorimetric resonant reflection as a direct biochemical assay technique,” Sens. Actuators B 81, 316–328 (2002). B. Cunningham, B. Lin, J. Qiu, P. Li, J. Pepper, and B. Hugh, “A plastic colorimetric resonant optical biosensor for multiparallel detection of label-free biochemical interactions,” Sens. Actuators B 85, 219–226 (2002). I. D. Block, L. L. Chan, and B. T. Cunningham, “Photonic crystal optical biosensor incorporating structured low-index porous dielectric,” Sens. Actuators B 120, 187–193 (2006). N. Ganesh, I. D. Block, and B. T. Cunningham, “Near ultraviolet-wavelength photonic-crystal biosensor with enhanced surface-to-bulk sensitivity ratio,” Appl. Phys. Lett.89, 023901 (2006). O. Levi, M. M. Lee, J. Zhang, V. Lousse, S. R. J. Brueck, S. Fan, and J. S. Harris. “Sensitivity analysis of a photonic crystal structure for index-of-refraction sensing,” Proc. SPIE 6447, 2–9 (2007). O. Levi, M. M. Lee, J. Zhang, V. Lousse, S. R. J. Brueck, S. Fan, and J. S. Harris, “Optical Characterization and Sensitivity Evaluation of Guided-Resonances in Photonic Crystal Slabs for Biosensing Applications,” Proc. of the Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics (CLEO), May 2007. O. Levi, T. T. Lee, M. M. Lee, S. J. Smith, and J. S. Harris, “Integrated semiconductor optical sensors for cellular and neural imaging,” Appl. Opt. 46, 1881–1889 (2007). S. G. Johnson, “Meep”, http://ab-initio.mit.edu/wiki/index.php/Meep Alagappan, G. Arnold, N. Arts, R. Astratov, V. N. Bäuerle, D. Beigang, R. Bhat, R. Block, I. D. Boller, K-J Boroditsky, M. Brodoceanu, D. Brueck, S. R. J. Busch, A. Bussmann, K. Carter, M.W. Casey, J. A. Chan, L. L. Clays, K. Coccioli, R. Colvin, V. L. Cowan, A. R. Crozier, K. B. Culshaw, I. S. Cunningham, B. Cunningham, B. T. De la Rue, R. M. Dékány, I. Eddy, C. R. Fallnich, C. Fan, S. Fehri, M. F. Ganesh, N. Gauvreau, B. Gerken, M. Geyer, U. Gross, P. Hagen, R. Harris, J. S. Hassani, A. Henry, R. L. Holm, R. T. Homola, J. Horsley, D. A. Hugh, B. Jian, Z. Joannopoulos, J. D. Johnson, S. G. Johnson, S. R. Kabashin, A. Kamalin, O. Kanskar, M. Kilic, O. Kim, M. Kim, S. Kley, E. Krauss, T. F. Kuipers, L. Landström, L. Lee, M. M. Lee, T. T. Lemmer, U. Levi, O. Li, P. Lin, B. Lousse, V. Lukosz, W. MacKenzie, J. Magnusson, R. Mandeville, W. J. Mittleman, D. M. Mittlemana, D. M. Mller, J. G. Morin, R. Morris, G. M. Nazirizadeh, Y. Pacradouni, V. Paddon, P. Peng, S. Pepper, J. Persoonsc, A. Peter, Y. Piglmayer, K. Prasad, T. Prodan, L. Qiu, J. Rosenberg, A. Schelle, D. Schirmacher, A. Schoonheydt, R. A. Shamamian, V. A. Skinner, J. L. Skolnick, M. S. Skorobogatiy, M. A. Smith, S. J. Solgaard, O. Stevenson, R. M. Sudb03, A. S. Suh, W. Sun, X. W. Szekeres, M. Talin, A. A. Tiedje, T. Tünnermann, A. Vrijen, R. Wang, S. S. Whittaker, D. M. Wostyn, K Yablonovitch, E. Yanik, M. F. Young, J. F. Yu, M. B. Zhang, J. Appl. Opt. (1) Appl. Phys. A (1) Appl. Phys. Lett. (2) Appl.Phys.Lett. (1) Biosens. Bioelectron. (1) J. Appl. Phys. (1) J. Lightwave Technol. (2) J. Mater. Chem. (1) J. Opt. Soc. Am. A (3) J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. (1) Opt. Lett. 29, (1) Phys. Rev. B (1) Proc. SPIE (1) Sens. Actuators B (3) Fig. 1. Schematics of photonic crystal slab sensors based on guided-mode resonances. The area surrounded by yellow dash line denotes a single crystal unit cell. (a) Monolayer silica beads (red) inside a dielectric slab (blue) on substrate (black). The cyan denotes liquid analyte. (b) Monolayer analyte-filled spherical voids (cyan) inside a dielectric slab (blue). (c) Cross section of structures in (a) and (b) in the xy plane. Fig. 2. Reflection spectra from the PhCs featuring silica beads inside a dielectric slab for the various values of slab material refractive index (from 1.1 to 3.3). Solid blue and dashed green curves are respectively for the 1.30 and 1.33 values of the analyte refractive index. Fig. 3. Reflection spectra from the PhCs featuring analyte-filled spherical voids in a dielectric slab for the various values of the slab material refractive index (from 1.0 to 2.8). Solid blue and dashed green curves are respectively for the 1.30 and 1.33 values of the analyte refractive index. Fig. 4. Reflection spectra of five photonic crystal slabs with various cap thicknesses t. Solid blue and dashed green curves are respectively for the 1.30 and 1.33 values of the analyte refractive index. Fig. 5. Distribution of the y component of the electric field for peak 1 and peak 4 across PhC crossection with t=0.2a. The black line denotes the contours of the solid material. In both cases analyte fills the spherical void, as well as the region above it. Fig. 6. Reflection spectra of six PhC slabs with different analyte thicknesses tl : 0.1a, 0.2a, 0.4a, 0.8a, 1.2a, ∞. Fig. 7. Peak position versus normalized thickness tl /a of an analyte. The dashed line denotes the peak position for an infinite analyte. Fig. 8. Distribution of the y component of the electric field for peak 4 across PhC crossection with t=0.2a and various thicknesses of the analyte layer tl : (a) 0.1a, (b) 0.4a, (c) 1.2a, (d) ∞. The black lines denote the contours of the solid material and analyte. In both cases analyte fills the spherical void.	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10838
__label__cc	0.654265	0.345735	« Apple Granted a Major Multi-Touch Patent Relating to E-Docs \| Main \| Apple is granted a Sweet Cable TV Set-Top-Box Patent & More » Apple Wins Cinema Display and Two Important iChat Patents The US Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of 16 newly granted patents for Apple Inc. today, and in this report we cover Apple's design win for their Cinema Display and focus on two important iChat related patents covering sophisticated audio and their cool 3D-like interface design. Granted Design Patent: LED Cinema Display Apple has been granted a design patent for their LED Cinema Display. It'll be interesting to see if Apple raises the quality bar in 2011 by introducing a leap to OLED for their high-end Cinema Display. For What Apple charges for their stand-alone display, they should. Apple credits VP of Industrial Design Jonathan Ive and team members Bartley Andre, Daniel Coster, Daniele De Iuliis, Evans Hankey, Richard Howarth, Jonathan Ive, Duncan Kerr, Shin Nishibori, Matthew Dean Rohrbach, Peter Russell-Clarke, Douglas Satzger, Christopher Stringer, Eugene Whang and Rico Zorkendorfer as the inventors of Granted Patent D630,210, originally filed in Q1 2010. Granted Patent: Audio Processing in Multi-Participant Video Conferencing It's a big patent day for Apple's iChat – as they've picked up two strategically important patent wins. Apple's first granted patent relates to iChat's audio processing while patent two covers the 3D multiple panel interface that relates to streaming video. Although both patents clearly relates to iChat, I'm sure that Apple's new FaceTime will be covered under the scope of these patents. Apple's Main Patent Claim: A method of distributing audio content in a multi-participant audio/video conference, the method comprising: at a device of a first participant of said conference: receiving audio signals from at least second and third participants of said conference; determining a strength of each received audio signal; generating indicia representative of said strengths for the received audio signals; generating at least first and second mixed audio signals from the received audio signals, said first mixed audio signal different from said second mixed audio signal; to each particular mixed audio signal, appending a set of generated strength indicia of the audio signals that are mixed to produce the particular mixed audio signal; transmitting said first mixed audio signal to said second participant; and transmitting said second mixed audio signal to said third participant. Other selected aspects covered in Apple's claims include: A method of creating a stereo panning effect in a multi-participant audio/video conference; a method of distributing audio content in a multi-participant audio/video conference; and a computer readable medium storing a computer program for distributing audio content in a multi-participant audio/video conference. Apple credits Hyeonkuk Jeong and Ryan Salsbury as the inventors of Granted Patent 7,864,209 originally filed in Q2 2005. In Apple's second granted patent relating to iChat titled " Multi-way video conferencing user interface," we see that it covers iChat's user interface that provides multiple participant panels. Apple's Main Patent Claim: A computer-implemented method for displaying participant panels in a user interface window of a videoconferencing application, the method comprising: receiving in a single computer at least two live video streams, each live video stream associated with a remote participant; generating in the computer a single user interface window; determining a three dimensional model view for displaying participant panels; generating in the three dimensional model view a participant panel for each of the live video streams, each participant panel associated with a remote participant, the participant panels including a first participant panel and a second participant panel; determining a viewport for rendering the three dimensional model view, including the first participant panel and the second participant panel, in the single user interface window; determining a projection of the participant panels in the viewport such that a projected size of each participant panel in the viewport is the same number of units as a size of the participant panel in the model view; displaying the first participant panel to the left of a horizontal center of the user interface window, the first participant panel displayed in a coplanar orientation with respect to the plane of the user interface window; displaying the second participant panel to the right of the horizontal center of the user interface window, the second participant panel displayed in the coplanar orientation with respect to the plane of the user interface window; receiving a trigger event to display the first participant panel and the second participant panel in a perspective orientation relative to the plane of the user interface window; and responsive to receiving the trigger event: displaying the first participant panel in a perspective orientation relative to the plane of the user interface window, wherein the first participant panel is angled towards the horizontal center of the user interface window; and displaying the second participant panel in the perspective orientation relative to the plane of the user interface window, wherein the second participant panel is angled towards the horizontal center of the user interface window. Apple credits Marcel van Os, Peter Westen and Imran Chaudhri as the inventors of Granted Patent 7,865,834 originally filed in Q2 2004. Other Noteworthy Granted Patents Published Today Fuel Cells: Okay, what are the Crazy Ones in Cupertino up to now? Apple has invented a collector plate made of bulk solidifying amorphous alloy. We pointed to LiquidMetal being an amorphous alloy back in June. However, the invention relates to fuel cells. And what will Apple do with that, being that it has nothing to do with batteries? The patent doesn't say and I'm not going to guess. So - does anyone have an idea on what Apple could be up to with this invention - or is it simply a future miniature fuel cell for Apple portables? Update: It should also be noted for trivia sake, that it's Apple's second granted patent related to Liquid Metal in the last 60 days. PikeResearch points to various markets and power requirements per industry segment while providing a time frame for the micro-fuel cell segment to come to market being between 2012 and 2017. It should also be noted that Apple's patent actually presents very little reference in respect to what end products Apple is aiming for. The only reference in the patent of an end-product range is as follows: "This increased efficiency is particulary useful for the application of fuel cells in mobile devices and equipment, such as automobiles and the like because the less bulky the fuel cell, the easier it is to provide storage for the device on such a mobile device." Read into that as you will. Network Computing: The naysayers once argued that Apple would never, ever, ever touch NC's, network computing. Years later and Apple has been granted a patent relating to network computing (NC). In particular, it relates to the provision, administration and maintenance of an operating system in a net-booted environment. Mac OS: Apple has been granted another patent relating to the Mac OS translating data objects from big-endian to little endian, as an example. By placing data object format translation capabilities into the OS, the software development effort required to permit an application to execute in a heterogeneous environment is signficantly reduced. For more information see Apple's patent titled "Typed-Data Translation for Platform Independence." Notice: Patently Apple presents only a brief summary of patents with associated graphic(s) for journalistic news purposes as each such patent application and/or Granted Patent is revealed by the U.S. Patent & Trade Office. Readers are cautioned that the full text of any patent application and/or Issued Patent should be read in its entirety for further details. About Comments: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit comments. Posted by Jack Purcher on January 04, 2011 at 09:01 AM in 2. Granted Patents, 4. Trademark, Design \| Permalink	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10848
__label__wiki	0.639541	0.639541	Namaste Indian Food takeout restaurant opens in Rockport Sarah Shepherd Dee Patel and Krishna Patel of Namaste Indian Food in Rockport. (Photo courtesy of Dee Patel) Dee Patel’s coworkers at Pen Bay Skin Care in Rockport took several takeout bags back to their office on opening day, June 7. (Photo by Sarah Shepherd) Dee Patel and her daughter, Shree. (Photo by Sarah Shepherd) Dee Patel’s sister-in-law, Krishna Patel, runs the takeout front counter. (Photo by Sarah Shepherd) Menu from the grand opening weekend, June 7-9. (Courtesy of Namaste Indian Food) The picture says it all. Congratulations! (Photo courtesy of Namaste Indian Food) ROCKPORT – Since she was a teenager living with her grandmother in Gujarat, a state on the western coast of India, Dee Patel, of Rockport, has loved cooking Indian food. Recently, Patel has taken her passion of cooking to the next level by opening a takeout restaurant, Namaste Indian Food, which she hopes will meet the high demand for Indian food in the Midcoast. The Rockport takeout-only restaurant, located at the Ledges By The Bay at 930 Commercial Street in Rockport, had its grand opening last Friday, June 7. Currently, the restaurant will be open Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 to 8 p.m. It will be back open again on Friday, June 14. Patel said that her initial plan is to start small to see how the community responds to her cooking. It seems that the local foodies craving authentic Indian dishes did respond last weekend since Patel sold out of food on all three days. It has been about two years since this reporter has taken a road trip south for authentic Indian food, so I decided to give it a try during lunch on the opening day. The combined aromas of curry and garlic reached my nose when I placed my order of a “combo” which included an entrée, “Chole Masala,” a curry dish with chickpeas with tomato crème sauce served with garlic naan bread, seasoned basmati rice and papad, Indian flatbread. Since the portions were large, I initially decided to save half of the meal for dinner, but that did not happen. It was delicious. So, how did this business venture start out for Patel? First, she was frequently asked the same question, “do you cook Indian food?” There was also the encouragement from her coworkers, for approximately the past two years, at the Pen Bay Skin Center in Rockport. They would ask Patel to bring Indian food, especially anything made with curry, to their office potlucks. Patel said they also served as her “taste testers” for any new recipes. “I love experimenting in the kitchen and having fun trying new recipes, but some of the dishes I will be serving at Namaste are my grandmother’s,” said Patel. The vegetarian menu will be different for each of the three days Namaste is open. The standard menu will include curry dishes, paneer, samosas, naan, dabeli, an Indian snack food comprised of crunchy potato stuffed in a bread sandwich roll, and gluten-free and vegan options. Patel first moved from India to New Jersey, then to Augusta and now in Rockport where her family purchased the Ledges with a commercial kitchen. Her sister-in-law, Krishna Patel, is managing the front desk with greeting customers and taking orders. Orders can be made in person at the takeout restaurant or by calling or texting 992-6347 for pickup. Updated menus will be featured on the Namaste Indian Food Facebook page. Sarah Shepherd can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com STUMP GRINDING 215-7189 Call Today Reliable Property Maintenance	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10860
__label__wiki	0.624565	0.624565	PNAS Staff Recommend PNAS to Your Librarian Collected Articles PNAS Classics Highlights from Latest Articles PNAS in the News Editorial and Journal Policies New Research In Featured Portals Sustainability Science Applied Physical Sciences Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences Psychological and Cognitive Sciences Applied Biological Sciences Biophysics and Computational Biology Population Biology Coordinated reduction of genes of oxidative metabolism in humans with insulin resistance and diabetes: Potential role of PGC1 and NRF1 Mary Elizabeth Patti, Atul J. Butte, Sarah Crunkhorn, Kenneth Cusi, Rachele Berria, Sangeeta Kashyap, Yoshinori Miyazaki, Isaac Kohane, Maura Costello, Robert Saccone, Edwin J. Landaker, Allison B. Goldfine, Edward Mun, Ralph DeFronzo, Jean Finlayson, C. Ronald Kahn, and Lawrence J. Mandarino PNAS July 8, 2003 100 (14) 8466-8471; https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1032913100 Atul J. Butte Sarah Crunkhorn Kenneth Cusi Rachele Berria Sangeeta Kashyap Yoshinori Miyazaki Isaac Kohane Maura Costello Robert Saccone Edwin J. Landaker Allison B. Goldfine Edward Mun Ralph DeFronzo Jean Finlayson C. Ronald Kahn Lawrence J. Mandarino Contributed by C. Ronald Kahn, May 14, 2003 Figures & SI Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) is characterized by insulin resistance and pancreatic β cell dysfunction. In high-risk subjects, the earliest detectable abnormality is insulin resistance in skeletal muscle. Impaired insulin-mediated signaling, gene expression, glycogen synthesis, and accumulation of intramyocellular triglycerides have all been linked with insulin resistance, but no specific defect responsible for insulin resistance and DM has been identified in humans. To identify genes potentially important in the pathogenesis of DM, we analyzed gene expression in skeletal muscle from healthy metabolically characterized nondiabetic (family history negative and positive for DM) and diabetic Mexican–American subjects. We demonstrate that insulin resistance and DM associate with reduced expression of multiple nuclear respiratory factor-1 (NRF-1)-dependent genes encoding key enzymes in oxidative metabolism and mitochondrial function. Although NRF-1 expression is decreased only in diabetic subjects, expression of both PPARγ coactivator 1-α and-β (PGC1-α/PPARGC1 and PGC1-β/PERC), coactivators of NRF-1 and PPARγ-dependent transcription, is decreased in both diabetic subjects and family history-positive nondiabetic subjects. Decreased PGC1 expression may be responsible for decreased expression of NRF-dependent genes, leading to the metabolic disturbances characteristic of insulin resistance and DM. Insulin resistance precedes and predicts the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) (1, 2). Defects in insulin signal transduction, gene expression, and muscle glycogen synthesis, and accumulation of intramyocellular triglycerides have all been identified as potential mediators of insulin resistance in high-risk individuals (1, 3–7). However, the molecular pathogenesis of DM remains unknown. Mouse data highlight the importance of glucose uptake into muscle but suggest a role for novel mechanisms, distinct from insulin signaling pathways (8). The importance of genetic risk factors is exemplified by the high concordance of DM in identical twins, the strong influence of family history and ethnicity on risk, and the identification of DNA sequence alterations in both rare and common forms of DM (9). Environmental factors, including obesity, inactivity, and aging, also play critical roles in DM risk. Because both genotype and environment converge to influence cellular function via gene and protein expression, we hypothesize that alterations in expression define a phenotype that parallels the metabolic evolution of DM and provides potential clues to pathogenesis. We used high-density oligonucleotide arrays to identify genes differentially expressed in skeletal muscle from nondiabetic and type 2 diabetic subjects. Because hyperglycemia per se can modulate expression, we also evaluated gene expression in insulin-resistant subjects at high risk for DM (“prediabetes”) on the basis of family history of DM and Mexican–American ethnicity (10). We demonstrate that prediabetic and diabetic muscle is characterized by decreased expression of oxidative phosphorylation genes, many of which are regulated by nuclear respiratory factor (NRF)-dependent transcription. Furthermore, expression of peroxisomal proliferator activator receptor γ coactivator (PGC1)α and -β (PPARGC1 and PERC), coactivators of both PPARG and NRF-dependent transcription, is significantly reduced in both prediabetic and diabetic subjects. Taken together, these data indicate that decreased PGC1 expression may be responsible for decreased expression of NRF-dependent metabolic and mitochondrial genes and may contribute to the metabolic disturbances characteristic of insulin resistance and DM. Subject Recruitment and Characterization. The clinical protocol was approved by the University of Texas Health Science Center Institutional Review Board, and written informed consent was obtained. Subjects had no significant medical problems except DM, were not taking medications affecting glucose metabolism, and were sedentary. Subjects maintained their usual diet and refrained from vigorous exercise for 2 days before the study. Subjects were stratified by family history (FH) of DM (first-degree relative). For nondiabetics, normal glucose tolerance was confirmed with a 75-g glucose load. Diabetic subjects were treated with lifestyle or sulfonylureas (discontinued 48 h prestudy). After an overnight fast, a biopsy was taken from the vastus lateralis muscle and frozen in liquid nitrogen. A 2 h, 40 milliunits/m2/min hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp was performed to assess glucose disposal (11). RNA Isolation, cRNA Preparation, and Array Hybridization. Muscle biopsies from 10 nondiabetics (six FH- and four FH+) and five diabetics, and five muscle aliquots from a single subject, were homogenized in RNA Stat (Tel-Test, Friendswood, TX). Total RNA was purified with RNeasy (Qiagen, Chatsworth, CA), and used for cRNA synthesis (12). Fifteen micrograms of adjusted cRNA were hybridized to Affymetrix (Santa Clara, CA) HuGeneFL arrays. Intensity values were quantitated by using mas 4.0 software (Affymetrix). Average correlation between replicates (five independent preparations of RNA and cRNA) was 0.96 ± 0.01. Regression Normalization. All 20 arrays were normalized for overall intensity using linear regression. Each array was normalized against the microarray most similar to all others by using the central 95% of expression values (13). Identification of Differentially Expressed Genes and Pathways. Differences between groups were evaluated by using the t test with unequal variances (14). Annotations were compiled by using genespring (Silicon Genetics, Redwood City, CA), unchip (Children's Hospital Informatics Program, Boston), and onto express, Ver. 2 (15). genmapp, mappfinder, and onto express were used to integrate expression data with known pathways (16, 17) and to determine confidence levels for differential expression within ontology groups (15). Quantitative PCR. Muscle expression of selected genes was determined by using two-step real-time quantitative PCR (Applied Biosystems PRISM 7700) in an independent cohort of 15 FH- controls, 12 FH+ controls, and 15 diabetic subjects (Table 1Right). cDNA was synthesized from DNAse I-treated total RNA by using random hexamer primers (Advantage, BD Biosciences, San Jose, CA). Primer and probe sequences were selected by using PRIMER EXPRESS (Applied Biosystems). Target gene and endogenous control amplicons were labeled with FAM and VIC, respectively. Table 1. Metabolic characteristics of array and PCR subject cohorts, including FH- and FH+ control and diabetic (DM2) subjects We used high-density oligonucleotide arrays and quantitative real-time PCR to identify genes differentially expressed in skeletal muscle from type 2 diabetic subjects and in nondiabetic insulin-resistant subjects at high risk for DM, based on family history of DM (FH+) and Mexican–American ethnicity. Clinical characteristics of the initial array subject cohort and independent cohort used for PCR are provided in Table 1. Diabetic subjects had increased fasting and 2-h glucose levels and hemoglobin A1c (all P < 0.01). Fasting insulin was significantly increased in FH+ and DM, whereas insulin-stimulated glucose disposal, a measure of insulin sensitivity, decreased progressively from FH- to FH+ to DM (P < 0.001). cRNA was prepared from muscle biopsies and hybridized to oligonucleotide microarrays. Primary data are available at www.diabetesgenome.org. Of 7,129 sequences represented on the array, 187 were differentially expressed (P < 0.05) between control (FH-) and diabetic subjects (Table 2, which is published as supporting information on the PNAS web site, www.pnas.org). No single gene remained differentially expressed after controlling for multiple comparison false discovery by using the Benjamini–Hochberg method (18, 19). Therefore, to identify groups of genes with similar regulation between FH- and DM subjects, we ranked genes by P values and analyzed ontology for genes with uncorrected P < 0.05. By using mapp finder (17), the top-ranked cellular component terms were mitochondrion, mitochondrial membrane, mitochondrial inner membrane, and ribosome (Z scores 7.8, 7.2, 7.8, and 6.8, respectively, indicating overrepresentation in FH- vs. DM comparison). Similarly, the top-ranked process term was ATP biosynthesis (Z 5.5). Similar results were obtained by using ontoexpress (15) with multiple correction testing, which indicated that energy generation (P = 0.0029), protein biosynthesis/ribosomal proteins (P = 0.013), RNA binding (P = 0.007), ribosomal structural protein (P = 0.0007), and ATP synthase complex (P = 2 × 10-5) ontology groups were represented to a significantly greater extent in FH- vs. DM than expected if ontology groups were randomly distributed within the list of top-ranked genes. Genes differentially expressed between control and diabetic subjects may reflect either the pathophysiology of insulin resistance (primary alterations) or secondary effects of hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, and other metabolic factors. To identify potentially primary expression changes associated with insulin resistance, we compared gene expression in FH+ (nondiabetic but insulin resistant) and FH- controls. One hundred sixty-six genes were differentially expressed between FH+ and FH- (P < 0.05) (Table 3, which is published as supporting information on the PNAS web site); 55 were common to both [FH- vs. DM] and [FH- vs. FH+] comparisons. No single gene remained differentially expressed after Benjamini–Hochberg multiple comparison testing. However, ontology classification analysis (17) revealed that 20S and 26S proteasome complexes were the top-ranked cellular component terms (Z 7.7 and 7.3); mitochondrion-linked genes were also overrepresented (Z 3.2). Cell structure (P = 0.004), protein degradation (P = 3.7 × 10-4), and energy generation (P = 0.003) groups were represented to a greater extent than expected for random distribution; with multiple comparison testing, the protein degradation/26S proteasome (P = 1 × 10-5) group remained significant. To evaluate the effects of hyperglycemia or other metabolic consequences of DM per se on expression, we identified 12 genes altered in DM as compared with both nondiabetic groups but not as a function of family history (Table 4, which is published as supporting information on the PNAS web site). This included a 70-kDa heat-shock protein (HSP701A), which was decreased by 42% in DM and whose expression correlated inversely with fasting glucose for all subjects (r = -0.77). Expression of a related HSP70 gene was previously found to be reduced in Caucasian diabetic subjects (20). By using quantitative real-time PCR, we measured expression of 10 genes selected on the basis of biological interest or P value ranking in muscle from an independent cohort of control (FH-) and DM (Table 1 Right). Expression of three genes was concordant with array data, and four genes were both concordant and statistically different between FH- and DM (P < 0.05, PCR) (Table 5, which is published as supporting information on the PNAS web site). Taken together, our data indicate that differences in muscle gene expression between healthy diabetic and control subjects at steady-state are modest. Although expression differences for individual genes did not meet statistical significance after rigorous multiple testing correction, pattern analysis demonstrated that genes encoding proteins related to mitochondrial oxidative metabolism were overrepresented in both [control vs. DM] and [FH- vs. FH+] comparisons. Because altered expression of genes regulating oxidative metabolism might be a major DM-associated phenotype, we performed more detailed analysis of gene expression patterns within lipid and carbohydrate metabolism groups. (Data refer to uncorrected P values.) Lipid Transport and Metabolism. Expression of several genes involved in fatty acid oxidation were significantly decreased in DM relative to FH- controls, including 3-hydroxyacyl CoA dehydrogenase (also decreased in FH+ vs. FH-), mitochondrial 3,2-transenoyl-CoA isomerase, and 2,4-dienoyl CoA reductase 1. Monoglyceride lipase, a key enzyme in triglyceride hydrolysis, was significantly decreased in both FH+ and DM. Lipoprotein lipase expression was increased in FH+. These changes could contribute to muscle triglyceride accumulation, as in mice over-expressing LPL (21) and insulin-resistant or diabetic humans (6). Oxidative Metabolism. Expression of multiple glycolysis and tricarboxylic acid cycle genes was significantly decreased in DM, including glucose phosphate isomerase, fructose-1,6 bisphosphatase 2, pyruvate kinase, pyruvate dehydrogenase A1, α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase, and succinate dehydrogenase B. Expression of many of these was also reduced in FH+, reaching significance for pyruvate kinase and α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase. Multiple components of the mitochondrial respiratory chain were reduced in FH+ and significantly decreased in DM, including two complex I, one complex II, two complex III, and three complex IV subunits, and multiple subunits of ATP synthase (four of five Fo subunits and the ATP5O subunit of F1); ATP5D was significantly increased in both FH+ and DM. Uncoupling proteins 1–3 did not differ significantly. Expression of ANT1, which determines ADP/ATP flux between cytosol and mitochondria, and the voltage-dependent anion channel porin was reduced in FH+ and significantly decreased in DM. Thus, these data demonstrate progressive decreases in expression of genes encoding key proteins in oxidative metabolism in insulin-resistant and DM subjects (Fig. 1A). Because many of these genes are regulated by the NRF transcription factor family (22) (indicated by asterisk), we hypothesized that this pattern might result from coordinated reductions in NRF transcriptional activation. In addition, other genes known to be regulated by NRF were progressively reduced from FH- to FH+ to DM (Fig. 1B). To test the potential contribution of NRF, we assessed NRF-1 expression by real-time quantitative RT-PCR. NRF-1 expression was decreased by 29% in DM (P = 0.01) (Fig. 2A) and inversely correlated with fasting glucose (r = -0.46, P = 0.03); expression of NRF-2 (GABPA) did not differ. Array expression levels for other transcription factors implicated in nuclear-encoded mitochondrial gene transcription, including TFAM, MEF-2 isoforms, YY1, CREM, CREB1, and CREB3, did not differ but were near background levels. Sp1 (2-fold increase, P = 0.003) and CREB-RP (61% increase, P = 0.004) were increased in FH+ but not in DM. (A) Expression of many oxidative metabolism genes is reduced in FH+ insulin-resistant nondiabetic and type 2 DM subjects. Hierarchical clustering was performed (genespring, algorithm similar to that of Eisen et al. (51) by using glycolysis, tricarboxylic acid cycle, and electron transport gene groups (genmapp). Genes known to be regulated by NRF transcription in humans or rodents are indicated by an asterisk. Colors represent gene expression values in individual subject expression changes relative to the mean (normalized to 1 for each gene), with red and green representing decreases or increases in expression, respectively by >50%. (B) Expression of genes regulated by NRF transcription is decreased in FH+ and DM2. The gene tree was created by compiling a list of NRF-regulated genes (52) as in A. Decreases in transcription factor NRF-1 and coactivator PGC1 expression contribute to reductions in oxidative gene expression. (A) Expression of NRF-1 (quantitative PCR), is decreased in DM (, P = 0.01 vs. FH- controls). (B) PGC1α expression (PCR) is reduced in prediabetic FH+ (34% reduction, P = 0.001 vs. FH-) and DM (36% decrease, P = 0.0009 vs. FH-). (C) PGC1β expression (PCR) is reduced in prediabetic FH+ (45% reduction, P = 0.045 vs. FH-) and DM (46% decrease, P = 0.01 vs. FH-). PPARγ coactivator 1 (PPARGC1, PGC1α) also regulates NRF-dependent transcription (22), increases expression of both nuclear and mitochondrial-encoded genes of oxidative metabolism (e.g., tricarboxylic acid cycle, lipid oxidation, and electron transport complexes), and induces mitochondrial biogenesis (23). To test the potential contribution of PGC1α (PPARGC1) and related PGC1β (PERC) (not on array) to the DM expression phenotype, we performed quantitative real-time RT-PCR. Both PGC1α and -β expression was significantly reduced in DM subjects (PGC1α: 36% decrease, P = 0.0009 vs. FH-; PGC1β: 46% decrease, P = 0.01) (Fig. 2 B and C). Expression of PRC, a related NRF coactivator, was not altered. Even more striking was the significant reduction in expression of both PGC1α and -β in nondiabetic FH+ subjects (PGC1α: 34% decrease as compared with FH- controls, P = 0.007, PGC1β: 45% decrease, P = 0.047) (Fig. 2 B and C). To identify potential relationships between clinical data and PCR gene expression, we performed regression analysis incorporating family history and diabetes status. PGC1α expression was highly correlated with that of two representative oxidative genes, pyruvate dehydrogenase A1 (r = 0.81, P < 0.0001, Fig. 3A), and the complex III subunit UQCRH (r = 0.75, P < 0.0001), supporting a link between PGC1 and the array expression phenotype. In the univariate model, expression of PGC1α was inversely related to FH status (r = -0.49, P = 0.001) and modestly to insulin-stimulated glucose disposal (r = 0.31, P = 0.07), but not to age or body mass index (BMI). In a multivariate model incorporating age, BMI, and family history (r = 0.50, P = 0.01), family history status remained the primary correlate with PGC1α expression (P = 0.0037). Although expression of PGC1α and PGC1β were significantly correlated (r = 0.43, P = 0.005), expression of PGC1β did decrease modestly with age (r = -0.32, P = 0.05). In the multivariate model (r = 0.58, P = 0.008), FH, but not age, remained a significant covariate for PGC1β expression (P = 0.017), as for PGC1α. Representative metabolic and expression correlates. (A) PGC1α expression correlates with that of pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDHA) (r = 0.81, P < 0.0001). (B) The complex III subunit UQCRH correlates inversely with BMI (r = -0.70, P = 0.0002). Correlation patterns for the representative complex III UQCRH differed somewhat. In univariate analysis, UQCRH expression was positively correlated with insulin-stimulated glucose disposal (r = 0.48, P = 0.05) and negatively with fasting plasma insulin (r = -0.64, P = 0.003), BMI (r = -0.70, P = 0.0002, Fig. 3B), fasting glucose (r = -0.44, P = 0.03), and family history of DM (r = 0.56, P = 0.005). In the best fit model, incorporating family history status, age, BMI, and fasting insulin (r = 0.88, P = 0.0002), both BMI and fasting insulin, but not FH, remained significant covariates (P = 0.0063 and 0.0025). Our array data demonstrate that expression of many genes of oxidative metabolism is reduced in DM. We recognize that microarray approaches are limited by multiple comparison caveats and false positives. Furthermore, many alterations in gene expression are of relatively low magnitude, and the small subject number in our study limits our power to detect differences between groups. Despite these limitations, expression differences for representative genes were validated by PCR, and many interesting patterns of regulation in oxidative pathways were detected in both prediabetic and diabetic subjects. A potential role for dysregulation of oxidative metabolism gene expression in DM may be inferred from other studies. In streptozotocin-induced DM mice (12), expression of oxidative phosphorylation genes is decreased. Similarly, expression of multiple energy metabolism genes is altered in poorly controlled type 2 DM humans (24). In both studies, some differences were partially normalized by insulin, suggesting that differential regulation in DM may partly reflect secondary changes, perhaps due to decreases in NRF-1 expression or transcriptional activity. However, we also observed similar, although less pronounced, alterations in oxidative phosphorylation genes in insulin-resistant nondiabetics. In agreement, expression of two electron chain subunits (NADH dehydrogenase 1 and ATP5C1) is reduced in insulin-resistant nondiabetic Pima Indians (25), and ATP synthase subunit F expression is reduced in the insulin-resistant normoglycemic ob/ob mouse (26). Mootha et al. (27) found similar reductions in expression of oxidative phosphorylation genes in Caucasians with impaired glucose tolerance and type 2 DM. Our data extend these findings to insulin-resistant but completely glucose-tolerant individuals and suggest that this pattern of expression may be a primary feature of prediabetic pathophysiology, related to insulin resistance rather than hyperglycemia. Interestingly, expression patterns in our subjects do not mirror closely those in the severely insulin-resistant muscle insulin receptor knockout mouse,∥ suggesting that the molecular mechanism underlying insulin resistance is critical for determining patterns of gene expression. Our expression phenotype is also consistent with studies implicating mitochondrial dysfunction in DM pathogenesis. Mutations in mitochondrial DNA result in altered expression of oxidative genes, myopathy, and “mitochondrial” DM (28). In both obesity and common forms of type 2 DM, glucose oxidation and storage are reduced, in parallel with reduced activity of tricarboxylic acid cycle, β-oxidation, and electron transport enzymes (29). Moreover, reductions in mitochondrial area (30), number (31, 32), and complex I activity correlate with decreased insulin-stimulated glucose disposal (30). Our data provide a potential molecular mechanism for these results (Fig. 4). Impaired mitochondrial function may result from decreased expression of critical nuclear-encoded mitochondrial genes in “prediabetic” and diabetic subjects, related to alterations in PGC1-mediated coactivation of PPAR- and NRF-dependent transcription. These transcriptional changes may also contribute to altered glucose and fatty acid metabolism characteristic of the evolution to type 2 DM, including decreased fat oxidation (lack of decrease in respiratory quotient during fasting) (33), increased lipid esterification and accumulation in skeletal muscle (6, 34), and insulin resistance, perhaps via effects of lipids or reduced lipid oxidation on glucose metabolism (35, 36). In DM, expression of oxidative phosphorylation genes is further decreased, perhaps as a result of decreased expression or transcriptional activity of NRF-1, and might further impair oxidative metabolism, thus establishing a vicious metabolic cycle with the onset of DM. Proposed contribution of PGC1 and NRF-1 to expression and metabolic phenotype of insulin resistance and type 2 DM. Both primary sequence alterations and environmental risk factors for DM may contribute to decreased PGC1α and -β expression and/or function and thus NRF-dependent transcription. The 4p15 locus has been linked to fasting insulin levels in Pima Indians (37) and to obesity in both Caucasians and Mexican–Americans (38, 39), whereas polymorphisms in PGC1α have been associated with obesity* and increased risk of DM in Danish and Japanese populations (40, 41). Environmental risk factors for DM may also contribute to decreased expression or function of PGC1. We cannot completely exclude a role for age or BMI in differential expression of PGC1α and -β, because FH+ and DM subjects in the PCR cohort were older, and DM subjects were more obese. However, multiple regression demonstrated no significant contribution of age or BMI, and oxidative metabolic defects have been previously demonstrated in diabetic subjects even when compared with age-matched controls (42). Similarly, we cannot exclude insulin resistance itself in contributing to differential expression of PGC1 isoforms and oxidative phosphorylation genes. However, isolated insulin resistance in transgenic mice does not alter expression of oxidative metabolism genes or PGC1α (27) (V. Yechoor, personal communication), and family history of DM, rather than insulin resistance, was the predominant covariate for both PGC1α and -β expression in our human cohort. Inactivity could also contribute to the expression phenotype in our sedentary subjects. Exercise training and activation of both AMP kinase and calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase increase mitochondrial gene expression and oxidative capacity, perhaps via increases in PGC1 (43–45). Because PGC1 is preferentially expressed in type 1 fibers (46), fiber type composition might contribute to differences in PGC1 expression. However, relative expression of slow and fast myosin or troponin isoforms did not differ between our groups, and oxidative enzyme activity and lipid content have been shown to be independent of fiber type in obese and diabetic subjects (47). Moreover, decreased PGC1 expression may be a primary contributor to increased type IIb fiber content in nondiabetic FH+ subjects (48). The inverse relationship among UQCRH expression, obesity, and fasting insulin raises the possibility that an adipocyte product, nutrient excess, or insulin resistance itself may further contribute to down-regulation of oxidative phosphorylation gene expression in susceptible individuals. Activation of the hexosamine nutrient signaling pathway decreases expression of nuclear-encoded mitochondrial genes in rats (49). Although caloric restriction increases PGC1α expression in obese subjects (50), we cannot exclude an additive role for other transcription factors and coactivators in mediating the oxidative metabolism expression phenotype. In summary, we demonstrate that expression of PGC1α and -β and multiple genes of oxidative metabolism is reduced in DM and in high-risk nondiabetic subjects with a family history of DM. We postulate that in genetically susceptible individuals, inactivity, over-nutrition, and the development of insulin resistance may further reduce expression of NRF-regulated oxidative metabolism genes, aggravating the metabolic phenotype and increasing DM risk. Our data illustrate the utility of assessing coordinated changes in gene expression to identify pathways important in pathogenesis of insulin resistance and DM. Future studies focused on understanding the upstream molecular mechanisms by which complex oxidative metabolic pathways are dysregulated in insulin-resistant “prediabetics” may ultimately help to develop novel methods for detecting and interrupting the vicious cycle of metabolic derangements and to prevent the onset of overt diabetes. We appreciate data sharing by Vamsi Mootha, Whitehead Institute/ Massachusetts Institute of Technology Center for Genome Research, and helpful suggestions from John Rogus. We gratefully acknowledge support from National Institutes of Health (NIH) Grant DK02526, the Iacocca Foundation, and Harvard Medical School 50th Anniversary Scholars in Medicine (to M.E.P.); Endocrine Fellows Foundation, Lawson Wilkins Pediatric Endocrinology Society, Harvard Center for Neurodegeneration and Repair, NIH Grants HL066582 and DK063696 (to A.J.B.); American Diabetes Association (to R.B.); NIH Grant DK24092 (to R.D.); NIH Grant DK060837 (to C.R.K.); NIH Grants DK47936 and GCRC RR-01346 (to L.J.M.); and NIH Grant U24 DK058739 (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Biotechnology Center). Studies were facilitated by the Affymetrix Academic User Center/NIH Grant P01HG01323. ↵‡ To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: mary.elizabeth.patti{at}joslin.harvard.edu. ↵† M.E.P. and A.J.B. contributed equally to this work. Abbreviations: DM, type 2 diabetes mellitus; PGC1α and -β, peroxisomal proliferator activator receptor γ coactivator α and β (PPARGC1 and PERC); NRF-1, nuclear respiratory factor 1; FH, family history; BMI, body mass index. ↵∥ Yechoor, V. K., Patti, M. E., Saccone, R. & Kahn, C. R. (2002) Diabetes, 51, p. A258 (abstr.). ↵** Arya, R., Blangero, J., Almasy, L., O'Connell, P. & Stern, M. P. (2001) Obes. Res. 9, 70S (abstr.). Copyright © 2003, The National Academy of Sciences Eriksson, J., Franssila-Kallunki, A., Ekstrand, A., Saloranta, C., Widen, E., Schalin, C. & Groop, L. (1989) N. Engl. J. Med. 321, 337-343.pmid:2664520 Martin, B. C., Warram, J. H., Krolewski, A. S., Bergman, R. N., Soeldner, J. S. & Kahn, C. R. (1992) Lancet 340, 925-929.pmid:1357346 Vaag, A., Henriksen, J. E. & Beck-Nielsen, H. (1992) J. Clin. Invest. 89, 782-788.pmid:1541672 Cusi, K., Maezono, K., Osman, A., Pendergrass, M., Patti, M. E., Mandel, G., DeFronzo, R. A., Kahn, C. R. & Mandarino, L. J. (2000) J. Clin. 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Metab 283, E556-E564.pmid:12169449 Pratley, R. E., Thompson, D. B., Prochazka, M., Baier, L., Mott, D., Ravussin, E., Sakul, H., Ehm, M. G., Burns, D. K., Foroud, T., et al. (1998) J. Clin. Invest. 101, 1757-1764.pmid:9541507 Stone, S., Abkevich, V., Hunt, S. C., Gutin, A., Russell, D. L., Neff, C. D., Riley, R., Frech, G. C., Hensel, C. H., Jammulapati, S., et al. (2002) Am. J. Hum. Genet. 70, 1459-1468.pmid:11957135 Esterbauer, H., Oberkofler, H., Linnemayr, V., Iglseder, B., Hedegger, M., Wolfsgruber, P., Paulweber, B., Fastner, G., Krempler, F. & Patsch, W. (2002) Diabetes 51, 1281-1286.pmid:11916956 Ek, J., Andersen, G., Urhammer, S. A., Gaede, P. H., Drivsholm, T., Borch-Johnsen, K., Hansen, T. & Pedersen, O. (2001) Diabetologia 44, 2220-2226.pmid:11793024 Hara, K., Tobe, K., Okada, T., Kadowaki, H., Akanuma, Y., Ito, C., Kimura, S. & Kadowaki, T. (2002) Diabetologia 45, 740-743.pmid:12107756 Kelley, D. E., Mokan, M. & Mandarino, L. J. (1992) Diabetes 41, 698-706.pmid:1587397 Zong, H., Ren, J. M., Young, L. H., Pypaert, M., Mu, J., Birnbaum, M. J. & Shulman, G. I. (2002) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 99, 15983-15987.pmid:12444247 Terada, S., Goto, M., Kato, M., Kawanaka, K., Shimokawa, T. & Tabata, I. (2002) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 296, 350-354.pmid:12163024 Wu, H., Kanatous, S. B., Thurmond, F. A., Gallardo, T., Isotani, E., Bassel-Duby, R. & Williams, R. S. (2002) Science 296, 349-352.pmid:11951046 Lin, J., Wu, H., Tarr, P. T., Zhang, C. Y., Wu, Z., Boss, O., Michael, L. F., Puigserver, P., Isotani, E., Olson, E. N., et al. (2002) Nature 418, 797-801.pmid:12181572 He, J., Watkins, S. & Kelley, D. E. (2001) Diabetes 50, 817-823.pmid:11289047 Nyholm, B., Qu, Z., Kaal, A., Pedersen, S. B., Gravholt, C. H., Andersen, J. L., Saltin, B. & Schmitz, O. (1997) Diabetes 46, 1822-1828.pmid:9356032 Obici, S., Wang, J., Chowdury, R., Feng, Z., Siddhanta, U., Morgan, K. & Rossetti, L. (2002) J. Clin. Invest. 109, 1599-1605.pmid:12070307 Larrouy, D., Vidal, H., Andreelli, F., Laville, M. & Langin, D. (1999) Int. J. Obes. Relat Metab Disord. 23, 1327-1332.pmid:10643692 Eisen, M. B., Spellman, P. T., Brown, P. O. & Botstein, D. (1998) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 95, 14863-14868.pmid:9843981 Scarpulla, R. C. (2002) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1576, 1-14.pmid:12031478 Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on PNAS. You are going to email the following Coordinated reduction of genes of oxidative metabolism in humans with insulin resistance and diabetes: Potential role of PGC1 and NRF1 Message Subject (Your Name) has sent you a message from PNAS Message Body (Your Name) thought you would like to see the PNAS web site. Mary Elizabeth Patti, Atul J. Butte, Sarah Crunkhorn, Kenneth Cusi, Rachele Berria, Sangeeta Kashyap, Yoshinori Miyazaki, Isaac Kohane, Maura Costello, Robert Saccone, Edwin J. Landaker, Allison B. Goldfine, Edward Mun, Ralph DeFronzo, Jean Finlayson, C. Ronald Kahn, Lawrence J. Mandarino Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Jul 2003, 100 (14) 8466-8471; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1032913100 Sign up for Article Alerts Hints of ayahuasca in pre-Columbian rituals Chemical evidence suggests ritual use of psychoactive plants used to brew ayahuasca in pre-Columbian Bolivia. Image courtesy of Juan Albarracin-Jordan and José M. Capriles. Kinship and violence in Neolithic Poland Researchers present evidence of Neolithic kinship and violence based on remains from a mass grave in Poland. Image courtesy of Piotr Włodarczak. Brain fluid shifts following spaceflight Volume of cosmonauts’ brain ventricles increased by an average of 12% after spaceflight—a potential mechanism to cope with increased brain fluid volume, a study suggests. Image courtesy of R. Maxine Rühl. PNAS Profile of NAS member and cell biologist Junying Yuan Image courtesy of Aaron Washington for Harvard Medical School. 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__label__cc	0.74369	0.25631	Common Lectionary Free Trial – SermonSearch.com Church Media SermonSearch YouthWorker The Ones You Can Save Major Dalton And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. (Matthew 10:14) It seems that we are conditioned to notice losses more than gains. We obsess about what we can’t do and ignore the things we can do. We are haunted by what we missed and quickly forget what we managed to accomplish. We become preoccupied with the undone and overlook the done. In the film “The Meg,” a team of three oceanic researchers dive deeper into the recesses of the Mariana Trench than ever before. Oceanographer, Dr. Minway Zhang, and his daughter Suyin are monitoring the team near the surface, from the safety of the research facility Mana One. And as the team breaches the sea floor, they discover a new wondrous ecosystem. But their fascination quickly turns to fear when their submersible pod is attacked by a giant prehistoric shark thought to be extinct, Megalodon. The pod is left stranded, the crew hopelessly in need of a rescue. Only one man has attempted a rescue from such a depth. Years earlier, Jonas Taylor was once known as the world’s foremost expert on deep sea rescues. Some years earlier, Taylor had conducted a rescue attempt in the Mariana Trench. Many lives were saved during the attempt, but his team was lost in the process. The experience sends Taylor spiralling into the depths of depression. Attempting perfection, and not accepting the inevitability of failure can wreak havoc on one’s emotional health. When Dr. Zhang first approaches Jonas, the jaded hero is boligerantly reluctant. Jonas argues: You’re going to tell me your story and I’m going to say no. You’re going to offer me money and I’m going to say no. You’re going to try to appeal to my better nature and I’m still going to say no because I don’t have one. But then Zhang delivers a vital piece of information, one that he has reserved for just this moment. Jonas’s ex-wife, Lori is one of the trapped researchers. In the next scene we witness Jonas on his way to Mana One. That’s the power of love. Love has a way of conquering our past and calming our fears. Throughout the course of the film, some people are saved, others are lost. The experience of watching others die around him, others he had been tasked to protect, frustrates Jonas. But Suyin attempts to settle his frustration, “It’s not just about the ones you lose, it’s also about the ones you save.” In a world immersed by sin, death and suffering are a regular part of the human plot line. We are not equipped, or called, to save everyone, to fix every problem, to achieve every noble objective. Some people will be just out of our reach. But Suyin’s words are a wise consideration for us, “It’s not just about the ones you lose, it’s also about the ones you save.” When we allow ourselves to be driven by personal love for those who we are trying to save rather than a prideful since of passion for avoiding loss, our fears evaporate and our past is forgotten. In their place we will find joy in knowing that it’s not about those we can’t help, but it’s about those we can. View more sermon illustrations for inspiration for your next message. A Genius Courage: The Green Book and the Good Book Highest Hope for a Living Make It Count for More YOU ARE WELCOME HERE Hyper Pixels Media LOVE - NO EXCEPTIONS Centerline New Media LIFE OF WORSHIP COLLECTION Playback Media Igniter Media FROM CHURCHSTAFFING Children's PastorWest Evangelical Free ChurchWichita, Kansas Worship Pastor (#171729)The Shepherd's StaffMcAlester, Oklahoma Music and Worship Pastor (#232321)The Shepherd's StaffCharlotte, North Carolina Spiritual Formations Pastor (#232322)The Shepherd's StaffIrving, Texas PastorHillTop Bible FellowshipAshdown, Arkansas Preaching.com is a leading resource that provides tools and ideas for pastors and church leaders to help them lead well. From ideas on sermon topics to how to develop church growth to insight on ministry life, Preaching helps pastors develop every area of life and work in ministry. © 2018 Preaching.com. All Rights Reserved.	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10868
__label__wiki	0.948193	0.948193	FT editor Lionel Barber calls on 'deeply flawed' social media networks to 'drop the pretence' they are not media companies Manchester Evening News editor Rob Irvine on why he will never put Arena bomber on the front page Uncut editor John Mulvey steps into Phil Alexander's shoes as new editor of music monthly Mojo Uncut editor John Mulvey has been named as the editor of Bauer Media’s monthly music magazine Mojo. He fills the shoes of Phil Alexander who left in August to join Wasted Talent as global creative director of Kerrang and Rock Music Media. Music magazine Mojo celebrates 300th issue with White Album tribute collector’s issue MOJO launches special 20th anniversary edition Mulvey joined Uncut in 2004, became deputy editor in 2007 and then editor in 2014. He said: “I’m really proud to have been offered the best job in British music journalism, and to be joining such a gifted and long-established team. “For the last three decades, Mojo has been the essential read for serious music fans all over the world, a place of wisdom, insight and discovery that understands why great old records should always be cherished, and how great new records are being made every year. “It will be an honour to uphold Mojo’s traditions and values and to lead it into the future.” Mojo had an average monthly sale of 67,518 last year according to ABC. 4 thoughts on “Uncut editor John Mulvey steps into Phil Alexander's shoes as new editor of music monthly Mojo” michal says: Just read his review of “Good Humor” by Saint Etienne (from nme, 1998). This guy is a cretin. It’s official. Rodia says: Who is going to be the new Uncut editor? I suggest bring back Everett True and Uncut revive the golden days of Melody Maker 1988 to 1993, while Mojo will be the conservative rival -as NME was back in the days.	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10869
__label__wiki	0.940664	0.940664	Virgin Galactic Vows to Push Ahead With SpaceShipTwo As investigators figure out what went wrong during Friday's fatal SpaceShipTwo crash in the Mojave Desert, Richard Branson and Virgin Galactic promise that the wreck won't kill their vision of private suborbital spaceflight. By Michael Belfiore Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images Virgin Galactic has vowed to pick up the pieces from Friday's fatal crash of its SpaceShipTwo vehicle, which took the life of co-pilot Michael Alsbury and sent pilot Peter Siebold to the hospital. The company promises to finish a new version of the vehicle, which is already 65 percent complete, and keep flying. "While this has been a tragic setback, we are moving forward and will do so deliberately and with determination," the commercial spaceflight company said in a statement issued Tuesday morning. The announcement came on the heels of findings by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) that SpaceShipTwo's rocket motor apparently was not to blame for the crash that destroyed the vehicle last Friday. Instead, acting NTSB chairman Christopher Hart said, the spaceship moved its unique hinged tail booms—its so-called "feather"—into the upward-pointed position too early in the flight. The feather is designed to bring the craft back to a "care-free re-entry" on the return from its trip out of the atmosphere. It is not supposed to deploy early in the rocket-boosted phase of the flight, when SpaceShipTwo is still flying out of the atmosphere. In a press conference Monday night, Hart gave a timeline of events leading up to the catastrophic breakup of the craft in the air. • At 10:07:19 a.m. local time, SpaceShipTwo dropped as planned from its WhiteKnight2 jet plane mothership at about 45,000 feet over the Mojave Air & Space Port. • Two seconds later, at 10:07:21, SpaceShipTwo's pilots fired the ship's single hybrid rocket motor, which operated normally. • By 10:07:29, the ship was traveling Mach .94, or nearly the speed of sound. • At 10:07:31, with the ship traveling Mach 1.02, Alsbury moved the feather Lock/Unlock lever from the locked position to the unlocked position. "Soon after that," Hart said in Monday night's press conference, "the feather itself began to deploy." Even though Alsbury moved the lever too early in the flight (he was supposed to wait until the ship was traveling at Mach 1.4) the feather isn't supposed to deploy until one of the two pilots moves a second lever, which we know did not happen in this case. But with the feather prematurely deployed, the spaceship lost the optimum aerodynamic shape needed to rocket safely through the atmosphere and came apart in mid-air. Two important facts have emerged during the early stages of the investigation that have likely given Virgin Group chief Richard Branson and the Virgin Galactic team the confidence to promise they'll push forward with SpaceShipTwo. First, the engine that Virgin Galactic has been struggling to perfect apparently performed flawlessly. Friday's test was the first flight to use a new fuel mix made of nylon instead of synthetic rubber. The fact that the fuel performed well and appears unrelated to the disaster is a good thing for Virgin's dream of achieving regular passenger service to space. Second, Friday's crash was apparently caused by a combination of human factors—which could include faulty cockpit displays—and mechanical trouble with a system—the feather—that has already proven itself numerous times in flight. In other words, although the crash represents a catastrophe for Virgin Galactic, a recovery seems achievable. Displays can be adjusted, pilots trained differently, and mechanical systems strengthened, all without a major rethink of the SpaceShipTwo design. Hart said in Monday's press conference that the team investigating the crash would continue interviewing all the people involved, reviewing video and telemetry data, and examining pieces of the wreckage, which they have moved to a hangar. The whole process, which will conclude with NTSB issuing recommendations for avoiding a repeat of the disaster, could take a year. Meanwhile, a GoFundMe campaign raising money for the wife and two children that pilot Mike Alsbury left behind has at this writing raised $94,000 and counting in just two days. Virgin Galactic concluded its statement: "With the guidance of the NTSB and the assurance of a safe path forward, we intend to move ahead with our testing program and have not lost sight of our mission to make space accessible for all. We owe it to all of those who have risked and given so much to stay the course and deliver on the promise of creating the first commercial spaceline." More From Space Do Two Distant Galaxies Have Dark Matter? Launching To Space at a Crawl Saturn V: An Origin Story Voyager 2 Still Alive After Difficult Choices 5 Scientific Reasons for Believing in Aliens This One Map Charts All 4,000 Exoplanets Ploonets: The Next Great Astronomical Hunt 3D Printing Human Skin Upside Down For Mars American Company Teams Up With Beresheet Lander Virgin Galactic ’s SpaceShipTwo Suffers Deadly Crash Analysis: Why Companies Such as Virgin Galactic and Orbital Take Risks and Endure Losses Virgin Galactic's Unveil Is Tip of the Iceberg for Private Spaceflight Virgin Galactic and Burt Rutan Unveil SpaceShipTwo : First Look Everything You Need to Know About the Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo Disaster Virgin's SpaceShipTwo Flight Test: Photo Gallery	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10872
__label__wiki	0.620308	0.620308	Impossible X Skateistan / Feature Emma Shoesmith speaks to Ollie, CEO of Skateistan about their new collaboration with Impossible Project Ollie, you have teamed up with Impossible to create a one-off Skateistan signature pack. Where did the original branding details and artwork come from? The artwork is inspired by traditional Afghan patterns, but the expression also draws on European traditions like Swiss design. It is rich and detailed but in a very organised and neat way. The pattern elements were originally created for Skateistan’s visual identity and were then handed to the designers at Impossible to have in their palette when creating the artwork for the film. How can a skateboarding environment nurture and foster creativity? Skateistan leverages the community spirit that comes from skateboarding—a naturally creative sport with no direct competition—to create a safe and welcoming learning environment. The social support systems we’ve made have become building blocks that support children to take on creative challenges in the classroom at school. They become enthusiastic and confident learners throughout life. When you created Skateistan what doubts did you have and how did you overcome them? It wasn’t easy to introduce a new sport to Afghanistan. Lot’s of people were cynical and told me straight up that Skateistan was a stupid idea. But it didn’t make sense to give up. There’s a huge lack of educational and work opportunities for females in Afghanistan. Most Afghan girls don’t go to school. Very few have jobs, and often don’t get the opportunity to participate in sports. When I saw that it was possible for young girls to skateboard in the streets, it came to light how skateboarding could be used to connect more Afghan children with education. Now Skateistan has 1,500 students weekly in four locations. We have around 1,200 students in Afghanistan, 150 students in Cambodia and 150 weekly students in South Africa. Security can also be a pretty big challenge in Afghanistan but we manage this by communicating regularly with all of our local stakeholders, such as the Afghan Olympic committee, local officials and our Student Support Officer meets regularly with our students’ families. There’s also the challenge of cultural differences working in Afghanistan. We make enormous efforts to ensure that our programming is safe and also culturally appropriate. For girls this is especially important, so our boys and girls classes happen on different days of the week, with all-female teachers for the girls and safe transport to and from Skateistan. We have a dedicated support officer who meets regularly with students’ families and maintains good relationships with them. We also invite families to regular community events at the skate school. Do you think ‘the Skateistan education model’ could work in more privileged countries? For sure. There are disadvantaged communities in all countries. Although many people consider playful learning to be a luxury, Skateistan knows that play is an essential part of learning, and that it is integral to limiting stress and promoting childhood development. How has media presence impacted or aided the development and profile of Skateistan? The media plays an important role in raising awareness for the organisation, and Skateistan continues to attract global attention for its achievements. Our work has been featured in over 1,000 media articles; Skateistan was included in the Top 100 NGOs list for 2013 by the Global Journal and has won numerous awards since. In July 2014, a photograph of one of Skateistan’s female students in Kabul was shortlisted for the National Portrait Gallery’s annual portrait award, taken by professional photographer Jessica Fulford-Dobson. I believe that her widely-shared images and other photos of our students express the essence of Skateistan. They are synonymous with female empowerment and Skateistan’s values of equality and empowerment, showing us that beneath it all, we are very much the same. Two of Skateistan’s core values are trust and community, which in turn provides a safe space for students to learn. How is Skateistan helping its graduates to maintain this environment out of school? Skateistan creates an environment that reflects the equality we would like to see in society at large. Skateistan’s programming is for everyone. Youth make friends from all socio-economic backgrounds. They learn compassion and acceptance of differences, and they carry those skills with them all the time. You have been successful in creating a unique community through a shared passion. What qualities have the students developed through their love of skateboarding? Trust, acceptance of people coming from different backgrounds, self-esteem, creativity, perseverance and a passion for learning new things. Polaroid cameras are well known for their ease of use and capturing humanity at its best. Why do you think it’s important to have courses like photojournalism at Skateistan? Using fine arts and multimedia is important for expanding students’ personal worlds. Our lessons focus on giving youth tools to express themselves, think critically and solve problems in their local and global communities. Why do you think it’s crucial to have more women in media making positions especially in countries like Afghanistan? Empowering women and giving them equal opportunities will in turn empower communities and the country. How is Skateistan changing the perception of not only skateboarding but the way aid work is conducted? Skateistan is the first international development initiative to combine skateboarding and education. Skateboarding has proven itself as successful tool for positively changing children’s lives in countries like Afghanistan, Cambodia and South Africa. Will we be seeing Skateistan exchange programs in the future? We have been doing multiple student exchanges including an online Model UN for our Youth Leaders in Afghanistan, Global Citizens of Action projects and pen pal exchanges between our students in South Africa and internationally based schools! There will be more and more opportunities for more student exchange programs in the future as we develop our education program. And finally, what are three life skills that we can all gain from rolling on a skateboard? Perseverance, setting goals and overcoming fears. Self-discipline and adaptability. Click here to buy a pack of Skateistan X Impossible Instant film and a portion of the proceeds will help keep Skateistan rolling. Images © Emma Shoesmith of Board of Media. Exclusively using Impossible Instant film Skateistan Edition.	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10875
__label__wiki	0.585806	0.585806	Tag: To A Far City Progradar Recommends (Episode 2) – PENNA, Soul Enema, Jim Griffin & Obscura Welcome to another edition of Progradar Recommends, today I’ll talk to you about music from PENNA, Soul Enema, Jim Griffin & Obscura in this selection of bite-size reviews… PENNA – SubLevels Multi-instrumentalist Dave Penna first came to notariety in the early 90’s as the drummer with Long Island tech-thrashers Kronin. Since then he has worked with Spastic Ink, Ad Astra, Ronnie Spector, Planet Hate, and members of The Coasters and The Del Vikings. Hailing from New York, his first solo EP was 2016’s ‘Chemical God’ but ‘SubLevels’ is more progressive and less dark and has a real hard rock vibe that reminds me of Foo Fighters and Nirvana with the fuzzy guitar and hard-edged rhythm section. In fact, the exemplary drums and bass are the real driving force behind the entire EP and a comparison to Craig Blundell and Nick Beggs would not be out of place. The EP was written and performed entirely by Penna, recorded with assistance from producer Chris Fasulo (Ill Niño, Chico Hamilton) and will be mastered by Dave Roman (Birdthrower, Leroy Burgess). Criminally short with only four tracks, it really only gives you taste of what this talented musician is about and I, for one, am hoping his next outing will be a full length album. Intricate and complicated in places yet there is still an instant accessibility at the core and a jazz/fusion subtext that keeps everything very interesting. Order ‘SubLevels’ from bandcamp here Soul Enema – Of Clans And Clones Okay, let’s get the elephant in the room out of the way, I’m not keen on the band name and all its connotations. Hopefully that won’t stop people from listening to the music because, boy, do you really get a listening experience that is intense and madder than Mad Jack McMad but utterly fulfilling as well. Like a more intensified version of Bent Knee this band deliver cooky and in-your-face progressive rock/metal that is a bit off-putting at first but, once you get into the same frame of mind as these talented Israelis, you will not be disappointed. Soul Enema’s bio has this gem of a sentence, “The band combines conventional melodic rock aspects with a different, occasionally more experimental way of writing.” ‘More Experimental’? You can say that again, the middle-eastern influences are obviously there but it is the free thinking unconventional music that really knocks you off your feet in a good way. Featuring a who’s-who of modern progressive metal including Yossi Sassi and Arjen Lucassen, this is one album that everyone should try at least once and i have a sneaking suspicion that quite a few will come back for more… The Aral Sea Trilogy has to be heard to be believed: Released June 23rd 2017. Order Of ‘Clans and Clones’ from bandcamp here Jim Griffin – To A Far City Zombie Picnic’s guitarist (James to his friends) has a solo project that is far away from the psychedelic instrumental space rock that is their usual fare. A much more personal affair, there is a lush and nostalgic feel to the music, a feel of lazy, hazy days gone by. You could almost imagine that the trials and tribulations of this modern world never existed as the five tracks (plus bonus) take you on a spiritual journey of self discovery. Did those near perfect worlds of Enid Blyton ever exist? I’m guessing James thinks so as it is that sepia tinged world that his music keeps depositing me in. Do we believe too much in things as they are? Superstitious reverence for that which exists. Take an hour out of your day, turn your phone off and listen to this delightful musical peregrination that was inspired by, ‘The Narrow Road to the Interior’ by Matsuo Bashō (Genroku 2), “The Quest of Iranon” by H.P. Lovecraft (February 28th, 1921) and a rainy Summer’s day at Derrigimlagh at half three in the afternoon. Tender vocals and a plethora of verdant acoustic guitars are king on this wonderful release that had me feeling like I was intruding on James’ most private life and yet this accomplished musician is one of the most welcoming I know. A wonderfully fulfilling collection of songs that surely make the world a better place. Released 15th November 2017 Order ‘To A Far City’ from bandcamp here Ostura – The Room Since the demise of Dream Theater into a pompous, self-obsessed shadow of their original selves, progressive metal has been searching for a new standard bearer. Some have come and tried and delivered some rather tasty albums but none have reached that pinnacle…yet… However Lebanon based Middle-Eastern collective Ostura may yet lay claim to that mantle with their ambitious new concept album ‘The Room’ which has many movers and shakers in the genre lauding it as the next best thing and, as of now, you can count me in that group too. A grandiose cinematic storyline about a social recluse girl who takes refuge in a room. Locked in with her thoughts, fears, and ambitions, the girl’s imagination turns the room into an endless universe where she is the creator. The story tackles the notions of fear, perfection, social anxiety, ambitions, rage, power, and the struggle between the creator and the creation. A massive production consisting of performers from 12 countries alongside the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and the core band, ‘The Room’ is a stunning achievement which brings Ostura to the forefront of progressive and symphonic metal artists and will literally blow you away with its power, intensity and musical aplomb. The storyline is captivating and engrossing as the two vocalists (Youmna Jreissati and Elia Monsef) adroitly guide you through the events as they unfold and the utterly impressive musical score provides perfect accompaniment to deliver symphonic/progressive metal opera that amazes and dumbfounds with equal measure. It is nothing short of a musical triumph from the first note to the last and should see this thrilling band ascend to the top rung of the ladder. Released 23rd February 2018 Buy/Stream ‘The Room’ at this link So, there you have it, another four albums I think you should buy, keep your eyes out for the next edition of Progradar Recommends coming your way soon… Posted on 23rd March 2018 23rd March 2018 Categories Album Reviews, Progradar Recommends, ReviewsTags Dave Penna, James Griffin, Jim Griffin, Obscura, Of Clans and Clones, PENNA, Progradar, Soul Enema, SubLevels, The Room, To A Far CityLeave a comment on Progradar Recommends (Episode 2) – PENNA, Soul Enema, Jim Griffin & Obscura	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10885
__label__cc	0.616386	0.383614	Here’s what to do about inequality by Josie Pagani If a large majority of us are worried about inequality and National is making the problem worse, not better, why isn’t the Left doing better politically? A recent UMR poll found 50% of us are 'very concerned' about growing inequality, 37% are 'somewhat concerned', and only 13% 'not concerned at all'. Seven out of ten of us believe the gap between rich and poor is widening. Four out of five believe the gap is bad for New Zealand. People want to live in a more equal society. French economist Thomas Piketty has shown that in the absence of intervention inequality will keep growing because, over time, the profits derived from capital exceed growth. The owners of capital derive a greater share of economic output. No matter how hard people work, or how virtuous they are, their wages will fall further and further behind as a matter of mathematical inevitability when the proportion going to capital is rising. While we get more worried about inequality, the Government is making inequality worse. National’s tax changes since 2008 distributed more of the benefit to the most affluent than to the least. The housing prices boom has redistributed wealth to people who own houses from those who can’t afford to. While National’s budget targeted a few small hot spots, like the cost of GP visits, they did nothing to give wage earners a chance to transform their lives. So why isn’t the Left able to capitalise on this if so many are worried about inequality? Explanations often aired include: political incompetence; media ‘bias’; or the failure of commentators like me to sound staunch enough on TV and radio. While variations of all these explanations may be plausible, and sometimes contain a little truth, I prefer an explanation based on policy. In particular, for the political Left to attract more support when inequality is such a salient issue, people need to believe that we are targeting the real causes of inequality, and that our proposals will make a difference that works for them. We need to show ‘mum and dad’ voters how they are better off in a more equal society. It’s not just the most vulnerable who benefit, it’s all of us. Labour needs to convince more people that its policies will redistribute from the truly rich to the rest, not merely redistribute among the victims of inequality. Politically, the middle class and the working poor feel like they are the only ones paying for government services and safety nets. But the real cause of inequality is not really the income difference between the middle class and the poor, but the wealth differential between the rich and everyone else. Therefore the highest priority for tax reform should be to broaden the tax base to switch more of its focus from income to wealth. Even for fans of financial transactions taxes (and I’m one of them), wealth taxes should be a higher priority. I think the Greens are right to shift some tax from incomes to carbon, as well, but this doesn’t affect inequality, and may even have regressive elements. A capital gains tax is a hybrid of income and wealth tax. After Piketty, there is a strong case to go further and tax capital, not just capital gains. A progressive income tax is a powerful tool, but we should not ask too much of it. The very rich easily convert income to capital, and pay virtually no income tax. Today it’s not unusual for someone to file a tax return with zero income while driving a late model BMW. Meanwhile most professional or skilled tradespeople pay the top marginal tax rate. But a professional couple doing ok, a tradie who makes good, or anyone else working for wages is not really the source of rapidly growing inequality. Growing inequality means the concentration of wealth in few hands, and therefore it is concentrated wealth that needs to be the target of taxes designed to reduce inequality. Alongside wealth taxes, universal services promote equality. We don’t have poverty among the elderly the way other countries do because everyone gets the same flat rate of superannuation when they retire. Everyone pays in through tax. Nearly everyone feels they’re in the game. So the political incentive is to look after superannuitants, not disrespect the elderly as if they were lucky recipients of handouts. Targeting services, like tertiary education, has made inequality worse because it means middle class earners pay the same as the super rich, while there is a far smaller political constituency for the free allocation to the poor. I remain a supporter of free tertiary education because I see it as one of the most effective investments in opportunity. We all benefit from a high skilled workforce. Ironically this puts me to the left of some in the Labour movement who prefer to see me as a right winger because I didn’t support a man ban in the Labour party caucus. But the truth is, winning over the public to implement this programme of policies to target inequality is how you fix wages for woman, not by trying to win the argument to artificially increase the number of female MPs in the Labour caucus. Tax and universal public services can do a lot to reduce inequality, but the single biggest step is to make work pay. A high minimum wage, unionised workforce and investment in skills switch a share of the nation’s wealth from the rich to everyone else. Pushing up wages as a share of GDP does more than redistribute income. It also makes for a stronger economy and a better standard of living for most because working people spend their higher wages, keeping New Zealand businesses going. The right claims jobs are destroyed by putting up the minimum wage or by unions winning higher wages for workers. But the evidence is that as wages rise employers invest more in technology, which improves productivity and therefore lifts the ability of the economy to pay higher wages. Unionised workforces are one reason Germany and Australia are more productive and much better paid than we are, with lower or similar unemployment. Picketty shows, when it comes to inequality the dysfunctions of our economy and politics are not self-correcting. But they can be corrected. It takes a narrative about the benefits to the many - not just the most vulnerable - from rising equality, combined with a credible policy platform to achieve the goal. Nothing will be easy about persuading people to support a programme of wealth taxes, more universal services, higher minimum wages and more workplace bargaining strength. So it’s crucial not to make the job even harder with distracting life style policies, truck bans and gender quotas The three foundation stones of our society - our economy, our ideal of equal opportunity and our democracy - are threatened by inequality. People instinctively recognise this and want to live in a more equal society. Labour has the policy programme to do something about it. It can’t afford any more distractions between now and September 20. by mikesh on June 09, 2014 A capital gains tax is not an income/wealth hybrid tax but a tax on wealth. It is, unfortunately, a fairly selective one since it exempts private dwellings (though this seems to be for largely political reasons), and it targets only those that sell their property, leaving other owners untouched. Exempting private dwellings may be justifiable if their owners are poor, but there is no reason whay the well-to-do should be exempt. A land tax would be preferable since it could easily be offset by a reduction in income tax and it would also be progressive inasmuch as the wealthiest members of the community probably own the most expensive land. A land tax has other advantages too. It would be easy to collect and would encourage more efficient land use. by Josie Pagani on June 09, 2014 I agree Mikesh, a land tax worth considering. Also an inheritance tax. But so too is a tax on capital - not just the capital gain - that was my point. And that can be off-set by a reduction in income tax, as you say. by Lee Churchman on June 09, 2014 Sure, but it doesn't follow from this that their feelings about inequality will determine their vote come September. Nor does it follow that their beliefs are coherent. I know an awful lot of people who complain about inequality, but support the sort of hyperindividualistic authenticity based approach to politics and everyday life that end up exacerbating inequality. I've often thought that the problems people find intractable are usually caused by the things they are least willing to give up. The people who complain about identity politics are often fully engaged in it themselves. Piketty shows, when it comes to inequality the dysfunctions of our economy and politics are not self-correcting. But they can be corrected. I'm not sure he has shown this (although I haven't finished the book yet - countless end of term papers to mark). It's clear that the world wars were a wealth consuming conflagration that led to a period of g being greater than r, but this wasn't by design. If the price of correcting inequality is as high as that, it's not clear that we aren't better off living with vast inequalities. A global wealth tax seems to me about as likely to see the day as compulsory worldwide Morris dancing. by Chris Trotter on June 11, 2014 Here's an idea, Josie. Take and then publish the results of the Political Compass test. http://www.politicalcompass.org/test And then challenge your critics to do the same. The results are likely to be surprising - and highly revealing. As Gareth Morgan pointed out in "The Big Kahuna" a wealth tax could be justified where the owner benefits without registering any taxable income. However Morgan's capital tax is not a tax on capital at all but a tax on the yield from capital (ie it's an income tax), but subject to the proviso that where the yield is deemed inadequate it would taxed on the basis of an adequate yield. It should be noted that he considers private dwellings to be assets whose yield, being zero, is inadequate. A pure wealth tax may be worth considering, though it could involve difficulties relating to valuations of assets and the possibility of concealing assets. by Alan Johnstone on June 11, 2014 The article is based on the flawed premise that people actually care about inequality. They may tell polling organisations that they do, hell they may even tell themselves that they do. But they don't. In The Godfather, Don Corlone advises his sons, "Words are meaningless, you judge a man by his actions" People don't vote for parties that care about inequality or even appear all that interested. Alan - you're right, this is based on the premise that people care about inequality because that's what the polls are saying (and not just this one). Either you accept that polls have merit or a plague on all their houses and just ignore them all. I do accept what the polls are saying, so the next question has to be - why isn't the Left doing better? I think the high % of people who care about inequality reflects an anxiety in the middle and the working poor who feel like no matter how hard they work, they can't get ahead because wages haven't risen at the same pace as returns on capital. It's about 'inequality up' as much as inequality down towards the most vulnerable. As the gap gets bigger between most of us and the very top, more people join the 'very worried'. Here you are Chris....Turns out I'm more left wing than Obama, Francois Hollande, Nelson Mandela and the Dalai Lama. This is a toy, Chris. Why would you decide to heretic hunt with a toy designed to measure where you stand on American Culture War issues, rather than engaging directly with argument? The substance of the argument is more important than litmus tests to see if the person advancing the argument is trustworthy or not. by Draco T Bastard on June 11, 2014 That was the excuse used to implement GST - the most regressive tax ever invented. In the context that you use it in it's also wrong. If you focus taxes upon wealth rather than income you shrink the number of people who pay tax rather than broaden. After Piketty, there is a strong case to go further and tax capital, not just capital gains. After Piketty we should be boosting our highest income tax to 80%+ and putting in place Gareth Morgan's 2% wealth tax. The very rich easily convert income to capital, and pay virtually no income tax. Our tax system needs to be redesigned from the ground up. No more of the tinkering that we've seen as all that's doing is leaving the same problems in place but in a slightly different form. I remain a supporter of free tertiary education because I see it as one of the most effective investments in opportunity. We all benefit from a high skilled workforce. I've recently signed up to go back to Uni. Doing so is going to drop me around $40 per week from what I was getting on the unemployment benefit when what I really needed was about $100 per week more so that I could actually afford to go. But the evidence is that as wages rise employers invest more in technology, which improves productivity and therefore lifts the ability of the economy to pay higher wages. Productivity has gone up about 80% since the 1980s and the 4th Labour governments neo-liberal reforms. Wages have declined 25%. So much for wages going up with productivity. Rising productivity must, if all else remains the same which is what really happens unless the government steps in with massive R&D and building infrastructure, must result in deflation and falling wages. And the real big problem with rising wages is that we live on a finite world and Labour, just like National and Act, refuses to accept that. Oh, and I'm amazed that you got -7, -7 on political compass. Considering what you've said and general agreement with Hooton on many matters perhaps you need to consider why what you say conflicts with your beliefs. by stuart munro on June 15, 2014 Mmm - your mate Julia comes in on the right Josie - and it might be that you do too. Likerts tests for constructs are dodgy at the best of times however - bet we could make a more robust metric for NZ left representatives in an afternoon. inequality, John Key, Labour Party, National government, Thomas Piketty Second year blues – a failure of governance Four easy pieces 2002 repeat? Nah, it's 1951 all over again Also by Josie Pagani Opponents of the TPP have been vague about their alternative No Victoria, the machines aren’t taking our jobs Four things we can do after Paris We need to talk about the one per cent	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10894
__label__cc	0.713621	0.286379	Media RoomInizio News Opening ceremony of the Multifunctional Palace “Abylai Khan Plaza”, in Almaty, Republic of Kazakhstan Opening ceremony of the Multifunctional Palace “Abylai Khan Plaza”, in Almaty, Republic of Kazakhstan https://www.renco.it/wp-content/uploads/VIDEO%20ABLAI%20KHAN.mp4 Renco, through its Kazak subsidiary “Renco Kat”, has recently completed, for its client “Darin Construction”, the construction of a multifunctional building in Almaty, Republic of Kazakhstan. The building, called “Abylai Khan Plaza”, is composed of 3 underground floors and 11 above ground floors, for a total of about 47,000 square meters. The property has different types of use: Residential, Commercial, Offices, Hotel, Recreational. Work started in 2014 and was completed in 2017. On September 07, 2018, in the presence of the highest authorities of the country, took place the official ceremony of inauguration of the structure. Energy: Renco ends positively 2017 Turnover, EBITDA and investments increasing for the Pesaro Group The Renco Group, active in the… A first assessment of the Kendwa clinic With a total of 14544 interventions carried out from January up until October of this… 17th of April 2019 – opening in Mecufi (Mozambique) of the “Antonio Passeri” Primary school First day of school at the "Antonio Passeri" Primary School, in Mecufi, a structure fully… previous post: Renco has won the tender relative to the construction of the new Academy of the Italian Finance/Tax Police next post: Energy: Renco project in Mozambique for the master plan of the new Gas City	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10899
__label__wiki	0.986126	0.986126	Revelstoke Grizzlies captain Tommy Bodtker embraces Grizzlies goaltender Giovanni Sambrielaz following a 5 - 3 loss at the Revelstoke Forum on April 6. The loss marked the end of the Grizzlies season, who walked into game six of the KIJHL final facing elimination on home-ice. After shaking hands with the opposing team and recognizing their fans, Bodtker and Sambrielaz were the last two Grizzlies to leave the ice. (Jake Sherman/Revelstoke Review) PHOTOS: Grizzlies season ends in heartbreak — Kimberley Dynamiters take KIJHL championship in six Head coach Ryan Parent says his club has changed the way hockey is played in Revelstoke The Revelstoke Grizzlies season is over. Despite outplaying the Kimberley Dynamiters for the full 60 minutes in game six of the KIJHL final on Friday night, the Dynamiters took a 5 – 3 victory to clinch the championship. It was the first time the Grizzlies had outshot their opponents in the series. A nail biter at the Forum. Dynamiters up 3 – 2 after 2 #game6 #kijhlfinals @RevelstokeGriz1 face elimination in the 3rd #revelstoke — Jake Sherman (@Jnsherman) April 7, 2018 Head coach Ryan Parent, currently in the running for KIJHL Coach of the Year, said he was impressed with his team, who came prepared to play every night, and fought hard until the very end. “I like the way we played last night, I thought for 60 minutes we were the better team,” said Parent. “But that’s hockey. Sometimes you don’t get the bounces.” The KIJHL Coach of the Year nominee said he has nothing but good things to say about his players, who contributed to the Grizzlies best season in recent memory, and have raised the profile of the local hockey club. The last time the Revelstoke Grizzlies made the KIJHL final was in the 2009/2010 season, when they took the championship. “Obviously when you get this far it’s 50/50 and you know you have a chance to win. I think our room felt we had that chance. So you know, there’s disappointment and our group reflects on it,” said Parent. “But we also realize that we’re the second best team out of 20 in the best junior B league in western Canada. So you look at it realistically and from my perspective, I have nothing but great things to say about every player that’s in that dressing room.” Parent said his team will be back and ready to compete for the championship come next season. He said there will be some changes in the roster, but that the Revelstoke Grizzlies will be bringing their A game. “These guys have changed the way hockey is played in Revelstoke. Now that we got a taste, we want the whole enchilada,” said Parent. @Jnsherman jake.sherman@revelstokereview.com Grizzlies goaltender Giovanni Sambrielaz finds a moment of quiet contemplation before the puck drops for game six of the KIJHL final at the Revelstoke Forum on April 6. The Kimberley Dynamiters won the game 5 - 3 and took the KIJHL championship. (Jake Sherman/Revelstoke Review) The Grizzlies starting line takes it all in from the blue line as they await the puck dropping to start game six of the KIJHL final at the Revelstoke Forum on April 6. The Kimberley Dynamiters won the game 5 - 3 and took the championship. (Jake Sherman/Revelstoke Review) The Grizzlies and the Dynamiters line up for a face off in the first period of game six of the KIJHL at the Revelstoke Forum on April 6. The Kimberley Dynamiters won the game 5 - 3 and took the championship. (Jake Sherman/Revelstoke Review) A member of the Dynamiters shares some heated words with a Grizzly in game six of the KIJHL Final at the Revelstoke Forum on April 6. The Kimberley Dynamiters won the game 5 - 3 and took the championship. (Jake Sherman/Revelstoke Review) The Revelstoke Grizzlies press through the neutral zone in game six of the KIJHL final at the Revelstoke Forum on April 6. The Kimberley Dynamiters won the game 5 - 3 and took the championship. (Jake Sherman/Revelstoke Review) The Grizzlies break in to the offensive zone for a scoring chance early in the first period of game six of the KIJHL final at the Revelstoke forum on April 6. The Kimberley Dynamiters won the game 5 - 3 and took the championship. (Jake Sherman/Revelstoke Review) The Grizzlies regroup in the third period of game six of the KIJHL final at the Revelstoke forum on April 6. The Kimberley Dynamiters won the game 5 - 3 and took the championship. (Jake Sherman/Revelstoke Review) Grizzlies goaltender Giovanni Sambrielaz looks on from the bench after being pulled in the final minutes of game six of the KIJHL final at the Revelstoke Forum on April 6. The Kimberley Dynamiters won the game 5 - 3 and took the championship. (Jake Sherman/Revelstoke Review) The Grizzlies look on incredulous after losing to the Kimberley Dynamiters 5 - 3 in game six of the KIJHL final on April 6. The loss marked the end of their season. (Jake Sherman/Revelstoke Review) The Revelstoke Grizzlies salute their fans after losing game six of the KIJHL final at the Revelstoke Forum on April 6. The loss marked the end of their season. (Jake Sherman/Revelstoke Review) Revelstoke Grizzlies captain Tommy Botdker leads his team in their salute of their fans following their loss at the Revelstoke Forum on April 6 in game six of the KIJHL final. The loss marked the end of the Grizzlies season. (Jake Sherman/Revelstoke Review) The Grizzlies and the Dynamiters shake hands following game six of the KIJHL final at the Revelstoke Forum on April 6. (Jake Sherman/Revelstoke Review) Grizzlies captain Tommy Botdker leads his team in the ceremonial handshake following a 5 - 3 loss to the Kimberley Dynamiters in game six of the KIJHL final on Friday night. The loss marked the end of the Grizzlies season. (Jake Sherman/Revelstoke Review) Giovanni Sambrielaz makes his way through the ceremonial handshake after the Revelstoke Grizzlies lost game six of the KIJHL final on home-ice. The loss marked the end of the Grizzlies season. (Jake Sherman/Revelstoke Review) The Kimberley Dynamiters are KIJHL Champions after defeating the Revelstoke Grizzlies 5 -3 in game six of the KIJHL final at the Revelstoke Forum. (Jake Sherman/Revelstoke Review) The Kimberley Dynamiters celebrate after defeating the Revelstoke Grizzlies 5 - 3 to take the KIJHL championship in game six of the final at the Revelstoke Forum on April 6. (Jake Sherman/Revelstoke Review) Sedin twins wrap up stellar NHL careers VIDEO: Athletes, teams honour victims of Humboldt Broncos deadly bus crash	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10903
__label__wiki	0.96417	0.96417	Cease-Fire In Eastern Ukraine Nears End A cease-fire in eastern Ukraine is set to expire on June 30 amid growing public opposition in Kyiv to an extention of the truce. Most Muslims Start Observing Ramadan Much of the world's estimated 1.6 billion Muslims will start observing the holy month of Ramadan on June 29. Iraq Continues Counterattack, ISIL Declares 'Caliphate' Iraqi forces have been pressing with a counteroffensive to retake the northern city of Tikrit as Sunni-led jihadists who captured large swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria declared a "caliphate." Benghazi Suspect Pleads Not Guilty The Libyan militant charged in the Benghazi attacks has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy. NYC OKs Street For Dovlatov New York City lawmakers have approved naming a street after Russian writer Sergei Dovlatov, who settled in the city after emigrating in 1979 from the Soviet Union, where authorities stymied his efforts to publish his work. Uzbekistan Fines Journalist For Threatening 'Public Order' An Uzbek court has fined independent journalist Said Abdurakhimov for "spreading panic" and working without accreditation. OSCE Team Freed By Ukraine Separatists The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) says that pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine have released four OSCE monitors they had held captive for more than one month. Pakistan: 18 Dead In NW Offensive The Pakistani Army says at least 18 militants were killed in the ongoing campaign against Taliban militants in North Waziristan tribal district. Minister: Sanctions Could Hurt Russia The Russian economy minister says a new round of Western sanctions on Russia over the crisis in Ukraine could seriously impact growth, but that it would not be a "dramatic" situation. Couple Killed In Pakistan Over Marriage A young couple in Pakistan have been killed by the woman's relatives for marrying against their wishes. Russia Delays Rocket Launch Again Russian media reports say the inaugural test launch of Russia's Angara rocket -- its first new design of a space vehicle since the Soviet era -- has again been put off. Bosnia Marks 1914 Assassination On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife, Sophie, were shot dead in Sarajevo by Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb.	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10904
__label__wiki	0.677272	0.677272	Belarusian Activist Jailed For Parole Violation The leader of the unregistered Youth Front political movement in Belarus has been sentenced to 25 days in jail for violating his parole. Jailed Belarusian Starts Hunger Strike A jailed Belarusian opposition activist has started a hunger strike to protest his incarceration. Lukashenka: Learn From Kyiv's Errors In Minsk, President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has given his annual address to the nation, telling Belarusians to "learn from the mistakes of our neighbors." Another Convict Reportedly Executed In Belarus Minsk-based Vyasna (Spring) human rights center says that another convict has been executed in Belarus. Minsk Allows Belarus Opposition To Hold Chornobyl March City authorities say they will allow Belarusian opposition groups to hold a "Chornobyl Path" march on April 26. Russian, Kazakh, Belarusian PMs Discuss Union The prime ministers of Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan are meeting in Moscow to discuss an agreement for the establishment of the Eurasian Economic Union (EES). Lukashenka Against Federalized Ukraine Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has voiced support for Ukraine's territorial integrity and said he "categorically opposed" the federalization of the country. Belarus KGB Building Bomber Jailed A woman has been sentenced to 4 1/2 years in jail for her involvement in the bombing of the regional KGB headquarters in the eastern Belarusian city of Vitsebsk. Autukhovich Freed From Belarus Prison Belarusian businessman and political activist Mikalay Autukhovich has been released after serving five years in jail. Eurasian Union Agreement 'To Be Signed' Kazakh Foreign Minister Erlan Idrisov says that the presidents of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan will sign an agreement on the creation of the Eurasian Economic Union (EES) next month. In UN Vote, Russia's 'Sphere of Influence' Hedges Its Bets The United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly this week in favor of a resolution condemning Russia's annexation of Crimea. But perhaps more harmful for Moscow, only two of its former-Soviet neighbors voted against it. Veteran Belarus Activists Under Pressure After Release From Custody Two veteran opposition activists in Belarus are facing fresh charges of damaging property after being released from custody on March 27.	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10905
__label__wiki	0.976172	0.976172	Ex-housemate says former model, boyfriend killed doctor in Las Vegas The former roommate whose cooperation with prosecutors could get her probation in the case pleaded guilty Tuesday to accessory to murder. Ex-housemate says former model, boyfriend killed doctor in Las Vegas The former roommate whose cooperation with prosecutors could get her probation in the case pleaded guilty Tuesday to accessory to murder. Check out this story on rgj.com: https://www.rgj.com/story/news/2019/06/11/ex-housemate-says-former-model-boyfriend-killed-doctor-las-vegas/1427140001/ Ken Ritter, Associated Press Published 4:40 p.m. PT June 11, 2019 LAS VEGAS – A former Maxim and Playboy Italia model and her boyfriend murdered a 71-year-old California psychiatrist in Las Vegas, according to a former roommate whose cooperation with prosecutors could get her probation in the case. Diana Nicole Pena pleaded guilty Tuesday to accessory to murder after the slaying, reduced from a murder charge. She told a judge she knew at the time that her former housemates, Kelsey Turner and Jon Kennison, killed Dr. Thomas Burchard. Details were submitted under seal, with Turner and Kennison due in court Thursday on murder and conspiracy charges. Their attorneys say they’ll plead not guilty. Pena’s attorney, Jess Matsuda, says the 31-year-old Pena had nothing to do with Burchard’s death. His body was found March 7 in the trunk of Turner’s car in the desert outside Las Vegas. Read or Share this story: https://www.rgj.com/story/news/2019/06/11/ex-housemate-says-former-model-boyfriend-killed-doctor-las-vegas/1427140001/ Suspected Ridgecrest earthquake-related death would be first for Nevada Good Samaritans save drowning man at Tahoe Forward progress stopped in wildfire burning in Verdi area What's happening at the Park Lane site? See the damage inside UNR's Argenta Hall RFD: Forward progress stopped on brush fire near Caughlin Ranch	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10906
__label__cc	0.534984	0.465016	2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia Ti: Special Comes Standard The Quadrifoglio's four-cylinder sibling still offers style aplenty and a distinct driving experience. By Jack Baruth "SPECIALIZATION," Robert Heinlein once wrote, “is for insects.” If that is truly the case, then the garages of many wealthy automotive enthusiasts are veritable master classes in entomology, bursting with cars that are expected to do just one thing well. Combine this with the relaxed attitude that the owner of a vehicle fleet can enjoy, regarding the reliability of any particular automobile in that collection, and what results is the proverbial soft bigotry of low expectations. A niche car, even an expensive one, can get away with flaws and faults that would be unacceptable in a Corolla or even a Miata. This somewhat paradoxical state of affairs may explain why Alfa’s return to North America has so far been with specialty cars—first the exotic 8C, then the two-seat 4C, and, most recently, the 505-hp Giulia Quadrifoglio. Stunning, fast cars, all. But none will be held to as high a standard as this four-cylinder Giulia Ti. Flaws that might be characterful or charming on a sports car or a super-sedan are more likely to be considered deal breakers or at least major demerits on an entry-luxury four-door meant to compete with relatively prosaic fare like the BMW 330i or Mercedes-Benz C300. At the same time, the Alfa has to offer a little extra sprezzatura if it’s going to pry people out of their safe-and-sane serial-leasing habits at the local German-car dealer. So it’s reassuring to see that our test car—resplendent in the optional (and, at $2200, unconscionably expensive) Trofeo white tri-coat and featuring the full compliment of sport and performance packages—was an attention magnet everywhere it went. Even more interesting was the reliability with which people would stare at the car, point, then mouth “Alfa” to their companions. Strong presence for a brand that hasn’t sold sedans in this country for more than two decades. The Giulia’s interior is similarly attractive and tangibly Italian. Our test vehicle had bright-red leather, contrast stitching, and generous swathes of aluminum and carbon fiber. Some details are not executed to the German standard: The power seat isn’t sufficiently adjustable, the sunroof controls verge on the obscure, and the optional Harman/Kardon stereo system elicits a sympathetic buzz from various trim panels in the doors. But these are venial sins, not mortal ones. The engine is a more serious offense. It’s another example of the generic and charmless two-liter turbo four-cylinders that increasingly infest this segment. Swaddled in unnecessary sound insulation and reminiscent of a diesel, the four-cylinder is the least recognizably Italian part of the car, despite being engineered partly in Modena and built in Termoli. We took the Giulia to Mid-Ohio for a series of evening lapping sessions. With the windows down, it was impossible to hear the engine above 70 mph or so. That, combined with a relatively low 5500-rpm redline and an oddly placid rev limiter, made for a lot of embarrassing late-shift decisions. The Giulia is usefully quicker when the (optional) aluminum shift paddles are employed, and rev-matching through the torque-converter eight-speed automatic is sure and swift. But the paddles themselves are mounted on the steering column to satisfy the shuffle-steering graduates of high-school driver’s ed out there. R&T Staff The chassis, on the other hand, was quickly revealed to be an utter delight. Balanced, tossable, and minded by a stability-control system that intervened in gentle and infrequent fashion, this Alfa can be driven immediately to its limits by even a mildly skilled pilot. The big Brembo brakes are grabby on the street and don’t provide a lot of feel on the track, but they handled the substantial deceleration at the end of Mid-Ohio’s back straight consistently and without worrisome fade. More than one Porsche driver in our expert run group found himself unable to shake the glossy white Alfa from his mirrors. With an engine better-suited to its rakish looks and lively chassis—say, a naturally aspirated version of the Quadrifoglio’s V6, with some intake-runner magic—the Giulia Ti would be just about irresistible. As supplied, however, it is plenty good and offers a characterful, capable alternative to the typical silver sedans from Germany. Don’t worry about it being too fussy or fickle for everyday use. Its Quadrifoglio sibling is undeniably specialized in power and price, but this more modest Alfa Romeo is simply special. More From Road Tests We Answer Your 12 Questions on the Buick TourX I'm Starting to Understand This Whole Jeep Thing The 2019 BMW M5 Competition is Ludicrous The Best Cars for 2019 The Carrera T Is the Perfect Send-Off For the 991 2019 Performance Car of the Year Test Results Tesla Model 3 Performance: Track Test The 812 Is the Best Tribute to Ferrari's Past The Cadillac CTS V-Sport Is Criminally Overlooked You Need a Mercedes-AMG E63 Wagon Alfa Romeo Doubles U.S. Sales With New Giulia Shopping with Colin: Alfa Giulia Sprint Speciale First Look: The 503-hp, BMW-hunting 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia Alfa Romeo Giulia Sounds Wicked in Nurburgring Testing Alfa Romeo Giulia Interior: Your First Look The Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifolgio Sounds Extremely Promising	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10910
__label__cc	0.718142	0.281858	Man Who Videotaped Deadly Police Chokehold Arrested Posted on August 12, 2014 by Robert Helfend 22-year-old Ramsey Orta made headline news last month when he videotaped NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo placing the suspect of an illegal cigarette business in a chokehold. The victim, 350-pound Eric Garner told the officer that he was unable to breathe, and soon after he went silent. Garner died on the scene due to chest and neck compression. Well, Orta is back in the news this month but for a different reason — narcotics officers say Orta tried to sell a 25-caliber Norton semiautomatic handgun to a teenager in a high-crime area just blocks away from where the fatal confrontation between the police officers and Pantaleo was filmed. According to police reports, undercover narcotics officers saw Orta place an unknown object in the waistband of 17-year-old Alba Lekaj on Central Avenue. Officers approached and searched Lekaj, at which point they discovered the 25-caliber firearm along with a misdemeanor amount of marijuana. Both Orta and Lekaj were arrested at the scene. Lekaj was released from jail after posting bond. Her mother said she was going down the street to purchase groceries from the store. The mother also claimed Lekaj had recently met Orta and thought he was a “good guy.” Orta’s cellphone video sparked controversy by revealing officer Pantaleo using a chokehold, which is prohibited by the NYPD, to place a suspect in submission. Of course, this video become even more relevant when news of the suspect’s passing was released. Rev. Al Sharpton plans to encourage the U.S. Justice Department to seek criminal charges against officer Pantaleo. During the video, Eric Garner is clearly placed in a chokehold while telling police officers that he’s unable to breath. Officer Pantaleo, however, continues to subdue him using this illegal tactic. Medical examiners declared Garner’s cause of death as chest and neck compression from a chokehold, citing the victim’s weight as a contributing factor. “I would be pretty surprised if it didn’t go to a grand jury. Any prosecutor has their work cut out for them, trying to show that a police officer sworn to uphold the law has crossed the line,” said former federal prosecutor Alan Vinegrad. If prosecutors decide to pursue this case, officer Pantaleo could face either manslaughter charges or a less severe charge or reckless endangerment. It’s still unclear, however, if prosecutors will move forward with charges against the officer. Posted in Firearms.	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10911
__label__cc	0.529442	0.470558	You are at www.randstad.com, the website of Randstad N.V., hereinafter referred to as ‘Randstad’ or “we”. Our website (www.randstad.com and its subdomains) use cookies. Cookies are small text files that will be stored in your device (computer, tablet or mobile phone) via your browser primarily to enhance the convenience of using the site, to enable certain functions and to to make visiting our website attractive. Third parties can also place cookies and similar techniques to monitor your internet behavior and show your personalized advertisements outside our website.The information in the cookies relates to your device, your browser and to the way you flip through our content and is not linked to your name, address or e-mail address. To the extent personal information may be collected using cookies, such information will only be processed in accordance to our data protection statement. which cookies do we use and why? Cookies can be placed by directly by our website or by third parties with whom we cooperate to help us diagnose technical problems, analyze the traffic to our website, analyze trends, observe and measure how our visitors engage with our website and identify preferences. default cookies. These cookies are essential in order to enable you to move around the website and use its features, such as accessing secure areas of the website. Without these cookies services, you have asked for, like logging in, cannot be provided. Our website uses Google Analytics, provided by Google, Inc. and Optimizely, provided by Optimizely inc. These cookies are essential to provide you a seamless browser experience. They provide us with information on how you use the website and allow us to test various parts of the website. functional cookies. These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalization. They may be set by us or by third-party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly. These cookies collect information about how visitors use a website, for instance, which pages visitors go to most often, and if they get error messages from web pages. Only Randstad has access to the data collected via these cookies and we do not make these data available to third parties. Our website uses Hotjar, provided by Hotjar Ltd.; and HubSpot provided by HubSpot inc. advertising or targeting cookies. These cookies are used to deliver adverts more relevant to you and your interests They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement as well as help measure the effectiveness of the advertising campaign. They are usually placed by advertising networks with the website operator’s permission. They remember that you have visited a website and this information is shared with other organizations such as advertisers. Quite often targeting or advertising cookies will be linked to site functionality provided by the other organization including social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content. change your preference regarding cookies. If you wish to change your preference regarding cookies go to the cookie settings: You can also prevent your browser to store cookie and/or delete the cookies from your device at any time via the browser settings. Please consult the ‘Help’ section on your internet browser for instructions on this. If you choose to not accept cookies, you should be aware that you may no longer be able to make use of all possibilities and functionalities of our website, and that certain parts of the website may also no longer be visible or accessible. To opt-out from Google Analytics cookies at any time, you can also instal the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on. To opt-out from Optimizely, you can visit their opt-out page. Your can also opt-out from Hotjar cookies at any time by visiting Hotjar opt-out page and clicking 'Disable Hotjar'. storage period. Most of the cookies we use will be deleted when you end the browser session (so-called session cookies). Other cookies will remain stored in your device longer, for a period of 2 years, with the execption of the web analytics cookies which can be stored in your device maximum of 10 years. changes to the cookies statement. We may update the Cookies Statement from time to time. You can see the date on which the last change was made below in this statement. We advise you to review our Cookies Statement on a regular basis so that you are aware of any changes. If you have any questions about this policy or any privacy concerns, or would like to exercise your rights, or obtain further information about the safeguards we have in place so that your personal data is adequately protected when transferred outside the EEA, privacyofficer[at]randstad.com This statement was updated on: 15 May 2018	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10913
__label__wiki	0.677234	0.677234	#TheLeaderIWant #PHVote will be with you every step of the way – arming you with the information you need to choose your candidates. 1MATCH URL: https://assets.rappler.com/7612AA5CD8234154888BA127E9B48A05/img/A89AE9507E62477B8DAA8F73F61B62C9/jv-ejercito-coc-filing-october-15-2018-001.jpg 2019 Philippine Elections Senator JV files COC for reelection as an 'Estrada' Senator Joseph Victor Ejercito will be using 'Ejercito Estrada JV' as his official name and 'Estrada JV' as his alias on the 2019 elections ballot Camille Elemia @CamilleElemia Published 4:55 PM, October 15, 2018 Updated 4:57 PM, October 15, 2018 ESTRADA. Senator JV Ejercito files his certificate of candidacy on October 15, 2018. Ejercito is set to use the Estrada name in the official ballot. Photo by Angie de Silva/Rappler MANILA, Philippines – Senator Joseph Victor Ejercito filed his certificate of candidacy (COC) for his 2019 reelection bid on Monday, October 15. In his COC – and in a bid to boost name recall against his half-brother, former senator Jinggoy Estrada – Ejercito indicated that his official name on the ballot would be "Ejercito Estrada JV" while his alias would be "Estrada JV." "What's for sure is I will always be the son of my father. I chose to carry the name para hindi isipin na ako'y pumutol [ng relasyon namin]. Ako'y anak pa rin (so my father won't think I cut our ties. I'm still his son).... It's just there that it might appear as one of the aliases," Ejercito said, noting that he used the same alias in his 2013 COC. He added that he is still known as JV Estrada in some areas of the country. Ejercito said he used the Estrada name in an attempt to mend ties with his father, former president and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada, after leaving the latter's political party for the Nationalist People's Coalition over Jinggoy's Senate bid. The senator had lamented that his recent ratings dip was largely caused by the public's confusion between him and Jinggoy. He reiterated that Jinggoy has the advantage because he carries the well-known Estrada surname, which the latter had legalized. In 2014, the Commission on Elections sued Ejercito for supposedly overspending in his San Juan congressional campaign in 2010, with a penalty of disqualification. The case, however, has no final judgment to date. – Rappler.com Filed under:#PHVote•2019 Philippine elections COC filing•Comelec•Commission on Elections•JV Ejercito•2019 Philippine elections	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10914
__label__cc	0.612671	0.387329	Law of the Devil Chapter 48: Gambling with the Army In the afternoon, Du Wei went to the barrack next to the castle . There were more than 300 barracks for the private army now . Ever since Du Wei had been kidnaped by the magicians, the Family strengthened the internal safety of the castle . A group of infantry had been mobilized to this barrack already . Now there were almost a thousand private soldiers in this area for guarding the castle . Du Wei entered the barrack by riding a horse, Knight Robert immediately brought some people along and met Du Wei . Because Du Wei was kidnaped, Robert was demoted by half a grade officially, but in fact, he was still leading the Knight Troop . Probably before the end of the year, they would find an excuse to promote Robert again . After Du Wei had entered the barrack, everyone paid attention to…the horse of this little master! This horse had been carefully picked and was the best horse in this castle…even Knight Robert wanted to have it for a long time… But now, the white horse…it’s tails was bald! Du Wei seemed very happy on this horse…but Robert felt creeped out, and doubted; what did this little master wanted to do? “My dear Knight Robert, I just came to have a look and check what these guys are doing,” Du Wei’s laugh looked harmless to both humans and animals . . “Little master, it is still in spring . Therefore the Spring drill just finished . Right now, soldiers are recovering . For the daily patrol, the Knight Troop handles that…I don’t know what kind of thing you would like to see?” Robert looked at the smile of Du Wei with a bit of a shock . He tried to test Du Wei and said, “Perhaps, you would like to go hunting? If so, I can instantly call a troop and go along with you . ” Roberts thought that this little master might be too bored because of his grounding and would like to have some fun . Hunting was just a tiny thing . “No, don’t want to go hunting . ” Du Wei laughed happily, “Today, I come here because I want to show my new game to all of you!” Du Wei took something from the saddle . Robert saw that it was a small bag . After opening the bag, Du Wei took out a ball! Right, Du Wei spent lots on this ball . Du Wei didn’t have much money to buy the leather, so, he just went to his room and got his leather jacket . Then he just simply described his request to his female servant who knew embroidery… Just sewing something into a ball shape, this job wasn’t difficult . The maid completed this task very quickly with high quality . What was the stuffing for this ball… In this world, since there was no rubber, he could not make a real inflatable ball . So, he could only find some sort of soft materials to fill it up . The best choice would be something hairy… . for example, from a horse’s tail! So, he donated his leather jacket and the tail of his horse to make a ball . During the production of the ball, the servants thought that Du Wei was using things recklessly . But Du Wei didn’t care . This might be a chance for Du Wei to get some pocket money . “Robert, look, this is my new game . I call it…football . ” “There will be eleven members on each side and one of them is the goalkeeper . Only the goalkeeper can use hands, whilst the other team members cannot use any part of the hands to touch the ball . Otherwise, it is a foul! The aim of this game is to kick the ball into the goal of the opposite side using teamwork! Also, you have to stop the opposite side from kicking the ball into your goal…” Du Wei explained the basic rules of football roughly . Since the rules were not complicated, the soldiers could easily understand . They were using their legs to kick the ball! On the training field, two saddles were used as the goal . Du Wei also got involved in the game . He picked Knight Robert, along with several cavalrymen who were out with Du Wei before . They formed a team . Meanwhile, the other soldiers formed another team and the game began . In the beginning, there were a lot of funny things that happened . The soldiers of the Rowling family hadn’t play football before, so they always violated the rules . Some people even broke the ball because they wanted to pass the ball further . Luckily, Du Wei had predicted that would happen and he had brought some maids that knew sewing, and they sewed the ball immediately…the Knights only had to donate the hair from the tail of their horses . There was also one knight rushing forward, and when the opponent tried to stop him…they naturally did something violated the rules…Du Wei had broadened his horizon! Usually, one member led the ball and ran for half of the field, the opponent blocked him and then proceeded to kick him . Right, they kicked the person instead of kicking the ball! Then the two persons would give up the ball and start fighting! Not to mention, these soldiers of the Rowling Family were good at fighting, with excellent physical fitness . But Du Wei was so weak that after running for a while, he got exhausted and replaced by another soldier directly . He became the judge of the game then . After giving out a tone of red cards, they finally had a qualified match . Du Wei also showed them how to lead and kick the ball to them, and tried a random passing . Finally, the soldiers knew the basic football rules after that afternoon . Even the rules of “offside”, “foul inside the penalty area”, “direct free kick” and “indirect free kick”, they understood well . In the evening, a smart guy even learned diving in the penalty area! Although this guy was performing very poorly, he got great respect from Du Wei along with a Penalty . It was because in his previous life, his favorite football star was Inzaghi, who was the King of Diving . This Penalty also won the “black whistle” from the audience . After the afternoon, all the soldiers in the barrack loved this manly sport! As one of the Top Sports of the World in Du Wei’s previous life, it deserved the love! In the evening, Du Wei found that there were several senior officers who had donated their leather jacket and asked the maid to sew a ball…they also donated a few horse tail hairs . The sky was almost dark, but the people didn’t want to leave the field . The winning team was cheering like they had won a war, and the losing team were disappointed and asked for another match tomorrow . Du Wei was very satisfied with the result! At night, Du Wei went to his own tower . Solskjaer went home and had a rest . Only Du Wei was in this tower now . He ordered the guards standing outside to stop others from entering . Du Wei climbed up to the third floor and stood at the rooftop, looked at the sky . “What have you done today?” Semel was sitting on the fence and asked . Her white and long legs made Du Wei feel a bit dizzy . Du Wei tried not to look at her and sighed, “Earn money” . “Earn money?” Semel laughed loudly . She had been following Du Wei for the whole day . But only Du Wei could see her . Semel laughed for a while and obviously she didn’t believe him, and said, “You lost a leather jacket, and cut the hair off that horse’s tail . Sweated for the whole day, two outfits were dirtied with dust…is that called earning money?” Du Wei ignored her and said, “You know what? Just wait and watch . ” It was already midnight, there were no clouds, and the sky was full of stars . Du Wei checked the time and asked, “Shall we start?” “The training of Star Magic is not hard…but the hardest part would probably be at the beginning . ” When Semel mentioned Star Magic, she looked serious . At that moment, Du Wei thought that she looked like the real Semel . Du Wei sat down in accordance with the guidance of Semel . “Use your heart to feel it . ” “What?” Du Wei opened his eyes . “The Stars!” Semel answered slowly, “Feel the power of the stars . ” After a while, she explained, “Of course, in the beginning, you cannot feel the whole space, I just request for to you pick one of them, then after you sit down, you have to use all your magic sense to feel it…feel the energy of the star…it’s hard, and you may not be able to sense it at night . ” Then after Semel taught Du Wei a magic spell, she requested Du Wei to use this spell in his heart, and picked one star as his target . “Which one should I choose?” “The biggest and brightest one . ” Semel answered . Du Wei was shocked, “The Biggest and the Brightest? Gosh . There are so many stars in the sky, which one is the biggest and the brightest?” Semel laughed mysteriously at that moment . She lifted her hand slightly and point to the sky…at the moonlight, Semel’s smile was very gorgeous, with a little mystery, calmness, which seemed unpredictable! She pointed at… . the MOON! Du Wei was shocked! Moon! That was the Moon! He was shocked and looked at Semel…the greatest female Star Reader…She even knew that? According to the previous life of Du Wei, the sun was a star, and the moon was the Earth’s satellite . They were the largest in the sky, it was because of their volume, as well as the distance from the Earth! Actually, in this world, even the magicians would separate the sun, moon and stars into three categories! But no one should’ve known that… the sun and the moon should be included in the star category! “Feel it, feel all the fluctuation! Even a slight shock . The duration will be long . It can be one day or even a year…if you can pass this stage, you will be able to learn Star Magic…otherwise…that means you don’t have this talent . ” After Semel had finished her words, she was lazy and sat aside, looking at Du Wei who was closing his eyes trying to focus on the sky… With the “horn” on his head, the perception of Du Wei was very strong, he could even feel the current and the wind in the sky, also the river miles away…he could even hear the sound of the river… But, stars and the moon… They were too far away! Too far away! Du Wei tried his best to expand his spiritual power, but his power was getting weakened when he reached towards the sky…even when Du Wei tried using all of his force, he could only feel the wind…that was his limit! Moon? Du Wei was a reincarnated person, of course he knew the distance from the here to the moon…but how far was it actually! With that distance, Du Wei won’t believe that his spiritual power alone could allow him to pass this distance! Obviously, Du Wei failed in the first night . “I cannot give you the guidance specifically because you have to feel it by yourself . ” Semel sighed, “This thing you have to feel yourself; I will not be able to help you perceive this . ” Luckily, Du Wei didn’t feel disappointed . Just as Semel said, this was not an easy thing . Du Wei had plenty of time! He didn’t have anything else, but time . In the morning, although Du Wei didn’t sleep for the whole night, he did his meditation for the entire night and he felt very energetic without any tirelessness . Du Wei felt that the spell Semel told him was helping him with the growth of his spiritual power! It was a much better and efficient method than the meditation method of those normal magicians! This type of growth, did not refer to the total increase in the spiritual power, but was the practice of refining the spiritual power! In the morning, Du Wei went to the barrack again, and he called more soldiers to come…almost all the soldiers except those that were patrolling came to the training field . Yesterday, they only spent half a day and all the soldiers who did participate in the football match, loved this sport . Today, Du Wei raised a new method to play . “I will give out one hundred coins” Du Wei laughed, “You all can form your team freely and participate in the game! The match will be grouped by drawing…loser will be eliminated and the winning team can continue to compete with other teams! The final winner will get the prize . ” Although Robert thought that this game was a bit worthless…but this game is good for the soldier as it can strengthen their physical fitness . Also, the Spring drill just passed and the soldiers were in the recovery period . Training could not be too harsh for them . Additionally, this little master was so interested in it, it’s not good to turn him down… Of course, the main reason was that Knight Robert also loved this game too . The suggestion from this prestigious noble was accepted by the officer, surely the soldiers would not reject this suggestion too . Also…there was the prize! To ensure the continuity of this “match” and maintain the fitness of the soldiers, Du Wei shortened the period of the competition . In his previous life, the regular duration was ninety minutes, and now, Du Wei had cut it by half . Soon, the many officers who were responsible for back-ups were also responsible for the registration of the soldiers, who, according to their own personal inter-relationship, formed their teams and entered the competition . The situation was very busy and lasted for the whole morning . Finally, there were 40 teams registered . According to the rule that Du Wei wrote, there would be 15 people in a team; included were 11 participants and 4 substitutes . The total participants were nearly 600! That included more than half of the entire troops in the competition . Luckily, the size of the training field was large, and there was a large area of forest and grassland . So, location was not an issue . Du Wei started to draw the lots for grouping . Thus the first session of Rowling Family football Competition started… Since the competition was adopting the elimination system, after the first round, there would be 20 teams left . Because of the location, this first round could not be processed simultaneously . So the top twenty were born in the afternoon! At that time, Du Wei had already watched most of the matched . With his strong spiritual power and his memory, he got enough information! Which teams had a better fitness, which team members knew diving, which team members were more talented, and which teams were weaker… Du Wei remembered these details firmly . Then, before the next round started, Du Wei smiled and suggested, “It’s quite meaningless and boring if we just watch others playing…perhaps, we can do some betting!” Law of the Devil Chapter 48: Gambling with the Army. In the afternoon, Du Wei went to the barrack next to the castle . There were more than 300 barracks for the private army now Ever since Du Wei had been kidnaped by the magicians, the Family strengthened the internal safety of the castle . A group of infantry had been mobilized to this barrack already . Now there were almost a thousand private soldiers in this area for guarding the castle Du Wei entered the barrack by riding a horse, Knight Robert immediately brought some people along and met Du Wei Because Du Wei was kidnaped, Robert was demoted by half a grade officially, but in fact, he was still leading the Knight Troop . Probably before the end of the year, they would find an excuse to promote Robert again After Du Wei had entered the barrack, everyone paid attention to…the horse of this little master!. This horse had been carefully picked and was the best horse in this castle…even Knight Robert wanted to have it for a long time…. But now, the white horse…it’s tails was bald!. Du Wei seemed very happy on this horse…but Robert felt creeped out, and doubted; what did this little master wanted to do?. “My dear Knight Robert, I just came to have a look and check what these guys are doing,” Du Wei’s laugh looked harmless to both humans and animals . “Little master, it is still in spring . Therefore the Spring drill just finished . Right now, soldiers are recovering . For the daily patrol, the Knight Troop handles that…I don’t know what kind of thing you would like to see?” Robert looked at the smile of Du Wei with a bit of a shock . He tried to test Du Wei and said, “Perhaps, you would like to go hunting? If so, I can instantly call a troop and go along with you . ”. Roberts thought that this little master might be too bored because of his grounding and would like to have some fun Hunting was just a tiny thing “No, don’t want to go hunting . ” Du Wei laughed happily, “Today, I come here because I want to show my new game to all of you!”. Du Wei took something from the saddle . Robert saw that it was a small bag After opening the bag, Du Wei took out a ball!. Right, Du Wei spent lots on this ball Du Wei didn’t have much money to buy the leather, so, he just went to his room and got his leather jacket . Then he just simply described his request to his female servant who knew embroidery…. Just sewing something into a ball shape, this job wasn’t difficult . The maid completed this task very quickly with high quality What was the stuffing for this ball…. In this world, since there was no rubber, he could not make a real inflatable ball . So, he could only find some sort of soft materials to fill it up . The best choice would be something hairy… . for example, from a horse’s tail!. So, he donated his leather jacket and the tail of his horse to make a ball During the production of the ball, the servants thought that Du Wei was using things recklessly . But Du Wei didn’t care This might be a chance for Du Wei to get some pocket money “Robert, look, this is my new game . I call it…football . ”. “There will be eleven members on each side and one of them is the goalkeeper . Only the goalkeeper can use hands, whilst the other team members cannot use any part of the hands to touch the ball . Otherwise, it is a foul! The aim of this game is to kick the ball into the goal of the opposite side using teamwork! Also, you have to stop the opposite side from kicking the ball into your goal…”. Du Wei explained the basic rules of football roughly . Since the rules were not complicated, the soldiers could easily understand They were using their legs to kick the ball!. On the training field, two saddles were used as the goal Du Wei also got involved in the game . He picked Knight Robert, along with several cavalrymen who were out with Du Wei before . They formed a team . Meanwhile, the other soldiers formed another team and the game began In the beginning, there were a lot of funny things that happened . The soldiers of the Rowling family hadn’t play football before, so they always violated the rules . Some people even broke the ball because they wanted to pass the ball further Luckily, Du Wei had predicted that would happen and he had brought some maids that knew sewing, and they sewed the ball immediately…the Knights only had to donate the hair from the tail of their horses There was also one knight rushing forward, and when the opponent tried to stop him…they naturally did something violated the rules…Du Wei had broadened his horizon!. Usually, one member led the ball and ran for half of the field, the opponent blocked him and then proceeded to kick him . Right, they kicked the person instead of kicking the ball! Then the two persons would give up the ball and start fighting!. Not to mention, these soldiers of the Rowling Family were good at fighting, with excellent physical fitness . But Du Wei was so weak that after running for a while, he got exhausted and replaced by another soldier directly . He became the judge of the game then After giving out a tone of red cards, they finally had a qualified match Du Wei also showed them how to lead and kick the ball to them, and tried a random passing . Finally, the soldiers knew the basic football rules after that afternoon Even the rules of “offside”, “foul inside the penalty area”, “direct free kick” and “indirect free kick”, they understood well In the evening, a smart guy even learned diving in the penalty area!. Although this guy was performing very poorly, he got great respect from Du Wei along with a Penalty . It was because in his previous life, his favorite football star was Inzaghi, who was the King of Diving This Penalty also won the “black whistle” from the audience After the afternoon, all the soldiers in the barrack loved this manly sport!. As one of the Top Sports of the World in Du Wei’s previous life, it deserved the love!. In the evening, Du Wei found that there were several senior officers who had donated their leather jacket and asked the maid to sew a ball…they also donated a few horse tail hairs The sky was almost dark, but the people didn’t want to leave the field . The winning team was cheering like they had won a war, and the losing team were disappointed and asked for another match tomorrow Du Wei was very satisfied with the result!. At night, Du Wei went to his own tower . Solskjaer went home and had a rest . Only Du Wei was in this tower now He ordered the guards standing outside to stop others from entering Du Wei climbed up to the third floor and stood at the rooftop, looked at the sky “What have you done today?” Semel was sitting on the fence and asked . Her white and long legs made Du Wei feel a bit dizzy Du Wei tried not to look at her and sighed, “Earn money” “Earn money?” Semel laughed loudly . She had been following Du Wei for the whole day . But only Du Wei could see her . Semel laughed for a while and obviously she didn’t believe him, and said, “You lost a leather jacket, and cut the hair off that horse’s tail . Sweated for the whole day, two outfits were dirtied with dust…is that called earning money?”. Du Wei ignored her and said, “You know what? Just wait and watch . ”. It was already midnight, there were no clouds, and the sky was full of stars . Du Wei checked the time and asked, “Shall we start?”. “The training of Star Magic is not hard…but the hardest part would probably be at the beginning . ” When Semel mentioned Star Magic, she looked serious . At that moment, Du Wei thought that she looked like the real Semel Du Wei sat down in accordance with the guidance of Semel “Use your heart to feel it . ”. “What?” Du Wei opened his eyes “The Stars!” Semel answered slowly, “Feel the power of the stars . ” After a while, she explained, “Of course, in the beginning, you cannot feel the whole space, I just request for to you pick one of them, then after you sit down, you have to use all your magic sense to feel it…feel the energy of the star…it’s hard, and you may not be able to sense it at night . ”. Then after Semel taught Du Wei a magic spell, she requested Du Wei to use this spell in his heart, and picked one star as his target “Which one should I choose?”. “The biggest and brightest one . ” Semel answered Du Wei was shocked, “The Biggest and the Brightest? Gosh . There are so many stars in the sky, which one is the biggest and the brightest?”. Semel laughed mysteriously at that moment . She lifted her hand slightly and point to the sky…at the moonlight, Semel’s smile was very gorgeous, with a little mystery, calmness, which seemed unpredictable!. She pointed at… . the MOON!. Du Wei was shocked!. Moon! That was the Moon!. He was shocked and looked at Semel…the greatest female Star Reader…She even knew that? According to the previous life of Du Wei, the sun was a star, and the moon was the Earth’s satellite . They were the largest in the sky, it was because of their volume, as well as the distance from the Earth!. Actually, in this world, even the magicians would separate the sun, moon and stars into three categories!. But no one should’ve known that… the sun and the moon should be included in the star category!. “Feel it, feel all the fluctuation! Even a slight shock . The duration will be long . It can be one day or even a year…if you can pass this stage, you will be able to learn Star Magic…otherwise…that means you don’t have this talent . ”. After Semel had finished her words, she was lazy and sat aside, looking at Du Wei who was closing his eyes trying to focus on the sky…. With the “horn” on his head, the perception of Du Wei was very strong, he could even feel the current and the wind in the sky, also the river miles away…he could even hear the sound of the river…. But, stars and the moon…. They were too far away!. Too far away!. Du Wei tried his best to expand his spiritual power, but his power was getting weakened when he reached towards the sky…even when Du Wei tried using all of his force, he could only feel the wind…that was his limit!. Moon?. Du Wei was a reincarnated person, of course he knew the distance from the here to the moon…but how far was it actually! With that distance, Du Wei won’t believe that his spiritual power alone could allow him to pass this distance!. Obviously, Du Wei failed in the first night “I cannot give you the guidance specifically because you have to feel it by yourself . ” Semel sighed, “This thing you have to feel yourself; I will not be able to help you perceive this . ”. Luckily, Du Wei didn’t feel disappointed . Just as Semel said, this was not an easy thing . Du Wei had plenty of time! He didn’t have anything else, but time In the morning, although Du Wei didn’t sleep for the whole night, he did his meditation for the entire night and he felt very energetic without any tirelessness Du Wei felt that the spell Semel told him was helping him with the growth of his spiritual power! It was a much better and efficient method than the meditation method of those normal magicians!. This type of growth, did not refer to the total increase in the spiritual power, but was the practice of refining the spiritual power!. In the morning, Du Wei went to the barrack again, and he called more soldiers to come…almost all the soldiers except those that were patrolling came to the training field Yesterday, they only spent half a day and all the soldiers who did participate in the football match, loved this sport Today, Du Wei raised a new method to play “I will give out one hundred coins” Du Wei laughed, “You all can form your team freely and participate in the game! The match will be grouped by drawing…loser will be eliminated and the winning team can continue to compete with other teams! The final winner will get the prize . ”. Although Robert thought that this game was a bit worthless…but this game is good for the soldier as it can strengthen their physical fitness . Also, the Spring drill just passed and the soldiers were in the recovery period . Training could not be too harsh for them Additionally, this little master was so interested in it, it’s not good to turn him down…. Of course, the main reason was that Knight Robert also loved this game too The suggestion from this prestigious noble was accepted by the officer, surely the soldiers would not reject this suggestion too Also…there was the prize!. To ensure the continuity of this “match” and maintain the fitness of the soldiers, Du Wei shortened the period of the competition In his previous life, the regular duration was ninety minutes, and now, Du Wei had cut it by half Soon, the many officers who were responsible for back-ups were also responsible for the registration of the soldiers, who, according to their own personal inter-relationship, formed their teams and entered the competition The situation was very busy and lasted for the whole morning . Finally, there were 40 teams registered According to the rule that Du Wei wrote, there would be 15 people in a team; included were 11 participants and 4 substitutes The total participants were nearly 600! That included more than half of the entire troops in the competition Luckily, the size of the training field was large, and there was a large area of forest and grassland . So, location was not an issue Du Wei started to draw the lots for grouping . Thus the first session of Rowling Family football Competition started…. Since the competition was adopting the elimination system, after the first round, there would be 20 teams left Because of the location, this first round could not be processed simultaneously . So the top twenty were born in the afternoon!. At that time, Du Wei had already watched most of the matched . With his strong spiritual power and his memory, he got enough information!. Which teams had a better fitness, which team members knew diving, which team members were more talented, and which teams were weaker…. Du Wei remembered these details firmly Then, before the next round started, Du Wei smiled and suggested,. “It’s quite meaningless and boring if we just watch others playing…perhaps, we can do some betting!”.	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10916
__label__wiki	0.730469	0.730469	Scientists discover how crucial DNA sequences endure Parent DNA strands and their daughter strands were marked with different colors (red and green). In some cancer cells, scientists found that chromosomes had swapped DNA, resulting in a mix of colors. As cells divide, some of their DNA is rearranged, spurring the emergence of new traits that can dictate whether a species survives or flounders. But some stretches of DNA appear to be so crucial to the basic functioning of the cell that they must be preserved. So what keeps these sections intact from one generation to the next? Focusing on a region of our chromosomes called the centromere, Rockefeller scientists have identified the factors that prevent its DNA from being scrambled. Their findings, described in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences, may help explain why centromeres—which play a crucial role in segregating chromosomes during cell division—become unstable in certain conditions where the process is askew, such as cancer. “It has been thought that DNA recombination is largely silent at the centromere, but our study indicates that it can be much more active under certain pathological conditions,” says Hironori Funabiki, head of the Laboratory of Chromosome and Cell Biology. “We now understand that we don’t normally observe DNA exchange here because there is an active machinery preventing it.” Retaining the repeats The centromere is where freshly duplicated chromosomes are held together during cell division, and where fibers attach to the chromosomes in order to rip them apart as the cell splits into two. The DNA within a centromere repeats itself, with similar stretches of DNA occurring one after the next. The repetitive nature of the centromere is common, from fungi to plants and animals, but it has not been clear why centromeres are composed of repetitive DNAs, or how this repetitive organization could be destabilized. The researchers looked at a situation where more genetic shuffling than usual might occur: cancer cells. To measure recombination, they adapted a technique frequently used by Rockefeller’s Titia de Lange, who studies a different region of DNA with repeats called the telomere, which protects the ends of DNA from deteriorating. The method, called CO-FISH, involves marking parent DNA strands and their daughter strands with different colors. If there is an exchange of DNA between chromosomes during cell division, the resulting centromeres display a mix of colors, which can then be quantified. “Recombination in cancer cells went up to 30 percent, compared to about five percent in normal cells,” says Simona Giunta, research associate and lead author of the study. “This told us not only that recombination can happen within the centromere, but suggested that there is a mechanism in normal cells preventing recombination that comes loose in the cancer cells.” Another situation where the researchers suspected centromere integrity may be altered was in cellular senescence, a state in which cells have stopped dividing. This process is thought to reflect events occurring as an organism ages and is controlled in part by the telomere, which shortens with each cell division. The researchers found that like telomeres, centromeres also become destabilized in cells undergoing senescence. Holding steady Within the cancer cell lines that showed compromised centromere stability, Funabiki and Giunta found that a molecule called centromere protein A (CENP-A) was present on chromosomes in lower levels than normal. CENP-A has been identified as a factor that directly associates with centromeric repetitive DNAs and helps recruit the necessary components that enable chromosomes to equally segregate to dividing cells. “We depleted CENP-A in normal cells, and the effect was really dramatic,” says Funabiki. “The majority of chromosomes showed extensive exchange.” With CENP-A and its downstream proteins established as key players in maintaining the repetitive nature of centromere sequences, the researchers have started exploring how it accomplishes this task. They hope further research will shed light on what the consequences of unstable centromeres are in situations such as aging and cancer development. In brief: New molecular insights on a rare immune disorder After figuring out the functions of two proteins involved in the rare genetic condition ICF, scientists pieced together the molecular process that is altered in the disease. In brief: How a microRNA protects against liver cancer New insights about gene regulation in liver cells could lead to better treatments for a common tumor type. Katherine Fenz Media Relations Manager Katherine.Fenz@rockefeller.edu More information for reporters Simona Giunta Hironori Funabiki	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10920
__label__wiki	0.747997	0.747997	Read Next Last Few Hours to Shop These Amazon Prime Day Deals Send Us a Tip Subscribe Home Music Music Features December 9, 2016 1:57PM ET Novelist Jonathan Lethem on Bob Dylan’s ‘Mad-Scientist Audacity’ Ahead of Saturday’s Nobel Prize ceremony, writer pays tribute to his hero’s poetic genius Jonathan Lethem's Most Recent Stories Humbled in the Eighties: Jonathan Lethem Defends Dylan’s Lost Decade The Genius and Modern Times of Bob Dylan Ahead of Saturday's Nobel Prize ceremony, novelist Jonathan Lethem pays tribute to Bob Dylan's "mad-scientist audacity." Gary Friedman/Getty, Gus Stewart/Redferns/Getty In 2006, novelist and lifelong Bob Dylan fan Jonathan Lethem met Dylan in a Santa Monica, California, hotel room for a highly memorable interview coinciding with the release of Modern Times, which ranged from the singer’s thoughts on file sharing to his unwanted savior’s role: “You know, everybody makes a big deal about the Sixties,” Dylan said. “The Sixties, it’s like the Civil War days. But, I mean, you’re talking to a person who owns the Sixties. Did I ever want to acquire the Sixties? No. But I own the Sixties – who’s going to argue with me? … I’ll give ’em to you if you want ’em. You can have ’em.” On Saturday, Dylan will be honored with the Nobel Prize in Literature; we reached out to influential fans ranging from Al Gore to Stephen King to share their thoughts on the honor. Here, Lethem weighs in on Dylan’s literary legacy. Why Bob Dylan Deserves His Nobel Prize Listen, the first person to say Bob Dylan’s writing “isn’t poetry for the page,” to my knowledge, was Ellen Willis, in 1967: “When critics call Dylan a poet, they really mean a visionary. Because the poet is the paradigmatic seer, it is conventional to talk about the film poet, the jazz poet.” But that’s not to say Dylan’s work isn’t writing, anymore than Ginsberg’s “Howl” or Beckett’s Krapp’s Last Tape isn’t writing. Would anyone claim the prose of writers as diverse as Eileen Myles (who I’ve witnessed giving readings from a music stand, from pages she’d largely memorized and was able to deliver as a rhythmic incantation – you could practically clap along) and Philip Roth (whose best pages work as furious brain-voice rants that practically bring bile to the reader’s throat by proxy) isn’t writing because of the presence of a component of vocal energy and colloquial language – unexpected shifts in register from high-literary tongue to a whole variety of asides, imprecations, mutterances, smutty remarks, etc.? Dylan’s genius was to pressure a whole host of languages into unprecedented service for popular song – that is to say, the genius is as much in the discontinuities, appropriations and fracturings as in the purely “exalted” moments that might tempt one to declare the results to be poetry. He needed the folk idiom to do it, and beat poetics, and references out of the blues tradition and the poetic ballad tradition, and lines stolen from Humphrey Bogart movies. The signature is in the slippages, which his critics ironically fault him for – the crush of extra syllables in an overloaded line, the distortions, like that of the word “mirror” into “meer” to force a rhyme, the repeated collapse of a pretty lyric into abject plea or insult, such as in “Abandoned Love,” which uncorks vast emotion by the suggestion of the speaker’s loss of poise: I can see the turning of the key I’ve been deceived by the clown inside of me I thought that he was righteous but he’s vain Oh, something’s a-telling me I wear the ball and chain My patron saint is a-fighting with a ghost He’s always off somewhere when I need him most The Spanish moon is rising on the hill But my heart is a-tellin’ me I love you still I come back to the town from the flaming moon I see you in the streets, I begin to swoon I love to see you dress before the mirror Won’t you let me in your room one time before I finally disappear? Some have pointed to more concise or disciplined lyricists who followed Dylan – Leonard Cohen, say. (It’s also possible to point to more concise or disciplined prose artists than Dostoevsky, Balzac or Christina Stead, any of whom tower above others who are more concise and disciplined.) The real point here is that these other lyricists followed, through doors that Dylan’s mad-scientist audacity had smashed open. The best defense I heard of Dylan’s Nobel came not as a defense but as a celebration, because it was spontaneous and immediate: The same morning of the announcement, before the doubters sprang, the poet Claudia Rankine had happened to be booked on WNYC and found herself answering a question about the award from radio host Brian Lehrer. Rankine said, approvingly: “His words are in all our mouths.” What I like in that is the embrace of the somatic power of Dylan’s accomplishment – call it what you will. His words are in my mouth. In This Article: Bob Dylan	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10921
__label__wiki	0.877861	0.877861	Super Reviewer Manage Account Profile Summary No user info supplied. Want-to-See Movies The Yin and Yang of Mr. Go Contempt (1963) Godard is most definitely a strongly male director - even when he makes movies about women it's typically more male-centric or male-gaze based. (Which, for the record, has its time and place. It's not an inherent negative for me, it just is.) Contempt is where he dips his toe into just really indulging himself, both as far as male-centric narratives and experimental meandering. There's moments of beauty and intrigue in this, but it mostly runs out of steam in its unfair portrayal of Bardot. She's pouty and catty, starting vague arguments about how much she hates her husband but "I will never tell you why." Well, the audience knows why and quite frankly it's a legitimate reason, but even though Godard wrote the screenplay and directed this I'm not convinced that he gives a shit about her plight at all. As hot as Bardot is, she mostly romps around naked for no reason (well, obviously for the $$$ involved in men and movie making) when she's not pouting and boo-hooing over her husband's wishy-washy decision making. She's not very empathetic, and neither is he... though you get the sense that Godard thinks of him as an angsty-anti-hero and a stand-in for himself. But the film isn't really about her as much as it's about Piccoli and his film, aka Godard and his muses. I'm sure historically there's something interesting to be said here, and I'll go do some reading about it after this, but as far as what the movie has to offer on its own I'm afraid time hasn't been too kind. A lesser Godard, too in it's head to be truly engaging. Shout out to the amazing 60s bright red, deep blue and white color scheme throughout this. Jenna I false The System (1964) I loved this way more than I expected to. An excellent little slice of life film about a small-town big fish in a swinging '60s man's world that's just starting to swing out of their grasp as the season, the times and their ages start to creep up on them. It's endlessly fascinating to me that this came out the same year as A Hard Day's Night because in a lot of ways they mirror each other. A Hard Day's Night portrays a rather bubblegum playground for its main men, who can have everything they want and yet the women hold a looming power to shape their worlds - they're only as free as their fans allow them to be. The System is the more kitchen-sink drama where women are hunted, second-class prey. Yet once these women play the game right back, the cracks in the fragile masculine system breaks apart in seconds - it doesn't hold up if nobody believes in it's strength. Oliver Reed makes the entire film as Tinker, the charming rogue of the beach. He's masterful as the ringleader of a group of guys who all playfully-aggressively pursue women so that they can check off notches in their bedposts. Reed owns every inch of the screen through his expressions and movements - his insincere smiles, sarcastic quips, lecherous stares, masculine prowl, and his scuffles with his fists or with tennis rackets. But also through his heart-on-his-sleeve honesty and his double-blind vulnerability. There's so much going on in Reed's character it's astounding for a movie that's essentially about picking up girls. He's a perfect portrait of the Stockholm Syndrome cage of masculinity. He's boxed himself in so tightly that he has no where to go but brag about how great it is to be so trapped. He's like the guy who can barely pay rent but boasts about how many strippers he's put through college. But he's strong and he's attractive, men and women can't seem to help but fall for the charade. I also loved Jane Merrow as the unattainable rich girl Nicola who's better at Tinker's System than he is. She's mesmerizing to watch as she moves coolly though both her high brow and the low brow worlds, while still managing to come out on top and wholly herself - probably the best gift money could buy women in the '60s. There's also Barbara Ferris who has a heartbreaking drunk monologue wondering why men are only interested in sex when all she wants is to be loved. It makes you really empathize with why women latched on to the 'dream' of pregnancy at the time; somebody to love you without objectifying you. Last but not least there's the engaging and beautiful cinematography by Nicholas Roeg. A mixture of the handheld man-on-the-street documentary style, with beautifully crafted fashion magazine-worthy shots. Everybody in this movie is beautiful, it's that summer beach dream. Between that, the fun music video style editing, and a perfect pop soundtrack from The Searchers, this is really a mid '60s gem. Raising Cain (1992) This is one of the most ridiculous movies I've ever seen. Like, definition of 'camp' 100%. Usually that's my kinda film but this one put a bad taste in my mouth... I guess I ended up watching the director's cut, which is full of unnecessarily confusing editing. The focus on Lolita Davidovich was just horrendously boring - her expressions and long stares at clocks and ridiculous affair and insipid dialogue kind of got to me. Then for it to switch immediately to John Lithgow and realizing his wife was totally irrelevant to the more interesting plot of the film made me angry. Then Lithgow felt too much like a winking cartoon dork to hold my interest. The whole thing was too dumb to be fun. The best part is the last half hour of the film, when it stops pretending it's any kind of mystery and just owns the ridiculousness. Frances Sternhagen was amazing, and the ridiculously over-the-top jaded cops. Perhaps a second viewing would be more enjoyable, now knowing what I'm in for. Suspicion (1941) Hitchcock and I rarely mix to be honest. Short of North By Northwest and The 39 Steps I'm really hard pressed to think of a movie of his I feel is a masterpiece. Suspicion is most definitely a lesser one of his. The ending for one is god awful, though appently Hitchcock claims the studio forced it. The bigger problem is there's not much momentum because Cary Grant does an excellent job of making himself truly hateable - from the negging "monkey face" shit to the groping, lying and swindling. (Which is a feat because I mean it's Cary Grant, most lovable handsome '40s - '50s man around.) So when things are going down the drain it's like well, yeah. Duh. You just want to shake Joan Fontaine and tell her she's insanely beautiful and deserves to have more confidence. (Fontaine who, by the way, really nails it as the sheltered and timid wife swept off her feet.) The whole movie just feels sad. It's a sad portrait of a woman in an abusive relationship who doesn't have the strength to leave it. So all of the hitchockian intrigue and 'humor' kind of falls flat around that. Oh man, this movie was shockingly insightful, sweet and also cutting. Intelligent woman who gets told she's too self-confident for any boy to possibly date her, HMMM SOUNDS FAMILIAR... NOT THAT IM BITTER, Amazing one liners and comebacks, Katherine Hepburn looking peak beautiful and acting like a goddamn hero, Jimmy Stewart thinking he could somehow in any universe pull her, Cary Grant's face, a NOT(!) annoying child character, and a great running commentary on how men are terrible even though it tries to walk it back at the end a bit to keep itself safe for 1940 but I see u movie, I see u.	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10923
__label__wiki	0.814551	0.814551	Home » Community and Society » Pageants & Beauty » Lisandra Novelo is new Miss San Pedro 2016-2017, as Marisha Thompson steps down « Older: Letter to the editor: Another Great week for San Pedro Newer: » Costa Maya Festival Presents: Miss Guatemala, Lesly Fernanda Flores Sagastume Lisandra Novelo is new Miss San Pedro 2016-2017, as Marisha Thompson steps down PRESS RELEASE - San Pedro Town Council - June 13, 2017 - The San Pedro Town Council and the Miss San Pedro Committee would like to inform the general public on the resignation of Miss Marisha Jemel Thompson as Miss San Pedro 2016-2017, as of June 12, 2017. Miss Thompson communicated with the MSP Committee her intentions of her resignation in which she expressed that she would not be able to fulfill her duties as the island’s goodwill ambassador, mainly due to her relocation, as well as other personal matters. Miss Thompson is now residing in the district of Cayo, which is a violation of the Miss San Pedro Regulations, as the reigning Miss San Pedro MUST be residing full time in San Pedro Town. This regulation is exempted ONLY if the reigning Miss San Pedro is away pursuing educational activities. In the light of Miss Thompson’s resignation, it is the nature of the first runner up to step up and continue with the responsibilities as the island’s goodwill ambassador, Miss San Pedro 2016-2017. Miss Lisandra Novelo, Miss Ramon’s Village Resort, won the first runner up title during the Miss San Pedro 2016 pageant on August 27th of 2016. The San Pedro Town Council and the Miss San Pedro Committee have informed Miss Lisandra and her Mother, Ms. Vicky Marin, and both have graciously accepted that Miss Lisandra will continue the reign of Miss San Pedro 2016-2017. The San Pedro Town Council along with the MSP Committee have also pledged their full commitment to Miss Lisandra throughout her reign. The San Pedro Town Council and the Miss San Pedro Committee are aware that the resignation of Miss Thompson is an unfortunate situation, and a first in the history of Miss San Pedro; however, they are grateful to Miss Thompson for her nine months of service and express their best wishes to Miss Marisha Thompson on her future endeavors. In closing, the San Pedro Town Council and the Miss San Pedro Committee congratulate Miss Lisandra Novelo as the new reigning Miss San Pedro 2016-2017, and hope that the community of San Pedro blesses her with their full support and enthusiasm. Want to be the next Miss San Pedro? The San Pedro Town Council has begun searching for its new Miss San Pedro 2017-2018. If you are a single, young lady between the ages of 16 and 25, you are encouraged to sign up for the unique opportunity to be crowned La Isla Bonita’s goodwill ambassador. The deadline for submission is Friday, June 30th, and the reign comes with fabulous prizes! If you are interested in signing up, please visit the San Pedro Town Council on Barrier Reef Drive or call 226-2936 for an application form. Miss San Pedro 2017-2018 contestants presented at official sashing ceremony More on Community and Society Photos:NEMO holds Summer Camp New Horizon SDA benefactor symbolically hands over donation Photos:San Pedro celebrates Belize’s 32nd independence	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10928
__label__wiki	0.608671	0.608671	File photo of a B.C. Wildfire Emergency preparedness fund for wildfires, floods gets $31M boost from province Premier John Horgan made the announcement in Kelowna on Friday Black Press Media Staff May. 24, 2019 10:45 a.m. Communities across B.C. that face of wildfires, floods and other emergencies will now be getting increased support from the provincial government. While in Kelowna on Friday, Premier John Horgan announced his NDP government will give a $31 million boost to the Community Emergency Preparedness Fund (CEPF) for local governments and First Nations. This brings the total program funding to $69.5 million. Horgan explained that in the wake of consecutive record-breaking wildfire and flood seasons, the province is providing more resources to help prepare communities and keep people safe if disasters occur. “With these investments, we are supporting communities and emergency responders to reduce wildfire risk and better mitigate, respond to and recover from emergencies.” An additional $19 million will be invested by the NDP for 40 wildfire risk reduction projects in B.C. communities, delivered through the Forest Enhancement Society of B.C. Wayne Clogg, Forest Enhancement Society of B.C. board chair, said 36 of the 40 approved projects are for fuel management projects that will directly reduce wildfire risk within two kilometres of a community. “These 40 new projects throughout the province will now have the funding they need to start wildfire risk mitigation work. In many cases, this funding is the catalyst to develop wildlife risk mitigation strategies and conduct treatments on the ground to protect and safeguard their communities,” Clogg said. The CEPF funding includes $30 million to help eligible applicants in local government and First Nations communities build resiliency through structural flood mitigation projects, flood risk assessments, mapping and mitigation planning. READ MORE: Spring rain needed as B.C. sees one of the lowest snowpack levels in 40 years In addition to flood-specific funding, there is also support for resiliency in the face of all emergencies, including funds for evacuation route planning, emergency operations centre and emergency support services training and equipment. According to Doug Donaldson, B.C. Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, the new CEPF funding also provides $1 million for Indigenous Cultural Safety and Cultural Humility Training, which will support eligible applicants to provide emergency management personnel with training to partner with and assist Indigenous communities during times of emergency. “One of the findings of the Abbott-Chapman review was that governments in the past did not do enough to clean up areas around communities, and that increased the risk of catastrophic wildfires,” explained Donaldson. READ MORE: Court to rule on B.C.’s pipeline permit law in crucial case for Trans Mountain The province funds wildfire risk reduction activities through the $60-million Community Resiliency Investment Program and through the Forest Enhancement Society of B.C. Wildfire risk reduction activities include fuel management treatments to reduce fine fuels in forests and FireSmart activities that communities and landowners can undertake. City seeks public approval to borrow $845,000 for airport runway project Plans rolling along for Silver Creek bike trail	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10929
__label__cc	0.604909	0.395091	Reality Cheque (Author Interview) www.therammer.co.uk Reality Cheque looks like a great fiction story. You have a unique way of displaying it chapter by chapter on your blog. Do you plan to make it available in any other formats? I’m not sure. It’s something I’ve debated quite a bit but I really enjoy the freedom of my website. When a project is completed it’s done for me. The idea of having to pitch something for 6-18 months and then promote it for another 6-18 months is very challenging and that’s without even accounting for the writing process itself. All I want to do is write and nothing interests me enough to hold my undivided attention for that long. What do you think makes a great story? Characters and dialogue. I’m not really bothered by plot. If the protagonists are interesting enough and what they are saying is true to the character then the rest all falls into place. What inspired you when writing Reality Cheque? I’ve always been obsessed with pop culture and reality tv in particular. I know that it’s complete garbage yet find myself completely compelled, entertained and ultimately disgusted with myself. It’s kind of a weird microcosm of society in that each “character” has to deal with who the are, who they want people to think there are and who they want to be. And if that’s not difficult enough you generally have to deal with 12 other strangers with 3 split personalities each competing for one prize, all usually under the influence of alcohol or even worse who are on “a hero’s journey”. Unfortunately, I now write part-time having been badly burnt as a full-time writer. I always knew writing would never make me rich, I just had no idea how financially crippled I’d be. I think a mixture of naivety and arrogance probably made the transition a lot more painful than necessary but then the novel isn’t as culturally relevant as it once was, making it very difficult for publishing houses to take the sort of risks they were accustomed to. After discovering Bret Easton Ellis. As soon as I finished Rules Of Attraction I hatched a six month plan to start saving, quit my job and move abroad to focus solely on writing a novel. When writing Reality Cheque did anything stand out as particularly challenging? Yes writing POV for so many different characters from one chapter to the next killed me. Ultimately, I had to abandon this approach as it was taking me too long to inhibit each charter’s head space and felt like I was back to square one every time. Naturally, this made things difficult from a plot perspective, keeping track of and mapping everything, but was mostly negated with extensive planning. Other than this just the usual writer problems – not committing enough to the page, preferring to write the novel in my head etc. For me writing is incredibly daunting if I obsess over closure or definite answers (end result) as opposed to taking it each sentence at a time. How did you come up with the story in Reality Cheque? I wanted to create a guilty pleasure that strayed away from the cult of likeability. The last decade has seen a seismic shift in the cultural relevance of the novel and I think a lot of this is because of a weird self-imposed importance attached to fiction. Fiction now must have a strong moral code and its characters all be eminently likable. A lot of fiction now comes across very serious and superior with very binary, boring black and white characters. Ultimately, I want to seduce the reader before submerging them in the trash and leaving them to wallow in the grey and what better cultural landfill to attempt this than reality tv? Which is why the book is set admist a post-empire fame-obsessed LA backdrop following six aspiring twenty-somethings looking to conquer the worlds of fashion, film, MMA and country music. Reading! Read a lot of Donald Ray Pollock recently and just discovered the fantastic Craig Clevenger.	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10932
__label__wiki	0.922887	0.922887	The Seattle Review of Books Room for everything Learn about sponsorships Paul Constant Here's a story you've probably heard: in a strange world of dragons and heroes, a bratty young heir to a great fortune is about to enter an arranged marriage with a young woman he's never met. Published in January, Chandler Klang Smith's second novel The Sky Is Yours takes that simple hero narrative and plasters it over with…well, everything. The Sky Is Yours is what I've come to describe as an 'everything novel,' by which I mean it's one of those huge, overstuffed tomes that seems to contain every stray thought the author's mind entertained over the course of the writing of the book. It's a fantasy novel, yes, but it's also set in a futuristic city ravaged by the fires of continual dragon attacks. The "prince" at the center of the story, Duncan Ripple V, is a reality show star (he was the central figure in Late Capitalism's Royalty) who listens to hip-hop and is desperate to lose his virginity. His bride-to-be, a baroness named Swan, is a cloned debutante who keeps growing teeth that demand continual dental care. The Sky Is Yours parodies a wide array of different genres at once — off the top of my head, it pings dystopian YA fiction, superheroes, chosen savior narratives, and historical thrillers. It's a book that includes porn titles like Swab My Folds and a talking ape-dog hybrid. It is Too Much, in the very best way. And as is standard in these kinds of everything books, Klang Smith is writing her fucking heart out. Especially at the beginning, when she describes the dragon's rampage: We cannot name them. We cannot grow accustomed to them. Even those who cannot remember a time before they filled out skies cannot look at them with anything like calm. They are very large and very wild. When they pass overhead, they cast our skyscraper canyons into dusk. Eclipses confuse animals, and the animals of the city are deeply confused. Most of those animals are us. In a glowing review at Tor.com, Leah Schnelbach enthused of The Sky Is Yours: "There have been a lot of books heralded as heirs to Infinite Jest, but I can happily say: this is it." I'm going to label this a hyperbolic assessment, and it's also inaccurate: if The Sky Is Yours merits a comparison to a David Foster Wallace novel, it's his excellent earlier attempt at an everything novel, The Broom of the System. This is no small thing; I'd argue that Broom is a much more entertaining reading experience than Infinite Jest, and like The Sky Is Yours, its flaws are charming and forgivable. But Schnelbach's enthusiasm is entirely understandable. The Sky Is Yours is one of those enthusiastic and daring books that heralds a talent who cannot be contained by conventional means. These books struggle so hard against the bridles of labels that they force critics to play the villain, to try to contain the beast. Like Snow Crash, The Sky Is Yours feels like a novel that is becoming self-aware. Like Matt Ruff's Sewer Gas Electric, it's a book that feels like a piece of book criticism that has fallen into radioactive sludge and is now trying to consume the world in a mad rampage. And like many of these everything books, The Sky Is Yours can occasionally feel cloying. Ripple is so intentionally annoying that readers can't help but feel annoyed by him, and there is no such thing as a postmodern or ironic annoyance. He's just annoying, is all. And like many everything books, the climax of The Sky Is Yours can't quite manage to rise to Klang Smith's ambition. There's simply no way for the book to cross a finish line with the same wild abandon that it used to explode out of the starting gate. And that's okay. I'd urge writers to read this Writer's Digest article by Klang Smith that she published on the occasion of her first book, because it demonstrates that she understands the possibilities and the limitations of the novel. I especially love this item in the bulleted list: Though fractals might appear to be nothing more that random paisleys or swirling blobs of tie-dye, they are mathematically generated to be self-similar at every scale. That means that, as you zoom closer and closer in on a fractal image, you'll see that the same pattern is constantly repeating itself everywhere, even at a level that's invisible to the casual viewer. Novels should operate the same way: the obsessions of the book should assert themselves even in seemingly inconsequential scenes and details, in minor characters and metaphorical language. If an element is crucial to your conception of the work, it isn't enough for it to come up once, at a dramatic turning point. It has to be present everywhere, all the time. The king of fractaled writing is Thomas Pynchon, whose novels often employ a host of wildly diverse characters and subplots but nonetheless continually return to the same focal elements: the animate vs. the inanimate in V., the parabola in Gravity's Rainbow, boundaries that divide above from below in Mason & Dixon, etc. Klang Smith is exactly right, here, and she lives up to her own words in The Sky Is Yours. As strange as it may seem for a novel that audaciously shoehorns Jane Austen into the pilot's seat right next to Batman, Klang Smith has a plan and she sticks to it with a fierce dedication. This is a book that is dedicated to the belief that we fail repeatedly from the cradle to the grave, but that we can find some element of happiness if we learn how to love our failures. Every sentence - every improbable concept that Klang Smith throws into this giant, sloppy stew of a book - examines that thesis, and bolsters it, and broadcasts it. All that everything, it turns out, is there for a reason. Books in this review: The Sky Is Yours by Chandler Klang Smith Checked out from library Buy on IndieBound Paul is a co-founder of The Seattle Review of Books. He has written for The Progressive, Newsweek, Re/Code, the Utne Reader, the Los Angeles Times, the Seattle Times, the New York Observer, and many North American alternative weeklies. Paul has worked in the book business for two decades, starting as a bookseller (originally at Borders Books and Music, then at Boston's grand old Brattle Bookshop and Seattle's own Elliott Bay Book Company) and then becoming a literary critic. Formerly the books editor for the Stranger, Paul is now a fellow at Civic Ventures, a public policy incubator based out of Seattle. Follow Paul Constant on Twitter: @paulconstant Talk about the weather Interpretative Guide to Western-Northwest Weather Forecasts by Marian Blue The man show The Sexiest Man Alive by Amber Nelson Accidentally honest The Shame of Losing by Sarah Cannon Provided by author Follow @seattlereviewof on Twitter Like the Seattle Review of Books on Facebook We have an RSS feed How to sponsor All content ©2018 The Seattle Review of Books, and respective authors. Our typefaces, Seravek and Anchor, were kindly provided by the Process Type Foundry.	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10936
__label__cc	0.602833	0.397167	Category: Networks, Video SAT>IP ALLIANCE CONTINUES TO DRIVE FUTURE OF SATELLITE CONTENT DISTRIBUTION IN MULTISCREEN ECOSYSTEMS • SAT>IP Alliance founding members, leading satellite operators SES, EUTELSAT and HISPASAT and manufacturers Panasonic, NAGRA, and MaxLinear, are inviting additional manufacturers and broadcasters to join the SAT>IP Alliance • SAT>IP technology makes it possible to distribute satellite TV services in an efficient way to any device connected to a domestic IP network LUXEMBOURG/ AMSTERDAM, 09 September 2016 – At IBC this year, SES and its SAT>IP Alliance partners EUTELSAT, HISPASAT, Panasonic, NAGRA and MaxLinear will hold a general assembly meeting to discuss the next steps of the Alliance that was created last year to market and develop compatible hardware and software for the SAT>IP technology. The SAT>IP Alliance is a non-profit organisation in charge of setting forth SAT>IP-related strategic developments and creating working groups through its executive committee. The main aims of the Alliance have been to promote the use of the SAT>IP protocol throughout the industry, facilitate certification of new devices, and develop and improve the SAT>IP standard. Over the past years, over 45 industry partners have supported the SAT>IP standard by developing more than 80 different products that are compatible with its requirements. The innovative SAT>IP technology converts broadcast signals into IP at the reception point using a small server, which may be located in the satellite dish or in the user's home, and distributes the selected programmes to different IP devices such as tablets, smartphones and laptops. This technology makes it possible to provide high-quality broadcast content more efficiently to all the screens in a home, using pre-existing networks in the building. SAT>IP is currently a European standard (CENELEC EN50585) compatible with transmissions over satellite, terrestrial and cable networks. The SAT>IP Alliance is an open forum for all manufacturers, satellite operators, broadcasters and service providers who wish to get involved in developing and improving a key standard for the future of broadcast content distribution in multiscreen ecosystems. For more information on SAT>IP, please go here Jim Kappes Secretary, SAT>IP Alliance c/o MacLinear Inc. 1-760-517-1407 \| 1-760-444-8598 Fax 5966 La Place Court, Suite 100 \| Carlsbad, CA 92008	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10940
__label__cc	0.585976	0.414024	Uganda Parks Toro-Semliki WR Malaria & Safety Toro-Semliki Wildlife Reserve All Uganda Parks All Toro-Semliki Pages Toro-Semliki Safaris 6 Toro-Semliki Safaris Safari Toursto Toro-Semliki Expert Reviews – Toro-Semliki WR Sort By: Most helpful Rating 1-5 of 5 Reviews Tim Bewer – Visited: August Tim is a travel writer who has covered 10 African countries for Lonely Planet's Africa, East Africa and West Africa guidebooks. 1 person found this review helpful. Meet the chimpanzees of the savannah Wildlife: Bush Vibe: Birding: Uganda’s oldest nature preserve (still officially known as Toro-Semliki) is where the Central African rainforest merges into the East African savannah, creating both a lovely landscape and diverse habitat. The beauty and diversity are boosted by the eastern escarpment of the Great Rift Valley running the length of the reserve. Because of the comparatively low wildlife numbers it’s not featured on many safari itineraries and has just one luxury lodge, which means you won’t meet many other vehicles out in the savannah. Despite this, there’s a good chance to see elephants (both the savannah and forest subspecies), buffaloes, lions, leopards, and many of the larger antelope. Lake Albert boat trips let you see hippos, crocodiles, and the so-ugly-it’s-cute shoebill stork plus night drives and bush walks (I recommend the primate-filled Nyaburogo Gorge) are available. Semliki also hosts many chimpanzees and tracking trips head out to the forest to find them, but since the chimps are only partially habituated these are often unsuccessful. 1 person found this review helpful. Did you? Yes No Stephen Cunliffe – Visited: Multiple times Stephen is a travel writer and avid conservationist whose work appears in prestigious magazines such as Africa Geographic and Travel Africa. Where Chimpanzees and Shoebills Reside Situated in the heart of the Albertine rift and bordering onto majestic Lake Albert, this park lies well off-the-beaten-track. Wildlife numbers are generally still low here, although lions recently re-entered the area of their own accord to feast on a burgeoning population of Ugandan kob. Elephant sightings are fairly reliable and I have enjoyed my best Shoebill sightings ever right here. Keen birders will surely twitter when they hear I once sighted 13 shoebills in a single day boating through the reeded islands of Lake Albert. The park also offers energetic safari enthusiasts a chance to join researchers as they track semi-habituated chimps. But, be warned, it’s a long, hard day of walking and you seldom get much more than a glimpse of the elusive primates before they take off deeper into the forest. In summation, I would say that Semliki is a park for the African explorer rather than the wildlife enthusiast. Philip Briggs – Uganda’s forgotten Valley This isn’t a reserve for those seeking reliable big five encounters, since it has never recovered from heavy poaching during the civil war of the 1970s and 1980s, despite some promising indications at around the turn of the millennium. However, I’d rate the spectacular new tar road from the highland town of Fort Portal to low-lying Semliki as perhaps the most scenic road in Uganda. Once in the park, game drives here are a bit hit-and-miss, but you are sure to see Uganda kob, and buffalo, while elephant and lion are also seen from time to time. Forest walks with an opportunity of seeing semi-habituated chimpanzees are also on offer. My favourite activity is boat trips on Lake Albert, a scenic lake enclosed by the sheer walls of the Rift Valley, and home to a wealth of birdlife, with the eagerly sought shoebill and stunning red-throated bee-eater both conspicuous. The reserve's solitary upmarket lodge also has a great wilderness atmosphere, and offers ready access to the nearby Semliki National Park, an extension of the Congolese Ituri rainforest where a full 35 bird species known from no other locality in East Africa are resident. Ariadne van Zandbergen – Visited: Wet season Ariadne is a renowned African wildlife photographer whose work is featured in many well-known guidebooks and magazines. The hot Semliki Valley – a birders paradise The Semliki Valley is reached by descending the long, windy tar road from Fort Portal. There are several viewpoints on route which are worth stopping at. The hot valley has a real wilderness feel, but unfortunately wildlife is sparse due to abundant poaching in the past. We didn’t see many mammals aside from some skittish elephants, good sized herds of kobs and some warthog tails sticking out of the long grass like little antennas. The birding, on the other hand, is very good, especially if you head out to the forest. Another highlight was a boat trip on Lake Edward. The fishermen are known to direct visitors to good shoebill sightings, but we headed out to see the stunning Nkusi Falls coming down the Rift Valley. Not as impressive as Murchison Falls, but rarely seen by tourists, it felt like a real gem to be discovered by us after a long adventurous journey. Was this review helpful? Yes No Mark Eveleigh – Mark is a travel writer who grew up in Africa and has written over 700 titles for CNN Traveller, Travel Africa, BBC Wildlife and others. Fantastic highland views and thick rainforest A great place to get a feel for central African jungle – complete with thick rainforest and pigmies. We drove every driveable trail in the park and it can be difficult to drive around Semliki, especially in the areas along the watercourses where tracks are occasionally completely impassable. On the lowland areas you find wide sections of open savannah and we were lucky to see a pride of Semliki lions with young cubs here. Average Expert Rating Bush Vibe Write a User Review Safari Tours to Toro-Semliki WR 17-Day The Birds and the Beasts of Uganda Uganda: Private tourMid-rangeCamping & Lodge You Visit: Entebbe (Start), Jinja (Town), Pian-Upe WR, Kidepo Valley NP, Murchison Falls NP, Fort Portal (Town), Toro-Semliki WR, Queen Elizabeth NP, Lake Mburo NP, Entebbe (End) Buffalo Safari Camps 4.9/5 – 39 Reviews 18-Day Nature - Wildlife - Relaxtion and Luxury Uganda: Private tourMid-rangeLodge & Resort You Visit: Entebbe (Start), Kampala (City), Lake Mburo NP, Bwindi NP, Ishasha (Queen Elizabeth NP), Queen Elizabeth NP, Kibale NP, Toro-Semliki WR, Murchison Falls NP, Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, Entebbe (End) Afromaxx 15-Day Uganda Classic Safari You Visit: Kampala (Start), Murchison Falls NP, Fort Portal (Town), Toro-Semliki WR, Kibale NP, Queen Elizabeth NP, Bwindi NP, Lake Bunyonyi, Lake Mburo NP, Entebbe Airport, Kampala (End) Nile Rapid Falls Tours & Travel All 6 Toro-Semliki Safaris Mike Unwin Mike is an award winning wildlife writer, editor of Travel Zambia magazine and author of the Bradt Guide to Southern African Wildlife. Paul Murray Paul is a travel writer, author of the Bradt guidebook to Zimbabwe and is closely involved in promoting tourism to Zimbabwe.	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10944
__label__cc	0.514508	0.485492	Repeat offender convicted of illegal fireworks offences A regional NSW man has received a nine month suspended sentence and 250 hours of community service for storing and carelessly handling unauthorised fireworks. Wilton resident Leigh Wayne Maxwell was convicted by Local Court Magistrate Joanne Keogh of four offences of handling fireworks without a licence under section 6 of the Explosives Act. Maxwell, 43, who entered a guilty plea, was also convicted of two offences of negligently handling explosives under section 8 of the Act. In August and December 2012, following a report that Maxwell had been seen selling fireworks from the boot of his car at Castle Hill, WorkCover inspectors found a significant quantity of fireworks at Maxwell’s Wilton residence. A further report in June 2013 alleged Maxwell had again been observed selling fireworks from his vehicle at Castle Hill. Maxwell did not have a WorkCover licence to handle, store or sell fireworks in NSW and the fireworks found at his home, located in a residential area, could have caused fatal injuries and devastating property damage in a mass explosion if accidently ignited. Handing down sentence, Magistrate Keogh took Maxwell’s conduct and period of offending into account. If Maxwell – who also received a $1,000 fine and was ordered to pay prosecutors’ costs of $12,500 – breaches conditions of his good behaviour bond, the bond may be revoked and the sentence imposed. Under NSW laws, penalties of 12 months imprisonment and fines of $27,000 can be imposed for fireworks offences. WorkCover’s Executive Director, Work Health and Safety, Peter Dunphy, said potential offenders should be aware of NSW’s stringent fireworks laws. “These laws include tough penalties for offenders and the courts have shown that they are prepared to use them,” Mr Dunphy said.“Anyone tempted to sell or use illegal fireworks should first consider the consequences as they can be held responsible for any injuries or deaths caused as a result of their actions.” contact@safework.nsw.gov.au If you have a hearing or speech impairment, you can contact us through one of the options below. Voice calls Voice calls or telephone typewriter (TTY) call 133 677 then ask for 13 10 50 Speak and listen Speak and listen service call 1300 555 727 then ask for 13 10 50 SMS relay service on 0423 677 767 then type 13 10 50 Internet relay Make an internet relay call then type 13 10 50	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10945
__label__cc	0.553821	0.446179	Family and Community Strengthening Stronger families support children. Our family strengthening programs empower families to overcome hardships. We strengthen families at risk of falling apart, giving them the support they need to grow stronger, stay together and keep their children safe. This comprehensive approach builds resilient families that go on to better their own lives and strengthen their communities. Situation Overview Families across the world are more vulnerable today than ever before. Adverse circumstances like poverty, armed conflict and disease present overwhelming challenges for parents and threaten family stability. When families are at risk of falling apart, children are at a much greater risk of being abandoned and left vulnerable to child labor, child trafficking and other threats to their safety. The Problem in Numbers children worldwide are at risk of growing up alone cause for child abandonment is poverty have lost or are at risk of losing parental care In partnership with governments, NGOs and other relief organizations, we build effective community support systems. Our short-term assistance to vulnerable families includes food, medical care and access to education. Our long-term services, which focus on making families self-reliant, include savings and loan associations, income-generating activities, childrearing classes, health education and more. Access to nutritional and health care support to help keep children and families healthy. Assistance with school fees, uniforms and materials so children have the opportunity to learn. Trainings in parenting and household management skills to help parents provide better care for their children. Job skills and income generating support to help families establish a sustainable livelihood. Latest Impact Stories Inside an SOS Family in Kenya July 14 2017 - Mildred, an SOS Mother, talks about raising vulnerable children in her SOS Family in Kenya. The Right to Protection: Ending Violence Against Children April 6 2017 - New report exposes prevalence of violence against children and describes effective projects around world to reduce and prevent it. Bringing Medical Care to Benin ICT4D ‘Telemedicine’ project brings needed medical expertise to remote Benin March 31 2015 - In Benin, an ICT4D ‘Telemedicine Kit’ pilot by SOS Children’s Villages, Inmarsat and Safe Patient System is bringing advanced medical care to communities far from hospitals. \|< < 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 > >\| More Impact Stories Our Unique Focus Areas: Quality Care Throughout a Child’s Life Children's Rights & Advocacy Actively advocating for children’s rights, and teaching children and youth to become their own advocates so that the voice of future generations is loud and clear. Long-Term Quality Care Providing stability and loving families to children and young adults who have been orphaned or abandoned, and ensuring that they are supported, encouraged and loved throughout their lives. Education, Employment and Empowerment Empowering the next generation, and providing them with the education, tools, encouragement and support to build their own futures. FOR MILLIONS OF VULNERABLE CHILDREN AROUND THE WORLD You Are the Answer. Make an Impact Now. Celebrate with SOS Stand up for children	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10953
__label__cc	0.741996	0.258004	Physical security evolves to protect mobile workers Annie Asrari Lone Worker Conference: Measures for personal safety and mental wellbeing Location-based alerting technologies to secure employees in emergency situations Over the past two decades, the workforce has drastically changed. As mobile devices became increasingly affordable and the demand for multiple offices, distributed campuses and globalisation has increased, many employees who once commuted to on-site corporate offices now spend their time working remotely or travelling between sites. In 1997, only 9.2 million U.S. workers (7 percent of the U.S. workforce) were working remotely for at least part of each week. By the end of 2015, the mobile worker population had grown to 96 million people and continues to grow. Mobile workers are expected to surpass 105 million by 2020—meaning that nearly three quarters of the total U.S. workforce will be mobile. With an increasing number of employees traveling and working remotely, the days of a dedicated worker who commutes to and from a single location every day of the week are just about over. Today’s digital workforce no longer works in a corporate office, meaning businesses have new physical security challenges in regards to tracking an employee’s location, which can be necessary during natural disasters or other significant public incidents (an active shooter, for instance). That said, security professionals must take a second look at their policies and procedures for employee safety. To protect employees in this new mobile world, where people, assets and brand reputation threats may face higher than normal levels of safety and security risks, businesses must focus less on securing physical, four-wall perimeters and instead take a global approach to security that focuses on protecting travelling, remote and lone workers. Travel system integration First and foremost, organisations with mobile workforces must integrate a multi-modal communications system into their security plan. While we can never predict when emergency events will occur, mass communications systems allow security managers to notify employees quickly after such events—based on their preferred method of contact—and provide actionable guidance that employees can follow to minimise confusion and stress, which will ultimately keep them safe. While we can never predict when emergency events will occur, mass communications systems allow security managers to notify employees quickly after such events In a traditional corporate setting, notification systems that allow for communication across multiple contact paths would likely have been sufficient to ensure that critical messages were delivered to all employees, as everyone was expected to be in the office. Any incidents occurring outside of the office did not need to be considered. In today’s mobile world, communication systems should be integrated with other systems, such as travel itineraries and corporate travel systems, so that in the event of an emergency incident, organisations can quickly assess if they have any employees in or travelling to the affected areas and warn people heading towards potentially dangerous situations. Ensuring local compliance For organisations with globally distributed employees, contractors, customers, or partners, additional capabilities must be integrated into their security practices. Namely, support for local dialects, languages and preferred communication methods should be integrated into emergency alert systems. During an emergency, it can be increasingly difficult to perform even simple tasks quickly and accurately. Organisations can reduce the difficulty of communicating tasks under pressure and increase recipient comprehension by delivering messages in a local language that is familiar to the recipient. Notification systems must also comply with all local data privacy and security laws to ensure messages are received by employees in different parts of the world. These laws can differ by region and often restrict the transfer of data over country borders. The best systems for today’s mobile world have the capability of storing and segregating contact information in specific data stores around the world, ensuring that this data will not leave defined jurisdictional boundaries, while also guaranteeing that valuable information reaches the necessary contacts during emergency situations. Knowing where your employees are helps identify who you should be communicating with and better refine your response Location-based alerting When a location-based emergency occurs, companies need to make certain that they can quickly communicate key information, directives and important updates to their employees—no matter where they are located—to help ensure their safety. Knowing where your employees are helps identify who you should be communicating with and better refine your response to a specific security incident. Security managers can automatically keep employee locations current, even when they’re travelling or moving between buildings and campuses, by integrating location intelligence into an incident management platform. With strong location data and analytics, organisations have the capability to maintain robust databases of where their employees are, where they’re expected to be and where they were last—and then use that data to send targeted notifications and alerts to the relevant people that are affected by a specific incident. Solutions like Safety Connection enable this location data to be collected from an organisation’s various physical systems, including: Access control and badging systems Wired and wireless network access points Hoteling systems Corporate travel management systems Mobile employee safety Imagine a scenario where an armed man enters one of the office buildings on an organisation’s campus. Usually there are 200 people on campus, but that day 40 people are working remotely, travelling or at home sick. Another 30 employees from other offices are on-site for a sales meeting. Based on each employee’s location and proximity to the intruder, the company’s security team can automate building evacuation and muster directives much more efficiently. With location-based analytics, the security team would know exactly who to send critical information and emergency alerts to With location-based analytics, the security team would know exactly who to send critical information and emergency alerts to and how many people they should expect to receive confirmations of safety from; whether employees are in their assigned location or a location they are visiting. In this case, the security team would focus their efforts on protecting the 160 people who normally work on campus, plus the 30 visiting employees, as they know the 40 people off-campus are out of harm’s way. In our increasingly global and mobile world, organisations cannot afford to limit their critical communications to physical facilities. By ensuring mass communication systems are integrated with travel systems, comply with local data and privacy laws and leverage location-based analytics, organisations ensure that critical messages are delivered and received both locally and globally and can rest easy knowing that their growing mobile workforces are safe. Campus security systems Lone working Lone worker protection Annie Asrari Director of Product Management, Everbridge Articles by Annie Asrari [Download] The most viable converged solution for video security and monitoring How to approach campus outdoor security Video management systems evolve beyond traditional physical security Sections Products Companies News Insights Case studies Markets Events White papers Videos January 2017 news RSS	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10954
__label__wiki	0.901759	0.901759	This club started in 2001 as Solent Archers at HMS Collingwood. As more Navy personnel joined us we changed our name to Solent & RN Archers, and then again in 2010 our name became RN South Coast Archers. In 2014 we moved to H.M.S Sultan. The club started with 4 Adults and 9 Juniors and presently has around 150+ Adult, Junior and Disability archers and the club is thriving. The club now boast 3 of our archers having shot for the GB Team and hopefully more to come. This club started in 2001 as Solent Archers at HMS Collingwood. As more Navy personnel joined us we changed our name to Solent & RN Archers, and then again in 2010 our name became RN South Coast Archers. In 2014 we moved to H.M.S Sultan. The club started with 4 Adults and 9 Juniors and presently has around 150+ Adult, Juniors and Disability archers and the club is thriving. The club now boast 3 of our archers having shot for the GB Team and hopefully more to come.	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10955
__label__wiki	0.783634	0.783634	Emmy Nominations 2019: ‘Game of Thrones’ and HBO Shatter Records ‘Grand Hotel’ Season 1 Episode 6 Preview: Photos from “Love Thy Neighbor” Austin Butler to Channel Elvis in Baz Luhrmann’s Upcoming Biopic ‘Burden of Truth’ Season 2 Episode 8 Preview: “Right Road” Photos and Plot ‘The Outpost’ Season 2 Episode 2 Photos: “This is One Strange Town” Preview ‘Krypton’ Season 2 Episode 6 Preview: Photos from “In Zod We Trust” ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ Season 6 Episode 10 Photos: “Leap” Preview First Look: ‘The King’s Man’ Trailer and Teaser Poster Film Photos and Posters TV Show Recaps TV Show Clips TV Photos Music Photos Music Artists – Album Details, Biographies and News Celeb Photos Celebrity News and Photos Celebrity Interviews – Actors, Writers and Directors Celebrity Charities, Biographies, and Info Upcoming Book Releases and Book Reviews You are at:Home»Featured»‘Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story’ Episode 8 Recap – Creator/Destroyer ‘Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story’ Episode 8 Recap – Creator/Destroyer By Rebecca Murray on March 15, 2018 Featured, TV, TV Show Recaps Jon Jon Briones as Modesto Cunanan and Darren Criss as Andrew Cunanan in ‘The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story’ episode 8 (Photo by Ray Mickshaw / FX) FX’s dramatic thriller The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story heads toward the season finale with episode eight airing March 14, 2018. The episode titled “Creator/Destroyer” begins in Italy in 1957. A young Gianni Versace sits in the corner of the room, sketching dresses. His mother, a dressmaker, looks at his sketches and tells him he must do what he loves as a profession. She offers to teach him about dressmaking. Gianni’s love of designing clothing earns the ridicule of his fellow students. His teacher labels him a pervert after looking at his drawings in class. At home, his mother is fully supportive of his vision. She doesn’t care about his teacher’s opinion and suggests he make the dress he’s designed. When he says it’s too hard, his mother advises him success only comes with hard work. The timeline switches to San Diego in 1980. Andrew’s parents pack up their home and move to a bigger house in a much nicer neighborhood. Andrew, the youngest of four children, seems to have a special relationship with his father – a much closer one than Modesto “Pete” Cunanan has with his other children. As the rest of the family unpacks, Pete (Jon Jon Briones) gives Andrew a tour of the house. He informs Andrew that he gets the master bedroom, saying he’s special. “When you feel special, success will follow,” says his father. Andrew’s siblings share one small room and his parents share another. (This truly is a bizarre family.) Andrew and his father dress in suits and then his mother, Mary Anne, escorts him to The Bishop’s School, an exclusive school in La Jolla. He participates in the interview process to see if he’s accepted into the school, choosing his answers carefully to make the best first impression. Meanwhile, Pete interviews for a job as a stockbroker. He’s not like the others interviewing, pulling himself up from his bootstraps while others graduated from Ivy League schools. He spends much of his time discussing his upbringing and personal history, rather than his skills. (It’s obvious Andrew’s gift for gab and embellishing stories is inherited from his father.) Later at home, Pete tells his wife and Andrew that he didn’t get the stockbroker job and acts devastated. He quickly switches to being “on,” saying he was joking and did get hired by Merrill Lynch. He’ll make $60,000 to start, promising they’ll eat like kings from now on. His other children arrive to share in the good news, but the mood turns sour. Pete becomes angry at Mary Anne because she believed he didn’t get hired. She was too quick to accept that, and he bats her hands away when she tries to apologize. Pete wonders if his wife needs her medication checked, saying he doesn’t want to put her back in the hospital. She tries to lighten the mood, declaring they need to celebrate. In the evenings, Pete reads The Art of Conversation in bed to Andrew. Andrew doesn’t want to read the whole book, but his dad insists his son needs to know everything from calling cards to reading menus. “It’s not enough to be smart. You need to fit in,” he explains. Andrew worries he won’t get into Bishop’s, but he dad insists he’ll get accepted. It’s the reason they moved to this neighborhood. The letter from Bishop’s arrives and Andrew cries. His mom doesn’t understand his tears since he got in. His father arrives home, grabs the letter, hugs Andrew, and then drops to the ground and kisses Andrew’s feet. (Papa Cunanan takes creepy to a whole new level.) Pete arrives at work where a co-worker enthusiastically congratulates him for beating out 500 applicants. Pete gets busy working the phones, but his potential customer hangs up and doesn’t want to buy the suggested stocks. Instead of hanging up and trying someone else, Pete pretends the man’s still on the line and acts like he made a sale. That afternoon, Pete returns home and surprises Andrew with a new car. Andrew’s definitely not old enough to drive, but Pete doesn’t care. Mary Anne follows them outside and is shocked to hear Pete bought a car for Andrew when their two oldest children are actually old enough to drive. Pete claims he bought the car as a present because Andrew got into Bishop’s. He grabs Mary Anne by the throat, telling her he doesn’t want Andrew to end up like her. Pete sits in the passenger seat and calls his youngest son “special.” He also confesses he thinks Andrew is his best friend. His other children aren’t special. He then explains that Andrew’s mom was hospitalized for depression when he was born, and he believes she has a weak mind. Andrew’s already in bed as his father dresses for bed. They discuss Andrew’s future plans for employment, with Andrew suggesting maybe he’ll be a novelist. Pete sits on the edge of Andrew’s bed and reminds him that when he was small, he burned his foot. Pete picked him up and Andrew didn’t make a sound. He repeats “not a sound” as he leans over Andrew and turns off the light. A few years later, a teenage Andrew (Darren Criss) pulls up to Bishop’s in his car, dressed in a suit and carrying a briefcase. (He fits in with the other students.) While the other students strike the same pose for school photos, Andrew acts rebellious and unbuttons his shirt, exposing his chest but keeping his tie in place. Pete arrives at work, but now he’s working for a less reputable firm and sitting in a cubicle. He works the phones and offers a client a new opportunity to make her money back. He wants to liquidate her late husband’s pension, but her son grabs the phone and yells at him for attempting to steal a 90-year-old woman’s money. He promises to hunt Pete down, and Pete abruptly hangs up. At home, Andrew’s mom asks about his special lady. He smells nice and she assumes it’s because of a woman. He claims the lady is older than 30, and Mary Anne’s not shocked. In fact, she thinks young men should be with older women. Andrew meets an older man and tells him that while it’s great he buys him gifts, their relationship means more than just that to him. They head to a house party and the older man refuses to go in. He’s married and he needs to keep his relationship with Andrew a secret. Andrew’s disappointed and the man kicks him out of the car. Andrew enters the party, dressed in a red leather jumpsuit. He takes over the dance floor and everyone watches from the sidelines. Finally, Elizabeth (Annaleigh Ashford) joins him on the floor. She tells him he looks fabulous. This is Andrew and Elizabeth’s first meeting and he’s sure she doesn’t go to Bishop’s. If she did, they’d be best friends. She leans in and tells him a secret. She confesses she’s an imposter; she’s actually married. She has a boring house, a boring husband, and she’s just at the party keeping an eye on her friend’s house. She’s a grown-up, but that doesn’t bother Andrew. They instantly bond over their dreams. He even reveals he wants to seek out his heroes, including Versace. Pete arrives at work and is immediately brought into a meeting with his supervisors. He’s accused of trading in non-existent stocks. The elderly woman’s son made this claim, and his bosses think he’s done something unethical. They wonder why he changed jobs so much and why he would want to go from Merrill Lynch to their firm. They also reveal the Feds are involved and they’re examining Pete’s entire employment history. Pete claims he has nothing to hide. After the meeting, his co-workers stare at him as he walks through the hall. He returns to his cubicle and begins shredding his paperwork until the shredder jams. He finally sits in his desk chair and silently screams. He then pulls himself together, takes out a credit card, and books a flight out of town. The FBI arrives with an arrest warrant for Modesto Cunanan. The receptionist warns Pete to leave now and he uses the fire exit to escape. Over at Bishop’s, the yearbooks are out and Andrew was voted “Most Likely to be Remembered.” Pete races home, leaving the car running in the driveway as he runs upstairs. He pries open the floor in the closet and withdraws large stacks of cash. When Mary Anne asks what he’s doing, he shoves her to the floor. Before he can leave his house, the FBI arrive at his front door. He makes a break out the back, climbing over a fence. Darren Criss as Andrew Cunanan (Photo by Ray Mickshaw / FX) Andrew arrives and parks across the street, realizing the FBI are in his driveway. Andrew sees his dad carrying a large bag scurrying over the fence, and his dad grabs his car keys and races away. He warns Andrew, “Don’t believe a word they say.” Mary Anne tells Andrew his dad emptied the bank accounts and maxed out the credit cards. The FBI continue their search of the home as Mary Anne informs Pete the house was sold weeks ago. Pete knew they were coming and left his family penniless and homeless. Andrew packs his clothes, telling his mom he’s going to search for his father. Mary Anne’s sure Pete fled to Manila, and she blames herself for not saying something sooner. Andrew writes notes to his mom in response, just in case the FBI are listening. He believes his dad left money hidden, but Mary Anne knows that’s not true. Mary Anne begs her son not to go, and he grabs her face and covers her mouth. He insists she’s wrong about his father. Andrew flies to Manila and takes a cab to what’s apparently a very bad neighborhood. He arrives at the address and it’s a tiny house. He introduces himself as Modesto’s son. The man who answered the door is Pete’s brother, and he takes Andrew to see Pete in a small building behind the main house. The door opens as Andrew knocks. He walks in and sees the sparsely decorated home, complete with a hammock as a bed. His father is there, reading the paper. He receives a hug from his dad who says, “I knew you’d come!” Andrew asks if there’s any money and questions Pete about selling the house. Pete says there are millions, but he can’t get to them. He claims the money is out of reach. Later, Andrew can’t sleep and wakes up his father. Pete’s adjusted to life back in Manila, but Andrew is having a hard time. He gets his dad to confess there isn’t any money and there isn’t a plan. Andrew calls his dad a liar and a thief, but Pete thinks his crime was he stole too little. He should have taken more, not just what he needed for his family. Andrew’s ashamed of his father and doesn’t want to be him any longer. (He’s wanted to be just like his dad his entire life.) Andrew admits he did research on Manila before the trip. He also reveals he wanted to look up his dad in California’s Top 500 Stockbrokers. The book doesn’t exist and when Andrew cries, Pete calls him weak – just like Mary Anne. He yells at Andrew, calling him a sissy kid with a sissy mind. He spits on his son, telling him he’s ashamed of him. When his dad slaps him, Andrew picks up a knife. Pete taunts him, telling him to be a man and do it. Andrew can’t, crying and shaking his head no. Pete says, “You don’t have it in you.” As he cries, Andrew’s blood drips from the knife. He’s sliced his hand gripping the blade. Andrew returns home as all the family’s belongings are being loaded into a truck under the watchful eyes of the FBI. When he enters his bedroom, it’s already been completely packed up. He tosses his remaining belongings across the room, ripping and kicking the few items left. Later, Andrew applies for a job at Rite Aid. When the store manager asks if Andrew’s Filipino, Andrew tries to avoid the question and then lies and says his dad owns multiple pineapple plantations in Manila. 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Woodside Interview Yellowstone: Recap of the Season 2 Premiere, Episode 2, and Episode 3 Fear the Walking Dead: Alycia Debnam-Carey Interview on Season 5 Archer: 1999: Aisha Tyler, Lucky Yates and Jessica Walter Interviews NOS4A2 Series: Zachary Quinto and the Cast on the New Vampire Series Outlander Preview: Caitriona Balfe on Claire, Aging Up, and Sensitive Scenes Join the Showbiz Junkies Team Write for Showbiz Junkies! Contact Showbiz Junkies Follow Showbiz Junkies on Social Media The Team and Terms and Conditions About the Showbiz Junkies Team All Rights Reserved – Showbiz Junkies 2019	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10956
__label__wiki	0.717733	0.717733	St. John Properties Mixed-Use Developments All Property Types Office Multi-Story Office Retail R&D/Flex Bulk Warehouse Land Tenant Digest Magazine ❮ Back Developer breaks ground on Md. 85 business park Frederick News Post \| Ryan Marshall Work is underway at the site of the new Arcadia Business Park in the Westview area of Frederick. Staff photo by Dan Gross The commercial real estate developer St. John Properties has begun work on a business park that will ultimately have nearly 200,000 square feet of warehouse space. The first phase of three buildings in the Arcadia Business Park off Md. 85 in Frederick is expected to be finished this summer, according to a news release from the company. The park will ultimately have eight buildings. The 61-acre property is near what is known as Conestoga Trail, which will eventually be renamed Arcadia Way, said Matt Holbrook, regional partner for St. John Properties. The company was ready to start the project in 2009 before the recession, but has spent the time since then trying to make sure the project was what they needed, he said. One of the buildings under construction will have 37,080 square feet of flex/research and development space, while another will have 45,120 square feet of the same use, according to a news release. The third building will be 112,000 square feet of bulk/warehouse space. The project will eventually add five other buildings, Holbrook said. He said the location of the property was attractive to the company, near Md. 85 and Interstates 70 and 270. The interchange under construction at Md. 85 and I-270 will be helpful for the project, he said. Holbrook said he’s not worried that the project will help contribute to a surplus of warehouse space in the area. Other areas such of Montgomery County are running out of space for this type of development, he said. The company monitors national and local trends in deciding what types of development to build. Holbrook said the increasing need for space for businesses such as biotech or e-commerce companies has created a demand for this type of space that can be used for a variety of purposes. “There’s just a growing demand for high-quality space,” he said. Subaru training center to come to Frederick tech park New additions coming for Buckeystown Pike developments St. John Properties Breaks Ground on Three New Buildings at Arcadia Business Park in Frederick, MD Planning Commission approves project near Buckeystown Pike SHA allows electronic submission of project plans The Inside Scoop: St. John Properties’ Danny Severn 2560 Lord Baltimore Drive © 2019 St. John Properties, Inc.	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10963
__label__cc	0.56334	0.43666	Once more about Andrew Wakefield fraud extraordinaire For the handful of you who don’t know him, Mr. Andrew Wakefield fraudulently alleged a connection between the MMR vaccine, for measles, mumps and rubella) and autism – this has had the effect of suppressing vaccination rates in many countries. His claims were published in a now retracted paper published in the Lancet, a mostly respected medical journal who seemed to have forgotten how to do proper peer review back in the late 1990’s. This is a quick review of the Andrew Wakefield fraud. Dorit Rubinstein Reiss – Professor of Law at the University of California Hastings College of the Law (San Francisco, CA) – is a frequent contributor to this blog. She had posted an article that debunks the myth that Andrew Wakefield is probably innocent of all charges made against him by the UK’s General Medical Council (GMC). Basically, some of the antivaccination crowd believes that because Wakefield’s partner in the fraud, Professor John Walker-Smith, had his own decision by the GMC overturned, it is considered evidence that Andrew Wakefield was wronged when the GMC found Wakefield, too, guilty of serious ethical violations. But that would be an incorrect interpretation of the facts. And the vaccine-causes-autism crowd at Age of Autism still think that Wakefield is a god of the myth – they mindlessly shill for Wakefield claiming he’s innocent, even pulling out the myth, mentioned above, that Professor Reiss effectively shredded. In case it’s not clear to everyone, Wakefield is a con artist. In fact, he should be known forever as Andrew Wakefield Fraud, and that’s being nice. Wakefield has shown depraved indifference to children across the world by acting like he’s some pathetic, sad martyr of the evil alliance of Big Pharma, physicians (probably all in the pay of Big Pharma), and a few bloggers like David Gorski (who is a physician, and, in the eyes of the antivaccination cult, is in the pay of Big Pharma), the mysterious snark-meister Orac, and Steven Novella (another physician, so insert Big Pharma payoff trope here). Unfortunately for his sycophants and supporters, the evidence that the Andrew Wakefield fraud is a menace is profound: BMJ, once known as the British Medical Journal, published a series of articles, written by Brian Deer, about Wakefield’s despicable deceit, you can read about it here, here, and here. (See Note 1) Vaccines are unrelated to autism. No. No. NO. The only reason that we even spent one nanosecond thinking about this issue is because of Wakefield’s fraud. With the advent of Wakefield’s claims, people suddenly believed that one of the safest vaccines, one that prevents some dangerous diseases, was bad for their kids. And despite all of the science that has refuted the original lie, it’s always the original Big Lie that stands, and the truth, that the MMR vaccines does not cause autism, gets lost in the noise. Wakefield continues to litigate against BMJ, which must cause Doshi and his unethical and incompetent BMJ sycophants much pain. Oh no. Another irony meter melted down. I need to check on the warranty. Wakefield attempts to created a manufactroversy about a so-called CDC whistleblower. Hilarity ensues. Honestly, I don’t know why Wakefield isn’t in prison in the UK (see Note 2). Of course, his cowardly retreat to a Texas mansion probably allows him to suck money from clueless and ignorant anti-vaxxers, while avoiding prosecution. Because a real martyr would fly back to the UK and demand an appeal of the GMC’s stripping him of his license to practice medicine. But he’s an intellectual and ethical weakling, so it’s better to snipe at everyone from the safety of his man, and more or less attempt to exonerate two family members from the murder of an autistic child. I know that the anti-vaccine religion lacks any credible evidence to support their point of view. And hardly anyone actually listens to that crowd, with over 95% of children in developed countries getting all of their vaccinations. But placing your money (literally) on this fraud and liar is making all of you so easy to mock. It’s almost too easy. My irony meter explodes (does someone know of a explosion-proof irony meter on Amazon?) every time I realize that Peter Doshi, who is not a biologist, epidemiologist, immunologist, microbiologist or actually anything related to vaccines, is an editor on BMJ, pontificating about vaccines, something that is totally outside of his training – but because he’s firmly from the world of the argument from false authority, some think he actually knows something about vaccines. He doesn’t. But I digress, because Doshi and Wakefield babble together about vaccines frequently. There goes my backup irony meter. Brian Deer gives some perspective on why this probably won’t happen. Unfortunately, his comment got lost when we switched the comment system to Disqus from Facebook. Blame Russian bots. Editor’s note: This article was originally published in December 2014. Because every time I write an article about Wakefield, I link to this article for a quick background on the guy for the 5 people wh have never heard about him, I realized that the article needed some new formatting, repairing of dead links, and some copyediting. CategoriesAndrew Wakefield, Autism, Vaccines TagsBMJ, Brian Deer, CDC, Dorit Rubinstein Reiss, General Medical Council, MMR, Peter Doshi Previous PostPrevious NVICP Tarsell decision not proof of HPV vaccine-related mortality – just legal errors Next PostNext Anti-vaccine James Lyons-Weiler writes about aluminum and autism	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10965
__label__cc	0.536303	0.463697	Natural Resource Solutions: SRK Consulting (UK) Ltd. Multi Disciplinary Services Mining Geology & Resource Estimation Mineral Resource & Ore Reserve Reporting Minerals & Metallurgy Processing Tailings & Mine Waste Management Mine Water Management Mining Economics Infrastructure and Logistics SRK United Kingdom › News & Media › Press Releases › SRK UK Celebrates 30th Anniversary SRK UK recently celebrated its 30th anniversary with a gala evening at The Natural History Museum in London. Over 200 guests attended with clients past and present in the museum’s Earth’s Treasury; a fitting setting for the miners and geologists present. SRK’s UK practice was established in Cardiff in 1988. Today there are 110 people based in SRK UK’s practice, ranging from mining engineers, geologists, hydrogeologists, geotechnical and tailings engineers, environmental and social scientists, geochemists and company support staff. SRK UK’s people have been the key to its success, with the company attracting and retaining highly skilled mining, geological and environmental specialists, many of whom are regarded as leaders in their field. As Richard Oldcorn, SRK UK Managing Director noted: “It is these essential skills combined with our global perspective that enables us to provide an all-round service to our clients”. Terms of Use \| Privacy & Cookies \| Legal SRK United Kingdom	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10969
__label__cc	0.574163	0.425837	Physician Assistant Karen Clark and St. Jude patient Nayla Bandealy The St. Jude Endocrine Clinic helps families gain the confidence and knowledge they need to spread their wings. Like fledglings perched on the edge of a nest, patients and families often feel nervous when they contemplate leaving the security of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. But as children move into adulthood, their medical needs change. A new program eases the transition to adult care for patients in the St. Jude Endocrine Clinic. The clinic sees children, teens and young adults who are at risk for hormone problems related to their treatment or tumors. Many of these patients require lifelong hormone therapies. Others need ongoing screening to monitor for hormone problems. Wassim Chemaitilly, MD, director of the St. Jude Endocrinology Division, notes that St. Jude handles nearly every detail of care for patients and their families. “The mission of St. Jude is to provide the maximum support to patients and their families. Because of that, some of our patients have not performed, for many years, basic tasks related to their health care needs within their communities—tasks such as filling prescriptions in their local pharmacy or calling a doctor’s office to set up appointments,” he says. “We must provide them with tools to self-advocate and to navigate the health care system.” Bird’s-eye view Enter Endocrine physician assistant Karen Clark and Hematology social worker Margery Johnson. During the past few years, they have worked on a quality improvement project through the St. Jude Evidence-based Practice Fellowship. The project involves helping adolescent and young adult endocrine patients make the transition to adult endocrinologists. “The idea of seeking services elsewhere is anxiety provoking because they get good care at St. Jude, and they know everybody. It’s hard to know how or where to start to establish community-based care again,” Johnson says. And yet, the shift is necessary. “We’re pediatric providers, and there are benefits and therapies available through adult endocrinologists that we’re not able to offer,” Clark explains. Sixteen-year-old Nayla Bandealy’s mom is a nurse, and her dad is a doctor. Ten years ago, when Nayla was diagnosed with the brain tumor medulloblastoma, her family turned to St. Jude. Like a warm blanket, the hospital’s staff provided comfort and security along with world-class treatment. Even though Nayla’s parents work in the health care field, they do not relish the thought of transitioning to adult endocrinology care. “The best place for her has been St. Jude,” says Nayla’s mom, Maria. “They know what to do. They know her history, and they have taken such good care of her. They have given us hope.” Promise Archive Wassim Chemaitilly, MD, director of the St. Jude Endocrinology Division Soft landings When Clark and Johnson began to design a transition program, they turned to the experts: patients and their families. With their input, the duo designed a simple checklist that includes a series of tasks for patients to complete over a two-year period and resources to assist them. “This helps patients understand that transition is a process over time, and not a one-time event,” Clark says. During the first year, patients use the checklist to identify a primary care physician and an adult endocrinologist: check. To acquire insurance: check. To make medical appointments, manage their own medicines, get refills and complete other health-related tasks: check, check, check, check. The second year, patients learn about obtaining referrals, scheduling new-patient visits and gathering information to share with community providers. Finally, after visiting with their adult endocrinologists, patients have their last appointment in the St. Jude Endocrine Clinic. Staff members ensure that the transfer is proceeding smoothly and assist with any final details. “Afterward, we remain available to families and their providers,” Clark says. “We’re happy to answer questions regarding screening recommendations, offer advice or help them understand what to expect in the future.” Grown and flown Letting go can be challenging, but also exciting. “This transition program is a great thing. It’s time for him to handle health on his own,” one mom told Clark. Another parent said, “I think it’s wonderful that you are staying on top of this planning.” Johnson and her colleagues have begun working with St. Jude families to introduce the transition program for patients in other areas of the hospital. “The goal is to empower 16-, 17- and 18-year-olds to start doing some of these things themselves,” she says. As for Nayla Bandealy, she has already checked several items off her list. She and her parents have identified a primary care physician and a gynecologist who will take care of her after the transition. She knows her medical history and is taking steps to ensure that she remains healthy throughout adulthood. She’s nearly ready to fly. Reprinted from Promise, Summer 2015 Donate Now Promise Archive More articles from this issue Ewing Sarcoma: Changing Hues A spectrum of discoveries in St. Jude labs and clinics offer promise for patients with Ewing sarcoma. Ten Fingers Ten Toes St. Jude scientists’ discoveries offer hope for some of the tiniest and most vulnerable patients—babies with a rare and aggressive form of leukemia. Jaxon's Journey After a minor accident prompted a medical evaluation that led to an early diagnosis of medulloblastoma, a 13-year-old boy expresses his story in poetry form. St. Jude scientists discover the genetic basis of the side effects that sometimes accompany cancer treatment. Sifting Needles from Haystacks First, St. Jude pioneered a test that could pinpoint one leukemia cell among 10,000 normal cells. Now that test is helping guide therapy—with spectacular results. Melanoma: Signs and Subtypes For decades, the genetic basis of pediatric melanoma was a mystery. But St. Jude scientists recently discovered the molecular signatures of three pediatric melanoma subtypes. Racing to Save Lives The sale of one rare and beautiful car will benefit children undergoing treatment for life-threatening diseases. Connecting to St. Jude at Work stjudeatwork.org helps companies who want to include St. Jude in their workplace giving programs. Read recent highlights from St. Jude, including honors and awards, therapies for defects of brain tumor mutations, and the importance of reducing glucocorticoid resistance. The Beauty of Giving "Any little thing I can do to help a child is a beautiful gift,” says supermodel and actress Lily Aldridge. Hope Through Change The Ependymoma Awareness Day celebration symbolized hope through change with a release of butterflies. Promise Summer 2019 Promise Spring 2019 Promise Winter 2019 Promise Autumn 2018	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10980
__label__wiki	0.835793	0.835793	‹ Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … Next › NEWS : MON, MAY 20, 2019 at 7:00 AM Weyes Blood Announces The International “Something To Believe Tour” In Support Of ‘Titanic Rising,’ Her Acclaimed New Album Supports Kacey Musgraves US tour September 11th-21st Presales are here: weyesblood.com/tour [Photo Credit: Kathryn Vetter Miller] Weyes Blood is extending her international tour schedule in support of Titanic Rising, her critically acclaimed new album, available now from Sub Pop. The “Something to Believe Tour” begins August 7th in San Diego at The Irenic and ends November 17th in Oslo at Parkteatret. Fan presales begin Wednesday, May 22nd at 10 am (local) and run through Thursday, May 23rd at 10 pm (Local). Tickets for the general public go on sale Friday, May 24th at 10 am (Local). For more up to date ticket information please visit WeyesBlood.com. Weyes Blood will also support Kacey Musgraves on her headlining tour September 11th through September 21st. Weyes Blood’s current “True Love Is Making A Comeback” late spring tour is underway with a show tomorrow night, May 21st in St. Paul (Minneapolis) at the Turf Club and wraps up on June 13th in Los Angeles at the Troubadour. And Weyes Blood’s festival appearances for 2019 include Roskilde in Denmark on July 5th, Outside Lands in San Francisco on August 11th and Austin City Limits October 4th-6th. May 21 - St. Paul, MN - Turf Club [Sold Out] May 22 - Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall [Sold Out] May 24 - Toronto, ON - Horseshoe Tavern [Sold Out] May 25 - Montreal, QC - Petit Campus [Sold Out] May 26 - Portland, ME - SPACE Gallery May 28 - Cambridge, MA - The Sinclair May 29 - New York, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg [Sold Out] May 31 - Washington, DC - U Street Music Hall Jun. 01 - Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda’s [Sold Out] Jun. 03 - Atlanta, GA - The Earl [Sold Out] Jun. 04 - Nashville, TN - The High Watt [Sold Out] Jun. 06 - Dallas, TX - Club Dada Jun. 07 - Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall (upstairs) Jun. 08 - Austin, TX - Antone’s [Sold Out] Jun. 10 - El Paso, TX - Lowbrow Palace Jun. 11 - Santa Fe, NM - Meow Wolf Jun. 12 - Phoenix, AZ - Valley Bar Jun. 13 - Los Angeles, CA - The Troubadour [Sold Out] Jul. 05 - Roskilde, DK - Roskilde Something to Believe Tour Aug. 07 - San Diego, CA - The Irenic Aug. 08 - Los Angeles, CA - The Fonda Theatre Aug. 10 - San Luis Obispo, CA - SLO Brewing Company Aug. 11 - San Francisco, CA - Outside Lands Aug. 14 - Vancouver, BC - Imperial Aug. 17 - Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom Sep. 05 - Northampton, MA - Pearl Street Sep. 06 - New Haven, CT - Space Ballroom Sep. 09 - Pittsburgh, PA - Rex Theater Sep. 11 - Philadelphia, PA - The Met* Sep. 12 - Boston, MA - Rockland Trust Bank Pavillion* Sep. 13 - Charlottesville, VA - Sprint Pavillion* Sep. 14 - Cary, NC - Koka Booth Amphitheatre* Sep. 16 - Asheville, NC - Thomas Wolfe Auditorium* Sep. 19 - Charlotte, NC - Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre* Sep. 20 - Charleston, SC - Volvo Car Stadium* Sep. 21 - St. Augustine, FL - Sing Out Loud Festival at St. Augustine Amphitheatre Sep. 23 - Athens, GA- 40 Watt Sep. 24 - Richmond, VA - Broadberry Sep. 25 - Baltimore, MD - Ottobar Sep. 28 - Toronto, ON - Phoenix Concert Theatre Oct. 01 - St. Louis, MO - Off Broadway Oct. 02 - Lawrence, KS - The Bottleneck Oct. 04 - Austin, TX- Austin City Limits Oct. 26 - Dublin, IE - Button Factory Oct. 28 - Glasgow, UK - The Art School Oct. 29 - Manchester, UK - Club Academy Oct. 30 - London, UK - Electric Brixton Nov. 03 - Bordeaux, FR - IBOAT Nov. 05 - Braga, PT - gnration Nov. 06 - Lisbon, PT - ZDB @ B.Leza Nov. 07 - Madrid, ES - Sala 0 - Palacio de Prensa Nov. 10 - Vevey, CH - Rocking Chair Nov. 11 - Zürich, CH - Bogen F Nov. 13 - Berlin, DE - Bi Nuu Nov. 14 - Copenhagen, DK - DR Koncerthuset Studie 2 Nov. 15 - Stockholm, SE - Slaktkyrkan Nov. 16 - Gothenburg, SE - Oceanen Nov. 17 - Oslo, NO - Parkteatret Titanic Rising is in stores now, and also available from Sub Pop. NEWS : THU, MAY 16, 2019 at 6:57 AM Watch the Delightful New METZ Video for “Pure Auto,” One of the 12 Singles Collected on ‘Automat,’ out Worldwide July 12th METZ will be on tour in May, June and July of this year. METZ, our own widely-adored and delightfully noisy 3-piece punk band from Toronto, released their Sub Pop self-titled debut in 2012 and, in the time since, have cemented their reputation as one of the planet’s most exhilarating live acts and trusted providers of bombastic outsider rock. The band is made up of Alex Edkins, Hayden Menzies, and Chris Slorach. Automat is a collection of METZ non-album singles, B-sides, and rarities dating back to 2009, available here on LP for the first time, and including the band’s long out-of-print early (pre-Sub Pop) recordings. A chronological trip through the lesser known material of METZ, Automat will be released worldwide on Sub Pop July 12, 2019. “‘Pure Auto’ is METZ at our most tongue in cheek,” says Edkins. “There are many winks and many nods (autonomy, me, me, me, me, me, for example) but ultimately it’s about being a control freak; fighting the urge to constantly steer the ship. Originally released as the B-side to the ‘Eraser’ 7” it has never been played live, but for some reason still manages to be one of our collective favorites. It was written and recorded very quickly after completing the II album sessions and came out of a surge of creativity/excitement/relief following a particularly intense and time-consuming album. You can watch the new video for “Pure Auto” by Montreal’s Scorpion Dagger by clicking here and also here.” 1. Soft Whiteout 2. Lump Sums 3. Dry Up 4. Ripped on the Fence 5. Negative Space (7 inch version) 6. Automat 7. Wet Blanket (demo) 8. Dirty Shirt 9. Leave Me Out 10. Can’t Understand 11. Pure Auto 12. Eraser METZ Tour Dates + Ticket Links METZ are playing May 25th in Minneapolis and May 26th in Chicago with labelmates Mudhoney and heading overseas on June 23rd, to begin a 14-date EU run with performances at Loose Ends Festival in Amsterdam, Lars Rock Festival in Chiusi Scalo in Italy, Pointu Festival in Island Gaou, France, and ending July 14th in Montmartin-sur-Mer, France. May 25 - Minneapolis, MN - Fine Line Music Cafe* May 26 - Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall # May 27 - Milwaukee, WI - Cactus Club Jun. 23 - Amsterdam, NL- Loose Ends Festival Jun. 25 - Bristol, UK - Fleece Jun. 26 - Leeds, UK - Brudenell Social Club Jun. 27 - Manchester, UK - YES Jun. 28 - London, UK - Studio 9294 Jun. 29 - Eindhoven, NL - Effenaar Jul. 02 - Zurich, CH - Bogen F Jul. 03 - Lyon, FR - Ninkasi Gerland / Kao Jul. 05 - Chiusi Scalo, IT - Lars Rock Festival Jul. 07 - Ile du Gaou, FR - Pointu Festival Jul. 09 - Düdingen, CH - Bad Bonn Jul. 10 - Luxembourg-Bonnevoie, LU - Rotondes Jul. 11 - Bremen, DE - TOWER Musikclub Jul. 13 - Paris, FR- La Station, Gare Des Mines for Garage MU Festival Jul. 14 - Montmartin-sur-Mer, FR - Chauffer Dans La Noirceur * w/ Mudhoney NEWS : WED, MAY 15, 2019 at 6:57 AM Shannon Lay Signs To Sub Pop For The World! Now Listen To Her Karen Dalton Cover Of “Something On Your Mind” Support dates with Mikal Cronin from Nov. 08- Dec. 01. [Photo Credit: Denee Segall] Thrilled to announce that Sub Pop has signed a worldwide recording deal with transcendent folk-pop artist Shannon Lay. Pitchfork described her 2017 release Living Water as “a work of plainspoken mysticism that goes to the small, bright truth of things, showcasing her unusual songwriting and quietly commanding voice.” To celebrate this union, Lay has shared a cover of the classic Karen Dalton song “Something On Your Mind.” “This song means a lot to me,” says Lay. “The version that Karen Dalton does is a gorgeous piece of wisdom. I wanted to cover it because I believe in the message with all my heart. Life is going to knock you down and lift you up and you’ll never experience any of it unless you try. I love the idea of spreading that spirit further. If there’s something on your mind, let it out. Try even if there’s a possibility you’ll fail, you might learn something amazing about yourself.” You can listen to Shannon Lay’s cover of “Something On Your Mind” here. Shannon Lay will join as a member of Ty Segall’s Freedom Band for his upcoming Full album residencies in Los Angeles, New York, Paris, London, Berlin, and Haarlem. See Pitchfork’s news story from April 24th. Following these shows, Shannon will start an 18-date North American run opening for Mikal Cronin. These shows will have the bands performing in Portland, Vancouver, Seattle, St. Paul, Toronto, Montreal, New York, Philadelphia, Durham, Atlanta, and New Orleans, ending on December 1st in San Diego. See below for a full list of shows and stay tuned for more information on impending music from Shannon Lay. Shannon Lay Tour Dates + Ticket Links Nov. 08 - Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios* Nov. 09 - Vancouver, Canada - The Fox Cabaret* Nov. 10 - Seattle, WA - Tractor Tavern* Nov. 14 - St. Paul, MN - Turf Club* Nov. 16 - Detroit, MI - Deluxx Fluxx* Nov. 17 - Toronto, Canada - Horseshoe Tavern* Nov. 18 - Montreal, Canada - Bar Le “Ritz” P.D.B.* Nov. 19 - Allston, MA - Great Scott* Nov. 20 - New York, - Bowery Ballroom* Nov. 22 - Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts* Nov. 23 - Washington, DC - U Street Music Hall* Nov. 24 - Durham, NC - Motorco Music Hall* Nov. 25 - Atlanta, GA - The Earl* Nov. 26 - New Orleans, LA - One Eyed Jacks* Nov. 27 - Austin, TX - Barracuda* Nov. 30 - Tucson, AZ - Toole* Dec. 01 - San Diego, CA - The Casbah* * w/ Mikal Cronin NEWS : TUE, MAY 14, 2019 at 11:00 AM Preservation Hall Jazz Band’s ‘So It Is’ and ‘That’s It!’ To Be Re-Released On CD And Vinyl Worldwide On June 28th Both albums available digitally now. The legendary Preservation Hall Jazz Band will re-release So It Is and That’s It! on CD / LP worldwide June 28th through Sub Pop. You can preorder both albums now through Sub Pop Mega Mart and select independent retailers in North America, UK and Europe. Both albums are also available digitally now from Sub Pop. So It Is was originally released in 2017, and finds the classic Preservation Hall Jazz Band sound invigorated by a number of fresh influences, not least among them the band’s 2015 life-changing trip to Cuba. A visit to the island, so integral to the evolution of jazz and New Orleans culture in general, had long been in the works when President Obama’s diplomatic opening suddenly allowed for a more extensive journey than had originally seemed possible. Producer David Sitek, a founder of art rock innovators TV on the Radio who has helmed projects by Kelis, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Santigold among others, offered both a keen modern perspective and a profound respect for the band’s storied history. So It Is 1. So It Is 2. Santiago 3. Innocence 4. La Malanga 5. Convergence 6. One Hundred Fires 7. Mad Released in 2013, That’s It! is an eclectic album that draws on the collective experience of players nurtured in the New Orleans tradition but determined to build something fresh and exciting on that foundation. It marks an important milestone in PHJB Creative Director Ben Jaffe’s crusade to carry forward the Hall’s original mission while making it relevant to today’s audiences. For his part, co-producer Jim James is convinced that the PHJB has a future as vibrant as its past: “The music will speak forever,” he says. “Will people stop listening to Beethoven? Will people stop listening to Bob Dylan? Will people stop listening to the Preservation Hall Jazz Band?” 1. That’s It! 2. Dear Lord (Give Me The Strength) 4. Sugar Plum 5. Rattlin’ Bones 6. I Think I Love You 7. August Nights 8. Halfway Right 9. Halfway Wrong 10. Yellow Moon 11. The Darker It Gets 12. Emmalena’s Lullaby Preservation Hall Jazz Band Tour Dates Preservation Hall Jazz Band’s touring schedule for 2019 resumes May 16th in New Orleans at the Fillmore and currently ends with a three-night stand November 29th-December 1st in Baltimore at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. May 16 - New Orleans, LA - The Fillmore ^ Jul. 05 - Elkhorn, WI - Alpine Valley Music Theatre* Aug. 11 -San Francisco, CA - SF Jazz Center - Miner Auditorium *with Dave Matthews Band ^with Foo Fighters Recently, Preservation Hall Jazz Band released “Kreyol,” a spirited tune from “A Tuba To Cuba,” the forthcoming soundtrack to the critically acclaimed documentary directed by T.G. Herrington and Danny Clinch. The song is available now worldwide on all DSPs from Sub Pop. “A Tuba To Cuba” follows Ben Jaffe of New Orleans’ famed Preservation Hall Jazz Band as he seeks to fulfill his late father’s dream of retracing their musical roots to the shores of Cuba in search of the indigenous music that gave birth to New Orleans jazz. “A Tuba To Cuba” celebrates the triumph of the human spirit expressed through the universal language of music and challenges us to resolve to build bridges, not walls. The film is available through Amazon Video, iTunes, DirecTV, Google Play, YouTube Movies and more. Check your local service provider for additional listings. The New York Times says of the film, “This joyous, wide-ranging account of a New Orleans jazz band’s 2015 visit to Cuba is crammed with fascinating facts and toe-tickling tunes.” And the LA Times offers this, “Jaunty, at times poetic chats and drop-ins with many Big Easy and Cuban jazz artists, discussion of their music’s African lineage (the Atlantic slave trade factored in), stirring examples of native instrumentation, and pulsating performances combine with colorful, travelogue-type shots (love those old Cuban theaters) and vivid archival footage to create a vibrant and joyous portrait.” NEWS : TUE, MAY 14, 2019 at 6:57 AM Watch Yuno’s Official Video For Reworked Single “Sunlight” Yuno’s Moodie, his debut EP, is now available worldwide on Sub Pop. Yuno has directed an official video for his reworked single “Sunlight,” which is now available in its new form through all DSPs today via Sub Pop. The “Sunlight” single is an ode to joy, and it’s collage-like visual follows Yuno spending time with friends and creating music. He says of the video, “This song is about longing to be with someone you care about. I just started touring last year, and I got to meet a lot of people in person that I’ve been friends with for years. I was also far away from people I care about. I wrote this song a long time ago, but I wanted to update it and capture the feeling of how relevant it is in my life right now.” The “Sunlight” rework was co-produced by Yuno and producer Lars Stalfors (Lil Peep, HEALTH, Bob Moses, Matt and Kim). Yuno’s “Sunlight” along with his breakout single, “No Going Back,” are currently featured in the hit Netflix film, The Perfect Date (see Refinery 29 April 24th). Yuno’s Moodie, his first-ever collection of songs, is available now worldwide through Sub Pop. Moodie was written, performed, and produced by Yuno. What people are saying about Yuno: “An early entry into the race for song of the summer.” [“No Going Back”] - NPR Music “‘No Going Back” insists what we’re all thinking for the new pop wunderkind: Only forward.” [“No Going Back”, Best New Track] -Pitchfork “A masterfully written song, but instead of being polished to a bore, it feels handmade, with a fuzzy guitar solo, meaty bass, and a euphoric bounce.” [“No Going Back”] - Pigeons & Planes “Yuno’s lithe voice floats amidst the cheerful soundscape, bouncing off the plucky piano keys… the brand of sunny pop displayed on ‘No Going Back’ should earn him his own cult fanbase.” - Impose “It’s light and breezy indie-pop, with warm and bouncy synth-lines softly coloured overck with warm piano melodies and guitar solos. His vocals – fitting beautifully into the current psychedelic renaissance spearheaded by the likes of Tame Impala and Washed Out – pour out an infectious melody that’s simultaneously great fun and inflected with melancholy.” [“No Going Back”] - Indie Shuffle “Bouncy and bright…” [“No Going Back”] - Gorilla Vs. Bear. “Charming us all with its buoyant pop flair and instrumentals that sound as if they were seemingly dipped in sunshine, “No Going Back” signals Yuno’s return in a way that’s almost impossible to shake. “No Going Back” is as promising as it is optimistic.” [“No Going Back”] - The Grey Estates “Drifting digital pop casting a bittersweet spell.” [“No Going Back”] -CLASH Shannon Lay Items For Sale Shannon Lay August Loser LP / LP / CD / Cassette / Digital Shannon Lay Something On Your Mind Digital See more Shannon Lay merch	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10984
__label__wiki	0.960653	0.960653	News / UK News New Tory leader should test Brexit plan in Commons, says Prime Minister Prime Minister Theresa May walks from her aircraft with her husband, Philip, and Chancellor, Philip Hammond (left), after arriving at Osaka in Japan for the G20 summit (Stefan Rousseau/PA) Theresa May has said her successor should put their Brexit plan to the test in the Commons rather than suspend Parliament to force through a no-deal outcome. The Prime Minister’s comments came after Boris Johnson, the favourite to succeed her, declined to rule out proroguing Parliament – effectively a temporary shutdown – in order to ensure the UK leaves the European Union by the October 31 deadline. Asked whether suspending Parliament was a legitimate tactic, Mrs May said she would “hope and expect” her successor to put their proposals before the Commons. She also indicated that she would not automatically back the Brexit strategy her replacement in Number 10 chose. Prime Minister Theresa May walks down the steps of the plane with her husband, Philip, after arriving in Osaka (Stefan Rousseau/PA) Her comments came as she prepared for her final global summit as Prime Minister at the G20 in Japan. Mr Johnson has insisted he was “not attracted” to the idea of proroguing Parliament, saying he wanted deliver Brexit as a “proud representative of democracy”. But, appearing at the party’s digital hustings on Wednesday night, he warned it was essential that MPs finally acted on the 2016 referendum result and took Britain out of the EU. Proroguing Parliament would prevent MPs from blocking a no-deal Brexit, which is the legal default position on October 31 unless there is another extension or an agreement is in place. Speaking to reporters accompanying her on the trip to Osaka, Mrs May said: “What I hope and expect is that my successor will be able to put before Parliament proposals that will enable us to deliver on the vote of the British people in a way that will be good for the United Kingdom.” Asked whether she would commit to backing her successor’s plan, even if it meant a no-deal divorce from Brussels, she declined to give that guarantee. “What you are saying to me is ‘Will you now say that whatever happens in the future you’re going to agree with it?’ “Look, I think it’s important for us to deliver Brexit in a way that is good for British people. “It will be up to my successor to take this forward, to find the majority in Parliament that I was not able to find on this issue and to deliver the decision of the British people in 2016.” Asked whether she understood why Tory MPs could be prepared to vote against the Government, she acknowledged that Brexit “is an issue on which people feel strongly”. She poured cold water on the prospect of her successor managing to persuade Brussels to jettison the contentious backstop proposal, the insurance measure aimed at preventing a hard border with Ireland in any circumstances. Both Mr Johnson and leadership rival Jeremy Hunt have said they want the backstop removed from any deal. But Mrs May said: “The EU has made its position clear.” Challenged to give a commitment not to back a no-confidence vote in her successor, she indicated that she would not take the risk of letting Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour take power. She said: “As far as I’m concerned, I believe there should be a Conservative government in the United Kingdom, because a Conservative government is better for the people of the United Kingdom.” New PM should replace net migration target with sustainable plan – report Gina Miller: Bypassing Parliament over a no-deal Brexit is beyond a PM’s powers Tory leadership	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10986
__label__wiki	0.740938	0.740938	Next: Royal Mail e-Trike Trial in Glasgow Previous: Taxi CCTV Cameras in East Kilbride. Driverless Buses in Manchester UKâ€™s first driverless bus hits the road in Manchester. Stagecoach has successfully trialled the UK’s first full-sized driverless bus on the roads of Manchester. Using multiple sensors, ultrasound technology and optical cameras, the bus made its way through Manchester roads detecting and avoiding objects. A driver was on board the bus throughout the trial. Stagecoach chief executive Martin Griffiths said: "Stagecoach was the original transport disruptor, trying new things and breaking new ground, and that has never changed. "This is an exciting project to trial autonomous technology on a full-sized bus for the first time in the UK. "Our employees are the beating heart of our business and I believe that will remain the case, but the world is changing fast, particularly where new technology is involved, and it's our job to lead the way in looking at ways to continually progress and improve our operations for the good of the many people who use our bus services every day."	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10987
__label__cc	0.661512	0.338488	2014/15 Season Ticket FAQs In this easy to understand Q&A, the club explains the key information on 2014/15 Season Tickets – now on sale for the second phase. Where can I buy a 2014/15 Season Ticket? You can renew your current Season Ticket or buy a new one online at the Sheffield Wednesday Online Shop, in person at the Owls Megastore or by telephone on 0871 900 1867. Season Tickets are now priced the same online or off. When is the Second Phase deadline? Saturday 21 June. All supporters who purchase a Season Ticket by this date are guaranteed to pay the lowest current possible prices. Can I buy a Season Ticket from 23 June? Yes, but prices will increase from this day. How long do I have to renew my current seat? All current Season Ticket holders' seats will remain on reserve until Saturday 21 June. After this date all seats unsold will be released and made available for general sale. Supporters can pay at the time of purchase or by instalments via our credit options. For this phase of sale, we are offering a no interest direct debit payment option with administration fee over a term of six months or eight months. The administration fee has been reduced to £24 for the eight month option and £20 for the six month option. Supporters should note that they have until Saturday 21 June to take advantage of the Zebra Finance offer. Supporters who purchase online via the finance scheme will have the eight month option available only. Those who wish to take up the six month payment option must do so by visiting the Ticket Office in person or by contacting by telephone. The club also offers a nine month interest free credit period when paying with the Owls MasterCard. Unfortunately, we cannot accept payment by AMEX. What are the full details of the Owls MasterCard option? Applications can only be completed online at www.owlsmastercard.com. Supporters yet to apply are advised to do so in plenty of time to allow for the card to arrive. Once you have received and activated your card, you can purchase a 2014/15 Season Ticket with nine months interest free credit providing the transaction is made before 31 August. Visit www.owlsmastercard.com for more information. What is the no interest direct debit payment option? The club has again partnered with Zebra Finance to offer a no interest direct debit option with an administration fee. If a payment is missed and not paid within 14 days, the Season Ticket card may be cancelled, no entry will be allowed into the ground and no refunds will be made on payments made. The no interest payment period offered will depend on the timing of the purchase. Is there an administration fee for no interest direct debit payments? Yes, there is fee of £24 for eight months and £20 for six months per agreement on direct debit purchases to support the implementation and management of the scheme on behalf of the club. This fee must be paid via cash or credit card at the time of purchase and is non-refundable. Please note that when buying online a 'per ticket' administration fee will show during the checkout process but please be assured that only one administration fee will be charged per transaction when confirming your purchase. Please also note that only the eight month option is available online. What happens if I choose to pay on the no interest direct debit option? You need to complete your purchase online or in the Owls Megastore and pay the applicable administration fee when making the purchase. Your application will then be forwarded to Zebra Finance who may conduct a credit check on supporters who have not previously held an account with Zebra Finance. Successful applicants will then receive a credit agreement from Zebra Finance, which you must complete and return to Zebra Finance immediately - please note that any agreements that Zebra Finance do not receive by Saturday 28 June will be cancelled. Once Zebra Finance confirm your direct debit is active and your first payment has been made, the club will confirm your Season Ticket sale and arrange delivery of your card. What happens if I miss a payment? Zebra Finance will contact you to arrange an alternative form of payment. If you are unable to pay within 14 days, your Season Ticket card may be cancelled and no refunds will be due. Your card cannot at this point be reactivated. Prior to this, our partners will always attempt to call you and send you a letter to advise that your payment has failed and how to make an alternative payment. Can I pay off the amount borrowed at any time in full? Yes. This can be done by contacting Zebra Finance to make the necessary arrangements. There is no charge for paying off any outstanding balance early. What are the various cut-off points for concessionary tickets? Children must be within the given age bracket (under 11, or Under 17) on 9 August 2014. Senior citizens must have reached their 65th birthday by 9 August 2014. Current Season Ticket holders who are aged between 63 and 64 and purchased a full senior concession ticket for the 2013/14 season will continue to be eligible for the senior rate for the 2014/15 season - such supporters are asked to contact the Ticket Office, who will assist you with your transaction at the seniors rate (this is not available online). Young Adults must be aged between 17 and 20 on 9 August 2014 to be eligible for the new Young Adult discount. Full time students, Armed Forces and disabled supporters are eligible for our discounted concession Season Tickets. Supporters purchasing a concession Season Ticket must remain in the category throughout the season as proof of concession will be subject to random checks on matchdays. If your status should change mid-season, you will need to visit the Ticket Office to upgrade your Season Ticket. If a supporter who is a Concession Season Ticket holder cannot prove their eligibility at any requested time, their Season Ticket will be cancelled with no refund given. What forms of ID do I need to claim my concessionary tickets? You will be required to provide proof of eligibility in the form of one piece of photographic ID (passport, driving licence card, bus pass, NUS card) and confirmation of eligibility such as: • Age concessions - birth certificate • Armed Forces - forces card • Existing full time students – letter from your university/college outlining you are studying full time or an NUS card which states the same. • Applying students - offer letter from college or university. • Disabled supporters – copy of the Disability Living Allowance letter If my circumstances change and I become eligible for a concession category, can I get a refund? Season Tickets are non-refundable and as such no discounts will be given for supporters who change category. How do I become verified for a concession Season Ticket? - Visit the Ticket Office with the relevant proof of concession as listed above. - Email your proof of eligibility to ticketoffice@swfc.co.uk. We will then amend your account so you can access concession prices online and in-store. You will receive email confirmation once your account has been updated and you can then purchase your Season Ticket. How are disabled Season Tickets priced for 2014/15? Ambulant disabled supporters will pay the applicable the concession price in the respective stand they choose. Wheelchair supporters will be housed within the North Stand disabled area and will pay the Kop concession price. Disabled supporters will continue to receive free entry for a carer if claiming mid to high rate DLA for care. Junior disabled supporters will pay the relevant junior concession prices for their respective stand. How do I renew my disabled Season Ticket? Disabled Season Tickets can be purchased from the Ticket Office at any time during our advertised opening hours. Proof of eligibility will be required to process your order. Why have we removed the free under 8s Season Tickets? After careful consideration and research into the use of the free under 8s Season Tickets, the club has made the decision to remove the complimentary tickets. It was established that at least 25 per cent of these tickets have never been used and in the vast majority of instances, used infrequently. This had led to many empty seats within prime locations of the stadium, which in turn caused frustration amongst fellow supporters trying to buy those tickets. However, we have now extended the concession rate to under 11s and priced this bracket the same in all home stands at £75, which equates to just £3.26 per game. Why have we added the 17 to 20 Young Adult category? The club have noted that following the age of 17, there is a tangible drop in Season Ticket holders aged 18 and above and have therefore introduced a new category to help this age group attend games by offering the extended concession. This will aid a difficult transition period and save supporters in these bracket significant sums of money over a three-year period. What confirmation will I receive once I book my Season Ticket? If you book online, you will receive email confirmation. Supporters who book in the Ticket Office will be issued with a receipt and those who book by telephone will have their receipt sent out by post. Will I receive a new Season Ticket card or should I continue to use my current card? This is to be confirmed and supporters will be informed via the club’s official website and social media channels. Owls MasterCard information You can purchase your 2014/15 Season Ticket with the Owls MasterCard and spread the cost with their best ever offer, 0% for nine months on Season Ticket purchases of £220 or more before 31 March 2014. Representative Example. Standard Purchases: 18.9% p.a. variable. Total amount of credit: £1200. Representative APR: 18.9% variable. This is for illustrative purposes only and actual total amount of credit may differ. Subject to status. Applicants for credit must be aged 18 or over and UK resident. The Owls MasterCard is issued by Sygma Bank UK, a Creation Group Company, Chadwick House, Blenheim Court, Solihull B97 2AA. For full details, visit www.owlsmastercard.com.	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10991
__label__cc	0.622975	0.377025	5G Uncovered Amazon Prime Day UK Project Scarlett Samsung Galaxy Note 10 could have a very versatile camera By James Rogerson 2019-06-20T08:55:30Z Mobile phones One lens, three apertures The Galaxy Note 9. Image credit: TechRadar The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 and Galaxy S10 both have a camera lens that can do something most rivals can’t. Namely, it can shift between two different apertures, but for the Galaxy Note 10, Samsung might up that to three apertures. That's according to @UniverseIce (a reputable leaker) citing "Samsung China engineers." Apparently, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 will have a single lens that’s able to switch between f/1.5, f/1.8 and f/2.4. Two of those are the same as we’ve seen on previous Samsung phones with a variable aperture, but the f/1.8 stage is new. Read our full Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus review The iPhone 11 will be a major rival Lots of 5G phones are landing More apertures means more options Aperture refers to how large the lens opening is and therefore how much light gets in. For night photography and other dark scenes you want to let a lot of light in, but for well-lit scenes it can be advantageous to let less in. Aperture also affects the depth of field, so adjusting it can affect how much of a shot is in focus. Generally more is better of course, but for things like portrait shots you might want to blur out the background. So in short, having a lens with three different apertures can potentially be almost as useful as having three different lenses. But the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 is unlikely to be limited to one lens. Current rumors point to it having either three or four lenses, so if one of those also has three different apertures you can start to see how many photography options you might have to play with. Of course, all of this is just rumors for now so we’d take it with a pinch of salt, but the three-stage variable aperture claim comes from a reliable source, and it’s a claim that makes sense, since Samsung has been using its dual-aperture trick for a while now, so it’s about time the company improved on it. The Samsung Galaxy Fold might finally be ready to launch Want a Note now? Discover today's best Samsung Note 9 deals The best Amazon Prime Day deals 2019: UK Edition	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10993
__label__cc	0.55254	0.44746	techUK Comments on David Davis' Brexit Speech in Vienna Harri Turnbull(techUK) techUK techUK Tuesday20Feb 2018 Commitment to maintaining regulatory standards welcome but businesses eager for more detail and practical progress Responding to David Davis’ speech today in Vienna, Antony Walker, techUK deputy CEO, said: “We welcome David Davis’ commitment to maintaining high regulatory standards after the UK's departure from the EU. Tech businesses have been clear that they want the UK to maintain parity with the EU in key areas like data protection and electronic standards. It is in the interests of both tech businesses and their consumers that the UK maintains high regulatory standards after Brexit. Being aligned with the EU in these key areas will be essential for enabling UK firms to trade and compete fairly for business across Europe." “To influence future rule setting by the EU, the UK is going to have to lead by example. That means demonstrating that we are getting the balance right in terms of regulatory approaches that build trust and support innovation. The creation of the new Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation is a good example of where the UK is forward looking and engaging in the global conversation on how the use of new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) should be governed. “It is encouraging to see the Secretary of State recognise the benefits of continued cooperation with the EU on regulation and that he will be seeking ongoing involvement for UK regulators based on a strong commitment to maintaining high standards. However, delivery of his agenda will require realism on the practical compromises that will need to be struck with the EU. It remains hard to see how we can maintain full cooperation on regulations and standards without some mechanism to engage with the European Court of Justice. This is a welcome speech, but businesses are eager to see more detail and practical progress.” Antony Walker Deputy CEO E This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. NCSC release annual report: Active Cyber Defence – The Second Year... Voting open for the most influential woman in UK technology 2019... Data Centre Programme Overview, Quarter 2 2019... Science and Technology Committee releases report on Digital Government... Welcome to techUK's Cloud Week!... HMICFRS The State of Policing Report released... EU invests €50 million to create network of AI Excellence Centres... New European Parliament, old issues for tech... ECJ hears case which could upend international data transfer rules... Modern slavery reporting could be strengthened by new rules... Proposals for a Digital Services Tax in the draft Finance Bill... techUK Member Survey 2019... Mapping Data Centre Standards... Attitudes to Data Centre Standards: Survey Results published... New Cyber Security Technician Apprenticeship Standard... Environment Audit Committee opens inquiry into e-waste... Nominations now OPEN to join techUK’s Local Public Services Committee... Early Tech Career Network: Cyber Security Summer event...	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10994
__label__wiki	0.980965	0.980965	Lyra McKee: ‘A journalist of courage, style and integrity’ \| UK News Lyra McKee has been described as a journalist of courage, style and integrity – traits that saw her take to the streets on Thursday night to witness the unrest in Londonderry. Shortly after tweeting a photo of the disturbances in Creggan, she was fatally shot by a gunman believed to be part of the New IRA, a dissident republican group. Born and raised in Belfast, she spent her early years living on Cliftonville Road – an area of the city that saw a large number of casualties during the Troubles. Police believe New IRA behind murder As a rising star in journalism, she extensively covered the Northern Irish conflict and its legacy. But she rose to prominence following a 2014 blog called Letter To My 14-Year-Old Self in which she spoke about the struggle of growing up gay in Belfast. It was later turned into a short film. In the years that followed, she became a published author with Angels With Blue Faces – a non-fiction novella about the cold case murder of the Rev Robert Bradford, the MP for South Belfast. ‘Masked gunman fired indiscriminately’ In 2016, Forbes Magazine named her one of their “30 under 30 in media”. The 29-year-old recently signed a two-book deal with Faber & Faber, and the first book, The Lost Boys, was due for release next year. It is understood Ms McKee had recently moved to Derry to live with her partner while continuing her role as an editor for the California-based news site Mediagazer. The scene of unrest in Creggan Michelle Stanistreet, National Union of Journalists (NUJ) general secretary, said Ms McKee was one of the most promising journalists in Northern Ireland. She said: “A young, vibrant life has been destroyed in a senseless act of violence. “A bright light has been quenched and that plunges all of us in to darkness.” A PSNI officer conducts a search after shots were fired Fellow journalist Peter McGuire said Ms McKee was a “gifted writer, a kind person and SO generous with her time and knowledge”. He tweeted: “So young – horrific & heartbreaking news from Derry tonight.” Seamus Dooley, Irish secretary of the National Union of Journalists, wrote: “Shocked by news that woman shot dead in Derry last night has been named locally as @NUJofficial Lyra McKee. “We are shocked by killing of a journalist of courage, style and integrity. Sympathy to her partner, family and many friends.” Nancy Pelosi pays tribute to journalist Lilly Dancyger, a New York-based editor at digital publication Narratively, said Ms McKee was “dedicated to covering the lasting trauma & violence of the Troubles”. “Devastating to hear she was killed tonight by that same violence,” she tweeted. Extinction Rebellion: Mood ‘shifts’ in Oxford Circus as police carry away protesters \| UK News Killing Eve’s Jodie Comer: ‘A fan asked me to strangle her’ \| Ents & Arts News Featured54 mins ago Technology1 hour ago Business1 hour ago Save $50 on an Amazon microwave with a free Echo Dot Get a Sky Zone x Vuly trampoline for $299 at Walmart	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line10997
__label__wiki	0.891523	0.891523	© Richard Smith Foundation Richard Smith 1931–2016 Object: 2019 x 5290 x 800 mm 1963 was a year of great innovation for Smith that culminated in his show at the Kasmin Gallery, London. Drawing on both painterly American abstraction and Pop Art, he continued to make large, billboard-like paintings which had a popular, everyday subject and explored the impact of advertising and the media. However, he also began to experiment with the conventions of painting, challenging both its rectangular format and its flatness. In a work such as Vista (Tate T00855), a shaped extension was added to the two-dimensional canvas. In Giftwrap and Piano (Tate T002003) the extensions became three-dimensional. In an interview of 1966 he stated: 'in Fleetwood, as in Pagoda or Vista, for instance, with these rectangular-canvas-plus-extensions, I felt that there could be another kind of amplification: three-dimensional, which would then enter the real world [and] come out into the spectators space.'(Quoted in Robertson p.12.) At this time Smith was fascinated with packaging. In an interview he stated: 'The carton is an incessant theme in present day civilisation everything comes in boxes.'(Quoted in Robertson p.12.) For Smith the most ubiquitous of boxes was the cigarette pack, and in 1962 he had made a film called Trailer which consisted of close-ups of cigarette packets, repeated and seen from different angles. The imagery of the film was the inspiration for many of the works Smith painted in 1963. In the majority an originally small packet is blown up to monumental proportions. Giftwrap is over five metres long and suggests the scale of an advertising hoarding. The title and image are a direct reference to the now discontinued Philip Morris cigarette pack, which incorporated a red oval motif with a segment cut out of it. In an unpublished Tate interview, Smith recalled that it was the only American cigarette pack readily available in British tobacconists and it was the brand that he himself smoked at the time. It thus expresses some of his deep pre-occupation with America and American things (in 1964 he was to emigrate to the United States). In Giftwrap, two three-dimensional boxes burst out of the two-dimensional surface. Painted to resemble cigarette packs, the canvas box constructions rupture painting's conventional flatness, breaking into the real space of the gallery. Giftwrap, like Piano, was made in Smith's Bath Street studio in London. First making small maquettes out of cardboard boxes from Windsor and Newton oil colours, he then preceded directly to the construction stage without producing drawings. Each work was made of two parts bolted together and then painted in bright artificial colours. Considering the sculptural quality of the works, Smith stated: 'There is something unnerving about a bulky thing that is suspended on the wall: it can fall. A bulky thing that is on the floor is something that's in the way It was like having a sofa over the mantle piece'(Quoted in Smith p.2). However, despite the fact that Smith spoke of Giftwrap and Piano in apparently sculptural terms, he emphasised their importance as paintings: 'Since I have always retained a wall, there is no question of a multifaceted sculptural object.'(Quoted in Robertson p.13.) Smith was never to go as far as producing completely free standing sculptures, but rather explored the ambiguous area between painting and sculpture, the real and the illusory, thus challenging the conventions of painting. David Mellor, The Sixties Art Scene in London, exhibition catalogue, Barbican Art Gallery, London 1993, pp.124-128, reproduced (colour) p.128 Marco Livingstone, Pop Art: A Continuing History, London 1990, pp.109-111, reproduced (colour) p.100 Bryan Robertson, Richard Smith Paintings 1958-1966, exhibition catalogue, Whitechapel Art Gallery, London 1966 Richard Smith, Richard Smith, exhibition catalogue, British Pavilion, Venice Biennale, British Council, London 1966 Imogen Cornwall-Jones T02004 GIFT WRAP 1963 Not inscribed Oil on canvas in three sections, overall dimensions 79 1/8×208 13/16×31 3/4 (202×529×80) Purchased from the Peter Stuyvesant Foundation Ltd (Knapping Fund) 1975 Coll: Kasmin Ltd; Peter Stuyvesant Foundation Exh: Richard Smith, Kasmin Ltd., November–December 1963 (unnumbered, repr. on exhibition announcement); Nieuwe Realisten, Haags Gementemuseum, The Hague, June–August 1964 (136, repr. p.41); 5 Young British Artists, XXXIII Venice Biennale, June–October 1966 (British Pavilion 26, repr.); Richard Smith, Jewish Museum, New York, March–May 1968 (4, repr. in colour); Richard Smith, British Pavilion, XXXV Venice Biennale, June–October 1970 (repr., incorrectly dated 1966); Richard Smith: Seven Exhibitions 1961–75, Tate Gallery, August– September 1975 (14, repr. p.51) Lit: Pierre Rouve, ‘Smith and Space’, Arts Review, XV, 16 November 1963, p.8, repr. Norbert Lynton ‘American Pop Art and Richard Smith’, London Letter, Art International, VIII, 1, 1964, pp.42–3; Jules Goddard 'Richard Smith; Isis, 7 March 1964, pp.16, 17; Lucy R. Lippard ‘Richard Smith; Conversations with the artist’, Art International, VIII, 9, 1964, pp.31–4, repr. p.33; Cyril Barrett, SJ., ‘Richard Smith: Sculptor or Painter?’, Art International, XI, 8, 1967, pp.35–8, repr. p.37 ‘Gift Wrap’ was made at the same time as ‘Piano’ and for a general commentary on the construction and sources of these works see under T02003. The title and image of ‘Gift Wrap’ are a direct reference to the Philip Morris cigarette pack, now discontinued, which had a red oval motif with a segment cut out. Smith remembered (conversation with the compiler 15 July 1976) that it was the only American cigarette readily available at any tobacconist in Britain, and that it was the brand that he smoked at that time. In 1959 he had won a Harkness Fellowship to travel in the United States and spent the next two years there. He returned to Britain in 1961 and taught painting at St Martins School of Art, London, until the end of the summer term in 1963. At the very beginning of 1964 he moved back to New York, emigrating this time. The use and immortalisation of an American cigarette packet (two giant packs in the work) expressed some of his deep pre-occupation with America and things American. Like ‘Piano’, ‘Gift Wrap’ demonstrates Smith's interest in the depiction both of the physical shape of boxes and in the use and meaning of their image. ‘The carton is an incessant theme in present-day civilisation: shops are full of boxes and you see these before you see the goods; they practically stand in for the goods-it is not just a question of labelling and depiction. Everything comes in boxes: you buy boxes when you are shopping, you do not buy visible goods; you don't buy cigarettes, only cartons’ (Dialogue with the artist in Whitechapel Art Gallery Richard Smith catalogue, 1966). The link with advertising material is emphasised by the scale of this work. ‘Gift Wrap’, even more than ‘Piano’, is of billboard scale, being over seventeen feet long and more than six feet high. The work also uses the play between real and depicted shadow, itself part of the illusionism which Smith had been developing in the two-dimensional works of the same year (‘Pagoda’, ‘Staggerlee’, ‘Vista’, and ‘Fleetwood’) and in the other three-dimensional canvases (‘Piano’, ‘Surfacing’ and ‘Re-Place’). The Tate Gallery 1974-6: Illustrated Catalogue of Acquisitions, London 1978 British Pop cigarette packet(18) consumerism(103) lifestyle and culture(10,262) advertising(537) abstraction(9,920) non-representational(6,739) colour(2,502) geometric(3,113) from recognisable sources(4,525) man-made(1,029) Richard Smith Panatella Richard Smith Vista Richard Smith Riverfall Richard Smith Piano Richard Smith Triangular Richard Smith Early Reply On display at Tate Modern part of Materials and Objects Richard Smith K. Magenta Richard Smith Slot Machine Richard Smith Proscenium Richard Smith Mandarino Richard Smith PM Zoom Richard Smith VII Richard Smith Painting Richard Smith Untitled Richard Smith Edward Gordon Craig I	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line11006
__label__wiki	0.975424	0.975424	Garvin ready for Quanah to bounce back in his first season as coach Quanah was better than its 1-9 record indicated last year, and new coach Matt Garvin is optimistic the Indians can return to their winning ways. Garvin ready for Quanah to bounce back in his first season as coach Quanah was better than its 1-9 record indicated last year, and new coach Matt Garvin is optimistic the Indians can return to their winning ways. Check out this story on timesrecordnews.com: https://wtrne.ws/2BvTv4c Zach Duncan, Wichita Falls Times Record News Published 5:50 p.m. CT Aug. 21, 2018 \| Updated 5:56 p.m. CT Aug. 21, 2018 Quanah's Trey Gomez (5) returns for Matt Garvin's first year as head coach.(Photo: Richard Cleaver/For the Times Record News)Buy Photo Every time Matt Garvin has arrived at a new school during his coaching career, he follows the same ritual in reviewing the previous season. Garvin will study the first halves of every game, then wait a few weeks and intently watch the second halves. Why? He doesn’t have a reason for his formula, but if Garvin hadn’t gotten around to watching the third and fourth quarters on Quanah’s 2017 season, he would’ve had the impression it was a .500 team. But the second halves were unkind to the Indians in David Fambrough’s final season. Poor third quarters were the culprit in September and multiple fourth-quarter leads were blown in district. “It was like they were two different teams,” Garvin said. “In a couple games, they had some very bad breaks. They’d have a fumble or the football bounced the wrong way. “We’ve gone to work on how we can change that this year. Ball security has been a big emphasis and we’re working hard to make sure we’re in shape for the second half.” Garvin knows his first head coaching job isn’t coming at a place where a 1-9 record is common – it’s been 40 years since Quanah last finished with a lone win. And he knows the Indians were a competitive side despite their struggles. While a seven-year postseason streak was snapped, Garvin expects to get a new one started in a few months. New Quanah coach Matt Garvin (Photo: Courtesy) “There’s so much tradition and history here,” Garvin said. “And if you saw how many people were watching our first couple practices, you’d know football matters in Quanah. They want to see good, hard-nosed, disciplined football.” The Indians are tweaking their defense to a 4-2-5, but the biggest changes will happen on the offensive side. Instead of a power-based running game that developed under the previous regime, Quanah now will line up in the gun with four receivers and throw it more than the 11.5 passes it averaged in 2017. More:Breaking down Wichita Falls area coaching changes More:Munday finds another option on offense “I’m the new guy in town, everybody’s excited,” Garvin said. “The newness is going to wear off a little bit, but I’ve been most impressed with their enthusiasm.” Garvin expects the offensive line to be the backbone of the unit with junior right tackle Aaron Longoria and left tackle Ryan Alaniz bookending the group. Trey Gomez and Colton Tole will get looks at tailback, while Garvin is “really fired up about” receivers JT Boyd, Jordan Wood and Braden Thomas. Senior Clayton Laughery has played some quarterback in the past – he threw 41 passes last year – and has impressed his coach so far. “I couldn’t ask for a better guy to have. He’s a tall kid, fast, has all the tools,” Garvin said. “I don’t see any reason why he can’t be a standout. We’re going to throw it more, get guys the football in space.” 2018 Quanah Indians (Photo: Courtesy) The defense returns three first-team all-district selections with Longoria, Gomez and Alaniz, who is coming off a 122-tackle junior campaign. But there will be some movement as Gomez drops to middle linebacker and Alaniz moves up to a hybrid defensive end. Wood and Boyd will start at cornerback, while Troy Conner has impressed at safety. EXTRA POINT Quanah was outscored 36-0 in the fourth quarter of its first four district losses last year. In the other three quarters, the Indians outscored Petrolia, Haskell, Archer City and Electra by two points (61-59). QUANAH INDIANS Head Coach: Matt Garvin (first year) Last year’s record: 1-9 Returning starters: 5 offense, 5 defense Base offense/defense: Gun/4-2-5 Last playoff appearance: 2016 (Lost to Muenster in bi-district) Last district title: 2015 Aug. 31 vs. Haskell 7 p.m. Sept. 7 vs. Seymour 7 p.m. Sept. 21 vs. Ralls (H) 7 p.m. Sept. 28 at Archer City 7 p.m. Oct. 5 at Olney 7 p.m. Oct. 12 vs. Wellington* 7 p.m. Oct. 19 at Memphis* 7 p.m. Oct. 26 vs. Munday* 7 p.m. Nov. 2 at Wheeler* 7 p.m. Nov. 9 vs. Shamrock* 7 p.m. PLAYER TO WATCH: T/DL Aaron Longoria (Jr,) – The 260-pound lineman has started since he was a freshman and his group’s physicality will be key in a potential turnaround. GAME TO WATCH: Aug. 31 vs. Haskell – Matt Garvin’s debut as Quanah’s head coach comes against a team the Indians blew a late lead to last year so this can prove to be an important measuring stick.	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line11010
__label__cc	0.695135	0.304865	The Buhner Protocol for Lyme disease A holistic do-it-yourself or antibiotic complementary treatment protocol for Lyme disease Updated version to be released in Fall 2015 The Buhner protocol is a holistic, do-it-yourself Lyme disease treatment protocol developed by master herbalist Stephen Harrod Buhner. The core protocol itself uses 3 herbs and employs 5 points of philosophy for treating Lyme disease. In order of their importance, the 5 main points of philosophy are: Support the collagen structures of the body in order to halt the damage the Lyme bacteria causes Restore and support the immune system so that it can ultimately fight off the Lyme bacteria itself Stop inflammation in order to reduce symptoms and prevent further bodily damage Address and treat the symptoms caused by the Lyme bacteria to restore quality of life As a last priority for treating Lyme disease, if warranted, kill the Lyme bacteria Success rate and buhner protocol complements The Buhner protocol employs 3 herbs to heal from Lyme disease with a success rate (i.e., those who say they feel cured) reported back to Stephen Buhner of about 75%. These patients expanded upon the core Buhner protocol and addressed symptoms. 15% experienced a great reduction in most symptoms, if not, all symptoms. 5% reported a little help from the Buhner protocol while the remaining 5% reported no help from the Buhner protocol at all. While Stephen Buhner himself doesn’t condone the use of biofilm dissolvers, patients have reported the Buhner protocol to be much more effective when a biofilm dissolver was added such as lumbrokinase. The Buhner protocol can be used with antibiotics, which "will increase the positive outcomes from antibiotics considerably", or as a stand alone treatment protocol for Lyme disease. Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt, MD also uses the herbs from the Buhner protocol as part of his treatment protocol for Lyme disease. At the recommendation of Stephen Buhner, Dr. Klinghardt suggests that some 80% of people with Lyme disease don’t get better until a condition know as kyptopyrroluria (KPU) is addressed. Addressing coinfections and the duration for healing Stephen Buhner says that a person with chronic Lyme disease should know in about a month’s time whether or not the Buhner protocol is working for them, and that progress is linear. It takes about 8-12 months to make a complete recovery from Lyme disease on the Buhner protocol, but those who have severe cases of the Lyme disease may need more time. People who aren’t finding much success with the Buhner protocol for Lyme disease should seriously consider the possibility of coinfections on top of the Lyme infection. Stephen Buhner has also developed holistic treatment protocols for several co-infections and the information for these treatment protocols can be found in his books: Bartonella and Mycoplasma holistic treatment protocols can be found in Stephen Buhner’s book “Healing Lyme Disease Coinfections: Complementary And Holistic Treatments For Bartonella and Mycoplasma”. Babesia, Anaplasma, and Ehrlichia holistic treatment protocols can be found in Stephen Buhner’s book “Natural Treatment For Lyme Coinfections”. Chlamydia and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever holistic treatment protocols can be found in Stephen Buhner’s yet to be released book “Healing Lyme: Natural Healing of Lyme Borreliosis and the Coinfections Chlamydia and Spotted Fever Rickettsiosis, 2nd Edition”. How to start and use the Buhner Protocol Starting the Buhner protocol can be done within a day of deciding to do so as most health food stores carry Cat's Claw and Herb Pharm Eluthero. Here are the tools you’ll need to start the core Buhner protocol: The 3 herbs Cat’s Claw, Japanese Knotweed, and Herb Pharm Eluthero. Stephen Buhner’s book “Healing Lyme”, but be prepared for the updated and revised version of this book which is due out in the Fall of 2015. In “Healing Lyme”, you’ll find all the information you'll need about the herbs used for the Buhner protocol as well as their dosing, treating the symptoms caused by Lyme, practitioners who treat Lyme disease with the Buhner protocol, and a detailed elaboration of the Buhner Protocol's 5 points of philosophy for treating Lyme. Expanding the core Buhner protocol [optional] and support The core Buhner protocol consists of just 3 herbs for treating Lyme disease, however, treating co-infections and addressing symptoms will expand the Buhner protocol. Expanding the core Buhner protocol is really optional for treating Lyme disease, but in some cases, expanding the Buhner protocol and addressing co-infections and certain symptoms may be needed to make a complete recovery. Support for the Buhner protocol can be found on Stephen Buhner’s website where he answers questions about treating Lyme disease and co-infections. Also, sparks notes taken by Scott Forsgren of betterhealthguy.com of Stephen Buhner's Lyme conference in Sturbridge, Massachusetts in 2013 possess a wealth of Stephen Buhner's knowledge. You can also read Tired of Lyme's exclusive interview with Stephen Buhner. "Buhner Healing Lyme Frequently Asked Questions." Buhner Healing Lyme. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Sept. 2015.	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line11011
__label__wiki	0.949926	0.949926	Shocker: Depressions Spawn Fascism Something close to 8% of Greek voters cast their ballots for a neo-Nazi party on Sunday. The party's supporters, routinely seen intimidating immigrants in run-down parts of the capital, wear black shirts, and its emblems resemble Nazi insignia. But [party leader Nichalaos] Michaloliakos has rejected the neo-Nazi label widely used for his party, stressing that it is staunchly nationalist. Referring to immigrants, Golden Dawn's campaign slogan in television ads was "let's rid this country of the stench". Javad Aslan, a spokesman for Greece's Pakistani immigrant community, urged other political parties to work together to isolate Golden Dawn. "This is dangerous for everyone who is living in Greece," Aslan said. "This [result is] unbelievable for me. It is very serious, very dangerous. I can never believe a political party that comes with knives and bars against us, that hurts people and puts them in hospital." Golden Dawn says Greece should reject its bailout commitments and write off its debt. "No one should fear me if they are a good Greek citizen. If they are traitors – I don't know," Michaloliakos said. Flanked by two muscly aides, he later told a news conference: "Those who betray this country – it's time for them to be afraid. We are coming." He did not elaborate, but added: "We will fight to free Greece from the global loan sharks, for a Greece of dignity and independence, and for a Greece that is not a social jungle with all these millions of illegal immigrants that were brought here." Communists and neo-Communists also ran strongly in Greece. In the first round of the French presidential election two weeks ago, extremist parties of the left and right together won a larger share of the vote than the ultimate second-round winner, the socialist Francois Hollande. As yet, Spain is untroubled by neofascism. But with 50% of young people unemployed, Spanish political stability looks like another big question mark.	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line11018
__label__wiki	0.950561	0.950561	Nation/World News More than a century of Independent Journalism Rep. Ilhan Omar says Trump’s anti-Islam remarks inspire attacks like New Zealand shooting In this March 23, 2019, photo, Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., speaks at a dinner banquet, part of a fundraising event for the Council of American-Islamic Relations of Greater Los Angeles at the Hilton hotel in Woodland Hills, Calif. Hundreds of protesters rallied outside the event where the congresswoman spoke to the Muslim-American civil rights group. Omar has drawn criticism for her recent remarks on Israel, including comments that American supporters of Israel are pushing people to have 'allegiance to a foreign country.' Omar later apologized. (Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times via AP) By Michael Finnegan, Los Angles Times LOS ANGELES — Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, one of the first two Muslim women in Congress, accused President Donald Trump on Saturday of inciting hatred of Islam and inspiring attacks like the killing of 50 people last weekend in a mass shooting at mosques in New Zealand. In a speech to a packed hotel ballroom at a Muslim civil-rights banquet in Los Angeles, the newly elected Democratic congresswoman said the New Zealand attack by a white supremacist fit a pattern of threats and assaults at American mosques and schools. “We all kind of knew that this was happening,” she said. “But the reason I think that many of us knew that this was going to get worse is that we finally had a leader in the White House who publicly says Islam hates us, who fuels hate against Muslims, who thinks it is OK to speak about a faith and a whole community in a way that is dehumanizing, vilifying.” Trump, she told the crowd, “doesn’t understand, or at least makes us want to think that he doesn’t understand, the consequence that his words might have. Some people like me know that he understands the consequences. He knows that there are people that he can influence to threaten our lives, to diminish our presence.” White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said last week that it was outrageous to suggest Trump had any responsibility for the New Zealand shooting. Omar’s speech at the Council on American-Islamic Relations dinner sparked a protest hours earlier of more than 100 people outside the hotel. Police closed a stretch of Canoga Avenue, and uniformed officers stood watch over demonstrators waving Israeli and U.S. flags and calling Omar an anti-Semite. Several of them marched with an enlarged photo of Omar, a Somali immigrant, with a swastika over her face and the slogan: “Your Hate Makes Us Stronger.” Recent comments by Omar that many criticized as anti-Semitic led the House to pass a resolution condemning hate speech. She’d said that pro-Israel advocates “push for allegiance to a foreign country,” and she’d apologized for suggesting money was the source of Israel’s influence in Washington. The turmoil led Trump to claim that Democrats oppose Israel and Jews. Omar was applauded enthusiastically by the crowd at the banquet. Faisa Mohamud, a pharmacy technician from nearby Bellflower who is also a Somali immigrant, said she agreed with Omar’s comments on Trump. “When you are a leader of a country, you shouldn’t be downgrading some people and uplifting other people,” she said. In her remarks, Omar mocked the protesters. “There are thoroughly fascinating people outside who for so many years have spoken about an Islam that is oppressive, an Islam that lessens and isolates its women, and today they gather outside to protest a Muslim woman who is in Congress,” she said. “The irony in that is very entertaining to me. “I don’t think many of them realize that people like myself, and many of the people in this room, could care less about what they have to say, because we know who we are, and where we belong, and what we stand for,” she added. Omar, who wrote a column in The Washington Post last week backing a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, referred only elliptically to the uproar over her comments on Israel. She said Muhammad had stones and fruit and other objects thrown at him, so “you know that when Ilhan is facing some controversy, that that is not to be afraid of.” Loading comment count... 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__label__wiki	0.781913	0.781913	Why it’s time your business took IGTV seriously Sedge Beswick By Sedge Beswick-24 April 2019 09:27am Sedge Beswick is the Managing Director of SEEN Connects, an innovative, global influencer and social marketing agency, which was founded by Sedge Beswick (previously of Red Bull, Three UK and ASOS) in 2016. Connects is known for its progressive, creative and value-driven approach to influencer marketing. Everything Connects does is focused on delivering authentic and innovative campaigns for diverse and interesting clients, in partnership with an unrivalled community of highly engaged influencers. Just some of the brands currently among Connects’ ever-growing client list are: Nike, Jo Malone London, Jack Daniel’s, Shop Direct Group and Instagram. Connects is focused on empowering businesses to harness their social media presence in order to create meaningful consumer connections. Through strategic and investigative methods, Connects supports a multitude of diverse brands by creating social content that is authentic and genuine to each brand, in line with sourcing influencers who will represent these brands organically and responsibly. Sedge is endlessly passionate about education and shaping the way students learn about her industry – has written the social media syllabus for three UK universities, as well as guest lecturing at London College of Fashion, Nottingham, Nottingham Trent Uni, Man Met and Saint Martins. It’s now been 10 months since Instagram launched its long-form video feature ‘IGTV’ in a bid to “change the video landscape forever”. Instagram talked a big game when they initially launched the feature, but since launching the platform have faced a significant lack of momentum for the channel addition they hoped would ensure their platform rivalled giants like YouTube in the long-form video social space. IGTV is long-form because videos can be up to 60 minutes long, and the channel itself is designed for how we actually use our phones, meaning everything is portrait-orientated video – how 94% of us view video on mobile. IGTV was also the first feature to be fully monetized by Instagram, meaning it’s fair to say they backed this as a huge platform development. After IGTV’s initial launch came the usual frenzy of brands wanting to innovatively be the first ones on the scene to utilize the channel, but in the months following came a surprising plateau in activity. While influencers and editorials became the figures really owning Instagram’s latest feature, significant brand activity seemed to drop off and as a result there were murmurs throughout the industry that IGTV had never really taken off, or been the game-changing platform attribute it was expected to be. Influencers Are The IGTV Experts In the absence of willingness from brands to commit to full social strategies on IGTV, influencers and editorials have capitalized on it as a place to create richer content around their existing platforms, breathing a new air of authenticity into their online personas. This has especially been the case for those who don’t already have existing presence on YouTube, and want to focus their efforts on utilising Instagram as their primary platform for both content and business strategies. The content creators who have seized IGTV as an opportunity to expand their social repertoire are seeing significantly higher engagement rates, compared to the rest of the content they are producing. It is unclear whether this is to do with Instagram’s control of IGTV’s algorithm, in a potential bid to boost the channel, or perhaps simply because the channel is less saturated and therefore easier to stand out on. StyleLobster, an emergent tier influencer with an Instagram following of around 50k, has at times racked up to 1m+ views on her IGTV videos (now deleted due to such significant attention), mostly due to her early adoption of the platform and her eagerness to capitalise on an opportunity that could expand her existing social network. Since launching, Instagram integrated the IGTV feature into their standard news feed, meaning viewers could watch one minute of content via its feeds and then continue watching via IGTV if they wished. This addition significantly encourages discoverability, and those creators using the IGTV already have seen even more successes since, with users such as The Hook’s social media team reporting a “33% increase in views on our IGTV content once this feature was rolled out.” Thanks to Instagram’s constant innovation to boost accessibility, IGTV is fast becoming the new podcast; a place to launch content series that carry far more authenticity and interesting points of discussion that truly tap into this new trend of long-form, mindful media. Gord Ray, Brand Development lead at Instagram says: “Instagram is first and foremost a storytelling platform, and IGTV gives brands and creators the opportunity to explore long-form storytelling. The most successful brands on Instagram are those who are nimble, brave and willing to try new things. Our community wants to understand the story behind the brand and see what makes it so special. People on the platform are looking for personality over polish – content that feels real and candid tends to resonate better than a beautifully curated shot. We’ve introduced more ways to connect IGTV videos with Instagram's main experience so businesses can reach communities where they already are. That includes sharing IGTV previews in feed and discovering new IGTV videos in Explore.” One creator really doubling down on the authenticity of IGTV, is actress Jameela Jamil who recently launched a series on her platform surrounding self-love and acceptance called @i_weigh, which works to dismantle society’s damaging standards of appearance; @i_weigh was a huge success, and eventually launched as its own platform. As part of @i_weigh’s social strategy, Jamil interviews fellow celebrities on their relationships with their bodies and how that relationship has been influenced throughout their lives and careers, with the videos created being posted to @i_weigh’s IGTV channel. The first episode, that features singer Sam Smith, launched in March 2019 and already has 100k+ views – double the average ‘Likes’ on the account’s standard in-feed content. Despite @i_weigh’s impact being consistently positive, it’s no coincidence that the content resonating so well with viewers are long-form videos. Instagram is a platform that houses an eighth of the global population in social personas, meaning its undoubtedly going to be saturated with content that can feel alien and in-authentic at times. Utilizing the platform’s features that allow for excess authenticity will only ever capture more engaged attention, that allows your content to exist on a relatable pedestal. Isaac Carew is another influencer who decided to launch his most recent social venture – a book – on IGTV. It is clear his reasoning for this is an attempt to tap into his most engaged and loyal fans, giving them cause to continue their loyalty by rewarding them with exclusivity, and more enticing, engaging content on his channel. IGTV is here to stay – so how can brands cash in? Having seen a boost in usage from content creators after integrating IGTV into standard feed posts, Instagram is reportedly increasing focus on making IGTV more irresistible as a long-form video platform choice. The Verge reported that Instagram have cited increasing IGTV’s popularity is a major project this coming year, and its influencer dedicated team have set goals to not only identify global talent, but support them in their content creation as well. This support – both financial and non-financial – comes in return for creators utilizing IGTV, with Instagram promising creators that when the feature inevitably booms, they will be ahead of the curve. You might be wondering how Instagram are going about discovering these talented IGTV content creators, and interestingly, they’re not relying on algorithms to discover this best-in-class talent roster. Instead, they’ve employed the man referred to as “Instagram Dad”, Justin Antony, who is one of the world’s most prolific and successful talent scouts out there. It seems there is no time like the present to make IGTV a more consistent part of your always-on content strategy – especially if you’re looking to connect with your brand audience in a more meaningful, personal way. IGTV is clearly working for influencers, so how exactly can brands learn from their success and get a head start on the competition? Just like any social strategy, the biggest and most important step is to just start – consistency is key to growing any form of social following. Video content continues to lead the way in social due to its engaging format, capability to instil more emotion and ability to show more product. Already, 81% of businesses now use some form of video content as a marketing tool, so brands should be building an insight-driven strategy to implement it into their social persona effectively. If you’re already using Instagram to advertise, it’s a wasted opportunity to not integrate video format content into that pre-existing strategy. Luxury make-up brand Charlotte Tilbury is an excellent example of a business embracing all features of online exposure, to align their marketing strategy with millennial and Gen Z shopping habits. A spokesperson from Charlotte Tilbury provided us with the following quote: “Whilst Instagram has primarily been a platform for short content, the introduction of IGTV has proved a huge success with our audience. Charlotte’s followers constantly ask for more in-depth tutorials to be posted online, which we are now able to provide via IGTV. We were invited by Instagram to create IGTV content on the platform at the point of Instagram’s IGTV public launch, and have continued to see high engagement rates with our long-form content. We have used this format to exclusively reveal new product launches and makeup looks to our followers.” Just like Charlotte Tilbury has shown, as a brand it is imperative to think about the purpose your content will serve on IGTV and always remember that you’ll be producing bespoke, portrait-shot content tailored to one particular platform your followers can’t access anywhere else. Instead of fighting the format, embrace the pioneer attitude and allow your strategy to reflect how social savvy your marketing team really are. One way to implement branded long-form video content on Instagram into your social strategy with less risk, is to build it into your pre-existing influencer strategy. Influencers are already mastering the IGTV feature by producing content that works for their channels and audiences, so utilize this to its fullest extent by building scope to create more long-form branded content into your current model of always-on influencer work. If you gift or pay content creators to promote your products, build video into this strategy – both on their own platforms and for yours as a brand. Not only is it cost effective, it taps into the way long-form video content is being used natively. Just like it’s happening in the podcast world, brands will start monetising IGTV by through sponsorships and partnerships, so start thinking about what this could look like for your business, and which creative individuals you could be backing. What can we expect in the future? The next big thing we predict Instagram to introduce as IGTV’s popularity blossoms are innovative ad formats across various channel features like the shoppable overlays that currently exist on grid posts and stories. The more live products that become clickable, tap-able and shop-able, the more affiliate revenue can be driven, and the more influencers will flock to the platform. If there’s one final element we’re hoping to see Instagram work on over the next 12 months, it’s the development of IGTV’s search functionality. Discoverability might have been dramatically improved as a result of the IGTV in-feed feature, but right now searching for specific content is next to impossible – even with the existence of hashtags. The inability to do so not only puts brands on the back foot and acts as a demotivator for using the feature, it has potential to alienate followers and contribute to a negative user experience. If Instagram can nail their search feature in the same way YouTube have, IGTV could well be the video platform rival they hoped it might be. The best part is, IGTV might just be the internet’s best-kept secret – but not for long: watch this space. Sedge Beswick is the founder of SeenConnects This article is about: World, Instagram, Social Influencers, IGTV, Digital, Social Media, Marketing, Technology, Brand	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line11022
__label__wiki	0.523164	0.523164	2015 Chicago Fest Recap By Danny Abriano Dear Beatles Family, WOW CHICAGOLAND, how we love you! What a Fest weekend that was! John, Paul, George, and Ringo did it again…they brought us back together loving them to pieces and recognizing everything they’ve done for our lives! Celebrating 39 years in Chicago, chilling with our Fest Besties, learning new stuff, jamming all the while…we have all of you to thank for it. At #ChiFest15, thousands of Beatlemaniacs from 32 states, Canada, Mexico, Italy, England, and Australia came together at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare in Rosemont, Illinois to celebrate all things Beatles, including the 50th Anniversary of the Beatles’ earth-shattering concert at Shea Stadium and the 50th Anniversary of Help! This is our collective recap… If you get to the bottom of this email and these pics aren’t enough for your vicarious re-living of the Chicago Fest, check out the Fest’s Danny Abriano’s Facebook album HERE head, see Carol Lapidos of the Fest’s album HERE, and head HERE to scope out our fans album, and Michelle Your Belle just uploaded 600 pics from from her iPhone. Also be sure to head to and subscribe to our YouTube page, where more than a dozen videos from the Chicago Fest have already gone up and many more are on the way! (picture below from @liz_fletcher on Instagram) The hotel started to fill with fans as early as Monday, and excitement built up as we set up the hotel. Lobby jams started, the Hyatt staff put on their own HELP! shirts, and fans explored the bustling and festive Hyatt Regency O’Hare, preparing for the fab three days that were to come. The FEST officially kicked off at 5 PM on Friday, August 14 as fans came in from the heat and brought their Beatley swagger with them to more than a dozen ballrooms throughout the hotel. Along with our band, Liverpool, perfectly recreating Beatles tracks note for note, our guests included Terry Sylvester, Bob Eubanks (who hosted the first ever Beatleywed Game!), Billy Kinsley, Jack Oliver, Louise Harrison, Mark Rivera, Dick Biondi (below with emcee Terri Hemmert), and Mark Hudson. Friday night continued on with the 60s Dress Up contest and Dance Party –- where Liverpool treated Festers to three rocking sets of Beatles tunes. Head HERE for a video of Liverpool performing “Please Please Me” and head HERE to see them perform “Old Brown Shoe.” To go along with our incredible musical guests, the weekend also featured some amazing Sound Alike and Battle of the Beatles Bands competitors. Eric Howell blew the crowd away while winning the Sound Alike contest singing ‘Something,’ and BEATLEJUICE (below) snagged the Battle of the Bands crown after performing an amazing version of ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’ that included a string quartet. Head HERE to watch their winning performance. Our tradition of the ‘Beatles Gratitude Wall’ continued, and was where fans wrote and hung signs showing their gratitude to the Beatles… The We All Shine On wall was new this year, to remember the people we love who we’ve lost. WOW, look at that diamond sky we created! The FABoratory, our newest addition, where fans had the chance to turn into Beatles Magicians, Mad Fab Scientists, and teachers, was such a blast. Thank you to all the FAB fans who created truly exciting new elements of the Fest with your out-of-the-box ideas! ‘I Met A Beatle For Real’ was the real life version of Sara Schmidt’s blog, and boy were there some juicy stories of Beatle-meeting. Willa and Libby brought an awesome hand-painted face-hole exhibit called ‘I Saw The Photograph,’ and Lanea Stagg made the most delicious truffles in the world for us with her ‘Savoy Truffle’ culinary experience! We did an improv reenactment of The Beatles meeting Elvis with Ivor Davis, sideburns and all. Beatles bubbles were blown with Jeanie McNicol, and ‘Beatles Beat The Clock’ with Bob Abdou got super whipped-creamy, pie-in-the-face style at the end. Photo below is on Her Majesty’s Throni, c/o of @paypay_beela12 on Instagram. The live music of the weekend wasn’t limited to the nighttime concerts… School of Rock Chicago took to the stage on Saturday afternoon (head HERE to see them perform ‘Dig A Pony’), and Girls Next Door A Cappella from the University of Illinois performed on Saturday night –- singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to a surprised and delighted Louise Harrison and performing a chills-inducing version of ‘Because.’ Later on Saturday night, Ron Aprea, who played sax on John Lennon’s Walls and Bridges LP, joined Liverpool as they tore through a sizzling version of ‘Whatever Gets You thru the Night.’ See the video HERE. On Sunday, The Weeklings played a rollicking set that featured songs the Beatles wrote but never officially released, their Beatles-inspired originals, and other Beatles cuts. That wasn’t all… The Apple Jam Stage made its Chicago Fest debut, where an amazing assortment of solo artists, bands, and DJs rocked all weekend long! After Michelle My Pelle and DJ Sun Queen & DJ Madonna got the party started on Friday night, Scott Erickson performed deep cuts on both Saturday and Sunday, GiGi Wong-Monaco hosted a ukulele strum, Nick Peay played Beatles tunes on acoustic on Saturday and uke on Sunday, and Phil Angotti & Friends brought the house down with their McCartney-centric show on Saturday and their Lennon-centric show on Sunday. Also delighting fans on the Apple Jam Stage were School of Rock (after their main stage appearance), Sgt. Sauerkraut’s Polka Band, and the Yellow Submorons. On both Saturday and Sunday, after the scheduled performances had concluded, the Apple Jam Stage opened up for the fans, who jammed into the wee hours of the morning. Meanwhile, jams were going strong all throughout the hotel all weekend long — sunrise to sundown and beyond… As always, the Beatles art contest was a place where fans were treated to some truly great art by professionals, amateurs, and kids, all who took home prizes. Of the many entries in the professional division, Sandra Ragan took home the top prize for her broken glass and ink Abbey Road art. The giant crocheted Beatles flag by Jessica DeJardin took top honors in the amateur division, and Cameron Hicks’ mixed media with melted crayons piece won the top prize for the kids division. We thank Deco for continuing to do such a great job with the Art Museum. The Chicago Fest was home to two Beatles marketplaces, the weekend home of 20 of the best Beatles authors in the world, and Terri Hemmert of WXRT, our amazing emcee. When Festers weren’t busy dancing, jamming in every nook of the hotel, and parading (at our fourth annual Beatles Animal Parade which included the new Martha puppet), they took in one of Bob Abdou’s highly entertaining Beatles puppet shows, got memorabilia signed, watched a movie in the Beatles video room, sang Beatles karaoke, toured the photo, Beatles art, and memorabilia rooms (Rob Shanahan, Neal Glaser, Jeff Augsburger), and more. Many also took refuge in our Beatles Ashram, which featured yoga classes for adults and kids, intro sessions to Cosmic Consciousness with the teachers of Transcendental Meditation, Beatles Zumba with GiGi, Deco’s Poetry Jam, and the Ashram’s highlight of the weekend… a talk with Louise Harrison about spirituality — from George’s perspective and her own. “Whatever you do, do it with purity of purpose” Louise told us was one of George’s foundational beliefs and teachings. Other highlights from the weekend were We Can Write It Out with Mark Hudson, Live Beatles Trivia hosted by Wally Podrazik and Joan Moran, Name That Tune hosted by Al Sussman and Tom Frangione, Lorie Nolte winning a trip to Las Vegas to see The Beatles LOVE Cirque du Soleil, nightly Fest recap songs with Danny Donuts (this time with a little HELP! from the FABoratory), a reenactment of Help!, and the always spectacular Pig Light Show that accompanied the concerts on Saturday and Sunday. The amount of Beatles knowledge shared over the weekend by authors/historians Wally Podrazik, Vivek Tiwary, Bruce Spizer, Jude Southerland Kessler, Chuck Gunderson, Andrew Grant Jackson, Paul Skellett, Simon Weitzman, David Schwensen, Dee Elias, Jim Berkenstadt, Jorie Gracen, Jill Davis, Tom Frangione, Al Sussman, Susan Ryan, Robert Rodriguez, Richard Buskin, Anthony Robustelli, Kit O’Toole, and Lanea Stagg was nothing short of incredible! As always, the Musicians’ Forum on Sunday was a treat, as was that night’s concert that saw Liverpool play all of the Beatles songs from the Help! film and other Beatles cuts before the stage opened to sax men Mark Rivera and Ron Aprea, Terry Sylvester, Billy Kinsley, and the incomparable Mark Hudson. Drew, John, Glen, and Chris of Liverpool were fantastic all weekend, kicking things off with the Dance Party on Friday night, playing the entire 1965 Shea Stadium set (50 years to the day!) and more on Saturday, and finishing things up in thrilling fashion on Sunday night after performing all the songs from the ‘Help!’ film and more as Mark Lapidos thrilled everyone while taking to the stage to sing ‘Charlie Brown’ with Mark Rivera, Mark Hudson (The Three Markies) and Liverpool. It was a special moment. Then, everyone came on stage to join in the traditional finale of ‘Hey Jude.’ Head HERE to watch Liverpool wrap up the 1965 Shea Stadium set with ‘I’m Down’… Head HERE to watch Mark Lapidos join in on the fun with ‘Charlie Brown’… After the Chicago Fest officially came to a close, the jamming continued into the wee hours of Monday morning, with Festers playing outside in the front of the hotel until the sun came up and people started going about their Monday morning business. This is a new official tradition — join us next year! The fans brought the energy all weekend, with the traditions of Fests gone by seamlessly intertwining with the new events and activities that spiced up the weekend. We are still gathering all of the pictures and videos from The Fest to share, and we want to see all of yours, too! As we did over the weekend, use the hashtag #ChiFest15 to share pictures with us on Instagram and Twitter (@Beatles_Fest), and post pictures on our Facebook wall at Facebook.com/thefest. In addition to the albums that are already up, lots more pictures of all the guests, events, activities, and fans will be shared in emails, on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and via email (send them to danny@thefest.com) in the coming days and weeks! We’d also like to thank the Hyatt Regency O’Hare, who did a terrific job hosting the Fest, especially Deb. Most of all, we want to offer another thank you to all the guests and fans who came to celebrate all things Beatles for our 39th summer in Chicago. We are already gearing up for the New York Metro Fest, taking place April 15 to 17 at the Hilton Westchester in Rye Brook, New York. Details will be released at TheFest.com in late-October, so keep an eye out! Hotel rooms are now available, so be sure to call (914) 939-6300 to book yours! Posted in Fest News Tagged Beatlefest, Chicago, The Beatles, The Fest For Beatles Fans Chicago FEST Starts Tomorrow – Friday, Aug 9th Here it is, early Thursday morning, and the set up is well under way. Today guests begin to arrive and everything goes into high gear. We have three days (tomorrow through Sunday) of Beatles excitement, energy, fun, premieres, live music, concerts, and all the other things that have made The Chicago FEST so popular for the past 37 years. So come one and come all, if you love The Beatles, this is the place to be. Advance tickets still available online through today. Individual day tickets will be available at the door. Go to our web page for all details. We hope you can join us. Tagged Chicago, The Beatles, The Fest For Beatles Fans First Advance Ticket Deadline is this Friday, July 26th Only 1 6 days till Chicago FEST time!. Fans care coming for over 30 states and Canada for our big 37th Annual Beatles Celebration, the weekend of August 9-11, at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare. Check out all the details on our convention page. We have a super lineup of Special Guests – British Invasion artists Chad and Jeremy, Billy J. Kramer, Joey Molland (of Badfinger), Greg Kihn, Mark Hudson, Author Larry Kane and the return of Freda Kelly, who returns to have the public debut of her film . This is a film Beatles fans won’t want to miss. It is going to be shown on Saturday, August 10th at around 5PM. Hope to see you there. Tagged Chicago, The Fest For Beatles Fans All Guests and Details for Chicago FEST Aug 9-11 are Announced! We are very thrilled to announce ou r line up of Special Guests for our 37th Annual Chicago FEST FOR BEATLES FANS 2013, the weekend of AUGUST 9-11, 2013 at the HYATT REGENCY O’HARE. British Rock Duo CHAD AND JEREMY are joining us for the first time. We welcome back BILLY J. KRAMER and JOEY MOLLAND (Badfinger) who both have new CDs out. On the Saturday, (8/10) we will have the Public Debut of Good Ol’ Freda – the amazing story of FREDA KELLY, who was The Beatles National Fan Club Secretary and so much more from 1962-1972. Click Here to read all the other guests, authors, and activities taking place at our upcoming FEST. TICKETS are now on sale.	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line11023
__label__wiki	0.812392	0.812392	Economy Canadian dollar extends surge on BoC economic outlook Canadian dollar extends surge on BoC economic outlook Open this photo in gallery: Carolyn Wilkins, Senior Deputy Governor and Stephen Poloz, Governor of the Bank of Canada. Barrie McKenna Economics Reporter A top Bank of Canada official says economic growth has spread to most regions and industries in Canada – the latest clue that the central bank is pondering when to start raising interest rates. The central bank is seeing "some signs that growth is broadening across regions and sectors," senior deputy governor Carolyn Wilkins told a business audience on Monday in Winnipeg. Her remarks sent the Canadian dollar flying: The loonie jumped more than half a cent immediately after they were posted on the bank's website. By Monday evening, it rose above 75 cents (U.S.) for the first time since April. The loonie continued its climb into Tuesday. It was just below 75.5 cents in the early hours. Read more: IMF warns of 'significant' risks from Canada's housing market "We are seeing the economy pick up," insisted Ms. Wilkins, Governor Stephen Poloz's No. 2 executive at the bank. The improving outlook has prompted the Bank of Canada to start looking ahead to its first rate hike in nearly seven years. Ms. Wilkins said the central bank will be "assessing" whether to keep pumping low-interest fuel into the economy as "growth continues and, ideally, broadens further." The economy surged ahead at an annual pace of 3.7 per cent in the first quarter. Bank officials seem relatively unconcerned that inflation has drifted lower in recent months and now sits well below the bank's 2-per-cent target. Ms. Wilkins played down recent weak inflation numbers, saying much of it is "transitory" and caused by intense competition in the grocery business. Ms. Wilkins hinted that the bank may have to act pre-emptively as it anticipates how economic conditions will evolve. "If you saw a stop light ahead, you would begin letting up on the gas to slow down smoothly," she said. "You do not want to have to slam on the brakes at the last second. Monetary policy must also anticipate the road ahead." It is the clearest sign yet of a bias towards tightening monetary policy. The bank's key overnight-interest rate has been fixed at 0.5 per cent since July, 2015, when it made the second of two quarter-point cuts to deal with the aftershocks of the oil price collapse. The Bank of Canada has not raised rates in nearly seven years. Nonetheless, most economists who follow the central bank don't expect an interest-rate hike until some time next year. Toronto-Dominion Bank economist Brian DePratto said Ms. Wilkins appears to be "preparing markets" for eventual higher rates. "This speech may be sending a clear signal, but don't expect the Bank of Canada to hit the hike button just yet," added Mr. DePratto, who doesn't expect a rate increase until early 2018. "A significant haze of uncertainty continues to hang over the economy." As evidence of the economy's "broadening" strength, Ms. Wilkins pointed to the resumption in business investment, largely driven by a bounce-back in spending in the oil patch. She also said that consumer demand has picked up in the energy-producing provinces, leading to a broadening of economic strength and job creation across the country. A chart accompanying Ms. Wilkins's speech shows that employment is up in eight out of 10 provinces since last October. New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador have continued to lose jobs. Growth is also spreading across sectors and industries, Ms. Wilkins said. More than 70 per cent of industries are now expanding output. She highlighted computer systems and design, which has grown at a rate of 10 per cent in the past year – a sector that is now as large as vehicle production and aerospace combined. But the economic news is not all good. Ms. Wilkins pointed to a number of risks that could cause the economy to stall, including another fall in the price of oil, sluggish exports and the continuing uncertainty over what U.S. President Trump will do on taxes and trade. "We are all acutely aware of the uncertainty around the policies of the U.S. administration – whether it is about trade, tax or the regulatory environment," she said. "Until we get more information, it will be difficult to gauge the impact of any proposed policy changes more precisely. This will remain an important uncertainty in our projection, but life goes on and decisions must be made in the meantime." Bank of Canada leaves key rate unchanged, but ‘soft hawkish tilt’ emerges Follow Barrie McKenna on Twitter @barriemckenna Djibouti’s debt-defying stunt: Taking China’s money without accepting China’s control Farm labour shortage worsening, Senate report warns Planned Parenthood to defy Trump abortion referral ban Alberta health officials declare province-wide syphilis outbreak Subscriber content	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line11024
__label__wiki	0.607657	0.607657	Observer business agenda Ocado boss in spotlight after ducking questions about Presidents Club Simon Goodley Tim Steiner will face questions about the online grocer’s technology arm this week – and, perhaps, some other matters Sun 4 Feb 2018 02.00 EST Last modified on Thu 15 Feb 2018 03.45 EST Tim Steiner, co-founder and chief executive of Ocado. Photograph: David Sillitoe/The Guardian The last we heard from Tim Steiner – the boss of online grocer Ocado – he was courageously slamming down the phone as reporters inquired whether he’d enjoyed a pleasant evening at the Presidents Club. Delightfully, just as the noise around the scandal of the charity dinner appears to be dissipating, the tycoon is being forced into the public eye, with the company he co-founded due to unveil its final results this week and Steiner pencilled in for the gig. If he’s brave enough to appear, the businessman can expect to be quizzed on which, if any, of the alleged incidents of sexual harassment he witnessed at the Dorchester that night. He will also be asked for his take on how his customers might view him attending an all-male event, featuring 130 “hostesses” walking into a ballroom clad in short, tight, black skirts and high heels. Fittingly, Steiner will appear at the Ocado presentation this week sporting a skimpy black number of his own: but his will be a profit figure. For the first time, the company will be reporting separate numbers for both its grocery delivery business and its much newer “solutions” arm, which flogs its warehousing technology to other grocers that need an online delivery operation. Ocado’s own grocery business may be boring, but it has finally worked out how to make a profit, having had more false starts than David Walliams has had after-dinners. Conversely, the tech bit is yet to make any money but – after signing deals with Morrisons, France’s Casino and Canada’s second-largest food retailer Sobeys – it is the only part of the company that the City is actually interested in. It is also the sole story driving up Ocado shares. Ken Odeluga, a market analyst at spread-betting firm City Index, says: “Recent news has strengthened investor confidence in Ocado, after a long stretch in which it strained credibility and shareholder patience. The shares became one of the most shorted on the London Stock Exchange following failure to live up to early-2015 claims that it would soon sign new deals like the one it has with Morrisons. It did eventually ink another deal, about 18 months later.” Still, the deals have horrified the legion of hedge funds betting against Ocado shares, as much as they have delighted Steiner and his supporters. But the optimists should be careful not to crow too much as – just like the scandal at the Presidents Club – this is something the boss simply did not see coming. When Ocado floated in 2010, its 281-page flotation prospectus – the main marketing document when a company sells its shares to City investors – barely mentioned the tech idea at all, and certainly didn’t find room to crowbar it into the sections entitled “strengths of the Ocado business”, or the bit they called “Ocado’s strategy”. The document did give the idea a cursory mention in the following phrase: “Ocado has granted its wholly owned subsidiary, Ocado Information Technology Limited (which is incorporated in the Republic of Ireland), the exclusive rights to use and sub-licence Ocado’s IT and IP to third parties for use outside the UK.” All of which raises an obvious question about tax, as well as many more about what else is in the offing. Company filings in Ireland show that, as Ocado’s technology business drives up the shares, the Dublin-based subsidiary is being liquidated. Why? And who has the licence rights? The company reckons there was never a tax advantage and the rights are now back in the UK. Still, just like the night at the Dorchester, it’s something to raise with Steiner when he resurfaces this week. Presidents Club scandal	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line11025
__label__wiki	0.853806	0.853806	Cameron is right about Syria – but the outcome now depends on Russia Natalie Nougayrède The crisis has spilled over to Europe, so a collective European security effort that includes Britain is needed @nnougayrede Fri 27 Nov 2015 14.03 EST Last modified on Thu 21 Feb 2019 09.17 EST ‘Building up a unified European resolve is important because no one is under any illusion that the Obama administration wants to embroil itself deeper in the Middle East.’ Illustration: Noma Bar As France mourned its 130 dead in an emotional ceremony today, survivors of 13 November attending on stretchers and in wheelchairs, the question of how to defeat Islamic State seemed as intractable as ever. François Hollande has mounted a fullblown diplomatic effort to build a “large and single coalition”. A strong emphasis is being placed on rallying support from European states because, as the French president put it, Isis didn’t just strike at Paris but at Europe as a whole. Paris attacks: Survivors and victims' families attend memorial ceremony - as it happened Building up a unified European resolve is especially important because no one is under any illusion that the Obama administration wants to embroil itself deeper in the Middle East: America, miles across the Atlantic, simply doesn’t feel its own security is on the line. But Europe’s is. The Middle East is spewing out its violence on to our continent. Germany has announced it will contribute surveillance and refuelling planes over Syria. Eyes are now on Britain. But what is the strategy? It is clear to all that Isis cannot be defeated with airstrikes alone. Ground forces are needed to rout Isis in Raqqa – its self-styled “capital of the caliphate”, in eastern Syria, and from where the Paris attacks were planned. Ground forces will also be needed for future postwar stabilisation efforts. These ground forces cannot, and should not, be western. That would invite a repetition of the costly mistakes made in Iraq and Afghanistan, where military occupation created a spiral of violence and radicalisation. So who can be deployed against Isis? David Cameron’s assertion in the House of Commons that 70,000 “moderate” Syrian rebels could be counted on caused raised eyebrows. As yet, no other western leader has publicly made that claim. Surely, in the chaos that engulfs Syria, precise figures have to be handled with caution. But if there is a logic to Cameron’s assertion then clues to understanding it might be found in recent talks between Hollande and Vladimir Putin. Cameron’s case for UK airstrikes wasn’t just about a national British strategy – it was obviously drawn from consultations with western allies. Cameron went to see Hollande in Paris ahead of his statement to the Commons, and ahead of the French president’s diplomatic tour, which included stops in Washington and in Moscow. ‘All this is extremely fragile, of course. François Hollande’s hope is partly that building up European leverage might help sway Putin.’ Photograph: Sipa/Rex The statements that came out of those meetings didn’t provide all the answers, but they made one thing clear: how Russia acts now will decide whether an anti-Isis strategy has any chance of success in Syria. If Russia can be made to turn the guns and missiles of its fighter planes against Isis – and only Isis – an important step forward will have been taken. Here’s the logic: what Cameron calls “moderate” Syrian opposition forces are anti-Assad rebels who currently spend most of their energy and resources resisting the onslaught of Syrian government troops who, since September, have benefitted from Russian close air support. If those rebels can be “freed” from having to fight on that front (located in the west of Syria), they would become available to move against Isis (mostly in the east). An added and crucial advantage is that it would become much easier to rally Sunni constituencies against Isis. The Kurds cannot be the ground force for the retaking of Raqqa or of any other important Arab-populated area. Sunni groups are the best option, but that means they need to feel empowered by new dynamics. And here’s the problem. For the last two months Russia has been striking at the very groups Cameron and others want to see grow into an anti-Isis ground force. The overwhelming bulk of Russia’s military involvement in Syria has been concentrated on helping Assad, not on fighting Isis. Some estimates are that 90% of Russian strikes have targeted anti-Assad rebels, especially those the west has been trying to support. That proportion seems to have shrunk in the aftermath of the downing of a Russian passenger jet over Sinai and after the Paris attacks. But French officials indicated this week that half of Russia’s bombing is still focused on anti-Assad forces, not Isis. This explains why presidents Hollande and Obama insistently called on Russia to make “a strategic shift”. So far, it is unclear if they will get it. There is simply no agreement with Putin on what a ground strategy against Isis should look like. That was obvious during the Putin-Hollande press conference. Nor is there any sign of a Russian commitment not to strike at the rebels the west has been backing. Putin’s support for Assad seems entrenched: “I believe that President Assad’s army and he himself are our natural allies in fighting terrorism,” he said. The Vienna talks on Syria are a start. We need a leap of imagination to go on \| John Jenkins The only commitment Putin made was to “exchange information” with France on “areas that are held by healthy opposition, not terrorists” – areas that Russia might then “refrain from delivering airstrikes on”. Hollande was visibly tense. He repeated that Assad had to go “in a political transition” and stressed the key stumbling block with Putin: “I cannot but reiterate that we should support the groups that can reverse the situation on the ground and recover territory.” By that, he meant the armed Syrian opposition – the same groups Cameron mentioned. So this is how things stand. The strategy against Isis requires more focused and intensive airstrikes (French officials privately point to a half-baked US air campaign so far – with an average of only seven strikes a day, as opposed to 150 during Nato’s Kosovo campaign in 1999) and in parallel, ground forces must be built up. But that can only happen in a meaningful way if Russia makes its “strategic shift”. Once Russian airstrikes are directed exclusively at Isis, prospects of a ceasefire in the civil war, as planned in the Vienna process, become slightly more realistic. All this is extremely fragile, of course. Hollande’s hope is partly that building up European leverage might help sway Putin. Behind all the talk about cooperation with the Russian president lies a crude reality. Putin has watched from afar how his support for Assad has helped fuel radicalisation and Isis and consequently contributed to Europe’s weakening (the fallout from refugee flows and now terrorism). He has to weigh the cost of working against Europe in the fight against terrorism. Now is the time for Europe’s strategic awakening – because that’s the only way it will have any chance of influencing events and not crumbling beneath them. And British participation in that collective security effort is essential.	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line11026
__label__wiki	0.571736	0.571736	Soundtrack of my life: Lady Gaga The glamour queen tells Graeme Thomson about Bruce, her dad, and her cocaine soundtrack Graeme Thomson Sat 5 Sep 2009 19.01 EDT First published on Sat 5 Sep 2009 19.01 EDT Lady GaGa strikes a pose. Photograph: Ella Pellegrini/Rex Features The song that takes me home ... Bruce Springsteen – Thunder Road (1975) My father is from New Jersey and he was a huge Springsteen fan. So I'm a big fan, too. Thunder Road is our song. I've always loved this record, it's like a little movie: "The screen door slams, and Mary's dress sways ... " My father used to cry, dance with me, and then say, "When you get married and you drive off in a Cadillac, I'm going to run after you." Finding my voice ... David Bowie – Aladdin Sane (1973) I used to listen to Aladdin Sane on the record player in my apartment. I'd open the window so my neighbours could hear it up the fire escape, and I'd sit out on the ledge, have a cigarette and listen. I love Bowie's voice on songs like Watch That Man. I like to think I sing like a man. I want people to feel invaded when I sing. It's very confrontational. Theme for my lost weekend ... The Cure – Never Enough (1990) My cocaine soundtrack was always the Cure. I love all their music, but I listened to this one song on repeat while I did bags and bags of cocaine. "Whatever I do/ It's never enough." Isn't that funny? At the time I didn't think there was anything wrong with me until my friends came over and said: "Are you doing this alone?" Um, yes. Me and my mirror. When I went glam ... The Heavy Metal Kids – Hey Little Girl (1976) [New York DJ and artist] Lady Starlight introduced me to them; they're a glam-metal group who did this great song. Glam became a big influence, it's a sub-set of all these things I love: cabaret, burlesque, metal, rock. I love Cockney Rebel, T. Rex. Marc Bolan wore a full body scuba suit covered in mirrors: thats where my disco ball dress came from. When my life changed for ever ... Lady Gaga – Just Dance (2008) That record saved my life. I was in such a dark space in New York. I was so depressed, always in a bar. I got on a plane to LA to do my music and was given one shot to write the song that would change my life and I did. I never went back. I left behind my boyfriend, my apartment. I still haven't been back. My mother went in and cleared it for me. When I was writing The Fame ... The Beatles – Abbey Road (1969) I really got into this when I was writing my record. It's the sense of melody in conjunction with very liberating, strange storytelling, and it's a complete body of work from beginning to end. You feel like theyve learned from each other: on Oh Darling you think it's John, but actually it's Paul doing John. They were masters of songwriting. Lady Gaga's real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta. She was born in 1986. She learned piano at the age of four, and went to school with Paris Hilton. Her stage name derives from her love of the Queen song, Radio Ga Ga. She has a tattoo of a peace symbol on her left wrist, inspired by her hero John Lennon. • Her new single Lovegame will be released on Interscope on 28 September. Listen to this playlist on Spotify Pop and rock	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line11027
__label__wiki	0.837795	0.837795	Shraddha is obsessing over Prabhas? Shraddha Kapoor after making headlines for her look in Haseena Parkar, will soon be seen on screen with the Bahubali actor Prabhas in Saaho. Saaho is set to be released in 2018. On Wednesday Shraddha did a question and answer session with her fans where one of her fan asked her about Prabhas. To which she replied "He is an absolute darling. One of the best people I have met,". Shraddha who is very talented finds it difficult to choose between different talents . Shraddha tweeted "It's so hard to choose! I love acting, singing and dancing. Am living my dream everyday so, love every single thing about it," During her chat session with her fans she also wished to work with actors like Shah Rukh Khan , Salman Khan and Ranbir kapoor. Saaho is being Produced by Vamsi, Pramid and Vikram of UV creations. Aww Shraddha anyone would fall in love with Prabhas. Shraddha Kapoor talks about life and its ups and downs	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line11030
__label__wiki	0.619331	0.619331	Mahmoud Kassem StanChart bullish on UAE despite slowing economy London-based lender also sees prospects in Hong Kong and Singapore retail banks banks In April, the global consultancy Alvarez & Marsal, in its inaugural report on the UAE banking sector, found increasing signs of recovery following the tough times. Alex Atack for The National Standard Chartered, the emerging market specialist bank, said the UAE is among the top markets for the financial institution despite the slowdown in the country’s economic growth. Like Hong Kong and Singapore, the UAE is a trading hub with a large expat population, said Karen Fawcett, the head of retail banking for the London-based lender. “The UAE Singapore and Hong Kong are a group of markets which are very interesting to us because they are hub markets,” she told The National in an interview. “They are special markets in terms of their trading hubs. They are places which attract a lot of expatiates to these financial centres. They attract a lot of the type of profile clients that we want and we’ve been in these markets for a very long time. It’s among our strong markets.” Standard Chartered has faced tough times in many emerging markets since 2014, when the price of oil collapsed. However, this year there has been an improvement in the economies of many developing nations, including the UAE where despite the economic slowdown there has been an amelioration in consumer banking. Still, there are signs of ongoing pressure for the bank in the region. Comment: Banks must wake up to the digital revolution And while the bank has not yet released its second quarter earnings, it said in April that operating income in the Middle East and Africa fell by 3 per cent in the first quarter amid currency devaluations in Africa and lower financial market income from the Middle East. Operating income fell to US$686 million in the first three months of the year compared with $709m in the same quarter last year, the bank said. And in November, the bank announced it was cutting 150 jobs in the UAE amid a lending slowdown. That announcement was part of a wider cost-cutting plan announced in 2015 when the bank revealed plans to shed 15,000 jobs worldwide after years of losses, but it did not say at the time how many positions would be lost across its local operations. The lender had been badly hit as the value of most commodities, which underpin the economies of many emerging markets including that of the Arabian Gulf, had fallen sharply. Some of those commodity prices are starting to recover but the bank is not relying on a recovery of those prices alone and is taking measures to cut costs. This includes trimming its branch networks in an age when more of the affluent customers Standard Chartered is chasing eschew going to the bank and prefer to bank on their mobile phones. Ms Fawcett said that banks now realise that with fewer people using branches that it is better to have smaller branches in key locations where people spend money, such as shopping malls. “We’ve closed more than 10 per cent of our branches in the last two years,” Ms Fawcett said, “and rationalised about 30 per cent, shrinking, changing the format. “Client behaviour is changing so we’re investing in the things that people want.” In May Shehzad Hameed, the head of retail banking at Standard Chartered in the UAE, said that sales of its retail products are growing at a strong pace that should stay that way all year long. “Sales have had double-digit growth in the first quarter of the year,” Mr Hameed said. “We expect this to sustain throughout the year. Last year was a tough year for the retail business.” In April, the global consultancy Alvarez & Marsal, in its inaugural report on the UAE banking sector, found increasing signs of recovery following the tough times. “The good news is we are seeing signs of this downward cycle bottoming out,” said Saeeda Jaffar, the man- aging director at Alvarez & Marsal. Bahrain NBB reports 16.4% 2Q profit gain despite rise in impairment charges Dubai's Gems Education assigned 'B' rating with stable outlook, S&P says UAE underlines Europe-Asia cooperation to develop infrastructure at AIIB board meeting Bank of England to slash rates by 25 basis points by May, Merrill Lynch says JP Morgan's $50 billion fund turns its back on emerging market holdings Trump criticises Facebook's planned digital currency CVC-led consortium to buy 30% stake in Dubai's Gems Education Morocco approves law on Sharia-compliant insurance Deutsche Bank CEO to be quizzed over recovery plan ADGM to begin hosting digital banks	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line11033
__label__cc	0.580214	0.419786	November 29, 2016 \| Opinion/Feature Hillary Clinton, The New President Elect After December 19th By Olamide Davies Talabi I am an immigrant, a woman, a community leader that vigorously campaigned for Hillary Clinton not just on social media but across the country, and I proudly voted for her on November 8th, 2016. At exactly 8pm on the Election Night, a group of African leaders gathered at a well-known African Restaurant in New Jersey to watch and celebrate the result of the election alongside correspondents from BBC Radio and other media outlets that came just to capture the reaction of African leaders to the result of the historic election. We were all excited eating suya and drinking until everything started turning red right in front of us. The emotions across the room ranged from shock to anger to disappointment to fear. I remember breaking down with tears when Donald Trump won Ohio; I just knew it was over. I could not stand to watch the rest of the result before heading back home broken. I am one of the many people that hoped Donald Trump would not win. Well, we were wrong. He won! Now is the time for us to heal, get involve in the new administration at whatever level we can to influence a change as nobody can fight our causes like us, and respect the country’s democracy by not signing the Electoral College petition going around to influence the election results. A number of friends and acquaintances have sent me the change Electoral College vote petition link to add my name to influence the Electorates to influence the election results. I will not sign this petition, and am writing this piece to hopefully change some minds from signing also. America is indeed a land full of milk and honey. I came to this country sixteen years ago with so many dreams and ambitions, most of which are already realized to God be the glory. America is a welcoming and friendly country for those that follow the laws and respect the constitution. I love this country too much to want to destroy it by signing a petition that will change the result of an election that has already been conceded just to favor my candidate. The online petition calling upon the Electoral College to vote for Hillary Clinton instead of Trump on December 19th is the most selfish reasoning I have ever heard in my life. I wonder what the over sixty million voters of Donald Trump will do when the favorable election result that was announced to them on all major networks is actually “snatched” from them. They will probably just stay at home drinking hot tea as Hillary Clinton is declared the new winner or maybe those people don’t really exist! I have lived through many riots, demonstrations and tribal war from my home country that I can smell disaster from afar. There will be war in our America if the Electoral College petition actually makes Hillary the new President Elect. Any new idea or “scientific method” that will dramatically make Hillary Clinton the new winner after two weeks will not only be unprecedented but will be a recipe for disaster. Before the election, the media speculated for so many weeks about the possibility of Donald Trump not respecting the people’s votes by not conceding to Hillary Clinton if she was the winner, and calling it risky. Now, the table is turned, let’s do what we preached. I know this is painful for so many people that wished Hillary won, and it’s perfectly fine to grieve in any way you can like peaceful street protesting, but to now want to change the result of an election because we prefer our own candidate is hypocritical. Donald Trump ran a very nasty campaign. He said so many scary things to energize some groups that felt the political establishments have forgotten about them, and wanted change. He struck a cord with them, and they came out in millions to vote for him. Will he carry out most of his campaign promises as a President? I personally don’t think so. I think his voters got scammed! He is already changing his mind on major campaign promises like keeping some parts of the Obama Care. Just like President Barack Obama said in one of his speeches after meeting Donald Trump, I know no President deliberately comes to the White House with the intention of making half of the country hate him/her. I am sure some people will say, what if he is actually the President he promised to be during the campaign? That is why we have the Congress and Senate; Republicans are the majority now, but most of his party representatives in Capitol Hill don’t agree with his policies, and will stop him when he is acting unconstitutional. That is why we can’t just stay in our houses throwing stones at the house. We have to get involve at whatever level we can to fight our community’s causes and interest. I am for anything that will fight against President Donald Trump’s anti constitution behavior. The only notion am scared of is the one that dramatically changes an election that has been conceded with a winner to declare the supposed loser as the new winner. Someone said to me but she won the Popular vote. Well, the law of the land we live in is different. Do I prefer the Popular vote to the Electoral vote? Yes! But the law of the American people electing their President with the Electoral vote has been in existence for many years. President Elect Donald Trump will become the fourth President in US history to win in the Electoral College vote while losing the Popular vote. George W. Bush did the same in the 2000 election. It also happened when Rutherford B. Hayes won in 1876, and Benjamin Harrison won in 1888. For many years, the Electoral College has picked the winner. The candidates knew this before getting into the campaign. Hillary Clinton understood this law; she has shown leadership by conceding to the election and recognizing Donald Trump as the winner. For the sake of our children and the love of America, let us all accept our new President Elect Donald Trump, give him a chance, and call him to order when he does something that affects our constitution. But, to actually want to take away the title of President-Elect from him is going to cause a big disaster and war in our America. Disclaimer: "The views/contents expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of Olamide Davies Talabi and do not necessarily reflect those of The Nigerian Voice. The Nigerian Voice will not be responsible or liable for any inaccurate or incorrect statements contained in this article."	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line11035
__label__wiki	0.940768	0.940768	Ferrari find illegal immigrants in cross-channel F1 transporter Trump hits out at May after leak of damning cables California hit by 7.1-magnitude quake, strongest in two decades Hong Kong police retake parliament from anti-government protesters Japan resumes commercial whaling for first time in 30 years Health warnings and speed limits as Europe bakes in heatwave British queen's husband spends third night in hospital Phuket News / World Monday 26 December 2011, 10:06PM Queen Elizabeth II's husband Prince Philip was set to miss the royals' traditional Christmas pheasant shoot Monday after a third night in hospital following heart surgery. Fear grips Nigeria after Christmas attacks kill 40 Fear gripped Nigeria on Monday after a wave of Christmas bombings blamed on Islamists killed at least 40, including worshippers who were left begging for mercy and burning to death as they exited a church. Two large quakes strike Christchurch, New Zealand Friday 23 December 2011, 10:03AM A second large earthquake has hit Christchurch today (December 23), about 90 minutes after an earlier quake injured at least one person and disrupted power, phone services and retailers. Hopes fade for Russians Hopes are fading for 39 men still missing after a drilling rig sank off the coast of Russia with 67 people on board. Hong Kong culls chickens to battle bird flu Wednesday 21 December 2011, 11:15AM Hong Kong culled 17,000 chickens Wednesday and suspended live poultry imports for 21 days after three birds tested positive for the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu virus. Survivors recall horror of Indonesia boat disaster Tuesday 20 December 2011, 05:09PM From their hospital beds, shocked migrants on Tuesday recounted the horror of spending three days in violent seas clinging to wreckage after their overloaded boat sank off Indonesia, en route to Australia. North Korean leader Kim dead Monday 19 December 2011, 11:17AM North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il has died aged 69 of a heart attack, state media announced Monday, plunging the impoverished but nuclear-armed nation into uncertainty amid a second dynastic succession. Nearly 600 dead and missing in Philippines storm Saturday 17 December 2011, 04:10PM Tropical storm Washi raked across the southern Philippines, unleashing mammoth floods across vast areas that left 180 people dead and nearly 400 others missing, officials said Saturday. Aussie music legend Molly Meldrum fighting for life Friday 16 December 2011, 03:51PM Kylie Minogue, Boy George and Russell Crowe were among the star names tweeting their support Friday for Australian music industry legend Molly Meldrum, who was fighting for his life after a fall. Carlos the Jackal sentenced to life in prison in France A French court Thursday sentenced the notorious Venezuelan militant known as Carlos the Jackal to life in prison, with a minimum of 18 years before parole, for four deadly attacks in France in the 1980s. Australian terror conspirators jailed for 18 years Three men who conspired to kill as many people as possible in a gun attack on an Australian military base were Friday sentenced to 18 years in jail, with the judge describing their plans as "evil". Putin faces presidential election run-off: poll Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will need a second round run-off to win next year's presidential elections amid declining popularity ratings and protests, opinion polls said Friday. UN estimates over 5,000 dead in Syria crackdown Forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad killed at least 13 people on Tuesday, reports said after the UN estimated more than 5,000 have died in a nine-month crackdown on dissent. Buddhist activist jailed for 5 years in Vietnam A Vietnamese activist from a minority Buddhist sect was sentenced to five years in prison on Tuesday in a case denounced as religious persecution by a leading human rights group. Indian hospital fire kills at least 60 Friday 9 December 2011, 03:50PM More than 60 people were killed when a fire engulfed a hospital today (December 9) in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata, with many victims believed to be patients who died of smoke inhalation. China has right to develop military: Pentagon China has the right to develop its military but must heed US calls for full transparency, a Pentagon spokesman said Tuesday. 59 dead in Afghan blasts Twin blasts at Afghan shrines on the Shiite holy day of Ashura left at least 59 people dead on Tuesday, with most killed in a massive suicide attack in Kabul which ripped through a crowd of worshippers. Chaotic Russian rally in Moscow Russian riot police arrested hundreds in Moscow on Tuesday to stop a new protest alleging vote fraud by Vladimir Putin’s ruling party and sparking concern in the European parliament and France. Divided Egypt votes in first post-Mubarak poll Monday 28 November 2011, 04:54PM EGYPT: Post-revolution Egypt headed to the polls Monday for a chaotic election clouded by violence and a political crisis, the start of a long process to bring democracy to the Arab world's most populous nation. Suu Kyi party launches Myanmar political comeback Friday 25 November 2011, 03:26PM MYANMAR: Democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi's opposition began its formal return to mainstream Myanmar politics Friday as it applied to re-register as a political party, paving the way for her to run in elections. Tweets by @thephuketnews	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line11038
__label__wiki	0.766816	0.766816	This submitted photo shows Paul Cottrell, wearing the red jacket, helping to disentangle a humpback whale. Humpback whale safety campaign launched as population booms on B.C. coast ‘See a blow? Go slow!’ campaign aimed at protecting boaters and whales Apr. 9, 2019 8:00 a.m. ‘See a blow? Go slow!’ That’s the slogan behind an educational campaign developed by the Marine Education and Research Society to prevent potentially catastrophic collisions by boosting boater awareness of the whales surrounding them. MERS’ education and communications coordinator Jackie Hildering told the Westerly News that B.C.’s once dwindling humpback whale population is surging on the West Coast—rising from seven individuals in 2003 to 86 in 2018—creating a hazardous minefield in local waters. “I am extraordinarily privileged in having seen the increase of humpbacks on our coast but, with that comes the reality that humpbacks are a game-changer for boaters on our coast and as brilliant as it is that they are back as they are, there is not the public awareness around what it means to have humpbacks back in our waters,” she said. “In an ideal world we would be able to set up the equivalent of ‘elk crossing’ signs, but that’s very difficult with a marine species.” She added that humpbacks move differently than the orcas and grey whales that boaters are used to and that collisions can have serious impacts, citing a recent incident where a boater was paralyzed after a crash with a humpback. “They are, of course, huge and they do not have biosonar as do toothed whales like orca. They are extremely acrobatic and they are most often not going in one direction. Boaters have to be alert on our coast to the fact that they could pop up almost anywhere,” she said. “It is like running a gauntlet now in many areas of our coast where you have to be vigilant all the time. One would assume that boaters would be like that, but we have found out that this is not the case and that they criss-cross as if nothing would suddenly surface…There’s such a lack of awareness about the number of humpbacks back on our coast that boaters are putting themselves at risk.” Hildering was speaking from Tofino’s Fourth Street Dock. She was there for the installation of a new educational sign promoting safe boating. MERS has helped install roughly 130 such signs and hopes to have one installed at every dock, harbour and boat ramp on Vancouver Island. The signs are supplemented by online resources available at www.seeablowgoslow.org. Hildering added the campaign also includes information around what boaters should do if they come upon an entangled whale. “We’re desperately trying to educate people that most often if you cut lines at the surface you are cursing the whale because the whale could still be entangled under the surface,” she said. “Our research, looking at scars on the whales, is that 50 per cent of the humpbacks in B.C. waters have been entangled at some point…This is a huge eye opener about how serious a threat this actually is and of course that’s not capturing how many of them become entangled, die and sink to the bottom of the ocean.” READ MORE: DFO declares Swiftsure and LaPerouse Banks critical habitats for killer whales READ MORE: Humpback whale that washed up near Ucluelet had broken jaw READ MORE: Sea lion shot in Ucluelet euthanized at Vancouver Aquarium andrew.bailey@westerlynews.ca From left, Nicole Doe and Jackie Hildering of the Marine Education and Research Society and Michelle Segal of the Strawberry Isle Marine Research Society smile next to a new sign warning boaters to be on the look out for whales while boating. The sign also includes information around entanglements and how to report incidents to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada. (Photo - Andrew Bailey) Groups believe not having children is a way to cut a person’s carbon footprint Trudeau broke law by kicking former ministers out of caucus, Philpott says	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line11039
__label__cc	0.584185	0.415815	X-amining New Mutants #34 "With a Little Bit of Luck!" The New Mutants defeat Karma. Writer: Chris Claremont Artist: Steve Leialoha Letterers: Buahlis & Orzechowski Colorist: Glynis Oliver Editor: Ann Nocenti Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter In Limbo, Warlock attacks Illyana, believing that she's joined Karma. Illyana defends herself as she tries to explain to Warlock that she has a plan to save their teammates, but is ultimately forced to lower her defenses, telling Warlock that if he truly believes she's evil, he can kill her. Warlock is unable to do so, and finally accepts that Illyana isn't a traitor. Illyana calls up a scrying pool and looks in on Karma's nightclub. She and Warlock watch as Karma torments Storm. Inspired by some cryptic remarks Karma makes about her past with Xavier, Illyana and Warlock teleport twenty years into the past, where they observe Professor Xavier's encounter with the evil and powerful telepath Amahl Farouk. Illyana deduces that Farouk may have survived that encounter, and has now taken control of Karma, which accounts for her evil actions and increased telepathic abilities. After hatching a plan, Illyana seemingly returns to Farouk and takes him up on his offer of partnership. However, Farouk has no interest in an equal partnership, and turns his full attention on bending the young girl to her will. As he does, the New Mutants, unnoticed, are telelported away, and "Illyana" reveals herself to be Warlock in disguise. The real Illyana returns Storm and the New Mutants, now free of Farouk's control, back to the nightclub, where they furiously attack, determined to keep Farouk off balance and unable to re-possess them. When Dani uses her power on Karma, she realizes that Farouk has fled Karma for another host. Illyana stabs Doug with her Soulsword, and when he reacts to the attack, they realize Farouk has possessed him, as the real Doug knows Illyana's sword wouldn't hurt him. Karma, unwilling for anyone else to suffer at Farouk's hands, challenges him to a psychic duel. Overcoming her doubts, she's able to force him back onto the astral plane and emerges from the duel victorious. Storm, believing the New Mutants have earned a rest, offers to take them on a vacation. It's revealed that Karma has been possessed, since shortly after issue #6, by Amahl Farouk, the Shadow King (though that name is never used here), whom Professor Xavier fought in the flashback of Uncanny X-Men #117 (revisited in this issue), and is thus responsible for all the criminal acts Karma committed (as well as her obese state). Though Karma is freed of his influence and chases him away, he remains at large, existing on the astral plane, at story's end. The Chronology Corner As mentioned in issue #32, this entire story takes place after Uncanny X-Men #198. Karma mentions that Storm's psychic defenses are almost as strong as Xavier's. After observing Xavier's previous encounter with Farouk, Illyana reasons that the villain may have taken possession of Karma, using several of the hints planted throughout this story to reach that conclusion. The reasoning for why Farouk would leap from Karma to Doug is sound, but nevertheless probably doesn't make Doug feel too good about himself. Illyana compares Warlock's attempt at a disguise to E.T.'s. Claremontisms Illyana uses her Soulsword a few times in this issue, and where her Soulsword is, the phrase "ultimate expression of her magical power" is never far behind. They're Students, Not Superheroes Despite all of their teammates being in the thrall of Karma, Illyana tells Warlock she's reluctant to teleport to the X-Men for help out of free that she'll makes things worse. Teebore's Take "The Hunt for Karma" ends as perfunctorily as possible, not bothering to deviate in any way from the previous two issues' genre-standard efforts, though the reveal that Karma has been possessed by Xavier's old enemy Farouk does make for an interesting twist that pays off several of the hints seeded throughout this story and the previous one and helps connect the New Mutants to the larger history of the X-universe. Also, to Claremont's credit, while the New Mutants' efforts to defeat Farouk are fairly routine (they basically overwhelm him until he abandons Karma, a strategy that works this time when it hasn't before because it does), Karma is at least the primary agent in her ultimate rescue, facing down the villain one-on-one and defeating him through the sheer force of her will, making her, in the end, as much as a rescuer as the one needing rescue. At three issues long, it's tempting to call this story overly long, but it's really not. The beats it hits are, again, fairly standard, and while nothing here is terribly exciting, little of it feels unnecessary or tacked on either (well, okay, the Ancient Egyptian Magical Storm Ancestor bit in issue #34 was pretty superfluous, but that was all of two pages). This isn't a bad story, but wedged as it is between the end of Sienkiewicz's run and the relatively big shakeup in the status quo of the book set to occur in the next issue, it feels more than anything like a fill-in story, an exercise in treading water, even though it ultimately features the return of one of the book's original cast members. The New Mutants' vacation is interrupted by a trip to Asgard in New Mutants Special Edition #1, and the X-Men follow them there in X-Men Annual #9. Posted by Austin Gorton at 1:00 PM Labels: "The Hunt for Karma", Comic Book reviews, comics, New Mutants, X-aminations Dr. Bitz June 27, 2013 at 2:10 PM So, I'm a little confused on Karma's obesity. When the Shadow King took her over did he decide to just engorge himself? Any particular reason or is he just a glutton? And, man, I'd hate to be Karma having to lose all that weight. Even if she has good self restraint it'll probably take a year or two and when she thins out she'll probably need surgery to get rid of the excess skin...then there's the stretch marks.... Teebore June 27, 2013 at 2:21 PM @Dr. Bitz: When the Shadow King took her over did he decide to just engorge himself? Any particular reason or is he just a glutton? Pretty much just a glutton. The body we saw him in during the encounter with Xavier was large (though not to Karma's extreme), so the idea is, I think, that he's a guy who enjoys his food and drink, and when he's inhabiting someone else's body, there's no reason not to just go nuts and engorge himself. Even if she has good self restraint it'll probably take a year or two and when she thins out she'll probably need surgery to get rid of the excess skin...then there's the stretch marks.... Surprisingly enough, the next story will address this, to an extent. angmc43@hotmail.com June 27, 2013 at 2:55 PM I remember having the second chapter of this story, and wanting to see the conclusion. Eventually I got the end, and I felt it was worth it. This story is Illyana's show, and I think this storyline really made me a fan of the character. One commentator at Jason Powell's extensive analysis-blog of Claremont's X-MEN made an interesting parallel about Illyana and Shan. Karma had suffered physical rape (by pirates) and is suffering a similar experience by Farouk. The person to engineer her rescue, Magik, had suffered a spiritual rape herself (and perhaps a physical one by S'ym). Claremont would repeat this point with Rogue/Carol in his Genosha storyline. I wonder if Doug ever found out that Ororo tried to stab him to death? @angmc43: This story is Illyana's show, and I think this storyline really made me a fan of the character. That's a good point, and one I glossed over and probably shouldn't have - other than an issue or two when she first joined the team, this is really the first New Mutants where Illyana takes center stage, and she acquits herself well. Karma had suffered physical rape (by pirates) and is suffering a similar experience by Farouk. The person to engineer her rescue, Magik, had suffered a spiritual rape herself (and perhaps a physical one by S'ym). That is an interesting parallel, especially since both Karma and Illyana tend to be the "darker" members of the team. Ha! If he did, knowing Doug, he probably laughed it off. Blam June 30, 2013 at 8:10 PM Regarding Karma's ginormity, I suspect that Sienkiewicz doing his extreme ad absurdum thing had a lot to do with it; that is, she wasn't "really" quite as huge as we saw, just as Xavier's eyebrows don't actually grow off his head and Legion does in fact have a chin. Teebore July 3, 2013 at 3:32 PM @Blam: I suspect that Sienkiewicz doing his extreme ad absurdum thing had a lot to do with it; that is, she wasn't "really" quite as huge as we saw, just as Xavier's eyebrows don't actually grow off his head and Legion does in fact have a chin. Ah, that's a good point. Even when Leialoha (or Adams) draws her in the next two stories, she's big, but nearly as big as Sienkiewicz was drawing her. X-aminations in July Fifteen Minutes & Dark Moon Digest X-amining Secret Wars II #5 X-amining Longshot #1-6 Last Week in TV #38 To Better Know A Hero: Superman Game of Thrones 3x10: Mhysa Dr. Bitz Ranks Every Television Series Ever...Sort... Game of Thrones 3x09: The Rains of Castamere	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line11040
__label__cc	0.622012	0.377988	SXSW 2015: Paradigm Agency showcase at the Parish and Ben Sherman / UKTI showcase at Latitude 30 (Thursday night part 2) – 19th March 2015 By Mary Chang on Tuesday, 31st March 2015 at 4:00 pm My Thursday evening review was getting too long, so I broke it up into two parts. To read part 1 of my Thursday evening, go here. Then it was on to underground DJ / musician haven on Red River, Plush. It is the electronic music fan’s dream: an unpretentious room where you can be as close and practically personal near the guy (or gal) on the decks in the back if you want, but it’s small enough that the thudding beats and the smooth grooves ooze into every nook and cranny of the place, there’s no bad spot in the house. You couldn’t have asked for a better place for my first time to see Rival Consoles (Ryan L. West) perform. Dressed appropriately in a Moog t-shirt, West was ready to knock some socks off and blow some minds. Surrounded by guys at @rivalconsoles at @plushatx. Typical. Where are the girls who like electronic?? #sxsw15 #godeep pic.twitter.com/yQsAyIAHv0 — Mary @theprintedword (@theprintedword) March 20, 2015 I would be hard pressed to adequately describe West’s set. Through bleeps, blips, thuds and buzzes (bleeps, blips and/or thuds stretched), Rival Consoles an immersive experience and one you have to be there to experience, and it changes every night because West wants it to be a dynamic experience and not one that is limited by what you hear on his records. I also want to point out that his music, at least what I witnessed at his two shows in Austin at Plush and at the British Music Embassy the next night, weren’t solely about building crescendos and big drops. Certainly there were those moments. But the overall feeling I got was like being before a master craftsman making his art for us, fresh. This isn’t in your face electronica ala deadmau5 or Tiesto, nor is it electronica that is so smooth, you can pretty much guess what is coming next, or just be lulled into a sense of tedium. That’s what I liked about seeing Rival Consoles the most: I was excited about the unpredictable. (Listen to my great conversation with Ryan in Austin here.) So it was with great disappointment I had to leave early to make my way to the Parish ahead of Pennsylvania lo-fi rockers The Districts‘ set at the Paradigm Agency showcase. I wasn’t taking any chances, knowing this place was going to be completely rammed later for them and the Vaccines who followed. Perth, Australia’s San Cisco, already a household name here in America, had no trouble assembling a packed room, with plenty of punters either going wild for the young indie pop band’s music or at least bopping their heads approvingly from side to side. ‘Fred Astaire’, whose video was nominated for a 2013 ARIA (the Aussie equivalent to a BRIT award), ended their set on a schmaltzy note. Most American bands I know of dress exactly like this – t-shirts, denim jeans, trainers – regardless of the style of their music, but in the case of the Districts, they’re the kind of band where the dress actually makes sense, because with the growly, fuzzy rock they make, you expect they must have just rolled out of a parent’s garage earlier in the day. While ‘Suburban Smell’ is a stripped back, not completely fond ode to the cookie cutter town from where they grew up, it still bears the scuzz of their sound that’s as unkempt as frontman Rob Grote’s hair. This is the appeal of their album released last month on Fat Possum Records, ‘A Flourish and a Spoil’: unpretentious, rough around the edges rock ‘n’ roll. The irreverence of ‘Peaches’ “in the Vatican / and oh I don’t want to hear about the bird on the hill” with its droney guitars, the oozy, woozy rhythm of ‘Young Blood’ the “need for a little romance”; the desperation of Grote’s yelps in ‘Chlorine’, with its punishing drums and oddly comforting, homey guitar bridge: it was all better than I ever could have expected. They came to DC a week later but I dared not see them again, since I’ll have this snapshot in my mind of seeing them in Austin, down the front at the Parish, as they bashed away at their kit with reckless abandon. I’ll always remember this night. The Districts just destroyed their kit. WHOA. @TheDistrictsPa @TheParishATX From that high, I suppose there was nowhere to go but down. Already excited about having seen the Districts, I was keen to get an equally awesome dose of the Vaccines. The Districts finished roughly at 11:40 PM, which should have given the Vaccines an ample 20 minutes to set up their gear, which included what seemed like overly lengthy guitar and drum kit soundchecks. As I waited, real estate down the front became more precious, as I felt the air being squeezed out of my lungs. For a small girl as myself, it’s not a comfortable situation to be wedged in between two larger, taller people, even if they are girls. I'm giving them 2 minutes. If they're not on by then, I'm splitting for @carlbaratmusic at Latitude 30. I gave the Vaccines another 11 minutes to sort themselves out before I was over them, extricating myself from the Parish crowd before sprinting down 6th and rounding the corner back to Latitude 30. If I wasn’t going to get my fill of ‘Handsome’ tonight, I was going to get the next best thing, seeing one of my guitar gods Carl Barat with his band The Jackals, who I assumed I’d miss entirely in Austin and this year, as it had been announced the previous week that their American tour had been cancelled. That was probably one of the best split-second decisions I made all week. I got down the front of Latitude 30 right in the midst of the band playing a song whose words floated down my tongue with ease (“monkey asked the mouse before / if she could love anybody more than he…”); it wasn’t until I came to the next morning talking to Carrie, who had seen them Wednesday afternoon at the Floodfest showcase at Cedar Street Courtyard, that I realised it was the Libertines’ classic ‘Death on the Stairs’. It was such a long time ago…yet it’s still so great. Though I must have arrived after they played most recent single ‘A Storm is Coming’, Carl and co. treated us to several songs from their debut album on Cooking Vinyl, ‘Let It Reign’, such as ‘War of the Roses’, the jaunty ‘Glory Days’ (to which the whole crowd seemed to be snarling the words back at Barat) and more melancholy LP closer ‘Let It Rain’. Ben Sherman and UKTI, you did good booking this band and the next. So then it was left to the next band to end my night on a high note. Although I’ve caught them live in Newcastle (May 2013), DC (March 2014), and the night previous in Austin, this would be the first time for me to see Public Service Broadcasting at the British Music Embassy and in their wide screen, multimedia splendour. For anyone who hasn’t been to SXSW before, I really must explain that seeing a band at Latitude 30 is a treat: the sound system is usually (99%) on point and the lighting is usually fantastic too(read: you can see everyone on stage!), which means you have pretty much the optimal environment to see your favourite British band. And you can’t get anymore British than Public Service Broadcasting, can you? After witnessing cuts from the new ‘The Race for Space’ album the night before, tonight I could take a couple of snaps, then just get into their music for the fun of it. With its doom and gloom sounds of air raid sirens and Churchill samples, ‘London Can Take It’ shouldn’t be such a joyous occasion, should it? It probably sounds strange coming from a Yank, but I think given the emotional context, understanding that Britain is still standing how many decades after the Blitz, we (meaning the human race, not just Britons) can look back on those times with respect and admiration because we’re still here generations later. It’s not that PSB is necessarily glorifying war; they’re giving praise where praise is due, to the people who came before who allow us to be who we are today or, in the case of ‘Everest’ for one, showed us that we as humans could go beyond what we had thought were our mortal limitations. In that regard, ‘The Race for Space’ is similar. This is music for the thinking person. And if we can funk out to ‘Gagarin’ while celebrating the first man in space too, why not? Oh SXSW 2015, you were wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. "London can take it…" @PSB_HQ at @BenSherman1963 @UKTI #britishmusicembassy pic.twitter.com/risYAmoFce SXSW 2016: part of Paradigm Agency showcase at Maggie Mae’s, plus the second half of BBC Introducing (Wednesday night, part 2) – 16th March 2016 SXSW 2015: Thursday night adventures with artists both familiar and new – 19th March 2015 SXSW 2015: Thursday afternoon at the BBC barbecue, British Music at SXSW showcase and the historic Driskill Hotel – 19th March 2015 SXSW 2015: visiting bands around the world before returning to Britannia (Thursday night part 1) – 19th March 2015 SXSW 2015: Blackjack London and Association of Independent Music showcase at Latitude 30 (Friday night part 2) – 20th March 2015 Tags: 2015, Austin, bensherman, britishmusicembassy, carlbarat, carlbaratandthejackals, festival, festivals, live, march2015, musicfestival, musicfestivals, publicservicebroadcasting, rivalconsoles, sancisco, sxsw, sxsw15, thedistricts, thevaccines, ukti	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line11041
__label__wiki	0.577537	0.577537	My Health Record, in or out: less than a month to choose!9 months ago Time running out to decide on My Health Record Eileen Wood 17 Oct 2018, 1:29 p.m. Don't get caught up in emotive arguments says Australian Patients Association AUSTRALIANS have less than a month to decide who can access their health records. MY HEALTH RECORD: Opt-out period expires on November 15. The opt-out period for My Health Record will expire on November 15. Those who do not opt out will automatically have a digital record created for them on a national data base accessible by health professionals including GPs, specialists and pharmacists. While various health experts say the database could save lives, many Australians have fears about the security of data while others believe the system should have remained as opt-in. Australian Patients Association executive director strategy, Michael Riley, said it was important that patients and their families did not get caught up in the emotive arguments being put forward by groups and individuals that were either for or against Australians maintaining their My Health Record. “We encourage individuals, their families and carers to sit down and discuss the pros and cons of having their medical records stored on the My Health Record as their decision either way has a number of implications,” Mr Riley said. “The Australian Patients Association supports the use of new technology in improving access to health services and information but patients need to be able to trust it. “Patients will ultimately judge the success of the digital health strategy on how it eases their use of the health system and improves their health outcomes. “Any uncovering of privacy data breaches in the future will severely undermine confidence in My Health Record.” My Health Record snapshot • Every Australian with a Medicare card will automatically be given a health record unless they tell the agency they do not want one by the November 15, 2018 deadline • Around 6.1 million Australians currently have a My Health Record, which existed as an opt-in system from 2012 until this year • My Health Record grants users a number of privacy controls over their medical records, but they are not in place by default. In particular, users can set a code over the complete record or specific documents, limiting access to only those doctors with the pin code. Some older Australians without computer access have expressed concern at being disadvantaged by their inability to control their My Health Record. Earlier this year Health Minister Greg Hunt promised to redraft the legislation underpinning My Health Record to ensure that the police and other government agencies would not be able to access patient’s health data without a court order. Criticism has also been leveled at the requirement for patients of Health Care Homes to have a My Health Record. Health Care Homes are general practices or Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services that coordinate care for patients with chronic and complex conditions. For more information or to opt-out call 1800-723-471 www.myhealthrecord.gov.au Read more: Minister backs down on My Health Record privacy following public and doctor backlash Read more: Blood clot prevention guidelines to save lives	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line11043
__label__cc	0.695546	0.304454	Brooke Pawling Stennett 55 Articles0 Comments Brooke Pawling Stennett is a college student pursuing a degree in Multimedia Journalism and Creative Non-Fiction in the old Windy City. She tends to lean toward the obsessive side of the tracks when it comes to books and music. She's an avid concert attendee (or at least she tries to!) and rambler. She'd like to travel the world and write about it, but in the only ways she knows how: sarcastically and full of internet jargon. Her opinions are her best ones, especially if they involve boy-bands and Netflix. . .even though she doesn't even have her own account. You can tweet her at @br_stennett and tell her how ridiculous (and totally great!) her opinions are. Album Review: Birdy releases new album “Beautiful Lies” Brooke Pawling Stennett March 26, 2016 You may not know it, but there’s more to English singer/songwriter Birdy, than her cover of “Skinny Love.”… Brooke Pawling Stennett March 26, 2016 0 0 Book Review: “The Girl from Everywhere” by Heidi Heilig Brooke Pawling Stennett February 23, 2016 There’s a lot of depth within this book that history buffs will enjoy immensely. Heilig does a fantastic job of writing the scenery and sensory detail in a way that adds to a character rather th… Brooke Pawling Stennett February 23, 2016 0 1 Book Review: Nicole Castroman “Blackhearts” First of all, I am a sucker for a pirate book, and while I was disappointed that there was no piracy hidden between the pages, I am annoyed with the fact that this is a standalone novel. The ending, a… Top 8 episodes of Empire so far Brooke Pawling Stennett January 29, 2016 The drama, the hook-ups, the family itself, and all the music make up an addictive TV experience that garners about 11 million viewers each episode.… Brooke Pawling Stennett January 29, 2016 0 0 Album Review: Daughter, ‘Not To Disappear’ In some ways, it’s almost as if the album traps the listener in the idea that one can never get away from the inevitable act of being forgotten and ultimately, to forget. There’s a despera… Five people that should guest star on Empire It’s become vital to the show to have guest stars. At this point it’s still hard to tell if the unlimited amount of guest appearances will cause the downfall of Empire, but right now, it s… Sia releases new Kanye West produced track “Reaper” Brooke Pawling Stennett January 7, 2016 Sia has released her new promotional single “Reaper,” co-written and produced by Kanye West himself. The track, embedded below, serves as the fifth promotional single release for Sia’… Brooke Pawling Stennett January 7, 2016 0 0 ← 1 2 3 4 5 … 8 → Ray & Liz Movie Review: A punishing exploration of trauma	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line11046
__label__wiki	0.800689	0.800689	Follow @2daysracedigest The Leader in providing information for Thoroughbred Horse Racing since 1970 Home Today's Racing Digest Products Professional Handicapper Reports FREE Products and Reports Educational Center Book Store Horse Racing Industry News Handicapping News and Notes Santa Anita February 5 • Week six of the winter meet at Santa Anita concluded on Sunday with a sloppy main track and no turf racing for the weekend. The Arcadia oval was pelted with rain throughout the weekend and it took its toll on everything from poor attendance, short fields due to numerous scratches, and lots of “chalk” on the mandatory payout of the pick six on Saturday. The track had hoped for a $10 million pot with the mandatory payout but ended up with $6.8 million in the total pool. There were 18,742 winning tickets in the sequence and the payout for the 20 cent wager was a meager $296.30. There were 3 winning favorites in the sequence and two of them were odds on. The pool started over on Sunday and the c/o into Thursday’s program is $28,086. Thursday and Friday look clear but there is some rain in the forecast for Saturday, but nothing like we had this past weekend. Through six weeks of the meet, favorites are winning at 33% here, which is the national average. • They only ran two stakes over the weekend due to the rain and the other two were re-scheduled for this Saturday for the turf, the San Marcos for older runners at 9 furlongs, and the Baffle stakes, for sophomores down the hill. The two that were left was the Robert Lewis stakes for 3 year olds, a prep for the Santa Anita Derby, and the San Pasqual, for older horses and a prep for the Santa Anita Handicap. Baffert’s Mucho Gusto, a Turfdom Best Bet, easily won the “Lewis”, but after the late scratch of Nolo Contesto, he really didn’t beat much in the process. Only five ran and he rated nicely for Talamo just off the pace, and went on to win by five in the good time of 1:41.81 over a sealed track that was playing on the fast side. He still looks to be a second stringer for Baffert with Game Winner and Improbable being his best sophomores for Kentucky at this point. “Gusto” paid $3.20 to win and won like a 3 to 5 shot should win. In the San Pasqual, the “gutty” Battle of Midway outdueled the favored McKinzie, who was 1 to 2, and beat him by a half length at the wire. The winner paid $6.80 to win for Hollendorfer and the difference was that “Midway” was on the outside of the favorite down the lane. Battle of Midway is very sharp right now, tries hard every race, but 9 furlongs is his max when it comes to distance. The 10 furlongs of the Big Cap will be a challenge for him. The runner up also seems to have distance limitations as well. • With the two turf stakes carried over from last weekend, the track will run four stakes this Saturday. Along with the San Marcos and the Baffle, both on the turf, the track will have the 7 furlong San Vicente for three year olds. Baffert’s Coliseum, who ran so poorly in his last race after missing the start, will be the favorite and heads up that field on the main track. He worked a bullet six furlongs under Mike Smith in 1:12.20 last Wednesday, and if he gets out of the gate, will be tough to beat. The other Grade 2 stakes for Saturday will be the Thunder Road, a mile on the turf for older runners. Let’s hope the rain holds off and those 3 turf stakes do run. Then on Sunday they have the Las Virgines, a Grade 2 at a mile on the main track for soph fillies, and the Grade 3 Sweet Life stakes, a sprint down the hill for soph fillies. • A British company called Colossus Bets has obtained a operating license in the state of Oregon and hopes to offer a new wager to the U.S. tracks with a cash out option on multi race wagers. The cash out option has been available in other countries for quite some time and has become increasingly more popular. The Stronach Group, which owns and operates at least half of the race tracks in this country is very interested, and so am I. The way the cash out option works is that the track will buy back your ticket if you are alive in a multi-race wager with one or more legs remaining. How many times have you been alive in a pick four, a pick five, or a pick six, and not feel very good about the remaining legs, maybe due to a track bias that has developed, or some late scratches that affect the pace of the race. Now the track will buy your ticket and you will still show a profit should you take the cash out option. The track assumes the risk of the wager and the percentages are all figured into the payout. With sports wagering becoming more and more popular in this country (it’s on the ballot for 2020 in California), racing has to do more to keep its existing customers. This would be good for horse racing, stay tuned. By Rod Young (Turfdom) Get Turfdom's Free Picks « Back to News Articles Contact Us \| Privacy Policy \| Distribution \| Proprietorship/Disclaimer \| Account Summary \| Handicapper Login © 2019 Today's Racing Digest - All Rights Reserved Download the FREE Adobe Reader	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line11048
__label__wiki	0.606261	0.606261	/ Tom's Hardware / Laptop Mag / TopTenReviews / AnandTech Cheap CPUs Best Builds Best for Gaming Gaming CPUs 4K Gaming Monitors Coffee Lake Compatible picon-graphics GPU Roundups Prime Day CPU Deals Prime Day SSD Deals Prime Day GPU Deals Prime Day Gaming Lapto Deals Pi 4 Review and Tests Overclocking the Pi 4 Where to Buy Pi 4 Upgrade to Raspbian Buster Setting Up for First Time Headless Install Why You Should Buy a Pi 25+ Linux Commands How Windows 10 Runs on a Pi 10 Pi Facts You Didn't Know Tutorials / Projects Make a News Ticker Shirt Run Windows 10 on a Pi Pi GPIO Pinout Make a VPN Gateway HP Spectre x360 13 (2019) Laptop Review: Best Consumer 2-in-1 by Avram Piltch April 21, 2019 at 6:00 AM If you’re looking for a lightweight consumer 2-in-1, it’s hard to argue against the HP Spectre x360 13-inch. Starting at $1,029 (£999), the latest version of this tried-and-true convertible features epic battery life, solid performance and a sleek new design with attractive tapered edges and an eye-popping Poseidon Blue color. While its base-level 1080p screen could be brighter, the Spectre x360 has a slew of helpful features, including a USB Type-A port, a hardware webcam switch and an active stylus in the box. HP Spectre x360 13 (2019) Editor's choice tom's Hardware USB Type-A port Dull, noisy webcam Dim screen for a premium system HP’s Spectre x360 13-inch offers a best-in-class combination of style, portability and performance. $1050HP The new HP Spectre x360 13-inch and its 15-inch big brother are the first laptops I’ve ever seen that have hexagon shapes… well, sort of. At first glance, these computers appear rectangular, but the upper left and right sides of the chassis are chamfered into mini fifth and six sides, with the power button living on the left corner edge and the USB-C charging port on the right one. HP-Spectre-x360-13-2019-001 These edges are polarizing; I like them a lot because they add an attractive, unique design element and make it easy to feel your way to the power button in the dark. However, some of my coworkers think they are unnecessary design flourishes. The rest of the laptop's appearance is unquestionably stunning with an all-aluminum design that comes in two color schemes: Ash Silver and Poseidon Blue. I tested an Ash Silver unit and noted that the word “silver” is a little misleading because the lid and deck are more of a dark brown metal with a shiny, copper-colored metal on the hinges and the sides. Either way, it looks fantastic. But the Poseidon Blue color is even more attractive with a dark subtle blue on the lid and deck to go with a white gold-colored metal around the sides and on the hinges. I’d definitely get the Blue. At 12.2 x 8.6 x 0.6 inches (309 x 218 x 15 mm) and just 2.8 pounds (1.3 kg), the Spectre x360 13-inch is really light and compact. It’s notably smaller and lighter than the Lenovo Yoga C930 and thinner but 0.3 pounds heavier than the LG Gram 14 2-in-1. The Dell XPS 13 is 0.1 pounds lighter and 0.1 inches thinner, but keep in mind that it is not a 2-in-1 and has no USB Type-A ports. Speaking of ports, the Spectre x360 13-inch doesn’t have many, but it does provide a USB Type-A port, something that all of its main competitors lack. In addition to the Type-A port, which lives on the left side, there’s a microSD card slot, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a Thunderbolt 3 port and a USB Type-C port for charging. HP Spectre x360 Specifications Graphics Intel UHD 620 (integrated) Memory 8GB DDR4-2400 SSD 256GB M.2 PCIe-NVMe Display 13.3-inch 1080p (1920x1080) IPS Networking Intel Wireless-AC 9560, Bluetooth 5 Video Ports Thunderbolt 3 USB Ports 2x Thunderbolt 3 / USB Type-C Gen 2 1x USB Type-A Audio Quad speakers tuned by Bang & Olufsen Camera FHD, IR webcam Battery 61 Wh Power Adapter 65 W Dimensions (WxDxH) 12.2 x 8.6 x 0.57 inches / 309.9 x 218.4 x 14.5 mm Weight 2.9 pounds / 1.3 kg Price (as configured) $1,349 / £1,099 Productivity Performance With its Intel Core i7-8565U CPU, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD, our review configuration of the HP Spectre x360 was more than capable of handling everything we threw at it with ease. Even when I had over a dozen tabs open and a 4K video streaming in another window, I didn’t notice any lag. On Geekbench 4, a synthetic benchmark that measures overall performance, the Spectre scored a solid 14,935, comfortably above the 13,329 category average, a little better than the Lenovo Yoga C930 (Core i7-8550U CPU) and slightly behind the XPS 13 (Core i7-8565U). It took HP’s 2-in-1 a solid 1 minute and 34 seconds to match 65,000 names with their addresses in Excel. That’s about on par with the category average, but 24 seconds slower than the Dell XPS 13. You can crunch videos with the Spectre x360, but you’ll be waiting a while. When we used Handbrake to transcode a 12-minute, 4K video down to 1080p, the process finished in 22 minutes and 30 seconds. That’s actually a bit quicker than the category average (22:54), but the Yoga C930 was 8 percent quicker, and the XPS 13 was 22 percent faster. The 256GB SSD copied 4.97 GB of files at a rate of 391.5 MBps, a quick speed but a bit below the 557.9 MBps category average. The Dell XPS 13 was slightly quicker than the average, while the Yoga C930 was a bit behind the Spectre x360. With its integrated Intel UHD 620 graphics, the Spectre x360 isn’t fit for serious gaming, but it can handle casual titles and some light media creation. When we fired up a game of Dirt 3, a low-end racing game, the 2-in-1 managed a very playable frame rate of 56 frames per second (fps), 23 percent less than the category average and 36 percent behind the XPS 13. However, the Yoga C930 fared much worse at 37 fps. The Spectre x360 scored 300 on 3DMark Fire Strike Ultra, a synthetic benchmark that measures graphics prowess. That’s less than half the premium laptop category average, but about on par with the Yoga C930 and Dell XPS 13, both of which also have integrated graphics. The Spectre x360 offers fairly consistent performance over time. When we ran Cinebench R15 10 times, the Spectre x360 got an average score of 497.8 with an average CPU temperature of 85.8 degrees Celsius (186.4 degrees Fahrenheit) and average clock speed of 2.4 GHz. With the exception of the first run, which resulted in a score of 596.8, all other nine instances were close to each other, ranging from 480.9 to 490.2. The 13.3-inch, 1920x1080 display on our review unit was colorful, but not luminous enough. When I watched a trailer for Shazam, some shades, like the red in the hero’s costume or the yellow in a lightning bolt, popped, but nothing is as vibrant as it should be when you have below average brightness. The panel measured an unimpressive 287 nits of brightness on our light meter, which is 35 nits below the category average and miles behind the Dell XPS 13’s mark of 357 nits with its 1080p screen. However, our colorimeter confirmed what I saw with my eyes as the Spectre’s panel reproduced an impressive 150 percent of the sRGB color gamut. That’s 27 percent better than the category average, 19 percent above the XPS 13 and 50 percent better than Lenovo’s Yoga C930 with a 4K screen. Keyboard, Touchpad and Pen Where keyboards for previous Spectre x360s I tested had extremely tactile, responsive feels, the current model’s keys seem sturdy but a little stiff. Their 1.4 mm of travel isn’t ideal (above 1.5mm is great, but rare on ultrabooks), but not terrible either. And the 70 grams of required actuation force is normal. However, I found myself bottoming out quite a bit, which made my fingers feel fatigued. When I took the 10fastfingers.com typing test, I reached a rate of 96 words per minute with a 3.6 percent error rate, both of which are within my normal range. In our tests, the 4.7 x 2.3-inch touchpad provided accurate navigation around the desktop and responded quickly to all the standard Windows multitouch gestures, including pinch-to-zoom, three-finger swipe and four-finger swipe. However, the laptop does not use Microsoft’s Windows Precision touchpad driver, instead opting for a Synaptics driver. The Spectre x360 13-inch comes with an active stylus that has 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity (interpolated from 1,028 degrees) and two customizable buttons. The pen offered a very accurate, rich writing and drawing experience. When I used Windows 10’s handwriting keyboard, my strokes registered accurately and immediately. And when I did some sketching in Fresh Paint, lines were thicker or thinner depending on how hard I pressed. While I wish there was more friction when pressing the tip against the screen and it would be nice if there was a back eraser button like on the Microsoft Surface Pen, the Spectre provided a really good writing experience. Consider that for Microsoft's Surface Pro and Surface Book, you have to pay $100 extra for the pen. The Spectre x360 is loud enough to fill a medium-sized room and accurate enough to dance to. When I played AC/DC’s "Back in Black," the drums were just a little tinny, but not annoyingly so, and the sound was clearly audible from the next room over. HP Audio Control gives you manual control over the equalizer and the ability to choose among movie, music or voice profile. When I turned up the treble, the guitar sounded richer and louder than the other instruments. You can also toggle the Bang and Olufsen Experience setting, which is on by default, but turning it off made the music sound a bit hollow. Upgradeability Just forget about upgrading the HP Spectre x360 13-inch. The screws on the bottom are hidden beneath the glued-on rubber feet. We don’t know if the RAM or storage are soldered in, but in order to find out, we’d have had to ruin the feet, rendering the laptop wobbly. The HP Spectre x360 can last all day long on a charge and then some. On our battery test, which involves continuous web surfing, video streaming and running OpenGL benchmarks at 150 nits of brightness, the Spectre endured for an impressive 12 hours and 7 minutes, about 4 hours longer than the average premium laptop. Dell’s XPS 13 with a 1080p, non-touch screen lasted a slightly longer 12 hours and 22 minutes, but let’s keep in mind that touch screens usually consume a lot more power. The built-in 1080p webcam captures images which are unimpressive at best. A shot of my face had a ton of visual noise, and colors, such as the blue stripes in my shirt and my skin tone, were quite inaccurate. At least the picture was fairly bright. The webcam also has an infrared sensor for doing Windows Hello face detection. But if you’d prefer to just use a finger, there’s also a fingerprint reader on the deck. If you’re worried about someone hacking into the computer and taking control of the webcam, you can flip a hardware switch on the right side that completely disables the sensor and even removes it from the device manager. Software and Warranty HP offers a few first-party utilities, some of which are useful and some of which are not. HP Command Center lets you pick a thermal profile that balances in favor of performance, quiet or coolness. HP Audio Switch lets you choose which device to send sound to, which is something you could also do in Windows settings. HP Jumpstart, which appears as a large tile on the Start menu, is a glossy promotion for downloading different paid or trialware apps, including Office 365 and McAfee Security. In addition to the McAfee Security center, there’s the standard dumpster full of free-to-play games, including Candy Crush Saga and Candy Crush Friends Saga, that Microsoft shovels onto every Windows 10 machine. You’ll also find the Netflix app, just in case you are a subscriber and didn’t realize that you could just download it yourself in a matter of seconds. HP backs the Spectre x360 with a standard one-year warranty on parts and labor. The HP Spectre x360 stayed pretty cool throughout our anecdotal use, but the bottom surface got a little warm during our heat test. After streaming a video for 15 minutes, the keyboard measured a reasonable 30.4 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit), and the touchpad clocked in at 29.1 degrees Celsius (84.4 degrees Fahrenheit). The bottom hit a toasty 38.7 degrees Celsius (101.7 degrees Fahrenheit). Our $1,349 review configuration (on sale for $1,199 at Best Buy at publish time) of the HP Spectre x360 came with a Core i7-8565U, 8GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD and a 1080p display. When you buy directly from HP.com, you can choose between a 1080p and 4K display, pick 8 or 16GB of RAM, decide between a Core i5 and Core i7 CPU and go for up to 2TB of storage. Depending on where you buy from and what configuration you choose, prices range from about $1,029 (£999) to $2,399 (£1,799). You can get the laptop in your choice of Poseideon Blue or Ash Silver. While both are attractive, I highly recommend the former. If you’re shopping for a premium laptop with a focus on portability and battery life, the HP Spectre x360 should be near the top of your list. Even if you don’t feel like you need a 2-in-1, this laptop competes very favorably against leading clamshells, like the Dell XPS 13, and, if you get the Poseidon Blue color, you’ll have a system that looks as good as it performs. It’s not perfect: a premium system like this should give you more than 300 nits of brightness even on the base model panel, and the keyboard is a little less snappier compared to prior models reviewed. But the Spectre x360 13-inch is one of the best lightweight laptops you can get and the best choice for consumers who want a lightweight system with a heavy dose of style. MORE: Best Gaming Laptops MORE: Laptop Reviews MORE: All Laptop Content Photo Credits: Tom's Hardware Avram Piltch @geekinchief Avram Piltch is Tom's Hardware's editor-in-chief. When he's not playing with the latest gadgets at work or putting on VR helmets at trade shows, you'll find him rooting his phone, taking apart his PC or coding plugins. With his technical knowledge and passion for testing, Avram developed many real-world benchmarks, including our laptop battery test. 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__label__cc	0.537661	0.462339	Collections collect collectors. It doesn't work the other way around. A certain object misses its own kind and communicates that to some person who surrounds it with rhyming items; these become at first a quorum, then a selective, addictive madness. Allan Gurganus I started quite young at school, compering a charity event at an old people's home. I would do stand up and impressions and enjoyed the laughter. It's very addictive. It's a lovely sensation to say something and hear a whole room laugh. Armando Iannucci We must move in our recovery from one addiction to another for two major reasons: first, we have not recognized and treated the underlying addictive process, and second, we have not accurately isolated and focused upon the specific addictions. Anne Wilson Schaef Beware of addictive medicines. Everything in moderation. This applies particularly to the Internet and your sofa. The physical world is ultimately the source of all inspiration. Which is to say, if all else fails: take a bike ride. Aaron Koblin You can be creative and not addictive, or addictive and not creative. Most addicted people do not produce anything of remarkable note. Anne Roiphe I don't think acting is addictive. If I stopped acting tomorrow, I really wouldn't care. If you told me that I would have to sell real estate in New York City to look after my family, that would be fine with me. Alec Baldwin All sins tend to be addictive, and the terminal point of addiction is damnation. W. H. Auden There is something addictive in space that makes you want to go back - like the mountain climbers who want to go back to the Himalayas although their fingers were cut by frostbite. Yi So-Yeon I'm devious, cruel, cunning and addictive. Anthony Hopkins There's something very addictive about people pleasing. It's a thought pattern and a habit that feels really, really good until it becomes desperate. Anne Hathaway The theater is magical and addictive. Angela Lansbury Just as it can be addictive to be in a real world bookstore or library, it's the same on the Web. Trip Adler I am an addictive personality. Trisha Goddard Like sugar and, oh - let's say the most tabloidy and gossipy reality television programs - credit is, for millions, genuinely addictive. Tom Shales The concept of the robot encapsulates both aspects of technology. On one hand it's cool, it's fun, it's healthy, it's sexy, it's stylish. On the other hand it's terrifying, it's alienating, it's addictive, and it's scary. That has been the subject of much science-fiction literature. Thomas Bangalter I'm constantly having to be vigilant with a depressive tendency, an addictive tendency. Patrick Marber It's the adrenaline rush you only get from being in front of an audience. It's addictive. Raphael Saadiq Falling in love as we know it is an addictive experience. Susan Cheever Now that I finally have the time for it, this web surfing stuff turns out to be as interesting and fun and addictive as you've all been telling me. Zipping from link to link, chasing an idea across the noosphere, sucking up information like a killer whale - way cool. Spider Robinson I always have to come back to shows to take out the improvements actors have put in. Laughs are addictive, and sometimes they're good laughs, and sometimes they're bad laughs. Scott Ellis It's success, not fame, that is quite addictive. I'm addicted to a lot of things and, as it happens, success is one of them. Robbie Williams Success Is Technology is a compulsive and addictive way to live. Verbal communication cannot be lost because of a lack of skill. The ability to listen and learn is key to mastering the art of communication. If you don't use your verbal skills and networking, it will disappear rapidly. Use technology wisely. Rick Pitino Cigars, cigarettes, and hookah tobacco are all smoked tobacco - addictive and deadly. We need effective action to protect our kids from struggling with a lifelong addiction to nicotine. Tom Frieden There's nothing more addictive or incredible in life than reinventing yourself and allow yourself to be different every day. Thalia We're drawn to making our mark, leaving a record to show we were here, and a journal is a great place to do it. Once you start drawing, writing, and gluing stuff in every day, it can quickly become a habit - addictive, even. Your attitude should be: 'I can do this, but I mustn't make it too intimidating.' Keri Smith I had white hair when I was 19. I think bleach can be addictive, and before long, you've gone too far with it and can't tell you've got a problem. It was over-processed and genuinely crispy, but I thought I looked amazing. Katherine Ryan The adrenaline of a live performance is unlike anything in film or theater. I can see why it's so addictive. Gwyneth Paltrow Law is a very addictive profession. George Carman I came away from the forums with a profound concern about the highly addictive and destructive nature of methamphetamine. Families are torn apart, lives are destroyed and treatment is difficult to get. Greg Walden Destructive What's sad is that there is an addictive quality to that, to believing your own hype; to allowing yourself to become validated by others and no longer by yourself. That's the danger of celebrity. Giovanni Ribisi I've always had an addictive nature. Gail Porter Debt can be the most addictive thing in the universe, and it can kill you. You get used to living high off the hog. It was intoxicating. Harvey Weinstein Intoxicating Antidepressants can have troubling side effects and are addictive for some people. Irving Kirsch The whole fame and fortune thing is addictive. Jimmy Nail Work is like a drug. I'm jonesing for more. It's gotten more addictive than I had realized. I get anxious when I have nothing to do now. John Benjamin Hickey I think all actors have addictive personalities. Jonathan Rhys Meyers Business gives you a massive high. Doing a great deal, coming up with an inspirational solution... It's very addictive. But it doesn't last long. In isolation, it's a bit sterile. It doesn't reward the soul. John Caudwell I spent a good part of the nineties roaming the Earth writing about conflict. It was very grueling. I was beginning to find this way of life was, wow, addictive and deeply meaningful. Janine di Giovanni In accounts of men in battle, there is an incredible adrenaline rush from group-versus-group conflict. The fervor and passion of partisans is clearly rewarding; and if it's rewarding, it involves dopamine; and if it involves dopamine, then it is potentially addictive. Jonathan Haidt Potentially Rewarding I would love to speak with First Lady Michelle Obama about the addictive component of obesity. Jane Velez-Mitchell Three cigarettes in, your body already craves it. It is that addictive. Loni Anderson Google is my best friend and my worst enemy. It's fabulous for research, but then it becomes addictive. I'll have a character eating an orange, and next thing I'm Googling types of oranges, I'm visiting chat rooms about oranges, I'm learning the history of the orange. Liane Moriarty I have an extremely addictive personality. I'm an extremist. Leif Garrett Fly-fishing is really addictive. Laura Donnelly The attraction of power is heady, addictive. And as we know from real life, it can be a disease. A horrific disease. Liam Cunningham Heady There is something in the act of having tattoos done that I love. It can be quite addictive. I've got a few on my back because my friend is an artist, and a few on my arms. Every time I pass a tattoo parlour, I think, 'Maybe just a tiny one.' Lena Headey Sometimes I wish I never found the Internet. Sometimes I regret getting a laptop and Wi-Fi for logging into the Internet because it is such a distraction. If you have any addictive personality, the Internet will magnify it. Lupe Fiasco Living in continual chaos is exhausting, frightening. The catch is that it's also very addictive. Lorna Luft Exhausting I've chosen to get the word out to women, especially young women, that tobacco is not glamorous - it's addictive and smoking takes a serious toll on your health. Mena Suvari There's a reason why anger, fear, and hatred are paths to the dark side: they all spring from a single source - the same source as a certain flavor of love. A dangerously sweet, addictive flavor. Matthew Stover	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line11057
__label__cc	0.725945	0.274055	Front page - Fighting the U-boats - Allied Warships Warship losses Warship types Warship classes Wartime histories Warship finder USS Guadalcanal (CVE 60) Escort carrier of the Casablanca class Navy The US Navy Type Escort carrier Class Casablanca Pennant CVE 60 Built by Kaiser Shipbuilding Co. (Vancouver, Washington, U.S.A.) Ordered 17 Jul 1942 Laid down 5 Jan 1943 Launched 5 Jun 1943 Commissioned 25 Sep 1943 End service 15 Jul 1946 Decommissioned 15 July 1946. Stricken 27 May 1958. Sold 30 April 1959 and scrapped in Japan in January 1960. Commands listed for USS Guadalcanal (CVE 60) Please note that we're still working on this section. Commander From To 1 T/Capt. Daniel Vincent Gallery, USN 25 Sep 1943 16 Sep 1944 (1) 2 T/Capt. Burnham Clough McCaffree, USN 16 Sep 1944 8 Aug 1945 (1) 3 T/Capt. Shirley Snow Miller, USN 8 Aug 1945 15 Jul 1946 (1) You can help improve our commands section Click here to Submit events/comments/updates for this vessel. Please use this if you spot mistakes or want to improve this ships page. Notable events involving Guadalcanal include: German U-boat U-544 was sunk in the North Atlantic north-west of the Azores, in position 40°30'N, 37°20'W, by depth charges and rockets from Avenger aircraft (VC-13) of the US escort carrier USS Guadalcanal. German U-boat U-515 was sunk at 1510hrs on 9 April 1944 in the mid-Atlantic north of Madeira in position 34°35'N, 19°18'W, by rockets from 4 Avenger and Wildcat aircraft (VC-58) of the US escort carrier USS Guadalcanal and depth charges from the US destroyer escorts USS Pope, USS Pillsbury, USS Chatelain and USS Flaherty. German U-boat U-68 was sunk north-west of Madeira, Portugal, in position 33°24'N, 18°59'W, by depth charges and rockets from Avenger and Wildcat aircraft of the US escort carrier USS Guadalcanal (VC-58). German U-boat U-505 was captured at sea west of Africa by ships and Wildcat aircraft of the US Navy task force 22.3, escort carrier USS Guadalcanal and the destroyer escorts USS Pillsbury, USS Chatelain, USS Flaherty, USS Jenks and USS Pope. Hunt and Kill Savas, Theodore The Little Giants Y\'Blood, William T. Clear the Decks! Gallery, Daniel V. Rear Admiral U.S.N. (ret.) http://www.navsource.org/archives/03/060co.htm Return to the Allied Warships section	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line11058
__label__wiki	0.555959	0.555959	The adventures of Fergus and Molly An innovative therapeutic pet program is bringing comfort, compassion and fun to Aged Care residents. Meet Fergus and Molly, the newest and furriest residents at TriCare Point Vernon Aged Care Residence. Fergus (the dog) and Molly (the cat) look, feel and sound like real animals. They respond to petting, hugging and motion. Pet Molly’s left cheek, for instance, and she’ll nuzzle your hand. Keep petting, and she’ll roll onto her back for a belly rub. She meows and purrs appreciatively, and her fur is soft to the touch. But, unlike a real cat, she doesn’t require any special care, feeding or expensive trips to the vet. That, TriCare Point Vernon facility manager Lisa Boase says, is what makes Fergus and Molly the perfect pets for Aged Care residents. “We are always looking for innovative ways to improve the quality of care we provide for our residents,” Ms Boase says. “To us, residents, relatives and staff are one family. We believe that the power of play can bring joy to people and enhance meaningful interactions with members of our family. This led us to bring the robotic companion pets to our home. “Some of our family members have loved ones far away and they often find themselves feeling isolated. A cuddle with Fergus and Molly gives them a feeling of love and connection. We also have family members who are living with dementia and have found that Fergus and Molly offer tactile distractions which reminds them of their previous memories and experiences.” Robotic companion pets — known in the medical community as socially assistive robots — have become popular therapeutic devices in Aged Care facilities around the world. Until recently, the most popular of these pets was Paro, a costly device modelled after a baby harp seal. The choice of an exotic animal for the robot’s model was deliberate, as designers reasoned that most people have never actually held a baby seal before, and wouldn’t be bothered by any inaccuracies. Fergus and Molly, part of Hasbro’s new Joy For All range, face the tougher task of successfully imitating cats and dogs, domestic animals that virtually all of us are familiar with. If the reactions of the residents at TriCare Point Vernon are anything to go by, they’ve passed the test with flying colours. “Since we’ve had Fergus and Molly in our home, we have been amazed at the way our residents have interacted with the animals,” Ms Boase says. “Because the animals react to touch and voice, there is a very real connection and emotional response. Our family members can show and receive love and affection from Molly and Fergus, and this is so important for their emotional well-being.” Enjoying cuddles and companionship with Fergus and Molly gives residents a chance to smile, relax and engage with the world around them. Ms Boase says the interactive pet therapy program has helped to create a sense of community and belonging in the community. “At TriCare Point Vernon, there is no limit to our imagination and we pride ourselves on our innovation,” she says. “We are committed to providing opportunities for our residents to engage and connect in a meaningful way.” Helping hand at Mt Gravatt Retirement Community Plenty of time for leisure at Runaway Bay retirement community Resident leads a very active life at Compton Gardens retirement community Residents get crafty for masquerade party Progressive dinner a great success at James Ommaney Retirement Community	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line11065
__label__wiki	0.910766	0.910766	VW to Electrify Commercial Trucks in Europe October 11, 2017 • by Staff Volkswagen Truck & Bus revealed the e-Delivery truck and announced additional green initiatives at Innovation Day in Hamburg, Germany. Photo courtesy of Volkswagen. Volkswagen has developed a new battery-electric powered distribution truck and is working on additional electric solutions for medium- and heavy-duty distribution transport for the European market. Volkswagen Truck & Bus, which includes brands such as MAN, Scania, Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus, and RIO, revealed the e-Delivery truck and announced additional green initiatives at Innovation Day in Hamburg, Germany. The automaker’s e-Delivery truck is designed to improve sustainability in the delivery of goods. Meanwhile, further initiatives are also being implemented to find alternative ways to electrify heavy-duty trucks to accommodate range and load capacity for long-haul traffic. Initiatives outlined as executives laid out VW's long-term plans for shaping the future of transportation included addressing concerns regarding load capacity of battery technology vehicles by turning to combustion engines powered by gas or biodiesel, according to the automaker. Volkswagen Truck & Bus is also creating alternative-drive solutions for city buses in Europe. The e-Delivery truck will be developed in Brazil and will roll off assembly lines in 2020. Volkswagen will commit approximately $1.7 billion by 2022 for the continued development of the technology, which will also include autonomous systems and cloud-based software, according to Bloomberg. VW's electric truck technology will also find its way to the U.S. by 2020, as Navistar expects to be in a position to launch its first medium-duty electric powered vehicle for the U.S. and Canadian markets through its alliance with Volkswagen Truck and Bus. Volkswagen also announced that it was working on how autonomous driving can make the transportation of goods more sustainable. Efforts such as these will curb, fuel consumption and decrease accidents, VW says. Volkswagen Truck & Bus Group is also actively advancing connected driving in transportation across all modes of transport to connect the entire supply chain and achieve the greatest efficiencies, according to the company. Related: Volkswagen's Electric Minibus to Arrive in 2022 Read more about Volkswagen Global Battery-Electric Vehicles Autonomous Vehicles Medium-Duty Trucks Germany Navistar Alternative Fuels HDT Goes Indy Car in Toronto [Photos] HDT Equipment Editor Jim Park donned a nomex fire suit to take a ride in a two-seat Indy Car at the Honda Toronto Indy race weekend. Dayco Names New CEO Dayco has named Joel E. Wiegert as its chief executive officer, responsible for the global operational performance and strategic direction of the company. The Uncertain World of Truck Tires Expect higher prices and tighter supplies. Imports of radial truck tires from China into the U.S. have dropped 25% in the first three months of 2019, from more than 1.8 million to just shy of 1.4 million, compared to the same period a year ago. Carrier Transicold Gifts Refrigeration Unit to Food Bank Carrier Transicold gifted a Supra 960 truck refrigeration unit to Three Square Food Bank in Southern Nevada. A Day at the Races with Mack Trucks [Photos] Mack Trucks is looking to raise its West Coast profile a bit. A partnership with Portland, Oregon-based Velocity Speed Ferrari Racing Team certainly helps. On the Spot: Why a West Coast Racing Team Depends on Mack Anthems [Video] Senior Editor Jack Roberts spoke with entrepreneur and racer Rich Baek about his love for everything automotive and why he chose to use a pair of Mack Anthems to transport his racing Ferraris. Construction Fleet Depends on Mack Time is money, and having trucks on the job working is how fleets like Silver Trucking survive. Mack Trucks Looks to Raise Profile on West Coast Mack commands a strong presence in the Class 8 market east of the Mississippi, but it's working to grow its market share on the West Coast. HDT editors got to meet two very different customers.	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line11068
__label__wiki	0.560137	0.560137	To argue against a certain view does not equate to hate, and can stem from love. We can disagree on marriage 12:00amJulian Porteous To argue against a certain view does not equate to hate, and it can stem from love. Read on -->>www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/with-respect-we-can-agree-to-disagree-on-marriage-act/news-story/19424048ff3b72e2dd25ba203146dfab The Battle for Australia - Millions to pray for marriage, family and freedom throughout October 2016. Millions of Christians are Preparing to Pray for Australia, for Marriage, Family, Children and Freedom Every Day Throughout October 2016. Australia is a great country in a world of increasing chaos. This did not just happen by accident. The foundations which have allowed this are currently under unprecedented attack from within. We are stewards of the Australia we have been blessed with. Blood has been spilled to pass this legacy onto us, and we have a duty to preserve it and pass it on to the next generation. The forceful rainbow/gender confusion ideological movement imposing itself on our society, demanding that we accept their divisive and destructive ideas about marriage, family, gender, politics, governance, education, finance, democracy, freedom (ideas which are inimical to the ones found in our foundations), and submit to their attempted takeover of our society, want us to go quietly. If we do, we will wake up being unable to speak freely, educate our children freely, raise our children freely, associate freely, worship freely, and eventually vote freely and maybe even travel freely, own property, invest, create and prosper. This rainbow movement will not stop at marriage. Authoritarian movements never do. They can sense victory and are doing everything they can to remove the people's vote (plebiscite) on marriage. Knowing that they have stacked the parliament by stealth and intimidation (who in parliament are brave enough to publicly go against the gay media and political mob?), they want to force through a parliamentary vote. They know the stakes are high. They also know that the people will possibly put an end to their attempted coup in a plebiscite. If they gain power they will take our freedom. Churches will become centres of "hate" speech. The Bible will become "hate" literature. Preachers will be imprisoned if they preach on certain sections of the Bible. This has happened before. Ultimately they can't win though. This gender confusing, anti-marriage, anti-family, man-centred, anti-God, authoritarian social experiment is doomed to fail, just like it did in socialist Russia in the 1920s, and the only true hope for men will continue to be found only in Jesus Christ. Thank God for that! God's people are not to be silent. Like Jesus clearing the traders from the temple, we too are allowed to get a bit animated now and then. John Calvin once said, “Even a dog barks when his master is attacked. I would be a coward if I saw that God's truth is attacked and yet would remain silent.” This rainbow movement will impose itself on our society until we are subjugated and prevented from being free to fulfil the Great Commission in a free land. Why would we let that happen without some resistance? So, what to do? The best thing to do, and our first priority, is always to pray. We acknowledge Jesus is Lord of all and so we must seek His mercy on our land. We can also then act in other ways too. Contact politicians; start blogs; actively post, re-tweet and share on your social media; print out your own heartfelt defence of marriage, family and children and letter box drop it around your neighbourhood. Millions of Christians around Australia and the world are preparing to spend the whole month of October 2016 in prayer and fasting to ask God to protect and preserve our free Australia. Please join them. From the Canberra Declaration ministry: "To give you insight and encouragement in your courageous decision to pray and fast for marriage and family you can download this free e-book by John Piper called "A Hunger for God: Desiring God Through Fasting and Prayer." Use this Link: http://document.desiringgod.org/a-hunger-for-god-en.pdf?1446646561 To give you some inspiration for your own marriage download this free e-book called "31 Days to a Better Marriage." Use this link: http://cdn2.hotholyhumorous.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/31-Days-to-a-Better-Marriage-Ebook.pdf To gain some insight into the powerful benefits of marriage between a man and a woman from the social sciences download this free e-book called "21 Reasons Why Marriage Matters." Use this link: https://www.familyfirst.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/2009-21-REASONS-WHY-MARRIAGE-MATTERS.pdf We pray that this will be a time of renewal of your love for God, family and extended family. We ask that His love may overflow to them as you participate in this time of prayer." May God bless Australia and keep us a land of freedom and light in an increasingly lost and dark West. More attacks on freedom of speech and religion in USA. This is what is coming Australia. An Attack on Religion and Speech By: John Stonestreet Published: September 29, 2016 6:00 AM Is the writing on the wall for religious freedom in this country? Just ask two Arizona calligraphers. Listen Now \| Download Joanna Duka and Breanna Koski met at a Starbucks café in north Phoenix in January 2015. Both were Christians, and both were artists. They decided to go into business together, combining their love for Jesus with their love for making beautiful things. Soon they launched Brush & Nib Studio, a for-profit art business that sells hand-drawn invitations and paintings. According to the Alliance Defending Freedom, a leading Christian legal-defense organization, “As Christian artists, Joanna and Breanna had a simple goal for their studio: to recreate the beauty God placed all around us and to share that beauty with others. And this goal made it natural for Joanna and Breanna to focus on artwork for weddings.” Well, this combination of Brush & Nib’s Christian conviction and its focus on weddings created a problem for Joanna and Breanna—as it already has for bakers and wedding photographers who believe marriage is between a man and a woman and cannot, by conscience, participate in wedding ceremonies between homosexuals. The city of Phoenix has passed an ordinance which, according to ADF, “requires Brush & Nib to create invitations and other artwork for same-sex wedding ceremonies. It also prevented Brush & Nib from explaining to customers and the public why they could only create art consistent with their beliefs about marriage.” This is what’s known in some circles as a two-fer, violating not only their religious freedom but also their freedom of speech! Not only that, but the law said that for each day business owners such as Joanna and Breanna were in violation, they would be liable for a $2,500 fine … and six months in jail. These two Christians face fines and jail for standing up for what they believe. At the same time, no one would think of the government penalizing NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick for standing up—or in his case, not standing up—for what he believes. Why the inconsistency? Phoenix is just the latest city to enact a “human rights” ordinance that is, in effect if not intent, marginalizing Christian citizens from living out their deeply held beliefs in the public square, forcing them to consent to the new sexual orthodoxy, not only in deed, but now also in word. It’s only been five years since President Obama publicly changed his mind and announced his support for “gay marriage.” It’s only been a little over two years since then-Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, bowed to blackmail from the National Football League and vetoed SB 1062, which would have protected Joanna and Breanna from being forced to violate their convictions. In case there’s any remaining doubt, this is not just another random, isolated event. As the recent comments by Martin Castro of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights reveal, religious freedom is no longer considered a good thing but instead code language for hate. “The phrases ‘religious liberty’ and ‘religious freedom,’” he wrote, “will stand for nothing except hypocrisy so long as they remain code words for discrimination, intolerance, racism, sexism, homophobia, Islamophobia or any form of intolerance.” Such contempt for religious liberty is growing. In the case of Joanna and Breanna, Judge Karen Mullins of the Superior Court in Maricopa County denied their request for a preliminary injunction against the Phoenix ordinance, calling their position “absurd.” Jonathan Scruggs of ADF, which is representing Joanna and Breanna, replied, “Artists shouldn’t be threatened with jail time and other penalties simply for making art that is consistent with their beliefs.” Joanna and Breanna are considering an appeal. They deserve our prayers. And groups defending our most precious freedom—groups like Alliance Defending Freedom—deserve our support. Come to BreakPoint.org to learn how you can do just that. Further Reading and Information The Freedom Two-fer: An Attack on Religion and SpeechThis case makes it even clearer how crucial it is that we participate in the defense of the rights guaranteed to us in our Constitution and our laws, freedom of religion and speech. Support organizations that protect and champion our rights and freedoms. Some of those are listed below. ResourcesAlliance Defending Freedom The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty Brush & Nib Studio v. City of Phoenix Client story \| ADFlegal.org Christian Calligraphers Lose First Court Battle Over Same-Sex Invitations Amber Randall \| The Daily Caller \| September 20, 2016 Are American Christians Really ‘Persecuted’? K. A. Ellis \| Christianity Today \| August 22, 2016 Obama Administration Says You’re A Bigot If You Live Your Religion Nicholas Senz \| The Federalist \| September 19, 2016 Available at the online bookstoreThe Liberty Threat: The Attack on Religious Freedom in America Today James Tonkowich \| Saint Benedict Press \| July 2014 BreakPoint Yes, homosexual "marriage" impacts every one of us. This is an all-or-nothing war, and we have everything to lose if we do not engage. One. This is an all-or-nothing war, and we have everything to lose if we do not engage: https://billmuehlenberg.com/2016/09/30/yes-homosexual-marriage-impacts-every-single-one-us/ Two. Come hear Dr Gabriele Kuby, German author of The Global Sexual Revolution: The Destruction of Freedom in the Name of Freedom. Sunday, 2 October, 2-4pm. St Philip’s Church Hall, 60 Junction Road, Blackburn North RSVP: Saturday, 1 October - Mob. 0438 088 681 https://www.facebook.com/events/720329671439657/ Three. She is also in Ballarat that evening: http://www.ballarat.catholic.org.au/_uploads/nwart/files/Pastoral%20Ministry%20Office/Gabriele%20Kuby.pdf Four. My review of her important book is found here: https://billmuehlenberg.com/2016/09/15/review-global-sexual-revolution-gabriele-kuby/ Bill Muehlenberg CultureWatch http://www.billmuehlenberg.com/ All you need to defend marriage. Book launch in Melbourne tonight. Be there. MARRIAGE BOOK BANNED BY PRINTER: MELBOURNE LAUNCH THURSDAY NIGHTAfter a sold-out launch in Sydney last night, the national book tour for Dr David van Gend's manifesto against same-sex 'marriage' goes to Melbourne Thursday night. A capacity crowd at Sydney's Hellenic Club on Hyde Park listened to State Labor MP the Hon. Greg Donnelly introduce STEALING FROM A CHILD: THE INJUSTICE OF 'MARRIAGE EQUALITY'. Dr van Gend, a family doctor … ALP’s anti-plebiscite drive reflects audacity of hate ALP’s anti-plebiscite drive reflects audacity of hate. Jennifer Oriel 28th September 2016 There is something rather dangerous about the gay marriage debate — and it is not homosexuality or marriage. It is the view widely held by our political Left that liberal democratic precepts can be overridden whenever they interfere with politically correct ideology. Not content merely to deny the democratic mandate of millions who endorsed the same-sex marriage plebiscite by voting the Coalition into power, Labor is sowing civil hatred as social order. The abysmal and divisive new ethos of Labor is the audacity of hate. I think it would be fair to surmise that the opposition’s legal affairs spokesman Mark Dreyfus doesn’t suffer from an excess of modesty. But even so, his idea that the government should “win over” Labor by compromising on the plebiscite bill is remarkably arrogant. The government has an election mandate to hold a plebiscite on same-sex marriage. Labor’s denial of it constitutes a repudiation of the will of the people. Having lost its election campaign to deny people a vote on marriage reform, Labor has swung into attack. It is reframing the plebiscite debate by exploiting fear and manipulating emotion. In one short week, Labor has succeeded in reframing the founding principles of liberal democracy as manifestations of hatred — all in the name of love, of course. In Labor’s grand lexicon of doublespeak, public reason, active citizenship, and the human rights to free thought and speech, freedom of association and religion are mistranslated into forms of hatred. And the citizen who seeks active participation in democracy by advocating for the same-sex marriage plebiscite is, by extension, hatred personified. Increasingly it is the case that whenever a question of social reform arises, the political Left reverts to the audacity of hate to coerce people into conformity. Its default position is to mob and vilify dissenters. It acts as though Australia were a country under democratic socialism rather than liberal democracy. Like revolutionary socialism, the democratic model holds socialism as the only end of democracy, but its tenets are introduced using the state and associated institutions rather than militant revolution. During the past week, the socialist Left position on gay marriage has been promulgated by Labor, the Greens and the state media institutions that consistently prosecute the Left party line: SBS and the ABC. In news and on current affairs programs, the ABC has so aggressively campaigned for the socialist Left’s anti-plebiscite position, it appeared there was no alternative. And that is perfectly consistent with the one-party-rule ethos of democratic socialism. But it just happens to run counter to the Australian people’s will — namely, the democratic mandate for a plebiscite endorsed at the federal election. Whenever a pro-plebiscite voice is raised, the Left howls it down in a chorus of contempt. Predictably, Christians and conservatives are the principal victims of the Left’s pre-emptive moral infallibility. For example, when it looked as though Stephen O’Doherty, chief executive of Christian Schools Australia, was winning the plebiscite debate on ABC’s The Drum, host Julia Baird interrupted to prosecute an anti-plebiscite line in unison with the other panelists. Tony Jones, the host of ABC’s Q&A, so routinely interrupts politically incorrect panellists that the online forum Catallaxy Files holds bids for “interruption lotto” before each show. The tendency of the political Left to contort democracy whenever it conflicts with politically correct ideology is evident also in its main counter-argument to the plebiscite, which actually constitutes a rationale for it. Anti-plebiscite politicians and commentators believe they can relieve Australia of the people’s will by appeal to representative democracy. Yet the zenith of representative democracy — the popular democratic election under a system of universal suffrage — yielded a yes vote for the plebiscite as a central feature of the Coalition’s election platform. In recent years the appeal to representative democracy has been fashioned into a rhetorical tool of convenience to justify everything from policy reversals to unseating prime ministers. It is the default defence of those who seek a ready rationale for acting against the will of the people expressed in federal elections. And it seems that appeals to representative democracy stripped of both genuine representation and democracy are especially popular among the members of left-leaning factions in both major parties. Such appeals were used to unseat Labor prime minister Kevin Rudd and Liberal prime minister Tony Abbott. However, hollow appeals to representative democracy threaten its future by subordinating the people’s will to party politics and replacing election mandates with polls. They are the source of the growing democratic deficit — the vast gulf between the people and the elites — producing political instability across the West. The government has a mandate to pass the bill for a plebiscite on same-sex marriage. The mandate was provided by millions of Australians who voted for the Coalition in the July election. Labor would have liked to win the election with its opposing campaign to legislate for same-sex marriage in parliament. But it did not win. Having lost the popular vote, Labor seeks to subvert democracy by blocking the plebiscite. The worrying implication is that the Left may actually loathe the people and mistrust democracy as much as its anti-plebiscite propaganda suggests. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/alps-antiplebiscite-drive-reflects-audacity-of-hate/news-story/3ae2adef86bd5b8557b8335b6e90efcf Share more... Did these men fight and die so we can destroy marriage and intentionally make children orphans? Western freedom is under imminent threat. The enemy is at the gates, they have gained control of education, universities, media, political parties. It will be a long and draining battle to regain lost ground, but it will be done, as it has been done throughout all previous attacks. Our forefathers fought bad ideas and ideologies last century so we could be free today. We have taken this freedom for granted. Please defend Australia against the bad ideological experiment of today, the anti-freedom rainbow ideology imposing intolerant changes on our society such as same-sex "marriage," homosexual promotion, recruitment and indoctrination at schools, and gender confusion. Encouraging the normalization of homosexual sex acts, especially to children, by changing Australian marriage laws does not serve the public good in any way, nor does it benefit our nation's children. The future of Australia as we know it depends on the future of true marriage and how well YOU defend it right NOW. Please do not be silent. The future of this country as we know it depends on the future of true marriage and how well YOU defend it right NOW. Please read these "5 Reasons to say "No" to same-sex 'marriage'" and then take action and distribute them on your social media. Marriage is not a fad or plaything of selfish adults, politicians, media, radicals, militant homosexuals, Marxists and social anarchists. Marriage is not a fad or plaything of selfish adults, politicians, media, radicals, militant homosexuals, Marxists and social anarchists. It is a foundation of good society. If we dismantle this foundation we dismantle much of what is good in our nation. @KidsEquality Defending marriage is defending children, who need protection from harmful ideas. Defending marriage is defending children. Children need adults to protect them, to speak up for them, to make wise choices for them, to preserve the best world they can for them, to be good stewards of the present so the children do not suffer in the future. We need to speak up for children who need protection from harmful ideas, like the normalization of homosexual sexual practices and lifestyle, and who need both a mum and a dad. and a stable home. Australia will no longer be young and free. If the law and resources of the state proactively require affirmation of homosexual behavior under threat of punishment, and silences a vast majority of citizens, we no longer live in a free country. The indoctrination of school children by the state, restrictions on what Christian and Jewish Australians can speak about in public, good citizens imprisoned and fined for speaking what they legitimately hold to be truth. Australia will no longer be young and free. http://www.truemarriageequality.com/true-marriage-equality.html Road to tyranny is paved with Leftie assumptions MAURICE NEWMAN 12:00AM September 27, 2016 When your news and views come from a tightly controlled, left-wing media echo chamber, it may come as a bit of a shock to learn that in the July election almost 600,000 voters gave their first preference to Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party. You may also be surprised to know that still deluded conservatives remain disenchanted with the media’s favourite Liberal, Malcolm Turnbull, for his epic fail as Prime Minister, especially when compared with the increasingly respected leader he deposed. Perhaps when media outlets saturate us with “appropriate” thoughts and “acceptable” speech, and nonconformists are banished from television, radio and print, it’s easy to miss what is happening on the uneducated side of the tracks. After all, members of the better educated and morally superior political class use a compliant media to shelter us from the dangerous, racist, homophobic, Islamophobic, sexist, welfare-reforming, climate-change denying bigots who inhabit the outer suburbs and countryside — the people whom Hillary Clinton calls “the deplorables”. They must be vilified without debate, lest too many of us waver on the virtues of bigger governments, central planning, more bloated bureaucracies, higher taxes, unaffordable welfare, a “carbon-free” economy, more regulations, open borders, gender-free and values-free schools and same-sex marriage; the sort of agenda that finds favour at the UN. Yet history is solid with evidence that this agenda will never deliver the promised human dignity, prosperity and liberty. Only free and open societies with small governments can do that. Gradually, the masses are realising something is wrong. Their wealth and income growth is stagnating and their living standards are threatened. They see their taxes wasted on expensive, ill-conceived social programs. They live with migrants who refuse to integrate. They resent having government in their lives on everything from home renovations to recreational fishing, from penalty rates to free speech. Thomas Jefferson’s warning that “the natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground” is now a stark reality. The terms “people’s representative” and “public servant” have become a parody. In today’s world we are the servants and, if it suits, we are brushed aside with callous indifference. Like the Labor government’s disregard for the enormous emotional and financial hurt suffered when, overnight, it shut down live cattle exports on the strength of a television show. Or like the NSW parliament passing laws banning greyhound racing in the state. There was no remorse for the ruined lives of thousands of innocent people, many of whom won’t recover. Talk of compensation is a travesty. Or like the victims neighbouring Williamtown and Oakey air force bases, made ill from toxic contamination of groundwater. Around the world it’s known chemical agents used in airport fire drills cause cancer, neurological disease and reproductive disorders, yet the Australian Department of Defence simply denies responsibility. The powerless are hopelessly trapped between health risks and valueless properties. Similar disdain is shown for those living near coal-seam gas fields and wind turbines. The authorities know of the health and financial impacts but defend operators by bending rules and ignoring guidelines. If governments believe the ends justify the means, people don’t matter. When Ernst & Young research finds one in eight Australians can’t meet their electricity bills, rather than show compassion for the poor and the elderly, governments push ruthlessly ahead with inefficient and expensive renewable energy projects. This newspaper’s former editor-in-chief Chris Mitchell reveals in his book, Making Headlines, how Kevin Rudd, when prime minister, brazenly attempted to use state power to investigate “the relationship between my paper and him”. Rudd’s successor, Julia Gillard, wanted to establish a media watchdog to effectively gag journalists. None of this is fantasy and it explains why people are losing confidence in the democratic system. Australians feel increasingly marginalised and unrepresented. They are tired of spin and being lied to. They know that data is often withheld or manipulated. As they struggle to make ends meet, they watch helplessly as the established political class shamelessly abuses its many privileges. It appears its sole purpose in life is to rule, not to govern. This adds weight to the insightful contention by the Business Council of Australia’s Jennifer Westacott that Australia is in desperate need of a national purpose. It’s no wonder, to paraphrase American author Don Fredrick, that a growing number of Australians no longer want a tune-up at the same old garage. They want a new engine installed by experts — and they are increasingly of the view that the current crop of state and federal mechanics lacks the skills and experience to do the job. One Nation may not be the answer, but its garage does offer a new engine. This is Australia’s version of the Trump phenomenon. Like Donald Trump, Hanson is a non-establishment political disrupter. However, unlike Trump, who may soon occupy the White House, Hanson won’t inhabit the Lodge. This leaves Australia’s establishment and the central planners very much in control. It means we will remain firmly on our current bigger-government path, financed by higher taxes and creative accounting. Nobel laureate economist FA Hayek observes in his book The Road to Serfdom: “The more planners improvise, the greater the disturbance to normal business. Everyone suffers. People feel rightly that ‘planners’ can’t get things done.” But he argues that, ironically, in a crisis the risk is that rather than wind back the role of government, people automatically turn to someone strong who demands obedience and uses coercion to achieve objectives. Australia is now on that road to tyranny and, with another global recession in prospect and nearly 50 per cent of voters already dependent on government, the incentive is to vote for more government, not less. The left-wing media echo-chamber will be an enthusiastic cheerleader. The Australian Socially engineering the demise of a society. Laws teach. A law which promotes and protects something (homosexual sex) which billions of people around the world have always considered to be physically and mentally harmful will cause social havoc, division and confusion. It will restrict freedom of speech and religion. It will effectively silence and possibly eventually criminalize those who publicly disagree with homosexual marriage. It will enslave people in many ways rather than advance human flourishing and freedom, What is the nature of marriage and what are the consequences for redefining it? Marriage is based on: the truth that men and women are physically and emotionally complementary, the biological fact that reproduction depends on a man and a woman, and the reality that children need both a mother and a father. Redefining marriage does not simply expand the existing understanding of marriage; it rejects these truths. It will legally discriminate against those who hold the traditional view of marriage, that marriage is only between a man and a woman, and potentially will outlaw the legitimate view of millions of people. Marriage exists to bring a man and a woman together as husband and wife to be father and mother to any children their union produces. Marriage is based on the truth that men and women are complementary, the biological fact that reproduction depends on a man and a woman, and the reality that children need both a mother and a father. Marriage is society’s least restrictive means of ensuring the well-being of children. Marital breakdown weakens civil society and limited government. Government recognizes marriage because it benefits society in a way that no other relationship does. Government can treat people equally and respect their liberty without redefining marriage. Redefining marriage would further distance marriage from the needs of children and deny the importance of mothers and fathers; weaken monogamy, exclusivity, and permanency, the norms through which marriage benefits society; and threaten religious liberty. TrueMarriageEquality.com Follow us on Twitter at @KidsEquality No equality for anyone in changing marriage law, just civil war dividing our once young and free nation. In reality there is no "equality" for anyone by dismantling the two age-old institutions of traditional marriage and family, it is simply causing mass division in our society, and will irreparably harm thousands of children. Dear Parliament: Even if everyone is telling you that something wrong is something right...it is your duty to say no. "Compromise where you can, but where you cant, don't. Even if everyone is telling you that something wrong is something right. Even if the whole world is telling you to move. It is your duty to plant yourself like a tree, look them in the eye and say, NO, you move." (From Captain America-Civil War) The Battle for Marriage Webinar: Stand up for marriage, family, children and freedom. From the Canberra Declaration.org.au We have seen many amazing things happen over the past six years since the Canberra Declaration came into existence on 23 July 2010. Over 69,000 Australians have signed the Canberra Declaration. Wonderful things have happened as a result of your emails, letters, phone calls, prayers and your personal activism. Australia is the only country in the English-speaking Western world that still has marriage defined as being between a man and a woman. The Canberra Declaration community has played an important role in the battle for marriage in Australia and we believe will continue to do so. The greatest results have occurred as we have mixed our personal activism with our personal prayers. The Canberra Declaration has been the greatest supporter of the National Day of Prayer & Fasting. This year the National Day of Prayer & Fasting was held on 7 February 2016, in the Great Hall, Parliament House, Canberra. This was the very same day the Safe School's horror story began to unravel in mainstream media. This unravelling has not stopped. Is this a coincidence or is it divine providence? We believe the latter. Soli Deo Gloria! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjOoNL_0ZVs - 1.45min You are a big part of that miracle. Therefore the leaders behind the Canberra Declaration and the National Day of Prayer & Fasting are working together to invite you to join us for our historic 'Battle for Marriage Webinar'. Register at: https://ausheart.wufoo.com/forms/battle-for-marriage-webinar-registration/ During the 'Battle for Marriage Webinar' - Those who work in the Parliament will share the inside story of 'The Battle for Marriage' and the dangers if marriage is subverted plus what you and I can do to keep marriage from being redefined. You will hear the behind the scenes story of the Month of Prayer & Fasting called by the Catholic Church and how dozens of churches and many different denominations are throwing their weight behind this wonderful initiative. The team behind the National Day of Prayer and Fasting & 40 Days of Prayer & Fasting will share a new initiative for 2017 and give updates on their progress. You will hear about an exciting Pray for Australia Tour planned for later this year. Hear how we can each help change Australia through prayer, practical partnership and much, much more. For those who join us and register for the 'The Battle for Marriage Webinar', a free copy of "21 Reasons Why Marriage Matters" will be available for download along with a free copy of "16 Reasons For Sexual Integrity". Space for this one-time-only, live web-event is limited. You can join by phone or online. This invitation is going out to well over 25,000 people, so REGISTER NOW to claim your free spot in 'The Battle for Marriage Webinar'. WHAT: 'The Battle for Marriage Webinar' DATE: Next Tuesday 27 September 2016 TIME: 8PM-EST (7:30PM SA & NT, 6PM WA) REGISTRATION LINK: https://ausheart.wufoo.com/forms/battle-for-marriage-webinar-registration/ Let us all expect God to do something great as we pray together to help launch the Month of Prayer and Fasting for Marriage from 1-31st October 2016. To receive a personal daily devotional by email over the month of October as we together pray for marriage and families, SIGN UP TODAY FOR DEVOTIONS at https://ausheart.wufoo.com/forms/prayer-fasting-for-marriage-devotionals/. James 15:13 says, "The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful result" (NLT). R.C. Sproul said, "Prayer does change things, all kinds of things. But the most important thing it changes is us". Join us on the webinar as we pray for marriage, outline our goals for the coming months and share how together we can make a difference! Petition Shorten: Down with the haters. Exile the bigots to Manus Is. Make ALP membership mandatory. New petition to Bill Shorten: "The bigots and haters must be silenced. How dare they stand up for such a dangerous view on marriage. Man + woman! Silence them. Re-educate them. Fine them. In fact imprison them. Who says we need traditional marriage to perpetuate the human race? Dinosaurs. Close them down. Who says children need a mum and a dad? Haters! Gay sex should be compulsory for all if they want to use public roads, hospitals, schools, etc. Just make them believe or send them to Manus Island. Down with the bigots!" Send all bigots to Manus Island Contact LNP politicians now. Turnbull may be planning a parliamentary vote. Please email all LNP politicians here and ask them to stand strong against the pressure from the left to capitulate and have a parliamentary vote. "What will happen if the plebiscite legislation ISN’T passed? Andrew Bolt has warned that the Prime Minister has not been forthcoming in saying WHAT might happen if the plebiscite legislation is defeated. Last Friday, Mr Turnbull said on 3AW, after making compromises on superannuation changes, “We may have to negotiate on all of these matters.” If that includes homosexual ‘marriage’, then what happens if the plebiscite legislation isn’t passed? \|If a plebiscite is not held, would we end up with a vote in parliament? Andrew Bolt thinks it could lead to that… first presenting the issue to the Cabinet and then to the party room as well, and then a potential vote of parliament. Andrew also highlights the new politics we face, and writes about the closing down of the meeting organised by Christian groups this week. Prior to the election, we wrote that, if the ‘plebiscite enabling legislation’ is defeated, then a likely scenario might be a ‘cross-party’ Bill, like we saw with RU 486… Article: Vote on marriage equality reveals the haters of the Left, Andrew Bolt, Herald Sun, 19/9/2016. If link doesn't open, Google "Vote reveals the haters of the Left" or try here. SaltShakers.org,au Closing down freedom. Worse to come, as Australians more and more fearful of gay movement. Book banning, public meetings targeted, people's voice stifled. These things have happened before, in 1930s Germany. BOOK BANNING - Printer REFUSES to print book In the latest attack on free speech, a printing firm in Maryborough, Victoria, has REFUSED to print a book opposing the legalisation of homosexual ‘marriage. The book, ‘Stealing from a Child’, by Dr David van Gend, from the Australian Marriage Forum, is being published by Connor Court. The printing firm is McPherson's, which is now owned by Opus Group, headquartered in Sydney. A national ‘launch’ tour for the book starts in Brisbane today. Click here for details of the national tour. David van Gend reveals that the printers have had the book for TWO WEEKS, and had agreed to print it, but only told the publisher the DAY BEFORE the book launch that they would not be printing it! The printer wrote, "Due to the subject matter and content of your book, unfortunately I have been instructed by senior management not to proceed with printing this title." David van Gend said, “If they were trying to make it impossible for me to supply books for the national tour, they have failed, because the heavy early demand for books meant we had to run off a few thousand interim copies digitally at a different company and we will be able to supply demand for at least the next week, until we find a new offset-printer.” AMF have issued a Media Release, with some insightful comments. David said, “I defy anyone to find a single word in my book that should not be printed. I can understand the gay lobby being worried about a book that so clearly exposes the harms of genderless 'marriage' and of the whole genderless package deal that comes with it, but they should not try to shut down our side of the debate by banning a book!” David said, "I can only say to people, read the book and try to find anything that could justify this printing company acting as a branch of the Thought Police. Only today a Member of Parliament messaged me and said, "I couldn't put the book down. It's a clarion call to the complacent - a wonderfully kind but persuasive read." Apparently, homosexuals are planning to 'infiltrate' and protest at the book launch - see report here. The organiser said it was a "peaceful vigil" but added that "far left" groups and "militant unions" would be in attendance! This report includes a very good 9 minute speech by Dr David van Gend. Well worth watching. Read the Australian Marriage Forum Media Release: Censored! OpusGroup refuses to print Dr van Gend’s book Buy the book – click here. Or you can purchase one at any of the launch events. Andrew Bolt posted a blog about the book banning – click here. He also did a statement on TV - click here for it on the AMF site. David van Gend writes, "Don't worry: the national book launch of STEALING FROM A CHILD: THE INJUSTICE OF 'MARRIAGE EQUALITY' will proceed and the books will be supplied by a company that wants to print books, not dictate what Australian adults can and can't read or discuss!" As one commenter on Andrew Bolt's blog said, “What we are seeing is the tip of the iceberg in regards to what will happen if SSM is legalised ..They are already showing us their real colours.” Another said, “Based on this example, those who oppose SSM should have the right to refuse to have anything to do commercially with a SSM ceremony, like baking a cake, printing invitations, providing a venue. But don’t bet on it! One rule for them, another rule for us.” McPherson's printer cowed by gay intimidation into turning away business. "Unbelievable! Commercial printer acts as censor; bans book against same-sex 'marriage' Today is the release date for a much-anticipated book by Dr David van Gend, President of the Australian Marriage Forum. The book is titled, Stealing from a Child: the Injustice of 'Marriage Equality', and has sold over two thousand copies prior to its release. It is described as "a manifesto in defense of society's inviolable foundation: Father, Mother, Child". The first in a series of launches in all state capitals begins tonight in Brisbane. Yesterday, the publisher, Connor Court, was notified by the printer, McPherson's, in writing: "Due to the subject matter and content of your book, unfortunately I have been instructed by senior management not to proceed with printing this title." McPherson's is a printer in regional Victoria now owned by OpusGroup, headquartered in Sydney. McPherson's has had a ten year relationship with Connor Court, publishing controversial books such as Ian Plimer's best-seller, Heaven and Earth, and Cory Bernardi's Conservative Revolution. Never before has the publisher known a printer to refuse to print a book on political grounds. "This was a shock, because you don't expect a printing firm to act as a political censor for the gay lobby. "It is also a shock because it comes just days after the Mercure International Hotel in Sydney cancelled the venue for our big gathering of groups opposing same-sex 'marriage', after gay activists threatened hotel staff if they let us meet there." The Gaystapo has almost succeeded in fully intimidating Australian society already, even before marriage laws are changed. SOURCE Pretending that government even has the power to decide what marriage is will lead to more intrusive big government. Pretending that governments even have the power to decide what marriage and family is, will only lead to more intrusive big government, not just in their attempt to further broaden the areas of our lives they try to regulate, but in the expansion of the bureaucracy required to clean up the consequential mess or fruit of undermining two of the foundations of society. Such consequences could include an increase in health care, both physical and mental health, increased crime rates, child abuse, drug use, child poverty etc. etc., all leading to bigger government. Intentionally changing the definition of parenting and encouraging children to be raised by two men or two women, the social engineering and sex ed programs will all create a generation of such confused and messed up children that the consequences will be horrendous. http://www.truemarriageequality.com Tragic toll of divorce on children. Governments should be protecting families not undermining true marriage and family. Think of the children.	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line11069
__label__wiki	0.862577	0.862577	ander-herrrera Ander and Shaw add silk and steel as superstars wait June 27, 2014 by Ed Ander Herrrera, Luke Shaw It has become awfully passé, the long-running debate about Manchester United’s midfield deficiency. After all, it has been six long years since United signed a proper central midfielder. And no, Marouane Fellaini doesn’t count. This is not exactly United’s road to Damascus, but the club, it seems, has finally got the point as Ander Herrera joins from Athletic Club Bilbao this week for some £28.7 million. And as if massive outlay is suddenly all the rage at United, Herrera’s acquisition was followed within 24 hours, by the long-anticipated capture of Southampton’s talented teenage left-back, Luke Shaw. It amounts to just under £60 million spent as executive vice chairman Ed Woodward finally flexes United’s financial muscle a year after a summer of transfer buffoonery ended with Fellaini stumbling through Old Trafford’s doors. Woodward may not yet be vindicated in his approach, but there is just a smattering of redemption this week. Herrera, a Spanish under-23 international, joins after three years at Athletic, where he has developed a reputation as one of the finest all-round midfielders in La Liga. The Basque is the quality of player that United should have acquired last summer, albeit it is a deal that Woodward attempted with abject failure. Instead, with Fellaini parachuting into United’s engine room on deadline day, the Reds simply exacerbated a problem six years in the making. Herrera may not be an instant fix, although expectation is already high. Indeed, Herrera’s story is nuanced, with a narrative that does not yet hold an obvious conclusion. While the Basque’s talent, commitment and all-round quality should mean success at Old Trafford, he remains an understated presence that may yet be consumed by the intense focus that goes with becoming a United player. After all, United is signing a player who is neither a youngster – he turns 25 before the season begins – nor one who has yet made it to the top of his profession. In truth, Herrera was some distance from making the Spanish World Cup squad and must step up both in class and delivery in the coming seasons. Success at United could yet fast track the Basque into Vincente del Bosque’s post tiki-taka squad. Those are the questions. The more positive story is the balance and all-round contribution Herrera is certain to bring to Louis van Gaal’s side. Here is player comfortable in several positions, but who has the raw ability to excel as the attacking heart of United’s new midfield. Neat enough in possession, as befits this generation of Spaniards, unusually competitive off the ball, and incisive with his passing, Herrera should win over United’s fans with a bustling style. Though it might be foolish to expect instant gratification from a man not yet accustomed to the grandest stage. “It’s is a dream come true,” said Herrera on Monday. “I’m excited to now be living in Manchester and I can’t wait for my first game. I am very happy and very proud to be at Manchester United, I can promise the fans I will be a good professional and work hard.” Meanwhile, assistant manager Ryan Giggs called United’s new acquisition “a fantastic young player, with great energy and creativity” and one of “the brightest young prospects” in La Liga. “He will be a big hit with the United fans.” Certainly, Herrera’s statistics point to a player who will contribute both to United’s attack and defence in the coming season. Though frequently deployed at ’10’ in Bilbao, and sometimes in wide positions, it is surely at eight – Fellaini’s supposed preferred role – that Ander will flourish under van Gaal in the Premier League. The midfielder scored five from 68 shots on goal last season and made five further assists from 54 key passes in a solid offensive campaign for the Basque outfit. Almost 40 dribbles points to a player ready to carry the ball forward, although one who is sometimes wasteful with the final ball. There is surely more to come. Whether these are the numbers to really excite from a ‘number 10’ at a Champions League club is an open question, although they are generally superior to any of United’s current central midfielders. “An intelligent, quick attacking midfielder with a great brain and a superb attitude he is not dissimilar to his idol, Andres Iniesta,” claims Spanish pundit Guillermo Balague in the Telegraph. “He can help organise the attack his main strength is in finding gaps to pass to forwards – only Cesc Fabregas gave more through balls last season than him.” High praise indeed. Defensively, although not widely expected to make a significant contribution in Athletic’s 4-2-3-1 system under Ernesto Valverde last season, Ander contributed 33 interceptions, 27 clearances and seven blocks, while making 161 tackles. It is a robust style that brought seven yellow cards in 33 league games last season. Whatever the stats – and there is room for improvement in a £30 million player – it is to Herrera’s credit that a young player should emerge from a traumatic failed transfer; one that descended into farce amid claims that David Moyes did not rate the player and “impostors” had attempted to muscle in on the deal. “The only person to eventually emerge from the whole sorry saga with any credit was the player himself,” adds Balague. “Herrera knuckled down to enjoy arguably his best ever season with Athletic Bilbao despite a first confusing two months.” Meanwhile, Shaw arrives as something of a known commodity, having appeared more than 60 times for Southampton since his début in August 2012. He is not yet 19. The premium on a £27 million fee is huge, of course – one that is now commonplace for a young English player. Yet, Shaw’s appearance for Roy Hodgson’s side in the recent dead rubber against Costa Rica at the World Cup is surely one of many international caps. With that fee United’s management is betting on acquiring both genuine class in addition to making an investment in the future. The hope is that Shaw becomes the next Rio Ferdinand and not the next Fábio Coentrão. Either is possible; the smart money remains firmly on Shaw emulating the former. Shaw appeared 35 times in the Premier League last season, making 72 tackles, 37 interceptions, four blocks and 150 clearances. That the Kingston-born youngster made no defensive errors over the season points not only to the player’s quality, but a rare maturity in one so young. Patrice Evra completed more defensive actions for United last season, but – anecdotally at least – the Frenchman was also caught out of position with far greater frequency than the Southampton man. The evolutionary period from ageing star to young buck will surely not take long. While the defensive side of Shaw’s game is already of international standard, he will be expected to contribute offensively if Evra is to be challenged in the campaign to come. Shaw contributed no goals and just one assist last season to Evra’s two and four respectively. Yet, Shaw made more crosses and completed more dribbles than the Frenchman. Back in the boardroom Woodward will garner the praise he so conspicuously missed last summer for pulling off two high-profile deals with little melodrama. Each, with good argument, is over-priced – Herrera in comparison to midfielders of similar stature, Shaw simply for being English. Yet, the price matters little if the pair contributes significantly to United’s return to Champions League football. After years of parsimony the ruling Glazer family can hardly risk United slipping further behind rivals this summer. Yet, neither acqusition – perhaps significantly – is the global superstar Woodward so desperately seeks. United might just be the better for it – two players that will slot into the squad without compromising their talents or United’s balance in the process. Understated personalities, perhaps, but Herrera and Shaw promise plenty of genuine quality. 2004-2019 © UNITED RANT {{playListTitle}} {{ isPlaying ? 'pause': 'play' }} {{ index + 1 }} {{ track.track_title }} {{ track.album_title }} {{ track.lenght }} {{button.podcast_button_name}} {{list.tracks[currentTrack].track_title}} {{list.tracks[currentTrack].album_title}} {{ currentTime }} {{ totalTime }} {{store.song_store_name}} {{store.podcast_button_name}}	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line11075
__label__cc	0.694952	0.305048	ingaurban 11th December 2017 11th December 2017 4:00PM Green Monday marks one of the biggest Christmas shopping days but not in the UK Show Hide image Credit: connel/Shutterstock 0 Reddit Email article LinkedIn 0 0 ingaurban This robot delivery dog will hitch a ride in a driverless car to deliver your packages AI takes root in the fashion industry with IBM partnership Modular driverless car has swappable bodies for deliveries, taxi services and beyond World first: Quantum entanglement photo captures “spooky action at a distance” Who is the most successful singles Grand Slam player in tennis history? (No, it’s not Federer) The pre-Christmas period marks some of the biggest days in retail. Black Friday, Cyber Monday and also Green Monday. Today marks Green Monday, the day when gift givers realise they need to get cracking with their online shopping to make the shipping days before Christmas starts. Invented by eBay over 10 years ago, it usually falls on the second Monday in December. Timeline for Retail revolution 5G in retail: On-the-go revolution unlikely to happen, research finds 3D makeup printer takes beauty into the on-demand era SME WiFi to bring digital storefronts to bricks-and-mortar small businesses According to Statisa, $1.62bn was spent in the US on Green Monday 2016. This is almost double spending from 10 years ago when it was around $881m in 2016 Green Monday may be declining in popularity, however. Subscription services such as Amazon Prime and Asos Premier guarantee shoppers next day delivery for a yearly fee. Other retailers offer next-day delivery, albeit at higher prices, to encourage consumers to spend more. Check out Verdict‘s gift guides for present ideas here In the UK, Green Monday probably won’t make much of a dent considering the consumer spending data which was released today. The credit card company Vista has warned that festive spending is set to fall for the first time in five years. Inflation-adjusted consumer spending in November, an important month in terms of Christmas shopping, was 0.9 percent lower than in 2016. Added to October’s 2.1 percent fall, and this makes it likely that festive spending will see a drop for the first time since 2012. Patrick O’Brien, director of UK retail research at GlobalData, told Verdict: “We see Christmas as being a bit of a struggle for retailers this year. “There’s a number of reasons for that: people have less money to spend, because inflation is hyping prices up. Real wages are falling; wages aren’t rising in step with the rise in prices so it’s harder to afford more.” As well, despite recent breakthroughs in the Brexit negotiations, O’Brien said the uncertainty about next year and beyond means people aren’t committing to expensive items. What did Visa’s data reveal about Christmas shopping? Visa revealed that spending is falling on so-called big-ticket items, including Christmas holidays and cars. This isn’t so surprising; car sales have been suffering in 2017, with October care sales falling more than 12 percent. Get the Verdict morning email However, despite the falls, inexpensive luxuries such as beauty treatments and cosmetics are growing. Part of this is down to the increase in costs for essential items, such as food. Food prices have increased as a result of inflation, but food spending doesn’t tend to fall because money has to be spent on it. “It means people have less left over to purchase non-essential items. That is where we’re really seeing the hit and that’s going to be quite damaging.” However, this isn’t just something that retailers will feel over Christmas. “It’s an overall trend that we’re going to see in retail throughout the next year or so,” said O’Brien. At the moment 2018 isn’t looking so rosy for retailers. They’re facing increased costs in terms of business rates, rises in the minimum wage and currency hedges will start running out and leave them exposed. “Either they’ve got to survive on a lower margin or they will have to push those prices on to the customer. And in some sectors, it can be very difficult to do that because we’re in a very competitive environment.” CommerceNews Why do we have best before dates on foods in supermarkets? As consumer demands rise, future luxury retail brands must embrace technology to compete How Nike has doubled its revenue in another decade of sportswear dominance	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line11080
__label__wiki	0.553401	0.553401	Moments in Gaming Marvel’s Spider-Man Special Edition 7 september 2018 \| Collector's Editions \| 2 reacties Views: 1.779 Region: PAL Released in September of 2018, Marvel’s Spider-Man by Insomniac Games is the highest rated game featuring the famous webslinger in nearly two decades, available exclusively on PlayStation 4. In Europe, three different physical versions were available: the regular version, the Collector’s Edition, and the Europe exclusive Special Edition, which comes with a steelbook and artbook, and is a lot cheaper than the CE that includes a statue. The Special Edition comes in the kind of box that will be familiar to those with other PS4 Special Editions, though this one is larger than the usual ones. With its bright red color contrasting with the white Spider-Man logo on the front, it really stands out. When opening the case, the first thing you’ll see is a ‘mini artbook’. It contains a foreword by creative director Bryan Intihar, and artwork of the game’s environments, characters and enemies. Below the artbook is a steelbook with the same design as the outer case: the white logo on a red background. The steelbook holds the disc and also comes with a sticker, again featuring the same design, and some instructions on how to control the game. The inside of the case shows Spider-Man taking a selfie with the vast city below him. All in all, a pretty generic special edition (is that an oxymoron?), but a nice option for those who don’t have the money or space for the Collector’s Edition, or who just aren’t interested in the statue, but still want something a little more collectible than the regular edition. Final Fantasy Type-0 HD Steelbook Limited Edition 1 reactie \| okt 1, 2016 Metal Gear Solid HD Collection Limited Edition (PAL) Geen reacties \| jan 12, 2016 2 reacties \| jan 19, 2013 The Last of Us Joel Edition Bekijk het profiel van videogameshelf op Facebook Bekijk het profiel van @VideoGameShelf op Twitter About Video Game Shelf Collector’s Shelf horizon zero dawn limited edition \| Ucwrk op Horizon Zero Dawn Limited Edition Top 5 Most Anticipated Games of 2019 – Video Game Shelf op Top 5 games of 2018 Yakuza Kiwami 2 Limited Edition – Video Game Shelf op Yakuza Kiwami Steelbook Edition Pech mit Spider-Man auf Playstation 4 - Spiele-Maschine op Marvel’s Spider-Man Special Edition Mira la Edición especial de Marvel's Spider-Man - Friki Gamers op Marvel’s Spider-Man Special Edition © 2019 Video Game Shelf.	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line11082
__label__wiki	0.937666	0.937666	Home People Mountain Brook police travel to Dallas for funeral of fallen officer Mountain Brook police travel to Dallas for funeral of fallen officer by ANA GOOD Courtesy of Officer Rozetha Burrow. Dallas Police Officer K.M. Lewis along with Mountain Brook Police Officers Rozetha Burrow and Rocky Osborn. Mountain Brook Police Officers Rozetha Burrow and Rocky Osborn joined Dallas Police Officer K.M. Lewis during the funeral procession for fallen Dallas Police Officer Patrick Zamarripa on Saturday, July 16. Burrow said by the time she and Osborn arrived in Dallas, the support for police, not only from other officers but from the community as well, was palpable. Mountain Brook Police Officer Rozetha Burrow said she begins every day with the same thought. As she puts on her police uniform each morning, the same question runs through her mind: “I don’t know if I’m coming home today.” Burrow, who has been a police officer for more than 13 years — more than six of which she has served with Mountain Brook — said it’s a thought that probably every other officer in the nation feels every day as well. As she watched news of the deadly shooting involving police in Dallas, Texas back in July, Burrow said her thoughts circled back around to that question and especially, to her friend and Dallas Police Officer K.M. Lewis. Burrow said Lewis, who is originally from Birmingham, is her best friend and had recently taken part in her wedding. “I had been speaking with her on the phone all week following the shooting,” said Burrow, referring to the July 7 shooting when a suspect, later identified as Micah Xavier Johnson, opened fire on police during what began as a peaceful protest in Downtown Dallas. Johnson killed five officers, wounded seven other officers and two civilians. When she learned from Lewis that the Dallas Police Department had yet to receive any showings of support from officers in Alabama, Burrow said she approached Police Chief Ted Cook. “I asked Chief if we could send flowers to show our support,” said Burrow. Chief Cook’s answer, she said, was better than she could have ever expected. “He asked if I wanted to go to Dallas and show our support in person,” she said. A few days later, Burrow, along with Mountain Brook Officer Racquel “Rocky” Osborn, loaded up in a Mountain Brook police car and headed to Dallas. They, along with thousands of other officers from around the nation, took part in the funeral procession of fallen Dallas Police Officer Patrick Zamarripa on Saturday, July 16. Mountain Brook’s police car, along with countless others from around the nation, joined in on the procession. Burrow said it did not matter that neither she nor Osborn personally knew Zamarripa. “He was our fellow brother, he was still family,” said Burrow. “We were there to show our support for Dallas, to show that we are one. When they hurt, we hurt.” Burrow said by the time she and Osborn arrived in Dallas, the support for police, not only from other officers but from the community as well, was palpable. It’s that support, said Burrow, felt in Dallas and from the community back home, that makes her job easier. “Just hearing from people, ‘we support you,’ is enough,” she said. The trip to Dallas, said Burrow, taught both she and Osborn “so much.” “The news that came out of Dallas makes you more aware,” said Burrow, “more alert. It makes you reevaluate everything in life.” Back at home, Burrow said she tried like she always does, to share advice with her fellow officers. “I told them to continue being who they are,” she said, “and continue doing what you are doing. I reminded them they are still good officers, to treat people with respect and care and to remember their values and mission.” She also took time to ask herself another question, she said. “I asked myself, ‘Is there anything I can do to better deal with the community and my fellow officers?’ It’s an every day thing,” she said, “trying to be the best I can be each time I put on the uniform.” Burrow said she is thankful to work for a department with the kind of leadership and diversity it has — the kind that would allow her to travel to Dallas to spread the support she feels every day. And especially, Burrow said she is thankful for the community she serves. “The community has always stepped up to show they love and support us,” said Burrow, “even before Dallas, from handwritten cards to pictures and food. We thank the community for helping us get through our hard times.” Mountain Brook Police Department	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line11084
__label__wiki	0.96094	0.96094	Bear spray accident at Amazon warehouse shines light on safety record Amazon has come under increasing scrutiny for what a watchdog group says is a poor safety record. Bear spray accident at Amazon warehouse shines light on safety record Amazon has come under increasing scrutiny for what a watchdog group says is a poor safety record. Check out this story on USATODAY.com: https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2018/12/05/amazon-warehouse-nj-accident-shines-light-companys-safety-record/2216715002/ Michael L. Diamond, Asbury Park Press Published 1:54 p.m. ET Dec. 5, 2018 \| Updated 2:15 p.m. ET Dec. 5, 2018 At least 17 employees were sent to the hospital after a can of bear repellent fell off a shelf at an Amazon facility in Robbinsville. North Jersey Record In this 2017 photo, an Amazon employee makes sure a box riding on a belt is not sticking out at the Amazon Fulfillment center in Robbinsville Township.(Photo: Julio Cortez, AP) Internet giant Amazon was urged by a worker advocacy group weeks ago to give workplace safety urgent attention. The National Council for Occupational Safety and Health said seven workers nationwide have died in accidents at Amazon warehouses since 2013, tamping down praise the company received for raising its minimum wage to $15 an hour. "A pay increase is worth a lot more if you come home in one piece at the end of your shift," said Marcy Goldstein Gelb, the group's co-executive director. At least two dozen workers at Amazon's Robbinsville, New Jersey, plant were hospitalized Wednesday, officials said, after a can of bear repellent fell off a shelf, putting a fresh spotlight on the internet company's safety record. “The safety of our employees is our top priority," Amazon spokeswoman Rachel Lighty said. Amazon recently turned down a bid by Newark for its second headquarters in favor of Queens and Northern Virginia, but the company still has a huge stake in New Jersey, with 16,000 employees at nine fulfillment centers in the state. The company, however, has been under increasing scrutiny for its safety record. The National Council for Occupational Safety and Health in April called out Amazon for what it said was a poor record. Among the incidents: Roland Smith, 57, a temporary employee, was dragged and crushed to death by a conveyor belt in a December 2013 accident at Amazon's warehouse in Avenel, New Jersey. More: Amazon, Target and more: Here are the companies committed to $15 hourly minimum wage More: Amazon’s HQ2 will bring 25,000 jobs each to New York City and Northern Virginia More: Amazon HQ2 and Foxconn deals leave cities feeling used Other incidents have been more recent. One worker at a Carlisle, Pennsylvania, warehouse was run over by a truck in September 2017. Another at its Plainfield, Indiana, warehouse died a week later after his head was crushed by a forklift, the safety group said. "The pressure to move products will be intense inside the company's warehouses," Peter Dooley, safety and health project consultant for the group, said of the holiday shopping season. "After seven preventable deaths, the company must implement a program that eliminates all preventable illnesses, injuries and fatalities. And workers need to be part of that program for it to work." Michael L. Diamond; @mdiamondapp; 732-643-4038; mdiamond@gannettnj.com Read or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2018/12/05/amazon-warehouse-nj-accident-shines-light-companys-safety-record/2216715002/	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line11085
__label__cc	0.520414	0.479586	Carrie Underwood Is Pregnant, Expecting Her Second Child With Husband Mike Fisher: ‘We Are Over the Moon’ By Rachel Paula Abrahamson Carrie Underwood will be singing lullabies soon! The country singer is pregnant and expecting baby No. 2 with her husband, Mike Fisher. The 35-year-old, who is already mom of son Isaiah, 2, shared the exciting news in an Instagram video on Wednesday, August 8. Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic Carrie Underwood and Mike Fisher’s Love Story “Mike and Isaiah and I are absolutely over the moon and excited to be adding another little fish to our pond,” the American Idol alum gushed. Underwood also plugged her Cry Pretty album and upcoming tour in the clip. (The record — Underwood’s sixth — will be released on September 14.) “We’re just so excited and glad you guys can share this with us and be a part of it. Love you guys!” raved the Nashville-based star. “We will see you on the road in 2019!” Cutest Celebrity Baby Announcements Only child Isaiah is in for the shock of his life. Back in April 2017, Underwood joked that her little one isn’t used to sharing his parents. “If a dog climbs up on my lap, I feel like he gets a little jealous!” she quipped to Entertainment Tonight at the time. American Idol Winners There’s a good chance Underwood and Fisher won’t stop at two kids. In Redbook’s September issue, Underwood revealed that she and the retired ice hockey player, 38, have considered growing their family in other ways. “We always talk about adoption and about doing it when our child or children are a little older,” she shared. “In the meantime, we’re lucky to be part of a organizations that help kids, because our focus right now in our lives is helping as many kids as possible.” For the latest beauty and style trends subscribe to our new podcast ‘Get Tressed With Us’ below and get $10 off your entire purchase at onetwocosmetics.com using discount offer code LASHWEEKLY	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line11087
__label__wiki	0.960861	0.960861	Hollywood’s Mueller Report Live-Read Was a Major Missed Opportunity How One Indie Director Made Peace With the Content Wars Nicole Sperling How Schitt’s Creek Charmed the TV Academy Into Three Major Emmy Nominations HWD Daily Finally a Solution to Hollywood’s Gender Problems? The Oscar producers respond to Donald Trump, a new initiative tackles Hollywood’s gender issues, and V.F. invites you to our Oscar party. Rebecca Keegan It’s Thursday, and Ryan Gosling still has not asked me to be his Oscar plus-one. Hello from Los Angeles, where we’re talking to the Oscars producers, eyeballing a new Hollywood gender-parity initiative, and chilling the champagne for the first-ever Vanity Fair Oscar party live stream. OSCAR PRODUCERS SPEAK On Wednesday I settled into a seat at the Dolby Theatre to interview Oscar producers Mike De Luca and Jennifer Todd, just as we were all learning that White House press secretary Sean Spicer said President Trump will probably not watch the telecast. Finally, reporters are asking the really important questions at those press briefings! “I saw that, but then I thought, That means he’s definitely going to watch,” Todd told me. Sign up to receive Rebecca Keegan’s HWD Daily, Hollywood’s new must-read, in your inbox. De Luca and Todd are knee-deep in trimming their show rundown, as they confront the age-old Oscar producers’ dilemma of how to give away all those awards, perform all the songs, deliver the in memoriam, bond with the host, and send everybody off to the Governors Ball before the East Coast audience starts drooling on their sofas. Amid that challenge, they’re also first-timers steering the telecast in a year when, for better or worse, politics is a major awards-season plotline. “The show shouldn’t be an op-ed page,” De Luca said. “We didn’t inject politics into the structure of the show. Presidents are four or eight years, movies are forever. We’re playing above it all. But for the winners, it is their 45 seconds to do with what they want and that’s where politics may live.” The duo express a lot of faith in Oscar host Jimmy Kimmel to help keep the tone light, and have promised to avoid one of my awards-show pet peeves, when the host disappears for long stretches, like a character missing from a whole act of a film. And they’re counting on the kind of moments you just can’t choreograph. “If we can’t have some spontaneity,” De Luca said. “What’s the point of being live?” A SOLUTION TO HOLLYWOOD’S 99 GENDER PROBLEMS? Women in Film and the Sundance Institute have put a name on a long-gestating initiative designed to tackle the seemingly intractable gender-parity problems in Hollywood, according to The Hollywood Reporter’s Rebecca Sun. Dubbed ReFrame, the initiative is launching with 52 execs and creatives from across film and TV, including Nina Jacobson, Paul Feig, Kimberly Peirce, Gigi Pritzker, Stephanie Allain, Franklin Leonard, Maria Bello, De Luca, and WME’s Adriana Alberghetti. Twenty-two studios and networks have agreed to take meetings on how they’re handling gender bias, Sun reports, including all six majors, HBO, and Netflix. The group has also developed a kind of Good Housekeeping seal of approval for projects that reflect gender parity. By Peter Stackpole/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images. The initiative has been long in development—I first reported on it after the group held a secret, two-day meeting in 2015. The public rollout comes as studios may be especially primed to listen, since a just-concluded Equal Employment Opportunity Commission investigation has found that they all have systemically discriminated against female directors. TIFF ON A DIET The Toronto International Film Festival is getting leaner, taking its lineup down by 20 percent for 2017, reports Deadline’s Nancy Tartaglione. It seems like a smart move for the awards-season kickoff fest, where standing out from the pack has gotten difficult for all but the starriest films. Good luck to TIFF artistic director Cameron Bailey, who will be the one with the difficult task of saying no to filmmakers. UTA RALLY UTA has announced some of the speakers and performers for their United Voices rally happening Friday afternoon in Beverly Hills, planned this year in lieu of the agency’s annual Oscar party. Jodie Foster, Keegan-Michael Key, Gavin Newsom, Michael J. Fox, and Cynthia Erivo will be there. OSCARS SUPER TROUPER Plenty of folks, myself included, enjoy complaining about the long march of awards season. But today I would like to confer the official Awards Season Trouper Award to Oscar-nominated Hidden Figures screenwriter Allison Schroeder, who had a baby three months ago, broke her tailbone, and is still managing to make Kenneth Lonergan giggle at roundtables. I met Schroeder, who wrote the first draft of the script before the film’s writer-director Ted Melfi took over, in the makeup chair at Vanity Fair’s social-media studio Wednesday, where she sat on a special pillow designed to protect her healing bum before speaking with my colleague Mike Hogan. La La Land choreographer Mandy Moore, Manchester by the Sea producer Kimberley Steward, and Moonlight composer Nicholas Brittell also swung through, for interviews with Hogan and VF.com’s Julie Miller. The three of us closed out the day with a predictions confab with Vanity Fair West Coast Editor Krista Smith. YES, YOU’RE ON THE LIST For the first time this year, Vanity Fair will host a live stream from our storied Oscar party. Join our team of awards-show obsessives, fashion experts, and special guests on Facebook, Twitter, and VF.com. That’s the news for this sunny Thursday in L.A. What are you seeing out there? Send tips, comments, and suggested Oscar mani-pedi colors to rebecca_keegan@condenast.com. Follow me on Twitter @thatrebecca. Correction: A previous version of this article attributed The Hollywood Reporter story to Rebecca Ford. It was actually written by THR’s Rebecca Sun. The author of this post, who is also named Rebecca, apologizes to all Rebeccas for the error. Oprah Winfrey Misses Her Classic Talk Show, Just Like You	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line11089
__label__cc	0.629981	0.370019	CloverSnare Vascular Retrieval Snare Lawsuit Home » Medical Devices » CloverSnare Vascular Retrieval Snare Lawsuit Potential lawsuits are now being accepted on behalf of people who were injured by Cook Medical’s CloverSnare 4-Loop Vascular Retrieval Snare. This device, which is used to retrieve objects from the vascular system, is being recalled because the loop may separate from the shaft, leading to loss of device function. When this occurs, it may cause embolization and the need for surgical removal. Free Confidential Lawsuit Evaluation: If you or a loved one was injured by the CloverSnare Vascular Retrieval Snare, you should contact our law firm immediately. You may be entitled to compensation by filing a suit against Cook Medical and we can help. FDA Recall: Vascular Retriever Snare May Fail, Cause Embolization On August 26, 2014, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) announced that Cook Medical is recalling approximately 700 CloverSnare 4-Loop Vascular Retrieval Snare devices (model #s VRS-6.0-9.0) around the country. The reason for this recall, which was initiated on July 10, was because of a potential for the loop of the device to separate from the shaft. When this occurs, it may result in: Loss of device function Embolization of snare fragments The need for surgery to retrieve the separated snare Loop Snare Injuries To date, there has been at least 6 reports of separation of the loop snare from the shaft during use. The malfunction was caused by the application of lateral force to the snare in an attempt to change the shape of the retriever. In 4 cases, surgery to retrieve the separated snare was required. Which Products are Affected by the Recall? This recall affects Cook Medical Vascular Retrievers in the U.S., Canada, Switzerland, Sweden, Spain, Italy, Ireland, Great Britain, Germany, Denmark, Belgium & Austria. Affected retrieval snares were manufactured between August 2012 and August 2013, and distributed from March 8, 2013 to July 1, 2014. Can I File a CloverSnare Vascular Retrieval Snare Lawsuit? Only a qualified attorney can determine whether you are eligible to file a lawsuit against Cook Medical, the maker of the CloverSnare 4-Loop Vascular Retrieval Snare, which is why we are currently offering free case evaluations. Simply fill out the confidential evaluation form below to contact our law firm now. Most cases involving medical devices allege that a product was sold with design, manufacturing, and/or marketing defects, which typically refers to a company’s failure to warn of a certain complication. In the case of the CloverSnare Vascular Retrieval Snare, our attorneys suspect that patients may be able to take legal action in light of claims that Cook Medical failed to adequately warn doctors and patients about the risk of the loop separating from shaft. How Can Filing a Lawsuit Help Me? By filing a lawsuit against Cook Medical, you may be entitled to collect compensation for all current and future medical expenses related to the treatment of your injury, as well as for damages for pain and suffering. Additionally, filing a lawsuit can help hold the retrieval snare’s manufacturer accountable for releasing an allegedly defective medical device into the marketplace, and to discourage other companies from engaging in similar conduct. Do I Have a CloverSnare Vascular Retrieval Snare Lawsuit? The Medical Device Litigation Group at our law firm is an experienced team of trial lawyers that focus on the representation of plaintiffs in CloverSnare Vascular Retriever Lawsuits. We are handling individual litigation nationwide and currently accepting new injury and death cases in all 50 states. Free CloverSnare Vascular Retrieval Snare Lawsuit Evaluation: Again, if you or a loved one was injured by the Cook Medical Vascular Retriever, you should contact our law firm immediately. You may be entitled to compensation by filing a lawsuit and we can help. CloverSnare Vascular Retriever Class Action Lawsuit Cook Zilver PTX Stent Recall Lawsuit Smith and Nephew Knee Lawsuit Loop Gastric Bypass or “Mini Gastric Bypass” Surgery Lawsuit Datascope Intra-Aortic Balloon Pump Lawsuit	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line11090
__label__wiki	0.512718	0.512718	Booktalk for Suite Scarlett Watch this video booktalk. The Hopewell Hotel and its owners finally found something to hope for when Mrs. A moved into the Empire Suite. It wasn't the summer Scarlett Martin had hoped for. It wasn't even the summer she'd expected. The summer she turned fifteen was unexpected in every way you could imagine. The Martins owned and lived in the Hopewell Hotel in mid-town Manhattan. Built in 1929, it had been an elegant Art Deco landmark for years. But now it was shabby rather than elegant, and instead of making money for the Martins, it sucked up all the money they could pour into it. And it was on Scarlett's fifteenth birthday, after a birthday breakfast that was closer to an ordeal than a celebration, that Scarlett, Lola, and Spencer found out just how bad things had gotten. Three years before, Marlene, the youngest Martin, had gotten leukemia, and the hotel had had to take second place. She'd been in remission for two years, but there were still thousands of dollars in medical bills to pay, and not enough left over to keep the hotel in good repair and pay the employees who ran it. They were let go one by one, and quick fixes replaced expensive repairs. The Martins were determined to keep the hotel open, but everyone would have to pitch in and work together. And since both Spencer and Lola had full-time jobs, "everyone" meant Scarlett. She'd have to work for her parents for free instead of getting a job she'd actually get paid for, leaving her with no money when school started for clothes, and movies, and anything else above and beyond eating lunch and getting her Metrocard for the subway. But things changed when Mrs. Amberson arrived for the summer, and turned the Martin family upside down. She was an aging actress, a world traveler, an amateur photographer, an adventurer with piles of money to throw around, and the very personification of "high maintaintence." She stayed in the Empire Suite, the most expensive room in the hotel, and the one that Scarlett was in charge of, so it was up to her to give Mrs. A the personal service the hotel was famous for. In other words, anything and everything she wanted, from organic tea, to a laptop computer, to matches, to sushi, to dance tights, and just about everything in-between. Life around Mrs. A was always unexpected, and never dull. What did that mean for the Hopewell and the Martins? Check into the Empire Suite and find out. This booktalk was written by university professor, librarian and booktalking expert Joni Richards Bodart. Suite Scarlett View not found. Download the PDF from here Growing Up Homelessness and Poverty	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line11092
__label__wiki	0.791388	0.791388	EXPAND PRODUCT DETAILS Truce The Day the Soldiers Stopped Fighting By Jim Murphy The story of a Christmas miracle during World War I, by two-time Newbery Honor author Jim Murphy. On July 29, 1914, the world's peace was shattered as the artillery of the Austro-Hungarian empire began shelling the troops of the country to its south. What followed was like a row of falling dominoes as one European country after another rushed to war. Soon most of Europe was fighting in this calamitous war that could have been avoided. This was, of course, World War I. But who could have guessed that on December 25 the troops would openly defy their commanding officers by stopping the fighting and having a spontaneous celebration of Christmas with their "enemies?"<br />A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year Resources for this book IN THE TEACHER STORE Related Book Resources	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line11093
__label__cc	0.576099	0.423901	Poetic Inquiry: On Reading, Writing, and Teaching Poetry via Intuitive Contemplation and Creative Expression Uploaded by Carolyn Elliott Poetic inquiry is name for a mode of thought and discovery that seeks to reveal and communicate truths via intuitive contemplation and creative expression. This intuitive / creative mode of knowledge production and way of being in the world was strongly advocated by diverse and important thinkers in the history of criticism and philosophy, including Ralph Waldo Emerson (who called it “American scholarship”) and Martin Heidegger. The process can be broken down into steps and taught to undergraduates via specific exercises of reading, writing, and questioning. When taught, it opens up complex fields of poetic thought and exploration for students. The fruit of poetic inquiry, as discussed by poets and philosophers of literature is understood to be symbols or images that embody a mysterious, yet evident quality that both Kant and Emerson referred to as “soul.” Poetic inquiry is a potentially revitalizing and galvanizingmode of thought for humanistic study and teaching, making available means of engaging with and producing texts that are both very fresh and steeped in poetic tradition. It provides a contemplative alternative to the highly problematic paradigm of objectivist scholarship that grew out of the worldview of 19th century reductive materialism and presently dominates the humanities. saveSave Poetic Inquiry: On Reading, Writing, and Teaching ... For Later poet pen How to teach and read poetry Parade Route 2019 Poetry Essay Revised Seven Happy Prince Lessons BEFORE You Get Your Puppy Teaching Poetry The Following: Beneath the surface of Beniwan (free read - 3 chptrs) Teaching Poetry Through Stylistic Approach Colorful, Seasonal & Emotional Poetry by Wendy Bouchoux socraticseminarcivillibertiesandrights The Summons of the Line Bruce Bond poetry analysis outline Dear Captain H poetry portfolio ppt original poem criteria rubric 11 22 passport Martha Meloy Technology Integration Unit Writing from the Inside Out: The Practice of Free-Form Writing [SAMPLE] POETIC INQUIRY by Carolyn Elliott B.A., English and Creative Writing, Carnegie Mellon University, 2005 M.A., Critical and Cultural Studies, University of Pittsburgh, 2011 Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Pittsburgh 2012 UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH THE KENNETH P. DIETRICH SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES This dissertation was presented Carolyn Elliott It was defended on April 2, 2012 and approved by Marianne Novy, Professor, English Department, University of Pittsburgh Toi Derricotte, Professor, English Department, University of Pittsburgh Dawn Lundy Martin, Assistant Professor, English Department, University of Pittsburgh Sharon Abbey, Professor, Department of Teacher Education, Brock University Thesis Director: Marianne Novy, Professor, English Department, University of Pittsburgh Copyright by Carolyn Elliott 2012 POETIC INQUIRY Carolyn Elliott, PhD University of Pittsburgh, 2012 Poetic inquiry is name for a mode of thought and discovery that seeks to reveal and communicate truths via intuitive contemplation and creative expression. This intuitive / creative mode of knowledge production and way of being in the world was strongly advocated by diverse and important thinkers in the history of criticism and philosophy, including Ralph Waldo Emerson (who called it American scholarship) and Martin Heidegger. The process can be broken down into steps and taught to undergraduates via specific exercises of reading, writing, and questioning. When taught, it opens up complex fields of poetic thought and exploration for students. The fruit of poetic inquiry, as discussed by poets and philosophers of literature is understood to be symbols or images that embody a mysterious, yet evident quality that both Kant and Emerson referred to as soul. Poetic inquiry is a potentially revitalizing and galvanizing mode of thought for humanistic study and teaching, making available means of engaging with and producing texts that are both very fresh and steeped in poetic tradition. It provides a contemplative alternative to the highly problematic paradigm of objectivist scholarship that grew out of the worldview of 19th century reductive materialism and presently dominates the humanities. PREFACE ................................................................................................................................. VIII 1.0 WHAT IS POETIC INQUIRY?...................................................................................... 1 POETIC INQUIRY AS A MODE OF HIGHER EDUCATION .......................................................................... 3 POETIC INQUIRY VS THE GERMAN UNIVERSITY MODEL ....................................................................... 9 EMERSON AND POETIC INQUIRY ........................................................................................................ 14 AMERICAN SCHOLAR, POETIC INQUIRER ............................................................................................ 17 POETIC PERCEPTION AS AN ELEMENT OF POETIC INQUIRY .............................................................. 20 2.0 THE TWO MOVEMENTS OF POETIC INQUIRY...................................................... 24 THE FIRST MOVEMENT OF POETIC INQUIRY: CONTEMPLATIVE TRUTH-SEEKING AND ENTERING POSSIBILITY ................................................................................................................................................... 24 ENTERING POSSIBILITY IN THE CLASSROOM ..................................................................................... 30 TWO WAYS OF USING POEMS AS ENTRANCES TO POSSIBILITY: CONTEMPLATIVE (I.E. INTENSIVE) READING AND THINKING-WITH ................................................................................................................... 32 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 CONTEMPLATIVE READING IN READING THE SOUL OF POETRY ..................................................... 33 THINKING-WITH AS A MODE OF POETIC INQUIRY ........................................................................... 39 THINKING-WITH IN READING THE SOUL OF POETRY ...................................................................... 44 THE SECOND MOVEMENT OF POETIC INQUIRY: POETIC STRATEGIES, OFFENSES AND DREAMS ..... 56 WHY POETIC STRATEGIES ARE NECESSARY TO THE SECOND MOVEMENT OF POETIC INQUIRY ...... 61 3.0 HEIDEGGER AND THE SIGNIFICANCE OF POETIC INQUIRY .......................... 65 3.1 POETIC INQUIRY VS. PHILOSOPHIC AND SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY IN HEIDEGGER ................................. 74 4.0 POETIC INQUIRY AND RESISTANCE ........................................................................ 82 ENTERING POSSIBILITY VIA RESISTANCE ITSELF ............................................................................... 86 5.0 CONSIDERING THE RESULTS OF POETIC STRATEGY AS DEPLOYED IN POETIC INQUIRY: NEW THOUGHT, AESTHETICAL IDEA, SYMBOL AND IMAGE................................................................................................................................. 91 POETIC STRATEGIES, NON-ENCOMPASSABILITY AND THE SOUL ...................................................... 94 AN EXAMPLE OF POETIC INQUIRY FROM LEAVES OF GRASS .......................................................... 105 UNDERSTANDING SYMBOL AS THE PRODUCT OF AN ARRAY OF POETIC STRATEGIES IN SERVICE TO TRUTH .......................................................................................................................................................... 110 5.4 THE SECOND MOVEMENT OF POETIC INQUIRY IN THE CLASSROOM ............................................ 117 6.0 ON READING THE SOUL OF POETRY ..................................................................... 119 CONSIDERING THE SOUL IN THE CLASSROOM .................................................................................. 123 ENGAGING THE POETICAL SELF AS AN ACT OF POETIC INQUIRY .................................................. 128 INQUIRING ABOUT THE NATURE OF POETRY ................................................................................... 135 THE ZEALOUS BOX: EXPLORING THE GIFT ECONOMY OF POETIC INQUIRY .................................... 143 THE DREAMERS OF DREAMS: USING DREAMS AS RESOURCES FOR POETIC INQUIRY ..................... 156 PRAISING THIS WORLD TO THE ANGEL: EXPERIMENTS WITH METAPHOR AS A STRATEGY OF THE SECOND MOVEMENT OF POETIC INQUIRY ................................................................................................... 167 THE LYRIC ESSAY AS POETIC INQUIRY .............................................................................................. 178 7.0 IN CONCLUSION............................................................................................................ 215 vi POETIC INQUIRY: THE REINVENTION OF THE WORLD..................................................................... 216 APPENDIX A ............................................................................................................................ 223 APPENDIX B ............................................................................................................................ 235 BIBLIOGRAPHY ..................................................................................................................... 245 Who can doubt that poetry will revive and lead in a new age, as the star in the constellation Harp, which now flames in our zenith, astronomers announce, shall one day be the polestar for a thousand years? Emerson, The American Scholar The long way leading to the poetry is itself one that inquires poetically. Heidegger commenting on Rilke, What Are Poets For? WHAT IS POETIC INQUIRY? Poetic inquiry could be a term used to describe many kinds of thought and engagement. This dissertation doesnt seek to offer an exhaustive exploration of the possible connotations of that term (though such an exploration could be valuable and exciting) but rather uses the term poetic inquiry as a name for specific processes of questioning and creating suggested by transcendentalist currents in nineteenth and twentieth century thought. This present work explores those currents in their wide-ranging manifestations (touching upon such varied and-yetinterrelated thinkers as Immanuel Kant, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, Martin Heidegger and Jane Hirshfield), and then goes on to explore my experiments with poetic inquiry (thus defined) as an avenue of literary education that offers an exciting alternative to presently dominant practices. Briefly put, I use poetic inquiry to describe a process of contemplative truth-seeking followed by the creative expression of those truths discovered. By thus defining poetic inquiry I dont seek to shut down other possible meanings of the term or to invalidate their importance; I simply wish to assign an appropriate name to an important and inadequately appreciated mode of knowledge generation. By giving a name to that mode of knowing, Im able to highlight connections and similarities among thinkers often regarded to be disparate in concern (for example, Heidegger and Emerson). Like philosophic and scientific inquiry, poetic inquiry in this sense seeks to discover and communicate truths. But while both philosophic and scientific inquiry deploy systematic and rational approaches to their projects and largely emphasize objectivity, poetic inquiry is nonsystematic and intuitive in its approach and emphasizes subjectivity rather than objectivity. In other words, poetic inquiry as I here define it attends primarily to the existential and subjective dimension of truth. 1 Expression in poetic inquiry is creative in at least two ways: first, it is creative for the one who writes it in that the very act of articulating something intuited during contemplative truth-seeking can have the effect of bringing that truth (understood as something multiple and plenteous in its manifestations, rather than as something limited or singular) into being, or creating it. In this sense we might say that poetic inquiry cannot only discover but can also make truths. Making is of course the original meaning of the Greek word, poesis, from which our English word poetry derives. In the context of poetic inquiry we would say that what poetry makes is the experience of extra-rational truth for both its writers and its readers. Secondly, expression in poetic inquiry is creative for the one who reads and receives it-- through the use of poetic strategies the fruit of poetic inquiry creates for the reader or audience an extra- There are figures who are hailed as philosophersNietzsche, Emerson, and Kierkegaard come prominently to mindwhose work may be said to rely more heavily on poetic strategy (gesture, fiction, drama, tropesee the discussion of these later in this dissertation) than on rational argument and who value existential and subjective truth. I would count these figures as poetic inquirers rather than philosophers. 2 rational experience of the author-inquirers discovered truths (i.e., it does not communicate the discovered truths via rational argument or proof). Because transcendentalist poetic inquiry is an essentially intuitive and extra-rational process, it resists being articulated in any systematic way. There are very many excellent examples of the fruit of poetic inquiry. There are far fewer excellent explanations of the process. I have attempted to articulate and champion the process of poetic inquiry in this prosaic dissertation form because I have desired to teach it to myself and to others, and because many people (including myself) resist doing something when they cannot understand just why and how it should be done. Thus the following work attempts to reasonably explain the detailed application and essential value of an endeavor which exceeds reason. I have sought to do this rather difficult task because I believe poetic inquiry to be very important work indeed, work which we have perhaps been neglecting for the very reason that it is difficult to rationally or systematically explain and justify. POETIC INQUIRY AS A MODE OF HIGHER EDUCATION In the mid-nineteenth century in New England, Ralph Waldo Emerson also sought to explain and articulate the value of the process that I am now calling poetic inquiry, and to tell how it should be done because he, too, wanted to teach it to himself and to others (he called the work American scholarship or poetrysee my subsequent discussion of his works The American Scholar and The Poet and their relation). It could be argued that Emerson was massively successful in his project of studying and teaching poetic inquiry since he himself became very skilled at demonstrating it within his essays 3 and poems, and since he is also well-known to have directly inspired Walt Whitman (arguably one of the greatest poets the United States has yet produced) with his discussion of poetic inquiry in all of his essays, but most especially The Poet. On the other hand, it could be argued that Emerson failed in his project of teaching poetic inquiry, since poetic inquiry did not become central to the practice of scholarship in America, as he expressed his hope that it would be in his address to the Phi Beta Kappa society at Harvard ( The American Scholar). Instead of being defined by poetic inquiry, scholarship in America came to be dominated by a paradigm that the educational theorist Parker Palmer has termed objectivism. Shortly, I will discuss how this dominance came to occur, but first I want to make clear just what objectivism is. I am grateful to Palmer for his lucid description of objectivism and its consequences in his 1998 work, The Courage to Teach. I here quote from Palmer at length, because I dont think my summary or paraphrase could do justice to the precision of Palmers explanation of a phenomenon which is so pervasive as to be practically imperceptible to those of us immersed in it: The mode of knowing that dominates education creates disconnections between teachers, their subjects, and their students because it is rooted in fear. This mode, called objectivism, portrays truth as something we can achieve only by disconnecting ourselves, physically and emotionally, from the thing we want to know. Why? Because if we get too close to it, the impure contents of our subjective lives will contaminate that thing and our knowledge of it. No matter what it isan episode in history, a creature from the wild, a passage in great literature, or a phenomenon of human behaviorobjectivism claims that we can know the things of the world truly and well only from afar. For objectivism, the subjective self is the enemy most to be feareda Pandoras box of opinion, bias, and ignorance that will distort our knowledge once the lid flies open. We keep the lid shut by relying exclusively on reason and facts, logic and data that cannot be swayed by subjective desire (or so the theory goes). The role of the mind and the senses in this scheme is not to connect us to the world but to hold the world at bay, lest our knowledge of it be tainted. In objectivism, subjectivity is feared not only because it contaminates things but because it creates relationships between those things and usand relationships are contaminating as well. When a thing ceases to be an object and becomes a vital, interactive part of our liveswhether it is a work of art, an indigenous people, or an ecosystemit might get a grip on us, biasing us toward it, thus threatening the purity of our knowledge once again. So objectivism, driven by fear, keeps us from forging relationships with the things of the world. Its modus operandi is simple: when we distance ourselves from something, it becomes an object; when it becomes an object, it no longer has life; when it is lifeless, it cannot touch or transform us, so our knowledge of the thing remains pure. For objectivism, any way of knowing that requires subjective involvement between the knower and the known is regarded as irrational, true feeling is dismissed as sentimental, the imagination is seen as chaotic and unruly, and storytelling is labeled as personal and pointless. (51-52 The Courage to Teach) As I will show it, poetic inquiry is a mode of knowing which is dramatically contrary to objectivism: it relies on subjective, relational, and holistic perception and expression. Rather than creating disconnections, it creates or reveals connections (Shelleys the before unapprehended relations of things). Poetic inquiry did not become the primary mode of learning and knowing in American higher education subsequent to Emersons promotion of it because Emerson failed to explain it well or because poetic inquiry was ever conclusively shown to be an invalid or unnecessary means of understanding and discovering. Rather, poetic inquiry, deeply tied to transcendentalist and idealist traditions of thought, was simply dismissed and unvalued by the materialist vogue which gripped the United States in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century and which persists to this day. The materialistic attitude is objectivist in orientation and privileges scientific inquiry as the most worthwhile means of discovery. The cultural critic Charles Eisenstein has recently commented instructively in his book The Ascent of Humanity on the relationship of scientific inquiry as expressed in the Scientific Method to culturally contingent objectivist assumptions about the nature of reality: At bottom, the Scientific Method assumes that there is an objective universe "out there" that we can query experimentally, thus ascertaining the truth or falsity of our theories. Without this assumption, indeed, the whole concept of a "fact" becomes elusive, perhaps even incoherent. (Significantly, the root of the word is the Latin factio, a making or a doing, hinting perhaps at a former ambiguity between existence and perception, being and doing; what is, and what is made. Perhaps facts, like artifacts and manufactures, are made by us.) The universe "out there" is in principle unconnected to one or another observer; hence the replicability of scientific experiment. If you and I query the universe with an identical experiment, we arrive at an identical result. So blinded are we by our ontology that we see this not as an assumption, but a logical necessity. We can hardly imagine a cogent system of thought that doesn't embody objectivity. Neither can we imagine a system of thought that dispenses with determinism, which encodes the modern notion of causality. These we see as basic principles of logic, not the conditional cultural assumptions that they are. The unfortunate fact that the whole of 20th century physics invalidates precisely these principles of objectivity and determinism has not yet sunk into our intuitions. . The world-view of classical science I describe in this chapter, obsolete though it may be, still informs the dominant beliefs and intuitions of our culture. Science is a vast and elaborate articulation of the defining myth of our civilization: that we are discrete and separate selves, living in an objective universe of others. Science presupposes, embodies, and reinforces that myth, blinding us to other ways of thinking, living, and being. (Eisenstein <http://www.ascentofhumanity.com/chapter3-1.php>) Here Eisenstein begins to underline the way in which the scientific method of inquiry circularly supports the objectivist worldview. Elsewhere in his discussion of scientific inquiry and objectivism, Eisenstein highlights the ways in which scientific inquiry blinds itself to analysis of phenomena in which the experimenter is an inseparable aspect. Poetic inquiry, on the other hand, acknowledges that the experimenter or inquirer is always herself an inseparable aspect of the truth into which she seeks insight and does not enforce a subject-object relationship of knower and known. Poetic inquiry, or American scholarship (as Emerson optimistically called it) received an enthusiastic and appreciative reception amidst the generalist college atmosphere of Harvard in 1837 where Emerson delivered The American Scholar as an address to the Phi Beta Kappa Society. But, as Robert D. Richardson relates in his intellectual biography, Emerson: The Mind on Fire, Emersons call for poetic inquiry to be undertaken as a primary means of study was a very radical call (261), and perhaps only heeded by himself a few other remarkable thinkers, including Walt Whitman and Henry David Thoreau. The students and faculty at Harvard in 1837 were not ready to fully embrace Emersons intuition that poetry could be the polestar of a new age and poetic inquiry the means of charting that star. In Professing Literature: An Institutional History, Gerald Graff shows that the academic climate at Harvard at the time of Emersons address tended to regard the study of poetry as a kind of aid to rhetorical facility, grammatical analysis, and elocutionary polish. This attitude toward the place of poetry in higher education persisted as long as the college system itself did. Even after Emersons address the faculty and students at Harvard and similar colleges such as Yale and Cornell tended to consider the practice of poetry as a pleasant past time and not a means of deep and reliable insight. Emersons suggested methods of contemplative truth-seeking and poetic articulation were not adopted into the curriculum. This lack of adoption may have been due to the fact that poetic inquiry is by its very nature something that values the spontaneously revealed and freely available truths of the present, and thus tends to undermine institutional authority and hierarchy. POETIC INQUIRY VS THE GERMAN UNIVERSITY MODEL Rather than adopting poetic inquiry / American scholarship as its model for the future as Emerson suggested, higher education in the United States in the nineteenth century gradually moved to adopt scientific inquiry as supported by the German university structure as its ideal. In Professing Literature, Gerald Graff narrates how the German model of scientific inquiry came to dominate the study of literature in the early twentieth century and to subsequently shape the structure of university departments and reward systems ever after. Since this dissertation is concerned specifically with teaching, its interesting for us to note that as Emerson imagined it, the performance of poetic inquiry / American scholarship is something which is inherently a teaching tool connected to the well-being of its audience. Emerson aptly observed that its the poetic inquirers duty to cheer, to raise, and to guide others by showing them the facts amidst appearances (52). Poetic inquiry is a mode of knowing undertaken so that its fruit may bring inspiration and joy to others. In this sense, every work of poetic inquiry is always a work of teaching, a labor of positively transforming self and others. Emerson and his friends Henry David Thoreau and Walt Whitman all serve as examples of persons who worked in the intimately inspirational and relational mode of poetic inquiry. In contrast, the German-influenced mode of scientific inquiry which formed the basis of the modern university and came to dominate higher education in the United States did not imagine itself as having any duty to cheer or uplift its hearers. Of the German-style research professor, Graff writes: The new academic professional thought of himself as an investigator devoted to advancing the frontiers of knowledge through research, and his loyalties went to his field rather than to the classroom dedication that had made the older type of 9 college teacher seem a mere schoolmaster. The prototype of the new professional was the German university professor in his lecture room or seminar, a man who supposedly transcended morality and ideology in his disinterested search for truth. The German professor, it was admiringly said, is not a teacher at all in the English sense of the term; he is a specialist. He is not responsible for the success of his hearers. He is responsible only for the quality of his instruction. His duty begins and ends with himself. His time is not wasted in cudgeling the wits of refractory or listless reciters. (62 Graff) Our lingering notion of the teacher in higher education as a person of specialized learning whose success within the university system depends almost entirely on her excellence as a researcher and very little on her ability to cheer and uplift her students comes directly from this German ideal of teacher-as-researcher which became widely popular in the United States after the generalist college declined. Increasingly, its a vision of inquiry and teaching which is undesirable for literary studies because it has contributed to the creation of the present highly problematic and arguably exploitative situation in which literary studies programs in universities (usually contained within larger language departments like English, French or German) rely heavily on contingent and graduate student teachers who are paid sometimes less than minimum wage to teach classes. These contingent teachers are accorded far less institutional status, respect and support than their tenured and tenure-track peers whose research efforts are validated by the university and who fit the conventional model of teacher-as-researcher. This present situation of a handful of research professors being supported by a mass of underpaid contingent and graduate faculty is undesirable because it causes tension and dissatisfaction for all involved. In Discourse of the Firetenders, a study concerning the situation of contingent faculty within a recent special issue of College English devoted to the topic, the problem is neatly summarized: As definitions of tenure-line productivity have shifted within a tenure system that increasingly values funded research and other forms of scholarly and creative work more than teaching, the instructional mission has been redirected largely toward those off the tenure track. This phenomenon has resulted in the dependence of one faculty category or rank upon another in a complex social network However, within this well-established division of labor, contingent faculty are paid less, provided few if any protections, and offered a restricted set of tools with which to do their work. Functioning without institutional buy-in, or, locally, a collective bargaining unit, the non-tenure-line faculty in our study felt as constrained in their ability to argue for the value of their instruction as they felt vulnerable to criticism. It might be said that departmental and programmatic operations depend increasingly on discrete division of labor and specialized roles, of which non-tenure-line teaching faculty are part. Having a group of non-tenure-line faculty who shoulder the burden of teaching allows tenure-line faculty to focus on other departments and programmatic activities, such as teaching capstone and graduate courses, directing theses, conducting research, and providing service to the university. Further, although advising remains a faculty responsibility in some locations, it is increasingly contracted to a sector of professional advisors, which suggests that the contingent faculty member is but one example of a general shift toward specialized workplace roles in university settings. (437-438 Doe) I wish to suggest that the symptoms of increasingly discrete specialization and deepening disempowerment and alienation of contingent faculty in university departments (including literature departments) are not aberrations but logical manifestations of the underlying ethos of objectivist materialism upon which the modern university was designed. The secular ideal of higher education as embodied by the pervasive German university model of disinterested research is one in which the emotional, relational and spiritual interests of teachers and students are deliberately divorced from their studies in the name of objectivity. A recent movement toward contemplative practice and integration in higher education is seeking to address and heal the wounds engendered by this violent separation and compartmentalization of students and teachers holistic concerns. This movement is spear-headed by Parker Palmer and his colleague Arthur Zajonc. In their recent book, The Heart of Higher Education: A Call to Renewal, Palmer and Zajonc comment upon practical solutions to move higher education in the direction of supporting whole human development. In their introduction to the book, they highlight their reasons for doing so in a way that can concisely give us a sense of the scope of the problem in our present system of higher education: Like many educators we know, we went to college seeking not only knowledge but a sense of meaning and purpose for our lives. Both of us had good teachers who helped along those lines, and we aspired to become teachers of that sort. But early on in our academic careers, we found that the disciplinary silos in which we had been educatedand the fragmentary and fragmenting assumptions about knowledge and humanity that often lay behind themobscured as much as they revealed about the nature of reality and how to inhabit it as whole human beings. We found it increasingly difficult to color within the lines as we tried to teach in ways that answer Wendell Berrys call to help students become more fully developed human beings. Animated by our vocational passions and frustrations, both of us have felt called to work with others in helping higher education rejoin that which it too often puts asunderfor the sake of students, those who teach them, and a world that stands in need of integrative hearts and minds. We have been drawn to, and invite you to explore with us, the question at the heart of this book and the many conversations that led to it: How can higher education become a more multidimensional enterprise, one that draws on the full range of human capacities for knowing, teaching and learning, that bridges the gaps between the disciplines; that forges stronger links between knowing the world and living creatively in in solitude and community? If we cannot find ways to respond to that questionnot with a monolithic solution, but by laying down multiple threads of inquiry and experimentation that might come together in a larger and more coherent tapestry of insight and practicewe will continue to make fleeting and fragmentary responses to the hungers and needs of our students, to the abiding questions of the human adventure, and to the social, economic, and political challenges of our time. As large as that agenda obviously is, we believe it describes the calling of higher education, a calling embedded in its cultural and institutional DNA. (1-2 Palmer and Zajonc) In this dissertation and in my work as a teacher in the classroom, I participate in this movement towards contemplative and integrative higher education by declining to assume the role of teacher-as-objectivist-researcher and by instead doing what Emerson did in his essays and lecturesexplain, teach, and perform poetic inquiry. The notion that poetic inquiry can be practiced as a mode of higher education in literary study is the beginning of my contribution to Palmer and Zajoncs call for multiple threads of thought about how higher education can become a more integrative enterprise. As I hope I will show, a literary studies course which practices poetic inquiry rather than prosaic research as its mode of knowledge production is one in which the holistic empowerment and inspiration of all present becomes a primary concern. My work improves somewhat on Emerson, I hope, because I have sought to bring downto-earth and make plain some dimensions of poetic inquiry which can be rather esoterically inaccessible in Emersons explanation of the process. As I will show, from Emersons essays I inherit two key ideas which I have already mentioned: 1) That poetic inquiry can and should be taught 2) That poetic inquiry can be usefully understood as a process of contemplative truth-seeking and creative expression. EMERSON AND POETIC INQUIRY After allowing that poetic inquiry as here discussed consists in contemplative truth-seeking and creative expression of the truths thus discovered, we might then further specify that the work of poetic inquiry consists in two major movements 1) Shifting into a contemplative perspective of expanded perception (i.e., Possibilitysee my ensuing discussion of this condition) in pursuit of extra-rational (i.e., poetic) truth and 2) Creatively expressing truth perceived from that contemplative perspective using the resources of poetic strategy (see my later discussion of poetic strategy). Poetic inquiry can be considered a mode of literary study because intensive engagement with literary texts may be used to aid one or both of its movements. In other words, one may use the contemplative, non-analytical reading of literary texts in order to move into the expanded contemplative condition of Possibility, or one may study literary texts in order to better understand the ways in which they succeed in using poetic strategies for the purposes of poetic inquiry. Of course poetic inquiry also involves the generation of new poetic textsor what weve come to call creative writing. As I have mentioned, in his famous address to the Phi Beta Kappa society at Harvard, Emerson elaborated the process of poetic inquiry and referred to it as the work of the American Scholar. As it happens, though, the process is not necessarily American at all, nor does it resemble scholarship as that term is presently understood. In The Poet, an essay which came some years after The American Scholar address, Emerson described a very similar endeavor of contemplative truth-seeking and creative expression, this time with reference to the complex figure of the poet rather than to the American Scholar. We learn that in Emersons estimation, the title poet belongs not just to those who write verses, but to anyone (throughout the world, throughout history) who creatively brings forth a new thought. The new thought can be expressed in words or in action. According to Emerson, the quality of thought expressed matters more than does the genre of its expression. It appears that Emersons later notion of the poet embraces both the figure he initially describes as the scholar or Man Thinking and also those whose imaginative writing introduces a new thought (figures like Milton or Shakespeare). For this reason, I prefer to call the process of discovery and expression which Emerson performed and valued poetic inquiry rather than American scholarship. Emersons description of poetic inquiry, while providing much, also raises questions which call for further answers (as all proper fruits of poetic inquiry do), and often veers into a level of metaphysical idealism which can be difficult to translate into practical application. Still, understanding poetic inquiry at the lofty level Emerson presented it allows us to begin imagining how it might be executed on a more modest scale. By doing so we can envision a mode of study in higher education in which poems (verses, novels, essays, short stories, playsany imaginative writing) can be read by students as examples of poetic inquiry and also taken as entrances or launching points for the students to conduct their own such explorations. In this mode of reading, written poems are regarded as active subjectsthey become guides, teachers, and inspirers rather than just cultural artifacts or objects. I should note that poetic inquiry is something that many of us are already doing all the timejust as a fact of being curious, inventive human creatures. Its not primarily a mode of engaging with texts, but rather a mode of engaging with life that includes producing poetry (broadly defined as new thought or the creative expression of truth in any genre) and looking to already-existing texts (art works, deeds) for inspiration. At the time that I designed the syllabus and the assignments for Reading the Soul of Poetry, I had not yet figured out exactly what poetic inquiry might be or how to define its movements. I only knew that I was interested in teaching myself and my students to do the work that Emerson describes The American Scholar and The Poet as doing, and that I felt strongly that Emerson himself, Whitman, and Dickinson were exemplary practioners of that work. Because soul is a central term for these writers, and because I still needed to figure out exactly what the process of their work entailed, I defined the class in the course description as an experimental, exploratory course designed to teach, implement, and reflectively question a soulcentered mode of reading and writing both poetry and responses to poetry. AMERICAN SCHOLAR, POETIC INQUIRER The endeavors described in The American Scholar and The Poet are interrelated to the point that its impossible to clearly separate the work of the scholar from that of the poet. Indeed, in his early essay, Nature, which foreshadows so many themes that he would later develop in more detail, Emerson claimed that The true philosopher [i.e., the scholar] and the true poet are one, and a beauty, which is truth, and a truth, which is beauty, is the aim of both (29). The primary difference between The American Scholar and The Poet may be that in The Poet Emerson emphasizes much more what we are calling the second movement of poetic inquiry, i.e. the role and power of metaphoric or symbolic expression (poetic strategy) in the work of creatively communicating truths discovered in contemplation (in The American Scholar he calls these intuited truths the facts amidst appearances [52] and in The Poet he calls them new thoughts [288]) whereas in The American Scholar he emphasizes more heavily what we are calling the first movement of poetic inquiry, i.e., the work of truth-seeking contemplation and inward observation itself. In The American Scholar Emerson explains that the duties of the poetic inquirer / scholar may be regarded as all comprised in self trust [52]. The virtue of self-trust or self- reliance is the underpinning of all the work that the poetic inquirer / scholar must do, a necessary quality because the study it entails is inwardly-directed: He [the poetic inquirer / scholar] plies the slow, unhonored, and unpaid task of observation. Flamsteed and Herschel, in their glazed observatories, may catalogue the stars with the praise of all men, and, the results being splendid and useful, honor is sure. But he, in his private observatory, cataloguing obscure and nebulous stars of the human mind, which as yet no man has thought of as such, - watching days and months, sometimes, for a few facts; correcting still his old records; - must relinquish display and immediate fame. (52) The contemplative inner study of the scholar / poetic inquirer lacks the rationally verifiable and readily valued results of objectivist research (i.e., the kind conducted by scientistsEmersons example here are a pair of astronomers) and for this reason it requires self-trust: the poetic inquirer / scholar must trust the soundness of her own inner discoveries, because these discoveries cannot be verified objectively. So we come to understand that the first movement of poetic inquiry (contemplative truth-seeking) entails self-trust. In Emersons account of the process of poetic inquiry, this self-trust is ultimately rewarded by a difficult-toexplain phenomenon of profound recognition which can occur in the second movement of poetic inquiry, when contemplatively realized truths are creatively expressed and then received by others. We see this account in The American Scholar when Emerson describes how the process of contemplation and inward observation leads to discoveries which, when expressed to others, can have for them a surprising quality of felt validity: In silence, in steadiness, in severe abstraction, let him [the scholar / poetic inquirer] hold by himself; add observation to observation, patient of neglect, patient of reproach; and bide his own time, - happy enough, if he can satisfy himself alone, that this day he has seen something truly. Success treads on every right step. For the instinct is sure, that prompts him to tell his brother what he thinks. He then learns, that in going down into the secrets of his own mind, he has descended into the secrets of all minds. He learns that he who has mastered any law in his private thoughts, is master to that extent of all men whose language he speaks, and of all into whose language his own can be translated. The poet, in utter solitude remembering his spontaneous thoughts and recording them, is found to have recorded that, which men in crowded cities find true for them also. The orator distrusts at first the fitness of his frank confessions, - his want of knowledge of the persons he addresses, - until he finds that he is the complement of his hearers; - that they drink his words because he fulfils for them their own nature; the deeper he dives into his privatest, secretest presentiment, to his wonder he finds, this is the most acceptable, most public, and universally true. The people delight in it; the better part of every man feels, This is my music; this is myself. (53-54) What Emerson writes here is an elegant summary of the mysterious means by which poetic inquiry works: by going down into the secrets of his own mind, he [the poetic inquirer] has descended into the secrets of all minds. In other words, the poetic inquirer, rather than seeking to objectively study phenomena, instead cultivates an intensely subjective form of studya study which can discover truths that may somewhat miraculously receive validation and verification from others when shared (the deeper he dives into his privatest, secretest presentiment, to his wonder he finds, this is the most acceptable, most public, and universally true). In Emersons view, the weird fact that something discovered by an individual searching within her own mind may be found to be most acceptable, most public, and universally true is explained by his poetic theory that all humans are fundamentally one at the level of soul. I call Emersons notion of soul (about which I will have much more to say later) a poetic theory because unlike a scientific theory, which is a hypothesis that can be confirmed by objectively observed data, its a hypothesis whose validity can be affirmed only by intuitive assent. Just as scientific theories are the fruit of scientific inquiries, poetic theories can be the fruit of poetic inquiries. It appears to me that Emersons theory that all humans are one at the level of soul is one of the primary insights (oft-repeated and elaborated throughout his essays) gained from his own process of contemplative truth-seeking and creative expression. In order to perform poetic inquiry, its not at all necessary to whole-heartedly accept Emersons poetic theory of the soul, but as mine and my students work in Reading the Soul of Poetry demonstrates, its a theory that can serve as an interesting launching ground for further poetic inquiriesand this, perhaps, is the best value of the fruit of any poetic inquiry. POETIC PERCEPTION AS AN ELEMENT OF POETIC INQUIRY We might say that poetic inquiry begins with the willingness to regard experience poetically. According to Emerson, poetic perception includes a recognition of connectedness and interrelation between inner and outer realities. In the essay Nature Emerson first begins to emphasize the importance of poetic perception of the external world (i.e., nature) for the seeker of truth: The stars awaken a certain reverence, because though always present, they are inaccessible; but all natural objects make a kindred impression, when the mind is open to 20 their influence. Nature never wears a mean appearance. Neither does the wisest man extort her secret, and lose his curiosity by finding out all her perfection. Nature never became a toy to a wise spirit. The flowers, the animals, the mountains, reflected the wisdom of his best hour, as much as they had delighted the simplicity of his childhood. When we speak of nature in this manner, we have a distinct but most poetical sense in the mind. We mean the integrity of impression made by manifold natural objects. It is this which distinguishes the stick of timber of the wood-cutter, from the tree of the poet. The charming landscape which I saw this morning, is indubitably made up of some twenty or thirty farms. Miller owns this field, Locke that, and Manning the woodland beyond. But none of them owns the landscape. There is a property in the horizon which no man has but he whose eye can integrate all the parts, that is, the poet. This is the best part of these men's farms, yet to this their warranty-deeds give no title. (5) In this passage, Emerson offers an insight about just what exactly the poetic might be. According to him, it consists in an integrity of impression. Its the ability to perceive wholeness rather than fragmentation. Emerson contrasts the stick of timber of the wood-cutter with the tree of the poet and we notice that a stick of timber is a fragment, a commodity to be used, something chopped and dead, while the tree is a unity, an entity to be regarded and appreciated, something in tact and alive. Likewise, Emerson contrasts the perspective which would look out at the land and see the property divisions with the eye of the poet that can integrate all the parts and perceive the wholeness of the landscape. So we gather that the intuition of unity is the hallmark of the poetic perspective. In Emersons ideal figure of the scholar / philosopher / poet, the intuition of unity in the poetic perspective is total. It represents a dramatic enlightenment, a state of higher realization. In The Poet Emerson refers to this unitive insight as Imagination. He tells us that it is a very high sort of seeing, which does not come by study, but by the intellect being where and what it sees; by sharing the path or circuit of things through forms, and so making them translucid to others. (298) Yet in order to start on a project of poetic inquiry, I dont think its necessary to be fully possessed of this realization of underlying oneness, and certainly not necessary to believe in itI think its only necessary to be willing to move towards itin other words, to soften ones sense of oneself as a limited, isolated entity, as a subject for whom the world is merely object. Emerson suggests the means by which one approaches this softening shortly after he tells us that Imagination works by sharing the path or circuit of things through forms: The path of things is silent. Will they suffer a speaker to go with them? A spy they will not suffer; a lover, a poet, is the transcendency of their own nature him they will suffer. The condition of true naming, on the poets part, is his resigning himself to the divine aura which breathes through forms, and accompanying that. (298) Here, we gather that the softening of the self is a movement towards an attitude of surrender and receptivity, a willingness to deeply attend to what is present and to name it from that place of deep attention. This is a tall order. To accomplish it, one must be willing to step outside ones own daily agendas, demands, and conventional identity. Towards the conclusion of Nature Emerson offers a passage which gives some additional insight into the qualities necessary for the cultivation of poetic perspective. Here, Emerson both criticizes objectivist study (empirical science) as unpoetic (i.e., unable to perceive and contemplate wholeness) and offers a statement in favor of contemplative truthseeking and creative expression instead: In inquiries respecting the laws of the world and the frame of things, the highest reason is always the truest. That which seems faintly possible -- it is so refined, is often faint and dim because it is deepest seated in the mind among the eternal verities. Empirical science is apt to cloud the sight, and, by the very knowledge of functions and processes, to bereave the student of the manly contemplation of the whole. The savant becomes unpoetic. But the best read naturalist who lends an entire and devout attention to truth, will see that there remains much to learn of his relation to the world, and that it is not to be learned by any addition or subtraction or other comparison of known quantities, but is arrived at by untaught sallies of the spirit, by a continual self-recovery, and by entire humility. He will perceive that there are far more excellent qualities in the student than preciseness and infallibility; that a guess is often more fruitful than an indisputable affirmation, and that a dream may let us deeper into the secret of nature than a hundred concerted experiments. (34) The complaint that the divisions of science bereave the student of the manly contemplation of the whole and that thereby the savant becomes unpoetic is one that Emerson repeats in The American Scholar. The process that Emerson recommends instead, in which truth is arrived at by untaught sallies of the spirit, by a continual self-recovery, and by entire humility is poetic inquiry. His emphasis on entire humility points again to the qualities of surrender and receptivity which are necessary for contemplation. THE TWO MOVEMENTS OF POETIC INQUIRY THE FIRST MOVEMENT OF POETIC INQUIRY: CONTEMPLATIVE TRUTHSEEKING AND ENTERING POSSIBILITY The shift to poetic perception requires the willingness to enter, at least temporarily, the condition which I call Possibility (after a poem by Emily Dickinson) and which the poet Jane Hirshfield has called liminality in her book, Nine Gates: Entering the Mind of Poetry. Hirshfield discusses dimensions what I am here calling poetic inquiry extensively in Nine Gates, but, like Emerson in The Poet she refers to it simply as the activity of poetry, or even more generally, as writing. I find it important to speak specifically of poetic inquiry because not all works that we commonly would refer to as poetry, and certainly not all writing, engages in or reflects the fruit of poetic inquiry. In Writing and the Threshold Life, the essay which concludes Nine Gates, Hirshfield discusses the specific condition entered into by the poetic inquirer. She draws the term liminality from a classic work of anthropology, The Ritual Process by Victor Turner. Hirshfield usefully summarizes Turners work on ritual rites of passage in order to explain what she means to connote by her choice of the term: A number of specific characteristics mark this state of being betwixt and between. First, the initiate undergoes the removal of both identity and statushe or she becomes nameless; conventional clothing is foregone; the usual constraints of gender no longer apply. Ordinarily forbidden behavior is now allowed, or conversely, the person may enter into an extreme discipline equally foreign to conventional life. Often there is a period of silence and of nondoing, of fasting or going without sleep. Threshold persons are treated as outsiders and exiles, separated from the group, reviled, ignored. Akin in status to the unborn or the undead, they are not present in the community in any normal sense. Possessing nothing, they descend into invisibility and darkness, and symbolically or literallyabandon both the physical and the ideological structures of society for a wilderness existence. More is changed during this threshold period than simply the understanding of self; free of all usual roles, a person experiences community differently as well. The liminal is not opposite to, but the necessary companion of, identity and particularity a person who steps outside her usual position falls away from any singular relationship to others and into oneness with the community as a whole. Within the separateness of liminality, connectedness itself is remade. A line of Gary Snyders describes the dynamic this way: Awareness of emptiness brings forth the heart of compassion. [] This aspect of the threshold makes the liminal writer not only an independent thinker but an engaged onewhen a person identifies with the full range of citizens of a place, sentient and nonsentient, he or she cannot help but speak on their behalf. (Hirshfield 204-210) In Hirshfields description of the way the liminal condition allows for an expanded sense of oneness and compassion, we see mirrored Emersons claim that poetic perception (i.e., Imagination) is a very high sort of seeing which consists in the intellect being where and what it sees. In Hirshfields estimation, the greatest poets are those for whom the liminal becomes their only dwelling-placebecomes home. We can also find Emerson also averring the necessity that one committed to a life of poetic exploration should have to lead a liminal existence at the conclusion of The Poet: O poet! a new nobility is conferred in groves and pastures, and not in castles or by the sword-blade any longer. The conditions are hard, but equal. Thou shalt leave the world, and know the muse only. Thou shalt not know any longer the times, customs, graces, politics, or opinions of men, but shalt take all from the muse. For the time of towns is tolled from the world by funereal chimes, but in nature the universal hours are counted by succeeding tribes of animals and plants, and by the growth of joy on joy. God wills also that thou abdicate a manifold and duplex life, and that thou be content that others speak for thee. Others shall by thy gentlemen and shall represent all courtesy and worldly life for thee; others shall do the great and resounding actions also. Thou shalt lie close hid with nature, and canst not be afforded to the Capitol or the Exchange. The world is full of renunciations and apprenticeships, and this is thine: thou must pass for a fool and a churl for a long season. This is the screen and sheath in which Pan has protected his well-beloved flower, and thou shalt be known only to thine own, and they shall console thee with tenderest love. And thou shalt not be able to rehearse the names of they friends in thy verse, for an old shame before the holy ideal. And this the reward; that the ideal shall be real to thee, and the impressions of the actual world shall fall like summer rain, copious, but not troublesome to thy invulnerable essence. (306) 2 The conditions that Emerson describes as belonging to the fully dedicated poetic inquirer / poet are ones in which the conventional privileges of respectable adulthoodsophistication, speaking for oneself in public life, trade and businessare all surrendered. The surrendering of such privileges means that the dedicated poet / poetic inquirer not present in the community in any normal sense. Hirshfield offers forth two of Emersons contemporaries, Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman, as examples of American writers who stepped fully, if by different means, into the Emerson also discusses the benefits of the liminal condition earlier in The Poet when he discusses how the poet accesses a new energy by abandonment to the nature of things. In committing this abandonment, the poet discovers that beside his privacy of power as an individual man, there is a great public power on which he can draw, by unlocking, at all risks, his human doors, and suffering the ethereal tides to roll and circulate through him; then he is caught up into the life of the Universe, his speech is thunder, his thought is law, and his words are universally intelligible as the plants and animals. The poet knows that he speaks adequately only when he speaks somewhat wildly, or with the flower of the mind; not with the intellect used as an organ, but with the intellect released from all service and suffered to take its direction from the celestial life, or as the ancients were wont to express themselves, not with intellect alone but with the intellect inebriated by nectar (299). 27 life of threshold and thereby achieved the capacity to speak from the mind of openness and connection (209) in a manner unburdened by societal expectations of what should or shouldnt be said (217-218). In the writing of both Whitman and Dickinson we can find various commentaries on what it is to live liminally. Among the most memorable of these expressions and one which can afford us valuable insight about the process of poetic inquiry might be Dickinsons oft-anthologized lyric, I dwell in Possibility: I dwell in Possibility A fairer House than Prose More numerous of Windows Superiorfor Doors Of Chambers as the Cedars Impregnable of eye And for an everlasting Roof The Gambrels of the Sky Of Visitorsthe fairest For OccupationThis The spreading wide my narrow Hands To gather Paradise (Fr 466) I offer that the house of Possibility can be read as a symbol of the liminal condition: its not only a house which abounds in thresholds (More numerous of Windows-- / Superior for Doors) but its also a house which declines to provide shelter from the elements (And for an everlasting Roof-- / The Gambrels of the Sky) and thus leaves its inhabitant open to receive the fairest visitors and to practice the gathering of Paradise. Its of course significant also, that the house of Possibility is one which Dickinson compares to the house of Proseimplying that Possibility is identified with Proses otherpoetry. I find the term Possibility to be a useful word to describe the condition which its necessary to enter in order to begin poetic inquiry. I prefer it to Hirshfields liminality or Emersons Imagination because its free of both the associations of anthropology and also the complicated Romantic and idealist heritage of Imagination with a capital I. Also, Possibility, perhaps because Dickinson figures it as a house, suggests to me a state which one can readily enter or depart without undergoing either a full-fledged ritual rite of passage or a complete transcendental enlightenment. This distinction is important to me, given that I envision my work as a teacher of poetic inquiry not as a project of coaching my students into the life of a renunciate or a realized sage but rather as one of inviting those students to experiment with an alternative mode of being, perceiving, and expressing truth. The ultimate end of such experimentation could be that students decide to commit to dwell[ing] full-time in Possibility as Dickinson and Whitman did, but Im pleased if by the end of the semester I simply see more openness, more compassion, more freedom in their writing. Though I envision Possibility as a state which can be easily entered or exited, to enter it at all nonetheless requires accepting a risk, because it is a condition not only of enlarged receptivity but also of increased vulnerability. ENTERING POSSIBILITY IN THE CLASSROOM In Reading the Soul of Poetry, I asked my students to visit Possibility in a variety of ways (see my later discussion of these experiments and their associated writing prompts): by dressing up as their poetical selves; by participating in a poetry gift exchange; by attending to their night-time dreams. All of these were means of inviting my students to get out of themselves in some wayout of their conventionally limited identities. Yet, since the class official title was Reading Poetry the primary means by which I invited them to enter Possibility was through the contemplative, intensive, or thinking-with reading of poetic texts (see my later discussions of these varieties of reading). Emerson comments instructively on the potential of texts to help us enter Possibility in The American Scholar: The scholar of the first age received into him the world around; brooded thereon; gave it the new arrangement of his own mind, and uttered it again. It came into him, life; it went out from him, truth. It came to him, short-lived actions; it went out from him, immortal thoughts. It came to him, business; it went from him, poetry. It was dead fact; now, it is quick thought. It can stand, and it can go. It now endures, it now flies, it now inspires. Precisely in proportion to the depth of mind from which it issued, so high does it soar, so long does it sing. Or, I might say, it depends on how far the process had gone, of transmuting life into truth. (46) Through Emersons discussion we gain a radical sense of great books as a kind of alchemical product, the result of a transmutation of life into truth 3 which, when attended to, can call forth from us a deep recognition of and identification with that truth: It is remarkable, the character of the pleasure we derive from the best books. They impress us with the conviction, that one nature wrote and the same reads. We read the verses of one of the great English poets, of Chaucer, of Marvell, of Dryden, with the most modern joy, with a pleasure, I mean, which is in great part caused by the abstraction of all time from their verses. There is some awe mixed with the joy of our surprise, when this poet, who lived in some past world, two or three hundred years ago, says that which lies close to my own soul, that which I also had wellnigh thought and said. (48) The insight that one nature wrote and the same reads is a version of poetic perception (in which the intellect is where and what it sees). Thus we gather that the process of this readerly recognition of truth can be enough to trigger the kind of expanded awareness and identification which characterize Possibility. The transmutation of life into truth is also a wonderful way of describing what poetic inquiry is. 31 TWO WAYS OF USING POEMS AS ENTRANCES TO POSSIBILITY: CONTEMPLATIVE (I.E. INTENSIVE) READING AND THINKING-WITH For one engaged in a process of poetic inquiry, the fruits of poetic inquiries conducted by others in the past (i.e., poems or new thought in any genre) are most valuable as invitations or entrances into Possibility. Two modes of reading which deliberately approach poems for this purpose are contemplative (or intensive) reading and thinking-with. Contemplative and intensive reading is the kind that the great poetic inquirer Walt Whitman asks for in the Preface to Leaves of Grass when he recommends that his audience read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life. It is worth noting that Whitman asks for this kind of reading while at the same time recommending that his readers live in a manner similar to the way he sought to live, in a liminal condition (of self-reliance and resistance to societal norms): This is what you shall do: Love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to every one that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence toward the people, take off your hat to nothing known or unknown or to any man or number of men, go freely with powerful uneducated persons and with the young and with the mothers of families, read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life, re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul; and your very flesh shall be a great poem and have the richest fluency not only in its words but in the silent lines of its lips and face and between the lashes of your eyes and in every motion and joint of your body. 32 Whitmans injunctions amount to a list of behaviors whose practice can bring one to and hold one within the liminal condition (i.e., being in the world but not of it). I find fascinating his promise that if one lives this way your very flesh shall be a great poem and have the richest fluency not only in its words but in the silent lines of its lips and face and between the lashes of your eyes and in every motion and joint of your body. The effect that Whitman promises sounds to me like one of form being made transparent or translucent to creative truth. This passage from Whitmans Preface to Leaves of Grass serves as a reminder to me that there are many practices and attitudes which go into the work of inhabiting the liminal condition of Possibility in its truest mode, poetic inquiry is a way of life and not a casual experiment. The most amazing fruit of poetic inquiry comes from those who have committed to this kind of life, whether by means resembling Whitmans or by another route (like Dickinson or Rilke). We might call this living in the questions after a phrase from Rilkes advice to Hans Kappus, And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer (Letters to a Young Poet Letter 4). CONTEMPLATIVE READING IN READING THE SOUL OF POETRY Though poetic inquiry is at its best a way of life and not just a classroom practice, contemplative and intensive reading of a great poem like Whitmans can itself be a starting place, an entrance and an invitation, which, when openly and deeply received, can propel one to a life lived in the questionsor, at the very least, into a few moments of expanded perception. In Reading the Soul 33 of Poetry, we practiced this kind of reading during our Whitmans Gift experiment. I gave the students the following instructions: Set aside at least an hour to spend with the excerpt from Song of Myself in The Best Poems of the English Language. Within this time, practice any strategies of becoming receptive to the gift of the poem that you might know, or invent. All three of the essays that weve read (Hirschs, Emersons, and Hydes) provide suggestions about receiving the gift of poetry, and Whitmans own writing also provides suggestions. Feel free to use these as resources for developing a practice of receptivity. Write 1-2 pages about your work of becoming receptive to Song of Myselfs gift: tell us how you interacted with the poem, why you chose the process that you did; tell us about your attitudes, your expectations, your sense of the success of your practice. Be sure to note any interesting experiences that may have arisen through your engagement. The responses my students offered to this prompt thrilled me with their depth and sensitivity. Hannah Swysgood reported an experience that begins with vividly imagined intimacy and concludes with giddy pleasure and wonder: I sat Indian style on my bed with a blank pad of drawing paper and my poetry book opened up to the first page of Song of Myself. I began reading the poem to myself in whispers, articulating every word, drawing out the finals sounds, exaggerating the ps and ss. I imagined myself to be reading it to someone else in the room, sharing it with a person who I wished was with me at the time. By imagining this, the poem became much more intimate. By reading the poem I felt like it was mine to then give away, and by whispering it into the air, imagining that someone was there listening, that I became the giver of the gift. Another way I worked on receiving the poem was by sketching out images on my drawing pad of certain words and passages that I especially enjoyed. In section 32, there is a passage about a stallion, I ended up drawing a stallion reared up on his hind legs, and his body filled with the lines of the passage. My page eventually became filled with flames, graves, white roses sweet-scented, stiffened limbs outstretchedtouching, buzzards, dinosaur bones, masculine landscapes, soggy clods, and lovers and lamps. Lovers and lamps, I repeated this pair of words over and over. I laughed as I imagined having these words tattooed as images on my arm. I envisioned lovers embraced in a passionate kiss followed by a + then a solitary table lamp. Swysgoods spontaneous decision to receive the gift of the poem by reading it aloud to the imagined presence of an absent friend, and therein discovering that by whispering it into the air, imagining that someone was there listening I became the giver of the gift reflects her intuitive realization of a truth that the renown poetry scholar Helen Vendler articulates in the first pages of her helpful Poems Poets Poetry: An Introduction and Anthology: . . . a lyric is meant to be spoken by its reader as if the reader were the one uttering the words. A lyric poem is a script for performance by its reader. It is, then, the most intimate of genres, constructing a twinship between writer and reader. And it is the most universal of genres, because it presumes that reader resembles the writer enough to step into the writers shoes and speak the lines the writer has written as though they were the readers own (x xi) While Vendlers articulation of this truth is succinct and honest, I confess I am deeply happy that the format and contemplative exercises of Reading the Soul of Poetry allowed Swysgood and other students to come to this fundamental understanding independently and intuitively (in other words, self-reliantly) rather than having to learn it from an anthology, however wise. There is a sense of awed urgency and almost pained delight in Swysgoods report of her experience with taking on Whitmans poem as a script for her own intimate performance, a sense that Im confident she will remember and revisit because it was her own discovery. The courage to practice contemplative reading is a form of self-reliance that needs to be modeled, to be taught. So much that my students have encountered previously in their educational careers has convinced them that the reading of poetry is work thats exclusively analytical, something akin to the solving of a math problem. One of the students in Reading the Soul of Poetry, Sofia Oluwole, confronted and worked to overcome this previous training in her response to the Whitmans Gift prompt: After I finished the assignment [our essay which asked us to think-with a poem from the Bloom anthology rather than about it] I realized that I had not fully understood the goal of the assignment because this way of thinking was so strange to me. I dont think I understood how challenging it would be until I started. I realized that even though I thought I was reading the poem in the intended way, I didnt truly take the poem in small enough sips. Rather I attempted to make sense of the poem as I read along. When I was told to read A Song of Myself, a new poem, my decision was to start afresh with a new poem and this time try to accomplish what I could not with Apology for Bad Dreams [the poem by Robinson Jeffers that Oluwole had worked with for the thinking-with essay]. So I knew that I would not go around quoting lines from the poem or writing lines on a friends body [playful activities of reception that I had suggested]. My process of reception could occur through my thought. If I could really let go of my inhibitions, I knew that I would be able to receive Whitman gift. I was actually flipping through our text, and I happened to find a phrase. The phrase that was quoted by the books author was originally said by Samuel Johnson, the writer of the poem I chose to recite. The line was Imagination is always scheming to escape the pressures of reality. So my strategy was to focus on the lines that I did not immediately connect with. In doing so, I hoped to force myself to think outside my typical, everyday train of thought. When I first read through the poem, I noted the phrases that I spontaneously received. These were the lines, the sentences, and the words that made me wish I had Whitmans gift of eloquence. So I used the best instrument I could to fully accept the gift. My mind is the source of my thoughts. And my feelings, emotions, and reactions to the poem would be a reflection and a product of my thoughts. I read these lines over and over. Not out loud because I felt that my voice would influence my reception of the words. I also tried focusing on lines that did not immediately interest me because I did not immediately understand them. One of the lines was I, now thirty-seven years old in perfect health begin, hoping to cease not until death. So my first reaction was Begin what? What does he mean? So I read it again. And again. In my reformed, renewed, newly opened mind I thought that there was an intentional reason for not stating a specific task that he would begin. Maybe he is making reference to imaginations being in perfect health and our often unawareness of this. I guess the beauty lies in acknowledging that you may never fully be able to comprehend every line, but in just enjoying the words and letting them move you, at least in that time before you study organic chemistry and finish your history paper. My thinking-with instead of thinking-of required me to allow my imagination to escape the pressures of reality. The beauty comes in allowing myself to think outside of the normal constrains of scientific, analytical thinking. In reading with a truly open mind I realized that I making a conscious attempt to make sense of the poem was only inhibiting my complete creative process. I let Whitmans words take its natural course and this time I followed instead of trying to lead. Oluwole here grapples with her conditioned desire to analyze and make sense of the poem (i.e., to engage in the relatively shallow activity that Whitman, in the opening of Song of Myself teasingly calls get[ing] at the meaning of poems [Whitman 3]). Her decision to not read Whitmans lines aloud because I felt that my voice would influence my reception of the words could be read as a lingering hesitancy to engage in the invitation to twinship and identity which Whitmans lyric very explicitly offers (I celebrate myself, / And what I assume you shall assume, / For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to / you [1]). Indeed, Whitmans voice, performing as it does a kind of humorously swaggering self-reliance (I cock my hat as I please indoors or out. / Why should I pray? Why should I venerate and be ceremonious? / Having pried through the strata and analyzed to a / hair, and counseled with doctors and calculated / close, / I find no sweeter fat than sticks to my own bones [32-33]) is surely a difficult voice to assume identity with if one has any reservations about the value or necessity of self-trust. Yet though Oluwole, a chemistry major admittedly more comfortable with scientific, analytical thinking than poetic reception, decides not to embrace Whitmans text as a script for her own self (as Swysgood does) by reading it aloud and thus merging it with her own voice, her decision is not a simple refusal but rather an attempt to fully hear Whitman himself as he wishes to be heardnot as a riddler presenting a puzzle to be analyzed but as a democratic prophet spilling forth what he claims is the common air that bathes the globe. / This is the breath of laws and songs and behavior, / This is the tasteless water of souls this is the true sustenance (29). I was especially impressed by Oluwoles willingness to attend to lines that did not immediately interest me because I did not immediately understand them, a practice she continued throughout the semester and found fruitful. THINKING-WITH AS A MODE OF POETIC INQUIRY Contemplative modes of reading (like those I invited students to practice in our Whitmans Gift prompt) offer potential entrances into Possibility via the cultivation of primarily affective or imaginal relationships with poems. Thinking-with is a mode of reading that can also offer an entrance into Possibility: it consists in the intentional expansion of ones own thought on a given subject by closely attending to and moving forward with the images or new thought offered forth by a poem. Yet this type of reading is not a preparation for poetic inquiry (as contemplative reading may be) but is itself a mode of poetic inquiry which uses an already-existing poem as the grounds for questioning. The philosopher Martin Heidegger modeled this kind of reading in his late essays on poetry and language, perhaps most extensively in What Are Poets For? In What Are Poets For? Heidegger thinks-with the symbolic expressions of the poets Holderlin and Rilke by taking the poets terms as points of truth from which to launch a consideration which answers the titular question. This mode of reading arises from Heideggers perceptive insight that there are 39 elements of phenomenal reality which are not accessible to conventional, prosaic thought and language. We could say that this insight is a foundational realization of poetic inquiry in generalthe recognition that there are truths which need to be sought, experienced and expressed that evade literal expression. In his poem-essay The Thinker as Poet Heideggerwrites, Few are experienced enough in the difference between an object of scholarship and a matter thought. (5) In this stanza, it seems to me that Heidegger points to the difference between poetic inquiry and the kind of objectivist scholarship that Palmer laments as dominating our system of education. In poetic inquiry, everythingnature (Emersons favorite), human relationships, poems can be matter thought or starting points used for contemplative truth-seeking. Thinking-with is a mode of reading that approaches poems as matter thought, as living, dynamic subjects to be dialogically interacted with rather than as dead objects of scholarship: in other words, thinking-with does not seek to create knowledge about a poem but rather through it. Thinking-with is a valuable means of accepting or assimilating the fruits of poetic inquiry into our own perception. Like contemplative and intensive reading, thinking-with asks for a degree of surrender: one must surrender ones usual terms of thought to the symbolic thought of the poem in order to conduct this kind of reading. The kind of thought which results from experiments in thinking-with often must itself use poetic strategies in order to rise to the level asked for by the poem one is attending to. Heideggers prose could certainly be an example of this. It could also be argued that thinking-with is, in Emersonian terms, a form of creative reading. Emerson first mentions creative reading in The American Scholar in the section wherein he discusses the scholars relationship with books. There, he argues that most books are not rich enough substance to inspire the scholar / poetic inquirer, therefore one must be an inventor to read well: We all know, that, as the human body can be nourished on any food, though it were boiled grass and the broth of shoes, so the human mind can be fed by any knowledge. And great and heroic men have existed, who had almost no other information than by the printed page. I only would say, that it needs a strong head to bear that diet. One must be an inventor to read well. As the proverb says, He that would bring home the wealth of the Indies, must carry out the wealth of the Indies. There is then creative reading as well as creative writing. When the mind is braced by labor and invention, the page of whatever book we read becomes luminous with manifold allusion. Every sentence is doubly significant, and the sense of our author is as broad as the world. We then see, what is always true, that, as the seers hour of vision is short and rare among heavy days and months, so is its record, perchance, the least part of his volume. The discerning will read, in his Plato or Shakspeare, only that least part, - only the authentic utterances of the oracle; - all the rest he rejects, were it never so many times Platos and Shakspeares. (48) Thinking-with is a way of bracing the mind by labor and invention for when one thinks-with a poem one is only partially, but not entirely surrendering to the terms of the poem (one may seek to accomplish an entire surrender in contemplative reading). In thinking-with, one has a project of thought, a question that one brings to the poem. The question that one brings to the poem is the means by which one carr[ies] out the wealth of the Indies. I love Emersons claim that when one reads with such a project, the page of whatever book we read becomes luminous with manifold allusion. The sparkling luminosity of thinking-with comes from the active engagement of my thought as a reader with the thought of the poet as a writer. In the above passage, Emerson reflects on how creative reading can make it worthwhile to read even otherwise unstimulating books. I think that creative reading (i.e. thinking-with) can, however, most profitably be applied to books which one does find rich and stimulating. The literary theorist Mikhail Bakhtin, in his Problems of Dostoevskys Poetics, offers an account of the magic that occurs in the work of thinking-with, which, we might say, (to use Bakhtins terms) is a dialogic process because it puts our thought in dialogue with the thought of the poet. Bakhtin comments on Dostoevskys art: The idea begins to live, that is, to take shape, to develop, to find and renew its verbal expression, to give birth to new ideas, only when it enters into genuine dialogic relationships with other ideas, with the ideas of others. Human thought becomes genuine thought, that is, an idea, only under conditions of living contact with another and alien thought, a thought embodied in someone elses voice, that is, in someone elses consciousness expressed in discourse. At that point of contact between voice-consciousnesses the idea is born and lives. The idea, as it was seen by Dostoevsky the artistis not a subjective individual-psychological formation with permanent resident rights in a persons head; no, the idea is inter-individual and inter-subjectivethe realm of its existence is not individual consciousness but dialogic communion between consciousnesses. The idea is a live event, played out at the point of dialogic meeting between two or several consciousnesses. It is precisely as such a live event, playing itself out between consciousness-voices, that Dostoevsky saw and artistically represented the idea. It is this artistic discovery of the dialogic nature of the idea of consciousness, of every human life illuminated by consciousness (and therefore to some minimal degree concerned with ideas) that made Dostoevsky a great artist of the idea. (88) Bakhtin here describes the way that Dostoevsky represents and artistically dramatizes the dialogic nature of the idea by having multiple voice-consciousnesses interact in his novels, but it can readily be seen that the phenomenon which Bakhtin is describing is not limited to something that only happens within the novel itself, but is something which occurs in all kinds of communicative interchangesbetween author and reader, between two people speaking, etc. Bakhtins insight, then, that the idea is inter-individual and inter-subjectivethe realm of its existence is not individual consciousness but dialogic communion between consciousnesses expands for us Emersons claim from The American Scholar that by going down into the secrets of her own mind, the poetic inquirer can discover truths which are the secrets of all minds. Bakhtins description of the way the idea is a live event highlights the sense that whatever truth a poetic inquirer may discover, that truth is not a truth in isolation, but only comes alive as truth, as a new thought, when it becomes available to other minds for communion, recognition, elaboration. We might say that extra-rational poetic truth is truth by virtue of its inter-subjective, transpersonal communication and acceptance. The work of thinking-with is a mode of reading in which the poetic inquirer deliberately engages with the fruit of past poetic inquiries (i.e., poems) in order to find what secrets of all minds might be expressed there, and to bring them to life in dialogic communion in her own consciousness. THINKING-WITH IN READING THE SOUL OF POETRY As I mentioned previously, the question that Heidegger brings to Rilkes poem in What Are Poets For? is, of course, what are poets for? This question is one which for Heidegger is central to his project of thought about language and being in his later essays. In attempting to have my class do the work of thinking-with, I first assigned them to write an essay that thoughtwith any poem of their choice on any topic of their choice. The results were overwhelmingly disappointing and lacklusterprobably because I failed to initially explain well what the work of thinking-with entailed and also possibly because many of my students did not have an alreadystrongly articulated project of thought with which to engage their chosen poem. Also, many chose poems from our anthology to think-with which were the same that they chose for our memorization experiment, and thus the poems were chosen more for the pleasingness of their rhyme scheme than the depth of their new thought (even though I explicitly asked students to memorize poems which they felt embodied a new thoughtbut this request must have been overridden by their need to find something relatively easy to memorize). So disheartened was I by the results of our initial foray into thinking-with that I was ready to give up trying to 44 communicate how to do it to my students. Yet in our mid-term reflections I asked them what concepts we had worked with that they were interested in learning more about, and thinking-with came up again and again as a topic of interest. So later in the semester I determined that we should do something that I had feared to have the class doread Heideggers What are Poets For? and read Rilkes Duino Elegies. Its slightly insane to ask students in their first class on reading poetry to undertake reading Heidegger and Rilkes masterpieces, but one of my qualities as a teacher (perhaps both a strength and a weakness) is that I dont know how to teach an important concept except from the texts which originally taught it to me. When I tried to teach thinking-with without reference to Heidegger or Rilke, I failed in my own estimation. After my students requested that I teach them more about thinking-with, I determined that since I learned how to think-with poetry by reading Heideggers readings of Rilke and then by reading Rilke myself, in a manner which modeled on Heideggers practice but which elaborated to include my own pressing questions about life and the worldI would have to ask them to do the same. Since one must be an inventor to do the kind of creative reading that thinking-with entails, it is important that one have an already-articulated inquiry to bring to the poem that one readsand, if one hopes that inquiry to be maximally fruitful, I think its also important that the poem one chooses to engage with in this fashion is itself rich with new thought. After we had read and discussed What Are Poets For?, The Duino Elegies, and also Rilkes Letters to a Young Poet, I gave my students a prompt to get them to practice thinking-with which both gave them a defined project of thought (what are lovers for?) and also assigned them a work to think-with (The Duino Elegies). Noticing that Heidegger had brought a question to Rilke (what are poets for?) which both obsessed Heidegger and also clearly obsessed Rilke (i.e., Rilke spent his whole life passionately asking and answering the question in various ways), I thought that we might also have success by bringing a question to Rilke which would hopefully be an obsession for both us and for him. Upon re-reading Sonnets to Orpheus, Letters to a Young Poet, and The Duino Elegies, it occurred to me that another powerfully obsessing question for Rilke is What are lovers for? I thought that this question might have a wide appeal for my students, since what young person doesnt spend time wondering, delighting, and despairing about romantic love? I reproduce the prompt below: Read-Around Prompt: What are Lovers For? Consideration In his essay What Are Poets For? the philosopher Martin Heidegger thinks-with the poetry of Hlderlin and Rilke in order to offer an exploration of language, Being, will, and the situation of human existence. As he himself acknowledges within the essay, Heidegger hardly finished the job. Theres a lot more remaining to think-with in Rilkes Duino Elegies. Heidegger himself modestly shied away from working directly on the elegies and their sister works, The Sonnets to Orpheus: We are not only unprepared for an interpretation of the elegies and the sonnets, but also we have no right to it, because the realm in which the dialogue between poetry and thinking goes on can be discovered, reached, and explored in thought only slowly. Who today would presume to claim that he is at home with the nature of poetry as well as with the nature of thinking and, in addition, strong enough to bring the nature of the two into the most extreme discord and so to establish their concord? (96 Poetry Language Thought) For the purpose of this assignment, we are going to consider ourselves strong enough to think-with the elegies, building upon Heideggers work. Model your writing on Heideggers strategies of thinking-with. Pose the question What are lovers for? (Heidegger thought-with Rilkes poem As Nature gives the other creatures over in order to explore the question what are poets for? an exploration that ends up taking into consideration uniquely human modes of being and willingyour exploration could similarly end up taking into consideration issues that at first seem unconnected to lovers). Chose one of the elegies to focus upon. Zero in on a specific stanza. Choose words in that stanza that strike you as basic words which resonate throughout the elegies and whose truths, when elaborated, when thought-with, can help to answer your question. For example, you might choose to focus on the first stanza of the Third Elegy and to consider blood, and desire as the basic words whose meaning is key to thinking-with Rilke about your question. Then, referring to places elsewhere in the elegies (maybe the third stanza of the Second Elegy where he talks about bloodstream) or in Letters to a Young Poet, you would explain what specifically Rilke points to when he speaks of blood and desire, describing the resonances those terms have within other moments in the poetry. How do the terms operate in ways that differ from our usual, prosaic usages of those words? How does understanding Rilkes unique deployment of those words help us to understand exactly what is being said in your chosen passage? What possible answer do you discover to the question What are Lovers For? from your process of thinking-with? The benefit of thinking-with words used by a great poet in an extra-ordinary or enlarged sense is that our own thinking can thereby become extra-ordinary, taken out of its usual ruts or assumptions. Thinking-with Rilke, we might learn something totally new about What are lovers for? that we would not have guessed in a million years on our own. In this prompt, I asked students to do the work of thinking-with mainly by focusing in on certain words that Rilke uses in specific and potentially strange or illuminating ways and then dwelling upon those terms, explaining just how they go about opening new avenues of thought for the question at hand. This work is of course not simply taking Rilkes words out of context and riffing on them. It is itself an effective mode of poetic inquiry because it is deeply attending to the way in which the poet uses language as symbol or new thought in order to take us closer to a perception of the dynamic truth of weird-wonder which is our world, a wonder which is covered-over by our ordinary, conventional uses of language and conditioned habits of thought. Taking individual terms from the poem and dwelling upon them, elaborating them, works as a technique of thinking-with and opening out of conditioned ordinary thought, because it is a way of confronting and not shying away from or dismissing as simply fanciful the poets use of terms. Its work that involves a kind of patience and open-minded trust that the focused attention we give as readers will be rewarded with new insightsthat if we stick with the poets terms patiently, we will discover what the poet has discovered, we will allow the time that it takes for the new idea to come to live in communion with our own consciousness. Heidegger uses this same technique of thinking-with in What Are Poets For?, where the basic words from Rilkes poem that Heidegger takes up are Nature, Open, and venture. Heidegger has a distinct advantage over my students and myself in reading Rilke in that he not only natively reads, writes, and speaks German but also has an amazing command of German and Greek philology. Thus Heidegger is able to enter a level of sophistication in thinking-with Rilkes terms that is inaccessible to my students and myself. Nonetheless, I think the strange brilliance of Rilkes deployment of language (like that in the fruit of all great poetic inquiries) doesnt require a deep knowledge of philology in order to be thought-with. I think that just paying attention to the way in which Rilkes usage alters and expands the meaning of ordinary terms under the pressure of his truth-seeking poetic strategies is an entrance into allowing his use of those terms to expand our own thought. With this assumption in place, I asked my students to think-with Rilkes terms in order to move towards answering What are lovers for? The results of this assignment were much more successful than the results of the first thinking-with assignment, I think in part because we read Heidegger showing how sustained attention to Rilkes use of language could be rewarding and expanding for an important project of thought. My students offered responses to the prompt in which I felt I could see them enlarging their perception with the help of Rilkes terms. A student named Andrew Thomas produced a response to the prompt which I felt was especially far-reaching: What Are Lovers For? "Look, sometimes I find that my hands have become aware of each other, or that my time-worn face shelters itself inside them. That gives me a slight sensation. But who would dare to exist, just for that?" Is it then enough for lovers to exist for this slight sensation described in Rilke's Second Elegy? Is the feeling of shelter the time- worn face feels from the aware hands the feeling of love lovers inevitably feel for each other? Or perhaps it is the awareness the hands feel, aware of each other, aware of the face they guard, and seemingly implied, aware of nothing else, that is equated to the love of lovers. Lovers are aware of each other like no one else is aware. If no mortal is aware even of his own mortality, how is it that lovers can be aware of each other, an awareness that is indeed, love? I suppose the sensation of finding the hands aware of each other is equated to that of the time-worn face being sheltered by these hands. Yet the hands are still not considered SELF-aware, still, just aware of the other. Then perhaps the purpose of love is indeed this sense of awareness, which is love, that goes beyond even our awareness of ourselves. An infinite passion and intimacy, an awareness, that reaches beyond even what we are capable of understanding in our own souls. "...you who may disappear because the other has wholly emerged: I am asking _you_ about us." Love is a curious thing in which, as it snakes its roots into the soul of the affected, the lover and the loved, our self-awareness dissipates. It does not disappear, but it evaporates into the recesses of the soul, still and eternally present, but nearly forgotten, unnoticed, as a patch of helium in a room immediately following the balloon is popped. 50 The vines of love work their way into our very being, pumping us with the awareness of our lover and as we pursue them, we become lost; we are consumed with only their existence, their love for us, and our love for them and only then may we "disappear because the other has wholly emerged." The lover has forgotten all but his beloved, the beloved is wholly emerged as the lover's purpose for being. We exist only for our beloved. "lovers, _are_ you the same? When you lift yourselves up to each other's mouth and your lips join, drink against drink: oh how strangely each drinker seeps away from his action." What is the action each drinker seeps away from? The act of becoming aware? Of loving? Or simply of drinking? If becoming aware of our beloved is to the detriment of self-awareness then in this moment of intimacy, this act of union, we seep away from the awareness of ourselves. So do we seep away from the drink as the lover disappears during the emergence of the beloved, because in that moment, there is no lover and no beloved. There is no drink. Only the sensation. Only love. The awareness itself has become all that is, and in each lover's disappearance in favor of the emergence of the other, nothing remains but one love. One awareness. Lovers then, are not about a mere companionship to challenge life together, but lovers are the union of two souls into one, the forgetting of oneself and the awareness only of the beloved, each gravitating against the other in mutual orbit, unable to slow or part, leaving only revolutions of existence within each other. Thomas response to this prompt looks to me like an example of thinking-with as poetic inquiry because he both demonstrates a condition of open-minded Possibility occasioned by the prompt and perhaps by his own genuine curiosity and willingness to learn, and also explaining what he discovers in Rilke by using poetic strategies of his own. Also, Thomas inventively reads metaphor or symbol in Rilkes poem to serve the purpose of his inquiry, just as a poetic inquirer using the natural world as a starting place of contemplation might inventively read metaphor or symbol into the workings of nature (something which Whitman, Emerson, and Dickinson loved to do). The terms of Rilkes that I see Thomas most prominently thinking-with are awareness and sensation. The passage that Thomas begins with, from Rilkes second elegy, Look, sometimes I find that my hands have become aware / of each other, or that my time-worn face / shelters itself inside them. That gives me a slight / sensation. But who would dare to exist, just for that? is one where Rilke makes an observation about the ability of the body to sense itself (or, we might even say, of the self to perceive its own existence) and then raises a question about the sufficiency of this awareness. We might think that Thomas first move somewhat boldhe, without explanation or justification, ascribes the slight sensation that Rilke talks about as a consequence of one hand touching another or touching the face to the feeling of lovers aware of one another. I myself would be inclined to read the same passage that Thomas cites as a place where Rilke is wondering about the sufficiency of the selfs awareness of itself and beginning to long for the presence of another, not as a place where Rilke is offering a metaphor about the experience of lovers touching. Yet in Thomas inventive reading, he takes the hands and face which are aware of one another and the slight sensation that they generate when touching as metaphors for the encounter of loverseach hand is a lover, the face is a lover (Is the feeling of shelter the time-worn face feels from the aware hands the feeling of love lovers inevitably feel for each other? Or perhaps is it the awareness the hands feel, aware of each other, aware of the face they guard, and seemingly implied, aware of nothing else, that is equated to the love of lovers?) This circuit of thought about the awareness of hands-and-face as metaphors for the awareness of lovers leads Thomas to an observation that deepens my own reading of Rilke: Yet the hands are still not considered SELF-aware still, just aware of the other. I think this observation has a worthwhile point: the hands in the passage are feeling one another or feeling the faceRilke doesnt dwell on the awareness of each hand of its own awareness, but on the awareness of each hand of the other hand and of the face. This observation on Thomas part detracts from the strength of my initial reading of the passage and lends strength to Thomas interpretation of it as a metaphor about lovers awareness of one another. The observation then occasions an opportunity for Thomas to venture an answer to our question, what are lovers for?: Then perhaps the purpose of love is indeed this sense of awareness, which is love, that goes beyond even our awareness of ourselves. An infinite passion and intimacy, an awareness that reaches beyond even what we are capable of understanding in our own souls. This insight strikes me as an instance of enlarged imagination: Thomas begins to ponder love as a mode of perception which is so absorbing that it annihilates self-awareness. It also strikes me as a thought that Thomas perhaps would not have arrived upon if not for the benefit of his pondering Rilkes passage and Rilkes use of the terms awareness and sensation. The next passage Thomas uses to think-with is also from the second elegy, where Rilke is indeed explicitly describing lovers. Rilke offers another observation and question: you who may disappear before the other has wholly / emerged: I am asking you about us. Now I see Thomas thinking-with moving to another level, as he elaborates upon Rilkes thoughts about love using metaphors of his own invention. As Thomas thinks-with Rilke, love becomes a curious thing which snakes its root into the lover and the loved causing self-awareness to dissipate like a patch of helium in a room immediately following the balloon is popped. Thomas thus uses poetic strategies to deepen ours and his own participation in Rilkes radical thought about love. His image of self-awareness dissipating in love like helium out of a popped balloon is quite arresting and does the work of expanding for me my own understanding of the way love affects the awareness of the lover. In other words, I experience Thomas use of metaphor as communicating to me a new thought, not by means of rational argument but by the extra-rational means of poetic strategy which evoke in me a sense of recognition or intuition of the truth his metaphor points to. With precision, Thomas metaphor enhances my experience of the notion of dissipationmaking it concrete and vivid. The suddenness of the helium balloon popping, the magical lightness of helium, the way in which helium balloons are associated with festive celebrations, the thinness of the balloons skinall of these associations and connotations add to my comprehension and recognition of Thomas sense here. Finally, Thomas approaches another passage from the same elegy: lovers, are you the same? When you lift yourselves up to each other's mouth and your lips join, drink against drink: oh how strangely each drinker seeps away from his action. In his thinking-with this passage, Thomas focuses upon Rilkes strange symbolic uses of the words drink and action and entwines them with his previous thought about Rilkes consideration of awareness: What is the action each drinker seeps away from? The act of becoming aware? Of loving? Or simply of drinking? If becoming aware of our beloved is to the detriment of self-awareness then in this moment of intimacy, this act of union, we seep away from the awareness of ourselves. Here, we see Thomas wrestling to understand Rilkes difficult sense of action in the passage by putting it into the context of what he has already learned about lovers awareness. Thomas raises the possibility that the action described is the act of becoming aware of loving and of drinkingwithout deciding that the action is definitely any one of these things or definitely not any one of these things, he goes on to offer that the action described is an act of union in which we seep away from the awareness of ourselves. From Thomas discussion we gain the sense that the action in Rilkes passage is simultaneously one of becoming aware, of loving, of drinking, of union. Thomas thus deals adroitly with the radical un-decidability and unfinilizability of the lovers action, an ambiguity whose fullness, drawn out for us by Thomas thinking-with, communicates a poetic truth about the nature of love. Thomas concludes his thinking-with Rilke by offering another startling metaphor of his own: Lovers then, are not about a mere companionship to challenge life together, but lovers are the union of two souls into one, the forgetting of oneself and the awareness only of the beloved, each gravitating against the other in mutual orbit, unable to slow or part, leaving only revolutions of existence within each other. The metaphor that Thomas offers, of lovers as celestial bodies locked in mutual orbit is of course not an original one, but it is one made fresh by its appearance within the context of Thomas foregoing reading of Rilke and his preceding tropes: lovers as hands touching one another, love as a snaking root, self-awareness as dissipating helium from a balloon, the action of love as drinking, becoming aware, uniting. Its also beautifully expressed; lovers as celestial bodies leave only revolutions of existence within each otherthats what theyre for. THE SECOND MOVEMENT OF POETIC INQUIRY: POETIC STRATEGIES, OFFENSES AND DREAMS The venerable literary critic Hazard Adams names four properties of poetry which he calls its offenses: gesture, drama, fiction, and trope. These provide a useful means for thinking about just what is entailed in the second movement of poetic inquiry, the creative expression of truth. By gesture Adams refers to the ability for words in poetry to have what we have just referred to as a quality of opacity: they can remain, in a sense, mute, yet capable of releasing what Keats called a momentous depth of speculation (112) 4. By drama he means the necessarily present Adams develops his definition of gesture from R.P. Blackmur. In order to understand more what Adams means by gesture its helpful to look at the quote he offers from R.P. Blackmurs essay, Language as Gesture and his commentary thereon: A few pages later, Blackmur writes: Gesture, in language, is the outward and dramatic play of inward and imagined meaning. It is the play of meaningfulness among words which cannot be defined in their use together; gesture is that meaningfulness which is moving in every sense of that word; what moves the words and what moves us (6). Blackmurs meaningfulness appears to be an effort to avoid the straightforward meaning, severely limited in denotation by logical positivists. At the same time, it is an effort to rescue for gesture some of the authority of meaning. Meaningfulness is exactly that quality of language given short shrift by the positivists. It is as if Blackmur is emphasizing fullness, a burgeoning beyond capturable meaning: surplus in later critical jargon (Adams 99-100). 56 fiction of a speaker or poetic persona (115). Fiction indicates that which feigns truth (or, as we would have it, veracity) (137). Trope includes primarily metaphor, but also metonymy, synechdoche, and irony (144). These properties are offensive because each stands antithetical to and confounds a binary opposition that the culture identifies with logicality and common sense (261). Adams acknowledges that The four offenses are potential in all use of language, but poems think in them, while other uses claim to communicate with them (157). 5 I offer that poetry (i.e., the fruit of poetic inquiry) thinks in gesture, drama, fiction and trope because these are the sly means by which the ever-evasive truth-as-unveiling may be approached. On reflection, we may notice that these properties are also the strategies of dreams. I would posit that poetry is offensive because it speaks in the language of dreams. In other words, poetry offends the common-sense rational mind because it bypasses or exceeds that mind and speaks directly to the extra-rational psyche 6 instead, in the psyches own language. Indeed, one way of understanding poetic inquiry to acknowledge that its simply the work of participating consciously and deliberately in the same labor that occurs each night as we dream. As we sleep we are automatically brought to the surrendered, vulnerable, liminal condition of Possibility. And we might venture to say that the stuff which arises in dreams (alternate worlds, dramas, symbols, verbal and visual rhymes, puns, motifs and themes, ironies, archetypes and epic conflicts, magnifications and heightenings, identifications with characters and personas far different from that of our own ordinary waking self) are both answers to the Psyche, of course, is one of the Greek words for soul. Please see my discussion of soul later in this dissertation. 57 questions that the psyche is silently (sleepingly) asking itself (i.e., What is true?) and also the posers of further questions. Emerson gives emphatic recognition to the relationship between the conscious work of the poetic inquirer and the unconscious creation of dreams in a passage near the end of The Poet where he abruptly stops speaking about the ideal, already-achieved poetic inquirer and instead addresses himself directly to the one who is-not-yet but would-be: Doubt not, O poet, but persist! Say It is in me, and shall out. Stand there, balked and dumb, stuttering and stammering, hissed and hooted, stand and strive, until at last rage draw out of thee that dream-power which every night shows thee is thine own; a power transcending all limit and privacy, and by virtue of which a man is the conductor of the whole river of electricity. Nothing walks, or creeps, or grows, or exists, which must not in turn arise and walk before him as an exponent of his meaning. Comes he to that power, his genius is no longer exhaustible. All the creatures by pairs and by tribes pour into his mind as into a Noahs ark, to come forth again to people a new world. This is like the stock of air for our respiration or for the combustion of our fireplace; not a measure of gallons, but the entire atmosphere if wanted. And therefore the rich poets, as Homer, Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Raphael, have obviously no limits to their works except the limits of their lifetime, and resemble a mirror carried through the street, ready to render an image of every created thing. (305-306) One reason I am given to believe that the work of poetic inquiry is available to and important for everyone to do (not just for monumental genius-types like Shakespeare) is that we all possess that dream-power. There is something within every person that creates the most incredible poemsevery night, effortlessly, while we sleep. This simple fact should not be under-valued or dismissed. Poetic inquiry is something that is happening within our lives whether we will it or not, whether we attend to it or not. I am given to think that we enrich our experience when we choose to participate deliberately and consciously in this same process of shifting perspective and symbolizing truth which is intrinsic and necessary to our being to the point that we are so constituted that it must happen automatically in us every night. In her response to the first prompt of the semester (which I quoted from earlier), Molly Burkett narrated what was for her a significant experience of poetic-inquiry-in-dreaming: A specific intense encounter with poetics that stands out to me is a dream itself. After I fell asleep and ventured through countless places forgotten by morning, an adventure that stuck with me was found in a forest. I walked among trees and saw a house, made up of tiny saplings all growing in symbiosis with each other to form the shape of a foundation, four walls, doorways, and windows. I entered; it was of vintage dcor, filled with tiny trinkets found on the shelves of second hand stores, memories of grandmothers I never had. The scent of age filled me up like the bottles of Speedball printing ink found on the back shelves, a sour tinge, the pigments of color separated from the oil of the emulsion. There were cameras with flashbulbs and I picked one up, took a picture and when the whiteness cleared, in front of me stood a woman. She also held a camera and took a picture of me. I went outside the house when she disappeared after the final flash. There was a mermaid spewing kind remarks from a kiddie pool and a whale in a pond. Two horses with boards in place of their heads galloped in fear from an alligator made up of bushes. The only noises heard were when the hooves of the pair crashed against the leaves of the gator, rustling his would be scales and chasing him into the woods. This dream has stuck with me in a way that none other up until this date has. I feel a connection to every creature I encountered and feel proud of their beautiful creation. I made them up, they came from me, and so I hold their beauty in high esteem. My soul was enlightened to my new aesthetics and I began to view nature as an entity in unison rather than separate beings. I am a photographer and image is key to capturing light and perfection in a frame. I felt that this dream accessed my soul because it was a projection of me. I was the woman with the camera, beautiful and wise, also the mermaid, voluptuous and positive, and the horses, defensive and unafraid. After this dream, my ideas about myself shifted and my soul felt content with the person I had become. I feel wonderfully vintage and real, grounded. In Burketts narrative, its easy to see the soul posing questions to itself and answering these questions in a dream with images, symbols, story. We might guess that the questions the soul posed to itself were ones regarding identity and artistic vocation: Who am I? What is it given to me to do? What is it to be a woman and an artist? The dream gives answers: a house, made up of tiny saplings all growing in symbiosis with each other which is filled with tiny trinkets memories of grandmothers I never had where the dreamer finds cameras; upon taking a picture and the flash receding, she is met by a woman who then in turn photographs her; a series of encounters with mermaids, horses, alligators which results in a pervasive sense of connection. The answers given by the dream must also pose further questionsfor example what does the house made up of tiny saplings all growing in symbioisis with each other signify? I find it fascinating that Burkett reports that the dream brought her to an aesthetic perception in which she began to view nature as an entity in unison rather than separate beings since this is the very insight which Emerson claims as the foundation for imagination and symbolic expression. It would seem that in some sense, Burketts dream initiated her as an artist into the conscious process of poetic inquiry. WHY POETIC STRATEGIES ARE NECESSARY TO THE SECOND MOVEMENT OF POETIC INQUIRY I find it useful to think as Adams four offenses of poetry (gesture, drama, fiction, trope) as strategies of the second step of poetic inquiry (the articulation of truth-as-unveiling in response to the question what is the deep truth?). It will be readily seen that these strategies are not fully discrete or ultimately separable from one another. For example, drama is the fiction of a speaker, trope is itself a gesture or a turning. As I will show, in Reading the Soul of Poetry I invited my students to practice these strategies through diverse means. In many cases my students practice consisted in what Adams calls rhetorical or external use (142). In other words, some students deployed gesture, drama, fiction and trope in their assignments but the end result was not what I would call the fruit of poetic inquiry because these students used the strategies in a way that declined to speak to the question of deep truth. This missing the mark, however, was not disappointing to me as a teacher because the deep truth is something so elusive. Though I could not coax all my students into approaching it or articulating it, I could at least alert them to potential means of doing so. Does one have to use poetic strategy (trope, gesture, fiction and drama see the following discussion of these in the next section) in order to communicate what one discovers while dwelling in Possibility? Nomany things might be discovered while dwelling in 61 Possibility, depending on what kind of question one has posed and what kind of things ones mind pulls into its orbit. For example, one might discover the structure of an atom or the solution to a mathematical equation while dwelling in Possibility. The solution to a mathematical equation, though, is something whose validity could be subsequently communicated to others using rational proof. Alternatively, while dwelling in Possibility one might discover truths that one feels no desire to share with others. In this case, no use of poetic strategy would be necessary. What distinguishes poetic inquiry from simply shifting into Possibility and asking questions and receiving intuitive answers (which we might call, simply, inquiry) is that poetic inquiry attempts to articulate (either to oneself or to others) the truth that is intuitively received in such a way that the validity of those truths are made available for the audience to perceive them experientially without the benefit of rational proof. Often the truths discovered by poetic inquiry are rooted in subjective experience and intuition rather than in objective observation, and they cannot be communicated via rational proof. In order to be recognized as true by others they need to be expressed in such a way that they stimulate a similar lived experience of truth in the reader as they did in the writer. Poetic strategies are the means by which lived experience (i.e., existential or intuited truth) may be communicated. The poet Robert Frost, in an essay titled The Figure a Poem Makes eloquently described this function of poetic communication: It should be of the pleasure of a poem itself to tell how it can. The figure a poem makes. It begins in delight and ends in wisdom. The figure is the same as for love. No one can really hold that the ecstasy should be static and stand still in one place. It begins in delight, it inclines to the impulse, it assumes direction with the first line laid down, it 62 runs a course of lucky events, and ends in a clarification of life-not necessarily a great clarification, such as sects and cults are founded on, but in a momentary stay against confusion. It has denouement. It has an outcome that though unforeseen was predestined from the first image of the original mood-and indeed from the very mood. It is but a trick poem and no poem at all if the best of it was thought of first and saved for the last. It finds its own name as it goes and discovers the best waiting for it in some final phrase at once wise and sad-the happy-sad blend of the drinking song. No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise for the writer, no surprise for the reader. For me the initial delight is in the surprise of remembering something I didn't know I knew. I am in a place, in a situation, as if I had materialized from cloud or risen out of the ground. There is a glad recognition of the long lost and the rest follows. Step by step the wonder of unexpected supply keeps growing. The impressions most useful to my purpose seem always those I was unaware of and so made no note of at the time when taken, and the conclusion is come to that like giants we are always hurling experience ahead of us to pave the future with against the day when we may want to strike a line of purpose across it for somewhere. The line will have the more charm for not being mechanically straight. We enjoy the straight crookedness of a good walking stick. Modern instruments of precision are being used to make things crooked as if by eye and hand in the old days. I tell how there may be a better wildness of logic than of inconsequence. But the logic is backward, in retrospect, after the act. It must be more felt than seen ahead like prophecy. It must be a revelation, or a series of revelations, as much for the poet as for the reader. For it to be that there must have been the greatest freedom of the material to 63 move about in it and to establish relations in it regardless of time and space, previous relation, and everything but affinity. The figure is the same as for love. Like a piece of ice on a hot stove the poem must ride on its own melting. A poem may be worked over once it is in being, but may not be worried into being. Its most precious quality will remain its having run itself and carried away the poet with it. Read it a hundred times: it will forever keep its freshness as a petal keeps its fragrance. It can never lose its sense of a meaning that once unfolded by surprise as it went. (440-441) Frosts description of how a poem should come into being emphasizes the poem as both something which comes to the writer as an intuition out of the unknown, an event, an experience in itself (It finds its own name as it goes) and also as a medium which, when successful, creates an identity of feeling and experience between writer and reader (No tears for the writer, no tears for the reader). Frosts memorable analogy of how a poem can come into being and be experienced by both writer and reader as lived revelation is one of dissolution, disappearance, and transformation of a substance from one state to another: Like a piece of ice on a hot stove the poem must ride its own melting. The communication not just of abstract information but of vivid experience is the special quality of poetic strategy, and the quality which make poetic strategies the most worthwhile medium for relating extra-rational truth. HEIDEGGER AND THE SIGNIFICANCE OF POETIC INQUIRY Since weve discussed the way in which Heideggerian thinking-with can be performed as a mode of poetic inquiry, we might now pause to consider the way in which Heideggers larger thought about the nature of poetry, language, will and technology frames the importance of poetic inquiry as a mode of generating and sharing knowledge. Heideggers thought about poetry is similar to Emersons in that Heidegger also considered the genre of writing which conventionally goes by the name poetry to be but one possible (though significant and valuable) expression of poetry proper, which is actually a way of being in the world and a mode of bringing forth truth. Like Emerson, Heidegger also considered poetry and the poetic to be central to life and vigorously rejected the notion that poetry might be a merely aesthetic pastime. In the introduction to one of his essays, he eloquently lamented the contemporary state of the consideration of poetry as he considered the possible truth of the poet Holderlins claim that poetically man dwells: But when there is still room left in todays dwelling for the poetic, and time is still set aside, what comes to pass is at best a preoccupation with aestheticizing, whether in writing or on the air. Poetry is either rejected as a frivolous mooning and vaporizing into the unknown, and a flight into dreamland, or is counted as a part of literature. And the validity of literature is assessed by the latest prevailing standard. The prevailing standard, in turn, is made and controlled by the organs for making public civilized opinions. One of its functionariesat once driver and 65 driven- is the literature industry. In such a setting poetry cannot appear otherwise than as literature. Where it is studied entirely in educational and scientific terms, it is the object of literary history. Western poetry goes under the general heading of European literature. (211-212 Poetry Language Thought). This lament, with its radically high regard for poetry and its sense that poetry is not just literature is a useful place to begin our exploration of Heideggers thought. If poetry is not literature, and if it is not properly the object of literary historythen what is it? Heidegger ventures to answer this question throughout his late essays on language and poetry. Yet these late essays are somewhat difficult to discuss due to the fact that they themselves are written in very dense, poetic language. This density and refusal to resort to conventional terms to describe poetry and reality is part of what makes Heidegger such a brilliant philosopher of poetry. In order to understand Heideggers writing about poetry, its first important to note that for the ancient Greeks and for Heidegger, poeesis is something that includes both physis, or the bringing-forth of something directly out of itself (as in the emergence of a leaf from a stalk or the birth of a baby from a mother), and also techn, the work of bringing something forth through the use of an external medium (10 The Question ). Written verse is usually thought to be the product of poesis as techn. That this view is widely popular is evident in the large-scale presence of creative writing workshops at contemporary colleges and universities, wherein the composing of poetry is addressed primarily as a craft to be improved through practice and critique. Very significantly for our consideration of the importance of poetic inquiry, in reading the late essays we discern that in Heideggers opinion, a real poet is one who brings forth poems through a process which much more closely resembles physis rather than techn. More accurately, we could say that for Heidegger, a real poet is one who brings forth poems through a use of techn which is so surrendered and so exquisite that through the techn poetry emerges as physis. This means that in Heideggers estimation some written verse, particularly the work of very great poets, is the result of a kind of sophisticated physis-through-techn rather than ordinary techn and so can be regarded as itself a resource of insight about the nature of Being. In other words, it is because Heidegger regards the work of Holderlin, Rilke, and Trakl as works of physis-through-techn that he uses them as the starting places for his thinking-with about the nature of language. Heidegger considers the works of these poets to be spoken purely (Language 192), to have emerged directly from Being. Heidegger never explicitly stated the distinction between techn poetry and physis-through-techn poetry in these terms, yet its evidenced and hinted toward throughout the late work. Instead, he somewhat clumsily spoke of inauthentic versus authentic poetry in Poetically Man Dwells and refers to physisthrough-techn poetry as what is spoken purely. The lack of an explicit statement of the difference between techn poetry and physis-through-techn poetry in the late essays is attributable to the fact that in these essays, Heidegger was actively thinking through the qualities of poetry and language which led him to intuit such a difference. In other words, he was thinking through and explaining the difference without precisely naming it because he was just discovering it. We as readers have the benefit of being able to see that the difference between techn and physis-through-techn elegantly marks the boundary that Heidegger struggled to articulate. In Heideggers late essays, the distinction between writing which emerges as techn and writing which emerges as physis-through-techn is a matter of the quality of will possessed by the poet. Its a matter of the poet declining to exercise self-assertive will (i.e., the poet declines to treat both the world and also language as objects to be used and manipulated) and instead choosing to be willing (i.e. the poet surrenders herself and her faculties to the service of something larger than her individual will, to Being itself). Indeed, for Heidegger, physis-throughtechn poetry is a unique source of insight about the nature of Being since it is specifically the physis of language, and in his understanding Language is the precinct (templum), that is, the house of Being (What Are Poets For? 129). We can readily see that Heideggers depiction of great poetry as emerging through a physis process accords with Emersons observation that it is not metres, but a metre-making argument that makes a poema thought so passionate and alive that like the spirit of a plant or an animal it has an architecture of its own, and adorns nature with a new thing. It also accords with Emersons parable about poems- as-the-spores-of-genius from The Poet: Genius is the activity which repairs the decay of things, whether wholly or partly of a material and finite kind. Nature, through all her kingdoms, insures herself. Nobody cares for planting the poor fungus; so she shakes down from the gills of one agaric countless spores, any one of which, being preserved, transmits new billions of spores to-morrow or next day. The new agaric of this hour has a chance which the old one had not. This atom of seed is thrown into a new place, not subject to the accidents which destroyed its parent two rods off. She makes a man; and having brought him to ripe age, she will no longer run the risk of losing this wonder at a blow, but she detaches from him a new self, that the kind may be safe from accidents to which the individual is exposed. So when the soul of the poet has come to ripeness of thought, she detaches and sends away from it its poems or songsa fearless, sleepless, deathless progeny, which is not exposed to accidents of the weary kingdom of time; a fearless, vivacious offspring, clad with wings (such was the virtue of the soul out of which they came) which carry them fast and far, and infix them irrevocably into the hearts of men. These wings are the beauty of the poets soul. The songs, thus flying immortal from their mortal parent, are pursued by clamorous flights of censures, which swarm in far greater numbers and threaten to devour them; but these last are not winged. At the end of a very short leap they fall plump down and rot, having received from the souls out of which they came no beautiful wings. But the melodies of the poet ascend and leap and pierce into the deeps of infinite time. (297) In the above parable, the poet is receptive ground fertilized by spores of genius who ripen him and then cause him to cast off winged spores or seeds in the form of poems and songs. Thus, the poems emerge from the poet through a process of physis. The role of the poet is decidedly a feminine one of surrendered willingness the labor of the poet is to receive, to ripen, and to give forth. What Are Poets For? is an essay that thinks-with Rilkes physis-through-techn poetry in order to imagine what this kind of surrendered willingness is like, how it serves the work of poetry, and how it serves the quality of our Being. Theres a very important and under-discussed moment in What Are Poets For? where Heidegger, who in his masterwork, Being and Time, had previously defined the fundamental experience of human beingness (or Dasein) as care, anxiety and worry (or Sorge), discovers through his reading of Rilkes poem that there is a mode of beingness available to humans which refuses to objectify the world through willful selfassertion and which through this refusal to objectify or calculate stunningly becomes care free, sine cura. This is the mode of being occupied by the more venturesome or the more daringby true poets (137 Poetry Language Thought). Poets are the more venturesome, the more daring because they are willing to risk being without the illusion of control brought by objectification and willful self-assertion. Heidegger writes: The daring that is more venturesome, willing more strongly than any self-assertion, because it is willing, creates a secureness for us in the Open. To create means to fetch from the source. And to fetch from the source means to take up what springs forth and to bring what has been so received. The more venturesome daring of the willing exercise of the will manufactures nothing. It receives, and gives what it has received. The more venturesome daring accomplishes, but it does not produce. Only a daring that becomes more daring by being willing can accomplish in receiving. (118 Poetry Language Thought) Heideggers emphasis on physis-through-techn poetry as something which is not manufactured or produced but rather created, and his definition of creation as to take up what springs forth and to bring what has been so received matches Lewis Hydes compelling discussion of poetic creativity as something which is best understood in terms of gift economics. It also harmonizes with Emersons discussion of the poet as one who receptively discerns the essences of all things and makes those essences manifest to others through language, by sharing the path or circuit of things through forms, and so making them translucid to others (298). Emerson wrote that the poet overhears and endeavors to write down the notes of the essential spiritual melodies which play through all things (298). Heidegger begins to very movingly discuss the function of poetry-as-physis-through-techn versus poetry-as-techn towards the conclusion of What Are Poets For?: When, in relation to beings in terms of representation and production, we relate ourselves at the same time by making propositional assertions, such a saying is not what is willed. Asserting remains a way and a means. [This is poetry-as-techn and also all use of language which is merely techn, including philosophy.] By contrast, there is a saying that really engages in saying, yet without reflecting upon language, which would make even language into one more object [this is poetry-as-physis-through-techn]. To be involved in saying is the mark of a saying that follows something to be said, solely in order to say it. What is to be said would then be what by nature belongs to the province of language. And that, thought metaphysically, is particular beings as a whole. Their wholeness is the intactness of the pure draft, the sound wholeness of the Open, in that it makes room within itself for man. This happens in the worlds inner space. That space touches man when, in the inner recalling of conversion, he turns toward the space of the heart. The more venturesome ones turn the unwholesomeness of unshieldedness into the soundness of worldly existence. This is what is to be said. In the saying it turns itself toward man. The more venturesome are they who say in a greater degree, in the manner of the singer. Their singing is turned away from all purposeful self-assertion. It is not a willing in the sense of desire. Their song does not solicit anything to be produced. In the song, the worlds inner space concedes space within itself. The song of these singers is neither solicitation nor trade. (135 Poetry Language Thought) Heideggers insight that the song of venturesome poets is turned away from all purposeful selfassertion and does not solicit anything to be produced means that such singing is distinguished from all deployments of language which seek to use it instrumentally, towards a purposeful end. Instead, the song simply emerges when the poet turns toward and is touched by the space of the heart. Later in the essay, he turns to lines from Holderlin (To sing in truth is another breath. / A breath for nothing. An afflatus in the god. A wind. [136 Poetry Language Thought]) in order to consider the way this non-solicitous singing relates to the notion of breath present in Holderlin. This discussion of breath has meaningful resonances with the language that Emerson uses to discuss the movement of the Over-Soul through humans, which we will soon reexamine. Heidegger writes: The breath by which the more venturesome are more daring does not mean only or first of all the barely noticeable, because evanescent, measure of a difference; rather, it means directly the word and the nature of language. Those who are more daring by a breath [i.e., poets] dare the venture with language. They are the sayers who more sayingly say. For this one breath by which they are more daring is not just a saying of any sort; rather, this one breath is another breath, a saying other than the rest of human saying. The other breath is no longer solicitous for this or that objective thing; it is a a breath for nothing. The singers saying says the sound whole of worldly existence, which invisibly offers its space within the worlds inner space of the heart. The song does not even first follow what is to be said. The song is belonging to the whole of the pure draft. Singing is drawn by the draft of the wind of the unheard-of center full of Nature. The song itself is a wind. (137 Poetry Language Thought) Here, Heidegger considers the breath which moves through the poet as a breath for nothinga surrendered breath, so surrendered that it is actually a wind. This description reminds us of Emersons claim in The Over-Soul that What we commonly call man, the eating, drinking, planting, counting man, does not as we know him, represent himself, but misrepresents himself. Him we do not respect, but the soul, whose organ he is, would he let it appear through his action, would make our knees bend. When it breathes through his intellect, it is genius; when it breathes through his will, it is virtue; when it flows through his affection, it is love. And the blindness of the intellect begins when it would be something of itself. The weakness of the will begins when the individual would be something of himself. All reform aims in some one particular to let the soul have its way through us; in other words, to engage us to obey. (238) For both Heidegger and for Emerson, the most astounding results of human creativity come when the individual allows something greater to breathe through her. Emerson calls this greater breath or creative force the soul while Heidegger refers to it as the will as which Being wills beings (138 Poetry Language Thought). It is easy to see, also, that the willingness to enter a state of surrendered receptivity which for Heidegger is the province of the more venturesome poets is identical with the willingness to enter a risky, liminal condition of Possibility. Weve already seen that the willingness to enter Possibility is the first movement of poetic inquiry, and we can see now that this determination is affirmed by Heideggers rich thought on language and poetry. POETIC INQUIRY VS. PHILOSOPHIC AND SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY IN Now that we grasp the significant distinction between poetry-as-techn and poetry-asphysis-through-techn, its important that we understand the larger argument about our mode of being in the world which for Heidegger makes poetry so important. To quickly give a sense of the scope of this argument, Ill lean on an excellent summary and paraphrase taken from the introduction to The Question Concerning Technology and Other Essays. As we read this summary, we can notice the ways in which Heideggers critique of technology accords with two arguments weve already reviewed: both with Parker Palmers rejection of objectivist education and also with Charles Eisensteins critique of the scientific attitude as a culturally conditioned set of assumptions rather than a transparent tool for accessing reality. We can also attend to the ways in which Heidegger considers poesis or poetic dwelling as an alternative to science which objectifies and technology which seeks mastery. The fundamental Greek experience of reality was, Heidegger believes, one in which men were immediately responsive to whatever was presencing to them. They openly received whatever spontaneously met them (AWP 131). For the Greeks the coming into the present out of the not-present was poiesis (QT 10). This bringing forth was manifest first of all in physis, that presencing wherein the bursting-forth arose from within the thing itself [i.e., in the emergence of a blossom from a bough]. Techn was also a form of this bringing forth, but one in which the bursting-forth lay not in the thing itself but in another. In techn, through art and handcraft, man participated in conjunction with other contributing elementswith 74 matter, aspect, and circumscribing bounds in the bringing forth of a thing into being (QT 7-8). Moreover the arts of the mind were called techn also (QT 13). Greek man openly received and made known that which offered itself to him. Yet nevertheless he tended in the face of the onrush of the revealing of Being in all that met him to seek to master it. It is just this tendency toward mastery that shows itself in Greek philosophy. Philosophy sprang from the fundamental Greek experience of reality. The philosopher wondered at the presencing of things and, wondering, fixed upon them. (That, Heidegger remarks, is why Thales tumbled into a well! [Sem 11]). The philosopher sought to grasp and consider reality, to discover whatever might be permanent within it, so as to know what it truly was. But precisely in so doing he distanced himself from Being, which was manifesting itself in the presencing of all particular beings. For in his seeking, he reached out not simply to receive with openness, but also to control. Here, to Heideggers thinking, lies the real origin of the modern technological age. (xxiv xxv) Here we learn that Heidegger observed that the tendency toward mastery of Greek philosophy eventually led to the scientific attitude. The original Greek habit of openly receiving and then making known that which offers itself, minus the seeking of mastery or control, is poesis-asphysis-through-techn or what we have here been calling poetic inquiry. Its the practice of language and truth as physis, as a creation which is received from the source and given forth as it was received rather than as a production or manufacture. Philosophical inquiry departed from the physis quality of poetic inquiry because philosophical inquiry sought mastery or control rather than surrendering to bringing forth what offers itself. In other words, according to Heidegger, the modern technological age began when people departed from poesis-as-physis-through-techn, as simply responsively giving forth what they received, and instead began to focus on poesis-astechn. This departure led to philosophical inquiry and then to scientific inquiry, both of which seek to ascertain stable verities that, once established, can be used to launch various projects of control, and both of which demand an objectifying perspective in order to reach their aims. The summary continues: Modern science is for Heidegger a work of man as subject in this sense. Modern man as scientist, through the prescribed procedures of experiment, inquires of nature to learn more and more about it. But in so doing he does not relate himself to nature as the [pre-philosophic] Greek related himself to the multitudinous presencing of everything that met him spontaneously at every turn. He does not relate to nature in the openness of immediate response. For the scientists nature is in fact, Heidegger says, a human construction. Science strikingly manifests the way in which modern man as subject represents reality. The modern scientist does not let things presence as they are in themselves. He arrests them, objectifies them, sets them over against himself, precisely by representing them to himself in a particular way. Modern theory, Heidegger says, is an entrapping and securing refining of the real (SR 167). Reality as nature is represented as a manifold of cause and effect coherences. So represented, nature becomes amenable to experiment. But this does not happen simply because nature intrinsically is of this character; rather it happens, Heidegger avers, specifically because man himself represents nature as of this character and then grasps and investigates it according to methods that, not surprisingly, fit perfectly the reality so conceived. (xxv) The notion that the scientists nature is a human construction is one that we previously saw Charles Eisenstein pointing to in his book of cultural criticism, The Ascent of Humanity when he explains that scientific inquiry, by its own selective principles, blinds itself to analysis of phenomena in which the experimenter is an inseparable aspect, thus limiting its analysis of the real Also, Heideggers observation as paraphrased in the summary that The modern scientist does not let things presence as they are in themselves. He arrests them, objectifies them, sets them over against himself, precisely by representing them to himself in a particular way is similar to Parker Palmers assessment that The mode of knowing that dominates education creates disconnections between teachers, their subjects, and their students because it is rooted in fear. This mode, called objectivism, portrays truth as something we can achieve only by disconnecting ourselves, physically and emotionally, from the thing we want to know. (51) We earlier looked to Eisensteins and Palmers work in order to make clear the ways in which poetic inquiry as described by Emerson differed from dominant models of knowledge acquisition both today and at the time that Emerson wrote. Having begun to engage with Heidegger, we can now appreciate that the same argument for the importance of poetic inquiry or poesis as a way of knowing and being also exists in Heideggers work. Given that Heidegger is one of the most important philosophers of the twentieth century, and also one who is not widely understood to be closely akin to Emerson, our observation that Heidegger and Emerson both advocated poetic inquiry as an alternative and supplement to scientific inquiry is a significant discovery which gives added urgency to our notion that poetry inquiry can and should be taught. Heidegger concluded an essay, The Age of the World Picture in which he elaborated the ways in which the modern attitude (i.e., the attitude of objectivism) regards and manipulates the world as a represented series of objectified calculations with a hopeful affirmation of the power of poetic inquiry to alter the dire course thus charted. This affirmation mirrors Emersons hopeful claim at the start of The American Scholar that poetry will be the polestar for a new age. After affirming that we are in danger as long as we attempt solely to know through calculation and thus blind ourselves to the depth of what is incalculable, Heidegger writes: Man will know the incalculable that is, safeguard it in its truth only in creative questioning and forming from out of the power of genuine reflection (72 Off the Beaten Track). Creative questioning is a locution we could easily use as a synonym for our preferred term, poetic inquiry. We also have reason to assume that poetic inquiry is implied by the term creative questioning because Heidegger here speaks of creative questioning as a means of knowing the incalculable, a project which in Poetically Man Dwells he discussed as the province of poetry. Furthermore, Heidegger wrote at the conclusion of The Question Concerning Technology (an essay which explores the ways in which the calculating, objectifying and extracting projects of modern technology threatens to destroy earthly existence while asking if this threat and destruction is necessarily essential to the nature of technology itself) about the potential for the poetic to reveal itself as the ultimate essence of techn, as techn deployed non- instrumentally (i.e., without a project of control or mastery), thus opening the way for physisthrough-techn to become not just a mode by which written poetry is produced but to also be a way of living and being in the world. Heidegger there seems to optimistically suggest that through its own poetic destiny, technology in our present age is on the verge of evolving into something which is harmoniously fruitful rather than menacingly destructive. Yet perhaps most interestingly given our previous decision to name the liminal condition of surrendered receptivity which is necessary to poetic inquiry Possibility after Emily Dickinsons poem I dwell in Possibility (in which Dickinson suggests that Possibility is Poetrythe counterpart of Prose) we not only remember that Heidegger devotes a whole essay (Poetically Man Dwells) to establishing that The poetic is the basic capacity for human dwelling but we also see Heidegger discuss this poetic dwelling as something fundamentally necessary to the preservation of existence in Building Dwelling Thinking: The mortals are the human beings. They are called mortals because they can die. To die means to be capable of death as death. Only man dies, and indeed continually, as long as he remains on earth, under the sky, before the divinities. When we speak of mortals, we are already thinking of the other three along with them, but we give no thought to the simple oneness of the four. The simple oneness of the four we call the fourfold. Mortals are in the fourfold by dwelling. But the basic character of dwelling is to spare, to preserve. Mortals dwell in the way they preserve the fourfold in its essential being, its presencing. Accordingly, the preserving that dwells is fourfold. Mortals dwell in that they save the earthtaking the word in the old sense still known to Lessing. Saving does not only snatch something from a danger. To save really means to set something free into its own presencing. To save the earth does not master the earth and does not subjugate it, which is merely one step from spoliation. Mortals dwell in that they receive the sky as sky. They leave to the sun and moon their journey, to the stars their courses, to the seasons their blessing and their inclemency; they do not turn night into day or day into a harassed unrest. Mortals dwell in that they wait the divinities as divinities. In hope they hold up to the divinities what is unhoped for. They wait for intimations of their coming and do not mistake the signs of their absence. They do not make their gods for themselves and do not worship idols. In the very depth of misfortune they wait for the weal that has been withdrawn. Mortals dwell in that they initiate their own naturetheir being capable of death as deathinto the use and practice of this capacity, so that there may be a good death. To initiate mortals into the nature of death in no way means to make death, as empty Nothing, the goal. Nor does it mean to darken dwelling by blindly staring toward the end. (148-149 Poetry Language Thought) Thus Heidegger discusses poetic dwelling not only as a means of receiving inspiration and producing great poems, but as a way of life in which the dweller sets earth, sky, divinity and morality itself free into its own presencing. At the conclusion of Building Dwelling Thinking he realizes that its the duty of mortals to bring dwelling to the fullness of its nature which they do when they build out of dwelling, and think for the sake of dwelling. In other words, when human technologies such as the raising structures for habitation (building) and also philosophic inquiry (thinking) can be part of what sustains existence in a balanced and happy manner when these technologies arise out of an attitude of surrendered receptivity (i.e., Possibilitythe first movement of poetic inquiry) and are used as media of articulation in the second movement of poetic inquiry, the creative expression of extra-rational (i.e., noncalculable) truth. Were we to live in this way, all of our homes, our thoughts, our institutions, our talk (i.e., anything we might build or thinki.e., anything we might create externally or internally) would be a poem in the highest sense of poesis-as-physis-through-techn. If we are willing to agree with Emerson and Heidegger, we can surmise that the labor of learning to practice poetic inquiry is one of dramatic meaning and significanceto the extent that we can poetically inquire (i.e., enter Possibility and then bring forth responsive expressions of what we find there) we become capable not only of writing verse poems but of producing a world in which all our creations (the thoughts we think, the houses we build, the institutions we found) are themselves poems alive with beauty and truth and not artifacts of calculation, exploitation and control as human productions have too often tended to be within modernity. POETIC INQUIRY AND RESISTANCE There are poems which immediately resonate with us. We sense some kind of compelling power at work in them and were drawn to read these attentively again and again. As Ive noted, this kind of spontaneous connection with a work or body of works in which we feel one nature wrote and the same reads may be itself a means of relatively easy entrance into Possibility. Song of Myself by Walt Whitman is a poem which has this effect for me and many of my students. Meanwhile, many other works will not be so readily accessible or compelling. We might resist them for whatever reasonthey seem too difficult, too ancient or too modern; theyre authored by someone of a class or race or gender we dont identify with or value; we cant relate to the subject matter. Like Emerson, I highly prize the kind of reading which occurs when one finds a text that seems to have an immediate and intense relationship with ones own being. I am also interested in a kind of reading which Emerson does not discuss- the kind which becomes possible only after one has questioned her existing prejudices and resistances. This kind of reading interests me because it entails an undefended or less-defended encounter with otherness. An important virtue of such an encounter is that it potentially loosens ones own habitual adherence to conditioned views or identities and thus improves ones ability to dwell in liminality / Possibility. In order to help my students question the prejudices and resistances which can encumber their reading and prevent them from encountering the gift of poetry, I practice with them a process known as The Work of Byron Katie. The Work of Byron Katie is itself a written process of inquiry (indeed, Byron Katie also refers to The Work as simply inquiry [7 Katie]). In this process, one starts by identifying what Katie calls a stressful thoughtusually a resentment or negative judgment of some kind. One does this by filling in a Judge-Your-Neighbor Worksheet which offers form statements: I am ___________ at _____________ because ______________; ________ should ____________ I want ____________ to ______________ (11). After identifying the stressful thought, one slowly asks herself (or has a partner ask her) four simple questions. The questions are: 1) Is it true? 2) Can you absolutely know that its true? 3) How do you react, what happens when you believe that thought? 4) Who would you be without that thought? Katie recommends that the inquirer direct these questions to the heart (which she calls the gentler polarity of mind[23]) rather than to the usual thinking self and take ones time in listening for the answers. After one has answered the four questions, one takes the initial thought and turns it around in three different ways: to self, opposite, and other and then finds ways in which the turned-around statements could be equally true or more true than the initial statement. Katie speaks of a phenomenon that this process can create, which has been true in my own experience with it: I dont let go of my thoughts, I meet them with understanding then they let go of me (5). The questions and turnarounds of The Work generate an increased awareness of the effects of ones beliefs. Just this awareness can be enough to cause a spontaneous dissolution or letting go of the belief or story being questioned, thus moving the inquirer into a condition of greater openness. The Work has infinite applications it can be used to question any kind of beliefs or prejudices. Im inclined to think that the more such questioning occurs, the better. In my teaching thus far, I have only begun to experiment with its use. I can readily see potential value in asking my students to apply The Work to their thoughts about race, gender, and class, for example. I have not yet done this, though. What I have done so far is to ask them to question their thoughts about poetry. The process goes like this: I inform them about the process of The Work. Then we fill out Judge-Your-Neighbor worksheets about poetry. I encourage them to follow Byron Katies suggestion when filling out the sheetsbe petty, be childish, dont hold back. I do the process along with themI have plenty of stressful beliefs about poetry and specific poets or poems that merit questioning. The thoughts we come up with are of this order: I dont like poetry because its pretentious. Poetry is boring. Poetry sucks. Poetry takes too much time to read. Poetry should have a definite meaning. Poetry should not be confusing. I never want to have to memorize a poem again. Then I split the students into pairs and have them take turns leading one another through the questions and turn-arounds. When weve finished the exercise and I ask students about their experience, they often report to me that they feel more open, less resistant, more interested in reading poetry. Sometimes Ill invite a brave student to let me facilitate them through the questions and turn-arounds in front of the rest of the class. I became convinced of the value of doing The Work with my students on their thoughts about poetry during one such dialogue with a student named Joe. The dialogue, as I remember it (it happened a few years ago) went something like this: Me: Joe: Me: Joe: Me: Joe: Me: So Joewhats the stressful thought? Poetry takes too much time to read. Poetry takes too much time to readis it true? Yeah, it does. Can you absolutely know that it takes too much time to read? Yes. And how do you reactwhat happens when you believe that, and youre assigned to read some poetry for this class? Joe: Me: I dont do it. I put it off. So who would you be without that thought, that poetry takes too much time to read? Id spend all my time reading poetry. I wouldnt do anything else. Itd be so stupid. It would take over my life. After a moment Joe blushed it seemed that hed really heard himself say what hed just saidthat if he didnt believe reading poetry took too much time, hed spend all his time reading poetry. I dont know exactly what Joes experience of this was, but to me it looked like a young man realizing that his resistant attitude to reading poetry was actually a reaction to a sense of poetrys power and allurean implicit understanding that if he didnt resist it, poetry would take over his life and perhaps render him unable to fulfill the roles which he occupiedbaseball player for the University team, business major. ENTERING POSSIBILITY VIA RESISTANCE ITSELF There are of course many forms of resistance to reading a particular poem that a student might experience, aside from a general aversion to the affective dimension of poetry. It could be argued that some of these resistances are themselves important and justified, not needing to be dissolved or questioned. I saw a potential instance of this kind of resistance in the response that a student named Tunmise Layiwola in Reading the Soul of Poetry offered to a prompt that asked him to read Song of Myself contemplatively and receptively: I refuse and reject the option to open my mind to this poem, it is not me. It is the genius of another, another who others have come to worship. I will not kneel before your greatness, for it is false. A delusion your masses have chosen to live and dwell in your shadow. I ask you not to speak to me yet you do. I run and run and yet you find the shortcut to me, grabbing at my heart, looking for my soul. You wish to converse with it, but I wish not. I hide from you and your deception. You come to me in demand and required attention. You force me upon you, reverse rape. Why must I speak to you? Others have fallen into your trap, but me never. I hide from your rain that covers the land. It will never reach me for I carry an umbrella of darkness, one that hides me from the world. You will kill my greatness before I let the world have it. My efforts are futile for 86 now, I must confront you. I will lose and you will love and I will love it, but she will die. She, who has been with me from the beginning, will be raped by you. Why do you do it, I ask? You reply, so as to preserve my existence. We all write for survival, you address the future, the present the past. You who have let yourself have your way with you. You claim not to abase yourself but I do not believe your words. You lie, your words are death, creating life in me, why is this so? Why must I lay with you on the grass as the warm sun caresses our body? Our union is unholy, it is blasphemy to her. She hates me know for I am to become one with you, an unholy matrimony. O how sweet you make me feel, we are one once again your experiences transform me to a place now known to many. We dine together in the open moonlight as your words rock me to sleep. Your valvd voice reaches me in ecstasy. I now lay with you; you have made my misery yours. I expected love, you gave me life. We share a bound unbroken, a spell has been cast that only your lord can break. I remember quiet nights in my room as I sat with you. You took me away, to a place between the lines, the hidden road. We shared moments unspoken, you gave me your words and I my soul. It is without a doubt a fair barter. For I gain more than I lost. The world can hate me, kick me, laugh at me, but I will never betray you. None will see you the way we met it. For you are uncanny and amazing, spectacular and illustrious, you and I have become one in unholy matrimony. Let it last forever. Allow me to attempt to trace some of the complex movements of Layiwolas response in order to understand how this instance of resistance enters Possibility. He begins with a flat and vehement refusal, invoking his own self-reliance: I refuse and reject the option to open my mind to this poem, it is not me. It is the genius of another, another who others have come to worship. He continues by defending himself against the relentless onslaught of Whitmans advance: I ask you not to speak to me yet you do. I run and run and yet you find the shortcut to me, grabbing at my heart, looking for my soul. You wish to converse with it, but I wish not. The stakes of his evasion rise toward the end of the first paragraph with the appearance of a loyal she who is threatened by rape from Whitman. Concurrently, Layiwolas relationship with Whitman becomes more layered love comes into the picture: My efforts are futile for now, I must confront you. I will lose and you will love and I will love it, but she will die. She, who has been with me from the beginning, will be raped by you. Layiwola and Whitman then enter into an unholy matrimony which is blasphemy to her. In the final paragraph, the love relationship between Layiwola and Whitman surprisingly grows more intimate and seems to replace the bond between Layiwola and she as Layiwola now addresses Whitman using the same language with which Whitman addresses his soul in the opening of Song of Myself 7: Your valvd voice reaches me in ecstasy. I now lay with you; you have made my misery yours. I expected love, you gave me life. Finally, Layiwola concludes his response to Whitman with an expression of loyalty and devotion: The world can hate me, kick me, laugh at me, but I will never betray you. None will see you the way we met Whitman wrote: I believe in you my soul . . . the other I am must / not abase itself to you, / And you must not be abased to the other. Loafe with me on the grass . . . . loose the stop from / your throat, / Not words, not music or rhyme I want . . . . not custom or lecture, not even the best, / Only the lull I like, the hum of your valved voice. (7) 88 it. For you are uncanny and amazing, spectacular and illustrious, you and I have become one in unholy matrimony. Let it last forever. My initial impression, upon reading Layiwolas multi-faceted response to the prompt, was to gather that he had declined to use the occasion of his reading Song of Myself as an entrance into the receptive condition of Possibility. Somehow, the passion of his refusal in the opening lines blunted my ability to see the imagined love relationship that emerged in the conclusion. I can now perceive that the response Layiwola gave to my invitation to read Whitman slowly and receptively actually uses resistance itself as a means of entering Possibility. The response performs a refusal that melts into a surrender which is all the more rich for the fact that it begins as such a heated deniala denial so hot that even the intensely professed surrender, intimacy, and loyalty that come at the conclusion of the response cant help but be cast into an ironic light by the fact that they are preceded by an initial refusal of perhaps even greater intensity. In short, Layiwolas unambivalent expressions of hatred and love seem to cancel one another out, resulting in an equivocal and ambivalent response. This response may or may not enter Possibility via the acceptance of Whitmans poetic gift (depending on how one reads the sincerity of the professed surrender) but it does enter Possibility via the imagination of a vexed encounter with Whitman. In this way, the liminal condition that Layiwola creates through his equivocal response is one which puts him at a distance from both from obedience to my teacherly instruction and also from Whitmans offering. In the threat of rape that appears in Layiwolas narrative I discern an element of the agonistic struggle between a young poet and a predecessor made familiar by the arguments of Harold Bloom, and I also see Layiwolas intuition of the danger of invasion and corruption which poetry affordsa danger great enough that because of it Socrates wished to ban poetry from the Republic. Layiwolas response to prompts throughout the semester evidenced varieties of similarly complex resistance and refusal. Through reading his work, I came to understand that unadulterated receptivity and hospitality to a given poem are not the only means by which one can use that poem for a starting place of poetic inquiry CONSIDERING THE RESULTS OF POETIC STRATEGY AS DEPLOYED IN POETIC INQUIRY: NEW THOUGHT, AESTHETICAL IDEA, SYMBOL AND IMAGE Poetic strategies successfully used as tools of the second movement of poetic inquiry result in the generation of something specific and valuable which has properties that distinguish it from the results of poetic strategies deployed only for entertainment or pleasure: in The Poet Emerson calls this result a new thought 8; Immanuel Kant, in his Critique of Judgment, calls it an aesthetical Idea; William Butler Yeats in his essay The Symbolism in Poetry calls it the symbol; Jane Hirshfield, following Ezra Pound in The ABCs of Reading, refers to it as an image. These results are usually the product of a variety of poetic strategies deployed simultaneously. In other words, the best fruit of poetic inquiry is not solely trope or gesture or fiction (if any such thing could be said to exist) but a combination of these. Its useful to first look to Hirshfield for an explanation of what this phenomenon is and what it does, since her idiom is closest to ours: In a good image, something previously unformulated (in the most literal sense) comes into the realm of the express. Without precisely this image [new thought, symbol, aesthetical Idea] we feel, the worlds store of truth would be diminished, and conversely, when a writer brings into language a new image that is fully right, what is knowable in existence expands. (18) By new thought Emerson seems to denote a new psychic experience. 91 Hirshfield here comments on the ability of the image to fulfill attempts to seek truth. Importantly, Hirshfield suggests that the nature of the answer given to the seeking by the image (i.e., the fruit of a successful poetic inquiry) is not just information, but actually a movement or expansion in the field of what is knowable in existence. Emerson also speaks extensively to the expansive quality of this phenomenon (which he calls a new thought): The sign and credentials of the poet [i.e., poetic inquirer] are that he announces that which no man foretold. He is the true and only doctor; he knows and tells; he is the only teller of news, for he was present and privy to the appearance which he describes. He is a beholder of ideas and an utterer of the necessary and causal. For we do not speak now of men of poetical talents, or of industry and skill in metre, but of true poet. [] For it is not metres, but a metre-making argument that makes a poema thought so passionate and alive that like the spirit of a plant or an animal it has an architecture of its own, and adorns nature with a new thing. The thought and form are equal in the order of time, but in the order of genesis the thought is prior to the form. The poet has a new thought; he has a whole new experience to unfold; he will tell us how it was with him, and all men will be the richer in his fortune. For the experience of each new age requires a new confession, and the world seems always waiting for its poet. (290-291) Here we see Emerson stressing that the fruit of a poetic inquiry (a new thought) differs from merely versified language because it advents something fresh, it announces that which no man foretold. 9 Emerson also gives urgent praise to the ability of the fruit of poetic inquiry to expand the horizons of what can be known. He refers to the expansion as a kind of liberation (302): There is good reason why we should prize this liberation [afforded by the poet / poetic inquirer]. The fate of the poor shepherd, who, blinded and lost in the snowstorm, perishes in a drift within a few feet of his cottage door, is an emblem of the state of man. On the brink of the waters of life and truth, we are miserably dying. The inaccessibleness of every thought but that we are in, is wonderful. What if you come near to it; you are as remote as when you are nearest as when you are farthest. Every thought is also a prison; every heaven is also a prison. Therefore we love the poet, the inventor, who in any form, whether in an ode or in an action or in looks and behavior, has yielded us a new thought. He unlocks our chains and admits us to a new scene. (302) Here we find why it is we should value the fruit of poetic inquiry: because it unlocks our chains and admits us to a new scene. Without it, we stay mired in the known, miserably dying like a poor shepherd lost in a blizzard. Even if we feel comfortable within the scheme of our present perception, Emerson reminds us that every heaven is also a prison; which is to say, there is something binding and confining about anything less than the fullest truth, and truth-asunveiling is something that is always coming to be, something which requires fresh attention and articulation. POETIC STRATEGIES, NON-ENCOMPASSABILITY AND THE SOUL In order to further understand the quality of poetic inquirys fruit, it is worth thinking more about Emersons claim that a new thought articulated by a true poem [i.e. a work which successfully uses poetic strategies in service of poetic inquiry] is something so passionate and alive that like the spirit of a plant or an animal it has an architecture of its own, and adorns nature with a new thing. This claim bears much in common with the insight that Kant expressed in The Critique of Judgment in a section titled Of the faculties of the mind that constitute genius in which he reflects on the idea of spirit in art and poetry. This is the section where Kant introduces his notion of the aesthetical Idea. As we will see, it appears that both Kants aesthetical Idea and Emersons new thought are bound up with the notion of spirit or soul. We should note that the word Kant uses in the passage I cite below (Geist) which has been below translated as spirit may also be translated as soul. Also, in the above-quoted passage from Emerson, he spoke of spirit as a quality related to the new thought, but elsewhere, as we will see, Emerson speaks much more often of soul in this connection. As far as I can tell, Emerson did not denote anything different in his usages of spirit or soul but rather, these terms appear to be synonyms in his deployment. Kant writes: We say of certain products of which we expect that they should at least in part appear as beautiful art, they are without spirit [a footnote from the translator here reads: In English we would rather say without soul: but I prefer to translate Geist consistently by spirit, to avoid the confusion of it with Seele]; although we find nothing to blame in them on the score of taste. A poem may be very neat and elegant, but without spirit. A history may be exact and well arranged, but without spirit. A festal discourse may be solid and at the same time elaborate, but without spirit. Conversation is often not devoid 94 of entertainment, but yet without spirit: even of a woman we say that she is pretty, an agreeable talker, and courteous, but without spirit. What then do we mean by spirit? Spirit, in an aesthetical sense, is the name given to the animating principle of the mind. But that whereby this principle animates the soul, the material which it applies to that [purpose], is that which puts the mental powers purposively into swing, i.e. into such a play as maintains itself and strengthens the [mental] powers in their exercise. Now I maintain that this principle is no other than the faculty of presenting aesthetical Ideas. And by an aesthetical Idea I understand that representation of the Imagination which occasions much thought, without, however, any definite thought, i.e. any concept, being capable of being adequate to it; it consequently cannot be completely compassed and made intelligible by language. We easily see that it is the counterpart (pendant) of a rational Idea, which conversely is a concept to which no intuition (or representation of the Imagination) can be adequate. [] Such representations of the Imagination we may call Ideas, partly because they at least strive after something which lies beyond the bounds of experience, and so seek to approximate to a presentation of concepts of Reason (intellectual Ideas), thus giving to the later the appearance of objective realitybut especially because no concept can be fully adequate to them as internal intuitions. The poet ventures to realize to sense, rational Ideas of invisible beings, the kingdom of the blessed, hell, eternity, creation, etc.; or even if he deals with things of which there are examples in experiencee.g. death, envy and all vices, also love, fame, and the likehe tries, by means of Imagination, which emulates the play of Reason in its quest after a maximum, to go beyond the limitsof experience and to present them to Sense with a completeness of which there is no example in nature. It is, properly speaking, in the art of the poet, that the faculty of aesthetical Ideas can manifest themselves in its full measure. But this faculty, considered in itself, is properly only a talent (of the Imagination). If now we place under a concept a representation of the Imagination belonging to its presentation, but which occasions solely by itself more thought than can ever be comprehended in a definite concept, and which therefore enlarges aesthetically the concept itself in an unbounded fashionthe Imagination is here creative, and it brings the faculty of intellectual Ideas (the Reason) into movement; i.e. a movement, occasioned by a representation, towards more thought (though belonging, no doubt, to the concept of the object) than can be grasped in the representation or made clear. (188 120 Kant) So we see that for Kant, the aesthetical Idea is identical with the spirit or soul in a work of art, just as for Emerson the new thought of a true poem is like the spirit of a plant or an animal. Kants explanation that by an aesthetical Idea I understand that representation of the Imagination which occasions much thought, without, however, any definite thought, i.e. any concept, being capable of being adequate to it leads him to the insight that the aesthetical Idea brings the faculty of intellectual Ideas (the Reason) into movement; i.e. a movement, occasioned by a representation, towards more thought (though belonging, no doubt, to the concept of the object) than can be grasped in the representation or made clear. This insight of Kants reminds us of Hirshfields claim that by the putting-forth of a new image that is fully right, what is knowable in existence expands. We should remember that the kind of knowability which Hirshfield is talking about is not rational veracity but extra-rational intuition. Both Hirshfield and Kant are emphasizing the way the fruit of poetic inquiry engenders a movement which cannot be rationally understood, but which thereby enlarges the concept in an unbounded fashion thus expanding what we can conceive. Its interesting to note that in Kants discussion, the fruit of poetic inquiry (the aesthetical Idea) has a quality of irresolvability: it is moving in that it puts the mental powers purposively into swing in such a way that they cannot settle upon any singular definite concept. These same qualities are ones that Yeats ascribes to the poetic symbol in his essay The Symbolism of Poetry. There, he describes the symbol as both indefinable and moving: In "Symbolism in Painting," I tried to describe the element of symbolism that is in pictures and sculpture, and described a little the symbolism in poetry, but did not describe at all the continuous indefinable symbolism which is the substance of all style. There are no lines with more melancholy beauty than these by Burns:-- The white moon is setting behind the white wave, And Time is setting with me, O! and these lines are perfectly symbolical. Take from them the whiteness of the moon and of the wave, whose relation to the setting of Time is too subtle for the intellect, and you take from them their beauty. But, when all are together, moon and wave and whiteness and setting Time and the last melancholy cry, they evoke an emotion which cannot be evoked by any other arrangement of colours and sounds and forms. We may call this metaphorical writing, but it is better to call it symbolical writing, because metaphors are not profound enough to be moving, when they are not symbols, and when they are symbols they are the most perfect of all, because the most subtle, outside of pure sound, and through them one can best find out what symbols are. (241 Yeats) It seems that Yeats makes a distinction between metaphor and symbol in order to emphasize something we have already acknowledged: poetic devices (including trope, the category which houses metaphor) can be deployed in a way that does not inquire, that does not uncover and share a fresh experience of truth. The poet Stephen Dobyns, in his essay Metaphor and the Authenticating Act of Memory like Kant, also invokes non-encompassability as a virtue of poetry, and sides with Yeats in deciding to term that which embodies this virtue as symbol rather than just metaphor: A metaphor consists of the object half and the image half. The image half is most successful when it is open-ended or when the mind cannot fully encompass it: that is, when it creates the impression that it could give additional meaning each time the reader returns to it. Compare, for example, the stale metaphor as quiet as a mouse with: Quiet like a house where the witch has just stopped dancing. When it is open-ended, the image works like a symbol, which in its simplest form is something that represents more than its literal meaning. The witchs dance is not described and, while we may have some idea of it, we cannot encompass it, nor what the house is like without it, except that it is wonderfully quiet. In a similar way, the symbol of the cross can be to some degree understood but it cannot be encompassed, while the meaning of a stop sign, like the quietness of a mouse, can be. This difference is partly the difference between sign and symbol, and clearly the image of a mouse to represent quiet approaches being a sign. So it would seem that the image half of the metaphor has the greatest possibility of touching the reader the more closely it works as symbol. (14 Dobyns) I dont wish, as Yeats might, to assign the name symbol to metaphors that successfully poetically inquire and the name metaphor to metaphors that dontas such a distinction strikes me as perhaps too difficult to maintain. I quote from Yeats and Dobyns to show that they are also thinking about something which poetry at its best can dooffer a truth thats not compassable by the rational mind (or by what Lewis Hyde calls the brain that divides [214]), something which Emerson and Kant and Hirshfield are also thinking about. I feel its important to appreciate this quality of non-encompassability in the fruit of poetic inquiry (by whatever name we choose to call it image, new thought, aesthetical Idea, symbolfrom here on I will use Emersons term new thought ) because to do so allows us to reflect on an important property of the way this fruit offers answers of truth for contemplation: it answers with un-encompassable answers. In other words, it is moving, setting the faculties purposively into swing: it gives answers that raise further questions, answers that question us as readers. In this sense, to read a work which is the fruit of poetic inquiry is to be questioned. Hirshfield, at the conclusion of an essay entitled The Question of Originality remarks on the way that the fruit of poetic inquiry, itself the product of the attention of questioning (or what we are calling Possibility) can subsequently ask further questions of us as readers: To look closely with the attention of questioning changes everything. It is, if undertaken fully, revolutionary. It is what Rainer Maria Rilkes Archaic Torso of Apollo is about, with its famous last sentence: We cannot know this legendary head with eyes like ripening fruit. And yet his torso is still suffused with brilliance from inside, like a lamp, in which his gaze, now turned to low, gleams in all its power. Otherwise the curved breast could not dazzle you so, nor could a smile run through the placid hips and thighs to that dark center where procreation flared. Otherwise this stone would seem defaced beneath the translucent cascade of the shoulders and would not glisten like a wild beasts fur: would not, from all the borders of itself, burst like a star: for here there is no place that does not see you. You must change your life. (trans. Stephen Mitchell) Do not think it an accident that it is Apollo, patron god of poetry, at whose figure Rilke looks. The activity of poetry is to tell us we must change our lives. It does this by posing again and again a question that cannot be answered except with our whole beingbody, speech, and mind. What is the nature of this moment? Poetry asks, and we have no rest until the question is answered. (52-53) I hope it is clear that Hirshfields phrasing of the central question of poetic inquiry, What is the nature of this moment? is synonymous with what I have described as contemplative truthseeking. I have chosen my particular phrasing of this dimension of the process above the one that Hirshfield offers because my phrasing makes explicit that the issue of truth is at stake. I find it useful to foreground the issue of truth as the central concern of poetic inquiry because to do so allows me to better understand the relationship between what Kant and Emerson both refer to as the un-encompassable spirit or soul in great poetry and the work of poetic inquiry. I make this connection because Emerson so powerfully highlights the relationship of soul to truth and to genius in his essay The Over-Soul, in the passage we previously examined for its relationship to Heideggers thought about the way Being is sung in the song of the poets. In this passage, Emerson offers that The soul is the perceiver and revealer of truth which offers us hints of its presence in and through form (in conversation, in reveries, in remorse, in times of passion, in surprises, in the instruction of dreams): If we consider what happens in conversation, in reveries, in remorse, in times of passion, in surprises, in the instructions of dreams, wherein often we see ourselves in masquerade, -- the droll disguises only magnifying and enhancing a real element, and forcing it on our distinct notice, -- we shall catch many hints that will broaden and lighten into knowledge of the secret of nature. All goes to show that the soul in man is not an organ, but animates and exercises all the organs; is not a function, like the power of memory, of calculation, of comparison, but uses these as hands and feet; is not a faculty, but a light; is not the intellect or the will, but the master of the intellect and the will; is the background of our being, in which they lie, -- an immensity not possessed and that cannot be possessed. From within or from behind, a light shines through us upon things, and makes us aware that we are nothing, but the light is all. A man is the fasade of a temple wherein all wisdom and all good abide. What we commonly call man, the eating, drinking, planting, counting man, does not, as we know him, represent himself, but misrepresents himself. Him we do not respect, but the soul, whose organ he is, would he let it appear through his action, would make our knees bend. When it breathes through his intellect, it is genius; when it breathes through his will, it is virtue; when it flows through his affection, it is love. And the blindness of the intellect begins, when it would be something of itself. The weakness of the will begins, when the individual would be something of himself. All reform aims, in some one particular, to let the soul have its way through us; in other words, to engage us to obey. (238) Thus from Emersons discussion we understand that soul is a term for the elusive extrarational truth, for the background of our being. If we allow that this kind of soul has something to do with the quality of soul or spirit that Emerson and Kant both find at work in the fruits of poetic inquiry (new thought or the aesthetical Idea, respectively) then we begin to suspect that new thoughts or aesthetical Ideas are soulful or spirited because they are somehow in a specific kind of strong relationship with the soul itself (something which I will shortly discuss in greater detail). They are works of genius because they are forms that are allowing the soul to breathe or flow through them to a significant degree. We can surmise that when Emerson mentions droll disguises present in conversation, in reveries, in remorse, in times of passion, in surprises, in the instruction of dreams he points to the presence of poetic strategies at work in all of those phenomena, poetic strategies which can sometimes act as automatic or unconscious tools of poetic inquiry which through their indirection or masquerade succeed in magnifying and enhancing a real element, and forcing it on our distinct notice. We should note that Emersons discussion of soul throughout his oeuvre is necessarily slippery and circular, as the soul itself is. No certain definitions or conclusions about it emerge, only hints and startling intuitions. As we gather from the passage I have quoted above, its always approached indirectly, caught from behind, seen sideways. Clearly, the kind of soul which Emerson discusses is not identical with any conventional religious or dogmatic understanding of the term. The literary theorist Richard Poirier, in his argument concerning the centrality of the Emersonian tradition in American writing, Poetry and Pragmatism, comments on Emersons distinctive discourse of soul as it appears in Circles and Self-Reliance: Even though the soul in Circles is equated with the heart, it is not to be imagined as an entity; it is more nearly a function, and yet no determination is made as to when the function occurs or from where it emanates. The soul has no determinable there or then, no here or now; rather, as his italics insist [in SelfReliance] it only becomes, only promises to make its presence known. That is, the soul appears or occurs only as something we feel compelled to live into or move toward as if it were there; it is like Jamess will to believe, it hints at Stevenss supreme fiction, In any case for Emerson the soul always awaits us. His description of the activity of the soul asks to be read as an allegory, in which the movements of the soul in its circles represent the movements of creative energy in his sentences and paragraphs. He is saying that his own acts of composition, the very efforts at non-conformity that result in his tropings of previous truthsthat these fill him with apprehensions about encirclement and fixity. How is one to cope with this situation without collapsing into silence? The answer lies, I think, in the phrase the soul becomes. Note that the soul is first named as if, with its definite article, it were an entity; note, too, that its realization as an entity is immediately and forever delayed, its presence becomes transferred to an ever elusive future, by the word becomes. The soul never becomes a thing or a text; it exists in the action of becoming. (23-28) Poiriers observation that the Emersonian soul is not to be imagined as an entity seems especially valuable to me, as does his recognition that for Emerson, nothing about the soul is fixed or final: the soul is not identical with any phenomenon or perception; instead, it exists in the action of becoming. Poiriers insight that Emerson linguistically performs for us the process of the soul when in Self-Reliance he uses the transitive verb becomes as an intransitive end-in-itself to dramatize the souls happening importantly guides us to appreciate the great degree to which the souls emergence in language is key to the Emersonian conception of it. In the 1990s, the depth psychologist Thomas Moore popularized Emersonian ideas about the soul in his best-selling self-help guide, The Care of the Soul. In his introduction to that book, we find Moore interweaving the Emersonian conception of the elusive soul with Kants theory of Geist in art: It is impossible to define precisely what the soul is. Definition is an intellectual enterprise anyway; the soul prefers to imagine. We know intuitively that soul has to do with genuineness and depth, as when we say certain music has soul or a remarkable person is soulful. When you look closely at the image of soulfulness, you see that it is tied to life in all its particularsgood food, satisfying conversation, genuine friends, and experiences that stay in the memory and touch the heart. Soul is revealed in attachment, love, and community, as well as in retreat on behalf of inner communing and intimacy. (xi) Moores understanding that the soul as tied to life in all its particulars mirrors Emersons observation in The Oversoul that we may sense the soul in conversation, in reveries, in remorse, in times of passion, in surprises, in the instructions of dreams. The soul is something that is not able to be singled out and distilled from other experiences: it is inevitably incarnate, always stirring and glimmering. AN EXAMPLE OF POETIC INQUIRY FROM LEAVES OF GRASS The matter of soul strikes me as important not only because Emerson and Kant insist upon it as a key quality of the fruit of poetic inquiry, but because three of my favorite poetic inquirers (Dickinson, Whitman, and Rilke) comment extensively on the matter of the soul in their work. In order to further illustrate the way in which the fruit of successful poetic inquiry creates un-encompassable new thoughts for the reader (thus drawing the reader at least temporarily\herself into a condition of Possibility and thus offering an opening which, as weve seen, Emerson calls liberation) via the deployment of poetic strategies in service of a 105 contemplative search for truth, I want to offer a reading of a famous section from Walt Whitmans Song of Myself in Leaves of Grass: A child said, What is the grass? Fetching it to me with full hands; How could I answer the child? . . . . I do not know what it is any more than he. I guess it must be the flag of my disposition, out of hopeful green stuff woven. Or I guess it is the handkerchief of the Lord, A scented gift and remembrance designedly dropped, Bearing the owners name someway in the corners, that we may see and remark, and say Whose? Or I guess the grass is itself a child . . . . the produced babe of the vegetation. Or I guess it is a uniform hieroglyphic, And it means, Sprouting alike in broad zones and narrow zones, Growing among black folks as among white, Kanuck, Tuckahoe, Congressman, Cuff. I give them the same, I receive them the same. And now it seems to me the beautiful uncut hair of graves. Tenderly will I use you curling grass, It may be you transpire from the breasts of young men, It may be if I had known them I would have loved them; It may be you are from old people, or from offspring taken soon out of their mothers laps, And here you are the mothers laps. This grass is very dark to be from the white heads of old mothers, Darker than the colorless beards of old men, Dark to come from under the faint red roofs of mouths. O I perceive after all so many uttering tongues! And I perceive they do not come from the roofs of mouths for nothing. (8-10 Whitman) In this passage, Whitman dramatizes for us the performance of a poetic inquiry which allows us to have some insight into the process. First, we note that the questioning starts from a condition of Possibility: A child said, What is the grass? Fetching it to me / with full hands; / How could I answer the child? . . . . I do not know / what it is any more than he. Whitmans acknowledgement of his ignorance in the face of the childs question signals that hes in the condition of Possibility. From the position of Possibility, of acknowledgment that he does not know what the grass is (i.e., that the ordinary answer actually tells nothing about the deep truth of the grass), Whitman launches an inquiry. Let us pause to consider the poetic strategies at work in the inquiry, one by one. First, theres gesture: Whitman deploys devices like anaphora (Or I guess.. . Or I guess It may be It may be . . .) and alliteration (A scented gift and remembrance designedly dropped; the faint red roofs of mouths) and in doing so generates a diction that has a quality of playful excess. Then, theres drama: the speaker of the poem, who I am calling Whitman is a persona, an invention. Third, theres fiction, at least to the degree that we have no way of knowingnor any need to know for the sake of the poetic effect, whether or not a child really asked What is the grass? Finally, the passage is rich with trope, primarily metaphor (it is the handkerchief of the lord; the grass is itself a child; it is a uniform hieroglyphic; ) and irony (It may be you are from old people, or from offspring / taken too soon out of their mothers laps, / And here you are the mothers laps; The grass is very dark to be from the white heads of / old mothers, / Darker than the colorless beards of old men, / Dark to come from under the faint red roofs of mouths). I offer that Whitmans metaphor identifying grass as the beautiful uncut hair of graves is a new thought, an aesthetical Idea. Theres something about it which rational thought cannot encompass. The metaphor raises the question: how is grass the beautiful uncut hair of graves? And in doing so it invites us to imagine the graves not just as holding human bodies but as somehow being human bodies, bodies with beautiful hairhair nurtured and made to grow by the very decay of the bodies in the grave, which leads into the observation of an irony: This grass is very dark to be from the white heads of / old mothers, / Darker than the colorless beards of old men. The observed irony serves to expand upon the initial metaphor. Thus the metaphor circles us rapidly through a constellation of associations which are irresolvable and irreducible in their interrelationship: beauty, death, decay, life. In other words, the metaphor is moving, it sets the faculties into swing; it allows something previously unformulated to come into the realm of the expressed; it has soul. Through Whitmans deployment of poetic strategies in the service of poetic inquiry, he succeeds in fulfilling a project which Emerson cited as the definition of a worthwhile text in The American Scholar: the transmutation of life into truth. Through Whitmans inquiry, the grass comes to evoke and stand for an aspect of truth, it becomes a symbol in the profound esoteric sense that Emerson used the term in The Poet (which is probably also the sense in which Yeats meant to use the word, but perhaps did not succeed as well as Emerson in communicating what he meant by it). Emersons consideration of this transmutative work rests on the insight we noted before as the hallmark of imaginative perceptionthe realization that there is an instant dependence of form upon soul (287) or that The Universe is the externization of the soul (293). This dependence means that every sensuous fact (288) embodies manifold elements of the souls truth and may be deployed as symbol of that truth: Things admit of being used as symbols because nature is a symbol, in the whole, and in every part (292). Ordinarily we overlook the symbolic quality of the world because we are immersed in it and identified with it the gift of the poet is to make us aware of our life as symbols amid symbols. UNDERSTANDING SYMBOL AS THE PRODUCT OF AN ARRAY OF POETIC STRATEGIES IN SERVICE TO TRUTH It is important to understand Emersons theory of the symbol in order to gain a sense of the central importance he ascribed to the project of poetic inquiry as a kind of alchemical process necessary to human evolution. He writes in The Poet: The world being thus put under the mind for verb and noun, the poet is he who can articulate it. For though life is great, and fascinates and absorbs, and though all men are intelligent of the symbols through which it is named [i.e., words]; yet they cannot originally use them. We are symbols and inhabit symbols; workmen, work, and tools, words and things, birth and death, all are emblems; but we sympathize with the symbols, and being infatuated with the economical uses of things, we do not know that they are thoughts. The poet, by an ulterior intellectual perception [i.e., imagination, or what we are calling Possibility, after Dickinson], gives them a power which makes their old use forgotten, and puts eyes and a tongue into every dumb and inanimate object. He perceives the independence of the thought on the symbol, the stability of thought, the accidency and fugacity of the symbol. As the eyes of Lynceus were said to see through the earth, so the poet turns the world to glass, and shows us all things in their right series and procession. For through that better perception he stands one step nearer to things, and sees the 110 flowing or metamorphosis; perceives that thought is multiform; that within the form of every creature is a force impelling it to ascend into a higher form; and following with his eyes the life, uses the forms which express that life, and so his speech flows with the flowing of nature. All the facts of the animal economy, sex, nutriment, gestation, birth, growth, are symbols of the passage of the world into the soul of man, to suffer there a change and reappear a new and higher fact. (295-296) In other words, from reading Emerson we gather that symbol is not just the name for a particularly successful metaphor (as Yeats perhaps misleadingly suggested) but rather a term which summarizes the successful deployment of an array of poetic strategies put to the service of causing some facet of the outer world to reveal a fact of the inner, or deep truth (i.e., the transmutation of life into truth). And actually, if we look at the example that Yeats gives of an excellent symbol, the lines from Burns, The white moon is setting behind the white wave, / And Time is setting with me, O! we find again a constellation of poetic strategies, and not simply metaphor, at work. We also locate the drama of a soliloquizing voice and the implied story of a life now at its decline. Its significant that these symbols which the poet sees and names are not fixed, they are part of a flowing metamorphosis. which does not stop (300) and that this metamorphosis is what we are also calling a transmutation: the passage of the world into the soul of man, to suffer there a change and reappear a new and higher fact (296). The poetic inquirer is one who consciously, deliberately participates in this transformation and makes it apparent to others. The poet Rainer Maria Rilke memorably described the importance of the metamorphosis of world into symbol: Nature and all of the objects of our daily use are preliminary and frail; as long as we are here, however, they are our possession and our friendship, accessories to our suffering and joy, just as they had been the intimates of our predecessors. It is thus our task not only not to malign and take down everything that is here but rather, because of the transience which we have in common with it, to comprehend and transform with an innermost consciousness these appearances and things. Transform? Yes, for it is our task to impress this provisional, transient earth upon ourselves so deeply, so agonizingly, and so passionately that its essence rises up again "invisibly" within us. We are the bees of the invisible. We ceaselessly gather the honey of the visible to store it in the great golden hive of the Invisible. (Rilke 23) As Rilke explains, this seeing is itself transformative. He offers another, perhaps more vivid consideration of this same process of inquiry-as-transmutation in his novel, The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge. There, Brigge, a young Danish writer living in Paris, offers advice to himself about the project of poetic inquiry as a lifetime commitment: Ah, poems amount to so little when you write them too early in your life. You ought to wait and gather sense and sweetness for a whole lifetime, and a long one if possible, and then, at the very end, you might perhaps be able to write ten good lines. For poems are not, as people think, simply emotions (one has emotions early enough)they are experiences. For the sake of a single poem you must see many cities, many people and Things, you must understand animals, must feel how birds fly, and know the gesture which small flowers make when they open in the morning. You must be able to think back to streets in unknown neighborhoods, to unexpected encounters, and to partings you had long seen coming; to days of childhood whose mystery is still unexplained, to parents whom you had to hurt when they brought in a joy and you didnt pick it up (it was a joy meant for somebody else--); to childhood illnesses that began so strangely with so many profound and difficult transformations, to days in quiet, restrained rooms and to mornings by the sea, to the sea itself, to seas, to nights of travel that rushed along high overhead and went flying with all the memories of many nights of love, each one different from all the others, memories of women screaming in labor and of light, pale, sleeping girls who have just given birth and are closing again. But you must also have been beside the dying, must have sat beside the dead in the room with the open window and the scattered noises. And it is not yet enough to have memories. You must be able to forget them when they are many, and you must have the immense patience to wait until they return. For the memories themselves are not important. Only when they have changed into our very blood, into glance and gesture, and are nameless, no longer to be distinguished from ourselvesonly then can it happen that in some very rare hour the first word of a poem arises in their midst and goes forth from them. (Selected 91) Rilke, writing as Brigge, offers an insight which is key for understanding the difference between writing which expresses or evokes emotion or sensation using poetic strategy (among which we can count every kind of textual entertainment including graphic horror stories and pornography) and writing which is the fruit of poetic inquiry-- which Brigge here simply calls poemswriting which puts poetic strategies in the service of a kind of spiritual or emotional truth rather than entertainment. Brigge observes poems are not, as people think, simply emotions (one has emotions early enough)they are experiences. Brigges claim that For the sake of a single poem you must see many cities, many people and Things, you must understand animals, must feel how birds fly, and know the gesture which small flowers make when they open in the morning is a notion which makes explicit how much deeply pondered experience is necessary to fulfill the work of transmuting life into truth (Emersons description of poetic inquiry from The American Scholar). Theres so much raw stuff of life and so much contemplation thats required in order to distill a small and potent quantity of truth (ten good lines) from that life in order to express it as an experience in poetic strategy. Any hastily written melodrama can prod our emotions; only writing which is the fruit of poetic inquiry offers an experience, which is to say, offers us the world as dipped in and transformed by the authors consciousness. Yet we might observe that in the above passage Brigge figures the transmutation the world via poetic inquiry into symbol or poem (experience) as primarily an act that transforms the poet. Hirshfield comments that this kind of transformation affects not just the poet but the community touched by the poets transmutative work: In writing lit by a liminal consciousness [i.e., Possibility], the most common words take on the sheen of treasuretransformed in meaning for the entire community because they have been dipped in the mind of openness and connection. (208) So the poet (or poetic inquirer) is one who is able through Possibility to see the sensuous facts of life as symbols, and to name and express this seeing via poetic strategies in such a way that the symbolic quality of these facts becomes intelligible to others. As does Hirshfield, Emerson also claims that this making-intelligible is a valuable act because it has a liberating effect on everyone who encounters it: The metamorphosis (i.e. the passage of the soul into higher forms made apparent by the poet [297]) excites in the beholder an emotion of joy. The use of symbols has a certain power of emancipation and exhilaration for all men. We seem to be touched by a wand which makes us dance and run about happily, like children. We are like persons who come out of a cave or cellar into the open air. This is the effect on us of tropes, fables, oracles and all poetic forms. Poets are thus liberating gods. Men have really got a new sense, and found within their world another world, or nest of worlds; for, the metamorphosis once seen, we divine that it does not stop. What a joyful sense of freedom we have [] when Plato calls the world an animal, and Timaeus affirms that the plants are also animals; or affirms a man to be a heavenly tree, growing with his root, which is his head, upward; and, as George Chapman, following him, writes, So in our tree of man, whose nervie root Springs in his top;-When Orpheus speaks of hoariness as that white flower which marks extreme old Age; when Proclus calls the universe the statue of the intellect; when Chaucer, in his praise of Gentilesse, compares good blood in mean condition to fire, which, though carried to the darkest house betwixt this and the mount of Caucasus, will yet hold its natural office and burn as bright as if twenty thousand men did it behold; when John saw, in the Apocalypse, the ruin of the world through evil, and the stars fall from heaven as the fig tree casteth her untimely fruit; when Aesop reports the whole catalogue of common daily relations through the masquerade of birds and beasts; we take the cheerful hint of the immortality of our essence and its versatile habit and escapes, as when the gypsies say of themselves it is vain to hang them, they cannot die. Thus Emerson illustrates that various tropes or symbolic expressions ventured by diverse poetic inquirers all have the effect of giving the cheerful hint of the immortality of our essence or an intimation of the souls truth. These intimations of the souls becoming, of its metamorphosis in and through forms, are valuable because our tendency is to remain attached to and identified with the forms of our existence (including our thoughts, of which every one is also a prison), to a degree that we forget that these forms, these present thoughts, are not ultimately true. Through imaginative perception (Possibility) and symbolic articulation through poetic strategy which arises from that perception, the poetic inquirer offers forth a new thought, a fresh insight into the truth which has the virtue of drawing us out of our habitual or conventional understanding and into a felt freedom. This is the importance and value of poetic inquiry. Hirshfield also expresses this importance and value with powerful eloquence in Poetry and the Mind of Indirection: Poetry steals its way into meaning; by the time the intruder is recognized, the task is already accomplished. A poem is a detour we willingly subject ourselves to, a trick surprising us into the deepened vulnerability we both desire and fear. Its strategies of beauty, delay, and deception smuggle us past the border of our own hesitation. There is reason to fear: a great poem, like a great love, challenges our solitude, our conceptions, the very ground of being. Encountering such a poem, we tremble a little as we enter its gates. But the end, as in love, is to know and feel what could not be known or felt by any path less demanding. (126) Hirshfield figures poetry itself as an invader and poetic strategies as smugglers which take us past the border of our own hesitation. The choice to figure poetry and poetic strategies as criminals serves to underscore the outlaw nature of an activity which circumvents reason, and with it, the carefully built protections we maintain around the borders of our self and the known world. THE SECOND MOVEMENT OF POETIC INQUIRY IN THE CLASSROOM Both Emerson and Rilkes description of the process by which poetic inquirers generate liberating new thoughts by using symbolic language to make intelligible the ever-unfolding metamorphoses of the soul through form make the endeavor sound rather impossibly elevated. I agree with them that this work, when done at its best level, is one of profound intensity and vast revelation. I also think that versions of this same work can have value on a smaller scale when undertaken by persons who may regard themselves as somewhat less than liberating gods or even bees of the invisible. I also think its possible to guide people to partake of this process and that this guiding is an important avenue for education to take. Creative writing classes as they are currently taught are already teaching students to use the poetic strategies of gesture, drama, fiction and trope. What distinguishes poetic inquiry as an educational practice from creative writing as it is now understood is that poetic inquiry explicitly seeks to engage students in the use of poetic strategies as tools for discovering 117 contemplative truths (or, transcendentally speaking, for making the metamorphosis of soul through form apparent). What makes matters somewhat complex is that the term creative writing may actually be traced to Emersons address The American Scholar and in that context, it actually does specifically connote writing which is the fruit of poetic inquiry (which, as I previously noted, is a synonym for American scholarship), but this original Emersonian context for the term has since been forgotten in institutional parlance and creative writing has come to mean any kind of writing which is not merely for purposive communication (technical, professional, academic, etc.) but which foregrounds poetic strategies instead. Accordingly, creative writing instruction commonly does not stress the pursuit of deep truth via poetic strategies so much as it focuses upon guiding students to improve their craft, i.e., the deployment of poetic strategies in and of themselves. ON READING THE SOUL OF POETRY I framed Reading the Soul of Poetry itself as an inquiry about what poetic inquiry might be. This can be seen most clearly throughout the course description, and perhaps most especially in the last question it raises: Though continuously given popular approval in many arenas, soul-centered engagement with poetry and poetics has not previously enjoyed widespread acceptance within the modern secular research university; however, this mode of engagement has a great intellectual heritage stretching (at least) from Plato's Socrates in Ancient Greece to Ralph Waldo Emerson in nineteenth-century New England. In this course we will examine important texts in the history of poetics which theorize and / or perform the relationship of poetry to the soul. We will practice intensive (rather than extensive) reading of poetry, a mode of reading traditionally suggested as a means of expanding the soul's experience of poetry. We will engage in classroom exercises and experiments designed to create an atmosphere conducive to soulful response, expression, and evolution. We will expand our ability to write sensitively and articulately by practicing thinking-with poetry. This course has a distinctly Transcendentalist inspiration in all of its elements. In keeping with this inspiration, the overall tone of our activities will be one of festive optimism intended to facilitate an elevated consciousness in our engagement with poetry 119 and with each other. We will attend to and experiment with the power that Emerson claimed great poetry possesses: the power to alter and expand our awareness for the better, to liberate our thought and unite us to a larger conception of ourselves as interconnected beings. Key questions of this course are: What is the soul? What is poetry? What is poesis? Why would we want to think of ourselves as "souls"--or why not? What is the relationship of the soul to the imagination? What do we value in poetry? Can poetry harm the soul (as Plato's Socrates claimed)? How do we recognize something as "soulful" rather than as merely intellectual or emotional? How can we participate in intellectual community in a way that increases our capacity to experience life and one another? Do poems have souls? What happens when we think of our selves / souls as poems? What manners, attitudes and practices best foster positively transforming encounters with poems and with human beings? In asking What manners, attitudes and practices best foster positively transforming encounters with poems and with human beings? I was posing the question what are the attitudes and practices of poetic inquiry? I wanted us to practice ways of reading and interacting with poems which would put us into relationship with poetrys power to alter and expand our awareness for the better, to liberate our thought and unite us to a larger conception of ourselves as interconnected beings or, in other words, to move us into the condition I am now calling Possibility. On the first day of Reading the Soul of Poetry I sought, perhaps clumsily, to move us as a class into the condition of Possibility not via reading poetry (which we would practice later in the manner I have already described) but through a guided visualization and meditation. In an exercise titled Dwelling in Possibility I invited the class to imagine that it was the last day and we were reflecting on our experience. I had them close their eyes and relax as I read to them the text of the exercise, which I reproduce below: Fast-forward to December. Were sitting here in 151 together with our eyes closed, our feet flat on the floor, our hands open on our laps. We sit breathing, quietly reflecting about our past semester. As we reflect, we notice how nice it feels now that the defenses we sometimes carry around with us, our nervousness or our cynicism, our arrogance or shyness, our doubt or our suspicion have all become very light and transparent and no longer separate us from one another or burden us at all. We notice how good it feels also, now that all the negative experiences we have ever had in past English classes or with reading and writing seem very distant, very remote and small. We sit marveling together in this reflective silence about how Reading Poetry turned out to be a magical, wondrous, and transformative class for ourselves and for everyone around us. Somehow, we each learned something that our hearts very much wanted to know. We came to have great respect for one another, and we enjoyed more fun that we would have thought possible. Breathing slowly and deeply, we remember how we watched one another take positive risks: intellectually, socially, emotionally, spiritually, artistically. We found that encountering poetry turned out to give us all that we ever secretly hoped it would and more. We discovered that we were natural geniuses when it came to reading and writing poetry and reading and writing stuff about poetry. We feel a tingle of pride and pleasure as we think of the joy which came to us during a flush of creative inspiration that struck while we wrote for a writing assignment. We remember days in class when individuals surprised us with the brilliance and tenderness of the work they shared or the generosity they displayed while completing an experiment that we first thought was silly. We remember times when we surprised ourselves. We feel warm, deep satisfaction and relaxation with how far weve come as persons and as intellectuals during this semester. We feel unexpectedly, rather wildly pleased with ourselves and with everyone around us. We feel a confident ability to encounter the poetic in all its forms, to create the poetic in all its forms. We feel ourselves to be very compelling poems, and we can easily see the poetry sparkling all around us and around every one we meet. We sit breathing for a few moments, enjoying these happy memories. Now, opening our eyes on this December afternoon, we take a few minutes to write about all the details of our recollections of our fantastic semester which so exceeded our initial expectations. We write about exactly what weve learned and how weve changed. We write about what were proud to have contributed to the class via the assignments and experiments and Read-Arounds. We write about what weve discovered about ourselves and poetry and other people. Arguably, this exercise does not so much invite students to a liminal state of imaginative perception as it invites them to have positive expectations about the class. (I collected the students responses to this in-class writing and presented them to them on the actual last day of class and asked them to write about how their positive vision had or had not been fulfilled by the class.) Still, by asking students to envision that the defenses we sometimes carry around with us, our nervousness or our cynicism, our arrogance or shyness, our doubt or our suspicion have all become very light and transparent and no longer separate us from one another or burden us at all I was beginning to invite them to assume some of the undefended, surrendered, and vulnerable qualities that Possibility (as I am now using the term, not just in the sense of positive expectation) requires. CONSIDERING THE SOUL IN THE CLASSROOM Soon after issuing this initial invitation to Possibility / positive expectation, I offered to the class our first writing prompt, which both sought to engage them in the work of articulating the deep truth via poetic strategy (i.e., the second movement of poetic inquiry) and also in getting them to help me discover what the process of poetic inquiry might be. Asking someone to describe what an experience of poetry-as-new-thought (in the highest sense as anything which through its form has communicated to you some truth which liberates, expands, or elevates your perspective) might have to do with the soul is in one way asking them to describe what poetry has to do with the deep truth which is a way of asking what might poetic inquiry be? I reproduce the prompt below: Read-Around Prompt: Poetry and the Soul First, describe how you understand the term soul. What associations does the word invoke for you? Please be specific and in-depth. Do you think of catechism class or rhythm & blues? Something in-between? Do you think of yourself as being a soul, as having a soul or as being something other-than or not-related to soul at all? Second, describe a specific time when you had an intense encounter with poetry. Im talking about poetry in the deepest, highest sense as anything which through its form has communicated to you some truth which liberates, expands, or elevates your 123 perspective; Im talking about any encounter which has opened your eyes and shown you a new vista. Poetry is not confined to written verses or even to art. How did this encounter begin? What state of mind were you in when it struck? Where did it take place? How has it affected you? Through what medium did it arrive? Relate all the sensual and emotional details of the experience. Your encounter with the deepest and highest poetry might have happened via a dream, a film, a song, a conversation, a religious ritual, a meal, a party, a solitary walk, a random sign, a new person, an old friend, a poem, a novel, a painting. Or anywhere else. Poetry finds its way into our human experience through many surprising routes. When we recognize it and describe it we amplify its positive effect in our lives, we become more sensitive to it wherever it shows up, we invite more of it to come. Would you say that this intense encounter with poetry affected your soul? If you would, please explain why. If you wouldnt, please explain why. ________________________________________________________________________ NOTE: Your response to this prompt, as to all our Read-Around prompts, may take any generic form that you desire. You may write an autobiographical essay, a poem or series of poems, a fictional anecdote, or anything else. This prompt, like most of our prompts, addresses itself to you. It says, describe a specific time when you had an intense encounter with poetry (italics added for emphasis). In your written response to this prompt, you may imagine the you it addresses to be yourself as you usually regard yourself, or you may imagine it to be addressing some other character whom you will imaginatively inhabit, whose perspective you will write from. You are in no way limited to factual autobiographical response, though you are welcome to choose that route. I can now see that the note I gave to my students at the conclusion of this prompt was a gentle, tentative encouragement that they answer the questions the prompt raised about truth, poetry and the soul via poetic strategies (a poem or a series of poems, a fictional anecdote). I specifically offered to students the opportunity to use the poetic strategies of drama / persona (In your written response to this prompt, you may imagine the you it addresses to be yourself as you usually regard yourself, or you may imagine it to be addressing some other character whom you will imaginatively inhabit, whose perspective you will write from and fiction (You are in no way limited to factual autobiographical response). One happy effect of the invitation to poetic strategy in this first prompt being so gentle and tentative was perhaps that it allowed room for students who felt more comfortable responding in a more prosaic fashion to do so, thus easing them into the work of the class (through prose consideration of poetry and soul) rather than dropping them directly into the practice of poetic strategies. I myself chose to respond in the form of an autobiographical essay (see Part 2). Some students responded in a manner almost completely void of poetic strategy (I say almost since, language itself being fossil poetry [as Emerson reminds us in The Poet] no use of language can ever be entirely absent of poetic strategy). For example, Daniel Radin offered a definition of the soul that has an Aristotelian aridity: My understanding of the soul is based on the assumption that the soul is a noun, spiritual in nature, and that it is the most intimate and pure thing an individual possesses. Its what separates us from one another; each is our own exclusively. The soul is eternal, undying, and unalterable. I am happy to report that Radins willingness to step outside prosaic definition of the soul and to foray into symbolic utterance increased as the semester wore on he thereby fulfilled a major aim of the poetic education in which I attempted to enlist him. Other responses to this prompt startled me with the readiness with which they offered forth new thoughts by way of symbol. Molly Burkett wrote: Soul begins as the sun disappears into rays of red, orange, and blackpurple. When the pillows become my only vice and the night noises blend away into breathing rhythms and sleep sets like a sad disease. The rest of Burketts response, which I reproduced earlier, goes on to discuss dreaming and the relationship of dreams to the soul and poetic experience. Burketts response was one instance where the students work in Reading the Soul of Poetry helped to clarify for me what exactly the process of poetic inquiry (i.e., the relationship of poetic attitude and poetic strategy to deep truth or soul) might be. Burkett accomplished this in part by offering a metaphor that equates soul and dream: Soul begins as the sun disappears into rays of red, orange, and black-purple. This metaphor, as does the fruit of all poetic inquiry, offered to me a moving question: how is the soul a dream? What does the soul have to do with dreaming? Similarly, Hannah Swysgood offered a moving free verse titled SOUL whose symbolic expression is dramatic and incisive: Tingling. Vibrating. Pulsating. Flowing. A speck within. A force beyond unique. Recipe of self. Sensational knowing. Illuminating garden. Energy to reap. Infinity carried in an expendable womb. Origin unknown. Commonly divine. Existing reborn beyond the tomb. Eternally present. Momentarily mine. The lines Sensational knowing. / Illuminating garden. / Energy to reap. / Infinity carried in an expendable womb have a Blakean precision and sweep that strike me as remarkable and indeed incite in me the desire to dance and run about happily (as Emerson claims symbolic expressions are wont to do). For students such as Burkett and Swysgood who readily displayed a willingness and ability to participate in symbolic articulation, the work that we did together in the course functioned perhaps not as an introduction to poetic inquiry but rather as a deepening and making conscious, deliberate, and explicitly valued dimensions of this process in which they were already adept. ENGAGING THE POETICAL SELF AS AN ACT OF POETIC INQUIRY Soon after we shared our responses to the first writing prompt, I sought in another way to lead my students in the project of asking What is the deep truth? and answering via the use of poetic strategy. I invited them to come to class dressed as your poetical, possible, highly improbable self. This same experiment simultaneously acted as an invitation for them to enter the liminal condition of Possibility which is the necessary perspective of poetic inquiry. I reproduce the assignment below: Experiment: Come to Class Dressed as Your Poetical, Possible, Highly Improbable Self Rationale: We practice reading the written stuff of poetry only because that stuff can be a tremendous help to us in learning to read the poetry that is ever-present within and without us. To this end, were going to start our festivities by engaging with some of the poetry that we already are. The poetic attitude attends to the possible and extravagant rather than to the actual or probable. We have been trained to show up most of the time as our Prosaic, Probable, Conventional Selves. These Prosaic Selves have a lot of value: they allow us to be legible as normal, respectable persons in our society; they allow us to attract ready acceptance and approval as we move around the world. Theres only two big problems with our Prosaic, Probable, Conventional Selves: 1) they are boring 2) they dont know how to read or write poetry. Lurking just around the corners of our usual Prosaic, Probable, Conventional selves we all have Poetical, Possible, Highly Improbable Selves. These Poetical Selves intuitively understand, create, and respond to poetry because they fearlessly live in the sunlight under which the flowers of poetry growthe light of imagination. Our Poetical Selves are not fettered by demands to submit to conventions, to be normal, to raise no eyebrows. Instead, theyre extravagant, playful, strange, mysterious, dramatic. They let their Freak Flags Fly, as Donovan would say. Poetical, Possible, Highly Improbable Selves are the Selves we make up for ourselvesthey are the Selves we usually abandon because weve been told were not allowed to be those things, we should tone it down and fit in. Here, I invite you to show up for every meeting of the class as your liberated, Poetical Self. Instructions: Your task for Wednesday is to come dressed as your Poetical, Possible, Highly Improbable Self. Thats right. Were having a costume party! In order to come dressed as your Poetical, Possible, Highly Improbable Self you of course will need to have some sense of what that Self could look like. A good way to get in touch with the features of the Poetical Self is to ask, How did I like to dress up when I was a little kid? What games did I like to play? When I played pretend, what did I pretend to be? What game of pretend did I most enjoy? Its likely that as a child you pretended to be several things: I liked to be a witch, Wesley from A Princess Bride, a Greek Goddess, a gypsy, a Fairy Queen. My little brother liked to be Beast from Beauty and the Beast, Batman, Marilyn Monroe, and the Hulk. Amongst the characters you liked to pretend to be when you were a little kid theres very likely some character that still resonates with you. I invite you to choose that character and to totally dress up that way. You may not be able to find a full Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles costume on such short notice, but you can certainly find a Samurai headband. On the other hand, you may have a new and current realization of the style of your Poetical Self, which may have nothing to do with your childhood. Thats fine. In any case, to inspire you, here is a list of adornments that Poetical Selves have been known to wear: Feather Headdresses Evening gowns Silk scarves Face paint, Body Paint Rhinestones Costume jewelry Togas made from sheets High Heels Cowboy boots Glitter Fairy wings Really long fake finger nails Really long fake eyelashes Super-hero capes Mardi-Gras masks Ballet slippers Faux fur Sunglasses Fedoras Zoot suits Leather vests Tiaras Pirate eye patches Sherlock Holmes-style monocles Note: For more ideas about what to wear on Wednesday, do a Google image search for glam rock or steam punk. Second Note: Ill bring a bunch of my own dress-up stuff to supplement any outfits that appear to my seasoned judgment less than satisfactorily Poetical. If you do not want to wear my waist-length blue sequined Liberace jacket, you had best come up with something awesome of your own. I also gave students a writing prompt that asked them to describe the birth of your Poetical, Possible, Highly Improbable Self from the perspective of that self. When we met for class in our costumes, we took turns reading aloud our descriptions of these births. The experiment of dressing up indirectly asked students to find modes of dress that symbolized truths of their individual beings. It also asked them to venture into a liminal statea condition of (mild, temporary, playful) separation from their habitual or conventional identity brought about by setting aside their usual dress or augmenting it with strange accessories. The writing prompt gave an opportunity for students to further symbolize a truth of their being through a story of origin, a fable or myth. Several students responded to the prompt with stories of their birth that fit a fairly classic mythological mold (see the responses by Sean Brodarick, Kathleen Carl, and Hannah Swysgood in Part 1, Week 2). Kara Helmick-Nelson, who came to class simply dressed in brown-colored clothes, responded to this prompt with a story that was not from the perspective of the Poetical Self, but was rather a third-person narration about the Poetical Self whose strangeness impressed me. In class conversation, she informed us that the name of the protagonist of her story is Lump: Found to Loose In no particular time, there existed a large city loft, inhabited by a tight knit group of travelers. Being dear friends, and each hosting a multitude of unnecessary talents (writing ancient Sumerian, painting copies of Van Gogh's work using only toes...etc...) everyone came and went as they pleased, taking weekends to months to explore the world. In late April, phrenology specialist Brent Hoffman returned from Africa with a tiny form of unfired red clay. Setting it down on a copy of the "Tao Te Ching," he announced that this figure was a gift to the loft, a little something for all to enjoy. He smiled a crooked, coffee-stained grin, and walked out the door, bound for Iceland. No one at the loft ever saw Mr. Hoffman after that. It was a question of great debate if he had been killed by Vikings, or simply dropped by while everyone was sleeping. Either way, the rest of the travelers decided to build up his gift into a memorial. From all over the world, the travelers brought more clay of salmon, ochre, and chestnut. There was moss from the edges of clear brooks, limestone from deep earth beds, and sediment of all kinds from beaches, caves, and deserts. These elements were smeared, rubbed, glued, and generally stuck to the once small figure. Over years, and then decades, the figure turned into a life sized monstrosity that had been moved from the coffee table, to an empty corner of the room. Soon, most forgot that it was about Brent Hoffman, and saw the misshapen dirt clump in the corner as a musing earthy project of old. Then, once the time came, the travelers picked up their bags, and relocated to a sunny retirement community in southern Florida. The loft remained empty for a year, and the figure became lonely, and incredibly bored. The loft no longer felt right, and adorning an old polka dot dress that had been forgotten in a closet, she left. Taking to the streets, she knew that somebody else was needed, someone to love, or even to like. Renting a place here and there, nothing was ever quite right. She felt homesick no matter where she was, who she was with, or what she was doing. Feeling quite depressed, about all this, she decided to have a night in with a stack of Brat Pack movies, and a whole lot of Chinese food. It was this time in which she opened up a fortune cookie, throwing the crumbly bits aside. It read "Keep looking. Enjoy what you find." Needless to say, as these stories go, this was life changing advice. And so, her outlook had changed, perhaps not fully in that moment, but it was a start, as she mused over the best way to hold her dumplings with chopsticks. Helmick-Nelsons narrative subverts the notion that a magical or mythic birth must lead to a recognizably poetical self. Instead, we find an extraordinary birth followed by the emergence of a mundane self. By the conclusion of the brief story, Lump has become a rather recognizably mundane human: she feels lonely, rents movies, orders Chinese food, takes counsel from fortune cookies. Lumps ordinary loneliness belies her fantastic origins as a tiny form of red clay brought to a bohemian loft by a mysterious traveler and then subsequently built into a life-sized memorial to that traveler by the inhabitants of the loft. In the context of the assignment, Helmick-Nelsons story seems to suggest that the ordinary is the magic or poetic. The qualities of resistance and subversion that I find in Layiwolas and in Helmick-Nelsons responses (i.e. both students creatively pushed back against the assignments I offered them) reminds me that refusal to meet expectations or demands of authority is an important dimension of entering the liminal condition / Possibility and thus of engaging in poetic inquiry. I think of these lines of Dickinsons: Im ceded Ive stopped being Theirs The name They dropped opon my face With water, in the country church Is finished, using, now, And they can put it with y Dolls, My childhood, and the string of spools, Ive finished threading too(Fr 353) In this poem, Dickinson rejects the identity and expectations put upon her by family and society as she enters into a liminal mode of namelessness and spiritual self-reliance. On reflection, its now clear to me that in order for some students to conduct their poetic inquiries (to enter a condition of enlarged freedom and imagination and then speak symbolically from that condition), they need to make space for themselves by rejecting, resisting, or subverting my teacherly expectations (explicit or implied). INQUIRING ABOUT THE NATURE OF POETRY The next prompt which I asked my students to complete, Articulate Your Poetics, also sought, as did the first prompt on Poetry and the Soul, to enlist their help in thinking about what the important processes of poetry might be. Read-Around Prompt: Articulate Your Poetics Consideration In this class so far, weve engaged in practices designed to raise our awareness of the poetic in ourselves and in our reading. Weve endeavored to receive the gift of poetry, to allow it to augment our consciousness, to expand our imagination. From this intense engagement with poetry we have earned the authority to speak about what poetry is and what it should do. Poetics is a cool word which means theory of poetry. Its anything which answers issues like these: Who are poets? What is poetry? How should we choose what poetry to read and what to ignore? How do we recognize great poetry? How exactly is it that poetry manages to affect us when its just words on paper or words read aloud? What makes the experience of reading a poem different from the experience of reading text on the back of a cereal box? Why should we bother reading poetry at all when theres so many funny youtube videos to keep us busy? These are not easy questions. Our answers to them will reflect our assumptions and intuitions about the nature of language, reality, knowledge, experience, perception. Emersons essay The Poet represents one attempt to raise and answer such questions. Hydes reading of Whitman extends and builds upon Emersons thought by including an involved theory of gifts. At this early point in our study, we might not be able to provide answers as philosophically informed as those that Emerson or Hyde puts forth. But by beginning to think through and form our thoughts around these matters, we begin the process of articulating our own poetics. The early stages of our process of articulation will draw our attention to the places where we may have deadened our thought to lively possibilities by accepting conventional ideas about poetic value which are not actually 136 true in our own experience. As authors of our own poetics, we become sophisticated readers of poetic writing. Instructions Write 2 pages (theres no option to write 1 page this time) describing your thoughts about what poetry is, what it should or can do, how we should interact with it, and how to recognize poetic value. You can certainly draw upon Hirschs, Emersons, Whitmans, or Hydes thought. Youre also welcome to consider other points of view that you may have encountered outside of this particular class. And youre certainly welcome to put forth your original perspective on the matter. NOTE: This read-around is a preparation for our Essay 2. I will give you feedback on this read-around to help you write Essay 2, which will be due in your portfolio on October 18. The questions I raised in the prompt (How do we recognize great poetry? How exactly is it that poetry manages to affect us when its just words on paper or words read aloud? What makes the experience of reading a poem different from reading the text on the back of a cereal box? Why should we bother to read poetry at all?) are all questions I grappled with as I sought to articulate for myself and for my students exactly what poetic inquiry might consist in and why it matters. Throughout the teaching of Reading the Soul of Poetry I was in a condition of Possibility when it came to these questionsI really wanted to know their answers, had a few clues, and yet felt acutely aware of my lack of certainty. Perhaps part of what made Reading the Soul of Poetry a successful course was the very fact that it was itself a project of inquiry, of me trying to figure out alongside the students what could be important, useful, or valuable in poetry. Many times over in the work of teaching the course I found that my students responses to the prompts did indeed help me in my research, and most potently so when they worked as poetic inquiries, answering the prompts using poetic strategies, as did Molly Burkett in her response to the prompt on Poetry and the Soul and as did Hannah Swysgood in her response to the Articulate Your Poetics prompt: What are poets? Selfish, egotistical, longing to be admired loved and respected? Is their declaration I AM AWESOME, WITNESS MY AWESOMENESS! Or rather do they prompt, I find this awesome, and maybe you will too? Are they answering or asking a question, provoking conversation, thought, evoking emotion, creating conflict or resolving it? Is the subject matter, the muse, more important to the poet than his or her own individual experience with that muse? Are poets mediums? Do they exist to translate the stories of the untold, the stories only apparent to those who reside in a gifted state? If so, why print their names on their poetry. Why claim their work if the inspiration is the focal point? Is that not a distraction? A craftsman should hold his craft above himself. Creative writing vs. poetry, who is to determine? Is poetry in the eye or soul of the beholder? If it has touched at least one, can it be discarded? Am I awesome to hold my words in such high regards to print them on paper? Yes, some would say I must believe that to be true. Relations between subject and poet, poet and poetry, poetry and audience, audience back to subject. Cyclic, incestual, soul sharing. Tiny arrows attached to strings shoot through my being. Those strings attached to something or someone, elsewhere in this universe, elsewhere in time perhaps, but who is the archer? Why does one choose to tug those strings, to see what tugs back? To find resistance? To discover what anchors it, or to discover why that anchor is connected to oneself? What part of you has its arrow pierced? Did it pass through others on its way to you? What DNA does its tip possess? What entrails drip and hang from its string? The blood and guts of a strangers soul juice intimately adulterate with your own, to hybridize an original masterpiece, and yes, I believe it will be a masterpiece if the infiltration was embraced. No longer are they a stranger; they become lovers and siblings. Your soul ages, doubles and triples as the relationship with this foreign plasma ripens. I refuse to think otherwise. Who are you old woman? What authority do you have? Trying to rob a young mind of its uniquely glorious rendezvous with Frost? Incorrect. Incorrect? You dare? I heard the Birds Song, and it was not the same. I sat in the garden, and it was not biblical, not to me. I was virgin. I saw it pure. I felt it untainted. I welcomed the penetration. A solicitous dictator you are. Your attempts to have my soul prostituted as you did your own were stillborn. Riding those who came before you has made you bitter and blind. And I however, remain awesomebut I digress. I do not claim to get at the meaning of poems (Whitman), or create poetry myself, because I insist that poetry can only be declared by those on the receiving end, and that the awesomeness of the creators of great work lies in their ability to evoke passion in the souls of the masses, as varied as that passion may be, not to deliver a mass meaning to the few dedicated scholars who choose to search for it. Swysgood begins her response with an inquiry surrounding the motivation of poets and their relationship to inspiration. Her questions have a rapid-fire energy of urgency and seem troubled by the issue of how a poet might simultaneously act as a medium of a larger creative power (i.e., soul) and also presume to take individual credit for the productions which emerge through that powers influence. Her question, Creative writing vs. poetry, who is to determine? foregrounds an issue that also troubles mehow to distinguish writing which merely uses poetic strategies from writing which uses poetic strategies in such a way that brings forth a new thought (i.e. poetic inquiry). Thus far, my answer to this question is very simple and subjective; its the same thought that Emily Dickinson offered to H.W. Higginson: If I feel as if the top of my head has been taken off, I know that is poetry. After initiating her inquiry, Swysgood moves on to offer a visceral imagination of the relationship between subject and poet, poet and poetry, poetry and audience, audience back to subject by means of trope. She presents an image of what it is to receive poetry, Cyclical, incestual, soul sharing. Tiny arrows attached to strings shoot through my being. This vivid image then raises further questions and thereby expands into an elaborated conceit: These strings attached to something in someone, elsewhere in the universe, elsewhere in time perhaps but who is the archer? The query who is the archer? is one of striking depth, reaching to discover Whitmans Origin of All Poems. Among these tropic questions are ones which help me to think through the ways in which readerly resistance can be an entrance to Possibility (something which can be very difficult for me to get my mind aroundas if impossible to encompass): Why does one choose to tug those strings, to see what tugs back? To find resistance? To discover what anchors it, or to discover why that anchor is connected to oneself? As Swysgood here imagines it, it seems that tugging is a way of responding to the connective claims of poetry that tests it, and by this testing seeks to locate its origin in both the other and the self. I begin to wonder: was Layiwolas response to Whitman a form of tugging? Swysgoods vision of poetic communication as string-bound arrows which infiltrate and hybridize reader, subject, poet in a way thats simultaneously sexual, familial and viral is arresting, nearly hystericaland, it seems to me, quite accurate. It brings to my mind Emily Dickinsons likewise disturbing figuration of affective poetic transmission: A Word dropped careless on a Page May consecrate an Eye When folded in perpetual seam The Wrinkled Author lie Infection in the sentence breeds We may inhale Despair At distances of Centuries From the Malaria (Fr 1268) Both Swysgoods response to the prompt and Dickinsons poem evince anxiety about the intentions and motivations (or lack thereof) of the absent, authoring poet. Ive already noted the presence of this anxiety in Swysgoods inquiry. We can see it in the very opening line of Dickinsons poem, A Word dropped Careless on a Page: as the poem unfolds, the carelessness which with the word was dropped seems monstrously out of proportion with the words negative affective power. Both Swysgoods and Dickinsons figuration of how it is that poetry communicates feeling states invoke the specters of invasive disease (Dickinsons Infection and Malaria; Swysgoods blood and guts of a strangers soul juice and infiltrate) and sex (Dickinsons in the sentence breeds [italics mine] and Swysgoods intimately adulterate and lovers and siblings). Both figurations highlight the potentially troubling or dangerous dimension of what can happen when soul advents through form (of poetic communication, of soul communication) a dimension which I tend to blithely ignore, buoyed by an optimism which believes I can emerge essentially unscathed from any encounter with poetic, soulful alterityno matter how intense. Though my own reading experience at times belies this optimism, I maintain it perhaps as a denial which enables me to continue reading rather than shutting down my exploration out of fear. I also notice in Swysgoods complexly visceral articulation of her poetics an essential hope that the poetic encounter, dangerous as it may be, when fully received and yielded to, can bring forth something great: The blood and guts of a strangers soul juice intimately adulterate with your own, to hybridize an original masterpiece, and yes, I believe it will be a masterpiece if the infiltration was embraced. Here the term masterpiece seems both to indicate a condition of the soul which has been somehow elevated and perfected by its intimate adulteration with anothers poetry (the blood and guts of a strangers soul juice) and also to suggest the production of a new, highly accomplished and original work of art which is only made possible by the encounter and hybridization with the poem-as-alterity. My reading that the masterpiece whose emergence Swysgood hails is not only a work of art but also a condition of the soul itself brought about through the reading encounter is supported by Swysgoods statement Your soul ages, doubles and triples as the relationship with this foreign plasma ripens. The notion of the soul aging and becoming larger (doubles and triples) through its relationship with poetry recalls to me Edward Hirschs insight that poetry is a soul-making activity (an insight which is itself an expansion on Keats claim that this world is a vale of Soul-making.) Swysgoods response now turns to give further questions about authority, now not only of poets themselves but of poetry teachers and scholars. This query takes the form of an angry address to a past poetry teacher: Who are you old woman? What authority do you have? Trying to rob a young mind of its uniquely glorious rendezvous with Frost? Incorrect. Incorrect? You dare? I heard the Birds Song, and it was not the same. I sat in the garden, and it was not biblical, not to me. I was virgin. I saw it pure. I felt it untainted. I welcomed the penetration. A solicitous dictator you are. Your attempts to have my soul prostituted as you did your own were stillborn. Riding those who came before you has made you bitter and blind. This address appears to me as a reclamation of readerly self-reliance. In dramatic monologue, Swysgood defends the authenticity of her own imaginative reading encounter with a Frost poem against the stifling charge of Incorrect offered by a poetry teacher who is more concerned with the meaning of poems than with their Origin and fruit. Finally, Swysgood concludes her response with a gesture of impressive humility: I do not claim to create poetry myself, because I insist that poetry can only be declared by those on the receiving end. Swysgoods decision here to surrender any claim to create poetry myself as a resolution to the problem she highlights with regards to poetic authority and attribution is a kind of fierce modesty which also recalls Dickinsons renunciation which is also a simultaneous gesture towards relationship (Im Nobody! / Who are you? / Are you Nobody too? / Then theres a pair of us! / Dont tell! theyd advertise you know! [Fr 260]). THE ZEALOUS BOX: EXPLORING THE GIFT ECONOMY OF POETIC Following our efforts to articulate our poetics, I invited my students to participate in an experiment titled the Poetry Gift Exchange. Our undertaking this experiment followed our reading of Lewis Hydes essay A Draft of Whitman from his book The Gift: Creativity and the 143 Artist in the Modern World. Wed already practiced becoming receptive to the immaterial gift at work in Whitmans poetry and now we would practice giving a symbolic material item meant to represent the immaterial idea of poetry: Experiment Instructions: Poetry Gift Exchange Find, buy, or create an item that to you represents poetry which you will give to a random classmate. Write a letter about this item, describing why and how it represents poetry to you, and telling how you hope the person who receives the gift will benefit from it. Bring your gift and your letter to class on Monday, October 11th. I invite you to put thought and effort into this gift. You dont know who will receive it, its for no traditional occasionbut the process of generating and then gifting this item can take you very close to the heart of the magic that were trying to access in this class. Let your gift reflect the fullest range of your thought about what poetry might, could, or should be and do. Surprise us and yourself with your generosity and brilliance. Though I asked students to offer as a gift a concrete symbol of poetry, my motivation for orchestrating the Poetry Gift Exchange was not simply to engage my students in symbolic thinking (though this is incredibly important to the project of poetic inquiry); I was also interested to experience how the phenomenon of concrete giving and receiving would work to create a movement of soul or Geist within the classroom itself, a movement which my reading of Hyde caused me to anticipate. Any class early in a semester is a collection of discrete individuals without much relation to one another; as the semester progresses, a class often gains coherence as a community through its cumulative experience of sharing ideas. This coherence, Hyde might say, is a direct consequence of the act of free giving and receiving, as gift economies tend to create intimate associations (meanwhile, commodity economies, i.e., buying and selling, tend to emphasize separation and difference). I hypothesized that a concrete gift exchange would activate the soulful energies of a gift economy in a more direct and perhaps speedy manner than the sharing of thoughts which tends to cohere a class over time. In other words, I theorized that a concrete exchange of gifts might be one way for us to shift together into a condition of Possibility. On the day of the exchange, everyone held their items and their letters on their desks. I began the process by sharing with the group a letter from our classmate, Aradhana Purker, who had been in a severe car accident the week prior. Though suffering from brain swelling and dizziness and unable to attend class or read or write, Purker (far exceeding anything I would have expected or asked from someone in her circumstance) went ahead and completed the experiment assignment by dictating a letter to her mother which was then sent to me via email. Purker had spoken to us previously of her studying to prepare to specialize in neurosurgery; the fact that she subsequently experienced a brain injury and then herself required the attention of neurospecialists is no happy coincidence, but it is noteworthy. I reproduce Purkers letter here because it so stirred me, and set the tone for our whole exchange: I am in the hospital as I write this letter and am pretty much restrained to this room, so finding a gift that represents what poetry means to me is a bit of a challenge. But, just looking around at my surroundings, I guess I would say that everything here represents poetry to me. Well, may be not the dull walls or the just sanitized way-tooclean smell, but the idea of a hospital and all the things inside it that heal you. But even then, I guess buying a whole hospital is impossible, so if I could choose something to give you, I would buy you a stethoscope, as it is the universal symbol of medicine and healing. From our brief chats in class, Im sure you know I want to be a doctor. My reason for wanting to be one however stems from a need to want to make a difference in someones life. I believe that after you die, who you are is how people remember you. So if I can positively affect the life of one human being or if I can heal just one person so that they can live a full life (whether they remember me or not), I think that I will die satisfied knowing that I made this world a slightly better place. Be the change you want to see in the world, right? And thats what poetry means to me. Im sure youre thinking: thats a rather strange analogy. But you see, just like medicine heals your body, poetry, in my opinion, heals your soul. Whether its writing about your feelings or reading what someone else wrote and thinking, Wow, that person just said what I feel more perfectly than I could ever have imagined, poetry gives you a means of expressing anything and everything. Expression that is often times so liberating that it heals you. I honestly dont think I wouldve ever thought about poetry in this way had it not been for reading Song of Myself, by Walt Whitman. That poem holds more meaning to me than I could describe in words because reading it helped me experience a catharsis; I literally felt as though the thoughts it inspired made me a more whole human being a healed human being because it expressed me and who I was at that particular moment better than I could have ever done. And Im sure that there are other people in this world who have experienced the same healing effect I felt after a reading or writing a poem they felt expressed them. The poem changed them, just liked it changed me. And the poem made an impact, whether it be a small dent or a gaping hole, on who they were. And for that reason, I whole-heartedly believe that poetry is therapy and poetry is healing. Its like medicine, but for your soul. So as my gift to you, I would hand you a stethoscope because it represents healing; it represents not only what poetry does, but what poetry is. Purkers conclusion that poetry is therapy and poetry is healing does not represent a novel thought; its a concept at least as old as Plato. What struck me so powerfully about her letter is the gravitas of its rhetorical situation: here is a woman willing to make a strong claim for poetrys healing quality who is herself in a predicament where the matter of healing is hugely urgent and not in the least abstract: healing is both what she requires for her own body and also what she aspires to give to others. I was also struck by how Purker, a person who at the start of the semester nervously professed to not be able to think creatively or to get poetry at all, totally got it. Her experience of Whitmans healing impact on her soul had a reverberating healing effect on me. At that point in the semester, Id allowed my ever-present doubts about the value of my concern with the soul of poetry to become loud and troubling. Why was I so intent on swimming upstream? Why couldnt I just stick with literary studies as it had been taught to me: produce a normal dissertation, teach a regular reading poetry class? For that matter, why had I ever come to graduate school to begin with? Purkers letter allayed my doubts about the value of my teaching. The letter, as I noted before, doesnt offer an original argument about poetry: it doesnt argue at all, reallyit reports an experience. This, in part, reflects the fact that I did not teach the work of making arguments about poetry in the class; I instead focused on guiding students to be receptive to writing which in my estimate offered the potential for soulful encounter and thus an incitement to poetic inquiry. This approach rewarded me many times overas students expressed their experiences I myself felt nourished and enlivened. The class followed our Poetry Gift Exchange by responding to a prompt that directly asked students to participate in both movements of poetic inquiry (entering into Possibility and speaking-forth from Possibility using poetic strategies): Read-Around Prompt: Responding-Forth to the Gift Consideration In his essay, The Labor of Gratitude (which comes from the same book as A Draft of Whitman), Lewis Hyde writes: The future artist finds himself or herself moved by a work of art, and, through that experience, comes to labor in the service of art until he can profess his own gifts. Those of us who do not become artists nonetheless attend to art in a similar spirit. We come to painting, to poetry, to the stage, hoping to revive the soul. And any artist whose work touches us earns our gratitude. It is when art acts as an agent of transformation that we may correctly speak of it as a gift I would like to speak of gratitude as a labor undertaken by the soul to effect the transformation after a gift has been received. (59-60) As Hyde explains, there are two phases of accepting a gift: receiving and responding. We received Whitmans gift. Then we received gifts of poetry from our classmates. Now its time for us to focus on responding forth from the perspective of our gifted selves, which is a labor of gratitude that transforms us. Though valid and important responses to the gift of poetry include all manner of inspired actions and creations, for the purpose of this class well focus on responding forth in poetic writing. (Notice that I didnt say with a poem. The word poem, Im beginning to suspect, carries perhaps too many limiting connotations). Our labor of gratitude will be the work of trying to write something that develops, expresses, and passes on to others the gift that weve received. I ask that in response to the gift of poetry that youve received thus far (from Whitman, from your classmate, from reading something else) that you offer 1-2 pages of poetic writing. Aim to produce writing thats full of Geist (soul), rich in stirring aesthetic ideas and troping language that cant be assimilated by the rational mind or reduced to paraphrase. Hyde tells us, A work of art that enters us to feed the soul offers to initiate in us the process of the gifted self which some antecedent gift initiated in the poet. Reading the work, we feel gifted for a while, and to the degree that we are able, we respond by creating new work (251 A Draft of Whitman). I suggest that you write from that gifted state, and allow your labor of writing to transform you. In this prompt I used Hydes theory of creative gift exchange in order to ask students to acknowledge the extent to which theyd already been moved to enter the condition of Possibility via our class experiments and practices of reading (We received Whitmans gift. Then we received the gifts of poetry from our classmates) and then requested that they speak forth from this condition of Possibility using poetic strategy (Now its time for us to focus on responding forth from the perspective of our gifted selves, which is a labor of gratitude that transforms us well refocus on responding forth in poetic writing). Specifically, I asked that they speak forth in a manner that could inspire others to enter Possibility and generate further poetic inquiry by asking for writing that develops, expresses, and passes on to others the gift that weve received and thats full of Geist (soul), rich in stirring aesthetic ideas and troping language that cant be assimilated by the rational mind or reduced to paraphrase. My request that they use language rich with Geist followed upon class activities in which we discussed Kants On the nature of genius and read William Blakes A Sick Rose and Dickinsons This World is Not Conclusion with attention to the ways those works succeeded in bringing-forth soul (Geist) via poetic strategies that generate movement non-encompassable by rational thought. These class activities represented the practice of reading to learn poetic strategy rather than the practices of reading I discussed in the first part of this treatise (contemplative reading, intensive reading, and thinking-with) which are all primarily modes of reading-to-enter-Possibility. Now looking at this prompt, I am struck by how little specific instruction it offers on the use of poetic strategy in the work of responding-forth. It may be that I spent too little time in Reading the Soul of Poetry in instructing students on the use of poetic strategy. To a large degree, I asked them to draw upon what they already knew of poetic strategy from prior experience and from our class readings of Blake and Dickinson in order to offer forth their own aesthetical ideas / new thoughts. I began to overcome my reticence in giving specific instructions about the use of poetic strategy in the final two writing prompts of the semester (Elemental Odes and The Lyric Essay). I think part of my reluctance to give this kind of direction arose out of my self-consciousness about the course being a literature class, with the official title Reading Poetry. I felt I was already perhaps stretching matters by asking students to produce their own poetic writing in a course on Reading Poetry, so to spend our class time teaching them exactly how to use poetic strategies perhaps felt like going too far to me at the time. Despite my likely inadequate instructions about how to use poetic strategies, many of my students did a fantastic job of it anyway. One student, Daniel Radin, whose work for the class had previously manifested a kind of dutiful prosiness, surprised me by offering a delightful poem rich with gesture and trope, whose effervescent rhymes and puns somehow remind me both of Andrew Marvell and Alexander Pope: A Gift For You A zealous box, within it lies Bricks of mortar in apple pies A coat in summers heat does shiver Three lovely takers and a jealous giver Stairs too steep and tall to find Gentle fragments sewn by time Young students learning of life itself Teachers speaking down to Santas elf Fuzzy bristles of a peach A lost and long forgotten beach With tides that wrinkle its frothy shore My childhood idol who I adore Stands under the cavernous wood Preaching evils name in good Choking on the smoking screen Drowning in a forgotten dream Only to awaken drenched in tears Crying in spite of cleverer fears For each wiser than the next Climbed highest mountain in Tibet Stars to far apart to blame Winds that echo Marys name Bullets ripping through today Try to keep all wolves at bay Hardly clipping naive dove Hugs that reach from heaven above Hearing words that were never spoken Building temples once were broken Ratting out the mice and moles Filling all the doughnut holes Losing teeth, becoming man Spraying on a native tan Learning when its time to pray Shadows growing old and gray Milked to emptiness nutrition Atheists and superstition Temper tantrum fiercely furious Adolescent purely curious Ecstasy precedes surprise Frozen solid by your eyes Swaying back and forth in place The gift we hold is back on pace. In my estimation, Radins A Gift to You succeeds in offering what the assignment requested: writing thats full of Geist (soul), rich in stirring aesthetical ideas and troping language that cant be assimilated by the rational mind or reduced to paraphrase. Furthermore, its emergence from a student who, previous to our work in class meant to help us enter the imaginative perspective of Possibility evinced little imaginative proclivity suggests to me that Radin indeed wrote from a gifted state, an expanded condition of Possibility initiated by our class readings and experiments. Radins poem is the sort that would have been torn apart in the creative writing workshops I attended as an undergraduate and probably in many such workshops that are offered today: its rhymed couplets are hopelessly unfashionable and perhaps easily misread as unsophisticated. I wish to offer a reading of the poem that underlines the way that it succeeds in offering an aesthetical Idea. We begin by noticing that everything the poem lists its big bouncing catalogue of things and persons and actions and stages of lifeis what the speaker reports as existing inside a zealous box. Since the title of the poem is A Gift for You, I gather that the zealous box is a kind of boxed present: its manifold contents are the gift being offered. The notion of a boxed gift containing a vast array of stuff ranging from the surreally nonsensical (Bricks of mortar in apple pies) and mythic (Three lovely takers and a jealous giver a reference to the goddesses with Paris and the golden apple?) to the menacing (Bullets ripping through today) and wryly political (Spraying on a native tan) is itself an aesthetical Idea, a thought which cannot be he compassed by the rational mind. The poem then raises questions (i.e., it inquires of me as a reader): in what ways are these gifts? On what authority does the speaker give them? My mind is held open within the condition of Possibility as I contemplate the question. Gradually, I become inclined to read A Gift for You it as a kind of Ars Poetica: the gift (the zealous box) holds an allegorical poetrypoetry which includes a vast assortmentthat which we have already noted, along with the impossible (Stairs too steep and tall to find), the pleasurable (fuzzy bristles of a peach), the shocking (My childhood idol who I adore /Stands under the cavernous wood / Preaching evils name in good ), and the mysteriously intuited (Hearing words that were never spoken). All of this is offered in a manner which suggests that the giver is powerfully transfixed by the one to whom he offers his present: Frozen solid by your eyes / Swaying back and forth in place / The gift we hold is back on pace. I read these concluding lines as the speaker of the poem performatively enacting a present-tense meeting with the reader which is of a distinct intensity. Its as if the giver at this moment is giving beyond his own choicetheres something about being frozen solid and swaying back and forth in place which suggests a state of involuntary hypnosis. As I read these lines I am guided to consider the degree to which the author is beholden to the reader, constrained like Trilby by Svengali, forced to give forth a creative gift on demand. These connotations of a creative gift brought forth via hypnotic compulsion provide me with both a means of thinking about the artist-audience relationship in general and also with a means of considering something that has already come up as I regarded other outstanding student responses to the prompts I designed: the complex situation of poetic inquiry performed within a classroom context, as work for which a grade will be given and credit toward a degree will be earned. In this classroom context, the gift here, Radins poem is to some extent not given freely. In a sense, I called it forth through the exercise of my institutional authorityif Radin had declined to complete the assignment (which asked explicitly for a gift), he would have had to accept the consequence of a lowered grade. In this situation-specific interpretation of the poems concluding lines, I myself am the reader-as-Svengali, the one whose eyes cause the speaker to freeze solid, sway, and hold forth an offering against (or perhaps beyond) his will. It is interesting for the purposes of this reading for me to recall that Svengali not only compelled Trilby to sing under his hypnotic influence, but also that Trilby could not sing at all otherwiseshe was tone deaf. Its not comfortable for me to envision myself in the role of teacher-as-Svengali compelling the student-as-Trilby to sing beautifully beyond his normal capacity, though the concluding lines of the poem and the situation of its emergence do suggest this. Perhaps it could be argued that poetic inquiry is something that should not be taught in a university. Such an argument might go like this: poetic inquiry (the pursuit of truth via poetic perception and articulation), should be a free project, compelled and graded by no one. Perhaps the teaching of it should happen, but should be a free service rather than something offered in exchange for tuition, and the learning of it should happen, but should be a free study rather than something done to fulfill a requirement for a degree. The very presence of institutional evaluation existing between the teacher / reader and student / poetic inquirer could be seen as grossly complicating the teaching of poetic inquiry, leading to a situation in which the student is asked to offer forth the fruits of poetic inquiry (i.e. gifts) with the awareness that these fruits will not be primarily received and gratefully appreciated as gifts (which I would say is the appropriate way that the fruits of poetic inquiry should be received) but will be rather assessed and graded, used to evaluate the students performance. When one gives a Christmas present, one knows that the receiver of the present may enjoy it very much or very little, but the purpose of the giving is to inspire goodwill and connectionone does not give a Christmas present in hopes of receiving a good grade and course creditand if one does, then one has grossly misunderstood the spirit of the gift exchange to the point of participating in bribery rather than giving. THE DREAMERS OF DREAMS: USING DREAMS AS RESOURCES FOR Building upon the insight that poetic inquiry is something that happens at night as we dream, I designed an experiment and prompt for Reading the Soul of Poetry which sought to help students consciously extend the work of poetic inquiry in which their psyches were already engaged. I first asked students to keep a dream journal for two weeks: Experiment Instructions: Keep a Dream Journal Consideration At the conclusion of his essay, The Poet, Emerson gives a rousing encouragement to the potential poet in all of us: Doubt not, O poet, but persist. Say It is in me, and shall out. Stand there, balked and dumb, stuttering and stammering, hissed and hooted, stand and strive, until at last rage draw out of thee that dream-power which every night shows thee is thine own; a power transcending all limit and privacy, and by virtue of which a man is the conductor of the whole river of electricity (305). In this experiment, we will make a conscious record of our experiences with an extraordinary creative power: the force that generates our dreams, the force which is somehow beyond us and yet also our own. It is by connecting with this dream-power that we can gain access to the whole river of electricity and expand our abilities of perception and expression. In other words, through relating to our dreams we nurture ourselves as poets, and in so doing we become more sensitive and responsive readers of other peoples poetry. Starting tomorrow morning and continuing until our class meeting on Wednesday, November 3, keep a dream journal. Put a notebook and pen by your bed. When getting ready to sleep at night, firmly tell yourself, When I wake Ill remember my dreams. I will totally remember my dreams tomorrow! Imagine yourself waking up in the morning with perfect recall of your dreams and happily writing them out. Then go to sleep. When you wake in the morning, grab your notebook and pen and immediately write about what you can remember of your subconscious adventures. Some tips: - If you should wake early in the morning to visit the rest room and have an awareness of a dreamwrite it down then, before going back to sleep. Theres a fair chance you wont be able to remember it after falling asleep again. - Make your initial writing about your dream as detailed as you can. If you just scribble peanut-butter shoes, rhinocerous, Grandma Rose? thinking that these notes are sure to jog your memory lateryou will probably be wrong. - If you have trouble remembering your dreams, try waking up at various times and testing your recall. I find that I remember dreams best when I wake at 7:30 (and then hit snooze and go back to sleep). -- Youll recall more if you keep your eyes closed while trying to remember the dream. -- Youll recall more if you record your dreams in the present tense rather than the past tense. In this experiment prompt, I made clear to students that the reason I wished them to keep a dream journal was so that they might deliberately partake of that dream-power which every night shows thee is thine own; a power transcending all limit and privacy, and by virtue of which a man is the conductor of the whole river of electricity (Emerson 305). The creative force which Emerson, in this passage from The Poet calls dream-power is the same force which he elsewhere calls the soul. As this passage suggests, Emerson did not make any firm distinction between the individual, personal, or private soul and the creative force of the universe, the OverSoul. Indeed, in his essay The Over-Soul, Emerson emphasized, as there is no screen or ceiling between our heads and the infinite heavens, so is there no bar or wall in the soul where man, the effect, ceases, and . the cause [i.e., the Over-Soul], begins [238]. Thus the term soul in Emersons oeuvre can variously and even simultaneously refer to an individual expression of the creative power conditioned with certain qualities (i.e., in the way that we might say someone has a great soul or a corrupt soul) or that same power in its universal, unconditioned state (the whole river of electricity). Emersons poetic theory that the soul is in some sense identical with that-which-creates-dreams or, we might say, with the dream itself is the same intuition which Molly Burkett expressed in her response to the first prompt of the semester: Soul begins as the sun disappears into rays of red, orange, and black-purple. In the prompt, I offered to students that engaging with the whole river of electricity via the work of recording dreams in a journal could help them develop both their abilities of perception and expression. In giving this claim, I suggest that the work of attending to nighttime dreams can help with both entering the condition of Possibility (i.e., the first movement of poetic inquiry-- expanding imaginative perception) and also with the project of communicating truth via the deployment of poetic strategies (i.e., expressing imaginative perception). Dream journal work can help with the first movement of poetic inquiry because the act of giving attention to dreams is itself a practice of opening to what is outside the bounds of mundane reality, an opening that the ordinary mind resists (for example, most people rapidly forget their dreams upon waking or do not recall their dreams at all). Dream journal work can help with the second movement of poetic inquiry because, as we have already noted, dreams partake of the same tactics as poetry: gesture, drama, fiction, and trope. To attend to a dream that one has dreamt is in some ways the same as attending to a poem a poem that in some sense one has written or created. To attend to ones dreams can therefore (as Emerson suggested) help to instill confidence in one that one does indeed have the creative power that can readily use poetic strategies. The writing prompt which I subsequently gave to the students asked them to use their dream journals as a resource in the work of making-conscious the process of poetic inquiry that their psyches (i.e., soulspsyche being a Greek word for soul) were already engaged in. The prompt pointed to a work we read together as a class, Rilkes Duino Elegies, as an example of a poetic inquiry that made conscious and explicit very profound questions: Read-Around Prompt: Dream Questions Consideration In the Duino Elegies, Rilke raises questions that are larger-than-life: questions that aren't the ordinary kind we raise in our everyday experience but which reach into mythic depths and personal pathos: "Who, if I cried out, would hear me among the angels' hierarchies?" (151) "Lovers, gratified in each other, I am asking _you_ about us. You hold each other. Where is your proof?" (159). I want us to write our own poems which raise questions that are of this vast scale and demand answers with a similar urgency. Go through your dream journals. What questions are your dreams attempting to answer? Write a poem which asks these dream-questions and any others that obsess you. In your poem, answer those questions. Your answers may include characters, situations, tones and places from your dreams and also anything else. Model the form of your poem on the elegies. The query which I posed to the students in this prompt: What questions are your dreams attempting to answer? was one designed to draw their attention to the ways in which their dreams already functioned as poetic inquiries. Its a difficult question, and one much different from the conventional question of dream analysis What do your dreams mean? To ask What questions are my dreams trying to answer? is to attend more primarily to the dream as a poetic process, as a process of making (poesis means making), and less to the dream as a finished artifact or statement. This is a question which I hoped would move students toward the condition of Possibility, towards thinking-with the dream rather than about it. In this sense it resembles the modes of reading poems that I asked students to engage in order to help them to move into the condition of Possibility. I then requested an action of the studentsI asked that after ascertaining what questions their dreams might be trying to answer, that they then answer those questions in the form of a poem. In making this request, I sought to engage students in the work of the second movement of poetic inquiry, the use of poetic strategies towards the expression of truth. I want to now consider a student response to the Dream Questions prompt, an untitled poem by Sean Brodarick, which does the work of posing and answering such questions. Within this consideration, I hope to draw attention to the way in which Brodarick moves toward generating a new thought: What lies before me? A lake, serene and calm on its surface Is turbulent underneath. So many have gone before me, and passed this lake on their own accord, Lived lives worthy of living But should it be so easy? They say theres strength to be had through hardship, So buck up and press hard the oars. Anchors aweigh, and drink to the foam Is life better when you travel alone? It is hard to find peace in sleep when your rest is on your feet. Its as if life itself is your dream. How is it any different? Aimlessly drifting about An actor in your fantasy, but who is the audience? Estranged lover, you knew the best of me, Surely Paris knew the same, with the armies bearing down. It wasnt ambition like this, that saw us part. Like the flickering of a candle, fighting to stay lit against the pressing breeze, we were soon extinguished. Ah, but the heats missed all the same. Stories echo from the past, of heroes-the greatest generation The sandy beaches, now so calm, were then Stained with blood and machines of war. The heroes, who took the beach, would they wonder today, What happened to the world? Brodaricks poem begins by contemplating the question What lies before me? (a question that to me sounds similar to Hirshfields What is the nature of this moment? [53]). The immediate answer given to What lies before me? is A lake, serene and calm on its surface / Is turbulent underneath. The speaker goes on to consider his relationship to others who have encountered the very same seemingly-calm-yet-actually-turbulent lake: So many have gone before me, and passed this lake on their own accord, Lived lives worthy of living But should it be so easy? They say theres strength to be had through hardship, So buck up and press hard the oars. In this passage the speaker contrasts those who simply pass by the lake (an action he denotes as easy) with his own choice to take the more difficult route of crossing the lake. It seems that the speaker feels some ambivalence about his choiceafter all, those who passed this lake on their own accord / Lived lives worthy of living. The rest of the poem explores the consequences of the speakers decision to have faith in the proverbial wisdom that theres strength to be had through hardship and thus to buck up and press hard the oars across the lake whose appearance belies its own turbulence. In the course of this crossing, further questions arise. The query Is life better when you travel alone? seems to prompt a realization, via a string of further insight and questions (Its as if life itself is your dream. / How is it any different? Aimlessly drifting about /An actor in your fantasy, but who is the audience?) of a kind of cosmic solitude a realization that in living ones life one may be an actor in a fantasy that has no audience. Immediately following this consideration of existential aloneness, the speaker then turns to address an estranged lover in a situation which very definitely evokes the plot of the movie classic Casablanca: Estranged lover, you knew the best of me, Surely Paris knew the same, with the armies bearing down. It wasnt ambition like this, that saw us part. Like the flickering of a candle, fighting to stay lit against the pressing breeze, we were soon extinguished. Ah, but the heats missed all the same. The fact that the speaker had a lover at all seems to argue against the notion of complete solitude in the audience-less drama of life, suggesting that intimacy can happen both between two people and between a person and his situation (you knew the best of me, / Surely Paris knew the same, with the armies bearing down) yet the brevity and fitfulness of the lovers union (Like the flickering of a candle) seems to support the speakers earlier intuition that life itself might be merely a passing dream or fantasy, easily dispersed and threatened. The passion of love, though short and perhaps ultimately illusory, serves to increase the speakers consciousness of being alone (the heats missed all the same). Finally, the concluding lines of the poem invert the initial question and answer of the opening lines. Now, rather than asking What lies before me? (a question which could be construed as inquiring about both the present and the future), the speaker attends to stories that echo from the past, of heroesthe greatest generation and rather than looking out onto a lake, points to the calm beaches of Normandy. Like the calmness of the lake which belies underlying turbulence, the present-day calmness of the beach belies the dramatic and consequential battle which once took place there (The sandy beaches, now so calm, were then / Stained with blood and machines of war). This consideration leads the speaker to make explicit his imaginative inhabitation of the past heroes (an inhabitation which he implicitly enacted in his adoption of the Casablanca romance plot) and their question upon regarding the calmness of the beach: What happened to the world? It seems to me that this question, posed by the speaker / the heroes of the past, implies a criticism of present-day attitudes which prefer ease to courageous struggle. In this sense, the concluding question answers the speakers initial ambivalence about his choice to accept difficulty rather than to embrace the ease evinced by those who passed this lake on their own accord. Is it the case that Brodaricks poem is a new thought in the highest sense which Emerson expressed in The Poeta thought so passionate and alive that like the spirit of a plant or an animal it has an architecture of its own, and adorns nature with a new thing? No, I dont think I would say that it is. The order of new thought that Emerson describes in The Poet is a relatively rare kind of emergence, the product of genius, something which Emerson felt he could not find in his own contemporaries (I look in vain for the poet whom I describe [304]) until he met Walt Whitman. A new thought of the kind Emerson describes is one which has widespread consequenceits freshness is jarring and provokes further new thought (in the way that Leaves of Grass has inspired generations of poets). In this sense, we might say that a new thought in the high sense that Emerson described is equivalent to what the literary theorist Derek Attridge calls a singularity in literature. Yet while I do not think that Brodaricks poem succeeds in adventing a new thought in the highest sense, I do think that it brings forth a thought which is new to Brodarick. In other words, I think Brodaricks participation in the movements of poetic inquiry caused him to produce a poem that allowed him to imaginatively articulate for himself his own relationship to his contemporaries and to his forefathers. In doing so, it seems to me that Brodarick engages in poetic inquiry as a soul-making activity (Hirsch), which is to say, as an activity in which life is given context, meaning and significance. Brodarick, an ROTC student, not only makes his own choices meaningful by imaginatively associating himself with the heroes of World War II, he also explores the pathos of life experienced as a fleeting and solitary dream. The fact that the notion of life as a dream or vain drama is one which has received previous (and more skillful) poetic articulation does not diminish the eventfulness in Brodaricks own life of his articulation of that experience. It may appear that I am here arguing for the personal therapeutic value of poetic inquiry. 10 Yet this is not what I am saying. I am saying that even if the fruit of a particular poetic inquiry is not particularly earth-shaking to others, the act of that poetic inquiry can still be valuable and important for the person who undertook it, and can therefore provide the foundation for a continued practice of poetic inquiry which could eventually lead to the production of a genuinely amazing new thought. The work of poetic inquiry, like many other Its also possible that the value of poetic inquiries whose fruit is less-than-revelatory is not limited to just the persons who undertake those inquiries. It seems to me that Brodaricks poem could be of value to other persons of his generation and situation who feel a disaffection with the widespread ethos of easeful consumer luxury and who feel called to some larger heroic purpose. endeavors, can take practice and even life-long dedication in order to bear fruit which is truly remarkable and relevant on a large scale. PRAISING THIS WORLD TO THE ANGEL: EXPERIMENTS WITH METAPHOR AS A STRATEGY OF THE SECOND MOVEMENT OF POETIC INQUIRY In the final writing prompts of the semester, the Elemental Ode prompt and the Lyric Essay prompt, I more explicitly instructed students in the use of poetic strategies for the purpose of poetic inquiry. Specifically, I invited my students to experiment with metaphor as a strategy in poetic inquiry. In retrospect, I emphasized metaphor to my students above other varieties of poetic strategy (including other tropes like synechdoche and irony) because metaphor seemed to me both the most readily graspable poetic strategy and also the most immediately rewarding poetic strategy. This greater explicitness with my students about the use of poetic strategy arose as I myself became more clear about what kind of work exactly constituted the second movement of poetic inquiry. This clarity came to me as I participated along with the class in all our writing assignments, and especially as I re-read with the class Rilkes Duino Elegies and Letters to a Young Poet, where Rilke emphasizes the importance of poetic praise. Re-reading Rilke caused me to remember one of my first poetic lovesthe elemental odes of Pablo Neruda. I shared with the class a small selection of these odes, including my favorite, Ode to the Lemon: Out of lemon flowers 167 loosed on the moonlight, loves lashed and insatiable essences, sodden with fragrance, the lemon trees yellow emerges, the lemons move down from the trees planetarium Delicate merchandise! The harbors are big with it bazaars for the light and the barbarous gold. We open the halves of a miracle, and a clotting of acids brims into the starry divisions: creations original juices, irreducible, changeless, alive: so the freshness lives on in a lemon, in the sweet-smelling house of the rind, the proportions, arcane and acerb. Cutting the lemon the knife leaves a little cathedral: alcoves unguessed by the eye that opens acidulous glass to the light; topazes riding the droplets, altars, aromatic facades. So while the hand holds the cut of the lemon, half a world on a trencher, the gold of the universe wells to your touch: a cup yellow with miracles, a breast and a nipple perfuming the earth; a flashing made fruitage, the diminutive fire of a planet. (Neruda 137) Ode to the Lemon and Nerudas other elemental odes all exuberantly enact a mode of poetic inquiry very similar to that which we attended to earlier when we read the passage in Song of Myself where Whitman elaborates on What is the grass? All of the odes pose the implicit question: What is this ordinary thing? and respond in a manner that seeks the truth. In the case of Ode to a Lemon, of course, the question is What is a lemon? and the answers, as Neruda gives them, are quite dazzling. The lemon, of course, is something composed of loves / lashed and insatiable / essences which when cut reveals a little cathedral of acidulous glass and aromatic facades finally, it is a cup yellow with miracles, / a breast and a nipple / perfuming the earth; / a flashing made fruitage, / the diminutive fire of a planet. In the Elemental Ode prompt, I asked students to imitate Nerudas mode of poetic inquiry: Read Around: Elemental Ode Consideration Writing elemental odes is one way of fulfilling the deep poetic human mission that Rilke discovered in the Ninth Duino Elegy: Perhaps we are here in order to say: house, bridge, fountain, gate, pitcher, fruit-tree, windowat most: column, tower. But to say them, you must understand, oh to say them more intensely than the Things themselves ever dreamed of existing. Rilke also called this Prais[ing] this world to the angel and considered it a transformative act which answers the command given to us as beings by the nature of the world. At the very least, writing elemental odes is a way to practice gratitude and humility, a way to focus our attention on the gifts which are bountifully present in our lives, to stop taking for granted the marvelous materials that grace our existence. Its a way of bringing more imagination into our lives, and therefore, according to Emersons thought, a way of expanding our awareness of soul. (Emerson once wrote: The Soul without Imagination is what an observatory would be without a telescope.) Instructions Write an elemental ode, in imitation of Nerudas. Choose an every day item and write a rapturous, ecstatic poem of praise to it. Though the odes we just read all had to do with food in one way or another, your ode does not need to be about food (Neruda wrote multiple volumes of odes to pretty much everything, including a very famous Ode to My Socks), but it does need to be about something quite basic and ordinary, something which would not usually receive such vigorous and elaborate praise. Imitate Nerudas style: use short lines and bold, even hyperbolic metaphors in your praising. Elemental odes are nothing if not imaginative, and a major function of imaginative language, as the poet Shelley observed in his Defense of Poetry, is to mark the before unapprehended relation of things. In other words, like Nerudas odes, your poem should show us the ways that the ordinary item which you celebrate is related to the rest of the world and life. How is it relatedby resemblance, by provenance, by physical proximity, by quality, by color, by cause-and-effectto other items and experiences in life? For example, in the Ode to Wine Neruda discovers a relationship of resemblance between his lover and a range of things having to do with wine: My darling, suddenly / the line of your hip / becomes the brimming curve / of the wine goblet, / your breast is the grape cluster / your nipples are the grapes, / the gleam of spirits lights your hair, / and your navel is a chaste seal / stamped on the vessel of your belly In this prompt, I plainly invited students to become Rilkean bees of the invisibleto participate in the project of making apparent the metamorphosis of soul through form via the work of symbolic articulation by invoking lines from Rilkes penultimate Duino Elegy in which the speaker of that elegy dramatically realizes the importance of poetic expression, of offering the world back to itself through language, after having dipped it in what Hirshfield calls the mind of openness and connection (209). Realizing that my students might not yet be capable of the kind of intense conscious articulation of the world which the speaker of the elegies realizes as the mission of poetic vocation, I offered to them that the practice of writing an elemental ode could facilitate the cultivation of simple virtues like gratitude and humility, virtues which are also important elements of Possibility. I instructed students to imitate Nerudas poetic strategy: use short lines and bold, even hyperbolic metaphors in your praising. I wanted to make clear to them the kind of metaphors-towards-truth-as-revealing I hoped that they would produce, and so I invoked Shelleys claim that poetry can make clear the before unapprehended relations of things This invocation was another way of encouraging my students to bring forth a new thought. My students surprised and delighted me with the strength of their odes, some of which I do think manage to manifest before unapprehended relations. For example, Brodaricks Ode to My Boots exposes an earthy, violent relation: Cow hide born you used to graze in greener pastures, through your eyes the world was seen your soul felt that which you surrounded Now your sole feels that which rests beneath it. Now you are a guardian protecting tender meat where before you were the meat in need of guarding. Brodaricks image of the boot as a guardian // protecting tender / meat / where before you / were the meat / in need of guarding makes manifest the unsettling proximity of dead and living flesh present in the association of foot and shoe. Kelsey Chapmans Ode to Sleepers portrays a more gentle relation: Seas of sheets, rise up and break softly over your form. Wombed. The breast of your sleep-mother cradles and swaths into Nothing. Oblivion, sweetly Whispers, Vast Quiets. Until, you regress back to before Creation before birth before things, thoughts or even feels. Before time spun spiral seashell forward down through you To piece you into existence. Among the noises the blarings of street corner Radio hymns, mothers, personality, humans, mouths- But In the Morning, there is Lavender Light. and you are not yet Not yet born. Your lips still soft your brows do not yet comprehend a furrow And your hands know only the work gently curling in. Chapmans vision, which recalls to me Whitmans in The Sleepers, focuses upon the innocence that attends us as we rest, calling attention to the way that each sleeper is like an unborn infant in the belly of a bed (The breast of your / sleep-mother / cradles and swaths) in touch with a primordial reality (before things, / thoughts, or even / feels). Daniel Radins Ode to Bubble Gum elaborates comically on the relation of texture and tongue, scent and sex: From the linear womb you abandon your brothers and sisters, sleeping soundly, born one by one and shed your paper robe. Like a snake, skin reverts and becomes new. Slimy. Malleable. Slave to my molars. You stretch and yawn with ease, reminiscing baseball ice cream, and baseball cards, and Big League Chew. You imprison lunchs memory. Igniting my tongue with your silent words. Spicy and bold, dancing the Macarena, with a short skirt and sexy Latina kiss. Flamboyant and glaring as the embers you imitate. Tiny snaps! escape typewriting an audible Morse code beckoning warmly to the girl next door. Who sidles closer. but she, unlike I, detects hot, fresh cinnamon rolls, and a scented candle of bubble baths past. The blaze in my mouth is sweltering, overwhelming You open my mouth and close the door. The stick of gum is a furtive lover, sneaking out of its familial home (you abandon / your brothers and sisters, / sleeping soundly) only to disrobe and become debased in the mouth of the speaker (Slimy. / Malleable. / A slave to my molars) and ultimately, a force which attracts another lover (the girl next door). After Radins ode, I dont think I shall ever be able to see gum as fully innocent ever again. THE LYRIC ESSAY AS POETIC INQUIRY In the culminating assignment of the semester for Reading the Soul of Poetry, I asked students to write and present a lyric essay. My idea for the assignment came only after I had been working for some weeks on a lyric essay of my own, Flirting with Krishna. In writing Flirting with Krishna I was attempting to think through my relationship with the troubled-yet-beautiful Hare Krishna bhakti yoga movement which I had encountered through friends during that fall semester. As I wrote the essay I consciously worked with the movements that I now call poetic 178 inquiry (though at that time I still had not yet articulated to myself that summarizing name for the process). I engaged in the movements of opening into Possibility via contemplative reading and meditation and then speaking forth from Possibility through poetic strategies in the hopes of approaching truth. As I participated in these movements and wrote I had a feeling of exhilarationI experienced a vivid sense of discovery and clarity. I thought to myself, Yes, this is it. This is what I have been trying to teach myself to do. This is what I want my students to be able to do. I especially enjoyed the way that the lyric essay form made possible a kind of deployment of poetic strategy which could transmute the usual prosiness of exposition and history. Yet as I looked at the essay I had produced, I realized it was a rather sophisticated exploration of primary themes that concern me as an intellectual and a human being: language, soul, divinity, poetry, devotion, faith, failure and lack. I briefly despaired of being able to communicate to my students how to think and write at this level of sophistication. Then it occurred to me that I could simply instruct them to mimic the poetic strategies of my essay, blow-by-blow. This would have the effect of removing for them an element of decision-makingthey would not need to decide what poetic strategies to use when, for what purpose. But it would give them the opportunity, by filling in the form to see what power the use of poetic strategies might have to uncover for them new thoughts, new truths about their lives and concerns. I also removed an element of decision-making for my students at the level of what their essays would be about. I gave them a set of questions to address (Where and how do I experience my soul (deepest self) or experience my awareness of its absence (or my disbelief or disinterest in it)? What does that experience have to do with language? What is poetry and how is it present (or not) in my life? Where do I encounter language that resonates with my soul (or conspicuously does not) and how do I relate to that language? What is going on with me and my life, how am I imagining myself and my relationship with the world? How is that imagination changing or expanding lately?) which were broadly identical to the ones I had posed to myself while writing Flirting with Krishna and whichnot at all coincidentally, since I had designed the course as an inquiry about just these kind of questions also related to themes wed worked with throughout the term. The resulting writing prompt was by far the longest and most complex Id created for the class, and it succeeded in eliciting from my students responses whose depth and skill impressed me: Final Assignment: Write and Present a Lyric Essay Consideration This class, Reading (the Soul) of Poetry, has invited us to experience and reflect upon encounters with poetry that are minimally encumbered by technical analysis or historical contextualization. Weve practiced enhancing our receptivity and responsiveness to poems through a variety of contemplative and experimental means. Now we will focus our sensitivity on reading and responding to the poetic in our own lives via the writing and presentation of a lyric essay. The lyric essay is a hybrid form which has become prominent in literary discourse within the past twenty years: like a conventional essay, it essays or tries to answer a question or a set of questions. It is not a form for presenting already-attained knowledge (which is what an article does) but it is rather a living, searching form which itself 180 attempts to generate new knowledge. On the page, lyric essay appears like normal essayistic proseno special line breaks, and organized by paragraphs rather than by stanzas. Unlike normal essayistic prose, the lyric essay often focuses on images, motifs, moods, and feelings rather than explicitly developed narrative, analysis or argument (though it can contain these elements). Its structure is cyclical, returning again and again to consider the same scenes, persons, places, encounters from various perspectives and to imaginatively tease out their multiple meanings and resonances-- rather than linear, single, or conclusive. The prose of a lyric essay is lyric or poetic in that it doesnt have all the padding and connective tissue of a conventional essay. For this reason, its usually more brief and concise than a conventional essay. The line between what is a poem and what is an essay therefore becomes quite thin and difficult. Many pieces published under the heading of lyric essays in magazines in recent years have been anthologized in books with titles like Americas Best Poetry 2010. The trick of writing a great lyric essay is to take huge, abstract questions and to move towards answering them by looking with loving, imaginative, poetic and receptive attention at the particular, concrete circumstances of your life (which includes your current material surroundings and relationships as well as your memories, desires, hopes, night-time dreams). In other words: this assignment asks you to read your life (your own actions and relationships and dwellings) with generosity, curiosity, and willingness to be changed and provoked by what you see, just as weve practiced reading poems in this class. Accept that just as great poems do, your life contains images, situations and words that are not reducible to a simple, unambivalent interpretation but are nevertheless important and compelling to consider. Then, in writing, show us the poem that is your life and how to read it. The questions your lyric essay will seek to address are these: Where and how do I experience my soul (deepest self) or experience my awareness of its absence (or my disbelief or disinterest in it)? What does that experience have to do with language? What is poetry and how is it present (or not) in my life? Where do I encounter language that resonates with my soul (or conspicuously does not) and how do I relate to that language? What is going on with me and my life, how am I imagining myself and my relationship with the world? How is that imagination changing or expanding lately? As individual personalities we have distinctive modes of experiencing (or not) that mysterious and reverberating energy called soul. We might encounter it more or less in situations of sex, nature, discipline and hard work, relationship, religious worship, dreams, meditation, or art. We also all experience life through language in many important ways. In this assignment, we will question and describe those experiences in a vivid way that invites our audience (the class) to enter with us into those places, into those relationships. In presenting our lyric essays, we are seeking to give something of ourselves to the class, to lead the class through a dramatized virtual experience of our subjective questioning and understanding. CAVEAT: Nowhere in your lyric essay can the words soul or spirit appear. You need to use concrete places, situations, objects and relationships in your life as metaphors or symbols of soul. The poet Stephen Dobyns, in his book on writing, Best Words, Best Order, remarks, If the poet can get us to believe about a small thing, we will be more likely to believe the poet about a big thing. One of the quickest ways to establish the readers trust is through precise description of physical setting. More difficult are precise descriptions of emotional and spiritual conditions. All three mean giving us a combination of the familiar and unfamiliar, what we know with what we do not know. These three types of description are best communicated with the help of metaphor. And it is probably through the quality of metaphor that the poet most quickly achieves or loses the trust of the reader (139). Therefore, follow these instructions: 1. Start your lyric essay by giving a precise physical description of a place which stirs or speaks to or troubles your soul (or which represents your disbelief or disinterest in such a thing). Tell us exactly what this place looks like, where it is, what goes on there. After youve given a physical description of the place, move on to give an emotional and spiritual description of it. Say what the place is to you, emotionally and spiritually, say what it knows about you. (This is using metaphor). You might ask yourself: How would Neruda describe this place in an elemental ode? Example: In my lyric essay, Flirting with Krishna, I start by giving a brief, precise physical description of the chanting room: Unfurnished but for pillows, altar, harmonium it will fit eight (ten at most) seated on the floor on pillows next to its walls. I then move on to giving an emotional, spiritual description of the place. This description is necessarily figurative and metaphorical: The room hovers above the street in the dark. Its a spaceship, a planet, an otherworld, a time. I continue this description by saying what it knows about me: It knows me, remembers me when I was a child playing with dead-mice in the falling down corridors These are metaphors. 2. Continue your lyric essay by circling around again and giving another, deeper and closer physical description of the place. Example: I circle back to describing the altar more precisely: the altar is a middle-class hearth mantle worked into a psychedelic event of unveiling Above it reigns a print of a painting by Murlidhara Dasa 3. Detail how you came to be associated with this place, and what you do there. What interesting piece of language do you encounter in this place? It could be a prayer, a slogan, something your friend says all the time, the lyrics to a song, a nickname people call you, a thought that runs through your mind, anything. Example: I find the maha mantra: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. 4. Explain what this language meansnot literally, but emotionally and / or spiritually to you. How does it strike you? Example: I say of the mantra, Its something shabby, disreputable, too far out. 5. Elaboratewhy do you use those words you just used? Example: I reflect, Far out is something I say a lot these days, instead of cool or great. I say it maybe for the same reason I listened compulsively to the Beatles when I was twelve years old 6. Let the language be a metaphor for your beingin what ways are you the same as the piece of language which interests you? Example: Hare Krishna. I am something disreputable, shabby, too far out 7. Circle back, describe the piece of language and how it affects you again. Create another metaphor. Example: Hare Krishna. Its something grand, loving, delighted, old: its sunk into me like syrup through a fried cake. 8. Continue your essay in this way, moving between precise, detailed physical descriptions of the place and people and language which interest you and precise metaphorical emotional descriptions of the same phenomenon. In your experience of this place and the language that you encounter there, look for some truth about 185 what poetry might be. Think-with the features of that place as you reach for this truth. Example: Apparently nightingales, like devotees, also sing loudly in the hour before dawn. Devotees, also, seem to have an affinity for red roses. Or perhaps the God has an affinity for red roses that the devotees accommodate. Maybe God is to the devotee as the rose is to the nightingale. Are we impaling ourselves on his thorns as we sing? Maybe devotion is the only real poetry. In writing your lyric essay, hopefully you will discover something new about yourself, about soul, and about poetry. In Best Words, Best Order, Stephen Dobyns reminds us about the value of imaginative writing and the way that explorations of metaphor can offer fresh knowledge to us: The process of writing is a process of discovery. One never begins knowing what the end product will be. It is found along the way. [] The metaphor has been a great discovery on the part of the writer, and we, as readers, want to share in that discovery, not only because we hope to be entertained but also because that discovery may be useful in the living of our lives. The metaphor may be the transcription of a remembered event, it may be totally invented or it may fall someplace in between. What is important is the truth of the metaphor, not what gave rise to it. (153) So as you write, keep in mind that you are discovering something precious to us that may be useful in the living of our lives. About Lyric Essays According to the Seneca Review, a magazine responsible for popularizing the lyric essay and naming it as a genre, the lyric essay does the following things: partakes of the poem in its density and shapeliness, its distillation of ideas and musicality of language. partakes of the essay in its weight, in its overt desire to engage with facts, melding its allegiance to the actual with its passion for imaginative form. does not expound. It may merely mention. As Helen Vendler says of the lyric poem, "It depends on gaps. . . . It is suggestive rather than exhaustive." moves by association, leaping from one path of thought to another by way of imagery or connotation, advancing by juxtaposition or sidewinding poetic logic. Generally it is short, concise and punchy like a prose poem. accretes by fragments, taking shape mosaically - its import visible only when one stands back and sees it whole. may spiral in on itself, circling the core of a single image or idea, without climax, without a paraphrasable theme. stalks its subject like quarry but is never content to merely explain or confess. It elucidates through the dance of its own delving. is loyal to that original sense of essay as a test or a quest, an attempt at making sense, the lyric essay sets off on an uncharted course through interlocking webs of idea, circumstance, and language - a pursuit with no foreknown conclusion, an arrival that might still leave the writer questioning. ruminates, leaves pieces of experience undigested and tacit, inviting the readers participatory interpretation. From The Seneca Review: http://www.hws.edu/academics/senecareview/lyricessay.aspx In the prompt I explain to students what exactly a lyric essay consists in, and I frame the project of writing one as the work of reading and responding to the poetic in our own lives just as we had already practiced reading and responding to poems. The instructions I here give as pertaining specifically to writing a great lyric essay could be taken as one way of summarizing the work of poetic inquiry in general: The trick of writing a great lyric essay is to take huge, abstract questions and to move towards answering them by looking with loving, imaginative, poetic and receptive attention at the particular, concrete circumstances of your life (which includes your current material surroundings and relationships as well as your memories, desires, hopes, night-time dreams). In this passage I invited students to practice directing the loving, imaginative, poetic and receptive attention that characterizes Possibility toward the particular, concrete circumstances of your life in the service of answering huge, abstract questions. I am interested to notice that this particular description of the work of poetic inquiry does not hold in place the two movements as I have described them earlier in this dissertation. I have said that the two 188 movements of poetic inquiry are 1) Entering into Possibility and 2) Creatively expressing truth using poetic strategies. I have spoken about these movements in such a way that suggest they are sequential and orderly. This is perhaps a misleading way of speaking about the movements of poetic inquiry. It is useful to the degree that it allows us to discuss and make plain just exactly what poetic inquiry entails, but it is limiting and deceptive in that it suggests a linear sequence to the movements. As the above-quoted passage from the lyric essay assignment suggests, the movements of poetic inquiry are circular. Its not always that one moves into Possibility and then starts asking and answering truth via poetic strategy: it can also be that the question(s) themselves motivate the shift into Possibility, and that the kind of expressing-forth which we have called poetic strategy is in some ways a kind of natural or spontaneous way of speaking from the particular and concrete as experienced in the condition of Possibility. In this way, poetic strategies are not so strategic after all rather than being clever or ornamental modes of articulation, they are utterances more fundamental, more innocent, more aligned with the original motivations of language (which is all fossil poetry as both Emerson and Vico averred). Jane Hirshfield affirms this in her essay Poetry and the Mind of Indirection: To recognize imaginative encirclement [i.e., poetic strategy] as a primary mode of thought is to remake ones relationship to knowing. It is to understand that the cognitive tropes particular to poetry are as aboriginal as its musicnot illustration, not the ornamentation of abstract thought, but central devices for ordering the plenitude of being. Western culture, utilitarian by long practice and desire, believes in cold facts, and such thinking brings its gifts. But the minds primary knowing is hot, as fluid and protean as the changing magma of the earth. Art, by its very existence, undoes the idea that there can be only one description of the real, some single and simple truth on whose surface we may thoughtlessly walk. (111-112) Hirshfield recognizes that the cognitive tropes particular to poetry (i.e., poetic strategies) are central devices for ordering the plenitude of being and through such ordering making the communication of lived experience possible, an experience which is is hot, as fluid and protean as the changing magma of the earth. To some degree then, expression which deploys poetic strategies is just the result of an attempt to be true to a level of experience that resists and perplexes abstraction. In asking my students to attend receptively to the concrete and particular details of their lives in the service of answering abstract questions, I am asking them to participate in the resistance of abstraction. For example, in the first writing prompt of the semester I asked students to write about what they understood by the term soul and allowed them free reign in choosing the genre of their response. Some students chose to respond poetically, in language that resists abstraction and focuses on the particulars of fluid and protean experience (for example, Swysgoods response). Others, like Radin, offered very dry and abstract definitions of soul (a noun, spiritual in nature). In this last writing prompt of the semester, I also asked students to write about soul, but I also gave them a strong caveat: Nowhere in your lyric essay can the words soul or spirit appear. You need to use concrete places, situations, objects and relationships in your life as metaphors or symbols of soul. In issuing this rule, I sought to block off the option of veering into prosaic abstraction and instead guided students to focus on allowing the particulars of their experience to stand as metaphors or symbols of soul. Soul itself is an abstraction, of courseits one which I find useful and compelling for my thought about life and poetry and which many others find troubling or even repulsive. Of course the difficult thing about soul as an abstraction is that its hard to give it an abstract definition thats meaningful. The reason for this is that it cant be encompassed, only pointed to. The process of poetic inquiry, the work of symbolic articulation, is a process of pointing by which soul is made (briefly, fleetingly) apparent, available for perception and intuition. Soul is made apparent in the movement of pointing, gesturing which poetry enacts. Perhaps weirdly, this is true both of poetry which deliberately takes soul as its subject (as would my students lyric essays) and of poetry which has quite other subjects altogether. In some sense, soul is always the subject of poetry, since it is the background which makes possible the movement of poetic inquiry and which becomes apparent as the movement moves. As background, it becomes visible when the foreground of language allows itself to transparently be language. Language which is transparently language is language which has become self-reflexive and therefore opaque as a medium of ordinary communication. I think the editors of The Seneca Review, in their description of what it is that language in a lyric essay does (which I shared with my students at the conclusion of the prompt) speaks to this process of the making-apparent-of-soul-through poetry when they say that the lyric essay elucidates through the dance of its own delving. To elucidate means to throw light upon and I would suggest that the light which is thrown in any poetic articulation is what Emerson and I refer to by the term soul. The lyric essay prompt I designed for my students not only asked them to focus on allowing the concrete particulars of their experience to stand as metaphors of soul (or not-soul, depending on their inclination), it also asked them to think about how they themselves are constituted in and through language they encounter in the world. Perhaps the most interesting instruction in the prompt is this: Let the language be a metaphor for your beingin what ways are you the same as the piece of language which interests you? With this instruction I invited my students to a level of endeavor which I regard as especially sophisticated because it not only asks them to deploy receptive attention and poetic strategies in the service of a question, it also asks them to consider themselves in a relationship of identity with the language that engages their attentionin other words, it requests that they use a poetic strategy (metaphor) to elucidate some feature of their own self-in-relationship with language. This project, using the strategies of poetry to think essayistically about self and language is the kind of poetic inquiry engaged in by my favorite poet-philosophers: Kierkegaard, Oscar Wilde, Emerson, Nietzsche, and Heidegger. Its high-level work to ask of undergrads in their first Reading Poetry class. Nonetheless, many of them rose to the occasion. Leah Nesmith produced a response to the prompt which loosely followed my blow-byblow instructions for the use of poetic strategy and which participated in the overall project of meditating on large questions about soul and poetry via the concrete particulars of life. Nesmiths response is interesting to me in part because its use of poetic strategy does not come off as the natural or spontaneous result of a shift into Possibility of the kind I have just discussed. Rather, Nesmiths poetic strategiesespecially her metaphors come across as forcedas if she would never in a million years offer them except that the assignment instructions specifically asked her to do so. What I wish to suggest, however, is that for all its lack of facility and for all the places where it falls short of offering really penetrating insight, Nesmiths essay does, like Brodaricks Dream Question poem, show evidence of the practice of poetic inquiry, and even this practice is valuable in itself for the practioner, though it may not yet yield fruit that is moving to others. I reproduce her response below: In My Own Little Corner Its a small room, however large for its kind. A rectangular 40 ft, dark blue carpet, maple colored base boards, centered about a large picture window. White walls accented with sheer blue curtains; the back wall is lined with jeans and sweaters, while the connecting wall contains skirts and dresses. To most people, this is just a closet; a place to simply store your clothes not your thoughts. To me, my closet is the most important room in the house. The small room carries a calming effect. I can see myself there on a breezy morning; the windows open as wide as they go, the curtains blowing in the breeze. I sit there before work, often time with my Bible, collecting my thoughts. My closet is me; it is the keeper of my most important thoughts and materialistic objects. Its the one place I can be myself, the walls know all of my secrets. The dark blues carpet is soft, soft enough to sleep on; Ive spent plenty of nights stretched out under the window. At one point about eight years ago blue was my favorite color, as I learned more about myself, I realized Im not a fan of blue. The carpet remains that color as a reminder of how far Ive come. My favorite quote is taped along the base board of the back wall, in a place only I can see. The room is situated so that the window faces east; therefore, its among the first rooms in the house to see sunlight. When the light shines through the curtains, it makes the walls look a bright blue color. On warm summer days my clothes are warmed by the direct sunlight. There is a small dent in the wall by the door, evidence of my clumsiness and a splash of iced tea right below the window seal. Its the only place where I can make a mess and leave it. When I was a little girl, my closet was the size of a matchbox. Every night before bed I would get my journal and work my way into the small space. Sometimes Id write about my day but more often than not I would sit in the dark space and think; I would let the silence work on me. When my parents decided to move and build a new house, they promised theyd give me more of my own space. I first discovered poetry in my closet; I keep an old shoe box containing all of my favorites, I reference them from time to time to help me relax. The one that means the most to me is taped to the top of the box. The lines of it have come to narrate my life, inspiring me to keep going even when life gets hard. Every day when I enter my space this is the first thing I read, it immediately calms my nerves: Out of the night that covers me, Black as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul. In the fell clutch of circumstance I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeonings of chance My head is bloody, but unbowed. Beyond this place of wrath and tears Looms but the Horror of the shade, And yet the menace of the years Finds and shall find me unafraid. It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul. Invictus (William Ernest Henley) is a simple poem that carries a lot of meaning. It is straight to the point; however, it has an effect on you each and every time you read it. Henley did not use long, fancy words yet the words seem to penetrate my outer being and communicate directly with my inner being. Invictus has an old English feel; its from a time where image was everything. It sends a message of endurance, of an undying hope that no matter how dark the nights may be, we are still in control of our fate. In many ways, Invictus represents my closet. It holds all the accessories that make me who I am on the outside, but if you look a little deeper you find who I really am, nestled in an old shoe box, hidden behind my jeans. Im a strong believer in faith; one thing I admire about the language of this poem is his faith. His words speak with such authority, showing that he believes that he is in control of his life. I feel a connection with these thoughts of empowerment, I feel freed by simply reading these words. Authority is a synonym for power. Lately I find that I like being in a position of authority. I was always really good at following directions; however, I always hated it. From the time I was in pre-school I had to be the leader, I had to be the one giving the orders. Im an only child; many people like to tell me thats why I have an obsession with being in charge. They also told me that once I got out into the real world that would change, sadly, they were wrong. I still have the same need to be the best, to be in control and keep everyone in line, the only difference is now I have the will and determination to do so outside of my parents protection. This poem is giving not only its writer authority, but it is transferring that authority to whoever reads it. This is probably why all of my favorite movies include a single main character who leads the rest of the crowd; such as Malcolm X, Kill Bill and Waiting to Exhale. I grew up with a strong leading lady and I find it impossible to settle for anything less. Im strong, determined, ambitious, confident and inspiring. Invictus is everything I am, I find myself to be an old school girl. I admire the way the world used to be, the drive people used to have. Now we are so quick to throw in the towel, but the language of Invictus is that of a fighter. When I first began reading this poem, I had no idea why the words affected me the way they did. Even though I didnt know it yet, I had something in common with these lines and every time life got too hard to handle I reverted back to the basics. I went back home, shut myself in my closet, grabbed my box and began to read. I allowed the words to bring out the strength in me, it taught me to dig deeper within myself to find the part of me that related, the part of me that would not and would never stop fighting. As the years go on, I become more and more convinced that this poem was written to guide someone just like me. Invictus captured my heart in the way in which frog snatches a fly. I was new to poetry, I was a young girl, and I really had no idea what I was looking for. I had little or no expectations; before I knew it; I was grabbed, taken in by this work of art that I have yet to completely figure out. It happened with lightning speed, one minute I was searching the internet, the next minute Im rereading this poem line by line, dictionary in hand, trying to make sense of what was going on inside of me. When I first stumbled upon this poem I hadnt been through much in my life, I had no idea I possessed the qualities I so admired on paper. Ive been in touch with my special place for eight years now, and in all this time I have only invited one person to join me. However close my parents and I may be, I felt that they could never understand why my closet was so special to me. Actually Im quite sure they think I sit there and stare at my mountains of unworn clothes and plan what pointless purchase shall be next. My best friend on the other hand, understands it completely. We both have massive collections of clothes and shoes, it helps that we are the same size and can swap clothes whenever necessary; we are both control freaks and we are both fighters. We understand the importance of portraying ourselves in a certain light, we know how to dress the part even when we ourselves are unprepared. Those reasons are why I can invite her into my space. Many people are slightly confused when we say that were best friends. Shes a 5 7 blonde, with long legs and green eyes. She doesnt like to get dirty, she doesnt like to be in the kitchen and the sight of children annoys her. We seem to be polar opposites. It was late on a Thursday night, I had just suffered a bad break up and the loss of a loved one in the very same day; rather appropriately it stormed so hard the power went out. In order to get myself together, I laid on the closet floor, looking at the lightening outside my window in an attempt to get my thoughts together. I had left my phone sitting on the bed, so I had no idea that she had called me about a million times. She finally gave up on calling, deciding to pay me a visit. She let herself in my room, walked right into my closet and laid on the floor next to me. Neither one of us said anything, didnt even look at each other, when all of a sudden she begins to recite it. When I realized what she was saying, I snapped my head toward her, thinking that she had found my box. Much to my surprise, she hadnt even seen the box; she was simply speaking from memory. I started quoting the lines with her; that was the moment I knew we would be friends forever. We looked at each other and came up with an agreement. We would sleep in the closet that night, I could cry, scream, say whatever I needed to but in the morning when we left the closet, we would put it behind us and keep going. Its impossible to accurately describe how I felt when I heard her speak those words. It was almost as if one heart was talking to another. From the outside looking in, its hard to see why her and I are so close, but that night explained what brought us together. We lived by the same motto, we admired the same things, we happened to be inspired by the same exact words even though we had never discussed them together. We had learned something new about each other; we got a better understanding of not only each other but of ourselves. Since Ive been away at school, Ive been working on a new place to be myself. Its too hard to drive home every time I need a reality check. Ive actually decided that my dorm is a bit too big, and after a semester of searching I gave up. Instead of focusing on a place, I found an object. Something that I can carry with me, so that when I need it most, I can always be reminded of that feeling. It has a lime green color, embroidered with a pink flower. It feels like cheap velvet, Ive actually described it as one of the ugliest things Ive ever seen. I thought it was misplaced as I looked for a new Bible in Barnes & Noble. I picked it off the top shelf to see what it was, surprisingly enough, it was a Bible. Despite its ugliness, I decided to buy it. It somewhat mocked the way I live my life, always judging books by their cover. My idea of poetry was born in my closet many years ago; even as I grow and my opinion changes, the essentials have stayed the same. It doesnt have to rhyme, it doesnt have to make sense to the rest of the world, it doesnt have to be dressed up or presented a certain way and it doesnt even have to be spoken. Poetry is what I feel as I sit on my floor; its the thoughts so new and pure that I cant find a way to put them into words. Poetry is deepened when youre able to share it with someone else, without ever speaking a word. True poetry warms my heart the way the sun warms my face as I stare out of my window. Poetry is all around us, we just have to be ready to receive it. As I have said, Nesmiths response to the prompt is not a fluid or masterful one. When she writes, In many ways, Invictus represents my closet. It holds all the accessories that make me who I am on the outside, but if you look a little deeper you find who I really am, nestled in an old shoe box, hidden behind my jeans I am not wholly convinced. The metaphor is mixed, confused. Not only is it unclear how the poem Invictus, like the closet holds all the accessories that make me who I am on the outside (what element of the poem would be analagous to the accessories?) but it is also somewhat strange that while she is claiming that the poem represents the closet, she also points to the poem as that which is present within the closet, nestled in an old shoe box, hidden behind my jeans which is who I really am. So the poem is both the closet itself and the secret, genuine self hidden in a box within the closet which is, actually, where Nesmith keeps her copy of the poem. This confused metaphor looks to me like a place where Nesmith is struggling to overcome her attachment to the literal and not fully succeeding. Like Aradhana Purker, Nesmith protested to me early in the semester that did not see herself as creative or imaginative. She reported that she had once loved to write poetry when she was a child but she had stopped early in her teen years when the death of someone very close to her made it too painful to open to her feelings in the way she felt poetry writing demanded. She wanted to know if she could do the work of the class without having to write poetically. I let her know that that wouldnt be possible. She decided that she wanted to stay in the class and work through her creative block. The day she shared with us her Dream Questions poem in the Read Around was a dramatic one, for in that poem she wrote about the very grief that had silenced her for years. Because (as she told me, and as she affirms in her lyric essay) she hated to feel vulnerable or out-of-control, Nesmith found the work of poetic inquirywhich requires that we enter the vulnerable and receptive condition of Possibility to be difficult and frightening. The fact that she was willing to stay in the class and practice it at all attests to her own courage. I regard it as great progress for Nesmith to attempt to deploy a poetic strategy in service of poetic inquiry (Invictus represents my closet) even if the strategy does not wholly succeed in elucidating anything. Even if she is not offering a successful poetic inquiry, she is at least, through the impetus of the assignment, experimenting with poetic strategy as a mode of thinking about her relationship to language and to life, and this is a mode which causes her to stretch the habitual bounds of her thought. That the initial outcome may be clumsy for someone not already inclined to use poetic strategy as a mode of discovery is perhaps unavoidable given the complex dance of question and intuition that poetic inquiry requires. It leaves open the possibility for future growth, should Nesmith continue to experiment with poetic inquiry. For me, the first arresting moment in Nesmiths essay comes as she considers the effect upon her of William Ernest Henleys Invictus: His words speak with such authority, showing that he believes that he is in control of his life. I feel a connection with these thoughts of empowerment, I feel freed by simply reading these words. From here, she moves on to discuss her own desire for power and control within her life. This discussion then leads somewhat abruptly to an additional insight about the poems affective power: This poem is giving not only its writer authority, but it is transferring that authority to whoever reads it. This insight bears some similarity to a thought that Emerson expresses in The Over-Soul: The great poet makes us feel our own wealth, and then we think less of his compositions. Nesmiths recognition, however, differs from Emersons in that her experience of empowerment via Henleys poem does not cause her to think less of the poem itself. To the contrary, Nesmiths realization of the poems power causes her to value it all the more acutely, to read it with ritual intensity, and to constitute her own identity in dialogue with it: Even though I didnt know it yet, I had something in common with these lines and every time life got too hard to handle I reverted back to the basics. I went back home, shut myself in my closet, grabbed my box and began to read. I allowed the words to bring out the strength in me, it taught me to dig deeper within myself to find the part of me that related, the part of me that would not and would never stop fighting. As the years go on, I become more and more convinced that this poem was written to guide someone just like me. Thus Nesmith enters into a relationship with Invictus in which the poem is not merely a brief source of inspirational frisson, but rather a perpetually valuable teacher, something which educates her by drawing out the part of me that related, the part of me that would not and would never stop fighting. The second arresting moment in Nesmiths essay for me comes when during a time of crisis she discovers that her best friends devotional knowledge of Invictus parallels her own: She let herself in my room, walked right into my closet and laid on the floor next to me. Neither one of us said anything, didnt even look at each other, when all of a sudden she begins to recite it. When I realized what she was saying, I snapped my head toward her, thinking that she had found my box. Much to my surprise, she hadnt even seen the box; she was simply speaking from memory. I started quoting the lines with her; that was the moment I knew we would be friends forever. As a reader, I am just as surprised as Nesmith when her friend begins spontaneously reciting Invictus to her. I think it may be safe to say that the poetry of William Ernest Henley is not widely fashionable. That Nesmiths friend knows the poem by heart and recites it to her as she suffers does, then, seem a meaningful coincidence, almost uncanny. Nesmiths reflection on what the shared knowledge of the poem means to her provides some clue to this uncanniness: Its impossible to accurately describe how I felt when I heard her speak those words. It was almost as if one heart was talking to another. From the outside looking in, its hard to see why her and I are so close, but that night explained what brought us together. We lived by the same motto, we admired the same things, we happened to be inspired by the same exact words even though we had never discussed them together. We had learned something new about each other; we got a better understanding of not only each other but of ourselves. The recognition It was almost as if one heart was talking to another might sound sentimental, and perhaps would be if Nesmith were discussing a moment of intimate silence. Instead shes describing an experience of spontaneously voicing a poem along with someone else. The talking happens within the mutually known words of the poem. The hearts are talking to another in monologue rather than dialogue. Connection is realized in and through the shared poem. Nesmiths essay does not so much enact a process of poetic inquiry for us readers on the page so much as it reflects upon an experience in which Nesmith felt the power of the fruit of anothers poetic inquiry (i.e. Invictus). Molly Burkett, a student who began the class with an already-present inclination to poetic and creative work, produced a stunning response to the prompt which does enact a process of poetic inquiry on the page. We might say that Burketts response succeeds because the questions whose answers she searches for in this essay (Why do I live to be in love? What is it about that ever-elusive, shifting feeling that has shown itself to me in countless mens faces that I deathgrip to?) have a vital importance and resonance to her, as do the metaphors she makes as she seeks for answers to these questions. I reproduce Burketts lyric essay below: How to Stand Out in a Crowd Breath taker, dead anchorJustin Vernon Trafford, PA A harsh, deep wooden floor mirrored, set apart by, hanging cabbages. They may have been pretty if they hadnt been rotting. Someone comes and checks on the chickens daily, but the house has no heat or electricity. How were the lights on then, I wonder. It was filled to the tipping brim with vegan food and friendship. I was almost suffocating in the hazy orange din of spiced cakes and dying bare light bulbs. The cupboards were my favorite shade of antique, 1930s green, and the linoleum was golden enough to warm the whole circle of pea coats and laced up boots. We ventured into the basement and I was disappointed with not what we found, but the lack of walls, lack of tiny cellar rooms lined with shelves. There were the mason jars for the imagined shelves, but none were pickling beets or hot pepper jellies or black raspberries. So close to home, 911 Oak St., but not close at all. Maybe thats the way a new place feels. A glass half empty, but no cigar. When I say, I always forget were in a city, its a good thing. This is the newest Ive felt since the New Year and Ill take this awkwardness with a grain of salt. Im an emotion that is somewhere between elation and a fucking wreck. HOME. I crave it, a place to fit into it and Im really trying, but I get caught up in my own barbed wire, feigning confidence, more frequently than Id like. This place is still beautiful and I want to bring out my notebook from my inner coat pocket, molest it with my words, but Im too scared to be conspicuous. So it sits, my tan moleskin, wriggling against my ribs, searching for the same kind of company that I am. Were back upstairs now, out of the tangle of bike frames and support beams and AJ is standing on a rocking chair, ring-leading, until he shuts the brass-knobbed door in Joshs face. I fail him to fall, and I feel guilty thinking this, but simultaneously I am exalted. I will pretend I can see through him, give myself some twisted upper handBut he might not be so bad, and my preconceptions are dissolved by the warble of a Wurlitzer under his fingers. This place is a Buddhist temple, and Im the new monk, sweeping under everyones feet. We wouldnt kill anything, except for our futures, hung out like lace laundry, but that doesnt exist just like one-week-old babies, and it is justified. We stand among the most vivid shades of decay and bask in its hue. There is history here behind every flake of paint; we have now become part of it. Its vastness unsettles me, but this wallpapered matriarch holds me still, although she does not belong to me. She is a plump woman, hiding each anxiety under folds of skin. I love her for her feeble attempts at solace, but I can still feel them sticking me like woodburnt-pokers. Were young but old, kind but cold, right but not validated enough to be so. There is a difference between social anxiety and not fucking trying. And its right about then that Im sure Im in love with you. I-376 On the drive home that I said that sentence to you, and its maybe the most intelligent thing thats passed my lips in a long time, apart from your tongue. I saw your mind ingest it, taste it, and be not picky about it. You liked it, and that sticks like salt. I see these things about you because we are sensual. We are the soft sweat in your blanket and Im the reason the comforter stripes are always facing wrong. Salt is the only thing I eat a lot of these days, I think about salt a lot. It is honesty, exalted. For once, I was and am still, right about this. Its why most college girls sell themselves short, jealousy and insecurity. Hell, its why even Im jealous. I put less thought into these words, weak definitions of jealousy because Im deflecting. Dont let me be one of them, not that unappreciative girl who passes up beauty in intelligent company. Ill silently fall someone like a tree to feel bigger than a Redwood. Im ashamed of this truth and am immediately tired of talking. Insecurity sucks up all my energy and to think I was being productive. Its now just the silence with you and those quick moments when I see your head tilt my way from the corners of my eye. I look and youre suddenly staring at the road, honking at the out-of-state drives who never know where theyre going. (Avoidance, my specialty, Ill talk myself out of talking to you.) We call them assholes, but at least theyre fucking trying. We all are, Im fighting off my social anxiety enough to be your woman, and you, I dont know your idiosyncrasies, but Im sure youre fighting something. I respect you more than almost anyone Ive ever met. Why do I live to be in love? What is it about that ever elusive, shifting feeling that has shown itself to me in countless mens faces that I deathgrip to? Its the purpose; life alone has no purpose, but in the senses, I am endless. I live for bodies, their mechanics, and how each sense spike up like weeds until Im weeding them out of my poetry, There is a difference, between being loose and being barren underneath the unflattering sweaters. I am neither, but some sultry, quiet, comfortable pupa of the two. Social anxiety and not fucking trying. When I am naked, I am no anxious, but for you, I surely am trying. Conversation on Death I usually have alternate reasons behind all of my tattoos, a 911 for all those lost in the terrorist attacks. But you get the real deal; I hope they impress you. I tattooed BECOMING HUMAN on my chest because some day Im going to die. I fake permanence because I have nothing else to hold on to. Its not faking in the sense that I am not sincere, its fake in the fact that careers and parents sell out tattoos for being forever, more than diamonds, more than marriage, when we all know that is not true. Nothing is permanent, not our impact, not our surnames, and definitely not the body or thoughts. After death, these things become skewed, and even I, living cant understand my own, let alone the looming genius of a dead man. Although ink may last the longest in the form of text and word, my skin will decay under a tall Oak tree; the ink will blend into the soil and maybe give the Worms a sickness in their stomachs. They cant read so they dont know how human I am. If it werent illegal, Id be buried sans-coffin. The Worms will thank me later when they can keep down the toxic waste of the complex thoughts-turned-compost, all because I chose to be ugly. Too Long Silence What is it about your lack of words that makes me so concerned? Trying to be socially anxious is how I spend my time. Is it because every time I keep my mouth shut for longer than 5 minutes, you start questioning my emotional stability? Or is it because I want something to be wrong, just so we can speak. I read once that constant talking does not a conversation make. I was crest fallen, a dejected oh escaping my lips. Itd be worse to hear you say it; to hear you say Im frustrating or too much or just not enough. In your silence, I force feed sentences in your mouth and they make me cry. We pull into the parking lot of the quad and you ask me if I had fun tonight and say sure. I know you hate that word, but sometimes I use it to hide. Sure doesnt mean yes or no, but somewhere in the realm of agreeing just to make sure things arent disagreeing. Ill always reassure you when I dont mean sure, when I do mean it, Ill elaborate on what Im hiding from. I hope you never say sure, because Ill remember how you translate it, and Ill know that its not promising. Mnenophobia Is the fear of memories. William Wordsworth has to rely on them to create poetry because he can only remember beauty, as it was when he was a child. I guess Im the same, even though I feel its cheap. But my fingernails are dirty and I havent shaved in a week and I remember that I have someone to impress. Im afraid of forgetting to take care of myself, afraid of being shunned, sexually outcaste, and undesirable. I am also terrified of bees. In dreams, their stings mean falling in love. I dreamed them up in your bed last night, there was a hornets nest hanging from your curtains. Would you, Wordsworth, write an Ode to my Youth if I ever crossed your path? I doubt it. Rockland, PA with Josh Once we went to a swimming hole, newly friends. I never used a rope swing before and I tried not to say anything to dash my bravery. I think we had kissed the night before and I just wanted you close. My bathing suit must have made something out of my timidness. The less clothes I wear, the better I seem to feel, but in a way that is like a toddler taking off her shirt because she knows no better. You make me young, and I just want to be memorable, something constant, an altar to our raucous childishness that never gets growing pains in the grocery store lines, but always asks silly questions. Im okay with what my words are becoming. Were both obsessed with it, and again, I know now why it is that I love you. You are a facet of Youth that I am not, and I fill your gaps left by age, realization, and jadedness. We try not to be, but its kind of inevitable. Im the ever-curious girl, snooping, but pardoned. You have a full head of summer hair and liveliness captured like in the photo album under your bed. I can feel my metaphors groaning under the smiling pressure of fond memories. Ty grow up and out of my works in fiddleheads of innocence to palm open, mature but ever reminiscent of the violin songs of adolescence. West End, PA Beside your bed, at your apartment in the West End, leaning on its haunches, there is a mirror. It is at home with us in its frame. I tongue my teeth; the one I lost last night in my dream is still there. Im not sure what Im even looking at, our bodies blended into a curve. You give me an eye for detail that only the imagist could appreciate. Replace the fear of the unknown with curiosity and I let myself explore the topography of your body, the moles, bone craters, and ridges. There is a difference between social anxiety and not being selfish for once. I give you endless backrubs and only ask for what I need, not excess, not flourishes. Ill be your keeper. I look down and my clothes have fallen away, and there is something revealing about being revealed. Burketts How to Stand Out in a Crowd is a non-linear meditation on the relation of self and place, privacy and disclosure, mortality and sexual desire, anxiety and love. Its so rich with trope and figuration that its difficult for me to pick out just a few instances to discuss in- depth. I want to let it stand as a particularly successful example of what poetic inquiry can achieve when embraced without reservation. The essay begins in a somewhat mysterious house in Trafford, Pa. We get the impression (the writing in the essay as a whole operates in an impressionistic modedetails of agency are fuzzy) that the house is some kind of collective or co-op (It was filled to the tipping brim with vegan food and friendship), with rotting hanging cabbages and a collection of chickens. In Burketts perception this is a promising startbut a descent into the basement of the house reveals that it lacks essential elements of rural domesticity: jars of pickles and preserves. The disappointment stings. Burkett expresses this disappointment with a metaphor that identifies her wholly with her complex feeling: Im an emotion that is somewhere between elation and being a fucking wreck. HOME. I crave it, a place to fit into it and Im really trying, but I get caught up in my own barbed wire, feigning confidence, more frequently than Id like. This metaphor is a deployment of poetic strategy which compels me as a reader to consider the troubling way in which emotions can overwhelm and consume identity. In this passage Burkett also introduces the theme of trying which recurs multiple times throughout the essay as she ruminates on an observation: There is a difference between social anxiety and not fucking trying. Its difficult to tell who first makes this observation at the conclusion of the essays first section (Trafford, PA) I think that it is Josh, Burketts romantic interest, who utters it, because directly after she reports it she writes And its right about then that Im sure Im in love with you. The conventional narrative of becoming sure that one is in love with someone which is etched in my mind suggests to me that the potential beloved does something clever or endearing and then-- right about thenthe lover falls in love. But then at the start of the second section (I-376) Burkett reports, On the drive home I said that sentence to you, and its maybe the most intelligent thing thats passed my lips in a long time, apart from your tongue. By that sentence I am not certain if Burkett means the observation about social anxiety and not trying, or if she means the sentence I love you. In the first instance, it would mean that at the conclusion of the previous section of the essay, she realizes that shes in love with Josh as she says something (thus undermining my imagined sequence of potential-beloved-does-somethingto-garner-love). In the second instance (i.e., if what she said was I love you) Joshs response seems rather understated: You liked it, and that sticks like salt. As a reader, I am left uncertain about who said what when. One might be inclined to read this as a flaw in Burketts writing, a lack of clarity. Im instead inclined to read the uncertainty about who said what as part of Burketts poetic strategyits a gesture that creates for me as the reader an experience of curious instabilityI want to know, I want to put things into an orderly, conventional narrativebut I am unable to do so. By creating this experience for me as a reader Burkett succeeds in engendering a process of poetic inquiry in me. I share in the work of trying to puzzle things out. Playing upon Frosts maxim No tears for the writer, no tears for the reader we might say, No confusion for the writer, no confusion for the reader. As I read How to Stand Out in a Crowd I am thrown into a position of not-knowing via Burketts use of gesture which perhaps reproduces in me the state of not-knowing that Burkett seems to experience in her tenuous love affair. In the section of the essay titled Too Long Silence the matter of speech between the lovers and who says what when is explored as a ground of contestation, a source of anxiety and trying (What is it about your lack of words that makes me so concerned? Trying to be socially anxious is how I spend my time). Joshs reticence causes Burkett to invent utterances on his behalf ironically, utterances which hurt here: In your silence, I force feed sentences in your mouth and they make me cry. Burkett further dramatizes the tension of silence and speech, honesty and dishonesty in her reflection on her use of the word sure in response to her lovers queries: Sure doesnt mean yes or no, but somewhere in the realm of agreeing just to make sure things arent disagreeing. In the following section of the essay, Mnenophobia, Burkett considers her own reluctance to use childhood memories as a source of poetic inspiration as William Wordsworth did. This is her fear of memoriesbut in this section we also find that what she rememberseven day to day detailsinspires fear for her: But my fingernails are dirty and I havent shaved in a week and I remember that I have someone to impress. Im afraid of forgetting to take care of myself, afraid of being shunned, sexually outcaste, and undesirable. Burkett is not just afraid to use memories as a source of poetic inspirationshes also afraid of what she remembers, that I have someone to impress. Though in the previous section of the essay Burkett imposed sentences upon her lover, she now considers that William Wordsworth would not wish to impose sentences upon her: Would you, Wordsworth, write an Ode to my Youth if I ever crossed your path? I doubt it. The theme of memory appears again in the penultimate section, Rockland, PA with Josh, wherein Burkett reflects on stripping as a form of revelation (as she will also do in the final section West End, PA): The less clothes I wear, the better I seem to feel, but in a way that is like a toddler taking off her shirt because she knows no better. You make me young, and I just want to be memorable, something constant, an altar to our raucous childishness that never gets growing pains in the grocery store lines, but always asks silly questions. Burketts desire to be young and memorable in the company of her lover aligns her with Wordsworths project in the Prelude of longing for and remembering the innocence of youth in a way that the essay does not explicitly acknowledge. Furthermore, the wish to be something constant seems to hold an interesting tension with Burketts observations in an earlier section of the essay, Conversation on Death, wherein she acknowledges, Nothing is permanent, not our impact, not our surnames, and definitely not the body or thoughts. Is there a difference between something constant and something permanent? Burketts writing raises this question for meshe puts the functions of my mind purposively into swing as I contemplate her symbolsthe decaying, tattooed corpse and the body of a lover disrobing. Burketts essay concludes in an intimate scene: looking into a bedroom mirror, Burkett views herself and her lover together in an embrace. In this mirror view she comes into poetic perception (You give me an eye for detail that only the imagist could appreciate) which heralds a climactic moment: Burkett overcomes some of the anxiety and fear she described earlier. This moment is marked by a movement into the imperative mood. Almost as if giving instructions to herself (or us, or her loverit may be all at once) she offers an order which serves simultaneously as narration: Replace the fear of the unknown with curiosity and I let myself explore the topography of your body, the moles, bone craters, and ridges. Shortly following this movement from fear to curiosity, Burkett concludes the essay with a sentence that uses physical nudity as an image for the revelation of intimacy: I look down and my clothes have fallen away, and there is something revealing about being revealed. Burketts final insight that there is something revealing about being revealed plays upon the relationship between the tangible and intangible worlds: becoming more vulnerable in the present and material realm (allowing her clothes to fall away) is revealing because she thereby simultaneously tastes a greater vulnerability at the emotional and spiritual level. It is a poetic insight because in it Burkett uses poetic strategy (punninga form of gesture, and also metaphor, a trope) to exploit the inherent ambiguity of her medium (words), to express a facet of her phenomenal experience (the charged situation of undressing in front of a new lover) which is likewise ambiguous or polyvalent in its resonances. In this dissertation, Ive sought to show that poetic inquiry is an approach to life and art that can also be successfully deployed as an exciting mode of literary education within the university context. Ive endeavored to explain the function of the notion of the soul as a poetic theory which can be useful as both a starting ground for the practice of poetic inquiry, and also as a poetically explanatory hypothesis for the mystery of why poetic inquiry can produce the astounding and extra-rational results that it sometimes doesthe transmutation of life into truth, the odd and happy sensation that one mind wrote and the same mind reads. My exploration of the elements of poetic inquiry as they are discussed in the work of Ralph Waldo Emerson and other profound poetic thinkers such as Rainer Maria Rilke and Jane Hirshfield shows that poetic inquiry is nothing new, but it is something which has not previously been concisely articulated and brought to bear within a classroom as I have here presented it. In my foregoing discussions of selected writings from my students in my Reading the Soul of Poetry class, Ive highlighted the ways in which this writing either succeeds as the fruit of a poetic inquiry or productively practices the movements of poetic inquiry in a way that paves the ground for future success in the endeavor. I intend these discussions to demonstrate that it is indeed possible to guide students to very sophisticated accomplishments in the practice of contemplatively seeking truth and then creatively expressing the truths they discover in a manner that generates new thought and sets the faculties of the mind into swing. This possibility can be 215 fulfilled by the use of prompts, readings, and experiments of the kind that I deployed in the courseall of which I hope stir the creativity of readers of this dissertation and inspire them to generate other wonderful prompts, readings, and experiments of their own which can be used in the service of guiding the practice of poetic inquiry. Ive also shown that the work of poetic inquiry can be deeply positively transforming and liberating for students, even as they simply begin to experiment with its practice. This positive transformation and liberation experience is evident to a high degree not only in the earnest testament of healing and illumination given by Aradhana Purker in her Poetry Gift Exchange Letter and in the sensitive discoveries Molly Burkett gestures to in her lyric essay, but also in the fascinating and volatile work of Tunmise Layiwola and Hannah Swysgood, whose writing performs intense confrontations and vivid unions with poetry and the poetic that result in dramatic alterations in those writers self-reported experience of the world and of themselves. Perhaps less obviously but just as importantly, we can also see poetic inquiry at work as a positively transforming process in the evolution of Daniel Radins writing from dry prosiness to exuberant punning, in Sean Brodaricks imaginative contextualization of his difficult and disciplined life within the myth-history of heroic warfare, and in Leah Nesmiths awkward but tender attempts at metaphor as a means of imagining herself and her relationships. POETIC INQUIRY: THE REINVENTION OF THE WORLD As I previously discussed, on the first day of class in Reading the Soul of Poetry I led students through a guided visualization exercise titled Dwell in Possibility in which we envisioned the best possible semester with the most positive consequences for our lives. After the visualization, 216 we wrote reflections as if we were our post-course December selves. On the actual last day of class I handed these writings back to the students and asked them to write about what among their hopes had or hadnt been realized, and what they had indeed learned this semester. Here, I present the fruits of both exercises as written by Daniel Radin, which I feel are representative of the overall tone of these past-and-future reflections from the class. On the first day of class, Radin wrote: The first day resonates clearly, back when poetry was an intangible art form, back when this class intimidated me more than the monster that is business calculus. All worries are now gone. The days went by, each quicker and more valuable than the next. I learned that not only am I an equal poet to my peers, but Ive learned from their originality and become a master of my own expression. My fear of my imagination and of the worth of my soulful quality is nonexistent. Each assignment has given me a new confidence in my ability as a writer, a student, a peer, a teacher, and a soul. I gained a new outlook on the way I view poetry, the poetic community, and the world. Ive become comfortable enough with myself to share myself with this class, and by extension, the universe. Ive gained the necessary skills to improve not only the lyrics in my songs, but the tune itself. The greats like Emerson and Whitman taught in the class room here in 151, and I was here to gain their insight. And thinking back to that first day, I wonder why I was so nervous to enter the class, and Im sorry to see it come to a wonderful end. On the last day of class, after he had read again for the first time in three months what he had previously written for the Dwell in Possibility exercise on the first day of the semester, Daniel Radin wrote: My jaw dropped when I read the paper I wrote on the first day of class. Everything I had expressed desire for in the class had come true in some form, whether consciously or not. I remember the intimidation that I felt on that first day, how I wasnt sure my creativity was as good as that of the others. The only thing that really changed was my confidence. It wasnt so much of the way I thought about things that changed, but rather the way I saw, experienced, and subsequently described them. My work fell into an honest spotlight. I came to understand it was OK to say exactly how you feel about something, and poetry is just art at its core. We, as a class, have learned to confide in each other through our work, and expose flashes of our innermost souls. Like anything else in life, the writing developed most enthusiastically after the exorcism of fear. It was really just fear holding us from telling the story as it really was, or seeing things in their naked form. From there, we as artists became the medium for creativity. The experimental nature of the class, while seeming absolutely ludicrous at times, now (for the first time) seems like the best decision in terms of the class. Loose constraints allowed for infinite expansion of the mind. While directions may have been unclear at a few points, the end result was an unconditional success because there was no wrong interpretation. Interpretation is a key part of poetry. Its the lens you see the world in, and without it, there would be so much less room for variation and originality (which is what we should always strive for). As artists, our goal, subconsciously, is to convince others of our uniqueness. In being unique, we may be scoffed at, ridiculed, or isolated. Thats why originality both imprisons and frees us; when were put down by critics, there is consolation in authenticity. We shouldnt fear the unknown. We shouldnt fear criticism or potential shame. Overcoming fear is the most valuable obstacle one can overcome, and its one of the most difficult. This class provided that extra push. It pushed boundaries and imaginations. It ignited internal flames, and told our engines we can! as we chugged up the hill. If things get tough, coming out bruised and victorious becomes that much more rewarding. We can also learn from failure. Not achieving a goal leads to defeat and despair. Yet from the ashes, persistence rebirths us into stronger beings. More honest artists. More soulful people. Life is what you make it. Youll never win the lottery unless you play, and the fear of failure is the most pitiful excuse you can offer. As artist, there is always an unexplored dimension, and an evolution to open another blind eye. When I wrote my first page for this class, I was terrified of failure. But now Ive taken the first step to overcome it. I know its not scary. And there are more boundaries to expand from here. I plan on creating new ones, and ascending that many more. Its funny how you can sometimes confide your innermost fears to a room full of strangers you twistedly think of as friends. We dont know each other outside of class. Yet our shared experiences and thirst for improvement give us a common bond. We still dont know each other as people. And yet we know the deepest caverns of each other. Life is a learning process. Class is just a microcosm of this. Going through each with other people is a comfort. We expose our flaws and secrets with those who do the same. By building off one anothers thoughts, we reinvent ourselves, and reinvent the class. We reinvent the world. And Im really sorry to see it come to a close. I find Radins reflection that It wasnt so much of the way I thought about things that changed [through the course of the semester], but rather the way I saw, experienced, and subsequently described them to be very significant. It suggests to me that in the course of the semester Radin learned to practice poetic inquiryshifting into Possibility or poetic perception, experiencing reality from that perception, and subsequently describ[ing] what he saw there using the power of poetic strategies. This suggestion is of course supported by my own familiarity with Radins writing earlier and then later in the term. Im also intrigued by Radins observation that We shouldnt fear the unknown. We shouldnt fear criticism or potential shame. Overcoming fear is the most valuable obstacle one can overcome, and its one of the most difficult. This class provided that extra push. It pushed boundaries and imaginations. It ignited internal flames, and told our engines we can! as we chugged up the hill. I find this observation about fear and the way Reading the Soul of Poetry pushed Radin to overcome his fear to be especially interesting because in a passage from The Courage to Teach which I cited early in this dissertation, the educational theorist Parker Palmer cites fear as a signature facet of the objectivist mode of knowing and educating: The mode of knowing that dominates education creates disconnections between teachers, their subjects, and their students because it is rooted in fear. This mode, called objectivism, portrays truth as something we can achieve only by disconnecting ourselves, physically and emotionally, from the thing we want to know. (51) Radins report that Reading the Soul of Poetry pushed him to overcome to some degree his fear of the unknown, his fear of criticism and shame, and instead to confide and to expose flashes of innermost soul[s] with his classmates to me is one strong indication that poetic inquiry as I taught it in Reading the Soul of Poetry and as I presented it here is indeed a mode of knowing and of educating which is distinctly different and in some ways superior to the objectivist paradigm which currently dominates our institutions of higher learning. As Radin tells it, the class created warm and lively connections between himself, his classmates, and poetry rather than creating the disconnections and alienation which Parker notes as endemic to objectivist paradigms. Im delighted that the guidance which I was fortunate to be able to provide to Radin in overcoming his initial fears and hesitations in the practice of poetic inquiry led him to an exhilarating sense that there are more boundaries to expand from here. As Radin describes it, beginning the path of poetic inquiry sounds much like the start of the heros journey which Joseph Campbell famously described in Hero With a Thousand Faces. Radin writes I plan on creating new ones [boundaries to expand], and ascending that many more. Ascending is certainly a heroic word if there ever was one. Ive recently been reading Campbells work and I must say I think Radin is on to something here about the nature of poetic inquiry: the first movement of poetic inquiry consists in a willingness to enter the liminal state of Possibility or not-knowing in order to seek for truth, and this indeed mirrors the heros initial venture from the comfort of a safe home into the bewildering magic world of tribulations (Campbell 28). The second movement of poetic inquiry involves the wherewithal to generate creative expressions of truths discovered in Possibility which can then benefit others, and this indeed mirrors the heros struggle to return home to the ordinary world after having won from the magic one an elixir that can restore life to the people (Campbell 29). Like Radin, I was also very sad to see Reading the Soul of Poetry end. But my sadness was tempered by a renewed sense that the grand things that Shelley and Emerson had to say about the power of poetic inquiry really are true. As Radin so well put it, when we practice it We reinvent the world. THE SYLLABUS FOR READING THE SOUL OF POETRY FALL 2012 READING POETRY SYLLABUS Course: Classroom: Meetings: Teacher: Contact: Office: Mailbox: Office Hours: Text: Reading Poetry 27706 - L0315 CL 151 Monday and Wednesday 4:30 - 5:45 Carolyn Elliott sweetsongofjoy@gmail.com CL 617C CL 501 Tuesday 3:00-5:00 The Best Poems of the English Language: From Chaucer to Eliot ed. Harold Bloom. New York: HarperCollins, 2004. The poet, described in ideal perfection, brings the whole soul of man into activity, with the subordination of its faculties to each other, according to their relative worth and dignity. He diffuses a tone, a spirit of unity, that blends and (as it were) fuses, each into each, by that synthetic and magical power, to which we have exclusively appropriated the name of imagination. -- Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Biographia Literaria The soul is a dark forest. -- D.H. Lawrence, American Literature The best use of literature bends not toward the narrow and the absolute but to the extravagant and the possible. -- poet Mary Oliver in her introduction to The Essential Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson Course Description: Reading the Soul of Poetry This is an experimental, exploratory course designed to teach, implement, and reflectively question a soul-centered mode of reading and writing both poetry and responses to poetry. Though continuously given popular approval in many arenas, soul-centered engagement with poetry and poetics has not previously enjoyed widespread acceptance within the modern secular research university; however, this mode of engagement has a great intellectual heritage stretching (at least) from Plato's Socrates in Ancient Greece to Ralph Waldo Emerson in nineteenth-century New England. In this course we will examine important texts in the history of poetics which theorize and / or perform the relationship of poetry to the soul. We will practice intensive (rather than extensive) reading of poetry, a mode of reading traditionally suggested as a means of expanding the soul's experience of poetry. We will engage in classroom exercises and experiments designed to create an atmosphere conducive to soulful response, expression, and evolution. We will expand our ability to write sensitively and articulately by practicing thinkingwith poetry. This course has a distinctly Transcendentalist inspiration in all of its elements. In keeping with this inspiration, the overall tone of our activities will be one of festive optimism intended to facilitate an elevated consciousness in our engagement with poetry and with each other. We will attend to and experiment with the power that Emerson claimed great poetry possesses: the power to alter and expand our awareness for the better, to liberate our thought and unite us to a larger conception of ourselves as interconnected beings. Key questions of this course are: What is the soul? What is poetry? What is 224 poeisis? Why would we want to think of ourselves as "souls"--or why not? What is the relationship of the soul to the imagination? What do we value in poetry? Can poetry harm the soul (as Plato's Socrates claimed)? How do we recognize something as "soulful" rather than as merely intellectual or emotional? How can we participate in intellectual community in a way that increases our capacity to experience life and one another? Do poems have souls? What happens when we think of our selves / souls as poems? What manners, attitudes and practices best foster positively transforming encounters with poems and with human beings? The course includes weekly written assignments, class experiments and presentations, weekly required reading assignments (usually 20-40 pages of dense prose), required memorization and recitation of poetry, and essay assignments. Teacher Description: Carolyn Elliott (i.e., me) My pedagogy (i.e., manner and philosophy of teaching and learning) is directly inspired by the lives and writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Walt Whitman, and Emily Dickinson. All of these persons sought to inspire, uplift, and provoke those they taught. All of them conceptualized (explicitly or implicitly) their life's work as part of a flow of gifts. Similarly, I see teaching as an opportunity for gift-giving and gift-receiving. Inspiration, upliftment, and provocation are the primary gifts which I wish to convey to my students; they are also the gifts to which I am most open to receiving. The transmission of specific skills and bodies of knowledge concerning the reading and writing of poetry and poetics are secondary gifts that I seek to bestow and accept; they are valuable to the degree that they enhance and support the primary gifts. In keeping with this Transcendentalist pedagogical tradition, I theorize teaching and learning as events which happen by means of and which possess transformative consequences for the souls of all involved. I aim to teach with my whole soul. General Course Goals The following points represent over-all goals of this course. You will be graded based upon my holistic assessment of your fulfillment of these goals via your portfolio and class participation. 1. Engage in reading and writing as creative forms of poetic inquiry. Here you'll be invited to use reading and writing as means to explore and generate new thought. Through writing that thinks-with poetry, you'll examine your own current modes of relating to reality, and you'll be expected to consciously expand and revise those modes in writing. 2. Contribute meaningfully and positively to class experiments. Since this is a course which explores and deploys a Transcendentalist pedagogy (one that hypothesizes that the soul is what is changed in all situations of learning and most profoundly in poetic learning), we will be engaging in playful experiments designed to foreground the possibility of experiencing ourselves and others as interconnected souls, rather than as simply minds or bodies. These experiments are a little out of the ordinary in terms of conventional college classroom activities. If you commit to taking this course, you will be expected to loosen up and participate fully. You'll never be asked to accept the premises of the experiments as truths, but you will need to accept the premises of the experiments as a starting grounds for active exploration, and to engage in the experiments themselves with an attitude of openmindedness and willingness. 3. Address challenging questions about the nature of poetry and life. This course assumes that the work of reading poetry is not a matter of of discerning iambs from anapests or even getting at the meaning of poems, but rather in allowing ourselves to engage in the energy of poiesis (making). Part of what is made as we read poetry is our idea about what poetry is and who we are in relation to it. You'll be invited to reflect on these matters and to articulate your own poetics, or theory of poetry. 4. Create literary community inside and outside the classroom Via our shared projects (the Commonplace Book, the Read-Arounds), visits to poetry-related events and contributions to various contests and journals, we will generate a sense of ourselves as relevant voices in ongoing, larger conversations about poetry and poetic experience. General Course Policies Attendance Since your writing and responses to the reading are central to class discussions and experiments, attendance is mandatory. Come to class on time, prepared to take part in conversation about the materials under study. You are allowed three absences during the term for whatever reason, though it is strongly recommended that you strive for perfect attendance. If you do miss a class, you must arrange for your assignment that day to be submitted on time, either via email or by placing it in my mailbox in CL-501. Four absences without a documented excuse (such as a doctor's note) will result in a full one-grade penalty to your final grade; more than four absences can be grounds for failure. Students in this situation may want to consider withdrawing from the course and taking it again under better circumstances. Writing Assignments There will be some form of writing every week, and all writing assignments must be completed in order for you to pass the course. Writing assignments must also be submitted on time. If you submit an essay late (without a documented excuse), your final grade for the semester will drop by one step (C+ turns to C, for example). More than two late submissions of any other assignment (Read-Around, Commonplace Book, exercises, etc.) drops your final grade by one step, and every late submission thereafter drops it another step. Finally, any late assignment that isn't submitted by the following class will not receive my written commentary. Grading Your grade will be determined by a review of your writing and overall course participation twice during the course of the semester-- once at midterm and once during final exam week. In other words, rather than grading each and every paper individually, I'll write comments intended to help you revise your essays before I grade them. In-class writing, Commonplace Book entries, and Read Around submissions will generally not receive individual response, but your respones to these assignments may be discussed by the class. At midterm, I'll schedule a conference with you to discuss your progress and give you a provisional grade. Your provisional mid-term grade will be determined in response to your midterm portfolio. You should feel free to visit me during my office hours to discuss your work at any point during the semester. A final grade will be determined in response to your final portfolio, which is due on December 13th at noon. Your portfolio will include all your work for the term and will be graded according to the following scale: Essays All other writing 70% 30% I may also choose to raise your final grade by a step (e.g, B to B+) in order to recognize 227 exemplary participation in class discussion, experiments, and field trips. Portfolios Your mid-term and final portfolios should contain copies of all of your writing for the class to that date, including essays, Read-Around materials, and Commonplace Book contributions. Plagiarism Plagiarism will not be tolerated. It is important that you cite your sources, even when you are only paraphrasing. You do not avoid plagiarism by changing a few words or lines in a quotation and then pretending that it's yourse. All instances of plagiarism will result in an automatic "F" on the assignment, a full revision without credit, and a report to the Dean. (For more information on plagiarism, see the code of student conduct at http://www.as.pitt.edu/facult/policy/integrity.html). Course Website This course uses a Google groups site and not a Blackboard site. More info to come. Additional Assistance The Writing Center Located in M2 Thaw Hall, the Writing Center is an excellent resource for working on your writing with an experienced consultant. Although you should not expect consultants to correct your papers for you, they can assist you in learning to organize, edit, and revise your essays. Consultants can work with you on a one-time basis, or they can work with you throughout the term. Their services are free, but you should call ahead (412-624-6556) or make an appointment online at www.english.pitt.edu/writingcenter. Disability Resources and Other Services Pitt offers a number of services to help students who are struggling either academically or personally.. If you have a disability for which you are or may be requesting an accommodation, you are encouraged to contact both your instructor and Disability Resources and Services, 216 William Pitt Union, (412) 648-7890 or (412) 383-7355(TTY), as early as possible in the term. DRS will verify your disability and determine reasonable accommodations for this course. Pitt also offers free counseling at the Counseling Center, located in 334 William Pitt Union (412-648-7930), for students who are experiencing personal or emotional difficulties. Specific Goals of Course Elements The Goal of Our Essay Writing Assignments The essay writing assignments in this course are designed to enable you, by December, to have produced a piece of writing which which can be eligible for publication in an undergraduate literary journal (local examples: Collision, The Three Rivers Review). As part of our final project in this class, we will prepare and submit our pieces for publication. Publication in journals is a means of participating and having influence in a larger literary community. Through the essay assignments, we will learn to tailor our writing so that it may be legible to this larger community. The Goal of Our Other Writing Assignments The other writing assignments in this course are designed to facilitate your reflection on issues raised by our assigned reading, our work with poetry, our class exercises, and your life. While the essay writing assignments help you to be heard by the larger world (via literary journals), the other writing assignments allow you to be heard by your immediate community (this class). What you choose to share with us via these assignments is a crucial part of everyone's experience, every bit as important as the essays and poetry by well-known authors which we will read. You are also our teacher. The Goal of Our Required Field Trips This term we will have two required field trips: 1) The Tuesday Night Open-Mic at the Shadow Lounge and 2) The Pittsburgh Contemporary Writers Series feature of the poet C.D. Wright at the Frick Fine Arts Auditorium. Like our graded writing assignments, these field trips aim to engage us in the larger literary community. The Goal of Our Class Experiments Our class experiments (initial experiments include: coming to class dressed as your Possible Self, bringing a small gift to exchange with a classmate which to you symbolizes Poetry, participating in a poetic picnic) aim to engender an imaginative, playful atmosphere in our class community, thus facilitating deep engagement with poetry and with one another. These experiments are designed to take us outside the mundane consciousness of separation and calculation and into a soulful consciousness of expansive unity, possibility, and giving. Ongoing Shared Course Projects Read-Arounds Our firsthand, subjective (non)experiences of "soul" and "poetry" via our class experiments and our intensive reading of poems are a significant body of knowledge in this course. In order to make these bodies of knowledge available for community consideration and in order to practice experiencing our writing as a gift freely offered and received, we will have a weekly "Read-Around" on Wednesdays in which we share "personal" (i.e., not necessarily academic, although it could be) material (up to two pages in length): this material can have any generic form: fictional or autobiographical story, drama, poetry, literary criticism, blog post-- or anything else. During the Read-Arounds, you will never receive criticism of your writing style from me or the class. Read-Arounds are not writing workshops, they are simply chances to share writing and be heard and appreciated. Most weeks we will simply hear each person read their contribution. On some occasions, we may have assignments or discussions which involve engaging directly with Read-Around materials as resources for further thought. Every Monday I will provide a prompt for the Wednesday Read-Around. The material you submit should pertain to the prompt. Everyone is required to email me their Read-Around pieces each week on Tuesday night. Due to the size of the class and time constraints, there are some weeks that not everyone may be able to share with the class during the Read-Around, but best efforts will be made to accommodate everyone being heard. I reserve the right to disallow a piece to be shared during the read-around if I feel that its sharing would be disruptive to collegiality and good will in our class community. The Commonplace Book A "commonplace book" is a blank book (or, in our cases, Google groups web page) wherein one records "commonplaces" or quotations from one's reading that one would like to remember for future consideration along with notes about those quotations. We will be generating a communal commonplace book. A common commonplace book, if you will! In our communal Commonplace Book, we will give notes not only to our own chosen quotations but also to those submitted by others. Our Commonplace Book will record our communal experience of engagement with poetry and poetics in this course. Like the Read-Around materials, it may form the basis for some of our assignments. Every Wednesday I will give the class an assignment for that week's Commonplace Book 230 contribution. Everyone is required to complete their weekly Commonplace Book contribution by Sunday night and to sign it with their full name. Weekly Written Assignments Every Sunday by 10 pm: On Google Groups, make the assigned contribution to the Commonplace Book. Be sure to "sign" this contribution with your full name. Every Tuesday by 10 pm: Email to me a "personal" (i.e., not academic) piece of writing of any genre, one to two double-spaced pages in length, pertaining to the given prompt. Reading The Best Poems of the English Language: From Chaucer to Eliot, ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Harper Collins, 2004. Photocopied essays (usually from 20 to 40 pages in length). Photocopied poetry. The Best Poems of the English Language is available at the University Book Center. {I may ask you to purchase an additional text later in the term} Grades However well you've done in high school, bear in mind that this course will set higher standards for writing than you've probably experienced before. It's not uncommon for papers that might have earned an "A" in high school to be considered no better than a "C" in college. Here's how the University of Pittsburgh defines each grade level: A = Superior Attainment B = Meritorious Attainment C = Adequate Attainment D = Minimal Attainment F = Failure Note that "meritorious" means commendable or praiseworthy: a "B," in other words, reflects a well-written paper, not an average result. Part of our work in this course will be to locate pieces of writing that deserve praise and to identify the reasons why. Email Each student is issued a University e-mail address (username@pitt.edu) upon admittance. This e-mail address may be used by the University for officialcommunication with students. Students are expected to read e-mail sent to this account on a regular basis. Failure to read and react to University communications in a timely manner does not absolve the student from knowing and complying with the content of the communications. The University provides an email forwarding service that allows students to read their e-mail via other service providers (e.g., Hotmail, AOL, Yahoo). Students that choose to forward their e-mail from their pitt.edu address to another address do so at their own risk. If e-mail is lost as a result of forwarding, it does not absolve the student from responding to official communications sent to their University e-mail address. To forward e-mail sent to your University account, go to http://accounts.pitt.edu, log into your account, click on Edit Forwarding Addresses, and follow the instructions on the page. Be sure to log out of your account when you have finished. (For the full E-mail Communication Policy, go to www.bc.pitt.edu/policies/policy/09/09-10-01.html.) Essays We will write four essays for this class. An essay will be due every four weeks, with the first essay due on Monday, September 20. The essays will vary in length from 5 to 10 pages, depending on the assignment. On weeks that essays are due, we will not have a separate Commonplace Book contribution assignment or Read-Around prompt. We will use excerpts from our essays for the Commonplace Book contribution and for the Read-Around on Wednesday. You will receive the assignment for each essay one week before the essay is due. My comments on your essays will be returned to you one week after I have collected them. How to Format Your Essays 1. Your essays should be double-spaced in a 12-point font with standard one-inch margins. 2. Your essays should have a unique title-- something that reflects what the essay says or does. You should not use titles like "Essay 1." 3. The title should be placed on the top line of the first page. No title sheet is necessary. The title should not be underlined or placed in quotation marks. 4. Skip two lines after the title and begin your essay. Do not skip additional lines between paragraphs. Just go to the next line and use the tab key to indent. 5. Your essay should include page numbers in the upper right-hand corner. 6. Your essay should be carefully proofread for errors in wording, punctuation, and spelling. If I encounter an excessive number of errors, you'll be required to make corrections before you receive credit for the assignment. Errors of this kind will also adversely affect your grade. (Note: I will not correct errors for you, as doing so is your responsibility. But I will help the class learn to identify errors and address them). READING POETRY IMPORTANT DATES Monday Monday Wednesday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Monday Monday Thursday Monday Wednesday Monday 9/6 9/13 9/15 9/20 9/21 10/6 10/11 10/18 11/4 11/15 11/24 12/13 NO CLASS -- Labor Day First Reciting of Memorized Passage Second Reciting of Memorized Passage Essay 1 Due Shadow Lounge Open Mic Field Trip Submissions due to Marlee and James Myer Award NO CLASS-- Fall Break Essay 2 and Mid-Term Portfolio Due Poet C.D. Wright at Frick Fine Arts Field Trip Essay 3 Due NO CLASS -- Thanksgiving Break Essay 4 and Final Portfolio Due THE INTELLECTUAL JOURNEY TOWARDS POETIC INQUIRY My journey towards writing Poetic Inquiry began in the literary criticism stacks of the Carnegie Library when I was in high school. Throughout my childhood and young adolescence I had had experiences with reading and writing the type of writing that we broadly call literature (poetry, novels, stories, plays) that had deeply changed my consciousness and I wanted to find confirmation and theoretical explanation of that experience. I found how-to books (Alain de Bottons charming How Proust Can Change Your Life) and personal reflections (among the best: Nabokovs Speak, Memory, Simone de Beauvoirs autobiography, Colettes memoirs) but no cogent theory that illuminated what happened to me in my reading and writing life. Because I failed to find it in the library stacks, I assumed that the cogent theory was wellknown by scholars and contemporary writers and was waiting for me in the literature and creative writing classes of universities. I went for a B.A. in English and Creative Writing at Carnegie Mellon. In an introduction to literary criticism class I read Freud, Jung, Foucault, Derrida for the first time. The closest thing I found to a theoretical explanation for my intense experience in literature was Derridas essay, Platos Pharmakon, wherein Derrida elaborates on Platos notion that the written word can act as a drug that can either heal or hurt its reader. This to me was an important clue. For the most part, I felt perplexed by the majority of literary criticism and scholarship that I encountered as an undergraduate because it seemed to treat literature not as a volatile, psychoactive substance capable of engendering dramatic change in those who read it, but rather as something to be historically contextualized or politically analyzed. I could see how many of these approaches were immensely valuable and fascinating, and my curiosity about them and enjoyment of them sustained me through all my coursework, but they did not speak to my most intimate experience of literature. My creative writing classes (apart from wonderful courses in essay-writing taught by Hilary Masters and Jane McCafferty, which taught me the power of the essay as a process of engaged exploration) were equally perplexing. They taught poetry-writing and story-writing as matters of craft, imitation, selfexpression and entertainmentall viable modes, but not ones that I intuitively experienced as deeply essential. In a senior seminar I read Nietzsches The Use and Abuse of History for Life. In that essay, Nietzsche argued that the most important thing about history is that it can be used to inspire and invigorate aware action in the present moment and lamented modes of study that approached history as a hobby-house of antiques, a series of triumphant monuments or a record to be criticized for its failures through the eyes of present values and virtues. It seemed to me that what Nietzsche argued was similarly true of literaturethat the study of literature should properly be geared towards the inspiration and expansion of the mind that reads in the present, rather than directed to drawing up taxonomies, tributes and criticisms. Its true that there are already existing modes of reading within literary scholarship that accomplish this presentmoment expansion in various ways. I particularly admire queer theory for its delightfully subversive and re-contexualizing moves. But I felt that more could be done to make the study of literature a practice that nurtures the present. I applied to graduate school in literary studies believing that I would find teachers and fellow students who understood what I was talking about when I spoke of literatures transformative, uplifting properties. There, a few helpful beacons appeared. In my first semester of graduate school I read Platos Republic. Platos Socrates passionate dismissal of poets from the Republic on the grounds that poetry had dangerous potentials again affirmed for me that I wasnt crazyPlato also thought poetry was potent stuff, pharmakon. I read more of Nietzschea specific turning point for me was Nietzsches The Anti-Christ wherein he argues that St. Pauls version of Christianity and the founding of the wealth-hoarding and violence-promoting Church was a means of inoculating society against the radically transformative life and words of Jesus Christ by actually pretending to defend and study them. This struck a deep chord in me, and I felt, once again, that Nietzsche had made an important observation. It then occurred to me that institutional literary scholarship at many times does the same thing for poetry (understood as literature) that St. Paul did for Jesus: it inoculates society against the radically transformative potentials of poetry by defending and studying it in terms that make it less, rather than more available as an agent of change.. I realized that the analytical and reifying moves of some kinds of institutional literary studies served to neuter poetry of its power in our culture far better than Socrates expulsion of poetry from the Republic ever could. I began to see ways in which some works of literary study can act as rejections of the radical way of knowing and discovering that poetry embodies. Political and historical analyses (Freudian, Feminist, Marxist, Structuralism and Post-Structuralism, historicisms of all kinds) can be provocative and worthwhile means of opening up thought about poetry, but they can also at times be means by which folks defend themselves against the potentially dangerous wiles of poetry using the power of logical analysis. The first book of thought about literature that struck me as resolutely doing something other than defending-against poetrys power was Heideggers collection of essays Poetry, Language, Thought. There, Heidegger approaches poetry directly and fearlessly as itself a valuable terrain that can open up new knowledge. He doesnt move to analyze poetry through his philosophy, but rather humbly adjusts his philosophy to the perceptions illuminated by poetry. He sensitively reads Rilke and Holderlin as starting-points for fresh thought about the nature of phenomenal experience rather than as objects to be pinned down and dissected. Heidegger here stresses that we must poetically inquire. and it was here that I first began to consider that necessity myself. At the same time that I was reading Nietzsche and Heidegger, I was also reading a large amount of Kierkegaard. Kierkegaard is himself a wily poet: he wrote under so many fictional names and in so many fantastically different voices and perspectives that its impossible to get a firm hold on him. But I was powerfully struck by his insight in Fear and Trembling and in many of his various theological essays that the Word of God (specifically, the life and being of Jesus Christ) is a great offense to all of our ordinary modes of thinking and valuing. Kierkegaard argued that real faith and therefore real transformation only occur when an intense paradox (like Jesus, understood as both God and Man, infinite and finite) could be faced and accepted unflinchingly, without taking offense and without making any attempt to soften the scorching impossibility of the paradox. Like Nietzsche, Kierkegaard launched scathing criticism at conventional Christianity for softening, avoiding, and defending-against the radical offense of Jesus life and teaching. It occurred to me that poetry at its best is also an offensive paradox: its simply language, like the sort we use everyday, but its language thats not-quite-explicably endowed with a tremendous transformative power that many poets (though very few literary scholars) freely attribute to the divine. In this sense, like Jesus, its both finite and infinite. Ordinary and extraordinary. Mortal and immortal. But how can that be? Well, it cant. Its a terrible paradox, and its offensive. Kierkegaard gave me a better understanding of the nature of poetry. I could see that just as Kierkegaard fearlessly confronted the paradox of Jesus, and used that confrontation to propel his awareness into a deeper perspective (one that he called true subjectivity) so Heidegger had done the same with the paradox of poetry. Both Kierkegaard and Heidegger had declined to take offense at something profoundly offensive and distasteful to most people. Jesus and poetry. As an aside, I dont think its any coincidence that both Jesus and poetry are often either sentimentalized and made ridiculous or else held up as impossible-to-attain ideals that are irrelevant to real life. The ferocity and continuity of such sentimentalizing and idealizing belie resistance and fear to the possibility of change that both Jesus and poetry present. Not long after I read Kierkegaard, I found an amazing book by Hazard Adams, The Offenses of Poetry, which made this connection all the more clear to me. Adams doesnt base his thought about poetry directly upon Kierkegaard, but he does base it on the work of a theologian who studied Kierkegaard. In the Offenses of Poetry, Adams elaborated the same thing I had observed: that the history of poetry study and discussion is for the most part a long tradition of either abjectly apologizing and explaining away poetrys offenses or defending-against it. He offers a wonderful discussion of each of poetrys offenses (story, gesture, drama, trope) which Ive referred to in Poetic Inquiry with the more neutral term poetic strategies. Adams explains what exactly is so offensive about each of these strategies to conventional sensibilities regarding the proprieties of language and sense-making. He also helpfully pointed towards Blake and Yeats as examples of poets who thought deeply and positively about the offensive potentials of poetry, and about poetry as a profoundly important alternative mode of being and thinking. I decided to venture further into Heideggers thought. I read the masterpiece of his first period, Being and Time. The most important insight I gleaned from Being and Time was that Heidegger defined the basic mode of human beingness as anxiety or care, Sorge. I notice that this is certainly true of the daily experience of myself and most humans I knowwere perpetually consumed with worry about our future well-being, and with working to make provisions for that future well-being. It occurred to me that this condition of anxiety is exactly what Jesus spoke against in the Sermon on the Mount, when he suggested to his followers that they live like lilies of the field and birds of the air, without care for the future and with total absorption in the present (a theme that Kierkegaard wrote on extensively). I then read Heideggers late essay On Technology where I discovered that Heidegger contrasts a mode of being and thinking that he terms the Enframing with poeisis or dwelling poetically. Put simply the Enframing is an attitude that seeks to exploit nature and human beings. It stockpiles resources and it motivates technological advancement. Its interested in extracting power, stockpiling it and hoarding it. Its the dominant mode of our present age. Poeisis or dwelling poetically, conversely, is the attitude that seeks creative harmony with lifeas-it-is rather than domination and power-over it. It struck me that dwelling poetically closely resembles living like a lily of the field. Looking for more insight into Kierkegaard, Heidegger and Derrida I found the philosopher-theologian John Caputos important book The Weakness of God. In The Weakness of God Caputo explores the notion of divinity as a weak force or a faculty of interpretation rather than as a strong force which intervenes directly like a cartoon hand into natural and human life. Caputos arguments reinforced my understanding of poetic dwelling and interpretation as dimensions of an important and ever-accessible-yet-frequently-reviled mode of consciousness that Jesus liked to call the Kingdom of Heaven. In my third year of graduate school I met a turning point when I encountered Emersons writing. In Emersons essay The American Scholar I found for the first time a full endorsement of the attitude toward literature and the world that I personally found most helpful: literature for the use of life and inspiration. I later discovered that Nietszche had been deeply influenced by Emerson, and things began to make more sense. In Emersons The Poet I found a discussion of poetic perception and thought that to me fully resonated with Heideggers explorations of the same topics. It shocked me that Emersons ideas about literature and poetry were not taken seriously by academic literary studies. I read Gerald Graffs Professing Literature which illuminated for me the fact that academic literary studies, and indeed, all present university study, was based upon the materialist scientific mode of the German 19th-century university. It became clear to me how the model of materialist science, with its full rejection of classical, transcendental and romantic insights into poetry and life had strongly influenced the American study of literature (and indeed, every humanistic studyincluding psychology, religion, anthropology, sociology, history and philosophy) towards scientific aspiration. I recalled Nietzsches discussion in On the Genealogy of Morals about how both materialist science and fundamentalist religion share an identical hunger for unimpeachable truth devoid of ambiguity and uncertainty that can shut down creative thought. Its true that in the later half of the twentieth century this scientific influence began to wear down and be pushed against by many important post-modern thinkers, but I feel we still need further thought that moves humanistic study away from scientific paradigms of objective truth that dont fit. I read Derek Attridges The Singularity of Literature, which importantly seeks to directly account for the strange power of poetic language and confirmed my thoughts about the dramatic significance of that power. Attridges book, in my estimation is a bit too timid. Still, it draws heavily upon Owen Barfields Poetic Diction, which did similar work 50 years earlier and with more rigor. I discovered that Owen Barfield was a devotee of anthroposophism, the philosophy of Rudolf Steiner. I read Rudolf Steiners Higher Worlds and How to Know Them, which offers teachings about how to grow into higher consciousness through cultivating receptivity and intuition that closely resemble Emersons advice in The Poet. Of course, Emerson, Nietzsche, and Rudolf Steiner were all intimately inspired by Goethe. Goethes Faust, which I read with great delight as a child and whose themes I continue to explore in my own poetry and fiction writing, strikes me as a prescient parable of how the exploration of mysteries of human life (like poetry and faith) are degraded by the Enframing attitude which seeks to control and exploit. Concurrent to my following this thread of thought, I also read Thomas Moores popularization of depth psychology, The Care of the Soul. Moore references Keats discussion in his letters of this world as a vale of soul-making and of genius as a facility for negative capability. the ability to remain in uncertainty and doubt without any irritable reaching after fact or reason. Moore casually offers in his book that poetry is a soul-making process, a sentiment repeated by Edward Hirsch in How to Read a Poem and Fall in Love with Poetry. I became intensely curious about the relationship of poetry to the soul. This curiosity was nurtured by my noticing that both Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson, two great (and very different) American poets both spoke frequently and complexly about the soul, as did Emerson throughout his works but perhaps most clearly in his essay The Over-Soul which no doubt both Dickinson and Whitman read. Investigating Emersons thoughts about the nature of the soul led me to read Kant. In Kants Critique of Pure Judgment I found his fascinating discussion about how we say that some art works and some people have soul while others dont, and his claim that genius produces works with soul. Because my primary interest lies in poetry for the use of life I decided to focus my efforts on translating what Id discovered about poetrys power into a format accessible to myself and my students. I found Heideggers suggestion that we must inquire poetically in order to access poetrys wisdom and energy to be a potent one, and therefore sought to understand how poetry as a mode of thought and discovery could be understood and taught. Hence, I developed the insights into poetic inquiry previously presented in this work. Adams, Hazard. The Offense of Poetry. Seattle: U of Washington P, 2007. Bakhtin, Mikhail. Problems of Dostoevskys Poetics. ed. and trans. Caryl Emerson. London: U of Minnesota P, 1984. Campbell, Joseph. The Hero With a Thousand Faces. Novato, California: New World Library, 2008. Dickinson, Emily. The Poems of Emily Dickinson. ed. R.W. Franklin. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Belknap Press of Harvard UP, 1998. Dobyns, Stephen. Best Words, Best Order: Essays On Poetry. New York: St. Martins Griffin, 1997. Doe, Sue and Natalie Barnes, David Bowen, David Gilkey, Ginger Guardiola Smoak, Sarah Ryan, Kirk Sarell, Laura H. Thomas, Lucy J. Troup, and Mike Palmquist. Discourse of the Firetenders: Considering Contingent Faculty through the Lens of Activity Theory. College English. 73.4.11. Eisenstein, Charles. The Ascent of Humanity. Panenthea Productions, 2007. Emerson, Ralph Waldo. Essential Writings. ed. Brooks Atkinson. intro. Mary Oliver. New York: The Modern Library, 2000. Frost, Robert. The Robert Frost Reader: Poetry and Prose. New York: Henry Holt, 1972. Heidegger, Martin. Poetry, Language, Thought. trans. Albert Hofstadter. New York: Perennial, 245 2001. --. Off the Beaten Track. trans. Julian Young and Kenneth Hanes. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2002. --. The Question Concerning Technology and Other Essays. trans. William Levitt. New York: HarperTorchbooks, 1982. Hirshfield, Jane. Nine Gates: Entering the Mind of Poetry. New York: HarperCollins, 1997. Hyde, Lewis. The Gift: Creativity and the Artist in the Modern World. New York: Vintage Books, 2007. Kant, Immanuel. The Critique of Judgment. New York: Cosimo, 2007. Katie, Byron. Loving What Is: Four Questions that Can Change Your Life. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2003. Moore, Thomas. Care of the Soul: A Guide for Cultivating Depth and Sacredness in Everyday Life. New York: HarperCollins, 1992. Neruda, Pablo. Full Woman, Fleshly Apple, Hot Moon: Selected Poems by Pablo Neruda. trans. Stephen Mitchell. New York: Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2009. Palmer, Parker J., The Courage to Teach. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1998. -- and Arthur Zajonc. The Heart of Higher Education: A Call to Renewal. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2010. Poirier, Richard. Poetry and Pragmatism. Harvard UP: Cambridge, 1992. Richardson, Robert D. Emerson: The Mind on Fire. UC Press: Berkeley, 1996. Rilke, Rainer Maria. The Selected Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke. ed. and trans. Stephen Mitchell, New York: Vintage, 1989. --. Letters to a Young Poet. trans. Stephen Mitchell. New York: Vintage,1987. Tall, Deborah and John DAgata. The Lyric Essay. The Seneca Review Website. <http://www.hws.edu/academics/senecareview/lyricessay.aspx>. Vendler, Helen. Poems Poets Poetry: An Introduction and an Anthology. New York: Bedford / St. Martins, 2009. Whitman, Walt. Song of Myself. ed. Stephen Mitchell. Boston: Shambhala, 2003. Yeats, William Butler. Ideas of Good and Evil. London: A.H. Bullen, 1923. Cara elliott Carolyn faulkner Documents Similar To Poetic Inquiry: On Reading, Writing, and Teaching Poetry via Intuitive Contemplation and Creative Expression Tatsiana Dzen María De Los Angeles Rojas Anonymous IBo6fJ Desirae Howard Anonymous hA5GhB Sanja Garro Atila hoangphongtuan Tom Terbush Hamid Naveed WendyJBouchoux mehdi_11 nainathechamp Renata Reich Marty Wesson Meloy DIVINE ARTS SILABUS MATA KULIAH 2014 A.docx Adriansyah Katili handout g ind Poetry Café Unit Plan KaitlynScott English Revision Guide ardnabrockey121 paper 2 past paper questionsib literaturehigher Essay G7 '16-'17 Keith Ann Kim psy255 syllabus 10 week unit planner - global empires unit1 aos2 UIIT Prospectus 2009 KushKashyap News Values listerrrr football d 2-25-15 Psychology JM Arvin Taylor Course Content IISER Berhampur Ryuzaki Meitantei Ritesh Kumar Patro Elizabeth a. Eldredge Power in Colonial Africa Book4me.org madwani1 ranggawarsita niakusumadewi C2L15 the Sports Feature Jay Jocom Ruivivar leadership & team building integrating technology and curriculum lesson plan - epics magdalinintal Sarghie Bogdan STRAVINSKY_an_autobiography.pdf Mauricio De Bonis edu214 ass10 1 Senior High School Students Forum MANUL Contoh Lesson Plan Terbaru Rio Adhitya Dwi Ardhianto Varghese En krithideep Eaei Eci Development Eng MaríaFernándezMuñoz How to Overcome Your Fear of the Unknown Elias Fung Vladimir Eiderman - Selected Topics in Complex Analysis DrHarman Preet Singh ABL FINAL Isma Nizam chapter 12 notes A Survey of the Use of the Term Vedanā in the Pāḷi Nikāyas Nuno Castro 0625-2015-Physics Rengaramanujam Ilango Cso History Philip Sabado	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line11098
__label__wiki	0.501842	0.501842	Dining Out: Harpoon Willy's Rachel Forrest I'm developing an extended metaphor for the character of The Decks, that series of outdoor dining spots along Bow and Ceres streets. It involves a sort of family structure with the Oar House as mom and dad, more responsible and with more bucks, followed by others like Poco's, the sort of fun, blond, older sister who loves to socialize and then, well, you get the drift. Needs work. But now meet the wild younger brother. You know the one. He sneaks out at night after everyone's gone to sleep and whoops it up. He might even be pierced. Yes, he's a rebel but we all love him. That's Harpoon Willy's, the final deck in the series. It's the one the locals go to as well as the restaurant folk and there's an air of bad boy about it — or bad girl — and we all know how hard it is to stay away from the bad boy. First of all, they allow smoking on the deck. In the laws of the smoking ban, if there's a deck with open sides, it's fine, but the other decks have done away with smoking so it just feels like you're getting away with something, sneaking it from mom and dad. And all the beer, if not on tap, is in cans, because I was told, it's cheaper. They do have some good brews on tap but folks also sip pink drinks and margaritas. It's crowded here but it's amazing to me how one waitress handles the entire deck oft times. When I looked around on one evening however, I did notice that not many people were actually eating. There was a lot of meeting, greeting, hugging friends and plenty of good-hearted fun. I saw a number of people I knew on a few trips but heck, it's a small town. The food is about what you'd expect down here, heavy on the seafood and very large portions. We started with hot wings, which had no sauce on them, but rather were more like unbattered deep fried wings. I didn't find them hot at all ($8.95). A spinach salad with nicely crisp crumbled bacon, slices of hard-boiled egg, ripe tomatoes, swiss cheese and cucumbers was big enough for a meal and my companion took much of it home ($8.95). Dressings, mayo, relish all come in little packets. The clam basket is immense, filled with crisp fried clams and the onion ring option. The clams are tender and juicy and small enough that you still get crunch ($18.95). Onion rings are of the thinner variety, the onions sweet and tender as well. I tried the shrimp roll, which was unexpectedly fried as well. I thought it would be more like a lobster roll but with shrimp. A shrimp salad in the roll if you will, but it was very large battered and fried shrimp in the roll, which I couldn't figure out how to stuff in the bun adequately, so I just ate them on their own. I liked the size of them and they were fresh ($10.95) Fries are lightly battered and cole slaw is creamy with a hint of horseradish. I also tried a burger there, which was surprisingly large, juicy and nicely cooked. The 8-ounce burger came on a slightly chewy bulkie roll and was medium just as I asked ($8.95). There's also a yellow fin tuna steak with wasabi mayo that looks exotic. There's also a lobster roll, haddock, scallop roll, clam cakes and hot dogs among other standard deck fare. Save room for dessert, though. Oh, wait don't, because they don't have any, but I sensed this because at the end of my meal I asked , "Do you have dessert here?" instead of "What do you have for dessert?" and the waitress sort of chuckled and said, "No, we don't have dessert, but I might have a Snickers bar in my purse if you really need something," which was really funny to me, and yet another indication that Harpoon Willy's is mostly about the bar, and what a bar it is. It's like the party you never need an invitation to come to where you'll meet someone you know or meet someone you don't know who you'll hang out with next time. Rachel Forrest is a former restaurant owner who lives in Portsmouth. Her column appears Wednesdays in Go & Do. Her restaurant review column, Dining Out, appears Thursdays in Spotlight magazine. Hear her on Wine Me Dine Me alternate Wednesdays at noon on WSCA-FM 106.1. She can be reached by e-mail at rforrest@seacoastonline.com. © Copyright 2006-2019 GateHouse Media, LLC. All rights reserved • GateHouse Entertain	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line11099
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We’ve currently received your request for data information. We will return on the same query in a short span of time. About Company Info Exim News Demo Data Search Foreign Ports SAC CODE GST RATE B-1/E-3, 2nd Floor, Mohan Cooperative Estate, Mathura Road, New Delhi- 110044, India Monday-Friday : 10:00 am to 6:30 pm Request Free Demo Copyright © 2009 - 2019 www.seair.co.in. All Rights Reserved. \| Data Available as per Indian Export / Import data (Daily List) is not available as per notification no- 140/2016. Get Free Import Export Data Sample Report	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line11100
__label__wiki	0.533846	0.533846	VIS-Orchestra VIC-Orchestra VIA-FESTIVAL MA. GUNDA HEYDEMANN modir2019-03-14T00:54:33+00:00 Secretary “CreArte Music friends Association” Gunda Heydemann is a musically extremely versatile artist and one of the rare musicians with an absolute ear. She got her first violin lessons at the age of 4 years of the Japanese Violin Virtuoso Prof. Kurozaki, is practicing chamber music (String Quartets, Piano Quartets, String- and Piano Trios) with her family and friends since she was a small child. She started to train her voice for classical opera singing at the age of 15 and was a regular participant of Jugendsingwoche Großrußbach (for youths between 16 and 26) and Vokalwoche Melk (Vocal Music a capella in different small ensembles and a big choir). To train her voice regularly and professionally she took singing lessons of teachers like Bernd Fröhlich (Huelgas Ensemble), Uta Schwabe and Elfriede Rezabek (Vienna State Opera) and participated on Master Courses of KS Ulrike Steinsky, Julia Conwell and Ellen Müller Preis (Mozartheum Sommerakademie). As a soprano she sang between 1999 and 2009 at Wiener Singakademie, the big Choir performing regularly Oratorios, a capella music and Operas at Wiener Konzerthaus. There she learnt the choir soprano part of the most important Oratorios and Choir Literature and got the chance to work with maestros like Fabio Luisi, Georges Pretre, Bertrand de Billy, Christian Thielemann, Franz Welser-Möst and Simon Young. From 1999 to 2005 she studied Theatre Science and specialized in children’s theatre and children’s opera. Afterwards she started working with children and between 2012 and 2014 she studied Elementary Pedagogic at St. Pölten to become an expert in elementary didactic, elementary pedagogy and Rhythmic. During her pedagogic studies she also learnt to play the guitar and the recorder and since then she uses both instruments regularly at nurseries and music schools where she works as an elementary music teacher. At the end of April 2017 she has completed her studies of Elementary Music Pedagogic at Art University Graz successfully. Gunda Heydemann is singing as a cantor at Ober St. Veit and Neusimmering and as a Soprano Soloist at weddings and Christening Celebrations. Since 2012 Gunda Heydemann plays regularly at the second desk of the second violins at Wiener Tonkunstvereinigung, an orchestra dedicated to the music of the classical and romantic epoch (18th and 19th century). In 2014 she founded the Eratos String- and Piano Quartet and since then she and her Eratos Quartet are regular guests at private salon concerts, they play at festive services and weddings and in special concerts in senior residences. During summer She and the other members of her Eratos Quartet visit the master courses for chamber music of Austrian Master Classes (Schloss Zell/Pram, Prof. Georg Steinschaden). During these master classes she was coached by Prof. Roschek, Prof. Langgartner, Prof. Frühwirth (Orchestra), Prof. Gereon Kleiner and Andreas Pözlberger. FacebookTwitterLinkedIngunda.heydemann@visorchestra.com In addition to regular concerts, the Vienna International Symphony Orchestra would like to organize an intercultural exchange of music between different people from other cultures living in Europe. The participants – musicians and audience .. Address: Landstraßer Hauptstraße 97- 101, Top A1 1030 Vienna Phone: +43 699 110 93 995 Email: office@visorchestra.com	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line11102
__label__wiki	0.969064	0.969064	Children's Health Home Find a Pediatrician Children's Health Guide Childhood Symptoms Related to Children's Health Child BMI Calculator Fit: For Kids Kids' Dental Care FDA Approves First Pill Made by 3D Printing Epilepsy drug Spritam may be one of many custom-made medicines to come that will use the technology By Robert Preidt HealthDay Reporter TUESDAY, Aug. 4, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- The age of 3D printing has come to the drug industry, with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday approving the first pill made with the technology. The agency approved the prescription drug Spritam (levetiracetam) as a 3D-printed pill, to be taken with other medicines for seizures in certain children and adults with epilepsy. According to a news release from Ohio-based Aprecia Pharmaceuticals, the drug is made using a 3D printing method called ZipDose Technology, which produces a porous pill that rapidly disintegrates with a sip of liquid. 3D printing has already been used to make medical devices, but Spritam is the first 3D-printed drug to be approved for sale in the United States. It is expected to be available early next year. Experts say 3D printing of pills could usher in an era where drugs can be custom-ordered, based on specific patient needs, rather than a "one-product-fits-all" approach. "For the last 50 years we have manufactured tablets in factories and shipped them to hospitals and for the first time this process means we can produce tablets much closer to the patient," Dr. Mohamed Albed Alhnan, a lecturer in pharmaceutics at the University of Central Lancashire in the United Kingdom, explained in an interview with BBC News. By making slight adjustments to the software before printing, hospitals could adjust the dose for individual patients, he said. Without 3D printing, such personalized medicine would be extremely costly. In clinical trials of Spritam, the most common side effects included sleepiness, weakness, dizziness and infection. In children, other common side effects included tiredness, aggressive behavior, nasal congestion, irritability and decreased appetite. Nearly 3 million Americans have diagnosed epilepsy, including 460,000 children. SOURCES: Aprecia Pharmaceuticals, news release, Aug. 3, 2015; BBC News Copyright © 2013-2016 HealthDay. All rights reserved. Puberty: How Young Is Too Young? How Chickenpox Is Spread Developmental Delays in Children Ages 3-5 What to Do If Your Child Is Constipated Does Your Child Have Allergy Symptoms? Why Is My Child Breathing So Fast? Kids and OTC Medicines Tips for safe use and storage. When Your Little One Is Sick Treating diarrhea, fever and more. Nutrients Kids Need How healthy is your child’s diet? How to help your child feel better. Kids' Top 6 Worries and How to Fix Them Celebrities With Dyslexia Measles Make a Comeback What to Do When Your Child Is Vomiting Free Healthy Baby App for iPhone Help Your Child Feel Good About Herself What Is 'Dry Drowning'? Whooping Cough Risks Are Germs Good for Kids? Enterovirus D68: Get the Facts What Are Urea Cycle Disorders? Symptoms of Dry Drowning What Is Juvenile Dermatomyositis?	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line11106
__label__cc	0.500479	0.499521	We have won many awards over the years for all areas of our business, including being ranked in the Sunday Times Best Companies to Work for and Britain’s Top Employers. Costa has been voted the UK’s Favourite Coffee Shop and Premier Inn has scooped up the award for Best Leisure and Best Budget Hotel Chain. MSC UK Awards Newcomer of the Year Winner Whitbread Compassion in World Farming Good Egg Award - Whitbread Evening Standard Business Corporate Citizen of the Year 1st Costa Sunday Times Best Big Companies to Work For 8th Whitbread Top Employers Institute Top Employer UK - Whitbread	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line11112
__label__wiki	0.983649	0.983649	Walker in Weston: 'I'm the No. 1 target in America' With New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour standing by his side inside a sprawling Wausau Supply Co. manufacturing facility, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker told a group of supporters he needed their votes to fight the "Washington-based special interests." Walker in Weston: 'I'm the No. 1 target in America' With New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour standing by his side inside a sprawling Wausau Supply Co. manufacturing facility, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker told a group of supporters he needed their votes to fight the "Washington-based special interests." Check out this story on wausaudailyherald.com: http://wdhne.ws/1wPwLQb Keith Uhlig, USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin Published 5:49 p.m. CT Oct. 31, 2014 \| Updated 7:42 p.m. CT Oct. 31, 2014 New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie speaks, with Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker in the background, as the two campaign together Friday at Wausau Supply Co. in Weston. (Photo: Dan Young/Daily Herald Media )Buy Photo Republican Gov. Scott Walker stumps with Chris Christie Keith Uhlig/Daily Herald Media WESTON — With New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour standing by his side inside a sprawling Wausau Supply Co. manufacturing facility, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker told a group of supporters Friday that he needed their votes to fight the "Washington-based special interests." "The ads, the tens of millions of dollars the Washington-based special interest groups are funding," Walker said. "You notice the trend. Almost all of the ads are talking about why they're against me. You know what my ads say? ... They're me sitting on the couch, talking like I'm talking to you, talking about what I'm for. My opponent is against something; I am for something." The fact that Christie, the chairman of the Republican Governors Association, and Barbour, the former chairman of the RGA, traveled to Wisconsin to stump for Walker underscored the national significance of the tight race between Walker and his Democratic opponent, Mary Burke, Walker said. "All these groups came in and said I'm their No. 1 target in the country," Walker said. "Not the No. 1 governor, but the No. 1 target in America. Do you know why? Because I took their power away." Christie focused on the candidates, not the issues, in his speech in support of Walker. "We know there will be discussions on taxes, spending, job creation, education," Christie said. "Those are things you can predict. ... There are lots of things that happen when you're governor that you can't predict. ... It's about honesty and integrity." Walker has those qualities, Christie said. "Does he keep his word? When he says something, does he not only talk the talk but walk the walk? Is he willing to put up with the slings and arrows that come with leadership, when you actually make the decision? I say yes." Both Christie and Walker have come under heavy scrutiny in their positions. Christie was under fire for bridgegate earlier this year, when lanes of the George Washington Bridge were closed, allegedly as political payback. Walker has been at the center of an investigation into allegations that there was illegal coordination between Walker's recall campaign and conservative groups supporting him. Walker said his campaign is about building on the state's recovery, and running on his actions of the last four years, which included limiting the bargaining powers of most public employee unions. That's why unions and other special interests "want me out," Walker said. It's a message the resonated with Forrest Gross, 37, of Rudolph, an elecromechanical technician at the Wausau Supply factory. All the employees of the plant were invited to attend the stump speeches, he said, "and I took them up on it." He'll vote for Walker, he said. "I kind of feel like things are heading in the right direction," Gross said. "And I want that to continue." Keith Uhlig can be reached at 715-845-0651. Find him on Twitter as @UhligK. Read or Share this story: http://wdhne.ws/1wPwLQb Wisconsin Elections Election results from contested races in the Wausau area USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin Spiros, Edming secure Assembly seats Laura Schulte Marijuana and dark store referendums pass in Lincoln County Marathon County approves medical marijuana Snyder wins race for 85th Assembly race	cc/2019-30/en_middle_0014.json.gz/line11117

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